Sample records for objective performance evaluation

  1. Validity evidence for the Simulated Colonoscopy Objective Performance Evaluation scoring system.

    PubMed

    Trinca, Kristen D; Cox, Tiffany C; Pearl, Jonathan P; Ritter, E Matthew

    2014-02-01

    Low-cost, objective systems to assess and train endoscopy skills are needed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of Simulated Colonoscopy Objective Performance Evaluation to assess the skills required to perform endoscopy. Thirty-eight subjects were included in this study, all of whom performed 4 tasks. The scoring system measured performance by calculating precision and efficiency. Data analysis assessed the relationship between colonoscopy experience and performance on each task and the overall score. Endoscopic trainees' Simulated Colonoscopy Objective Performance Evaluation scores correlated significantly with total colonoscopy experience (r = .61, P = .003) and experience in the past 12 months (r = .63, P = .002). Significant differences were seen among practicing endoscopists, nonendoscopic surgeons, and trainees (P < .0001). When the 4 tasks were analyzed, each showed significant correlation with colonoscopy experience (scope manipulation, r = .44, P = .044; tool targeting, r = .45, P = .04; loop management, r = .47, P = .032; mucosal inspection, r = .65, P = .001) and significant differences in performance between the endoscopist groups, except for mucosal inspection (scope manipulation, P < .0001; tool targeting, P = .002; loop management, P = .0008; mucosal inspection, P = .27). Simulated Colonoscopy Objective Performance Evaluation objectively assesses the technical skills required to perform endoscopy and shows promise as a platform for proficiency-based skills training. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  2. A data set for evaluating the performance of multi-class multi-object video tracking

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chakraborty, Avishek; Stamatescu, Victor; Wong, Sebastien C.; Wigley, Grant; Kearney, David

    2017-05-01

    One of the challenges in evaluating multi-object video detection, tracking and classification systems is having publically available data sets with which to compare different systems. However, the measures of performance for tracking and classification are different. Data sets that are suitable for evaluating tracking systems may not be appropriate for classification. Tracking video data sets typically only have ground truth track IDs, while classification video data sets only have ground truth class-label IDs. The former identifies the same object over multiple frames, while the latter identifies the type of object in individual frames. This paper describes an advancement of the ground truth meta-data for the DARPA Neovision2 Tower data set to allow both the evaluation of tracking and classification. The ground truth data sets presented in this paper contain unique object IDs across 5 different classes of object (Car, Bus, Truck, Person, Cyclist) for 24 videos of 871 image frames each. In addition to the object IDs and class labels, the ground truth data also contains the original bounding box coordinates together with new bounding boxes in instances where un-annotated objects were present. The unique IDs are maintained during occlusions between multiple objects or when objects re-enter the field of view. This will provide: a solid foundation for evaluating the performance of multi-object tracking of different types of objects, a straightforward comparison of tracking system performance using the standard Multi Object Tracking (MOT) framework, and classification performance using the Neovision2 metrics. These data have been hosted publically.

  3. A Component Analysis of the Impact of Evaluative and Objective Feedback on Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Douglas A.

    2013-01-01

    Despite the frequency with which performance feedback interventions are used in organizational behavior management, component analyses of such feedback are rare. It has been suggested that evaluation of performance and objective details about performance are two necessary components for performance feedback. The present study was designed to help…

  4. Evaluating Robotic Surgical Skills Performance Under Distractive Environment Using Objective and Subjective Measures.

    PubMed

    Suh, Irene H; LaGrange, Chad A; Oleynikov, Dmitry; Siu, Ka-Chun

    2016-02-01

    Distractions are recognized as a significant factor affecting performance in safety critical domains. Although operating rooms are generally full of distractions, the effect of distractions on robot-assisted surgical (RAS) performance is unclear. Our aim was to investigate the effect of distractions on RAS performance using both objective and subjective measures. Fifteen participants performed a knot-tying task using the da Vinci Surgical System and were exposed to 3 distractions: (1) passive distraction entailed listening to noise with a constant heart rate, (2) active distraction included listening to noise and acknowledging a change of random heart rate from 60 to 120 bpm, and (3) interactive distraction consisted of answering math questions. The objective kinematics of the surgical instrument tips were used to evaluate performance. Electromyography (EMG) of the forearm and hand muscles of the participants were collected. The median EMG frequency (EMG(fmed)) and the EMG envelope (EMG(env)) were analyzed. NASA Task Load Index and Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery score were used to evaluate the subjective performance. One-way repeated analysis of variance was applied to examine the effects of distraction on skills performance. Spearman's correlations were conducted to compare objective and subjective measures. Significant distraction effect was found for all objective kinematics measures (P < .05). There were significant distraction effects for EMG measures (EMG(env), P < .004; EMG(fmed), P = .031). Significant distraction effects were also found for subjective measurements. Distraction impairs surgical skills performance and increases muscle work. Understanding how the surgeons cope with distractions is important in developing surgical education. © The Author(s) 2015.

  5. A Rotatable Quality Control Phantom for Evaluating the Performance of Flat Panel Detectors in Imaging Moving Objects.

    PubMed

    Haga, Yoshihiro; Chida, Koichi; Inaba, Yohei; Kaga, Yuji; Meguro, Taiichiro; Zuguchi, Masayuki

    2016-02-01

    As the use of diagnostic X-ray equipment with flat panel detectors (FPDs) has increased, so has the importance of proper management of FPD systems. To ensure quality control (QC) of FPD system, an easy method for evaluating FPD imaging performance for both stationary and moving objects is required. Until now, simple rotatable QC phantoms have not been available for the easy evaluation of the performance (spatial resolution and dynamic range) of FPD in imaging moving objects. We developed a QC phantom for this purpose. It consists of three thicknesses of copper and a rotatable test pattern of piano wires of various diameters. Initial tests confirmed its stable performance. Our moving phantom is very useful for QC of FPD images of moving objects because it enables visual evaluation of image performance (spatial resolution and dynamic range) easily.

  6. Octogenarian and centenarian performance on the Fuld Object Memory Evaluation.

    PubMed

    Rahman-Filipiak, Annalise; Woodard, John L; Miller, L Stephen; Martin, Peter; Davey, Adam; Poon, Leonard W

    2015-01-01

    The Fuld Object Memory Evaluation (FOME) has considerable utility for cognitive assessment in older adults, but there are few normative data, particularly for the oldest old. In this study, 80 octogenarians and 244 centenarians from the Georgia Centenarian Study completed the FOME. Total and trial-to-trial performance on the storage, retrieval, repeated retrieval, and ineffective reminder indices were assessed. Additional data stratified by age group, education, and cognitive impairment are provided in the Supplemental data. Octogenarians performed significantly better than centenarians on all FOME measures. Neither age group benefitted from additional learning trials beyond Trial 3 for storage and Trial 2 for retention and retrieval. Ineffective reminders showed no change across learning trials for octogenarians, while centenarians improved only between Trials 1 and 2. This minimal improvement past Trial 2 indicates that older adults might benefit from a truncated version of the test that does not include trials three through five, with the added benefit of reducing testing burden in this population.

  7. Objective Situation Awareness Measurement Based on Performance Self-Evaluation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    DeMaio, Joe

    1998-01-01

    The research was conducted in support of the NASA Safe All-Weather Flight Operations for Rotorcraft (SAFOR) program. The purpose of the work was to investigate the utility of two measurement tools developed by the British Defense Evaluation Research Agency. These tools were a subjective workload assessment scale, the DRA Workload Scale and a situation awareness measurement tool. The situation awareness tool uses a comparison of the crew's self-evaluation of performance against actual performance in order to determine what information the crew attended to during the performance. These two measurement tools were evaluated in the context of a test of innovative approach to alerting the crew by way of a helmet mounted display. The situation assessment data are reported here. The performance self-evaluation metric of situation awareness was found to be highly effective. It was used to evaluate situation awareness on a tank reconnaissance task, a tactical navigation task, and a stylized task used to evaluated handling qualities. Using the self-evaluation metric, it was possible to evaluate situation awareness, without exact knowledge the relevant information in some cases and to identify information to which the crew attended or failed to attend in others.

  8. Performance evaluation method of electric energy data acquire system based on combination of subjective and objective weights

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gao, Chen; Ding, Zhongan; Deng, Bofa; Yan, Shengteng

    2017-10-01

    According to the characteristics of electric energy data acquire system (EEDAS), considering the availability of each index data and the connection between the index integrity, establishing the performance evaluation index system of electric energy data acquire system from three aspects as master station system, communication channel, terminal equipment. To determine the comprehensive weight of each index based on triangular fuzzy number analytic hierarchy process with entropy weight method, and both subjective preference and objective attribute are taken into consideration, thus realize the performance comprehensive evaluation more reasonable and reliable. Example analysis shows that, by combination with analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and triangle fuzzy numbers (TFN) to establish comprehensive index evaluation system based on entropy method, the evaluation results not only convenient and practical, but also more objective and accurate.

  9. ASUPT Automated Objective Performance Measurement System.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Waag, Wayne L.; And Others

    To realize its full research potential, a need exists for the development of an automated objective pilot performance evaluation system for use in the Advanced Simulation in Undergraduate Pilot Training (ASUPT) facility. The present report documents the approach taken for the development of performance measures and also presents data collected…

  10. Performance Analysis of Distributed Object-Oriented Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schoeffler, James D.

    1998-01-01

    The purpose of this research was to evaluate the efficiency of a distributed simulation architecture which creates individual modules which are made self-scheduling through the use of a message-based communication system used for requesting input data from another module which is the source of that data. To make the architecture as general as possible, the message-based communication architecture was implemented using standard remote object architectures (Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) and/or Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM)). A series of experiments were run in which different systems are distributed in a variety of ways across multiple computers and the performance evaluated. The experiments were duplicated in each case so that the overhead due to message communication and data transmission can be separated from the time required to actually perform the computational update of a module each iteration. The software used to distribute the modules across multiple computers was developed in the first year of the current grant and was modified considerably to add a message-based communication scheme supported by the DCOM distributed object architecture. The resulting performance was analyzed using a model created during the first year of this grant which predicts the overhead due to CORBA and DCOM remote procedure calls and includes the effects of data passed to and from the remote objects. A report covering the distributed simulation software and the results of the performance experiments has been submitted separately. The above report also discusses possible future work to apply the methodology to dynamically distribute the simulation modules so as to minimize overall computation time.

  11. Carpentry Performance Objectives.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Day, Gerald F.; Tucker, John

    The guidelines for carpentry performance objectives were written for vocational educators in order to insure that their programs are fulfilling the training requirements of today's job market. The document outlines eight uses of performance objectives and provides sample employability profiles, training achievement records, and a carpentry…

  12. Improving CNN Performance Accuracies With Min-Max Objective.

    PubMed

    Shi, Weiwei; Gong, Yihong; Tao, Xiaoyu; Wang, Jinjun; Zheng, Nanning

    2017-06-09

    We propose a novel method for improving performance accuracies of convolutional neural network (CNN) without the need to increase the network complexity. We accomplish the goal by applying the proposed Min-Max objective to a layer below the output layer of a CNN model in the course of training. The Min-Max objective explicitly ensures that the feature maps learned by a CNN model have the minimum within-manifold distance for each object manifold and the maximum between-manifold distances among different object manifolds. The Min-Max objective is general and able to be applied to different CNNs with insignificant increases in computation cost. Moreover, an incremental minibatch training procedure is also proposed in conjunction with the Min-Max objective to enable the handling of large-scale training data. Comprehensive experimental evaluations on several benchmark data sets with both the image classification and face verification tasks reveal that employing the proposed Min-Max objective in the training process can remarkably improve performance accuracies of a CNN model in comparison with the same model trained without using this objective.

  13. The Effect of Instructional Objectives and General Objectives on Student Self-Evaluation of Psychomotor Performance in Power Mechanics.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Janeczko, Robert John

    The major purpose of this study was to ascertain the relative effects of student exposure to instructional objectives upon student self-evaluation of psychomotor activities in a college-level power mechanics course. A randomized posttest-only control group design was used with two different approaches to the statement of the objectives. Four…

  14. 42 CFR 457.710 - State plan requirements: Strategic objectives and performance goals.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    .... The State's strategic objectives, performance goals and performance measures must include a common... 42 Public Health 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false State plan requirements: Strategic objectives and...) ALLOTMENTS AND GRANTS TO STATES Strategic Planning, Reporting, and Evaluation § 457.710 State plan...

  15. Who Should Evaluate Teachers' Performance at Schools?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tabancali, Erkan

    2017-01-01

    Correct determination of whether or not the objectives are achieved or of the level of achievement of the objectives is vital in educational organizations. In this context, one of the indicators of how teachers serve the organizational objectives is performance evaluation. In Turkish Educational System, the evaluation of the performance of…

  16. Subjective vs objective evaluations of smile esthetics.

    PubMed

    Schabel, Brian J; Franchi, Lorenzo; Baccetti, Tiziano; McNamara, James A

    2009-04-01

    The aim of this study was to analyze the relationships between subjective evaluations of posttreatment smiles captured with clinical photography and rated by a panel of orthodontists and parents of orthodontic patients, and objective evaluations of the same smiles from the Smile Mesh program (TDG Computing, Philadelphia, Pa). The clinical photographs of 48 orthodontically treated patients were rated by a panel of 25 experienced orthodontists and 20 parents of patients. Independent samples t tests were used to test whether objective measurements were significantly different between subjects with "attractive" and "unattractive" smiles, and those with the "most attractive" and "least attractive" smiles. Additionally, logistic regression was performed to evaluate whether the measurements could predict whether a smile captured with clinical photography would be attractive or unattractive. The comparison between groups showed no significant differences for any measurement. Subjects with the "most unattractive" smiles had a significantly greater distance between the incisal edge of the maxillary central incisors and the lower lip during smiling, and a significantly smaller smile index than did those with the "most attractive" smiles. As shown by the coefficients of logistic regression, smile attractiveness could not be predicted by any objectively gathered measurement. No objective measure of the smile could predict attractive or unattractive smiles as judged subjectively.

  17. Evaluation of EIT system performance.

    PubMed

    Yasin, Mamatjan; Böhm, Stephan; Gaggero, Pascal O; Adler, Andy

    2011-07-01

    An electrical impedance tomography (EIT) system images internal conductivity from surface electrical stimulation and measurement. Such systems necessarily comprise multiple design choices from cables and hardware design to calibration and image reconstruction. In order to compare EIT systems and study the consequences of changes in system performance, this paper describes a systematic approach to evaluate the performance of the EIT systems. The system to be tested is connected to a saline phantom in which calibrated contrasting test objects are systematically positioned using a position controller. A set of evaluation parameters are proposed which characterize (i) data and image noise, (ii) data accuracy, (iii) detectability of single contrasts and distinguishability of multiple contrasts, and (iv) accuracy of reconstructed image (amplitude, resolution, position and ringing). Using this approach, we evaluate three different EIT systems and illustrate the use of these tools to evaluate and compare performance. In order to facilitate the use of this approach, all details of the phantom, test objects and position controller design are made publicly available including the source code of the evaluation and reporting software.

  18. Air Conditioning. Performance Objectives. Intermediate Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Long, William

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of seven terminal objectives for an intermediate air conditioning course. The titles of the seven terminal objectives are Refrigeration Cycle, Job Requirement Skills, Air Conditioning, Trouble Shooting, Performance Test, Shop Management, and S.I.E.…

  19. Sheetmetal. Performance Objectives. Basic Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murwin, Roland

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of six terminal objectives for a basic high school sheetmetal work course. The titles of the terminal objectives are Orientation, Shop Machinery and Material, Soldering, Measurements and Layouts, Assigned Shop Projects, and Radial and Triangulation…

  20. Objective Fidelity Evaluation in Multisensory Virtual Environments: Auditory Cue Fidelity in Flight Simulation

    PubMed Central

    Meyer, Georg F.; Wong, Li Ting; Timson, Emma; Perfect, Philip; White, Mark D.

    2012-01-01

    We argue that objective fidelity evaluation of virtual environments, such as flight simulation, should be human-performance-centred and task-specific rather than measure the match between simulation and physical reality. We show how principled experimental paradigms and behavioural models to quantify human performance in simulated environments that have emerged from research in multisensory perception provide a framework for the objective evaluation of the contribution of individual cues to human performance measures of fidelity. We present three examples in a flight simulation environment as a case study: Experiment 1: Detection and categorisation of auditory and kinematic motion cues; Experiment 2: Performance evaluation in a target-tracking task; Experiment 3: Transferrable learning of auditory motion cues. We show how the contribution of individual cues to human performance can be robustly evaluated for each task and that the contribution is highly task dependent. The same auditory cues that can be discriminated and are optimally integrated in experiment 1, do not contribute to target-tracking performance in an in-flight refuelling simulation without training, experiment 2. In experiment 3, however, we demonstrate that the auditory cue leads to significant, transferrable, performance improvements with training. We conclude that objective fidelity evaluation requires a task-specific analysis of the contribution of individual cues. PMID:22957068

  1. Effects of Study Behavior on Objective-Style and Essay-Style Performance.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Biggs, J. B.

    In this study, the effects of motivational and behavioral dimensions of study behavior on objective and essay modes of evaluating course content were investigated. Several performance measures in two undergraduate Educational Psychology courses were factor analyzed, and three orthogonal performance factors were obtained: general achievement,…

  2. 3-D Interpolation in Object Perception: Evidence from an Objective Performance Paradigm

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kellman, Philip J.; Garrigan, Patrick; Shipley, Thomas F.; Yin, Carol; Machado, Liana

    2005-01-01

    Object perception requires interpolation processes that connect visible regions despite spatial gaps. Some research has suggested that interpolation may be a 3-D process, but objective performance data and evidence about the conditions leading to interpolation are needed. The authors developed an objective performance paradigm for testing 3-D…

  3. 42 CFR 457.710 - State plan requirements: Strategic objectives and performance goals.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ...) ALLOTMENTS AND GRANTS TO STATES Strategic Planning, Reporting, and Evaluation § 457.710 State plan requirements: Strategic objectives and performance goals. (a) Plan description. A State plan must include a... 42 Public Health 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false State plan requirements: Strategic objectives and...

  4. 10 CFR 26.23 - Performance objectives.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 10 Energy 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Performance objectives. 26.23 Section 26.23 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION FITNESS FOR DUTY PROGRAMS Program Elements § 26.23 Performance objectives. Fitness-for-duty programs must— (a) Provide reasonable assurance that individuals are trustworthy and reliable as...

  5. 10 CFR 26.23 - Performance objectives.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 10 Energy 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Performance objectives. 26.23 Section 26.23 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION FITNESS FOR DUTY PROGRAMS Program Elements § 26.23 Performance objectives. Fitness-for-duty programs must— (a) Provide reasonable assurance that individuals are trustworthy and reliable as...

  6. 10 CFR 26.23 - Performance objectives.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 10 Energy 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Performance objectives. 26.23 Section 26.23 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION FITNESS FOR DUTY PROGRAMS Program Elements § 26.23 Performance objectives. Fitness-for-duty programs must— (a) Provide reasonable assurance that individuals are trustworthy and reliable as...

  7. 10 CFR 26.23 - Performance objectives.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 10 Energy 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Performance objectives. 26.23 Section 26.23 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION FITNESS FOR DUTY PROGRAMS Program Elements § 26.23 Performance objectives. Fitness-for-duty programs must— (a) Provide reasonable assurance that individuals are trustworthy and reliable as...

  8. 10 CFR 26.23 - Performance objectives.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 10 Energy 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Performance objectives. 26.23 Section 26.23 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION FITNESS FOR DUTY PROGRAMS Program Elements § 26.23 Performance objectives. Fitness-for-duty programs must— (a) Provide reasonable assurance that individuals are trustworthy and reliable as...

  9. Printing. Performance Objectives. Basic Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Seivert, Chester

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of 17 terminal objectives for a secondary level basic printing course. The materials were developed for a two-semester (2 hours daily) course with specialized classroom and shop experiences designed to enable the student to develop basic…

  10. Evaluating an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) Adapted for Social Work

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bogo, Marion; Regehr, Cheryl; Katz, Ellen; Logie, Carmen; Tufford, Lea; Litvack, Andrea

    2012-01-01

    Objectives: To evaluate an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) adapted for social work in a lab course and examine the degree to which it predicts competence in the practicum. Method: 125 Masters students participated in a one-scenario OSCE and wrote responses to standardized reflection questions. OSCE performance and reflections were…

  11. Performance evaluation of objective quality metrics for HDR image compression

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Valenzise, Giuseppe; De Simone, Francesca; Lauga, Paul; Dufaux, Frederic

    2014-09-01

    Due to the much larger luminance and contrast characteristics of high dynamic range (HDR) images, well-known objective quality metrics, widely used for the assessment of low dynamic range (LDR) content, cannot be directly applied to HDR images in order to predict their perceptual fidelity. To overcome this limitation, advanced fidelity metrics, such as the HDR-VDP, have been proposed to accurately predict visually significant differences. However, their complex calibration may make them difficult to use in practice. A simpler approach consists in computing arithmetic or structural fidelity metrics, such as PSNR and SSIM, on perceptually encoded luminance values but the performance of quality prediction in this case has not been clearly studied. In this paper, we aim at providing a better comprehension of the limits and the potentialities of this approach, by means of a subjective study. We compare the performance of HDR-VDP to that of PSNR and SSIM computed on perceptually encoded luminance values, when considering compressed HDR images. Our results show that these simpler metrics can be effectively employed to assess image fidelity for applications such as HDR image compression.

  12. Carpentry. Performance Objectives. Basic Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Downing, C. L.; Adcox, John W., Jr.

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of 12 terminal objectives in this course guide in basic carpentry. The guide is designed to prepare persons for initial employment, or to upgrade or retrain persons already employed, or to provide the apprenticeship related course work necessary to…

  13. Masonry. Performance Objectives. Intermediate Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thompson, Moses

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of 13 terminal objectives for an intermediate masonry course. These materials, developed for a two-semester (3 hours daily) course, are designed to provide the student with the skills and knowledge necessary for entry level employment in the field…

  14. Welding. Performance Objectives. Intermediate Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vincent, Kenneth

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of nine terminal objectives for an intermediate welding course. The materials were developed for a 36-week (3 hours daily) course designed to prepare the student for employment in the field of welding. Electric welding and specialized (TIG & MIG)…

  15. Welding. Performance Objectives. Basic Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vincent, Kenneth

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of eight terminal objectives for a basic welding course. The materials were developed for a 36-week (2 hours daily) course developed to teach the fundamentals of welding shop work, to become familiar with the operation of the welding shop…

  16. Cabinetmaking. Performance Objectives. Basic Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harvey, Bill

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of 15 terminal objectives for a high school basic cabinetmaking course. The materials were developed for a two-semester (2 hours daily) course designed to develop and implement a well-grounded knowledge of the fundamentals of all phases of planning…

  17. Objective speech quality evaluation of real-time speech coders

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Viswanathan, V. R.; Russell, W. H.; Huggins, A. W. F.

    1984-02-01

    This report describes the work performed in two areas: subjective testing of a real-time 16 kbit/s adaptive predictive coder (APC) and objective speech quality evaluation of real-time coders. The speech intelligibility of the APC coder was tested using the Diagnostic Rhyme Test (DRT), and the speech quality was tested using the Diagnostic Acceptability Measure (DAM) test, under eight operating conditions involving channel error, acoustic background noise, and tandem link with two other coders. The test results showed that the DRT and DAM scores of the APC coder equalled or exceeded the corresponding test scores fo the 32 kbit/s CVSD coder. In the area of objective speech quality evaluation, the report describes the development, testing, and validation of a procedure for automatically computing several objective speech quality measures, given only the tape-recordings of the input speech and the corresponding output speech of a real-time speech coder.

  18. Evaluation of pavement marking performance.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2008-06-01

    The objective of the investigation was to evaluate the useful life of pavement markings. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) provides general guidelines for the application and installation of pavement markings. However, performance...

  19. Industrial Electronics. Performance Objectives. Basic Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tiffany, Earl

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of 30 terminal objectives for a two-semester (2 hours daily) high school course in basic industrial electronics. The objectives cover instruction in basic electricity including AC-DC theory, magnetism, electrical safety, care and use of hand tools,…

  20. Multi-attribute subjective evaluations of manual tracking tasks vs. objective performance of the human operator

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Siapkaras, A.

    1977-01-01

    A computational method to deal with the multidimensional nature of tracking and/or monitoring tasks is developed. Operator centered variables, including the operator's perception of the task, are considered. Matrix ratings are defined based on multidimensional scaling techniques and multivariate analysis. The method consists of two distinct steps: (1) to determine the mathematical space of subjective judgements of a certain individual (or group of evaluators) for a given set of tasks and experimental conditionings; and (2) to relate this space with respect to both the task variables and the objective performance criteria used. Results for a variety of second-order trackings with smoothed noise-driven inputs indicate that: (1) many of the internally perceived task variables form a nonorthogonal set; and (2) the structure of the subjective space varies among groups of individuals according to the degree of familiarity they have with such tasks.

  1. A Catalog of Performance Objectives, Performance Conditions, and Performance Guides for Machine Tool Operations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stadt, Ronald; And Others

    This catalog provides performance objectives, tasks, standards, and performance guides associated with current occupational information relating to the job content of machinists, specifically tool grinder operators, production lathe operators, and production screw machine operators. The catalog is comprised of 262 performance objectives, tool and…

  2. Objective evaluation of the visual acuity in human eyes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rosales, M. A.; López-Olazagasti, E.; Ramírez-Zavaleta, G.; Varillas, G.; Tepichín, E.

    2009-08-01

    Traditionally, the quality of the human vision is evaluated by a subjective test in which the examiner asks the patient to read a series of characters of different sizes, located at a certain distance of the patient. Typically, we need to ensure a subtended angle of vision of 5 minutes, which implies an object of 8.8 mm high located at 6 meters (normal or 20/20 visual acuity). These characters constitute what is known as the Snellen chart, universally used to evaluate the spatial resolution of the human eyes. The mentioned process of identification of characters is carried out by means of the eye - brain system, giving an evaluation of the subjective visual performance. In this work we consider the eye as an isolated image-forming system, and show that it is possible to isolate the function of the eye from that of the brain in this process. By knowing the impulse response of the eye´s system we can obtain, in advance, the image of the Snellen chart simultaneously. From this information, we obtain the objective performance of the eye as the optical system under test. This type of results might help to detect anomalous situations of the human vision, like the so called "cerebral myopia".

  3. Evacuation performance evaluation tool.

    PubMed

    Farra, Sharon; Miller, Elaine T; Gneuhs, Matthew; Timm, Nathan; Li, Gengxin; Simon, Ashley; Brady, Whittney

    2016-01-01

    Hospitals conduct evacuation exercises to improve performance during emergency events. An essential aspect in this process is the creation of reliable and valid evaluation tools. The objective of this article is to describe the development and implications of a disaster evacuation performance tool that measures one portion of the very complex process of evacuation. Through the application of the Delphi technique and DeVellis's framework, disaster and neonatal experts provided input in developing this performance evaluation tool. Following development, content validity and reliability of this tool were assessed. Large pediatric hospital and medical center in the Midwest. The tool was pilot tested with an administrative, medical, and nursing leadership group and then implemented with a group of 68 healthcare workers during a disaster exercise of a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The tool has demonstrated high content validity with a scale validity index of 0.979 and inter-rater reliability G coefficient (0.984, 95% CI: 0.948-0.9952). The Delphi process based on the conceptual framework of DeVellis yielded a psychometrically sound evacuation performance evaluation tool for a NICU.

  4. Preceptors’ Self-Assessment of Their Ability to Perform the Learning Objectives of an Experiential Program

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Objective. To evaluate preceptors’ perception of their ability to perform the Structured Practical Experiences in Pharmacy (SPEP) learning objectives through a self-assessment activity. Methods. A self-assessment instrument consisting of 28 learning objectives associated with clinic, community, and hospital pharmacy practice experiences were developed. Preceptors rated their performance ability for each of the learning objectives using a 3-point Likert scale. Results. Of the 116 preceptors, 89 (77%) completed the self-assessment survey instrument. The overall preceptor responses to the items on performance of the 28 SPEP learning objectives ranged from good to excellent. Years of experience, practice experience setting, and involvement as a SPEP or SPEP and PharmD preceptor had no influence on their self-reported capabilities. Conclusion. Most preceptors rated their ability to perform the learning objectives for the structured practical experiences in pharmacy as high. Competency areas requiring further preceptor development were identified. PMID:23193333

  5. Electronics Technology. Performance Objectives. Basic Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Campbell, Guy

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of 20 terminal objectives for a basic electronics technology course. The materials were developed for a two-semester course (2 hours daily) designed to include instruction in basic electricity and electronic fundamentals, and to develop skills and…

  6. 3-d interpolation in object perception: evidence from an objective performance paradigm.

    PubMed

    Kellman, Philip J; Garrigan, Patrick; Shipley, Thomas F; Yin, Carol; Machado, Liana

    2005-06-01

    Object perception requires interpolation processes that connect visible regions despite spatial gaps. Some research has suggested that interpolation may be a 3-D process, but objective performance data and evidence about the conditions leading to interpolation are needed. The authors developed an objective performance paradigm for testing 3-D interpolation and tested a new theory of 3-D contour interpolation, termed 3-D relatability. The theory indicates for a given edge which orientations and positions of other edges in space may be connected to it by interpolation. Results of 5 experiments showed that processing of orientation relations in 3-D relatable displays was superior to processing in 3-D nonrelatable displays and that these effects depended on object formation. 3-D interpolation and 3-D relatabilty are discussed in terms of their implications for computational and neural models of object perception, which have typically been based on 2-D-orientation-sensitive units. ((c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved).

  7. Auto Mechanics. Performance Objectives. Basic Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carter, Thomas G., Sr.

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of 14 terminal objectives for a basic automotive mechanics course. The materials were developed for a two-semester course (2 hours daily) designed to provide training in the basic fundamentals in diagnosis and repair including cooling system and…

  8. Diesel Mechanics. Performance Objectives. Intermediate Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tidwell, Joseph

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of six terminal objectives for an intermediate diesel mechanics course (two semesters, 3 hours daily) designed for high school students who upon completion would be ready for an on-the-job training experience in diesel service and repair. Through…

  9. Objective vs. Subjective Evaluation of Cognitive Performance During 0.4-MPa Dives Breathing Air or Nitrox.

    PubMed

    Germonpré, Peter; Balestra, Costantino; Hemelryck, Walter; Buzzacott, Peter; Lafère, Pierre

    2017-05-01

    Divers try to limit risks associated with their sport, for instance by breathing enriched air nitrox (EANx) instead of air. This double blinded, randomized trial was designed to see if the use of EANx could effectively improve cognitive performance while diving. Eight volunteers performed two no-decompression dry dives breathing air or EANx for 20 min at 0.4 MPa. Cognitive functions were assessed with a computerized test battery, including MathProc and Ptrail. Measurements were taken before the dive, upon arrival and after 15 min at depth, upon surfacing, and at 30 min postdive. After each dive subjects were asked to identify the gas they had just breathed. Identification of the breathing gas was not possible on subjective assessment alone, while cognitive assessments showed significantly better performance while breathing EANx. Before the dives, breathing air, mean time to complete the task was 1795 ms for MathProc and 1905 ms for Ptrail. When arriving at depth MathProc took 1616 ms on air and 1523 ms on EANx, and Ptrail took 1318 ms on air and and 1356 ms on EANx, followed 15 min later by significant performance inhibition while breathing air during the ascent and the postdive phase, supporting the concept of late dive/postdive impairment. The results suggest that EANx could protect against decreased neuro-cognitive performance induced by inert gas narcosis. It was not possible for blinded divers to identify which gas they were breathing and differences in postdive fatigue between air and EANx diving deserve further investigation.Germonpré P, Balestra C, Hemelryck W, Buzzacott P, Lafère P. Objective vs. subjective evaluation of cognitive performance during 0.4-MPa dives breathing air or nitrox. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2017; 88(5):469-475.

  10. Machine Shop. Performance Objectives. Basic Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hilton, Arthur; Lambert, George

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of 13 terminal objectives for a high school basic machine shop course. The materials were developed for a 36-week course (2 hours daily) designed to enable students to become familiar with the operation of machine shop equipment, to become familiar…

  11. Building Maintenance. Performance Objectives. Basic Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, Ernest

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of the 13 terminal objectives for a basic high school building maintenance course (the first year of a 3-year program). The materials were developed for a 36-week course (2 hours daily) designed to enable 10th grade students to develop competencies…

  12. Miniature objective lens for array digital pathology: design improvement based on clinical evaluation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McCall, Brian; Pierce, Mark; Graviss, Edward A.; Richards-Kortum, Rebecca R.; Tkaczyk, Tomasz S.

    2016-03-01

    A miniature objective designed for digital detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) was evaluated for diagnostic accuracy. The objective was designed for array microscopy, but fabricated and evaluated at this stage of development as a single objective. The counts and diagnoses of patient samples were directly compared for digital detection and standard microscopy. The results were found to be correlated and highly concordant. The evaluation of this lens by direct comparison to standard fluorescence sputum smear microscopy presented unique challenges and led to some new insights in the role played by the system parameters of the microscope. The design parameters and how they were developed are reviewed in light of these results. New system parameters are proposed with the goal of easing the challenges of evaluating the miniature objective and maintaining the optical performance that produced the agreeable results presented without over-optimizing. A new design is presented that meets and exceeds these criteria.

  13. Diesel Mechanics. Performance Objectives. Basic Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tidwell, Joseph

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of 12 terminal objectives for a basic diesel mechanics course. The course is designed as a two-semester (2 hour daily) course for 10th graders interested in being diesel service and repair mechanics; it would serve as the first year of a 3-year…

  14. Business Machine Maintenance. Performance Objectives. Intermediate Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McMinn, Robert

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of 28 terminal objectives presented in this guide for an intermediate business machine maintenance course at the secondary level. (For the basic course guide see CE 010 949.) Titles of the 28 terminal objective sections are Career Opportunities,…

  15. Subjective and objective voice evaluation in Sjögren's syndrome.

    PubMed

    Saltürk, Ziya; Özdemir, Erdi; Kumral, Tolgar Lütfi; Karabacakoğlu, Zeynep; Kumral, Esra; Yildiz, Hatice Elvin; Mersinlioğlu, Gökhan; Atar, Yavuz; Berkiten, Güler; Yildirim, Güven; Uyar, Yavuz

    2017-04-01

    Objective The aim of this study is to assess the subjective and objective aspects of voice in Sjögren's syndrome. Methods The study enrolled 10 women with Sjögren's syndrome and 12 healthy women. Maximum phonation time, fundamental frequency, jitter, shimmer, and noise-to-harmonics ratio were determined during acoustic voice analysis. The Stroboscopy Evaluation Rating Form was used for the laryngostroboscopic evaluation. A subjective evaluation was performed using the Turkish version of Voice Handicap Index-10. Results The mean age of the Sjögren's syndrome and control groups was 46 ± 13.89 and 41.27 ± 6.99 years, respectively, and did not differ (P = 0.131). In the laryngostroboscopic evaluation, the smoothness and straightness of vocal folds, regularity, and glottal closure differed significantly. In the acoustic and aerodynamic analyses, none of the parameters differed statistically, while the Sjögren's syndrome group had significantly higher Voice Handicap Index-10 scores than the controls. Conclusion Sjögren's syndrome affects the voice and voice quality.

  16. Rubrics for Evaluating Open Education Resource (OER) Objects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Achieve, Inc., 2011

    2011-01-01

    The rubrics presented in this report represent an evaluation system for objects found within Open Education Resources. An object could include images, applets, lessons, units, assessments and more. For the purpose of this evaluation, any component that can exist as a stand-alone qualifies as an object. The rubrics in this packet can be applied…

  17. ITEM SELECTION TECHNIQUES AND EVALUATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    COX, RICHARD C.

    THE VALIDITY OF AN EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT TEST DEPENDS UPON THE CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN SPECIFIED EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES AND THE EXTENT TO WHICH THESE OBJECTIVES ARE MEASURED BY THE EVALUATION INSTRUMENT. THIS STUDY IS DESIGNED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF STATISTICAL ITEM SELECTION ON THE STRUCTURE OF THE FINAL EVALUATION INSTRUMENT AS COMPARED WITH…

  18. Performance evaluation of seal coat materials and designs.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-01-01

    "This project presents an evaluation of seal coat materials and design method. The primary objectives of this research are 1) to evaluate seal coat performance : from various combinations of aggregates and emulsions in terms of aggregate loss; 2) to ...

  19. Objective evaluation of reconstruction methods for quantitative SPECT imaging in the absence of ground truth.

    PubMed

    Jha, Abhinav K; Song, Na; Caffo, Brian; Frey, Eric C

    2015-04-13

    Quantitative single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging is emerging as an important tool in clinical studies and biomedical research. There is thus a need for optimization and evaluation of systems and algorithms that are being developed for quantitative SPECT imaging. An appropriate objective method to evaluate these systems is by comparing their performance in the end task that is required in quantitative SPECT imaging, such as estimating the mean activity concentration in a volume of interest (VOI) in a patient image. This objective evaluation can be performed if the true value of the estimated parameter is known, i.e. we have a gold standard. However, very rarely is this gold standard known in human studies. Thus, no-gold-standard techniques to optimize and evaluate systems and algorithms in the absence of gold standard are required. In this work, we developed a no-gold-standard technique to objectively evaluate reconstruction methods used in quantitative SPECT when the parameter to be estimated is the mean activity concentration in a VOI. We studied the performance of the technique with realistic simulated image data generated from an object database consisting of five phantom anatomies with all possible combinations of five sets of organ uptakes, where each anatomy consisted of eight different organ VOIs. Results indicate that the method provided accurate ranking of the reconstruction methods. We also demonstrated the application of consistency checks to test the no-gold-standard output.

  20. Formal implementation of a performance evaluation model for the face recognition system.

    PubMed

    Shin, Yong-Nyuo; Kim, Jason; Lee, Yong-Jun; Shin, Woochang; Choi, Jin-Young

    2008-01-01

    Due to usability features, practical applications, and its lack of intrusiveness, face recognition technology, based on information, derived from individuals' facial features, has been attracting considerable attention recently. Reported recognition rates of commercialized face recognition systems cannot be admitted as official recognition rates, as they are based on assumptions that are beneficial to the specific system and face database. Therefore, performance evaluation methods and tools are necessary to objectively measure the accuracy and performance of any face recognition system. In this paper, we propose and formalize a performance evaluation model for the biometric recognition system, implementing an evaluation tool for face recognition systems based on the proposed model. Furthermore, we performed evaluations objectively by providing guidelines for the design and implementation of a performance evaluation system, formalizing the performance test process.

  1. Paying for performance: Performance incentives increase desire for the reward object.

    PubMed

    Hur, Julia D; Nordgren, Loran F

    2016-09-01

    The current research examines how exposure to performance incentives affects one's desire for the reward object. We hypothesized that the flexible nature of performance incentives creates an attentional fixation on the reward object (e.g., money), which leads people to become more desirous of the rewards. Results from 5 laboratory experiments and 1 large-scale field study provide support for this prediction. When performance was incentivized with monetary rewards, participants reported being more desirous of money (Study 1), put in more effort to earn additional money in an ensuing task (Study 2), and were less willing to donate money to charity (Study 4). We replicated the result with nonmonetary rewards (Study 5). We also found that performance incentives increased attention to the reward object during the task, which in part explains the observed effects (Study 6). A large-scale field study replicated these findings in a real-world setting (Study 7). One laboratory experiment failed to replicate (Study 3). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  2. Marine Engine Mechanics. Performance Objectives. Intermediate Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Marion

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are presented for each of ten terminal objectives for a two-semester course (3 hours daily). This 540-hour intermediate course includes advanced troubleshooting techniques on outboard marine engines, inboard-outboard marine engines, inboard marine engines, boat…

  3. Catalog of Performance Objectives and Performance Guides for Physical Therapy Occupations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reneau, Fred; Hahn, Dave

    This catalog provides a worker-based description of duties, tasks, performance objectives and guides, and related data for physical therapy occupations. Duties covered include the following: (1) performing administrative/clerical functions; (2) communicating information; (3) providing patient care services; (4) performing support service; (5)…

  4. Automotive Body Repair. Performance Objectives. Intermediate Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lang, Thomas

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of 10 terminal objectives for an intermediate automotive body repair and refinishing course. The materials were developed for a two-semester (3 hours daily) course for specialized classrooms, shop, and practical experiences designed to enable the…

  5. An Evaluation of Database Solutions to Spatial Object Association

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

    Kumar, V S; Kurc, T; Saltz, J

    2008-06-24

    Object association is a common problem encountered in many applications. Spatial object association, also referred to as crossmatch of spatial datasets, is the problem of identifying and comparing objects in two datasets based on their positions in a common spatial coordinate system--one of the datasets may correspond to a catalog of objects observed over time in a multi-dimensional domain; the other dataset may consist of objects observed in a snapshot of the domain at a time point. The use of database management systems to the solve the object association problem provides portability across different platforms and also greater flexibility. Increasingmore » dataset sizes in today's applications, however, have made object association a data/compute-intensive problem that requires targeted optimizations for efficient execution. In this work, we investigate how database-based crossmatch algorithms can be deployed on different database system architectures and evaluate the deployments to understand the impact of architectural choices on crossmatch performance and associated trade-offs. We investigate the execution of two crossmatch algorithms on (1) a parallel database system with active disk style processing capabilities, (2) a high-throughput network database (MySQL Cluster), and (3) shared-nothing databases with replication. We have conducted our study in the context of a large-scale astronomy application with real use-case scenarios.« less

  6. Gasoline Engine Mechanics. Performance Objectives. Intermediate Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Marion

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of six terminal objectives presented in this curriculum guide for an intermediate gasoline engine mechanics course at the secondary level. (For the beginning course guide see CE 010 947.) The materials were developed for a two-semester (2 hour…

  7. Marine Engine Mechanics. Performance Objectives. Basic Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Marion

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are presented for each of six terminal objectives for a two-semester course (2 hours daily) which provides training in the terminology, construction, and function of both two- and four-cycle fuel-air mixture internal combustion engines with emphasis on outboard marine…

  8. Automotive Body Repair. Performance Objectives. Basic Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lang, Thomas

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of 15 terminal objectives for a basic automotive body repair and refinishing course. The materials were developed for a two-semester (2 hours daily) course for organized classroom and shop experiences designed to enable the student to develop…

  9. Service Station Attendant. Performance Objectives. Basic Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, John

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of 24 terminal objectives for a basic secondary level service station attendant course. The materials were developed for a two-semester course (2 and 3 hours daily). The specialized classroom and shop experiences are designed to enable the student…

  10. Laser System Technician. A Catalog of Performance Objectives and Performance Guides.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Vocational, Adult, and Community Education.

    This Vocational-Technical Education Consortium of States (V-TECS) catalog contains the state-of-the-art tasks and standards of performance for the occupation of laser system technician. It provides the curriculum specialist or instructor with the foundation for instructional development. Performance objectives and performance guides are provided…

  11. Effectiveness evaluation of objective and subjective weighting methods for aquifer vulnerability assessment in urban context

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sahoo, Madhumita; Sahoo, Satiprasad; Dhar, Anirban; Pradhan, Biswajeet

    2016-10-01

    Groundwater vulnerability assessment has been an accepted practice to identify the zones with relatively increased potential for groundwater contamination. DRASTIC is the most popular secondary information-based vulnerability assessment approach. Original DRASTIC approach considers relative importance of features/sub-features based on subjective weighting/rating values. However variability of features at a smaller scale is not reflected in this subjective vulnerability assessment process. In contrast to the subjective approach, the objective weighting-based methods provide flexibility in weight assignment depending on the variation of the local system. However experts' opinion is not directly considered in the objective weighting-based methods. Thus effectiveness of both subjective and objective weighting-based approaches needs to be evaluated. In the present study, three methods - Entropy information method (E-DRASTIC), Fuzzy pattern recognition method (F-DRASTIC) and Single parameter sensitivity analysis (SA-DRASTIC), were used to modify the weights of the original DRASTIC features to include local variability. Moreover, a grey incidence analysis was used to evaluate the relative performance of subjective (DRASTIC and SA-DRASTIC) and objective (E-DRASTIC and F-DRASTIC) weighting-based methods. The performance of the developed methodology was tested in an urban area of Kanpur City, India. Relative performance of the subjective and objective methods varies with the choice of water quality parameters. This methodology can be applied without/with suitable modification. These evaluations establish the potential applicability of the methodology for general vulnerability assessment in urban context.

  12. Instructors' Evaluation as an Instrument to Improve Performance and Determine Competence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Laei, Soosan; Abdi, Ali; Karamaerouz, Mohamad Javad; Shirkhani, Nassim

    2014-01-01

    Experts in human resources management have suggested common objectives for evaluating performance of all organizations, including motivation and improvement of staff performance, identification of competence and skills, identification of educational needs and developmental contexts, etc. Achievement to these objectives is -a responsibility of…

  13. [Development of key indicators for nurses performance evaluation and estimation of their weights for management by objectives].

    PubMed

    Lee, Eun Hwa; Ahn, Sung Hee

    2010-02-01

    This methodological research was designed to develop performance evaluation key indicators (PEKIs) for management by objectives (MBO) and to estimate their weights for hospital nurses. The PEKIs were developed by selecting preliminary indicators from a literature review, examining content validity and identifying their level of importance. Data were collected from November 14, 2007 to February 18, 2008. Data set for importance of indicators was obtained from 464 nurses and weights of PEKIs domain was from 453 nurses, who worked for at least 2 yr in one of three hospitals. Data were analyzed using X(2)-test, factor analysis, and the Analytical Hierarchy Process. Based upon Content Validity Index of .8 or above, 61 indicators were selected from the 100 preliminary indicators. Finally, 40 PEKIs were developed from the 61 indicators, and categorized into 10 domains. The highest weight of the 10 domains was customer satisfaction, which was followed by patient education, direct nursing care, profit increase, safety management, improvement of nursing quality, completeness of nursing records, enhancing competence of nurses, indirect nursing care, and cost reduction, in that order. PEKIs and their weights can be utilized for impartial evaluation and MBO for hospital nurses. Further research to verify PEKIs would lead to successful implementation of MBO.

  14. An objective method for a video quality evaluation in a 3DTV service

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wilczewski, Grzegorz

    2015-09-01

    The following article describes proposed objective method for a 3DTV video quality evaluation, a Compressed Average Image Intensity (CAII) method. Identification of the 3DTV service's content chain nodes enables to design a versatile, objective video quality metric. It is based on an advanced approach to the stereoscopic videostream analysis. Insights towards designed metric mechanisms, as well as the evaluation of performance of the designed video quality metric, in the face of the simulated environmental conditions are herein discussed. As a result, created CAII metric might be effectively used in a variety of service quality assessment applications.

  15. Gasoline Engine Mechanics. Performance Objectives. Basic Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Marion

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of five terminal objectives presented in this curriculum guide for a basic gasoline engine mechanics course at the secondary level. (For the intermediate course guide see CE 010 946.) The materials were developed for a two semester (2 hours daily)…

  16. Business Machine Maintenance. Performance Objectives. Basic Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McMinn, Robert

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of 25 terminal objectives presented in this guide for a basic business machine maintenance course at the secondary level. (For the intermediate course guide see CE 010 948.) The materials were developed for a two-semester (2 hour daily) course…

  17. Design and evaluation of an ultra-slim objective for in-vivo deep optical biopsy

    PubMed Central

    Landau, Sara M.; Liang, Chen; Kester, Robert T.; Tkaczyk, Tomasz S.; Descour, Michael R.

    2010-01-01

    An estimated 1.6 million breast biopsies are performed in the US each year. In order to provide real-time, in-vivo imaging with sub-cellular resolution for optical biopsies, we have designed an ultra-slim objective to fit inside the 1-mm-diameter hypodermic needles currently used for breast biopsies to image tissue stained by the fluorescent probe proflavine. To ensure high-quality imaging performance, experimental tests were performed to characterize fiber bundle’s light-coupling efficiency and simulations were performed to evaluate the impact of candidate lens materials’ autofluorescence. A prototype of NA = 0.4, 250-µm field of view, ultra-slim objective optics was built and tested, yielding diffraction-limited performance and estimated resolution of 0.9 µm. When used in conjunction with a commercial coherent fiber bundle to relay the image formed by the objective, the measured resolution was 2.5 µm. PMID:20389489

  18. Testing thermal comfort of trekking boots: an objective and subjective evaluation.

    PubMed

    Arezes, P M; Neves, M M; Teixeira, S F; Leão, C P; Cunha, J L

    2013-07-01

    The study of the thermal comfort of the feet when using a specific type of shoe is of paramount importance, in particular if the main goal of the study is to attend to the needs of users. The main aim of this study was to propose a test battery for thermal comfort analysis and to apply it to the analysis of trekking boots. Methodologically, the project involves both objective and subjective evaluations. An objective evaluation of the thermal properties of the fabrics used in the boots was developed and applied. In addition, the thermal comfort provided when using the boots was also assessed both subjective and objectively. The evaluation of the thermal comfort during use, which was simulated in a laboratory environment, included the measurement of the temperature and moisture of the feet. The subjective assessment was performed using a questionnaire. From the results obtained, it was possible to define an optimal combination of fabrics to apply to trekking boots by considering the provided thermal insulation, air permeability and wicking. The results also revealed that the subjective perception of thermal comfort appears to be more related to the increase in temperature of the feet than to the moisture retention inside the boot. Although the evaluation of knits used in the boots indicated that a particular combination of fibres was optimal for use in the inner layer, the subjective and objective evaluation of thermal comfort revealed that the evaluation provided by users did not necessarily match the technical assessment data. No correlation was observed between the general comfort and specific thermal comfort assessments. Finally, the identification of thermal discomfort by specific foot areas would be useful in the process of designing and developing boots. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

  19. Custodial Services and Building Maint: Performance Objectives.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Downing, Charles; And Others

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of 14 terminal objectives for high school custodial service and building maintenance course (the third year of a 3-year program). The materials were developed for a 36-week course (3 hours daily) designed to prepare 12th graders with entry level…

  20. A Catalog of Tasks, Performance Objectives, Performance Guides, Tools, and Equipment, Homemaker Human Development.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Watkins, Betty; And Others

    This catalog was designed to provide performance objectives and performance guides associated with current occupational information relating to the job of homemaker. The performance objectives and guides were developed following a literature review and a survey of random samples of homemakers in the five participating states (Alabama, Florida,…

  1. Matrix evaluation of science objectives

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wessen, Randii R.

    1994-01-01

    The most fundamental objective of all robotic planetary spacecraft is to return science data. To accomplish this, a spacecraft is fabricated and built, software is planned and coded, and a ground system is designed and implemented. However, the quantitative analysis required to determine how the collection of science data drives ground system capabilities has received very little attention. This paper defines a process by which science objectives can be quantitatively evaluated. By applying it to the Cassini Mission to Saturn, this paper further illustrates the power of this technique. The results show which science objectives drive specific ground system capabilities. In addition, this process can assist system engineers and scientists in the selection of the science payload during pre-project mission planning; ground system designers during ground system development and implementation; and operations personnel during mission operations.

  2. Implementation of Management by Objective through Open Performance Review and Appraisal System for Teachers in Tanzania

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Matete, Rose Ephraim

    2016-01-01

    Management by Objective through Open Performance Review and Appraisal System (OPRAS) was introduced in Tanzania for evaluation of public servants work performance in 2004. The aim of this study was to investigate how teachers perceive the implementation of OPRAS as a mechanism of assessing their work performance and making them accountable for…

  3. Design and Implementation of Performance Metrics for Evaluation of Assessments Data

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ahmed, Irfan; Bhatti, Arif

    2016-01-01

    Evocative evaluation of assessment data is essential to quantify the achievements at course and program levels. The objective of this paper is to design performance metrics and respective formulas to quantitatively evaluate the achievement of set objectives and expected outcomes at the course levels for program accreditation. Even though…

  4. Performance evaluation of Louisiana superpave mixtures : tech summary.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2008-12-01

    The primary objective of this research was to evaluate the fundamental engineering : properties and mixture performance of Superpave hot mix asphalt (HMA) mixtures : in Louisiana through laboratory mechanistic tests, aggregate gradation analysis, and...

  5. An Object-Based Approach to Evaluation of Climate Variability Projections and Predictions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ammann, C. M.; Brown, B.; Kalb, C. P.; Bullock, R.

    2017-12-01

    Evaluations of the performance of earth system model predictions and projections are of critical importance to enhance usefulness of these products. Such evaluations need to address specific concerns depending on the system and decisions of interest; hence, evaluation tools must be tailored to inform about specific issues. Traditional approaches that summarize grid-based comparisons of analyses and models, or between current and future climate, often do not reveal important information about the models' performance (e.g., spatial or temporal displacements; the reason behind a poor score) and are unable to accommodate these specific information needs. For example, summary statistics such as the correlation coefficient or the mean-squared error provide minimal information to developers, users, and decision makers regarding what is "right" and "wrong" with a model. New spatial and temporal-spatial object-based tools from the field of weather forecast verification (where comparisons typically focus on much finer temporal and spatial scales) have been adapted to more completely answer some of the important earth system model evaluation questions. In particular, the Method for Object-based Diagnostic Evaluation (MODE) tool and its temporal (three-dimensional) extension (MODE-TD) have been adapted for these evaluations. More specifically, these tools can be used to address spatial and temporal displacements in projections of El Nino-related precipitation and/or temperature anomalies, ITCZ-associated precipitation areas, atmospheric rivers, seasonal sea-ice extent, and other features of interest. Examples of several applications of these tools in a climate context will be presented, using output of the CESM large ensemble. In general, these tools provide diagnostic information about model performance - accounting for spatial, temporal, and intensity differences - that cannot be achieved using traditional (scalar) model comparison approaches. Thus, they can provide more

  6. Evaluation of Moving Object Detection Based on Various Input Noise Using Fixed Camera

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kiaee, N.; Hashemizadeh, E.; Zarrinpanjeh, N.

