Sample records for setting high standards

  1. Behind the Curtain: Assessing the Case for National Curriculum Standards. Policy Analysis. No. 661

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCluskey, Neal

    2010-01-01

    The argument for national curriculum standards sounds simple: set high standards, make all schools meet them, and watch American students achieve at high levels. It is straightforward and compelling, and it is driving a sea change in American education policy. Unfortunately, setting high standards and getting American students to hit them is…

  2. Higher Education Faculty Engagement in a Modified Mapmark Standard Setting

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Horst, S. Jeanne; DeMars, Christine E.

    2016-01-01

    The Mapmark standard setting method was adapted to a higher education setting in which faculty leaders were highly involved. Eighteen university faculty members participated in a day-long standard setting for a general education communications test. In Round 1, faculty set initial cut-scores for each of four student learning objectives. In Rounds…

  3. Evaluating the Bookmark Judgments of Standard-Setting Panelists

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Engelhard, George, Jr.

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to describe a new approach for evaluating the judgments of standard-setting panelists within the context of the bookmark procedure. The bookmark procedure is widely used for setting performance standards on high-stakes assessments. A many-faceted Rasch (MFR) model is proposed for evaluating the bookmark judgments of…

  4. Consistency of Angoff-Based Standard-Setting Judgments: Are Item Judgments and Passing Scores Replicable across Different Panels of Experts?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tannenbaum, Richard J.; Kannan, Priya

    2015-01-01

    Angoff-based standard setting is widely used, especially for high-stakes licensure assessments. Nonetheless, some critics have claimed that the judgment task is too cognitively complex for panelists, whereas others have explicitly challenged the consistency in (replicability of) standard-setting outcomes. Evidence of consistency in item judgments…

  5. Some Practical Solutions to Standard-Setting Problems: The Georgia Teacher Certification Test Experience.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cramer, Stephen E.

    A standard-setting procedure was developed for the Georgia Teacher Certification Testing Program as tests in 30 teaching fields were revised. A list of important characteristics of a standard-setting procedure was derived, drawing on the work of R. A. Berk (1986). The best method was found to be a highly formalized judgmental, empirical Angoff…

  6. An Invitation To Discuss Standards in Public Schools: A Preliminary Policy Statement of the Rural Challenge.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rural Challenge News, 1998

    1998-01-01

    Strong local communities are the best habitat for excellence in education, and education is the responsibility of the whole community. Setting high academic standards and achieving against those standards is an important educational objective, but the quest for higher standards can be exploited to serve other purposes. This statement sets out the…

  7. Development of national standards related to the integrated safety and security of high-rise buildings

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Voskresenskaya, Elena; Vorona-Slivinskaya, Lubov

    2018-03-01

    The article considers the issues of developing national standards for high-rise construction. The system of standards should provide industrial, operational, economic and terrorist safety of high-rise buildings and facilities. Modern standards of high-rise construction should set the rules for designing engineering systems of high-rise buildings, which will ensure the integrated security of buildings, increase their energy efficiency and reduce the consumption of resources in construction and operation.

  8. Building an Evaluation Scale using Item Response Theory.

    PubMed

    Lalor, John P; Wu, Hao; Yu, Hong

    2016-11-01

    Evaluation of NLP methods requires testing against a previously vetted gold-standard test set and reporting standard metrics (accuracy/precision/recall/F1). The current assumption is that all items in a given test set are equal with regards to difficulty and discriminating power. We propose Item Response Theory (IRT) from psychometrics as an alternative means for gold-standard test-set generation and NLP system evaluation. IRT is able to describe characteristics of individual items - their difficulty and discriminating power - and can account for these characteristics in its estimation of human intelligence or ability for an NLP task. In this paper, we demonstrate IRT by generating a gold-standard test set for Recognizing Textual Entailment. By collecting a large number of human responses and fitting our IRT model, we show that our IRT model compares NLP systems with the performance in a human population and is able to provide more insight into system performance than standard evaluation metrics. We show that a high accuracy score does not always imply a high IRT score, which depends on the item characteristics and the response pattern.

  9. Building an Evaluation Scale using Item Response Theory

    PubMed Central

    Lalor, John P.; Wu, Hao; Yu, Hong

    2016-01-01

    Evaluation of NLP methods requires testing against a previously vetted gold-standard test set and reporting standard metrics (accuracy/precision/recall/F1). The current assumption is that all items in a given test set are equal with regards to difficulty and discriminating power. We propose Item Response Theory (IRT) from psychometrics as an alternative means for gold-standard test-set generation and NLP system evaluation. IRT is able to describe characteristics of individual items - their difficulty and discriminating power - and can account for these characteristics in its estimation of human intelligence or ability for an NLP task. In this paper, we demonstrate IRT by generating a gold-standard test set for Recognizing Textual Entailment. By collecting a large number of human responses and fitting our IRT model, we show that our IRT model compares NLP systems with the performance in a human population and is able to provide more insight into system performance than standard evaluation metrics. We show that a high accuracy score does not always imply a high IRT score, which depends on the item characteristics and the response pattern.1 PMID:28004039

  10. Coreference Resolution With Reconcile

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-07-01

    evaluation of coreference re- solvers across a variety of benchmark data sets and standard scoring metrics. We describe Reconcile and present experimental... scores vary wildly across data sets, evaluation metrics, and system configurations. We believe that one root cause of these dispar- ities is the high...resolution and empirical evaluation of coreference resolvers across a variety of benchmark data sets and standard scoring metrics. We describe Reconcile

  11. Standards for Our Schools: How To Set Them, Measure Them, and Reach Them.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tucker, Marc S.; Codding, Judy B.

    Many people believe that America's public schools can be saved by instituting high standards for academic achievement. Strategies for achieving this goal are presented in this book. The text explores the standards movement, examining its importance and asking what it will take to bring every student up to high standards, irrespective of where the…

  12. A primer on standards setting as it applies to surgical education and credentialing.

    PubMed

    Cendan, Juan; Wier, Daryl; Behrns, Kevin

    2013-07-01

    Surgical technological advances in the past three decades have led to dramatic reductions in the morbidity associated with abdominal procedures and permanently altered the surgical practice landscape. Significant changes continue apace including surgical robotics, natural orifice-based surgery, and single-incision approaches. These disruptive technologies have on occasion been injurious to patients, and high-stakes assessment before adoption of new technologies would be reasonable. We reviewed the drivers for well-established psychometric techniques available for the standards-setting process. We present a series of examples that are relevant in the surgical domain including standards setting for knowledge and skills assessments. Defensible standards for knowledge and procedural skills will likely become part of surgical clinical practice. Understanding the methodology for determining standards should position the surgical community to assist in the process and lead within their clinical settings as standards are considered that may affect patient safety and physician credentialing.

  13. Random Dynamics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bennett, D. L.; Brene, N.; Nielsen, H. B.

    1987-01-01

    The goal of random dynamics is the derivation of the laws of Nature as we know them (standard model) from inessential assumptions. The inessential assumptions made here are expressed as sets of general models at extremely high energies: gauge glass and spacetime foam. Both sets of models lead tentatively to the standard model.

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

    PubMed

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

    2013-01-01

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

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

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Plake, Barbara S.; Impara, James C.

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

  16. Aiming High: Setting Performance Standards for Student Success

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Phillips, Gary; Garcia, Alicia N.

    2015-01-01

    Content standards, not performance standards, have been almost the sole focus of state policies and recent conversations about academic standards. Without rigorous content and performance standards, we cannot adequately prepare students for the global marketplace. A recent AIR study shows that state performance standards are consistently low and…

  17. American High Schools Can Be World Class.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chalker, Donald M.; Haynes, Richard M.; Smith, Mark

    1999-01-01

    Compares characteristics of high school educational systems from 10 countries with exemplary educational systems. Describes a resulting set of world class standards and observes the acceptance or rejection of these standards in the United States. Discusses world class practices in American high schools. Offers a starter agenda for delivering world…

  18. Foundations for High Achievement: Safety, Civility, Literacy. K-12 Public Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Colorado State Dept. of Education, Denver. Research and Evaluation Unit.

    The state of Colorado has set high standards for students based on three fundamental principles: safety, civility, and literacy. How these standards were integrated into the schools is the subject of this report. It opens with an overview of the foundations of academic success and the process involved in implementing standards-based education. The…

  19. Lithotripsy Performance of Specially Designed Laser Fiber Tips.

    PubMed

    Kronenberg, Peter; Traxer, Olivier

    2016-05-01

    We evaluated and compared a standard laser lithotripsy fiber to laser fibers claimed to have lithotripsy performance enhancing features. A special AccuMax™ 200 polished tip fiber and an AccuTrac™ ball-shaped tip fiber, each with an approximately 240 μm core, were compared to a standard 272 μm core fiber (Rocamed™). The polished and ball-shaped tip fibers were used and reused without preparation. The standard fiber was stripped and cleaved according to manufacturer instructions after each experiment. An automated laser fragmentation testing system was used to perform multiple 30-second laser lithotripsy experiments. To mimic most typical lithotripsy conditions soft and hard stone materials were used with high frequency, low pulse energy (20 Hz and 0.5 J) or with low frequency, high pulse energy (5 Hz and 2.0 J) lithotripter settings. Ablation volumes and laser fiber tip photographs before and after lithotripsy were compared. The standard and ball-shaped tip fibers did not differ in ablation volume (p = 0.72) but they ablated 174% and 188% more stone, respectively, than the polished tip fiber (p <0.0001). The ball-shaped tip showed remarkable fiber tip degradation after short-term use at low frequency, high pulse energy settings. When high pulse energy settings were applied first even for short-term use, the ablation volume achieved by the polished and ball-shaped tip fibers at high frequency, low pulse energy settings decreased more than 20%. The standard laser fiber was as good as and sometimes better than the specially designed fibers. Rapid degradation of the specially designed laser fiber tips strongly limits their general usefulness but ball-shaped tip fibers may be useful in specific situations. Copyright © 2016 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Reproducibility of a Standardized Actigraphy Scoring Algorithm for Sleep in a US Hispanic/Latino Population

    PubMed Central

    Patel, Sanjay R.; Weng, Jia; Rueschman, Michael; Dudley, Katherine A.; Loredo, Jose S.; Mossavar-Rahmani, Yasmin; Ramirez, Maricelle; Ramos, Alberto R.; Reid, Kathryn; Seiger, Ashley N.; Sotres-Alvarez, Daniela; Zee, Phyllis C.; Wang, Rui

    2015-01-01

    Study Objectives: While actigraphy is considered objective, the process of setting rest intervals to calculate sleep variables is subjective. We sought to evaluate the reproducibility of actigraphy-derived measures of sleep using a standardized algorithm for setting rest intervals. Design: Observational study. Setting: Community-based. Participants: A random sample of 50 adults aged 18–64 years free of severe sleep apnea participating in the Sueño sleep ancillary study to the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. Interventions: N/A. Measurements and Results: Participants underwent 7 days of continuous wrist actigraphy and completed daily sleep diaries. Studies were scored twice by each of two scorers. Rest intervals were set using a standardized hierarchical approach based on event marker, diary, light, and activity data. Sleep/wake status was then determined for each 30-sec epoch using a validated algorithm, and this was used to generate 11 variables: mean nightly sleep duration, nap duration, 24-h sleep duration, sleep latency, sleep maintenance efficiency, sleep fragmentation index, sleep onset time, sleep offset time, sleep midpoint time, standard deviation of sleep duration, and standard deviation of sleep midpoint. Intra-scorer intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were high, ranging from 0.911 to 0.995 across all 11 variables. Similarly, inter-scorer ICCs were high, also ranging from 0.911 to 0.995, and mean inter-scorer differences were small. Bland-Altman plots did not reveal any systematic disagreement in scoring. Conclusions: With use of a standardized algorithm to set rest intervals, scoring of actigraphy for the purpose of generating a wide array of sleep variables is highly reproducible. Citation: Patel SR, Weng J, Rueschman M, Dudley KA, Loredo JS, Mossavar-Rahmani Y, Ramirez M, Ramos AR, Reid K, Seiger AN, Sotres-Alvarez D, Zee PC, Wang R. Reproducibility of a standardized actigraphy scoring algorithm for sleep in a US Hispanic/Latino population. SLEEP 2015;38(9):1497–1503. PMID:25845697

  1. Implementing standard setting into the Conjoint MAFP/FRACGP Part 1 examination - Process and issues.

    PubMed

    Chan, S C; Mohd Amin, S; Lee, T W

    2016-01-01

    The College of General Practitioners of Malaysia and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners held the first Conjoint Member of the College of General Practitioners (MCGP)/Fellow of Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (FRACGP) examination in 1982, later renamed the Conjoint MAFP/FRACGP examinations. The examination assesses competency for safe independent general practice and as family medicine specialists in Malaysia. Therefore, a defensible standard set pass mark is imperative to separate the competent from the incompetent. This paper discusses the process and issues encountered in implementing standard setting to the Conjoint Part 1 examination. Critical to success in standard setting were judges' understanding of the process of the modified Angoff method, defining the borderline candidate's characteristics and the composition of judges. These were overcome by repeated hands-on training, provision of detailed guidelines and careful selection of judges. In December 2013, 16 judges successfully standard set the Part 1 Conjoint examinations, with high inter-rater reliability: Cronbach's alpha coefficient 0.926 (Applied Knowledge Test), 0.921 (Key Feature Problems).

  2. Geometric representation methods for multi-type self-defining remote sensing data sets

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anuta, P. E.

    1980-01-01

    Efficient and convenient representation of remote sensing data is highly important for an effective utilization. The task of merging different data types is currently dealt with by treating each case as an individual problem. A description is provided of work which is carried out to standardize the multidata merging process. The basic concept of the new approach is that of the self-defining data set (SDDS). The creation of a standard is proposed. This standard would be such that data which may be of interest in a large number of earth resources remote sensing applications would be in a format which allows convenient and automatic merging. Attention is given to details regarding the multidata merging problem, a geometric description of multitype data sets, image reconstruction from track-type data, a data set generation system, and an example multitype data set.

  3. Prevalence and clinical implications of improper filter settings in routine electrocardiography.

    PubMed

    Kligfield, Paul; Okin, Peter M

    2007-03-01

    High- and low-filter bandwidth governs the fidelity of electrocardiographic waveforms, including the durations used in established criteria for infarction, the amplitudes used for the diagnosis of ventricular hypertrophy, and the accuracy of the magnitudes of ST-segment elevation and depression. Electrocardiographs allow users to reset high- and low-filter settings for special electrocardiographic applications, but these may be used inappropriately. To examine the prevalence of standard and nonstandard electrocardiographic filtering at 1 general medical community, 256 consecutive outpatient electrocardiograms (ECGs) submitted in advance of ambulatory or same-day admission surgery during a 3-week period were examined. ECGs were considered to meet standards for low-frequency cutoff when equal to 0.05 Hz and to meet standards for high-frequency cutoff when equal to 100 Hz, according to American Heart Association recommendations established in 1975. Only 25% of ECGs (65 of 256) conformed to recommended standards; 75% of ECGs (191 of 254) did not. The most prevalent deviation from standard was reduced high-frequency cutoff, which was present in 96% of tracings with nonstandard bandwidth (most commonly 40 Hz). Increased low-frequency cutoff was present in 62% of ECGs in which it was documented. In conclusion, improper electrocardiographic filtering, with potentially adverse clinical consequences, is highly prevalent at 1 large general medical community and is likely a generalized problem. This problem should be resolvable by targeted educational efforts to reinforce technical standards in electrocardiography.

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

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    von der Embse, Nathaniel; Hasson, Ramzi

    2012-01-01

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

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

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Phelps, Richard P.

    2015-01-01

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

  6. The College Board and the School Curriculum. A History of the College Board's Influence on the Substance and Standards of American Education, 1900-1980.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Valentine, John A.

    The role of the College Entrance Examination Board (College Board) in setting standards in secondary school education is traced historically. The first college entrance examinations, which became known as the College Boards) were administered in June 1901 around the country to 978 high school students. The rationale was that a set of common…

  7. 77 FR 53781 - Safety Standard for Magnet Sets

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-09-04

    ... preliminarily that there may be an unreasonable risk of injury associated with children ingesting high-powered... during the eight months after it. A high percentage of the injuries resulted in surgeries or other... exception of the smaller sets, are sold with a container, such as a square plastic cube, a metal tin, and/or...

  8. Predicting race performance in triathlon: the role of perfectionism, achievement goals, and personal goal setting.

    PubMed

    Stoeber, Joachim; Uphill, Mark A; Hotham, Sarah

    2009-04-01

    The question of how perfectionism affects performance is highly debated. Because empirical studies examining perfectionism and competitive sport performance are missing, the present research investigated how perfectionism affected race performance and what role athletes' goals played in this relationship in two prospective studies with competitive triathletes (Study 1: N = 112; Study 2: N = 321). Regression analyses showed that perfectionistic personal standards, high performance-approach goals, low performance-avoidance goals, and high personal goals predicted race performance beyond athletes' performance level. Moreover, the contrast between performance-avoidance and performance-approach goals mediated the relationship between perfectionistic personal standards and performance, whereas personal goal setting mediated the relationship between performance-approach goals and performance. The findings indicate that perfectionistic personal standards do not undermine competitive performance, but are associated with goals that help athletes achieve their best possible performance.

  9. A standard set of upper extremity tasks for evaluating rehabilitation interventions for individuals with complete arm paralysis

    PubMed Central

    Cornwell, Andrew S.; Liao, James Y.; Bryden, Anne M.; Kirsch, Robert F.

    2013-01-01

    We have developed a set of upper extremity functional tasks to guide the design and test the performance of rehabilitation technologies that restore arm motion in people with high tetraplegia. Our goal was to develop a short set of tasks that would be representative of a much larger set of activities of daily living while also being feasible for a unilateral user of an implanted Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) system. To compile this list of tasks, we reviewed existing clinical outcome measures related to arm and hand function, and were further informed by surveys of patient desires. We ultimately selected a set of five tasks that captured the most common components of movement seen in these tasks, making them highly relevant for assessing FES-restored unilateral arm function in individuals with high cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). The tasks are intended to be used when setting design specifications and for evaluation and standardization of rehabilitation technologies under development. While not unique, this set of tasks will provide a common basis for comparing different interventions (e.g., FES, powered orthoses, robotic assistants) and testing different user command interfaces (e.g., sip-and-puff, head joysticks, brain-computer interfaces). PMID:22773199

  10. State Standards Rise in Reading, Fall in Math

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peterson, Paul E.; Lastra-Anadon, Carlos Xabel

    2010-01-01

    Much ado has been made about setting high standards over the past year. Current conversations about creating a common national standard largely focus on the substantive curriculum to be taught at various grade levels. Even more important is each state's expectations for student performance with respect to the curriculum, as expressed through its…

  11. INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION PREVENTION OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE 1990S

    EPA Science Inventory

    A set of criteria was developed for the purpose of subjectively prioritizing industry segments for their pollution prevention potential and their opportunity for improvement. Using this set of criteria, high priority industries were selected from a Standard Industry Classificatio...

  12. Lining up: The Relationship between the Common Core State Standards and Five Sets of Comparison Standards

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Conley, David T.; Drummond, Kathryn V.; de Gonzalez, Alicia; Seburn, Mary; Stout, Odile; Rooseboom, Jennifer

    2011-01-01

    In June 2010, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Offices (CCSSO) released the Common Core State Standards. The stated aim of the Common Core standards is to define the knowledge and skills students should achieve in order to graduate from high school ready to succeed in a…

  13. On the Use of a Mixed Gaussian/Finite-Element Basis Set for the Calculation of Rydberg States

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Thuemmel, Helmar T.; Langhoff, Stephen (Technical Monitor)

    1996-01-01

    Configuration-interaction studies are reported for the Rydberg states of the helium atom using mixed Gaussian/finite-element (GTO/FE) one particle basis sets. Standard Gaussian valence basis sets are employed, like those, used extensively in quantum chemistry calculations. It is shown that the term values for high-lying Rydberg states of the helium atom can be obtained accurately (within 1 cm -1), even for a small GTO set, by augmenting the n-particle space with configurations, where orthonormalized interpolation polynomials are singly occupied.

  14. "Natural Philosophy" as a Foundation for Science Education in an Age of High-Stakes Accountability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buxton, Cory; Provenzo, Eugene F., Jr.

    2011-01-01

    Science curriculum and instruction in K-12 settings in the United States is currently dominated by an emphasis on the science standards movement of the 1990s and the resulting standards-based high-stakes assessment and accountability movement of the 2000s. We argue that this focus has moved the field away from important philosophical…

  15. Setting a New Standard with a Common Career Technical Core

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Folkers, Dean R.

    2011-01-01

    The pursuit of common educational expectations, or standards, among the states has long been a conversation met with strong opinions--for and against. However, it seems clear that high standards and consistency are both critical characteristics to have in educational programs. The task to achieve such is certainly not expected to be easy. Using…

  16. The Common Core State Standards' Quantitative Text Complexity Trajectory: Figuring out How Much Complexity Is Enough

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williamson, Gary L.; Fitzgerald, Jill; Stenner, A. Jackson

    2013-01-01

    The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) set a controversial aspirational, quantitative trajectory for text complexity exposure for readers throughout the grades, aiming for all high school graduates to be able to independently read complex college and workplace texts. However, the trajectory standard is presented without reference to how the…

  17. Standards of Competence: A Multi-Site Case Study of School Reform. Project: Effects of Testing Reforms and Standards.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ellwein, Mary Catherine; Glass, Gene V.

    A qualitative case study involving five educational institutions assessed the use of competency testing as a prerequisite for high school graduation, criterion for admission into college, criterion for teacher certification, and statewide assessment tool. Focus was on persons and processes involved in setting educational standards associated with…

  18. Setting Standards for Medically-Based Running Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Vincent, Heather K.; Herman, Daniel C.; Lear-Barnes, Leslie; Barnes, Robert; Chen, Cong; Greenberg, Scott; Vincent, Kevin R.

    2015-01-01

    Setting standards for medically based running analyses is necessary to ensure that runners receive a high-quality service from practitioners. Medical and training history, physical and functional tests, and motion analysis of running at self-selected and faster speeds are key features of a comprehensive analysis. Self-reported history and movement symmetry are critical factors that require follow-up therapy or long-term management. Pain or injury is typically the result of a functional deficit above or below the site along the kinematic chain. PMID:25014394

  19. Environmental Radiation Protection Standards for Management and Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and Transuranic Radioactive Wastes (40 CFR Part 191)

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    This regulation sets environmental standards for public protection from the management and disposal of spent nuclear fuel, high-level wastes and wastes that contain elements with atomic numbers higher than uranium (transuranic wastes).

  20. An expanded calibration study of the explicitly correlated CCSD(T)-F12b method using large basis set standard CCSD(T) atomization energies.

    PubMed

    Feller, David; Peterson, Kirk A

    2013-08-28

    The effectiveness of the recently developed, explicitly correlated coupled cluster method CCSD(T)-F12b is examined in terms of its ability to reproduce atomization energies derived from complete basis set extrapolations of standard CCSD(T). Most of the standard method findings were obtained with aug-cc-pV7Z or aug-cc-pV8Z basis sets. For a few homonuclear diatomic molecules it was possible to push the basis set to the aug-cc-pV9Z level. F12b calculations were performed with the cc-pVnZ-F12 (n = D, T, Q) basis set sequence and were also extrapolated to the basis set limit using a Schwenke-style, parameterized formula. A systematic bias was observed in the F12b method with the (VTZ-F12/VQZ-F12) basis set combination. This bias resulted in the underestimation of reference values associated with small molecules (valence correlation energies <0.5 E(h)) and an even larger overestimation of atomization energies for bigger systems. Consequently, caution should be exercised in the use of F12b for high accuracy studies. Root mean square and mean absolute deviation error metrics for this basis set combination were comparable to complete basis set values obtained with standard CCSD(T) and the aug-cc-pVDZ through aug-cc-pVQZ basis set sequence. However, the mean signed deviation was an order of magnitude larger. Problems partially due to basis set superposition error were identified with second row compounds which resulted in a weak performance for the smaller VDZ-F12/VTZ-F12 combination of basis sets.

  1. Solving the Problem: Genome Annotation Standards before the Data Deluge.

    PubMed

    Klimke, William; O'Donovan, Claire; White, Owen; Brister, J Rodney; Clark, Karen; Fedorov, Boris; Mizrachi, Ilene; Pruitt, Kim D; Tatusova, Tatiana

    2011-10-15

    The promise of genome sequencing was that the vast undiscovered country would be mapped out by comparison of the multitude of sequences available and would aid researchers in deciphering the role of each gene in every organism. Researchers recognize that there is a need for high quality data. However, different annotation procedures, numerous databases, and a diminishing percentage of experimentally determined gene functions have resulted in a spectrum of annotation quality. NCBI in collaboration with sequencing centers, archival databases, and researchers, has developed the first international annotation standards, a fundamental step in ensuring that high quality complete prokaryotic genomes are available as gold standard references. Highlights include the development of annotation assessment tools, community acceptance of protein naming standards, comparison of annotation resources to provide consistent annotation, and improved tracking of the evidence used to generate a particular annotation. The development of a set of minimal standards, including the requirement for annotated complete prokaryotic genomes to contain a full set of ribosomal RNAs, transfer RNAs, and proteins encoding core conserved functions, is an historic milestone. The use of these standards in existing genomes and future submissions will increase the quality of databases, enabling researchers to make accurate biological discoveries.

  2. Solving the Problem: Genome Annotation Standards before the Data Deluge

    PubMed Central

    Klimke, William; O'Donovan, Claire; White, Owen; Brister, J. Rodney; Clark, Karen; Fedorov, Boris; Mizrachi, Ilene; Pruitt, Kim D.; Tatusova, Tatiana

    2011-01-01

    The promise of genome sequencing was that the vast undiscovered country would be mapped out by comparison of the multitude of sequences available and would aid researchers in deciphering the role of each gene in every organism. Researchers recognize that there is a need for high quality data. However, different annotation procedures, numerous databases, and a diminishing percentage of experimentally determined gene functions have resulted in a spectrum of annotation quality. NCBI in collaboration with sequencing centers, archival databases, and researchers, has developed the first international annotation standards, a fundamental step in ensuring that high quality complete prokaryotic genomes are available as gold standard references. Highlights include the development of annotation assessment tools, community acceptance of protein naming standards, comparison of annotation resources to provide consistent annotation, and improved tracking of the evidence used to generate a particular annotation. The development of a set of minimal standards, including the requirement for annotated complete prokaryotic genomes to contain a full set of ribosomal RNAs, transfer RNAs, and proteins encoding core conserved functions, is an historic milestone. The use of these standards in existing genomes and future submissions will increase the quality of databases, enabling researchers to make accurate biological discoveries. PMID:22180819

  3. High-level intuitive features (HLIFs) for intuitive skin lesion description.

    PubMed

    Amelard, Robert; Glaister, Jeffrey; Wong, Alexander; Clausi, David A

    2015-03-01

    A set of high-level intuitive features (HLIFs) is proposed to quantitatively describe melanoma in standard camera images. Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. With rising incidence rates and subjectivity in current clinical detection methods, there is a need for melanoma decision support systems. Feature extraction is a critical step in melanoma decision support systems. Existing feature sets for analyzing standard camera images are comprised of low-level features, which exist in high-dimensional feature spaces and limit the system's ability to convey intuitive diagnostic rationale. The proposed HLIFs were designed to model the ABCD criteria commonly used by dermatologists such that each HLIF represents a human-observable characteristic. As such, intuitive diagnostic rationale can be conveyed to the user. Experimental results show that concatenating the proposed HLIFs with a full low-level feature set increased classification accuracy, and that HLIFs were able to separate the data better than low-level features with statistical significance. An example of a graphical interface for providing intuitive rationale is given.

  4. TESOL Technology Standards: Description, Implementation, Integration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL), 2011

    2011-01-01

    The "TESOL Technology Standards" are applicable in a wide range of contexts: foreign language, second language, child, teen, adult, higher education, vocational education, language for specific purposes, and fully online programs; and in settings with low, medium, or high resources and access to communication technologies. Students, teachers,…

  5. Standards for Reporting Mathematics Professional Development in Research Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sztajn, Paola

    2011-01-01

    This Research Commentary addresses the need for standards for describing mathematics professional development in mathematics education research reports. Considering that mathematics professional development is an emerging research field, it is timely to set expectations for what constitutes high-quality reporting in this field. (Contains 2 tables.)

  6. Standard Setting Methods for Pass/Fail Decisions on High-Stakes Objective Structured Clinical Examinations: A Validity Study.

    PubMed

    Yousuf, Naveed; Violato, Claudio; Zuberi, Rukhsana W

    2015-01-01

    CONSTRUCT: Authentic standard setting methods will demonstrate high convergent validity evidence of their outcomes, that is, cutoff scores and pass/fail decisions, with most other methods when compared with each other. The objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) was established for valid, reliable, and objective assessment of clinical skills in health professions education. Various standard setting methods have been proposed to identify objective, reliable, and valid cutoff scores on OSCEs. These methods may identify different cutoff scores for the same examinations. Identification of valid and reliable cutoff scores for OSCEs remains an important issue and a challenge. Thirty OSCE stations administered at least twice in the years 2010-2012 to 393 medical students in Years 2 and 3 at Aga Khan University are included. Psychometric properties of the scores are determined. Cutoff scores and pass/fail decisions of Wijnen, Cohen, Mean-1.5SD, Mean-1SD, Angoff, borderline group and borderline regression (BL-R) methods are compared with each other and with three variants of cluster analysis using repeated measures analysis of variance and Cohen's kappa. The mean psychometric indices on the 30 OSCE stations are reliability coefficient = 0.76 (SD = 0.12); standard error of measurement = 5.66 (SD = 1.38); coefficient of determination = 0.47 (SD = 0.19), and intergrade discrimination = 7.19 (SD = 1.89). BL-R and Wijnen methods show the highest convergent validity evidence among other methods on the defined criteria. Angoff and Mean-1.5SD demonstrated least convergent validity evidence. The three cluster variants showed substantial convergent validity with borderline methods. Although there was a high level of convergent validity of Wijnen method, it lacks the theoretical strength to be used for competency-based assessments. The BL-R method is found to show the highest convergent validity evidences for OSCEs with other standard setting methods used in the present study. We also found that cluster analysis using mean method can be used for quality assurance of borderline methods. These findings should be further confirmed by studies in other settings.

  7. Standard setting: the crucial issues. A case study of accounting & auditing.

    PubMed

    Nowakowski, J R

    1982-01-01

    A study of standard-setting efforts in accounting and auditing is reported. The study reveals four major areas of concern in a professional standard-setting effort: (1) issues related to the rationale for setting standards, (2) issues related to the standard-setting board and its support structure, (3) issues related to the content of standards and rules for generating them, and (4) issues that deal with how standards are put to use. Principles derived from the study of accounting and auditing are provided to illuminate and assess standard-setting efforts in evaluation.

  8. Boosting standard order sets utilization through clinical decision support.

    PubMed

    Li, Haomin; Zhang, Yinsheng; Cheng, Haixia; Lu, Xudong; Duan, Huilong

    2013-01-01

    Well-designed standard order sets have the potential to integrate and coordinate care by communicating best practices through multiple disciplines, levels of care, and services. However, there are several challenges which certainly affected the benefits expected from standard order sets. To boost standard order sets utilization, a problem-oriented knowledge delivery solution was proposed in this study to facilitate access of standard order sets and evaluation of its treatment effect. In this solution, standard order sets were created along with diagnostic rule sets which can trigger a CDS-based reminder to help clinician quickly discovery hidden clinical problems and corresponding standard order sets during ordering. Those rule set also provide indicators for targeted evaluation of standard order sets during treatment. A prototype system was developed based on this solution and will be presented at Medinfo 2013.

  9. Testing the Efficacy of OurSpace, a Brief, Group Dynamics-Based Physical Activity Intervention: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

    PubMed

    Irwin, Brandon; Kurz, Daniel; Chalin, Patrice; Thompson, Nicholas

    2016-05-06

    Emerging technologies (ie, mobile phones, Internet) may be effective tools for promoting physical activity (PA). However, few interventions have provided effective means to enhance social support through these platforms. Face-to-face programs that use group dynamics-based principles of behavior change have been shown to be highly effective in enhancing social support through promoting group cohesion and PA, but to date, no studies have examined their effects in Web-based programs. The aim was to explore proof of concept and test the efficacy of a brief, online group dynamics-based intervention on PA in a controlled experiment. We expected that the impact of the intervention on PA would be moderated by perceptions of cohesion and the partner's degree of presence in the online media. Participants (n=135) were randomized into same-sex dyads and randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions: standard social support (standard), group dynamics-based-high presence, group dynamics-based-low presence, or individual control. Participants performed two sets of planking exercises (pre-post). Between sets, participants in partnered conditions interacted with a virtual partner using either a standard social support app or a group dynamics-based app (group dynamics-based-low presence and group dynamics-based-high presence), the latter of which they participated in a series of online team-building exercises. Individual participants were given an equivalent rest period between sets. To increase presence during the second set, participants in the group dynamics-based-high presence group saw a live video stream of their partner exercising. Perceptions of cohesion were measured using a modified PA Group Environment Questionnaire. Physical activity was calculated as the time persisted during set 2 after controlling for persistence in set 1. Perceptions of cohesion were higher in the group dynamics-based-low presence (overall mean 5.81, SD 1.04) condition compared to the standard (overall mean 5.04, SD 0.81) conditions ( P=.006), but did not differ between group dynamics-based-low presence and group dynamics-based-high presence (overall mean 5.42, SD 1.07) conditions ( P=.25). Physical activity was higher in the high presence condition (mean 64.48, SD 20.19, P=.01) than all other conditions (mean 53.3, SD 17.35). A brief, online group dynamics-based intervention may be an effective method of improving group cohesion in virtual PA groups. However, it may be insufficient on its own to improve PA.

  10. Distance Education and Training Council Constitution and Bylaws. 2012 Edition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Distance Education and Training Council, 2012

    2012-01-01

    The mission of the Distance Education and Training Council (hereinafter referred to as the Council or DETC) is to promote, by means of standard-setting, evaluation, and consultation processes, the development and maintenance of high educational and ethical standards in education and training programs delivered through distance learning. The…

  11. Food-System Botany

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rop, Charles J.

    2011-01-01

    This set of inquiry lessons is adaptable for middle school through high school life science or biology classrooms and will help meet the NSTA scientific inquiry position statement (2004) and the AAAS benchmarks (1993) and NRC standards (1996; 2000) related to health and food literacy. The standards require adolescents to examine their own diet and…

  12. Using Standards and High-Stakes Testing for Students: Exploiting Power with Critical Pedagogy. Counterpoints: Studies in the Postmodern Theory of Education. Volume 425

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gorlewski, Julie A., Ed.; Porfilio, Brad J., Ed.; Gorlewski, David A., Ed.

    2012-01-01

    This book overturns the typical conception of standards, empowering educators by providing concrete examples of how top-down models of assessment can be embraced and used in ways that are consistent with critical pedagogies. Although standards, as broad frameworks for setting learning targets, are not necessarily problematic, when they are…

  13. Using intranet-based order sets to standardize clinical care and prepare for computerized physician order entry.

    PubMed

    Heffner, John E; Brower, Kathleen; Ellis, Rosemary; Brown, Shirley

    2004-07-01

    The high cost of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) and physician resistance to standardized care have delayed implementation. An intranet-based order set system can provide some of CPOE's benefits and offer opportunities to acculturate physicians toward standardized care. INTRANET CLINICIAN ORDER FORMS (COF): The COF system at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) allows caregivers to enter and print orders through the intranet at points of care and to access decision support resources. Work on COF began in March 2000 with transfer of 25 MUSC paper-based order set forms to an intranet site. Physician groups developed additional order sets, which number more than 200. Web traffic increased progressively during a 24-month period, peaking at more than 6,400 hits per month to COF. Decision support tools improved compliance with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services core indicators. Clinicians demonstrated a willingness to develop and use order sets and decision support tools posted on the COF site. COF provides a low-cost method for preparing caregivers and institutions to adopt CPOE and standardization of care. The educational resources, relevant links to external resources, and communication alerts will all link to CPOE, thereby providing a head start in CPOE implementation.

  14. aMAP is a validated pipeline for registration and segmentation of high-resolution mouse brain data

    PubMed Central

    Niedworok, Christian J.; Brown, Alexander P. Y.; Jorge Cardoso, M.; Osten, Pavel; Ourselin, Sebastien; Modat, Marc; Margrie, Troy W.

    2016-01-01

    The validation of automated image registration and segmentation is crucial for accurate and reliable mapping of brain connectivity and function in three-dimensional (3D) data sets. While validation standards are necessarily high and routinely met in the clinical arena, they have to date been lacking for high-resolution microscopy data sets obtained from the rodent brain. Here we present a tool for optimized automated mouse atlas propagation (aMAP) based on clinical registration software (NiftyReg) for anatomical segmentation of high-resolution 3D fluorescence images of the adult mouse brain. We empirically evaluate aMAP as a method for registration and subsequent segmentation by validating it against the performance of expert human raters. This study therefore establishes a benchmark standard for mapping the molecular function and cellular connectivity of the rodent brain. PMID:27384127

  15. The Effect of Baggase Ash on Fly Ash-Based Geopolimer Binder

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bayuaji, R.; Darmawan, M. S.; Husin, N. A.; Banugraha, R.; Alfi, M.; Abdullah, M. M. A. B.

    2018-06-01

    Geopolymer concrete is an environmentally friendly concrete. However, the geopolymer binder has a problem with setting time; mainly the composition comprises high calcium fly ash. This study utilized bagasse ash to improve setting time on fly ash-based geopolymer binder. The characterization of bagasse ash was carried out by using chemical and phase analysis, while the morphology characterization was examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The setting time test and the compressive strength test used standard ASTM C 191-04 and ASTM C39 / C39M respectively. The compressive strength of the samples determined at 3, 28 and 56 days. The result compared the requirement of the standards.

  16. EuroFlow standardization of flow cytometer instrument settings and immunophenotyping protocols

    PubMed Central

    Kalina, T; Flores-Montero, J; van der Velden, V H J; Martin-Ayuso, M; Böttcher, S; Ritgen, M; Almeida, J; Lhermitte, L; Asnafi, V; Mendonça, A; de Tute, R; Cullen, M; Sedek, L; Vidriales, M B; Pérez, J J; te Marvelde, J G; Mejstrikova, E; Hrusak, O; Szczepański, T; van Dongen, J J M; Orfao, A

    2012-01-01

    The EU-supported EuroFlow Consortium aimed at innovation and standardization of immunophenotyping for diagnosis and classification of hematological malignancies by introducing 8-color flow cytometry with fully standardized laboratory procedures and antibody panels in order to achieve maximally comparable results among different laboratories. This required the selection of optimal combinations of compatible fluorochromes and the design and evaluation of adequate standard operating procedures (SOPs) for instrument setup, fluorescence compensation and sample preparation. Additionally, we developed software tools for the evaluation of individual antibody reagents and antibody panels. Each section describes what has been evaluated experimentally versus adopted based on existing data and experience. Multicentric evaluation demonstrated high levels of reproducibility based on strict implementation of the EuroFlow SOPs and antibody panels. Overall, the 6 years of extensive collaborative experiments and the analysis of hundreds of cell samples of patients and healthy controls in the EuroFlow centers have provided for the first time laboratory protocols and software tools for fully standardized 8-color flow cytometric immunophenotyping of normal and malignant leukocytes in bone marrow and blood; this has yielded highly comparable data sets, which can be integrated in a single database. PMID:22948490

  17. Scientific Diving

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Scientific diving plays an important role in helping EPA protect our oceans and waterways. EPA's divers set a high standard for safety and operational procedures in dangerous polluted water conditions.

  18. Extracting insights from the shape of complex data using topology

    PubMed Central

    Lum, P. Y.; Singh, G.; Lehman, A.; Ishkanov, T.; Vejdemo-Johansson, M.; Alagappan, M.; Carlsson, J.; Carlsson, G.

    2013-01-01

    This paper applies topological methods to study complex high dimensional data sets by extracting shapes (patterns) and obtaining insights about them. Our method combines the best features of existing standard methodologies such as principal component and cluster analyses to provide a geometric representation of complex data sets. Through this hybrid method, we often find subgroups in data sets that traditional methodologies fail to find. Our method also permits the analysis of individual data sets as well as the analysis of relationships between related data sets. We illustrate the use of our method by applying it to three very different kinds of data, namely gene expression from breast tumors, voting data from the United States House of Representatives and player performance data from the NBA, in each case finding stratifications of the data which are more refined than those produced by standard methods. PMID:23393618

  19. Extracting insights from the shape of complex data using topology.

    PubMed

    Lum, P Y; Singh, G; Lehman, A; Ishkanov, T; Vejdemo-Johansson, M; Alagappan, M; Carlsson, J; Carlsson, G

    2013-01-01

    This paper applies topological methods to study complex high dimensional data sets by extracting shapes (patterns) and obtaining insights about them. Our method combines the best features of existing standard methodologies such as principal component and cluster analyses to provide a geometric representation of complex data sets. Through this hybrid method, we often find subgroups in data sets that traditional methodologies fail to find. Our method also permits the analysis of individual data sets as well as the analysis of relationships between related data sets. We illustrate the use of our method by applying it to three very different kinds of data, namely gene expression from breast tumors, voting data from the United States House of Representatives and player performance data from the NBA, in each case finding stratifications of the data which are more refined than those produced by standard methods.

  20. Setting Emissions Standards Based on Technology Performance

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

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

  1. Assisting Pupils in Mathematics Achievement (The Common Core Standards)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ediger, Marlow

    2011-01-01

    Mathematics teachers must expect reasonably high standards of achievement from pupils. Too frequently, pupils attain at a substandard level and more optimal achievement is necessary. Thus, pupils should have self esteem needs met in the school and classroom setting. Thus, learners feel that mathematics is worthwhile and effort must be put forth to…

  2. TMDD & MS/ETMCC guide : standard for functional level traffic management data dictionary (TMDD) and message sets for external traffic management center communications

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2000-01-01

    These draft standards are intended to work together to provide a high level of interoperability among regional and local traffic control centers. They provide consistent names, definitions and concepts similar to spelling and parts of speech to world...

  3. Second Language Studies Standard Course of Study and Grade Level Competencies, K-12. Revised

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 2004

    2004-01-01

    The North Carolina Second Language Standard Course of Study establishes competency goals and objectives directing the teaching and learning of foreign language, heritage language, and classical language in North Carolina. This document sets high expectations for all students, it supports extended sequence of language learning and it takes into…

  4. Rethinking edTPA: The Use of InTASC Principles and Standards

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kuo, Nai-Cheng

    2018-01-01

    The Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) Model Core Teaching Standards and Learning Progressions for Teachers 1.0, developed by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO, 2013) in the United States, provide a set of expectations for essential knowledge, critical disposition, and performance needed for high-quality…

  5. Summative and Formative Assessments in Mathematics Supporting the Goals of the Common Core Standards

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schoenfeld, Alan H.

    2015-01-01

    Being proficient in mathematics involves having rich and connected mathematical knowledge, being a strategic and reflective thinker and problem solver, and having productive mathematical beliefs and dispositions. This broad set of mathematics goals is central to the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. High-stakes testing often drives…

  6. NCAA Rule 48: Origins and Reactions.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wieder, Alan

    1986-01-01

    National Collegiate Athletic Association Rule 48 sets academic standards for high school which incoming freshmen must have met in order to receive a grant-in-aid and play intercollegiate athletics. The author discusses why tougher standards are needed, how Rule 48 operates, what problems are, and why there is opposition to the rule. (MT)

  7. CPAP IMPACT: a protocol for a randomised trial of bubble continuous positive airway pressure versus standard care for high-risk children with severe pneumonia using adaptive design methods

    PubMed Central

    Smith, Andrew G; Eckerle, Michelle; Mvalo, Tisungane; Weir, Brian; Martinson, Francis; Chalira, Alfred; Lufesi, Norman; Mofolo, Innocent; Hosseinipour, Mina

    2017-01-01

    Introduction Pneumonia is a leading cause of mortality among children in low-resource settings. Mortality is greatest among children with high-risk conditions including HIV infection or exposure, severe malnutrition and/or severe hypoxaemia. WHO treatment recommendations include low-flow oxygen for children with severe pneumonia. Bubble continuous positive airway pressure (bCPAP) is a non-invasive support modality that provides positive end-expiratory pressure and oxygen. bCPAP is effective in the treatment of neonates in low-resource settings; its efficacy is unknown for high-risk children with severe pneumonia in low-resource settings. Methods and analysis CPAP IMPACT is a randomised clinical trial comparing bCPAP to low-flow oxygen in the treatment of severe pneumonia among high-risk children 1–59 months of age. High-risk children are stratified into two subgroups: (1) HIV infection or exposure and/or severe malnutrition; (2) severe hypoxaemia. The trial is being conducted in a Malawi district hospital and will enrol 900 participants. The primary outcome is in-hospital mortality rate of children treated with standard care as compared with bCPAP. Ethics and dissemination CPAP IMPACT has approval from the Institutional Review Boards of all investigators. An urgent need exists to determine whether bCPAP decreases mortality among high-risk children with severe pneumonia to inform resource utilisation in low-resource settings. Trial registration number NCT02484183; Pre-results. PMID:28883928

  8. Comparison of electrofishing techniques to detect larval lampreys in wadeable streams in the Pacific Northwest

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Dunham, Jason B.; Chelgren, Nathan D.; Heck, Michael P.; Clark, Steven M.

    2013-01-01

    We evaluated the probability of detecting larval lampreys using different methods of backpack electrofishing in wadeable streams in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Our primary objective was to compare capture of lampreys using electrofishing with standard settings for salmon and trout to settings specifically adapted for capture of lampreys. Field work consisted of removal sampling by means of backpack electrofishing in 19 sites in streams representing a broad range of conditions in the region. Captures of lampreys at these sites were analyzed with a modified removal-sampling model and Bayesian estimation to measure the relative odds of capture using the lamprey-specific settings compared with the standard salmonid settings. We found that the odds of capture were 2.66 (95% credible interval, 0.87–78.18) times greater for the lamprey-specific settings relative to standard salmonid settings. When estimates of capture probability were applied to estimating the probabilities of detection, we found high (>0.80) detectability when the actual number of lampreys in a site was greater than 10 individuals and effort was at least two passes of electrofishing, regardless of the settings used. Further work is needed to evaluate key assumptions in our approach, including the evaluation of individual-specific capture probabilities and population closure. For now our results suggest comparable results are possible for detection of lampreys by using backpack electrofishing with salmonid- or lamprey-specific settings.

  9. A High-Content Live-Cell Viability Assay and Its Validation on a Diverse 12K Compound Screen.

    PubMed

    Chiaravalli, Jeanne; Glickman, J Fraser

    2017-08-01

    We have developed a new high-content cytotoxicity assay using live cells, called "ImageTOX." We used a high-throughput fluorescence microscope system, image segmentation software, and the combination of Hoechst 33342 and SYTO 17 to simultaneously score the relative size and the intensity of the nuclei, the nuclear membrane permeability, and the cell number in a 384-well microplate format. We then performed a screen of 12,668 diverse compounds and compared the results to a standard cytotoxicity assay. The ImageTOX assay identified similar sets of compounds to the standard cytotoxicity assay, while identifying more compounds having adverse effects on cell structure, earlier in treatment time. The ImageTOX assay uses inexpensive commercially available reagents and facilitates the use of live cells in toxicity screens. Furthermore, we show that we can measure the kinetic profile of compound toxicity in a high-content, high-throughput format, following the same set of cells over an extended period of time.

  10. Safety in construction--a comprehensive description of the characteristics of high safety standards in construction work, from the combined perspective of supervisors and experienced workers.

    PubMed

    Törner, Marianne; Pousette, Anders

    2009-01-01

    The often applied engineering approach to safety management in the construction industry needs to be supplemented by organizational measures and measures based on how people conceive and react to their social environment. This requires in-depth knowledge of the broad preconditions for high safety standards in construction. The aim of the study was to comprehensively describe the preconditions and components of high safety standards in the construction industry from the perspective of both experienced construction workers and first-line managers. Five worker safety representatives and 19 first-line managers were interviewed, all strategically selected from within a large Swedish construction project. Phenomenographic methodology was used for data acquisition and analysis and to categorize the information. Nine informants verified the results. The study identified four main categories of work safety preconditions and components: (1) Project characteristics and nature of the work, which set the limits of safety management; (2) Organization and structures, with the subcategories planning, work roles, procedures, and resources; (3) Collective values, norms, and behaviors, with the subcategories climate and culture, and interaction and cooperation; and (4) Individual competence and attitudes, with the subcategories knowledge, ability and experience, and individual attitudes. The results comprehensively describe high safety standards in construction, incorporating organizational, group, individual, and technical aspects. High-quality interaction between different organizational functions and hierarchical levels stood out as important aspects of safety. The results are discussed in relation to previous research into safety and into the social-psychological preconditions for other desired outcomes in occupational settings. The results can guide construction companies in planning and executing construction projects to a high safety standard.

  11. National standard setting for quality of care in general practice: attitudes of general practitioners and response to a set of standards.

    PubMed Central

    Grol, R

    1990-01-01

    The Nederlands Huisartsen Genootschap (NHG), the college of general practitioners in the Netherlands, has begun a national programme of standard setting for the quality of care in general practice. When the standards have been drawn up and assessed they are disseminated via the journal Huisarts en Wetenschap. In a survey, carried out among a randomized sample of 10% of all general practitioners, attitudes towards national standard setting in general and to the first set of standards (diabetes care) were studied. The response was 70% (453 doctors). A majority of the respondents said they were well informed about the national standard setting initiatives instigated by the NHG (71%) and about the content of the first standards (77%). The general practitioners had a positive attitude towards the setting of national standards for quality of care, and this was particularly true for doctors who were members of the NHG. Although a large majority of doctors said they agreed with most of the guidelines in the diabetes standards fewer respondents were actually working to the guidelines and some of the standards are certain to meet with a lot of resistance. A better knowledge of the standards and a more positive attitude to the process of national standard setting correlated with a more positive attitude to the guidelines formulated in the diabetes standards. The results could serve as a starting point for an exchange of views about standard setting in general practice in other countries. PMID:2265001

  12. Glocal clinical registries: pacemaker registry design and implementation for global and local integration--methodology and case study.

    PubMed

    da Silva, Kátia Regina; Costa, Roberto; Crevelari, Elizabeth Sartori; Lacerda, Marianna Sobral; de Moraes Albertini, Caio Marcos; Filho, Martino Martinelli; Santana, José Eduardo; Vissoci, João Ricardo Nickenig; Pietrobon, Ricardo; Barros, Jacson V

    2013-01-01

    The ability to apply standard and interoperable solutions for implementing and managing medical registries as well as aggregate, reproduce, and access data sets from legacy formats and platforms to advanced standard formats and operating systems are crucial for both clinical healthcare and biomedical research settings. Our study describes a reproducible, highly scalable, standard framework for a device registry implementation addressing both local data quality components and global linking problems. We developed a device registry framework involving the following steps: (1) Data standards definition and representation of the research workflow, (2) Development of electronic case report forms using REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture), (3) Data collection according to the clinical research workflow and, (4) Data augmentation by enriching the registry database with local electronic health records, governmental database and linked open data collections, (5) Data quality control and (6) Data dissemination through the registry Web site. Our registry adopted all applicable standardized data elements proposed by American College Cardiology / American Heart Association Clinical Data Standards, as well as variables derived from cardiac devices randomized trials and Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium. Local interoperability was performed between REDCap and data derived from Electronic Health Record system. The original data set was also augmented by incorporating the reimbursed values paid by the Brazilian government during a hospitalization for pacemaker implantation. By linking our registry to the open data collection repository Linked Clinical Trials (LinkedCT) we found 130 clinical trials which are potentially correlated with our pacemaker registry. This study demonstrates how standard and reproducible solutions can be applied in the implementation of medical registries to constitute a re-usable framework. Such approach has the potential to facilitate data integration between healthcare and research settings, also being a useful framework to be used in other biomedical registries.

  13. Open-source platform to benchmark fingerprints for ligand-based virtual screening

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Similarity-search methods using molecular fingerprints are an important tool for ligand-based virtual screening. A huge variety of fingerprints exist and their performance, usually assessed in retrospective benchmarking studies using data sets with known actives and known or assumed inactives, depends largely on the validation data sets used and the similarity measure used. Comparing new methods to existing ones in any systematic way is rather difficult due to the lack of standard data sets and evaluation procedures. Here, we present a standard platform for the benchmarking of 2D fingerprints. The open-source platform contains all source code, structural data for the actives and inactives used (drawn from three publicly available collections of data sets), and lists of randomly selected query molecules to be used for statistically valid comparisons of methods. This allows the exact reproduction and comparison of results for future studies. The results for 12 standard fingerprints together with two simple baseline fingerprints assessed by seven evaluation methods are shown together with the correlations between methods. High correlations were found between the 12 fingerprints and a careful statistical analysis showed that only the two baseline fingerprints were different from the others in a statistically significant way. High correlations were also found between six of the seven evaluation methods, indicating that despite their seeming differences, many of these methods are similar to each other. PMID:23721588

  14. Mental health measurement among women veterans receiving co-located, collaborative care services.

    PubMed

    Lilienthal, Kaitlin R; Buchholz, Laura J; King, Paul R; Vair, Christina L; Funderburk, Jennifer S; Beehler, Gregory P

    2017-12-01

    Routine use of measurement to identify patient concerns and track treatment progress is critical to high quality patient care. This is particularly relevant to the Primary Care Behavioral Health model, where rapid symptom assessment and effective referral management are critical to sustaining population-based care. However, research suggests that women who receive treatment in co-located collaborative care settings utilizing the PCBH model are less likely to be assessed with standard measures than men in these settings. The current study utilized regional retrospective data obtained from the Veterans Health Administration's electronic medical record system to: (1) explore rates of mental health measurement for women receiving co-located collaborative care services (N = 1008); and (2) to identify predictors of mental health measurement in women veterans in these settings. Overall, only 8% of women had documentation of standard mental health measures. Measurement was predicted by diagnosis, facility size, length of care episode and care setting. Specifically, women diagnosed with depression were less likely than those with anxiety disorders to have standard mental health measurement documented. Several suggestions are offered to increase the quality of mental health care for women through regular use of measurement in integrated care settings.

  15. Motivation in vigilance - A test of the goal-setting hypothesis of the effectiveness of knowledge of results.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Warm, J. S.; Riechmann, S. W.; Grasha, A. F.; Seibel, B.

    1973-01-01

    This study tested the prediction, derived from the goal-setting hypothesis, that the facilitating effects of knowledge of results (KR) in a simple vigilance task should be related directly to the level of the performance standard used to regulate KR. Two groups of Ss received dichotomous KR in terms of whether Ss response times (RTs) to signal detections exceeded a high or low standard of performance. The aperiodic offset of a visual signal was the critical event for detection. The vigil was divided into a training phase followed by testing, during which KR was withdrawn. Knowledge of results enhanced performance in both phases. However, the two standards used to regulate feedback contributed little to these effects.

  16. A Love Supreme--Riffing on the Standards: Placing Ideas at the Center of High Stakes Schooling

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kohl, Herbert

    2006-01-01

    The Fake Book is a square spiral bound Xeroxed book, about 7" by 7", maybe 250 pages long. It's all music--the notes, usually in C or B minor, of hundreds of standard tunes, jazz, pop, and every once in a while, classical. The Fake Book and all of its variants provide an evolving canon of tunes that defines a set of common standards for…

  17. Hospital protocols for targeted glycemic control: Development, implementation, and models for cost justification.

    PubMed

    Magee, Michelle F

    2007-05-15

    Evolving elements of best practices for providing targeted glycemic control in the hospital setting, clinical performance measurement, basal-bolus plus correction-dose insulin regimens, components of standardized subcutaneous (s.c.) insulin order sets, and strategies for implementation and cost justification of glycemic control initiatives are discussed. Best practices for targeted glycemic control should address accurate documentation of hyperglycemia, initial patient assessment, management plan, target blood glucose range, blood glucose monitoring frequency, maintenance of glycemic control, criteria for glucose management consultations, and standardized insulin order sets and protocols. Establishing clinical performance measures, including desirable processes and outcomes, can help ensure the success of targeted hospital glycemic control initiatives. The basal-bolus plus correction-dose regimen for insulin administration will be used to mimic the normal physiologic pattern of endogenous insulin secretion. Standardized insulin order sets and protocols are being used to minimize the risk of error in insulin therapy. Components of standardized s.c. insulin order sets include specification of the hyperglycemia diagnosis, finger stick blood glucose monitoring frequency and timing, target blood glucose concentration range, cutoff values for excessively high or low blood glucose concentrations that warrant alerting the physician, basal and prandial or nutritional (i.e., bolus) insulin, correction doses, hypoglycemia treatment, and perioperative or procedural dosage adjustments. The endorsement of hospital administrators and key physician and nursing leaders is needed for glycemic control initiatives. Initiatives may be cost justified on the basis of the billings for clinical diabetes management services and/or the return- on-investment accrued to reductions in hospital length of stay, readmissions, and accurate documentation and coding of unrecognized or uncontrolled diabetes, and diabetes complications. Standardized insulin order sets and protocols may minimize risk of insulin errors. The endorsement of these protocols by administrators, physicians, nurses, and pharmacists is also needed for success.

  18. Why are we prolonging QT interval monitoring?

    PubMed

    Barrett, Trina

    2015-01-01

    At present, monitoring of the QT interval (QTI) is not a standard practice in the medical intensive care unit setting, where many drugs that prolong the QTI are administered. This literature review looked at the current research for evidence-based standards to support QTI monitoring of patients with risk factors for QTI prolongation, which can result in life-threatening arrhythmias such as torsade de pointes. The objective of this article is to establish the existence of evidence-based standards for monitoring of the QTI and to raise awareness in the nursing profession of the need for such monitoring among patients who are at high risk for prolonged QTI. To determine whether published standards for QTI monitoring exist, a search was conducted of the bibliographic databases CINAHL, EBSCOhost, Medline, PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library for the years 2013 and 2014. Also, a survey was conducted to determine whether practice standards for QTI monitoring are being implemented at 4 major hospitals in the Memphis area, including a level 1 trauma center. The database search established the existence of published guidelines that support the need for QTI monitoring. Results of the hospital survey indicated that direct care nurses were not aware of the need to identify high-risk patients, drugs with the potential to prolong QTI that were being administered to their patients, or evidence-based standards for QTI monitoring. Review of the research literature underscored the need for QTI monitoring among high-risk patients, that is, those with genetic conditions that predispose them to QTI prolongation, those with existing cardiac conditions being treated with antiarrhythmic medications, or those who are prescribed any new medication classified as high risk on the basis of clinical research. This need is especially crucial in intensive care unit settings, where many antiarrhythmic medications are administered.

