Sample records for performance standards based

  1. 76 FR 7818 - Correction to Notice Soliciting Comments on Proposed Voluntary Product Standard PS 2-10 and...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-02-11

    ... ``Performance Standard for Wood-Based Structural-Use Panels,'' and appears in the body of the notice. NIST is... correct title of the proposed standard is ``Performance Standard for Wood-Based Structural-Use Panels... Product Standard (PS) 2-04, Performance Standard for Wood-Based Structural-Use Panels. This revised...

  2. 48 CFR 37.603 - Performance standards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Performance standards. 37... CATEGORIES OF CONTRACTING SERVICE CONTRACTING Performance-Based Acquisition 37.603 Performance standards. (a) Performance standards establish the performance level required by the Government to meet the contract...

  3. 48 CFR 37.603 - Performance standards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Performance standards. 37... CATEGORIES OF CONTRACTING SERVICE CONTRACTING Performance-Based Acquisition 37.603 Performance standards. (a) Performance standards establish the performance level required by the Government to meet the contract...

  4. 48 CFR 37.603 - Performance standards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Performance standards. 37... CATEGORIES OF CONTRACTING SERVICE CONTRACTING Performance-Based Acquisition 37.603 Performance standards. (a) Performance standards establish the performance level required by the Government to meet the contract...

  5. 48 CFR 37.603 - Performance standards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Performance standards. 37... CATEGORIES OF CONTRACTING SERVICE CONTRACTING Performance-Based Acquisition 37.603 Performance standards. (a) Performance standards establish the performance level required by the Government to meet the contract...

  6. Setting Emissions Standards Based on Technology Performance

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    In setting national emissions standards, EPA sets emissions performance levels rather than mandating use of a particular technology. The law mandates that EPA use numerical performance standards whenever feasible in setting national emissions standards.

  7. PERFORMANCE-BASED CONTRACTING IN CONSTRUCTION PHASE AND MAINTENANCE PHASE OF PAVEMENT

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yoshida, Takeshi

    Performance-based contracting for pavement in Japan started as performance warranties in construction phase, in 1999. Recently, road agencies have recognized the applicability of this type of contracting in outsourcing of maintenance activities. The objectives of this study are to clarify the issues of performance specifying in construction phase and maintenance phase of pavement, and to propose measures to be taken. This paper, with the recognition that the life of each pavement depends on performance standards for various attributes, reviews domestic and foreign examples of performance-based contracting. A performance standard based on the average of current practices can enhance product quality and service life with a warranty contract. Repair thresholds and response time for each deficiency should be considered as performance standards in maintenance phase.

  8. The Role of the Library Media Specialist in Standards-Based Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Corey, Linda

    2002-01-01

    Discusses the role of the school library media specialist in standards-based learning. Topics include standards-based assessment; information literacy standards; collaboration with classroom teachers; benchmarks and indicators for student performance; leadership in a standards-based climate; and the use of technology to support curriculum and…

  9. 40 CFR 447.15 - Standards of performance for new sources.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ...) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS (CONTINUED) INK FORMULATING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Oil-Base Solvent Wash Ink Subcategory § 447.15 Standards of performance for new sources. The following standards of...

  10. 40 CFR 447.15 - Standards of performance for new sources.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ...) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS (CONTINUED) INK FORMULATING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Oil-Base Solvent Wash Ink Subcategory § 447.15 Standards of performance for new sources. The following standards of...

  11. 40 CFR 447.15 - Standards of performance for new sources.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ...) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS (CONTINUED) INK FORMULATING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Oil-Base Solvent Wash Ink Subcategory § 447.15 Standards of performance for new sources. The following standards of...

  12. 40 CFR 446.15 - Standards of performance for new sources.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ...) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS (CONTINUED) PAINT FORMULATING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Oil-Base Solvent Wash Paint Subcategory § 446.15 Standards of performance for new sources. The following standards of...

  13. 40 CFR 446.15 - Standards of performance for new sources.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ...) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS (CONTINUED) PAINT FORMULATING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Oil-Base Solvent Wash Paint Subcategory § 446.15 Standards of performance for new sources. The following standards of...

  14. 40 CFR 446.15 - Standards of performance for new sources.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ...) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS (CONTINUED) PAINT FORMULATING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Oil-Base Solvent Wash Paint Subcategory § 446.15 Standards of performance for new sources. The following standards of...

  15. 33 CFR 332.5 - Ecological performance standards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Ecological performance standards..., DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE COMPENSATORY MITIGATION FOR LOSSES OF AQUATIC RESOURCES § 332.5 Ecological performance... objective and verifiable. Ecological performance standards must be based on the best available science that...

  16. Improving performance of Zambia Defence Force antiretroviral therapy providers: evaluation of a standards-based approach

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Young Mi; Banda, Joseph; Kanjipite, Webby; Sarkar, Supriya; Bazant, Eva; Hiner, Cyndi; Tholandi, Maya; Reinhardt, Stephanie; Njobvu, Panganani Dalisani; Kols, Adrienne; Benavides, Bruno

    2013-01-01

    ABSTRACT Background: The Zambia Defence Force (ZDF) has applied the Standards-Based Management and Recognition (SBM-R®) approach, which uses detailed performance standards, at some health facilities to improve HIV-related services offered to military personnel and surrounding civilian communities. This study examines the effectiveness of the SBM-R approach in improving facility readiness and provider performance at ZDF facilities. Methods: We collected data on facility readiness and provider performance before and after the 2010–2012 intervention at 4 intervention sites selected for their relatively poor performance and 4 comparison sites. Assessors observed whether each facility met 16 readiness standards and whether providers met 9 performance standards during consultations with 354 returning antiretroviral therapy (ART) clients. We then calculated the percentages of criteria achieved for each readiness and performance standard and conducted bivariate and multivariate analyses of provider performance data. Results: Facilities' ART readiness scores exceeded 80% before the intervention at both intervention and comparison sites. At endline, scores improved on 4 facility readiness standards in the intervention group but on only 1 standard in the comparison group. Multivariate analysis found that the overall provider performance score increased significantly in the intervention group (from 58% to 84%; P<.01) but not in the comparison group (from 62% to 70%). The before-and-after improvement in scores was significantly greater among intervention sites than among comparison sites for 2 standards—initial assessment of the client's condition and nutrition counseling. Conclusion: The standards-based approach, which involved intensive and mutually reinforcing intervention activities, showed modest improvements in some aspects of providers' performance during ART consultations. Further research is needed to determine whether improvements in provider performance affect client outcomes such as adherence to ART. PMID:25276534

  17. The Utility of Curriculum-Based Measurement within a Multitiered Framework: Establishing Cut Scores as Predictors of Student Performance on the Alaska Standards-Based Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Legg, David E.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between student performance on Reading Curriculum-based Measures (R-CBM) and student performance on the Alaska's standards based assessment (SBA) administered to students in Studied School District (SSD) Grade 3 through Grade 5 students in the Studied School District as required by…

  18. A Preliminary Investigation into the Effect of Standards-Based Grading on the Academic Performance of African-American Students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bradbury-Bailey, Mary

    With the implementation of No Child Left Behind came a wave of educational reform intended for those working with student populations whose academic performance seemed to indicate an alienation from the educational process. Central to these reforms was the implementation of standards-based instruction and their accompanying standardized assessments; however, in one area reform seemed nonexistent---the teacher's gradebook. (Erickson, 2010, Marzano, 2006; Scriffiny, 2008). Given the link between the grading process and achievement motivation, Ames (1992) suggested the use of practices that promote mastery goal orientation. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of standards-based grading system as a factor contributing to mastery goal orientation on the academic performance of urban African American students. To determine the degree of impact, this study first compared the course content averages and End-of-Course-Test (EOCT) scores for science classes using a traditional grading system to those using a standards-based grading system by employing an Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). While there was an increase in all grading areas, two showed a significant difference---the Physical Science course content average (p = 0.024) and ix the Biology EOCT scores (p = 0.0876). These gains suggest that standards-based grading can have a positive impact on the academic performance of African American students. Secondly, this study examined the correlation between the course content averages and the EOCT scores for both the traditional and standards-based grading system; for both Physical Science and Biology, there was a stronger correlation between these two scores for the standards-based grading system.

  19. Adaptive image coding based on cubic-spline interpolation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiang, Jian-Xing; Hong, Shao-Hua; Lin, Tsung-Ching; Wang, Lin; Truong, Trieu-Kien

    2014-09-01

    It has been investigated that at low bit rates, downsampling prior to coding and upsampling after decoding can achieve better compression performance than standard coding algorithms, e.g., JPEG and H. 264/AVC. However, at high bit rates, the sampling-based schemes generate more distortion. Additionally, the maximum bit rate for the sampling-based scheme to outperform the standard algorithm is image-dependent. In this paper, a practical adaptive image coding algorithm based on the cubic-spline interpolation (CSI) is proposed. This proposed algorithm adaptively selects the image coding method from CSI-based modified JPEG and standard JPEG under a given target bit rate utilizing the so called ρ-domain analysis. The experimental results indicate that compared with the standard JPEG, the proposed algorithm can show better performance at low bit rates and maintain the same performance at high bit rates.

  20. 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...

  1. 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...

  2. 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...

  3. 10 CFR 430.70 - Enforcement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... writing concerning the energy performance or water performance (in the case of faucets, showerheads, water... standard or water performance standard (in the case of faucets, showerheads, water closets, and urinals... standard (in the case of faucets, showerheads, water closets, and urinals) shall be based on the testing...

  4. 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...

  5. Assessing Outside the Bubble: Performance Assessment for Common Core State Standards

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bishop, Jesica M.; Bristow, Lora J.; Coriell, Bryn P.; Jensen, Mark E.; Johnson, Leif E.; Luring, Sara R.; Lyons-Tinsley, Mary Ann; Mefford, Megan M.; Neu, Gwen L.; Samulski, Emerson T.; Warner, Timothy D.; White, Mathew F.

    2011-01-01

    The adoption of Common Core State Standards has increased the need for assessments capable of measuring more performance-based outcomes. This monograph brings together the current literature and resources for the development and implementation of performance assessment. The text was written as part of a project-based graduate course and has…

  6. 40 CFR 230.95 - Ecological performance standards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... mitigation plan must contain performance standards that will be used to assess whether the project is... mitigation project, so that the project can be objectively evaluated to determine if it is developing into... verifiable. Ecological performance standards must be based on the best available science that can be measured...

  7. 40 CFR 230.95 - Ecological performance standards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... mitigation plan must contain performance standards that will be used to assess whether the project is... mitigation project, so that the project can be objectively evaluated to determine if it is developing into... verifiable. Ecological performance standards must be based on the best available science that can be measured...

  8. 40 CFR 230.95 - Ecological performance standards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... mitigation plan must contain performance standards that will be used to assess whether the project is... mitigation project, so that the project can be objectively evaluated to determine if it is developing into... verifiable. Ecological performance standards must be based on the best available science that can be measured...

  9. 40 CFR 230.95 - Ecological performance standards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... mitigation plan must contain performance standards that will be used to assess whether the project is... mitigation project, so that the project can be objectively evaluated to determine if it is developing into... verifiable. Ecological performance standards must be based on the best available science that can be measured...

  10. Updated laser safety & hazard analysis for the ARES laser system based on the 2007 ANSI Z136.1 standard.

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

    Augustoni, Arnold L.

    A laser safety and hazard analysis was performed for the temperature stabilized Big Sky Laser Technology (BSLT) laser central to the ARES system based on the 2007 version of the American National Standards Institutes (ANSI) Standard Z136.1, for Safe Use of Lasers and the 2005 version of the ANSI Standard Z136.6, for Safe Use of Lasers Outdoors. The ARES laser system is a Van/Truck based mobile platform, which is used to perform laser interaction experiments and tests at various national test sites.

  11. Collaborative Radiological Response Planning

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-12-01

    280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2–89) Prescribed by ANSI Std. 239–18 i THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ii Approved for public release...critical tasks, under specified conditions and performance standards .”33 Aligned with the central objective of Capabilities-Based Planning, the TCL...affect task performance.36 More specifically, measures and performance criteria describe a standard for how well a task must be performed and on

  12. Use of Low-Fidelity Simulation Laboratory Training for Teaching Radiology Residents CT-Guided Procedures.

    PubMed

    Picard, Melissa; Nelson, Rachel; Roebel, John; Collins, Heather; Anderson, M Bret

    2016-11-01

    To determine the benefit of the addition of low-fidelity simulation-based training to the standard didactic-based training in teaching radiology residents common CT-guided procedures. This was a prospective study involving 24 radiology residents across all years in a university program. All residents underwent standard didactic lecture followed by low-fidelity simulation-based training on three common CT-guided procedures: random liver biopsy, lung nodule biopsy, and drain placement. Baseline knowledge, confidence, and performance assessments were obtained after the didactic session and before the simulation training session. Approximately 2 months later, all residents participated in a simulation-based training session covering all three of these procedures. Knowledge, confidence, and performance data were obtained afterward. These assessments covered topics related to preprocedure workup, intraprocedure steps, and postprocedure management. Knowledge data were collected based on a 15-question assessment. Confidence data were obtained based on a 5-point Likert-like scale. Performance data were obtained based on successful completion of predefined critical steps. There was significant improvement in knowledge (P = .005), confidence (P < .008), and tested performance (P < .043) after the addition of simulation-based training to the standard didactic curriculum for all procedures. This study suggests that the addition of low-fidelity simulation-based training to a standard didactic-based curriculum is beneficial in improving resident knowledge, confidence, and tested performance of common CT-guided procedures. Copyright © 2016 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Financing Higher Standards in Public Education: The Importance of Accounting for Educational Costs. Policy Brief, No. 10.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duncombe, William; Yinger, John

    This policy brief explains why performance focus and educational cost indexes must go hand in hand, discusses alternative methods for estimating educational cost indexes, and shows how these costs indexes can be incorporated into a performance-based state aid program. A shift to educational performance standards, whether these standards are…

  14. 75 FR 66734 - Proposed Voluntary Product Standard PS 2-10, Structural Plywood

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-29

    ... to Voluntary Product Standard (PS) 2-04, Performance Standard for Wood-Based Structural-Use Panels... acceptability of wood-based structural-use panels for construction sheathing and single-floor applications. It... acceptability of wood-based structural-use panels for construction sheathing and single- floor application, and...

  15. An XML-Based Protocol for Distributed Event Services

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smith, Warren; Gunter, Dan; Quesnel, Darcy; Biegel, Bryan (Technical Monitor)

    2001-01-01

    A recent trend in distributed computing is the construction of high-performance distributed systems called computational grids. One difficulty we have encountered is that there is no standard format for the representation of performance information and no standard protocol for transmitting this information. This limits the types of performance analysis that can be undertaken in complex distributed systems. To address this problem, we present an XML-based protocol for transmitting performance events in distributed systems and evaluate the performance of this protocol.

  16. Multilevel Linkages between State Standards, Teacher Standards, and Student Achievement: Testing External versus Internal Standards-Based Education Models

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Jaekyung; Liu, Xiaoyan; Amo, Laura Casey; Wang, Weichun Leilani

    2014-01-01

    Drawing on national and state assessment datasets in reading and math, this study tested "external" versus "internal" standards-based education models. The goal was to understand whether and how student performance standards work in multilayered school systems under No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). Under the…

  17. 40 CFR 60.544 - Monitoring of operations.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... (CONTINUED) STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE FOR NEW STATIONARY SOURCES Standards of Performance for the Rubber Tire... organic compounds based on a detection principle such as infrared, photoionization, or thermal...

  18. Quantum Standard Teleportation Based on the Generic Measurement Bases

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hao, San-Ru; Hou, Bo-Yu; Xi, Xiao-Qiang; Yue, Rui-Hong

    2003-10-01

    We study the quantum standard teleportation based on the generic measurement bases. It is shown that the quantum standard teleportation does not depend on the explicit expression of the measurement bases. We have given the correspondence relation between the measurement performed by Alice and the unitary transformation performed by Bob. We also prove that the single particle unknown states and the two-particle unknown cat-like states can be exactly transmitted by means of the generic measurement bases and the correspondence unitary transformations. The project supported in part by National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Hunan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Scientific Research Fund of Hunan Provincial Education Department

  19. Development of Entry-Level Competence Tests: A Strategy for Evaluation of Vocational Education Training Systems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schutte, Marc; Spottl, Georg

    2011-01-01

    Developing countries such as Malaysia and Oman have recently established occupational standards based on core work processes (functional clusters of work objects, activities and performance requirements), to which competencies (performance determinants) can be linked. While the development of work-process-based occupational standards is supposed…

  20. Convergent Validity Evidence regarding the Validity of the Chilean Standards-Based Teacher Evaluation System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Santelices, Maria Veronica; Taut, Sandy

    2011-01-01

    This paper describes convergent validity evidence regarding the mandatory, standards-based Chilean national teacher evaluation system (NTES). The study examined whether NTES identifies--and thereby rewards or punishes--the "right" teachers as high- or low-performing. We collected in-depth teaching performance data on a sample of 58…

  1. 40 CFR 447.15 - Standards of performance for new sources.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 29 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Standards of performance for new sources. 447.15 Section 447.15 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS INK FORMULATING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Oil-Base Solvent Wash Ink...

  2. 40 CFR 447.15 - Standards of performance for new sources.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Standards of performance for new sources. 447.15 Section 447.15 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS INK FORMULATING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Oil-Base Solvent Wash Ink...

  3. 40 CFR 446.15 - Standards of performance for new sources.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 29 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Standards of performance for new sources. 446.15 Section 446.15 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS PAINT FORMULATING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Oil-Base Solvent Wash Paint...

  4. 40 CFR 446.15 - Standards of performance for new sources.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Standards of performance for new sources. 446.15 Section 446.15 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS PAINT FORMULATING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Oil-Base Solvent Wash Paint...

  5. Toward the establishment of standardized in vitro tests for lipid-based formulations, part 4: proposing a new lipid formulation performance classification system.

    PubMed

    Williams, Hywel D; Sassene, Philip; Kleberg, Karen; Calderone, Marilyn; Igonin, Annabel; Jule, Eduardo; Vertommen, Jan; Blundell, Ross; Benameur, Hassan; Müllertz, Anette; Porter, Christopher J H; Pouton, Colin W

    2014-08-01

    The Lipid Formulation Classification System Consortium looks to develop standardized in vitro tests and to generate much-needed performance criteria for lipid-based formulations (LBFs). This article highlights the value of performing a second, more stressful digestion test to identify LBFs near a performance threshold and to facilitate lead formulation selection in instances where several LBF prototypes perform adequately under standard digestion conditions (but where further discrimination is necessary). Stressed digestion tests can be designed based on an understanding of the factors that affect LBF performance, including the degree of supersaturation generated on dispersion/digestion. Stresses evaluated included decreasing LBF concentration (↓LBF), increasing bile salt, and decreasing pH. Their capacity to stress LBFs was dependent on LBF composition and drug type: ↓LBF was a stressor to medium-chain glyceride-rich LBFs, but not more hydrophilic surfactant-rich LBFs, whereas decreasing pH stressed tolfenamic acid LBFs, but not fenofibrate LBFs. Lastly, a new Performance Classification System, that is, LBF composition independent, is proposed to promote standardized LBF comparisons, encourage robust LBF development, and facilitate dialogue with the regulatory authorities. This classification system is based on the concept that performance evaluations across three in vitro tests, designed to subject a LBF to progressively more challenging conditions, will enable effective LBF discrimination and performance grading. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

  6. Why IEP Teams Assign Low Performers with Mild Disabilities to the Alternate Assessment Based on Alternate Achievement Standards

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cho, Hyun-Jeong; Kingston, Neal

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this case study was to determine teachers' rationales for assigning students with mild disabilities to alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS). In interviews, special educators stated that their primary considerations in making the assignments were low academic performance, student use of extended…

  7. Performance observations based on a subset of the DICOM 3.0 draft standard

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moore, Stephen M.; Blaine, G. James; Jost, R. Gilbert

    1993-09-01

    The American College of Radiology (ACR) and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) are defining the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) V3.0 Standard. Previous authors have investigated the performance of the ACR- NEMA V1.0 and V2.0 Standards in point to point and network applications. This paper describes an early implementation of a subset of the DICOM V3.0 Standard and presents performance results for a combination of workstation types and network technologies.

  8. Alignment: Its Role in Standards-Based Reform and Prospects for the Common Core

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Massell, Diane; Perrault, Paul

    2014-01-01

    The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) of 2010 represent a new chapter in the 25-year history of standards-based reforms (SBR). The CCSS attempts to bring the system back to the principles of its founding--more rigorous, focused, academic content and performance expectations collectively embraced by the nation. The new standards depart…

  9. Examining the Role of the Principal: Case Study of a High-Poverty, High-Performing Rural Elementary School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coleman, Howard D.

    2013-01-01

    Since the inception of high-stakes standardized testing, schools have been labeled as either succeeding or failing based on student standardized assessment performance. If students perform adequately, the building principal receives acknowledgement for being an effective instructional leader. Conversely, if students perform poorly, the principal…

  10. Laser Safety and Hazardous Analysis for the ARES (Big Sky) Laser System

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

    AUGUSTONI, ARNOLD L.

    A laser safety and hazard analysis was performed for the ARES laser system based on the 2000 version of the American National Standards Institute's (ANSI) Standard Z136.1,for Safe Use of Lasers and the 2000 version of the ANSI Standard Z136.6, for Safe Use of Lasers Outdoors. The ARES laser system is a Van/Truck based mobile platform, which is used to perform laser interaction experiments and tests at various national test sites.

  11. Unobtrusive measurement of indoor energy expenditure using an infrared sensor-based activity monitoring system.

    PubMed

    Hwang, Bosun; Han, Jonghee; Choi, Jong Min; Park, Kwang Suk

    2008-11-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop an unobtrusive energy expenditure (EE) measurement system using an infrared (IR) sensor-based activity monitoring system to measure indoor activities and to estimate individual quantitative EE. IR-sensor activation counts were measured with a Bluetooth-based monitoring system and the standard EE was calculated using an established regression equation. Ten male subjects participated in the experiment and three different EE measurement systems (gas analyzer, accelerometer, IR sensor) were used simultaneously in order to determine the regression equation and evaluate the performance. As a standard measurement, oxygen consumption was simultaneously measured by a portable metabolic system (Metamax 3X, Cortex, Germany). A single room experiment was performed to develop a regression model of the standard EE measurement from the proposed IR sensor-based measurement system. In addition, correlation and regression analyses were done to compare the performance of the IR system with that of the Actigraph system. We determined that our proposed IR-based EE measurement system shows a similar correlation to the Actigraph system with the standard measurement system.

  12. Development of Best practices document for Peptide Standards | Office of Cancer Clinical Proteomics Research

    Cancer.gov

    The Assay Development Working Group (ADWG) of the CPTAC Program is currently drafting a document to propose best practices for generation, quantification, storage, and handling of peptide standards used for mass spectrometry-based assays, as well as interpretation of quantitative proteomic data based on peptide standards. The ADWG is seeking input from commercial entities that provide peptide standards for mass spectrometry-based assays or that perform amino acid analysis.

  13. Assessing the Promise of Standards-Based Performance Evaluation for Principals: Results from a Randomized Trial

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kimball, Steven Miller; Milanowski, Anthony; McKinney, Sarah A.

    2009-01-01

    Principals (N = 76) in a large western U.S. school district were randomly assigned to be evaluated using either a new standards-based system or to continue with the old system. It was hypothesized that principals evaluated with the new system would report clearer performance expectations, better feedback, greater fairness and system satisfaction,…

  14. Six Years of Comprehensive, Clinical, Performance-Based Assessment Using Standardized Patients at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vu, Nu Viet; And Others

    1992-01-01

    The use of a performance-based assessment of senior medical students' clinical skills utilizing standardized patients was evaluated, with 6,804 student-patient encounters involving 405 students over 6 years. Results provide evidence for test security, content validity, construct validity, reliability, and test ability to discriminate a wide range…

  15. Participation and Performance Reporting for the Alternate Assessment Based on Modified Achievement Standards (AA-MAS). Technical Report 58

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Albus, Deb; Thurlow, Martha L.; Lazarus, Sheryl S.

    2011-01-01

    This report examines publicly reported participation and performance data for the alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS). The authors' analysis of these data included all states publicly reporting AA-MAS data, regardless of whether they had received approval to use the results for Title I accountability calculations.…

  16. Performance measures for lower gastrointestinal endoscopy: a European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) quality improvement initiative

    PubMed Central

    Thomas-Gibson, Siwan; Bugajski, Marek; Bretthauer, Michael; Rees, Colin J; Dekker, Evelien; Hoff, Geir; Jover, Rodrigo; Suchanek, Stepan; Ferlitsch, Monika; Anderson, John; Roesch, Thomas; Hultcranz, Rolf; Racz, Istvan; Kuipers, Ernst J; Garborg, Kjetil; East, James E; Rupinski, Maciej; Seip, Birgitte; Bennett, Cathy; Senore, Carlo; Minozzi, Silvia; Bisschops, Raf; Domagk, Dirk; Valori, Roland; Spada, Cristiano; Hassan, Cesare; Dinis-Ribeiro, Mario; Rutter, Matthew D

    2017-01-01

    The European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and United European Gastroenterology present a short list of key performance measures for lower gastrointestinal endoscopy. We recommend that endoscopy services across Europe adopt the following seven key performance measures for lower gastrointestinal endoscopy for measurement and evaluation in daily practice at a center and endoscopist level: 1 rate of adequate bowel preparation (minimum standard 90%); 2 cecal intubation rate (minimum standard 90%); 3 adenoma detection rate (minimum standard 25%); 4 appropriate polypectomy technique (minimum standard 80%); 5 complication rate (minimum standard not set); 6 patient experience (minimum standard not set); 7 appropriate post-polypectomy surveillance recommendations (minimum standard not set). Other identified performance measures have been listed as less relevant based on an assessment of their importance, scientific acceptability, feasibility, usability, and comparison to competing measures. PMID:28507745

  17. An improved genetic algorithm for designing optimal temporal patterns of neural stimulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cassar, Isaac R.; Titus, Nathan D.; Grill, Warren M.

    2017-12-01

    Objective. Electrical neuromodulation therapies typically apply constant frequency stimulation, but non-regular temporal patterns of stimulation may be more effective and more efficient. However, the design space for temporal patterns is exceedingly large, and model-based optimization is required for pattern design. We designed and implemented a modified genetic algorithm (GA) intended for design optimal temporal patterns of electrical neuromodulation. Approach. We tested and modified standard GA methods for application to designing temporal patterns of neural stimulation. We evaluated each modification individually and all modifications collectively by comparing performance to the standard GA across three test functions and two biophysically-based models of neural stimulation. Main results. The proposed modifications of the GA significantly improved performance across the test functions and performed best when all were used collectively. The standard GA found patterns that outperformed fixed-frequency, clinically-standard patterns in biophysically-based models of neural stimulation, but the modified GA, in many fewer iterations, consistently converged to higher-scoring, non-regular patterns of stimulation. Significance. The proposed improvements to standard GA methodology reduced the number of iterations required for convergence and identified superior solutions.

  18. Strength and deformation characteristics of pavements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shook, J. F.; Kallas, B. F.; McCullough, B. F.; Taute, A.; Rada, G.; Witczak, M. W.; Heisey, J. S.; Stokoe, K. H.; Meyer, A. H.; Huffman, M. S.

    The Colorado experimental base project was a full-scale field experment constructed with various thicknesses of two full depth hot mix sand asphalt beans, one full depth asphalt concrete base, and one thickness of a standard design with untreated base and subbase layers. Relative thicknesses of one asphalt concrete base, two hot mix sand asphalt bases, and one standard design with untreated base and subbase required to give an equal level of pavement performance were determined. Certain measured properties of the pavement and the pavement components were related to observed levels of performance by using both empirical and theoretical models for pavement behavior.

  19. ADEpedia: a scalable and standardized knowledge base of Adverse Drug Events using semantic web technology.

    PubMed

    Jiang, Guoqian; Solbrig, Harold R; Chute, Christopher G

    2011-01-01

    A source of semantically coded Adverse Drug Event (ADE) data can be useful for identifying common phenotypes related to ADEs. We proposed a comprehensive framework for building a standardized ADE knowledge base (called ADEpedia) through combining ontology-based approach with semantic web technology. The framework comprises four primary modules: 1) an XML2RDF transformation module; 2) a data normalization module based on NCBO Open Biomedical Annotator; 3) a RDF store based persistence module; and 4) a front-end module based on a Semantic Wiki for the review and curation. A prototype is successfully implemented to demonstrate the capability of the system to integrate multiple drug data and ontology resources and open web services for the ADE data standardization. A preliminary evaluation is performed to demonstrate the usefulness of the system, including the performance of the NCBO annotator. In conclusion, the semantic web technology provides a highly scalable framework for ADE data source integration and standard query service.

  20. Absolute Frequency Measurements with a Set of Transportable HE-NE/CH4 Optical Frequency Standards and Prospects for Future Design and Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gubin, M.; Kovalchuk, E.; Petrukhin, E.; Shelkovnikov, A.; Tyurikov, D.; Gamidov, R.; Erdogan, C.; Sahin, E.; Felder, R.; Gill, P.; Lea, S. N.; Kramer, G.; Lipphardt, B.

    2002-04-01

    The accumulated results of absolute frequency measurements (AFM) carried out in 1997-2000 with transportable double-mode He-Ne/CH4 optical frequency standards (λ = 3 .39μm) in a collaboration of several laboratories are presented. The performance of this secondary optical frequency standard is estimated on the level of 10-13 (in repeatability), and 1 × 10-14/s (in stability). The next steps towards He-Ne/CH4 standards with one order of magnitude better performance, including devices based on monolithic zerodur resonators, are discussed. Important applications of transportable He-Ne/CH4 optical frequency standards have appeared now due to dramatic progress in the field of optical frequency measurements. Used to stabilize the repetition rate of a Ti:Sa fs laser, these compact secondary standards can transfer their performance into the whole optical range covered by a fs comb. Thus they can play the role of a narrow spectrum interrogative oscillator for super-accurate optical or microwave frequency standards substituting in some tasks a H-maser or oscillators based on cryogenic sapphire resonators.

  1. A standards-based approach to quality improvement for HIV services at Zambia Defence Force facilities: results and lessons learned.

    PubMed

    Kols, Adrienne; Kim, Young-Mi; Bazant, Eva; Necochea, Edgar; Banda, Joseph; Stender, Stacie

    2015-07-01

    The Zambia Defence Force adopted the Standards-Based Management and Recognition approach to improve the quality of the HIV-related services at its health facilities. This quality improvement intervention relies on comprehensive, detailed assessment tools to communicate and verify adherence to national standards of care, and to test and implement changes to improve performance. A quasi-experimental evaluation of the intervention was conducted at eight Zambia Defence Force primary health facilities (four facilities implemented the intervention and four did not). Data from three previous analyses are combined to assess the effect of Standards-Based Management and Recognition on three domains: facility readiness to provide services; observed provider performance during antiretroviral therapy (ART) and antenatal care consultations; and provider perceptions of the work environment. Facility readiness scores for ART improved on four of the eight standards at intervention sites, and one standard at comparison sites. Facility readiness scores for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV increased by 15 percentage points at intervention sites and 7 percentage points at comparison sites. Provider performance improved significantly at intervention sites for both ART services (from 58 to 84%; P < 0.01) and PMTCT services (from 58 to 73%; P = 0.003); there was no significant change at comparison sites. Providers' perceptions of the work environment generally improved at intervention sites and declined at comparison sites; differences in trends between study groups were significant for eight items. A standards-based approach to quality improvement proved effective in supporting healthcare managers and providers to deliver ART and PMTCT services in accordance with evidence-based standards in a health system suffering from staff shortages.

  2. 77 FR 76003 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request-Safety Standard for Omnidirectional Citizens Band Base...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-12-26

    ... Request--Safety Standard for Omnidirectional Citizens Band Base Station Antennas AGENCY: Consumer Product... antennas. DATES: Written comments on this request for extension of approval of information collection... Citizens Band Base Station Antennas establishes performance requirements for omnidirectional citizens band...

  3. Measuring Primary Students' Graph Interpretation Skills Via a Performance Assessment: A case study in instrument development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peterman, Karen; Cranston, Kayla A.; Pryor, Marie; Kermish-Allen, Ruth

    2015-11-01

    This case study was conducted within the context of a place-based education project that was implemented with primary school students in the USA. The authors and participating teachers created a performance assessment of standards-aligned tasks to examine 6-10-year-old students' graph interpretation skills as part of an exploratory research project. Fifty-five students participated in a performance assessment interview at the beginning and end of a place-based investigation. Two forms of the assessment were created and counterbalanced within class at pre and post. In situ scoring was conducted such that responses were scored as correct versus incorrect during the assessment's administration. Criterion validity analysis demonstrated an age-level progression in student scores. Tests of discriminant validity showed that the instrument detected variability in interpretation skills across each of three graph types (line, bar, dot plot). Convergent validity was established by correlating in situ scores with those from the Graph Interpretation Scoring Rubric. Students' proficiency with interpreting different types of graphs matched expectations based on age and the standards-based progression of graphs across primary school grades. The assessment tasks were also effective at detecting pre-post gains in students' interpretation of line graphs and dot plots after the place-based project. The results of the case study are discussed in relation to the common challenges associated with performance assessment. Implications are presented in relation to the need for authentic and performance-based instructional and assessment tasks to respond to the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards.

  4. An Assessment of Long-Term Compliance with Performance Standards in Compensatory Mitigation Wetlands.

    PubMed

    Van den Bosch, Kyle; Matthews, Jeffrey W

    2017-04-01

    Under the US Clean Water Act, wetland restoration is used to compensate for adverse impacts to wetlands. Following construction, compensation wetlands are monitored for approximately 5 years to determine if they comply with project-specific performance standards. Once a compensation site complies with performance standards, it is assumed that the site will continue to meet standards indefinitely. However, there have been few assessments of long-term compliance. We surveyed, in 2012, 30 compensation sites 8-20 years after restoration to determine whether projects continued to meet performance standards. Additionally, we compared floristic quality of compensation sites to the quality of adjacent natural wetlands to determine whether wetland condition in compensation sites could be predicted based on the condition of nearby wetlands. Compensation sites met, on average, 65% of standards during the final year of monitoring and 53% of standards in 2012, a significant decrease in compliance. Although forested wetlands often failed to meet standards for planted tree survival, the temporal decrease in compliance was driven by increasing dominance by invasive plants in emergent wetlands. The presumption of continued compliance with performance standards after a 5-year monitoring period was not supported. Wetlands restored near better quality natural wetlands achieved and maintained greater floristic quality, suggesting that landscape context was an important determinant of long-term restoration outcomes. Based on our findings, we recommend that compensation wetlands should be monitored for longer time periods, and we suggest that nearby or adjacent natural wetlands provide good examples of reasonably achievable restoration outcomes in a particular landscape.

  5. 24 CFR 200.944 - Supplementary specific requirements under the HUD building product standards and certification...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... rated wood-based structural-use panels. 200.944 Section 200.944 Housing and Urban Development... product standards and certification program for plywood and other performance rated wood-based structural... building product certification program. In the case of plywood and wood-based structural-use panels...

  6. 24 CFR 200.944 - Supplementary specific requirements under the HUD building product standards and certification...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... rated wood-based structural-use panels. 200.944 Section 200.944 Housing and Urban Development... product standards and certification program for plywood and other performance rated wood-based structural... building product certification program. In the case of plywood and wood-based structural-use panels...

  7. 24 CFR 200.944 - Supplementary specific requirements under the HUD building product standards and certification...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... rated wood-based structural-use panels. 200.944 Section 200.944 Housing and Urban Development... product standards and certification program for plywood and other performance rated wood-based structural... building product certification program. In the case of plywood and wood-based structural-use panels...

  8. 24 CFR 200.944 - Supplementary specific requirements under the HUD building product standards and certification...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... rated wood-based structural-use panels. 200.944 Section 200.944 Housing and Urban Development... product standards and certification program for plywood and other performance rated wood-based structural... building product certification program. In the case of plywood and wood-based structural-use panels...

  9. 24 CFR 200.944 - Supplementary specific requirements under the HUD building product standards and certification...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... rated wood-based structural-use panels. 200.944 Section 200.944 Housing and Urban Development... product standards and certification program for plywood and other performance rated wood-based structural... building product certification program. In the case of plywood and wood-based structural-use panels...

  10. Rational selective exploitation and distress: employee reactions to performance-based and mobility-based reward allocations.

    PubMed

    Rusbult, C E; Campbell, M A; Price, M E

    1990-09-01

    Prior research has demonstrated that allocators frequently distribute greater rewards to persons with high professional and geographic mobility than to persons with constrained mobility, especially among the very competent. This phenomenon has been termed rational selective exploitation. Do the recipients of such allocations actually experience this distribution rule as unjust and distressing, or is it a misnomer to refer to this phenomenon as exploitation? Two studies were conducted to explore this question. Study 1 was a laboratory experiment in which we manipulated relative performance level, relative mobility level, and allocation standard: performance based versus mobility based. Study 2 was a cross-sectional survey of actual employees in which subjects reported the degree to which performance and mobility were the basis for pay decisions at their places of employment, as well as the degree to which they perceived each standard to be fair. Both studies demonstrated that people regard mobility-based allocations as less fair and more distressing than performance-based allocations. Furthermore, the degree of distress resulting from mobility-based allocations is greater among persons who are disadvantaged by that standard: among people with constrained mobility, especially those who perform at high levels. These findings provide good support for the assertion that so-called rational selective exploitation is indeed distressing to employees. Reactions to this form of distress are also explored, and the implications of these findings for the allocation process are discussed.

  11. Measuring Performance with Library Automated Systems.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    OFarrell, John P.

    2000-01-01

    Investigates the capability of three library automated systems to generate some of the datasets necessary to form the ISO (International Standards Organization) standard on performance measurement within libraries, based on research in Liverpool John Moores University (United Kingdom). Concludes that the systems are weak in generating the…

  12. A randomized, controlled trial of in situ pediatric advanced life support recertification ("pediatric advanced life support reconstructed") compared with standard pediatric advanced life support recertification for ICU frontline providers*.

    PubMed

    Kurosawa, Hiroshi; Ikeyama, Takanari; Achuff, Patricia; Perkel, Madeline; Watson, Christine; Monachino, Annemarie; Remy, Daphne; Deutsch, Ellen; Buchanan, Newton; Anderson, Jodee; Berg, Robert A; Nadkarni, Vinay M; Nishisaki, Akira

    2014-03-01

    Recent evidence shows poor retention of Pediatric Advanced Life Support provider skills. Frequent refresher training and in situ simulation are promising interventions. We developed a "Pediatric Advanced Life Support-reconstructed" recertification course by deconstructing the training into six 30-minute in situ simulation scenario sessions delivered over 6 months. We hypothesized that in situ Pediatric Advanced Life Support-reconstructed implementation is feasible and as effective as standard Pediatric Advanced Life Support recertification. A prospective randomized, single-blinded trial. Single-center, large, tertiary PICU in a university-affiliated children's hospital. Nurses and respiratory therapists in PICU. Simulation-based modular Pediatric Advanced Life Support recertification training. Simulation-based pre- and postassessment sessions were conducted to evaluate participants' performance. Video-recorded sessions were rated by trained raters blinded to allocation. The primary outcome was skill performance measured by a validated Clinical Performance Tool, and secondary outcome was behavioral performance measured by a Behavioral Assessment Tool. A mixed-effect model was used to account for baseline differences. Forty participants were prospectively randomized to Pediatric Advanced Life Support reconstructed versus standard Pediatric Advanced Life Support with no significant difference in demographics. Clinical Performance Tool score was similar at baseline in both groups and improved after Pediatric Advanced Life Support reconstructed (pre, 16.3 ± 4.1 vs post, 22.4 ± 3.9; p < 0.001), but not after standard Pediatric Advanced Life Support (pre, 14.3 ± 4.7 vs post, 14.9 ± 4.4; p =0.59). Improvement of Clinical Performance Tool was significantly higher in Pediatric Advanced Life Support reconstructed compared with standard Pediatric Advanced Life Support (p = 0.006). Behavioral Assessment Tool improved in both groups: Pediatric Advanced Life Support reconstructed (pre, 33.3 ± 4.5 vs post, 35.9 ± 5.0; p = 0.008) and standard Pediatric Advanced Life Support (pre, 30.5 ± 4.7 vs post, 33.6 ± 4.9; p = 0.02), with no significant difference of improvement between both groups (p = 0.49). For PICU-based nurses and respiratory therapists, simulation-based "Pediatric Advanced Life Support-reconstructed" in situ training is feasible and more effective than standard Pediatric Advanced Life Support recertification training for skill performance. Both Pediatric Advanced Life Support recertification training courses improved behavioral performance.

  13. An AUC-based permutation variable importance measure for random forests

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background The random forest (RF) method is a commonly used tool for classification with high dimensional data as well as for ranking candidate predictors based on the so-called random forest variable importance measures (VIMs). However the classification performance of RF is known to be suboptimal in case of strongly unbalanced data, i.e. data where response class sizes differ considerably. Suggestions were made to obtain better classification performance based either on sampling procedures or on cost sensitivity analyses. However to our knowledge the performance of the VIMs has not yet been examined in the case of unbalanced response classes. In this paper we explore the performance of the permutation VIM for unbalanced data settings and introduce an alternative permutation VIM based on the area under the curve (AUC) that is expected to be more robust towards class imbalance. Results We investigated the performance of the standard permutation VIM and of our novel AUC-based permutation VIM for different class imbalance levels using simulated data and real data. The results suggest that the new AUC-based permutation VIM outperforms the standard permutation VIM for unbalanced data settings while both permutation VIMs have equal performance for balanced data settings. Conclusions The standard permutation VIM loses its ability to discriminate between associated predictors and predictors not associated with the response for increasing class imbalance. It is outperformed by our new AUC-based permutation VIM for unbalanced data settings, while the performance of both VIMs is very similar in the case of balanced classes. The new AUC-based VIM is implemented in the R package party for the unbiased RF variant based on conditional inference trees. The codes implementing our study are available from the companion website: http://www.ibe.med.uni-muenchen.de/organisation/mitarbeiter/070_drittmittel/janitza/index.html. PMID:23560875

  14. An AUC-based permutation variable importance measure for random forests.

    PubMed

    Janitza, Silke; Strobl, Carolin; Boulesteix, Anne-Laure

    2013-04-05

    The random forest (RF) method is a commonly used tool for classification with high dimensional data as well as for ranking candidate predictors based on the so-called random forest variable importance measures (VIMs). However the classification performance of RF is known to be suboptimal in case of strongly unbalanced data, i.e. data where response class sizes differ considerably. Suggestions were made to obtain better classification performance based either on sampling procedures or on cost sensitivity analyses. However to our knowledge the performance of the VIMs has not yet been examined in the case of unbalanced response classes. In this paper we explore the performance of the permutation VIM for unbalanced data settings and introduce an alternative permutation VIM based on the area under the curve (AUC) that is expected to be more robust towards class imbalance. We investigated the performance of the standard permutation VIM and of our novel AUC-based permutation VIM for different class imbalance levels using simulated data and real data. The results suggest that the new AUC-based permutation VIM outperforms the standard permutation VIM for unbalanced data settings while both permutation VIMs have equal performance for balanced data settings. The standard permutation VIM loses its ability to discriminate between associated predictors and predictors not associated with the response for increasing class imbalance. It is outperformed by our new AUC-based permutation VIM for unbalanced data settings, while the performance of both VIMs is very similar in the case of balanced classes. The new AUC-based VIM is implemented in the R package party for the unbiased RF variant based on conditional inference trees. The codes implementing our study are available from the companion website: http://www.ibe.med.uni-muenchen.de/organisation/mitarbeiter/070_drittmittel/janitza/index.html.

  15. Emission Standards for Particulates

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walsh, George W.

    1974-01-01

    Promulgation of standards of performance under Section 111 and national emission standards for hazardous pollutants under Section 112 of the Clean Air Act is the responsibility of the Emission Standards and Engineering Division of the Environmental Protection Agency. The problems encountered and the bases used are examined. (Author/BT)

  16. Performance metrics for the evaluation of hyperspectral chemical identification systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Truslow, Eric; Golowich, Steven; Manolakis, Dimitris; Ingle, Vinay

    2016-02-01

    Remote sensing of chemical vapor plumes is a difficult but important task for many military and civilian applications. Hyperspectral sensors operating in the long-wave infrared regime have well-demonstrated detection capabilities. However, the identification of a plume's chemical constituents, based on a chemical library, is a multiple hypothesis testing problem which standard detection metrics do not fully describe. We propose using an additional performance metric for identification based on the so-called Dice index. Our approach partitions and weights a confusion matrix to develop both the standard detection metrics and identification metric. Using the proposed metrics, we demonstrate that the intuitive system design of a detector bank followed by an identifier is indeed justified when incorporating performance information beyond the standard detection metrics.

  17. 45 CFR 305.33 - Determination of applicable percentages based on performance levels.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ..., DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES PROGRAM PERFORMANCE MEASURES, STANDARDS, FINANCIAL INCENTIVES, AND PENALTIES § 305.33 Determination of applicable percentages based on performance levels. (a) A State's... performance levels. 305.33 Section 305.33 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare OFFICE OF...

  18. Global Positioning System Standard Positioning Service Performance Standard

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2008-09-01

    The U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS) Standard Positioning Service (SPS) consists of space-based positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) signals delivered free of direct user fees for peaceful civil, commercial, and scientific uses worldwide. Th...

  19. Boosting drug named entity recognition using an aggregate classifier.

    PubMed

    Korkontzelos, Ioannis; Piliouras, Dimitrios; Dowsey, Andrew W; Ananiadou, Sophia

    2015-10-01

    Drug named entity recognition (NER) is a critical step for complex biomedical NLP tasks such as the extraction of pharmacogenomic, pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic parameters. Large quantities of high quality training data are almost always a prerequisite for employing supervised machine-learning techniques to achieve high classification performance. However, the human labour needed to produce and maintain such resources is a significant limitation. In this study, we improve the performance of drug NER without relying exclusively on manual annotations. We perform drug NER using either a small gold-standard corpus (120 abstracts) or no corpus at all. In our approach, we develop a voting system to combine a number of heterogeneous models, based on dictionary knowledge, gold-standard corpora and silver annotations, to enhance performance. To improve recall, we employed genetic programming to evolve 11 regular-expression patterns that capture common drug suffixes and used them as an extra means for recognition. Our approach uses a dictionary of drug names, i.e. DrugBank, a small manually annotated corpus, i.e. the pharmacokinetic corpus, and a part of the UKPMC database, as raw biomedical text. Gold-standard and silver annotated data are used to train maximum entropy and multinomial logistic regression classifiers. Aggregating drug NER methods, based on gold-standard annotations, dictionary knowledge and patterns, improved the performance on models trained on gold-standard annotations, only, achieving a maximum F-score of 95%. In addition, combining models trained on silver annotations, dictionary knowledge and patterns are shown to achieve comparable performance to models trained exclusively on gold-standard data. The main reason appears to be the morphological similarities shared among drug names. We conclude that gold-standard data are not a hard requirement for drug NER. Combining heterogeneous models build on dictionary knowledge can achieve similar or comparable classification performance with that of the best performing model trained on gold-standard annotations. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. CLUSFAVOR 5.0: hierarchical cluster and principal-component analysis of microarray-based transcriptional profiles

    PubMed Central

    Peterson, Leif E

    2002-01-01

    CLUSFAVOR (CLUSter and Factor Analysis with Varimax Orthogonal Rotation) 5.0 is a Windows-based computer program for hierarchical cluster and principal-component analysis of microarray-based transcriptional profiles. CLUSFAVOR 5.0 standardizes input data; sorts data according to gene-specific coefficient of variation, standard deviation, average and total expression, and Shannon entropy; performs hierarchical cluster analysis using nearest-neighbor, unweighted pair-group method using arithmetic averages (UPGMA), or furthest-neighbor joining methods, and Euclidean, correlation, or jack-knife distances; and performs principal-component analysis. PMID:12184816

  1. Performance Standards in Need-Based Student Aid

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scott-Clayton, Judith; Schudde, Lauren

    2016-01-01

    College attendance is a risky investment. But students may not recognize when they are at risk for failure, and financial aid introduces the possibility for moral hazard. Academic performance standards can serve three roles in this context: signaling expectations for success, providing incentives for increased student effort, and limiting…

  2. Establishing Benchmarks for Outcome Indicators: A Statistical Approach to Developing Performance Standards.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henry, Gary T.; And Others

    1992-01-01

    A statistical technique is presented for developing performance standards based on benchmark groups. The benchmark groups are selected using a multivariate technique that relies on a squared Euclidean distance method. For each observation unit (a school district in the example), a unique comparison group is selected. (SLD)

  3. Project fires. Volume 2: Protective ensemble performance standards, phase 1B

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abeles, F. J.

    1980-05-01

    The design of the prototype protective ensemble was finalized. Prototype ensembles were fabricated and then subjected to a series of qualification tests which were based upon the protective ensemble performance standards PEPS requirements. Engineering drawings and purchase specifications were prepared for the new protective ensemble.

  4. Solar industrial process heat systems: An assessment of standards for materials and components

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rossiter, W. J.; Shipp, W. E.

    1981-09-01

    A study was conducted to obtain information on the performance of materials and components in operational solar industrial process heat (PH) systems, and to provide recommendations for the development of standards including evaluative test procedures for materials and components. An assessment of the needs for standards for evaluating the long-term performance of materials and components of IPH systems was made. The assessment was based on the availability of existing standards, and information obtained from a field survey of operational systems, the literature, and discussions with individuals in the industry. Field inspections of 10 operational IPH systems were performed.

  5. Shifting Gears: Standards, Assessments, Curriculum, & Instruction.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dougherty, Eleanor

    This book is designed to help educators move from a system that measures students against students to one that values mastery of central concepts and skills, striving for proficiency in publicly acknowledged standards of academic performance. It aims to connect the operative parts of standards-based education (standards, assessment, curriculum,…

  6. 40 CFR 430.55 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ...) The following standards apply to all new sources in the calcium-, magnesium-, or sodium-based sulfite pulp segment: Subpart E [Production of Calcium-, Magnesium-, or Sodium-based Sulfite Pulps] Pollutant... apply to non-continuous dischargers: Subpart E [Supplemental NSPS] Pollutant or pollutant property...

  7. 40 CFR 430.55 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ...) The following standards apply to all new sources in the calcium-, magnesium-, or sodium-based sulfite pulp segment: Subpart E [Production of Calcium-, Magnesium-, or Sodium-based Sulfite Pulps] Pollutant... apply to non-continuous dischargers: Subpart E [Supplemental NSPS] Pollutant or pollutant property...

  8. 40 CFR 430.55 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ...) The following standards apply to all new sources in the calcium-, magnesium-, or sodium-based sulfite pulp segment: Subpart E [Production of Calcium-, Magnesium-, or Sodium-based Sulfite Pulps] Pollutant... apply to non-continuous dischargers: Subpart E [Supplemental NSPS] Pollutant or pollutant property...

  9. 40 CFR 430.55 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ...) The following standards apply to all new sources in the calcium-, magnesium-, or sodium-based sulfite pulp segment: Subpart E [Production of Calcium-, Magnesium-, or Sodium-based Sulfite Pulps] Pollutant... apply to non-continuous dischargers: Subpart E [Supplemental NSPS] Pollutant or pollutant property...

  10. 40 CFR 430.55 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ...) The following standards apply to all new sources in the calcium-, magnesium-, or sodium-based sulfite pulp segment: Subpart E [Production of Calcium-, Magnesium-, or Sodium-based Sulfite Pulps] Pollutant... apply to non-continuous dischargers: Subpart E [Supplemental NSPS] Pollutant or pollutant property...

  11. A Failed Marriage between Standardization and Incentivism: Divergent Perspectives on Performance-Based Compensation in Shanghai

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    La Londe, Priya G.

    2017-01-01

    The Chinese province of Shanghai has gained international recognition as a high performing education system with strong teaching and learning outcomes. One accountability mechanism in Shanghai's education reform strategy is statewide performance-based compensation (PBC), also known as performance- or merit pay. Providing a first time account of…

  12. Alternative Formats to Achieve More Efficient Energy Codes for Commercial Buildings

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

    Conover, David R.; Rosenberg, Michael I.; Halverson, Mark A.