    2017-09-01

    Detecting and tracking objects in video has been as a research area of interest in the field of image processing and computer vision. This paper evaluates the performance of a novel method for object detection algorithm in video sequences. This process helps us to know the advantage of this method which is being used. The proposed framework compares the correct and wrong detection percentage of this algorithm. This method was evaluated with the collected data in the field of urban transport which include car and pedestrian in fixed camera situation. The results show that the accuracy of the algorithm will decreases because of image resolution reduction.

  7. Decreased attention to object size information in scale errors performers.

    PubMed

    Grzyb, Beata J; Cangelosi, Angelo; Cattani, Allegra; Floccia, Caroline

    2017-05-01

    Young children sometimes make serious attempts to perform impossible actions on miniature objects as if they were full-size objects. The existing explanations of these curious action errors assume (but never explicitly tested) children's decreased attention to object size information. This study investigated the attention to object size information in scale errors performers. Two groups of children aged 18-25 months (N=52) and 48-60 months (N=23) were tested in two consecutive tasks: an action task that replicated the original scale errors elicitation situation, and a looking task that involved watching on a computer screen actions performed with adequate to inadequate size object. Our key finding - that children performing scale errors in the action task subsequently pay less attention to size changes than non-scale errors performers in the looking task - suggests that the origins of scale errors in childhood operate already at the perceptual level, and not at the action level. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Evaluating Students with Disabilities and Their Teachers: Use of Student Learning Objectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Joyce, Jeanette; Harrison, Judith R.; Murphy, Danielle

    2016-01-01

    Over the past decade, there has been a movement toward increased accountability, focusing on teacher performance, in U.S. education. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss student learning objectives (SLOs) as one component of high-stakes teacher evaluation systems, within the context of learners with special needs. We describe SLOs and their…

  9. Objective evaluation of acute adverse events and image quality of gadolinium-based contrast agents (gadobutrol and gadobenate dimeglumine) by blinded evaluation. Pilot study.

    PubMed

    Semelka, Richard C; Hernandes, Mateus de A; Stallings, Clifton G; Castillo, Mauricio

    2013-01-01

    The purpose was to objectively evaluate a recently FDA-approved gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA) in comparison to our standard GBCA for acute adverse events and image quality by blinded evaluation. Evaluation was made of a recently FDA-approved GBCA, gadobutrol (Gadavist; Bayer), in comparison to our standard GBCA, gadobenate dimeglumine (MultiHance; Bracco), in an IRB- and HIPAA-compliant study. Both the imaging technologist and patient were not aware of the brand of the GBCA used. A total of 59 magnetic resonance studies were evaluated (59 patients, 31 men, 28 women, age range of 5-85 years, mean age of 52 years). Twenty-nine studies were performed with gadobutrol (22 abdominal and 7 brain studies), and 30 studies were performed with gadobenate dimeglumine (22 abdominal and 8 brain studies). Assessment was made of acute adverse events focusing on objective observations of vomiting, hives, and moderate and severe reactions. Adequacy of enhancement was rated as poor, fair and good by one of two experienced radiologists who were blinded to the type of agent evaluated. No patient experienced acute adverse events with either agent. The target minor adverse events of vomiting or hives, and moderate and severe reactions were not observed in any patient. Adequacy of enhancement was rated as good for both agents in all patients. Objective, blinded evaluation is feasible and readily performable for the evaluation of GBCAs. This proof-of-concept study showed that both GBCAs evaluated exhibited consistent good image quality and no noteworthy adverse events. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Writing objectives and evaluating learning in the affective domain.

    PubMed

    Maier-Lorentz, M M

    1999-01-01

    Staff educators recognize the importance of affective competency for effective nursing practice. Inservice programs must include affective learning with objectives stated in measurable terms. Staff educators often express frustration in developing affective objectives and evaluating the learning outcome because attitudes and feelings are usually inferred from observations. This article presents affective learning objectives for a gerontological nursing inservice program and a rating scale that measures attitudes to evaluate the learning outcome.

  11. American Industries. Performance Objectives. Volume 1.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goldsbury, Paul; And Others

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of the three categories (American Industries Orientation, Agriculture, and Construction) included in this first of a two-volume course guide on American industries. The materials were developed for a 9- to 12-week course for seventh grade students…

  12. American Industries. Performance Objectives. Volume 2.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goldsbury, Paul; And Others

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of the three categories (Manufacturing, Graphic Communication, and Power) included in this second of a two-volume course guide on American industries. The materials were developed for a 9- to 12-week course for seventh grade students to acquaint…

  13. Commercial and Advertising Art. Performance Objectives. Intermediate Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Atkinson, Floyd

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of eight terminal objectives for an intermediate commercial and advertising art course for high school vocational students. The materials were developed for a two-semester (3 hours daily) course involving specialized classroom, shop, and practical…

  14. Performance Objectives for Trainable Mentally Handicapped (K-12).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cooperative Educational Services, Phoenix, AZ.

    Performance objectives related to occupational, social, communication, and daily living skills are specified for trainable mentally handicapped students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Each skill area is broken down into four to seven component units (number of objectives for each unit is noted in parentheses): manual activities (10), work…

  15. Metals. Industrial Arts. Performance Objectives, Junior High School.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bunch, Edwood; And Others

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for a metals course for seventh, eighth, and ninth grade students. The seventh grade section includes 13 terminal objectives for a 9-week course and provides exploratory units in bench metals and sheet metals. Industrial materials and processes receive…

  16. Objective instrumental memory and performance tests for evaluation of patients with brain damage: a search for a behavioral diagnostic tool.

    PubMed

    Harness, B Z; Bental, E; Carmon, A

    1976-03-01

    Cognition and performance of patients with localized and diffuse brain damage was evaluated through the application of objective perceptual testing. A series of visual perceptual and verbal tests, memory tests, as well as reaction time tasks were administered to the patients by logic programming equipment. In order to avoid a bias due to communicative disorders, all responses were motor, and achievement was scored in terms of correct identification and latencies of response. Previously established norms based on a large sample of non-brain-damaged hospitalized patients served to standardize the performance of the brain-damaged patient since preliminary results showed that age and educational level constitute an important variable affecting performance of the control group. The achievement of brain-damaged patients, corrected for these factors, was impaired significantly in all tests with respect to both recognition and speed of performance. Lateralized effects of brain damage were not significantly demonstrated. However, when the performance was analyzed with respect to the locus of visual input, it was found that patients with right hemispheric lesions showed impairment mainly on perception of figurative material, and that this deficit was more apparent in the left visual field. Conversely, patients with left hemispheric lesions tended to show impairment on perception of visually presented verbal material when the input was delivered to the right visual field.

  17. The book availability study as an objective measure of performance in a health sciences library.

    PubMed Central

    Kolner, S J; Welch, E C

    1985-01-01

    In its search for an objective overall diagnostic evaluation, the University of Illinois Library of the Health Sciences' Program Evaluation Committee selected a book availability measure; it is easy to administer and repeat, results are reproducible, and comparable data exist for other academic and health sciences libraries. The study followed the standard methodology in the literature with minor modifications. Patrons searching for particular books were asked to record item(s) needed and the outcome of the search. Library staff members then determined the reasons for failures in obtaining desired items. The results of the study are five performance scores. The first four represent the percentage probability of a library's operating with ideal effectiveness; the last provides an overall performance score. The scores of the Library of the Health Sciences demonstrated no unusual availability problems. The study was easy to implement and provided meaningful, quantitative, and objective data. PMID:3995202

  18. An Evaluation of the Effects of Experimenter Control of Objects on Individuals' Engagement in Object Stereotypy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stangeland, Lindsay A.; Smith, Dean P.; Rapp, John T.

    2012-01-01

    In two experiments, the authors evaluated the extent to which (a) individuals preferred engaging in object stereotypy versus observing an experimenter while the experimenter engaged in object stereotypy and (b) an experimenter's engagement in object stereotypy decreased the participants' engagement in object stereotypy. Results of Experiment 1…

  19. Effect of knowledge of APOE genotype on subjective and objective memory performance in healthy older adults.

    PubMed

    Lineweaver, Tara T; Bondi, Mark W; Galasko, Douglas; Salmon, David P

    2014-02-01

    The knowledge that one carries the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele risk factor for Alzheimer's disease was recently found to have little short-term psychological risk. The authors investigated the impact of knowledge of carrying the risk allele on subjective ratings of memory and objective memory test performance of older adults. Using a nested case-control design, the authors administered objective verbal and visual memory tests and self-rating scales of memory function to 144 cognitively normal older adults (ages 52-89) with known APOE genotype who knew (ε4+, N=25; ε4-, N=49) or did not know (ε4+, N=25; ε4-, N=45) their genotype and genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease prior to neuropsychological evaluation. Significant genotype-by-disclosure interaction effects were observed on several memory rating scales and tests of immediate and delayed verbal recall. Older adults who knew their ε4+ genotype judged their memory more harshly and performed worse on an objective verbal memory test than did ε4+ adults who did not know. In contrast, older adults who knew their ε4- genotype judged their memory more positively than did ε4- adults who did not know, but these groups did not differ in objective memory test performance. Informing older adults that they have an APOE genotype associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease can have adverse consequences on their perception of their memory abilities and their performance on objective memory tests. The patient's knowledge of his or her genotype and risk of Alzheimer's disease should be considered when evaluating cognition in the elderly.

  20. Woods. Industrial Arts. Performance Objectives. Junior High School.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bunch, Edwood; And Others

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for a woodworking course for seventh, eighth, and ninth grade students. The seventh grade section includes seven terminal objectives for a 9-week basic hand woodworking course which includes planning and layout, skill in the use of hand tools, construction…

  1. Contributions to Objective Measurement and Evaluation of Trainee Competency.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moonan, William J.

    The purpose of this paper is to lay a basis for and discuss the components of a system, called COMET, designed to objectively measure and evaluate the competency of trainees in military training enterprises. COMET is an acronym for "Computerized Objective Measurement and Evaluation of Trainees." These goals will be accomplished by: (a)…

  2. Design and Implementation of High-Performance GIS Dynamic Objects Rendering Engine

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhong, Y.; Wang, S.; Li, R.; Yun, W.; Song, G.

    2017-12-01

    Spatio-temporal dynamic visualization is more vivid than static visualization. It important to use dynamic visualization techniques to reveal the variation process and trend vividly and comprehensively for the geographical phenomenon. To deal with challenges caused by dynamic visualization of both 2D and 3D spatial dynamic targets, especially for different spatial data types require high-performance GIS dynamic objects rendering engine. The main approach for improving the rendering engine with vast dynamic targets relies on key technologies of high-performance GIS, including memory computing, parallel computing, GPU computing and high-performance algorisms. In this study, high-performance GIS dynamic objects rendering engine is designed and implemented for solving the problem based on hybrid accelerative techniques. The high-performance GIS rendering engine contains GPU computing, OpenGL technology, and high-performance algorism with the advantage of 64-bit memory computing. It processes 2D, 3D dynamic target data efficiently and runs smoothly with vast dynamic target data. The prototype system of high-performance GIS dynamic objects rendering engine is developed based SuperMap GIS iObjects. The experiments are designed for large-scale spatial data visualization, the results showed that the high-performance GIS dynamic objects rendering engine have the advantage of high performance. Rendering two-dimensional and three-dimensional dynamic objects achieve 20 times faster on GPU than on CPU.

  3. The importance of metrics for evaluating scientific performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miyakawa, Tsuyoshi

    Evaluation of scientific performance is a major factor that determines the behavior of both individual researchers and the academic institutes to which they belong. Because the number of researchers heavily outweighs the number of available research posts, and the competitive funding accounts for an ever-increasing proportion of research budget, some objective indicators of research performance have gained recognition for increasing transparency and openness. It is common practice to use metrics and indices to evaluate a researcher's performance or the quality of their grant applications. Such measures include the number of publications, the number of times these papers are cited and, more recently, the h-index, which measures the number of highly-cited papers the researcher has written. However, academic institutions and funding agencies in Japan have been rather slow to adopt such metrics. In this article, I will outline some of the currently available metrics, and discuss why we need to use such objective indicators of research performance more often in Japan. I will also discuss how to promote the use of metrics and what we should keep in mind when using them, as well as their potential impact on the research community in Japan.

  4. Commercial and Advertising Art. Performance Objectives. Basic Course.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Atkinson, Floyd

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of 12 terminal objectives for a basic commercial and advertising art course. The materials were developed for a two-semester (2 hours daily) course to enable tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grade students to develop competencies in the care and use of…

  5. Overview of the JPEG XS objective evaluation procedures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Willème, Alexandre; Richter, Thomas; Rosewarne, Chris; Macq, Benoit

    2017-09-01

    JPEG XS is a standardization activity conducted by the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), formally known as ISO/IEC SC29 WG1 group that aims at standardizing a low-latency, lightweight and visually lossless video compression scheme. This codec is intended to be used in applications where image sequences would otherwise be transmitted or stored in uncompressed form, such as in live production (through SDI or IP transport), display links, or frame buffers. Support for compression ratios ranging from 2:1 to 6:1 allows significant bandwidth and power reduction for signal propagation. This paper describes the objective quality assessment procedures conducted as part of the JPEG XS standardization activity. Firstly, this paper discusses the objective part of the experiments that led to the technology selection during the 73th WG1 meeting in late 2016. This assessment consists of PSNR measurements after a single and multiple compression decompression cycles at various compression ratios. After this assessment phase, two proposals among the six responses to the CfP were selected and merged to form the first JPEG XS test model (XSM). Later, this paper describes the core experiments (CEs) conducted so far on the XSM. These experiments are intended to evaluate its performance in more challenging scenarios, such as insertion of picture overlays, robustness to frame editing, assess the impact of the different algorithmic choices, and also to measure the XSM performance using the HDR VDP metric.

  6. Correlating objective and subjective evaluation of texture appearance with applications to camera phone imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Phillips, Jonathan B.; Coppola, Stephen M.; Jin, Elaine W.; Chen, Ying; Clark, James H.; Mauer, Timothy A.

    2009-01-01

    Texture appearance is an important component of photographic image quality as well as object recognition. Noise cleaning algorithms are used to decrease sensor noise of digital images, but can hinder texture elements in the process. The Camera Phone Image Quality (CPIQ) initiative of the International Imaging Industry Association (I3A) is developing metrics to quantify texture appearance. Objective and subjective experimental results of the texture metric development are presented in this paper. Eight levels of noise cleaning were applied to ten photographic scenes that included texture elements such as faces, landscapes, architecture, and foliage. Four companies (Aptina Imaging, LLC, Hewlett-Packard, Eastman Kodak Company, and Vista Point Technologies) have performed psychophysical evaluations of overall image quality using one of two methods of evaluation. Both methods presented paired comparisons of images on thin film transistor liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCD), but the display pixel pitch and viewing distance differed. CPIQ has also been developing objective texture metrics and targets that were used to analyze the same eight levels of noise cleaning. The correlation of the subjective and objective test results indicates that texture perception can be modeled with an objective metric. The two methods of psychophysical evaluation exhibited high correlation despite the differences in methodology.

  7. Position Affects Performance in Multiple-Object Tracking in Rugby Union Players

    PubMed Central

    Martín, Andrés; Sfer, Ana M.; D'Urso Villar, Marcela A.; Barraza, José F.

    2017-01-01

    We report an experiment that examines the performance of rugby union players and a control group composed of graduate student with no sport experience, in a multiple-object tracking task. It compares the ability of 86 high level rugby union players grouped as Backs and Forwards and the control group, to track a subset of randomly moving targets amongst the same number of distractors. Several difficulties were included in the experimental design in order to evaluate possible interactions between the relevant variables. Results show that the performance of the Backs is better than that of the other groups, but the occurrence of interactions precludes an isolated groups analysis. We interpret the results within the framework of visual attention and discuss both, the implications of our results and the practical consequences. PMID:28951725

  8. Performance bounds for matched field processing in subsurface object detection applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sahin, Adnan; Miller, Eric L.

    1998-09-01

    In recent years there has been considerable interest in the use of ground penetrating radar (GPR) for the non-invasive detection and localization of buried objects. In a previous work, we have considered the use of high resolution array processing methods for solving these problems for measurement geometries in which an array of electromagnetic receivers observes the fields scattered by the subsurface targets in response to a plane wave illumination. Our approach uses the MUSIC algorithm in a matched field processing (MFP) scheme to determine both the range and the bearing of the objects. In this paper we derive the Cramer-Rao bounds (CRB) for this MUSIC-based approach analytically. Analysis of the theoretical CRB has shown that there exists an optimum inter-element spacing of array elements for which the CRB is minimum. Furthermore, the optimum inter-element spacing minimizing CRB is smaller than the conventional half wavelength criterion. The theoretical bounds are then verified for two estimators using Monte-Carlo simulations. The first estimator is the MUSIC-based MFP and the second one is the maximum likelihood based MFP. The two approaches differ in the cost functions they optimize. We observe that Monte-Carlo simulated error variances always lie above the values established by CRB. Finally, we evaluate the performance of our MUSIC-based algorithm in the presence of model mismatches. Since the detection algorithm strongly depends on the model used, we have tested the performance of the algorithm when the object radius used in the model is different from the true radius. This analysis reveals that the algorithm is still capable of localizing the objects with a bias depending on the degree of mismatch.

  9. Correlation of Objective Assessment Data With General Surgery Resident In-Training Evaluation Reports and Operative Volumes.

    PubMed

    Abdelsattar, Jad M; AlJamal, Yazan N; Ruparel, Raaj K; Rowse, Phillip G; Heller, Stephanie F; Farley, David R

    2018-05-14

    Faculty evaluations, ABSITE scores, and operative case volumes often tell little about true resident performance. We developed an objective structured clinical examination called the Surgical X-Games (5 rooms, 15 minutes each, 12-15 tests total, different for each postgraduate [PGY] level). We hypothesized that performance in X-Games will prove more useful in identifying areas of strength or weakness among general surgery (GS) residents than faculty evaluations, ABSITE scores, or operative cases volumes. PGY 2 to 5 GS residents (n = 35) were tested in a semiannual X-Games assessment using multiple simulation tasks: laparoscopic skills, bowel anastomosis, CT/CXR analysis, chest tube placement, etc. over 1 academic year. Resident scores were compared to their ABSITE, in-training evaluation reports, and operating room case numbers. Academic medical center. PGY-2, 3, 4, and 5 GS residents at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Results varied greatly within each class except for staff evaluations: in-training evaluation reports medians for PGY-2s were 5.3 (range: 5.0-6.0), PGY-3s 5.9 (5.5-6.3), PGY-4s 5.6 (5.0-6.0), and PGY-5s were 6.1 (5.6-6.9). Although ABSITE and operating room case volumes fluctated greatly with each PGY class, only X-Games scores (median: PGY-2 = 82, PGY-3 = 61, PGY-4 = 76, and PGY-5 = 60) correlated positively (p < 0.05) with operative case volume and negatively (p < 0.05) with staff evaluations. X-Games assessment generated wide differentiation of resident performance quickly, inexpensively, and objectively. Although "Minnesota-nice" surgical staff may feel all GS trainees are "above average," objective assessment tells us otherwise. Copyright © 2018 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Functional Performance Evaluation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Greenisen, Michael C.; Hayes, Judith C.; Siconolfi, Steven F.; Moore, Alan D.

    1999-01-01

    The Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project (EDOMP) was established to address specific issues associated with optimizing the ability of crews to complete mission tasks deemed essential to entry, landing, and egress for spaceflights lasting up to 16 days. The main objectives of this functional performance evaluation were to investigate the physiological effects of long-duration spaceflight on skeletal muscle strength and endurance, as well as aerobic capacity and orthostatic function. Long-duration exposure to a microgravity environment may produce physiological alterations that affect crew ability to complete critical tasks such as extravehicular activity (EVA), intravehicular activity (IVA), and nominal or emergency egress. Ultimately, this information will be used to develop and verify countermeasures. The answers to three specific functional performance questions were sought: (1) What are the performance decrements resulting from missions of varying durations? (2) What are the physical requirements for successful entry, landing, and emergency egress from the Shuttle? and (3) What combination of preflight fitness training and in-flight countermeasures will minimize in-flight muscle performance decrements? To answer these questions, the Exercise Countermeasures Project looked at physiological changes associated with muscle degradation as well as orthostatic intolerance. A means of ensuring motor coordination was necessary to maintain proficiency in piloting skills, EVA, and IVA tasks. In addition, it was necessary to maintain musculoskeletal strength and function to meet the rigors associated with moderate altitude bailout and with nominal or emergency egress from the landed Orbiter. Eight investigations, referred to as Detailed Supplementary Objectives (DSOs) 475, 476, 477, 606, 608, 617, 618, and 624, were conducted to study muscle degradation and the effects of exercise on exercise capacity and orthostatic function (Table 3-1). This chapter is divided into

  11. Quantum non-objectivity from performativity of quantum phenomena

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Khrennikov, Andrei; Schumann, Andrew

    2014-12-01

    We analyze the logical foundations of quantum mechanics (QM) by stressing non-objectivity of quantum observables, which is a consequence of the absence of logical atoms in QM. We argue that the matter of quantum non-objectivity is that, on the one hand, the formalism of QM constructed as a mathematical theory is self-consistent, but, on the other hand, quantum phenomena as results of experimenters’ performances are not self-consistent. This self-inconsistency is an effect of the language of QM differing greatly from the language of human performances. The former is the language of a mathematical theory that uses some Aristotelian and Russellian assumptions (e.g., the assumption that there are logical atoms). The latter language consists of performative propositions that are self-inconsistent only from the viewpoint of conventional mathematical theory, but they satisfy another logic that is non-Aristotelian. Hence, the representation of quantum reality in linguistic terms may be different: the difference between a mathematical theory and a logic of performative propositions. To solve quantum self-inconsistency, we apply the formalism of non-classical self-referent logics.

  12. Systems and technologies for objective evaluation of technical skills in laparoscopic surgery.

    PubMed

    Sánchez-Margallo, Juan A; Sánchez-Margallo, Francisco M; Oropesa, Ignacio; Gómez, Enrique J

    2014-01-01

    Minimally invasive surgery is a highly demanding surgical approach regarding technical requirements for the surgeon, who must be trained in order to perform a safe surgical intervention. Traditional surgical education in minimally invasive surgery is commonly based on subjective criteria to quantify and evaluate surgical abilities, which could be potentially unsafe for the patient. Authors, surgeons and associations are increasingly demanding the development of more objective assessment tools that can accredit surgeons as technically competent. This paper describes the state of the art in objective assessment methods of surgical skills. It gives an overview on assessment systems based on structured checklists and rating scales, surgical simulators, and instrument motion analysis. As a future work, an objective and automatic assessment method of surgical skills should be standardized as a means towards proficiency-based curricula for training in laparoscopic surgery and its certification.

  13. Object-oriented fault tree evaluation program for quantitative analyses

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Patterson-Hine, F. A.; Koen, B. V.

    1988-01-01

    Object-oriented programming can be combined with fault free techniques to give a significantly improved environment for evaluating the safety and reliability of large complex systems for space missions. Deep knowledge about system components and interactions, available from reliability studies and other sources, can be described using objects that make up a knowledge base. This knowledge base can be interrogated throughout the design process, during system testing, and during operation, and can be easily modified to reflect design changes in order to maintain a consistent information source. An object-oriented environment for reliability assessment has been developed on a Texas Instrument (TI) Explorer LISP workstation. The program, which directly evaluates system fault trees, utilizes the object-oriented extension to LISP called Flavors that is available on the Explorer. The object representation of a fault tree facilitates the storage and retrieval of information associated with each event in the tree, including tree structural information and intermediate results obtained during the tree reduction process. Reliability data associated with each basic event are stored in the fault tree objects. The object-oriented environment on the Explorer also includes a graphical tree editor which was modified to display and edit the fault trees.

  14. Changes in Performance in a Management by Objectives Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ivancevich, John M.

    1974-01-01

    Reports on empirically-based longitudinal study of performance in a manufacturing company that uses management by objectives. The performance of the subordinates of 181 MBO-involved supervisors in the production and marketing departments is analyzed. Time lag, reinforcement, and sustaining improvements in performance are considered and analyzed.…

  15. Effects of age on the soccer-specific cognitive-motor performance of elite young soccer players: Comparison between objective measurements and coaches’ evaluation

    PubMed Central

    Chauvin, Alan; Chassot, Steve; Chenevière, Xavier; Taube, Wolfgang

    2017-01-01

    The cognitive-motor performance (CMP), defined here as the capacity to rapidly use sensory information and transfer it into efficient motor output, represents a major contributor to performance in almost all sports, including soccer. Here, we used a high-technology system (COGNIFOOT) which combines a visual environment simulator fully synchronized with a motion capture system. This system allowed us to measure objective real-time CMP parameters (passing accuracy/speed and response times) in a large turf-artificial grass playfield. Forty-six (46) young elite soccer players (including 2 female players) aged between 11 and 16 years who belonged to the same youth soccer academy were tested. Each player had to pass the ball as fast and as accurately as possible towards visual targets projected onto a large screen located 5.32 meters in front of him (a short pass situation). We observed a linear age-related increase in the CMP: the passing accuracy, speed and reactiveness of players improved by 4 centimeters, 2.3 km/h and 30 milliseconds per year of age, respectively. These data were converted into 5 point-scales and compared to the judgement of expert coaches, who also used a 5 point-scale to evaluate the same CMP parameters but based on their experience with the players during games and training. The objectively-measured age-related CMP changes were also observed in expert coaches’ judgments although these were more variable across coaches and age categories. This demonstrates that high-technology systems like COGNIFOOT can be used in complement to traditional approaches of talent identification and to objectively monitor the progress of soccer players throughout a cognitive-motor training cycle. PMID:28953958

  16. Effects of age on the soccer-specific cognitive-motor performance of elite young soccer players: Comparison between objective measurements and coaches' evaluation.

    PubMed

    Hicheur, Halim; Chauvin, Alan; Chassot, Steve; Chenevière, Xavier; Taube, Wolfgang

    2017-01-01

    The cognitive-motor performance (CMP), defined here as the capacity to rapidly use sensory information and transfer it into efficient motor output, represents a major contributor to performance in almost all sports, including soccer. Here, we used a high-technology system (COGNIFOOT) which combines a visual environment simulator fully synchronized with a motion capture system. This system allowed us to measure objective real-time CMP parameters (passing accuracy/speed and response times) in a large turf-artificial grass playfield. Forty-six (46) young elite soccer players (including 2 female players) aged between 11 and 16 years who belonged to the same youth soccer academy were tested. Each player had to pass the ball as fast and as accurately as possible towards visual targets projected onto a large screen located 5.32 meters in front of him (a short pass situation). We observed a linear age-related increase in the CMP: the passing accuracy, speed and reactiveness of players improved by 4 centimeters, 2.3 km/h and 30 milliseconds per year of age, respectively. These data were converted into 5 point-scales and compared to the judgement of expert coaches, who also used a 5 point-scale to evaluate the same CMP parameters but based on their experience with the players during games and training. The objectively-measured age-related CMP changes were also observed in expert coaches' judgments although these were more variable across coaches and age categories. This demonstrates that high-technology systems like COGNIFOOT can be used in complement to traditional approaches of talent identification and to objectively monitor the progress of soccer players throughout a cognitive-motor training cycle.

  17. Examining Readers' Evaluations of Objectivity and Bias in News Discourse

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cramer, Peter; Eisenhart, Christopher

    2014-01-01

    Readers' objectivity and bias evaluations of news texts were investigated in order to better understand the process by which readers make these kinds of judgments and the evidence on which they base them. Readers were primed to evaluate news texts for objectivity and bias, and their selections and metacommentary were analyzed. Readers detected…

  18. Relative Navigation Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) Sensor Development Test Objective (DTO) Performance Verification

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dennehy, Cornelius J.

    2013-01-01

    The NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) received a request from the NASA Associate Administrator (AA) for Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD), to quantitatively evaluate the individual performance of three light detection and ranging (LIDAR) rendezvous sensors flown as orbiter's development test objective on Space Transportation System (STS)-127, STS-133, STS-134, and STS-135. This document contains the outcome of the NESC assessment.

  19. Multi-objective optimization for evaluation of simulation fidelity for precipitation, cloudiness and insolation in regional climate models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, H.

    2016-12-01

    Precipitation is one of the most important climate variables that are taken into account in studying regional climate. Nevertheless, how precipitation will respond to a changing climate and even its mean state in the current climate are not well represented in regional climate models (RCMs). Hence, comprehensive and mathematically rigorous methodologies to evaluate precipitation and related variables in multiple RCMs are required. The main objective of the current study is to evaluate the joint variability of climate variables related to model performance in simulating precipitation and condense multiple evaluation metrics into a single summary score. We use multi-objective optimization, a mathematical process that provides a set of optimal tradeoff solutions based on a range of evaluation metrics, to characterize the joint representation of precipitation, cloudiness and insolation in RCMs participating in the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP) and Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment-North America (CORDEX-NA). We also leverage ground observations, NASA satellite data and the Regional Climate Model Evaluation System (RCMES). Overall, the quantitative comparison of joint probability density functions between the three variables indicates that performance of each model differs markedly between sub-regions and also shows strong seasonal dependence. Because of the large variability across the models, it is important to evaluate models systematically and make future projections using only models showing relatively good performance. Our results indicate that the optimized multi-model ensemble always shows better performance than the arithmetic ensemble mean and may guide reliable future projections.

  20. Cortical Thickness in Fusiform Face Area Predicts Face and Object Recognition Performance

    PubMed Central

    McGugin, Rankin W.; Van Gulick, Ana E.; Gauthier, Isabel

    2016-01-01

    The fusiform face area (FFA) is defined by its selectivity for faces. Several studies have shown that the response of FFA to non-face objects can predict behavioral performance for these objects. However, one possible account is that experts pay more attention to objects in their domain of expertise, driving signals up. Here we show an effect of expertise with non-face objects in FFA that cannot be explained by differential attention to objects of expertise. We explore the relationship between cortical thickness of FFA and face and object recognition using the Cambridge Face Memory Test and Vanderbilt Expertise Test, respectively. We measured cortical thickness in functionally-defined regions in a group of men who evidenced functional expertise effects for cars in FFA. Performance with faces and objects together accounted for approximately 40% of the variance in cortical thickness of several FFA patches. While subjects with a thicker FFA cortex performed better with vehicles, those with a thinner FFA cortex performed better with faces and living objects. The results point to a domain-general role of FFA in object perception and reveal an interesting double dissociation that does not contrast faces and objects, but rather living and non-living objects. PMID:26439272

  1. PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AT A LONG-TERM FOOD PROCESSING LAND TREATMENT SITE

    EPA Science Inventory

    The objective of this project was to determine the performance of a full scale, operating overland flow land (GEL) treatment system treating nonhazardous waste. Performance was evaluated in terms of treatment of the applied waste and the environmental impact of the system, partic...

  2. High Performance Object-Oriented Scientific Programming in Fortran 90

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Norton, Charles D.; Decyk, Viktor K.; Szymanski, Boleslaw K.

    1997-01-01

    We illustrate how Fortran 90 supports object-oriented concepts by example of plasma particle computations on the IBM SP. Our experience shows that Fortran 90 and object-oriented methodology give high performance while providing a bridge from Fortran 77 legacy codes to modern programming principles. All of our object-oriented Fortran 90 codes execute more quickly thatn the equeivalent C++ versions, yet the abstraction modelling capabilities used for scentific programming are comparably powereful.

  3. A core competency-based objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) can predict future resident performance.

    PubMed

    Wallenstein, Joshua; Heron, Sheryl; Santen, Sally; Shayne, Philip; Ander, Douglas

    2010-10-01

    This study evaluated the ability of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) administered in the first month of residency to predict future resident performance in the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) core competencies. Eighteen Postgraduate Year 1 (PGY-1) residents completed a five-station OSCE in the first month of postgraduate training. Performance was graded in each of the ACGME core competencies. At the end of 18 months of training, faculty evaluations of resident performance in the emergency department (ED) were used to calculate a cumulative clinical evaluation score for each core competency. The correlations between OSCE scores and clinical evaluation scores at 18 months were assessed on an overall level and in each core competency. There was a statistically significant correlation between overall OSCE scores and overall clinical evaluation scores (R = 0.48, p < 0.05) and in the individual competencies of patient care (R = 0.49, p < 0.05), medical knowledge (R = 0.59, p < 0.05), and practice-based learning (R = 0.49, p < 0.05). No correlation was noted in the systems-based practice, interpersonal and communication skills, or professionalism competencies. An early-residency OSCE has the ability to predict future postgraduate performance on a global level and in specific core competencies. Used appropriately, such information can be a valuable tool for program directors in monitoring residents' progress and providing more tailored guidance. © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

  4. Apprentice Performance Evaluation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gast, Clyde W.

    The Granite City (Illinois) Steel apprentices are under a performance evaluation from entry to graduation. Federally approved, the program is guided by joint apprenticeship committees whose monthly meetings include performance evaluation from three information sources: journeymen, supervisors, and instructors. Journeymen's evaluations are made…

  5. Performance Evaluation and Benchmarking of Intelligent Systems

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

    Madhavan, Raj; Messina, Elena; Tunstel, Edward

    To design and develop capable, dependable, and affordable intelligent systems, their performance must be measurable. Scientific methodologies for standardization and benchmarking are crucial for quantitatively evaluating the performance of emerging robotic and intelligent systems technologies. There is currently no accepted standard for quantitatively measuring the performance of these systems against user-defined requirements; and furthermore, there is no consensus on what objective evaluation procedures need to be followed to understand the performance of these systems. The lack of reproducible and repeatable test methods has precluded researchers working towards a common goal from exchanging and communicating results, inter-comparing system performance, and leveragingmore » previous work that could otherwise avoid duplication and expedite technology transfer. Currently, this lack of cohesion in the community hinders progress in many domains, such as manufacturing, service, healthcare, and security. By providing the research community with access to standardized tools, reference data sets, and open source libraries of solutions, researchers and consumers will be able to evaluate the cost and benefits associated with intelligent systems and associated technologies. In this vein, the edited book volume addresses performance evaluation and metrics for intelligent systems, in general, while emphasizing the need and solutions for standardized methods. To the knowledge of the editors, there is not a single book on the market that is solely dedicated to the subject of performance evaluation and benchmarking of intelligent systems. Even books that address this topic do so only marginally or are out of date. The research work presented in this volume fills this void by drawing from the experiences and insights of experts gained both through theoretical development and practical implementation of intelligent systems in a variety of diverse application domains. The book

  6. Performance evaluation of thin wearing courses through scaled accelerated trafficking.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-01-01

    The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the permanent deformation (rutting) and fatigue performance of : several thin asphalt concrete wearing courses using a scaled-down accelerated pavement testing device. The accelerated testing : was ...

  7. Performance Evaluation of Thin Wearing Courses Through Scaled Accelerated Trafficking.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-01-01

    "The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the permanent deformation (rutting) and fatigue performance of : several thin asphalt concrete wearing courses using a scaled-down accelerated pavement testing device. The accelerated testing : was...

  8. Recycling Old PCC Pavement - Performance Evaluation of FAI 57 Inlays

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1993-02-01

    This report details the construction and performance monitoring efforts of two demonstration projects proposed in an experimental features work plan entitled Recycling Old PCC Pavement". The objectives of this experimental feature were to evaluate th...

  9. [Bio-objects and biological methods of space radiation effects evaluation].

    PubMed

    Kaminskaia, E V; Nevzgodina, L V; Platova, N G

    2009-01-01

    The unique conditions of space experiments place austere requirements to bio-objects and biological methods of radiation effects evaluation. The paper discusses suitability of a number of bio-objects varying in stage of evolution and metabolism for space researches aimed to state common patterns of the radiation damage caused by heavy ions (HI), and character of HI-cell interaction. Physical detectors in space experiments of the BIOBLOCK series make it possible to identify bio-objects hit by space HI and to set correlation between HI track topography and biological effect. The paper provides an all-round description of the bio-objects chosen for two BIOBLOCK experiments (population of hydrophyte Wolffia arrhiza (fam. duckweed) and Lactuca sativa seeds) and the method of evaluating effects from single space radiation HI. Direct effects of heavy ions on cells can be determined by the criteria of chromosomal aberrations and delayed morphologic abnormalities. The evaluation results are compared with the data about human blood lymphocytes. Consideration is being given to the procedures of test-objects' treatment and investigation.

  10. Personal Career Orientation. Performance Objectives. Criterion Measures. Home Economics.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allen, Alveta; And Others

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of six terminal objectives for a personal career orientation course for seventh grade students. This 6- to 9-week course is designed to acquaint the student with personal qualities and characteristics necessary for success in the world of work.…

  11. Human interaction with robotic systems: performance and workload evaluations.

    PubMed

    Reinerman-Jones, L; Barber, D J; Szalma, J L; Hancock, P A

    2017-10-01

    We first tested the effect of differing tactile informational forms (i.e. directional cues vs. static cues vs. dynamic cues) on objective performance and perceived workload in a collaborative human-robot task. A second experiment evaluated the influence of task load and informational message type (i.e. single words vs. grouped phrases) on that same collaborative task. In both experiments, the relationship of personal characteristics (attentional control and spatial ability) to performance and workload was also measured. In addition to objective performance and self-report of cognitive load, we evaluated different physiological responses in each experiment. Results showed a performance-workload association for directional cues, message type and task load. EEG measures however, proved generally insensitive to such task load manipulations. Where significant EEG effects were observed, right hemisphere amplitude differences predominated, although unexpectedly these latter relationships were negative. Although EEG measures were partially associated with performance, they appear to possess limited utility as measures of workload in association with tactile displays. Practitioner Summary: As practitioners look to take advantage of innovative tactile displays in complex operational realms like human-robotic interaction, associated performance effects are mediated by cognitive workload. Despite some patterns of association, reliable reflections of operator state can be difficult to discern and employ as the number, complexity and sophistication of these respective measures themselves increase.

  12. Standardization in the Handling and Evaluation of Objective Examinations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sass, M. Burke

    1978-01-01

    In response to requests for standardization on testing and grading, a pilot program for the administration and evaluation of objective examinations was instituted. Outlined are objectives, initial test item collection, procedural flow for examinations, faculty responsibilities, support staff responsibilities, and project coordinator services. (LBH)

  13. 10 CFR 63.113 - Performance objectives for the geologic repository after permanent closure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Performance objectives for the geologic repository after...-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES IN A GEOLOGIC REPOSITORY AT YUCCA MOUNTAIN, NEVADA Technical Criteria Postclosure Performance Objectives § 63.113 Performance objectives for the geologic repository after permanent...

  14. Evaluation of image quality in terahertz pulsed imaging using test objects.

    PubMed

    Fitzgerald, A J; Berry, E; Miles, R E; Zinovev, N N; Smith, M A; Chamberlain, J M

    2002-11-07

    As with other imaging modalities, the performance of terahertz (THz) imaging systems is limited by factors of spatial resolution, contrast and noise. The purpose of this paper is to introduce test objects and image analysis methods to evaluate and compare THz image quality in a quantitative and objective way, so that alternative terahertz imaging system configurations and acquisition techniques can be compared, and the range of image parameters can be assessed. Two test objects were designed and manufactured, one to determine the modulation transfer functions (MTF) and the other to derive image signal to noise ratio (SNR) at a range of contrasts. As expected the higher THz frequencies had larger MTFs, and better spatial resolution as determined by the spatial frequency at which the MTF dropped below the 20% threshold. Image SNR was compared for time domain and frequency domain image parameters and time delay based images consistently demonstrated higher SNR than intensity based parameters such as relative transmittance because the latter are more strongly affected by the sources of noise in the THz system such as laser fluctuations and detector shot noise.

  15. One device, one equation: the simplest way to objectively evaluate psoriasis severity.

    PubMed

    Choi, Jae Woo; Kim, Bo Ri; Choi, Chong Won; Youn, Sang Woong

    2015-02-01

    The erythema, scale and thickness of psoriasis lesions could be converted to bioengineering parameters. An objective psoriasis severity assessment is advantageous in terms of accuracy and reproducibility over conventional severity assessment. We aimed to formulate an objective psoriasis severity index with a single bioengineering device that can possibly substitute the conventional subjective Psoriasis Severity Index. A linear regression analysis was performed to derive the formula with the subjective Psoriasis Severity Index as the dependent variable and various bioengineering parameters determined from 157 psoriasis lesions as independent variables. The construct validity of the objective Psoriasis Severity Index was evaluated with an additional 30 psoriasis lesions through a Pearson correlation analysis. The formula is composed of hue and brightness, which are sufficiently obtainable with a Colorimeter alone. A very strong positive correlation was found between the objective and subjective psoriasis severity indexes. The objective Psoriasis Severity Index is a novel, practical and valid assessment method that can substitute the conventional one. Combined with subjective area assessment, it could further replace the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index which is currently most popular. © 2014 Japanese Dermatological Association.

  16. Evaluation of analytical performance based on partial order methodology.

    PubMed

    Carlsen, Lars; Bruggemann, Rainer; Kenessova, Olga; Erzhigitov, Erkin

    2015-01-01

    Classical measurements of performances are typically based on linear scales. However, in analytical chemistry a simple scale may be not sufficient to analyze the analytical performance appropriately. Here partial order methodology can be helpful. Within the context described here, partial order analysis can be seen as an ordinal analysis of data matrices, especially to simplify the relative comparisons of objects due to their data profile (the ordered set of values an object have). Hence, partial order methodology offers a unique possibility to evaluate analytical performance. In the present data as, e.g., provided by the laboratories through interlaboratory comparisons or proficiency testings is used as an illustrative example. However, the presented scheme is likewise applicable for comparison of analytical methods or simply as a tool for optimization of an analytical method. The methodology can be applied without presumptions or pretreatment of the analytical data provided in order to evaluate the analytical performance taking into account all indicators simultaneously and thus elucidating a "distance" from the true value. In the present illustrative example it is assumed that the laboratories analyze a given sample several times and subsequently report the mean value, the standard deviation and the skewness, which simultaneously are used for the evaluation of the analytical performance. The analyses lead to information concerning (1) a partial ordering of the laboratories, subsequently, (2) a "distance" to the Reference laboratory and (3) a classification due to the concept of "peculiar points". Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Estrous cycle, pregnancy, and parity enhance performance of rats in object recognition or object placement tasks

    PubMed Central

    Paris, Jason J; Frye, Cheryl A

    2008-01-01

    Ovarian hormone elevations are associated with enhanced learning/memory. During behavioral estrus or pregnancy, progestins, such as progesterone (P4) and its metabolite 5α-pregnan-3α-ol-20-one (3α,5α-THP), are elevated due, in part, to corpora luteal and placental secretion. During ‘pseudopregnancy’, the induction of corpora luteal functioning results in a hormonal milieu analogous to pregnancy, which ceases after about 12 days, due to the lack of placental formation. Multiparity is also associated with enhanced learning/memory, perhaps due to prior steroid exposure during pregnancy. Given evidence that progestins and/or parity may influence cognition, we investigated how natural alterations in the progestin milieu influence cognitive performance. In Experiment 1, virgin rats (nulliparous) or rats with two prior pregnancies (multiparous) were assessed on the object placement and recognition tasks, when in high-estrogen/P4 (behavioral estrus) or low-estrogen/P4 (diestrus) phases of the estrous cycle. In Experiment 2, primiparous or multiparous rats were tested in the object placement and recognition tasks when not pregnant, pseudopregnant, or pregnant (between gestational days (GDs) 6 and 12). In Experiment 3, pregnant primiparous or multiparous rats were assessed daily in the object placement or recognition tasks. Females in natural states associated with higher endogenous progestins (behavioral estrus, pregnancy, multiparity) outperformed rats in low progestin states (diestrus, non-pregnancy, nulliparity) on the object placement and recognition tasks. In earlier pregnancy, multiparous, compared with primiparous, rats had a lower corticosterone, but higher estrogen levels, concomitant with better object placement performance. From GD 13 until post partum, primiparous rats had higher 3α,5α-THP levels and improved object placement performance compared with multiparous rats. PMID:18390689

  18. Clinical Performance Evaluations of Third-Year Medical Students and Association With Student and Evaluator Gender.

    PubMed

    Riese, Alison; Rappaport, Leah; Alverson, Brian; Park, Sangshin; Rockney, Randal M

    2017-06-01

    Clinical performance evaluations are major components of medical school clerkship grades. But are they sufficiently objective? This study aimed to determine whether student and evaluator gender is associated with assessment of overall clinical performance. This was a retrospective analysis of 4,272 core clerkship clinical performance evaluations by 829 evaluators of 155 third-year students, within the Alpert Medical School grading database for the 2013-2014 academic year. Overall clinical performance, assessed on a three-point scale (meets expectations, above expectations, exceptional), was extracted from each evaluation, as well as evaluator gender, age, training level, department, student gender and age, and length of observation time. Hierarchical ordinal regression modeling was conducted to account for clustering of evaluations. Female students were more likely to receive a better grade than males (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.30, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.13-1.50), and female evaluators awarded lower grades than males (AOR 0.72, 95% CI 0.55-0.93), adjusting for department, observation time, and student and evaluator age. The interaction between student and evaluator gender was significant (P = .03), with female evaluators assigning higher grades to female students, while male evaluators' grading did not differ by student gender. Students who spent a short time with evaluators were also more likely to get a lower grade. A one-year examination of all third-year clerkship clinical performance evaluations at a single institution revealed that male and female evaluators rated male and female students differently, even when accounting for other measured variables.

  19. Evaluating and Improving Automatic Sleep Spindle Detection by Using Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Min-Yin; Huang, Adam; Huang, Norden E.

    2017-01-01

    Sleep spindles are brief bursts of brain activity in the sigma frequency range (11–16 Hz) measured by electroencephalography (EEG) mostly during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) stage 2 sleep. These oscillations are of great biological and clinical interests because they potentially play an important role in identifying and characterizing the processes of various neurological disorders. Conventionally, sleep spindles are identified by expert sleep clinicians via visual inspection of EEG signals. The process is laborious and the results are inconsistent among different experts. To resolve the problem, numerous computerized methods have been developed to automate the process of sleep spindle identification. Still, the performance of these automated sleep spindle detection methods varies inconsistently from study to study. There are two reasons: (1) the lack of common benchmark databases, and (2) the lack of commonly accepted evaluation metrics. In this study, we focus on tackling the second problem by proposing to evaluate the performance of a spindle detector in a multi-objective optimization context and hypothesize that using the resultant Pareto fronts for deriving evaluation metrics will improve automatic sleep spindle detection. We use a popular multi-objective evolutionary algorithm (MOEA), the Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm (SPEA2), to optimize six existing frequency-based sleep spindle detection algorithms. They include three Fourier, one continuous wavelet transform (CWT), and two Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) based algorithms. We also explore three hybrid approaches. Trained and tested on open-access DREAMS and MASS databases, two new hybrid methods of combining Fourier with HHT algorithms show significant performance improvement with F1-scores of 0.726–0.737. PMID:28572762

  20. Attitudes as Object-Evaluation Associations of Varying Strength

    PubMed Central

    Fazio, Russell H.

    2009-01-01

    Historical developments regarding the attitude concept are reviewed, and set the stage for consideration of a theoretical perspective that views attitude, not as a hypothetical construct, but as evaluative knowledge. A model of attitudes as object-evaluation associations of varying strength is summarized, along with research supporting the model’s contention that at least some attitudes are represented in memory and activated automatically upon the individual’s encountering the attitude object. The implications of the theoretical perspective for a number of recent discussions related to the attitude concept are elaborated. Among these issues are the notion of attitudes as “constructions,” the presumed malleability of automatically-activated attitudes, correspondence between implicit and explicit measures of attitude, and postulated dual or multiple attitudes. PMID:19424447

  1. Performance evaluation of NASA/KSC CAD/CAE graphics local area network

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zobrist, George

    1988-01-01

    This study had as an objective the performance evaluation of the existing CAD/CAE graphics network at NASA/KSC. This evaluation will also aid in projecting planned expansions, such as the Space Station project on the existing CAD/CAE network. The objectives were achieved by collecting packet traffic on the various integrated sub-networks. This included items, such as total number of packets on the various subnetworks, source/destination of packets, percent utilization of network capacity, peak traffic rates, and packet size distribution. The NASA/KSC LAN was stressed to determine the useable bandwidth of the Ethernet network and an average design station workload was used to project the increased traffic on the existing network and the planned T1 link. This performance evaluation of the network will aid the NASA/KSC network managers in planning for the integration of future workload requirements into the existing network.

  2. Interim Performance Objectives. Progress Report, 3rd Quarter Fiscal Year 1999.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Office of Student Financial Assistance (ED), Washington, DC.

    This document contains a progress report on three categories of interim performance objectives outlined by the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) in winter 1999. These objectives were to: (1) improve customer service; (2) reduce the overall cost of delivering student aid; and (3) transform the OSFA into a performance-based organization.…

  3. Performance evaluation of object based greenhouse detection from Sentinel-2 MSI and Landsat 8 OLI data: A case study from Almería (Spain)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Novelli, Antonio; Aguilar, Manuel A.; Nemmaoui, Abderrahim; Aguilar, Fernando J.; Tarantino, Eufemia

    2016-10-01

    This paper shows the first comparison between data from Sentinel-2 (S2) Multi Spectral Instrument (MSI) and Landsat 8 (L8) Operational Land Imager (OLI) headed up to greenhouse detection. Two closely related in time scenes, one for each sensor, were classified by using Object Based Image Analysis and Random Forest (RF). The RF input consisted of several object-based features computed from spectral bands and including mean values, spectral indices and textural features. S2 and L8 data comparisons were also extended using a common segmentation dataset extracted form VHR World-View 2 (WV2) imagery to test differences only due to their specific spectral contribution. The best band combinations to perform segmentation were found through a modified version of the Euclidian Distance 2 index. Four different RF classifications schemes were considered achieving 89.1%, 91.3%, 90.9% and 93.4% as the best overall accuracies respectively, evaluated over the whole study area.

  4. Evaluation of Content-Matched Range Monitoring Queries over Moving Objects in Mobile Computing Environments

    PubMed Central

    Jung, HaRim; Song, MoonBae; Youn, Hee Yong; Kim, Ung Mo

    2015-01-01

    A content-matched (CM) range monitoring query over moving objects continually retrieves the moving objects (i) whose non-spatial attribute values are matched to given non-spatial query values; and (ii) that are currently located within a given spatial query range. In this paper, we propose a new query indexing structure, called the group-aware query region tree (GQR-tree) for efficient evaluation of CM range monitoring queries. The primary role of the GQR-tree is to help the server leverage the computational capabilities of moving objects in order to improve the system performance in terms of the wireless communication cost and server workload. Through a series of comprehensive simulations, we verify the superiority of the GQR-tree method over the existing methods. PMID:26393613

  5. Evaluation of Content-Matched Range Monitoring Queries over Moving Objects in Mobile Computing Environments.

    PubMed

    Jung, HaRim; Song, MoonBae; Youn, Hee Yong; Kim, Ung Mo

    2015-09-18

    A content-matched (CM) rangemonitoring query overmoving objects continually retrieves the moving objects (i) whose non-spatial attribute values are matched to given non-spatial query values; and (ii) that are currently located within a given spatial query range. In this paper, we propose a new query indexing structure, called the group-aware query region tree (GQR-tree) for efficient evaluation of CMrange monitoring queries. The primary role of the GQR-tree is to help the server leverage the computational capabilities of moving objects in order to improve the system performance in terms of the wireless communication cost and server workload. Through a series of comprehensive simulations, we verify the superiority of the GQR-tree method over the existing methods.

  6. Learning Objects and Virtual Learning Environments Technical Evaluation Criteria

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kurilovas, Eugenijus; Dagiene, Valentina

    2009-01-01

    The main scientific problems investigated in this article deal with technical evaluation of quality attributes of the main components of e-Learning systems (referred here as DLEs--Digital Libraries of Educational Resources and Services), i.e., Learning Objects (LOs) and Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs). The main research object of the work is…

  7. 33 CFR 137.30 - Objectives and performance factors.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Objectives and performance factors. 137.30 Section 137.30 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE POLLUTION FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND COMPENSATION OIL SPILL LIABILITY...

  8. 33 CFR 137.30 - Objectives and performance factors.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Objectives and performance factors. 137.30 Section 137.30 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE POLLUTION FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND COMPENSATION OIL SPILL LIABILITY...

  9. 33 CFR 137.30 - Objectives and performance factors.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Objectives and performance factors. 137.30 Section 137.30 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE POLLUTION FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND COMPENSATION OIL SPILL LIABILITY...

  10. 33 CFR 137.30 - Objectives and performance factors.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Objectives and performance factors. 137.30 Section 137.30 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE POLLUTION FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND COMPENSATION OIL SPILL LIABILITY...

  11. A Study to Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate, and Revise Specific, Measurable Performance Objectives to Serve as a Model to Individualize Instruction for Secondary Schools. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wendt, Marilynn S.; Jacobson, Marjory E.

    Specific objectives of this two-phase study included: (1) assessment of design of the behavioral objectives in all secondary level courses; (2) construction of criteria for evaluation of the design; (3) testing of objectives against the evaluative criteria and/or the specifications of the curriculum design; and (4) determination of the validity of…

  12. Simple Learned Weighted Sums of Inferior Temporal Neuronal Firing Rates Accurately Predict Human Core Object Recognition Performance

    PubMed Central

    Hong, Ha; Solomon, Ethan A.; DiCarlo, James J.