  19. Development of the private practice management standards for psychology.

    PubMed

    Mathews, Rebecca; Stokes, David; Littlefield, Lyn; Collins, Leah

    2011-01-01

    This paper describes the process of developing a set of private practice management standards to support Australian psychologists and promote high quality services to the public. A review of the literature was conducted to identify management standards relevant to psychology, which were further developed in consultation with a panel of experts in psychology or in the development of standards. Forty-three psychologists in independent private practice took part in either a survey (n=22) to provide feedback on the relevance of, and their compliance with, the identified standards, or a 6-month pilot study (n=21) in which a web-based self-assessment instrument evaluating the final set of standards and performance indicators was implemented in their practice to investigate self-reported change in management procedures. The pilot study demonstrated good outcomes for practitioners when evaluation of compliance to the standards was operationalized in a self-assessment format. Study results are based on a small sample size. Nevertheless, relevance and utility of the standards was found providing an initial version of management standards that have relevance to the practice of psychology in Australia, along with a system for evaluating psychological service provision to ensure best practice in service delivery. © 2010 National Association for Healthcare Quality.

  20. Technology Leadership and Its Relationship with School-Malaysia Standard of Education Quality (School-MSEQ)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hamzah, Mohd Izham Mohd; Juraime, Faridah; Hamid, Aida Hanim A.; Nordin, Norazah; Attan, Noraini

    2014-01-01

    This study examined the level of technology leadership practice among administrators in High Performing Schools (HPS) and its relationship with School-Malaysia Standard of Education Quality (School-MSEQ). A set of questionnaires was administered to 96 administrators in 12 HPS of secondary schools category. The data were analysed and interpreted…

  1. A Case Study of Implications and Applications of Standardized Nomenclature for Asset Management in Healthcare

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DeFrancesco, Jennifer A.

    2016-01-01

    Healthcare organizations strive to adapt to the continuous change in what has become a fast-paced, high technology environment. Many organizations are charged to find efficiencies to better manage medical device assets. Increasingly, healthcare leaders opt to adopt a standardized medical device nomenclature under the purview of a set of national…

  2. Maritime English Vocabulary in Feature Films: "The Perfect Storm" (2000) and "Master and Commander" (2003)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jurkovic, Violeta

    2016-01-01

    The teaching content of Maritime English is dictated by the 1995 International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping, as amended, which sets qualification standards for masters, officers, and officers of the watch on merchant ships, including a high proficiency level in maritime English. Feature films have an…

  3. The Role of Faculty in the Effectiveness of Fully Online Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Al-Salman, Sami M.

    2013-01-01

    The enormous growth of online learning creates the need to develop a set of standards and guidelines for fully online programs. While many guidelines do exist, web-based programs still fall short in the recognition, adoption, or the implementation of these standards. One consequence is the high attrition rates associated with web-based distance…

  4. Adopting Cut Scores: Post-Standard-Setting Panel Considerations for Decision Makers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Geisinger, Kurt F.; McCormick, Carina M.

    2010-01-01

    Standard-setting studies utilizing procedures such as the Bookmark or Angoff methods are just one component of the complete standard-setting process. Decision makers ultimately must determine what they believe to be the most appropriate standard or cut score to use, employing the input of the standard-setting panelists as one piece of information…

  5. Single embryo transfer and IVF/ICSI outcome: a balanced appraisal.

    PubMed

    Gerris, Jan M R

    2005-01-01

    This review considers the value of single embryo transfer (SET) to prevent multiple pregnancies (MP) after IVF/ICSI. The incidence of MP (twins and higher order pregnancies) after IVF/ICSI is much higher (approximately 30%) than after natural conception (approximately 1%). Approximately half of all the neonates are multiples. The obstetric, neonatal and long-term consequences for the health of these children are enormous and costs incurred extremely high. Judicious SET is the only method to decrease this epidemic of iatrogenic multiple gestations. Clinical trials have shown that programmes with >50% of SET maintain high overall ongoing pregnancy rates ( approximately 30% per started cycle) while reducing the MP rate to <10%. Experience with SET remains largely European although the need to reduce MP is accepted worldwide. An important issue is how to select patients suitable for SET and embryos with a high putative implantation potential. The typical patient suitable for SET is young (aged <36 years) and in her first or second IVF/ICSI trial. Embryo selection is performed using one or a combination of embryo characteristics. Available evidence suggests that, for the overall population, day 3 and day 5 selection yield similar results but better than zygote selection results. Prospective studies correlating embryo characteristics with documented implantation potential, utilizing databases of individual embryos, are needed. The application of SET should be supported by other measures: reimbursement of IVF/ICSI (earned back by reducing costs), optimized cryopreservation to augment cumulative pregnancy rates per oocyte harvest and a standardized format for reporting results. To make SET the standard of care in the appropriate target group, there is a need for more clinical studies, for intensive counselling of patients, and for an increased sense of responsibility in patients, health care providers and health insurers.

  6. Issues and Methods for Standard-Setting.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hambleton, Ronald K.; And Others

    Issues involved in standard setting along with methods for standard setting are reviewed, with specific reference to their relevance for criterion referenced testing. Definitions are given of continuum and state models, and traditional and normative standard setting procedures. Since continuum models are considered more appropriate for criterion…

  7. Orthopaedic surgery in natural disaster and conflict settings: how can quality care be ensured?

    PubMed

    Alvarado, Oscar; Trelles, Miguel; Tayler-Smith, Katie; Joseph, Holdine; Gesline, Rodné; Wilna, Thélusma Eli; Mohammad Omar, Mohammad Karim; Faiz Mohammad, Niaz Mohammad; Muhima Mastaki, John; Chingumwa Buhu, Richard; Caluwaerts, An; Dominguez, Lynette

    2015-10-01

    Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) is one of the main providers of orthopaedic surgery in natural disaster and conflict settings and strictly imposes a minimum set of context-specific standards before any surgery can be performed. Based on MSF's experience of performing orthopaedic surgery in a number of such settings, we describe: (a) whether it was possible to implement the minimum standards for one of the more rigorous orthopaedic procedures--internal fixation--and when possible, the time frame, (b) the volume and type of interventions performed and (c) the intra-operative mortality rates and postoperative infection rates. We conducted a retrospective review of routine programme data collected between 2007 and 2014 from three MSF emergency surgical interventions in Haiti (following the 2010 earthquake) and three ongoing MSF projects in Kunduz (Afghanistan), Masisi (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Tabarre (Haiti). The minimum standards for internal fixation were achieved in one emergency intervention site in Haiti, and in Kunduz and Tabarre, taking up to 18 months to implement in Kunduz. All sites achieved the minimum standards to perform amputations, reductions and external fixations, with a total of 9,409 orthopaedic procedures performed during the study period. Intraoperative mortality rates ranged from 0.6 to 1.9 % and postoperative infection rates from 2.4 to 3.5 %. In settings affected by natural disaster or conflict, a high volume and wide repertoire of orthopaedic surgical procedures can be performed with good outcomes when minimum standards are in place. More demanding procedures like internal fixation may not always be feasible.

  8. Advanced Data Visualization in Astrophysics: The X3D Pathway

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vogt, Frédéric P. A.; Owen, Chris I.; Verdes-Montenegro, Lourdes; Borthakur, Sanchayeeta

    2016-02-01

    Most modern astrophysical data sets are multi-dimensional; a characteristic that can nowadays generally be conserved and exploited scientifically during the data reduction/simulation and analysis cascades. However, the same multi-dimensional data sets are systematically cropped, sliced, and/or projected to printable two-dimensional diagrams at the publication stage. In this article, we introduce the concept of the “X3D pathway” as a mean of simplifying and easing the access to data visualization and publication via three-dimensional (3D) diagrams. The X3D pathway exploits the facts that (1) the X3D 3D file format lies at the center of a product tree that includes interactive HTML documents, 3D printing, and high-end animations, and (2) all high-impact-factor and peer-reviewed journals in astrophysics are now published (some exclusively) online. We argue that the X3D standard is an ideal vector for sharing multi-dimensional data sets because it provides direct access to a range of different data visualization techniques, is fully open source, and is a well-defined standard from the International Organization for Standardization. Unlike other earlier propositions to publish multi-dimensional data sets via 3D diagrams, the X3D pathway is not tied to specific software (prone to rapid and unexpected evolution), but instead is compatible with a range of open-source software already in use by our community. The interactive HTML branch of the X3D pathway is also actively supported by leading peer-reviewed journals in the field of astrophysics. Finally, this article provides interested readers with a detailed set of practical astrophysical examples designed to act as a stepping stone toward the implementation of the X3D pathway for any other data set.

  9. Management of Burn Injuries in the Wilderness: Lessons from Low-Resource Settings.

    PubMed

    Bitter, Cindy C; Erickson, Timothy B

    2016-12-01

    Burns are a common source of injuries worldwide, with a high burden of disease in low- and middle-income countries. Burns also account for 2%-8% of wilderness injuries. Although many are minor, the potential for serious morbidity and mortality exists, and standard treatments used in high-resource settings are not readily available in the backcountry. A literature review was performed to find evidence from low-resource settings that supports alternative or improvised therapies that may be adapted to care of burns in the wilderness. There is good evidence for use of oral rehydration to support volume status in burn patients. There is moderate evidence to support cold therapy as first aid and adjunct for pain control. Some evidence supports use of alternative dressings such as boiled potato peel, banana leaf, aloe vera, honey, sugar paste, and papaya when standard therapies are not available. Copyright © 2016 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. The Objective Borderline Method (OBM): A Probability-Based Model for Setting up an Objective Pass/Fail Cut-Off Score in Medical Programme Assessments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shulruf, Boaz; Turner, Rolf; Poole, Phillippa; Wilkinson, Tim

    2013-01-01

    The decision to pass or fail a medical student is a "high stakes" one. The aim of this study is to introduce and demonstrate the feasibility and practicality of a new objective standard-setting method for determining the pass/fail cut-off score from borderline grades. Three methods for setting up pass/fail cut-off scores were compared: the…

  11. 7 CFR 28.107 - Original cotton standards and reserve sets.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Original cotton standards and reserve sets. 28.107... CONTAINER REGULATIONS COTTON CLASSING, TESTING, AND STANDARDS Regulations Under the United States Cotton Standards Act Practical Forms of Cotton Standards § 28.107 Original cotton standards and reserve sets. (a...

  12. 7 CFR 28.107 - Original cotton standards and reserve sets.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Original cotton standards and reserve sets. 28.107... CONTAINER REGULATIONS COTTON CLASSING, TESTING, AND STANDARDS Regulations Under the United States Cotton Standards Act Practical Forms of Cotton Standards § 28.107 Original cotton standards and reserve sets. (a...

  13. 7 CFR 28.107 - Original cotton standards and reserve sets.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Original cotton standards and reserve sets. 28.107... CONTAINER REGULATIONS COTTON CLASSING, TESTING, AND STANDARDS Regulations Under the United States Cotton Standards Act Practical Forms of Cotton Standards § 28.107 Original cotton standards and reserve sets. (a...

  14. 7 CFR 28.107 - Original cotton standards and reserve sets.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Original cotton standards and reserve sets. 28.107... CONTAINER REGULATIONS COTTON CLASSING, TESTING, AND STANDARDS Regulations Under the United States Cotton Standards Act Practical Forms of Cotton Standards § 28.107 Original cotton standards and reserve sets. (a...

  15. 7 CFR 28.107 - Original cotton standards and reserve sets.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Original cotton standards and reserve sets. 28.107... CONTAINER REGULATIONS COTTON CLASSING, TESTING, AND STANDARDS Regulations Under the United States Cotton Standards Act Practical Forms of Cotton Standards § 28.107 Original cotton standards and reserve sets. (a...

  16. Effectiveness of the standard and an alternative set of Streptococcus pneumoniae multi locus sequence typing primers.

    PubMed

    Adamiak, Paul; Vanderkooi, Otto G; Kellner, James D; Schryvers, Anthony B; Bettinger, Julie A; Alcantara, Joenel

    2014-06-03

    Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) is a portable, broadly applicable method for classifying bacterial isolates at an intra-species level. This methodology provides clinical and scientific investigators with a standardized means of monitoring evolution within bacterial populations. MLST uses the DNA sequences from a set of genes such that each unique combination of sequences defines an isolate's sequence type. In order to reliably determine the sequence of a typing gene, matching sequence reads for both strands of the gene must be obtained. This study assesses the ability of both the standard, and an alternative set of, Streptococcus pneumoniae MLST primers to completely sequence, in both directions, the required typing alleles. The results demonstrated that for five (aroE, recP, spi, xpt, ddl) of the seven S. pneumoniae typing alleles, the standard primers were unable to obtain the complete forward and reverse sequences. This is due to the standard primers annealing too closely to the target regions, and current sequencing technology failing to sequence the bases that are too close to the primer. The alternative primer set described here, which includes a combination of primers proposed by the CDC and several designed as part of this study, addresses this limitation by annealing to highly conserved segments further from the target region. This primer set was subsequently employed to sequence type 105 S. pneumoniae isolates collected by the Canadian Immunization Monitoring Program ACTive (IMPACT) over a period of 18 years. The inability of several of the standard S. pneumoniae MLST primers to fully sequence the required region was consistently observed and is the result of a shift in sequencing technology occurring after the original primers were designed. The results presented here introduce clear documentation describing this phenomenon into the literature, and provide additional guidance, through the introduction of a widely validated set of alternative primers, to research groups seeking to undertake S. pneumoniae MLST based studies.

  17. Mystery Box Marvels

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Santos, Joel; Centurio, Tina

    2012-01-01

    What happens in the first week of school could very well set the stage for the rest of the school year. Setting high standards for science activities based in inquiry can start on the first day of science class and develop as the year unfolds. With the use of simple, readily available, inexpensive materials, an efficient mystery box lesson can be…

  18. Improved Protocols for Illumina Sequencing

    PubMed Central

    Bronner, Iraad F.; Quail, Michael A.; Turner, Daniel J.; Swerdlow, Harold

    2013-01-01

    In this unit, we describe a set of improvements we have made to the standard Illumina protocols to make the sequencing process more reliable in a high-throughput environment, reduce amplification bias, narrow the distribution of insert sizes, and reliably obtain high yields of data. PMID:19582764

  19. 45 CFR 152.1 - Statutory basis.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... to establish a temporary high risk health insurance pool program to provide health insurance coverage for individuals described in § 152.14 of this part. (b) Scope. This part establishes standards and sets forth the requirements, limitations, and procedures for the temporary high risk health insurance...

  20. 45 CFR 152.1 - Statutory basis.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... to establish a temporary high risk health insurance pool program to provide health insurance coverage for individuals described in § 152.14 of this part. (b) Scope. This part establishes standards and sets forth the requirements, limitations, and procedures for the temporary high risk health insurance...

  1. Assessing the optimality of ASHRAE climate zones using high resolution meteorological data sets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fils, P. D.; Kumar, J.; Collier, N.; Hoffman, F. M.; Xu, M.; Forbes, W.

    2017-12-01

    Energy consumed by built infrastructure constitutes a significant fraction of the nation's energy budget. According to 2015 US Energy Information Agency report, 41% of the energy used in the US was going to residential and commercial buildings. Additional research has shown that 32% of commercial building energy goes into heating and cooling the building. The American National Standards Institute and the American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers Standard 90.1 provides climate zones for current state-of-practice since heating and cooling demands are strongly influenced by spatio-temporal weather variations. For this reason, we have been assessing the optimality of the climate zones using high resolution daily climate data from NASA's DAYMET database. We analyzed time series of meteorological data sets for all ASHRAE climate zones between 1980-2016 inclusively. We computed the mean, standard deviation, and other statistics for a set of meteorological variables (solar radiation, maximum and minimum temperature)within each zone. By plotting all the zonal statistics, we analyzed patterns and trends in those data over the past 36 years. We compared the means of each zone to its standard deviation to determine the range of spatial variability that exist within each zone. If the band around the mean is too large, it indicates that regions in the zone experience a wide range of weather conditions and perhaps a common set of building design guidelines would lead to a non-optimal energy consumption scenario. In this study we have observed a strong variation in the different climate zones. Some have shown consistent patterns in the past 36 years, indicating that the zone was well constructed, while others have greatly deviated from their mean indicating that the zone needs to be reconstructed. We also looked at redesigning the climate zones based on high resolution climate data. We are using building simulations models like EnergyPlus to develop optimal energy guidelines for each climate zone and quantify potential energy savings that can be realized by redesigning climate zones using state-of-the art data sets.

  2. Multimedia telehomecare system using standard TV set.

    PubMed

    Guillén, S; Arredondo, M T; Traver, V; García, J M; Fernández, C

    2002-12-01

    Nowadays, there are a very large number of patients that need specific health support at home. The deployment of broadband communication networks is making feasible the provision of home care services with a proper quality of service. This paper presents a telehomecare multimedia platform that runs over integrated services digital network and internet protocol using videoconferencing standards H.320 and H.323, and standard TV set for patient interaction. This platform allows online remote monitoring: ECG, heart sound, blood pressure. Usability, affordability, and interoperability were considered for the design and development of its hardware and software components. A first evaluation of technical and usability aspects were carried forward with 52 patients of a private clinic and 10 students in the University. Results show a high rate (mean = 4.33, standard deviation--SD = 1.63 in a five-points Likert scale) in the global perception of users on the quality of images, voice, and feeling of virtual presence.

  3. Spectral irradiance standard for the ultraviolet - The deuterium lamp

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Saunders, R. D.; Ott, W. R.; Bridges, J. M.

    1978-01-01

    A set of deuterium lamps is calibrated as spectral irradiance standards in the 200-350-nm spectral region utilizing both a high accuracy tungsten spectral irradiance standard and a newly developed argon mini-arc spectral radiance standard. The method which enables a transfer from a spectral radiance to a spectral irradiance standard is described. The following characteristics of the deuterium lamp irradiance standard are determined: sensitivity to alignment; dependence on input power and solid angle; reproducibility; and stability. The absolute spectral radiance is also measured in the 167-330-nm region. Based upon these measurements, values of the spectral irradiance below 200 nm are obtained through extrapolation.

  4. A continuously variable beam-diameter, high-fluence, Q-switched Nd:YAG laser for tattoo removal: comparison of the maximum beam diameter to a standard 4-mm-diameter treatment beam.

    PubMed

    Bernstein, Eric F; Civiok, Jennifer M

    2013-12-01

    Laser beam diameter affects the depth of laser penetration. Q-switched lasers tend to have smaller maximum spot sizes than other dermatologic lasers, making beam diameter a potentially more significant factor in treatment outcomes. To compare the clinical effect of using the maximum-size treatment beam available for each delivered fluence during laser tattoo removal to a standard 4-mm-diameter treatment beam. Thirteen tattoos were treated in 12 subjects using a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser equipped with a treatment beam diameter that was adjustable in 1 mm increments and a setting that would enable the maximally achievable diameter ("MAX-ON" setting) with any fluence. Tattoos were randomly bisected and treated on one side with the MAX-ON setting and on the contralateral side with a standard 4-mm-diameter spot ("MAX-OFF" setting). Photographs were taken 8 weeks following each treatment and each half-tattoo was evaluated for clearance on a 10-point scale by physicians blinded to the treatment conditions. Tattoo clearance was greater on the side treated with the MAX-ON setting in a statistically significant manner following the 1st through 4th treatments, with the MAX-OFF treatment site approaching the clearance of the MAX-ON treatment site after the 5th and 6th treatments. This high-energy, Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with a continuously variable spot-size safely and effectively removes tattoos, with greater removal when using a larger spot-size. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  5. Reliability and Validity of 10 Different Standard Setting Procedures.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Halpin, Glennelle; Halpin, Gerald

    Research indicating that different cut-off points result from the use of different standard-setting techniques leaves decision makers with a disturbing dilemma: Which standard-setting method is best? This investigation of the reliability and validity of 10 different standard-setting approaches was designed to provide information that might help…

  6. iMet-Q: A User-Friendly Tool for Label-Free Metabolomics Quantitation Using Dynamic Peak-Width Determination

    PubMed Central

    Chang, Hui-Yin; Chen, Ching-Tai; Lih, T. Mamie; Lynn, Ke-Shiuan; Juo, Chiun-Gung; Hsu, Wen-Lian; Sung, Ting-Yi

    2016-01-01

    Efficient and accurate quantitation of metabolites from LC-MS data has become an important topic. Here we present an automated tool, called iMet-Q (intelligent Metabolomic Quantitation), for label-free metabolomics quantitation from high-throughput MS1 data. By performing peak detection and peak alignment, iMet-Q provides a summary of quantitation results and reports ion abundance at both replicate level and sample level. Furthermore, it gives the charge states and isotope ratios of detected metabolite peaks to facilitate metabolite identification. An in-house standard mixture and a public Arabidopsis metabolome data set were analyzed by iMet-Q. Three public quantitation tools, including XCMS, MetAlign, and MZmine 2, were used for performance comparison. From the mixture data set, seven standard metabolites were detected by the four quantitation tools, for which iMet-Q had a smaller quantitation error of 12% in both profile and centroid data sets. Our tool also correctly determined the charge states of seven standard metabolites. By searching the mass values for those standard metabolites against Human Metabolome Database, we obtained a total of 183 metabolite candidates. With the isotope ratios calculated by iMet-Q, 49% (89 out of 183) metabolite candidates were filtered out. From the public Arabidopsis data set reported with two internal standards and 167 elucidated metabolites, iMet-Q detected all of the peaks corresponding to the internal standards and 167 metabolites. Meanwhile, our tool had small abundance variation (≤0.19) when quantifying the two internal standards and had higher abundance correlation (≥0.92) when quantifying the 167 metabolites. iMet-Q provides user-friendly interfaces and is publicly available for download at http://ms.iis.sinica.edu.tw/comics/Software_iMet-Q.html. PMID:26784691

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

    Mendell, Mark J.; Fisk, William J.

    Background - The goal of this project, with a focus on commercial buildings in California, was to develop a new framework for evidence-based minimum ventilation rate (MVR) standards that protect occupants in buildings while also considering energy use and cost. This was motivated by research findings suggesting that current prescriptive MVRs in commercial buildings do not provide occupants with fully safe and satisfactory indoor environments. Methods - The project began with a broad review in several areas ? the diverse strategies now used for standards or guidelines for MVRs or for environmental contaminant exposures, current knowledge about adverse human effectsmore » associated with VRs, and current knowledge about contaminants in commercial buildings, including their their presence, their adverse human effects, and their relationships with VRs. Based on a synthesis of the reviewed information, new principles and approaches are proposed for setting evidence-based VRs standards for commercial buildings, considering a range of human effects including health, performance, and acceptability of air. Results ? A review and evaluation is first presented of current approaches to setting prescriptive building ventilation standards and setting acceptable limits for human contaminant exposures in outdoor air and occupational settings. Recent research on approaches to setting acceptable levels of environmental exposures in evidence-based MVR standards is also described. From a synthesis and critique of these materials, a set of principles for setting MVRs is presented, along with an example approach based on these principles. The approach combines two sequential strategies. In a first step, an acceptable threshold is set for each adverse outcome that has a demonstrated relationship to VRs, as an increase from a (low) outcome level at a high reference ventilation rate (RVR, the VR needed to attain the best achievable levels of the adverse outcome); MVRs required to meet each specific outcome threshold are estimated; and the highest of these MVRs, which would then meet all outcome thresholds, is selected as the target MVR. In a second step, implemented only if the target MVR from step 1 is judged impractically high, costs and benefits are estimated and this information is used in a risk management process. Four human outcomes with substantial quantitative evidence of relationships to VRs are identified for initial consideration in setting MVR standards. These are: building-related symptoms (sometimes called sick building syndrome symptoms), poor perceived indoor air quality, and diminished work performance, all with data relating them directly to VRs; and cancer and non-cancer chronic outcomes, related indirectly to VRs through specific VR-influenced indoor contaminants. In an application of step 1 for offices using a set of example outcome thresholds, a target MVR of 9 L/s (19 cfm) per person was needed. Because this target MVR was close to MVRs in current standards, use of a cost/benefit process seemed unnecessary. Selection of more stringent thresholds for one or more human outcomes, however, could raise the target MVR to 14 L/s (30 cfm) per person or higher, triggering the step 2 risk management process. Consideration of outdoor air pollutant effects would add further complexity to the framework. For balancing the objective and subjective factors involved in setting MVRs in a cost-benefit process, it is suggested that a diverse group of stakeholders make the determination after assembling as much quantitative data as possible.« less

  8. Behavioral Health and Performance Laboratory Standard Measures (BHP-SM)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Williams, Thomas J.; Cromwell, Ronita

    2017-01-01

    The Spaceflight Standard Measures is a NASA Johnson Space Center Human Research Project (HRP) project that proposes to collect a set of core measurements, representative of many of the human spaceflight risks, from astronauts before, during and after long-duration International Space Station (ISS) missions. The term "standard measures" is defined as a set of core measurements, including physiological, biochemical, psychosocial, cognitive, and functional, that are reliable, valid, and accepted in terrestrial science, are associated with a specific and measurable outcome known to occur as a consequence of spaceflight, that will be collected in a standardized fashion from all (or most) crewmembers. While such measures might be used to define standards of health and performance or readiness for flight, the prime intent in their collection is to allow longitudinal analysis of multiple parameters in order to answer a variety of operational, occupational, and research-based questions. These questions are generally at a high level, and the approach for this project is to populate the standard measures database with the smallest set of data necessary to indicate further detailed research is required. Also included as standard measures are parameters that are not outcome-based in and of-themselves, but provide ancillary information that supports interpretation of the outcome measures, e.g., nutritional assessment, vehicle environmental parameters, crew debriefs, etc. The project's main aim is to ensure that an optimized minimal set of measures is consistently captured from all ISS crewmembers until the end of Station in order to characterize the human in space. -This allows the HRP to identify, establish, and evaluate a common set of measures for use in spaceflight and analog research to: develop baselines, systematically characterize risk likelihood and consequences, and assess effectiveness of countermeasures that work for behavioral health and performance risk factors. -By standardizing the battery of measures on all crewmembers, it will allow the HRP to evaluate countermeasures that work for one physiological system and ensure another system is not negatively affected. -These measures, named "Standard Measures," will serve as a data repository and be available to other studies under data sharing agreements.

  9. A posteriori noise estimation in variable data sets. With applications to spectra and light curves

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Czesla, S.; Molle, T.; Schmitt, J. H. M. M.

    2018-01-01

    Most physical data sets contain a stochastic contribution produced by measurement noise or other random sources along with the signal. Usually, neither the signal nor the noise are accurately known prior to the measurement so that both have to be estimated a posteriori. We have studied a procedure to estimate the standard deviation of the stochastic contribution assuming normality and independence, requiring a sufficiently well-sampled data set to yield reliable results. This procedure is based on estimating the standard deviation in a sample of weighted sums of arbitrarily sampled data points and is identical to the so-called DER_SNR algorithm for specific parameter settings. To demonstrate the applicability of our procedure, we present applications to synthetic data, high-resolution spectra, and a large sample of space-based light curves and, finally, give guidelines to apply the procedure in situation not explicitly considered here to promote its adoption in data analysis.

  10. Manual cleaning of hospital mattresses: an observational study comparing high- and low-resource settings.

    PubMed

    Hopman, J; Hakizimana, B; Meintjes, W A J; Nillessen, M; de Both, E; Voss, A; Mehtar, S

    2016-01-01

    Hospital-associated infections (HAIs) are more frequently encountered in low- than in high-resource settings. There is a need to identify and implement feasible and sustainable approaches to strengthen HAI prevention in low-resource settings. To evaluate the biological contamination of routinely cleaned mattresses in both high- and low-resource settings. In this two-stage observational study, routine manual bed cleaning was evaluated at two university hospitals using adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Standardized training of cleaning personnel was achieved in both high- and low-resource settings. Qualitative analysis of the cleaning process was performed to identify predictors of cleaning outcome in low-resource settings. Mattresses in low-resource settings were highly contaminated prior to cleaning. Cleaning significantly reduced biological contamination of mattresses in low-resource settings (P < 0.0001). After training, the contamination observed after cleaning in both the high- and low-resource settings seemed comparable. Cleaning with appropriate type of cleaning materials reduced the contamination of mattresses adequately. Predictors for mattresses that remained contaminated in a low-resource setting included: type of product used, type of ward, training, and the level of contamination prior to cleaning. In low-resource settings mattresses were highly contaminated as noted by ATP levels. Routine manual cleaning by trained staff can be as effective in a low-resource setting as in a high-resource setting. We recommend a multi-modal cleaning strategy that consists of training of domestic services staff, availability of adequate time to clean beds between patients, and application of the correct type of cleaning products. Copyright © 2015 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Next Generation Space Interconnect Standard (NGSIS): a modular open standards approach for high performance interconnects for space

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Collier, Charles Patrick

    2017-04-01

    The Next Generation Space Interconnect Standard (NGSIS) effort is a Government-Industry collaboration effort to define a set of standards for interconnects between space system components with the goal of cost effectively removing bandwidth as a constraint for future space systems. The NGSIS team has selected the ANSI/VITA 65 OpenVPXTM standard family for the physical baseline. The RapidIO protocol has been selected as the basis for the digital data transport. The NGSIS standards are developed to provide sufficient flexibility to enable users to implement a variety of system configurations, while meeting goals for interoperability and robustness for space. The NGSIS approach and effort represents a radical departure from past approaches to achieve a Modular Open System Architecture (MOSA) for space systems and serves as an exemplar for the civil, commercial, and military Space communities as well as a broader high reliability terrestrial market.

  12. The market for precedent: shifting visions of the role of clinical negligence claims and trials.

    PubMed

    Mulcahy, Linda

    2014-01-01

    This article considers the interface between the standard setting activity of the NHS Litigation Authority, and the courts and uses the clinical negligence action as a prism through which to examine it. It is suggested that despite its many disadvantages, the clinical negligence action remains an important safety valve when internal regulatory systems fail or are insufficiently transparent to gain full legitimacy. More specifically, it explores the ways in which attitudes about the usefulness of the data contained in claims against the NHS have changed in the aftermath of a number of high profile inquiries which have focused on issues of poor performance. The article concludes that while much greater use is now been made of the data contained in claims when setting standards, strategies for prompting judicial precedent as an alternative way of mobilising standard setting behaviour remain under developed. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press; all rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  13. Reliable measurement of E. coli single cell fluorescence distribution using a standard microscope set-up.

    PubMed

    Cortesi, Marilisa; Bandiera, Lucia; Pasini, Alice; Bevilacqua, Alessandro; Gherardi, Alessandro; Furini, Simone; Giordano, Emanuele

    2017-01-01

    Quantifying gene expression at single cell level is fundamental for the complete characterization of synthetic gene circuits, due to the significant impact of noise and inter-cellular variability on the system's functionality. Commercial set-ups that allow the acquisition of fluorescent signal at single cell level (flow cytometers or quantitative microscopes) are expensive apparatuses that are hardly affordable by small laboratories. A protocol that makes a standard optical microscope able to acquire quantitative, single cell, fluorescent data from a bacterial population transformed with synthetic gene circuitry is presented. Single cell fluorescence values, acquired with a microscope set-up and processed with custom-made software, are compared with results that were obtained with a flow cytometer in a bacterial population transformed with the same gene circuitry. The high correlation between data from the two experimental set-ups, with a correlation coefficient computed over the tested dynamic range > 0.99, proves that a standard optical microscope- when coupled with appropriate software for image processing- might be used for quantitative single-cell fluorescence measurements. The calibration of the set-up, together with its validation, is described. The experimental protocol described in this paper makes quantitative measurement of single cell fluorescence accessible to laboratories equipped with standard optical microscope set-ups. Our method allows for an affordable measurement/quantification of intercellular variability, whose better understanding of this phenomenon will improve our comprehension of cellular behaviors and the design of synthetic gene circuits. All the required software is freely available to the synthetic biology community (MUSIQ Microscope flUorescence SIngle cell Quantification).

  14. Further Choice and Quality: The Charter for Further Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Department for Education and Employment, London (England).

    This charter explains what is being done to promote high standards of service for all who use technical colleges in the new further education (FE) sector in England--students, employers, and other members of the local community. It sets out the standards one has a right to expect from colleges in the FE sector and other organizations involved in…

  15. Making Schools Work for Children in Poverty. A New Framework Prepared by the Commission on Chapter 1.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Commission on Chapter 1, Baltimore, MD.

    This document presents the following eight-component framework of the Commission on Chapter 1 for restructuring the Chapter 1 program: (1) have states set clear, high standards for all students; (2) devise new systems for schools to assess progress toward standards; (3) inform parents about how well their children are progressing toward standards…

  16. Making Schools Work for Children in Poverty. A New Framework Prepared by the Commission on Chapter 1. Summary.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Commission on Chapter 1, Baltimore, MD.

    This document summarizes the following eight-component framework of the Commission on Chapter 1 for restructuring the Chapter 1 program: (1) have states set clear, high standards for all students; (2) devise new systems for schools to assess progress toward standards; (3) inform parents about how well their children are progressing toward…

  17. Comparison of Web-Based and Face-to-Face Standard Setting Using the Angoff Method

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Katz, Irvin R.; Tannenbaum, Richard J.

    2014-01-01

    Web-based standard setting holds promise for reducing the travel and logistical inconveniences of traditional, face-to-face standard setting meetings. However, because there are few published reports of setting standards via remote meeting technology, little is known about the practical potential of the approach, including technical feasibility of…

  18. Demands Upon Children Regarding Quality of Achievement: Standard Setting in Preschool Classrooms.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Potter, Ellen F.

    Focusing particularly on messages transmitted by socializing agents in preschool settings, this exploratory study investigates (1) the incidence of communication events in which standards for achievement are expressed, (2) the nature of the standards, and (3) variations across settings in the nature of standard-setting events. The relationship of…

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

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zhu, Weimo

    2013-01-01

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

  20. Standard Setting: A Systematic Approach to Interpreting Student Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DeMars, Christine E.; Sundre, Donna L.; Wise, Steven L.

    2002-01-01

    Describes workshops designed to set standards for freshman technological literacy at James Madison University (Virginia). Results indicated that about 30% of incoming freshmen could meet the standards set initially; by the end of the year, an additional 50-60% could meet them. Provides recommendations for standard setting in a general education…

  1. Lock-in imaging with synchronous digital mirror demodulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bush, Michael G.

    2010-04-01

    Lock-in imaging enables high contrast imaging in adverse conditions by exploiting a modulated light source and homodyne detection. We report results on a patent pending lock-in imaging system fabricated from commercial-off-theshelf parts utilizing standard cameras and a spatial light modulator. By leveraging the capabilities of standard parts we are able to present a low cost, high resolution, high sensitivity camera with applications in search and rescue, friend or foe identification (IFF), and covert surveillance. Different operating modes allow the same instrument to be utilized for dual band multispectral imaging or high dynamic range imaging, increasing the flexibility in different operational settings.

  2. Addressing standards of care in resource-limited settings.

    PubMed

    Dawson, Liza; Klingman, Karin L; Marrazzo, Jeanne

    2014-01-01

    : The choice between "best-known" standards of care (SOC) or "best available" standards as the control arm in a clinical trial is a fundamental dilemma in clinical research in resource-limited settings (RLS). When the health system is delivering less than an optimal level of care, using highest standard of care in a clinical trial may produce results that cannot be implemented or sustained locally. On the other hand, using interventions that are more feasible in the local setting may involve suboptimal care, and clinical outcomes may be affected. The need for improved standards in health systems in RLS, and the difficulty in securing them, has led many researchers advocate for policy changes at the national or international level to improve clinical care more systemically. SOC decisions in a clinical trial affect the level of benefit provided to study participants and the policy implications of the trial findings. SOC choices should provide high-quality care to help advance the health care system in host countries participating in the trial, but balancing the scientific and ethical objectives of SOC choices is difficult, and there is no single formula for selecting the appropriate SOC. Despite the challenges, well-designed and conducted clinical trials can and should make significant contributions to health systems in RLS.

  3. Neutron reflecting supermirror structure

    DOEpatents

    Wood, James L.

    1992-01-01

    An improved neutron reflecting supermirror structure comprising a plurality of stacked sets of bilayers of neutron reflecting materials. The improved neutron reflecting supermirror structure is adapted to provide extremely good performance at high incidence angles, i.e. up to four time the critical angle of standard neutron mirror structures. The reflection of neutrons striking the supermirror structure at a high critical angle provides enhanced neutron throughput, and hence more efficient and economical use of neutron sources. One layer of each set of bilayers consist of titanium, and the second layer of each set of bilayers consist of an alloy of nickel with carbon interstitially present in the nickel alloy.

  4. A summative, Objective, Structured, Clinical Examination in ENT used to assess postgraduate doctors after one year of ENT training, as part of the Diploma of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery.

    PubMed

    Drake-Lee, A B; Skinner, D; Hawthorne, M; Clarke, R

    2009-10-01

    'High stakes' postgraduate medical examinations should conform to current educational standards. In the UK and Ireland, national assessments in surgery are devised and managed through the examination structure of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons. Their efforts are not reported in the medical education literature. In the current paper, we aim to clarify this process. To replace the clinical section of the Diploma of Otorhinolaryngology with an Objective, Structured, Clinical Examination, and to set the level of the assessment at one year of postgraduate training in the specialty. After 'blueprinting' against the whole curriculum, an Objective, Structured, Clinical Examination comprising 25 stations was divided into six clinical stations and 19 other stations exploring written case histories, instruments, test results, written communication skills and interpretation skills. The pass mark was set using a modified borderline method and other methods, and statistical analysis of the results was performed. The results of nine examinations between May 2004 and May 2008 are presented. The pass mark varied between 68 and 82 per cent. Internal consistency was good, with a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.99 for all examinations and split-half statistics varying from 0.96 to 0.99. Different standard settings gave similar pass marks. We have developed a summative, Objective, Structured, Clinical Examination for doctors training in otorhinolaryngology, reported herein. The objectives and standards of setting a high quality assessment were met.

  5. The Mathematical and Science Skills of Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing Educated in Inclusive Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vosganoff, Diane; Paatsch, Louise E.; Toe, Dianne M.

    2011-01-01

    This study examined the science and mathematics achievements of 16 Year 9 students with hearing loss in an inclusive high-school setting in Western Australia. Results from the Monitoring Standards in Education (MSE) compulsory state tests were compared with state and class averages for students with normal hearing. Data were collected from three…

  6. A Correlation Study among Achievement Motivation, Goal-Setting and L2 Learning Strategy in EFL Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Han, Jing; Lu, Qingsheng

    2018-01-01

    Achievement motivation as one of the most important parts in learning motivation indicates a concern with success in competition with some standard of excellence. Learners who are highly motivated to learn a language are likely to use a variety of strategies. Besides achievement motivation, goal setting, a very important cognitive mediator between…

  7. Scaffolding High School Students' Reading of Complex Texts Using Linked Text Sets

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Elish-Piper, Laurie; Wold, Linda S.; Schwingendorf, Kathy

    2014-01-01

    Linked text sets (LTS) offer a promising approach to bring together adolescent students and complex texts, such as those required by the Common Core State Standards, using strategic scaffolding. LTS include a variety of print and media texts that address a guiding question that is meaningful to students such as, "Why is growing up so…

  8. A Comparison of Web-Based Standard Setting and Monitored Standard Setting.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harvey, Anne L.; Way, Walter D.

    Standard setting, when carefully done, can be an expensive and time-consuming process. The modified Angoff method and the benchmark method, as utilized in this study, employ representative panels of judges to provide recommended passing scores to standard setting decision-makers. It has been considered preferable to have the judges meet in a…

  9. Infrastructure | Transportation Research | NREL

    Science.gov Websites

    establishing a new test fuel standard crucial to set the stage for the commercial introduction of high-octane . Results are provided for all stations-including data from pre-commercial or demonstration stations that

  10. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome defined by the International Diabetes Federation and National Cholesterol Education Program criteria among Thai adults.

    PubMed

    Aekplakorn, Wichai; Chongsuvivatwong, Virasakdi; Tatsanavivat, Pyatat; Suriyawongpaisal, Paibul

    2011-09-01

    This study determines the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and National Cholesterol Education Program III (NCEP) criteria in Thai adults. Data from a national representative sample, InterASIA study, including a total of 5305 Thai adults 35 years and older were analyzed. Overall, the age-standardized prevalence of MetS by IDF and NCEP criteria were 24.0% (men 16.4%, women 31.6%) and 32.6% (men 28.7%, women 36.4%), respectively. The difference in prevalence of MetS between genders was much greater for the IDF compared with the NCEP definition. The age-standardized prevalence rates distributed by geographic region were relatively uniform with a lowest prevalence in the northeast. Among all possible sets of components for MetS, the most common combinations were a set of low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high triglyceride, and hyperglycemia in men (3.9%) and a set of abdominal obesity, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high triglycerides in women (6.7%). MetS is common in Thai adults and NCEP definition captures more cases of MetS compared with the IDF definition. Implementation of programs to prevent obesity and metabolic factors along with future periodic survey to monitor the problem is crucial.

  11. Setting the Bar for High-Ability Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Greene, Buck; Cross, Tracy L.

    2013-01-01

    Secondary school principals face no shortage of issues and challenges when it comes to ensuring that their teachers and students are ready for the Common Core State Standards. With so many issues competing for scarce time and resources, it is understandable that for many school leaders, the needs of high-ability and high-potential students are not…

  12. 45 CFR 602.12 - Special grant or subgrant conditions for “high-risk” grantees.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS Pre-Award Requirements § 602.12 Special grant or subgrant conditions for “high-risk” grantees. (a) A grantee or subgrantee may be considered “high risk” if an awarding agency... financially stable, or (3) Has a management system which does not meet the management standards set forth in...

  13. GUIDE FOR OPPORTUNITY CLASSES.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    JENNINGS, H. MARVIN; AND OTHERS

    TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE SLOW LEARNER AT THE SECONDARY LEVELS, CAREFULLY PLANNED AND TESTED GUIDELINES ARE SET FORTH FOR SELECTION OF PUPILS, STANDARDS FOR GRADING, AND GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS. LESSON PLANS AND SUGGESTIONS, MATERIALS, AND TEXTBOOKS ARE INCLUDED. COURSES COVERED ARE LANGUAGE ARTS, JUNIOR HIGH ARITHMETIC, MATHEMATICS IN HIGH SCHOOL,…

  14. metAlignID: a high-throughput software tool set for automated detection of trace level contaminants in comprehensive LECO two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry data.

    PubMed

    Lommen, Arjen; van der Kamp, Henk J; Kools, Harrie J; van der Lee, Martijn K; van der Weg, Guido; Mol, Hans G J

    2012-11-09

    A new alternative data processing tool set, metAlignID, is developed for automated pre-processing and library-based identification and concentration estimation of target compounds after analysis by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection. The tool set has been developed for and tested on LECO data. The software is developed to run multi-threaded (one thread per processor core) on a standard PC (personal computer) under different operating systems and is as such capable of processing multiple data sets simultaneously. Raw data files are converted into netCDF (network Common Data Form) format using a fast conversion tool. They are then preprocessed using previously developed algorithms originating from metAlign software. Next, the resulting reduced data files are searched against a user-composed library (derived from user or commercial NIST-compatible libraries) (NIST=National Institute of Standards and Technology) and the identified compounds, including an indicative concentration, are reported in Excel format. Data can be processed batch wise. The overall time needed for conversion together with processing and searching of 30 raw data sets for 560 compounds is routinely within an hour. The screening performance is evaluated for detection of pesticides and contaminants in raw data obtained after analysis of soil and plant samples. Results are compared to the existing data-handling routine based on proprietary software (LECO, ChromaTOF). The developed software tool set, which is freely downloadable at www.metalign.nl, greatly accelerates data-analysis and offers more options for fine-tuning automated identification toward specific application needs. The quality of the results obtained is slightly better than the standard processing and also adds a quantitative estimate. The software tool set in combination with two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry shows great potential as a highly-automated and fast multi-residue instrumental screening method. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Assessment of the suitability of using a forehead EEG electrode set and chin EMG electrodes for sleep staging in polysomnography.

    PubMed

    Myllymaa, Sami; Muraja-Murro, Anu; Westeren-Punnonen, Susanna; Hukkanen, Taina; Lappalainen, Reijo; Mervaala, Esa; Töyräs, Juha; Sipilä, Kirsi; Myllymaa, Katja

    2016-12-01

    Recently, a number of portable devices designed for full polysomnography at home have appeared. However, current scalp electrodes used for electroencephalograms are not practical for patient self-application. The aim of this study was to evaluate the suitability of recently introduced forehead electroencephalogram electrode set and supplementary chin electromyogram electrodes for sleep staging. From 31 subjects (10 male, 21 female; age 31.3 ± 11.8 years), sleep was recorded simultaneously with a forehead electroencephalogram electrode set and with a standard polysomnography setup consisting of six recommended electroencephalogram channels, two electrooculogram channels and chin electromyogram. Thereafter, two experienced specialists scored each recording twice, based on either standard polysomnography or forehead recordings. Sleep variables recorded with the forehead electroencephalogram electrode set and separate chin electromyogram electrodes were highly consistent with those obtained with the standard polysomnography. There were no statistically significant differences in total sleep time, sleep efficiency or sleep latencies. However, compared with the standard polysomnography, there was a significant increase in the amount of stage N1 and N2, and a significant reduction in stage N3 and rapid eye movement sleep. Overall, epoch-by-epoch agreement between the methods was 79.5%. Inter-scorer agreement for the forehead electroencephalogram was only slightly lower than that for standard polysomnography (76.1% versus 83.2%). Forehead electroencephalogram electrode set as supplemented with chin electromyogram electrodes may serve as a reliable and simple solution for recording total sleep time, and may be adequate for measuring sleep architecture. Because this electrode concept is well suited for patient's self-application, it may offer a significant advancement in home polysomnography. © 2016 European Sleep Research Society.

  16. Electronic Information Standards to Support Obesity Prevention and Bridge Services Across Systems, 2010-2015.

    PubMed

    Wiltz, Jennifer L; Blanck, Heidi M; Lee, Brian; Kocot, S Lawrence; Seeff, Laura; McGuire, Lisa C; Collins, Janet

    2017-10-26

    Electronic information technology standards facilitate high-quality, uniform collection of data for improved delivery and measurement of health care services. Electronic information standards also aid information exchange between secure systems that link health care and public health for better coordination of patient care and better-informed population health improvement activities. We developed international data standards for healthy weight that provide common definitions for electronic information technology. The standards capture healthy weight data on the "ABCDs" of a visit to a health care provider that addresses initial obesity prevention and care: assessment, behaviors, continuity, identify resources, and set goals. The process of creating healthy weight standards consisted of identifying needs and priorities, developing and harmonizing standards, testing the exchange of data messages, and demonstrating use-cases. Healthy weight products include 2 message standards, 5 use-cases, 31 LOINC (Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes) question codes, 7 healthy weight value sets, 15 public-private engagements with health information technology implementers, and 2 technical guides. A logic model and action steps outline activities toward better data capture, interoperable systems, and information use. Sharing experiences and leveraging this work in the context of broader priorities can inform the development of electronic information standards for similar core conditions and guide strategic activities in electronic systems.

  17. Electronic Information Standards to Support Obesity Prevention and Bridge Services Across Systems, 2010–2015

    PubMed Central

    Blanck, Heidi M.; Lee, Brian; Kocot, S. Lawrence; Seeff, Laura; McGuire, Lisa C.; Collins, Janet

    2017-01-01

    Electronic information technology standards facilitate high-quality, uniform collection of data for improved delivery and measurement of health care services. Electronic information standards also aid information exchange between secure systems that link health care and public health for better coordination of patient care and better-informed population health improvement activities. We developed international data standards for healthy weight that provide common definitions for electronic information technology. The standards capture healthy weight data on the “ABCDs” of a visit to a health care provider that addresses initial obesity prevention and care: assessment, behaviors, continuity, identify resources, and set goals. The process of creating healthy weight standards consisted of identifying needs and priorities, developing and harmonizing standards, testing the exchange of data messages, and demonstrating use-cases. Healthy weight products include 2 message standards, 5 use-cases, 31 LOINC (Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes) question codes, 7 healthy weight value sets, 15 public–private engagements with health information technology implementers, and 2 technical guides. A logic model and action steps outline activities toward better data capture, interoperable systems, and information use. Sharing experiences and leveraging this work in the context of broader priorities can inform the development of electronic information standards for similar core conditions and guide strategic activities in electronic systems. PMID:29072985

  18. The Making of a History Standards Wiki: "Covering", "Uncovering", and "Discovering" Curriculum Frameworks Using a Highly Interactive Technology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maloy, Robert W.; Poirier, Michelle; Smith, Hilary K.; Edwards, Sharon A.

    2010-01-01

    This article explores using a wiki, one of the newest forms of interactive computer-based technology, as a resource for teaching the Massachusetts K-12 History and Social Science Curriculum Framework, a set of state-mandated learning standards. Wikis are web pages that can be easily edited by multiple authors. They invite active involvement by…

  19. Basic investigation of the laminated alginate impression technique: Setting time, permanent deformation, elastic deformation, consistency, and tensile bond strength tests.

    PubMed

    Kitamura, Aya; Kawai, Yasuhiko

    2015-01-01

    Laminated alginate impression for edentulous is simple and time efficient compared to border molding technique. The purpose of this study was to examine clinical applicability of the laminated alginate impression, by measuring the effects of different Water/Powder (W/P) and mixing methods, and different bonding methods in the secondary impression of alginate impression. Three W/P: manufacturer-designated mixing water amount (standard), 1.5-fold (1.5×) and 1.75-fold (1.75×) water amount were mixed by manual and automatic mixing methods. Initial and complete setting time, permanent and elastic deformation, and consistency of the secondary impression were investigated (n=10). Additionally, tensile bond strength between the primary and secondary impression were measured in the following surface treatment; air blow only (A), surface baking (B), and alginate impression material bonding agent (ALGI-BOND: AB) (n=12). Initial setting times significantly shortened with automatic mixing for all W/P (p<0.05). The permanent deformation decreased and elastic deformation increased as high W/P, regardless of the mixing method. Elastic deformation significantly reduced in 1.5× and 1.75× with automatic mixing (p<0.05). All of these properties resulted within JIS standards. For all W/P, AB showed a significantly high bonding strength as compared to A and B (p<0.01). The increase of mixing water, 1.5× and 1.75×, resulted within JIS standards in setting time, suggesting its applicability in clinical setting. The use of automatic mixing device decreased elastic strain and shortening of the curing time. For the secondary impression application of adhesives on the primary impression gives secure adhesion. Copyright © 2014 Japan Prosthodontic Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Glocal Clinical Registries: Pacemaker Registry Design and Implementation for Global and Local Integration – Methodology and Case Study

    PubMed Central

    da Silva, Kátia Regina; Costa, Roberto; Crevelari, Elizabeth Sartori; Lacerda, Marianna Sobral; de Moraes Albertini, Caio Marcos; Filho, Martino Martinelli; Santana, José Eduardo; Vissoci, João Ricardo Nickenig; Pietrobon, Ricardo; Barros, Jacson V.

    2013-01-01

    Background The ability to apply standard and interoperable solutions for implementing and managing medical registries as well as aggregate, reproduce, and access data sets from legacy formats and platforms to advanced standard formats and operating systems are crucial for both clinical healthcare and biomedical research settings. Purpose Our study describes a reproducible, highly scalable, standard framework for a device registry implementation addressing both local data quality components and global linking problems. Methods and Results We developed a device registry framework involving the following steps: (1) Data standards definition and representation of the research workflow, (2) Development of electronic case report forms using REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture), (3) Data collection according to the clinical research workflow and, (4) Data augmentation by enriching the registry database with local electronic health records, governmental database and linked open data collections, (5) Data quality control and (6) Data dissemination through the registry Web site. Our registry adopted all applicable standardized data elements proposed by American College Cardiology / American Heart Association Clinical Data Standards, as well as variables derived from cardiac devices randomized trials and Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium. Local interoperability was performed between REDCap and data derived from Electronic Health Record system. The original data set was also augmented by incorporating the reimbursed values paid by the Brazilian government during a hospitalization for pacemaker implantation. By linking our registry to the open data collection repository Linked Clinical Trials (LinkedCT) we found 130 clinical trials which are potentially correlated with our pacemaker registry. Conclusion This study demonstrates how standard and reproducible solutions can be applied in the implementation of medical registries to constitute a re-usable framework. Such approach has the potential to facilitate data integration between healthcare and research settings, also being a useful framework to be used in other biomedical registries. PMID:23936257

  1. Enhancing pediatric clinical competency with high-fidelity simulation.

    PubMed

    Birkhoff, Susan D; Donner, Carol

    2010-09-01

    In today's tertiary pediatric hospital setting, the increased complexity of patient care demands seamless coordination and collaboration among multidisciplinary team members. In an effort to enhance patient safety, clinical competence, and teamwork, simulation-based learning has become increasingly integrated into pediatric clinical practice as an innovative educational strategy. The simulated setting provides a risk-free environment where learners can incorporate cognitive, psychomotor, and affective skill acquisition without fear of harming patients. One pediatric university hospital in Southeastern Pennsylvania has enhanced the traditional American Heart Association (AHA) Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) course by integrating high-fidelity simulation into skill acquisition, while still functioning within the guidelines and framework of the AHA educational standards. However, very little research with reliable standardized testing methods has been done to measure the effect of simulation-based learning. This article discusses the AHA guidelines for PALS, evaluation of PALS and nursing clinical competencies, communication among a multidisciplinary team, advantages and disadvantages of simulation, incorporation of high-fidelity simulation into pediatric practice, and suggestions for future practice. Copyright 2010, SLACK Incorporated.

  2. Fuel inspection and reconstitution experience at Surry Power Station

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

    Brookmire, T.A.

    Surry Power Station, located on the James River near Williamsburg, Virginia, has two Westinghouse pressurized water reactors. Unit 2 consistently sets a high standard of fuel performance (no indication of fuel failures in recent cycles), while unit 1, since cycle 6, has been plagued with numerous fuel failures. Both Surry units operate with Westinghouse standard 15 x 15 fuel. Virginia Power management set goals to reduce the coolant activity, thus reducing person-rem exposure and the associated costs of high coolant activity. To achieve this goal, extensive fuel examination campaigns were undertaken that included high-magnification video inspectionsa, debris cleaning, wet andmore » vacuum fuel sipping, fuel rod ultrasonic testing, and eddy current examination. In the summer of 1985, during cycle 8 operation, Kraftwerk Union reconstituted (repaired) the damage, once-burned assemblies from cycles 6 and 7 by replacing failed fuel rods with solid Zircaloy-4 rods. Currently, cycle 9 has operated for 5 months without any indication of fuel failure (the cycle 9 core has two reconstituted assemblies).« less

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

    PubMed

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

    2017-05-01

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

  4. Antecedents of Teachers' Educational Beliefs about Mathematics and Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching among In-Service Teachers in High Poverty Urban Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Corkin, Danya M.; Ekmekci, Adem; Papakonstantinou, Anne

    2015-01-01

    This paper examines the antecedents of three types of educational beliefs about mathematics among 151 teachers predominantly working in high poverty schools. Studies across various countries have found that teachers in high poverty schools are less likely to enact instructional approaches that align with mathematics reform standards set by…

  5. 49 CFR 37.42 - Service in an Integrated Setting to Passengers at Intercity, Commuter, and High-Speed Rail...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-10-01

    ... plates, ramps or other appropriate devices; (4) Mini-high platforms, with multiple mini-high platforms or... chooses a means of meeting the performance standard other than using car-borne lifts, it must perform a comparison of the costs (capital, operating, and life-cycle costs) of car-borne lifts and the means chosen by...

  6. 49 CFR 37.42 - Service in an Integrated Setting to Passengers at Intercity, Commuter, and High-Speed Rail...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-10-01

    ... plates, ramps or other appropriate devices; (4) Mini-high platforms, with multiple mini-high platforms or... chooses a means of meeting the performance standard other than using car-borne lifts, it must perform a comparison of the costs (capital, operating, and life-cycle costs) of car-borne lifts and the means chosen by...

  7. 49 CFR 37.42 - Service in an integrated setting to passengers at intercity, commuter, and high-speed rail...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-10-01

    ... plates, ramps or other appropriate devices; (4) Mini-high platforms, with multiple mini-high platforms or... chooses a means of meeting the performance standard other than using car-borne lifts, it must perform a comparison of the costs (capital, operating, and life-cycle costs) of car-borne lifts and the means chosen by...

  8. 49 CFR 37.42 - Service in an Integrated Setting to Passengers at Intercity, Commuter, and High-Speed Rail...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-10-01

    ... plates, ramps or other appropriate devices; (4) Mini-high platforms, with multiple mini-high platforms or... chooses a means of meeting the performance standard other than using car-borne lifts, it must perform a comparison of the costs (capital, operating, and life-cycle costs) of car-borne lifts and the means chosen by...

  9. The Effects of Two Scheduling Formats on Student Achievement in a Suburban High School Setting

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jackson, Kenyada Morton

    2013-01-01

    Limited studies have been conducted on the relationship between scheduling formats and academic performance of high school students. At the target high school, students underperform on standardized tests in English language arts (ELA) and math. The purpose of this causal comparative quantitative study was to compare the means of ELA and math test…

  10. Standards and Students with Disabilities: Reality or Virtual Reality? Brief Report 8.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saint Cloud State Univ., MN.

    This Brief Report highlights current activities focused on setting standards in education, and examines whether students with disabilities are considered when standards are set. Types of standards are distinguished, including performance standards, delivery standards, and content standards. Information on organizations developing standards in…

  11. Creation of three-dimensional craniofacial standards from CBCT images

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Subramanyan, Krishna; Palomo, Martin; Hans, Mark

    2006-03-01

    Low-dose three-dimensional Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) is becoming increasingly popular in the clinical practice of dental medicine. Two-dimensional Bolton Standards of dentofacial development are routinely used to identify deviations from normal craniofacial anatomy. With the advent of CBCT three dimensional imaging, we propose a set of methods to extend these 2D Bolton Standards to anatomically correct surface based 3D standards to allow analysis of morphometric changes seen in craniofacial complex. To create 3D surface standards, we have implemented series of steps. 1) Converting bi-plane 2D tracings into set of splines 2) Converting the 2D splines curves from bi-plane projection into 3D space curves 3) Creating labeled template of facial and skeletal shapes and 4) Creating 3D average surface Bolton standards. We have used datasets from patients scanned with Hitachi MercuRay CBCT scanner providing high resolution and isotropic CT volume images, digitized Bolton Standards from age 3 to 18 years of lateral and frontal male, female and average tracings and converted them into facial and skeletal 3D space curves. This new 3D standard will help in assessing shape variations due to aging in young population and provide reference to correct facial anomalies in dental medicine.

