Collective Bargaining Agreement 1985-1987 between Regis College and the Regis College Chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Regis Coll., Denver, CO.

The collective bargaining agreement between Regis College and the Regis College Chapter (50 members) of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) covering the period August 1985-August 1987 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: definitions and AAUP recognition; faculty-administration relationships; stipends for…

75 FR 41795 - Tehama County Resource Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-19

... be held at the Lincoln Street School, Pine Room, 1135 Lincoln Street, Red Bluff, CA. Individuals...) will meet in Red Bluff, California. Agenda items to be covered include: (1) Introductions, (2) Approval...

Master Agreement between Detroit College of Business and Detroit College of Business Faculty Association, July 1, 1982-June 30, 1986.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Detroit Coll. of Business, MI.

The collective bargaining agreement between Detroit College of Business and Detroit College of Business Faculty Association Chapter (17 full-time faculty members) of the National Education Association covering the period July 1, 1982-June 30, 1986 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: unit recognition, association relations,…

Agreement between Eastern Michigan University and the Eastern Michigan University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, September 1, 1985-August 31, 1987.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Association of Univ. Professors, Washington, DC.

The collective bargaining agreement between Eastern Michigan University and the Eastern Michigan University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) covering the period September 1, 1985-August 31, 1987 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: definitions, unit recognition, management rights, union rights,…

Agreement between Rider College and the Rider College Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, September 1, 1985-August 31, 1988.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rider Coll., Trenton, NJ.

The collective bargaining agreement between Rider College and the Rider College Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) covering the period September 1, 1985-August 31, 1988 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: definitions and unit recognition; nondiscrimination; affirmative action; academic freedom;…

Agreement between Rhode Island Board of Governors and University of Rhode Island Chapter, American Association of University Professors, 1983-1985.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rhode Island Univ., Kingston.

The collective bargaining agreement between Rhode Island Board of Governors and University of Rhode Island Chapter (710 members) of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) covering the period July 1, 1983-June 30, 1985 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: definitions and AAUP recognition, management rights,…

Agreement between Western Michigan University and the WMU Chapter of the American Association of University Professors for September 5, 1984-September 6, 1987.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Association of Univ. Professors, Washington, DC.

The collective bargaining agreement between Western Michigan University and the Western Michigan University Chapter (805 members) of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) covering the period September 5, 1984--September 6, 1987 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: definitions and AAUP recognition, management and…

Master Agreement between Northern Michigan University Board of Control and American Association of University Professors, Northern Michigan Chapter, June 30, 1987-June 30 1990.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Association of Univ. Professors, Washington, DC.

The collective bargaining agreement between Northern Michigan University Board of Control and Northern Michigan University chapter of the American Association of University Professors covering the period June 30, 1987-June 30, 1990 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: chapter recognition, nondiscrimination, access to information,…

Memorandum of Understanding between University of California and University Council, American Federation of Teachers, Non-Senate Instructional Unit, July 1 1986-June 30, 1988.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

California Univ. System.

The collective bargaining agreement between University of California and University Council, American Federation of Teachers, Non-Senate Instructional Unit, for the period covering July 1, 1986-June 30, 1988, is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: unit recognition; academic freedom; academic responsibility; nondiscrimination;…

Collective Bargaining Agreement between Montana University System and the Northern Montana College Federation of Teachers, July 1, 1985-June 30, 1987.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montana Univ. System, Helena.

The collective bargaining agreement between Montana University System and the Northern Montana College Federation of Teachers, an affiliate of the National Education Association, covering the period July 1, 1985-June 30, 1987, is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: unit recognition, dues deduction, access to information, use of…

Faculty Agreement 1983-1985: Oakland University and the Oakland University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Association of Univ. Professors, Washington, DC.

The collective bargaining agreement between Oakland University and the Oakland University Chapter (370 members) of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) covering the period March 1, 1983-August 14, 1985 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: definitions and recognition of AAUP; work of the bargaining unit;…

Do prominent quality measurement surveys capture the concerns of persons with disability?

PubMed

Iezzoni, Lisa I; Marsella, Sarah A; Lopinsky, Tiffany; Heaphy, Dennis; Warsett, Kimberley S

2017-04-01

Demonstration programs nationwide aim to control costs and improve care for people dually-eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, including many persons with disability. Ensuring these initiatives maintain or improve care quality requires comprehensive evaluation of quality of care. To examine whether the common quality measures being used to evaluate the Massachusetts One Care duals demonstration program comprehensively address the concerns of persons with disability. Drawing upon existing conceptual frameworks, we developed a model of interrelationships of personal, health care, and environmental factors for achieving wellness for persons with disability. Based on this model, we specified a scheme to code individual quality measurement items and coded the items contained in 12 measures being used to assess Massachusetts One Care, which exclusively enrolls non-elderly adults with disability. Across these 12 measures, we assigned 376 codes to 302 items; some items received two codes. Taken together, the 12 measures contain items addressing most factors in our conceptual model that affect health care quality for persons with disability, including long-term services and supports. Some important gaps exist. No items examine sexual or reproductive health care, peer support, housing security, disability stigmatization, and specific services obtained outside the home like adult day care. Certain key concepts are covered only by a single or several of the 12 quality measures. Common quality metrics cover most - although not all-health care quality concerns of persons with disability. However, multiple different quality measures are required for this comprehensive coverage, raising questions about respondent burden. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pain assessment tools: is the content appropriate for use in palliative care?

PubMed

Hølen, Jacob Chr; Hjermstad, Marianne Jensen; Loge, Jon Håvard; Fayers, Peter M; Caraceni, Augusto; De Conno, Franco; Forbes, Karen; Fürst, Carl Johan; Radbruch, Lukas; Kaasa, Stein

2006-12-01

Inadequate pain assessment prevents optimal treatment in palliative care. The content of pain assessment tools might limit their usefulness for proper pain assessment, but data on the content validity of the tools are scarce. The objective of this study was to examine the content of the existing pain assessment tools, and to evaluate the appropriateness of different dimensions and items for pain assessment in palliative care. A systematic search was performed to find pain assessment tools for patients with advanced cancer who were receiving palliative care. An ad hoc search with broader search criteria supplemented the systematic search. The items of the identified tools were allocated to appropriate dimensions. This was reviewed by an international panel of experts, who also evaluated the relevance of the different dimensions for pain assessment in palliative care. The systematic literature search generated 16 assessment tools while the ad hoc search generated 64. Ten pain dimensions containing 1,011 pain items were identified by the experts. The experts ranked intensity, temporal pattern, treatment and exacerbating/relieving factors, location, and interference with health-related quality of life as the most important dimensions. None of the assessment tools covered these dimensions satisfactorily. Most items were related to interference (231) and intensity (138). Temporal pattern (which includes breakthrough pain), ranked as the second most important dimension, was covered by 29 items only. Many tools include dimensions and items of limited relevance for patients with advanced cancer. This might reduce compliance and threaten the validity of the assessment. New tools should reflect the clinical relevance of different dimensions and be user-friendly.

75 FR 18146 - Tehama County Resource Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-09

.... ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Lincoln Street School, Pine Room, 1135 Lincoln Street, Red Bluff...) will meet in Red Bluff, California. Agenda items to be covered include: (1) Introductions, (2) Approval...

75 FR 9574 - Tehama County Resource Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-03

...: The meeting will be held at the Lincoln Street School, Pine Room, 1135 Lincoln Street, Red Bluff, CA...) will meet in Red Bluff, California. Agenda items to be covered include: (1) Introductions, (2) Approval...

76 FR 12317 - Tehama County Resource Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-07

.... ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Lincoln Street School, Pine Room, 1135 Lincoln Street, Red Bluff...) will meet in Red Bluff, California. Agenda items to be covered include: (1) Introductions, (2) Approval...

Safe Zones: Creating LGBT Safe Space Ally Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poynter, Kerry John; Tubbs, Nancy Jean

2008-01-01

This article discusses model LGBT Safe Space Ally programs. These programs, often called "Safe Zones," include self selected students, faculty, and employees who publicly show support by displaying stickers, signs, and other identifiable items. Issues covered in the article include history, development, training, membership, assessment, and…

Literacy Materials Produced in Saskatchewan: A Bibliography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duesterbeck, Florence, Comp.; Veeman, Nayda, Comp.

An annotated listing of literacy materials from Saskatchewan includes items for use by new readers, tutors, and instructors. The annotations summarize the content and give the reading level of materials suitable for new readers. The bibliography consists of two sections. One covers Saskatchewan-produced titles and includes availability…

Collective Bargaining Agreement between Connecticut State University American Association of University Professors and the Board of Trustees for the Connecticut State University, 1984-1987 and The Connecticut State University Agreement for Part-Time Employees in the Instructional Faculty Bargaining Unit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connecticut State Board of Higher Education, Hartford.

The collective bargaining agreement between Connecticut State University Board of Trustees and the Connecticut State University chapter of the American Association of University Professors covering the period April 10, 1984 to April 10, 1987 is presented. The chapter has 1,980 members, including part-timers. Items covered in the agreement include:…

Agreement between Wayne State University and the Wayne State University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, August 1, 1983-July 31, 1986.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Association of Univ. Professors, Washington, DC.

The collective bargaining agreement between Wayne State University and the Wayne State University Chapter of AAUP covering the period August 1, 1983-July 31, 1986 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: personnel classification, administration rights, union rights, union privileges, deduction of union dues and fees,…

Agreement between Board of Control, Northern Michigan University, and American Association of University Professors, Northern Michigan University Chapter, July 1, 1984-June 30, 1987.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Association of Univ. Professors, Washington, DC.

The collective bargaining agreement between Northern Michigan University Board of Control and Northern Michigan University Chapter (280 members) of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) covering the period July 1, 1984-June 30, 1987 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: definitions and recognition of AAUP;…

Collective Bargaining Agreement by and between the Administration of Adelphi University and Adelphi University Chapter, American Association of University Professors, September 1, 1984-August 31, 1987.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Association of Univ. Professors, Washington, DC.

The collective bargaining agreement between the Adelphi University Administration and the Adelphi University Chapter (540 members) of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) covering the period September 1, 1984-August 31, 1987 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: definitions; recognition and definition of the…

An Agreement between Emerson College and the Emerson College Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, September 1, 1984-August 31, 1987.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Association of Univ. Professors, Washington, DC.

The collective bargaining agreement between Emerson College and the Emerson College Chapter (85 members) of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) covering the period September 1, 1984-August 31, 1987 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: unit recognition and definitions; agent's rights; dues and fees checkoff;…

Agreement between the Board of Trustees of the California State Universtiy and the California Faculty Association. Unit 3--Faculty. August 16, 1983-June 30, 1986.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

California Faculty Association.

The collective bargaining agreement between the Board of Trustees of the California State University and the California Faculty Association chapter (18,000 members) of the National Education Association (NEA) covering the period August 16, 1983-June 30, 1986 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: unit recognition; definitions;…

Collective Bargaining Agreement between Portland State University Chapter, American Association of University Professors, and Portland State University [July 1, 1983-June 30, 1985].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Portland State Univ., OR.

The collective bargaining agreement between Portland State University and Portland State University Chapter (550 members) of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) covering the period July 1, 1983-June 30, 1985 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: definitions and recognition of AAUP, AAUP rights, exchange of…

Agreement between the Board of Control of Ferris State College and the Ferris College Faculty Association (MEA/NEA), November 12, 1984-June 30, 1987.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michigan Education Association, East Lansing.

The collective bargaining agreement between the Board of Ferris State College and Ferris Faculty Association Chapter (507 members), an affiliate of the National Education Association and the Michigan Education Association, covering the period November 12, 1984-June 30, 1987 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: unit recognition,…

Collective Bargaining Agreement by and between Hofstra University and the Hofstra Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, September 1, 1985-August 31, 1988.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Association of Univ. Professors, Washington, DC.

The collective bargaining agreement between Hofstra University and the Hofstra University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) covering the period September 1, 1985-August 31, 1988 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: definitions and unit recognition; faculty statutes and faculty policy series; the…

Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Board of Trustees of Delaware State College and the Delaware State College Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, 1986-1990.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delaware State Coll., Dover.

The collective bargaining agreement between the board of trustees and the Delaware State College chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) covering the period 1986 to 1990 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: definitions; recognition of unit; non-discrimination; rights and privileges (professional dues…

Glossary of Mongolian Technical Terms. Program in Oriental Languages. Publications Series B--Aids--Number 13.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buck, Frederick H.

This glossary of Mongolian technical terms includes approximately 4,500 entries, covering such areas as political administration, economics, science, railways, stockfarming, agriculture, medicine, foreign affairs, military matters and miscellaneous items. A number of colloquial expressions are included, since they occur quite frequently and appear…

On Campus with Women. Spring 1986 [and] Summer 1986.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

On Campus with Women, 1986

1986-01-01

Developments in education, employment, and the courts concerning the status of women are covered in two newsletter issues. Included is an article from "Ms. Magazine" entitled "Do SATs Shortchange Women?" News items include the following: a salary bias court case, minority women in intercollegiate athletics, athletic scholarships for women,…

A Review of Guidelines on Home Drug Testing Websites for Parents

PubMed Central

Washio, Yukiko; Fairfax-Columbo, Jaymes; Ball, Emily; Cassey, Heather; Arria, Amelia M.; Bresani, Elena; Curtis, Brenda L.; Kirby, Kimberly C.

2014-01-01

Purpose To update and extend prior work reviewing websites that discuss home drug testing for parents and assess the quality of information that the websites provide to assist them to decide when and how to use home drug testing. Methods We conducted a world-wide web search that identified eight websites providing information for parents on home drug testing. We assessed the information on the sites using checklist developed with field experts in adolescent substance abuse and psychosocial interventions that focus on urine testing. Results None of the websites covered all of items on the 24-item checklist, and only three covered at least half of the items (12, 14, and 21 items, respectively). The five remaining websites covered less than half the checklist items. The mean number of items covered by the websites was 11. Conclusions Among the websites that we reviewed, few provided thorough information to parents regarding empirically-supported strategies to effectively use drug testing to intervene on adolescent substance use. Furthermore, most websites did not provide thorough information regarding the risks and benefits to inform parents’ decision to use home drug testing. Empirical evidence regarding efficacy, benefits, risks, and limitations of home drug testing is needed. PMID:25026103

Draft Master Agreement between the University of the District of Columbia Faculty Association/NEA and the University of District of Columbia, October 1, 1985-September 30, 1987.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

District of Columbia Univ., Washington, DC.

The collective bargaining agreement between the University of the District of Columbia and the University of the District of Columbia Faculty Association Chapter (600 members) of the National Education Association covering the period October 1, 1985-September 30, 1987 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: unit scope and…

Agreement between Long Island University and the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Long Island University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, 1981-1986.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long Island Univ., Brooklyn, NY.

The collective bargaining agreement between Long Island University and the Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Chapter (50 members) of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) covering the period November 1, 1981-November 1, 1986 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: AAUP recognition,…

Agreement between Temple University of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education and the American Association of University Professors Temple Chapter, July 1, 1984-June 30, 1986.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Association of Univ. Professors, Washington, DC.

The collective bargaining agreement between Temple University of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education and the Temple University Chapter (1,350 members) of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) covering the period July 1, 1984-June 30, 1986 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: definitions and AAUP…

Agreement between the Board of Trustees of Union County College and the Union County College Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, September 1, 1984-August 31, 1987.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Union Coll., Cransford, NJ.

The collective bargaining agreement between Union County College Board of Trustees and the Union County College Chapter (100 members) of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) covering the period September 1, 1984-August 31, 1987 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: definitions and AAUP recognition, chapter…

Guidelines 2.0: systematic development of a comprehensive checklist for a successful guideline enterprise.

PubMed

Schünemann, Holger J; Wiercioch, Wojtek; Etxeandia, Itziar; Falavigna, Maicon; Santesso, Nancy; Mustafa, Reem; Ventresca, Matthew; Brignardello-Petersen, Romina; Laisaar, Kaja-Triin; Kowalski, Sérgio; Baldeh, Tejan; Zhang, Yuan; Raid, Ulla; Neumann, Ignacio; Norris, Susan L; Thornton, Judith; Harbour, Robin; Treweek, Shaun; Guyatt, Gordon; Alonso-Coello, Pablo; Reinap, Marge; Brozek, Jan; Oxman, Andrew; Akl, Elie A

2014-02-18

Although several tools to evaluate the credibility of health care guidelines exist, guidance on practical steps for developing guidelines is lacking. We systematically compiled a comprehensive checklist of items linked to relevant resources and tools that guideline developers could consider, without the expectation that every guideline would address each item. We searched data sources, including manuals of international guideline developers, literature on guidelines for guidelines (with a focus on methodology reports from international and national agencies, and professional societies) and recent articles providing systematic guidance. We reviewed these sources in duplicate, extracted items for the checklist using a sensitive approach and developed overarching topics relevant to guidelines. In an iterative process, we reviewed items for duplication and omissions and involved experts in guideline development for revisions and suggestions for items to be added. We developed a checklist with 18 topics and 146 items and a webpage to facilitate its use by guideline developers. The topics and included items cover all stages of the guideline enterprise, from the planning and formulation of guidelines, to their implementation and evaluation. The final checklist includes links to training materials as well as resources with suggested methodology for applying the items. The checklist will serve as a resource for guideline developers. Consideration of items on the checklist will support the development, implementation and evaluation of guidelines. We will use crowdsourcing to revise the checklist and keep it up to date.

Guidelines 2.0: systematic development of a comprehensive checklist for a successful guideline enterprise

PubMed Central

Schünemann, Holger J.; Wiercioch, Wojtek; Etxeandia, Itziar; Falavigna, Maicon; Santesso, Nancy; Mustafa, Reem; Ventresca, Matthew; Brignardello-Petersen, Romina; Laisaar, Kaja-Triin; Kowalski, Sérgio; Baldeh, Tejan; Zhang, Yuan; Raid, Ulla; Neumann, Ignacio; Norris, Susan L.; Thornton, Judith; Harbour, Robin; Treweek, Shaun; Guyatt, Gordon; Alonso-Coello, Pablo; Reinap, Marge; Brožek, Jan; Oxman, Andrew; Akl, Elie A.

2014-01-01

Background: Although several tools to evaluate the credibility of health care guidelines exist, guidance on practical steps for developing guidelines is lacking. We systematically compiled a comprehensive checklist of items linked to relevant resources and tools that guideline developers could consider, without the expectation that every guideline would address each item. Methods: We searched data sources, including manuals of international guideline developers, literature on guidelines for guidelines (with a focus on methodology reports from international and national agencies, and professional societies) and recent articles providing systematic guidance. We reviewed these sources in duplicate, extracted items for the checklist using a sensitive approach and developed overarching topics relevant to guidelines. In an iterative process, we reviewed items for duplication and omissions and involved experts in guideline development for revisions and suggestions for items to be added. Results: We developed a checklist with 18 topics and 146 items and a webpage to facilitate its use by guideline developers. The topics and included items cover all stages of the guideline enterprise, from the planning and formulation of guidelines, to their implementation and evaluation. The final checklist includes links to training materials as well as resources with suggested methodology for applying the items. Interpretation: The checklist will serve as a resource for guideline developers. Consideration of items on the checklist will support the development, implementation and evaluation of guidelines. We will use crowdsourcing to revise the checklist and keep it up to date. PMID:24344144

Large Print Bibliography, 1990.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

South Dakota State Library, Pierre.

This bibliography lists materials that are available in large print format from the South Dakota State Library. The annotated entries are printed in large print and include the title of the material and its author, call number, publication date, and type of story or subject area covered. Some recorded items are included in the list. The entries…

Database of Industrial Technological Information in Kanagawa : Networks for Technology Activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saito, Akira; Shindo, Tadashi

This system is one of the databases which require participation by its members and of which premise is to open all the data in it. Aiming at free technological cooperation and exchange among industries it was constructed by Kanagawa Prefecture in collaboration with enterprises located in it. The input data is 36 items such as major product, special and advantageous technology, technolagy to be wanted for cooperation, facility and equipment, which technologically characterize each enterprise. They are expressed in 2,000 characters and written by natural language including Kanji except for some coded items. 24 search items are accessed by natural language so that in addition to interactive searching procedures including menu-type it enables extensive searching. The information service started in Oct., 1986 covering data from 2,000 enterprisen.

75 FR 63436 - Glenn/Colusa County Resource Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-15

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Glenn/Colusa County Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The Glenn/Colusa County Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Willows, California. Agenda items covered include: (1) Introductions, (2...

75 FR 27287 - Glenn/Colusa County Resource Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-14

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Glenn/Colusa County Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The Glenn/Colusa County Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Willows, California. Agenda items covered include: (1) Introductions, (2...

76 FR 770 - Mendocino Resource Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-06

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Mendocino Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The Mendocino County Resource Advisory Committee will meet January 21, 2011 (RAC) in Willits, California. Agenda items to be covered include: (1) Approval of...

75 FR 3197 - Mendocino Resource Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-20

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Mendocino Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The Mendocino County Resource Advisory Committee will meet February 5, 2010 (RAC) in Willits, California. Agenda items to be covered include: (1) Approval of...

76 FR 16378 - Mendocino Resource Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-23

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Mendocino Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The Mendocino County Resource Advisory Committee will meet April 15, 2011 (RAC) in Willits, California. Agenda items to be covered include: (1) Approval of...

77 FR 56607 - Mendocino Resource Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-13

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Mendocino Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The Mendocino County Resource Advisory Committee will meet September 21, 2012 (RAC) in Willits, California. Agenda items to be covered include: (1) Approval...

75 FR 27704 - Mendocino Resource Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-18

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Mendocino Resource Advisory Committee AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The Mendocino County Resource Advisory Committee will meet June 18, 2010 (RAC) in Willits, California. Agenda items to be covered include: (1) Approval of...

Student Travel: Policies - Regulations - Exhibits.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trujillo, Lorenzo A.; And Others

The Jefferson County (Colorado) Public Schools' regulations and policies concerning student travel covers these forms of travel: student activity travel, extended student travel, district sponsored student travel, district authorized student travel, student exchange, and bonus learning trips. Issues and items addressed include: (1) authorization…

[Guidelines 2.0: systematic development of a comprehensive checklist for a successful guideline enterprise].

PubMed

Morgano, Gian Paolo; Davoli, Marina; Moja, Lorenzo; Amato, Laura; Ferroni, Eliana; Tirani, Marcello

2015-06-01

Guideline developers worldwide are struggling with the lack of guidance for the practical steps in the guideline enterprise. Our objective was to systematically compile a comprehensive checklist of items linked to relevant resources and tools that guideline developers would consider for development and support of implementation. Data sources included manuals of international guideline developers, literature on guidelines for guidelines with a focus on international and national guideline agencies, professional societies, and recent systematic guidance articles. We reviewed these sources in duplicate, extracted items using a sensitive approach and developed overarching topics that are relevant to guidelines. In an iterative process, we reviewed items for duplication and omissions and involved experts in guideline development for revisions. We developed a checklist with 18 topics and 146 items and a webpage to facilitate its use by guideline developers (http://cebgrade.mcmaster.ca/guidecheck.html). The topics and items included cover all stages of the guideline enterprise, from planning to formulating recommendations, to dissemination and evaluation. The final itemized guideline development checklist (GDC) includes links to training material and resources for methodology. The GDC will serve as a resource for those involved in guideline development and we will use crowdsourcing to keep the checklist up to date and enhance it.

A review of guidelines on home drug testing web sites for parents.

PubMed

Washio, Yukiko; Fairfax-Columbo, Jaymes; Ball, Emily; Cassey, Heather; Arria, Amelia M; Bresani, Elena; Curtis, Brenda L; Kirby, Kimberly C

2014-01-01

To update and extend prior work reviewing Web sites that discuss home drug testing for parents, and assess the quality of information that the Web sites provide, to assist them in deciding when and how to use home drug testing. We conducted a worldwide Web search that identified 8 Web sites providing information for parents on home drug testing. We assessed the information on the sites using a checklist developed with field experts in adolescent substance abuse and psychosocial interventions that focus on urine testing. None of the Web sites covered all the items on the 24-item checklist, and only 3 covered at least half of the items (12, 14, and 21 items, respectively). The remaining 5 Web sites covered less than half of the checklist items. The mean number of items covered by the Web sites was 11. Among the Web sites that we reviewed, few provided thorough information to parents regarding empirically supported strategies to effectively use drug testing to intervene on adolescent substance use. Furthermore, most Web sites did not provide thorough information regarding the risks and benefits to inform parents' decision to use home drug testing. Empirical evidence regarding efficacy, benefits, risks, and limitations of home drug testing is needed.

Collective Bargaining Agreement between the Board of Trustees of Delaware State College and the Delaware State College Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, September 1, 1983-August 31, 1986.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delaware State Coll., Dover.

The collective bargaining agreement between the Delaware State College Board of Trustees and the Delaware State College Chapter (145 members) of the American Association of University Professors covering the period September 1, 1983-August 31, 1986 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: unit recognition and definitions,…

Planetary quarantine: Principles, methods, and problems.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, L. B.

1971-01-01

Microbial survival in deep space environment, contamination of planets by nonsterile flight hardware, and hazards of back contamination are among the topics covered in papers concerned with the analytical basis for planetary quarantine. The development of the technology and policies of planetary quarantine is covered in contributions on microbiologic assay and sterilization of space flight hardware and control of microbial contamination. A comprehensive subject index is included. Individual items are abstracted in this issue.

Collective Bargaining Agreement between the University of Connecticut Board of Trustees and the University of Connecticut Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, July 1, 1984-June 30, 1986.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connecticut Univ., Storrs. Board of Trustees.

The collective bargaining agreement between the University of Connecticut Board of Trustees and the University of Connecticut Chapter (1,410 members) of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) covering the period July 1, 1984-June 30, 1986 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: unit recognition, exclusions, academic…

New Media for Workers' Education and Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Labour Education, 1995

1995-01-01

Includes "Introduction"; "Part One: Towards a New Technological System"; "Part Two: Communications and Training"; "Part Three: Production and Distribution of Media"; glossary; and 77-item bibliography. Covers the use of audiovisual aids, computer-assisted instruction, telecommunications, video, optical media, and computer networks for labor…

Annotated Bibliography: Afro-American, Hispano and Amerind; with Amerinc; with Audio-Visual Materials List.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haberbosch, John F.; And Others

Readings and audiovisual materials, selected especially for educators, related to the study of Afro-American, Hispano-American, and American Indian cultures are included in this 366-item annotated bibliography covering the period from 1861 to 1968. Historical, cultural, and biographical materials are included for each of the three cultures as well…

Youth with Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses: An Introductory Guide for Youth and Parents. CYDLINE Reviews.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis. National Center for Youth with Disabilities.

This bibliography covers a wide range of issues related to the needs of adolescents and young adults with chronic illnesses and disabilities and their families. For each item in the bibliography, information provided includes author, title, source, date, and abstract. Price information is given when available. Materials include books, audiotapes,…

Standard Specifications for Language Laboratory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Carolina State Dept. of Administration, Raleigh.

Specifications are presented covering the components of electronic and electro-mechanical equipment, non-electrical materials for the teacher-student positions, and other items of a miscellaneous nature to provide for a complete, workable language laboratory facility. Instructions for the use of specifications are included for the purchaser,…

Continuing Education in the Professions. Current Information Sources, No. 24.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Syracuse Univ., NY. ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult Education.

Beginning with bibliographies, surveys, and other general works, this 225-item annotated bibliography on professional continuing education covers the following areas: engineering and technical education; chemistry and clinical psychology; medicine and health (including psychiatry); inservice education and retraining for lawyers, law enforcement…

The Catalog, 1978-1979. Revised Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keene, Lois, Ed.

This catalog provides an annotated list of the career education materials which may be borrowed for previewing from the Career Education Resource Center in Colorado. Covering materials of interest to educators in kindergarten through postsecondary programs, the catalog includes items produced by classroom teachers, commercial publishers, business…

INTRODUCTION TO PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOME ITEM BANKS: ISSUES IN MINORITY AGING RESEARCH

PubMed Central

Templin, Thomas N; Hays, Ron D; Gershon, Richard C; Rothrock, Nan; Jones, Richard N; Teresi, Jeanne A; Stewart, Anita; Weech-Maldonado, Robert; Wallace, Steve

2014-01-01

In 2004 NIH awarded contracts to initiate the development of high quality psychological and neuropsychological outcome measures for improved assessment of health-related outcomes. The workshop introduced these measurement development initiatives, the measures created, and the NIH supported resource (Assessment Center) for internet or tablet-based test administration and scoring. Presentation covered: (a) item response theory (IRT) and assessment of test bias, (b) construction of item banks and computerized adaptive testing, and (c) the different ways in which qualitative analyses contribute to the definition of construct domains and the refinement of outcome constructs. The panel discussion included questions about representativeness of samples, and assessment of cultural bias. PMID:23570428

Biology Today: Of Wishbones, Beavers & Blinking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flannery, Maura, Ed.

1989-01-01

Provided is a discussion of items covering a variety of fascinating biological topics which include: the elasticity of the furcula of starlings in flight, beavers increasing the greenhouse effect, effective invaders, traveling birds, the cuckoo deception, competitive sperm, hearing springs, heat and sight, blinking as punctuation, mutations, and…

Exceptional Parent, 2002.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rader, Rick, Ed.

2002-01-01

Twelve monthly issues of this magazine for parents and others concerned with children with disabilities are contained in this document. Individual issues typically include a number of articles based on the issues theme, a special report, research reflections, and regular columns covering news items, practical answers to child rearing problems,…

12 CFR 35.7 - Annual reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Banking COMPTROLLER OF THE CURRENCY, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY DISCLOSURE AND REPORTING OF CRA-RELATED... detailed, itemized list of how any funds or resources received by the NGEP under the covered agreement were used during the fiscal year, including the total amount used for— (A) Compensation of officers...

Agreement entered into between New York Institute of Technology and the Council of Metropolitan and Old Westbury Chapters of the American Association of University Professors at the New York Institute of Technology, September 1, 1983 until August 31, 1986.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York Inst. of Tech., Old Westbury.

The collective bargaining agreement between New York Institute of Technology and the Council of Metropolitan and Old Westbury chapters (220 members) of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) covering the period September 1, 1983-August 31, 1986 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: definitions and recognition of…

Measuring impairments of functioning and health in patients with axial spondyloarthritis by using the ASAS Health Index and the Environmental Item Set: translation and cross-cultural adaptation into 15 languages.

PubMed

Kiltz, U; van der Heijde, D; Boonen, A; Bautista-Molano, W; Burgos-Vargas, R; Chiowchanwisawakit, P; Duruoz, T; El-Zorkany, B; Essers, I; Gaydukova, I; Géher, P; Gossec, L; Grazio, S; Gu, J; Khan, M A; Kim, T J; Maksymowych, W P; Marzo-Ortega, H; Navarro-Compán, V; Olivieri, I; Patrikos, D; Pimentel-Santos, F M; Schirmer, M; van den Bosch, F; Weber, U; Zochling, J; Braun, J

2016-01-01

The Assessments of SpondyloArthritis international society Health Index (ASAS HI) measures functioning and health in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) across 17 aspects of health and 9 environmental factors (EF). The objective was to translate and adapt the original English version of the ASAS HI, including the EF Item Set, cross-culturally into 15 languages. Translation and cross-cultural adaptation has been carried out following the forward-backward procedure. In the cognitive debriefing, 10 patients/country across a broad spectrum of sociodemographic background, were included. The ASAS HI and the EF Item Set were translated into Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai and Turkish. Some difficulties were experienced with translation of the contextual factors indicating that these concepts may be more culturally-dependent. A total of 215 patients with axial SpA across 23 countries (62.3% men, mean (SD) age 42.4 (13.9) years) participated in the field test. Cognitive debriefing showed that items of the ASAS HI and EF Item Set are clear, relevant and comprehensive. All versions were accepted with minor modifications with respect to item wording and response option. The wording of three items had to be adapted to improve clarity. As a result of cognitive debriefing, a new response option 'not applicable' was added to two items of the ASAS HI to improve appropriateness. This study showed that the items of the ASAS HI including the EFs were readily adaptable throughout all countries, indicating that the concepts covered were comprehensive, clear and meaningful in different cultures.

Measuring impairments of functioning and health in patients with axial spondyloarthritis by using the ASAS Health Index and the Environmental Item Set: translation and cross-cultural adaptation into 15 languages

PubMed Central

Kiltz, U; van der Heijde, D; Boonen, A; Bautista-Molano, W; Burgos-Vargas, R; Chiowchanwisawakit, P; Duruoz, T; El-Zorkany, B; Essers, I; Gaydukova, I; Géher, P; Gossec, L; Grazio, S; Gu, J; Khan, M A; Kim, T J; Maksymowych, W P; Marzo-Ortega, H; Navarro-Compán, V; Olivieri, I; Patrikos, D; Pimentel-Santos, F M; Schirmer, M; van den Bosch, F; Weber, U; Zochling, J; Braun, J

2016-01-01

Introduction The Assessments of SpondyloArthritis international society Health Index (ASAS HI) measures functioning and health in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) across 17 aspects of health and 9 environmental factors (EF). The objective was to translate and adapt the original English version of the ASAS HI, including the EF Item Set, cross-culturally into 15 languages. Methods Translation and cross-cultural adaptation has been carried out following the forward–backward procedure. In the cognitive debriefing, 10 patients/country across a broad spectrum of sociodemographic background, were included. Results The ASAS HI and the EF Item Set were translated into Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai and Turkish. Some difficulties were experienced with translation of the contextual factors indicating that these concepts may be more culturally-dependent. A total of 215 patients with axial SpA across 23 countries (62.3% men, mean (SD) age 42.4 (13.9) years) participated in the field test. Cognitive debriefing showed that items of the ASAS HI and EF Item Set are clear, relevant and comprehensive. All versions were accepted with minor modifications with respect to item wording and response option. The wording of three items had to be adapted to improve clarity. As a result of cognitive debriefing, a new response option ‘not applicable’ was added to two items of the ASAS HI to improve appropriateness. Discussion This study showed that the items of the ASAS HI including the EFs were readily adaptable throughout all countries, indicating that the concepts covered were comprehensive, clear and meaningful in different cultures. PMID:27752358

48 CFR 1352.271-72 - Additional Item Requirements (AIR)-growth work

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Production Schedule. The ordering of any portion of the AIR quantities does not in itself warrant an extension to the original contract completion date; however, for planning purposes, the Government... cover the entire effort and shall be burdened to include: (1) Direct production labor hour functions...

48 CFR 1352.271-72 - Additional Item Requirements (AIR)-growth work

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... Production Schedule. The ordering of any portion of the AIR quantities does not in itself warrant an extension to the original contract completion date; however, for planning purposes, the Government... cover the entire effort and shall be burdened to include: (1) Direct production labor hour functions...

48 CFR 1352.271-72 - Additional Item Requirements (AIR)-growth work

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... Production Schedule. The ordering of any portion of the AIR quantities does not in itself warrant an extension to the original contract completion date; however, for planning purposes, the Government... cover the entire effort and shall be burdened to include: (1) Direct production labor hour functions...

On Campus with Women.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

On Campus with Women, 1985

1985-01-01

Developments in education, employment, and the courts concerning the status of women are covered in these two newsletter issues. In addition to news items, the article "United Nations World Conference on Women, 1985: Some Random Reflections on the Nairobi Conference" by Bernice Sandler is included. The article provides an overview of the overall…

Agreement between The State of New York and United University Professions, 1985-1988.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York State Executive Office, Albany.

The collective bargaining agreement between The State of New York and United University Professions, an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, for 1985 to 1988 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: unit recognition, grievance procedure, arbitration procedure, grievance appeals, labor-management meetings, academic…

Annotated A.B.E. Bibliography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Ethel E., Comp.

Based on lists submitted by practitioners working in the 0 to grade 9 levels of English-speaking adult basic education (ABE) in Canada, this annotated bibliography is composed of 283 items currently in use. Six categories are included: (1) reading, which covers reading systems, instructional material, phonics, and independent reading; (2) language…

Belleville Area College Memorandum of Understanding, 1984-1986.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belleville Area Coll., IL.

The 1984-1985 and 1985-1986 collective bargaining agreement between the Belleville Area College Board of Trustees and the Belleville Area College Chapter (135 members) of the American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: unit recognition and definitions,…

An Annotated Bibliography of the Literature on Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maguire, Louis M.

This 493-item bibliography covers the gamut of change in society. Emphases are placed on the topics of educational change, innovation research, administrative change, organizational change, and social and political change. The document, divided into three parts, includes 176 books, 191 articles in books, and 126 papers and speeches. Also included…

Guide to Developing High-Quality, Reliable, and Valid Multiple-Choice Assessments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Towns, Marcy H.

2014-01-01

Chemistry faculty members are highly skilled in obtaining, analyzing, and interpreting physical measurements, but often they are less skilled in measuring student learning. This work provides guidance for chemistry faculty from the research literature on multiple-choice item development in chemistry. Areas covered include content, stem, and…

76 FR 28415 - Fresno County Resource Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-17

... items to be covered include: (1) Accept new project proposals and (2) Review progress and monitoring... Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of meeting. SUMMARY: The Fresno County Resource Advisory Committee will be meeting in Prather, California, June 29, 2011 and July 27, 2011. The purpose of these meetings will be to...

Career Development Course: Instructor's Handbook and Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunsaker, Alan

A ten-week course in career development for unemployed, low-income, dropout-prone teenagers is described. Topics covered include job applications, resumes, interviewing, ancillary needs (e.g., driver's licenses and social security numbers), the want ads, and employment agencies. Goals, objectives, and discussion items are provided for each topic.…

The Career Education Resource Center Annotated Catalog, 1978-1979.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keene, Lois, Ed.

This catalog provides an annotated list of the career education materials which may be borrowed for previewing from the Career Education Resource Center in Colorado. Covering materials of interest to educators in kindergarten through postsecondary programs, the catalog includes items produced by classroom teachers, commercial publishers, business…

7 CFR 65.220 - Processed food item.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Processed food item. 65.220 Section 65.220 Agriculture..., PEANUTS, AND GINSENG General Provisions Definitions § 65.220 Processed food item. Processed food item... other covered commodity or other substantive food component (e.g., chocolate, breading, tomato sauce...

7 CFR 65.220 - Processed food item.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Processed food item. 65.220 Section 65.220 Agriculture..., PEANUTS, AND GINSENG General Provisions Definitions § 65.220 Processed food item. Processed food item... other covered commodity or other substantive food component (e.g., chocolate, breading, tomato sauce...

7 CFR 65.220 - Processed food item.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Processed food item. 65.220 Section 65.220 Agriculture..., PEANUTS, AND GINSENG General Provisions Definitions § 65.220 Processed food item. Processed food item... other covered commodity or other substantive food component (e.g., chocolate, breading, tomato sauce...

7 CFR 65.220 - Processed food item.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Processed food item. 65.220 Section 65.220 Agriculture..., PEANUTS, AND GINSENG General Provisions Definitions § 65.220 Processed food item. Processed food item... other covered commodity or other substantive food component (e.g., chocolate, breading, tomato sauce...

7 CFR 65.220 - Processed food item.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Processed food item. 65.220 Section 65.220 Agriculture..., PEANUTS, AND GINSENG General Provisions Definitions § 65.220 Processed food item. Processed food item... other covered commodity or other substantive food component (e.g., chocolate, breading, tomato sauce...

Development of item bank to measure deliberate self-harm behaviours: facilitating tailored scales and computer adaptive testing for specific research and clinical purposes.

PubMed

Latimer, Shane; Meade, Tanya; Tennant, Alan

2014-07-30

The purpose of this study was to investigate the application of item banking to questionnaire items intended to measure Deliberate Self-Harm (DSH) behaviours. The Rasch measurement model was used to evaluate behavioural items extracted from seven published DSH scales administered to 568 Australians aged 18-30 years (62% university students, 21% mental health patients, and 17% community members). Ninety four items were calibrated in the item bank (including 12 items with differential item functioning for gender and age). Tailored scale construction was demonstrated by extracting scales covering different combinations of DSH methods but with the same raw score for each person location on the latent DSH construct. A simulated computer adaptive test (starting with common self-harm methods to minimise presentation of extreme behaviours) demonstrated that 11 items (on average) were needed to achieve a standard error of measurement of 0.387 (corresponding to a Cronbach׳s Alpha of 0.85). This study lays the groundwork for advancing DSH measurement to an item bank approach with the flexibility to measure a specific definitional orientation (e.g., non-suicidal self-injury) or a broad continuum of self-harmful acts, as appropriate to a particular research/clinical purpose. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Criterion-Referenced Test Items for Small Engines.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herd, Amon

This notebook contains criterion-referenced test items for testing students' knowledge of small engines. The test items are based upon competencies found in the Missouri Small Engine Competency Profile. The test item bank is organized in 18 sections that cover the following duties: shop procedures; tools and equipment; fasteners; servicing fuel…

42 CFR 424.535 - Revocation of enrollment and billing privileges in the Medicare program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... application applicable for its provider or supplier type, and has not submitted a plan of corrective action as... supplier is no longer operational to furnish Medicare covered items or services, or is not meeting Medicare... A provider is no longer operational to furnish Medicare covered items or services, or the provider...

The effects of cumulative practice on mathematics problem solving.

PubMed

Mayfield, Kristin H; Chase, Philip N

2002-01-01

This study compared three different methods of teaching five basic algebra rules to college students. All methods used the same procedures to teach the rules and included four 50-question review sessions interspersed among the training of the individual rules. The differences among methods involved the kinds of practice provided during the four review sessions. Participants who received cumulative practice answered 50 questions covering a mix of the rules learned prior to each review session. Participants who received a simple review answered 50 questions on one previously trained rule. Participants who received extra practice answered 50 extra questions on the rule they had just learned. Tests administered after each review included new questions for applying each rule (application items) and problems that required novel combinations of the rules (problem-solving items). On the final test, the cumulative group outscored the other groups on application and problem-solving items. In addition, the cumulative group solved the problem-solving items significantly faster than the other groups. These results suggest that cumulative practice of component skills is an effective method of training problem solving.

The effects of cumulative practice on mathematics problem solving.

PubMed Central

Mayfield, Kristin H; Chase, Philip N

2002-01-01

This study compared three different methods of teaching five basic algebra rules to college students. All methods used the same procedures to teach the rules and included four 50-question review sessions interspersed among the training of the individual rules. The differences among methods involved the kinds of practice provided during the four review sessions. Participants who received cumulative practice answered 50 questions covering a mix of the rules learned prior to each review session. Participants who received a simple review answered 50 questions on one previously trained rule. Participants who received extra practice answered 50 extra questions on the rule they had just learned. Tests administered after each review included new questions for applying each rule (application items) and problems that required novel combinations of the rules (problem-solving items). On the final test, the cumulative group outscored the other groups on application and problem-solving items. In addition, the cumulative group solved the problem-solving items significantly faster than the other groups. These results suggest that cumulative practice of component skills is an effective method of training problem solving. PMID:12102132

Validation of the instrument of health literacy competencies for Chinese-speaking health professionals.

PubMed

Chang, Li-Chun; Chen, Yu-Chi; Liao, Li-Ling; Wu, Fei Ling; Hsieh, Pei-Lin; Chen, Hsiao-Jung

2017-01-01

The study aimed to illustrate the constructs and test the psychometric properties of an instrument of health literacy competencies (IOHLC) for health professionals. A multi-phase questionnaire development method was used to develop the scale. The categorization of the knowledge and practice domains achieved consensus through a modified Delphi process. To reduce the number of items, the 92-item IOHLC was psychometrically evaluated through internal consistency, Rasch modeling, and two-stage factor analysis. In total, 736 practitioners, including nurses, nurse practitioners, health educators, case managers, and dieticians completed the 92-item IOHLC online from May 2012 to January 2013. The final version of the IOHLC covered 9 knowledge items and 40 skill items containing 9 dimensions, with good model fit, and explaining 72% of total variance. All domains had acceptable internal consistency and discriminant validity. The tool in this study is the first to verify health literacy competencies rigorously. Moreover, through psychometric testing, the 49-item IOHLC demonstrates adequate reliability and validity. The IOHLC may serve as a reference for the theoretical and in-service training of Chinese-speaking individuals' health literacy competencies.

Selected Bibliography and Abstracts of Educational Materials in Pakistan. Volume 14, No. 4, Period Covered October - December, 1980.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saad, Geti, Comp.

This annotated listing cites newspaper articles, government publications, and monographs dealing with education in Pakistan. Items cited were published between October and December 1980. The listing is organized by subject area. Subjects include: administration, organization, and financing of education; adult education; agricultural education;…

Selected Bibliography and Abstracts of Educational Materials in Pakistan. Vol. 14, No. 3. Period Covered July-September, 1980.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saad, Geti, Comp.

This annotated listing cites newspaper articles, government publications, and monographs dealing with education in Pakistan. Items cited were published between July and September 1980. The listing is organized by subject area. Subjects include: administration, organization, and finance of education; adult education; curriculum; development of…

Selected Bibliography and Abstracts of Educational Materials in Pakistan. Volume 14, No. 2, 1980. Period Covered April-June 1980.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saad, Geti, Comp.

This annotated listing cites newspaper articles, government publications, journal articles, and monographs dealing with education in Pakistan. Items cited were published between April and June 1980. The listing is organized by subject area. Subjects include administration, organization, and financing of education; curriculum; development of…

Glossary of Adult Learning in Europe. A.E. Monographs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Federighi, Paolo, Ed.

This document presents detailed "definitions" of more than 150 key terms covering the lexicon currently being used in the field of adult learning in 20 European countries. The document begins with an introduction that discusses the glossary's theoretical and historical references and includes 14 references and a 16-item bibliography. The…

Examination of the Psychometric Properties of the Measurement Skills Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vasilyeva, Marina; Ludlow, Larry H.; Casey, Beth M.; Onge, Caroline St.

2009-01-01

This article introduces the Measurement Skills Assessment (MeSA), which was designed to evaluate the mastery of measurement in elementary school students. The primary objectives for the MeSA include covering a broad range of measurement concepts, distinguishing between major subtypes of measurement, and constructing a continuum of items varying in…

22 CFR 66.8 - Reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Senate for referral to the appropriate committees of the Congress. The report shall include those items... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Reports. 66.8 Section 66.8 Foreign Relations... DEMOCRACY § 66.8 Reports. On or before March 1 of each calendar year, NED shall submit a reporting covering...

22 CFR 66.8 - Reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... Senate for referral to the appropriate committees of the Congress. The report shall include those items... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Reports. 66.8 Section 66.8 Foreign Relations... DEMOCRACY § 66.8 Reports. On or before March 1 of each calendar year, NED shall submit a reporting covering...

22 CFR 66.8 - Reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... Senate for referral to the appropriate committees of the Congress. The report shall include those items... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Reports. 66.8 Section 66.8 Foreign Relations... DEMOCRACY § 66.8 Reports. On or before March 1 of each calendar year, NED shall submit a reporting covering...

31 CFR 539.504 - Departments and agencies of the United States Government.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Government; and medical and humanitarian items; and (2) Performance pursuant to contracts in force as of 12...) Include details about the goods, technology, and services which have been approved for importation; the... Service officials upon the importation of any goods or technology covered by an authorization described in...

75 FR 70201 - Fresno County Resource Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-17

... of the January 12 meeting will be to review new project proposals that were submitted by the January 7, 2011 deadline. The purpose of the meeting on January 26 will be to vote and approve projects to... by January 7, 2011 to the Forest Service. Agenda items to be covered include: (1) Review project...

22 CFR 66.8 - Reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Reports. 66.8 Section 66.8 Foreign Relations... DEMOCRACY § 66.8 Reports. On or before March 1 of each calendar year, NED shall submit a reporting covering... Senate for referral to the appropriate committees of the Congress. The report shall include those items...

22 CFR 66.8 - Reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Reports. 66.8 Section 66.8 Foreign Relations... DEMOCRACY § 66.8 Reports. On or before March 1 of each calendar year, NED shall submit a reporting covering... Senate for referral to the appropriate committees of the Congress. The report shall include those items...

Electronics. Criterion-Referenced Test (CRT) Item Bank.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Diane, Ed.

This document contains 519 criterion-referenced multiple choice and true or false test items for a course in electronics. The test item bank is designed to work with both the Vocational Instructional Management System (VIMS) and the Vocational Administrative Management System (VAMS) in Missouri. The items are grouped into 15 units covering the…

Auto Mechanics. Criterion-Referenced Test (CRT) Item Bank.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tannehill, Dana, Ed.