    2015-01-01

    database of images for evaluating object recognition performance. We used multielectrode arrays to characterize hundreds of neurons in the visual ventral stream of nonhuman primates and measured the object recognition performance of >100 human observers. Remarkably, we found that simple learned weighted sums of firing rates of neurons in monkey inferior temporal (IT) cortex accurately predicted human performance. Although previous work led us to expect that IT would outperform V4, we were surprised by the quantitative precision with which simple IT-based linking hypotheses accounted for human behavior. PMID:26424887

  13. Simple Learned Weighted Sums of Inferior Temporal Neuronal Firing Rates Accurately Predict Human Core Object Recognition Performance.

    PubMed

    Majaj, Najib J; Hong, Ha; Solomon, Ethan A; DiCarlo, James J

    2015-09-30

    database of images for evaluating object recognition performance. We used multielectrode arrays to characterize hundreds of neurons in the visual ventral stream of nonhuman primates and measured the object recognition performance of >100 human observers. Remarkably, we found that simple learned weighted sums of firing rates of neurons in monkey inferior temporal (IT) cortex accurately predicted human performance. Although previous work led us to expect that IT would outperform V4, we were surprised by the quantitative precision with which simple IT-based linking hypotheses accounted for human behavior. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/3513402-17$15.00/0.

  14. Performance Objectives

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1978-12-01

    students (Olson, 1971; Yelo- 6, Schmidt , 1971; Stedman, i970) adds nothing to our knowledge; thec- studies, too, are Plagued I...in a beha.ioral objective for a mathmatics class wtld be "... using only a calculator ...’ or 0... using only the protractor...’ The second are the...pliers, screwdriver and hammer i.1 0.1 3. To write x & y from memory 1.1 0.1 4. To lever press either x or y within two seconds 1.1 0.1 5. To point

  15. Relationship between metabolic syndrome and objective masticatory performance in a Japanese general population: The Suita study.

    PubMed

    Kikui, Miki; Ono, Takahiro; Kokubo, Yoshihiro; Kida, Momoyo; Kosaka, Takayuki; Yamamoto, Masaaki; Nokubi, Takashi; Watanabe, Makoto; Maeda, Yoshinobu; Miyamoto, Yoshihiro

    2017-01-01

    An association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and periodontal status has recently been focused on. However, no study has investigated the relationship between the prevalence of MetS and the decline of masticatory performance. We aimed to clarify the relationship between MetS and objective masticatory performance using the standardized test food in a general urban Japanese population. We studied 1780 Japanese men and women (mean age, 66.5 years) using the Suita study. MetS was defined using the uniform definition proposed in the 2009 Joint Interim Statement. Masticatory performance was evaluated by a chewing test using gummy jelly. Prevalence of MetS among quartiles of masticatory performance was compared using multiple logistic regression analysis adjusting for sex, age, drinking and smoking status, and periodontal status evaluated by the Community Periodontal Index. Compared to the highest quartile of masticatory performance, the 2nd quartile showed a 1.46-fold increase in the prevalence of MetS (trend P=0.159). In addition, Analysis by age showed 1.67-, 1.90- and 1.74-fold increases in the prevalence of MetS in the 3rd, 2nd and 1st quartiles among individuals in their 70s, respectively (trend P=0.094). However, individuals in their 50s and 60s showed no significant relationship between masticatory performance and MetS. These findings suggested that masticatory performance are inversely associated with the prevalence of MetS independent of periodontal disease, especially in the elderly. Declines in objective masticatory performance might be associated with the prevalence of MetS, independent of periodontitis. Given our results, treatments aimed at maintaining and recovering masticatory performance may represent important dental care to mitigate the risk of MetS. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Framework for objective evaluation of privacy filters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Korshunov, Pavel; Melle, Andrea; Dugelay, Jean-Luc; Ebrahimi, Touradj

    2013-09-01

    Extensive adoption of video surveillance, affecting many aspects of our daily lives, alarms the public about the increasing invasion into personal privacy. To address these concerns, many tools have been proposed for protection of personal privacy in image and video. However, little is understood regarding the effectiveness of such tools and especially their impact on the underlying surveillance tasks, leading to a tradeoff between the preservation of privacy offered by these tools and the intelligibility of activities under video surveillance. In this paper, we investigate this privacy-intelligibility tradeoff objectively by proposing an objective framework for evaluation of privacy filters. We apply the proposed framework on a use case where privacy of people is protected by obscuring faces, assuming an automated video surveillance system. We used several popular privacy protection filters, such as blurring, pixelization, and masking and applied them with varying strengths to people's faces from different public datasets of video surveillance footage. Accuracy of face detection algorithm was used as a measure of intelligibility (a face should be detected to perform a surveillance task), and accuracy of face recognition algorithm as a measure of privacy (a specific person should not be identified). Under these conditions, after application of an ideal privacy protection tool, an obfuscated face would be visible as a face but would not be correctly identified by the recognition algorithm. The experiments demonstrate that, in general, an increase in strength of privacy filters under consideration leads to an increase in privacy (i.e., reduction in recognition accuracy) and to a decrease in intelligibility (i.e., reduction in detection accuracy). Masking also shows to be the most favorable filter across all tested datasets.

  17. Objective evaluation of situation awareness for dynamic decision makers in teleoperations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Endsley, Mica R.

    1991-01-01

    Situation awareness, a current mental mode of the environment, is critical to the ability of operators to perform complex and dynamic tasks. This should be particularly true for teleoperators, who are separated from the situation they need to be aware of. The design of the man-machine interface must be guided by the goal of maintaining and enhancing situation awareness. The objective of this work has been to build a foundation upon which research in the area can proceed. A model of dynamic human decision making which is inclusive of situation awareness will be presented, along with a definition of situation awareness. A method for measuring situation awareness will also be presented as a tool for evaluating design concepts. The Situation Awareness Global Assessment Technique (SAGAT) is an objective measure of situation awareness originally developed for the fighter cockpit environment. The results of SAGAT validation efforts will be presented. Implications of this research for teleoperators and other operators of dynamic systems will be discussed.

  18. Theoretical Value Belief, Cognitive Ability, and Personality as Predictors of Student Performance in Object-Oriented Programming Environments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hall, Dianne J.; Cegielski, Casey G.; Wade, James N.

    2006-01-01

    The research described in this article reports the results of a study designed to evaluate the relationship among object-oriented (OO) computer programming task performance and a student's (1) theoretical value belief, (2) cognitive ability, and (3) personality. The results of this study do not support the assertion that cognitive ability is a…

  19. Performance Evaluation in Network-Based Parallel Computing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dezhgosha, Kamyar

    1996-01-01

    Network-based parallel computing is emerging as a cost-effective alternative for solving many problems which require use of supercomputers or massively parallel computers. The primary objective of this project has been to conduct experimental research on performance evaluation for clustered parallel computing. First, a testbed was established by augmenting our existing SUNSPARCs' network with PVM (Parallel Virtual Machine) which is a software system for linking clusters of machines. Second, a set of three basic applications were selected. The applications consist of a parallel search, a parallel sort, a parallel matrix multiplication. These application programs were implemented in C programming language under PVM. Third, we conducted performance evaluation under various configurations and problem sizes. Alternative parallel computing models and workload allocations for application programs were explored. The performance metric was limited to elapsed time or response time which in the context of parallel computing can be expressed in terms of speedup. The results reveal that the overhead of communication latency between processes in many cases is the restricting factor to performance. That is, coarse-grain parallelism which requires less frequent communication between processes will result in higher performance in network-based computing. Finally, we are in the final stages of installing an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) switch and four ATM interfaces (each 155 Mbps) which will allow us to extend our study to newer applications, performance metrics, and configurations.

  20. Performance Evaluation of Reliable Multicast Protocol for Checkout and Launch Control Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Shu, Wei Wennie; Porter, John

    2000-01-01

    The overall objective of this project is to study reliability and performance of Real Time Critical Network (RTCN) for checkout and launch control systems (CLCS). The major tasks include reliability and performance evaluation of Reliable Multicast (RM) package and fault tolerance analysis and design of dual redundant network architecture.

  1. Consumer Education--Home Economics. Performance Objectives. Criterion Measures. Home Economics.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duval County School Board, Jacksonville, FL.

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are listed for each of six terminal objectives for an 18-week consumer education-home economics course for 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students. Purposes listed for the course are to develop an understanding of the American market system, and how the individual affects…

  2. Effects of Selected Object Characteristics on Object Permanence Test Performance.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lingle, Kathleen M.; Lingle, John H.

    A study was conducted to investigate the degree to which both object familiarity and motivational factors influence infants' search behavior in an object permanence test. Infants' search behavior for an unfamiliar test object was compared with search behavior for (a) an experientially familiar object that each infant had played with daily for a…

  3. Image processing system performance prediction and product quality evaluation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stein, E. K.; Hammill, H. B. (Principal Investigator)

    1976-01-01

    The author has identified the following significant results. A new technique for image processing system performance prediction and product quality evaluation was developed. It was entirely objective, quantitative, and general, and should prove useful in system design and quality control. The technique and its application to determination of quality control procedures for the Earth Resources Technology Satellite NASA Data Processing Facility are described.

  4. Evaluation of a digital learning object (DLO) to support the learning process in radiographic dental diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Busanello, F H; da Silveira, P F; Liedke, G S; Arús, N A; Vizzotto, M B; Silveira, H E D; Silveira, H L D

    2015-11-01

    Studies have shown that inappropriate therapeutic strategies may be adopted if crown and root changes are misdiagnosed, potentially leading to undesirable consequences. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate a digital learning object, developed to improve skills in diagnosing radiographic dental changes. The object was developed using the Visual Basic Application (VBA) software and evaluated by 62 undergraduate students (male: 24 and female: 38) taking an imaging diagnosis course. Participants were divided in two groups: test group, which used the object and control group, which attended conventional classes. After 3 weeks, students answered a 10-question test and took a practice test to diagnose 20 changes in periapical radiographs. The results show that test group performed better that control group in both tests, with statistically significant difference (P = 0.004 and 0.003, respectively). In overall, female students were better than male students. Specific aspects of object usability were assessed using a structured questionnaire based on the System Usability Scale (SUS), with a score of 90.5 and 81.6 by male and female students, respectively. The results obtained in this study suggest that students who used the DLO performed better than those who used conventional methods. This suggests that the DLO may be a useful teaching tool for dentistry undergraduates, on distance learning courses and as a complementary tool in face-to-face teaching. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. Attitudes and evaluative practices: category vs. item and subjective vs. objective constructions in everyday food assessments.

    PubMed

    Wiggins, Sally; Potter, Jonathan

    2003-12-01

    In social psychology, evaluative expressions have traditionally been understood in terms of their relationship to, and as the expression of, underlying 'attitudes'. In contrast, discursive approaches have started to study evaluative expressions as part of varied social practices, considering what such expressions are doing rather than their relationship to attitudinal objects or other putative mental entities. In this study the latter approach will be used to examine the construction of food and drink evaluations in conversation. The data are taken from a corpus of family mealtimes recorded over a period of months. The aim of this study is to highlight two distinctions that are typically obscured in traditional attitude work ('subjective' vs. 'objective' expressions, category vs. item evaluations). A set of extracts is examined to document the presence of these distinctions in talk that evaluates food and the way they are used and rhetorically developed to perform particular activities (accepting/refusing food, complimenting the food provider, persuading someone to eat). The analysis suggests that researchers (a) should be aware of the potential significance of these distinctions; (b) should be cautious when treating evaluative terms as broadly equivalent and (c) should be cautious when blurring categories and instances. This analysis raises the broader question of how far evaluative practices may be specific to particular domains, and what this specificity might consist in. It is concluded that research in this area could benefit from starting to focus on the role of evaluations in practices and charting their association with specific topics and objects.

  6. Haemophilia & Exercise Project (HEP): subjective and objective physical performance in adult haemophilia patients--results of a cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Czepa, D; Von Mackensen, S; Hilberg, T

    2012-01-01

    Recurrent musculoskeletal haemorrhages in people with haemophilia (PWH) lead to restrictions in the locomotor system and consequently in physical performance. Patients' perceptions of their health status have gained an important role in the last few years. The assessment of subjective physical performance in PWH is a new approach. This study aimed to compare the subjective physical performance of PWH with healthy controls and to correlate the results with objective data. Subjective physical performance was assessed via the new questionnaire HEP-Test-Q, which consists of 25 items pertaining to four subscales 'mobility', 'strength & coordination', 'endurance' and 'body perception'. HEP-Test-Q subscales were compared with objective data in terms of range of motion, one-leg-stand and 12-minute walk test. Forty-eight patients (44 ± 11 years) with haemophilia A (43 severe, three moderate) or B (two severe) and 43 controls without haemophilia (42 ± 11 years) were enrolled. PWH showed an impaired subjective physical performance in all HEP-Test-Q subscales and in the total score (52 ± 20) compared with controls (77 ± 10; P ≤ 0.001). Correlation analyses for the total score of the HEP-Test-Q and objective data revealed values ranging from r = 0.403 (one-leg-stand) to r = 0.757 (12-minute walk test) (P ≤ 0.001). PWH evaluated their physical performance poorer in comparison with healthy people. As self-assessment did not always correlate highly with objective data, objective examinations of physical performance in PWH should be complemented with subjective perceptions. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  7. Between-individual comparisons in performance evaluation: a perspective from prospect theory.

    PubMed

    Wong, Kin Fai Ellick; Kwong, Jessica Y Y

    2005-03-01

    This article examines how between-individual comparisons influence performance evaluations in rating tasks. The authors demonstrated a systematic change in the perceived difference across ratees as a result of changing the way performance information is expressed. Study 1 found that perceived performance difference between 2 individuals was greater when their objective performance levels were presented with small numbers (e.g., absence rates of 2% vs. 5%) than when they were presented with large numbers (e.g., attendance rates of 98% vs. 95%). Extending this finding to situations involving trade-offs between multiple performance attributes across ratees, Study 2 showed that the relative preference for 1 ratee over another actually reversed when the presentation format of the performance information changed. The authors draw upon prospect theory to offer a theoretical framework describing the between-individual comparison aspect of performance evaluation.

  8. Distinct patterns of functional brain connectivity correlate with objective performance and subjective beliefs

    PubMed Central

    Barttfeld, Pablo; Wicker, Bruno; McAleer, Phil; Belin, Pascal; Cojan, Yann; Graziano, Martín; Leiguarda, Ramón; Sigman, Mariano

    2013-01-01

    The degree of correspondence between objective performance and subjective beliefs varies widely across individuals. Here we demonstrate that functional brain network connectivity measured before exposure to a perceptual decision task covaries with individual objective (type-I performance) and subjective (type-II performance) accuracy. Increases in connectivity with type-II performance were observed in networks measured while participants directed attention inward (focus on respiration), but not in networks measured during states of neutral (resting state) or exogenous attention. Measures of type-I performance were less sensitive to the subjects’ specific attentional states from which the networks were derived. These results suggest the existence of functional brain networks indexing objective performance and accuracy of subjective beliefs distinctively expressed in a set of stable mental states. PMID:23801762

  9. Performance Evaluation of Communication Software Systems for Distributed Computing

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fatoohi, Rod

    1996-01-01

    In recent years there has been an increasing interest in object-oriented distributed computing since it is better quipped to deal with complex systems while providing extensibility, maintainability, and reusability. At the same time, several new high-speed network technologies have emerged for local and wide area networks. However, the performance of networking software is not improving as fast as the networking hardware and the workstation microprocessors. This paper gives an overview and evaluates the performance of the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) standard in a distributed computing environment at NASA Ames Research Center. The environment consists of two testbeds of SGI workstations connected by four networks: Ethernet, FDDI, HiPPI, and ATM. The performance results for three communication software systems are presented, analyzed and compared. These systems are: BSD socket programming interface, IONA's Orbix, an implementation of the CORBA specification, and the PVM message passing library. The results show that high-level communication interfaces, such as CORBA and PVM, can achieve reasonable performance under certain conditions.

  10. Picasso Paintings, Moon Rocks, and Hand-Written Beatles Lyrics: Adults' Evaluations of Authentic Objects.

    PubMed

    Frazier, Brandy N; Gelman, Susan A; Wilson, Alice; Hood, Bruce

    2009-01-01

    Authentic objects are those that have an historical link to a person, event, time, or place of some significance (e.g., original Picasso painting; gown worn by Princess Diana; your favorite baby blanket). The current study examines everyday beliefs about authentic objects, with three primary goals: to determine the scope of adults' evaluation of authentic objects, to examine such evaluation in two distinct cultural settings, and to determine whether a person's attachment history (i.e., whether or not they owned an attachment object as a child) predicts evaluation of authentic objects. We found that college students in the U.K. (N = 125) and U.S. (N = 119) consistently evaluate a broad range of authentic items as more valuable than matched control (inauthentic) objects, more desirable to keep, and more desirable to touch, though only non-personal authentic items were judged to be more appropriate for display in a museum. These patterns were remarkably similar across the two cultural contexts. Additionally, those who had an attachment object as a child evaluated objects more favorably, and in particular judged authentic objects to be more valuable. Altogether, these results demonstrate broad endorsement of "positive contagion" among college-educated adults.

  11. Picasso Paintings, Moon Rocks, and Hand-Written Beatles Lyrics: Adults’ Evaluations of Authentic Objects

    PubMed Central

    Frazier, Brandy N.; Gelman, Susan A.; Wilson, Alice; Hood, Bruce

    2010-01-01

    Authentic objects are those that have an historical link to a person, event, time, or place of some significance (e.g., original Picasso painting; gown worn by Princess Diana; your favorite baby blanket). The current study examines everyday beliefs about authentic objects, with three primary goals: to determine the scope of adults’ evaluation of authentic objects, to examine such evaluation in two distinct cultural settings, and to determine whether a person’s attachment history (i.e., whether or not they owned an attachment object as a child) predicts evaluation of authentic objects. We found that college students in the U.K. (N = 125) and U.S. (N = 119) consistently evaluate a broad range of authentic items as more valuable than matched control (inauthentic) objects, more desirable to keep, and more desirable to touch, though only non-personal authentic items were judged to be more appropriate for display in a museum. These patterns were remarkably similar across the two cultural contexts. Additionally, those who had an attachment object as a child evaluated objects more favorably, and in particular judged authentic objects to be more valuable. Altogether, these results demonstrate broad endorsement of "positive contagion" among college-educated adults. PMID:20631919

  12. Performance Optimizing Multi-Objective Adaptive Control with Time-Varying Model Reference Modification

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nguyen, Nhan T.; Hashemi, Kelley E.; Yucelen, Tansel; Arabi, Ehsan

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents a new adaptive control approach that involves a performance optimization objective. The problem is cast as a multi-objective optimal control. The control synthesis involves the design of a performance optimizing controller from a subset of control inputs. The effect of the performance optimizing controller is to introduce an uncertainty into the system that can degrade tracking of the reference model. An adaptive controller from the remaining control inputs is designed to reduce the effect of the uncertainty while maintaining a notion of performance optimization in the adaptive control system.

  13. Objective assessment of operator performance during ultrasound-guided procedures.

    PubMed

    Tabriz, David M; Street, Mandie; Pilgram, Thomas K; Duncan, James R

    2011-09-01

    Simulation permits objective assessment of operator performance in a controlled and safe environment. Image-guided procedures often require accurate needle placement, and we designed a system to monitor how ultrasound guidance is used to monitor needle advancement toward a target. The results were correlated with other estimates of operator skill. The simulator consisted of a tissue phantom, ultrasound unit, and electromagnetic tracking system. Operators were asked to guide a needle toward a visible point target. Performance was video-recorded and synchronized with the electromagnetic tracking data. A series of algorithms based on motor control theory and human information processing were used to convert raw tracking data into different performance indices. Scoring algorithms converted the tracking data into efficiency, quality, task difficulty, and targeting scores that were aggregated to create performance indices. After initial feasibility testing, a standardized assessment was developed. Operators (N = 12) with a broad spectrum of skill and experience were enrolled and tested. Overall scores were based on performance during ten simulated procedures. Prior clinical experience was used to independently estimate operator skill. When summed, the performance indices correlated well with estimated skill. Operators with minimal or no prior experience scored markedly lower than experienced operators. The overall score tended to increase according to operator's clinical experience. Operator experience was linked to decreased variation in multiple aspects of performance. The aggregated results of multiple trials provided the best correlation between estimated skill and performance. A metric for the operator's ability to maintain the needle aimed at the target discriminated between operators with different levels of experience. This study used a highly focused task model, standardized assessment, and objective data analysis to assess performance during simulated

  14. Learned filters for object detection in multi-object visual tracking

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stamatescu, Victor; Wong, Sebastien; McDonnell, Mark D.; Kearney, David

    2016-05-01

    We investigate the application of learned convolutional filters in multi-object visual tracking. The filters were learned in both a supervised and unsupervised manner from image data using artificial neural networks. This work follows recent results in the field of machine learning that demonstrate the use learned filters for enhanced object detection and classification. Here we employ a track-before-detect approach to multi-object tracking, where tracking guides the detection process. The object detection provides a probabilistic input image calculated by selecting from features obtained using banks of generative or discriminative learned filters. We present a systematic evaluation of these convolutional filters using a real-world data set that examines their performance as generic object detectors.

  15. Object shape and orientation do not routinely influence performance during language processing.

    PubMed

    Rommers, Joost; Meyer, Antje S; Huettig, Falk

    2013-11-01

    The role of visual representations during language processing remains unclear: They could be activated as a necessary part of the comprehension process, or they could be less crucial and influence performance in a task-dependent manner. In the present experiments, participants read sentences about an object. The sentences implied that the object had a specific shape or orientation. They then either named a picture of that object (Experiments 1 and 3) or decided whether the object had been mentioned in the sentence (Experiment 2). Orientation information did not reliably influence performance in any of the experiments. Shape representations influenced performance most strongly when participants were asked to compare a sentence with a picture or when they were explicitly asked to use mental imagery while reading the sentences. Thus, in contrast to previous claims, implied visual information often does not contribute substantially to the comprehension process during normal reading.

  16. Performance in Object-Choice Aesop's Fable Tasks Are Influenced by Object Biases in New Caledonian Crows but not in Human Children.

    PubMed

    Miller, Rachael; Jelbert, Sarah A; Taylor, Alex H; Cheke, Lucy G; Gray, Russell D; Loissel, Elsa; Clayton, Nicola S

    2016-01-01

    The ability to reason about causality underlies key aspects of human cognition, but the extent to which non-humans understand causality is still largely unknown. The Aesop's Fable paradigm, where objects are inserted into water-filled tubes to obtain out-of-reach rewards, has been used to test casual reasoning in birds and children. However, success on these tasks may be influenced by other factors, specifically, object preferences present prior to testing or arising during pre-test stone-dropping training. Here, we assessed this 'object-bias' hypothesis by giving New Caledonian crows and 5-10 year old children two object-choice Aesop's Fable experiments: sinking vs. floating objects, and solid vs. hollow objects. Before each test, we assessed subjects' object preferences and/or trained them to prefer the alternative object. Both crows and children showed pre-test object preferences, suggesting that birds in previous Aesop's Fable studies may also have had initial preferences for objects that proved to be functional on test. After training to prefer the non-functional object, crows, but not children, performed more poorly on these two object-choice Aesop's Fable tasks than subjects in previous studies. Crows dropped the non-functional objects into the tube on their first trials, indicating that, unlike many children, they do not appear to have an a priori understanding of water displacement. Alternatively, issues with inhibition could explain their performance. The crows did, however, learn to solve the tasks over time. We tested crows further to determine whether their eventual success was based on learning about the functional properties of the objects, or associating dropping the functional object with reward. Crows inserted significantly more rewarded, non-functional objects than non-rewarded, functional objects. These findings suggest that the ability of New Caledonian crows to produce performances rivaling those of young children on object-choice Aesop

  17. Object-Oriented Algorithm For Evaluation Of Fault Trees

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Patterson-Hine, F. A.; Koen, B. V.

    1992-01-01

    Algorithm for direct evaluation of fault trees incorporates techniques of object-oriented programming. Reduces number of calls needed to solve trees with repeated events. Provides significantly improved software environment for such computations as quantitative analyses of safety and reliability of complicated systems of equipment (e.g., spacecraft or factories).

  18. The performance evaluation model of mining project founded on the weight optimization entropy value method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mao, Chao; Chen, Shou

    2017-01-01

    According to the traditional entropy value method still have low evaluation accuracy when evaluating the performance of mining projects, a performance evaluation model of mineral project founded on improved entropy is proposed. First establish a new weight assignment model founded on compatible matrix analysis of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and entropy value method, when the compatibility matrix analysis to achieve consistency requirements, if it has differences between subjective weights and objective weights, moderately adjust both proportions, then on this basis, the fuzzy evaluation matrix for performance evaluation. The simulation experiments show that, compared with traditional entropy and compatible matrix analysis method, the proposed performance evaluation model of mining project based on improved entropy value method has higher accuracy assessment.

  19. Performance evaluation of MPEG internet video coding

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luo, Jiajia; Wang, Ronggang; Fan, Kui; Wang, Zhenyu; Li, Ge; Wang, Wenmin

    2016-09-01

    Internet Video Coding (IVC) has been developed in MPEG by combining well-known existing technology elements and new coding tools with royalty-free declarations. In June 2015, IVC project was approved as ISO/IEC 14496-33 (MPEG- 4 Internet Video Coding). It is believed that this standard can be highly beneficial for video services in the Internet domain. This paper evaluates the objective and subjective performances of IVC by comparing it against Web Video Coding (WVC), Video Coding for Browsers (VCB) and AVC High Profile. Experimental results show that IVC's compression performance is approximately equal to that of the AVC High Profile for typical operational settings, both for streaming and low-delay applications, and is better than WVC and VCB.

  20. Multiple-objective evaluation of wastewater treatment plant control alternatives.

    PubMed

    Flores-Alsina, Xavier; Gallego, Alejandro; Feijoo, Gumersindo; Rodriguez-Roda, Ignasi

    2010-05-01

    Besides the evaluation of the environmental issues, the correct assessment of wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) should take into account several objectives such as: economic e.g. operation costs; technical e.g. risk of suffering microbiology-related TSS separation problems; or legal e.g. accomplishment with the effluent standards in terms of the different pollution loads. For this reason, the main objective of this paper is to show the benefits of complementing the environmental assessment carried out by life cycle assessment with economical, technical and legal criteria. Using a preliminary version of the BSM2 as a case study, different combinations of controllers are implemented, simulated and evaluated. In the following step, the resulting multi-criteria matrix is mined using multivariate statistical techniques. The results showed that the presence of an external carbon source addition, the type of aeration system and the TSS controller are the key elements creating the differences amongst the alternatives. Also, it was possible to characterize the different control strategies according to a set of aggregated criteria. Additionally, the existing synergies amongst different objectives and their consequent trade-offs were identified. Finally, it was discovered that from the initial extensive list of evaluation criteria, only a small set of five are really discriminant, being useful to differentiate within the generated alternatives. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Performance analysis and evaluation of direct phase measuring deflectometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Ping; Gao, Nan; Zhang, Zonghua; Gao, Feng; Jiang, Xiangqian

    2018-04-01

    Three-dimensional (3D) shape measurement of specular objects plays an important role in intelligent manufacturing applications. Phase measuring deflectometry (PMD)-based methods are widely used to obtain the 3D shapes of specular surfaces because they offer the advantages of a large dynamic range, high measurement accuracy, full-field and noncontact operation, and automatic data processing. To enable measurement of specular objects with discontinuous and/or isolated surfaces, a direct PMD (DPMD) method has been developed to build a direct relationship between phase and depth. In this paper, a new virtual measurement system is presented and is used to optimize the system parameters and evaluate the system's performance in DPMD applications. Four system parameters are analyzed to obtain accurate measurement results. Experiments are performed using simulated and actual data and the results confirm the effects of these four parameters on the measurement results. Researchers can therefore select suitable system parameters for actual DPMD (including PMD) measurement systems to obtain the 3D shapes of specular objects with high accuracy.

  2. Performance on a stage IV object-permanence task with standard and nonstandard covers.

    PubMed

    Rader, N; Spiro, D J; Firestone, P B

    1979-09-01

    Piaget's description of object concept development is based on success in performing a series of search tasks. However, failure to perform successfully may result from undeveloped aspects of the cognitive or motor system unrelated to a concept of objects. This study examined the role of perceptual-motor development in a typical Stage IV task by comparing performance given a standard cloth cover or a small card cover. Subjects were 10 infants 147--187 days old (median age = 160 days). A pass was defined as the retrieval of the toy within 30 sec on 2 out of 3 trials. The difference in performance between the 2 cover conditions was significant (p = .032). These results advise caution in interpreting Stage IV performance in terms of a developing object concept.

  3. Strategic performance evaluation in cancer centers.

    PubMed

    Delgado, Rigoberto I; Langabeer, James R

    2009-01-01

    Most research in healthcare strategy has focused on formulating or implementing organizational plans and strategies, and little attention has been dedicated to the post-implementation control and evaluation of strategy, which we contend is the most critical aspect of achieving organizational goals. The objective of this study was to identify strategic control approaches used by major cancer centers in the country and to relate these practices to financial performance. Our intent was to expand the theory and practice of healthcare strategy to focused services, such as oncology. We designed a 17-question survey to capture elements of strategy and performance from our study sample, which comprised major cancer hospitals in the United States and shared similar mandates and resource constraints. The results suggest that high-performing cancer centers use more sophisticated analytical approaches, invest greater financial resources in performance analysis, and conduct more frequent performance reviews than do low-performing organizations. Our conclusions point to the need for a more robust approach to strategic assessment. In this article, we offer a number of recommendations for management to achieve strategic plans and goals on the basis of our research. To our knowledge, this study is one of the first to concentrate on the area of strategic control.

  4. Learning Objectives for Shooting Sports Instruction. 554A: Using Measurable Criteria To Evaluate Performance.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Benson, Delwin E.; Manning, Jan

    This publication contains objectives that range from basic shooting sports safety and proficiency to more specialized activities. They can be applied to hunter safety education, 4-H shooting sports, scouting, and club or community activities for youth or adults. The specific learning objectives in each list have been grouped into learning…

  5. Objective performance assessment of five computed tomography iterative reconstruction algorithms.

    PubMed

    Omotayo, Azeez; Elbakri, Idris

    2016-11-22

    Iterative algorithms are gaining clinical acceptance in CT. We performed objective phantom-based image quality evaluation of five commercial iterative reconstruction algorithms available on four different multi-detector CT (MDCT) scanners at different dose levels as well as the conventional filtered back-projection (FBP) reconstruction. Using the Catphan500 phantom, we evaluated image noise, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), modulation transfer function (MTF) and noise-power spectrum (NPS). The algorithms were evaluated over a CTDIvol range of 0.75-18.7 mGy on four major MDCT scanners: GE DiscoveryCT750HD (algorithms: ASIR™ and VEO™); Siemens Somatom Definition AS+ (algorithm: SAFIRE™); Toshiba Aquilion64 (algorithm: AIDR3D™); and Philips Ingenuity iCT256 (algorithm: iDose4™). Images were reconstructed using FBP and the respective iterative algorithms on the four scanners. Use of iterative algorithms decreased image noise and increased CNR, relative to FBP. In the dose range of 1.3-1.5 mGy, noise reduction using iterative algorithms was in the range of 11%-51% on GE DiscoveryCT750HD, 10%-52% on Siemens Somatom Definition AS+, 49%-62% on Toshiba Aquilion64, and 13%-44% on Philips Ingenuity iCT256. The corresponding CNR increase was in the range 11%-105% on GE, 11%-106% on Siemens, 85%-145% on Toshiba and 13%-77% on Philips respectively. Most algorithms did not affect the MTF, except for VEO™ which produced an increase in the limiting resolution of up to 30%. A shift in the peak of the NPS curve towards lower frequencies and a decrease in NPS amplitude were obtained with all iterative algorithms. VEO™ required long reconstruction times, while all other algorithms produced reconstructions in real time. Compared to FBP, iterative algorithms reduced image noise and increased CNR. The iterative algorithms available on different scanners achieved different levels of noise reduction and CNR increase while spatial resolution improvements were obtained only with

  6. 10 CFR 73.20 - General performance objective and requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 10 Energy 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false General performance objective and requirements. 73.20 Section 73.20 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) PHYSICAL PROTECTION OF PLANTS AND MATERIALS... special nuclear material; takes delivery of formula quantities of strategic special nuclear material free...

  7. 10 CFR 73.20 - General performance objective and requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 10 Energy 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false General performance objective and requirements. 73.20 Section 73.20 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) PHYSICAL PROTECTION OF PLANTS AND MATERIALS... special nuclear material; takes delivery of formula quantities of strategic special nuclear material free...

  8. 10 CFR 73.20 - General performance objective and requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 10 Energy 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false General performance objective and requirements. 73.20 Section 73.20 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) PHYSICAL PROTECTION OF PLANTS AND MATERIALS... special nuclear material; takes delivery of formula quantities of strategic special nuclear material free...

  9. 10 CFR 73.20 - General performance objective and requirements.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 10 Energy 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false General performance objective and requirements. 73.20 Section 73.20 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) PHYSICAL PROTECTION OF PLANTS AND MATERIALS... special nuclear material; takes delivery of formula quantities of strategic special nuclear material free...

  10. Comparison of the performance of intraoral X-ray sensors using objective image quality assessment.

    PubMed

    Hellén-Halme, Kristina; Johansson, Curt; Nilsson, Mats

    2016-05-01

    The main aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of 10 individual sensors of the same make, using objective measures of key image quality parameters. A further aim was to compare 8 brands of sensors. Ten new sensors of 8 different models from 6 manufacturers (i.e., 80 sensors) were included in the study. All sensors were exposed in a standardized way using an X-ray tube voltage of 60 kVp and different exposure times. Sensor response, noise, low-contrast resolution, spatial resolution and uniformity were measured. Individual differences between sensors of the same brand were surprisingly large in some cases. There were clear differences in the characteristics of the different brands of sensors. The largest variations were found for individual sensor response for some of the brands studied. Also, noise level and low contrast resolution showed large variations between brands. Sensors, even of the same brand, vary significantly in their quality. It is thus valuable to establish action levels for the acceptance of newly delivered sensors and to use objective image quality control for commissioning purposes and periodic checks to ensure high performance of individual digital sensors. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. A new global and comprehensive model for ICU ventilator performances evaluation.

    PubMed

    Marjanovic, Nicolas S; De Simone, Agathe; Jegou, Guillaume; L'Her, Erwan

    2017-12-01

    This study aimed to provide a new global and comprehensive evaluation of recent ICU ventilators taking into account both technical performances and ergonomics. Six recent ICU ventilators were evaluated. Technical performances were assessed under two FIO 2 levels (100%, 50%), three respiratory mechanics combinations (Normal: compliance [C] = 70 mL cmH 2 O -1 /resistance [R] = 5 cmH 2 O L -1  s -1 ; Restrictive: C = 30/R = 10; Obstructive: C = 120/R = 20), four exponential levels of leaks (from 0 to 12.5 L min -1 ) and three levels of inspiratory effort (P0.1 = 2, 4 and 8 cmH 2 O), using an automated test lung. Ergonomics were evaluated by 20 ICU physicians using a global and comprehensive model involving physiological response to stress measurements (heart rate, respiratory rate, tidal volume variability and eye tracking), psycho-cognitive scales (SUS and NASA-TLX) and objective tasks completion. Few differences in terms of technical performance were observed between devices. Non-invasive ventilation modes had a huge influence on asynchrony occurrence. Using our global model, either objective tasks completion, psycho-cognitive scales and/or physiological measurements were able to depict significant differences in terms of devices' usability. The level of failure that was observed with some devices depicted the lack of adaptation of device's development to end users' requests. Despite similar technical performance, some ICU ventilators exhibit low ergonomics performance and a high risk of misusage.

  12. Object-Based Attention on Social Units: Visual Selection of Hands Performing a Social Interaction.

    PubMed

    Yin, Jun; Xu, Haokui; Duan, Jipeng; Shen, Mowei

    2018-05-01

    Traditionally, objects of attention are characterized either as full-fledged entities or either as elements grouped by Gestalt principles. Because humans appear to use social groups as units to explain social activities, we proposed that a socially defined group, according to social interaction information, would also be a possible object of attentional selection. This hypothesis was examined using displays with and without handshaking interactions. Results demonstrated that object-based attention, which was measured by an object-specific attentional advantage (i.e., shorter response times to targets on a single object), was extended to two hands performing a handshake but not to hands that did not perform meaningful social interactions, even when they did perform handshake-like actions. This finding cannot be attributed to the familiarity of the frequent co-occurrence of two handshaking hands. Hence, object-based attention can select a grouped object whose parts are connected within a meaningful social interaction. This finding implies that object-based attention is constrained by top-down information.

  13. Developing Objective Criteria for Evaluating Student Athletic Trainers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Treadway, Linda

    In devising a form for the evaluation of students preparing to become athletic trainers, it is helpful to have a checklist in which objectives and behavioral responses are organized into categories, such as prevention of injury, first aid, emergency care, treatment, rehabilitation, and taping and wrapping. It is also important to have records and…

  14. Performance evaluation of the NASA/KSC CAD/CAE and office automation LAN's

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zobrist, George W.

    1994-01-01

    This study's objective is the performance evaluation of the existing CAD/CAE (Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Engineering) network at NASA/KSC. This evaluation also includes a similar study of the Office Automation network, since it is being planned to integrate this network into the CAD/CAE network. The Microsoft mail facility which is presently on the CAD/CAE network was monitored to determine its present usage. This performance evaluation of the various networks will aid the NASA/KSC network managers in planning for the integration of future workload requirements into the CAD/CAE network and determining the effectiveness of the planned FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface) migration.

  15. Objective assessment based on motion-related metrics and technical performance in laparoscopic suturing.

    PubMed

    Sánchez-Margallo, Juan A; Sánchez-Margallo, Francisco M; Oropesa, Ignacio; Enciso, Silvia; Gómez, Enrique J

    2017-02-01

    The aim of this study is to present the construct and concurrent validity of a motion-tracking method of laparoscopic instruments based on an optical pose tracker and determine its feasibility as an objective assessment tool of psychomotor skills during laparoscopic suturing. A group of novice ([Formula: see text] laparoscopic procedures), intermediate (11-100 laparoscopic procedures) and experienced ([Formula: see text] laparoscopic procedures) surgeons performed three intracorporeal sutures on an ex vivo porcine stomach. Motion analysis metrics were recorded using the proposed tracking method, which employs an optical pose tracker to determine the laparoscopic instruments' position. Construct validation was measured for all 10 metrics across the three groups and between pairs of groups. Concurrent validation was measured against a previously validated suturing checklist. Checklists were completed by two independent surgeons over blinded video recordings of the task. Eighteen novices, 15 intermediates and 11 experienced surgeons took part in this study. Execution time and path length travelled by the laparoscopic dissector presented construct validity. Experienced surgeons required significantly less time ([Formula: see text]), travelled less distance using both laparoscopic instruments ([Formula: see text]) and made more efficient use of the work space ([Formula: see text]) compared with novice and intermediate surgeons. Concurrent validation showed strong correlation between both the execution time and path length and the checklist score ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]). The suturing performance was successfully assessed by the motion analysis method. Construct and concurrent validity of the motion-based assessment method has been demonstrated for the execution time and path length metrics. This study demonstrates the efficacy of the presented method for objective evaluation of psychomotor skills in laparoscopic suturing

  16. Evaluating fuzzy operators of an object-based image analysis for detecting landslides and their changes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Feizizadeh, Bakhtiar; Blaschke, Thomas; Tiede, Dirk; Moghaddam, Mohammad Hossein Rezaei

    2017-09-01

    This article presents a method of object-based image analysis (OBIA) for landslide delineation and landslide-related change detection from multi-temporal satellite images. It uses both spatial and spectral information on landslides, through spectral analysis, shape analysis, textural measurements using a gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM), and fuzzy logic membership functionality. Following an initial segmentation step, particular combinations of various information layers were investigated to generate objects. This was achieved by applying multi-resolution segmentation to IRS-1D, SPOT-5, and ALOS satellite imagery in sequential steps of feature selection and object classification, and using slope and flow direction derivatives from a digital elevation model together with topographically-oriented gray level co-occurrence matrices. Fuzzy membership values were calculated for 11 different membership functions using 20 landslide objects from a landslide training data. Six fuzzy operators were used for the final classification and the accuracies of the resulting landslide maps were compared. A Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation (FSE) approach was adapted for validation of the results and for an accuracy assessment using the landslide inventory database. The FSE approach revealed that the AND operator performed best with an accuracy of 93.87% for 2005 and 94.74% for 2011, closely followed by the MEAN Arithmetic operator, while the OR and AND (*) operators yielded relatively low accuracies. An object-based change detection was then applied to monitor landslide-related changes that occurred in northern Iran between 2005 and 2011. Knowledge rules to detect possible landslide-related changes were developed by evaluating all possible landslide-related objects for both time steps.

  17. Automatic and Objective Assessment of Alternating Tapping Performance in Parkinson's Disease

    PubMed Central

    Memedi, Mevludin; Khan, Taha; Grenholm, Peter; Nyholm, Dag; Westin, Jerker

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents the development and evaluation of a method for enabling quantitative and automatic scoring of alternating tapping performance of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Ten healthy elderly subjects and 95 patients in different clinical stages of PD have utilized a touch-pad handheld computer to perform alternate tapping tests in their home environments. First, a neurologist used a web-based system to visually assess impairments in four tapping dimensions (‘speed’, ‘accuracy’, ‘fatigue’ and ‘arrhythmia’) and a global tapping severity (GTS). Second, tapping signals were processed with time series analysis and statistical methods to derive 24 quantitative parameters. Third, principal component analysis was used to reduce the dimensions of these parameters and to obtain scores for the four dimensions. Finally, a logistic regression classifier was trained using a 10-fold stratified cross-validation to map the reduced parameters to the corresponding visually assessed GTS scores. Results showed that the computed scores correlated well to visually assessed scores and were significantly different across Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale scores of upper limb motor performance. In addition, they had good internal consistency, had good ability to discriminate between healthy elderly and patients in different disease stages, had good sensitivity to treatment interventions and could reflect the natural disease progression over time. In conclusion, the automatic method can be useful to objectively assess the tapping performance of PD patients and can be included in telemedicine tools for remote monitoring of tapping. PMID:24351667

  18. Automatic and objective assessment of alternating tapping performance in Parkinson's disease.

    PubMed

    Memedi, Mevludin; Khan, Taha; Grenholm, Peter; Nyholm, Dag; Westin, Jerker

    2013-12-09

    This paper presents the development and evaluation of a method for enabling quantitative and automatic scoring of alternating tapping performance of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Ten healthy elderly subjects and 95 patients in different clinical stages of PD have utilized a touch-pad handheld computer to perform alternate tapping tests in their home environments. First, a neurologist used a web-based system to visually assess impairments in four tapping dimensions ('speed', 'accuracy', 'fatigue' and 'arrhythmia') and a global tapping severity (GTS). Second, tapping signals were processed with time series analysis and statistical methods to derive 24 quantitative parameters. Third, principal component analysis was used to reduce the dimensions of these parameters and to obtain scores for the four dimensions. Finally, a logistic regression classifier was trained using a 10-fold stratified cross-validation to map the reduced parameters to the corresponding visually assessed GTS scores. Results showed that the computed scores correlated well to visually assessed scores and were significantly different across Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale scores of upper limb motor performance. In addition, they had good internal consistency, had good ability to discriminate between healthy elderly and patients in different disease stages, had good sensitivity to treatment interventions and could reflect the natural disease progression over time. In conclusion, the automatic method can be useful to objectively assess the tapping performance of PD patients and can be included in telemedicine tools for remote monitoring of tapping.

  19. Quantile equivalence to evaluate compliance with habitat management objectives

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Cade, Brian S.; Johnson, Pamela R.

    2011-01-01

    Equivalence estimated with linear quantile regression was used to evaluate compliance with habitat management objectives at Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge based on monitoring data collected in upland (5,781 ha; n = 511 transects) and riparian and meadow (2,856 ha, n = 389 transects) habitats from 2005 to 2008. Quantiles were used because the management objectives specified proportions of the habitat area that needed to comply with vegetation criteria. The linear model was used to obtain estimates that were averaged across 4 y. The equivalence testing framework allowed us to interpret confidence intervals for estimated proportions with respect to intervals of vegetative criteria (equivalence regions) in either a liberal, benefit-of-doubt or conservative, fail-safe approach associated with minimizing alternative risks. Simple Boolean conditional arguments were used to combine the quantile equivalence results for individual vegetation components into a joint statement for the multivariable management objectives. For example, management objective 2A required at least 809 ha of upland habitat with a shrub composition ≥0.70 sagebrush (Artemisia spp.), 20–30% canopy cover of sagebrush ≥25 cm in height, ≥20% canopy cover of grasses, and ≥10% canopy cover of forbs on average over 4 y. Shrub composition and canopy cover of grass each were readily met on >3,000 ha under either conservative or liberal interpretations of sampling variability. However, there were only 809–1,214 ha (conservative to liberal) with ≥10% forb canopy cover and 405–1,098 ha with 20–30%canopy cover of sagebrush ≥25 cm in height. Only 91–180 ha of uplands simultaneously met criteria for all four components, primarily because canopy cover of sagebrush and forbs was inversely related when considered at the spatial scale (30 m) of a sample transect. We demonstrate how the quantile equivalence analyses also can help refine the numerical specification of habitat objectives and explore

  20. Evaluation of medical command and control using performance indicators in a full-scale, major aircraft accident exercise.

    PubMed

    Gryth, Dan; Rådestad, Monica; Nilsson, Heléne; Nerf, Ola; Svensson, Leif; Castrén, Maaret; Rüter, Anders

    2010-01-01

    Large, functional, disaster exercises are expensive to plan and execute, and often are difficult to evaluate objectively. Command and control in disaster medicine organizations can benefit from objective results from disaster exercises to identify areas that must be improved. The objective of this pilot study was to examine if it is possible to use performance indicators for documentation and evaluation of medical command and control in a full-scale major incident exercise at two levels: (1) local level (scene of the incident and hospital); and (2) strategic level of command and control. Staff procedure skills also were evaluated. Trained observers were placed in each of the three command and control locations. These observers recorded and scored the performance of command and control using templates of performance indicators. The observers scored the level of performance by awarding 2, 1, or 0 points according to the template and evaluated content and timing of decisions. Results from 11 performance indicators were recorded at each template and scores greater than 11 were considered as acceptable. Prehospital command and control had the lowest score. This also was expressed by problems at the scene of the incident. The scores in management and staff skills were at the strategic level 15 and 17, respectively; and at the hospital level, 17 and 21, respectively. It is possible to use performance indicators in a full-scale, major incident exercise for evaluation of medical command and control. The results could be used to compare similar exercises and evaluate real incidents in the future.

  1. Performance in Object-Choice Aesop’s Fable Tasks Are Influenced by Object Biases in New Caledonian Crows but not in Human Children

    PubMed Central

    Taylor, Alex H.; Cheke, Lucy G.; Gray, Russell D.; Loissel, Elsa; Clayton, Nicola S.

    2016-01-01

    The ability to reason about causality underlies key aspects of human cognition, but the extent to which non-humans understand causality is still largely unknown. The Aesop’s Fable paradigm, where objects are inserted into water-filled tubes to obtain out-of-reach rewards, has been used to test casual reasoning in birds and children. However, success on these tasks may be influenced by other factors, specifically, object preferences present prior to testing or arising during pre-test stone-dropping training. Here, we assessed this ‘object-bias’ hypothesis by giving New Caledonian crows and 5–10 year old children two object-choice Aesop’s Fable experiments: sinking vs. floating objects, and solid vs. hollow objects. Before each test, we assessed subjects’ object preferences and/or trained them to prefer the alternative object. Both crows and children showed pre-test object preferences, suggesting that birds in previous Aesop’s Fable studies may also have had initial preferences for objects that proved to be functional on test. After training to prefer the non-functional object, crows, but not children, performed more poorly on these two object-choice Aesop’s Fable tasks than subjects in previous studies. Crows dropped the non-functional objects into the tube on their first trials, indicating that, unlike many children, they do not appear to have an a priori understanding of water displacement. Alternatively, issues with inhibition could explain their performance. The crows did, however, learn to solve the tasks over time. We tested crows further to determine whether their eventual success was based on learning about the functional properties of the objects, or associating dropping the functional object with reward. Crows inserted significantly more rewarded, non-functional objects than non-rewarded, functional objects. These findings suggest that the ability of New Caledonian crows to produce performances rivaling those of young children on object

  2. Balanced scorecard-based performance evaluation of Chinese county hospitals in underdeveloped areas.

    PubMed

    Gao, Hongda; Chen, He; Feng, Jun; Qin, Xianjing; Wang, Xuan; Liang, Shenglin; Zhao, Jinmin; Feng, Qiming

    2018-05-01

    Objective Since the Guangxi government implemented public county hospital reform in 2009, there have been no studies of county hospitals in this underdeveloped area of China. This study aimed to establish an evaluation indicator system for Guangxi county hospitals and to generate recommendations for hospital development and policymaking. Methods A performance evaluation indicator system was developed based on balanced scorecard theory. Opinions were elicited from 25 experts from administrative units, universities and hospitals and the Delphi method was used to modify the performance indicators. The indicator system and the Topsis method were used to evaluate the performance of five county hospitals randomly selected from the same batch of 2015 Guangxi reform pilots. Results There were 4 first-level indicators, 9 second-level indicators and 36 third-level indicators in the final performance evaluation indicator system that showed good consistency, validity and reliability. The performance rank of the hospitals was B > E > A > C > D. Conclusions The performance evaluation indicator system established using the balanced scorecard is practical and scientific. Analysis of the results based on this indicator system identified several factors affecting hospital performance, such as resource utilisation efficiency, medical service price, personnel structure and doctor-patient relationships.

  3. Competency-based goals, objectives, and linked evaluations for rheumatology training programs: a standardized template of learning activities from the Carolinas Fellows Collaborative.

    PubMed

    Criscione-Schreiber, Lisa G; Bolster, Marcy B; Jonas, Beth L; O'Rourke, Kenneth S

    2013-06-01

    American Council on Graduate Medical Education program requirements mandate that rheumatology training programs have written goals, objectives, and performance evaluations for each learning activity. Since learning activities are similar across rheumatology programs, we aimed to create competency-based goals and objectives (CBGO) and evaluations that would be generalizable nationally. Through an established collaboration of the 4 training programs' directors in North Carolina and South Carolina, we collaboratively composed CBGO and evaluations for each learning activity for rheumatology training programs. CBGO and linked evaluations were written using appropriate verbs based on Bloom's taxonomy. Draft documents were peer reviewed by faculty at the 4 institutions and by members of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Clinician Scholar Educator Group. We completed templates of CBGO for core and elective rotations and conferences. Templates detail progressive fellow performance improvement appropriate to educational level. Specific CBGO are mirrored in learning activity evaluations. Templates are easily modified to fit individual program attributes, have been successfully implemented by our 4 programs, and have proven their value in 4 residency review committee reviews. We propose adoption of these template CBGO by the ACR, with access available to all rheumatology training programs. Evaluation forms that exactly reflect stated objectives ensure that trainees are assessed using standardized measures and that trainees are aware of the learning expectations. The objectives mirrored in the evaluations closely align with the proposed milestones for internal medicine training, and will therefore be a useful starting point for creating these milestones in rheumatology. Copyright © 2013 by the American College of Rheumatology.

  4. Performance Evaluation of the Educational Leader (PEEL): Another Breakthrough in Competency Based Educational Administration.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Metzger, Christa; Lynch, Steven B.

    1974-01-01

    This paper describes the Performance Evaluation of the Education Leader (PEEL) program, initiated from a study to define the competent school administrator and to develop an instrument to measure administrative competence objectively and accurately. The resulting PEEL materials include the following: (a) "Guidelines for Evaluation: The School…

  5. 48 CFR 436.604 - Performance evaluation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Performance evaluation... Performance evaluation. Preparation of performance evaluation reports. (a) In addition to the requirements of FAR 36.604, performance evaluation reports shall be prepared for indefinite-delivery type contracts...

  6. 48 CFR 436.604 - Performance evaluation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Performance evaluation... Performance evaluation. Preparation of performance evaluation reports. (a) In addition to the requirements of FAR 36.604, performance evaluation reports shall be prepared for indefinite-delivery type contracts...

  7. 48 CFR 436.604 - Performance evaluation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Performance evaluation... Performance evaluation. Preparation of performance evaluation reports. (a) In addition to the requirements of FAR 36.604, performance evaluation reports shall be prepared for indefinite-delivery type contracts...

  8. 48 CFR 436.604 - Performance evaluation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Performance evaluation... Performance evaluation. Preparation of performance evaluation reports. (a) In addition to the requirements of FAR 36.604, performance evaluation reports shall be prepared for indefinite-delivery type contracts...

  9. 48 CFR 436.604 - Performance evaluation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Performance evaluation... Performance evaluation. Preparation of performance evaluation reports. (a) In addition to the requirements of FAR 36.604, performance evaluation reports shall be prepared for indefinite-delivery type contracts...

  10. Improving Objective Measures of Mobility.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dodds, Allan G.; And Others

    1983-01-01

    The article examines shortcomings in existing objective measures of mobility for blind persons in the light of evaluative experiences and demonstrates improvements in reliability, together with a new technique for tracking pavement position. It refutes the idea that it is not possible to measure improvement in performance objectively. (Author/CL)

  11. Evaluation of the Anaheim Advanced Traffic Control System Field Operational Test : introduction and Task A : evaluation of SCOOT performance

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1999-03-01

    This report provides an overview of both the Anaheim Advanced Traffic Control System Field Operations Test (FOT) and of the technical issues associated with the evaluation of SCOOT performance during the test. The primary objective of the FOT was to ...