    2013-01-26

    This paper identifies and examines several formats or structures that could be used to create the next generation of more efficient energy codes and standards for commercial buildings. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Energy Codes Program (BECP) to provide technical support to the development of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1. While the majority of PNNL’s ASHRAE Standard 90.1 support focuses on developing and evaluating new requirements, a portion of its work involves consideration of the format of energy standards. In its current working plan, the ASHRAE 90.1 committee has approved an energy goalmore » of 50% improvement in Standard 90.1-2013 relative to Standard 90.1-2004, and will likely be considering higher improvement targets for future versions of the standard. To cost-effectively achieve the 50% goal in manner that can gain stakeholder consensus, formats other than prescriptive must be considered. Alternative formats that include reducing the reliance on prescriptive requirements may make it easier to achieve these aggressive efficiency levels in new codes and standards. The focus on energy code and standard formats is meant to explore approaches to presenting the criteria that will foster compliance, enhance verification, and stimulate innovation while saving energy in buildings. New formats may also make it easier for building designers and owners to design and build the levels of efficiency called for in the new codes and standards. This paper examines a number of potential formats and structures, including prescriptive, performance-based (with sub-formats of performance equivalency and performance targets), capacity constraint-based, and outcome-based. The paper also discusses the pros and cons of each format from the viewpoint of code users and of code enforcers.« less

  13. Small drinking water systems under spatiotemporal water quality variability: a risk-based performance benchmarking framework.

    PubMed

    Bereskie, Ty; Haider, Husnain; Rodriguez, Manuel J; Sadiq, Rehan

    2017-08-23

    Traditional approaches for benchmarking drinking water systems are binary, based solely on the compliance and/or non-compliance of one or more water quality performance indicators against defined regulatory guidelines/standards. The consequence of water quality failure is dependent on location within a water supply system as well as time of the year (i.e., season) with varying levels of water consumption. Conventional approaches used for water quality comparison purposes fail to incorporate spatiotemporal variability and degrees of compliance and/or non-compliance. This can lead to misleading or inaccurate performance assessment data used in the performance benchmarking process. In this research, a hierarchical risk-based water quality performance benchmarking framework is proposed to evaluate small drinking water systems (SDWSs) through cross-comparison amongst similar systems. The proposed framework (R WQI framework) is designed to quantify consequence associated with seasonal and location-specific water quality issues in a given drinking water supply system to facilitate more efficient decision-making for SDWSs striving for continuous performance improvement. Fuzzy rule-based modelling is used to address imprecision associated with measuring performance based on singular water quality guidelines/standards and the uncertainties present in SDWS operations and monitoring. This proposed R WQI framework has been demonstrated using data collected from 16 SDWSs in Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec, Canada, and compared to the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment WQI, a traditional, guidelines/standard-based approach. The study found that the R WQI framework provides an in-depth state of water quality and benchmarks SDWSs more rationally based on the frequency of occurrence and consequence of failure events.

  14. Identity Affirmed, Agency Engaged: Culturally Responsive Performance-Based Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rosa, Ricardo

    2017-01-01

    Performance-based assessment is unquestionably superior to the instrumental rationality of high-stakes standardized testing and the audit culture that testing regimes inspire. It is more likely to engender opportunities to witness the un-measureable: vision, imagination, and compassion. Performance assessments must be culturally responsive in…

  15. Chlamydial partner notification in the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) 2011 UK national audit against the BASHH Medical Foundation for AIDS and Sexual Health Sexually Transmitted Infections Management Standards.

    PubMed

    McClean, H; Carne, C A; Sullivan, A K; Radcliffe, K W; Ahmed-Jushuf, I

    2012-10-01

    This paper reports on chlamydial partner notification (PN) performance in the 2011 BASHH national audit against the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) Medical Foundation for AIDS Sexual Health (MedFASH) Sexually Transmitted Infection Management Standards (STIMS). There was wide regional variation in level 3 clinic PN performance against the current standard of index case-reported chlamydial PN, with 43% (regional range 0-80%) of clinics outside London meeting the ≥0.6 contacts seen per index standard, and 85% of clinics (regional range 82-88%) in London meeting the ≥0.4 standard. For level 2 clinics, 39% (regional range 0-100%) of clinics outside London met the ≥0.6 standard, and 43% (regional range 40-50%) of clinics in London met the ≥0.4 standard. Performance for health-care worker (HCW)-verified contact attendance is also reported. New standards for each of these performance measures are proposed for all level 3 clinics: ≥0.6 contacts seen per index case based on index case report, and ≥0.4 contacts seen per index case based on HCW verification, both within four weeks of the first partner notification interview. The results are discussed with regard to the importance of adoption of standards by commissioners of services, relevance to national quality agendas, and the need for development of a national system of PN quality assurance measurement and reporting.

  16. Teaching science through literature

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barth, Daniel

    2007-12-01

    The hypothesis of this study was that a multidisciplinary, activity rich science curriculum based around science fiction literature, rather than a conventional text book would increase student engagement with the curriculum and improve student performance on standards-based test instruments. Science fiction literature was chosen upon the basis of previous educational research which indicated that science fiction literature was able to stimulate and maintain interest in science. The study was conducted on a middle school campus during the regular summer school session. Students were self-selected from the school's 6 th, 7th, and 8th grade populations. The students used the science fiction novel Maurice on the Moon as their only text. Lessons and activities closely followed the adventures of the characters in the book. The student's initial level of knowledge in Earth and space science was assessed by a pre test. After the four week program was concluded, the students took a post test made up of an identical set of questions. The test included 40 standards-based questions that were based upon concepts covered in the text of the novel and in the classroom lessons and activities. The test also included 10 general knowledge questions that were based upon Earth and space science standards that were not covered in the novel or the classroom lessons or activities. Student performance on the standards-based question set increased an average of 35% for all students in the study group. Every subgroup disaggregated by gender and ethnicity improved from 28-47%. There was no statistically significant change in the performance on the general knowledge question set for any subgroup. Student engagement with the material was assessed by three independent methods, including student self-reports, percentage of classroom work completed, and academic evaluation of student work by the instructor. These assessments of student engagement were correlated with changes in student performance on the standards-based assessment tests. A moderate correlation was found to exist between the level of student engagement with the material and improvement in performance from pre to post test.

  17. Why standard brain-computer interface (BCI) training protocols should be changed: an experimental study.

    PubMed

    Jeunet, Camille; Jahanpour, Emilie; Lotte, Fabien

    2016-06-01

    While promising, electroencephaloraphy based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are barely used due to their lack of reliability: 15% to 30% of users are unable to control a BCI. Standard training protocols may be partly responsible as they do not satisfy recommendations from psychology. Our main objective was to determine in practice to what extent standard training protocols impact users' motor imagery based BCI (MI-BCI) control performance. We performed two experiments. The first consisted in evaluating the efficiency of a standard BCI training protocol for the acquisition of non-BCI related skills in a BCI-free context, which enabled us to rule out the possible impact of BCIs on the training outcome. Thus, participants (N = 54) were asked to perform simple motor tasks. The second experiment was aimed at measuring the correlations between motor tasks and MI-BCI performance. The ten best and ten worst performers of the first study were recruited for an MI-BCI experiment during which they had to learn to perform two MI tasks. We also assessed users' spatial ability and pre-training μ rhythm amplitude, as both have been related to MI-BCI performance in the literature. Around 17% of the participants were unable to learn to perform the motor tasks, which is close to the BCI illiteracy rate. This suggests that standard training protocols are suboptimal for skill teaching. No correlation was found between motor tasks and MI-BCI performance. However, spatial ability played an important role in MI-BCI performance. In addition, once the spatial ability covariable had been controlled for, using an ANCOVA, it appeared that participants who faced difficulty during the first experiment improved during the second while the others did not. These studies suggest that (1) standard MI-BCI training protocols are suboptimal for skill teaching, (2) spatial ability is confirmed as impacting on MI-BCI performance, and (3) when faced with difficult pre-training, subjects seemed to explore more strategies and therefore learn better.

  18. Project FIRES [Firefighters' Integrated Response Equipment System]. Volume 2: Protective Ensemble Performance Standards, Phase 1B

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Abeles, F. J.

    1980-01-01

    The design of the prototype protective ensemble was finalized. Prototype ensembles were fabricated and then subjected to a series of qualification tests which were based upon the protective ensemble performance standards PEPS requirements. Engineering drawings and purchase specifications were prepared for the new protective ensemble.

  19. Performance Standards in Need-Based Student Aid. A CAPSEE Working Paper

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scott-Clayton, Judith; Schudde, Lauren

    2016-01-01

    College attendance is a risky investment. But students may not recognize when they are at risk for failure, and financial aid introduces the possibility for moral hazard. Academic performance standards can serve three roles in this context: signaling expectations for success, providing incentives for increased student effort, and limiting…

  20. The Development of MST Test Information for the Prediction of Test Performances

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Park, Ryoungsun; Kim, Jiseon; Chung, Hyewon; Dodd, Barbara G.

    2017-01-01

    The current study proposes novel methods to predict multistage testing (MST) performance without conducting simulations. This method, called MST test information, is based on analytic derivation of standard errors of ability estimates across theta levels. We compared standard errors derived analytically to the simulation results to demonstrate the…

  1. 45 CFR 305.42 - Penalty phase-in.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... PROGRAM PERFORMANCE MEASURES, STANDARDS, FINANCIAL INCENTIVES, AND PENALTIES § 305.42 Penalty phase-in. States are subject to the performance penalties described in § 305.40 based on data reported for FY 2001. Data reported for FY 2000 will be used as a base year to determine improvements in performance during...

  2. Science and Art of Setting Performance Standards and Cutoff Scores in Kinesiology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhu, Weimo

    2013-01-01

    Setting standards and cutoff scores is essential to any measurement and evaluation practice. Two evaluation frameworks, norm-referenced (NR) and criterion-referenced (CR), have often been used for setting standards. Although setting fitness standards based on the NR evaluation is relatively easy as long as a nationally representative sample can be…

  3. Cardiac arrest risk standardization using administrative data compared to registry data.

    PubMed

    Grossestreuer, Anne V; Gaieski, David F; Donnino, Michael W; Nelson, Joshua I M; Mutter, Eric L; Carr, Brendan G; Abella, Benjamin S; Wiebe, Douglas J

    2017-01-01

    Methods for comparing hospitals regarding cardiac arrest (CA) outcomes, vital for improving resuscitation performance, rely on data collected by cardiac arrest registries. However, most CA patients are treated at hospitals that do not participate in such registries. This study aimed to determine whether CA risk standardization modeling based on administrative data could perform as well as that based on registry data. Two risk standardization logistic regression models were developed using 2453 patients treated from 2000-2015 at three hospitals in an academic health system. Registry and administrative data were accessed for all patients. The outcome was death at hospital discharge. The registry model was considered the "gold standard" with which to compare the administrative model, using metrics including comparing areas under the curve, calibration curves, and Bland-Altman plots. The administrative risk standardization model had a c-statistic of 0.891 (95% CI: 0.876-0.905) compared to a registry c-statistic of 0.907 (95% CI: 0.895-0.919). When limited to only non-modifiable factors, the administrative model had a c-statistic of 0.818 (95% CI: 0.799-0.838) compared to a registry c-statistic of 0.810 (95% CI: 0.788-0.831). All models were well-calibrated. There was no significant difference between c-statistics of the models, providing evidence that valid risk standardization can be performed using administrative data. Risk standardization using administrative data performs comparably to standardization using registry data. This methodology represents a new tool that can enable opportunities to compare hospital performance in specific hospital systems or across the entire US in terms of survival after CA.

  4. Standards-Based Accountability in South Africa

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, Nick

    2009-01-01

    The implementation of standards-based accountability (SBA) interventions aimed at improving school performance often focuses on the testing component, at the expense of capacity building. This was the case in South Africa when a SBA programme was instituted by government in 2000, which was accompanied by substantial rises in senior certificate…

  5. Student Collaboration and Standards-Based Music Learning: A Literature Review

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cangro, Richard

    2016-01-01

    This article is a review of relevant literature on collaborative, standards-based music learning. The review is organized as follows: (a) historical perspective, (b) collaborative music learning, (c) collaboration and creating, (d) collaboration and performing, (e) collaboration and responding, and (f) conclusions. In an effort to bridge the gap…

  6. Standards-Based Accountability Systems. Policy Brief.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stapleman, Jan

    This policy brief summarizes research results and provides guidance regarding decisions associated with school accountability. Unlike previous notions of accountability, a standards-based system examines outputs, such as student performance and graduation rates, as well as inputs like the amount of instructional time or the number of books in the…

  7. Simulation-based Randomized Comparative Assessment of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Resuscitation Bundle Completion by Emergency Medical Service Teams Using Standard Life Support or an Experimental Automation-assisted Approach.

    PubMed

    Choi, Bryan; Asselin, Nicholas; Pettit, Catherine C; Dannecker, Max; Machan, Jason T; Merck, Derek L; Merck, Lisa H; Suner, Selim; Williams, Kenneth A; Jay, Gregory D; Kobayashi, Leo

    2016-12-01

    Effective resuscitation of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients is challenging. Alternative resuscitative approaches using electromechanical adjuncts may improve provider performance. Investigators applied simulation to study the effect of an experimental automation-assisted, goal-directed OHCA management protocol on EMS providers' resuscitation performance relative to standard protocols and equipment. Two-provider (emergency medical technicians (EMT)-B and EMT-I/C/P) teams were randomized to control or experimental group. Each team engaged in 3 simulations: baseline simulation (standard roles); repeat simulation (standard roles); and abbreviated repeat simulation (reversed roles, i.e., basic life support provider performing ALS tasks). Control teams used standard OHCA protocols and equipment (with high-performance cardiopulmonary resuscitation training intervention); for second and third simulations, experimental teams performed chest compression, defibrillation, airway, pulmonary ventilation, vascular access, medication, and transport tasks with goal-directed protocol and resuscitation-automating devices. Videorecorders and simulator logs collected resuscitation data. Ten control and 10 experimental teams comprised 20 EMT-B's; 1 EMT-I, 8 EMT-C's, and 11 EMT-P's; study groups were not fully matched. Both groups suboptimally performed chest compressions and ventilations at baseline. For their second simulations, control teams performed similarly except for reduced on-scene time, and experimental teams improved their chest compressions (P=0.03), pulmonary ventilations (P<0.01), and medication administration (P=0.02); changes in their performance of chest compression, defibrillation, airway, and transport tasks did not attain significance against control teams' changes. Experimental teams maintained performance improvements during reversed-role simulations. Simulation-based investigation into OHCA resuscitation revealed considerable variability and improvable deficiencies in small EMS teams. Goal-directed, automation-assisted OHCA management augmented select resuscitation bundle element performance without comprehensive improvement.

  8. Beyond the hype: deep neural networks outperform established methods using a ChEMBL bioactivity benchmark set.

    PubMed

    Lenselink, Eelke B; Ten Dijke, Niels; Bongers, Brandon; Papadatos, George; van Vlijmen, Herman W T; Kowalczyk, Wojtek; IJzerman, Adriaan P; van Westen, Gerard J P

    2017-08-14

    The increase of publicly available bioactivity data in recent years has fueled and catalyzed research in chemogenomics, data mining, and modeling approaches. As a direct result, over the past few years a multitude of different methods have been reported and evaluated, such as target fishing, nearest neighbor similarity-based methods, and Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship (QSAR)-based protocols. However, such studies are typically conducted on different datasets, using different validation strategies, and different metrics. In this study, different methods were compared using one single standardized dataset obtained from ChEMBL, which is made available to the public, using standardized metrics (BEDROC and Matthews Correlation Coefficient). Specifically, the performance of Naïve Bayes, Random Forests, Support Vector Machines, Logistic Regression, and Deep Neural Networks was assessed using QSAR and proteochemometric (PCM) methods. All methods were validated using both a random split validation and a temporal validation, with the latter being a more realistic benchmark of expected prospective execution. Deep Neural Networks are the top performing classifiers, highlighting the added value of Deep Neural Networks over other more conventional methods. Moreover, the best method ('DNN_PCM') performed significantly better at almost one standard deviation higher than the mean performance. Furthermore, Multi-task and PCM implementations were shown to improve performance over single task Deep Neural Networks. Conversely, target prediction performed almost two standard deviations under the mean performance. Random Forests, Support Vector Machines, and Logistic Regression performed around mean performance. Finally, using an ensemble of DNNs, alongside additional tuning, enhanced the relative performance by another 27% (compared with unoptimized 'DNN_PCM'). Here, a standardized set to test and evaluate different machine learning algorithms in the context of multi-task learning is offered by providing the data and the protocols. Graphical Abstract .

  9. Current Performance Characteristics of NASA Langley Research Center's Cockpit Motion Base and Standardized Test Procedure for Future Performance Characterization

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cowen, Brandon; Stringer, Mary T.; Hutchinson, Brian K.; Davidson, Paul C.; Gupton, Lawrence E.

    2014-01-01

    This report documents the updated performance characteristics of NASA Langley Research Center's (LaRC) Cockpit Motion Base (CMB) after recent revisions that were made to its inner-loop, feedback control law. The modifications to the control law will be briefly described. The performance of the Cockpit Motion Facility (CMF) will be presented. A short graphical comparison to the previous control law can be found in the appendix of this report. The revised controller will be shown to yield reduced parasitic accelerations with respect to the previous controller. Metrics based on the AGARD Advisory Report No. 144 are used to assess the overall system performance due to its recent control algorithm modification. This report also documents the standardized simulator test procedure which can be used in the future to evaluate potential updates to the control law.

  10. Novel search algorithms for a mid-infrared spectral library of cotton contaminants.

    PubMed

    Loudermilk, J Brian; Himmelsbach, David S; Barton, Franklin E; de Haseth, James A

    2008-06-01

    During harvest, a variety of plant based contaminants are collected along with cotton lint. The USDA previously created a mid-infrared, attenuated total reflection (ATR), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectral library of cotton contaminants for contaminant identification as the contaminants have negative impacts on yarn quality. This library has shown impressive identification rates for extremely similar cellulose based contaminants in cases where the library was representative of the samples searched. When spectra of contaminant samples from crops grown in different geographic locations, seasons, and conditions and measured with a different spectrometer and accessories were searched, identification rates for standard search algorithms decreased significantly. Six standard algorithms were examined: dot product, correlation, sum of absolute values of differences, sum of the square root of the absolute values of differences, sum of absolute values of differences of derivatives, and sum of squared differences of derivatives. Four categories of contaminants derived from cotton plants were considered: leaf, stem, seed coat, and hull. Experiments revealed that the performance of the standard search algorithms depended upon the category of sample being searched and that different algorithms provided complementary information about sample identity. These results indicated that choosing a single standard algorithm to search the library was not possible. Three voting scheme algorithms based on result frequency, result rank, category frequency, or a combination of these factors for the results returned by the standard algorithms were developed and tested for their capability to overcome the unpredictability of the standard algorithms' performances. The group voting scheme search was based on the number of spectra from each category of samples represented in the library returned in the top ten results of the standard algorithms. This group algorithm was able to identify correctly as many test spectra as the best standard algorithm without relying on human choice to select a standard algorithm to perform the searches.

  11. Archetype-based data warehouse environment to enable the reuse of electronic health record data.

    PubMed

    Marco-Ruiz, Luis; Moner, David; Maldonado, José A; Kolstrup, Nils; Bellika, Johan G

    2015-09-01

    The reuse of data captured during health care delivery is essential to satisfy the demands of clinical research and clinical decision support systems. A main barrier for the reuse is the existence of legacy formats of data and the high granularity of it when stored in an electronic health record (EHR) system. Thus, we need mechanisms to standardize, aggregate, and query data concealed in the EHRs, to allow their reuse whenever they are needed. To create a data warehouse infrastructure using archetype-based technologies, standards and query languages to enable the interoperability needed for data reuse. The work presented makes use of best of breed archetype-based data transformation and storage technologies to create a workflow for the modeling, extraction, transformation and load of EHR proprietary data into standardized data repositories. We converted legacy data and performed patient-centered aggregations via archetype-based transformations. Later, specific purpose aggregations were performed at a query level for particular use cases. Laboratory test results of a population of 230,000 patients belonging to Troms and Finnmark counties in Norway requested between January 2013 and November 2014 have been standardized. Test records normalization has been performed by defining transformation and aggregation functions between the laboratory records and an archetype. These mappings were used to automatically generate open EHR compliant data. These data were loaded into an archetype-based data warehouse. Once loaded, we defined indicators linked to the data in the warehouse to monitor test activity of Salmonella and Pertussis using the archetype query language. Archetype-based standards and technologies can be used to create a data warehouse environment that enables data from EHR systems to be reused in clinical research and decision support systems. With this approach, existing EHR data becomes available in a standardized and interoperable format, thus opening a world of possibilities toward semantic or concept-based reuse, query and communication of clinical data. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Ohio's Resource Guide for Voluntary Skill Standards.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Springfield-Clark Joint Vocational School, Springfield, OH.

    Voluntary skill standards are industry-based, industry-verified performance specifications that identify the knowledge, skills, and abilities individuals need for success in an industry. This resource guide is designed to raise awareness of voluntary skill standards, identify their benefits, and encourage stakeholder involvement in implementation…

  13. Performance Based Counselor Certification.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bernknopf, Stan; Ware, William B.

    For the past four years the Georgia Department of Education has been involved in a statewide effort to establish standards and procedures for certification of educational personnel based on competency demonstration. As part of this effort, a project was commissioned to develop a performance-based system for the certification of school counselors.…

  14. 76 FR 26489 - Medicare Program; Hospital Inpatient Value-Based Purchasing Program

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-06

    ...This final rule implements a Hospital Inpatient Value-Based Purchasing program (Hospital VBP program or the program) under section 1886(o) of the Social Security Act (the Act), under which value-based incentive payments will be made in a fiscal year to hospitals that meet performance standards with respect to a performance period for the fiscal year involved. The program will apply to payments for discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2012, in accordance with section 1886(o) (as added by section 3001(a) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively known as the Affordable Care Act)). Scoring in the Hospital VBP program will be based on whether a hospital meets or exceeds the performance standards established with respect to the measures. By adopting this program, we will reward hospitals based on actual quality performance on measures, rather than simply reporting data for those measures.

  15. Simulation-based Assessment of the Management of Critical Events by Board-certified Anesthesiologists.

    PubMed

    Weinger, Matthew B; Banerjee, Arna; Burden, Amanda R; McIvor, William R; Boulet, John; Cooper, Jeffrey B; Steadman, Randolph; Shotwell, Matthew S; Slagle, Jason M; DeMaria, Samuel; Torsher, Laurence; Sinz, Elizabeth; Levine, Adam I; Rask, John; Davis, Fred; Park, Christine; Gaba, David M

    2017-09-01

    We sought to determine whether mannequin-based simulation can reliably characterize how board-certified anesthesiologists manage simulated medical emergencies. Our primary focus was to identify gaps in performance and to establish psychometric properties of the assessment methods. A total of 263 consenting board-certified anesthesiologists participating in existing simulation-based maintenance of certification courses at one of eight simulation centers were video recorded performing simulated emergency scenarios. Each participated in two 20-min, standardized, high-fidelity simulated medical crisis scenarios, once each as primary anesthesiologist and first responder. Via a Delphi technique, an independent panel of expert anesthesiologists identified critical performance elements for each scenario. Trained, blinded anesthesiologists rated video recordings using standardized rating tools. Measures included the percentage of critical performance elements observed and holistic (one to nine ordinal scale) ratings of participant's technical and nontechnical performance. Raters also judged whether the performance was at a level expected of a board-certified anesthesiologist. Rater reliability for most measures was good. In 284 simulated emergencies, participants were rated as successfully completing 81% (interquartile range, 75 to 90%) of the critical performance elements. The median rating of both technical and nontechnical holistic performance was five, distributed across the nine-point scale. Approximately one-quarter of participants received low holistic ratings (i.e., three or less). Higher-rated performances were associated with younger age but not with previous simulation experience or other individual characteristics. Calling for help was associated with better individual and team performance. Standardized simulation-based assessment identified performance gaps informing opportunities for improvement. If a substantial proportion of experienced anesthesiologists struggle with managing medical emergencies, continuing medical education activities should be reevaluated.

  16. Simulation-Based Training for Colonoscopy

    PubMed Central

    Preisler, Louise; Svendsen, Morten Bo Søndergaard; Nerup, Nikolaj; Svendsen, Lars Bo; Konge, Lars

    2015-01-01

    Abstract The aim of this study was to create simulation-based tests with credible pass/fail standards for 2 different fidelities of colonoscopy models. Only competent practitioners should perform colonoscopy. Reliable and valid simulation-based tests could be used to establish basic competency in colonoscopy before practicing on patients. Twenty-five physicians (10 consultants with endoscopic experience and 15 fellows with very little endoscopic experience) were tested on 2 different simulator models: a virtual-reality simulator and a physical model. Tests were repeated twice on each simulator model. Metrics with discriminatory ability were identified for both modalities and reliability was determined. The contrasting-groups method was used to create pass/fail standards and the consequences of these were explored. The consultants significantly performed faster and scored higher than the fellows on both the models (P < 0.001). Reliability analysis showed Cronbach α = 0.80 and 0.87 for the virtual-reality and the physical model, respectively. The established pass/fail standards failed one of the consultants (virtual-reality simulator) and allowed one fellow to pass (physical model). The 2 tested simulations-based modalities provided reliable and valid assessments of competence in colonoscopy and credible pass/fail standards were established for both the tests. We propose to use these standards in simulation-based training programs before proceeding to supervised training on patients. PMID:25634177

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

    Treesearch

    Stan Lebow; Bessie Woodward; Patricia Lebow; Carol Clausen

    2010-01-01

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

  18. The Impact of Federal Public Policy on Curriculum and Instruction for Students with Disabilities in the General Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hardman, Michael L.; Dawson, Shirley

    2008-01-01

    The promise that all children will achieve higher levels of academic performance is the foundation of the current educational reform movement. Standards-based reform began with financial assistance to the states for the development of content and performance standards, improved teacher quality, and increased school accountability. The reform…

  19. Putting the Focus on Student Engagement: The Benefits of Performance-Based Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barlowe, Avram; Cook, Ann

    2016-01-01

    For more than two decades, the New York Performance Standards Consortium, a coalition of 38 public high schools, has steered clear of high-stakes testing, which superficially assess student learning. Instead, the consortium's approach relies on performance-based assessments--essays, research papers, science experiments, and high-level mathematical…

  20. A Stable Whole Building Performance Method for Standard 90.1-Part II

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

    Rosenberg, Michael I.; Eley, Charles

    2016-06-01

    In May of 2013 we introduced a new approach for compliance with Standard 90.1 that was under development based on the Performance Rating Method of Appendix G to Standard 90.11. Since then, the approach has been finalized through Addendum BM to Standard 90.1-2013 and will be published in the 2016 edition of the Standard. In the meantime, ASHRAE has published an advanced copy of Appendix G including Addendum BM and several other addenda so that software developers and energy program administrators can get a preview of what is coming in the 2016 edition of the Standard2. This article is anmore » update on Addendum BM, summarizes changes made to the original concept as introduced in May of 2013, and provides an approach for developing performance targets for code compliance and beyond code programs.« less

  1. Do Pilates-based exercises following total knee arthroplasty improve postural control and quality of life?

    PubMed

    Karaman, Aysenur; Yuksel, Inci; Kinikli, Gizem Irem; Caglar, Omur

    2017-04-01

    The aim of this prospective, randomized, controlled study was to investigate the effects of the addition of Pilates-based exercises to standard exercise programs performed after total knee arthroplasty on quality of life and balance. Forty-six volunteers were divided into two groups. The control group (n = 17) was assigned a standard exercise program after discharge; the study group (n = 17) was assigned Pilates-based exercises along with the standard exercise program. We carried out clinical evaluations of all patients on the day of discharge and after the completion of the 6-week exercise program. We also recorded sociodemographic data, Berg Balance test scores, and Short Form-36 (SF-36) health-related quality of life measurements. When we compared the differences between pre- and post-treatment balance scores of the groups, we found a significant change in favor of the Pilates-based exercise group (13.64 ± 1.45; p < 0.01). The changes in the pre- and post-treatment SF-36 scores of the Pilates-based exercises group were found to be significant in terms of physical function (p = 0.001), physical role restriction (p = 0.01), and physical component score (p = 0.001). Pilates-based exercises performed along with standard exercise programs were more effective for improving balance and quality of life than standard exercise programs alone.

  2. Expert opinions and scientific evidence for colonoscopy key performance indicators.

    PubMed

    Rees, Colin J; Bevan, Roisin; Zimmermann-Fraedrich, Katharina; Rutter, Matthew D; Rex, Douglas; Dekker, Evelien; Ponchon, Thierry; Bretthauer, Michael; Regula, Jaroslaw; Saunders, Brian; Hassan, Cesare; Bourke, Michael J; Rösch, Thomas

    2016-12-01

    Colonoscopy is a widely performed procedure with procedural volumes increasing annually throughout the world. Many procedures are now performed as part of colorectal cancer screening programmes. Colonoscopy should be of high quality and measures of this quality should be evidence based. New UK key performance indicators and quality assurance standards have been developed by a working group with consensus agreement on each standard reached. This paper reviews the scientific basis for each of the quality measures published in the UK standards. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  3. How HRP Research Results Contribute to Human Space Exploration Risk Mitigation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lumpkins, S. B.; Mindock, J. A.

    2014-01-01

    In addition to the scientific value of publications derived from research, results from Human Research Program (HRP) research also support HRP’s goals of mitigating crew health and performance risks in space flight. Research results are used to build the evidence base characterizing crew health and performance risks, to support risk research plan development, to inform crew health and performance standards, and to provide technologies to programs for meeting those standards and optimizing crew health and performance in space. This talk will describe examples of how research results support these efforts. For example, HRP research results are used to revise or even create new standards for human space flight, which have been established to protect crew health and performance during flight, and prevent negative long-term health consequences due to space flight. These standards are based on the best available clinical and scientific evidence, as well as operational experience from previous space flight missions, and are reviewed as new evidence emerges. Research results are also used to update the HRP evidence base, which is comprised of a set of reports that provide a current record of the state of knowledge from research and operations for each of the defined human health and performance risks for future NASA exploration missions. A discussion of the role of evidence within the HRP architecture will also be presented. The scope of HRP research results extends well beyond publications, as they are used in several capacities to support HRP deliverables and, ultimately, the advancement of human space exploration beyond low-Earth orbit.

  4. How HRP Research Results Contribute to Human Space Exploration Risk Mitigation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lumpkins, Sarah; Mindock, Jennifer

    2014-01-01

    In addition to the scientific value of publications derived from research, results from Human Research Program (HRP) research also support HRP's goals of mitigating crew health and performance risks in space flight. Research results are used to build the evidence base characterizing crew health and performance risks, to support risk research plan development, to inform crew health and performance standards, and to provide technologies to programs for meeting those standards and optimizing crew health and performance in space. This talk will describe examples of how research results support these efforts. For example, HRP research results are used to revise or even create new standards for human space flight, which have been established to protect crew health and performance during flight, and prevent negative long-term health consequences due to space flight. These standards are based on the best available clinical and scientific evidence, as well as operational experience from previous space flight missions, and are reviewed as new evidence emerges. Research results are also used to update the HRP evidence base, which is comprised of a set of reports that provide a current record of the state of knowledge from research and operations for each of the defined human health and performance risks for future NASA exploration missions. A discussion of the role of evidence within the HRP architecture will also be presented. The scope of HRP research results extends well beyond publications, as they are used in several capacities to support HRP deliverables and, ultimately, the advancement of human space exploration beyond low-Earth orbit.

  5. Cardiac arrest risk standardization using administrative data compared to registry data

    PubMed Central

    Gaieski, David F.; Donnino, Michael W.; Nelson, Joshua I. M.; Mutter, Eric L.; Carr, Brendan G.; Abella, Benjamin S.; Wiebe, Douglas J.

    2017-01-01

    Background Methods for comparing hospitals regarding cardiac arrest (CA) outcomes, vital for improving resuscitation performance, rely on data collected by cardiac arrest registries. However, most CA patients are treated at hospitals that do not participate in such registries. This study aimed to determine whether CA risk standardization modeling based on administrative data could perform as well as that based on registry data. Methods and results Two risk standardization logistic regression models were developed using 2453 patients treated from 2000–2015 at three hospitals in an academic health system. Registry and administrative data were accessed for all patients. The outcome was death at hospital discharge. The registry model was considered the “gold standard” with which to compare the administrative model, using metrics including comparing areas under the curve, calibration curves, and Bland-Altman plots. The administrative risk standardization model had a c-statistic of 0.891 (95% CI: 0.876–0.905) compared to a registry c-statistic of 0.907 (95% CI: 0.895–0.919). When limited to only non-modifiable factors, the administrative model had a c-statistic of 0.818 (95% CI: 0.799–0.838) compared to a registry c-statistic of 0.810 (95% CI: 0.788–0.831). All models were well-calibrated. There was no significant difference between c-statistics of the models, providing evidence that valid risk standardization can be performed using administrative data. Conclusions Risk standardization using administrative data performs comparably to standardization using registry data. This methodology represents a new tool that can enable opportunities to compare hospital performance in specific hospital systems or across the entire US in terms of survival after CA. PMID:28783754

  6. 48 CFR 37.602 - Performance work statement.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... on the use of measurable performance standards and financial incentives in a competitive environment... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Performance work statement... CATEGORIES OF CONTRACTING SERVICE CONTRACTING Performance-Based Acquisition 37.602 Performance work statement...

  7. Comparison of Student Performance in Cooperative Learning and Traditional Lecture-Based Biochemistry Classes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderson, William L.; Mitchell, Steven M.; Osgood, Marcy P.

    2005-01-01

    Student performance in two different introductory biochemistry curricula are compared based on standardized testing of student content knowledge, problem-solving skills, and student opinions about the courses. One curriculum was used in four traditional, lecture-based classes (n = 381 students), whereas the second curriculum was used in two…

  8. Fingerprint chromatogram analysis of Pseudostellaria heterophylla (Miq.) Pax root by high performance liquid chromatography.

    PubMed

    Han, Chao; Chen, Junhui; Chen, Bo; Lee, Frank Sen-Chun; Wang, Xiaoru

    2006-09-01

    A simple and reliable high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method has been developed and validated for the fingerprinting of extracts from the root of Pseudostellaria heterophylla (Miq.) Pax. HPLC with gradient elution was performed on an authentic reference standard of powdered P. heterophylla (Miq.) Pax root and 11 plant samples of the root were collected from different geographic locations. The HPLC chromatograms have been standardized through the selection and identification of reference peaks and the normalization of retention times and peak intensities of all the common peaks. The standardized HPLC fingerprints show high stability and reproducibility, and thus can be used effectively for the screening analysis or quality assessment of the root or its derived products. Similarity index calculations based on cosine angle values or correlation methods have been performed on the HPLC fingerprints. As a group, the fingerprints of the P. heterophylla (Miq.) Pax samples studied are highly correlated with closely similar fingerprints. Within the group, the samples can be further divided into subgroups based on hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA). Sample grouping based on HCA coincides nicely with those based on the geographical origins of the samples. The HPLC fingerprinting techniques thus have high potential in authentication or source-tracing types of applications.

  9. Computer-Based Image Analysis for Plus Disease Diagnosis in Retinopathy of Prematurity: Performance of the "i-ROP" System and Image Features Associated With Expert Diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Ataer-Cansizoglu, Esra; Bolon-Canedo, Veronica; Campbell, J Peter; Bozkurt, Alican; Erdogmus, Deniz; Kalpathy-Cramer, Jayashree; Patel, Samir; Jonas, Karyn; Chan, R V Paul; Ostmo, Susan; Chiang, Michael F

    2015-11-01

    We developed and evaluated the performance of a novel computer-based image analysis system for grading plus disease in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and identified the image features, shapes, and sizes that best correlate with expert diagnosis. A dataset of 77 wide-angle retinal images from infants screened for ROP was collected. A reference standard diagnosis was determined for each image by combining image grading from 3 experts with the clinical diagnosis from ophthalmoscopic examination. Manually segmented images were cropped into a range of shapes and sizes, and a computer algorithm was developed to extract tortuosity and dilation features from arteries and veins. Each feature was fed into our system to identify the set of characteristics that yielded the highest-performing system compared to the reference standard, which we refer to as the "i-ROP" system. Among the tested crop shapes, sizes, and measured features, point-based measurements of arterial and venous tortuosity (combined), and a large circular cropped image (with radius 6 times the disc diameter), provided the highest diagnostic accuracy. The i-ROP system achieved 95% accuracy for classifying preplus and plus disease compared to the reference standard. This was comparable to the performance of the 3 individual experts (96%, 94%, 92%), and significantly higher than the mean performance of 31 nonexperts (81%). This comprehensive analysis of computer-based plus disease suggests that it may be feasible to develop a fully-automated system based on wide-angle retinal images that performs comparably to expert graders at three-level plus disease discrimination. Computer-based image analysis, using objective and quantitative retinal vascular features, has potential to complement clinical ROP diagnosis by ophthalmologists.

  10. THE ROLE OF OBSERVATION AND FEEDBACK IN ENHANCING PERFORMANCE WITH MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION.

    PubMed

    Davies, Karen; Mitchell, Charles; Coombes, Ian

    2015-12-01

    Legislation in Queensland such as the Health (Drugs and Poisons) Regulation 1996, the national registration competency standards set by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, and the Continuing Professional Development Registration Standards made pursuant to the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law define expected standards of practice for nurses. The Framework for Assessing Standards for Practice for Registered Nurses, Enrolled Nurses and Midwives, released in July 2015, includes the principles for assessing standards but not the methods. Local policies and procedures offer specific requirements founded on evidence-based practice. Observation of clinical practice with the provision of immediate descriptive feedback to individual practitioners has been associated with improved performance. This column describes the role of regular observation and individual feedback on medication administration as a strategy to enhance performance and patient care.

  11. The effect of instructional methodology on high school students natural sciences standardized tests scores

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Powell, P. E.

    Educators have recently come to consider inquiry based instruction as a more effective method of instruction than didactic instruction. Experience based learning theory suggests that student performance is linked to teaching method. However, research is limited on inquiry teaching and its effectiveness on preparing students to perform well on standardized tests. The purpose of the study to investigate whether one of these two teaching methodologies was more effective in increasing student performance on standardized science tests. The quasi experimental quantitative study was comprised of two stages. Stage 1 used a survey to identify teaching methods of a convenience sample of 57 teacher participants and determined level of inquiry used in instruction to place participants into instructional groups (the independent variable). Stage 2 used analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to compare posttest scores on a standardized exam by teaching method. Additional analyses were conducted to examine the differences in science achievement by ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status by teaching methodology. Results demonstrated a statistically significant gain in test scores when taught using inquiry based instruction. Subpopulation analyses indicated all groups showed improved mean standardized test scores except African American students. The findings benefit teachers and students by presenting data supporting a method of content delivery that increases teacher efficacy and produces students with a greater cognition of science content that meets the school's mission and goals.

  12. How Can High-Biodiversity Coffee Make It to the Mainstream Market? The Performativity of Voluntary Sustainability Standards and Outcomes for Coffee Diversification

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Solér, Cecilia; Sandström, Cecilia; Skoog, Hanna

    2017-02-01

    This article investigates the outcomes of mainstream coffee voluntary sustainability standards for high-biodiversity coffee diversification. By viewing voluntary sustainability standards certifications as performative marketing tools, we address the question of how such certification schemes affect coffee value creation based on unique biodiversity conservation properties in coffee farming. To date, the voluntary sustainability standards literature has primarily approached biodiversity conservation in coffee farming in the context of financial remuneration to coffee farmers. The performative analysis of voluntary sustainability standards certification undertaken in this paper, in which such certifications are analyzed in terms of their effect on mutually reinforcing representational, normalizing and exchange practices, provides an understanding of coffee diversification potential as dependent on standard criteria and voluntary sustainability standards certification as branding tools. We draw on a case of high-biodiversity, shade-grown coffee-farming practice in Kodagu, South-West India, which represents one of the world's biodiversity "hotspots".

  13. How Can High-Biodiversity Coffee Make It to the Mainstream Market? The Performativity of Voluntary Sustainability Standards and Outcomes for Coffee Diversification.

    PubMed

    Solér, Cecilia; Sandström, Cecilia; Skoog, Hanna

    2017-02-01

    This article investigates the outcomes of mainstream coffee voluntary sustainability standards for high-biodiversity coffee diversification. By viewing voluntary sustainability standards certifications as performative marketing tools, we address the question of how such certification schemes affect coffee value creation based on unique biodiversity conservation properties in coffee farming. To date, the voluntary sustainability standards literature has primarily approached biodiversity conservation in coffee farming in the context of financial remuneration to coffee farmers. The performative analysis of voluntary sustainability standards certification undertaken in this paper, in which such certifications are analyzed in terms of their effect on mutually reinforcing representational, normalizing and exchange practices, provides an understanding of coffee diversification potential as dependent on standard criteria and voluntary sustainability standards certification as branding tools. We draw on a case of high-biodiversity, shade-grown coffee-farming practice in Kodagu, South-West India, which represents one of the world's biodiversity "hotspots".

  14. Pell Grants as Performance-Based Scholarships? An Examination of Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements in the Nation's Largest Need-Based Aid Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schudde, Lauren; Scott-Clayton, Judith

    2016-01-01

    The Federal Pell Grant Program is the nation's largest need-based grant program. While students' initial eligibility for the Pell is based on financial need, renewal is contingent on meeting minimum academic standards similar to those in models of performance-based scholarships, including a grade point average (GPA) requirement and ratio of…

  15. 12 CFR 1808.500 - Evaluation of Qualified Issuer Applications.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... evaluation process will be based on established standard operating procedures, which may include interviews... Qualified Issuer over the life of the Bond to ensure it meets the performance standards over the life of the...

  16. 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.

  17. Using an Accountability Program to Improve Psychiatry Resident Scores on In-Service Examinations.

    PubMed

    Ferrell, Brandon T; Tankersley, William E; Morris, Clayton D

    2015-12-01

    The Psychiatry Resident-In-Training Examination (PRITE) is a standardized examination that measures residents' educational progress during residency training. It also serves as a moderate-to-strong predictor of later performance on the board certification examination. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an accountability program used by a public psychiatric hospital to increase its residents' PRITE scores. A series of consequences and incentives were developed based on levels of PRITE performance. Poor performance resulted in consequences, including additional academic assignments. Higher performance led to residents earning external moonlighting privileges. Standardized PRITE scores for all residents (N = 67) over a 10-year period were collected and analyzed. The PRITE examination consists of 2 subscales-psychiatry and neurology. Change in the overall level of PRITE scores following the implementation of the accountability program was estimated using a discontinuous growth curve model for each subscale. Standardized scores on the psychiatry subscale were 51.09 points, approximately 0.50 SD change, which was higher after the accountability program was implemented. Standardized scores on the neurology subscale did not change. An accountability program that assigns consequences based on examination performance may be moderately successful in improving scores on the psychiatry subscale scores of the PRITE. This likely has longer-term benefits for residents due to the relationship between PRITE and board certification examination performance.

  18. The Objective Borderline Method: A Probabilistic Method for Standard Setting

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shulruf, Boaz; Poole, Phillippa; Jones, Philip; Wilkinson, Tim

    2015-01-01

    A new probability-based standard setting technique, the Objective Borderline Method (OBM), was introduced recently. This was based on a mathematical model of how test scores relate to student ability. The present study refined the model and tested it using 2500 simulated data-sets. The OBM was feasible to use. On average, the OBM performed well…

  19. 13 CFR 124.513 - Under what circumstances can a joint venture be awarded an 8(a) contract?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ...; and (ii)(A) For a procurement having a revenue-based size standard, the procurement exceeds half the... an employee-based size standard, the procurement exceeds $10 million; (2) For sole source and... the purpose of performing one or more specific 8(a) contracts. (2) A joint venture agreement is...

  20. A Learner-Centered Grading Method Focused on Reaching Proficiency with Course Learning Outcomes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Toledo, Santiago; Dubas, Justin M.

    2017-01-01

    Getting students to use grading feedback as a tool for learning is a continual challenge for educators. This work proposes a method for evaluating student performance that provides feedback to students based on standards of learning dictated by clearly delineated course learning outcomes. This method combines elements of standards-based grading…

  1. Building Curriculum-Based Concerts: Tired of the Same Old Approach to Your Ensemble's Concert and Festival Schedule?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Russell, Joshua A.

    2006-01-01

    Since--and even before--the National Standards for Music Education were published, music educators have tried to balance the expectations associated with the traditional performance curriculum and contemporary models of music education. The Standards-based curriculum challenges directors to consider how student experiences and learning can be…

  2. Welcome to dBase III Plus. Learning Activity Packets.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mills, Steven; And Others

    This learning activity packet (LAP) contains nine self-paced study lessons that allow students to proceed along a a 43-hour course of study for dBase III Plus at their own pace. The lessons are organized in the following way: objectives, completion standard, performance standard, a list of required materials, unit test, and exercises (applications…

  3. Steps towards the international regulatory acceptance of non-animal methodology in safety assessment.

    PubMed

    Sewell, Fiona; Doe, John; Gellatly, Nichola; Ragan, Ian; Burden, Natalie

    2017-10-01

    The current animal-based paradigm for safety assessment must change. In September 2016, the UK National Centre for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) brought together scientists from regulatory authorities, academia and industry to review progress in bringing new methodology into regulatory use, and to identify ways to expedite progress. Progress has been slow. Science is advancing to make this possible but changes are necessary. The new paradigm should allow new methodology to be adopted once it is developed rather than being based on a fixed set of studies. Regulatory authorities can help by developing Performance-Based Standards. The most pressing need is in repeat dose toxicology, although setting standards will be more complex than in areas such as sensitization. Performance standards should be aimed directly at human safety, not at reproducing the results of animal studies. Regulatory authorities can also aid progress towards the acceptance of non-animal based methodology by promoting "safe-haven" trials where traditional and new methodology data can be submitted in parallel to build up experience in the new methods. Industry can play its part in the acceptance of new methodology, by contributing to the setting of performance standards and by actively contributing to "safe-haven" trials. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Why standard brain-computer interface (BCI) training protocols should be changed: an experimental study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jeunet, Camille; Jahanpour, Emilie; Lotte, Fabien

    2016-06-01

    Objective. While promising, electroencephaloraphy based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are barely used due to their lack of reliability: 15% to 30% of users are unable to control a BCI. Standard training protocols may be partly responsible as they do not satisfy recommendations from psychology. Our main objective was to determine in practice to what extent standard training protocols impact users’ motor imagery based BCI (MI-BCI) control performance. Approach. We performed two experiments. The first consisted in evaluating the efficiency of a standard BCI training protocol for the acquisition of non-BCI related skills in a BCI-free context, which enabled us to rule out the possible impact of BCIs on the training outcome. Thus, participants (N = 54) were asked to perform simple motor tasks. The second experiment was aimed at measuring the correlations between motor tasks and MI-BCI performance. The ten best and ten worst performers of the first study were recruited for an MI-BCI experiment during which they had to learn to perform two MI tasks. We also assessed users’ spatial ability and pre-training μ rhythm amplitude, as both have been related to MI-BCI performance in the literature. Main results. Around 17% of the participants were unable to learn to perform the motor tasks, which is close to the BCI illiteracy rate. This suggests that standard training protocols are suboptimal for skill teaching. No correlation was found between motor tasks and MI-BCI performance. However, spatial ability played an important role in MI-BCI performance. In addition, once the spatial ability covariable had been controlled for, using an ANCOVA, it appeared that participants who faced difficulty during the first experiment improved during the second while the others did not. Significance. These studies suggest that (1) standard MI-BCI training protocols are suboptimal for skill teaching, (2) spatial ability is confirmed as impacting on MI-BCI performance, and (3) when faced with difficult pre-training, subjects seemed to explore more strategies and therefore learn better.

  5. Gold Standard Testing of Motion Based Tracking Systems

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-03-15

    NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER H0L0 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER 9...LABORATORY 711TH HUMAN PERFORMANCE WING, AIRMAN SYSTEMS DIRECTORATE, WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, OH 45433 AIR FORCE MATERIEL COMMAND UNITED STATES AIR...711th Human Performance Wing 711th Human Performance Wing Air Force Research Laboratory Air Force Research Laboratory This report is published in the

  6. Lighting Efficiency Changes On Horizon

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

    Richman, Eric E.; Rosenberg, Michael I.

    2017-04-03

    This article answers four questions posed by Facility Executive Magazine regarding the new 2016 edition of ASHRAE Standard 90.1. The discussion centers on new lighting power limits, lighting controls, and the new simulation based performance path in the standard.

  7. 48 CFR 37.601 - General.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... a performance work statement or a statement of objectives (see 37.602). (b) Performance-based contracts for services shall include— (1) A performance work statement (PWS); (2) Measurable performance standards (i.e., in terms of quality, timeliness, quantity, etc.) and the method of assessing contractor...

  8. 48 CFR 37.601 - General.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... a performance work statement or a statement of objectives (see 37.602). (b) Performance-based contracts for services shall include— (1) A performance work statement (PWS); (2) Measurable performance standards (i.e., in terms of quality, timeliness, quantity, etc.) and the method of assessing contractor...

  9. 48 CFR 37.601 - General.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... a performance work statement or a statement of objectives (see 37.602). (b) Performance-based contracts for services shall include— (1) A performance work statement (PWS); (2) Measurable performance standards (i.e., in terms of quality, timeliness, quantity, etc.) and the method of assessing contractor...

  10. The Design of a Fault-Tolerant COTS-Based Bus Architecture for Space Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chau, Savio N.; Alkalai, Leon; Tai, Ann T.

    2000-01-01

    The high-performance, scalability and miniaturization requirements together with the power, mass and cost constraints mandate the use of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components and standards in the X2000 avionics system architecture for deep-space missions. In this paper, we report our experiences and findings on the design of an IEEE 1394 compliant fault-tolerant COTS-based bus architecture. While the COTS standard IEEE 1394 adequately supports power management, high performance and scalability, its topological criteria impose restrictions on fault tolerance realization. To circumvent the difficulties, we derive a "stack-tree" topology that not only complies with the IEEE 1394 standard but also facilitates fault tolerance realization in a spaceborne system with limited dedicated resource redundancies. Moreover, by exploiting pertinent standard features of the 1394 interface which are not purposely designed for fault tolerance, we devise a comprehensive set of fault detection mechanisms to support the fault-tolerant bus architecture.

  11. Performance-Based Curriculum for Language Arts: From Knowing to Showing.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burz, Helen L.; Marshall, Kit

    This book is intended to be used as a guide to develop a performance-based curriculum based on language arts standards recommended by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association. The book helps teachers take their students beyond knowledge and basic skills by teaching them to be accountable for showing…

  12. What States Should Know about International Standards in Science: Highlights from Achieve's Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Achieve, Inc., 2010

    2010-01-01

    Achieve, through support from the Noyce Foundation, examined ten sets of international standards with the intent of informing the development of both the conceptual framework and Next Generation Science Standards. Achieve selected countries based on their strong performance on international assessments and/or their economic, political, or cultural…

  13. Development of minimum standards for event-based data collection loggers and performance measure definitions for signalized intersections.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2017-01-01

    The arterial traffic signal performance measures were not used to their fullest potential in the past. The development of traffic signal controllers with event-based, high-resolution data logging capabilities enabled the advances in derivation and vi...

  14. Social importance enhances prospective memory: evidence from an event-based task.

    PubMed

    Walter, Stefan; Meier, Beat

    2017-07-01

    Prospective memory performance can be enhanced by task importance, for example by promising a reward. Typically, this comes at costs in the ongoing task. However, previous research has suggested that social importance (e.g., providing a social motive) can enhance prospective memory performance without additional monitoring costs in activity-based and time-based tasks. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of social importance in an event-based task. We compared four conditions: social importance, promising a reward, both social importance and promising a reward, and standard prospective memory instructions (control condition). The results showed enhanced prospective memory performance for all importance conditions compared to the control condition. Although ongoing task performance was slowed in all conditions with a prospective memory task when compared to a baseline condition with no prospective memory task, additional costs occurred only when both the social importance and reward were present simultaneously. Alone, neither social importance nor promising a reward produced an additional slowing when compared to the cost in the standard (control) condition. Thus, social importance and reward can enhance event-based prospective memory at no additional cost.

  15. A proteomics performance standard to support measurement quality in proteomics.

    PubMed

    Beasley-Green, Ashley; Bunk, David; Rudnick, Paul; Kilpatrick, Lisa; Phinney, Karen

    2012-04-01

    The emergence of MS-based proteomic platforms as a prominent technology utilized in biochemical and biomedical research has increased the need for high-quality MS measurements. To address this need, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) reference material (RM) 8323 yeast protein extract is introduced as a proteomics quality control material for benchmarking the preanalytical and analytical performance of proteomics-based experimental workflows. RM 8323 yeast protein extract is based upon the well-characterized eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae and can be utilized in the design and optimization of proteomics-based methodologies from sample preparation to data analysis. To demonstrate its utility as a proteomics quality control material, we coupled LC-MS/MS measurements of RM 8323 with the NIST MS Quality Control (MSQC) performance metrics to quantitatively assess the LC-MS/MS instrumentation parameters that influence measurement accuracy, repeatability, and reproducibility. Due to the complexity of the yeast proteome, we also demonstrate how NIST RM 8323, along with the NIST MSQC performance metrics, can be used in the evaluation and optimization of proteomics-based sample preparation methods. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  16. 10 CFR Appendix D to Subpart T of... - Enforcement for Performance Standards; Compliance Determination Procedure for Certain Commercial...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... Determination Procedure for Certain Commercial Equipment D Appendix D to Subpart T of Part 431 Energy DEPARTMENT... EQUIPMENT Certification and Enforcement Pt. 431, Subpt. T, App. D Appendix D to Subpart T of Part 431... where EPS is the energy performance standard and t is a statistic based on a 97.5 percent, one-sided...