  12. When a High Distinction Isn't Good Enough: A Review of Perfectionism and Self-Handicapping

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kearns, Hugh; Forbes, Angus; Gardiner, Maria; Marshall, Kelly

    2008-01-01

    This paper addresses two problems which are common amongst university students, namely perfectionism and self-handicapping. Perfectionism deals with setting unreasonably high standards for one's own performance, while self-handicapping behaviours provide a possible excuse for poor performance, for example putting tasks off until the last minute.…

  13. A Model for Investigating Predictive Validity at Highly Selective Institutions.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gross, Alan L.; And Others

    A statistical model for investigating predictive validity at highly selective institutions is described. When the selection ratio is small, one must typically deal with a data set containing relatively large amounts of missing data on both criterion and predictor variables. Standard statistical approaches are based on the strong assumption that…

  14. Standardized reactors for the study of medical biofilms: a review of the principles and latest modifications.

    PubMed

    Gomes, Inês B; Meireles, Ana; Gonçalves, Ana L; Goeres, Darla M; Sjollema, Jelmer; Simões, Lúcia C; Simões, Manuel

    2018-08-01

    Biofilms can cause severe problems to human health due to the high tolerance to antimicrobials; consequently, biofilm science and technology constitutes an important research field. Growing a relevant biofilm in the laboratory provides insights into the basic understanding of the biofilm life cycle including responses to antibiotic therapies. Therefore, the selection of an appropriate biofilm reactor is a critical decision, necessary to obtain reproducible and reliable in vitro results. A reactor should be chosen based upon the study goals and a balance between the pros and cons associated with its use and operational conditions that are as similar as possible to the clinical setting. However, standardization in biofilm studies is rare. This review will focus on the four reactors (Calgary biofilm device, Center for Disease Control biofilm reactor, drip flow biofilm reactor, and rotating disk reactor) approved by a standard setting organization (ASTM International) for biofilm experiments and how researchers have modified these standardized reactors and associated protocols to improve the study and understanding of medical biofilms.

  15. Higher speed freight truck design : performance requirements.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2013-10-01

    This proposed requirements document combines a set of requirements for high-speed freight car truck design and performance : from the generally accepted standards in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulation (CFR), the Association of American Railroads : (...

  16. Wearable, multimodal, vitals acquisition unit for intelligent field triage.

    PubMed

    Beck, Christoph; Georgiou, Julius

    2016-09-01

    In this Letter, the authors describe the characterisation design and development of the authors' wearable, multimodal vitals acquisition unit for intelligent field triage. The unit is able to record the standard electrocardiogram, blood oxygen and body temperature parameters and also has the unique capability to record up to eight custom designed acoustic streams for heart and lung sound auscultation. These acquisition channels are highly synchronised to fully maintain the time correlation of the signals. The unit is a key component enabling systematic and intelligent field triage to continuously acquire vital patient information. With the realised unit a novel data-set with highly synchronised vital signs was recorded. The new data-set may be used for algorithm design in vital sign analysis or decision making. The monitoring unit is the only known body worn system that records standard emergency parameters plus eight multi-channel auscultatory streams and stores the recordings and wirelessly transmits them to mobile response teams.

  17. The medline UK filter: development and validation of a geographic search filter to retrieve research about the UK from OVID medline.

    PubMed

    Ayiku, Lynda; Levay, Paul; Hudson, Tom; Craven, Jenny; Barrett, Elizabeth; Finnegan, Amy; Adams, Rachel

    2017-07-13

    A validated geographic search filter for the retrieval of research about the United Kingdom (UK) from bibliographic databases had not previously been published. To develop and validate a geographic search filter to retrieve research about the UK from OVID medline with high recall and precision. Three gold standard sets of references were generated using the relative recall method. The sets contained references to studies about the UK which had informed National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance. The first and second sets were used to develop and refine the medline UK filter. The third set was used to validate the filter. Recall, precision and number-needed-to-read (NNR) were calculated using a case study. The validated medline UK filter demonstrated 87.6% relative recall against the third gold standard set. In the case study, the medline UK filter demonstrated 100% recall, 11.4% precision and a NNR of nine. A validated geographic search filter to retrieve research about the UK with high recall and precision has been developed. The medline UK filter can be applied to systematic literature searches in OVID medline for topics with a UK focus. © 2017 Crown copyright. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2017 Health Libraries GroupThis article is published with the permission of the Controller of HMSO and the Queen's Printer for Scotland.

  18. High Agreement was Obtained Across Scores from Multiple Equated Scales for Social Anxiety Disorder using Item Response Theory.

    PubMed

    Sunderland, Matthew; Batterham, Philip; Calear, Alison; Carragher, Natacha; Baillie, Andrew; Slade, Tim

    2018-04-10

    There is no standardized approach to the measurement of social anxiety. Researchers and clinicians are faced with numerous self-report scales with varying strengths, weaknesses, and psychometric properties. The lack of standardization makes it difficult to compare scores across populations that utilise different scales. Item response theory offers one solution to this problem via equating different scales using an anchor scale to set a standardized metric. This study is the first to equate several scales for social anxiety disorder. Data from two samples (n=3,175 and n=1,052), recruited from the Australian community using online advertisements, were utilised to equate a network of 11 self-report social anxiety scales via a fixed parameter item calibration method. Comparisons between actual and equated scores for most of the scales indicted a high level of agreement with mean differences <0.10 (equivalent to a mean difference of less than one point on the standardized metric). This study demonstrates that scores from multiple scales that measure social anxiety can be converted to a common scale. Re-scoring observed scores to a common scale provides opportunities to combine research from multiple studies and ultimately better assess social anxiety in treatment and research settings. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  19. Unified transform architecture for AVC, AVS, VC-1 and HEVC high-performance codecs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dias, Tiago; Roma, Nuno; Sousa, Leonel

    2014-12-01

    A unified architecture for fast and efficient computation of the set of two-dimensional (2-D) transforms adopted by the most recent state-of-the-art digital video standards is presented in this paper. Contrasting to other designs with similar functionality, the presented architecture is supported on a scalable, modular and completely configurable processing structure. This flexible structure not only allows to easily reconfigure the architecture to support different transform kernels, but it also permits its resizing to efficiently support transforms of different orders (e.g. order-4, order-8, order-16 and order-32). Consequently, not only is it highly suitable to realize high-performance multi-standard transform cores, but it also offers highly efficient implementations of specialized processing structures addressing only a reduced subset of transforms that are used by a specific video standard. The experimental results that were obtained by prototyping several configurations of this processing structure in a Xilinx Virtex-7 FPGA show the superior performance and hardware efficiency levels provided by the proposed unified architecture for the implementation of transform cores for the Advanced Video Coding (AVC), Audio Video coding Standard (AVS), VC-1 and High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standards. In addition, such results also demonstrate the ability of this processing structure to realize multi-standard transform cores supporting all the standards mentioned above and that are capable of processing the 8k Ultra High Definition Television (UHDTV) video format (7,680 × 4,320 at 30 fps) in real time.

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

    Spickett, Jeffery, E-mail: J.Spickett@curtin.edu.au; Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia; Katscherian, Dianne

    The approaches used for setting or reviewing air quality standards vary from country to country. The purpose of this research was to consider the potential to improve decision-making through integration of HIA into the processes to review and set air quality standards used in Australia. To assess the value of HIA in this policy process, its strengths and weaknesses were evaluated aligned with review of international processes for setting air quality standards. Air quality standard setting programmes elsewhere have either used HIA or have amalgamated and incorporated factors normally found within HIA frameworks. They clearly demonstrate the value of amore » formalised HIA process for setting air quality standards in Australia. The following elements should be taken into consideration when using HIA in standard setting. (a) The adequacy of a mainly technical approach in current standard setting procedures to consider social determinants of health. (b) The importance of risk assessment criteria and information within the HIA process. The assessment of risk should consider equity, the distribution of variations in air quality in different locations and the potential impacts on health. (c) The uncertainties in extrapolating evidence from one population to another or to subpopulations, especially the more vulnerable, due to differing environmental factors and population variables. (d) The significance of communication with all potential stakeholders on issues associated with the management of air quality. In Australia there is also an opportunity for HIA to be used in conjunction with the NEPM to develop local air quality standard measures. The outcomes of this research indicated that the use of HIA for air quality standard setting at the national and local levels would prove advantageous. -- Highlights: • Health Impact Assessment framework has been applied to a policy development process. • HIA process was evaluated for application in air quality standard setting. • Advantages of HIA in the air quality standard setting process are demonstrated.« less

  1. Variation in assessment and standard setting practices across UK undergraduate medicine and the need for a benchmark.

    PubMed

    MacDougall, Margaret

    2015-10-31

    The principal aim of this study is to provide an account of variation in UK undergraduate medical assessment styles and corresponding standard setting approaches with a view to highlighting the importance of a UK national licensing exam in recognizing a common standard. Using a secure online survey system, response data were collected during the period 13 - 30 January 2014 from selected specialists in medical education assessment, who served as representatives for their respective medical schools. Assessment styles and corresponding choices of standard setting methods vary markedly across UK medical schools. While there is considerable consensus on the application of compensatory approaches, individual schools display their own nuances through use of hybrid assessment and standard setting styles, uptake of less popular standard setting techniques and divided views on norm referencing. The extent of variation in assessment and standard setting practices across UK medical schools validates the concern that there is a lack of evidence that UK medical students achieve a common standard on graduation. A national licensing exam is therefore a viable option for benchmarking the performance of all UK undergraduate medical students.

  2. The Art and Science of Photography in Hand Surgery

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Keming; Kowalski, Evan J.; Chung, Kevin C.

    2013-01-01

    High-quality medical photography plays an important role in teaching and demonstrating the functional capacity of the hands, as well as in medicolegal documentation. Obtaining standardized, high-quality photographs is now an essential component of many surgery practices. The importance of standardized photography in facial and cosmetic surgery has been well documented in previous studies, but no studies have thoroughly addressed the details of photography for hand surgery. In this paper, we will provide a set of guidelines and basic camera concepts for different scenarios to help hand surgeons obtain appropriate and informative high quality photographs. A camera used for medical photography should come equipped with a large sensor size and an optical zoom lens with a focal length ranging anywhere from 14-75mm. In a clinic or office setting, we recommend six standardized views of the hand and four views for the wrist, and additional views should be taken for tendon ruptures, nerve injuries, or other deformities of the hand. For intra-operative pictures, the camera operator should understand the procedure and pertinent anatomy in order to properly obtain high-quality photographs. When digital radiographs are not available, and radiographic film must be photographed, it is recommended to reduce the exposure and change the color mode to black and white to obtain the best possible pictures. The goal of medical photography is to present the subject in an accurate and precise fashion. PMID:23755927

  3. Cosmographic analysis with Chebyshev polynomials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Capozziello, Salvatore; D'Agostino, Rocco; Luongo, Orlando

    2018-05-01

    The limits of standard cosmography are here revised addressing the problem of error propagation during statistical analyses. To do so, we propose the use of Chebyshev polynomials to parametrize cosmic distances. In particular, we demonstrate that building up rational Chebyshev polynomials significantly reduces error propagations with respect to standard Taylor series. This technique provides unbiased estimations of the cosmographic parameters and performs significatively better than previous numerical approximations. To figure this out, we compare rational Chebyshev polynomials with Padé series. In addition, we theoretically evaluate the convergence radius of (1,1) Chebyshev rational polynomial and we compare it with the convergence radii of Taylor and Padé approximations. We thus focus on regions in which convergence of Chebyshev rational functions is better than standard approaches. With this recipe, as high-redshift data are employed, rational Chebyshev polynomials remain highly stable and enable one to derive highly accurate analytical approximations of Hubble's rate in terms of the cosmographic series. Finally, we check our theoretical predictions by setting bounds on cosmographic parameters through Monte Carlo integration techniques, based on the Metropolis-Hastings algorithm. We apply our technique to high-redshift cosmic data, using the Joint Light-curve Analysis supernovae sample and the most recent versions of Hubble parameter and baryon acoustic oscillation measurements. We find that cosmography with Taylor series fails to be predictive with the aforementioned data sets, while turns out to be much more stable using the Chebyshev approach.

  4. Search for black holes and sphalerons in high-multiplicity final states in proton-proton collisions at $$\\sqrt{s} =$$ 13 TeV

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

    Sirunyan, Albert M; et al.

    A search in energetic, high-multiplicity final states for evidence of physics beyond the standard model, such as black holes, string balls, and electroweak sphalerons, is presented. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fbmore » $$^{-1}$$ collected with the CMS experiment at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV in 2016. Standard model backgrounds, dominated by multijet production, are determined from control regions in data without any reliance on simulation. No evidence for excesses above the predicted background is observed. Model-independent 95% confidence level upper limits on the cross section of beyond the standard model signals in these final states are set and further interpreted in terms of limits on semiclassical black hole, string ball, and sphaleron production. In the context of models with large extra dimensions, semiclassical black holes with minimum masses as high as 10.1 TeV and string balls with masses as high as 9.5 TeV are excluded by this search. Results of the first dedicated search for electroweak sphalerons are presented. An upper limit of 0.021 is set on the fraction of all quark-quark interactions above the nominal threshold energy of 9 TeV resulting in the sphaleron transition.« less

  5. Construct Maps as a Foundation for Standard Setting

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wyse, Adam E.

    2013-01-01

    Construct maps are tools that display how the underlying achievement construct upon which one is trying to set cut-scores is related to other information used in the process of standard setting. This article reviews what construct maps are, uses construct maps to provide a conceptual framework to view commonly used standard-setting procedures (the…

  6. Treating an Established Episode of Delirium in Palliative Care: Expert Opinion and Review of the Current Evidence Base With Recommendations for Future Development

    PubMed Central

    Pereira, José L.; Davis, Daniel H.J.; Currow, David C.; Meagher, David; Rabheru, Kiran; Wright, David; Bruera, Eduardo; Hartwick, Michael; Gagnon, Pierre R.; Gagnon, Bruno; Breitbart, William; Regnier, Laura; Lawlor, Peter G.

    2014-01-01

    Context Delirium is a highly prevalent complication in patients in palliative care settings, especially in the end-of-life context. Objectives To review the current evidence base for treating episodes of delirium in palliative care settings and propose a framework for future development. Methods We combined multidisciplinary input from delirium researchers and other purposely selected stakeholders at an international delirium study planning meeting. This was supplemented by a literature search of multiple databases and relevant reference lists to identify studies regarding therapeutic interventions for delirium. Results The context of delirium management in palliative care is highly variable. The standard management of a delirium episode includes the investigation of precipitating and aggravating factors followed by symptomatic treatment with drug therapy. However, the intensity of this management depends on illness trajectory and goals of care in addition to the local availability of both investigative modalities and therapeutic interventions. Pharmacologically, haloperidol remains the practice standard by consensus for symptomatic control. Dosing schedules are derived from expert opinion and various clinical practice guidelines as evidence-based data from palliative care settings are limited. The commonly used pharmacologic interventions for delirium in this population warrant evaluation in clinical trials to examine dosing and titration regimens, different routes of administration, and safety and efficacy compared with placebo. Conclusion Delirium treatment is multidimensional and includes the identification of precipitating and aggravating factors. For symptomatic management, haloperidol remains the practice standard. Further high-quality collaborative research investigating the appropriate treatment of this complex syndrome is needed. PMID:24480529

  7. New Teacher Induction and Mentoring Program for a Virtual Setting

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marsh, Rose M.

    2012-01-01

    Schools have gone through educational reforms having various focuses on curriculum changes, consolidation, open classrooms, mastery learning, decentralization, shared decisionmaking, legislative mandates and controls, high expectations, integrated thematic instruction, professional development, technology integration, and standards with…

  8. The 'Severe Hypertensive Illness in Pregnancy' (SHIP) audit: promoting quality care using a high risk monitoring chart and eclampsia treatment pack.

    PubMed

    Baldwin, K Joanne; Leighton, Nicola A; Kilby, M D; Wyldes, M; Churchill, D; Jones, P W; Johanson, R B

    2002-07-01

    We set out to measure the standards of care in a regional cohort of women with severe hypertensive illness of pregnancy and to subsequently improve the quality of care using a series of interventions. This was a multi centre cyclical criterion audit involving 21 maternity units in the West Midlands Region. Prospective data collection involved named co-ordinators in each unit using customised proformas. Intervention comprised feedback of baseline results to each hospital, a monitoring chart and eclampsia treatment pack. The first audit period (n = 183) was for a 4-month period between 1/9/96 and 31/12/96 and the second audit period (n = 111) was during the same 4-month period 1 year later. Although compliance with the audit standards set increased in all but one standard, there is clearly a need to make further improvements in the quality of care administered.

  9. Setting, Evaluating, and Maintaining Certification Standards with the Rasch Model.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grosse, Martin E.; Wright, Benjamin D.

    1986-01-01

    Based on the standard setting procedures or the American Board of Preventive Medicine for their Core Test, this article describes how Rasch measurement can facilitate using test content judgments in setting a standard. Rasch measurement can then be used to evaluate and improve the precision of the standard and to hold it constant across time.…

  10. Bringing Engineering Design into High School Science Classrooms: The Heating/Cooling Unit

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Apedoe, Xornam S.; Reynolds, Birdy; Ellefson, Michelle R.; Schunn, Christian D.

    2008-01-01

    Infusing engineering design projects in K-12 settings can promote interest and attract a wide range of students to engineering careers. However, the current climate of high-stakes testing and accountability to standards leaves little room to incorporate engineering design into K-12 classrooms. We argue that design-based learning, the combination…

  11. Complementary Social Sciences Courses in the Alberta High School Curriculum: A Conceptual Review

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Staszenski, Donna; Smits, Hans

    2008-01-01

    In keeping with Alberta Education's goals and responsibilities to develop and evaluate curriculum and to set standards and assess outcomes, the Ministry is reviewing the status and purpose of social sciences courses as part of the high school curriculum. The present social sciences curriculum was revised in 1985. As part of the social sciences…

  12. Out of Many, One: Toward Rigorous Common Core Standards From the Ground Up

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Achieve, Inc., 2008

    2008-01-01

    For the first time in the history of American education, educators and policymakers are setting their sights on reaching the goal of preparing all students graduating from high school to meet the requirements of postsecondary education, professional careers and effective citizenship. The 2004 report, "Ready or Not: Creating a High School…

  13. The Delaware Geography-Health Initiative: Lessons Learned in Designing a GIS-Based Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rees, Peter W.; Silberman, Jordan A.

    2010-01-01

    The Delaware Geography-Health Initiative is a Web- and GIS-based set of lesson units for teaching geographic concepts and research methods within the context of the state's high school geography standards. Each unit follows a research-based, inquiry-centered model addressing questions of health because of Delaware's high incidence of cancer,…

  14. Implementing the Common Core State Standards: The Role of the Elementary School Leader

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Achieve, Inc., 2012

    2012-01-01

    As shown by MetLife's 2010 "Survey of the American Teacher," America's educators strongly believe that all students should graduate from high school ready for college and a career (85 percent). Additionally, according to MetLife's 2009 survey, 86 percent of teachers believe that setting high expectations for students will improve student…

  15. Implementing the Common Core State Standards: The Role of the School Counselor

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Achieve, Inc., 2012

    2012-01-01

    As shown by MetLife's 2010 "Survey of the American Teacher," America's educators strongly believe that all students should graduate from high school ready for college and a career (85 percent). Additionally, according to MetLife's 2009 survey, 86 percent of teachers believe that setting high expectations for students will improve student…

  16. Implementing the Common Core State Standards: The Role of the Secondary School Leader

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Achieve, Inc., 2012

    2012-01-01

    As shown by MetLife's 2010 "Survey of the American Teacher," America's educators strongly believe that all students should graduate from high school ready for college and a career (85 percent). Additionally, according to MetLife's 2009 survey, 86 percent of teachers believe that setting high expectations for students will improve student…

  17. News from CEC: High-Leverage Practices in Special Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    TEACHING Exceptional Children, 2017

    2017-01-01

    In fall 2014, the Council for Exceptional Children's (CEC) Board of Directors approved a proposal from the Professional Standards and Practice Committee (PSPC) to develop a set of high-leverage practices (HLPs) for special education teachers. The CEEDAR Center at the University of Florida, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education's…

  18. Standardized development of computer software. Part 1: Methods

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tausworthe, R. C.

    1976-01-01

    This work is a two-volume set on standards for modern software engineering methodology. This volume presents a tutorial and practical guide to the efficient development of reliable computer software, a unified and coordinated discipline for design, coding, testing, documentation, and project organization and management. The aim of the monograph is to provide formal disciplines for increasing the probability of securing software that is characterized by high degrees of initial correctness, readability, and maintainability, and to promote practices which aid in the consistent and orderly development of a total software system within schedule and budgetary constraints. These disciplines are set forth as a set of rules to be applied during software development to drastically reduce the time traditionally spent in debugging, to increase documentation quality, to foster understandability among those who must come in contact with it, and to facilitate operations and alterations of the program as requirements on the program environment change.

  19. An update on 'dose calibrator' settings for nuclides used in nuclear medicine.

    PubMed

    Bergeron, Denis E; Cessna, Jeffrey T

    2018-06-01

    Most clinical measurements of radioactivity, whether for therapeutic or imaging nuclides, rely on commercial re-entrant ionization chambers ('dose calibrators'). The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) maintains a battery of representative calibrators and works to link calibration settings ('dial settings') to primary radioactivity standards. Here, we provide a summary of NIST-determined dial settings for 22 radionuclides. We collected previously published dial settings and determined some new ones using either the calibration curve method or the dialing-in approach. The dial settings with their uncertainties are collected in a comprehensive table. In general, current manufacturer-provided calibration settings give activities that agree with National Institute of Standards and Technology standards to within a few percent.

  20. Comparative Performance of Reagents and Platforms for Quantitation of Cytomegalovirus DNA by Digital PCR

    PubMed Central

    Gu, Z.; Sam, S. S.; Sun, Y.; Tang, L.; Pounds, S.; Caliendo, A. M.

    2016-01-01

    A potential benefit of digital PCR is a reduction in result variability across assays and platforms. Three sets of PCR reagents were tested on two digital PCR systems (Bio-Rad and RainDance), using three different sets of PCR reagents for quantitation of cytomegalovirus (CMV). Both commercial quantitative viral standards and 16 patient samples (n = 16) were tested. Quantitative accuracy (compared to nominal values) and variability were determined based on viral standard testing results. Quantitative correlation and variability were assessed with pairwise comparisons across all reagent-platform combinations for clinical plasma sample results. The three reagent sets, when used to assay quantitative standards on the Bio-Rad system, all showed a high degree of accuracy, low variability, and close agreement with one another. When used on the RainDance system, one of the three reagent sets appeared to have a much better correlation to nominal values than did the other two. Quantitative results for patient samples showed good correlation in most pairwise comparisons, with some showing poorer correlations when testing samples with low viral loads. Digital PCR is a robust method for measuring CMV viral load. Some degree of result variation may be seen, depending on platform and reagents used; this variation appears to be greater in samples with low viral load values. PMID:27535685

  1. Precision measurement of the weak charge of the proton.

    PubMed

    2018-05-01

    Large experimental programmes in the fields of nuclear and particle physics search for evidence of physics beyond that explained by current theories. The observation of the Higgs boson completed the set of particles predicted by the standard model, which currently provides the best description of fundamental particles and forces. However, this theory's limitations include a failure to predict fundamental parameters, such as the mass of the Higgs boson, and the inability to account for dark matter and energy, gravity, and the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the Universe, among other phenomena. These limitations have inspired searches for physics beyond the standard model in the post-Higgs era through the direct production of additional particles at high-energy accelerators, which have so far been unsuccessful. Examples include searches for supersymmetric particles, which connect bosons (integer-spin particles) with fermions (half-integer-spin particles), and for leptoquarks, which mix the fundamental quarks with leptons. Alternatively, indirect searches using precise measurements of well predicted standard-model observables allow highly targeted alternative tests for physics beyond the standard model because they can reach mass and energy scales beyond those directly accessible by today's high-energy accelerators. Such an indirect search aims to determine the weak charge of the proton, which defines the strength of the proton's interaction with other particles via the well known neutral electroweak force. Because parity symmetry (invariance under the spatial inversion (x, y, z) → (-x, -y, -z)) is violated only in the weak interaction, it provides a tool with which to isolate the weak interaction and thus to measure the proton's weak charge 1 . Here we report the value 0.0719 ± 0.0045, where the uncertainty is one standard deviation, derived from our measured parity-violating asymmetry in the scattering of polarized electrons on protons, which is -226.5 ± 9.3 parts per billion (the uncertainty is one standard deviation). Our value for the proton's weak charge is in excellent agreement with the standard model 2 and sets multi-teraelectronvolt-scale constraints on any semi-leptonic parity-violating physics not described within the standard model. Our results show that precision parity-violating measurements enable searches for physics beyond the standard model that can compete with direct searches at high-energy accelerators and, together with astronomical observations, can provide fertile approaches to probing higher mass scales.

  2. Open-systems Architecture of a Standardized Command Interface Chip-set for Switching and Control of a Spacecraft Power Bus

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ruiz, B. Ian; Burke, Gary R.; Lung, Gerald; Whitaker, William D.; Nowicki, Robert M.

    2004-01-01

    This viewgraph presentation reviews the architecture of the The CIA-AlA chip-set is a set of mixed-signal ASICs that provide a flexible high level interface between the spacecraft's command and data handling (C&DH) electronics and lower level functions in other spacecraft subsystems. Due to the open-systems architecture of the chip-set including an embedded micro-controller a variety of applications are possible. The chip-set was developed for the missions to the outer planets. The chips were developed to provide a single solution for both the switching and regulation of a spacecraft power bus. The Open-Systems Architecture allows for other powerful applications.

  3. Variation in passing standards for graduation-level knowledge items at UK medical schools.

    PubMed

    Taylor, Celia A; Gurnell, Mark; Melville, Colin R; Kluth, David C; Johnson, Neil; Wass, Val

    2017-06-01

    Given the absence of a common passing standard for students at UK medical schools, this paper compares independently set standards for common 'one from five' single-best-answer (multiple-choice) items used in graduation-level applied knowledge examinations and explores potential reasons for any differences. A repeated cross-sectional study was conducted. Participating schools were sent a common set of graduation-level items (55 in 2013-2014; 60 in 2014-2015). Items were selected against a blueprint and subjected to a quality review process. Each school employed its own standard-setting process for the common items. The primary outcome was the passing standard for the common items by each medical school set using the Angoff or Ebel methods. Of 31 invited medical schools, 22 participated in 2013-2014 (71%) and 30 (97%) in 2014-2015. Schools used a mean of 49 and 53 common items in 2013-2014 and 2014-2015, respectively, representing around one-third of the items in the examinations in which they were embedded. Data from 19 (61%) and 26 (84%) schools, respectively, met the inclusion criteria for comparison of standards. There were statistically significant differences in the passing standards set by schools in both years (effect sizes (f 2 ): 0.041 in 2013-2014 and 0.218 in 2014-2015; both p < 0.001). The interquartile range of standards was 5.7 percentage points in 2013-2014 and 6.5 percentage points in 2014-2015. There was a positive correlation between the relative standards set by schools in the 2 years (Pearson's r = 0.57, n = 18, p = 0.014). Time allowed per item, method of standard setting and timing of examination in the curriculum did not have a statistically significant impact on standards. Independently set standards for common single-best-answer items used in graduation-level examinations vary across UK medical schools. Further work to examine standard-setting processes in more detail is needed to help explain this variability and develop methods to reduce it. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

  4. Shall We Dance?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Black, Susan

    2001-01-01

    Of all art forms, dance is experienced least and considered low-priority. Art educators and the NAEP's arts education framework view dance as essential for every child's complete development. The National Dance Association has set high standards. Baltimore and South Bronx programs are profiled. (MLH)

  5. Standard Reporting Requirements for Biological Samples in Metabolomics Experiments: Environmental Context

    EPA Science Inventory

    Metabolomic technologies are increasingly being applied to study biological questions in a range of different settings from clinical through to environmental. As with other high-throughput technologies, such as those used in transcriptomics and proteomics, metabolomics continues...

  6. Recovery Potential Screening for Prioritizing Restoration in Maryland Watersheds

    EPA Science Inventory

    States’ responsibilities under the Clean Water Act include identifying impaired waters (those not achieving Water Quality Standards) and ultimately restoring them. The high numbers of impaired waters in most states calls for yearly priority-setting decisions on restoration fundin...

  7. Variation in assessment and standard setting practices across UK undergraduate medicine and the need for a benchmark

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Objectives The principal aim of this study is to provide an account of variation in UK undergraduate medical assessment styles and corresponding standard setting approaches with a view to highlighting the importance of a UK national licensing exam in recognizing a common standard. Methods Using a secure online survey system, response data were collected during the period 13 - 30 January 2014 from selected specialists in medical education assessment, who served as representatives for their respective medical schools. Results Assessment styles and corresponding choices of standard setting methods vary markedly across UK medical schools. While there is considerable consensus on the application of compensatory approaches, individual schools display their own nuances through use of hybrid assessment and standard setting styles, uptake of less popular standard setting techniques and divided views on norm referencing. Conclusions The extent of variation in assessment and standard setting practices across UK medical schools validates the concern that there is a lack of evidence that UK medical students achieve a common standard on graduation. A national licensing exam is therefore a viable option for benchmarking the performance of all UK undergraduate medical students. PMID:26520472

  8. [Investigation report on the technical standards of TCM diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation equipment].

    PubMed

    Shen, Hua; Liu, Tangyi; Yang, Huayuan

    2016-02-01

    The questionnaire was adopted so as to investigate the attitudes and recognition of the manufacture eneprises of TCM diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation equipment (DTRE) to the technical standards of, relevant products. It was found that the construction of the industrial standard and the national standard was lagged behind on TCM DTRE. Under the new situation, the enterprises are highly willing to participate in the development of the industrial, national and international standards and have a certain of understanding on the standard development. Nearly 80 % of enterprises believed that it was necessary to set up the relevant mirror organization for the development of industrial, national and international standard of TCM DITRE. In the future, the standard construction of TCM DTRE must face to the new situation. The constant increasing of the enterprises. and scientific research organizations in the standard construction must promote the development of TCM DTRE.

  9. Single-step reinitialization and extending algorithms for level-set based multi-phase flow simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fu, Lin; Hu, Xiangyu Y.; Adams, Nikolaus A.

    2017-12-01

    We propose efficient single-step formulations for reinitialization and extending algorithms, which are critical components of level-set based interface-tracking methods. The level-set field is reinitialized with a single-step (non iterative) "forward tracing" algorithm. A minimum set of cells is defined that describes the interface, and reinitialization employs only data from these cells. Fluid states are extrapolated or extended across the interface by a single-step "backward tracing" algorithm. Both algorithms, which are motivated by analogy to ray-tracing, avoid multiple block-boundary data exchanges that are inevitable for iterative reinitialization and extending approaches within a parallel-computing environment. The single-step algorithms are combined with a multi-resolution conservative sharp-interface method and validated by a wide range of benchmark test cases. We demonstrate that the proposed reinitialization method achieves second-order accuracy in conserving the volume of each phase. The interface location is invariant to reapplication of the single-step reinitialization. Generally, we observe smaller absolute errors than for standard iterative reinitialization on the same grid. The computational efficiency is higher than for the standard and typical high-order iterative reinitialization methods. We observe a 2- to 6-times efficiency improvement over the standard method for serial execution. The proposed single-step extending algorithm, which is commonly employed for assigning data to ghost cells with ghost-fluid or conservative interface interaction methods, shows about 10-times efficiency improvement over the standard method while maintaining same accuracy. Despite their simplicity, the proposed algorithms offer an efficient and robust alternative to iterative reinitialization and extending methods for level-set based multi-phase simulations.

  10. A literature review: polypharmacy protocol for primary care.

    PubMed

    Skinner, Mary

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this literature review is to critically evaluate published protocols on polypharmacy in adults ages 65 and older that are currently used in primary care settings that may potentially lead to fewer adverse drug events. A review of OVID, CINAHL, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, Medline, and PubMed databases was completed using the following key words: protocol, guideline, geriatrics, elderly, older adult, polypharmacy, and primary care. Inclusion criteria were: articles in medical, nursing, and pharmacology journals with an intervention, protocol, or guideline addressing polypharmacy that lead to fewer adverse drug events. Qualitative and quantitative studies were included. Exclusion criteria were: publications prior to the year 1992. A gap exists in the literature. No standardized protocol for addressing polypharmacy in the primary care setting was found. Mnemonics, algorithms, clinical practice guidelines, and clinical strategies for addressing polypharmacy in a variety of health care settings were found throughout the literature. Several screening instruments for use in primary care to assess potentially inappropriate prescription of medications in the elderly, such as the Beers Criteria and the STOPP screening tool, were identified. However, these screening instruments were not included in a standardized protocol to manage polypharmacy in primary care. Polypharmacy in the elderly is a critical problem that may result in adverse drug events such as falls, hospitalizations, and increased expenditures for both the patient and the health care system. No standardized protocols to address polypharmacy specific to the primary care setting were identified in this review of the literature. Given the growing population of elderly in this country and the high number of medications they consume, it is critical to focus on the utilization of a standardized protocol to address the potential harm of polypharmacy in the primary care setting and evaluate its effects on patient outcomes. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Reference standard space hippocampus labels according to the European Alzheimer's Disease Consortium-Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative harmonized protocol: Utility in automated volumetry.

    PubMed

    Wolf, Dominik; Bocchetta, Martina; Preboske, Gregory M; Boccardi, Marina; Grothe, Michel J

    2017-08-01

    A harmonized protocol (HarP) for manual hippocampal segmentation on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has recently been developed by an international European Alzheimer's Disease Consortium-Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative project. We aimed at providing consensual certified HarP hippocampal labels in Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) standard space to serve as reference in automated image analyses. Manual HarP tracings on the high-resolution MNI152 standard space template of four expert certified HarP tracers were combined to obtain consensual bilateral hippocampus labels. Utility and validity of these reference labels is demonstrated in a simple atlas-based morphometry approach for automated calculation of HarP-compliant hippocampal volumes within SPM software. Individual tracings showed very high agreement among the four expert tracers (pairwise Jaccard indices 0.82-0.87). Automatically calculated hippocampal volumes were highly correlated (r L/R  = 0.89/0.91) with gold standard volumes in the HarP benchmark data set (N = 135 MRIs), with a mean volume difference of 9% (standard deviation 7%). The consensual HarP hippocampus labels in the MNI152 template can serve as a reference standard for automated image analyses involving MNI standard space normalization. Copyright © 2017 the Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Representation of Time-Relevant Common Data Elements in the Cancer Data Standards Repository: Statistical Evaluation of an Ontological Approach

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Henry W; Du, Jingcheng; Song, Hsing-Yi; Liu, Xiangyu; Jiang, Guoqian

    2018-01-01

    Background Today, there is an increasing need to centralize and standardize electronic health data within clinical research as the volume of data continues to balloon. Domain-specific common data elements (CDEs) are emerging as a standard approach to clinical research data capturing and reporting. Recent efforts to standardize clinical study CDEs have been of great benefit in facilitating data integration and data sharing. The importance of the temporal dimension of clinical research studies has been well recognized; however, very few studies have focused on the formal representation of temporal constraints and temporal relationships within clinical research data in the biomedical research community. In particular, temporal information can be extremely powerful to enable high-quality cancer research. Objective The objective of the study was to develop and evaluate an ontological approach to represent the temporal aspects of cancer study CDEs. Methods We used CDEs recorded in the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Data Standards Repository (caDSR) and created a CDE parser to extract time-relevant CDEs from the caDSR. Using the Web Ontology Language (OWL)–based Time Event Ontology (TEO), we manually derived representative patterns to semantically model the temporal components of the CDEs using an observing set of randomly selected time-related CDEs (n=600) to create a set of TEO ontological representation patterns. In evaluating TEO’s ability to represent the temporal components of the CDEs, this set of representation patterns was tested against two test sets of randomly selected time-related CDEs (n=425). Results It was found that 94.2% (801/850) of the CDEs in the test sets could be represented by the TEO representation patterns. Conclusions In conclusion, TEO is a good ontological model for representing the temporal components of the CDEs recorded in caDSR. Our representative model can harness the Semantic Web reasoning and inferencing functionalities and present a means for temporal CDEs to be machine-readable, streamlining meaningful searches. PMID:29472179

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

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

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

    2000-01-01

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

  14. Professional drivers: protection needed for a high-risk occupation.

    PubMed Central

    Baker, S P; Wong, J; Baron, R D

    1976-01-01

    "On the job" motor vehicle deaths number more than 4,000 annually in the U.S. and comprise nearly one-third of all work-related deaths. Yet the Department of Labor has set no standards relating to on-the-road safety of the millions of workers whose jobs entail large amounts of driving, and Department of Transportation standards affecting occupational safety cover only drivers in interstate commerce. Drivers of some commercial vehicles, such as heavy trucks, are at special risk of injury because trucks have usually been exempted for many years from federal motor vehicle safety standards--such as standards for brakes and seatbelts--designed to prevent crashes or protect occupants in crashes. Observations based on a series of 150 fatal crashes involving tractor trailers illustrate the need for better protection of this large population of high-risk workers. Clarification of responsibility within the various federal agencies and application of available knowledge and technology are essential. PMID:937611

  15. International standards for programmes of training in intensive care medicine in Europe.

    PubMed

    2011-03-01

    To develop internationally harmonised standards for programmes of training in intensive care medicine (ICM). Standards were developed by using consensus techniques. A nine-member nominal group of European intensive care experts developed a preliminary set of standards. These were revised and refined through a modified Delphi process involving 28 European national coordinators representing national training organisations using a combination of moderated discussion meetings, email, and a Web-based tool for determining the level of agreement with each proposed standard, and whether the standard could be achieved in the respondent's country. The nominal group developed an initial set of 52 possible standards which underwent four iterations to achieve maximal consensus. All national coordinators approved a final set of 29 standards in four domains: training centres, training programmes, selection of trainees, and trainers' profiles. Only three standards were considered immediately achievable by all countries, demonstrating a willingness to aspire to quality rather than merely setting a minimum level. Nine proposed standards which did not achieve full consensus were identified as potential candidates for future review. This preliminary set of clearly defined and agreed standards provides a transparent framework for assuring the quality of training programmes, and a foundation for international harmonisation and quality improvement of training in ICM.

  16. Patient Core Data Set. Standard for a longitudinal health/medical record.

    PubMed

    Renner, A L; Swart, J C

    1997-01-01

    Blue Chip Computers Company, in collaboration with Wright State University-Miami Valley College of Nursing and Health, with support from the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Public Health Service, completed Small Business innovative Research research to design a comprehensive integrated Patient information System. The Wright State University consultants undertook the development of a Patient Core Data Set (PCDS) in response to the lack of uniform standards of minimum data sets, and lack of standards in data transfer for continuity of care. The purpose of the Patient Core Data Set is to develop a longitudinal patient health record and medical history using a common set of standard data elements with uniform definitions and coding consistent with Health Level 7 (HL7) protocol and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. The PCDS, intended for transfer across all patient-care settings, is essential information for clinicians, administrators, researchers, and health policy makers.

  17. Selected facial measurements of children for oxygen-mask design.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1966-04-01

    Requirements for design of oxygen masks and other equipment for effective protection of children in high-altitude flight necessitate a new facial-measurement series. A program to meet this demand was initiated to : 1.select a basic set of standard me...

  18. Helping Young Children to Develop Character.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Crosser, Sandra

    1997-01-01

    Argues that, of the authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative styles of interaction with children, the latter nurtures the emergence of positive character traits in young children. Suggests listening, setting high and reasonable standards, explaining why, negotiating reasonable solutions, offering choices, and valuing ideas and opinions as…

  19. Development of spatial data guidelines and standards: spatial data set documentation to support hydrologic analysis in the U.S. Geological Survey

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fulton, James L.

    1992-01-01

    Spatial data analysis has become an integral component in many surface and sub-surface hydrologic investigations within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Currently, one of the largest costs in applying spatial data analysis is the cost of developing the needed spatial data. Therefore, guidelines and standards are required for the development of spatial data in order to allow for data sharing and reuse; this eliminates costly redevelopment. In order to attain this goal, the USGS is expanding efforts to identify guidelines and standards for the development of spatial data for hydrologic analysis. Because of the variety of project and database needs, the USGS has concentrated on developing standards for documenting spatial sets to aid in the assessment of data set quality and compatibility of different data sets. An interim data set documentation standard (1990) has been developed that provides a mechanism for associating a wide variety of information with a data set, including data about source material, data automation and editing procedures used, projection parameters, data statistics, descriptions of features and feature attributes, information on organizational contacts lists of operations performed on the data, and free-form comments and notes about the data, made at various times in the evolution of the data set. The interim data set documentation standard has been automated using a commercial geographic information system (GIS) and data set documentation software developed by the USGS. Where possible, USGS developed software is used to enter data into the data set documentation file automatically. The GIS software closely associates a data set with its data set documentation file; the documentation file is retained with the data set whenever it is modified, copied, or transferred to another computer system. The Water Resources Division of the USGS is continuing to develop spatial data and data processing standards, with emphasis on standards needed to support hydrologic analysis, hydrologic data processing, and publication of hydrologic thermatic maps. There is a need for the GIS vendor community to develop data set documentation tools similar to those developed by the USGS, or to incorporate USGS developed tools in their software.

  20. The Effect of Various Factors on Standard Setting.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Norcini, John J.; And Others

    1988-01-01

    Two studies of medical certification examinations were undertaken to assess standard setting using Angoff's Method. Results indicate that (1) specialization within broad content areas does not affect an expert's estimates of the performance of the borderline group; and (2) performance data should be provided during the standard-setting process.…

  1. Standards and guidelines for observational studies: quality is in the eye of the beholder.

    PubMed

    Morton, Sally C; Costlow, Monica R; Graff, Jennifer S; Dubois, Robert W

    2016-03-01

    Patient care decisions demand high-quality research. To assist those decisions, numerous observational studies are being performed. Are the standards and guidelines to assess observational studies consistent and actionable? What policy considerations should be considered to ensure decision makers can determine if an observational study is of high-quality and valid to inform treatment decisions? Based on a literature review and input from six experts, we compared and contrasted nine standards/guidelines using 23 methodological elements involved in observational studies (e.g., study protocol, data analysis, and so forth). Fourteen elements (61%) were addressed by at least seven standards/guidelines; 12 of these elements disagreed in the approach. Nine elements (39%) were addressed by six or fewer standards/guidelines. Ten elements (43%) were not actionable in at least one standard/guideline that addressed the element. The lack of observational study standard/guideline agreement may contribute to variation in study conduct; disparities in what is considered credible research; and ultimately, what evidence is adopted. A common set of agreed on standards/guidelines for conducting observational studies will benefit funders, researchers, journal editors, and decision makers. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Evaluating Software Assurance Knowledge and Competency of Acquisition Professionals

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-10-01

    of ISO 12207 -2008, both internationally and in the United States [7]. That standard documents a comprehensive set of activities and supporting...grows, organizations must ensure that their procurement agents acquire high quality, secure software. ISO 12207 and the Software Assurance Competency...cyberattacks grows, organizations must ensure that their procurement agents acquire high quality, secure software. ISO 12207 and the Software Assurance

  3. Implementing the Common Core State Standards: The Role of the School Librarian

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Achieve, Inc., 2013

    2013-01-01

    As shown by MetLife's 2010 "Survey of the American Teacher," America's educators strongly believe that all students should graduate from high school ready for college and a career (85 percent). Additionally, according to MetLife's 2009 survey, 86 percent of teachers believe that setting high expectations for students will…

  4. Implementing the Common Core State Standards: The Role of the Elementary School Leader. Revised February, 2013

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Achieve, Inc., 2013

    2013-01-01

    As shown by MetLife's 2010 "Survey of the American Teacher," America's educators strongly believe that all students should graduate from high school ready for college and a career (85 percent). Additionally, according to MetLife's 2009 survey, 86 percent of teachers believe that setting high expectations for students will improve student…

  5. Advancing Resident Assessment in Graduate Medical Education

    PubMed Central

    Swing, Susan R.; Clyman, Stephen G.; Holmboe, Eric S.; Williams, Reed G.

    2009-01-01

    Background The Outcome Project requires high-quality assessment approaches to provide reliable and valid judgments of the attainment of competencies deemed important for physician practice. Intervention The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) convened the Advisory Committee on Educational Outcome Assessment in 2007–2008 to identify high-quality assessment methods. The assessments selected by this body would form a core set that could be used by all programs in a specialty to assess resident performance and enable initial steps toward establishing national specialty databases of program performance. The committee identified a small set of methods for provisional use and further evaluation. It also developed frameworks and processes to support the ongoing evaluation of methods and the longer-term enhancement of assessment in graduate medical education. Outcome The committee constructed a set of standards, a methodology for applying the standards, and grading rules for their review of assessment method quality. It developed a simple report card for displaying grades on each standard and an overall grade for each method reviewed. It also described an assessment system of factors that influence assessment quality. The committee proposed a coordinated, national-level infrastructure to support enhancements to assessment, including method development and assessor training. It recommended the establishment of a new assessment review group to continue its work of evaluating assessment methods. The committee delivered a report summarizing its activities and 5 related recommendations for implementation to the ACGME Board in September 2008. PMID:21975993

  6. Improvised external ventricular drain in neurosurgery: A Nigerian tertiary hospital experience.

    PubMed

    Ojo, O A; Asha, M A; Bankole, O B; Kanu, O O

    2015-01-01

    The most common type of hydrocephalus in developing countries is post infective hydrocephalus. Infected cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) however cannot be shunted for the reason that it will block the chamber of the ventriculo-peritoneal (VP) shunt due to its high protein content. In centers where standard external ventricular drain (EVD) sets are not available, improvised feeding tube can be used. The main focus of this study is to encourage the use of improvised feeding tube catheters for EVD when standard sets are not available to improve patients' survival. This was a prospective study. Consecutive patients with hydrocephalus that cannot be shunted immediately for high chances of shunt failure or signs of increasing intracranial pressure were recruited into the study. Other inclusion criteria were preoperative brain tumor with possibility of blocked CSF pathway and massive intraventricular hemorrhage necessitating ventricular drainage as a salvage procedure. Standard EVD set is not readily available and too expensive for most of the parents to afford. Improvised feeding tube is used to drain/divert CSF using the standard documented procedure for EVD insertion. Outcome is measured and recorded. A total of 28 patients were recruited into the study over a time frame of 2 years. There were 19 (67.9%) male and 9 (32.1%) females with a ratio of about 2:1. Age ranges varied from as low as 7 days to 66 years. The median age of the study sample was 6.5 months while the mean was 173.8 months. Duration of EVD varied from 2 days to 11 days with a median of 7 while the average was 6 days. Eventual outcome following the procedure of EVD showed that 19 (67.9%) survived and were discharged either to go home or to have VP shunt afterwards while 8 (28.6%) of the patients died. External ventricular drain can and should be done when it is necessary. Potential mortalities could be reduced by the improvised drainage using a standard feeding tube as described.

  7. Setting and Reviewing Standards to Control Particulate Matter (PM) Pollution

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    The Clean Air Act requires EPA to set national air quality standards for particulate matter, and to periodically review the standards to ensure that they provide adequate health and environmental protection, updating those standards as necessary.

  8. Neural response in obsessive-compulsive washers depends on individual fit of triggers

    PubMed Central

    Baioui, Ali; Pilgramm, Juliane; Merz, Christian J.; Walter, Bertram; Vaitl, Dieter; Stark, Rudolf

    2013-01-01

    Background: Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have highly idiosyncratic triggers. To fully understand which role this idiosyncrasy plays in the neurobiological mechanisms behind OCD, it is necessary to elucidate the impact of individualization regarding the applied investigation methods. This functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study explores the neural correlates of contamination/washing-related OCD with a highly individualized symptom provocation paradigm. Additionally, it is the first study to directly compare individualized and standardized symptom provocation. Methods: Nineteen patients with washing compulsions created individual OCD hierarchies, which later served as instructions to photograph their own individualized stimulus sets. The patients and 19 case-by-case matched healthy controls participated in a symptom provocation fMRI experiment with individualized and standardized stimulus sets created for each patient. Results: OCD patients compared to healthy controls displayed stronger activation in the basal ganglia (nucleus accumbens, nucleus caudatus, pallidum) for individualized symptom provocation. Using standardized symptom provocation, this group comparison led to stronger activation in the nucleus caudatus. The direct comparison of between-group effects for both symptom provocation approaches revealed stronger activation of the orbitofronto-striatal network for individualized symptom provocation. Conclusions: The present study provides insight into the differential impact of individualized and standardized symptom provocation on the orbitofronto-striatal network of OCD washers. Behavioral and neural responses imply a higher symptom-specificity of individualized symptom provocation. PMID:23630478

  9. Affective Pictures and the Open Library of Affective Foods (OLAF): Tools to Investigate Emotions toward Food in Adults.

    PubMed

    Miccoli, Laura; Delgado, Rafael; Guerra, Pedro; Versace, Francesco; Rodríguez-Ruiz, Sonia; Fernández-Santaella, M Carmen

    2016-01-01

    Recently, several sets of standardized food pictures have been created, supplying both food images and their subjective evaluations. However, to date only the OLAF (Open Library of Affective Foods), a set of food images and ratings we developed in adolescents, has the specific purpose of studying emotions toward food. Moreover, some researchers have argued that food evaluations are not valid across individuals and groups, unless feelings toward food cues are compared with feelings toward intense experiences unrelated to food, that serve as benchmarks. Therefore the OLAF presented here, comprising a set of original food images and a group of standardized highly emotional pictures, is intended to provide valid between-group judgments in adults. Emotional images (erotica, mutilations, and neutrals from the International Affective Picture System/IAPS) additionally ensure that the affective ratings are consistent with emotion research. The OLAF depicts high-calorie sweet and savory foods and low-calorie fruits and vegetables, portraying foods within natural scenes matching the IAPS features. An adult sample evaluated both food and affective pictures in terms of pleasure, arousal, dominance, and food craving, following standardized affective rating procedures. The affective ratings for the emotional pictures corroborated previous findings, thus confirming the reliability of evaluations for the food images. Among the OLAF images, high-calorie sweet and savory foods elicited the greatest pleasure, although they elicited, as expected, less arousal than erotica. The observed patterns were consistent with research on emotions and confirmed the reliability of OLAF evaluations. The OLAF and affective pictures constitute a sound methodology to investigate emotions toward food within a wider motivational framework. The OLAF is freely accessible at digibug.ugr.es.

  10. Affective Pictures and the Open Library of Affective Foods (OLAF): Tools to Investigate Emotions toward Food in Adults

    PubMed Central

    Guerra, Pedro; Versace, Francesco; Rodríguez-Ruiz, Sonia; Fernández-Santaella, M. Carmen

    2016-01-01

    Recently, several sets of standardized food pictures have been created, supplying both food images and their subjective evaluations. However, to date only the OLAF (Open Library of Affective Foods), a set of food images and ratings we developed in adolescents, has the specific purpose of studying emotions toward food. Moreover, some researchers have argued that food evaluations are not valid across individuals and groups, unless feelings toward food cues are compared with feelings toward intense experiences unrelated to food, that serve as benchmarks. Therefore the OLAF presented here, comprising a set of original food images and a group of standardized highly emotional pictures, is intended to provide valid between-group judgments in adults. Emotional images (erotica, mutilations, and neutrals from the International Affective Picture System/IAPS) additionally ensure that the affective ratings are consistent with emotion research. The OLAF depicts high-calorie sweet and savory foods and low-calorie fruits and vegetables, portraying foods within natural scenes matching the IAPS features. An adult sample evaluated both food and affective pictures in terms of pleasure, arousal, dominance, and food craving, following standardized affective rating procedures. The affective ratings for the emotional pictures corroborated previous findings, thus confirming the reliability of evaluations for the food images. Among the OLAF images, high-calorie sweet and savory foods elicited the greatest pleasure, although they elicited, as expected, less arousal than erotica. The observed patterns were consistent with research on emotions and confirmed the reliability of OLAF evaluations. The OLAF and affective pictures constitute a sound methodology to investigate emotions toward food within a wider motivational framework. The OLAF is freely accessible at digibug.ugr.es. PMID:27513636

  11. Open-source mobile digital platform for clinical trial data collection in low-resource settings.

    PubMed

    van Dam, Joris; Omondi Onyango, Kevin; Midamba, Brian; Groosman, Nele; Hooper, Norman; Spector, Jonathan; Pillai, Goonaseelan Colin; Ogutu, Bernhards

    2017-02-01

    Governments, universities and pan-African research networks are building durable infrastructure and capabilities for biomedical research in Africa. This offers the opportunity to adopt from the outset innovative approaches and technologies that would be challenging to retrofit into fully established research infrastructures such as those regularly found in high-income countries. In this context we piloted the use of a novel mobile digital health platform, designed specifically for low-resource environments, to support high-quality data collection in a clinical research study. Our primary aim was to assess the feasibility of a using a mobile digital platform for clinical trial data collection in a low-resource setting. Secondarily, we sought to explore the potential benefits of such an approach. The investigative site was a research institute in Nairobi, Kenya. We integrated an open-source platform for mobile data collection commonly used in the developing world with an open-source, standard platform for electronic data capture in clinical trials. The integration was developed using common data standards (Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC) Operational Data Model), maximising the potential to extend the approach to other platforms. The system was deployed in a pharmacokinetic study involving healthy human volunteers. The electronic data collection platform successfully supported conduct of the study. Multidisciplinary users reported high levels of satisfaction with the mobile application and highlighted substantial advantages when compared with traditional paper record systems. The new system also demonstrated a potential for expediting data quality review. This pilot study demonstrated the feasibility of using a mobile digital platform for clinical research data collection in low-resource settings. Sustainable scientific capabilities and infrastructure are essential to attract and support clinical research studies. Since many research structures in Africa are being developed anew, stakeholders should consider implementing innovative technologies and approaches.

  12. Non-specific filtering of beta-distributed data.

    PubMed

    Wang, Xinhui; Laird, Peter W; Hinoue, Toshinori; Groshen, Susan; Siegmund, Kimberly D

    2014-06-19

    Non-specific feature selection is a dimension reduction procedure performed prior to cluster analysis of high dimensional molecular data. Not all measured features are expected to show biological variation, so only the most varying are selected for analysis. In DNA methylation studies, DNA methylation is measured as a proportion, bounded between 0 and 1, with variance a function of the mean. Filtering on standard deviation biases the selection of probes to those with mean values near 0.5. We explore the effect this has on clustering, and develop alternate filter methods that utilize a variance stabilizing transformation for Beta distributed data and do not share this bias. We compared results for 11 different non-specific filters on eight Infinium HumanMethylation data sets, selected to span a variety of biological conditions. We found that for data sets having a small fraction of samples showing abnormal methylation of a subset of normally unmethylated CpGs, a characteristic of the CpG island methylator phenotype in cancer, a novel filter statistic that utilized a variance-stabilizing transformation for Beta distributed data outperformed the common filter of using standard deviation of the DNA methylation proportion, or its log-transformed M-value, in its ability to detect the cancer subtype in a cluster analysis. However, the standard deviation filter always performed among the best for distinguishing subgroups of normal tissue. The novel filter and standard deviation filter tended to favour features in different genome contexts; for the same data set, the novel filter always selected more features from CpG island promoters and the standard deviation filter always selected more features from non-CpG island intergenic regions. Interestingly, despite selecting largely non-overlapping sets of features, the two filters did find sample subsets that overlapped for some real data sets. We found two different filter statistics that tended to prioritize features with different characteristics, each performed well for identifying clusters of cancer and non-cancer tissue, and identifying a cancer CpG island hypermethylation phenotype. Since cluster analysis is for discovery, we would suggest trying both filters on any new data sets, evaluating the overlap of features selected and clusters discovered.

  13. Slope across the Curriculum: Principles and Standards for School Mathematics and Common Core State Standards

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nagle, Courtney; Moore-Russo, Deborah

    2014-01-01

    This article provides an initial comparison of the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics and the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics by examining the fundamental notion of slope. Each set of standards is analyzed using eleven previously identified conceptualizations of slope. Both sets of standards emphasize Functional Property,…

  14. The art and science of photography in hand surgery.

    PubMed

    Wang, Keming; Kowalski, Evan J; Chung, Kevin C

    2014-03-01

    High-quality medical photography plays an important role in teaching and demonstrating the functional capacity of the hands as well as in medicolegal documentation. Obtaining standardized, high-quality photographs is now an essential component of many surgery practices. The importance of standardized photography in facial and cosmetic surgery has been well documented in previous studies, but no studies have thoroughly addressed the details of photography for hand surgery. In this paper, we provide a set of guidelines and basic camera concepts for different scenarios to help hand surgeons obtain appropriate and informative high-quality photographs. A camera used for medical photography should come equipped with a large sensor size and an optical zoom lens with a focal length ranging anywhere from 14 to 75 mm. In a clinic or office setting, we recommend 6 standardized views of the hand and 4 views for the wrist; additional views should be taken for tendon ruptures, nerve injuries, or other deformities of the hand. For intraoperative pictures, the camera operator should understand the procedure and pertinent anatomy in order to properly obtain high-quality photographs. When digital radiographs are not available and radiographic film must be photographed, it is recommended to reduce the exposure and change the color mode to black and white to obtain the best possible pictures. The goal of medical photography is to present the subject in an accurate and precise fashion. Copyright © 2014 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. A whole-heart motion-correction algorithm: Effects on CT image quality and diagnostic accuracy of mechanical valve prosthesis abnormalities.