  12. Objective measurements to evaluate glottal space segmentation from laryngeal images.

    PubMed

    Gutiérrez-Arriola, J M; Osma-Ruiz, V; Sáenz-Lechón, N; Godino-Llorente, J I; Fraile, R; Arias-Londoño, J D

    2012-01-01

    Objective evaluation of the results of medical image segmentation is a known problem. Applied to the task of automatically detecting the glottal area from laryngeal images, this paper proposes a new objective measurement to evaluate the quality of a segmentation algorithm by comparing with the results given by a human expert. The new figure of merit is called Area Index, and its effectiveness is compared with one of the most used figures of merit found in the literature: the Pratt Index. Results over 110 laryngeal images presented high correlations between both indexes, demonstrating that the proposed measure is comparable to the Pratt Index and it is a good indicator of the segmentation quality.

  13. Inhibitory Control, but Not Prolonged Object-Related Experience Appears to Affect Physical Problem-Solving Performance of Pet Dogs.

    PubMed

    Müller, Corsin A; Riemer, Stefanie; Virányi, Zsófia; Huber, Ludwig; Range, Friederike

    2016-01-01

    Human infants develop an understanding of their physical environment through playful interactions with objects. Similar processes may influence also the performance of non-human animals in physical problem-solving tasks, but to date there is little empirical data to evaluate this hypothesis. In addition or alternatively to prior experiences, inhibitory control has been suggested as a factor underlying the considerable individual differences in performance reported for many species. Here we report a study in which we manipulated the extent of object-related experience for a cohort of dogs (Canis familiaris) of the breed Border Collie over a period of 18 months, and assessed their level of inhibitory control, prior to testing them in a series of four physical problem-solving tasks. We found no evidence that differences in object-related experience explain variability in performance in these tasks. It thus appears that dogs do not transfer knowledge about physical rules from one physical problem-solving task to another, but rather approach each task as a novel problem. Our results, however, suggest that individual performance in these tasks is influenced in a complex way by the subject's level of inhibitory control. Depending on the task, inhibitory control had a positive or a negative effect on performance and different aspects of inhibitory control turned out to be the best predictors of individual performance in the different tasks. Therefore, studying the interplay between inhibitory control and problem-solving performance will make an important contribution to our understanding of individual and species differences in physical problem-solving performance.

  14. Inhibitory Control, but Not Prolonged Object-Related Experience Appears to Affect Physical Problem-Solving Performance of Pet Dogs

    PubMed Central

    Müller, Corsin A.; Riemer, Stefanie; Virányi, Zsófia; Huber, Ludwig; Range, Friederike

    2016-01-01

    Human infants develop an understanding of their physical environment through playful interactions with objects. Similar processes may influence also the performance of non-human animals in physical problem-solving tasks, but to date there is little empirical data to evaluate this hypothesis. In addition or alternatively to prior experiences, inhibitory control has been suggested as a factor underlying the considerable individual differences in performance reported for many species. Here we report a study in which we manipulated the extent of object-related experience for a cohort of dogs (Canis familiaris) of the breed Border Collie over a period of 18 months, and assessed their level of inhibitory control, prior to testing them in a series of four physical problem-solving tasks. We found no evidence that differences in object-related experience explain variability in performance in these tasks. It thus appears that dogs do not transfer knowledge about physical rules from one physical problem-solving task to another, but rather approach each task as a novel problem. Our results, however, suggest that individual performance in these tasks is influenced in a complex way by the subject’s level of inhibitory control. Depending on the task, inhibitory control had a positive or a negative effect on performance and different aspects of inhibitory control turned out to be the best predictors of individual performance in the different tasks. Therefore, studying the interplay between inhibitory control and problem-solving performance will make an important contribution to our understanding of individual and species differences in physical problem-solving performance. PMID:26863141

  15. Self-Handicapping and Interpersonal Trade-Offs: The Effects of Claimed Self-Handicaps on Observers' Performance Evaluations and Feedback.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rhodewalt, Frederick; And Others

    1995-01-01

    Male subjects (n=130) evaluated performance of targets who, prior to and during the performance, offered no excuse, claimed intended low effort, claimed anxiety, or claimed drug impairment. Subjects evaluated objectively equivalent performances more negatively if they came from an excuse-making target than a no-excuse target. (JBJ)

  16. Method and Application for Dynamic Comprehensive Evaluation with Subjective and Objective Information

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Dinglin; Zhao, Xianglian

    2013-01-01

    In an effort to deal with more complicated evaluation situations, scientists have focused their efforts on dynamic comprehensive evaluation research. How to make full use of the subjective and objective information has become one of the noteworthy content. In this paper, a dynamic comprehensive evaluation method with subjective and objective information is proposed. We use the combination weighting method to determine the index weight. Analysis hierarchy process method is applied to dispose the subjective information, and criteria importance through intercriteria correlation method is used to handle the objective information. And for the time weight determination, we consider both time distance and information size to embody the principle of esteeming the present over the past. And then the linear weighted average model is constructed to make the evaluation process more practicable. Finally, an example is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of this method. Overall, the results suggest that the proposed method is reasonable and effective. PMID:24386176

  17. Music psychopathology. V. Objective features of instrumental performance and psychopathology.

    PubMed

    Steinberg, R; Fani, M; Raith, L

    1992-01-01

    Mental disease systematically impairs musical expression according to nosologic classification. This was demonstrated with a polarity profile of the instrumental performances of 60 inpatients and 14 controls matched for musical aptitude. Objective performance characteristics such as irregularities and playing faults were analyzed too. No meaningful correlation between these features and psychopathology resulted. This indicates that even in severe psychopathologic alterations performance features, which depend mainly on education and actual training, are not altered in a systematic manner, in contrast to expressive qualities.

  18. Thermal performance evaluation of the infrared telescope dewar subsystem

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Urban, E. W.

    1986-01-01

    Thermal performance evaluations (TPE) were conducted with the superfluid helium dewar of the Infrared Telescope (IRT) experiment from November 1981 to August 1982. Test included measuring key operating parameters, simulating operations with an attached instrument cryostat and validating servicing, operating and safety procedures. Test activities and results are summarized. All objectives are satisfied except for those involving transfer of low pressure liquid helium (LHe) from a supply dewar into the dewar subsystem.

  19. Multidimensional evaluation of performance: experimental application of the balanced scorecard in Ferrara university hospital

    PubMed Central

    Verzola, Adriano; Bentivegna, Roberto; Carandina, Gianni; Trevisani, Lucio; Gregorio, Pasquale; Mandini, Alberto

    2009-01-01

    Background and Aims One of the best-known performance planning and evaluation techniques utilising both monetary and non-monetary data is the Balanced Scorecard (BSC). This is a means of rationalising the global activity of a business in the attempt to create value, and to translate the company vision into a set of tactical objectives and measurable strategies. The aim of this study was to implement and evaluate the use of BSC in two departments of the St. Anna University Hospital, Ferrara: the Analysis Laboratory and Digestive Endoscopy operating units (OU). Materials and methods With the collaboration of the health workers involved, a precise methodological programme was pursued: Definition of the strategic map from 4 perspectives, according to Kaplan and Norton, Definition of the Key Performance Areas (KPA), or macro-objectives, Identification of the cause-effect relationships between KPAs, Identification of the sub-objectives of each KPA, Definition of the Key Performance Indicators (KPI), Definition of the weight/importance of each objective in the global evaluation. Results The information gathered permitted the definition of macro- and sub-objectives for each perspective, as well as determining the relevant indicators, standards, weights, frequency of detection and means of acquisition. Strategic maps showing the cause/effect relationships in each OU were created, as were 'evaluation panels', which describe the global performance of each department. For each perspective, the fundamental data were summarised in one table. Evaluation of each perspective yielded a positive result for the majority of the objectives, and the global result (including all 4 perspectives) was found to be satisfactory. Discussion-Conclusion The Balanced Scorecard was implemented in the abovementioned OUs of St. Anna University Hospital, Ferrara, after the health workers themselves realised the need for change. In our research the employees were pleased to be evaluated, not only for

  20. Multidimensional evaluation of performance: experimental application of the balanced scorecard in Ferrara university hospital.

    PubMed

    Verzola, Adriano; Bentivegna, Roberto; Carandina, Gianni; Trevisani, Lucio; Gregorio, Pasquale; Mandini, Alberto

    2009-09-08

    One of the best-known performance planning and evaluation techniques utilising both monetary and non-monetary data is the Balanced Scorecard (BSC). This is a means of rationalising the global activity of a business in the attempt to create value, and to translate the company vision into a set of tactical objectives and measurable strategies. The aim of this study was to implement and evaluate the use of BSC in two departments of the St. Anna University Hospital, Ferrara: the Analysis Laboratory and Digestive Endoscopy operating units (OU). With the collaboration of the health workers involved, a precise methodological programme was pursued: Definition of the strategic map from 4 perspectives, according to Kaplan and Norton, Definition of the Key Performance Areas (KPA), or macro-objectives, Identification of the cause-effect relationships between KPAs, Identification of the sub-objectives of each KPA, Definition of the Key Performance Indicators (KPI), Definition of the weight/importance of each objective in the global evaluation. The information gathered permitted the definition of macro- and sub-objectives for each perspective, as well as determining the relevant indicators, standards, weights, frequency of detection and means of acquisition. Strategic maps showing the cause/effect relationships in each OU were created, as were 'evaluation panels', which describe the global performance of each department. For each perspective, the fundamental data were summarised in one table. Evaluation of each perspective yielded a positive result for the majority of the objectives, and the global result (including all 4 perspectives) was found to be satisfactory. The Balanced Scorecard was implemented in the abovementioned OUs of St. Anna University Hospital, Ferrara, after the health workers themselves realised the need for change.In our research the employees were pleased to be evaluated, not only for the financial outcomes, but also for the satisfaction of improving

  1. Improving human object recognition performance using video enhancement techniques

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Whitman, Lucy S.; Lewis, Colin; Oakley, John P.

    2004-12-01

    Atmospheric scattering causes significant degradation in the quality of video images, particularly when imaging over long distances. The principle problem is the reduction in contrast due to scattered light. It is known that when the scattering particles are not too large compared with the imaging wavelength (i.e. Mie scattering) then high spatial resolution information may be contained within a low-contrast image. Unfortunately this information is not easily perceived by a human observer, particularly when using a standard video monitor. A secondary problem is the difficulty of achieving a sharp focus since automatic focus techniques tend to fail in such conditions. Recently several commercial colour video processing systems have become available. These systems use various techniques to improve image quality in low contrast conditions whilst retaining colour content. These systems produce improvements in subjective image quality in some situations, particularly in conditions of haze and light fog. There is also some evidence that video enhancement leads to improved ATR performance when used as a pre-processing stage. Psychological literature indicates that low contrast levels generally lead to a reduction in the performance of human observers in carrying out simple visual tasks. The aim of this paper is to present the results of an empirical study on object recognition in adverse viewing conditions. The chosen visual task was vehicle number plate recognition at long ranges (500 m and beyond). Two different commercial video enhancement systems are evaluated using the same protocol. The results show an increase in effective range with some differences between the different enhancement systems.

  2. Characterizing "fibrofog": Subjective appraisal, objective performance, and task-related brain activity during a working memory task.

    PubMed

    Walitt, Brian; Čeko, Marta; Khatiwada, Manish; Gracely, John L; Rayhan, Rakib; VanMeter, John W; Gracely, Richard H

    2016-01-01

    The subjective experience of cognitive dysfunction ("fibrofog") is common in fibromyalgia. This study investigated the relation between subjective appraisal of cognitive function, objective cognitive task performance, and brain activity during a cognitive task using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Sixteen fibromyalgia patients and 13 healthy pain-free controls completed a battery of questionnaires, including the Multiple Ability Self-Report Questionnaire (MASQ), a measure of self-perceived cognitive difficulties. Participants were evaluated for working memory performance using a modified N-back working memory task while undergoing Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) fMRI measurements. Fibromyalgia patients and controls did not differ in working memory performance. Subjective appraisal of cognitive function was associated with better performance (accuracy) on the working memory task in healthy controls but not in fibromyalgia patients. In fibromyalgia patients, increased perceived cognitive difficulty was positively correlated with the severity of their symptoms. BOLD response during the working memory task did not differ between the groups. BOLD response correlated with task accuracy in control subjects but not in fibromyalgia patients. Increased subjective cognitive impairment correlated with decreased BOLD response in both groups but in different anatomic regions. In conclusion, "fibrofog" appears to be better characterized by subjective rather than objective impairment. Neurologic correlates of this subjective experience of impairment might be separate from those involved in the performance of cognitive tasks.

  3. Performance Measurement and Investment Objectives for Educational Endowment Funds.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williamson, J. Peter

    This book is one of a series of projects developed to increase understanding of the management of educational endowment funds. Specifics of performance measurement and the setting of objectives are emphasized. Part one deals with measurement of the rate of return, or profitability, of an endowment fund. Part two reviews some statistical measures…

  4. Subjective and objective quantification of physician's workload and performance during radiation therapy planning tasks.

    PubMed

    Mazur, Lukasz M; Mosaly, Prithima R; Hoyle, Lesley M; Jones, Ellen L; Marks, Lawrence B

    2013-01-01

    To quantify, and compare, workload for several common physician-based treatment planning tasks using objective and subjective measures of workload. To assess the relationship between workload and performance to define workload levels where performance could be expected to decline. Nine physicians performed the same 3 tasks on each of 2 cases ("easy" vs "hard"). Workload was assessed objectively throughout the tasks (via monitoring of pupil size and blink rate), and subjectively at the end of each case (via National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index; NASA-TLX). NASA-TLX assesses the 6 dimensions (mental, physical, and temporal demands, frustration, effort, and performance); scores > or ≈ 50 are associated with reduced performance in other industries. Performance was measured using participants' stated willingness to approve the treatment plan. Differences in subjective and objective workload between cases, tasks, and experience were assessed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The correlation between subjective and objective workload measures were assessed via the Pearson correlation test. The relationships between workload and performance measures were assessed using the t test. Eighteen case-wise and 54 task-wise assessments were obtained. Subjective NASA-TLX scores (P < .001), but not time-weighted averages of objective scores (P > .1), were significantly lower for the easy vs hard case. Most correlations between the subjective and objective measures were not significant, except between average blink rate and NASA-TLX scores (r = -0.34, P = .02), for task-wise assessments. Performance appeared to decline at NASA-TLX scores of ≥55. The NASA-TLX may provide a reasonable method to quantify subjective workload for broad activities, and objective physiologic eye-based measures may be useful to monitor workload for more granular tasks within activities. The subjective and objective measures, as herein quantified, do not necessarily track each

  5. Roles and methods of performance evaluation of hospital academic leadership.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Ying; Yuan, Huikang; Li, Yang; Zhao, Xia; Yi, Lihua

    2016-01-01

    The rapidly advancing implementation of public hospital reform urgently requires the identification and classification of a pool of exceptional medical specialists, corresponding with incentives to attract and retain them, providing a nucleus of distinguished expertise to ensure public hospital preeminence. This paper examines the significance of academic leadership, from a strategic management perspective, including various tools, methods and mechanisms used in the theory and practice of performance evaluation, and employed in the selection, training and appointment of academic leaders. Objective methods of assessing leadership performance are also provided for reference.

  6. Subjective Performance Evaluation in the Public Sector: Evidence from School Inspections. CEE DP 135

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hussain, Iftikhar

    2012-01-01

    Performance measurement in the public sector is largely based on objective metrics, which may be subject to gaming behaviour. This paper investigates a novel subjective performance evaluation system where independent inspectors visit schools at very short notice, publicly disclose their findings and sanction schools rated fail. First, I…

  7. Fuzzy logic based sensor performance evaluation of vehicle mounted metal detector systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abeynayake, Canicious; Tran, Minh D.

    2015-05-01

    Vehicle Mounted Metal Detector (VMMD) systems are widely used for detection of threat objects in humanitarian demining and military route clearance scenarios. Due to the diverse nature of such operational conditions, operational use of VMMD without a proper understanding of its capability boundaries may lead to heavy causalities. Multi-criteria fitness evaluations are crucial for determining capability boundaries of any sensor-based demining equipment. Evaluation of sensor based military equipment is a multi-disciplinary topic combining the efforts of researchers, operators, managers and commanders having different professional backgrounds and knowledge profiles. Information acquired through field tests usually involves uncertainty, vagueness and imprecision due to variations in test and evaluation conditions during a single test or series of tests. This report presents a fuzzy logic based methodology for experimental data analysis and performance evaluation of VMMD. This data evaluation methodology has been developed to evaluate sensor performance by consolidating expert knowledge with experimental data. A case study is presented by implementing the proposed data analysis framework in a VMMD evaluation scenario. The results of this analysis confirm accuracy, practicability and reliability of the fuzzy logic based sensor performance evaluation framework.

  8. Statins enhance cognitive performance in object location test in albino Swiss mice: involvement of beta-adrenoceptors.

    PubMed

    Vandresen-Filho, Samuel; França, Lucas Moreira; Alcantara-Junior, José; Nogueira, Lucas Caixeta; de Brito, Thiago Marques; Lopes, Lousã; Junior, Fernando Mesquita; Vanzeler, Maria Luzinete; Bertoldo, Daniela Bohn; Dias, Paula Gomes; Colla, André R S; Hoeller, Alexandre; Duzzioni, Marcelo; Rodrigues, Ana Lúcia S; de Lima, Thereza C M; Tasca, Carla Inês; Viola, Giordano Gubert

    2015-05-01

    Statins are inhibitors of the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, thereby inhibiting cell synthesis of cholesterol and isoprenoids. Moreover, several studies have been evaluating pleiotropic effects of statins, mainly because they present neuroprotective effects in various pathological conditions. However, knowledge about behavioral effects of statins per se is relatively scarce. Considering these facts, we aimed to analyze behavioral responses of atorvastatin or simvastatin-treated mice in the open field test, elevated plus maze and object location test. Atorvastatin treatment for 7 consecutive days at 1 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg (v.o.) or simvastatin 10 mg/kg or 20 mg/kg enhanced cognitive performance in object location test when compared to control group (saline-treated mice). Simvastatin effects on mice performance in the object location test was abolished by post-training infusion of the beta-adrenoceptor antagonist propranolol. Atorvastatin and simvastatin did not change the behavioral response in open field and elevated plus-maze (EPM) tests in any of the used doses. These data demonstrate the positive effects of both statins in cognitive processes in mice, without any alteration in locomotor parameters in the open field test or anxiolytic-like behavior in EPM. In conclusion, we demonstrate that atorvastatin and simvastatin per se improve the cognitive performance in a rodent model of spatial memory and this effect is related to beta-adrenergic receptors modulation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. 48 CFR 236.604 - Performance evaluation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Performance evaluation... Architect-Engineer Services 236.604 Performance evaluation. Prepare a separate performance evaluation after... familiar with the architect-engineer contractor's performance. [76 FR 58155, Sept. 20, 2011] ...

  10. 48 CFR 236.604 - Performance evaluation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Performance evaluation... Architect-Engineer Services 236.604 Performance evaluation. Prepare a separate performance evaluation after... familiar with the architect-engineer contractor's performance. [76 FR 58155, Sept. 20, 2011] ...

  11. 48 CFR 236.604 - Performance evaluation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Performance evaluation... Architect-Engineer Services 236.604 Performance evaluation. Prepare a separate performance evaluation after... familiar with the architect-engineer contractor's performance. [76 FR 58155, Sept. 20, 2011] ...

  12. 48 CFR 236.604 - Performance evaluation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Performance evaluation... Architect-Engineer Services 236.604 Performance evaluation. Prepare a separate performance evaluation after... familiar with the architect-engineer contractor's performance. [76 FR 58155, Sept. 20, 2011] ...

  13. Cognitive-evaluative features of childhood social anxiety in a performance task.

    PubMed

    Tuschen-Caffier, Brunna; Kühl, Sigrid; Bender, Caroline

    2011-06-01

    Using an experimental design, we analysed differences in the occurrence of cognitive-evaluative distortions and performance deficits across children with social anxiety disorder, with subclinical anxiety and without any anxiety symptoms. Twenty-one children with full syndrome social phobia, 18 children with partial syndrome social phobia and 20 children without any symptoms of social phobia were compared with respect to their degree of anxiety, negative thinking and task performance during two social-evaluative tasks. In addition, self-ratings of task performance, performance estimations for other children and objective behavioural ratings by two independent observers were obtained. Children with social anxiety disorder and subclinical social anxiety showed higher degrees of experienced anxiety and negative thinking than healthy control children. There was no group difference in respect to actual task performance. Findings are discussed with regard to the continuum assumption of childhood social anxiety disorder and the need of well-adapted early interventions. Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  14. 48 CFR 236.604 - Performance evaluation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Performance evaluation... Architect-Engineer Services 236.604 Performance evaluation. (a) Preparation of performance reports. Use DD Form 2631, Performance Evaluation (Architect-Engineer), instead of SF 1421. (2) Prepare a separate...

  15. Individual differences in object permanence performance at 8 months: locomotor experience and brain electrical activity.

    PubMed

    Bell, M A; Fox, N A

    1997-12-01

    This work was designed to investigate individual differences in hands-and-knees crawling and frontal brain electrical activity with respect to object permanence performance in 76 eight-month-old infants. Four groups of infants (one prelocomotor and 3 with varying lengths of hands-and-knees crawling experience) were tested on an object permanence scale in a research design similar to that used by Kermoian and Campos (1988). In addition, baseline EEG was recorded and used as an indicator of brain development, as in the Bell and Fox (1992) longitudinal study. Individual differences in frontal and occipital EEG power and in locomotor experience were associated with performance on the object permanence task. Infants successful at A-not-B exhibited greater frontal EEG power and greater occipital EEG power than unsuccessful infants. In contrast to Kermoian and Campos (1988), who noted that long-term crawling experience was associated with higher performance on an object permanence scale, infants in this study with any amount of hands and knees crawling experience performed at a higher level on the object permanence scale than prelocomotor infants. There was no interaction among brain electrical activity, locomotor experience, and object permanence performance. These data highlight the value of electrophysiological research and the need for a brain-behavior model of object permanence performance that incorporates both electrophysiological and behavioral factors.

  16. Framework for performance evaluation of face, text, and vehicle detection and tracking in video: data, metrics, and protocol.

    PubMed

    Kasturi, Rangachar; Goldgof, Dmitry; Soundararajan, Padmanabhan; Manohar, Vasant; Garofolo, John; Bowers, Rachel; Boonstra, Matthew; Korzhova, Valentina; Zhang, Jing

    2009-02-01

    Common benchmark data sets, standardized performance metrics, and baseline algorithms have demonstrated considerable impact on research and development in a variety of application domains. These resources provide both consumers and developers of technology with a common framework to objectively compare the performance of different algorithms and algorithmic improvements. In this paper, we present such a framework for evaluating object detection and tracking in video: specifically for face, text, and vehicle objects. This framework includes the source video data, ground-truth annotations (along with guidelines for annotation), performance metrics, evaluation protocols, and tools including scoring software and baseline algorithms. For each detection and tracking task and supported domain, we developed a 50-clip training set and a 50-clip test set. Each data clip is approximately 2.5 minutes long and has been completely spatially/temporally annotated at the I-frame level. Each task/domain, therefore, has an associated annotated corpus of approximately 450,000 frames. The scope of such annotation is unprecedented and was designed to begin to support the necessary quantities of data for robust machine learning approaches, as well as a statistically significant comparison of the performance of algorithms. The goal of this work was to systematically address the challenges of object detection and tracking through a common evaluation framework that permits a meaningful objective comparison of techniques, provides the research community with sufficient data for the exploration of automatic modeling techniques, encourages the incorporation of objective evaluation into the development process, and contributes useful lasting resources of a scale and magnitude that will prove to be extremely useful to the computer vision research community for years to come.

  17. 48 CFR 2936.604 - Performance evaluation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Performance evaluation... Performance evaluation. (a) The HCA must establish procedures to evaluate architect-engineer contractor performance as required in FAR 36.604. Normally, the performance report must be prepared by the contracting...

  18. 48 CFR 2936.604 - Performance evaluation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Performance evaluation... Performance evaluation. (a) The HCA must establish procedures to evaluate architect-engineer contractor performance as required in FAR 36.604. Normally, the performance report must be prepared by the contracting...

  19. 48 CFR 2936.604 - Performance evaluation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Performance evaluation... Performance evaluation. (a) The HCA must establish procedures to evaluate architect-engineer contractor performance as required in FAR 36.604. Normally, the performance report must be prepared by the contracting...

  20. 48 CFR 2936.604 - Performance evaluation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Performance evaluation... Performance evaluation. (a) The HCA must establish procedures to evaluate architect-engineer contractor performance as required in FAR 36.604. Normally, the performance report must be prepared by the contracting...

  1. 48 CFR 2936.604 - Performance evaluation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2013-10-01 2012-10-01 true Performance evaluation... Performance evaluation. (a) The HCA must establish procedures to evaluate architect-engineer contractor performance as required in FAR 36.604. Normally, the performance report must be prepared by the contracting...

  2. Performance evaluation of Chrysopogon zizanoides under urban conditions of Kuwait.

    PubMed

    Suleiman, Majda Khalil; Bhat, Narayana Ramachandra; Jacob, Sheena; Al-Burais, Meali

    2018-02-01

    Plant physiological and morphological attributes should be critically evaluated for selecting any species for landscaping projects. The selection of a species should be based on the evaluation of its adaptability, noninvasiveness, growth potential, and performance under the prevailing local arid conditions for their aesthetic looks, soil stabilization, and afforestation values. Chrysopogon zizanoides (Vetiver), is suitable for Kuwait because it can withstand fluctuating temperatures ranging from -14 to 55 °C with unique physical and physiological characteristics. Despite the successful growth performance of Vetiver in landscaping projects mostly in several tropical countries, it has not been utilized and evaluated in the Arabian Gulf region. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the performance of selected ten cultivars of Vetiver (ODV-1, 8, 9, 13, 17, 21, 23, Silent Valley, Urlikal, and Pannimedu) in the deficient soil and environmental conditions of Kuwait in urban landscape at minimal maintenance. It is suggested that based on visual greenery effect and overall growth performance cultivars, Pannimedu, Silent Valley, ODV-13, ODV-8 and ODV-9 can be considered for landscaping projects in Kuwait. To obtain the superior crown volume (which considers height and canopy) cultivar Pannimedu is suggested and to get a bushy growth (considering the number of tillers) cultivar ODV-13 and ODV-8 is found to be suitable.

  3. Evaluating the inverse reasoning account of object discovery.

    PubMed

    Carroll, Christopher D; Kemp, Charles

    2015-06-01

    People routinely make inferences about unobserved objects. A hotel guest with welts on his arms, for example, will often worry about bed bugs. The discovery of unobserved objects almost always involves a backward inference from some observed effects (e.g., welts) to unobserved causes (e.g., bed bugs). The inverse reasoning account, which is typically formalized as Bayesian inference, posits that the strength of a backward inference is closely connected to the strength of the corresponding forward inference from the unobserved causes to the observed effects. We evaluated the inverse reasoning account of object discovery in three experiments where participants were asked to discover the unobserved "attractors" and "repellers" that controlled a "particle" moving within an arena. Experiments 1 and 2 showed that participants often failed to provide the best explanations for various particle motions, even when the best explanations were simple and when participants enthusiastically endorsed these explanations when presented with them. This failure demonstrates that object discovery is critically dependent on the processes that support hypothesis generation-processes that the inverse reasoning account does not explain. Experiment 3 demonstrated that people sometimes generate explanations that are invalid even according to their own forward inferences, suggesting that the psychological processes that support forward and backward inference are less intertwined than the inverse reasoning account suggests. The experimental findings support an alternative account of object discovery in which people rely on heuristics to generate possible explanations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope: Projected Near-Earth Object Discovery Performance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chesley, Steven R.; Veres, Peter

    2016-01-01

    The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) is a large-aperture, wide-field survey that has the potential to detect millions of asteroids. LSST is under construction with survey operations slated to begin in 2022. We describe an independent study to assess the performance of LSST for detecting and cataloging near-Earth objects (NEOs). A significant component of the study will be to assess the survey's ability to link observations of a single object from among the large numbers of false detections and detections of other objects. We also will explore the survey's basic performance in terms of fraction of NEOs discovered and cataloged, both for the planned baseline survey, but also for enhanced surveys that are more carefully tuned for NEO search, generally at the expense of other science drivers. Preliminary results indicate that with successful linkage under the current baseline survey LSST would discover approximately 65% of NEOs with absolute magnitude H is less than 22, which corresponds approximately to 140m diameter.

  5. Evaluation of Clinical and Communication Skills of Pharmacy Students and Pharmacists with an Objective Structured Clinical Examination.

    PubMed

    Urteaga, Elizabeth M; Attridge, Rebecca L; Tovar, John M; Witte, Amy P

    2015-10-25

    Objective. To evaluate how effectively pharmacy students and practicing pharmacists communicate and apply knowledge to simulations of commonly encountered patient scenarios using an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Design. Second-, third-, and fourth-year pharmacy students completed an OSCE as part of their required courses in 2012 and 2013. All students in both years completed identical OSCE cases. Licensed pharmacists were recruited to complete the OSCE and serve as controls in 2012. A survey assessed student perception and acceptance of the OSCE as well as student confidence in performance. Assessment. Licensed pharmacists had significantly higher clinical and communication skills scores than did pharmacy students. Student progression in communication and clinical skills improved significantly over time. Survey results indicated that students felt the OSCE was well-structured and assessed clinical skills taught in pharmacy school; 86% of students felt confident they could provide these skills. Conclusion. Objective structured clinical examinations can evaluate clinical competence and communication skills among professional students. Implementation of OSCEs may be an effective tool for assessment of the Center for the Advancement of Pharmacy Education domains.

  6. A modified F-test for evaluating model performance by including both experimental and simulation uncertainties

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Experimental and simulation uncertainties have not been included in many of the statistics used in assessing agricultural model performance. The objectives of this study were to develop an F-test that can be used to evaluate model performance considering experimental and simulation uncertainties, an...

  7. The association between self-perceived proficiency of personal protective equipment and objective performance: An observational study during a bioterrorism simulation drill.

    PubMed

    Fogel, Itay; David, Osant; Balik, Chaya H; Eisenkraft, Arik; Poles, Lion; Shental, Omri; Kassirer, Michael; Brosh-Nissimov, Tal

    2017-11-01

    The recent Ebola virus disease outbreak emphasized the potential misuse of personal protective equipment (PPE) by health care workers (HCWs) during such an event. We aimed to compare self-perceived proficiency of PPE use and objective performance, and identify predictors of low compliance and PPE misuse. An observational study combined with subjective questionnaires were carried out during a bioterror simulation drill. Forty-two observers evaluated performance under PPE. Mistakes were recorded and graded using a structured observational format and were correlated with the subjective questionnaires and with demographic parameters. One hundred seventy-eight HCWs from community clinics and hospitals were included. The mean self-perceived proficiency was high (6.1 out of 7), mean level of comfort was moderate (4.0 out of 7), and mean objective performance was intermediate (9.5 out of 13). There was no correlation between comfort and objective performance scores. Self-perceived proficiency was in correlation with donning and continuous performance with PPE but not with doffing. Clinic personnel performed better than personnel in hospitals (40.3% vs 67.8% with 3 or more mistakes, respectively; P = .001). Demographic characteristics had no correlation with objective or self-perceived performance. Self-perceived proficiency is a poor predictor of appropriate PPE use. The results suggest poor awareness of the possibility of PPE misuse. Copyright © 2017 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Tuberculosis control program in the municipal context: performance evaluation

    PubMed Central

    Arakawa, Tiemi; Magnabosco, Gabriela Tavares; Andrade, Rubia Laine de Paula; Brunello, Maria Eugenia Firmino; Monroe, Aline Aparecida; Ruffino-Netto, Antonio; Scatena, Lucia Marina; Villa, Tereza Cristina Scatena

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of the Tuberculosis Control Program in municipalities of the State of São Paulo. METHODS This is a program evaluation research, with ecological design, which uses three non-hierarchical groups of the municipalities of the State of São Paulo according to their performance in relation to operational indicators. We have selected 195 municipalities with at least five new cases of tuberculosis notified in the Notification System of the State of São Paulo and with 20,000 inhabitants or more in 2010. The multiple correspondence analysis was used to identify the association between the groups of different performances, the epidemiological and demographic characteristics, and the characteristics of the health systems of the municipalities. RESULTS The group with the worst performance showed the highest rates of abandonment (average [avg] = 10.4, standard deviation [sd] = 9.4) and the lowest rates of supervision of Directly Observed Treatment (avg = 6.1, sd = 12.9), and it was associated with low incidence of tuberculosis, high tuberculosis and HIV, small population, high coverage of the Family Health Strategy/Program of Community Health Agents, and being located on the countryside. The group with the best performance presented the highest cure rate (avg = 83.7, sd = 10.5) and the highest rate of cases in Directly Observed Treatment (avg = 83.0, sd = 12.7); the group of regular performance showed regular results for outcome (avg cure = 79.8, sd = 13.2; abandonment avg = 9.5, sd = 8.3) and supervision of the Directly Observed Treatment (avg = 42.8, sd = 18.8). Large population, low coverage of the Family Health Strategy/Program of Community Health Agents, high incidence of tuberculosis and AIDS, and being located on the coast and in metropolitan areas were associated with these groups. CONCLUSIONS The findings highlight the importance of the Directly Observed Treatment in relation to the outcome

  9. Evaluation of confocal microscopy system performance.

    PubMed

    Zucker, R M; Price, O

    2001-08-01

    The confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) has been used by scientists to visualize three-dimensional (3D) biological samples. Although this system involves lasers, electronics, optics, and microscopes, there are few published tests that can be used to assess the performance of this equipment. Usually the CLSM is assessed by subjectively evaluating a biological/histological test slide for image quality. Although there is a use for the test slide, there are many other components in the CLSM that need to be assessed. It would be useful if tests existed that produced reference values for machine performance. The aim of this research was to develop quality assurance tests to ensure that the CLSM was stable while delivering reproducible intensity measurements with excellent image quality. Our ultimate research objective was to quantify fluorescence using a CLSM. To achieve this goal, it is essential that the CLSM be stable while delivering known parameters of performance. Using Leica TCS-SP1 and TCS-4D systems, a number of tests have been devised to evaluate equipment performance. Tests measuring dichroic reflectivity, field illumination, lens performance, laser power output, spectral registration, axial resolution, laser stability, photomultiplier tube (PMT) reliability, and system noise were either incorporated from the literature or derived in our laboratory to measure performance. These tests are also applicable to other manufacturer's systems with minor modifications. A preliminary report from our laboratory has addressed a number of the QA issues necessary to achieve CLSM performance. This report extends our initial work on the evaluation of CLSM system performance. Tests that were described previously have been modified and new tests involved in laser stability and sensitivity are described. The QA tests on the CLSM measured laser power, PMT function, dichroic reflection, spectral registration, axial registration, system noise and sensitivity, lens performance

  10. Confronting Decision Cliffs: Diagnostic Assessment of Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms' Performance for Addressing Uncertain Environmental Thresholds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ward, V. L.; Singh, R.; Reed, P. M.; Keller, K.

    2014-12-01

    As water resources problems typically involve several stakeholders with conflicting objectives, multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) are now key tools for understanding management tradeoffs. Given the growing complexity of water planning problems, it is important to establish if an algorithm can consistently perform well on a given class of problems. This knowledge allows the decision analyst to focus on eliciting and evaluating appropriate problem formulations. This study proposes a multi-objective adaptation of the classic environmental economics "Lake Problem" as a computationally simple but mathematically challenging MOEA benchmarking problem. The lake problem abstracts a fictional town on a lake which hopes to maximize its economic benefit without degrading the lake's water quality to a eutrophic (polluted) state through excessive phosphorus loading. The problem poses the challenge of maintaining economic activity while confronting the uncertainty of potentially crossing a nonlinear and potentially irreversible pollution threshold beyond which the lake is eutrophic. Objectives for optimization are maximizing economic benefit from lake pollution, maximizing water quality, maximizing the reliability of remaining below the environmental threshold, and minimizing the probability that the town will have to drastically change pollution policies in any given year. The multi-objective formulation incorporates uncertainty with a stochastic phosphorus inflow abstracting non-point source pollution. We performed comprehensive diagnostics using 6 algorithms: Borg, MOEAD, eMOEA, eNSGAII, GDE3, and NSGAII to ascertain their controllability, reliability, efficiency, and effectiveness. The lake problem abstracts elements of many current water resources and climate related management applications where there is the potential for crossing irreversible, nonlinear thresholds. We show that many modern MOEAs can fail on this test problem, indicating its suitability as a

  11. Personality and Student Performance on Evaluation Methods Used in Business Administration Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lakhal, Sawsen; Sévigny, Serge; Frenette, Éric

    2015-01-01

    The objective of this study was to verify whether personality (Big Five model) influences performance on the evaluation methods used in business administration courses. A sample of 169 students enrolled in two compulsory undergraduate business courses responded to an online questionnaire. As it is difficult within the same course to assess…

  12. 48 CFR 36.604 - Performance evaluation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Performance evaluation. 36.604 Section 36.604 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION SPECIAL... Performance evaluation. See 42.1502(f) for the requirements for preparing past performance evaluations for...

  13. 48 CFR 36.604 - Performance evaluation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Performance evaluation. 36.604 Section 36.604 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION SPECIAL... Performance evaluation. See 42.1502(f) for the requirements for preparing past performance evaluations for...

  14. 48 CFR 36.604 - Performance evaluation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Performance evaluation. 36.604 Section 36.604 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION SPECIAL... Performance evaluation. See 42.1502(f) for the requirements for preparing past performance evaluations for...

  15. 48 CFR 36.604 - Performance evaluation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Performance evaluation. 36.604 Section 36.604 Federal Acquisition Regulations System FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION SPECIAL... Performance evaluation. See 42.1502(f) for the requirements for preparing past performance evaluations for...

  16. A sound quality model for objective synthesis evaluation of vehicle interior noise based on artificial neural network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Y. S.; Shen, G. Q.; Xing, Y. F.

    2014-03-01

    Based on the artificial neural network (ANN) technique, an objective sound quality evaluation (SQE) model for synthesis annoyance of vehicle interior noises is presented in this paper. According to the standard named GB/T18697, firstly, the interior noises under different working conditions of a sample vehicle are measured and saved in a noise database. Some mathematical models for loudness, sharpness and roughness of the measured vehicle noises are established and performed by Matlab programming. Sound qualities of the vehicle interior noises are also estimated by jury tests following the anchored semantic differential (ASD) procedure. Using the objective and subjective evaluation results, furthermore, an ANN-based model for synthetical annoyance evaluation of vehicle noises, so-called ANN-SAE, is developed. Finally, the ANN-SAE model is proved by some verification tests with the leave-one-out algorithm. The results suggest that the proposed ANN-SAE model is accurate and effective and can be directly used to estimate sound quality of the vehicle interior noises, which is very helpful for vehicle acoustical designs and improvements. The ANN-SAE approach may be extended to deal with other sound-related fields for product quality evaluations in SQE engineering.

  17. Alignment and Performance of the Infrared Multi-Object Spectrometer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Connelly, Joseph A.; Ohl, Raymond G.; Mentzell, J. Eric; Madison, Timothy J.; Hylan, Jason E.; Mink, Ronald G.; Saha, Timo T.; Tveekrem, June L.; Sparr, Leroy M.; Chambers, V. John; hide

    2004-01-01

    The Infrared Multi-Object Spectrometer (IRMOS) is a principle investigator class instrument for the Kitt Peak National Observatory 4 and 2.1 meter telescopes. IRMOS is a near-IR (0.8 - 2.5 micron) spectrometer with low-to mid-resolving power (R = 300 - 3000). IRMOS produces simultaneous spectra of approximately 100 objects in its 2.8 x 2.0 arc-min field of view (4 m telescope) using a commercial Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) micro-mirror array (MMA) from Texas Instruments. The IRMOS optical design consists of two imaging subsystems. The focal reducer images the focal plane of the telescope onto the MMA field stop, and the spectrograph images the MMA onto the detector. We describe ambient breadboard subsystem alignment and imaging performance of each stage independently, and ambient imaging performance of the fully assembled instrument. Interferometric measurements of subsystem wavefront error serve as a qualitative alignment guide, and are accomplished using a commercial, modified Twyman-Green laser unequal path interferometer. Image testing provides verification of the optomechanical alignment method and a measurement of near-angle scattered light due to mirror small-scale surface error. Image testing is performed at multiple field points. A mercury-argon pencil lamp provides a spectral line at 546.1 nanometers, a blackbody source provides a line at 1550 nanometers, and a CCD camera and IR camera are used as detectors. We use commercial optical modeling software to predict the point-spread function and its effect on instrument slit transmission and resolution. Our breadboard and instrument level test results validate this prediction. We conclude with an instrument performance prediction for cryogenic operation and first light in late 2003.

  18. Combining satellite data and appropriate objective functions for improved spatial pattern performance of a distributed hydrologic model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Demirel, Mehmet C.; Mai, Juliane; Mendiguren, Gorka; Koch, Julian; Samaniego, Luis; Stisen, Simon

    2018-02-01

    Satellite-based earth observations offer great opportunities to improve spatial model predictions by means of spatial-pattern-oriented model evaluations. In this study, observed spatial patterns of actual evapotranspiration (AET) are utilised for spatial model calibration tailored to target the pattern performance of the model. The proposed calibration framework combines temporally aggregated observed spatial patterns with a new spatial performance metric and a flexible spatial parameterisation scheme. The mesoscale hydrologic model (mHM) is used to simulate streamflow and AET and has been selected due to its soil parameter distribution approach based on pedo-transfer functions and the build in multi-scale parameter regionalisation. In addition two new spatial parameter distribution options have been incorporated in the model in order to increase the flexibility of root fraction coefficient and potential evapotranspiration correction parameterisations, based on soil type and vegetation density. These parameterisations are utilised as they are most relevant for simulated AET patterns from the hydrologic model. Due to the fundamental challenges encountered when evaluating spatial pattern performance using standard metrics, we developed a simple but highly discriminative spatial metric, i.e. one comprised of three easily interpretable components measuring co-location, variation and distribution of the spatial data. The study shows that with flexible spatial model parameterisation used in combination with the appropriate objective functions, the simulated spatial patterns of actual evapotranspiration become substantially more similar to the satellite-based estimates. Overall 26 parameters are identified for calibration through a sequential screening approach based on a combination of streamflow and spatial pattern metrics. The robustness of the calibrations is tested using an ensemble of nine calibrations based on different seed numbers using the shuffled complex

  19. 13 CFR 304.4 - Performance evaluations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Performance evaluations. 304.4... ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICTS § 304.4 Performance evaluations. (a) EDA shall evaluate the management standards, financial accountability and program performance of each District Organization within three (3...

  20. 13 CFR 304.4 - Performance evaluations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Performance evaluations. 304.4... ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICTS § 304.4 Performance evaluations. (a) EDA shall evaluate the management standards, financial accountability and program performance of each District Organization within three (3...

  1. 13 CFR 304.4 - Performance evaluations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Performance evaluations. 304.4... ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICTS § 304.4 Performance evaluations. (a) EDA shall evaluate the management standards, financial accountability and program performance of each District Organization within three (3...

  2. Methodology for Evaluating Quality and Reusability of Learning Objects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kurilovas, Eugenijus; Bireniene, Virginija; Serikoviene, Silvija

    2011-01-01

    The aim of the paper is to present the scientific model and several methods for the expert evaluation of quality of learning objects (LOs) paying especial attention to LOs reusability level. The activities of eQNet Quality Network for a European Learning Resource Exchange (LRE) aimed to improve reusability of LOs of European Schoolnet's LRE…

  3. Characterizing “fibrofog”: Subjective appraisal, objective performance, and task-related brain activity during a working memory task

    PubMed Central

    Walitt, Brian; Čeko, Marta; Khatiwada, Manish; Gracely, John L.; Rayhan, Rakib; VanMeter, John W.; Gracely, Richard H.

    2016-01-01

    The subjective experience of cognitive dysfunction (“fibrofog”) is common in fibromyalgia. This study investigated the relation between subjective appraisal of cognitive function, objective cognitive task performance, and brain activity during a cognitive task using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Sixteen fibromyalgia patients and 13 healthy pain-free controls completed a battery of questionnaires, including the Multiple Ability Self-Report Questionnaire (MASQ), a measure of self-perceived cognitive difficulties. Participants were evaluated for working memory performance using a modified N-back working memory task while undergoing Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) fMRI measurements. Fibromyalgia patients and controls did not differ in working memory performance. Subjective appraisal of cognitive function was associated with better performance (accuracy) on the working memory task in healthy controls but not in fibromyalgia patients. In fibromyalgia patients, increased perceived cognitive difficulty was positively correlated with the severity of their symptoms. BOLD response during the working memory task did not differ between the groups. BOLD response correlated with task accuracy in control subjects but not in fibromyalgia patients. Increased subjective cognitive impairment correlated with decreased BOLD response in both groups but in different anatomic regions. In conclusion, “fibrofog” appears to be better characterized by subjective rather than objective impairment. Neurologic correlates of this subjective experience of impairment might be separate from those involved in the performance of cognitive tasks. PMID:26955513

  4. Sensor modeling and demonstration of a multi-object spectrometer for performance-driven sensing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kerekes, John P.; Presnar, Michael D.; Fourspring, Kenneth D.; Ninkov, Zoran; Pogorzala, David R.; Raisanen, Alan D.; Rice, Andrew C.; Vasquez, Juan R.; Patel, Jeffrey P.; MacIntyre, Robert T.; Brown, Scott D.

    2009-05-01

    A novel multi-object spectrometer (MOS) is being explored for use as an adaptive performance-driven sensor that tracks moving targets. Developed originally for astronomical applications, the instrument utilizes an array of micromirrors to reflect light to a panchromatic imaging array. When an object of interest is detected the individual micromirrors imaging the object are tilted to reflect the light to a spectrometer to collect a full spectrum. This paper will present example sensor performance from empirical data collected in laboratory experiments, as well as our approach in designing optical and radiometric models of the MOS channels and the micromirror array. Simulation of moving vehicles in a highfidelity, hyperspectral scene is used to generate a dynamic video input for the adaptive sensor. Performance-driven algorithms for feature-aided target tracking and modality selection exploit multiple electromagnetic observables to track moving vehicle targets.

  5. "Keep on Truckin'" Literacy Program [for Adults]: Performance Report; Teacher's Handbook; Final External Evaluation Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Indian Hills Community Coll., Ottumwa, IA.

    This document is composed of a performance report, a teacher's handbook, and an evaluation report of a workplace literacy program to prepare drivers for the Commercial Drivers' License examination. The performance report addresses actual accomplishments of five objectives. It identifies the number and characteristics of project participants who…

  6. Improving Teacher Generated Objectives In Order That Learners May Self-Evaluate Better.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alvir, Howard P.

    This report results from a meeting between five teachers who wanted to (a) dicuss performance and behavioral objectives, (b) work together outside their teaching fields, (c) edit objectives written by one another, and (d) develop materials that could be used in writing them. Five sample objectives are given, each dealing with a different…

  7. Objective and automated protocols for the evaluation of biomedical search engines using No Title Evaluation protocols.

    PubMed

    Campagne, Fabien

    2008-02-29

    The evaluation of information retrieval techniques has traditionally relied on human judges to determine which documents are relevant to a query and which are not. This protocol is used in the Text Retrieval Evaluation Conference (TREC), organized annually for the past 15 years, to support the unbiased evaluation of novel information retrieval approaches. The TREC Genomics Track has recently been introduced to measure the performance of information retrieval for biomedical applications. We describe two protocols for evaluating biomedical information retrieval techniques without human relevance judgments. We call these protocols No Title Evaluation (NT Evaluation). The first protocol measures performance for focused searches, where only one relevant document exists for each query. The second protocol measures performance for queries expected to have potentially many relevant documents per query (high-recall searches). Both protocols take advantage of the clear separation of titles and abstracts found in Medline. We compare the performance obtained with these evaluation protocols to results obtained by reusing the relevance judgments produced in the 2004 and 2005 TREC Genomics Track and observe significant correlations between performance rankings generated by our approach and TREC. Spearman's correlation coefficients in the range of 0.79-0.92 are observed comparing bpref measured with NT Evaluation or with TREC evaluations. For comparison, coefficients in the range 0.86-0.94 can be observed when evaluating the same set of methods with data from two independent TREC Genomics Track evaluations. We discuss the advantages of NT Evaluation over the TRels and the data fusion evaluation protocols introduced recently. Our results suggest that the NT Evaluation protocols described here could be used to optimize some search engine parameters before human evaluation. Further research is needed to determine if NT Evaluation or variants of these protocols can fully substitute

  8. Performance evaluation approach for the supercritical helium cold circulators of ITER

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

    Vaghela, H.; Sarkar, B.; Bhattacharya, R.

    2014-01-29

    The ITER project design foresees Supercritical Helium (SHe) forced flow cooling for the main cryogenic components, namely, the superconducting (SC) magnets and cryopumps (CP). Therefore, cold circulators have been selected to provide the required SHe mass flow rate to cope with specific operating conditions and technical requirements. Considering the availability impacts of such machines, it has been decided to perform evaluation tests of the cold circulators at operating conditions prior to the series production in order to minimize the project technical risks. A proposal has been conceptualized, evaluated and simulated to perform representative tests of the full scale SHe coldmore » circulators. The objectives of the performance tests include the validation of normal operating condition, transient and off-design operating modes as well as the efficiency measurement. A suitable process and instrumentation diagram of the test valve box (TVB) has been developed to implement the tests at the required thermodynamic conditions. The conceptual engineering design of the TVB has been developed along with the required thermal analysis for the normal operating conditions to support the performance evaluation of the SHe cold circulator.« less

  9. Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program phase 1 : performance measurement and evaluation support plan : Tampa (THEA) : final report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2016-03-14

    The Performance Measurement and Evaluation Support Plan for the Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program Phase 1, Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority, outlines the goals and objectives for the Pilot as well as the proposed performance metrics. ...

  10. Motor Skills and Exercise Capacity Are Associated with Objective Measures of Cognitive Functions and Academic Performance in Preadolescent Children

    PubMed Central

    Thomas, Richard; Larsen, Malte Nejst; Dahn, Ida Marie; Andersen, Josefine Needham; Krause-Jensen, Matilde; Korup, Vibeke; Nielsen, Claus Malta; Wienecke, Jacob; Ritz, Christian; Krustrup, Peter; Lundbye-Jensen, Jesper

    2016-01-01

    Objective To investigate associations between motor skills, exercise capacity and cognitive functions, and evaluate how they correlate to academic performance in mathematics and reading comprehension using standardised, objective tests. Methods This cross-sectional study included 423 Danish children (age: 9.29±0.35 years, 209 girls). Fine and gross motor skills were evaluated in a visuomotor accuracy-tracking task, and a whole-body coordination task, respectively. Exercise capacity was estimated from the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery level 1 children's test (YYIR1C). Selected tests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) were used to assess different domains of cognitive functions, including sustained attention, spatial working memory, episodic and semantic memory, and processing speed. Linear mixed-effects models were used to investigate associations between these measures and the relationship with standard tests of academic performance in mathematics and reading comprehension. Results Both fine and gross motor skills were associated with better performance in all five tested cognitive domains (all P<0.001), whereas exercise capacity was only associated with better sustained attention (P<0.046) and spatial working memory (P<0.038). Fine and gross motor skills (all P<0.001), exercise capacity and cognitive functions such as working memory, episodic memory, sustained attention and processing speed were all associated with better performance in mathematics and reading comprehension. Conclusions The data demonstrate that fine and gross motor skills are positively correlated with several aspects of cognitive functions and with academic performance in both mathematics and reading comprehension. Moreover, exercise capacity was associated with academic performance and performance in some cognitive domains. Future interventions should investigate associations between changes in motor skills, exercise capacity, cognitive functions, and academic

  11. Objective Evaluation of Visual Fatigue Using Binocular Fusion Maintenance.

    PubMed

    Hirota, Masakazu; Morimoto, Takeshi; Kanda, Hiroyuki; Endo, Takao; Miyoshi, Tomomitsu; Miyagawa, Suguru; Hirohara, Yoko; Yamaguchi, Tatsuo; Saika, Makoto; Fujikado, Takashi

    2018-03-01

    In this study, we investigated whether an individual's visual fatigue can be evaluated objectively and quantitatively from their ability to maintain binocular fusion. Binocular fusion maintenance (BFM) was measured using a custom-made binocular open-view Shack-Hartmann wavefront aberrometer equipped with liquid crystal shutters, wherein eye movements and wavefront aberrations were measured simultaneously. Transmittance in the liquid crystal shutter in front of the subject's nondominant eye was reduced linearly, and BFM was determined from the transmittance at the point when binocular fusion was broken and vergence eye movement was induced. In total, 40 healthy subjects underwent the BFM test and completed a questionnaire regarding subjective symptoms before and after a visual task lasting 30 minutes. BFM was significantly reduced after the visual task ( P < 0.001) and was negatively correlated with the total subjective eye symptom score (adjusted R 2 = 0.752, P < 0.001). Furthermore, the diagnostic accuracy for visual fatigue was significantly higher in BFM than in the conventional test results (aggregated fusional vergence range, near point of convergence, and the high-frequency component of accommodative microfluctuations; P = 0.007). These results suggest that BFM can be used as an indicator for evaluating visual fatigue. BFM can be used to evaluate the visual fatigue caused by the new visual devices, such as head-mount display, objectively.

