Evaluation of a systematic career coaching program for medical students in Korea using the Career Readiness Inventory

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this study was to implement a systematic career coaching program for medical students and to evaluate its effectiveness. Methods First-year medical students of Konyang University College of Medicine took part in the FLEX Mentoring II: Career Coaching Program from September to December in 2016 and 2017. This program included 16 weekly sessions, comprising a total of 32 hours. The students took the Career Readiness Inventory before and after the program, as a pre- and post-test of the program. Data from 100 students were used (46 students in 2016, 54 students in 2017) for the evaluation. Results Medical students’ career readiness pre-test was rated as medium. In particular, many students were at a low level in terms of ‘support from colleagues and peers’ (53.0%), ‘career decision’ (48.0%), and ‘efforts for job preparation’ (60.0%). After 16 sessions of a systematic career coaching program, their career readiness level showed a significant increase except for ‘career decision’ (t= 4.242, P= 0.001) and ‘independence’ (t= 0.731, P= 0.466), a sub-factor of ‘career maturity.’ Conclusion The career readiness level of medical students was not sufficiently high. However, a semester of educational training in a systematic career coaching program helped the students to be better prepared for their career. In particular, the significant reduction in the ‘career decision’ variable after the program can be interpreted as indicating that the students changed their behavior to explore and approach their career more seriously and carefully, which also underscores the need for the implementation of career coaching programs in medical schools. PMID:29665629

Maturity Assessment of Space Plug-and-Play Architecture

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

SSM SPA Service Module SRL System Readiness Level TAT Time-at-Tone TRA Technology Readiness Assessment TRL Technology Readiness Level USB Universal...maturity assessment—the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) process, the Integration Readiness Level (IRL) process, and the System Readiness Level ( SRL ...is an important hallmark of the SPA concept, and makes possible the composability and scalability of system designs that employ it. 14 4. SPA

Technological assessment of local manufacturers for wind turbine blade manufacturing in Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahmood, Khurram; Haroon, General

2012-11-01

Composite materials manufacturing industry is one of the world's hi-tech industry. Manufacturing of wind turbine blades is one of the specialized fields requiring high degree of precision and composite manufacturing techniques. This paper identifies the industries specializing in the composite manufacturing and is able to manufacture wind turbines blades in Pakistan. In the second phase, their technology readiness level is determined, based on some factors and then a readiness level are assigned to them. The assigned technology readiness level will depict the absorptive capacity of each manufacturing unit and its capability to take on such projects. The individual readiness level of manufacturing unit will then be used to establish combined technology readiness level of Pakistan particularly for wind turbine blades manufacturing. The composite manufacturing industry provides many spin offs and a diverse range of products can be manufactured using this facility. This research will be helpful to categorize the strong points and flaws of local industry for the gap analysis. It can also be used as a prerequisite study before the evaluation of technologies and specialties to improve the industry of the country for the most favorable results. This will form a basic data base which can be used for the decision making related to transfer of technology, training of local skilled workers and general up-gradation of the local manufacturing units.

High microbial loads found in minimally-processed sliced mushrooms from Italian market.

PubMed

Jiang, Haiyang; Miraglia, Dino; Ranucci, David; Donnini, Domizia; Roila, Rossana; Branciari, Raffaella; Li, Cheng

2018-03-31

There is an increased consumer interest in minimally processed vegetables that has led to the development of products, such as pre-cut sliced mushrooms. Few data are available on the hygienic condition and the presence of foodborne pathogens in such products. Therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate the safety and hygienic characteristics of both ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook, pre-cut sliced mushrooms obtained from a local Italian market. For the evaluation of the hygienic condition, the aerobic mesophilic bacteria, aerobic psychrotrophic bacteria and Escherichia coli enumerations were performed. Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes and Campylobacter spp. were considered in the assessment of the foodborne pathogens. High microbial loads were detected, including counts higher than 5 log CFU/g for E. coli and 6 log CFU/g for the other bacteria counts considered, but no pathogens were found. Ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook products differed only for aerobic mesophilic counts (7.87 and 8.26 log CFU/g, respectively, P=0.003). Strategies to enhance the hygienic level of the mushrooms, particularly the ready-to-eat products, are needed.

High microbial loads found in minimally-processed sliced mushrooms from Italian market

PubMed Central

Jiang, Haiyang; Miraglia, Dino; Ranucci, David; Donnini, Domizia; Roila, Rossana; Branciari, Raffaella; Li, Cheng

2018-01-01

There is an increased consumer interest in minimally processed vegetables that has led to the development of products, such as pre-cut sliced mushrooms. Few data are available on the hygienic condition and the presence of foodborne pathogens in such products. Therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate the safety and hygienic characteristics of both ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook, pre-cut sliced mushrooms obtained from a local Italian market. For the evaluation of the hygienic condition, the aerobic mesophilic bacteria, aerobic psychrotrophic bacteria and Escherichia coli enumerations were performed. Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes and Campylobacter spp. were considered in the assessment of the foodborne pathogens. High microbial loads were detected, including counts higher than 5 log CFU/g for E. coli and 6 log CFU/g for the other bacteria counts considered, but no pathogens were found. Ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook products differed only for aerobic mesophilic counts (7.87 and 8.26 log CFU/g, respectively, P=0.003). Strategies to enhance the hygienic level of the mushrooms, particularly the ready-to-eat products, are needed. PMID:29732334

Evaluating the Acoustic Benefits of Over-the-Rotor Acoustic Treatments Installed on the Advanced Noise Control Fan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gazella, Matthew R.; Takakura, Tamuto; Sutliff, Daniel L.; Bozak, Richard F.; Tester, Brian J.

2017-01-01

Over the last 15 years, over-the-rotor acoustic treatments have been evaluated by NASA with varying success. Recently, NASA has been developing the next generation of over-the-rotor acoustic treatments for fan noise reduction. The NASA Glenn Research Centers Advanced Noise Control Fan was used as a Low Technology Readiness Level test bed. A rapid prototyped in-duct array consisting of 50 microphones was employed, and used to correlate the in-duct analysis to the far-field acoustic levels and to validate an existing beam-former method. The goal of this testing was to improve the Technology Readiness Level of various over-the-rotor acoustic treatments by advancing the understanding of the physical mechanisms and projecting the far-field acoustic benefit.

Practical Application of Aspiration as an Outcome Indicator in Extension Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jayaratne, K. S. U.

2010-01-01

Extension educators need simple and accurate evaluation tools for program evaluation. This article explains how to use aspiration as an outcome indicator in Extension evaluation and introduces a practical evaluation tool. Aspiration can be described as the readiness for change. By recording participants' levels of aspiration, we will be able to…

Bioprinting: an assessment based on manufacturing readiness levels.

PubMed

Wu, Changsheng; Wang, Ben; Zhang, Chuck; Wysk, Richard A; Chen, Yi-Wen

2017-05-01

Over the last decade, bioprinting has emerged as a promising technology in the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. With recent advances in additive manufacturing, bioprinting is poised to provide patient-specific therapies and new approaches for tissue and organ studies, drug discoveries and even food manufacturing. Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) is a method that has been applied to assess manufacturing maturity and to identify risks and gaps in technology-manufacturing transitions. Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is used to evaluate the maturity of a technology. This paper reviews recent advances in bioprinting following the MRL scheme and addresses corresponding MRL levels of engineering challenges and gaps associated with the translation of bioprinting from lab-bench experiments to ultimate full-scale manufacturing of tissues and organs. According to our step-by-step TRL and MRL assessment, after years of rigorous investigation by the biotechnology community, bioprinting is on the cusp of entering the translational phase where laboratory research practices can be scaled up into manufacturing products specifically designed for individual patients.

SCRL-Model for Human Space Flight Operations Enterprise Supply Chain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tucker, Brian

2010-01-01

Standard approach to evaluate and configure adaptable and sustainable program and mission supply chains at an enterprise level. End-to-end view. Total Lifecycle. Evaluate the readiness of the supply chain during the supply chain development phase.

Consumer behaviors towards ready-to-eat foods based on food-related lifestyles in Korea

PubMed Central

Bae, Hyun-Joo; Chae, Mi-Jin

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine consumers' behaviors toward ready-to-eat foods and to develop ready-to-eat food market segmentation in Korea. The food-related lifestyle and purchase behaviors of ready-to-eat foods were evaluated using 410 ready-to-eat food consumers in the Republic of Korea. Four factors were extracted by exploratory factor analysis (health-orientation, taste-orientation, convenience-orientation, and tradition-orientation) to explain the ready-to eat food consumers' food-related lifestyles. The results of cluster analysis indicated that "tradition seekers" and "convenience seekers" should be regarded as the target segments. Chi-square tests and t-tests of the subdivided groups showed there were significant differences across marital status, education level, family type, eating-out expenditure, place of purchase, and reason for purchase. In conclusion, the tradition seekers consumed more ready-to-eat foods from discount marts or specialty stores and ate them between meals more often than the convenience seekers. In contrast, the convenience seekers purchased more ready-to-eat foods at convenience stores and ate them as meals more often than the tradition seekers. These findings suggest that ready-to-eat food market segmentation based on food-related lifestyles can be applied to develop proper marketing strategies. PMID:20827350

Consumer behaviors towards ready-to-eat foods based on food-related lifestyles in Korea.

PubMed

Bae, Hyun-Joo; Chae, Mi-Jin; Ryu, Kisang

2010-08-01

The purpose of this study was to examine consumers' behaviors toward ready-to-eat foods and to develop ready-to-eat food market segmentation in Korea. The food-related lifestyle and purchase behaviors of ready-to-eat foods were evaluated using 410 ready-to-eat food consumers in the Republic of Korea. Four factors were extracted by exploratory factor analysis (health-orientation, taste-orientation, convenience-orientation, and tradition-orientation) to explain the ready-to eat food consumers' food-related lifestyles. The results of cluster analysis indicated that "tradition seekers" and "convenience seekers" should be regarded as the target segments. Chi-square tests and t-tests of the subdivided groups showed there were significant differences across marital status, education level, family type, eating-out expenditure, place of purchase, and reason for purchase. In conclusion, the tradition seekers consumed more ready-to-eat foods from discount marts or specialty stores and ate them between meals more often than the convenience seekers. In contrast, the convenience seekers purchased more ready-to-eat foods at convenience stores and ate them as meals more often than the tradition seekers. These findings suggest that ready-to-eat food market segmentation based on food-related lifestyles can be applied to develop proper marketing strategies.

Analysis of e-learning implementation readiness based on integrated elr model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adiyarta, K.; Napitupulu, D.; Rahim, R.; Abdullah, D.; Setiawan, MI

2018-04-01

E-learning nowadays has become a requirement for institutions to support their learning activities. To adopt e-learning, an institution requires a large strategy and resources for optimal application. Unfortunately, not all institutions that have used e-learning got the desired results or expectations. This study aims to identify the extent of the level of readiness of e-learning implementation in institution X. The degree of institutional readiness will determine the success of future e-learning utilization. In addition, institutional readiness measurement are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of strategies in e-learning development. The research method used is survey with questionnaire designed based on integration of 8 best practice ELR (e-learning readiness) model. The results showed that from 13 factors of integrated ELR model being measured, there are 3 readiness factors included in the category of not ready and needs a lot of work. They are human resource (2.57), technology skill (2.38) and content factors (2.41). In general, e-learning implementation in institutions is in the category of not ready but needs some of work (3.27). Therefore, the institution should consider which factors or areas of ELR factors are considered still not ready and needs improvement in the future.

Utilizing GIS to evaluate base schedules in paratransit operations

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-02-02

With ready access to street file names and inexpensive GIS software, paratransit systems can take advantage of GIS technology to evaluate base schedules on a regular basis in order to maintain system efficiency at consistently high levels. This proje...

Linking household and health facility surveys to assess obstetric service availability, readiness and coverage: evidence from 17 low- and middle-income countries.

PubMed

Kanyangarara, Mufaro; Chou, Victoria B; Creanga, Andreea A; Walker, Neff

2018-06-01

Improving access and quality of obstetric service has the potential to avert preventable maternal, neonatal and stillborn deaths, yet little is known about the quality of care received. This study sought to assess obstetric service availability, readiness and coverage within and between 17 low- and middle-income countries. We linked health facility data from the Service Provision Assessments and Service Availability and Readiness Assessments, with corresponding household survey data obtained from the Demographic and Health Surveys and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys. Based on performance of obstetric signal functions, we defined four levels of facility emergency obstetric care (EmOC) functionality: comprehensive (CEmOC), basic (BEmOC), BEmOC-2, and low/substandard. Facility readiness was evaluated based on the direct observation of 23 essential items; facilities "ready to provide obstetric services" had ≥20 of 23 items available. Across countries, we used medians to characterize service availability and readiness, overall and by urban-rural location; analyses also adjusted for care-seeking patterns to estimate population-level coverage of obstetric services. Of the 111 500 health facilities surveyed, 7545 offered obstetric services and were included in the analysis. The median percentages of facilities offering EmOC and "ready to provide obstetric services" were 19% and 10%, respectively. There were considerable urban-rural differences, with absolute differences of 19% and 29% in the availability of facilities offering EmOC and "ready to provide obstetric services", respectively. Adjusting for care-seeking patterns, results from the linking approach indicated that among women delivering in a facility, a median of 40% delivered in facilities offering EmOC, and 28% delivered in facilities "ready to provide obstetric services". Relatively higher coverage of facility deliveries (≥65%) and coverage of deliveries in facilities "ready to provide obstetric services" (≥30% of facility deliveries) were only found in three countries. The low levels of availability, readiness and coverage of obstetric services documented represent substantial missed opportunities within health systems. Global and national efforts need to prioritize upgrading EmOC functionality and improving readiness to deliver obstetric service, particularly in rural areas. The approach of linking health facility and household surveys described here could facilitate the tracking of progress towards quality obstetric care.

Linking household and health facility surveys to assess obstetric service availability, readiness and coverage: evidence from 17 low- and middle-income countries

PubMed Central

Kanyangarara, Mufaro; Chou, Victoria B; Creanga, Andreea A; Walker, Neff

2018-01-01

Background Improving access and quality of obstetric service has the potential to avert preventable maternal, neonatal and stillborn deaths, yet little is known about the quality of care received. This study sought to assess obstetric service availability, readiness and coverage within and between 17 low- and middle-income countries. Methods We linked health facility data from the Service Provision Assessments and Service Availability and Readiness Assessments, with corresponding household survey data obtained from the Demographic and Health Surveys and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys. Based on performance of obstetric signal functions, we defined four levels of facility emergency obstetric care (EmOC) functionality: comprehensive (CEmOC), basic (BEmOC), BEmOC-2, and low/substandard. Facility readiness was evaluated based on the direct observation of 23 essential items; facilities “ready to provide obstetric services” had ≥20 of 23 items available. Across countries, we used medians to characterize service availability and readiness, overall and by urban-rural location; analyses also adjusted for care-seeking patterns to estimate population-level coverage of obstetric services. Results Of the 111 500 health facilities surveyed, 7545 offered obstetric services and were included in the analysis. The median percentages of facilities offering EmOC and “ready to provide obstetric services” were 19% and 10%, respectively. There were considerable urban-rural differences, with absolute differences of 19% and 29% in the availability of facilities offering EmOC and “ready to provide obstetric services”, respectively. Adjusting for care-seeking patterns, results from the linking approach indicated that among women delivering in a facility, a median of 40% delivered in facilities offering EmOC, and 28% delivered in facilities “ready to provide obstetric services”. Relatively higher coverage of facility deliveries (≥65%) and coverage of deliveries in facilities “ready to provide obstetric services” (≥30% of facility deliveries) were only found in three countries. Conclusions The low levels of availability, readiness and coverage of obstetric services documented represent substantial missed opportunities within health systems. Global and national efforts need to prioritize upgrading EmOC functionality and improving readiness to deliver obstetric service, particularly in rural areas. The approach of linking health facility and household surveys described here could facilitate the tracking of progress towards quality obstetric care. PMID:29862026

[Behavioral risk factors and readiness in amateur marathon runners 18-64 years of age in Bogotá, Colombia, 2014].

PubMed

Ramírez-Góngora, María Del Pilar; Prieto-Alvarado, Franklyn Edwin

2016-01-01

Participation in amateur street marathons has become increasingly popular and requires prior individual health risk assessment. The objective was to identify risk factors and readiness in registered runners. This was a cross-sectional study in a random sample (n = 510) of registered amateur runners 18-64 years of age, using a digital survey with IPAQ, Par-Q+, and STEPwise, with an expected physical inactivity rate of 35% (±5%). The study explored physical activity, (binge) alcohol consumption, fruit, vegetable, and salt intake, smoking, and readiness. Self-reported rates were: 97.4% recommended level of physical activity, 2.4% optimal fruit and vegetable intake, 3.7% smoking, and 44.1% binge drinking. 19.8% were Par-Q+ positive and 5.7% practiced supervised exercise. The analysis showed differences by age, sex, and socioeconomic status. Recreational runners followed the recommended levels of physical activity but did not score well on other risk factors. Prior evaluation of lifestyle-related risk factors and readiness provides a safer athletic strategy.

E-Learning Readiness in Medicine: Turkish Family Medicine (FM) Physicians Case

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parlakkiliç, Alaattin

2015-01-01

This research investigates e-learning readiness level of family medicine physicians (FM) in Turkey. The study measures the level of e-learning readiness of Turkish FM physicians by an online e-learning readiness survey. According to results five areas are ready at Turkish FM physicians but need a few improvements:…

Psychometric evaluation of the Work Readiness Questionnaire in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Potkin, Steven G; Bugarski-Kirola, Dragana; Edgar, Chris J; Soliman, Sherif; Le Scouiller, Stephanie; Kunovac, Jelena; Miguel Velasco, Eugenio; Garibaldi, George M

2016-04-01

Unemployment can negatively impact quality of life among patients with schizophrenia. Employment status depends on ability, opportunity, education, and cultural influences. A clinician-rated scale of work readiness, independent of current work status, can be a valuable assessment tool. A series of studies were conducted to create and validate a Work Readiness Questionnaire (WoRQ) for clinicians to assess patient ability to engage in socially useful activity, independent of work availability. Content validity, test-retest and inter-rater reliability, and construct validity were evaluated in three separate studies. Content validity was supported. Cronbach's α was 0.91, in the excellent range. Clinicians endorsed WoRQ concepts, including treatment adherence, physical appearance, social competence, and symptom control. The final readiness decision showed good test-retest reliability and moderate inter-rater reliability. Work readiness was associated with higher function and lower levels of negative symptoms. Low positive and high negative predictive values confirmed the concept validity. The WoRQ has suitable psychometric properties for use in a clinical trial for patients with a broad range of symptom severity. The scale may be applicable to assess therapeutic interventions. It is not intended to assess eligibility for supported work interventions. The WoRQ is suitable for use in schizophrenia clinical trials to assess patient work functional potential.

Flipped-learning course design and evaluation through student self-assessment in a predental science class

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Purpose This study explores how to design a flipped classroom for a predental science course and evaluate its course through student self-assessment in order to provide practical implications for flipped learning in an undergraduate level. Methods Second- and third-year predental students in the Seoul National University School of Dentistry enrolled in Biodiversity and Global Environment, a 15-week, three-credit course based on a flipped learning model. At the end of the course, the students were asked to rate their self-directed learning, attitude toward social media, discussion skills, learning readiness, and class satisfaction. Out of the 82 predental students, 61 (74.3%) answered the survey. Pearson correlation and multivariate regression analyses were employed to examine the relationship between the self-rated measurements and the performance scores. Results The majority of the students felt somewhat more prepared than the medium level before the class (mean score of 3.17 out of 5.00), whereas they expressed relatively low preference concerning social media use and attitude (mean score of 2.49). Thus, it was found that learning readiness was significantly associated with both discussion skills and class satisfaction. In particular, multivariate regression analysis confirmed that learning readiness had a significant influence on learning outcomes. Conclusion This study offered insights into how to design a flipped learning course in terms of predental students’ preference and their learning readiness. Although learning success in a flipped classroom depends on the students’ self-perceived level of preparedness, much still remains to be achieved in order to apply social media benefits in a flipped learning context. PMID:28597872

Flipped-learning course design and evaluation through student self-assessment in a predental science class.

PubMed

Ihm, Jungjoon; Choi, Hyoseon; Roh, Sangho

2017-06-01

This study explores how to design a flipped classroom for a predental science course and evaluate its course through student self-assessment in order to provide practical implications for flipped learning in an undergraduate level. Second- and third-year predental students in the Seoul National University School of Dentistry enrolled in Biodiversity and Global Environment, a 15-week, three-credit course based on a flipped learning model. At the end of the course, the students were asked to rate their self-directed learning, attitude toward social media, discussion skills, learning readiness, and class satisfaction. Out of the 82 predental students, 61 (74.3%) answered the survey. Pearson correlation and multivariate regression analyses were employed to examine the relationship between the self-rated measurements and the performance scores. The majority of the students felt somewhat more prepared than the medium level before the class (mean score of 3.17 out of 5.00), whereas they expressed relatively low preference concerning social media use and attitude (mean score of 2.49). Thus, it was found that learning readiness was significantly associated with both discussion skills and class satisfaction. In particular, multivariate regression analysis confirmed that learning readiness had a significant influence on learning outcomes. This study offered insights into how to design a flipped learning course in terms of predental students' preference and their learning readiness. Although learning success in a flipped classroom depends on the students' self-perceived level of preparedness, much still remains to be achieved in order to apply social media benefits in a flipped learning context.

What Are the Costs of Trauma Center Readiness? Defining and Standardizing Readiness Costs for Trauma Centers Statewide.

PubMed

Ashley, Dennis W; Mullins, Robert F; Dente, Christopher J; Garlow, Laura; Medeiros, Regina S; Atkins, Elizabeth V; Solomon, Gina; Abston, Dena; Ferdinand, Colville H

2017-09-01

Trauma center readiness costs are incurred to maintain essential infrastructure and capacity to provide emergent services on a 24/7 basis. These costs are not captured by traditional hospital cost accounting, and no national consensus exists on appropriate definitions for each cost. Therefore, in 2010, stakeholders from all Level I and II trauma centers developed a survey tool standardizing and defining trauma center readiness costs. The survey tool underwent minor revisions to provide further clarity, and the survey was repeated in 2013. The purpose of this study was to provide a follow-up analysis of readiness costs for Georgia's Level I and Level II trauma centers. Using the American College of Surgeons Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient guidelines, four readiness cost categories were identified: Administrative, Clinical Medical Staff, Operating Room, and Education/Outreach. Through conference calls, webinars and face-to-face meetings with financial officers, trauma medical directors, and program managers from all trauma centers, standardized definitions for reporting readiness costs within each category were developed. This resulted in a survey tool for centers to report their individual readiness costs for one year. The total readiness cost for all Level I trauma centers was $34,105,318 (avg $6,821,064) and all Level II trauma centers was $20,998,019 (avg $2,333,113). Methodology to standardize and define readiness costs for all trauma centers within the state was developed. Average costs for Level I and Level II trauma centers were identified. This model may be used to help other states define and standardize their trauma readiness costs.

Assessing self-efficacy and college readiness level among new undergraduate students in computer science using metacognitive awareness inventory (MAI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Othman, Wan Nor Afiqah Wan; Abdullah, Aziman

2018-04-01

This preliminary study was conducted to address the issue of academic planning skills among new university student. Due to lack of proper measurement mechanism for awareness and readiness among students, this study proposes Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) to assess the connection between student self-efficacy and college readiness. Qualitative and quantitative approach were used by provide an online self-assessment for new student of Faculty of Computer Systems & Software Engineering (FSKKP) and analyse the data respectively. The possible relationships between MAI and College Readiness Item (CRI) in self-assessment has been evaluated. The sample size of 368 respondents from UMP are responding to the online self-assessment. The initial finding shows most student (71%) of the respondent lack of skills in planning. We manage to use Pearson Product-moment correlation coefficient to find the significant relationship between MAI and CRI. Thus, we found that College Readiness provide sufficient evidence that there is a significant correlation with most of MAI items. The findings also indicated not much difference was found between gender in terms of self-efficacy level. This paper suggests the MAI and CRI is a reliable and valid scale to respond the planning skills issues among new university students.

Salt as a public health challenge in continental European convenience and ready meals.

PubMed

Kanzler, Sonja; Hartmann, Christina; Gruber, Anita; Lammer, Guido; Wagner, Karl-Heinz

2014-11-01

To assess the salt content of continental European convenience and ready meals. A multistage study in which, after laboratory analysis of the products' salt contents (n 32), new salt-reduced meals were developed through food reformulation. Additionally, a comprehensive survey of convenience meals from the Austrian market (n 572) was conducted to evaluate the salt contents of a wider product range. Six continental European countries participated. No subjects enrolled. The salt contents of continental European convenience and ready meals mostly exceeded 1·8 g/100 g, which is 30 % of the targeted daily intake level; some contained even more than the recommended daily intake of 6 g. The highest salt contents were found in pizzas and pasta dishes, the lowest ones in sweet meals. Large variations in salt levels were found not only between and within meal type categories, but also between similar meals from different producers. In addition, our approach to develop new salt-reduced meals showed that a stepwise reduction of the ready meals' salt contents is possible without compromising the sensory quality. To address the problem of hypertension and increased risk for CVD through high salt intake, a reduction of the salt levels in continental European convenience and ready meals is urgently needed, since they are providing a major part of the daily salt intake. Successful national-wide salt reduction strategies in the UK or Finland have already demonstrated the public health impact of this setting.

Online Health Behavior and Disease Management Programs: Are We Ready for Them? Are They Ready for Us?

PubMed Central

Cummins, Carol O; Prochaska, James O; Prochaska, Janice M

2005-01-01

Advancing the science and practice of health promotion and disease management on the Internet requires a systematic program of research examining the population impact of such programs. With impact described as the combination of effectiveness and participation, such research needs to include the examination of the quality and effectiveness of programs that are available to the general public, as well as descriptive and predictive knowledge about population readiness to participate in such programs. There have been few studies examining the quality of interactive health behavior change (HBC) programs on the Internet, and even fewer investigations of the effectiveness of such programs. Based on the review of over 300 HBC programs on the Internet using the “5 A's” of Health Behavior Change on the Internet (HBC-I Screener), which represent standard minimum guidelines for evaluation, it appears HBC on the Internet is in the early stages of development. As health behavior change on the Internet matures from the provision of health information to meeting the requirements necessary to produce health behavior change, and as program developers take advantage of the interactive nature of the Internet, the basic screening and expanded evaluation criteria developed in this project will provide templates for both consumers and developers of programs. The second component necessary for evaluating the impact of HBC on the Internet is the extent to which the population is ready to participate in such programs. We need to move beyond a narrow focus on early adopters and produce a population perspective that includes those not ready, those getting ready, and those ready to use such programs, as well as those already participating. By understanding participation levels of such programs, and what drives this participation, the development and dissemination of practical tailored and targeted interventions can help maximize population participation in Internet programs for health behavior change. PMID:15998618

Effect of a barley-vegetable soup on plasma carotenoids and biomarkers of cardiovascular disease.

PubMed

Bacchetti, Tiziana; Tullii, Domenico; Masciangelo, Simona; Gesuita, Rosaria; Skrami, Edlira; Brugè, Francesca; Silvestri, Sonia; Orlando, Patrick; Tiano, Luca; Ferretti, Gianna

2015-07-01

Functional foods that provide benefits beyond their traditional nutritional value have attracted much interest. Aim of the study was to evaluate the nutritional and the functional properties of a frozen ready-to-eat soup containing barley and pigmented vegetables. Both glycaemic index and the glyceamic load of ready-to-eat soup were evaluated in vivo. Moreover the bioavailability of carotenoids (lutein and beta-carotene) and the effect on lipid profile and lipid peroxidation were studied in 38 volunteers whose diet was supplemented for two weeks with a daily portion (250 g) of the ready-to-eat soup. Plasma levels of carotenoids (lutein and beta-carotene) and plasma total antioxidant capacity significantly increased after 2 weeks of treatment. Furthermore, we observed a decrease in the levels of lipids (total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol) and of markers of lipid peroxidation (oxidized low density lipoprotein and lipid hydroperoxides) in plasma of all subjects. The glyceamic index of the product was 36, therefore it could be considered a low glyceamic index food. An accurate selection of vegetable foods results in a palatable and healthy product that provides benefits on plasma lipids and lipid peroxidation (Protocol number 211525).

Effect of a barley-vegetable soup on plasma carotenoids and biomarkers of cardiovascular disease

PubMed Central

Bacchetti, Tiziana; Tullii, Domenico; Masciangelo, Simona; Gesuita, Rosaria; Skrami, Edlira; Brugè, Francesca; Silvestri, Sonia; Orlando, Patrick; Tiano, Luca; Ferretti, Gianna

2015-01-01

Functional foods that provide benefits beyond their traditional nutritional value have attracted much interest. Aim of the study was to evaluate the nutritional and the functional properties of a frozen ready-to-eat soup containing barley and pigmented vegetables. Both glycaemic index and the glyceamic load of ready-to-eat soup were evaluated in vivo. Moreover the bioavailability of carotenoids (lutein and beta-carotene) and the effect on lipid profile and lipid peroxidation were studied in 38 volunteers whose diet was supplemented for two weeks with a daily portion (250 g) of the ready-to-eat soup. Plasma levels of carotenoids (lutein and beta-carotene) and plasma total antioxidant capacity significantly increased after 2 weeks of treatment. Furthermore, we observed a decrease in the levels of lipids (total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol) and of markers of lipid peroxidation (oxidized low density lipoprotein and lipid hydroperoxides) in plasma of all subjects. The glyceamic index of the product was 36, therefore it could be considered a low glyceamic index food. An accurate selection of vegetable foods results in a palatable and healthy product that provides benefits on plasma lipids and lipid peroxidation (Protocol number 211525). PMID:26236103

The Development of Model for Measuring Railway Wheels Manufacturing Readiness Level

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inrawan Wiratmadja, Iwan; Mufid, Anas

2016-02-01

In an effort to grow the railway wheel industry in Indonesia and reduce the dependence on imports, Metal Industries Development Center (MIDC) makes the implementation of the railway wheel manufacturing technology in Indonesia. MIDC is an institution based on research and development having a task to research the production of railway wheels prototype and acts as a supervisor to the industry in Indonesia, for implementing the railway wheel manufacturing technology. The process of implementing manufacturing technology requires a lot of resources. Therefore it is necessary to measure the manufacturing readiness process. Measurement of railway wheels manufacturing readiness was in this study done using the manufacturing readiness level (MRL) model from the United States Department of Defense. MRL consists of 10 manufacturing readiness levels described by 90 criteria and 184 sub-criteria. To get a manufacturing readiness measurement instrument that is good and accurate, the development process involved experts through expert judgment method and validated with a content validity ratio (CVR). Measurement instrument developed in this study consist of 448 indicators. The measurement results show that MIDC's railway wheels manufacturing readiness is at the level 4. This shows that there is a gap between the current level of manufacturing readiness owned by MIDC and manufacturing readiness levels required to achieve the program objectives, which is level 5. To achieve the program objectives at level 5, a number of actions were required to be done by MIDC. Indicators that must be improved to be able to achieve level 5 are indicators related to the cost and financing, process capability and control, quality management, workers, and manufacturing management criteria.

Evaluating Community Readiness to Implement Environmental and Policy-Based Alcohol Abuse Prevention Strategies in Wisconsin

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paltzer, Jason; Black, Penny; Moberg, D. Paul

2013-01-01

Background: Matching evidence-based alcohol prevention strat- egies with a community's readiness to support those strategies is the basis for the Tri-Ethnic Community Readiness Model (CRM). The purpose of this evaluation was to assess the association of a community's readiness to address alcohol abuse in their community with the implementation of…

Mini-Split Heat Pump Evaluation and Zero Energy Ready Home Support

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

Herk, Anastasia

IBACOS worked with builder Imagine Homes to evaluate the performance of an occupied new construction test house following construction of the house in the hot, humid climate of San Antonio, Texas. The project measures the effectiveness of a space conditioning strategy using a multihead mini-split heat pump (MSHP) system in a reduced-load home to achieve acceptable comfort levels (temperature and humidity) and energy performance. IBACOS collected long-term data and analyzed the energy consumption and comfort conditions of the occupied house after one year of operation. Although measured results indicate that the test system provides comfort both inside and outside themore » ASHRAE Standard 55-2010 range, the occupants of the house claimed both adequate comfort and appreciation of the ease of use and flexibility of the installed MSHP system. IBACOS also assisted the builder to evaluate design and specification changes necessary to comply with Zero Energy Ready Home, but the builder chose to not move forward with it because of concerns about the 'solar ready' requirements of the program.« less

Evaluation readiness: improved evaluation planning using a data inventory framework.

PubMed

Cohen, A B; Hall, K C; Cohodes, D R

1985-01-01

Factors intrinsic to many programs, such as ambiguously stated objectives, inadequately defined performance measures, and incomplete or unreliable databases, often conspire to limit the evaluability of these programs. Current evaluation planning approaches are somewhat constrained in their ability to overcome these obstacles and to achieve full preparedness for evaluation. In this paper, the concept of evaluation readiness is introduced as a complement to other evaluation planning approaches, most notably that of evaluability assessment. The basic products of evaluation readiness--the formal program definition and the data inventory framework--are described, along with a guide for assuring more timely and appropriate evaluation response capability to support the decision making needs of program managers. The utility of evaluation readiness for program planning, as well as for effective management, is also discussed.

Deficiencies in school readiness skills of children with sickle cell anemia: a preliminary report.

PubMed

Chua-Lim, C; Moore, R B; McCleary, G; Shah, A; Mankad, V N

1993-04-01

Patients with sickle cell anemia often express myriad clinical signs and symptoms that affect their life-style and academic performance. Certain psychoeducational and psychosocial factors have been shown to influence the academic achievement of older patients with sickle cell anemia. However, studies evaluating the school readiness skills of younger children have not been published. To determine whether sickle cell anemia delays preschool development in children aged 4 to 6 years, we studied 10 affected children and 10 normal subjects matched for age, sex, and race. School readiness was evaluated by the Pediatric Examination of Educational Readiness (PEER), which assess a child's performance in areas of developmental attainment such as visual input, verbal output, and short-term memory. The presence of associated movements (minor neurologic signs) and other areas of behavior such as selective attention, activity level, adaptive behavior, and processing efficiency are also observed. The children with sickle cell anemia scored significantly lower than their normal counterparts in several parameters of the PEER. The McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities, a standardized psychometric test, showed that these children with sickle cell anemia were within the normal range of intelligence. Magnetic resonance imaging done on three children with sickle cell anemia who scored lowest on the PEER revealed no cerebrovascular infarcts. These preliminary studies demonstrate significant differences in school readiness skills between children with sickle cell anemia and normal subjects.

Development and evaluation of garlic incorporated ready-to-eat extruded snacks.

PubMed

Haritha, D; Vijayalakshmi, V; Gulla, S

2014-11-01

The present study was carried out to develop and evaluate ready to eat extruded snacks incorporated with garlic powder at various levels (5 %, 10 %, 15 %, 20 %). The organoleptic evaluation was conducted for the developed products and the well accepted products were selected for further studies like physical properties and shelf life (stored at room temperature for 2 months). The organoleptic evaluation of the developed snacks revealed that 15 % and 20 % garlic incorporated snacks were not acceptable due to strong garlic flavor, therefore T1 (control), T2 (5 % garlic) and T3 ( 10 % garlic) were selected for further studies. The physical properties showed significant changes with incorporation of garlic powder at 0 %-10 % level. There was an increase in mass flow rate, tap density and bulk density but decrease in the water holding capacity, oil absorption capacity and expansion ratio. The water soluble index and moisture retention of the products showed the same values for all the three selected treatments. The products were packed by ordinary, nitrogen and vacuum packing and stored for 2 months. It was found that there was an increase in moisture content and microbial load, however the increase was within limits. The increase in the moisture content was low in nitrogen packed products where as the microbial load decreased with increase in the percentage of garlic incorporation. The nitrogen and vacuum packed products showed less microbial load than the ordinary packed products. Garlic powder can be incorporated at 5 and 10 % levels in ready-to-eat extruded snacks with well acceptability and can be stored for a period of 2 months with nitrogen packing as an effective packaging.

Professional Learning Drives Common Core and Educator Evaluation, Knowledge Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Killion, Joellen; Hirsh, Stephanie

2014-01-01

The ultimate key to successful integration and implementation of college- and career-ready standards and educator evaluation systems is the quality of the professional learning that educators engage in every day. Effective professional learning at the school level occurs among a team of teachers learning in a cycle of continuous improvement.…

A Study of Pre-Service Information and Communication Teachers' Efficacy Levels for Analyzing and Responding to Cyberbullying Cases

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kavuk, Melike; Bulu, Sanser; Keser, Hafize

2016-01-01

This case study was conducted to investigate efficacy levels of preservice Information and Communication Teachers' to identify, prevent and intervene to cyberbullying cases. Fifty participants were interviewed and 56 cyberbullying cases, which the participants experienced or witnessed, were collected to evaluate their cyberbullying readiness.…

Treatment readiness, attitudes toward, and experiences with methadone and buprenorphine maintenance therapy among people who inject drugs in Malaysia.

PubMed

Vijay, Aishwarya; Bazazi, Alexander R; Yee, Ilias; Kamarulzaman, Adeeba; Altice, Frederick L

2015-07-01

Little is known about attitudes toward and experiences with opioid maintenance therapy (OMT) among people who inject drugs in Malaysia, a country where people who inject drugs comprise 1.3% of the adult population. In 2010, 460 people who inject drugs in Greater Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were surveyed to evaluate attitudes toward and experiences with OMT and treatment readiness. Attitudes towards OMT with both methadone and buprenorphine were assessed using an opinions scale. Multivariable linear regression was used to assess correlates of treatment readiness, measured with the 19-item Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES). All 460 participants used opioids and nearly all (99.1%) met criteria for opioid dependence. Few had had previous experience with methadone (9.3%) or buprenorphine (12.6%) maintenance therapy, yet many had used methadone (55.2%) or buprenorphine (51.7%) outside of treatment settings. Fifteen percent had injected buprenorphine in the past month, and of the few that were currently receiving buprenorphine maintenance therapy, almost all were injecting it. The majority of subjects exhibited a moderate level of treatment readiness and a preference for methadone over buprenorphine. Those with low treatment readiness scores were more likely to have previous experience with compulsory drug detention centers (p<0.01), needle/syringe exchange programs (p<0.005), or be of Indian ethnicity (p<0.001). Past use of methadone (p<0.01), older age (p<0.001), higher stress symptom severity (p<0.001), and sharing of needles or syringes (p<0.05) were associated with higher treatment readiness scores. There are suboptimal levels of OMT experience among people who inject drugs that may be improved by addressing factors that influence patient attitudes. Those individuals with moderate treatment readiness may be targeted by brief motivational and cognitive interventions in primary care, prisons or OMT clinics aimed at improving entry into and retention in treatment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Treatment readiness, attitudes toward, and experiences with methadone and buprenorphine maintenance therapy among people who inject drugs in Malaysia

PubMed Central

Vijay, Aishwarya; Bazazi, Alexander R.; Yee, Ilias; Kamarulzaman, Adeeba; Altice, Frederick L.

2016-01-01

Background Little is known about attitudes toward and experiences with opioid maintenance therapy (OMT) among people who inject drugs in Malaysia, a country where people who inject drugs comprise 1.3% of the adult population. Methods In 2010, 460 people who inject drugs in Greater Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia were surveyed to evaluate attitudes toward and experience with OMT and treatment readiness. Attitudes towards OMT with both methadone and buprenorphine were assessed using an opinions scale. Multivariable linear regression was used to assess correlates of treatment readiness, measured with the 19-item Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (SOCRATES). Results All 460 participants used opioids and nearly all (99.1%) met criteria for opioid dependence. Few had had previous experience with methadone (9.3%) or buprenorphine (12.6%) maintenance therapy, yet many had used methadone (55.2%) or buprenorphine (51.7%) outside of treatment settings. Fifteen percent had injected buprenorphine in the past month, and of the few that were currently receiving buprenorphine maintenance therapy, almost all were injecting it. The majority of subjects exhibited a moderate level of treatment readiness and a preference for methadone over buprenorphine. Those with low treatment readiness scores were more likely to have previous experience with compulsory drug detention centers (p<0.01), needle/syringe exchange programs (p<0.005), or be of Indian ethnicity (p<0.001). Past use of methadone (p<0.01), older age (p<0.001), stress symptom severity (p<0.001), and sharing of needles or syringes (p<0.05) were associated with higher treatment readiness scores. Conclusion There are suboptimal levels of OMT experience among people who inject drugs that may be improved by addressing factors that influence patient attitudes. Those individuals with moderate treatment readiness may be targeted by brief motivational and cognitive interventions in primary care, prisons or OMT clinics aimed at improving entry into and retention in treatment. PMID:25841703

A Review of Methods and Instruments Used in State and Local School Readiness Evaluations. Issues & Answers. REL 2007-No. 004

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Glyn; Scott-Little, Catherine; Amwake, Lynn; Wynn, Lucy

2007-01-01

The report provides detailed information about the methods and instruments used to evaluate school readiness initiatives, discusses important considerations in selecting instruments, and provides resources and recommendations that may be helpful to those who are designing and implementing school readiness evaluations. Study results indicate that…

Definition and Development of Habitation Readiness Levels (HRLs) for Planetary Surface Habitats

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Connolly, Janis H.; Toups, Larry

2007-01-01

One could argue that NASA has never developed a true habitat for a planetary surface, with only the Lunar Module from the 1960's-era Apollo Program providing for a sparse 2 person, 3 day capability. An integral part of NASA's current National Vision for Space Exploration is missions back to the moon and eventually to Mars. One of the largest leaps i11 lunar surface exploration beyond the Apollo lunar missions will be the conduct of these extended duration human missions. These missions could range from 30 to 90 days in length initially and may eventually range up to 500 days in length. To enable these extended duration human missions, probably the single-most important lunar surface element is the Surface Habitat. The requirements that must be met by the Surface Habitat will go far beyond the safety, performance and operational requirements of the Lunar Module, and NASA needs to develop a basis for making intelligent, technically correct habitat design decisions. This paper will discuss the possibilities of the definition and development of a Habitation Readiness Level (HRL) scale that might be mapped to current Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) for technology development. HRLs could help measure how well a particular technology thrust is advanced by a proposed planetary habitat concept. The readiness level would have to be measured differently than TRLs, and may include such milestones as habitat design performance under simulated mission operations and constraints (including relevant field testing), functional allocation demonstrations, crew interface evaluation and post-occupancy evaluation. With many concepts for planetary habitats proposed over the past 20 years, there are many strategic technical challenges facing designers of planetary habitats that will support NASA's exploration of the moon and Mars. The systematic assessment of a variety of planetary habitat options will be an important approach and will influence the associated requirements for human design, volumetrics, functionality, systems hardware and operations.

Starting school healthy and ready to learn: using social indicators to improve school readiness in Los Angeles County.

PubMed

Wold, Cheryl; Nicholas, Will

2007-10-01

School readiness is an important public health outcome, determined by a set of interdependent health and developmental trajectories and influenced by a child's family, school, and community environments. The same factors that influence school readiness also influence educational success and health throughout life. A California cigarette tax ballot initiative (Proposition 10) created new resources for children aged 0 to 5 years and their families statewide through county-level First 5 commissions, including First 5 LA in Los Angeles County. An opportunity to define and promote school readiness indicators was facilitated by collaborative relationships with a strong emphasis on data among First 5 LA, the Children's Planning Council, and the Los Angeles County Public Health Department, and other child-serving organizations. A workgroup developed school readiness goals and indicators based on recommendations of the National Education Goals Panel and five key domains of child well-being: 1) good health, 2) safety and survival, 3) economic well-being, 4) social and emotional well-being, and 5) education/workforce readiness. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and First 5 LA Commission adopted the school readiness indicators. First 5 LA incorporated the indicators into the results-based accountability framework for its strategic plan and developed a community-oriented report designed to educate and spur school readiness-oriented action. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a countywide consensus-building plan designed to engage key stakeholders in the use of the indicators for planning, evaluation, and community-building activities. School readiness indicators in Los Angeles County represent an important step forward for public health practice, namely, the successful blending of an expanded role for assessment with the ecological model.

The Development and Initial Evaluation of the Human Readiness Level Framework

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-01

View ICD Initial Capabilities Document ICW Interactive Course Ware ILE Interactive Learning Environment ILT Instructor Led Training IOC...Programmatic Environmental Safety and Health Evaluation PHA Preliminary Hazard Analysis PHL Preliminary Hazard List xiv PM Program Manager PQS...Occupational Health SOW Statement of Work SRD System Requirements Document SPS System Performance Specification SRR System Requirements Review SVR

Prevalence of pathogenic bacteria in street vended ready-to-eat meats in Windhoek, Namibia.

PubMed

Shiningeni, Daphney; Chimwamurombe, Percy; Shilangale, Renatus; Misihairabgwi, Jane

2018-05-31

To determine the prevalence of pathogenic bacteria in street vended ready-to-eat meats in Windhoek, Namibia, a total of 96 street vended ready to eat meat samples were evaluated. Prevalences of 42%, 52%, 15%, 6% and 83% were observed for Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Shigella and Enterobacteriaceae respectively, while the highest aerobic plate counts were 7.74 Log 10 cfu/g, 5.67 Log 10 cfu/g, 5.12 Log 10 cfu/g , 4.56 Log 10 cfu/g, 3.3 Log 10 cfu/g, 5.75 Log 10 cfu/g respectively. Unsatisfactory microbial levels were 32% for aerobic plate count, 26% for Enterobacteriaceae, 35% for Escherichia coli, 11% for Listeria monocytogenes, 7% for Staphylococcus aureus and 6% for Shigella. Salmonella was detected in 11% and 40% of samples from two suburbs. The unsatisfactory microbiological quality of some ready-to-eat meats necessitates the provision of training on food safety and hygiene to street vendors for consumer protection. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Readiness to change as a moderator of outcome in transdiagnostic treatment

PubMed Central

BOSWELL, JAMES F.; SAUER, SHANNON E.; GALLAGHER, MATTHEW W.; DELGADO, NICOLE; BARLOW, DAVID H.

2012-01-01

Initial symptom severity is a client characteristic associated with psychotherapy outcome, although this relationship is not well-understood. Readiness to change is a factor that may influence this relationship. This study tested readiness as a moderator of the relationship between initial severity and symptom change. Data were derived from an RCT examining the efficacy of a transdiagnostic CBT treatment. Readiness was assessed with the URICA, and symptom and functioning outcomes were assessed. Multiple regression models indicated that severity was associated with less overall change, yet readiness moderated this relationship. At higher levels of readiness, the effect of initial severity on outcome was essentially reversed; for clients with higher initial readiness, higher levels of severity were associated with greater change. PMID:22607634

New Developments in the Technology Readiness Assessment Process in US DOE-EM - 13247

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

Krahn, Steven; Sutter, Herbert; Johnson, Hoyt

2013-07-01

A Technology Readiness Assessment (TRA) is a systematic, metric-based process and accompanying report that evaluates the maturity of the technologies used in systems; it is designed to measure technology maturity using the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale pioneered by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the 1980's. More recently, DoD has adopted and provided systematic guidance for performing TRAs and determining TRLs. In 2007 the GAO recommended that the DOE adopt the NASA/DoD methodology for evaluating technology maturity. Earlier, in 2006-2007, DOE-EM had conducted pilot TRAs on a number of projects at Hanford and Savannah River. In Marchmore » 2008, DOE-EM issued a process guide, which established TRAs as an integral part of DOE-EM's Project Management Critical Decision Process. Since the development of its detailed TRA guidance in 2008, DOE-EM has continued to accumulate experience in the conduct of TRAs and the process for evaluating technology maturity. DOE has developed guidance on TRAs applicable department-wide. DOE-EM's experience with the TRA process, the evaluations that led to recently developed proposed revisions to the DOE-EM TRA/TMP Guide; the content of the proposed changes that incorporate the above lessons learned and insights are described. (authors)« less

Elevated blood lead levels and reading readiness at the start of kindergarten.

PubMed

McLaine, Pat; Navas-Acien, Ana; Lee, Rebecca; Simon, Peter; Diener-West, Marie; Agnew, Jacqueline

2013-06-01

To evaluate the relationship between blood lead levels (BLLs) and reading readiness at kindergarten entry, an early marker of school performance, in a diverse urban school population. Kindergarten reading readiness test scores for children attending public kindergarten in Providence, Rhode Island, were linked to state health department records of blood lead testing by using individual identifiers. The study population (N = 3406) was 59% Hispanic. For each child, the geometric mean BLL was estimated by using all previously reported BLLs. Analyses were adjusted for gender, age, year enrolled, race, child language, and free/reduced lunch status as a measure of socioeconomic status. The median geometric mean BLL was 4.2 µg/dL; 20% of children had at least 1 venous BLL ≥10 µg/dL. Compared with children with BLLs <5 µg/dL, the adjusted prevalence ratios (95% confidence interval [CI]) for failing to achieve the national benchmark for reading readiness were 1.21 (1.19 to 1.23) and 1.56 (1.51 to 1.60) for children with BLLs of 5 to 9 and ≥10 µg/dL, respectively. On average, reading readiness scores decreased by 4.5 (95% CI: -2.9 to -6.2) and 10.0 (95% CI: -7.0 to -13.3) points for children with BLLs of 5 to 9 and ≥10 µg/dL, respectively, compared with BLLs <5 µg/dL. BLLs well below 10 µg/dL were associated with lower reading readiness at kindergarten entry. The high prevalence of elevated BLLs warrants additional investigation in other high-risk US populations. Results suggest benefits from additional collaboration between public health, public education, and community data providers.

Readiness of communities to engage with childhood obesity prevention initiatives in disadvantaged areas of Victoria, Australia.

PubMed

Cyril, Sheila; Polonsky, Michael; Green, Julie; Agho, Kingsley; Renzaho, Andre

2017-07-01

Objective Disadvantaged communities bear a disproportionate burden of childhood obesity and show low participation in childhood obesity prevention initiatives. This study aims to examine the level of readiness of disadvantaged communities to engage with childhood obesity prevention initiatives. Methods Using the community readiness model, 95 semi-structured interviews were conducted among communities in four disadvantaged areas of Victoria, Australia. Community readiness analysis and paired t-tests were performed to assess the readiness levels of disadvantaged communities to engage with childhood obesity prevention initiatives. Results The results showed that disadvantaged communities demonstrated low levels of readiness (readiness score=4/9, 44%) to engage with the existing childhood obesity prevention initiatives, lacked knowledge of childhood obesity and its prevention, and reported facing challenges in initiating and sustaining participation in obesity prevention initiatives. Conclusion This study highlights the need to improve community readiness by addressing low obesity-related literacy levels among disadvantaged communities and by facilitating the capacity-building of bicultural workers to deliver obesity prevention messages to these communities. Integrating these needs into existing Australian health policy and practice is of paramount importance for reducing obesity-related disparities currently prevailing in Australia. What is known about the topic? Childhood obesity prevalence is plateauing in developed countries including Australia; however, obesity-related inequalities continue to exist in Australia especially among communities living in disadvantaged areas, which experience poor engagement in childhood obesity prevention initiatives. Studies in the USA have found that assessing disadvantaged communities' readiness to participate in health programs is a critical initial step in reducing the disproportionate obesity burden among these communities. However, no studies in Australia have assessed disadvantaged communities' readiness to engage in obesity prevention initiatives. What does this paper add? This paper addresses the current gap in the knowledge of disadvantaged communities' level of readiness to engage in childhood obesity prevention initiatives in Australia. The study also identified the key factors responsible for low readiness of disadvantaged communities to participate in current childhood obesity prevention services. By using the Community Readiness model this study shows the readiness levels specific to the various dimensions of the model; Understanding dimension-specific readiness allows us to identify strategies that are tailored to each dimension, as guided by the model. What are the implications for practitioners? With the increasing burden of childhood obesity on disadvantaged communities, policymakers and health practitioners are facing a crisis in obesity prevention and management. Almost every year, new interventions are being planned and implemented. However if the target communities are not ready to participate in the available interventions these efforts are futile. This study exposes the key factors responsible for low readiness to participate in current obesity prevention services by disadvantaged communities. Addressing these key factors and improving readiness before designing new interventions will improve the participation of disadvantaged communities in those interventions. The study findings ultimately have the potential of reducing obesity-related disparities in Australia.

TBI Assessment of Readiness Using a Gait Evaluation Test (TARGET): Development of a Portable mTBI Screening Device

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-01

AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-15-1-0094 TITLE: TBI Assessment of Readiness Using a Gait Evaluation Test (TARGET): Development of a Portable mTBI Screening...Annual 3. DATES COVERED 1 May 2016 - 30 Apr 2017 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER “TBI Assessment of Readiness Using a Gait Evaluation ...service members sustaining some form of traumatic brain injury (TBI) over the past 14 years, the lack of an objective measurement tool for evaluation

Early Market TRL/MRL Analysis

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

Ronnebro, Ewa; Stetson, Ned

he focus of this report is TRL/MRL analysis of hydrogen storage; it documents the methodology and results of an effort to identify hydrogen storage technologies’ technical and manufacturing readiness for early market motive and non-motive applications and to provide a path forward toward commercialization. Motive applications include materials handling equipment (MHE) and ground support equipment (GSE), such as forklifts, tow tractors, and specialty vehicles such as golf carts, lawn mowers and wheel chairs. Non-motive applications are portable, stationary or auxiliary power units (APUs) and include portable laptops, backup power, remote sensor power, and auxiliary power for recreational vehicles, hotels, hospitals,more » etc. Hydrogen storage technologies assessed include metal hydrides, chemical hydrides, sorbents, gaseous storage, and liquid storage. The assessments are based on a combination of Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) designations that enable evaluation of hydrogen storage technologies at varying levels of development. The manufacturing status could be established from eight risk elements: Technical Maturity, Design, Materials, Cost & Funding, Process Capability, Personnel, Facilities and Manufacturing Planning. This approach provides a logical methodology and roadmap to enable the identification of hydrogen storage technologies, their advantages/disadvantages, gaps and R&D needs on an unbiased and transparent scale that is easily communicated to interagency partners. This technology readiness assessment (TRA) report documents the process used to conduct the TRA/MRA (technology and manufacturing readiness assessment), reports the TRL and MRL for each assessed technology and provides recommendations based on the findings. To investigate the state of the art and needs to mature the technologies, PNNL prepared a questionnaire to assign TRL and MRL for each hydrogen storage technology. The questionnaire was sent to identified hydrogen storage technology developers and manufacturers who were asked to perform a self-assessment. We included both domestic and international organizations including U.S. national laboratories, U.S. companies, European companies and Japanese companies. PNNL collected the data and performed an analysis to deduce the level of maturity and to provide program recommendations.« less

Understanding how children’s engagement and teachers’ interactions combine to predict school readiness

PubMed Central

Williford, Amanda P.; Maier, Michelle F.; Downer, Jason T.; Pianta, Robert C.; Howes, Carolee

2015-01-01

This study examined the quality of preschool classroom experiences through the combination of teachers’ interactions at the classroom level and children’s individual patterns of engagement in predicting children’s gains in school readiness. A sample of 605 children and 309 teachers participated. The quality of children’s engagement and teacher interactions was directly observed in the classroom setting, and direct assessments of children’s school readiness skills were obtained in the fall and again in the spring. The quality of teacher interactions was associated with gains across all school readiness skills. The effect of children’s individual classroom engagement on their gains in school readiness skills (specifically phonological awareness and expressive vocabulary) was moderated by classroom level teacher interactions. The results suggest that if teachers provide highly responsive interactions at the classroom level, children may develop more equitable school readiness skills regardless of their individual engagement patterns. PMID:26722137

Ready, Set, Change! Development and usability testing of an online readiness for change decision support tool for healthcare organizations.