This document contains 546 criterion-referenced multiple choice and true or false test items for a course in auto mechanics. The test item bank is designed to work with both the Vocational Instructional Management System (VIMS) and Vocational Administrative Management System (VAMS) in Missouri. The items are grouped into 35 units covering the…

Validation of a condition-specific measure for women having an abnormal screening mammography.

PubMed

Brodersen, John; Thorsen, Hanne; Kreiner, Svend

2007-01-01

The aim of this study is to assess the validity of a new condition-specific instrument measuring psychosocial consequences of abnormal screening mammography (PCQ-DK33). The draft version of the PCQ-DK33 was completed on two occasions by 184 women who had received an abnormal screening mammography and on one occasion by 240 women who had received a normal screening result. Item Response Theories and Classical Test Theories were used to analyze data. Construct validity, concurrent validity, known group validity, objectivity and reliability were established by item analysis examining the fit between item responses and Rasch models. Six dimensions covering anxiety, behavioral impact, sense of dejection, impact on sleep, breast examination, and sexuality were identified. One item belonging to the dejection dimension had uniform differential item functioning. Two items not fitting the Rasch models were retained because of high face validity. A sick leave item added useful information when measuring side effects and socioeconomic consequences of breast cancer screening. Five "poor items" were identified and should be deleted from the final instrument. Preliminary evidence for a valid and reliable condition-specific measure for women having an abnormal screening mammography was established. The measure includes 27 "good" items measuring different attributes of the same overall latent structure-the psychosocial consequences of abnormal screening mammography.

Flight Deck Interval Management Display. [Elements, Information and Annunciations Database User Guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lancaster, Jeff; Dillard, Michael; Alves, Erin; Olofinboba, Olu

2014-01-01

The User Guide details the Access Database provided with the Flight Deck Interval Management (FIM) Display Elements, Information, & Annunciations program. The goal of this User Guide is to support ease of use and the ability to quickly retrieve and select items of interest from the Database. The Database includes FIM Concepts identified in a literature review preceding the publication of this document. Only items that are directly related to FIM (e.g., spacing indicators), which change or enable FIM (e.g., menu with control buttons), or which are affected by FIM (e.g., altitude reading) are included in the database. The guide has been expanded from previous versions to cover database structure, content, and search features with voiced explanations.

[Development of the theoretical framework and the item pool of the peri-operative recovery scale for integrative medicine].

PubMed

Su, Bi-ying; Liu, Shao-nan; Li, Xiao-yan

2011-11-01

To study the train of thoughts and procedures for developing the theoretical framework and the item pool of the peri-operative recovery scale for integrative medicine, thus making preparation for the development of this scale and psychometric testing. Under the guidance for Chinese medicine theories and the guidance for developing psychometric scale, the theoretical framework and the item pool of the scale were initially laid out by literature retrieval, and expert consultation, etc. The scale covered the domains of physical function, mental function, activity function, pain, and general assessment. Besides, social function is involved, which is suitable for pre-operative testing and long-term therapeutic efficacy testing after discharge from hospital. Each domain should cover correlated Zang-Fu organs, qi, blood, and the patient-reported outcomes. Totally 122 items were initially covered in the item pool according to theoretical framework of the scale. The peri-operative recovery scale of integrative medicine was the embodiment of the combination of Chinese medicine theories and patient-reported outcome concepts. The scale could reasonably assess the peri-operative recovery outcomes of patients treated by integrative medicine.

77 FR 25283 - Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Changes in Provider and Supplier Enrollment, Ordering and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-27

...This final rule finalizes several provisions of the Affordable Care Act implemented in the May 5, 2010 interim final rule with comment period. It requires all providers of medical or other items or services and suppliers that qualify for a National Provider Identifier (NPI) to include their NPI on all applications to enroll in the Medicare and Medicaid programs and on all claims for payment submitted under the Medicare and Medicaid programs. In addition, it requires physicians and other professionals who are permitted to order and certify covered items and services for Medicare beneficiaries to be enrolled in Medicare. Finally, it mandates document retention and provision requirements on providers and supplier that order and certify items and services for Medicare beneficiaries.

Debugging embedded computer programs. [tactical missile computers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kemp, G. H.

1980-01-01

Every embedded computer program must complete its debugging cycle using some system that will allow real time debugging. Many of the common items addressed during debugging are listed. Seven approaches to debugging are analyzed to evaluate how well they treat those items. Cost evaluations are also included in the comparison. The results indicate that the best collection of capabilities to cover the common items present in the debugging task occurs in the approach where a minicomputer handles the environment simulation with an emulation of some kind representing the embedded computer. This approach can be taken at a reasonable cost. The case study chosen is an embedded computer in a tactical missile. Several choices of computer for the environment simulation are discussed as well as different approaches to the embedded emulator.

Development of an item bank and computer adaptive test for role functioning.

PubMed

Anatchkova, Milena D; Rose, Matthias; Ware, John E; Bjorner, Jakob B

2012-11-01

Role functioning (RF) is a key component of health and well-being and an important outcome in health research. The aim of this study was to develop an item bank to measure impact of health on role functioning. A set of different instruments including 75 newly developed items asking about the impact of health on role functioning was completed by 2,500 participants. Established item response theory methods were used to develop an item bank based on the generalized partial credit model. Comparison of group mean bank scores of participants with different self-reported general health status and chronic conditions was used to test the external validity of the bank. After excluding items that did not meet established requirements, the final item bank consisted of a total of 64 items covering three areas of role functioning (family, social, and occupational). Slopes in the bank ranged between .93 and 4.37; the mean threshold range was -1.09 to -2.25. Item bank-based scores were significantly different for participants with and without chronic conditions and with different levels of self-reported general health. An item bank assessing health impact on RF across three content areas has been successfully developed. The bank can be used for development of short forms or computerized adaptive tests to be applied in the assessment of role functioning as one of the common denominators across applications of generic health assessment.

Using Set Covering with Item Sampling to Analyze the Infeasibility of Linear Programming Test Assembly Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huitzing, Hiddo A.

2004-01-01

This article shows how set covering with item sampling (SCIS) methods can be used in the analysis and preanalysis of linear programming models for test assembly (LPTA). LPTA models can construct tests, fulfilling a set of constraints set by the test assembler. Sometimes, no solution to the LPTA model exists. The model is then said to be…

The development of the physical fitness construct across childhood.

PubMed

Utesch, T; Dreiskämper, D; Strauss, B; Naul, R

2018-01-01

The measurement of physical fitness (PF) is an important factor from many different perspectives. PF is a determinant of healthy child development as it is related to several health outcomes. However, existing taxonomies of the construct and frequently used fitness assessments vary concerning their theoretical assumptions and practical implications. From a theoretical perspective, the construct of physical fitness covers a variety of motor domains, such as cardiovascular endurance, strength, coordination, or flexibility (eg, Caspersen et al., 1985). However, most fitness assessments provide a single (composite) score including all items as test outcome. This implicitly relates to a one-dimensional structure of physical fitness, which has been shown for other motor performance assessments in early childhood (eg, Utesch et al., 2016). This study investigated this one-dimensional structure for 6- to 9-year-old children within the item response theory framework (Partial Credit Model). Seven fitness subtests covering a variety of motor dimensions (6-minute run, pushups, sit-ups, standing broad jump, 20 m sprint, jumping sideways, and balancing backwards) were conducted to a total of 790 six-year-olds, 1371 seven-year-olds, 1331 eight-year-olds, and 925 nine-year-olds (48.2% females). Each item was transformed into five performance categories controlling for sex and age. This study indicates that a one-dimensional testing of PF is feasible across middle childhood. Furthermore, for 6- and 7-year-olds, all seven items including balancing backwards can be accumulated to one factor. From the age of about 8 and 9 years balancing backwards seems to become too easy. Altogether, analyses show no diversification of PF across childhood. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Minority Students & Special Education: The Issues of Placement and Proportion. Model Programs and Practical Approaches. Spring Conference.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Idola J., Ed.; Goodale, Ronda, Ed.

The second of two documents on issues concerned with limited English speaking students in Massachusetts special education programs, this report presents proceedings from a 1982 conference. Sixteen presentations are summarized and results of participants' evaluations on six-item questionnaires are included. Topics covered in the workshop sessions…

Bases for Curriculum Decisions for Development of Curriculum for Minorities in Small Business Ownership and Management, Post-Secondary Level.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Green (Del) Associates, Foster City, CA.

This document presents in three parts the bases for curriculum decisions in the development of a post-secondary curriculum for minorities in small business ownership and management. Part 1 covers the general curriculum decisions, including the following items: selection of curriculum testing site; academic credits; class scheduling; student…

Technology and Values. Harvard University Program on Technology and Society; Research Review Number Three.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taviss, Irene, Ed.; Silverman, Linda, Ed.

Literature dealing with the relationship between technological change and value change is surveyed in this review. The emphasis is on the effect on contemporary American society. Most of the items covered were written since 1966. Topics include the contemporary situation, changing value orientations, social planning and the role of the social…

76 FR 28729 - Tehama County Resource Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-18

... the title II of the Act. The meeting is open to the public. The purpose of the meeting is to vote on project proposals and to discuss a project monitoring field visit. DATES: The meeting will be held on May.... SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The meeting is open to the public. Agenda items to be covered include: (1...

Conceptions about Teaching and Learning of Expressivity in Music among Higher Education Teachers and Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonastre, Carolina; Muñoz, Enrique; Timmers, Renee

2017-01-01

This work aimed to analyse factors related to conceptions and beliefs about expressivity in music among students and teachers. A questionnaire with 11 Likert-type items was developed covering the main factors included in the literature of teaching-learning of expressivity and emotion in music. Through exploratory factor analysis three factors were…

United States History. Annotated Bibliography of Tests.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ. Test Collection.

The 33 tests in this bibliography cover United States History from the period of exploration of the continent through the Civil War to Post World War II. One test measures knowledge of African American history. Types of measures include credit by examination, item banks, and end-of-course tests. All ages are represented but the majority of tests…

The High School Experience: What Students with and without Disabilities Report as They Leave School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Repetto, Jeanne B.; McGorray, Susan P.; Wang, Hua; Podmostko, Mary; Andrews, W. Drew; Lubbers, Joyce; Gritz, Sheila

2011-01-01

Results of the Florida High School Exit Survey collected in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 are presented. Participants include 2,520 students with and without disabilities across 40 school districts. Survey items cover questions relating to employment, postsecondary education and training, daily living, quality of life, agency connections, in-school…

Anglos Are Weird People For Me. Interviews with Chicanos and Puerto Ricans. Materialien 12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Binder, Wolfgang

The book presents the statements of 8 Mexican Americans and 10 Puerto Ricans, aged from 19 to 29, who were interviewed to reveal their degree of acculturation. Questions include attitude, behavior and/or fact-finding items and cover habitat; family background; intactness of family; educational, income, and occupational levels of parents and…

Your Medicare Coverage: Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Coverage

MedlinePlus

... test, item, or service covered? Go Durable medical equipment (DME) coverage How often is it covered? Medicare ... B (Medical Insurance) covers medically necessary durable medical equipment (DME) that your doctor prescribes for use in ...

The Health and Functioning ICF-60: Development and Psychometric Properties

PubMed Central

Tutelyan, V A; Chatterji, S; Baturin, A K; Pogozheva, A V; Kishko, O N; Akolzina, S E

2014-01-01

Background This paper describes the development and psychometric properties of the Health and Functioning ICF-60 (HF-ICF-60) measure, based on the World Health Organization (WHO) ‘International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: ICF’ (2001). The aims of the present study were to test psychometric properties of the HF-ICF-60, developed as a measure that would be responsive to change in functioning through changes in health and nutritional status, as a prospective measure to monitor health and nutritional status of populations and to explore the relationship of the HF-ICF-60 with quality of life measures such as the World Health Organization WHOQOL-BREF quality of life assessment in relation to non-communicable diseases. Methods The HF-ICF-60 measure consists of 60 items selected from the ICF by an expert panel, which included 18 items that cover Body Functions, 21 items that cover Activities and Participation, rated on five-point scales, and 21 items that cover Environmental Factors (seven items cover Individual Environmental Factors and 14 items cover Societal Environmental Factors), rated on nine-point scales. The HF-ICF-60 measure was administered to the Russian nationally representative sample within the Russian National Population Quality of Life, Health and Nutrition Survey, in 2004 (n = 9807) and 2005 (n = 9560), as part of the two waves of the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS). The statistical analyses were carried out with the use of both classical and modern psychometric methods, such as factor analysis, and based on Item Response Theory, respectively. Results The HF-ICF-60 questionnaire is a new measure derived directly from the ICF and covers the ICF components as follows: Body Functions, Activities and Participation, and Environmental Factors (Individual Environmental Factors and Societal Environmental Factors). The results from the factor analyses (both Exploratory Factor Analyses and Confirmatory Factor Analyses) show good support for the proposed structure together with an overall higher-order factor for each scale of the measure. The measure has good reliability and validity, and sensitivity to change in the health and nutritional status of respondents over time. Normative values were developed for the Russian adult population. Conclusions The HF-ICF-60 has shown good psychometric properties in the two waves of the nationally representative RLMS, which provided considerable support to using the HF-ICF-60 data as the normative health and functioning values for the Russian population. Similarly, the administration of the WHOQOL-BREF in the same two waves of the nationally representative RLMS has allowed the normative quality of life values for the Russian population to be obtained. Therefore, the objective assessment of health and functioning of the HF-ICF-60 could be mapped onto the subjective evaluation of quality of life of the WHOQOL-BREF to increase the potential usefulness of the surveys in relation to non-communicable diseases. © 2014 The Authors. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Message The HF-ICF-60 offers a new perspective in measuring change in functioning through changes in lifestyle and diet. The HF-ICF-60 can be combined with the WHOQOL-BREF to map the objective assessment of health and functioning onto the subjective evaluation of quality of life. Combined use of the HF-ICF-60 and the WHOQOL-BREF can be especially useful for national and global monitoring and surveillance of implementation of measures to reduce risk factors of non-communicable diseases and to promote healthy lifestyles and healthy diets. PMID:24931300

Expansion of a physical function item bank and development of an abbreviated form for clinical research.

PubMed

Bode, Rita K; Lai, Jin-shei; Dineen, Kelly; Heinemann, Allen W; Shevrin, Daniel; Von Roenn, Jamie; Cella, David

2006-01-01

We expanded an existing 33-item physical function (PF) item bank with a sufficient number of items to enable computerized adaptive testing (CAT). Ten items were written to expand the bank and the new item pool was administered to 295 people with cancer. For this analysis of the new pool, seven poorly performing items were identified for further examination. This resulted in a bank with items that define an essentially unidimensional PF construct, cover a wide range of that construct, reliably measure the PF of persons with cancer, and distinguish differences in self-reported functional performance levels. We also developed a 5-item (static) assessment form ("BriefPF") that can be used in clinical research to express scores on the same metric as the overall bank. The BriefPF was compared to the PF-10 from the Medical Outcomes Study SF-36. Both short forms significantly differentiated persons across functional performance levels. While the entire bank was more precise across the PF continuum than either short form, there were differences in the area of the continuum in which each short form was more precise: the BriefPF was more precise than the PF-10 at the lower functional levels and the PF-10 was more precise than the BriefPF at the higher levels. Future research on this bank will include the development of a CAT version, the PF-CAT.

7 CFR 60.119 - Processed food item.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Processed food item. 60.119 Section 60.119 Agriculture... FOR FISH AND SHELLFISH General Provisions Definitions § 60.119 Processed food item. Processed food... other covered commodity or other substantive food component (e.g., breading, tomato sauce), except that...

7 CFR 60.119 - Processed food item.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Processed food item. 60.119 Section 60.119 Agriculture... FOR FISH AND SHELLFISH General Provisions Definitions § 60.119 Processed food item. Processed food... other covered commodity or other substantive food component (e.g., breading, tomato sauce), except that...

7 CFR 60.119 - Processed food item.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Processed food item. 60.119 Section 60.119 Agriculture... FOR FISH AND SHELLFISH General Provisions Definitions § 60.119 Processed food item. Processed food... other covered commodity or other substantive food component (e.g., breading, tomato sauce), except that...

7 CFR 60.119 - Processed food item.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Processed food item. 60.119 Section 60.119 Agriculture... FOR FISH AND SHELLFISH General Provisions Definitions § 60.119 Processed food item. Processed food... other covered commodity or other substantive food component (e.g., breading, tomato sauce), except that...

41 CFR 101-30.704-1 - General Services Administration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... civil agencies recorded as users of the item in the DLSC data base. This distribution will be made by..., data base approved item reduction decisions concerning items within the FSC classes which are managed... agencies (except direct submitters of catalog data to DLSC) will also be forwarded covering letters which...

41 CFR 101-30.704-1 - General Services Administration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... civil agencies recorded as users of the item in the DLSC data base. This distribution will be made by..., data base approved item reduction decisions concerning items within the FSC classes which are managed... agencies (except direct submitters of catalog data to DLSC) will also be forwarded covering letters which...

41 CFR 101-30.704-1 - General Services Administration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... civil agencies recorded as users of the item in the DLSC data base. This distribution will be made by..., data base approved item reduction decisions concerning items within the FSC classes which are managed... agencies (except direct submitters of catalog data to DLSC) will also be forwarded covering letters which...

41 CFR 101-30.704-1 - General Services Administration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... civil agencies recorded as users of the item in the DLSC data base. This distribution will be made by..., data base approved item reduction decisions concerning items within the FSC classes which are managed... agencies (except direct submitters of catalog data to DLSC) will also be forwarded covering letters which...

41 CFR 101-30.704-1 - General Services Administration.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... civil agencies recorded as users of the item in the DLSC data base. This distribution will be made by..., data base approved item reduction decisions concerning items within the FSC classes which are managed... agencies (except direct submitters of catalog data to DLSC) will also be forwarded covering letters which...

NASA/DOD Aerospace Knowledge Diffusion Research Project. Report 11: Chronology of selected literature, reports, policy instruments, and significant events affecting Federal Scientific and Technical Information (STI) in the United States

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pinelli, Thomas E.; Henderson, Madeline; Bishop, Ann P.; Doty, Philip

1992-01-01

The chronology is a comprehensive bibliography. It contains 512 entries covering a variety of selected literature, reports, policy instruments, and significant events affecting Federal Scientific and Technical Information (STI) from 1945 to 1990. It includes some publications and events of historic interest which relate to the evaluation of aerospace and aerospace knowledge diffusion. Each entry has been given an item number and items are arranged by columns. To provide an overview of Federal STI developments, the entries are generally arranged by date of publication and event.

[Assessment of stress in childhood: Children's Daily Stress Inventory (Inventario Infantil de Estresores Cotidiano, IIEC)].

PubMed

Trianes Torres, María Victoria; Blanca Mena, María José; Fernández Baena, Francisco J; Escobar Espejo, Milagros; Maldonado Montero, Enrique F; Muñoz Sánchez, Angela María

2009-11-01

The present study introduces the Children's Daily Stress Inventory (Inventario Infantil de Estresores Cotidianos, IIEC) as a measure that assesses daily stress in primary school children. The inventory was applied to a sample of 1094 primary school students. The final version includes 25 dichotomic items covering the areas of health, school/peers, and family. The score is obtained by adding the total of positive answers. Analyses of items, reliability and several external pieces of evidence of validity based on relations with other variables are presented. The results show adequate psychometric properties for the assessment of daily stress in children.

EAACI position paper on occupational rhinitis

PubMed Central

Moscato, Gianna; Vandenplas, Olivier; Van Wijk, Roy Gerth; Malo, Jean-Luc; Perfetti, Luca; Quirce, Santiago; Walusiak, Jolanta; Castano, Roberto; Pala, Gianni; Gautrin, Denyse; De Groot, Hans; Folletti, Ilenia; Yacoub, Mona Rita; Siracusa, Andrea

2009-01-01

The present document is the result of a consensus reached by a panel of experts from European and non-European countries on Occupational Rhinitis (OR), a disease of emerging relevance which has received little attention in comparison to occupational asthma. The document covers the main items of OR including epidemiology, diagnosis, management, socio-economic impact, preventive strategies and medicolegal issues. An operational definition and classification of OR tailored on that of occupational asthma, as well as a diagnostic algorithm based on steps allowing for different levels of diagnostic evidence are proposed. The needs for future research are pointed out. Key messages are issued for each item. PMID:19257881

Food labeling; nutrition labeling of standard menu items in restaurants and similar retail food establishments. Final rule.

PubMed

2014-12-01

To implement the nutrition labeling provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (Affordable Care Act or ACA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA or we) is requiring disclosure of certain nutrition information for standard menu items in certain restaurants and retail food establishments. The ACA, in part, amended the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the FD&C Act), among other things, to require restaurants and similar retail food establishments that are part of a chain with 20 or more locations doing business under the same name and offering for sale substantially the same menu items to provide calorie and other nutrition information for standard menu items, including food on display and self-service food. Under provisions of the ACA, restaurants and similar retail food establishments not otherwise covered by the law may elect to become subject to these Federal requirements by registering every other year with FDA. Providing accurate, clear, and consistent nutrition information, including the calorie content of foods, in restaurants and similar retail food establishments will make such nutrition information available to consumers in a direct and accessible manner to enable consumers to make informed and healthful dietary choices.

Industrial Fuel Gas Demonstration Plant Program. Bid packages for materials (Deliverable No. 28)

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

None

1979-01-01

Fixed-price supply type bid packages for materials and/or service essentially are comprised of two parts, namely: (1) a technical requisition of the material, equipment, or service to be supplied; and (2) commercial and legal requirements, normally referred to as terms and conditions. Requisitions, providing technical requirements, for all equipment items identified for the Industrial Fuel Gas Demonstration Plant may be found in the 12 volumes of the Demonstration Plant Mechanical Design. The requisitions have been included within separate sections of the design report, sorted by appropriate plant unit. Combined with any General Notes Requisition and the necessary FWEC Job Standards,more » these various item requisitions provide all technical information for the prospective vendor to furnish his bid. The terms and conditions (boiler plate) to be included in the bid package identify all the contractual requirements which will be imposed upon the bidder. These requirements cover the conditions he must meet to bid on the particular item as well as the clauses to be included within the eventual purchase order/subcontract. A typical package of such terms and conditions is included.« less

Do Commonly Used Functional Outcome Measures Capture Activities that Are Relevant for People with Stroke in India?

PubMed

Prakash, V; Ganesan, Mohan; Vasanthan, R; Hariohm, K

2017-04-01

In India, post-stroke outcomes are determined using functional outcome measures (FOMs), the contents of which have not been validated for their relevance to the Indian population. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the cultural validity of five frequently used stroke-specific FOMs by comparing their contents with the problems reported by patients with stroke in India. Face-to-face structured interviews were conducted with 152 patients diagnosed with stroke in India. Problems and goals identified by the patients were compared to each item included in the FOMs used in stroke rehabilitation. The Stroke Impact Scale (SIS) and the Frenchay Activities Index (FAI) include items related to the most frequently identified problems. However, neither covers problems related to the need for squatting and sitting on the floor. Use of public transport and community walking are not included in the SIS. Leisure and recreational activities (e.g. gardening, reading books), cognitive and speech functions (e.g. memory, thinking) and bowel and bladder dysfunctions were the common items identified as "not a problem" or "not relevant" by the patients. Our findings suggest that the SIS and FAI are the most appropriate FOMs for patients with stroke in India as they include items related to the majority of problems identified by study participants. Many items on both measures, however, were identified as not a problem or not relevant. There is a need for developing culture-specific FOMs that incorporate all major concerns expressed by patients with stroke in India.

Vegetable parenting practices scale. Item response modeling analyses

PubMed Central

Chen, Tzu-An; O’Connor, Teresia; Hughes, Sheryl; Beltran, Alicia; Baranowski, Janice; Diep, Cassandra; Baranowski, Tom

2015-01-01

Objective To evaluate the psychometric properties of a vegetable parenting practices scale using multidimensional polytomous item response modeling which enables assessing item fit to latent variables and the distributional characteristics of the items in comparison to the respondents. We also tested for differences in the ways item function (called differential item functioning) across child’s gender, ethnicity, age, and household income groups. Method Parents of 3–5 year old children completed a self-reported vegetable parenting practices scale online. Vegetable parenting practices consisted of 14 effective vegetable parenting practices and 12 ineffective vegetable parenting practices items, each with three subscales (responsiveness, structure, and control). Multidimensional polytomous item response modeling was conducted separately on effective vegetable parenting practices and ineffective vegetable parenting practices. Results One effective vegetable parenting practice item did not fit the model well in the full sample or across demographic groups, and another was a misfit in differential item functioning analyses across child’s gender. Significant differential item functioning was detected across children’s age and ethnicity groups, and more among effective vegetable parenting practices than ineffective vegetable parenting practices items. Wright maps showed items only covered parts of the latent trait distribution. The harder- and easier-to-respond ends of the construct were not covered by items for effective vegetable parenting practices and ineffective vegetable parenting practices, respectively. Conclusions Several effective vegetable parenting practices and ineffective vegetable parenting practices scale items functioned differently on the basis of child’s demographic characteristics; therefore, researchers should use these vegetable parenting practices scales with caution. Item response modeling should be incorporated in analyses of parenting practice questionnaires to better assess differences across demographic characteristics. PMID:25895694

Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA): Assessment of the auxiliary power unit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, J. E.

1988-01-01

The results of the Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA) of the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Critical Items List (CIL) are presented. The IOA effort first completed an analysis of the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) hardware, generating draft failure modes and potential critical items. To preserve independence, this analysis was accomplished without reliance upon the results contained within the NASA FMEA/CIL documentation. The IOA results were then compared to the NASA FMEA/CIL baseline with proposed Post 51-L updates included. A resolution of each discrepancy from the comparison is provided through additional analysis as required. This report documents the results of that comparison for the Orbiter APU hardware. The IOA product for the APU analysis, covering both APU hardware and APU electrical components, consisted of 344 failure mode worksheets that resulted in 178 potential critical items being identified. A comparison was made of the IOA product to the NASA APU hardware FMEA/CIL baseline which consisted of 184 FMEAs and 57 CIL items. The comparison identified 72 discrepancies.

Indian Resistance: The Patriot Chiefs. Jackdaw No. A 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Josephy, Alvin M., Jr., Comp.; Strouse, Jean, Comp.

The story of the resistance of the American Indian to the conquest of his lands unfolds in this outline intended for senior high school students. The contents cover events from the landing of the Pilgrims on Plymouth Rock to the occupation of Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay by the Indians in 1970. Among the items included in the packet are the…

Agreement between Bard College and the Bard College Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, 1984-1985.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bard Coll., Annandale-on-Hudson, NY.

The collective bargaining agreement between Bard College and the 60-member Bard College Chapter of the American Association of University Professors for the period June 1, 1984-June 1, 1985 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: recognition of the unit, faculty notice of termination, tenure, adequate cause for dismissal, hearings on…

Grade 9 Pilot Test. Mathematics. June 1988 = 9e Annee Test Pilote. Mathematiques. Juin 1988.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton.

This pilot test for ninth grade mathematics is written in both French and English. The test consists of 75 multiple-choice items. Students are given 90 minutes to complete the examination and the use of a calculator is highly recommended. The test content covers a wide range of mathematical topics including: decimals; exponents; arithmetic word…

Jovenes con Discapacidades y Enfermedades Cronicas: Una Guia Introductoria para Joyenes y Padres. Revisiones de CYDLINE (Youth with Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses: An Introductory Guide for Youth and Parents. CYDLINE Reviews). Parents. CYDLINE Reviews.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis. National Center for Youth with Disabilities.

This bibliography covers a wide range of issues related to the needs of adolescents and young adults with chronic illnesses and disabilities and their families. For each item in the bibliography, information provided includes author, title, source, date, and abstract. Price information is given when available. Materials include books, audiotapes,…

An Evaluation of the Navy Family Advocacy Program at Naval Regional Medical Center, Camp Pendleton, California.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-08-01

to d suggest that health system intervention varies from simply providing initial physical examination to coordinating long term care and follow-up...developed with item numbers 3, 4, and 6 utilized to score the local program in terms of professional awareness. The cover 1 49 letter and questionnaire...Congress. HARM: Includes, but not limited to: ( 1 ) Physical , emo- tional, or mental injury, including physical injury resulting from otherwise lawful

Air Force All States Income Tax Guide: Covering Tax Year 1993

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-01-01

200 ded- residence. C. The following items uction provided you are included as income both include your If Puerto Rico was not for Puerto Rico: Cost ...California Tax Handook-, by Robert A. Petersen, Published by Research Institute of America. The following are the Franchise Tax Board numbers which may be...without an agreement between the Secretary of the U.S. Treasury and the State of Connecticut, the finance centers could not start withholding

The positive mental health instrument: development and validation of a culturally relevant scale in a multi-ethnic Asian population.

PubMed

Vaingankar, Janhavi Ajit; Subramaniam, Mythily; Chong, Siow Ann; Abdin, Edimansyah; Orlando Edelen, Maria; Picco, Louisa; Lim, Yee Wei; Phua, Mei Yen; Chua, Boon Yiang; Tee, Joseph Y S; Sherbourne, Cathy

2011-10-31

Instruments to measure mental health and well-being are largely developed and often used within Western populations and this compromises their validity in other cultures. A previous qualitative study in Singapore demonstrated the relevance of spiritual and religious practices to mental health, a dimension currently not included in exiting multi-dimensional measures. The objective of this study was to develop a self-administered measure that covers all key and culturally appropriate domains of mental health, which can be applied to compare levels of mental health across different age, gender and ethnic groups. We present the item reduction and validation of the Positive Mental Health (PMH) instrument in a community-based adult sample in Singapore. Surveys were conducted among adult (21-65 years) residents belonging to Chinese, Malay and Indian ethnicities. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA, CFA) were conducted and items were reduced using item response theory tests (IRT). The final version of the PMH instrument was tested for internal consistency and criterion validity. Items were tested for differential item functioning (DIF) to check if items functioned in the same way across all subgroups. EFA and CFA identified six first-order factor structure (General coping, Personal growth and autonomy, Spirituality, Interpersonal skills, Emotional support, and Global affect) under one higher-order dimension of Positive Mental Health (RMSEA=0.05, CFI=0.96, TLI=0.96). A 47-item self-administered multi-dimensional instrument with a six-point Likert response scale was constructed. The slope estimates and strength of the relation to the theta for all items in each six PMH subscales were high (range:1.39 to 5.69), suggesting good discrimination properties. The threshold estimates for the instrument ranged from -3.45 to 1.61 indicating that the instrument covers entire spectrums for the six dimensions. The instrument demonstrated high internal consistency and had significant and expected correlations with other well-being measures. Results confirmed absence of DIF. The PMH instrument is a reliable and valid instrument that can be used to measure and compare level of mental health across different age, gender and ethnic groups in Singapore.

Criterion-Referenced Test Items for Auto Body.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tannehill, Dana, Ed.

This test item bank on auto body repair contains criterion-referenced test questions based upon competencies found in the Missouri Auto Body Competency Profile. Some test items are keyed for multiple competencies. The tests cover the following 26 competency areas in the auto body curriculum: auto body careers; measuring and mixing; tools and…

Capturing and missing the patient's story through outcome measures: A thematic comparison of patient-generated items in PSYCHLOPS with CORE-OM and PHQ-9.

PubMed

Sales, Célia Md; Neves, Inês Td; Alves, Paula G; Ashworth, Mark

2017-11-22

There is increasing interest in individualized patient-reported outcome measures (I-PROMS), where patients themselves indicate the specific problems they want to address in therapy and these problems are used as items within the outcome measurement tool. This paper examined the extent to which 279 items reported in an I-PROM (PSYCHLOPS) added qualitative information which was not captured by two well-established outcome measures (CORE-OM and PHQ-9). Comparison of items was only conducted for patients scoring above the "caseness" threshold on the standardized measures. 107 patients were participating in therapy within addiction and general psychiatric clinical settings. Almost every patient (95%) reported at least one item whose content was not covered by PHQ-9, and 71% reported at least one item not covered by CORE-OM. Results demonstrate the relevance of individualized outcome assessment for capturing data describing the issues of greatest concern to patients, as nomothetic measures do not always seem to capture the whole story. © 2017 The Authors Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Measuring euthymia within the Neuroticism Scale from the NEO Personality Inventory: A Mokken analysis of the Norwegian general population study for scalability.

PubMed

Bech, P; Carrozzino, D; Austin, S F; Møller, S B; Vassend, O

2016-03-15

Whereas the Eysenck Neuroticism Scale only contains items covering negative mental health to measure dysthymia, the NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI) contains neuroticism items covering both negative mental health and positive mental health (or euthymia). The consequence of wording items both positively and negatively within the NEO-PI has never been psychometrically investigated. The aim of this study was to perform a validation analysis of the NEO-PI neuroticism scale. Using a Norwegian general population study we examined the structure of the negatively and positively formulated items by principal component analysis (PCA). The scalability of the identified two groups of euthymia versus dysthymia items was examined by Mokken analysis. With a response rate of 90%, 1082 individuals with a completed NEO-PI were available. The PCA identified the neuroticism scale as the most distinct where 14 items had acceptable loadings for the euthymia subscale, another 14 items for the dysthymia subscale. However, the Mokken analysis coefficient of homogeneity only found acceptable scalability for the euthymia subscale. A comparison with the Eysenck Neuroticism Scale was not performed. The NEO-PI neuroticism scale contains two subscales consisting of items worded in an opposite direction where only the positive euthymia items have an acceptable scalability. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Content validity--establishing and reporting the evidence in newly developed patient-reported outcomes (PRO) instruments for medical product evaluation: ISPOR PRO good research practices task force report: part 1--eliciting concepts for a new PRO instrument.

PubMed

Patrick, Donald L; Burke, Laurie B; Gwaltney, Chad J; Leidy, Nancy Kline; Martin, Mona L; Molsen, Elizabeth; Ring, Lena

2011-12-01

The importance of content validity in developing patient reported outcomes (PRO) instruments is stressed by both the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency. Content validity is the extent to which an instrument measures the important aspects of concepts that developers or users purport it to assess. A PRO instrument measures the concepts most significant and relevant to a patient's condition and its treatment. For PRO instruments, items and domains as reflected in the scores of an instrument should be important to the target population and comprehensive with respect to patient concerns. Documentation of target population input in item generation, as well as evaluation of patient understanding through cognitive interviewing, can provide the evidence for content validity. Developing content for, and assessing respondent understanding of, newly developed PRO instruments for medical product evaluation will be discussed in this two-part ISPOR PRO Good Research Practices Task Force Report. Topics include the methods for generating items, documenting item development, coding of qualitative data from item generation, cognitive interviewing, and tracking item development through the various stages of research and preparing this tracking for submission to regulatory agencies. Part 1 covers elicitation of key concepts using qualitative focus groups and/or interviews to inform content and structure of a new PRO instrument. Part 2 covers the instrument development process, the assessment of patient understanding of the draft instrument using cognitive interviews and steps for instrument revision. The two parts are meant to be read together. They are intended to offer suggestions for good practices in planning, executing, and documenting qualitative studies that are used to support the content validity of PRO instruments to be used in medical product evaluation. Copyright © 2011 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Skylab medical experiments altitude test crew observations.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bobko, K. J.

1973-01-01

The paper deals with the crew's observations during training and the SMEAT 56-day test. Topics covered include the crew's adaptation to the SMEAT environment and medical experiments protocol. Personal observations are made of daily activities surrounding the medical experiments hardware, Skylab clothing, supplementary activities, recreational equipment, food, and waste management. An assessment of these items and their contributions to the Skylab flight program is made.

Collective Bargaining Agreement by and between University of Bridgeport and University of Bridgeport Chapter, American Association of University Professors, September 1, 1984.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bridgeport Univ., CT.

The collective bargaining agreement between the University of Bridgeport and the University of Bridgeport chapter (245 members) of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) for the period September 1, 1984 to August 31, 1987 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: definitions and recognition of the bargaining unit;…

Accelerator and Fusion Research Division. Annual report, October 1978-September 1979

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

Not Available

1980-03-01

Topics covered include: Super HILAC and Bevalac operations; high intensity uranium beams line item; advanced high charge state ion source; 184-inch synchrocyclotron; VENUS project; positron-electron project; high field superconducting accelerator magnets; beam cooling; accelerator theory; induction linac drivers; RF linacs and storage rings; theory; neutral beam systems development; experimental atomic physics; neutral beam plasma research; plasma theory; and the Tormac project. (GHT)

Collective Bargaining Agreement by and between Hofstra University and the Hofstra Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, September 1, 1982-August 31, 1985.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Association of Univ. Professors, Washington, DC.

The collective bargaining agreement between Hofstra University and the Hofstra University Chapter (340 members) of the American Association of University Professors (AARP) September 1, 1982-August 31, 1985 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: definitions and recognition of AAUP; faculty statutes and faculty policy series, the…

Solving Differential Equations Analytically. Elementary Differential Equations. Modules and Monographs in Undergraduate Mathematics and Its Applications Project. UMAP Unit 335.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldston, J. W.

This unit introduces analytic solutions of ordinary differential equations. The objective is to enable the student to decide whether a given function solves a given differential equation. Examples of problems from biology and chemistry are covered. Problem sets, quizzes, and a model exam are included, and answers to all items are provided. The…

Afghanistan and Pakistan Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs), H.R. 1318/H.R. 1886/H.R. 2410 and S. 496: Issues and Arguments

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-18

amended by the 1996 West Bank and Gaza Strip Free Trade Benefits Act (P.L. 104-234). Both encourage co-operative production by two or more countries...apparel items are covered in this category: coats, nightgowns and pajamas , and a few shirts and blouses. • Table A-2 includes textile and apparel

Afghanistan and Pakistan Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs), H.R. 1318/H.R. 1886/H.R. 2410 and S. 496: Issues and Arguments

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-07-09

Qualifying Industrial Zone (QIZ) program under the U.S.-Israel Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, (P.L. 99-47, as amended by the 1996 West Bank and...cotton apparel items are covered in this category: coats, nightgowns and pajamas , and a few shirts and blouses. • Table A-2 includes textile and

Single Event Effect (SEE) Test Planning 101

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

LaBel, Kenneth A.; Pellish, Jonathan; Berg, Melanie D.

2011-01-01

This is a course on SEE Test Plan development. It is an introductory discussion of the items that go into planning an SEE test that should complement the SEE test methodology used. Material will only cover heavy ion SEE testing and not proton, LASER, or other though many of the discussed items may be applicable. While standards and guidelines for how-to perform single event effects (SEE) testing have existed almost since the first cyclotron testing, guidance on the development of SEE test plans has not been as easy to find. In this section of the short course, we attempt to rectify this lack. We consider the approach outlined here as a "living" document: mission specific constraints and new technology related issues always need to be taken into account. We note that we will use the term "test planning" in the context of those items being included in a test plan.

Bibliography on contaminants and solubility of organic compounds in oxygen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ordin, P. M. (Compiler)

1975-01-01

A compilation of a number of document citations is presented which contains information on contaminants in oxygen. Topics covered include contaminants and solubility of organic compounds in oxygen, reaction characteristics of organic compounds with oxygen, and sampling and detection limits of impurities. Each citation in the data bank contains many items of information about the document. Some of the items are title, author, abstract, corporate source, description of figures pertinent to hazards or safety, key references, and descriptors (keywords) by which the document can be retrieved. Each citation includes an evaluation of the technical contents as to being good/excellent, acceptable, or poor. The descriptors used to define the contents of the documents and subsequently used in the computerized search operations were developed for the cryogenic fluid safety by experts in the cryogenics field.

CNSFV code development, virtual zone Navier-Stokes computations of oscillating control surfaces and computational support of the laminar flow supersonic wind tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klopfer, Goetz H.

1993-01-01

The work performed during the past year on this cooperative agreement covered two major areas and two lesser ones. The two major items included further development and validation of the Compressible Navier-Stokes Finite Volume (CNSFV) code and providing computational support for the Laminar Flow Supersonic Wind Tunnel (LFSWT). The two lesser items involve a Navier-Stokes simulation of an oscillating control surface at transonic speeds and improving the basic algorithm used in the CNSFV code for faster convergence rates and more robustness. The work done in all four areas is in support of the High Speed Research Program at NASA Ames Research Center.

Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA): Assessment of the life support and airlock support systems, volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arbet, J. D.; Duffy, R. E.; Barickman, K.; Saiidi, M. J.

1988-01-01

The results of the Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA) of the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Critical Items List (CIL) are presented. The IOA effort first completed an analysis of the Life Support and Airlock Support Systems (LSS and ALSS) hardware, generating draft failure modes and potential critical items. To preserve independence, this analysis was accomplished without reliance upon the results contained within the NASA FMEA/CIL documentation. The IOA results were then compared to the NASA FMEA/CIL baseline with proposed Post 51-L updates included. The discrepancies were flagged for potential future resolution. This report documents the results of that comparison for the Orbiter LSS and ALSS hardware. The IOA product for the LSS and ALSS analysis consisted of 511 failure mode worksheets that resulted in 140 potential critical items. Comparison was made to the NASA baseline which consisted of 456 FMEAs and 101 CIL items. The IOA analysis identified 39 failure modes, 6 of which were classified as CIL items, for components not covered by the NASA FMEAs. It was recommended that these failure modes be added to the NASA FMEA baseline. The overall assessment produced agreement on all but 301 FMEAs which caused differences in 111 CIL items.

International Cosmic Ray Conference, 13th, University of Denver, Denver, Colo., August 17-30, 1973, Proceedings. Volume 5

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

An X-ray observation of the Norma-Lupus region, charge and isotope measurements of heavy cosmic ray nuclei and their role in the determination of cosmic ray age, and the possibility of a contribution to primary cosmic ray spectra from pulsars are among the topics covered in papers concerned with some of the results of recent cosmic ray research. Other topics covered include multiple scattering of charged particles in magnetic fields, absorption of primary cosmic rays in the atmosphere, and phase lag effects on cosmic ray modulation during a recent solar cycle. Individual items are announced in this issue.

World Health Assembly agendas and trends of international health issues for the last 43 years: analysis of World Health Assembly agendas between 1970 and 2012.

PubMed

Kitamura, Tomomi; Obara, Hiromi; Takashima, Yoshihiro; Takahashi, Kenzo; Inaoka, Kimiko; Nagai, Mari; Endo, Hiroyoshi; Jimba, Masamine; Sugiura, Yasuo

2013-05-01

To analyse the trends and characteristics of international health issues through agenda items of the World Health Assembly (WHA) from 1970 to 2012. Agendas in Committees A/B of the WHA were classified as Administrative or Technical and Health Matters. Agenda items of Health Matters were sorted into five categories by the WHO reform in the 65th WHA. The agenda items in each category and sub-category were counted. There were 1647 agenda items including 423 Health Matters, which were sorted into five categories: communicable diseases (107, 25.3%), health systems (81, 19.1%), noncommunicable diseases (59, 13.9%), preparedness surveillance and response (58, 13.7%), and health through the life course (36, 8.5%). Among the sub-categories, HIV/AIDS, noncommunicable diseases in general, health for all, millennium development goals, influenza, and international health regulations, were discussed frequently and appeared associated with the public health milestones, but maternal and child health were discussed three times. The number of the agenda items differed for each Director-General's term of office. The WHA agendas cover a variety of items, but not always reflect international health issues in terms of disease burden. The Member States of WHO should take their responsive roles in proposing more balanced agenda items. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Internet Gaming Disorder as a formative construct: Implications for conceptualization and measurement.

PubMed

van Rooij, Antonius J; Van Looy, Jan; Billieux, Joël

2017-07-01

Some people have serious problems controlling their Internet and video game use. The DSM-5 now includes a proposal for 'Internet Gaming Disorder' (IGD) as a condition in need of further study. Various studies aim to validate the proposed diagnostic criteria for IGD and multiple new scales have been introduced that cover the suggested criteria. Using a structured approach, we demonstrate that IGD might be better interpreted as a formative construct, as opposed to the current practice of conceptualizing it as a reflective construct. Incorrectly approaching a formative construct as a reflective one causes serious problems in scale development, including: (i) incorrect reliance on item-to-total scale correlation to exclude items and incorrectly relying on indices of inter-item reliability that do not fit the measurement model (e.g., Cronbach's α); (ii) incorrect interpretation of composite or mean scores that assume all items are equal in contributing value to a sum score; and (iii) biased estimation of model parameters in statistical models. We show that these issues are impacting current validation efforts through two recent examples. A reinterpretation of IGD as a formative construct has broad consequences for current validation efforts and provides opportunities to reanalyze existing data. We discuss three broad implications for current research: (i) composite latent constructs should be defined and used in models; (ii) item exclusion and selection should not rely on item-to-total scale correlations; and (iii) existing definitions of IGD should be enriched further. © 2016 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2016 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Defining the activities of publicness for Korea's public community hospitals using the Delphi method.

PubMed

Lee, Kunsei; Kim, Hyun Joo; You, Myoungsoon; Lee, Jin-Seok; Eun, Sang Jun; Jeong, Hyoseon; Ahn, Hye Mi; Lee, Jin Yong

2017-03-01

This study aims to identify which activities of a public community hospital (PHC) should be included in their definition of publicness and tries to achieve a consensus among experts using the Delphi method. We conduct 2 rounds of the Delphi process with 17 panel members using a developed draft of tentative activities for publicness including 5 main categories covering 27 items. The questions remain the same in both rounds and the applicability of each of the 27 items to publicness is measured on a 9-point scale. If the participants believe government funding is needed, we ask how much they think the government should support each item on a 0% to 100% scale. After conducting 2 rounds of the Delphi process, 22 out of the 27 items reached a consensus as activities defining the publicness of the PHCs. Among the 5 major categories, in category C, activities preventing market failure, all 10 items were considered activities of publicness. Nine of these were evaluated as items that should be compensated at 100% of total financial loss by the Korean government. Throughout results, we were able to define the activities of the PCH that encompassed its publicness and confirm that there are "good deficits" in the context of the PCHs. Thus, some PCH deficits are unavoidable and not wasted as these monies support a necessary role and function in providing public health. The Korean government should therefore consider taking actions such as exempting such "good deficits" or providing additional financial aid to reimburse the PHCs for "good deficits."

Development of a measure of asthma-specific quality of life among adults.

PubMed

Eberhart, Nicole K; Sherbourne, Cathy D; Edelen, Maria Orlando; Stucky, Brian D; Sin, Nancy L; Lara, Marielena

2014-04-01

A key goal in asthma treatment is improvement in quality of life (QoL), but existing measures often confound QoL with symptoms and functional impairment. The current study addresses these limitations and the need for valid patient-reported outcome measures by using state-of-the-art methods to develop an item bank assessing QoL in adults with asthma. This article describes the process for developing an initial item pool for field testing. Five focus group interviews were conducted with a total of 50 asthmatic adults. We used "pile sorting/binning" and "winnowing" methods to identify key QoL dimensions and develop a pool of items based on statements made in the focus group interviews. We then conducted a literature review and consulted with an expert panel to ensure that no key concepts were omitted. Finally, we conducted individual cognitive interviews to ensure that items were well understood and inform final item refinement. Six hundred and sixty-one QoL statements were identified from focus group interview transcripts and subsequently used to generate a pool of 112 items in 16 different content areas. Items covering a broad range of content were developed that can serve as a valid gauge of individuals' perceptions of the effects of asthma and its treatment on their lives. These items do not directly measure symptoms or functional impairment, yet they include a broader range of content than most existent measures of asthma-specific QoL.

Development of a Measure of Asthma-Specific Quality of Life among Adults

PubMed Central

Eberhart, Nicole K.; Sherbourne, Cathy D.; Edelen, Maria Orlando; Stucky, Brian D.; Sin, Nancy L.; Lara, Marielena

2014-01-01

Purpose A key goal in asthma treatment is improvement in quality of life (QoL), but existing measures often confound QoL with symptoms and functional impairment. The current study addresses these limitations and the need for valid patient-reported outcome measures by using state-of-the-art methods to develop an item bank assessing QoL in adults with asthma. This article describes the process for developing an initial item pool for field testing. Methods Five focus group interviews were conducted with a total of 50 asthmatic adults. We used “pile sorting/binning” and “winnowing” methods to identify key QoL dimensions and develop a pool of items based on statements made in the focus group interviews. We then conducted a literature review and consulted with an expert panel to ensure that no key concepts were omitted. Finally, we conducted individual cognitive interviews to ensure that items were well understood and inform final item refinement. Results 661 QoL statements were identified from focus group interview transcripts and subsequently used to generate a pool of 112 items in 16 different content areas. Conclusions Items covering a broad range of content were developed that can serve as a valid gauge of individuals’ perceptions of the effects of asthma and its treatment on their lives. These items do not directly measure symptoms or functional impairment, yet they include a broader range of content than most existent measures of asthma-specific QoL. PMID:24062237

MIRO: guidelines for minimum information for the reporting of an ontology.