  17. Performance Discrepancies on the California Verbal Learning Test-Second Edition (CVLT-II) in the Standardization Sample

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Donders, Jacobus

    2006-01-01

    The standardization data for the California Verbal Learning Test-Second Edition (CVLT-II; D. C. Delis, J. H. Kramer, E. Kaplan, & B. A. Ober, 2000) were used to evaluate the base rate of 6 specific discrepancies between various key variables. The results indicated that CVLT-II performance discrepancies should equal or exceed 1 or 1.5 z score…

  18. Curriculum Based Functional Vocational Assessment Guide. Correlation of the Life Centered Career Education Curriculum with Specific Occupational Programs, Standards of Work Performance, and Campus Assessment Instruments.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Quinones, William A.

    This document is a guide developed for the Dallas Independent School District's (DISD's) Multiple Careers Magnet Center, which provides special education students with training in standards of work performance and specific occupational skills for successful transition to community life and employment. The document also provides information for…

  19. A new technique for measuring listening and reading literacy in developing countries

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Greene, Barbara A.; Royer, James M.; Anzalone, Stephen

    1990-03-01

    One problem in evaluating educational interventions in developing countries is the absence of tests that adequately reflect the culture and curriculum. The Sentence Verification Technique is a new procedure for measuring reading and listening comprehension that allows for the development of tests based on materials indigenous to a given culture. The validity of using the Sentence Verification Technique to measure reading comprehension in Grenada was evaluated in the present study. The study involved 786 students at standards 3, 4 and 5. The tests for each standard consisted of passages that varied in difficulty. The students identified as high ability students in all three standards performed better than those identified as low ability. All students performed better with easier passages. Additionally, students in higher standards performed bettter than students in lower standards on a given passage. These results supported the claim that the Sentence Verification Technique is a valid measure of reading comprehension in Grenada.

  20. Method and platform standardization in MRM-based quantitative plasma proteomics.

    PubMed

    Percy, Andrew J; Chambers, Andrew G; Yang, Juncong; Jackson, Angela M; Domanski, Dominik; Burkhart, Julia; Sickmann, Albert; Borchers, Christoph H

    2013-12-16

    There exists a growing demand in the proteomics community to standardize experimental methods and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) platforms in order to enable the acquisition of more precise and accurate quantitative data. This necessity is heightened by the evolving trend of verifying and validating candidate disease biomarkers in complex biofluids, such as blood plasma, through targeted multiple reaction monitoring (MRM)-based approaches with stable isotope-labeled standards (SIS). Considering the lack of performance standards for quantitative plasma proteomics, we previously developed two reference kits to evaluate the MRM with SIS peptide approach using undepleted and non-enriched human plasma. The first kit tests the effectiveness of the LC/MRM-MS platform (kit #1), while the second evaluates the performance of an entire analytical workflow (kit #2). Here, these kits have been refined for practical use and then evaluated through intra- and inter-laboratory testing on 6 common LC/MS platforms. For an identical panel of 22 plasma proteins, similar concentrations were determined, regardless of the kit, instrument platform, and laboratory of analysis. These results demonstrate the value of the kit and reinforce the utility of standardized methods and protocols. The proteomics community needs standardized experimental protocols and quality control methods in order to improve the reproducibility of MS-based quantitative data. This need is heightened by the evolving trend for MRM-based validation of proposed disease biomarkers in complex biofluids such as blood plasma. We have developed two kits to assist in the inter- and intra-laboratory quality control of MRM experiments: the first kit tests the effectiveness of the LC/MRM-MS platform (kit #1), while the second evaluates the performance of an entire analytical workflow (kit #2). In this paper, we report the use of these kits in intra- and inter-laboratory testing on 6 common LC/MS platforms. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Standardization and Quality Control in Proteomics. © 2013.

  1. Investigation of a 0.6 hub-tip radius-ratio transonic turbine designed for secondary-flow study I : design and experimental performance of standard turbine

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rohlik, Harold E; Wintucky, William T; Scibbe, Herbert W

    1957-01-01

    Detailed design information including overall performance parameters, velocity diagrams, and blade surface velocities is presented. Experimental performance includes maps based on rating as well as total-pressure ratios showing the effect of exit whirl. Also included are results of surveys at the stator exit and downstream of the rotor at design speed and specific work. This information will be used as a standard for comparison with subsequent secondary-flow work.

  2. Performance Based Assessment and Instructional Activities in Communication Arts for Marketing Education. Application Activities for Communications in Marketing, Employment and Advancement, and Selling.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Broeker, Arlene M.

    This document contains performance-based assessment and instructional activities for Missouri high school teachers to use in teaching the communications arts needed by marketing education students. The activities included were developed to reflect Missouri's new Show-Me Standards, which are knowledge (content) and performance (process) standards…

  3. Generalizability of New Standards Project, 1993 Pilot Study Tasks in Mathematics. Technical Issues in Procedures To Link State Results to a Common National Standard. Project 2.4 Quantitative Models To Monitor the Status and Progress of Learning and Performance and Their Antecedents.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Linn, Robert L.

    The New Standards Project conducted a pilot test of a series of performance-based assessment tasks in mathematics and English language arts at Grades 4 and 8 in the spring of 1993. This paper reports the results of a series of generalizability analyses conducted for a subset of the 1993 pilot study data in mathematics. Generalizability analyses…

  4. Performance-Based Evaluation and School Librarians

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Church, Audrey P.

    2015-01-01

    Evaluation of instructional personnel is standard procedure in our Pre-K-12 public schools, and its purpose is to document educator effectiveness. With Race to the Top and No Child Left Behind waivers, states are required to implement performance-based evaluations that demonstrate student academic progress. This three-year study describes the…

  5. 75 FR 9157 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Alaska Region Scale and Catch Weighing...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-01

    ... and catch weighing requirements address performance standards designed to ensure that all catch... motherships is based on the vessel meeting a series of design criteria. Because of the wide variations in factory layout for inshore processors, NMFS requires a performance-based catch monitoring system for...

  6. Exploring the Impact of Mental Workload on Rater-Based Assessments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tavares, Walter; Eva, Kevin W.

    2013-01-01

    When appraising the performance of others, assessors must acquire relevant information and process it in a meaningful way in order to translate it effectively into ratings, comments, or judgments about how well the performance meets appropriate standards. Rater-based assessment strategies in health professional education, including scale and…

  7. Life-Cycle Inventory Analysis of Laminated Veneer Lumber Production in the United States

    Treesearch

    Richard D. Bergman

    2015-01-01

    Documenting the environmental performance of building products is becoming increasingly common. Developing environmental product declarations (EPDs) based on life-cycle assessment (LCA) data is one way to provide scientific documentation. Many U.S. structural wood products have LCA-based “eco-labels” using the ISO standard. However, the standard requires underlying...

  8. C-A1-03: Considerations in the Design and Use of an Oracle-based Virtual Data Warehouse

    PubMed Central

    Bredfeldt, Christine; McFarland, Lela

    2011-01-01

    Background/Aims The amount of clinical data available for research is growing exponentially. As it grows, increasing the efficiency of both data storage and data access becomes critical. Relational database management systems (rDBMS) such as Oracle are ideal solutions for managing longitudinal clinical data because they support large-scale data storage and highly efficient data retrieval. In addition, they can greatly simplify the management of large data warehouses, including security management and regular data refreshes. However, the HMORN Virtual Data Warehouse (VDW) was originally designed based on SAS datasets, and this design choice has a number of implications for both the design and use of an Oracle-based VDW. From a design standpoint, VDW tables are designed as flat SAS datasets, which do not take full advantage of Oracle indexing capabilities. From a data retrieval standpoint, standard VDW SAS scripts do not take advantage of SAS pass-through SQL capabilities to enable Oracle to perform the processing required to narrow datasets to the population of interest. Methods Beginning in 2009, the research department at Kaiser Permanente in the Mid-Atlantic States (KPMA) has developed an Oracle-based VDW according to the HMORN v3 specifications. In order to take advantage of the strengths of relational databases, KPMA introduced an interface layer to the VDW data, using views to provide access to standardized VDW variables. In addition, KPMA has developed SAS programs that provide access to SQL pass-through processing for first-pass data extraction into SAS VDW datasets for processing by standard VDW scripts. Results We discuss both the design and performance considerations specific to the KPMA Oracle-based VDW. We benchmarked performance of the Oracle-based VDW using both standard VDW scripts and an initial pre-processing layer to evaluate speed and accuracy of data return. Conclusions Adapting the VDW for deployment in an Oracle environment required minor changes to the underlying structure of the data. Further modifications of the underlying data structure would lead to performance enhancements. Maximally efficient data access for standard VDW scripts requires an extra step that involves restricting the data to the population of interest at the data server level prior to standard processing.

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

    O'Malley, Kathleen; Lopez, Hugo; Cairns, Julie

    An overview of the main North American codes and standards associated with hydrogen safety sensors is provided. The distinction between a code and a standard is defined, and the relationship between standards and codes is clarified, especially for those circumstances where a standard or a certification requirement is explicitly referenced within a code. The report identifies three main types of standards commonly applied to hydrogen sensors (interface and controls standards, shock and hazard standards, and performance-based standards). The certification process and a list and description of the main standards and model codes associated with the use of hydrogen safety sensorsmore » in hydrogen infrastructure are presented.« less

  10. Waste-form development for conversion to portland cement at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Technical Area 55 (TA-55)

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

    Veazey, G.W.; Schake, A.R.; Shalek, P.D.

    1996-10-01

    The process used at TA-55 to cement transuranic (TRU) waste has experienced several problems with the gypsum-based cement currently being used. Specifically, the waste form could not reliably pass the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) prohibition for free liquid and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) standard for chromium. This report describes the project to develop a portland cement-based waste form that ensures compliance to these standards, as well as other performance standards consisting of homogeneous mixing, moderate hydration temperature, timely initial set, and structural durability. Testing was conducted using the two most common waste streams requiringmore » cementation as of February 1994, lean residue (LR)- and oxalate filtrate (OX)-based evaporator bottoms (EV). A formulation with a pH of 10.3 to 12.1 and a minimum cement-to-liquid (C/L) ratio of 0.80 kg/l for OX-based EV and 0.94 kg/L for LR-based EV was found to pass the performance standards chosen for this project. The implementation of the portland process should result in a yearly cost savings for raw materials of approximately $27,000 over the gypsum process.« less

  11. Benefits of on-wafer calibration standards fabricated in membrane technology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rohland, M.; Arz, U.; Büttgenbach, S.

    2011-07-01

    In this work we compare on-wafer calibration standards fabricated in membrane technology with standards built in conventional thin-film technology. We perform this comparison by investigating the propagation of uncertainties in the geometry and material properties to the broadband electrical properties of the standards. For coplanar waveguides used as line standards the analysis based on Monte Carlo simulations demonstrates an up to tenfold reduction in uncertainty depending on the electromagnetic waveguide property we look at.

  12. [Mobile Health: IEEE Standard for Wearable Cuffless Blood Pressure Measuring Devices].

    PubMed

    Zhou, Xia; Wu, Wenli; Bao, Shudi

    2015-07-01

    IEEE Std 1708-2014 breaks through the traditional standards of cuff based blood pressure measuring devices and establishes a normative definition of wearable cuffless blood pressure measuring devices and the objective performance evaluation of this kind of devices. This study firstly introduces the background of the new standard. Then, the standard details will be described, and the impact of cuffless blood pressure measuring devices with the new standard on manufacturers and end users will be addressed.

  13. Standards for space automation and robotics

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kader, Jac B.; Loftin, R. B.

    1992-01-01

    The AIAA's Committee on Standards for Space Automation and Robotics (COS/SAR) is charged with the identification of key functions and critical technologies applicable to multiple missions that reflect fundamental consideration of environmental factors. COS/SAR's standards/practices/guidelines implementation methods will be based on reliability, performance, and operations, as well as economic viability and life-cycle costs, simplicity, and modularity.

  14. Standardized Individuality: Cosmopolitanism and Educational Decision-Making in an Atlantic Canadian Rural Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Corbett, Michael J.

    2010-01-01

    With the rise of network society, consumerism, individualization, globalization and contemporary change forces, students are pressured to both perform well in standardized academic assessments while at the same time constructing a non-standard, unique project of the self. I argue that this generates a particular set of place-based tensions for…

  15. 77 FR 21690 - Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plan for 1997 8-Hour Ozone Standard; Arizona

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-04-11

    ... and emissions input data preparation, model performance evaluation, interpreting modeling results, and... standard based on ambient ozone monitoring data for the 2006- 2008 period. EPA has not yet acted on this... ppm) and years thereafter were at or below the standard. See EPA Air Quality System (AQS) data...

  16. A Proposal Comparing a Clinician-Guided Patient Information Module to Standard Patient Information Evaluating Treatment Expectations of Dermal Fillers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Warren, Hermine

    2014-01-01

    In 2011, nearly 13 million nonsurgical cosmetic procedures were performed, representing a 6% increase from the previous year. Patients often present with unrealistic treatment expectations based on beauty industry standards and misinformation. In addition, due to the lack of competency standardization in this area, providers frequently deliver…

  17. 48 CFR 970.1100-1 - Performance-based contracting.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... methods of accomplishing the work; use measurable (i.e., terms of quality, timeliness, quantity) performance standards and objectives and quality assurance surveillance plans; provide performance incentives... work and other documents used to establish work requirements. (d) Quality assurance surveillance plans...

  18. 48 CFR 970.1100-1 - Performance-based contracting.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... methods of accomplishing the work; use measurable (i.e., terms of quality, timeliness, quantity) performance standards and objectives and quality assurance surveillance plans; provide performance incentives... work and other documents used to establish work requirements. (d) Quality assurance surveillance plans...

  19. 48 CFR 970.1100-1 - Performance-based contracting.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... methods of accomplishing the work; use measurable (i.e., terms of quality, timeliness, quantity) performance standards and objectives and quality assurance surveillance plans; provide performance incentives... work and other documents used to establish work requirements. (d) Quality assurance surveillance plans...

  20. 16 CFR 1000.29 - Directorate for Engineering Sciences.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... standards, product safety tests and test methods, performance criteria, design specifications, and quality control standards for consumer products, based on engineering and scientific methods. It conducts... consumer interest groups. The Directorate conducts human factors studies and research of consumer product...

  1. 16 CFR 1000.29 - Directorate for Engineering Sciences.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... standards, product safety tests and test methods, performance criteria, design specifications, and quality control standards for consumer products, based on engineering and scientific methods. It conducts... consumer interest groups. The Directorate conducts human factors studies and research of consumer product...

  2. Quality assessment of Herba Leonuri based on the analysis of multiple components using normal- and reversed-phase chromatographic methods.

    PubMed

    Dong, Shuya; He, Jiao; Hou, Huiping; Shuai, Yaping; Wang, Qi; Yang, Wenling; Sun, Zheng; Li, Qing; Bi, Kaishun; Liu, Ran

    2017-12-01

    A novel, improved, and comprehensive method for quality evaluation and discrimination of Herba Leonuri has been developed and validated based on normal- and reversed-phase chromatographic methods. To identify Herba Leonuri, normal- and reversed-phase high-performance thin-layer chromatography fingerprints were obtained by comparing the colors and R f values of the bands, and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography fingerprints were obtained by using an Agilent Poroshell 120 SB-C18 within 28 min. By similarity analysis and hierarchical clustering analysis, we show that there are similar chromatographic patterns in Herba Leonuri samples, but significant differences in counterfeits and variants. To quantify the bio-active components of Herba Leonuri, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography was performed to analyze syringate, leonurine, quercetin-3-O-robiniaglycoside, hyperoside, rutin, isoquercitrin, wogonin, and genkwanin simultaneously by single standard to determine multi-components method with rutin as internal standard. Meanwhile, normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography was performed by using an Agilent ZORBAX HILIC Plus within 6 min to determine trigonelline and stachydrine using trigonelline as internal standard. Innovatively, among these compounds, bio-active components of quercetin-3-O-robiniaglycoside and trigonelline were first determined in Herba Leonuri. In general, the method integrating multi-chromatographic analyses offered an efficient way for the standardization and identification of Herba Leonuri. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  3. Pell Grants as Performance-Based Aid? An Examination of Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements in the Nation's Largest Need-Based Aid Program. A CAPSEE Working Paper

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schudde, Lauren; Scott-Clayton, Judith

    2014-01-01

    The Federal Pell Grant Program is the nation's largest need-based grant program. While students' initial eligibility for the Pell is based on financial need, renewal of the award is contingent on their making satisfactory academic progress (SAP)--meeting minimum academic standards similar to those proposed in models of performance-based…

  4. Spatial enhancement of ECG using diagnostic similarity score based lead selective multi-scale linear model.

    PubMed

    Nallikuzhy, Jiss J; Dandapat, S

    2017-06-01

    In this work, a new patient-specific approach to enhance the spatial resolution of ECG is proposed and evaluated. The proposed model transforms a three-lead ECG into a standard twelve-lead ECG thereby enhancing its spatial resolution. The three leads used for prediction are obtained from the standard twelve-lead ECG. The proposed model takes advantage of the improved inter-lead correlation in wavelet domain. Since the model is patient-specific, it also selects the optimal predictor leads for a given patient using a lead selection algorithm. The lead selection algorithm is based on a new diagnostic similarity score which computes the diagnostic closeness between the original and the spatially enhanced leads. Standard closeness measures are used to assess the performance of the model. The similarity in diagnostic information between the original and the spatially enhanced leads are evaluated using various diagnostic measures. Repeatability and diagnosability are performed to quantify the applicability of the model. A comparison of the proposed model is performed with existing models that transform a subset of standard twelve-lead ECG into the standard twelve-lead ECG. From the analysis of the results, it is evident that the proposed model preserves diagnostic information better compared to other models. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. A new IRT-based standard setting method: application to eCat-listening.

    PubMed

    García, Pablo Eduardo; Abad, Francisco José; Olea, Julio; Aguado, David

    2013-01-01

    Criterion-referenced interpretations of tests are highly necessary, which usually involves the difficult task of establishing cut scores. Contrasting with other Item Response Theory (IRT)-based standard setting methods, a non-judgmental approach is proposed in this study, in which Item Characteristic Curve (ICC) transformations lead to the final cut scores. eCat-Listening, a computerized adaptive test for the evaluation of English Listening, was administered to 1,576 participants, and the proposed standard setting method was applied to classify them into the performance standards of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The results showed a classification closely related to relevant external measures of the English language domain, according to the CEFR. It is concluded that the proposed method is a practical and valid standard setting alternative for IRT-based tests interpretations.

  6. Using web-based video to enhance physical examination skills in medical students.

    PubMed

    Orientale, Eugene; Kosowicz, Lynn; Alerte, Anton; Pfeiffer, Carol; Harrington, Karen; Palley, Jane; Brown, Stacey; Sapieha-Yanchak, Teresa

    2008-01-01

    Physical examination (PE) skills among U.S. medical students have been shown to be deficient. This study examines the effect of a Web-based physical examination curriculum on first-year medical student PE skills. Web-based video clips, consisting of instruction in 77 elements of the physical examination, were created using Microsoft Windows Moviemaker software. Medical students' PE skills were evaluated by standardized patients before and after implementation of the Internet-based video. Following implementation of this curriculum, there was a higher level of competency (from 87% in 2002-2003 to 91% in 2004-2005), and poor performances on standardized patient PE exams substantially diminished (from a 14%-22%failure rate in 2002-2003, to 4% in 2004-2005. A significant improvement in first-year medical student performance on the adult PE occurred after implementing Web-based instructional video.

  7. On-the-field performance of quintuple-play long-reach OFDM-based WDM-PON optical access networks.

    PubMed

    Llorente, Roberto; Morant, Maria; Pellicer, Eloy; Herman, Milan; Nagy, Zsolt; Alves, Tiago; Cartaxo, Adolfo; Herrera, Javier; Correcher, Jose; Quinlan, Terence; Walker, Stuart; Rodrigues, Cláudio; Cluzeaud, Pierre; Schmidt, Axel; Piesiewicz, Radoslaw; Sambaraju, Rakesh

    2014-03-24

    In this paper the on-the-field performance of a WDM-PON optical access providing quintuple-play services using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation is evaluated in a real fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network deployed by Towercom operator in Bratislava (Slovakia). A bundle of quintuple-play services comprising full-standard OFDM-based signals (LTE, WiMAX, UWB and DVB-T) and an ad-hoc OFDM-GbE signal is transmitted in coexistence per single user. Both downstream and upstream transmission performances are evaluated in different on-the-field long-reach optical link distance configurations. Four wavelength multi-user transmission of quintuple-play OFDM services is demonstrated exceeding 60.8 km reach in standard single mode fiber.

  8. Experimental Evaluation of High Performance Integrated Heat Pump

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

    Miller, William A; Berry, Robert; Durfee, Neal

    2016-01-01

    Integrated heat pump (IHP) technology provides significant potential for energy savings and comfort improvement for residential buildings. In this study, we evaluate the performance of a high performance IHP that provides space heating, cooling, and water heating services. Experiments were conducted according to the ASHRAE Standard 206-2013 where 24 test conditions were identified in order to evaluate the IHP performance indices based on the airside performance. Empirical curve fits of the unit s compressor maps are used in conjunction with saturated condensing and evaporating refrigerant conditions to deduce the refrigerant mass flowrate, which, in turn was used to evaluate themore » refrigerant side performance as a check on the airside performance. Heat pump (compressor, fans, and controls) and water pump power were measured separately per requirements of Standard 206. The system was charged per the system manufacturer s specifications. System test results are presented for each operating mode. The overall IHP performance metrics are determined from the test results per the Standard 206 calculation procedures.« less

  9. Sensitivity of sensor-based sit-to-stand peak power to the effects of training leg strength, leg power and balance in older adults.

    PubMed

    Regterschot, G Ruben H; Folkersma, Marjanne; Zhang, Wei; Baldus, Heribert; Stevens, Martin; Zijlstra, Wiebren

    2014-01-01

    Increasing leg strength, leg power and overall balance can improve mobility and reduce fall risk. Sensor-based assessment of peak power during the sit-to-stand (STS) transfer may be useful for detecting changes in mobility and fall risk. Therefore, this study investigated whether sensor-based STS peak power and related measures are sensitive to the effects of increasing leg strength, leg power and overall balance in older adults. A further aim was to compare sensitivity between sensor-based STS measures and standard clinical measures of leg strength, leg power, balance, mobility and fall risk, following an exercise-based intervention. To achieve these aims, 26 older adults (age: 70-84 years) participated in an eight-week exercise program aimed at improving leg strength, leg power and balance. Before and after the intervention, performance on normal and fast STS transfers was evaluated with a hybrid motion sensor worn on the hip. In addition, standard clinical tests (isometric quadriceps strength, Timed Up and Go test, Berg Balance Scale) were performed. Standard clinical tests as well as sensor-based measures of peak power, maximal velocity and duration of normal and fast STS showed significant improvements. Sensor-based measurement of peak power, maximal velocity and duration of normal STS demonstrated a higher sensitivity (absolute standardized response mean (SRM): ≥ 0.69) to the effects of training leg strength, leg power and balance than standard clinical measures (absolute SRM: ≤ 0.61). Therefore, the presented sensor-based method appears to be useful for detecting changes in mobility and fall risk. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Competitive Debate as Competency-Based Learning: Civic Engagement and Next-Generation Assessment in the Era of the Common Core Learning Standards

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McIntosh, Jonathan; Milam, Myra

    2016-01-01

    As the adoption and execution of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) have steadily increased, the debate community is presented with an opportunity to be more forward thinking and sustainable through the translation to curriculum planning and next-generation assessment as a movement towards Performance-Based Assessments. This paper focuses on…

  11. The Rise and Fall of a Standards Based Spelling Assessment: Did Spelling Improve or Is it Just Another Case of Teaching to the Test?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fenton, Ray; Stofflet, Fred; Straugh, Tom

    This paper reports the creation, implementation, and discontinuation of a standards based spelling assessment program in Anchorage, Alaska. The program was initiated by the Anchorage school board as part of establishing district-wide performance goals for students in 1998-1999. Spelling was singled out for attention because of national discussions…

  12. Application and Survey of Business Intelligence (BI) Tools within the Context of Military Decision Making

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-06-01

    International Financial Reporting Standards ( IFRS ) are principles-based Standards, Interpretations and the Framework (1989) adopted by the International...direction of the organization and based on a four- perspective view of the world: Financial measures supported by customer, internal, and learning and...scorecard applications, financial consolidation, and statutory and financial reporting . 27 7. Performance Scorecards and Dashboards Dashboards and

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

    PubMed

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

    2016-10-01

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

  14. 45 CFR 305.31 - Amount of incentive payment.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... PROGRAM PERFORMANCE MEASURES, STANDARDS, FINANCIAL INCENTIVES, AND PENALTIES § 305.31 Amount of incentive... establishment, support order, and current collections performance measures and 75 percent of the State's collections base for the fiscal year for the arrearage collections and cost-effectiveness performance measures...

  15. Transformational Play as a Curricular Scaffold: Using Videogames to Support Science Education

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barab, Sasha A.; Scott, Brianna; Siyahhan, Sinem; Goldstone, Robert; Ingram-Goble, Adam; Zuiker, Steven J.; Warren, Scott

    2009-08-01

    Drawing on game-design principles and an underlying situated theoretical perspective, we developed and researched a 3D game-based curriculum designed to teach water quality concepts. We compared undergraduate student dyads assigned randomly to four different instructional design conditions where the content had increasingly level of contextualization: (a) expository textbook condition, (b) simplistic framing condition, (c) immersive world condition, and (d) a single-user immersive world condition. Results indicated that the immersive-world dyad and immersive-world single user conditions performed significantly better than the electronic textbook group on standardized items. The immersive-world dyad condition also performed significantly better than either the expository textbook or the descriptive framing condition on a performance-based transfer task, and performed significantly better than the expository textbook condition on standardized test items. Implications for science education, and consistent with the goals of this special issue, are that immersive game-based learning environments provide a powerful new form of curriculum for teaching and learning science.

  16. Investigating the influence on safety of retrofitting Italian motorways with barriers meeting a new EU standard.

    PubMed

    Cafiso, Salvatore; D'Agostino, Carmelo; Persaud, Bhagwant

    2017-04-03

    A new European Union (EU) regulation for safety barriers, which is based on performance, has encouraged road agencies to perform an upgrade of old barriers, with the expectation that there will be safety benefits at the retrofitted sites. The new class of barriers was designed and installed in compliance with the 1998 (European Norm) EN 1317 standards for road restraint systems, which lays down common requirements for the testing and certification of road restraint systems in all countries of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN). Both the older and new barriers are made of steel and are installed in such a way as to avoid vehicle intrusion, but the older ones are thought to be only effective at low speeds and large angles of impact. The new standard seeks to remedy this by providing better protection at higher speeds. This article seeks to quantify the effect on the frequency of fatal and injury crashes of retrofitting motorways with barriers meeting the new standards. The estimation of the crash modification was carried out by performing an empirical Bayes before-after analysis based on data from the A18 Messina-Catania motorway in Italy. The methodology has the great advantage to account for the regression to the mean effects. Besides, to account for time trend effects and dispersion of crash data, a modified calibration methodology of safety performance was used. This study, based on data collected on 76 km of motorway in the period 2000-2012, derived Crash Modification Factor point estimates that indicate reductions of 72% for run-off-road fatal and injury crashes and 38% in total fatal and injury crashes that could be expected by upgrading an old safety barrier by complying with new EU 1317 standards. The estimated benefit-cost ratio of 5.57 for total crashes indicates that the treatment is cost effective. The magnitude of this benefit indicates that the retrofits are cost-effective even for total crashes and should continue in any European country inasmuch as the estimated Crash Modification Factors are based on treatment sites that are reasonably representative of all European motorways.

  17. 10 CFR 50.48 - Fire protection.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... suppression systems; and (iii) The means to limit fire damage to structures, systems, or components important...) Standard 805, “Performance-Based Standard for Fire Protection for Light Water Reactor Electric Generating... pressurized-water reactors (PWRs) is not permitted. (iv) Uncertainty analysis. An uncertainty analysis...

  18. 10 CFR 50.48 - Fire protection.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... suppression systems; and (iii) The means to limit fire damage to structures, systems, or components important...) Standard 805, “Performance-Based Standard for Fire Protection for Light Water Reactor Electric Generating... pressurized-water reactors (PWRs) is not permitted. (iv) Uncertainty analysis. An uncertainty analysis...

  19. Influence of visual observational conditions on tongue motor learning.

    PubMed

    Kothari, Mohit; Liu, Xuemei; Baad-Hansen, Lene; Kumar, Abhishek; Bin, Guo; Svensson, Peter

    2016-12-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of visual observational conditions on performance during a standardized tongue-protrusion training (TPT) task and to evaluate subject-based reports of helpfulness, disturbance, pain, and fatigue, due to the observational conditions on 0-10 numerical rating scales. Forty-eight healthy participants performed a 1-h standard TPT task. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the following three groups with different observational conditions: group 1, model observation (participants watched a prerecorded video showing standard TPT before optimal TPT being performed); group 2, self-observation (participants watched live video feedback of their own TPT performance); and group 3, control group (participants performed the TPT with no conditioning). There was no overall difference between groups but TPT performance increased over time. A significant group×time interaction indicated that the self-observation group performed significantly better than the model-observation group in the last 20 min of TPT. The subject-based reports of video helpfulness showed that the model-observation group rated the prerecorded video as more helpful for TPT performance compared with the other groups but there was no significant difference between groups regarding the level of disturbance, pain, or fatigue. Self-observation of tongue-training facilitated behavioral aspects of tongue motor learning compared with model observation but not compared with control. © 2016 Eur J Oral Sci.

  20. Improving the Clinical Skills Performance of Graduating Medical Students Using “WISE OnCall,” a Multimedia Educational Module

    PubMed Central

    Szyld, Demian; Uquillas, Kristen; Green, Brad R.; Yavner, Steven D.; Song, Hyuksoon; Nick, Michael W.; Ng, Grace M.; Pusic, Martin V.; Riles, Thomas S.; Kalet, Adina

    2017-01-01

    Introduction “Transitions to residency” programs are designed to maximize quality and safety of patient care, as medical students become residents. However, best instructional or readiness assessment practices are not yet established. We sought to study the impact of a screen-based interactive curriculum designed to prepare interns to address common clinical coverage issues (WISE OnCall) on the clinical skills demonstrated in simulation and hypothesize that performance would improve after completing the module. Methods Senior medical students were recruited to participate in this single group prestudy/poststudy. Students responded to a call from a standardized nurse (SN) and assessed a standardized patient (SP) with low urine output, interacted with a 45-minute WISE OnCall module on the assessment and management of oliguria, and then evaluated a different SP with low urine output of a different underlying cause. Standardized patients assessed clinical skills with a 37-item, behaviorally anchored checklist measuring clinical skills (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC], 0.55–0.81). Standardized nurses rated care quality and safety and collaboration and interprofessional communication using a 33-item literature-based, anchored checklist (ICC, 0.47–0.52). Standardized patient and SN ratings of the same student performance were correlated (r, 0.37–0.62; P < 0.01). Physicians assessed clinical reasoning quality based on the students’ patient encounter note (ICC, 0.55–0.68), ratings that did not correlate with SP and SN ratings. We compared pre-post clinical skills performance and clinical reasoning. Fifty-two medical students (31%) completed this institutional review board –approved study. Results Performance as measured by the SPs, SNs, and the postencounter note all showed improvement with mostly moderate to large effect sizes (range of Cohen’s d, 0.30–1.88; P < 0.05) after completion of the online module. Unexpectedly, professionalism as rated by the SP was poorer after the module (Cohen’s d, −0.93; P = 0.000). Discussion A brief computer-based educational intervention significantly improved graduating medical students' clinical skills needed to be ready for residency. PMID:29076970

  1. Body composition and military performance--many things to many people.

    PubMed

    Friedl, Karl E

    2012-07-01

    Soldiers are expected to maintain the highest possible level of physical readiness because they must be ready to mobilize and perform their duties anywhere in the world at any time. The objective of Army body composition standards is to motivate physical training and good nutrition habits to ensure a high state of readiness. Establishment of enforceable and rational standards to support this objective has been challenging even at extremes of body size. Morbidly obese individuals are clearly not suited to military service, but very large muscular individuals may be superbly qualified for soldier performance demands. For this reason, large individuals are measured for body fat using a waist circumference-based equation (female soldiers are also measured for hip circumference). The main challenge comes in setting appropriate fat standards to support the full range of Army requirements. Military appearance ideals dictate the most stringent body fat standards, whereas health risk thresholds anchor the most liberal standards, and physical performance associations fall on a spectrum between these 2 poles. Standards should not exclude or penalize specialized performance capabilities such as endurance running or power lifting across a spectrum of body sizes and fat. The full integration of women into the military further complicates the issue because of sexually dimorphic characteristics that make gender-appropriate standards essential and where inappropriately stringent standards can compromise both health and performance of this segment of the force. Other associations with body composition such as stress effects on intraabdominal fat distribution patterns and metabolic implications of a fat reserve for survival in extreme environments are also relevant considerations. This is a review of the science that underpins the U.S. Army body composition standards.

  2. Competency Based Assessment in Fashion Design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Russanti, Irma; Nurlaela, Lutfiyah; Basuki, Ismet; Munoto

    2018-04-01

    Professional certification is a form of stipulation on certain competency standards provided by one professional organization to the performance of a person through assessment. For that an assessment needs to be standardized so that there exists a general standardized scale to measure competence. In the professional certification of fashion design department, an instrument of competency based assessment is essential to be developed. The purpose of this review is to know the application of competency based assessment in the field of fashion design. The literature reviews were found by journal searching with keywords competency based assessment and fashion design in Google scholar, of which was gotten over 20 journals from 2006 to 2016. Afterwards, the search of the free-downloaded e-books in libgen was conducted under competency based assessment and fashion design, which is then found some related references. The obtained literatures were used to review the definition, approach, and implementation of competency based assessment in the field of fashion design. Results show that it is important to develop an assessment sheet in the field of fashion design covering garment, apparel and embroidery sectors by patterning the criteria of performers along with the qualifications.

  3. Performance characterization of structured light-based fingerprint scanner

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hassebrook, Laurence G.; Wang, Minghao; Daley, Raymond C.

    2013-05-01

    Our group believes that the evolution of fingerprint capture technology is in transition to include 3-D non-contact fingerprint capture. More specifically we believe that systems based on structured light illumination provide the highest level of depth measurement accuracy. However, for these new technologies to be fully accepted by the biometric community, they must be compliant with federal standards of performance. At present these standards do not exist for this new biometric technology. We propose and define a set of test procedures to be used to verify compliance with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's image quality specification for Personal Identity Verification single fingerprint capture devices. The proposed test procedures include: geometric accuracy, lateral resolution based on intensity or depth, gray level uniformity and flattened fingerprint image quality. Several 2-D contact analogies, performance tradeoffs and optimization dilemmas are evaluated and proposed solutions are presented.

  4. End-Use Load and Conservation Assessment Program : Co-Instrumentation Test of Two Microcomputer-Based Energy Monitoring Systems.

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

    Fishbaugher, M. J.

    1985-05-01

    The decreasing cost of microcomputers along with improvements in power metering circuitry have changed the way in which electrical energy use is monitored. Although utilities still rely on kilowatt-hour (kWh) meters for billing purposes, a microcomputer-based monitoring system is used when greater temporal and end-use resolution is desired. Because these types of monitoring systems will be used increasingly in large-scale conservation and end-use studies, it is important that their performance be analyzed to determine their accuracy. A co-instrumentation test was devised in which two such microcomputer-based monitoring systems made simultaneous measurements of electrical end-uses in two commercial buildings. The analysismore » of the co-instrumentation data aids in the evaluation of microcomputer-based monitoring systems used for end-use measurements. Separate and independent data loggers were used to measure the same loads simultaneously. In addition to these two systems, a utility billing meter measured the total energy use in each building during the co-instrumentation test. The utility's meters provided a relatively accurate standard by which the performance of both loggers could be judged. The comparison between the SCL and PNL microcomputer-based loggers has shown that power measurement techniques directly affect system performance. The co-instrumentation test has shown that there are certain standards that a monitoring system must meet if it is to perform well. First, it is essential to calibrate a microcomputer-based logger against a known standard load before the system is installed. Second, a microcomputer-based system must have some way of accounting for power factors. Recent advances in power metering circuitry have made it relatively easy to apply these power factors automatically in real time.« less

  5. Do School-Based Tutoring Programs Significantly Improve Student Performance on Standardized Tests?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rothman, Terri; Henderson, Mary

    2011-01-01

    This study used a pre-post, nonequivalent control group design to examine the impact of an in-district, after-school tutoring program on eighth grade students' standardized test scores in language arts and mathematics. Students who had scored in the near-passing range on either the language arts or mathematics aspect of a standardized test at the…

  6. Can Cognitive Writing Models Inform the Design of the Common Core State Standards?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hayes, John R.; Olinghouse, Natalie G.

    2015-01-01

    In this article, we compare the Common Core State Standards in Writing to the Hayes cognitive model of writing, adapted to describe the performance of young and developing writers. Based on the comparison, we propose the inclusion of standards for motivation, goal setting, writing strategies, and attention by writers to the text they have just…

  7. Prediction of Regulation Reserve Requirements in California ISO Control Area based on BAAL Standard

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

    Etingov, Pavel V.; Makarov, Yuri V.; Samaan, Nader A.

    This paper presents new methodologies developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to estimate regulation capacity requirements in the California ISO control area. Two approaches have been developed: (1) an approach based on statistical analysis of actual historical area control error (ACE) and regulation data, and (2) an approach based on balancing authority ACE limit control performance standard. The approaches predict regulation reserve requirements on a day-ahead basis including upward and downward requirements, for each operating hour of a day. California ISO data has been used to test the performance of the proposed algorithms. Results show that software tool allowsmore » saving up to 30% on the regulation procurements cost .« less

  8. Energy savings and cost-benefit analysis of the new commercial building standard in China

    DOE PAGES

    Zhao, Shanguo; Feng, Wei; Zhang, Shicong; ...

    2015-10-07

    In this study, a comprehensive comparison of the commercial building energy efficiency standard between the previous 2005 version and the new proposed version is conducted, including the energy efficiency analysis and cost-benefit analysis. To better understand the tech-economic performance of the new Chinese standard, energy models were set up based on a typical commercial office building in Chinese climate zones. The building energy standard in 2005 is used as the baseline for this analysis. Key building technologies measures are analyzed individually, including roof, wall, window, lighting and chiller and so on and finally whole building cost-benefit analysis was conducted. Resultsmore » show that the new commercial building energy standard demonstrates good cost-effective performance, with whole building payback period around 4 years.« less

  9. Energy savings and cost-benefit analysis of the new commercial building standard in China

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

    Zhao, Shanguo; Feng, Wei; Zhang, Shicong

    In this study, a comprehensive comparison of the commercial building energy efficiency standard between the previous 2005 version and the new proposed version is conducted, including the energy efficiency analysis and cost-benefit analysis. To better understand the tech-economic performance of the new Chinese standard, energy models were set up based on a typical commercial office building in Chinese climate zones. The building energy standard in 2005 is used as the baseline for this analysis. Key building technologies measures are analyzed individually, including roof, wall, window, lighting and chiller and so on and finally whole building cost-benefit analysis was conducted. Resultsmore » show that the new commercial building energy standard demonstrates good cost-effective performance, with whole building payback period around 4 years.« less

  10. Effects of Rifle Handling, Target Acquisition, and Trigger Control on Simulated Shooting Performance

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-05-06

    qualification task, and covers all of the training requirements listed in the Soldier’s Manual of Common Tasks: Warrior Skills Level 1 handbook...allow for more direct and standardized training based on common Soldier errors. If discernible patterns in these core elements of marksmanship were...more than 50 percent of variance in marksmanship performance on a standard EST weapons qualification task for participants whose 3 Snellen acuity

  11. Critical appraisal of the Vienna consensus: performance indicators for assisted reproductive technology laboratories.

    PubMed

    Lopez-Regalado, María Luisa; Martínez-Granados, Luis; González-Utor, Antonio; Ortiz, Nereyda; Iglesias, Miriam; Ardoy, Manuel; Castilla, Jose A

    2018-05-24

    The Vienna consensus, based on the recommendations of an expert panel, has identified 19 performance indicators for assisted reproductive technology (ART) laboratories. Two levels of reference values are established for these performance indicators: competence and benchmark. For over 10 years, the Spanish embryology association (ASEBIR) has participated in the definition and design of ART performance indicators, seeking to establish specific guidelines for ART laboratories to enhance quality, safety and patient welfare. Four years ago, ASEBIR took part in an initiative by AENOR, the Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification, to develop a national standard in this field (UNE 17900:2013 System of quality management for assisted reproduction laboratories), extending the former requirements, based on ISO 9001, to include performance indicators. Considering the experience acquired, we discuss various aspects of the Vienna consensus and consider certain discrepancies in performance indicators between the consensus and UNE 179007:2013, and analyse the definitions, methodology and reference values used. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  12. The DACUM Job Analysis Process.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dofasco, Inc., Hamilton (Ontario).

    This document explains the DACUM (Developing A Curriculum) process for analyzing task-based jobs to: identify where standard operating procedures are required; identify duplicated low value added tasks; develop performance standards; create job descriptions; and identify the elements that must be included in job-specific training programs. The…

  13. Relative resilience to noise of standard and sequential approaches to measurement-based quantum computation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gallagher, C. B.; Ferraro, A.

    2018-05-01

    A possible alternative to the standard model of measurement-based quantum computation (MBQC) is offered by the sequential model of MBQC—a particular class of quantum computation via ancillae. Although these two models are equivalent under ideal conditions, their relative resilience to noise in practical conditions is not yet known. We analyze this relationship for various noise models in the ancilla preparation and in the entangling-gate implementation. The comparison of the two models is performed utilizing both the gate infidelity and the diamond distance as figures of merit. Our results show that in the majority of instances the sequential model outperforms the standard one in regard to a universal set of operations for quantum computation. Further investigation is made into the performance of sequential MBQC in experimental scenarios, thus setting benchmarks for possible cavity-QED implementations.

  14. Comparison of standard- and nano-flow liquid chromatography platforms for MRM-based quantitation of putative plasma biomarker proteins.

    PubMed

    Percy, Andrew J; Chambers, Andrew G; Yang, Juncong; Domanski, Dominik; Borchers, Christoph H

    2012-09-01

    The analytical performance of a standard-flow ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) and a nano-flow high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system, interfaced to the same state-of-the-art triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer, were compared for the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM)-mass spectrometry (MS)-based quantitation of a panel of 48 high-to-moderate-abundance cardiovascular disease-related plasma proteins. After optimization of the MRM transitions for sensitivity and testing for chemical interference, the optimum sensitivity, loading capacity, gradient, and retention-time reproducibilities were determined. We previously demonstrated the increased robustness of the standard-flow platform, but we expected that the standard-flow platform would have an overall lower sensitivity. This study was designed to determine if this decreased sensitivity could be compensated for by increased sample loading. Significantly fewer interferences with the MRM transitions were found for the standard-flow platform than for the nano-flow platform (2 out of 103 transitions compared with 42 out of 103 transitions, respectively), which demonstrates the importance of interference-testing when nano-flow systems are used. Using only interference-free transitions, 36 replicate LC/MRM-MS analyses resulted in equal signal reproducibilities between the two platforms (9.3 % coefficient of variation (CV) for 88 peptide targets), with superior retention-time precision for the standard-flow platform (0.13 vs. 6.1 % CV). Surprisingly, for 41 of the 81 proteotypic peptides in the final assay, the standard-flow platform was more sensitive while for 9 of 81 the nano-flow platform was more sensitive. For these 81 peptides, there was a good correlation between the two sets of results (R(2) = 0.98, slope = 0.97). Overall, the standard-flow platform had superior performance metrics for most peptides, and is a good choice if sufficient sample is available.

  15. EFF/NRS Data Collection Project, 2000-2001: An Interim Report on the Development of the EFF Assessment Framework.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    SRI International, Arlington, VA.

    The Equipped for the Future (EFF) framework describes adult performance along these four dimensions: structure of the knowledge-base; fluency of performance; independence of performance; and range of conditions for performance. When completed it will include a developmental sequence of descriptions of learner performance for each EFF standard;…

  16. Reinforcing Abstinence and Treatment Participation among Offenders in a Drug Diversion Program: Are Vouchers Effective?

    PubMed Central

    Hall, Elizabeth A.; Prendergast, Michael L.; Roll, John M.; Warda, Umme

    2010-01-01

    This study assessed a 26-week voucher-based intervention to reinforce abstinence and participation in treatment-related activities among substance-abusing offenders court referred to outpatient treatment under drug diversion legislation (California's Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act). Standard treatment consisted of criminal justice supervision and an evidence-based model for treating stimulant abuse. Participants were randomly assigned to four groups, standard treatment (ST) only, ST plus vouchers for testing negative, ST plus vouchers for performing treatment plan activities, and ST plus vouchers for testing negative and/or performing treatment plan activities. Results indicate that voucher-based reinforcement of negative urines and of treatment plan tasks (using a flat reinforcement schedule) showed no statistically significant effects on measures of retention or drug use relative to the standard treatment protocol. It is likely that criminal justice contingencies had a stronger impact on participants' treatment retention and drug use than the relatively low-value vouchers awarded as part of the treatment protocol. PMID:20463918

  17. Histogram Curve Matching Approaches for Object-based Image Classification of Land Cover and Land Use

    PubMed Central

    Toure, Sory I.; Stow, Douglas A.; Weeks, John R.; Kumar, Sunil

    2013-01-01

    The classification of image-objects is usually done using parametric statistical measures of central tendency and/or dispersion (e.g., mean or standard deviation). The objectives of this study were to analyze digital number histograms of image objects and evaluate classifications measures exploiting characteristic signatures of such histograms. Two histograms matching classifiers were evaluated and compared to the standard nearest neighbor to mean classifier. An ADS40 airborne multispectral image of San Diego, California was used for assessing the utility of curve matching classifiers in a geographic object-based image analysis (GEOBIA) approach. The classifications were performed with data sets having 0.5 m, 2.5 m, and 5 m spatial resolutions. Results show that histograms are reliable features for characterizing classes. Also, both histogram matching classifiers consistently performed better than the one based on the standard nearest neighbor to mean rule. The highest classification accuracies were produced with images having 2.5 m spatial resolution. PMID:24403648

  18. The impact of leadership and team behavior on standard of care delivered during human patient simulation: a pilot study for undergraduate medical students.

    PubMed

    Carlson, Jim; Min, Elana; Bridges, Diane

    2009-01-01

    Methodology to train team behavior during simulation has received increased attention, but standard performance measures are lacking, especially at the undergraduate level. Our purposes were to develop a reliable team behavior measurement tool and explore the relationship between team behavior and the delivery of an appropriate standard of care specific to the simulated case. Authors developed a unique team measurement tool based on previous work. Trainees participated in a simulated event involving the presentation of acute dyspnea. Performance was rated by separate raters using the team behavior measurement tool. Interrater reliability was assessed. The relationship between team behavior and the standard of care delivered was explored. The instrument proved to be reliable for this case and group of raters. Team behaviors had a positive relationship with the standard of medical care delivered specific to the simulated case. The methods used provide a possible method for training and assessing team performance during simulation.

  19. Standard cell-based implementation of a digital optoelectronic neural-network hardware.

    PubMed

    Maier, K D; Beckstein, C; Blickhan, R; Erhard, W

    2001-03-10

    A standard cell-based implementation of a digital optoelectronic neural-network architecture is presented. The overall structure of the multilayer perceptron network that was used, the optoelectronic interconnection system between the layers, and all components required in each layer are defined. The design process from VHDL-based modeling from synthesis and partly automatic placing and routing to the final editing of one layer of the circuit of the multilayer perceptrons are described. A suitable approach for the standard cell-based design of optoelectronic systems is presented, and shortcomings of the design tool that was used are pointed out. The layout for the microelectronic circuit of one layer in a multilayer perceptron neural network with a performance potential 1 magnitude higher than neural networks that are purely electronic based has been successfully designed.

  20. Selection of reference standard during method development using the analytical hierarchy process.

    PubMed

    Sun, Wan-yang; Tong, Ling; Li, Dong-xiang; Huang, Jing-yi; Zhou, Shui-ping; Sun, Henry; Bi, Kai-shun

    2015-03-25

    Reference standard is critical for ensuring reliable and accurate method performance. One important issue is how to select the ideal one from the alternatives. Unlike the optimization of parameters, the criteria of the reference standard are always immeasurable. The aim of this paper is to recommend a quantitative approach for the selection of reference standard during method development based on the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) as a decision-making tool. Six alternative single reference standards were assessed in quantitative analysis of six phenolic acids from Salvia Miltiorrhiza and its preparations by using ultra-performance liquid chromatography. The AHP model simultaneously considered six criteria related to reference standard characteristics and method performance, containing feasibility to obtain, abundance in samples, chemical stability, accuracy, precision and robustness. The priority of each alternative was calculated using standard AHP analysis method. The results showed that protocatechuic aldehyde is the ideal reference standard, and rosmarinic acid is about 79.8% ability as the second choice. The determination results successfully verified the evaluation ability of this model. The AHP allowed us comprehensive considering the benefits and risks of the alternatives. It was an effective and practical tool for optimization of reference standards during method development. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Visual Arts (9-12): Performance-Based Assessment. Course of Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Idaho State Department of Education, 2004

    2004-01-01

    In response to a need for curricular support, the Idaho State Department of Education gathered teams of exemplary educators from throughout the state to write courses of study related to all subject areas within Idaho?s Achievement Standards. A need arose to assess areas not tested statewide in a performance-based manner. Teachers involved in…

  2. Foreign Language: Year One (9-12). Performance-Based Assessment. Course of Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wenner, Peggy J.

    2004-01-01

    In response to a need for curricular support, the Idaho State Department of Education gathered teams of exemplary educators from throughout the state to write courses of study related to all subject areas within Idaho's Achievement Standards. A need arose to assess areas not tested statewide in a performance-based manner. Teachers involved in…

  3. Computer-Based Assessment of Collaborative Problem Solving: Exploring the Feasibility of Human-to-Agent Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rosen, Yigal

    2015-01-01

    How can activities in which collaborative skills of an individual are measured be standardized? In order to understand how students perform on collaborative problem solving (CPS) computer-based assessment, it is necessary to examine empirically the multi-faceted performance that may be distributed across collaboration methods. The aim of this…

  4. Outlier experienced surgeon's performances impact on benchmark for technical surgical skills training.

    PubMed

    Gallagher, Anthony G; Henn, Patrick J; Neary, Paul C; Senagore, Anthony J; Marcello, Peter W; Bunting, Brendan P; Seymour, Neal E; Satava, Richard M

    2018-05-01

    Training in medicine must move to an outcome-based approach. A proficiency-based progression outcome approach to training relies on a quantitative estimation of experienced operator performance. We aimed to develop a method for dealing with atypical expert performances in the quantitative definition of surgical proficiency. In study one, 100 experienced laparoscopic surgeons' performances on virtual reality and box-trainer simulators were assessed for two similar laparoscopic tasks. In study two, 15 experienced surgeons and 16 trainee colorectal surgeons performed one simulated hand-assisted laparoscopic colorectal procedure. Performance scores of experienced surgeons in both studies were standardized (i.e. Z-scores) using the mean and standard deviations (SDs). Performances >1.96 SDs from the mean were excluded in proficiency definitions. In study one, 1-5% of surgeons' performances were excluded having performed significantly below their colleagues. Excluded surgeons made significantly fewer correct incisions (mean = 7 (SD = 2) versus 19.42 (SD = 4.6), P < 0.0001) and a greater proportion of incorrect incisions (mean = 45.71 (SD = 10.48) versus 5.25 (SD = 6.6), P < 0.0001). In study two, one experienced colorectal surgeon performance was >4 SDs for time to complete the procedure and >6 SDs for path length. After their exclusions, experienced surgeons' performances were significantly better than trainees for path length: P = 0.031 and for time: P = 0.002. Objectively assessed atypical expert performances were few. Z-score standardization identified them and produced a more robust quantitative definition of proficiency. © 2018 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

  5. Systems Analysis Of Advanced Coal-Based Power Plants

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ferrall, Joseph F.; Jennings, Charles N.; Pappano, Alfred W.