PubMed

Timmings, Caitlyn; Khan, Sobia; Moore, Julia E; Marquez, Christine; Pyka, Kasha; Straus, Sharon E

2016-02-24

To address challenges related to selecting a valid, reliable, and appropriate readiness assessment measure in practice, we developed an online decision support tool to aid frontline implementers in healthcare settings in this process. The focus of this paper is to describe a multi-step, end-user driven approach to developing this tool for use during the planning stages of implementation. A multi-phase, end-user driven approach was used to develop and test the usability of a readiness decision support tool. First, readiness assessment measures that are valid, reliable, and appropriate for healthcare settings were identified from a systematic review. Second, a mapping exercise was performed to categorize individual items of included measures according to key readiness constructs from an existing framework. Third, a modified Delphi process was used to collect stakeholder ratings of the included measures on domains of feasibility, relevance, and likelihood to recommend. Fourth, two versions of a decision support tool prototype were developed and evaluated for usability. Nine valid and reliable readiness assessment measures were included in the decision support tool. The mapping exercise revealed that of the nine measures, most measures (78 %) focused on assessing readiness for change at the organizational versus the individual level, and that four measures (44 %) represented all constructs of organizational readiness. During the modified Delphi process, stakeholders rated most measures as feasible and relevant for use in practice, and reported that they would be likely to recommend use of most measures. Using data from the mapping exercise and stakeholder panel, an algorithm was developed to link users to a measure based on characteristics of their organizational setting and their readiness for change assessment priorities. Usability testing yielded recommendations that were used to refine the Ready, Set, Change! decision support tool . Ready, Set, Change! decision support tool is an implementation support that is designed to facilitate the routine incorporation of a readiness assessment as an early step in implementation. Use of this tool in practice may offer time and resource-saving implications for implementation.

Levels of Motivation and Readiness for Treatment Aligned With Criminal Justice Referral and Coercion Among Substance Users in England.

PubMed

Jones, Andrew; Hayhurst, Karen Petra; Millar, Tim

2017-11-01

Motivation and readiness for substance misuse treatment predict treatment retention and successful treatment outcomes but may be lower among substance users coerced into treatment. We tested for differences associated with legal involvement and with client perceptions of coercion among individuals entering drug misuse treatment in England. Data collection involved 342 treatment agencies. Measures of motivation and readiness for treatment were taken from the Circumstances, Motivation, and Readiness (CMR) scale. Referral source was ordered to represent level of legal involvement and conditions. Perceived coercion was defined by a CMR item. Linear regression models, adjusting for client complexity, tested for differences in motivation and readiness by these measures. Levels of motivation and readiness did not differ according to level of legal conditions (coefficient = -0.38, 95% CI [-1.65, 0.88]). Motivation was inversely associated with perceived coercion (coefficient = -0.28, 95% CI [-0.05, -0.50], p = .014). At the point of treatment entry, criminal justice referral and aligned conditions have no impact on levels of motivation to achieve positive treatment outcomes. Concerns around lower levels of motivation are better focused on those who perceive themselves as coerced rather than on those whose referral carries a level of legal condition.

Evaluations of School Readiness Initiatives: What Are We Learning? SERVE's Expanded Learning Opportunities National Leadership Area Research Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Elizabeth G.; Scott-Little, Catherine

Encouraged by evidence linking quality early care/education programs and improved student outcomes, a variety of school readiness programs and initiatives have been created. This report reviews and synthesizes evaluation studies conducted on early childhood interventions, focusing on programs emphasizing a school readiness goal. The report…

Non-Deployable Soldiers: Understanding the Army’s Challenge

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-07

TERMS Medically Not Ready (MNR), Warrior Transition Unit (WTU), Disability Evaluation System (DES), Physical Evaluation Board (PEB), Medical Evaluation... Board (MEB), MOS Medical Retention Board (MMRB), Human Capital Enterprise, Personnel Management, Physical Evaluations System. 16. SECURITY...Medically Not Ready (MNR), Warrior Transition Unit (WTU), Disability Evaluation System (DES), Physical Evaluation Board (PEB), Medical Evaluation

An analysis of Indonesia’s information security index: a case study in a public university

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yustanti, W.; Qoiriah, A.; Bisma, R.; Prihanto, A.

2018-01-01

Ministry of Communication and Informatics of the Republic of Indonesia has issued the regulation number 4-2016 about Information Security Management System (ISMS) for all kind organizations. Public university as a government institution must apply this standard to assure its level of information security has complied ISO 27001:2013. This research is a preliminary study to evaluate the readiness of university IT services (case study in a public university) meets the requirement of ISO 27001:2013 using the Indonesia’s Information Security Index (IISI). There are six parameters used to measure the level of information security, these are the ICT role, governance, risk management, framework, asset management and technology. Each parameter consists of serial questions which must be answered and convert to a numeric value. The result shows the level of readiness and maturity to apply ISO 27001 standard.

An Investigation of Selected Readiness Variables As Predictors of Reading Achievement at Second Grade Level.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seals, Caryl Neman

This study was designed to determine the relationship of selected readiness variables to achievement in reading at the second grade level. The readiness variables were environment, mathematics, letters and sounds, aural comprehension, visual perception, auditory perception, vocabulary and concepts, word meaning, listening, matching, alphabet,…

Self-Directed Learning Readiness among Undergraduate Students at Saudi Electronic University in Saudi Arabia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alfaifi, Mousa S.

2016-01-01

This study aimed to determine the level of self-directed learning readiness (SDLR) among undergraduate students at Saudi Electronic University in Saudi Arabia. Also, investigated were potential relationships between the level of self-directed learning readiness and selected demographic variables such as gender and specific college within the…

Comparison Studies of Reading Readiness Skills Acquisition by Different Methods: Formal Reading Readiness Program, Informal Reading Readiness Program, and a Kindergarten Science Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quorn, Kerry Charles; Yore, Larry Dean

1978-01-01

Evaluates the effectiveness of two dissimilar programs, SAPA and the First Talking Alphabet (FTA), upon the acquisition of reading readiness skills of kindergarten pupils. Compares the effects of four different programs (SAPA, FTA, an informal language development program, and a control) on the reading readiness of kindergarten pupils. (GA)

A pilot study evaluating the effects of a youth advocacy program on youth readiness to advocate for environment and policy changes for obesity prevention.

PubMed

Millstein, Rachel A; Woodruff, Susan I; Linton, Leslie S; Edwards, Christine C; Sallis, James F

2016-12-01

Youth advocacy for obesity prevention is a promising but under-evaluated intervention. The aims of this study are to evaluate a youth advocacy program's outcomes related to youth perceptions and behaviors, develop an index of youth advocacy readiness, and assess potential predictors of advocacy readiness. Youth ages 9-22 in an advocacy training program (n = 92 matched pairs) completed surveys before and after training. Youth outcomes and potential predictors of advocacy readiness were assessed with evaluated scales. All 20 groups who completed the evaluation study presented their advocacy projects to a decision maker. Two of six perception subscales increased following participation in the advocacy program: self-efficacy for advocacy behaviors (p < .001) and participation in advocacy (p < .01). Four of five knowledge and skills subscales increased: assertiveness (p < .01), health advocacy history (p < .001), knowledge of resources (p < .01), and social support for health behaviors (p < .001). Youth increased days of meeting physical activity recommendations (p < .05). In a mixed regression model, four subscales were associated with the advocacy readiness index: optimism for change (B = 1.46, 95 % CI = .49-2.44), sports and physical activity enjoyment (B = .55, 95 % CI = .05-1.05), roles and participation (B = 1.81, 95 % CI = .60-3.02), and advocacy activities (B = 1.49, 95 % CI = .64-2.32). The youth advocacy readiness index is a novel way to determine the effects of multiple correlates of advocacy readiness. Childhood obesity-related advocacy training appeared to improve youths' readiness for advocacy and physical activity.

Revalidation of the NASA Ames 11-by 11-Foot Transonic Wind Tunnel with a Commercial Airplane Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kmak, Frank J.; Hudgins, M.; Hergert, D.; George, Michael W. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The 11-By 11-Foot Transonic leg of the Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel (UPWT) was modernized to improve tunnel performance, capability, productivity, and reliability. Wind tunnel tests to demonstrate the readiness of the tunnel for a return to production operations included an Integrated Systems Test (IST), calibration tests, and airplane validation tests. One of the two validation tests was a 0.037-scale Boeing 777 model that was previously tested in the 11-By 11-Foot tunnel in 1991. The objective of the validation tests was to compare pre-modernization and post-modernization results from the same airplane model in order to substantiate the operational readiness of the facility. Evaluation of within-test, test-to-test, and tunnel-to-tunnel data repeatability were made to study the effects of the tunnel modifications. Tunnel productivity was also evaluated to determine the readiness of the facility for production operations. The operation of the facility, including model installation, tunnel operations, and the performance of tunnel systems, was observed and facility deficiency findings generated. The data repeatability studies and tunnel-to-tunnel comparisons demonstrated outstanding data repeatability and a high overall level of data quality. Despite some operational and facility problems, the validation test was successful in demonstrating the readiness of the facility to perform production airplane wind tunnel%, tests.

The Naval Aviation Enterprise Type/Model/Series Team and Its Effect on AH-1W Readiness

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-23

ABSTRACT Unclass c . THIS PAGE Unclass 19b. TELEPONE NUMBER (Include area code) (703) 784-3330 (Admin Office) United States Marine Corps...has lower readiness for that section. The unit’s core level ( C -Level) corresponds to the lowest readiness rating of the four categories.16 Squadrons...are required to deploy at a C -1 level and non-deploying units are required to maintain a C -2 level. Since DRRS is only a reporting tool, it does not

Concept of economic readiness levels assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuniaristanto, Sutopo, W.; Widiyanto, A.; Putri, A. S.

2017-11-01

This research aims to build a concept of Economic Readiness Level (ERL) assessment for incubation center. ERL concept is arranged by considering both market and business aspects. Every aspect is divided into four phases and each of them consists of some indicators. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is used to develop the ERL in calculating the weight of every single aspect and indicator. Interval scale between 0 and 4 is also applied in indicator assessment. In order to calculate ERL, score in every indicator and the weight of both the aspect and indicator are considered. ERL value is able to show in detail the innovative product readiness level from economic sight, market and business aspect. There are four levels in Economic Readiness Level scheme which are investigation, feasibility, planning and introduction.

Organizational readiness for implementing change: a psychometric assessment of a new measure.

PubMed

Shea, Christopher M; Jacobs, Sara R; Esserman, Denise A; Bruce, Kerry; Weiner, Bryan J

2014-01-10

Organizational readiness for change in healthcare settings is an important factor in successful implementation of new policies, programs, and practices. However, research on the topic is hindered by the absence of a brief, reliable, and valid measure. Until such a measure is developed, we cannot advance scientific knowledge about readiness or provide evidence-based guidance to organizational leaders about how to increase readiness. This article presents results of a psychometric assessment of a new measure called Organizational Readiness for Implementing Change (ORIC), which we developed based on Weiner's theory of organizational readiness for change. We conducted four studies to assess the psychometric properties of ORIC. In study one, we assessed the content adequacy of the new measure using quantitative methods. In study two, we examined the measure's factor structure and reliability in a laboratory simulation. In study three, we assessed the reliability and validity of an organization-level measure of readiness based on aggregated individual-level data from study two. In study four, we conducted a small field study utilizing the same analytic methods as in study three. Content adequacy assessment indicated that the items developed to measure change commitment and change efficacy reflected the theoretical content of these two facets of organizational readiness and distinguished the facets from hypothesized determinants of readiness. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis in the lab and field studies revealed two correlated factors, as expected, with good model fit and high item loadings. Reliability analysis in the lab and field studies showed high inter-item consistency for the resulting individual-level scales for change commitment and change efficacy. Inter-rater reliability and inter-rater agreement statistics supported the aggregation of individual level readiness perceptions to the organizational level of analysis. This article provides evidence in support of the ORIC measure. We believe this measure will enable testing of theories about determinants and consequences of organizational readiness and, ultimately, assist healthcare leaders to reduce the number of health organization change efforts that do not achieve desired benefits. Although ORIC shows promise, further assessment is needed to test for convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity.

Organizational readiness for implementing change: a psychometric assessment of a new measure

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Organizational readiness for change in healthcare settings is an important factor in successful implementation of new policies, programs, and practices. However, research on the topic is hindered by the absence of a brief, reliable, and valid measure. Until such a measure is developed, we cannot advance scientific knowledge about readiness or provide evidence-based guidance to organizational leaders about how to increase readiness. This article presents results of a psychometric assessment of a new measure called Organizational Readiness for Implementing Change (ORIC), which we developed based on Weiner’s theory of organizational readiness for change. Methods We conducted four studies to assess the psychometric properties of ORIC. In study one, we assessed the content adequacy of the new measure using quantitative methods. In study two, we examined the measure’s factor structure and reliability in a laboratory simulation. In study three, we assessed the reliability and validity of an organization-level measure of readiness based on aggregated individual-level data from study two. In study four, we conducted a small field study utilizing the same analytic methods as in study three. Results Content adequacy assessment indicated that the items developed to measure change commitment and change efficacy reflected the theoretical content of these two facets of organizational readiness and distinguished the facets from hypothesized determinants of readiness. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis in the lab and field studies revealed two correlated factors, as expected, with good model fit and high item loadings. Reliability analysis in the lab and field studies showed high inter-item consistency for the resulting individual-level scales for change commitment and change efficacy. Inter-rater reliability and inter-rater agreement statistics supported the aggregation of individual level readiness perceptions to the organizational level of analysis. Conclusions This article provides evidence in support of the ORIC measure. We believe this measure will enable testing of theories about determinants and consequences of organizational readiness and, ultimately, assist healthcare leaders to reduce the number of health organization change efforts that do not achieve desired benefits. Although ORIC shows promise, further assessment is needed to test for convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity. PMID:24410955

Career readiness in adult survivors of childhood cancer: a report from the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort study

PubMed Central

Strauser, David; Klosky, James L.; Brinkman, Tara M.; Wong, Alex W.K.; Chan, Fong; Lanctot, Jennifer Q.; Ojha, Rohit P.; Robison, Leslie L.; Hudson, Melissa M.; Ness, Kirsten K.

2014-01-01

Purpose Adult survivors of childhood cancer experience difficulties in obtaining and maintaining employment. Employment-related challenges are associated with treatment-related health conditions, and may also be related to vocational factors such as career readiness, skill acquisition, and work experience. Unfortunately, little is known about how treatment, health and vocational related factors interact to impact career development among childhood cancer survivors. Methods 385 adult survivors of childhood cancer (42.1% male, median age 38 (21-62) years), participating in the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort study, completed a work experiences survey that included measures of career readiness and vocational identity. Logistic regression was used to compare characteristics of survivors in the low career readiness category to those in the medium or high career readiness category, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized to evaluate associations between career readiness, vocational identity, treatment intensity and physical/emotional health. Results Low career readiness was prevalent in 17.4% of survivors. Univariate analysis did not identify any significant associations between cancer treatment-related factors and career readiness. Unemployed survivors (Odds ratio (OR) 2.3, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.2-4.5), those who were not college graduates (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.6-5.6), and those who had no personal income (OR 5.9, 95% CI 1.7-30.9) were at increased risk of low career readiness. SEM indicated that associations between treatment intensity, physical health, age at diagnosis and career readiness were mediated by emotional health and vocational identity. 63%, 35%, and 10% of the variance in career readiness, vocational identity, and emotional health, respectively, were explained by this theoretical model. Conclusions The results of this study indicate that individuals who reported low levels of career readiness were more likely to be unemployed, earn less than $40,000 per year, and were less likely to graduate from high school. The final structural model indicates that vocational identity and emotional health accounted for the indirect effect of treatment intensity, age a diagnosis, and physical health on career readiness. Implications for Cancer Survivors Addressing career readiness may be important to improve employment outcomes for adult survivors of childhood cancer. PMID:25047713

Digestive and physiological effects of a wheat bran extract, arabino-xylan-oligosaccharide, in breakfast cereal

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We assessed whether a wheat bran extract containing arabino-xylan-oligosaccharide (AXOS) elicited a prebiotic effect and influenced other physiologic parameters when consumed in ready-to-eat cereal at two dose levels. This double-blind, randomized, controlled, crossover trial evaluated the effects o...

The Role of Educational Systems in Improving College Readiness Skills in College Freshmen

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gallo, Charles B.

2017-01-01

This qualitative study investigated second semester undergraduate college students' perceptions of their levels of college readiness instilled and developed in them as graduates of a New York City High School. This study sought to determine the level of alignment of the criteria and definitions of college readiness between the New York City…

Analysis of Students' Online Learning Readiness Based on Their Emotional Intelligence Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engin, Melih

2017-01-01

The objective of the present study is to determine whether there is a significant relationship between the students' readiness in online learning and their emotional intelligence levels. Correlational research method was used in the study. Online Learning Readiness Scale which was developed by Hung et al. (2010) has been used and Trait Emotional…

Wyoming Early Childhood Readiness Standards.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wyoming State Dept. of Education, Cheyenne.

Because children entering kindergarten come with a variety of preschool and home experiences, and accordingly, with varying levels of school readiness, the Wyoming Early Childhood Readiness Standards have been developed to provide a more consistent definition of school readiness. The goal for the Standards is to provide early childhood educators…

Self-perception of readiness for clinical practice: A survey of accelerated Masters program graduate registered nurses.

PubMed

Cantlay, Andrew; Salamanca, Jennifer; Golaw, Cherie; Wolf, Daniel; Maas, Carly; Nicholson, Patricia

2017-05-01

Accelerated nursing programs are gaining momentum as a means of career transition into the nursing profession for mature age learners in an attempt to meet future healthcare workforce demands in Australia. With a gap in the literature on readiness for practice of graduates from accelerated nursing programs at the Masters level the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the program based on graduates' preparedness for practice and graduate outcomes. Using a descriptive, exploratory design an online survey was used to explore the perception of graduate nurses' readiness for clinical practice. Forty-nine graduates from a nursing Masters program at an Australian university completed the survey defining readiness for practice as knowledge of self-limitations and seeking help, autonomy in basic clinical procedures, exhibiting confidence, possessing theoretical knowledge and practicing safe care. Graduates perceived themselves as adequately prepared to work as a beginner practitioner with their perception of readiness for clinical practice largely positive. The majority of participants agreed that the program had prepared them for work as a beginner practitioner with respondents stating that they felt adequately prepared in most areas relating to clinical practice. This would suggest that educational preparation was adequate and effective in achieving program objectives. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Child, family, and community characteristics associated with school readiness in Jordan

PubMed Central

Al-Hassan, Suha M.; Lansford, Jennifer E.

2010-01-01

The present study investigated demographic differences in school readiness within Jordan, a particularly interesting context because of wide-spread national reform currently sweeping the education system in Jordan. Teacher reports and researcher direct assessments of the school readiness of a national sample of 4,681 Jordanian first grade children were used to describe the levels of school readiness of children with respect to seven demographic characteristics. Higher levels of school readiness were associated with male gender, higher family income, higher paternal education, higher maternal education, smaller family size, fewer siblings, and urban residence. Taken together, the findings highlight the importance of Jordanian education reform, one aim of which is to improve the school readiness of all children by implementing public kindergartens, especially in poor, rural areas. PMID:21132066

Investment, managerial capacity, and bias in public health preparedness.

PubMed

Langabeer, James R; DelliFraine, Jami L; Tyson, Sandra; Emert, Jamie M; Herbold, John

2009-01-01

Nearly $7 billion has been invested through national cooperative funding since 2002 to strengthen state and local response capacity. Yet, very little outcome evidence exists to analyze funding effectiveness. The objective of this research is to analyze the relationship between investment (funding) and capacity (readiness) for public health preparedness (PHP). The aim of the authors is to use a management framework to evaluate capacity, and to explore the "immediacy bias" impact on investment stability. This study employs a longitudinal study design, incorporating survey research of the entire population of 68 health departments in the state of Texas. The authors assessed the investment-capacity relationship through several statistical methods. The authors created a structural measure of managerial capacity through principal components analysis, factorizing 10 independent variables and augment this with a perceived readiness level reported from PHP managers. The authors then employ analysis of variance, correlation analyses, and other descriptive statistics. There has been a 539 percent coefficient of variation in funding at the local level between the years 2004 and 2008, and a 63 percent reduction in total resources since the peak of funding, using paired sample data. Results suggest that investment is positively associated with readiness and managerial capacity in local health departments. The authors also find that investment was related to greater community collaboration, higher adoption of Incident Command System (ICS) structure, and more frequent operational drills and exercises. Greater investment is associated with higher levels of capacity and readiness. The authors conclude from this that investment should be stabilized and continued, and not be influenced by historical cognitive biases.

On becoming ready to pursue a goal you don't know you have: Effects of nonconscious goals on evaluative readiness

PubMed Central

Ferguson, Melissa J.

2010-01-01

Findings showed that the nonconscious activation of a goal in memory led to increased positive implicit attitudes toward stimuli that could facilitate the goal. This evaluative readiness to pursue the nonconscious goal emerged even when participants were consciously unaware of the goal-relevant stimuli themselves. The effect emerged the most strongly for those with some skill at the goal, and for those for whom the goal was most currently important. The effect of implicit goal activation on implicit attitudes emerged in both an immediate condition as well as a delay condition, suggesting that a goal rather than a non-motivational construct was activated. Participants' implicit attitudes toward a nonconscious goal also predicted their goal-relevant behavior. These findings suggest that people can become evaluatively ready to pursue a goal whenever it has been activated -- a readiness that apparently does not require conscious awareness or deliberation about either the goal or the goal-relevant stimuli. Theoretical implications of this type of implicit goal readiness are discussed. PMID:19025283

Validation of the Lollipop Test: A Diagnostic Screening Test of School Readiness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chew, Alex L.; Morris, John D.

1984-01-01

The validity of the Lollipop Test: A Diagnostic Screening Test of School Readiness was examined using the Metropolitan Readiness Test (MRT), Level I, Form Q, as the criterion. Appreciable concurrent validity was found across test batteries. Implications for school readiness screening are discussed. (Author/BS)

The relationship between assessment methods and self-directed learning readiness in medical education.

PubMed

Monroe, Katherine S

2016-03-11

This research explored the assessment of self-directed learning readiness within the comprehensive evaluation of medical students' knowledge and skills and the extent to which several variables predicted participants' self-directed learning readiness prior to their graduation. Five metrics for evaluating medical students were considered in a multiple regression analysis. Fourth-year medical students at a competitive US medical school received an informed consent and an online survey. Participants voluntarily completed a self-directed learning readiness scale that assessed four subsets of self-directed learning readiness and consented to the release of their academic records. The assortment of metrics considered in this study only vaguely captured students' self-directedness. The strongest predictors were faculty evaluations of students' performance on clerkship rotations. Specific clerkship grades were mildly predictive of three subscales. The Pediatrics clerkship modestly predicted critical self-evaluation (r=-.30, p=.01) and the Psychiatry clerkship mildly predicted learning self-efficacy (r =-.30, p=.01), while the Junior Surgery clerkship nominally correlated with participants' effective organization for learning (r=.21, p=.05). Other metrics examined did not contribute to predicting participants' readiness for self-directed learning. Given individual differences among participants for the variables considered, no combination of students' grades and/or test scores overwhelmingly predicted their aptitude for self-directed learning. Considering the importance of fostering medical students' self-directed learning skills, schools need a reliable and pragmatic approach to measure them. This data analysis, however, offered no clear-cut way of documenting students' self-directed learning readiness based on the evaluation metrics included.

Ready-to-eat vegetables production with low-level water chlorination. An evaluation of water quality, and of its impact on end products.

PubMed

D'Acunzo, Francesca; Del Cimmuto, Angela; Marinelli, Lucia; Aurigemma, Caterina; De Giusti, Maria

2012-01-01

We evaluated the microbiological impact of low-level chlorination (1 ppm free chlorine) on the production of ready-to-eat (RTE) vegetables by monitoring the microbiological quality of irrigation and processing water in two production plants over a 4-season period, as well as the microbiological quality of unprocessed vegetables and RTE product. Water samples were also characterized in terms of some chemical and physico-chemical parameters of relevance in chlorination management. Both producers use water with maximum 1 ppm free chlorine for vegetables rinsing, while the two processes differ by the number of washing cycles. Salmonella spp and Campylobacter spp were detected once in two different irrigation water samples out of nine from one producer. No pathogens were found in the vegetable samples. As expected, the procedure encompassing more washing cycles performed slightly better in terms of total mesophilic count (TMC) when comparing unprocessed and RTE vegetables of the same batch. However, data suggest that low-level chlorination may be insufficient in preventing microbial build-up in the washing equipment and/or batch-to batch cross-contamination.

Assessing farmers' community readiness towards the enhancement of natural enemy population in rice fields in Malacca

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fairuz, K.; Idris, A. G.; Syahrizan, S.; Hatijah, K.

2018-04-01

Malacca has committed to be a green technology state by the year 2020. Agriculture is one of the main industries that have been highlighted to achieve this goal especially rice farming activities. Some limitations for this issue have restricted the accomplishment of the plan including pesticide usage among rice farmers. The use of chemicals in rice field need to be reduced significantly in order to support the goal. One of the indicators to the successfulness of pesticide reduction is the increasing numbers of natural enemies' species abundance and population in the rice field. Natural enemies were important to regulate pest populations in rice field naturally. Farmers' readiness to participate in this issue is very important to ensure the successfulness. The level of readiness of farmers' community will determine whether they are ready or not to execute the plan. Unfortunately, such information in rice farmers' community was not properly measured. Thus this study was aimed to assess the readiness level of rice farmers' community to change in order to enhance natural enemies in their rice field. This study was adapting the CR model as its theoretical framework. Three rice farming area in Malacca were involved in this study namely, Jasin, Melaka Tengah and Alor Gajah. Questionnaires were used as major instrument and were randomly distributed to 224 farmers. Data collected were tested for their reliability, significance and level of readiness. Knowledge of issue, knowledge of effort and resources dimensions were found influencing the readiness dimension significantly, whilst the attitude and leadership dimensions were not. Generally, the level of readiness for farmers' community in Malacca was found in the sixth or initial stage, where some of them initially have started to practice a few related activities to enhance the natural enemies' population in their rice field. Continuous support and assistant from the leaders and local authorities are crucially needed in order to sustain and improve the farmers' community level of readiness.

Dynamic Assessment for 3- and 4-Year-Old Children Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Evaluating Expressive Syntax.

PubMed

Binger, Cathy; Kent-Walsh, Jennifer; King, Marika

2017-07-12

The developmental readiness to produce early sentences with an iPad communication application was assessed with ten 3- and 4-year-old children with severe speech disorders using graduated prompting dynamic assessment (DA) techniques. The participants' changes in performance within the DA sessions were evaluated, and DA performance was compared with performance during a subsequent intervention. Descriptive statistics were used to examine patterns of performance at various cueing levels and mean levels of cueing support. The Wilcoxon signed-ranks test was used to measure changes within the DA sessions. Correlational data were calculated to determine how well performance in DA predicted performance during a subsequent intervention. Participants produced targets successfully in DA at various cueing levels, with some targets requiring less cueing than others. Performance improved significantly within the DA sessions-that is, the level of cueing required for accurate productions of the targets decreased during DA sessions. Last, moderate correlations existed between DA scores and performance during the intervention for 3 out of 4 targets, with statistically significant findings for 2 of 4 targets. DA offers promise for examining the developmental readiness of young children who use augmentative and alternative communication to produce early expressive language structures.

Dynamic Assessment for 3- and 4-Year-Old Children Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Evaluating Expressive Syntax

PubMed Central

Kent-Walsh, Jennifer; King, Marika

2017-01-01

Purpose The developmental readiness to produce early sentences with an iPad communication application was assessed with ten 3- and 4-year-old children with severe speech disorders using graduated prompting dynamic assessment (DA) techniques. The participants' changes in performance within the DA sessions were evaluated, and DA performance was compared with performance during a subsequent intervention. Method Descriptive statistics were used to examine patterns of performance at various cueing levels and mean levels of cueing support. The Wilcoxon signed-ranks test was used to measure changes within the DA sessions. Correlational data were calculated to determine how well performance in DA predicted performance during a subsequent intervention. Results Participants produced targets successfully in DA at various cueing levels, with some targets requiring less cueing than others. Performance improved significantly within the DA sessions—that is, the level of cueing required for accurate productions of the targets decreased during DA sessions. Last, moderate correlations existed between DA scores and performance during the intervention for 3 out of 4 targets, with statistically significant findings for 2 of 4 targets. Conclusion DA offers promise for examining the developmental readiness of young children who use augmentative and alternative communication to produce early expressive language structures. PMID:28614580

In silico models for predicting ready biodegradability under REACH: a comparative study.

PubMed

Pizzo, Fabiola; Lombardo, Anna; Manganaro, Alberto; Benfenati, Emilio

2013-10-01

REACH (Registration Evaluation Authorization and restriction of Chemicals) legislation is a new European law which aims to raise the human protection level and environmental health. Under REACH all chemicals manufactured or imported for more than one ton per year must be evaluated for their ready biodegradability. Ready biodegradability is also used as a screening test for persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) substances. REACH encourages the use of non-testing methods such as QSAR (quantitative structure-activity relationship) models in order to save money and time and to reduce the number of animals used for scientific purposes. Some QSAR models are available for predicting ready biodegradability. We used a dataset of 722 compounds to test four models: VEGA, TOPKAT, BIOWIN 5 and 6 and START and compared their performance on the basis of the following parameters: accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and Matthew's correlation coefficient (MCC). Performance was analyzed from different points of view. The first calculation was done on the whole dataset and VEGA and TOPKAT gave the best accuracy (88% and 87% respectively). Then we considered the compounds inside and outside the training set: BIOWIN 6 and 5 gave the best results for accuracy (81%) outside training set. Another analysis examined the applicability domain (AD). VEGA had the highest value for compounds inside the AD for all the parameters taken into account. Finally, compounds outside the training set and in the AD of the models were considered to assess predictive ability. VEGA gave the best accuracy results (99%) for this group of chemicals. Generally, START model gave poor results. Since BIOWIN, TOPKAT and VEGA models performed well, they may be used to predict ready biodegradability. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Design Of Measurements For Evaluating Readiness Of Technoware Components To Meet The Required Standard Of Products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fauzi, Ilham; Muharram Hasby, Fariz; Irianto, Dradjad

2018-03-01

Although government is able to make mandatory standards that must be obeyed by the industry, the respective industries themselves often have difficulties to fulfil the requirements described in those standards. This is especially true in many small and medium sized enterprises that lack the required capital to invest in standard-compliant equipment and machineries. This study aims to develop a set of measurement tools for evaluating the level of readiness of production technology with respect to the requirements of a product standard based on the quality function deployment (QFD) method. By combining the QFD methodology, UNESCAP Technometric model [9] and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), this model is used to measure a firm’s capability to fulfill government standard in the toy making industry. Expert opinions from both the governmental officers responsible for setting and implementing standards and the industry practitioners responsible for managing manufacturing processes are collected and processed to find out the technological capabilities that should be improved by the firm to fulfill the existing standard. This study showed that the proposed model can be used successfully to measure the gap between the requirements of the standard and the readiness of technoware technological component in a particular firm.

Measurement properties of a novel survey to assess stages of organizational readiness for evidence-based interventions in community chronic disease prevention settings

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background There is a great deal of variation in the existing capacity of primary prevention programs and policies addressing chronic disease to deliver evidence-based interventions (EBIs). In order to develop and evaluate implementation strategies that are tailored to the appropriate level of capacity, there is a need for an easy-to-administer tool to stage organizational readiness for EBIs. Methods Based on theoretical frameworks, including Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations, we developed a survey instrument to measure four domains representing stages of readiness for EBI: awareness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. A separate scale representing organizational climate as a potential mediator of readiness for EBIs was also included in the survey. Twenty-three questions comprised the four domains, with four to nine items each, using a seven-point response scale. Representatives from obesity, asthma, diabetes, and tobacco prevention programs serving diverse populations in the United States were surveyed (N = 243); test-retest reliability was assessed with 92 respondents. Results Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test and refine readiness scales. Test-retest reliability of the readiness scales, as measured by intraclass correlation, ranged from 0.47–0.71. CFA found good fit for the five-item adoption and implementation scales and resulted in revisions of the awareness and maintenance scales. The awareness scale was split into two two-item scales, representing community and agency awareness. The maintenance scale was split into five- and four-item scales, representing infrastructural maintenance and evaluation maintenance, respectively. Internal reliability of scales (Cronbach’s α) ranged from 0.66–0.78. The model for the final revised scales approached good fit, with most factor loadings >0.6 and all >0.4. Conclusions The lack of adequate measurement tools hinders progress in dissemination and implementation research. These preliminary results help fill this gap by describing the reliability and measurement properties of a theory-based tool; the short, user-friendly instrument may be useful to researchers and practitioners seeking to assess organizational readiness for EBIs across a variety of chronic disease prevention programs and settings. PMID:22800294

Measurement properties of a novel survey to assess stages of organizational readiness for evidence-based interventions in community chronic disease prevention settings.

PubMed

Stamatakis, Katherine A; McQueen, Amy; Filler, Carl; Boland, Elizabeth; Dreisinger, Mariah; Brownson, Ross C; Luke, Douglas A

2012-07-16

There is a great deal of variation in the existing capacity of primary prevention programs and policies addressing chronic disease to deliver evidence-based interventions (EBIs). In order to develop and evaluate implementation strategies that are tailored to the appropriate level of capacity, there is a need for an easy-to-administer tool to stage organizational readiness for EBIs. Based on theoretical frameworks, including Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations, we developed a survey instrument to measure four domains representing stages of readiness for EBI: awareness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. A separate scale representing organizational climate as a potential mediator of readiness for EBIs was also included in the survey. Twenty-three questions comprised the four domains, with four to nine items each, using a seven-point response scale. Representatives from obesity, asthma, diabetes, and tobacco prevention programs serving diverse populations in the United States were surveyed (N=243); test-retest reliability was assessed with 92 respondents. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test and refine readiness scales. Test-retest reliability of the readiness scales, as measured by intraclass correlation, ranged from 0.47-0.71. CFA found good fit for the five-item adoption and implementation scales and resulted in revisions of the awareness and maintenance scales. The awareness scale was split into two two-item scales, representing community and agency awareness. The maintenance scale was split into five- and four-item scales, representing infrastructural maintenance and evaluation maintenance, respectively. Internal reliability of scales (Cronbach's α) ranged from 0.66-0.78. The model for the final revised scales approached good fit, with most factor loadings >0.6 and all >0.4. The lack of adequate measurement tools hinders progress in dissemination and implementation research. These preliminary results help fill this gap by describing the reliability and measurement properties of a theory-based tool; the short, user-friendly instrument may be useful to researchers and practitioners seeking to assess organizational readiness for EBIs across a variety of chronic disease prevention programs and settings.

Orbit transfer rocket engine integrated control and health monitoring system technology readiness assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bickford, R. L.; Collamore, F. N.; Gage, M. L.; Morgan, D. B.; Thomas, E. R.

1992-01-01

The objectives of this task were to: (1) estimate the technology readiness of an integrated control and health monitoring (ICHM) system for the Aerojet 7500 lbF Orbit Transfer Vehicle engine preliminary design assuming space based operations; and (2) estimate the remaining cost to advance this technology to a NASA defined 'readiness level 6' by 1996 wherein the technology has been demonstrated with a system validation model in a simulated environment. The work was accomplished through the conduct of four subtasks. In subtask 1 the minimally required functions for the control and monitoring system was specified. The elements required to perform these functions were specified in Subtask 2. In Subtask 3, the technology readiness level of each element was assessed. Finally, in Subtask 4, the development cost and schedule requirements were estimated for bringing each element to 'readiness level 6'.

Technology Readiness of School Teachers: An Empirical Study of Measurement and Segmentation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Badri, Masood; Al Rashedi, Asma; Yang, Guang; Mohaidat, Jihad; Al Hammadi, Arif

2014-01-01

The Technology Readiness Index (TRI) developed by Parasuraman (2000) was adapted to measure the technology readiness of public school teachers in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The study aims at better understanding the factors (mostly demographics) that affect such readiness levels. In addition, Abu Dhabi teachers are segmented into five main…

Necessary School Readiness Skills for Kindergarten Success According to Jordanian Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abu Taleb, Tagreed Fathi

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the necessity levels of children's school readiness skills held by Jordanian kindergarten teachers. The sample consisted of 347 teachers drawn from the public and private kindergarten education sectors. The school readiness data collection instrument included seven readiness domains with a total of 39…

The Dawn of Development: A Guide for Educating Visually Impaired Young Children. Volume I: Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Umansky, Warren; And Others

The guide offers a means for evaluating specific learning characteristics of visually impaired children at three levels: prereadiness (prekindergarten), readiness (kindergarten), and academic (primary grades). Items are designed to be administered by informal observation and structured testing. Score sheets contain space for reporting two testing…

To a Higher Degree: Addressing Disparities in College Access with Concurrent Enrollment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ulate, David Delgado

2011-01-01

Concurrent enrollment--defined as high school students enrolling in college coursework--is increasingly being used as strategy to improve the college readiness levels of underrepresented students and to reduce disparities in college-going rates. States have developed policy and analyzed data to evaluate the practice of concurrent enrollment. This…

The Relationship between School-Level Characteristics and Implementation Fidelity of a Coordinated School Health Childhood Obesity Prevention Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lederer, Alyssa M.; King, Mindy H.; Sovinski, Danielle; Seo, Dong-Chul; Kim, Nayoung

2015-01-01

Background: Curtailing childhood obesity is a public health imperative. Although multicomponent school-based programs reduce obesity among children, less is known about the implementation fidelity of these interventions. This study examines process evaluation findings for the Healthy, Energetic Ready, Outstanding, Enthusiastic, Schools (HEROES)…

From Discrepancy Evaluation to Response to Intervention (RTI): Are We Ready in Higher Education?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wheeler, Starr L.

2012-01-01

At the postsecondary and secondary levels of education, students with learning disabilities are by law entitled to reasonable accommodation in support of their education. Secondary and postsecondary institutions as disability service providers are required to follow guidelines and direction to make this accommodation possible. Yet as these…

Formative Evaluation of the Early Development Instrument: Progress and Prospects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keating, Daniel P.

2007-01-01

This article is a commentary for the special issue on the Early Development Instrument (EDI), a community tool to assess children's school readiness and developmental outcomes at a group level. The EDI is administered by kindergarten teachers, who assess their kindergarten students on 5 developmental domains: physical health and well-being, social…

Measuring Success: David Conley's College Readiness Framework and the Illinois College and Career Readiness Act. In Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baber, Lorenzo D.; Castro, Erin L.; Bragg, Debra D.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this brief is to understand the Illinois College and Career Readiness (CCR) Act in light of David Conley's college readiness model. Although not mentioned specifically by the Illinois statute, evaluation results gathered by the Office of Community College Research and Leadership (OCCRL) show alignment between a number of programs…

Technology Readiness Level Guidebook

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-09-01

This guidebook provides the necessary information for conducting a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) Assessment. TRL Assessments are a tool for determining the maturity of technologies and identifying next steps in the research process. This guidebook...

General service and child immunization-specific readiness assessment of healthcare facilities in two selected divisions in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Shawon, Md Shajedur Rahman; Adhikary, Gourab; Ali, Md Wazed; Shamsuzzaman, Md; Ahmed, Shahabuddin; Alam, Nurul; Shackelford, Katya A; Woldeab, Alexander; Lim, Stephen S; Levine, Aubrey; Gakidou, Emmanuela; Uddin, Md Jasim

2018-01-25

Service readiness of health facilities is an integral part of providing comprehensive quality healthcare to the community. Comprehensive assessment of general and service-specific (i.e. child immunization) readiness will help to identify the bottlenecks in healthcare service delivery and gaps in equitable service provision. Assessing healthcare facilities readiness also helps in optimal policymaking and resource allocation. A health facility survey was conducted between March 2015 and December 2015 in two purposively selected divisions in Bangladesh; i.e. Rajshahi division (high performing) and Sylhet division (low performing). A total of 123 health facilities were randomly selected from different levels of service, both public and private, with variation in sizes and patient loads from the list of facilities. Data on various aspects of healthcare facility were collected by interviewing key personnel. General service and child immunization specific service readiness were assessed using the Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA) manual developed by World Health Organization (WHO). The analyses were stratified by division and level of healthcare facilities. The general service readiness index for pharmacies, community clinics, primary care facilities and higher care facilities were 40.6%, 60.5%, 59.8% and 69.5%, respectively in Rajshahi division and 44.3%, 57.8%, 57.5% and 73.4%, respectively in Sylhet division. Facilities at all levels had the highest scores for basic equipment (ranged between 51.7% and 93.7%) and the lowest scores for diagnostic capacity (ranged between 0.0% and 53.7%). Though facilities with vaccine storage capacity had very high levels of service readiness for child immunization, facilities without vaccine storage capacity lacked availability of many tracer items. Regarding readiness for newly introduced pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) and inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), most of the surveyed facilities reported lack of sufficient funding and resources (antigen) for training programs. Our study suggested that health facilities suffered from lack of readiness in various aspects, most notably in diagnostic capacity. Conversely, with very few challenges, nearly all the health facilities designated to provide immunization services were ready to deliver routine childhood immunization services as well as newly introduced PCV and IPV.

Analysis of user readiness toward ICT usage at small medium enterprise in south tangerang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Napitupulu, D.; Syafrullah, M.; Rahim, R.; Abdullah, D.; Setiawan, MI

2018-04-01

Utilization of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is still relatively low in the level of SMEs due to various limitations ranging from access to capital, till the marketing network. ICT is present to provide the ability for SMEs in improving the benefits and competitive advantage of the organization. This study aims to determine the level of readiness of SMEs in utilizing technology, especially ICT. The methodology used is a survey to see the technology readiness of 107 SMEs in South Tangerang selected by purposive sampling. The approach used is TRI (Technology Readiness Index) which is the individual perception of technology based on four criteria that is optimism, innovativeness, discomfort and insecurity. The results showed that the optimism and innovativeness variables significantly positively influence the technology readiness while the variables of discomfort and insecurity also significantly positively influence the readiness of ICT.

Improving district facility readiness: a 12-month evaluation of a data-driven health systems strengthening intervention in rural Rwanda.

PubMed

Iyer, Hari S; Kamanzi, Emmanuel; Mugunga, Jean Claude; Finnegan, Karen; Uwingabiye, Alice; Shyaka, Edward; Niyonzima, Saleh; Hirschhorn, Lisa R; Drobac, Peter C

2015-01-01

While health systems strengthening (HSS) interventions are recommended by global health policy experts to improve population health in resource-limited settings, few examples exist of evaluations of HSS interventions conducted at the district level. In 2009, a partnership between Partners In Health (PIH), a non-governmental organization, and the Rwandan Ministry of Health (RMOH) was provided funds to implement and evaluate a district-level HSS intervention in two rural districts of Rwanda. The partnership provided limited funds to 14 health centers for targeted systems support in 2010; six others received support prior to the intervention (reference). RMOH health systems norms were mapped across the WHO HSS framework, scored from 0 to 10 and incorporated into a rapid survey assessing 11 domains of facility readiness. Stakeholder meetings allowed partnership leaders to review results, set priorities, and allocate resources. Investments included salary support, infrastructure improvements, medical equipment, and social support for patients. We compared facility domain scores from the start of the intervention to 12 months and tested for correlation between change in score and change in funding allocation to assess equity in our approach. We found significant improvements among intervention facilities from baseline to 12 months across several domains [infrastructure (+4, p=0.0001), clinical services (+1.2, p=0.03), infection and sanitation control (+0.6, p=0.03), medical equipment (+1.0, p=0.02), information use (+2, p=0.002)]. Composite score across domains improved from 6.2 at baseline to 7.4 at 12 months (p=0.002). Across facilities, 50% had composite scores greater than the average score among reference facilities (7.4) at 12 months compared to none at baseline. Rapid facility surveys, stakeholder engagement, and information feedback can be used for gap analysis and resource allocation. This approach can achieve effective use of limited resources, improve facility readiness, and ensure consistency of facility capacity to provide quality care at the district level.

Improving district facility readiness: a 12-month evaluation of a data-driven health systems strengthening intervention in rural Rwanda

PubMed Central

Iyer, Hari S.; Kamanzi, Emmanuel; Mugunga, Jean Claude; Finnegan, Karen; Uwingabiye, Alice; Shyaka, Edward; Niyonzima, Saleh; Hirschhorn, Lisa R.; Drobac, Peter C.

2015-01-01

Background While health systems strengthening (HSS) interventions are recommended by global health policy experts to improve population health in resource-limited settings, few examples exist of evaluations of HSS interventions conducted at the district level. In 2009, a partnership between Partners In Health (PIH), a non-governmental organization, and the Rwandan Ministry of Health (RMOH) was provided funds to implement and evaluate a district-level HSS intervention in two rural districts of Rwanda. Design The partnership provided limited funds to 14 health centers for targeted systems support in 2010; six others received support prior to the intervention (reference). RMOH health systems norms were mapped across the WHO HSS framework, scored from 0 to 10 and incorporated into a rapid survey assessing 11 domains of facility readiness. Stakeholder meetings allowed partnership leaders to review results, set priorities, and allocate resources. Investments included salary support, infrastructure improvements, medical equipment, and social support for patients. We compared facility domain scores from the start of the intervention to 12 months and tested for correlation between change in score and change in funding allocation to assess equity in our approach. Results We found significant improvements among intervention facilities from baseline to 12 months across several domains [infrastructure (+4, p=0.0001), clinical services (+1.2, p=0.03), infection and sanitation control (+0.6, p=0.03), medical equipment (+1.0, p=0.02), information use (+2, p=0.002)]. Composite score across domains improved from 6.2 at baseline to 7.4 at 12 months (p=0.002). Across facilities, 50% had composite scores greater than the average score among reference facilities (7.4) at 12 months compared to none at baseline. Conclusions Rapid facility surveys, stakeholder engagement, and information feedback can be used for gap analysis and resource allocation. This approach can achieve effective use of limited resources, improve facility readiness, and ensure consistency of facility capacity to provide quality care at the district level. PMID:26140729

A Community-Based Exergaming Physical Activity Program Improves Readiness-to-Change and Self-Efficacy Among Rural-Residing Older Adults.

PubMed

Sowle, Ashleigh J; Francis, Sarah L; Margrett, Jennifer A; Shelley, Mack C; Franke, Warren D

2017-07-01

Rural-residing older adults (OA) are not meeting physical activity (PA) recommendations, such that identifying methods of increasing PA among OA remains an ongoing challenge. This study evaluated the effect of a community-based exergaming program on PA readiness-to-change and self-efficacy among rural-residing OA (n = 265). There was a significant (p = .008) increase in readiness-to-change classification from PRE to POST. Significant increases in self-efficacy, or confidence in their ability to be physically active for a prescribed period of time, were detected for 35 (p = .011) and 40 min (p = .035) of continuous PA. PA self-efficacy change for 35 min of continuous PA (F [3,137] = 3.973, p = .010) and 40 min of continuous PA (F [3,137) = 2.893, p = .038) were influenced by the interaction between PRE self-reported health and PRE PA readiness-to-change levels. Results suggest that an exergaming-themed PA intervention is effective at increasing PA participation and self-efficacy for PA among rural-residing OA.

Readiness for interprofessional learning: a cross-faculty comparison between architecture and occupational therapy students.

PubMed

Larkin, Helen; Hitch, Danielle; Watchorn, Valerie; Ang, Susan; Stagnitti, Karen

2013-09-01

Health and wellbeing includes a need for built environments to accommodate and be inclusive of the broadest range of people and a corresponding need to ensure graduates are ready to engage in this field of interprofessional and inter-industry practise. All too often, interprofessional education in higher education is neglected with a tendency towards educational silos, particularly at a cross-faculty level. This paper reports on an initiative that embedded universal design practice education into the curricula of first year architecture and third year occupational therapy students and evaluated the impact on students' readiness for interprofessional learning. The Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) was given to students at the beginning and end of the semester during which students participated in a variety of online and face-to-face curriculum initiatives. Results showed that at the beginning of semester, occupational therapy students were significantly more positive about interprofessional learning than their architecture counterparts. Post-results showed that this trend continued but that occupational therapy students became less positive on some items after the interprofessional learning experience. This study provides insights into the interprofessional learning experiences of a group of students who have not previously been studied within the available literature.

A theory of organizational readiness for change

PubMed Central

Weiner, Bryan J

2009-01-01

Background Change management experts have emphasized the importance of establishing organizational readiness for change and recommended various strategies for creating it. Although the advice seems reasonable, the scientific basis for it is limited. Unlike individual readiness for change, organizational readiness for change has not been subject to extensive theoretical development or empirical study. In this article, I conceptually define organizational readiness for change and develop a theory of its determinants and outcomes. I focus on the organizational level of analysis because many promising approaches to improving healthcare delivery entail collective behavior change in the form of systems redesign--that is, multiple, simultaneous changes in staffing, work flow, decision making, communication, and reward systems. Discussion Organizational readiness for change is a multi-level, multi-faceted construct. As an organization-level construct, readiness for change refers to organizational members' shared resolve to implement a change (change commitment) and shared belief in their collective capability to do so (change efficacy). Organizational readiness for change varies as a function of how much organizational members value the change and how favorably they appraise three key determinants of implementation capability: task demands, resource availability, and situational factors. When organizational readiness for change is high, organizational members are more likely to initiate change, exert greater effort, exhibit greater persistence, and display more cooperative behavior. The result is more effective implementation. Summary The theory described in this article treats organizational readiness as a shared psychological state in which organizational members feel committed to implementing an organizational change and confident in their collective abilities to do so. This way of thinking about organizational readiness is best suited for examining organizational changes where collective behavior change is necessary in order to effectively implement the change and, in some instances, for the change to produce anticipated benefits. Testing the theory would require further measurement development and careful sampling decisions. The theory offers a means of reconciling the structural and psychological views of organizational readiness found in the literature. Further, the theory suggests the possibility that the strategies that change management experts recommend are equifinal. That is, there is no 'one best way' to increase organizational readiness for change. PMID:19840381

324 Building B-Cell Pressurized Water Reactor Spent Fuel Packaging & Shipment RL Readiness Assessment Final Report [SEC 1 Thru 3

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

HUMPHREYS, D C

A parallel readiness assessment (RA) was conducted by independent Fluor Hanford (FH) and U. S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office (RL) team to verify that an adequate state of readiness had been achieved for activities associated with the packaging and shipping of pressurized water reactor fuel assemblies from B-Cell in the 324 Building to the interim storage area at the Canister Storage Building in the 200 Area. The RL review was conducted in parallel with the FH review in accordance with the Joint RL/FH Implementation Plan (Appendix B). The RL RA Team members were assigned a FH RA Teammore » counterpart for the review. With this one-on-one approach, the RL RA Team was able to assess the FH Team's performance, competence, and adherence to the implementation plan and evaluate the level of facility readiness. The RL RA Team agrees with the FH determination that startup of the 324 Building B-Cell pressurized water reactor spent nuclear fuel packaging and shipping operations can safely proceed, pending completion of the identified pre-start items in the FH final report (see Appendix A), completion of the manageable list of open items included in the facility's declaration of readiness, and execution of the startup plan to operations.« less

Strategies to Build Readiness in Community Mobilization Efforts for Implementation in a Multi-Year Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative.

PubMed

Bhuiya, Nazmim; House, L Duane; Desmarais, Jeffrey; Fletcher, Erica; Conlin, Maeve; Perez-McAdoo, Sarah; Waggett, Jessica; Tendulkar, Shalini A

2017-03-01

This paper describes an assessment of community readiness to implement a community-wide teen pregnancy prevention initiative, Youth First, and presents strategies used to enhance this readiness as informed by the assessment. Twenty-five community stakeholder interviews were conducted to assess four domains of readiness: (1) attitudes, perception, and knowledge of teen pregnancy; (2) perceived level of readiness; (3) resources, existing and current efforts; and (4) leadership. Interview transcripts were coded and analyzed to identify key themes. Stakeholders acknowledged teen pregnancy as an issue but lacked contextual information. They also perceived the community as ready to address the issue and recognized some organizations already championing efforts. However, many key players were not involved, and ongoing data collection to assess teen pregnancy and prevention efforts was limited. Though many stakeholders were ready to engage in teen pregnancy prevention efforts, they required additional information and training to appropriately address the issue. In response to the assessment findings, several strategies were applied to address readiness and build Youth First partners' capacity to implement the community-wide initiative. Thus, to successfully implement community-wide prevention efforts, it is valuable to assess the level of community readiness to address health issues. Copyright © 2016 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Qualitative Readiness-Requirements Assessment Model for Enterprise Big-Data Infrastructure Investment

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

Olama, Mohammed M; McNair, Wade; Sukumar, Sreenivas R

2014-01-01

In the last three decades, there has been an exponential growth in the area of information technology providing the information processing needs of data-driven businesses in government, science, and private industry in the form of capturing, staging, integrating, conveying, analyzing, and transferring data that will help knowledge workers and decision makers make sound business decisions. Data integration across enterprise warehouses is one of the most challenging steps in the big data analytics strategy. Several levels of data integration have been identified across enterprise warehouses: data accessibility, common data platform, and consolidated data model. Each level of integration has its ownmore » set of complexities that requires a certain amount of time, budget, and resources to implement. Such levels of integration are designed to address the technical challenges inherent in consolidating the disparate data sources. In this paper, we present a methodology based on industry best practices to measure the readiness of an organization and its data sets against the different levels of data integration. We introduce a new Integration Level Model (ILM) tool, which is used for quantifying an organization and data system s readiness to share data at a certain level of data integration. It is based largely on the established and accepted framework provided in the Data Management Association (DAMA-DMBOK). It comprises several key data management functions and supporting activities, together with several environmental elements that describe and apply to each function. The proposed model scores the maturity of a system s data governance processes and provides a pragmatic methodology for evaluating integration risks. The higher the computed scores, the better managed the source data system and the greater the likelihood that the data system can be brought in at a higher level of integration.« less

A qualitative readiness-requirements assessment model for enterprise big-data infrastructure investment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olama, Mohammed M.; McNair, Allen W.; Sukumar, Sreenivas R.; Nutaro, James J.

2014-05-01

In the last three decades, there has been an exponential growth in the area of information technology providing the information processing needs of data-driven businesses in government, science, and private industry in the form of capturing, staging, integrating, conveying, analyzing, and transferring data that will help knowledge workers and decision makers make sound business decisions. Data integration across enterprise warehouses is one of the most challenging steps in the big data analytics strategy. Several levels of data integration have been identified across enterprise warehouses: data accessibility, common data platform, and consolidated data model. Each level of integration has its own set of complexities that requires a certain amount of time, budget, and resources to implement. Such levels of integration are designed to address the technical challenges inherent in consolidating the disparate data sources. In this paper, we present a methodology based on industry best practices to measure the readiness of an organization and its data sets against the different levels of data integration. We introduce a new Integration Level Model (ILM) tool, which is used for quantifying an organization and data system's readiness to share data at a certain level of data integration. It is based largely on the established and accepted framework provided in the Data Management Association (DAMADMBOK). It comprises several key data management functions and supporting activities, together with several environmental elements that describe and apply to each function. The proposed model scores the maturity of a system's data governance processes and provides a pragmatic methodology for evaluating integration risks. The higher the computed scores, the better managed the source data system and the greater the likelihood that the data system can be brought in at a higher level of integration.

Readiness of hospitals to provide Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) and documentation of KMC service delivery: Analysis of Malawi 2014 Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) survey data.