  12. Objective Evaluation of Visual Fatigue Using Binocular Fusion Maintenance

    PubMed Central

    Hirota, Masakazu; Morimoto, Takeshi; Kanda, Hiroyuki; Endo, Takao; Miyoshi, Tomomitsu; Miyagawa, Suguru; Hirohara, Yoko; Yamaguchi, Tatsuo; Saika, Makoto

    2018-01-01

    Purpose In this study, we investigated whether an individual's visual fatigue can be evaluated objectively and quantitatively from their ability to maintain binocular fusion. Methods Binocular fusion maintenance (BFM) was measured using a custom-made binocular open-view Shack–Hartmann wavefront aberrometer equipped with liquid crystal shutters, wherein eye movements and wavefront aberrations were measured simultaneously. Transmittance in the liquid crystal shutter in front of the subject's nondominant eye was reduced linearly, and BFM was determined from the transmittance at the point when binocular fusion was broken and vergence eye movement was induced. In total, 40 healthy subjects underwent the BFM test and completed a questionnaire regarding subjective symptoms before and after a visual task lasting 30 minutes. Results BFM was significantly reduced after the visual task (P < 0.001) and was negatively correlated with the total subjective eye symptom score (adjusted R2 = 0.752, P < 0.001). Furthermore, the diagnostic accuracy for visual fatigue was significantly higher in BFM than in the conventional test results (aggregated fusional vergence range, near point of convergence, and the high-frequency component of accommodative microfluctuations; P = 0.007). Conclusions These results suggest that BFM can be used as an indicator for evaluating visual fatigue. Translational Relevance BFM can be used to evaluate the visual fatigue caused by the new visual devices, such as head-mount display, objectively. PMID:29600117

  13. Program Fair Evaluation--Summative Appraisal of Instructional Sequences with Dissimilar Objectives.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Popham, W. James

    A comparative evaluation involving two instructional programs is given, although the approach can easily serve to compare more than two programs. The steps involved in conducting a program fair evaluation of two instructional programs are: (1) Identify objectives (a) common to both programs, (b) unique to one program, and (c) unique to the other…

  14. Are subjective memory problems related to suggestibility, compliance, false memories, and objective memory performance?

    PubMed

    Van Bergen, Saskia; Jelicic, Marko; Merckelbach, Harald

    2009-01-01

    The relationship between subjective memory beliefs and suggestibility, compliance, false memories, and objective memory performance was studied in a community sample of young and middle-aged people (N = 142). We hypothesized that people with subjective memory problems would exhibit higher suggestibility and compliance levels and would be more susceptible to false recollections than those who are optimistic about their memory. In addition, we expected a discrepancy between subjective memory judgments and objective memory performance. We found that subjective memory judgments correlated significantly with compliance, with more negative memory judgments accompanying higher levels of compliance. Contrary to our expectation, subjective memory problems did not correlate with suggestibility or false recollections. Furthermore, participants were accurate in estimating their objective memory performance.

  15. Subjective and objective evaluation of frontal smile esthetics in patients with facial asymmetry-a comparative cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Singh, H; Maurya, R K; Kapoor, P; Sharma, P; Srivastava, D

    2017-02-01

    To analyze the relationship between subjective and objective evaluations of pre-treatment posed smiles in patients with facial asymmetry and to assess the influence of dentofacial structures involved in asymmetry on the perception of smile attractiveness. Thirty-five patients (25 males and 10 females) between 18 and 25 years of age with facial asymmetry were selected. Pre-treatment clinical photographs of posed smiles were subjectively evaluated by a panel of 20 orthodontists, 20 oral surgeons, and 20 laypersons. A customized Smile Mesh program was used for objective evaluation of the same smiles. Direct comparison among three smile groups (unattractive, slightly attractive, and attractive) for different Smile Mesh measurements was carried out using two-way anova test. Additionally, linear regression was performed to evaluate whether these measurements could predict the attractiveness of captured smiles. Patients with 'slightly attractive' smiles had a significantly greater distance between the incisal margin of the maxillary central incisor and the lower lip during smiling. The Smile Index was significantly greater in attractive smiles. However, based on the coefficients of linear regression, no objectively gathered measurement could predict smile attractiveness. Attractiveness or unattractiveness of smiles in patients with facial asymmetry could not be predicted by any measurement of Smile Mesh. The presence of facial asymmetry did not significantly influence the perception of smile esthetics. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. Evaluation of medical management during a mass casualty incident exercise: an objective assessment tool to enhance direct observation.

    PubMed

    Ingrassia, Pier Luigi; Prato, Federico; Geddo, Alessandro; Colombo, Davide; Tengattini, Marco; Calligaro, Sara; La Mura, Fabrizio; Franc, Jeffrey Michael; Della Corte, Francesco

    2010-11-01

    Functional exercises represent an important link between disaster planning and disaster response. Although these exercises are widely performed, no standardized method exists for their evaluation. To describe a simple and objective method to assess medical performance during functional exercise events. An evaluation tool comprising three data fields (triage, clinical maneuvers, and radio usage), accompanied by direct anecdotal observational methods, was used to evaluate a large functional mass casualty incident exercise. Seventeen medical responders managed 112 victims of a simulated building explosion. Although 81% of the patients were assigned the appropriate triage codes, evacuation from the site did not follow in priority. Required maneuvers were performed correctly in 85.2% of airway maneuvers and 78.7% of breathing maneuvers, however, significant under-treatment occurred, possibly due to equipment shortages. Extensive use of radio communication was documented. In evaluating this tool, the structured markers were informative, but further information provided by direct observation was invaluable. A three-part tool (triage, medical maneuvers, and radio usage) can provide a method to evaluate functional mass casualty incident exercises, and is easily implemented. For the best results, it should be used in conjunction with direct observation. The evaluation tool has great potential as a reproducible and internationally recognized tool for evaluating disaster management exercises. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Effect of a Bluetooth-implemented hearing aid on speech recognition performance: subjective and objective measurement.

    PubMed

    Kim, Min-Beom; Chung, Won-Ho; Choi, Jeesun; Hong, Sung Hwa; Cho, Yang-Sun; Park, Gyuseok; Lee, Sangmin

    2014-06-01

    The object was to evaluate speech perception improvement through Bluetooth-implemented hearing aids in hearing-impaired adults. Thirty subjects with bilateral symmetric moderate sensorineural hearing loss participated in this study. A Bluetooth-implemented hearing aid was fitted unilaterally in all study subjects. Objective speech recognition score and subjective satisfaction were measured with a Bluetooth-implemented hearing aid to replace the acoustic connection from either a cellular phone or a loudspeaker system. In each system, participants were assigned to 4 conditions: wireless speech signal transmission into hearing aid (wireless mode) in quiet or noisy environment and conventional speech signal transmission using external microphone of hearing aid (conventional mode) in quiet or noisy environment. Also, participants completed questionnaires to investigate subjective satisfaction. Both cellular phone and loudspeaker system situation, participants showed improvements in sentence and word recognition scores with wireless mode compared to conventional mode in both quiet and noise conditions (P < .001). Participants also reported subjective improvements, including better sound quality, less noise interference, and better accuracy naturalness, when using the wireless mode (P < .001). Bluetooth-implemented hearing aids helped to improve subjective and objective speech recognition performances in quiet and noisy environments during the use of electronic audio devices.

  18. Performance evaluation of Al-Zahra academic medical center based on Iran balanced scorecard model

    PubMed Central

    Raeisi, Ahmad Reza; Yarmohammadian, Mohammad Hossein; Bakhsh, Roghayeh Mohammadi; Gangi, Hamid

    2012-01-01

    Background: Growth and development in any country's national health system, without an efficient evaluation system, lacks the basic concepts and tools necessary for fulfilling the system's goals. The balanced scorecard (BSC) is a technique widely used to measure the performance of an organization. The basic core of the BSC is guided by the organization's vision and strategies, which are the bases for the formation of four perspectives of BSC. The goal of this research is the performance evaluation of Al-Zahra Academic Medical Center in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, based on Iran BSC model. Materials and Methods: This is a combination (quantitative–qualitative) research which was done at Al-Zahra Academic Medical Center in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in 2011. The research populations were hospital managers at different levels. Sampling method was purposive sampling in which the key informed personnel participated in determining the performance indicators of hospital as the BSC team members in focused discussion groups. After determining the conceptual elements in focused discussion groups, the performance objectives (targets) and indicators of hospital were determined and sorted in perspectives by the group discussion participants. Following that, the performance indicators were calculated by the experts according to the predetermined objectives; then, the score of each indicator and the mean score of each perspective were calculated. Results: Research findings included development of the organizational mission, vision, values, objectives, and strategies. The strategies agreed upon by the participants in the focus discussion group included five strategies, which were customer satisfaction, continuous quality improvement, development of human resources, supporting innovation, expansion of services and improving the productivity. Research participants also agreed upon four perspectives for the Al-Zahra hospital BSC. In the patients and community

  19. Performance evaluation of Al-Zahra academic medical center based on Iran balanced scorecard model.

    PubMed

    Raeisi, Ahmad Reza; Yarmohammadian, Mohammad Hossein; Bakhsh, Roghayeh Mohammadi; Gangi, Hamid

    2012-01-01

    Growth and development in any country's national health system, without an efficient evaluation system, lacks the basic concepts and tools necessary for fulfilling the system's goals. The balanced scorecard (BSC) is a technique widely used to measure the performance of an organization. The basic core of the BSC is guided by the organization's vision and strategies, which are the bases for the formation of four perspectives of BSC. The goal of this research is the performance evaluation of Al-Zahra Academic Medical Center in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, based on Iran BSC model. This is a combination (quantitative-qualitative) research which was done at Al-Zahra Academic Medical Center in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in 2011. The research populations were hospital managers at different levels. Sampling method was purposive sampling in which the key informed personnel participated in determining the performance indicators of hospital as the BSC team members in focused discussion groups. After determining the conceptual elements in focused discussion groups, the performance objectives (targets) and indicators of hospital were determined and sorted in perspectives by the group discussion participants. Following that, the performance indicators were calculated by the experts according to the predetermined objectives; then, the score of each indicator and the mean score of each perspective were calculated. Research findings included development of the organizational mission, vision, values, objectives, and strategies. The strategies agreed upon by the participants in the focus discussion group included five strategies, which were customer satisfaction, continuous quality improvement, development of human resources, supporting innovation, expansion of services and improving the productivity. Research participants also agreed upon four perspectives for the Al-Zahra hospital BSC. In the patients and community perspective (customer), two objectives and

  20. Research performance evaluation: the experience of an independent medical research institute.

    PubMed

    Schapper, Catherine C; Dwyer, Terence; Tregear, Geoffrey W; Aitken, MaryAnne; Clay, Moira A

    2012-05-01

    Evaluation of the social and economic outcomes of health research funding is an area of intense interest and debate. Typically, approaches have sought to assess the impact of research funding by medical charities or regional government bodies. Independent research institutes have a similar need for accountability in investment decisions but have different objectives and funding, thus the existing approaches are not appropriate. An evaluation methodology using eight indicators was developed to assess research performance across three broad categories: knowledge creation; inputs to research; and commercial, clinical and public health outcomes. The evaluation approach was designed to provide a balanced assessment across laboratory, clinical and public health research. With a diverse research agenda supported by a large number of researchers, the Research Performance Evaluation process at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute has, by necessity, been iterative and responsive to the needs of the Institute and its staff. Since its inception 5 years ago, data collection systems have been refined, the methodology has been adjusted to capture appropriate data, staff awareness and participation has increased, and issues regarding the methodology and scoring have been resolved. The Research Performance Evaluation methodology described here provides a fair and transparent means of disbursing internal funding. It is also a powerful tool for evaluating the Institute's progress towards achieving its strategic goals, and is therefore a key driver for research excellence.

  1. [The objective structured clinical evaluation of teaching in anaesthesiology and resuscitation].

    PubMed

    Echevarría Moreno, M; Prieto Vera, C; Martín Tellería, A; Neira Reina, F; Martín, J S; Fernández Jurado, M L; Luis Navarro, J C; Ortega Garcia, J L; Alarcón Martínez, L; López-Cuervo Derqui, R

    2012-03-01

    To find out the acquirement of professional competencies of Anaesthesiology and Resuscitation medical residents at the end of their training period using the Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation (OCSE) tool. Six competency components to evalúate were defined as follows: clinical interview (communication), technical ability and relationship abilities (leadership, decision making, work in a team), diagnostic assessment, therapeutic management, and medical records. Different methodologies were determined depending on the knowledge and skills to evaluate. Twelve clinical cases were developed that were performed in 12 stations. A total of 107 Ítems, specified within the stations, evaluated the competency components. A total of 43 residents were invited to participate in the last 4 months of their training in hospitals in Andalusia and Extremadura. A total of 33 residents participated. The overall mean of the classifications obtained in the 12 stations was 64.2 out of a maximum of 100. The medical residents demonstrated higher competency in obstetrics, paediatric anaesthesia, and that associated with difficult airway. The main competency gaps were detected in the area of one-day surgery, chronic pain, and literature management, in which approximately half passed the test. We believe that training evaluations, such as the OCSE, help in determining the skill levels of the medical resident, making it easier to continually improve the training of the future anaesthesiologist. Copyright © 2011 Sociedad Española de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Terapéutica del Dolor. Published by Elsevier España.. All rights reserved.

  2. Objective Structured Professional Assessments for Trainee Educational Psychologists: An Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dunsmuir, Sandra; Atkinson, Cathy; Lang, Jane; Warhurst, Amy; Wright, Sarah

    2017-01-01

    Objective Structured Professional Assessments (OSPAs) were developed and evaluated at three universities in the United Kingdom, to supplement supervisor assessments of trainee educational psychologists' placement practice. Participating second year students on three educational psychology doctoral programmes (n = 31) and tutors (n = 12) were…

  3. Direct evaluation of fault trees using object-oriented programming techniques

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Patterson-Hine, F. A.; Koen, B. V.

    1989-01-01

    Object-oriented programming techniques are used in an algorithm for the direct evaluation of fault trees. The algorithm combines a simple bottom-up procedure for trees without repeated events with a top-down recursive procedure for trees with repeated events. The object-oriented approach results in a dynamic modularization of the tree at each step in the reduction process. The algorithm reduces the number of recursive calls required to solve trees with repeated events and calculates intermediate results as well as the solution of the top event. The intermediate results can be reused if part of the tree is modified. An example is presented in which the results of the algorithm implemented with conventional techniques are compared to those of the object-oriented approach.

  4. 10 CFR 60.112 - Overall system performance objective for the geologic repository after permanent closure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... repository after permanent closure. 60.112 Section 60.112 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) DISPOSAL OF HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES IN GEOLOGIC REPOSITORIES Technical Criteria Performance Objectives § 60.112 Overall system performance objective for the geologic repository after permanent closure...

  5. Method and Apparatus for Evaluating Multilayer Objects for Imperfections

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Heyman, Joseph S. (Inventor); Abedin, Nurul (Inventor); Sun, Kuen J. (Inventor)

    1999-01-01

    A multilayer object having multiple layers arranged in a stacking direction is evaluated for imperfections such as voids, delaminations and microcracks. First. an acoustic wave is transmitted into the object in the stacking direction via an appropriate transducer/waveguide combination. The wave propagates through the multilayer object and is received by another transducer/waveguide combination preferably located on the same surface as the transmitting combination. The received acoustic wave is correlated with the presence or absence of imperfections by, e.g., generating pulse echo signals indicative of the received acoustic wave. wherein the successive signals form distinct groups over time. The respective peak amplitudes of each group are sampled and curve fit to an exponential curve. wherein a substantial fit of approximately 80-90% indicates an absence of imperfections and a significant deviation indicates the presence of imperfections. Alternatively, the time interval between distinct groups can be measured. wherein equal intervals indicate the absence of imperfections and unequal intervals indicate the presence of imperfections.

  6. Method and apparatus for evaluating multilayer objects for imperfections

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Heyman, Joseph S. (Inventor); Abedin, Nurul (Inventor); Sun, Kuen J. (Inventor)

    1997-01-01

    A multilayer object having multiple layers arranged in a stacking direction is evaluated for imperfections such as voids, delaminations and microcracks. First, an acoustic wave is transmitted into the object in the stacking direction via an appropriate transducer/waveguide combination. The wave propagates through the multilayer object and is received by another transducer/waveguide combination preferably located on the same surface as the transmitting combination. The received acoustic wave is correlated with the presence or absence of imperfections by, e.g., generating pulse echo signals indicative of the received acoustic wave, wherein the successive signals form distinct groups over time. The respective peak amplitudes of each group are sampled and curve fit to an exponential curve, wherein a substantial fit of approximately 80-90% indicates an absence of imperfections and a significant deviation indicates the presence of imperfections. Alternatively, the time interval between distinct groups can be measured, wherein equal intervals indicate the absence of imperfections and unequal intervals indicate the presence of imperfections.

  7. The Effect of Aerodynamic Evaluators on the Multi-Objective Optimization of Flatback Airfoils

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miller, M.; Slew, K. Lee; Matida, E.

    2016-09-01

    With the long lengths of today's wind turbine rotor blades, there is a need to reduce the mass, thereby requiring stiffer airfoils, while maintaining the aerodynamic efficiency of the airfoils, particularly in the inboard region of the blade where structural demands are highest. Using a genetic algorithm, the multi-objective aero-structural optimization of 30% thick flatback airfoils was systematically performed for a variety of aerodynamic evaluators such as lift-to-drag ratio (Cl/Cd), torque (Ct), and torque-to-thrust ratio (Ct/Cn) to determine their influence on airfoil shape and performance. The airfoil optimized for Ct possessed a 4.8% thick trailing-edge, and a rather blunt leading-edge region which creates high levels of lift and correspondingly, drag. It's ability to maintain similar levels of lift and drag under forced transition conditions proved it's insensitivity to roughness. The airfoil optimized for Cl/Cd displayed relatively poor insensitivity to roughness due to the rather aft-located free transition points. The Ct/Cn optimized airfoil was found to have a very similar shape to that of the Cl/Cd airfoil, with a slightly more blunt leading-edge which aided in providing higher levels of lift and moderate insensitivity to roughness. The influence of the chosen aerodynamic evaluator under the specified conditions and constraints in the optimization of wind turbine airfoils is shown to have a direct impact on the airfoil shape and performance.

  8. Object detection in natural backgrounds predicted by discrimination performance and models

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rohaly, A. M.; Ahumada, A. J. Jr; Watson, A. B.

    1997-01-01

    Many models of visual performance predict image discriminability, the visibility of the difference between a pair of images. We compared the ability of three image discrimination models to predict the detectability of objects embedded in natural backgrounds. The three models were: a multiple channel Cortex transform model with within-channel masking; a single channel contrast sensitivity filter model; and a digital image difference metric. Each model used a Minkowski distance metric (generalized vector magnitude) to summate absolute differences between the background and object plus background images. For each model, this summation was implemented with three different exponents: 2, 4 and infinity. In addition, each combination of model and summation exponent was implemented with and without a simple contrast gain factor. The model outputs were compared to measures of object detectability obtained from 19 observers. Among the models without the contrast gain factor, the multiple channel model with a summation exponent of 4 performed best, predicting the pattern of observer d's with an RMS error of 2.3 dB. The contrast gain factor improved the predictions of all three models for all three exponents. With the factor, the best exponent was 4 for all three models, and their prediction errors were near 1 dB. These results demonstrate that image discrimination models can predict the relative detectability of objects in natural scenes.

  9. 48 CFR 8.606 - Evaluating FPI performance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    .... 8.606 Evaluating FPI performance. Agencies shall evaluate FPI contract performance in accordance with subpart 42.15. Performance evaluations do not negate the requirements of 8.602 and 8.604, but they... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Evaluating FPI performance...

  10. Performance Evaluation: A Deadly Disease?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aluri, Rao; Reichel, Mary

    1994-01-01

    W. Edwards Deming condemned performance evaluations as a deadly disease afflicting American management. He argued that performance evaluations nourish fear, encourage short-term thinking, stifle teamwork, and are no better than lotteries. This article examines library literature from Deming's perspective. Although that literature accepts…

  11. The supervisor's performance appraisal: evaluating the evaluator.

    PubMed

    McConnell, C R

    1993-04-01

    The focus of much performance appraisal in the coming decade or so will likely be on the level of customer satisfaction achieved through performance. Ultimately, evaluating the evaluator--that is, appraising the supervisor--will likely become a matter of assessing how well the supervisor's department meets the needs of its customers. Since meeting the needs of one's customers can well become the strongest determinant of organizational success or failure, it follows that relative success in ensuring these needs are met can become the primary indicator of one's relative success as a supervisor. This has the effect of placing the emphasis on supervisory performance exactly at the point it belongs, right on the bottom-line results of the supervisor's efforts.

  12. Design and performance evaluation of a 1000-year evapotranspiration-capillary surface barrier

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

    Zhang, Zhuanfang Fred; Strickland, Christopher E.; Link, Steven O.

    Surface barrier technology is used to isolate radioactive waste and to reduce or eliminate recharge water to the waste zone for 1000 years or longer. However, the design and evaluation of such a barrier is challenging because of the extremely long design life. The Prototype Hanford Barrier (PHB) was designed as a 1000-year barrier with pre-determined design and performance objectives and demonstrated in field from 1994 to present. The barrier was tested to evaluate surface-barrier design and performance at the field scale under conditions of enhanced and natural precipitation and of no vegetation. The monitoring data demonstrate that the barriermore » satisfied nearly all key objectives. The PHB far exceeded the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act criteria, functioned in Hanford’s semiarid climate, limited drainage to well below the 0.5 mm yr-1 performance criterion, limited runoff, and minimized erosion. Given the two-decade record of successful performance and consideration of all the processes and mechanisms that could degrade the stability and hydrology in the future, the results suggest the PHB is very likely to perform for its 1000-year design life. This conclusion is based on two assumptions: (1) the exposed subgrade receives protection against erosion and (2) institutional controls prevent inadvertent human activity at the barrier. The PHB design can serve as the base for site-specific barriers over waste sites containing underground nuclear waste, uranium mine tailings, and hazardous mine waste.« less

  13. Spatiotemporal Dissociation of Brain Activity Underlying Subjective Awareness, Objective Performance and Confidence

    PubMed Central

    Li, Qi; Hill, Zachary

    2014-01-01

    Despite intense recent research, the neural correlates of conscious visual perception remain elusive. The most established paradigm for studying brain mechanisms underlying conscious perception is to keep the physical sensory inputs constant and identify brain activities that correlate with the changing content of conscious awareness. However, such a contrast based on conscious content alone would not only reveal brain activities directly contributing to conscious perception, but also include brain activities that precede or follow it. To address this issue, we devised a paradigm whereby we collected, trial-by-trial, measures of objective performance, subjective awareness, and the confidence level of subjective awareness. Using magnetoencephalography recordings in healthy human volunteers, we dissociated brain activities underlying these different cognitive phenomena. Our results provide strong evidence that widely distributed slow cortical potentials (SCPs) correlate with subjective awareness, even after the effects of objective performance and confidence were both removed. The SCP correlate of conscious perception manifests strongly in its waveform, phase, and power. In contrast, objective performance and confidence were both contributed by relatively transient brain activity. These results shed new light on the brain mechanisms of conscious, unconscious, and metacognitive processing. PMID:24647958

  14. 40 CFR Table 6 to Subpart Wwww of... - Basic Requirements for Performance Tests, Performance Evaluations, and Design Evaluations for New...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... Tests, Performance Evaluations, and Design Evaluations for New and Existing Sources Using Add-On Control... Performance Tests, Performance Evaluations, and Design Evaluations for New and Existing Sources Using Add-On Control Devices As required in § 63.5850 you must conduct performance tests, performance evaluations, and...

  15. 40 CFR Table 6 to Subpart Wwww of... - Basic Requirements for Performance Tests, Performance Evaluations, and Design Evaluations for New...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... Tests, Performance Evaluations, and Design Evaluations for New and Existing Sources Using Add-On Control... Performance Tests, Performance Evaluations, and Design Evaluations for New and Existing Sources Using Add-On Control Devices As required in § 63.5850 you must conduct performance tests, performance evaluations, and...

  16. 40 CFR Table 6 to Subpart Wwww of... - Basic Requirements for Performance Tests, Performance Evaluations, and Design Evaluations for New...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... Tests, Performance Evaluations, and Design Evaluations for New and Existing Sources Using Add-On Control... Performance Tests, Performance Evaluations, and Design Evaluations for New and Existing Sources Using Add-On Control Devices As required in § 63.5850 you must conduct performance tests, performance evaluations, and...

  17. Radiosonde pressure sensor performance - Evaluation using tracking radars

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Parsons, C. L.; Norcross, G. A.; Brooks, R. L.

    1984-01-01

    The standard balloon-borne radiosonde employed for synoptic meteorology provides vertical profiles of temperature, pressure, and humidity as a function of elapsed time. These parameters are used in the hypsometric equation to calculate the geopotential altitude at each sampling point during the balloon's flight. It is important that the vertical location information be accurate. The present investigation was conducted with the objective to evaluate the altitude determination accuracy of the standard radiosonde throughout the entire balloon profile. The tests included two other commercially available pressure sensors to see if they could provide improved accuracy in the stratosphere. The pressure-measuring performance of standard baroswitches, premium baroswitches, and hypsometers in balloon-borne sondes was correlated with tracking radars. It was found that the standard and premium baroswitches perform well up to about 25 km altitude, while hypsometers provide more reliable data above 25 km.

  18. Employee Performance in the Context of the Problems of Measurement and Evaluation in Practice

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Szabó, Peter; Mĺkva, Miroslava; Vaňová, Jaromíra; Marková, Petra

    2017-09-01

    Employee performance is a condition and an assumption for the performance and success of a company on the market. In order to ensure competitive ability, the quality of human resources, their management, and related measurement and performance assessment are at the forefront of company interest. Employee assessment affects the performance, development and motivation of people and also provides the necessary information about the employees. It allows the organization to monitor employee performance and compare their work with other collaborators. Many companies have the problem of setting up evaluation system so that it carried itself elements of responsibility and objectivity. The result of conceptual work in this area is the ultimate use of tools whose deployment, if possible, motivates employees to perform better. The aim of the paper is to refer to problems that arise in companies in evaluating the performance of employees.

  19. A numerical algorithm with preference statements to evaluate the performance of scientists.

    PubMed

    Ricker, Martin

    Academic evaluation committees have been increasingly receptive for using the number of published indexed articles, as well as citations, to evaluate the performance of scientists. It is, however, impossible to develop a stand-alone, objective numerical algorithm for the evaluation of academic activities, because any evaluation necessarily includes subjective preference statements. In a market, the market prices represent preference statements, but scientists work largely in a non-market context. I propose a numerical algorithm that serves to determine the distribution of reward money in Mexico's evaluation system, which uses relative prices of scientific goods and services as input. The relative prices would be determined by an evaluation committee. In this way, large evaluation systems (like Mexico's Sistema Nacional de Investigadores ) could work semi-automatically, but not arbitrarily or superficially, to determine quantitatively the academic performance of scientists every few years. Data of 73 scientists from the Biology Institute of Mexico's National University are analyzed, and it is shown that the reward assignation and academic priorities depend heavily on those preferences. A maximum number of products or activities to be evaluated is recommended, to encourage quality over quantity.

  20. The Associations Between Clerkship Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) Grades and Subsequent Performance.

    PubMed

    Dong, Ting; Zahn, Christopher; Saguil, Aaron; Swygert, Kimberly A; Yoon, Michelle; Servey, Jessica; Durning, Steven

    2017-01-01

    Construct: We investigated the extent of the associations between medical students' clinical competency measured by performance in Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) during Obstetrics/Gynecology and Family Medicine clerkships and later performance in both undergraduate and graduate medical education. There is a relative dearth of studies on the correlations between undergraduate OSCE scores and future exam performance within either undergraduate or graduate medical education and almost none on linking these simulated encounters to eventual patient care. Of the research studies that do correlate clerkship OSCE scores with future performance, these often have a small sample size and/or include only 1 clerkship. Students in USU graduating classes of 2007 through 2011 participated in the study. We investigated correlations between clerkship OSCE grades with United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 2 Clinical Knowledge, Clinical Skills, and Step 3 Exams scores as well as Postgraduate Year 1 program director's evaluation scores on Medical Expertise and Professionalism. We also conducted contingency table analysis to examine the associations between poor performance on clerkship OSCEs with failing Step 3 and receiving poor program director ratings. The correlation coefficients were weak between the clerkship OSCE grades and the outcomes. The strongest correlations existed between the clerkship OSCE grades and the Step 2 CS Integrated Clinical Encounter component score, Step 2 Clinical Skills, and Step 3 scores. Contingency table associations between poor performances on both clerkships OSCEs and poor Postgraduate Year 1 Program Director ratings were significant. The results of this study provide additional but limited validity evidence for the use of OSCEs during clinical clerkships given their associations with subsequent performance measures.

  1. 40 CFR Table 6 to Subpart Wwww of... - Basic Requirements for Performance Tests, Performance Evaluations, and Design Evaluations for New...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... Tests, Performance Evaluations, and Design Evaluations for New and Existing Sources Using Add-On Control... Tests, Performance Evaluations, and Design Evaluations for New and Existing Sources Using Add-On Control Devices As required in § 63.5850 you must conduct performance tests, performance evaluations, and design...

  2. 40 CFR Table 6 to Subpart Wwww of... - Basic Requirements for Performance Tests, Performance Evaluations, and Design Evaluations for New...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... Tests, Performance Evaluations, and Design Evaluations for New and Existing Sources Using Add-On Control... Tests, Performance Evaluations, and Design Evaluations for New and Existing Sources Using Add-On Control Devices As required in § 63.5850 you must conduct performance tests, performance evaluations, and design...

  3. Near-infrared fluorescence image quality test methods for standardized performance evaluation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kanniyappan, Udayakumar; Wang, Bohan; Yang, Charles; Ghassemi, Pejhman; Wang, Quanzeng; Chen, Yu; Pfefer, Joshua

    2017-03-01

    Near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging has gained much attention as a clinical method for enhancing visualization of cancers, perfusion and biological structures in surgical applications where a fluorescent dye is monitored by an imaging system. In order to address the emerging need for standardization of this innovative technology, it is necessary to develop and validate test methods suitable for objective, quantitative assessment of device performance. Towards this goal, we develop target-based test methods and investigate best practices for key NIRF imaging system performance characteristics including spatial resolution, depth of field and sensitivity. Characterization of fluorescence properties was performed by generating excitation-emission matrix properties of indocyanine green and quantum dots in biological solutions and matrix materials. A turbid, fluorophore-doped target was used, along with a resolution target for assessing image sharpness. Multi-well plates filled with either liquid or solid targets were generated to explore best practices for evaluating detection sensitivity. Overall, our results demonstrate the utility of objective, quantitative, target-based testing approaches as well as the need to consider a wide range of factors in establishing standardized approaches for NIRF imaging system performance.

  4. Objective and quantitative equilibriometric evaluation of individual locomotor behaviour in schizophrenia: Translational and clinical implications.

    PubMed

    Haralanov, Svetlozar; Haralanova, Evelina; Milushev, Emil; Shkodrova, Diana; Claussen, Claus-Frenz

    2018-04-17

    Psychiatry is the only medical specialty that lacks clinically applicable biomarkers for objective evaluation of the existing pathology at a single-patient level. On the basis of an original translational equilibriometric method for evaluation of movement patterns, we have introduced in the everyday clinical practice of psychiatry an easy-to-perform computerized objective quantification of the individual locomotor behaviour during execution of the Unterberger stepping test. For the last 20 years, we have gradually collected a large database of more than 1000 schizophrenic patients, their relatives, and matched psychiatric, neurological, and healthy controls via cross-sectional and longitudinal investigations. Comparative analyses revealed transdiagnostic locomotor similarities among schizophrenic patients, high-risk schizotaxic individuals, and neurological patients with multiple sclerosis and cerebellar ataxia, thus suggesting common underlying brain mechanisms. In parallel, intradiagnostic dissimilarities were revealed, which allow to separate out subclinical locomotor subgroups within the diagnostic categories. Prototypical qualitative (dysmetric and ataxic) locomotor abnormalities in schizophrenic patients were differentiated from 2 atypical quantitative ones, manifested as either hypolocomotion or hyperlocomotion. Theoretical analyses suggested that these 3 subtypes of locomotor abnormalities could be conceived as objectively measurable biomarkers of 3 schizophrenic subgroups with dissimilar brain mechanisms, which require different treatment strategies. Analogies with the prominent role of locomotor measures in some well-known animal models of mental disorders advocate for a promising objective translational research in the so far over-subjective field of psychiatry. Distinctions among prototypical, atypical, and diagnostic biomarkers, as well as between neuromotor and psychomotor locomotor abnormalities, are discussed. Conclusions are drawn about the

  5. 13 CFR 304.4 - Performance evaluations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Performance evaluations. 304.4 Section 304.4 Business Credit and Assistance ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICTS § 304.4 Performance evaluations. (a) EDA shall evaluate the management...

  6. Strategies for increasing the feasibility of performance assessments during competency-based education: Subjective and objective evaluations correlate in the operating room.

    PubMed

    Szasz, Peter; Louridas, Marisa; Harris, Kenneth A; Grantcharov, Teodor P

    2017-08-01

    Competency-based education necessitates assessments that determine whether trainees have acquired specific competencies. The evidence on the ability of internal raters (staff surgeons) to provide accurate assessments is mixed; however, this has not yet been directly explored in the operating room. This study's objective is to compare the ratings given by internal raters vs an expert external rater (independent to the training process) in the operating room. Raters assessed general surgery residents during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy for their technical and nontechnical performance. Fifteen cases were observed. There was a moderately positive correlation (r s = .618, P = .014) for technical performance and a strong positive correlation (r s = .731, P = .002) for nontechnical performance. The internal raters were less stringent for technical (mean rank 3.33 vs 8.64, P = .007) and nontechnical (mean rank 3.83 vs 8.50, P = .01) performances. This study provides evidence to help operationalize competency-based assessments. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Constant Light Desynchronizes Olfactory versus Object and Visuospatial Recognition Memory Performance

    PubMed Central

    Tam, Shu K.E.; Hasan, Sibah; Brown, Laurence A.; Jagannath, Aarti; Hankins, Mark W.; Foster, Russell G.; Vyazovskiy, Vladyslav V.

    2017-01-01

    Circadian rhythms optimize physiology and behavior to the varying demands of the 24 h day. The master circadian clock is located in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) of the hypothalamus and it regulates circadian oscillators in tissues throughout the body to prevent internal desynchrony. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that, under standard 12 h:12 h light/dark (LD) cycles, object, visuospatial, and olfactory recognition performance in C57BL/6J mice is consistently better at midday relative to midnight. However, under repeated exposure to constant light (rLL), recognition performance becomes desynchronized, with object and visuospatial performance better at subjective midday and olfactory performance better at subjective midnight. This desynchrony in behavioral performance is mirrored by changes in expression of the canonical clock genes Period1 and Period2 (Per1 and Per2), as well as the immediate-early gene Fos in the SCN, dorsal hippocampus, and olfactory bulb. Under rLL, rhythmic Per1 and Fos expression is attenuated in the SCN. In contrast, hippocampal gene expression remains rhythmic, mirroring object and visuospatial performance. Strikingly, Per1 and Fos expression in the olfactory bulb is reversed, mirroring the inverted olfactory performance. Temporal desynchrony among these regions does not result in arrhythmicity because core body temperature and exploratory activity rhythms persist under rLL. Our data provide the first demonstration that abnormal lighting conditions can give rise to temporal desynchrony between autonomous circadian oscillators in different regions, with different consequences for performance across different sensory domains. Such a dispersed network of dissociable circadian oscillators may provide greater flexibility when faced with conflicting environmental signals. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT A master circadian clock in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) of the hypothalamus regulates physiology and behavior across the 24 h day by

  8. Information fusion performance evaluation for motion imagery data using mutual information: initial study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grieggs, Samuel M.; McLaughlin, Michael J.; Ezekiel, Soundararajan; Blasch, Erik

    2015-06-01

    As technology and internet use grows at an exponential rate, video and imagery data is becoming increasingly important. Various techniques such as Wide Area Motion imagery (WAMI), Full Motion Video (FMV), and Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) are used to collect motion data and extract relevant information. Detecting and identifying a particular object in imagery data is an important step in understanding visual imagery, such as content-based image retrieval (CBIR). Imagery data is segmented and automatically analyzed and stored in dynamic and robust database. In our system, we seek utilize image fusion methods which require quality metrics. Many Image Fusion (IF) algorithms have been proposed based on different, but only a few metrics, used to evaluate the performance of these algorithms. In this paper, we seek a robust, objective metric to evaluate the performance of IF algorithms which compares the outcome of a given algorithm to ground truth and reports several types of errors. Given the ground truth of a motion imagery data, it will compute detection failure, false alarm, precision and recall metrics, background and foreground regions statistics, as well as split and merge of foreground regions. Using the Structural Similarity Index (SSIM), Mutual Information (MI), and entropy metrics; experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology for object detection, activity exploitation, and CBIR.

  9. Optimizing classification performance in an object-based very-high-resolution land use-land cover urban application

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Georganos, Stefanos; Grippa, Tais; Vanhuysse, Sabine; Lennert, Moritz; Shimoni, Michal; Wolff, Eléonore

    2017-10-01

    This study evaluates the impact of three Feature Selection (FS) algorithms in an Object Based Image Analysis (OBIA) framework for Very-High-Resolution (VHR) Land Use-Land Cover (LULC) classification. The three selected FS algorithms, Correlation Based Selection (CFS), Mean Decrease in Accuracy (MDA) and Random Forest (RF) based Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE), were tested on Support Vector Machine (SVM), K-Nearest Neighbor, and Random Forest (RF) classifiers. The results demonstrate that the accuracy of SVM and KNN classifiers are the most sensitive to FS. The RF appeared to be more robust to high dimensionality, although a significant increase in accuracy was found by using the RFE method. In terms of classification accuracy, SVM performed the best using FS, followed by RF and KNN. Finally, only a small number of features is needed to achieve the highest performance using each classifier. This study emphasizes the benefits of rigorous FS for maximizing performance, as well as for minimizing model complexity and interpretation.

  10. Training Objectives, Transfer, Validation and Evaluation: A Sri Lankan Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wickramasinghe, Vathsala M.

    2006-01-01

    Using a stratified random sample, this paper examines the training practices of setting objectives, transfer, validation and evaluation in Sri Lanka. The paper further sets out to compare those practices across local, foreign and joint-venture companies based on the assumption that there may be significant differences across companies of different…

  11. Undergraduate Drinking and Academic Performance: A Prospective Investigation With Objective Measures*

    PubMed Central

    Thombs, Dennis L.; Olds, R. Scott; Bondy, Susan J.; Winchell, Janice; Baliunas, Dolly; Rehm, Jürgen

    2009-01-01

    Objective: Findings from previous prospective research suggest the association between alcohol use and undergraduate academic performance is negligible. This study was designed to address weaknesses of the past research by relying on objective measures of both drinking and academic performance. Method: A prospective study was conducted with repeated measures of exposure to alcohol linked to institutional academic records. Alcohol data were collected in residence halls at a nonselective, midwestern, public university in the United States. A total of 659 first- and second-year undergraduate students were tracked over the course of 15-week semesters. Results: A statistically significant negative association with semester academic performance was found for different alcohol indicators: frequency of breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) above .08, mean BrAC, standard deviation, and maximum BrAC recorded. These associations remained statistically significant when controlled for sociodemographic variables and individual level confounders, but the effect sizes were relatively small with a contribution to explained variance of less than 1%. When additionally adjusted for residence hall building, all alcohol indicators no longer reached statistical significance (p ≥ .05). Conclusions: Consistent with past prospective research, the magnitude of the association between undergraduate alcohol use and academic performance is small when the effects of high school academic aptitude and performance are accounted for in multivariable analyses. This is the first study to find that living environment may have a robust effect on the academic achievement of undergraduates. Future research should examine more closely the relation between residence and academic performance and the role that alcohol use may play in creating residential environments. PMID:19737503

  12. Development and validation of an objective instrument to measure surgical performance at tonsillectomy.

    PubMed

    Roberson, David W; Kentala, Erna; Forbes, Peter

    2005-12-01

    The goals of this project were 1) to develop and validate an objective instrument to measure surgical performance at tonsillectomy, 2) to assess its interobserver and interobservation reliability and construct validity, and 3) to select those items with best reliability and most independent information to design a simplified form suitable for routine use in otolaryngology surgical evaluation. Prospective, observational data collection for an educational quality improvement project. The evaluation instrument was based on previous instruments developed in general surgery with input from attending otolaryngologic surgeons and experts in medical education. It was pilot tested and subjected to iterative improvements. After the instrument was finalized, a total of 55 tonsillectomies were observed and scored during academic year 2002 to 2003: 45 cases by residents at different points during their rotation, 5 by fellows, and 5 by faculty. Results were assessed for interobserver reliability, interobservation reliability, and construct validity. Factor analysis was used to identify items with independent information. Interobserver and interobservation reliability was high. On technical items, faculty substantially outperformed fellows, who in turn outperformed residents (P < .0001 for both comparisons). On the "global" scale (overall assessment), residents improved an average of 1 full point (on a 5 point scale) during a 3 month rotation (P = .01). In the subscale of "patient care," results were less clear cut: fellows outperformed residents, who in turn outperformed faculty, but only the fellows to faculty comparison was statistically significant (P = .04), and residents did not clearly improve over time (P = .36). Factor analysis demonstrated that technical items and patient care items factor separately and thus represent separate skill domains in surgery. It is possible to objectively measure surgical skill at tonsillectomy with high reliability and good construct

  13. MVIAeval: a web tool for comprehensively evaluating the performance of a new missing value imputation algorithm.

    PubMed

    Wu, Wei-Sheng; Jhou, Meng-Jhun

    2017-01-13

    Missing value imputation is important for microarray data analyses because microarray data with missing values would significantly degrade the performance of the downstream analyses. Although many microarray missing value imputation algorithms have been developed, an objective and comprehensive performance comparison framework is still lacking. To solve this problem, we previously proposed a framework which can perform a comprehensive performance comparison of different existing algorithms. Also the performance of a new algorithm can be evaluated by our performance comparison framework. However, constructing our framework is not an easy task for the interested researchers. To save researchers' time and efforts, here we present an easy-to-use web tool named MVIAeval (Missing Value Imputation Algorithm evaluator) which implements our performance comparison framework. MVIAeval provides a user-friendly interface allowing users to upload the R code of their new algorithm and select (i) the test datasets among 20 benchmark microarray (time series and non-time series) datasets, (ii) the compared algorithms among 12 existing algorithms, (iii) the performance indices from three existing ones, (iv) the comprehensive performance scores from two possible choices, and (v) the number of simulation runs. The comprehensive performance comparison results are then generated and shown as both figures and tables. MVIAeval is a useful tool for researchers to easily conduct a comprehensive and objective performance evaluation of their newly developed missing value imputation algorithm for microarray data or any data which can be represented as a matrix form (e.g. NGS data or proteomics data). Thus, MVIAeval will greatly expedite the progress in the research of missing value imputation algorithms.

  14. Objective measures of situation awareness in a simulated medical environment

    PubMed Central

    Wright, M; Taekman, J; Endsley, M

    2004-01-01

    One major limitation in the use of human patient simulators is a lack of objective, validated measures of human performance. Objective measures are necessary if simulators are to be used to evaluate the skills and training of medical practitioners and teams or to evaluate the impact of new processes or equipment design on overall system performance. Situation awareness (SA) refers to a person's perception and understanding of their dynamic environment. This awareness and comprehension is critical in making correct decisions that ultimately lead to correct actions in medical care settings. An objective measure of SA may be more sensitive and diagnostic than traditional performance measures. This paper reviews a theory of SA and discusses the methods required for developing an objective measure of SA within the context of a simulated medical environment. Analysis and interpretation of SA data for both individual and team performance in health care are also presented. PMID:15465958

  15. Performance Evaluation of Nano-JASMINE

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hatsutori, Y.; Kobayashi, Y.; Gouda, N.; Yano, T.; Murooka, J.; Niwa, Y.; Yamada, Y.

    We report the results of performance evaluation of the first Japanese astrometry satellite, Nano-JASMINE. It is a very small satellite and weighs only 35 kg. It aims to carry out astrometry measurement of nearby bright stars (z ≤ 7.5 mag) with an accuracy of 3 milli-arcseconds. Nano-JASMINE will be launched by Cyclone-4 rocket in August 2011 from Brazil. The current status is in the process of evaluating the performances. A series of performance tests and numerical analysis were conducted. As a result, the engineering model (EM) of the telescope was measured to be achieving a diffraction-limited performance and confirmed that it has enough performance for scientific astrometry.

  16. Performance Evaluation of a Mobile Touchscreen Interface for Assistive Robotic Manipulators: A Pilot Study.

    PubMed

    Chung, Cheng-Shiu; Ka, Hyun W; Wang, Hongu; Ding, Dan; Kelleher, Annmarie; Cooper, Rory A

    2017-01-01

    Background: Assistive robotic manipulators (ARMs) have been developed to provide enhanced assistance and independence in performance of daily activities among people with spinal cord injury when a caregiver is not on site. However, the current commercial ARM user interfaces (UIs) may be difficult to learn and control. A touchscreen mobile UI was developed to overcome these challenges. Objective: The object of this study was to evaluate the performance between 2 ARM UIs, touchscreen and the original joystick, using an ARM evaluation tool (ARMET). Methods: This is a pilot study of people with upper extremity impairments ( N = 8). Participants were trained on 2 UIs, and then they chose one to use when performing 3 tasks on the ARMET: flipping a toggle switch, pushing down a door handle, and turning a knob. Task completion time, mean velocity, and open interviews were the main outcome measurements. Results: Among 8 novice participants, 7 chose the touchscreen UI and 1 chose the joystick UI. All participants could complete the ARMET tasks independently. Use of the touchscreen UI resulted in enhanced ARMET performance (higher mean moving speed and faster task completion). Conclusions: Mobile ARM UIs demonstrated easier learning experience, less physical effort, and better ARMET performance. The improved performance, the accessibility, and lower physical effort suggested that the touchscreen UI might be an efficient tool for the ARM users.

  17. Evaluation of emergency department performance - a systematic review on recommended performance and quality-in-care measures.

    PubMed

    Sørup, Christian Michel; Jacobsen, Peter; Forberg, Jakob Lundager

    2013-08-09

    Evaluation of emergency department (ED) performance remains a difficult task due to the lack of consensus on performance measures that reflects high quality, efficiency, and sustainability. To describe, map, and critically evaluate which performance measures that the published literature regard as being most relevant in assessing overall ED performance. Following the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic literature review of review articles reporting accentuated ED performance measures was conducted in the databases of PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. Study eligibility criteria includes: 1) the main purpose was to discuss, analyse, or promote performance measures best reflecting ED performance, 2) the article was a review article, and 3) the article reported macro-level performance measures, thus reflecting an overall departmental performance level. A number of articles addresses this study's objective (n = 14 of 46 unique hits). Time intervals and patient-related measures were dominant in the identified performance measures in review articles from US, UK, Sweden and Canada. Length of stay (LOS), time between patient arrival to initial clinical assessment, and time between patient arrivals to admission were highlighted by the majority of articles. Concurrently, "patients left without being seen" (LWBS), unplanned re-attendance within a maximum of 72 hours, mortality/morbidity, and number of unintended incidents were the most highlighted performance measures that related directly to the patient. Performance measures related to employees were only stated in two of the 14 included articles. A total of 55 ED performance measures were identified. ED time intervals were the most recommended performance measures followed by patient centeredness and safety performance measures. ED employee related performance measures were rarely mentioned in the investigated literature. The study's results allow for advancement towards improved performance measurement and

  18. DETERMINING COARSE PARTICULATE MATTER CONCENTRATIONS: A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF CANDIDATE METHODOLOGIES UNDER WINTERTIME CONDITIONS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The main objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of sampling methods for potential use as a Federal Reference Method (FRM) capable of providing an estimate of coarse particle (PMc: particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter between 2.5 um and 10 um) mass con...

  19. Report on objective ride quality evaluation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wambold, J. C.; Park, W. H.

    1974-01-01

    The correlation of absorbed power as an objective ride measure to the subjective evaluation for the bus data was investigated. For some individual bus rides the correlations were poor, but when a sufficient number of rides was used to give reasonable sample base, an excellent correlation was obtained. The following logarithmical function was derived: S = 1.7245 1n (39.6849 AP), where S = one subjective rating of the ride; and AP = the absorbed power in watts. A six-degree-of-freedom method developed for aircraft data was completed. Preliminary correlation of absorbed power with ISO standards further enhances the bus ride and absorbed power correlation numbers since the AP's obtained are of the same order of magnitude for both correlations. While it would then appear that one could just use ISO standards, there is no way to add the effect of three degrees of freedom. The absorbed power provides a method of adding the effects due to the three major directions plus the pitch and roll.

  20. Objective evaluation of cutaneous thermal sensivity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vanbeaumont, W.

    1972-01-01

    The possibility of obtaining reliable and objective quantitative responses was investigated under conditions where only temperature changes in localized cutaneous areas evoked measurable changes in remote sudomotor activity. Both male and female subjects were studied to evaluate sex difference in thermal sensitivity. The results discussed include: sweat rate responses to contralateral cooling, comparison of sweat rate responses between men and women to contralateral cooling, influence of the menstrual cycle on the sweat rate responses to contralateral cooling, comparison of threshold of sweating responses between men and women, and correlation of latency to threshold for whole body sweating. It is concluded that the quantitative aspects of the reflex response is affected by both the density and activation of receptors as well as the rate of heat loss; men responded 8-10% more frequently than women to thermode cooling, the magnitude of responses being greater for men; and women responded 7-9% more frequently to thermode cooling on day 1 of menstruation, as compared to day 15.

  1. System and Method for Modeling the Flow Performance Features of an Object

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jorgensen, Charles (Inventor); Ross, James (Inventor)

    1997-01-01

    The method and apparatus includes a neural network for generating a model of an object in a wind tunnel from performance data on the object. The network is trained from test input signals (e.g., leading edge flap position, trailing edge flap position, angle of attack, and other geometric configurations, and power settings) and test output signals (e.g., lift, drag, pitching moment, or other performance features). In one embodiment, the neural network training method employs a modified Levenberg-Marquardt optimization technique. The model can be generated 'real time' as wind tunnel testing proceeds. Once trained, the model is used to estimate performance features associated with the aircraft given geometric configuration and/or power setting input. The invention can also be applied in other similar static flow modeling applications in aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, fluid dynamics, and other such disciplines. For example, the static testing of cars, sails, and foils, propellers, keels, rudders, turbines, fins, and the like, in a wind tunnel, water trough, or other flowing medium.

  2. Virtual tape measure for the operating microscope: system specifications and performance evaluation.

    PubMed

    Kim, M Y; Drake, J M; Milgram, P

    2000-01-01

    The Virtual Tape Measure for the Operating Microscope (VTMOM) was created to assist surgeons in making accurate 3D measurements of anatomical structures seen in the surgical field under the operating microscope. The VTMOM employs augmented reality techniques by combining stereoscopic video images with stereoscopic computer graphics, and functions by relying on an operator's ability to align a 3D graphic pointer, which serves as the end-point of the virtual tape measure, with designated locations on the anatomical structure being measured. The VTMOM was evaluated for its baseline and application performances as well as its application efficacy. Baseline performance was determined by measuring the mean error (bias) and standard deviation of error (imprecision) in measurements of non-anatomical objects. Application performance was determined by comparing the error in measuring the dimensions of aneurysm models with and without the VTMOM. Application efficacy was determined by comparing the error in selecting the appropriate aneurysm clip size with and without the VTMOM. Baseline performance indicated a bias of 0.3 mm and an imprecision of 0.6 mm. Application bias was 3.8 mm and imprecision was 2.8 mm for aneurysm diameter. The VTMOM did not improve aneurysm clip size selection accuracy. The VTMOM is a potentially accurate tool for use under the operating microscope. However, its performance when measuring anatomical objects is highly dependent on complex visual features of the object surfaces. Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  3. When do objects become more attractive? The individual and interactive effects of choice and ownership on object evaluation.

    PubMed

    Huang, Yunhui; Wang, Lei; Shi, Junqi

    2009-06-01

    Four studies used the Implicit Association Test to explore the individual and interactive influence of perceived ownership and perceived choice on object evaluation. In Study 1, participants implicitly preferred their possessions over others' when all chosen by a third party (i.e., the ownership effect). In Study 2, participants implicitly preferred self-chosen objects over other-chosen objects when all given to the third party (i.e., the choice effect). In Study 3, the ownership effect disappeared when participants compared their self-chosen possessions with others' possessions that were chosen by the participants. In Study 4, the choice effect remained even when participants compared their self-chosen possessions with their possessions that were chosen by others. These results suggest that while the ownership effect could be attenuated by perceived choice, the choice effect is stable even under the influence of perceived ownership.

  4. Open framework for objective evaluation of crater detection algorithms with first test-field subsystem based on MOLA data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Salamunićcar, G.; Lončarić, S.