    1988-01-01

    Report presents appraisal of integrated coal-gasification/fuel-cell power plants. Based on study comparing fuel-cell technologies with each other and with coal-based alternatives and recommends most promising ones for research and development. Evaluates capital cost, cost of electricity, fuel consumption, and conformance with environmental standards. Analyzes sensitivity of cost of electricity to changes in fuel cost, to economic assumptions, and to level of technology. Recommends further evaluation of integrated coal-gasification/fuel-cell integrated coal-gasification/combined-cycle, and pulverized-coal-fired plants. Concludes with appendixes detailing plant-performance models, subsystem-performance parameters, performance goals, cost bases, plant-cost data sheets, and plant sensitivity to fuel-cell performance.

  6. Achieving mask order processing automation, interoperability and standardization based on P10

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rodriguez, B.; Filies, O.; Sadran, D.; Tissier, Michel; Albin, D.; Stavroulakis, S.; Voyiatzis, E.

    2007-02-01

    Last year the MUSCLE (Masks through User's Supply Chain: Leadership by Excellence) project was presented. Here is the project advancement. A key process in mask supply chain management is the exchange of technical information for ordering masks. This process is large, complex, company specific and error prone, and leads to longer cycle times and higher costs due to missing or wrong inputs. Its automation and standardization could produce significant benefits. We need to agree on the standard for mandatory and optional parameters, and also a common way to describe parameters when ordering. A system was created to improve the performance in terms of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as cycle time and cost of production. This tool allows us to evaluate and measure the effect of factors, as well as the effect of implementing the improvements of the complete project. Next, a benchmark study and a gap analysis were performed. These studies show the feasibility of standardization, as there is a large overlap in requirements. We see that the SEMI P10 standard needs enhancements. A format supporting the standard is required, and XML offers the ability to describe P10 in a flexible way. Beyond using XML for P10, the semantics of the mask order should also be addressed. A system design and requirements for a reference implementation for a P10 based management system are presented, covering a mechanism for the evolution and for version management and a design for P10 editing and data validation.

  7. Performance Assessment Links in Science.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Quellmalz, Edys; Schank, Patricia; Hinojosa, Thomas; Padilla, Christine

    1999-01-01

    Describes work in progress at SRI International in the Performance Assessment Links in Science (PALS) project, which is developing an online, standards-based, interactive resource bank of science performance assessments. Coupled with the development of the resource bank is a program of research on effective use of these resources. (SLD)

  8. A reference standard-based quality assurance program for radiology.

    PubMed

    Liu, Patrick T; Johnson, C Daniel; Miranda, Rafael; Patel, Maitray D; Phillips, Carrie J

    2010-01-01

    The authors have developed a comprehensive radiology quality assurance (QA) program that evaluates radiology interpretations and procedures by comparing them with reference standards. Performance metrics are calculated and then compared with benchmarks or goals on the basis of published multicenter data and meta-analyses. Additional workload for physicians is kept to a minimum by having trained allied health staff members perform the comparisons of radiology reports with the reference standards. The performance metrics tracked by the QA program include the accuracy of CT colonography for detecting polyps, the false-negative rate for mammographic detection of breast cancer, the accuracy of CT angiography detection of coronary artery stenosis, the accuracy of meniscal tear detection on MRI, the accuracy of carotid artery stenosis detection on MR angiography, the accuracy of parathyroid adenoma detection by parathyroid scintigraphy, the success rate for obtaining cortical tissue on ultrasound-guided core biopsies of pelvic renal transplants, and the technical success rate for peripheral arterial angioplasty procedures. In contrast with peer-review programs, this reference standard-based QA program minimizes the possibilities of reviewer bias and erroneous second reviewer interpretations. The more objective assessment of performance afforded by the QA program will provide data that can easily be used for education and management conferences, research projects, and multicenter evaluations. Additionally, such performance data could be used by radiology departments to demonstrate their value over nonradiology competitors to referring clinicians, hospitals, patients, and third-party payers. Copyright 2010 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Technical support documentation for the Automated Residential Energy Standard (ARES) in support of proposed interim energy conservation voluntary performance standards for new non-federal residential buildings: Volume 2

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

    NONE

    The Automated Residential Energy Standard (ARES) program is designed to identify levels of thermal integrity (e.g., insulation levels, glazing layers, equipment efficiencies, etc.) that are cost effective for typical residential structures and to create a residential energy standard based on these levels. This document contains technical background the explains the data and the algorithms used by the program.

  10. Language-Based Differences in the Literacy Performance of Bidialectal Youth

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Patriann; Cheema, Jehanzeb R.; Kumi-Yeboah, Alex; Warrican, S. Joel; Alleyne, Melissa L.

    2018-01-01

    Background/Context: Standard English functions as a dominant language in the English-speaking Caribbean context despite the bidialectal, bilingual, and multilingual nature of countries. Notwithstanding, Caribbean non-Standard English-speaking students continue to be administered literacy assessments that do not take into account their…

  11. The ProteoRed MIAPE web toolkit: A User-friendly Framework to Connect and Share Proteomics Standards*

    PubMed Central

    Medina-Aunon, J. Alberto; Martínez-Bartolomé, Salvador; López-García, Miguel A.; Salazar, Emilio; Navajas, Rosana; Jones, Andrew R.; Paradela, Alberto; Albar, Juan P.

    2011-01-01

    The development of the HUPO-PSI's (Proteomics Standards Initiative) standard data formats and MIAPE (Minimum Information About a Proteomics Experiment) guidelines should improve proteomics data sharing within the scientific community. Proteomics journals have encouraged the use of these standards and guidelines to improve the quality of experimental reporting and ease the evaluation and publication of manuscripts. However, there is an evident lack of bioinformatics tools specifically designed to create and edit standard file formats and reports, or embed them within proteomics workflows. In this article, we describe a new web-based software suite (The ProteoRed MIAPE web toolkit) that performs several complementary roles related to proteomic data standards. First, it can verify that the reports fulfill the minimum information requirements of the corresponding MIAPE modules, highlighting inconsistencies or missing information. Second, the toolkit can convert several XML-based data standards directly into human readable MIAPE reports stored within the ProteoRed MIAPE repository. Finally, it can also perform the reverse operation, allowing users to export from MIAPE reports into XML files for computational processing, data sharing, or public database submission. The toolkit is thus the first application capable of automatically linking the PSI's MIAPE modules with the corresponding XML data exchange standards, enabling bidirectional conversions. This toolkit is freely available at http://www.proteored.org/MIAPE/. PMID:21983993

  12. Weight-based enoxaparin dosing and deep vein thrombosis in hospitalized trauma patients: A double-blind, randomized, pilot study.

    PubMed

    Kay, Annika Bickford; Majercik, Sarah; Sorensen, Jeffrey; Woller, Scott C; Stevens, Scott M; White, Thomas W; Morris, David S; Baldwin, Margaret; Bledsoe, Joseph R

    2018-04-23

    Venous thromboembolism is a cause of morbidity and mortality in trauma patients. Chemoprophylaxis with low-molecular-weight heparin at a standardized dose is recommended. Conventional chemoprophylaxis may be inadequate. We hypothesized that a weight-adjusted enoxaparin prophylaxis regimen would reduce the frequency of venous thromboembolism in hospitalized trauma patients and at 90-day follow-up. This prospective, randomized pilot study enrolled adult patients admitted to a level 1 trauma center between July 2013 and January 2015. Subjects were randomized to receive either standard (30 mg subcutaneously every 12 hours) or weight-based (0.5mg/kg subcutaneously every 12 hours) enoxaparin. Surveillance duplex ultrasound for lower extremity deep vein thrombosis was performed on hospital days 1, 3, and 7, and weekly thereafter. The primary outcome was deep vein thrombosis during hospitalization. Secondary outcomes included venous thromboembolism at 90 days and significant bleeding events. Two hundred thirty-four (124 standard, 110 weight-based) subjects were enrolled. There was no difference between standard and weight-based regarding age, body mass index, percentage female gender, injury severity score, or percentage that had surgery. There was a trend toward less in-hospital deep vein thrombosis in weight-based (12 [9.7%] standard vs 4 [3.6%] weight-based, P = .075). At 90 days, there was no difference in venous thromboembolism (12 [9.7%] standard vs 6 [5.5%] weight-based, P =.34). There was 1 bleeding event, which occurred in a standard subject. Weight-based enoxaparin dosing for venous thromboembolism chemoprophylaxis in trauma patients may provide better protection against venous thromboembolism than standard. A definitive study is necessary to determine whether weight-based dosing is superior to standard. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Applicability Evaluation of Job Standards for Diabetes Nutritional Management by Clinical Dietitian.

    PubMed

    Baek, Young Jin; Oh, Na Gyeong; Sohn, Cheong-Min; Woo, Mi-Hye; Lee, Seung Min; Ju, Dal Lae; Seo, Jung-Sook

    2017-04-01

    This study was conducted to evaluate applicability of job standards for diabetes nutrition management by hospital clinical dietitians. In order to promote the clinical nutrition services, it is necessary to present job standards of clinical dietitian and to actively apply these standardized tasks to the medical institution sites. The job standard of clinical dietitians for diabetic nutrition management was distributed to hospitals over 300 beds. Questionnaire was collected from 96 clinical dietitians of 40 tertiary hospitals, 47 general hospitals, and 9 hospitals. Based on each 5-point scale, the importance of overall duty was 4.4 ± 0.5, performance was 3.6 ± 0.8, and difficulty was 3.1 ± 0.7. 'Nutrition intervention' was 4.5 ± 0.5 for task importance, 'nutrition assessment' was 4.0 ± 0.7 for performance, and 'nutrition diagnosis' was 3.4 ± 0.9 for difficulty. These 3 items were high in each category. Based on the grid diagram, the tasks of both high importance and high performance were 'checking basic information,' 'checking medical history and therapy plan,' 'decision of nutritional needs,' 'supply of foods and nutrients,' and 'education of nutrition and self-management.' The tasks with high importance but low performance were 'derivation of nutrition diagnosis,' 'planning of nutrition intervention,' 'monitoring of nutrition intervention process.' The tasks of both high importance and high difficulty were 'derivation of nutrition diagnosis,' 'planning of nutrition intervention,' 'supply of foods and nutrients,' 'education of nutrition and self-management,' and 'monitoring of nutrition intervention process.' The tasks of both high performance and high difficulty were 'documentation of nutrition assessment,' 'supply of foods and nutrients,' and 'education of nutrition and self-management.'

  14. Using the Many-Facet Rasch Model to Evaluate Standard-Setting Judgments: Setting Performance Standards for Advanced Placement® Examinations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaliski, Pamela; Wind, Stefanie A.; Engelhard, George, Jr.; Morgan, Deanna; Plake, Barbara; Reshetar, Rosemary

    2012-01-01

    The Many-Facet Rasch (MFR) Model is traditionally used to evaluate the quality of ratings on constructed response assessments; however, it can also be used to evaluate the quality of judgments from panel-based standard setting procedures. The current study illustrates the use of the MFR Model by examining the quality of ratings obtained from a…

  15. [Establishment of database with standard 3D tooth crowns based on 3DS MAX].

    PubMed

    Cheng, Xiaosheng; An, Tao; Liao, Wenhe; Dai, Ning; Yu, Qing; Lu, Peijun

    2009-08-01

    The database with standard 3D tooth crowns has laid the groundwork for dental CAD/CAM system. In this paper, we design the standard tooth crowns in 3DS MAX 9.0 and create a database with these models successfully. Firstly, some key lines are collected from standard tooth pictures. Then we use 3DS MAX 9.0 to design the digital tooth model based on these lines. During the design process, it is important to refer to the standard plaster tooth model. After some tests, the standard tooth models designed with this method are accurate and adaptable; furthermore, it is very easy to perform some operations on the models such as deforming and translating. This method provides a new idea to build the database with standard 3D tooth crowns and a basis for dental CAD/CAM system.

  16. The Effect of Using Some Professional Development Strategies on Improving the Teaching Performance of English Language Student Teacher at the Faculty of Education, Helwan University in the Light of Pre-Service Teacher Standards

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Halim, Safaa Mahmoud Abdel

    2008-01-01

    The main aim of this thesis was to determine the effect of using a training program based on three professional development strategies; namely: action learning, peer coaching and study groups, on improving teaching performance of Faculty of Education, Helwan University EFL student teachers in the light of standards for teachers of English at…

  17. Examining database persistence of ISO/EN 13606 standardized electronic health record extracts: relational vs. NoSQL approaches.

    PubMed

    Sánchez-de-Madariaga, Ricardo; Muñoz, Adolfo; Lozano-Rubí, Raimundo; Serrano-Balazote, Pablo; Castro, Antonio L; Moreno, Oscar; Pascual, Mario

    2017-08-18

    The objective of this research is to compare the relational and non-relational (NoSQL) database systems approaches in order to store, recover, query and persist standardized medical information in the form of ISO/EN 13606 normalized Electronic Health Record XML extracts, both in isolation and concurrently. NoSQL database systems have recently attracted much attention, but few studies in the literature address their direct comparison with relational databases when applied to build the persistence layer of a standardized medical information system. One relational and two NoSQL databases (one document-based and one native XML database) of three different sizes have been created in order to evaluate and compare the response times (algorithmic complexity) of six different complexity growing queries, which have been performed on them. Similar appropriate results available in the literature have also been considered. Relational and non-relational NoSQL database systems show almost linear algorithmic complexity query execution. However, they show very different linear slopes, the former being much steeper than the two latter. Document-based NoSQL databases perform better in concurrency than in isolation, and also better than relational databases in concurrency. Non-relational NoSQL databases seem to be more appropriate than standard relational SQL databases when database size is extremely high (secondary use, research applications). Document-based NoSQL databases perform in general better than native XML NoSQL databases. EHR extracts visualization and edition are also document-based tasks more appropriate to NoSQL database systems. However, the appropriate database solution much depends on each particular situation and specific problem.

  18. Monitoring maternal and newborn health outcomes in Bauchi State, Nigeria: an evaluation of a standards-based quality improvement intervention.

    PubMed

    Kabo, Ibrahim; Otolorin, Emmanuel; Williams, Emma; Orobaton, Nosa; Abdullahi, Hannatu; Sadauki, Habib; Abdulkarim, Masduk; Abegunde, Dele

    2016-10-01

    This study assessed the correlation between compliance with set performance standards and maternal and neonatal deaths in health facilities. Baseline and three annual follow-up assessments were conducted, and each was followed by a quality improvement initiative using the Standards Based Management and Recognition (SBM-R) approach. Twenty-three secondary health facilities of Bauchi state, Nigeria. Health care workers and maternity unit patients. We examined trends in: (i) achievement of SBM-R set performance standards based on annual assessment data, (ii) the use of maternal and newborn health (MNH) service delivery practices based on data from health facility registers and supportive supervision and (iii) MNH outcomes based on routine service statistics. At the baseline assessment in 2010, the facilities achieved 4% of SBM-R standards for MNH, on average, and this increased to 86% in 2013. Over the same time period, the study measured an increase in the administration of uterotonic for active management of third stage of labor from 10% to 95% and a decline in the incidence of postpartum hemorrhage from 3.3% to 1.9%. Institutional neonatal mortality rate decreased from 9 to 2 deaths per 1000 live births, while the institutional maternal mortality ratio dropped from 4113 to 1317 deaths per 100 000 live births. Scaling up SBM-R for quality improvement has the potential to prevent maternal and neonatal deaths in Nigeria and similar settings. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care.

  19. ACCESS: Design and Sub-System Performance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kaiser, Mary Elizabeth; Morris, Matthew J.; McCandliss, Stephan R.; Rasucher, Bernard J.; Kimble, Randy A.; Kruk, Jeffrey W.; Pelton, Russell; Mott, D. Brent; Wen, Hiting; Foltz, Roger; hide

    2012-01-01

    Establishing improved spectrophotometric standards is important for a broad range of missions and is relevant to many astrophysical problems. ACCESS, "Absolute Color Calibration Experiment for Standard Stars", is a series of rocket-borne sub-orbital missions and ground-based experiments designed to enable improvements in the precision of the astrophysical flux scale through the transfer of absolute laboratory detector standards from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to a network of stellar standards with a calibration accuracy of 1% and a spectral resolving power of 500 across the 0.35 -1.7 micrometer bandpass.

  20. Synthesis of chloro alkoxy and alkoxy derivatives of methyl oleate

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Vegetable oil based lubricants typically have improved lubricity and biodegradability over their mineral oil based counterparts. However, vegetable oil lubricants often fail to meet the performance standards of mineral based oils with respect to cold temperature and resistance to oxidation. Olefins ...

  1. Overall ED efficiency is associated with decreased time to percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

    PubMed

    Jones, Christopher W; Sonnad, Seema S; Augustine, James J; Reese, Charles L

    2014-10-01

    Performance of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) within 90 minutes of hospital arrival for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients is a commonly cited clinical quality measure. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services use this measure to adjust hospital reimbursement via the Value-Based Purchasing Program. This study investigated the relationship between hospital performance on this quality measure and emergency department (ED) operational efficiency. Hospital-level data from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on PCI quality measure performance was linked to information on operational performance from 272 US EDs obtained from the Emergency Department Benchmarking Alliance annual operations survey. Standard metrics of ED size, acuity, and efficiency were compared across hospitals grouped by performance on the door-to-balloon time quality measure. Mean hospital performance on the 90-minute arrival to PCI measure was 94.0% (range, 42-100). Among hospitals failing to achieve the door-to-balloon time performance standard, median ED length of stay was 209 minutes, compared with 173 minutes among those hospitals meeting the benchmark standard (P < .001). Similarly, median time from ED patient arrival to physician evaluation was 39 minutes for hospitals below the performance standard and 23 minutes for hospitals at the benchmark standard (P < .001). Markers of ED size and acuity, including annual patient volume, admission rate, and the percentage of patients arriving via ambulance did not vary with door-to-balloon time. Better performance on measures associated with ED efficiency is associated with more timely PCI performance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Complex Teacher Evaluation Systems Can Produce Negative Perceptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schumacher, Gary

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine teacher perceptions of the impact on instructional practice when using a complex, standards-based performance evaluation system. The study used expectancy theory to investigate teacher expectancy (did they believe they could enhance their practice to the identified program standards?), instrumentality…

  3. Intrajudge Consistency Using the Angoff Standard-Setting Method.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Plake, Barbara S.; Impara, James C.

    This study investigated the intrajudge consistency of Angoff-based item performance estimates. The examination used was a certification examination in an emergency medicine specialty. Ten expert panelists rated the same 24 items twice during an operational standard setting study. Results indicate that the panelists were highly consistent, in terms…

  4. RESIDUAL RISK ASSESSMENT: MAGNETIC TAPE ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This document describes the residual risk assessment for the Magnetic Tape Manufacturing source category. For stationary sources, section 112 (f) of the Clean Air Act requires EPA to assess risks to human health and the environment following implementation of technology-based control standards. If these technology-based control standards do not provide an ample margin of safety, then EPA is required to promulgate addtional standards. This document describes the methodology and results of the residual risk assessment performed for the Magnetic Tape Manufacturing source category. The results of this analyiss will assist EPA in determining whether a residual risk rule for this source category is appropriate.

  5. Developing Performance Cost Index Targets for ASHRAE Standard 90.1 Appendix G – Performance Rating Method

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

    Rosenberg, Michael I.; Hart, Philip R.

    2016-02-16

    Appendix G, the Performance Rating Method in ASHRAE Standard 90.1 has been updated to make two significant changes for the 2016 edition, to be published in October of 2016. First, it allows Appendix G to be used as a third path for compliance with the standard in addition to rating beyond code building performance. This prevents modelers from having to develop separate building models for code compliance and beyond code programs. Using this new version of Appendix G to show compliance with the 2016 edition of the standard, the proposed building design needs to have a performance cost index (PCI)more » less than targets shown in a new table based on building type and climate zone. The second change is that the baseline design is now fixed at a stable level of performance set approximately equal to the 2004 code. Rather than changing the stringency of the baseline with each subsequent edition of the standard, compliance with new editions will simply require a reduced PCI (a PCI of zero is a net-zero building). Using this approach, buildings of any era can be rated using the same method. The intent is that any building energy code or beyond code program can use this methodology and merely set the appropriate PCI target for their needs. This report discusses the process used to set performance criteria for compliance with ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2016 and suggests a method for demonstrating compliance with other codes and beyond code programs.« less

  6. Developing Performance Cost Index Targets for ASHRAE Standard 90.1 Appendix G – Performance Rating Method - Rev.1

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

    Rosenberg, Michael I.; Hart, Philip R.

    2016-03-01

    Appendix G, the Performance Rating Method in ASHRAE Standard 90.1 has been updated to make two significant changes for the 2016 edition, to be published in October of 2016. First, it allows Appendix G to be used as a third path for compliance with the standard in addition to rating beyond code building performance. This prevents modelers from having to develop separate building models for code compliance and beyond code programs. Using this new version of Appendix G to show compliance with the 2016 edition of the standard, the proposed building design needs to have a performance cost index (PCI)more » less than targets shown in a new table based on building type and climate zone. The second change is that the baseline design is now fixed at a stable level of performance set approximately equal to the 2004 code. Rather than changing the stringency of the baseline with each subsequent edition of the standard, compliance with new editions will simply require a reduced PCI (a PCI of zero is a net-zero building). Using this approach, buildings of any era can be rated using the same method. The intent is that any building energy code or beyond code program can use this methodology and merely set the appropriate PCI target for their needs. This report discusses the process used to set performance criteria for compliance with ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2016 and suggests a method for demonstrating compliance with other codes and beyond code programs.« less

  7. Classifier Subset Selection for the Stacked Generalization Method Applied to Emotion Recognition in Speech

    PubMed Central

    Álvarez, Aitor; Sierra, Basilio; Arruti, Andoni; López-Gil, Juan-Miguel; Garay-Vitoria, Nestor

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, a new supervised classification paradigm, called classifier subset selection for stacked generalization (CSS stacking), is presented to deal with speech emotion recognition. The new approach consists of an improvement of a bi-level multi-classifier system known as stacking generalization by means of an integration of an estimation of distribution algorithm (EDA) in the first layer to select the optimal subset from the standard base classifiers. The good performance of the proposed new paradigm was demonstrated over different configurations and datasets. First, several CSS stacking classifiers were constructed on the RekEmozio dataset, using some specific standard base classifiers and a total of 123 spectral, quality and prosodic features computed using in-house feature extraction algorithms. These initial CSS stacking classifiers were compared to other multi-classifier systems and the employed standard classifiers built on the same set of speech features. Then, new CSS stacking classifiers were built on RekEmozio using a different set of both acoustic parameters (extended version of the Geneva Minimalistic Acoustic Parameter Set (eGeMAPS)) and standard classifiers and employing the best meta-classifier of the initial experiments. The performance of these two CSS stacking classifiers was evaluated and compared. Finally, the new paradigm was tested on the well-known Berlin Emotional Speech database. We compared the performance of single, standard stacking and CSS stacking systems using the same parametrization of the second phase. All of the classifications were performed at the categorical level, including the six primary emotions plus the neutral one. PMID:26712757

  8. Obtaining greater value from health care: the roles of the U.S. government.

    PubMed

    Schoenbaum, Stephen C; Audet, Anne-Marie J; Davis, Karen

    2003-01-01

    The problems of quality and cost in the U.S. health care system are unlikely to be solved without strong leadership from the federal government, which can mobilize action to set national priorities for quality; develop and promulgate standards for care; and stimulate implementation of performance measures and standards for providers. All of these functions would best be carried out by a new federal agency. Furthermore, the federal government should design payment policies based on the performance standards, invest in needed information technology, and invest in research related to improving care and in training professionals to support nationwide quality improvement.

  9. Accuracy in planar cutting of bones: an ISO-based evaluation.

    PubMed

    Cartiaux, Olivier; Paul, Laurent; Docquier, Pierre-Louis; Francq, Bernard G; Raucent, Benoît; Dombre, Etienne; Banse, Xavier

    2009-03-01

    Computer- and robot-assisted technologies are capable of improving the accuracy of planar cutting in orthopaedic surgery. This study is a first step toward formulating and validating a new evaluation methodology for planar bone cutting, based on the standards from the International Organization for Standardization. Our experimental test bed consisted of a purely geometrical model of the cutting process around a simulated bone. Cuts were performed at three levels of surgical assistance: unassisted, computer-assisted and robot-assisted. We measured three parameters of the standard ISO1101:2004: flatness, parallelism and location of the cut plane. The location was the most relevant parameter for assessing cutting errors. The three levels of assistance were easily distinguished using the location parameter. Our ISO methodology employs the location to obtain all information about translational and rotational cutting errors. Location may be used on any osseous structure to compare the performance of existing assistance technologies.

  10. Evaluating ambulatory care training in Firoozgar hospital based on Iranian national standards of undergraduate medical education

    PubMed Central

    Sabzghabaei, Foroogh; Salajeghe, Mahla; Soltani Arabshahi, Seyed Kamran

    2017-01-01

    Background: In this study, ambulatory care training in Firoozgar hospital was evaluated based on Iranian national standards of undergraduate medical education related to ambulatory education using Baldrige Excellence Model. Moreover, some suggestions were offered to promote education quality in the current condition of ambulatory education in Firoozgar hospital and national standards using the gap analysis method. Methods: This descriptive analytic study was a kind of evaluation research performed using the standard check lists published by the office of undergraduate medical education council. Data were collected through surveying documents, interviewing, and observing the processes based on the Baldrige Excellence Model. After confirming the validity and reliability of the check lists, we evaluated the establishment level of the national standards of undergraduate medical education in the clinics of this hospital in the 4 following domains: educational program, evaluation, training and research resources, and faculty members. Data were analyzed according to the national standards of undergraduate medical education related to ambulatory education and the Baldrige table for scoring. Finally, the quality level of the current condition was determined as very appropriate, appropriate, medium, weak, and very weak. Results: In domains of educational program 62%, in evaluation 48%, in training and research resources 46%, in faculty members 68%, and in overall ratio, 56% of the standards were appropriate. Conclusion: The most successful domains were educational program and faculty members, but evaluation and training and research resources domains had a medium performance. Some domains and indicators were determined as weak and their quality needed to be improved, so it is suggested to provide the necessary facilities and improvements by attending to the quality level of the national standards of ambulatory education PMID:29951400

  11. ARES (Automated Residential Energy Standard) 1.2: User`s guide, in support of proposed interim energy conservation voluntary performance standards for new non-federal residential buildings: Volume 1

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

    NONE

    The ARES (Automated Residential Energy Standard) User`s Guide is designed to the user successfully operate the ARES computer program. This guide assumes that the user is familiar with basic PC skills such as using a keyboard and loading a disk drive. The ARES computer program was designed to assist building code officials in creating a residential energy standard based on local climate and costs.

  12. An Instructional Design Model with the Cultivating Research-Based Learning Strategies for Fostering Teacher Students' Creative Thinking Abilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Khuana, Khwanchai; Khuana, Tanthip; Santiboon, Toansakul

    2017-01-01

    Designing the instructional model with the innovative the "Research-Based Learning Strategy Lesson Plans" of the effectiveness of the processing performance and the resulting performance (E1/E2) with the IOC value determining standardized criteria of 80/80 were developed. Students' perceptions were assessed with the 30-item…

  13. Combustion performance characteristics of fine grind fuels

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

    Chow, O.K.; Levasseur, A.A.

    1996-12-31

    The objectives of this project include: (1) the development of an engineering data base which will provide detailed information on the properties of Beneficiated Coal-Based Fuels (BCFs) influencing combustion, ash deposition, ash erosion, particulate collection, and emissions; and (2) the application of this technical data base to predict the performance and economic impacts of firing the BCFs in various commercial boiler designs. To date, twelve beneficiated coal-based fuels have been acquired through PETC and tested at ABB Power Plant Laboratories Fireside Performance Test Facility (FPTF). The results from these fuels indicate that firing the BCFs improved furnace heat transfer andmore » fly ash erosion compared to their respective feed coals. This paper presents the results from a series of combustion test runs recently conducted in the FPTF to address the effect of fuel fineness on performance. A conventionally cleaned at the mine Pittsburgh No. 8 (Emerald mine, Green County, Pennsylvania, Cyprus Coal Company) was acquired and prepared at three grinds (standard, fine and ultra-fine grinds) to evaluate the effect of fuel fineness on combustion performance. The three fuels were tested at firing rates ranging from 3.0 {times} 10{sup 6} Btu/h to 4.0 {times} 10{sup 6} Btu/h, at standard (no staging) and two staged firing conditions.« less

  14. Military readiness: an exploration of the relationship between marksmanship and visual acuity.

    PubMed

    Wells, Kenney H; Wagner, Heidi; Reich, Lewis N; Hardigan, Patrick C

    2009-04-01

    The United States military relies on visual acuity standards to assess enlistment induction and military occupational specialty eligibility, as well as to monitor soldiers' combat vision readiness. However, these vision standards are not evidence based and may not accurately reflect appropriate standards for military readiness or reflect a correlation between visual acuity and occupational performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between visual acuity and marksmanship performance using a single blind trial with the Engagement Skills Trainer 2000. Marksmanship performance was evaluated in 28 subjects under simulated day and night conditions with habitual spectacle prescription and contact lenses that created visual blur. Panel Poisson regression using an independent correlation structure revealed significant differences (p < 0.001) as visual acuity decreased from 20/25 to 20/50. We conclude that marksmanship performance decreases as visual acuity decreases. We believe that this relationship supports the use of a visual acuity requirement.

  15. Automated Clinical Assessment from Smart home-based Behavior Data

    PubMed Central

    Dawadi, Prafulla Nath; Cook, Diane Joyce; Schmitter-Edgecombe, Maureen

    2016-01-01

    Smart home technologies offer potential benefits for assisting clinicians by automating health monitoring and well-being assessment. In this paper, we examine the actual benefits of smart home-based analysis by monitoring daily behaviour in the home and predicting standard clinical assessment scores of the residents. To accomplish this goal, we propose a Clinical Assessment using Activity Behavior (CAAB) approach to model a smart home resident’s daily behavior and predict the corresponding standard clinical assessment scores. CAAB uses statistical features that describe characteristics of a resident’s daily activity performance to train machine learning algorithms that predict the clinical assessment scores. We evaluate the performance of CAAB utilizing smart home sensor data collected from 18 smart homes over two years using prediction and classification-based experiments. In the prediction-based experiments, we obtain a statistically significant correlation (r = 0.72) between CAAB-predicted and clinician-provided cognitive assessment scores and a statistically significant correlation (r = 0.45) between CAAB-predicted and clinician-provided mobility scores. Similarly, for the classification-based experiments, we find CAAB has a classification accuracy of 72% while classifying cognitive assessment scores and 76% while classifying mobility scores. These prediction and classification results suggest that it is feasible to predict standard clinical scores using smart home sensor data and learning-based data analysis. PMID:26292348

  16. Integrating Structured and Unstructured EHR Data Using an FHIR-based Type System: A Case Study with Medication Data.

    PubMed

    Hong, Na; Wen, Andrew; Shen, Feichen; Sohn, Sunghwan; Liu, Sijia; Liu, Hongfang; Jiang, Guoqian

    2018-01-01

    Standards-based modeling of electronic health records (EHR) data holds great significance for data interoperability and large-scale usage. Integration of unstructured data into a standard data model, however, poses unique challenges partially due to heterogeneous type systems used in existing clinical NLP systems. We introduce a scalable and standards-based framework for integrating structured and unstructured EHR data leveraging the HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) specification. We implemented a clinical NLP pipeline enhanced with an FHIR-based type system and performed a case study using medication data from Mayo Clinic's EHR. Two UIMA-based NLP tools known as MedXN and MedTime were integrated in the pipeline to extract FHIR MedicationStatement resources and related attributes from unstructured medication lists. We developed a rule-based approach for assigning the NLP output types to the FHIR elements represented in the type system, whereas we investigated the FHIR elements belonging to the source of the structured EMR data. We used the FHIR resource "MedicationStatement" as an example to illustrate our integration framework and methods. For evaluation, we manually annotated FHIR elements in 166 medication statements from 14 clinical notes generated by Mayo Clinic in the course of patient care, and used standard performance measures (precision, recall and f-measure). The F-scores achieved ranged from 0.73 to 0.99 for the various FHIR element representations. The results demonstrated that our framework based on the FHIR type system is feasible for normalizing and integrating both structured and unstructured EHR data.

  17. 24 CFR 35.1340 - Clearance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development LEAD-BASED PAINT POISONING PREVENTION IN CERTAIN RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES Methods and Standards for Lead-Paint... abatement of lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards shall be performed in accordance with 40 CFR 745...

  18. 24 CFR 35.1340 - Clearance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development LEAD-BASED PAINT POISONING PREVENTION IN CERTAIN RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES Methods and Standards for Lead-Paint... abatement of lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards shall be performed in accordance with 40 CFR 745...

  19. 24 CFR 35.1340 - Clearance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development LEAD-BASED PAINT POISONING PREVENTION IN CERTAIN RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES Methods and Standards for Lead-Paint... abatement of lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards shall be performed in accordance with 40 CFR 745...

  20. 24 CFR 35.1340 - Clearance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development LEAD-BASED PAINT POISONING PREVENTION IN CERTAIN RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES Methods and Standards for Lead-Paint... abatement of lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards shall be performed in accordance with 40 CFR 745...

  1. 24 CFR 35.1340 - Clearance.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... Housing and Urban Development Office of the Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development LEAD-BASED PAINT POISONING PREVENTION IN CERTAIN RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES Methods and Standards for Lead-Paint... abatement of lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards shall be performed in accordance with 40 CFR 745...

  2. COMBINING RATE-BASED AND CAP-AND-TRADE EMISSIONS POLICIES. (R828628)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Rate-based emissions policies (like tradable performance standards, TPS) fix average emissions intensity, while cap-and-trade (CAT) policies fix total emissions. This paper shows that unfettered trade between rate-based and cap-and-trade programs always raises combined emissio...

  3. Metrological features of the rubidium two-photon standards of the BNM-LPTF and Kastler Brossel Laboratories

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hilico, L.; Felder, R.; Touahri, D.; Acef, O.; Clairon, A.; Biraben, F.

    1998-11-01

    We have built three optical frequency standards based on the two-photon transition of rubidium at 778nm, and analysed their performance over a period of more than three years. We discuss some systematic effects that could lead to the reproducibility we observe, and point out the possible improvements of the devices. We also examine the short and long term stabilities of the systems, and show that we have reached their ultimate performances.

  4. The influence of IQ stratification on WAIS-III/WMS-III FSIQ-general memory index discrepancy base-rates in the standardization sample.

    PubMed

    Hawkins, K A; Tulsky, D S

    2001-11-01

    Since memory performance expectations may be IQ-based, unidirectional base rate data for IQ-Memory Score discrepancies are provided in the WAIS-III/WMS-III Technical Manual. The utility of these data partially rests on the assumption that discrepancy base rates do not vary across ability levels. FSIQ stratified base rate data generated from the standardization sample, however, demonstrate substantial variability across the IQ spectrum. A superiority of memory score over FSIQ is typical at lower IQ levels, whereas the converse is true at higher IQ levels. These data indicate that the use of IQ-memory score unstratified "simple difference" tables could lead to erroneous conclusions for clients with low or high IQ. IQ stratified standardization base rate data are provided as a complement to the "predicted difference" method detailed in the Technical Manual.

  5. Puzzle-based versus traditional lecture: comparing the effects of pedagogy on academic performance in an undergraduate human anatomy and physiology II lab.

    PubMed

    Stetzik, Lucas; Deeter, Anthony; Parker, Jamie; Yukech, Christine

    2015-06-23

    A traditional lecture-based pedagogy conveys information and content while lacking sufficient development of critical thinking skills and problem solving. A puzzle-based pedagogy creates a broader contextual framework, and fosters critical thinking as well as logical reasoning skills that can then be used to improve a student's performance on content specific assessments. This paper describes a pedagogical comparison of traditional lecture-based teaching and puzzle-based teaching in a Human Anatomy and Physiology II Lab. Using a single subject/cross-over design half of the students from seven sections of the course were taught using one type of pedagogy for the first half of the semester, and then taught with a different pedagogy for the second half of the semester. The other half of the students were taught the same material but with the order of the pedagogies reversed. Students' performance on quizzes and exams specific to the course, and in-class assignments specific to this study were assessed for: learning outcomes (the ability to form the correct conclusion or recall specific information), and authentic academic performance as described by (Am J Educ 104:280-312, 1996). Our findings suggest a significant improvement in students' performance on standard course specific assessments using a puzzle-based pedagogy versus a traditional lecture-based teaching style. Quiz and test scores for students improved by 2.1 and 0.4% respectively in the puzzle-based pedagogy, versus the traditional lecture-based teaching. Additionally, the assessments of authentic academic performance may only effectively measure a broader conceptual understanding in a limited set of contexts, and not in the context of a Human Anatomy and Physiology II Lab. In conclusion, a puzzle-based pedagogy, when compared to traditional lecture-based teaching, can effectively enhance the performance of students on standard course specific assessments, even when the assessments only test a limited conceptual understanding of the material.

  6. Report: EPA Needs to Clarify Its Claim of “No Net Loss” of Wetlands

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Report #14-P-0191, April 16, 2014. The EPA can improve performance reports by indicating that achieving “no net loss” is based on the assumption that all mitigation projects will meet performance standards.

  7. Transportation performance measures for outcome based system management and monitoring.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-09-01

    The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is mature in its development and use of : performance measures, however there was not a standard approach for selecting measures nor : evaluating if existing ones were used to inform decision-making. Thi...

  8. Metrics for Offline Evaluation of Prognostic Performance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Saxena, Abhinav; Celaya, Jose; Saha, Bhaskar; Saha, Sankalita; Goebel, Kai

    2010-01-01

    Prognostic performance evaluation has gained significant attention in the past few years. Currently, prognostics concepts lack standard definitions and suffer from ambiguous and inconsistent interpretations. This lack of standards is in part due to the varied end-user requirements for different applications, time scales, available information, domain dynamics, etc. to name a few. The research community has used a variety of metrics largely based on convenience and their respective requirements. Very little attention has been focused on establishing a standardized approach to compare different efforts. This paper presents several new evaluation metrics tailored for prognostics that were recently introduced and were shown to effectively evaluate various algorithms as compared to other conventional metrics. Specifically, this paper presents a detailed discussion on how these metrics should be interpreted and used. These metrics have the capability of incorporating probabilistic uncertainty estimates from prognostic algorithms. In addition to quantitative assessment they also offer a comprehensive visual perspective that can be used in designing the prognostic system. Several methods are suggested to customize these metrics for different applications. Guidelines are provided to help choose one method over another based on distribution characteristics. Various issues faced by prognostics and its performance evaluation are discussed followed by a formal notational framework to help standardize subsequent developments.

  9. A mixed-methods research approach to the review of competency standards for orthotist/prosthetists in Australia.

    PubMed

    Ash, Susan; O'Connor, Jackie; Anderson, Sarah; Ridgewell, Emily; Clarke, Leigh

    2015-06-01

    The requirement for an allied health workforce is expanding as the global burden of disease increases internationally. To safely meet the demand for an expanded workforce of orthotist/prosthetists in Australia, competency based standards, which are up-to-date and evidence-based, are required. The aims of this study were to determine the minimum level for entry into the orthotic/prosthetic profession; to develop entry level competency standards for the profession; and to validate the developed entry-level competency standards within the profession nationally, using an evidence-based approach. A mixed-methods research design was applied, using a three-step sequential exploratory design, where step 1 involved collecting and analyzing qualitative data from two focus groups; step 2 involved exploratory instrument development and testing, developing the draft competency standards; and step 3 involved quantitative data collection and analysis - a Delphi survey. In stage 1 (steps 1 and 2), the two focus groups - an expert and a recent graduate group of Australian orthotist/prosthetists - were led by an experienced facilitator, to identify gaps in the current competency standards and then to outline a key purpose, and work roles and tasks for the profession. The resulting domains and activities of the first draft of the competency standards were synthesized using thematic analysis. In stage 2 (step 3), the draft-competency standards were circulated to a purposive sample of the membership of the Australian Orthotic Prosthetic Association, using three rounds of Delphi survey. A project reference group of orthotist/prosthetists reviewed the results of both stages. In stage 1, the expert (n = 10) and the new graduate (n = 8) groups separately identified work roles and tasks, which formed the initial draft of the competency standards. Further drafts were refined and performance criteria added by the project reference group, resulting in the final draft-competency standards. In stage 2, the final draft-competency standards were circulated to 56 members (n = 44 final round) of the Association, who agreed on the key purpose, 6 domains, 18 activities, and 68 performance criteria of the final competency standards. This study outlines a rigorous and evidence-based mixed-methods approach for developing and endorsing professional competency standards, which is representative of the views of the profession of orthotist/prosthetists.

  10. Optical Property Requirements for Glasses, Ceramics and Plastics in Spacecraft Window Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Estes, Lynda

    2011-01-01

    This is a preliminary draft of a standard published by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Johnson Space Center (JSC) that is intended to provide uniform window optical design requirements in support of the development of human-rated spaceflight hardware. The material covered in this standard is based on data from extensive testing by the Advanced Sensing and Optical Measurement Branch at NASA Langley Research Center, and compiled into requirements format by the NASA JSC Structural Engineering Division. At the time of this initial document release, a broader technical community has not reviewed this standard. The technical content of this standard is primarily based on the Constellation Program Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle Window Optical Properties Requirements, CxP 72407, Baseline. Unlike other optical requirements documents available for human rated spacecraft, this document includes requirements that ensure functionality for windows that contain glass/ceramic and/or plastic window substrate materials. These requirements were derived by measuring the optical properties of fused silica and aluminosilicate glass window assemblies and ensuring that the performance of any window assembly that includes a plastic pane or panes will meet the performance level of the all-glass assemblies. The resulting requirements are based upon the performance and parameter metrology testing of a variety of materials, including glass, transparent ceramics, acrylics, and polycarbonates. In general, these requirements are minimum specifications for each optical parameter in order to achieve the function specified for each functional category, A through D. Because acrylic materials perform at a higher level than polycarbonates in the optics regime, and CxP/Orion is planning to use acrylic in the Orion spacecraft, these requirements are based heavily on metrology from that material. As a result, two of the current Category D requirements for plastics are cited in such a way that will result in the screening out of polycarbonates. It is acknowledged that many polycarbonates can perform the functions of Category D, such as piloting and imagery with lens with apertures up to 25mm, without performance issues. Therefore, this forward warns users that certain requirements, such as birefringence and wavefront, for Category D plastics need to be revised to allow those polycarbonates that perform adequately in Category D to be accepted, while at the same time, screen out those materials that do not perform up to par. At the time of document release, the requirements in question have been identified by a TBD beside the proposed requirement criteria (which is based upon acrylic performance). Vehicles that are designed with acrylic materials for windowpanes are encouraged to use the values presented in this document for all requirements, in order to ensure adequate optical performance.

  11. A systems-level performance history of get away specials after 25 space shuttle missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ridenoure, Rex W.

    1987-01-01

    Summarized are the results of a thorough performance study of Get Away Special (GAS) payloads conducted in 1986. During the study, a complete list of standard and non-standard GAS payloads vs. Shuttle mission was constructed, including specific titles for the experiments in each canister. A broad data base for each canister and each experiment was then compiled. Performance results were then obtained for all but a few experiments. The canisters and experiments were subsequently categorized according to the degree of experiment success. For those experiments experiencing failures or anomalies, several correlations and generalizations were extracted from individual subsystem performance data. Recommendations are made which may enhance the success and performance of future GAS payloads.

  12. Empiric determination of corrected visual acuity standards for train crews.

    PubMed

    Schwartz, Steven H; Swanson, William H

    2005-08-01

    Probably the most common visual standard for employment in the transportation industry is best-corrected, high-contrast visual acuity. Because such standards were often established absent empiric linkage to job performance, it is possible that a job applicant or employee who has visual acuity less than the standard may be able to satisfactorily perform the required job activities. For the transportation system that we examined, the train crew is required to inspect visually the length of the train before and during the time it leaves the station. The purpose of the inspection is to determine if an individual is in a hazardous position with respect to the train. In this article, we determine the extent to which high-contrast visual acuity can predict performance on a simulated task. Performance at discriminating hazardous from safe conditions, as depicted in projected photographic slides, was determined as a function of visual acuity. For different levels of visual acuity, which was varied through the use of optical defocus, a subject was required to label scenes as hazardous or safe. Task performance was highly correlated with visual acuity as measured under conditions normally used for vision screenings (high-illumination and high-contrast): as the acuity decreases, performance at discriminating hazardous from safe scenes worsens. This empirically based methodology can be used to establish a corrected high-contrast visual acuity standard for safety-sensitive work in transportation that is linked to the performance of a job-critical task.

  13. Comparison of isolated-check visual evoked potential and standard automated perimetry in early glaucoma and high-risk ocular hypertension

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Xiang-Wu; Zhao, Ying-Xi

    2017-01-01

    AIM To compare the diagnostic performance of isolated-check visual evoked potential (icVEP) and standard automated perimetry (SAP), for evaluating the application values of icVEP in the detection of early glaucoma. METHODS Totally 144 subjects (288 eyes) were enrolled in this study. icVEP testing was performed with the Neucodia visual electrophysiological diagnostic system. A 15% positive-contrast (bright) condition pattern was used in this device to differentiate between glaucoma patients and healthy control subjects. Signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) were derived based on a multivariate statistic. The eyes were judged as abnormal if the test yielded an SNR≤1. SAP testing was performed with the Humphrey Field Analyzer II. The visual fields were deemed as abnormality if the glaucoma hemifield test results outside normal limits; or the pattern standard deviation with P<0.05; or the cluster of three or more non-edge points on the pattern deviation plot in a single hemifield with P<0.05, one of which must have a P<0.01. Disc photographs were graded as either glaucomatous optic neuropathy or normal by two experts who were masked to all other patient information. Moorfields regression analysis (MRA) used as a separate diagnostic classification was performed by Heidelberg retina tomograph (HRT). RESULTS When the disc photograph grader was used as diagnostic standard, the sensitivity for SAP and icVEP was 32.3% and 38.5% respectively and specificity was 82.3% and 77.8% respectively. When the MRA Classifier was used as the diagnostic standard, the sensitivity for SAP and icVEP was 48.6% and 51.4% respectively and specificity was 84.1% and 78.0% respectively. When the combined structural assessment was used as the diagnostic standard, the sensitivity for SAP and icVEP was 59.2% and 53.1% respectively and specificity was 84.2% and 84.6% respectivlely. There was no statistical significance between the sensitivity or specificity of SAP and icVEP, regardless of which diagnostic standard was based on. CONCLUSION The diagnostic performance of icVEP is not better than that of SAP in the detection of early glaucoma. PMID:28503434

  14. Improving integrity of on-line grammage measurement with traceable basic calibration.

    PubMed

    Kangasrääsiö, Juha

    2010-07-01

    The automatic control of grammage (basis weight) in paper and board production is based upon on-line grammage measurement. Furthermore, the automatic control of other quality variables such as moisture, ash content and coat weight, may rely on the grammage measurement. The integrity of Kr-85 based on-line grammage measurement systems was studied, by performing basic calibrations with traceably calibrated plastic reference standards. The calibrations were performed according to the EN ISO/IEC 17025 standard, which is a requirement for calibration laboratories. The observed relative measurement errors were 3.3% in the first time calibrations at the 95% confidence level. With the traceable basic calibration method, however, these errors can be reduced to under 0.5%, thus improving the integrity of on-line grammage measurements. Also a standardised algorithm, based on the experience from the performed calibrations, is proposed to ease the adjustment of the different grammage measurement systems. The calibration technique can basically be applied to all beta-radiation based grammage measurements. 2010 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Effects of Vigorous Intensity Physical Activity on Mathematics Test Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Phillips, David S.; Hannon, James C.; Castelli, Darla M.

    2015-01-01

    The effect of an acute bout of physical activity on academic performance in school-based settings is under researched. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between a single, vigorous (70-85%) bout of physical activity completed during physical education on standardized mathematics test performance among 72, eighth grade students…

  16. Norms and Performance Standards for Work Sample Scores.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wisconsin Univ. - Stout, Menomonie. Dept. of Rehabilitation and Manpower Services. Materials Development Center.

    Work samples are commonly used to aid in the assessment of a client's potential for functioning in various competitive occupations. To determine an individual's position relative to a particular reference group the most commonly used norms are those based on scores of other clients who have performed a specific work sample, and performance scores…

  17. Impact of a Web-Based Adaptive Supplemental Digital Resource on Student Mathematics Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sharp, Laurie A.; Hamil, Marc

    2018-01-01

    Much literature has presented evidence that supplemental digital resources enhance student performance with mathematics. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of a web-adaptive digital resource, Think Through Math©, on student performance with state-mandated annual standardized mathematics assessments. This study utilized a…

  18. 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.

  19. Development of responder criteria for multicomponent non-pharmacological treatment in fibromyalgia.

    PubMed

    Vervoort, Vera M; Vriezekolk, Johanna E; van den Ende, Cornelia H

    2017-01-01

    There is a need to identify individual treatment success in patients with fibromyalgia (FM) who received non-pharmacological treatment. The present study described responder criteria for multicomponent non-pharmacological treatment in FM, and estimated and compared their sensitivity and specificity. Candidate responder sets were 1) identified in literature; and 2) formulated by expert group consensus. All candidate responder sets were tested in a cohort of 129 patients with FM receiving multicomponent non-pharmacological treatment. We used two gold standards (both therapist's and patient's perspective), assessed at six months after the start of treatment. Seven responder sets were defined (three identified in literature and four formulated by expert group consensus), and comprised combinations of domains of 1) pain; 2) fatigue; 3) patient global assessment (PGA); 4) illness perceptions; 5) limitations in activities of daily living (ADL); and 6) sleep. The sensitivity and specificity of literature-based responder sets (n=3) ranged between 17%-99% and 15%-95% respectively, whereas the expert-based responder sets (n=4) performed slightly better with regard to sensitivity (range 41%-81%) and specificity (range 50%-96%). Of the literature-based responder sets the OMERACT-OARSI responder set with patient's gold standard performed best (sensitivity 63%, specificity 75% and ROC area = 0.69). Overall, the expert-based responder set comprising the domains illness perceptions and limitations in ADL with patient's gold standard performed best (sensitivity 47%, specificity 96% and ROC area = 0.71). We defined sets of responder criteria for multicomponent non-pharmacological treatment in fibromyalgia. Further research should focus on the validation of those sets with acceptable performance.

  20. Identifying and Evaluating External Validity Evidence for Passing Scores

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis-Becker, Susan L.; Buckendahl, Chad W.

    2013-01-01

    A critical component of the standard setting process is collecting evidence to evaluate the recommended cut scores and their use for making decisions and classifying students based on test performance. Kane (1994, 2001) proposed a framework by which practitioners can identify and evaluate evidence of the results of the standard setting from (1)…

  1. Test Anxiety and High-Stakes Test Performance between School Settings: Implications for Educators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    von der Embse, Nathaniel; Hasson, Ramzi

    2012-01-01

    With the enactment of standards-based accountability in education, high-stakes tests have become the dominant method for measuring school effectiveness and student achievement. Schools and educators are under increasing pressure to meet achievement standards. However, there are variables which may interfere with the authentic measurement of…

  2. Short Shrift to Long Lists: An Alternative Approach to the Development of Performance Standards for School Principals.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Louden, William; Wildy, Helen

    1999-01-01

    Describes examples of standards frameworks for principals' work operant in three countries and describes an alternative approach based on interviewing 40 Australian principals. By combining qualitative case studies with probabilistic measurement techniques, the alternative approach provides contextually rich descriptions of growth in performance…

  3. Setting Academic Performance Standards: MCAS vs. PARCC. Policy Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Phelps, Richard P.

    2015-01-01

    The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) high school test is administered to all Bay State students--both those intending to enroll in college and the many with no such intention. The MCAS high school test is a retrospectively focused standards-based achievement test, designed to measure how well students have mastered the material…

  4. How Principals and Teachers Respond to States' Accountability Systems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Hyemi

    2013-01-01

    Since the 1990s, many states have started implementing standards-based reforms and developed their own accountability systems. Each state established academic content and performance standards, implemented test for all the students in grades 3 through 8 annually, and set up annual measurable objectives in reading and mathematics for districts,…

  5. Comparison of two head-up displays in simulated standard and noise abatement night visual approaches

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cronn, F.; Palmer, E. A., III

    1975-01-01

    Situation and command head-up displays were evaluated for both standard and two segment noise abatement night visual approaches in a fixed base simulation of a DC-8 transport aircraft. The situation display provided glide slope and pitch attitude information. The command display provided glide slope information and flight path commands to capture a 3 deg glide slope. Landing approaches were flown in both zero wind and wind shear conditions. For both standard and noise abatement approaches, the situation display provided greater glidepath accuracy in the initial phase of the landing approaches, whereas the command display was more effective in the final approach phase. Glidepath accuracy was greater for the standard approaches than for the noise abatement approaches in all phases of the landing approach. Most of the pilots preferred the command display and the standard approach. Substantial agreement was found between each pilot's judgment of his performance and his actual performance.