PubMed

Chavula, Kondwani; Likomwa, Dyson; Valsangkar, Bina; Luhanga, Richard; Chimtembo, Lydia; Dube, Queen; Gobezie, Wasihun Andualem; Guenther, Tanya

2017-12-01

Malawi introduced Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in 1999 as part of its efforts to address newborn morbidity and mortality and has continued to expand KMC services across the country. Yet, data on availability of KMC services and routine service provision are limited. Data from the 2014 Emergency Obstetric Newborn Care (EmONC) survey, which was a census of all 87 hospitals in Malawi, were analyzed. The WHO service availability and readiness domains were used to generate indicators for KMC service readiness and an additional domain for documentation of KMC services was included. Levels of KMC service delivery were quantified using data extracted from a 12-month register review and a KMC initiation rate was calculated for each facility by dividing the reported number of babies initiated on KMC by the number of live births at facility. We defined three levels of KMC readiness and two levels of KMC operational status. 79% of hospitals (69/87) reported providing inpatient KMC services. More than half of the hospitals (62%; 54/87) met the most basic definition of readiness (staff, space for KMC and functional weighing scale) and 35% (30/87) met an expanded definition of readiness (guidelines, staff, space, scale and register in use). Only 15 % (13/87) of hospitals had all KMC tracer items. Less than half of the hospitals (43%; 37/87) met criteria for KMC operational status at minimum levels (≥1/100 live births), and just 16% (14/87) met criteria for KMC operational status at routine levels (≥5/100 live births). Our study found large differences between reported levels of KMC services and documented levels of KMC readiness and service provision among hospitals in Malawi. It is recommended that facility assessments of services such as KMC include record reviews to better estimate service availability and delivery. Further efforts to strengthen the capacity of Malawian hospitals to deliver KMC are needed.

Microbiological survey of raw and ready-to-eat leafy green vegetables marketed in Italy.

PubMed

Losio, M N; Pavoni, E; Bilei, S; Bertasi, B; Bove, D; Capuano, F; Farneti, S; Blasi, G; Comin, D; Cardamone, C; Decastelli, L; Delibato, E; De Santis, P; Di Pasquale, S; Gattuso, A; Goffredo, E; Fadda, A; Pisanu, M; De Medici, D

2015-10-01

The presence of foodborne pathogens (Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, thermotolerant Campylobacter, Yersinia enterocolitica and norovirus) in fresh leafy (FL) and ready-to-eat (RTE) vegetable products, sampled at random on the Italian market, was investigated to evaluate the level of risk to consumers. Nine regional laboratories, representing 18 of the 20 regions of Italy and in which 97.7% of the country's population resides, were involved in this study. All laboratories used the same sampling procedures and analytical methods. The vegetable samples were screened using validated real-time PCR (RT-PCR) methods and standardized reference ISO culturing methods. The results show that 3.7% of 1372 fresh leafy vegetable products and 1.8% of 1160 "fresh-cut" or "ready-to-eat" (RTE) vegetable retailed in supermarkets or farm markets, were contaminated with one or more foodborne pathogens harmful to human health. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effectiveness of an education intervention to strengthen nurses' readiness for evidence-based practice: A single-blind randomized controlled study.

PubMed

Saunders, Hannele; Vehviläinen-Julkunen, Katri; Stevens, Kathleen R

2016-08-01

Nurses' lack of readiness for evidence-based practice slows down the uptake, adoption, and implementation of evidence-based practice which is of international concern as it impedes attainment of the highest quality of care and best patient outcomes. There is limited evidence about the most effective approaches to strengthen nurses' readiness for evidence-based practice. To evaluate the effectiveness of an Advanced Practice Nurse-delivered education program to strengthen nurses' readiness for evidence-based practice at a university hospital. A single-blind randomized controlled trial with repeated measures design, with measures completed during spring and fall 2015, before the education program (T0), within 1week after (T1), 8weeks after (T2), and 4months after completion of education interventions (T3). One large university hospital system in Finland, consisting of 15 acute care hospitals. The required sample size, calculated by a priori power analysis and including a 20% estimated attrition rate, called for 85 nurse participants to be recruited. Nurses working in different professional nursing roles and care settings were randomly allocated into two groups: intervention (evidence-based practice education, N=43) and control (research utilization education, N=34). The nurse participants received live 4-h education sessions on the basic principles of evidence-based practice (intervention group) and on the principles of research utilization (control group). The intervention group also received a web-based interactive evidence-based practice education module with a booster mentoring intervention. Readiness for evidence-based practice data, previous experience with evidence-based practice, and participant demographics were collected using the Stevens' EBP Readiness Inventory. Nurses' confidence in employing evidence-based practice and actual evidence-based practice knowledge were lower at T0, compared with the post-education scores, specifically at T1. The improvement in the confidence or actual evidence-based practice knowledge levels did not differ between the intervention and control groups. Confidence in employing evidence-based practice was directly correlated with level of education and inversely correlated with age. Actual evidence-based practice knowledge was lowest among nurses who had no previous knowledge or experience of evidence-based practice. Both the evidence-based practice and research utilization education interventions improved nurses' confidence in employing evidence-based practice and actual evidence-based practice knowledge, strengthening their evidence-based practice readiness at least in the short-term. Most of the variation in the confidence in employing evidence-based practice and actual evidence-based practice knowledge levels was due to background factors, such as primary role and education level, which emphasize differences in educational needs between nurses with diverse backgrounds. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Antismoking Threat and Efficacy Appeals: Effects on Smoking Cessation Intentions for Smokers with Low and High Readiness to Quit

PubMed Central

Wong, Norman C. H.; Cappella, Joseph N.

2009-01-01

This study examined the effects of sequencing different types of antismoking threat and efficacy appeals on smoking cessation intentions for smokers with low and high levels of readiness to quit. An experiment was done to test predictions based on Witte's (1992) Extended Parallel Process Model and research by Cho and Salmon (2006). A national probability sample of 555 adult smokers was recruited to take part in this study. Results found a positive two-way interaction effect between message threat and perceived level of message efficacy on intentions to seek help for quitting. A three-way interaction effect was found between message threat, perceived level of message efficacy, and readiness to quit on quitting intentions. Both threat and efficacy were important for smokers with low readiness to quit, whereas efficacy was most important among smokers with high readiness to quit. Implications of the results for antismoking campaigns are discussed along with limitations and future directions. PMID:20046966

The Avahan Transition: Effects of Transition Readiness on Program Institutionalization and Sustained Outcomes

PubMed Central

Singh, Suneeta; Singh, Kriti; Chhabra, Vibha; Bennett, Sara

2016-01-01

Background With declines in development assistance for health and growing interest in country ownership, donors are increasingly faced with the task of transitioning health programs to local actors towards a path to sustainability. Yet there is little available guidance on how to measure and evaluate the success of a transition and its subsequent effects. This study assesses the transition of the Avahan HIV/AIDS prevention program in India to investigate how preparations for transition affected continuation of program activities post-transition. Methods Two rounds of two surveys were conducted and supplemented by data from government and Avahan Computerized Management Information Systems (CMIS). Exploratory factor analysis was used to develop two measures: 1) transition readiness pre-transition, and 2) institutionalization (i.e. integration of initial program systems into organizational procedures and behaviors) post-transition. A fixed effects model was built to examine changes in key program delivery outcomes over time. An ordinary least square regression was used to assess the relationship between transition readiness and sustainability of service outcomes both directly, and indirectly through institutionalization. Results Transition readiness data revealed 3 factors (capacity, alignment and communication), on a 15-item scale with adequate internal consistency (alpha 0.73). Institutionalization was modeled as a unidimensional construct, and a 12-item scale demonstrated moderate internal consistency (alpha 0.60). Coverage of key populations and condom distribution were sustained compared to pre-transition levels (p<0.01). Transition readiness, but not institutionalization, predicted sustained outcomes post-transition. Transition readiness did not necessarily lead to institutionalization of key program elements one year after transition. Conclusion Greater preparedness prior to transition is important to achieve better service delivery outcomes post-transition. This paper illustrates a methodology to measure transition readiness pre-transition to identify less ready organizations or program components in advance, improving the likelihood of service sustainability. Further research is needed around the conceptualization and development of measures of institutionalization and its effects on long-term program sustainability. PMID:27434542

Outcome Evaluation of the Minnesota Reading Corps PreK Program. Issue Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markovitz, Carrie E.; Hernandez, Marc W.; Hedberg, Eric C.; Silberglitt, Benjamin

2015-01-01

Two of the most important educational benchmarks are readiness for kindergarten and reading at grade-level by third grade. Focusing on emergent literacy skills during the PreK years boosts reading abilities and helps young learners reach these critical goals. Research validates what works in teaching children to read: Well-trained tutors and…

The Early Development Index and Children from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Jianghong; D'Angiulli, Amedeo; Kendall, Garth E.

2007-01-01

The Early Development Index (EDI) is a teacher-completed checklist, intended to be a population-level tool to measure children's readiness for school and to alert communities to potential developmental problems in children. In response to the increasing popularity of the EDI, this paper provides a critical and timely evaluation and identifies the…

Are You Ready to Assess Social and Emotional Development? SEL Solutions Decision Tree

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Institutes for Research, 2015

2015-01-01

Deciding whether and how to use assessments to evaluate students' social and emotional (SE) knowledge, attitudes, and skills requires the development and critical appraisal of an assessment plan. At the state, district, and school levels, education leaders and staff can benefit from reviewing best practices and using a structured format to arrive…

Recognition Organisations That Evaluate Agencies Accrediting Medical Education Programmes: "Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes?"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Zanten, Marta

2017-01-01

The goals of agencies that accredit medical education programmes or institutions are to ensure high quality student experiences and to certify the readiness of graduates to further their training or begin practice as physicians. While accreditation provides a level of legitimacy, the agencies conducting the reviews vary in their organisation,…

Logic system aids in evaluation of project readiness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maris, S. J.; Obrien, T. J.

1966-01-01

Measurement Operational Readiness Requirements /MORR/ assignments logic is used for determining the readiness of a complex project to go forward as planned. The system used logic network which assigns qualities to all important criteria in a project and establishes a logical sequence of measurements to determine what the conditions are.

Background for Community-Level Work on School Readiness: A Review of Definitions, Assessments, and Investment Strategies. Final Report to the Knight Foundation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zaslow, Martha; Calkins, Julia; Halle, Tamara; Zaff, Jonathan; Margie, Nancy Geyelin

Noting that many communities in the United States have set the ambitious goal of enhancing school readiness, this report is intended to help communities invest wisely in school readiness initiatives. Part 1 of the report summarizes recommendations from the National Education Goals Panel (NEGP) for defining and assessing school readiness. The core…

Measuring the Operational Readiness of an Air Force Network Warfare Squadron

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-01

Abstract As part of its unit activation, the 315th Network Warfare Squadron (NWS) needed to measure and report its progression of unit readiness...NWS unit readiness should be measured and reported by SORTS Category Levels (C-Level) to support wartime missions, not by IOC and FOC milestones...This paper reviews SORTS computations and provides a case study of a notional Air Force NWS to propose that any new cyber squadron should report

Assessing infant and maternal readiness for newborn discharge.

PubMed

Jing, Ling; Bethancourt, Casidhe-Nicole; McDonagh, Thomas

2017-10-01

The review highlights the shift from prescribed length of stay (LOS) to mother-infant dyad readiness as the basis for making discharge decisions for healthy term newborns. We describe the components of readiness that should be considered in making the decision, focusing on infant clinical readiness, and maternal and familial readiness. Although the Newborns' and Mothers' Health Protection Act of 1996 aimed to protect infants and mothers by establishing a minimum LOS, the American Academy of Pediatrics 2015 policy on newborn discharge acknowledges the shift from LOS-based to readiness-based discharge decision-making. Healthcare providers must consider a variety of infant and maternal characteristics in determining the appropriate time to discharge a dyad, and mothers should be actively involved in the decision-making process. Criteria for infant clinical readiness include the following: establishment of effective feeding, evaluation of jaundice risk, review and discussion of infant and household vaccination status, obtainment of specimen for metabolic screening, tests of hearing ability, assessment of sepsis risk factors, screening for congenital heart disease, and evaluation of parental knowledge about infant safety measures. Important consideration should also be given to the mother's sociodemographic vulnerabilities, maternal confidence and perception of discharge readiness, and availability of postdischarge care continuity. The timing of newborn discharge should be a joint decision made by the mother and healthcare providers based on readiness. The decision should consider the infant's health status, the mother's health status, the mother's perception of readiness, and the availability of social and familial support for the mother and infant. Accessible and comprehensive support postdischarge is also important for helping infants achieve optimal health outcomes.

Software Assurance Curriculum Project Volume 4: Community College Education

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

no previous programming or computer science experience expected) • Precalculus -ready (that is, proficiency sufficient to enter college-level... precalculus course) • English Composition I-ready (that is, proficiency sufficient to enter college-level English I course) Co-Requisite Discrete

The Tobacco Control Network's Policy Readiness and Stage of Change Assessment: What the Results Suggest for Moving Tobacco Control Efforts Forward at the State and Territorial Levels.

PubMed

Roeseler, April; Solomon, Madeleine; Beatty, Carissa; Sipler, Alison M

2016-01-01

The Tobacco Control Network (TCN) is comprised of the tobacco control programs in the health departments of states, territories, and the District of Columbia. During the assessment period, the TCN was managed by the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium at Emory University. To assess the readiness of state and territory tobacco control programs to work on evidence-based, promising policy and system change strategies aimed at preventing and reducing tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure. The Policy Readiness and Stage of Change Assessment was a Web-based survey fielded in September 2013, which was based on the Community Readiness Model. Fifty-nine comprehensive tobacco control programs. State and territory tobacco control program managers and their internal and external partners. The TCN's 2012 Policy Platform recommendations were used as the basis to assess state/territory readiness to adopt and implement evidence-based and promising tobacco control policy/system change strategies. Sixteen tobacco control strategies were rated on: (1) implementation status, (2) readiness, (3) stage of change, and (4) the appropriate level of action for work on the strategy. The 3 strategies with the highest readiness scores were as follows: (1) 100% smoke-free air in workplaces (64%), (2) tobacco-free schools (61%), and (3) $1.50 or less cigarette tax with funds to tobacco control (53%). The 3 strategies with lowest readiness scores were: 1) coupon redemption (17%), 2) tobacco mitigation fee (14%), and 3) disclosure or sunshine laws (8%). Readiness to work on tobacco control strategies varied by region and strategy. Many states/territories are ready to work on strategies for which there is less evidence of a population-level impact for reducing tobacco use, but which contribute to denormalizing tobacco use. Working toward less impactful policies may build support, capacity, and policy success, laying an important foundation to achieve more impactful strategies.

Measurement of Workforce Readiness Competencies: Design of Prototype Measures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Neil, Harold F., Jr.; And Others

A general methodology approach is suggested for measurement of workforce readiness competencies in the context of overall work by the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing on the domain-independent measurement of workforce readiness skills. The methodology consists of 14 steps, from the initial selection of a…

The role of organizational structure in readiness for change: A conceptual integration.

PubMed

Benzer, Justin K; Charns, Martin P; Hamdan, Sami; Afable, Melissa

2017-02-01

The purpose of this review is to extend extant conceptualizations of readiness for change as an individual-level phenomenon. This review-of-reviews focuses on existing conceptual frameworks from the dissemination, implementation, quality improvement, and organizational transformation literatures in order to integrate theoretical rationales for how organization structure, a key dimension of the organizational context, may impact readiness for change. We propose that the organization structure dimensions of differentiation and integration impact readiness for change at the individual level of analysis by influencing four key concepts of relevance, legitimacy, perceived need for change, and resource allocation. We identify future research directions that focus on these four key concepts.

The effect of interprofessional team-based learning among nursing students: A quasi-experimental study.

PubMed

Wong, Arkers Kwan Ching; Wong, Frances Kam Yuet; Chan, Lap Ki; Chan, Namkiu; Ganotice, Fraide A; Ho, Jacqueline

2017-06-01

Although interprofessional education has received attention in recent years as a means of providing opportunities for health-care professionals to learn with, from and about other disciplines and enhance the quality of patient care, evidence of its effectiveness is limited. Interprofessional team-based learning was introduced to make it possible for students in different healthcare disciplines to interact with each other, and to prepare them to function effectively within a team in their future career. To examine the effects of interprofessional team-based learning for undergraduate nursing students in terms of knowledge level, readiness for interprofessional learning, attitude towards various aspects of team learning, and perceived collective efficacy. The study employed a one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design. An interprofessional education program was given to students from two universities in Hong Kong who were in different healthcare disciplines including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, biomedical science, and Chinese medicine programs. The program was based on four phases of student learning- individual readiness assessment test, ice breaking session, team readiness assessment test, and application exercise. Nursing students involved in the program were invited to complete anonymous questionnaires to evaluate their interprofessional team experience. A total of 40 nursing students (9 male, 31 female) participated in the study. A statistically significant improvement was identified in their knowledge level (p<0.001), attitude towards readiness for interprofessional learning, team learning, and perceived collective efficacy (p<0.001). This study suggests that interprofessional team-based learning can enhance cross-disciplinary learning and outcomes resulting from team efforts. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

20. Readiness Crew Building interior, upper level corridor. This corridor ...

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

20. Readiness Crew Building interior, upper level corridor. This corridor runs from northwest to southeast. Photograph taken at the northwest end looking southeast. Lyon - Whiteman Air Force Base, Bomber Alert Facility S-6, 1300 Alert Road, Knob Noster, Johnson County, MO

Reforming Developmental Education to Better Support Students' Postsecondary Success in the Common Core Era. Core to College Evaluation. Policy Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bracco, Kathy Reeves; Austin, Kim; Bugler, Daniel; Finkelstein, Neal

2015-01-01

When students first enroll in college, they are required to demonstrate readiness for college-level work. Course placement depends on standardized assessments, and students who do not attain a satisfactory score are typically assigned to developmental (e.g. remedial) education courses. The theory behind this approach has been that remedial…

Rice University: Innovation to Increase Student College Readiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gigliotti, Jennifer

2012-01-01

"College readiness" means that a student can enter a college classroom without remediation and successfully complete entry-level college requirements (Conley, 2012). In order for students to be considered college ready, they must acquire skills, content knowledge, and behaviors before leaving high school. Research on high-school performance…

READINESS AND READING FOR THE RETARDED CHILD.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

BERNSTEIN, BEBE

THIS TEACHER'S BOOK AND MANUAL, DESIGNED TO ACCOMPANY TWO WORKBOOKS, PRESENTS A FUNCTIONAL APPROACH TO READINESS AND READING FOR YOUNG EDUCABLE RETARDED CHILDREN. THE WORKBOOKS THEMSELVES OFFER PREPARATORY ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN AT THE READINESS LEVEL AND SEQUENTIAL ACTIVITIES AND MATERIALS FOR THOSE AT THE BEGINNING READING STAGE. THE TEACHER'S…

Why Not an Informal Reading Readiness Inventory?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drake, Suzanne V.

1990-01-01

Reading readiness is defined, and the assessment of emergent literacy is discussed. An informal Reading Readiness Inventory is proposed to provide a profile of students' specific strengths and weaknesses at the beginning levels. The assessment comprises such subtests as oral cloze, sound/symbol relationships, and instant recognition of high…

Does leadership effectiveness correlates with leadership styles in healthcare executives of Iran University of Medical Sciences

PubMed Central

Ebadifard Azar, Farbod; Sarabi Asiabar, Ali

2015-01-01

Background: Effective leadership is essential to passing through obstacles facing the health field.The current health care system in Iran has major problems and gaps in the field of effective leadership. The aim of this study was to evaluate hospital managers’ leadership style through selfassessment and to determine the correlation between leadership styles with healthcare executives’ leadership readiness and leadership effectiveness. Methods: In this cross-sectional study a self-administered questionnaire completed by all internal healthcare executives of all teaching and non-teaching hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences. Questionnaire was composed to determine demographic information, leadership style questions, leadership effectiveness and leadership readiness. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficient were used for data analysis. Results: According to the findings, the dominant style of healthcare executives was transformational leadership style (with a score of 4.34). The leadership effectiveness was estimated at about 4.36 that shows the appropriate level of leadership effectiveness. There was a significant correlation (correlation coefficient of 0.244) between leadership readiness and transformational leadership style (p<0.05). Also, there was a significant correlation between leadership effectiveness with transformational (0.051) and transactional (0.216) styles. Conclusion: There was a correlation between leadership readiness and leadership effectiveness with leadership styles. Application of this research will be crucial to universities and healthcare executives. This study suggests that strengthening the scientific basis is essential for leadership readiness and leadership effectiveness in healthcare system. PMID:26000260

Does leadership effectiveness correlates with leadership styles in healthcare executives of Iran University of Medical Sciences.

PubMed

Ebadifard Azar, Farbod; Sarabi Asiabar, Ali

2015-01-01

Effective leadership is essential to passing through obstacles facing the health field.The current health care system in Iran has major problems and gaps in the field of effective leadership. The aim of this study was to evaluate hospital managers' leadership style through selfassessment and to determine the correlation between leadership styles with healthcare executives' leadership readiness and leadership effectiveness. In this cross-sectional study a self-administered questionnaire completed by all internal healthcare executives of all teaching and non-teaching hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences. Questionnaire was composed to determine demographic information, leadership style questions, leadership effectiveness and leadership readiness. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficient were used for data analysis. According to the findings, the dominant style of healthcare executives was transformational leadership style (with a score of 4.34). The leadership effectiveness was estimated at about 4.36 that shows the appropriate level of leadership effectiveness. There was a significant correlation (correlation coefficient of 0.244) between leadership readiness and transformational leadership style (p<0.05). Also, there was a significant correlation between leadership effectiveness with transformational (0.051) and transactional (0.216) styles. There was a correlation between leadership readiness and leadership effectiveness with leadership styles. Application of this research will be crucial to universities and healthcare executives. This study suggests that strengthening the scientific basis is essential for leadership readiness and leadership effectiveness in healthcare system.

Improving Community Readiness for Change through Coalition Capacity Building: Evidence from a Multi-Site Intervention

PubMed Central

Anderson-Carpenter, Kaston D.; Watson-Thompson, Jomella; Jones, Marvia D.; Chaney, Lisa

2016-01-01

Often, community coalitions are facilitators of community-level changes when addressing underage drinking. Although studies have shown that enhancing coalition capacity is related to improved internal functioning, the relationship between enhanced capacity and community readiness for change is not well established. The present study used a pretest-posttest design to examine whether enhancing coalition capacity through training and technical assistance was associated with improved community readiness and coalition-facilitated community-level changes. Seven Kansas communities engaged in an intensive capacity building intervention through implementation of the Strategic Prevention Framework. The results indicated strong correlations between increased coalition capacity, changes in community readiness stages, and the number of community changes facilitated. The results suggest that strengthening coalition capacity through training and technical assistance may improve community readiness for change and enable the implementation of community-wide program and environmental changes. PMID:28458405

Technical Feasibility Assessment of Lunar Base Mission Scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magelssen, Trygve ``Spike''; Sadeh, Eligar

2005-02-01

Investigation of the literature pertaining to lunar base (LB) missions and the technologies required for LB development has revealed an information gap that hinders technical feasibility assessment. This information gap is the absence of technical readiness levels (TRL) (Mankins, 1995) and information pertaining to the criticality of the critical enabling technologies (CETs) that enable mission success. TRL is a means of identifying technical readiness stages of a technology. Criticality is defined as the level of influence the CET has on the mission scenario. The hypothesis of this research study is that technical feasibility is a function of technical readiness and technical readiness is a function of criticality. A newly developed research analysis method is used to identify the technical feasibility of LB mission scenarios. A Delphi is used to ascertain technical readiness levels and CET criticality-to-mission. The research analysis method is applied to the Delphi results to determine the technical feasibility of the LB mission scenarios that include: observatory, science research, lunar settlement, space exploration gateway, space resource utilization, and space tourism. The CETs identified encompasses four major system level technologies of: transportation, life support, structures, and power systems. Results of the technical feasibility assessment show the observatory and science research LB mission scenarios to be more technical ready out of all the scenarios, but all mission scenarios are in very close proximity to each other in regard to criticality and TRL and no one mission scenario stands out as being absolutely more technically ready than any of the other scenarios. What is significant and of value are the Delphi results concerning CET criticality-to-mission and the TRL values evidenced in the Tables that can be used by anyone assessing the technical feasibility of LB missions.

Providers' assessment of transition readiness among adolescent and young adult kidney transplant recipients.

PubMed

Marchak, Jordan Gilleland; Reed-Knight, Bonney; Amaral, Sandra; Mee, Laura; Blount, Ronald L

2015-12-01

The Readiness for Transition Questionnaire- provider version (RTQ-Provider) was developed to evaluate adolescent patients' transition readiness and healthcare behaviors from the perspective of the healthcare provider. The RTQ-Provider is a parallel version of the RTQ-Teen and RTQ-Parent completed by patients and parents. This study seeks to evaluate the psychometric properties of the RTQ-Provider and its utility as a clinical transition planning tool. Participants consisted of 49 kidney transplant recipients between the ages of 15 and 21. The RTQ-Provider was completed by the pediatric nephrologist and psychologist from the multidisciplinary healthcare team and compared to RTQ data from teens and parents. The RTQ-Provider demonstrated good-to-excellent internal consistency and interrater reliability. Construct validity was supported through significant predictive relationships between providers' perceptions of transition readiness and older patient age, increased patient healthcare responsibility, and decreased parent involvement in health care. By providing parallel teen, parent, and provider forms, the RTQ has the potential to foster open communication between patients, families, and healthcare team members regarding transition readiness. The study provides initial support for the RTQ-Provider as a clinical tool to assess providers' perceptions of transition readiness; however, future longitudinal research is needed to evaluate predictive validity following patients' transfer to adult care. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Readiness of hospitals to provide Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) and documentation of KMC service delivery: Analysis of Malawi 2014 Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) survey data

PubMed Central

Chavula, Kondwani; Likomwa, Dyson; Valsangkar, Bina; Luhanga, Richard; Chimtembo, Lydia; Dube, Queen; Gobezie, Wasihun Andualem; Guenther, Tanya

2017-01-01

Background Malawi introduced Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in 1999 as part of its efforts to address newborn morbidity and mortality and has continued to expand KMC services across the country. Yet, data on availability of KMC services and routine service provision are limited. Methods Data from the 2014 Emergency Obstetric Newborn Care (EmONC) survey, which was a census of all 87 hospitals in Malawi, were analyzed. The WHO service availability and readiness domains were used to generate indicators for KMC service readiness and an additional domain for documentation of KMC services was included. Levels of KMC service delivery were quantified using data extracted from a 12–month register review and a KMC initiation rate was calculated for each facility by dividing the reported number of babies initiated on KMC by the number of live births at facility. We defined three levels of KMC readiness and two levels of KMC operational status. Results 79% of hospitals (69/87) reported providing inpatient KMC services. More than half of the hospitals (62%; 54/87) met the most basic definition of readiness (staff, space for KMC and functional weighing scale) and 35% (30/87) met an expanded definition of readiness (guidelines, staff, space, scale and register in use). Only 15% (13/87) of hospitals had all KMC tracer items. Less than half of the hospitals (43%; 37/87) met criteria for KMC operational status at minimum levels (≥1/100 live births), and just 16% (14/87) met criteria for KMC operational status at routine levels (≥5/100 live births). Conclusions Our study found large differences between reported levels of KMC services and documented levels of KMC readiness and service provision among hospitals in Malawi. It is recommended that facility assessments of services such as KMC include record reviews to better estimate service availability and delivery. Further efforts to strengthen the capacity of Malawian hospitals to deliver KMC are needed. PMID:29085623

Evaluating Disaster Education: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's TsunamiReady[TM] Community Program and Risk Awareness Education Efforts in New Hanover County, North Carolina

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horan, Jennifer; Ritchie, Liesel Ashley; Meinhold, Stephen; Gill, Duane A.; Houghton, Bruce F.; Gregg, Chris E.; Matheson, Tom; Paton, Douglas; Johnston, David

2010-01-01

This chapter describes the evaluation of the TsunamiReady[TM]-based educational materials distributed in New Hanover County, North Carolina. The authors evaluate whether educational materials about tsunami risk increased the perception of hazard risk, information, knowledge, and preparedness behaviors. There are three main findings. First, local…

43 CFR 404.48 - What process will Reclamation follow to determine if a feasibility study is ready for review?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... determine if a feasibility study is ready for review? 404.48 Section 404.48 Public Lands: Interior... SUPPLY PROGRAM Feasibility Studies § 404.48 What process will Reclamation follow to determine if a feasibility study is ready for review? (a) Reclamation will evaluate whether the feasibility study adequately...

Critical Pathways to School Readiness: Implications for First 5 Ventura County Strategic Planning, Funding and Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Lisa; Tullis, Ericka; Franke, Todd; Halfon, Neal

2005-01-01

The UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities (CHCFC) has developed the School Readiness Critical Pathways (SRCPs) as an evidence-based conceptual model that links related outcomes and strategies. This helps to organize an array of broad and diffuse evidence regarding the strategies that produce school readiness outcomes for…

A Guide to Developing and Evaluating a College Readiness Screener. REL 2016-169

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, John; Petscher, Yaacov

2016-01-01

The high rate of students taking developmental education courses suggests that many students graduate from high school unready to meet college expectations. A college readiness screener can help colleges and school districts better identify students who are not ready for college credit courses. The primary audience for this guide is leaders and…

"Ready To Learn" Transmedia Demonstration Station Study: A Report to the CPB-PBS "Ready to Learn Initiative"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pasnik, Shelley; Llorente, Carlin

2012-01-01

The 2012 Transmedia Demonstration Stations program study is part of the multiyear CPB-PBS "Ready To Learn" summative evaluation initiative by Education Development Center, Inc., (EDC) and SRI International (SRI). Through a series of related studies, the authors are documenting, and, whenever possible, measuring the impact of PBS KIDS…

SAT® Subject Area Readiness Indicators: Reading, Writing, and STEM

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wyatt, Jeffrey N.; Remigio, Mylene; Camara, Wayne J.

2012-01-01

In 2011, the College Board developed the SAT College and Career Readiness Benchmark to assist educators and policymakers in their efforts to better evaluate the college readiness of their students. This benchmark was designed to identify the point on the SAT score scale that is indicative of students' having a high likelihood of success in…

The impact of substance abusers' readiness to change on psychological and behavioral functioning.

PubMed

Hile, M G; Adkins, R E

1998-01-01

Heather and Rollnick's (1993) Readiness to Change Questionnaire directly measures the first three stages of behavior change: precontemplative, contemplative, and action. As part of the St. Louis Target Cities project, an automated assessment procedure was developed to assess individuals seeking substance-abuse services on a variety of dimensions, including readiness to change. This paper describes relationships among the Readiness to Change scales, client self-reports, staff evaluations of psychological symptoms, and other intake assessment measures used in the St. Louis project.

Self-directed learning readiness of Asian students: students perspective on a hybrid problem based learning curriculum.

PubMed

Leatemia, Lukas D; Susilo, Astrid P; van Berkel, Henk

2016-12-03

To identify the student's readiness to perform self-directed learning and the underlying factors influencing it on the hybrid problem based learning curriculum. A combination of quantitative and qualitative studies was conducted in five medical schools in Indonesia. In the quantitative study, the Self Directed Learning Readiness Scale was distributed to all students in all batches, who had experience with the hybrid problem based curriculum. They were categorized into low- and high -level based on the score of the questionnaire. Three focus group discussions (low-, high-, and mixed level) were conducted in the qualitative study with six to twelve students chosen randomly from each group to find the factors influencing their self-directed learning readiness. Two researchers analysed the qualitative data as a measure of triangulation. The quantitative study showed only half of the students had a high-level of self-directed learning readiness, and a similar trend also occurred in each batch. The proportion of students with a high level of self-directed learning readiness was lower in the senior students compared to more junior students. The qualitative study showed that problem based learning processes, assessments, learning environment, students' life styles, students' perceptions of the topics, and mood, were factors influencing their self-directed learning. A hybrid problem based curriculum may not fully affect the students' self-directed learning. The curriculum system, teacher's experiences, student's background and cultural factors might contribute to the difficulties for the student's in conducting self-directed learning.

Evaluation of an Internet, Stage-Based Physical Activity Intervention.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hager, Ronald L.; Hardy, Aaron; Aldana, Steven G.; George, James D.

2002-01-01

Evaluated the impact of online, stage-based materials on exercise behavior and stage of readiness to change. College faculty participated in stage-based, action-message, or control groups. Occupational and leisure activity, 7-day physical activity, exercise self-efficacy, and stage of readiness to change were assessed at baseline and 6 weeks.…

Increasing the Career Choice Readiness of Young Adolescents: An Evaluation Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirschi, Andreas; Lage, Damian

2008-01-01

A career workshop that applies models of the Cognitive Information Processing Approach (Sampson, Reardon, Peterson, & Lenz, 2004) and incorporates critical ingredients (Brown and Ryan Krane, 2000) to promote the career choice readiness of young adolescents was developed and evaluated with 334 Swiss students in seventh grade applying a Solomon…

Strategic Management and Innovation: A Checklist for Readiness Evaluation of AACSB Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kundu, Goutam Kumar; Bairi, Jayachandra

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of a checklist, focusing on the detailed analysis of the requirement of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) standards related to strategic management and innovation area, for evaluation of implementation readiness in a business school setting.…

77 FR 33573 - Final Priorities, Requirements, and Selection Criteria-Comprehensive Centers Program (CFDA Number...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-06

... college- and career-readiness and success for students, addressing early learning, ensuring great teachers... are far below grade level or who are not on track to becoming college- or career- ready by graduation... the opportunity to graduate ready for college and a career. Further, when educators do not have...

Predicting Early School Achievement with the EDI: A Longitudinal Population-Based Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forget-Dubois, Nadine; Lemelin, Jean-Pascal; Boivin, Michel; Dionne, Ginette; Seguin, Jean R.; Vitaro, Frank; Tremblay, Richard E.

2007-01-01

School readiness tests are significant predictors of early school achievement. Measuring school readiness on a large scale would be necessary for the implementation of intervention programs at the community level. However, assessment of school readiness is costly and time consuming. This study assesses the predictive value of a school readiness…

External Factors, Internal Factors and Self-Directed Learning Readiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramli, Nurjannah; Muljono, Pudji; Afendi, Farit M.

2018-01-01

There are many factors which affect the level of self-directed learning readiness. This study aims to investigate the relationship between external factors, internal factors and self-directed learning readiness. This study was carried out by using a census method for fourth year students of medical program of Tadulako University. Data were…

E-Learning Readiness in Public Secondary Schools in Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ouma, Gordon O.; Awuor, Fredrick M.; Kyambo, Benjamin

2013-01-01

As e-learning becomes useful to learning institutions worldwide, an assessment of e-learning readiness is essential for the successful implementation of e-learning as a platform for learning. Success in e-learning can be achieved by understanding the level of readiness of e-learning environments. To facilitate schools in Kenya to implement…

Getting on Board: The Private Sector and Learning Readiness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koprowicz, Constance; Myers, John

Developed by the Women's NETWORK, a group representing women serving in state legislatures in the United States, this report examines how the private sector is involved in promoting learning readiness at the preschool level. The report begins with an introduction and a discussion of the importance of learning readiness as a national goal. The…

A cross-sectional study of malaria endemicity and health system readiness to deliver services in Kenya, Namibia and Senegal.

PubMed

Lee, Elizabeth H; Olsen, Cara H; Koehlmoos, Tracey; Masuoka, Penny; Stewart, Ann; Bennett, Jason W; Mancuso, James

2017-11-01

Despite good progress towards elimination, malaria continues to contribute substantially to the sub-Saharan African disease burden. Sustaining previous gains requires continued readiness to deliver malaria services in response to actual disease burden, which in turn contributes to health systems strengthening. This study investigates a health system innovation. We examined whether malaria prevalence, or endemicity, is a driver of health facility readiness to deliver malaria services. To estimate this association, we geo-linked cross-sectional facility survey data to endemicity data for Kenya, Namibia and Senegal. We tested the validity and reliability of the primary study outcome, the malaria service readiness index and mapped service readiness components in a geographic information system. We conducted a weighted multivariable linear regression analysis of the relationship between endemicity and malaria service readiness, stratified for urban or rural facility location. As endemicity increased in rural areas, there was a concurrent, modest increase in service readiness at the facility level [β: 0.028; (95% CI 0.008, 0.047)], whereas no relationship existed in urban settings. Private-for-profit facilities were generally less prepared than public [β: -0.102; (95% CI - 0.154, -0.050)]. Most facilities had the necessary supplies to diagnose malaria, yet availability of malaria guidelines and adequately trained staff as well as medicines and commodities varied. Findings require cautious interpretation outside the study sample, which was a more limited subset of the original surveys' sampling schemes. Our approach and findings may be used by national malaria programs to identify low performing facilities in malarious areas for targeted service delivery interventions. This study demonstrates use of existing data sources to evaluate health system performance and to identify within- and cross-country variations for targeted interventions. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 2017. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.

Explaining Gaps in Readiness for College-Level Math: The Role of High School Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, Mark C.; Iatarola, Patrice; Conger, Dylan

2009-01-01

Despite increased requirements for high school graduation, almost one-third of the nation's college freshmen are unprepared for college-level math. The need for remediation is particularly high among students who are low income, Hispanic, and black. Female students are also less likely than males to be ready for college-level math. This article…

Factors Impacting on Students' Readiness for Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agherdien, Nuraan; Mey, Michelle; Poisat, Paul

2018-01-01

This article reports on a study that examined the readiness levels of students in the South African context. Particularly, the study explored the differences between various students' academic proficiency, support mechanisms, motivational levels and overall integration with the university. A quantitative approach was used and 117 full-time…

Supporting the Evaluation and Implementation of Musculoskeletal Models of Care: A Globally Informed Framework for Judging Readiness and Success.

PubMed

Briggs, Andrew M; Jordan, Joanne E; Jennings, Matthew; Speerin, Robyn; Bragge, Peter; Chua, Jason; Woolf, Anthony D; Slater, Helen

2017-04-01

To develop a globally informed framework to evaluate readiness for implementation and success after implementation of musculoskeletal models of care (MOCs). Three phases were undertaken: 1) a qualitative study with 27 Australian subject matter experts (SMEs) to develop a draft framework; 2) an eDelphi study with an international panel of 93 SMEs across 30 nations to evaluate face validity, and refine and establish consensus on the framework components; and 3) translation of the framework into a user-focused resource and evaluation of its acceptability with the eDelphi panel. A comprehensive evaluation framework was developed for judging the readiness and success of musculoskeletal MOCs. The framework consists of 9 domains, with each domain containing a number of themes underpinned by detailed elements. In the first Delphi round, scores of "partly agree" or "completely agree" with the draft framework ranged 96.7%-100%. In the second round, "essential" scores ranged 58.6%-98.9%, resulting in 14 of 34 themes being classified as essential. SMEs strongly agreed or agreed that the final framework was useful (98.8%), usable (95.1%), credible (100%) and appealing (93.9%). Overall, 96.3% strongly supported or supported the final structure of the framework as it was presented, while 100%, 96.3%, and 100% strongly supported or supported the content within the readiness, initiating implementation, and success streams, respectively. An empirically derived framework to evaluate the readiness and success of musculoskeletal MOCs was strongly supported by an international panel of SMEs. The framework provides an important internationally applicable benchmark for the development, implementation, and evaluation of musculoskeletal MOCs. © 2016, American College of Rheumatology.

Examining the Measurement Precision and Invariance of the Revised Get Ready to Read!

PubMed Central

Farrington, Amber L.; Lonigan, Christopher J.

2016-01-01

Children's emergent literacy skills are highly predictive of later reading abilities. To determine which children have weaker emergent literacy skills and are in need of intervention, it is necessary to assess emergent literacy skills accurately and reliably. In this study, 1,351 children were administered the Revised Get Ready to Read! (GRTR-R), and an item response theory analysis was used to evaluate the item-level reliability of the measure. Differential item functioning (DIF) analyses were conducted to examine whether items function similarly between subpopulations of children. The GRTR-R had acceptable reliability for children whose ability level was just below the mean. DIF for a small number of items was present for only two comparisons—children who were older versus younger and children who were White versus African American. These results demonstrate that the GRTR-R has acceptable reliability and limited DIF, enabling the screener to identify those at risk for developing reading problems. PMID:23851136

Retrospective evaluation of Project Envision: A community mobilization pilot program to prevent sexual violence in New York City.

PubMed

Glenn, Lily; Fidler, Laura; O'Connor, Meghan; Haviland, Mary; Fry, Deborah; Pollak, Tamara; Frye, Victoria

2018-02-01

Sexual violence is a public health problem associated with short- and long-term physical and mental health consequences. Most interventions that aim to prevent sexual violence before it occurs target individual-level change or promote bystander training. Community-level interventions, while increasingly recommended in the sexual violence prevention field, are rarely documented in peer-reviewed literature. This paper is a targeted process evaluation of Project Envision, a 6-year pilot initiative to address social norms at the root of sexual violence through coalition building and community mobilization in three New York City neighborhoods, and reflects the perspectives of those charged with designing and implementing the program. Evaluation methods included a systematic literature review, archival source document review, and key informant interviews. Three themes emerged from the results: community identity and implications for engagement; capacity and readiness for community mobilization and consequences for implementation; and impacts on participants. Lessons learned include the limitations of using geographic boundaries to structure community interventions in urban settings; carefully considering whether communities should be mobilized around an externally-identified issue; translating theoretical frameworks into concrete tasks; assessing all coalition partners and organizations for readiness; critically evaluating available resources; and recognizing that community organizing is a skill that requires investment from funders. We conclude that Project Envision showed promise for shifting institutional norms towards addressing root causes of sexual violence in addition to providing victim services. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Impact of GEAR UP on College Readiness for Students in Low Income Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bausmith, Jennifer Merriman; France, Megan

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program (GEAR UP) on college readiness outcomes using a quasi-experimental design. GEAR UP is designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education by providing 6-year…

FY04 Advanced Life Support Architecture and Technology Studies: Mid-Year Presentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lange, Kevin; Anderson, Molly; Duffield, Bruce; Hanford, Tony; Jeng, Frank

2004-01-01

Long-Term Objective: Identify optimal advanced life support system designs that meet existing and projected requirements for future human spaceflight missions. a) Include failure-tolerance, reliability, and safe-haven requirements. b) Compare designs based on multiple criteria including equivalent system mass (ESM), technology readiness level (TRL), simplicity, commonality, etc. c) Develop and evaluate new, more optimal, architecture concepts and technology applications.

Core to College Evaluation: Exploring the Use of Multiple Measures for Placement into College-Level Courses. Seeking Alternatives or Improvements to the Use of a Single Standardized Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bracco, Kathy Reeves; Dadgar, Mina; Austin, Kim; Klarin, Becca; Broek, Marie; Finkelstein, Neal; Mundry, Susan; Bugler, Dan

2014-01-01

"Core to College: Preparing Students for College Readiness and Success" is a three-year initiative. The initiative's mission is to "facilitate greater coordination between K-12 and postsecondary education systems around implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and aligned assessments." Its aim is to foster…

Promoting community readiness for physical activity among older adults in Germany--protocol of the ready to change intervention trial.

PubMed

Brand, Tilman; Gansefort, Dirk; Rothgang, Heinz; Röseler, Sabine; Meyer, Jochen; Zeeb, Hajo

2016-02-01

Healthy ageing is an important concern for many societies facing the challenge of an ageing population. Physical activity (PA) is a major contributor to healthy ageing; however insufficient PA levels are prevalent in old age in Germany. Community capacity building and community involvement are often recommended as key strategies to improve equitable access to prevention and health promotion. However, evidence for the effectiveness of these strategies is scarce. This study aims to assess the community readiness for PA promotion in local environments and to analyse the utility of strategies to increase community readiness for reaching vulnerable groups. We designed a mixed method intervention trial comprising three study modules. The first module includes an assessment of community readiness for PA interventions in older adults. The assessment is carried out in a sample of 24 municipalities in the Northwest of Germany using structured key informant interviews. In the second module, eight municipalities with the low community readiness are selected from the sample and randomly assigned to one of two study groups: active enhancement of community readiness (intervention) versus no enhancement (control). After enhancing community readiness in the active enhancement group, older adults in both study groups will be recruited for participation in a PA intervention. Participation rates are compared between the study groups to evaluate the effects of the intervention. In addition, a cost-effectiveness analysis is carried out calculating recruitment costs per person reached in the two study groups. In the third module, qualitative interviews are conducted with participants and non-participants of the PA intervention exploring reasons for participation or non-participation. This study offers the potential to contribute to the evidence base of reaching vulnerable older adults for PA interventions and provide ideas on how to reduce participation barriers. Its findings will inform governmental authorities, professionals, academics, and NGOs with an estimate of resources necessary to achieve equitable access to physical activity programs for vulnerable older adults. German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00009564 (Date of registration 03-11-2015).

The Early Development Instrument: Translating School Readiness Assessment into Community Actions and Policy Planning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guhn, Martin; Janus, Magdalena; Hertzman, Clyde

2007-01-01

This invited special issue of "Early Education and Development" presents research related to the Early Development Instrument (EDI; Janus & Offord, 2007), a community tool to assess children's school readiness at a population level. In this editorial introduction, we first sketch out recent trends in school readiness research that call for a…

K-12 Postsecondary Alignment and School Accountability: Investigating High School Responses to California's Early Assessment Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Jacob; Kurlaender, Michal

2016-01-01

State K-12 assessments may soon include measures for college readiness, as California's already do. We seek to understand how California's Early Assessment Program (EAP, designed to assess high school juniors' college readiness in English and math) may have influenced overall school-level college readiness and state accountability outcomes. Using…

What Is College and Career Readiness? A Summary of State Definitions. Bulletin, Issue 22

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conforti, Peter A.

2013-01-01

This paper outlines each state's definition of college and career readiness and shows whether they associate with the Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI), ACT College and Career Readiness System (ACCRS), or both. The general definition that emerges can not only facilitate interstate discussions on multiple levels, but also provide…

Dimensionality and Measurement Invariance of a School Readiness Screener by Gender and Parent Education Levels

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quirk, Matthew; Mayworm, Ashley; Furlong, Michael J.; Grimm, Ryan; Rebelez, Jennica

2015-01-01

This study examined the dimensionality and measurement invariance of the Kindergarten Student Entrance Profile (KSEP), a brief screening tool designed for use as a universal school readiness assessment. Teachers rated the readiness of 10,031 children during the first month of kindergarten in four ethnically diverse, medium-sized school districts…

College for All: Gaps between Desirable and Actual P-12 Math Achievement Trajectories for College Readiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jaekyung

2012-01-01

This study addresses missing links in "college for all" debates by investigating gaps between actual and desirable math achievement trajectories for students' college readiness. Linking multiple national data sets across P-16 education levels, the study estimates college readiness benchmarks separately for two-year and four-year college…

Evaluation of a Brazilian Postgraduate Dental Program by the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

do Vale Placa, Rebeca; Ragghianti Zangrando, Mariana S.; Sant'Ana, Adriana C. P.; Greghi, Sebastião L. A.; de Rezende, Maria Lucia R.; Damante, Carla A.

2015-01-01

The evaluation of education environment is essential to provide to the professors a better understanding of the teaching process. One valuable tool for this assessment is the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM). This questionnaire has 50 questions and is divided in five dimensions: D1--Perceptions of teaching, D2--Perceptions of…

Interrelation of Evaluation and Self-Evaluation in the Diagnostic Procedures to Assess Teachers' Readiness for Innovation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tyunnikov, Yurii S.

2016-01-01

The paper solves the problem of the relationship of external diagnosis and self-diagnosis of readiness of teachers to innovative activity. It highlights major disadvantages of measurement tools that are used to this process. The author demonstrates an alternative approach to harmonizing the diagnosis, based on a modular diagnostic model, general…

A Checklist for Readiness Evaluation of Learning and Teaching Area of AACSB Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kundu, Goutam Kumar; Bairi, Jayachandra

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to introduce the concept of a checklist, focusing on the detailed analysis of requirements of the AACSB International--the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) standards related to the learning and teaching area--for evaluation of implementation readiness in a business school setting.…

[Quantitative detection on contamination of Listeria monocytogenes isolated from retail ready-to-eat meats in Beijing].

PubMed

Wang, Wei; Yan, Shaofei; Bai, Li; Li, Zhigang; Du, Chunming; Li, Fengqin

2015-11-01

To survey the contamination of L. monocytogenes isolated from retail ready-to-eat meats in Beijing. Ready-to-eat meats were quantitatively detected for L. monocytogenes using MPN method. L. monocytogenes isolates were analyzed by PFGE. Fourteen out of 197 ready-to-eat meat samples were positive for L. monocytogenes with the contamination rate of 7.11% and the geometry mean contamination level of 14.31 MPN/g. The contamination of L. monocytogenes isolated from free trade market (13.89%) was more severe than those from specificity store (8.57%), supermarket (5.75%) and restaurant (2.56%), while supermarket had the highest mean contamination level of 22.78 MPN/g. A total of 13 PFGE types were characterized using DICE-UPGMA analysis through BioNumerics 7.1 software. There were two isolates from the same free trade market share the same PFGE type, which suggested the same contamination source of both samples. Contamination of L. monocytogenes exist in retail ready-to-eat meats. The contamination level of L. monocytogenes isolated from free trade market is more severe than those from specificity store, supermarket and restaurant.

Self-directed learning readiness of Asian students: students perspective on a hybrid problem based learning curriculum

PubMed Central

Susilo, Astrid P.; van Berkel, Henk

2016-01-01

Objectives To identify the student’s readiness to perform self-directed learning and the underlying factors influencing it on the hybrid problem based learning curriculum. Methods A combination of quantitative and qualitative studies was conducted in five medical schools in Indonesia. In the quantitative study, the Self Directed Learning Readiness Scale was distributed to all students in all batches, who had experience with the hybrid problem based curriculum. They were categorized into low- and high -level based on the score of the questionnaire. Three focus group discussions (low-, high-, and mixed level) were conducted in the qualitative study with six to twelve students chosen randomly from each group to find the factors influencing their self-directed learning readiness. Two researchers analysed the qualitative data as a measure of triangulation. Results The quantitative study showed only half of the students had a high-level of self-directed learning readiness, and a similar trend also occurred in each batch. The proportion of students with a high level of self-directed learning readiness was lower in the senior students compared to more junior students. The qualitative study showed that problem based learning processes, assessments, learning environment, students’ life styles, students’ perceptions of the topics, and mood, were factors influencing their self-directed learning. Conclusion A hybrid problem based curriculum may not fully affect the students’ self-directed learning. The curriculum system, teacher’s experiences, student’s background and cultural factors might contribute to the difficulties for the student’s in conducting self-directed learning. PMID:27915308

Measuring readiness for and satisfaction with a hand hygiene e-learning course among healthcare workers in a paediatric oncology centre in Guatemala City

PubMed Central

Gonzalez, Miriam L.; Melgar, Mario; Homsi, Maysam; Shuler, Ana; Antillon-Klussmann, Federico; Matheu, Laura; Ramirez, Marylin; Grant, Michael M.; Lowther, Deborah L.; Relyea, George; Caniza, Miguela A.

2017-01-01

E-learning has been widely used in the infection control field and has been recommended for use in hand hygiene (HH) programs by the World Health Organization. Such strategies are effective and efficient for infection control, but factors such as learner readiness for this method should be determined to assure feasibility and suitability in low- to middle-income countries. We developed a tailored, e-learning, Spanish-language HH course based on the WHO guidelines for HH in healthcare settings for the pediatric cancer center in Guatemala City. We aimed to identify e-readiness factors that influenced HH course completion and evaluate HCWs’ satisfaction. Pearson’s chi-square test of independence was used to retrospectively compare e-readiness factors and course-completion status (completed, non-completed, and never-started). We surveyed 194 HCWs for e-readiness; 116 HCWs self-enrolled in the HH course, and 55 responded to the satisfaction survey. Most e-readiness factors were statistically significant between course-completion groups. Moreover, students were significantly more likely to complete the course if they had a computer with an Internet connection (P=0.001) and self-reported comfort with using a computer several times a week (p=0.001) and communicating through online technologies (p=0.001). Previous online course experience was not a significant factor (p=0.819). E-readiness score averages varied among HCWs, and mean scores for all e-readiness factors were significantly higher among medical doctors than among nurses. Nearly all respondents to the satisfaction survey agreed that e-learning was as effective as the traditional teaching method. Evaluating HCWs’ e-readiness is essential while integrating technologies into educational programs in low- to middle-income countries. PMID:29147140

Measuring readiness for and satisfaction with a hand hygiene e-learning course among healthcare workers in a paediatric oncology centre in Guatemala City.

PubMed

Gonzalez, Miriam L; Melgar, Mario; Homsi, Maysam; Shuler, Ana; Antillon-Klussmann, Federico; Matheu, Laura; Ramirez, Marylin; Grant, Michael M; Lowther, Deborah L; Relyea, George; Caniza, Miguela A

2016-01-01

E-learning has been widely used in the infection control field and has been recommended for use in hand hygiene (HH) programs by the World Health Organization. Such strategies are effective and efficient for infection control, but factors such as learner readiness for this method should be determined to assure feasibility and suitability in low- to middle-income countries. We developed a tailored, e-learning, Spanish-language HH course based on the WHO guidelines for HH in healthcare settings for the pediatric cancer center in Guatemala City. We aimed to identify e-readiness factors that influenced HH course completion and evaluate HCWs' satisfaction. Pearson's chi-square test of independence was used to retrospectively compare e-readiness factors and course-completion status (completed, non-completed, and never-started). We surveyed 194 HCWs for e-readiness; 116 HCWs self-enrolled in the HH course, and 55 responded to the satisfaction survey. Most e-readiness factors were statistically significant between course-completion groups. Moreover, students were significantly more likely to complete the course if they had a computer with an Internet connection (P=0.001) and self-reported comfort with using a computer several times a week (p=0.001) and communicating through online technologies (p=0.001). Previous online course experience was not a significant factor (p=0.819). E-readiness score averages varied among HCWs, and mean scores for all e-readiness factors were significantly higher among medical doctors than among nurses. Nearly all respondents to the satisfaction survey agreed that e-learning was as effective as the traditional teaching method. Evaluating HCWs' e-readiness is essential while integrating technologies into educational programs in low- to middle-income countries.

Please Ask Gently: Using Culturally Targeted Communication Strategies to Initiate End-of-Life Care Discussions With Older Chinese Americans.

PubMed

Chi, Han-Lin; Cataldo, Janine; Ho, Evelyn Y; Rehm, Roberta S

2018-01-01

Health-care providers (HCPs) find facilitating end-of-life (EOL) care discussions challenging, especially with patients whose ethnicities differ from their own. Currently, there is little guidance on how to initiate and facilitate such discussions with older Chinese Americans (≥55 years) and their families. To explore communication strategies for HCPs to initiate EOL care discussions with older Chinese Americans in the San Francisco Bay Area. This qualitative (focused) ethnographic study included field observations and individual semistructured interviews with 14 community-dwelling older Chinese Americans who lived independently at home, 9 adult children, and 7 HCPs. Responses were analyzed using open coding, memos, and comparison across participants. The study participants emphasized the importance of assessing readiness for early EOL care discussions. All recommended using indirect communication approaches to determine older Chinese Americans' readiness. Indirect communication can be culturally targeted and applied at both system-wide (ie, health-care system) and individual (ie, HCP) levels. To institutionalize the practice, health-care facilities should implement EOL care discussion inquiries as part of routine during check-in or intake questionnaires. In individual practice, using depersonalized communication strategies to initiate the discussion was recommended to determine older Chinese Americans' readiness. Assessing readiness should be an essential and necessary action for early EOL care discussions. Culturally targeted assessment of older Chinese Americans includes using indirect communication approaches to initiate an EOL care discussion to determine their readiness. In addition to health-care system integration, providers should implement and evaluate proposed EOL discussion initiation prompts with their older Chinese American patients.