    2008-07-01

    Crater Detection Algorithms (CDAs) applications range from estimation of lunar/planetary surface age to autonomous landing on planets and asteroids and advanced statistical analyses. A large amount of work on CDAs has already been published. However, problems arise when evaluation results of some new CDA have to be compared with already published evaluation results. The problem is that different authors use different test-fields, different Ground-Truth (GT) catalogues, and even different methodologies for evaluation of their CDAs. Re-implementation of already published CDAs or its evaluation environment is a time-consuming and unpractical solution to this problem. In addition, implementation details are often insufficiently described in publications. As a result, there is a need in research community to develop a framework for objective evaluation of CDAs. A scientific question is how CDAs should be evaluated so that the results are easily and reliably comparable. In attempt to solve this issue we first analyzed previously published work on CDAs. In this paper, we propose a framework for solution of the problem of objective CDA evaluation. The framework includes: (1) a definition of the measure for differences between craters; (2) test-field topography based on the 1/64° MOLA data; (3) the GT catalogue wherein each of 17,582 craters is aligned with MOLA data and confirmed with catalogues by N.G. Barlow et al. and J.F. Rodionova et al.; (4) selection of methodology for training and testing; and (5) a Free-response Receiver Operating Characteristics (F-ROC) curves as a way to measure CDA performance. The handling of possible improvements of the framework in the future is additionally addressed as a part of discussion of results. Possible extensions with additional test-field subsystems based on visual images, data sets for other planets, evaluation methodologies for CDAs developed for different purposes than cataloguing of craters, are proposed as well. The goal of

  5. An Annotated Bibliography of Objective Pilot Performance Measures

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-01-01

    realism . (Author) 224 NAVTRAEQUIPCEN IH-330 t 667. PROPHET, Wallace W., and Caro, Paul W., Simulation and Aircrew Training and Performance, Human... cinematic simulation and air training appears to be the most promising cost-effective method of developing NOE visual perception skills. Of other...flight and control dynamics. Informal trials were run with research staff and carrier-qualified pilots to evaluate realism of the displays; amount of

  6. WE-E-217A-02: Methodologies for Evaluation of Standalone CAD System Performance.

    PubMed

    Sahiner, B

    2012-06-01

    Standalone performance evaluation of a CAD system provides information about the abnormality detection or classification performance of the computerized system alone. Although the performance of the reader with CAD is the final step in CAD system assessment, standalone performance evaluation is an important component for several reasons: First, standalone evaluation informs the reader about the performance level of the CAD system and may have an impact on how the reader uses the system. Second, it provides essential information to the system designer for algorithm optimization during system development. Third, standalone evaluation can provide a detailed description of algorithm performance (e.g., on subgroups of the population) because a larger data set with more samples from different subgroups can be included in standalone studies compared to reader studies. Proper standalone evaluation of a CAD system involves a number of key components, some of which are shared with the assessment of reader performance with CAD. These include (1) selection of a test data set that allows performance assessment with little or no bias and acceptable uncertainty; (2) a reference standard that indicates disease status as well as the location and extent of disease; (3) a clearly defined method for labeling each CAD mark as a true-positive or false-positive; and (4) a properly selected set of metrics to summarize the accuracy of the computer marks and their corresponding scores. In this lecture, we will discuss various approaches for the key components of standalone CAD performance evaluation listed above, and present some of the recommendations and opinions from the AAPM CAD subcommittee on these issues. Learning Objectives 1. Identify basic components and metrics in the assessment of standalone CAD systems 2. Understand how each component may affect the assessed performance 3. Learn about AAPM CAD subcommittee's opinions and recommendations on factors and metrics related to the

  7. Virginia Transit Performance Evaluation Package (VATPEP).

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1987-01-01

    The Virginia Transit Performance Evaluation Package (VATPEP), a computer software package, is documented. This is the computerized version of the methodology used by the Virginia Department of Transportation to evaluate the performance of public tran...

  8. Self-perceived versus objectively measured competence in performing clinical practical procedures by final year medical students

    PubMed Central

    Banda, Sekelani

    2016-01-01

    Objectives To determine and compare the self-perceived and objectively measured competence in performing 14 core-clinical practical procedures by Final Year Medical Students of the University of Zambia. Methods The study included 56 out of 60 graduating University of Zambia Medical Students of the 2012/2013 academic year. Self-perceived competence: students rated their competence on 14 core- clinical practical procedures using a self-administered questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale. Objective competence: it was measured by Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) by faculty using predetermined rating scales. Rank order correlation test was performed for self-perceived and objectively measured competence. Results Two thirds 36 (66.7%) of the participants perceived themselves as moderately competent, 15 (27.8%) rated themselves as highly competent while 3 (5.6%) had low self-perception. With objective competence, the majority 52 (92.8%) were barely competent while 4 (7.2%) were absolutely competent. When overall self-perception was compared to objectively measured competence, there was a discordance which was demonstrated by a negative correlation (Spearman rho -.123). Conclusions Significant numbers of students reported low self-competence in performing procedures such as endotracheal intubation, gastric lavage and cardiopulmonary resuscitation which most never performed during the clinical years of medical education. In addition, the negative correlation between self-perceived and objectively measured competence demonstrated the inability of students to assess and rate themselves objectively due to fear that others may know their weaknesses and realize that they are not as competent as expected at a specific level of training. PMID:27132255

  9. Performance of four different rat strains in the autoshaping, two-object discrimination, and swim maze tests of learning and memory.

    PubMed

    Andrews, J S; Jansen, J H; Linders, S; Princen, A; Broekkamp, C L

    1995-04-01

    The performance of four strains of rats commonly used in behavioural research was assessed in three different tests of learning and memory. The four strains included three outbred lines (Long-Evans, Sprague-Dawley, Wistar) and one inbred strain (S3). Learning and memory were tested using three different paradigms: autoshaping of a lever press, a two-object discrimination test, and performance in a two-island swim maze task. The pigmented strains showed better performance in the autoshaping procedure: the majority of the Long-Evans and the S3 rats acquired the response, and the majority of the Wistar and Sprague-Dawley failed to acquire the response in the set time. The albino strains were slightly better in the swim maze than the pigmented strains. There appeared to be a speed/accuracy trade-off in the strategy used to solve the task. This was also evident following treatment with the cholinergic-depleting agent hemicholinium-3. The performance of the Long-Evans rats was most affected by the treatment in terms of accuracy and the Wistar and Sprague-Dawleys in terms of speed. In the two-object discrimination test only the Long-Evans showed satisfactory performance and were able to discriminate a novel from a known object a short interval after initial exposure. These results show large task- and strain-dependent differences in performance in tests of learning and memory. Some of the performance variation may be due to emotional differences between the strains and may be alleviated by extra training. However, the response to pharmacological manipulation may require more careful evaluation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  10. An Evaluative Review of Simulated Dynamic Smart 3d Objects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Romeijn, H.; Sheth, F.; Pettit, C. J.

    2012-07-01

    Three-dimensional (3D) modelling of plants can be an asset for creating agricultural based visualisation products. The continuum of 3D plants models ranges from static to dynamic objects, also known as smart 3D objects. There is an increasing requirement for smarter simulated 3D objects that are attributed mathematically and/or from biological inputs. A systematic approach to plant simulation offers significant advantages to applications in agricultural research, particularly in simulating plant behaviour and the influences of external environmental factors. This approach of 3D plant object visualisation is primarily evident from the visualisation of plants using photographed billboarded images, to more advanced procedural models that come closer to simulating realistic virtual plants. However, few programs model physical reactions of plants to external factors and even fewer are able to grow plants based on mathematical and/or biological parameters. In this paper, we undertake an evaluation of plant-based object simulation programs currently available, with a focus upon the components and techniques involved in producing these objects. Through an analytical review process we consider the strengths and weaknesses of several program packages, the features and use of these programs and the possible opportunities in deploying these for creating smart 3D plant-based objects to support agricultural research and natural resource management. In creating smart 3D objects the model needs to be informed by both plant physiology and phenology. Expert knowledge will frame the parameters and procedures that will attribute the object and allow the simulation of dynamic virtual plants. Ultimately, biologically smart 3D virtual plants that react to changes within an environment could be an effective medium to visually represent landscapes and communicate land management scenarios and practices to planners and decision-makers.

  11. Using Technology to Improve the Objectivity of Criminal Responsibility Evaluations.

    PubMed

    Vitacco, Michael J; Gottfried, Emily D; Batastini, Ashley B

    2018-03-01

    Criminal responsibility (or insanity) evaluations require forensic clinicians to reconstruct a defendant's decision-making abilities, behavioral control, and emotional state at the time of the criminal act. Forensic evaluators are ultimately tasked to evaluate whether an individual had the capacity to understand right from wrong, and in some jurisdictions, determine whether the defendant lacked substantial capacity to conform his behavior to the requirements of the law as a result of a threshold condition (e.g., mental illness). Insanity evaluations are inherently complex, because they require the clinician to determine someone's mental state at some point in the past (weeks, months, or even years). Recent research on insanity evaluations underscores significant problems with the reliability and validity of these evaluations. However, technological advances including social media (e.g., Facebook and Twitter), mandating that law enforcement videotape interrogations, and the use of body and dashboard cameras can aid clinicians in improving the precision and quality of insanity evaluations. This article discusses practical guidelines and ethics-related concerns regarding the use of technology to improve the objectivity of criminal responsibility evaluations. © 2018 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.

  12. The Objective and Subjective Evaluation of Multichannel Expansion in Wide Dynamic Range Compression Hearing Instruments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Plyler, Patrick N.; Lowery, Kristy J.; Hamby, Hilary M.; Trine, Timothy D.

    2007-01-01

    Purpose: The effects of multichannel expansion on the objective and subjective evaluation of 20 listeners fitted binaurally with 4-channel, digital in-the-ear hearing instruments were investigated. Method: Objective evaluations were conducted in quiet using the Connected Speech Test (CST) and in noise using the Hearing in Noise Test (HINT) at 40,…

  13. Projected Near-Earth Object Discovery Performance of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chesley, Steven R.; Veres, Peter

    2017-01-01

    This report describes the methodology and results of an assessment study of the performance of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) in its planned efforts to detect and catalog near-Earth objects (NEOs).

  14. Breast Retraction Assessment: an objective evaluation of cosmetic results of patients treated conservatively for breast cancer

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

    Pezner, R.D.; Patterson, M.P.; Hill, L.R.

    Breast Retraction Assessment (BRA) is an objective evaluation of the amount of cosmetic retraction of the treated breast in comparison to the untreated breast in patients who receive conservative treatment for breast cancer. A clear acrylic sheet supported vertically and marked as a grid at 1 cm intervals is employed to perform the measurements. Average BRA value in 29 control patients without breast cancer was 1.2 cm. Average BRA value in 27 patients treated conservatively for clinical Stage I or II unilateral breast cancer was 3.7 cm. BRA values in breast cancer patients ranged from 0.0 to 8.5 cm. Patientsmore » who received a local radiation boost to the primary tumor bed site had statistically significantly less retraction than those who did not receive a boost. Patients who had an extensive primary tumor resection had statistically significantly more retraction than those who underwent a more limited resection. In comparison to qualitative forms of cosmetic analysis, BRA is an objective test that can quantitatively evaluate factors which may be related to cosmetic retraction in patients treated conservatively for breast cancer.« less

  15. A scoping review about conference objectives and evaluative practices: how do we get more out of them?

    PubMed

    Neves, Justin; Lavis, John N; Ranson, M Kent

    2012-08-02

    Large multi-day conferences have often been criticized as ineffective ways to improve social outcomes and to influence policy or practice. Unfortunately, many conference evaluations have also been inadequate in determining the impact of a conference on its associated social sector, with little evidence gathered or analyzed to substantiate or refute these criticisms. The aim of this scoping review is to investigate and report stakeholders' objectives for planning or participating in large multi-day conferences and how these objectives are being evaluated. We conducted a scoping review supplemented by a small number of key informant interviews. Eight bibliographic databases were systematically searched to identify papers describing conference objectives and/or evaluations. We developed a conference evaluation framework based on theoretical models and empirical findings, which structured the descriptive synthesis of the data. We identified 3,073 potential papers for review, of which 44 were included in this study. Our evaluation framework connects five key elements in planning a conference and its evaluation (number in brackets refers to number of themes identified): conference objectives (8), purpose of evaluation (7), evaluation methods (5), indicators of success (9) and theories/models (8). Further analysis of indicators of success identified three categories of indicators with differing scopes (i.e. immediate, prospective or follow-up) as well as empirical links between the purpose of evaluations and these indicators. Conference objectives and evaluations were largely correlated with the type of conference (i.e. academic, political/governmental or business) but diverse overall. While much can be done to improve the quality and usefulness of conference evaluations, there are innovative assessments that are currently being utilized by some conferences and warrant further investigation. This review provides conference evaluators and organizers a simple resource to

  16. A scoping review about conference objectives and evaluative practices: how do we get more out of them?

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Large multi-day conferences have often been criticized as ineffective ways to improve social outcomes and to influence policy or practice. Unfortunately, many conference evaluations have also been inadequate in determining the impact of a conference on its associated social sector, with little evidence gathered or analyzed to substantiate or refute these criticisms. The aim of this scoping review is to investigate and report stakeholders’ objectives for planning or participating in large multi-day conferences and how these objectives are being evaluated. We conducted a scoping review supplemented by a small number of key informant interviews. Eight bibliographic databases were systematically searched to identify papers describing conference objectives and/or evaluations. We developed a conference evaluation framework based on theoretical models and empirical findings, which structured the descriptive synthesis of the data. We identified 3,073 potential papers for review, of which 44 were included in this study. Our evaluation framework connects five key elements in planning a conference and its evaluation (number in brackets refers to number of themes identified): conference objectives (8), purpose of evaluation (7), evaluation methods (5), indicators of success (9) and theories/models (8). Further analysis of indicators of success identified three categories of indicators with differing scopes (i.e. immediate, prospective or follow-up) as well as empirical links between the purpose of evaluations and these indicators. Conference objectives and evaluations were largely correlated with the type of conference (i.e. academic, political/governmental or business) but diverse overall. While much can be done to improve the quality and usefulness of conference evaluations, there are innovative assessments that are currently being utilized by some conferences and warrant further investigation. This review provides conference evaluators and organizers a simple resource to

  17. Key Performance Indicators in the Evaluation of the Quality of Radiation Safety Programs.

    PubMed

    Schultz, Cheryl Culver; Shaffer, Sheila; Fink-Bennett, Darlene; Winokur, Kay

    2016-08-01

    Beaumont is a multiple hospital health care system with a centralized radiation safety department. The health system operates under a broad scope Nuclear Regulatory Commission license but also maintains several other limited use NRC licenses in off-site facilities and clinics. The hospital-based program is expansive including diagnostic radiology and nuclear medicine (molecular imaging), interventional radiology, a comprehensive cardiovascular program, multiple forms of radiation therapy (low dose rate brachytherapy, high dose rate brachytherapy, external beam radiotherapy, and gamma knife), and the Research Institute (including basic bench top, human and animal). Each year, in the annual report, data is analyzed and then tracked and trended. While any summary report will, by nature, include items such as the number of pieces of equipment, inspections performed, staff monitored and educated and other similar parameters, not all include an objective review of the quality and effectiveness of the program. Through objective numerical data Beaumont adopted seven key performance indicators. The assertion made is that key performance indicators can be used to establish benchmarks for evaluation and comparison of the effectiveness and quality of radiation safety programs. Based on over a decade of data collection, and adoption of key performance indicators, this paper demonstrates one way to establish objective benchmarking for radiation safety programs in the health care environment.

  18. 41 CFR 102-80.100 - What performance objective should an automatic sprinkler system be capable of meeting?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... objective should an automatic sprinkler system be capable of meeting? 102-80.100 Section 102-80.100 Public... Automatic Sprinkler Systems § 102-80.100 What performance objective should an automatic sprinkler system be capable of meeting? The performance objective of the automatic sprinkler system is that it must be capable...

  19. 41 CFR 102-80.100 - What performance objective should an automatic sprinkler system be capable of meeting?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... objective should an automatic sprinkler system be capable of meeting? 102-80.100 Section 102-80.100 Public... Automatic Sprinkler Systems § 102-80.100 What performance objective should an automatic sprinkler system be capable of meeting? The performance objective of the automatic sprinkler system is that it must be capable...

  20. 41 CFR 102-80.100 - What performance objective should an automatic sprinkler system be capable of meeting?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... objective should an automatic sprinkler system be capable of meeting? 102-80.100 Section 102-80.100 Public... Automatic Sprinkler Systems § 102-80.100 What performance objective should an automatic sprinkler system be capable of meeting? The performance objective of the automatic sprinkler system is that it must be capable...

  1. 41 CFR 102-80.100 - What performance objective should an automatic sprinkler system be capable of meeting?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... objective should an automatic sprinkler system be capable of meeting? 102-80.100 Section 102-80.100 Public... Automatic Sprinkler Systems § 102-80.100 What performance objective should an automatic sprinkler system be capable of meeting? The performance objective of the automatic sprinkler system is that it must be capable...

  2. 41 CFR 102-80.100 - What performance objective should an automatic sprinkler system be capable of meeting?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... objective should an automatic sprinkler system be capable of meeting? 102-80.100 Section 102-80.100 Public... Automatic Sprinkler Systems § 102-80.100 What performance objective should an automatic sprinkler system be capable of meeting? The performance objective of the automatic sprinkler system is that it must be capable...

  3. 48 CFR 436.201 - Evaluation of contractor performance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... Construction 436.201 Evaluation of contractor performance. Preparation of performance evaluation reports. In addition to the requirements of FAR 36.201, performance evaluation reports shall be prepared for indefinite... of services to be ordered exceeds $500,000.00. For these contracts, performance evaluation reports...

  4. Performance evaluation of Olympic weightlifters.

    PubMed

    Garhammer, J

    1979-01-01

    The comparison of weights lifted by athletes in different bodyweight categories is a continuing problem for the sport of olympic weightlifting. An objective mechanical evaluation procedure was developed using basic ideas from a model proposed by Ranta in 1975. This procedure was based on more realistic assumptions than the original model and considered both vertical and horizontal bar movements. Utilization of data obtained from film of national caliber lifters indicated that the proposed method was workable, and that the evaluative indices ranked lifters in reasonable order relative to other comparative techniques.

  5. Combining control input with flight path data to evaluate pilot performance in transport aircraft.

    PubMed

    Ebbatson, Matt; Harris, Don; Huddlestone, John; Sears, Rodney

    2008-11-01

    When deriving an objective assessment of piloting performance from flight data records, it is common to employ metrics which purely evaluate errors in flight path parameters. The adequacy of pilot performance is evaluated from the flight path of the aircraft. However, in large jet transport aircraft these measures may be insensitive and require supplementing with frequency-based measures of control input parameters. Flight path and control input data were collected from pilots undertaking a jet transport aircraft conversion course during a series of symmetric and asymmetric approaches in a flight simulator. The flight path data were analyzed for deviations around the optimum flight path while flying an instrument landing approach. Manipulation of the flight controls was subject to analysis using a series of power spectral density measures. The flight path metrics showed no significant differences in performance between the symmetric and asymmetric approaches. However, control input frequency domain measures revealed that the pilots employed highly different control strategies in the pitch and yaw axes. The results demonstrate that to evaluate pilot performance fully in large aircraft, it is necessary to employ performance metrics targeted at both the outer control loop (flight path) and the inner control loop (flight control) parameters in parallel, evaluating both the product and process of a pilot's performance.

  6. Stream Clustering of Growing Objects

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Siddiqui, Zaigham Faraz; Spiliopoulou, Myra

    We study incremental clustering of objects that grow and accumulate over time. The objects come from a multi-table stream e.g. streams of Customer and Transaction. As the Transactions stream accumulates, the Customers’ profiles grow. First, we use an incremental propositionalisation to convert the multi-table stream into a single-table stream upon which we apply clustering. For this purpose, we develop an online version of K-Means algorithm that can handle these swelling objects and any new objects that arrive. The algorithm also monitors the quality of the model and performs re-clustering when it deteriorates. We evaluate our method on the PKDD Challenge 1999 dataset.

  7. The effects of armodafinil on objective sleepiness and performance in a shift work disorder sample unselected for objective sleepiness.

    PubMed

    Howard, Ryan; Roth, Thomas; Drake, Christopher L

    2014-06-01

    Armodafinil is a medication used to treat excessive sleepiness in individuals with shift work disorder (SWD). In the present study, we investigate whether armodafinil can normalize nocturnal sleepiness in a group of typical SWD patients. Participants were 12 night workers (aged 33.8 ± 8.57 years, 7 female subjects) with excessive sleepiness (≥10 on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale; mean, 14.8 ± 3.16), meeting the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Second Edition criteria for SWD, with no other sleep or medical disorders verified by polysomnogram. The multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) was not used as an entry criteria. Armodafinil was administered at 10:30 pm in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design with experimental nights separated by 1 week. Primary end point was the MSLT, with naps at 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, and 7:30 am. Other study measures included a sleepiness-alertness visual analog scale administered before each nap, and 2 computer-based performance tests evaluating attention and memory. Subjects with SWD had a mean MSLT of 5.3 ± 3.25 minutes, indicating a mean level of pathological sleepiness. Armodafinil significantly improved MSLT score to 11.1 ± 4.79 minutes (P = 0.006). Subjective levels of alertness on the visual analog scale also improved (P = 0.008). For performance, reaction time to central (P = 0.006) and peripheral (P = 0.003) stimuli and free recall memory (P = 0.05) were also improved. Armodafinil 150 mg administered at the beginning of a night shift normalizes nocturnal sleepiness in individuals with SWD unselected for objective sleepiness. Subjective measures of sleepiness and cognitive performance are also improved. This suggests that armodafinil can improve levels of nocturnal alertness to within normal daytime levels in the majority of patients with SWD.

  8. 48 CFR 1252.216-72 - Performance evaluation plan.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 5 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Performance evaluation....216-72 Performance evaluation plan. As prescribed in (TAR) 48 CFR 1216.406(b), insert the following clause: Performance Evaluation Plan (OCT 1994) (a) A Performance Evaluation Plan shall be unilaterally...

  9. Computer Graphics Animation for Objective Self-Evaluation.

    PubMed

    Usui, Yoko; Sato, Katsumi; Watabe, Shinichi

    2017-01-01

    The increased number of students enrolling in dance classes in Japan has resulted in a shortage of qualified instructors, leaving classes to be taught by instructors who are not trained in dance. The authors developed a system specifically designed to help nonqualified dance instructors teach dance using motion capture and animation. The goal is to allow dancers to easily self-evaluate their own performances by comparing it to a standard example.

  10. Family Living and Parenthood. Performance Objectives and Criterion-Referenced Test Items.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Missouri Univ., Columbia. Instructional Materials Lab.

    This guide was developed to assist home economics teachers in implementing the Missouri Vocational Instructional Management System into the home economics curriculum at the local level through a family living and parenthood semester course. The course contains a minimum of two performance objectives for each competency developed and validated by…

  11. Energy performance evaluation of AAC

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aybek, Hulya

    The U.S. building industry constitutes the largest consumer of energy (i.e., electricity, natural gas, petroleum) in the world. The building sector uses almost 41 percent of the primary energy and approximately 72 percent of the available electricity in the United States. As global energy-generating resources are being depleted at exponential rates, the amount of energy consumed and wasted cannot be ignored. Professionals concerned about the environment have placed a high priority on finding solutions that reduce energy consumption while maintaining occupant comfort. Sustainable design and the judicious combination of building materials comprise one solution to this problem. A future including sustainable energy may result from using energy simulation software to accurately estimate energy consumption and from applying building materials that achieve the potential results derived through simulation analysis. Energy-modeling tools assist professionals with making informed decisions about energy performance during the early planning phases of a design project, such as determining the most advantageous combination of building materials, choosing mechanical systems, and determining building orientation on the site. By implementing energy simulation software to estimate the effect of these factors on the energy consumption of a building, designers can make adjustments to their designs during the design phase when the effect on cost is minimal. The primary objective of this research consisted of identifying a method with which to properly select energy-efficient building materials and involved evaluating the potential of these materials to earn LEED credits when properly applied to a structure. In addition, this objective included establishing a framework that provides suggestions for improvements to currently available simulation software that enhance the viability of the estimates concerning energy efficiency and the achievements of LEED credits. The primary objective

  12. The use of individualized contract plans as a method of performance evaluation for allied health faculty.

    PubMed

    Mitcham, M D; Vericella, B J

    1985-11-01

    Results from a two-year study of the individualized contract plan (ICP) approach to faculty evaluation indicate this is a workable method of performance evaluation for allied health faculty. The ICP was found to be individualized, systematic, flexible, and objective. Faculty members and department chairpersons differed in their perception of the effectiveness of the ICP, but both groups supported its continued use. Five major recommendations were made regarding the continued use of the ICP as a method of faculty performance evaluation: (1) separate evaluation and professional development aspects, (2) link results to the institutional reward structure, (3) administer the ICP uniformly among departments, (4) develop a monitoring mechanism, and (5) foster open communication among all participants in the system.

  13. Evaluation of a miniature microscope objective designed for fluorescence array microscopy detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

    PubMed

    McCall, Brian; Olsen, Randall J; Nelles, Nicole J; Williams, Dawn L; Jackson, Kevin; Richards-Kortum, Rebecca; Graviss, Edward A; Tkaczyk, Tomasz S

    2014-03-01

    A prototype miniature objective that was designed for a point-of-care diagnostic array microscope for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and previously fabricated and presented in a proof of concept is evaluated for its effectiveness in detecting acid-fast bacteria. To evaluate the ability of the microscope to resolve submicron features and details in the image of acid-fast microorganisms stained with a fluorescent dye, and to evaluate the accuracy of clinical diagnoses made with digital images acquired with the objective. The lens prescription data for the microscope design are presented. A test platform is built by combining parts of a standard microscope, a prototype objective, and a digital single-lens reflex camera. Counts of acid-fast bacteria made with the prototype objective are compared to counts obtained with a standard microscope over matched fields of view. Two sets of 20 smears, positive and negative, are diagnosed by 2 pathologists as sputum smear positive or sputum smear negative, using both a standard clinical microscope and the prototype objective under evaluation. The results are compared to a reference diagnosis of the same sample. More bacteria are counted in matched fields of view in digital images taken with the prototype objective than with the standard clinical microscope. All diagnostic results are found to be highly concordant. An array microscope built with this miniature lens design will be able to detect M tuberculosis with high sensitivity and specificity.

  14. [Study on objectively evaluating skin aging according to areas of skin texture].

    PubMed

    Shan, Gaixin; Gan, Ping; He, Ling; Sun, Lu; Li, Qiannan; Jiang, Zheng; He, Xiangqian

    2015-02-01

    Skin aging principles play important roles in skin disease diagnosis, the evaluation of skin cosmetic effect, forensic identification and age identification in sports competition, etc. This paper proposes a new method to evaluate the skin aging objectively and quantitatively by skin texture area. Firstly, the enlarged skin image was acquired. Then, the skin texture image was segmented by using the iterative threshold method, and the skin ridge image was extracted according to the watershed algorithm. Finally, the skin ridge areas of the skin texture were extracted. The experiment data showed that the average areas of skin ridges, of both men and women, had a good correlation with age (the correlation coefficient r of male was 0.938, and the correlation coefficient r of female was 0.922), and skin texture area and age regression curve showed that the skin texture area increased with age. Therefore, it is effective to evaluate skin aging objectively by the new method presented in this paper.

  15. Design and performance evaluation of a 1000-year evapotranspiration-capillary surface barrier.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Zhuanfang Fred; Strickland, Christopher E; Link, Steven O

    2017-02-01

    Surface barrier technology is used to isolate radioactive waste and to reduce or eliminate recharge water to the waste zone for 1000 years or longer. However, the design and evaluation of such a barrier is challenging because of the extremely long design life. After establishing a set of design and performance objectives, a package of design solutions was developed for 1000-year surface barriers over nuclear waste sites. The Prototype Hanford Barrier (PHB) was then constructed in 1994 in the field over an existing waste site as a demonstration. The barrier was tested to evaluate surface-barrier design and performance at the field scale under conditions of enhanced and natural precipitation and of no vegetation. The monitoring data demonstrate that the barrier satisfied nearly all objectives in the past two decades. The PHB far exceeded the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act criteria, functioned in Hanford's semiarid climate, limited drainage to well below the 0.5 mm yr -1 performance criterion, limited runoff, and minimized erosion and bio-intrusion. Given the two-decade record of successful performance and consideration of the processes and mechanisms that could affect barrier stability and hydrology in the future, the results suggest the PHB is very likely to perform for its 1000-year design life. This conclusion is based on two assumptions: (1) the exposed subgrade receives protection against erosion and (2) institutional controls prevent inadvertent human activity at the barrier. The PHB design can serve as the basis for site-specific barriers over waste sites containing underground nuclear waste, uranium mine tailings, and hazardous mine waste. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Performance Evaluation of Automated Passive Capillary Sampler for Estimating Water Drainage in the Vadose Zone

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Passive capillary samplers (PCAPs) are widely used to monitor, measure and sample drainage water under saturated and unsaturated soil conditions in the vadose zone. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance and accuracy of automated passive capillary sampler for estimating drainage...

  17. Self-perceived versus objectively measured competence in performing clinical practical procedures by final year medical students.

    PubMed

    Katowa-Mukwato, Patricia; Banda, Sekelani

    2016-04-30

    To determine and compare the self-perceived and objectively measured competence in performing 14 core-clinical practical procedures by Final Year Medical Students of the University of Zambia. The study included 56 out of 60 graduating University of Zambia Medical Students of the 2012/2013 academic year. Self-perceived competence: students rated their competence on 14 core- clinical practical procedures using a self-administered questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale. Objective competence: it was measured by Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) by faculty using predetermined rating scales. Rank order correlation test was performed for self-perceived and objectively measured competence. Two thirds 36 (66.7%) of the participants perceived themselves as moderately competent, 15 (27.8%) rated themselves as highly competent while 3 (5.6%) had low self-perception. With objective competence, the majority 52 (92.8%) were barely competent while 4 (7.2%) were absolutely competent. When overall self-perception was compared to objectively measured competence, there was a discordance which was demonstrated by a negative correlation (Spearman rho -.123). Significant numbers of students reported low self-competence in performing procedures such as endotracheal intubation, gastric lavage and cardiopulmonary resuscitation which most never performed during the clinical years of medical education. In addition, the negative correlation between self-perceived and objectively measured competence demonstrated the inability of students to assess and rate themselves objectively due to fear that others may know their weaknesses and realize that they are not as competent as expected at a specific level of training.

  18. Objective and Subjective Evaluation of Reflecting and Diffusing Surfaces in Auditoria

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cox, Trevor John

    Available from UMI in association with The British Library. Requires signed TDF. The performance of reflectors and diffusers used in auditoria have been evaluated both objectively and subjectively. Two accurate systems have been developed to measure the scattering from surfaces via the cross correlation function. These have been used to measure the scattering from plane panels, curved panels and quadratic residue diffusers (QRDs). The scattering measurements have been used to test theoretical prediction methods based on the Helmholtz-Kirchhoff integral equation. Accurate prediction methods were found for all surfaces tested. The limitations of the more approximate methods have been defined. The assumptions behind Schroeder's design of the QRD have been tested and the local reacting admittance assumption found to be valid over a wide frequency range. It was found that the QRD only produces uniform scattering at low frequencies. For an on-axis source the scattering from a curved panel was as good as from a QRD. For an oblique source the QRD produced much more uniform scattering than the curved panel. The subjective measurements evaluated the smallest perceivable change in the early sound field, the part most influenced by reflectors and diffusers. A natural sounding simulation of a concert hall field within an anechoic chamber was used. Standard objective parameters were reasonable values when compared to values found in real halls and subjective preference measurements. A difference limen was measured for early lateral energy fraction (.048 +/-.005); inter aural cross correlation (.075 +/-.008); clarity index (.67 +/-.13 dB); and centre time (8.6 +/- 1.6 ms). It was found that: (i) when changes are made to diffusers and reflectors, changes in spatial impression will usually be larger than those in clarity; and (ii) acousticians can gain most by paying attention to lateral sound in auditoria. It was also found that: (i) diffuse reflections in the early sound field

  19. Evaluation of Calibration Laboratories Performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Filipe, Eduarda

    2011-12-01

    One of the main goals of interlaboratory comparisons (ILCs) is the evaluation of the laboratories performance for the routine calibrations they perform for the clients. In the frame of Accreditation of Laboratories, the national accreditation boards (NABs) in collaboration with the national metrology institutes (NMIs) organize the ILCs needed to comply with the requirements of the international accreditation organizations. In order that an ILC is a reliable tool for a laboratory to validate its best measurement capability (BMC), it is needed that the NMI (reference laboratory) provides a better traveling standard—in terms of accuracy class or uncertainty—than the laboratories BMCs. Although this is the general situation, there are cases where the NABs ask the NMIs to evaluate the performance of the accredited laboratories when calibrating industrial measuring instruments. The aim of this article is to discuss the existing approaches for the evaluation of ILCs and propose a basis for the validation of the laboratories measurement capabilities. An example is drafted with the evaluation of the results of mercury-in-glass thermometers ILC with 12 participant laboratories.

  20. Multi-objective optimization design and experimental investigation of centrifugal fan performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Lei; Wang, Songling; Hu, Chenxing; Zhang, Qian

    2013-11-01

    Current studies of fan performance optimization mainly focus on two aspects: one is to improve the blade profile, and another is only to consider the influence of single impeller structural parameter on fan performance. However, there are few studies on the comprehensive effect of the key parameters such as blade number, exit stagger angle of blade and the impeller outlet width on the fan performance. The G4-73 backward centrifugal fan widely used in power plants is selected as the research object. Based on orthogonal design and BP neural network, a model for predicting the centrifugal fan performance parameters is established, and the maximum relative errors of the total pressure and efficiency are 0.974% and 0.333%, respectively. Multi-objective optimization of total pressure and efficiency of the fan is conducted with genetic algorithm, and the optimum combination of impeller structural parameters is proposed. The optimized parameters of blade number, exit stagger angle of blade and the impeller outlet width are seperately 14, 43.9°, and 21 cm. The experiments on centrifugal fan performance and noise are conducted before and after the installation of the new impeller. The experimental results show that with the new impeller, the total pressure of fan increases significantly in total range of the flow rate, and the fan efficiency is improved when the relative flow is above 75%, also the high efficiency area is broadened. Additionally, in 65% -100% relative flow, the fan noise is reduced. Under the design operating condition, total pressure and efficiency of the fan are improved by 6.91% and 0.5%, respectively. This research sheds light on the considering of comprehensive effect of impeller structrual parameters on fan performance, and a new impeller can be designed to satisfy the engineering demand such as energy-saving, noise reduction or solving air pressure insufficiency for power plants.

  1. Evaluation of emergency department performance – a systematic review on recommended performance and quality-in-care measures

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Evaluation of emergency department (ED) performance remains a difficult task due to the lack of consensus on performance measures that reflects high quality, efficiency, and sustainability. Aim To describe, map, and critically evaluate which performance measures that the published literature regard as being most relevant in assessing overall ED performance. Methods Following the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic literature review of review articles reporting accentuated ED performance measures was conducted in the databases of PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. Study eligibility criteria includes: 1) the main purpose was to discuss, analyse, or promote performance measures best reflecting ED performance, 2) the article was a review article, and 3) the article reported macro-level performance measures, thus reflecting an overall departmental performance level. Results A number of articles addresses this study’s objective (n = 14 of 46 unique hits). Time intervals and patient-related measures were dominant in the identified performance measures in review articles from US, UK, Sweden and Canada. Length of stay (LOS), time between patient arrival to initial clinical assessment, and time between patient arrivals to admission were highlighted by the majority of articles. Concurrently, “patients left without being seen” (LWBS), unplanned re-attendance within a maximum of 72 hours, mortality/morbidity, and number of unintended incidents were the most highlighted performance measures that related directly to the patient. Performance measures related to employees were only stated in two of the 14 included articles. Conclusions A total of 55 ED performance measures were identified. ED time intervals were the most recommended performance measures followed by patient centeredness and safety performance measures. ED employee related performance measures were rarely mentioned in the investigated literature. The study’s results allow for advancement

  2. Judging Surgical Research: How Should We Evaluate Performance and Measure Value?

    PubMed Central

    Souba, Wiley W.; Wilmore, Douglas W.

    2000-01-01

    Objective To establish criteria to evaluate performance in surgical research, and to suggest strategies to optimize research in the future. Summary Background Data Research is an integral component of the academic mission, focusing on important clinical problems, accounting for surgical advances, and providing training and mentoring for young surgeons. With constraints on healthcare resources, there is increasing pressure to generate clinical revenues at the expense of the time and effort devoted to surgical research. An approach that would assess the value of research would allow prioritization of projects. Further, alignment of high-priority research projects with clinical goals would optimize research gains and maximize the clinical enterprise. Methods The authors reviewed performance criteria applied to industrial research and modified these criteria to apply to surgical research. They reviewed several programs that align research objectives with clinical goals. Results Performance criteria were categorized along several dimensions: internal measures (quality, productivity, innovation, learning, and development), customer satisfaction, market share, and financial indices (cost and profitability). A “report card” was proposed to allow the assessment of research in an individual department or division. Conclusions The department’s business strategy can no longer be divorced from its research strategy. Alignment between research and clinical goals will maximize the department’s objectives but will create the need to modify existing hierarchical structures and reward systems. Such alignment appears to be the best way to ensure the success of surgical research in the future. PMID:10862192

  3. Evaluating the Use of Learning Objects for Improving Calculus Readiness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kay, Robin; Kletskin, Ilona

    2010-01-01

    Pre-calculus concepts such as working with functions and solving equations are essential for students to explore limits, rates of change, and integrals. Yet many students have a weak understanding of these key concepts which impedes performance in their first year university Calculus course. A series of online learning objects was developed to…

  4. High-performance object tracking and fixation with an online neural estimator.

    PubMed

    Kumarawadu, Sisil; Watanabe, Keigo; Lee, Tsu-Tian

    2007-02-01

    Vision-based target tracking and fixation to keep objects that move in three dimensions in view is important for many tasks in several fields including intelligent transportation systems and robotics. Much of the visual control literature has focused on the kinematics of visual control and ignored a number of significant dynamic control issues that limit performance. In line with this, this paper presents a neural network (NN)-based binocular tracking scheme for high-performance target tracking and fixation with minimum sensory information. The procedure allows the designer to take into account the physical (Lagrangian dynamics) properties of the vision system in the control law. The design objective is to synthesize a binocular tracking controller that explicitly takes the systems dynamics into account, yet needs no knowledge of dynamic nonlinearities and joint velocity sensory information. The combined neurocontroller-observer scheme can guarantee the uniform ultimate bounds of the tracking, observer, and NN weight estimation errors under fairly general conditions on the controller-observer gains. The controller is tested and verified via simulation tests in the presence of severe target motion changes.

  5. 48 CFR 236.201 - Evaluation of contractor performance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... CONTRACTS Special Aspects of Contracting for Construction 236.201 Evaluation of contractor performance. (a) Preparation of performance evaluation reports. Use DD Form 2626, Performance Evaluation (Construction... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Evaluation of contractor...

  6. Conductor gestures influence evaluations of ensemble performance

    PubMed Central

    Morrison, Steven J.; Price, Harry E.; Smedley, Eric M.; Meals, Cory D.

    2014-01-01

    Previous research has found that listener evaluations of ensemble performances vary depending on the expressivity of the conductor’s gestures, even when performances are otherwise identical. It was the purpose of the present study to test whether this effect of visual information was evident in the evaluation of specific aspects of ensemble performance: articulation and dynamics. We constructed a set of 32 music performances that combined auditory and visual information and were designed to feature a high degree of contrast along one of two target characteristics: articulation and dynamics. We paired each of four music excerpts recorded by a chamber ensemble in both a high- and low-contrast condition with video of four conductors demonstrating high- and low-contrast gesture specifically appropriate to either articulation or dynamics. Using one of two equivalent test forms, college music majors and non-majors (N = 285) viewed sixteen 30 s performances and evaluated the quality of the ensemble’s articulation, dynamics, technique, and tempo along with overall expressivity. Results showed significantly higher evaluations for performances featuring high rather than low conducting expressivity regardless of the ensemble’s performance quality. Evaluations for both articulation and dynamics were strongly and positively correlated with evaluations of overall ensemble expressivity. PMID:25104944

  7. Quantitative Evaluation of Performance in Interventional Neuroradiology: An Integrated Curriculum Featuring Theoretical and Practical Challenges.

    PubMed

    Ernst, Marielle; Kriston, Levente; Romero, Javier M; Frölich, Andreas M; Jansen, Olav; Fiehler, Jens; Buhk, Jan-Hendrik

    2016-01-01

    We sought to develop a standardized curriculum capable of assessing key competencies in Interventional Neuroradiology by the use of models and simulators in an objective, quantitative, and efficient way. In this evaluation we analyzed the associations between the practical experience, theoretical knowledge, and the skills lab performance of interventionalists. We evaluated the endovascular skills of 26 participants of the Advanced Course in Endovascular Interventional Neuroradiology of the European Society of Neuroradiology with a set of three tasks (aneurysm coiling and thrombectomy in a virtual simulator and placement of an intra-aneurysmal flow disruptor in a flow model). Practical experience was assessed by a survey. Participants completed a written and oral examination to evaluate theoretical knowledge. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed. In multivariate analysis knowledge of materials and techniques in Interventional Neuroradiology was moderately associated with skills in aneurysm coiling and thrombectomy. Experience in mechanical thrombectomy was moderately associated with thrombectomy skills, while age was negatively associated with thrombectomy skills. We found no significant association between age, sex, or work experience and skills in aneurysm coiling. Our study gives an example of how an integrated curriculum for reasonable and cost-effective assessment of key competences of an interventional neuroradiologist could look. In addition to traditional assessment of theoretical knowledge practical skills are measured by the use of endovascular simulators yielding objective, quantitative, and constructive data for the evaluation of the current performance status of participants as well as the evolution of their technical competency over time.

  8. Objective and subjective treatment evaluation of scars using optical coherence tomography, sonography, photography, and standardised questionnaires.

    PubMed

    Reinholz, Markus; Schwaiger, Hannah; Poetschke, Julian; Epple, Andreas; Ruzicka, Thomas; Von Braunmühl, Tanja; Gauglitz, Gerd G

    2016-12-01

    Currently, different types of treatments for pathological scars are available, however, to date, there is no established method of measurement to objectively assess therapeutic outcome. Treatment success is usually evaluated clinically by the physician and patient. Non-invasive imaging techniques, such as HD-OCT (high-definition optical coherence tomography), may represent a valuable diagnostic tool to objectively measure therapeutic outcome. To compare HD-OCT with ultrasound and subjective evaluation tools, such as questionnaires. In total, eight patients with pathological scars were treated in this pilot study with cryotherapy and intralesional steroid injections, and evaluated pre- and post-treatment using clinical examination, photography, sonography, and HD-OCT. The analysis of objective and subjective measuring methods was used to draw direct comparisons. HD-OCT revealed reduced epidermal and dermal thickness of the scar after four treatments with triamcinolone acetonide and cryotherapy. Based on sonography, a total reduction in scar height and reduction in scar depth was demonstrated. Both methods correlated well with the injected amount of triamcinolone acetonide. In addition, a positive correlation between well-established subjective and objective evaluation methods was found. We demonstrate that HD-OCT may be used as an objective diagnostic instrument to evaluate skin thickness under therapy for pathological scars, and serves as a valuable adjunctive device in combination with ultrasound and subjective evaluation tools. This provides additional information for the therapist concerning the quality and success of the applied treatment.

  9. Evaluating Library Staff: A Performance Appraisal System.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Belcastro, Patricia

    This manual provides librarians and library managers with a performance appraisal system that measures staff fairly and objectively and links performance to the goals of the library. The following topics are addressed: (1) identifying expectations for quality service or standards of performance; (2) the importance of a library's code of service,…

  10. Strategic adaptation to performance objectives in a dual-task setting.

    PubMed

    Janssen, Christian P; Brumby, Duncan P

    2010-11-01

    How do people interleave attention when multitasking? One dominant account is that the completion of a subtask serves as a cue to switch tasks. But what happens if switching solely at subtask boundaries led to poor performance? We report a study in which participants manually dialed a UK-style telephone number while driving a simulated vehicle. If the driver were to exclusively return his or her attention to driving after completing a subtask (i.e., using the single break in the xxxxx-xxxxxx representational structure of the number), then we would expect to see a relatively poor driving performance. In contrast, our results show that drivers choose to return attention to steering control before the natural subtask boundary. A computational modeling analysis shows that drivers had to adopt this strategy to meet the required performance objective of maintaining an acceptable lateral position in the road while dialing. Taken together these results support the idea that people can strategically control the allocation of attention in multitask settings to meet specific performance criteria. Copyright © 2010 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

  11. 48 CFR 3052.216-72 - Performance evaluation plan.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Performance evaluation... CONTRACT CLAUSES Text of Provisions and Clauses 3052.216-72 Performance evaluation plan. As prescribed in... Evaluation Plan (DEC 2003) (a) A Performance Evaluation Plan shall be unilaterally established by the...

  12. Objective quality assessment for multiexposure multifocus image fusion.

    PubMed

    Hassen, Rania; Wang, Zhou; Salama, Magdy M A

    2015-09-01

    There has been a growing interest in image fusion technologies, but how to objectively evaluate the quality of fused images has not been fully understood. Here, we propose a method for objective quality assessment of multiexposure multifocus image fusion based on the evaluation of three key factors of fused image quality: 1) contrast preservation; 2) sharpness; and 3) structure preservation. Subjective experiments are conducted to create an image fusion database, based on which, performance evaluation shows that the proposed fusion quality index correlates well with subjective scores, and gives a significant improvement over the existing fusion quality measures.

  13. Performance Evaluation Process.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    1998

    This document contains four papers from a symposium on the performance evaluation process and human resource development (HRD). "Assessing the Effectiveness of OJT (On the Job Training): A Case Study Approach" (Julie Furst-Bowe, Debra Gates) is a case study of the effectiveness of OJT in one of a high-tech manufacturing company's product…

  14. Cloud object store for checkpoints of high performance computing applications using decoupling middleware

    DOEpatents

    Bent, John M.; Faibish, Sorin; Grider, Gary

    2016-04-19

    Cloud object storage is enabled for checkpoints of high performance computing applications using a middleware process. A plurality of files, such as checkpoint files, generated by a plurality of processes in a parallel computing system are stored by obtaining said plurality of files from said parallel computing system; converting said plurality of files to objects using a log structured file system middleware process; and providing said objects for storage in a cloud object storage system. The plurality of processes may run, for example, on a plurality of compute nodes. The log structured file system middleware process may be embodied, for example, as a Parallel Log-Structured File System (PLFS). The log structured file system middleware process optionally executes on a burst buffer node.

  15. Everyday listening questionnaire: correlation between subjective hearing and objective performance.

    PubMed

    Brendel, Martina; Frohne-Buechner, Carolin; Lesinski-Schiedat, Anke; Lenarz, Thomas; Buechner, Andreas

    2014-01-01

    Clinical experience has demonstrated that speech understanding by cochlear implant (CI) recipients has improved over recent years with the development of new technology. The Everyday Listening Questionnaire 2 (ELQ 2) was designed to collect information regarding the challenges faced by CI recipients in everyday listening. The aim of this study was to compare self-assessment of CI users using ELQ 2 with objective speech recognition measures and to compare results between users of older and newer coding strategies. During their regular clinical review appointments a group of representative adult CI recipients implanted with the Advanced Bionics implant system were asked to complete the questionnaire. The first 100 patients who agreed to participate in this survey were recruited independent of processor generation and speech coding strategy. Correlations between subjectively scored hearing performance in everyday listening situations and objectively measured speech perception abilities were examined relative to the speech coding strategies used. When subjects were grouped by strategy there were significant differences between users of older 'standard' strategies and users of the newer, currently available strategies (HiRes and HiRes 120), especially in the categories of telephone use and music perception. Significant correlations were found between certain subjective ratings and the objective speech perception data in noise. There is a good correlation between subjective and objective data. Users of more recent speech coding strategies tend to have fewer problems in difficult hearing situations.

  16. The Context and Process for Performance Evaluations: Necessary Preconditions for the Use of Performance Evaluations as a Measure of Performance--A Critique of Perry

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCarthy, Mary L.

    2006-01-01

    This article challenges Perry's research using performance evaluations to determine whether the educational background of child welfare workers is predictive of performance. Institutional theory, an understanding of street-level bureaucracies, and evaluations of field education performance measures are offered as necessary frameworks for Perry's…

  17. Home Economics. Exploration of Clothing Management, Production and Service Occupations. Performance Objectives. Criterion Measures.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duval County School Board, Jacksonville, FL.

    Several intermediate performance objectives and corresponding criterion measures are presented for each of five terminal objectives for a 12- to 18-week course designed to provide students in grades 8 or 9 with opportunities to explore a broad range of clothing management, production, and service occupations. The course was designed to provide…

  18. Performance evaluation of nursing students following competency-based education.

    PubMed

    Fan, Jun-Yu; Wang, Yu Hsin; Chao, Li Fen; Jane, Sui-Whi; Hsu, Li-Ling

    2015-01-01

    Competency-based education is known to improve the match between educational performance and employment opportunities. This study examined the effects of competency-based education on the learning outcomes of undergraduate nursing students. The study used a quasi-experimental design. A convenience sample of 312 second-year undergraduate nursing students from northern and southern Taiwan participated in the study. The experimental group (n=163) received competency-based education and the control group received traditional instruction (n=149) in a medical-surgical nursing course. Outcome measures included students' scores on the Objective Structured Clinical Examination, Self-Evaluated Core Competencies Scale, Metacognitive Inventory for Nursing Students questionnaire, and academic performance. Students who received competency-based education had significantly higher academic performance in the medical-surgical nursing course and practicum than did the control group. Required core competencies and metacognitive abilities improved significantly in the competency-based education group as compared to the control group after adjusting for covariates. Competency-based education is worth implementing and may close the gap between education and the ever-changing work environment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Handbook for Improving Superintendent Performance Evaluation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Candoli, Carl; And Others

    This handbook for superintendent performance evaluation contains information for boards of education as they institute or improve their evaluation system. The handbook answers questions involved in operationalizing, implementing, and evaluating a superintendent-evaluation system. The information was developed from research on superintendent…

  20. Model Performance Evaluation and Scenario Analysis (MPESA) Tutorial

    EPA Science Inventory

    This tool consists of two parts: model performance evaluation and scenario analysis (MPESA). The model performance evaluation consists of two components: model performance evaluation metrics and model diagnostics. These metrics provides modelers with statistical goodness-of-fit m...

  1. Evaluation of colonoscopy technical skill levels by use of an objective kinematic-based system.

    PubMed

    Obstein, Keith L; Patil, Vaibhav D; Jayender, Jagadeesan; San José Estépar, Raúl; Spofford, Inbar S; Lengyel, Balazs I; Vosburgh, Kirby G; Thompson, Christopher C

    2011-02-01

    Colonoscopy requires training and experience to ensure accuracy and safety. Currently, no objective, validated process exists to determine when an endoscopist has attained technical competence. Kinematics data describing movements of laparoscopic instruments have been used in surgical skill assessment to define expert surgical technique. We have developed a novel system to record kinematics data during colonoscopy and quantitatively assess colonoscopist performance. To use kinematic analysis of colonoscopy to quantitatively assess endoscopic technical performance. Prospective cohort study. Tertiary-care academic medical center. This study involved physicians who perform colonoscopy. Application of a kinematics data collection system to colonoscopy evaluation. Kinematics data, validated task load assessment instrument, and technical difficulty visual analog scale. All 13 participants completed the colonoscopy to the terminal ileum on the standard colon model. Attending physicians reached the terminal ileum quicker than fellows (median time, 150.19 seconds vs 299.86 seconds; p<.01) with reduced path lengths for all 4 sensors, decreased flex (1.75 m vs 3.14 m; P=.03), smaller tip angulation, reduced absolute roll, and lower curvature of the endoscope. With performance of attending physicians serving as the expert reference standard, the mean kinematic score increased by 19.89 for each decrease in postgraduate year (P<.01). Overall, fellows experienced greater mental, physical, and temporal demand than did attending physicians. Small cohort size. Kinematic data and score calculation appear useful in the evaluation of colonoscopy technical skill levels. The kinematic score appears to consistently vary by year of training. Because this assessment is nonsubjective, it may be an improvement over current methods for determination of competence. Ongoing studies are establishing benchmarks and characteristic profiles of skill groups based on kinematics data. Copyright © 2011

  2. Method, system, and computer-readable medium for determining performance characteristics of an object undergoing one or more arbitrary aging conditions

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

    Gering, Kevin L.

    A method, system, and computer-readable medium are described for characterizing performance loss of an object undergoing an arbitrary aging condition. Baseline aging data may be collected from the object for at least one known baseline aging condition over time, determining baseline multiple sigmoid model parameters from the baseline data, and performance loss of the object may be determined over time through multiple sigmoid model parameters associated with the object undergoing the arbitrary aging condition using a differential deviation-from-baseline approach from the baseline multiple sigmoid model parameters. The system may include an object, monitoring hardware configured to sample performance characteristics ofmore » the object, and a processor coupled to the monitoring hardware. The processor is configured to determine performance loss for the arbitrary aging condition from a comparison of the performance characteristics of the object deviating from baseline performance characteristics associated with a baseline aging condition.« less

  3. The effects of non-evaluative feedback on drivers' self-evaluation and performance.

    PubMed

    Dogan, Ebru; Steg, Linda; Delhomme, Patricia; Rothengatter, Talib

    2012-03-01

    Drivers' tend to overestimate their competences, which may result in risk taking behavior. Providing drivers with feedback has been suggested as one of the solutions to overcome drivers' inaccurate self-evaluations. In practice, many tests and driving simulators provide drivers with non-evaluative feedback, which conveys information on the level of performance but not on what caused the performance. Is this type of feedback indeed effective in reducing self-enhancement biases? The current study aimed to investigate the effect of non-evaluative performance feedback on drivers' self-evaluations using a computerized hazard perception test. A between-subjects design was used with one group receiving feedback on performance in the hazard perception test while the other group not receiving any feedback. The results indicated that drivers had a robust self-enhancement bias in their self-evaluations regardless of the presence of performance feedback and that they systematically estimated their performance to be higher than they actually achieved in the test. Furthermore, they devalued the credibility of the test instead of adjusting their self-evaluations in order to cope with the negative feelings following the failure feedback. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these counterproductive effects of non-evaluative feedback. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Assisting allied health in performance evaluation: a systematic review.