    PubMed

    Suh, Young Joo; Kim, Young Jin; Kim, Jin Young; Chang, Suyon; Im, Dong Jin; Hong, Yoo Jin; Choi, Byoung Wook

    2017-11-01

    We aimed to determine the effect of a whole-heart motion-correction algorithm (new-generation snapshot freeze, NG SSF) on the image quality of cardiac computed tomography (CT) images in patients with mechanical valve prostheses compared to standard images without motion correction and to compare the diagnostic accuracy of NG SSF and standard CT image sets for the detection of prosthetic valve abnormalities. A total of 20 patients with 32 mechanical valves who underwent wide-coverage detector cardiac CT with single-heartbeat acquisition were included. The CT image quality for subvalvular (below the prosthesis) and valvular regions (valve leaflets) of mechanical valves was assessed by two observers on a four-point scale (1 = poor, 2 = fair, 3 = good, and 4 = excellent). Paired t-tests or Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used to compare image quality scores and the number of diagnostic phases (image quality score≥3) between the standard image sets and NG SSF image sets. Diagnostic performance for detection of prosthetic valve abnormalities was compared between two image sets with the final diagnosis set by re-operation or clinical findings as the standard reference. NG SSF image sets had better image quality scores than standard image sets for both valvular and subvalvular regions (P < 0.05 for both). The number of phases that were of diagnostic image quality per patient was significantly greater in the NG SSF image set than standard image set for both valvular and subvalvular regions (P < 0.0001). Diagnostic performance of NG SSF image sets for the detection of prosthetic abnormalities (20 pannus and two paravalvular leaks) was greater than that of standard image sets (P < 0.05). Application of NG SSF can improve CT image quality and diagnostic accuracy in patients with mechanical valves compared to standard images. Copyright © 2017 Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Principal Angle Enrichment Analysis (PAEA): Dimensionally Reduced Multivariate Gene Set Enrichment Analysis Tool

    PubMed Central

    Clark, Neil R.; Szymkiewicz, Maciej; Wang, Zichen; Monteiro, Caroline D.; Jones, Matthew R.; Ma’ayan, Avi

    2016-01-01

    Gene set analysis of differential expression, which identifies collectively differentially expressed gene sets, has become an important tool for biology. The power of this approach lies in its reduction of the dimensionality of the statistical problem and its incorporation of biological interpretation by construction. Many approaches to gene set analysis have been proposed, but benchmarking their performance in the setting of real biological data is difficult due to the lack of a gold standard. In a previously published work we proposed a geometrical approach to differential expression which performed highly in benchmarking tests and compared well to the most popular methods of differential gene expression. As reported, this approach has a natural extension to gene set analysis which we call Principal Angle Enrichment Analysis (PAEA). PAEA employs dimensionality reduction and a multivariate approach for gene set enrichment analysis. However, the performance of this method has not been assessed nor its implementation as a web-based tool. Here we describe new benchmarking protocols for gene set analysis methods and find that PAEA performs highly. The PAEA method is implemented as a user-friendly web-based tool, which contains 70 gene set libraries and is freely available to the community. PMID:26848405

  17. Principal Angle Enrichment Analysis (PAEA): Dimensionally Reduced Multivariate Gene Set Enrichment Analysis Tool.

    PubMed

    Clark, Neil R; Szymkiewicz, Maciej; Wang, Zichen; Monteiro, Caroline D; Jones, Matthew R; Ma'ayan, Avi

    2015-11-01

    Gene set analysis of differential expression, which identifies collectively differentially expressed gene sets, has become an important tool for biology. The power of this approach lies in its reduction of the dimensionality of the statistical problem and its incorporation of biological interpretation by construction. Many approaches to gene set analysis have been proposed, but benchmarking their performance in the setting of real biological data is difficult due to the lack of a gold standard. In a previously published work we proposed a geometrical approach to differential expression which performed highly in benchmarking tests and compared well to the most popular methods of differential gene expression. As reported, this approach has a natural extension to gene set analysis which we call Principal Angle Enrichment Analysis (PAEA). PAEA employs dimensionality reduction and a multivariate approach for gene set enrichment analysis. However, the performance of this method has not been assessed nor its implementation as a web-based tool. Here we describe new benchmarking protocols for gene set analysis methods and find that PAEA performs highly. The PAEA method is implemented as a user-friendly web-based tool, which contains 70 gene set libraries and is freely available to the community.

  18. A collaborative comparison of objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) standard setting methods at Australian medical schools.

    PubMed

    Malau-Aduli, Bunmi Sherifat; Teague, Peta-Ann; D'Souza, Karen; Heal, Clare; Turner, Richard; Garne, David L; van der Vleuten, Cees

    2017-12-01

    A key issue underpinning the usefulness of the OSCE assessment to medical education is standard setting, but the majority of standard-setting methods remain challenging for performance assessment because they produce varying passing marks. Several studies have compared standard-setting methods; however, most of these studies are limited by their experimental scope, or use data on examinee performance at a single OSCE station or from a single medical school. This collaborative study between 10 Australian medical schools investigated the effect of standard-setting methods on OSCE cut scores and failure rates. This research used 5256 examinee scores from seven shared OSCE stations to calculate cut scores and failure rates using two different compromise standard-setting methods, namely the Borderline Regression and Cohen's methods. The results of this study indicate that Cohen's method yields similar outcomes to the Borderline Regression method, particularly for large examinee cohort sizes. However, with lower examinee numbers on a station, the Borderline Regression method resulted in higher cut scores and larger difference margins in the failure rates. Cohen's method yields similar outcomes as the Borderline Regression method and its application for benchmarking purposes and in resource-limited settings is justifiable, particularly with large examinee numbers.

  19. Setting and Reviewing Standards to Control SO2 Pollution

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    EPA sets National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for SO2 to protect public health (primary standard) and to protect public welfare (secondary standard). The Clean Air Act also requires EPA to periodically review and revise them if appropriate.

  20. Setting and Reviewing Standards to Control NO2 Pollution

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    EPA sets National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for NO2 to protect public health (primary standard) and to protect public welfare (secondary standard). The Clean Air Act also requires EPA to periodically review and revise them if appropriate.

  1. Search for new phenomena in a lepton plus high jet multiplicity final state with the ATLAS experiment using √{s}=13 TeV proton-proton collision data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aaboud, M.; Aad, G.; Abbott, B.; Abdinov, O.; Abeloos, B.; Abidi, S. H.; AbouZeid, O. S.; Abraham, N. L.; Abramowicz, H.; Abreu, H.; Abreu, R.; Abulaiti, Y.; Acharya, B. S.; Adachi, S.; Adamczyk, L.; Adelman, J.; Adersberger, M.; Adye, T.; Affolder, A. A.; Agatonovic-Jovin, T.; Agheorghiesei, C.; Aguilar-Saavedra, J. A.; Ahlen, S. P.; Ahmadov, F.; Aielli, G.; Akatsuka, S.; Akerstedt, H.; Åkesson, T. P. A.; Akilli, E.; Akimov, A. V.; Alberghi, G. L.; Albert, J.; Albicocco, P.; Verzini, M. J. Alconada; Aleksa, M.; Aleksandrov, I. N.; Alexa, C.; Alexander, G.; Alexopoulos, T.; Alhroob, M.; Ali, B.; Aliev, M.; Alimonti, G.; Alison, J.; Alkire, S. P.; Allbrooke, B. M. M.; Allen, B. W.; Allport, P. P.; Aloisio, A.; Alonso, A.; Alonso, F.; Alpigiani, C.; Alshehri, A. A.; Alstaty, M.; Gonzalez, B. Alvarez; Piqueras, D. Álvarez; Alviggi, M. G.; Amadio, B. T.; Coutinho, Y. Amaral; Amelung, C.; Amidei, D.; Santos, S. P. Amor Dos; Amorim, A.; Amoroso, S.; Amundsen, G.; Anastopoulos, C.; Ancu, L. S.; Andari, N.; Andeen, T.; Anders, C. F.; Anders, J. K.; Anderson, K. J.; Andreazza, A.; Andrei, V.; Angelidakis, S.; Angelozzi, I.; Angerami, A.; Anisenkov, A. V.; Anjos, N.; Annovi, A.; Antel, C.; Antonelli, M.; Antonov, A.; Antrim, D. J.; Anulli, F.; Aoki, M.; Bella, L. Aperio; Arabidze, G.; Arai, Y.; Araque, J. P.; Ferraz, V. Araujo; Arce, A. T. H.; Ardell, R. E.; Arduh, F. A.; Arguin, J.-F.; Argyropoulos, S.; Arik, M.; Armbruster, A. J.; Armitage, L. J.; Arnaez, O.; Arnold, H.; Arratia, M.; Arslan, O.; Artamonov, A.; Artoni, G.; Artz, S.; Asai, S.; Asbah, N.; Ashkenazi, A.; Asquith, L.; Assamagan, K.; Astalos, R.; Atkinson, M.; Atlay, N. B.; Augsten, K.; Avolio, G.; Axen, B.; Ayoub, M. K.; Azuelos, G.; Baas, A. E.; Baca, M. J.; Bachacou, H.; Bachas, K.; Backes, M.; Backhaus, M.; Bagnaia, P.; Bahmani, M.; Bahrasemani, H.; Baines, J. T.; Bajic, M.; Baker, O. K.; Baldin, E. M.; Balek, P.; Balli, F.; Balunas, W. K.; Banas, E.; Banerjee, Sw.; Bannoura, A. A. E.; Barak, L.; Barberio, E. L.; Barberis, D.; Barbero, M.; Barillari, T.; Barisits, M.-S.; Barklow, T.; Barlow, N.; Barnes, S. L.; Barnett, B. M.; Barnett, R. M.; Barnovska-Blenessy, Z.; Baroncelli, A.; Barone, G.; Barr, A. J.; Navarro, L. Barranco; Barreiro, F.; Barreiro Guimarães da Costa, J.; Bartoldus, R.; Barton, A. E.; Bartos, P.; Basalaev, A.; Bassalat, A.; Bates, R. L.; Batista, S. J.; Batley, J. R.; Battaglia, M.; Bauce, M.; Bauer, F.; Bawa, H. S.; Beacham, J. B.; Beattie, M. D.; Beau, T.; Beauchemin, P. H.; Bechtle, P.; Beck, H. P.; Beck, H. C.; Becker, K.; Becker, M.; Beckingham, M.; Becot, C.; Beddall, A. J.; Beddall, A.; Bednyakov, V. A.; Bedognetti, M.; Bee, C. P.; Beermann, T. A.; Begalli, M.; Begel, M.; Behr, J. K.; Bell, A. S.; Bella, G.; Bellagamba, L.; Bellerive, A.; Bellomo, M.; Belotskiy, K.; Beltramello, O.; Belyaev, N. L.; Benary, O.; Benchekroun, D.; Bender, M.; Bendtz, K.; Benekos, N.; Benhammou, Y.; Noccioli, E. Benhar; Benitez, J.; Benjamin, D. P.; Benoit, M.; Bensinger, J. R.; Bentvelsen, S.; Beresford, L.; Beretta, M.; Berge, D.; Kuutmann, E. Bergeaas; Berger, N.; Beringer, J.; Berlendis, S.; Bernard, N. R.; Bernardi, G.; Bernius, C.; Bernlochner, F. U.; Berry, T.; Berta, P.; Bertella, C.; Bertoli, G.; Bertolucci, F.; Bertram, I. A.; Bertsche, C.; Bertsche, D.; Besjes, G. J.; Bylund, O. Bessidskaia; Bessner, M.; Besson, N.; Betancourt, C.; Bethani, A.; Bethke, S.; Bevan, A. J.; Beyer, J.; Bianchi, R. M.; Biebel, O.; Biedermann, D.; Bielski, R.; Bierwagen, K.; Biesuz, N. V.; Biglietti, M.; Billoud, T. R. V.; Bilokon, H.; Bindi, M.; Bingul, A.; Bini, C.; Biondi, S.; Bisanz, T.; Bittrich, C.; Bjergaard, D. M.; Black, C. W.; Black, J. E.; Black, K. M.; Blair, R. E.; Blazek, T.; Bloch, I.; Blocker, C.; Blue, A.; Blum, W.; Blumenschein, U.; Blunier, S.; Bobbink, G. J.; Bobrovnikov, V. S.; Bocchetta, S. S.; Bocci, A.; Bock, C.; Boehler, M.; Boerner, D.; Bogavac, D.; Bogdanchikov, A. G.; Bohm, C.; Boisvert, V.; Bokan, P.; Bold, T.; Boldyrev, A. S.; Bolz, A. E.; Bomben, M.; Bona, M.; Boonekamp, M.; Borisov, A.; Borissov, G.; Bortfeldt, J.; Bortoletto, D.; Bortolotto, V.; Boscherini, D.; Bosman, M.; Sola, J. D. Bossio; Boudreau, J.; Bouffard, J.; Bouhova-Thacker, E. V.; Boumediene, D.; Bourdarios, C.; Boutle, S. K.; Boveia, A.; Boyd, J.; Boyko, I. R.; Bracinik, J.; Brandt, A.; Brandt, G.; Brandt, O.; Bratzler, U.; Brau, B.; Brau, J. E.; Madden, W. D. Breaden; Brendlinger, K.; Brennan, A. J.; Brenner, L.; Brenner, R.; Bressler, S.; Briglin, D. L.; Bristow, T. M.; Britton, D.; Britzger, D.; Brochu, F. M.; Brock, I.; Brock, R.; Brooijmans, G.; Brooks, T.; Brooks, W. K.; Brosamer, J.; Brost, E.; Broughton, J. H.; de Renstrom, P. A. Bruckman; Bruncko, D.; Bruni, A.; Bruni, G.; Bruni, L. S.; Brunt, BH; Bruschi, M.; Bruscino, N.; Bryant, P.; Bryngemark, L.; Buanes, T.; Buat, Q.; Buchholz, P.; Buckley, A. G.; Budagov, I. A.; Buehrer, F.; Bugge, M. K.; Bulekov, O.; Bullock, D.; Burch, T. J.; Burdin, S.; Burgard, C. D.; Burger, A. M.; Burghgrave, B.; Burka, K.; Burke, S.; Burmeister, I.; Burr, J. T. P.; Busato, E.; Büscher, D.; Büscher, V.; Bussey, P.; Butler, J. M.; Buttar, C. M.; Butterworth, J. M.; Butti, P.; Buttinger, W.; Buzatu, A.; Buzykaev, A. R.; Urbán, S. Cabrera; Caforio, D.; Cairo, V. M.; Cakir, O.; Calace, N.; Calafiura, P.; Calandri, A.; Calderini, G.; Calfayan, P.; Callea, G.; Caloba, L. P.; Lopez, S. Calvente; Calvet, D.; Calvet, S.; Calvet, T. P.; Toro, R. Camacho; Camarda, S.; Camarri, P.; Cameron, D.; Armadans, R. Caminal; Camincher, C.; Campana, S.; Campanelli, M.; Camplani, A.; Campoverde, A.; Canale, V.; Bret, M. Cano; Cantero, J.; Cao, T.; Garrido, M. D. M. Capeans; Caprini, I.; Caprini, M.; Capua, M.; Carbone, R. M.; Cardarelli, R.; Cardillo, F.; Carli, I.; Carli, T.; Carlino, G.; Carlson, B. T.; Carminati, L.; Carney, R. M. D.; Caron, S.; Carquin, E.; Carrá, S.; Carrillo-Montoya, G. D.; Carvalho, J.; Casadei, D.; Casado, M. P.; Casolino, M.; Casper, D. W.; Castelijn, R.; Gimenez, V. Castillo; Castro, N. F.; Catinaccio, A.; Catmore, J. R.; Cattai, A.; Caudron, J.; Cavaliere, V.; Cavallaro, E.; Cavalli, D.; Cavalli-Sforza, M.; Cavasinni, V.; Celebi, E.; Ceradini, F.; Alberich, L. Cerda; Cerqueira, A. S.; Cerri, A.; Cerrito, L.; Cerutti, F.; Cervelli, A.; Cetin, S. A.; Chafaq, A.; Chakraborty, D.; Chan, S. K.; Chan, W. S.; Chan, Y. L.; Chang, P.; Chapman, J. D.; Charlton, D. G.; Chau, C. C.; Barajas, C. A. Chavez; Che, S.; Cheatham, S.; Chegwidden, A.; Chekanov, S.; Chekulaev, S. V.; Chelkov, G. A.; Chelstowska, M. A.; Chen, C.; Chen, H.; Chen, S.; Chen, S.; Chen, X.; Chen, Y.; Cheng, H. C.; Cheng, H. J.; Cheplakov, A.; Cheremushkina, E.; El Moursli, R. Cherkaoui; Cheu, E.; Cheung, K.; Chevalier, L.; Chiarella, V.; Chiarelli, G.; Chiodini, G.; Chisholm, A. S.; Chitan, A.; Chiu, Y. H.; Chizhov, M. V.; Choi, K.; Chomont, A. R.; Chouridou, S.; Christodoulou, V.; Chromek-Burckhart, D.; Chu, M. C.; Chudoba, J.; Chuinard, A. J.; Chwastowski, J. J.; Chytka, L.; Ciftci, A. K.; Cinca, D.; Cindro, V.; Cioara, I. A.; Ciocca, C.; Ciocio, A.; Cirotto, F.; Citron, Z. H.; Citterio, M.; Ciubancan, M.; Clark, A.; Clark, B. L.; Clark, M. R.; Clark, P. J.; Clarke, R. N.; Clement, C.; Coadou, Y.; Cobal, M.; Coccaro, A.; Cochran, J.; Colasurdo, L.; Cole, B.; Colijn, A. P.; Collot, J.; Colombo, T.; Muiño, P. Conde; Coniavitis, E.; Connell, S. H.; Connelly, I. A.; Constantinescu, S.; Conti, G.; Conventi, F.; Cooke, M.; Cooper-Sarkar, A. M.; Cormier, F.; Cormier, K. J. R.; Corradi, M.; Corriveau, F.; Cortes-Gonzalez, A.; Cortiana, G.; Costa, G.; Costa, M. J.; Costanzo, D.; Cottin, G.; Cowan, G.; Cox, B. E.; Cranmer, K.; Crawley, S. J.; Creager, R. A.; Cree, G.; Crépé-Renaudin, S.; Crescioli, F.; Cribbs, W. A.; Cristinziani, M.; Croft, V.; Crosetti, G.; Cueto, A.; Donszelmann, T. Cuhadar; Cukierman, A. R.; Cummings, J.; Curatolo, M.; Cúth, J.; Czodrowski, P.; D'amen, G.; D'Auria, S.; D'eramo, L.; D'Onofrio, M.; Da Cunha Sargedas De Sousa, M. J.; Da Via, C.; Dabrowski, W.; Dado, T.; Dai, T.; Dale, O.; Dallaire, F.; Dallapiccola, C.; Dam, M.; Dandoy, J. R.; Daneri, M. F.; Dang, N. P.; Daniells, A. C.; Dann, N. S.; Danninger, M.; Hoffmann, M. Dano; Dao, V.; Darbo, G.; Darmora, S.; Dassoulas, J.; Dattagupta, A.; Daubney, T.; Davey, W.; David, C.; Davidek, T.; Davis, D. R.; Davison, P.; Dawe, E.; Dawson, I.; De, K.; de Asmundis, R.; De Benedetti, A.; De Castro, S.; De Cecco, S.; De Groot, N.; de Jong, P.; De la Torre, H.; De Lorenzi, F.; De Maria, A.; De Pedis, D.; De Salvo, A.; De Sanctis, U.; De Santo, A.; De Vasconcelos Corga, K.; De Vivie De Regie, J. B.; Dearnaley, W. J.; Debbe, R.; Debenedetti, C.; Dedovich, D. V.; Dehghanian, N.; Deigaard, I.; Del Gaudio, M.; Del Peso, J.; Delgove, D.; Deliot, F.; Delitzsch, C. M.; Dell'Acqua, A.; Dell'Asta, L.; Dell'Orso, M.; Pietra, M. Della; della Volpe, D.; Delmastro, M.; Delporte, C.; Delsart, P. A.; DeMarco, D. A.; Demers, S.; Demichev, M.; Demilly, A.; Denisov, S. P.; Denysiuk, D.; Derendarz, D.; Derkaoui, J. E.; Derue, F.; Dervan, P.; Desch, K.; Deterre, C.; Dette, K.; Devesa, M. R.; Deviveiros, P. O.; Dewhurst, A.; Dhaliwal, S.; Di Bello, F. A.; Di Ciaccio, A.; Di Ciaccio, L.; Di Clemente, W. K.; Di Donato, C.; Di Girolamo, A.; Di Girolamo, B.; Di Micco, B.; Di Nardo, R.; Di Petrillo, K. F.; Di Simone, A.; Di Sipio, R.; Di Valentino, D.; Diaconu, C.; Diamond, M.; Dias, F. A.; Diaz, M. A.; Diehl, E. B.; Dietrich, J.; Cornell, S. Díez; Dimitrievska, A.; Dingfelder, J.; Dita, P.; Dita, S.; Dittus, F.; Djama, F.; Djobava, T.; Djuvsland, J. I.; do Vale, M. A. B.; Dobos, D.; Dobre, M.; Doglioni, C.; Dolejsi, J.; Dolezal, Z.; Donadelli, M.; Donati, S.; Dondero, P.; Donini, J.; Dopke, J.; Doria, A.; Dova, M. T.; Doyle, A. T.; Drechsler, E.; Dris, M.; Du, Y.; Duarte-Campderros, J.; Dubreuil, A.; Duchovni, E.; Duckeck, G.; Ducourthial, A.; Ducu, O. A.; Duda, D.; Dudarev, A.; Dudder, A. Chr.; Duffield, E. M.; Duflot, L.; Dührssen, M.; Dumancic, M.; Dumitriu, A. E.; Duncan, A. K.; Dunford, M.; Yildiz, H. Duran; Düren, M.; Durglishvili, A.; Duschinger, D.; Dutta, B.; Dyndal, M.; Eckardt, C.; Ecker, K. M.; Edgar, R. C.; Eifert, T.; Eigen, G.; Einsweiler, K.; Ekelof, T.; El Kacimi, M.; El Kosseifi, R.; Ellajosyula, V.; Ellert, M.; Elles, S.; Ellinghaus, F.; Elliot, A. A.; Ellis, N.; Elmsheuser, J.; Elsing, M.; Emeliyanov, D.; Enari, Y.; Endner, O. C.; Ennis, J. S.; Erdmann, J.; Ereditato, A.; Ernst, M.; Errede, S.; Escalier, M.; Escobar, C.; Esposito, B.; Pastor, O. Estrada; Etienvre, A. 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D.; Morvaj, L.; Moschovakos, P.; Mosidze, M.; Moss, H. J.; Moss, J.; Motohashi, K.; Mount, R.; Mountricha, E.; Moyse, E. J. W.; Muanza, S.; Mueller, F.; Mueller, J.; Mueller, R. S. P.; Muenstermann, D.; Mullen, P.; Mullier, G. A.; Sanchez, F. J. Munoz; Murray, W. J.; Musheghyan, H.; Muškinja, M.; Myagkov, A. G.; Myska, M.; Nachman, B. P.; Nackenhorst, O.; Nagai, K.; Nagai, R.; Nagano, K.; Nagasaka, Y.; Nagata, K.; Nagel, M.; Nagy, E.; Nairz, A. M.; Nakahama, Y.; Nakamura, K.; Nakamura, T.; Nakano, I.; Garcia, R. F. Naranjo; Narayan, R.; Villar, D. I. Narrias; Naryshkin, I.; Naumann, T.; Navarro, G.; Nayyar, R.; Neal, H. A.; Nechaeva, P. Yu.; Neep, T. J.; Negri, A.; Negrini, M.; Nektarijevic, S.; Nellist, C.; Nelson, A.; Nelson, M. E.; Nemecek, S.; Nemethy, P.; Nessi, M.; Neubauer, M. S.; Neumann, M.; Newman, P. R.; Ng, T. Y.; Manh, T. Nguyen; Nickerson, R. B.; Nicolaidou, R.; Nielsen, J.; Nikolaenko, V.; Nikolic-Audit, I.; Nikolopoulos, K.; Nilsen, J. K.; Nilsson, P.; Ninomiya, Y.; Nisati, A.; Nishu, N.; Nisius, R.; Nitsche, I.; Nobe, T.; Noguchi, Y.; Nomachi, M.; Nomidis, I.; Nomura, M. A.; Nooney, T.; Nordberg, M.; Norjoharuddeen, N.; Novgorodova, O.; Nowak, S.; Nozaki, M.; Nozka, L.; Ntekas, K.; Nurse, E.; Nuti, F.; O'connor, K.; O'Neil, D. C.; O'Rourke, A. A.; O'Shea, V.; Oakham, F. G.; Oberlack, H.; Obermann, T.; Ocariz, J.; Ochi, A.; Ochoa, I.; Ochoa-Ricoux, J. P.; Oda, S.; Odaka, S.; Oh, A.; Oh, S. H.; Ohm, C. C.; Ohman, H.; Oide, H.; Okawa, H.; Okumura, Y.; Okuyama, T.; Olariu, A.; Seabra, L. F. Oleiro; Pino, S. A. Olivares; Damazio, D. Oliveira; Olszewski, A.; Olszowska, J.; Onofre, A.; Onogi, K.; Onyisi, P. U. E.; Oppen, H.; Oreglia, M. J.; Oren, Y.; Orestano, D.; Orlando, N.; Orr, R. S.; Osculati, B.; Ospanov, R.; Otero y Garzon, G.; Otono, H.; Ouchrif, M.; Ould-Saada, F.; Ouraou, A.; Oussoren, K. P.; Ouyang, Q.; Owen, M.; Owen, R. E.; Ozcan, V. E.; Ozturk, N.; Pachal, K.; Pages, A. Pacheco; Rodriguez, L. Pacheco; Aranda, C. Padilla; Griso, S. Pagan; Paganini, M.; Paige, F.; Palacino, G.; Palazzo, S.; Palestini, S.; Palka, M.; Pallin, D.; Panagiotopoulou, E. St.; Panagoulias, I.; Pandini, C. E.; Vazquez, J. G. Panduro; Pani, P.; Panitkin, S.; Pantea, D.; Paolozzi, L.; Papadopoulou, Th. D.; Papageorgiou, K.; Paramonov, A.; Hernandez, D. Paredes; Parker, A. J.; Parker, M. A.; Parker, K. A.; Parodi, F.; Parsons, J. A.; Parzefall, U.; Pascuzzi, V. R.; Pasner, J. M.; Pasqualucci, E.; Passaggio, S.; Pastore, Fr.; Pataraia, S.; Pater, J. R.; Pauly, T.; Pearson, B.; Lopez, S. Pedraza; Pedro, R.; Peleganchuk, S. V.; Penc, O.; Peng, C.; Peng, H.; Penwell, J.; Peralva, B. S.; Perego, M. M.; Perepelitsa, D. V.; Perini, L.; Pernegger, H.; Perrella, S.; Peschke, R.; Peshekhonov, V. D.; Peters, K.; Peters, R. F. Y.; Petersen, B. A.; Petersen, T. C.; Petit, E.; Petridis, A.; Petridou, C.; Petroff, P.; Petrolo, E.; Petrov, M.; Petrucci, F.; Pettersson, N. E.; Peyaud, A.; Pezoa, R.; Phillips, F. H.; Phillips, P. W.; Piacquadio, G.; Pianori, E.; Picazio, A.; Piccaro, E.; Pickering, M. A.; Piegaia, R.; Pilcher, J. E.; Pilkington, A. D.; Pin, A. W. J.; Pinamonti, M.; Pinfold, J. L.; Pirumov, H.; Pitt, M.; Plazak, L.; Pleier, M.-A.; Pleskot, V.; Plotnikova, E.; Pluth, D.; Podberezko, P.; Poettgen, R.; Poggi, R.; Poggioli, L.; Pohl, D.; Polesello, G.; Poley, A.; Policicchio, A.; Polifka, R.; Polini, A.; Pollard, C. S.; Polychronakos, V.; Pommès, K.; Ponomarenko, D.; Pontecorvo, L.; Popeneciu, G. A.; Poppleton, A.; Pospisil, S.; Potamianos, K.; Potrap, I. N.; Potter, C. J.; Poulard, G.; Poulsen, T.; Poveda, J.; Astigarraga, M. E. Pozo; Pralavorio, P.; Pranko, A.; Prell, S.; Price, D.; Primavera, M.; Prince, S.; Proklova, N.; Prokofiev, K.; Prokoshin, F.; Protopopescu, S.; Proudfoot, J.; Przybycien, M.; Puri, A.; Puzo, P.; Qian, J.; Qin, G.; Qin, Y.; Quadt, A.; Queitsch-Maitland, M.; Quilty, D.; Raddum, S.; Radeka, V.; Radescu, V.; Radhakrishnan, S. K.; Radloff, P.; Rados, P.; Ragusa, F.; Rahal, G.; Raine, J. A.; Rajagopalan, S.; Rangel-Smith, C.; Rashid, T.; Raspopov, S.; Ratti, M. G.; Rauch, D. M.; Rauscher, F.; Rave, S.; Ravinovich, I.; Rawling, J. H.; Raymond, M.; Read, A. L.; Readioff, N. P.; Reale, M.; Rebuzzi, D. M.; Redelbach, A.; Redlinger, G.; Reece, R.; Reed, R. G.; Reeves, K.; Rehnisch, L.; Reichert, J.; Reiss, A.; Rembser, C.; Ren, H.; Rescigno, M.; Resconi, S.; Resseguie, E. D.; Rettie, S.; Reynolds, E.; Rezanova, O. L.; Reznicek, P.; Rezvani, R.; Richter, R.; Richter, S.; Richter-Was, E.; Ricken, O.; Ridel, M.; Rieck, P.; Riegel, C. J.; Rieger, J.; Rifki, O.; Rijssenbeek, M.; Rimoldi, A.; Rimoldi, M.; Rinaldi, L.; Ripellino, G.; Ristić, B.; Ritsch, E.; Riu, I.; Rizatdinova, F.; Rizvi, E.; Rizzi, C.; Roberts, R. T.; Robertson, S. H.; Robichaud-Veronneau, A.; Robinson, D.; Robinson, J. E. M.; Robson, A.; Rocco, E.; Roda, C.; Rodina, Y.; Bosca, S. Rodriguez; Perez, A. Rodriguez; Rodriguez, D. Rodriguez; Roe, S.; Rogan, C. S.; Røhne, O.; Roloff, J.; Romaniouk, A.; Romano, M.; Saez, S. M. Romano; Adam, E. Romero; Rompotis, N.; Ronzani, M.; Roos, L.; Rosati, S.; Rosbach, K.; Rose, P.; Rosien, N.-A.; Rossi, E.; Rossi, L. P.; Rosten, J. H. N.; Rosten, R.; Rotaru, M.; Rothberg, J.; Rousseau, D.; Rozanov, A.; Rozen, Y.; Ruan, X.; Rubbo, F.; Rühr, F.; Ruiz-Martinez, A.; Rurikova, Z.; Rusakovich, N. A.; Russell, H. L.; Rutherfoord, J. P.; Ruthmann, N.; Ryabov, Y. F.; Rybar, M.; Rybkin, G.; Ryu, S.; Ryzhov, A.; Rzehorz, G. F.; Saavedra, A. F.; Sabato, G.; Sacerdoti, S.; Sadrozinski, H. F.-W.; Sadykov, R.; Tehrani, F. Safai; Saha, P.; Sahinsoy, M.; Saimpert, M.; Saito, M.; Saito, T.; Sakamoto, H.; Sakurai, Y.; Salamanna, G.; Loyola, J. E. Salazar; Salek, D.; De Bruin, P. H. Sales; Salihagic, D.; Salnikov, A.; Salt, J.; Salvatore, D.; Salvatore, F.; Salvucci, A.; Salzburger, A.; Sammel, D.; Sampsonidis, D.; Sampsonidou, D.; Sánchez, J.; Martinez, V. Sanchez; Pineda, A. Sanchez; Sandaker, H.; Sandbach, R. L.; Sander, C. O.; Sandhoff, M.; Sandoval, C.; Sankey, D. P. C.; Sannino, M.; Sano, Y.; Sansoni, A.; Santoni, C.; Santos, H.; Castillo, I. Santoyo; Sapronov, A.; Saraiva, J. G.; Sarrazin, B.; Sasaki, O.; Sato, K.; Sauvan, E.; Savage, G.; Savard, P.; Savic, N.; Sawyer, C.; Sawyer, L.; Saxon, J.; Sbarra, C.; Sbrizzi, A.; Scanlon, T.; Scannicchio, D. A.; Scarcella, M.; Schaarschmidt, J.; Schacht, P.; Schachtner, B. M.; Schaefer, D.; Schaefer, L.; Schaefer, R.; Schaeffer, J.; Schaepe, S.; Schaetzel, S.; Schäfer, U.; Schaffer, A. C.; Schaile, D.; Schamberger, R. D.; Schegelsky, V. A.; Scheirich, D.; Schernau, M.; Schiavi, C.; Schier, S.; Schildgen, L. K.; Schillo, C.; Schioppa, M.; Schlenker, S.; Schmidt-Sommerfeld, K. R.; Schmieden, K.; Schmitt, C.; Schmitt, S.; Schmitz, S.; Schnoor, U.; Schoeffel, L.; Schoening, A.; Schoenrock, B. D.; Schopf, E.; Schott, M.; Schouwenberg, J. F. P.; Schovancova, J.; Schramm, S.; Schuh, N.; Schulte, A.; Schultens, M. J.; Schultz-Coulon, H.-C.; Schulz, H.; Schumacher, M.; Schumm, B. A.; Schune, Ph.; Schwartzman, A.; Schwarz, T. A.; Schweiger, H.; Schwemling, Ph.; Schwienhorst, R.; Schwindling, J.; Sciandra, A.; Sciolla, G.; Scornajenghi, M.; Scuri, F.; Scutti, F.; Searcy, J.; Seema, P.; Seidel, S. C.; Seiden, A.; Seixas, J. M.; Sekhniaidze, G.; Sekhon, K.; Sekula, S. J.; Semprini-Cesari, N.; Senkin, S.; Serfon, C.; Serin, L.; Serkin, L.; Sessa, M.; Seuster, R.; Severini, H.; Sfiligoj, T.; Sforza, F.; Sfyrla, A.; Shabalina, E.; Shaikh, N. W.; Shan, L. Y.; Shang, R.; Shank, J. T.; Shapiro, M.; Shatalov, P. B.; Shaw, K.; Shaw, S. M.; Shcherbakova, A.; Shehu, C. Y.; Shen, Y.; Sherafati, N.; Sherwood, P.; Shi, L.; Shimizu, S.; Shimmin, C. O.; Shimojima, M.; Shipsey, I. P. J.; Shirabe, S.; Shiyakova, M.; Shlomi, J.; Shmeleva, A.; Saadi, D. Shoaleh; Shochet, M. J.; Shojaii, S.; Shope, D. R.; Shrestha, S.; Shulga, E.; Shupe, M. A.; Sicho, P.; Sickles, A. M.; Sidebo, P. E.; Haddad, E. Sideras; Sidiropoulou, O.; Sidoti, A.; Siegert, F.; Sijacki, Dj.; Silva, J.; Silverstein, S. B.; Simak, V.; Simic, Lj.; Simion, S.; Simioni, E.; Simmons, B.; Simon, M.; Sinervo, P.; Sinev, N. B.; Sioli, M.; Siragusa, G.; Siral, I.; Sivoklokov, S. Yu.; Sjölin, J.; Skinner, M. B.; Skubic, P.; Slater, M.; Slavicek, T.; Slawinska, M.; Sliwa, K.; Slovak, R.; Smakhtin, V.; Smart, B. H.; Smiesko, J.; Smirnov, N.; Smirnov, S. Yu.; Smirnov, Y.; Smirnova, L. N.; Smirnova, O.; Smith, J. W.; Smith, M. N. K.; Smith, R. W.; Smizanska, M.; Smolek, K.; Snesarev, A. A.; Snyder, I. M.; Snyder, S.; Sobie, R.; Socher, F.; Soffer, A.; Søgaard, A.; Soh, D. A.; Sokhrannyi, G.; Sanchez, C. A. Solans; Solar, M.; Soldatov, E. Yu.; Soldevila, U.; Solodkov, A. A.; Soloshenko, A.; Solovyanov, O. V.; Solovyev, V.; Sommer, P.; Son, H.; Sopczak, A.; Sosa, D.; Sotiropoulou, C. L.; Soualah, R.; Soukharev, A. M.; South, D.; Sowden, B. C.; Spagnolo, S.; Spalla, M.; Spangenberg, M.; Spanò, F.; Sperlich, D.; Spettel, F.; Spieker, T. M.; Spighi, R.; Spigo, G.; Spiller, L. A.; Spousta, M.; Denis, R. D. St.; Stabile, A.; Stamen, R.; Stamm, S.; Stanecka, E.; Stanek, R. W.; Stanescu, C.; Stanitzki, M. M.; Stapf, B. S.; Stapnes, S.; Starchenko, E. A.; Stark, G. H.; Stark, J.; Stark, S. H.; Staroba, P.; Starovoitov, P.; Stärz, S.; Staszewski, R.; Steinberg, P.; Stelzer, B.; Stelzer, H. J.; Stelzer-Chilton, O.; Stenzel, H.; Stewart, G. A.; Stockton, M. C.; Stoebe, M.; Stoicea, G.; Stolte, P.; Stonjek, S.; Stradling, A. R.; Straessner, A.; Stramaglia, M. E.; Strandberg, J.; Strandberg, S.; Strauss, M.; Strizenec, P.; Ströhmer, R.; Strom, D. M.; Stroynowski, R.; Strubig, A.; Stucci, S. A.; Stugu, B.; Styles, N. A.; Su, D.; Su, J.; Suchek, S.; Sugaya, Y.; Suk, M.; Sulin, V. V.; Sultan, DMS; Sultansoy, S.; Sumida, T.; Sun, S.; Sun, X.; Suruliz, K.; Suster, C. J. E.; Sutton, M. R.; Suzuki, S.; Svatos, M.; Swiatlowski, M.; Swift, S. P.; Sykora, I.; Sykora, T.; Ta, D.; Tackmann, K.; Taenzer, J.; Taffard, A.; Tafirout, R.; Taiblum, N.; Takai, H.; Takashima, R.; Takasugi, E. H.; Takeshita, T.; Takubo, Y.; Talby, M.; Talyshev, A. A.; Tanaka, J.; Tanaka, M.; Tanaka, R.; Tanaka, S.; Tanioka, R.; Tannenwald, B. B.; Araya, S. Tapia; Tapprogge, S.; Tarem, S.; Tartarelli, G. F.; Tas, P.; Tasevsky, M.; Tashiro, T.; Tassi, E.; Delgado, A. Tavares; Tayalati, Y.; Taylor, A. C.; Taylor, G. N.; Taylor, P. T. E.; Taylor, W.; Teixeira-Dias, P.; Temple, D.; Ten Kate, H.; Teng, P. K.; Teoh, J. J.; Tepel, F.; Terada, S.; Terashi, K.; Terron, J.; Terzo, S.; Testa, M.; Teuscher, R. J.; Theveneaux-Pelzer, T.; Thomas, J. P.; Thomas-Wilsker, J.; Thompson, P. D.; Thompson, A. S.; Thomsen, L. A.; Thomson, E.; Tibbetts, M. J.; Torres, R. E. Ticse; Tikhomirov, V. O.; Tikhonov, Yu. A.; Timoshenko, S.; Tipton, P.; Tisserant, S.; Todome, K.; Todorova-Nova, S.; Todt, S.; Tojo, J.; Tokár, S.; Tokushuku, K.; Tolley, E.; Tomlinson, L.; Tomoto, M.; Tompkins, L.; Toms, K.; Tong, B.; Tornambe, P.; Torrence, E.; Torres, H.; Pastor, E. Torró; Toth, J.; Touchard, F.; Tovey, D. R.; Treado, C. J.; Trefzger, T.; Tresoldi, F.; Tricoli, A.; Trigger, I. M.; Trincaz-Duvoid, S.; Tripiana, M. F.; Trischuk, W.; Trocmé, B.; Trofymov, A.; Troncon, C.; Trottier-McDonald, M.; Trovatelli, M.; Truong, L.; Trzebinski, M.; Trzupek, A.; Tsang, K. W.; Tseng, J. C.-L.; Tsiareshka, P. V.; Tsipolitis, G.; Tsirintanis, N.; Tsiskaridze, S.; Tsiskaridze, V.; Tskhadadze, E. G.; Tsui, K. M.; Tsukerman, I. I.; Tsulaia, V.; Tsuno, S.; Tsybychev, D.; Tu, Y.; Tudorache, A.; Tudorache, V.; Tulbure, T. T.; Tuna, A. N.; Tupputi, S. A.; Turchikhin, S.; Turgeman, D.; Cakir, I. Turk; Turra, R.; Tuts, P. M.; Ucchielli, G.; Ueda, I.; Ughetto, M.; Ukegawa, F.; Unal, G.; Undrus, A.; Unel, G.; Ungaro, F. C.; Unno, Y.; Unverdorben, C.; Urban, J.; Urquijo, P.; Urrejola, P.; Usai, G.; Usui, J.; Vacavant, L.; Vacek, V.; Vachon, B.; Vaidya, A.; Valderanis, C.; Santurio, E. Valdes; Valentinetti, S.; Valero, A.; Valéry, L.; Valkar, S.; Vallier, A.; Ferrer, J. A. Valls; Van Den Wollenberg, W.; van der Graaf, H.; van Gemmeren, P.; Van Nieuwkoop, J.; van Vulpen, I.; van Woerden, M. C.; Vanadia, M.; Vandelli, W.; Vaniachine, A.; Vankov, P.; Vardanyan, G.; Vari, R.; Varnes, E. W.; Varni, C.; Varol, T.; Varouchas, D.; Vartapetian, A.; Varvell, K. E.; Vasquez, J. G.; Vasquez, G. A.; Vazeille, F.; Schroeder, T. Vazquez; Veatch, J.; Veeraraghavan, V.; Veloce, L. M.; Veloso, F.; Veneziano, S.; Ventura, A.; Venturi, M.; Venturi, N.; Venturini, A.; Vercesi, V.; Verducci, M.; Verkerke, W.; Vermeulen, A. T.; Vermeulen, J. C.; Vetterli, M. C.; Maira, N. Viaux; Viazlo, O.; Vichou, I.; Vickey, T.; Boeriu, O. E. Vickey; Viehhauser, G. H. A.; Viel, S.; Vigani, L.; Villa, M.; Perez, M. Villaplana; Vilucchi, E.; Vincter, M. G.; Vinogradov, V. B.; Vishwakarma, A.; Vittori, C.; Vivarelli, I.; Vlachos, S.; Vogel, M.; Vokac, P.; Volpi, G.; von der Schmitt, H.; von Toerne, E.; Vorobel, V.; Vorobev, K.; Vos, M.; Voss, R.; Vossebeld, J. H.; Vranjes, N.; Milosavljevic, M. Vranjes; Vrba, V.; Vreeswijk, M.; Vuillermet, R.; Vukotic, I.; Wagner, P.; Wagner, W.; Wagner-Kuhr, J.; Wahlberg, H.; Wahrmund, S.; Wakabayashi, J.; Walder, J.; Walker, R.; Walkowiak, W.; Wallangen, V.; Wang, C.; Wang, C.; Wang, F.; Wang, H.; Wang, H.; Wang, J.; Wang, J.; Wang, Q.; Wang, R.; Wang, S. M.; Wang, T.; Wang, W.; Wang, W.; Wang, Z.; Wanotayaroj, C.; Warburton, A.; Ward, C. P.; Wardrope, D. R.; Washbrook, A.; Watkins, P. M.; Watson, A. T.; Watson, M. F.; Watts, G.; Watts, S.; Waugh, B. M.; Webb, A. F.; Webb, S.; Weber, M. S.; Weber, S. W.; Weber, S. A.; Webster, J. S.; Weidberg, A. R.; Weinert, B.; Weingarten, J.; Weirich, M.; Weiser, C.; Weits, H.; Wells, P. S.; Wenaus, T.; Wengler, T.; Wenig, S.; Wermes, N.; Werner, M. D.; Werner, P.; Wessels, M.; Whalen, K.; Whallon, N. L.; Wharton, A. M.; White, A. S.; White, A.; White, M. J.; White, R.; Whiteson, D.; Whitmore, B. W.; Wickens, F. J.; Wiedenmann, W.; Wielers, M.; Wiglesworth, C.; Wiik-Fuchs, L. A. M.; Wildauer, A.; Wilk, F.; Wilkens, H. G.; Williams, H. H.; Williams, S.; Willis, C.; Willocq, S.; Wilson, J. A.; Wingerter-Seez, I.; Winkels, E.; Winklmeier, F.; Winston, O. J.; Winter, B. T.; Wittgen, M.; Wobisch, M.; Wolf, T. M. H.; Wolff, R.; Wolter, M. W.; Wolters, H.; Wong, V. W. S.; Worm, S. D.; Wosiek, B. K.; Wotschack, J.; Wozniak, K. W.; Wu, M.; Wu, S. L.; Wu, X.; Wu, Y.; Wyatt, T. R.; Wynne, B. M.; Xella, S.; Xi, Z.; Xia, L.; Xu, D.; Xu, L.; Xu, T.; Yabsley, B.; Yacoob, S.; Yamaguchi, D.; Yamaguchi, Y.; Yamamoto, A.; Yamamoto, S.; Yamanaka, T.; Yamatani, M.; Yamauchi, K.; Yamazaki, Y.; Yan, Z.; Yang, H.; Yang, H.; Yang, Y.; Yang, Z.; Yao, W.-M.; Yap, Y. C.; Yasu, Y.; Yatsenko, E.; Wong, K. H. Yau; Ye, J.; Ye, S.; Yeletskikh, I.; Yigitbasi, E.; Yildirim, E.; Yorita, K.; Yoshihara, K.; Young, C.; Young, C. J. S.; Yu, J.; Yu, J.; Yuen, S. P. Y.; Yusuff, I.; Zabinski, B.; Zacharis, G.; Zaidan, R.; Zaitsev, A. M.; Zakharchuk, N.; Zalieckas, J.; Zaman, A.; Zambito, S.; Zanzi, D.; Zeitnitz, C.; Zemaityte, G.; Zemla, A.; Zeng, J. C.; Zeng, Q.; Zenin, O.; Ženiš, T.; Zerwas, D.; Zhang, D.; Zhang, F.; Zhang, G.; Zhang, H.; Zhang, J.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, M.; Zhang, P.; Zhang, R.; Zhang, R.; Zhang, X.; Zhang, Y.; Zhang, Z.; Zhao, X.; Zhao, Y.; Zhao, Z.; Zhemchugov, A.; Zhou, B.; Zhou, C.; Zhou, L.; Zhou, M.; Zhou, M.; Zhou, N.; Zhu, C. G.; Zhu, H.; Zhu, J.; Zhu, Y.; Zhuang, X.; Zhukov, K.; Zibell, A.; Zieminska, D.; Zimine, N. I.; Zimmermann, C.; Zimmermann, S.; Zinonos, Z.; Zinser, M.; Ziolkowski, M.; Živković, L.; Zobernig, G.; Zoccoli, A.; Zou, R.; zur Nedden, M.; Zwalinski, L.

    2017-09-01

    A search for new phenomena in final states characterized by high jet multiplicity, an isolated lepton (electron or muon) and either zero or at least three b-tagged jets is presented. The search uses 36.1 fb-1 of √{s}=13 TeV proton-proton collision data collected by the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 and 2016. The dominant sources of background are estimated using parameterized extrapolations, based on observables at medium jet multiplicity, to predict the b-tagged jet multiplicity distribution at the higher jet multiplicities used in the search. No significant excess over the Standard Model expectation is observed and 95% confidence-level limits are extracted constraining four simplified models of R-parity-violating supersymmetry that feature either gluino or top-squark pair production. The exclusion limits reach as high as 2.1 TeV in gluino mass and 1.2 TeV in top-squark mass in the models considered. In addition, an upper limit is set on the cross-section for Standard Model t\\overline{t}t\\overline{t} production of 60 fb (6.5 × the Standard Model prediction) at 95% confidence level. Finally, model-independent limits are set on the contribution from new phenomena to the signal-region yields. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

  2. The Role of Early Head Start Programs in Addressing the Child Care Needs of Low-Income Families with Infants and Toddlers: Influences on Child Care Use and Quality.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Love, John M.; Constantine, Jill; Paulsell, Diane; Boller, Kimberly; Ross, Christine; Raikes, Helen; Brady-Smith, Christy; Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne

    2004-01-01

    In 1994, the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Services for Families with Infants and Toddlers set forth a vision for Early Head Start programs in declaring that all child care settings used by Early Head Start families, whether or not the program provides the care directly, must meet the high standards of quality embodied in the Head Start…

  3. Global Proteome Analysis Identifies Active Immunoproteasome Subunits in Human Platelets*

    PubMed Central

    Klockenbusch, Cordula; Walsh, Geraldine M.; Brown, Lyda M.; Hoffman, Michael D.; Ignatchenko, Vladimir; Kislinger, Thomas; Kast, Juergen

    2014-01-01

    The discovery of new functions for platelets, particularly in inflammation and immunity, has expanded the role of these anucleate cell fragments beyond their primary hemostatic function. Here, four in-depth human platelet proteomic data sets were generated to explore potential new functions for platelets based on their protein content and this led to the identification of 2559 high confidence proteins. During a more detailed analysis, consistently high expression of the proteasome was discovered, and the composition and function of this complex, whose role in platelets has not been thoroughly investigated, was examined. Data set mining resulted in identification of nearly all members of the 26S proteasome in one or more data sets, except the β5 subunit. However, β5i, a component of the immunoproteasome, was identified. Biochemical analyses confirmed the presence of all catalytically active subunits of the standard 20S proteasome and immunoproteasome in human platelets, including β5, which was predominantly found in its precursor form. It was demonstrated that these components were assembled into the proteasome complex and that standard proteasome as well as immunoproteasome subunits were constitutively active in platelets. These findings suggest potential new roles for platelets in the immune system. For example, the immunoproteasome may be involved in major histocompatibility complex I (MHC I) peptide generation, as the MHC I machinery was also identified in our data sets. PMID:25146974

  4. A new acoustic method to determine the setting time of calcium sulfate bone cement mixed with antibiotics.

    PubMed

    Cooper, J J; Brayford, M J; Laycock, P A

    2014-08-01

    A new method is described which can be used to determine the setting times of small amounts of high value bone cements. The test was developed to measure how the setting times of a commercially available synthetic calcium sulfate cement (Stimulan, Biocomposites, UK) in two forms (standard and Rapid Cure) varies with the addition of clinically relevant antibiotics. The importance of being able to accurately quantify these setting times is discussed. The results demonstrate that this new method, which is shown to correlate to the Vicat needle, gives reliable and repeatable data with additional benefits expressed in the article. The majority of antibiotics mixed were found to retard the setting reaction of the calcium sulfate cement.

  5. Whitebark Pine Guidelines for Planting Prescriptions

    Treesearch

    Glenda L. Scott; Ward W. McCaughey

    2006-01-01

    This paper reviews general literature, research studies, field observations, and standard Forest Service survival surveys of high-elevation whitebark pine plantations and presents a set of guidelines for outplanting prescriptions. When planting whitebark pine, the recommendations are: 1) reduce overstory competition; 2) reduce understory vegetation, especially grasses...

  6. A Population of Assessment Tasks

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Daro, Phil; Burkhardt, Hugh

    2012-01-01

    We propose the development of a "population" of high-quality assessment tasks that cover the performance goals set out in the "Common Core State Standards for Mathematics." The population will be published. Tests are drawn from this population as a structured random sample guided by a "balancing algorithm."

  7. 76 FR 78174 - Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedure and Energy Conservation Standard for Set-Top Boxes...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-16

    ...): The capability to interface with external devices over a high bandwidth network (e.g., IEEE 802.11 (WiFi), MoCA, HPNA). For purposes of this specification, IEEE 802.3 wired Ethernet is not considered a...