Evaluating the Influence of an Urban High School Reform Effort on College Readiness and Access Outcomes: A Quasiexperimental Cohort Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sondergeld, Toni A.; Fischer, John M.; Samel, Arthur N.; Knaggs, Christine M.

2013-01-01

It is widely accepted that postsecondary education has become a necessity for US youth. College access, however, has been found not to be equal for all. As a result, federally funded college-readiness programs, such as Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), have been established to increase the numbers of…

The Association of Peer Behavioral Regulation with School Readiness Skills in Preschool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rojas, Natalia

2016-01-01

The current study examines classroom-level peer behavioral regulation skills and their implications for children's school readiness outcomes. Specifically, this study will answer the following research questions: (1) Is the average level of peers' behavioral regulation skills in a classroom in the fall associated with growth in children's school…

Production technology readiness assessment of surfactant in the research center for Chemistry-Indonesian Institute of Sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Setiawan, Arief Ameir Rahman; Sulaswatty, Anny

2017-11-01

The common problem faced by the institution working on research, innovation and technology development is lack of quantitative measures to determine the technology readiness of research. No common communication language between R & D Institutions and industry about the level of preparedness of a research resulting a barrier to technology diffusion interaction. This lack of connection between R & D institutes with industry may lead to "sluggishness" occurs in innovating. For such circumstance, assessing technology readiness of research is very important. One of wide spread methods for the assessment is Technology Readiness Level (TRL, also known as Technometer), which is introduced by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). TRL is a general guide that provides an overview of maturity level of a technology. This study aims to identify and demonstrate the implementation of TRL to assess a number of surfactant researches in the Research Center for Chemistry, Indonesian Institute of Sciences. According to the assessment, it has been obtained the surfactant recommended for further development towards commercialization of R & D results, i.e. Glycerol Mono Stearate (GMS), which has reached the level of TRL 7.

Use of Community Readiness Model to Develop and Evaluate a Pilot Culinary Training Program for School Nutrition Staff.

PubMed

Hildebrand, Deana A; Blevins, Priscilla; Carl, Lillian; Brown, Barbara; Betts, Nancy M; Poe, Tiffany

2018-02-01

Use the Community Readiness Model (CRM) to develop and evaluate a contextually appropriate pilot culinary training program for school nutrition staff members. Mixed methods to guide intervention development. Six school districts in rural and urban areas of a southwestern state. School nutrition staff (n = 36; female; <1 to >20 years' experience). Pre- and post-training assessments used the CRM. Findings from the pre-assessment were used to develop the pilot culinary training intervention. Readiness to integrate new food preparation methods into existing practices. The researchers used t and Wilcoxon tests to compare overall readiness and dimension scores (P ≤ .05). Thematic analysis was used to identify themes from the discussion component of the assessments. Overall readiness increased from vague awareness to preparation (P = .02). Improved dimensions were knowledge of efforts (P = .004), leadership (P = .05), and knowledge of issues (P = .04). Themes included barriers, leadership, and motivation. The CRM was useful for developing and evaluating a contextually appropriate and effective culinary training program for school nutrition staff. Future efforts should address the provision of additional resources such as on-site chefs, small equipment grants, and engaging school stakeholders. Copyright © 2017 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Associated factors of readiness to change in young adult risky drinkers.

PubMed

Alley, Ebon S; Velasquez, Mary M; von Sternberg, Kirk

2018-01-01

Readiness to change alcohol use has been associated with a number of predictors including emotional distress, drinking severity, and consequence severity, as well as with static demographic factors such as gender and race/ethnicity. To examine the relationships among these variables and readiness to change alcohol use in young adults. Structural equation modeling was used to test pathways of readiness to change in 1,256 young adult patients (78% male/22% female) ages 18-29 who were provided screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) as part of a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Treatment Capacity Expansion Project. The strongest relationships were between emotional distress, drinking severity, and consequence severity with readiness to change. Results indicated that participants with more severe alcohol problems demonstrated higher levels of readiness to change alcohol use and therefore, may be more amenable to behavior change. Additionally, females, Hispanic/Latino, and Black non-Hispanic (Black) participants demonstrated higher levels of readiness to change when compared to other groups. These results lend support to the concept that young adults are using alcohol to modulate their emotions. Furthermore, resultant severity of consequences from drinking may play an important role in their readiness to change risky drinking. This may be especially true for females, who reported greater emotional distress, and for Hispanic/Latinos and Blacks, who reported greater drinking severity with greater emotional distress. Caregivers may be better equipped to address young adult alcohol use with this added understanding.

Sharing leadership influence: a life-cycle model.

PubMed

Hunt, E H; Sleeth, R G

1977-07-01

We have described the effective leader in terms of several concepts: (1) leadership style as a means of sharing the influence of leadership with a ready group; (2) the readiness of a group to successfully exert influence on the practice; (3) the matching of leadership styles with group readiness; and (4) the impact of the environment on the readiness of a group. We have described how all of these elements combine to determine a leader's effectiveness. All elements interact and present the leader with a situation for which he must adopt an appropriate leadership style (Table 1). Several elements combine to change the readiness of a group through four phases - unready, ready, mature, and professional. The leader then matches leadership styles I through IV to these levels of readiness. We believe a dentist will be effective as a leader in proportion to his success in matching an appropriate leadership style to the readiness of his group to perform in its particular environment.

Readiness and motivation for change among young women with broadly defined eating disorders.

PubMed

Ålgars, Monica; Ramberg, Carin; Moszny, Josefine; Hagman, Jessica; Rintala, Hanna; Santtila, Pekka

2015-01-01

Readiness and motivation for change were examined in 32 women with broadly defined eating disorders who took part in a 10-week Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)-based group intervention. Readiness for change and eating disorder psychopathology were assessed before and after the intervention. The results revealed significant negative associations between degree of eating disorder symptoms and degree of readiness for change before the intervention started. In particular, higher levels of eating concern, shape concern, and body dissatisfaction were associated with lower motivation for change. No significant associations between degree of readiness for change before the intervention started and changes in eating disorder symptoms at the end of intervention were found. Readiness for change increased from the beginning to the end of the intervention, indicating that group CBT may be a cost-effective and time-efficient way of enhancing readiness and motivation for change in individuals with eating psychopathology.

Readiness for self-directed learning: How bridging and traditional nursing students differs?

PubMed

Alharbi, Homood A

2018-02-01

The dean of the nursing college has an initiative to reform the BSN program in the college to minimize the use of lecturing and maximize interactive and lifelong learning. Appropriate assessment of how our students are prepared to be self-directed learners is crucial. To compare traditional and bridging students in regard to their SDLR scores in the nursing college in Saudi Arabia. This was a comparative study to compare traditional and bridging students in regard to their self-directed learning readiness scores (SDLR). The data was collected at the Nursing College, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A convenient sample of undergraduate nursing students at the sixth and eighth levels in both regular and bridging programs were recruited in this study to indicate their SDLR scores. The study used Fisher et al.'s (2001) Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale to measure the self-directed learning readiness among undergraduate nursing students. The total mean score of SDLR was 144 out of 200, which indicated a low level of readiness for SDL. There were significant variations between the included academic levels among participants. Students in the sixth academic level scored higher in the total SDLR scores compared to eighth-level students. There were no significant variations with gender and program types in the total SDLR scores. A comprehensive plan is needed to prepare both faculty members and students to improve the SDL skills. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Checklist for clinical readiness published

Cancer.gov

Scientists from NCI, together with collaborators from outside academic centers, have developed a checklist of criteria to evaluate the readiness of complex molecular tests that will guide decisions made during clinical trials. The checklist focuses on tes

Relationship between Health Literacy and Self-Directed Learning Readiness of Older Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dennis, Robin Justice

2017-01-01

The primary purpose of this study was to determine if the health literacy level of older adults, age 65 and older, and the self-directed learning readiness score were correlated. After data cleaning, the number of cases was below the recommended rule of thumb. Deletion of cases indicated by the analyst of the self-directed learning readiness score…

Career Readiness in the United States 2015. ACT Insights in Education and Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LeFebvre, Mary

2015-01-01

ACT has conducted over 20,000 job analyses for occupations across a diverse array of industries and occupations since 1993. This report highlights the levels of career readiness for various subgroups of ACT Work Keys® examinees in the United States and provides career readiness benchmarks for selected ACT WorkKeys cognitive skills by career…

Alliance College-Ready Public Schools: Alice M. Baxter College-Ready High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

EDUCAUSE, 2015

2015-01-01

The largest charter organization in Los Angeles serving more than 11,000 low-income students aims to prove it is possible to educate students at high levels across an entire system of schools. Alliance College-Ready Public Schools developed the PACE blended learning model, launched at the new Baxter High School, to more effectively prepare its…

Integrated System Test Approaches for the NASA Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cockrell, Charles

2008-01-01

NASA is maturing test and evaluation plans leading to flight readiness of the Ares I crew launch vehicle. Key development, qualification, and verification tests are planned . Upper stage engine sea-level and altitude testing. First stage development and qualification motors. Upper stage structural and thermal development and qualification test articles. Main Propulsion Test Article (MPTA). Upper stage green run testing. Integrated Vehicle Ground Vibration Testing (IVGVT). Aerodynamic characterization testing. Test and evaluation supports initial validation flights (Ares I-Y and Orion 1) and design certification.

Bilingual Readiness for Achieving through Valued Opportunities (Project BRAVO) Final Evaluation Report, 1992-93. OREA Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choonoo, John

This report presents an evaluation of the Bilingual Readiness for Achieving through Valued Opportunities (Project BRAVO), an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title VII-funded project in its first year of operation at Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn (New York) and Louis D. Brandeis High School in Manhattan (New York). Participating…

Effects Five Years Later: The Michigan School Readiness Program Evaluation through Age 10.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xiang, Zongping; Schweinhart, Lawrence J.

This follow-up study examined the outcomes of children who had participated in the Michigan School Readiness Program (MSRP), a preschool program for 4-year-olds identified as being at risk for school failure, up to 5 years following their participation in the program. For the evaluation, 338 children who had participated in the state-funded…

Cost, Time, and Risk Assessment of Different Wave Energy Converter Technology Development Trajectories: Preprint

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

Weber, Jochem W; Laird, Daniel; Costello, Ronan

This paper presents a comparative assessment of three fundamentally different wave energy converter technology development trajectories. The three technology development trajectories are expressed and visualised as a function of technology readiness levels and technology performance levels. The assessment shows that development trajectories that initially prioritize technology readiness over technology performance are likely to require twice the development time, consume a threefold of the development cost, and are prone to a risk of technical or commercial failure of one order of magnitude higher than those development trajectories that initially prioritize technology performance over technology readiness.

A Study of Carrier Based Aircraft Readiness Sustainability in the Event of External Air Logistic Support Deprivation

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-06-01

equation for 7R investment has been used in combination with the linear equation for COD/VOD delivery to produce six " iso -readiness" lines. Each iso ...readiness line represents the value of inventory investment and days since last COD/VOD delivery required to maintain a specific level of FMC. The iso ...Truett, D.B., Manaaerial Economics, second edition, South-Western Publish..ng Co., 1984, p. 65. 158 Iso -Readiness Plot o80mna4C Mad" of ?R Ve COO/VOo WO

Student Characteristics as Predictors of Teachers’ Implementation of a Kindergarten Readiness Program

PubMed Central

Voegler-Lee, Mary Ellen; Kupersmidt, Janis B.; Field, Samuel; Willoughby, Michael T.

2017-01-01

Recent years have seen increasing numbers of classroom-based interventions designed to enhance the school readiness of at-risk preschoolers. Even the most comprehensive, well-designed programs can suffer from limited effectiveness due to low-frequency implementation by teachers. The current study presents findings from the Building Bridges project (BB), an integrated program targeting school readiness in Head Start and low-income child care centers. Previous studies have reported the role of teacher-level and program-level characteristics in predicting teacher implementation of an intervention. The present study examines the role of student characteristics—language and math ability, social skills, and behavioral functioning—in predicting implementation exposure. These associations were examined in the context of program type (Head Start, child care) and intervention condition (consultation, no consultation). 88 classrooms (41 Head Start, 47 child care) participated in the BB intervention. Implementation exposure was predicted by several distinct student characteristics. Teachers whose students exhibited poorer language skills implemented significantly more BB activities, a finding that was consistent across program types and intervention conditions. A marginally significant trend was identified for oppositional behavior when interacted with intervention group in that teachers whose students demonstrated higher rates of oppositional behavior implemented fewer intervention activities when they did not have a consultant. Teachers in child care centers with a BB consultant had higher rates of implementation than did teachers in all other groups. These findings provide important information regarding the student-level characteristics that should be evaluated in order to optimize implementation of an intervention. PMID:22615022

Using Language-Experience to Teach Diagnostically at the Reading Readiness Level.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christensen, K. Eleanor

When used diagnostically at the readiness level, language-experience becomes an effective way to meet individual differences and to differentiate instruction in a group setting. For a 5- or 6-year old, school should be an exciting, happy, purposeful place, and language-experience lends itself well to such a setting. The first steps are to…

18. Readiness Crew Building interior, lower level corridor. This corridor ...

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

18. Readiness Crew Building interior, lower level corridor. This corridor is located in the southwest side of the building and runs from southeast to northwest; view looking northwest from the exit door at the southeast end. Lyon - Whiteman Air Force Base, Bomber Alert Facility S-6, 1300 Alert Road, Knob Noster, Johnson County, MO

College and Career Ready: Helping All Students Succeed beyond High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conley, David T.

2010-01-01

"College and Career Ready" offers educators a blueprint for improving high school so that more students are able to excel in freshman-level college courses or entry-level jobs-laying a solid foundation for lifelong growth and success. The book is filled with detailed, practical guidelines and case descriptions of what the best high…

National Research Council Dialogue to Assess Progress on NASA's Transformational Spaceport and Range Technologies Capability Roadmap Development: General Background and Introduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skelly, Darin M.

2005-01-01

Viewgraphs on the National Research Council's diaglog to assess progress on NASA's transformational spaceport and range technologies capability roadmap development is presented. The topics include: 1) Agency Goals and Objectives; 2) Strategic Planning Transformation; 3) Advanced Planning Organizational Roles; 4) Public Involvement in Strategic Planning; 5) Strategic Roadmaps; 6) Strategic Roadmaps Schedule; 7) Capability Roadmaps; 8) Capability Charter; 9) Process for Team Selection; 10) Capability Roadmap Development Schedule Overview; 11) Purpose of NRC Review; 12) Technology Readiness Levels; 13) Capability Readiness Levels; 14) Crosswalk Matrix Trans Spaceport & Range; 15) Example linkage to other roadmaps; 16) Capability Readiness Levels Defined; and 17) Crosswalk Matrix Ratings Work In-progress.

76 FR 32359 - Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-06

... Readiness (FFR) Internship Program (March 10, 2008, 73 FR 12713). Reason: Commander, Navy Installations...) employees at an installation level. N12308- 1, The Navy Fleet and Family Readiness (FFR) Internship Program...

Analysis of a Proposal to Implement the Readiness Based Sparing Process in the Brazilian Navy

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-01

determine inventory levels. This research investigates whether implementing the U.S. DOD readiness-based sparing (RBS) methodology could provide the...suggested by applying the methodology first for determining reparable spares initial provisioning. 14. SUBJECT TERMS reparable, system-approach...This research investigates whether implementing the U.S. DOD readiness-based sparing (RBS) methodology could provide the Brazilian Navy with greater

Mobile Learning as a Method of Ubiquitous Learning: Students' Attitudes, Readiness, and Possible Barriers to Implementation in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alhassan, Riyadh

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes and level of readiness, and possible barriers to implementing Mobile Learning as a part of ubiquitous learning. In addition, the study attempted to find out to what extent students are interested in mobile learning. It also aimed to answer the question regarding the readiness of college…

Using Quasi-Experimental Methods to Select Comparisons Schools for an Evaluation of the Northeast Tennessee College and Career Ready Consortium

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mokher, Christine; Cavalluzzo, Linda

2011-01-01

This presentation focuses on the quasi-experimental methods used to select comparison schools for an evaluation of a federal investing in innovation (i3) validation grant. The Northeast Tennessee College and Career Ready Consortium (NETCO) consists of 29 high schools participating in a five-year program to expand students' access to rigorous…

Environmental contamination of ready meals by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

PubMed

Adenugba, Adeola A; McMartin, Dena W; Beck, Angus

2012-01-01

The level of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contamination in ready meals was investigated to determine exposure compared to other foodstuffs. Chilled ready meals from nine categories (ambient, Chinese, Indian, Traditional UK, Italian, American Tex-Mex, Vegetarian and Organic), and three samples within each category were Soxhlet extracted in triplicate with hexane for 24 h, followed by a clean-up on deactivated silica gel. The cleaned extracts were concentrated to 1 ml under N(2) gas and analyzed on gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for 7 target PCBs (congeners 28, 52, 101, 118, 153, 138, and 180). Individual congener concentrations ranged from non-detectable to 0.40 ng g(-1) (wet weight). The cumulative concentration of all congeners (ΣPCBs) ranged between 0.20 and 1.00 ng g(-1) (wet weight). These values translate into exposure levels of less than 1 μg kg(-1)day(-1) for reference men and women of 70 and 57 kg, respectively. This preliminary study demonstrates that ready meals, like many other foods, are contaminated by PCBs and may represent an important route of human exposure given contemporary changes in consumer food choice. Even though low levels of contamination were observed, long-term exposure for population groups consuming a high volume of ready meals may have cause for concern regarding chronic health risks.

Chinese baccalaureate nursing students' readiness for self-directed learning.

PubMed

Yuan, Hao Bin; Williams, Beverly A; Fang, Jin Bo; Pang, Dong

2012-05-01

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 536 Chinese nursing students to explore students' readiness for self-directed learning (SDL). The Self-Directed Learning Readiness (SDLR) Scale for nursing education (Chinese translation version) was used. The value of the content validity index tested by five experts was 0.915. A measure of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was 0.925 on the total scale. Students possessed readiness for SDL with a mean score of 157.72 (S.D.=15.08, 62.3% in high level, and 37.7% in low level). The attributes of Chinese students, such as a strong sense of responsibility and perseverance, due diligence and rigorous self-discipline, enable students to take the initiative and responsibility for their own learning. The existing variation in students' readiness for SDL is helpful in identifying student characteristics that might be used to modify learning activities for these students. Senior students had higher scores for SDLR than junior students. This finding likely reflects the maturational process of developing self-directedness. Promoting SDL skills is a challenging process for faculty members and students. It is helpful if nurse educators assess the learning styles and preferences of their students in order to determine the level of SDL activities to include from year to year in the curriculum. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cost and Information Effectiveness Analysis (CIEA): A Methodology for Evaluating a Training Device Operational Readiness Assessment Capability (DORAC).

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-02-01

Report 528 COST AIND I*FO•?JidTH ?i EFFECT•• ES1BS ANALYSIS (CDEA): A METiBLOBU Y FOR EVALUATIN1G A TRAINING DEMCE OPERATMDN1AL MAEA3 ],SE 3SSESS$ iElT ...8217, N. Within a military setting, the uses of training devices in performance evaluation have generally mirrored civilian uses and primarily...Technical Report 528 COST AND INFORMATION EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS (CIEA): A METHODOLOGY FOR EVALUATING A TRAINING DEVICE OPERATIONAL READINESS

Influence of age, gender, educational level and self-estimation of skin type on sun exposure habits and readiness to increase sun protection.

PubMed

Falk, M; Anderson, C D

2013-04-01

Sun exposure habits and the propensity to undertake sun protection differ between individuals. Not least in primary prevention of skin cancer, aiming at reducing ultraviolet (UV) exposure, knowledge about these factors may be of importance. The aim of the present study was to investigate, in a primary health care (PHC) population, the relationship between sun exposure habits/sun protection behaviour/readiness to increase sun protection and gender, age, educational level and skin UV-sensitivity. The baseline data from a previously performed RCT on skin cancer prevention was used. 415 patients, aged > 18 years, visiting a PHC centre in southern Sweden, filled-out a questionnaire mapping sun exposure, readiness to increase sun protection according to the Transtheoretical Model of Behaviour Change (TTM), and the above mentioned factors. Female gender was associated with more frequent suntanning (p < 0.001) and sunbed use (p < 0.05), but also with more extensive sunscreen use (p < 0.001). High age was in general associated with low level of sun exposure and high level of protection. Subjects with low educational level reported less frequent sunscreen use than those with higher educational level, and also chose lower SPF (p < 0.001). For almost all parameters, high skin UV-sensitivity was associated with markedly lower sun exposure (p < 0.001) and more pronounced readiness to increase sun protection. Females and subjects with high educational level reported higher readiness to increase sunscreen use than males and subjects with lower educational level (p < 0.001). Gender, age, educational level and skin type appear to be important factors affecting sun exposure habits and sun protection behaviour, which supports the idea of appropriate mapping of these factors in patients in order to individualise sun protection advice according to the individual patient situation and capabilities. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Isolation of Salmonella from ready-to-eat poultry meat and evaluation of its survival at low temperature, microwaving and simulated gastric fluids.

PubMed

Akbar, Ali; Anal, Anil Kumar

2015-05-01

A study was conducted to evaluate the risk of Salmonella contamination and its survival at different stages in chill ready-to-eat poultry meat products chain. Samples (n = 181) were collected and examined for the presence of Salmonella species. The bacteria were initially identified against polyvalent antisera "O" and "H", followed by confirmation with 16 s rDNA. The single Salmonella, isolate from the tested food samples showed 99.8 % phylogenetic similarity with Salmonella enterica. It was further evaluated for antibiotic sensitivity pattern and found resistant to four antibiotics including ampicillin, chloramphenicol, tetracycline and nalidixic acid. Salmonella associated with ready-to-eat poultry meat products were found active at storage temperature ≥4 °C in a challenge study. It was revealed that shape and weight of the meat pieces have direct influence on the reduction of pathogens during microwave heating. The 30 and 60 s microwaving (with radiation power fixed at 900 W) was found ineffective for the elimination of target bacteria (10(6)-10(7) CFU/g) in meat pieces with weight ≥90 g. Salmonella enterica was able to survive in simulated gastric fluid. The storage temperature and microwaving were found critical point for the transfer of pathogens through ready-to-eat poultry meat products to consumer in chill ready-to-eat poultry meat chain.

Closing the gap in academic readiness and achievement: the role of early childcare

PubMed Central

Geoffroy, Marie-Claude; Côté, Sylvana. M.; Giguère, Charles-Édouard; Dionne, Ginette; Zelazo, Philip David; Tremblay, Richard E.; Boivin, Michel; Séguin, Jean. R.

2012-01-01

Background Socially disadvantaged children with academic difficulties at school entry are at increased risk for poor health and psychosocial outcomes. Our objective is to test the possibility that participation in childcare – at the population level – could attenuate the gap in academic readiness and achievement between children with and without a social disadvantage (indexed by low levels of maternal education). Methods A cohort of infants born in the Canadian province of Quebec in 1997/1998 was selected through birth registries and followed annually until 7 years of age (n = 1,863). Children receiving formal childcare (i.e., center-based or non-relative out-of-home) were distinguished from those receiving informal childcare (i.e., relative or nanny). Measures from 4 standardized tests that assessed cognitive school readiness (Lollipop Test for School Readiness), receptive vocabulary (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test Revised), mathematics (Number Knowledge Test), and reading performance (Kaufman Assessment Battery for children) were administered at 6 and 7 years. Results Children of mothers with low levels of education showed a consistent pattern of lower scores on academic readiness and achievement tests at 6 and 7 years than those of highly educated mothers, unless they received formal childcare. Specifically, among children of mothers with low levels of education, those who received formal childcare obtained higher school readiness (d = 0.87), receptive vocabulary (d = 0.36), reading (d = 0.48) and math achievement scores (d = 0.38; although not significant at 5%) in comparison with those who were cared for by their parents. Childcare participation was not associated with cognitive outcomes among children of mothers with higher levels of education. Conclusions Public investments in early childcare are increasing in many countries with the intention of reducing cognitive inequalities between disadvantaged and advantaged children. Our findings provide further evidence suggesting that formal childcare could represent a preventative means of attenuating effects of disadvantage on children’s early academic trajectory. PMID:20883519

Self-Determination, Success, and College Readiness of First Generation Students in a Higher Education Institution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ochoa, Manuel

2012-01-01

The purpose of the study was to describe and compare if self-determination factors differed in first and non-first generation college students and success levels. Additionally, comparisons of college readiness levels were measured, and finally a measure of factors that contribute to college success based in first and second semester grade point…

Relationship of Teachers' Readiness for Change with Their Participation in Decision Making and School Culture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Inandi, Yusuf; Giliç, Fahrettin

2016-01-01

The aim of this research is to study the relationship between primary school teachers' level of participation in decision making, school culture and their level of readiness for change. The data in the study were collected from 597 primary school teachers (304 men and 293 women) in central districts of Mersin in 2014 spring semester. Participation…

Prevalence and levels of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) in ready-to-eat foods (RTE) at retail.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Although significant efforts have been taken to control Lm in Ready-to-eat (RTE)foods over the last decade, a well-designed survey is needed to determine whether changes occur in the “true” prevalence and levels of the pathogen and to provide current data to assess the relative ranking of higher ris...

Socioeconomic Status, Higher-Level Mathematics Courses, Absenteeism, and Student Mobility as Indicators of Work Readiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Folds, Lea D.; Tanner, C. Kenneth

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relations among socioeconomic status, highest-level mathematics course, absenteeism, student mobility and measures of work readiness of high school seniors in Georgia. Study participants were 476 high school seniors in one Georgia county. The full regression model explained 27.5% of the variance in…

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

Kobos, Peter Holmes; Malczynski, Leonard A.; Walker, La Tonya Nicole

People save for retirement throughout their career because it is virtually impossible to save all you’ll need in retirement the year before you retire. Similarly, without installing incremental amounts of clean fossil, renewable or transformative energy technologies throughout the coming decades, a radical and immediate change will be near impossible the year before a policy goal is set to be in place. This notion of steady installation growth over acute installations of technology to meet policy goals is the core topic of discussion for this research. This research operationalizes this notion by developing the theoretical underpinnings of regulatory and marketmore » acceptance delays by building upon the common Technology Readiness Level (TRL) framework and offers two new additions to the research community. The new and novel Regulatory Readiness Level (RRL) and Market Readiness Level (MRL) frameworks were developed. These components, collectively called the Technology, Regulatory and Market (TRM) readiness level framework allow one to build new constraints into existing Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) to address research questions such as, ‘To meet our desired technical and policy goals, what are the factors that affect the rate we must install technology to achieve these goals in the coming decades?’« less

Ready or Not: Insufficient Collaboration between Department of Education and CUNY Could Hinder Effectiveness and Future Growth of Programs Designed to Improve Students' College Readiness Levels

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colton, Tara

2006-01-01

This new report shows that while some of New York's college readiness programs have grown significantly in the last few years, there have also been some disappointing steps backward. For instance, the Bloomberg administration backed away from an initiative launched in 2000 by CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein and then-New York City Schools…

Informing Early Childhood Policy: An Analysis of the Sensitivity of a School Readiness Risk Index to Changes in Indicator Selection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schumacher, Krista S.

2015-01-01

The importance of school readiness to both the future of an individual child and society as a whole has given rise to several state-specific indexes designed to measure county-level risk for starting school unprepared to learn. One such index is the Oklahoma School Readiness Risk Index (OK SRRI), comprised of indicators known to be associated with…

Framework for Designing The Assessment Models of Readiness SMEs to Adopt Indonesian National Standard (SNI), Case Study: SMEs Batik in Surakarta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fahma, Fakhrina; Zakaria, Roni; Fajar Gumilang, Royan

2018-03-01

Since the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is released, the opportunity to expand market share has become very open, but the level of competition is also very high. Standardization is believed to be an important factor in seizing opportunities in the AEC’s era and other free trade agreements in the future. Standardization activities in industry can be proven by obtaining certification of SNI (Indonesian National Standard). This is a challenge for SMEs, considering that currently only 20% of SMEs had SNI certification both product and process. This research will be designed a model of readiness assessment to obtain SNI certification for SMEs. The stages of model development used an innovative approach by Roger (2003). Variables that affect the readiness of SMEs are obtained from product certification requirements established by BSN (National Standardization Agency) and LSPro (Certification body). This model will be used for mapping the readiness for SNI certification of SMEs’product. The level of readiness of SMEs is determined by the percentage of compliance with those requirements. Based on the result of this study, the five variables are determined as main aspects to assess SME readiness. For model validation, trials were conducted on Batik SMEs in Laweyan Surakarta.

Effectiveness of a primary health care program on urban and rural community disaster preparedness, Islamic Republic of Iran: a community intervention trial.

PubMed

Ardalan, Ali; Mowafi, Hani; Malekafzali Ardakani, Hossein; Abolhasanai, Farid; Zanganeh, Ali-Mohammad; Safizadeh, Hossein; Salari, Sirous; Zonoobi, Vahid

2013-10-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of a capacity-building intervention administered through a primary health care (PHC) system on community disaster preparedness in Iran. A controlled community intervention trial with pre- and postassessments was conducted in 2011 in 3 provinces of Iran. In each province, 2 areas were chosen and randomly selected as an intervention or control group. A total of 9200 households were in the intervention area and 10 010 were in the control area. In each study group in each province 250 households were sampled for pre- and postassessment surveys. Community health volunteers led by PHC staff administered an educational intervention covering elements of hazard awareness and preparedness, with a focus on earthquakes and floods. Relative changes for awareness and readiness scores were assessed to demonstrate changes in outcome variables from pre- to postassessments in intervention and control groups. An effectiveness test of significance was based on interaction between time and area. Households in intervention communities exhibited improved disaster awareness and readiness with respect to all outcome measures. Relative changes in awareness in intervention and control areas were 2.94 and -0.08, respectively (P < .001). Relative changes for readiness scores were 5.52 in intervention areas and 0.56 in control areas (P < .001). Relative changes for awareness and readiness were significantly correlated with a community's baseline risk perception and previous experience with natural disasters (P < .001). An educational intervention administered through the PHC system effectively improved disaster awareness and readiness at a community level. For sustainability, community disaster reduction programs must be integrated into routine public health service delivery.

Beyond behavior modification: Benefits of social-emotional/self-regulation training for preschoolers with behavior problems.

PubMed

Graziano, Paulo A; Hart, Katie

2016-10-01

The current study evaluated the initial efficacy of three intervention programs aimed at improving school readiness in preschool children with externalizing behavior problems (EBP). Participants for this study included 45 preschool children (76% boys; Mage=5.16years; 84% Hispanic/Latino background) with at-risk or clinically elevated levels of EBP. During the summer between preschool and kindergarten, children were randomized to receive three newly developed intervention packages. The first and most cost effective intervention package was an 8-week School Readiness Parenting Program (SRPP). Families randomized into the second and third intervention packages received not only the weekly SRPP, but children also attended two different versions of an intensive kindergarten summer readiness class (M-F, 8a.m.-5p.m.) that was part of an 8-week summer treatment program for pre-kindergarteners (STP-PreK). One version included the standard behavioral modification system and academic curriculum (STP-PreK) while the other additionally contained social-emotional and self-regulation training (STP-PreK Enhanced). Baseline, post-intervention, and 6-month follow-up data were collected on children's school readiness outcomes including parent, teacher, and objective assessment measures. Analyses using linear mixed models indicated that children's behavioral functioning significantly improved across all groups in a similar magnitude. Children in the STP-PreK Enhanced group, however, experienced greater growth across time in academic achievement, emotion knowledge, emotion regulation, and executive functioning compared to children in the other groups. These findings suggest that while parent training is sufficient to address children's behavioral difficulties, an intensive summer program that goes beyond behavioral modification and academic preparation by targeting socio-emotional and self-regulation skills can have incremental benefits across multiple aspects of school readiness. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

An Evaluation of ChalleNGe Graduates DOD Employability

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-01-22

initial reading and applied math TABE scores are more likely to complete ChalleNGe. In addition, those graduates who begin ChalleNGe with higher TABE...students arrive at ChalleNGe at low levels of reading comprehension, writing, and basic math ; they simply are not ready to acquire a second language...positive, long-term impacts for ChalleNGe graduates. Our previous work has shown that cadets with higher initial reading and applied math TABE scores are

An Evaluation of ChalleNGe Graduates DOD Employability

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-12-01

long-term impacts for ChalleNGe graduates. Our previous work has shown that cadets with higher initial reading and applied math TABE scores are...levels of reading comprehension, writing, and basic math ; they simply are not ready to acquire a second language. In addition, program directors noted...graduates. Our previous work has shown that cadets with higher initial reading and applied math TABE scores are more likely to complete ChalleNGe. In

On-Task in a Box: An Evaluation of a Package-Ready Intervention for Increasing Levels of On-Task Behavior and Academic Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Brian; Radley, Keith C.; Jenson, William R.; O'Neill, Robert E.

2017-01-01

The present study tested the efficacy of the On-Task in a Box program for increasing on-task behavior and academic accuracy of highly off-task students. Six students in 2nd and 3rd grades were identified by their classroom teacher as highly off-task. Following identification, the students participated in the On-Task in a Box intervention. Results…

Building America Case Study: Occupant Comfort from a Mini-Split Heat Pump, San Antonio, Texas

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

IBACOS worked with builder Imagine Homes to evaluate the performance of an occupied new construction test house following construction of the house in the hot, humid climate of San Antonio, Texas. The project measures the effectiveness of a space conditioning strategy using a multihead mini-split heat pump (MSHP) system in a reduced-load home to achieve acceptable comfort levels (temperature and humidity) and energy performance. IBACOS collected long-term data and analyzed the energy consumption and comfort conditions of the occupied house after one year of operation. Although measured results indicate that the test system provides comfort both inside and outside themore » ASHRAE Standard 55-2010 range, the occupants of the house claimed both adequate comfort and appreciation of the ease of use and flexibility of the installed MSHP system. IBACOS also assisted the builder to evaluate design and specification changes necessary to comply with Zero Energy Ready Home, but the builder chose to not move forward with it because of concerns about the 'solar ready' requirements of the program.« less

E-health readiness assessment framework in iran.

PubMed

Rezai-Rad, M; Vaezi, R; Nattagh, F

2012-01-01

Concept of e-readiness is used in many areas such as e-business, e-commerce, e-government, and e-banking. In terms of healthcare, e-readiness is a rather new concept, and is propounded under the title of E-healthcare. E-health readiness refers to the readiness of communities and healthcare institutions for the expected changes brought by programs related to Information and Communications Technology (lCT). The present research is conducted aiming at designing E-health Readiness Assessment Framework (EHRAF) in Iran. The e-health readiness assessment framework was designed based on reviewing literature on e-readiness assessment models and opinions of ICT and health experts. In the next step, Delphi method was used to develop and test the designed framework. Three questionnaires developed to test and modify the model while determining weights of the indices; afterward they were either sent to experts through email or delivered to them in face. The designed framework approved with 4 dimensions, 11 constituents and 58 indices. Technical readiness had the highest importance coefficient (0.256099), and the other dimensions were of the next levels of coefficient importance: core readiness (0.25520), social communication readiness (0.244658), and engagement readiness (0.244039). The framework presents the movement route and investment priorities in e-health in Iran. The proposed framework is a good instrument for measuring the e-readiness in health centers in Iran, and for identifying strengths and weaknesses of these centers to access ICT and its implementation for more effectiveness and for analyzing digital divide between them, as well.

E-Health Readiness Assessment Framework in Iran

PubMed Central

Rezai-Rad, M; Vaezi, R; Nattagh, F

2012-01-01

Background: Concept of e-readiness is used in many areas such as e-business, e-commerce, e-government, and e-banking. In terms of healthcare, e-readiness is a rather new concept, and is propounded under the title of E-healthcare. E-health readiness refers to the readiness of communities and healthcare institutions for the expected changes brought by programs related to Information and Communications Technology (lCT). The present research is conducted aiming at designing E-health Readiness Assessment Framework (EHRAF) in Iran. Methods: The e-health readiness assessment framework was designed based on reviewing literature on e-readiness assessment models and opinions of ICT and health experts. In the next step, Delphi method was used to develop and test the designed framework. Three questionnaires developed to test and modify the model while determining weights of the indices; afterward they were either sent to experts through email or delivered to them in face. Results: The designed framework approved with 4 dimensions, 11 constituents and 58 indices. Technical readiness had the highest importance coefficient (0.256099), and the other dimensions were of the next levels of coefficient importance: core readiness (0.25520), social communication readiness (0.244658), and engagement readiness (0.244039). Conclusion: The framework presents the movement route and investment priorities in e-health in Iran. The proposed framework is a good instrument for measuring the e-readiness in health centers in Iran, and for identifying strengths and weaknesses of these centers to access ICT and its implementation for more effectiveness and for analyzing digital divide between them, as well. PMID:23304661

A User's Guide to the Four-Day School Week: How to Assess District Readiness and Evaluate the Results

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heyward, Georgia

2017-01-01

This guide was created to help district leaders understand the benefits and drawbacks of the four-day school week, assess their district's readiness to make the switch, and evaluate the results of implementing the new schedule. This guide begins with an overview of common goals and outcomes for the four-day school week. It then provides a set of…

Dutch translation and validation of the readiness for interprofessional learning scale (RIPLS) in a primary healthcare context.

PubMed

Pype, Peter; Deveugele, Myriam

2016-12-01

Interprofessional education and collaborative practice are gradually gaining importance in the context of growing healthcare complexity. The readiness for interprofessional learning scale (RIPLS) is a well-known scale that can identify attitudinal barriers and variance across professions, which may affect educational interventions. This study aims to translate the English RIPLS into Dutch and to test its reliability and validity. The scale was translated and back-translated by two pairs of people independently and tested for feasibility and comprehensibility. The translated scale was used with 219 general practitioners, 238 community nurses, and 53 palliative home-care nurses. Exploratory factor analysis was used to assess construct validity. Confirmatory factor analysis was done to generate a fit model. Cronbach's alpha was computed to evaluate internal consistency. Regression analysis was used to evaluate the effect of the RIPLS score on the level of learning through collaboration and to gauge the influence of the participants' gender, age, previous palliative care education, type of practice and years in practice. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis confirms the factor structure of the original version. The Dutch version shows good reliability (overall Cronbach's alpha: 0.88; intraclass correlation coefficient after test-retest: 0.718 (95%CI: 0.499-0.852). The RIPLS score correlates with the amount of workplace learning during collaboration (discriminant validity: P < 0.001). The Dutch translation of the RIPLS is now ready for comparative studies.

Operational Readiness Review Final Report for K Basin Fuel Transfer System

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

DAVIES, T.H.

2002-10-01

An Operational Readiness Review (ORR) was conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Richland Operations Office (RL) to verify that an adequate state of readiness had been achieved for startup of the K Basin Fuel Transfer System (FTS). The DOE ORR was conducted during the period November 6-18, 2002. The DOE ORR team concluded that the K Basin Fuel Transfer System is ready to start operations, subject to completion and verification of identified pre-start findings. The ORR was conducted in accordance with the Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) K Basin Fuel Transfer System (FTS) Operational Readiness Review (ORR) Plan ofmore » Action and the Operational Readiness Review Implementation Plan for K Basin Fuel Transfer System. Review activities consisted of staff interviews, procedure and document reviews, and observations of normal facility operations, operational upset conditions, and an emergency drill. The DOE ORR Team also reviewed and assessed the adequacy of the contractor ORR3 and the RL line management review. The team concurred with the findings and observations identified in these two reports. The DOE ORR for the FTS evaluated the contractor under single-shift operations. Of concern to the ORR Team was that SNF Project management intended to change from a single-shift FTS operation to a two-shift operation shortly after the completion of the DOE ORR. The ORR team did not assess two-shift FTS operations and the ability of the contractor to conduct a smooth transition from shift to shift. However, the DOE ORR team did observe an operational upset drill that was conducted during day shift and carried over into swing shift; during this drill, swing shift was staffed with fewer personnel as would be expected for two-shift operations. The facility was able to adequately respond to the event with the reduced level of staff. The ORR Team was also able to observe a Shift Manager turnover meeting when one shift manager had to be relieved during the middle of the day. The ORR Team did not have the opportunity to observe a shift turnover from one crew to another. The ORR Team has evaluated the risk of not observing this activity and considers the risk to be minimal based on the fact that operating staff are very familiar with the FTS equipment and its procedures, and because existing Conduct of Operations processes and procedures are adequate and implemented. Because the ORR Team has not observed two-shift FTS operations, we recommend that additional RL oversight be provided at the start of two-shift FTS operations to evaluate the adequacy of crew turnovers.« less

Definition, technology readiness, and development cost of the orbit transfer vehicle engine integrated control and health monitoring system elements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cannon, I.; Balcer, S.; Cochran, M.; Klop, J.; Peterson, S.

1991-01-01

An Integrated Control and Health Monitoring (ICHM) system was conceived for use on a 20 Klb thrust baseline Orbit Transfer Vehicle (OTV) engine. Considered for space used, the ICHM was defined for reusability requirements for an OTV engine service free life of 20 missions, with 100 starts and a total engine operational time of 4 hours. Functions were derived by flowing down requirements from NASA guidelines, previous OTV engine or ICHM documents, and related contracts. The elements of an ICHM were identified and listed, and these elements were described in sufficient detail to allow estimation of their technology readiness levels. These elements were assessed in terms of technology readiness level, and supporting rationale for these assessments presented. The remaining cost for development of a minimal ICHM system to technology readiness level 6 was estimated. The estimates are within an accuracy range of minus/plus 20 percent. The cost estimates cover what is needed to prepare an ICHM system for use on a focussed testbed for an expander cycle engine, excluding support to the actual test firings.

Aflatoxin evaluation in ready-to-eat brazil nuts using reversed-phase liquid chromatography and post-column derivatisation.

PubMed

Iamanaka, Beatriz Thie; Nakano, Felipe; Lemes, Daniel Ponciano; Ferranti, Larissa Souza; Taniwaki, Marta Hiromi

2014-01-01

A high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence (HPLC-FD) method for aflatoxin quantification in brazil nuts was developed. Samples of brazil nuts collected in Brazilian markets were extracted with methanol:water and cleaned using an immunoaffinity column. Aflatoxins were eluted with methanol and a post-column derivatisation was performed with bromine, using a Kobra Cell system. The optimised method for total aflatoxins was sensitive, with detection and quantification limits of 0.05 and 0.25 µg kg⁻¹, respectively. The method was accurate, with recovery values of 87.6%; 85.3% and 85.0% for 0.5, 5.0 and 14.6 µg kg⁻¹ spiked levels, respectively. It was shown that the method was applicable to brazil nuts. From a total of 95 brazil nut samples analysed from 21 São Paulo supermarket samples and 51 Manaus and 23 Belém street markets samples, 37.9% showed detectable levels of aflatoxins and three exceeded the recommended Codex Alimentarius limit of 10 µg kg⁻¹ for ready-to-eat brazil nuts.

Career Readiness and Individuals with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strauser, David; Zanskas, Stephen; Lustig, Daniel

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of the current study is to investigate the relationship between career readiness, defined as capability and complexity, and vocational identity for individuals with disabilities. Method: Forty-three consumers participating in vocational evaluation services for a state-federal vocational rehabilitation agency completed the…

Management assessment of tank waste remediation system contractor readiness to proceed with phase 1B privatization

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

Certa, P.J.

1998-01-07

Readiness to Proceed With Phase 1B Privatization documents the processes used to determine readiness to proceed with tank waste treatment technologies from private industry, now known as TWRS privatization. An overall systems approach was applied to develop action plans to support the retrieval and disposal mission of the TWRS Project. The systems and infrastructure required to support the mission are known. Required systems are either in place or plans have been developed to ensure they exist when needed. Since October 1996 a robust system engineering approach to establishing integrated Technical Baselines, work breakdown structures, tank farms organizational structure and configurations,more » work scope, and costs has become part of the culture within the TWRS Project. An analysis of the programmatic, management, and technical activities necessary to declare readiness to proceed with execution of the mission demonstrates that the system, personnel, and hardware will be on line and ready to support the private contractors. The systems approach included defining the retrieval and disposal mission requirements and evaluating the readiness of the Project Hanford Management Contract (PHMC) team to support initiation of waste processing by the private contractors in June 2002 and to receive immobilized waste shortly thereafter. The Phase 1 feed delivery requirements from the private contractor Requests for Proposal were reviewed. Transfer piping routes were mapped, existing systems were evaluated, and upgrade requirements were defined.« less

Treatment Readiness as a Determinant of Treatment Participation in a Prison-Based Rehabilitation Program: An Exploratory Study.

PubMed

Bosma, Anouk Q; Kunst, Maarten J J; Dirkzwager, Anja J E; Nieuwbeerta, Paul

2017-06-01

The current study had three aims. First, it measured treatment readiness among offenders who entered the Prevention of Recidivism program. This is a prison-based rehabilitation program in the Netherlands that aims to lower re-offending rates among offenders with a prison sentence of at least for months and that is carried out during the final months of incarceration. Second, the study evaluated whether treatment readiness was associated with treatment participation. Third, the study examined whether treatment readiness measured with a validated instrument predicted treatment participation above and beyond a clinical assessment of treatment readiness, currently used as a criterion to include offenders in rehabilitation programs. To address these aims, data were used from the fourth wave of a research project studying the effects of imprisonment on the life of detainees in the Netherlands. Results indicated that treatment readiness as measured with a validated instrument was a significant predictor of treatment participation. Also, the current study showed that treatment readiness measured with a validated instrument improved the prediction of treatment participation above and beyond a clinical assessment of treatment readiness. Outcomes were discussed in light of study limitations and implications.

Implementing a Complex Intervention to Support Personal Recovery: A Qualitative Study Nested within a Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Leamy, Mary; Clarke, Eleanor; Le Boutillier, Clair; Bird, Victoria; Janosik, Monika; Sabas, Kai; Riley, Genevieve; Williams, Julie; Slade, Mike

2014-01-01

Objective To investigate staff and trainer perspectives on the barriers and facilitators to implementing a complex intervention to help staff support the recovery of service users with a primary diagnosis of psychosis in community mental health teams. Design Process evaluation nested within a cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT). Participants 28 interviews with mental health care staff, 3 interviews with trainers, 4 focus groups with intervention teams and 28 written trainer reports. Setting 14 community-based mental health teams in two UK sites (one urban, one semi-rural) who received the intervention. Results The factors influencing the implementation of the intervention can be organised under two over-arching themes: Organisational readiness for change and Training effectiveness. Organisational readiness for change comprised three sub-themes: NHS Trust readiness; Team readiness; and Practitioner readiness. Training effectiveness comprised three sub-themes: Engagement strategies; Delivery style and Modelling recovery principles. Conclusions Three findings can inform future implementation and evaluation of complex interventions. First, the underlying intervention model predicted that three areas would be important for changing practice: staff skill development; intention to implement; and actual implementation behaviour. This study highlighted the importance of targeting the transition from practitioners' intent to implement to actual implementation behaviour, using experiential learning and target setting. Second, practitioners make inferences about organisational commitment by observing the allocation of resources, Knowledge Performance Indicators and service evaluation outcome measures. These need to be aligned with recovery values, principles and practice. Finally, we recommend the use of organisational readiness tools as an inclusion criteria for selecting both organisations and teams in cluster RCTs. We believe this would maximise the likelihood of adequate implementation and hence reduce waste in research expenditure. Trial Registration Controlled-Trials.com ISRCTN02507940 PMID:24875748

Implementing a complex intervention to support personal recovery: a qualitative study nested within a cluster randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Leamy, Mary; Clarke, Eleanor; Le Boutillier, Clair; Bird, Victoria; Janosik, Monika; Sabas, Kai; Riley, Genevieve; Williams, Julie; Slade, Mike

2014-01-01

To investigate staff and trainer perspectives on the barriers and facilitators to implementing a complex intervention to help staff support the recovery of service users with a primary diagnosis of psychosis in community mental health teams. Process evaluation nested within a cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT). 28 interviews with mental health care staff, 3 interviews with trainers, 4 focus groups with intervention teams and 28 written trainer reports. 14 community-based mental health teams in two UK sites (one urban, one semi-rural) who received the intervention. The factors influencing the implementation of the intervention can be organised under two over-arching themes: Organisational readiness for change and Training effectiveness. Organisational readiness for change comprised three sub-themes: NHS Trust readiness; Team readiness; and Practitioner readiness. Training effectiveness comprised three sub-themes: Engagement strategies; Delivery style and Modelling recovery principles. Three findings can inform future implementation and evaluation of complex interventions. First, the underlying intervention model predicted that three areas would be important for changing practice: staff skill development; intention to implement; and actual implementation behaviour. This study highlighted the importance of targeting the transition from practitioners' intent to implement to actual implementation behaviour, using experiential learning and target setting. Second, practitioners make inferences about organisational commitment by observing the allocation of resources, Knowledge Performance Indicators and service evaluation outcome measures. These need to be aligned with recovery values, principles and practice. Finally, we recommend the use of organisational readiness tools as an inclusion criteria for selecting both organisations and teams in cluster RCTs. We believe this would maximise the likelihood of adequate implementation and hence reduce waste in research expenditure. Controlled-Trials.com ISRCTN02507940.

A Simulation of Readiness-Based Sparing Policies

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-01

variant of a greedy heuristic algorithm to set stock levels and estimate overall WS availability. Our discrete event simulation is then used to test the...available in the optimization tools. 14. SUBJECT TERMS readiness-based sparing, discrete event simulation, optimization, multi-indenture...variant of a greedy heuristic algorithm to set stock levels and estimate overall WS availability. Our discrete event simulation is then used to test the

The Investigation of the Relationship between the Level of Metacognitive Awareness, Self-Directed Learning Readiness and Academic Achievement of Preschool Teacher Candidates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dagal, Asude Balaban; Bayindir, Dilan

2016-01-01

The aim of the study is to examine the relationship between the level of metacognitive awareness, self-directed learning readiness and academic achievement of preschool teacher candidates. The study group of the research, which was designed in survey method, included 151 teacher candidates from Atatürk Education Faculty, Preschool Teaching…

Simulation Performance and National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses Outcomes: Field Research Perspectives.

PubMed

Brackney, Dana E; Lane, Susan Hayes; Dawson, Tyia; Koontz, Angie

2017-11-01

This descriptive field study examines processes used to evaluate simulation for senior-level Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students in a capstone course, discusses challenges related to simulation evaluation, and reports the relationship between faculty evaluation of student performance and National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) first-time passing rates. Researchers applied seven terms used to rank BSN student performance (n = 41, female, ages 22-24 years) in a senior-level capstone simulation. Faculty evaluation was correlated with students' NCLEX-RN outcomes. Students evaluated as "lacking confidence" and "flawed" were less likely to pass the NCLEX-RN on the first attempt. Faculty evaluation of capstone simulation performance provided additional evidence of student preparedness for practice in the RN role, as evidenced by the relationship between the faculty assessment and NCLEX-RN success. Simulation has been broadly accepted as a powerful educational tool that may also contribute to verification of student achievement of program outcomes and readiness for the RN role.

Task 4 supporting technology. Part 2: Detailed test plan for thermal seals. Thermal seals evaluation, improvement and test. CAN8-1, Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV), advanced technology demonstrator: X-33. Leading edge and seals thermal protection system technology demonstration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hogenson, P. A.; Lu, Tina

1995-01-01

The objective is to develop the advanced thermal seals to a technology readiness level (TRL) of 6 to support the rapid turnaround time and low maintenance requirements of the X-33 and the future reusable launch vehicle (RLV). This program is divided into three subtasks: (1) orbiter thermal seals operation history review; (2) material, process, and design improvement; and (3) fabrication and evaluation of the advanced thermal seals.

Using Simulation to Prepare Nursing Students for Professional Roles.

PubMed

Wittmann-Price, Ruth A; Price, Sam W; Graham, Crystal; Wilson, Linda

2016-01-01

The current job market for nurses is variable and although there remains a projected shortage of nurses for the future, availability of entry-level positions has changed. This mixed-methods pilot study describes the successful use of simulated role-play to prepare senior nursing students (N = 66) for competitive job markets. The simulation laboratory was set up as a human resource department. The students and interviewers were evaluated by surveys. The majority of students rated the experience high for understanding interviews and assisting them with readiness for interviews. Qualitative results revealed themes of nervousness, confidence, and readiness. Interviewers also discussed student nervousness and the benefits of simulated interviews. These results affirmed that the overall learning outcome of the experience was positive and can assist in promoting professional role transition. The project will continue to be implemented, and it will be extended to graduate students in the future.

A simple way of evaluating the healthiness of ready-to-eat foods and developing healthy foods in the food industry.

PubMed

Outila, Terhi A; Simulainen, Helena; Laukkanen, Tuula H A; Maarit Kyyrö, A

2006-01-01

In this study we have developed a new way of evaluating the healthiness of ready-to-eat foods. In the developed method, ready-to-eat foods were classified into specific product categories, and the nutritional quality of classified foods was analysed using the national dietary recommendations and the national dietary survey as a basis for the dietary calculations. The method was tested with the products of 'Saarioinen', which is the leading brand in the Finnish ready-to-eat food market. Results indicate that this low-cost method can easily be used in the food industry as a tool in product development and marketing in order to develop healthy foods. The method could also be applied to the restaurant and catering trade, as well as to other public institutions serving food. By using this model, nutritional researchers and the food industry could work together to prevent nutrition-related health problems.

Psychological Readiness for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Surgery: Describing and Comparing the Adolescent and Adult Experiences

PubMed Central

Donald Shelbourne, K.; Gray, Tinker

2003-01-01

Objective: Our objectives were to describe the preoperative mood levels and psychological readiness levels of patients undergoing primary reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and to examine differences between adolescent and adult sports medicine patients relative to psychological readiness for ACL surgery. Design and Setting: Subjects prospectively completed assessments of preoperative mood and psychological readiness for ACL surgery and rehabilitation. Subjects: The sample consisted of subjects (N = 121) involved, on average, in sport or exercise participation 12.5 h/wk (SD = 7.5); subgroups included adolescents (15–19 years of age, n = 67) and adults (≥30 years of age, n = 32). Measurements: Subjects preoperatively provided self-reported assessments of demographics, mood disturbances, 10 psychological processes of change (consciousness raising, dramatic relief, environmental reevaluation, social liberation, self-reevaluation, counterconditioning, helping relationships, reinforcement management, stimulus control, and self-liberation), decisional balance (pros versus cons of surgery), and self-efficacy. Results: Relative to the first objective, subjects reported more pros than cons associated with surgery and relatively high levels of self-efficacy. Relative to the second objective, a significant main effect was noted (Wilks lambda = 0.58, P < .01), with 42% of the variance in the dependent variables being attributed to differences among adolescents as compared with adults. Follow-up analyses indicated that, as compared with adults, adolescents reported higher mood disturbances, more pros associated with surgery, and greater use of dramatic relief, environmental reevaluation, social liberation, helping relationships, and self-liberation. Conclusions: It may be advantageous to screen patients preoperatively relative to their psychological readiness for surgery and rehabilitation. Also, adolescents reported higher preoperative mood-disturbance levels than adults but higher levels of what would be considered “psychological readiness” for surgery. PMID:12937530

Readiness Continuum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Joseph J.; And Others

Presented is a curriculum guide to the readiness level of the child who is hyperactive, a behavior problem, or unable to sustain attention. The following areas are included: language development (including perceptual-motor skills), physical development (following the Frostig Perceptual Program), alphabet and sounds, creative exercises, language…

Evaluation Program on the Implementation of Industrial Apprenticeship (Prakerin) in Electrical Engineering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maulana, I.; Sumarto; Nurafiati, P.; Puspita, R. H.