    PubMed

    Lizarondo, Lucylynn; Grimmer, Karen; Kumar, Saravana

    2014-11-14

    Performance evaluation raises several challenges to allied health practitioners and there is no agreed approach to measuring or monitoring allied health service performance. The aim of this review was to examine the literature on performance evaluation in healthcare to assist in the establishment of a framework that can guide the measurement and evaluation of allied health clinical service performance. This review determined the core elements of a performance evaluation system, tools for evaluating performance, and barriers to the implementation of performance evaluation. A systematic review of the literature was undertaken. Five electronic databases were used to search for relevant articles: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsychInfo, and Academic Search Premier. Articles which focussed on any allied health performance evaluation or those which examined performance in health care in general were considered in the review. Content analysis was used to synthesise the findings from individual articles. A total of 37 articles were included in the review. The literature suggests there are core elements involved in performance evaluation which include prioritising clinical areas for measurement, setting goals, selecting performance measures, identifying sources of feedback, undertaking performance measurement, and reporting the results to relevant stakeholders. The literature describes performance evaluation as multi-dimensional, requiring information or data from more than one perspective to provide a rich assessment of performance. A range of tools or instruments are available to capture various perspectives and gather a comprehensive picture of health care quality. Every allied health care delivery system has different performance needs and will therefore require different approaches. However, there are core processes that can be used as a framework to evaluate allied health performance. A careful examination of barriers to performance evaluation and subsequent tailoring of

  5. 48 CFR 2936.201 - Evaluation of contractor performance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Evaluation of contractor... Construction 2936.201 Evaluation of contractor performance. The HCA must establish procedures to evaluate construction contractor performance and prepare performance reports as required by FAR 36.201. ...

  6. Item Dependency in an Objective Structured Clinical Examination

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Iramaneerat, Cherdsak; Myford, Carol M.; Yudkowsky, Rachel

    2006-01-01

    An Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is an assessment approach employed in medical education, in which residents rotate through multiple stations of standardized clinical tasks to evaluate their clinical competence. Because items used to evaluate residents' performance in each OSCE station are linked to the same task and are rated…

  7. Modeling and evaluating the performance of Brillouin distributed optical fiber sensors.

    PubMed

    Soto, Marcelo A; Thévenaz, Luc

    2013-12-16

    A thorough analysis of the key factors impacting on the performance of Brillouin distributed optical fiber sensors is presented. An analytical expression is derived to estimate the error on the determination of the Brillouin peak gain frequency, based for the first time on real experimental conditions. This expression is experimentally validated, and describes how this frequency uncertainty depends on measurement parameters, such as Brillouin gain linewidth, frequency scanning step and signal-to-noise ratio. Based on the model leading to this expression and considering the limitations imposed by nonlinear effects and pump depletion, a figure-of-merit is proposed to fairly compare the performance of Brillouin distributed sensing systems. This figure-of-merit offers to the research community and to potential users the possibility to evaluate with an objective metric the real performance gain resulting from any proposed configuration.

  8. Within-person relationship between self-efficacy and performance across trials. Effect of task objective and task type.

    PubMed

    Hepler, Teri J; Ritchie, Jason; Hill, Christopher R

    2017-07-05

    Self-efficacy has been shown to be a consistent, positive predictor of between-persons performance in sport. However, there have been equivocal results regarding the influence of self-efficacy on a person's performance over time. This study investigated the influence of self-efficacy on motor skill performance across trials with respect to two different task objectives and task types. Participants (N=84) performed 4 blocks of 10 trials of a dart throwing (closed skill) and a hitting (open skill) task under 2 different task objectives: competitive and goal-striving. For the goal-striving condition, success was defined as reaching a pre-determined performance level. The competitive condition involved competing against an opponent. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the influence of past performance and self-efficacy on the within-person performance across multiple trials. Previous performance was negatively related with subsequent performance on all conditions. Self-efficacy was not a significant predictor of performance on any of the conditions. While task objective and task type did not moderate the efficacy-performance relationship in the current study, it is important to consider the role of other moderators in future research.

  9. Individual performance review in hospital practice: the development of a framework and evaluation of doctors' attitudes to its value and implementation.

    PubMed

    Trebble, T M; Cruickshank, L; Hockey, P M; Heyworth, N; Powell, T; Clarke, N

    2013-11-01

    Appraisal, or independent performance review (IPR) is used in human resources management in the commercial and public sectors to evaluate the performance of an employee against agreed local organisational expectations and objectives, and to identify their requirements for development and effective management. IPR for NHS consultants may provide essential information for job planning, contribute towards medical appraisal for revalidation, and facilitate productivity and quality improvement. To develop a framework for IPR for consultants, and to determine attitudes on its value, process and content. Information from commercial, public and voluntary sector models and published and other literature sources were used to develop an IPR framework. This was assessed through a three-cycle action research methodology involving qualitative interviews with 22 consultants (predominantly with medical management roles). The domains of the IPR framework included: (1) performance against objectives; (2) behaviour and leadership; (3) talent management; (4) agreed future objectives. A number of themes were identified from the consultant interviews including: ineffective current appraisal systems reflecting a lack of valid performance data and allotted time; a lack of empowerment of medical managers to address performance issues; IPR as a more explicit system, offering value in evaluating doctors performance; and the dependence of successful implementation on the engagement of the Trust executive. IPR may have value for performance evaluation of consultants, contributing toward job planning and complementing medical appraisal. Support by their employing organisation and engagement with medical managers in design and implementation is likely to be essential.

  10. Site-Specific Analyses for Demonstrating Compliance with 10 CFR 61 Performance Objectives - 12179

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

    Grossman, C.J.; Esh, D.W.; Yadav, P.

    2012-07-01

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is proposing to amend its regulations at 10 CFR Part 61 to require low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities to conduct site-specific analyses to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives in Subpart C. The amendments would require licensees to conduct site-specific analyses for protection of the public and inadvertent intruders as well as analyses for long-lived waste. The amendments would ensure protection of public health and safety, while providing flexibility to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives, for current and potential future waste streams. NRC staff intends to submit proposed rule language and associated regulatorymore » basis to the Commission for its approval in early 2012. The NRC staff also intends to develop associated guidance to accompany any proposed amendments. The guidance is intended to supplement existing low-level radioactive waste guidance on issues pertinent to conducting site-specific analyses to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives. The guidance will facilitate implementation of the proposed amendments by licensees and assist competent regulatory authorities in reviewing the site-specific analyses. Specifically, the guidance provides staff recommendations on general considerations for the site-specific analyses, modeling issues for assessments to demonstrate compliance with the performance objectives including the performance assessment, intruder assessment, stability assessment, and analyses for long-lived waste. This paper describes the technical basis for changes to the rule language and the proposed guidance associated with implementation of the rule language. The NRC staff, per Commission direction, intends to propose amendments to 10 CFR Part 61 to require licensees to conduct site-specific analyses to demonstrate compliance with performance objectives for the protection of public health and the environment. The amendments would

  11. Quantitative Evaluation of Performance in Interventional Neuroradiology: An Integrated Curriculum Featuring Theoretical and Practical Challenges

    PubMed Central

    Ernst, Marielle; Kriston, Levente; Romero, Javier M.; Frölich, Andreas M.; Jansen, Olav; Fiehler, Jens; Buhk, Jan-Hendrik

    2016-01-01

    Purpose We sought to develop a standardized curriculum capable of assessing key competencies in Interventional Neuroradiology by the use of models and simulators in an objective, quantitative, and efficient way. In this evaluation we analyzed the associations between the practical experience, theoretical knowledge, and the skills lab performance of interventionalists. Materials and Methods We evaluated the endovascular skills of 26 participants of the Advanced Course in Endovascular Interventional Neuroradiology of the European Society of Neuroradiology with a set of three tasks (aneurysm coiling and thrombectomy in a virtual simulator and placement of an intra-aneurysmal flow disruptor in a flow model). Practical experience was assessed by a survey. Participants completed a written and oral examination to evaluate theoretical knowledge. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Results In multivariate analysis knowledge of materials and techniques in Interventional Neuroradiology was moderately associated with skills in aneurysm coiling and thrombectomy. Experience in mechanical thrombectomy was moderately associated with thrombectomy skills, while age was negatively associated with thrombectomy skills. We found no significant association between age, sex, or work experience and skills in aneurysm coiling. Conclusion Our study gives an example of how an integrated curriculum for reasonable and cost-effective assessment of key competences of an interventional neuroradiologist could look. In addition to traditional assessment of theoretical knowledge practical skills are measured by the use of endovascular simulators yielding objective, quantitative, and constructive data for the evaluation of the current performance status of participants as well as the evolution of their technical competency over time. PMID:26848840

  12. 48 CFR 2452.216-73 - Performance evaluation plan.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 true Performance evaluation plan... 2452.216-73 Performance evaluation plan. As prescribed in 2416.406(e)(3), insert the following clause in all award fee contracts: Performance Evaluation Plan (AUG 1987) (a) The Government shall...

  13. Memory Performance for Everyday Motivational and Neutral Objects Is Dissociable from Attention

    PubMed Central

    Schomaker, Judith; Wittmann, Bianca C.

    2017-01-01

    Episodic memory is typically better for items coupled with monetary reward or punishment during encoding. It is yet unclear whether memory is also enhanced for everyday objects with appetitive or aversive values learned through a lifetime of experience, and to what extent episodic memory enhancement for motivational and neutral items is attributable to attention. In a first experiment, we investigated attention to everyday motivational objects using eye-tracking during free-viewing and subsequently tested episodic memory using a remember/know procedure. Attention was directed more to aversive stimuli, as evidenced by longer viewing durations, whereas recollection was higher for both appetitive and aversive objects. In the second experiment, we manipulated the visual contrast of neutral objects through changes of contrast to further dissociate attention and memory encoding. While objects presented with high visual contrast were looked at longer, recollection was best for objects presented in unmodified, medium contrast. Generalized logistic mixed models on recollection performance showed that attention as measured by eye movements did not enhance subsequent memory, while motivational value (Experiment 1) and visual contrast (Experiment 2) had quadratic effects in opposite directions. Our findings suggest that an enhancement of incidental memory encoding for appetitive items can occur without an increase in attention and, vice versa, that enhanced attention towards salient neutral objects is not necessarily associated with memory improvement. Together, our results provide evidence for a double dissociation of attention and memory effects under certain conditions. PMID:28694774

  14. A performance-oriented power transformer design methodology using multi-objective evolutionary optimization

    PubMed Central

    Adly, Amr A.; Abd-El-Hafiz, Salwa K.

    2014-01-01

    Transformers are regarded as crucial components in power systems. Due to market globalization, power transformer manufacturers are facing an increasingly competitive environment that mandates the adoption of design strategies yielding better performance at lower costs. In this paper, a power transformer design methodology using multi-objective evolutionary optimization is proposed. Using this methodology, which is tailored to be target performance design-oriented, quick rough estimation of transformer design specifics may be inferred. Testing of the suggested approach revealed significant qualitative and quantitative match with measured design and performance values. Details of the proposed methodology as well as sample design results are reported in the paper. PMID:26257939

  15. A performance-oriented power transformer design methodology using multi-objective evolutionary optimization.

    PubMed

    Adly, Amr A; Abd-El-Hafiz, Salwa K

    2015-05-01

    Transformers are regarded as crucial components in power systems. Due to market globalization, power transformer manufacturers are facing an increasingly competitive environment that mandates the adoption of design strategies yielding better performance at lower costs. In this paper, a power transformer design methodology using multi-objective evolutionary optimization is proposed. Using this methodology, which is tailored to be target performance design-oriented, quick rough estimation of transformer design specifics may be inferred. Testing of the suggested approach revealed significant qualitative and quantitative match with measured design and performance values. Details of the proposed methodology as well as sample design results are reported in the paper.

  16. Communication Skills in Candidates for Accreditation in Rheumatology Are Correlated With Candidate's Performance in the Objective Structured Clinical Examination.

    PubMed

    Pascual-Ramos, Virginia; Flores-Alvarado, Diana Elsa; Portela-Hernández, Margarita; Maldonado-Velázquez, María Del Rocío; Amezcua-Guerra, Luis Manuel; López-Zepeda, Judith; Álvarez, Everardo; Rubio, Nadina; Lastra, Olga Vera; Saavedra, Miguel Ángel; Arce-Salinas, César Alejandro

    2017-07-26

    The Mexican Accreditation Council for Rheumatology annually certifies trainees in Rheumatology using a multiple-choice test and an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Since 2015, candidate's communication skills (CS) have been rated by both patients and by physician examiners and correlated with results on the OSCE. This study compared the CS from candidates to annual accreditation in Rheumatology as rated by patients and by physician examiners, and assessed whether these correlated with candidate's performance in the OSCE. From 2015 to 2017, 8areas of CS were evaluated using a Likert scale, in each OSCE station that involved a patient. Both patient and physician evaluators were trained annually and their evaluations were performed blindly. The associations were calculated using the Pearson correlation coefficient. In general, candidates were given high CS scores; the scores from patients of the candidate's CS were better than those of physician examiners; within the majority of the stations, both scores were found to correlate moderately. In addition, the scoring of CS correlated with trainee performance at the corresponding OSCE station. Interestingly, better correlations were found when the skills were rated by the patients compared to physician scores. The average CS score was correlated with the overall OSCE performance for each trainee, but not with the multiple-choice test, except in the 2017 accreditation process, when a weak correlation was found. CS assessed during a national accreditation process correlated with the candidate's performance at the station level and with the overall OSCE. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Reumatología y Colegio Mexicano de Reumatología. All rights reserved.

  17. Performance Evaluation Model for Application Layer Firewalls.

    PubMed

    Xuan, Shichang; Yang, Wu; Dong, Hui; Zhang, Jiangchuan

    2016-01-01

    Application layer firewalls protect the trusted area network against information security risks. However, firewall performance may affect user experience. Therefore, performance analysis plays a significant role in the evaluation of application layer firewalls. This paper presents an analytic model of the application layer firewall, based on a system analysis to evaluate the capability of the firewall. In order to enable users to improve the performance of the application layer firewall with limited resources, resource allocation was evaluated to obtain the optimal resource allocation scheme in terms of throughput, delay, and packet loss rate. The proposed model employs the Erlangian queuing model to analyze the performance parameters of the system with regard to the three layers (network, transport, and application layers). Then, the analysis results of all the layers are combined to obtain the overall system performance indicators. A discrete event simulation method was used to evaluate the proposed model. Finally, limited service desk resources were allocated to obtain the values of the performance indicators under different resource allocation scenarios in order to determine the optimal allocation scheme. Under limited resource allocation, this scheme enables users to maximize the performance of the application layer firewall.

  18. The subjective experience of object recognition: comparing metacognition for object detection and object categorization.

    PubMed

    Meuwese, Julia D I; van Loon, Anouk M; Lamme, Victor A F; Fahrenfort, Johannes J

    2014-05-01

    Perceptual decisions seem to be made automatically and almost instantly. Constructing a unitary subjective conscious experience takes more time. For example, when trying to avoid a collision with a car on a foggy road you brake or steer away in a reflex, before realizing you were in a near accident. This subjective aspect of object recognition has been given little attention. We used metacognition (assessed with confidence ratings) to measure subjective experience during object detection and object categorization for degraded and masked objects, while objective performance was matched. Metacognition was equal for degraded and masked objects, but categorization led to higher metacognition than did detection. This effect turned out to be driven by a difference in metacognition for correct rejection trials, which seemed to be caused by an asymmetry of the distractor stimulus: It does not contain object-related information in the detection task, whereas it does contain such information in the categorization task. Strikingly, this asymmetry selectively impacted metacognitive ability when objective performance was matched. This finding reveals a fundamental difference in how humans reflect versus act on information: When matching the amount of information required to perform two tasks at some objective level of accuracy (acting), metacognitive ability (reflecting) is still better in tasks that rely on positive evidence (categorization) than in tasks that rely more strongly on an absence of evidence (detection).

  19. 24 CFR 570.491 - Performance and evaluation report.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 24 Housing and Urban Development 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Performance and evaluation report... Development Block Grant Program § 570.491 Performance and evaluation report. The annual performance and evaluation report shall be submitted in accordance with 24 CFR part 91. (Approved by the Office of Management...

  20. Treatment Outcome of Reconstruction for Isolated Posterior Cruciate Injury: Subjective and Objective Evaluations.

    PubMed

    Ochiai, Satoshi; Hagino, Tetsuo; Senga, Shinya; Yamashita, Takashi; Haro, Hirotaka

    2018-05-23

    There is no consensus regarding the treatment method and outcome of posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury. We hypothesized that although the outcome of PCL reconstruction was favorable in terms of knee stability, the outcome was unsatisfactory in terms of patient-based assessments. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the treatment outcomes of knees that underwent reconstruction for PCL injury by subjective and objective assessments, and to analyze the correlation between various assessments. Twenty-three patients who underwent PCL reconstruction were studied. All reconstructions were performed arthroscopically by the single-bundle technique using a hamstring tendon autograft. Patients were evaluated clinically before operation and 24 months after operation using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) which is a patient-based health assessment survey, Lysholm score, tibial translation ratio, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain, and range of motion (ROM) in the knee. The correlation of these assessment methods was analyzed. For the SF-36 survey, significant improvement was observed after operation in only 3 of 7 subscales compared with before surgery. Furthermore, the scores reached the national standard scores in only 3 subscales. While the Lysholm score and tibial translation ratio were improved significantly, no significant improvement in the VAS pain score was observed. For ROM assessment, approximately 30% of the patients had flexion restriction after operation, and the degree of restriction correlated positively with the VAS score. The present results indicated that although the outcome of PCL reconstruction was favorable in terms of knee stability and motor function, the outcome was unsatisfactory in terms of patient-based assessments. Since pain associated with flexion restriction appears to be a poor prognostic factor and there is a dissociation between subjective and objective assessments, improvement of the surgical method is necessary

  1. Children of psychotic mothers. An evaluation of 1-year-olds on a test of object permanence.

    PubMed

    Gamer, E; Gallant, D; Grunebaum, H

    1976-03-01

    Fifteen 1-year-old infants at high risk for later psychopathologic behavior were tested on the Piaget Object Scale. Their performance was compared to that of a matched group of controls at low risk. Results indicate a trend in the high-risk group toward lowered object scale performance. Affective styles were found to vary between the groups. The high-risk infants, particularly those with low scores on the object scale, demonstrated more intense anxiety.

  2. Performability evaluation of the SIFT computer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Meyer, J. F.; Furchtgott, D. G.; Wu, L. T.

    1979-01-01

    Performability modeling and evaluation techniques are applied to the SIFT computer as it might operate in the computational evironment of an air transport mission. User-visible performance of the total system (SIFT plus its environment) is modeled as a random variable taking values in a set of levels of accomplishment. These levels are defined in terms of four attributes of total system behavior: safety, no change in mission profile, no operational penalties, and no economic process whose states describe the internal structure of SIFT as well as relavant conditions of the environment. Base model state trajectories are related to accomplishment levels via a capability function which is formulated in terms of a 3-level model hierarchy. Performability evaluation algorithms are then applied to determine the performability of the total system for various choices of computer and environment parameter values. Numerical results of those evaluations are presented and, in conclusion, some implications of this effort are discussed.

  3. Evaluation of a performance appraisal framework for radiation therapists in planning and simulation

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

    Becker, Jillian, E-mail: jillian.becker@health.qld.gov.au; Bridge, Pete; Brown, Elizabeth

    2015-06-15

    Constantly evolving technology and techniques within radiation therapy require practitioners to maintain a continuous approach to professional development and training. Systems of performance appraisal and adoption of regular feedback mechanisms are vital to support this development yet frequently lack structure and rely on informal peer support. A Radiation Therapy Performance Appraisal Framework (RT-PAF) for radiation therapists in planning and simulation was developed to define expectations of practice and promote a supportive and objective culture of performance and skills appraisal. Evaluation of the framework was conducted via an anonymous online survey tool. Nine peer reviewers and fourteen recipients provided feedback onmore » its effectiveness and the challenges and limitations of the approach. Findings from the evaluation were positive and suggested that both groups gained benefit from and expressed a strong interest in embedding the approach more routinely. Respondents identified common challenges related to the limited ability to implement suggested development strategies; this was strongly associated with time and rostering issues. This framework successfully defined expectations for practice and provided a fair and objective feedback process that focussed on skills development. It empowered staff to maintain their skills and reach their professional potential. Management support, particularly in regard to provision of protected time was highlighted as critical to the framework's ongoing success. The demonstrated benefits arising in terms of staff satisfaction and development highlight the importance of this commitment to the modern radiation therapy workforce.« less

  4. New insight for activity intensity relativity, metabolic expenditure during object projection skill performance.

    PubMed

    Sacko, Ryan S; McIver, Kerry; Brian, Ali; Stodden, David F

    2018-04-02

    This study examined the metabolic cost (METs) of performing object projection skills at three practice trial intervals (6, 12, and 30 seconds). Forty adults (female n = 20) aged 18-30 (M = 23.7 ± 2.9 years) completed three, nine-minute sessions of skill trials performed at 6, 12, and 30 second intervals. Participants performed kicking, throwing and striking trials in a blocked schedule with maximal effort. Average METs during each session were measured using a COSMED K4b2. A three (interval condition) X two (sex) ANOVA was conducted to examine differences in METs across interval conditions and by sex. Results indicated a main effect for interval condition (F(5,114) = 187.02, p < .001, η 2  = 0.76) with decreased interval times yielding significantly higher METs [30 sec = 3.45, 12 sec = 5.68, 6 sec = 8.21]. A main effect for sex (F(5, 114) = 35.39, p < .001, η 2  = 0.24) also was found with men demonstrating higher METs across all intervals. At a rate of only two trials/min, participants elicited moderate physical activity, with 12 and 6-second intervals exhibiting vigorous PA. Demonstrating MVPA during the performance of object projection skill performance has potential implications for PA interventions.

  5. Defining competency-based evaluation objectives in family medicine

    PubMed Central

    Allen, Tim; Brailovsky, Carlos; Rainsberry, Paul; Lawrence, Katherine; Crichton, Tom; Carpentier, Marie-Pierre; Visser, Shaun

    2011-01-01

    Abstract Objective To develop a definition of competence in family medicine sufficient to guide a review of Certification examinations by the Board of Examiners of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Design Delphi analysis of responses to a 4-question postal survey. Setting Canadian family practice. Participants A total of 302 family physicians who have served as examiners for the College of Family Physicians of Canada’s Certification examination. Methods A survey comprising 4 short-answer questions was mailed to the 302 participating family physicians asking them to list elements that define competence in family medicine among newly certified family physicians beginning independent practice. Two expert groups used a modified Delphi consensus process to analyze responses and generate 2 basic components of this definition of competence: first, the problems that a newly practising family physician should be competent to handle; second, the qualities, behaviour, and skills that characterize competence at the start of independent practice. Main findings Response rate was 54%; total number of elements among all responses was 5077, for an average 31 per respondent. Of the elements, 2676 were topics or clinical situations to be dealt with; the other 2401 were skills, behaviour patterns, or qualities, without reference to a specific clinical problem. The expert groups identified 6 essential skills, the phases of the clinical encounter, and 99 priority topics as the descriptors used by the respondents. More than 20% of respondents cited 30 of the topics. Conclusion Family physicians define the domain of competence in family medicine in terms of 6 essential skills, the phases of the clinical encounter, and priority topics. This survey represents the first level of definition of evaluation objectives in family medicine. Definition of the interactions among these elements will permit these objectives to become detailed enough to effectively guide assessment. PMID

  6. Objective evaluation of choroidal melanin contents with polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miura, Masahiro; Makita, Shuichi; Yasuno, Yoshiaki; Ikuno, Yasushi; Uematsu, Sato; Iwasaki, Takuya; Goto, Hiroshi

    2018-02-01

    We non-invasively evaluated choroidal melanin contents in human eyes with PS-OCT. We calculated the percentage area of low DOPU in the choroidal interstitial stroma for Vogt-Koyanagi- Harada disease with sunset glow fundus, without sunset glow fundus, control group and tessellated fundus with high myopia. The mean percentage area of low DOPU in the sunset group was significantly lower than the other groups. PS-OCT provides an in vivo objective evaluation of choroidal melanin loss in vivo human eyes.

  7. Reading K-3. Instructional Objectives Exchange. A Project of the Center for the Study of Evaluation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    California Univ., Los Angeles. Center for the Study of Evaluation.

    Three hundred and ninety-seven objectives and related evaluation items for reading in grades kindergarten through three are presented for the teacher and administrator in this collection developed by the Instructional Objectives Exchange (IOX). The objectives are organized into the categories of word recognition, comprehension, and study skills,…

  8. Functional Capacity Evaluation: Performance of Patients with Chronic Non-specific Low Back Pain Without Waddell Signs.

    PubMed

    Oesch, Peter; Meyer, Kathrin; Jansen, Beatrice; Kool, Jan

    2015-06-01

    The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of Waddell signs (WS) on Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain (CNSLBP) undergoing fitness for work evaluation. If an effect is observed, the secondary objective is to report performance of patients without WS in a standardized 1 day FCE protocol. Survey of patients with CNSLBP as their primary complaint, referred for fitness for work evaluation, age between 20 and 60 years. Main outcome measures were WS and performance during manual handling assessed with lifting from floor to waist, waist to crown, horizontal and one handed carry; grip strength with Jamar hand held Dynamometer; ambulation with stair climbing and six minute walking test; work postures with elevated work, forward bend standing, kneeling, and sitting. 145 male with a mean age of 44.5 years (±10.1), and 53 females with a mean age of 43.6 years (±11.0) were included. Mean days off work were in male 658 (±1,056) and in female 642 (±886). 33% of all patients presented positive WS. FCE performance in male and female patients with positive and negative WS differed significantly in all comparisons except grip strength of the dominant hand and sitting in female. Performance of patients with negative WS indicated a mean physical capacity corresponding to lightmedium work in females and medium work in males for both age groups. WS should be assessed for interpretation of FCE results. Despite long work absence, patients with CNSLBP with negative WS demonstrated a physical capacity corresponding to substantial physical work demands.

  9. In-flight performance of the Faint Object Camera of the Hubble Space Telescope

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Greenfield, P.; Paresce, F.; Baxter, D.; Hodge, P.; Hook, R.; Jakobsen, P.; Jedrzejewski, R.; Nota, A.; Sparks, W. B.; Towers, N.

    1991-01-01

    An overview of the Faint Object Camera and its performance to date is presented. In particular, the detector's efficiency, the spatial uniformity of response, distortion characteristics, detector and sky background, detector linearity, spectrography, and operation are discussed. The effect of the severe spherical aberration of the telescope's primary mirror on the camera's point spread function is reviewed, as well as the impact it has on the camera's general performance. The scientific implications of the performance and the spherical aberration are outlined, with emphasis on possible remedies for spherical aberration, hardware remedies, and stellar population studies.

  10. Architectural Implications for Spatial Object Association Algorithms

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

    Kumar, V S; Kurc, T; Saltz, J

    2009-01-29

    Spatial object association, also referred to as cross-match of spatial datasets, is the problem of identifying and comparing objects in two or more datasets based on their positions in a common spatial coordinate system. In this work, we evaluate two crossmatch algorithms that are used for astronomical sky surveys, on the following database system architecture configurations: (1) Netezza Performance Server R, a parallel database system with active disk style processing capabilities, (2) MySQL Cluster, a high-throughput network database system, and (3) a hybrid configuration consisting of a collection of independent database system instances with data replication support. Our evaluation providesmore » insights about how architectural characteristics of these systems affect the performance of the spatial crossmatch algorithms. We conducted our study using real use-case scenarios borrowed from a large-scale astronomy application known as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST).« less

  11. Architectural Implications for Spatial Object Association Algorithms*

    PubMed Central

    Kumar, Vijay S.; Kurc, Tahsin; Saltz, Joel; Abdulla, Ghaleb; Kohn, Scott R.; Matarazzo, Celeste

    2013-01-01

    Spatial object association, also referred to as crossmatch of spatial datasets, is the problem of identifying and comparing objects in two or more datasets based on their positions in a common spatial coordinate system. In this work, we evaluate two crossmatch algorithms that are used for astronomical sky surveys, on the following database system architecture configurations: (1) Netezza Performance Server®, a parallel database system with active disk style processing capabilities, (2) MySQL Cluster, a high-throughput network database system, and (3) a hybrid configuration consisting of a collection of independent database system instances with data replication support. Our evaluation provides insights about how architectural characteristics of these systems affect the performance of the spatial crossmatch algorithms. We conducted our study using real use-case scenarios borrowed from a large-scale astronomy application known as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). PMID:25692244

  12. Quantitative evaluation of manufacturability and performance for ILT produced mask shapes using a single-objective function

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Choi, Heon; Wang, Wei-long; Kallingal, Chidam

    2015-03-01

    The continuous scaling of semiconductor devices is quickly outpacing the resolution improvements of lithographic exposure tools and processes. This one-sided progression has pushed optical lithography to its limits, resulting in the use of well-known techniques such as Sub-Resolution Assist Features (SRAF's), Source-Mask Optimization (SMO), and double-patterning, to name a few. These techniques, belonging to a larger category of Resolution Enhancement Techniques (RET), have extended the resolution capabilities of optical lithography at the cost of increasing mask complexity, and therefore cost. One such technique, called Inverse Lithography Technique (ILT), has attracted much attention for its ability to produce the best possible theoretical mask design. ILT treats the mask design process as an inverse problem, where the known transformation from mask to wafer is carried out backwards using a rigorous mathematical approach. One practical problem in the application of ILT is the resulting contour-like mask shapes that must be "Manhattanized" (composed of straight edges and 90-deg corners) in order to produce a manufacturable mask. This conversion process inherently degrades the mask quality as it is a departure from the "optimal mask" represented by the continuously curved shapes produced by ILT. However, simpler masks composed of longer straight edges reduce the mask cost as it lowers the shot count and saves mask writing time during mask fabrication, resulting in a conflict between manufacturability and performance for ILT produced masks1,2. In this study, various commonly used metrics will be combined into an objective function to produce a single number to quantitatively measure a particular ILT solution's ability to balance mask manufacturability and RET performance. Several metrics that relate to mask manufacturing costs (i.e. mask vertex count, ILT computation runtime) are appropriately weighted against metrics that represent RET capability (i.e. process

  13. Application of objective clinical human reliability analysis (OCHRA) in assessment of technical performance in laparoscopic rectal cancer surgery.

    PubMed

    Foster, J D; Miskovic, D; Allison, A S; Conti, J A; Ockrim, J; Cooper, E J; Hanna, G B; Francis, N K

    2016-06-01

    Laparoscopic rectal resection is technically challenging, with outcomes dependent upon technical performance. No robust objective assessment tool exists for laparoscopic rectal resection surgery. This study aimed to investigate the application of the objective clinical human reliability analysis (OCHRA) technique for assessing technical performance of laparoscopic rectal surgery and explore the validity and reliability of this technique. Laparoscopic rectal cancer resection operations were described in the format of a hierarchical task analysis. Potential technical errors were defined. The OCHRA technique was used to identify technical errors enacted in videos of twenty consecutive laparoscopic rectal cancer resection operations from a single site. The procedural task, spatial location, and circumstances of all identified errors were logged. Clinical validity was assessed through correlation with clinical outcomes; reliability was assessed by test-retest. A total of 335 execution errors identified, with a median 15 per operation. More errors were observed during pelvic tasks compared with abdominal tasks (p < 0.001). Within the pelvis, more errors were observed during dissection on the right side than the left (p = 0.03). Test-retest confirmed reliability (r = 0.97, p < 0.001). A significant correlation was observed between error frequency and mesorectal specimen quality (r s = 0.52, p = 0.02) and with blood loss (r s = 0.609, p = 0.004). OCHRA offers a valid and reliable method for evaluating technical performance of laparoscopic rectal surgery.

  14. Objective evaluation of the knocking sound of a diesel engine considering the temporal and frequency masking effect simultaneously

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yun, Dong-Un; Lee, Sang-Kwon

    2017-06-01

    In this paper, we present a novel method for an objective evaluation of knocking noise emitted by diesel engines based on the temporal and frequency masking theory. The knocking sound of a diesel engine is a vibro-acoustic sound correlated with the high-frequency resonances of the engine structure and a periodic impulsive sound with amplitude modulation. Its period is related to the engine speed and includes specific frequency bands related to the resonances of the engine structure. A knocking sound with the characteristics of a high-frequency impulsive wave can be masked by low-frequency sounds correlated with the harmonics of the firing frequency and broadband noise. The degree of modulation of the knocking sound signal was used for such objective evaluations in previous studies, without considering the masking effect. However, the frequency masking effect must be considered for the objective evaluation of the knocking sound. In addition to the frequency masking effect, the temporal masking effect occurs because the period of the knocking sound changes according to the engine speed. Therefore, an evaluation method considering the temporal and frequency masking effect is required to analyze the knocking sound objectively. In this study, an objective evaluation method considering the masking effect was developed based on the masking theory of sound and signal processing techniques. The method was applied successfully for the objective evaluation of the knocking sound of a diesel engine.

  15. The role of objective personality inventories in suicide risk assessment: an evaluation and proposal.

    PubMed

    Johnson, W B; Lall, R; Bongar, B; Nordlund, M D

    1999-01-01

    Objective personality assessment instruments offer a comparatively underutilized source of clinical data in attempts to evaluate and predict risk for suicide. In contrast to focal suicide risk measures, global personality inventories may be useful in identification of long-standing styles that predispose persons to eventual suicidal behavior. This article reviews the empirical literature regarding the efficacy of established personality inventories in predicting suicidality. The authors offer several recommendations for future research with these measures and conclude that such objective personality instruments offer only marginal utility as sources of clinical information in comprehensive suicide risk evaluations. Personality inventories may offer greatest utility in long-term assessment of suicide risk.

  16. Modification and evaluation of a Barnes-type objective analysis scheme for surface meteorological data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smith, D. R.

    1982-01-01

    The Purdue Regional Objective Analysis of the Mesoscale (PROAM) is a Barness-type scheme for the analysis of surface meteorological data. Modifications are introduced to the original version in order to increase its flexibility and to permit greater ease of usage. The code was rewritten for an interactive computer environment. Furthermore, a multiple iteration technique suggested by Barnes was implemented for greater accuracy. PROAM was subjected to a series of experiments in order to evaluate its performance under a variety of analysis conditions. The tests include use of a known analytic temperature distribution in order to quantify error bounds for the scheme. Similar experiments were conducted using actual atmospheric data. Results indicate that the multiple iteration technique increases the accuracy of the analysis. Furthermore, the tests verify appropriate values for the analysis parameters in resolving meso-beta scale phenomena.

  17. An Objective Evaluation of a Behavior Modeling Training Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meyer, Herbert H.; Raich, Michael S.

    1983-01-01

    Evaluated a behavior modeling training program for sales representatives (N=58) in relation to effects on their sales performance. Results showed participants increased their sales by an average of seven percent during the ensuing six-month period, while the control group showed a 3 percent decrease. (JAC)

  18. visCOS: An R-package to evaluate model performance of hydrological models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Klotz, Daniel; Herrnegger, Mathew; Wesemann, Johannes; Schulz, Karsten

    2016-04-01

    The evaluation of model performance is a central part of (hydrological) modelling. Much attention has been given to the development of evaluation criteria and diagnostic frameworks. (Klemeš, 1986; Gupta et al., 2008; among many others). Nevertheless, many applications exist for which objective functions do not yet provide satisfying summaries. Thus, the necessity to visualize results arises in order to explore a wider range of model capacities, be it strengths or deficiencies. Visualizations are usually devised for specific projects and these efforts are often not distributed to a broader community (e.g. via open source software packages). Hence, the opportunity to explicitly discuss a state-of-the-art presentation technique is often missed. We therefore present a comprehensive R-package for evaluating model performance by visualizing and exploring different aspects of hydrological time-series. The presented package comprises a set of useful plots and visualization methods, which complement existing packages, such as hydroGOF (Zambrano-Bigiarini et al., 2012). It is derived from practical applications of the hydrological models COSERO and COSEROreg (Kling et al., 2014). visCOS, providing an interface in R, represents an easy-to-use software package for visualizing and assessing model performance and can be implemented in the process of model calibration or model development. The package provides functions to load hydrological data into R, clean the data, process, visualize, explore and finally save the results in a consistent way. Together with an interactive zoom function of the time series, an online calculation of the objective functions for variable time-windows is included. Common hydrological objective functions, such as the Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency and the Kling-Gupta Efficiency, can also be evaluated and visualized in different ways for defined sub-periods like hydrological years or seasonal sections. Many hydrologists use long-term water-balances as a

  19. Evaluating models of object-decision priming: evidence from event-related potential repetition effects.

    PubMed

    Soldan, Anja; Mangels, Jennifer A; Cooper, Lynn A

    2006-03-01

    This study was designed to differentiate between structural description and bias accounts of performance in the possible/impossible object-decision test. Two event-related potential (ERP) studies examined how the visual system processes structurally possible and impossible objects. Specifically, the authors investigated the effects of object repetition on a series of early posterior components during structural (Experiment 1) and functional (Experiment 2) encoding and the relationship of these effects to behavioral measures of priming. In both experiments, the authors found repetition enhancement of the posterior N1 and N2 for possible objects only. In addition, the magnitude of the N1 repetition effect for possible objects was correlated with priming for possible objects. Although the behavioral results were more ambiguous, these ERP results fail to support bias models that hold that both possible and impossible objects are processed similarly in the visual system. Instead, they support the view that priming is supported by a structural description system that encodes the global 3-dimensional structure of an object.

  20. Comparative evaluation of performance measures for shading correction in time-lapse fluorescence microscopy.

    PubMed

    Liu, L; Kan, A; Leckie, C; Hodgkin, P D

    2017-04-01

    Time-lapse fluorescence microscopy is a valuable technology in cell biology, but it suffers from the inherent problem of intensity inhomogeneity due to uneven illumination or camera nonlinearity, known as shading artefacts. This will lead to inaccurate estimates of single-cell features such as average and total intensity. Numerous shading correction methods have been proposed to remove this effect. In order to compare the performance of different methods, many quantitative performance measures have been developed. However, there is little discussion about which performance measure should be generally applied for evaluation on real data, where the ground truth is absent. In this paper, the state-of-the-art shading correction methods and performance evaluation methods are reviewed. We implement 10 popular shading correction methods on two artificial datasets and four real ones. In order to make an objective comparison between those methods, we employ a number of quantitative performance measures. Extensive validation demonstrates that the coefficient of joint variation (CJV) is the most applicable measure in time-lapse fluorescence images. Based on this measure, we have proposed a novel shading correction method that performs better compared to well-established methods for a range of real data tested. © 2016 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2016 Royal Microscopical Society.

  1. Formative and Summative Evaluation: Related Issues in Performance Measurement.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wholey, Joseph S.

    1996-01-01

    Performance measurement can serve both formative and summative evaluation functions. Formative evaluation is typically more useful for government purposes whereas performance measurement is more useful than one-shot evaluations of either formative or summative nature. Evaluators should study performance measurement through case studies and…

  2. SWIR, VIS and LWIR observer performance against handheld objects: a comparison

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adomeit, Uwe

    2016-10-01

    The short wave infrared spectral range caused interest to be used in day and night time military and security applications in the last years. This necessitates performance assessment of SWIR imaging equipment in comparison to the one operating in the visual (VIS) and thermal infrared (LWIR) spectral range. In the military context (nominal) range is the main performance criteria. Discriminating friend from foe is one of the main tasks in today's asymmetric scenarios and so personnel, human activities and handheld objects are used as targets to estimate ranges. The later was also used for an experiment at Fraunhofer IOSB to get a first impression how the SWIR performs compared to VIS and LWIR. A human consecutively carrying one of nine different civil or military objects was recorded from five different ranges in the three spectral ranges. For the visual spectral range a 3-chip color-camera was used, the SWIR range was covered by an InGaAs-camera and the LWIR by an uncooled bolometer. It was ascertained that the nominal spatial resolution of the three cameras was in the same magnitude in order to enable an unbiased assessment. Daytime conditions were selected for data acquisition to separate the observer performance from illumination conditions and to some extend also camera performance. From the recorded data, a perception experiment was prepared. It was conducted as a nine-alternative forced choice, unlimited observation time test with 15 observers participating. Before the experiment, the observers were trained on close range target data. Outcome of the experiment was the average probability of identification versus range between camera and target. The comparison of the range performance achieved in the three spectral bands gave a mixed result. On one hand a ranking VIS / SWIR / LWIR in decreasing order can be seen in the data, but on the other hand only the difference between VIS and the other bands is statistically significant. Additionally it was not possible

  3. QUANTITATIVE EVALUATION OF THE HYPOTHESIS THAT BL LACERTAE OBJECTS ARE QSO REMNANTS

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

    Borra, E. F.

    2014-11-20

    We evaluate with numerical simulations the hypothesis that BL Lacertae objects (BLLs) are the remnants of quasi-stellar objects. This hypothesis is based on their highly peculiar redshift evolution. They have a comoving space density that increases with decreasing redshift, contrary to all other active galactic nuclei. We assume that relativistic jets are below detection in young radio-quiet quasars and increase in strength with cosmic time so that they eventually are detected as BLLs. Our numerical simulations fit very well the observed redshift distributions of BLLs. There are strong indications that only the high-synchrotron-peaked BLLs could be QSO remnants.

  4. Deficits in object-in-place but not relative recency performance in the APPswe/PS1dE9 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease: Implications for object recognition.

    PubMed

    Bonardi, Charlotte; Pardon, Marie-Christine; Armstrong, Paul

    2016-10-15

    Performance was examined on three variants of the spontaneous object recognition (SOR) task, in 5-month old APPswe/PS1dE9 mice and wild-type littermate controls. A deficit was observed in an object-in-place (OIP) task, in which mice are preexposed to four different objects in specific locations, and then at test two of the objects swap locations (Experiment 2). Typically more exploration is seen of the objects which have switched location, which is taken as evidence of a retrieval-generated priming mechanism. However, no significant transgenic deficit was found in a relative recency (RR) task (Experiment 1), in which mice are exposed to two different objects in two separate sample phases, and then tested with both objects. Typically more exploration of the first-presented object is observed, which is taken as evidence of a self-generated priming mechanism. Nor was there any impairment in the simplest variant, the spontaneous object recognition (SOR) task, in which mice are preexposed to one object and then tested with the familiar and a novel object. This was true regardless of whether the sample-test interval was 5min (Experiment 1) or 24h (Experiments 1 and 2). It is argued that SOR performance depends on retrieval-generated priming as well as self-generated priming, and our preliminary evidence suggests that the retrieval-generated priming process is especially impaired in these young transgenic animals. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Real Progress in Maryland: Student Learning Objectives and Teacher and Principal Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Slotnik, William J.; Bugler, Daniel; Liang, Guodong

    2014-01-01

    The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) is making significant strides in guiding and supporting the implementation of Student Learning Objectives (SLOs) as well as a teacher and principal evaluation (TPE) system statewide. MSDE support focuses on helping districts prepare for full SLO implementation by providing technical assistance with…

  6. Evaluation of work zone speed limits : an objective and subjective analysis of work zones in Missouri.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-02-01

    This study objectively and subjectively examined speed characteristics and driver compliance with the posted speed limit : in Missouri work zones. The objective evaluation collected vehicle speeds from four work zones with different : configurations ...

  7. Performance evaluation and specification of trackless tack.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2016-09-01

    Several trackless tack products have come to market in Texas; however, there are currently no specifications to : ensure the products have trackless properties and adequate bond strength. The objectives of this project were to : (1) evaluate the trac...

  8. Performance evaluation of Louisiana superpave mixtures.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2008-12-01

    This report documents the performance of Louisiana Superpave mixtures through laboratory mechanistic tests, mixture : volumetric properties, gradation analysis, and early field performance. Thirty Superpave mixtures were evaluated in this : study. Fo...

  9. Evaluation of performance of distributed delay model for chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression.

    PubMed

    Krzyzanski, Wojciech; Hu, Shuhua; Dunlavey, Michael

    2018-04-01

    The distributed delay model has been introduced that replaces the transit compartments in the classic model of chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression with a convolution integral. The maturation of granulocyte precursors in the bone marrow is described by the gamma probability density function with the shape parameter (ν). If ν is a positive integer, the distributed delay model coincides with the classic model with ν transit compartments. The purpose of this work was to evaluate performance of the distributed delay model with particular focus on model deterministic identifiability in the presence of the shape parameter. The classic model served as a reference for comparison. Previously published white blood cell (WBC) count data in rats receiving bolus doses of 5-fluorouracil were fitted by both models. The negative two log-likelihood objective function (-2LL) and running times were used as major markers of performance. Local sensitivity analysis was done to evaluate the impact of ν on the pharmacodynamics response WBC. The ν estimate was 1.46 with 16.1% CV% compared to ν = 3 for the classic model. The difference of 6.78 in - 2LL between classic model and the distributed delay model implied that the latter performed significantly better than former according to the log-likelihood ratio test (P = 0.009), although the overall performance was modestly better. The running times were 1 s and 66.2 min, respectively. The long running time of the distributed delay model was attributed to computationally intensive evaluation of the convolution integral. The sensitivity analysis revealed that ν strongly influences the WBC response by controlling cell proliferation and elimination of WBCs from the circulation. In conclusion, the distributed delay model was deterministically identifiable from typical cytotoxic data. Its performance was modestly better than the classic model with significantly longer running time.

  10. Impact of Data Placement on Resilience in Large-Scale Object Storage Systems

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

    Carns, Philip; Harms, Kevin; Jenkins, John

    Distributed object storage architectures have become the de facto standard for high-performance storage in big data, cloud, and HPC computing. Object storage deployments using commodity hardware to reduce costs often employ object replication as a method to achieve data resilience. Repairing object replicas after failure is a daunting task for systems with thousands of servers and billions of objects, however, and it is increasingly difficult to evaluate such scenarios at scale on realworld systems. Resilience and availability are both compromised if objects are not repaired in a timely manner. In this work we leverage a high-fidelity discrete-event simulation model tomore » investigate replica reconstruction on large-scale object storage systems with thousands of servers, billions of objects, and petabytes of data. We evaluate the behavior of CRUSH, a well-known object placement algorithm, and identify configuration scenarios in which aggregate rebuild performance is constrained by object placement policies. After determining the root cause of this bottleneck, we then propose enhancements to CRUSH and the usage policies atop it to enable scalable replica reconstruction. We use these methods to demonstrate a simulated aggregate rebuild rate of 410 GiB/s (within 5% of projected ideal linear scaling) on a 1,024-node commodity storage system. We also uncover an unexpected phenomenon in rebuild performance based on the characteristics of the data stored on the system.« less

  11. Performance on a Stage IV Object-Permanence Task with Standard and Nonstandard Covers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    And Others; Rader, Nancy

    1979-01-01

    Examined the role of perceptual-motor development in a typical Stage IV task. The performance of ten infants was compared on a Stage IV object permanence task when a cloth cover was used and when a small card cover was used. (JMB)

  12. Evaluation of medical research performance – position paper of the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF)

    PubMed Central

    Herrmann-Lingen, Christoph; Brunner, Edgar; Hildenbrand, Sibylle; Loew, Thomas H.; Raupach, Tobias; Spies, Claudia; Treede, Rolf-Detlef; Vahl, Christian-Friedrich; Wenz, Hans-Jürgen

    2014-01-01

    Objective: The evaluation of medical research performance is a key prerequisite for the systematic advancement of medical faculties, research foci, academic departments, and individual scientists’ careers. However, it is often based on vaguely defined aims and questionable methods and can thereby lead to unwanted regulatory effects. The current paper aims at defining the position of German academic medicine toward the aims, methods, and consequences of its evaluation. Methods: During the Berlin Forum of the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF) held on 18 October 2013, international experts presented data on methods for evaluating medical research performance. Subsequent discussions among representatives of relevant scientific organizations and within three ad-hoc writing groups led to a first draft of this article. Further discussions within the AWMF Committee for Evaluation of Performance in Research and Teaching and the AWMF Executive Board resulted in the final consented version presented here. Results: The AWMF recommends modifications to the current system of evaluating medical research performance. Evaluations should follow clearly defined and communicated aims and consist of both summative and formative components. Informed peer reviews are valuable but feasible in longer time intervals only. They can be complemented by objective indicators. However, the Journal Impact Factor is not an appropriate measure for evaluating individual publications or their authors. The scientific “impact” rather requires multidimensional evaluation. Indicators of potential relevance in this context may include, e.g., normalized citation rates of scientific publications, other forms of reception by the scientific community and the public, and activities in scientific organizations, research synthesis and science communication. In addition, differentiated recommendations are made for evaluating the acquisition of third-party funds and the

  13. Evaluation of methods for detection of fluorescence labeled subcellular objects in microscope images.

    PubMed

    Ruusuvuori, Pekka; Aijö, Tarmo; Chowdhury, Sharif; Garmendia-Torres, Cecilia; Selinummi, Jyrki; Birbaumer, Mirko; Dudley, Aimée M; Pelkmans, Lucas; Yli-Harja, Olli

    2010-05-13

    Several algorithms have been proposed for detecting fluorescently labeled subcellular objects in microscope images. Many of these algorithms have been designed for specific tasks and validated with limited image data. But despite the potential of using extensive comparisons between algorithms to provide useful information to guide method selection and thus more accurate results, relatively few studies have been performed. To better understand algorithm performance under different conditions, we have carried out a comparative study including eleven spot detection or segmentation algorithms from various application fields. We used microscope images from well plate experiments with a human osteosarcoma cell line and frames from image stacks of yeast cells in different focal planes. These experimentally derived images permit a comparison of method performance in realistic situations where the number of objects varies within image set. We also used simulated microscope images in order to compare the methods and validate them against a ground truth reference result. Our study finds major differences in the performance of different algorithms, in terms of both object counts and segmentation accuracies. These results suggest that the selection of detection algorithms for image based screens should be done carefully and take into account different conditions, such as the possibility of acquiring empty images or images with very few spots. Our inclusion of methods that have not been used before in this context broadens the set of available detection methods and compares them against the current state-of-the-art methods for subcellular particle detection.

  14. Cost analysis of objective resident cataract surgery assessments.

    PubMed

    Nandigam, Kiran; Soh, Jonathan; Gensheimer, William G; Ghazi, Ahmed; Khalifa, Yousuf M

    2015-05-01

    To compare 8 ophthalmology resident surgical training tools to determine which is most cost effective. University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA. Retrospective evaluation of technology. A cost-analysis model was created to compile all relevant costs in running each tool in a medium-sized ophthalmology program. Quantitative cost estimates were obtained based on cost of tools, cost of time in evaluations, and supply and maintenance costs. For wet laboratory simulation, Eyesi was the least expensive cataract surgery simulation method; however, it is only capable of evaluating simulated cataract surgery rehearsal and requires supplementation with other evaluative methods for operating room performance and for noncataract wet lab training and evaluation. The most expensive training tool was the Eye Surgical Skills Assessment Test (ESSAT). The 2 most affordable methods for resident evaluation in operating room performance were the Objective Assessment of Skills in Intraocular Surgery (OASIS) and Global Rating Assessment of Skills in Intraocular Surgery (GRASIS). Cost-based analysis of ophthalmology resident surgical training tools are needed so residency programs can implement tools that are valid, reliable, objective, and cost effective. There is no perfect training system at this time. Copyright © 2015 ASCRS and ESCRS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Hair cortisol predicts object permanence performance in infant rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).

    PubMed

    Dettmer, Amanda M; Novak, Matthew F S X; Novak, Melinda A; Meyer, Jerrold S; Suomi, Stephen J

    2009-12-01

    Although high circulating levels of glucocorticoids are associated with impaired cognitive performance in adults, less is known about this relationship in infancy. Furthermore, because studies have relied on acute cortisol measures in blood plasma or saliva, interpretation of the results may be difficult as acute measures may in part reflect emotional responses to testing procedures. In this study we examined whether hair cortisol, an integrated measure of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning, predicted performance of nursery-reared (NR) infant rhesus monkeys (n = 32) on Piagetian object permanence tasks. Testing of NR infants began at 19.8 +/- 2.2 (mean +/- SE) days of age and continued for the next several months. Hair cortisol concentrations from the 32 NR monkeys were compared to those of 20 mother-peer-reared (MPR) infants. Hair was shaved at Day 14, allowed to regrow, and obtained again at month 6, thus representing integrated cortisol over a 5.5-month period of time. NR and MPR infants did not differ in month 6 hair cortisol values (t((50)) = 0.02, p = 0.98). Linear regression revealed that hair cortisol predicted object permanence performance in the NR infants. Infants with higher hair cortisol reached criterion at later ages on the well (p < 0.01), screen (p < 0.05), and A-not-B (p < 0.05) tasks and required more test sessions to complete the well (p < 0.01) and screen tasks (p < 0.05). These data are the first to implicate hair cortisol as a reliable predictor of early cognitive performance in infant macaque monkeys.