  8. Search for TeV-scale gravity signatures in high-mass final states with leptons and jets with the ATLAS detector at √{ s} = 13 TeV

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aaboud, M.; Aad, G.; Abbott, B.; Abdallah, J.; Abdinov, O.; Abeloos, B.; Aben, R.; Abouzeid, O. S.; Abraham, N. L.; Abramowicz, H.; Abreu, H.; Abreu, R.; Abulaiti, Y.; Acharya, B. S.; Adamczyk, L.; Adams, D. L.; Adelman, J.; Adomeit, S.; Adye, T.; Affolder, A. A.; Agatonovic-Jovin, T.; Agricola, J.; Aguilar-Saavedra, J. A.; Ahlen, S. P.; Ahmadov, F.; Aielli, G.; Akerstedt, H.; Åkesson, T. P. A.; Akimov, A. V.; Alberghi, G. L.; Albert, J.; Albrand, S.; Alconada Verzini, M. J.; Aleksa, M.; Aleksandrov, I. N.; Alexa, C.; Alexander, G.; Alexopoulos, T.; Alhroob, M.; Ali, B.; Aliev, M.; Alimonti, G.; Alison, J.; Alkire, S. P.; Allbrooke, B. M. M.; Allen, B. W.; Allport, P. P.; Aloisio, A.; Alonso, A.; Alonso, F.; Alpigiani, C.; Alstaty, M.; Alvarez Gonzalez, B.; Álvarez Piqueras, D.; Alviggi, M. G.; Amadio, B. T.; Amako, K.; Amaral Coutinho, Y.; Amelung, C.; Amidei, D.; Amor Dos Santos, S. P.; Amorim, A.; Amoroso, S.; Amundsen, G.; Anastopoulos, C.; Ancu, L. 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A.; Crispin Ortuzar, M.; Cristinziani, M.; Croft, V.; Crosetti, G.; Cueto, A.; Cuhadar Donszelmann, T.; Cummings, J.; Curatolo, M.; Cúth, J.; Cuthbert, C.; Czirr, H.; Czodrowski, P.; D'Amen, G.; D'Auria, S.; D'Onofrio, M.; da Cunha Sargedas de Sousa, M. J.; da Via, C.; Dabrowski, W.; Dado, T.; Dai, T.; Dale, O.; Dallaire, F.; Dallapiccola, C.; Dam, M.; Dandoy, J. R.; Dang, N. P.; Daniells, A. C.; Dann, N. S.; Danninger, M.; Dano Hoffmann, M.; Dao, V.; Darbo, G.; Darmora, S.; Dassoulas, J.; Dattagupta, A.; Davey, W.; David, C.; Davidek, T.; Davies, M.; Davison, P.; Dawe, E.; Dawson, I.; Daya-Ishmukhametova, R. K.; de, K.; de Asmundis, R.; de Benedetti, A.; de Castro, S.; de Cecco, S.; de Groot, N.; de Jong, P.; de la Torre, H.; de Lorenzi, F.; de Maria, A.; de Pedis, D.; de Salvo, A.; de Sanctis, U.; de Santo, A.; de Vivie de Regie, J. B.; Dearnaley, W. J.; Debbe, R.; Debenedetti, C.; Dedovich, D. V.; Dehghanian, N.; Deigaard, I.; Del Gaudio, M.; Del Peso, J.; Del Prete, T.; Delgove, D.; Deliot, F.; Delitzsch, C. M.; Deliyergiyev, M.; Dell'Acqua, A.; Dell'Asta, L.; Dell'Orso, M.; Della Pietra, M.; Della Volpe, D.; Delmastro, M.; Delsart, P. A.; Demarco, D. A.; Demers, S.; Demichev, M.; Demilly, A.; Denisov, S. P.; Denysiuk, D.; Derendarz, D.; Derkaoui, J. E.; Derue, F.; Dervan, P.; Desch, K.; Deterre, C.; Dette, K.; Deviveiros, P. O.; Dewhurst, A.; Dhaliwal, S.; di Ciaccio, A.; di Ciaccio, L.; di Clemente, W. K.; di Donato, C.; di Girolamo, A.; di Girolamo, B.; di Micco, B.; di Nardo, R.; di Simone, A.; di Sipio, R.; di Valentino, D.; Diaconu, C.; Diamond, M.; Dias, F. A.; Diaz, M. A.; Diehl, E. B.; Dietrich, J.; Diglio, S.; Dimitrievska, A.; Dingfelder, J.; Dita, P.; Dita, S.; Dittus, F.; Djama, F.; Djobava, T.; Djuvsland, J. I.; Do Vale, M. A. B.; Dobos, D.; Dobre, M.; Doglioni, C.; Dohmae, T.; Dolejsi, J.; Dolezal, Z.; Dolgoshein, B. A.; Donadelli, M.; Donati, S.; Dondero, P.; Donini, J.; Dopke, J.; Doria, A.; Dova, M. T.; Doyle, A. T.; Drechsler, E.; Dris, M.; Du, Y.; Duarte-Campderros, J.; Duchovni, E.; Duckeck, G.; Ducu, O. A.; Duda, D.; Dudarev, A.; Duffield, E. M.; Duflot, L.; Duguid, L.; Dührssen, M.; Dumancic, M.; Dunford, M.; Duran Yildiz, H.; Düren, M.; Durglishvili, A.; Duschinger, D.; Dutta, B.; Dyndal, M.; Eckardt, C.; Ecker, K. M.; Edgar, R. C.; Edwards, N. C.; Eifert, T.; Eigen, G.; Einsweiler, K.; Ekelof, T.; El Kacimi, M.; Ellajosyula, V.; Ellert, M.; Elles, S.; Ellinghaus, F.; Elliot, A. A.; Ellis, N.; Elmsheuser, J.; Elsing, M.; Emeliyanov, D.; Enari, Y.; Endner, O. C.; Endo, M.; Ennis, J. S.; Erdmann, J.; Ereditato, A.; Ernis, G.; Ernst, J.; Ernst, M.; Errede, S.; Ertel, E.; Escalier, M.; Esch, H.; Escobar, C.; Esposito, B.; Etienvre, A. I.; Etzion, E.; Evans, H.; Ezhilov, A.; Fabbri, F.; Fabbri, L.; Facini, G.; Fakhrutdinov, R. M.; Falciano, S.; Falla, R. J.; Faltova, J.; Fang, Y.; Fanti, M.; Farbin, A.; Farilla, A.; Farina, C.; Farina, E. M.; Farooque, T.; Farrell, S.; Farrington, S. M.; Farthouat, P.; Fassi, F.; Fassnacht, P.; Fassouliotis, D.; Faucci Giannelli, M.; Favareto, A.; Fawcett, W. J.; Fayard, L.; Fedin, O. L.; Fedorko, W.; Feigl, S.; Feligioni, L.; Feng, C.; Feng, E. J.; Feng, H.; Fenyuk, A. B.; Feremenga, L.; Fernandez Martinez, P.; Fernandez Perez, S.; Ferrando, J.; Ferrari, A.; Ferrari, P.; Ferrari, R.; Ferreira de Lima, D. E.; Ferrer, A.; Ferrere, D.; Ferretti, C.; Ferretto Parodi, A.; Fiedler, F.; Filipčič, A.; Filipuzzi, M.; Filthaut, F.; Fincke-Keeler, M.; Finelli, K. D.; Fiolhais, M. C. N.; Fiorini, L.; Firan, A.; Fischer, A.; Fischer, C.; Fischer, J.; Fisher, W. C.; Flaschel, N.; Fleck, I.; Fleischmann, P.; Fletcher, G. T.; Fletcher, R. R. M.; Flick, T.; Floderus, A.; Flores Castillo, L. R.; Flowerdew, M. J.; Forcolin, G. T.; Formica, A.; Forti, A.; Foster, A. 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H.; Geng, C.; Gentile, S.; Gentsos, C.; George, S.; Gerbaudo, D.; Gershon, A.; Ghasemi, S.; Ghazlane, H.; Ghneimat, M.; Giacobbe, B.; Giagu, S.; Giannetti, P.; Gibbard, B.; Gibson, S. M.; Gignac, M.; Gilchriese, M.; Gillam, T. P. S.; Gillberg, D.; Gilles, G.; Gingrich, D. M.; Giokaris, N.; Giordani, M. P.; Giorgi, F. M.; Giorgi, F. M.; Giraud, P. F.; Giromini, P.; Giugni, D.; Giuli, F.; Giuliani, C.; Giulini, M.; Gjelsten, B. K.; Gkaitatzis, S.; Gkialas, I.; Gkougkousis, E. L.; Gladilin, L. K.; Glasman, C.; Glatzer, J.; Glaysher, P. C. F.; Glazov, A.; Goblirsch-Kolb, M.; Godlewski, J.; Goldfarb, S.; Golling, T.; Golubkov, D.; Gomes, A.; Gonçalo, R.; Goncalves Pinto Firmino da Costa, J.; Gonella, G.; Gonella, L.; Gongadze, A.; González de La Hoz, S.; Gonzalez Parra, G.; Gonzalez-Sevilla, S.; Goossens, L.; Gorbounov, P. A.; Gordon, H. A.; Gorelov, I.; Gorini, B.; Gorini, E.; Gorišek, A.; Gornicki, E.; Goshaw, A. T.; Gössling, C.; Gostkin, M. I.; Goudet, C. R.; Goujdami, D.; Goussiou, A. G.; Govender, N.; Gozani, E.; Graber, L.; Grabowska-Bold, I.; Gradin, P. O. J.; Grafström, P.; Gramling, J.; Gramstad, E.; Grancagnolo, S.; Gratchev, V.; Gravila, P. M.; Gray, H. M.; Graziani, E.; Greenwood, Z. D.; Grefe, C.; Gregersen, K.; Gregor, I. M.; Grenier, P.; Grevtsov, K.; Griffiths, J.; Grillo, A. A.; Grimm, K.; Grinstein, S.; Gris, Ph.; Grivaz, J.-F.; Groh, S.; Grohs, J. P.; Gross, E.; Grosse-Knetter, J.; Grossi, G. C.; Grout, Z. J.; Guan, L.; Guan, W.; Guenther, J.; Guescini, F.; Guest, D.; Gueta, O.; Guido, E.; Guillemin, T.; Guindon, S.; Gul, U.; Gumpert, C.; Guo, J.; Guo, Y.; Gupta, R.; Gupta, S.; Gustavino, G.; Gutierrez, P.; Gutierrez Ortiz, N. G.; Gutschow, C.; Guyot, C.; Gwenlan, C.; Gwilliam, C. B.; Haas, A.; Haber, C.; Hadavand, H. K.; Haddad, N.; Hadef, A.; Haefner, P.; Hageböck, S.; Hajduk, Z.; Hakobyan, H.; Haleem, M.; Haley, J.; Halladjian, G.; Hallewell, G. D.; Hamacher, K.; Hamal, P.; Hamano, K.; Hamilton, A.; Hamity, G. N.; Hamnett, P. G.; Han, L.; Hanagaki, K.; Hanawa, K.; Hance, M.; Haney, B.; Hanisch, S.; Hanke, P.; Hanna, R.; Hansen, J. B.; Hansen, J. D.; Hansen, M. C.; Hansen, P. H.; Hara, K.; Hard, A. S.; Harenberg, T.; Hariri, F.; Harkusha, S.; Harrington, R. D.; Harrison, P. F.; Hartjes, F.; Hartmann, N. M.; Hasegawa, M.; Hasegawa, Y.; Hasib, A.; Hassani, S.; Haug, S.; Hauser, R.; Hauswald, L.; Havranek, M.; Hawkes, C. M.; Hawkings, R. J.; Hayden, D.; Hays, C. P.; Hays, J. M.; Hayward, H. S.; Haywood, S. J.; Head, S. J.; Heck, T.; Hedberg, V.; Heelan, L.; Heim, S.; Heim, T.; Heinemann, B.; Heinrich, J. J.; Heinrich, L.; Heinz, C.; Hejbal, J.; Helary, L.; Hellman, S.; Helsens, C.; Henderson, J.; Henderson, R. C. W.; Heng, Y.; Henkelmann, S.; Henriques Correia, A. M.; Henrot-Versille, S.; Herbert, G. H.; Hernández Jiménez, Y.; Herten, G.; Hertenberger, R.; Hervas, L.; Hesketh, G. G.; Hessey, N. P.; Hetherly, J. W.; Hickling, R.; Higón-Rodriguez, E.; Hill, E.; Hill, J. C.; Hiller, K. H.; Hillier, S. 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M.; Iuppa, R.; Iwanski, W.; Iwasaki, H.; Izen, J. M.; Izzo, V.; Jabbar, S.; Jackson, B.; Jackson, M.; Jackson, P.; Jain, V.; Jakobi, K. B.; Jakobs, K.; Jakobsen, S.; Jakoubek, T.; Jamin, D. O.; Jana, D. K.; Jansen, E.; Jansky, R.; Janssen, J.; Janus, M.; Jarlskog, G.; Javadov, N.; Javůrek, T.; Jeanneau, F.; Jeanty, L.; Jejelava, J.; Jeng, G.-Y.; Jennens, D.; Jenni, P.; Jentzsch, J.; Jeske, C.; Jézéquel, S.; Ji, H.; Jia, J.; Jiang, H.; Jiang, Y.; Jiggins, S.; Jimenez Pena, J.; Jin, S.; Jinaru, A.; Jinnouchi, O.; Johansson, P.; Johns, K. A.; Johnson, W. J.; Jon-And, K.; Jones, G.; Jones, R. W. L.; Jones, S.; Jones, T. J.; Jongmanns, J.; Jorge, P. M.; Jovicevic, J.; Ju, X.; Juste Rozas, A.; Köhler, M. K.; Kaczmarska, A.; Kado, M.; Kagan, H.; Kagan, M.; Kahn, S. J.; Kajomovitz, E.; Kalderon, C. W.; Kaluza, A.; Kama, S.; Kamenshchikov, A.; Kanaya, N.; Kaneti, S.; Kanjir, L.; Kantserov, V. A.; Kanzaki, J.; Kaplan, B.; Kaplan, L. 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A.; Schune, Ph.; Schwartzman, A.; Schwarz, T. A.; Schwegler, Ph.; Schweiger, H.; Schwemling, Ph.; Schwienhorst, R.; Schwindling, J.; Schwindt, T.; Sciolla, G.; Scuri, F.; Scutti, F.; Searcy, J.; Seema, P.; Seidel, S. C.; Seiden, A.; Seifert, F.; Seixas, J. M.; Sekhniaidze, G.; Sekhon, K.; Sekula, S. J.; Seliverstov, D. M.; Semprini-Cesari, N.; Serfon, C.; Serin, L.; Serkin, L.; Sessa, M.; Seuster, R.; Severini, H.; Sfiligoj, T.; Sforza, F.; Sfyrla, A.; Shabalina, E.; Shaikh, N. W.; Shan, L. Y.; Shang, R.; Shank, J. T.; Shapiro, M.; Shatalov, P. B.; Shaw, K.; Shaw, S. M.; Shcherbakova, A.; Shehu, C. Y.; Sherwood, P.; Shi, L.; Shimizu, S.; Shimmin, C. O.; Shimojima, M.; Shiyakova, M.; Shmeleva, A.; Shoaleh Saadi, D.; Shochet, M. J.; Shojaii, S.; Shrestha, S.; Shulga, E.; Shupe, M. A.; Sicho, P.; Sickles, A. M.; Sidebo, P. E.; Sidiropoulou, O.; Sidorov, D.; Sidoti, A.; Siegert, F.; Sijacki, Dj.; Silva, J.; Silverstein, S. B.; Simak, V.; Simard, O.; Simic, Lj.; Simion, S.; Simioni, E.; Simmons, B.; Simon, D.; Simon, M.; Sinervo, P.; Sinev, N. B.; Sioli, M.; Siragusa, G.; Sivoklokov, S. Yu.; Sjölin, J.; Skinner, M. B.; Skottowe, H. P.; Skubic, P.; Slater, M.; Slavicek, T.; Slawinska, M.; Sliwa, K.; Slovak, R.; Smakhtin, V.; Smart, B. H.; Smestad, L.; Smiesko, J.; Smirnov, S. Yu.; Smirnov, Y.; Smirnova, L. N.; Smirnova, O.; Smith, M. N. K.; Smith, R. W.; Smizanska, M.; Smolek, K.; Snesarev, A. A.; Snyder, S.; Sobie, R.; Socher, F.; Soffer, A.; Soh, D. A.; Sokhrannyi, G.; Solans Sanchez, C. A.; Solar, M.; Soldatov, E. Yu.; Soldevila, U.; Solodkov, A. A.; Soloshenko, A.; Solovyanov, O. V.; Solovyev, V.; Sommer, P.; Son, H.; Song, H. Y.; Sood, A.; Sopczak, A.; Sopko, V.; Sorin, V.; Sosa, D.; Sotiropoulou, C. L.; Soualah, R.; Soukharev, A. M.; South, D.; Sowden, B. C.; Spagnolo, S.; Spalla, M.; Spangenberg, M.; Spanò, F.; Sperlich, D.; Spettel, F.; Spighi, R.; Spigo, G.; Spiller, L. A.; Spousta, M.; St. Denis, R. D.; Stabile, A.; Stamen, R.; Stamm, S.; Stanecka, E.; Stanek, R. W.; Stanescu, C.; Stanescu-Bellu, M.; Stanitzki, M. M.; Stapnes, S.; Starchenko, E. A.; Stark, G. H.; Stark, J.; Staroba, P.; Starovoitov, P.; Stärz, S.; Staszewski, R.; Steinberg, P.; Stelzer, B.; Stelzer, H. J.; Stelzer-Chilton, O.; Stenzel, H.; Stewart, G. A.; Stillings, J. A.; Stockton, M. C.; Stoebe, M.; Stoicea, G.; Stolte, P.; Stonjek, S.; Stradling, A. R.; Straessner, A.; Stramaglia, M. E.; Strandberg, J.; Strandberg, S.; Strandlie, A.; Strauss, M.; Strizenec, P.; Ströhmer, R.; Strom, D. M.; Stroynowski, R.; Strubig, A.; Stucci, S. A.; Stugu, B.; Styles, N. A.; Su, D.; Su, J.; Suchek, S.; Sugaya, Y.; Suk, M.; Sulin, V. V.; Sultansoy, S.; Sumida, T.; Sun, S.; Sun, X.; Sundermann, J. E.; Suruliz, K.; Susinno, G.; Sutton, M. R.; Suzuki, S.; Svatos, M.; Swiatlowski, M.; Sykora, I.; Sykora, T.; Ta, D.; Taccini, C.; Tackmann, K.; Taenzer, J.; Taffard, A.; Tafirout, R.; Taiblum, N.; Takai, H.; Takashima, R.; Takeshita, T.; Takubo, Y.; Talby, M.; Talyshev, A. A.; Tan, K. G.; Tanaka, J.; Tanaka, R.; Tanaka, S.; Tannenwald, B. B.; Tapia Araya, S.; Tapprogge, S.; Tarem, S.; Tartarelli, G. F.; Tas, P.; Tasevsky, M.; Tashiro, T.; Tassi, E.; Tavares Delgado, A.; Tayalati, Y.; Taylor, A. C.; Taylor, G. N.; Taylor, P. T. E.; Taylor, W.; Teischinger, F. A.; Teixeira-Dias, P.; Temming, K. K.; Temple, D.; Ten Kate, H.; Teng, P. K.; Teoh, J. J.; Tepel, F.; Terada, S.; Terashi, K.; Terron, J.; Terzo, S.; Testa, M.; Teuscher, R. J.; Theveneaux-Pelzer, T.; Thomas, J. P.; Thomas-Wilsker, J.; Thompson, E. N.; Thompson, P. D.; Thompson, A. S.; Thomsen, L. A.; Thomson, E.; Thomson, M.; Tibbetts, M. J.; Ticse Torres, R. E.; Tikhomirov, V. O.; Tikhonov, Yu. A.; Timoshenko, S.; Tipton, P.; Tisserant, S.; Todome, K.; Todorov, T.; Todorova-Nova, S.; Tojo, J.; Tokár, S.; Tokushuku, K.; Tolley, E.; Tomlinson, L.; Tomoto, M.; Tompkins, L.; Toms, K.; Tong, B.; Torrence, E.; Torres, H.; Torró Pastor, E.; Toth, J.; Touchard, F.; Tovey, D. R.; Trefzger, T.; Tricoli, A.; Trigger, I. M.; Trincaz-Duvoid, S.; Tripiana, M. F.; Trischuk, W.; Trocmé, B.; Trofymov, A.; Troncon, C.; Trottier-McDonald, M.; Trovatelli, M.; Truong, L.; Trzebinski, M.; Trzupek, A.; Tseng, J. C.-L.; Tsiareshka, P. V.; Tsipolitis, G.; Tsirintanis, N.; Tsiskaridze, S.; Tsiskaridze, V.; Tskhadadze, E. G.; Tsui, K. M.; Tsukerman, I. I.; Tsulaia, V.; Tsuno, S.; Tsybychev, D.; Tudorache, A.; Tudorache, V.; Tuna, A. N.; Tupputi, S. A.; Turchikhin, S.; Turecek, D.; Turgeman, D.; Turra, R.; Turvey, A. J.; Tuts, P. M.; Tyndel, M.; Ucchielli, G.; Ueda, I.; Ughetto, M.; Ukegawa, F.; Unal, G.; Undrus, A.; Unel, G.; Ungaro, F. C.; Unno, Y.; Unverdorben, C.; Urban, J.; Urquijo, P.; Urrejola, P.; Usai, G.; Usanova, A.; Vacavant, L.; Vacek, V.; Vachon, B.; Valderanis, C.; Valdes Santurio, E.; Valencic, N.; Valentinetti, S.; Valero, A.; Valery, L.; Valkar, S.; Vallecorsa, S.; Valls Ferrer, J. A.; van den Wollenberg, W.; van der Deijl, P. C.; van der Geer, R.; van der Graaf, H.; van Eldik, N.; van Gemmeren, P.; van Nieuwkoop, J.; van Vulpen, I.; van Woerden, M. C.; Vanadia, M.; Vandelli, W.; Vanguri, R.; Vaniachine, A.; Vankov, P.; Vardanyan, G.; Vari, R.; Varnes, E. W.; Varol, T.; Varouchas, D.; Vartapetian, A.; Varvell, K. E.; Vasquez, J. G.; Vazeille, F.; Vazquez Schroeder, T.; Veatch, J.; Veloce, L. M.; Veloso, F.; Veneziano, S.; Ventura, A.; Venturi, M.; Venturi, N.; Venturini, A.; Vercesi, V.; Verducci, M.; Verkerke, W.; Vermeulen, J. C.; Vest, A.; Vetterli, M. C.; Viazlo, O.; Vichou, I.; Vickey, T.; Vickey Boeriu, O. E.; Viehhauser, G. H. A.; Viel, S.; Vigani, L.; Villa, M.; Villaplana Perez, M.; Vilucchi, E.; Vincter, M. G.; Vinogradov, V. B.; Vittori, C.; Vivarelli, I.; Vlachos, S.; Vlasak, M.; Vogel, M.; Vokac, P.; Volpi, G.; Volpi, M.; von der Schmitt, H.; von Toerne, E.; Vorobel, V.; Vorobev, K.; Vos, M.; Voss, R.; Vossebeld, J. H.; Vranjes, N.; Vranjes Milosavljevic, M.; Vrba, V.; Vreeswijk, M.; Vuillermet, R.; Vukotic, I.; Vykydal, Z.; Wagner, P.; Wagner, W.; Wahlberg, H.; Wahrmund, S.; Wakabayashi, J.; Walder, J.; Walker, R.; Walkowiak, W.; Wallangen, V.; Wang, C.; Wang, C.; Wang, F.; Wang, H.; Wang, H.; Wang, J.; Wang, J.; Wang, K.; Wang, R.; Wang, S. M.; Wang, T.; Wang, T.; Wang, W.; Wang, X.; Wanotayaroj, C.; Warburton, A.; Ward, C. P.; Wardrope, D. R.; Washbrook, A.; Watkins, P. M.; Watson, A. T.; Watson, M. F.; Watts, G.; Watts, S.; Waugh, B. M.; Webb, S.; Weber, M. S.; Weber, S. W.; Webster, J. S.; Weidberg, A. R.; Weinert, B.; Weingarten, J.; Weiser, C.; Weits, H.; Wells, P. S.; Wenaus, T.; Wengler, T.; Wenig, S.; Wermes, N.; Werner, M.; Werner, M. D.; Werner, P.; Wessels, M.; Wetter, J.; Whalen, K.; Whallon, N. L.; Wharton, A. M.; White, A.; White, M. J.; White, R.; Whiteson, D.; Wickens, F. J.; Wiedenmann, W.; Wielers, M.; Wienemann, P.; Wiglesworth, C.; Wiik-Fuchs, L. A. M.; Wildauer, A.; Wilk, F.; Wilkens, H. G.; Williams, H. H.; Williams, S.; Willis, C.; Willocq, S.; Wilson, J. A.; Wingerter-Seez, I.; Winklmeier, F.; Winston, O. J.; Winter, B. T.; Wittgen, M.; Wittkowski, J.; Wolf, T. M. H.; Wolter, M. W.; Wolters, H.; Worm, S. D.; Wosiek, B. K.; Wotschack, J.; Woudstra, M. J.; Wozniak, K. W.; Wu, M.; Wu, M.; Wu, S. L.; Wu, X.; Wu, Y.; Wyatt, T. R.; Wynne, B. M.; Xella, S.; Xu, D.; Xu, L.; Yabsley, B.; Yacoob, S.; Yakabe, R.; Yamaguchi, D.; Yamaguchi, Y.; Yamamoto, A.; Yamamoto, S.; Yamanaka, T.; Yamauchi, K.; Yamazaki, Y.; Yan, Z.; Yang, H.; Yang, H.; Yang, Y.; Yang, Z.; Yao, W.-M.; Yap, Y. C.; Yasu, Y.; Yatsenko, E.; Yau Wong, K. H.; Ye, J.; Ye, S.; Yeletskikh, I.; Yen, A. L.; Yildirim, E.; Yorita, K.; Yoshida, R.; Yoshihara, K.; Young, C.; Young, C. J. S.; Youssef, S.; Yu, D. R.; Yu, J.; Yu, J. M.; Yu, J.; Yuan, L.; Yuen, S. P. Y.; Yusuff, I.; Zabinski, B.; Zaidan, R.; Zaitsev, A. M.; Zakharchuk, N.; Zalieckas, J.; Zaman, A.; Zambito, S.; Zanello, L.; Zanzi, D.; Zeitnitz, C.; Zeman, M.; Zemla, A.; Zeng, J. C.; Zeng, Q.; Zengel, K.; Zenin, O.; Ženiš, T.; Zerwas, D.; Zhang, D.; Zhang, F.; Zhang, G.; Zhang, H.; Zhang, J.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, R.; Zhang, R.; Zhang, X.; Zhang, Z.; Zhao, X.; Zhao, Y.; Zhao, Z.; Zhemchugov, A.; Zhong, J.; Zhou, B.; Zhou, C.; Zhou, L.; Zhou, L.; Zhou, M.; Zhou, N.; Zhu, C. G.; Zhu, H.; Zhu, J.; Zhu, Y.; Zhuang, X.; Zhukov, K.; Zibell, A.; Zieminska, D.; Zimine, N. I.; Zimmermann, C.; Zimmermann, S.; Zinonos, Z.; Zinser, M.; Ziolkowski, M.; Živković, L.; Zobernig, G.; Zoccoli, A.; Zur Nedden, M.; Zwalinski, L.; Atlas Collaboration

    2016-09-01

    A search for physics beyond the Standard Model, in final states with at least one high transverse momentum charged lepton (electron or muon) and two additional high transverse momentum leptons or jets, is performed using 3.2 fb-1 of proton-proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 at √{ s} = 13 TeV. The upper end of the distribution of the scalar sum of the transverse momenta of leptons and jets is sensitive to the production of high-mass objects. No excess of events beyond Standard Model predictions is observed. Exclusion limits are set for models of microscopic black holes with two to six extra dimensions.

  9. Can SNOMED CT Changes Be Used as a Surrogate Standard for Evaluating the Performance of Its Auditing Methods?

    PubMed Central

    Guo-Qiang, Zhang; Yan, Huang; Licong, Cui

    2017-01-01

    We introduce RGT, Retrospective Ground-Truthing, as a surrogate reference standard for evaluating the performance of automated Ontology Quality Assurance (OQA) methods. The key idea of RGT is to use cumulative SNOMED CT changes derived from its regular longitudinal distributions by the official SNOMED CT editorial board as a partial, surrogate reference standard. The contributions of this paper are twofold: (1) to construct an RGT reference set for SNOMED CT relational changes; and (2) to perform a comparative evaluation of the performances of lattice, non-lattice, and randomized relational error detection methods using the standard precision, recall, and geometric measures. An RGT relational-change reference set of 32,241 IS-A changes were constructed from 5 U.S. editions of SNOMED CT from September 2014 to September 2016, with reversals and changes due to deletion or addition of new concepts excluded. 68,849 independent non-lattice fragments, 118,587 independent lattice fragments, and 446,603 relations were extracted from the SNOMED CT March 2014 distribution. Comparative performance analysis of smaller (less than 15) lattice vs. non-lattice fragments was also given to approach the more realistic setting in which such methods may be applied. Among the 32,241 IS-A changes, independent non-lattice fragments covered 52.8% changes with 26.4% precision with a G-score of 0.373. Even though this G-score is significantly lower in comparison to those in information retrieval, it breaks new ground in that such evaluations have never performed before in the highly discovery-oriented setting of OQA. PMID:29854262

  10. Can SNOMED CT Changes Be Used as a Surrogate Standard for Evaluating the Performance of Its Auditing Methods?

    PubMed

    Guo-Qiang, Zhang; Yan, Huang; Licong, Cui

    2017-01-01

    We introduce RGT, Retrospective Ground-Truthing, as a surrogate reference standard for evaluating the performance of automated Ontology Quality Assurance (OQA) methods. The key idea of RGT is to use cumulative SNOMED CT changes derived from its regular longitudinal distributions by the official SNOMED CT editorial board as a partial, surrogate reference standard. The contributions of this paper are twofold: (1) to construct an RGT reference set for SNOMED CT relational changes; and (2) to perform a comparative evaluation of the performances of lattice, non-lattice, and randomized relational error detection methods using the standard precision, recall, and geometric measures. An RGT relational-change reference set of 32,241 IS-A changes were constructed from 5 U.S. editions of SNOMED CT from September 2014 to September 2016, with reversals and changes due to deletion or addition of new concepts excluded. 68,849 independent non-lattice fragments, 118,587 independent lattice fragments, and 446,603 relations were extracted from the SNOMED CT March 2014 distribution. Comparative performance analysis of smaller (less than 15) lattice vs. non-lattice fragments was also given to approach the more realistic setting in which such methods may be applied. Among the 32,241 IS-A changes, independent non-lattice fragments covered 52.8% changes with 26.4% precision with a G-score of 0.373. Even though this G-score is significantly lower in comparison to those in information retrieval, it breaks new ground in that such evaluations have never performed before in the highly discovery-oriented setting of OQA.

  11. 77 FR 4698 - Energy Conservation Program: Test Procedure and Energy Conservation Standard for Set-Top Boxes...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-01-31

    ... Conservation Program: Test Procedure and Energy Conservation Standard for Set-Top Boxes and Network Equipment... comments on the request for information pertaining to the development of test procedures and energy conservation standards for set-top boxes and network equipment. The comment period is extended to March 15...

  12. Situating Standard Setting within Argument-Based Validity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Papageorgiou, Spiros; Tannenbaum, Richard J.

    2016-01-01

    Although there has been substantial work on argument-based approaches to validation as well as standard-setting methodologies, it might not always be clear how standard setting fits into argument-based validity. The purpose of this article is to address this lack in the literature, with a specific focus on topics related to argument-based…

  13. Standard Setting Lessons Learned in the South African Context: Implications for International Implementation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pitoniak, Mary J.; Yeld, Nan

    2013-01-01

    Criterion-referenced assessments have become more common around the world, with performance standards being set to differentiate different levels of student performance. However, use of standard setting methods developed in the United States may be complicated by factors related to the political and educational contexts within another country. In…

  14. Wearable, multimodal, vitals acquisition unit for intelligent field triage

    PubMed Central

    Georgiou, Julius

    2016-01-01

    In this Letter, the authors describe the characterisation design and development of the authors’ wearable, multimodal vitals acquisition unit for intelligent field triage. The unit is able to record the standard electrocardiogram, blood oxygen and body temperature parameters and also has the unique capability to record up to eight custom designed acoustic streams for heart and lung sound auscultation. These acquisition channels are highly synchronised to fully maintain the time correlation of the signals. The unit is a key component enabling systematic and intelligent field triage to continuously acquire vital patient information. With the realised unit a novel data-set with highly synchronised vital signs was recorded. The new data-set may be used for algorithm design in vital sign analysis or decision making. The monitoring unit is the only known body worn system that records standard emergency parameters plus eight multi-channel auscultatory streams and stores the recordings and wirelessly transmits them to mobile response teams. PMID:27733926

  15. Process Improvement of Reactive Dye Synthesis Using Six Sigma Concept

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suwanich, Thanapat; Chutima, Parames

    2017-06-01

    This research focuses on the problem occurred in the reactive dye synthesis process of a global manufacturer in Thailand which producing various chemicals for reactive dye products to supply global industries such as chemicals, textiles and garments. The product named “Reactive Blue Base” is selected in this study because it has highest demand and the current chemical yield shows a high variation, i.e. yield variation of 90.4% - 99.1% (S.D. = 2.405 and Cpk = -0.08) and average yield is 94.5% (lower than the 95% standard set by the company). The Six Sigma concept is applied aiming at increasing yield and reducing variation of this process. This approach is suitable since it provides a systematic guideline with five improvement phases (DMAIC) to effectively tackle the problem and find the appropriate parameter settings of the process. Under the new parameter settings, the process yield variation is reduced to range between 96.5% - 98.5% (S.D. = 0.525 and Cpk = 1.83) and the average yield is increased to 97.5% (higher than the 95% standard set by the company).

  16. GeoChange Global Change Data

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    ,

    1997-01-01

    GeoChange is an online data system providing access to research results and data generated by the U.S. Geological Survey's Global Change Research Program. Researchers in this program study climate history and the causes of climatic variations, as well as providing baseline data sets on contemporary atmospheric chemistry, high-resolution meteorology, and dust deposition. Research results are packaged as data sets, groups of digital files containing scientific observations, documentation, and interpretation. The data sets are arranged in a consistent manner using standard file formats so that users of a variety of computer systems can access and use them.

  17. 75 FR 2938 - National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-01-19

    ...Based on its reconsideration of the primary and secondary national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone (O3) set in March 2008, EPA proposes to set different primary and secondary standards than those set in 2008 to provide requisite protection of public health and welfare, respectively. With regard to the primary standard for O3, EPA proposes that the level of the 8-hour primary standard, which was set at 0.075 ppm in the 2008 final rule, should instead be set at a lower level within the range of 0.060 to 0.070 parts per million (ppm), to provide increased protection for children and other ``at risk'' populations against an array of O3-related adverse health effects that range from decreased lung function and increased respiratory symptoms to serious indicators of respiratory morbidity including emergency department visits and hospital admissions for respiratory causes, and possibly cardiovascular-related morbidity as well as total non-accidental and cardiopulmonary mortality. With regard to the secondary standard for O3, EPA proposes that the secondary O3 standard, which was set identical to the revised primary standard in the 2008 final rule, should instead be a new cumulative, seasonal standard expressed as an annual index of the sum of weighted hourly concentrations, cumulated over 12 hours per day (8 am to 8 pm) during the consecutive 3-month period within the O3 season with the maximum index value, set at a level within the range of 7 to 15 ppm- hours, to provide increased protection against O3-related adverse impacts on vegetation and forested ecosystems.

  18. Retrospective Analysis of NIST Standard Reference Material 1450, Fibrous Glass Board, for Thermal Insulation Measurements.

    PubMed

    Zarr, Robert R; Heckert, N Alan; Leigh, Stefan D

    2014-01-01

    Thermal conductivity data acquired previously for the establishment of Standard Reference Material (SRM) 1450, Fibrous Glass Board, as well as subsequent renewals 1450a, 1450b, 1450c, and 1450d, are re-analyzed collectively and as individual data sets. Additional data sets for proto-1450 material lots are also included in the analysis. The data cover 36 years of activity by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in developing and providing thermal insulation SRMs, specifically high-density molded fibrous-glass board, to the public. Collectively, the data sets cover two nominal thicknesses of 13 mm and 25 mm, bulk densities from 60 kg·m(-3) to 180 kg·m(-3), and mean temperatures from 100 K to 340 K. The analysis repetitively fits six models to the individual data sets. The most general form of the nested set of multilinear models used is given in the following equation: [Formula: see text]where λ(ρ,T) is the predicted thermal conductivity (W·m(-1)·K(-1)), ρ is the bulk density (kg·m(-3)), T is the mean temperature (K) and ai (for i = 1, 2, … 6) are the regression coefficients. The least squares fit results for each model across all data sets are analyzed using both graphical and analytic techniques. The prevailing generic model for the majority of data sets is the bilinear model in ρ and T. [Formula: see text] One data set supports the inclusion of a cubic temperature term and two data sets with low-temperature data support the inclusion of an exponential term in T to improve the model predictions. Physical interpretations of the model function terms are described. Recommendations for future renewals of SRM 1450 are provided. An Addendum provides historical background on the origin of this SRM and the influence of the SRM on external measurement programs.

  19. Using rank-order geostatistics for spatial interpolation of highly skewed data in a heavy-metal contaminated site.

    PubMed

    Juang, K W; Lee, D Y; Ellsworth, T R

    2001-01-01

    The spatial distribution of a pollutant in contaminated soils is usually highly skewed. As a result, the sample variogram often differs considerably from its regional counterpart and the geostatistical interpolation is hindered. In this study, rank-order geostatistics with standardized rank transformation was used for the spatial interpolation of pollutants with a highly skewed distribution in contaminated soils when commonly used nonlinear methods, such as logarithmic and normal-scored transformations, are not suitable. A real data set of soil Cd concentrations with great variation and high skewness in a contaminated site of Taiwan was used for illustration. The spatial dependence of ranks transformed from Cd concentrations was identified and kriging estimation was readily performed in the standardized-rank space. The estimated standardized rank was back-transformed into the concentration space using the middle point model within a standardized-rank interval of the empirical distribution function (EDF). The spatial distribution of Cd concentrations was then obtained. The probability of Cd concentration being higher than a given cutoff value also can be estimated by using the estimated distribution of standardized ranks. The contour maps of Cd concentrations and the probabilities of Cd concentrations being higher than the cutoff value can be simultaneously used for delineation of hazardous areas of contaminated soils.

  20. Genome-Wide Mapping of Copy Number Variation in Humans: Comparative Analysis of High Resolution Array Platforms

    PubMed Central

    Haraksingh, Rajini R.; Abyzov, Alexej; Gerstein, Mark; Urban, Alexander E.; Snyder, Michael

    2011-01-01

    Accurate and efficient genome-wide detection of copy number variants (CNVs) is essential for understanding human genomic variation, genome-wide CNV association type studies, cytogenetics research and diagnostics, and independent validation of CNVs identified from sequencing based technologies. Numerous, array-based platforms for CNV detection exist utilizing array Comparative Genome Hybridization (aCGH), Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) genotyping or both. We have quantitatively assessed the abilities of twelve leading genome-wide CNV detection platforms to accurately detect Gold Standard sets of CNVs in the genome of HapMap CEU sample NA12878, and found significant differences in performance. The technologies analyzed were the NimbleGen 4.2 M, 2.1 M and 3×720 K Whole Genome and CNV focused arrays, the Agilent 1×1 M CGH and High Resolution and 2×400 K CNV and SNP+CGH arrays, the Illumina Human Omni1Quad array and the Affymetrix SNP 6.0 array. The Gold Standards used were a 1000 Genomes Project sequencing-based set of 3997 validated CNVs and an ultra high-resolution aCGH-based set of 756 validated CNVs. We found that sensitivity, total number, size range and breakpoint resolution of CNV calls were highest for CNV focused arrays. Our results are important for cost effective CNV detection and validation for both basic and clinical applications. PMID:22140474

  1. Difference in muscle activation patterns during high-speed versus standard-speed yoga: A randomized sequence crossover study.

    PubMed

    Potiaumpai, Melanie; Martins, Maria Carolina Massoni; Wong, Claudia; Desai, Trusha; Rodriguez, Roberto; Mooney, Kiersten; Signorile, Joseph F

    2017-02-01

    To compare the difference in muscle activation between high-speed yoga and standard-speed yoga and to compare muscle activation of the transitions between poses and the held phases of a yoga pose. Randomized sequence crossover trial SETTING: A laboratory of neuromuscular research and active aging Interventions: Eight minutes of continuous Sun Salutation B was performed, at a high speed versus a standard-speed, separately. Electromyography was used to quantify normalized muscle activation patterns of eight upper and lower body muscles (pectoralis major, medial deltoids, lateral head of the triceps, middle fibers of the trapezius, vastus medialis, medial gastrocnemius, thoracic extensor spinae, and external obliques) during the high-speed and standard-speed yoga protocols. Difference in normalized muscle activation between high-speed yoga and standard-speed yoga. Normalized muscle activity signals were significantly higher in all eight muscles during the transition phases of poses compared to the held phases (p<0.01). There was no significant interaction between speed×phase; however, greater normalized muscle activity was seen for highspeed yoga across the entire session. Our results show that transitions from one held phase of a pose to another produces higher normalized muscle activity than the held phases of the poses and that overall activity is greater during highspeed yoga than standard-speed yoga. Therefore, the transition speed and associated number of poses should be considered when targeting specific improvements in performance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Research on Standard and Automatic Judgment of Press-fit Curve of Locomotive Wheel-set Based on AAR Standard

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lu, Jun; Xiao, Jun; Gao, Dong Jun; Zong, Shu Yu; Li, Zhu

    2018-03-01

    In the production of the Association of American Railroads (AAR) locomotive wheel-set, the press-fit curve is the most important basis for the reliability of wheel-set assembly. In the past, Most of production enterprises mainly use artificial detection methods to determine the quality of assembly. There are cases of miscarriage of justice appear. For this reason, the research on the standard is carried out. And the automatic judgment of press-fit curve is analysed and designed, so as to provide guidance for the locomotive wheel-set production based on AAR standard.

  3. Setting a national minimum standard for health benefits: how do state benefit mandates compare with benefits in large-group plans?

    PubMed

    Frey, Allison; Mika, Stephanie; Nuzum, Rachel; Schoen, Cathy

    2009-06-01

    Many proposed health insurance reforms would establish a federal minimum benefit standard--a baseline set of benefits to ensure that people have adequate coverage and financial protection when they purchase insurance. Currently, benefit mandates are set at the state level; these vary greatly across states and generally target specific areas rather than set an overall standard for what qualifies as health insurance. This issue brief considers what a broad federal minimum standard might look like by comparing existing state benefit mandates with the services and providers covered under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) Blue Cross and Blue Shield standard benefit package, an example of minimum creditable coverage that reflects current standard practice among employer-sponsored health plans. With few exceptions, benefits in the FEHBP standard option either meet or exceed those that state mandates require-indicating that a broad-based national benefit standard would include most existing state benefit mandates.

  4. NASA/NBS (National Aeronautics and Space Administration/National Bureau of Standards) standard reference model for telerobot control system architecture (NASREM)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Albus, James S.; Mccain, Harry G.; Lumia, Ronald

    1989-01-01

    The document describes the NASA Standard Reference Model (NASREM) Architecture for the Space Station Telerobot Control System. It defines the functional requirements and high level specifications of the control system for the NASA space Station document for the functional specification, and a guideline for the development of the control system architecture, of the 10C Flight Telerobot Servicer. The NASREM telerobot control system architecture defines a set of standard modules and interfaces which facilitates software design, development, validation, and test, and make possible the integration of telerobotics software from a wide variety of sources. Standard interfaces also provide the software hooks necessary to incrementally upgrade future Flight Telerobot Systems as new capabilities develop in computer science, robotics, and autonomous system control.

  5. Pulmonary Nodule Management in Lung Cancer Screening: A Pictorial Review of Lung-RADS Version 1.0.

    PubMed

    Godoy, Myrna C B; Odisio, Erika G L C; Truong, Mylene T; de Groot, Patricia M; Shroff, Girish S; Erasmus, Jeremy J

    2018-05-01

    The number of screening-detected lung nodules is expected to increase as low-dose computed tomography screening is implemented nationally. Standardized guidelines for image acquisition, interpretation, and screen-detected nodule workup are essential to ensure a high standard of medical care and that lung cancer screening is implemented safely and cost effectively. In this article, we review the current guidelines for pulmonary nodule management in the lung cancer screening setting. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Condensed Mastery Profile Method for Setting Standards for Diagnostic Assessment Systems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clark, A. K.; Nash, B.; Karvonen, M.; Kingston, N.

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop a standard-setting method appropriate for use with a diagnostic assessment that produces profiles of student mastery rather than a single raw or scale score value. The condensed mastery profile method draws from established holistic standard-setting methods to use rounds of range finding and pinpointing to…

  7. Effect of Content Knowledge on Angoff-Style Standard Setting Judgments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Margolis, Melissa J.; Mee, Janet; Clauser, Brian E.; Winward, Marcia; Clauser, Jerome C.

    2016-01-01

    Evidence to support the credibility of standard setting procedures is a critical part of the validity argument for decisions made based on tests that are used for classification. One area in which there has been limited empirical study is the impact of standard setting judge selection on the resulting cut score. One important issue related to…

  8. The Regents Competency Testing Program. Setting Standards in the Basic Skills as a Requirement for High School Graduation. Information Brochure.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    New York State Education Dept., Albany.

    The New York State Regents Competency Testing Program is described. Competency tests have been developed in the basic skills of reading, writing, and mathematics, for two purposes: (1) to identify those students who need remedial help; and (2) to assure that students receiving high school diplomas have acquired adequate competence in these areas.…

  9. Assessment of an undergraduate psychiatry course in an African setting.

    PubMed

    Baig, Benjamin J; Beaglehole, Anna; Stewart, Robert C; Boeing, Leonie; Blackwood, Douglas H; Leuvennink, Johan; Kauye, Felix

    2008-04-22

    International reports recommend the improvement in the amount and quality of training for mental health workers in low and middle income countries. The Scotland-Malawi Mental Health Education Project (SMMHEP) has been established to support the teaching of psychiatry to medical students in the University of Malawi. While anecdotally supportive medical educational initiatives appear of value, little quantitative evidence exists to demonstrate whether such initiatives can deliver comparable educational standards. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an undergraduate psychiatry course given by UK psychiatrists in Malawi by studying University of Malawi and Edinburgh University medical students' performance on an MCQ examination paper. An undergraduate psychiatry course followed by an MCQ exam was delivered by the SMMHEP to 57 Malawi medical students. This same MCQ exam was given to 71 Edinburgh University medical students who subsequently sat their own Edinburgh University examination. There were no significant differences between Edinburgh students' performance on the Malawi exam and their own Edinburgh University exam. (p = 0.65). This would suggest that the Malawi exam is a comparable standard to the Edinburgh exam. Malawi students marks ranged from 52.4%-84.6%. Importantly 84.4% of Malawi students scored above 60% on their exam which would equate to a hypothetical pass by UK university standards. The support of an undergraduate course in an African setting by high income country specialists can attain a high percentage pass rate by UK standards. Although didactic teaching has been surpassed by more novel educational methods, in resource poor countries it remains an effective and cost effective method of gaining an important educational standard.

  10. Characterizing the Exposure of Regional-Scale Air Quality in the Northeastern United States

    EPA Science Inventory

    The Clean Air Act (CAA) requires that the United States (U.S.) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for pollutants considered harmful to human health and the environment. Previous research has shown that high ambient ozone leve...

  11. Focus on Success

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Frey, Susan

    2011-01-01

    Successful middle schools do not happen by accident--they happen through leadership. Principals promote a shared vision that empowers school staffs to set high standards and continuously improve student achievement. And these middle grade educators also try to help their adolescent students see the connection between their work in school and their…

  12. Improving the goat long-read assembly with optical mapping

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Reference genome assemblies provide important context in genetics by standardizing the order of genes and providing a universal set of coordinates for individual nucleotides. Often due to the high complexity of genic regions and higher copy number of genes involved in immune function, immunity-relat...

  13. Simple tools for assembling and searching high-density picolitre pyrophosphate sequence data.

    PubMed

    Parker, Nicolas J; Parker, Andrew G

    2008-04-18

    The advent of pyrophosphate sequencing makes large volumes of sequencing data available at a lower cost than previously possible. However, the short read lengths are difficult to assemble and the large dataset is difficult to handle. During the sequencing of a virus from the tsetse fly, Glossina pallidipes, we found the need for tools to search quickly a set of reads for near exact text matches. A set of tools is provided to search a large data set of pyrophosphate sequence reads under a "live" CD version of Linux on a standard PC that can be used by anyone without prior knowledge of Linux and without having to install a Linux setup on the computer. The tools permit short lengths of de novo assembly, checking of existing assembled sequences, selection and display of reads from the data set and gathering counts of sequences in the reads. Demonstrations are given of the use of the tools to help with checking an assembly against the fragment data set; investigating homopolymer lengths, repeat regions and polymorphisms; and resolving inserted bases caused by incomplete chain extension. The additional information contained in a pyrophosphate sequencing data set beyond a basic assembly is difficult to access due to a lack of tools. The set of simple tools presented here would allow anyone with basic computer skills and a standard PC to access this information.

  14. SU-E-T-223: High-Energy Photon Standard Dosimetry Data: A Quality Assurance Tool.

    PubMed

    Lowenstein, J; Kry, S; Molineu, A; Alvarez, P; Aguirre, J; Summers, P; Followill, D

    2012-06-01

    Describe the Radiological Physics Center's (RPC) extensive standard dosimetry data set determined from on-site audits measurements. Measurements were made during on-site audits to institutions participating in NCI funded cooperative clinical trials for 44 years using a 0.6cc cylindrical ionization chamber placed within the RPC's water tank. Measurements were made on Varian, Siemens, and Elekta/Philips accelerators for 11 different energies from 68 models of accelerators. We have measured percent depth dose, output factors, and off-axis factors for 123 different accelerator model/energy combinations for which we have 5 or more sets of measurements. The RPC analyzed these data and determined the 'standard data' for each model/energy combination. The RPC defines 'standard data' as the mean value of 5 or more sets of dosimetry data or agreement with published depth dose data (within 2%). The analysis of these standard data indicates that for modern accelerator models, the dosimetry data for a particular model/energy are within ï,±2%. The RPC has always found accelerators of the same make/model/energy combination have the same dosimetric properties in terms of depth dose, field size dependence and off-axis factors. Because of this consistency, the RPC can assign standard data for percent depth dose, average output factors and off-axis factors for a given combination of energy and accelerator make and model. The RPC standard data can be used as a redundant quality assurance tool to assist Medical Physicists to have confidence in their clinical data to within 2%. The next step is for the RPC to provide a way for institutions to submit data to the RPC to determine if their data agrees with the standard data as a redundant check. This work was supported by PHS grants CA10953 awarded by NCI, DHHS. © 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

  15. State Standard-Setting Processes in Brief. State Academic Standards: Standard-Setting Processes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thomsen, Jennifer

    2014-01-01

    Concerns about academic standards, whether created by states from scratch or adopted by states under the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) banner, have drawn widespread media attention and are at the top of many state policymakers' priority lists. Recently, a number of legislatures have required additional steps, such as waiting periods for…

  16. Perl One-Liners: Bridging the Gap Between Large Data Sets and Analysis Tools.

    PubMed

    Hokamp, Karsten

    2015-01-01

    Computational analyses of biological data are becoming increasingly powerful, and researchers intending on carrying out their own analyses can often choose from a wide array of tools and resources. However, their application might be obstructed by the wide variety of different data formats that are in use, from standard, commonly used formats to output files from high-throughput analysis platforms. The latter are often too large to be opened, viewed, or edited by standard programs, potentially leading to a bottleneck in the analysis. Perl one-liners provide a simple solution to quickly reformat, filter, and merge data sets in preparation for downstream analyses. This chapter presents example code that can be easily adjusted to meet individual requirements. An online version is available at http://bioinf.gen.tcd.ie/pol.

  17. Call for Development of New Mineral Standards for 40Ar/39Ar Dating

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deino, A. L.; Turrin, B. D.; Renne, P. R.; Hemming, S. R.

    2015-12-01

    Age determination via the 40Ar/39Ar dating method relies on the intercomparison of measured 40Ar*/39ArK ratios of geological unknowns with those of co-irradiated mineral standards. Good analytical procedure dictates that these ratios (and the evolution of the Ar ion beams underpinning them) be as similar as practical for the greatest accuracy. Unfortunately, throughout several intervals of the geological time scale this 'best practice' cannot be achieved with existing widely used standards. Only two internationally utilized sanidine standards are available for the middle to late Cenozoic: the Alder Creek Rhyolite sanidine (ACs), at ~1.2 Ma (Turrin et al., 1994; Nomade et al., 2005), and the Fish Canyon Tuff sanidine (FCs) at ~28.2 Ma (e.g., Kuiper et al., 2008; Renne et al, 2011). The situation is even worse throughout much of the rest of the Phanerozoic, as the next oldest standard in common use is the Hb3gr hornblende standard with an age of ~1.1 Ga (Turner, 1971; Jourdan et al., 2006). We propose, as a community effort, the development a set of standards covering the entire target range of high-precision 40Ar/39Ar dating, i.e. the Phanerozoic. Their ages would be stepped in a regular fashion with no more than approximately a factor of 3 between standards, such that in the worse case the 40Ar*/39Ar ratios of standards and unknown need differ by no more than a factor of two. While somewhat arbitrary, an approximately 3 X age progression allows the entire time scale to be covered by a manageable number of standards. Anchoring the progression in the widely used ACs, FCs, and Hb3gr (in bold, below) yields the following set of suggested standard ages: 0.4, 1.2, 3.3, 9.4, 28.2, 95, 320, and 1100 Ma. A suitable standard should be highly reproducible in age at the grain-to-grain and sub-grain levels, and highly radiogenic. The mineral should be abundant and easily separated from the host rock. These criteria may be most easily achieved by focusing on sanidine phenocrysts in unaltered volcanic deposits, though not exclusively so. Examples include the Zabriskie Wash Tuff of Death Valley at 3.3 Ma; several ~9-10 Ma volcanic units of the Bodie Hills and Snake River Plain, and the ~316 Ma Fireclay Tonstein of the central Appalachian basin. We welcome suggestions and discussions regarding other rock units that might be tapped for this endeavor.

  18. The application of neural networks to the SSME startup transient

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Meyer, Claudia M.; Maul, William A.

    1991-01-01

    Feedforward neural networks were used to model three parameters during the Space Shuttle Main Engine startup transient. The three parameters were the main combustion chamber pressure, a controlled parameter, the high pressure oxidizer turbine discharge temperature, a redlined parameter, and the high pressure fuel pump discharge pressure, a failure-indicating performance parameter. Network inputs consisted of time windows of data from engine measurements that correlated highly to the modeled parameter. A standard backpropagation algorithm was used to train the feedforward networks on two nominal firings. Each trained network was validated with four additional nominal firings. For all three parameters, the neural networks were able to accurately predict the data in the validation sets as well as the training set.

  19. Liquid-handling Lego robots and experiments for STEM education and research

    PubMed Central

    Gerber, Lukas C.; Calasanz-Kaiser, Agnes; Hyman, Luke; Voitiuk, Kateryna; Patil, Uday

    2017-01-01

    Liquid-handling robots have many applications for biotechnology and the life sciences, with increasing impact on everyday life. While playful robotics such as Lego Mindstorms significantly support education initiatives in mechatronics and programming, equivalent connections to the life sciences do not currently exist. To close this gap, we developed Lego-based pipetting robots that reliably handle liquid volumes from 1 ml down to the sub-μl range and that operate on standard laboratory plasticware, such as cuvettes and multiwell plates. These robots can support a range of science and chemistry experiments for education and even research. Using standard, low-cost household consumables, programming pipetting routines, and modifying robot designs, we enabled a rich activity space. We successfully tested these activities in afterschool settings with elementary, middle, and high school students. The simplest robot can be directly built from the widely used Lego Education EV3 core set alone, and this publication includes building and experiment instructions to set the stage for dissemination and further development in education and research. PMID:28323828

  20. Liquid-handling Lego robots and experiments for STEM education and research.

    PubMed

    Gerber, Lukas C; Calasanz-Kaiser, Agnes; Hyman, Luke; Voitiuk, Kateryna; Patil, Uday; Riedel-Kruse, Ingmar H

    2017-03-01

    Liquid-handling robots have many applications for biotechnology and the life sciences, with increasing impact on everyday life. While playful robotics such as Lego Mindstorms significantly support education initiatives in mechatronics and programming, equivalent connections to the life sciences do not currently exist. To close this gap, we developed Lego-based pipetting robots that reliably handle liquid volumes from 1 ml down to the sub-μl range and that operate on standard laboratory plasticware, such as cuvettes and multiwell plates. These robots can support a range of science and chemistry experiments for education and even research. Using standard, low-cost household consumables, programming pipetting routines, and modifying robot designs, we enabled a rich activity space. We successfully tested these activities in afterschool settings with elementary, middle, and high school students. The simplest robot can be directly built from the widely used Lego Education EV3 core set alone, and this publication includes building and experiment instructions to set the stage for dissemination and further development in education and research.

  1. Open-systems architecture of a standardized command interface chip-set for switching and control of a spacecraft power bus

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ruiz, Ian B.; Burke, Gary R.; Lung, Gerald; Whitaker, William D.; Nowicki, Robert M.

    2004-01-01

    The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has developed a command interface chip-set that primarily consists of two mixed-signal ASICs'; the Command Interface ASIC (CIA) and Analog Interface ASIC (AIA). The Open-systems architecture employed during the design of this chip-set enables its use as both an intelligent gateway between the system's flight computer and the control, actuation, and activation of the spacecraft's loads, valves, and pyrotechnics respectfully as well as the regulator of the spacecraft power bus. Furthermore, the architecture is highly adaptable and employed fault-tolerant design methods enabling a host of other mission uses including reliable remote data collection. The objective of this design is to both provide a needed flight component that meets the stringent environmental requirements of current deep space missions and to add a new element to a growing library that can be used as a standard building block for future missions to the outer planets.

  2. Relationship between Military Occupational Specialty, Army General Classification Test Standard Score, and Other Variables. Part III.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1945-09-26

    study was oiriglnally designed to afford inforafttlon concerning the relationship between Military Occupational Specialty (M. 0. S.:- coded as in TN...Equipment ( Designated Set) u c T 139 139 129 129 119 119 112 111 106 106 56 2 58 8.5 .9.0 28 777 Radio Operator, High Speed...Automatic u T 119 119 46 1 47 29 955 Radar Repairman, Airborne Equipment ( Designated Set) W C U T 119 119 3§ 2 43 30 925

  3. 7 CFR 225.17 - Procurement standards.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ...) Procurements by public sponsors comply with applicable State or local laws and the standards set forth in 7 CFR part 3016; and (2) Procurements by private nonprofit sponsors comply with standards set forth in 7 CFR... 7 Agriculture 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Procurement standards. 225.17 Section 225.17...

  4. Diversification and Challenges of Software Engineering Standards

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Poon, Peter T.

    1994-01-01

    The author poses certain questions in this paper: 'In the future, should there be just one software engineering standards set? If so, how can we work towards that goal? What are the challenges of internationalizing standards?' Based on the author's personal view, the statement of his position is as follows: 'There should NOT be just one set of software engineering standards in the future. At the same time, there should NOT be the proliferation of standards, and the number of sets of standards should be kept to a minimum.It is important to understand the diversification of the areas which are spanned by the software engineering standards.' The author goes on to describe the diversification of processes, the diversification in the national and international character of standards organizations, the diversification of the professional organizations producing standards, the diversification of the types of businesses and industries, and the challenges of internationalizing standards.

  5. Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Nutritional Support for the Prevention of Pressure Ulcers in High-Risk Hospitalized Patients.

    PubMed

    Tuffaha, Haitham W; Roberts, Shelley; Chaboyer, Wendy; Gordon, Louisa G; Scuffham, Paul A

    2016-06-01

    To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of nutritional support compared with standard care in preventing pressure ulcers (PrUs) in high-risk hospitalized patients. An economic model using data from a systematic literature review. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on the efficacy of nutritional support in reducing the incidence of PrUs was conducted. Modeled cohort of hospitalized patients at high risk of developing PrUs and malnutrition simulated during their hospital stay and up to 1 year. Standard care included PrU prevention strategies, such as redistribution surfaces, repositioning, and skin protection strategies, along with standard hospital diet. In addition to the standard care, the intervention group received nutritional support comprising patient education, nutrition goal setting, and the consumption of high-protein supplements. The analysis was from a healthcare payer perspective. Key outcomes of the model included the average costs and quality-adjusted life years. Model results were tested in univariate sensitivity analyses, and decision uncertainty was characterized using a probabilistic sensitivity analysis. Compared with standard care, nutritional support was cost saving at AU $425 per patient and marginally more effective with an average 0.005 quality-adjusted life years gained. The probability of nutritional support being cost-effective was 87%. Nutritional support to prevent PrUs in high-risk hospitalized patients is cost-effective with substantial cost savings predicted. Hospitals should implement the recommendations from the current PrU practice guidelines and offer nutritional support to high-risk patients.

  6. Diagnostic Profiles: A Standard Setting Method for Use with a Cognitive Diagnostic Model

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Skaggs, Gary; Hein, Serge F.; Wilkins, Jesse L. M.

    2016-01-01

    This article introduces the Diagnostic Profiles (DP) standard setting method for setting a performance standard on a test developed from a cognitive diagnostic model (CDM), the outcome of which is a profile of mastered and not-mastered skills or attributes rather than a single test score. In the DP method, the key judgment task for panelists is a…

  7. Coming Full Circle in Standard Setting: A Commentary on Wyse

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Skaggs, Gary

    2013-01-01

    The construct map is a particularly good way to approach instrument development, and this author states that he was delighted to read Adam Wyse's thoughts about how to use construct maps for standard setting. For a number of popular standard-setting methods, Wyse shows how typical feedback to panelists fits within a construct map framework.…

  8. Standard Setting as Psychometric Due Process: Going a Little Further Down an Uncertain Road.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cizek, Gregory J.

    The concept of due process provides an analogy for the process of standard setting that emphasizes many of the procedural and substantive elements of the process over technical and statistical concerns. Surely such concerns can and should continue to be addressed. However, a sound rationale for standard setting does not rest on this foundation.…

  9. Comparing Construct Definition in the Angoff and Objective Standard Setting Models: Playing in a House of Cards without a Full Deck

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stone, Gregory Ethan; Koskey, Kristin L. K.; Sondergeld, Toni A.

    2011-01-01

    Typical validation studies on standard setting models, most notably the Angoff and modified Angoff models, have ignored construct development, a critical aspect associated with all conceptualizations of measurement processes. Stone compared the Angoff and objective standard setting (OSS) models and found that Angoff failed to define a legitimate…

  10. Standard Setting in a Small Scale OSCE: A Comparison of the Modified Borderline-Group Method and the Borderline Regression Method

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wood, Timothy J.; Humphrey-Murto, Susan M.; Norman, Geoffrey R.

    2006-01-01

    When setting standards, administrators of small-scale OSCEs often face several challenges, including a lack of resources, a lack of available expertise in statistics, and difficulty in recruiting judges. The Modified Borderline-Group Method is a standard setting procedure that compensates for these challenges by using physician examiners and is…

  11. [Standard operating procedures in ethic committees].

    PubMed

    Czarkowski, Marek

    2006-02-01

    Polish ethic committees should have to work together in order to maintain and develop high quality standards in the protection of human subjects. Exchanging knowledge, know-how and information polish ethic committees should have to implement standard operating procedures. Procedures should improve quality and proficiency of all types of ethic committee's activities. Standard operating procedures should cover as important problems as conflict of interest, trial's insurance or elections of ethic committees. The opinions of experts who have been reviewing medical research projects for several years may prove to be especially valuable in this setting. Governmental initiatives and creation of forum for polish ethic committees are essential in the effective standardisation, coordination and implementation of procedures in regional ethic committees. These projects need support via public funding from our authorities.

  12. Implementation of Text-Messaging and Social Media Strategies in a Multilevel Childhood Obesity Prevention Intervention: Process Evaluation Results.

    PubMed

    Loh, Ivory H; Schwendler, Teresa; Trude, Angela C B; Anderson Steeves, Elizabeth T; Cheskin, Lawrence J; Lange, Sarah; Gittelsohn, Joel

    2018-01-01

    Social media and text messaging show promise as public health interventions, but little evaluation of implementation exists. The B'more Healthy Communities for Kids (BHCK) was a multilevel, multicomponent (wholesalers, food stores, recreation centers) childhood obesity prevention trial that included social media and text-messaging components. The BHCK was implemented in 28 low-income areas of Baltimore City, Maryland, in 2 waves. The texting intervention targeted 241 low-income African American caregivers (of 283), who received 3 texts/week reinforcing key messages, providing nutrition information, and weekly goals. Regular posting on social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) targeted community members and local stakeholders. High implementation standards were set a priori (57 for social media, 11 for texting), with low implementation defined as <50%, medium as 50% to 99%, high as ≥100% of the high standard for each measure. Reach, dose delivered, and fidelity were assessed via web-based analytic tools. Between waves, social media implementation improved from low-moderate to high reach, dose delivered, and fidelity. Text messaging increased from moderate to high in reach and dose delivered, fidelity decreased from high to moderate. Data were used to monitor and revise the BHCK intervention throughout implementation. Our model for evaluating text messaging-based and social media-based interventions may be applicable to other settings.

  13. Help Seeking in Academic Settings: Goals, Groups, and Contexts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karabenick, Stuart A., Ed.; Newman, Richard S., Ed.