2018-02-01

This research aims to find out the evaluation program of the Industrial apprenticeship (Prakerin) in electrical engineering. This research includes on four variables of CIPP. (1). Context (a). programme planning (b). design. (2). Input (a). readiness of students (b). performance of vocational education teachers (c). Facilities and infrastructure, (3). process (a). performance students (b). performance mentors, (4). Product (a). readiness of student work. This research is a type of program evaluation research with Stake model approach. Data collection methods used are questionnaires with closed questions and frequently asked questions.

Predicting College Readiness in STEM: A Longitudinal Study of Iowa Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rickels, Heather Anne

The demand for STEM college graduates is increasing. However, recent studies show there are not enough STEM majors to fulfill this need. This deficiency can be partially attributed to a gender discrepancy in the number of female STEM graduates and to the high rate of attrition of STEM majors. As STEM attrition has been associated with students being unprepared for STEM coursework, it is important to understand how STEM graduates change in achievement levels from middle school through high school and to have accurate readiness indicators for first-year STEM coursework. This study aimed to address these issues by comparing the achievement growth of STEM majors to non-STEM majors by gender in Science, Math, and Reading from Grade 6 to Grade 11 through latent growth models (LGMs). Then STEM Readiness Benchmarks were established in Science and Math on the Iowas (IAs) for typical first-year STEM courses and validity evidence was provided for the benchmarks. Results from the LGM analyses indicated that STEM graduates start at higher achievement levels in Grade 6 and maintain higher achievement levels through Grade 11 in all subjects. In addition, gender differences were examined. The findings indicate that students with high achievement levels self-select as STEM majors, regardless of gender. In addition, they suggest that students who are not on-track for a STEM degree may need to begin remediation prior to high school. Results from the benchmark analyses indicate that STEM coursework is more demanding and that students need to be better prepared academically in science and math if planning to pursue a STEM degree. In addition, the STEM Readiness Benchmarks were more accurate in predicting success in STEM courses than if general college readiness benchmarks were utilized. Also, students who met the STEM Readiness Benchmarks were more likely to graduate with a STEM degree. This study provides valuable information on STEM readiness to students, educators, and college admissions officers. Findings from this study can be used to better understand the level of academic achievement necessary to be successful as a STEM major and to provide guidance for students considering STEM majors in college. If students are being encouraged to purse STEM majors, it is important they have accurate information regarding their chances of success in STEM coursework.

Evaluating the implementation process of a participatory organizational level occupational health intervention in schools.

PubMed

Schelvis, Roosmarijn M C; Wiezer, Noortje M; Blatter, Birgitte M; van Genabeek, Joost A G M; Oude Hengel, Karen M; Bohlmeijer, Ernst T; van der Beek, Allard J

2016-12-01

The importance of process evaluations in examining how and why interventions are (un) successful is increasingly recognized. Process evaluations mainly studied the implementation process and the quality of the implementation (fidelity). However, in adopting this approach for participatory organizational level occupational health interventions, important aspects such as context and participants perceptions are missing. Our objective was to systematically describe the implementation process of a participatory organizational level occupational health intervention aimed at reducing work stress and increasing vitality in two schools by applying a framework that covers aspects of the intervention and its implementation as well as the context and participants perceptions. A program theory was developed, describing the requirements for successful implementation. Each requirement was operationalized by making use of the framework, covering: initiation, communication, participation, fidelity, reach, communication, satisfaction, management support, targeting, delivery, exposure, culture, conditions, readiness for change and perceptions. The requirements were assessed by quantitative and qualitative data, collected at 12 and 24 months after baseline in both schools (questionnaire and interviews) or continuously (logbooks). The intervention consisted of a needs assessment phase and a phase of implementing intervention activities. The needs assessment phase was implemented successfully in school A, but not in school B where participation and readiness for change were insufficient. In the second phase, several intervention activities were implemented at school A, whereas this was only partly the case in school B (delivery). In both schools, however, participants felt not involved in the choice of intervention activities (targeting, participation, support), resulting in a negative perception of and only partial exposure to the intervention activities. Conditions, culture and events hindered the implementation of intervention activities in both schools. The framework helped us to understand why the implementation process was not successful. It is therefore considered of added value for the evaluation of implementation processes in participatory organizational level interventions, foremost because of the context and mental models dimensions. However, less demanding methods for doing detailed process evaluations need to be developed. This can only be done if we know more about the most important process components and this study contributes to that knowledge base. Netherlands Trial Register NTR3284 .

Community Readiness Within Systems of Care: The Validity and Reliability of the System of Care Readiness and Implementation Measurement Scale (SOC-RIMS).

PubMed

Rosas, Scott R; Behar, Lenore B; Hydaker, William M

2016-01-01

Establishing a system of care requires communities to identify ways to successfully implement strategies and support positive outcomes for children and their families. Such community transformation is complex and communities vary in terms of their readiness for implementing sustainable community interventions. Assessing community readiness and guiding implementation, specifically for the funded communities implementing a system of care, requires a well-designed tool with sound psychometric properties. This scale development study used the results of a previously published concept mapping study to create, administer, and assess the psychometric characteristics of the System of Care Readiness and Implementation Measurement Scale (SOC-RIMS). The results indicate the SOC-RIMS possesses excellent internal consistency characteristics, measures clearly discernible dimensions of community readiness, and demonstrates the target constructs exist within a broad network of content. The SOC-RIMS can be a useful part of a comprehensive assessment in communities where system of care practices, principles, and philosophies are implemented and evaluated.

Executive functions and school readiness intervention: Impact, moderation, and mediation in the Head Start REDI program

PubMed Central

BIERMAN, KAREN L.; NIX, ROBERT L.; GREENBERG, MARK T.; BLAIR, CLANCY; DOMITROVICH, CELENE E.

2011-01-01

Despite their potentially central role in fostering school readiness, executive function (EF) skills have received little explicit attention in the design and evaluation of school readiness interventions for socioeconomically disadvantaged children. The present study examined a set of five EF measures in the context of a randomized-controlled trial of a research-based intervention integrated into Head Start programs (Head Start REDI). Three hundred fifty-six 4-year-old children (17% Hispanic, 25% African American; 54% girls) were followed over the course of the prekindergarten year. Initial EF predicted gains in cognitive and social–emotional skills and moderated the impact of the Head Start REDI intervention on some outcomes. The REDI intervention promoted gains on two EF measures, which partially mediated intervention effects on school readiness. We discuss the importance of further study of the neurobiological bases of school readiness, the implications for intervention design, and the value of incorporating markers of neurobiological processes into school readiness interventions. PMID:18606033

Operation Occupation: A College and Career Readiness Intervention for Elementary Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mariani, Melissa; Berger, Carolyn; Koerner, Kathleen; Sandlin, Cassie

2017-01-01

This article describes efforts undertaken to design, deliver, and evaluate a college and career readiness (CCR) unit for fifth-grade students. Preliminary findings from the school counselor-developed and -delivered intervention, Operation Occupation, supported interdisciplinary efforts between counselors and classroom teachers. Pre- and…

School Readiness Factor Analyzed.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brenner, Anton; Scott, Leland H.

This paper is an empirical statistical analysis and interpretation of data relating to school readiness previously examined and reported on a theoretical basis. A total of 118 white, middle class children from six consecutive kindergarten groups in Dearborn, Michigan were tested with seven instruments, evaluated in terms of achievement, ability,…

Risk assessment related to biogenic amines occurrence in ready-to-eat baby foods.

PubMed

Czajkowska-Mysłek, Anna; Leszczyńska, Joanna

2017-07-01

Potential adverse reactions among infants and young children could appear after consumption of food containing small amounts of bioactive amines. This study presents the first assessment of biogenic amines occurrence in ready-to-eat vegetable without/with fish, meat and fruit baby products intended for the youngest consumers. The biogenic amine profiles and quantities of 6 amines were evaluated in 68 commercial baby foods produced by 10 leading manufacturers available in Poland, using HPLC-APCI-MS method. The total amine contents in analyzed products were obtained in the range of 1283-101421 ng/g. The maximum level of histamine (2375 ng/g) was found in the sample with spinach, tyramine (1667 ng/g) in fruit sample with banana, and of di- and polyamines (1263-53416 ng/g) in samples containing green peas. The results of amine analysis in baby foods indicated the presence of food ingredients which may be necessary to remove (tuna, possibly spinach) or reduce the amount added (spinach, green peas), either reduce their use by infants under 12 months of age (beef). Special attention should also be given to control the consumption of fruit baby products containing banana (higher tyramine and putrescine level). On the basis of obtained results a potential %ARfD, and the BAI were also evaluated. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Investigation of the Level of Self-Directed Learning Readiness According to the Locus of Control and Personality Traits of Preschool Teacher Candidates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balaban Dagal, Asude; Bayindir, Dilan

2016-01-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the level of self-directed learning readiness, locus of control and the personality traits of preschool teacher candidates. The survey method was used for this study. The study group consisted of 151 teacher candidates who volunteered to participate in the study from Preschool…

Comparison of the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning and the rate of contact among students from nine different healthcare courses.

PubMed

de Oliveira, Vítor Falcão; Bittencourt, Mariana Fonseca; Navarro Pinto, Ícaro França; Lucchetti, Alessandra Lamas Granero; da Silva Ezequiel, Oscarina; Lucchetti, Giancarlo

2018-04-01

Despite the growth in the interprofessional literature, there are still few studies that have evaluated the differences among courses and periods in relation to Readiness for Interprofessional Learning. Likewise, the relationship between the influences of contact among students from different professions is still controversial. To evaluate whether greater contact among students from diverse health courses could be associated with improved Readiness for Interprofessional Learning (RIPLS) at the undergraduate level and to compare the RIPLS among healthcare courses, analyzing differences among courses and periods of their academic training. Cross-sectional study. A Brazilian public university. Students enrolled in the first and final periods of nine healthcare courses. The rates of contact between students and the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning were assessed. A comparison between students from these nine healthcare courses was carried out. A total of 545 (73.45%) students answered the questionnaire. The highest RIPLS scores were from Nursing (42.39), Dentistry (41.33) and Pharmacy students (40.72) and the lowest scores were from Physical Education (38.02), Medicine (38.17) and Psychology (38.66) students. The highest rates of contact between students (RC) were from Physical Education, Nutrition and Psychology students and the lowest RC were from Pharmacy, Social service and Dentistry. There was a significant effect of "healthcare course" on RIPLS. Comparing RIPLS and RC between the first and final years we found that, considering all courses, there was an increase in the RC, whereas a decrease in RIPLS scores. No correlation was found between RIPLS and RC in general. The current study found that RIPLS scores are very different between healthcare students. Although we found a significant increase in the RC, there was a decrease in the RIPLS scores. These findings lead to a greater understanding of the difficulties facing and potential for interprofessional education. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pediatric Program Director Minimum Milestone Expectations before Allowing Supervision of Others and Unsupervised Practice.

PubMed

Li, Su-Ting T; Tancredi, Daniel J; Schwartz, Alan; Guillot, Ann; Burke, Ann E; Trimm, R Franklin; Guralnick, Susan; Mahan, John D; Gifford, Kimberly

2018-04-25

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requires semiannual Milestone reporting on all residents. Milestone expectations of performance are unknown. Determine pediatric program director (PD) minimum Milestone expectations for residents prior to being ready to supervise and prior to being ready to graduate. Mixed methods survey of pediatric PDs on their programs' Milestone expectations before residents are ready to supervise and before they are ready to graduate, and in what ways PDs use Milestones to make supervision and graduation decisions. If programs had no established Milestone expectations, PDs indicated expectations they considered for use in their program. Mean minimum Milestone level expectations adjusted for program size, region, and clustering of Milestone expectations by program were calculated for prior to supervise and prior to graduate. Free-text questions were analyzed using thematic analysis. The response rate was 56.8% (113/199). Most programs had no required minimum Milestone level before residents are ready to supervise (80%; 76/95) or ready to graduate (84%; 80/95). For readiness to supervise, minimum Milestone expectations PDs considered establishing for their program were highest for humanism (2.46, 95% CI: 2.21-2.71) and professionalization (2.37, 2.15-2.60). Minimum Milestone expectations for graduates were highest for help-seeking (3.14, 2.83-3.46). Main themes included the use of Milestones in combination with other information to assess learner performance and Milestones are not equally weighted when making advancement decisions. Most PDs have not established program minimum Milestones, but would vary such expectations by competency. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Career readiness, developmental work personality and age of onset in young adult central nervous system survivors.

PubMed

Strauser, David; Wagner, Stacia; Wong, Alex W K; O'Sullivan, Deidre

2013-04-01

The primary purpose of this paper is to undertake foundational research in the area of career readiness, work personality and age of onset with young adult central nervous system (CNS) survivors. Participants for this study consisted of 43 individuals whose age range from 18 to 30 (M = 21.64, SD = 3.46), an average age of brain tumor onset of 9.50 years (SD = 4.73) and average years off of treatment of 7.25 years (SD = 5.80). Packets were distributed to survivors who were participating in a psychosocial cancer treatment program. Participants completed multiple career instruments and a demographic form. Differences between groups and among the variables were examined and size effect sizes were analyzed. Young adult CNS survivors had significantly lower levels of work personality and career readiness when compared to young adult non-cancer survivors with CNS cancer with those between the ages of 6 and 12 reported significantly lower levels when compared to individuals diagnosed before age 6 and after the age of 13. Young adult CNS survivors at an increased risk for having lower levels of work personality and career readiness then a norm group comparison. Age of onset (between 6 and 12) may be at significant risk factor for developing poor or dysfunctional work and career behaviors. • Young adults with central nervous system (CNS) cancer are at particular risk for experiencing difficulties related to career and employment. • Work personality and career readiness are two constructs that have been found to be related to one's ability to meet the demands of work. • Young adult CNS cancer survivors have lower levels of work personality and career readiness. • Individuals diagnosed between the ages of 6 and 12 may be at particular risk and may need specific vocational rehabilitation interventions. • The results of this study point to the need for comprehensive career and vocational services for young adult CNS cancer survivors.

Nurses' readiness for evidence-based practice at Finnish university hospitals: a national survey.

PubMed

Saunders, Hannele; Stevens, Kathleen R; Vehviläinen-Julkunen, Katri

2016-08-01

The aim of this study was to determine nurses' readiness for evidence-based practice at Finnish university hospitals. Although systematic implementation of evidence-based practice is essential to effectively improving patient outcomes and value of care, nurses do not consistently use evidence in practice. Uptake is hampered by lack of nurses' individual and organizational readiness for evidence-based practice. Although nurses' evidence-based practice competencies have been widely studied in countries leading the evidence-based practice movement, less is known about nurses' readiness for evidence-based practice in the non-English-speaking world. A cross-sectional descriptive survey design. The study was conducted in November-December 2014 in every university hospital in Finland with a convenience sample (n = 943) of practicing nurses. The electronic survey data were collected using the Stevens' Evidence-Based Practice Readiness Inventory, which was translated into Finnish according to standardized guidelines for translation of research instruments. The data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Nurses reported low to moderate levels of self-efficacy and low levels of evidence-based practice knowledge. A statistically significant, direct correlation was found between nurses' self-efficacy in employing evidence-based practice and their actual evidence-based practice knowledge level. Several statistically significant differences were found between nurses' socio-demographic variables and nurses' self-efficacy in employing evidence-based practice, and actual and perceived evidence-based practice knowledge. Finnish nurses at university hospitals are not ready for evidence-based practice. Although nurses are familiar with the concept of evidence-based practice, they lack the evidence-based practice knowledge and self-efficacy in employing evidence-based practice required for integrating best evidence into clinical care delivery. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Developing community-driven quality improvement initiatives to enhance chronic disease care in Indigenous communities in Canada: the FORGE AHEAD program protocol.

PubMed

Naqshbandi Hayward, Mariam; Paquette-Warren, Jann; Harris, Stewart B

2016-07-26

Given the dramatic rise and impact of chronic diseases and gaps in care in Indigenous peoples in Canada, a shift from the dominant episodic and responsive healthcare model most common in First Nations communities to one that places emphasis on proactive prevention and chronic disease management is urgently needed. The Transformation of Indigenous Primary Healthcare Delivery (FORGE AHEAD) Program partners with 11 First Nations communities across six provinces in Canada to develop and evaluate community-driven quality improvement (QI) initiatives to enhance chronic disease care. FORGE AHEAD is a 5-year research program (2013-2017) that utilizes a pre-post mixed-methods observational design rooted in participatory research principles to work with communities in developing culturally relevant innovations and improved access to available services. This intensive program incorporates a series of 10 inter-related and progressive program activities designed to foster community-driven initiatives with type 2 diabetes mellitus as the action disease. Preparatory activities include a national community profile survey, best practice and policy literature review, and readiness tool development. Community-level intervention activities include community and clinical readiness consultations, development of a diabetes registry and surveillance system, and QI activities. With a focus on capacity building, all community-level activities are driven by trained community members who champion QI initiatives in their community. Program wrap-up activities include readiness tool validation, cost-analysis and process evaluation. In collaboration with Health Canada and the Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative, scale-up toolkits will be developed in order to build on lessons-learned, tools and methods, and to fuel sustainability and spread of successful innovations. The outcomes of this research program, its related cost and the subsequent policy recommendations, will have the potential to significantly affect future policy decisions pertaining to chronic disease care in First Nations communities in Canada. Current ClinicalTrial.gov protocol ID NCT02234973 . Date of Registration: July 30, 2014.

Students Training for Academic Readiness (STAR): Year Four Evaluation Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rainey, Katharine; Maloney, Catherine; Sheehan, Daniel; Lopez, Omar

2011-01-01

The federal Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, or GEAR UP, project strives to equalize low-income students' access to higher education by increasing their participation in rigorous coursework, providing expanded opportunities for low-income students and parents to learn about postsecondary educational opportunities…

Students Training for Academic Readiness (STAR): Year Two Evaluation Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maloney, Catherine; Sheehan, Daniel; Rainey, Katie; Whipple, Allyson

2008-01-01

The federal Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, or GEAR UP, project strives to equalize low-income students' access to higher education by increasing their participation in rigorous coursework, providing expanded opportunities for low-income students and parents to learn about postsecondary educational opportunities…

Students Training for Academic Readiness (STAR): Year Four Evaluation Report. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas Center for Educational Research, 2011

2011-01-01

The federal Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, or GEAR UP, project strives to equalize low-income students' access to higher education by increasing their participation in rigorous coursework, providing expanded opportunities for low-income students and parents to learn about postsecondary educational opportunities…

MODU marine safety: Structural inspection and readiness surveys

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

Cole, M.W.; Marucci, T.F.; Taft, D.G.

1987-11-01

Several years ago, Exxon instituted a survey of mobile offshore drilling units (MODU's) under contract to the corporation to evaluate structural integrity and readiness to respond properly to marine emergencies. This paper briefly describes results of the inspections and our on-going marine safety program. Industry activity is also highlighted.

78 FR 58309 - Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-23

... initiative, funded by the Children's Bureau (CB) within ACF, will support planning grants to develop a model... for the process evaluation will be used to assess grantees' organizational capacity and readiness to... response burden hours Baseline Telephone Interview of 540 270 1 1.0 270 Organizational Readiness...

Effects of Students' Characteristics on Online Learning Readiness: A Vocational College Example

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cigdam, Harun; Yildirim, Osman Gazi

2014-01-01

Educational institutions rapidly adopt concepts and practices of online learning systems for students. But many institutions' online learning programs face enormous difficulty in achieving successful strategies. It is essential to evaluate its different aspects and understand factors which influence its effectiveness. Readiness stands out among…

Students Training for Academic Readiness (STAR): Year Two Evaluation Report. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maloney, Catherine; Sheehan, Daniel; Rainey, Katie; Whipple, Allyson

2008-01-01

The federal Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, or GEAR UP, project strives to equalize low-income students' access to higher education by increasing their participation in rigorous coursework, providing expanded opportunities for low-income students and parents to learn about postsecondary educational opportunities…

Students Training for Academic Readiness (STAR): Year One Evaluation Report. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maloney, Catherine; Caranikas-Walker, Fanny; Sheehan, Daniel

2007-01-01

The federal Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, or GEAR UP, strives to equalize low-income students' access to higher education by increasing their participation in rigorous coursework, providing expanded opportunities for low-income students and parents to learn about postsecondary educational opportunities and…

Precision Departure Release Capability (PDRC) Final Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Engelland, Shawn A.; Capps, Richard; Day, Kevin Brian; Kistler, Matthew Stephen; Gaither, Frank; Juro, Greg

2013-01-01

After takeoff, aircraft must merge into en route (Center) airspace traffic flows that may be subject to constraints that create localized demand/capacity imbalances. When demand exceeds capacity, Traffic Management Coordinators (TMCs) and Frontline Managers (FLMs) often use tactical departure scheduling to manage the flow of departures into the constrained Center traffic flow. Tactical departure scheduling usually involves a Call for Release (CFR) procedure wherein the Tower must call the Center to coordinate a release time prior to allowing the flight to depart. In present-day operations release times are computed by the Center Traffic Management Advisor (TMA) decision support tool, based upon manual estimates of aircraft ready time verbally communicated from the Tower to the Center. The TMA-computed release time is verbally communicated from the Center back to the Tower where it is relayed to the Local controller as a release window that is typically three minutes wide. The Local controller will manage the departure to meet the coordinated release time window. Manual ready time prediction and verbal release time coordination are labor intensive and prone to inaccuracy. Also, use of release time windows adds uncertainty to the tactical departure process. Analysis of more than one million flights from January 2011 indicates that a significant number of tactically scheduled aircraft missed their en route slot due to ready time prediction uncertainty. Uncertainty in ready time estimates may result in missed opportunities to merge into constrained en route flows and lead to lost throughput. Next Generation Air Transportation System plans call for development of Tower automation systems capable of computing surface trajectory-based ready time estimates. NASA has developed the Precision Departure Release Capability (PDRC) concept that improves tactical departure scheduling by automatically communicating surface trajectory-based ready time predictions and departure runway assignments to the Center scheduling tool. The PDRC concept also incorporates earlier NASA and FAA research into automation-assisted CFR coordination. The PDRC concept reduces uncertainty by automatically communicating coordinated release times with seconds-level precision enabling TMCs and FLMs to work with target times rather than windows. NASA has developed a PDRC prototype system that integrates the Center's TMA system with a research prototype Tower decision support tool. A two-phase field evaluation was conducted at NASA's North Texas Research Station in Dallas/Fort Worth. The field evaluation validated the PDRC concept and demonstrated reduced release time uncertainty while being used for tactical departure scheduling of more than 230 operational flights over 29 weeks of operations. This paper presents research results from the PDRC research activity. Companion papers present the Concept of Operations and a Technology Description.

Precision Departure Release Capability (PDRC) Technology Description

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Engelland, Shawn A.; Capps, Richard; Day, Kevin; Robinson, Corissia; Null, Jody R.

2013-01-01

After takeoff, aircraft must merge into en route (Center) airspace traffic flows which may be subject to constraints that create localized demand-capacity imbalances. When demand exceeds capacity, Traffic Management Coordinators (TMCs) often use tactical departure scheduling to manage the flow of departures into the constrained Center traffic flow. Tactical departure scheduling usually involves use of a Call for Release (CFR) procedure wherein the Tower must call the Center TMC to coordinate a release time prior to allowing the flight to depart. In present-day operations release times are computed by the Center Traffic Management Advisor (TMA) decision support tool based upon manual estimates of aircraft ready time verbally communicated from the Tower to the Center. The TMA-computed release is verbally communicated from the Center back to the Tower where it is relayed to the Local controller as a release window that is typically three minutes wide. The Local controller will manage the departure to meet the coordinated release time window. Manual ready time prediction and verbal release time coordination are labor intensive and prone to inaccuracy. Also, use of release time windows adds uncertainty to the tactical departure process. Analysis of more than one million flights from January 2011 indicates that a significant number of tactically scheduled aircraft missed their en route slot due to ready time prediction uncertainty. Uncertainty in ready time estimates may result in missed opportunities to merge into constrained en route flows and lead to lost throughput. Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) plans call for development of Tower automation systems capable of computing surface trajectory-based ready time estimates. NASA has developed the Precision Departure Release Capability (PDRC) concept that uses this technology to improve tactical departure scheduling by automatically communicating surface trajectory-based ready time predictions to the Center scheduling tool. The PDRC concept also incorporates earlier NASA and FAA research into automation-assisted CFR coordination. The PDRC concept helps reduce uncertainty by automatically communicating coordinated release times with seconds-level precision enabling TMCs to work with target times rather than windows. NASA has developed a PDRC prototype system that integrates the Center's TMA system with a research prototype Tower decision support tool. A two-phase field evaluation was conducted at NASA's North Texas Research Station (NTX) in Dallas-Fort Worth. The field evaluation validated the PDRC concept and demonstrated reduced release time uncertainty while being used for tactical departure scheduling of more than 230 operational flights over 29 weeks of operations. This paper presents the Technology Description. Companion papers include the Final Report and a Concept of Operations.

Precision Departure Release Capability (PDRC): NASA to FAA Research Transition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Engelland, Shawn; Davis, Thomas J.

2013-01-01

After takeoff, aircraft must merge into en route (Center) airspace traffic flows which may be subject to constraints that create localized demand-capacity imbalances. When demand exceeds capacity, Traffic Management Coordinators (TMCs) and Frontline Managers (FLMs) often use tactical departure scheduling to manage the flow of departures into the constrained Center traffic flow. Tactical departure scheduling usually involves use of a Call for Release (CFR) procedure wherein the Tower must call the Center to coordinate a release time prior to allowing the flight to depart. In present-day operations release times are computed by the Center Traffic Management Advisor (TMA) decision support tool based upon manual estimates of aircraft ready time verbally communicated from the Tower to the Center. The TMA-computed release time is verbally communicated from the Center back to the Tower where it is relayed to the Local controller as a release window that is typically three minutes wide. The Local controller will manage the departure to meet the coordinated release time window. Manual ready time prediction and verbal release time coordination are labor intensive and prone to inaccuracy. Also, use of release time windows adds uncertainty to the tactical departure process. Analysis of more than one million flights from January 2011 indicates that a significant number of tactically scheduled aircraft missed their en route slot due to ready time prediction uncertainty. Uncertainty in ready time estimates may result in missed opportunities to merge into constrained en route flows and lead to lost throughput. Next Generation Air Transportation System plans call for development of Tower automation systems capable of computing surface trajectory-based ready time estimates. NASA has developed the Precision Departure Release Capability (PDRC) concept that improves tactical departure scheduling by automatically communicating surface trajectory-based ready time predictions and departure runway assignments to the Center scheduling tool. The PDRC concept also incorporates earlier NASA and FAA research into automation-assisted CFR coordination. The PDRC concept reduces uncertainty by automatically communicating coordinated release times with seconds-level precision enabling TMCs and FLMs to work with target times rather than windows. NASA has developed a PDRC prototype system that integrates the Center's TMA system with a research prototype Tower decision support tool. A two-phase field evaluation was conducted at NASA's North Texas Research Station in Dallas-Fort Worth. The field evaluation validated the PDRC concept and demonstrated reduced release time uncertainty while being used for tactical departure scheduling of more than 230 operational flights over 29 weeks of operations.

Precision Departure Release Capability (PDRC) Concept of Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Engelland, Shawn; Capps, Richard A.; Day, Kevin Brian

2013-01-01

After takeoff, aircraft must merge into en route (Center) airspace traffic flows which may be subject to constraints that create localized demandcapacity imbalances. When demand exceeds capacity Traffic Management Coordinators (TMCs) often use tactical departure scheduling to manage the flow of departures into the constrained Center traffic flow. Tactical departure scheduling usually involves use of a Call for Release (CFR) procedure wherein the Tower must call the Center TMC to coordinate a release time prior to allowing the flight to depart. In present-day operations release times are computed by the Center Traffic Management Advisor (TMA) decision support tool based upon manual estimates of aircraft ready time verbally communicated from the Tower to the Center. The TMA-computed release is verbally communicated from the Center back to the Tower where it is relayed to the Local controller as a release window that is typically three minutes wide. The Local controller will manage the departure to meet the coordinated release time window. Manual ready time prediction and verbal release time coordination are labor intensive and prone to inaccuracy. Also, use of release time windows adds uncertainty to the tactical departure process. Analysis of more than one million flights from January 2011 indicates that a significant number of tactically scheduled aircraft missed their en route slot due to ready time prediction uncertainty. Uncertainty in ready time estimates may result in missed opportunities to merge into constrained en route flows and lead to lost throughput. Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) plans call for development of Tower automation systems capable of computing surface trajectory-based ready time estimates. NASA has developed the Precision Departure Release Capability (PDRC) concept that uses this technology to improve tactical departure scheduling by automatically communicating surface trajectory-based ready time predictions to the Center scheduling tool. The PDRC concept also incorporates earlier NASA and FAA research into automation-assisted CFR coordination. The PDRC concept helps reduce uncertainty by automatically communicating coordinated release times with seconds-level precision enabling TMCs to work with target times rather than windows. NASA has developed a PDRC prototype system that integrates the Center's TMA system with a research prototype Tower decision support tool. A two-phase field evaluation was conducted at NASA's North Texas Research Station (NTX) in DallasFort Worth. The field evaluation validated the PDRC concept and demonstrated reduced release time uncertainty while being used for tactical departure scheduling of more than 230 operational flights over 29 weeks of operations. This paper presents the Concept of Operations. Companion papers include the Final Report and a Technology Description. ? SUBJECT:

Management assessment of tank waste remediation system contractor readiness to proceed with phase 1B privatization

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

Honeyman, J.O.

1998-01-09

This Management Assessment of Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) Contractor Readiness to Proceed With Phase 1B Privatization documents the processes used to determine readiness to proceed with tank waste treatment technologies from private industry, now known as TWRS privatization. An overall systems approach was applied to develop action plans to support the retrieval and disposal mission of the TWRS Project. The systems and infrastructure required to support the mission are known. Required systems are either in place or plans have been developed to ensure they exist when needed. Since October 1996 a robust system engineering approach to establishing integrated Technicalmore » Baselines, work breakdown structures, tank farms organizational structure and configurations, work scope, and costs has become part of the culture within the TWRS Project. An analysis of the programmatic, management, and technical activities necessary to declare readiness to proceed with execution of the mission demonstrates that the system, personnel, and hardware will be on-line and ready to support the private contractors. The systems approach included defining the retrieval and disposal mission requirements and evaluating the readiness of the Project Hanford Management Contract (PHMC) team to support initiation of waste processing by the private contractors in June 2002 and to receive immobilized waste shortly thereafter. The Phase 1 feed delivery requirements from the private contractor Requests for Proposal were reviewed. Transfer piping routes were mapped, existing systems were evaluated, and upgrade requirements were defined.« less

Improving Tracheostomy Care Delivery: Instituting Clinical Care Pathways and Nursing Education to Improve Patient Outcomes.

PubMed

Colandrea, Maria; Eckardt, Patricia

2016-01-01

The complication rates for tracheostomy patients could be serious and life threatening. As a result, length of stay (LOS) increases and patient outcomes can be negatively impacted. Examples of complications include accidental decannulation, bleeding and total occlusion. Studies suggest there is an inconsistency in tracheostomy care among providers and institutions. Other studies suggest stronger patient outcomes can result from improved staff training and appropriate protocols. The purpose of this study was to develop and test a clinical care pathway (CCP) and nursing education program to improve tracheostomy patient outcomes. The use of a CCP and nursing education program at a tertiary VA Medical Center will: decrease length of stay (LOS). decrease 30 day tracheostomy readmissions. increase patient's readiness for discharge. increase nurses' comfort level with performing tracheostomy care. increase nurses' overall competence with performing tracheostomy care. A quasi-experimental pilot study examining the effect of a CCP compared LOS and complication rates of tracheostomy patients from admission to discharge. The population included veterans from a mid-Atlantic VA Medical Center. This study involved three phases. Phase 1: Administer the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale (RHDS) to tracheostomy patients' preintervention. Phase 2: Provide nurses with an educational program pre and post test assessment. Phase 3: Implement the CCP and evaluate patients' readiness for discharge. Comparing the pre-intervention sample of veterans (n = 10) to the post-intervention sample (n = 6), there was an increase in LOS by 1 day. There was a 15 point increase in RHDS from 165 (SD 25.8) to 180 (SD 14.42). This pilot was underpowered with an n = 6, so there was no significant difference in LOS and 30 day readmission rates. Bootstrapping of sample resulted in RHDS p = . 039 and readmission p = .007. A paired-samples t-test was conducted to assess nurses' competence in performing tracheostomy care and nursing comfort level in regards to providing tracheostomy care and discharge education. There was a significant increase in the post-test scores, nursing comfort level providing tracheostomy care and nurses' comfort level providing patient tracheostomy discharge education. The significance of this project improved overall tracheostomy care offered at a mid-Atlantic VA Medical Center. Standardizing tracheostomy care and properly educating nurses and patients, increased patients readiness for hospital discharge and decreased their readmission rates related to tracheostomies.

Models of care for musculoskeletal health: a cross-sectional qualitative study of Australian stakeholders' perspectives on relevance and standardised evaluation.

PubMed

Briggs, Andrew M; Jordan, Joanne E; Speerin, Robyn; Jennings, Matthew; Bragge, Peter; Chua, Jason; Slater, Helen

2015-11-16

The prevalence and impact of musculoskeletal conditions are predicted to rapidly escalate in the coming decades. Effective strategies are required to minimise 'evidence-practice', 'burden-policy' and 'burden-service' gaps and optimise health system responsiveness for sustainable, best-practice healthcare. One mechanism by which evidence can be translated into practice and policy is through Models of Care (MoCs), which provide a blueprint for health services planning and delivery. While evidence supports the effectiveness of musculoskeletal MoCs for improving health outcomes and system efficiencies, no standardised national approach to evaluation in terms of their 'readiness' for implementation and 'success' after implementation, is yet available. Further, the value assigned to MoCs by end users is uncertain. This qualitative study aimed to explore end users' views on the relevance of musculoskeletal MoCs to their work and value of a standardised evaluation approach. A cross-sectional qualitative study was undertaken. Subject matter experts (SMEs) with health, policy and administration and consumer backgrounds were drawn from three Australian states. A semi-structured interview schedule was developed and piloted to explore perceptions about musculoskeletal MoCs including: i) aspects important to their work (or life, for consumers) ii) usefulness of standardised evaluation frameworks to judge 'readiness' and 'success' and iii) challenges associated with standardised evaluation. Verbatim transcripts were analysed by two researchers using a grounded theory approach to derive key themes. Twenty-seven SMEs (n = 19; 70.4 % female) including five (18.5 %) consumers participated in the study. MoCs were perceived as critical for influencing and initiating changes to best-practice healthcare planning and delivery and providing practical guidance on how to implement and evaluate services. A 'readiness' evaluation framework assessing whether critical components across the health system had been considered prior to implementation was strongly supported, while 'success' was perceived as an already familiar evaluation concept. Perceived challenges associated with standardised evaluation included identifying, defining and measuring key 'readiness' and 'success' indicators; impacts of systems and context changes; cost; meaningful stakeholder consultation and developing a widely applicable framework. A standardised evaluation framework that includes a strong focus on 'readiness' is important to ensure successful and sustainable implementation of musculoskeletal MoCs.

Implementation of Insight Responsibilities in Process Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Osborne, Deborah M.

1997-01-01

This report describes an approach for evaluating flight readiness (COFR) and contractor performance evaluation (award fee) as part of the insight role of NASA Process Engineering at Kennedy Space Center. Several evaluation methods are presented, including systems engineering evaluations and use of systems performance data. The transition from an oversight function to the insight function is described. The types of analytical tools appropriate for achieving the flight readiness and contractor performance evaluation goals are described and examples are provided. Special emphasis is placed upon short and small run statistical quality control techniques. Training requirements for system engineers are delineated. The approach described herein would be equally appropriate in other directorates at Kennedy Space Center.

Investigating the Relationship Between Self-Directed Learning Readiness and Time Management Skills in Turkish Undergraduate Nursing Students.

PubMed

Ertuğ, Nurcan; Faydali, Saide

The aims of this study were to determine self-directed learning and time management skills of undergraduate nursing students and to investigate the relationship between the concepts. The use of self-directed learning has increased as an educational strategy in recent years. This descriptive and correlational study was conducted with 383 undergraduate nursing students in Turkey. Data were collected using a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale, and Time Management Questionnaire. Mean scores were as follows: self-directed learning readiness, 159.12 (SD = 20.8); time management, 87.75 (SD = 12.1). A moderate positive correlation was found between self-directed learning readiness and time management values. Time management scores were 78.42 when self-directed learning readiness was ≤149 and 90.82 when self-directed learning readiness was ≥ 150, with a statistically significant difference (p = .000). Level of self-directed learning and academic achievement were higher in students who managed their time well.

Development of a competency framework for nurse managers in Ireland.

PubMed

McCarthy, Geraldine; Fitzpatrick, Joyce J

2009-08-01

This article describes the results of an Irish national study on the Competency Model for Nursing Management commissioned by the Office of Health Management. More than 300 nurse managers and 80 service stakeholders (other professionals, managers, and service colleagues) participated in the development of generic competencies for nurse managers and specific competencies for three levels of managers-director level, middle manager level, and front-line managers. Examples of behavioral indicators (both positive and negative) for each competency level also have been delineated. Future efforts are being directed toward evaluating the usefulness of the competency model for assessing readiness to manage among job applicants, implementation of continuing education programs for nurse managers, and overall career development and planning. Copyright 2009, SLACK Incorporated.

REPORT OF ON-SITE INSPECTION WORKSHOP-16

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

Sweeney, J J

2009-07-07

The central issue addressed by this workshop was the task of making the on-site inspection (OSI) part of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty verification system operationally ready at entry into force of the Treaty. It is recognized, and this was emphasized by the 2008 OSI Integrated Field Exercise (IFE), that it is not possible to develop every part of the OSI regime simultaneously. Therefore, it is necessary to prioritize the approach to OSI readiness. The reviews of the IFE have pointed to many elements of OSI readiness that still need development. The objective of this workshop was to provide priorities formore » the path forward for Working Group B to consider. Several critical areas have been identified that are related to the development of OSI readiness: (1) Technology development: Priorities are radionuclide and noble gas sampling and analysis, visual observation, multispectral/infrared imaging methods, active seismic methods and the recognition of the importance of signatures. (2) Organizational development: Priorities are health and safety, the Operations Support Centre, the Equipment Storage and Maintenance Facility, information technology data flow and communications. (3) Resources: The expertise to develop key parts of the OSI regime is not available within the current OSI Division staff. To develop these aspects of the regime will require more staff or supplements to the staff with cost-free experts or other means. Aspects of the system that could benefit from more staff include radionuclide and noble gas detection methods, data flow and communications, visual observation, multispectral/infrared methods and health and safety. As the path forward, participants of this workshop recognized a need to optimize the development of OSI priorities. The outcome of this workshop is to suggest for consideration an operational approach to OSI readiness that utilizes results of an evaluation of the relative effectiveness of OSI elements versus their relative maturity. By integrating such an assessment with considerations of integrated operational capabilities and the anticipated level of inspection team self-sufficiency and measurable milestone criteria, a set of priorities for OSI development can be developed. Once these priorities have been established, the Policy Making Organs can decide upon the milestones, strategic plan and action plan to serve as guidance for implementation by the Provisional Technical Secretariat. The suggested operational approach is as follows: (1) Assess the relative effectiveness (importance) of OSI elements versus their relative maturity; (2) Determine the anticipated level of self-sufficiency; (3) Define measurable milestone criteria; and (4) Result: Milestones for OSI readiness.« less

Acceptability, Knowledge, Beliefs, and Partners as Determinants of Zambian Men's Readiness to Undergo Medical Male Circumcision

PubMed Central

Jones, Deborah; Cook, Ryan; Arheart, Kris; Redding, Colleen A.; Zulu, Robert; Castro, Jose; Weiss, Stephen M.

2013-01-01

There is limited information about the influence of partners on medical male circumcision (MMC) uptake. This study aimed to evaluate attitudes, knowledge, and preferences about MMC among men and their partners, and their relative impact on male readiness to undergo the MMC procedure. Male participants (n = 354) and their partners (n = 273) were recruited from community health centers in Lusaka, Zambia. Men reported their readiness to undergo MMC, and both men and women were assessed regarding their attitudes and knowledge regarding MMC. Men who had discussed MMC with their partners, those who endorsed MMC for HIV risk reduction, and those viewing MMC as culturally acceptable reported increased readiness to undergo MMC. Additionally, endorsement of MMC by female partners was associated with increased men’s readiness. Results support promotion of cultural acceptability of MMC, and efforts to increase MMC uptake may benefit from incorporating partners in the decision making process. PMID:23757123

Part II: preparing and assessing first-year radiology resident on-call readiness technical implementation.

PubMed

Yam, Chun-Shan; Kruskal, Jonathan; Pedrosa, Ivan; Kressel, Herbert

2006-06-01

The effectiveness of using a Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM)-based interactive examination system in evaluating the readiness of first year radiology residents before taking overnight call in the emergency department (ED) was reported in part I of this article. This report describes technical aspects for the design and implementation of this system. The examination system consists of two modules: Data Collection and Image Viewing. The Data Collection module was a personal computer (PC)-based DICOM storage server based on a free public domain software package, the Mallinckrodt Central Test Node. The Image Viewing module was a Java-based DICOM viewer created using another freeware package: zDicom ActiveX component. The examination takes place once a year at the end of the first 6-month rotation. Cases selected for the examination were actual clinical cases according to the American Society of Emergency Radiology core curriculum. In the 3-hour timed examination, each resident was required to read the cases and provide clinical findings and recommendations. Upper-level residents also participated in the examination to serve as a control. Answers were scored by two staff radiologists. We have been using this examination system successfully in our institution since 2003 to evaluate the readiness of the first-year residents before they take overnight call in the ED. This report describes a step-by-step procedure for implementing this system into a PC-based platform. This DICOM viewing software is available as freeware to other academic radiology institutions. The total cost for implementing this system is approximately 2000 US dollars.

Readiness for Solving Story Problems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunlap, William F.

1982-01-01

Readiness activities are described which are designed to help learning disabled (LD) students learn to perform computations in story problems. Activities proceed from concrete objects to numbers and involve the students in devising story problems. The language experience approach is incorporated with the enactive, iconic, and symbolic levels of…

Assessing Organizational Readiness for a Participatory Occupational Health/Health Promotion Intervention in Skilled Nursing Facilities

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yuan; Flum, Marian; West, Cheryl; Punnett, Laura

2018-01-01

The long-term care sector is characterized by high morbidity and employee turnover, along with associated costs. Effective health protection and health promotion are important to improve physical and psychosocial well-being of caregivers. Assessment of organizational readiness for change is an essential precursor to the successful implementation of workplace programs addressing work climate, structure of tasks and relationships, and other issues that may be perceived as challenging by some within the institution. This study qualitatively assessed readiness of five skilled nursing facilities for a participatory occupational health/health promotion intervention. Selection criteria were developed to screen for program feasibility and ability to conduct prospective evaluations, and information was collected from managers and employees (interviews and focus groups). Three centers were selected for the program, and the first year of formative evaluation and intervention experience was then reviewed to evaluate and modify our selection criteria after the fact. Lessons learned include adding assessment of communication and the structure of problem solving to our selection criteria, improving methods to assess management support in a concrete (potentially nonverbal) form, and obtaining a stated financial commitment and resources to enable the team to function. Assessment of organizational readiness for change is challenging, although necessary to implement effective and sustainable health promotion programs in specific organizations. PMID:25715335

Technology Readiness Assessment of Department of Energy Waste Processing Facilities

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-11

Must Be Reliable, Robust, Flexible, and Durable 6 EM Is Piloting the TRA/AD2 Process Hanford Waste Treatment Plant ( WTP ) – The Initial Pilot Project...Evaluation WTP can only treat ~ ½ of the LAW in the time it will take to treat all the HLW. • There is a need for tank space that will get more urgent with...Facility before the WTP Pretreatment and High-Level Waste (HLW) Vitrification Facilities are available (Requires tank farm pretreatment capability) TRAs

Workshop I: Systems/Standards/Arrays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Piszczor, Mike; Reed, Brad

2007-01-01

Workshop Format: 1) 1:00 - 3:00 to cover various topics as appropriate; 2) At last SPRAT, conducted Workshop topic on solar cell and array qualification standards. Brad Reed will present update on status of that effort; 3) Second workshop topic: The Future of PV Research within NASA. 4) Any time remaining, specific topics from participants. 5) Reminder for IAPG Members! RECWG today 3:00-5:00 in Federal Room, 2nd Floor OAI. a chart is presented showing: Evaluation of Solar Array Technology Readiness Levels.

The Software Therapist: Usability Problem Diagnosis Through Latent Semantic Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-06-14

at a given level is equivalent to removing attributes that don’t apply to a given usability situation, thereby filtering or pruning off irrelevant sub...Each answer prunes the number of stages remaining. Through a process of elimination, the Wizard helps evaluators home in on the correct stage...the diagnosis for one problem report, the user may want to take a break to get a cup of coffee or take a short walk, but when ready to continue with

Comparison of biodegradation performance of OECD test guideline 301C with that of other ready biodegradability tests.

PubMed

Kayashima, Takakazu; Taruki, Masanori; Katagiri, Kazuomi; Nabeoka, Ryosuke; Yoshida, Tomohiko; Tsuji, Toshiaki

2014-02-01

The Organisation for Economic Co-operatoin and development (OECD) Guidelines for the Testing of Chemicals list 7 types of tests for determining the ready biodegradability of chemical compounds (301A-F and 310). The present study compares the biodegradation performance of test guideline 301C, which is applied in Japan's Chemical Substances Control Law, with the performance of the other 6 ready biodegradability tests (RBTs) listed in the guidelines. Test guideline 301C specifies use of activated sludge precultured with synthetic sewage containing glucose and peptone (301C sludge) as a test inoculum; in the other RBTs, however, activated sludge from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP sludge) is frequently employed. Analysis based on percentage of biodegradation and pass levels revealed that the biodegradation intensity of test guideline 301C is relatively weak compared with the intensities of RBTs using WWTP sludge, and the following chemical compounds are probably not biodegraded under test guideline 301C conditions: phosphorus compounds; secondary, tertiary, and quaternary amines; and branched quaternary carbon compounds. The relatively weak biodegradation intensity of test guideline 301C may be related to the markedly different activities of the 301C and WWTP sludges. These findings will be valuable for evaluating RBT data in relation to Japan's Chemical Substances Control Law. © 2013 SETAC.

The Readiness to Change for Bariatric Surgery Assessment Tool: Validity, Factor Structure, and Reliability.

PubMed

Carlson, Susan M S

2017-11-01

Currently, there is no guideline or standard of practice for performing the psychiatric/psychological evaluation that is a requirement for approval for bariatric surgery. The Readiness to Change for Bariatric Surgery Assessment Tool (RCB-SAT) establishes a means for psychiatric evaluators to objectively assess the patient's cognition, beliefs, and motivation around the bariatric diet and lifestyle changes. Development of a clinical decision-making tool for assessing readiness to change in bariatric patients will be useful regarding The Strategic Plan for NIH Obesity Research. The strategic plan outlines 6 overarching themes, with the last 3 centering around creation of such a clinical decision-making tool to assess a bariatric patient's readiness to change: evaluate promising strategies for obesity prevention and treatment in realworld settings and diverse populations, harness technology and tools to advance obesity research and improve health care delivery, and facilitate integration of research results into community programs and medical practice (National Institutes of Health, 2011). The pilot tool was administered to 153 potential bariatric patients, with 61 patients completing the survey a second time. Face and content validity of the items were established through an expert review process. Principle axis factoring by means of varimax rotation with Kaiser normalization identified 15 items loading on 3 factors associated with Prochaska and DiClemente's transtheoretical model of health behavior change: precontemplation, contemplation, and action (DiClemente & Prochaska, 1998). Test-retest reliability was also established for the tool. The proposed RCB-SAT demonstrates potential for assessing a patient's readiness to change regarding the bariatric diet and lifestyle.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Plug-In Electric Vehicle Readiness Scorecard

Science.gov Websites

track progress toward PEV readiness. Get started evaluating your community. Create Account Log in to your account. Email Password Forgot your password? LOG IN Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average (20.5 hours) per response, including the time for reviewing

Student Perceptions of Personalised Learning: Development and Validation of a Questionnaire with Regional Secondary Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waldrip, Bruce; Cox, Peter; Deed, Craig; Dorman, Jeffrey; Edwards, Debra; Farrelly, Cathleen; Keeffe, Mary; Lovejoy, Valeria; Mow, Lucy; Prain, Vaughan; Sellings, Peter; Yager, Zali

2014-01-01

This project sought to evaluate regional students' perceptions of their readiness to learn, assessment processes, engagement, extent to which their learning is personalised and to relate these to academic efficacy, academic achievement, and student well-being. It also examined teachers' perceptions of students' readiness to learn, the assessment…

Readiness and Adjustments to School for Children with Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR): An Extreme Test Case Paradigm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geva, Ronny; Yosipof, Rina; Eshel, Rina; Leitner, Yael; Valevski, Aviva Fattal; Harel, Shaul

2009-01-01

This long-term, prospective study evaluated repeatedly school readiness and adjustment at kindergarten and first grade of children with extreme intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR; n = 20) in relation to controls (n = 19). Methods included individual testing of cognitive competence, self-perception, motivation, loneliness and academic…

Students Training for Academic Readiness (STAR): Year Five Evaluation Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maloney, Catherine; Lopez, Omar

2012-01-01

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, or GEAR UP, is a federally-funded system of grants that focuses on preparing low-income students to enter and succeed in postsecondary educational programs. GEAR UP grants extend across 6 school years and require that funded districts begin providing grant services to students no…

Creating Practice Ready, Well and Professional Law Graduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferguson, Anneka

2015-01-01

There is a growing movement to create successful, ethical, well-rounded and practice ready legal professionals both in terms of their content knowledge and their mental well-being. As a Legal Teaching "profession" it is incumbent on us to answer this call in a responsive, creative, integrated, well researched and evaluated manner. This…

Effect of emulsifier and viscosity on oil separation in ready-to-use therapeutic food

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Oil separation is a common food quality problem in ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), the shelf-stable, peanut-based food used to treat severe acute malnutrition in home settings. Our objective was to evaluate the effect on oil separation of three emulsifiers at different concentrations in RUTF. ...

Early Childhood Professional Development: Coaching and Coursework Effects on Indicators of Children's School Readiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pianta, Robert; Hamre, Bridget; Downer, Jason; Burchinal, Margaret; Williford, Amanda; LoCasale-Crouch, Jennifer; Howes, Carollee; La Paro, Karen; Scott-Little, Catherine

2017-01-01

Research Findings: Effects on children's school readiness were evaluated for 2 interventions focused on improving teacher-student interactions (coursework, coaching) implemented sequentially across 2 years. Teachers from public prekindergarten programs in 10 locations were assigned randomly to treatment or control conditions in each year.…

Dyadic violence and readiness to change among male intimate partner violence offenders.

PubMed

Crane, Cory A; Schlauch, Robert C; Eckhardt, Christopher I

2015-12-10

Although readiness to change is associated with mandated partner violence treatment compliance and subsequent violent behaviour among male offenders (e.g. Scott and Wolfe, 2003; Eckhardt et al., 2004), our understanding of the factors associated with pretreatment change remains limited. Offender research indicates that individual and dyadic violent behaviour are highly variable and that such variability may provide insight into levels of pretreatment change (Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart, 1994; Archer, 2002). We sought to examine the associations between indicators of change and individual as well as dyadic violence frequency in a sample of male partner violence offenders. To determine whether severity and perceived concordance in the use of violence among male offenders and their female partners influenced readiness to change at pretreatment, 82 recently adjudicated male perpetrators of intimate partner violence were recruited into the current study and administered measures of readiness to change violent behaviour (Revised Safe at Home Scale; Begun et al., 2008) as well as partner violence experiences (Revised Conflict Tactics Scale; Straus et al., 1996). Analyses revealed an interaction between offender-reported male and female violence in the prediction of pretreatment readiness to change such that greater male violence was associated with greater readiness to change among males who reported that their female partners perpetrated low, but not high, levels of violence. Consistently, greater female violence was associated with lower readiness to change only among the most violent male offenders. Results provide support for the assertion that the most violent offenders may be the most resistant to partner violence intervention efforts, particularly when they perceive themselves to be victims as well. Enhanced motivational and couples programming may facilitate treatment engagement among the high-risk group of male offenders who report concordant relationship violence. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Dyadic Violence and Readiness to Change among Male Intimate Partner Violence Offenders

PubMed Central

Crane, Cory A.; Schlauch, Robert C.; Eckhardt, Christopher I.

2016-01-01

Background Although readiness to change is associated with mandated partner violence treatment compliance and subsequent violent behavior among male offenders (e.g., Eckhardt et al., 2004; Scott & Wolfe, 2003), our understanding of the factors associated with pretreatment change remains limited. Offender research indicates that individual and dyadic violent behavior are highly variable and that such variability may provide insight into levels of pretreatment change (Archer, 2002; Holtzworth-Monroe & Stuart, 1994). Aims/Hypotheses We sought to examine the associations between indicators of change and individual as well as dyadic violence frequency in a sample of male partner violence offenders. Method To determine whether severity and perceived concordance in the use of violence among male offenders and their female partners influenced readiness to change at pretreatment, 82 recently adjudicated male perpetrators of intimate partner violence were recruited into the current study and administered measures of readiness to change violent behavior (Revised Safe at Home Scale; Begun et al., 2008) as well as partner violence experiences (Revised Conflict Tactics Scale; Straus et al., 1996). Results Analyses revealed an interaction between offender-reported male and female violence in the prediction of pretreatment readiness to change such that greater male violence was associated with greater readiness to change among males who reported that their female partners perpetrated low, but not high, levels of violence. Consistently, greater female violence was associated with lower readiness to change only among the most violent male offenders. Conclusions and Implications for Clinical Practice Results provide support for the assertion that the most violent offenders may be the most resistant to partner violence intervention efforts, particularly when they perceive themselves to be victims as well. Enhanced motivational and couples programming may facilitate treatment engagement among the high-risk group of male offenders who report concordant relationship violence. PMID:26482017

Evidence Based Education Request Desk. EBE #833B

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Regional Educational Laboratory Southeast, 2011

2011-01-01

College readiness, operationally defined by David Conley (2007), one of the contemporary "thought leaders" in the measurement of college readiness, as "the level of preparation a student needs in order to enroll and succeed--without remediation--in a credit-bearing general education course at a postsecondary institution that offers a baccalaureate…

The College and Career Readiness and Success Organizer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balestreri, Kathryn; Sambolt, Megan; Duhon, Chad; Smerdon, Becky; Harris, Joseph

2014-01-01

The "College and Career Readiness and Success Organizer" is a graphic that displays a consolidated overview of the many elements that impact a learner's ability to succeed in college and careers at both the institutional and individual levels. The "Organizer" is intended to be a comprehensive and visual representation of the…

SEL/Project Language. Level II, Kindergarten, Volume II (Lessons 17-32).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valladares, Ann E.; And Others

This curriculum guide contains the Southeastern Education Laboratory/Project Language Lessons 17-32 stressing listening, speaking, and reading readiness for disadvantaged kindergarten children. The lessons are designed to be used in the SEL's mobile preschool units or as readiness materials for kindergarten. The major emphasis of this intervention…

Integrated Contextual Learning and Food Science Students' Perception of Work Readiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coorey, Ranil; Firth, Ann

2013-01-01

The expectation that universities will produce graduates with high levels of work readiness is now a commonplace in government policies and statements from industry representatives. Meeting the demand requires that students gain industry related experience before graduation. Traditionally students have done so by undertaking extended work…

Assessing the extent to which healthcare workers advised and assisted smokers to quit based on patient motivation levels.