  16. Hair Cortisol Predicts Object Permanence Performance in Infant Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta)

    PubMed Central

    Dettmer, Amanda M.; Novak, Matthew F.S.X.; Novak, Melinda A.; Meyer, Jerrold S.; Suomi, Stephen J.

    2009-01-01

    Although high circulating levels of glucocorticoids are associated with impaired cognitive performance in adults, less is known about this relationship in infancy. Furthermore, because studies have relied on acute cortisol measures in blood plasma or saliva, interpretation of the results may be difficult as acute measures may in part reflect emotional responses to testing procedures. In this study we examined whether hair cortisol, an integrated measure of HPA axis functioning, predicted performance of nursery-reared (NR) infant rhesus monkeys (N=32) on Piagetian object permanence tasks. Testing of NR infants began at 19.8±2.2 (mean±SE) days of age and continued for the next several months. Hair cortisol concentrations from the 32 NR monkeys were compared to those of 20 mother-peer-reared (MPR) infants. Hair was shaved at day 14, allowed to re-grow, and obtained again at month 6, thus representing integrated cortisol over a 5.5-month period of time. NR and MPR infants did not differ in month 6 hair cortisol values (t(50)=0.02, p=0.98). Linear regression revealed that hair cortisol predicted object permanence performance in the NR infants. Infants with higher hair cortisol reached criterion at later ages on the well (p<0.01), screen (p<0.05), and A-not-B (p<0.05) tasks and required more test sessions to complete the well (p<0.01) and screen tasks (p<0.05). These data are the first to implicate hair cortisol as a reliable predictor of early cognitive performance in infant macaque monkeys. PMID:19771550

  17. Implementation and Evaluation of a Course Concept Based on Reusable Learning Objects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Van Zele, Els; Vandaele, Pieter; Botteldooren, Dick; Lenaerts, Josephina

    2003-01-01

    This article describes the implementation and evaluation of a learning objects based computer aided system for an advanced engineering course at Ghent University, Belgium. A new syllabus concept was introduced: students had access to a Web-delivered component and received an identical printed component as two sources of information additional to…

  18. Arsenic Removal from Drinking Water by Adsorptive Media USEPA Demonstration Project at Rimrock AZ Final Performance Evaluation Report

    EPA Science Inventory

    This report documents the activities performed during and the results obtained from the arsenic removal treatment technology demonstration project at the Arizona Water Company (AWC) facility in Rimrock, AZ. The objectives of the project were to evaluate: 1) the effectiveness of ...

  19. Model Performance Evaluation and Scenario Analysis ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This tool consists of two parts: model performance evaluation and scenario analysis (MPESA). The model performance evaluation consists of two components: model performance evaluation metrics and model diagnostics. These metrics provides modelers with statistical goodness-of-fit measures that capture magnitude only, sequence only, and combined magnitude and sequence errors. The performance measures include error analysis, coefficient of determination, Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency, and a new weighted rank method. These performance metrics only provide useful information about the overall model performance. Note that MPESA is based on the separation of observed and simulated time series into magnitude and sequence components. The separation of time series into magnitude and sequence components and the reconstruction back to time series provides diagnostic insights to modelers. For example, traditional approaches lack the capability to identify if the source of uncertainty in the simulated data is due to the quality of the input data or the way the analyst adjusted the model parameters. This report presents a suite of model diagnostics that identify if mismatches between observed and simulated data result from magnitude or sequence related errors. MPESA offers graphical and statistical options that allow HSPF users to compare observed and simulated time series and identify the parameter values to adjust or the input data to modify. The scenario analysis part of the too

  20. Human V4 Activity Patterns Predict Behavioral Performance in Imagery of Object Color.

    PubMed

    Bannert, Michael M; Bartels, Andreas

    2018-04-11

    Color is special among basic visual features in that it can form a defining part of objects that are engrained in our memory. Whereas most neuroimaging research on human color vision has focused on responses related to external stimulation, the present study investigated how sensory-driven color vision is linked to subjective color perception induced by object imagery. We recorded fMRI activity in male and female volunteers during viewing of abstract color stimuli that were red, green, or yellow in half of the runs. In the other half we asked them to produce mental images of colored, meaningful objects (such as tomato, grapes, banana) corresponding to the same three color categories. Although physically presented color could be decoded from all retinotopically mapped visual areas, only hV4 allowed predicting colors of imagined objects when classifiers were trained on responses to physical colors. Importantly, only neural signal in hV4 was predictive of behavioral performance in the color judgment task on a trial-by-trial basis. The commonality between neural representations of sensory-driven and imagined object color and the behavioral link to neural representations in hV4 identifies area hV4 as a perceptual hub linking externally triggered color vision with color in self-generated object imagery. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Humans experience color not only when visually exploring the outside world, but also in the absence of visual input, for example when remembering, dreaming, and during imagery. It is not known where neural codes for sensory-driven and internally generated hue converge. In the current study we evoked matching subjective color percepts, one driven by physically presented color stimuli, the other by internally generated color imagery. This allowed us to identify area hV4 as the only site where neural codes of corresponding subjective color perception converged regardless of its origin. Color codes in hV4 also predicted behavioral performance in an

  1. The Impact of Self-Evaluation Instruction on Student Self-Evaluation, Music Performance, and Self-Evaluation Accuracy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hewitt, Michael P.

    2011-01-01

    The author sought to determine whether self-evaluation instruction had an impact on student self-evaluation, music performance, and self-evaluation accuracy of music performance among middle school instrumentalists. Participants (N = 211) were students at a private middle school located in a metropolitan area of a mid-Atlantic state. Students in…

  2. 48 CFR 1552.209-76 - Contractor performance evaluations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 true Contractor performance... 1552.209-76 Contractor performance evaluations. As prescribed in section 1509.170-1, insert the following clause in all applicable solicitations and contracts. Contractor Performance Evaluations (OCT 2002...

  3. 48 CFR 8.406-7 - Contractor Performance Evaluation.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Contractor Performance... ACQUISITION PLANNING REQUIRED SOURCES OF SUPPLIES AND SERVICES Federal Supply Schedules 8.406-7 Contractor Performance Evaluation. Ordering activities must prepare an evaluation of contractor performance for each...

  4. 48 CFR 1536.201 - Evaluation of contracting performance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... performance. 1536.201 Section 1536.201 Federal Acquisition Regulations System ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Contracting for Construction 1536.201 Evaluation of contracting performance. (a) The Contracting Officer will... will file the form in the contractor performance evaluation files which it maintains. (e) The Quality...

  5. Music psychopathology. VI. The course objective instrumental performance characteristics with psychiatric inpatients.

    PubMed

    Steinberg, R; Fani, M; Raith, L

    1992-01-01

    The impairment of musical expression due to mental disease is reversible with growing remission. This finding resulted from follow-up examinations of instrumental playings assessed by means of a polarity profile with 60 psychiatric inpatients and 14 controls. A follow-up comparison of objective performance characteristics as defined by careful analysis of the recordings did not reveal a meaningful variation. This is taken as a strong indication that even in severe psychopathologic alterations, learned motor patterns of music performance are fairly stable. A simple reduction in playing irregularities cannot explain the systematic influence of psychopathology on musical expression.

  6. Cloud object store for archive storage of high performance computing data using decoupling middleware

    DOEpatents

    Bent, John M.; Faibish, Sorin; Grider, Gary

    2015-06-30

    Cloud object storage is enabled for archived data, such as checkpoints and results, of high performance computing applications using a middleware process. A plurality of archived files, such as checkpoint files and results, generated by a plurality of processes in a parallel computing system are stored by obtaining the plurality of archived files from the parallel computing system; converting the plurality of archived files to objects using a log structured file system middleware process; and providing the objects for storage in a cloud object storage system. The plurality of processes may run, for example, on a plurality of compute nodes. The log structured file system middleware process may be embodied, for example, as a Parallel Log-Structured File System (PLFS). The log structured file system middleware process optionally executes on a burst buffer node.

  7. Evaluation of perceived and actual competency in a family medicine objective structured clinical examination

    PubMed Central

    Graves, Lisa; Lalla, Leonora; Young, Meredith

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Objective To examine the relationship between objective assessment of performance and self-rated competence immediately before and after participation in a required summative family medicine clerkship objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Design Learners rated their competence (on a 7-point Likert scale) before and after an OSCE along 3 dimensions: general, specific, and professional competencies relevant to family medicine. Setting McGill University in Montreal, Que. Participants All 168 third-year clinical clerks completing their mandatory family medicine rotation in 2010 to 2011 were invited to participate. Main outcome measures Self-ratings of competence and objective performance scores were compared, and were examined to determine if OSCEs could be a “corrective” tool for self-rating perceived competence (ie, if the experience of undergoing an assessment might assist learners in recalibrating their understanding of their own performance). Results A total of 140 (83%) of the third-year clinical clerks participated. Participating in an OSCE decreased learners’ ratings of perceived competence (pre-OSCE score = 4.9, post-OSCE score = 4.7; F1,3192 = 4.2; P < .05). Learners’ mean self-rated competence for all categories of behaviour (before and after) showed no relationship to OSCE performance (r < 0.12 and P > .08 for all), nor did ratings of station-relevant competence (before and after) (r < 0.19 and P > .09 for all). Ratings of competence before and after the OSCE were correlated for individual students (r > 0.40 and P < .001 for all). Conclusion After the OSCE, students’ self-ratings of perceived competence had decreased, and these ratings had little relationship to actual performance, regardless of the specificity of the rated competency. Discordance between perceived and actual competence is neither novel nor unique to family medicine. However, this discordance is an important consideration for the development of competency

  8. Objective Evaluation Tool for Texture-Modified Food (OET-TMF): Development of the Tool and Validation.

    PubMed

    Calleja-Fernández, Alicia; Pintor-de-la-Maza, Begoña; Vidal-Casariego, Alfonso; Cano-Rodríguez, Isidoro; Ballesteros-Pomar, María D

    2016-06-01

    Texture-modified diets (TMDs) should fulfil nutritional goals, guarantee homogenous texture, and meet food safety regulations. The food industry has created texture-modified food (TMF) that meets the TMD requirements of quality and safety for inpatients. To design and develop a tool that allows the objective selection of foodstuffs for TMDs that ensures nutritional requirements and swallowing safety of inpatients in order to improve their quality of life, especially regarding their food satisfaction. An evaluation tool was designed to objectively determine the adequacy of food included in the TMD menus of a hospital. The "Objective Evaluation Tool for Texture-Modified Food" (OET-TMF) consists of seven items that evaluate the food's nutritional quality (energy and protein input), presence of allergens, texture and viscosity, cooking, storage type, useful life, and patient acceptance. The total score ranged from 0 to 64 and was divided into four categories: high quality, good quality, medium quality, and low quality. Studying four different commercial TMFs contributed to the validation of the tool. All the evaluated products scored between high and good regarding quality. There was a tendency (p = 0.077) towards higher consumption and a higher overall quality of the product obtained with the OET-TMF. The product that scored highest with the tool was the best accepted; the product with the lowest score had the highest rate of refusal. The OET-TMF allows for the objective discrimination of the quality of TMF. In addition, it shows a certain relationship between the observed and assessed quality intake.

  9. Effects of Performers' External Characteristics on Performance Evaluations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bermingham, Gudrun A.

    2000-01-01

    States that fairness has been a major concern in the field of music adjudication. Reviews the research literature to reveal information about three external characteristics (race, gender, and physical attractiveness) that may affect judges' performance evaluations and influence fairness of music adjudication. Includes references. (CMK)

  10. An EGR performance evaluation and decision-making approach based on grey theory and grey entropy analysis

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is one of the main methods of reducing NOX emissions and has been widely used in marine diesel engines. This paper proposes an optimized comprehensive assessment method based on multi-objective grey situation decision theory, grey relation theory and grey entropy analysis to evaluate the performance and optimize rate determination of EGR, which currently lack clear theoretical guidance. First, multi-objective grey situation decision theory is used to establish the initial decision-making model according to the main EGR parameters. The optimal compromise between diesel engine combustion and emission performance is transformed into a decision-making target weight problem. After establishing the initial model and considering the characteristics of EGR under different conditions, an optimized target weight algorithm based on grey relation theory and grey entropy analysis is applied to generate the comprehensive evaluation and decision-making model. Finally, the proposed method is successfully applied to a TBD234V12 turbocharged diesel engine, and the results clearly illustrate the feasibility of the proposed method for providing theoretical support and a reference for further EGR optimization. PMID:29377956

  11. An EGR performance evaluation and decision-making approach based on grey theory and grey entropy analysis.

    PubMed

    Zu, Xianghuan; Yang, Chuanlei; Wang, Hechun; Wang, Yinyan

    2018-01-01

    Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is one of the main methods of reducing NOX emissions and has been widely used in marine diesel engines. This paper proposes an optimized comprehensive assessment method based on multi-objective grey situation decision theory, grey relation theory and grey entropy analysis to evaluate the performance and optimize rate determination of EGR, which currently lack clear theoretical guidance. First, multi-objective grey situation decision theory is used to establish the initial decision-making model according to the main EGR parameters. The optimal compromise between diesel engine combustion and emission performance is transformed into a decision-making target weight problem. After establishing the initial model and considering the characteristics of EGR under different conditions, an optimized target weight algorithm based on grey relation theory and grey entropy analysis is applied to generate the comprehensive evaluation and decision-making model. Finally, the proposed method is successfully applied to a TBD234V12 turbocharged diesel engine, and the results clearly illustrate the feasibility of the proposed method for providing theoretical support and a reference for further EGR optimization.

  12. Evaluating growth performance of young stands

    Treesearch

    A. L. Roe; R. E. Benson

    1966-01-01

    A simple procedure for evaluating the diameter growth of young stands in relation to potential growth is described. A comparison technique is developed which contrasts relative diameter of crop trees to the relative diameter growth of the last decade to show the condition and trend of growth in the stand. The method is objective, easy to use, and has several...

  13. Alternative performance measures for evaluating congestion.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2004-04-01

    This report summarizes the results of the work performed under the project Alternative Performance Measures for Evaluating : Congestion. The study first outlines existing approaches to looking at congestion. It then builds on the previous work in the...

  14. Objective Evaluation of Muscle Strength in Infants with Hypotonia and Muscle Weakness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reus, Linda; van Vlimmeren, Leo A.; Staal, J. Bart; Janssen, Anjo J. W. M.; Otten, Barto J.; Pelzer, Ben J.; Nijhuis-van der Sanden, Maria W. G.

    2013-01-01

    The clinical evaluation of an infant with motor delay, muscle weakness, and/or hypotonia would improve considerably if muscle strength could be measured objectively and normal reference values were available. The authors developed a method to measure muscle strength in infants and tested 81 typically developing infants, 6-36 months of age, and 17…

  15. Motor Skills and Exercise Capacity Are Associated with Objective Measures of Cognitive Functions and Academic Performance in Preadolescent Children.

    PubMed

    Geertsen, Svend Sparre; Thomas, Richard; Larsen, Malte Nejst; Dahn, Ida Marie; Andersen, Josefine Needham; Krause-Jensen, Matilde; Korup, Vibeke; Nielsen, Claus Malta; Wienecke, Jacob; Ritz, Christian; Krustrup, Peter; Lundbye-Jensen, Jesper

    2016-01-01

    To investigate associations between motor skills, exercise capacity and cognitive functions, and evaluate how they correlate to academic performance in mathematics and reading comprehension using standardised, objective tests. This cross-sectional study included 423 Danish children (age: 9.29±0.35 years, 209 girls). Fine and gross motor skills were evaluated in a visuomotor accuracy-tracking task, and a whole-body coordination task, respectively. Exercise capacity was estimated from the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery level 1 children's test (YYIR1C). Selected tests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) were used to assess different domains of cognitive functions, including sustained attention, spatial working memory, episodic and semantic memory, and processing speed. Linear mixed-effects models were used to investigate associations between these measures and the relationship with standard tests of academic performance in mathematics and reading comprehension. Both fine and gross motor skills were associated with better performance in all five tested cognitive domains (all P<0.001), whereas exercise capacity was only associated with better sustained attention (P<0.046) and spatial working memory (P<0.038). Fine and gross motor skills (all P<0.001), exercise capacity and cognitive functions such as working memory, episodic memory, sustained attention and processing speed were all associated with better performance in mathematics and reading comprehension. The data demonstrate that fine and gross motor skills are positively correlated with several aspects of cognitive functions and with academic performance in both mathematics and reading comprehension. Moreover, exercise capacity was associated with academic performance and performance in some cognitive domains. Future interventions should investigate associations between changes in motor skills, exercise capacity, cognitive functions, and academic performance to elucidate the causality

  16. Arsenic and Uranium Removal from Drinking Water by Adsorptive Media U.S. EPA Demonstration Project at Upper Bodfish in Lake Isabella, CA -Final Performance Evaluation Report

    EPA Science Inventory

    This report documents the activities performed during and the results obtained from the performance evaluation of an arsenic (As) and uranium (U) removal technology demonstrated at Upper Bodfish in Lake Isabella, CA. The objectives of the project are to evaluate: (1) the effecti...

  17. Treatability studies performed in support of an engineering evaluation/cost analysis

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

    Myers, J.M.; Mueller, J.P.; Sundquist, J.A.

    1995-12-31

    The Southern Shipbuilding Corporation (SSC) site is located on 54 acres of wooded land adjacent to Bayou Bonfouca, approximately 1.8 miles downstream of the Bayou Bonfouca National Priorities List (NPL) Superfund site in Slidell, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. Two one-acre, impoundments on the SSC site were used to store wastes generated from vessel cleaning. Wastes stored in the impoundments are migrating into Bayou Bonfouca, which empties into Lake Pontchartrain. In addition, the impoundments are frequently invaded by flood waters. The US EPA Emergency Response Branch (EPA-ERB) performed a site investigation which indicated that the majority of the contamination is petroleum-relatedmore » and that the compounds of concern are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PARs). The wastes are generally contained with the two impoundments and surrounding soils. As part of an Engineering Evaluation/Cost Basis (EE/CA) of potential response action alternatives, four treatability studies were performed. A thermal treatment (incineration) study was performed at the EPA`s Incineration Research Facility (IRF). Biodegradation remedy selection feasibility assessment was conducted on-site. A remedy screening soil washing study was also performed by TAT. A solidification/stabilization (S/S) study was conducted through EPA`s Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory (RREL) to ascertain if the PAHs could be immobilized within a solid matrix. Experimental objectives, dead methodology and conclusions for these studies are presented as they relate to potential response actions being evaluated at the SSC site.« less

  18. Microsoft Kinect-based Continuous Performance Test: An Objective Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Assessment.

    PubMed

    Delgado-Gomez, David; Peñuelas-Calvo, Inmaculada; Masó-Besga, Antonio Eduardo; Vallejo-Oñate, Silvia; Baltasar Tello, Itziar; Arrua Duarte, Elsa; Vera Varela, María Constanza; Carballo, Juan; Baca-García, Enrique

    2017-03-20

    One of the major challenges in mental medical care is finding out new instruments for an accurate and objective evaluation of the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Early ADHD identification, severity assessment, and prompt treatment are essential to avoid the negative effects associated with this mental condition. The aim of our study was to develop a novel ADHD assessment instrument based on Microsoft Kinect, which identifies ADHD cardinal symptoms in order to provide a more accurate evaluation. A group of 30 children, aged 8-12 years (10.3 [SD 1.4]; male 70% [21/30]), who were referred to the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit of the Department of Psychiatry at Fundación Jiménez Díaz Hospital (Madrid, Spain), were included in this study. Children were required to meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria of ADHD diagnosis. One of the parents or guardians of the children filled the Spanish version of the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD Symptoms and Normal Behavior (SWAN) rating scale used in clinical practice. Each child conducted a Kinect-based continuous performance test (CPT) in which the reaction time (RT), the commission errors, and the time required to complete the reaction (CT) were calculated. The correlations of the 3 predictors, obtained using Kinect methodology, with respect to the scores of the SWAN scale were calculated. The RT achieved a correlation of -.11, -.29, and -.37 with respect to the inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity factors of the SWAN scale. The correlations of the commission error with respect to these 3 factors were -.03, .01, and .24, respectively. Our findings show a relation between the Microsoft Kinect-based version of the CPT and ADHD symptomatology assessed through parental report. Results point out the importance of future research on the development of objective measures for the diagnosis of ADHD among children and adolescents. ©David Delgado-Gomez, Inmaculada

  19. Objective evaluation of fatigue by EEG spectral analysis in steady-state visual evoked potential-based brain-computer interfaces

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background The fatigue that users suffer when using steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP)-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) can cause a number of serious problems such as signal quality degradation and system performance deterioration, users’ discomfort and even risk of photosensitive epileptic seizures, posing heavy restrictions on the applications of SSVEP-based BCIs. Towards alleviating the fatigue, a fundamental step is to measure and evaluate it but most existing works adopt self-reported questionnaire methods which are subjective, offline and memory dependent. This paper proposes an objective and real-time approach based on electroencephalography (EEG) spectral analysis to evaluate the fatigue in SSVEP-based BCIs. Methods How the EEG indices (amplitudes in δ, θ, α and β frequency bands), the selected ratio indices (θ/α and (θ + α)/β), and SSVEP properties (amplitude and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)) changes with the increasing fatigue level are investigated through two elaborate SSVEP-based BCI experiments, one validates mainly the effectiveness and another considers more practical situations. Meanwhile, a self-reported fatigue questionnaire is used to provide a subjective reference. ANOVA is employed to test the significance of the difference between the alert state and the fatigue state for each index. Results Consistent results are obtained in two experiments: the significant increases in α and (θ + α)/β, as well as the decrease in θ/α are found associated with the increasing fatigue level, indicating that EEG spectral analysis can provide robust objective evaluation of the fatigue in SSVEP-based BCIs. Moreover, the results show that the amplitude and SNR of the elicited SSVEP are significantly affected by users’ fatigue. Conclusions The experiment results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method as an objective and real-time evaluation of the fatigue in SSVEP-based BCIs. This method would

  20. A Process for Curricular Improvement Based on Evaluation of Student Performance on Milestone Examinations

    PubMed Central

    Hylton, Ann C.; Justice, Michael

    2016-01-01

    Objective. To identify and address areas for curricular improvement by evaluating student achievement of expected learning outcomes and competencies on annual milestone examinations. Design. Students were tested each professional year with a comprehensive milestone examination designed to evaluate student achievement of learning outcomes and professional competencies using a combination of multiple-choice questions, standardized patient assessments (SPAs), and objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) questions. Assessment. Based on student performance on milestone examinations, curricular changes were instituted, including an increased emphasis on graded comprehensive cases, OSCE skills days, and use of patient simulation in lecture and laboratory courses. After making these changes, significant improvements were observed in second and third-year pharmacy students’ grades for the therapeutic case and physician interaction/errors and omissions components of the milestone examinations. Conclusion. Results from milestone examinations can be used to identify specific areas in which curricular improvements are needed to foster student achievement of learning outcomes and professional competencies. PMID:28090108

  1. 10 CFR 63.113 - Performance objectives for the geologic repository after permanent closure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 10 Energy 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Performance objectives for the geologic repository after permanent closure. 63.113 Section 63.113 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) DISPOSAL OF HIGH... and an engineered barrier system. (b) The engineered barrier system must be designed so that, working...

  2. 10 CFR 63.113 - Performance objectives for the geologic repository after permanent closure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 10 Energy 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Performance objectives for the geologic repository after permanent closure. 63.113 Section 63.113 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) DISPOSAL OF HIGH... and an engineered barrier system. (b) The engineered barrier system must be designed so that, working...

  3. 10 CFR 63.113 - Performance objectives for the geologic repository after permanent closure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 10 Energy 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Performance objectives for the geologic repository after permanent closure. 63.113 Section 63.113 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) DISPOSAL OF HIGH... and an engineered barrier system. (b) The engineered barrier system must be designed so that, working...

  4. 10 CFR 63.113 - Performance objectives for the geologic repository after permanent closure.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 10 Energy 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Performance objectives for the geologic repository after permanent closure. 63.113 Section 63.113 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (CONTINUED) DISPOSAL OF HIGH... and an engineered barrier system. (b) The engineered barrier system must be designed so that, working...

  5. Adapting Objective Structured Clinical Examinations to Assess Social Work Students' Performance and Reflections

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bogo, Marion; Regehr, Cheryl; Logie, Carmen; Katz, Ellen; Mylopoulos, Maria; Regehr, Glenn

    2011-01-01

    The development of standardized, valid, and reliable methods for assessment of students' practice competence continues to be a challenge for social work educators. In this study, the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), originally used in medicine to assess performance through simulated interviews, was adapted for social work to…

  6. Hue distinctiveness overrides category in determining performance in multiple object tracking.

    PubMed

    Sun, Mengdan; Zhang, Xuemin; Fan, Lingxia; Hu, Luming

    2018-02-01

    The visual distinctiveness between targets and distractors can significantly facilitate performance in multiple object tracking (MOT), in which color is a feature that has been commonly used. However, the processing of color can be more than "visual." Color is continuous in chromaticity, while it is commonly grouped into discrete categories (e.g., red, green). Evidence from color perception suggested that color categories may have a unique role in visual tasks independent of its chromatic appearance. Previous MOT studies have not examined the effect of chromatic and categorical distinctiveness on tracking separately. The current study aimed to reveal how chromatic (hue) and categorical distinctiveness of color between the targets and distractors affects tracking performance. With four experiments, we showed that tracking performance was largely facilitated by the increasing hue distance between the target set and the distractor set, suggesting that perceptual grouping was formed based on hue distinctiveness to aid tracking. However, we found no color categorical effect, because tracking performance was not significantly different when the targets and distractors were from the same or different categories. It was concluded that the chromatic distinctiveness of color overrides category in determining tracking performance, suggesting a dominant role of perceptual feature in MOT.

  7. Building Leadership Talent through Performance Evaluation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clifford, Matthew

    2015-01-01

    Most states and districts scramble to provide professional development to support principals, but "principal evaluation" is often lost amid competing priorities. Evaluation is an important method for supporting principal growth, communicating performance expectations to principals, and improving leadership practice. It provides leaders…

  8. Assessing ADHD symptoms in children and adults: evaluating the role of objective measures.

    PubMed

    Emser, Theresa S; Johnston, Blair A; Steele, J Douglas; Kooij, Sandra; Thorell, Lisa; Christiansen, Hanna

    2018-05-18

    Diagnostic guidelines recommend using a variety of methods to assess and diagnose ADHD. Applying subjective measures always incorporates risks such as informant biases or large differences between ratings obtained from diverse sources. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that ratings and tests seem to assess somewhat different constructs. The use of objective measures might thus yield valuable information for diagnosing ADHD. This study aims at evaluating the role of objective measures when trying to distinguish between individuals with ADHD and controls. Our sample consisted of children (n = 60) and adults (n = 76) diagnosed with ADHD and matched controls who completed self- and observer ratings as well as objective tasks. Diagnosis was primarily based on clinical interviews. A popular pattern recognition approach, support vector machines, was used to predict the diagnosis. We observed relatively high accuracy of 79% (adults) and 78% (children) applying solely objective measures. Predicting an ADHD diagnosis using both subjective and objective measures exceeded the accuracy of objective measures for both adults (89.5%) and children (86.7%), with the subjective variables proving to be the most relevant. We argue that objective measures are more robust against rater bias and errors inherent in subjective measures and may be more replicable. Considering the high accuracy of objective measures only, we found in our study, we think that they should be incorporated in diagnostic procedures for assessing ADHD.

  9. 33 CFR 332.5 - Ecological performance standards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... whether the project is achieving its objectives. Performance standards should relate to the objectives of the compensatory mitigation project, so that the project can be objectively evaluated to determine if... objective and verifiable. Ecological performance standards must be based on the best available science that...

  10. 33 CFR 332.5 - Ecological performance standards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... whether the project is achieving its objectives. Performance standards should relate to the objectives of the compensatory mitigation project, so that the project can be objectively evaluated to determine if... objective and verifiable. Ecological performance standards must be based on the best available science that...

  11. 33 CFR 332.5 - Ecological performance standards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... whether the project is achieving its objectives. Performance standards should relate to the objectives of the compensatory mitigation project, so that the project can be objectively evaluated to determine if... objective and verifiable. Ecological performance standards must be based on the best available science that...

  12. 33 CFR 332.5 - Ecological performance standards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... whether the project is achieving its objectives. Performance standards should relate to the objectives of the compensatory mitigation project, so that the project can be objectively evaluated to determine if... objective and verifiable. Ecological performance standards must be based on the best available science that...

  13. Evaluation of objective structured clinical examination for advanced orthodontic education 12 years after introduction.

    PubMed

    Fields, Henry W; Kim, Do-Gyoon; Jeon, Minjeong; Firestone, Allen R; Sun, Zongyang; Shanker, Shiva; Mercado, Ana M; Deguchi, Toru; Vig, Katherine W L

    2017-05-01

    Advanced education programs in orthodontics must ensure student competency in clinical skills. An objective structure clinical examination has been used in 1 program for over a decade. The results were analyzed cross-sectionally and longitudinally to provide insights regarding the achievement of competency, student growth, question difficulty, question discrimination, and question predictive ability. In this study, we analyzed 218 (82 first-year, 68 second-year, and 68 third-year classes) scores of each station from 85 orthodontic students. The grades originated from 13 stations and were collected anonymously for 12 consecutive years during the first 2 decades of the 2000s. The stations tested knowledge and skills regarding dental relationships, analyzing a cephalometric tracing, performing a diagnostic skill, identifying cephalometric points, bracket placement, placing first-order and second-order bends, forming a loop, placing accentuated third-order bends, identifying problems and planning mixed dentition treatment, identifying problems and planning adolescent dentition treatment, identifying problems and planning nongrowing skeletal treatment, superimposing cephalometric tracings, and interpreting cephalometric superimpositions. Results were evaluated using multivariate analysis of variance, chi-square tests, and latent growth analysis. The multivariate analysis of variance showed that all stations except 3 (analyzing a cephalometric tracing, forming a loop, and identifying cephalometric points) had significantly lower mean scores for the first-year student class than the second- and third-year classes (P <0.028); scores between the second- and third-year student classes were not significantly different (P >0.108). The chi-square analysis of the distribution of the number of noncompetent item responses decreased from the first to the second years (P <0.0003), from the second to the third years (P <0.0042), and from the first to the third years (P <0

  14. Evaluating the Impact of Action Plans on Trainee Compliance with Learning Objectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aumann, Michael J.

    2013-01-01

    This mixed methods research study evaluated the use of technology-based action plans as a way to help improve compliance with the learning objectives of an online training event. It explored how the action planning strategy impacted subjects in a treatment group and compared them to subjects in a control group who did not get the action plan. The…

  15. FE-ANN based modeling of 3D Simple Reinforced Concrete Girders for Objective Structural Health Evaluation : Tech Transfer Summary

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2017-06-01

    The objective of this study was to develop an objective, quantitative method for evaluating damage to bridge girders by using artificial neural networks (ANNs). This evaluation method, which is a supplement to visual inspection, requires only the res...

  16. Evaluation of the 29-km Eta Model. Part 1; Objective Verification at Three Selected Stations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nutter, Paul A.; Manobianco, John; Merceret, Francis J. (Technical Monitor)

    1998-01-01

    This paper describes an objective verification of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) 29-km eta model from May 1996 through January 1998. The evaluation was designed to assess the model's surface and upper-air point forecast accuracy at three selected locations during separate warm (May - August) and cool (October - January) season periods. In order to enhance sample sizes available for statistical calculations, the objective verification includes two consecutive warm and cool season periods. Systematic model deficiencies comprise the larger portion of the total error in most of the surface forecast variables that were evaluated. The error characteristics for both surface and upper-air forecasts vary widely by parameter, season, and station location. At upper levels, a few characteristic biases are identified. Overall however, the upper-level errors are more nonsystematic in nature and could be explained partly by observational measurement uncertainty. With a few exceptions, the upper-air results also indicate that 24-h model error growth is not statistically significant. In February and August 1997, NCEP implemented upgrades to the eta model's physical parameterizations that were designed to change some of the model's error characteristics near the surface. The results shown in this paper indicate that these upgrades led to identifiable and statistically significant changes in forecast accuracy for selected surface parameters. While some of the changes were expected, others were not consistent with the intent of the model updates and further emphasize the need for ongoing sensitivity studies and localized statistical verification efforts. Objective verification of point forecasts is a stringent measure of model performance, but when used alone, is not enough to quantify the overall value that model guidance may add to the forecast process. Therefore, results from a subjective verification of the meso-eta model over the Florida peninsula are

  17. Industrial Arts Performance Objectives, 1976. Four Clusters: Construction Technology, Graphic Communication Technology, Manufacturing Technology, Power and Energy Technology.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    1976

    This compilation of objectives was prepared by 35 industrial education teachers in the state of Michigan. It is indicated that these performance objectives should not be viewed as complete course objectives but rather as a listing of objectives which can be used where appropriate. After an introductory section, providing a general outline of a…

  18. A fuzzy MCDM model with objective and subjective weights for evaluating service quality in hotel industries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zoraghi, Nima; Amiri, Maghsoud; Talebi, Golnaz; Zowghi, Mahdi

    2013-12-01

    This paper presents a fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making (FMCDM) model by integrating both subjective and objective weights for ranking and evaluating the service quality in hotels. The objective method selects weights of criteria through mathematical calculation, while the subjective method uses judgments of decision makers. In this paper, we use a combination of weights obtained by both approaches in evaluating service quality in hotel industries. A real case study that considered ranking five hotels is illustrated. Examples are shown to indicate capabilities of the proposed method.

  19. Advanced Video Analysis Needs for Human Performance Evaluation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Campbell, Paul D.

    1994-01-01

    Evaluators of human task performance in space missions make use of video as a primary source of data. Extraction of relevant human performance information from video is often a labor-intensive process requiring a large amount of time on the part of the evaluator. Based on the experiences of several human performance evaluators, needs were defined for advanced tools which could aid in the analysis of video data from space missions. Such tools should increase the efficiency with which useful information is retrieved from large quantities of raw video. They should also provide the evaluator with new analytical functions which are not present in currently used methods. Video analysis tools based on the needs defined by this study would also have uses in U.S. industry and education. Evaluation of human performance from video data can be a valuable technique in many industrial and institutional settings where humans are involved in operational systems and processes.

  20. Effect of ethnicity on performance in a final objective structured clinical examination: qualitative and quantitative study

    PubMed Central

    Wass, Val; Roberts, Celia; Hoogenboom, Ron; Jones, Roger; Van der Vleuten, Cees

    2003-01-01

    Objective To assess the effect of ethnicity on student performance in stations assessing communication skills within an objective structured clinical examination. Design Quantitative and qualitative study. Setting A final UK clinical examination consisting of a two day objective structured clinical examination with 22 stations. Participants 82 students from ethnic minorities and 97 white students. Main outcome measures Mean scores for stations (quantitative) and observations made using discourse analysis on selected communication stations (qualitative). Results Mean performance of students from ethnic minorities was significantly lower than that of white students for stations assessing communication skills on days 1 (67.0% (SD 6.8%) and 72.3% (7.6%); P=0.001) and 2 (65.2% (6.6%) and 69.5% (6.3%); P=0.003). No examples of overt discrimination were found in 309 video recordings. Transcriptions showed subtle differences in communication styles in some students from ethnic minorities who performed poorly. Examiners' assumptions about what is good communication may have contributed to differences in grading. Conclusions There was no evidence of explicit discrimination between students from ethnic minorities and white students in the objective structured clinical examination. A small group of male students from ethnic minorities used particularly poorly rated communicative styles, and some subtle problems in assessing communication skills may have introduced bias. Tests need to reflect issues of diversity to ensure that students from ethnic minorities are not disadvantaged. What is already known on this topicUK medical schools are concerned that students from ethnic minorities may perform less well than white students in examinationsIt is important to understand whether our examination system disadvantages themWhat this study addsMean performance of students from ethnic minorities was significantly lower than that of white students in a final year objective structured

  1. Evaluating supplier quality performance using analytical hierarchy process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kalimuthu Rajoo, Shanmugam Sundram; Kasim, Maznah Mat; Ahmad, Nazihah

    2013-09-01

    This paper elaborates the importance of evaluating supplier quality performance to an organization. Supplier quality performance evaluation reflects the actual performance of the supplier exhibited at customer's end. It is critical in enabling the organization to determine the area of improvement and thereafter works with supplier to close the gaps. Success of the customer partly depends on supplier's quality performance. Key criteria as quality, cost, delivery, technology support and customer service are categorized as main factors in contributing to supplier's quality performance. 18 suppliers' who were manufacturing automotive application parts evaluated in year 2010 using weight point system. There were few suppliers with common rating which led to common ranking observed by few suppliers'. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), a user friendly decision making tool for complex and multi criteria problems was used to evaluate the supplier's quality performance challenging the weight point system that was used for 18 suppliers'. The consistency ratio was checked for criteria and sub-criteria. Final results of AHP obtained with no overlap ratings, therefore yielded a better decision making methodology as compared to weight point rating system.

  2. Subjective and objective evaluation of visual fatigue on viewing 3D display continuously

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Danli; Xie, Yaohua; Yang, Xinpan; Lu, Yang; Guo, Anxiang

    2015-03-01

    In recent years, three-dimensional (3D) displays become more and more popular in many fields. Although they can provide better viewing experience, they cause extra problems, e.g., visual fatigue. Subjective or objective methods are usually used in discrete viewing processes to evaluate visual fatigue. However, little research combines subjective indicators and objective ones in an entirely continuous viewing process. In this paper, we propose a method to evaluate real-time visual fatigue both subjectively and objectively. Subjects watch stereo contents on a polarized 3D display continuously. Visual Reaction Time (VRT), Critical Flicker Frequency (CFF), Punctum Maximum Accommodation (PMA) and subjective scores of visual fatigue are collected before and after viewing. During the viewing process, the subjects rate the visual fatigue whenever it changes, without breaking the viewing process. At the same time, the blink frequency (BF) and percentage of eye closure (PERCLOS) of each subject is recorded for comparison to a previous research. The results show that the subjective visual fatigue and PERCLOS increase with time and they are greater in a continuous process than a discrete one. The BF increased with time during the continuous viewing process. Besides, the visual fatigue also induced significant changes of VRT, CFF and PMA.

  3. A comprehensive performance evaluation on the prediction results of existing cooperative transcription factors identification algorithms.

    PubMed

    Lai, Fu-Jou; Chang, Hong-Tsun; Huang, Yueh-Min; Wu, Wei-Sheng

    2014-01-01

    Eukaryotic transcriptional regulation is known to be highly connected through the networks of cooperative transcription factors (TFs). Measuring the cooperativity of TFs is helpful for understanding the biological relevance of these TFs in regulating genes. The recent advances in computational techniques led to various predictions of cooperative TF pairs in yeast. As each algorithm integrated different data resources and was developed based on different rationales, it possessed its own merit and claimed outperforming others. However, the claim was prone to subjectivity because each algorithm compared with only a few other algorithms and only used a small set of performance indices for comparison. This motivated us to propose a series of indices to objectively evaluate the prediction performance of existing algorithms. And based on the proposed performance indices, we conducted a comprehensive performance evaluation. We collected 14 sets of predicted cooperative TF pairs (PCTFPs) in yeast from 14 existing algorithms in the literature. Using the eight performance indices we adopted/proposed, the cooperativity of each PCTFP was measured and a ranking score according to the mean cooperativity of the set was given to each set of PCTFPs under evaluation for each performance index. It was seen that the ranking scores of a set of PCTFPs vary with different performance indices, implying that an algorithm used in predicting cooperative TF pairs is of strength somewhere but may be of weakness elsewhere. We finally made a comprehensive ranking for these 14 sets. The results showed that Wang J's study obtained the best performance evaluation on the prediction of cooperative TF pairs in yeast. In this study, we adopted/proposed eight performance indices to make a comprehensive performance evaluation on the prediction results of 14 existing cooperative TFs identification algorithms. Most importantly, these proposed indices can be easily applied to measure the performance of new

  4. Objectively measured physical activity has a negative but weak association with academic performance in children and adolescents.

    PubMed

    Esteban-Cornejo, Irene; Tejero-González, Carlos M; Martinez-Gomez, David; Cabanas-Sánchez, Verónica; Fernández-Santos, Jorge R; Conde-Caveda, Julio; Sallis, James F; Veiga, Oscar L

    2014-11-01

    There is an emerging body of evidence on the potential effects of regular physical activity on academic performance. The aim of this study was to add to the debate, by examining the association between objectively measured physical activity and academic performance in a relatively large sample of children and adolescents. The Spanish UP & DOWN study is a 3-year longitudinal study designed to assess the impact, overtime, of physical activity and sedentary behaviours on health indicators. This present analysis was conducted with 1778 children and adolescents aged 6-18 years. Physical activity was objectively measured by accelerometry. Academic performance was assessed using school grades. Physical activity was inversely associated with all academic performance indicators after adjustment for potential confounders, including neonatal variables, fatness and fitness (all p < 0.05). This association became nonsignificant among quartiles of physical activity. There were only slight differences in academic performance between the lowest and the second quartile of physical activity, compared to the highest quartile, with very small effect size (d < 0.20). Objectively measured physical activity may influence academic performance during both childhood and adolescence, but this association was negative and very weak. Longitudinal and intervention studies are necessary to further our understanding. ©2014 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. Professional Teacher Education Module Series. Assess Student Performance: Knowledge, Module D-2 of Category D--Instructional Evaluation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ohio State Univ., Columbus. National Center for Research in Vocational Education.

    This second in a series of six learning modules on instructional evaluation is designed to give secondary and postsecondary vocational teachers help in assessing student performance as it relates to knowledge of the facts, data, related information, and procedures taught in their vocational courses. The terminal objective for the module is to…

  6. PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF EPA'S PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF FEDERAL REFERENCE METHODS AND FEDERAL EQUIVALENT METHODS FOR COARSE PARTICULATE MATTER

    EPA Science Inventory

    The main objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of sampling methods for potential use as a Federal Reference Method (FRM) capable of providing an estimate of coarse particle (PMc: particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter between 2.5 µm and 10 µm) ...

  7. How Much Are Harry Potter's Glasses Worth? Children's Monetary Evaluation of Authentic Objects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gelman, Susan A.; Frazier, Brandy N.; Noles, Nicholaus S.; Manczak, Erika M.; Stilwell, Sarah M.

    2015-01-01

    Adults attach special value to objects that link to notable people or events--authentic objects. We examined children's monetary evaluation of authentic objects, focusing on four kinds: celebrity possessions (e.g., Harry Potter's glasses), original creations (e.g., the very first teddy bear), personal possessions (e.g., your…

  8. Global precedence effects account for individual differences in both face and object recognition performance.

    PubMed

    Gerlach, Christian; Starrfelt, Randi

    2018-03-20

    There has been an increase in studies adopting an individual difference approach to examine visual cognition and in particular in studies trying to relate face recognition performance with measures of holistic processing (the face composite effect and the part-whole effect). In the present study we examine whether global precedence effects, measured by means of non-face stimuli in Navon's paradigm, can also account for individual differences in face recognition and, if so, whether the effect is of similar magnitude for faces and objects. We find evidence that global precedence effects facilitate both face and object recognition, and to a similar extent. Our results suggest that both face and object recognition are characterized by a coarse-to-fine temporal dynamic, where global shape information is derived prior to local shape information, and that the efficiency of face and object recognition is related to the magnitude of the global precedence effect.

  9. A GIS-BASED METHOD FOR MULTI-OBJECTIVE EVALUATION OF PARK VEGETATION. (R824766)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Abstract

    In this paper we describe a method for evaluating the concordance between a set of mapped landscape attributes and a set of quantitatively expressed management priorities. The method has proved to be useful in planning urban green areas, allowing objectively d...

  10. Pilot Program on Common Status Measures Objective-Referenced Tests. Colorado Evaluation Project, Report No. 1.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Colorado State Dept. of Education, Denver.

    The purpose of the Colorado Evaluation Project was to field test the Common Status Measures at grades four and eleven in conjunction with a statewide assessment program based on objective-referenced testing instruments developed by the Colorado Department of Education for grades kindergarten, three, six, nine, and twelve. The evaluation was…

  11. Use of Portable Digital Devices to Analyze Autonomic Stress Response in Psychology Objective Structured Clinical Examination.

    PubMed

    Beltrán-Velasco, Ana Isabel; Bellido-Esteban, Alberto; Ruisoto-Palomera, Pablo; Clemente-Suárez, Vicente Javier

    2018-01-12

    The aim of the present study was to explore changes in the autonomic stress response of Psychology students in a Psychology Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) and their relationship with OSCE performance. Variables of autonomic modulation by the analysis of heart rate variability in temporal, frequency and non-linear domains, subjective perception of distress strait and academic performance were measured before and after the two different evaluations that composed the OSCE. A psychology objective structured clinical examination composed by two different evaluation scenarios produced a large anxiety anticipatory response, a habituation response in the first of the evaluation scenarios and a in the entire evaluation, and a no habituation response in the second evaluation scenario. Autonomic modulation parameters do not correlate with academic performance of students.

  12. Object-based benefits without object-based representations.

    PubMed

    Fougnie, Daryl; Cormiea, Sarah M; Alvarez, George A

    2013-08-01

    Influential theories of visual working memory have proposed that the basic units of memory are integrated object representations. Key support for this proposal is provided by the same object benefit: It is easier to remember multiple features of a single object than the same set of features distributed across multiple objects. Here, we replicate the object benefit but demonstrate that features are not stored as single, integrated representations. Specifically, participants could remember 10 features better when arranged in 5 objects compared to 10 objects, yet memory for one object feature was largely independent of memory for the other object feature. These results rule out the possibility that integrated representations drive the object benefit and require a revision of the concept of object-based memory representations. We propose that working memory is object-based in regard to the factors that enhance performance but feature based in regard to the level of representational failure. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

  13. An hierarchical approach to performance evaluation of expert systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dominick, Wayne D. (Editor); Kavi, Srinu

    1985-01-01

    The number and size of expert systems is growing rapidly. Formal evaluation of these systems - which is not performed for many systems - increases the acceptability by the user community and hence their success. Hierarchical evaluation that had been conducted for computer systems is applied for expert system performance evaluation. Expert systems are also evaluated by treating them as software systems (or programs). This paper reports many of the basic concepts and ideas in the Performance Evaluation of Expert Systems Study being conducted at the University of Southwestern Louisiana.

  14. Dependence of behavioral performance on material category in an object grasping task with monkeys.

    PubMed

    Yokoi, Isao; Tachibana, Atsumichi; Minamimoto, Takafumi; Goda, Naokazu; Komatsu, Hidehiko

    2018-05-02

    Material perception is an essential part of our cognitive function that enables us to properly interact with our complex daily environment. One important aspect of material perception is its multimodal nature. When we see an object, we generally recognize its haptic properties as well as its visual properties. Consequently, one must examine behavior using real objects that are perceived both visually and haptically to fully understand the characteristics of material perception. As a first step, we examined whether there is any difference in the behavioral responses to different materials in monkeys trained to perform an object grasping task in which they saw and grasped rod-shaped real objects made of various materials. We found that the monkeys' behavior in the grasping task, measured based on the success rate and the pulling force, differed depending on the material category. Monkeys easily and correctly grasped objects of some materials, such as metal and glass, but failed to grasp objects of other materials. In particular, monkeys avoided grasping fur-covered objects. The differences in the behavioral responses to the material categories cannot be explained solely based on the degree of familiarity with the different materials. These results shed light on the organization of multimodal representation of materials, where their biological significance is an important factor. In addition, a monkey that avoided touching real fur-covered objects readily touched images of the same objects presented on a CRT display. This suggests employing real objects is important when studying behaviors related to material perception.

  15. The Myth of Rational Evaluation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Losak, John

    A management by objectives approach to evaluation develops performance objectives as a means of minimizing the bias related to individual judgment. This paper focuses on three variables which contribute to the presence of subjectivity in performance evaluation. The first of these is psychological and includes such factors as judgment, power…

  16. Actigraphy in Human African Trypanosomiasis as a Tool for Objective Clinical Evaluation and Monitoring: A Pilot Study

    PubMed Central

    Njamnshi, Alfred K.; Seke Etet, Paul F.; Perrig, Stephen; Acho, Alphonse; Funsah, Julius Y.; Mumba, Dieudonné; Muyembe, Jean-Jacques; Kristensson, Krister; Bentivoglio, Marina

    2012-01-01

    Background Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) or sleeping sickness leads to a complex neuropsychiatric syndrome with characteristic sleep alterations. Current division into a first, hemolymphatic stage and second, meningoencephalitic stage is primarily based on the detection of white blood cells and/or trypanosomes in the cerebrospinal fluid. The validity of this criterion is, however, debated, and novel laboratory biomarkers are under study. Objective clinical HAT evaluation and monitoring is therefore needed. Polysomnography has effectively documented sleep-wake disturbances during HAT, but could be difficult to apply as routine technology in field work. The non-invasive, cost-effective technique of actigraphy has been widely validated as a tool for the ambulatory evaluation of sleep disturbances. In this pilot study, actigraphy was applied to the clinical assessment of HAT patients. Methods/Principal Findings Actigraphy was recorded in patients infected by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, and age- and sex-matched control subjects. Simultaneous nocturnal polysomnography was also performed in the patients. Nine patients, including one child, were analyzed at admission and two of them also during specific treatment. Parameters, analyzed with user-friendly software, included sleep time evaluated from rest-activity signals, rest-activity rhythm waveform and characteristics. The findings showed sleep-wake alterations of various degrees of severity, which in some patients did not parallel white blood cell counts in the cerebrospinal fluid. Actigraphic recording also showed improvement of the analyzed parameters after treatment initiation. Nocturnal polysomnography showed alterations of sleep time closely corresponding to those derived from actigraphy. Conclusions/Significance The data indicate that actigraphy can be an interesting tool for HAT evaluation, providing valuable clinical information through simple technology, well suited also for long-term follow

  17. Operator performance evaluation using multi criteria decision making methods

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

    2014-06-01

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

  18. Foreign object detection and removal to improve automated analysis of chest radiographs

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

    Hogeweg, Laurens; Sanchez, Clara I.; Melendez, Jaime

    2013-07-15

    Purpose: Chest radiographs commonly contain projections of foreign objects, such as buttons, brassier clips, jewellery, or pacemakers and wires. The presence of these structures can substantially affect the output of computer analysis of these images. An automated method is presented to detect, segment, and remove foreign objects from chest radiographs.Methods: Detection is performed using supervised pixel classification with a kNN classifier, resulting in a probability estimate per pixel to belong to a projected foreign object. Segmentation is performed by grouping and post-processing pixels with a probability above a certain threshold. Next, the objects are replaced by texture inpainting.Results: The methodmore » is evaluated in experiments on 257 chest radiographs. The detection at pixel level is evaluated with receiver operating characteristic analysis on pixels within the unobscured lung fields and an A{sub z} value of 0.949 is achieved. Free response operator characteristic analysis is performed at the object level, and 95.6% of objects are detected with on average 0.25 false positive detections per image. To investigate the effect of removing the detected objects through inpainting, a texture analysis system for tuberculosis detection is applied to images with and without pathology and with and without foreign object removal. Unprocessed, the texture analysis abnormality score of normal images with foreign objects is comparable to those with pathology. After removing foreign objects, the texture score of normal images with and without foreign objects is similar, while abnormal images, whether they contain foreign objects or not, achieve on average higher scores.Conclusions: The authors conclude that removal of foreign objects from chest radiographs is feasible and beneficial for automated image analysis.« less

  19. Evaluation of Four Bedside Test Systems for Card Performance, Handling and Safety.

    PubMed

    Giebel, Felix; Picker, Susanne M; Gathof, Birgit S

    2008-01-01

    SUMMARY: OBJECTIVE: Pretransfusion ABO compatibility testing is a simple and required precaution against ABO-incompatible transfusion, which is one of the greatest threats in transfusion medicine. While distinct agglutination is most important for correct test interpretation, protection against infectious diseases and ease of handling are crucial for accurate test performance. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate differences in test card design, handling, and user safety. DESIGN: Four different bedside test cards with pre-applied antibodies were evaluated by 100 medical students using packed red blood cells of different ABO blood groups. Criteria of evaluation were: agglutination, labelling, handling, and safety regarding possible user injuries. Criteria were rated subjectively according to German school notes ranging from 1 = very good to 6 = very bad/insufficient. RESULTS: Overall, all cards received very good/good marks. The ABO blood group was identified correctly in all cases. Three cards (no. 1, no. 3, no. 4) received statistically significant (p < 0.008) prominence (mean values shown) concerning clearness of agglutination (1.7-1.9 vs. 2.4 for no. 2). Systems with dried antibodies (no. 2, no. 4) outmatched the other systems with respect to overall test system performance (2.0 vs. 2.8-2.9), labelling (1.5 vs. 2.2-2.4), handling (1.9-2.0 vs. 2.5), and user safety (2.5 vs. 3.4). Analysis of card self-explanation revealed no remarkable differences. CONCLUSION: Despite good performance of all card systems tested, the best results when including all criteria evaluated were obtained with card no. 4 (particularly concerning clear agglutination), followed by cards no. 2, no. 1, and no. 3.

  20. A Catalog of Performance Objectives and Performance Guides for Laser Systems Technician for the Job Titles of Laser Technician D.O.T. 019.181-010, Laser Systems Technician D.O.T.-N/A.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pennsylvania State Dept. of Education, Harrisburg. Bureau of Vocational and Technical Education.

    This catalog lists and describes the tasks performed by a laser technician and standards for their performance. Each duty contains performance objectives for related tasks. Included in the objectives are standards that must be met and conditions for performance of the tasks. Performance guides provided for each objective identify the conditions…

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