  6. Laser safety and hazard analysis for the temperature stabilized BSLT ARES laser system.

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

    Augustoni, Arnold L.

    A laser safety and hazard analysis was performed for the temperature stabilized Big Sky Laser Technology (BSLT) laser central to the ARES system based on the 2000 version of the American National Standards Institute's (ANSI) Standard Z136.1, for Safe Use of Lasers and the 2000 version of the ANSI Standard Z136.6, for Safe Use of Lasers Outdoors. As a result of temperature stabilization of the BSLT laser the operating parameters of the laser had changed requiring a hazard analysis based on the new operating conditions. The ARES laser system is a Van/Truck based mobile platform, which is used to performmore » laser interaction experiments and tests at various national test sites.« less

  7. Diagnostic performance of semi-quantitative and quantitative stress CMR perfusion analysis: a meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    van Dijk, R; van Assen, M; Vliegenthart, R; de Bock, G H; van der Harst, P; Oudkerk, M

    2017-11-27

    Stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) perfusion imaging is a promising modality for the evaluation of coronary artery disease (CAD) due to high spatial resolution and absence of radiation. Semi-quantitative and quantitative analysis of CMR perfusion are based on signal-intensity curves produced during the first-pass of gadolinium contrast. Multiple semi-quantitative and quantitative parameters have been introduced. Diagnostic performance of these parameters varies extensively among studies and standardized protocols are lacking. This study aims to determine the diagnostic accuracy of semi- quantitative and quantitative CMR perfusion parameters, compared to multiple reference standards. Pubmed, WebOfScience, and Embase were systematically searched using predefined criteria (3272 articles). A check for duplicates was performed (1967 articles). Eligibility and relevance of the articles was determined by two reviewers using pre-defined criteria. The primary data extraction was performed independently by two researchers with the use of a predefined template. Differences in extracted data were resolved by discussion between the two researchers. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the 'Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies Tool' (QUADAS-2). True positives, false positives, true negatives, and false negatives were subtracted/calculated from the articles. The principal summary measures used to assess diagnostic accuracy were sensitivity, specificity, andarea under the receiver operating curve (AUC). Data was pooled according to analysis territory, reference standard and perfusion parameter. Twenty-two articles were eligible based on the predefined study eligibility criteria. The pooled diagnostic accuracy for segment-, territory- and patient-based analyses showed good diagnostic performance with sensitivity of 0.88, 0.82, and 0.83, specificity of 0.72, 0.83, and 0.76 and AUC of 0.90, 0.84, and 0.87, respectively. In per territory analysis our results show similar diagnostic accuracy comparing anatomical (AUC 0.86(0.83-0.89)) and functional reference standards (AUC 0.88(0.84-0.90)). Only the per territory analysis sensitivity did not show significant heterogeneity. None of the groups showed signs of publication bias. The clinical value of semi-quantitative and quantitative CMR perfusion analysis remains uncertain due to extensive inter-study heterogeneity and large differences in CMR perfusion acquisition protocols, reference standards, and methods of assessment of myocardial perfusion parameters. For wide spread implementation, standardization of CMR perfusion techniques is essential. CRD42016040176 .

  8. Deming on Education: A View from the Seminar.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Holt, Maurice

    1993-01-01

    W. Edwards Deming rejects school-improvement proposals based on formulating higher standards and enforcing them with performance assessments. To Deming, the Bush Administration's America 2000 education strategy is "a horrible example of numerical goals, tests, rewards, but no method." Emphasizing rationalist performance measures…

  9. 40 CFR 446.10 - Applicability; description of the oil-base solvent wash paint subcategory.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS PAINT FORMULATING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY Oil-Base Solvent Wash Paint Subcategory § 446.10 Applicability; description of the oil-base solvent wash... production of oil-base paint where the tank cleaning is performed using solvents. When a plant is subject to...

  10. Data reconstruction can improve abundance index estimation: An example using Taiwanese longline data for Pacific bluefin tuna

    PubMed Central

    Fukuda, Hiromu; Maunder, Mark N.

    2017-01-01

    Catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) is often the main piece of information used in fisheries stock assessment; however, the catch and effort data that are traditionally compiled from commercial logbooks can be incomplete or unreliable due to many reasons. Pacific bluefin tuna (PBF) is a seasonal target species in the Taiwanese longline fishery. Since 2010, detailed catch information for each PBF has been made available through a catch documentation scheme. However, previously, only market landing data with a low coverage of logbooks were available. Therefore, several nontraditional procedures were performed to reconstruct catch and effort data from many alternative data sources not directly obtained from fishers for 2001–2015: (1) Estimating the catch number from the landing weight for 2001–2003, for which the catch number information was incomplete, based on Monte Carlo simulation; (2) deriving fishing days for 2007–2009 from voyage data recorder data, based on a newly developed algorithm; and (3) deriving fishing days for 2001–2006 from vessel trip information, based on linear relationships between fishing and at-sea days. Subsequently, generalized linear mixed models were developed with the delta-lognormal assumption for standardizing the CPUE calculated from the reconstructed data, and three-stage model evaluation was performed using (1) Akaike and Bayesian information criteria to determine the most favorable variable composition of standardization models, (2) overall R2 via cross-validation to compare fitting performance between area-separated and area-combined standardizations, and (3) system-based testing to explore the consistency of the standardized CPUEs with auxiliary data in the PBF stock assessment model. The last stage of evaluation revealed high consistency among the data, thus demonstrating improvements in data reconstruction for estimating the abundance index, and consequently the stock assessment. PMID:28968434

  11. Empirical evaluation of H.265/HEVC-based dynamic adaptive video streaming over HTTP (HEVC-DASH)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Irondi, Iheanyi; Wang, Qi; Grecos, Christos

    2014-05-01

    Real-time HTTP streaming has gained global popularity for delivering video content over Internet. In particular, the recent MPEG-DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP) standard enables on-demand, live, and adaptive Internet streaming in response to network bandwidth fluctuations. Meanwhile, emerging is the new-generation video coding standard, H.265/HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) promises to reduce the bandwidth requirement by 50% at the same video quality when compared with the current H.264/AVC standard. However, little existing work has addressed the integration of the DASH and HEVC standards, let alone empirical performance evaluation of such systems. This paper presents an experimental HEVC-DASH system, which is a pull-based adaptive streaming solution that delivers HEVC-coded video content through conventional HTTP servers where the client switches to its desired quality, resolution or bitrate based on the available network bandwidth. Previous studies in DASH have focused on H.264/AVC, whereas we present an empirical evaluation of the HEVC-DASH system by implementing a real-world test bed, which consists of an Apache HTTP Server with GPAC, an MP4Client (GPAC) with open HEVC-based DASH client and a NETEM box in the middle emulating different network conditions. We investigate and analyze the performance of HEVC-DASH by exploring the impact of various network conditions such as packet loss, bandwidth and delay on video quality. Furthermore, we compare the Intra and Random Access profiles of HEVC coding with the Intra profile of H.264/AVC when the correspondingly encoded video is streamed with DASH. Finally, we explore the correlation among the quality metrics and network conditions, and empirically establish under which conditions the different codecs can provide satisfactory performance.

  12. Reading Comprehension Assessment through Retelling: Performance Profiles of Children with Dyslexia and Language-Based Learning Disability

    PubMed Central

    Kida, Adriana de S. B.; de Ávila, Clara R. B.; Capellini, Simone A.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: To study reading comprehension performance profiles of children with dyslexia as well as language-based learning disability (LBLD) by means of retelling tasks. Method: One hundred and five children from 2nd to 5th grades of elementary school were gathered into six groups: Dyslexia group (D; n = 19), language-based learning disability group (LBLD; n = 16); their respective control groups paired according to different variables – age, gender, grade and school system (public or private; D-control and LBLD-control); and other control groups paired according to different reading accuracy (D-accuracy; LBLD-accuracy). All of the children read an expository text and orally retold the story as they understood it. The analysis quantified propositions (main ideas and details) and retold links. A retelling reference standard (3–0) was also established from the best to the worst performance. We compared both clinical groups (D and LBLD) with their respective control groups by means of Mann–Whitney tests. Results: D showed the same total of propositions, links and reference standards as D-control, but performed better than D-accuracy in macro structural (total of links) and super structural (retelling reference standard) measures. Results suggest that dyslexic children are able to use their linguistic competence and their own background knowledge to minimize the effects of their decoding deficit, especially at the highest text processing levels. LBLD performed worse than LBLD-control in all of the retelling measures and LBLD showed worse performance than LBLD-accuracy in the total retold links and retelling reference standard. Those results suggest that both decoding and linguistic difficulties affect reading comprehension. Moreover, the linguistic deficits presented by LBLD students do not allow these pupils to perform as competently in terms of text comprehension as the children with dyslexia do. Thus, failure in the macro and super-structural information processing of the expository text were evidenced. Conclusion: Each clinical group showed a different retelling profile. Such findings support the view that there are differences between these two clinical populations in the non-phonological dimensions of language. PMID:27313551

  13. Collaborative study for the calibration of a replacement International Standard for Tetanus Toxoid Adsorbed.

    PubMed

    Tierney, Rob; Stickings, Paul; Hockley, Jason; Rigsby, Peter; Iwaki, Masaaki; Sesardic, Dorothea

    2011-11-01

    We present the results of a collaborative study for the establishment of a replacement International Standard (IS) for Tetanus Toxoid Adsorbed. Two candidate preparations were included in the study, one of which was established as the 4th IS for Tetanus Toxoid Adsorbed at the WHO Expert Committee on Biological Standardization meeting in October 2010. This preparation was found to have a unitage of 490 IU/ampoule, based on calibration in guinea pig challenge assays. Results from mouse challenge assays suggest that the relative performance of two candidate preparations may differ significantly between guinea pigs and mice. The authors note that the number of laboratories that performed guinea pig challenge assays, which are used to calibrate and assign IU, is much lower than in previous collaborative studies and this may have implications for calibration of replacement standards in the future. The issue of assigning separate units to the IS for guinea pig and mouse assays is discussed. The study also assessed performance of the replacement standard in serological assays which are used as alternative procedures to challenge assays for tetanus potency testing. Results suggest that the replacement standard is suitable for use as the reference vaccine in serological assays. Copyright © 2011 The International Alliance for Biological Standardization. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Computer-enhanced laparoscopic training system (CELTS): bridging the gap.

    PubMed

    Stylopoulos, N; Cotin, S; Maithel, S K; Ottensmeye, M; Jackson, P G; Bardsley, R S; Neumann, P F; Rattner, D W; Dawson, S L

    2004-05-01

    There is a large and growing gap between the need for better surgical training methodologies and the systems currently available for such training. In an effort to bridge this gap and overcome the disadvantages of the training simulators now in use, we developed the Computer-Enhanced Laparoscopic Training System (CELTS). CELTS is a computer-based system capable of tracking the motion of laparoscopic instruments and providing feedback about performance in real time. CELTS consists of a mechanical interface, a customizable set of tasks, and an Internet-based software interface. The special cognitive and psychomotor skills a laparoscopic surgeon should master were explicitly defined and transformed into quantitative metrics based on kinematics analysis theory. A single global standardized and task-independent scoring system utilizing a z-score statistic was developed. Validation exercises were performed. The scoring system clearly revealed a gap between experts and trainees, irrespective of the task performed; none of the trainees obtained a score above the threshold that distinguishes the two groups. Moreover, CELTS provided educational feedback by identifying the key factors that contributed to the overall score. Among the defined metrics, depth perception, smoothness of motion, instrument orientation, and the outcome of the task are major indicators of performance and key parameters that distinguish experts from trainees. Time and path length alone, which are the most commonly used metrics in currently available systems, are not considered good indicators of performance. CELTS is a novel and standardized skills trainer that combines the advantages of computer simulation with the features of the traditional and popular training boxes. CELTS can easily be used with a wide array of tasks and ensures comparability across different training conditions. This report further shows that a set of appropriate and clinically relevant performance metrics can be defined and a standardized scoring system can be designed.

  15. Ionization-Assisted Getter Pumping for Ultra-Stable Trapped Ion Frequency Standards

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tjoelker, Robert L.; Burt, Eric A.

    2010-01-01

    A method eliminates (or recovers from) residual methane buildup in getter-pumped atomic frequency standard systems by applying ionizing assistance. Ultra-high stability trapped ion frequency standards for applications requiring very high reliability, and/or low power and mass (both for ground-based and space-based platforms) benefit from using sealed vacuum systems. These systems require careful material selection and system processing (cleaning and high-temperature bake-out). Even under the most careful preparation, residual hydrogen outgassing from vacuum chamber walls typically limits the base pressure. Non-evaporable getter pumps (NEGs) provide a convenient pumping option for sealed systems because of low mass and volume, and no power once activated. An ion gauge in conjunction with a NEG can be used to provide a low mass, low-power method for avoiding the deleterious effects of methane buildup in high-performance frequency standard vacuum systems.

  16. Layered Wyner-Ziv video coding.

    PubMed

    Xu, Qian; Xiong, Zixiang

    2006-12-01

    Following recent theoretical works on successive Wyner-Ziv coding (WZC), we propose a practical layered Wyner-Ziv video coder using the DCT, nested scalar quantization, and irregular LDPC code based Slepian-Wolf coding (or lossless source coding with side information at the decoder). Our main novelty is to use the base layer of a standard scalable video coder (e.g., MPEG-4/H.26L FGS or H.263+) as the decoder side information and perform layered WZC for quality enhancement. Similar to FGS coding, there is no performance difference between layered and monolithic WZC when the enhancement bitstream is generated in our proposed coder. Using an H.26L coded version as the base layer, experiments indicate that WZC gives slightly worse performance than FGS coding when the channel (for both the base and enhancement layers) is noiseless. However, when the channel is noisy, extensive simulations of video transmission over wireless networks conforming to the CDMA2000 1X standard show that H.26L base layer coding plus Wyner-Ziv enhancement layer coding are more robust against channel errors than H.26L FGS coding. These results demonstrate that layered Wyner-Ziv video coding is a promising new technique for video streaming over wireless networks.

  17. Standards of care for occupational asthma: an update.

    PubMed

    Fishwick, David; Barber, Christopher Michael; Bradshaw, Lisa M; Ayres, Jon G; Barraclough, Richard; Burge, Sherwood; Corne, Jonathan M; Cullinan, Paul; Frank, Timothy Laszlo; Hendrick, David; Hoyle, Jennifer; Curran, Andrew D; Niven, Robert; Pickering, Tony; Reid, Peter; Robertson, Alastair; Stenton, Chris; Warburton, Christopher J; Nicholson, Paul J

    2012-03-01

    The British Thoracic Society (BTS) Standards of Care (SoC) Committee produced a standard of care for occupational asthma (OA) in 2008, based on a systematic evidence review performed in 2004 by the British Occupational Health Research Foundation (BOHRF). BOHRF updated the evidence base from 2004-2009 in 2010. This article summarises the changes in evidence and is aimed at physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals in primary and secondary care, occupational health and public health and at employers, workers and their health, safety and other representatives. Various recommendations and evidence ratings have changed in the management of asthma that may have an occupational cause.

  18. RESIDUAL RISK ASSESSMENT: ETHYLENE OXIDE ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This document describes the residual risk assessment for the Ethylene Oxide Commercial Sterilization source category. For stationary sources, section 112 (f) of the Clean Air Act requires EPA to assess risks to human health and the environment following implementation of technology-based control standards. If these technology-based control standards do not provide an ample margin of safety, then EPA is required to promulgate addtional standards. This document describes the methodology and results of the residual risk assessment performed for the Ethylene Oxide Commercial Sterilization source category. The results of this analyiss will assist EPA in determining whether a residual risk rule for this source category is appropriate.

  19. Physical Employment Standards for UK Firefighters

    PubMed Central

    Stevenson, Richard D.M.; Siddall, Andrew G.; Turner, Philip F.J.; Bilzon, James L.J.

    2017-01-01

    Objective: The aim of this study was to assess sensitivity and specificity of surrogate physical ability tests as predictors of criterion firefighting task performance and to identify corresponding minimum muscular strength and endurance standards. Methods: Fifty-one (26 male; 25 female) participants completed three criterion tasks (ladder lift, ladder lower, ladder extension) and three corresponding surrogate tests [one-repetition maximum (1RM) seated shoulder press; 1RM seated rope pull-down; repeated 28 kg seated rope pull-down]. Surrogate test standards were calculated that best identified individuals who passed (sensitivity; true positives) and failed (specificity; true negatives) criterion tasks. Results: Best sensitivity/specificity achieved were 1.00/1.00 for a 35 kg seated shoulder press, 0.79/0.92 for a 60 kg rope pull-down, and 0.83/0.93 for 23 repetitions of the 28 kg rope pull-down. Conclusions: These standards represent performance on surrogate tests commensurate with minimum acceptable performance of essential strength-based occupational tasks in UK firefighters. PMID:28045801

  20. Performance Optimization of Priority Assisted CSMA/CA Mechanism of 802.15.6 under Saturation Regime

    PubMed Central

    Shakir, Mustafa; Rehman, Obaid Ur; Rahim, Mudassir; Alrajeh, Nabil; Khan, Zahoor Ali; Khan, Mahmood Ashraf; Niaz, Iftikhar Azim; Javaid, Nadeem

    2016-01-01

    Due to the recent development in the field of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), the Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) have become a major area of interest for the developers and researchers. Human body exhibits postural mobility due to which distance variation occurs and the status of connections amongst sensors change time to time. One of the major requirements of WBAN is to prolong the network lifetime without compromising on other performance measures, i.e., delay, throughput and bandwidth efficiency. Node prioritization is one of the possible solutions to obtain optimum performance in WBAN. IEEE 802.15.6 CSMA/CA standard splits the nodes with different user priorities based on Contention Window (CW) size. Smaller CW size is assigned to higher priority nodes. This standard helps to reduce delay, however, it is not energy efficient. In this paper, we propose a hybrid node prioritization scheme based on IEEE 802.15.6 CSMA/CA to reduce energy consumption and maximize network lifetime. In this scheme, optimum performance is achieved by node prioritization based on CW size as well as power in respective user priority. Our proposed scheme reduces the average back off time for channel access due to CW based prioritization. Additionally, power based prioritization for a respective user priority helps to minimize required number of retransmissions. Furthermore, we also compare our scheme with IEEE 802.15.6 CSMA/CA standard (CW assisted node prioritization) and power assisted node prioritization under postural mobility in WBAN. Mathematical expressions are derived to determine the accurate analytical model for throughput, delay, bandwidth efficiency, energy consumption and life time for each node prioritization scheme. With the intention of analytical model validation, we have performed the simulations in OMNET++/MIXIM framework. Analytical and simulation results show that our proposed hybrid node prioritization scheme outperforms other node prioritization schemes in terms of average network delay, average throughput, average bandwidth efficiency and network lifetime. PMID:27598167

  1. Simulation-based estimation of mean and standard deviation for meta-analysis via Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC).

    PubMed

    Kwon, Deukwoo; Reis, Isildinha M

    2015-08-12

    When conducting a meta-analysis of a continuous outcome, estimated means and standard deviations from the selected studies are required in order to obtain an overall estimate of the mean effect and its confidence interval. If these quantities are not directly reported in the publications, they must be estimated from other reported summary statistics, such as the median, the minimum, the maximum, and quartiles. We propose a simulation-based estimation approach using the Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) technique for estimating mean and standard deviation based on various sets of summary statistics found in published studies. We conduct a simulation study to compare the proposed ABC method with the existing methods of Hozo et al. (2005), Bland (2015), and Wan et al. (2014). In the estimation of the standard deviation, our ABC method performs better than the other methods when data are generated from skewed or heavy-tailed distributions. The corresponding average relative error (ARE) approaches zero as sample size increases. In data generated from the normal distribution, our ABC performs well. However, the Wan et al. method is best for estimating standard deviation under normal distribution. In the estimation of the mean, our ABC method is best regardless of assumed distribution. ABC is a flexible method for estimating the study-specific mean and standard deviation for meta-analysis, especially with underlying skewed or heavy-tailed distributions. The ABC method can be applied using other reported summary statistics such as the posterior mean and 95 % credible interval when Bayesian analysis has been employed.

  2. Yarn supplier selection using analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and standardized unitless rating (SUR) method on textile industry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Erfaisalsyah, M. H.; Mansur, A.; Khasanah, A. U.

    2017-11-01

    For a company which engaged in the textile field, specify the supplier of raw materials for production is one important part of supply chain management which can affect the company's business processes. This study aims to identify the best suppliers of raw material suppliers of yarn for PC. PKBI based on several criteria. In this study, the integration between the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Standardized Unitless Rating (SUR) are used to assess the performance of the suppliers. By using AHP, it can be known the value of the relative weighting of each criterion. While SUR shows the sequence performance value of the supplier. The result of supplier ranking calculation can be used to know the strengths and weaknesses of each supplier based on its performance criteria. From the final result, it can be known which suppliers should improve their performance in order to create long term cooperation with the company.

  3. Simulations of laser undulators

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Milton, S. V.; Biedron, S. B.; Einstein, J. E.

    2016-09-01

    We perform a series of single-pass, one-D free-electron laser simulations based on an electron beam from a standard linear accelerator coupled with a so-called laser undulator, a specialized device that is more compact than a standard undulator based on magnetic materials. The longitudinal field profiles of such lasers undulators are intriguing as one must and can tailor the profile for the needs of creating the virtual undulator. We present and discuss several results of recent simulations and our future steps.

  4. A GPS Phase-Locked Loop Performance Metric Based on the Phase Discriminator Output

    PubMed Central

    Stevanovic, Stefan; Pervan, Boris

    2018-01-01

    We propose a novel GPS phase-lock loop (PLL) performance metric based on the standard deviation of tracking error (defined as the discriminator’s estimate of the true phase error), and explain its advantages over the popular phase jitter metric using theory, numerical simulation, and experimental results. We derive an augmented GPS phase-lock loop (PLL) linear model, which includes the effect of coherent averaging, to be used in conjunction with this proposed metric. The augmented linear model allows more accurate calculation of tracking error standard deviation in the presence of additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) as compared to traditional linear models. The standard deviation of tracking error, with a threshold corresponding to half of the arctangent discriminator pull-in region, is shown to be a more reliable/robust measure of PLL performance under interference conditions than the phase jitter metric. In addition, the augmented linear model is shown to be valid up until this threshold, which facilitates efficient performance prediction, so that time-consuming direct simulations and costly experimental testing can be reserved for PLL designs that are much more likely to be successful. The effect of varying receiver reference oscillator quality on the tracking error metric is also considered. PMID:29351250

  5. A standards-based method for compositional analysis by energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry using multivariate statistical analysis: application to multicomponent alloys.

    PubMed

    Rathi, Monika; Ahrenkiel, S P; Carapella, J J; Wanlass, M W

    2013-02-01

    Given an unknown multicomponent alloy, and a set of standard compounds or alloys of known composition, can one improve upon popular standards-based methods for energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrometry to quantify the elemental composition of the unknown specimen? A method is presented here for determining elemental composition of alloys using transmission electron microscopy-based EDX with appropriate standards. The method begins with a discrete set of related reference standards of known composition, applies multivariate statistical analysis to those spectra, and evaluates the compositions with a linear matrix algebra method to relate the spectra to elemental composition. By using associated standards, only limited assumptions about the physical origins of the EDX spectra are needed. Spectral absorption corrections can be performed by providing an estimate of the foil thickness of one or more reference standards. The technique was applied to III-V multicomponent alloy thin films: composition and foil thickness were determined for various III-V alloys. The results were then validated by comparing with X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence analysis, demonstrating accuracy of approximately 1% in atomic fraction.

  6. Pay-for-virtue: an option to improve pay-for-performance?

    PubMed

    Buetow, Stephen; Entwistle, Vikki

    2011-10-01

    Pay-for-performance schemes reward standardized professional behaviours associated with effective care. However, they neglect the significance of virtue and devalue and erode professional motivation based on virtue. Pay for training to cultivate virtue, and/or pay-for-virtue, may mitigate these dangers. Although virtue is typically considered its own reward, and the assessment of virtue is problematic, pay-for-virtue could involve (1) stringent checks on the appropriateness of the standardized care currently rewarded by pay-for-performance for individual patients or (2) pay for indicators of virtue. These indicators could be based on virtues identified from a framework of universal virtues and through logical inferences from features of practice. It is possible that pay-for-virtue could ultimately strengthen health professionals' intrinsic motivation for good practice, but this and the broader effects of pay-for-virtue would need careful investigation. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  7. Application of FT-IR Classification Method in Silica-Plant Extracts Composites Quality Testing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bicu, A.; Drumea, V.; Mihaiescu, D. E.; Purcareanu, B.; Florea, M. A.; Trică, B.; Vasilievici, G.; Draga, S.; Buse, E.; Olariu, L.

    2018-06-01

    Our present work is concerned with the validation and quality testing efforts of mesoporous silica - plant extracts composites, in order to sustain the standardization process of plant-based pharmaceutical products. The synthesis of the silica support were performed by using a TEOS based synthetic route and CTAB as a template, at room temperature and normal pressure. The silica support was analyzed by advanced characterization methods (SEM, TEM, BET, DLS and FT-IR), and loaded with Calendula officinalis and Salvia officinalis standardized extracts. Further desorption studies were performed in order to prove the sustained release properties of the final materials. Intermediate and final product identification was performed by a FT-IR classification method, using the MID-range of the IR spectra, and statistical representative samples from repetitive synthetic stages. The obtained results recommend this analytical method as a fast and cost effective alternative to the classic identification methods.

  8. Evaluation and Testing of Commercially-Available Carbon Nanotubes as Negative Electrodes for Lithium Ion Cells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Britton, Doris L.

    2007-01-01

    Rechargeable lithium ion (Li-ion) battery technology offers significant performance advantages over the nickel-based technologies used for energy storage for the majority of NASA's missions. Specifically Li-ion technology offers a threefold to fourfold increase in gravimetric and volumetric energy densities and produces voltages in excess of three times the value of typical nickel-based battery systems. As part of the Advanced Battery Technology program at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC), a program on the evaluation of anodes for Li-ion cells and batteries was conducted. This study focused on the feasibility of using carbon nanotubes as anodes in Li-Ion cells. Candidate materials from multiple sources were evaluated. Their performance was compared to a standard anode comprised of mesocarbon microbeads. In all cases, the standard MCMB electrode exhibited superior performance. The details and results of the study are presented.

  9. A Gold Standards Approach to Training Instructors to Evaluate Crew Performance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Baker, David P.; Dismukes, R. Key

    2003-01-01

    The Advanced Qualification Program requires that airlines evaluate crew performance in Line Oriented Simulation. For this evaluation to be meaningful, instructors must observe relevant crew behaviors and evaluate those behaviors consistently and accurately against standards established by the airline. The airline industry has largely settled on an approach in which instructors evaluate crew performance on a series of event sets, using standardized grade sheets on which behaviors specific to event set are listed. Typically, new instructors are given a class in which they learn to use the grade sheets and practice evaluating crew performance observed on videotapes. These classes emphasize reliability, providing detailed instruction and practice in scoring so that all instructors within a given class will give similar scores to similar performance. This approach has value but also has important limitations; (1) ratings within one class of new instructors may differ from those of other classes; (2) ratings may not be driven primarily by the specific behaviors on which the company wanted the crews to be scored; and (3) ratings may not be calibrated to company standards for level of performance skill required. In this paper we provide a method to extend the existing method of training instructors to address these three limitations. We call this method the "gold standards" approach because it uses ratings from the company's most experienced instructors as the basis for training rater accuracy. This approach ties the training to the specific behaviors on which the experienced instructors based their ratings.

  10. Body mass index predicts selected physical fitness attributes but is not associated with performance on military relevant tasks in U.S. Army Soldiers.

    PubMed

    Pierce, Joseph R; DeGroot, David W; Grier, Tyson L; Hauret, Keith G; Nindl, Bradley C; East, Whitfield B; McGurk, Michael S; Jones, Bruce H

    2017-11-01

    Army body composition standards are based upon validated criteria; however, certain field-expedient methodologies (e.g., weight-for-height, body mass index [BMI]) may disqualify individuals from service who may otherwise excel on physical performance and military-relevant tasks. The purpose was to assess soldier physical performance and military-specific task/fitness performance stratified by BMI. Cross-sectional observational study. Male (n=275) and female (n=46) soldiers performed a wide-array of physical fitness tests and military-specific tasks, including the Army physical fitness test (APFT). Within-sex performance data were analyzed by BMI tertile stratification or by Army Body Composition Program (ABCP) weight-for-height (calculated BMI) screening standards using ANOVA/Tukey post-hoc or independent t-tests, respectively. BMI stratification (higher vs. lower BMI) was associated with significant improvements in muscular strength and power, but also with decrements in speed/agility in male and female soldiers. Within the military specific tasks, a higher BMI was associated with an increased APFT 2-Mile Run time; however, performance on a 1600-m Loaded March or a Warrior Task and Battle Drill obstacle course was not related to BMI in either sex. Male and Female soldiers who did not meet ABCP screening standards demonstrated a slower 2-Mile Run time; however, not meeting the ABCP BMI standard only affected a minimal number (∼6%) of soldiers' ability to pass the APFT. Military body composition standards require a careful balance between physical performance, health, and military readiness. Allowances should be considered where tradeoffs exist between body composition classifications and performance on physical tasks with high military relevance. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  11. Keeping Student Performance Central: The New York Assessment Collection. Studies on Exhibitions.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allen, David; McDonald, Joseph

    This report describes a computer tool used by the state of New York to assess student performance in elementary and secondary grades. Based on the premise that every assessment is a system of interacting elements, the tool examines students on six dimensions: vision, prompt, coaching context, performance, standards, and reflection. Vision, which…

  12. California teachers' perceptions of standards-based reform in middle school science: A mixed-methods study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Leggett, Allison Gail Wilson

    The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 presented one of the most significant and comprehensive literacy reforms in many years (McDonnell, 2005; U.S. Department of Education, 2006). The era of school accountability and standards based reform has brought many challenges and changes to public schools. Increasingly, public officials and educational administrators are asked to use standards based assessments to make high-stakes decisions, such as whether a student will move on to the next grade level or receive a diploma (American Psychological Association, 2005). It is important to understand any shifts in teachers' perceptions and to identify the changes teachers are making as they implement standards-based reform. This mixed-methods study was designed to assess teachers' perceptions of changes related to standards-based reform as supported by Fullan's (2001) change theory and transformational leadership theory. Survey questions sought to identify teacher perceptions of changes in curriculum, instruction and daily practice as schools documented and incorporated standards-based reform and began focusing on preparing students for the California Standards Test in Science (CSTS). Using descriptive statistical analysis and in-depth interviews, results show favorable insight towards standards-based reform. The survey was distributed to 30 middle school science teachers from 10 low-performing schools in Los Angeles, California. Results were analyzed using Spearman rank-ordered correlations. Interviews were conducted on middle school teachers represented by each grade level. Teachers who receive more support from administrators have more positive attitudes toward all aspects of SBR and the CSTS as measured in this study. No school should overlook the potential of a supportive administration in its effort to improve school programs.

  13. Traceable working standards with SI units of radiance for characterizing the measurement performance of investigational clinical NIRF imaging devices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Banghe; Rasmussen, John C.; Litorja, Maritoni; Sevick-Muraca, Eva M.

    2017-03-01

    All medical devices for Food and Drug market approval require specifications of performance based upon International System of Units (SI) or units derived from SI for reasons of traceability. Recently, near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging devices of a variety of designs have emerged on the market and in investigational clinical studies. Yet the design of devices used in the clinical studies vary widely, suggesting variable device performance. Device performance depends upon optimal excitation of NIRF imaging agents, rejection of backscattered excitation and ambient light, and selective collection of fluorescence emanating from the fluorophore. There remains no traceable working standards with SI units of radiance to enable prediction that a given molecular imaging agent can be detected in humans by a given NIRF imaging device. Furthermore, as technologies evolve and as NIRF imaging device components change, there remains no standardized means to track device improvements over time and establish clinical performance without involving clinical trials, often costly. In this study, we deployed a methodology to calibrate luminescent radiance of a stable, solid phantom in SI units of mW/cm2/sr for characterizing the measurement performance of ICCD and IsCMOS camera based NIRF imaging devices, such as signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast. The methodology allowed determination of superior SNR of the ICCD over the IsCMOS system; comparable contrast of ICCD and IsCMOS depending upon binning strategies.

  14. Does the Concept of the "Flipped Classroom" Extend to the Emergency Medicine Clinical Clerkship?

    PubMed

    Heitz, Corey; Prusakowski, Melanie; Willis, George; Franck, Christopher

    2015-11-01

    Linking educational objectives and clinical learning during clerkships can be difficult. Clinical shifts during emergency medicine (EM) clerkships provide a wide variety of experiences, some of which may not be relevant to recommended educational objectives. Students can be directed to standardize their clinical experiences, and this improves performance on examinations. We hypothesized that applying a "flipped classroom" model to the clinical clerkship would improve performance on multiple-choice testing when compared to standard learning. Students at two institutions were randomized to complete two of four selected EM clerkship topics in a "flipped fashion," and two others in a standard fashion. For flipped topics, students were directed to complete chief complaint-based asynchronous modules prior to a shift, during which they were directed to focus on the chief complaint. For the other two topics, modules were to be performed at the students' discretion, and shifts would not have a theme. At the end of the four-week clerkship, a 40-question multiple-choice examination was administered with 10 questions per topic. We compared performance on flipped topics with those performed in standard fashion. Students were surveyed on perceived effectiveness, ability to follow the protocol, and willingness of preceptors to allow a chief-complaint focus. Sixty-nine students participated; examination scores for 56 were available for analysis. For the primary outcome, no difference was seen between the flipped method and standard (p=0.494.) A mixed model approach showed no effect of flipped status, protocol adherence, or site of rotation on the primary outcome of exam scores. Students rated the concept of the flipped clerkship highly (3.48/5). Almost one third (31.1%) of students stated that they were unable to adhere to the protocol. Preparation for a clinical shift with pre-assigned, web-based learning modules followed by an attempt at chief-complaint-focused learning during a shift did not result in improvements in performance on a multiple-choice assessment of knowledge; however, one third of participants did not adhere strictly to the protocol. Future investigations should ensure performance of pre-assigned learning as well as clinical experiences, and consider alternate measures of knowledge.

  15. Student Science Achievement and the Integration of Indigenous Knowledge on Standardized Tests

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dupuis, Juliann; Abrams, Eleanor

    2017-01-01

    In this article, we examine how American Indian students in Montana performed on standardized state science assessments when a small number of test items based upon traditional science knowledge from a cultural curriculum, "Indian Education for All", were included. Montana is the first state in the US to mandate the use of a culturally…

  16. The Union City Story: Education Reform and Technology Students' Performance on Standardized Tests.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chang, Han-hua; Honey, Margaret; Light, Daniel; Moeller, Babette; Ross, Nancy

    This paper is the first in a series to investigate the impact of state-of-the-art networking technologies in a reformed educational context on student learning, teacher instruction, and parental involvement. The findings presented in this report are based on standardized test results. Although the findings indicate that the reforms are having a…

  17. From Data Entry to Evidence-Based Decision-Making: How Data and Analysis Can Drive Improvements in Admissions Policies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hourigan, Clare

    2011-01-01

    Academic standards and performance outcomes are a major focus of the current Cycle 2 Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) audits. AUQA has clearly stated that universities will need to provide "evidence of setting, maintaining, and reviewing institutional academic standards and outcomes" (2010, p. 27). To do this, universities…

  18. B-spline based image tracking by detection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Balaji, Bhashyam; Sithiravel, Rajiv; Damini, Anthony; Kirubarajan, Thiagalingam; Rajan, Sreeraman

    2016-05-01

    Visual image tracking involves the estimation of the motion of any desired targets in a surveillance region using a sequence of images. A standard method of isolating moving targets in image tracking uses background subtraction. The standard background subtraction method is often impacted by irrelevant information in the images, which can lead to poor performance in image-based target tracking. In this paper, a B-Spline based image tracking is implemented. The novel method models the background and foreground using the B-Spline method followed by a tracking-by-detection algorithm. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated.

  19. Measurement of Energy Performances for General-Structured Servers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Ren; Chen, Lili; Li, Pengcheng; Liu, Meng; Chen, Haihong

    2017-11-01

    Energy consumption of servers in data centers increases rapidly along with the wide application of Internet and connected devices. To improve the energy efficiency of servers, voluntary or mandatory energy efficiency programs for servers, including voluntary label program or mandatory energy performance standards have been adopted or being prepared in the US, EU and China. However, the energy performance of servers and testing methods of servers are not well defined. This paper presents matrices to measure the energy performances of general-structured servers. The impacts of various components of servers on their energy performances are also analyzed. Based on a set of normalized workload, the author proposes a standard method for testing energy efficiency of servers. Pilot tests are conducted to assess the energy performance testing methods of servers. The findings of the tests are discussed in the paper.

  20. Student science achievement and the integration of Indigenous knowledge on standardized tests

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dupuis, Juliann; Abrams, Eleanor

    2017-09-01

    In this article, we examine how American Indian students in Montana performed on standardized state science assessments when a small number of test items based upon traditional science knowledge from a cultural curriculum, "Indian Education for All", were included. Montana is the first state in the US to mandate the use of a culturally relevant curriculum in all schools and to incorporate this curriculum into a portion of the standardized assessment items. This study compares White and American Indian student test scores on these particular test items to determine how White and American Indian students perform on culturally relevant test items compared to traditional standard science test items. The connections between student achievement on adapted culturally relevant science test items versus traditional items brings valuable insights to the fields of science education, research on student assessments, and Indigenous studies.

  1. Automated acid and base number determination of mineral-based lubricants by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy: commercial laboratory evaluation.

    PubMed

    Winterfield, Craig; van de Voort, F R

    2014-12-01

    The Fluid Life Corporation assessed and implemented Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)-based methods using American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)-like stoichiometric reactions for determination of acid and base number for in-service mineral-based oils. The basic protocols, quality control procedures, calibration, validation, and performance of these new quantitative methods are assessed. ASTM correspondence is attained using a mixed-mode calibration, using primary reference standards to anchor the calibration, supplemented by representative sample lubricants analyzed by ASTM procedures. A partial least squares calibration is devised by combining primary acid/base reference standards and representative samples, focusing on the main spectral stoichiometric response with chemometrics assisting in accounting for matrix variability. FTIR(AN/BN) methodology is precise, accurate, and free of most interference that affects ASTM D664 and D4739 results. Extensive side-by-side operational runs produced normally distributed differences with mean differences close to zero and standard deviations of 0.18 and 0.26 mg KOH/g, respectively. Statistically, the FTIR methods are a direct match to the ASTM methods, with superior performance in terms of analytical throughput, preparation time, and solvent use. FTIR(AN/BN) analysis is a viable, significant advance for in-service lubricant analysis, providing an economic means of trending samples instead of tedious and expensive conventional ASTM(AN/BN) procedures. © 2014 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

  2. Comparison of methodologies for calculating quality measures based on administrative data versus clinical data from an electronic health record system: implications for performance measures.

    PubMed

    Tang, Paul C; Ralston, Mary; Arrigotti, Michelle Fernandez; Qureshi, Lubna; Graham, Justin

    2007-01-01

    New reimbursement policies and pay-for-performance programs to reward providers for producing better outcomes are proliferating. Although electronic health record (EHR) systems could provide essential clinical data upon which to base quality measures, most metrics in use were derived from administrative claims data. We compared commonly used quality measures calculated from administrative data to those derived from clinical data in an EHR based on a random sample of 125 charts of Medicare patients with diabetes. Using standard definitions based on administrative data (which require two visits with an encounter diagnosis of diabetes during the measurement period), only 75% of diabetics determined by manually reviewing the EHR (the gold standard) were identified. In contrast, 97% of diabetics were identified using coded information in the EHR. The discrepancies in identified patients resulted in statistically significant differences in the quality measures for frequency of HbA1c testing, control of blood pressure, frequency of testing for urine protein, and frequency of eye exams for diabetic patients. New development of standardized quality measures should shift from claims-based measures to clinically based measures that can be derived from coded information in an EHR. Using data from EHRs will also leverage their clinical content without adding burden to the care process.

  3. A Summary of Models and Standards-Based Applications for Grade-to-Grade Growth on Statewide Assessments and Implications for Students with Disabilities. Research Report. ETS RR-10-14

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buzick, Heather M.; Laitusis, Cara Cahalan

    2010-01-01

    Recently growth-based approaches to accountability have received considerable attention because they have the potential to reward schools and teachers for improving student performance over time by measuring the progress of students at all levels of the performance spectrum (including those who have not yet reached proficiency on state…

  4. Evaluation of the MV (CAPON) Coherent Doppler Lidar Velocity Estimator

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lottman, B.; Frehlich, R.

    1997-01-01

    The performance of the CAPON velocity estimator for coherent Doppler lidar is determined for typical space-based and ground-based parameter regimes. Optimal input parameters for the algorithm were determined for each regime. For weak signals, performance is described by the standard deviation of the good estimates and the fraction of outliers. For strong signals, the fraction of outliers is zero. Numerical effort was also determined.

  5. The Relationship of Locus of Control, Stress Related to Performance-Based Accreditation, and Job Stress to Burnout in Public School Teachers and Principals.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hipps, Elizabeth Smith; Malpin, Glennelle

    Results of a study to determine the amount of burnout experienced by Alabama public school teachers and principals that could be accounted for by stress related to the Alabama Performance-Based Accreditation Standards, job stress, locus of control, age, and gender are reported in this paper. Objectives of the study were to develop a measure of…

  6. Prognostic score–based balance measures for propensity score methods in comparative effectiveness research

    PubMed Central

    Stuart, Elizabeth A.; Lee, Brian K.; Leacy, Finbarr P.

    2013-01-01

    Objective Examining covariate balance is the prescribed method for determining when propensity score methods are successful at reducing bias. This study assessed the performance of various balance measures, including a proposed balance measure based on the prognostic score (also known as the disease-risk score), to determine which balance measures best correlate with bias in the treatment effect estimate. Study Design and Setting The correlations of multiple common balance measures with bias in the treatment effect estimate produced by weighting by the odds, subclassification on the propensity score, and full matching on the propensity score were calculated. Simulated data were used, based on realistic data settings. Settings included both continuous and binary covariates and continuous covariates only. Results The standardized mean difference in prognostic scores, the mean standardized mean difference, and the mean t-statistic all had high correlations with bias in the effect estimate. Overall, prognostic scores displayed the highest correlations of all the balance measures considered. Prognostic score measure performance was generally not affected by model misspecification and performed well under a variety of scenarios. Conclusion Researchers should consider using prognostic score–based balance measures for assessing the performance of propensity score methods for reducing bias in non-experimental studies. PMID:23849158

  7. Effects of Sleep Deprivation on U.S. Navy Surface Ship Watchstander Performance using Alternative Watch Schedules

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-09-01

    75  xi LIST OF TABLES Table 1.  Allocation of Hours per Sailor per Week Based on the Navy Standard Workweek ...sleep than allotted by the Navy Standard Workweek (NSWW). On average, personnel onboard cruisers achieve two- hours less sleep per week and personnel on...fact that the Navy adopted the 168- hour Navy Standard Workweek (NSWW), multiple studies have shown the amount of work conducted by personnel onboard

  8. An efficient architecture to support digital pathology in standard medical imaging repositories.

    PubMed

    Marques Godinho, Tiago; Lebre, Rui; Silva, Luís Bastião; Costa, Carlos

    2017-07-01

    In the past decade, digital pathology and whole-slide imaging (WSI) have been gaining momentum with the proliferation of digital scanners from different manufacturers. The literature reports significant advantages associated with the adoption of digital images in pathology, namely, improvements in diagnostic accuracy and better support for telepathology. Moreover, it also offers new clinical and research applications. However, numerous barriers have been slowing the adoption of WSI, among which the most important are performance issues associated with storage and distribution of huge volumes of data, and lack of interoperability with other hospital information systems, most notably Picture Archive and Communications Systems (PACS) based on the DICOM standard. This article proposes an architecture of a Web Pathology PACS fully compliant with DICOM standard communications and data formats. The solution includes a PACS Archive responsible for storing whole-slide imaging data in DICOM WSI format and offers a communication interface based on the most recent DICOM Web services. The second component is a zero-footprint viewer that runs in any web-browser. It consumes data using the PACS archive standard web services. Moreover, it features a tiling engine especially suited to deal with the WSI image pyramids. These components were designed with special focus on efficiency and usability. The performance of our system was assessed through a comparative analysis of the state-of-the-art solutions. The results demonstrate that it is possible to have a very competitive solution based on standard workflows. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Monitoring the metering performance of an electronic voltage transformer on-line based on cyber-physics correlation analysis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Zhu; Li, Hongbin; Tang, Dengping; Hu, Chen; Jiao, Yang

    2017-10-01

    Metering performance is the key parameter of an electronic voltage transformer (EVT), and it requires high accuracy. The conventional off-line calibration method using a standard voltage transformer is not suitable for the key equipment in a smart substation, which needs on-line monitoring. In this article, we propose a method for monitoring the metering performance of an EVT on-line based on cyber-physics correlation analysis. By the electrical and physical properties of a substation running in three-phase symmetry, the principal component analysis method is used to separate the metering deviation caused by the primary fluctuation and the EVT anomaly. The characteristic statistics of the measured data during operation are extracted, and the metering performance of the EVT is evaluated by analyzing the change in statistics. The experimental results show that the method successfully monitors the metering deviation of a Class 0.2 EVT accurately. The method demonstrates the accurate evaluation of on-line monitoring of the metering performance on an EVT without a standard voltage transformer.

  10. Using SEM to Analyze Complex Survey Data: A Comparison between Design-Based Single-Level and Model-Based Multilevel Approaches

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wu, Jiun-Yu; Kwok, Oi-man

    2012-01-01

    Both ad-hoc robust sandwich standard error estimators (design-based approach) and multilevel analysis (model-based approach) are commonly used for analyzing complex survey data with nonindependent observations. Although these 2 approaches perform equally well on analyzing complex survey data with equal between- and within-level model structures…

  11. The New NGSS Classroom: A Curriculum Framework for Project-Based Science Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Holthuis, Nicole; Deutscher, Rebecca; Schultz, Susan E.; Jamshidi, Arash

    2018-01-01

    As schools work to implement the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), a team at Stanford University found that project-based learning is an effective framework for engaging students. The team used project-based learning, group activities, and performance-based assessments to design an effective, engaging curriculum. Over a three-year period,…

  12. Internal Medicine House Officers' Performance as Assessed by Experts and Standardized Patients.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Calhoun, Judith G.; And Others

    1987-01-01

    Three chronically ill patients were trained to evaluate the performance of 31 second-year internal medicine house officers based upon: a checklist for the medical data elicited during the medical interview; the process of the interview; and the physical examination technique. (Author/MLW)

  13. Evaluating the Environmental Performance of Wood-Based Biofuels

    Treesearch

    Bruce Lippke; Richard Bergman; Adam Taylor; Maureen E. Puettmann

    2012-01-01

    The nonprofit Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials (CORRIM) has been developing comprehensive environmental performance information on wood building materials consistent with life-cycle standards (http://www.corrim.org/). The articles published in this Special Issue of the Forest Products Journal extend the research by the...

  14. Performance Based Education. Technology Activity Modules.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Custer, Rodney L., Ed.

    These Technology Activity Modules are designed to serve as an implementation resource for technology education teachers as they integrate technology education with Missouri's Academic Performance Standards and provide a source of activities and activity ideas that can be used to integrate and reinforce learning across the curriculum. The modules…

  15. An automated LS(β)- NaI(Tl)(γ) coincidence system as absolute standard for radioactivity measurements.

    PubMed

    Joseph, Leena; Das, A P; Ravindra, Anuradha; Kulkarni, D B; Kulkarni, M S

    2018-07-01

    4πβ-γ coincidence method is a powerful and widely used method to determine the absolute activity concentration of radioactive solutions. A new automated liquid scintillator based coincidence system has been designed, developed, tested and established as absolute standard for radioactivity measurements. The automation is achieved using PLC (programmable logic controller) and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition). Radioactive solution of 60 Co was standardized to compare the performance of the automated system with proportional counter based absolute standard maintained in the laboratory. The activity concentrations determined using these two systems were in very good agreement; the new automated system can be used for absolute measurement of activity concentration of radioactive solutions. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  16. Is math anxiety in the secondary classroom limiting physics mastery? A study of math anxiety and physics performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mercer, Gary J.

    This quantitative study examined the relationship between secondary students with math anxiety and physics performance in an inquiry-based constructivist classroom. The Revised Math Anxiety Rating Scale was used to evaluate math anxiety levels. The results were then compared to the performance on a physics standardized final examination. A simple correlation was performed, followed by a multivariate regression analysis to examine effects based on gender and prior math background. The correlation showed statistical significance between math anxiety and physics performance. The regression analysis showed statistical significance for math anxiety, physics performance, and prior math background, but did not show statistical significance for math anxiety, physics performance, and gender.

  17. A suite of phantom-based test methods for assessing image quality of photoacoustic tomography systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vogt, William C.; Jia, Congxian; Wear, Keith A.; Garra, Brian S.; Pfefer, T. Joshua

    2017-03-01

    As Photoacoustic Tomography (PAT) matures and undergoes clinical translation, objective performance test methods are needed to facilitate device development, regulatory clearance and clinical quality assurance. For mature medical imaging modalities such as CT, MRI, and ultrasound, tissue-mimicking phantoms are frequently incorporated into consensus standards for performance testing. A well-validated set of phantom-based test methods is needed for evaluating performance characteristics of PAT systems. To this end, we have constructed phantoms using a custom tissue-mimicking material based on PVC plastisol with tunable, biologically-relevant optical and acoustic properties. Each phantom is designed to enable quantitative assessment of one or more image quality characteristics including 3D spatial resolution, spatial measurement accuracy, ultrasound/PAT co-registration, uniformity, penetration depth, geometric distortion, sensitivity, and linearity. Phantoms contained targets including high-intensity point source targets and dye-filled tubes. This suite of phantoms was used to measure the dependence of performance of a custom PAT system (equipped with four interchangeable linear array transducers of varying design) on design parameters (e.g., center frequency, bandwidth, element geometry). Phantoms also allowed comparison of image artifacts, including surface-generated clutter and bandlimited sensing artifacts. Results showed that transducer design parameters create strong variations in performance including a trade-off between resolution and penetration depth, which could be quantified with our method. This study demonstrates the utility of phantom-based image quality testing in device performance assessment, which may guide development of consensus standards for PAT systems.

  18. Applicability Evaluation of Job Standards for Diabetes Nutritional Management by Clinical Dietitian

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    This study was conducted to evaluate applicability of job standards for diabetes nutrition management by hospital clinical dietitians. In order to promote the clinical nutrition services, it is necessary to present job standards of clinical dietitian and to actively apply these standardized tasks to the medical institution sites. The job standard of clinical dietitians for diabetic nutrition management was distributed to hospitals over 300 beds. Questionnaire was collected from 96 clinical dietitians of 40 tertiary hospitals, 47 general hospitals, and 9 hospitals. Based on each 5-point scale, the importance of overall duty was 4.4 ± 0.5, performance was 3.6 ± 0.8, and difficulty was 3.1 ± 0.7. ‘Nutrition intervention’ was 4.5 ± 0.5 for task importance, ‘nutrition assessment’ was 4.0 ± 0.7 for performance, and ‘nutrition diagnosis’ was 3.4 ± 0.9 for difficulty. These 3 items were high in each category. Based on the grid diagram, the tasks of both high importance and high performance were ‘checking basic information,’ ‘checking medical history and therapy plan,’ ‘decision of nutritional needs,’ ‘supply of foods and nutrients,’ and ‘education of nutrition and self-management.’ The tasks with high importance but low performance were ‘derivation of nutrition diagnosis,’ ‘planning of nutrition intervention,’ ‘monitoring of nutrition intervention process.’ The tasks of both high importance and high difficulty were ‘derivation of nutrition diagnosis,’ ‘planning of nutrition intervention,’ ‘supply of foods and nutrients,’ ‘education of nutrition and self-management,’ and ‘monitoring of nutrition intervention process.’ The tasks of both high performance and high difficulty were ‘documentation of nutrition assessment,’ ‘supply of foods and nutrients,’ and ‘education of nutrition and self-management.’ PMID:28503506

  19. Polarization properties and microfacet-based modelling of white, grey and coloured matte diffuse reflection standards

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Quast, T.; Schirmacher, A.; Hauer, K.-O.; Koo, A.

    2018-02-01

    To elucidate the influence of polarization in diffuse reflectometry, we performed a series of measurements in several bidirectional geometries and determined the Stokes parameters of the diffusely reflected radiation. Different types of matte reflection standards were used, including several common white standards and ceramic colour standards. The dependence of the polarization on the sample type, wavelength and geometry have been studied systematically, the main influence factors have been identified: The effect is largest at large angles of incidence or detection and at wavelengths where the magnitude of the reflectance is small. The results for the colour standards have been modelled using a microfacet-based reflection theory which is derived from the well-known model of Torrance and Sparrow. Although the theory is very simple and only has three free parameters, the agreement with the measured data is very good, all essential features of the data can be reproduced by the model.