PubMed

Williams, Rebecca J; Nigg, Claudio R

2014-01-01

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Although healthcare workers play a key role in helping patients quit smoking, the degree to which they provide help varies. This study assesses the extent to which smokers report that their healthcare worker advised and assisted them with quitting based on their level of readiness to make a change. The 2006 Hawaii Adult Tobacco Survey asked questions regarding smoking status and if advice and assistance with quitting was given from a healthcare worker. Percentages for reporting healthcare worker's advice and assistance were compared among the three levels of motivational readiness using the chi-square test of association for 331 current, everyday smokers (56% women; 38% in the age group of 45-54 years). Most smokers are given advice to quit smoking. However, only about half of those motivated to quit are given assistance to do so. Most smokers across all motivation levels received advice to quit smoking with no significant difference between levels of readiness to quit. Less than half of smokers received any type of assistance with quitting smoking, with higher motivated smokers significantly receiving more assistance with cessation medication or nicotine replacement therapy and setting a quit date. This is a call to action for healthcare workers to address smoking with every patient. Adjustments to protocols for addressing smoking cessation and readiness to quit may be warranted.

Evaluation of hygiene practices and microbiological status of ready-to-eat vegetable salads in Spanish school canteens.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Caturla, Magdevis Y; Valero, Antonio; Carrasco, Elena; Posada, Guiomar D; García-Gimeno, Rosa M; Zurera, Gonzalo

2012-08-30

This study was conducted in eight Spanish school canteens during the period 2008-2009. Food handlers' practices, kitchen equipment, hygiene/sanitation conditions and handling practices were evaluated using checklists. In parallel, the microbiological quality and safety of ready-to-eat (RTE) vegetable salads were assessed. In addition, food contact surfaces and environmental air quality of different areas were analysed. The study determined the relationship between the microbiological quality of RTE foods and food handling practices, together with the degree of contamination of working surfaces and environmental contamination of processing and distribution areas. Some deficiencies were found regarding the use and change of gloves, hand-washing and cleanliness of working surfaces. The microbial levels detected in the foods examined indicated the absence of pathogens in the samples analysed. Surface counts were higher on cutting boards and faucets, showing insufficient cleanliness procedures. This study constitutes a descriptive analysis of the hygiene/sanitation conditions implemented in food service systems in eight Spanish school canteens. The results should help risk managers to better define control measures to be adopted in order to prevent foodborne infections. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry.

Organizational Readiness Tools for Global Health Intervention: A Review

PubMed Central

Dearing, James W.

2018-01-01

The ability of non-governmental organizations, government agencies, and corporations to deliver and support the availability and use of interventions for improved global public health depends on their readiness to do so. Yet readiness has proven to be a rather fluid concept in global public health, perhaps due to its multidimensional nature and because scholars and practitioners have applied the concept at different levels such as the individual, organization, and community. This review concerns 30 publically available tools created for the purpose of organizational readiness assessment in order to carry out global public health objectives. Results suggest that these tools assess organizational capacity in the absence of measuring organizational motivation, thus overlooking a key aspect of organizational readiness. Moreover, the tools reviewed are mostly untested by their developers to establish whether the tools do, in fact, measure capacity. These results suggest opportunities for implementation science researchers. PMID:29552552

Consumption of ready-made meals and increased risk of obesity: findings from the Observation of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Luxembourg (ORISCAV-LUX) study.

PubMed

Alkerwi, Ala'a; Crichton, Georgina E; Hébert, James R

2015-01-28

The consumption of ready-made meals, such as pre-packaged dishes, available at grocery stores and fast-food restaurants, is a habit related to our modern fast-paced lives. No study has examined the association of daily ready-made meal consumption with diet quality or health-related outcomes. The present study aimed to investigate the association between self-reported ready-made meal consumption and diet quality, as measured by compliance with dietary recommendations and with a set of adiposity measures, in a nationally representative sample of 1352 subjects, aged 18-69 years, participating in the nationwide population-based ORISCAV-LUX (Observation of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Luxembourg) survey. The daily consumption of ready-made meals was calculated as follows: frequency of consumption × portion size × number of portions consumed. The sum of the daily consumption values of the eleven pre-packaged dishes included in the FFQ represented the total daily consumption of ready-made meals (g/d) for each participant. About 97% of the participants reported daily consumption of ready-made meals. The intake was highly prevalent in men living alone and varied according to education level. Ready-made meal consumption provided >7% of total daily energy. The fractions (%) of macro- and micronutrients derived from daily consumption of ready-made meals varied from 10% for total cholesterol to 0.65% for total fibre. Increased consumption of ready-made meals was found to be independently associated with abdominal obesity. On controlling for age, sex, socio-economic status and lifestyle factors, daily consumption of ready-made meals was found to be associated with higher energy intake and with poor compliance with national nutritional recommendations, and hence it could plausibly increase the risk of central obesity and fat deposition.

Readiness of healthcare providers for eHealth: the case from primary healthcare centers in Lebanon.

PubMed

Saleh, Shadi; Khodor, Rawya; Alameddine, Mohamad; Baroud, Maysa

2016-11-10

eHealth can positively impact the efficiency and quality of healthcare services. Its potential benefits extend to the patient, healthcare provider, and organization. Primary healthcare (PHC) settings may particularly benefit from eHealth. In these settings, healthcare provider readiness is key to successful eHealth implementation. Accordingly, it is necessary to explore the potential readiness of providers to use eHealth tools. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the readiness of healthcare providers working in PHC centers in Lebanon to use eHealth tools. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess participants' socio-demographics, computer use, literacy, and access, and participants' readiness for eHealth implementation (appropriateness, management support, change efficacy, personal beneficence). The study included primary healthcare providers (physicians, nurses, other providers) working in 22 PHC centers distributed across Lebanon. Descriptive and bivariate analyses (ANOVA, independent t-test, Kruskal Wallis, Tamhane's T2) were used to compare participant characteristics to the level of readiness for the implementation of eHealth. Of the 541 questionnaires, 213 were completed (response rate: 39.4 %). The majority of participants were physicians (46.9 %), and nurses (26.8 %). Most physicians (54.0 %), nurses (61.4 %), and other providers (50.9 %) felt comfortable using computers, and had access to computers at their PHC center (physicians: 77.0 %, nurses: 87.7 %, others: 92.5 %). Frequency of computer use varied. The study found a significant difference for personal beneficence, management support, and change efficacy among different healthcare providers, and relative to participants' level of comfort using computers. There was a significant difference by level of comfort using computers and appropriateness. A significant difference was also found between those with access to computers in relation to personal beneficence and change efficacy; and between frequency of computer use and change efficacy. The implementation of eHealth cannot be achieved without the readiness of healthcare providers. This study demonstrates that the majority of healthcare providers at PHC centers across Lebanon are ready for eHealth implementation. The findings of this study can be considered by decision makers to enhance and scale-up the use of eHealth in PHC centers nationally. Efforts should be directed towards capacity building for healthcare providers.

Technology readiness levels for advanced nuclear fuels and materials development

DOE PAGES

Carmack, W. J.; Braase, L. A.; Wigeland, R. A.; ...

2016-12-23

The Technology Readiness Level (TRL) process is used to quantitatively assess the maturity of a given technology. It was pioneered by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the 1980s to develop and deploy new systems for space applications. The process was subsequently adopted by the Department of Defense (DoD) to develop and deploy new technology and systems for defense applications as well as the Department of Energy (DOE) to evaluate the maturity of new technologies in major construction projects. Advanced nuclear fuels and materials development is a critical technology needed for improving the performance and safety of currentmore » and advanced reactors, and ultimately closing the nuclear fuel cycle. Because deployment of new nuclear fuel forms requires a lengthy and expensive research, development, and demonstration program, applying the TRL concept to the advanced fuel development program is very useful as a management, communication and tracking tool. Furthermore, this article provides examples regarding the methods by which TRLs are currently used to assess the maturity of nuclear fuels and materials under development in the DOE Fuel Cycle Research and Development (FCRD) Program within the Advanced Fuels Campaign (AFC).« less

Technology readiness levels for advanced nuclear fuels and materials development

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

Carmack, W. J.; Braase, L. A.; Wigeland, R. A.

The Technology Readiness Level (TRL) process is used to quantitatively assess the maturity of a given technology. It was pioneered by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the 1980s to develop and deploy new systems for space applications. The process was subsequently adopted by the Department of Defense (DoD) to develop and deploy new technology and systems for defense applications as well as the Department of Energy (DOE) to evaluate the maturity of new technologies in major construction projects. Advanced nuclear fuels and materials development is a critical technology needed for improving the performance and safety of currentmore » and advanced reactors, and ultimately closing the nuclear fuel cycle. Because deployment of new nuclear fuel forms requires a lengthy and expensive research, development, and demonstration program, applying the TRL concept to the advanced fuel development program is very useful as a management, communication and tracking tool. Furthermore, this article provides examples regarding the methods by which TRLs are currently used to assess the maturity of nuclear fuels and materials under development in the DOE Fuel Cycle Research and Development (FCRD) Program within the Advanced Fuels Campaign (AFC).« less

Structuring Process Evaluation to Forecast Use and Sustainability of an Intervention: Theory and Data From the Efficacy Trial for Lunch Is in the Bag.

PubMed

Roberts-Gray, Cindy; Sweitzer, Sara J; Ranjit, Nalini; Potratz, Christa; Rood, Magdalena; Romo-Palafox, Maria Jose; Byrd-Williams, Courtney E; Briley, Margaret E; Hoelscher, Deanna M

2017-08-01

A cluster-randomized trial at 30 early care and education centers (Intervention = 15, waitlist Control = 15) showed the Lunch Is in the Bag intervention increased parents' packing of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in their preschool children's bag lunches (parent-child dyads = 351 Intervention, 282 Control). To examine the utility of structuring the trial's process evaluation to forecast use, sustainability, and readiness of the intervention for wider dissemination and implementation. Pretrial, the research team simulated user experience to forecast use of the intervention. Multiattribute evaluation of user experience measured during the trial assessed use and sustainability of the intervention. Thematic analysis of posttrial interviews with users evaluated sustained use and readiness for wider dissemination. Moderate use was forecast by the research team. Multiattribute evaluation of activity logs, surveys, and observations during the trial indicated use consistent with the forecast except that prevalence of parents reading the newsletters was greater (83% vs. 50%) and hearing their children talk about the classroom was less (4% vs. 50%) than forecast. Early care and education center-level likelihood of sustained use was projected to be near zero. Posttrial interviews indicated use was sustained at zero centers. Structuring the efficacy trial's process evaluation as a progression of assessments of user experience produced generally accurate forecasts of use and sustainability of the intervention at the trial sites. This approach can assist interpretation of trial outcomes, aid decisions about dissemination of the intervention, and contribute to translational science for improving health.

Use of the Nanofitin Alternative Scaffold as a GFP-Ready Fusion Tag

PubMed Central

Huet, Simon; Gorre, Harmony; Perrocheau, Anaëlle; Picot, Justine; Cinier, Mathieu

2015-01-01

With the continuous diversification of recombinant DNA technologies, the possibilities for new tailor-made protein engineering have extended on an on-going basis. Among these strategies, the use of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a fusion domain has been widely adopted for cellular imaging and protein localization. Following the lead of the direct head-to-tail fusion of GFP, we proposed to provide additional features to recombinant proteins by genetic fusion of artificially derived binders. Thus, we reported a GFP-ready fusion tag consisting of a small and robust fusion-friendly anti-GFP Nanofitin binding domain as a proof-of-concept. While limiting steric effects on the carrier, the GFP-ready tag allows the capture of GFP or its blue (BFP), cyan (CFP) and yellow (YFP) alternatives. Here, we described the generation of the GFP-ready tag from the selection of a Nanofitin variant binding to the GFP and its spectral variants with a nanomolar affinity, while displaying a remarkable folding stability, as demonstrated by its full resistance upon thermal sterilization process or the full chemical synthesis of Nanofitins. To illustrate the potential of the Nanofitin-based tag as a fusion partner, we compared the expression level in Escherichia coli and activity profile of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) constructs, fused to a SUMO or GFP-ready tag. Very similar expression levels were found with the two fusion technologies. Both domains of the GFP-ready tagged TNFα were proved fully active in ELISA and interferometry binding assays, allowing the simultaneous capture by an anti-TNFα antibody and binding to the GFP, and its spectral mutants. The GFP-ready tag was also shown inert in a L929 cell based assay, demonstrating the potent TNFα mediated apoptosis induction by the GFP-ready tagged TNFα. Eventually, we proposed the GFP-ready tag as a versatile capture and labeling system in addition to expected applications of anti-GFP Nanofitins (as illustrated with previously described state-of-the-art anti-GFP binders applied to living cells and in vitro applications). Through a single fusion domain, the GFP-ready tagged proteins benefit from subsequent customization within a wide range of fluorescence spectra upon indirect binding of a chosen GFP variant. PMID:26539718

Use of the Nanofitin Alternative Scaffold as a GFP-Ready Fusion Tag.

PubMed

Huet, Simon; Gorre, Harmony; Perrocheau, Anaëlle; Picot, Justine; Cinier, Mathieu

2015-01-01

With the continuous diversification of recombinant DNA technologies, the possibilities for new tailor-made protein engineering have extended on an on-going basis. Among these strategies, the use of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a fusion domain has been widely adopted for cellular imaging and protein localization. Following the lead of the direct head-to-tail fusion of GFP, we proposed to provide additional features to recombinant proteins by genetic fusion of artificially derived binders. Thus, we reported a GFP-ready fusion tag consisting of a small and robust fusion-friendly anti-GFP Nanofitin binding domain as a proof-of-concept. While limiting steric effects on the carrier, the GFP-ready tag allows the capture of GFP or its blue (BFP), cyan (CFP) and yellow (YFP) alternatives. Here, we described the generation of the GFP-ready tag from the selection of a Nanofitin variant binding to the GFP and its spectral variants with a nanomolar affinity, while displaying a remarkable folding stability, as demonstrated by its full resistance upon thermal sterilization process or the full chemical synthesis of Nanofitins. To illustrate the potential of the Nanofitin-based tag as a fusion partner, we compared the expression level in Escherichia coli and activity profile of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) constructs, fused to a SUMO or GFP-ready tag. Very similar expression levels were found with the two fusion technologies. Both domains of the GFP-ready tagged TNFα were proved fully active in ELISA and interferometry binding assays, allowing the simultaneous capture by an anti-TNFα antibody and binding to the GFP, and its spectral mutants. The GFP-ready tag was also shown inert in a L929 cell based assay, demonstrating the potent TNFα mediated apoptosis induction by the GFP-ready tagged TNFα. Eventually, we proposed the GFP-ready tag as a versatile capture and labeling system in addition to expected applications of anti-GFP Nanofitins (as illustrated with previously described state-of-the-art anti-GFP binders applied to living cells and in vitro applications). Through a single fusion domain, the GFP-ready tagged proteins benefit from subsequent customization within a wide range of fluorescence spectra upon indirect binding of a chosen GFP variant.

The role of homework in cognitive-behavioral therapy for cocaine dependence.

PubMed

Gonzalez, Vivian M; Schmitz, Joy M; DeLaune, Katherine A

2006-06-01

This study examines the effect of homework compliance on treatment outcome in 123 participants receiving cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for cocaine dependence. Regression analyses revealed a significant relationship between homework compliance and cocaine use that was moderated by readiness to change. Homework compliance predicted less cocaine use during treatment but only for participants higher in readiness to change. For those lower in readiness to change, homework compliance was not associated with cocaine use during treatment. Homework compliance early in therapy was associated with better retention in treatment. Homework compliance was not predicted by participants' level of education or readiness to change. These findings support the use of homework during CBT for substance use disorders. Copyright 2006 APA, all rights reserved.

Possibility to Use Mobile Learning to Promote World Heritage Site Preservation Awareness in Luang Prabang, Lao Pdr: a Readiness Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poong, Y. S.; Yamaguchi, S.; Takada, J.

2013-07-01

This paper elucidates the current state of mobile technology readiness among young adults in higher education institution based on surveys and interviews. Although Lao PDR is ranked as low category in the ICT Index by International Telecommunication Union (ITU), findings show that there exists high level of readiness among the young adults. Recommendations for future research are developed to guide the development of mobile learning application with the aim to promote World Heritage Site preservation awareness.

Raw ready-to-eat seafood safety: microbiological quality of the various seafood species available in fishery, hyper and online markets.

PubMed

Kim, H W; Hong, Y J; Jo, J I; Ha, S D; Kim, S H; Lee, H J; Rhee, M S

2017-01-01

Microbiological quality of 206 raw ready-to-eat seafood samples was investigated according to species (gizzard shad, halibut, rockfish, tuna, oyster and squid) and distribution channels (fishery, hyper and online market). Enumeration of aerobic plate count and total coliforms (TC) and pathogenic bacteria (Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus) was performed, and level of microbiological quality was classified into four groups: satisfactory, acceptable, unsatisfactory and unacceptable. Qualitative analysis was also performed for Escherichia coli and eight foodborne pathogens (B. cereus, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., S. aureus, Vibrio cholerae, V. parahaemolyticus, and Vibrio vulnificus). Raw ready-to-eat seafood products revealed 0·5% at an unsatisfactory level and 4·9% at an unacceptable level due to ≥4 log CFU g -1 of TC in squid and ≥3 log CFU g -1 of V. parahaemolyticus in gizzard shad respectively. Gizzard shad was shown to be potentially hazardous, as its sashimi is eaten with its skin attached. Bacillus cereus, E. coli, S. aureus, V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus were qualitatively detected. Samples from the fishery market showed higher detection rate especially in V. parahaemolyticus (21·6%) and V. vulnificus (1·7%) which indicates the need to improve microbiological safety of raw ready-to-eat seafood products in fishery market. Raw ready-to-eat seafood products like sashimi can be easily contaminated with various bacteria from aquatic environments and human reservoirs, which subsequently bring about a risk in food poisoning due to no heating process before consumption. The results of this study provide comprehensive microbiological data on various species of raw ready-to-eat seafood from various distribution channels. It may contribute to establish reasonable standard and effective strategies to ensure a good microbiological quality of raw ready-to-eat seafood for the safety of meals, like sashimi and sushi. © 2016 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Development of an instrument to assess readiness to recover in anorexia nervosa.

PubMed

Rieger, E; Touyz, S; Schotte, D; Beumont, P; Russell, J; Clarke, S; Kohn, M; Griffiths, R

2000-12-01

The degree to which patients with anorexia nervosa demonstrate readiness to recover from their illness has received scant theoretical or empirical attention. Investigating the prevalence and degree of amotivation for recovery in anorexia nervosa, its role in outcome, and the effectiveness of interventions designed to enhance readiness to recover necessitates the existence of a reliable and valid measure of motivational issues relevant to the disorder. The present study aimed to develop and evaluate an instrument for assessing readiness to recover in anorexia nervosa, namely, the Anorexia Nervosa Stages of Change Questionnaire (ANSOCQ), a 23-item self-report questionnaire based on Prochaska and DiClemente's stages of change model. Seventy-one inpatients with anorexia nervosa participated in the study. On several occasions during their admission, participants completed the ANSOCQ as well as questionnaires assessing readiness to recover, anorexic symptomatology, general distress, and social desirability. The ANSOCQ demonstrated good internal consistency (.90) and 1-week test-retest reliability (.89). Various aspects of validity were also supported, such as significant relationships with other instruments assessing readiness to recover and the prediction of weight gain during different periods of treatment. The results suggest that the ANSOCQ is a psychometrically sound instrument that may prove useful in investigating the role of readiness to recover in anorexia nervosa. Copyright 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Professionals Ready for Educational Partnerships (PREP): The Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Multimedia Distance Education Course on Collaboration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welch, Marshall

Professionals Ready for Educational Partnerships (PREP) is a multimedia telecourse developed at the University of Utah to help preservice teachers, graduate students in education, and practicing teachers to understand collaboration. Using an ecological perspective, participants learn how to forge partnerships in the school, home, and community.…

Using EXPLORE[R] and PLAN[R] Data to Evaluate GEAR UP Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ACT, Inc., 2007

2007-01-01

The Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program (GEAR UP) is designed to provide assistance to low income students. The program provides discretionary grants for the purpose of increasing the readiness of low income students to attend and succeed in postsecondary education. The grants are up to six years in length and provide…

Students Training for Academic Readiness (STAR): Year Five Evaluation Report. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas Center for Educational Research, 2012

2012-01-01

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, or GEAR UP, is a federally-funded system of grants that focuses on preparing low-income students to enter and succeed in postsecondary educational programs. GEAR UP grants extend across 6 school years and require that funded districts begin providing grant services to students no…

Preventing Conduct Problems and Improving School Readiness: Evaluation of the Incredible Years Teacher and Child Training Programs in High-Risk Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webster-Stratton, Carolyn; Reid, M. Jamila; Stoolmiller, Mike

2008-01-01

Background: School readiness, conceptualized as three components including emotional self-regulation, social competence, and family/school involvement, as well as absence of conduct problems play a key role in young children's future interpersonal adjustment and academic success. Unfortunately, exposure to multiple poverty-related risks increases…

Is the EdTPA the Right Choice for Evaluating Teacher Readiness?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parkes, Kelly A.; Powell, Sean R.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this article is to describe and analyze the edTPA, a performance assessment created by the Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity (SCALE) and administered by Pearson, Inc., to assess the professional readiness of student teachers. We challenge claims made in support of using this assessment, specifically within the…

Fertility in The Netherlands as an expected value process and developmental readiness.

PubMed

Taris, T W

1998-01-01

In this 2-wave panel study, the decision to have children was examined in the context of Feather's (1982) expectancy-value model among a representative sample of 288 childless Dutch adults aged 18-30 years. The effects of 2 indicators of developmental readiness (age and duration of relationship) were also explored. It was expected that (a) the likelihood of having a baby would increase as a function of intentions, evaluations of being childless, and expected rewards of having children and (b) developmental readiness would be positively related to whether respondents had children at the 2nd wave of the study. Structural equation modeling was used. The results largely supported expectations. Developmental readiness affected fertility both directly and indirectly via the expected rewards of having children.

Application of System and Integration Readiness Levels to Department of Defense Research and Development

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-07-01

etc., and all of the IRL1n rather than a technology-centric approach that included TR L1 with all its interfaces. The inter- face -centric approach...Acquisition Research Journal , 23(3), In Print. The average of the SRL vector, equation (4), describes how mature the sys- tem is. The Sauser approach...Application of System and Integration Readiness Levels to Department of Defense Research and Development. Defense Acquisition Research Journal , 23(3), In

Relating Resources to Personnel Readiness. Use of Army Strength Management Models,

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-01-01

far from the resources. In fact, they do not consider them. What they do consider is the historical performance of response variables, using a...hierarchy is the readiness of the force or the ability of the overall force to perform a given mission successfully. A force is composed of units...at the unit level. SORTS pro- duces unit "C-levels" that characterize the proportion of the wartime mission the unit can perform .5 Separate ratings

Instructional Alignment of Workplace Readiness Skills in Career and Technical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Sarah Jane

2009-01-01

The United States faces a skills shortage that goes beyond academic and technical skills. Employers report entry-level workers lack the necessary "soft" skills, also referred to as workplace readiness skills, needed for success in the workforce; thus, calling on educational institutions to make improvements in high school curriculum in…

College Readiness in California: A Look at Rigorous High School Course-Taking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gao, Niu

2016-01-01

Recognizing the educational and economic benefits of a college degree, education policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels have made college preparation a priority. There are many ways to measure college readiness, but one key component is rigorous high school coursework. California has not yet adopted a statewide college readiness…

The Relative Effects of Chronological Age on Hispanic Students' School Readiness and Grade 2 Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furlong, Michael; Quirk, Matthew

2011-01-01

This study examined the relations of age, preschool experience, and gender with children's school readiness levels at kindergarten entry. The sample included 5,512 children of predominantly Hispanic heritage and from families experiencing low socioeconomic circumstances. A series of between-subjects ANOVAs indicated that age…

School Readiness Begins in Infancy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lally, J. Ronald

2010-01-01

New discoveries in neuroscience suggest that school readiness interventions might come too late if they start after the child is three years old. Many of the skills needed to succeed in school are shaped during a baby's interactions with his or her caregivers. Unfortunately, the level of support and resources provided for new mothers and their…

Relationship between Online Learning Readiness and Structure and Interaction of Online Learning Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demir Kaymak, Zeliha; Horzum, Mehmet Baris

2013-01-01

Current study tried to determine whether a relationship exists between readiness levels of the online learning students for online learning and the perceived structure and interaction in online learning environments. In the study, cross sectional survey model was used. The study was conducted with 320 voluntary students studying online learning…

Ship Response Capability Models for Counter-Piracy Patrols in the Gulf of Aden

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

exhibit one of six possible readiness states that can fit into one of four categories 8: (a) All helicopters at high alert level ( HHH ) (b) Two...Coordinated 30 min Uncoordinated 30 min Coordinated Figure 16: Effect of helicopter readiness on response capabilities. configurations HHH , HHL and HLH

Perceptions of College Readiness and Social Capital of GED Completers in Entry-Level College Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lott, Donalyn Leufroy

2012-01-01

Examining the efficacy of literacy improvement, general education development (GED) completion, and GED completers' perceptions of college readiness and social capital was the purpose of this study. The participant sample (n = 321), derived from the target population (N = 1050), consisted of former participants of Adult Literacy Education…

Let's Not Forget the "Career" in College and Career Ready

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gillis, Victoria R.; Jones-Moore, Lisa; Haynes, Chris J.; Van Wig, Ann

2016-01-01

The recent focus on preparing K-12 students to be college and career ready has increased the attention to college-level literacies but has almost ignored career and technical courses as part of the landscape of adolescent literacy. This article explores literacies embedded in career and technical education courses, provides examples from…

An Examination of Self-Directed Learning Readiness in Executive-Level Fire Officers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knight, Steven G.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the self-directed learning readiness in executive fire officers in relation to the independent variables of personality type, educational attainment, and professional designation. This research utilized a quantitative design. This study utilized the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Self-Directed…

Creating a P-20 Continuum of Actionable Academic Indicators of Student Readiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Achieve, Inc., 2013

2013-01-01

This policy brief is a guide for state education policy leaders to use in selecting and prioritizing college- and career-ready student performance indicators. These indicators can be built into the state's accountability system through public reporting, statewide performance goals, school-level incentives, and accountability formulas used to…

Some Correlates of Reading Readiness among Children in Varying Background.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henderson, Edmund H.; Long, Barbara H.

The relationships between noncognitive factors and reading readiness in elementary school child were studied. One hundred and ninety-two entering first graders (half Negro, half white; half boys, half girls) were selected in two rural Southern counties at the initial stages of a desegregation program. The socioeconomic level of the groups was…

Standardized Tests of Handwriting Readiness: A Systematic Review of the Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Hartingsveldt, Margo J.; de Groot, Imelda J. M.; Aarts, Pauline B. M.; Nijhuis-van der Sanden, Maria W. G.

2011-01-01

Aim: To establish if there are psychometrically sound standardized tests or test items to assess handwriting readiness in 5- and 6-year-old children on the levels of occupations activities/tasks and performance. Method: Electronic databases were searched to identify measurement instruments. Tests were included in a systematic review if: (1)…

Distance Education Readiness Assessments: An Overview and Application

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gascoigne, Carolyn; Parnell, Juliette

2014-01-01

With the rise in online and hybrid courses at the post-secondary level, many institutions are offering various online learning readiness assessments to students who are considering these instructional formats. Following a discussion of the characteristics often attributed to successful online learners, as well as a review of a sample of the…

Technology readiness assessments: A retrospective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mankins, John C.

2009-11-01

The development of new system capabilities typically depends upon the prior success of advanced technology research and development efforts. These systems developments inevitably face the three major challenges of any project: performance, schedule and budget. Done well, advanced technology programs can substantially reduce the uncertainty in all three of these dimensions of project management. Done poorly, or not at all, and new system developments suffer from cost overruns, schedule delays and the steady erosion of initial performance objectives. It is often critical for senior management to be able to determine which of these two paths is more likely—and to respond accordingly. The challenge for system and technology managers is to be able to make clear, well-documented assessments of technology readiness and risks, and to do so at key points in the life cycle of the program. In the mid 1970s, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) introduced the concept of "technology readiness levels" (TRLs) as a discipline-independent, programmatic figure of merit (FOM) to allow more effective assessment of, and communication regarding the maturity of new technologies. In 1995, the TRL scale was further strengthened by the articulation of the first definitions of each level, along with examples (J. Mankins, Technology readiness levels, A White Paper, NASA, Washington, DC, 1995. [1]). Since then, TRLs have been embraced by the U.S. Congress' General Accountability Office (GAO), adopted by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), and are being considered for use by numerous other organizations. Overall, the TRLs have proved to be highly effective in communicating the status of new technologies among sometimes diverse organizations. This paper will review the concept of "technology readiness assessments", and provide a retrospective on the history of "TRLs" during the past 30 years. The paper will conclude with observations concerning prospective future directions for the important discipline of technology readiness assessments.

Assessing Organizational Readiness for a Participatory Occupational Health/Health Promotion Intervention in Skilled Nursing Facilities.

PubMed

Zhang, Yuan; Flum, Marian; West, Cheryl; Punnett, Laura

2015-09-01

The long-term care sector is characterized by high morbidity and employee turnover, along with associated costs. Effective health protection and health promotion are important to improve physical and psychosocial well-being of caregivers. Assessment of organizational readiness for change is an essential precursor to the successful implementation of workplace programs addressing work climate, structure of tasks and relationships, and other issues that may be perceived as challenging by some within the institution. This study qualitatively assessed readiness of five skilled nursing facilities for a participatory occupational health/health promotion intervention. Selection criteria were developed to screen for program feasibility and ability to conduct prospective evaluations, and information was collected from managers and employees (interviews and focus groups). Three centers were selected for the program, and the first year of formative evaluation and intervention experience was then reviewed to evaluate and modify our selection criteria after the fact. Lessons learned include adding assessment of communication and the structure of problem solving to our selection criteria, improving methods to assess management support in a concrete (potentially nonverbal) form, and obtaining a stated financial commitment and resources to enable the team to function. Assessment of organizational readiness for change is challenging, although necessary to implement effective and sustainable health promotion programs in specific organizations. © 2015 Society for Public Health Education.

Longitudinal Evaluation of Quality Improvement and Public Health Accreditation Readiness in Nebraska Local Health Departments, 2011-2016.

PubMed

Chen, Li-Wu; Gregg, Abbey; Palm, David

Public health accreditation is intended to improve the performance of public health departments, and quality improvement (QI) is an important component of the Public Health Accreditation Board process. The objective of this study was to evaluate the QI maturity and accreditation readiness of local health departments (LHDs) in Nebraska during a 6-year period that included several statewide initiatives to progress readiness, including funding and technical assistance. We used a mixed-methods approach that consisted of both online surveys and key informant interviews to assess QI maturity and accreditation readiness. Nineteen of Nebraska's 21 LHDs completed the survey in 2011 and 2013, 20 of 20 LHDs completed the survey in 2015, and 19 of 20 LHDs completed the survey in 2016. We facilitated a large group discussion with staff members from 16 LHDs in 2011, and we conducted key informant interviews with staff members from 4 LHDs in 2015. Both QI maturity and accreditation readiness improved from 2011 to 2016. In 2011, of 19 LHDs, only 6 LHD directors agreed that their LHD had a culture that focused on QI, but this number increased every year up to 12 in 2016. The number of LHDs that had a high capacity to engage in QI efforts improved from 3 in 2011 to 8 in 2016. The number of LHDs with a QI plan increased from 3 in 2011 to 10 in 2016. The number of LHDs that were confident in their ability to obtain Public Health Accreditation Board accreditation improved from 6 in 2011 to 13 in 2016. Although their QI maturity generally increased over time, LHDs interviewed in 2015 still faced challenges adopting a formal QI system. External financial and technical support helped LHDs build their QI maturity and accreditation readiness. Funding and technical assistance can improve LHDs' QI maturity and accreditation readiness. Improvement takes time and sustained efforts by LHDs, and support from external partners (eg, state health departments) helps build LHDs' QI maturity and accreditation readiness.

A Crisis in Competency: The Strategic and Ethical Imperative to Assessing New Graduate Nurses' Clinical Reasoning.

PubMed

Kavanagh, Joan M; Szweda, Christine

The aim of the study was to assess entry-level competency and practice readiness of newly graduated nurses. Literature on success of new graduates focuses primarily on National Council of State Boards of Nursing Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) pass rates, creating a false and incomplete picture of practice readiness. Posthire and prestart Performance-Based Development System assessments were administered to more than 5,000 newly graduated nurses at a large midwestern academic medical center between July 2010 and July 2015. Aggregate baseline data indicate that only 23 percent of newly graduated nurses demonstrate entry-level competencies and practice readiness. New data suggest that we are losing ground in the quest for entry-level competency. Graduates often are underprepared to operate in the complex field of professional practice where increased patient acuity and decreased length of stay, coupled with a lack of deep learning in our academic nursing programs, have exacerbated a crisis in competency.

Characterization of environmental cues for initiation of reproductive cycling and spawning in shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus in the Lower Missouri River, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Papoulias, D.M.; DeLonay, A.J.; Annis, M.L.; Wildhaber, M.L.; Tillitt, D.E.

2011-01-01

We presume that the shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus) has evolved to spawn in the springtime when environmental conditions are at some optimum, but this state has not yet been defined. In this study physiological readiness to spawn in shovelnose sturgeon was examined to define more closely when spawning could occur and thus identify and evaluate prevailing environmental conditions that could cue spawning during that period. Reproductive assessments of Lower Missouri River shovelnose during 4 years (2005-2008) and at two locations (Gavins Point Dam, South Dakota and Boonville, Missouri) were used to identify shovelnose sturgeon spawning periods. Initiation of the spawning period, as defined by the presence of reproductively ready fish, was a highly predictable yearly event and extended over several weeks at each reach. The spawning period occurred earlier in the lower reach than in the upper reach and environmental conditions during the periods varied between locations and among years. Shovelnose sturgeon collected during the presumed spawning periods were at varying degrees of readiness to spawn as indicated by oocyte polarization index and blood reproductive hormones. Evaluation of the influence of environmental factors on readiness to spawn using stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated photoperiod followed by temperature were the best candidate variables overall to explain the trend. However, within geographically distinct populations gravid females are not all reproductively synchronized. Assuming that this apparent asynchrony in readiness is normal and not an artifact of the disturbed Missouri River system, we infer that individual sturgeon can persist in a reproductively ready state until conditions appropriate for spawning occur. Taken together, our results lead us to hypothesize that gravid females early in the reproductive cycle (post-vitellogenesis) respond to day length, a reliable annual cue, become increasingly more ready to spawn in response to temperature, and that another set of cues, short-term and specific for localized environmental conditions or events, serve to signal ovulation and release of gametes.

Assessing readiness for self-directed learning within a non-traditional nursing cohort.

PubMed

Phillips, Brian N; Turnbull, Beverley J; He, Flora X

2015-03-01

Increasing deregulation of the Australian tertiary system has led to changes in entry behaviours anticipated in non-traditional student cohorts. Many nursing students are returning to formal studies later in their lives seeking a career change. Accessibility and flexible study paths make external study increasingly attractive. However external studies require a level of commitment and willingness to develop self-direction and a capacity for resilience. This study sought to elicit the level of self-directed learning readiness (SDLR) among undergraduate nursing students currently enrolled at a bachelor level, and to elicit what differences existed in the levels of SDLR in relation to age, gender, academic year, and previous qualifications. An online survey questionnaire was utilised based on the Self-directed Learning Readiness Scale for Nursing Education. In contrast to earlier work, the participant profile in this study was predominantly non-traditional and captured participants from all three years of the nursing programme. Results found no significant age or gender differences. First year students demonstrated lower levels of self-directed learning readiness. However, unexpected results were demonstrated in the survey subscales in relation to previous qualifications. Participants who already held post-graduate qualifications showed lower scores for Self-Management than those who held diploma qualifications, while students who already held a bachelor's degree had the highest scores in Desire for Learning. The study findings suggest that universities should not assume that SDL capability is dependent on mature age or length of exposure to tertiary study. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of incorporation of soy flour on functional, nutritional, and sensory properties of mushroom-moringa-supplemented healthy soup.

PubMed

Mohajan, Suman; Orchy, Tania N; Farzana, Tasnim

2018-05-01

The research study was conducted to evaluate the effect of soy flour on functional, nutritional, and sensory properties of mushroom-moringa-supplemented soup which could be used as a protein-supplemented ready-to-eat food. In this study, corn flour was supplemented with soy flour at different levels such as 20% (T4), 15% (T3), 10% (T2), and 5% (T1), and without soy flour was kept as control (T0). Fixed amount of mushroom and moringa leaf powder was added in all soup powders. Soup powders were analyzed for functional, nutritional, and sensory parameters. Bulk density (0.82-0.74 g/ml), dispersibility (82.1%-75.9%), pH (6.17-6.13), swelling capacity (3.98-3.65 ml/g), and viscosity were decreased, while water absorption capacity (70%-94%) was increased with increasing of soy flour percentages. Protein content of all the treatment groups increased from 10.66% to 19.97% along with a significant increased in fat (1.43%-6.97%), fiber (1.10%-2.30%), ash (15.77%-16.40%), and energy value (328.38-353.21 kcal/100 g) while decreased in moisture and carbohydrate content. On sensory evaluation, soup powders with 10% (T2) level of soy flour incorporation had highest scores for all the sensory attributes evaluated. Based on these results, it can be concluded that soy flour has effect on functional, nutritional, and sensory properties of soup powders and 10% supplementation of soy flour is suitable for ready-to-eat soup formulation. Besides these, use of mushroom and moringa leaf may also increase its nutritional value. Soup developed in this way may be sufficient to meet day-to-day nutritional requirements as a supplement.

Institutionalizing the evaluation of health programs and policies in France: "cuisine internationale" over fast food and "sur mesure" over ready-made.

PubMed

Hartz, Z M

1999-01-01

The purpose of this article is to describe several chronological milestones in institutionalizing the evaluation of public programs and policies in France from a governmental perspective and in the health sector, situating such references in the international context. The institutional nature of evaluation implies integrating it into an action-oriented model, linking analytical activities to management, thus constituting the formulation of an evaluation policy for policy evaluation. The study focuses on issues related to the structure, practice, and utilization of evaluation results as well as other characteristics providing the French model with a certain resistance to traditional "fast-food" or "ready-made" methodological approaches. The institutionalization of sectorial evaluation appears more promising than that of the government's centralized channel, despite the work developed by a Scientific Evaluation Council, and suggests avenues for reflection and debate pertaining to the Brazilian Unified Health System.

Nondestructive and continuous monitoring of oxygen levels in modified atmosphere packaged ready-to-eat mixed salad products using optical oxygen sensors, and its effects on sensory and microbiological counts during storage.

PubMed

Hempel, A; O'Sullivan, M G; Papkovsky, D B; Kerry, J P

2013-07-01

The objective of this study was to determine the percentage oxygen consumption of fresh, respiring ready-to-eat (RTE) mixed leaf salad products (Iceberg salad leaf, Caesar salad leaf, and Italian salad leaf). These were held under different modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) conditions (5% O2 , 5% CO2 , 90% N2 (MAPC-commercial control), 21% O2 , 5% CO2 , 74% N2 (MAP 1), 45% O2 , 5% CO2 , 50% N2 (MAP 2), and 60% O2 , 5% CO2 , 35% N2 (MAP 3)) and 4 °C for up to 10 d. The quality and shelf-life stability of all packaged salad products were evaluated using sensory, physiochemical, and microbial assessment. Oxygen levels in all MAP packs were measured on each day of analysis using optical oxygen sensors allowing for nondestructive assessment of packs. Analysis showed that with the exception of control packs, oxygen levels for all MAP treatments decreased by approximately 10% after 7 d of storage. Oxygen levels in control packs were depleted after 7 d of storage. This appears to have had no detrimental effect on either the sensory quality or shelf-life stability of any of the salad products investigated. Additionally, the presence of higher levels of oxygen in modified atmosphere packs did not significantly improve product quality or shelf-life stability; however, these additional levels of oxygen were freely available to fresh respiring produce if required. This study shows that the application of optical sensors in MAP packs was successful in nondestructively monitoring oxygen level, or changes in oxygen level, during refrigerated storage of RTE salad products. © 2013 Institute of Food Technologists®

CDC/NACCHO Accreditation Support Initiative: advancing readiness for local and tribal health department accreditation.

PubMed

Monteiro, Erinn; Fisher, Jessica Solomon; Daub, Teresa; Zamperetti, Michelle Chuk

2014-01-01

Health departments have various unique needs that must be addressed in preparing for national accreditation. These needs require time and resources, shortages that many health departments face. The Accreditation Support Initiative's goal was to test the assumption that even small amounts of dedicated funding can help health departments make important progress in their readiness to apply for and achieve accreditation. Participating sites' scopes of work were unique to the needs of each site and based on the proposed activities outlined in their applications. Deliverables and various sources of data were collected from sites throughout the project period (December 2011-May 2012). Awardees included 1 tribal and 12 local health departments, as well as 5 organizations supporting the readiness of local and tribal health departments. Sites dedicated their funding toward staff time, accreditation fees, completion of documentation, and other accreditation readiness needs and produced a number of deliverables and example documents. All sites indicated that they made accreditation readiness gains that would not have occurred without this funding. Preliminary evaluation data from the first year of the Accreditation Support Initiative indicate that flexible funding arrangements may be an effective way to increase health departments' accreditation readiness.

Assessment of the Technical Maturity of Generation IV Concepts for Test or Demonstration Reactor Applications, Revision 2

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

Gougar, Hans David

2015-10-01

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) commissioned a study the suitability of different advanced reactor concepts to support materials irradiations (i.e. a test reactor) or to demonstrate an advanced power plant/fuel cycle concept (demonstration reactor). As part of the study, an assessment of the technical maturity of the individual concepts was undertaken to see which, if any, can support near-term deployment. A Working Group composed of the authors of this document performed the maturity assessment using the Technical Readiness Levels as defined in DOE’s Technology Readiness Guide . One representative design was selected for assessment from of each ofmore » the six Generation-IV reactor types: gas-cooled fast reactor (GFR), lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR), molten salt reactor (MSR), supercritical water-cooled reactor (SCWR), sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR), and very high temperature reactor (VHTR). Background information was obtained from previous detailed evaluations such as the Generation-IV Roadmap but other technical references were also used including consultations with concept proponents and subject matter experts. Outside of Generation IV activity in which the US is a party, non-U.S. experience or data sources were generally not factored into the evaluations as one cannot assume that this data is easily available or of sufficient quality to be used for licensing a US facility. The Working Group established the scope of the assessment (which systems and subsystems needed to be considered), adapted a specific technology readiness scale, and scored each system through discussions designed to achieve internal consistency across concepts. In general, the Working Group sought to determine which of the reactor options have sufficient maturity to serve either the test or demonstration reactor missions.« less

Evaluation in Human Resource Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1999

These four papers are from a symposium on evaluation in human resource development (HRD). "Assessing Organizational Readiness for Learning through Evaluative Inquiry" (Hallie Preskill, Rosalie T. Torres) reviews how evaluative inquiry can facilitate organizational learning; argues HRD evaluation should be reconceptualized as a process…

Vocational Students’ Motivation for Professional Skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sojow, L.; Wajong, A.; Sangi, N.

2018-02-01

The purpose of this research is to know whether there is a positive and significant correlation between readiness work and achievement motivation with performance of vocational education graduates. Expost facto research method by taking data with instrument was employed in this study. To obtain data on work attitude variables, achievement motivation is taken from primary data through employee respondents in Bitung City, Indonesia industry with a sample of 37 people. Results of the research show that: (i) good work readiness is the dominant element in determining the performance level of vocational graduate worker. (ii) There is correlation between achievement motivation with graduate performance, (iii) there is correlation between work readiness and achievement motivation together with graduate performance. The contribution of work readiness and achievement motivation together with graduate performance was 73%.

Tools of the Mind: Promoting the School Readiness of ELLs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hammer, Carol Scheffner; Blair, Clancy; Lopez, Lisa; Leong, Deb; Bedrova, Elena

2012-01-01

The purpose of this research is to examine the efficacy of "Tools of the Mind". Specifically, the aims of the research are to: (1) Evaluate the short- and long-term outcomes of Tools of the Mind, designed to promote school readiness for Latino preschoolers who are English Language Learners and at risk for later school difficulties; (2)…

An Argument-Based Approach to the Validation of UHTRUST: Can We Measure How Recent Graduates Can Be Trusted with Unfamiliar Tasks?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wijnen-Meijer, M.; Van der Schaaf, M.; Booij, E.; Harendza, S.; Boscardin, C.; Wijngaarden, J. Van; Ten Cate, Th. J.

2013-01-01

There is a need for valid methods to assess the readiness for clinical practice of medical graduates. This study evaluates the validity of Utrecht Hamburg Trainee Responsibility for Unfamiliar Situations Test (UHTRUST), an authentic simulation procedure to assess whether medical trainees are ready to be entrusted with unfamiliar clinical tasks…

2012 Preschool Pilot Study of PBS KIDS Transmedia Mathematics Content: A Report to the CPB-PBS "Ready to Learn Initiative"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pasnik, Shelley; Llorente, Carlin

2012-01-01

The 2012 Preschool Pilot Study of PBS KIDS Transmedia Mathematics Content (Preschool Pilot) is an important part of the authors' multiyear "Ready To Learn" (RTL) summative evaluation initiative. Through this initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), it was the responsibility…

Profiles of Social-Emotional Readiness for 4-Year-Old Kindergarten

PubMed Central

Miller, Michele M.; Goldsmith, H. Hill

2017-01-01

Children who are viewed as ready for kindergarten and/or first grade typically exhibit high attention, approach, and adaptability coupled with low activity and reactivity. These characteristics tend to be especially valued by teachers and describe a child who is “teachable,” or school ready. Since many children enter formal schooling earlier by attending pre-K for 4-year olds, often called 4-year-old kindergarten, there is a need to examine school readiness earlier than kindergarten, which may look very different developmentally. If we expect children to enter formal schooling at age 4, then it should be clear what we expect of them in order to succeed. We explored which temperament, behavior, and cognitive items teachers of 4-year-old kindergarten (N = 29) rated as highly characteristic versus uncharacteristic of ready 4-year-olds. This teacher-generated data identified five clusters of children who were deemed ready for 4-year-old kindergarten. Teachers noted high cognitive skills and following directions as salient in many of the clusters, which aligns with the readiness expectations for kindergarten and first grade. However, items that distinguished the five clusters from one another referenced differences in activity level, sociability, shyness, enthusiasm, and patience that were not expected based on the previous literature with slightly older children. Given that some of the children teachers identified as especially ready for 4-year-old kindergarten did not fit this static model of a “teachable” child, a single profile of school readiness at an early age may be inappropriate. PMID:28197124

A new in silico classification model for ready biodegradability, based on molecular fragments.

PubMed

Lombardo, Anna; Pizzo, Fabiola; Benfenati, Emilio; Manganaro, Alberto; Ferrari, Thomas; Gini, Giuseppina

2014-08-01

Regulations such as the European REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and restriction of Chemicals) often require chemicals to be evaluated for ready biodegradability, to assess the potential risk for environmental and human health. Because not all chemicals can be tested, there is an increasing demand for tools for quick and inexpensive biodegradability screening, such as computer-based (in silico) theoretical models. We developed an in silico model starting from a dataset of 728 chemicals with ready biodegradability data (MITI-test Ministry of International Trade and Industry). We used the novel software SARpy to automatically extract, through a structural fragmentation process, a set of substructures statistically related to ready biodegradability. Then, we analysed these substructures in order to build some general rules. The model consists of a rule-set made up of the combination of the statistically relevant fragments and of the expert-based rules. The model gives good statistical performance with 92%, 82% and 76% accuracy on the training, test and external set respectively. These results are comparable with other in silico models like BIOWIN developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); moreover this new model includes an easily understandable explanation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A multi-level examination of how the organizational context relates to readiness to implement prevention and evidence-based programming in community settings.

PubMed

Chilenski, Sarah M; Olson, Jonathan R; Schulte, Jill A; Perkins, Daniel F; Spoth, Richard

2015-02-01

Prior theoretical and empirical research suggests that multiple aspects of an organization's context are likely related to a number of factors, from their interest and ability to adopt new programming, to client outcomes. A limited amount of the prior research has taken a more community-wide perspective by examining factors that associate with community readiness for change, leaving how these findings generalize to community organizations that conduct prevention or positive youth development programs unknown. Thus for the current study, we examined how the organizational context of the Cooperative Extension System (CES) associates with current attitudes and practices regarding prevention and evidence-based programming. Attitudes and practices have been found in the empirical literature to be key indicators of an organization's readiness to adopt prevention and evidence-based programming. Based on multi-level mixed models, results indicate that organizational management practices distinct from program delivery may affect an organization's readiness to adopt and implement new prevention and evidence-based youth programs, thereby limiting the potential public health impact of evidence-based programs. Openness to change, openness of leadership, and communication were the strongest predictors identified within this study. An organization's morale was also found to be a strong predictor of an organization's readiness. The findings of the current study are discussed in terms of implications for prevention and intervention.

A Multi-level Examination of how the Organizational Context Relates to Readiness to Implement Prevention and Evidence-Based Programming in Community Settings

PubMed Central

Chilenski, Sarah M.; Olson, Jonathan R.; Schulte, Jill A.; Perkins, Daniel F.; Spoth, Richard

2015-01-01

Prior theoretical and empirical research suggests that multiple aspects of an organization’s context are likely related to a number of factors, from their interest and ability to adopt new programming, to client outcomes. A limited amount of the prior research has taken a more community-wide perspective by examining factors that associate with community readiness for change, leaving how these findings generalize to community organizations that conduct prevention or positive youth development programs unknown. Thus for the current study, we examined how the organizational context of the Cooperative Extension System (CES) associates with current attitudes and practices regarding prevention and evidence-based programming. Attitudes and practices have been found in the empirical literature to be key indicators of an organization’s readiness to adopt prevention and evidence-based programming. Based on multi-level mixed models, results indicate that organizational management practices distinct from program delivery may affect an organization’s readiness to adopt and implement new prevention and evidence-based youth programs, thereby limiting the potential public health impact of evidence-based programs. Openness to change, openness of leadership, and communication were the strongest predictors identified within this study. An organization’s morale was also found to be a strong predictor of an organization’s readiness. The findings of the current study are discussed in terms of implications for prevention and intervention. PMID:25463014

Saudi EFL Teachers' Readiness and Perceptions of Young Learners Teaching at Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fahd Al Malihi, Joza

2015-01-01

This study aimed to investigate EFL elementary school teachers' perception of their own readiness to teach young learners at Saudi schools as it has been recently introduced at this level. Further, it inspects their major needs that should be considered when developing teacher-training programs. A questionnaire was distributed targeting elementary…

West Virginia Digital Learning: Report to the Governor, Legislature, and West Virginia Board of Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alliance for Excellent Education, 2014

2014-01-01

Accomplishing personalized, deeper learning through anywhere, anytime digital learning requires a redesign of the K-12 education system. This report looks at readiness for digital learning at two levels in West Virginia: the district capacity building to ready the system for digital learning and school implementation of digital learning. The…

Where to Focus so Students Become College and Career Ready

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curry, Donna

2017-01-01

In this Forum article, Curry focuses on a few ways math and numeracy instructors can assure their students are ready for college and/or a career. For example, when considering the math levels of so many adult learners, teachers might focus on teaching their students how to reason mathematically, and ensure that they have a solid conceptual…

How to Make STEM Education Cool for Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steel, David

2012-01-01

Of all U.S. high school students who graduated in 2011, only 45 percent were ready for college-level math and a mere 30 percent were ready for science, according to ACT, a college-entrance testing agency. These data reflect the great challenge facing the United States in preparing students for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)…

Does an Early College Readiness Signal Discourage College Application and Enrollment?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Jacob S.

2015-01-01

States are currently seeking ways to improve alignment between K-12 and postsecondary education and better prepare students for postsecondary schooling. Some states have begun implementing policies that inform high school students that they are not ready for college-level courses well before they graduate, in order to give both notice and time to…

Technology Readiness, Internet Self-Efficacy and Computing Experience of Professional Accounting Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Ming-Ling

2008-01-01

Purpose: This study aims to assess the state of technology readiness of professional accounting students in Malaysia, to examine their level of internet self-efficacy, to assess their prior computing experience, and to explore if they are satisfied with the professional course that they are pursuing in improving their technology skills.…

Ready to Succeed: All Students Prepared for College and Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ACT, Inc., 2006

2006-01-01

The nation's social and economic future depends on the ability to increase the percentage of students who leave high school ready for college and work. The workplace is changing and demanding a higher level of skills than ever before. Though more and more young adults realize the importance of higher education and aspire to continue their…

Higher Ed. Gets Voting Rights on Assessments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gewertz, Catherine

2012-01-01

A group of states that is designing tests for the common academic standards has taken a key step to ensure that the assessments reflect students' readiness for college-level work: It gave top higher education officials from member states voting power on test-design questions that are closest to the heart of the college-readiness question. At its…

Readiness for Mobile Learning: Multidisciplinary Cases from Yaroslavl State University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khryashchev, Vladimir; Kasatkina, Natalia; Sokolenko, Dmitry

2017-01-01

The survey data suggest a high technical and sufficient psychological readiness of Yaroslavl State University students to use mobile devices in learning. The results of the research prove that students have an above the average level of interest and motivation in learning with the help of mobile devices. Nevertheless, it is obvious that there is a…

Defining the Intensity of High School Mathematics: Distinguishing the Difference between College-Ready and College-Eligible Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zelkowski, Jeremy

2011-01-01

This study was conducted to discover and examine school-level characteristics that can affect change in high school graduates from being college-eligible to college-ready. Using the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS:88), the article describes and interprets the results. Findings indicate school personnel (principals, teachers,…

Developing MOOCs to Narrow the College Readiness Gap: Challenges and Recommendations for a Writing Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bandi-Rao, Shoba; Devers, Christopher J.

2015-01-01

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have demonstrated the potential to deliver quality and cost effective course materials to large numbers of students. Approximately 60% of first-year students at community colleges are underprepared for college-level coursework. One reason for low graduation rates is the lack of the overall college readiness.…

Primary Mental Abilities and Metropolitan Readiness Tests as Predictors of Achievement in the First Primary Year.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

University City School District, MO.

The prediction of achievement provides teachers with necessary information to help children attain optimal achievement. If some skill prerequistites to learning which are not fully developed can be identified and strengthened, higher levels of achievement may result. The Metropolitan Readiness Tests (MRT) are routinely given to all University City…

Cognitive Readiness of Students at Teacher Colleges to Support Individuals with Stigmatized Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuprienko, T. P.

2015-01-01

The article reviews the evidence of the professional readiness of future educational psychologists to perform professional functions, and consider the levels of general cognitive and psychological aptitude of students at teacher colleges to support people with stigmatized gender identity and sexual orientation. [This article was translated by…

Using the Community Readiness Model in Native Communities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jumper-Thurman, Pamela; Plested, Barbara A.; Edwards, Ruth W.; Helm, Heather M.; Oetting, Eugene R.

The effects of alcohol and other drug abuse are recognized as a serious problem in U.S. communities. Policy efforts and increased law enforcement have only a minimal impact if prevention strategies are not consistent with the community's level of readiness, are not culturally relevant, and are not community-specific. A model has been developed for…

Determining College Readiness in California's Community Colleges: A Survey of Assessment and Placement Policies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez, Olga; Mejia, Marisol Cuellar; Johnson, Hans

2016-01-01

Every year, California's community colleges identify hundreds of thousands of students as not ready for transfer-level courses in math and English. Since these courses are required to transfer to a four-year college, students deemed underprepared are placed in developmental (also known as remedial or basic-skills) courses to prepare for college…

Get Ready, Get in, Get through: Factors That Influence Latino College Student Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Joel P.; Murphy, Shirley A.