PubMed

Matentzoglu, Nicolas; Malone, James; Mungall, Chris; Stevens, Robert

2018-01-18

Creation and use of ontologies has become a mainstream activity in many disciplines, in particular, the biomedical domain. Ontology developers often disseminate information about these ontologies in peer-reviewed ontology description reports. There appears to be, however, a high degree of variability in the content of these reports. Often, important details are omitted such that it is difficult to gain a sufficient understanding of the ontology, its content and method of creation. We propose the Minimum Information for Reporting an Ontology (MIRO) guidelines as a means to facilitate a higher degree of completeness and consistency between ontology documentation, including published papers, and ultimately a higher standard of report quality. A draft of the MIRO guidelines was circulated for public comment in the form of a questionnaire, and we subsequently collected 110 responses from ontology authors, developers, users and reviewers. We report on the feedback of this consultation, including comments on each guideline, and present our analysis on the relative importance of each MIRO information item. These results were used to update the MIRO guidelines, mainly by providing more detailed operational definitions of the individual items and assigning degrees of importance. Based on our revised version of MIRO, we conducted a review of 15 recently published ontology description reports from three important journals in the Semantic Web and Biomedical domain and analysed them for compliance with the MIRO guidelines. We found that only 41.38% of the information items were covered by the majority of the papers (and deemed important by the survey respondents) and a large number of important items are not covered at all, like those related to testing and versioning policies. We believe that the community-reviewed MIRO guidelines can contribute to improving significantly the quality of ontology description reports and other documentation, in particular by increasing consistent reporting of important ontology features that are otherwise often neglected.

RECAPDOC - a questionnaire for the documentation of rehabilitation care utilization in individuals with disorders of consciousness in long-term care in Germany: development and pretesting.

PubMed

Klingshirn, Hanna; Mittrach, Rene; Braitmayer, Kathrin; Strobl, Ralf; Bender, Andreas; Grill, Eva; Müller, Martin

2018-05-04

A multitude of different rehabilitation interventions and other specific health care services are offered for individuals with disorders of consciousness in long-term care settings. To investigate the association of those services and patient-relevant outcomes, a specific instrument to document the utilization of those services is needed. The purpose of this study was to develop such a questionnaire administered to caregivers in epidemiological studies or patient registries in Germany. The development process of the RECAPDOC questionnaire was carried out in three steps. Step 1 consisted of a systematic literature review and an online-based expert survey to define the general content. Step 2 was an expert interview to evaluate the preliminary content of the questionnaire. Step 3 was a pretest including cognitive interviews with caregivers. After each step, the results were combined into a new version of the questionnaire. The first version of the questionnaire included items on utilization of medical care, medical aids, nursing and therapeutic care. The results of the expert interview led to the integration of five new items and the modification of six other items. The pretest led to some minor modifications of the questionnaire since it was rated as feasible and acceptable. The final questionnaire consisted of 29 items covering the domains "living situation", "social insurance status", "utilisation of home health care", "domestic services", "outpatient health care", "specific diagnostic measures", "adaptive technologies", "medical aids" and "utilization of therapies". Also the experience of family support and multidisciplinary collaboration of health professionals is covered. The developed questionnaire is a first step to make the situation of patients with disorders of consciousness in the long-term care setting accessible for evaluation in epidemiological studies and in the context of patient registries. However, further reliability and validity studies are needed.

Qualitative Development of the PROMIS® Pediatric Stress Response Item Banks

PubMed Central

Gardner, William; Pajer, Kathleen; Riley, Anne W.; Forrest, Christopher B.

2013-01-01

Objective To describe the qualitative development of the Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS®) Pediatric Stress Response item banks. Methods Stress response concepts were specified through a literature review and interviews with content experts, children, and parents. A library comprising 2,677 items derived from 71 instruments was developed. Items were classified into conceptual categories; new items were written and redundant items were removed. Items were then revised based on cognitive interviews (n = 39 children), readability analyses, and translatability reviews. Results 2 pediatric Stress Response sub-domains were identified: somatic experiences (43 items) and psychological experiences (64 items). Final item pools cover the full range of children’s stress experiences. Items are comprehensible among children aged ≥8 years and ready for translation. Conclusions Child- and parent-report versions of the item banks assess children’s somatic and psychological states when demands tax their adaptive capabilities. PMID:23124904

Nondestructive testing techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bray, Don E.; McBride, Don

A comprehensive reference covering a broad range of techniques in nondestructive testing is presented. Based on years of extensive research and application at NASA and other government research facilities, the book provides practical guidelines for selecting the appropriate testing methods and equipment. Topics discussed include visual inspection, penetrant and chemical testing, nuclear radiation, sonic and ultrasonic, thermal and microwave, magnetic and electromagnetic techniques, and training and human factors. (No individual items are abstracted in this volume)

A Master Agreement between the State of Iowa Board of Regents and the Uni-United Faculty of University of Northern Iowa, July 1, 1987-June 30, 1989.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iowa State Board of Regents, Des Moines.

The collective bargaining agreement between the State of Iowa Board of Regents and the University of Northern Iowa Uni-United Faculty, an affiliate of the National Education Association, for the period July 1, 1987-June 30, 1989 is presented. Items covered in the agreement include: unit recognition; university facilities; faculty evaluation by…

The Differential Effects of Two Self-Managed Math Instruction Procedures: Cover, Copy, and Compare versus Copy, Cover, and Compare

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grafman, Joel M.; Cates, Gary L.

2010-01-01

This study compared the fluency and error rates produced when using the Cover, Copy, and Compare (CCC) and a modified CCC procedure (MCCC) called Copy, Cover, and Compare to complete subtraction math problems. Two second-grade classrooms consisting of 47 total students participated in the study. The following items were administered to…

Cultural Resources Survey of the Angelina Revetment Item, St. James Parish, Louisiana.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-10-22

Corps G) of Engineers O New Oreans Dist 0 N In CULTURAL RESOURCES SURVEY OF THE ANGELINA REVETMENT ITEM, ST. JAMES . PARISH, LOUISIANA. FINAL REPORT...PD-86/0 3 AF Go 4. TITLE (ad S-belde) S. TYPE OF REPORT & PENIOO COVERED Cultural Resources Survey of the Final Angelina Revetment Item, St. James...the Angelina Revetment Item, adjacent to the Mississippi River channel, during August and September, 1985. b-The area was settled during the Spanish

The family experiences of in-hospital care questionnaire in severe traumatic brain injury (FECQ-TBI): a validation study.

PubMed

Anke, Audny; Manskow, Unn Sollid; Friborg, Oddgeir; Røe, Cecilie; Arntzen, Cathrine

2016-11-28

Family members are important for support and care of their close relative after severe traumas, and their experiences are vital health care quality indicators. The objective was to describe the development of the Family Experiences of in-hospital Care Questionnaire for family members of patients with severe Traumatic Brain Injury (FECQ-TBI), and to evaluate its psychometric properties and validity. The design of the study is a Norwegian multicentre study inviting 171 family members. The questionnaire developmental process included a literature review, use of an existing instrument (the parent experience of paediatric care questionnaire), focus group with close family members, as well as expert group judgments. Items asking for family care experiences related to acute wards and rehabilitation were included. Several items of the paediatric care questionnaire were removed or the wording of the items was changed to comply with the present purpose. Questions covering experiences with the inpatient rehabilitation period, the discharge phase, the family experiences with hospital facilities, the transfer between departments and the economic needs of the family were added. The developed questionnaire was mailed to the participants. Exploratory factor analyses were used to examine scale structure, in addition to screening for data quality, and analyses of internal consistency and validity. The questionnaire was returned by 122 (71%) of family members. Principal component analysis extracted six dimensions (eigenvalues > 1.0): acute organization and information (10 items), rehabilitation organization (13 items), rehabilitation information (6 items), discharge (4 items), hospital facilities-patients (4 items) and hospital facilities-family (2 items). Items related to the acute phase were comparable to items in the two dimensions of rehabilitation: organization and information. All six subscales had high Cronbach's alpha coefficients >0.80. The construct validity was confirmed. The FECQ-TBI assesses important aspects of in-hospital care in the acute and rehabilitation phases, as seen from a family perspective. The psychometric properties and the construct validity of the questionnaire were good, hence supporting the use of the FECQ-TBI to assess quality of care in rehabilitation departments.

Baseline Design Compliance Matrix for the Rotary Mode Core Sampling System

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

LECHELT, J.A.

2000-10-17

The purpose of the design compliance matrix (DCM) is to provide a single-source document of all design requirements associated with the fifteen subsystems that make up the rotary mode core sampling (RMCS) system. It is intended to be the baseline requirement document for the RMCS system and to be used in governing all future design and design verification activities associated with it. This document is the DCM for the RMCS system used on Hanford single-shell radioactive waste storage tanks. This includes the Exhauster System, Rotary Mode Core Sample Trucks, Universal Sampling System, Diesel Generator System, Distribution Trailer, X-Ray Cart System,more » Breathing Air Compressor, Nitrogen Supply Trailer, Casks and Cask Truck, Service Trailer, Core Sampling Riser Equipment, Core Sampling Support Trucks, Foot Clamp, Ramps and Platforms and Purged Camera System. Excluded items are tools such as light plants and light stands. Other items such as the breather inlet filter are covered by a different design baseline. In this case, the inlet breather filter is covered by the Tank Farms Design Compliance Matrix.« less

The importance of content and face validity in instrument development: lessons learnt from service users when developing the Recovering Quality of Life measure (ReQoL).

PubMed

Connell, Janice; Carlton, Jill; Grundy, Andrew; Taylor Buck, Elizabeth; Keetharuth, Anju Devianee; Ricketts, Thomas; Barkham, Michael; Robotham, Dan; Rose, Diana; Brazier, John

2018-07-01

Service user involvement in instrument development is increasingly recognised as important, but is often not done and seldom reported. This has adverse implications for the content validity of a measure. The aim of this paper is to identify the types of items that service users felt were important to be included or excluded from a new Recovering Quality of Life measure for people with mental health difficulties. Potential items were presented to service users in face-to-face structured individual interviews and focus groups. The items were primarily taken or adapted from current measures and covered themes identified from earlier qualitative work as being important to quality of life. Content and thematic analysis was undertaken to identify the types of items which were either important or unacceptable to service users. We identified five key themes of the types of items that service users found acceptable or unacceptable; the items should be relevant and meaningful, unambiguous, easy to answer particularly when distressed, do not cause further upset, and be non-judgemental. Importantly, this was from the perspective of the service user. This research has underlined the importance of service users' views on the acceptability and validity of items for use in developing a new measure. Whether or not service users favoured an item was associated with their ability or intention to respond accurately and honestly to the item which will impact on the validity and sensitivity of the measure.

A new computerized adaptive test advancing the measurement of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in children: the Kids-CAT.

PubMed

Devine, J; Otto, C; Rose, M; Barthel, D; Fischer, F; Mühlan, H; Mülhan, H; Nolte, S; Schmidt, S; Ottova-Jordan, V; Ravens-Sieberer, U

2015-04-01

Assessing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) via Computerized Adaptive Tests (CAT) provides greater measurement precision coupled with a lower test burden compared to conventional tests. Currently, there are no European pediatric HRQoL CATs available. This manuscript aims at describing the development of a HRQoL CAT for children and adolescents: the Kids-CAT, which was developed based on the established KIDSCREEN-27 HRQoL domain structure. The Kids-CAT was developed combining classical test theory and item response theory methods and using large archival data of European KIDSCREEN norm studies (n = 10,577-19,580). Methods were applied in line with the US PROMIS project. Item bank development included the investigation of unidimensionality, local independence, exploration of Differential Item Functioning (DIF), evaluation of Item Response Curves (IRCs), estimation and norming of item parameters as well as first CAT simulations. The Kids-CAT was successfully built covering five item banks (with 26-46 items each) to measure physical well-being, psychological well-being, parent relations, social support and peers, and school well-being. The Kids-CAT item banks proved excellent psychometric properties: high content validity, unidimensionality, local independence, low DIF, and model conform IRCs. In CAT simulations, seven items were needed to achieve a measurement precision between .8 and .9 (reliability). It has a child-friendly design, is easy accessible online and gives immediate feedback reports of scores. The Kids-CAT has the potential to advance pediatric HRQoL measurement by making it less burdensome and enhancing the patient-doctor communication.

How equity is addressed in clinical practice guidelines: a content analysis

PubMed Central

Shi, Chunhu; Tian, Jinhui; Wang, Quan; Petkovic, Jennifer; Ren, Dan; Yang, Kehu; Yang, Yang

2014-01-01

Objectives Considering equity into guidelines presents methodological challenges. This study aims to qualitatively synthesise the methods for incorporating equity in clinical practice guidelines (CPGs). Setting Content analysis of methodological publications. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Methodological publications were included if they provided checklists/frameworks on when, how and to what extent equity should be incorporated in CPGs. Data sources We electronically searched MEDLINE, retrieved references, and browsed guideline development organisation websites from inception to January 2013. After study selection by two authors, general characteristics and checklists items/framework components from included studies were extracted. Based on the questions or items from checklists/frameworks (unit of analysis), content analysis was conducted to identify themes and questions/items were grouped into these themes. Primary outcomes The primary outcomes were methodological themes and processes on how to address equity issues in guideline development. Results 8 studies with 10 publications were included from 3405 citations. In total, a list of 87 questions/items was generated from 17 checklists/frameworks. After content analysis, questions were grouped into eight themes (‘scoping questions’, ‘searching relevant evidence’, ‘appraising evidence and recommendations’, ‘formulating recommendations’, ‘monitoring implementation’, ‘providing a flow chart to include equity in CPGs’, and ‘others: reporting of guidelines and comments from stakeholders’ for CPG developers and ‘assessing the quality of CPGs’ for CPG users). Four included studies covered more than five of these themes. We also summarised the process of guideline development based on the themes mentioned above. Conclusions For disadvantaged population-specific CPGs, eight important methodological issues identified in this review should be considered when including equity in CPGs under the guidance of a scientific guideline development manual. PMID:25479795

Rehabilitation Aids.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center on Educational Media and Materials for the Handicapped, Columbus, OH.

Selected from the National Instructional Materials Information System (NIMIS)--a computer based on-line interactive retrieval system on special education materials--the bibliography covers 40 equipment items for rehabilitation and physical therapy programs for all levels of handicapped children. Described are such items as a handygym, a suspension…

Development of the NIH PROMIS ® Sexual Function and Satisfaction measures in patients with cancer.

PubMed

Flynn, Kathryn E; Lin, Li; Cyranowski, Jill M; Reeve, Bryce B; Reese, Jennifer Barsky; Jeffery, Diana D; Smith, Ashley Wilder; Porter, Laura S; Dombeck, Carrie B; Bruner, Deborah Watkins; Keefe, Francis J; Weinfurt, Kevin P

2013-02-01

We describe the development and validation of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System(®) Sexual Function and Satisfaction (PROMIS(®) SexFS; National Institutes of Health) measures, version 1.0, for cancer populations. To develop a customizable self-report measure of sexual function and satisfaction as part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health PROMIS Network. Our multidisciplinary working group followed a comprehensive protocol for developing psychometrically robust patient-reported outcome measures including qualitative (scale development) and quantitative (psychometric evaluation) development. We performed an extensive literature review, conducted 16 focus groups with cancer patients and multiple discussions with clinicians, and evaluated candidate items in cognitive testing with patients. We administered items to 819 cancer patients. Items were calibrated using item-response theory and evaluated for reliability and validity. The PROMIS SexFS measures, version 1.0, include 81 items in 11 domains: Interest in Sexual Activity, Lubrication, Vaginal Discomfort, Erectile Function, Global Satisfaction with Sex Life, Orgasm, Anal Discomfort, Therapeutic Aids, Sexual Activities, Interfering Factors, and Screener Questions. In addition to content validity (patients indicate that items cover important aspects of their experiences) and face validity (patients indicate that items measure sexual function and satisfaction), the measure shows evidence for discriminant validity (domains discriminate between groups expected to be different) and convergent validity (strong correlations between scores on PROMIS and scores on conceptually similar older measures of sexual function), as well as favorable test-retest reliability among people not expected to change (interclass correlations from two administrations of the instrument, 1 month apart). The PROMIS SexFS offers researchers a reliable and valid set of tools to measure self-reported sexual function and satisfaction among diverse men and women. The measures are customizable; researchers can select the relevant domains and items comprising those domains for their study. © 2013 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Development of the NIH PROMIS® Sexual Function and Satisfaction Measures in Patients with Cancer

PubMed Central

Flynn, Kathryn E.; Lin, Li; Cyranowski, Jill M.; Reeve, Bryce B.; Reese, Jennifer Barsky; Jeffery, Diana D.; Smith, Ashley Wilder; Porter, Laura S.; Dombeck, Carrie B.; Bruner, Deborah Watkins; Keefe, Francis J.; Weinfurt, Kevin P.

2013-01-01

Introduction We describe the development and validation of the PROMIS Sexual Function and Satisfaction (PROMIS SexFS) measures version 1.0 for cancer populations. Aim To develop a customizable self-report measure of sexual function and satisfaction as part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health PROMIS® Network. Methods Our multidisciplinary working group followed a comprehensive protocol for developing psychometrically robust patient reported outcome (PRO) measures including qualitative (scale development) and quantitative (psychometric evaluation) development. We performed an extensive literature review, conducted 16 focus groups with cancer patients and multiple discussions with clinicians, and evaluated candidate items in cognitive testing with patients. We administered items to 819 cancer patients. Items were calibrated using item response theory and evaluated for reliability and validity. Main Outcome Measures The PROMIS Sexual Function and Satisfaction (PROMIS SexFS) measures version 1.0 include 79 items in 11 domains: interest in sexual activity, lubrication, vaginal discomfort, erectile function, global satisfaction with sex life, orgasm, anal discomfort, therapeutic aids, sexual activities, interfering factors, and screener questions. Results In addition to content validity (patients indicate that items cover important aspects of their experiences) and face validity (patients indicate that items measure sexual function and satisfaction), the measure shows evidence for discriminant validity (domains discriminate between groups expected to be different), convergent validity (strong correlations between scores on PROMIS and scores on conceptually-similar older measures of sexual function), as well as favorable test-retest reliability among people not expected to change (inter-class correlations from 2 administrations of the instrument, 1 month apart). Conclusions The PROMIS SexFS offers researchers a reliable and valid set of tools to measure self-reported sexual function and satisfaction among diverse men and women. The measures are customizable; researchers can select the relevant domains and items comprising those domains for their study. PMID:23387911

Development of a quantitative food frequency questionnaire for Brazilian patients with type 2 diabetes

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background To investigate the association between dietary components and development of chronic diabetic complications, the dietary evaluation should include a long period, months or years. The present manuscript aims to develop a quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and a portfolio with food photos to assess the usual intake pattern of Brazilian patients with type 2 diabetes to be used in future studies. Methods Dietary data using 3-day weighed diet records (WDR) from 188 outpatients with type 2 diabetes were used to construct the list of usually consumed foods. Foods were initially clustered into eight groups: “cereals, tubers, roots, and derivatives”; “vegetables and legumes”; “fruits”; “beans”; “meat and eggs”; “milk and dairy products”; “oils and fats”, and “sugars and sweets”. The frequency of food intake and the relative contribution of each food item to the total energy and nutrient intakes were calculated. Portion sizes were determined according to the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 95th percentiles of intake for each food item. Results A total of 62 food items were selected based on the 3-day WDR and another 27 foods or how they are prepared and nine beverages were included after the expert examination. Also, a portfolio with food photos of each included food item and portion sizes was made to assist the patients in identifying the consumed portion. Conclusions We developed a practical quantitative FFQ and portfolio with photos of 98 food items covering those most commonly consumed in the past 12 months, to assess the usual diet pattern of patients with type 2 diabetes in Southern Brazil. PMID:23938026

The in-flight calibration of the Hubble Space Telescope attitude sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Welter, Gary L.

1991-01-01

A detailed review of the in-flight calibration of the Hubble Space Telescope attitude sensors is presented. The review, which covers the period from the April 24, 1990, launch of the spacecraft until the time of this writing (June 1991), describes the calibrations required and accuracies achieved for the four principal attitude sensing systems on the spacecraft: the magnetometers, the fixed head star trackers, the gyroscopes, and the fine guidance sensors (FGS's). In contrast to the other three sensor groups, the Hubble Telecope's FGS's are unique in the precision and performance levels being attempted; spacecraft control and astrometric research at the near-milliarcsecond level are the ultimate goals. FGS calibration accuracies at the 20-milliarcsecond level have already been achieved, and plans for new data acquisitions and reductions that should substantially improve these results are in progress. A summary of the basic attributes of each of the four sensor groups with respect to its usage as an attitude measuring system is presented, followed by a discussion of the calibration items of interest for that group. The calibration items are as follows: for the magnetometers, the corrections for the spacecraft's static and time-varying magnetic fields; for the fixed-head star trackers, their relative alignments and use in performing onboard attitude updates; for the gyroscopes, their scale factors, alignments, and drift rate biases; and for the FGS's, their magnifications, optical distortions, and alignments. The discussion covers the procedures used for each calibration, as well as the order of the calibrations within the general flow of orbital verification activities. It also includes a synopsis of current plans for the eventual calibration of the FGS's to achieve their near-milliarcsecond design accuracy. The conclusions include a table indicating the current and predicted ultimate accuracies for each of the calibration items.

Development of a brief measure of intimate partner violence experiences: the Composite Abuse Scale (Revised)—Short Form (CASR-SF)

PubMed Central

Ford-Gilboe, Marilyn; Wathen, C Nadine; Varcoe, Colleen; MacMillan, Harriet L; Scott-Storey, Kelly; Mantler, Tara; Hegarty, Kelsey; Perrin, Nancy

2016-01-01

Objectives Approaches to measuring intimate partner violence (IPV) in populations often privilege physical violence, with poor assessment of other experiences. This has led to underestimating the scope and impact of IPV. The aim of this study was to develop a brief, reliable and valid self-report measure of IPV that adequately captures its complexity. Design Mixed-methods instrument development and psychometric testing to evolve a brief version of the Composite Abuse Scale (CAS) using secondary data analysis and expert feedback. Setting Data from 5 Canadian IPV studies; feedback from international IPV experts. Participants 31 international IPV experts including academic researchers, service providers and policy actors rated CAS items via an online survey. Pooled data from 6278 adult Canadian women were used for scale development. Primary/secondary outcome measures Scale reliability and validity; robustness of subscales assessing different IPV experiences. Results A 15-item version of the CAS has been developed (Composite Abuse Scale (Revised)—Short Form, CASR-SF), including 12 items developed from the original CAS and 3 items suggested through expert consultation and the evolving literature. Items cover 3 abuse domains: physical, sexual and psychological, with questions asked to assess lifetime, recent and current exposure, and abuse frequency. Factor loadings for the final 3-factor solution ranged from 0.81 to 0.91 for the 6 psychological abuse items, 0.63 to 0.92 for the 4 physical abuse items, and 0.85 and 0.93 for the 2 sexual abuse items. Moderate correlations were observed between the CASR-SF and measures of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and coercive control. Internal consistency of the CASR-SF was 0.942. These reliability and validity estimates were comparable to those obtained for the original 30-item CAS. Conclusions The CASR-SF is brief self-report measure of IPV experiences among women that has demonstrated initial reliability and validity and is suitable for use in population studies or other studies. Additional validation of the 15-item scale with diverse samples is required. PMID:27927659

Subjective health literacy: Development of a brief instrument for school-aged children.

PubMed

Paakkari, Olli; Torppa, Minna; Kannas, Lasse; Paakkari, Leena

2016-12-01

The present paper focuses on the measurement of health literacy (HL), which is an important determinant of health and health behaviours. HL starts to develop in childhood and adolescence; hence, there is a need for instruments to monitor HL among younger age groups. These instruments are still rare. The aim of the project reported here was, therefore, to develop a brief, multidimensional, theory-based instrument to measure subjective HL among school-aged children. The development of the instrument covered four phases: item generation based on a conceptual framework; a pilot study ( n = 405); test-retest ( n = 117); and construction of the instrument ( n = 3853). All the samples were taken from Finnish 7th and 9th graders. Initially, 65 items were generated, of which 32 items were selected for the pilot study. After item reduction, the instrument contained 16 items. The test-retest phase produced estimates of stability. In the final phase a 10-item instrument was constructed, referred to as Health Literacy for School-Aged Children (HLSAC). The instrument exhibited a high Cronbach alpha (0.93), and included two items from each of the five predetermined theoretical components (theoretical knowledge, practical knowledge, critical thinking, self-awareness, citizenship). The iterative and validity-driven development process made it possible to construct a brief multidimensional HLSAC instrument. Such instruments are suitable for large-scale studies, and for use with children and adolescents. Validation will require further testing for use in other countries.

Tech notes: Ongoing or planned hydro research, results of recent studies, and reviews of new books, publications, and software

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

NONE

Ongoing or planned hydro research, results of recent studies, and reviews of new books, publications, and software. Items covered this month include: (1) a recommendation that dam designers give more consideration to earthquake resistance, (2) the development of a new wave rotor design, (3) the development of a small hydro database in China, and (4) an ICOLD bulletin on the optimization of constuction costs.

V/STOL tilt rotor research aircraft. Volume 2: Ship 1 instrumentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1978-01-01

Information covering sensor cables, sensor installation, and sensor calibration for the XV-15 aircraft number 1 is included. For each junction box (J-box) designation there is a schematic of the J-box disconnect harness instrumentation worksheets which show sensor location, and calibration data sheets for each sensor associated with that J-box. An index of measurement item codes to J-box locations is given in a table. Cross references are given.

Guide for Airborne Infrared Roof Moisture Surveys

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-01-01

larger), but it takes more flight lines (and more film ) to cover an area at low altitudes than it does at higher altitudes. 13. Flight-line spacing...normally provided in rolls as negatives or trans- parent positives. For ease of interpretation, the film should be cut into strips representing...interpretation. Items other than a light table that are helpful include a large magnifying glass and a pocket stereoscope (such as those used to intepret

Supersonic cruise aircraft research: An annotated bibliography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tuttle, M. H.

1980-01-01

This bibliography, with abstracts, consists of 69 publications arranged in chronological order. The material may be useful to those interested in supersonic cruise fighter/penetrator/interceptor airplanes. Two pertinent conferences on military supercruise aircraft are considered as single items; one contains 37 papers and the other 29 papers. In addition, several related bibliographies are included which cover supersonic civil aircraft and military aircraft studies at the Langley Research Center. There is also an author index.

The Generic Short Patient Experiences Questionnaire (GS-PEQ): identification of core items from a survey in Norway

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Questionnaires are commonly used to collect patient, or user, experiences with health care encounters; however, their adaption to specific target groups limits comparison between groups. We present the construction of a generic questionnaire (maximum of ten questions) for user evaluation across a range of health care services. Methods Based on previous testing of six group-specific questionnaires, we first constructed a generic questionnaire with 23 items related to user experiences. All questions included a "not applicable" response option, as well as a follow-up question about the item's importance. Nine user groups from one health trust were surveyed. Seven groups received questionnaires by mail and two by personal distribution. Selection of core questions was based on three criteria: applicability (proportion "not applicable"), importance (mean scores on follow-up questions), and comprehensiveness (content coverage, maximum two items per dimension). Results 1324 questionnaires were returned providing subsample sizes ranging from 52 to 323. Ten questions were excluded because the proportion of "not applicable" responses exceeded 20% in at least one user group. The number of remaining items was reduced to ten by applying the two other criteria. The final short questionnaire included items on outcome (2), clinician services (2), user involvement (2), incorrect treatment (1), information (1), organisation (1), and accessibility (1). Conclusion The Generic Short Patient Experiences Questionnaire (GS-PEQ) is a short, generic set of questions on user experiences with specialist health care that covers important topics for a range of groups. It can be used alone or with other instruments in quality assessment or in research. The psychometric properties and the relevance of the GS-PEQ in other health care settings and countries need further evaluation. PMID:21510871

41 CFR 51-5.3 - Scope of requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... National Stock Number or item designation is specified by the Procurement List. Where geographic areas... source requirement covers the National Stock Number or item designation listed and commodities that are.... (b) For services, where an agency and location or geographic area are listed on the Procurement List...

41 CFR 51-5.3 - Scope of requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... National Stock Number or item designation is specified by the Procurement List. Where geographic areas... source requirement covers the National Stock Number or item designation listed and commodities that are.... (b) For services, where an agency and location or geographic area are listed on the Procurement List...

41 CFR 51-5.3 - Scope of requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... National Stock Number or item designation is specified by the Procurement List. Where geographic areas... source requirement covers the National Stock Number or item designation listed and commodities that are.... (b) For services, where an agency and location or geographic area are listed on the Procurement List...

41 CFR 51-5.3 - Scope of requirement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... National Stock Number or item designation is specified by the Procurement List. Where geographic areas... source requirement covers the National Stock Number or item designation listed and commodities that are.... (b) For services, where an agency and location or geographic area are listed on the Procurement List...

Abundance of litter on Condor seamount (Azores, Portugal, Northeast Atlantic)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pham, C. K.; Gomes-Pereira, J. N.; Isidro, E. J.; Santos, R. S.; Morato, T.

2013-12-01

Marine litter is an emerging problem for the world's ocean health but little is known on its distribution and abundance on seamounts and how it affects deep-sea ecosystems. The scientific underwater laboratory set up on Condor seamount offered an ideal case study for the first documentation of litter distribution on a shallow seamount with historical fishing. A total of 48 video transects deployed on the summit (n=45) and the northern flank (n=3) covered an area of 0.031 and 0.025km2, respectively, revealing 55 litter items. Litter density on the summit was 1439 litter items km-2, whilst on the deeper northern flank, estimates indicate densities of 397 litter items km-2. Lost fishing line was the dominant litter item encountered on both areas (73% of total litter on the summit and 50% on northern flank), all being entirely or partly entangled in the locally abundant gorgonians Dentomuricea cf. meteor and Viminella flagellum. Other items included lost weights, anchors and glass bottles. The predominance of lost fishing gear identifies the source of litter on Condor seamount as exclusively ocean-based and related to fishing activities. Abundance of litter on the Condor seamount was much lower than that reported from other locations closer to populated areas.

A design for a sustained assessment of climate forcings and feedbacks on land use land cover change

USGS Publications Warehouse

Loveland, Thomas; Mahmood, Rezaul

2014-01-01

Land use and land cover change (LULCC) significantly influences the climate system. Hence, to prepare the nation for future climate change and variability, a sustained assessment of LULCC and its climatic impacts needs to be undertaken. To address this objective, not only do we need to determine contemporary trends in land use and land cover that affect, or are affected by, weather and climate but also identify sectors and regions that are most affected by weather and climate variability. Moreover, it is critical that we recognize land cover and regions that are most vulnerable to climate change and how end-use practices are adapting to climate change. This paper identifies a series of steps that need to be undertaken to address these key items. In addition, national-scale institutional capabilities are identified and discussed. Included in the discussions are challenges and opportunities for collaboration among these institutions for a sustained assessment.

Export Controls and Nonproliferation Policy

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-05-01

Export Control Classification Numbers ( ECCNs ). The ECCNs do not correspond one-for-one to single commodity technology, or software items: in some...cases an ECCN covers only a single, narrowly defined item, but in many cases multiple related items fall under the same ECCN . The reason for control of...each ECCN category may be single or multiple (e.g., for both National Security and Nuclear Proliferation) but the reason(s) listed may in fact apply

Welch Science Process Inventory, Form D. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welch, Wayne W.

This inventory, developed for use with the Harvard Project Physics curriculum, consists of 135 two-choice (agree-disagree) items. Items cover perceptions of the role of scientists, the nature and functions of theories, underlying assumptions made by scientists, and other aspects of the scientific process. The test is suitable for high school…

16 CFR 700.1 - Products covered.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... the purchase transaction. An analysis of the transaction will determine whether the goods are real or..., but which have been packaged in a manner that does not permit breaking the package to purchase an item... sale at $12 must be designated, even though identical items may be offered in smaller quantities at...

Assessing items on the SF-8 Japanese version for health-related quality of life: a psychometric analysis based on the nominal categories model of item response theory.

PubMed

Tokuda, Yasuharu; Okubo, Tomoya; Ohde, Sachiko; Jacobs, Joshua; Takahashi, Osamu; Omata, Fumio; Yanai, Haruo; Hinohara, Shigeaki; Fukui, Tsuguya

2009-06-01

The Short Form-8 (SF-8) questionnaire is a commonly used 8-item instrument of health-related quality of life (QOL) and provides a health profile of eight subdimensions. Our aim was to examine the psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the SF-8 instrument using methodology based on nominal categories model. Using data from an adjusted random sample from a nationally representative panel, the nominal categories modeling was applied to SF-8 items to characterize coverage of the latent trait (theta). Probabilities for response choices were described as functions on the latent trait. Information functions were generated based on the estimated item parameters. A total of 3344 participants (53%, women; median age, 35 years) provided responses. One factor was retained (eigenvalue, 4.65; variance proportion of 0.58) and used as theta. All item response category characteristic curves satisfied the monotonicity assumption in accurate order with corresponding ordinal responses. Four items (general health, bodily pain, vitality, and mental health) cover most of the spectrum of theta, while the other four items (physical function, role physical [role limitations because of physical health], social functioning, and role emotional [role limitations because of emotional problems] ) cover most of the negative range of theta. Information function for all items combined peaked at -0.7 of theta (information = 18.5) and decreased with increasing theta. The SF-8 instrument performs well among those with poor QOL across the continuum of the latent trait and thus can recognize more effectively persons with relatively poorer QOL than those with relatively better QOL.

The development of a quality appraisal tool for studies of diagnostic reliability (QAREL).

PubMed

Lucas, Nicholas P; Macaskill, Petra; Irwig, Les; Bogduk, Nikolai

2010-08-01

In systematic reviews of the reliability of diagnostic tests, no quality assessment tool has been used consistently. The aim of this study was to develop a specific quality appraisal tool for studies of diagnostic reliability. Key principles for the quality of studies of diagnostic reliability were identified with reference to epidemiologic principles, existing quality appraisal checklists, and the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD) and Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS) resources. Specific items that encompassed each of the principles were developed. Experts in diagnostic research provided feedback on the items that were to form the appraisal tool. This process was iterative and continued until consensus among experts was reached. The Quality Appraisal of Reliability Studies (QAREL) checklist includes 11 items that explore seven principles. Items cover the spectrum of subjects, spectrum of examiners, examiner blinding, order effects of examination, suitability of the time interval among repeated measurements, appropriate test application and interpretation, and appropriate statistical analysis. QAREL has been developed as a specific quality appraisal tool for studies of diagnostic reliability. The reliability of this tool in different contexts needs to be evaluated. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Developing and evaluating an instrument to measure Recovery After INtensive care: the RAIN instrument.

PubMed

Bergbom, Ingegerd; Karlsson, Veronika; Ringdal, Mona

2018-01-01

Measuring and evaluating patients' recovery, following intensive care, is essential for assessing their recovery process. By using a questionnaire, which includes spiritual and existential aspects, possibilities for identifying appropriate nursing care activities may be facilitated. The study describes the development and evaluation of a recovery questionnaire and its validity and reliability. A questionnaire consisting of 30 items on a 5-point Likert scale was completed by 169 patients (103 men, 66 women), 18 years or older (m=69, SD 12.5) at 2, 6, 12 or 24 months following discharge from an ICU. An exploratory factor analysis, including a principal component analysis with orthogonal varimax rotation, was conducted. Ten initial items, with loadings below 0.40, were removed. The internal item/scale structure obtained in the principal component analysis was tested in relation to convergent and discrimination validity with a multi-trait analysis. Items consistency and reliability were assessed by Cronbach's alpha and internal item consistency. Test of scale quality, the proportion of missing values and respondents' scoring at maximum and minimum levels were also conducted. A total of 20 items in six factors - forward looking, supporting relations, existential ruminations, revaluation of life, physical and mental strength and need of social support were extracted with eigen values above one. Together, they explained 75% of the variance. The half-scale criterion showed that the proportion of incomplete scale scores ranged from 0% to 4.3%. When testing the scale's ability to differentiate between levels of the assessed concept, we found that the observed range of scale scores covered the theoretical range. Substantial proportions of respondents, who scored at the ceiling for forward looking and supporting relations and at floor for the need of social support, were found. These findings should be further investigated. The factor analysis, including discriminant validity and the mean value for the item correlations, was found to be excellent. The RAIN instrument could be used to assess recovery following intensive care. It could provide post-ICU clinics and community/primary healthcare nurses with valuable information on which areas patients may need more support.

A Pilot Psychometric Study on the Validation of the Older Women’s Non-Medical Stress Scale (OWN-MSS) on an Ethnically Diverse Sample

PubMed Central

Laganà, Luciana; Prilutsky, Roxanne R.

2016-01-01

Introduction Older women often experience various types of stressors, including the death of a spouse and associated financial stress (often with a lack of social support), emotional stress due to factors such as caregiving and being single, and the challenges of the aging process. These circumstances could produce or aggravate anxious symptomatology that can in turn compound the negative effects of aging. A brief scale of perceived stress that is not confounded with health status and covers multiple culturally relevant potential stressors is needed for quick use in busy medical settings. Aim To assess the reliability and the validity of an original stress scale designed to measure perceptions of stress beyond health status in a non-clinical convenience sample of community-dwelling older women. Method In this cross-sectional pilot investigation, via conducting item-total correlations and correlational tests of validity, we studied the psychometric properties of our measure using data from volunteer older subjects (mainly low-income and from non-Caucasian backgrounds). The domains covered by the nine items of the tool were selected based on a literature review of common stressors experienced by older adults, especially by older women. Data were collected face-to-face using a demographic list, a well-established depression measure, a brief posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) screener, and our 9-item stress tool. Primary outcomes: reliability and validity of the scale of older women’s non-medical stress. Secondary outcomes: demographic characteristics of the sample and correlations between stress items. Results Based on our sample of older women (N=40, mean age 71 years), good internal consistency between the items of the stress scale was found (Cronbach’s a=.66). The findings of the data analyses also revealed that our psychometric tool has good convergent validity with the PTSD screener (r=.53). Moreover, in contrast with most other stress tools, it has strong discriminant validity (r=.11) with a well-validated depression scale. Conclusion Our results suggest that this new measure is psychometrically strong. Future research directions encompass using larger samples, ideally including older men with the modification of the scale’s name, as well as validating this tool against more measures. Clinical implications of our findings are briefly discussed. PMID:27390770

17 CFR 229.501 - (Item 501) Forepart of Registration Statement and Outside Front Cover Page of Prospectus.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... you use § 230.430A of this chapter to omit pricing information and the prospectus is used before you... Statement and Outside Front Cover Page of Prospectus. The registrant must furnish the following information... page. If the following information applies to your offering, disclose it on the outside cover page of...

Symptoms and impact of COPD assessed by an electronic diary in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD: psychometric results from the SHINE study.

PubMed

Kulich, Károly; Keininger, Dorothy L; Tiplady, Brian; Banerji, Donald

2015-01-01

Symptoms, particularly dyspnea, and activity limitation, have an impact on the health status and the ability to function normally in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). To develop an electronic patient diary (eDiary), qualitative patient interviews were conducted from 2009 to 2010 to identify relevant symptoms and degree of bother due to symptoms. The eDiary was completed by a subset of 209 patients with moderate-to-severe COPD in the 26-week QVA149 SHINE study. Two morning assessments (since awakening and since the last assessment) and one evening assessment were made each day. Assessments covered five symptoms ("shortness of breath," "phlegm/mucus," "chest tightness," "wheezing," and "coughing") and two impact items ("bothered by COPD" and "difficulty with activities") and were scored on a 10-point numeric scale. Patient compliance with the eDiary was 90.4% at baseline and 81.3% at week 26. Correlations between shortness of breath and impact items were >0.95. Regression analysis showed that shortness of breath was a highly significant (P<0.0001) predictor of impact items. Exploratory factor analysis gave a single factor comprising all eDiary items, including both symptoms and impact items. Shortness of breath, the total score (including five symptoms and two impact items), and the five-item symptom score from the eDiary performed well, with good consistency and reliability. The eDiary showed good sensitivity to change, with a 0.6 points reduction in the symptoms scores (on a 0-10 point scale) representing a meaningful change. The eDiary was found to be valid, reliable, and responsive. The high correlations obtained between "shortness of breath" and the ratings of "bother" and "difficulty with activities" confirmed the relevance of this symptom in patients with COPD. Future studies will be required to explore further psychometric properties and their ability to differentiate between COPD treatments.

Examination of the PROMIS upper extremity item bank.

PubMed

Hung, Man; Voss, Maren W; Bounsanga, Jerry; Crum, Anthony B; Tyser, Andrew R

Clinical measurement. The psychometric properties of the PROMIS v1.2 UE item bank were tested on various samples prior to its release, but have not been fully evaluated among the orthopaedic population. This study assesses the performance of the UE item bank within the UE orthopaedic patient population. The UE item bank was administered to 1197 adult patients presenting to a tertiary orthopaedic clinic specializing in hand and UE conditions and was examined using traditional statistics and Rasch analysis. The UE item bank fits a unidimensional model (outfit MNSQ range from 0.64 to 1.70) and has adequate reliabilities (person = 0.84; item = 0.82) and local independence (item residual correlations range from -0.37 to 0.34). Only one item exhibits gender differential item functioning. Most items target low levels of function. The UE item bank is a useful clinical assessment tool. Additional items covering higher functions are needed to enhance validity. Supplemental testing is recommended for patients at higher levels of function until more high function UE items are developed. 2c. Copyright © 2016 Hanley & Belfus. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Medicare program; replacement of reasonable charge methodology by fee schedules for parenteral and enteral nutrients, equipment, and supplies. Final rule.

PubMed

2001-08-28

This final rule implements fee schedules for payment of parenteral and enteral nutrition (PEN) items and services furnished under the prosthetic device benefit, defined in section 1861(s)(8) of the Social Security Act. The authority for establishing these fee schedules is provided by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, which amended the Social Security Act at section 1842(s). Section 1842(s) of the Social Security Act specifies that statewide or other area wide fee schedules may be implemented for the following items and services still subject to the reasonable charge payment methodology: medical supplies; home dialysis supplies and equipment; therapeutic shoes; parenteral and enteral nutrients, equipment, and supplies; electromyogram devices; salivation devices; blood products; and transfusion medicine. This final rule describes changes made to the proposed fee schedule payment methodology for these items and services and provides that the fee schedules for PEN items and services are effective for all covered items and services furnished on or after January 1, 2002. Fee schedules will not be implemented for electromyogram devices and salivation devices at this time since these items are not covered by Medicare. In addition, fee schedules will not be implemented for medical supplies, home dialysis supplies and equipment, therapeutic shoes, blood products, and transfusion medicine at this time since the data required to establish these fee schedules are inadequate.

Controlling hazardous energy sources (lockout/tagout)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dominguez, Manuel B.

1991-01-01

The minimum requirements as established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard 29 CFR 1910.147 are discussed for preventing the unexpected operation of equipment or release of energy which could cause injury to personnel, damage to equipment, harm to the environment, or loss or compromise of test data. Safety requirements both for government and contractor personnel are explained for potentially hazardous energy sources during work operations at LeRC (Cleveland and Plum Brook Stations). Basic rules are presented to ensure protection against harmful exposures, and baseline implementation requirements are discussed from which detailed lockout/tagout procedures can be developed for individual equipment items. Examples of energy sources covered by this document include electrical, pneumatic, mechanical, chemical, cryogenic, thermal, spring tension/compression suspended or moving loads, and other potentially hazardous sources. Activities covered by this standard include, but are not limited to, construction, maintenance, installation, calibration, inspection, cleaning, or repair.

Controlling hazardous energy sources (lockout/tagout)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dominguez, Manuel B.

1991-10-01

The minimum requirements as established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard 29 CFR 1910.147 are discussed for preventing the unexpected operation of equipment or release of energy which could cause injury to personnel, damage to equipment, harm to the environment, or loss or compromise of test data. Safety requirements both for government and contractor personnel are explained for potentially hazardous energy sources during work operations at LeRC (Cleveland and Plum Brook Stations). Basic rules are presented to ensure protection against harmful exposures, and baseline implementation requirements are discussed from which detailed lockout/tagout procedures can be developed for individual equipment items. Examples of energy sources covered by this document include electrical, pneumatic, mechanical, chemical, cryogenic, thermal, spring tension/compression suspended or moving loads, and other potentially hazardous sources. Activities covered by this standard include, but are not limited to, construction, maintenance, installation, calibration, inspection, cleaning, or repair.

5 CFR 890.1049 - Claims for non-emergency items or services furnished by a debarred or suspended provider.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED) CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS (CONTINUED) FEDERAL EMPLOYEES HEALTH... without knowledge that the provider has been sanctioned. It does not authorize debarred or suspended... in order to protect covered individuals who obtain items or services without knowledge of their...

36 CFR 1225.26 - How do agencies change a disposition authority?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... (NWM), 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001, phone number (301) 837-1738. NARA approval is... following, if applicable: (1) The SF 115 and item numbers to be superseded; (2) The General Records Schedules and item numbers that cover the records, if any; and (3) The current published records disposition...

36 CFR § 1225.26 - How do agencies change a disposition authority?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... (NWM), 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001, phone number (301) 837-1738. NARA approval is... following, if applicable: (1) The SF 115 and item numbers to be superseded; (2) The General Records Schedules and item numbers that cover the records, if any; and (3) The current published records disposition...

36 CFR 1225.26 - How do agencies change a disposition authority?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... (NWM), 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001, phone number (301) 837-1738. NARA approval is... following, if applicable: (1) The SF 115 and item numbers to be superseded; (2) The General Records Schedules and item numbers that cover the records, if any; and (3) The current published records disposition...

36 CFR 1225.26 - How do agencies change a disposition authority?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... (NWM), 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001, phone number (301) 837-1738. NARA approval is... following, if applicable: (1) The SF 115 and item numbers to be superseded; (2) The General Records Schedules and item numbers that cover the records, if any; and (3) The current published records disposition...

The School and the Community. A Bibliography, Part 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodman, Doreen M., Comp.

An update of the initial bibliography, published in 1976 and covering 1965-1975, this bibliography confines itself to school-and community-related items published in Australia, the United States, Great Britain, and Canada between 1975 and 1977. Categories, arranged systematically A-Z with each item listed alphabetically by author/title within each…

Standard Specification for Language Laboratory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Carolina State Dept. of Administration, Raleigh.

This specification covers the components of electronic and electromechanical equipment, nonelectronic materials for the teacher-student positions, and other items of a miscellaneous nature to provide for a complete and workable language laboratory facility. Language laboratory facilities covered by this specification are of two types: (1)…

Nuclear Science Symposium, 19th, and Nuclear Power Systems Symposium, 4th, Miami, Fla., December 6-8, 1972, Proceedings.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

Major topics covered include radiation monitoring instrumentation, nuclear circuits and systems, biomedical applications of nuclear radiation in diagnosis and therapy, plasma research for fusion power, reactor control and instrumentation, nuclear power standards, and applications of digital computers in nuclear power plants. Systems and devices for space applications are described, including the Apollo alpha spectrometer, a position sensitive detection system for UV and X-ray photons, a 4500-volt electron multiplier bias supply for satellite use, spark chamber systems, proportional counters, and other devices. Individual items are announced in this issue.

Consequences of screening in lung cancer: development and dimensionality of a questionnaire.