  20. Pharmacologic Therapy for Type 2 Diabetes: Synopsis of the 2017 American Diabetes Association Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes.

    PubMed

    Chamberlain, James J; Herman, William H; Leal, Sandra; Rhinehart, Andrew S; Shubrook, Jay H; Skolnik, Neil; Kalyani, Rita Rastogi

    2017-04-18

    The American Diabetes Association (ADA) annually updates the Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes to provide clinicians, patients, researchers, payers, and other interested parties with evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and management of patients with diabetes. For the 2017 Standards, the ADA Professional Practice Committee updated previous MEDLINE searches performed from 1 January 2016 to November 2016 to add, clarify, or revise recommendations based on new evidence. The committee rates the recommendations as A, B, or C, depending on the quality of evidence, or E for expert consensus or clinical experience. The Standards were reviewed and approved by the Executive Committee of the ADA Board of Directors, which includes health care professionals, scientists, and laypersons. Feedback from the larger clinical community informed revisions. This synopsis focuses on recommendations from the 2017 Standards about pharmacologic approaches to glycemic treatment of type 2 diabetes.

  1. Meta-Modeling-Based Groundwater Remediation Optimization under Flexibility in Environmental Standard.

    PubMed

    He, Li; Xu, Zongda; Fan, Xing; Li, Jing; Lu, Hongwei

    2017-05-01

      This study develops a meta-modeling based mathematical programming approach with flexibility in environmental standards. It integrates numerical simulation, meta-modeling analysis, and fuzzy programming within a general framework. A set of models between remediation strategies and remediation performance can well guarantee the mitigation in computational efforts in the simulation and optimization process. In order to prevent the occurrence of over-optimistic and pessimistic optimization strategies, a high satisfaction level resulting from the implementation of a flexible standard can indicate the degree to which the environmental standard is satisfied. The proposed approach is applied to a naphthalene-contaminated site in China. Results show that a longer remediation period corresponds to a lower total pumping rate and a stringent risk standard implies a high total pumping rate. The wells located near or in the down-gradient direction to the contaminant sources have the most significant efficiency among all of remediation schemes.

  2. Factor structure of a standards-based inventory of competencies in social work with groups.

    PubMed

    Macgowan, Mark J; Dillon, Frank R; Spadola, Christine E

    2018-01-01

    This study extends previous findings on a measure of competencies based on Standards for Social Work Practice with Groups. The Inventory of Competencies in Social Work with Groups (ICSWG) measures confidence in performing the Standards. This study examines the latent structure of the Inventory, while illuminating the underlying structure of the Standards. A multinational sample of 586 persons completed the ICSWG. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), reliability estimates, standard error of measurement estimates, and a range of validity tests were conducted. The EFA yielded a six-factor solution consisting of core values, mutuality/connectivity, collaboration, and three phases of group development (planning, beginnings/middles, endings). The alphas were .98 for the scale and ranged from .85 to .95 for the subscales. Correlations between the subscales and validators supported evidence of construct validity. The findings suggest key group work domains that should be taught and practiced in social work with groups.

  3. Detection of Subtle Cognitive Changes after mTBI Using a Novel Tablet-Based Task.

    PubMed

    Fischer, Tara D; Red, Stuart D; Chuang, Alice Z; Jones, Elizabeth B; McCarthy, James J; Patel, Saumil S; Sereno, Anne B

    2016-07-01

    This study examined the potential for novel tablet-based tasks, modeled after eye tracking techniques, to detect subtle sensorimotor and cognitive deficits after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Specifically, we examined whether performance on these tablet-based tasks (Pro-point and Anti-point) was able to correctly categorize concussed versus non-concussed participants, compared with performance on other standardized tests for concussion. Patients admitted to the emergency department with mTBI were tested on the Pro-point and Anti-point tasks, a current standard cognitive screening test (i.e., the Standard Assessment of Concussion [SAC]), and another eye movement-based tablet test, the King-Devick(®) (KD). Within hours after injury, mTBI patients showed significant slowing in response times, compared with both orthopedic and age-matched control groups, in the Pro-point task, demonstrating deficits in sensorimotor function. Mild TBI patients also showed significant slowing, compared with both control groups, on the Anti-point task, even when controlling for sensorimotor slowing, indicating deficits in cognitive function. Performance on the SAC test revealed similar deficits of cognitive function in the mTBI group, compared with the age-matched control group; however, the KD test showed no evidence of cognitive slowing in mTBI patients, compared with either control group. Further, measuring the sensitivity and specificity of these tasks to accurately predict mTBI with receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated that the Anti-point and Pro-point tasks reached excellent levels of accuracy and fared better than current standardized tools for assessment of concussion. Our findings suggest that these rapid tablet-based tasks are able to reliably detect and measure functional impairment in cognitive and sensorimotor control within hours after mTBI. These tasks may provide a more sensitive diagnostic measure for functional deficits that could prove key to earlier detection of concussion, evaluation of interventions, or even prediction of persistent symptoms.

  4. Detection of Subtle Cognitive Changes after mTBI Using a Novel Tablet-Based Task

    PubMed Central

    Red, Stuart D.; Chuang, Alice Z.; Jones, Elizabeth B.; McCarthy, James J.; Patel, Saumil S.; Sereno, Anne B.

    2016-01-01

    Abstract This study examined the potential for novel tablet-based tasks, modeled after eye tracking techniques, to detect subtle sensorimotor and cognitive deficits after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Specifically, we examined whether performance on these tablet-based tasks (Pro-point and Anti-point) was able to correctly categorize concussed versus non-concussed participants, compared with performance on other standardized tests for concussion. Patients admitted to the emergency department with mTBI were tested on the Pro-point and Anti-point tasks, a current standard cognitive screening test (i.e., the Standard Assessment of Concussion [SAC]), and another eye movement–based tablet test, the King-Devick® (KD). Within hours after injury, mTBI patients showed significant slowing in response times, compared with both orthopedic and age-matched control groups, in the Pro-point task, demonstrating deficits in sensorimotor function. Mild TBI patients also showed significant slowing, compared with both control groups, on the Anti-point task, even when controlling for sensorimotor slowing, indicating deficits in cognitive function. Performance on the SAC test revealed similar deficits of cognitive function in the mTBI group, compared with the age-matched control group; however, the KD test showed no evidence of cognitive slowing in mTBI patients, compared with either control group. Further, measuring the sensitivity and specificity of these tasks to accurately predict mTBI with receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated that the Anti-point and Pro-point tasks reached excellent levels of accuracy and fared better than current standardized tools for assessment of concussion. Our findings suggest that these rapid tablet-based tasks are able to reliably detect and measure functional impairment in cognitive and sensorimotor control within hours after mTBI. These tasks may provide a more sensitive diagnostic measure for functional deficits that could prove key to earlier detection of concussion, evaluation of interventions, or even prediction of persistent symptoms. PMID:26398492

  5. An Efficient Implementation of the Nwat-MMGBSA Method to Rescore Docking Results in Medium-Throughput Virtual Screenings

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maffucci, Irene; Hu, Xiao; Fumagalli, Valentina; Contini, Alessandro

    2018-03-01

    Nwat-MMGBSA is a variant of MM-PB/GBSA based on the inclusion of a number of explicit water molecules that are the closest to the ligand in each frame of a molecular dynamics trajectory. This method demonstrated improved correlations between calculated and experimental binding energies in both protein-protein interactions and ligand-receptor complexes, in comparison to the standard MM-GBSA. A protocol optimization, aimed to maximize efficacy and efficiency, is discussed here considering penicillopepsin, HIV1-protease, and BCL-XL as test cases. Calculations were performed in triplicates on both classic HPC environments and on standard workstations equipped by a GPU card, evidencing no statistical differences in the results. No relevant differences in correlation to experiments were also observed when performing Nwat-MMGBSA calculations on 4 ns or 1 ns long trajectories. A fully automatic workflow for structure-based virtual screening, performing from library set-up to docking and Nwat-MMGBSA rescoring, has then been developed. The protocol has been tested against no rescoring or standard MM-GBSA rescoring within a retrospective virtual screening of inhibitors of AmpC β-lactamase and of the Rac1-Tiam1 protein-protein interaction. In both cases, Nwat-MMGBSA rescoring provided a statistically significant increase in the ROC AUCs of between 20% and 30%, compared to docking scoring or to standard MM-GBSA rescoring.

  6. A randomized controlled trial comparing 2 interventions for visual field loss with standard occupational therapy during inpatient stroke rehabilitation.

    PubMed

    Mödden, Claudia; Behrens, Marion; Damke, Iris; Eilers, Norbert; Kastrup, Andreas; Hildebrandt, Helmut

    2012-06-01

    Compensatory and restorative treatments have been developed to improve visual field defects after stroke. However, no controlled trials have compared these interventions with standard occupational therapy (OT). A total of 45 stroke participants with visual field defect admitted for inpatient rehabilitation were randomized to restorative computerized training (RT) using computer-based stimulation of border areas of their visual field defects or to a computer-based compensatory therapy (CT) teaching a visual search strategy. OT, in which different compensation strategies were used to train for activities of daily living, served as standard treatment for the active control group. Each treatment group received 15 single sessions of 30 minutes distributed over 3 weeks. The primary outcome measures were visual field expansion for RT, visual search performance for CT, and reading performance for both treatments. Visual conjunction search, alertness, and the Barthel Index were secondary outcomes. Compared with OT, CT resulted in a better visual search performance, and RT did not result in a larger expansion of the visual field. Intragroup pre-post comparisons demonstrated that CT improved all defined outcome parameters and RT several, whereas OT only improved one. CT improved functional deficits after visual field loss compared with standard OT and may be the intervention of choice during inpatient rehabilitation. A larger trial that includes lesion location in the analysis is recommended.

  7. Numerical prediction of pollutant dispersion and transport in an atmospheric boundary layer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zeoli, Stéphanie; Bricteux, Laurent; Mech. Eng. Dpt. Team

    2014-11-01

    The ability to accurately predict concentration levels of air pollutant released from point sources is required in order to determine their environmental impact. A wall modeled large-eddy simulation (WMLES) of the ABL is performed using the OpenFoam based solver SOWFA (Churchfield and Lee, NREL). It uses Boussinesq approximation for buoyancy effects and takes into account Coriolis forces. A synthetic eddy method is proposed to properly model turbulence inlet velocity boundary conditions. This method will be compared with the standard pressure gradient forcing. WMLES are usually performed using a standard Smagorinsky model or its dynamic version. It is proposed here to investigate a subgrid scale (SGS) model with a better spectral behavior. To this end, a regularized variational multiscale (RVMs) model (Jeanmart and Winckelmans, 2007) is implemented together with standard wall function in order to preserve the dynamics of the large scales within the Ekman layer. The influence of the improved SGS model on the wind simulation and scalar transport will be discussed based on turbulence diagnostics.

  8. Cost-effectiveness of risk stratified followup after urethral reconstruction: a decision analysis.

    PubMed

    Belsante, Michael J; Zhao, Lee C; Hudak, Steven J; Lotan, Yair; Morey, Allen F

    2013-10-01

    We propose a novel risk stratified followup protocol for use after urethroplasty and explore potential cost savings. Decision analysis was performed comparing a symptom based, risk stratified protocol for patients undergoing excision and primary anastomosis urethroplasty vs a standard regimen of close followup for urethroplasty. Model assumptions included that excision and primary anastomosis has a 94% success rate, 11% of patients with successful urethroplasty had persistent lower urinary tract symptoms requiring cystoscopic evaluation, patients in whom treatment failed undergo urethrotomy and patients with recurrence on symptom based surveillance have a delayed diagnosis requiring suprapubic tube drainage. The Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2010 was queried to identify the number of urethroplasties performed per year in the United States. Costs were obtained based on Medicare reimbursement rates. The 5-year cost of a symptom based, risk stratified followup protocol is $430 per patient vs $2,827 per patient using standard close followup practice. An estimated 7,761 urethroplasties were performed in the United States in 2010. Assuming that 60% were excision and primary anastomosis, and with more than 5 years of followup, the risk stratified protocol was projected to yield an estimated savings of $11,165,130. Sensitivity analysis showed that the symptom based, risk stratified followup protocol was far more cost-effective than standard close followup in all settings. Less than 1% of patients would be expected to have an asymptomatic recurrence using the risk stratified followup protocol. A risk stratified, symptom based approach to urethroplasty followup would produce a significant reduction in health care costs while decreasing unnecessary followup visits, invasive testing and radiation exposure. Copyright © 2013 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Keeping granny safe on July 1: a consensus on minimum geriatrics competencies for graduating medical students.

    PubMed

    Leipzig, Rosanne M; Granville, Lisa; Simpson, Deborah; Anderson, M Brownell; Sauvigné, Karen; Soriano, Rainier P

    2009-05-01

    Competency-based education prepares trainees to perform tasks occurring within the context of practice. There are currently no geriatrics-specific, competency-based consensus performance standards for medical students.The authors present the results of a systematic, multimethod process to identify and define the minimum geriatrics-specific competencies needed by a new intern to adequately care for older adults. An alpha draft was crafted by geriatricians, identifying measurable performance subtasks associated with accepted standards of evidence-based geriatric care, patient safety, and "do no harm" within the first-year resident's expected scope of practice. The competencies were then assessed for content validity by key stakeholders and informants. Of the 315 respondents, 26% were geriatricians, 21% family physicians, 24% general internists, 6% neurology program directors, 14% surgery program directors, and 9% other. Twenty-four were decanal appointees. Faculty from almost half (44%) of U.S. medical schools and representatives of several major medical education organizations were present at the working conference.The final document consists of 26 competencies nested within eight content domains: Medication Management; Self-Care Capacity; Falls, Balance and Gait Disorders; Hospital Care for Elders; Cognitive and Behavioral Disorders; Atypical Presentation of Disease; Health Care Planning and Promotion; and Palliative Care.Setting minimum geriatric competency standards establishes the performance benchmarks for medical school graduates who as first-year residents will care for geriatric patients. Only half-facetiously, they are referred to as the "Don't Kill Granny" competencies. Achievement of these minimum competencies by medical students, grounded in evidence-based principles of quality care for older adults, will assure that, each year, older patients are in safer hands on July 1.

  10. Effluent Guidelines

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Effluent guidelines are national standards for wastewater discharges to surface waters and municipal sewage treatment plants. We issue the regulations for industrial categories based on the performance of treatment and control technologies.

  11. Forecasting SPEI and SPI Drought Indices Using the Integrated Artificial Neural Networks

    PubMed Central

    Maca, Petr; Pech, Pavel

    2016-01-01

    The presented paper compares forecast of drought indices based on two different models of artificial neural networks. The first model is based on feedforward multilayer perceptron, sANN, and the second one is the integrated neural network model, hANN. The analyzed drought indices are the standardized precipitation index (SPI) and the standardized precipitation evaporation index (SPEI) and were derived for the period of 1948–2002 on two US catchments. The meteorological and hydrological data were obtained from MOPEX experiment. The training of both neural network models was made by the adaptive version of differential evolution, JADE. The comparison of models was based on six model performance measures. The results of drought indices forecast, explained by the values of four model performance indices, show that the integrated neural network model was superior to the feedforward multilayer perceptron with one hidden layer of neurons. PMID:26880875

  12. Forecasting SPEI and SPI Drought Indices Using the Integrated Artificial Neural Networks.

    PubMed

    Maca, Petr; Pech, Pavel

    2016-01-01

    The presented paper compares forecast of drought indices based on two different models of artificial neural networks. The first model is based on feedforward multilayer perceptron, sANN, and the second one is the integrated neural network model, hANN. The analyzed drought indices are the standardized precipitation index (SPI) and the standardized precipitation evaporation index (SPEI) and were derived for the period of 1948-2002 on two US catchments. The meteorological and hydrological data were obtained from MOPEX experiment. The training of both neural network models was made by the adaptive version of differential evolution, JADE. The comparison of models was based on six model performance measures. The results of drought indices forecast, explained by the values of four model performance indices, show that the integrated neural network model was superior to the feedforward multilayer perceptron with one hidden layer of neurons.

  13. Exploiting salient semantic analysis for information retrieval

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luo, Jing; Meng, Bo; Quan, Changqin; Tu, Xinhui

    2016-11-01

    Recently, many Wikipedia-based methods have been proposed to improve the performance of different natural language processing (NLP) tasks, such as semantic relatedness computation, text classification and information retrieval. Among these methods, salient semantic analysis (SSA) has been proven to be an effective way to generate conceptual representation for words or documents. However, its feasibility and effectiveness in information retrieval is mostly unknown. In this paper, we study how to efficiently use SSA to improve the information retrieval performance, and propose a SSA-based retrieval method under the language model framework. First, SSA model is adopted to build conceptual representations for documents and queries. Then, these conceptual representations and the bag-of-words (BOW) representations can be used in combination to estimate the language models of queries and documents. The proposed method is evaluated on several standard text retrieval conference (TREC) collections. Experiment results on standard TREC collections show the proposed models consistently outperform the existing Wikipedia-based retrieval methods.

  14. Dataset variability leverages white-matter lesion segmentation performance with convolutional neural network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ravnik, Domen; Jerman, Tim; Pernuš, Franjo; Likar, Boštjan; Å piclin, Žiga

    2018-03-01

    Performance of a convolutional neural network (CNN) based white-matter lesion segmentation in magnetic resonance (MR) brain images was evaluated under various conditions involving different levels of image preprocessing and augmentation applied and different compositions of the training dataset. On images of sixty multiple sclerosis patients, half acquired on one and half on another scanner of different vendor, we first created a highly accurate multi-rater consensus based lesion segmentations, which were used in several experiments to evaluate the CNN segmentation result. First, the CNN was trained and tested without preprocessing the images and by using various combinations of preprocessing techniques, namely histogram-based intensity standardization, normalization by whitening, and train dataset augmentation by flipping the images across the midsagittal plane. Then, the CNN was trained and tested on images of the same, different or interleaved scanner datasets using a cross-validation approach. The results indicate that image preprocessing has little impact on performance in a same-scanner situation, while between-scanner performance benefits most from intensity standardization and normalization, but also further by incorporating heterogeneous multi-scanner datasets in the training phase. Under such conditions the between-scanner performance of the CNN approaches that of the ideal situation, when the CNN is trained and tested on the same scanner dataset.

  15. Influence of undergraduate nursing student teaching methods on learning standard precautions and transmission-based precautions: Experimental research.

    PubMed

    Kappes Ramirez, Maria Soledad

    2018-02-01

    An experimental study was performed with undergraduate nursing students in order to determine, between two methodologies, which is the best for learning standard precautions and precautions based on disease transmission mechanisms. Students in the sample are stratified by performance, with the experimental group (49 students) being exposed to self-instruction and clinical simulation on the topic of standard precautions and special precautions according to disease transmission mechanisms. Conventional classes on the same topics were provided to the control group (49 students). The experimental group showed the best performance in the multiple-choice post-test of knowledge (p=0.002) and in the assessment of essay questions (p=0.043), as well as in the evaluation of a simulated scenario, in relation to the control group. This study demonstrates that it is possible to transfer some teaching subjects on the prevention of Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs) to self-learning by means of virtual teaching strategies with good results. This allows greater efficiency in the allocation of teachers to clinical simulation or learning situations in the laboratory, where students can apply what they have learned in the self-instruction module. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Agribusiness Management. Competency Based Education Curriculum. Teacher's Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Long, Diana

    This publication is the Teacher's Guide for the competency based curriculum in agribusiness management for high school students in West Virginia. The purpose of the competency based education curriculum is to provide a set of West Virginia-validated agribusiness tasks, along with the steps needed to perform each task, the evaluation standards, and…

  17. A Systematic Guide for Planning or Improving Your Family Oriented Home-Based Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heffron, Mary Claire; Jonnson, Jerry C.

    Guidelines based on Project Head Start performance standards are offered for persons interested in starting and operating a home-based child development program providing individualized family services through home visits. Opening sections of the manual sensitize prospective service providers to problems and positive outcomes of home-based…

  18. Using activity-based monitoring systems to detect dairy cows in oestrus: a field evaluation.

    PubMed

    Dela Rue, B T; Kamphuis, C; Burke, C R; Jago, J G

    2014-03-01

    To assess the use and performance of activity-based oestrus detection systems (ODS) on two commercial dairy farms using a gold standard based on profiles of concentrations of progesterone in milk, artificial insemination (AI) records and pregnancy diagnosis results. Two activity-based ODS were evaluated in mature cows on two large pasture-grazed dairy farms (>500 cows) over the first 3 weeks of AI. Farm 1 (n=286 cows) used a leg-mounted device and cows were drafted automatically based on activity alerts. Decisions regarding AI were then made based on tail-paint and cow history for these cows. Farm 2 (n=345 cows) used a collar-mounted device and activity alerts were used in conjunction with other information, before the farmer manually selected cows for AI. The gold standard to define the timing of oestrus was based on profiles of concentrations of progesterone in milk measured twice-weekly, used in conjunction with AI records and pregnancy diagnosis results. Sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) were calculated for the activity-based ODS data only, and then for AI decisions, against the gold standard. Farm 1 had 195 confirmed oestrus events and 209 activity alerts were generated. The sensitivity of the activity-based ODS was 89.2% with a PPV of 83.3%. Using tail-paint and cow history to confirm activity-based alerts 175 cows were inseminated, resulting in a sensitivity of 89.2% and an improved PPV of 99.4%. Farm 2 had 343 confirmed oestrus events, and 726 alerts were generated by the activity-based ODS, giving a sensitivity of 69.7% with a PPV of 32.9%. A total of 386 cows had AI records, giving a sensitivity of 81.3% and PPV of 72.3%. The two activity-based ODS were used differently on-farm; one automatically selecting cows and the other supporting the manual selection of cows in oestrus. Only one achieved a performance level suggested to be acceptable as a stand-alone ODS. Use of additional tools, such as observation of tail paint to confirm activity-based oestrus alerts before AI, substantially improved the PPV. A well performing activity-based ODS can be a valuable tool in identifying cows in oestrus prior to visual confirmation of oestrus status. However the performance of these ODS technologies varies considerably.

  19. Robust tuning of robot control systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Minis, I.; Uebel, M.

    1992-01-01

    The computed torque control problem is examined for a robot arm with flexible, geared, joint drive systems which are typical in many industrial robots. The standard computed torque algorithm is not directly applicable to this class of manipulators because of the dynamics introduced by the joint drive system. The proposed approach to computed torque control combines a computed torque algorithm with torque controller at each joint. Three such control schemes are proposed. The first scheme uses the joint torque control system currently implemented on the robot arm and a novel form of the computed torque algorithm. The other two use the standard computed torque algorithm and a novel model following torque control system based on model following techniques. Standard tasks and performance indices are used to evaluate the performance of the controllers. Both numerical simulations and experiments are used in evaluation. The study shows that all three proposed systems lead to improved tracking performance over a conventional PD controller.

  20. Capturing the imagination of nurse executives in tracking the quality of nursing care.

    PubMed

    Kurtzman, Ellen T; Jennings, Bonnie M

    2008-01-01

    Nurses represent the single largest healthcare profession in the United States. A growing evidence base demonstrates nursing's direct influence on inpatient safety and healthcare outcomes. Support for nursing's essential role in quality and patient safety and mounting interest in publicly reporting performance results have led to efforts to standardized nursing-sensitive performance measures. To this end, in 2004, the National Quality Forum endorsed a set of 15 nursing-sensitive consensus standards intended for use by the public in assessing inpatient nursing care. However, until recently, only anecdotal knowledge existed regarding the implementation of these consensus standards. As a step toward better understanding the interest in and adoption of nursing performance measures, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded a study that concluded in March 2007. In this article, findings from the study are summarized as they apply to nursing leadership and implications for the future role of the nurse executive.

  1. Standardizing Flow Cytometry Immunophenotyping Analysis from the Human ImmunoPhenotyping Consortium

    PubMed Central

    Finak, Greg; Langweiler, Marc; Jaimes, Maria; Malek, Mehrnoush; Taghiyar, Jafar; Korin, Yael; Raddassi, Khadir; Devine, Lesley; Obermoser, Gerlinde; Pekalski, Marcin L.; Pontikos, Nikolas; Diaz, Alain; Heck, Susanne; Villanova, Federica; Terrazzini, Nadia; Kern, Florian; Qian, Yu; Stanton, Rick; Wang, Kui; Brandes, Aaron; Ramey, John; Aghaeepour, Nima; Mosmann, Tim; Scheuermann, Richard H.; Reed, Elaine; Palucka, Karolina; Pascual, Virginia; Blomberg, Bonnie B.; Nestle, Frank; Nussenblatt, Robert B.; Brinkman, Ryan Remy; Gottardo, Raphael; Maecker, Holden; McCoy, J Philip

    2016-01-01

    Standardization of immunophenotyping requires careful attention to reagents, sample handling, instrument setup, and data analysis, and is essential for successful cross-study and cross-center comparison of data. Experts developed five standardized, eight-color panels for identification of major immune cell subsets in peripheral blood. These were produced as pre-configured, lyophilized, reagents in 96-well plates. We present the results of a coordinated analysis of samples across nine laboratories using these panels with standardized operating procedures (SOPs). Manual gating was performed by each site and by a central site. Automated gating algorithms were developed and tested by the FlowCAP consortium. Centralized manual gating can reduce cross-center variability, and we sought to determine whether automated methods could streamline and standardize the analysis. Within-site variability was low in all experiments, but cross-site variability was lower when central analysis was performed in comparison with site-specific analysis. It was also lower for clearly defined cell subsets than those based on dim markers and for rare populations. Automated gating was able to match the performance of central manual analysis for all tested panels, exhibiting little to no bias and comparable variability. Standardized staining, data collection, and automated gating can increase power, reduce variability, and streamline analysis for immunophenotyping. PMID:26861911

  2. Deriving the 12-Lead Electrocardiogram From Four Standard Leads Based on the Frank Torso Model

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2001-10-25

    System The University of Aizu, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan Abstract – This paper proposes a lead method and a processing means for monitoring the 12...Performing Organization Name(s) and Address(es) The University of Aizu Graduate School of Information System Fukushima Prefecture, Japan Performing

  3. Relationships of Declining Test Scores and Grade Inflation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bellott, Fred K.

    The relationship between declining scores on national standardized tests and grade inflation is explored. Grade inflation refers to the indicated measure of evaluation of student performance having higher placement than is usual based on the performances. Data for this study were taken from the American College Testing (ACT) Program Class Profile…

  4. Teaching the Korean Folk Song ("Arirang") through Performing, Creating, and Responding

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yoo, Hyesoo; Kang, Sangmi

    2017-01-01

    This article introduces a pedagogical approach to teaching one of the renowned Korean folk songs ("Arirang") based on the comprehensive musicianship approach and the 2014 Music Standards (competencies in performing, creating, and responding to music). The authors provide in-depth information for music educators to help their students…

  5. Analytic and Heuristic Processing Influences on Adolescent Reasoning and Decision-Making.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Klaczynski, Paul A.

    2001-01-01

    Examined the relationship between age and the normative/descriptive gap--the discrepancy between actual reasoning and traditional standards for reasoning. Found that middle adolescents performed closer to normative ideals than early adolescents. Factor analyses suggested that performance was based on two processing systems, analytic and heuristic…

  6. 6 CFR 27.230 - Risk-based performance standards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... countersurveillance, frustration of opportunity to observe potential targets, surveillance and sensing systems, and..., including by preventing unauthorized onsite or remote access to critical process controls, such as...

  7. 6 CFR 27.230 - Risk-based performance standards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... countersurveillance, frustration of opportunity to observe potential targets, surveillance and sensing systems, and..., including by preventing unauthorized onsite or remote access to critical process controls, such as...

  8. 6 CFR 27.230 - Risk-based performance standards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... countersurveillance, frustration of opportunity to observe potential targets, surveillance and sensing systems, and..., including by preventing unauthorized onsite or remote access to critical process controls, such as...

  9. 6 CFR 27.230 - Risk-based performance standards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... countersurveillance, frustration of opportunity to observe potential targets, surveillance and sensing systems, and..., including by preventing unauthorized onsite or remote access to critical process controls, such as...

  10. 6 CFR 27.230 - Risk-based performance standards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... countersurveillance, frustration of opportunity to observe potential targets, surveillance and sensing systems, and..., including by preventing unauthorized onsite or remote access to critical process controls, such as...

  11. 7 CFR 250.24 - Distributing agency performance standards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... commodity assistance levels; (4) Ordering and allocating donated food based on participation data for those... directly into their warehouses; (2) Solicit information and recommendations regarding the individual...

  12. 7 CFR 250.24 - Distributing agency performance standards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... commodity assistance levels; (4) Ordering and allocating donated food based on participation data for those... directly into their warehouses; (2) Solicit information and recommendations regarding the individual...

  13. Performance of a radio link between a base station and a medical implant utilising the MICS standard.

    PubMed

    Johansson, Anders J

    2004-01-01

    Modern medical implants are of increasing complexity and with that, the need for fast and flexible communication with them grows. A wireless system is preferable and an inductive link is the most commonly used. But it has the drawback of a very short range, essentially limited to having the external transceiver touching the patient. The Medical Implant Communication System, MICS, is a standard aimed at improving the communication distance. It operates at a higher frequency band between 402 MHz and 405 MHz. We have by simulations and measurements investigated the channel properties of this band and calculated the link performance for a typical implant application. The result is a link speed between a base station and a bedridden patient of 600 kbit bits per second with a bit error rate of 2% in the downlink to the implant and 1 % in the uplink to the base station. Conclusions on the necessary complexity of the base station are also given.

  14. Bare-Bones Teaching-Learning-Based Optimization

    PubMed Central

    Zou, Feng; Wang, Lei; Hei, Xinhong; Chen, Debao; Jiang, Qiaoyong; Li, Hongye

    2014-01-01

    Teaching-learning-based optimization (TLBO) algorithm which simulates the teaching-learning process of the class room is one of the recently proposed swarm intelligent (SI) algorithms. In this paper, a new TLBO variant called bare-bones teaching-learning-based optimization (BBTLBO) is presented to solve the global optimization problems. In this method, each learner of teacher phase employs an interactive learning strategy, which is the hybridization of the learning strategy of teacher phase in the standard TLBO and Gaussian sampling learning based on neighborhood search, and each learner of learner phase employs the learning strategy of learner phase in the standard TLBO or the new neighborhood search strategy. To verify the performance of our approaches, 20 benchmark functions and two real-world problems are utilized. Conducted experiments can been observed that the BBTLBO performs significantly better than, or at least comparable to, TLBO and some existing bare-bones algorithms. The results indicate that the proposed algorithm is competitive to some other optimization algorithms. PMID:25013844

  15. Bare-bones teaching-learning-based optimization.

    PubMed

    Zou, Feng; Wang, Lei; Hei, Xinhong; Chen, Debao; Jiang, Qiaoyong; Li, Hongye

    2014-01-01

    Teaching-learning-based optimization (TLBO) algorithm which simulates the teaching-learning process of the class room is one of the recently proposed swarm intelligent (SI) algorithms. In this paper, a new TLBO variant called bare-bones teaching-learning-based optimization (BBTLBO) is presented to solve the global optimization problems. In this method, each learner of teacher phase employs an interactive learning strategy, which is the hybridization of the learning strategy of teacher phase in the standard TLBO and Gaussian sampling learning based on neighborhood search, and each learner of learner phase employs the learning strategy of learner phase in the standard TLBO or the new neighborhood search strategy. To verify the performance of our approaches, 20 benchmark functions and two real-world problems are utilized. Conducted experiments can been observed that the BBTLBO performs significantly better than, or at least comparable to, TLBO and some existing bare-bones algorithms. The results indicate that the proposed algorithm is competitive to some other optimization algorithms.

  16. A high-performance Hg(+) trapped ion frequency standard

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Prestage, J. D.; Tjoelker, R. L.; Dick, G. J.; Maleki, L.

    1992-01-01

    A high-performance frequency standard based on (199)Hg(+) ions confined in a hybrid radio frequency (RF)/dc linear ion trap is demonstrated. This trap permits storage of large numbers of ions with reduced susceptibility to the second-order Doppler effect caused by the RF confining fields. A 160-mHz-wide atomic resonance line for the 40.5-GHz clock transition is used to steer the output of a 5-mHz crystal oscillator to obtain a stability of 2 x 10(exp -15) for 24,000-second averaging times. Measurements with a 37-mHz line width for the Hg(+) clock transition demonstrate that the inherent stability for this frequency standard is better than 1 x 10(exp -15) at 10,000-second averaging times.

  17. Field testing energy-saving hermetic compressors in residential refrigerators

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

    Sauber, R.S.; Middleton, M.G.

    The design of an energy saving compressor for low back pressure applications is reviewed. Calorimeter performance results are stated for two sizes of the efficient design and compared with performance test results for a standard compressor. Power consumption of a refrigerator-freezer is given with a standard compressor and with the energy saving compressor. The preparation of the refrigerators used in the field test are discussed along with the criteria used in selecting the instrumentation for the project. Results of the energy saving compressor in the field test along with a comparison to a standard production compressor are presented. Some conclusionsmore » are drawn, based on the data, in relation to important factors in residential refrigerator power consumption.« less

  18. Setting performance standards for medical practice: a theoretical framework.

    PubMed

    Southgate, L; Hays, R B; Norcini, J; Mulholland, H; Ayers, B; Woolliscroft, J; Cusimano, M; McAvoy, P; Ainsworth, M; Haist, S; Campbell, M

    2001-05-01

    The assessment of performance in the real world of medical practice is now widely accepted as the goal of assessment at the postgraduate level. This is largely a validity issue, as it is recognised that tests of knowledge and in clinical simulations cannot on their own really measure how medical practitioners function in the broader health care system. However, the development of standards for performance-based assessment is not as well understood as in competency assessment, where simulations can more readily reflect narrower issues of knowledge and skills. This paper proposes a theoretical framework for the development of standards that reflect the more complex world in which experienced medical practitioners work. The paper reflects the combined experiences of a group of education researchers and the results of literature searches that included identifying current health system data sources that might contribute information to the measurement of standards. Standards that reflect the complexity of medical practice may best be developed through an "expert systems" analysis of clinical conditions for which desired health care outcomes reflect the contribution of several health professionals within a complex, three-dimensional, contextual model. Examples of the model are provided, but further work is needed to test validity and measurability.

  19. Quantum annealing of the traveling-salesman problem.

    PubMed

    Martonák, Roman; Santoro, Giuseppe E; Tosatti, Erio

    2004-11-01

    We propose a path-integral Monte Carlo quantum annealing scheme for the symmetric traveling-salesman problem, based on a highly constrained Ising-like representation, and we compare its performance against standard thermal simulated annealing. The Monte Carlo moves implemented are standard, and consist in restructuring a tour by exchanging two links (two-opt moves). The quantum annealing scheme, even with a drastically simple form of kinetic energy, appears definitely superior to the classical one, when tested on a 1002-city instance of the standard TSPLIB.

  20. A Meta-Analysis of Typhoid Diagnostic Accuracy Studies: A Recommendation to Adopt a Standardized Composite Reference

    PubMed Central

    Storey, Helen L.; Huang, Ying; Crudder, Chris; Golden, Allison; de los Santos, Tala; Hawkins, Kenneth

    2015-01-01

    Novel typhoid diagnostics currently under development have the potential to improve clinical care, surveillance, and the disease burden estimates that support vaccine introduction. Blood culture is most often used as the reference method to evaluate the accuracy of new typhoid tests; however, it is recognized to be an imperfect gold standard. If no single gold standard test exists, use of a composite reference standard (CRS) can improve estimation of diagnostic accuracy. Numerous studies have used a CRS to evaluate new typhoid diagnostics; however, there is no consensus on an appropriate CRS. In order to evaluate existing tests for use as a reference test or inclusion in a CRS, we performed a systematic review of the typhoid literature to include all index/reference test combinations observed. We described the landscape of comparisons performed, showed results of a meta-analysis on the accuracy of the more common combinations, and evaluated sources of variability based on study quality. This wide-ranging meta-analysis suggests that no single test has sufficiently good performance but some existing diagnostics may be useful as part of a CRS. Additionally, based on findings from the meta-analysis and a constructed numerical example demonstrating the use of CRS, we proposed necessary criteria and potential components of a typhoid CRS to guide future recommendations. Agreement and adoption by all investigators of a standardized CRS is requisite, and would improve comparison of new diagnostics across independent studies, leading to the identification of a better reference test and improved confidence in prevalence estimates. PMID:26566275

  1. Care of pediatric tracheostomy in the immediate postoperative period and timing of first tube change.

    PubMed

    Lippert, Dylan; Hoffman, Matthew R; Dang, Phat; McMurray, J Scott; Heatley, Diane; Kille, Tony

    2014-12-01

    To analyze the safety of a standardized pediatric tracheostomy care protocol in the immediate postoperative period and its impact on tracheostomy related complications. Retrospective case series. Pediatric patients undergoing tracheotomy from February 2010-February 2014. In 2012, a standardized protocol was established regarding postoperative pediatric tracheostomy care. This protocol included securing newly placed tracheostomy tubes using a foam strap with hook and loop fastener rather than twill ties, placing a fresh drain sponge around the tracheostomy tube daily, and performing the first tracheostomy tube change on postoperative day 3 or 4. Outcome measures included rate of skin breakdown and presence of a mature stoma allowing for a safe first tracheostomy tube change. Two types of tracheotomy were performed based on patient age: standard pediatric tracheotomy and adult-style tracheotomy with a Bjork flap. Patients were analyzed separately based on age and the type of tracheotomy performed. Thirty-seven patients in the pre-protocol group and 35 in the post-protocol group were analyzed. The rate of skin breakdown was significantly lower in the post-protocol group (standard: p=0.0048; Bjork flap: p=0.0003). In the post-protocol group, all tube changes were safely accomplished on postoperative day three or four, and the stomas were deemed to be adequately matured to do so in all cases. A standardized postoperative pediatric tracheostomy care protocol resulted in decreased rates of skin breakdown and demonstrated that pediatric tracheostomy tubes can be safely changed as early as 3 days postoperatively. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Investigation of the performance of EOTD for GSM users in telematics applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sharawi, Mohammad S.; Aloi, Daniel N.

    2003-08-01

    Location-based services have been standardized for incorporation into 3rd generation wireless communications as a result of the Federal Communications Commission"s (FCC) mandate on wireless carriers to provide automatic location information (ALI) during emergency911 calls. This mandate has driven the wireless carriers to explore terrestrial, satellite, and hybrid based location technology solutions. This paper presents a communications model that investigates the position accuracyof a Global Standard Mobile (GSM) phone employing the enhanced observed time difference (EOTD) location technology. The EOTD positioning technique requires the mobile station (MS) to detect signals from at least three base stations (BS). This studyassumes the three BSs are synchronized in time. For a given BS geometry with respect to the MS, a Monte Carlo simulation was performed to assess the two-dimensional position accuracyof the MS in Rayleigh and Ricean fading channels. In each channel, a Monte Carlo simulation was performed for a good and a bad BS-to-MS geometry. The paper concludes with a list of pros/cons of implementing EOTD as a location technologyenabler in telematics applications.

  3. Writing to the Common Core: Teachers' Responses to Changes in Standards and Assessments for Writing in Elementary Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilcox, Kristen Campbell; Jeffery, Jill V.; Gardner-Bixler, Andrea

    2016-01-01

    This multiple case study investigated how the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for writing and teacher evaluation system based in part on CCSS assessments might be influencing writing instruction in elementary schools. The sample included nine schools: Six achieved above-predicted performance on English Language Arts (ELA) as well as prior ELA…

  4. The Impact of New State Accountability Standards on Algebra I Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heath, Kyle G.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this quasi-experimental quantitative study was to determine if a new Algebra I curriculum resulted in improved student performance on the state Algebra I exam. The treatment group consisted of 383 9th grade Algebra I students who received the college-ready standards-based (CRSB) curricula. The control group consisted of 338 9th…

  5. 77 FR 22391 - Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions for New Stationary Sources: Electric...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-04-13

    ... dioxide (CO 2 ) for new affected fossil fuel-fired electric utility generating units (EGUs). The EPA is proposing these requirements because CO 2 is a greenhouse gas (GHG) and fossil fuel-fired power plants are... new fossil fuel-fired EGUs greater than 25 megawatt electric (MWe) to meet an output-based standard of...

  6. Review and Application of ASME NOG-1 and ASME NUM-1-2000

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lytle, Bradford P.; Delgado, H. (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    The intent of the workshop is to review the application of the ASME Nuclear Crane Standards ASME NOG-1 and ASME NUM-1-2000. The ASME Nuclear Crane standards provide a basis for purchasing overhead handling equipment with enhanced safety features, based upon accepted engineering principles, and including performance and environmental parameters specific to nuclear facilities.

  7. Computation of confined coflow jets with three turbulence models

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zhu, J.; Shih, T. H.

    1993-01-01

    A numerical study of confined jets in a cylindrical duct is carried out to examine the performance of two recently proposed turbulence models: an RNG-based K-epsilon model and a realizable Reynolds stress algebraic equation model. The former is of the same form as the standard K-epsilon model but has different model coefficients. The latter uses an explicit quadratic stress-strain relationship to model the turbulent stresses and is capable of ensuring the positivity of each turbulent normal stress. The flow considered involves recirculation with unfixed separation and reattachment points and severe adverse pressure gradients, thereby providing a valuable test of the predictive capability of the models for complex flows. Calculations are performed with a finite-volume procedure. Numerical credibility of the solutions is ensured by using second-order accurate differencing schemes and sufficiently fine grids. Calculations with the standard K-epsilon model are also made for comparison. Detailed comparisons with experiments show that the realizable Reynolds stress algebraic equation model consistently works better than does the standard K-epsilon model in capturing the essential flow features, while the RNG-based K-epsilon model does not seem to give improvements over the standard K-epsilon model under the flow conditions considered.

  8. Comparison of current practices of cardiopulmonary perfusion technology in Iran with American Society of Extracorporeal Technology's standards.

    PubMed

    Faravan, Amir; Mohammadi, Nooredin; Alizadeh Ghavidel, Alireza; Toutounchi, Mohammad Zia; Ghanbari, Ameneh; Mazloomi, Mehran

    2016-01-01

    Standards have a significant role in showing the minimum level of optimal optimum and the expected performance. Since the perfusion technology staffs play an the leading role in providing the quality services to the patients undergoing open heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass machine, this study aimed to assess the standards on how Iranian perfusion technology staffs evaluate and manage the patients during the cardiopulmonary bypass process and compare their practice with the recommended standards by American Society of Extracorporeal Technology. In this descriptive study, data was collected from 48 Iranian public hospitals and educational health centers through a researcher-created questionnaire. The data collection questionnaire assessed the standards which are recommended by American Society of Extracorporeal Technology. Findings showed that appropriate measurements were carried out by the perfusion technology staffs to prevent the hemodilution and avoid the blood transfusion and unnecessary blood products, determine the initial dose of heparin based on one of the proposed methods, monitor the anticoagulants based on ACT measurement, and determine the additional doses of heparin during the cardiopulmonary bypass based on ACT or protamine titration. It was done only in 4.2% of hospitals and health centers. Current practices of cardiopulmonary perfusion technology in Iran are inappropriate based on the standards of American Society of Cardiovascular Perfusion. This represents the necessity of authorities' attention to the validation programs and development of the caring standards on one hand and continuous assessment of using these standards on the other hand.

  9. Topics in atomic hydrogen standard research and applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Peters, H. E.

    1971-01-01

    Hydrogen maser based frequency and time standards have been in continuous use at NASA tracking stations since February 1970, while laboratory work at Goddard has continued in the further development and improvement of hydrogen masers. Concurrently, experimental work has been in progress with a new frequency standard based upon the hydrogen atom using the molecular beam magnetic resonance method. Much of the hydrogen maser technology is directly applicable to the new hydrogen beam standard, and calculations based upon realistic data indicate that the accuracy potential of the hydrogen atomic beam exceeds that of either the cesium beam tube or the hydrogen maser, possibly by several orders of magnitude. In addition, with successful development, the hydrogen beam standard will have several other performance advantages over other devices, particularly exceptional stability and long continuous operating life. Experimental work with a new laboratory hydrogen beam device has recently resulted in the first resonance transition curves, measurements of relative state populations, beam intensities, etc. The most important aspects of both the hydrogen maser and the hydrogen beam work are covered.

  10. Local alignment of two-base encoded DNA sequence

    PubMed Central

    Homer, Nils; Merriman, Barry; Nelson, Stanley F

    2009-01-01

    Background DNA sequence comparison is based on optimal local alignment of two sequences using a similarity score. However, some new DNA sequencing technologies do not directly measure the base sequence, but rather an encoded form, such as the two-base encoding considered here. In order to compare such data to a reference sequence, the data must be decoded into sequence. The decoding is deterministic, but the possibility of measurement errors requires searching among all possible error modes and resulting alignments to achieve an optimal balance of fewer errors versus greater sequence similarity. Results We present an extension of the standard dynamic programming method for local alignment, which simultaneously decodes the data and performs the alignment, maximizing a similarity score based on a weighted combination of errors and edits, and allowing an affine gap penalty. We also present simulations that demonstrate the performance characteristics of our two base encoded alignment method and contrast those with standard DNA sequence alignment under the same conditions. Conclusion The new local alignment algorithm for two-base encoded data has substantial power to properly detect and correct measurement errors while identifying underlying sequence variants, and facilitating genome re-sequencing efforts based on this form of sequence data. PMID:19508732

  11. Fluid-flow-rate metrology: laboratory uncertainties and traceabilities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mattingly, G. E.

    1991-03-01

    Increased concerns for improved fluid flowrate measurement are driving the fluid metering community-meter manufacturers and users alike-to search for better verification and documentation for their fluid measurements. These concerns affect both our domestic and international market places they permeate our technologies - aerospace chemical processes automotive bioengineering etc. They involve public health and safety and they impact our national defense. These concerns are based upon the rising value of fluid resources and products and the importance of critical material accountability. These values directly impact the accuracy needs of fluid buyers and sellers in custody transfers. These concerns impact the designers and operators of chemical process systems where control and productivity optimization depend critically upon measurement precision. Public health and safety depend upon the quality of numerous pollutant measurements - both liquid and gaseous. The performance testing of engines - both automotive and aircraft are critically based upon accurate fuel measurements - both liquid and oxidizer streams. Fluid flowrate measurements are established differently from counterparts in length and mass measurement systems because these have the benefits of " identity" standards. For rate measurement systems the metrology is based upon " derived standards" . These use facilities and transfer standards which are designed built characterized and used to constitute basic measurement capabilities and quantify performance - accuracy and precision. Because " identity standards" do not exist for flow measurements facsimiles or equivalents must

  12. Dual learning processes underlying human decision-making in reversal learning tasks: functional significance and evidence from the model fit to human behavior

    PubMed Central

    Bai, Yu; Katahira, Kentaro; Ohira, Hideki

    2014-01-01

    Humans are capable of correcting their actions based on actions performed in the past, and this ability enables them to adapt to a changing environment. The computational field of reinforcement learning (RL) has provided a powerful explanation for understanding such processes. Recently, the dual learning system, modeled as a hybrid model that incorporates value update based on reward-prediction error and learning rate modulation based on the surprise signal, has gained attention as a model for explaining various neural signals. However, the functional significance of the hybrid model has not been established. In the present study, we used computer simulation in a reversal learning task to address functional significance in a probabilistic reversal learning task. The hybrid model was found to perform better than the standard RL model in a large parameter setting. These results suggest that the hybrid model is more robust against the mistuning of parameters compared with the standard RL model when decision-makers continue to learn stimulus-reward contingencies, which can create abrupt changes. The parameter fitting results also indicated that the hybrid model fit better than the standard RL model for more than 50% of the participants, which suggests that the hybrid model has more explanatory power for the behavioral data than the standard RL model. PMID:25161635

  13. A toxin-free enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the analysis of aflatoxins based on a VHH surrogate standard.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yanru; Li, Peiwu; Zhang, Qi; Hu, Xiaofeng; Zhang, Wen

    2016-09-01

    A toxin-free enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for aflatoxins was developed using an anti-idiotype nanobody VHH 2-5 as surrogate standard. Anti-idiotype nanobody VHH 2-5 was generated by immunizing an alpaca with anti-aflatoxin monoclonal antibody 1C11. This assay was used to detect aflatoxins in agro-products after a simple extraction with 75 % methanol/H2O. Aflatoxin concentration was calculated by a two-step approach: the concentration of VHH 2-5 was first obtained by a four-parameter logistic regression from the detected absorbance value at 450 nm, and then converted to aflatoxin concentration by a linear equation. The assay exhibits a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.015 ng mL(-1), which is better than or comparable with conventional immunoassays. The performance of our VHH surrogate-based ELISA was further validated with a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for total aflatoxins determination in 20 naturally contaminated peanut samples, displaying a good correlation (R (2) = 0.988). In conclusion, the proposed assay represents a first example applying an anti-idiotype VHH antibody as a standard surrogate in ELISA. With the advantages of high stability and ease of production, the VHH antibody-based standard surrogate can be extended in the future to immunoassays for other highly toxic compounds. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

  14. Sustainable development induction in organizations: a convergence analysis of ISO standards management tools' parameters.

    PubMed

    Merlin, Fabrício Kurman; Pereira, Vera Lúciaduarte do Valle; Pacheco, Waldemar

    2012-01-01

    Organizations are part of an environment in which they are pressured to meet society's demands and acting in a sustainable way. In an attempt to meet such demands, organizations make use of various management tools, among which, ISO standards are used. Although there are evidences of contributions provided by these standards, it is questionable whether its parameters converge for a possible induction for sustainable development in organizations. This work presents a theoretical study, designed on structuralism world view, descriptive and deductive method, which aims to analyze the convergence of management tools' parameters in ISO standards. In order to support the analysis, a generic framework for possible convergence was developed, based on systems approach, linking five ISO standards (ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001, ISO 31000 and ISO 26000) with sustainable development and positioning them according to organization levels (strategic, tactical and operational). The structure was designed based on Brundtland report concept. The analysis was performed exploring the generic framework for possible convergence based on Nadler and Tushman model. The results found the standards can contribute to a possible sustainable development induction in organizations, as long as they meet certain minimum conditions related to its strategic alignment.

  15. A programmable quantum current standard from the Josephson and the quantum Hall effects

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

    Poirier, W., E-mail: wilfrid.poirier@lne.fr; Lafont, F.; Djordjevic, S.

    We propose a way to realize a programmable quantum current standard (PQCS) from the Josephson voltage standard and the quantum Hall resistance standard (QHR) exploiting the multiple connection technique provided by the quantum Hall effect (QHE) and the exactness of the cryogenic current comparator. The PQCS could lead to breakthroughs in electrical metrology like the realization of a programmable quantum current source, a quantum ampere-meter, and a simplified closure of the quantum metrological triangle. Moreover, very accurate universality tests of the QHE could be performed by comparing PQCS based on different QHRs.

  16. Inquiring with Geoscience Datasets: Instruction and Assessment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zalles, D.; Quellmalz, E.; Gobert, J.

    2005-12-01

    This session will describe a new NSF-funded project in Geoscience education, Inquiring with Geoscience Data Sets. The goals of the project are to (1) Study the impacts on student learning of Web-based supplementary curriculum modules that engage secondary-level students in inquiry projects addressing important geoscience problems using an Earth System Science approach. Students will use technologies to access real data sets in the geosciences and to interpret, analyze, and communicate findings based on the data sets. The standards addressed will include geoscience concepts, inquiry abilities in NSES and Benchmarks for Science Literacy, data literacy, NCTM standards, and 21st-century skills and technology proficiencies (NETTS/ISTE). (2) Develop design principles, specification templates, and prototype exemplars for technology-based performance assessments that provide evidence of students' geoscientific knowledge and inquiry skills (including data literacy skills) and students' ability to access, use, analyze, and interpret technology-based geoscience data sets. (3) Develop scenarios based on the specification templates that describe curriculum modules and performance assessments that could be developed for other Earth Science standards and curriculum programs. Also to be described in the session are the project's efforts to differentiate among the dimensions of data literacy and scientific inquiry that are relevant for the geoscience discplines, and how recognition and awareness of the differences can be effectively channelled for the betterment of geoscience education.