    2006-01-01

    Building on Karabenick's earlier volume on this topic and maintaining its high standards of scholarship and intellectual rigor, this book brings together contemporary work that is theoretically as well as practically important. It highlights current trends in the area and gives expanded attention to applications to teaching and learning. The…

  14. The Role of Plas y Brenin in the Development of Outdoor Activities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nichols, Geoff

    1995-01-01

    Plas y Brenin, (British) National Mountain Centre, was evaluated through surveys of users of outdoor residential courses, nonusers from relevant sports, and experts. The center's most highly rated aspect was "setting standards for training," but some educators suggested that the center's concentration on technical expertise in sports…

  15. Maternal Goal Factors in Adaptive and Maladaptive Childhood Perfectionism

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hutchinson, Amy Joy; Yates, Gregory C. R.

    2008-01-01

    In this project, 72 middle school students responded to a questionnaire tapping three aspects of perfectionism: self-striving, socially-prescribed perfectionism, and concern for mistakes. Their mothers completed a questionnaire assessing goal expression along three dimensions defined as direct expectations (e.g., "I set high standards for my…

  16. Abbott Preschool: 10 Years Later

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Donovan, Laura Fasbach

    2009-01-01

    When New Jersey set out to level the educational playing field between the state's poorest and wealthiest school districts a decade ago, one of the mission's most important components was ensuring teacher quality met the same high standards regardless of zip code. Research shows, a teacher's own education and training in early childhood education…

  17. THE PASSIVE OZONE NETWORK IN DALLAS (POND CONCEPT) - A MODELING OPPORTUNITY WITH COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

    EPA Science Inventory

    Despite tremendous efforts towards regulating and controlling tropospheric ozone (O3) formation, over 70 million people currently live in U.S. counties which exceed the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) set for 03. These high 03 concentrations alone cost the U.S. ap...

  18. Leadership for Literacy: Teachers Raising Expectations and Opportunities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chilla, Nicole A.; Waff, Diane; Cook, Heleny

    2007-01-01

    The public is deeply concerned that students in urban settings are not achieving at high levels. Over the past twenty years, large urban districts have attempted to restructure massive school systems using educational policymaking processes that have focused on school structures, standards-driven curriculum, and test-based accountability measures.…

  19. Pulling out All the Stops

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sezer, Renan

    2010-01-01

    This article discusses how an active learning environment was created in a community college class and a high school mathematics class using the same approach. In both settings the NCTM and AMATYC Standards, such as problem solving, communication, use of technology and alternate assessment, were fully embraced. The goal was to have students take…

  20. Reindustrialization and Vocational Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Etzioni, Amitai

    For America to sustain a high standard of living and set aside the resources needed for national security, at least a decade of shoring up productive capacity is required--a period of reindustrialization. The United States has been underdeveloping, with too much consumption of goods and resources and too little investment in the national economic…

  1. A minimal standardization setting for language mapping tests: an Italian example.

    PubMed

    Rofes, Adrià; de Aguiar, Vânia; Miceli, Gabriele

    2015-07-01

    During awake surgery, picture-naming tests are administered to identify brain structures related to language function (language mapping), and to avoid iatrogenic damage. Before and after surgery, naming tests and other neuropsychological procedures aim at charting naming abilities, and at detecting which items the subject can respond to correctly. To achieve this goal, sufficiently large samples of normed and standardized stimuli must be available for preoperative and postoperative testing, and to prepare intraoperative tasks, the latter only including items named flawlessly preoperatively. To discuss design, norming and presentation of stimuli, and to describe the minimal standardization setting used to develop two sets of Italian stimuli, one for object naming and one for verb naming, respectively. The setting includes a naming study (to obtain picture-name agreement ratings), two on-line questionnaires (to acquire age-of-acquisition and imageability ratings for all test items), and the norming of other relevant language variables. The two sets of stimuli have >80 % picture-name agreement, high levels of internal consistency and reliability for imageability and age of acquisition ratings. They are normed for psycholinguistic variables known to affect lexical access and retrieval, and are validated in a clinical population. This framework can be used to increase the probability of reliably detecting language impairments before and after surgery, to prepare intraoperative tests based on sufficient knowledge of pre-surgical language abilities in each patient, and to decrease the probability of false positives during surgery. Examples of data usage are provided. Normative data can be found in the supplementary materials.

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

    Habte, A.; Lopez, A.; Sengupta, M.

    Typical Meteorological Year (TMY) data sets provide industry standard resource information for building designers and are commonly used by the solar industry to estimate photovoltaic and concentrating solar power system performance. Historically, TMY data sets were only available for certain station locations, but current TMY data sets are available on the same grid as the National Solar Radiation Database data and are referred to as the gridded TMY. In this report, a comparison of TMY, typical direct (normal irradiance) year (TDY), and typical global (horizontal irradiance) year (TGY) data sets were performed to better understand the impact of ancillary weathermore » variables upon them. These analyses identified geographical areas of high and low temporal and spatial variability, thereby providing insight into the representativeness of a particular TMY data set for use in renewable energy as well as other applications.« less

  3. Approaching the theoretical limit in periodic local MP2 calculations with atomic-orbital basis sets: the case of LiH.

    PubMed

    Usvyat, Denis; Civalleri, Bartolomeo; Maschio, Lorenzo; Dovesi, Roberto; Pisani, Cesare; Schütz, Martin

    2011-06-07

    The atomic orbital basis set limit is approached in periodic correlated calculations for solid LiH. The valence correlation energy is evaluated at the level of the local periodic second order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2), using basis sets of progressively increasing size, and also employing "bond"-centered basis functions in addition to the standard atom-centered ones. Extended basis sets, which contain linear dependencies, are processed only at the MP2 stage via a dual basis set scheme. The local approximation (domain) error has been consistently eliminated by expanding the orbital excitation domains. As a final result, it is demonstrated that the complete basis set limit can be reached for both HF and local MP2 periodic calculations, and a general scheme is outlined for the definition of high-quality atomic-orbital basis sets for solids. © 2011 American Institute of Physics

  4. Study unique artistic lopburi province for design brass tea set of bantahkrayang community

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pliansiri, V.; Seviset, S.

    2017-07-01

    The objectives of this study were as follows: 1) to study the production process of handcrafted Brass Tea Set; and 2) to design and develop the handcrafted of Brass Tea Set. The process of design was started by mutual analytical processes and conceptual framework for product design, Quality Function Deployment, Theory of Inventive Problem Solving, Principles of Craft Design, and Principle of Reverse Engineering. The experts in field of both Industrial Product Design and Brass Handicraft Product, have evaluated the Brass Tea Set design and created prototype of Brass tea set by the sample of consumers who have ever bought the Brass Tea Set of Bantahkrayang Community on this research. The statistics methods used were percentage, mean ({{{\\overline X}} = }) and standard deviation (S.D.) 3. To assess consumer satisfaction toward of handcrafted Brass tea set was at the high level.

  5. Search for TeV-scale gravity signatures in high-mass final states with leptons and jets with the ATLAS detector at √s=13 TeV

    DOE PAGES

    Aaboud, M.

    2016-07-15

    A search for physics beyond the Standard Model, in final states with at least one high transverse momentum charged lepton (electron or muon) and two additional high transverse momentum leptons or jets, is performed using 3.2 fb -1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 at √s=13 TeV. The upper end of the distribution of the scalar sum of the transverse momenta of leptons and jets is sensitive to the production of high-mass objects. No excess of events beyond Standard Model predictions is observed. Finally, exclusion limits are set for modelsmore » of microscopic black holes with two to six extra dimensions.« less

  6. Integrative Genomics Viewer (IGV): high-performance genomics data visualization and exploration

    PubMed Central

    Thorvaldsdóttir, Helga; Mesirov, Jill P.

    2013-01-01

    Data visualization is an essential component of genomic data analysis. However, the size and diversity of the data sets produced by today’s sequencing and array-based profiling methods present major challenges to visualization tools. The Integrative Genomics Viewer (IGV) is a high-performance viewer that efficiently handles large heterogeneous data sets, while providing a smooth and intuitive user experience at all levels of genome resolution. A key characteristic of IGV is its focus on the integrative nature of genomic studies, with support for both array-based and next-generation sequencing data, and the integration of clinical and phenotypic data. Although IGV is often used to view genomic data from public sources, its primary emphasis is to support researchers who wish to visualize and explore their own data sets or those from colleagues. To that end, IGV supports flexible loading of local and remote data sets, and is optimized to provide high-performance data visualization and exploration on standard desktop systems. IGV is freely available for download from http://www.broadinstitute.org/igv, under a GNU LGPL open-source license. PMID:22517427

  7. Integrative Genomics Viewer (IGV): high-performance genomics data visualization and exploration.

    PubMed

    Thorvaldsdóttir, Helga; Robinson, James T; Mesirov, Jill P

    2013-03-01

    Data visualization is an essential component of genomic data analysis. However, the size and diversity of the data sets produced by today's sequencing and array-based profiling methods present major challenges to visualization tools. The Integrative Genomics Viewer (IGV) is a high-performance viewer that efficiently handles large heterogeneous data sets, while providing a smooth and intuitive user experience at all levels of genome resolution. A key characteristic of IGV is its focus on the integrative nature of genomic studies, with support for both array-based and next-generation sequencing data, and the integration of clinical and phenotypic data. Although IGV is often used to view genomic data from public sources, its primary emphasis is to support researchers who wish to visualize and explore their own data sets or those from colleagues. To that end, IGV supports flexible loading of local and remote data sets, and is optimized to provide high-performance data visualization and exploration on standard desktop systems. IGV is freely available for download from http://www.broadinstitute.org/igv, under a GNU LGPL open-source license.

  8. States Set Common Standards, IF...

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hill, Richard

    Whether differences in the standards states have set can be explained by something other than regional differences is explored. In addition, a way in which standards can be compared is defined, and the standard of proficiency that seems to be widely shared across the country is illustrated. The Trial State Assessment (TSA) data from the National…

  9. Common Core State Standards 101

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rothman, Robert

    2013-01-01

    The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) represent the first time that nearly every state has set common expectations for what students should know and be able to do. In the past, each state set its own standards, and the results varied widely. And while states collectively developed these common standards, decisions about the curriculum and…

  10. Estimating the Minimum Number of Judges Required for Test-Centred Standard Setting on Written Assessments. Do Discussion and Iteration Have an Influence?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fowell, S. L.; Fewtrell, R.; McLaughlin, P. J.

    2008-01-01

    Absolute standard setting procedures are recommended for assessment in medical education. Absolute, test-centred standard setting procedures were introduced for written assessments in the Liverpool MBChB in 2001. The modified Angoff and Ebel methods have been used for short answer question-based and extended matching question-based papers,…

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

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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

    2012-01-01

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

  12. High-speed large angle mammography tomosynthesis system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Eberhard, Jeffrey W.; Staudinger, Paul; Smolenski, Joe; Ding, Jason; Schmitz, Andrea; McCoy, Julie; Rumsey, Michael; Al-Khalidy, Abdulrahman; Ross, William; Landberg, Cynthia E.; Claus, Bernhard E. H.; Carson, Paul; Goodsitt, Mitchell; Chan, Heang-Ping; Roubidoux, Marilyn; Thomas, Jerry A.; Osland, Jacqueline

    2006-03-01

    A new mammography tomosynthesis prototype system that acquires 21 projection images over a 60 degree angular range in approximately 8 seconds has been developed and characterized. Fast imaging sequences are facilitated by a high power tube and generator for faster delivery of the x-ray exposure and a high speed detector read-out. An enhanced a-Si/CsI flat panel digital detector provides greater DQE at low exposure, enabling tomo image sequence acquisitions at total patient dose levels between 150% and 200% of the dose of a standard mammographic view. For clinical scenarios where a single MLO tomographic acquisition per breast may replace the standard CC and MLO views, total tomosynthesis breast dose is comparable to or below the dose in standard mammography. The system supports co-registered acquisition of x-ray tomosynthesis and 3-D ultrasound data sets by incorporating an ultrasound transducer scanning system that flips into position above the compression paddle for the ultrasound exam. Initial images acquired with the system are presented.

  13. Nutrient intake values (NIVs): a recommended terminology and framework for the derivation of values.

    PubMed

    King, Janet C; Vorster, Hester H; Tome, Daniel G

    2007-03-01

    Although most countries and regions around the world set recommended nutrient intake values for their populations, there is no standardized terminology or framework for establishing these standards. Different terms used for various components of a set of dietary standards are described in this paper and a common set of terminology is proposed. The recommended terminology suggests that the set of values be called nutrient intake values (NIVs) and that the set be composed of three different values. The average nutrient requirement (ANR) reflects the median requirement for a nutrient in a specific population. The individual nutrient level (INLx) is the recommended level of nutrient intake for all healthy people in the population, which is set at a certain level x above the mean requirement. For example, a value set at 2 standard deviations above the mean requirement would cover the needs of 98% of the population and would be INL98. The third component of the NIVs is an upper nutrient level (UNL), which is the highest level of daily nutrient intake that is likely to pose no risk of adverse health effects for almost all individuals in a specified life-stage group. The proposed framework for deriving a set of NIVs is based on a statistical approach for determining the midpoint of a distribution of requirements for a set of nutrients in a population (the ANR), the standard deviation of the requirements, and an individual nutrient level that assures health at some point above the mean, e.g., 2 standard deviations. Ideally, a second set of distributions of risk of excessive intakes is used as the basis for a UNL.

  14. High-Throughput Classification of Radiographs Using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks.

    PubMed

    Rajkomar, Alvin; Lingam, Sneha; Taylor, Andrew G; Blum, Michael; Mongan, John

    2017-02-01

    The study aimed to determine if computer vision techniques rooted in deep learning can use a small set of radiographs to perform clinically relevant image classification with high fidelity. One thousand eight hundred eighty-five chest radiographs on 909 patients obtained between January 2013 and July 2015 at our institution were retrieved and anonymized. The source images were manually annotated as frontal or lateral and randomly divided into training, validation, and test sets. Training and validation sets were augmented to over 150,000 images using standard image manipulations. We then pre-trained a series of deep convolutional networks based on the open-source GoogLeNet with various transformations of the open-source ImageNet (non-radiology) images. These trained networks were then fine-tuned using the original and augmented radiology images. The model with highest validation accuracy was applied to our institutional test set and a publicly available set. Accuracy was assessed by using the Youden Index to set a binary cutoff for frontal or lateral classification. This retrospective study was IRB approved prior to initiation. A network pre-trained on 1.2 million greyscale ImageNet images and fine-tuned on augmented radiographs was chosen. The binary classification method correctly classified 100 % (95 % CI 99.73-100 %) of both our test set and the publicly available images. Classification was rapid, at 38 images per second. A deep convolutional neural network created using non-radiological images, and an augmented set of radiographs is effective in highly accurate classification of chest radiograph view type and is a feasible, rapid method for high-throughput annotation.

  15. Improving Low-Dose Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability Quantification Using Sparse High-Dose Induced Prior for Patlak Model

    PubMed Central

    Fang, Ruogu; Karlsson, Kolbeinn; Chen, Tsuhan; Sanelli, Pina C.

    2014-01-01

    Blood-brain-barrier permeability (BBBP) measurements extracted from the perfusion computed tomography (PCT) using the Patlak model can be a valuable indicator to predict hemorrhagic transformation in patients with acute stroke. Unfortunately, the standard Patlak model based PCT requires excessive radiation exposure, which raised attention on radiation safety. Minimizing radiation dose is of high value in clinical practice but can degrade the image quality due to the introduced severe noise. The purpose of this work is to construct high quality BBBP maps from low-dose PCT data by using the brain structural similarity between different individuals and the relations between the high- and low-dose maps. The proposed sparse high-dose induced (shd-Patlak) model performs by building a high-dose induced prior for the Patlak model with a set of location adaptive dictionaries, followed by an optimized estimation of BBBP map with the prior regularized Patlak model. Evaluation with the simulated low-dose clinical brain PCT datasets clearly demonstrate that the shd-Patlak model can achieve more significant gains than the standard Patlak model with improved visual quality, higher fidelity to the gold standard and more accurate details for clinical analysis. PMID:24200529

  16. Synthetic Spike-in Standards Improve Run-Specific Systematic Error Analysis for DNA and RNA Sequencing

    PubMed Central

    Zook, Justin M.; Samarov, Daniel; McDaniel, Jennifer; Sen, Shurjo K.; Salit, Marc

    2012-01-01

    While the importance of random sequencing errors decreases at higher DNA or RNA sequencing depths, systematic sequencing errors (SSEs) dominate at high sequencing depths and can be difficult to distinguish from biological variants. These SSEs can cause base quality scores to underestimate the probability of error at certain genomic positions, resulting in false positive variant calls, particularly in mixtures such as samples with RNA editing, tumors, circulating tumor cells, bacteria, mitochondrial heteroplasmy, or pooled DNA. Most algorithms proposed for correction of SSEs require a data set used to calculate association of SSEs with various features in the reads and sequence context. This data set is typically either from a part of the data set being “recalibrated” (Genome Analysis ToolKit, or GATK) or from a separate data set with special characteristics (SysCall). Here, we combine the advantages of these approaches by adding synthetic RNA spike-in standards to human RNA, and use GATK to recalibrate base quality scores with reads mapped to the spike-in standards. Compared to conventional GATK recalibration that uses reads mapped to the genome, spike-ins improve the accuracy of Illumina base quality scores by a mean of 5 Phred-scaled quality score units, and by as much as 13 units at CpG sites. In addition, since the spike-in data used for recalibration are independent of the genome being sequenced, our method allows run-specific recalibration even for the many species without a comprehensive and accurate SNP database. We also use GATK with the spike-in standards to demonstrate that the Illumina RNA sequencing runs overestimate quality scores for AC, CC, GC, GG, and TC dinucleotides, while SOLiD has less dinucleotide SSEs but more SSEs for certain cycles. We conclude that using these DNA and RNA spike-in standards with GATK improves base quality score recalibration. PMID:22859977

  17. Standards of conduct for NASA employees

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1987-01-01

    'Standards of Conduct' for employees (14 CFR Part 1207) is set forth in this handbook and is hereby incorporated in the NASA Directives System. This handbook incorporates, for the convenience of NASA employees, the regulations now in effect prescribing standards of conduct for NASA employees. These regulations set forth the high ethical standards of conduct required of NASA employees in carrying out their duties and responsibilities. These regulations have been approved by the Office of Government Ethics, Office of Personnel Management. The regulations incorporated in this handbook were first published in the Federal Register on October 21, 1967 (32 FR 14648-14659); Part B concerning the acceptance of gifts, gratuities, or entertainment was extensively revised on January 19, 1976 (41 FR 2631-2633) to clarify and generally to restrict the exceptions to the general rule against the acceptance by a NASA employee from persons or firms doing or seeking business with NASA. Those regulations were updated on January 29, 1985 (50 FR 3887) to ensure conformity to the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 regarding the public financial disclosure statement. These regulations were published in the Federal Register on June 16, 1987 (52 FR 22755-764) and a correction was printed on Sept. 28, 1987 (52 FR 36234).

  18. Food control from farm to fork: implementing the standards of Codex and the OIE.

    PubMed

    Hathaway, S C

    2013-08-01

    The Codex Alimentarius (Codex) international food standards help to ensure food safety and promote fair practices in the international food trade. Implementing these standards using a risk management framework (RMF) approach to decision-making is an increasingly common aspect of the food control programmes of national governments. The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) provides guidance at both the system and food commodity levels. In the case of zoonoses, similarities in the risk analysis methodologies used to underpin standard setting by the CAC and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) are highly enabling of integrated food control systems. The CAC and the OIE are increasingly working together to develop their respective standards for foodborne zoonoses and other hazards so that they are non-duplicative, cohesive and utilise the whole food chain. There is a clear need for effective integration of food safety and animal health monitoring and surveillance information to better control foodborne zoonoses. This is increasingly supported by Codex and OIE standards working together in a variety of ways and realisation of benefits is highly dependent on coordination and sharing of information between Competent Authorities and other food safety stakeholders at the national level.

  19. Evaluation of detection methods for Campylobacter infections among under-fives in Mwanza City, Tanzania.

    PubMed

    Mushi, Martha Fidelis; Paterno, Laurent; Tappe, Dennis; Deogratius, Anna Pendo; Seni, Jeremiah; Moremi, Nyambura; Mirambo, Mariam Mwijuma; Mshana, Stephen Eliatosha

    2014-01-01

    Campylobacter species are recognized as a major cause of acute gastroenteritis in humans throughout the world. The diagnosis is mainly based on stool culture. This study was done to evaluate the effectiveness of staining methods (Gram stain using 0.3% carbol fuchsin as counter stain and 1% carbol fuchsin direct stain) versus culture as the gold standard. A total of 300 children attending Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) and the Sekou Toure regional hospital with acute watery diarrhea were enrolled. Two sets of slides were prepared stained with 1% carbol fuchsin for 30 seconds first set, and the second set stained with Gram's stain using 0.3% carbol fuchsin as counter stain for five minutes. Concurrently, stool samples were inoculated on Preston Agar selective. Of 300 stool specimens, 14(4.7%) showed positive culture after 48 hours of incubation and 28 (9.3%) shows typical morphology of Campylobacter species by both Gram stain and direct stain. The sensitivity of the Gram stain using 0.3% carbol fuchsin as counter stain and 1% carbol fuchsin simple stain versus culture as gold standard was 64.3%, with a specificity of 93.4%. The positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 32.1% and 98.2% respectively. The detection of Campylobacter by 1% carbol fuchsin is simple, inexpensive, and fast, with both a high sensitivity and specificity. Laboratories in settings with high prevalence of campylobacteriosis and/or limited resources can employ 1% carbol fuchsin direct stain in detecting campylobacter infections.

  20. Global proteome analysis identifies active immunoproteasome subunits in human platelets.

    PubMed

    Klockenbusch, Cordula; Walsh, Geraldine M; Brown, Lyda M; Hoffman, Michael D; Ignatchenko, Vladimir; Kislinger, Thomas; Kast, Juergen

    2014-12-01

    The discovery of new functions for platelets, particularly in inflammation and immunity, has expanded the role of these anucleate cell fragments beyond their primary hemostatic function. Here, four in-depth human platelet proteomic data sets were generated to explore potential new functions for platelets based on their protein content and this led to the identification of 2559 high confidence proteins. During a more detailed analysis, consistently high expression of the proteasome was discovered, and the composition and function of this complex, whose role in platelets has not been thoroughly investigated, was examined. Data set mining resulted in identification of nearly all members of the 26S proteasome in one or more data sets, except the β5 subunit. However, β5i, a component of the immunoproteasome, was identified. Biochemical analyses confirmed the presence of all catalytically active subunits of the standard 20S proteasome and immunoproteasome in human platelets, including β5, which was predominantly found in its precursor form. It was demonstrated that these components were assembled into the proteasome complex and that standard proteasome as well as immunoproteasome subunits were constitutively active in platelets. These findings suggest potential new roles for platelets in the immune system. For example, the immunoproteasome may be involved in major histocompatibility complex I (MHC I) peptide generation, as the MHC I machinery was also identified in our data sets. © 2014 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  1. Policy decision-making under scientific uncertainty: radiological risk assessment and the role of expert advisory groups.

    PubMed

    Mossman, Kenneth L

    2009-08-01

    Standard-setting agencies such as the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency depend on advice from external expert advisory groups on matters of public policy and standard-setting. Authoritative bodies including the National Research Council and the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements provide analyses and recommendations that enable the technical and scientific soundness in decision-making. In radiological protection the nature of the scientific evidence is such that risk assessment at radiation doses typically encountered in environmental and occupational settings is highly uncertain, and several policy alternatives are scientifically defensible. The link between science and policy is problematic. The fundamental issue is the failure to properly consider risk assessment, risk communication, and risk management and then consolidate them in a process that leads to sound policy. Authoritative bodies should serve as unbiased brokers of policy choices by providing balanced and objective scientific analyses. As long as the policy-decision environment is characterized by high scientific uncertainty and a lack of values consensus, advisory groups should present unbiased evaluations of all scientifically plausible alternatives and recommend selection criteria that decision makers can use in the policy-setting process. To do otherwise (e.g., by serving as single position advocates) weakens decision-making by eliminating options and narrowing discussions of scientific perspectives. Understanding uncertainties and the limitations on available scientific information and conveying such information to policy makers remain key challenges for the technical and policy communities.

  2. Promoting A-Priori Interoperability of HLA-Based Simulations in the Space Domain: The SISO Space Reference FOM Initiative

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Moller, Bjorn; Garro, Alfredo; Falcone, Alberto; Crues, Edwin Z.; Dexter, Daniel E.

    2016-01-01

    Distributed and Real-Time Simulation plays a key-role in the Space domain being exploited for missions and systems analysis and engineering as well as for crew training and operational support. One of the most popular standards is the 1516-2010 IEEE Standard for Modeling and Simulation (M&S) High Level Architecture (HLA). HLA supports the implementation of distributed simulations (called Federations) in which a set of simulation entities (called Federates) can interact using a Run-Time Infrastructure (RTI). In a given Federation, a Federate can publish and/or subscribes objects and interactions on the RTI only in accordance with their structures as defined in a FOM (Federation Object Model). Currently, the Space domain is characterized by a set of incompatible FOMs that, although meet the specific needs of different organizations and projects, increases the long-term cost for interoperability. In this context, the availability of a reference FOM for the Space domain will enable the development of interoperable HLA-based simulators for related joint projects and collaborations among worldwide organizations involved in the Space domain (e.g. NASA, ESA, Roscosmos, and JAXA). The paper presents a first set of results achieved by a SISO standardization effort that aims at providing a Space Reference FOM for international collaboration on Space systems simulations.

  3. Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS), part 3 : ISO 8211 encoding

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1997-11-20

    The ISO 8211 encoding provides a representation of a Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS) file set in a standardized method enabling the file set to be exported to or imported from different media by general purpose ISO 8211 software.

  4. The Evolving Landscape of HIV Drug Resistance Diagnostics for Expanding Testing in Resource-Limited Settings.

    PubMed

    Inzaule, Seth C; Hamers, Ralph L; Paredes, Roger; Yang, Chunfu; Schuurman, Rob; Rinke de Wit, Tobias F

    2017-01-01

    Global scale-up of antiretroviral treatment has dramatically changed the prospects of HIV/AIDS disease, rendering life-long chronic care and treatment a reality for millions of HIV-infected patients. Affordable technologies to monitor antiretroviral treatment are needed to ensure long-term durability of limited available drug regimens. HIV drug resistance tests can complement existing strategies in optimizing clinical decision-making for patients with treatment failure, in addition to facilitating population-based surveillance of HIV drug resistance. This review assesses the current landscape of HIV drug resistance technologies and discusses the strengths and limitations of existing assays available for expanding testing in resource-limited settings. These include sequencing-based assays (Sanger sequencing assays and nextgeneration sequencing), point mutation assays, and genotype-free data-based prediction systems. Sanger assays are currently considered the gold standard genotyping technology, though only available at a limited number of resource-limited setting reference and regional laboratories, but high capital and test costs have limited their wide expansion. Point mutation assays present opportunities for simplified laboratory assays, but HIV genetic variability, extensive codon redundancy at or near the mutation target sites with limited multiplexing capability have restricted their utility. Next-generation sequencing, despite high costs, may have potential to reduce the testing cost significantly through multiplexing in high-throughput facilities, although the level of bioinformatics expertise required for data analysis is currently still complex and expensive and lacks standardization. Web-based genotype-free prediction systems may provide enhanced antiretroviral treatment decision-making without the need for laboratory testing, but require further clinical field evaluation and implementation scientific research in resource-limited settings.

  5. Quantitative Technique for Comparing Simulant Materials through Figures of Merit

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rickman, Doug; Hoelzer, Hans; Fourroux, Kathy; Owens, Charles; McLemore, Carole; Fikes, John

    2007-01-01

    The 1989 workshop report entitled Workshop on Production and Uses of Simulated Lunar Materials and the Lunar Regolith Simulant Materials: Recommendations for Standardization, Production, and Usage, NASA Technical Publication both identified and reinforced a need for a set of standards and requirements for the production and usage of the Lunar simulant materials. As NASA prepares to return to the Moon, and set out to Mars, a set of early requirements have been developed for simulant materials and the initial methods to produce and measure those simulants have been defined. Addressed in the requirements document are: 1) a method for evaluating the quality of any simulant of a regolith, 2) the minimum characteristics for simulants of Lunar regolith, and 3) a method to produce simulants needed for NASA's Exploration mission. As an extension of the requirements document a method to evaluate new and current simulants has been rigorously defined through the mathematics of Figures of Merit (FoM). Requirements and techniques have been developed that allow the simulant provider to compare their product to a standard reference material through Figures of Merit. Standard reference material may be physical material such as the Apollo core samples or material properties predicted for any landing site. The simulant provider is not restricted to providing a single "high fidelity" simulant, which may be costly to produce. The provider can now develop "lower fidelity" simulants for engineering applications such as drilling and mobility applications.

  6. Audit of memory clinic practice against CCG guidelines: West Suffolk Hospital.

    PubMed

    Mahmoud, Afef; Vandana, Balakrishna Menon; Chipperfield, Ruth; Ferrera, Silvia; Rubinsztein, Judy

    2015-09-01

    The memory service based in the West Suffolk has received increased funding to deliver a high quality service against standards set by the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). This audit aims to examine if we are achieving the standards set by the local CCG and to identify areas to improve the quality of the service.We also aimed to assess information as to how many patients referred had dementia. If they had a dementia suitable for possible anti-dementia medication (such as dementia of Alzheimer's type, Alzheimer's mixed type or atypical or Lewy body/ Parkinson's dementia) to ascertain if they were being offered anti-dementia medication. Retrospective analysis of 60 patients from the memory service were analysed. The first 10 patients referred in alternative months were selected for inclusion. Standards were based on targets set by the CCG in terms of time needed to assess, diagnose, communicate diagnosis to the GP and give post diagnostic advice. Patients in this memory service were being seen 37 days (on average) after referral. Most patients received a diagnosis at their initial assessment but some needed further investigation to establish the diagnosis or the specific type of diagnosis. The time for letters to be typed did not meet standards and letters were sent out on average 23 days after patients were being seen. Post diagnostic advice was delivered to most who received a diagnosis. Our service is offering timely diagnosis to those referred to the memory service in line with national guidelines.

  7. Eliciting the Intension of Drug Value Sets – Principles and Quality Assurance Applications

    PubMed Central

    Bahr, Nathan J.; Nelson, Scott D.; Winnenburg, Rainer; Bodenreider, Olivier

    2018-01-01

    Value sets (VSs) used in electronic clinical quality measures are lists of codes from standard terminologies (“extensional” VSs), whose purpose (“intension”) is not always explicitly stated. We elicited the intension for the 09/01/2014 release of extensional medication value sets by comparison to drug classes from the October 2014 release of RxClass. Value sets matched drug classes if they shared common ingredients, as evidenced by Jaccard similarity score. We elicited the intension of 80 extensional value sets. The average Jaccard similarity was 0.65 for single classes and 0.80 for combination classes, with 34% (27/80) of the value sets having high similarity scores. Manual review by a pharmacist indicated 51% (41/80) of the drug classes selected as the best mapping for a value set matched the intension reflected in that value set name. This approach has the potential for facilitating the development and maintenance of medication value sets. PMID:29295218

  8. Optical design of low cost imaging systems for mobile medical applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kass, Alexander; Slyper, Ronit; Levitz, David

    2015-03-01

    Colposcopes, the gold standard devices for imaging the cervix at high magnfication, are expensive and sparse in low resource settings. Using a lens attachment, any smartphone camera can be turned into an imaging device for tissues such as the cervix. We create a smartphone-based colposcope using a simple lens design for high magnification. This particular design is useful because it allows parameters such as F-number, depth of field, and magnification to be controlled easily. We were therefore able to determine a set of design steps which are general to mobile medical imaging devices and allow them to maintain requisite image quality while still being rugged and affordable.

  9. Proficiency Standards and Cut-Scores for Language Proficiency Tests.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moy, Raymond H.

    The problem of standard setting on language proficiency tests is often approached by the use of norms derived from the group being tested, a process commonly known as "grading on the curve." One particular problem with this ad hoc method of standard setting is that it will usually result in a fluctuating standard dependent on the particular group…

  10. Standard Setting As Educational Reform: Trends and Issues Paper No. 8.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sykes, Gary; Plastrik, Peter

    This paper is an inquiry into standard setting as educational reform, stimulated by the emergence of projects and initiatives engaged in during the development of new standards. The publication is organized into five sections. The first section provides a brief discussion of the idea of a standard together with a definition that indicates the…

  11. Teachable, high-content analytics for live-cell, phase contrast movies.

    PubMed

    Alworth, Samuel V; Watanabe, Hirotada; Lee, James S J

    2010-09-01

    CL-Quant is a new solution platform for broad, high-content, live-cell image analysis. Powered by novel machine learning technologies and teach-by-example interfaces, CL-Quant provides a platform for the rapid development and application of scalable, high-performance, and fully automated analytics for a broad range of live-cell microscopy imaging applications, including label-free phase contrast imaging. The authors used CL-Quant to teach off-the-shelf universal analytics, called standard recipes, for cell proliferation, wound healing, cell counting, and cell motility assays using phase contrast movies collected on the BioStation CT and BioStation IM platforms. Similar to application modules, standard recipes are intended to work robustly across a wide range of imaging conditions without requiring customization by the end user. The authors validated the performance of the standard recipes by comparing their performance with truth created manually, or by custom analytics optimized for each individual movie (and therefore yielding the best possible result for the image), and validated by independent review. The validation data show that the standard recipes' performance is comparable with the validated truth with low variation. The data validate that the CL-Quant standard recipes can provide robust results without customization for live-cell assays in broad cell types and laboratory settings.

  12. Effects of voucher-based intervention on abstinence and retention in an outpatient treatment for cocaine addiction: a randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Garcia-Rodriguez, Olaya; Secades-Villa, Roberto; Higgins, Stephen T; Fernandez-Hermida, Jose R; Carballo, Jose L; Errasti Perez, Jose M; Al-halabi Diaz, Susana

    2009-06-01

    The aims of this study were to assess whether voucher magnitude improved cocaine abstinence and retention in an outpatient treatment for cocaine dependence, and to determine the effectiveness of a contingency management intervention in a European cultural context. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in which 96 participants who were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment conditions in a community setting: standard outpatient treatment, community reinforcement approach (CRA) plus low monetary value vouchers (each point earned was equivalent to 0.125 Euro, US$ 0.18), and CRA plus high monetary value vouchers (each point was worth 0.25 Euro, US$ 0.36). In the standard treatment group, mean percentage of cocaine-negative samples was 88.45%, versus 96.09% in the CRA plus low-vouchers group, and 97.07% in the CRA plus high-vouchers group. Retention rate at 6 months was 36.5% in the standard treatment group, 53.3% in the CRA plus low-vouchers group, and 69.0% in the CRA plus high-vouchers group. The CRA plus vouchers groups obtained better results than the standard program. This study showed that treating cocaine addiction by combining CRA with vouchers was more effective than standard treatment in community outpatient programs in Spain.

  13. Standard setting: comparison of two methods.

    PubMed

    George, Sanju; Haque, M Sayeed; Oyebode, Femi

    2006-09-14

    The outcome of assessments is determined by the standard-setting method used. There is a wide range of standard-setting methods and the two used most extensively in undergraduate medical education in the UK are the norm-reference and the criterion-reference methods. The aims of the study were to compare these two standard-setting methods for a multiple-choice question examination and to estimate the test-retest and inter-rater reliability of the modified Angoff method. The norm-reference method of standard-setting (mean minus 1 SD) was applied to the 'raw' scores of 78 4th-year medical students on a multiple-choice examination (MCQ). Two panels of raters also set the standard using the modified Angoff method for the same multiple-choice question paper on two occasions (6 months apart). We compared the pass/fail rates derived from the norm reference and the Angoff methods and also assessed the test-retest and inter-rater reliability of the modified Angoff method. The pass rate with the norm-reference method was 85% (66/78) and that by the Angoff method was 100% (78 out of 78). The percentage agreement between Angoff method and norm-reference was 78% (95% CI 69% - 87%). The modified Angoff method had an inter-rater reliability of 0.81-0.82 and a test-retest reliability of 0.59-0.74. There were significant differences in the outcomes of these two standard-setting methods, as shown by the difference in the proportion of candidates that passed and failed the assessment. The modified Angoff method was found to have good inter-rater reliability and moderate test-retest reliability.

  14. The effect of standard and high-fluence corneal cross-linking (CXL) on cornea and limbus.

    PubMed

    Richoz, Olivier; Tabibian, David; Hammer, Arthur; Majo, François; Nicolas, Michael; Hafezi, Farhad

    2014-07-22

    When treating peripheral ectatic disease-like pellucid marginal degeneration (PMD), corneal cross-linking with UV-A and riboflavin (CXL) must be applied eccentrically to the periphery of the lower cornea, partly irradiating the corneal limbus. Here, we investigated the effect of standard and double-standard fluence corneal cross-linking with riboflavin and UV-A (CXL) on cornea and corneal limbus in the rabbit eye in vivo. Epithelium-off CXL was performed in male New Zealand White rabbits with two irradiation diameters (7 mm central cornea, 13 mm cornea and limbus), using standard fluence (5.4 J/cm(2)) and double-standard fluence (10.8 J/cm(2)) settings. Controls were subjected to epithelial removal and riboflavin instillation, but were not irradiated with UV-A. Following CXL, animals were examined daily until complete closure of the epithelium, and at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days. Animals were killed and a corneoscleral button was excised and processed for light microscopy and immunohistochemistry. For both irradiation diameters and fluences tested, no signs of endothelial damage or limbal vessel thrombosis were observed, and time to re-epithelialization was similar to untreated controls. Histological and immunohistochemical analysis revealed no differences in the p63 putative stem cell marker expression pattern. Even when using fluence twice as high as the one used in current clinical CXL settings, circumferential UV-A irradiation of the corneal limbus does not alter the regenerative capacity of the limbal epithelial cells, and the expression pattern of the putative stem cell marker p63 remains unchanged. This suggests that eccentric CXL may be performed safely in PMD. Copyright 2014 The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.

  15. Assessment of an undergraduate psychiatry course in an African setting

    PubMed Central

    Baig, Benjamin J; Beaglehole, Anna; Stewart, Robert C; Boeing, Leonie; Blackwood, Douglas H; Leuvennink, Johan; Kauye, Felix

    2008-01-01

    Background International reports recommend the improvement in the amount and quality of training for mental health workers in low and middle income countries. The Scotland-Malawi Mental Health Education Project (SMMHEP) has been established to support the teaching of psychiatry to medical students in the University of Malawi. While anecdotally supportive medical educational initiatives appear of value, little quantitative evidence exists to demonstrate whether such initiatives can deliver comparable educational standards. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an undergraduate psychiatry course given by UK psychiatrists in Malawi by studying University of Malawi and Edinburgh University medical students' performance on an MCQ examination paper. Methods An undergraduate psychiatry course followed by an MCQ exam was delivered by the SMMHEP to 57 Malawi medical students. This same MCQ exam was given to 71 Edinburgh University medical students who subsequently sat their own Edinburgh University examination. Results There were no significant differences between Edinburgh students' performance on the Malawi exam and their own Edinburgh University exam. (p = 0.65). This would suggest that the Malawi exam is a comparable standard to the Edinburgh exam. Malawi students marks ranged from 52.4%–84.6%. Importantly 84.4% of Malawi students scored above 60% on their exam which would equate to a hypothetical pass by UK university standards. Conclusion The support of an undergraduate course in an African setting by high income country specialists can attain a high percentage pass rate by UK standards. Although didactic teaching has been surpassed by more novel educational methods, in resource poor countries it remains an effective and cost effective method of gaining an important educational standard. PMID:18430237

  16. Diagnostic efficacy of microscopy, rapid diagnostic test and polymerase chain reaction for malaria using bayesian latent class analysis.

    PubMed

    Saha, Sreemanti; Narang, Rahul; Deshmukh, Pradeep; Pote, Kiran; Anvikar, Anup; Narang, Pratibha

    2017-01-01

    The diagnostic techniques for malaria are undergoing a change depending on the availability of newer diagnostics and annual parasite index of infection in a particular area. At the country level, guidelines are available for selection of diagnostic tests; however, at the local level, this decision is made based on malaria situation in the area. The tests are evaluated against the gold standard, and if that standard has limitations, it becomes difficult to compare other available tests. Bayesian latent class analysis computes its internal standard rather than using the conventional gold standard and helps comparison of various tests including the conventional gold standard. In a cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary care hospital setting, we have evaluated smear microscopy, rapid diagnostic test (RDT), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for diagnosis of malaria using Bayesian latent class analysis. We found the magnitude of malaria to be 17.7% (95% confidence interval: 12.5%-23.9%) among the study subjects. In the present study, the sensitivity of microscopy was 63%, but it had very high specificity (99.4%). Sensitivity and specificity of RDT and PCR were high with RDT having a marginally higher sensitivity (94% vs. 90%) and specificity (99% vs. 95%). On comparison of likelihood ratios (LRs), RDT had the highest LR for positive test result (175) and the lowest LR for negative test result (0.058) among the three tests. In settings like ours conventional smear microscopy may be replaced with RDT and as we move toward elimination and facilities become available PCR may be roped into detect cases with lower parasitaemia.

  17. Reaeration equations derived from U.S. geological survey database

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Melching, C.S.; Flores, H.E.

    1999-01-01

    Accurate estimation of the reaeration-rate coefficient (K2) is extremely important for waste-load allocation. Currently, available K2 estimation equations generally yield poor estimates when applied to stream conditions different from those for which the equations were derived because they were derived from small databases composed of potentially highly inaccurate measurements. A large data set of K2 measurements made with tracer-gas methods was compiled from U.S. Geological Survey studies. This compilation included 493 reaches on 166 streams in 23 states. Careful screening to detect and eliminate erroneous measurements reduced the date set to 371 measurements. These measurements were divided into four subgroups on the basis of flow regime (channel control or pool and riffle) and stream scale (discharge greater than or less than 0.556 m3/s). Multiple linear regression in logarithms was applied to relate K2 to 12 stream hydraulic and water-quality characteristics. The resulting best-estimation equations had the form of semiempirical equations that included the rate of energy dissipation and discharge or depth and width as variables. For equation verification, a data set of K2 measurements made with tracer-gas procedures by other agencies was compiled from the literature. This compilation included 127 reaches on at least 24 streams in at least seven states. The standard error of estimate obtained when applying the developed equations to the U.S. Geological Survey data set ranged from 44 to 61%, whereas the standard error of estimate was 78% when applied to the verification data set.Accurate estimation of the reaeration-rate coefficient (K2) is extremely important for waste-load allocation. Currently, available K2 estimation equations generally yield poor estimates when applied to stream conditions different from those for which the equations were derived because they were derived from small databases composed of potentially highly inaccurate measurements. A large data set of K2 measurements made with tracer-gas methods was compiled from U.S. Geological Survey studies. This compilation included 493 reaches on 166 streams in 23 states. Careful screening to detect and eliminate erroneous measurements reduced the data set to 371 measurements. These measurements were divided into four subgroups on the basis of flow regime (channel control or pool and riffle) and stream scale (discharge greater than or less than 0.556 m3/s). Multiple linear regression in logarithms was applied to relate K2 to 12 stream hydraulic and water-quality characteristics. The resulting best-estimation equations had the form of semiempirical equations that included the rate of energy dissipation and discharge or depth and width as variables. For equation verification, a data set of K2 measurements made with tracer-gas procedures by other agencies was compiled from the literature. This compilation included 127 reaches on at least 24 streams in at least seven states. The standard error of estimate obtained when applying the developed equations to the U.S. Geological Survey data set ranged from 44 to 61%, whereas the standard error of estimate was 78% when applied to the verification data set.

  18. An Exploratory Study on Socio Economic Status Scales in a Rural and Urban Setting

    PubMed Central

    Ramesh Masthi, N.R.; Gangaboraiah; Kulkarni, Praveen

    2013-01-01

    Background: There are many different scales to measure socioeconomic status (SES). The present study was conducted with the objective to compare the most commonly used SES in rural and urban setting. Materials and Methods: This exploratory study was conducted in the rural and urban field practice area of a medical college situated in Bangalore for a period of 3 months between January and April 2010. Statistical Analysis Used: To measure the agreement between the scales spearman's rank correlations was applied. Results: A total of 120 families were included in the study. Among the 60 families surveyed at rural setting, it was observed that, majority 40 (67%) belonged to high class when the Standard of Living Index (SLI) scale was applied. Among the 60 families surveyed at urban setting, majority 30 (50%) belonged to high class when the SLI scale was applied. Conclusions: The SLI scale gives a more accurate and realistic picture of the SES of the family and hence should be the scale recommended for classification of SES in urban and rural setting. PMID:24479048

  19. Results of the 1981 NASA/JPL balloon flight solar cell calibration program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Seaman, C. H.; Weiss, R. S.

    1982-01-01

    The calibration of the direct conversion of solar energy through use of solar cells at high altitudes by balloon flight is reported. Twenty seven modules were carried to an altitude of 35.4 kilometers. Silicon cells are stable for long periods of time and can be used as standards. It is demonstrated that the cell mounting cavity may be either black or white with equal validity in setting solar simulators. The calibrated cells can be used as reference standards in simulator testing of cells and arrays.

  20. A Preliminary Investigation of the Direct Standard Setting Method.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, J. Patrick; And Others

    Three studies assessed the psychometric characteristics of the Direct Standard Setting Method (DSSM). The Angoff technique was also used in each study. The DSSM requires judges to consider an examination 10 items at a time and determine the minimum items in that set a candidate should answer correctly to receive the credential. Nine judges set a…

  1. The Bookmark Procedure for Setting Cut-Scores and Finalizing Performance Standards: Strengths and Weaknesses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lin, Jie

    2006-01-01

    The Bookmark standard-setting procedure was developed to address the perceived problems with the most popular method for setting cut-scores: the Angoff procedure (Angoff, 1971). The purposes of this article are to review the Bookmark procedure and evaluate it in terms of Berk's (1986) criteria for evaluating cut-score setting methods. The…

  2. Consumer attitudes towards and satisfaction with emergency contraception counselling: experience from clinic and retail pharmacy settings.

    PubMed

    Ragland, Denise; Battle, Marlene; Kueter, Teddi J; Payakachat, Nalin

    2015-10-01

    To collectively assess consumer attitudes towards and satisfaction with emergency contraception (EC) counselling by student pharmacists in two different locations: an academic healthcare clinic and a retail pharmacy. EC counselling was provided by trained student pharmacists utilizing a standardized education toolkit. Participants were asked to rate the counselling at the end of the knowledge survey. In addition to descriptive statistics, we compared the self-reported attitudes and satisfaction with the counselling between the two sites. The majority of participants from both settings rated 'strongly agree' on the attitude and satisfaction statements for the EC counselling. Participants from the clinic setting rated higher in two of the four statements than the participants from the retail setting. Participants had positive attitudes towards and were highly satisfied with the EC counselling in both settings. EC counselling should be encouraged in practice settings. © 2014 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

  3. Using Digital Portfolios to Develop Non-Traditional Domains in Special Education Settings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clancy, Mary; Gardner, Jessica

    2017-01-01

    This article chronicles the development of a portfolio system used primarily to assess special education high school students on a variety of traditional and non-traditional standards and skills. Developing, capturing, sharing, and assessing student learning can be problematic when traditional testing or classroom assessment methods are not an…

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

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Long, Diana

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

  5. [Principles in the organization of voluntary certifying system for studies and services in pathologic anatomy].

    PubMed

    Pal'tsev, M A; Kakturskiĭ, L V

    2006-01-01

    The aim of voluntary certification is to improve the quality of pathology service and to implement it under the Russian Federation's laws and existing standards. The noncommercial organization "Voluntary Certifying System for Postmortem Studies" has been set up, which includes expert groups comprising highly skilled specialists.

  6. Grades and Incentives: Assessing Competing Grade Point Average Measures and Postgraduate Outcomes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bailey, Michael A.; Rosenthal, Jeffrey S.; Yoon, Albert H.

    2016-01-01

    In many educational settings, students may have an incentive to take courses where high grades are easier to achieve, potentially corroding student learning, evaluation of student achievement, and the fairness and efficiency of post-graduation labor outcomes. A grading system that takes into account heterogeneity of teacher standards and student…

  7. Economic Crisis and Inequality of Educational Opportunity in Latin America

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Torche, Florencia

    2010-01-01

    Research in the industrialized world shows that the influence of family background on educational attainment has remained stable or declined over time. In contrast, very little is known about the developing world. Using high-quality data sets and a standard protocol, this article offers a comparative analysis of trends in educational…

  8. Teaching Discrete and Programmable Logic Design Techniques Using a Single Laboratory Board

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Debiec, P.; Byczuk, M.

    2011-01-01

    Programmable logic devices (PLDs) are used at many universities in introductory digital logic laboratories, where kits containing a single high-capacity PLD replace "standard" sets containing breadboards, wires, and small- or medium-scale integration (SSI/MSI) chips. From the pedagogical point of view, two problems arise in these…

  9. The Federal Republic of Germany: A Land of Top-Ranking Research.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Preuss, Karl-Heinz, Ed.; Simen, Rolf H., Ed.

    Research and technology in the Federal Republic of Germany enjoy international distinction in many fields; indeed, German achievements in highly important areas have set new standards and influenced research and development world wide. This applies in equal measure to the natural sciences, the humanities and, in particular, to the applied…

  10. An Examination of the Implementation of Mathematics Lessons in a Chinese Kindergarten Classroom in the Setting of Standards Reform

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hu, Bi Ying; Quebec Fuentes, Sarah; Ma, Jingjing; Ye, Feiwei; Roberts, Sherron Killingsworth

    2017-01-01

    In China, the "2001 Kindergarten Education Guidelines (Trial)", or "New Outline", delineates what constitutes high-quality, developmentally appropriate practices in all early childhood education curriculum domains, including mathematics. The "New Outline" is known for advocating a child-centered, play-based approach…

  11. Introducing Undergraduate Students to Metabolomics Using a NMR-Based Analysis of Coffee Beans

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sandusky, Peter Olaf

    2017-01-01

    Metabolomics applies multivariate statistical analysis to sets of high-resolution spectra taken over a population of biologically derived samples. The objective is to distinguish subpopulations within the overall sample population, and possibly also to identify biomarkers. While metabolomics has become part of the standard analytical toolbox in…

  12. What Educators Need To Know about...Under-Achievement and Gifted Students. Practitioners' Guide A9712.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berube, Bruce N., Ed.

    This brochure for educators discusses underachievement and gifted students. The causes of underachievement are reviewed, which include parents who do not stress the importance of academic achievement and do not set high standards, divorce or strained relations between the family members, peer group pressure, an unchallenging and unmotivating…

  13. Stereotype Threat among Schoolgirls in Quasi-Ordinary Classroom Circumstances

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huguet, Pascal; Regner, Isabelle

    2007-01-01

    There is ample evidence today in the stereotype threat literature that women and girls are influenced by gender-stereotyped expectations on standardized math tests. Despite its high relevance to education, this phenomenon has not received much attention in school settings. The present studies offer the 1st evidence to date indicating that middle…

  14. Improvised external ventricular drain in neurosurgery: A Nigerian tertiary hospital experience

    PubMed Central

    Ojo, O. A.; Asha, M. A.; Bankole, O. B.; Kanu, O. O.

    2015-01-01

    Background: The most common type of hydrocephalus in developing countries is post infective hydrocephalus. Infected cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) however cannot be shunted for the reason that it will block the chamber of the ventriculo-peritoneal (VP) shunt due to its high protein content. In centers where standard external ventricular drain (EVD) sets are not available, improvised feeding tube can be used. Aim: The main focus of this study is to encourage the use of improvised feeding tube catheters for EVD when standard sets are not available to improve patients’ survival. Methodology: This was a prospective study. Consecutive patients with hydrocephalus that cannot be shunted immediately for high chances of shunt failure or signs of increasing intracranial pressure were recruited into the study. Other inclusion criteria were preoperative brain tumor with possibility of blocked CSF pathway and massive intraventricular hemorrhage necessitating ventricular drainage as a salvage procedure. Standard EVD set is not readily available and too expensive for most of the parents to afford. Improvised feeding tube is used to drain/divert CSF using the standard documented procedure for EVD insertion. Outcome is measured and recorded. Results: A total of 28 patients were recruited into the study over a time frame of 2 years. There were 19 (67.9%) male and 9 (32.1%) females with a ratio of about 2:1. Age ranges varied from as low as 7 days to 66 years. The median age of the study sample was 6.5 months while the mean was 173.8 months. Duration of EVD varied from 2 days to 11 days with a median of 7 while the average was 6 days. Eventual outcome following the procedure of EVD showed that 19 (67.9%) survived and were discharged either to go home or to have VP shunt afterwards while 8 (28.6%) of the patients died. Conclusions: External ventricular drain can and should be done when it is necessary. Potential mortalities could be reduced by the improvised drainage using a standard feeding tube as described. PMID:26167009

  15. The Development of Clinical Document Standards for Semantic Interoperability in China

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Peng; Pan, Feng; Wan, Yi; Tu, Haibo; Tang, Xuejun; Hu, Jianping

    2011-01-01

    Objectives This study is aimed at developing a set of data groups (DGs) to be employed as reusable building blocks for the construction of the eight most common clinical documents used in China's general hospitals in order to achieve their structural and semantic standardization. Methods The Diagnostics knowledge framework, the related approaches taken from the Health Level Seven (HL7), the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE), and the Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP) and 1,487 original clinical records were considered together to form the DG architecture and data sets. The internal structure, content, and semantics of each DG were then defined by mapping each DG data set to a corresponding Clinical Document Architecture data element and matching each DG data set to the metadata in the Chinese National Health Data Dictionary. By using the DGs as reusable building blocks, standardized structures and semantics regarding the clinical documents for semantic interoperability were able to be constructed. Results Altogether, 5 header DGs, 48 section DGs, and 17 entry DGs were developed. Several issues regarding the DGs, including their internal structure, identifiers, data set names, definitions, length and format, data types, and value sets, were further defined. Standardized structures and semantics regarding the eight clinical documents were structured by the DGs. Conclusions This approach of constructing clinical document standards using DGs is a feasible standard-driven solution useful in preparing documents possessing semantic interoperability among the disparate information systems in China. These standards need to be validated and refined through further study. PMID:22259722

  16. Search for heavy Majorana neutrinos with the ATLAS detector in pp collisions at $$ \\sqrt{s}=8 $$ TeV

    DOE PAGES

    Aad, G.; Abbott, B.; Abdallah, J.; ...

    2015-07-29

    A search for heavy Majorana neutrinos in events containing a pair of high-p T leptons of the same charge and high-p T jets is presented. The search uses 20.3 fb -1 of pp collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider with a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 8 TeV. The data are found to be consistent with the background-only hypothesis based on the Standard Model expectation. In the context of a Type-I seesaw mechanism, limits are set on the production cross-section times branching ratio for production of heavy Majorana neutrinos in the mass rangemore » between 100 and 500 GeV. The limits are subsequently interpreted as limits on the mixing between the heavy Majorana neutrinos and the Standard Model neutrinos. In the context of a left-right symmetric model, limits on the production cross-section times branching ratio are set with respect to the masses of heavy Majorana neutrinos and heavy gauge bosons W R and Z'.« less

  17. Planar structured perovskite solar cells by hybrid physical chemical vapor deposition with optimized perovskite film thickness

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wei, Xiangyang; Peng, Yanke; Jing, Gaoshan; Cui, Tianhong

    2018-05-01

    The thickness of perovskite absorber layer is a critical parameter to determine a planar structured perovskite solar cell’s performance. By modifying the spin coating speed and PbI2/N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solution concentration, the thickness of perovskite absorber layer was optimized to obtain high-performance solar cells. Using a PbI2/DMF solution of 1.3 mol/L, maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of a perovskite solar cell is 15.5% with a perovskite film of 413 nm at 5000 rpm, and PCE of 14.3% was also obtained for a solar cell with a perovskite film of 182 nm thick. It is derived that higher concentration of PbI2/DMF will result in better perovskite solar cells. Additionally, these perovskite solar cells are highly uniform. In 14 sets of solar cells, standard deviations of 11 sets of solar cells were less than 0.50% and the smallest standard deviation was 0.25%, which demonstrates the reliability and effectiveness of hybrid physical chemical vapor deposition (HPCVD) method.

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

    PubMed Central

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

    2017-01-01

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

  19. Sensitizing basal-like breast cancer to chemotherapy using nanoparticles conjugated with interference peptide

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sorolla, A.; Ho, D.; Wang, E.; Evans, C. W.; Ormonde, C. F. G.; Rashwan, R.; Singh, R.; Iyer, K. Swaminathan; Blancafort, P.

    2016-04-01

    Basal-like breast cancers are highly aggressive malignancies associated with very poor prognosis. Although these cancers may initially respond to first-line treatment, they become highly resistant to standard chemotherapy in the metastatic setting. Chemotherapy resistance in basal-like breast cancers is associated with highly selective overexpression of the homeobox transcription factor Engrailed 1 (EN1). Herein, we propose a novel therapeutic strategy using poly(glycidyl methacrylate) nanoparticles decorated with poly(acrylic acid) that enable dual delivery of docetaxel and interference peptides designed to block or inhibit EN1 (EN1-iPep). We demonstrate that EN1-iPep is highly selective in inducing apoptotic cell death in basal-like cancer cells with negligible effects in a non-neoplastic human mammary epithelial cell line. Furthermore, we show that treatment with EN1-iPep results in a highly synergistic pharmacological interaction with docetaxel in inhibiting cancer cell growth. The incorporation of these two agents in a single nanoformulation results in greater anticancer efficacy than current nanoparticle-based treatments used in the clinical setting.Basal-like breast cancers are highly aggressive malignancies associated with very poor prognosis. Although these cancers may initially respond to first-line treatment, they become highly resistant to standard chemotherapy in the metastatic setting. Chemotherapy resistance in basal-like breast cancers is associated with highly selective overexpression of the homeobox transcription factor Engrailed 1 (EN1). Herein, we propose a novel therapeutic strategy using poly(glycidyl methacrylate) nanoparticles decorated with poly(acrylic acid) that enable dual delivery of docetaxel and interference peptides designed to block or inhibit EN1 (EN1-iPep). We demonstrate that EN1-iPep is highly selective in inducing apoptotic cell death in basal-like cancer cells with negligible effects in a non-neoplastic human mammary epithelial cell line. Furthermore, we show that treatment with EN1-iPep results in a highly synergistic pharmacological interaction with docetaxel in inhibiting cancer cell growth. The incorporation of these two agents in a single nanoformulation results in greater anticancer efficacy than current nanoparticle-based treatments used in the clinical setting. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. For ESI and crystallographic data in CIF or other electronic format see DOI: 10.1039/c6ob00583g

  20. Standard fire behavior fuel models: a comprehensive set for use with Rothermel's surface fire spread model

    Treesearch

    Joe H. Scott; Robert E. Burgan

    2005-01-01

    This report describes a new set of standard fire behavior fuel models for use with Rothermel's surface fire spread model and the relationship of the new set to the original set of 13 fire behavior fuel models. To assist with transition to using the new fuel models, a fuel model selection guide, fuel model crosswalk, and set of fuel model photos are provided.