PubMed

Brodersen, John; Thorsen, Hanne; Kreiner, Svend

2010-08-01

The objective of this study was to extend the Consequences of Screening (COS) Questionnaire for use in a lung cancer screening by testing for comprehension, content coverage, dimensionality, and reliability. In interviews, the suitability, content coverage, and relevance of the COS were tested on participants in a lung cancer screening program. The results were thematically analyzed to identify the key consequences of abnormal and false-positive screening results. Item Response Theory and Classical Test Theory were used to analyze data. Dimensionality, objectivity, and reliability were established by item analysis, examining the fit between item responses and Rasch models. Eight themes specifically relevant for participants in lung cancer screening results were identified: "self-blame,"focus on symptoms,"stigmatization,"introvert,"harm of smoking,"impulsivity,"empathy," and "regretful of still smoking." Altogether, 26 new items for part I and 16 new items for part II were generated. These themes were confirmed to fit a partial-credit Rasch model measuring different constructs including several of the new items. In conclusion, the reliability and the dimensionality of a condition-specific measure with high content validity for persons having abnormal or false-positive lung cancer screening results have been demonstrated. This new questionnaire called Consequences of Screening in Lung Cancer (COS-LC) covers in two parts the psychosocial experience in lung cancer screening. Part I: "anxiety,"behavior,"dejection,"sleep,"self-blame,"focus on airway symptoms,"stigmatization,"introvert," and "harm of smoking." Part II: "calm/relax,"social network,"existential values,"impulsivity,"empathy," and "regretful of still smoking."

Construction and validation of a measure of integrative well-being in seven languages: the Pemberton Happiness Index.

PubMed

Hervás, Gonzalo; Vázquez, Carmelo

2013-04-22

We introduce the Pemberton Happiness Index (PHI), a new integrative measure of well-being in seven languages, detailing the validation process and presenting psychometric data. The scale includes eleven items related to different domains of remembered well-being (general, hedonic, eudaimonic, and social well-being) and ten items related to experienced well-being (i.e., positive and negative emotional events that possibly happened the day before); the sum of these items produces a combined well-being index. A distinctive characteristic of this study is that to construct the scale, an initial pool of items, covering the remembered and experienced well-being domains, were subjected to a complete selection and validation process. These items were based on widely used scales (e.g., PANAS, Satisfaction With Life Scale, Subjective Happiness Scale, and Psychological Well-Being Scales). Both the initial items and reference scales were translated into seven languages and completed via Internet by participants (N = 4,052) aged 16 to 60 years from nine countries (Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and USA). Results from this initial validation study provided very good support for the psychometric properties of the PHI (i.e., internal consistency, a single-factor structure, and convergent and incremental validity). Given the PHI's good psychometric properties, this simple and integrative index could be used as an instrument to monitor changes in well-being. We discuss the utility of this integrative index to explore well-being in individuals and communities.

A 67-Item Stress Resilience item bank showing high content validity was developed in a psychosomatic sample.

PubMed

Obbarius, Nina; Fischer, Felix; Obbarius, Alexander; Nolte, Sandra; Liegl, Gregor; Rose, Matthias

2018-04-10

To develop the first item bank to measure Stress Resilience (SR) in clinical populations. Qualitative item development resulted in an initial pool of 131 items covering a broad theoretical SR concept. These items were tested in n=521 patients at a psychosomatic outpatient clinic. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), as well as other state-of-the-art item analyses and IRT were used for item evaluation and calibration of the final item bank. Out of the initial item pool of 131 items, we excluded 64 items (54 factor loading <.5, 4 residual correlations >.3, 2 non-discriminative Item Response Curves, 4 Differential Item Functioning). The final set of 67 items indicated sufficient model fit in CFA and IRT analyses. Additionally, a 10-item short form with high measurement precision (SE≤.32 in a theta range between -1.8 and +1.5) was derived. Both the SR item bank and the SR short form were highly correlated with an existing static legacy tool (Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale). The final SR item bank and 10-item short form showed good psychometric properties. When further validated, they will be ready to be used within a framework of Computer-Adaptive Tests for a comprehensive assessment of the Stress-Construct. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Determination of Algorithm Parallelism in NP Complete Problems for Distributed Architectures

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-03-05

12 structure STACK declare OpenStack (S-.NODE **TopPtr) -+TopPtrI FlushStack(S.-NODE **TopPtr) -*TopPtr PushOnStack(S-.NODE **TopPtr, ITEM *NewltemPtr...OfCoveringSets, CoveringSets, L, Best CoverTime, Vertex, Set3end SCND ADT B.26 structure STACKI declare OpenStack (S-NODE **TopPtr) -+TopPtr FlushStack(S

The energy crisis and energy from the sun; Proceedings of the Symposium on Solar Energy Utilization, Washington, D.C., April 30, 1974

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thekaekara, M. P.

1974-01-01

Papers on the state of the art and future prospects of solar energy utilization in the United States are included. Research and technologies for heating and cooling of buildings, solar thermal energy conversion, photovoltaic conversion, biomass production and conversion, wind energy conversion and ocean thermal energy conversion are covered. The increasing funding of the National Solar Energy Program is noted. Individual items are announced in this issue.

Feasibility of using routinely collected inpatient data to monitor quality and inform choice: a case study using the UK inflammatory bowel disease audit

PubMed Central

Roberts, Stephen E; Williams, John G; Cohen, David R; Akbari, Ashley; Groves, Sam; Button, Lori A

2011-01-01

Objective To assess the utility and cost of using routinely collected inpatient data for large-scale audit. Design Comparison of audit data items collected nationally in a designed audit of inflammatory bowel disease (UK IBD audit) with routinely collected inpatient data; surveys of audit sites to compare costs. Setting National Health Service hospitals across England, Wales and Northern Ireland that participated in the UK IBD audit. Patients Patients in the UK IBD audit. Interventions None. Main outcome measures Percentage agreement between designed audit data items collected for the UK IBD audit and routine inpatient data items; costs of conducting the designed UK IBD audit and the routine data audit. Results There were very high matching rates between the designed audit data and routine data for a small subset of basic important information collected in the UK IBD audit, including mortality; major surgery; dates of admission, surgery, discharge and death; principal diagnoses; and sociodemographic patient characteristics. There were lower matching rates for other items, including source of admission, primary reason for admission, most comorbidities, colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy. Routine data did not cover most detailed information collected in the UK IBD audit. Using routine data was much less costly than collecting designed audit data. Conclusion Although valuable for large population-based studies, and less costly than designed data, routine inpatient data are not suitable for the evaluation of individual patient care within a designed audit. PMID:28839601

ESIP's Emerging Provenance and Context Content Standard Use Cases: Developing Examples and Models for Data Stewardship

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramdeen, S.; Hills, D. J.

2013-12-01

Earth science data collections range from individual researchers' private collections to large-scale data warehouses, from computer-generated data to field or lab based observations. These collections require stewardship. Fundamentally, stewardship ensures long term preservation and the provision of access to the user community. In particular, stewardship includes capturing appropriate metadata and documentation--and thus the context of the data's creation and any changes they underwent over time --to enable data reuse. But scientists and science data managers must translate these ideas into practice. How does one balance the needs of current and (projected) future stakeholders? In 2011, the Data Stewardship Committee (DSC) of the Federation of Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) began developing the Provenance and Context Content Standard (PCCS). As an emerging standard, PCCS provides a framework for 'what' must be captured or preserved as opposed to describing only 'how' it should be done. Originally based on the experiences of NASA and NOAA researchers within ESIP, the standard currently provides data managers with content items aligned to eight key categories. While the categories and content items are based on data life cycles of remote sensing missions, they can be generalized to cover a broader set of activities, for example, preservation of physical objects. These categories will include the information needed to ensure the long-term understandability and usability of earth science data products. In addition to the PCCS, the DSC is developing a series of use cases based on the perspectives of the data archiver, data user, and the data consumer that will connect theory and practice. These cases will act as specifications for developing PCCS-based systems. They will also provide for examination of the categories and content items covered in the PCCS to determine if any additions are needed to cover the various use cases, and also provide rationale and indicate priorities for preservation. Though the use cases currently focus on two areas, 'creating' a data set and 'using' a data set, the use cases will eventually cover the full data lifecycle. Currently developing a template to be used in future use case creation, the DSC is also preparing and testing more use case scenarios. This presentation will introduce the ESIP use cases based on the PCCS. It will at once expand stakeholder participation and show the application of these materials beyond the ESIP community in which they were developed. More information about the ESIP use case activities can be found on the DSC wiki - http://wiki.esipfed.org/index.php/Preservation_Use_Case_Activity.

42 CFR 424.57 - Special payment rules for items furnished by DMEPOS suppliers and issuance of DMEPOS supplier...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... effort, and arterial oxygen saturation furnished in a sleep laboratory facility in which a technologist... care products or services or both. DMEPOS stands for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics... categories. Medicare covered items means medical equipment and supplies as defined in section 1834(j)(5) of...

RSE-40: An Alternate Scoring System for the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallace, Gaylen R.

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Inventory (RSE) is a 10-item scale purporting to measure self-esteem using self-acceptance and self-worth statements. This analysis covers concerns about the degree to which the RSE items represent a particular content universe, the RSE's applicability, factor analytic methods used, and the RSE's reliability and validity.…

Laboratory Animal Care Training Manual for Instructors and Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

California Univ., San Francisco. Animal Care Facility.

This manual presents item-by-item, step-by-step procedures for the student being trained as a technician in laboratory animal care. Statements are preceeded by a box for the student to check when he has read each statement. The first 16 lessons cover: orientation; identifying, handling, and determining the sex of rodents and rabbits, cats and…

42 CFR 110.60 - Documentation a requester who is determined to be eligible must submit for the Secretary to make...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... covered injury or its health complications must submit an itemized statement from each healthcare provider... each healthcare provider (e.g., a treating neurologist for neurological issues and a treating... payers for, such services or items. Consent for the Program to communicate directly with the healthcare...

42 CFR 110.60 - Documentation a requester who is determined to be eligible must submit for the Secretary to make...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... covered injury or its health complications must submit an itemized statement from each healthcare provider... each healthcare provider (e.g., a treating neurologist for neurological issues and a treating... payers for, such services or items. Consent for the Program to communicate directly with the healthcare...

42 CFR 110.60 - Documentation a requester who is determined to be eligible must submit for the Secretary to make...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... covered injury or its health complications must submit an itemized statement from each healthcare provider... each healthcare provider (e.g., a treating neurologist for neurological issues and a treating... payers for, such services or items. Consent for the Program to communicate directly with the healthcare...

42 CFR 110.60 - Documentation a requester who is determined to be eligible must submit for the Secretary to make...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... covered injury or its health complications must submit an itemized statement from each healthcare provider... each healthcare provider (e.g., a treating neurologist for neurological issues and a treating... payers for, such services or items. Consent for the Program to communicate directly with the healthcare...

Non-developmental item computer systems and the malicious software threat

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bown, Rodney L.

1991-01-01

The following subject areas are covered: a DOD development system - the Army Secure Operating System; non-development commercial computer systems; security, integrity, and assurance of service (SI and A); post delivery SI and A and malicious software; computer system unique attributes; positive feedback to commercial computer systems vendors; and NDI (Non-Development Item) computers and software safety.

16 CFR 436.3 - Cover page.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... with a cover page, in the order and form as follows: (a) The title “FRANCHISE DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT” in... begin operation of a [franchise system name] franchise is [the total amount of Item 7 (§ 436.5(g... affiliate. (2) This disclosure document summarizes certain provisions of your franchise agreement and other...

16 CFR 436.3 - Cover page.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... with a cover page, in the order and form as follows: (a) The title “FRANCHISE DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT” in... begin operation of a [franchise system name] franchise is [the total amount of Item 7 (§ 436.5(g... affiliate. (2) This disclosure document summarizes certain provisions of your franchise agreement and other...

16 CFR 436.3 - Cover page.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... with a cover page, in the order and form as follows: (a) The title “FRANCHISE DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT” in... begin operation of a [franchise system name] franchise is [the total amount of Item 7 (§ 436.5(g... affiliate. (2) This disclosure document summarizes certain provisions of your franchise agreement and other...

16 CFR 436.3 - Cover page.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... with a cover page, in the order and form as follows: (a) The title “FRANCHISE DISCLOSURE DOCUMENT” in... begin operation of a [franchise system name] franchise is [the total amount of Item 7 (§ 436.5(g... affiliate. (2) This disclosure document summarizes certain provisions of your franchise agreement and other...

NASA records retention schedules: Procedures governing the retention, retirement, and destruction of agency records

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

This handbook sets forth the minimum retention periods of official records of NASA. Its provisions are applicable to NASA Headquarters and all field installations. This revised edition has been correlated to the 'NASA Uniform Files Index (UFI) (NHB 1442.1B), the General Records Schedules' produced by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), and has been enlarged in scope to cover Privacy Act Systems of Records and record series previously omitted. Guidance is provided in the areas of record retirement, transfer, and retrieval from Federal Record Centers (FRC) and disposal actions. Included are provisions for making changes to these schedules by addition of new items or revision of current items. The NASA Records Retention Schedules (NRRS) were approved for NASA use by NARA, the General Services Administration, and the General Accounting Office.

Development of six PROMIS pediatrics proxy-report item banks

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Pediatric self-report should be considered the standard for measuring patient reported outcomes (PRO) among children. However, circumstances exist when the child is too young, cognitively impaired, or too ill to complete a PRO instrument and a proxy-report is needed. This paper describes the development process including the proxy cognitive interviews and large-field-test survey methods and sample characteristics employed to produce item parameters for the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) pediatric proxy-report item banks. Methods The PROMIS pediatric self-report items were converted into proxy-report items before undergoing cognitive interviews. These items covered six domains (physical function, emotional distress, social peer relationships, fatigue, pain interference, and asthma impact). Caregivers (n = 25) of children ages of 5 and 17 years provided qualitative feedback on proxy-report items to assess any major issues with these items. From May 2008 to March 2009, the large-scale survey enrolled children ages 8-17 years to complete the self-report version and caregivers to complete the proxy-report version of the survey (n = 1548 dyads). Caregivers of children ages 5 to 7 years completed the proxy report survey (n = 432). In addition, caregivers completed other proxy instruments, PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales Parent Proxy-Report version, PedsQL™ Asthma Module Parent Proxy-Report version, and KIDSCREEN Parent-Proxy-52. Results Item content was well understood by proxies and did not require item revisions but some proxies clearly noted that determining an answer on behalf of their child was difficult for some items. Dyads and caregivers of children ages 5-17 years old were enrolled in the large-scale testing. The majority were female (85%), married (70%), Caucasian (64%) and had at least a high school education (94%). Approximately 50% had children with a chronic health condition, primarily asthma, which was diagnosed or treated within 6 months prior to the interview. The PROMIS proxy sample scored similar or better on the other proxy instruments compared to normative samples. Conclusions The initial calibration data was provided by a diverse set of caregivers of children with a variety of common chronic illnesses and racial/ethnic backgrounds. The PROMIS pediatric proxy-report item banks include physical function (mobility n = 23; upper extremity n = 29), emotional distress (anxiety n = 15; depressive symptoms n = 14; anger n = 5), social peer relationships (n = 15), fatigue (n = 34), pain interference (n = 13), and asthma impact (n = 17). PMID:22357192

Content comparison of occupation-based instruments in adult rheumatology and musculoskeletal rehabilitation based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.

PubMed

Stamm, Tanja A; Cieza, Alarcos; Machold, Klaus P; Smolen, Josef S; Stucki, Gerold

2004-12-15

To compare the content of clinical, occupation-based instruments that are used in adult rheumatology and musculoskeletal rehabilitation in occupational therapy based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Clinical instruments of occupational performance and occupation in adult rehabilitation and rheumatology were identified in a literature search. All items of these instruments were linked to the ICF categories according to 10 linking rules. On the basis of the linking, the content of these instruments was compared and the relationship between the capacity and performance component explored. The following 7 instruments were identified: the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills, the Sequential Occupational Dexterity Assessment, the Jebson Taylor Hand Function Test, the Moberg Picking Up Test, the Button Test, and the Functional Dexterity Test. The items of the 7 instruments were linked to 53 different ICF categories. Five items could not be linked to the ICF. The areas covered by the 7 occupation-based instruments differ importantly: The main focus of all 7 instruments is on the ICF component activities and participation. Body functions are covered by 2 instruments. Two instruments were linked to 1 single ICF category only. Clinicians and researchers who need to select an occupation-based instrument must be aware of the areas that are covered by this instrument and the potential areas that are not covered at all.

Development and Validation of the Scan of Postgraduate Educational Environment Domains (SPEED): A Brief Instrument to Assess the Educational Environment in Postgraduate Medical Education

PubMed Central

Schönrock-Adema, Johanna; Visscher, Maartje; Raat, A. N. Janet; Brand, Paul L. P.

2015-01-01

Introduction Current instruments to evaluate the postgraduate medical educational environment lack theoretical frameworks and are relatively long, which may reduce response rates. We aimed to develop and validate a brief instrument that, based on a solid theoretical framework for educational environments, solicits resident feedback to screen the postgraduate medical educational environment quality. Methods Stepwise, we developed a screening instrument, using existing instruments to assess educational environment quality and adopting a theoretical framework that defines three educational environment domains: content, atmosphere and organization. First, items from relevant existing instruments were collected and, after deleting duplicates and items not specifically addressing educational environment, grouped into the three domains. In a Delphi procedure, the item list was reduced to a set of items considered most important and comprehensively covering the three domains. These items were triangulated against the results of semi-structured interviews with 26 residents from three teaching hospitals to achieve face validity. This draft version of the Scan of Postgraduate Educational Environment Domains (SPEED) was administered to residents in a general and university hospital and further reduced and validated based on the data collected. Results Two hundred twenty-three residents completed the 43-item draft SPEED. We used half of the dataset for item reduction, and the other half for validating the resulting SPEED (15 items, 5 per domain). Internal consistencies were high. Correlations between domain scores in the draft and brief versions of SPEED were high (>0.85) and highly significant (p<0.001). Domain score variance of the draft instrument was explained for ≥80% by the items representing the domains in the final SPEED. Conclusions The SPEED comprehensively covers the three educational environment domains defined in the theoretical framework. Because of its validity and brevity, the SPEED is promising as useful and easily applicable tool to regularly screen educational environment quality in postgraduate medical education. PMID:26413836

Measuring treatment satisfaction in MS: Is the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication fit for purpose?

PubMed

Vermersch, Patrick; Hobart, Jeremy; Dive-Pouletty, Catherine; Bozzi, Sylvie; Hass, Steven; Coyle, Patricia K

2017-04-01

The Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM) was designed to assess patient treatment satisfaction in chronic diseases. Its performance has not been examined in multiple sclerosis (MS). The 14 items of the TSQM cover four domains: Effectiveness, Side Effects, Convenience, and Global Satisfaction. To evaluate performance of the TSQM in patients with relapsing MS, using data collected from the TENERE study (NCT00883337), in which 324 patients received oral teriflunomide or subcutaneous interferon beta-1a for ⩾48 weeks. Five measurement properties were examined using traditional psychometric methods: data completeness, scale-to-sample targeting, scaling assumptions, reliability (including test-retest), and construct validity (internal: item-level scaling success, confirmatory factor analysis, and exploratory factor analysis; external: convergence, discrimination, and group differences). There were few (<2%) missing item data; domain scores could be computed for all patients. Score distributions were skewed toward higher satisfaction; two domains had marked ceiling effects. Scaling assumptions were supported. Internal consistency reliability was high (Cronbach's α > 0.90). Internal validity tests supported item groupings. Correlations supported convergent and discriminant construct validity; hypothesis testing supported group differences validity. This investigation found the TSQM to be a useful tool, exhibiting good psychometric measurement properties in patients with relapsing MS in the TENERE study.

32. TYPICAL BRYANT ITEMS FROM THE 1930S; TOP ROW LEFT ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

32. TYPICAL BRYANT ITEMS FROM THE 1930S; TOP ROW LEFT TO RIGHT: PORCELAIN CASED SWITCH, ROTARY SWITCH, SHORTING PLUG TO BYPASS FUSE; SECOND ROW: BRASS INCANDESCENT LAMP SURFACE RECEPTACLE, INCANDESCENT LAMPHOLDER WITH ADAPTER FOR GLASS GLOBE; THIRD ROW: PORCELAIN BASE ROTARY SWITCH, APPLIANCE BREAKER WITH COVER REMOVED, APPLIANCE BREAKER - Bryant Electric Company, 1421 State Street, Bridgeport, Fairfield County, CT

Development of the Language Subtest in a Developmental Assessment Scale to Identify Chinese Preschool Children with Special Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wong, Anita M. -Y.; Leung, Cynthia; Siu, Elaine K. -L.; Lam, Catherine C. -C.; Chan, Grace P. -S.

2011-01-01

This study reports on the development of the language subtest in the Preschool Developmental Assessment Scale (PDAS) for Cantonese-Chinese speaking children. A pilot pool of 158 items covering the two language modalities and the three language domains was developed. This initial item set was subsequently revised based on Rasch analyses of data…

Institutional Repositories in the UK: What Can the Google User Find There?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markland, Margaret

2006-01-01

This study investigates the efficiency of the Google search engine at retrieving items from 26 UK Institutional Repositories, covering a wide range of subject areas. One item is chosen from each repository and four searches are carried out: two keyword searches and two full title searches, each using both Google and then Google Scholar. A further…

Construction and validation of a measure of integrative well-being in seven languages: The Pemberton Happiness Index

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Purpose We introduce the Pemberton Happiness Index (PHI), a new integrative measure of well-being in seven languages, detailing the validation process and presenting psychometric data. The scale includes eleven items related to different domains of remembered well-being (general, hedonic, eudaimonic, and social well-being) and ten items related to experienced well-being (i.e., positive and negative emotional events that possibly happened the day before); the sum of these items produces a combined well-being index. Methods A distinctive characteristic of this study is that to construct the scale, an initial pool of items, covering the remembered and experienced well-being domains, were subjected to a complete selection and validation process. These items were based on widely used scales (e.g., PANAS, Satisfaction With Life Scale, Subjective Happiness Scale, and Psychological Well-Being Scales). Both the initial items and reference scales were translated into seven languages and completed via Internet by participants (N = 4,052) aged 16 to 60 years from nine countries (Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and USA). Results Results from this initial validation study provided very good support for the psychometric properties of the PHI (i.e., internal consistency, a single-factor structure, and convergent and incremental validity). Conclusions Given the PHI’s good psychometric properties, this simple and integrative index could be used as an instrument to monitor changes in well-being. We discuss the utility of this integrative index to explore well-being in individuals and communities. PMID:23607679

7 CFR 1794.23 - Proposals normally requiring an EA.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Administrator on a case-by-case basis. (c) Electric program. Applications for financial assistance for certain... items covered by § 1794.22(a)(8). All new associated facilities and related electric power lines shall... covered by § 1794.22(a)(8). All new associated facilities and related electric power lines shall be...

48 CFR 239.7302 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... Information Relating to Supply Chain Risk 239.7302 Definitions. As used in this subpart— Covered item means an... integrity of which could result in a supply chain risk for a covered system (see section 806(e)(6) of Pub. L... foreign policy. Information technology, in lieu of the definition at FAR 2.1, and supply chain risk, are...

Agreement between Pittsburg State University/Kansas National Education Association and Pittsburg State University, 1989-90.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pittsburg State Univ., KS.

The collective bargaining agreement between Pittsburg State University and Pittsburg State University/Kansas National Education Association, an affiliate of the National Education Association, covering the period May 19, 1989 to June 30, 1990 is presented. The contract covers the following items: recognition; equal opportunity; salaries…

Selected Bibliography of Materials; Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia. Volume 1, Number 2, 1967.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Azzouz, Azzedine; And Others

A bibliography with abstracts of 106 items from books and articles covers materials on education in the Maghreb countries of Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, and Morocco. Special emphasis is given to the two problems besetting the area's educational system: illiteracy and multilingualism. The entries cover philosophy and theory of education,…

Physical working conditions as covered in European monitoring questionnaires.

PubMed

Tynes, Tore; Aagestad, Cecilie; Thorsen, Sannie Vester; Andersen, Lars Louis; Perkio-Makela, Merja; García, Francisco Javier Pinilla; Blanco, Luz Galiana; Vermeylen, Greet; Parent-Thirion, Agnes; Hooftman, Wendela; Houtman, Irene; Liebers, Falk; Burr, Hermann; Formazin, Maren

2017-06-05

The prevalence of workers with demanding physical working conditions in the European work force remains high, and occupational physical exposures are considered important risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), a major burden for both workers and society. Exposures to physical workloads are therefore part of the European nationwide surveys to monitor working conditions and health. An interesting question is to what extent the same domains, dimensions and items referring to the physical workloads are covered in the surveys. The purpose of this paper is to determine 1) which domains and dimensions of the physical workloads are monitored in surveys at the national level and the EU level and 2) the degree of European consensus among these surveys regarding coverage of individual domains and dimensions. Items on physical workloads used in one European wide/Spanish and five other European nationwide work environment surveys were classified into the domains and dimensions they cover, using a taxonomy agreed upon among all participating partners. The taxonomy reveals that there is a modest overlap between the domains covered in the surveys, but when considering dimensions, the results indicate a lower agreement. The phrasing of items and answering categories differs between the surveys. Among the domains, the three domains covered by all surveys are "lifting, holding & carrying of loads/pushing & pulling of loads", "awkward body postures" and "vibrations". The three domains covered less well, that is only by three surveys or less, are "physical work effort", "working sitting", and "mixed exposure". This is the fırst thorough overview to evaluate the coverage of domains and dimensions of self-reported physical workloads in a selection of European nationwide surveys. We hope the overview will provide input to the revisions and updates of the individual countries' surveys in order to enhance coverage of relevant domains and dimensions in all surveys and to increase the informational value of the surveys.

Evaluation of a short food frequency questionnaire used among Norwegian children.

PubMed

Lillegaard, Inger Therese L; Overby, Nina Cecilie; Andersen, Lene Frost

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate a short food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) against a four-day precoded food diary (PFD) with regard to frequency of food intake among Norwegian 9- and 13-year-olds. A total of 733 9-year-olds and 904 13-year-olds completed first a short FFQ and one to two weeks later a four-day PFD. The short FFQ included questions about 23 food items, including different drinks, fruits, vegetables, bread, fish, pizza, sweets, chocolate and savoury snacks. The PFD covered the whole diet. When comparing mean intake from the PFD with comparable food items in the FFQ, all food items showed that increasing intake measured with the PFD corresponded with increasing intake with the short FFQ. However, participants reported a significantly higher frequency of intake for most foods with the short FFQ compared with PFD, except for soft drinks with sugar and sweets. The median Spearman correlation coefficient between the two methods was 0.36 among the 9-year-olds and 0.32 among the 13-year-olds. Often eaten foods such as fruits and vegetables had higher correlations than seldom eaten foods such as pizza and potato chips. The median correlation coefficients for drinks alone were higher (r=0.47) for both age groups. Results indicate that the short FFQ was able to identify high and low consumers of food intake and had a moderate capability to rank individuals according to food intake. Drinks, fruits and vegetables had better correlations with the PFD than infrequently eaten food items.

Evaluation of a short food frequency questionnaire used among Norwegian children

PubMed Central

Lillegaard, Inger Therese L.; Øverby, Nina Cecilie; Andersen, Lene Frost

2012-01-01

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate a short food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) against a four-day precoded food diary (PFD) with regard to frequency of food intake among Norwegian 9- and 13-year-olds. Subjects and design A total of 733 9-year-olds and 904 13-year-olds completed first a short FFQ and one to two weeks later a four-day PFD. The short FFQ included questions about 23 food items, including different drinks, fruits, vegetables, bread, fish, pizza, sweets, chocolate and savoury snacks. The PFD covered the whole diet. Results When comparing mean intake from the PFD with comparable food items in the FFQ, all food items showed that increasing intake measured with the PFD corresponded with increasing intake with the short FFQ. However, participants reported a significantly higher frequency of intake for most foods with the short FFQ compared with PFD, except for soft drinks with sugar and sweets. The median Spearman correlation coefficient between the two methods was 0.36 among the 9-year-olds and 0.32 among the 13-year-olds. Often eaten foods such as fruits and vegetables had higher correlations than seldom eaten foods such as pizza and potato chips. The median correlation coefficients for drinks alone were higher (r=0.47) for both age groups. Conclusions Results indicate that the short FFQ was able to identify high and low consumers of food intake and had a moderate capability to rank individuals according to food intake. Drinks, fruits and vegetables had better correlations with the PFD than infrequently eaten food items. PMID:22259597

Building a taxonomy of integrated palliative care initiatives: results from a focus group

PubMed Central

Ewert, Benjamin; Hodiamont, Farina; van Wijngaarden, Jeroen; Payne, Sheila; Groot, Marieke; Hasselaar, Jeroen; Menten, Johann; Radbruch, Lukas

2016-01-01

Background Empirical evidence suggests that integrated palliative care (IPC) increases the quality of care for palliative patients and supports professional caregivers. Existing IPC initiatives in Europe vary in their design and are hardly comparable. InSuP-C, a European Union research project, aimed to build a taxonomy of IPC initiatives applicable across diseases, healthcare sectors and systems. Methods The taxonomy of IPC initiatives was developed in cooperation with an international and multidisciplinary focus group of 18 experts. Subsequently, a consensus meeting of 10 experts revised a preliminary taxonomy and adopted the final classification system. Results Consisting of eight categories, with two to four items each, the taxonomy covers the process and structure of IPC initiatives. If two items in at least one category apply to an initiative, a minimum level of integration is assumed to have been reached. Categories range from the type of initiative (items: pathway, model or guideline) to patients’ key contact (items: non-pc specialist, pc specialist, general practitioner). Experts recommended the inclusion of two new categories: level of care (items: primary, secondary or tertiary) indicating at which stage palliative care is integrated and primary focus of intervention describing IPC givers’ different roles (items: treating function, advising/consulting or training) in the care process. Conclusions Empirical studies are required to investigate how the taxonomy is used in practice and whether it covers the reality of patients in need of palliative care. The InSuP-C project will test this taxonomy empirically in selected initiatives using IPC. PMID:26647043

An NCME Instructional Module on Booklet Designs in Large-Scale Assessments of Student Achievement: Theory and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frey, Andreas; Hartig, Johannes; Rupp, Andre A.

2009-01-01

In most large-scale assessments of student achievement, several broad content domains are tested. Because more items are needed to cover the content domains than can be presented in the limited testing time to each individual student, multiple test forms or booklets are utilized to distribute the items to the students. The construction of an…

Item response theory analysis of the life orientation test-revised: age and gender differential item functioning analyses.

PubMed

Steca, Patrizia; Monzani, Dario; Greco, Andrea; Chiesi, Francesca; Primi, Caterina

2015-06-01

This study is aimed at testing the measurement properties of the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R) for the assessment of dispositional optimism by employing item response theory (IRT) analyses. The LOT-R was administered to a large sample of 2,862 Italian adults. First, confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated the theoretical conceptualization of the construct measured by the LOT-R as a single bipolar dimension. Subsequently, IRT analyses for polytomous, ordered response category data were applied to investigate the items' properties. The equivalence of the items across gender and age was assessed by analyzing differential item functioning. Discrimination and severity parameters indicated that all items were able to distinguish people with different levels of optimism and adequately covered the spectrum of the latent trait. Additionally, the LOT-R appears to be gender invariant and, with minor exceptions, age invariant. Results provided evidence that the LOT-R is a reliable and valid measure of dispositional optimism. © The Author(s) 2014.

[Actuator placement for active sound and vibration control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

Two refereed journal publications and ten talks given at conferences, seminars, and colloquia resulted from research supported by NASA. They are itemized in this report. The two publications were entitled "Reactive Tabu and Search Sensor Selection in Active Structural Acoustic Control Problems" and "Quelling Cabin Noise in Turboprop Aircraft via Active Control." The conference presentations covered various aspects of actuator placement, including location problems, for active sound and vibration control of cylinders, of commuter jets, of propeller driven or turboprop aircraft, and for quelling aircraft cabin or interior noise.

Math: Data Relationships. Graphs, Ratios and Proportions, Statistics and Probability. Grades K-9. Revised Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Instructional Objectives Exchange, Los Angeles, CA.

To help classroom teachers in grades K-9 construct mathematics tests, fifteen general objectives, corresponding sub-objectives, sample test items, and answers are presented. In general, sub-objectives are arranged in increasing order of difficulty. The objectives were written to comprehensively cover three categories. The first, graphs, covers the…

Agreement between Fairleigh Dickinson University and Fairleigh Dickinson University Council of American Association of University Professors Chapters, September 1, 1982-August 31, 1984.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Association of Univ. Professors, Washington, DC.

The collective bargaining agreement between Fairleigh Dickinson University and Fairleigh Dickinson University Council (495 members) of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) chapters covering the period September 1, 1982-August 31, 1984 is presented. Items covered are: unit recognition and definitions; nondiscrimination; base…

Item bank development, calibration and validation for patient-reported outcomes in female urinary incontinence

PubMed Central

Sung, Vivian W.; Griffith, James W.; Rogers, Rebecca G.; Raker, Christina A.; Clark, Melissa A.

2016-01-01

Purpose Current patient-reported outcomes for female urinary incontinence (UI) are limited by their inability to be tailored. Our objective is to describe the development and field-testing of 7 item banks designed to measure domains identified as important UI in females (UIf). We also describe the calibration and validation properties of the UIf-item banks, which allow for more efficient computerized-adaptive testing (CAT) in the future. METHODS The UIf-measures included 168 items covering 7 domains: Stress UI (SUI), Overactive Bladder (OAB), Urinary Frequency, Physical, Social and Emotional Health Impact, and Adaptation. Items underwent rigorous qualitative development and psychometric testing across 2 sites. Items were calibrated using item response theory and evaluated for internal consistency, construct validity and responsiveness. RESULTS 750 women (249 SUI, 249 OAB, and 252 mixed UI) participated. Mean age was 55±14 years ,23% were Hispanic, 80% white. In addition to face and content validity, the measures demonstrated good internal consistency (coefficient alpha 0.92-0.98) and unidimensionality. There was evidence for construct validity with moderate to strong correlations with the UDI (r’s ≥ 0.6) and IIQ (r’s = ≥ 0.6) scales. The measures were responsive to change for SUI treatment (paired t-test p <.001, ES range=1.3 to 2.9; SRM range=1.3 to 2.5) and OAB treatment (paired t-test p <.05 for all domains except Social Health Impact and Adaptation, ES range=.3 to 1.5, SRM range=0.4 to 1.0). The measures were responsive based on concurrent changes with the UDI and IIQ (p < 0.05). CAT versions were developed and pilot tested. CONCLUSIONS The UIf-item banks demonstrate good psychometric characteristics and are a sufficiently valid set of customizable tools for measuring UI symptoms and life impact. PMID:26732514

Validity of the Malaise Inventory in general population samples.

PubMed

Rodgers, B; Pickles, A; Power, C; Collishaw, S; Maughan, B

1999-06-01

The Malaise Inventory is a commonly used self-completion scale for assessing psychiatric morbidity. There is some evidence that it may represent two separate psychological and somatic subscales rather than a single underlying factor of distress. This paper provides further information on the factor structure of the Inventory and on the reliability and validity of the total scale and two sub-scales. Two general population samples completed the full Inventory: over 11,000 subjects from the National Child Development Study at ages 23 and 33, and 544 mothers of adolescents included in the Isle of Wight epidemiological surveys. The internal consistency of the full 24-item scale and the 15-item psychological subscale were found to be acceptable, but the eight-item somatic sub-scale was less reliable. Factor analysis of all 24 items identified a first main general factor and a second more purely psychological factor. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated that the validity of the scale held for men and women separately and for different socio-economic groups, by reference to external criteria covering current or recent psychiatric morbidity and service use, and that the psychological sub-scale had no greater validity than the full scale. This study did not support the separate scoring of a somatic sub-scale of the Malaise Inventory. Use of the 15-item psychological sub-scale can be justified on the grounds of reduced time and cost for completion, with little loss of reliability or validity, but this approach would not significantly enhance the properties of the Inventory by comparison with the full 24-item scale. Inclusion of somatic items may be more problematic when the full scale is used to compare particular sub-populations with different propensities for physical morbidity, such as different age groups, and in these circumstances it would be a sensible precaution to utilise the 15-item psychological sub-scale.

Satellite Power Systems (SPS) concept definition study. Volume 2, part 2: System engineering. [cost and programmatics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hanley, G. M.

1980-01-01

The latest technical and programmatic developments are considered as well as expansions of the Rockwell SPS cost model covering each phase of the program through the year 2030. Comparative cost/economic analyses cover elements of the satellite, construction system, space transportation vehicles and operations, and the ground receiving station. System plans to define time phased costs and planning requirements that support major milestones through the year 2000. A special analysis is included on natural resources required to build the SPS reference configuration. An appendix contains the SPS Work Breakdown Structure and dictionary along with detail cost data sheet on each system and main element of the program. Over 200 line items address DDT&E, theoretical first unit, investment cost per satellite, and operations charges for replacement capital and normal operations and maintenance costs.

Pain, depressive symptoms and medication in German patients with rheumatoid arthritis-results from the linking patient-reported outcomes with claims data for health services research in rheumatology (PROCLAIR) study.

PubMed

Jobski, Kathrin; Luque Ramos, Andres; Albrecht, Katinka; Hoffmann, Falk

2017-07-01

Pain and depressive symptoms are common in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Information on the prevalence and treatment of both conditions in German RA patients is scarce. Using data from a nationwide statutory health insurance fund (BARMER GEK), 6193 RA patients aged 18 to 79 years were provided with a questionnaire covering a variety of items such as demographics, medical condition and quality of life in 2015. Pain caused by the joint disorder (11-point scale) was classified as none existent/mild, moderate or severe. Depressive symptoms were determined using the World Health Organization's five-item Well-being Index and categorized as none existent, mild or moderate/severe. Another item covered additional use of over-the-counter drugs. Data were linked to dispensation records. A total of 3140 RA patients were included. Median age was 66 years (79% female). About 70% of patients were classified as having moderate or severe pain. Depressive symptoms were found in 52% and were far more common among patients with higher pain levels. Analgesic treatment ranged from 45% to 76% (non-opioid analgesics) and from 6% to 33% (opioids) in patients with no/mild pain and those reporting severe pain, respectively. In patients reporting moderate or severe pain, substantially higher prevalences of opioid use were observed among those with depressive symptoms. Depending on depressive symptoms, antidepressant use ranged from 7% to 37%. Overall, over-the-counter drug use varied between 30% and 59%. Pain and depressive symptoms are highly prevalent in German RA patients, often present together and influence each other's treatment. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Assessing patient report of function: content validity of the Functional Performance Inventory-Short Form (FPI-SF) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

PubMed

Leidy, Nancy Kline; Hamilton, Alan; Becker, Karin

2012-01-01

The performance of daily activities is a major challenge for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The Functional Performance Inventory (FPI) was developed based on an analytical framework of functional status and qualitative interviews with COPD patients describing these difficulties. The 65-item FPI was reduced to a 32-item short form (SF) through a systematic process of qualitative and quantitative item reduction and formatted for greater clarity and ease of use. This study examined the content validity of the reduced, reformatted form of the instrument, the FPI-SF. Qualitative cognitive interviews were conducted with COPD patients recruited from three geographically diverse pulmonary clinics in the United States. Interviews were designed to assess respondent interpretation of the instrument, evaluate clarity and ease of completion, and identify any new activities participants found important and difficult to perform that were not represented by the existing items. Twenty subjects comprised the sample; 12 (60%) were male, 14 (70%) were Caucasian, the mean age was 63.0 ± 11.3 years, 12 (60%) were retired, the mean forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1)) was 1.5 ± 0.5 L, and the mean percent predicted FEV(1) was 48.4% ± 13.1%. Participants understood the FPI-SF as intended, including instructions, items, and response options. Two minor formatting changes were suggested to improve clarity of presentation. Participants found the content of the FPI-SF to be comprehensive, with items covering activities they felt were important and often difficult to perform. These results, together with its development history and previously tested quantitative properties, suggest that the FPI-SF is content valid for use in clinical studies of COPD.

Assessing patient report of function: content validity of the Functional Performance Inventory-Short Form (FPI-SF) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

PubMed Central

Leidy, Nancy Kline; Hamilton, Alan; Becker, Karin

2012-01-01

Purpose The performance of daily activities is a major challenge for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The Functional Performance Inventory (FPI) was developed based on an analytical framework of functional status and qualitative interviews with COPD patients describing these difficulties. The 65-item FPI was reduced to a 32-item short form (SF) through a systematic process of qualitative and quantitative item reduction and formatted for greater clarity and ease of use. This study examined the content validity of the reduced, reformatted form of the instrument, the FPI-SF. Patients and methods Qualitative cognitive interviews were conducted with COPD patients recruited from three geographically diverse pulmonary clinics in the United States. Interviews were designed to assess respondent interpretation of the instrument, evaluate clarity and ease of completion, and identify any new activities participants found important and difficult to perform that were not represented by the existing items. Results Twenty subjects comprised the sample; 12 (60%) were male, 14 (70%) were Caucasian, the mean age was 63.0 ± 11.3 years, 12 (60%) were retired, the mean forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) was 1.5 ± 0.5 L, and the mean percent predicted FEV1 was 48.4% ± 13.1%. Participants understood the FPI-SF as intended, including instructions, items, and response options. Two minor formatting changes were suggested to improve clarity of presentation. Participants found the content of the FPI-SF to be comprehensive, with items covering activities they felt were important and often difficult to perform. Conclusion These results, together with its development history and previously tested quantitative properties, suggest that the FPI-SF is content valid for use in clinical studies of COPD. PMID:22969295

Development and validation of a quality of life questionnaire for patients with colostomy or ileostomy

PubMed Central

Prieto, Luis; Thorsen, Hanne; Juul, Kristian

2005-01-01

Background Quality of life of stoma patients is increasingly being addressed in clinical trials. However, the instruments used in the majority of these studies have not been validated specifically for stoma patients. The aim of this paper is to describe the development and validation of a quality-of-life instrument, "Stoma-QOL", specifically for patients with colostomy or ileostomy. Methods Potential items were formulated in English on the basis of the results of a series of semi-structured interviews with 169 adult stoma patients. The process resulted in a preliminary 37-item version, which was translated into French, German, Spanish and Danish, and administered repeatedly to 182 patients with colostomy or ileostomy. A psychometric selection of items was performed through Rasch Analysis. The measurement properties of the final questionnaire version were subsequently tested. Results The 20 items in the final questionnaire covered four domains – sleep, sexual activity, relations to family and close friends, and social relations to other than family and close friends. These items were found to define a unidimensional variable according to Rasch specifications (Infit MNSQ < 1.3). Internal consistency reliability calculated as Cronbach's alpha was 0.92, i.e., highly reliable. Spearman's correlation coefficients of scores across times of administration was >0.88 (p < 0.01), indicating a high test-retest reliability. Item calibrations by country calculated as ICC were 0.81 (0.67–0.91 95% CI), confirming cross-cultural comparability across the European countries included in the study. Conclusion Given the adequacy of the metric properties of the Stoma-QOL suggested by the psychometric analyses, this study confirms the suitability of the instrument in clinical practice and in clinical research. PMID:16219109

The Media and Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale: An empirical investigation

PubMed Central

Rosen, L.D.; Whaling, K.; Carrier, L.M.; Cheever, N.A.; Rokkum, J.

2015-01-01

Current approaches to measuring people’s everyday usage of technology-based media and other computer-related activities have proved to be problematic as they use varied outcome measures, fail to measure behavior in a broad range of technology-related domains and do not take into account recently developed types of technology including smartphones. In the present study, a wide variety of items, covering a range of up-to-date technology and media usage behaviors. Sixty-six items concerning technology and media usage, along with 18 additional items assessing attitudes toward technology, were administered to two independent samples of individuals, comprising 942 participants. Factor analyses were used to create 11 usage subscales representing smartphone usage, general social media usage, Internet searching, e-mailing, media sharing, text messaging, video gaming, online friendships, Facebook friendships, phone calling, and watching television in addition to four attitude-based subscales: positive attitudes, negative attitudes, technological anxiety/dependence, and attitudes toward task-switching. All subscales showed strong reliabilities and relationships between the subscales and pre-existing measures of daily media usage and Internet addiction were as predicted. Given the reliability and validity results, the new Media and Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale was suggested as a method of measuring media and technology involvement across a variety of types of research studies either as a single 60-item scale or any subset of the 15 subscales. PMID:25722534

The Media and Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale: An empirical investigation.

PubMed

Rosen, L D; Whaling, K; Carrier, L M; Cheever, N A; Rokkum, J

2013-11-01

Current approaches to measuring people's everyday usage of technology-based media and other computer-related activities have proved to be problematic as they use varied outcome measures, fail to measure behavior in a broad range of technology-related domains and do not take into account recently developed types of technology including smartphones. In the present study, a wide variety of items, covering a range of up-to-date technology and media usage behaviors. Sixty-six items concerning technology and media usage, along with 18 additional items assessing attitudes toward technology, were administered to two independent samples of individuals, comprising 942 participants. Factor analyses were used to create 11 usage subscales representing smartphone usage, general social media usage, Internet searching, e-mailing, media sharing, text messaging, video gaming, online friendships, Facebook friendships, phone calling, and watching television in addition to four attitude-based subscales: positive attitudes, negative attitudes, technological anxiety/dependence, and attitudes toward task-switching. All subscales showed strong reliabilities and relationships between the subscales and pre-existing measures of daily media usage and Internet addiction were as predicted. Given the reliability and validity results, the new Media and Technology Usage and Attitudes Scale was suggested as a method of measuring media and technology involvement across a variety of types of research studies either as a single 60-item scale or any subset of the 15 subscales.

Agreement between Bard College and the Bard College Chapter of the American Association of University Professors [1988-1989].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bard Coll., Annandale-on-Hudson, NY.

The agreement between Bard College, New York, and the Bard College Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) covering the period 1988 to 1989 is presented. The agreement covers the following items: recognition, tenure, cause for dismissal, hearings in the event of dismissal, termination for financial exigency, other…

Collective Bargaining Agreement between American Association of University Professors, Eastern Montana College, and the Montana University System, July 1, 1981-June 30, 1985.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montana Univ. System, Helena.

The collective bargaining agreement between the Montana University System and the Eastern Montana College Chapter (140 members) of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) covering the period July 1, 1981-June 30, 1985 is presented. Items covered are: definitions, nondiscrimination and affirmative action, unit recognition and…

Agreement between Lake Superior State University and Lake Superior State University Faculty Association MEA-NEA. Effective Sept. 1, 1988 to August 31, 1991.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lake Superior State Univ., Sault Sainte Marie, MI.

The collective bargaining agreement between Lake Superior State University (Michigan) and the Lake Superior State University Faculty Association, an affiliate of the National Education Association, covering the period September 1, 1988 to August 31, 1991 is presented. The agreement covers the following items: definitions; recognition; association…

42 CFR 411.161 - Prohibition against taking into account Medicare eligibility or entitlement or differentiating...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... provides. (2) Example— Mr. Smith works for employer A, and he and his wife are covered through employer A's GHP (Plan A). Neither is eligible for Medicare nor has ESRD. Mrs. Smith works for employer B, and is... items and services which Plan B does not cover, such as prescription drugs. If Mrs. Smith obtains a...

Agreement between Eastern Michigan University and the Eastern Michigan University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, November, 1982.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Association of Univ. Professors, Washington, DC.

The collective bargaining agreement between Eastern Michigan University (EMU) and the EMU Chapter (600 members) of the AAUP covering the period November 18, 1982-August 31, 1985 is presented. Items covered are: unit recognition and definitions, EMU's right to manage, information provided to the union, union use of facilities/services, released…

Children's Sleep Comic: development of a new diagnostic tool for children with sleep disorders.

PubMed

Schwerdtle, Barbara; Kanis, Julia; Kahl, Lena; Kübler, Andrea; Schlarb, Angelika A

2012-01-01

A solid diagnosis of sleep disorders in children should include both self-ratings and parent ratings. However, there are few standardized self-assessment instruments to meet this need. The Children's Sleep Comic is an adapted version of the unpublished German questionnaire "Freiburger Kinderschlafcomic" and provides pictures for items and responses. Because the drawings were outdated and allowed only for qualitative analysis, we revised the comic, tested its applicability in a target sample, and suggest a procedure for quantitative analysis. All items were updated and pictures were newly drawn. We used a sample of 201 children aged 5-10 years to test the applicability of the Children's Sleep Comic in young children and to run a preliminary analysis. The Children's Sleep Comic comprises 37 items covering relevant aspects of sleep disorders in children. Application took on average 30 minutes. The procedure was well accepted by the children, as reflected by the absence of any dropouts. First comparisons with established questionnaires indicated moderate correlations. The Children's Sleep Comic is appropriate for screening sleep behavior and sleep problems in children. The interactive procedure can foster a good relationship between the investigator and the child, and thus establish the basis for successful intervention if necessary.