  17. Payment models to support population health management.

    PubMed

    Huerta, Timothy R; Hefner, Jennifer L; McAlearney, Ann Scheck

    2014-01-01

    To survey the policy-driven financial controls currently being used to drive physician change in the care of populations. This paper offers a review of current health care payment models and discusses the impact of each on the potential success of PHM initiatives. We present the benefits of a multi-part model, combining visit-based fee-for-service reimbursement with a monthly "care coordination payment" and a performance-based payment system. A multi-part model removes volume-based incentives and promotes efficiency. However, it is predicated on a pay-for-performance framework that requires standardized measurement. Application of this model is limited due to the current lack of standardized measurement of quality goals that are linked to payment incentives. Financial models dictated by health system payers are inextricably linked to the organization and management of health care. There is a need for better measurements and realistic targets as part of a comprehensive system of measurement assessment that focuses on practice redesign, with the goal of standardizing measurement of the structure and process of redesign. Payment reform is a necessary component of an accurate measure of the associations between practice transformation and outcomes important to both patients and society.

  18. Conception of a test bench to generate known and controlled conditions of refrigerant mass flow.

    PubMed

    Martins, Erick F; Flesch, Carlos A; Flesch, Rodolfo C C; Borges, Maikon R

    2011-07-01

    Refrigerant compressor performance tests play an important role in the evaluation of the energy characteristics of the compressor, enabling an increase in the quality, reliability, and efficiency of these products. Due to the nonexistence of a refrigerating capacity standard, it is common to use previously conditioned compressors for the intercomparison and evaluation of the temporal drift of compressor performance test panels. However, there are some limitations regarding the use of these specific compressors as standards. This study proposes the development of a refrigerating capacity standard which consists of a mass flow meter and a variable-capacity compressor, whose speed is set based on the mass flow rate measured by the meter. From the results obtained in the tests carried out on a bench specifically developed for this purpose, it was possible to validate the concept of a capacity standard. Copyright © 2011 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Orthopaedic surgery in natural disaster and conflict settings: how can quality care be ensured?

    PubMed

    Alvarado, Oscar; Trelles, Miguel; Tayler-Smith, Katie; Joseph, Holdine; Gesline, Rodné; Wilna, Thélusma Eli; Mohammad Omar, Mohammad Karim; Faiz Mohammad, Niaz Mohammad; Muhima Mastaki, John; Chingumwa Buhu, Richard; Caluwaerts, An; Dominguez, Lynette

    2015-10-01

    Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) is one of the main providers of orthopaedic surgery in natural disaster and conflict settings and strictly imposes a minimum set of context-specific standards before any surgery can be performed. Based on MSF's experience of performing orthopaedic surgery in a number of such settings, we describe: (a) whether it was possible to implement the minimum standards for one of the more rigorous orthopaedic procedures--internal fixation--and when possible, the time frame, (b) the volume and type of interventions performed and (c) the intra-operative mortality rates and postoperative infection rates. We conducted a retrospective review of routine programme data collected between 2007 and 2014 from three MSF emergency surgical interventions in Haiti (following the 2010 earthquake) and three ongoing MSF projects in Kunduz (Afghanistan), Masisi (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Tabarre (Haiti). The minimum standards for internal fixation were achieved in one emergency intervention site in Haiti, and in Kunduz and Tabarre, taking up to 18 months to implement in Kunduz. All sites achieved the minimum standards to perform amputations, reductions and external fixations, with a total of 9,409 orthopaedic procedures performed during the study period. Intraoperative mortality rates ranged from 0.6 to 1.9 % and postoperative infection rates from 2.4 to 3.5 %. In settings affected by natural disaster or conflict, a high volume and wide repertoire of orthopaedic surgical procedures can be performed with good outcomes when minimum standards are in place. More demanding procedures like internal fixation may not always be feasible.

  20. Development of the private practice management standards for psychology.

    PubMed

    Mathews, Rebecca; Stokes, David; Littlefield, Lyn; Collins, Leah

    2011-01-01

    This paper describes the process of developing a set of private practice management standards to support Australian psychologists and promote high quality services to the public. A review of the literature was conducted to identify management standards relevant to psychology, which were further developed in consultation with a panel of experts in psychology or in the development of standards. Forty-three psychologists in independent private practice took part in either a survey (n=22) to provide feedback on the relevance of, and their compliance with, the identified standards, or a 6-month pilot study (n=21) in which a web-based self-assessment instrument evaluating the final set of standards and performance indicators was implemented in their practice to investigate self-reported change in management procedures. The pilot study demonstrated good outcomes for practitioners when evaluation of compliance to the standards was operationalized in a self-assessment format. Study results are based on a small sample size. Nevertheless, relevance and utility of the standards was found providing an initial version of management standards that have relevance to the practice of psychology in Australia, along with a system for evaluating psychological service provision to ensure best practice in service delivery. © 2010 National Association for Healthcare Quality.

  1. Behavioral Health and Performance Laboratory Standard Measures (BHP-SM)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Williams, Thomas J.; Cromwell, Ronita

    2017-01-01

    The Spaceflight Standard Measures is a NASA Johnson Space Center Human Research Project (HRP) project that proposes to collect a set of core measurements, representative of many of the human spaceflight risks, from astronauts before, during and after long-duration International Space Station (ISS) missions. The term "standard measures" is defined as a set of core measurements, including physiological, biochemical, psychosocial, cognitive, and functional, that are reliable, valid, and accepted in terrestrial science, are associated with a specific and measurable outcome known to occur as a consequence of spaceflight, that will be collected in a standardized fashion from all (or most) crewmembers. While such measures might be used to define standards of health and performance or readiness for flight, the prime intent in their collection is to allow longitudinal analysis of multiple parameters in order to answer a variety of operational, occupational, and research-based questions. These questions are generally at a high level, and the approach for this project is to populate the standard measures database with the smallest set of data necessary to indicate further detailed research is required. Also included as standard measures are parameters that are not outcome-based in and of-themselves, but provide ancillary information that supports interpretation of the outcome measures, e.g., nutritional assessment, vehicle environmental parameters, crew debriefs, etc. The project's main aim is to ensure that an optimized minimal set of measures is consistently captured from all ISS crewmembers until the end of Station in order to characterize the human in space. -This allows the HRP to identify, establish, and evaluate a common set of measures for use in spaceflight and analog research to: develop baselines, systematically characterize risk likelihood and consequences, and assess effectiveness of countermeasures that work for behavioral health and performance risk factors. -By standardizing the battery of measures on all crewmembers, it will allow the HRP to evaluate countermeasures that work for one physiological system and ensure another system is not negatively affected. -These measures, named "Standard Measures," will serve as a data repository and be available to other studies under data sharing agreements.

  2. Microfabricated Atomic Clocks at NIST

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2004-12-01

    J. A. Kusters and C. A. Adams, 1999, “Performance requirements of communication base station time standards,” RF Design, 22, pp. 28-38. R. Lutwak ...QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ROBERT LUTWAK (Symmetricom

  3. Improved lossless intra coding for H.264/MPEG-4 AVC.

    PubMed

    Lee, Yung-Lyul; Han, Ki-Hun; Sullivan, Gary J

    2006-09-01

    A new lossless intra coding method based on sample-by-sample differential pulse code modulation (DPCM) is presented as an enhancement of the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC standard. The H.264/AVC design includes a multidirectional spatial prediction method to reduce spatial redundancy by using neighboring samples as a prediction for the samples in a block of data to be encoded. In the new lossless intra coding method, the spatial prediction is performed based on samplewise DPCM instead of in the block-based manner used in the current H.264/AVC standard, while the block structure is retained for the residual difference entropy coding process. We show that the new method, based on samplewise DPCM, does not have a major complexity penalty, despite its apparent pipeline dependencies. Experiments show that the new lossless intra coding method reduces the bit rate by approximately 12% in comparison with the lossless intra coding method previously included in the H.264/AVC standard. As a result, the new method is currently being adopted into the H.264/AVC standard in a new enhancement project.

  4. Bivariate random-effects meta-analysis models for diagnostic test accuracy studies using arcsine-based transformations.

    PubMed

    Negeri, Zelalem F; Shaikh, Mateen; Beyene, Joseph

    2018-05-11

    Diagnostic or screening tests are widely used in medical fields to classify patients according to their disease status. Several statistical models for meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy studies have been developed to synthesize test sensitivity and specificity of a diagnostic test of interest. Because of the correlation between test sensitivity and specificity, modeling the two measures using a bivariate model is recommended. In this paper, we extend the current standard bivariate linear mixed model (LMM) by proposing two variance-stabilizing transformations: the arcsine square root and the Freeman-Tukey double arcsine transformation. We compared the performance of the proposed methods with the standard method through simulations using several performance measures. The simulation results showed that our proposed methods performed better than the standard LMM in terms of bias, root mean square error, and coverage probability in most of the scenarios, even when data were generated assuming the standard LMM. We also illustrated the methods using two real data sets. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. WE-G-BRD-07: Automated MR Image Standardization and Auto-Contouring Strategy for MRI-Based Adaptive Brachytherapy for Cervix Cancer

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

    Saleh, H Al; Erickson, B; Paulson, E

    Purpose: MRI-based adaptive brachytherapy (ABT) is an emerging treatment modality for patients with gynecological tumors. However, MR image intensity non-uniformities (IINU) can vary from fraction to fraction, complicating image interpretation and auto-contouring accuracy. We demonstrate here an automated MR image standardization and auto-contouring strategy for MRI-based ABT of cervix cancer. Methods: MR image standardization consisted of: 1) IINU correction using the MNI N3 algorithm, 2) noise filtering using anisotropic diffusion, and 3) signal intensity normalization using the volumetric median. This post-processing chain was implemented as a series of custom Matlab and Java extensions in MIM (v6.4.5, MIM Software) and wasmore » applied to 3D T2 SPACE images of six patients undergoing MRI-based ABT at 3T. Coefficients of variation (CV=σ/µ) were calculated for both original and standardized images and compared using Mann-Whitney tests. Patient-specific cumulative MR atlases of bladder, rectum, and sigmoid contours were constructed throughout ABT, using original and standardized MR images from all previous ABT fractions. Auto-contouring was performed in MIM two ways: 1) best-match of one atlas image to the daily MR image, 2) multi-match of all previous fraction atlas images to the daily MR image. Dice’s Similarity Coefficients (DSCs) were calculated for auto-generated contours relative to reference contours for both original and standardized MR images and compared using Mann-Whitney tests. Results: Significant improvements in CV were detected following MR image standardization (p=0.0043), demonstrating an improvement in MR image uniformity. DSCs consistently increased for auto-contoured bladder, rectum, and sigmoid following MR image standardization, with the highest DSCs detected when the combination of MR image standardization and multi-match cumulative atlas-based auto-contouring was utilized. Conclusion: MR image standardization significantly improves MR image uniformity. The combination of MR image standardization and multi-match cumulative atlas-based auto-contouring produced the highest DSCs and is a promising strategy for MRI-based ABT for cervix cancer.« less

  6. The Future of Classification in Wheelchair Sports; Can Data Science and Technological Advancement Offer an Alternative Point of View?

    PubMed

    van der Slikke, Rienk M A; Bregman, Daan J J; Berger, Monique A M; de Witte, Annemarie M H; Veeger, Dirk-Jan H E J

    2017-11-01

    Classification is a defining factor for competition in wheelchair sports, but it is a delicate and time-consuming process with often questionable validity. 1 New inertial sensor based measurement methods applied in match play and field tests, allow for more precise and objective estimates of the impairment effect on wheelchair mobility performance. It was evaluated if these measures could offer an alternative point of view for classification. Six standard wheelchair mobility performance outcomes of different classification groups were measured in match play (n=29), as well as best possible performance in a field test (n=47). In match-results a clear relationship between classification and performance level is shown, with increased performance outcomes in each adjacent higher classification group. Three outcomes differed significantly between the low and mid-class groups, and one between the mid and high-class groups. In best performance (field test), a split between the low and mid-class groups shows (5 out of 6 outcomes differed significantly) but hardly any difference between the mid and high-class groups. This observed split was confirmed by cluster analysis, revealing the existence of only two performance based clusters. The use of inertial sensor technology to get objective measures of wheelchair mobility performance, combined with a standardized field-test, brought alternative views for evidence based classification. The results of this approach provided arguments for a reduced number of classes in wheelchair basketball. Future use of inertial sensors in match play and in field testing could enhance evaluation of classification guidelines as well as individual athlete performance.

  7. Business and Industry Project-Based Capstone Courses: A Reflection on the Performance of Student Teams

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maleki, Reza A.

    2009-01-01

    This is the second of two articles in which the author shares experiences gained from the development and delivery of a business/industry project-based capstone course. The course integrates research, proposal development and design experience based on knowledge and skills acquired in earlier coursework. It also incorporates standards and…

  8. A Systematic Review of the Amount of Water per Person per Day Needed to Prevent Morbidity and Mortality in (Post-)Disaster Settings

    PubMed Central

    De Buck, Emmy; Borra, Vere; De Weerdt, Elfi; Vande Veegaete, Axel; Vandekerckhove, Philippe

    2015-01-01

    Background In order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of humanitarian efforts, minimum standards for humanitarian assistance and key indicators, showing whether a standard has been attained, have been developed. However, many of these standards and indicators are based on a consensus on best practices and experiences in humanitarian response, because relevant evidence on the impact of humanitarian interventions is often lacking. Objectives One important example of a standard in humanitarian aid in a disaster setting is “water quantity.” The accompanying indicator states how many litres of water are needed per person per day in a disaster setting. It was our objective to determine the evidence base behind this indicator, in order to improve health outcomes such as morbidity (e.g., diarrhoea) and mortality. Methods A systematic review was performed searching The Cochrane Library, Medline and Embase. We included studies performed during disasters and in refugee camps that reported a specific water amount and health-related outcomes related to water shortages, including diarrhoea, cholera, and mortality. We used GRADE to determine the quality of evidence. Results Out of 3,630 articles, 111 references relevant to our question were selected. Based on our selection criteria, we finally retained 6 observational studies, including 1 study that was performed during the disaster and 5 studies in a post-disaster phase. From two studies there is conclusive evidence on the relationship between the amount of water received and diarrhoea or mortality rates in refugee camps. However, overall, these studies do not contain enough data with relevance to a specific amount of water, and the level of evidence is very low. Conclusions More primary research on water amounts in a disaster setting is necessary, so that the humanitarian sector can further professionalise its water-related standards, indicators and interventions. PMID:25961720

  9. Community-Wide Zero Energy Ready Home Standard

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

    Herk, A.; Beggs, T.

    This report outlines the steps a developer can use when looking to create and implement higher performance standards such as the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) standards in a community. The report also describes the specific examples of how this process was followed by a developer, Forest City, in the Stapleton community in Denver, Colorado. IBACOS described the steps used to begin to bring the DOE ZERH standard to the Forest City Stapleton community based on 15 years of community-scale development work done by IBACOS. As a result of this prior IBACOS work, the teammore » gained an understanding of the various components that a master developer needs to consider and created strategies for incorporating those components in the initial phases of development to achieve higher performance buildings in the community. An automated scoring system can be used to perform an internal audit that provides a detailed and consistent evaluation of how several homes under construction or builders' floor plans compare with the requirements of the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home program. This audit can be performed multiple times at specific milestones during construction to allow the builder to make changes as needed throughout construction for the project to meet Zero Energy Ready Home standards. This scoring system also can be used to analyze a builder's current construction practices and design.« less

  10. Automated Detection of Glaucoma From Topographic Features of the Optic Nerve Head in Color Fundus Photographs.

    PubMed

    Chakrabarty, Lipi; Joshi, Gopal Datt; Chakravarty, Arunava; Raman, Ganesh V; Krishnadas, S R; Sivaswamy, Jayanthi

    2016-07-01

    To describe and evaluate the performance of an automated CAD system for detection of glaucoma from color fundus photographs. Color fundus photographs of 2252 eyes from 1126 subjects were collected from 2 centers: Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai and Coimbatore, India. The images of 1926 eyes (963 subjects) were used to train an automated image analysis-based system, which was developed to provide a decision on a given fundus image. A total of 163 subjects were clinically examined by 2 ophthalmologists independently and their diagnostic decisions were recorded. The consensus decision was defined to be the clinical reference (gold standard). Fundus images of eyes with disagreement in diagnosis were excluded from the study. The fundus images of the remaining 314 eyes (157 subjects) were presented to 4 graders and their diagnostic decisions on the same were collected. The performance of the system was evaluated on the 314 images, using the reference standard. The sensitivity and specificity of the system and 4 independent graders were determined against the clinical reference standard. The system achieved an area under receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.792 with a sensitivity of 0.716 and specificity of 0.717 at a selected threshold for the detection of glaucoma. The agreement with the clinical reference standard as determined by Cohen κ is 0.45 for the proposed system. This is comparable to that of the image-based decisions of 4 ophthalmologists. An automated system was presented for glaucoma detection from color fundus photographs. The overall evaluation results indicated that the presented system was comparable in performance to glaucoma classification by a manual grader solely based on fundus image examination.

  11. Cache-based error recovery for shared memory multiprocessor systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wu, Kun-Lung; Fuchs, W. Kent; Patel, Janak H.

    1989-01-01

    A multiprocessor cache-based checkpointing and recovery scheme for of recovering from transient processor errors in a shared-memory multiprocessor with private caches is presented. New implementation techniques that use checkpoint identifiers and recovery stacks to reduce performance degradation in processor utilization during normal execution are examined. This cache-based checkpointing technique prevents rollback propagation, provides for rapid recovery, and can be integrated into standard cache coherence protocols. An analytical model is used to estimate the relative performance of the scheme during normal execution. Extensions that take error latency into account are presented.

  12. A General Small-Scale Reactor To Enable Standardization and Acceleration of Photocatalytic Reactions.

    PubMed

    Le, Chi Chip; Wismer, Michael K; Shi, Zhi-Cai; Zhang, Rui; Conway, Donald V; Li, Guoqing; Vachal, Petr; Davies, Ian W; MacMillan, David W C

    2017-06-28

    Photocatalysis for organic synthesis has experienced an exponential growth in the past 10 years. However, the variety of experimental procedures that have been reported to perform photon-based catalyst excitation has hampered the establishment of general protocols to convert visible light into chemical energy. To address this issue, we have designed an integrated photoreactor for enhanced photon capture and catalyst excitation. Moreover, the evaluation of this new reactor in eight photocatalytic transformations that are widely employed in medicinal chemistry settings has confirmed significant performance advantages of this optimized design while enabling a standardized protocol.

  13. Heat Transfer Enhancement by Finned Heat Sinks with Micro-structured Roughness

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ventola, L.; Chiavazzo, E.; Calignano, F.; Manfredi, D.; Asinari, P.

    2014-04-01

    We investigated the benefits of micro-structured roughness on heat transfer performance of heat sinks, cooled by forced air. Heat sinks in aluminum alloy by direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) manufacturing technique were fabricated; values of the average surface roughness Ra from 1 to 25 microns (standard milling leads to roughness around 1 micron) under turbulent regimes (Reynolds number based on heating edge from 3000 to 17000) have been explored. An enhancement of 50% in thermal performances with regards to standard manufacturing was observed. This may open the way for huge boost in the technology of electronic cooling by DMLS.

  14. Multidisciplinary life cycle metrics and tools for green buildings.

    PubMed

    Helgeson, Jennifer F; Lippiatt, Barbara C

    2009-07-01

    Building sector stakeholders need compelling metrics, tools, data, and case studies to support major investments in sustainable technologies. Proponents of green building widely claim that buildings integrating sustainable technologies are cost effective, but often these claims are based on incomplete, anecdotal evidence that is difficult to reproduce and defend. The claims suffer from 2 main weaknesses: 1) buildings on which claims are based are not necessarily "green" in a science-based, life cycle assessment (LCA) sense and 2) measures of cost effectiveness often are not based on standard methods for measuring economic worth. Yet, the building industry demands compelling metrics to justify sustainable building designs. The problem is hard to solve because, until now, neither methods nor robust data supporting defensible business cases were available. The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Building and Fire Research Laboratory is beginning to address these needs by developing metrics and tools for assessing the life cycle economic and environmental performance of buildings. Economic performance is measured with the use of standard life cycle costing methods. Environmental performance is measured by LCA methods that assess the "carbon footprint" of buildings, as well as 11 other sustainability metrics, including fossil fuel depletion, smog formation, water use, habitat alteration, indoor air quality, and effects on human health. Carbon efficiency ratios and other eco-efficiency metrics are established to yield science-based measures of the relative worth, or "business cases," for green buildings. Here, the approach is illustrated through a realistic building case study focused on different heating, ventilation, air conditioning technology energy efficiency. Additionally, the evolution of the Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability multidisciplinary team and future plans in this area are described.

  15. Factors Influencing Performance of Internet-Based Biosurveillance Systems Used in Epidemic Intelligence for Early Detection of Infectious Diseases Outbreaks

    PubMed Central

    Barboza, Philippe; Vaillant, Laetitia; Le Strat, Yann; Hartley, David M.; Nelson, Noele P.; Mawudeku, Abla; Madoff, Lawrence C.; Linge, Jens P.; Collier, Nigel; Brownstein, John S.; Astagneau, Pascal

    2014-01-01

    Background Internet-based biosurveillance systems have been developed to detect health threats using information available on the Internet, but system performance has not been assessed relative to end-user needs and perspectives. Method and Findings Infectious disease events from the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS) weekly international epidemiological bulletin published in 2010 were used to construct the gold-standard official dataset. Data from six biosurveillance systems were used to detect raw signals (infectious disease events from informal Internet sources): Argus, BioCaster, GPHIN, HealthMap, MedISys and ProMED-mail. Crude detection rates (C-DR), crude sensitivity rates (C-Se) and intrinsic sensitivity rates (I-Se) were calculated from multivariable regressions to evaluate the systems’ performance (events detected compared to the gold-standard) 472 raw signals (Internet disease reports) related to the 86 events included in the gold-standard data set were retrieved from the six systems. 84 events were detected before their publication in the gold-standard. The type of sources utilised by the systems varied significantly (p<0001). I-Se varied significantly from 43% to 71% (p = 0001) whereas other indicators were similar (C-DR: p = 020; C-Se, p = 013). I-Se was significantly associated with individual systems, types of system, languages, regions of occurrence, and types of infectious disease. Conversely, no statistical difference of C-DR was observed after adjustment for other variables. Conclusion Although differences could result from a biosurveillance system's conceptual design, findings suggest that the combined expertise amongst systems enhances early detection performance for detection of infectious diseases. While all systems showed similar early detection performance, systems including human moderation were found to have a 53% higher I-Se (p = 00001) after adjustment for other variables. Overall, the use of moderation, sources, languages, regions of occurrence, and types of cases were found to influence system performance. PMID:24599062

  16. Factors influencing performance of internet-based biosurveillance systems used in epidemic intelligence for early detection of infectious diseases outbreaks.

    PubMed

    Barboza, Philippe; Vaillant, Laetitia; Le Strat, Yann; Hartley, David M; Nelson, Noele P; Mawudeku, Abla; Madoff, Lawrence C; Linge, Jens P; Collier, Nigel; Brownstein, John S; Astagneau, Pascal

    2014-01-01

    Internet-based biosurveillance systems have been developed to detect health threats using information available on the Internet, but system performance has not been assessed relative to end-user needs and perspectives. Infectious disease events from the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS) weekly international epidemiological bulletin published in 2010 were used to construct the gold-standard official dataset. Data from six biosurveillance systems were used to detect raw signals (infectious disease events from informal Internet sources): Argus, BioCaster, GPHIN, HealthMap, MedISys and ProMED-mail. Crude detection rates (C-DR), crude sensitivity rates (C-Se) and intrinsic sensitivity rates (I-Se) were calculated from multivariable regressions to evaluate the systems' performance (events detected compared to the gold-standard) 472 raw signals (Internet disease reports) related to the 86 events included in the gold-standard data set were retrieved from the six systems. 84 events were detected before their publication in the gold-standard. The type of sources utilised by the systems varied significantly (p<0001). I-Se varied significantly from 43% to 71% (p=0001) whereas other indicators were similar (C-DR: p=020; C-Se, p=013). I-Se was significantly associated with individual systems, types of system, languages, regions of occurrence, and types of infectious disease. Conversely, no statistical difference of C-DR was observed after adjustment for other variables. Although differences could result from a biosurveillance system's conceptual design, findings suggest that the combined expertise amongst systems enhances early detection performance for detection of infectious diseases. While all systems showed similar early detection performance, systems including human moderation were found to have a 53% higher I-Se (p=00001) after adjustment for other variables. Overall, the use of moderation, sources, languages, regions of occurrence, and types of cases were found to influence system performance.

  17. funcLAB/G-service-oriented architecture for standards-based analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging in HealthGrids.

    PubMed

    Erberich, Stephan G; Bhandekar, Manasee; Chervenak, Ann; Kesselman, Carl; Nelson, Marvin D

    2007-01-01

    Functional MRI is successfully being used in clinical and research applications including preoperative planning, language mapping, and outcome monitoring. However, clinical use of fMRI is less widespread due to its complexity of imaging, image workflow, post-processing, and lack of algorithmic standards hindering result comparability. As a consequence, wide-spread adoption of fMRI as clinical tool is low contributing to the uncertainty of community physicians how to integrate fMRI into practice. In addition, training of physicians with fMRI is in its infancy and requires clinical and technical understanding. Therefore, many institutions which perform fMRI have a team of basic researchers and physicians to perform fMRI as a routine imaging tool. In order to provide fMRI as an advanced diagnostic tool to the benefit of a larger patient population, image acquisition and image post-processing must be streamlined, standardized, and available at any institution which does not have these resources available. Here we describe a software architecture, the functional imaging laboratory (funcLAB/G), which addresses (i) standardized image processing using Statistical Parametric Mapping and (ii) its extension to secure sharing and availability for the community using standards-based Grid technology (Globus Toolkit). funcLAB/G carries the potential to overcome the limitations of fMRI in clinical use and thus makes standardized fMRI available to the broader healthcare enterprise utilizing the Internet and HealthGrid Web Services technology.

  18. Cross-Media Electronic Reporting Rule

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Cross-Media Electronic Reporting Regulation (CROMERR) sets performance-based, technology-neutral standards for systems that states, tribes, and local governments use to receive electronic reports from facilities they regulate under EPA-authorized programs.

  19. Highlights of Conference on Using Student Test Scores to Measure Teacher Performance: The State of the Art in Research and Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guarino, Cassandra; Reckase, Mark D.; Wooldridge, Jeffrey M.

    2013-01-01

    The push for accountability in public schooling has extended to the measurement of teacher performance, accelerated by federal efforts through Race to the Top. Currently, a large number of states and districts across the country are computing measures of teacher performance based on the standardized test scores of their students and using them to…

  20. Findings and Preliminary Recommendations from the Michigan State and Indiana University Research Study of Value-Added Models to Evaluate Teacher Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guarino, Cassandra M.

    2013-01-01

    The push for accountability in public schooling has extended to the measurement of teacher performance, accelerated by federal efforts through Race to the Top. Currently, a large number of states and districts across the country are computing measures of teacher performance based on the standardized test scores of their students and using them in…

  1. Analysis of Competencies, Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment as Indicators of Job Performance: A Conceptual Framework

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Khan, Asad; Masrek, Mohamad Noorman; Nadzar, Fuziah Mohamad

    2015-01-01

    Like other disciplines, organizational and technological innovations have influenced the standard philosophies of librarianship. These innovations have changed the basics of information retrieval and delivery in libraries. As a result, library authorities are demanding competency-based job performance. Nonetheless, there is a scarcity of research…

  2. Interdisciplinary Connections and Academic Performance in Psychology-English Learning Communities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grose-Fifer, Jillian; Helmer, Kimberly A.; Zottoli, Tina M.

    2014-01-01

    We investigated whether students in psychology-based learning communities (LCs; i.e., cohorts who took introductory psychology and English together) performed better on psychology tests than those in standard classes. There were two types of LC; in one (connected LC), we created links between English and psychology by using English class readings…

  3. "Being In" and "Feeling Seen" in Professional Development as New Teachers: The Ontological Layer(ing) of Professional Development Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bills, Andrew M.; Giles, David; Rogers, Bev

    2016-01-01

    Dominant discourses on professional development for teachers internationally are increasingly geared to the priority of ensuring individual teachers are meeting prescribed standards-based performance benchmarks which we call "performativities" in this paper. While this intent is invariably played out in individualised performance…

  4. A Cross-Sectional Evaluation of Student Achievement Using Standardized and Performance-Based Tests

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pinter, Brad; Matchock, Robert L.; Charles, Eric P.; Balch, William R.

    2014-01-01

    Three groups of undergraduates (42 senior graduating psychology majors, 27 first-year premajors taking introductory psychology, and 24 first-year, high-performing nonmajors taking introductory psychology) completed the Psychology Major Field Test (MFT) and a short-answer (SA) essay test on reasoning about core knowledge in psychology. Graduating…

  5. Reflectivity and Teaching Performance of Novice Teachers: Three Years of Investigation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pultorak, Edward; Barnes, Debbie

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this 3-year investigation was to determine if a relationship exists between teacher reflectivity and the classroom performance of novice teachers when final evaluations are aligned with national standards. This study included 98 novice teachers enrolled in their final field-based teaching experience. Participants reflected over two…

  6. 7 CFR 3560.308 - Annual financial reports.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... performance standards established in paragraph (c) of this section. Borrowers may use a CPA to prepare this..., once every two or three years. (3) If a third party requires it, the borrower may have a CPA prepare an... submit annual financial reports based on an engagement performed by a CPA must meet the following...

  7. 7 CFR 3560.308 - Annual financial reports.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... performance standards established in paragraph (c) of this section. Borrowers may use a CPA to prepare this..., once every two or three years. (3) If a third party requires it, the borrower may have a CPA prepare an... submit annual financial reports based on an engagement performed by a CPA must meet the following...

  8. 7 CFR 3560.308 - Annual financial reports.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... performance standards established in paragraph (c) of this section. Borrowers may use a CPA to prepare this..., once every two or three years. (3) If a third party requires it, the borrower may have a CPA prepare an... submit annual financial reports based on an engagement performed by a CPA must meet the following...

  9. 7 CFR 3560.308 - Annual financial reports.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... performance standards established in paragraph (c) of this section. Borrowers may use a CPA to prepare this..., once every two or three years. (3) If a third party requires it, the borrower may have a CPA prepare an... submit annual financial reports based on an engagement performed by a CPA must meet the following...

  10. 7 CFR 3560.308 - Annual financial reports.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... performance standards established in paragraph (c) of this section. Borrowers may use a CPA to prepare this..., once every two or three years. (3) If a third party requires it, the borrower may have a CPA prepare an... submit annual financial reports based on an engagement performed by a CPA must meet the following...

  11. A ground truth based comparative study on clustering of gene expression data.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Yitan; Wang, Zuyi; Miller, David J; Clarke, Robert; Xuan, Jianhua; Hoffman, Eric P; Wang, Yue

    2008-05-01

    Given the variety of available clustering methods for gene expression data analysis, it is important to develop an appropriate and rigorous validation scheme to assess the performance and limitations of the most widely used clustering algorithms. In this paper, we present a ground truth based comparative study on the functionality, accuracy, and stability of five data clustering methods, namely hierarchical clustering, K-means clustering, self-organizing maps, standard finite normal mixture fitting, and a caBIG toolkit (VIsual Statistical Data Analyzer--VISDA), tested on sample clustering of seven published microarray gene expression datasets and one synthetic dataset. We examined the performance of these algorithms in both data-sufficient and data-insufficient cases using quantitative performance measures, including cluster number detection accuracy and mean and standard deviation of partition accuracy. The experimental results showed that VISDA, an interactive coarse-to-fine maximum likelihood fitting algorithm, is a solid performer on most of the datasets, while K-means clustering and self-organizing maps optimized by the mean squared compactness criterion generally produce more stable solutions than the other methods.

  12. Air Pollution Potential from Electroplating Operations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Diamond, Philip

    Measurements were made of emission rates from electroplating operations considered to have maximum air pollution potential. Sampling was performed at McClellan and additional data from a previous survey at Hill Air Force Base was used. Values obtained were extremely low. Based on existing Federal standards, no collectors are specifically required…

  13. 75 FR 52507 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-08-26

    ... standards designed to ensure that all catch delivered to the processor is accurately weighed and accounted... NMFS for catcher/processors and motherships is based on the vessel meeting a series of design criteria. Because of the wide variations in factory layout for inshore processors, NMFS requires a performance-based...

  14. An MPI-1 Compliant Thread-Based Implementation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Díaz Martín, J. C.; Rico Gallego, J. A.; Álvarez Llorente, J. M.; Perogil Duque, J. F.

    This work presents AzequiaMPI, the first full compliant implementation of the MPI-1 standard where the MPI node is a thread. Performance comparisons with MPICH2-Nemesis show that thread-based implementations exploit adequately the multicore architectures under oversubscription, what could make MPI competitive with OpenMP-like solutions.

  15. A Paradigm Shift toward Evidence-Based Clinical Practice: Developing a Performance Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wentworth, Nancy; Erickson, Lynnette B.; Lawrence, Barbara; Popham, J. Aaron; Korth, Byran

    2009-01-01

    The Clinical Practice Assessment System (CPAS), developed in response to teacher preparation program accreditation requirements, represents a paradigm shift of one university toward data-based decision-making in teacher education programs. The new assessment system is a scale aligned with INTASC Standards, which allows for observation and…

  16. 50 CFR 648.230 - Catch quotas and other restrictions.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... measures. Based on this review, the Spiny Dogfish Monitoring Committee shall recommend to the Joint Spiny... be set within the range of zero to the maximum allowed. The measures that may be recommended include...) Trip limits; (5) Changes to the Northeast Region SBRM, including the CV-based performance standard...

  17. Competency based training in robotic surgery: benchmark scores for virtual reality robotic simulation.

    PubMed

    Raison, Nicholas; Ahmed, Kamran; Fossati, Nicola; Buffi, Nicolò; Mottrie, Alexandre; Dasgupta, Prokar; Van Der Poel, Henk

    2017-05-01

    To develop benchmark scores of competency for use within a competency based virtual reality (VR) robotic training curriculum. This longitudinal, observational study analysed results from nine European Association of Urology hands-on-training courses in VR simulation. In all, 223 participants ranging from novice to expert robotic surgeons completed 1565 exercises. Competency was set at 75% of the mean expert score. Benchmark scores for all general performance metrics generated by the simulator were calculated. Assessment exercises were selected by expert consensus and through learning-curve analysis. Three basic skill and two advanced skill exercises were identified. Benchmark scores based on expert performance offered viable targets for novice and intermediate trainees in robotic surgery. Novice participants met the competency standards for most basic skill exercises; however, advanced exercises were significantly more challenging. Intermediate participants performed better across the seven metrics but still did not achieve the benchmark standard in the more difficult exercises. Benchmark scores derived from expert performances offer relevant and challenging scores for trainees to achieve during VR simulation training. Objective feedback allows both participants and trainers to monitor educational progress and ensures that training remains effective. Furthermore, the well-defined goals set through benchmarking offer clear targets for trainees and enable training to move to a more efficient competency based curriculum. © 2016 The Authors BJU International © 2016 BJU International Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. Prototype development and implementation of picture archiving and communications systems based on ISO-OSI standard

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martinez, Ralph; Nam, Jiseung

    1992-07-01

    Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) is an integration of digital image formation in a hospital, which encompasses various imaging equipment, image viewing workstations, image databases, and a high speed network. The integration requires a standardization of communication protocols to connect devices from different vendors. The American College of Radiology and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (ACR- NEMA) standard Version 2.0 provides a point-to-point hardware interface, a set of software commands, and a consistent set of data formats for PACS. But, it is inadequate for PACS networking environments, because of its point-to-point nature and its inflexibility to allow other services and protocols in the future. Based on previous experience of PACS developments in The University of Arizona, a new communication protocol for PACS networks and an approach were proposed to ACR-NEMA Working Group VI. The defined PACS protocol is intended to facilitate the development of PACS''s capable of interfacing with other hospital information systems. Also, it is intended to allow the creation of diagnostic information data bases which can be interrogated by a variety of distributed devices. A particularly important goal is to support communications in a multivendor environment. The new protocol specifications are defined primarily as a combination of the International Organization for Standardization/Open Systems Interconnection (ISO/OSI), TCP/IP protocols, and the data format portion of ACR-NEMA standard. This paper addresses the specification and implementation of the ISO-based protocol into a PACS prototype. The protocol specification, which covers Presentation, Session, Transport, and Network layers, is summarized briefly. The protocol implementation is discussed based on our implementation efforts in the UNIX Operating System Environment. At the same time, results of performance comparison between the ISO and TCP/IP implementations are presented to demonstrate the implementation of defined protocol. The testing of performance analysis is done by prototyping PACS on available platforms, which are Micro VAX II, DECstation and SUN Workstation.

  19. Defense Logistics Standard Systems Functional Requirements.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1987-03-01

    Artificial Intelligence - the development of a machine capability to perform functions normally concerned with human intelligence, such as learning , adapting...Basic Data Base Machine Configurations .... ......... D- 18 xx ~ ?f~~~vX PART I: MODELS - DEFENSE LOGISTICS STANDARD SYSTEMS FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS...On-line, Interactive Access. Integrating user input and machine output in a dynamic, real-time, give-and- take process is considered the optimum mode

  20. Army Contracting: Training and Guidance Needed to Ensure Appropriate Use of the Option to Extend Services Clause

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-01-28

    reproduce this material separately. The Government Accountability Office, the audit , evaluation, and investigative arm of...Executive Director Army Contracting Command-Redstone Arsenal Army Contracting: Training and Guidance Needed to Ensure Appropriate Use of the Option to...which this report is based in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the

  1. Integrating Common Core and Character Education: Why it is Essential and How It Can Be Done

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fink, Kristin; Geller, Karen

    2016-01-01

    As the United States has struggled to answer the question of what education for the 21st century must look like, most states have now responded by signing onto the Common Core Standards. Drawn from lessons learned from a generation of standards-based education and research on what high-performing countries do to enable young people to prosper, it…

  2. ACCESS: integration and pre-flight performance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kaiser, Mary Elizabeth; Morris, Matthew J.; Aldoroty, Lauren N.; Pelton, Russell; Kurucz, Robert; Peacock, Grant O.; Hansen, Jason; McCandliss, Stephan R.; Rauscher, Bernard J.; Kimble, Randy A.; Kruk, Jeffrey W.; Wright, Edward L.; Orndorff, Joseph D.; Feldman, Paul D.; Moos, H. Warren; Riess, Adam G.; Gardner, Jonathan P.; Bohlin, Ralph; Deustua, Susana E.; Dixon, W. V.; Sahnow, David J.; Perlmutter, Saul

    2017-09-01

    Establishing improved spectrophotometric standards is important for a broad range of missions and is relevant to many astrophysical problems. ACCESS, "Absolute Color Calibration Experiment for Standard Stars", is a series of rocket-borne sub-orbital missions and ground-based experiments designed to enable improvements in the precision of the astrophysical flux scale through the transfer of absolute laboratory detector standards from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to a network of stellar standards with a calibration accuracy of 1% and a spectral resolving power of 500 across the 0.35 - 1.7μm bandpass. This paper describes the sub-system testing, payload integration, avionics operations, and data transfer for the ACCESS instrument.

  3. [Multifactorial method for assessing the physical work capacity of mice].

    PubMed

    Dubovik, B V; Bogomazov, S D

    1987-01-01

    Based on the swimming test according to Kiplinger, in experiments on (CBA X C57BL)F1 mice there were elaborated criteria for animal performance evaluation in the process of repeated swimming of a standard distance thus measuring power, volume of work and rate of the fatigue development in relative units. From the study of effects of sydnocarb, bemethyl and phenazepam on various parameters of physical performance of mice a conclusion was made that the proposed method provides a more informative evaluation of the pharmacological effect on physical performance of animals as compared to the methods based on the record of time of performing the load.

  4. Comparing observed and predicted mortality among ICUs using different prognostic systems: why do performance assessments differ?

    PubMed

    Kramer, Andrew A; Higgins, Thomas L; Zimmerman, Jack E

    2015-02-01

    To compare ICU performance using standardized mortality ratios generated by the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa and a National Quality Forum-endorsed methodology and examine potential reasons for model-based standardized mortality ratio differences. Retrospective analysis of day 1 hospital mortality predictions at the ICU level using Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa and National Quality Forum models on the same patient cohort. Forty-seven ICUs at 36 U.S. hospitals from January 2008 to May 2013. Eighty-nine thousand three hundred fifty-three consecutive unselected ICU admissions. None. We assessed standardized mortality ratios for each ICU using data for patients eligible for Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa and National Quality Forum predictions in order to compare unit-level model performance, differences in ICU rankings, and how case-mix adjustment might explain standardized mortality ratio differences. Hospital mortality was 11.5%. Overall standardized mortality ratio was 0.89 using Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa and 1.07 using National Quality Forum, the latter having a widely dispersed and multimodal standardized mortality ratio distribution. Model exclusion criteria eliminated mortality predictions for 10.6% of patients for Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa and 27.9% for National Quality Forum. The two models agreed on the significance and direction of standardized mortality ratio only 45% of the time. Four ICUs had standardized mortality ratios significantly less than 1.0 using Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa, but significantly greater than 1.0 using National Quality Forum. Two ICUs had standardized mortality ratios exceeding 1.75 using National Quality Forum, but nonsignificant performance using Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa. Stratification by patient and institutional characteristics indicated that units caring for more severely ill patients and those with a higher percentage of patients on mechanical ventilation had the most discordant standardized mortality ratios between the two predictive models. Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation IVa and National Quality Forum models yield different ICU performance assessments due to differences in case-mix adjustment. Given the growing role of outcomes in driving prospective payment patient referral and public reporting, performance should be assessed by models with fewer exclusions, superior accuracy, and better case-mix adjustment.

  5. Levofloxacin-Based First-Line Therapy versus Standard First-Line Therapy for Helicobacter pylori Eradication: Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

    PubMed Central

    Peedikayil, Musthafa Chalikandy; AlSohaibani, Fahad Ibrahim; Alkhenizan, Abdullah Hamad

    2014-01-01

    Background First-line levofloxacin-based treatments eradicate Helicobacter pylori with varying success. We examined the efficacy and safety of first-line levofloxacin-based treatment in comparison to standard first-line therapy for H pylori eradication. Materials and Methods We searched literature databases from Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Register of Randomized Controlled Trials through March 2013 for randomized controlled trials comparing first-line levofloxacin and standard therapy. We included randomized controlled trials conducted only on naïve H pylori infected patients in adults. A systematic review was conducted. Meta-analysis was performed with Review Manager 5.2. Treatment effect was determined by relative risk with a random or fixed model by the Mantel-Haenszel method. Results Seven trials were identified with 888 patients receiving 7 days of first-line levofloxacin and 894 treated with standard therapy (Amoxicillin, Clarithromycin and proton pump inhibitor) for 7 days. The overall crude eradication rate in the Levofloxacin group was 79.05% versus 81.4% in the standard group (risk ratio 0.97; 95% CI; 0.93, 1.02). The overall dropout was 46 (5.2%) in the levofloxacin group and 52 (5.8%) for standard therapy. The dizziness was more common among group who took Levofloxacin based treatment and taste disturbance was more common among group who took standard therapy. Meta-analysis of overall adverse events were similar between the two groups with a relative risk of 1.06 (95% CI 0.72, 1.57). Conclusion Helicobacter pylori eradication with 7 days of Levofloxacin-based first line therapy was safe and equal compared to 7 days of standard first-line therapy. PMID:24465624

  6. Evaluation of Blood Glucose Monitoring System in Screening for Neonatal Hypoglycemia: Tighter Accuracy Standard.

    PubMed

    Tsao, Mei-Fen; Chang, Hui-Wen; Chang, Chien-Hsi; Cheng, Chi-Hsuan; Lin, Hsiu-Chen

    2017-05-01

    Neonatal hypoglycemia may cause severe neurological damages; therefore, tight glycemic control is crucial to identify neonate at risk. Previous blood glucose monitoring system (BGMS) failed to perform well in neonates; there are calls for the tightening of accuracy requirements. It remains a need for accurate BGMS for effective bedside diabetes management in neonatal care within a hospital population. A total of 300 neonates were recruited from local hospitals. Accuracy performance of a commercially available BGMS was evaluated against reference instrument in screening for neonatal hypoglycemia, and assessment was made based on the ISO15197:2013 and a tighter standard. At blood glucose level < 47 mg/dl, BGMS assessed met the minimal accuracy requirement of ISO 15197:2013 and tighter standard at 100% and 97.2%, respectively.

  7. [Assessment comparison between area sampling and personal sampling noise measurement in new thermal power plant].

    PubMed

    Zhang, Hua; Chen, Qing-song; Li, Nan; Hua, Yan; Zeng, Lin; Xu, Guo-yang; Tao, Li-yuan; Zhao, Yi-ming

    2013-05-01

    To compare the results of noise hazard evaluations based on area sampling and personal sampling in a new thermal power plant and to analyze the similarities and differences between the two measurement methods. According to Measurement of Physical agents in Workplace Part 8: Noise(GBZff 189.8-2007), area sampling was performed at various operating points for noise measurement, and meanwhile the workers under different types of work wore noise dosimeters for personal noise exposure measurement. The two measurement methods were used to evaluate the level of noise hazards in the enterprise according to the corresponding occupational health standards, and the evaluation results were compared. Area sampling was performed at 99 operating points, the mean noise level was 88.9 ± 11.1 dB (A)(range, 51.3-107.0 dB (A)), with an over-standard rate of 75.8%. Personal sampling was performed (73 person times),and the mean noise level was 79.3 ± 6.3 dB (A), with an over-standard rate of 6.6% ( 16/241 ). There was a statistically significant difference in the over-standard rate between the evaluation results of the two measurement methods ( x2=53.869, ?<0.001 ). Because of the characteristics of the work in new thermal power plants, the noise hazard evaluation based on area sampling cannot be used instead of personal noise exposure measurement among workers. Personal sampling should be used in the noise measurement in new thermal power plant.

  8. SNPmplexViewer--toward a cost-effective traceability system

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Beef traceability has become mandatory in many regions of the world and is typically achieved through the use of unique numerical codes on ear tags and animal passports. DNA-based traceability uses the animal's own DNA code to identify it and the products derived from it. Using SNaPshot, a primer-extension-based method, a multiplex of 25 SNPs in a single reaction has been practiced for reducing the expense of genotyping a panel of SNPs useful for identity control. Findings To further decrease SNaPshot's cost, we introduced the Perl script SNPmplexViewer, which facilitates the analysis of trace files for reactions performed without the use of fluorescent size standards. SNPmplexViewer automatically aligns reference and target trace electropherograms, run with and without fluorescent size standards, respectively. SNPmplexViewer produces a modified target trace file containing a normalised trace in which the reference size standards are embedded. SNPmplexViewer also outputs aligned images of the two electropherograms together with a difference profile. Conclusions Modified trace files generated by SNPmplexViewer enable genotyping of SnaPshot reactions performed without fluorescent size standards, using common fragment-sizing software packages. SNPmplexViewer's normalised output may also improve the genotyping software's performance. Thus, SNPmplexViewer is a general free tool enabling the reduction of SNaPshot's cost as well as the fast viewing and comparing of trace electropherograms for fragment analysis. SNPmplexViewer is available at http://cowry.agri.huji.ac.il/cgi-bin/SNPmplexViewer.cgi. PMID:21600063

  9. A relative navigation sensor for CubeSats based on LED fiducial markers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sansone, Francesco; Branz, Francesco; Francesconi, Alessandro

    2018-05-01

    Small satellite platforms are becoming very appealing both for scientific and commercial applications, thanks to their low cost, short development times and availability of standard components and subsystems. The main disadvantage with such vehicles is the limitation of available resources to perform mission tasks. To overcome this drawback, mission concepts are under study that foresee cooperation between autonomous small satellites to accomplish complex tasks; among these, on-orbit servicing and on-orbit assembly of large structures are of particular interest and the global scientific community is putting a significant effort in the miniaturization of critical technologies that are required for such innovative mission scenarios. In this work, the development and the laboratory testing of an accurate relative navigation package for nanosatellites compliant to the CubeSat standard is presented. The system features a small camera and two sets of LED fiducial markers, and is conceived as a standard package that allows small spacecraft to perform mutual tracking during rendezvous and docking maneuvers. The hardware is based on off-the-shelf components assembled in a compact configuration that is compatible with the CubeSat standard. The image processing and pose estimation software was custom developed. The experimental evaluation of the system allowed to determine both the static and dynamic performances. The system is capable to determine the close range relative position and attitude faster than 10 S/s, with errors always below 10 mm and 2 deg.

  10. Comparative assessment of three standardized robotic surgery training methods.

    PubMed

    Hung, Andrew J; Jayaratna, Isuru S; Teruya, Kara; Desai, Mihir M; Gill, Inderbir S; Goh, Alvin C

    2013-10-01

    To evaluate three standardized robotic surgery training methods, inanimate, virtual reality and in vivo, for their construct validity. To explore the concept of cross-method validity, where the relative performance of each method is compared. Robotic surgical skills were prospectively assessed in 49 participating surgeons who were classified as follows: 'novice/trainee': urology residents, previous experience <30 cases (n = 38) and 'experts': faculty surgeons, previous experience ≥30 cases (n = 11). Three standardized, validated training methods were used: (i) structured inanimate tasks; (ii) virtual reality exercises on the da Vinci Skills Simulator (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA, USA); and (iii) a standardized robotic surgical task in a live porcine model with performance graded by the Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills (GEARS) tool. A Kruskal-Wallis test was used to evaluate performance differences between novices and experts (construct validity). Spearman's correlation coefficient (ρ) was used to measure the association of performance across inanimate, simulation and in vivo methods (cross-method validity). Novice and expert surgeons had previously performed a median (range) of 0 (0-20) and 300 (30-2000) robotic cases, respectively (P < 0.001). Construct validity: experts consistently outperformed residents with all three methods (P < 0.001). Cross-method validity: overall performance of inanimate tasks significantly correlated with virtual reality robotic performance (ρ = -0.7, P < 0.001) and in vivo robotic performance based on GEARS (ρ = -0.8, P < 0.0001). Virtual reality performance and in vivo tissue performance were also found to be strongly correlated (ρ = 0.6, P < 0.001). We propose the novel concept of cross-method validity, which may provide a method of evaluating the relative value of various forms of skills education and assessment. We externally confirmed the construct validity of each featured training tool. © 2013 BJU International.

  11. Enhanced Recovery Pathway in Microvascular Autologous Tissue-Based Breast Reconstruction: Should It Become the Standard of Care?

    PubMed

    Kaoutzanis, Christodoulos; Ganesh Kumar, Nishant; O'Neill, Dillon; Wormer, Blair; Winocour, Julian; Layliev, John; McEvoy, Matthew; King, Adam; Braun, Stephane A; Higdon, K Kye

    2018-04-01

    Enhanced recovery pathway programs have demonstrated improved perioperative care and shorter length of hospital stay in several surgical disciplines. The purpose of this study was to compare outcomes of patients undergoing autologous tissue-based breast reconstruction before and after the implementation of an enhanced recovery pathway program. The authors retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients who underwent autologous tissue-based breast reconstruction performed by two surgeons before and after the implementation of the enhanced recovery pathway at a university center over a 3-year period. Patient demographics, perioperative data, and 45-day postoperative outcomes were compared between the traditional standard of care (pre-enhanced recovery pathway) and enhanced recovery pathway patients. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify risk factors for length of hospital stay. Cost analysis was performed. Between April of 2014 and January of 2017, 100 consecutive women were identified, with 50 women in each group. Both groups had similar demographics, comorbidities, and reconstruction types. Postoperatively, the enhanced recovery pathway cohort used significantly less opiate and more acetaminophen compared with the traditional standard of care cohort. Median length of stay was shorter in the enhanced recovery pathway cohort, which resulted in an extrapolated $279,258 savings from freeing up inpatient beds and increase in overall contribution margins of $189,342. Participation in an enhanced recovery pathway program and lower total morphine-equivalent use were independent predictors for decreased length of hospital stay. Overall 45-day major complication rates, partial flap loss rates, emergency room visits, hospital readmissions, and unplanned reoperations were similar between the two groups. Enhanced recovery pathway program implementation should be considered as the standard approach for perioperative care in autologous tissue-based breast reconstruction because it does not affect morbidity and is associated with accelerated recovery with reduced postoperative opiate use and decreased length of hospital stay, leading to downstream health care cost savings. Therapeutic, III.

  12. Analysis of view synthesis prediction architectures in modern coding standards

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tian, Dong; Zou, Feng; Lee, Chris; Vetro, Anthony; Sun, Huifang

    2013-09-01

    Depth-based 3D formats are currently being developed as extensions to both AVC and HEVC standards. The availability of depth information facilitates the generation of intermediate views for advanced 3D applications and displays, and also enables more efficient coding of the multiview input data through view synthesis prediction techniques. This paper outlines several approaches that have been explored to realize view synthesis prediction in modern video coding standards such as AVC and HEVC. The benefits and drawbacks of various architectures are analyzed in terms of performance, complexity, and other design considerations. It is hence concluded that block-based VSP prediction for multiview video signals provides attractive coding gains with comparable complexity as traditional motion/disparity compensation.