2018-01-01

"Get ready, get in, and get through." Latino adolescents and young adults are enrolling in the nation's colleges and universities at record numbers. However, completion rates of Latinos range from 8% to 25%. We examined individual rather than organizational factors shown to influence Latino student post-secondary levels of success.…

Teaching via Mobile Phone: A Case Study on Malaysian Teachers' Technology Acceptance and Readiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ismail, Issham; Bokhare, Siti F.; Azizan, Siti N.; Azman, Nizuwan

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study is to identify the level of technology acceptance among school teachers from the components of awareness and motivation, training and courses, training design, and supports and facilities. This study also aims to investigate whether teachers' acceptance of technology could influence their readiness for the pedagogical use…

Curiosity Didn't Kill This Cat: Studs Terkel for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Susan

2010-01-01

After years of studying academic English, many students are ready to move beyond language designed for the classroom, or what Yoshida (2001) calls "fishbowl" English, to the language of the "open sea." As students develop beyond the beginner level, they are ready to read and discuss appropriate authentic texts. Even students who are unsure of…

A Correlational Study of Self-Directed Learning Readiness and Learning Activity Preference for Continuing Medical Education among Family Physicians

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrett, Theresa J.

2014-01-01

This quantitative, nonexperimental, correlational study sought to determine whether a relationship exists between family physicians' levels of self-directed learning readiness (SDLR) and their preferences for continuing medical education (CME) activities. The study also sought to determine whether years in clinical practice or size of clinical…

The Relationship between Prospective Teachers' Readiness and Satisfactions about Web-Based Distance Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozturk, Duygu Saniye; Ozturk, Faruk; Ozen, Rasit

2018-01-01

Distance education is a kind of education in which learner and teacher communicate through a means either simultaneously or at different times being present in different places. In this study, it is aimed to determine the prospective teachers' readiness and satisfaction levels after the procedure related with the courses which they take through…

Computer Skills Training and Readiness to Work with Computers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mor, Dalit; Laks, Hagar; Hershkovitz, Arnon

2016-01-01

In today's job market, computer skills are part of the prerequisites for many jobs. In this paper, we report on a study of readiness to work with computers (the dependent variable) among unemployed women (N = 54) after participating in a unique, web-supported training focused on computer skills and empowerment. Overall, the level of participants'…

Work-Ready Testing: Education and Employability in Neoliberal Times

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lakes, Richard

2011-01-01

Work-ready is used to measure employability levels among the working classes. This is the neoliberal era of human capital accounting, and global business pins its profits and losses on worker knowledge and job skills. Employers do not believe that school-based curriculums are capable of properly preparing future workers; and the paper diploma is…

Ammonium accumulation in commercially available embryo culture media and protein supplements during storage at 2-8°C and during incubation at 37°C.

PubMed

Kleijkers, Sander H M; van Montfoort, Aafke P A; Bekers, Otto; Coonen, Edith; Derhaag, Josien G; Evers, Johannes L H; Dumoulin, John C M

2016-06-01

Does ammonium accumulate in commercially available culture media and protein supplements used for in vitro development of human pre-implantation embryos during storage and incubation? Ammonium accumulates in ready-to-use in vitro fertilization (IVF) culture media during storage at 2-8°C and in ready-to-use IVF culture media and protein supplements during incubation at 37°C. Both animal and human studies have shown that the presence of ammonium in culture medium has detrimental effects on embryonic development and pregnancy rate. It is, therefore, important to assess the amount of ammonium accumulation in ready-to-use IVF culture media under conditions that are common in daily practice. Ammonium accumulation was investigated in 15 ready-to-use media, 11 protein-free media and 8 protein supplements. Ammonium was measured by the use of an enzymatic method with glutamate dehydrogenase. To simulate the storage and incubation conditions during IVF treatments, ammonium concentrations were measured at different time-points during storage at 2-8°C for 6 weeks and during incubation at 37°C for 4 days. All ready-to-use, i.e. protein supplemented, culture media showed ammonium accumulation during storage for 6 weeks (ranging from 9.2 to 99.8 µM) and during incubation for 4 days (ranging from 8.4 to 138.6 µM), resulting in levels that might affect embryo development. The protein supplements also showed ammonium accumulation, while the culture media without protein supplementation did not. The main sources of ammonium buildup in ready-to-use culture media were unstable glutamine and the protein supplements. No additional ammonium buildup was found during incubation when using an oil overlay or with the presence of an embryo in the culture droplet. In addition to the unstable glutamine and the protein supplements, other free amino acids might contribute to the ammonium buildup. We did not investigate the deterioration of other components in the media. Break-down of components into ammonium is more pronounced during incubation at 37°C, however, it is not negligible during storage at 2-8°C. This results in increasing ammonium levels in culture media over time that may affect embryo development. Therefore, it is important that the use of free l-glutamine in human embryo culture media is stopped and that the use of protein supplements is thoroughly evaluated. No funding or no competing interests declared. Not applicable. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Vision readiness of the reserve forces of the U.S. Army.

PubMed

Weaver, J L; McAlister, W H

2001-01-01

In 1996 and 1997, the Army conducted an exercise to assess the ability to rapidly mobilize the reserve forces. In accordance with Army requirements, each soldier was evaluated to determine if he or she met vision and optical readiness standards. Of the 1,947 individuals processed through the optometry section, 40% met vision requirements without correction and 32% met vision requirements with their current spectacles. The remaining 28% required examination. A major impediment to processing reserve units for deployment is the lack of vision and optical readiness. In the mobilization for the Persian Gulf War, significant delays were incurred because of the time required to perform eye examinations and fabricate eyewear. However, as a result of this exercise, current prescriptions will be available in the event of mobilization. To ensure readiness, all units should perform such exercises periodically.

Readiness Review of BWXT for Fabrication of AGR-5/6/7 TRISO Particles

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

Marshall, Douglas William; Sharp, Michelle Tracy

2016-02-01

INL readiness review assessment of BWXT readiness to commence fabrication of low-enriched TRISO coated fuel particles for the AGR-5/6/7 irradiation experiments. BWXT self-identified equipment issues preventing operation. INL identified two findings. The first was that disposition codes had not been assigned and documented on BWXT forms to ensure that off-specification materials could not be used in the fabrication of TRISO particles. The second was that chemical purity specifications were not reliably passed on to chemical suppliers, which resulted in the receipt of one acetylene cylinder with suspect impurity levels.

Advanced Life Support Water Recycling Technologies Case Studies: Vapor Phase Catalytic Ammonia Removal and Direct Osmotic Concentration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flynn, Michael

2004-01-01

Design for microgravity has traditionally not been well integrated early on into the development of advanced life support (ALS) technologies. NASA currently has a many ALS technologies that are currently being developed to high technology readiness levels but have not been formally evaluated for microgravity compatibility. Two examples of such technologies are the Vapor Phase Catalytic Ammonia Removal Technology and the Direct Osmotic Concentration Technology. This presentation will cover the design of theses two systems and will identify potential microgravity issues.

Integrative Literature Review: Ascertaining Discharge Readiness for Pediatrics After Anesthesia.

PubMed

Whitley, Deborah R

2016-02-01

Unplanned hospital readmissions after the administration of general anesthesia for ambulatory procedures may contribute to loss of reimbursement and assessment of financial penalties. Pediatric patients represent a unique anesthetic risk. The purpose of this integrative literature review was to ascertain specific criteria used to evaluate discharge readiness for pediatric patients after anesthesia. This study is an integrative review of literature. An integrative literature search was conducted and included literature sources dated January 2008 to November 2013. Key words included pediatric, anesthesia, discharge, criteria, standards, assessment, recovery, postoperative, postanesthesia, scale, score, outpatient, and ambulatory. Eleven literature sources that contributed significantly to the research question were identified. Levels of evidence included three systematic reviews, one randomized controlled trial, three cohort studies, two case series, and two expert opinions. This integrative literature review revealed evidence-based discharge criteria endorsing home readiness for postanesthesia pediatric patients should incorporate consideration for physiological baselines, professional judgment with regard to infant consciousness, and professional practice standards/guidelines. Additionally, identifying and ensuring discharge to a competent adult was considered imperative. Nurses should be aware that frequently used anesthesia scoring systems originated in the 1970s, and this review was unable to locate current literature examining the reliability and validity of their use in conjunction with modern anesthesia-related health care practices. Copyright © 2016 American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Uncover the Cloud for Geospatial Sciences and Applications to Adopt Cloud Computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, C.; Huang, Q.; Xia, J.; Liu, K.; Li, J.; Xu, C.; Sun, M.; Bambacus, M.; Xu, Y.; Fay, D.

2012-12-01

Cloud computing is emerging as the future infrastructure for providing computing resources to support and enable scientific research, engineering development, and application construction, as well as work force education. On the other hand, there is a lot of doubt about the readiness of cloud computing to support a variety of scientific research, development and educations. This research is a project funded by NASA SMD to investigate through holistic studies how ready is the cloud computing to support geosciences. Four applications with different computing characteristics including data, computing, concurrent, and spatiotemporal intensities are taken to test the readiness of cloud computing to support geosciences. Three popular and representative cloud platforms including Amazon EC2, Microsoft Azure, and NASA Nebula as well as a traditional cluster are utilized in the study. Results illustrates that cloud is ready to some degree but more research needs to be done to fully implemented the cloud benefit as advertised by many vendors and defined by NIST. Specifically, 1) most cloud platform could help stand up new computing instances, a new computer, in a few minutes as envisioned, therefore, is ready to support most computing needs in an on demand fashion; 2) the load balance and elasticity, a defining characteristic, is ready in some cloud platforms, such as Amazon EC2, to support bigger jobs, e.g., needs response in minutes, while some are not ready to support the elasticity and load balance well. All cloud platform needs further research and development to support real time application at subminute level; 3) the user interface and functionality of cloud platforms vary a lot and some of them are very professional and well supported/documented, such as Amazon EC2, some of them needs significant improvement for the general public to adopt cloud computing without professional training or knowledge about computing infrastructure; 4) the security is a big concern in cloud computing platform, with the sharing spirit of cloud computing, it is very hard to ensure higher level security, except a private cloud is built for a specific organization without public access, public cloud platform does not support FISMA medium level yet and may never be able to support FISMA high level; 5) HPC jobs needs of cloud computing is not well supported and only Amazon EC2 supports this well. The research is being taken by NASA and other agencies to consider cloud computing adoption. We hope the publication of the research would also benefit the public to adopt cloud computing.

The utility of single-item readiness screeners in middle school.

PubMed

Lewis, Crystal G; Herman, Keith C; Huang, Francis L; Stormont, Melissa; Grossman, Caroline; Eddy, Colleen; Reinke, Wendy M

2017-10-01

This study examined the benefit of utilizing one-item academic and one-item behavior readiness teacher-rated screeners at the beginning of the school year to predict end-of-school year outcomes for middle school students. The Middle School Academic and Behavior Readiness (M-ABR) screeners were developed to provide an efficient and effective way to assess readiness in students. Participants included 889 students in 62 middle school classrooms in an urban Missouri school district. Concurrent validity with the M-ABR items and other indicators of readiness in the fall were evaluated using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients, with the academic readiness item having medium to strong correlations with other baseline academic indicators (r=±0.56 to 0.91) and the behavior readiness item having low to strong correlations with baseline behavior items (r=±0.20 to 0.79). Next, the predictive validity of the M-ABR items was analyzed with hierarchical linear regressions using end-of-year outcomes as the dependent variable. The academic and behavior readiness items demonstrated adequate validity for all outcomes with moderate effects (β=±0.31 to 0.73 for academic outcomes and β=±0.24 to 0.59 for behavioral outcomes) after controlling for baseline demographics. Even after controlling for baseline scores, the M-ABR items predicted unique variance in almost all outcome variables. Four conditional probability indices were calculated to obtain an optimal cut score, to determine ready vs. not ready, for both single-item M-ABR scales. The cut point of "fair" yielded the most acceptable values for the indices. The odd ratios (OR) of experiencing negative outcomes given a "fair" or lower readiness rating (2 or below on the M-ABR screeners) at the beginning of the year were significant and strong for all outcomes (OR=2.29 to OR=14.46), except for internalizing problems. These findings suggest promise for using single readiness items to screen for varying negative end-of-year student outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A framework for community ownership of a text messaging programme to improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy and client-provider communication: a mixed methods study.

PubMed

Mbuagbaw, Lawrence; Bonono-Momnougui, Renee-Cecile; Thabane, Lehana; Kouanfack, Charles; Smieja, Marek; Ongolo-Zogo, Pierre

2014-09-26

Mobile phone text messaging has been shown to improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy and to improve communication between patients and health care workers. It is unclear which strategies are most appropriate for scaling up text messaging programmes. We sought to investigate acceptability and readiness for ownership (community members designing, sending and receiving text messages) of a text message programme among a community of clients living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Yaoundé, Cameroon and to develop a framework for implementation. We used the mixed-methods sequential exploratory design. In the qualitative strand we conducted 7 focus group discussions (57 participants) to elicit themes related to acceptability and readiness. In the quantitative strand we explored the generalizability of these themes in a survey of 420 clients. Qualitative and quantitative data were merged to generate meta-inferences. Both qualitative and quantitative strands showed high levels of acceptability and readiness despite low rates of participation in other community-led projects. In the qualitative strand, compared to the quantitative strand, more potential service users were willing to pay for a text messaging service, preferred participation of health personnel in managing the project and preferred that the project be based in the hospital rather than in the community. Some of the limitations identified to implementing a community-owned project were lack of management skills in the community, financial, technical and literacy challenges. Participants who were willing to pay were more likely to find the project acceptable and expressed positive feelings about community readiness to own a text messaging project. Community ownership of a text messaging programme is acceptable to the community of clients at the Yaoundé Central Hospital. Our framework for implementation includes components for community members who take on roles as services users (demonstrating clear benefits, allowing a trial period and ensuring high levels of confidentiality) or service providers (training in project management and securing sustainable funding). Such a project can be evaluated using participation rate, clinical outcomes, satisfaction with the service, cost and feedback from users.

NASA Technology Readiness Level Definitions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcnamara, Karen M.

2012-01-01

This presentation will cover the basic Technology Readiness Level (TRL) definitions used by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and their specific wording. We will discuss how they are used in the NASA Project Life Cycle and their effectiveness in practice. We'll also discuss the recent efforts by the International Standards Organization (ISO) to develop a broadly acceptable set of TRL definitions for the international space community and some of the issues brought to light. This information will provide input for further discussion of the use of the TRL scale in manufacturing.

Effects of Online Comments on Smokers’ Perception of Anti-Smoking Public Service Announcements

PubMed Central

Shi, Rui; Messaris, Paul; Cappella, Joseph N.

2014-01-01

On YouTube anti-smoking PSAs are widely viewed and uploaded; they also receive extensive commentary by viewers. This study examined whether such evaluative comments with or without uncivil expressions influence evaluations by subsequent viewers. Results showed PSAs with positive (i.e. anti-smoking) comments were perceived by smokers as more effective than PSAs with negative (pro smoking) comments. Smokers in the no comment condition gave the highest perceived effectiveness score to PSAs. Smokers’ readiness to quit smoking moderated the effect of comments on PSA evaluation. Smokers reading negative uncivil comments reported more negative attitude toward quitting and a lower level of perceived risk of smoking than those reading negative civil comments but positive civil and positive uncivil comments didn't elicit different responses. PMID:25561825

Effects of Online Comments on Smokers' Perception of Anti-Smoking Public Service Announcements.

PubMed

Shi, Rui; Messaris, Paul; Cappella, Joseph N

2014-07-01

On YouTube anti-smoking PSAs are widely viewed and uploaded; they also receive extensive commentary by viewers. This study examined whether such evaluative comments with or without uncivil expressions influence evaluations by subsequent viewers. Results showed PSAs with positive (i.e. anti-smoking) comments were perceived by smokers as more effective than PSAs with negative (pro smoking) comments. Smokers in the no comment condition gave the highest perceived effectiveness score to PSAs. Smokers' readiness to quit smoking moderated the effect of comments on PSA evaluation. Smokers reading negative uncivil comments reported more negative attitude toward quitting and a lower level of perceived risk of smoking than those reading negative civil comments but positive civil and positive uncivil comments didn't elicit different responses.

Express-evaluation of the psycho-physiological condition of Paralympic athletes

PubMed Central

Drozdovski, Alexander; Gromova, Irina; Korotkov, Konstantin; Shelkov, Oleg; Akinnagbe, Femi

2012-01-01

Objective Evaluation of elite athletes’ psycho-physiological condition at various stages of preparation and in international competition. Design Athletes were tested during training and participation in international competition using methods of galvanic skin response (GSR) and gas discharge visualization (GDV). Setting Saint Petersburg Federal Research Institute of Physical Culture and Sport, Russia and Paralympic athletic training camp, Norway. Participants Eighteen athletes from Russia’s Skiing and Biathlon Paralympic Team. All athletes had some level of damage to their musculoskeletal system. Main outcome measures Stress level (SL), energy potential (EP), and psycho-emotional tension (PET). Results It was found that the higher the level of EP achieved by the athlete in the training period, the lower the SL in the competition time. The SL of an athlete recorded in the training period significantly correlates with the SL both before and at the time of competition. The PET and SL before the World Cup was negatively correlated to the results of skiing competitions. Conclusion Evaluation of PET, EP, and SL through GSR and GDV offers a fast, highly precise, non-invasive method to assess an athlete’s level of readiness during both training and at the time of competition. PMID:24198605

Can Less Be More? Comparison of an 8-Item Placement Quality Measure with the 50-Item Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Martina; Bennett, Deirdre; Muijtjens, Arno; O'Flynn, Siun; Dornan, Tim

2015-01-01

Clinical clerks learn more than they are taught and not all they learn can be measured. As a result, curriculum leaders evaluate clinical educational environments. The quantitative Dundee Ready Environment Measure (DREEM) is a "de facto" standard for that purpose. Its 50 items and 5 subscales were developed by consensus. Reasoning that…

Effects of a School Guidance Curriculum on Postsecondary Education-Going Literacy, Postsecondary Education-Going Access Aspirations, and Career and College Readiness Self-Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martinez, Robert Richard, Jr.

2015-01-01

The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the delivery and content of a set of classroom guidance lessons designed to enhance postsecondary education-going literacy, postsecondary education-going access aspirations, and career and college readiness self-efficacy of 9th grade students attending a high school in a southeastern rural…

Including whey protein and whey permeate in ready-to-use supplementary food improves recovery rates in children with moderate acute malnutrition: A randomized, double-blind clinical trial

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The utility of dairy ingredients in the supplementary foods used in the treatment of childhood moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) remains unsettled. We evaluated the effectiveness of a peanut-based ready-to-use supplementary food (RUSF) with soy protein compared with a novel RUSF containing dairy in...

The Impact of the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System on Third Grade South Carolina Ready English Language Arts Scores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrington, Shanika

2017-01-01

The purpose of this research study was to evaluate the impact of the district's use of the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System on 3rd grade students' reading achievement as measured by the SC READY ELA test. Educators are increasingly using assessment data in determining students' knowledge and progress. Brady, 2011 stated that…

Road to Readiness: Pathways from Low-Income Children's Early Interactions to School Readiness Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martoccio, Tiffany L.; Brophy-Herb, Holly E.; Onaga, Esther E.

2014-01-01

This study utilized data from the Michigan component of the National Early Head Start Research and Evaluation study to examine toddlers' joint attention at 14 months (parent report measure of toddlers' initiating behaviors, e.g., extends arm to show you something he or she is holding, reaches out and gives you a toy he or she has been holding, and…

Teaching the Whole Child: Instructional Practices That Support Social-Emotional Learning in Three Teacher Evaluation Frameworks. Research-to-Practice Brief. Revised Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yoder, Nicholas

2014-01-01

Teachers help promote the social and emotional learning skills students need to be college and career ready, such as collaborating with others, monitoring their own behavior, and making responsible decisions. Social-emotional learning (SEL) is critical to the introduction of college and career readiness standards. To bridge the connection between…

Ready for College in Colorado: Evaluation of the Colorado SUN and the College Connection Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bragg, Debra D.

2010-01-01

In fall 2007, the state of Colorado received one of four federal grants from the Ready for College (RFC) grant program of the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), U.S. Department of Education. The Colorado (CO) SUN project (where SUN stands for Success UNlimited) was designed to identify and enhance innovative practices from Colorado's…

Determining registered nurses' readiness for evidence-based practice.

PubMed

Thiel, Linda; Ghosh, Yashowanto

2008-01-01

As health care systems worldwide move toward instituting evidence-based practice (EBP), its implementation can be challenging. Conducting a baseline assessment to determine nurses' readiness for EBP presents opportunities to plan strategies before implementation. Although a growing body of research literature is focused on implementing EBP, little attention has been paid to assessing nurses' readiness for EBP. The purpose of this study was to assess registered nurses' readiness for EBP in a moderate-sized acute care hospital in the Midwestern United States before implementation of a hospital-wide nursing EBP initiative. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used; 121 registered nurses completed the survey. The participants (n= 121) completed the 64-item Nurses' Readiness for Evidence-Based Practice Survey that allowed measurement of information needs, knowledge and skills, culture, and attitudes. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a post hoc analysis. The majority (72.5%) of respondents indicated that when they needed information, they consulted colleagues and peers rather than using journals and books; 24% of nurses surveyed used the health database, Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature (CINAHL). The respondents perceived their EBP knowledge level as moderate. Cultural EBP scores were moderate, with unit scores being higher than organizational scores. The nurses' attitudes toward EBP were positive. The post hoc analysis showed many significant correlations. Nurses have access to technological resources and perceive that they have the ability to engage in basic information gathering but not in higher level evidence gathering. The elements important to EBP such as a workplace culture and positive attitudes are present and can be built upon. A "site-specific" baseline assessment provides direction in planning EBP initiatives. The Nurses' Readiness for EBP Survey is a streamlined tool with established reliability and validity.

Body awareness, eating attitudes, and spiritual beliefs of women practicing yoga.

PubMed

Dittmann, K A; Freedman, M R

2009-01-01

This research evaluated attitudes about body image and eating in women practicing postural yoga. Study 1 described scores from questionnaires on variables related to body awareness, intuitive eating, spirituality, and reasons for practicing. Scores were favorable on all measures with significant correlations (p < .01) among all main variables except between spiritual readiness and intuitive eating, and between BMI and both body awareness and spiritual readiness. Reasons for practicing did not affect scores. Study 2 evaluated interviews in a sub-sample. Qualitative data reported improvements in body satisfaction and disordered eating due in part to yoga and its associated spirituality.

Technology readiness assessment of advanced space engine integrated controls and health monitoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Millis, Marc G.

1991-01-01

An evaluation is given for an integrated control and health monitoring system (ICHM) system that is designed to be used with hydrogen-oxygen rocket engines. The minimum required ICHM functions, system elements, technology readiness, and system cost are assessed for a system which permits the operation of H-O engines that are space-based, reusable, and descent throttleable. Based on the evaluation of the H-O ICHM, it is estimated that the minimum system requirements for demonstration on an engine system testbed will require an investment of 30 to 45 million dollars over six years.

Critical Thinking Disposition of Nurse Practitioners in Taiwan.

PubMed

Hsu, Hsiu-Ying; Chang, Shu-Chen; Chang, Ai-Ling; Chen, Shiah-Lian

2017-09-01

Critical thinking disposition (CTD) is crucial for nurse practitioners who face complex patient care scenarios. This study explored the CTD of nurse practitioners and related factors. The study was a cross-sectional descriptive design. A purposive sample was recruited from a medical center and its hospital branches in central Taiwan. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 210 nurse practitioners. The participants obtained the highest average score on systematicity and analyticity. CTD had a significant positive correlation with fundamental knowledge readiness, professional knowledge readiness, and confidence in making clinical decisions. Professional knowledge readiness, education level, and on-the-job training predicted the score of the participants on overall CTD. On-the-job training and education level may influence the CTD of nurse practitioners. Providing formal or on-the-job continuing education training to nurse practitioners may help enhance their CTD. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2017;48(9):425-430. Copyright 2017, SLACK Incorporated.

Evaluating guilt and shame in an expressive writing alcohol intervention.

PubMed

Rodriguez, Lindsey M; Young, Chelsie M; Neighbors, Clayton; Campbell, Michelle T; Lu, Qian

2015-08-01

Expressive writing interventions have shown positive physical and psychological health benefits over time, with the presumed mechanism being emotional disclosure. However, work utilizing expressive writing in behavior change has been minimal. The current research applied the expressive writing paradigm to reduce drinking intentions among college students, and evaluated the role of event-related guilt and shame in intervention effects. College students (N=429) completed a baseline survey and were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: Negative (write about a heavy drinking event that was negative); Positive (write about a heavy drinking event that was positive); or Neutral (write about their first day of college). After writing, readiness to change and future drinking intentions were assessed. Results revealed intervention effects on intended drinks per week and intended number of drinks during peak and typical drinking occasions. Participants in the negative condition also displayed higher levels of event-related guilt and shame. Results showed that guilt mediated intervention effects on readiness to change, which also mediated the association between guilt-reparative behavior and drinking intentions. Results provide initial support for an expressive writing intervention on alcohol use and underscore the importance of eliciting emotions associated with reparative behavior when considering negative past experiences and future behavior change. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluating guilt and shame in an expressive writing alcohol intervention

PubMed Central

Rodriguez, Lindsey M.; Young, Chelsie M.; Neighbors, Clayton; Campbell, Michelle T.; Lu, Qian

2016-01-01

Expressive writing interventions have shown positive physical and psychological health benefits over time, with the presumed mechanism being emotional disclosure. However, work utilizing expressive writing in behavior change has been minimal. The current research applied the expressive writing paradigm to reduce drinking intentions among college students, and evaluated the role of event-related guilt and shame in intervention effects. College students (N = 429) completed a baseline survey and were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: Negative (write about a heavy drinking event that was negative); Positive (write about a heavy drinking event that was positive); or Neutral (write about their first day of college). After writing, readiness to change and future drinking intentions were assessed. Results revealed intervention effects on intended drinks per week and intended number of drinks during peak and typical drinking occasions. Participants in the negative condition also displayed higher levels of event-related guilt and shame. Results showed that guilt mediated intervention effects on readiness to change, which also mediated the association between guilt-reparative behavior and drinking intentions. Results provide initial support for an expressive writing intervention on alcohol use and underscore the importance of eliciting emotions associated with reparative behavior when considering negative past experiences and future behavior change. PMID:26074424

The Power of the Frame: Systems Transformation Framework for Health Care Leaders.

PubMed

Scott, Kathy A; Pringle, Janice

Health care leaders are responsible for oversight of multiple and competing change interventions. These interventions regularly fail to achieve the desired outcomes and/or sustainable results. This often occurs because of the mental models and approaches that are used to plan, design, implement, and evaluate the system. These do not account for inherent characteristics that determine the system's likely ability to innovate while maintaining operational effectiveness. Theories exist on how to assess a system's readiness to change, but the definitions, constructs, and assessments are diverse and often look at facets of systems in isolation. The Systems Transformation Framework prescriptively defines and characterizes system domains on the basis of complex adaptive systems theory so that domains can be assessed in tandem. As a result, strengths and challenges to implementation are recognized before implementation begins. The Systems Transformation Framework defines 8 major domains: vision, leadership, organizational culture, organizational behavior, organizational structure, performance measurements, internal learning, and external learning. Each domain has principles that are critical for creating the conditions that lead to successful organizational adaptation and change. The Systems Transformation Framework can serve as a guide for health care leaders at all levels of the organization to (1) create environments that are change ready and (2) plan, design, implement, and evaluate change within complex adaptive systems.

Naval Readiness, Operational Training, and Environmental Protection: Achieving an Appropriate Balance between Competing National Interests

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-06-01

Readiness: Operational Traininz; Polution 19 ABSTRACT (Continue on reverse if necessary and identify by block number) This paper describes the...201 - Organization and Manning Levels . ...... 202 - Land Use Management Plans .. ......... 204 - Environmental Audits ...legislative agency whose purpose is to audit other gcvernment agencies. Based upon those audits , the Comptroller General makes reports to Congress to

Does the EDI Equivalently Measure Facets of School Readiness for Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal Children?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muhajarine, Nazeem; Puchala, Chassidy; Janus, Magdalena

2011-01-01

The aim of the current paper was to examine the equivalence of the Early Development Instrument (EDI), a teacher rating measure of school readiness, for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children. The current study used an approach, which analyzes the structure and properties of the EDI at the subdomain level. Similar subdomain score distributions…

Access Skills. Vocational Readiness Skills Inventory for Special Needs Students. (Revised Entry Level Skills Inventory.) Missouri LINC.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cassity, Sandra; Boyer-Stephens, Arden

This manual is intended to assist special educators and vocational educators in determining the vocational readiness skills of special needs students. The information in this Missouri inventory is based on data provided by the Michigan Occupational Data Analysis System (ODAS) as a part of the Vocational-Technical Education Consortium of States…

Measuring E-Learning Readiness among EFL Teachers in Intermediate Public Schools in Saudi Arabia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Furaydi, Ahmed Ajab

2013-01-01

This study will determine their readiness level for the e-learning in several aspects such as attitude toward e-learning, and computer literacy also this study attempt to investigate the main the barriers that EFL teachers have to overcome while incorporating e-learning into their teaching. The theory upon which the study was technology acceptance…

Treatment of Nonresponse Items on Scale Validation: What "Don't Know" Responses Indicate about College Readiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lombardi, Allison; Seburn, Mary; Conley, David

2011-01-01

In this study, Don't Know/Not Applicable (DK/NA) responses on a measure of academic behaviors associated with college readiness for high school students were treated with: (a) casewise deletion, (b) scale inclusion at the lowest level, and (c) imputation using E/M algorithm. Significant differences in mean responses according to treatment…

Preparing High School Students for College: An Exploratory Study of College Readiness Partnership Programs in Texas. NCPR Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnett, Elisabeth A.; Corrin, William; Nakanishi, Aki; Bork, Rachel Hare; Mitchell, Claire; Sepanik, Susan

2012-01-01

Nationwide, about 40 percent of college students take at least one remedial course to prepare for college-level coursework. One cause of this high rate of remedial enrollment is the misalignment of high school graduation standards and college academic expectations. College readiness partnership programs attempt to address this problem by…

The Impact of Student Teaching Experience on Pre-Service Teachers' Readiness for Technology Integration: A Mixed Methods Study with Growth Curve Modeling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, Yan; Strobel, Johannes; Newby, Timothy J.

2017-01-01

Adopting a two-phase explanatory sequential mixed methods research design, the current study examined the impact of student teaching experiences on pre-service teachers' readiness for technology integration. In phase-1 of quantitative investigation, 2-level growth curve models were fitted using online repeated measures survey data collected from…

College and Career Ready? Perceptions of High School Students Related to WorkKeys Assessments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schultz, Deanna D.

2011-01-01

Concern about college and career readiness has been expressed in both the business and education arenas. Employers are calling for entry-level employees with basic academic skills and educators are being held accountable for student achievement in academic areas similar to those required by employers. In this environment, WorkKeys has emerged as a…

Relationship of Tech Prep and Dual Credit to College Readiness and Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, JoHyun

2014-01-01

This study examined the relationship of tech prep and dual credit to college readiness in reading, writing, and math and retention, measured as total college-level credit hours earned. A sample of 612 high school graduates who enrolled in a community college in two consortia, one in Florida (n = 339) and the other in Oregon…

Preschool Classroom Behavioral Context and School Readiness Outcomes for Low-Income Children: A Multilevel Examination of Child- and Classroom-Level Influences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bulotsky-Shearer, Rebecca J.; Dominguez, Ximena; Bell, Elizabeth R.

2012-01-01

Guided by an ecological theoretical model, the authors used a series of multilevel models to examine associations among children's individual problem behavior, the classroom behavioral context, and school readiness outcomes for a cohort of low-income children (N = 3,861) enrolled in 229 urban Head Start classrooms. Associations were examined…

Readiness to adopt a performance measurement system for substance abuse treatment: Findings from the Service Quality Measures initiative.

PubMed

Myers, B; Petersen Williams, P; Johnson, K; Govender, R; Manderscheid, R; Koch, J R

2017-01-30

A performance measurement system - the Service Quality Measures (SQM) initiative - has been developed to monitor the quality of South Africa (SA)'s substance abuse treatment services. Identifying factors associated with readiness to adopt this system may inform strategies to facilitate its robust implementation. To examine factors associated with readiness to adopt a performance measurement system among SA substance abuse treatment providers. We surveyed 81 treatment providers from 13 treatment sites in the Western Cape, SA. The survey examined awareness, resources, organisational climate, leadership support and readiness to adopt the SQM system. Regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with readiness to adopt this system. Readiness to adopt the SQM initiative was high (M=5.64, standard deviation 1.63). In bivariate analyses, caseload size (F=3.73 (degrees of freedom (df)=3.70), p=0.015), awareness (r=0.78, p<0.0001), leadership support (r=0.70, p<0.0001), resources (r=0.65, p<0.0001), openness to change (r=0.372, p=0.001), and external pressure to change were associated with readiness to adopt the SQM. In multivariate analyses, only awareness of the SQM initiative (B=0.34, standard error (SE) 0.08, t=4.4, p<0.0001) and leadership support (B=0.45, SE 0.11, t=4.0, p<0.0001) were significantly associated with readiness to adopt this system. While treatment providers report high levels of readiness to adopt the SQM system, findings show that the likelihood of adoption can be further increased through improved provider awareness and enhanced leadership support for this health innovation.

Contribution of student involvement in production/service unit and experience of industry practices to entrepreneurial attitude and the impact entrepeneurship readiness of vocational high school students of great Malang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukminna, Halimahtus; Isnandar, Muladi

2017-09-01

Purpose of this research was to determine the contribution of student involvement in production/ service unit (X1), experience of industry practices (X2), and entrepreneurial attitude (Y) towards readiness entrepreneurship (Z) of vocational student regional Malang. The design of the study using a quantitative approach. The samples used as many as 130 respondents. Instruments used for collecting data in the form of questionnaires. Data analysis included descriptive and test of hypothesis. The result showed: that the description of data on the level of student involvement in production/ service unit, experience of industry practices, entrepreneurial attitude and entrepreneurship readiness in the high category. The contribution student involvement in production/ service unit of entrepreneurial attitude of 10.6%. The contribution experience of industry practices of entrepreneurial attitude of 17.4%. The contribution student involvement in production/ service unit and experience of industry practices simultaneously to entrepreneurial attitude of 44.1%. The contribution student involvement in production/ service unit of readiness entrepreneurship of 4%. The contribution experience of industry practices of readiness entrepreneurship of 5%. The contribution entrepreneurial attitude of readiness entrepreneurship of 16%. Finally, the contribution student involvement in production/ service unit, experience of industry practices, and entrepreneurial attitude simultaneously to readiness entrepreneurship of 50.3%.

Public safety answering point readiness for wireless E-911 in New York State.

PubMed

Bailey, Bob W; Scott, Jay M; Brown, Lawrence H

2003-01-01

To determine the level of wireless enhanced 911 readiness among New York's primary public safety answering points. This descriptive study utilized a simple, single-page survey that was distributed in August 2001, with telephone follow-up concluding in January 2002. Surveys were distributed to directors of the primary public safety answering points in each of New York's 62 counties. Information was requested regarding current readiness for providing wireless enhanced 911 service, hardware and software needs for implementing the service, and the estimated costs for obtaining the necessary hardware and software. Two directors did not respond and could not be contacted by telephone; three declined participation; one did not operate an answering point; and seven provided incomplete responses, resulting in usable data from 49 (79%) of the state's public safety answering points. Only 27% of the responding public safety answering points were currently wireless enhanced 911 ready. Specific needs included obtaining or upgrading computer systems (16%), computer-aided dispatch systems (53%), mapping software (71%), telephone systems (27%), and local exchange carrier trunk lines (42%). The total estimated hardware and software costs for achieving wireless enhanced 911 readiness was between 16 million and 20 million dollars. New York's primary public safety answering points are not currently ready to provide wireless enhanced 911 service, and the cost for achieving readiness could be as high as 20 million dollars.

Evaluating fine motor coordination in children who are not ready for handwriting: which test should we take?

PubMed

de Vries, Liesbeth; van Hartingsveldt, Margo J; Cup, Edith H C; Nijhuis-van der Sanden, Maria W G; de Groot, Imelda J M

2015-06-01

When children are not ready to write, assessment of fine motor coordination may be indicated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate which fine motor test, the Nine-Hole Peg Test (9-HPT) or the newly developed Timed Test of In-Hand Manipulation (Timed-TIHM), correlates best with handwriting readiness as measured by the Writing Readiness Inventory Tool In Context-Task Performance (WRITIC-TP). From the 119 participating children, 43 were poor performers. Convergent validity of the 9-HPT and Timed-TIHM with WRITIC-TP was determined, and test-retest reliability of the Timed-TIHM was examined in 59 children. The results showed that correlations of the 9-HPT and Timed-TIHM with the WRITIC-TP were similar (rs = -0.40). The 9-HPT and the complex rotation subtask of the Timed-TIHM had a low correlation with the WRITIC-TP in poor performers (rs = -0.30 and -0.32 respectively). Test-retest reliability of the Timed-TIHM was significant (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient = 0.71). Neither of these two fine motor tests is appeared superior. They both relate to different aspects of fine motor performance. One of the limitations of the methodology was unequal numbers of children in subgroups. It is recommended that further research is indicated to evaluate the relation between development of fine motor coordination and handwriting proficiency, on the Timed-TIHM in different age groups. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Examining the Highs and Lows of the Collaborative Relationship Between Technical Assistance Providers and Prevention Implementers.

PubMed

Chilenski, Sarah M; Welsh, Janet; Olson, Jonathan; Hoffman, Lesa; Perkins, Daniel F; Feinberg, Mark E

2018-02-01

The PROSPER model uses a three-tiered community partnership, university researcher, and Cooperative Extension-based technical assistance system to support the delivery of evidence-based interventions in communities. This study examines the trajectory and predictors of the collaborative relationship between technical assistance providers and community teams across the three phases of organization, implementation, and sustainability. Members of 14 PROmoting School-university-community Partnerships to Enhance Resilience (PROSPER) community teams and directors of local agencies rated communities' levels of readiness and adolescent substance use norms. Technical assistance providers rated their collaborative relationship with their teams at 14 occasions across 4.5 years. Results from mixed models show that levels of collaboration were stable until the sustainability phase, when they increased significantly. Team differences in change were significant during the implementation phase. Community readiness predicted levels of the collaborative relationship over time: high community readiness was associated with a high level of collaboration during organization, but a decline in collaboration during implementation. These results provide a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between technical assistance provision and community prevention teams and lead to recommendations to improve dissemination models to achieve a greater public health impact.

The Brand's PREACH Model: Predicting Readiness to Engage African American Churches in Health.

PubMed

Brand, Dorine J; Alston, Reginald J

2017-09-01

Despite many attempts to reduce health disparities, health professionals face obstacles in improving poor health outcomes within the African American (AA) community. To promote change for improved health measures, it is important to implement culturally tailored programming through a trusted institution, such as the AA church. While churches have the potential to play an important role in positively impacting health among AAs, it is unclear what attributes are necessary to predict success or failure for health promotion within these institutions. The purpose of this study was to create a model, the Brand's PREACH ( Predicting Readiness to Engage African American Churches in Health) Model, to predict the readiness of AA churches to engage in health promotion programming. Thirty-six semistructured key informant interviews were conducted with 12 pastors, 12 health leaders, and 12 congregants to gain information on the relationship between church infrastructure (physical structure, personnel, funding, and social/cultural support), readiness, and health promotion programming. The findings revealed that church infrastructure has an association with and will predict the readiness of a church to engage in health promotion programming. The ability to identify readiness early on will be useful for developing, implementing, and evaluating faith-based interventions, in partnership with churches, which is a key factor for sustainable and effective programs.

The Roles of School Readiness and Poverty-Related Risk for 6th Grade Outcomes

PubMed Central

Pressler, Emily; Raver, C. Cybele; Friedman-Krauss, Allison H.; Roy, Amanda

2016-01-01

Low-income students are at increased risk for grade retention and suspension, which dampens their chances of high school graduation, college attendance, and future success. Drawing from a sample of 357 children and their families who participated in the Chicago School Readiness Project, we examine whether greater exposure to cumulative poverty-related risk from preschool through 5th grade is associated with greater risk of student retention and suspension in 6th grade. Logistic regression results indicate that exposure to higher levels of cumulative risk across the elementary school years is associated with students’ increased risk of retention in 6th grade, even after controlling for child school readiness skills and other covariates. Importantly, findings of the association between average cumulative risk exposure and student suspension are more complex; the role of poverty-related risk is reduced to non-significance once early indicators of child school readiness and other covariates are included in regression models. While, children’s early externalizing behavior prior to kindergarten places children at greater risk of suspension 7 years later, children’s higher levels of internalizing behaviors and early math skills are associated with significantly decreased risk of suspension in the 6th grade. Together, findings from the study suggest the complex ways that both early school readiness and subsequent exposure to poverty-related risk may both serve as compelling predictors of children’s likelihood of “staying on track” academically in the 6th grade. PMID:27867447

The state of knowledge on technologies and their use for fall detection: A scoping review.

PubMed

Lapierre, N; Neubauer, N; Miguel-Cruz, A; Rios Rincon, A; Liu, L; Rousseau, J

2018-03-01

Globally, populations are aging with increasing life spans. The normal aging process and the resulting disabilities increase fall risks. Falls are an important cause of injury, loss of independence and institutionalization. Technologies have been developed to detect falls and reduce their consequences but their use and impact on quality of life remain debatable. Reviews on fall detection technologies exist but are not extensive. A comprehensive literature review on the state of knowledge of fall detection technologies can inform research, practice, and user adoption. To examine the extent and the diversity of current technologies for fall detection in older adults. A scoping review design was used to search peer-reviewed literature on technologies to detect falls, published in English, French or Spanish since 2006. Data from the studies were analyzed descriptively. The literature search identified 3202 studies of which 118 were included for analysis. Ten types of technologies were identified ranging from wearable (e.g., inertial sensors) to ambient sensors (e.g., vision sensors). Their Technology Readiness Level was low (mean 4.54 SD 1.25; 95% CI [4.31, 4.77] out of a maximum of 9). Outcomes were typically evaluated on technological basis and in controlled environments. Few were evaluated in home settings or care units with older adults. Acceptability, implementation cost and barriers were seldom addressed. Further research should focus on increasing Technology Readiness Levels of fall detection technologies by testing them in real-life settings with older adults. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

What are the characteristics of 'sexually ready' adolescents? Exploring the sexual readiness of youth in urban poor Accra.

PubMed

Biney, Adriana A E; Dodoo, F Nii-Amoo

2016-01-05

Adolescent sexual activity, especially among the urban poor, remains a challenge. Despite numerous interventions and programs to address the negative consequences arising from early and frequent sexual activity among youth in sub-Saharan Africa, including Ghana, only slight progress has been made. A plausible explanation is that our understanding of what adolescents think about sex and about their own sexuality is poor. In that sense, examining how adolescents in urban poor communities think about their sexual readiness, and identifying characteristics associated with that sexual self-concept dimension, should deepen our understanding of this topical issue. A total of 196 male and female adolescents, ages 12 to 19, were surveyed in the 2011 RIPS Urban Health and Poverty Project in Accra, Ghana. The youth responded to three statements which determined their levels of sexual readiness. Other background characteristics were also obtained enabling the assessment of the correlates of their preparedness to engage in sex. The data were analyzed using ordered logistic regression models. Overall, the majority of respondents did not consider themselves ready for sex. Multivariate analyses indicated that sexual experience, exposure to pornographic movies, gender, ethnicity and household wealth were significantly linked to their readiness for sex. Sexual readiness is related to sexual activity as well as other characteristics of the adolescents, suggesting the need to consider these factors in the design of programs and interventions to curb early sex. The subject of sexual readiness has to be investigated further to ensure adolescents do not identify with any negative effects of this sexual self-view.

Enhancing Infant Mental Health Using a Capacity-Building Model: A Case Study of a Process Evaluation of the "Ready, Steady, Grow" Initiative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Farrelly, Christine; Guerin, Suzanne; Victory, Gerard

2017-01-01

Infant mental health (IMH) is best promoted through a continuum of services underpinned by strong service capacity. However, service providers often lack fundamental IMH knowledge and skills. Using the Ready, Steady, Grow (RSG) initiative as a case study of a capacity-building model (P., Hawe, L., King, M., Noort, C., Jordens, & B., Llyod,…

A Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of Readiness for Organizational Change Literature

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-01

The behavioral sciences and management: An evaluation of relevant journals. Journal of Management, 16(3), 539. Fishbein , M ., & Ajzen , I . (1975...discovery to change beliefs, attitudes, intentions, and behavior ( Fishbein & Ajzen , 1975). In the context of strategic change, participation produces high...Science Quarterly, 21, 700-714. 44 *Eby, L. T., Adams, D. M ., Russell, J. E. A., & Gaby, S. H. ( 2000 ). Perceptions of organizational readiness

College and Career Readiness Profiles of High School Graduates in American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. REL 2017-229

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herman, Phillip; Carreon, Daisy; Scanlan, Spencer; Dandapani, Nitara

2017-01-01

Many jurisdictions use data about college and career readiness to help stakeholders understand whether students are on track to succeed in college and careers after high school graduation. For example, Hawaii includes the percentage of high school graduates from a particular school who later attend college in school-level feedback reports for…

High-Resolution X-Ray Telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

ODell, Stephen L.; Brissenden, Roger J.; Davis, William; Elsner, Ronald F.; Elvis, Martin; Freeman, Mark; Gaetz, Terry; Gorenstein, Paul; Gubarev, Mikhail V.

2010-01-01

Fundamental needs for future x-ray telescopes: a) Sharp images => excellent angular resolution. b) High throughput => large aperture areas. Generation-X optics technical challenges: a) High resolution => precision mirrors & alignment. b) Large apertures => lots of lightweight mirrors. Innovation needed for technical readiness: a) 4 top-level error terms contribute to image size. b) There are approaches to controlling those errors. Innovation needed for manufacturing readiness. Programmatic issues are comparably challenging.

Readiness of Year 1 Students to Learn Science Process Skills in English: A Malaysian Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sulaiman, Tajularipin; Hassan, Aminuddin; Baki, Roselan

2009-01-01

The Malaysian Ministry of Education has implemented the use of English as the medium of instruction at primary school level beginning 2003. These students are the main group of people affected by this change in policy. Besides, the implementation of the approach also raises the readiness of students in the rural areas. Therefore, the aims of the…

The Readiness Agenda: Texas Aligns High School, Entry-Level College Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gewertz, Catherine

2009-01-01

A lot of hope is riding on a little document in the big state of Texas. Educators and policymakers who have long agonized over how the Lone Star State's low college-going rate and its high remediation rate are charting a course they hope will lead to better outcomes. This article discusses the Texas College and Career Readiness Standards as a key…

The Collaboration Readiness of Transdisciplinary Research Teams and Centers

PubMed Central

Hall, Kara L.; Stokols, Daniel; Moser, Richard P.; Taylor, Brandie K.; Thornquist, Mark D.; Nebeling, Linda C.; Ehret, Carolyn C.; Barnett, Matthew J.; McTiernan, Anne; Berger, Nathan A.; Goran, Michael I.; Jeffery, Robert W.

2009-01-01

Growing interest in promoting cross-disciplinary collaboration among health scientists has prompted several federal agencies, including the NIH, to establish large, multicenter initiatives intended to foster collaborative research and training. In order to assess whether these initiatives are effective in promoting scientific collaboration that ultimately results in public health improvements, it is necessary to develop new strategies for evaluating research processes and products as well as the longer-term societal outcomes associated with these programs. Ideally, evaluative measures should be administered over the entire course of large initiatives, including their near-term and later phases. The present study focuses on the development of new tools for assessing the readiness for collaboration among health scientists at the outset (during Year One) of their participation in the National Cancer Institute’s Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer (TREC) initiative. Indexes of collaborative readiness, along with additional measures of near-term collaborative processes, were administered as part of the TREC Year-One evaluation survey. Additionally, early progress toward scientific collaboration and integration was assessed, using a protocol for evaluating written research products. Results from the Year-One survey and the ratings of written products provide evidence of cross-disciplinary collaboration among participants during the first year of the initiative, and also reveal opportunities for enhancing collaborative processes and outcomes during subsequent phases of the project. The implications of these findings for future evaluations of team science initiatives are discussed. PMID:18619396

A description of interventions promoting healthier ready-to-eat meals (to eat in, to take away, or to be delivered) sold by specific food outlets in England: a systematic mapping and evidence synthesis.

PubMed

Hillier-Brown, Frances C; Summerbell, Carolyn D; Moore, Helen J; Wrieden, Wendy L; Adams, Jean; Abraham, Charles; Adamson, Ashley; Araújo-Soares, Vera; White, Martin; Lake, Amelia A

2017-01-19

Ready-to-eat meals (to eat in, to take away or to be delivered) sold by food outlets are often more energy dense and nutrient poor compared with meals prepared at home, making them a reasonable target for public health intervention. The aim of the research presented in this paper was to systematically identify and describe interventions to promote healthier ready-to-eat meals (to eat in, to take away, or to be delivered) sold by specific food outlets in England. A systematic search and sift of the literature, followed by evidence mapping of relevant interventions, was conducted. Food outlets were included if they were located in England, were openly accessible to the public and, as their main business, sold ready-to-eat meals. Academic databases and grey literature were searched. Also, local authorities in England, topic experts, and key health professionals and workers were contacted. Two tiers of evidence synthesis took place: type, content and delivery of each intervention were summarised (Tier 1) and for those interventions that had been evaluated, a narrative synthesis was conducted (Tier 2). A total of 75 interventions were identified, the most popular being awards. Businesses were more likely to engage with cost neutral interventions which offered imperceptible changes to price, palatability and portion size. Few interventions involved working upstream with suppliers of food, the generation of customer demand, the exploration of competition effects, and/or reducing portion sizes. Evaluations of interventions were generally limited in scope and of low methodological quality, and many were simple assessments of acceptability. Many interventions promoting healthier ready-to-eat meals (to eat in, to take away, or to be delivered) sold by specific food outlets in England are taking place; award-type interventions are the most common. Proprietors of food outlets in England that, as their main business, sell ready-to-eat meals, can be engaged in implementing interventions to promote healthier ready-to-eat-food. These proprietors are generally positive about such interventions, particularly when they are cost neutral and use a health by stealth approach.

Ready, Steady, Go! Program, Italy: a Program Impact Pathways (PIP) analysis.

PubMed

Veracini, Giordana; Leonardi, Elisabetta; Girotti, Rita; Thrasher, Erika Willumsen

2014-09-01

Ready, Steady, Go! promotes proper nutrition and physical activity among people of all ages in targeted neighborhoods and encourages social integration and children's participation in decisions that affect their lives. It also seeks to involve parents in activities so that they can influence their children's attitudes toward lifestyles and personal development. This partnership has reached 70,000 Italian children and adults with new opportunities for physical activities and social experiences that help them improve nutritional behaviors while having fun with their peers. To assess the Ready, Steady, Go! Program logic and to identify Critical Quality Control Points (CCPs) and a core suite of impact indicators based on a Program Impact Pathways (PIP) analysis. The PIP analysis team reviewed the key activities and processes that form Ready, Steady, Go! and then identified key CCPs for the project. The findings were presented at the Healthy Lifestyles Program Evaluation Workshop held in Granada, Spain, 13-14 September 2013, under the auspices of the Mondelēz International Foundation. The PIP analysis confirmed that Ready, Steady, Go! has a structure that is likely to support the primary aims of the program. The CCPs identified are training of teachers in healthy lifestyles, teachers' active participation in the program, access to remodeled and well-equipped sports and recreational centers, participation of parents and grandparents, and involvement of local institutions and networks. A suite of impact indicators for changes in healthy lifestyle knowledge, attitudes, and behavior was identified. Project staff are now more aware of the importance of carefully monitoring the CCPs and have decided to conduct quarterly PIP-informed quality control evaluations.

Readiness for change and job satisfaction in a case of lean management application - a comparative study.

PubMed

Lipińska-Grobelny, Agnieszka; Papieska, Ewelina

2012-09-01

This current study investigates the effect of lean management system on work attitudes of workers of two manufacturing companies. "Lean management" is a concept of work processes and human relations that determines company's productivity and profitability. Workers of two enterprises, the first one with lean production and the second one with old mass production, were compared for their readiness for change and job satisfaction (both emotional and cognitive aspect). The sample of 102 employees completed a battery of instruments such as: the Job Description Inventory by Neuberger and Allerbeck, the Job Affect Scale by Burke et al. and the Change-Readiness Scale by Kriegel and Brandt. Individuals from the lean manufacturing company were characterized by higher level of readiness for change, positive affect at work, and cognitive job satisfaction. In this approach the introduction of lean production positively affected company's human resource attitudes.

Sleep Duration and School Readiness of Chinese Preschool Children.

PubMed

Tso, Winnie; Rao, Nirmala; Jiang, Fan; Li, Albert Martin; Lee, So-Lun; Ho, Frederick Ka-Wing; Li, Sophia Ling; Ip, Patrick

2016-02-01

To examine the average sleep duration in Chinese preschoolers and to investigate the association between sleep duration and school readiness. This is a cross-sectional study that included 553 Chinese children (mean age = 5.46 years) from 20 preschools in 2 districts of Hong Kong. Average daily sleep duration in the last week was reported by parents and school readiness as measured by the teacher-rated Chinese Early Development Instrument (CEDI). Most Chinese preschoolers had 9-10 hours of sleep per day. Only 11% of preschoolers had the recommended 11-12 hours of sleep per day. This group was associated with more "very ready" CEDI domains. Sleep deprivation (≤7 hours per day) was associated with a lower CEDI total score, lower scores in the emotional maturity and language/cognitive domain, and prosocial behaviors subdomain but a greater score in the hyperactivity/inattention subdomain. Children with a lower family socioeconomic index, lower maternal education level, infrequent parent-child interactions, and who used electronic devices for more than 3 hours per day had shortened sleep durations. Optimal sleep duration was associated with better school readiness in preschool children, whereas sleep deprivation was associated with lower school readiness, more hyperactivity and inattention, and less prosocial behavior. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quality of ready to serve tilapia fish curry with PUFA in retortable pouches.

PubMed

Dhanapal, K; Reddy, G V S; Nayak, B B; Basu, S; Shashidhar, K; Venkateshwarlu, G; Chouksey, M K

2010-09-01

Studies on the physical, chemical, and microbiological qualities of fresh tilapia meat revealed its suitability for the preparation of ready to eat fish curry packed in retort pouches. Studies on the fatty acid profile of tilapia meat suggest fortification with polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) to increase the nutritional value. Based on the commercial sterility, sensory evaluation, color, and texture profile analysis F(0) value of 6.94 and cook value of 107.24, with a total process time of 50.24 min at 116 °C was satisfactory for the development of tilapia fish curry in retort pouches. Thermally processed ready to eat south Indian type tilapia fish curry fortified with PUFA was developed and its keeping quality studied at ambient temperature. During storage, a slight increase in the fat content of fish meat was observed, with no significant change in the contents of moisture, protein, and ash. The thiobarbituric acid (TBA) values of fish curry significantly increased during storage. Fish curry fortified with 1% cod liver oil and fish curry without fortification (control) did not show any significant difference in the levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), during thermal processing and storage. Sensory analysis revealed that fortification of fish curry with cod liver oil had no impact on the quality. Tilapia fish curry processed at 116 °C and F(0) value of 7.0 (with or without fortification of cod liver oil) was fit for consumption, even after a period of 1-y storage in retort pouch. Tilapia is a lean variety of fish with white flesh and therefore an ideal choice as raw material for the development of ready to serve fish products such as fish curry in retort pouches for both domestic and international markets. Ready to eat thermal processed (116 °C and F(0) value of 7.0) south Indian type tilapia fish curry enriched with PUFA and packed in retort pouch was acceptable for consumption even after a storage period of 1 y at ambient temperature.