Older adults' safety perceptions of driving situations: towards a new driving self-regulation scale.

PubMed

Sullivan, Karen A; Smith, Simon S; Horswill, Mark S; Lurie-Beck, Janine K

2011-05-01

The term 'driving self-restriction' is used in the road safety literature to describe the behaviour of some older drivers. It includes the notion that older drivers will avoid driving in specific, usually self-identified situations, such as those in which safety is compromised. We sought to identify the situations that older drivers report avoiding; and, to determine the adequacy of a key measure of such behaviour. A sample of 75 drivers aged 65 years and older completed Baldock et al.'s modification of the Driving Habits Questionnaire avoidance items (Baldock et al., 2006), the Driving Behaviour Questionnaire, and open-ended items that elicited written descriptions of the most and least safe driving situation. Consistent with previous results, we found a relatively low level of driving self-restriction and infrequent episodes of aggressive violations. However, when combined with the situation descriptions, these data suggest that Driving Habits Questionnaire did not cover all of the situations that older drivers might choose avoid. We suggest that a new avoidance scale is needed and we present a new item pool that may be used for this purpose. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Heat Transfer and Fluid Mechanics Institute, 24th, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Ore., June 12-14, 1974, Proceedings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, L. R. (Editor); Wilson, R. E.

1974-01-01

Recent theoretical and experimental studies in heat transfer and fluid mechanics, including some environmental protection investigations, are presented in a number of papers. Some of the topics covered include condensation heat transfer, a model of turbulent momentum and heat transfer at points of separation and reattachment, an explicit scheme for calculations of confined turbulent flows with heat transfer, heat transfer effects on a delta wing in subsonic flow, fluid mechanics of ocean outfalls, thermal plumes from industrial cooling water, a photochemical air pollution model for the Los Angeles air basin, and a turbulence model of diurnal variations in the planetary boundary layer. Individual items are announced in this issue.

Building a taxonomy of integrated palliative care initiatives: results from a focus group.

PubMed

Ewert, Benjamin; Hodiamont, Farina; van Wijngaarden, Jeroen; Payne, Sheila; Groot, Marieke; Hasselaar, Jeroen; Menten, Johann; Radbruch, Lukas

2016-03-01

Empirical evidence suggests that integrated palliative care (IPC) increases the quality of care for palliative patients and supports professional caregivers. Existing IPC initiatives in Europe vary in their design and are hardly comparable. InSuP-C, a European Union research project, aimed to build a taxonomy of IPC initiatives applicable across diseases, healthcare sectors and systems. The taxonomy of IPC initiatives was developed in cooperation with an international and multidisciplinary focus group of 18 experts. Subsequently, a consensus meeting of 10 experts revised a preliminary taxonomy and adopted the final classification system. Consisting of eight categories, with two to four items each, the taxonomy covers the process and structure of IPC initiatives. If two items in at least one category apply to an initiative, a minimum level of integration is assumed to have been reached. Categories range from the type of initiative (items: pathway, model or guideline) to patients' key contact (items: non-pc specialist, pc specialist, general practitioner). Experts recommended the inclusion of two new categories: level of care (items: primary, secondary or tertiary) indicating at which stage palliative care is integrated and primary focus of intervention describing IPC givers' different roles (items: treating function, advising/consulting or training) in the care process. Empirical studies are required to investigate how the taxonomy is used in practice and whether it covers the reality of patients in need of palliative care. The InSuP-C project will test this taxonomy empirically in selected initiatives using IPC. 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/

Establishing the Thematic Framework for a Diabetes-Specific Health-Related Quality of Life Item Bank for Use in an English-Speaking Asian Population

PubMed Central

Koh, Odelia; Lee, Jeannette; Tan, Maudrene L. S.; Tai, E-Shyong; Foo, Ce Jin; Chong, Kok Joon; Goh, Su-Yen; Bee, Yong Mong; Thumboo, Julian; Cheung, Yin-Bun; Singh, Avjeet; Wee, Hwee-Lin

2014-01-01

Aims To establish a thematic framework for a Diabetes Mellitus (DM)-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL) item bank by identifying important HRQoL themes and content gaps in existing DM-specific HRQoL measures and determining whether Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) item banks are useful as a starting point. Methodology English-speaking Type 2 DM patients were recruited from an outpatient specialist clinic in Singapore. Thematic analysis was performed through open coding and axial coding. Items from four existing DM-specific measures and PROMIS Version 1.0 and 2.0 item banks were compared with identified themes and sub-themes. Results 42 patients participated (25 men and 17 women; 28 Chinese, 4 Malay, 8 Indians, 2 other ethnicities). Median age was 53.70 years (IQR45.82–56.97) and the median disease duration was 11.13 (SD9.77) years. 10 subthemes (neutral emotions, coping emotions, empowered to help others, support from family, spend more time with family, relationships, financial burden on family, improved relationship, social support and religion/spirituality) were not covered by existing DM-specific measures. PROMIS covered 5 of 6 themes, 15 of 30 subthemes and 19 of 35 codes identified. Emotional distress (frustration, fear and anxiety) was most frequently mentioned (200 times). Conclusions We had developed a thematic framework for assessing DM-specific HRQoL in a multi-ethnic Asian population, identified new items that needed to be written and confirmed that PROMIS was a useful starting point. We hope that better understanding and measurement of HRQoL of Asian DM patients will translate to better quality of care for them. PMID:25531429

48 CFR 1852.232-81 - Contract funding.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... allotment is for [Insert applicable item number(s), task(s), or work description] _____ and covers the following estimated period of performance: _____. (b) An additional amount of $______ is obligated under...

46 CFR 272.24 - Subsidy repair summaries.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... OPERATORS REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES FOR CONDUCTING CONDITION SURVEYS AND ADMINISTERING MAINTENANCE AND... invoices covering the work performed. If an invoice is not itemized and fully descriptive of the work...

46 CFR 272.24 - Subsidy repair summaries.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... OPERATORS REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES FOR CONDUCTING CONDITION SURVEYS AND ADMINISTERING MAINTENANCE AND... invoices covering the work performed. If an invoice is not itemized and fully descriptive of the work...

46 CFR 272.24 - Subsidy repair summaries.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... OPERATORS REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES FOR CONDUCTING CONDITION SURVEYS AND ADMINISTERING MAINTENANCE AND... invoices covering the work performed. If an invoice is not itemized and fully descriptive of the work...

46 CFR 272.24 - Subsidy repair summaries.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... OPERATORS REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES FOR CONDUCTING CONDITION SURVEYS AND ADMINISTERING MAINTENANCE AND... invoices covering the work performed. If an invoice is not itemized and fully descriptive of the work...

46 CFR 272.24 - Subsidy repair summaries.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... OPERATORS REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES FOR CONDUCTING CONDITION SURVEYS AND ADMINISTERING MAINTENANCE AND... invoices covering the work performed. If an invoice is not itemized and fully descriptive of the work...

The PROMIS Physical Function item bank was calibrated to a standardized metric and shown to improve measurement efficiency.

PubMed

Rose, Matthias; Bjorner, Jakob B; Gandek, Barbara; Bruce, Bonnie; Fries, James F; Ware, John E

2014-05-01

To document the development and psychometric evaluation of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Physical Function (PF) item bank and static instruments. The items were evaluated using qualitative and quantitative methods. A total of 16,065 adults answered item subsets (n>2,200/item) on the Internet, with oversampling of the chronically ill. Classical test and item response theory methods were used to evaluate 149 PROMIS PF items plus 10 Short Form-36 and 20 Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index items. A graded response model was used to estimate item parameters, which were normed to a mean of 50 (standard deviation [SD]=10) in a US general population sample. The final bank consists of 124 PROMIS items covering upper, central, and lower extremity functions and instrumental activities of daily living. In simulations, a 10-item computerized adaptive test (CAT) eliminated floor and decreased ceiling effects, achieving higher measurement precision than any comparable length static tool across four SDs of the measurement range. Improved psychometric properties were transferred to the CAT's superior ability to identify differences between age and disease groups. The item bank provides a common metric and can improve the measurement of PF by facilitating the standardization of patient-reported outcome measures and implementation of CATs for more efficient PF assessments over a larger range. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Development of a Multidimensional Functional Health Scale for Older Adults in China.

PubMed

Mao, Fanzhen; Han, Yaofeng; Chen, Junze; Chen, Wei; Yuan, Manqiong; Alicia Hong, Y; Fang, Ya

2016-05-01

A first step to achieve successful aging is assessing functional wellbeing of older adults. This study reports the development of a culturally appropriate brief scale (the Multidimensional Functional Health Scale for Chinese Elderly, MFHSCE) to assess the functional health of Chinese elderly. Through systematic literature review, Delphi method, cultural adaptation, synthetic statistical item selection, Cronbach's alpha and confirmatory factor analysis, we conducted development of item pool, two rounds of item selection, and psychometric evaluation. Synthetic statistical item selection and psychometric evaluation was processed among 539 and 2032 older adults, separately. The MFHSCE consists of 30 items, covering activities of daily living, social relationships, physical health, mental health, cognitive function, and economic resources. The Cronbach's alpha was 0.92, and the comparative fit index was 0.917. The MFHSCE has good internal consistency and construct validity; it is also concise and easy to use in general practice, especially in communities in China.

Mental Health First Aid guidelines for helping a suicidal person: a Delphi consensus study in the Philippines

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background This study aimed to develop guidelines for how a member of the Filipino public should provide mental health first aid to a person who is suicidal. Methods The guidelines were produced by developing a questionnaire containing possible first aid actions and asking an expert panel of 34 Filipino mental health clinicians to rate whether each action should be included in the guidelines. The content of the questionnaire was based on a systematic search of the relevant evidence and claims made by authors of consumer and carer guides and websites. The panel members were asked to complete the questionnaire by web survey. Three rounds of the rating were carried and, at the end of each round, items that reached the consensus criterion were selected for inclusion in the guidelines. During the first round, panel members were also asked to suggest any additional actions that were not covered in the original questionnaire (to include items that are relevant to local cultural circumstances, values, and social norms). Responses to these open-ended questions were used to generate new items. Results The output from the Delphi process was a set of agreed upon action statements. The Delphi process started with 138 statements, 48 new items were written based on suggestions from panel members and, of these 186 items, 102 met the consensus criterion. These statements were used to develop the guidelines appended to this paper. The guidelines are currently being translated into local languages. Conclusions There are a number of actions that are considered to be useful for members of the public when they encounter someone who is experiencing suicidal thoughts or engaging in suicidal behaviour. Although the guidelines are designed for members of the public, they may also be helpful to non-mental health professionals working in health and welfare settings. PMID:21167076

Mental Health First Aid guidelines for helping a suicidal person: a Delphi consensus study in Japan

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background This study aimed to develop guidelines for how a member of the Japanese public should provide mental health first aid to a person who is suicidal. Methods The guidelines were produced by developing a questionnaire containing possible first aid actions and asking an expert panel of 32 Japanese mental health professionals to rate whether each action should be included in the guidelines. The content of the questionnaire was based on a systematic search of the relevant evidence and claims made by authors of consumer and carer guides and websites. The panel members were asked to complete the questionnaire by web survey. Three rounds of the rating were carried and, at the end of each round, items that reached the consensus criterion were selected for inclusion in the guidelines. During the first round, panel members were also asked to suggest any additional actions that were not covered in the original questionnaire (to include items that are relevant to local cultural circumstances, values, and social norms). Responses to these open-ended questions were used to generate new items. Results The output from the Delphi process was a set of agreed upon action statements. The Delphi process started with 138 statements, 38 new items were written based on suggestions from panel members and, of these 176 items, 56 met the consensus criterion. These statements were used to develop the guidelines appended to this article. Conclusions There are a number of actions that are considered to be useful for members of the Japanese public when they encounter someone who is experiencing suicidal thoughts or engaging in suicidal behaviour. Although the guidelines are designed for members of the public, they may also be helpful to health professionals working in health and welfare settings who do not have clinical mental health training. PMID:21592409

Ozeane: Ergebnisse der 7. Sitzung der Kommission für nachhaltige Entwicklung (CSD) der Vereinten Nationen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlimm, Jutta; Stietzel, Hans-Joachim

1999-12-01

The 7th session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was organised from 19 30 April in the UN Headquarters in New York. The Commission on Sustainable Development was established in 1992 with the aim to implement the comprehensive action programme of Agenda 21. The topics on the agenda of this year’s CSD session included: oceans, tourism as well as consumption and production patterms with a special focus on the oceans item. The 7th Session covered two weeks. It began with the so-called “High Level Segment” during the first week when 89 ministers and high-ranking government representatives stated their points of view on various themes-sometimes also in interaction with the chairman. Concerning the topic of oceans CSD 7 focussed on a few main items of special priority for the implementation of the Agenda 21, both during the preparatory “Intersessional Working Group” and in the final document. These main items are: the conservation and integrated as well as sustainable management of fisheries and marine resources, including the ecosystem of the oceans, the prevention of pollution and degradation of the marine environment through land-based and other acticities, the improvement of the scientific knowledge on oceans and the interaction between the oceans and the global climate system. The decisions of CSD 7 adressed detailed and for the major part concrete proposals for action, appeals or requests to the international organisations and the interntional community with regard to these main items. Summarizing the 7th session, it can be said that in the oceans sector CSD 7 was quite successful in fullilling the task to study the implementation of Agenda 21, to set priorities and to address actors and the necessary actions.

PRISMA-Children (C) and PRISMA-Protocol for Children (P-C) Extensions: a study protocol for the development of guidelines for the conduct and reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of newborn and child health research.

PubMed

Kapadia, Mufiza Z; Askie, Lisa; Hartling, Lisa; Contopoulos-Ioannidis, Despina; Bhutta, Zulfiqar A; Soll, Roger; Moher, David; Offringa, Martin

2016-04-18

Paediatric systematic reviews differ from adult systematic reviews in several key aspects such as considerations of child tailored interventions, justifiable comparators, valid outcomes and child sensitive search strategies. Available guidelines, including PRISMA-P (2015) and PRISMA (2009), do not cover all the complexities associated with reporting systematic reviews in the paediatric population. Using a collaborative, multidisciplinary structure, we aim to develop evidence-based and consensus-based PRISMA-P-C (Protocol for Children) and PRISMA-C (Children) Extensions to guide paediatric systematic review protocol and completed review reporting. This project's methodology follows published recommendations for developing reporting guidelines and involves the following six phases; (1) establishment of a steering committee representing key stakeholder groups; (2) a scoping review to identify potential Extension items; (3) three types of consensus activities including meetings of the steering committee to achieve high-level decisions on the content and methodology of the Extensions, a survey of key stakeholders to generate a list of possible items to include in the Extensions and a formal consensus meeting to select the reporting items to add to, or modify for, the Extension; (4) the preliminary checklist items generated in phase III will be evaluated against the existing evidence and reporting practices in paediatric systematic reviews; (5) extension statements and explanation and elaboration documents will provide detailed advice for each item and examples of good reporting; (6) development and implementation of effective knowledge translation of the extension checklist, and an evaluation of the Extensions by key stakeholders. This protocol was considered a quality improvement project by the Hospital for Sick Children's Ethics Committee and did not require ethical review. The resultant checklists, jointly developed with all relevant stakeholders, will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals as well as national and international conference presentations. Endorsement of the checklist will be sought simultaneously in multiple journals. 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/

PRISMA-Children (C) and PRISMA-Protocol for Children (P-C) Extensions: a study protocol for the development of guidelines for the conduct and reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of newborn and child health research

PubMed Central

Kapadia, Mufiza Z; Askie, Lisa; Hartling, Lisa; Contopoulos-Ioannidis, Despina; Bhutta, Zulfiqar A; Soll, Roger; Moher, David; Offringa, Martin

2016-01-01

Introduction Paediatric systematic reviews differ from adult systematic reviews in several key aspects such as considerations of child tailored interventions, justifiable comparators, valid outcomes and child sensitive search strategies. Available guidelines, including PRISMA-P (2015) and PRISMA (2009), do not cover all the complexities associated with reporting systematic reviews in the paediatric population. Using a collaborative, multidisciplinary structure, we aim to develop evidence-based and consensus-based PRISMA-P-C (Protocol for Children) and PRISMA-C (Children) Extensions to guide paediatric systematic review protocol and completed review reporting. Methods and analysis This project's methodology follows published recommendations for developing reporting guidelines and involves the following six phases; (1) establishment of a steering committee representing key stakeholder groups; (2) a scoping review to identify potential Extension items; (3) three types of consensus activities including meetings of the steering committee to achieve high-level decisions on the content and methodology of the Extensions, a survey of key stakeholders to generate a list of possible items to include in the Extensions and a formal consensus meeting to select the reporting items to add to, or modify for, the Extension; (4) the preliminary checklist items generated in phase III will be evaluated against the existing evidence and reporting practices in paediatric systematic reviews; (5) extension statements and explanation and elaboration documents will provide detailed advice for each item and examples of good reporting; (6) development and implementation of effective knowledge translation of the extension checklist, and an evaluation of the Extensions by key stakeholders. Ethics and Dissemination This protocol was considered a quality improvement project by the Hospital for Sick Children's Ethics Committee and did not require ethical review. The resultant checklists, jointly developed with all relevant stakeholders, will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals as well as national and international conference presentations. Endorsement of the checklist will be sought simultaneously in multiple journals. PMID:27091820

Measuring Environmental Factors: Unique and Overlapping International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Coverage of 5 Instruments.

PubMed

Heinemann, Allen W; Miskovic, Ana; Semik, Patrick; Wong, Alex; Dashner, Jessica; Baum, Carolyn; Magasi, Susan; Hammel, Joy; Tulsky, David S; Garcia, Sofia F; Jerousek, Sara; Lai, Jin-Shei; Carlozzi, Noelle E; Gray, David B

2016-12-01

To describe the unique and overlapping content of the newly developed Environmental Factors Item Banks (EFIB) and 7 legacy environmental factor instruments, and to evaluate the EFIB's construct validity by examining associations with legacy instruments. Cross-sectional, observational cohort. Community. A sample of community-dwelling adults with stroke, spinal cord injury, and traumatic brain injury (N=568). None. EFIB covering domains of the built and natural environment; systems, services, and policies; social environment; and access to information and technology; the Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors (CHIEF) short form; the Facilitators and Barriers Survey/Mobility (FABS/M) short form; the Home and Community Environment Instrument (HACE); the Measure of the Quality of the Environment (MQE) short form; and 3 of the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System's (PROMIS) Quality of Social Support measures. The EFIB and legacy instruments assess most of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) environmental factors chapters, including chapter 1 (products and technology; 75 items corresponding to 11 codes), chapter 2 (natural environment and human-made changes; 31 items corresponding to 7 codes), chapter 3 (support and relationships; 74 items corresponding to 7 codes), chapter 4 (attitudes; 83 items corresponding to 8 codes), and chapter 5 (services, systems, and policies; 72 items corresponding to 16 codes). Construct validity is provided by moderate correlations between EFIB measures and the CHIEF, MQE barriers, HACE technology mobility, FABS/M community built features, and PROMIS item banks and by small correlations with other legacy instruments. Only 5 of the 66 legacy instrument correlation coefficients are moderate, suggesting they measure unique aspects of the environment, whereas all intra-EFIB correlations were at least moderate. The EFIB measures provide a brief and focused assessment of ICF environmental factor chapters. The pattern of correlations with legacy instruments provides initial evidence of construct validity. Copyright © 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

48 CFR 9.505-2 - Preparing specifications or work statements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... the development contractor has a competitive advantage, it is an unavoidable one that is not... furnishes complete specifications covering nondevelopmental items, to be used in a competitive acquisition...

Garment selection for cleanrooms and controlled environments for spacecraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watts, Ethel J.

Strict contamination control practices are exercised throughout the lifetime of a spacecraft in order to satisfy the performance requirements of the system. Spacecraft materials are carefully selected to have low outgassing values and particulate deposition. Parts are cleaned, and the vehicle is assembled in cleanrooms and work stations having controlled environments. Specifications are examined which govern the selection of special items of clothing designed to protect spacecraft from contaminants released by personnel and by garments. Special clothing includes coveralls, footwear, and head/face covers. Garments appropriate for both hazardous (meltproof as well as flame resistant), and nonhazardous operations are described.

Second Line of Defense Master Spares Catalog

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

Henderson, Dale L.; Muller, George; Mercier, Theresa M.

This catalog is intended to be a comprehensive listing of repair parts, components, kits, and consumable items used on the equipment deployed at SLD sites worldwide. The catalog covers detection, CAS, network, ancillary equipment, and tools. The catalog is backed by a Master Parts Database which is used to generate the standard report views of the catalog. The master parts database is a relational database containing a record for every part in the master parts catalog along with supporting tables for normalizing fields in the records. The database also includes supporting queries, database maintenance forms, and reports.

NASA-STD-(I)-6016, Standard Materials and Processes Requirements for Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pedley, Michael; Griffin, Dennis

2006-01-01

This document is directed toward Materials and Processes (M&P) used in the design, fabrication, and testing of flight components for all NASA manned, unmanned, robotic, launch vehicle, lander, in-space and surface systems, and spacecraft program/project hardware elements. All flight hardware is covered by the M&P requirements of this document, including vendor designed, off-the-shelf, and vendor furnished items. Materials and processes used in interfacing ground support equipment (GSE); test equipment; hardware processing equipment; hardware packaging; and hardware shipment shall be controlled to prevent damage to or contamination of flight hardware.

Evaluation of a preliminary physical function item bank supported the expected advantages of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS).

PubMed

Rose, M; Bjorner, J B; Becker, J; Fries, J F; Ware, J E

2008-01-01

The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) was initiated to improve precision, reduce respondent burden, and enhance the comparability of health outcomes measures. We used item response theory (IRT) to construct and evaluate a preliminary item bank for physical function assuming four subdomains. Data from seven samples (N=17,726) using 136 items from nine questionnaires were evaluated. A generalized partial credit model was used to estimate item parameters, which were normed to a mean of 50 (SD=10) in the US population. Item bank properties were evaluated through Computerized Adaptive Test (CAT) simulations. IRT requirements were fulfilled by 70 items covering activities of daily living, lower extremity, and central body functions. The original item context partly affected parameter stability. Items on upper body function, and need for aid or devices did not fit the IRT model. In simulations, a 10-item CAT eliminated floor and decreased ceiling effects, achieving a small standard error (< 2.2) across scores from 20 to 50 (reliability >0.95 for a representative US sample). This precision was not achieved over a similar range by any comparable fixed length item sets. The methods of the PROMIS project are likely to substantially improve measures of physical function and to increase the efficiency of their administration using CAT.

Biomedical research publications, 1982 - 1983

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bolcik, C.; Pleasant, L. G.

1983-01-01

Cardiovascular deconditioning, motion sickness, bone alterations, muscle atrophy, blood cell alterations, fluid and electrolyte changes, radiation effects and protection, behavior and performance, and general biomedical research are covered in a bibliography of 444 items.

Development of a Brief Questionnaire to Assess Contraceptive Intent

PubMed Central

Raine-Bennett, Tina R; Rocca, Corinne H

2015-01-01

Objective We sought to develop and validate an instrument that can enable providers to identify young women who may be at risk of contraceptive non-adherence. Methods Item response theory based methods were used to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Contraceptive Intent Questionnaire, a 15-item self-administered questionnaire, based on theory and prior qualitative and quantitative research. The questionnaire was administered to 200 women aged 15–24 years who were initiating contraceptives. We assessed item fit to the item response model, internal consistency, internal structure validity, and differential item functioning. Results All items fit a one-dimensional model. The separation reliability coefficient was 0.73. Participants’ overall scores covered the full range of the scale (0–15), and items appropriately matched the range of participants’ contraceptive intent. Items met the criteria for internal structure validity and most items functioned similarly between groups of women. Conclusion The Contraceptive Intent Questionnaire appears to be a reliable and valid tool. Future testing is needed to assess predictive ability and clinical utility. Practice Implications The Contraceptive Intent Questionnaire may serve as a valid tool to help providers identify women who may have problems with contraceptive adherence, as well as to pinpoint areas in which counseling may be directed. PMID:26104994

Development of a brief questionnaire to assess contraceptive intent.

PubMed

Raine-Bennett, Tina R; Rocca, Corinne H

2015-11-01

We sought to develop and validate an instrument that can enable providers to identify young women who may be at risk of contraceptive non-adherence. Item response theory based methods were used to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Contraceptive Intent Questionnaire, a 15-item self-administered questionnaire, based on theory and prior qualitative and quantitative research. The questionnaire was administered to 200 women aged 15-24 years who were initiating contraceptives. We assessed item fit to the item response model, internal consistency, internal structure validity, and differential item functioning. All items fit a one-dimensional model. The separation reliability coefficient was 0.73. Participants' overall scores covered the full range of the scale (0-15), and items appropriately matched the range of participants' contraceptive intent. Items met the criteria for internal structure validity and most items functioned similarly between groups of women. The Contraceptive Intent Questionnaire appears to be a reliable and valid tool. Future testing is needed to assess predictive ability and clinical utility. The Contraceptive Intent Questionnaire may serve as a valid tool to help providers identify women who may have problems with contraceptive adherence, as well as to pinpoint areas in which counseling may be directed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Tribute to Bunky at 125: A Comprehensive Bibliography of E. M. Jellinek's Publications.

PubMed

Ward, Judit H; Bejarano, William

2016-05-01

E. M. Jellinek is considered one of the founders of alcohol science. On the 125th anniversary of his birth, the authors wish to contribute to existing, incomplete bibliographies of his work by offering a more comprehensive bibliography that includes his non-alcohol-studies publications as well as newly discovered alcohol-related items. After we reviewed the two existing Jellinek bibliographies, records were checked against the full-text items to correct errors and discrepancies. This led to the consolidation of the two bibliographies as well as the discovery of various reprints and republished titles. Based on the authors' parallel biographical investigations into Jellinek's lesser researched past, it was established that he had started his scientific career much earlier than previously documented. Additional publications attributed to E. M. Jellinek under various names were sought, located, and collected from geographically diverse sources in several languages, with the help of an international network of academic librarians. References were organized and separated by publication type, with reprinted and republished texts arranged underneath the original entries. Jellinek's comprehensive bibliography covers 70 years, from 1912 to 1982, with 165 original publications, as compared with the 90 and 96 publications, respectively, of the previous bibliographies. When reprints and republished items were included, the number of publications totals 308, as compared with the previous respective totals of 117 and 116. The new Jellinek bibliography highlights his multidisciplinary approach to several scientific disciplines and provides the potential to reevaluate his contributions and total scholarly impact.

Ancient Food Habits Dictate that Food Can Be Medicine but Medicine Cannot Be "Food"!!

PubMed

Goswami, Hit Kishore; Ram, Hitendra Kumar

2017-11-13

Background: Extensive surveys of several population settlements in different parts of India-covering plains, mountains, valleys, river banks and deeper areas of forests at different altitudes-between 1968 and 2016 demonstrated that the basic vital need of hunger is being fulfilled since antiquity by plants in the wild. Methods: Based on collections, consultations with local population personnel and literature searches, this paper presents many plants that are commonly used as food and focuses on their products, which are rich in alkaloids, polysaccharides, steroids, terpenoids, flavonoids, aminoacids, fatty acids and antibiotics etc. These complex organic compounds are suitable for the production of drugs for many ailments/diseases, including the prevention of cancers. Results: There are more than 100 families including several hundred plant taxa from various plant groups like angiosperms, bryophytes, pteridophytes, gymnosperms and even fleshy fungi, which have offered essential food items to ever-growing human populations since antiquity. Phytochemicals functioning as antioxidants are exceedingly beneficial to the human body but excess consumption of these compounds, adding higher levels of antioxidants, may even be responsible for chronic diseases including aging, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, etc. These medicines can obviously be taken in small and prescribed quantities but can never be consumed as "food items."

Ancient Food Habits Dictate that Food Can Be Medicine but Medicine Cannot Be “Food”!!

PubMed Central

Goswami, Hit Kishore; Ram, Hitendra Kumar

2017-01-01

Background: Extensive surveys of several population settlements in different parts of India—covering plains, mountains, valleys, river banks and deeper areas of forests at different altitudes—between 1968 and 2016 demonstrated that the basic vital need of hunger is being fulfilled since antiquity by plants in the wild. Methods: Based on collections, consultations with local population personnel and literature searches, this paper presents many plants that are commonly used as food and focuses on their products, which are rich in alkaloids, polysaccharides, steroids, terpenoids, flavonoids, aminoacids, fatty acids and antibiotics etc. These complex organic compounds are suitable for the production of drugs for many ailments/diseases, including the prevention of cancers. Results: There are more than 100 families including several hundred plant taxa from various plant groups like angiosperms, bryophytes, pteridophytes, gymnosperms and even fleshy fungi, which have offered essential food items to ever-growing human populations since antiquity. Phytochemicals functioning as antioxidants are exceedingly beneficial to the human body but excess consumption of these compounds, adding higher levels of antioxidants, may even be responsible for chronic diseases including aging, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis, etc. These medicines can obviously be taken in small and prescribed quantities but can never be consumed as “food items.” PMID:29137206

Recovery in Psychosis: A Delphi Study With Experts by Experience

PubMed Central

Law, Heather; Morrison, Anthony P.

2014-01-01

This study aimed to establish consensus about the meaning of recovery among individuals with experience of psychosis. A Delphi approach was utilized to allow a large sample of service users to be anonymously consulted about their views on recovery. Service users were invited to take part in a 3-stage consultation process. A total of 381 participants gave their views on recovery in the main stage of this study, with 100 of these taking part in the final review stage. The final list of statements about recovery included 94 items, which were rated as essential or important by >80% of respondents. These statements covered items which define recovery, factors which help recovery, factors which hinder recovery, and factors which show that someone is recovering. As far as we are aware, it is the first study to identify areas of consensus in relation to definitions of recovery from a service user perspective, which are typically reported to be an idiosyncratic process. Implications and recommendations for clinical practice and future research are discussed. PMID:24727194

Collective Bargaining Agreement between the University of Connecticut Board of Trustees and the University of Connecticut Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, July 1, 1986-June 30, 1989.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connecticut Univ., Storrs. Board of Trustees.

The collective bargaining agreement between the University of Connecticut Board of Trustees and the University of Connecticut Chapter of The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) covering the period July 1, 1986-June 30, 1989 is presented. Items covered in the agreement are: recognition, exclusions, academic freedom, governance,…

Food and Beverage Provision. Food and Beverage Management Module. Operational Management Programme. Increasing Opportunities for Supervisors and Managers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Peter

This self-instructional unit for supervisors and managers in the British hotel and catering industry is intended to consolidate work covered in a 1-day course. The unit covers the essential elements in the final stage of supplying food and drink--the point at which these items are served and sold to the customer. The document begins with an…

Linking Existing Instruments to Develop an Activity of Daily Living Item Bank.

PubMed

Li, Chih-Ying; Romero, Sergio; Bonilha, Heather S; Simpson, Kit N; Simpson, Annie N; Hong, Ickpyo; Velozo, Craig A

2018-03-01

This study examined dimensionality and item-level psychometric properties of an item bank measuring activities of daily living (ADL) across inpatient rehabilitation facilities and community living centers. Common person equating method was used in the retrospective veterans data set. This study examined dimensionality, model fit, local independence, and monotonicity using factor analyses and fit statistics, principal component analysis (PCA), and differential item functioning (DIF) using Rasch analysis. Following the elimination of invalid data, 371 veterans who completed both the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and minimum data set (MDS) within 6 days were retained. The FIM-MDS item bank demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .98) and met three rating scale diagnostic criteria and three of the four model fit statistics (comparative fit index/Tucker-Lewis index = 0.98, root mean square error of approximation = 0.14, and standardized root mean residual = 0.07). PCA of Rasch residuals showed the item bank explained 94.2% variance. The item bank covered the range of θ from -1.50 to 1.26 (item), -3.57 to 4.21 (person) with person strata of 6.3. The findings indicated the ADL physical function item bank constructed from FIM and MDS measured a single latent trait with overall acceptable item-level psychometric properties, suggesting that it is an appropriate source for developing efficient test forms such as short forms and computerized adaptive tests.

Force testing manual for the Langley 20-inch Mach 6 tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keyes, J. W.

1977-01-01

Data reduction and procedures for conducting force tests in a 20 inch Mach 6 tunnel are described. A discussion of pretest and testing phases are included. Items that are to be checked during model design and construction are outlined as well as safety requirements, starting loads tests, instructions for data acquisition and model installation. Measurement of balance and model misalignment and instructions for calibrating the angle of attack screen are covered. Procedures for making reference pressure, attitude tare, and data runs are included. The 20 inch tunnel force program is examined, and a description of data recording system input and load contrast sheets is given. An appendix presents a description, operating characteristics, and Mach number calibration of the tunnel, as well as tunnel characteristics.

The 1981 Argentina ground data collection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Horvath, R.; Colwell, R. N. (Principal Investigator); Hicks, D.; Sellman, B.; Sheffner, E.; Thomas, G.; Wood, B.

1981-01-01

Over 600 fields in the corn, soybean and wheat growing regions of the Argentine pampa were categorized by crop or cover type and ancillary data including crop calendars, historical crop production statistics and certain cropping practices were also gathered. A summary of the field work undertaken is included along with a country overview, a chronology of field trip planning and field work events, and the field work inventory of selected sample segments. LANDSAT images were annotated and used as the field work base and several hundred ground and aerial photographs were taken. These items along with segment descriptions are presented. Meetings were held with officials of the State Secretariat of Agriculture (SEAG) and the National Commission on Space Investigations (CNIE), and their support to the program are described.

Comparison of tools for assessing the methodological quality of primary and secondary studies in health technology assessment reports in Germany.

PubMed

Dreier, Maren; Borutta, Birgit; Stahmeyer, Jona; Krauth, Christian; Walter, Ulla

2010-06-14

HEALTH CARE POLICY BACKGROUND: Findings from scientific studies form the basis for evidence-based health policy decisions. Quality assessments to evaluate the credibility of study results are an essential part of health technology assessment reports and systematic reviews. Quality assessment tools (QAT) for assessing the study quality examine to what extent study results are systematically distorted by confounding or bias (internal validity). The tools can be divided into checklists, scales and component ratings. What QAT are available to assess the quality of interventional studies or studies in the field of health economics, how do they differ from each other and what conclusions can be drawn from these results for quality assessments? A systematic search of relevant databases from 1988 onwards is done, supplemented by screening of the references, of the HTA reports of the German Agency for Health Technology Assessment (DAHTA) and an internet search. The selection of relevant literature, the data extraction and the quality assessment are carried out by two independent reviewers. The substantive elements of the QAT are extracted using a modified criteria list consisting of items and domains specific to randomized trials, observational studies, diagnostic studies, systematic reviews and health economic studies. Based on the number of covered items and domains, more and less comprehensive QAT are distinguished. In order to exchange experiences regarding problems in the practical application of tools, a workshop is hosted. A total of eight systematic methodological reviews is identified as well as 147 QAT: 15 for systematic reviews, 80 for randomized trials, 30 for observational studies, 17 for diagnostic studies and 22 for health economic studies. The tools vary considerably with regard to the content, the performance and quality of operationalisation. Some tools do not only include the items of internal validity but also the items of quality of reporting and external validity. No tool covers all elements or domains. Design-specific generic tools are presented, which cover most of the content criteria. The evaluation of QAT by using content criteria is difficult, because there is no scientific consensus on the necessary elements of internal validity, and not all of the generally accepted elements are based on empirical evidence. Comparing QAT with regard to contents neglects the operationalisation of the respective parameters, for which the quality and precision are important for transparency, replicability, the correct assessment and interrater reliability. QAT, which mix items on the quality of reporting and internal validity, should be avoided. There are different, design-specific tools available which can be preferred for quality assessment, because of its wider coverage of substantive elements of internal validity. To minimise the subjectivity of the assessment, tools with a detailed and precise operationalisation of the individual elements should be applied. For health economic studies, tools should be developed and complemented with instructions, which define the appropriateness of the criteria. Further research is needed to identify study characteristics that influence the internal validity of studies.

Examining the role of technology in learning: an evaluation of online clinical conferencing.

PubMed

Cooper, Cathy; Taft, Lois B; Thelen, Mary

2004-01-01

The rapidly expanding use of instructional technology requires faculty openness to new teaching and learning situations. This study compared two instructional methods of conducting clinical conferences for baccalaureate nursing students: online versus face-to-face. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 77 students in 10 clinical sections of a senior capstone nursing course. Mean scores for all 11 items on the clinical evaluation tool were higher for students who had conferences online than those in face-to-face conferences. Four of the 11 items were statistically significant, reflecting greater participation and convenience for online participants. Online students also reported greater opportunities to reflect on ethical issues. There were no significant differences in quiz scores between the groups when students were tested on content covered in their clinical conferences. Students identified advantages including opportunities for flexibility and equal participation. Barriers included unfamiliarity with technology and lack of face-to-face-contact. The findings suggest that students can successfully achieve the intended purpose of clinical conferences through an online instructional technique. Ongoing research in the use of technology is necessary to meet student needs, enhance student learning, and support evidence-based practice in nursing education.

A Multidimensional Tool Based on the eHealth Literacy Framework: Development and Initial Validity Testing of the eHealth Literacy Questionnaire (eHLQ)

PubMed Central

Karnoe, Astrid; Furstrand, Dorthe; Batterham, Roy; Christensen, Karl Bang; Elsworth, Gerald; Osborne, Richard H

2018-01-01

Background For people to be able to access, understand, and benefit from the increasing digitalization of health services, it is critical that services are provided in a way that meets the user’s needs, resources, and competence. Objective The objective of the study was to develop a questionnaire that captures the 7-dimensional eHealth Literacy Framework (eHLF). Methods Draft items were created in parallel in English and Danish. The items were generated from 450 statements collected during the conceptual development of eHLF. In all, 57 items (7 to 9 items per scale) were generated and adjusted after cognitive testing. Items were tested in 475 people recruited from settings in which the scale was intended to be used (community and health care settings) and including people with a range of chronic conditions. Measurement properties were assessed using approaches from item response theory (IRT) and classical test theory (CTT) such as confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and reliability using composite scale reliability (CSR); potential bias due to age and sex was evaluated using differential item functioning (DIF). Results CFA confirmed the presence of the 7 a priori dimensions of eHLF. Following item analysis, a 35-item 7-scale questionnaire was constructed, covering (1) using technology to process health information (5 items, CSR=.84), (2) understanding of health concepts and language (5 items, CSR=.75), (3) ability to actively engage with digital services (5 items, CSR=.86), (4) feel safe and in control (5 items, CSR=.87), (5) motivated to engage with digital services (5 items, CSR=.84), (6) access to digital services that work (6 items, CSR=.77), and (7) digital services that suit individual needs (4 items, CSR=.85). A 7-factor CFA model, using small-variance priors for cross-loadings and residual correlations, had a satisfactory fit (posterior productive P value: .27, 95% CI for the difference between the observed and replicated chi-square values: −63.7 to 133.8). The CFA showed that all items loaded strongly on their respective factors. The IRT analysis showed that no items were found to have disordered thresholds. For most scales, discriminant validity was acceptable; however, 2 pairs of dimensions were highly correlated; dimensions 1 and 5 (r=.95), and dimensions 6 and 7 (r=.96). All dimensions were retained because of strong content differentiation and potential causal relationships between these dimensions. There is no evidence of DIF. Conclusions The eHealth Literacy Questionnaire (eHLQ) is a multidimensional tool based on a well-defined a priori eHLF framework with robust properties. It has satisfactory evidence of construct validity and reliable measurement across a broad range of concepts (using both CTT and IRT traditions) in various groups. It is designed to be used to understand and evaluate people’s interaction with digital health services. PMID:29434011

Item response theory, computerized adaptive testing, and PROMIS: assessment of physical function.

PubMed

Fries, James F; Witter, James; Rose, Matthias; Cella, David; Khanna, Dinesh; Morgan-DeWitt, Esi

2014-01-01

Patient-reported outcome (PRO) questionnaires record health information directly from research participants because observers may not accurately represent the patient perspective. Patient-reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) is a US National Institutes of Health cooperative group charged with bringing PRO to a new level of precision and standardization across diseases by item development and use of item response theory (IRT). With IRT methods, improved items are calibrated on an underlying concept to form an item bank for a "domain" such as physical function (PF). The most informative items can be combined to construct efficient "instruments" such as 10-item or 20-item PF static forms. Each item is calibrated on the basis of the probability that a given person will respond at a given level, and the ability of the item to discriminate people from one another. Tailored forms may cover any desired level of the domain being measured. Computerized adaptive testing (CAT) selects the best items to sharpen the estimate of a person's functional ability, based on prior responses to earlier questions. PROMIS item banks have been improved with experience from several thousand items, and are calibrated on over 21,000 respondents. In areas tested to date, PROMIS PF instruments are superior or equal to Health Assessment Questionnaire and Medical Outcome Study Short Form-36 Survey legacy instruments in clarity, translatability, patient importance, reliability, and sensitivity to change. Precise measures, such as PROMIS, efficiently incorporate patient self-report of health into research, potentially reducing research cost by lowering sample size requirements. The advent of routine IRT applications has the potential to transform PRO measurement.

Electromagnetic pulse (EMP), Part I: Effects on field medical equipment.

PubMed

Vandre, R H; Klebers, J; Tesche, F M; Blanchard, J P

1993-04-01

The electromagnetic pulse (EMP) from a high-altitude nuclear detonation has the potential to cover an area as large as the continental United States with damaging levels of EMP radiation. In this study, two of seven items of medical equipment were damaged by an EMP simulator. Computer circuit analysis of 17 different items showed that 11 of the 17 items would be damaged by current surges on the power cords, while two would be damaged by current surges on external leads. This research showed that a field commander can expect approximately 65% of his electronic medical equipment to be damaged by a single nuclear detonation as far as 2,200 km away.

Application of latent variable model in Rosenberg self-esteem scale.

PubMed

Leung, Shing-On; Wu, Hui-Ping

2013-01-01

Latent Variable Models (LVM) are applied to Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). Parameter estimations automatically give negative signs hence no recoding is necessary for negatively scored items. Bad items can be located through parameter estimate, item characteristic curves and other measures. Two factors are extracted with one on self-esteem and the other on the degree to take moderate views, with the later not often being covered in previous studies. A goodness-of-fit measure based on two-way margins is used but more works are needed. Results show that scaling provided by models with more formal statistical ground correlated highly with conventional method, which may provide justification for usual practice.

A framework for diversifying recommendation lists by user interest expansion.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhu; Zheng, Xiaolong; Zeng, Daniel Dajun

2016-08-01

Recommender systems have been widely used to discover users' preferences and recommend interesting items to users during this age of information load. Researchers in the field of recommender systems have realized that the quality of a top-N recommendation list involves not only relevance but also diversity. Most traditional recommendation algorithms are difficult to generate a diverse item list that can cover most of his/her interests for each user, since they mainly focus on predicting accurate items similar to the dominant interests of users. Additionally, they seldom exploit semantic information such as item tags and users' interest labels to improve recommendation diversity. In this paper, we propose a novel recommendation framework which mainly adopts an expansion strategy of user interests based on social tagging information. The framework enhances the diversity of users' preferences by expanding the sizes and categories of the original user-item interaction records, and then adopts traditional recommendation models to generate recommendation lists. Empirical evaluations on three real-world data sets show that our method can effectively improve the accuracy and diversity of item recommendation.

A framework for diversifying recommendation lists by user interest expansion

PubMed Central

Zhang, Zhu; Zeng, Daniel Dajun

2017-01-01

Recommender systems have been widely used to discover users’ preferences and recommend interesting items to users during this age of information load. Researchers in the field of recommender systems have realized that the quality of a top-N recommendation list involves not only relevance but also diversity. Most traditional recommendation algorithms are difficult to generate a diverse item list that can cover most of his/her interests for each user, since they mainly focus on predicting accurate items similar to the dominant interests of users. Additionally, they seldom exploit semantic information such as item tags and users’ interest labels to improve recommendation diversity. In this paper, we propose a novel recommendation framework which mainly adopts an expansion strategy of user interests based on social tagging information. The framework enhances the diversity of users’ preferences by expanding the sizes and categories of the original user-item interaction records, and then adopts traditional recommendation models to generate recommendation lists. Empirical evaluations on three real-world data sets show that our method can effectively improve the accuracy and diversity of item recommendation. PMID:28959089

Further evaluation of leisure items in the attention condition of functional analyses.

PubMed

Roscoe, Eileen M; Carreau, Abbey; MacDonald, Jackie; Pence, Sacha T

2008-01-01

Research suggests that including leisure items in the attention condition of a functional analysis may produce engagement that masks sensitivity to attention. In this study, 4 individuals' initial functional analyses indicated that behavior was maintained by nonsocial variables (n = 3) or by attention (n = 1). A preference assessment was used to identify items for subsequent functional analyses. Four conditions were compared, attention with and without leisure items and control with and without leisure items. Following this, either high- or low-preference items were included in the attention condition. Problem behavior was more probable during the attention condition when no leisure items or low-preference items were included, and lower levels of problem behavior were observed during the attention condition when high-preference leisure items were included. These findings suggest how preferred items may hinder detection of behavioral function.

Planning New Medical Library Buildings: an Annotated Checklist with Selected References

PubMed Central

Martin, Jess A.

1969-01-01

Special attention is paid to several planning essentials for new medical library buildings. These should be covered in the program of requirements that appears as item six on the checklist. The checklist assumes that the decision to build a new medical library has been made and that monies have been allocated for that purpose. References pertaining to the checklist items are provided along with a suggested timetable for achieving each, based on the author's own experiences. PMID:5823509

Bilingual health literacy assessment using the Talking Touchscreen/la Pantalla Parlanchina: Development and pilot testing.

PubMed

Yost, Kathleen J; Webster, Kimberly; Baker, David W; Choi, Seung W; Bode, Rita K; Hahn, Elizabeth A

2009-06-01

Current health literacy measures are too long, imprecise, or have questionable equivalence of English and Spanish versions. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and pilot testing of a new bilingual computer-based health literacy assessment tool. We analyzed literacy data from three large studies. Using a working definition of health literacy, we developed new prose, document and quantitative items in English and Spanish. Items were pilot tested on 97 English- and 134 Spanish-speaking participants to assess item difficulty. Items covered topics relevant to primary care patients and providers. English- and Spanish-speaking participants understood the tasks involved in answering each type of question. The English Talking Touchscreen was easy to use and the English and Spanish items provided good coverage of the difficulty continuum. Qualitative and quantitative results provided useful information on computer acceptability and initial item difficulty. After the items have been administered on the Talking Touchscreen (la Pantalla Parlanchina) to 600 English-speaking (and 600 Spanish-speaking) primary care patients, we will develop a computer adaptive test. This health literacy tool will enable clinicians and researchers to more precisely determine the level at which low health literacy adversely affects health and healthcare utilization.

Chinese Mobile Health APPs for Hypertension Management: A Systematic Evaluation of Usefulness.

PubMed

Liang, Jun; He, Xiaojun; Jia, Yuxi; Zhu, Wei; Lei, Jianbo

2018-01-01

To analyze and compare the usefulness of hypertension management APPs released in the Chinese market; to understand the general situations, characteristics, problems, and trends in hypertension management mHealth APPs; and to identify the gaps between mainland China products and non-mainland China products with the aim to provide recommendations for developers in industry and assist hypertensive patients in selecting suitable APPs. The hypertension management APPs available by October 2016 in China were analyzed from the perspective of data items and function usefulness. Sample sets were determined through PRISMA. An evaluation item set was developed based on the usability framework of TURF and the Chinese Guideline for the Management of Hypertension and used to quantitatively analyze the functionalities and data items collected from the sample APPs from the perspective of designers, users, and activity models. Among the 73 Chinese-supported APPs, none of the hypertension management APPs could fully cover the usefulness item set (mean = 37.4%). Regarding the use of mobile terminal hardware, only cameras and positioning sensors are commonly used in information collection. Regarding the data items and services provided, the most commonly collected data are "demographic information" (88% versus 100%) and "vital signs" (76% versus 100%), but APPs developed in mainland China and non-mainland China provided significantly different services and profit-making patterns. Regarding data security and privacy protection, the APPs from mainland China provided far lower usefulness (31% versus 56%). mHealth APPs can promptly and efficiently acquire sign-related data by improving the professionality and scientificity of data about healthy living habits. APPs also improve the preventive usefulness of the collected data and bring about new opportunities for the management and control of hypertension. Other important research trends include privacy protection and data security.