  1. Telecommunications and information technology standard-setting in Japan: A preliminary survey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Besen, Stanley M.

    This note describes and analyzes telecommunications and information technology standard setting in Japan, compares the organization and structure of a private Japanese voluntary standard organization with those of similar European and American organizations, and examines the prospects for cooperating among these groups.

  2. Assessing Quality of Data Standards: Framework and Illustration Using XBRL GAAP Taxonomy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Hongwei; Wu, Harris

    The primary purpose of data standards or metadata schemas is to improve the interoperability of data created by multiple standard users. Given the high cost of developing data standards, it is desirable to assess the quality of data standards. We develop a set of metrics and a framework for assessing data standard quality. The metrics include completeness and relevancy. Standard quality can also be indirectly measured by assessing interoperability of data instances. We evaluate the framework using data from the financial sector: the XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) taxonomy and US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings produced using the taxonomy by approximately 500 companies. The results show that the framework is useful and effective. Our analysis also reveals quality issues of the GAAP taxonomy and provides useful feedback to taxonomy users. The SEC has mandated that all publicly listed companies must submit their filings using XBRL. Our findings are timely and have practical implications that will ultimately help improve the quality of financial data.

  3. Remarks on the Z' Drell-Yan cross section

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paz, Gil; Roy, Joydeep

    2018-04-01

    Many extensions of the standard model contain an extra U (1 )'gauge group with a heavy Z ' gauge boson. Perhaps the most clear signal for such a Z' would be a resonance in the invariant mass spectrum of the lepton pairs to which it decays. In the absence of such a signal, experiments can set limits on the couplings of such a Z', using a standard formula from theory. We repeat its derivation and find that, unfortunately, the standard formula in the literature is a factor of 8 too small. We briefly explore the implication for existing experimental searches and encourage the high-energy physics community to reexamine analyses that have used this formula.

  4. Feasibility of Using Full Synthetic Low Viscosity Engine Oil at High Ambient Temperatures in U.S. Army Engines

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-06-01

    Approved for public release; distribution unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT Advancements in lubricant technology over the last two decades...in particular, the availability of high quality synthetic base oils, has set the stage for the development of a new fuel efficient, multifunctional...were conducted following two standard military testing cycles; the 210 h Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Cycle, and the 400 h NATO Hardware Endurance

  5. Neutron reflecting supermirror structure

    DOEpatents

    Wood, J.L.

    1992-12-01

    An improved neutron reflecting supermirror structure comprising a plurality of stacked sets of bilayers of neutron reflecting materials. The improved neutron reflecting supermirror structure is adapted to provide extremely good performance at high incidence angles, i.e. up to four time the critical angle of standard neutron mirror structures. The reflection of neutrons striking the supermirror structure at a high critical angle provides enhanced neutron throughput, and hence more efficient and economical use of neutron sources. 2 figs.

  6. Neutron reflecting supermirror structure

    DOEpatents

    Wood, James L.

    1992-01-01

    An improved neutron reflecting supermirror structure comprising a plurality of stacked sets of bilayers of neutron reflecting materials. The improved neutron reflecting supermirror structure is adapted to provide extremely good performance at high incidence angles, i.e. up to four time the critical angle of standard neutron mirror structures. The reflection of neutrons striking the supermirror structure at a high critical angle provides enhanced neutron throughput, and hence more efficient and economical use of neutron sources.

  7. A Mapmark method of standard setting as implemented for the National Assessment Governing Board.

    PubMed

    Schulz, E Matthew; Mitzel, Howard C

    2011-01-01

    This article describes a Mapmark standard setting procedure, developed under contract with the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB). The procedure enhances the bookmark method with spatially representative item maps, holistic feedback, and an emphasis on independent judgment. A rationale for these enhancements, and the bookmark method, is presented, followed by a detailed description of the materials and procedures used in a meeting to set standards for the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in Grade 12 mathematics. The use of difficulty-ordered content domains to provide holistic feedback is a particularly novel feature of the method. Process evaluation results comparing Mapmark to Anghoff-based methods previously used for NAEP standard setting are also presented.

  8. Retrospective Analysis of NIST Standard Reference Material 1450, Fibrous Glass Board, for Thermal Insulation Measurements

    PubMed Central

    Zarr, Robert R; Heckert, N Alan; Leigh, Stefan D

    2014-01-01

    Thermal conductivity data acquired previously for the establishment of Standard Reference Material (SRM) 1450, Fibrous Glass Board, as well as subsequent renewals 1450a, 1450b, 1450c, and 1450d, are re-analyzed collectively and as individual data sets. Additional data sets for proto-1450 material lots are also included in the analysis. The data cover 36 years of activity by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in developing and providing thermal insulation SRMs, specifically high-density molded fibrous-glass board, to the public. Collectively, the data sets cover two nominal thicknesses of 13 mm and 25 mm, bulk densities from 60 kg·m−3 to 180 kg·m−3, and mean temperatures from 100 K to 340 K. The analysis repetitively fits six models to the individual data sets. The most general form of the nested set of multilinear models used is given in the following equation: λ(ρ,T)=a0+a1ρ+a2T+a3T3+a4e−(T−a5a6)2where λ(ρ,T) is the predicted thermal conductivity (W·m−1·K−1), ρ is the bulk density (kg·m−3), T is the mean temperature (K) and ai (for i = 1, 2, … 6) are the regression coefficients. The least squares fit results for each model across all data sets are analyzed using both graphical and analytic techniques. The prevailing generic model for the majority of data sets is the bilinear model in ρ and T. λ(ρ,T)=a0+a1ρ+a2T One data set supports the inclusion of a cubic temperature term and two data sets with low-temperature data support the inclusion of an exponential term in T to improve the model predictions. Physical interpretations of the model function terms are described. Recommendations for future renewals of SRM 1450 are provided. An Addendum provides historical background on the origin of this SRM and the influence of the SRM on external measurement programs. PMID:26601034

  9. Validity Issues in Standard-Setting Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pant, Hans A.; Rupp, Andre A.; Tiffin-Richards, Simon P.; Koller, Olaf

    2009-01-01

    Standard-setting procedures are a key component within many large-scale educational assessment systems. They are consensual approaches in which committees of experts set cut-scores on continuous proficiency scales, which facilitate communication of proficiency distributions of students to a wide variety of stakeholders. This communicative function…

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

    Norman, Matthew

    This thesis discusses a search for non-Standard Model physics in heavy diboson production in the dilepton-dijet final state, using 1.9 fb -1 of data from the CDF Run II detector. New limits are set on the anomalous coupling parameters for ZZ and WZ production based on limiting the production cross-section at high š. Additionally limits are set on the direct decay of new physics to ZZ andWZ diboson pairs. The nature and parameters of the CDF Run II detector are discussed, as are the influences that it has on the methods of our analysis.

  11. Validation of the NIMH-ChEFS adolescent face stimulus set in an adolescent, parent, and health professional sample

    PubMed Central

    COFFMAN, MARIKA C.; TRUBANOVA, ANDREA; RICHEY, J. ANTHONY; WHITE, SUSAN W.; KIM-SPOON, JUNGMEEN; OLLENDICK, THOMAS H.; PINE, DANIEL S.

    2016-01-01

    Attention to faces is a fundamental psychological process in humans, with atypical attention to faces noted across several clinical disorders. Although many clinical disorders onset in adolescence, there is a lack of well-validated stimulus sets containing adolescent faces available for experimental use. Further, the images comprising most available sets are not controlled for high- and low-level visual properties. Here, we present a cross-site validation of the National Institute of Mental Health Child Emotional Faces Picture Set (NIMH-ChEFS), comprised of 257 photographs of adolescent faces displaying angry, fearful, happy, sad, and neutral expressions. All of the direct facial images from the NIMH-ChEFS set were adjusted in terms of location of facial features and standardized for luminance, size, and smoothness. Although overall agreement between raters in this study and the original development-site raters was high (89.52%), this differed by group such that agreement was lower for adolescents relative to mental health professionals in the current study. These results suggest that future research using this face set or others of adolescent/child faces should base comparisons on similarly-aged validation data. PMID:26359940

  12. Standard setting for OSCEs: trial of borderline approach.

    PubMed

    Kilminster, Sue; Roberts, Trudie

    2004-01-01

    OSCE examinations were held in May and June 2002 for all third and fourth year and some fifth year medical students at the University of Leeds. There has been an arbitrary pass mark of 65% for these examinations. However, we recognise that it is important to adopt a systematic approach towards standard setting in all examinations so held a trial of the borderline approach to standard setting for third and fifth year examinations. This paper reports our findings. The results for the year 3 OSCE demonstrated that the borderline approach to standard setting is feasible and offers a method to ensure that the pass standard is both justifiable and credible. It is efficient, requiring much less time than other methods and has the advantage of using the judgements of expert clinicians about actual practice. In addition it offers a way of empowering clinicians because it uses their expertise.

  13. MG-RAST version 4-lessons learned from a decade of low-budget ultra-high-throughput metagenome analysis.

    PubMed

    Meyer, Folker; Bagchi, Saurabh; Chaterji, Somali; Gerlach, Wolfgang; Grama, Ananth; Harrison, Travis; Paczian, Tobias; Trimble, William L; Wilke, Andreas

    2017-09-26

    As technologies change, MG-RAST is adapting. Newly available software is being included to improve accuracy and performance. As a computational service constantly running large volume scientific workflows, MG-RAST is the right location to perform benchmarking and implement algorithmic or platform improvements, in many cases involving trade-offs between specificity, sensitivity and run-time cost. The work in [Glass EM, Dribinsky Y, Yilmaz P, et al. ISME J 2014;8:1-3] is an example; we use existing well-studied data sets as gold standards representing different environments and different technologies to evaluate any changes to the pipeline. Currently, we use well-understood data sets in MG-RAST as platform for benchmarking. The use of artificial data sets for pipeline performance optimization has not added value, as these data sets are not presenting the same challenges as real-world data sets. In addition, the MG-RAST team welcomes suggestions for improvements of the workflow. We are currently working on versions 4.02 and 4.1, both of which contain significant input from the community and our partners that will enable double barcoding, stronger inferences supported by longer-read technologies, and will increase throughput while maintaining sensitivity by using Diamond and SortMeRNA. On the technical platform side, the MG-RAST team intends to support the Common Workflow Language as a standard to specify bioinformatics workflows, both to facilitate development and efficient high-performance implementation of the community's data analysis tasks. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America 2017. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.

  14. The Recognizability and Localizability of Auditory Alarms: Setting Global Medical Device Standards.

    PubMed

    Edworthy, Judy; Reid, Scott; McDougall, Siné; Edworthy, Jonathan; Hall, Stephanie; Bennett, Danielle; Khan, James; Pye, Ellen

    2017-11-01

    Objective Four sets of eight audible alarms matching the functions specified in IEC 60601-1-8 were designed using known principles from auditory cognition with the intention that they would be more recognizable and localizable than those currently specified in the standard. Background The audible alarms associated with IEC 60601-1-8, a global medical device standard, are known to be difficult to learn and retain, and there have been many calls to update them. There are known principles of design and cognition that might form the basis of more readily recognizable alarms. There is also scope for improvement in the localizability of the existing alarms. Method Four alternative sets of alarms matched to the functions specified in IEC 60601-1-8 were tested for recognizability and localizability and compared with the alarms currently specified in the standard. Results With a single exception, all prototype sets of alarms outperformed the current IEC set on both recognizability and localizability. Within the prototype sets, auditory icons were the most easily recognized, but the other sets, using word rhythms and simple acoustic metaphors, were also more easily recognized than the current alarms. With the exception of one set, all prototype sets were also easier to localize. Conclusion Known auditory cognition and perception principles were successfully applied to an existing audible alarm problem. Application This work constitutes the first (benchmarking) phase of replacing the alarms currently specified in the standard. The design principles used for each set demonstrate the relative ease with which different alarm types can be recognized and localized.

  15. Compressed Sensing Quantum Process Tomography for Superconducting Quantum Gates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rodionov, Andrey

    An important challenge in quantum information science and quantum computing is the experimental realization of high-fidelity quantum operations on multi-qubit systems. Quantum process tomography (QPT) is a procedure devised to fully characterize a quantum operation. We first present the results of the estimation of the process matrix for superconducting multi-qubit quantum gates using the full data set employing various methods: linear inversion, maximum likelihood, and least-squares. To alleviate the problem of exponential resource scaling needed to characterize a multi-qubit system, we next investigate a compressed sensing (CS) method for QPT of two-qubit and three-qubit quantum gates. Using experimental data for two-qubit controlled-Z gates, taken with both Xmon and superconducting phase qubits, we obtain estimates for the process matrices with reasonably high fidelities compared to full QPT, despite using significantly reduced sets of initial states and measurement configurations. We show that the CS method still works when the amount of data is so small that the standard QPT would have an underdetermined system of equations. We also apply the CS method to the analysis of the three-qubit Toffoli gate with simulated noise, and similarly show that the method works well for a substantially reduced set of data. For the CS calculations we use two different bases in which the process matrix is approximately sparse (the Pauli-error basis and the singular value decomposition basis), and show that the resulting estimates of the process matrices match with reasonably high fidelity. For both two-qubit and three-qubit gates, we characterize the quantum process by its process matrix and average state fidelity, as well as by the corresponding standard deviation defined via the variation of the state fidelity for different initial states. We calculate the standard deviation of the average state fidelity both analytically and numerically, using a Monte Carlo method. Overall, we show that CS QPT offers a significant reduction in the needed amount of experimental data for two-qubit and three-qubit quantum gates.

  16. Comparison of four methods of establishing control limits for monitoring quality controls in infectious disease serology testing.

    PubMed

    Dimech, Wayne; Karakaltsas, Marina; Vincini, Giuseppe A

    2018-05-25

    A general trend towards conducting infectious disease serology testing in centralized laboratories means that quality control (QC) principles used for clinical chemistry testing are applied to infectious disease testing. However, no systematic assessment of methods used to establish QC limits has been applied to infectious disease serology testing. A total of 103 QC data sets, obtained from six different infectious disease serology analytes, were parsed through standard methods for establishing statistical control limits, including guidelines from Public Health England, USA Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), German Richtlinien der Bundesärztekammer (RiliBÄK) and Australian QConnect. The percentage of QC results failing each method was compared. The percentage of data sets having more than 20% of QC results failing Westgard rules when the first 20 results were used to calculate the mean±2 standard deviation (SD) ranged from 3 (2.9%) for R4S to 66 (64.1%) for 10X rule, whereas the percentage ranged from 0 (0%) for R4S to 32 (40.5%) for 10X when the first 100 results were used to calculate the mean±2 SD. By contrast, the percentage of data sets with >20% failing the RiliBÄK control limits was 25 (24.3%). Only two data sets (1.9%) had more than 20% of results outside the QConnect Limits. The rate of failure of QCs using QConnect Limits was more applicable for monitoring infectious disease serology testing compared with UK Public Health, CLSI and RiliBÄK, as the alternatives to QConnect Limits reported an unacceptably high percentage of failures across the 103 data sets.

  17. Improving Pharmacy Student Communication Outcomes Using Standardized Patients.

    PubMed

    Gillette, Chris; Rudolph, Michael; Rockich-Winston, Nicole; Stanton, Robert; Anderson, H Glenn

    2017-08-01

    Objective. To examine whether standardized patient encounters led to an improvement in a student pharmacist-patient communication assessment compared to traditional active-learning activities within a classroom setting. Methods. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with second-year pharmacy students in a drug information and communication skills course. Student patient communication skills were assessed using high-stakes communication assessment. Results. Two hundred and twenty students' data were included. Students were significantly more likely to have higher scores on the communication assessment when they had higher undergraduate GPAs, were female, and taught using standardized patients. Similarly, students were significantly more likely to pass the assessment on the first attempt when they were female and when they were taught using standardized patients. Conclusion. Incorporating standardized patients within a communication course resulted in improved scores as well as first-time pass rates on a communication assessment than when using different methods of active learning.

  18. A proof for Rhiel's range estimator of the coefficient of variation for skewed distributions.

    PubMed

    Rhiel, G Steven

    2007-02-01

    In this research study is proof that the coefficient of variation (CV(high-low)) calculated from the highest and lowest values in a set of data is applicable to specific skewed distributions with varying means and standard deviations. Earlier Rhiel provided values for d(n), the standardized mean range, and a(n), an adjustment for bias in the range estimator of micro. These values are used in estimating the coefficient of variation from the range for skewed distributions. The d(n) and an values were specified for specific skewed distributions with a fixed mean and standard deviation. In this proof it is shown that the d(n) and an values are applicable for the specific skewed distributions when the mean and standard deviation can take on differing values. This will give the researcher confidence in using this statistic for skewed distributions regardless of the mean and standard deviation.

  19. Australians are not equally protected from industrial air pollution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dobbie, B.; Green, D.

    2015-05-01

    Australian air pollution standards are set at national and state levels for a number of chemicals harmful to human health. However, these standards do not need to be met when ad hoc pollution licences are issued by state environment agencies. This situation results in a highly unequal distribution of air pollution between towns and cities, and across the country. This paper examines these pollution regulations through two case studies, specifically considering the ability of the regulatory regime to protect human health from lead and sulphur dioxide pollution in the communities located around smelters. It also considers how the proposed National Clean Air Agreement, once enacted, might serve to reduce this pollution equity problem. Through the case studies we show that there are at least three discrete concerns relating to the current licencing system. They are: non-onerous emission thresholds for polluting industry; temporal averaging thresholds masking emission spikes; and ineffective penalties for breaching licence agreements. In conclusion, we propose a set of new, legally-binding national minimum standards for industrial air pollutants must be developed and enforced, which can only be modified by more (not less) stringent state licence arrangements.

  20. Fast interrupt platform for extended DOS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Duryea, T. W.

    1995-01-01

    Extended DOS offers the unique combination of a simple operating system which allows direct access to the interrupt tables, 32 bit protected mode access to 4096 MByte address space, and the use of industry standard C compilers. The drawback is that fast interrupt handling requires both 32 bit and 16 bit versions of each real-time process interrupt handler to avoid mode switches on the interrupts. A set of tools has been developed which automates the process of transforming the output of a standard 32 bit C compiler to 16 bit interrupt code which directly handles the real mode interrupts. The entire process compiles one set of source code via a make file, which boosts productivity by making the management of the compile-link cycle very simple. The software components are in the form of classes written mostly in C. A foreground process written as a conventional application which can use the standard C libraries can communicate with the background real-time classes via a message passing mechanism. The platform thus enables the integration of high performance real-time processing into a conventional application framework.

  1. Progress report for the CCT-WG5 high temperature fixed point research plan

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

    Machin, G.; Woolliams, E. R.; Anhalt, K.

    2013-09-11

    An overview of the progress in High Temperature Fixed Point (HTFP) research conducted under the auspices of the CCT-WG5 research plan is reported. In brief highlights are: Provisional long term stability of HTFPs has been demonstrated. Optimum construction methods for HTFPs have been established and high quality HTFPs of Co-C, Pt-C and Re-C have been constructed for thermodynamic temperature assignment. The major sources of uncertainty in the assignment of thermodynamic temperature have been identified and quantified. The status of absolute radiometric temperature measurement has been quantified through the circulation of a set of HTFPs. The measurement campaign to assign lowmore » uncertainty thermodynamic temperatures to a selected set of HTFPs will begin in mid-2012. It is envisaged that this will be complete by 2015 leading to HTFPs becoming routine reference standards for radiometry and high temperature metrology.« less

  2. Search for metastable heavy charged particles with large ionization energy loss in p p collisions at s = 13 TeV using the ATLAS experiment

    DOE PAGES

    Aaboud, M.; Aad, G.; Abbott, B.; ...

    2016-06-28

    This study presents a search for massive charged long-lived particles produced in pp collisions at √s = 13TeV at the LHC using the ATLAS experiment. The data set used corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb –1. Many extensions of the Standard Model predict the existence of massive charged long-lived particles, such as R-hadrons. These massive particles are expected to be produced with a velocity significantly below the speed of light, and therefore to have a specific ionization higher than any Standard Model particle of unit charge at high momenta. The Pixel subsystem of the ATLAS detector is usedmore » to measure the ionization energy loss of reconstructed charged particles and to search for such highly ionizing particles. The search presented here has much greater sensitivity than a similar search performed using the ATLAS detector in the √s = 8TeV data set, thanks to the increase in expected signal cross section due to the higher center-of-mass energy of collisions, to an upgraded detector with a new silicon layer close to the interaction point, and to analysis improvements. No significant deviation from Standard Model background expectations is observed, and lifetime-dependent upper limits on R-hadron production cross sections and masses are set. Gluino R-hadrons with lifetimes above 0.4 ns and decaying to qq¯ plus a 100 GeV neutralino are excluded at the 95% confidence level, with lower mass limit ranging between 740 and 1590 GeV. In the case of stable R-hadrons the lower mass limit at the 95% confidence level is 1570 GeV.« less

  3. Trust, but Verify: Standard Setting That Honors and Validates Professional Teacher Judgment. Subtitle: A Tenuous Titanic Tale of Testy Testing and Titillating Touchstones (A Screen Play with an Unknown Number of Acts).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Matter, M. Kevin

    The Cherry Creek School district (Englewood, Colorado) is a growing district of 37,000 students in the Denver area. The 1988 Colorado State School Finance Act required district-set proficiencies (standards), and forced agreement on a set of values for student knowledge and skills. State-adopted standards added additional requirements for the…

  4. Progress, innovation and regulatory science in drug development: the politics of international standard-setting.

    PubMed

    Abraham, John; Reed, Tim

    2002-06-01

    This paper examines international standard-setting in the toxicology of pharmaceuticals during the 1990s, which has involved both the pharmaceutical industry and regulatory agencies in an organization known as the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). The analysis shows that the relationships between innovation, regulatory science and 'progress' may be more complex and controversial than is often assumed. An assessment of the ICH's claims about the implications of 'technical' harmonization of drug-testing standards for the maintenance of drug safety, via toxicological testing, and the delivery of therapeutic progress, via innovation, is presented. By demonstrating that there is not a technoscientific validity for these claims, it is argued that, within the ICH, a discourse of technological innovation and scientific progress has been used by regulatory agencies and prominent parts of the transnational pharmaceutical industry to legitimize the lowering and loosening of toxicological standards for drug testing. The mobilization and acceptance of this discourse are shown to be pivotal to the ICH's transformation of reductions in safety standards, which are apparently against the interests of patients and public health, into supposed therapeutic benefits derived from promises of greater access to more innovative drug products. The evidence suggests that it is highly implausible that these reductions in the standards of regulatory toxicology are consistent with therapeutic progress for patients, and highlights a worrying aspect embedded in the 'technical trajectories' of regulatory science.

  5. 21 CFR 10.95 - Participation in outside standard-setting activities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... activity and resulting standards will not be designed for the economic benefit of any company, group, or... invitations will be extended to a representative sampling of the public, including consumer groups, industry... the group or organization responsible for the activity. (c) Standard-setting activities by State and...

  6. 21 CFR 10.95 - Participation in outside standard-setting activities.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... activity and resulting standards will not be designed for the economic benefit of any company, group, or... invitations will be extended to a representative sampling of the public, including consumer groups, industry... the group or organization responsible for the activity. (c) Standard-setting activities by State and...

  7. Best practices to optimize intraoperative photography.

    PubMed

    Gaujoux, Sébastien; Ceribelli, Cecilia; Goudard, Geoffrey; Khayat, Antoine; Leconte, Mahaut; Massault, Pierre-Philippe; Balagué, Julie; Dousset, Bertrand

    2016-04-01

    Intraoperative photography is used extensively for communication, research, or teaching. The objective of the present work was to define, using a standardized methodology and literature review, the best technical conditions for intraoperative photography. Using either a smartphone camera, a bridge camera, or a single-lens reflex (SLR) camera, photographs were taken under various standard conditions by a professional photographer. All images were independently assessed blinded to technical conditions to define the best shooting conditions and methods. For better photographs, an SLR camera with manual settings should be used. Photographs should be centered and taken vertically and orthogonal to the surgical field with a linear scale to avoid error in perspective. The shooting distance should be about 75 cm using an 80-100-mm focal lens. Flash should be avoided and scialytic low-powered light should be used without focus. The operative field should be clean, wet surfaces should be avoided, and metal instruments should be hidden to avoid reflections. For SLR camera, International Organization for Standardization speed should be as low as possible, autofocus area selection mode should be on single point AF, shutter speed should be above 1/100 second, and aperture should be as narrow as possible, above f/8. For smartphone, use high dynamic range setting if available, use of flash, digital filter, effect apps, and digital zoom is not recommended. If a few basic technical rules are known and applied, high-quality photographs can be taken by amateur photographers and fit the standards accepted in clinical practice, academic communication, and publications. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. A year of mentoring in academic medicine: case report and qualitative analysis of fifteen hours of meetings between a junior and senior faculty member.

    PubMed

    Rabatin, Joseph S; Lipkin, Mack; Rubin, Alan S; Schachter, Allison; Nathan, Michael; Kalet, Adina

    2004-05-01

    We describe a specific mentoring approach in an academic general internal medicine setting by audiotaping and transcribing all mentoring sessions in the year. In advance, the mentor recorded his model. During the year, the mentee kept a process journal. Qualitative analysis revealed development of an intimate relationship based on empathy, trust, and honesty. The mentor's model was explicitly intended to develop independence, initiative, improved thinking, skills, and self-reflection. The mentor's methods included extensive and varied use of questioning, active listening, standard setting, and frequent feedback. During the mentoring, the mentee evolved as a teacher, enhanced the creativity in his teaching, and matured as a person. Specific accomplishments included a national workshop on professional writing, an innovative approach to inpatient attending, a new teaching skills curriculum for a residency program, and this study. A mentoring model stressing safety, intimacy, honesty, setting of high standards, praxis, and detailed planning and feedback was associated with mentee excitement, personal and professional growth and development, concrete accomplishments, and a commitment to teaching.

  9. Strategies to Prevent MRSA Transmission in Community-Based Nursing Homes: A Cost Analysis.

    PubMed

    Roghmann, Mary-Claire; Lydecker, Alison; Mody, Lona; Mullins, C Daniel; Onukwugha, Eberechukwu

    2016-08-01

    OBJECTIVE To estimate the costs of 3 MRSA transmission prevention scenarios compared with standard precautions in community-based nursing homes. DESIGN Cost analysis of data collected from a prospective, observational study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Care activity data from 401 residents from 13 nursing homes in 2 states. METHODS Cost components included the quantities of gowns and gloves, time to don and doff gown and gloves, and unit costs. Unit costs were combined with information regarding the type and frequency of care provided over a 28-day observation period. For each scenario, the estimated costs associated with each type of care were summed across all residents to calculate an average cost and standard deviation for the full sample and for subgroups. RESULTS The average cost for standard precautions was $100 (standard deviation [SD], $77) per resident over a 28-day period. If gown and glove use for high-risk care was restricted to those with MRSA colonization or chronic skin breakdown, average costs increased to $137 (SD, $120) and $125 (SD, $109), respectively. If gowns and gloves were used for high-risk care for all residents in addition to standard precautions, the average cost per resident increased substantially to $223 (SD, $127). CONCLUSIONS The use of gowns and gloves for high-risk activities with all residents increased the estimated cost by 123% compared with standard precautions. This increase was ameliorated if specific subsets (eg, those with MRSA colonization or chronic skin breakdown) were targeted for gown and glove use for high-risk activities. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016;37:962-966.

  10. Navigating highly homologous genes in a molecular diagnostic setting: a resource for clinical next-generation sequencing.

    PubMed

    Mandelker, Diana; Schmidt, Ryan J; Ankala, Arunkanth; McDonald Gibson, Kristin; Bowser, Mark; Sharma, Himanshu; Duffy, Elizabeth; Hegde, Madhuri; Santani, Avni; Lebo, Matthew; Funke, Birgit

    2016-12-01

    Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is now routinely used to interrogate large sets of genes in a diagnostic setting. Regions of high sequence homology continue to be a major challenge for short-read technologies and can lead to false-positive and false-negative diagnostic errors. At the scale of whole-exome sequencing (WES), laboratories may be limited in their knowledge of genes and regions that pose technical hurdles due to high homology. We have created an exome-wide resource that catalogs highly homologous regions that is tailored toward diagnostic applications. This resource was developed using a mappability-based approach tailored to current Sanger and NGS protocols. Gene-level and exon-level lists delineate regions that are difficult or impossible to analyze via standard NGS. These regions are ranked by degree of affectedness, annotated for medical relevance, and classified by the type of homology (within-gene, different functional gene, known pseudogene, uncharacterized noncoding region). Additionally, we provide a list of exons that cannot be analyzed by short-amplicon Sanger sequencing. This resource can help guide clinical test design, supplemental assay implementation, and results interpretation in the context of high homology.Genet Med 18 12, 1282-1289.

  11. Search for dilepton resonances in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector.

    PubMed

    Aad, G; Abbott, B; Abdallah, J; Abdelalim, A A; Abdesselam, A; Abdinov, O; Abi, B; Abolins, M; Abramowicz, H; Abreu, H; Acerbi, E; Acharya, B S; Adams, D L; Addy, T N; Adelman, J; Aderholz, M; Adomeit, S; Adragna, P; Adye, T; Aefsky, S; Aguilar-Saavedra, J A; Aharrouche, M; Ahlen, S P; Ahles, F; Ahmad, A; Ahsan, M; Aielli, G; Akdogan, T; Akesson, T P A; Akimoto, G; Akimov, A V; Akiyama, A; Alam, M S; Alam, M A; Albert, J; Albrand, S; Aleksa, M; Aleksandrov, I N; Alessandria, F; Alexa, C; Alexander, G; Alexandre, G; Alexopoulos, T; Alhroob, M; Aliev, M; Alimonti, G; Alison, J; Aliyev, M; Allport, P P; Allwood-Spiers, S E; Almond, J; Aloisio, A; Alon, R; Alonso, A; Alviggi, M G; Amako, K; Amaral, P; Amelung, C; Ammosov, V V; Amorim, A; Amorós, G; Amram, N; Anastopoulos, C; Ancu, L S; Andari, N; Andeen, T; Anders, C F; Anders, G; Anderson, K J; Andreazza, A; Andrei, V; Andrieux, M-L; Anduaga, X S; Angerami, A; Anghinolfi, F; Anjos, N; Annovi, A; Antonaki, A; Antonelli, M; Antonov, A; Antos, J; Anulli, F; Aoun, S; Aperio Bella, L; Apolle, R; Arabidze, G; Aracena, I; Arai, Y; Arce, A T H; Archambault, J P; Arfaoui, S; Arguin, J-F; Arik, E; Arik, M; Armbruster, A J; Arnaez, O; Arnault, C; Artamonov, A; Artoni, G; Arutinov, D; Asai, S; Asfandiyarov, R; Ask, S; Asman, B; Asquith, L; Assamagan, K; Astbury, A; Astvatsatourov, A; Atoian, G; Aubert, B; Auge, E; Augsten, K; Aurousseau, M; Austin, N; Avolio, G; Avramidou, R; Axen, D; Ay, C; Azuelos, G; Azuma, Y; Baak, M A; Baccaglioni, G; Bacci, C; Bach, A M; Bachacou, H; Bachas, K; Bachy, G; Backes, M; Backhaus, M; Badescu, E; Bagnaia, P; Bahinipati, S; Bai, Y; Bailey, D C; Bain, T; Baines, J T; Baker, O K; Baker, M D; Baker, S; Banas, E; Banerjee, P; Banerjee, Sw; Banfi, D; Bangert, A; Bansal, V; Bansil, H S; Barak, L; Baranov, S P; Barashkou, A; Barbaro Galtieri, A; Barber, T; Barberio, E L; Barberis, D; Barbero, M; Bardin, D Y; Barillari, T; Barisonzi, M; Barklow, T; Barlow, N; Barnett, B M; Barnett, R M; Baroncelli, A; Barone, G; 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Stewart, G A; Stillings, J A; Stockmanns, T; Stockton, M C; Stoerig, K; Stoicea, G; Stonjek, S; Strachota, P; Stradling, A R; Straessner, A; Strandberg, J; Strandberg, S; Strandlie, A; Strang, M; Strauss, E; Strauss, M; Strizenec, P; Ströhmer, R; Strom, D M; Strong, J A; Stroynowski, R; Strube, J; Stugu, B; Stumer, I; Stupak, J; Sturm, P; Soh, D A; Su, D; Subramania, Hs; Succurro, A; Sugaya, Y; Sugimoto, T; Suhr, C; Suita, K; Suk, M; Sulin, V V; Sultansoy, S; Sumida, T; Sun, X; Sundermann, J E; Suruliz, K; Sushkov, S; Susinno, G; Sutton, M R; Suzuki, Y; Suzuki, Y; Svatos, M; Sviridov, Yu M; Swedish, S; Sykora, I; Sykora, T; Szeless, B; Sánchez, J; Ta, D; Tackmann, K; Taffard, A; Tafirout, R; Taiblum, N; Takahashi, Y; Takai, H; Takashima, R; Takeda, H; Takeshita, T; Talby, M; Talyshev, A; Tamsett, M C; Tanaka, J; Tanaka, R; Tanaka, S; Tanaka, S; Tanaka, Y; Tani, K; Tannoury, N; Tappern, G P; Tapprogge, S; Tardif, D; Tarem, S; Tarrade, F; Tartarelli, G F; Tas, P; Tasevsky, M; Tassi, E; Tatarkhanov, M; Tayalati, Y; Taylor, C; Taylor, F E; Taylor, G N; Taylor, W; Teinturier, M; Teixeira Dias Castanheira, M; Teixeira-Dias, P; Temming, K K; Ten Kate, H; Teng, P K; Terada, S; Terashi, K; Terron, J; Terwort, M; Testa, M; Teuscher, R J; Thadome, J; Therhaag, J; Theveneaux-Pelzer, T; Thioye, M; Thoma, S; Thomas, J P; Thompson, E N; Thompson, P D; Thompson, P D; Thompson, A S; Thomson, E; Thomson, M; Thun, R P; Tian, F; Tic, T; Tikhomirov, V O; Tikhonov, Y A; Timmermans, C J W P; Tipton, P; Tique Aires Viegas, F J; Tisserant, S; Tobias, J; Toczek, B; Todorov, T; Todorova-Nova, S; Toggerson, B; Tojo, J; Tokár, S; Tokunaga, K; Tokushuku, K; Tollefson, K; Tomoto, M; Tompkins, L; Toms, K; Tong, G; Tonoyan, A; Topfel, C; Topilin, N D; Torchiani, I; Torrence, E; Torres, H; Torró Pastor, E; Toth, J; Touchard, F; Tovey, D R; Traynor, D; Trefzger, T; Tremblet, L; Tricoli, A; Trigger, I M; Trincaz-Duvoid, S; Trinh, T N; Tripiana, M F; Trischuk, W; Trivedi, A; Trocmé, B; Troncon, C; Trottier-McDonald, M; Trzupek, A; Tsarouchas, C; Tseng, J C-L; Tsiakiris, M; Tsiareshka, P V; Tsionou, D; Tsipolitis, G; Tsiskaridze, V; Tskhadadze, E G; Tsukerman, I I; Tsulaia, V; Tsung, J-W; Tsuno, S; Tsybychev, D; Tua, A; Tuggle, J M; Turala, M; Turecek, D; Turk Cakir, I; Turlay, E; Turra, R; Tuts, P M; Tykhonov, A; Tylmad, M; Tyndel, M; Tyrvainen, H; Tzanakos, G; Uchida, K; Ueda, I; Ueno, R; Ugland, M; Uhlenbrock, M; Uhrmacher, M; Ukegawa, F; Unal, G; Underwood, D G; Undrus, A; Unel, G; Unno, Y; Urbaniec, D; Urkovsky, E; Urrejola, P; Usai, G; Uslenghi, M; Vacavant, L; Vacek, V; Vachon, B; Vahsen, S; Valenta, J; Valente, P; Valentinetti, S; Valkar, S; Valladolid Gallego, E; Vallecorsa, S; Valls Ferrer, J A; van der Graaf, H; van der Kraaij, E; Van Der Leeuw, R; van der Poel, E; van der Ster, D; Van Eijk, B; van Eldik, N; van Gemmeren, P; van Kesteren, Z; van Vulpen, I; Vandelli, W; Vandoni, G; Vaniachine, A; Vankov, P; Vannucci, F; Varela Rodriguez, F; Vari, R; Varouchas, D; Vartapetian, A; Varvell, K E; Vassilakopoulos, V I; Vazeille, F; Vegni, G; Veillet, J J; Vellidis, C; Veloso, F; Veness, R; Veneziano, S; Ventura, A; Ventura, D; Venturi, M; Venturi, N; Vercesi, V; Verducci, M; Verkerke, W; Vermeulen, J C; Vest, A; Vetterli, M C; Vichou, I; Vickey, T; Vickey Boeriu, O E; Viehhauser, G H A; Viel, S; Villa, M; Villaplana Perez, M; Vilucchi, E; Vincter, M G; Vinek, E; Vinogradov, V B; Virchaux, M; Virzi, J; Vitells, O; Viti, M; Vivarelli, I; Vives Vaque, F; Vlachos, S; Vlasak, M; Vlasov, N; Vogel, A; Vokac, P; Volpi, G; Volpi, M; Volpini, G; von der Schmitt, H; von Loeben, J; von Radziewski, H; von Toerne, E; Vorobel, V; Vorobiev, A P; Vorwerk, V; Vos, M; Voss, R; Voss, T T; Vossebeld, J H; Vranjes, N; Vranjes Milosavljevic, M; Vrba, V; Vreeswijk, M; Anh, T Vu; Vuillermet, R; Vukotic, I; Wagner, W; Wagner, P; Wahlen, H; Wakabayashi, J; Walbersloh, J; Walch, S; Walder, J; Walker, R; Walkowiak, W; Wall, R; Waller, P; Wang, C; Wang, H; Wang, H; Wang, J; Wang, J; Wang, J C; Wang, R; Wang, S M; Warburton, A; Ward, C P; Warsinsky, M; Watkins, P M; Watson, A T; Watson, M F; Watts, G; Watts, S; Waugh, A T; Waugh, B M; Weber, J; Weber, M; Weber, M S; Weber, P; Weidberg, A R; Weigell, P; Weingarten, J; Weiser, C; Wellenstein, H; Wells, P S; Wen, M; Wenaus, T; Wendler, S; Weng, Z; Wengler, T; Wenig, S; Wermes, N; Werner, M; Werner, P; Werth, M; Wessels, M; Weydert, C; Whalen, K; Wheeler-Ellis, S J; Whitaker, S P; White, A; White, M J; Whitehead, S R; Whiteson, D; Whittington, D; Wicek, F; Wicke, D; Wickens, F J; Wiedenmann, W; Wielers, M; Wienemann, P; Wiglesworth, C; Wiik, L A M; Wijeratne, P A; Wildauer, A; Wildt, M A; Wilhelm, I; Wilkens, H G; Will, J Z; Williams, E; Williams, H H; Willis, W; Willocq, S; Wilson, J A; Wilson, M G; Wilson, A; Wingerter-Seez, I; Winkelmann, S; Winklmeier, F; Wittgen, M; Wolter, M W; Wolters, H; Wong, W C; Wooden, G; Wosiek, B K; Wotschack, J; Woudstra, M J; Wraight, K; Wright, C; Wrona, B; Wu, S L; Wu, X; Wu, Y; Wulf, E; Wunstorf, R; Wynne, B M; Xaplanteris, L; Xella, S; Xie, S; Xie, Y; Xu, C; Xu, D; Xu, G; Yabsley, B; Yacoob, S; Yamada, M; Yamaguchi, H; Yamamoto, A; Yamamoto, K; Yamamoto, S; Yamamura, T; Yamanaka, T; Yamaoka, J; Yamazaki, T; Yamazaki, Y; Yan, Z; Yang, H; Yang, U K; Yang, Y; Yang, Y; Yang, Z; Yanush, S; Yao, Y; Yasu, Y; Ybeles Smit, G V; Ye, J; Ye, S; Yilmaz, M; Yoosoofmiya, R; Yorita, K; Yoshida, R; Young, C; Youssef, S; Yu, D; Yu, J; Yu, J; Yuan, L; Yurkewicz, A; Zaets, V G; Zaidan, R; Zaitsev, A M; Zajacova, Z; Zalite, Yo K; Zanello, L; Zarzhitsky, P; Zaytsev, A; Zeitnitz, C; Zeller, M; Zeman, M; Zemla, A; Zendler, C; Zenin, O; Zeniš, T; Zenonos, Z; Zenz, S; Zerwas, D; Zevi della Porta, G; Zhan, Z; Zhang, D; Zhang, H; Zhang, J; Zhang, X; Zhang, Z; Zhao, L; Zhao, T; Zhao, Z; Zhemchugov, A; Zheng, S; Zhong, J; Zhou, B; Zhou, N; Zhou, Y; Zhu, C G; Zhu, H; Zhu, J; Zhu, Y; Zhuang, X; Zhuravlov, V; Zieminska, D; Zimmermann, R; Zimmermann, S; Zimmermann, S; Ziolkowski, M; Zitoun, R; Zivković, L; Zmouchko, V V; Zobernig, G; Zoccoli, A; Zolnierowski, Y; Zsenei, A; zur Nedden, M; Zutshi, V; Zwalinski, L

    2011-12-30

    This Letter reports on a search for narrow high-mass resonances decaying into dilepton final states. The data were recorded by the ATLAS experiment in pp collisions at √s=7  TeV at the Large Hadron Collider and correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 1.08 (1.21)  fb(-1) in the e(+)e(-) (μ(+)μ(-)) channel. No statistically significant excess above the standard model expectation is observed and upper limits are set at the 95% C.L. on the cross section times branching fraction of Z' resonances and Randall-Sundrum gravitons decaying into dileptons as a function of the resonance mass. A lower mass limit of 1.83 TeV on the sequential standard model Z' boson is set. A Randall-Sundrum graviton with coupling k/M(Pl)=0.1 is excluded at 95% C.L. for masses below 1.63 TeV.

  12. System Simulation by Recursive Feedback: Coupling a Set of Stand-Alone Subsystem Simulations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nixon, D. D.

    2001-01-01

    Conventional construction of digital dynamic system simulations often involves collecting differential equations that model each subsystem, arran g them to a standard form, and obtaining their numerical gin solution as a single coupled, total-system simultaneous set. Simulation by numerical coupling of independent stand-alone subsimulations is a fundamentally different approach that is attractive because, among other things, the architecture naturally facilitates high fidelity, broad scope, and discipline independence. Recursive feedback is defined and discussed as a candidate approach to multidiscipline dynamic system simulation by numerical coupling of self-contained, single-discipline subsystem simulations. A satellite motion example containing three subsystems (orbit dynamics, attitude dynamics, and aerodynamics) has been defined and constructed using this approach. Conventional solution methods are used in the subsystem simulations. Distributed and centralized implementations of coupling have been considered. Numerical results are evaluated by direct comparison with a standard total-system, simultaneous-solution approach.

  13. Toolkit for visualization of the cellular structure and organelles in Aspergillus niger.

    PubMed

    Buren, Emiel B J Ten; Karrenbelt, Michiel A P; Lingemann, Marit; Chordia, Shreyans; Deng, Ying; Hu, JingJing; Verest, Johanna M; Wu, Vincen; Gonzalez, Teresita J Bello; Heck, Ruben G A van; Odoni, Dorett I; Schonewille, Tom; Straat, Laura van der; Graaff, Leo H de; Passel, Mark W J van

    2014-12-19

    Aspergillus niger is a filamentous fungus that is extensively used in industrial fermentations for protein expression and the production of organic acids. Inherent biosynthetic capabilities, such as the capacity to secrete these biomolecules in high amounts, make A. niger an attractive production host. Although A. niger is renowned for this ability, the knowledge of the molecular components that underlie its production capacity, intercellular trafficking processes and secretion mechanisms is far from complete. Here, we introduce a standardized set of tools, consisting of an N-terminal GFP-actin fusion and codon optimized eforRed chromoprotein. Expression of the GFP-actin construct facilitates visualization of the actin filaments of the cytoskeleton, whereas expression of the chromoprotein construct results in a clearly distinguishable red phenotype. These experimentally validated constructs constitute the first set of standardized A. niger biomarkers, which can be used to study morphology, intercellular trafficking, and secretion phenomena.

  14. The World Hypertension League: where now and where to in salt reduction

    PubMed Central

    Lackland, Daniel T.; Lisheng, Liu; Zhang, Xin-Hua; Nilsson, Peter M.; Niebylski, Mark L.

    2015-01-01

    High dietary salt is a leading risk for death and disability largely by causing increased blood pressure. Other associated health risks include gastric and renal cell cancers, osteoporosis, renal stones, and increased disease activity in multiple sclerosis, headache, increased body fat and Meniere’s disease. The World Hypertension League (WHL) has prioritized advocacy for salt reduction. WHL resources and actions include a non-governmental organization policy statement, dietary salt fact sheet, development of standardized nomenclature, call for quality research, collaboration in a weekly salt science update, development of a process to set recommended dietary salt research standards and regular literature reviews, development of adoptable power point slide sets to support WHL positions and resources, and critic of weak research studies on dietary salt. The WHL plans to continue to work with multiple governmental and non-governmental organizations to promote dietary salt reduction towards the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. PMID:26090335

  15. Estimation of the neural drive to the muscle from surface electromyograms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hofmann, David

    Muscle force is highly correlated with the standard deviation of the surface electromyogram (sEMG) produced by the active muscle. Correctly estimating this quantity of non-stationary sEMG and understanding its relation to neural drive and muscle force is of paramount importance. The single constituents of the sEMG are called motor unit action potentials whose biphasic amplitude can interfere (named amplitude cancellation), potentially affecting the standard deviation (Keenan etal. 2005). However, when certain conditions are met the Campbell-Hardy theorem suggests that amplitude cancellation does not affect the standard deviation. By simulation of the sEMG, we verify the applicability of this theorem to myoelectric signals and investigate deviations from its conditions to obtain a more realistic setting. We find no difference in estimated standard deviation with and without interference, standing in stark contrast to previous results (Keenan etal. 2008, Farina etal. 2010). Furthermore, since the theorem provides us with the functional relationship between standard deviation and neural drive we conclude that complex methods based on high density electrode arrays and blind source separation might not bear substantial advantages for neural drive estimation (Farina and Holobar 2016). Funded by NIH Grant Number 1 R01 EB022872 and NSF Grant Number 1208126.

  16. An Independent Filter for Gene Set Testing Based on Spectral Enrichment.

    PubMed

    Frost, H Robert; Li, Zhigang; Asselbergs, Folkert W; Moore, Jason H

    2015-01-01

    Gene set testing has become an indispensable tool for the analysis of high-dimensional genomic data. An important motivation for testing gene sets, rather than individual genomic variables, is to improve statistical power by reducing the number of tested hypotheses. Given the dramatic growth in common gene set collections, however, testing is often performed with nearly as many gene sets as underlying genomic variables. To address the challenge to statistical power posed by large gene set collections, we have developed spectral gene set filtering (SGSF), a novel technique for independent filtering of gene set collections prior to gene set testing. The SGSF method uses as a filter statistic the p-value measuring the statistical significance of the association between each gene set and the sample principal components (PCs), taking into account the significance of the associated eigenvalues. Because this filter statistic is independent of standard gene set test statistics under the null hypothesis but dependent under the alternative, the proportion of enriched gene sets is increased without impacting the type I error rate. As shown using simulated and real gene expression data, the SGSF algorithm accurately filters gene sets unrelated to the experimental outcome resulting in significantly increased gene set testing power.

  17. High Sensitivity and Specificity of Clinical Microscopy in Rural Health Facilities in Western Kenya Under an External Quality Assurance Program

    PubMed Central

    Wafula, Rebeccah; Sang, Edna; Cheruiyot, Olympia; Aboto, Angeline; Menya, Diana; O'Meara, Wendy Prudhomme

    2014-01-01

    Microscopic diagnosis of malaria is a well-established and inexpensive technique that has the potential to provide accurate diagnosis of malaria infection. However, it requires both training and experience. Although it is considered the gold standard in research settings, the sensitivity and specificity of routine microscopy for clinical care in the primary care setting has been reported to be unacceptably low. We established a monthly external quality assurance program to monitor the performance of clinical microscopy in 17 rural health centers in western Kenya. The average sensitivity over the 12-month period was 96% and the average specificity was 88%. We identified specific contextual factors that contributed to inadequate performance. Maintaining high-quality malaria diagnosis in high-volume, resource-constrained health facilities is possible. PMID:24935953

  18. Global Health: Pediatric Neurology.

    PubMed

    Bearden, David R; Ciccone, Ornella; Patel, Archana A

    2018-04-01

    Neurologic disorders contribute significantly to both morbidity and mortality among children in resource-limited settings, but there are a few succinct studies summarizing the epidemiology of neurologic disorders in these settings. A review of available literature was performed to identify data on the prevalence, etiology, outcomes, and treatment of neurologic disorders in children in resource-limited settings. The burden of neurologic disorders in children is high in resource-limited settings. Barriers to optimal care include lack of trained personnel, limited access to diagnostic technology, and limited availability of drugs used to treat common conditions. Several solutions have been suggested to deal with these challenges including increased collaborations to train neurologists willing to practice in resource-limited settings and increased training of physician extenders or community health workers. Further studies are necessary to improve our understanding of the epidemiology of neurologic disorders in resource-limited settings. Future epidemiologic studies should incorporate multiple countries in resource-limited settings and utilize standardized definitions and methodologies to enable comparison across regions. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

  19. Super-Resolution Image Reconstruction by Nonlocal Means Applied to High-Angle Annular Darkfield Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (HAADF-STEM)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-10-06

    When talking about superresolution we always mean to recover the level of resolution set by the microscope, but by using a time series of low...on low resolution possibly very noisy data, is not feasible. Thus, standard superresolution concepts as described above that are based on registration

  20. Postsecondary Settings and Transition Services for Students with Intellectual Disabilities: Models and Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Neubert, Debra A.; Moon, M. Sherril

    2006-01-01

    Postsecondary high school students for college and employment that leads to adult self-sufficiency is a daunting task for educators (Lerner & Brand, 2006; Spence, 2007). This task becomes more complicated as technology changes rapidly, as policy makers mandate standards that all students must meet, and as schools evolve to serve more students with…

  1. Institutional Effectiveness as Process and Practice in the American Community College

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manning, Terri Mulkins

    2011-01-01

    The six regional accrediting agencies in the United States have created a set of standards based on best practices in colleges and universities. The evolving perception of an effective institution is one that uses data, assessment, and evaluation results to improve programs and services and strives for a high level of institutional quality. While…

  2. "Raising Standards" or Reducing Aspirations and Opportunities Still Further? Michael Gove and Examination Reforms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allen, Martin

    2013-01-01

    Well before the examinations grade crisis of 2012, Michael Gove had set out clear intentions for reforming public examinations. Though he claimed to be improving examinations and assessment by replicating practices that took place in high-performing countries and thus improving the ability of the UK economy to "compete", this…

  3. Reflections on Assessment in Open Distance Learning (ODL): The Case of the University of South Africa (UNISA)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Letseka, Moeketsi; Pitsoe, Victor

    2013-01-01

    The article explores the challenges of assessment in open distance learning (ODL). The authors argue that ultimately assessment should be about improving the quality of teaching and effective learning. It should be based on making expectations explicit and public, setting appropriate criteria and high standards for learning quality, systematically…

  4. A Tough Year Ahead for Women at Work

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Nicola

    2011-01-01

    Families across the country are facing hard times. With inflation rising much faster than earnings, unemployment stubbornly high and the government about to embark on the most severe programme of fiscal austerity since the Second World War, living standards are being squeezed and women are on the frontline. With 80 billion British pounds set to be…

  5. Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Intervention Mathematics Class for Low Achieving Middle School Students in Northwest Georgia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coats, Johnnie Hugh

    2013-01-01

    High-stakes testing has become crucial in public education, requiring students to meet increasingly higher standards, regardless of their ability levels. This causal-comparative study sought to determine the effectiveness of an intervention mathematics course in the middle school setting for at-risk, sixth grade students. The Georgia Criterion…

  6. Development of Objective Standard Setting Using Rasch Measurement Model in Malaysian Institution of Higher Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Khatimin, Nuraini; Aziz, Azrilah Abdul; Zaharim, Azami; Yasin, Siti Hanani Mat

    2013-01-01

    Measurement and evaluation of students' achievement are an important aspect to make sure that students really understand the course content and monitor students' achievement level. Performance is not only reflected from the numbers of high achievers of the students, but also on quality of the grade obtained; does the grade "A" truly…

  7. What Would a Socially Just Education System Look like?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nandy, Lisa

    2012-01-01

    The Coalition came to power in 2010 with a radical, controversial vision for education and set about transforming the UK landscape. The Secretary of State described how, in future, autonomous schools and colleges would compete with one another to raise standards, high performers would expand and others improve or disappear. His aim is for children…

  8. Creating a standardized and simplified cutting bill using group technology

    Treesearch

    Urs Buehlmann; Janice K. Wiedenbeck; R., Jr. Noble; D. Earl Kline

    2008-01-01

    From an analytical viewpoint, the relationship between rough mill cutting bill part requirements and lumber yield is highly complex. Part requirements can have almost any length, width, and quantity distribution within the boundaries set by physical limitations, such as maximum length and width of parts. This complexity makes it difficult to understand the specific...

  9. Peer Presence and Sex Differences in Motor Activity Level.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eaton, Warren O.; Keats, James G.

    The hypothesis that boys are more stimulated than girls to high levels of motor activity by the presence of same-sex peers was examined by exposing preschoolers to a standardized setting under two conditions, alone and in triads. If true, the "contagion" effect would result in larger sex differences under the triad condition than under…

  10. The Relationship of High School Students in Inclusive Settings: Emotional Health and Academic Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilson, Carolyn H.; Stith-Russell, Lafawndra S.

    2010-01-01

    Academic success has become increasingly important in determining future quality of life. Many educational programs and institutions at various levels stress the need for students to score well on standardized tests and other methods of evaluation, in order to demonstrate their knowledge of various concepts and skills. The relationship between…

  11. Delivery of optimized inpatient anticoagulation therapy: consensus statement from the anticoagulation forum.

    PubMed

    Nutescu, Edith A; Wittkowsky, Ann K; Burnett, Allison; Merli, Geno J; Ansell, Jack E; Garcia, David A

    2013-05-01

    To provide recommendations for optimized anticoagulant therapy in the inpatient setting and outline broad elements that need to be in place for effective management of anticoagulant therapy in hospitalized patients; the guidelines are designed to promote optimization of patient clinical outcomes while minimizing the risks for potential anticoagulation-related errors and adverse events. The medical literature was reviewed using MEDLINE (1946-January 2013), EMBASE (1980-January 2013), and PubMed (1947-January 2013) for topics and key words including, but not limited to, standards of practice, national guidelines, patient safety initiatives, and regulatory requirements pertaining to anticoagulant use in the inpatient setting. Non-English-language publications were excluded. Specific MeSH terms used include algorithms, anticoagulants/administration and dosage/adverse effects/therapeutic use, clinical protocols/standards, decision support systems, drug monitoring/methods, humans, inpatients, efficiency/ organizational, outcome and process assessment (health care), patient care team/organization and administration, program development/standards, quality improvement/organization and administration, thrombosis/ drug therapy, thrombosis/prevention and control, risk assessment/standards, patient safety/standards, and risk management/methods. Because of this document's scope, the medical literature was searched using a variety of strategies. When possible, recommendations are supported by available evidence; however, because this paper deals with processes and systems of care, high-quality evidence (eg, controlled trials) is unavailable. In these cases, recommendations represent the consensus opinion of all authors and are endorsed by the Board of Directors of the Anticoagulation Forum, an organization dedicated to optimizing anticoagulation care. The board is composed of physicians, pharmacists, and nurses with demonstrated expertise and experience in the management of patients receiving anticoagulation therapy. Recommendations for delivering optimized inpatient anticoagulation therapy were developed collaboratively by the authors and are summarized in 8 key areas: (1) process, (2) accountability, (3) integration, (4) standards of practice, (5) provider education and competency, (6) patient education, (7) care transitions, and (8) outcomes. Recommendations are intended to inform the development of coordinated care systems containing elements with demonstrated benefit in improvement of anticoagulation therapy outcomes. Recommendations for delivering optimized inpatient anticoagulation therapy are intended to apply to all clinicians involved in the care of hospitalized patients receiving anticoagulation therapy. Anticoagulants are high-risk medications associated with a significant rate of medication errors among hospitalized patients. Several national organizations have introduced initiatives to reduce the likelihood of patient harm associated with the use of anticoagulants. Health care organizations are under increasing pressure to develop systems to ensure the safe and effective use of anticoagulants in the inpatient setting. This document provides consensus guidelines for anticoagulant therapy in the inpatient setting and serves as a companion document to prior guidelines relevant for outpatients.