Model Evaluation To Measuring Efficiencies of ICT Development In Indonesia Region Using DEA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Efendi, Syahril; Fadly Syahputra, M.; Anggia Muchtar, M.

2018-01-01

ICT Pura or digital city is a program designed by the Indonesian government with the main objective is to determine the level of readiness of each district and city in each province in the era of digital economy. It is necessarily to evaluate whether a city or a region that was successfully managing ICT better than other city and significantly contributes to the communities and living systems. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is a well known technique to estimate efficiency and returns to scale through the construction of a best practice frontier, based on non-parametric mathematical programming approach. This paper addresses DEA BCC method to get index of efficiencies for all region in Indonesia covered by ICT Pura. Numerical result is given.

Using GeoRePORT to report socio-economic potential for geothermal development

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

Young, Katherine R.; Levine, Aaron

The Geothermal Resource Portfolio Optimization and Reporting Tool (GeoRePORT, http://en.openei.org/wiki/GeoRePORT) was developed for reporting resource grades and project readiness levels, providing the U.S. Department of Energy a consistent and comprehensible means of evaluating projects. The tool helps funding organizations (1) quantitatively identify barriers, (2) develop measureable goals, (3) objectively evaluate proposals, including contribution to goals, (4) monitor progress, and (5) report portfolio performance. GeoRePORT assesses three categories: geological, technical, and socio-economic. Here, we describe GeoRePORT, then focus on the socio-economic assessment and its applications for assessing deployment potential in the U.S. Socio-economic attributes include land access, permitting, transmission, and market.

Safety assessment of discharge chute isolation barrier preparation and installation. Revision 1

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

Meichle, R.H.

1994-10-10

This revision responds to RL comments and increases the discussion of the ``effective hazard categorization`` and the readiness review basis. The safety assessment is made for the activities for the preparation and installation of the discharge chute isolation barriers. The safety assessment includes a hazard assessment and comparison of potential accidents/events to those addressed by the current safety basis documentation. No significant hazards were identified. An evaluation against the USQ evaluation questions were made and the determination made that the activities do not represent a USQ. Hazard categorization techniques were used to provide a basis for readiness review classification.

Readiness for evidence-based practice: information literacy needs of nurses in the United States.

PubMed

Tanner, Annelle; Pierce, Susan; Pravikoff, Diane

2004-01-01

In this paper U.S. nurses' readiness to provide Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) as measured by their information literacy knowledge and skills is described. The Institute of Medicine directed health care providers to use EBP as a means to improve patient safety, efficiency and effectiveness of health care services. Information literacy has been identified as a nursing informatics competency for the basic nurse. As such, information literacy is an essential component in the application of EBP. The importance of developing information literacy skills is enhancement of the nurse's ability to use current best available research literature in the conduct of EBP with subsequent improvement in nursing sensitive patient outcomes. This study describes the level of nurses' information literacy knowledge and gaps in their skills for identifying, accessing, retrieving, evaluating and utilizing research evidence to provide best care for patients. The value of this study is to increase awareness among nurse administrators, educators, and clinicians of the need for information literacy education to enable evidence-based nursing practice and to guide development of supportive curricula and professional continuing education.

Reasons for quitting: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for smoking cessation in a population-based sample of smokers.

PubMed

Curry, S J; Grothaus, L; McBride, C

1997-01-01

An intrinsic-extrinsic model of motivation for smoking cessation is extended to a population-based sample of smokers (N = 1,137), using a previously validated Reasons for Quitting (RFQ) scale. Psychometric evaluation of the RFQ replicated the model that includes health concerns and self-control as intrinsic motivation dimensions and immediate reinforcement and social influence as extrinsic motivation dimensions. Compared to volunteers, the population-based sample of smokers reported equivalent health concerns, lower self-control, and higher social influence motivation for cessation. Within the population-based sample, women compared to men were less motivated to quit by health concerns and more motivated by immediate reinforcement; smokers above age 55 expressed lower health concerns and higher self-control motivation than smokers below age 55. Higher baseline levels of intrinsic relative to extrinsic motivation were associated with more advanced stages of readiness to quit smoking and successful smoking cessation at a 12-month follow-up. Among continuing smokers, improvement in stage of readiness to quit over time was associated with significant increases in health concerns and self-control motivation.

Simple economic evaluation and applications experiments for photovoltaic systems for remote sites

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

Rios, M. Jr.

1980-01-01

A simple evaluation of the cost effectiveness of photovoltaic systems is presented. The evaluation is based on a calculation of breakeven costs of photovoltaics (PV) arrays with the levelized costs of two alternative energy sources (1) extension of the utility grid and (2) diesel generators. A selected number of PV applications experiments that are in progress in remote areas of the US are summarized. These applications experiments range from a 23 watt insect survey trap to a 100 kW PV system for a national park complex. It is concluded that PV systems for remote areas are now cost effective inmore » remote small applications with commercially available technology and will be cost competitive for intermediate scale systems (approx. 10 kW) in the 1980s if the DOE 1986 Commercial Readiness Goals are achieved.« less

Evaluation of Space Food for Commercial Astronauts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahlstrom, Britt Karin

As commercial aerospace companies advance toward manned spaceflight, they must overcome many hurdles - not only technical, but also human. One of the greatest human challenges they face is food. Throughout the history of human spaceflight, astronauts have primarily eaten food developed by government space agencies. Now, with manned commercial flights on the horizon, astronauts will be provided with an entirely new diet - one comprised of commercially available, ready-to-eat food. Yet will this diet keep astronauts nourished, satisfied with their diet, and both psychologically and physically healthy? The purpose of this parallel crossover design study was to evaluate (a) nutrient intake, (b) food satisfaction, (c) psychological health, and (d) physical health in commercial aerospace employees (N = 7) as they ate a diet of commercial, ready-to-eat food for four days, as compared to eating as normal for four days. Findings from this study showed that the ready-to-eat diet did not lead to any significant changes in caloric intake, psychological health, or physical health, aside from weight loss. It is not clear whether this weight loss was due to the loss of body fat, muscle, or water. When eating the ready-to-eat food, participants reported being slightly less satisfied with the variety, reported lower cravings for sweets, and reported the food was slightly less hedonically rewarding. In post-study interviews, participants reported they wanted to see more meats, fruits, vegetables, and desserts added to the ready-to-eat diet, so as to provide more meal-like structure. Overall, these findings show the diet could be used in commercial spaceflight after making simple changes. The diet could also be used by individuals in remote areas on Earth and to provide food assistance to individuals in disaster or emergency situations. Due to the increasing popularity of ready-to-eat food around the world, these findings also provide knowledge about the potential consequences of modern eating trends.

Evaluating the Impact of Environmentally Friendly Cleaners on System Readiness

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-04-05

branches of the armed services. USAEC and ATC are currently leading a multi-agency initiative to comprehensively test several cleaning products and...34 Any panel with pitting was given a severity rating of 4. Some cleaning products tested to date have had difficulty meeting the criterion for sandwich...DOD agencies will be able to better preserve readiness, save money and avoid bad decisions by knowing which alternative cleaning products meet its

An Evaluation Report: i3 Development Grant Dev07--Sammamish High School. "Re-Imagining Career and College Readiness: STEM, Rigor, and Equity in a Comprehensive High School"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knuth, Randy; Sutton, Paul S.; Levias, Sheldon; Kuo, Annie Camey; Callison, Matthew

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study is to describe and examine the structures and policies a public, comprehensive high school put in place to implement problem-based learning (PBL) across content areas. Starting in 2010, the school implemented PBL in the hopes of increasing students' career and college readiness skills. The research took place at a…

Army Hearing Program Talking Points Calendar Year 2015

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-14

outside the range of normal hearing sensitivity (greater than 25 dB), CY15 data.  Data: DOEHRS-HC Data Repository , Soldiers who had a DD2215 or...1.  Data: Defense Occupational and Environmental Health Readiness System-Hearing Conservation (DOEHRS-HC) Data Repository , CY15—Army Profile...Soldiers have a hearing loss that required a fit-for-duty (Readiness) evaluation:  An H-3 Hearing Profile.  Data: DOEHRS-HC Data Repository

[Pharmaceutical logistic in turnover of pharmaceutical products of Azerbaijan].

PubMed

Dzhalilova, K I

2009-11-01

Development of pharmaceutical logistic system model promotes optimal strategy for pharmaceutical functioning. The goal of such systems is organization of pharmaceutical product's turnover in required quantity and assortment, at preset time and place, at a highest possible degree of consumption readiness with minimal expenses and qualitative service. Organization of the optimal turnover chain in the region is offered to start from approximate classification of medicaments by logistic characteristics. Supplier selection was performed by evaluation of timeliness of delivery, quality of delivered products (according to the minimum acceptable level of quality) and time-keeping of time spending for orders delivery.

Scatter evaluation of supersmooth surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, R. M.; Orazio, F. D., Jr.; Stowell, W. K.

1983-04-01

Data are presented showing that there are many optical surfaces below the standards in scatter behavior which have been classified under the general term 'supersmooth'. Indeed, there are three orders of magnitude of scatter fitting this description. It is pointed out that optical surfaces can be scattermapped at levels from thousands of parts per million per steradian down to a few parts per billion per steradian. It is believed that the equipment and optics are now ready for the application of BRDF as a new 'performance' standard for surfaces that can be specified to the optician. Such nebulous terms as 'supersmooth' can then be retired.

Stages of Change for Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision and Sexual Risk Behavior in Uncircumcised Zambian Men: The Spear and Shield Project.

PubMed

Redding, Colleen A; Jones, Deborah; Zulu, Robert; Chitalu, Ndashi; Cook, Ryan; Weiss, Stephen M

2015-12-01

Dissemination and scale up of voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) programs is well supported by evidence that VMMC reduces HIV risk in populations with high HIV prevalence and low rates of circumcision, as is the case in Zambia. At both individual and population levels, it is important to understand what stages of change for VMMC are associated with, especially across cultures. This study evaluated VMMC knowledge, misinformation, and stages of change for VMMC of uncircumcised men and boys (over 18 years), as well as the concurrent relationship between VMMC stages of change and sexual risk behaviors. Uncircumcised (N = 800) adult men and boys (over 18) were screened and recruited from urban community health centers in Lusaka, Zambia, where they then completed baseline surveys assessing knowledge, attitudes, HIV risk behaviors, and stages of change for VMMC. A series of analyses explored cross-sectional relationships among these variables. VMMC was culturally acceptable in half of the sample; younger, unmarried, and more educated men were more ready to undergo VMMC. Stage of change for VMMC was also related to knowledge, and those at greater HIV risk reported greater readiness to undergo VMMC. Efforts to increase VMMC uptake should address the role of perceived HIV risk, risk behaviors, readiness, accurate knowledge, cultural acceptance, and understanding of the significant degree of HIV protection conferred as part of the VMMC decision making process. These results support incorporating comprehensive HIV risk reduction in VMMC promotion programs.

Leadership for All: An Internal Medicine Residency Leadership Development Program.

PubMed

Moore, Jared M; Wininger, David A; Martin, Bryan

2016-10-01

Developing effective leadership skills in physicians is critical for safe patient care. Few residency-based models of leadership training exist. We evaluated residents' readiness to engage in leadership training, feasibility of implementing training for all residents, and residents' acceptance of training. In its fourth year, the Leadership Development Program (LDP) consists of twelve 90-minute modules (eg, Team Decision Making and Bias, Leadership Styles, Authentic Leadership) targeting all categorical postgraduate year (PGY) 1 residents. Modules are taught during regularly scheduled educational time. Focus group surveys and discussions, as well as annual surveys of PGY-1s assessed residents' readiness to engage in training. LDP feasibility was assessed by considering sustainability of program structures and faculty retention, and resident acceptance of training was assessed by measuring attendance, with the attendance goal of 8 of 12 modules. Residents thought leadership training would be valuable if content remained applicable to daily work, and PGY-1 residents expressed high levels of interest in training. The LDP is part of the core educational programming for PGY-1 residents. Except for 2 modules, faculty presenters have remained consistent. During academic year 2014-2015, 45% (13 of 29) of categorical residents participated in at least 8 of 12 modules, and 72% (21 of 29) participated in at least 7 of 12. To date, 125 categorical residents have participated in training. Residents appeared ready to engage in leadership training, and the LDP was feasible to implement. The attendance goal was not met, but attendance was sufficient to justify program continuation.

Application of a Virucidal Agent to Avoid Overestimation of Phage Kill During Phage Decontamination Assays on Ready-to-Eat Meats.

PubMed

Chibeu, Andrew; Balamurugan, S

2018-01-01

We describe a method for assessing the effectiveness of tea extract based virucide (TeaF) application to remove phage LISTEX™ P100 not bound to Listeria monocytogenes from stomached rinses prior to direct plating and bacterial enumeration, where the phage is being used as a decontaminant to reduce L. monocytogenes levels on ready-to-eat meat.

The Effects of Transitional Bilingual and Dual Language Education Programs on the College Readiness of English Language Learners in a South Texas School District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garza-Reyna, Gina Lydia

2012-01-01

The purpose of this quantitative study was to track, compare, and analyze the college readiness of two cohorts of Hispanic English Language Learners (ELLs) by examining scores on state exit-level and national college entrance exams. One cohort was enrolled in the early-exit Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) program, while the other cohort was…

DC Voice Ready Schools Project Special Report on Facilities Readiness for School Year 2007-2008 in Conjunction with the 21st Century School Fund

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

21st Century School Fund, 2008

2008-01-01

The big District of Columbia Public School (DCPS) school facilities issues right now are the proposed closing of underutilized school buildings and the effects of new grade-level reorganization and consolidations. However, this report focuses on another critical issue--the basic condition of all DCPS school buildings. This special report of the…

Are They Really Ready to Work? Employers' Perspectives on the Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New Entrants to the 21st Century U.S. Workforce

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casner-Lotto, Jill; Barrington, Linda

2006-01-01

In collaboration, The Conference Board, Corporate Voices for Working Families, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and the Society for Human Resource Management conducted an in-depth study of the corporate perspective on the readiness of new entrants into the U.S. workforce by level of educational attainment. The study includes results…

A Standard-Setting Study to Establish College Success Criteria to Inform the SAT® College and Career Readiness Benchmark. Research Report 2012-3

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kobrin, Jennifer L.; Patterson, Brian F.; Wiley, Andrew; Mattern, Krista D.

2012-01-01

In 2011, the College Board released its SAT college and career readiness benchmark, which represents the level of academic preparedness associated with a high likelihood of college success and completion. The goal of this study, which was conducted in 2008, was to establish college success criteria to inform the development of the benchmark. The…

Readiness of Pre-Service Business Education Teachers for Web-Based E-Learning in Colleges of Education in North-East Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Enemali, Victoria Amelia; Aliyu, M. B.; Bulama, K. H.

2016-01-01

This study examined the level of preparedness or readiness for use of e-learning amongst pre-service business education teachers in Colleges of Education in North East Nigeria. One research question and one hypothesis guided this study. This study was a sample survey, in which a 51-item structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The…

Fuel Price Effects on Readiness

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-05-01

While fuel purchases represent only about 2.5 percent of the Department’s budget, there is large variation among the Services. In Fiscal Year (FY...Training pillar were used as the primary quantitative measures of readiness in this paper. Level of training can be measured using operating tempo (OPTEMPO...CA: Naval Post Graduate School, 1989), http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier =ADA219807; Lawrence Goldberg

Survey for Listeria monocytogenes on ready-to-eat foods from retail establishments in the United States (2010-2013): assessing potential changes of pathogen prevalence and levels in a decade

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A multi-year Interagency Listeria monocytogenes Market Basket Survey (Lm MBS) was undertaken for selected categories of refrigerated ready-to eat (RTE) foods purchased at retail in four FoodNet sites in the U.S. Eighteen product types were sampled, including RTE seafood, produce, dairy, meat, eggs,...

Assessing students' readiness towards e-learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahim, Nasrudin Md; Yusoff, Siti Hawa Mohd; Latif, Shahida Abd

2014-07-01

The usage of e-Learning methodology has become a new attraction for potential students as shown by some higher learning institutions in Malaysia. As such, Universiti Selangor (Unisel) should be ready to embark on e-Learning teaching and learning in the near future. The purpose of the study is to gauge the readiness of Unisel's students in e-Learning environment. A sample of 110 students was chosen to participate in this study which was conducted in January 2013. This sample consisted of students from various levels of study that are foundation, diploma and degree program. Using a structured questionnaire, respondents were assessed on their basic Internet skills, access to technology required for e-Learning and their attitude towards characteristics of successful e-Learning student based on study habits, abilities, motivation and time management behaviour. The result showed that respondents did have access to technology that are required for e-Learning environment, and respondents were knowledgeable regarding the basic Internet skills. The finding also showed that respondents' attitude did meet all characteristics of successful e-Learning student. Further analysis showed that there is no significant relationshipeither among gender, level of study or faculty with those characteristics. As a conclusion, the study shows that current Unisel's students are ready to participate in e-Learning environment if the institution decided to embark on e-Learning methodology.

Inequality in School Readiness and Autism among 6-Year-Old Children across Iranian Provinces: National Health Assessment Survey Results.

PubMed

Masoud, Amiri; Roya, Kelishadi; Mohammad-Esmaeil, Motlagh; Mahnaz, Taslimi; Marziyeh, Dashti; Tahereh, Aminaee; Gelayol, Ardalan; Parinaz, Poursafa

2013-02-01

To assess the national inequality of school readiness and autism among 6-year-old Iranian children before school entry using a national health assessment survey. In a cross-sectional nationwide survey, all Iranian children entering public and private elementary schools were asked to participate in a mandatory national screening program in Iran in 2009 in two levels of screening and diagnostic levels. The study population consisted of 955388 children (48.5% girls and 76.1% urban residents). Of the whole children, 3.1% of the 6-year-old children had impaired vision. In addition, 1.2, 1.8, 1.4, 7.6, 0.08, 10, 10.9, 56.7, 0.7, 0.8 and 0.6 percent had color blindness, hearing impaired, speech disorder, school readiness, autism, height to age retardation, body mass index extremes, decayed teeth, disease with special needs, spinal disorders, and hypertension, respectively. The distribution of these disorders was unequally distributed across provinces. Our results confirmed that there is an inequality in distribution of school readiness and autism in 6-year-old children across Iranian provinces. The observed burden of these distributions among young children needs a comprehensive national policy with evidence-based province programs to identify the reason for different inequality among provinces.

Health information literacy and competencies of information age students: results from the interactive online Research Readiness Self-Assessment (RRSA).

PubMed

Ivanitskaya, Lana; O'Boyle, Irene; Casey, Anne Marie

2006-04-21

In an era of easy access to information, university students who will soon enter health professions need to develop their information competencies. The Research Readiness Self-Assessment (RRSA) is based on the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, and it measures proficiency in obtaining health information, evaluating the quality of health information, and understanding plagiarism. This study aimed to measure the proficiency of college-age health information consumers in finding and evaluating electronic health information; to assess their ability to discriminate between peer-reviewed scholarly resources and opinion pieces or sales pitches; and to examine the extent to which they are aware of their level of health information competency. An interactive 56-item online assessment, the Research Readiness Self-Assessment (RRSA), was used to measure the health information competencies of university students. We invited 400 students to take part in the study, and 308 participated, giving a response rate of 77%. The RRSA included multiple-choice questions and problem-based exercises. Declarative and procedural knowledge were assessed in three domains: finding health information, evaluating health information, and understanding plagiarism. Actual performance was contrasted with self-reported skill level. Upon answering all questions, students received a results page that summarized their numerical results and displayed individually tailored feedback composed by an experienced librarian. Even though most students (89%) understood that a one-keyword search is likely to return too many documents, few students were able to narrow a search by using multiple search categories simultaneously or by employing Boolean operators. In addition, nearly half of the respondents had trouble discriminating between primary and secondary sources of information as well as between references to journal articles and other published documents. When presented with questionable websites on nonexistent nutritional supplements, only 50% of respondents were able to correctly identify the website with the most trustworthy features. Less than a quarter of study participants reached the correct conclusion that none of the websites made a good case for taking the nutritional supplements. Up to 45% of students were unsure if they needed to provide references for ideas expressed in paraphrased sentences or sentences whose structure they modified. Most respondents (84%) believed that their research skills were good, very good, or excellent. Students' self-perceptions of skill tended to increase with increasing level of education. Self-reported skills were weakly correlated with actual skill level, operationalized as the overall RRSA score (Cronbach alpha = .78 for 56 RRSA items). While the majority of students think that their research skills are good or excellent, many of them are unable to conduct advanced information searches, judge the trustworthiness of health-related websites and articles, and differentiate between various information sources. Students' self-reports may not be an accurate predictor of their actual health information competencies.

Health Information Literacy and Competencies of Information Age Students: Results From the Interactive Online Research Readiness Self-Assessment (RRSA)

PubMed Central

O’Boyle, Irene; Casey, Anne Marie

2006-01-01

Background In an era of easy access to information, university students who will soon enter health professions need to develop their information competencies. The Research Readiness Self-Assessment (RRSA) is based on the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, and it measures proficiency in obtaining health information, evaluating the quality of health information, and understanding plagiarism. Objective This study aimed to measure the proficiency of college-age health information consumers in finding and evaluating electronic health information; to assess their ability to discriminate between peer-reviewed scholarly resources and opinion pieces or sales pitches; and to examine the extent to which they are aware of their level of health information competency. Methods An interactive 56-item online assessment, the Research Readiness Self-Assessment (RRSA), was used to measure the health information competencies of university students. We invited 400 students to take part in the study, and 308 participated, giving a response rate of 77%. The RRSA included multiple-choice questions and problem-based exercises. Declarative and procedural knowledge were assessed in three domains: finding health information, evaluating health information, and understanding plagiarism. Actual performance was contrasted with self-reported skill level. Upon answering all questions, students received a results page that summarized their numerical results and displayed individually tailored feedback composed by an experienced librarian. Results Even though most students (89%) understood that a one-keyword search is likely to return too many documents, few students were able to narrow a search by using multiple search categories simultaneously or by employing Boolean operators. In addition, nearly half of the respondents had trouble discriminating between primary and secondary sources of information as well as between references to journal articles and other published documents. When presented with questionable websites on nonexistent nutritional supplements, only 50% of respondents were able to correctly identify the website with the most trustworthy features. Less than a quarter of study participants reached the correct conclusion that none of the websites made a good case for taking the nutritional supplements. Up to 45% of students were unsure if they needed to provide references for ideas expressed in paraphrased sentences or sentences whose structure they modified. Most respondents (84%) believed that their research skills were good, very good, or excellent. Students’ self-perceptions of skill tended to increase with increasing level of education. Self-reported skills were weakly correlated with actual skill level, operationalized as the overall RRSA score (Cronbach alpha = .78 for 56 RRSA items). Conclusions While the majority of students think that their research skills are good or excellent, many of them are unable to conduct advanced information searches, judge the trustworthiness of health-related websites and articles, and differentiate between various information sources. Students’ self-reports may not be an accurate predictor of their actual health information competencies. PMID:16867969

Coalition readiness management system preliminary interoperability experiment (CReaMS PIE)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, Peter; Ryan, Peter; Zalcman, Lucien; Robbie, Andrew

2003-09-01

The United States Navy (USN) has initiated the Coalition Readiness Management System (CReaMS) Initiative to enhance coalition warfighting readiness through advancing development of a team interoperability training and combined mission rehearsal capability. It integrates evolving cognitive team learning principles and processes with advanced technology innovations to produce an effective and efficient team learning environment. The JOint Air Navy Networking Environment (JOANNE) forms the Australian component of CReaMS. The ultimate goal is to link Australian Defence simulation systems with the USN Battle Force Tactical Training (BFTT) system to demonstrate and achieve coalition level warfare training in a synthetic battlespace. This paper discusses the initial Preliminary Interoperability Experiment (PIE) involving USN and Australian Defence establishments.

Using Technology Readiness Level (TRL), Life Cycle Cost (LCC), and Other Metrics to Supplement Equivalent System Mass (ESM) in Advanced Life Support (ALS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Harry

2003-01-01

The ALS project plan goals are reducing cost, improving performance, and achieving flight readiness. ALS selects projects to advance the mission readiness of low cost, high performance technologies. The role of metrics is to help select good projects and report progress. The Equivalent Mass (EM) of a system is the sum of the estimated mass of the hardware, of its required materials and spares, and of the pressurized volume, power supply, and cooling system needed to support the hardware in space. EM is the total payload launch mass needed to provide and support a system. EM is directly proportional to the launch cost.

Solar sail science mission applications and advancement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macdonald, Malcolm; McInnes, Colin

2011-12-01

Solar sailing has long been envisaged as an enabling or disruptive technology. The promise of open-ended missions allows consideration of radically new trajectories and the delivery of spacecraft to previously unreachable or unsustainable observation outposts. A mission catalogue is presented of an extensive range of potential solar sail applications, allowing identification of the key features of missions which are enabled, or significantly enhance, through solar sail propulsion. Through these considerations a solar sail application-pull technology development roadmap is established, using each mission as a technology stepping-stone to the next. Having identified and developed a solar sail application-pull technology development roadmap, this is incorporated into a new vision for solar sailing. The development of new technologies, especially for space applications, is high-risk. The advancement difficulty of low technology readiness level research is typically underestimated due to a lack of recognition of the advancement degree of difficulty scale. Recognising the currently low technology readiness level of traditional solar sailing concepts, along with their high advancement degree of difficulty and a lack of near-term applications a new vision for solar sailing is presented which increases the technology readiness level and reduces the advancement degree of difficulty of solar sailing. Just as the basic principles of solar sailing are not new, they have also been long proven and utilised in spacecraft as a low-risk, high-return limited-capability propulsion system. It is therefore proposed that this significant heritage be used to enable rapid, near-term solar sail future advancement through coupling currently mature solar sail, and other, technologies with current solar sail technology developments. As such the near-term technology readiness level of traditional solar sailing is increased, while simultaneously reducing the advancement degree of difficulty along the solar sail application-pull technology development roadmap.

Factors related to self-directed learning readiness of students in health professional programs: A scoping review.

PubMed

Slater, Craig E; Cusick, Anne

2017-05-01

Academic and professional drivers have stimulated interest in self-directed learning of students in pre-certification health professional programs. Particular attention has focussed on factors which may influence a students' readiness for self-directed learning. A five stage structured scoping review of published literature was conducted to identify measures of self-directed learning readiness used with students in pre-certification health professional programs and those factors that have been investigated as potential determinants. Relevant articles were identified in six databases using key search terms and a search strategy. Two independent reviewers used criteria to cull irrelevant sources. Articles which met eligibility criteria were charted. The final analysis included 49 articles conducted in nursing, medicine, physiotherapy, pharmacy, occupational therapy and dentistry cohorts. Twenty-one potential determinants had been investigated with gender, year level, age program delivery and previous education level the most common. Self-directed learning readiness has been of interest globally, mostly in medicine and nursing, and studies have nearly exclusively used one of two instruments. There is nascent evidence that age, year level and previous education level may have positive influence. These factors have in common the passing of time and may in fact be proxy for more encompassing developmental or social constructs. Further research is needed particularly in the allied health professions where there is limited research in very few disciplines. Studies in interprofessional contexts may be an efficient approach to increasing the knowledge base. Further work is also warranted to determine appropriate use of the two instruments across the range of health disciplines. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

How group education impacts female factory workers' behavior and readiness to receive mammography and Pap smear.

PubMed

Seven, Memnun; Bahar, Mine; Akyüz, Aygül; Erdoğan, Hatice

2015-01-01

The workplace has been deemed a suitable location for educating many women at once about cancer screening. To determine how group education about early diagnostic methods for breast and cervical cancer effects women's behavior and readiness to receive mammography and Pap smear. This semi-interventional study was conducted at a textile factory in Istanbul, Turkey. Female workers (n= 125) were included in the study. A participant identification form and knowledge evaluation form developed for this study, along with the transtheoretical model, were used to collect data. A 45-min interactive group education was given to the participants. Upon contacting participants 3 months after group education, 15.4% (n = 11) stated that they had since received a mammogram and 9.8% (n = 7) a Pap smear. As suggested by the transtheoretical model, group education increased participants' readiness to receive cancer screening, along with their knowledge of breast and cervical cancer. Group education positively impacted women's knowledge of cancer and their readiness to receive mammography and Pap smear. Group education can potentially create awareness of cancer screening tests among women and improve their readiness to receive such tests.

Assessing Readiness for En Pointe in Young Ballet Dancers.

PubMed

Lai, Jeffrey C; Kruse, David W

2016-01-01

Children begin ballet lessons as young as age 2 years. The graceful movements of classical ballet require a combination of artistry, flexibility, and strength to perform. During the training and development of a young ballerina, the transition to dancing en pointe ("on the toes") represents a significant milestone and traditionally begins around age 11 or 12 years, assuming the proper training background and dance aspirations. However, current dance medicine literature describes factors such as maturity, proper technique, strength, and postural control as the more significant factors in determining pointe readiness. An in-office evaluation of these factors can be performed by the clinician to assist dancers, their family, and their dance instructor(s) determine pointe readiness. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

Department of Energy Operational Readiness Review for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

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

None, None

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has completed an Operational Readiness Review (ORR) for the restart of Contact Handled (CH) waste emplacement at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) located near Carlsbad, New Mexico. The ORR team assessed the readiness of Nuclear Waste Partnership, LLC (NWP) to manage and perform receipt through CH waste emplacement, and associated waste handling and management activities, including the ability of the National TRU Program (NTP) to evaluate the waste currently stored at the WIPP site against the revised and enhanced Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC). Field work for this review began on November 14, 2015more » and was completed on November 30, 2016. The DOE ORR was conducted in accordance with the Department of Energy Operational Readiness Review Implementation Plan for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, dated November 8, 2016, and DOE Order 425.1D, Verification of Readiness to Start Up or Restart Nuclear Facilities. The review activities included personnel interviews, record reviews, direct observation of operations and maintenance demonstrations, and observation of multiple operational and emergency drills/exercises. The DOE ORR also evaluated the adequacy of the contractor’s ORR (CORR) and the readiness of the DOE Carlsbad field Office (CBFO) to oversee the startup and execution of CH waste emplacement activities at the WIPP facility. The WIPP facility is categorized as a Hazard Category 2 DOE Nonreactor Nuclear Facility for all surface and Underground (UG) operations per DOE-STD-1027-92, Hazard Categorization and Accident Analysis Techniques for Compliance with DOE Order 5480.23, Nuclear Safety Analysis Reports. In addition, the WIPP experienced two events in February, 2014 that resulted in Accident Investigations being performed in accordance with the requirements of DOE Order 225.1B, Accident Investigations. Based upon the results of the accident investigations and hazard categorization of the facility, the team placed significant emphasis on the following areas: fire protection, emergency preparedness, radiological protection, nuclear safety, and operations. The identification of specific focus areas was not intended to diminish the importance of other areas of the review, but to ensure that these areas received a particularly thorough and in-depth evaluation due to their significance with respect to the safe operation of the facility.« less

Ontario family physician readiness to collaborate with community pharmacists on drug therapy management.

PubMed

Pojskic, Nedzad; Mackeigan, Linda; Boon, Heather; Ellison, Philip; Breslin, Curtis

2011-03-01

Empirical evidence suggests that pharmacist-physician collaboration can improve patients' clinical outcomes; however, such collaboration occurs relatively infrequently in the community setting. There has been little research on physicians' perspectives of such collaboration. To ascertain Ontario family physician readiness to collaborate with community pharmacists on drug therapy management. The survey instrument was based on the transtheoretical model of behavior change. It enquired about 3 physician behaviors that represented low-, mid-, and high-level collaboration with pharmacists. The survey was distributed by fax or mail to a random sample of 848 Ontario family physicians and general practitioners, stratified by practice location (urban/rural). The response rate was 36%. Most respondents reported conversing with community pharmacists about a patient's drug therapy management 5 or fewer times per week. Eighty-four percent reported that they regularly took community pharmacists' phone calls, whereas 78% reported that they sometimes sought pharmacists' recommendations regarding their patients' drug therapy. Twenty-eight percent reported that they sometimes referred their patients to community pharmacists for medication reviews, with 44% unaware of such a service. There were no differences in physician readiness to engage in any of the 3 collaborative behaviors in urban versus rural settings. More accurate patient medication lists were perceived as the main advantage (pro) of collaborating with community pharmacists and pharmacists' lack of patient information as the main disadvantage (con). Collectively, perceived pros of collaboration were positive predictors of physician readiness to collaborate on all 3 behaviors, whereas perceived cons were negative predictors for the low- and mid-level behaviors. Female physicians were more likely than males to seek pharmacists' recommendations, whereas more experienced physicians were more likely to refer patients to pharmacists for medication reviews. Overall, Ontario physicians were more engaged in the low- and mid-level collaboration with community pharmacists with respect to drug therapy management. The strongest predictor of physician readiness to collaborate was perceived advantages of collaboration. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Testing of technology readiness index model based on exploratory factor analysis approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ariani, AF; Napitupulu, D.; Jati, RK; Kadar, JA; Syafrullah, M.

2018-04-01

SMEs readiness in using ICT will determine the adoption of ICT in the future. This study aims to evaluate the model of technology readiness in order to apply the technology on SMEs. The model is tested to find if TRI model is relevant to measure ICT adoption, especially for SMEs in Indonesia. The research method used in this paper is survey to a group of SMEs in South Tangerang. The survey measures the readiness to adopt ICT based on four variables which is Optimism, Innovativeness, Discomfort, and Insecurity. Each variable contains several indicators to make sure the variable is measured thoroughly. The data collected through survey is analysed using factor analysis methodwith the help of SPSS software. The result of this study shows that TRI model gives more descendants on some indicators and variables. This result can be caused by SMEs owners’ knowledge is not homogeneous about either the technology that they are used, knowledge or the type of their business.

Naval Expeditionary Logistics Support Group, Training and Evaluation Unit: An Analysis of Current Operations While Searching for Training Efficiencies

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

of-the-art-classrooms and virtual reality rooms for small arms training. The outlying operational training areas are spread across Cheatham Annex...Movement, and Integration RFM Ready for Mobilization RFT Ready for Tasking SME Subject Matter Expert SWOT Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities...document shows that the position is filled (1.0 qualified) but the reality is that the individual is not fully qualified for the required billet (0

Evaluation of 10 Jet Fuels in the Salmonella-Escherichia coli Mutagenicity Assay

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-07

4658), Valero 25% Aromatic JP8 (POSF 8457), KiOR Hydrotreated Kerosene/ Bio -Kerosene (POSF 10327), ARA ReadiJet (POSF 10328), Amyris Farnesane (POSF...JP8 (POSF 8457) * KiOR Hydrotreated Kerosene/ Bio -Kerosene (POSF 10327) * ARA ReadiJet (POSF 10328) * Amyris Farnesane (POSF 10329) * Virent HDO-SK...fuel/plate. Due to evidence of toxicity, KiOR Hydrotreated Kerosene/ Bio -Kerosene (POSF 10327) and Virent HDO-SK (POSF 10330) were used at

Regenerative fuel cell systems for space station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoberecht, M. A.; Sheibley, D. W.

1985-01-01

Regenerative fuel cell (RFC) systems are the leading energy storage candidates for Space Station. Key design features are the advanced state of technology readiness and high degree of system level design flexibility. Technology readiness was demonstrated through testing at the single cell, cell stack, mechanical ancillary component, subsystem, and breadboard levels. Design flexibility characteristics include independent sizing of power and energy storage portions of the system, integration of common reactants with other space station systems, and a wide range of various maintenance approaches. The design features led to selection of a RFC system as the sole electrochemical energy storage technology option for the space station advanced development program.

Management of Ready-to-Use Parenteral Nutrition in Newborns: Systematic Review.

PubMed

Mena, Karen Daniela Romero; Espitia, Olga Lucia Pinzón; Vergara, José Alejandro Daza

2018-04-27

Parenteral support has increased the possibility of neonatal recovery. However, complications associated with its use have been documented. One commercial method developed to decrease the complications of this type of support is the ready-to-use parenteral nutrition (PN), a 3-chamber bag that provides a complete nutrient mix. This systematic review seeks, through the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses methodology, to establish the benefits in newborns. Seven databases and gray literature were used. The search was limited to publications from 2007-2017 and to articles written in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Articles that did not meet the inclusion criteria and studies with low quality evaluated with the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network guidelines, which were without information about the study or analytical methods, were excluded. A total of 24,193 articles were obtained, which were initially evaluated by title and abstract according to the inclusion criteria. A total of 24,167 articles were discarded, obtaining 27 eligible for follow-up evaluation. After a detailed evaluation of the full text, 13 articles were selected. It was found that ready-to-use PN has the potential benefit to reduce the risks for infections, provide an adequate supply of nutrients, generate growth within the expected range, provide ease of use, decrease prescription errors, and potentially reduce costs. It is necessary to evaluate the short- and long-term impact of its use. © 2018 American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

The significance of interfamilial relationships on birth preparedness and complication readiness in Pakistan.

PubMed

Ghani, Usman; Crowther, Susan; Kamal, Yasir; Wahab, Muhammad

2018-03-29

In the interests of improving maternal health care and survival, the issue of birth preparedness and complication readiness has been much debated and has remained a priority for the international health community. The provision of birth preparedness and complications readiness is determined by a range of different factors. The main aim of this study is to identify and measure the influence of husbands and other family relationships on birth preparedness and complications readiness in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. This study is a cross-sectional exploratory study. Data was collected through a survey questionnaire. Logistic regression and descriptive analysis was used. Analysis indicated that the mother-in-law's role, men's and women's level of education and interfamilial relationships are still the most significant factors influencing birth preparedness and complications readiness. Of the respondents, 86% were receiving antenatal care and 76.5% were planning for the birth to take place in state-run hospitals or private obstetric and gynae clinics. The tendency to take up antenatal care in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa can mainly be credited to a mutual understanding between husband and wife and a good relationship between the woman and her mother-in-law. Highlighting the significance of these relationships has implications for ensuring birth preparedness and complications readiness. Copyright © 2018 Australian College of Midwives. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Readiness for organisational change among general practice staff.

PubMed

Christl, B; Harris, M F; Jayasinghe, U W; Proudfoot, J; Taggart, J; Tan, J

2010-10-01

Increasing demands on general practice to manage chronic disease may warrant organisational change at the practice level. Staff's readiness for organisational change can act as a facilitator or barrier to implementing interventions aimed at organisational change. To explore general practice staff readiness for organisational change and its association with staff and practices characteristics. This is a cross-sectional study of practices in three Australian states involved in a randomised control trial on the effectiveness of an intervention to enhance the role of non-general practitioner staff in chronic disease management. Readiness for organisational change, job satisfaction and practice characteristics were assessed using questionnaires. 502 staff from 58 practices completed questionnaires. Practice characteristics were not associated with staff readiness for change. A multilevel regression analysis showed statistically significant associations between staff readiness for organisational change (range 1 to 5) and having a non-clinical staff role (vs general practitioner; B=-0.315; 95% CI -0.47 to -0.16; p<0.001), full-time employment (vs part-time; B=0.175, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.29; p<0.01) and lower job satisfaction (B=-0.277, 95% CI -0.40 to -0.15; p<0.001). The results suggest that different approaches are needed to facilitate change which addresses the mix of practice staff. Moderately low job satisfaction may be an opportunity for organisational change.

Observations on the Association between Operational Readiness and Personal Readiness in the Canadian Forces

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-03-31

problems in providing a sufficient level of garrison mental health care . 3. CF members who deploy, depending on their circumstances, are treated...psychological, and social fitness of a member to deploy, an appropriate health care provider must conduct screening. If a social worker is not available...assistance. This period may also include a one-on-one interview with a Chaplain, a social worker or other mental health professional. Family

College Readiness of Urban High School Students in the United States: The Role of Technology in Preparing All Students for College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Kane, Eileen Vollert

2010-01-01

As we enter deeper into the 21st Century, there is a more urgent need to transform our educational system in the United States to better prepare our youth for the careers and technology of the future. This study examines how improving technology education at the high school level can improve the learning and college readiness of urban youth. It…

Behavioral Correlates of System Operational Readiness (SOR): Summary of Workshop Proceedings.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-10-01

1978) time series ARIMA models Use ARIMA models for (Box & Jenkins, 1976) interrupted time series Stage 7. Interpretation 7.1 Formatting and re...This report describes a 2-day conference called to explore the methodology required to develop a behavioral model of system operational readiness (SOR...Participants discussed (4) the behavioral variables that should be included in the model , (2) the system level measures that should be included, (3

Defense Inventory: DOD Needs Additional Information for Managing War Reserve Levels of Meals Ready to Eat

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-01

to provide operational ration manufacturers with two types of machines to assist with the cooking and filling and sealing process for operational...and (3) any strategies DLA pursues to balance cost with readiness in supplying WRM. GAO obtained information from the services on their processes ...for identifying WRM requirements, reviewed DLA’s inventory-management processes and related guidance, and interviewed DLA and military service

Readiness to Change as a Predictor of Treatment Engagement and Outcome for Partner Violent Men.

PubMed

Maldonado, Ana I; Murphy, Christopher M

2018-05-01

Resistance to change has been long recognized as a barrier to successful intervention for partner violent individuals. Using archival data from a community-based intimate partner violence (IPV) intervention program, the current study investigated readiness to change as a predictor of treatment engagement and outcome in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for IPV, and examined whether court referral status, antisocial personality characteristics, and borderline personality characteristics moderate these associations. During program intake, male IPV perpetrators ( N = 195) provided structured interview data on demographics and referral source, and self-report data on readiness to change, borderline personality traits, and antisocial personality traits. During group CBT, participants and their therapists completed measures of the working alliance, and the therapists completed ratings of compliance with behavior change homework assignments. Criminal recidivism data were gathered from public records for 2 years after scheduled completion of treatment. Readiness to change significantly predicted client ratings of the working alliance, but not therapist ratings of the working alliance, CBT homework compliance, or criminal recidivism. Court referral status moderated predictive associations between readiness to change and working alliance ratings, and borderline and antisocial characteristics moderated predictive associations between readiness to change and working alliance as well as criminal recidivism. Interestingly, readiness to change is a stronger predictor of positive treatment response for court- versus self-referred individuals and for those with either very low or very high levels of borderline and antisocial characteristics. Hence, strategies to enhance motivation to change may be particularly be important for IPV perpetrators with these characteristics.

Service quality and perceived value of technology-based service encounters: evaluation of clinical staff satisfaction in Taiwan.

PubMed

Hung, Chung-Jye; Chang, Hsin Hsin; Eng, Cheng Joo; Wong, Kit Hong

Previous research has evaluated technology-based service encounters (TBSEs) in the delivery of health care by assessing patient satisfaction. This study examined service quality and perceived value of TBSEs used in health organisations from the perspective of clinical staff, with staff technology readiness as a moderator. A quantitative survey was conducted in Taiwan, across private and public healthcare organisations. Results showed that TBSEs had a direct effect on service quality and perceived value, which in turn had a direct effect on staff satisfaction in using TBSEs. However, service quality had no effect on perceived value when moderated by technology readiness. Theoretical and managerial implications of these findings are discussed.

Disaster Preparedness among Active Duty Personnel, Retirees, Veterans, and Dependents.

PubMed

Annis, Heather; Jacoby, Irving; DeMers, Gerard

2016-04-01

With the increase in natural and manmade disasters, preparedness remains a vital area of concern. Despite attempts by government and non-government agencies to stress the importance of preparedness, national levels of preparedness remain unacceptably low. A goal of commands and installations is to ensure that US Navy beneficiaries are well prepared for disasters. This especially is critical in active service members to meet mission readiness requirements in crisis settings. To evaluate active duty Navy personnel, dependents, veterans, and retirees regarding disaster preparedness status. The authors conducted an anonymous 29-question survey for US Navy active duty, dependents, veterans, and retirees of the Greater San Diego Region (California, USA) evaluating actual basic disaster readiness as determined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) standards of 3-day minimum supply of emergency stores and equipment. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis were used to analyze data. One thousand one hundred and fifty surveys were returned and analyzed. Nine hundred and eight-three were sufficiently complete for logistic regression analysis with 394 responding "Yes" to having a 72-hour disaster kit (40.1%) while 589 had "No" as a response (59.9%). The surveyed population is no more prepared than the general public, though surveyed beneficiaries overall are at an upper range of preparedness. Lower income and levels of education were associated with lack of preparedness, whereas training in disaster preparedness or having been affected by disasters increased the likelihood of being adequately prepared. Unlike results seen in the general public, those with chronic health care needs in the surveyed population were more, rather than less, likely to be prepared and those with minor children were less likely, rather than more likely, to be prepared. Duty status was assessed and only veterans were emphatically more probable than most to be prepared.

Readiness for Implementation of Lung Cancer Screening. A National Survey of Veterans Affairs Pulmonologists.

PubMed

Tukey, Melissa H; Clark, Jack A; Bolton, Rendelle; Kelley, Michael J; Slatore, Christopher G; Au, David H; Wiener, Renda Soylemez

2016-10-01

To mitigate the potential harms of screening, professional societies recommend that lung cancer screening be conducted in multidisciplinary programs with the capacity to provide comprehensive care, from screening through pulmonary nodule evaluation to treatment of screen-detected cancers. The degree to which this standard can be met at the national level is unknown. To assess the readiness of clinical facilities in a national healthcare system for implementation of comprehensive lung cancer screening programs, as compared with the ideal described in policy recommendations. This was a cross-sectional, self-administered survey of staff pulmonologists in pulmonary outpatient clinics in Veterans Health Administration facilities. The facility-level response rate was 84.1% (106 of 126 facilities with pulmonary clinics); 88.7% of facilities showed favorable provider perceptions of the evidence for lung cancer screening, and 73.6% of facilities had a favorable provider-perceived local context for screening implementation. All elements of the policy-recommended infrastructure for comprehensive screening programs were present in 36 of 106 facilities (34.0%); the most common deficiencies were the lack of on-site positron emission tomography scanners or radiation oncology services. Overall, 26.5% of Veterans Health Administration facilities were ideally prepared for lung cancer screening implementation (44.1% if the policy recommendations for on-site positron emission tomography scanners and radiation oncology services were waived). Many facilities may be less than ideally positioned for the implementation of comprehensive lung cancer screening programs. To ensure safe, effective screening, hospitals may need to invest resources or coordinate care with facilities that can offer comprehensive care for screening through downstream evaluation and treatment of screen-detected cancers.

Technology readiness levels and technology status for selected long term/high payoff technologies on the RLV program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosmait, Russell L.

1996-01-01

The development of a new space transportation system in a climate of constant budget cuts and staff reductions can be and is a difficult task. It is no secret that NASA's current launching system consumes a very large portion of NASA funding and requires a large army of people to operate & maintain the system. The new Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) project and it's programs are faced with a monumental task of making the cost of access to space dramatically lower and more efficient than NASA's current system. With pressures from congressional budget cutters and also increased competition and loss of market share from international agencies RLV's first priority is to develop a 'low-cost, reliable transportation to earth orbit.' One of the RLV's major focus in achieving low-cost, reliable transportation to earth orbit is to rely on the maturing of advanced technologies. The technologies for the RLV are numerous and varied. Trying to assess their current status, within the RLV development program is paramount. There are several ways to assess these technologies. One way is through the use of Technology Readiness Levels (TRL's). This project focused on establishing current (summer 95) 'worst case' TRL's for six selected technologies that are under consideration for use within the RLV program. The six technologies evaluated were Concurrent Engineering, Embedded Sensor Technology, Rapid Prototyping, Friction Stir Welding, Thermal Spray Coatings, and VPPA Welding.

Effects of antimicrobial coatings and cryogenic freezing on survival and growth of Listeria innocua on frozen ready-to-eat shrimp during thawing.

PubMed

Guo, Mingming; Jin, Tony Z; Scullen, O Joseph; Sommers, Christopher H

2013-08-01

Foodborne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes could pose a health risk on frozen ready-to-eat (RTE) shrimp as the pathogen could grow following thawing. In this study, antimicrobial-coating treatments alone, or in combination with cryogenic freezing, were evaluated for their ability to inhibit the growth of Listeria innocua, a surrogate for L. monocytogenes, on RTE shrimp. Cooked RTE shrimp were inoculated with L. innocua at 3 population levels and treated with coating solutions consisting of chitosan, allyl isothiocyanate (AIT), or lauric arginate ester (LAE). The treated shrimp were then stored at -18 °C for 6 d before being thawed at 4, 10, or 22 °C for either 24 or 48 h. Results revealed that antimicrobial coatings achieved approximately 5.5 to 1 log CFU/g reduction of L. innocua on RTE shrimp after the treatments, depending on the inoculated population levels. The coating-treated shrimp samples had significantly (P < 0.05) less L. innocua than controls at each thawing temperature and time. Cryogenic freezing in combination with coating treatments did not achieve synergistic effects against L. innocua. Antimicrobial coatings can help to improve product safety by reducing Listeria on RTE shrimp. Journal of Food Science © 2013 Institute of Food Technologists® No claim to original US government works.

Mother-daughter dyadic approach for starting preconception counseling at puberty in girls with diabetes.

PubMed

Charron-Prochownik, Denise; Fischl, Andrea Rodgers; Choi, Jessica; Schmitt, Patricia L; White, Neil H; Becker, Dorothy; Downs, Julie; Hannan, Margaret; Thurheimer, Jennifer; Sereika, Susan M

2014-12-29

Preconception counseling (PC) significantly and inexpensively reduces risks of reproductive-health complications for women with diabetes. Our validated technology-based preconception counseling intervention, READY-Girls , is tailored for female teens with type 1 (T1D) and type 2 (T2D) diabetes and targets decision-making regarding effective family planning and seeking PC. Our teen-focused research was instrumental in changing the American Diabetes Association's Practice Recommendations to specify that preconception counseling should "Start at puberty…". This directive requires support from well-informed mothers of teens. Our goal is to provide both teen girls and their mothers with preconception counseling knowledge, and provide mothers with sex-communication training. Evaluation should focus on mother-daughter dyads. This feasibility study explored mother's and daughter's awareness and knowledge of diabetes and pregnancy, and preconception counseling; and compared mother-daughter responses using dyadic analyses. A mixed-method design was conducted with 10 mothers of daughters with T1D. Mothers were given READY-Girls intervention and completed knowledge and support questionnaires. Their responses were compared to those of their daughter's who were participating in a large randomized, control intervention trial with READY-Girls . The major theme from one-on-one interviews was, "I know nothing about diabetes/pregnancy risks and PC". Mother's and daughter's perceptions of having limited knowledge were confirmed by low knowledge scores. Mothers perceived giving higher levels of support compared to their daughter's perceptions of receiving support. Mothers can play a vital role in initiating discussions regarding reproductive-health with their daughters and reinforcing preconception counseling. Mother-daughter team approach for starting preconception counseling at puberty in girls with diabetes is feasible. Mother-daughter dyadic analyses can be important to explore possible mediating and moderating roles of mother-daughter communication and support about reproductive health on the relationship between READY-Girls intervention and sustainable outcomes.

Ready to learn physics: a team-based learning model for first year university

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parappilly, Maria; Schmidt, Lisa; De Ritter, Samantha

2015-09-01

Team-based learning (TBL) is an established model of group work which aims to improve students' ability to apply discipline-related content. TBL consists of a readiness assurance process (RAP), student groups and application activities. While TBL has not been implemented widely in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines, it has been effective in improving student learning in other disciplines. This paper describes the incorporation of TBL activities into a non-calculus based introductory level physics topic—Physics for the Modern World. Students were given pre-class preparation materials and an individual RAP online test before the workshops. The pre-workshop individual RAP test ensured that all students were exposed to concept-based questions before their workshops and motivated them to use the preparatory materials in readiness for the workshop. The students were placed into random teams and during the first part of the workshop, the teams went through a subset of the quiz questions (team RAP test) and in the remaining time, teams completed an in-class assignment. After the workshop students were allowed another attempt at the individual RAP test to see if their knowledge had improved. The ability of TBL to promote student learning of key concepts was evaluated by experiment using pre- and post- testing. The students’ perception of TBL was monitored by discussion posts and survey responses. Finally, the ability of TBL to support peer-peer interaction was evaluated by video analysis of the class. We found that the TBL process improved student learning; students did interact with each other in class; and the students had a positive view of TBL. To assess the transferability of this model to other topics, we conducted a comparison study with an environmental science topic which produced similar results. Our study supports the use of this TBL model in science topics.

Development of RAD-Score: A Tool to Assess the Procedural Competence of Diagnostic Radiology Residents.

PubMed

Isupov, Inga; McInnes, Matthew D F; Hamstra, Stan J; Doherty, Geoffrey; Gupta, Ashish; Peddle, Susan; Jibri, Zaid; Rakhra, Kawan; Hibbert, Rebecca M

2017-04-01

The purpose of this study is to develop a tool to assess the procedural competence of radiology trainees, with sources of evidence gathered from five categories to support the construct validity of tool: content, response process, internal structure, relations to other variables, and consequences. A pilot form for assessing procedural competence among radiology residents, known as the RAD-Score tool, was developed by evaluating published literature and using a modified Delphi procedure involving a group of local content experts. The pilot version of the tool was tested by seven radiology department faculty members who evaluated procedures performed by 25 residents at one institution between October 2014 and June 2015. Residents were evaluated while performing multiple procedures in both clinical and simulation settings. The main outcome measure was the percentage of residents who were considered ready to perform procedures independently, with testing conducted to determine differences between levels of training. A total of 105 forms (for 52 procedures performed in a clinical setting and 53 procedures performed in a simulation setting) were collected for a variety of procedures (eight vascular or interventional, 42 body, 12 musculoskeletal, 23 chest, and 20 breast procedures). A statistically significant difference was noted in the percentage of trainees who were rated as being ready to perform a procedure independently (in postgraduate year [PGY] 2, 12% of residents; in PGY3, 61%; in PGY4, 85%; and in PGY5, 88%; p < 0.05); this difference persisted in the clinical and simulation settings. User feedback and psychometric analysis were used to create a final version of the form. This prospective study describes the successful development of a tool for assessing the procedural competence of radiology trainees with high levels of construct validity in multiple domains. Implementation of the tool in the radiology residency curriculum is planned and can play an instrumental role in the transition to competency-based radiology training.

Evaluation of concrete recycling system efficiency for ready-mix concrete plants.

PubMed

Vieira, Luiz de Brito Prado; Figueiredo, Antonio Domingues de

2016-10-01

The volume of waste generated annually in concrete plants is quite large and has important environmental and economic consequences. The use of fresh concrete recyclers is an interesting way for the reuse of aggregates and water in new concrete production. This paper presents a study carried out for over one year by one of the largest ready-mix concrete producers in Brazil. This study focused on the evaluation of two recyclers with distinct material separation systems, herein referred to as drum-type and rotary sieve-type equipment. They were evaluated through characterization and monitoring test programs to verify the behaviour of recovered materials (aggregates, water, and slurry). The applicability of the recovered materials (water and aggregates) was also evaluated in the laboratory and at an industrial scale. The results obtained with the two types of recyclers used were equivalent and showed no significant differences. The only exception was in terms of workability. The drum-type recycler generated fewer cases that required increased pumping pressure. The analysis concluded that the use of untreated slurry is unfeasible because of its intense negative effects on the strength and workability of concrete. The reclaimed water, pre-treated to ensure that its density is less than 1.03g/cm(3), can be used on an industrial scale without causing any harm to the concrete. The use of recovered aggregates consequently induces an increase in water demand and cement consumption to ensure the workability conditions of concrete that is proportional to the concrete strength level. Therefore, the viability of their use is restricted to concretes with characteristic strengths lower than 25MPa. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.