Validation of PROMIS ® Physical Function computerized adaptive tests for orthopaedic foot and ankle outcome research.

PubMed

Hung, Man; Baumhauer, Judith F; Latt, L Daniel; Saltzman, Charles L; SooHoo, Nelson F; Hunt, Kenneth J

2013-11-01

In 2012, the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society(®) established a national network for collecting and sharing data on treatment outcomes and improving patient care. One of the network's initiatives is to explore the use of computerized adaptive tests (CATs) for patient-level outcome reporting. We determined whether the CAT from the NIH Patient Reported Outcome Measurement Information System(®) (PROMIS(®)) Physical Function (PF) item bank provides efficient, reliable, valid, precise, and adequately covered point estimates of patients' physical function. After informed consent, 288 patients with a mean age of 51 years (range, 18-81 years) undergoing surgery for common foot and ankle problems completed a web-based questionnaire. Efficiency was determined by time for test administration. Reliability was assessed with person and item reliability estimates. Validity evaluation included content validity from expert review and construct validity measured against the PROMIS(®) Pain CAT and patient responses based on tradeoff perceptions. Precision was assessed by standard error of measurement (SEM) across patients' physical function levels. Instrument coverage was based on a person-item map. Average time of test administration was 47 seconds. Reliability was 0.96 for person and 0.99 for item. Construct validity against the Pain CAT had an r value of -0.657 (p < 0.001). Precision had an SEM of less than 3.3 (equivalent to a Cronbach's alpha of ≥ 0.90) across a broad range of function. Concerning coverage, the ceiling effect was 0.32% and there was no floor effect. The PROMIS(®) PF CAT appears to be an excellent method for measuring outcomes for patients with foot and ankle surgery. Further validation of the PROMIS(®) item banks may ultimately provide a valid and reliable tool for measuring patient-reported outcomes after injuries and treatment.

Chinese Mobile Health APPs for Hypertension Management: A Systematic Evaluation of Usefulness

PubMed Central

Jia, Yuxi; Zhu, Wei

2018-01-01

Objective To analyze and compare the usefulness of hypertension management APPs released in the Chinese market; to understand the general situations, characteristics, problems, and trends in hypertension management mHealth APPs; and to identify the gaps between mainland China products and non-mainland China products with the aim to provide recommendations for developers in industry and assist hypertensive patients in selecting suitable APPs. Methods The hypertension management APPs available by October 2016 in China were analyzed from the perspective of data items and function usefulness. Sample sets were determined through PRISMA. An evaluation item set was developed based on the usability framework of TURF and the Chinese Guideline for the Management of Hypertension and used to quantitatively analyze the functionalities and data items collected from the sample APPs from the perspective of designers, users, and activity models. Results Among the 73 Chinese-supported APPs, none of the hypertension management APPs could fully cover the usefulness item set (mean = 37.4%). Regarding the use of mobile terminal hardware, only cameras and positioning sensors are commonly used in information collection. Regarding the data items and services provided, the most commonly collected data are “demographic information” (88% versus 100%) and “vital signs” (76% versus 100%), but APPs developed in mainland China and non-mainland China provided significantly different services and profit-making patterns. Regarding data security and privacy protection, the APPs from mainland China provided far lower usefulness (31% versus 56%). Conclusions mHealth APPs can promptly and efficiently acquire sign-related data by improving the professionality and scientificity of data about healthy living habits. APPs also improve the preventive usefulness of the collected data and bring about new opportunities for the management and control of hypertension. Other important research trends include privacy protection and data security. PMID:29744027

Development and Psychometric Properties of a Tuberculosis-Specific Multidimensional Health-Related Quality-of-Life Measure for Patients with Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

PubMed

Abdulelah, Juman; Sulaiman, Syed Azhar Syed; Hassali, Mohamed A; Blebil, Ali Q; Awaisu, Ahmed; Bredle, Jason M

2015-05-01

Various generic instruments exist to assess health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with tuberculosis (TB), but a psychometrically sound disease-specific instrument is lacking. The present study aimed to develop and psychometrically validate a multidimensional TB-specific HRQOL instrument relevant to the value of patients with pulmonary TB in Iraq with an eye toward cross-cultural application. The core general HRQOL questionnaire is composed of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General items. A modular approach was followed for the development of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Tuberculosis (FACIT-TB) questionnaire in which a set of items assessing quality-of-life (QOL) issues not sufficiently covered by the core Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General items, but considered to be relevant to the target population, was added. Moreover, principal-component analysis was used to determine the new subscale structure of the questionnaire. In addition to the 27 items of the core questionnaire, a set of 20 items referring to disease symptoms related to the site of infection, adverse effects, and additional QOL dimensions such as fatigue, social stigma, and economic burden of the illness was included. Factor analysis demonstrated that the FACIT-TB construct comprised five domains. A rigorous method was applied in the development of the FACIT-TB measure to fully understand the impact of TB on patients' QOL. The instrument is psychometrically sound and portrays multiple important dimensions of HRQOL. FACIT-TB is relatively brief, is easy to administer and score, and is appropriate for use in clinical trials and practice. Copyright © 2015 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Item response modeling: a psychometric assessment of the children's fruit, vegetable, water, and physical activity self-efficacy scales among Chinese children.

PubMed

Wang, Jing-Jing; Chen, Tzu-An; Baranowski, Tom; Lau, Patrick W C

2017-09-16

This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of four self-efficacy scales (i.e., self-efficacy for fruit (FSE), vegetable (VSE), and water (WSE) intakes, and physical activity (PASE)) and to investigate their differences in item functioning across sex, age, and body weight status groups using item response modeling (IRM) and differential item functioning (DIF). Four self-efficacy scales were administrated to 763 Hong Kong Chinese children (55.2% boys) aged 8-13 years. Classical test theory (CTT) was used to examine the reliability and factorial validity of scales. IRM was conducted and DIF analyses were performed to assess the characteristics of item parameter estimates on the basis of children's sex, age and body weight status. All self-efficacy scales demonstrated adequate to excellent internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's α: 0.79-0.91). One FSE misfit item and one PASE misfit item were detected. Small DIF were found for all the scale items across children's age groups. Items with medium to large DIF were detected in different sex and body weight status groups, which will require modification. A Wright map revealed that items covered the range of the distribution of participants' self-efficacy for each scale except VSE. Several self-efficacy scales' items functioned differently by children's sex and body weight status. Additional research is required to modify the four self-efficacy scales to minimize these moderating influences for application.

Lost and misplaced items and assistive devices in nursing homes: Identifying problems and technological opportunities through participatory design research.

PubMed

Oude Weernink, C E; Sweegers, L; Relou, L; van der Zijpp, T J; van Hoof, J

2018-02-06

Modern healthcare, including nursing home care, goes together with the use of technologies to support treatment, the provision of care and daily activities. The challenges concerning the implementation of such technologies are numerous. One of these emerging technologies are location technologies (RTLS or Real-Time Location Systems). that can be utilized in the nursing home for monitoring the use and location of assets. This paper describes a participatory design study of RTLS based on context mapping, conducted in two nursing home organizations. Rather than investigating the technological possibilities, this study investigates the needs and wishes from the perspective of the care professional. The study identified semantic themes that relate to the practicalities of lost and misplaced items in the nursing home, as well as latent themes that cover the wishes regarding technology in the nursing homes. The organizational culture and building typology may play a role in losing items. The participants in this study indicated that RTLS can provide a solution to some of the challenges that they encounter in the workplace. However, the implementation of new technologies should be done with care and should be integrated into existing ICT systems in order to minimize additional training and posing a burden on the workload.

Lost and misplaced items and assistive devices in nursing homes: Identifying problems and technological opportunities through participatory design research

PubMed Central

Oude Weernink, C.E.; Sweegers, L.; Relou, L.; van der Zijpp, T.J.; van Hoof, J.

2018-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Modern healthcare, including nursing home care, goes together with the use of technologies to support treatment, the provision of care and daily activities. The challenges concerning the implementation of such technologies are numerous. One of these emerging technologies are location technologies (RTLS or Real-Time Location Systems). that can be utilized in the nursing home for monitoring the use and location of assets. METHODOLOGY: This paper describes a participatory design study of RTLS based on context mapping, conducted in two nursing home organizations. Rather than investigating the technological possibilities, this study investigates the needs and wishes from the perspective of the care professional. RESULTS: The study identified semantic themes that relate to the practicalities of lost and misplaced items in the nursing home, as well as latent themes that cover the wishes regarding technology in the nursing homes. The organizational culture and building typology may play a role in losing items. CONCLUSION: The participants in this study indicated that RTLS can provide a solution to some of the challenges that they encounter in the workplace. However, the implementation of new technologies should be done with care and should be integrated into existing ICT systems in order to minimize additional training and posing a burden on the workload. PMID:29527110

Children’s Sleep Comic: development of a new diagnostic tool for children with sleep disorders

PubMed Central

Schwerdtle, Barbara; Kanis, Julia; Kahl, Lena; Kübler, Andrea; Schlarb, Angelika A

2012-01-01

Background A solid diagnosis of sleep disorders in children should include both self-ratings and parent ratings. However, there are few standardized self-assessment instruments to meet this need. The Children’s Sleep Comic is an adapted version of the unpublished German questionnaire “Freiburger Kinderschlafcomic” and provides pictures for items and responses. Because the drawings were outdated and allowed only for qualitative analysis, we revised the comic, tested its applicability in a target sample, and suggest a procedure for quantitative analysis. Methods All items were updated and pictures were newly drawn. We used a sample of 201 children aged 5–10 years to test the applicability of the Children’s Sleep Comic in young children and to run a preliminary analysis. Results The Children’s Sleep Comic comprises 37 items covering relevant aspects of sleep disorders in children. Application took on average 30 minutes. The procedure was well accepted by the children, as reflected by the absence of any dropouts. First comparisons with established questionnaires indicated moderate correlations. Conclusion The Children’s Sleep Comic is appropriate for screening sleep behavior and sleep problems in children. The interactive procedure can foster a good relationship between the investigator and the child, and thus establish the basis for successful intervention if necessary. PMID:23620683

Post-Closure Inspection Report for the Tonopah Test Range, Nevada: For Calendar Year 2017, Revision 0

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

Alvarado, Juan; Matthews, Patrick

This report provides the results of the annual post-closure inspections conducted at the closed corrective action units (CAUs) located on the Tonopah Test Range (TTR) and the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR). This report covers calendar year 2017 and includes visual inspection and repair activities completed at the following CAUs: CAU 400: Bomblet Pit and Five Points Landfill (TTR) CAU 407: Roller Coaster RadSafe Area (TTR) CAU 424: Area 3 Landfill Complexes (TTR) CAU 453: Area 9 UXO Landfill (TTR) CAU 487: Thunderwell Site (TTR) Visual inspections were conducted according to the post-closure plans in the approved closure reportsmore » and subsequent correspondence with the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection. The annual post-closure inspections were conducted on May 23, 2017. No maintenance or repair issues were noted at CAU 400 and CAU 487. Maintenance items and subsequent repairs include the following: CAU 407: A large animal burrow was observed in the southeast corner of the cover during the inspection. Two additional animal burrows were discovered during repair actions. All cover defects were repaired on January 9, 2018. CAU 424: CAS 03-08-002-A304 (Landfill Cell A3-4): A new monument was installed and the subsidence area was repaired on January 9, 2018. CAU 424: CAS 03-08-002-A308 (Landfill Cell A3-8): Lava rock, used to mark the two eastern monument locations, was noted as missing during the inspection. The lava rock was replaced on January 9, 2018. CAU 453: Five large animal burrows, located near the east–central portion of cover, was noted during the inspection. Eight additional animal burrows were discovered during repair actions. All cover defects were repaired on January 9, 2018.« less

Anatomy of a physics test: Validation of the physics items on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marshall, Jill A.; Hagedorn, Eric A.; O'Connor, Jerry

2009-06-01

We report the results of an analysis of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) designed to determine whether the TAKS is a valid indicator of whether students know and can do physics at the level necessary for success in future coursework, STEM careers, and life in a technological society. We categorized science items from the 2003 and 2004 10th and 11th grade TAKS by content area(s) covered, knowledge and skills required to select the correct answer, and overall quality. We also analyzed a 5000 student sample of item-level results from the 2004 11th grade exam, performing full-information factor analysis, calculating classical test indices, and determining each item's response curve using item response theory. Triangulation of our results revealed strengths and weaknesses of the different methods of analysis. The TAKS was found to be only weakly indicative of physics preparation and we make recommendations for increasing the validity of standardized physics testing.

The Internalized Homophobia Scale for Vietnamese Sexual Minority Women: Conceptualization, Factor Structure, Reliability, and Associations With Hypothesized Correlates.

PubMed

Nguyen, Trang Quynh; Poteat, Tonia; Bandeen-Roche, Karen; German, Danielle; Nguyen, Yen Hai; Vu, Loan Kieu-Chau; Nguyen, Nam Thi-Thu; Knowlton, Amy R

2016-08-01

We developed the first Vietnamese Internalized Homophobia (IH) scale for use with Vietnamese sexual minority women (SMW). Drawing from existing IH scales in the international literature and based on prior qualitative research about SMW in the Viet Nam context, the scale covers two domains: self-stigma (negative attitudes toward oneself as a sexual minority person) and sexual prejudice (negative attitudes toward homosexuality/same-sex relations in general). Scale items, including items borrowed from existing scales and items based on local expressions, were reviewed and confirmed by members of the target population. Quantitative evaluation used data from an anonymous web-based survey of Vietnamese SMW, including those who identified as lesbian (n = 1187), or as bisexual (n = 641) and those who were unsure about their sexual identity (n = 353). The scale was found to consist of two highly correlated factors reflecting self-stigma (not normal/wholesome and self-reproach and wishing away same-sex sexuality) and one factor reflecting sexual prejudice, and to have excellent internal consistency. Construct validity was evidenced by subscale associations with a wide range of hypothesized correlates, including perceived sexual stigma, outness, social support, connection to other SMW, relationship quality, psychological well-being, anticipation of heterosexual marriage, and endorsement of same-sex marriage legalization. Self-stigma was more strongly associated with psychosocial correlates, and sexual prejudice was more associated with endorsement of legal same-sex marriage. The variations in these associations across the hypothesized correlates and across sexual identity groups were consistent with the minority stress model and the IH literature, and exhibited context-specific features, which are discussed.

The Internalized Homophobia Scale for Vietnamese Sexual Minority Women (IHVN-W): Conceptualization, factor structure, reliability, and associations with hypothesized correlates

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Trang Quynh; Poteat, Tonia; Bandeen-Roche, Karen; German, Danielle; Nguyen, Yen Hai; Vu, Loan Kieu-Chau; Nguyen, Nam Thi-Thu; Knowlton, Amy R.

2016-01-01

We developed the first Vietnamese internalized homophobia (IH) scale, for use with Vietnamese sexual minority women (SMW). Drawing from existing IH scales in the international literature and based on prior qualitative research about SMW in the Viet Nam context, the scale covers two domains: self-stigma (negative attitudes toward oneself as a sexual minority person) and sexual prejudice (negative attitudes toward homosexuality/same-sex relations in general). Scale items, including items borrowed from existing scales and items based on local expressions, were reviewed and confirmed by members of the target population. Quantitative evaluation used data from an anonymous web-based survey of Vietnamese SMW, including those who identified as lesbian (n=1187), or as bisexual (n=641) and those who were unsure about their sexual identity (n=353). The scale was found to consist of two highly correlated factors reflecting self-stigma (not normal/wholesome and self-reproach and wishing away same-sex sexuality) and one factor reflecting sexual prejudice, and to have excellent internal consistency. Construct validity was evidenced by subscales’ associations with a wide range of hypothesized correlates including perceived sexual stigma, outness, social support, connection to other SMW, relationship quality, psychological well-being, anticipation of heterosexual marriage and endorsement of same-sex marriage legalization. Self-stigma was more strongly associated with psychosocial correlates and sexual prejudice was more associated with endorsement of legal same-sex marriage. The variations in these associations across the hypothesized correlates and across sexual identity groups were consistent with the Minority Stress Model and the IH literature, and exhibited context-specific features, which are discussed. PMID:27007469

Design and Multicentric Implementation of a Generic Software Architecture for Patient Recruitment Systems Re-Using Existing HIS Tools and Routine Patient Data

PubMed Central

Trinczek, B.; Köpcke, F.; Leusch, T.; Majeed, R.W.; Schreiweis, B.; Wenk, J.; Bergh, B.; Ohmann, C.; Röhrig, R.; Prokosch, H.U.; Dugas, M.

2014-01-01

Summary Objective (1) To define features and data items of a Patient Recruitment System (PRS); (2) to design a generic software architecture of such a system covering the requirements; (3) to identify implementation options available within different Hospital Information System (HIS) environments; (4) to implement five PRS following the architecture and utilizing the implementation options as proof of concept. Methods Existing PRS were reviewed and interviews with users and developers conducted. All reported PRS features were collected and prioritized according to their published success and user’s request. Common feature sets were combined into software modules of a generic software architecture. Data items to process and transfer were identified for each of the modules. Each site collected implementation options available within their respective HIS environment for each module, provided a prototypical implementation based on available implementation possibilities and supported the patient recruitment of a clinical trial as a proof of concept. Results 24 commonly reported and requested features of a PRS were identified, 13 of them prioritized as being mandatory. A UML version 2 based software architecture containing 5 software modules covering these features was developed. 13 data item groups processed by the modules, thus required to be available electronically, have been identified. Several implementation options could be identified for each module, most of them being available at multiple sites. Utilizing available tools, a PRS could be implemented in each of the five participating German university hospitals. Conclusion A set of required features and data items of a PRS has been described for the first time. The software architecture covers all features in a clear, well-defined way. The variety of implementation options and the prototypes show that it is possible to implement the given architecture in different HIS environments, thus enabling more sites to successfully support patient recruitment in clinical trials. PMID:24734138

Design and multicentric implementation of a generic software architecture for patient recruitment systems re-using existing HIS tools and routine patient data.

PubMed

Trinczek, B; Köpcke, F; Leusch, T; Majeed, R W; Schreiweis, B; Wenk, J; Bergh, B; Ohmann, C; Röhrig, R; Prokosch, H U; Dugas, M

2014-01-01

(1) To define features and data items of a Patient Recruitment System (PRS); (2) to design a generic software architecture of such a system covering the requirements; (3) to identify implementation options available within different Hospital Information System (HIS) environments; (4) to implement five PRS following the architecture and utilizing the implementation options as proof of concept. Existing PRS were reviewed and interviews with users and developers conducted. All reported PRS features were collected and prioritized according to their published success and user's request. Common feature sets were combined into software modules of a generic software architecture. Data items to process and transfer were identified for each of the modules. Each site collected implementation options available within their respective HIS environment for each module, provided a prototypical implementation based on available implementation possibilities and supported the patient recruitment of a clinical trial as a proof of concept. 24 commonly reported and requested features of a PRS were identified, 13 of them prioritized as being mandatory. A UML version 2 based software architecture containing 5 software modules covering these features was developed. 13 data item groups processed by the modules, thus required to be available electronically, have been identified. Several implementation options could be identified for each module, most of them being available at multiple sites. Utilizing available tools, a PRS could be implemented in each of the five participating German university hospitals. A set of required features and data items of a PRS has been described for the first time. The software architecture covers all features in a clear, well-defined way. The variety of implementation options and the prototypes show that it is possible to implement the given architecture in different HIS environments, thus enabling more sites to successfully support patient recruitment in clinical trials.

Articles Pertinent to the Campus Press: A Selected Annotated Bibliography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ardoin, Birthney

1974-01-01

Contains a selected annotated bibliography of 51 items covering articles published from January through August, 1974, organized under the following categories: advertising, broadcasting, media criticism, editorial policy, graphics, job opportunities, pedagogy, and photography. (RB)

Multinational development of a questionnaire assessing patient satisfaction with anticoagulant treatment: the 'Perception of Anticoagulant Treatment Questionnaire' (PACT-Q©)

PubMed Central

Prins, Martin H; Marrel, Alexia; Carita, Paulo; Anderson, David; Bousser, Marie-Germaine; Crijns, Harry; Consoli, Silla; Arnould, Benoit

2009-01-01

Background The side effects and burden of anticoagulant treatments may contribute to poor compliance and consequently to treatment failure. A specific questionnaire is necessary to assess patients' needs and their perceptions of anticoagulant treatment. Methods A conceptual model of expectation and satisfaction with anticoagulant treatment was designed by an advisory board and used to guide patient (n = 31) and clinician (n = 17) interviews in French, US English and Dutch. Patients had either atrial fibrillation (AF), deep venous thrombosis (DVT), or pulmonary embolism (PE). Following interviews, three PACT-Q language versions were developed simultaneously and further pilot-tested by 19 patients. Linguistic validations were performed for additional language versions. Results Initial concepts were developed to cover three areas of interest: 'Treatment', 'Disease and Complications' and 'Information about disease and anticoagulant treatment'. After clinician and patient interviews, concepts were further refined into four domains and 17 concepts; test versions of the PACT-Q were then created simultaneously in three languages, each containing 27 items grouped into four domains: "Treatment Expectations" (7 items), "Convenience" (11 items), "Burden of Disease and Treatment" (2 items) and "Anticoagulant Treatment Satisfaction" (7 items). No item was deleted or added after pilot testing as patients found the PACT-Q easy to understand and appropriate in length in all languages. The PACT-Q was divided into two parts: the first part to measure the expectations and the second to measure the convenience, burden and treatment satisfaction, for evaluation prior to and after anticoagulant treatment, respectively. Eleven additional language versions were linguistically validated. Conclusion The PACT-Q has been rigorously developed and linguistically validated. It is available in 14 languages for use with thromboembolic patients, including AF, PE and DVT patients. Its validation and psychometric properties have been tested and are presented in a separate manuscript. PMID:19196486

Technology Development Plan for the Baseline Detector System of the X-Ray Microcalorimeter Spectrometer (XMS) of the International X-Ray Observatory (IXO)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kilbourne, C. A.; Boriese, W. B.

2010-01-01

The primary purpose of this document is to present the technology development plan for the XMS detector system. It covers the current status (including assessment of the Technology Readiness Level, TRL, and a justification of the level assigned), the roadmap to progress to a level between TRL 5 and TRL 6 by the middle of 2012, and an assessment of the associated cost. A secondary purpose of this document is to address the Action Items raised at the XMS Phase-A Study Mid-Term Review that pertain to the detector system (AI #4, #8, and #9).

Validation of Physics Standardized Test Items

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marshall, Jill

2008-10-01

The Texas Physics Assessment Team (TPAT) examined the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) to determine whether it is a valid indicator of physics preparation for future course work and employment, and of the knowledge and skills needed to act as an informed citizen in a technological society. We categorized science items from the 2003 and 2004 10th and 11th grade TAKS by content area(s) covered, knowledge and skills required to select the correct answer, and overall quality. We also analyzed a 5000 student sample of item-level results from the 2004 11th grade exam using standard statistical methods employed by test developers (factor analysis and Item Response Theory). Triangulation of our results revealed strengths and weaknesses of the different methods of analysis. The TAKS was found to be only weakly indicative of physics preparation and we make recommendations for increasing the validity of standardized physics testing..

The Swiss Health Literacy Survey: development and psychometric properties of a multidimensional instrument to assess competencies for health

PubMed Central

Wang, Jen; Thombs, Brett D.; Schmid, Margareta R.

2012-01-01

Abstract Background  Growing recognition of the role of citizens and patients in health and health care has placed a spotlight on health literacy and patient education. Objective  To identify specific competencies for health in definitions of health literacy and patient‐centred concepts and empirically test their dimensionality in the general population. Methods  A thorough review of the literature on health literacy, self‐management, patient empowerment, patient education and shared decision making revealed considerable conceptual overlap as competencies for health and identified a corpus of 30 generic competencies for health. A questionnaire containing 127 items covering the 30 competencies was fielded as a telephone interview in German, French and Italian among 1255 respondents randomly selected from the resident population in Switzerland. Findings  Analyses with the software MPlus to model items with mixed response categories showed that the items do not load onto a single factor. Multifactorial models with good fit could be erected for each of five dimensions defined a priori and their corresponding competencies: information and knowledge (four competencies, 17 items), general cognitive skills (four competencies, 17 items), social roles (two competencies, seven items), medical management (four competencies, 27 items) and healthy lifestyle (two competencies, six items). Multiple indicators and multiple causes models identified problematic differential item functioning for only six items belonging to two competencies. Conclusions  The psychometric analyses of this instrument support broader conceptualization of health literacy not as a single competence but rather as a package of competencies for health. PMID:22390287

Confessions of a Gentle Architect

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wells, Malcolm B.

1973-01-01

The need to apply wilderness principles to architecture and the construction of buildings is explored. Earth-covered building designs are advocated, utilizing sewerless toilets, recycled wastes, and solar energy. A 15-item checklist illutrates how to construct a wilderness-based building. (BL)

15 CFR 748.15 - Authorization Validated End-User (VEU).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... section), identified by ECCN, that exporters or reexporters intend to export, reexport or transfer to an...) The ECCN(s) of such items. (ii) Reports are due by February 15 of each year, and must cover the period...

15 CFR 748.15 - Authorization Validated End-User (VEU).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... section), identified by ECCN, that exporters or reexporters intend to export, reexport or transfer to an...) The ECCN(s) of such items. (ii) Reports are due by February 15 of each year, and must cover the period...

Item response theory - A first approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nunes, Sandra; Oliveira, Teresa; Oliveira, Amílcar

2017-07-01

The Item Response Theory (IRT) has become one of the most popular scoring frameworks for measurement data, frequently used in computerized adaptive testing, cognitively diagnostic assessment and test equating. According to Andrade et al. (2000), IRT can be defined as a set of mathematical models (Item Response Models - IRM) constructed to represent the probability of an individual giving the right answer to an item of a particular test. The number of Item Responsible Models available to measurement analysis has increased considerably in the last fifteen years due to increasing computer power and due to a demand for accuracy and more meaningful inferences grounded in complex data. The developments in modeling with Item Response Theory were related with developments in estimation theory, most remarkably Bayesian estimation with Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms (Patz & Junker, 1999). The popularity of Item Response Theory has also implied numerous overviews in books and journals, and many connections between IRT and other statistical estimation procedures, such as factor analysis and structural equation modeling, have been made repeatedly (Van der Lindem & Hambleton, 1997). As stated before the Item Response Theory covers a variety of measurement models, ranging from basic one-dimensional models for dichotomously and polytomously scored items and their multidimensional analogues to models that incorporate information about cognitive sub-processes which influence the overall item response process. The aim of this work is to introduce the main concepts associated with one-dimensional models of Item Response Theory, to specify the logistic models with one, two and three parameters, to discuss some properties of these models and to present the main estimation procedures.

Conceptual Underpinnings of the Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders (Neuro-QoL): Comparisons of Core Sets for Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, Spinal Cord Injury, and Traumatic Brain Injury.

PubMed

Wong, Alex W K; Lau, Stephen C L; Fong, Mandy W M; Cella, David; Lai, Jin-Shei; Heinemann, Allen W

2018-04-03

To determine the extent to which the content of the Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders (Neuro-QoL) covers the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Sets for multiple sclerosis (MS), stroke, spinal cord injury (SCI), and traumatic brain injury (TBI) using summary linkage indicators. Content analysis by linking content of the Neuro-QoL to corresponding ICF codes of each Core Set for MS, stroke, SCI, and TBI. Three academic centers. None. None. Four summary linkage indicators proposed by MacDermid et al were estimated to compare the content coverage between Neuro-QoL and the ICF codes of Core Sets for MS, stroke, MS, and TBI. Neuro-QoL represented 20% to 30% Core Set codes for different conditions in which more codes in Core Sets for MS (29%), stroke (28%), and TBI (28%) were covered than those for SCI in the long-term (20%) and early postacute (19%) contexts. Neuro-QoL represented nearly half of the unique Activity and Participation codes (43%-49%) and less than one third of the unique Body Function codes (12%-32%). It represented fewer Environmental Factors codes (2%-6%) and no Body Structures codes. Absolute linkage indicators found that at least 60% of Neuro-QoL items were linked to Core Set codes (63%-95%), but many items covered the same codes as revealed by unique linkage indicators (7%-13%), suggesting high concept redundancy among items. The Neuro-QoL links more closely to ICF Core Sets for stroke, MS, and TBI than to those for SCI, and primarily covers activity and participation ICF domains. Other instruments are needed to address concepts not measured by the Neuro-QoL when a comprehensive health assessment is needed. Copyright © 2018 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Development of the Exam of GeoloGy Standards, EGGS, to Measure Students' Conceptual Understanding of Geology Concepts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guffey, S. K.; Slater, T. F.; Slater, S. J.

2017-12-01

Discipline-based geoscience education researchers have considerable need for criterion-referenced, easy-to-administer and easy-to-score, conceptual diagnostic surveys for undergraduates taking introductory science survey courses in order for faculty to better be able to monitor the learning impacts of various interactive teaching approaches. To support ongoing discipline-based science education research to improve teaching and learning across the geosciences, this study establishes the reliability and validity of a 28-item, multiple-choice, pre- and post- Exam of GeoloGy Standards, hereafter simply called EGGS. The content knowledge EGGS addresses is based on 11 consensus concepts derived from a systematic, thematic analysis of the overlapping ideas presented in national science education reform documents including the Next Generation Science Standards, the AAAS Benchmarks for Science Literacy, the Earth Science Literacy Principles, and the NRC National Science Education Standards. Using community agreed upon best-practices for creating, field-testing, and iteratively revising modern multiple-choice test items using classical item analysis techniques, EGGS emphasizes natural student language over technical scientific vocabulary, leverages illustrations over students' reading ability, specifically targets students' misconceptions identified in the scholarly literature, and covers the range of topics most geology educators expect general education students to know at the end of their formal science learning experiences. The current version of EGGS is judged to be valid and reliable with college-level, introductory science survey students based on both standard quantitative and qualitative measures, including extensive clinical interviews with targeted students and systematic expert review.

Selected DOE Headquarters publications, October 1979-

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

None

1980-11-01

This publication provides a cumulative listing of and an index to DOE headquarters publications issued since October 1979. (Publications issued during October 1977 to September 1979 are covered in DOE/AD-0010/6.) Three types of headquarters publications are included: publications dealing mainly with program and policy that are attributed to and issued by headquarters organizations, reports prepared by contractors (and published by DOE) to describe research and development work they have performed for the Department, and environmental development plans, environmental impact statements, and environmental readiness documents. Certain publications have been omitted. They include such items as pamphlets, fact sheets, bulletins, newsletters, andmore » telephone directories. Also omitted are weekly/monthly reports of the Energy Information Administration and headquarters publications issued under the DOE-tr and CONF codes. (RWR)« less

A Multidimensional Tool Based on the eHealth Literacy Framework: Development and Initial Validity Testing of the eHealth Literacy Questionnaire (eHLQ).

PubMed

Kayser, Lars; Karnoe, Astrid; Furstrand, Dorthe; Batterham, Roy; Christensen, Karl Bang; Elsworth, Gerald; Osborne, Richard H

2018-02-12

For people to be able to access, understand, and benefit from the increasing digitalization of health services, it is critical that services are provided in a way that meets the user's needs, resources, and competence. The objective of the study was to develop a questionnaire that captures the 7-dimensional eHealth Literacy Framework (eHLF). Draft items were created in parallel in English and Danish. The items were generated from 450 statements collected during the conceptual development of eHLF. In all, 57 items (7 to 9 items per scale) were generated and adjusted after cognitive testing. Items were tested in 475 people recruited from settings in which the scale was intended to be used (community and health care settings) and including people with a range of chronic conditions. Measurement properties were assessed using approaches from item response theory (IRT) and classical test theory (CTT) such as confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and reliability using composite scale reliability (CSR); potential bias due to age and sex was evaluated using differential item functioning (DIF). CFA confirmed the presence of the 7 a priori dimensions of eHLF. Following item analysis, a 35-item 7-scale questionnaire was constructed, covering (1) using technology to process health information (5 items, CSR=.84), (2) understanding of health concepts and language (5 items, CSR=.75), (3) ability to actively engage with digital services (5 items, CSR=.86), (4) feel safe and in control (5 items, CSR=.87), (5) motivated to engage with digital services (5 items, CSR=.84), (6) access to digital services that work (6 items, CSR=.77), and (7) digital services that suit individual needs (4 items, CSR=.85). A 7-factor CFA model, using small-variance priors for cross-loadings and residual correlations, had a satisfactory fit (posterior productive P value: .27, 95% CI for the difference between the observed and replicated chi-square values: -63.7 to 133.8). The CFA showed that all items loaded strongly on their respective factors. The IRT analysis showed that no items were found to have disordered thresholds. For most scales, discriminant validity was acceptable; however, 2 pairs of dimensions were highly correlated; dimensions 1 and 5 (r=.95), and dimensions 6 and 7 (r=.96). All dimensions were retained because of strong content differentiation and potential causal relationships between these dimensions. There is no evidence of DIF. The eHealth Literacy Questionnaire (eHLQ) is a multidimensional tool based on a well-defined a priori eHLF framework with robust properties. It has satisfactory evidence of construct validity and reliable measurement across a broad range of concepts (using both CTT and IRT traditions) in various groups. It is designed to be used to understand and evaluate people's interaction with digital health services. ©Lars Kayser, Astrid Karnoe, Dorthe Furstrand, Roy Batterham, Karl Bang Christensen, Gerald Elsworth, Richard H Osborne. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 12.02.2018.

Examining public knowledge and preferences for adult preventive services coverage.

PubMed

Williams, Jessica A R; Ortiz, Selena E

2017-01-01

To examine (1) what individuals know about the existing adult preventive service coverage provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and (2) which preventive services individuals think should be covered without cost sharing. An online panel from Survey Monkey was used to obtain a sample of 2,990 adults age 18 and older in March 2015, analyzed 2015-2017. A 17-item survey instrument was designed and used to evaluate respondents' knowledge of the adult preventive services provision of the ACA. Additionally, we asked whether various preventive services should be covered. The data include age, sex, race/ethnicity, and educational attainment as well as measures of political ideology, previous insurance status, the number of chronic conditions, and usual source of care. Respondents correctly answered 38.6% of the questions about existing coverage under the ACA, while on average respondents thought 12.1 of 15 preventive services should be covered (SD 3.5). Respondents were more knowledgeable about coverage for routine screenings, such as blood pressure (63.4% correct) than potentially stigmatizing screenings, such as for alcohol misuse (28.8% correct). Blood pressure screening received the highest support of coverage (89.8%) while coverage of gym memberships received the lowest support (59.4%). Individuals with conservative ideologies thought fewer services on average should be covered, but the difference was small-around one service less than those with liberal ideologies. Overwhelmingly, individuals think that most preventive services should be covered without cost sharing. Despite several years of coverage for preventive services, there is still confusion and lack of knowledge about which services are covered.

Examining public knowledge and preferences for adult preventive services coverage

PubMed Central

Ortiz, Selena E.

2017-01-01

Introduction To examine (1) what individuals know about the existing adult preventive service coverage provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and (2) which preventive services individuals think should be covered without cost sharing. Methods An online panel from Survey Monkey was used to obtain a sample of 2,990 adults age 18 and older in March 2015, analyzed 2015–2017. A 17-item survey instrument was designed and used to evaluate respondents’ knowledge of the adult preventive services provision of the ACA. Additionally, we asked whether various preventive services should be covered. The data include age, sex, race/ethnicity, and educational attainment as well as measures of political ideology, previous insurance status, the number of chronic conditions, and usual source of care. Results Respondents correctly answered 38.6% of the questions about existing coverage under the ACA, while on average respondents thought 12.1 of 15 preventive services should be covered (SD 3.5). Respondents were more knowledgeable about coverage for routine screenings, such as blood pressure (63.4% correct) than potentially stigmatizing screenings, such as for alcohol misuse (28.8% correct). Blood pressure screening received the highest support of coverage (89.8%) while coverage of gym memberships received the lowest support (59.4%). Individuals with conservative ideologies thought fewer services on average should be covered, but the difference was small—around one service less than those with liberal ideologies. Conclusions Overwhelmingly, individuals think that most preventive services should be covered without cost sharing. Despite several years of coverage for preventive services, there is still confusion and lack of knowledge about which services are covered. PMID:29261757

Psychometric properties of a short version of the HIV stigma scale, adapted for children with HIV infection.

PubMed

Wiklander, Maria; Rydström, Lise-Lott; Ygge, Britt-Marie; Navér, Lars; Wettergren, Lena; Eriksson, Lars E

2013-11-14

HIV is a stigmatizing medical condition. The concept of HIV stigma is multifaceted, with personalized stigma (perceived stigmatizing consequences of others knowing of their HIV status), disclosure concerns, negative self-image, and concerns with public attitudes described as core aspects of stigma for individuals with HIV infection. There is limited research on HIV stigma in children. The aim of this study was to test a short version of the 40-item HIV Stigma Scale (HSS-40), adapted for 8-18 years old children with HIV infection living in Sweden. A Swedish version of the HSS-40 was adapted for children by an expert panel and evaluated by think aloud interviews. A preliminary short version with twelve items covering the four dimensions of stigma in the HSS-40 was tested. The psychometric evaluation included inspection of missing values, principal component analysis (PCA), internal consistency, and correlations with measures of health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Fifty-eight children, representing 71% of all children with HIV infection in Sweden meeting the inclusion criteria, completed the 12-item questionnaire. Four items concerning participants' experiences of others' reactions to their HIV had unacceptable rates of missing values and were therefore excluded. The remaining items constituted an 8-item scale, the HIV Stigma Scale for Children (HSSC-8), measuring HIV-related disclosure concerns, negative self-image, and concerns with public attitudes. Evidence for internal validity was supported by a PCA, suggesting a three factor solution with all items loading on the same subscales as in the original HSS-40. The scale demonstrated acceptable internal consistency, with exception for the disclosure concerns subscale. Evidence for external validity was supported in correlational analyses with measures of HRQoL, where higher levels of stigma correlated with poorer HRQoL. The results suggest feasibility, reliability, as well as internal and external validity of the HSSC-8, an HIV stigma scale for children with HIV infection, measuring disclosure concerns, negative self-image, and concerns with public attitudes. The present study shows that different aspects of HIV stigma can be assessed among children with HIV in the age group 8-18.

A measure of early physical functioning (EPF) post-stroke.

PubMed

Finch, Lois E; Higgins, Johanne; Wood-Dauphinee, Sharon; Mayo, Nancy E

2008-07-01

To develop a comprehensive measure of Early Physical Functioning (EPF) post-stroke quantified through Rasch analysis and conceptualized using the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF). An observational cohort study. A cohort of 262 subjects (mean age 71.6 (standard deviation 12.5) years) hospitalized post-acute stroke. Functional assessments were made within 3 days of stroke with items from valid and reliable indices commonly utilized to evaluate stroke survivors. Information on important variables was also collected. Principal component and Rasch analysis confirmed the factor structure, and dimensionality of the measure. Rasch analysis combined items across ICF components to develop the measure. Items were deleted iteratively, those retained fit the model and were related to the construct; reliability and validity were assessed. A 38-item unidimensional measure of the EPF met all Rasch model requirements. The item difficulty matched the person ability (mean person measure: -0.31; standard error 0.37 logits), reliability of the person-item-hierarchy was excellent at 0.97. Initial validity was adequate. The 38-item EPF measure was developed. It expands the range of assessment post acute stroke; it covers a broad spectrum of difficulty with good initial psychometric properties that, once revalidated, can assist in planning and evaluating early interventions.

CHEMICAL LEUCODERMA: INDIAN SCENARIO, PROGNOSIS, AND TREATMENT

PubMed Central

Bajaj, A K; Saraswat, Abir; Srivastav, P K

2010-01-01

Chemical leucoderma is an industrial disorder in developed countries and the common causative chemicals are phenols and catechols. Due to stringent controls and preventive measures the incidence has come down. In the recent past various chemicals in consumer products have also been documented to produce depigmentation. In India due to lax quality control measures chemical leucoderma due to consumer items is not uncommon.The various consumer items documented to cause contact depigmentation are sticker bindis, rain shoes, plastic chappals, hair dye/ black henna(kali mehndi), alta, wallets and even mobile plastic covers. PMID:21063517

A Computer-Adaptive Disability Instrument for Lower Extremity Osteoarthritis Research Demonstrated Promising Breadth, Precision and Reliability

PubMed Central

Jette, Alan M.; McDonough, Christine M.; Haley, Stephen M.; Ni, Pengsheng; Olarsch, Sippy; Latham, Nancy; Hambleton, Ronald K.; Felson, David; Kim, Young-jo; Hunter, David

2012-01-01

Objective To develop and evaluate a prototype measure (OA-DISABILITY-CAT) for osteoarthritis research using Item Response Theory (IRT) and Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) methodologies. Study Design and Setting We constructed an item bank consisting of 33 activities commonly affected by lower extremity (LE) osteoarthritis. A sample of 323 adults with LE osteoarthritis reported their degree of limitation in performing everyday activities and completed the Health Assessment Questionnaire-II (HAQ-II). We used confirmatory factor analyses to assess scale unidimensionality and IRT methods to calibrate the items and examine the fit of the data. Using CAT simulation analyses, we examined the performance of OA-DISABILITY-CATs of different lengths compared to the full item bank and the HAQ-II. Results One distinct disability domain was identified. The 10-item OA-DISABILITY-CAT demonstrated a high degree of accuracy compared with the full item bank (r=0.99). The item bank and the HAQ-II scales covered a similar estimated scoring range. In terms of reliability, 95% of OA-DISABILITY reliability estimates were over 0.83 versus 0.60 for the HAQ-II. Except at the highest scores the 10-item OA-DISABILITY-CAT demonstrated superior precision to the HAQ-II. Conclusion The prototype OA-DISABILITY-CAT demonstrated promising measurement properties compared to the HAQ-II, and is recommended for use in LE osteoarthritis research. PMID:19216052

[The School Refusal Assessment Scale: Psychometric properties and validation of a modified version].

PubMed

Knollmann, Martin; Sicking, Alexander; Hebebrand, Johannes; Reissner, Volker

2017-07-01

Psychometric properties of the original and a modified version of the «Einschätzungsskala der Schulverweigerung» (German version of the School Refusal Assessment Scale, SRAS; Kearney & Silverman, 1993; Overmeyer et al., 1994) were analyzed in order to identify alternative ways to revise the SRAS/ESV compared to the existing revision SRAS-R (Kearney, 2002). The SRAS/ESV consists of a parent and a child version and measures four functions of school refusal (avoidance of negative affect related to school settings, escape from aversive social or evaluative situations, attention-getting behavior, positive tangible reinforcement). Data from N = 124 (parent version) respectively N = 156 (child version) patients of a specialized psychiatric outpatient unit for children and adolescents with school-avoiding behavior were obtained. Analyzes included characteristics of items and scales, face-, factorial-, and construct-validity (correlations with other questionnaires, e. g., YSR, CBCL were analyzed). Many items seem to measure overall anxiety instead of the functional aspects of school refusal, one item measures expansive behavior. Four factors were obtained, but they did not reflect the assumed structure of the ESV (e. g., overlap of the two avoidance-related scales). Post-hoc-analyzes with a modified version (elimination of several items with problematic content validity) suggested three factors, convergent and discriminative validity of the modified version was confirmed. Because only some of the afore-mentioned problems have been addressed in the revised version (SRAS-R; Kearney, 2002), a new revision and extension of the German version of the questionnaire covering more aspects of school avoidance behavior (e. g., bullying, depression, somatic complaints, psychosocial factors) is discussed.

Development and validation of the Questionnaire of Stressful Life Events (QSLE).

PubMed

Butjosa, Anna; Gómez-Benito, Juana; Myin-Germeys, Inez; Barajas, Ana; Baños, Iris; Usall, Judith; Grau, Norma; Granell, Luis; Sola, Andrea; Carlson, Janina; Dolz, Montserrat; Sánchez, Bernardo; Haro, Josep Maria; Ochoa, Susana

2017-12-01

Stressful life events (SLEs) are important indicators prior to the onset of first-episode psychosis (FEP). Although there are well-validated interviews and self-reports for assessing SLE on proximate events, unfortunately there are no instruments to assess SLE covering an entire lifetime. This study includes detailed specific items of childhood, adolescence, and adulthood focused on the presence of SLE, emotional impact (stressfulness), and the age at which the event occurred. Our research describes 2 studies designed to develop and validate a new scale to assess SLE: the Questionnaire of Stressful Life Events (QSLE). In Study 1, an over-inclusive item pool was generated based on review of group of experts at Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu and content validity was examined by an Expert Survey. The whole scale represents the content domain. In Study 2, item-level analyses revealed good distributional properties, intra-rater reliability, and convergent and discriminant validity. In the sensitivity and specificity analysis, 18 items had high relevance in the discriminability between patients with FEP and healthy controls. We note that there was an AUC of 0.676, indicating a good predictor. Using 7 as a cutoff to predict an individual as a patient would yield a sensitivity of 64.8% and a specificity of 65%. Overall, the QSLE displayed satisfactory psychometric characteristics in a Spanish population. These results suggest that QSLE gives us the opportunity to investigate childhood, adolescent, and adult life events by measuring the stress and age at the moment on a continuous scale. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The functional assessment measure (FAM) in closed traumatic brain injury outpatients: a Rasch-based psychometric study.

PubMed

Tesio, L; Cantagallo, A

1998-01-01

The Functional Assessment Measure (FAM) has been proposed as a measure of disability in post-acute Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) outpatients. It is comprised of the 18 items of The Functional Independence Measure (FIMSM), scored in terms of dependence, and of 12 newly designed items, scored in terms of dependence (7 items) or performance (5 items). The FIMSM covers the domains of self-care, sphincter management, mobility, locomotion, communication and social cognition. The 12 new items explore the domains of community integration, emotional status, orientation, attention, reading/writing skills, swallowing and speech intelligibility. By addressing a set of problems quite specific for TBI outpatients the FAM was intended to raise the ceiling of the FIMSM and to allow a more precise estimate of their disability. These claims, however, were never supported in previous studies. We administered the FAM to 60 TBI outpatient, 2-88 months (median 16) from trauma. Rasch analysis (rating scale model) was adopted to test the psychometric properties of the scale. The FAM was reliable (Rasch item and person reliability 0.91 and 0.93, respectively). Two of the 12 FAM-specific items were severely misfitting with the general construct, and were deleted. Within the 28-item refined FAM scale, 4 new items and 2 FIMSM items still retained signs of misfit. The FAM was on average too easy. The most difficult item (a new one, Employability) did not attain the average ability of the subjects. Also, it was only slightly more difficult than than the most difficult FIMSM item (Memory). The FAM does not seem to improve the FIMSM as a far as TBI outpatients are to be assessed.

Can Small Countries Benefit from the E-waste Global Value Chain?

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

Meine Pieter, Dijk van, E-mail: mpvandijk@iss.nl

E-waste is a term used to cover items of all types of electrical and electronic equipment and its parts that have been discarded by the owners as waste without the intention of re-use, because this equipment has ceased to be of any value to its owners. E-waste is one of the fastestgrowing waste streams globally. Since the Rio Summit Earth summit organized by the United Nations in 1992, the concept of sustainability extends to rendering basic services such as Solid Waste Management and dealing with e-waste. People are afraid of e-waste because of its possible negative effects on health andmore » because it could pollute the environment. Indicators of unsustainable service provision concerninge-waste include irregular collection, open dumping, burning of solid and e-waste in open spaces. Often collection covers a small part of the country, cost recovery is limited or not existent, and one notes poor utilization of available resources with no or very limited reuse and recycling.« less

Fabrication Control Plan for ORNL RH-LOCA ATF Test Specimens to be Irradiated in the ATR

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

Field, Kevin G.; Howard, Richard; Teague, Michael

2014-06-01

The purpose of this fabrication plan is (1) to summarize the design of a set of rodlets that will be fabricated and then irradiated in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) and (2) provide requirements for fabrication and acceptance criteria for inspections of the Light Water Reactor (LWR) – Accident Tolerant Fuels (ATF) rodlet components. The functional and operational (F&OR) requirements for the ATF program are identified in the ATF Test Plan. The scope of this document only covers fabrication and inspections of rodlet components detailed in drawings 604496 and 604497. It does not cover the assembly of these items tomore » form a completed test irradiation assembly or the inspection of the final assembly, which will be included in a separate INL final test assembly specification/inspection document. The controls support the requirements that the test irradiations must be performed safely and that subsequent examinations must provide valid results.« less

Classification of natural and supernatural causes of mental distress. Development of a Mental Distress Explanatory Model Questionnaire.