  13. Standards for hospital libraries 2002

    PubMed Central

    Gluck, Jeannine Cyr; Hassig, Robin Ackley; Balogh, Leeni; Bandy, Margaret; Doyle, Jacqueline Donaldson; Kronenfeld, Michael R.; Lindner, Katherine Lois; Murray, Kathleen; Petersen, JoAn; Rand, Debra C.

    2002-01-01

    The Medical Library Association's “Standards for Hospital Libraries 2002” have been developed as a guide for hospital administrators, librarians, and accrediting bodies to ensure that hospitals have the resources and services to effectively meet their needs for knowledge-based information. Specific requirements for knowledge-based information include that the library be a separate department with its own budget. Knowledge-based information in the library should be directed by a qualified librarian who functions as a department head and is a member of the Academy of Health Information Professionals. The standards define the role of the medical librarian and the links between knowledge-based information and other functions such as patient care, patient education, performance improvement, and education. In addition, the standards address the development and implementation of the knowledge-based information needs assessment and plans, the promotion and publicity of the knowledge-based information services, and the physical space and staffing requirements. The role, qualifications, and functions of a hospital library consultant are outlined. The health sciences library is positioned to play a key role in the hospital. The increasing use of the Internet and new information technologies by medical, nursing, and allied health staffs; patients; and the community require new strategies, strategic planning, allocation of adequate resources, and selection and evaluation of appropriate information resources and technologies. The Hospital Library Standards Committee has developed this document as a guideline to be used in facing these challenges. Editor's Note: The “Standards for Hospital Libraries 2002” were approved by the members of the Hospital Library Section during MLA '02 in Dallas, Texas. They were subsequently approved by Section Council and received final approval from the MLA Board of Directors in June 2002. They succeed the Standards for Hospital Libraries published in 1994 and the Minimum Standards for Health Sciences Libraries in Hospitals from 1983. A Frequently Asked Questions document discussing the development of the new standards can be found on the Hospital Library Section Website at http://www.hls.mlanet.org. PMID:12398254

  14. Advanced data management system architectures testbed

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Grant, Terry

    1990-01-01

    The objective of the Architecture and Tools Testbed is to provide a working, experimental focus to the evolving automation applications for the Space Station Freedom data management system. Emphasis is on defining and refining real-world applications including the following: the validation of user needs; understanding system requirements and capabilities; and extending capabilities. The approach is to provide an open, distributed system of high performance workstations representing both the standard data processors and networks and advanced RISC-based processors and multiprocessor systems. The system provides a base from which to develop and evaluate new performance and risk management concepts and for sharing the results. Participants are given a common view of requirements and capability via: remote login to the testbed; standard, natural user interfaces to simulations and emulations; special attention to user manuals for all software tools; and E-mail communication. The testbed elements which instantiate the approach are briefly described including the workstations, the software simulation and monitoring tools, and performance and fault tolerance experiments.

  15. Verification of performance specifications for a US Food and Drug Administration-approved molecular microbiology test: Clostridium difficile cytotoxin B using the Becton, Dickinson and Company GeneOhm Cdiff assay.

    PubMed

    Schlaberg, Robert; Mitchell, Michael J; Taggart, Edward W; She, Rosemary C

    2012-01-01

    US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved diagnostic tests based on molecular genetic technologies are becoming available for an increasing number of microbial pathogens. Advances in technology and lower costs have moved molecular diagnostic tests formerly performed for research purposes only into much wider use in clinical microbiology laboratories. To provide an example of laboratory studies performed to verify the performance of an FDA-approved assay for the detection of Clostridium difficile cytotoxin B compared with the manufacturer's performance standards. We describe the process and protocols used by a laboratory for verification of an FDA-approved assay, assess data from the verification studies, and implement the assay after verification. Performance data from the verification studies conducted by the laboratory were consistent with the manufacturer's performance standards and the assay was implemented into the laboratory's test menu. Verification studies are required for FDA-approved diagnostic assays prior to use in patient care. Laboratories should develop a standardized approach to verification studies that can be adapted and applied to different types of assays. We describe the verification of an FDA-approved real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for the detection of a toxin gene in a bacterial pathogen.

  16. Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Burden Is Associated with Motor Performance of Lower and Upper Extremities in Community-Dwelling Populations

    PubMed Central

    Su, Ning; Zhai, Fei-Fei; Zhou, Li-Xin; Ni, Jun; Yao, Ming; Li, Ming-Li; Jin, Zheng-Yu; Gong, Gao-Lang; Zhang, Shu-Yang; Cui, Li-Ying; Tian, Feng; Zhu, Yi-Cheng

    2017-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the correlation between cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) burden and motor performance of lower and upper extremities in community-dwelling populations. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis on 770 participants enrolled in the Shunyi study, which is a population-based cohort study. CSVD burden, including white matter hyperintensities (WMH), lacunes, cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), perivascular spaces (PVS), and brain atrophy were measured using 3T magnetic resonance imaging. All participants underwent quantitative motor assessment of lower and upper extremities, which included 3-m walking speed, 5-repeat chair-stand time, 10-repeat pronation–supination time, and 10-repeat finger-tapping time. Data on demographic characteristics, vascular risk factors, and cognitive functions were collected. General linear model analysis was performed to identify potential correlations between motor performance measures and imaging markers of CSVD after controlling for confounding factors. Results: For motor performance of the lower extremities, WMH was negatively associated with gait speed (standardized β = -0.092, p = 0.022) and positively associated with chair-stand time (standardized β = 0.153, p < 0.0001, surviving FDR correction). For motor performance of the upper extremities, pronation–supination time was positively associated with WMH (standardized β = 0.155, p < 0.0001, surviving FDR correction) and negatively with brain parenchymal fraction (BPF; standardized β = -0.125, p = 0.011, surviving FDR correction). Only BPF was found to be negatively associated with finger-tapping time (standardized β = -0.123, p = 0.012). However, lacunes, CMBs, or PVS were not found to be associated with motor performance of lower or upper extremities in multivariable analysis. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that cerebral microstructural changes related to CSVD may affect motor performance of both lower and upper extremities. WMH and brain atrophy are most strongly associated with motor function deterioration in community-dwelling populations. PMID:29021757

  17. Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Burden Is Associated with Motor Performance of Lower and Upper Extremities in Community-Dwelling Populations.

    PubMed

    Su, Ning; Zhai, Fei-Fei; Zhou, Li-Xin; Ni, Jun; Yao, Ming; Li, Ming-Li; Jin, Zheng-Yu; Gong, Gao-Lang; Zhang, Shu-Yang; Cui, Li-Ying; Tian, Feng; Zhu, Yi-Cheng

    2017-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the correlation between cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) burden and motor performance of lower and upper extremities in community-dwelling populations. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis on 770 participants enrolled in the Shunyi study, which is a population-based cohort study. CSVD burden, including white matter hyperintensities (WMH), lacunes, cerebral microbleeds (CMBs), perivascular spaces (PVS), and brain atrophy were measured using 3T magnetic resonance imaging. All participants underwent quantitative motor assessment of lower and upper extremities, which included 3-m walking speed, 5-repeat chair-stand time, 10-repeat pronation-supination time, and 10-repeat finger-tapping time. Data on demographic characteristics, vascular risk factors, and cognitive functions were collected. General linear model analysis was performed to identify potential correlations between motor performance measures and imaging markers of CSVD after controlling for confounding factors. Results: For motor performance of the lower extremities, WMH was negatively associated with gait speed (standardized β = -0.092, p = 0.022) and positively associated with chair-stand time (standardized β = 0.153, p < 0.0001, surviving FDR correction). For motor performance of the upper extremities, pronation-supination time was positively associated with WMH (standardized β = 0.155, p < 0.0001, surviving FDR correction) and negatively with brain parenchymal fraction (BPF; standardized β = -0.125, p = 0.011, surviving FDR correction). Only BPF was found to be negatively associated with finger-tapping time (standardized β = -0.123, p = 0.012). However, lacunes, CMBs, or PVS were not found to be associated with motor performance of lower or upper extremities in multivariable analysis. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that cerebral microstructural changes related to CSVD may affect motor performance of both lower and upper extremities. WMH and brain atrophy are most strongly associated with motor function deterioration in community-dwelling populations.

  18. Nested-PCR and a new ELISA-based NovaLisa test kit for malaria diagnosis in an endemic area of Thailand.

    PubMed

    Thongdee, Pimwan; Chaijaroenkul, Wanna; Kuesap, Jiraporn; Na-Bangchang, Kesara

    2014-08-01

    Microscopy is considered as the gold standard for malaria diagnosis although its wide application is limited by the requirement of highly experienced microscopists. PCR and serological tests provide efficient diagnostic performance and have been applied for malaria diagnosis and research. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic performance of nested PCR and a recently developed an ELISA-based new rapid diagnosis test (RDT), NovaLisa test kit, for diagnosis of malaria infection, using microscopic method as the gold standard. The performance of nested-PCR as a malaria diagnostic tool is excellent with respect to its high accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and ability to discriminate Plasmodium species. The sensitivity and specificity of nested-PCR compared with the microscopic method for detection of Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, and P. falciparum/P. vivax mixed infection were 71.4 vs 100%, 100 vs 98.7%, and 100 vs 95.0%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the ELISA-based NovaLisa test kit compared with the microscopic method for detection of Plasmodium genus were 89.0 vs 91.6%, respectively. NovaLisa test kit provided comparable diagnostic performance. Its relatively low cost, simplicity, and rapidity enables large scale field application.

  19. Utilize Cementitious High Carbon Fly Ash (CHCFA) to Stabilize Cold In-Place Recycled (CIR) Asphalt Pavement as Base Coarse

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

    Wen, Haifang; Li, Xiaojun; Edil, Tuncer

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of cementitious high carbon fly ash (CHCFA) stabilized recycled asphalt pavement as a base course material in a real world setting. Three test road cells were built at MnROAD facility in Minnesota. These cells have the same asphalt surface layers, subbases, and subgrades, but three different base courses: conventional crushed aggregates, untreated recycled pavement materials (RPM), and CHCFA stabilized RPM materials. During and after the construction of the three cells, laboratory and field tests were carried out to characterize the material properties. The test results were used in the mechanistic-empiricalmore » pavement design guide (MEPDG) to predict the pavement performance. Based on the performance prediction, the life cycle analyses of cost, energy consumption, and greenhouse gasses were performed. The leaching impacts of these three types of base materials were compared. The laboratory and field tests showed that fly ash stabilized RPM had higher modulus than crushed aggregate and RPM did. Based on the MEPDG performance prediction, the service life of the Cell 79 containing fly ash stabilized RPM, is 23.5 years, which is about twice the service life (11 years) of the Cell 77 with RPM base, and about three times the service life (7.5 years) of the Cell 78 with crushed aggregate base. The life cycle analysis indicated that the usage of the fly ash stabilized RPM as the base of the flexible pavement can significantly reduce the life cycle cost, the energy consumption, the greenhouse gases emission. Concentrations of many trace elements, particularly those with relatively low water quality standards, diminish over time as water flows through the pavement profile. For many elements, concentrations below US water drinking water quality standards are attained at the bottom of the pavement profile within 2-4 pore volumes of flow.« less

  20. Does the Concept of the “Flipped Classroom” Extend to the Emergency Medicine Clinical Clerkship?

    PubMed Central

    Heitz, Corey; Prusakowski, Melanie; Willis, George; Franck, Christopher

    2015-01-01

    Introduction Linking educational objectives and clinical learning during clerkships can be difficult. Clinical shifts during emergency medicine (EM) clerkships provide a wide variety of experiences, some of which may not be relevant to recommended educational objectives. Students can be directed to standardize their clinical experiences, and this improves performance on examinations. We hypothesized that applying a “flipped classroom” model to the clinical clerkship would improve performance on multiple-choice testing when compared to standard learning. Methods Students at two institutions were randomized to complete two of four selected EM clerkship topics in a “flipped fashion,” and two others in a standard fashion. For flipped topics, students were directed to complete chief complaint-based asynchronous modules prior to a shift, during which they were directed to focus on the chief complaint. For the other two topics, modules were to be performed at the students’ discretion, and shifts would not have a theme. At the end of the four-week clerkship, a 40-question multiple-choice examination was administered with 10 questions per topic. We compared performance on flipped topics with those performed in standard fashion. Students were surveyed on perceived effectiveness, ability to follow the protocol, and willingness of preceptors to allow a chief-complaint focus. Results Sixty-nine students participated; examination scores for 56 were available for analysis. For the primary outcome, no difference was seen between the flipped method and standard (p=0.494.) A mixed model approach showed no effect of flipped status, protocol adherence, or site of rotation on the primary outcome of exam scores. Students rated the concept of the flipped clerkship highly (3.48/5). Almost one third (31.1%) of students stated that they were unable to adhere to the protocol. Conclusion Preparation for a clinical shift with pre-assigned, web-based learning modules followed by an attempt at chief-complaint-focused learning during a shift did not result in improvements in performance on a multiple-choice assessment of knowledge; however, one third of participants did not adhere strictly to the protocol. Future investigations should ensure performance of pre-assigned learning as well as clinical experiences, and consider alternate measures of knowledge. PMID:26594277

  1. How Different EEG References Influence Sensor Level Functional Connectivity Graphs

    PubMed Central

    Huang, Yunzhi; Zhang, Junpeng; Cui, Yuan; Yang, Gang; He, Ling; Liu, Qi; Yin, Guangfu

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: Hamming Distance is applied to distinguish the difference of functional connectivity networkThe orientations of sources are testified to influence the scalp Functional Connectivity Graph (FCG) from different references significantlyREST, the reference electrode standardization technique, is proved to have an overall stable and excellent performance in variable situations. The choice of an electroencephalograph (EEG) reference is a practical issue for the study of brain functional connectivity. To study how EEG reference influence functional connectivity estimation (FCE), this study compares the differences of FCE resulting from the different references such as REST (the reference electrode standardization technique), average reference (AR), linked mastoids (LM), and left mastoid references (LR). Simulations involve two parts. One is based on 300 dipolar pairs, which are located on the superficial cortex with a radial source direction. The other part is based on 20 dipolar pairs. In each pair, the dipoles have various orientation combinations. The relative error (RE) and Hamming distance (HD) between functional connectivity matrices of ideal recordings and that of recordings obtained with different references, are metrics to compare the differences of the scalp functional connectivity graph (FCG) derived from those two kinds of recordings. Lower RE and HD values imply more similarity between the two FCGs. Using the ideal recording (IR) as a standard, the results show that AR, LM and LR perform well only in specific conditions, i.e., AR performs stable when there is no upward component in sources' orientation. LR achieves desirable results when the sources' locations are away from left ear. LM achieves an indistinct difference with IR, i.e., when the distribution of source locations is symmetric along the line linking the two ears. However, REST not only achieves excellent performance for superficial and radial dipolar sources, but also achieves a stable and robust performance with variable source locations and orientations. Benefitting from the stable and robust performance of REST vs. other reference methods, REST might best recover the real FCG of EEG. Thus, REST based FCG may be a good candidate to compare the FCG of EEG based on different references from different labs. PMID:28725175

  2. Development of a Fan-Filter Unit Test Standard, LaboratoryValidations, and its Applications across Industries

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

    Xu, Tengfang

    2006-10-20

    Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) is now finalizing the Phase 2 Research and Demonstration Project on characterizing 2-foot x 4-foot (61-cm x 122-cm) fan-filter units in the market using the first-ever standard laboratory test method developed at LBNL.[1][2][3] Fan-filter units deliver re-circulated air and provide particle filtration control for clean environments. Much of the energy in cleanrooms (and minienvironments) is consumed by 2-foot x 4-foot (61-cm x 122-cm) or 4-foot x 4-foot (122-cm x 122-cm) fan-filter units that are typically located in the ceiling (25-100% coverage) of cleanroom controlled environments. Thanks to funding support by the California Energy Commission's Industrialmore » Program of the Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program, and significant participation from manufacturers and users of fan-filter units from around the world, LBNL has developed and performed a series of standard laboratory tests and reporting on a variety of 2-foot x 4-foot (61-cm x 122-cm) fan-filter units (FFUs). Standard laboratory testing reports have been completed and reported back to anonymous individual participants in this project. To date, such reports on standard testing of FFU performance have provided rigorous and useful data for suppliers and end users to better understand, and more importantly, to quantitatively characterize performance of FFU products under a variety of operating conditions.[1] In the course of the project, the standard laboratory method previously developed at LBNL has been under continuous evaluation and update.[2][3] Based upon the updated standard, it becomes feasible for users and suppliers to characterize and evaluate energy performance of FFUs in a consistent way.« less

  3. Estimating A Reference Standard Segmentation With Spatially Varying Performance Parameters: Local MAP STAPLE

    PubMed Central

    Commowick, Olivier; Akhondi-Asl, Alireza; Warfield, Simon K.

    2012-01-01

    We present a new algorithm, called local MAP STAPLE, to estimate from a set of multi-label segmentations both a reference standard segmentation and spatially varying performance parameters. It is based on a sliding window technique to estimate the segmentation and the segmentation performance parameters for each input segmentation. In order to allow for optimal fusion from the small amount of data in each local region, and to account for the possibility of labels not being observed in a local region of some (or all) input segmentations, we introduce prior probabilities for the local performance parameters through a new Maximum A Posteriori formulation of STAPLE. Further, we propose an expression to compute confidence intervals in the estimated local performance parameters. We carried out several experiments with local MAP STAPLE to characterize its performance and value for local segmentation evaluation. First, with simulated segmentations with known reference standard segmentation and spatially varying performance, we show that local MAP STAPLE performs better than both STAPLE and majority voting. Then we present evaluations with data sets from clinical applications. These experiments demonstrate that spatial adaptivity in segmentation performance is an important property to capture. We compared the local MAP STAPLE segmentations to STAPLE, and to previously published fusion techniques and demonstrate the superiority of local MAP STAPLE over other state-of-the- art algorithms. PMID:22562727

  4. Evaluation of Emerging Technologies for Traffic Crash Reporting

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1998-02-01

    An evaluation was performed of the effect of emerging technologies on traffic accident reporting. The technologies evaluated were standard laptop and pen-based portable computers, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS)...

  5. Comparison of current practices of cardiopulmonary perfusion technology in Iran with American Society of Extracorporeal Technology’s standards

    PubMed Central

    Faravan, Amir; Mohammadi, Nooredin; Alizadeh Ghavidel, Alireza; Toutounchi, Mohammad Zia; Ghanbari, Ameneh; Mazloomi, Mehran

    2016-01-01

    Introduction: Standards have a significant role in showing the minimum level of optimal optimum and the expected performance. Since the perfusion technology staffs play an the leading role in providing the quality services to the patients undergoing open heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass machine, this study aimed to assess the standards on how Iranian perfusion technology staffs evaluate and manage the patients during the cardiopulmonary bypass process and compare their practice with the recommended standards by American Society of Extracorporeal Technology. Methods: In this descriptive study, data was collected from 48 Iranian public hospitals and educational health centers through a researcher-created questionnaire. The data collection questionnaire assessed the standards which are recommended by American Society of Extracorporeal Technology. Results: Findings showed that appropriate measurements were carried out by the perfusion technology staffs to prevent the hemodilution and avoid the blood transfusion and unnecessary blood products, determine the initial dose of heparin based on one of the proposed methods, monitor the anticoagulants based on ACT measurement, and determine the additional doses of heparin during the cardiopulmonary bypass based on ACT or protamine titration. It was done only in 4.2% of hospitals and health centers. Conclusion: Current practices of cardiopulmonary perfusion technology in Iran are inappropriate based on the standards of American Society of Cardiovascular Perfusion. This represents the necessity of authorities’ attention to the validation programs and development of the caring standards on one hand and continuous assessment of using these standards on the other hand. PMID:27489600

  6. Climate-Specific Passive Building Standards

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

    Wright, Graham S.; Klingenberg, Katrin

    2015-07-29

    In 2012, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recognized the value of performance-based passive building standards when it joined with Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) to promote DOE’s Challenge Home program in tandem with the PHIUS+ Certification program. Since then, the number of passive building projects that have been certified under the partnership has grown exponentially because of some synergy. Passive building represents a well-developed approach to arrive at the envelope basis for zero energy and energy-positive projects by employing performance-based criteria and maximizing cost-effective savings from conservation before implementing renewable energy technologies. The Challenge Home program evolved into themore » Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program in a move toward 1) attaining zero energy and 2) including active renewable energy generation such as photovoltaics (PV)—toward the zero energy goal.« less

  7. Development of a standard gas generating vial comprised of a silicon oil-polystyrene/divinylbenzene composite sorbent.

    PubMed

    Grandy, Jonathan J; Gómez-Ríos, German A; Pawliszyn, Janusz

    2015-09-04

    In this work, a highly reproducible standard gas generating vial is proposed. The vial is comprised of a silicon diffusion pump oil spiked with an appropriate calibration compound, such as modified McReynolds probes (benzene, 2-pentanone, pyridine, 1-nitropropane, 1-pentanol, and n-octane), and then mixed with polystyrene/divinylbenzene (PS/DVB) particles. The concentrations of these compounds in gaseous headspace were found to substantially decrease in comparison to previously developed hydrocarbon pump oil based vials; hence, the amount of standard loaded onto SPME fibers was at most, half that of the previous vial design. Depletion for all compounds after 208 successive extractions was shown to be less than 3.5%. Smaller quantities of standards being used resulted in a vial that depleted slower while remaining statistically repeatable over a wider number of runs. Indeed, it was found that depletion could be largely predicted by using a mass balance theoretical model. This behavior allowed a further increase in the number of loadings that could be performed repeatedly. At a 95% level of confidence, the ANOVA test demonstrated that the prepared vials were statistically identical, with no significant intra- or inter-batch differences. In addition, it was found that vials stored under different conditions (e.g. under light exposure, room temperature, and within a refrigerator) were stable over 10 weeks. Silicon based vials proved to be ideal for performing instrument quality control and loading of internal standards onto fibers, both of which are of great importance when performing on-site analysis using portable GC-MS instrumentation and high throughput determinations in laboratory. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Corridor consultations and the medical microbiological record: is patient safety at risk?

    PubMed Central

    Heard, S R; Roberts, C; Furrows, S J; Kelsey, M; Southgate, L

    2003-01-01

    The performance procedures of the General Medical Council are aimed at identifying seriously deficient performance in a doctor. The performance procedures require the medical record to be of a standard that enables the next doctor seeing the patient to give adequate care based on the available information. Setting standards for microbiological record keeping has proved difficult. Over one fifth of practising medical microbiologists (including virologists) in the UK (139 of 676) responded to a survey undertaken by the working group developing the performance procedures for microbiology, to identify current practice and to develop recommendations for agreement within the profession about the standards of the microbiological record. The cumulative frequency for the surveyed recording methods used indicated that at various times 65% (90 of 139) of respondents used a daybook, 62% (86 of 139) used the back of the clinical request card, 57% (79 of 139) used a computer record, and 22% (30 of 139) used an index card system to record microbiological advice, suggesting wide variability in relation to how medical microbiologists maintain clinical records. PMID:12499432

  9. An entropy-based statistic for genomewide association studies.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Jinying; Boerwinkle, Eric; Xiong, Momiao

    2005-07-01

    Efficient genotyping methods and the availability of a large collection of single-nucleotide polymorphisms provide valuable tools for genetic studies of human disease. The standard chi2 statistic for case-control studies, which uses a linear function of allele frequencies, has limited power when the number of marker loci is large. We introduce a novel test statistic for genetic association studies that uses Shannon entropy and a nonlinear function of allele frequencies to amplify the differences in allele and haplotype frequencies to maintain statistical power with large numbers of marker loci. We investigate the relationship between the entropy-based test statistic and the standard chi2 statistic and show that, in most cases, the power of the entropy-based statistic is greater than that of the standard chi2 statistic. The distribution of the entropy-based statistic and the type I error rates are validated using simulation studies. Finally, we apply the new entropy-based test statistic to two real data sets, one for the COMT gene and schizophrenia and one for the MMP-2 gene and esophageal carcinoma, to evaluate the performance of the new method for genetic association studies. The results show that the entropy-based statistic obtained smaller P values than did the standard chi2 statistic.

  10. Robotic Anterior and Midline Skull Base Surgery: Preclinical Investigations

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

    O'Malley, Bert W.; Weinstein, Gregory S.

    Purpose: To develop a minimally invasive surgical technique to access the midline and anterior skull base using the optical and technical advantages of robotic surgical instrumentation. Methods and Materials: Ten experimental procedures focusing on approaches to the nasopharynx, clivus, sphenoid, pituitary sella, and suprasellar regions were performed on one cadaver and one live mongrel dog. Both the cadaver and canine procedures were performed in an approved training facility using the da Vinci Surgical Robot. For the canine experiments, a transoral robotic surgery (TORS) approach was used, and for the cadaver a newly developed combined cervical-transoral robotic surgery (C-TORS) approach wasmore » investigated and compared with standard TORS. The ability to access and dissect tissues within the various areas of the midline and anterior skull base were evaluated, and techniques to enhance visualization and instrumentation were developed. Results: Standard TORS approaches did not provide adequate access to the midline and anterior skull base; however, the newly developed C-TORS approach was successful in providing the surgical access to these regions of the skull base. Conclusion: Robotic surgery is an exciting minimally invasive approach to the skull base that warrants continued preclinical investigation and development.« less

  11. 30 CFR 815.15 - Performance standards for coal exploration.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Performance standards for coal exploration. 815... OF THE INTERIOR PERMANENT PROGRAM PERFORMANCE STANDARDS PERMANENT PROGRAM PERFORMANCE STANDARDS-COAL EXPLORATION § 815.15 Performance standards for coal exploration. (a) Habitats of unique or unusually high...

  12. 30 CFR 815.15 - Performance standards for coal exploration.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Performance standards for coal exploration. 815... OF THE INTERIOR PERMANENT PROGRAM PERFORMANCE STANDARDS PERMANENT PROGRAM PERFORMANCE STANDARDS-COAL EXPLORATION § 815.15 Performance standards for coal exploration. (a) Habitats of unique or unusually high...

  13. 30 CFR 815.15 - Performance standards for coal exploration.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Performance standards for coal exploration. 815... OF THE INTERIOR PERMANENT PROGRAM PERFORMANCE STANDARDS PERMANENT PROGRAM PERFORMANCE STANDARDS-COAL EXPLORATION § 815.15 Performance standards for coal exploration. (a) Habitats of unique or unusually high...

  14. 30 CFR 815.15 - Performance standards for coal exploration.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Performance standards for coal exploration. 815... OF THE INTERIOR PERMANENT PROGRAM PERFORMANCE STANDARDS PERMANENT PROGRAM PERFORMANCE STANDARDS-COAL EXPLORATION § 815.15 Performance standards for coal exploration. (a) Habitats of unique or unusually high...

  15. 30 CFR 815.15 - Performance standards for coal exploration.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Performance standards for coal exploration. 815... OF THE INTERIOR PERMANENT PROGRAM PERFORMANCE STANDARDS PERMANENT PROGRAM PERFORMANCE STANDARDS-COAL EXPLORATION § 815.15 Performance standards for coal exploration. (a) Habitats of unique or unusually high...

  16. Performance Analysis of IEEE 802.15.6 CSMA/CA Protocol for WBAN Medical Scenario through DTMC Model.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Vivek; Gupta, Bharat

    2016-12-01

    The newly drafted IEEE 802.15.6 standard for Wireless Body Area Networks (WBAN) has been concentrating on a numerous medical and non-medical applications. Such short range wireless communication standard offers ultra-low power consumption with variable data rates from few Kbps to Mbps in, on or around the proximity of the human body. In this paper, the performance analysis of carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) scheme based on IEEE 802.15.6 standard in terms of throughput, reliability, clear channel assessment (CCA) failure probability, packet drop probability, and end-to-end delay has been presented. We have developed a discrete-time Markov chain (DTMC) to significantly evaluate the performances of IEEE 802.15.6 CSMA/CA under non-ideal channel condition having saturated traffic condition including node wait time and service time. We also visualize that, as soon as the payload length increases the CCA failure probability increases, which results in lower node's reliability. Also, we have calculated the end-to-end delay in order to prioritize the node wait time cause by backoff and retransmission. The user priority (UP) wise DTMC analysis has been performed to show the importance of the standard especially for medical scenario.

  17. Basic Photographic Standards for Abdominal Contouring Procedures and Abdominoplasty/Lipectomy.

    PubMed

    Dietl, Marion; Kompatscher, Peter

    2018-05-07

    Standardized reliable medical photographic documentation should be made by every plastic surgeon for valid comparisons of preoperative and post-operative illustrations. However, photographic documentation in aesthetic surgery has also an important medico-legal impact as if not performed accurately it can result in severe legal ramifications. Therefore, we evaluated and redefined the existing photographic standards for abdominal contouring procedures and abdominoplasty/lipectomy further, to achieve consistent detailed photographs without any corresponding distortion or distraction. The results of the modification in standardized photographic documentation in aesthetic abdominoplasty and lipectomy are based on the basic principles of photography in plastic and aesthetic surgery and are presented in this article.Level of Evidence V This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

  18. Linking Workplace Health Promotion Best Practices and Organizational Financial Performance: Tracking Market Performance of Companies With Highest Scores on the HERO Scorecard.

    PubMed

    Grossmeier, Jessica; Fabius, Ray; Flynn, Jennifer P; Noeldner, Steven P; Fabius, Dan; Goetzel, Ron Z; Anderson, David R

    2016-01-01

    The aim of the study was to evaluate the stock performance of publicly traded companies that received high scores on the HERO Employee Health Management Best Practices Scorecard in Collaboration with Mercer© based on their implementation of evidence-based workplace health promotion practices. A portfolio of companies that received high scores in a corporate health and wellness self-assessment was simulated based on past market performance and compared with past performance of companies represented on the Standard and Poor's (S&P) 500 Index. Stock values for a portfolio of companies that received high scores in a corporate health and wellness self-assessment appreciated by 235% compared with the S&P 500 Index appreciation of 159% over a 6-year simulation period. Robust investment in workforce health and well-being appears to be one of multiple practices pursued by high-performing, well-managed companies.

  19. Increased bacterial cell density and recombinant protein yield using a commercial microbial cultivation system.

    PubMed

    Peck, Grantley R; Bowden, Timothy R; Shiell, Brian J; Michalski, Wojtek P

    2014-01-01

    EnBase (BioSilta, Finland) is a microbial cultivation system that replicates fed-batch systems through sustained release of glucose by enzymatic degradation of a polymeric substrate. Achievable bacterial cell densities and recombinant capripoxvirus protein expression levels, solubility, and antigenicity using the EnBase system were assessed. BL21-AI Escherichia coli expressing capripoxvirus proteins achieved up to eightfold higher cell densities when grown in EnBase media compared with standard media. Greater yields of capripoxvirus proteins were attained using EnBase media, either through increases in the amount of expressed protein per cell in conjunction with higher cell density or through the increase in cell density alone. Addition of EnBase booster enhanced protein yield for one of the proteins tested but reduced yield for the other. However, the amount of soluble forms of the capripoxvirus proteins tested was not different from that observed from cultures grown under standard conditions. Purified capripoxvirus proteins expressed using EnBase or standard media were assessed for their performance by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and were shown to be equally capable of specifically binding capripoxvirus antibodies.

  20. Visual function and fitness to drive.

    PubMed

    Kotecha, Aachal; Spratt, Alexander; Viswanathan, Ananth

    2008-01-01

    Driving is recognized to be a visually intensive task and accordingly there is a legal minimum standard of vision required for all motorists. The purpose of this paper is to review the current United Kingdom (UK) visual requirements for driving and discuss the evidence base behind these legal rules. The role of newer, alternative tests of visual function that may be better indicators of driving safety will also be considered. Finally, the implications of ageing on driving ability are discussed. A search of Medline and PubMed databases was performed using the following keywords: driving, vision, visual function, fitness to drive and ageing. In addition, papers from the Department of Transport website and UK Royal College of Ophthalmologists guidelines were studied. Current UK visual standards for driving are based upon historical concepts, but recent advances in technology have brought about more sophisticated methods for assessing the status of the binocular visual field and examining visual attention. These tests appear to be better predictors of driving performance. Further work is required to establish whether these newer tests should be incorporated in the current UK visual standards when examining an individual's fitness to drive.

  1. High correlation between performance on a virtual-reality simulator and real-life cataract surgery.

    PubMed

    Thomsen, Ann Sofia Skou; Smith, Phillip; Subhi, Yousif; Cour, Morten la; Tang, Lilian; Saleh, George M; Konge, Lars

    2017-05-01

    To investigate the correlation in performance of cataract surgery between a virtual-reality simulator and real-life surgery using two objective assessment tools with evidence of validity. Cataract surgeons with varying levels of experience were included in the study. All participants performed and videorecorded three standard cataract surgeries before completing a proficiency-based test on the EyeSi virtual-reality simulator. Standard cataract surgeries were defined as: (1) surgery performed under local anaesthesia, (2) patient age >60 years, and (3) visual acuity >1/60 preoperatively. A motion-tracking score was calculated by multiplying average path length and average number of movements from the three real-life surgical videos of full procedures. The EyeSi test consisted of five abstract and two procedural modules: intracapsular navigation, antitremor training, intracapsular antitremor training, forceps training, bimanual training, capsulorhexis and phaco divide and conquer. Eleven surgeons were enrolled. After a designated warm-up period, the proficiency-based test on the EyeSi simulator was strongly correlated to real-life performance measured by motion-tracking software of cataract surgical videos with a Pearson correlation coefficient of -0.70 (p = 0.017). Performance on the EyeSi simulator is significantly and highly correlated to real-life surgical performance. However, it is recommended that performance assessments are made using multiple data sources. © 2016 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. Estimating Basic Preliminary Design Performances of Aerospace Vehicles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Luz, Paul L.; Alexander, Reginald

    2004-01-01

    Aerodynamics and Performance Estimation Toolset is a collection of four software programs for rapidly estimating the preliminary design performance of aerospace vehicles represented by doing simplified calculations based on ballistic trajectories, the ideal rocket equation, and supersonic wedges through standard atmosphere. The program consists of a set of Microsoft Excel worksheet subprograms. The input and output data are presented in a user-friendly format, and calculations are performed rapidly enough that the user can iterate among different trajectories and/or shapes to perform "what-if" studies. Estimates that can be computed by these programs include: 1. Ballistic trajectories as a function of departure angles, initial velocities, initial positions, and target altitudes; assuming point masses and no atmosphere. The program plots the trajectory in two-dimensions and outputs the position, pitch, and velocity along the trajectory. 2. The "Rocket Equation" program calculates and plots the trade space for a vehicle s propellant mass fraction over a range of specific impulse and mission velocity values, propellant mass fractions as functions of specific impulses and velocities. 3. "Standard Atmosphere" will estimate the temperature, speed of sound, pressure, and air density as a function of altitude in a standard atmosphere, properties of a standard atmosphere as functions of altitude. 4. "Supersonic Wedges" will calculate the free-stream, normal-shock, oblique-shock, and isentropic flow properties for a wedge-shaped body flying supersonically through a standard atmosphere. It will also calculate the maximum angle for which a shock remains attached, and the minimum Mach number for which a shock becomes attached, all as functions of the wedge angle, altitude, and Mach number.

  3. Management of ATM-based networks supporting multimedia medical information systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Whitman, Robert A.; Blaine, G. James; Fritz, Kevin; Goodgold, Ken; Heisinger, Patrick

    1997-05-01

    Medical information systems are acquiring the ability to collect and deliver many different types of medical information. In support of the increased network demands necessitated by these expanded capabilities, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) based networks are being deployed in medical care systems. While ATM supplies a much greater line rate than currently deployed networks, the management and standards surrounding ATM are yet to mature. This paper explores the management and control issues surrounding an ATM network supporting medical information systems, and examines how management impacts network performance and robustness. A multivendor ATM network at the BJC Health System/Washington University and the applications using the network are discussed. Performance information for specific applications is presented and analyzed. Network management's influence on application reliability is outlined. The information collected is used to show how ATM network standards and management tools influence network reliability and performance. Performance of current applications using the ATM network is discussed. Special attention is given to issues encountered in implementation of hypertext transfer protocol over ATM internet protocol (IP) communications. A classical IP ATM implementation yields greater than twenty percent higher network performance over LANE. Maximum performance for a host's suite of applications can be obtained by establishing multiple individually engineered IP links through its ATM network connection.

  4. Universality, correlations, and rankings in the Brazilian universities national admission examinations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    da Silva, Roberto; Lamb, Luis C.; Barbosa, Marcia C.

    2016-09-01

    We analyze the scores obtained by students who have taken the ENEM examination, The Brazilian High School National Examination which is used in the admission process at Brazilian universities. The average high schools scores from different disciplines are compared through the Pearson correlation coefficient. The results show a very large correlation between the performance in the different school subjects. Even though the students' scores in the ENEM form a Gaussian due to the standardization, we show that the high schools' scores form a bimodal distribution that cannot be used to evaluate and compare students performance over time. We also show that this high schools distribution reflects the correlation between school performance and the economic level (based on the average family income) of the students. The ENEM scores are compared with a Brazilian non standardized exam, the entrance examination from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. The analysis of the performance of the same individuals in both tests shows that the two tests not only select different abilities, but also lead to the admission of different sets of individuals. Our results indicate that standardized tests might be an interesting tool to compare performance of individuals over the years, but not of institutions.

  5. 40 CFR 434.55 - New source performance standards (NSPS).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 29 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false New source performance standards (NSPS... PERFORMANCE STANDARDS Post-Mining Areas § 434.55 New source performance standards (NSPS). The following new source performance standards shall apply to the post-mining areas of all new source coal mines: (a...

  6. Aiming High: Setting Performance Standards for Student Success

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Phillips, Gary; Garcia, Alicia N.

    2015-01-01

    Content standards, not performance standards, have been almost the sole focus of state policies and recent conversations about academic standards. Without rigorous content and performance standards, we cannot adequately prepare students for the global marketplace. A recent AIR study shows that state performance standards are consistently low and…

  7. Automated audiometry using apple iOS-based application technology.

    PubMed

    Foulad, Allen; Bui, Peggy; Djalilian, Hamid

    2013-11-01

    The aim of this study is to determine the feasibility of an Apple iOS-based automated hearing testing application and to compare its accuracy with conventional audiometry. Prospective diagnostic study. Setting Academic medical center. An iOS-based software application was developed to perform automated pure-tone hearing testing on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. To assess for device variations and compatibility, preliminary work was performed to compare the standardized sound output (dB) of various Apple device and headset combinations. Forty-two subjects underwent automated iOS-based hearing testing in a sound booth, automated iOS-based hearing testing in a quiet room, and conventional manual audiometry. The maximum difference in sound intensity between various Apple device and headset combinations was 4 dB. On average, 96% (95% confidence interval [CI], 91%-100%) of the threshold values obtained using the automated test in a sound booth were within 10 dB of the corresponding threshold values obtained using conventional audiometry. When the automated test was performed in a quiet room, 94% (95% CI, 87%-100%) of the threshold values were within 10 dB of the threshold values obtained using conventional audiometry. Under standardized testing conditions, 90% of the subjects preferred iOS-based audiometry as opposed to conventional audiometry. Apple iOS-based devices provide a platform for automated air conduction audiometry without requiring extra equipment and yield hearing test results that approach those of conventional audiometry.

  8. Tool Efficiency Analysis model research in SEMI industry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lei, Ma; Nana, Zhang; Zhongqiu, Zhang

    2018-06-01

    One of the key goals in SEMI industry is to improve equipment through put and ensure equipment production efficiency maximization. This paper is based on SEMI standards in semiconductor equipment control, defines the transaction rules between different tool states, and presents a TEA system model which is to analysis tool performance automatically based on finite state machine. The system was applied to fab tools and verified its effectiveness successfully, and obtained the parameter values used to measure the equipment performance, also including the advices of improvement.

  9. Swedish midwives' rating of risks during labour progress and their attitudes toward performing intrapartum interventions: a web-based survey.

    PubMed

    Wiklund, Ingela; Wallin, Jessica; Vikström, Malin; Ransjö-Arvidson, Anna-Berit

    2012-08-01

    to study how Swedish midwives working in low-risk labour ward units rate intrapartum risks compared to their midwifery colleagues working in standard care labour wards. A second aim was to describe midwives' attitudes toward performing different types of interventions during a normal labour. an explorative study was carried out in 2009, using a web-based questionnaire containing 31 questions on midwives' risk ratings and attitudes to interventions during labour, as well as personal comments. four labour ward units in Stockholm, Sweden. Two labour ward units with expected normal deliveries ('low-risk') and two standard care units with all types of deliveries. seventy-seven registered clinically practicing midwives. midwives in all units stated that factors to be considered for risk estimation were: previous delivery outcome, result of cardiotocography test (CTG) on admission to labour ward and quality of amniotic fluid. Midwives working at the low-risk units preferred to be more expectant during normal birth than their colleagues working at the standard care units. Examples of this were regarding second vaginal examination during labour (p=0.001) and/or amniotomy (p=0.012). Furthermore, midwives working at the low-risk units more often considered that first-time mothers could give birth without epidural analgesia during labour (p=0.019) and that the labouring woman should be encouraged to push according to her own spontaneous urge (p=0.040). Midwives at low-risk units were more reluctant to use an intravenous vein catheter than their colleagues at standard care units (p=0.001) and also to use oxytocin in order to augment contractions (p=0.013). Further, the open-ended question showed that attitudes to different types of interventions differed between midwives working at low-risk units or the standard care units working with all types of deliveries. the Swedish midwives estimated risks similarly regardless of whether they worked in low-risk or in standard care units, but midwives working at low-risk units reported that they perform less routine interventions and have a more expectant attitude towards performing interventions. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. NOTE: Implementation of angular response function modeling in SPECT simulations with GATE

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Descourt, P.; Carlier, T.; Du, Y.; Song, X.; Buvat, I.; Frey, E. C.; Bardies, M.; Tsui, B. M. W.; Visvikis, D.

    2010-05-01

    Among Monte Carlo simulation codes in medical imaging, the GATE simulation platform is widely used today given its flexibility and accuracy, despite long run times, which in SPECT simulations are mostly spent in tracking photons through the collimators. In this work, a tabulated model of the collimator/detector response was implemented within the GATE framework to significantly reduce the simulation times in SPECT. This implementation uses the angular response function (ARF) model. The performance of the implemented ARF approach has been compared to standard SPECT GATE simulations in terms of the ARF tables' accuracy, overall SPECT system performance and run times. Considering the simulation of the Siemens Symbia T SPECT system using high-energy collimators, differences of less than 1% were measured between the ARF-based and the standard GATE-based simulations, while considering the same noise level in the projections, acceleration factors of up to 180 were obtained when simulating a planar 364 keV source seen with the same SPECT system. The ARF-based and the standard GATE simulation results also agreed very well when considering a four-head SPECT simulation of a realistic Jaszczak phantom filled with iodine-131, with a resulting acceleration factor of 100. In conclusion, the implementation of an ARF-based model of collimator/detector response for SPECT simulations within GATE significantly reduces the simulation run times without compromising accuracy.

  11. Spin ensemble-based AC magnetometry using concatenated dynamical decoupling at low temperatures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Farfurnik, D.; Jarmola, A.; Budker, D.; Bar-Gill, N.

    2018-01-01

    Ensembles of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond are widely used as AC magnetometers. While such measurements are usually performed using standard (XY) dynamical decoupling (DD) protocols at room temperature, we study the sensitivities achieved by utilizing various DD protocols, for measuring magnetic AC fields at frequencies in the 10-250 kHz range, at room temperature and 77 K. By performing measurements on an isotopically pure 12C sample, we find that the Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill protocol, which is not robust against pulse imperfections, is less efficient for magnetometry than robust XY-based sequences. The concatenation of a standard XY-based protocol may enhance the sensitivities only for measuring high-frequency fields, for which many (> 500) DD pulses are necessary and the robustness against pulse imperfections is critical. Moreover, we show that cooling is effective only for measuring low-frequency fields (˜10 kHz), for which the experiment time approaches T 1 at a small number of applied DD pulses.

  12. Competency-based medical education and continuing professional development: A conceptualization for change.

    PubMed

    Lockyer, Jocelyn; Bursey, Ford; Richardson, Denyse; Frank, Jason R; Snell, Linda; Campbell, Craig

    2017-06-01

    Competency-based medical education (CBME) is as important in continuing professional development (CPD) as at any other stage of a physician's career. Principles of CBME have the potential to revolutionize CPD. Transitioning to CBME-based CPD will require a cultural change to gain commitment from physicians, their employers and institutions, CPD providers, professional organizations, and medical regulators. It will require learning to be aligned with professional and workplace standards. Practitioners will need to develop the expertise to systematically examine their own clinical performance data, identify performance improvement opportunities and possibilities, and develop a plan to address areas of concern. Health care facilities and systems will need to produce data on a regular basis and to develop and train CPD educators who can work with physician groups. Stakeholders, such as medical regulatory authorities who are responsible for licensing physicians and other standard-setting bodies that credential and develop maintenance-of-certification systems, will need to change their paradigm of competency enhancement through CPD.

  13. From nationwide standardized testing to school-based alternative embedded assessment in Israel: Students' performance in the matriculation 2000 project

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dori, Yehudit J.

    2003-01-01

    Matriculation 2000 was a 5-year project aimed at moving from the nationwide traditional examination system in Israel to a school-based alternative embedded assessment. Encompassing 22 high schools from various communities in the country, the Project aimed at fostering deep understanding, higher-order thinking skills, and students' engagement in learning through alternative teaching and embedded assessment methods. This article describes research conducted during the fifth year of the Project at 2 experimental and 2 control schools. The research objective was to investigate students' learning outcomes in chemistry and biology in the Matriculation 2000 Project. The assumption was that alternative embedded assessment has some effect on students' performance. The experimental students scored significantly higher than their control group peers on low-level assignments and more so on assignments that required higher-order thinking skills. The findings indicate that given adequate support and teachers' consent and collaboration, schools can transfer from nationwide or statewide standardized testing to school-based alter-native embedded assessment.

  14. Investigating the performance of reconstruction methods used in structured illumination microscopy as a function of the illumination pattern's modulation frequency

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shabani, H.; Sánchez-Ortiga, E.; Preza, C.

    2016-03-01

    Surpassing the resolution of optical microscopy defined by the Abbe diffraction limit, while simultaneously achieving optical sectioning, is a challenging problem particularly for live cell imaging of thick samples. Among a few developing techniques, structured illumination microscopy (SIM) addresses this challenge by imposing higher frequency information into the observable frequency band confined by the optical transfer function (OTF) of a conventional microscope either doubling the spatial resolution or filling the missing cone based on the spatial frequency of the pattern when the patterned illumination is two-dimensional. Standard reconstruction methods for SIM decompose the low and high frequency components from the recorded low-resolution images and then combine them to reach a high-resolution image. In contrast, model-based approaches rely on iterative optimization approaches to minimize the error between estimated and forward images. In this paper, we study the performance of both groups of methods by simulating fluorescence microscopy images from different type of objects (ranging from simulated two-point sources to extended objects). These simulations are used to investigate the methods' effectiveness on restoring objects with various types of power spectrum when modulation frequency of the patterned illumination is changing from zero to the incoherent cut-off frequency of the imaging system. Our results show that increasing the amount of imposed information by using a higher modulation frequency of the illumination pattern does not always yield a better restoration performance, which was found to be depended on the underlying object. Results from model-based restoration show performance improvement, quantified by an up to 62% drop in the mean square error compared to standard reconstruction, with increasing modulation frequency. However, we found cases for which results obtained with standard reconstruction methods do not always follow the same trend.

  15. Core Genome Multilocus Sequence Typing Scheme for High-Resolution Typing of Enterococcus faecium

    PubMed Central

    de Been, Mark; Pinholt, Mette; Top, Janetta; Bletz, Stefan; van Schaik, Willem; Brouwer, Ellen; Rogers, Malbert; Kraat, Yvette; Bonten, Marc; Corander, Jukka; Westh, Henrik; Harmsen, Dag

    2015-01-01

    Enterococcus faecium, a common inhabitant of the human gut, has emerged in the last 2 decades as an important multidrug-resistant nosocomial pathogen. Since the start of the 21st century, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) has been used to study the molecular epidemiology of E. faecium. However, due to the use of a small number of genes, the resolution of MLST is limited. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) now allows for high-resolution tracing of outbreaks, but current WGS-based approaches lack standardization, rendering them less suitable for interlaboratory prospective surveillance. To overcome this limitation, we developed a core genome MLST (cgMLST) scheme for E. faecium. cgMLST transfers genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) diversity into a standardized and portable allele numbering system that is far less computationally intensive than SNP-based analysis of WGS data. The E. faecium cgMLST scheme was built using 40 genome sequences that represented the diversity of the species. The scheme consists of 1,423 cgMLST target genes. To test the performance of the scheme, we performed WGS analysis of 103 outbreak isolates from five different hospitals in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany. The cgMLST scheme performed well in distinguishing between epidemiologically related and unrelated isolates, even between those that had the same sequence type (ST), which denotes the higher discriminatory power of this cgMLST scheme over that of conventional MLST. We also show that in terms of resolution, the performance of the E. faecium cgMLST scheme is equivalent to that of an SNP-based approach. In conclusion, the cgMLST scheme developed in this study facilitates rapid, standardized, and high-resolution tracing of E. faecium outbreaks. PMID:26400782

  16. Core Genome Multilocus Sequence Typing Scheme for High- Resolution Typing of Enterococcus faecium.

    PubMed

    de Been, Mark; Pinholt, Mette; Top, Janetta; Bletz, Stefan; Mellmann, Alexander; van Schaik, Willem; Brouwer, Ellen; Rogers, Malbert; Kraat, Yvette; Bonten, Marc; Corander, Jukka; Westh, Henrik; Harmsen, Dag; Willems, Rob J L

    2015-12-01

    Enterococcus faecium, a common inhabitant of the human gut, has emerged in the last 2 decades as an important multidrug-resistant nosocomial pathogen. Since the start of the 21st century, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) has been used to study the molecular epidemiology of E. faecium. However, due to the use of a small number of genes, the resolution of MLST is limited. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) now allows for high-resolution tracing of outbreaks, but current WGS-based approaches lack standardization, rendering them less suitable for interlaboratory prospective surveillance. To overcome this limitation, we developed a core genome MLST (cgMLST) scheme for E. faecium. cgMLST transfers genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP) diversity into a standardized and portable allele numbering system that is far less computationally intensive than SNP-based analysis of WGS data. The E. faecium cgMLST scheme was built using 40 genome sequences that represented the diversity of the species. The scheme consists of 1,423 cgMLST target genes. To test the performance of the scheme, we performed WGS analysis of 103 outbreak isolates from five different hospitals in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany. The cgMLST scheme performed well in distinguishing between epidemiologically related and unrelated isolates, even between those that had the same sequence type (ST), which denotes the higher discriminatory power of this cgMLST scheme over that of conventional MLST. We also show that in terms of resolution, the performance of the E. faecium cgMLST scheme is equivalent to that of an SNP-based approach. In conclusion, the cgMLST scheme developed in this study facilitates rapid, standardized, and high-resolution tracing of E. faecium outbreaks.

  17. Instructional Methods within the Elementary-School Science Classroom Related to Improved Academic Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baum, Lisa

    2013-01-01

    There is gap in passing rates on the standardized science assessment between European American and Hispanic American students. The purpose of this study was to examine student performance in science and the closing of the achievement gap between European American and Hispanic American students based upon receipt of an inquiry or noninquiry…

  18. Flight Performance of an Advanced Thermal Protection Material: Toughened Uni-Piece Fibrous Insulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Leiser, Daniel B.; Gordon, Michael P.; Rasky, Daniel J. (Technical Monitor)

    1995-01-01

    The flight performance of a new class of low density, high temperature thermal protection materials (TPM) is described and compared to "standard" Space Shuttle TPM. This new functionally gradient material designated as Toughened Uni-Piece Fibrous Insulation (TUFI), was bonded on a removable panel attached to the base heat shield of Orbiter 105, Endeavour.

  19. Flight Performance of an Advanced Thermal Protection Material: Toughened Uni-Piece Fibrous Insulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Leiser, Daniel B.; Gordon, Michael P.; Rasky, Daniel J. (Technical Monitor)

    1995-01-01

    The flight performance of a new class of low density, high temperature, thermal protection materials (TPM), is described and compared to "standard" Space Shuttle TPM. This new functionally gradient material designated as Toughened Uni-Piece Fibrous Insulation (TUFI), was bonded on a removable panel attached to the base heatshield of Orbiter 105, Endeavor.

  20. Comparing the Performance and Preference of Students Experiencing a Reading Aloud Accommodation to Those Who Do Not on a Virtual Science Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shelton, Angela

    2012-01-01

    Many United States secondary students perform poorly on standardized summative science assessments. Situated Assessments using Virtual Environments (SAVE) Science is an innovative assessment project that seeks to capture students' science knowledge and understanding by contextualizing problems in a game-based virtual environment called…

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