PubMed

Eisenbruch, M

1990-11-01

This paper describes the background and development of a Mental Distress Explanatory Model Questionnaire designed to explore how people from different cultures explain mental distress. A 45-item questionnaire was developed with items derived from the Murdock et al. categories, with additional items covering western notions of physiological causation and stress. The questionnaire was administered to 261 people, mostly college students. Multi-dimensional scaling analysis shows four clusters of mental distress: a) stress; b) western physiological; c) nonwestern physiological; and d) supernatural. These clusters form two dimensions: western physiological vs. supernatural and impersonal vs. personalistic explanations. Natural and stress items are separated from supernatural and nonwestern physiological items along the first dimension. Brain damage, physical illness, and genetic defects have the greatest separation along the first dimension. Being hot, the body being out of balance, and wind currents passing through the body most strongly represent the non-western physiological category. The questionnaire has the potential to be used for community health screening and for monitoring patient care, as well as with students in the health sciences and with health practitioners.

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

None

Papers and/or abstracts of 42 papers presented at this waste management seminar are included in this volume. Separate abstracts of 27 papers have been prepared for inclusion in the Energy Data Base (EDB). There are 8 papers represented in the proceedings by abstract only and are not included separately in EDB. The subjects covered in these abstracts include: requirements and compliance for the issuance of the second round NPDES permit for the Portsmouth Plant; performance of the pollution abatement facilities at the Portsmouth Plant; the impact of the Kentucky hazardous waste regulations on the Paducah Plant; control of R-114 lossesmore » at the gaseous diffusion plants; innovative alternatives to pollution control projects; evaluating the fate and potential radiological impacts of Technetium-99 released to the environment; and technical support interfacing for the FY-1981 line item project control of water pollution and solid wastes at the Paducah Plant. There are 15 other papers which were previously input to the EDB. (RJC)« less

A survey of recently published cardiovascular, hematological and pneumological original articles in the Brazilian scientific press

PubMed Central

Patel, Kavita Kirankumar; Caramelli, Bruno; Gomes, Ariane

2011-01-01

Recent original scientific contributions published in selected Brazilian periodicals and classifiable under cardiovascular and pulmonary subject categories cover a wide range of sub specialties, both clinical and exprimental. Because they appear in journals with only recently enhanced visibility, we have decided to highlight a number of specific items appeared in four Brazilian journals, because we understand that this is an important subsidy to keep our readership adequately informed. These papers cover extensive sub-areas in both fields. PMID:22189744

GLOFs in the WOS: bibliometrics, geographies and global trends of research on glacial lake outburst floods (Web of Science, 1979-2016)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emmer, Adam

2018-03-01

Research on glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) - specific low-frequency, high-magnitude floods originating in glacial lakes, including jökulhlaups - is well justified in the context of glacier ice loss and glacial lake evolution in glacierized areas all over the world. Increasing GLOF research activities, which are documented by the increasing number of published research items, have been observed in the past few decades; however, comprehensive insight into the GLOF research community, its global bibliometrics, geographies and trends in research is missing. To fill this gap, a set of 892 GLOF research items published in the Web of Science database covering the period 1979-2016 was analysed. General bibliometric characteristics, citations and references were analysed, revealing a certain change in the publishing paradigm over time. Furthermore, the global geographies of research on GLOFs were studied, focusing on (i) where GLOFs are studied, (ii) who studies GLOFs, (iii) the export of research on GLOFs and (iv) international collaboration. The observed trends and links to the challenges ahead are discussed and placed in a broader context.

7 CFR 550.22 - Payment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY FOR NON-ASSISTANCE COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS Management of Agreements Financial Management § 550.22 Payment. (a) Payment methods shall minimize the time elapsing between the transfer of...) The time period covered by the invoice; and (vii) Total dollar amount itemized by budget categories...

Acquisition of specialized testing equipment for advanced cement-based materials : addendum.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-07-01

The purpose of this addendum is to cover the installation cost associated with several of the specialized pieces of : equipment purchased in project 00038844. See report below from Missouri S&T Physical Facilities itemizing the scope of : work and as...

Continuing Education of Women.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adult Education Association of U.S.A., Washington, DC.

This annotated bibliography of about 150 items on women's continuing education begins with descriptions of a newsletter and three bibliographies, followed by documents on sex differences in ability, achievement, and role perception. Four other sections cover employment related interests and needs, women's participation in programs by universities…

Proceedings of the 12th Space Photovoltaic Research and Technology Conference (SPRAT 12)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

The Twelfth Space Photovoltaic Research and Technology conference was held at the NASA Lewis Research Center from 20 to 22 Oct. 1992. The papers and workshops presented in this volume report substantial progress in a variety of areas in space photovoltaics. Topics covered include: high efficiency GaAs and InP solar cells, GaAs/Ge cells as commercial items, flexible amorphous and thin film solar cells (in the early stages of pilot production), high efficiency multiple bandgap cells, laser power converters, solar cell and array technology, heteroepitaxial cells, betavoltaic energy conversion, and space radiation effects in InP cells. Space flight data on a variety of cells were also presented.

Solar array study for solar electric propulsion spacecraft for the Encke rendezvous mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sequeira, E. A.; Patterson, R. E.

1974-01-01

The work is described which was performed on the design, analysis and performance of a 20 kW rollup solar array capable of meeting the design requirements of a solar electric spacecraft for the 1980 Encke rendezvous mission. To meet the high power requirements of the proposed electric propulsion mission, solar arrays on the order of 186.6 sq m were defined. Because of the large weights involved with arrays of this size, consideration of array configurations is limited to lightweight, large area concepts with maximum power-to-weight ratios. Items covered include solar array requirements and constraints, array concept selection and rationale, structural and electrical design considerations, and reliability considerations.

Electromechanical Technician Skills Questionnaire.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anoka-Hennepin Technical Coll., Minneapolis, MN.

This document contains test items to measure the job skills of electromechanical technicians. Questions are organized in four sections that cover the following topics: (1) shop math; (2) electricity and electronics; (3) mechanics and machining; and (4) plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and welding skills. Questions call for…

Promising Areas for Psychometric Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Angoff, William H.

1988-01-01

An overview of four papers on useful future directions for psychometric research is provided. The papers were drawn from American Psychological Association symposia; they cover the nature of general intelligence, item bias and selection, cut scores, equating problems, computer-adaptive testing, and individual and group achievement measurement.…

77 FR 20752 - Methyl Bromide; Proposed Pesticide Tolerance

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-06

... fumigated with methyl bromide requires a tolerance. Without a tolerance or exemption, food or feed... livestock feeding items resulting from fumigation of cottonseed with methyl bromide are covered by existing... produced from cottonseed fumigated with methyl bromide would not contain residues of methyl bromide...

Data Clustering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagstaff, Kiri L.

2012-03-01

On obtaining a new data set, the researcher is immediately faced with the challenge of obtaining a high-level understanding from the observations. What does a typical item look like? What are the dominant trends? How many distinct groups are included in the data set, and how is each one characterized? Which observable values are common, and which rarely occur? Which items stand out as anomalies or outliers from the rest of the data? This challenge is exacerbated by the steady growth in data set size [11] as new instruments push into new frontiers of parameter space, via improvements in temporal, spatial, and spectral resolution, or by the desire to "fuse" observations from different modalities and instruments into a larger-picture understanding of the same underlying phenomenon. Data clustering algorithms provide a variety of solutions for this task. They can generate summaries, locate outliers, compress data, identify dense or sparse regions of feature space, and build data models. It is useful to note up front that "clusters" in this context refer to groups of items within some descriptive feature space, not (necessarily) to "galaxy clusters" which are dense regions in physical space. The goal of this chapter is to survey a variety of data clustering methods, with an eye toward their applicability to astronomical data analysis. In addition to improving the individual researcher’s understanding of a given data set, clustering has led directly to scientific advances, such as the discovery of new subclasses of stars [14] and gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) [38]. All clustering algorithms seek to identify groups within a data set that reflect some observed, quantifiable structure. Clustering is traditionally an unsupervised approach to data analysis, in the sense that it operates without any direct guidance about which items should be assigned to which clusters. There has been a recent trend in the clustering literature toward supporting semisupervised or constrained clustering, in which some partial information about item assignments or other components of the resulting output are already known and must be accommodated by the solution. Some algorithms seek a partition of the data set into distinct clusters, while others build a hierarchy of nested clusters that can capture taxonomic relationships. Some produce a single optimal solution, while others construct a probabilistic model of cluster membership. More formally, clustering algorithms operate on a data set X composed of items represented by one or more features (dimensions). These could include physical location, such as right ascension and declination, as well as other properties such as brightness, color, temporal change, size, texture, and so on. Let D be the number of dimensions used to represent each item, xi ∈ RD. The clustering goal is to produce an organization P of the items in X that optimizes an objective function f : P -> R, which quantifies the quality of solution P. Often f is defined so as to maximize similarity within a cluster and minimize similarity between clusters. To that end, many algorithms make use of a measure d : X x X -> R of the distance between two items. A partitioning algorithm produces a set of clusters P = {c1, . . . , ck} such that the clusters are nonoverlapping (c_i intersected with c_j = empty set, i != j) subsets of the data set (Union_i c_i=X). Hierarchical algorithms produce a series of partitions P = {p1, . . . , pn }. For a complete hierarchy, the number of partitions n’= n, the number of items in the data set; the top partition is a single cluster containing all items, and the bottom partition contains n clusters, each containing a single item. For model-based clustering, each cluster c_j is represented by a model m_j , such as the cluster center or a Gaussian distribution. The wide array of available clustering algorithms may seem bewildering, and covering all of them is beyond the scope of this chapter. Choosing among them for a particular application involves considerations of the kind of data being analyzed, algorithm runtime efficiency, and how much prior knowledge is available about the problem domain, which can dictate the nature of clusters sought. Fundamentally, the clustering method and its representations of clusters carries with it a definition of what a cluster is, and it is important that this be aligned with the analysis goals for the problem at hand. In this chapter, I emphasize this point by identifying for each algorithm the cluster representation as a model, m_j , even for algorithms that are not typically thought of as creating a “model.” This chapter surveys a basic collection of clustering methods useful to any practitioner who is interested in applying clustering to a new data set. The algorithms include k-means (Section 25.2), EM (Section 25.3), agglomerative (Section 25.4), and spectral (Section 25.5) clustering, with side mentions of variants such as kernel k-means and divisive clustering. The chapter also discusses each algorithm’s strengths and limitations and provides pointers to additional in-depth reading for each subject. Section 25.6 discusses methods for incorporating domain knowledge into the clustering process. This chapter concludes with a brief survey of interesting applications of clustering methods to astronomy data (Section 25.7). The chapter begins with k-means because it is both generally accessible and so widely used that understanding it can be considered a necessary prerequisite for further work in the field. EM can be viewed as a more sophisticated version of k-means that uses a generative model for each cluster and probabilistic item assignments. Agglomerative clustering is the most basic form of hierarchical clustering and provides a basis for further exploration of algorithms in that vein. Spectral clustering permits a departure from feature-vector-based clustering and can operate on data sets instead represented as affinity, or similarity matrices—cases in which only pairwise information is known. The list of algorithms covered in this chapter is representative of those most commonly in use, but it is by no means comprehensive. There is an extensive collection of existing books on clustering that provide additional background and depth. Three early books that remain useful today are Anderberg’s Cluster Analysis for Applications [3], Hartigan’s Clustering Algorithms [25], and Gordon’s Classification [22]. The latter covers basics on similarity measures, partitioning and hierarchical algorithms, fuzzy clustering, overlapping clustering, conceptual clustering, validations methods, and visualization or data reduction techniques such as principal components analysis (PCA),multidimensional scaling, and self-organizing maps. More recently, Jain et al. provided a useful and informative survey [27] of a variety of different clustering algorithms, including those mentioned here as well as fuzzy, graph-theoretic, and evolutionary clustering. Everitt’s Cluster Analysis [19] provides a modern overview of algorithms, similarity measures, and evaluation methods.

Some unsolved problems in discrete mathematics and mathematical cybernetics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korshunov, Aleksei D.

2009-10-01

There are many unsolved problems in discrete mathematics and mathematical cybernetics. Writing a comprehensive survey of such problems involves great difficulties. First, such problems are rather numerous and varied. Second, they greatly differ from each other in degree of completeness of their solution. Therefore, even a comprehensive survey should not attempt to cover the whole variety of such problems; only the most important and significant problems should be reviewed. An impersonal choice of problems to include is quite hard. This paper includes 13 unsolved problems related to combinatorial mathematics and computational complexity theory. The problems selected give an indication of the author's studies for 50 years; for this reason, the choice of the problems reviewed here is, to some extent, subjective. At the same time, these problems are very difficult and quite important for discrete mathematics and mathematical cybernetics. Bibliography: 74 items.

Correlation of AATCC Test Method 150 To AATCC Test Method 61 For Use With Laundering Durability Studies of Retroreflective Items As Defined in Purchase Description CO/PD-06-05A

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-02

Accelerated Laundering 3.1 Methodology The goal of Task II was to fully explore accelerated laundering test methods as a replacement for home laundering...TEST METHOD 150 TO AATCC TEST METHOD 61 FOR USE WITH LAUNDERING DURABILITY STUDIES OF RETROREFLECTIVE ITEMS AS DEFINED IN PURCHASE DESCRIPTION CO/PD...Final 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) October 2014 – April 2016 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE CORRELATION OF AATCC TEST METHOD 150 TO AATCC TEST METHOD 61 FOR

Pilot Test of Hot Gas Decontamination of Explosives-Contaminated Equipment at Hawthorne Army Ammunition Plant (HWAAP), Hawthorne, Nevada. Appendices. Revision

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-06-01

was used to spike the following items of equipment: 0 powder boxes o steam-heated risers o steam-heated discharge valves o steel pipe o aluminum pipe...expose it to the internal surfaces. For pipe ( aluminum and steel), one end of the pipe section was covered with parafilm wax. Spike solution was added...spike the following items of equipment: "o powder box "o steam-heated riser "o steam-heated discharge valve "O steel pipe "o aluminum pipe Prior to

Outcomes of xerostomia-related quality of life for nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated by IMRT: based on the EORTC QLQ-C30 and H&N35 questionnaires.

PubMed

Bian, Xiuhua; Song, Tao; Wu, Shixiu

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to review the published literature addressing the question of whether intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) resulted in an improvement of quality of life (QoL), especially xerostomia-related QoL of all nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients as time progressed. A literature search of PubMed, Embase and Google Scholar was performed, only reports containing original data of the QoL scores after treated by IMRT were included. Two independent reviewers extracted information of study design, study population, interventions, outcome measures and conclusions for each article. The inclusion criteria were met by 14 articles covering outcomes based on the questionnaires treated by IMRT. Data from same questionnaires (European Organization of Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and H&N35 questionnaires) were exacted and we analyzed four items (global health status, dry mouth and sticky saliva, swallowing, social eating and social contact), which have a close relationship with xerostomia-related QoL. Results indicated that a maximal deterioration of most QoL scales including global health status developed during treatment or at the end of the treatment course and then followed by a gradual recovery to 1 year, 1-2 years after IMRT, compared with their baseline level, some specific head and neck items, most in the EORTC QLQ H&N35, remained worse for the surviving patients. In conclusion, the published data reasonably support the benefits of IMRT in improving QoL, but xerostomia-related items still had a significantly negative effect in 2 years to impact a survivor's QoL.

Determining an Imaging Literacy Curriculum for Radiation Oncologists: An International Delphi Study

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

Giuliani, Meredith E., E-mail: Meredith.Giuliani@rmp.uhn.on.ca; Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario; Gillan, Caitlin

2014-03-15

Purpose: Rapid evolution of imaging technologies and their integration into radiation therapy practice demands that radiation oncology (RO) training curricula be updated. The purpose of this study was to develop an entry-to-practice image literacy competency profile. Methods and Materials: A list of 263 potential imaging competency items were assembled from international objectives of training. Expert panel eliminated redundant or irrelevant items to create a list of 97 unique potential competency items. An international 2-round Delphi process was conducted with experts in RO. In round 1, all experts scored, on a 9-point Likert scale, the degree to which they agreed anmore » item should be included in the competency profile. Items with a mean score ≥7 were included, those 4 to 6 were reviewed in round 2, and items scored <4 were excluded. In round 2, items were discussed and subsequently ranked for inclusion or exclusion in the competency profile. Items with >75% voting for inclusion were included in the final competency profile. Results: Forty-nine radiation oncologists were invited to participate in round 1, and 32 (65%) did so. Participants represented 24 centers in 6 countries. Of the 97 items ranked in round 1, 80 had a mean score ≥7, 1 item had a score <4, and 16 items with a mean score of 4 to 6 were reviewed and rescored in round 2. In round 2, 4 items had >75% of participants voting for inclusion and were included; the remaining 12 were excluded. The final list of 84 items formed the final competency profile. The 84 enabling competency items were aggregated into the following 4 thematic groups of key competencies: (1) imaging fundamentals (42 items); (2) clinical application (27 items); (3) clinical management (5 items); and (4) professional practice (10 items). Conclusions: We present an imaging literacy competency profile which could constitute the minimum training standards in radiation oncology residency programs.« less

Increased plastic litter cover affects the foraging activity of the sandy intertidal gastropod Nassarius pullus.

PubMed

Aloy, Alexander B; Vallejo, Benjamin M; Juinio-Meñez, Marie Antonette

2011-08-01

This study analyzed the foraging behavior of the gastropod Nassarius pullus on garbage-impacted sandy shores of Talim Bay, Batangas, Philippines. The effect of different levels of plastic garbage cover on foraging efficiency was investigated. Controlled in situ baiting experiments were conducted to quantify aspects of foraging behavior as affected by the levels of plastic litter cover in the foraging area. The results of the study indicated that the gastropod's efficiency in locating and in moving towards a food item generally decreased as the level of plastic cover increased. Prolonged food searching time and increased self-burial in sand were highly correlated with increased plastic cover. The accuracy of orientation towards the actual position of the bait decreased significantly when the amount of plastic cover increased to 50%. These results are consistent with the significant decreases in the abundance of the gastropod observed during periods of deposition of large amounts of plastic and other debris on the shore. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Inconsistency in the items included in tools used in general health research and physical therapy to evaluate the methodological quality of randomized controlled trials: a descriptive analysis

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Assessing the risk of bias of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is crucial to understand how biases affect treatment effect estimates. A number of tools have been developed to evaluate risk of bias of RCTs; however, it is unknown how these tools compare to each other in the items included. The main objective of this study was to describe which individual items are included in RCT quality tools used in general health and physical therapy (PT) research, and how these items compare to those of the Cochrane Risk of Bias (RoB) tool. Methods We used comprehensive literature searches and a systematic approach to identify tools that evaluated the methodological quality or risk of bias of RCTs in general health and PT research. We extracted individual items from all quality tools. We calculated the frequency of quality items used across tools and compared them to those in the RoB tool. Comparisons were made between general health and PT quality tools using Chi-squared tests. Results In addition to the RoB tool, 26 quality tools were identified, with 19 being used in general health and seven in PT research. The total number of quality items included in general health research tools was 130, compared with 48 items across PT tools and seven items in the RoB tool. The most frequently included items in general health research tools (14/19, 74%) were inclusion and exclusion criteria, and appropriate statistical analysis. In contrast, the most frequent items included in PT tools (86%, 6/7) were: baseline comparability, blinding of investigator/assessor, and use of intention-to-treat analysis. Key items of the RoB tool (sequence generation and allocation concealment) were included in 71% (5/7) of PT tools, and 63% (12/19) and 37% (7/19) of general health research tools, respectively. Conclusions There is extensive item variation across tools that evaluate the risk of bias of RCTs in health research. Results call for an in-depth analysis of items that should be used to assess risk of bias of RCTs. Further empirical evidence on the use of individual items and the psychometric properties of risk of bias tools is needed. PMID:24044807

Inconsistency in the items included in tools used in general health research and physical therapy to evaluate the methodological quality of randomized controlled trials: a descriptive analysis.

PubMed

Armijo-Olivo, Susan; Fuentes, Jorge; Ospina, Maria; Saltaji, Humam; Hartling, Lisa

2013-09-17

Assessing the risk of bias of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is crucial to understand how biases affect treatment effect estimates. A number of tools have been developed to evaluate risk of bias of RCTs; however, it is unknown how these tools compare to each other in the items included. The main objective of this study was to describe which individual items are included in RCT quality tools used in general health and physical therapy (PT) research, and how these items compare to those of the Cochrane Risk of Bias (RoB) tool. We used comprehensive literature searches and a systematic approach to identify tools that evaluated the methodological quality or risk of bias of RCTs in general health and PT research. We extracted individual items from all quality tools. We calculated the frequency of quality items used across tools and compared them to those in the RoB tool. Comparisons were made between general health and PT quality tools using Chi-squared tests. In addition to the RoB tool, 26 quality tools were identified, with 19 being used in general health and seven in PT research. The total number of quality items included in general health research tools was 130, compared with 48 items across PT tools and seven items in the RoB tool. The most frequently included items in general health research tools (14/19, 74%) were inclusion and exclusion criteria, and appropriate statistical analysis. In contrast, the most frequent items included in PT tools (86%, 6/7) were: baseline comparability, blinding of investigator/assessor, and use of intention-to-treat analysis. Key items of the RoB tool (sequence generation and allocation concealment) were included in 71% (5/7) of PT tools, and 63% (12/19) and 37% (7/19) of general health research tools, respectively. There is extensive item variation across tools that evaluate the risk of bias of RCTs in health research. Results call for an in-depth analysis of items that should be used to assess risk of bias of RCTs. Further empirical evidence on the use of individual items and the psychometric properties of risk of bias tools is needed.

Gaps"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2013

2013-01-01

This study investigated the effect of daily quizzes on the performance of college students. Students in an introductory psychology course used their own wireless-enabled devices to take short Internet-based quizzes at the beginning of every class. The quiz items were drawn approximately equally from material covered in the readings and the…

Development of the Competitive Work Environment Scale: A Multidimensional Climate Construct

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fletcher, Thomas D.; Nusbaum, David N.

2010-01-01

Recent research suggests that competitive work environments may influence individual's attitudes, behaviors, stress, and performance. Unfortunately, adequate measures of competitive environments are lacking. This article traces the development of a new multidimensional competitive work environment scale. An initial 59-item pool covering five…

Bilingual/Bicultural Education: Titles and Abstracts of Doctoral Dissertations, Volume II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

California State Univ., Los Angeles. Evaluation, Dissemination and Assessment Center.

This collection of dissertation abstracts on the subjects of bilingual and bicultural education originally published by "Dissertation Abstracts International" contains items in the following areas: bilingual education program management, assessment, language, curriculum, and the affective domain. The section on program management covers scope,…

Fundamentals of Solar Heating. Correspondence Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association, Vienna, VA.

This course is designed for the use of employees of the air conditioning industry, and offers supervised correspondence instruction about solar technology. The following aspects of applied solar technology are covered: solar heating and cooling, solar radiation, solar collectors, heat storage control devices and specialty items, sizing solar…

About Women on Campus, 1996.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandler, Bernice Resnick, Ed.

1996-01-01

This quarterly newsletter provides information about the programs, issues, and concerns of women students, faculty, and administrators in higher education. Each of these four issues (comprising 1 year's worth) presents brief summaries of news items or reports in regularly appearing sections covering campus news, the workplace, sexual harassment,…

About Women on Campus, 1998.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandler, Bernice Resnick, Ed.

1998-01-01

This quarterly newsletter provides information about the programs, issues, and concerns of women students, faculty, and administrators in higher education. Each of these four issues (comprising a single year) presents brief summaries of new items or reports in regularly appearing sections covering campus news, the workplace, sexual harassment,…

Laboratory Animal Welfare Supplement IV.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gluckstein, Fritz P., Comp.

This document is the fourth supplement to a 1984 bibliography on laboratory animal welfare. Items presented were selected because they represent some of the most significant of those providing recent information or because they were considered useful. The period covered is October, 1986 through October, 1987. Monographs, conference proceedings,…

48 CFR 32.105 - Uses of contract financing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Uses of contract financing... CONTRACTING REQUIREMENTS CONTRACT FINANCING Non-Commercial Item Purchase Financing 32.105 Uses of contract financing. (a) Contract financing methods covered in this part are intended to be self-liquidating through...

Developing and investigating the use of single-item measures in organizational research.

PubMed

Fisher, Gwenith G; Matthews, Russell A; Gibbons, Alyssa Mitchell

2016-01-01

The validity of organizational research relies on strong research methods, which include effective measurement of psychological constructs. The general consensus is that multiple item measures have better psychometric properties than single-item measures. However, due to practical constraints (e.g., survey length, respondent burden) there are situations in which certain single items may be useful for capturing information about constructs that might otherwise go unmeasured. We evaluated 37 items, including 18 newly developed items as well as 19 single items selected from existing multiple-item scales based on psychometric characteristics, to assess 18 constructs frequently measured in organizational and occupational health psychology research. We examined evidence of reliability; convergent, discriminant, and content validity assessments; and test-retest reliabilities at 1- and 3-month time lags for single-item measures using a multistage and multisource validation strategy across 3 studies, including data from N = 17 occupational health subject matter experts and N = 1,634 survey respondents across 2 samples. Items selected from existing scales generally demonstrated better internal consistency reliability and convergent validity, whereas these particular new items generally had higher levels of content validity. We offer recommendations regarding when use of single items may be more or less appropriate, as well as 11 items that seem acceptable, 14 items with mixed results that might be used with caution due to mixed results, and 12 items we do not recommend using as single-item measures. Although multiple-item measures are preferable from a psychometric standpoint, in some circumstances single-item measures can provide useful information. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

School nursing for children with special needs: does number of schools make a difference?

PubMed

Kruger, Barbara J; Toker, Karen H; Radjenovic, Doreen; Comeaux, Judy M; Macha, Kiran

2009-08-01

Few recent studies have focused on the role of school nurses who predominantly care for children with special health care needs (CSHCN). The primary aim of this study was to explore differences related to (a) child health conditions covered, (b) direct care procedures, (c) care management functions, and (c) consultation sources used among nurses who spent the majority of their time caring for CSHCN compared to a mixed student population and among nurses who covered a single school versus multiple schools. A community-based interdisciplinary team developed a 28-item survey which was completed by 50 nurses (48.5% response) employed by health departments and school districts. Descriptive and comparative statistics and thematic coding were used to analyze data. Nurses who covered a single school (n = 23) or who were primarily assigned to CSHCN (n = 13) had a lower number of students, and more frequently (a) encountered complex child conditions, (b) performed direct care procedures, (c) participated in Individualized Education Plan (IEP) development, (d) collaborated with the Title V-CSHCN agency, and e) communicated with physicians, compared to nurses who covered multiple schools or a general child population. Benefits centered on the children, scope of work, school environment, and family relationships. Challenges included high caseloads, school district priorities, and families who did not follow up. The number of schools that the nurses covered, percent of time caring for CSHCN, and employer type (school district or health department) affected the scope of school nurse practice. Recommendations are for lower student-to-nurse ratios, improved nursing supervision, and educational support.

Financial Conflicts of Interest Checklist 2010 for clinical research studies.

PubMed

Rochon, Paula A; Hoey, John; Chan, An-Wen; Ferris, Lorraine E; Lexchin, Joel; Kalkar, Sunila R; Sekeres, Melanie; Wu, Wei; Van Laethem, Marleen; Gruneir, Andrea; Maskalyk, James; Streiner, David L; Gold, Jennifer; Taback, Nathan; Moher, David

2010-01-01

A conflict of interest is defined as "a set of conditions in which professional judgment concerning a primary interest (such as a patient's welfare or the validity of research) tends to be unduly influenced by a secondary interest (such as financial gain)" [Thompson DF. Understanding financial conflicts of interest. N Engl J Med 1993;329(8):573-576]. Because financial conflict of interest (fCOI) can occur at different stages of a study, and because it can be difficult for investigators to detect their own bias, particularly retrospectively, we sought to provide funders, journal editors and other stakeholders with a standardized tool that initiates detailed reporting of different aspects of fCOI when the study begins and continues that reporting throughout the study process to publication. We developed a checklist using a 3-phase process of pre-meeting item generation, a stakeholder meeting and post-meeting consolidation. External experts (n = 18), research team members (n = 12) and research staff members (n = 4) rated or reviewed items for some or all of the 7 major iterations. The resulting Financial Conflicts of Interest Checklist 2010 consists of 4 sections covering administrative, study, personal financial, and authorship information, which are divided into 6 modules and contain a total of 15 items and their related sub-items; it also includes a glossary of terms. The modules are designed to be completed by all investigators at different points over the course of the study, and updated information can be appended to the checklist when it is submitted to stakeholder groups for review. We invite comments and suggestions for improvement at http://www.openmedicine.ca/fcoichecklist and ask stakeholder groups to endorse the use of the checklist.

Design and development of food safety knowledge and attitude scales for consumer food safety education.

PubMed

Medeiros, Lydia C; Hillers, Virginia N; Chen, Gang; Bergmann, Verna; Kendall, Patricia; Schroeder, Mary

2004-11-01

The objective of this study was to design and develop food safety knowledge and attitude scales based on food-handling guidelines developed by a national panel of food safety experts. Knowledge (n=43) and attitude (n=49) questions were developed and pilot-tested with a variety of consumer groups. Final questions were selected based on item analysis and on validity and reliability statistical tests. Knowledge questions were tested in Washington State with participants in low-income nutrition education programs (pretest/posttest n=58, test/retest n=19) and college students (pretest/posttest n=34). Attitude questions were tested in Ohio with nutrition education program participants (n=30) and college students (non-nutrition majors n=138, nutrition majors n=57). Item analysis, paired sample t tests, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and Cronbach's alpha were used. Reliability and validity tests of individual items and the question sets were used to reduce the scales to 18 knowledge questions and 10 attitude questions. The knowledge and attitude scales covered topics ranked as important by a national panel of experts and met most validity and reliability standards. The 18-item knowledge questionnaire had instructional sensitivity (mean score increase of more than three points after instruction), internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha >.75), and produced similar results in test-retest without intervention (coefficient of stability=.81). Knowledge of correct procedures for hand washing and avoiding cross-contamination was widespread before instruction. Knowledge was limited regarding avoiding food preparation while ill, cooking hamburgers, high-risk foods, and whether cooked rice and potatoes could be stored at room temperature. The 10-item attitude scale had an appropriate range of responses (item difficulty) and produced similar results in test-retest ( P

Cross-cultural differences in the conceptualisation of patients' satisfaction with psychiatric services--content validity of the English version of the Verona Service Satisfaction Scale.

PubMed

Henderson, Claire; Hales, Heidi; Ruggeri, Mirella

2003-03-01

The VSSS is a multi-dimensional questionnaire developed to address methodological concerns about measurement of satisfaction with services on the part of psychiatric patients. The acceptability, sensitivity, content validity and test-retest reliability of the original version of the VSSS, in Italian, have already been demonstrated [1, 2]. The internal consistency [3] and test-retest reliability [4] of the English translation have been shown to be within acceptable ranges. The content validity of the original 82-item and the 54-item English version has not yet been assessed. The aims of this study were to assess the content validity of the English translation of the VSSS and to compare it with that of the original version in Italian. We used data collected as part of the first wave (T1) of the PRiSM Psychosis Study [5] and repeated the methods used to assess the content validity of the original Italian version of the VSSS [1, 2]. Content elements derived from answers to four open questions were rated independently by CH and HH in terms of their equivalence to VSSS items or dimensions. were compared to those from the content validity study of the Italian version. Results Inter-rater agreement was very high. The largest proportion of the content elements of the answers were rated as equivalent or related to a questionnaire item or a dimension of the VSSS. The dimension 'Professionals' Skills and Behaviour' appears the most significant contributor to satisfaction, as it was most often related to content elements in answers to all four key questions (39.1 %). The second most frequently mentioned dimension was that of 'Types of Intervention' for three out of four open questions, while 'Access' was second most frequent for the fourth. Of the content elements, 17.2 % did not include items or dimensions covered by the VSSS; the three most frequently mentioned were other patients, food and security. The 82-item English version of the VSSS captures sharply most contents relevant to patients' satisfaction. Consideration of contributors to satisfaction so far neglected may refine the conceptualisation of satisfaction.

Item validity vs. item discrimination index: a redundancy?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panjaitan, R. L.; Irawati, R.; Sujana, A.; Hanifah, N.; Djuanda, D.

2018-03-01

In several literatures about evaluation and test analysis, it is common to find that there are calculations of item validity as well as item discrimination index (D) with different formula for each. Meanwhile, other resources said that item discrimination index could be obtained by calculating the correlation between the testee’s score in a particular item and the testee’s score on the overall test, which is actually the same concept as item validity. Some research reports, especially undergraduate theses tend to include both item validity and item discrimination index in the instrument analysis. It seems that these concepts might overlap for both reflect the test quality on measuring the examinees’ ability. In this paper, examples of some results of data processing on item validity and item discrimination index were compared. It would be discussed whether item validity and item discrimination index can be represented by one of them only or it should be better to present both calculations for simple test analysis, especially in undergraduate theses where test analyses were included.

Development of a simple 12-item theory-based instrument to assess the impact of continuing professional development on clinical behavioral intentions.

PubMed

Légaré, France; Borduas, Francine; Freitas, Adriana; Jacques, André; Godin, Gaston; Luconi, Francesca; Grimshaw, Jeremy

2014-01-01

Decision-makers in organizations providing continuing professional development (CPD) have identified the need for routine assessment of its impact on practice. We sought to develop a theory-based instrument for evaluating the impact of CPD activities on health professionals' clinical behavioral intentions. Our multipronged study had four phases. 1) We systematically reviewed the literature for instruments that used socio-cognitive theories to assess healthcare professionals' clinically-oriented behavioral intentions and/or behaviors; we extracted items relating to the theoretical constructs of an integrated model of healthcare professionals' behaviors and removed duplicates. 2) A committee of researchers and CPD decision-makers selected a pool of items relevant to CPD. 3) An international group of experts (n = 70) reached consensus on the most relevant items using electronic Delphi surveys. 4) We created a preliminary instrument with the items found most relevant and assessed its factorial validity, internal consistency and reliability (weighted kappa) over a two-week period among 138 physicians attending a CPD activity. Out of 72 potentially relevant instruments, 47 were analyzed. Of the 1218 items extracted from these, 16% were discarded as improperly phrased and 70% discarded as duplicates. Mapping the remaining items onto the constructs of the integrated model of healthcare professionals' behaviors yielded a minimum of 18 and a maximum of 275 items per construct. The partnership committee retained 61 items covering all seven constructs. Two iterations of the Delphi process produced consensus on a provisional 40-item questionnaire. Exploratory factorial analysis following test-retest resulted in a 12-item questionnaire. Cronbach's coefficients for the constructs varied from 0.77 to 0.85. A 12-item theory-based instrument for assessing the impact of CPD activities on health professionals' clinical behavioral intentions showed adequate validity and reliability. Further studies could assess its responsiveness to behavior change following CPD activities and its capacity to predict health professionals' clinical performance.

Validity and measurement precision of the PROMIS physical function item bank and a content validity-driven 20-item short form in rheumatoid arthritis compared with traditional measures.

PubMed

Oude Voshaar, Martijn A H; Ten Klooster, Peter M; Glas, Cees A W; Vonkeman, Harald E; Taal, Erik; Krishnan, Eswar; Bernelot Moens, Hein J; Boers, Maarten; Terwee, Caroline B; van Riel, Piet L C M; van de Laar, Mart A F J

2015-12-01

To evaluate the content validity and measurement properties of the Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) physical function item bank and a 20-item short form in patients with RA in comparison with the HAQ disability index (HAQ-DI) and 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) physical functioning scale (PF-10). The content validity of the instruments was evaluated by linking their items to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) core set for RA. The measures were administered to 690 RA patients enrolled in the Dutch Rheumatoid Arthritis Monitoring registry. Measurement precision was evaluated using item response theory methods and construct validity was evaluated by correlating physical function scores with other clinical and patient-reported outcome measures. All 207 health concepts identified in the physical function measures referred to activities that are featured in the ICF. Twenty-three of 26 ICF RA core set domains are featured in the full PROMIS physical function item bank compared with 13 and 8 for the HAQ-DI and PF-10, respectively. As hypothesized, all three physical function instruments were highly intercorrelated (r 0.74-0.84), moderately correlated with disease activity measures (r 0.44-0.63) and weakly correlated with age (rs 0.07-0.14). Item response theory-based analysis revealed that a 20-item PROMIS physical function short form covered a wider range of physical function levels than the HAQ-DI or PF-10. The PROMIS physical function item bank demonstrated excellent measurement properties in RA. A content-driven 20-item short form may be a useful tool for assessing physical function in RA. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Development of a Simple 12-Item Theory-Based Instrument to Assess the Impact of Continuing Professional Development on Clinical Behavioral Intentions

PubMed Central

Légaré, France; Borduas, Francine; Freitas, Adriana; Jacques, André; Godin, Gaston; Luconi, Francesca; Grimshaw, Jeremy

2014-01-01

Background Decision-makers in organizations providing continuing professional development (CPD) have identified the need for routine assessment of its impact on practice. We sought to develop a theory-based instrument for evaluating the impact of CPD activities on health professionals' clinical behavioral intentions. Methods and Findings Our multipronged study had four phases. 1) We systematically reviewed the literature for instruments that used socio-cognitive theories to assess healthcare professionals' clinically-oriented behavioral intentions and/or behaviors; we extracted items relating to the theoretical constructs of an integrated model of healthcare professionals' behaviors and removed duplicates. 2) A committee of researchers and CPD decision-makers selected a pool of items relevant to CPD. 3) An international group of experts (n = 70) reached consensus on the most relevant items using electronic Delphi surveys. 4) We created a preliminary instrument with the items found most relevant and assessed its factorial validity, internal consistency and reliability (weighted kappa) over a two-week period among 138 physicians attending a CPD activity. Out of 72 potentially relevant instruments, 47 were analyzed. Of the 1218 items extracted from these, 16% were discarded as improperly phrased and 70% discarded as duplicates. Mapping the remaining items onto the constructs of the integrated model of healthcare professionals' behaviors yielded a minimum of 18 and a maximum of 275 items per construct. The partnership committee retained 61 items covering all seven constructs. Two iterations of the Delphi process produced consensus on a provisional 40-item questionnaire. Exploratory factorial analysis following test-retest resulted in a 12-item questionnaire. Cronbach's coefficients for the constructs varied from 0.77 to 0.85. Conclusion A 12-item theory-based instrument for assessing the impact of CPD activities on health professionals' clinical behavioral intentions showed adequate validity and reliability. Further studies could assess its responsiveness to behavior change following CPD activities and its capacity to predict health professionals' clinical performance. PMID:24643173

Nickel on the Swedish market: follow-up 10 years after entry into force of the EU Nickel Directive.

PubMed

Biesterbos, Jacqueline; Yazar, Kerem; Lidén, Carola

2010-12-01

The EU Nickel Directive, aimed at primary and secondary prevention of nickel allergy by limitation of nickel release from certain items, came fully into force in July 2001. To assess the prevalence on the market of items with nickel release and to compare the outcome with previous studies performed in Sweden in 1999 and 2002-2003. Nickel release from 659 items covered by the EU Nickel Directive was assessed with the dimethylglyoxime (DMG) test. Special attention, as compared with the previous surveys, was given to cheap jewellery in street markets and sewing materials in haberdashery shops. Nickel release was shown for 9% of the tested items, all of which were intended for direct and prolonged contact with the skin. A high proportion of items bought at haberdashery shops and street markets, 34% and 61%, respectively, showed nickel release. The Swedish market for products intended for direct and prolonged contact with the skin has largely adapted to the Nickel Directive. It is suggested that authorities should monitor the market regularly and give attention to areas where compliance with the requirements is poor, for protection of public health. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Indicators of Family Care for Development for Use in Multicountry Surveys

PubMed Central

Kariger, Patricia; Engle, Patrice; Britto, Pia M. Rebello; Sywulka, Sara M.; Menon, Purnima

2012-01-01

Indicators of family care for development are essential for ascertaining whether families are providing their children with an environment that leads to positive developmental outcomes. This project aimed to develop indicators from a set of items, measuring family care practices and resources important for caregiving, for use in epidemiologic surveys in developing countries. A mixed method (quantitative and qualitative) design was used for item selection and evaluation. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were conducted to examine the validity of candidate items in several country samples. Qualitative methods included the use of global expert panels to identify and evaluate the performance of each candidate item as well as in-country focus groups to test the content validity of the items. The quantitative methods included analyses of item-response distributions, using bivariate techniques. The selected items measured two family care practices (support for learning/stimulating environment and limit-setting techniques) and caregiving resources (adequacy of the alternate caregiver when the mother worked). Six play-activity items, indicative of support for learning/stimulating environment, were included in the core module of UNICEF's Multiple Cluster Indictor Survey 3. The other items were included in optional modules. This project provided, for the first time, a globally-relevant set of items for assessing family care practices and resources in epidemiological surveys. These items have multiple uses, including national monitoring and cross-country comparisons of the status of family care for development used globally. The obtained information will reinforce attention to efforts to improve the support for development of children. PMID:23304914

15 CFR 701.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Export Sales—Exports that are either Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or commercial (direct) sales of defense...) Example 7. Company A, a U.S. firm, makes an investment in Company B, a foreign firm located in country C... categorized as investment and would be direct because the investment involves an item covered by the offset...

Holidays. Instructional Media Advisory List.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North Carolina State Dept. of Public Instruction, Raleigh. Div. of Media Evaluation Service.

This annotated bibliography is directed at teachers of students in grades preK-6 and covers books about holidays. The holidays for which materials are listed are: Christmas, Easter, Halloween, Hanukkah, Passover, Purim, Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Thanksgiving, and Valentine's Day. A directory of publishers from whom these items are available is…

42 CFR 424.530 - Denial of enrollment in the Medicare program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... enrollment application to the type of provider or supplier enrolling, and has not submitted a plan of... the provider or supplier is not operational, or is not meeting Medicare enrollment requirements to... A provider is no longer operational to furnish Medicare covered items or services, or the provider...

42 CFR 423.578 - Exceptions process.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... cost-sharing structure. Each Part D plan sponsor that provides prescription drug benefits for Part D... sponsor required to cover a non-preferred drug at the generic drug cost-sharing level if the plan... tier in which it places very high cost and unique items, such as genomic and biotech products, the...

Health Instruction Packages: Office Skills for Dental Assistants.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McEnery, Paula

These six modules provide information, illustrations, and exercises to teach dental assisting students a variety of office skills. The first module, "Patients' Records," stresses the importance of patient records to the dental health team, covers all of the items on a patient record, and teaches how to complete patient information cards…

48 CFR 3025.7002-3 - Specific application of trade agreements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... trade agreements. 3025.7002-3 Section 3025.7002-3 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEPARTMENT OF... ACQUISITION 3025.7002-3 Specific application of trade agreements. (a) For covered items entitled to non-discriminatory treatment under the World Trade Organization Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO GPA), or any...

Maintaining the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command Prototype Integration Facilities

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-05-01

shelters, tents and fabric covers, mechanical aerial delivery parts and components, kitchens , and combat feeding items (see Figure 4). NSRDEC’s PIF is...generic terms and refrain from revealing confidential or classified information. Research hypotheses are as follows: H1: The PIF leadership predicts

The 1988 CDA National Survey Results.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition, Washington, DC.

A 44-item questionnare was sent to 11,000 Child Development Associates in the fall of 1988 in an effort to provide an updated view of the constituency served by the Child Development Association (CDA) National Credentialing Program. The questionnaire covered four categories: (1) background information; (2) education and experience; (3) training…

Education and Training in Mapping Sciences: A Working Bibliography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steward, Harry

This compilation of 720 items in the mapping sciences is presented alphabetically by author. The term 'mapping sciences' has been interpreted in a catholic sense, to cover the varied aspects of the three main elements, surveying, photogrammetry, and cartography, as well as their subdivisions and combinations. Map librarianship, professional…

75 FR 43182 - Voluntary Registration by Authorized Officials of Non-Covered Retail Food Establishments and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-23

... Act) established requirements for nutrition labeling of standard menu items for restaurants and..., pending promulgation of regulations. FDA is issuing this notice to assist restaurants and similar retail... INFORMATION: I. Background Section 4205 of the Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148) requires restaurants...

Development and Validation of a Depression Scale for Asian Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woo, Bernardine S. C.; Chang, W. C.; Fung, Daniel S. S.; Koh, Jessie B. K.; Leong, Joyce S. F.; Kee, Carolyn H. Y.; Seah, Cheryl K. F.

2004-01-01

Items covering both core and culture-specific facets of depression were generated based on literature review and clinical experience. They were modified following focus group discussions with depressed adolescents and adolescents in the community. The newly constructed Asian Adolescent Depression Scale (AADS) was administered to a clinical and a…

English Around the World, Number 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCulloch, John I. B., Ed.

This newsletter discusses the teaching and role of English around the world. Articles also cover English-language media in a given country, and the opportunity and need for understanding and speaking English in that country. This particular issue contains items on English-language education and use in Africa, Mexico, St. Martin, Burma, West…

37 CFR 2.208 - Deposit accounts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... copies of records, or services offered by the Office, deposit accounts may be established in the Office... upon receipt of the statement to cover the value of items or services charged to the account and thus... services requested must always be on deposit. Charges to accounts with insufficient funds will not be...

Math: Figure and Object Characteristics. Measurement and Geometry. Grades K-9. Revised Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Instructional Objectives Exchange, Los Angeles, CA.

To help classroom teachers construct mathematics tests, thirty-seven general objectives, corresponding sub-objectives, sample test items, and answers are presented. In general, sub-objectives are arranged in increasing order of difficulty. The objectives were written to comprehensively cover two categories: measurement and geometry. Measurement…

41 CFR 109-28.000-51 - Storage guidelines.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Storage guidelines. 109...-STORAGE AND DISTRIBUTION § 109-28.000-51 Storage guidelines. (a) Indoor storage areas should be arranged... capacities. (b) Storage yards for items not requiring covered protection shall be protected by locked fenced...

41 CFR 109-28.000-51 - Storage guidelines.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Storage guidelines. 109...-STORAGE AND DISTRIBUTION § 109-28.000-51 Storage guidelines. (a) Indoor storage areas should be arranged... capacities. (b) Storage yards for items not requiring covered protection shall be protected by locked fenced...

41 CFR 109-28.000-51 - Storage guidelines.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Storage guidelines. 109...-STORAGE AND DISTRIBUTION § 109-28.000-51 Storage guidelines. (a) Indoor storage areas should be arranged... capacities. (b) Storage yards for items not requiring covered protection shall be protected by locked fenced...

41 CFR 109-28.000-51 - Storage guidelines.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Storage guidelines. 109...-STORAGE AND DISTRIBUTION § 109-28.000-51 Storage guidelines. (a) Indoor storage areas should be arranged... capacities. (b) Storage yards for items not requiring covered protection shall be protected by locked fenced...

41 CFR 109-28.000-51 - Storage guidelines.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Storage guidelines. 109...-STORAGE AND DISTRIBUTION § 109-28.000-51 Storage guidelines. (a) Indoor storage areas should be arranged... capacities. (b) Storage yards for items not requiring covered protection shall be protected by locked fenced...

14 CFR 151.89 - Roads.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...) Appendix G sets forth typical eligible and ineligible items of road construction covered by this section. ... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Roads. 151.89 Section 151.89 Aeronautics... AID TO AIRPORTS Project Programming Standards § 151.89 Roads. (a) Federal-aid Airport Program funds...

14 CFR Appendix A to Part 1204 - Items To Cover in Memoranda of Agreement

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... information required for development planning and constitute a resource that can often save Federal planners... Circular A-95 clearinghouses for coordinating NASA and civilian planning: 1. Clearinghouses will be contacted at the earliest practicable point in project planning. Generally, this will be during the...

NDI (Nondestructive Inspection) Oriented Corrosion Control for Army Aircraft. Phase 1. Inspection Methods

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-07-01

Appendices A and B and are provided as cover sheets from each item rather than completc packages. The Pamplet Series materials were furnished as camera-ready...34Stational Neutron Radiography System for Aircraft Reliability and Maintainability." G. A. Technologies Brochure , Triga Reactor Division, San Diego

The effect of television news items on intimate partner violence murders.

PubMed

Vives-Cases, C; Torrubiano-Domínguez, J; Alvarez-Dardet, C

2009-12-01

This study has been carried out in order to explore the effect of the growing appearance of IPV in television news items on deaths by this cause. Ecological study based on 340 deaths by intimate partner violence (IPV) and 3733 television news items covering this topic on Spanish television channels (2003 and 2007). Logistic regression analysis was carried out. Dependent variable: the difference between the number of IPV deaths in the 7 days following a news item broadcast and the number of IPV deaths in the 7 days before a media item. This outcome variable was conceptualised as a binary variable: increase vs. no increase. days with IPV news items-in general, concerning deaths, measures or other IPV crimes. Adjusted variables: day of the week, month, year and public holidays. A small copycat effect was observed in the IPV murder rate (RR = 1.32, CI(95%) = 1.07 - 1.62) for IPV-related news item days compared with days without such news. This effect continued when information about deaths was broadcast (RR = 1.28, CI(95%) = 1.01 - 1.62). News items concerning measures (RR = 0.90, CI(95%) = 0.82 - 0.98) or other IPV crimes (0.84, CI(95%) = 0.82 - 0.98) were related to a lower possibility of an increase in deaths compared with days with death-related news. Given the results observed in the case of IPV-related news, there is an evident need to develop a journalistic style guide in order to determine what type of information is recommended due to the potential positive or negative effects.

Development and validation of the quality care questionnaire -palliative care (QCQ-PC): patient-reported assessment of quality of palliative care.

PubMed

Yun, Young Ho; Kang, Eun Kyo; Lee, Jihye; Choo, Jiyeon; Ryu, Hyewon; Yun, Hye-Min; Kang, Jung Hun; Kim, Tae You; Sim, Jin-Ah; Kim, Yaeji

2018-03-05

In this study, we aimed to develop and validate an instrument that could be used by patients with cancer to evaluate their quality of palliative care. Development of the questionnaire followed the four-phase process: item generation and reduction, construction, pilot testing, and field testing. Based on the literature, we constructed a list of items for the quality of palliative care from 104 quality care issues divided into 14 subscales. We constructed scales of 43 items that only the cancer patients were asked to answer. Using relevance and feasibility criteria and pilot testing, we developed a 44-item questionnaire. To assess the sensitivity and validity of the questionnaire, we recruited 220 patients over 18 years of age from three Korean hospitals. Factor analysis of the data and fit statistics process resulted in the 4-factor, 32-item Quality Care Questionnaire-Palliative Care (QCQ-PC), which covers appropriate communication with health care professionals (ten items), discussing value of life and goals of care (nine items), support and counseling for needs of holistic care (seven items), and accessibility and sustainability of care (six items). All subscales and total scores showed a high internal consistency (Cronbach alpha range, 0.89 to 0.97). Multi-trait scaling analysis showed good convergent (0.568-0.995) and discriminant (0.472-0.869) validity. The correlation between the total and subscale scores of QCQ-PC and those of EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL, MQOL, SAT-SF, and DCS was obtained. This study demonstrates that the QCQ-PC can be adopted to assess the quality of care in patients with cancer.

[Examination of calibrated item banks for the assessment of work capacity in an outpatient sample of cardiological patients].

PubMed

Haschke, A; Abberger, B; Schröder, K; Wirtz, M; Bengel, J; Baumeister, H

2013-12-01

Work capacity is a major outcome variable in cardiological rehabilitation. However, there is a lacks of capacious and economic assessment instruments for work capacity. By developing item response theory based item banks a first step to close this gap is done. The present study aims to validate the work capacity item banks for cardiovascular rehabilitation inpatients (WCIB-Cardio) in a sample of cardiovascular rehabilitation outpatients. Additionally, we examined differences between in- and outpatients with regard to their work capacity. Data of 283 cardiovascular rehabilitation inpatients and 77 cardiovascular rehabilitation outpatients were collected in 15 rehabilitation centres. The WCIB-Cardio contains the 2 domains of "cognitive work capacity"(20 items) and "physical work capacity"(18 items). Validation of the item bank for cardiological outpatients was conducted with separate Rasch analysis for each domain. For the domain of cognitive work capacity 10 items showed satisfying quality criteria (Rasch reliability=0.71; overall model fit=0.07). For the domain of physical work capacity good values for Rasch-reliability (0.83) and overall -model fit (0.65) could be proven after exclusion of 3 items. Unidimensionality and a broad ability spectrum could be covered for both domains. With regard to content, outpatients evaluate themselves less burdened than inpatients for the domain of cognitive work capacity (‾X outpatient =-2.06 vs. ‾X inpatient =-2.49; p<0.07) similarly for the domain of physical work capacity (‾X outpatient =-3.68 vs. ‾X inpatient =-2.88; p<0.01). With the WCIB-Cardio II there is a precondition to develop self-report instruments of work capacity in cardiological in- and outpatients. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

10 CFR Appendix I to Part 1050 - DOE Form 3735.2-Foreign Gifts Statement

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... should always be indicated in item 1; if the employee is the recipient of the gift then items 5 and 6... information should be included in items 5 and 6. Item 2.Self explanatory. Items 3 and 4.The Office or Division... employee or a spouse or dependent. Items 5 and 6.See above, Item 1. Item 7.Self explanatory. Item 8.Self...

A new Integrated Negative Symptom structure of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) in schizophrenia using item response analysis.

PubMed

Khan, Anzalee; Lindenmayer, Jean-Pierre; Opler, Mark; Yavorsky, Christian; Rothman, Brian; Lucic, Luka

2013-10-01

Debate persists with regard to how best to categorize the syndromal dimension of negative symptoms in schizophrenia. The aim was to first review published Principle Components Analysis (PCA) of the PANSS, and extract items most frequently included in the negative domain, and secondly, to examine the quality of items using Item Response Theory (IRT) to select items that best represent a measurable dimension (or dimensions) of negative symptoms. First, 22 factor analyses and PCA met were included. Second, using a large dataset (n=7187) of participants in clinical trials with chronic schizophrenia, we extracted items loading on one or more PCA. Third, items not loading with a value of ≥ 0.5, or loading on more than one component with values of ≥ 0.5 were discarded. Fourth, resulting items were included in a non-parametric IRT and retained based on Option Characteristic Curves (OCCs) and Item Characteristic Curves (ICCs). 15 items loaded on a negative domain in at least one study, with Emotional Withdrawal loading on all studies. Non-parametric IRT retained nine items as an Integrated Negative Factor: Emotional Withdrawal, Blunted Affect, Passive/Apathetic Social Withdrawal, Poor Rapport, Lack of Spontaneity/Conversation Flow, Active Social Avoidance, Disturbance of Volition, Stereotyped Thinking and Difficulty in Abstract Thinking. This is the first study to use a psychometric IRT process to arrive at a set of negative symptom items. Future steps will include further examination of these nine items in terms of their stability, sensitivity to change, and correlations with functional and cognitive outcomes. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Item Response Theory Analyses of the Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT)

PubMed Central

Cho, Sun-Joo; Wilmer, Jeremy; Herzmann, Grit; McGugin, Rankin; Fiset, Daniel; Van Gulick, Ana E.; Ryan, Katie; Gauthier, Isabel

2014-01-01

We evaluated the psychometric properties of the Cambridge face memory test (CFMT; Duchaine & Nakayama, 2006). First, we assessed the dimensionality of the test with a bi-factor exploratory factor analysis (EFA). This EFA analysis revealed a general factor and three specific factors clustered by targets of CFMT. However, the three specific factors appeared to be minor factors that can be ignored. Second, we fit a unidimensional item response model. This item response model showed that the CFMT items could discriminate individuals at different ability levels and covered a wide range of the ability continuum. We found the CFMT to be particularly precise for a wide range of ability levels. Third, we implemented item response theory (IRT) differential item functioning (DIF) analyses for each gender group and two age groups (Age ≤ 20 versus Age > 21). This DIF analysis suggested little evidence of consequential differential functioning on the CFMT for these groups, supporting the use of the test to compare older to younger, or male to female, individuals. Fourth, we tested for a gender difference on the latent facial recognition ability with an explanatory item response model. We found a significant but small gender difference on the latent ability for face recognition, which was higher for women than men by 0.184, at age mean 23.2, controlling for linear and quadratic age effects. Finally, we discuss the practical considerations of the use of total scores versus IRT scale scores in applications of the CFMT. PMID:25642930

The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies.

PubMed

von Elm, Erik; Altman, Douglas G; Egger, Matthias; Pocock, Stuart J; Gøtzsche, Peter C; Vandenbroucke, Jan P

2014-12-01

Much biomedical research is observational. The reporting of such research is often inadequate, which hampers the assessment of its strengths and weaknesses and of a study's generalisability. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Initiative developed recommendations on what should be included in an accurate and complete report of an observational study. We defined the scope of the recommendations to cover three main study designs: cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies. We convened a 2-day workshop in September 2004, with methodologists, researchers, and journal editors to draft a checklist of items. This list was subsequently revised during several meetings of the coordinating group and in e-mail discussions with the larger group of STROBE contributors, taking into account empirical evidence and methodological considerations. The workshop and the subsequent iterative process of consultation and revision resulted in a checklist of 22 items (the STROBE Statement) that relate to the title, abstract, introduction, methods, results, and discussion sections of articles. 18 items are common to all three study designs and four are specific for cohort, case-control, or cross-sectional studies. A detailed Explanation and Elaboration document is published separately and is freely available on the Web sites of PLoS Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, and Epidemiology. We hope that the STROBE Statement will contribute to improving the quality of reporting of observational studies. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Cardiac mechanics: Physiological, clinical, and mathematical considerations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mirsky, I. (Editor); Ghista, D. N.; Sandler, H.

1974-01-01

Recent studies concerning the basic physiological and biochemical principles underlying cardiac muscle contraction, methods for the assessment of cardiac function in the clinical situation, and mathematical approaches to cardiac mechanics are presented. Some of the topics covered include: cardiac ultrastructure and function in the normal and failing heart, myocardial energetics, clinical applications of angiocardiography, use of echocardiography for evaluating cardiac performance, systolic time intervals in the noninvasive assessment of left ventricular performance in man, evaluation of passive elastic stiffness for the left ventricle and isolated heart muscle, a conceptual model of myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock, application of Huxley's sliding-filament theory to the mechanics of normal and hypertrophied cardiac muscle, and a rheological modeling of the intact left ventricle. Individual items are announced in this issue.

Mariner Jupiter/Saturn 1977 - The mission frame.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bourke, R. D.; Miles, R. F., Jr.; Penzo, P. A.; Van Dillen, S. L.; Wallace, R. A.

1972-01-01

Following the cancellation of the Outer Planet Grand Tour Project, NASA and JPL examined less ambitious, alternative missions for exploring the outer planets. The mission that proved most attractive scientifically and fits within the projected NASA budget constraints embraces dual flights to Jupiter and Saturn, with launch in 1977. NASA has implemented it as the Mariner Jupiter/Saturn 1977 (MJS77) Project. The MJS77 mission covers exploratory investigations of the Jupiter and Saturn planetary systems and the interplanetary medium out to Saturn. Items of special interest include Jupiter's great red spot, the question of Io's anomalous brightening and phenomena associated with its EM behavior. After Saturn encounter, the spacecraft will escape the solar system in the general direction of the solar apex.

Crew Exploration Vehicle Environmental Control and Life Support Development Status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lewis, John F.; Barido, Richard; Carrasquillo, Robyn; Cross, Cindy; Peterson, Laurie; Tuan, George

2009-01-01

The Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) is the first crew transport vehicle to be developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the last thirty years. The CEV is being developed to transport the crew safely from the Earth to the Moon and back again. This year, the vehicle continued to go through design refinements to reduce weight, meet requirements, and operate reliably. Preliminary Design Review was performed and long lead procurement items were started. The design of the Orion Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) system, which includes the life support and active thermal control systems, is progressing through the design stage into manufacturing. This paper covers the Orion ECLS development from April 2009 to April 2010.

Crew Exploration Vehicle Environmental Control and Life Support Ddevelopment Status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lewis, John F.; Barido, Richard A.; Carrasquillo, Robyn; Cross, Cynthia d.; Rains, Ed; Tuan, George C.

2010-01-01

The Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) is the first crew transport vehicle to be developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the last thirty years. The CEV is being developed to transport the crew safely from the Earth to the Moon and back again. This year, the vehicle continued to go through design refinements to reduce weight, meet requirements, and operate reliably. Preliminary Design Review was performed and long lead procurement items were started. The design of the Orion Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) system, which includes the life support and active thermal control systems, is progressing through the design stage into manufacturing. This paper covers the Orion ECLS development from April 2009 to April 2010

Interagency Workshop on Lighter than Air Vehicles, Monterey, Calif., September 9-13, 1974, Proceedings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vittek, J. F., Jr.

1975-01-01

Papers are presented which review modern lighter-than-air (LTA) airship design concepts and LTA structures and materials technology, as well as perform economic and market analyses for assessment of the viability of future LTA development programs. Potential applications of LTA vehicles are examined. Some of the topics covered include preliminary estimates of operating costs for LTA transports, an economic comparison of three heavy lift airborn systems, boundary layer control for airships, computer aided flexible envelope designs, state-of-the-art of metalclad airships, aspects of hybrid-Zeppelins, the LTA vehicle as a total cargo system, unmanned powered balloons, and a practical concept for powered or tethered weight-lifting LTA vehicles. Individual items are announced in this issue.

What is covered by "cancer rehabilitation" in PubMed? A review of randomized controlled trials 1990-2011.

PubMed

Gudbergsson, Sævar Berg; Dahl, Alv A; Loge, Jon Håvard; Thorsen, Lene; Oldervoll, Line M; Grov, Ellen K

2015-02-01

This focused review examines randomized controlled studies included by the term "cancer rehabilitation" in PubMed. The research questions concern the type of interventions performed and their methodological quality. Using the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms: neoplasm AND rehabilitation, all articles with randomized controlled studies that included adult cancer patients, written in English, were extracted from PubMed. Papers covering physical exercise, psychiatric/psychological treatment or social support only were excluded as they had been reviewed recently. Abstracts and papers were assessed by 3 pairs of reviewers, and descriptive information was extracted systematically. Methodological quality was rated on a 10-item index scale, and the cut-off for acceptable quality was set at ≥ 8. A total of 132 (19%) of the 683 identified papers met the eligibility criteria and were assessed in detail. The papers were grouped into 5 thematic categories: 44 physical; 15 art and expressive; 47 psycho-educative; 21 emotionally supportive; and 5 others. Good quality of design was observed in 32 studies, 18 of them uni-dimensional and 14 multi-dimensional. Published randomized controlled studies on cancer rehabilitation are heterogeneous in terms of content and samples, and are mostly characterized by suboptimal design quality. Future studies should be more specific and well-designed with sufficient statistical strength.

Do pig farmers preferences bias consumer choice for pork? Response to critique of the pork preference studies.

PubMed

Ngapo, T M; Fortin, J; Martin, J-F

2010-08-01

Québec consumers and pig farmers selected their preferred chop from 16 images that had been modified to give 16 treatments: two levels each of fat cover, colour, marbling and drip. The selection process was repeated eight times from different groups of chops. Fat cover (47% preferred lean) and colour (44%, light red) were the most frequently chosen characteristics. No significant differences were observed between farmers and consumers preferences (chi(2) test, P<0.05). Two preference-based clusters were found; 41% preferring dark red, lean meat and 59%, light red, lean meat, without marbling or drip. Choice-based clusters showed no significant links with either individual socio-demographic items, including pig farmer as occupation, or the three socio-demographic-based clusters observed (chi(2) test, P<0.05). No evidence was found to suggest that the choices of pig farmers differed from those of consumers and, therefore, inclusion of pig farmers in consumer panels would not bias consumer choice for pork. Crown Copyright (c) 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Significant issues in proof testing: A critical appraisal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chell, G. G.; Mcclung, R. C.; Russell, D. A.; Chang, K. J.; Donnelly, B.

1994-01-01

Issues which impact on the interpretation and quantification of proof test benefits are reviewed. The importance of each issue in contributing to the extra quality assurance conferred by proof testing components is discussed, particularly with respect to the application of advanced fracture mechanics concepts to enhance the flaw screening capability of a proof test analysis. Items covered include the role in proof testing of elastic-plastic fracture mechanics, ductile instability analysis, deterministic versus probabilistic analysis, single versus multiple cycle proof testing, and non-destructive examination (NDE). The effects of proof testing on subsequent service life are reviewed, particularly with regard to stress redistribution and changes in fracture behavior resulting from the overload. The importance of proof test conditions are also addressed, covering aspects related to test temperature, simulation of service environments, test media and the application of real-time NDE. The role of each issue in a proof test methodology is assessed with respect to its ability to: promote proof test practice to a state-of-the-art; aid optimization of proof test design; and increase awareness and understanding of outstanding issues.

Publishing nutrition research: validity, reliability, and diagnostic test assessment in nutrition-related research.

PubMed

Gleason, Philip M; Harris, Jeffrey; Sheean, Patricia M; Boushey, Carol J; Bruemmer, Barbara

2010-03-01

This is the sixth in a series of monographs on research design and analysis. The purpose of this article is to describe and discuss several concepts related to the measurement of nutrition-related characteristics and outcomes, including validity, reliability, and diagnostic tests. The article reviews the methodologic issues related to capturing the various aspects of a given nutrition measure's reliability, including test-retest, inter-item, and interobserver or inter-rater reliability. Similarly, it covers content validity, indicators of absolute vs relative validity, and internal vs external validity. With respect to diagnostic assessment, the article summarizes the concepts of sensitivity and specificity. The hope is that dietetics practitioners will be able to both use high-quality measures of nutrition concepts in their research and recognize these measures in research completed by others. Copyright 2010 American Dietetic Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment, 9th, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich., April 15-19, 1974, Proceedings. Volumes 1, 2 & 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

The present work gathers together numerous papers describing the use of remote sensing technology for mapping, monitoring, and management of earth resources and man's environment. Studies using various types of sensing equipment are described, including multispectral scanners, radar imagery, spectrometers, lidar, and aerial photography, and both manual and computer-aided data processing techniques are described. Some of the topics covered include: estimation of population density in Tokyo districts from ERTS-1 data, a clustering algorithm for unsupervised crop classification, passive microwave sensing of moist soils, interactive computer processing for land use planning, the use of remote sensing to delineate floodplains, moisture detection from Skylab, scanning thermal plumes, electrically scanning microwave radiometers, oil slick detection by X-band synthetic aperture radar, and the use of space photos for search of oil and gas fields. Individual items are announced in this issue.

The Role of Item Models in Automatic Item Generation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gierl, Mark J.; Lai, Hollis

2012-01-01

Automatic item generation represents a relatively new but rapidly evolving research area where cognitive and psychometric theories are used to produce tests that include items generated using computer technology. Automatic item generation requires two steps. First, test development specialists create item models, which are comparable to templates…

Physics 30 Program Machine-Scorable Open-Ended Questions: Unit 2: Electric and Magnetic Forces. Diploma Examinations Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton.

This document outlines the use of machine-scorable open-ended questions for the evaluation of Physics 30 in Alberta. Contents include: (1) an introduction to the questions; (2) sample instruction sheet; (3) fifteen sample items; (4) item information including the key, difficulty, and source of each item; (5) solutions to items having multiple…

75 FR 30277 - Airworthiness Directives; Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica S.A. (EMBRAER) Model ERJ 190-100 STD...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-01

... cracks resulted in modifications on the airplane Airworthiness Limitation Items (ALI), to include new... Limitation Items (ALI), to include new inspections tasks or modification of existing ones and its respective... modifications on the airplane Airworthiness Limitation Items (ALI), to include new inspections tasks or...

42 CFR 413.217 - Items and services included in the ESRD prospective payment system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... payment system. 413.217 Section 413.217 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT....217 Items and services included in the ESRD prospective payment system. The following items and services are included in the ESRD prospective payment system effective January 1, 2011: (a) Renal dialysis...

Developing an interactive mobile phone self-report system for self-management of hypertension. Part 2: content validity and usability.

PubMed

Bengtsson, Ulrika; Kjellgren, Karin; Höfer, Stefan; Taft, Charles; Ring, Lena

2014-10-01

Self-management support tools using technology may improve adherence to hypertension treatment. There is a need for user-friendly tools facilitating patients' understanding of the interconnections between blood pressure, wellbeing and lifestyle. This study aimed to examine comprehension, comprehensiveness and relevance of items, and further to evaluate the usability and reliability of an interactive hypertension-specific mobile phone self-report system. Areas important in supporting self-management and candidate items were derived from five focus group interviews with patients and healthcare professionals (n = 27), supplemented by a literature review. Items and response formats were drafted to meet specifications for mobile phone administration and were integrated into a mobile phone data-capture system. Content validity and usability were assessed iteratively in four rounds of cognitive interviews with patients (n = 21) and healthcare professionals (n = 4). Reliability was examined using a test-retest. Focus group analyses yielded six areas covered by 16 items. The cognitive interviews showed satisfactory item comprehension, relevance and coverage; however, one item was added. The mobile phone self-report system was reliable and perceived easy to use. The mobile phone self-report system appears efficiently to capture information relevant in patients' self-management of hypertension. Future studies need to evaluate the effectiveness of this tool in improving self-management of hypertension in clinical practice.

Quality of Life in orthognathic surgery patients: post-surgical improvements in aesthetics and self-confidence.

PubMed

Rustemeyer, Jan; Gregersen, Johanne

2012-07-01

The objective of this prospective study was to assess changes of Quality of Life (QoL) in patients undergoing bimaxillary orthognathic surgery. Questionnaires were based on the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP, items OH-1-OH-14) and three additional questions (items AD-1-3), and were completed by patients (n=50; mean age 26.9±9.9 years) on average 9.1±2.4 months before surgery, and 12.1±1.4 months after surgery, using a scoring scale. Item scores describing functional limitation, physical pain, physical disability and chewing function did not change significantly, whereas item scores covering psychological discomfort and social disability domains revealed significant decreases following surgery. AD-2 "dissatisfying aesthetics" revealed the greatest difference between pre- and post-surgical scores (p<0.001). If there was a perception of aesthetic improvement of facial features post-surgery, the benefit in QoL was generally high. The significant correlation of the pre- to post-surgical changes of item OH-5 "self conscious" to nearly all other item changes suggested that OH-5 was the most sensitive indicator for post-surgical improvement of QoL. Psychological factors and aesthetics exerted a strong influence on the patients' QoL, and determined major changes more than functional aspects did. Copyright © 2011 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dietary quality among men and women in 187 countries in 1990 and 2010: a systematic assessment

PubMed Central

Imamura, Fumiaki; Micha, Renata; Khatibzadeh, Shahab; Fahimi, Saman; Shi, Peilin; Powles, John; Mozaffarian, Dariush

2015-01-01

Summary Background Healthy dietary patterns are a global priority to reduce non-communicable diseases. Yet neither worldwide patterns of diets nor their trends with time are well established. We aimed to characterise global changes (or trends) in dietary patterns nationally and regionally and to assess heterogeneity by age, sex, national income, and type of dietary pattern. Methods In this systematic assessment, we evaluated global consumption of key dietary items (foods and nutrients) by region, nation, age, and sex in 1990 and 2010. Consumption data were evaluated from 325 surveys (71·7% nationally representative) covering 88·7% of the global adult population. Two types of dietary pattern were assessed: one reflecting greater consumption of ten healthy dietary items and the other based on lesser consumption of seven unhealthy dietary items. The mean intakes of each dietary factor were divided into quintiles, and each quintile was assigned an ordinal score, with higher scores being equivalent to healthier diets (range 0–100). The dietary patterns were assessed by hierarchical linear regression including country, age, sex, national income, and time as exploratory variables. Findings From 1990 to 2010, diets based on healthy items improved globally (by 2·2 points, 95% uncertainty interval (UI) 0·9 to 3·5), whereas diets based on unhealthy items worsened (−2·5, −3·3 to −1·7). In 2010, the global mean scores were 44·0 (SD 10·5) for the healthy pattern and 52·1 (18·6) for the unhealthy pattern, with weak intercorrelation (r=–0·08) between countries. On average, better diets were seen in older adults compared with younger adults, and in women compared with men (p<0·0001 each). Compared with low-income nations, high-income nations had better diets based on healthy items (+2·5 points, 95% UI 0·3 to 4·1), but substantially poorer diets based on unhealthy items (−33·0, −37·8 to −28·3). Diets and their trends were very heterogeneous across the world regions. For example, both types of dietary patterns improved in high-income countries, but worsened in some low-income countries in Africa and Asia. Middle-income countries showed the largest improvement in dietary patterns based on healthy items, but the largest deterioration in dietary patterns based on unhealthy items. Interpretation Consumption of healthy items improved, while consumption of unhealthy items worsened across the world, with heterogeneity across regions and countries. These global data provide the best estimates to date of nutrition transitions across the world and inform policies and priorities for reducing the health and economic burdens of poor diet quality. Funding The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Medical Research Council. PMID:25701991

Recovery in psychosis: a Delphi study with experts by experience.

PubMed

Law, Heather; Morrison, Anthony P

2014-11-01

This study aimed to establish consensus about the meaning of recovery among individuals with experience of psychosis. A Delphi approach was utilized to allow a large sample of service users to be anonymously consulted about their views on recovery. Service users were invited to take part in a 3-stage consultation process. A total of 381 participants gave their views on recovery in the main stage of this study, with 100 of these taking part in the final review stage. The final list of statements about recovery included 94 items, which were rated as essential or important by >80% of respondents. These statements covered items which define recovery, factors which help recovery, factors which hinder recovery, and factors which show that someone is recovering. As far as we are aware, it is the first study to identify areas of consensus in relation to definitions of recovery from a service user perspective, which are typically reported to be an idiosyncratic process. Implications and recommendations for clinical practice and future research are discussed. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Item Banks for Substance Use from the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®): Severity of Use and Positive Appeal of Use*

PubMed Central

Pilkonis, Paul A.; Yu, Lan; Dodds, Nathan E.; Johnston, Kelly L.; Lawrence, Suzanne; Hilton, Thomas F.; Daley, Dennis C.; Patkar, Ashwin A.; McCarty, Dennis

2015-01-01

Background Two item banks for substance use were developed as part of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®): severity of substance use and positive appeal of substance use. Methods Qualitative item analysis (including focus groups, cognitive interviewing, expert review, and item revision) reduced an initial pool of more than 5,300 items for substance use to 119 items included in field testing. Items were written in a first-person, past-tense format, with 5 response options reflecting frequency or severity. Both 30-day and 3-month time frames were tested. The calibration sample of 1,336 respondents included 875 individuals from the general population (ascertained through an internet panel) and 461patients from addiction treatment centers participating in the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network. Results Final banks of 37 and 18 items were calibrated for severity of substance use and positive appeal of substance use, respectively, using the two-parameter graded response model from item response theory (IRT). Initial calibrations were similar for the 30-day and 3-month time frames, and final calibrations used data combined across the time frames, making the items applicable with either interval. Seven-item static short forms were also developed from each item bank. Conclusions Test information curves showed that the PROMIS item banks provided substantial information in a broad range of severity, making them suitable for treatment, observational, and epidemiological research in both clinical and community settings. PMID:26423364

Developing Item Response Theory-Based Short Forms to Measure the Social Impact of Burn Injuries.

PubMed

Marino, Molly E; Dore, Emily C; Ni, Pengsheng; Ryan, Colleen M; Schneider, Jeffrey C; Acton, Amy; Jette, Alan M; Kazis, Lewis E

2018-03-01

To develop self-reported short forms for the Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation (LIBRE) Profile. Short forms based on the item parameters of discrimination and average difficulty. A support network for burn survivors, peer support networks, social media, and mailings. Burn survivors (N=601) older than 18 years. Not applicable. The LIBRE Profile. Ten-item short forms were developed to cover the 6 LIBRE Profile scales: Relationships with Family & Friends, Social Interactions, Social Activities, Work & Employment, Romantic Relationships, and Sexual Relationships. Ceiling effects were ≤15% for all scales; floor effects were <1% for all scales. The marginal reliability of the short forms ranged from .85 to .89. The LIBRE Profile-Short Forms demonstrated credible psychometric properties. The short form version provides a viable alternative to administering the LIBRE Profile when resources do not allow computer or Internet access. The full item bank, computerized adaptive test, and short forms are all scored along the same metric, and therefore scores are comparable regardless of the mode of administration. Copyright © 2017 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Communication AssessmenT Checklist in Health (CATCH): a tool for assessing the quality of printed educational materials for clinicians.

PubMed

Genova, Juliana; Nahon-Serfaty, Isaac; Dansokho, Selma Chipenda; Gagnon, Marie-Pierre; Renaud, Jean-Sébastien; Giguère, Anik M C

2014-01-01

There is little guidance available on strategies to improve the communication quality of printed educational materials (PEMs) for clinicians. The purposes of this study were to conceptualize PEM communication quality, develop a checklist based on this conceptualization, and validate the checklist with a selection of PEMs. From a literature review of the strategies influencing communication quality, we generated a conceptual map and developed the Communication AssessmenT Checklist in Health (CATCH) consisting of 55 items nested in 12 concepts. Two raters independently applied CATCH to 45 PEMs evaluated in the studies included in a Cochrane systematic review. From these results, we conducted an item analysis and assessed content validity of CATCH using a hierarchical cluster analysis to explore the extent to which our CATCH operationalization truly represented the communication quality concepts. Some concepts were better covered in the studied PEMs, whereas others were not covered consistently. We observed 3 contrasting PEM clusters. A first cluster (n = 22) was characterized by longer PEMs and comprised mostly high-impact peer-reviewed scientific articles or clinical practice guidelines. A second cluster (n = 22) consisted of PEMs shorter than 4 pages that used special fonts, color, pictures, and graphics. A third cluster consisted of a single brief PEM. With CATCH it is possible to categorize and understand the mechanisms that can trigger a change in behavior in health care providers. Additional research is needed to validate CATCH before it can be recommended for use. © 2014 The Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education, and the Council on Continuing Medical Education, Association for Hospital Medical Education.

Development of an Online Library of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Gastroenterology: The GI-PRO Database

PubMed Central

Khanna, Puja; Agarwal, Nikhil; Khanna, Dinesh; Hays, Ron D.; Chang, Lin; Bolus, Roger; Melmed, Gil; Whitman, Cynthia B.; Kaplan, Robert M.; Ogawa, Rikke; Snyder, Bradley; Spiegel, Brennan M.R.

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVES Because gastrointestinal (GI) illnesses can cause physical, emotional, and social distress, patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are used to guide clinical decision making, conduct research, and seek drug approval. It is important to develop a mechanism for identifying, categorizing, and evaluating the over 100 GI PROs that exist. Here we describe a new, National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported, online PRO clearinghouse—the GI-PRO database. METHODS Using a protocol developed by the NIH Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS®), we performed a systematic review to identify English-language GI PROs. We abstracted PRO items and developed an online searchable item database. We categorized symptoms into content “bins” to evaluate a framework for GI symptom reporting. Finally, we assigned a score for the methodological quality of each PRO represented in the published literature (0–20 range; higher indicates better). RESULTS We reviewed 15,697 titles (κ > 0.6 for title and abstract selection), from which we identified 126 PROs. Review of the PROs revealed eight GI symptom “bins”: (i) abdominal pain, (ii) bloat/gas, (iii) diarrhea, (iv) constipation, (v) bowel incontinence/soilage, (vi) heartburn/reflux, (vii) swallowing, and (viii) nausea/vomiting. In addition to these symptoms, the PROs covered four psychosocial domains: (i) behaviors, (ii) cognitions, (iii) emotions, and (iv) psychosocial impact. The quality scores were generally low (mean 8.88±4.19; 0 (min)−20 (max)). In addition, 51% did not include patient input in developing the PRO, and 41% provided no information on score interpretation. CONCLUSIONS GI PROs cover a wide range of biopsychosocial symptoms. Although plentiful, GI PROs are limited by low methodological quality. Our online PRO library (www.researchcore.org/gipro/) can help in selecting PROs for clinical and research purposes. PMID:24343547

Body Awareness: Construct and Self-Report Measures

PubMed Central

Mehling, Wolf E.; Gopisetty, Viranjini; Daubenmier, Jennifer; Price, Cynthia J.; Hecht, Frederick M.; Stewart, Anita

2009-01-01

Objectives Heightened body awareness can be adaptive and maladaptive. Improving body awareness has been suggested as an approach for treating patients with conditions such as chronic pain, obesity and post-traumatic stress disorder. We assessed the psychometric quality of selected self-report measures and examined their items for underlying definitions of the construct. Data sources PubMed, PsychINFO, HaPI, Embase, Digital Dissertations Database. Review methods Abstracts were screened; potentially relevant instruments were obtained and systematically reviewed. Instruments were excluded if they exclusively measured anxiety, covered emotions without related physical sensations, used observer ratings only, or were unobtainable. We restricted our study to the proprioceptive and interoceptive channels of body awareness. The psychometric properties of each scale were rated using a structured evaluation according to the method of McDowell. Following a working definition of the multi-dimensional construct, an inter-disciplinary team systematically examined the items of existing body awareness instruments, identified the dimensions queried and used an iterative qualitative process to refine the dimensions of the construct. Results From 1,825 abstracts, 39 instruments were screened. 12 were included for psychometric evaluation. Only two were rated as high standard for reliability, four for validity. Four domains of body awareness with 11 sub-domains emerged. Neither a single nor a compilation of several instruments covered all dimensions. Key domains that might potentially differentiate adaptive and maladaptive aspects of body awareness were missing in the reviewed instruments. Conclusion Existing self-report instruments do not address important domains of the construct of body awareness, are unable to discern between adaptive and maladaptive aspects of body awareness, or exhibit other psychometric limitations. Restricting the construct to its proprio- and interoceptive channels, we explore the current understanding of the multi-dimensional construct and suggest next steps for further research. PMID:19440300

International classification of functioning, disability and health categories for spinal cord injury nursing in China.

PubMed

Li, Kun; Yan, Tiebin; You, Liming; Li, Rui; Ross, Amy Miner

2015-01-01

To explore a set of International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) categories that cover the spinal cord injury (SCI) nursing practice in China through a national expert survey. An internet-based email survey was used. An original set of ICF categories specifically for SCI nursing has been developed from the preliminary studies based on an international perspective. For cultural adaptation in China, a national expert survey was conducted with Chinese experts on SCI nursing to identify the ICF categories that were specifically for SCI nursing in China. The ICF categories which received more than 80% support from the experts would be reported. Twenty-nine Chinese experts on SCI nursing participated. There were 81 ICF categories which received more than 80% agreement among the experts, including 33 Body Functions categories, eight Body Structures, 24 Activities and Participation, six Environmental Factors and 10 Personal Factors items. A set of ICF categories that cover the SCI nursing practice in China was identified. It reflects the main issues that Chinese nurses focus on in caring SCI patients. These categories can facilitate Chinese nurses to use the ICF in multidisciplinary teamwork and improve the participation of nurses in the team. Implications for Rehabilitation In China, nurses lack of an effective model or tool to communicate with the other health professionals in the rehabilitation team for spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) is a tool for multidisciplinary use, which can promote the communication and collaboration in the healthcare team by establishing a common language across different disciplines and sectors. This set of ICF categories developed from this study can serve as a roadmap for important items for use in clinical practice of Chinese SCI nursing.

Readability Level of Standardized Test Items and Student Performance: The Forgotten Validity Variable

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hewitt, Margaret A.; Homan, Susan P.

2004-01-01

Test validity issues considered by test developers and school districts rarely include individual item readability levels. In this study, items from a major standardized test were examined for individual item readability level and item difficulty. The Homan-Hewitt Readability Formula was applied to items across three grade levels. Results of…

National Chemistry Week 2000: JCE Resources in Food Chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobsen, Erica K.

2000-10-01

November brings another National Chemistry Week, and this year's theme is food chemistry. I was asked to collect and evaluate JCE resources for use with this theme, a project that took me deep into past issues of JCE and yielded many treasures. Here we present the results of searches for food chemistry information and activities. While the selected articles are mainly at the high school and college levels, there are some excellent ones for the elementary school level and some that can be adapted for younger students. The focus of all articles is on the chemistry of food itself. Activities that only use food to demonstrate a principle other than food chemistry are not included. Articles that cover household products such as cleansers and pharmaceuticals are also not included. Each article has been characterized as a demonstration, experiment, calculation, activity, or informational item; several fit more than one classification. Also included are keywords and an evaluation as to which levels the article may serve.

Advanced composite structures. [metal matrix composites - structural design criteria for spacecraft construction materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

A monograph is presented which establishes structural design criteria and recommends practices to ensure the design of sound composite structures, including composite-reinforced metal structures. (It does not discuss design criteria for fiber-glass composites and such advanced composite materials as beryllium wire or sapphire whiskers in a matrix material.) Although the criteria were developed for aircraft applications, they are general enough to be applicable to space vehicles and missiles as well. The monograph covers four broad areas: (1) materials, (2) design, (3) fracture control, and (4) design verification. The materials portion deals with such subjects as material system design, material design levels, and material characterization. The design portion includes panel, shell, and joint design, applied loads, internal loads, design factors, reliability, and maintainability. Fracture control includes such items as stress concentrations, service-life philosophy, and the management plan for control of fracture-related aspects of structural design using composite materials. Design verification discusses ways to prove flightworthiness.

Hypervelocity Impact Test Facility: A gun for hire

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Calvin R.; Rose, M. F.; Hill, D. C.; Best, S.; Chaloupka, T.; Crawford, G.; Crumpler, M.; Stephens, B.

1994-01-01

An affordable technique has been developed to duplicate the types of impacts observed on spacecraft, including the Shuttle, by use of a certified Hypervelocity Impact Facility (HIF) which propels particulates using capacitor driven electric gun techniques. The fully operational facility provides a flux of particles in the 10-100 micron diameter range with a velocity distribution covering the space debris and interplanetary dust particle environment. HIF measurements of particle size, composition, impact angle and velocity distribution indicate that such parameters can be controlled in a specified, tailored test designed for or by the user. Unique diagnostics enable researchers to fully describe the impact for evaluating the 'targets' under full power or load. Users regularly evaluate space hardware, including solar cells, coatings, and materials, exposing selected portions of space-qualified items to a wide range of impact events and environmental conditions. Benefits include corroboration of data obtained from impact events, flight simulation of designs, accelerated aging of systems, and development of manufacturing techniques.

Validation of the Perceived School Bullying Severity Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Li Ming; Liu, Kun Shia; Cheng, Ying Yao

2012-01-01

Research on school bullying has tended to focus on its prevalence or frequency while ignoring its perceived severity. This study attempted to construct a perceived School Bullying Severity Scale (SBSS). The original 24-item instrument, revised from the Victim Scale of the School Bullying Scales, covered the four categories of physical, verbal,…

Development of a Work Sample Criterion for General Vehicle Mechanic.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engel, John D.

A work sample criterion test was developed for General Vehicle Repairman, MOS 63C30 and 63C40. Test items covered three task categories: troubleshooting, corrective action, and preventive maintenance. Thirty-eight organizational mechanics were tested at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Data were also collected on the quality of performance, for example, use…

C-Bag Consolidation: An Inventory and Safety Stock Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-13

required to inventory, maintain, and issue C-1 bags. C-1 bags are stocked with shelf life items, defined by AFI 23-110 Material Management as “an...chemical protective overgarment, two pair of footwear covers or one Green/Black Vinyle Overshoe, two pair of glove sets and two protective hoods

Fifth-Grade Teachers' Social Studies Knowledge and Beliefs and Their Relationship to Classroom Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harcarik, Michele

2009-01-01

This mixed methods study investigates the relationship between fifth-grade teachers' social studies knowledge and beliefs and their relationship to classroom practices. Quantitative data were collected through a beliefs and classroom practices survey and 60-item knowledge test covering the areas of American History, America and the World,…

78 FR 66005 - Notice of Sunshine Act Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-04

... Deposit Insurance Corporation's Board of Directors will meet in open session at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday... following items is anticipated. These matters will be resolved with a single vote unless a member of the...: Restrictions on Sales of Assets of a Covered Financial Company by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation...

Selected Bibliography of Educational Materials: Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia. Volume 8, Number 1, 1974.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Azzouz, Azzedine; And Others

This annotated bibliography contains 100 English-language annotations of newspapers and government publications covering educational topics of interest to North Africans. The majority of the items cited were published in 1974. Citations are categorized by country: Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. Within these major categories are subtopics…

Forest resources of Alabama

Treesearch

Victor A. Rudis; James F. Rosson; John F. Kelly

1984-01-01

The 1982 survey of Alabama's timberland presented in this report covers many items related to the forest resources of the State. The appendix contains standard statistical tables definitions, and estimates of sampling errors upon which the survey is based. Trend data and other information are presented throughout the text. Listed below are a few of the more...

Family Planning and Integration. IPPF Bibliography Series. November 1978.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

International Planned Parenthood Federation, London (England).

This document is a bibliography of materials that present family planning in comprehensive programs for the alleviation of poverty and deprivation. It contains 141 entries. Some of the items describe projects or approaches in which family planning is combined with a single function such as midwifery. The other entries cover programs of varying…

Training and Development Publications. Vol. 13, No. 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

International Labour Office, Geneva (Switzerland).

Abstracts of material covering a variety of topics regarding vocational and labor development throughout the world are presented in the fifth dispatch. Noted, in particular, are publications regarding management and relations between school and the world of work. The first section, News in Brief, contains 34 items from around the world under the…

A Subject Classification of Math Lab Activities from School Science and Mathematics 1974-1980.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grinstein, Louise S.

1982-01-01

Presented here is an index which indicates the title and location of each activity by volume and page numbers. The majority of items relate to arithmetic, elementary algebra, and plane geometry, but material also covers such topics as statistics, probability, trigonometry set theory, topology, and modern algebra. (MP)

Resources on Campus Governance and Employment Relations, 1967-1977. With Essay, Annotations, and Indexes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tice, Terrence N.

An annotated bibliography containing 1,110 items from 1967 through early 1977 and other relevant resources covers virtually all the significant material on campus collective bargaining and closely related issues regarding campus governance and employment relations. It complements five publications from 1972-76 and indexes both authors and…

Linsdey holds up boxes of chocolate covered coffee beans in the MDK during STS-121

NASA Image and Video Library

2006-07-07

S121-E-05896 (7 July 2006) --- Astronaut Steven W. Lindsey, STS-121 commander, holds small boxes of food items on the middeck of the Space Shuttle Discovery. Also visible in the background are astronauts Lisa M. Nowak (left), mission specialist, and Mark E. Kelly, pilot.

33 CFR 239.6 - Level of protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Level of protection. 239.6... § 239.6 Level of protection. Evaluation of the above items may indicate that submergence of entrances to covered channels may have significant impacts on the level of flooding. The requirements of EO 11988 and...

Students and Courses--Terms and Definitions. Support Document

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 2014

2014-01-01

This document covers the data terms used in publications sourced from the National VET Provider Collection and their associated data tables. The primary purpose of this document is to assist users of the publication to understand the specific data terms used within them. Terms that appear in the publications and data items are listed in…

Depression in College Students: Student Experience Inventory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirkland, Angela G.; Redfield, Doris L.

To assess depression in college students, two inventories were compared: the Student Experience Inventory (SEI) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). SEI, a self-report questionnaire, contains 56 items that are designed to measure hopelessness and decreased energy levels, as well as five factors covered in BDI: (1) negative affect toward self,…

Educators Guide for Budgeting School Equipment. Second Annual Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dawson, Joseph L.; Schmidt, James R.

A publication designed to assist the administrator or department head in the critical area of budgeting school equipment provides a comprehensive guide drawn from hundreds of sources covering all areas of capital equipment. Each section is prefaced with suggestions as to how the items described may be most efficiently utilized. The guide is also…

Perspective of Lecturers in Implementing PISMP Science Curriculum in Malaysia's IPG

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yahya, Fauziah Hj; Bin Hamdan, Abdul Rahim; Jantan, Hafsah Binti; Saleh, Halimatussadiah Binti

2015-01-01

The article aims to identify lecturers' perspectives in implementing PISMP science curriculum in IPG Malaysia based on teaching experience with KIPP model. The respondents consisted of 105 lecturers from 20 IPG Malaysia. The study used a questionnaire consisting of 74 items covering the four dimensions (Context, Input, Process and Product). Data…

Negotiation, Administration, and Measurement of Food Service Contracts in Higher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, H. Donald

1973-01-01

The process of establishing and maintaining relations with a contract feeder is reviewed. Initial contact, reasons for the contact, contract negotiation, key people involved, and the ultimate tools of measurement are mentioned. Possible goals and objectives to be specified to a negotiating contractor are suggested. Items to be covered in the…

Migrant Workers. Report VII (2).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

International Labour Office, Geneva (Switzerland).

A 59-item questionnaire covering all aspects of migrant labor was sent by the International Labor Office to member States, of whom 45 sent replies which are summarized in the document. For each of the questions, the question is reproduced and followed by a list indicating which governments responded and the nature of the response. The substance of…

Altering Attitudes toward Suicide in an Abnormal Psychology Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Domino, George

1980-01-01

The article describes a report stemming from the development and application of a Suicide Opinion Questionnaire (SOQ)--a 100 item attitudinal and factual instrument designed to cover a wide range of suicidal concerns. Subjects of the study were 17 college students drawn at random from 89 students enrolled in an abnormal psychology course. Results…

24 CFR 904.111 - Nonroutine Maintenance Reserve (NRMR).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... painting, etc.), (2) show for each listed item the estimated frequency of maintenance or useful life before... but only pursuant to a prior written agreement with the LHA covering the nature and scope of the work... of the work, be credited to the homebuyer's EHPA and charged as provided in paragraph (c)(2) of this...

Retail Florist: Selling the Floral Product, Maintenance and Delivery.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Southern Illinois Univ., Carbondale.

This retail florist unit guide is provided to help teachers teach units on sales of floral products and maintenance and delivery in a floral shop. Topics covered in the selling unit are basic mathematics; taxable items; sales etiquette; types of floral products; telephone etiquette; order form information; wire service regulations; care of floral…

Job Grading Standard for Machinist, WG 3414.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Civil Service Commission, Washington, DC. Bureau of Policies and Standards.

The standard covers nonsupervisory work involved in the manufacture and repair of parts and items of equipment which require the use of various types of standard and special machine tools and their attachments to machine metals, metal alloys, and other materials. The work requires skills ranging from initial planning of necessary work sequences to…

Generalized Trust and Trust in Institutions in Confucian Asia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Soo Jiuan; Tambyah, Siok Kuan

2011-01-01

This study examines generalized trust and trust in institutions in Confucian Asia, covering six countries namely, China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam, and one dependent region, Hong Kong. Using data from the 2006 AsiaBarometer Survey, our study affirms the reliability and validity of using a two-item scale to measure…

Knowledge of Normal versus Pathological Memory Aging among Police Officers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawley, Karri S.; Garrity, April W.; Cherry, Katie E.

2005-01-01

The authors examined police officers' knowledge of memory changes in adulthood utilizing the Knowledge of Memory Aging Questionnaire (KMAQ). The KMAQ is a 28-item true/false questionnaire that covers a broad range of topics related to normal memory aging due to maturational processes and pathological memory aging, such as adult dementia. Results…

The Relationship of Item-Level Response Times with Test-Taker and Item Variables in an Operational CAT Environment. LSAC Research Report Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swygert, Kimberly A.

In this study, data from an operational computerized adaptive test (CAT) were examined in order to gather information concerning item response times in a CAT environment. The CAT under study included multiple-choice items measuring verbal, quantitative, and analytical reasoning. The analyses included the fitting of regression models describing the…