  12. Adjunctive Strategies in the Management of Resistant, ‘Undilatable’ Coronary Lesions After Successfully Crossing a CTO with a Guidewire

    PubMed Central

    Fairley, Sara L.; Spratt, James C.; Rana, Omar; Talwar, Suneel; Hanratty, Colm; Walsh, Simon

    2014-01-01

    Successful revascularisation of chronic total occlusions (CTOs) remains one of the greatest challenges in the era of contemporary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Such lesions are encountered with increasing frequency in current clinical practice. A predictable increase in the future burden of CTO management can be anticipated given the ageing population, increased rates of renal failure, graft failure and diabetes mellitus. Given recent advances and developments in CTO PCI management, successful recanalisation can be anticipated in the majority of procedures undertaken at high-volume centres when performed by expert operators. Despite advances in device technology, the management of resistant, calcific lesions remains one of the greatest challenges in successful CTO intervention. Established techniques to modify calcific lesions include the use of high-pressure non-compliant balloon dilation, cutting-balloons, anchor balloons and high speed rotational atherectomy (HSRA). Novel approaches have proven to be safe and technically feasible where standard approaches have failed. A step-wise progression of strategies is demonstrated, from well-recognised techniques to techniques that should only be considered when standard manoeuvres have proven unsuccessful. These methods will be described in the setting of clinical examples and include use of very high-pressure non-compliant balloon dilation, intentional balloon rupture with vessel dissection or balloon assisted micro-dissection (BAM), excimer coronary laser atherectomy (ECLA) and use of HSRA in various ‘offlabel’ settings. PMID:24694106

  13. Evaluation of detection methods for Campylobacter infections among under-fives in Mwanza City, Tanzania

    PubMed Central

    Mushi, Martha Fidelis; Paterno, Laurent; Tappe, Dennis; Deogratius, Anna Pendo; Seni, Jeremiah; Moremi, Nyambura; Mirambo, Mariam Mwijuma; Mshana, Stephen Eliatosha

    2014-01-01

    Introduction Campylobacter species are recognized as a major cause of acute gastroenteritis in humans throughout the world. The diagnosis is mainly based on stool culture. This study was done to evaluate the effectiveness of staining methods (Gram stain using 0.3% carbol fuchsin as counter stain and 1% carbol fuchsin direct stain) versus culture as the gold standard. Methods A total of 300 children attending Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) and the Sekou Toure regional hospital with acute watery diarrhea were enrolled. Two sets of slides were prepared stained with 1% carbol fuchsin for 30 seconds first set, and the second set stained with Gram's stain using 0.3% carbol fuchsin as counter stain for five minutes. Concurrently, stool samples were inoculated on Preston Agar selective. Results Of 300 stool specimens, 14(4.7%) showed positive culture after 48 hours of incubation and 28 (9.3%) shows typical morphology of Campylobacter species by both Gram stain and direct stain. The sensitivity of the Gram stain using 0.3% carbol fuchsin as counter stain and 1% carbol fuchsin simple stain versus culture as gold standard was 64.3%, with a specificity of 93.4%. The positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 32.1% and 98.2% respectively. Conclusion The detection of Campylobacter by 1% carbol fuchsin is simple, inexpensive, and fast, with both a high sensitivity and specificity. Laboratories in settings with high prevalence of campylobacteriosis and/or limited resources can employ 1% carbol fuchsin direct stain in detecting campylobacter infections. PMID:25995788

  14. Automatic Lung-RADS™ classification with a natural language processing system.

    PubMed

    Beyer, Sebastian E; McKee, Brady J; Regis, Shawn M; McKee, Andrea B; Flacke, Sebastian; El Saadawi, Gilan; Wald, Christoph

    2017-09-01

    Our aim was to train a natural language processing (NLP) algorithm to capture imaging characteristics of lung nodules reported in a structured CT report and suggest the applicable Lung-RADS™ (LR) category. Our study included structured, clinical reports of consecutive CT lung screening (CTLS) exams performed from 08/2014 to 08/2015 at an ACR accredited Lung Cancer Screening Center. All patients screened were at high-risk for lung cancer according to the NCCN Guidelines ® . All exams were interpreted by one of three radiologists credentialed to read CTLS exams using LR using a standard reporting template. Training and test sets consisted of consecutive exams. Lung screening exams were divided into two groups: three training sets (500, 120, and 383 reports each) and one final evaluation set (498 reports). NLP algorithm results were compared with the gold standard of LR category assigned by the radiologist. The sensitivity/specificity of the NLP algorithm to correctly assign LR categories for suspicious nodules (LR 4) and positive nodules (LR 3/4) were 74.1%/98.6% and 75.0%/98.8% respectively. The majority of mismatches occurred in cases where pulmonary findings were present not currently addressed by LR. Misclassifications also resulted from the failure to identify exams as follow-up and the failure to completely characterize part-solid nodules. In a sub-group analysis among structured reports with standardized language, the sensitivity and specificity to detect LR 4 nodules were 87.0% and 99.5%, respectively. An NLP system can accurately suggest the appropriate LR category from CTLS exam findings when standardized reporting is used.

  15. Automatic Lung-RADS™ classification with a natural language processing system

    PubMed Central

    Beyer, Sebastian E.; Regis, Shawn M.; McKee, Andrea B.; Flacke, Sebastian; El Saadawi, Gilan; Wald, Christoph

    2017-01-01

    Background Our aim was to train a natural language processing (NLP) algorithm to capture imaging characteristics of lung nodules reported in a structured CT report and suggest the applicable Lung-RADS™ (LR) category. Methods Our study included structured, clinical reports of consecutive CT lung screening (CTLS) exams performed from 08/2014 to 08/2015 at an ACR accredited Lung Cancer Screening Center. All patients screened were at high-risk for lung cancer according to the NCCN Guidelines®. All exams were interpreted by one of three radiologists credentialed to read CTLS exams using LR using a standard reporting template. Training and test sets consisted of consecutive exams. Lung screening exams were divided into two groups: three training sets (500, 120, and 383 reports each) and one final evaluation set (498 reports). NLP algorithm results were compared with the gold standard of LR category assigned by the radiologist. Results The sensitivity/specificity of the NLP algorithm to correctly assign LR categories for suspicious nodules (LR 4) and positive nodules (LR 3/4) were 74.1%/98.6% and 75.0%/98.8% respectively. The majority of mismatches occurred in cases where pulmonary findings were present not currently addressed by LR. Misclassifications also resulted from the failure to identify exams as follow-up and the failure to completely characterize part-solid nodules. In a sub-group analysis among structured reports with standardized language, the sensitivity and specificity to detect LR 4 nodules were 87.0% and 99.5%, respectively. Conclusions An NLP system can accurately suggest the appropriate LR category from CTLS exam findings when standardized reporting is used. PMID:29221286

  16. Assessment of the Minimum Sampling Frequency to Avoid Measurement Redundancy in Microclimate Field Surveys in Museum Buildings.

    PubMed

    García-Diego, Fernando-Juan; Verticchio, Elena; Beltrán, Pedro; Siani, Anna Maria

    2016-08-15

    Monitoring temperature and relative humidity of the environment to which artefacts are exposed is fundamental in preventive conservation studies. The common approach in setting measuring instruments is the choice of a high sampling rate to detect short fluctuations and increase the accuracy of statistical analysis. However, in recent cultural heritage standards the evaluation of variability is based on moving average and short fluctuations and therefore massive acquisition of data in slowly-changing indoor environments could end up being redundant. In this research, the sampling frequency to set a datalogger in a museum room and inside a microclimate frame is investigated by comparing the outcomes obtained from datasheets associated with different sampling conditions. Thermo-hygrometric data collected in the Sorolla room of the Pio V Museum of Valencia (Spain) were used and the widely consulted recommendations issued in UNI 10829:1999 and EN 15757:2010 standards and in the American Society of Heating, Air-Conditioning and Refrigerating Engineers (ASHRAE) guidelines were applied. Hourly sampling proved effective in obtaining highly reliable results. Furthermore, it was found that in some instances daily means of data sampled every hour can lead to the same conclusions as those of high frequency. This allows us to improve data logging design and manageability of the resulting datasheets.

  17. Impact of crema on the aroma release and the in-mouth sensory perception of espresso coffee.

    PubMed

    Barron, D; Pineau, N; Matthey-Doret, W; Ali, S; Sudre, J; Germain, J C; Kolodziejczyk, E; Pollien, P; Labbe, D; Jarisch, C; Dugas, V; Hartmann, C; Folmer, B

    2012-09-01

    A set of six espresso coffees with different foam characteristics and similar above cup and in-mouth flavour sensory profiles was produced by combination of two varying parameters, the extraction pressure and the filtration of the coffee beverage. The coffees were subsequently evaluated in a comparative manner by a set of analytical (headspace, nose-space) and sensory (Temporal Dominance of Sensations) techniques. The presence of espresso crema in its standard quantity was demonstrated to be associated with the optimum release of pleasant high volatiles, both in the above cup headspace and in-mouth. On the other hand, the TDS study demonstrated that increasing amount of crema was associated with increasing roasted dominance along coffee consumption. Furthermore, a parallel was established between the roasted sensory dominance and the dominant release of 2-methylfuran in the nose-space. This was, however, an indirect link as 2-methylfuran was indeed a chemical marker of roasting but does not contribute to the roasted aroma. Lowering the standard amount of crema by filtration clearly decreased the release of pleasant high volatiles and the in-mouth roasted sensory dominance. On the other hand, increasing the usual crema volume by increasing the extraction pressure did not bring any added value concerning the above cup and in-mouth release of pleasant high volatiles.

  18. Assessment of the Minimum Sampling Frequency to Avoid Measurement Redundancy in Microclimate Field Surveys in Museum Buildings

    PubMed Central

    García-Diego, Fernando-Juan; Verticchio, Elena; Beltrán, Pedro; Siani, Anna Maria

    2016-01-01

    Monitoring temperature and relative humidity of the environment to which artefacts are exposed is fundamental in preventive conservation studies. The common approach in setting measuring instruments is the choice of a high sampling rate to detect short fluctuations and increase the accuracy of statistical analysis. However, in recent cultural heritage standards the evaluation of variability is based on moving average and short fluctuations and therefore massive acquisition of data in slowly-changing indoor environments could end up being redundant. In this research, the sampling frequency to set a datalogger in a museum room and inside a microclimate frame is investigated by comparing the outcomes obtained from datasheets associated with different sampling conditions. Thermo-hygrometric data collected in the Sorolla room of the Pio V Museum of Valencia (Spain) were used and the widely consulted recommendations issued in UNI 10829:1999 and EN 15757:2010 standards and in the American Society of Heating, Air-Conditioning and Refrigerating Engineers (ASHRAE) guidelines were applied. Hourly sampling proved effective in obtaining highly reliable results. Furthermore, it was found that in some instances daily means of data sampled every hour can lead to the same conclusions as those of high frequency. This allows us to improve data logging design and manageability of the resulting datasheets. PMID:27537886

  19. A lower limit to the accretion disc radius in the low-luminosity AGNNGC 1052 derived from high-angular resolution data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reb, Lennart; Fernández-Ontiveros, Juan A.; Prieto, M. Almudena; Dolag, Klaus

    2018-07-01

    We investigate the central sub-arcsec region of the low-luminosity active galactic nucleusNGC 1052, using a high-angular resolution data set that covers 10 orders of magnitude in frequency. This allows us to infer the continuum emission within the innermost ˜17 pc around the black hole to be of non-thermal, synchrotron origin and to set a limit to the maximum contribution of a standard accretion disc. Assuming the canonical 10 per cent mass-light conversion efficiency for the standard accretion disc, its inferred accretion power would be too low by one order of magnitude to account for the observed continuum luminosity. We thus introduce a truncated accretion disc and derive a truncation radius to mass-light conversion efficiency relation, which we use to reconcile the inferred accretion power with the continuum luminosity. As a result we find that a disc providing the necessary accretion power must be truncated at rtr ≳ 26 rg, consistent with the inner radius derived from the observations of the Fe Kα line in the X-ray spectrum of this nucleus. This is the first time to derive a limit on the truncation radius of the accretion disc from high-angular resolution data only.

  20. Developing a Standard Set of Patient-Centred Outcomes for Inflammatory Bowel Disease-an International, Cross-disciplinary Consensus.

    PubMed

    Kim, Andrew H; Roberts, Charlotte; Feagan, Brian G; Banerjee, Rupa; Bemelman, Willem; Bodger, Keith; Derieppe, Marc; Dignass, Axel; Driscoll, Richard; Fitzpatrick, Ray; Gaarentstroom-Lunt, Janette; Higgins, Peter D; Kotze, Paulo Gustavo; Meissner, Jillian; O'Connor, Marian; Ran, Zhi-Hua; Siegel, Corey A; Terry, Helen; van Deen, Welmoed K; van der Woude, C Janneke; Weaver, Alandra; Yang, Suk-Kyun; Sands, Bruce E; Vermeire, Séverine; Travis, Simon Pl

    2018-03-28

    Success in delivering value-based healthcare involves measuring outcomes that matter most to patients. Our aim was to develop a minimum Standard Set of patient-centred outcome measures for inflammatory bowel disease [IBD], for use in different healthcare settings. An international working group [n = 25] representing patients, patient associations, gastroenterologists, surgeons, specialist nurses, IBD registries and patient-reported outcome measure [PROM] methodologists participated in a series of teleconferences incorporating a modified Delphi process. Systematic review of existing literature, registry data, patient focus groups and open review periods were used to reach consensus on a minimum set of standard outcome measures and risk adjustment variables. Similar methodology has been used in 21 other disease areas [www.ichom.org]. A minimum Standard Set of outcomes was developed for patients [aged ≥16] with IBD. Outcome domains included survival and disease control [survival, disease activity/remission, colorectal cancer, anaemia], disutility of care [treatment-related complications], healthcare utilization [IBD-related admissions, emergency room visits] and patient-reported outcomes [including quality of life, nutritional status and impact of fistulae] measured at baseline and at 6 or 12 month intervals. A single PROM [IBD-Control questionnaire] was recommended in the Standard Set and minimum risk adjustment data collected at baseline and annually were included: demographics, basic clinical information and treatment factors. A Standard Set of outcome measures for IBD has been developed based on evidence, patient input and specialist consensus. It provides an international template for meaningful, comparable and easy-to-interpret measures as a step towards achieving value-based healthcare in IBD.

  1. Pharmacist perceptions of new competency standards

    PubMed Central

    Maitreemit, Pagamas; Pongcharoensuk, Petcharat; Kapol, Nattiya; Armstrong, Edward P.

    2008-01-01

    Objective To suggest revisions to the Thai pharmacy competency standards and determine the perceptions of Thai pharmacy practitioners and faculty about the proposed pharmacy competency standards. Methods The current competency standards were revised by brainstorming session with nine Thai pharmacy experts according to their perceptions of society’s pharmacy needs. The revised standards were proposed and validated by 574 pharmacy practitioners and faculty members by using a written questionnaire. The respondents were classified based on their practice setting. Results The revision of pharmacy competency standard proposed the integration and addition to current competencies. Of 830 distributed questionnaires, 574 completed questionnaires were received (69.2% response rate). The proposed new competency standards contained 7 domains and 46 competencies. The majority of the respondents were supportive of all 46 proposed competencies. The highest ranked domain was Domain 1 (Practice Pharmacy within Laws, Professional Standards, and Ethics). The second and third highest expectations of pharmacy graduates were Domain 4 (Provide pharmaceutical care) and Domain 3 (Communicate and disseminate knowledge effectively). Conclusion The expectation for pharmacy graduates’ competencies were high and respondents encouraged additional growth in multidisciplinary efforts to improve patient care. PMID:25177401

  2. Molecular diagnosis of cryptococcal meningitis in cerebrospinal fluid: comparison of primer sets for Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii species complex.

    PubMed

    Martins, Marilena dos Anjos; Brighente, Kate Bastos Santos; Matos, Terezinha Aparecida de; Vidal, Jose Ernesto; Hipólito, Daise Damaris Carnietto de; Pereira-Chioccola, Vera Lucia

    2015-01-01

    This study evaluated the use of polymerase chain reaction for cryptococcal meningitis diagnosis in clinical samples. The sensitivity and specificity of the methodology were evaluated using eight Cryptococcus neoformans/C. gattii species complex reference strains and 165 cerebrospinal fluid samples from patients with neurological diseases divided into two groups: 96 patients with cryptococcal meningitis and AIDS; and 69 patients with other neurological opportunistic diseases (CRL/AIDS). Two primer sets were tested (CN4-CN5 and the multiplex CNa70S-CNa70A/CNb49S-CNb-49A that amplify a specific product for C. neoformans and another for C. gattii). CN4-CN5 primer set was positive in all Cryptococcus standard strains and in 94.8% in DNA samples from cryptococcal meningitis and AIDS group. With the multiplex, no 448-bp product of C. gattii was observed in the clinical samples of either group. The 695bp products of C. neoformans were observed only in 64.6% of the cryptococcal meningitis and AIDS group. This primer set was negative for two standard strains. The specificity based on the negative samples from the CTL/AIDS group was 98.5% in both primer sets. These data suggest that the CN4/CN5 primer set was highly sensitive for the identification of C. neoformans/C. gattii species complex in cerebrospinal fluid samples from patients with clinical suspicion of cryptococcal meningitis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  3. Judgmental Standard Setting Using a Cognitive Components Model.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGinty, Dixie; Neel, John H.

    A new standard setting approach is introduced, called the cognitive components approach. Like the Angoff method, the cognitive components method generates minimum pass levels (MPLs) for each item. In both approaches, the item MPLs are summed for each judge, then averaged across judges to yield the standard. In the cognitive components approach,…

  4. Towards an interplanetary internet: a proposed strategy for standardization

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hooke, A. J.

    2002-01-01

    This paper reviews the current set of standard data communications capabilities that exist to support advanced missions, discusses the architectural concepts for the future Interplanetary Internet, and suggests how a standardized set of space communications protocols that can grow to support future scenarios where human intelligence is widely distributed across the Solar System.

  5. 40 CFR 437.47 - Pretreatment standards for new sources (PSNS).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... subparts A, B, or C of this part may be subject to Multiple Wastestream Subcategory pretreatment standards representing the application of PSNS set forth in paragraphs (b), (c), (d), or (e) of this section if the... Multiple Wastestream Subcategory standards set forth in paragraphs (b), (c), (d) or (e) of this section; (2...

  6. 40 CFR 437.46 - Pretreatment standards for existing sources (PSES)

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... from subparts A, B, or C of this part may be subject to Multiple Wastestream Subcategory pretreatment standards representing the application of PSES set forth in paragraphs (b), (c), (d), or (e) of this section... applicable Multiple Wastestream Subcategory standards set forth in paragraphs (b), (c), (d) or (e) of this...

  7. Comparing Panelists' Understanding of Standard Setting across Multiple Levels of an Alternate Science Assessment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hansen, Mary A.; Lyon, Steven R.; Heh, Peter; Zigmond, Naomi

    2013-01-01

    Large-scale assessment programs, including alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS), must provide evidence of technical quality and validity. This study provides information about the technical quality of one AA-AAS by evaluating the standard setting for the science component. The assessment was designed to have…

  8. A reference standard for bidirectional reflection distribution function and bidirectional transmission distribution function measurement

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Witherow, William K. (Inventor)

    1988-01-01

    A Lambertian reference standard for uniformly scattering a beam of light is constructed of a plate having a planar surface with a layer of glue disposed on the surface. An evenly packed layer of monodisperse spheres is set in the layer, and when the standard is used for bi-directional (BRDF) measurements, the spheres are coated with a layer of highly relective substance, such as gold or silver. When the standard is used for bi-directional transmittance distribution function (BTDF) measurements, the spheres are of a transparent material and are provided with a roughened surface, as by acid etching. In this case, the layer of glue is an optical cement, and the plate is of glass, with the spheres, the layer, and the plate all possessing a similar refractive index.

  9. Towards Modernizing the Characterization of Shock and Detonation Physics Performance via Novel Diagnostics and Tests

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Salyer, Terry

    2017-06-01

    For the bulk of detonation performance experiments, a fairly basic set of diagnostic techniques has evolved as the standard for acquiring the necessary measurements. Gold standard techniques such as pin switches and streak cameras still produce the high-quality data required, yet much room remains for improvement with regard to ease of use, cost of fielding, breadth of data, and diagnostic versatility. Over the past several years, an alternate set of diagnostics has been under development to replace many of these traditional techniques. Pulse Correlation Reflectometry (PCR) is a capable substitute for pin switches with the advantage of obtaining orders of magnitude more data at a small fraction of the cost and fielding time. Spectrally Encoded Imaging (SEI) can replace most applications of streak camera with the advantage of imaging surfaces through a single optical fiber that are otherwise optically inaccessible. Such diagnostics advance the measurement state of the art, but even further improvements may come through revamping the standardized tests themselves such as the copper cylinder expansion test. At the core of this modernization, the aforementioned diagnostics play a significant role in revamping and improving the standard test suite for the present era. This research was performed under the auspices of the United States Department of Energy.

  10. Role of Hot Water System Design on Factors Influential to Pathogen Regrowth: Temperature, Chlorine Residual, Hydrogen Evolution, and Sediment

    PubMed Central

    Brazeau, Randi H.; Edwards, Marc A.

    2013-01-01

    Abstract Residential water heating is linked to growth of pathogens in premise plumbing, which is the primary source of waterborne disease in the United States. Temperature and disinfectant residual are critical factors controlling increased concentration of pathogens, but understanding of how each factor varies in different water heater configurations is lacking. A direct comparative study of electric water heater systems was conducted to evaluate temporal variations in temperature and water quality parameters including dissolved oxygen levels, hydrogen evolution, total and soluble metal concentrations, and disinfectant decay. Recirculation tanks had much greater volumes of water at temperature ranges with potential for increased pathogen growth when set at 49°C compared with standard tank systems without recirculation. In contrast, when set at the higher end of acceptable ranges (i.e., 60°C), this relationship was reversed and recirculation systems had less volume of water at risk for pathogen growth compared with conventional systems. Recirculation tanks also tended to have much lower levels of disinfectant residual (standard systems had 40–600% higher residual), 4–6 times as much hydrogen, and 3–20 times more sediment compared with standard tanks without recirculation. On demand tankless systems had very small volumes of water at risk and relatively high levels of disinfectant residual. Recirculation systems may have distinct advantages in controlling pathogens via thermal disinfection if set at 60°C, but these systems have lower levels of disinfectant residual and greater volumes at risk if set at lower temperatures. PMID:24170969

  11. On Evaluating Brain Tissue Classifiers without a Ground Truth

    PubMed Central

    Martin-Fernandez, Marcos; Ungar, Lida; Nakamura, Motoaki; Koo, Min-Seong; McCarley, Robert W.; Shenton, Martha E.

    2009-01-01

    In this paper, we present a set of techniques for the evaluation of brain tissue classifiers on a large data set of MR images of the head. Due to the difficulty of establishing a gold standard for this type of data, we focus our attention on methods which do not require a ground truth, but instead rely on a common agreement principle. Three different techniques are presented: the Williams’ index, a measure of common agreement; STAPLE, an Expectation Maximization algorithm which simultaneously estimates performance parameters and constructs an estimated reference standard; and Multidimensional Scaling, a visualization technique to explore similarity data. We apply these different evaluation methodologies to a set eleven different segmentation algorithms on forty MR images. We then validate our evaluation pipeline by building a ground truth based on human expert tracings. The evaluations with and without a ground truth are compared. Our findings show that comparing classifiers without a gold standard can provide a lot of interesting information. In particular, outliers can be easily detected, strongly consistent or highly variable techniques can be readily discriminated, and the overall similarity between different techniques can be assessed. On the other hand, we also find that some information present in the expert segmentations is not captured by the automatic classifiers, suggesting that common agreement alone may not be sufficient for a precise performance evaluation of brain tissue classifiers. PMID:17532646

  12. Rate distortion optimal bit allocation methods for volumetric data using JPEG 2000.

    PubMed

    Kosheleva, Olga M; Usevitch, Bryan E; Cabrera, Sergio D; Vidal, Edward

    2006-08-01

    Computer modeling programs that generate three-dimensional (3-D) data on fine grids are capable of generating very large amounts of information. These data sets, as well as 3-D sensor/measured data sets, are prime candidates for the application of data compression algorithms. A very flexible and powerful compression algorithm for imagery data is the newly released JPEG 2000 standard. JPEG 2000 also has the capability to compress volumetric data, as described in Part 2 of the standard, by treating the 3-D data as separate slices. As a decoder standard, JPEG 2000 does not describe any specific method to allocate bits among the separate slices. This paper proposes two new bit allocation algorithms for accomplishing this task. The first procedure is rate distortion optimal (for mean squared error), and is conceptually similar to postcompression rate distortion optimization used for coding codeblocks within JPEG 2000. The disadvantage of this approach is its high computational complexity. The second bit allocation algorithm, here called the mixed model (MM) approach, mathematically models each slice's rate distortion curve using two distinct regions to get more accurate modeling at low bit rates. These two bit allocation algorithms are applied to a 3-D Meteorological data set. Test results show that the MM approach gives distortion results that are nearly identical to the optimal approach, while significantly reducing computational complexity.

  13. Situational Management, Standard Setting, and Self-Reward in a Behavior Modification Weight Loss Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chapman, Stanley L.; Jeffrey, D. Balfour

    1978-01-01

    In comprehensive wieght loss program, overweight women exposed to instruction in self-standard setting and to situational management techniques lost more weight than those instructed only in situational management techniques. Findings illustrate facilitative effect of teaching individuals to set specific, objective, and realistic goals for eating…

  14. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy in a Community Setting: Examining Outcomes, Attrition, and Treatment Setting

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lanier, Paul; Kohl, Patrica L.; Benz, Joan; Swinger, Dawn; Moussette, Pam; Drake, Brett

    2011-01-01

    Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) deployed in a community setting comparing in-home with the standard office-based intervention. Child behavior, parent stress, parent functioning, and attrition were examined. Methods: Using a quasi-experimental design, standardized measures at three time…

  15. Classifying E-Trainer Standards

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Julien, Anne

    2005-01-01

    Purpose: To set-up a classification of the types of profiles and competencies that are required to set-up a good e-learning programme. This approach provides a framework within which a set of standards can be defined for e-trainers. Design/methodology/approach: Open and distance learning (ODL) has been developing in Europe, due to new tools in…

  16. The Introduction of Standardized External Testing in Ukraine: Challenges and Successes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kovalchuk, Serhiy; Koroliuk, Svitlana

    2012-01-01

    Standardized external testing (SET) began to be implemented in Ukraine in 2008 as an instrument for combating corruption in higher education and ensuring fair university admission. This article examines the conditions and processes that led to the introduction of SET, overviews its implementation over three years (2008-10), analyzes SET and…

  17. Comparison of low-altitude wind-shear statistics derived from measured and proposed standard wind profiles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Usry, J. W.

    1983-01-01

    Wind shear statistics were calculated for a simulated set of wind profiles based on a proposed standard wind field data base. Wind shears were grouped in altitude in altitude bands of 100 ft between 100 and 1400 ft and in wind shear increments of 0.025 knot/ft. Frequency distributions, means, and standard deviations for each altitude band were derived for the total sample were derived for both sets. It was found that frequency distributions in each altitude band for the simulated data set were more dispersed below 800 ft and less dispersed above 900 ft than those for the measured data set. Total sample frequency of occurrence for the two data sets was about equal for wind shear values between +0.075 knot/ft, but the simulated data set had significantly larger values for all wind shears outside these boundaries. It is shown that normal distribution in both data sets neither data set was normally distributed; similar results are observed from the cumulative frequency distributions.

  18. Effect of rapid set binder on early strength and permeability of HES latex modified road repair pre-packed concrete

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Han, J. W.; Lee, S. K.; Yu, C.; Park, C. G.

    2015-12-01

    The early strength development characteristics and permeability resistance of high early strength (HES) pre-packed road repair concrete incorporating a rapid-set binder material were evaluated for emergency repairs to road pavement. The rapid-set binder is a mixture of rapid-set cement and silica sands whose fluidity improves with the addition of styrene butadiene latex (latex). The resulting mixture has a compressive strength of 21 MPa or higher and a flexural strength of greater than 3.5 MPa after 4 hours, the maximum curing age allowed for emergency repair materials. This study examines the strength development properties and permeability resistance of HES latex-modified pre-packed road repair concrete using a rapid- set binder as a function of the latex-to-binder mixing ratio at values of 0.40, 0.33, 0.29 and 0.25. Both early strength development properties and permeability resistance increased as the ratio of latex to rapid-set binder decreased. The mixture showed a compressive strength of 21 MPa or higher after 4 hours, which is the design standard of emergency repair concrete, only when this ratio was 0.29 or lower. A flexural strength of 3.5 MPa or greater was observed after hours only when this ratio was 0.33 or lower. The standard for permeability resistance, less than 2,000 C of chloride after 7 days of curing, was satisfied by all ratios. The ratio of latex to rapid-set binder satisfying all of the conditions for an emergency road repair material was 0.29 or less.

  19. Two-part models with stochastic processes for modelling longitudinal semicontinuous data: Computationally efficient inference and modelling the overall marginal mean.

    PubMed

    Yiu, Sean; Tom, Brian Dm

    2017-01-01

    Several researchers have described two-part models with patient-specific stochastic processes for analysing longitudinal semicontinuous data. In theory, such models can offer greater flexibility than the standard two-part model with patient-specific random effects. However, in practice, the high dimensional integrations involved in the marginal likelihood (i.e. integrated over the stochastic processes) significantly complicates model fitting. Thus, non-standard computationally intensive procedures based on simulating the marginal likelihood have so far only been proposed. In this paper, we describe an efficient method of implementation by demonstrating how the high dimensional integrations involved in the marginal likelihood can be computed efficiently. Specifically, by using a property of the multivariate normal distribution and the standard marginal cumulative distribution function identity, we transform the marginal likelihood so that the high dimensional integrations are contained in the cumulative distribution function of a multivariate normal distribution, which can then be efficiently evaluated. Hence, maximum likelihood estimation can be used to obtain parameter estimates and asymptotic standard errors (from the observed information matrix) of model parameters. We describe our proposed efficient implementation procedure for the standard two-part model parameterisation and when it is of interest to directly model the overall marginal mean. The methodology is applied on a psoriatic arthritis data set concerning functional disability.

  20. High-dose versus standard-dose radiotherapy with concurrent chemotherapy in stages II-III esophageal cancer.

    PubMed

    Suh, Yang-Gun; Lee, Ik Jae; Koom, Wong Sub; Cha, Jihye; Lee, Jong Young; Kim, Soo Kon; Lee, Chang Geol

    2014-06-01

    In this study, we investigated the effects of radiotherapy ≥60 Gy in the setting of concurrent chemo-radiotherapy for treating patients with Stages II-III esophageal cancer. A total of 126 patients treated with 5-fluorouracilbased concurrent chemo-radiotherapy between January 1998 and February 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. Among these patients, 49 received a total radiation dose of <60 Gy (standard-dose group), while 77 received a total radiation dose of ≥60 Gy (high-dose group). The median doses in the standard- and high-dose groups were 54 Gy (range, 45-59.4 Gy) and 63 Gy (range, 60-81 Gy), respectively. The high-dose group showed significantly improved locoregional control (2-year locoregional control rate, 69 versus 32%, P < 0.01) and progression-free survival (2-year progression-free survival, 47 versus 20%, P = 0.01) than the standard-dose group. Median overall survival in the high- and the standard-dose groups was 28 and 18 months, respectively (P = 0.26). In multivariate analysis, 60 Gy or higher radiotherapy was a significant prognostic factor for improved locoregional control, progression-free survival and overall survival. No significant differences were found in frequencies of late radiation pneumonitis, post-treatment esophageal stricture or treatment-related mortality between the two groups. High-dose radiotherapy of 60 Gy or higher with concurrent chemotherapy improved locoregional control and progression-free survival without a significant increase of in treatment-related toxicity in patients with Stages II-III esophageal cancer. Our study could provide the basis for future randomized clinical trials. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  1. UK key performance indicators and quality assurance standards for colonoscopy.

    PubMed

    Rees, Colin J; Thomas Gibson, Siwan; Rutter, Matt D; Baragwanath, Phil; Pullan, Rupert; Feeney, Mark; Haslam, Neil

    2016-12-01

    Colonoscopy should be delivered by endoscopists performing high quality procedures. The British Society of Gastroenterology, the UK Joint Advisory Group on GI Endoscopy, and the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland have developed quality assurance measures and key performance indicators for the delivery of colonoscopy within the UK. This document sets minimal standards for delivery of procedures along with aspirational targets that all endoscopists should aim for. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  2. Universality, correlations, and rankings in the Brazilian universities national admission examinations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    da Silva, Roberto; Lamb, Luis C.; Barbosa, Marcia C.

    2016-09-01

    We analyze the scores obtained by students who have taken the ENEM examination, The Brazilian High School National Examination which is used in the admission process at Brazilian universities. The average high schools scores from different disciplines are compared through the Pearson correlation coefficient. The results show a very large correlation between the performance in the different school subjects. Even though the students' scores in the ENEM form a Gaussian due to the standardization, we show that the high schools' scores form a bimodal distribution that cannot be used to evaluate and compare students performance over time. We also show that this high schools distribution reflects the correlation between school performance and the economic level (based on the average family income) of the students. The ENEM scores are compared with a Brazilian non standardized exam, the entrance examination from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. The analysis of the performance of the same individuals in both tests shows that the two tests not only select different abilities, but also lead to the admission of different sets of individuals. Our results indicate that standardized tests might be an interesting tool to compare performance of individuals over the years, but not of institutions.

  3. Assessing Lower Limb Alignment: Comparison of Standard Knee Xray vs Long Leg View.

    PubMed

    Zampogna, Biagio; Vasta, Sebastiano; Amendola, Annunziato; Uribe-Echevarria Marbach, Bastian; Gao, Yubo; Papalia, Rocco; Denaro, Vincenzo

    2015-01-01

    High tibial osteotomy (HTO) is a well-established and commonly utilized technique in medial knee osteoarthritis secondary to varus malalignment. Accurate measurement of the preoperative limb alignment, and the amount of correction required are essential when planning limb realignment surgery. The hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA) measured on a full length weightbearing (FLWB) X-ray in the standing position is considered the gold standard, since it allows for reliable and accurate measurement of the mechanical axis of the whole lower extremity. In general practice, alignment is often evaluated on standard anteroposterior weightbearing (APWB) X-rays, as the angle between the femur and tibial anatomic axis (TFa). It is, therefore, of value to establish if measuring the anatomical axis from limited APWB is an effective measure of knee alignment especially in patients undergoing osteotomy about the knee. Three independent observers measured preoperative and postoperative FTa with standard method (FTa1) and with circles method (FTa2) on APWB X-ray and the HKA on FLWB X-ray at three different time-points separated by a two-week period. Intra-observer and inter-observer reliabilities and the comparison and relationship between anatomical and mechanical alignment were calculated. Intra- and interclass coefficients for all the three methods indicated excellent reliability, having all the values above 0.80. Using the mean of paired t-student test, the comparison of HKA versus TFa1 and TFa2 showed a statistically significant difference (p<.0001) both for the pre-operative and post-operative sets of values. The correlation between the HKA and FTal was found poor for the preoperative set (R=0.26) and fair for the postoperative one (R=0.53), while the new circles method showed a higher correlation in both the preoperative (R=0.71) and postoperative sets (R=0.79). Intra-observer reliability was high for HKA, FTal and FTa2 on APWB x-rays in the pre- and post-operative setting. Inter-rater reliability was higher for HKA and TFa2 compared to FTal. The femoro-tibial angle as measured on APWB with the traditional method (FTal) has a weak correlation with the HKA, and based on these findings, should not be used in everyday practice. The FTa2 showed better correlation with the HKA, although not excellent. Level III, Retrospective study.

  4. Assessing Lower Limb Alignment: Comparison of Standard Knee Xray vs Long Leg View

    PubMed Central

    Zampogna, Biagio; Vasta, Sebastiano; Amendola, Annunziato; Uribe-Echevarria Marbach, Bastian; Gao, Yubo; Papalia, Rocco; Denaro, Vincenzo

    2015-01-01

    Background High tibial osteotomy (HTO) is a well-established and commonly utilized technique in medial knee osteoarthritis secondary to varus malalignment. Accurate measurement of the preoperative limb alignment, and the amount of correction required are essential when planning limb realignment surgery. The hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA) measured on a full length weightbearing (FLWB) X-ray in the standing position is considered the gold standard, since it allows for reliable and accurate measurement of the mechanical axis of the whole lower extremity. In general practice, alignment is often evaluated on standard anteroposterior weightbearing (APWB) X-rays, as the angle between the femur and tibial anatomic axis (TFa). It is, therefore, of value to establish if measuring the anatomical axis from limited APWB is an effective measure of knee alignment especially in patients undergoing osteotomy about the knee. Methods Three independent observers measured preoperative and postoperative FTa with standard method (FTa1) and with circles method (FTa2) on APWB X-ray and the HKA on FLWB X-ray at three different time-points separated by a two-week period. Intra-observer and inter-observer reliabilities and the comparison and relationship between anatomical and mechanical alignment were calculated. Results Intra- and interclass coefficients for all the three methods indicated excellent reliability, having all the values above 0.80. Using the mean of paired t-student test, the comparison of HKA versus TFa1 and TFa2 showed a statistically significant difference (p<.0001) both for the pre-operative and post-operative sets of values. The correlation between the HKA and FTal was found poor for the preoperative set (R=0.26) and fair for the postoperative one (R=0.53), while the new circles method showed a higher correlation in both the preoperative (R=0.71) and postoperative sets (R=0.79). Conclusions Intra-observer reliability was high for HKA, FTal and FTa2 on APWB x-rays in the pre- and post-operative setting. Inter-rater reliability was higher for HKA and TFa2 compared to FTal. The femoro-tibial angle as measured on APWB with the traditional method (FTal) has a weak correlation with the HKA, and based on these findings, should not be used in everyday practice. The FTa2 showed better correlation with the HKA, although not excellent Level of Evidence Level III, Retrospective study. PMID:26361444

  5. Standards of care provided by early pregnancy assessment units (EPAU): a UK-wide survey.

    PubMed

    Poddar, A; Tyagi, J; Hawkins, E; Opemuyi, I

    2011-10-01

    Standards of services provided by the EPAUs across the UK vary from one unit to another. The aim of this purposive sampling self-administered survey was to assess these standards against a benchmark set by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). These standards were set out in a report by a RCOG working party (2008). Out of 181 units contacted in this survey, 140 units responded. We looked at the setup of the EPAU, services offered, accessibility and protocols for management of miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy. The survey shows that there is a considerable variation in the management protocols and the quality of services offered by the EPAUs in the UK. Many units do not meet the standards set by the RCOG.

  6. Development and implementation of energy efficiency standards and labeling programs in China: Progress and challenges

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

    Zhou, Nan; Khanna, Nina Zheng; Fridley, David

    Over the last twenty years, with growing policy emphasis on improving energy efficiency and reducing environmental pollution and carbon emissions, China has implemented a series of new minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) and mandatory and voluntary energy labels to improve appliance energy efficiency. As China begins planning for the next phase of standards and labeling (S&L) program development under the 12th Five Year Plan, an evaluation of recent program developments and future directions is needed to identify gaps that still exist when compared with international best practices. The review of China’s S&L program development and implementation in comparison with majormore » findings from international experiences reveal that there are still areas of improvement, particularly when compared to success factors observed across leading international S&L program. China currently lacks a formalized regulatory process for standard-setting and do not have any legal or regulatory guidance on elements of S&L development such as stakeholder participation or the issue of legal precedence between conflicting national, industrial and local standards. Consequently, China’s laws regarding standard-setting and management of the mandatory energy label program could be updated, as they have not been amended or revised recently and no longer reflects the current situation. While China uses similar principles for choosing target products as the U.S., Australia, EU and Japan, including high energy-consumption, mature industry and testing procedure and stakeholder support, recent MEPS revisions have generally aimed at only eliminating the bottom 20% efficiency of the market. Setting a firm principle based on maximizing energy savings that are technically feasible and economically justified may help improve the stringency of China’s MEPS program and reduce the need for frequent revisions. China also lacks robust survey data and relies primarily on market research data in relatively simple techno-economic analyses used to determine its efficiency standards levels rather than the specific sets of analyses and tools used internationally. Based on international experiences, inclusion of more detailed energy consumption surveys in the Chinese national census surveys and statistical reporting systems could help provide the necessary data for more comprehensive standard-setting analyses. In terms of stakeholder participation in the standards development process, stakeholder participation in China is limited to membership on technical committees responsible for developing or revising standards and generally do not include environmental groups, consumer associations, utilities and other NGOs. Increasing stakeholder involvement to broader interest groups could help garner more support and feedback in the S&L implementation process. China has emerged as a leader in a national verification testing scheme with complementary pilot checktesting projects, but it still faces challenges with insufficient funding, low local awareness amongst some regulatory agencies and resistance to check-testing by some manufacturers, limited product sampling scope, and testing inconsistency and incomparability of results. Thus, further financial and staff resources and capacity building will be needed to overcome these remaining challenges and to expand impacts evaluations to assess the actual effectiveness of implementation and enforcement.« less

  7. Implementation of a Goal-Directed Mechanical Ventilation Order Set Driven by Respiratory Therapists Improves Compliance With Best Practices for Mechanical Ventilation.

    PubMed

    Radosevich, Misty A; Wanta, Brendan T; Meyer, Todd J; Weber, Verlin W; Brown, Daniel R; Smischney, Nathan J; Diedrich, Daniel A

    2017-01-01

    Data regarding best practices for ventilator management strategies that improve outcomes in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are readily available. However, little is known regarding processes to ensure compliance with these strategies. We developed a goal-directed mechanical ventilation order set that included physician-specified lung-protective ventilation and oxygenation goals to be implemented by respiratory therapists (RTs). We sought as a primary outcome to determine whether an RT-driven order set with predefined oxygenation and ventilation goals could be implemented and associated with improved adherence with best practice. We evaluated 1302 patients undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation (1693 separate episodes of invasive mechanical ventilation) prior to and after institution of a standardized, goal-directed mechanical ventilation order set using a controlled before-and-after study design. Patient-specific goals for oxygenation partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood (Pao 2 ), ARDS Network [Net] positive end-expiratory pressure [PEEP]/fraction of inspired oxygen [Fio 2 ] table use) and ventilation (pH, partial pressure of carbon dioxide) were selected by prescribers and implemented by RTs. Compliance with the new mechanical ventilation order set was high: 88.2% compliance versus 3.8% before implementation of the order set ( P < .001). Adherence to the PEEP/Fio 2 table after implementation of the order set was significantly greater (86.0% after vs 82.9% before, P = .02). There was no difference in duration of mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay, and in-hospital or ICU mortality. A standardized best practice mechanical ventilation order set can be implemented by a multidisciplinary team and is associated with improved compliance to written orders and adherence to the ARDSNet PEEP/Fio 2 table.

  8. Early Childhood Educator and Administrator Surveys on the Use of Assessments and Standards in Early Childhood Settings. REL 2014-019

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Irwin, Clare W.; O'Dwyer, Laura; Cook, Kyle DeMeo

    2014-01-01

    The Early Childhood Educator Survey and the Early Childhood Administrator Survey allow users to collect consistent data on the use of child assessments and learning standards in early childhood learning settings. Each survey includes modules on educator/administrator background information, assessment use, and learning standards implementation.…

  9. Proficiency Standards and Cut-Scores for Language Proficiency Tests.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moy, Raymond H.

    1984-01-01

    Discusses the problems associated with "grading on a curve," the approach often used for standard setting on language proficiency tests. Proposes four main steps presented in the setting of a non-arbitrary cut-score. These steps not only establish a proficiency standard checked by external criteria, but also check to see that the test covers the…

  10. The Impact of Inclusion and Resource Instruction on Standardized Test Scores of Special Education Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Derico, Vontrice L.

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of the proposed quasi-experimental quantitative study was to determine if students who were taught in the inclusive setting yielded higher standardized test scores compared to students who were taught in the resource setting. The researcher analyzed the standardized test scores, in the areas of Language Arts, Reading, and Mathematics…

  11. Comparison of accessions from the UK and US national pear germplasm collections with a standardized set of microsatellite markers

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    A standardized set of 12 microsatellite markers, previously agreed upon following an ECP/GR workshop in 2006, was used to screen accessions from the UK National Pear Collection at Brogdale and from the US National Pear Germplasm Repository (NCGR), Corvallis. Eight standard varieties were chosen from...

  12. Could Australia Have Its Own Teacher Professional Standards for Teaching Relationships and Sexuality Education?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Collier-Harris, Christine A.; Goldman, Juliette D. G.

    2017-01-01

    In many countries, there are no professional standards determining attributes, praxis, effectiveness and evaluation for teachers of relationships and sexuality education in schools. However, in the USA, a new set of pre-service teacher preparation standards has been developed for sexuality education and health. Australia has a set of generic…

  13. States Adopt Standards at Fast Clip

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gewertz, Catherine

    2010-01-01

    Nearly half the states have adopted a new set of common academic standards, barely a month after their final release and, in most cases, with little opposition. As of July 9, 23 states had decided to replace their mathematics and English/language arts standards with the common set. Another flurry of adoptions is expected by Aug. 2, since the $4…

  14. Qualitative Comparative Analysis, Necessary Conditions, and Limited Diversity: Some Problematic Consequences of Schneider and Wagemann's Enhanced Standard Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cooper, Barry; Glaesser, Judith

    2016-01-01

    We discuss a recent development in the set theoretic analysis of data sets characterized by limited diversity. Ragin, in developing his Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), developed a standard analysis that produces parsimonious, intermediate, and complex Boolean solutions of truth tables. Schneider and Wagemann argue this standard analysis…

  15. How large a training set is needed to develop a classifier for microarray data?

    PubMed

    Dobbin, Kevin K; Zhao, Yingdong; Simon, Richard M

    2008-01-01

    A common goal of gene expression microarray studies is the development of a classifier that can be used to divide patients into groups with different prognoses, or with different expected responses to a therapy. These types of classifiers are developed on a training set, which is the set of samples used to train a classifier. The question of how many samples are needed in the training set to produce a good classifier from high-dimensional microarray data is challenging. We present a model-based approach to determining the sample size required to adequately train a classifier. It is shown that sample size can be determined from three quantities: standardized fold change, class prevalence, and number of genes or features on the arrays. Numerous examples and important experimental design issues are discussed. The method is adapted to address ex post facto determination of whether the size of a training set used to develop a classifier was adequate. An interactive web site for performing the sample size calculations is provided. We showed that sample size calculations for classifier development from high-dimensional microarray data are feasible, discussed numerous important considerations, and presented examples.

  16. [Prediction of the total Japanese cedar pollen counts based on male flower-setting conditions of standard trees].

    PubMed

    Yuta, Atsushi; Ukai, Kotaro; Sakakura, Yasuo; Tani, Hideshi; Matsuda, Fukiko; Yang, Tian-qun; Majima, Yuichi

    2002-07-01

    We made a prediction of the Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) pollen counts at Tsu city based on male flower-setting conditions of standard trees. The 69 standard trees from 23 kinds of clones, planted at Mie Prefecture Science and Technology Promotion Center (Hakusan, Mie) in 1964, were selected. Male flower-setting conditions for 276 faces (69 trees x 4 points of the compass) were scored from 0 to 3. The average of scores and total pollen counts from 1988 to 2000 was analyzed. As the results, the average scores from standard trees and total pollen counts except two mass pollen-scattered years in 1995 and 2000 had a positive correlation (r = 0.914) by linear function. On the mass pollen-scattered years, pollen counts were influenced from the previous year. Therefore, the score of the present year minus that of the previous year were used for analysis. The average scores from male flower-setting conditions and pollen counts had a strong positive correlation (r = 0.994) when positive scores by taking account of the previous year were analyzed. We conclude that prediction of pollen counts are possible based on the male flower-setting conditions of standard trees.

  17. Simultaneous Determination of Multiple Ginsenosides in Panax ginseng Herbal Medicines with One Single Reference Standard.

    PubMed

    Wu, Chunwei; Guan, Qingxiao; Wang, Shumei; Rong, Yueying

    2017-01-01

    Root of Panax ginseng C. A. Mey (Renseng in Chinese) is a famous Traditional Chinese Medicine. Ginsenosides are the major bioactive components. However, the shortage and high cost of some ginsenoside reference standards make it is difficult for quality control of P. ginseng . A method, single standard for determination of multicomponents (SSDMC), was developed for the simultaneous determination of nine ginsenosides in P. ginseng (ginsenoside Rg 1 , Re, Rf, Rg 2 , Rb 1 , Rc, Rb 2 , Rb 3 , Rd). The analytes were separated on Inertsil ODS-3 C18 (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) with gradient elution of acetonitrile and water. The flow rate was 1 mL/min and detection wavelength was set at 203 nm. The feasibility and accuracy of SSDMC were checked by the external standard method, and various high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) instruments and chromatographic conditions were investigated to verify its applicability. Using ginsenoside Rg 1 as the internal reference substance, the contents of other eight ginsenosides were calculated according to conversion factors (F) by HPLC. The method was validated with linearity ( r 2 ≥ 0.9990), precision (relative standard deviation [RSD] ≤2.9%), accuracy (97.5%-100.8%, RSD ≤ 1.6%), repeatability, and stability. There was no significant difference between the SSDMC method and the external standard method. New SSDMC method could be considered as an ideal mean to analyze the components for which reference standards are not readily available. A method, single standard for determination of multicomponents (SSDMC), was established by high-performance liquid chromatography for the simultaneous determination of nine ginsenosides in Panax ginseng (ginsenoside Rg1, Re, Rf, Rg2, Rb1, Rc, Rb2, Rb3, Rd)Various chromatographic conditions were investigated to verify applicability of FsThe feasibility and accuracy of SSDMC were checked by the external standard method. Abbreviations used: DRT: Different value of retention time; F: Conversion factor; HPLC: High-performance Liquid Chromatography; LOD: Limit of detection; LOQ: Limit of quantitation; PD: Percent difference; PPD: 20(S)-protopanaxadiol; PPT: 20(S)-protopanaxatriol; RSD: Relative standard deviation; SSDMC: Single Standard for Determination of Multicomponents; TCM: Traditional Chinese Medicine.

  18. The effect of 3 torque delivery systems on gold screw preload at the gold cylinder-abutment screw joint.

    PubMed

    Tan, Keson B; Nicholls, Jack I

    2002-01-01

    This study measured the gold screw preload at the gold cylinder-abutment screw joint interface obtained by 3 torque delivery systems. Using a precalibrated, strain-gauged standard abutment as the load cell, 3 torque delivery systems tested were shown to have significant differences in gold screw preload when a gold cylinder was attached. Mean preloads measured were 291.2 N for hand torque drivers set at 10 Ncm, 340.3 N for electronic torque controllers at low setting/10 Ncm, 384.4 N for electronic torque controllers at high setting/10 Ncm; and 140.8 N for hand-tightening with a prosthetic slot screwdriver. Significant differences in screw preload were also found between operators using a hand torque driver. Hand-tightening delivered insufficient preload and cannot be recommended for final gold screw tightening. Different electronic torque controller units set at 10 Ncm induced mean gold screw preloads that ranged from 264.1 N to as high as 501.2 N. Electronic torque controllers should be regularly recalibrated to ensure optimal output.

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

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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

    2015-01-01

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

  20. A Critical Analysis of the Body of Work Method for Setting Cut-Scores

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Radwan, Nizam; Rogers, W. Todd

    2006-01-01

    The recent increase in the use of constructed-response items in educational assessment and the dissatisfaction with the nature of the decision that the judges must make using traditional standard-setting methods created a need to develop new and effective standard-setting procedures for tests that include both multiple-choice and…

  1. Search for new physics in high p T like-sign dilepton events at CDF II

    DOE PAGES

    Aaltonen, T.

    2011-10-25

    We present a search for new physics in events with two high p T leptons of the same electric charge, using data with an integrated luminosity of 6.1 fb -1. The observed data are consistent with standard model predictions. We set 95% C.L. lower limits on the mass of doubly-charged scalars decaying to like-sign dileptons, m H ±± > 190 - 245 GeV/c 2, depending on the decay mode and coupling.

  2. Search for new physics in high pT like-sign dilepton events at CDF II.

    PubMed

    Aaltonen, T; Álvarez González, B; Amerio, S; Amidei, D; Anastassov, A; Annovi, A; Antos, J; Apollinari, G; Appel, J A; Apresyan, A; Arisawa, T; Artikov, A; Asaadi, J; Ashmanskas, W; Auerbach, B; Aurisano, A; Azfar, F; Badgett, W; Barbaro-Galtieri, A; Barnes, V E; Barnett, B A; Barria, P; Bartos, P; Bauce, M; Bauer, G; Bedeschi, F; Beecher, D; Behari, S; Bellettini, G; Bellinger, J; Benjamin, D; Beretvas, A; Bhatti, A; Binkley, M; Bisello, D; Bizjak, I; Bland, K R; Blumenfeld, B; Bocci, A; Bodek, A; Bortoletto, D; Boudreau, J; Boveia, A; Brigliadori, L; Brisuda, A; Bromberg, C; Brucken, E; Bucciantonio, M; Budagov, J; Budd, H S; Budd, S; Burkett, K; Busetto, G; Bussey, P; Buzatu, A; Calancha, C; Camarda, S; Campanelli, M; Campbell, M; Canelli, F; Carls, B; Carlsmith, D; Carosi, R; Carrillo, S; Carron, S; Casal, B; Casarsa, M; Castro, A; Catastini, P; Cauz, D; Cavaliere, V; Cavalli-Sforza, M; Cerri, A; Cerrito, L; Chen, Y C; Chertok, M; Chiarelli, G; Chlachidze, G; Chlebana, F; Cho, K; Chokheli, D; Chou, J P; Chung, W H; Chung, Y S; Ciobanu, C I; Ciocci, M A; Clark, A; Clarke, C; Compostella, G; Convery, M E; Conway, J; Corbo, M; Cordelli, M; Cox, C A; Cox, D J; Crescioli, F; Cuenca Almenar, C; Cuevas, J; Culbertson, R; Dagenhart, D; d'Ascenzo, N; Datta, M; de Barbaro, P; De Cecco, S; De Lorenzo, G; Dell'Orso, M; Deluca, C; Demortier, L; Deng, J; Deninno, M; Devoto, F; d'Errico, M; Di Canto, A; Di Ruzza, B; Dittmann, J R; D'Onofrio, M; Donati, S; Dong, P; Dorigo, M; Dorigo, T; Ebina, K; Elagin, A; Eppig, A; Erbacher, R; Errede, D; Errede, S; Ershaidat, N; Eusebi, R; Fang, H C; Farrington, S; Feindt, M; Fernandez, J P; Ferrazza, C; Field, R; Flanagan, G; Forrest, R; Frank, M J; Franklin, M; Freeman, J C; Funakoshi, Y; Furic, I; Gallinaro, M; Galyardt, J; Garcia, J E; Garfinkel, A F; Garosi, P; Gerberich, H; Gerchtein, E; Giagu, S; Giakoumopoulou, V; Giannetti, P; Gibson, K; Ginsburg, C M; Giokaris, N; Giromini, P; Giunta, M; Giurgiu, G; Glagolev, V; Glenzinski, D; Gold, M; Goldin, D; Goldschmidt, N; Golossanov, A; Gomez, G; Gomez-Ceballos, G; Goncharov, M; González, O; Gorelov, I; Goshaw, A T; Goulianos, K; Grinstein, S; Grosso-Pilcher, C; Group, R C; Guimaraes da Costa, J; Gunay-Unalan, Z; Haber, C; Hahn, S R; Halkiadakis, E; Hamaguchi, A; Han, J Y; Happacher, F; Hara, K; Hare, D; Hare, M; Harr, R F; Hatakeyama, K; Hays, C; Heck, M; Heinrich, J; Herndon, M; Hewamanage, S; Hidas, D; Hocker, A; Hopkins, W; Horn, D; Hou, S; Hughes, R E; Hurwitz, M; Husemann, U; Hussain, N; Hussein, M; Huston, J; Introzzi, G; Iori, M; Ivanov, A; James, E; Jang, D; Jayatilaka, B; Jeon, E J; Jha, M K; Jindariani, S; Johnson, W; Jones, M; Joo, K K; Jun, S Y; Junk, T R; Kamon, T; Karchin, P E; Kasmi, A; Kato, Y; Ketchum, W; Keung, J; Khotilovich, V; Kilminster, B; Kim, D H; Kim, H S; Kim, H W; Kim, J E; Kim, M J; Kim, S B; Kim, S H; Kim, Y K; Kimura, N; Kirby, M; Kittiwisit, P; Klimenko, S; Kondo, K; Kong, D J; Konigsberg, J; Kotwal, A V; Kreps, M; Kroll, J; Krop, D; Krumnack, N; Kruse, M; Krutelyov, V; Kuhr, T; Kurata, M; Kwang, S; Laasanen, A T; Lami, S; Lammel, S; Lancaster, M; Lander, R L; Lannon, K; Lath, A; Latino, G; Lecompte, T; Lee, E; Lee, H S; Lee, J S; Lee, S W; Leo, S; Leone, S; Lewis, J D; Limosani, A; Lin, C-J; Linacre, J; Lindgren, M; Lipeles, E; Lister, A; Litvintsev, D O; Liu, C; Liu, Q; Liu, T; Lockwitz, S; Loginov, A; Lucchesi, D; Lueck, J; Lujan, P; Lukens, P; Lungu, G; Lys, J; Lysak, R; Madrak, R; Maeshima, K; Makhoul, K; Malik, S; Manca, G; Manousakis-Katsikakis, A; Margaroli, F; Marino, C; Martínez, M; Martínez-Ballarín, R; Mastrandrea, P; Mattson, M E; Mazzanti, P; McFarland, K S; McIntyre, P; McNulty, R; Mehta, A; Mehtala, P; Menzione, A; Mesropian, C; Miao, T; Mietlicki, D; Mitra, A; Miyake, H; Moed, S; Moggi, N; Mondragon, M N; Moon, C S; Moore, R; Morello, M J; Morlock, J; Movilla Fernandez, P; Mukherjee, A; Muller, Th; Murat, P; Mussini, M; Nachtman, J; Nagai, Y; Naganoma, J; Nakano, I; Napier, A; Nett, J; Neu, C; Neubauer, M S; Nielsen, J; Nodulman, L; Norniella, O; Nurse, E; Oakes, L; Oh, S H; Oh, Y D; Oksuzian, I; Okusawa, T; Orava, R; Ortolan, L; Pagan Griso, S; Pagliarone, C; Palencia, E; Papadimitriou, V; Paramonov, A A; Patrick, J; Pauletta, G; Paulini, M; Paus, C; Pellett, D E; Penzo, A; Phillips, T J; Piacentino, G; Pianori, E; Pilot, J; Pitts, K; Plager, C; Pondrom, L; Porter, R; Potamianos, K; Poukhov, O; Prokoshin, F; Pronko, A; Ptohos, F; Pueschel, E; Punzi, G; Pursley, J; Rahaman, A; Ramakrishnan, V; Ranjan, N; Redondo, I; Renton, P; Rescigno, M; Riddick, T; Rimondi, F; Ristori, L; Robson, A; Rodrigo, T; Rodriguez, T; Rogers, E; Rolli, S; Roser, R; Rossi, M; Rubbo, F; Ruffini, F; Ruiz, A; Russ, J; Rusu, V; Safonov, A; Sakumoto, W K; Sakurai, Y; Santi, L; Sartori, L; Sato, K; Saveliev, V; Savoy-Navarro, A; Schlabach, P; Schmidt, A; Schmidt, E E; Schmidt, M P; Schmitt, M; Schwarz, T; Scodellaro, L; Scribano, A; Scuri, F; Sedov, A; Seidel, S; Seiya, Y; Semenov, A; Sforza, F; Sfyrla, A; Shalhout, S Z; Shears, T; Shepard, P F; Shimojima, M; Shiraishi, S; Shochet, M; Shreyber, I; Simonenko, A; Sinervo, P; Sissakian, A; Sliwa, K; Smith, J R; Snider, F D; Soha, A; Somalwar, S; Sorin, V; Squillacioti, P; Stancari, M; Stanitzki, M; St Denis, R; Stelzer, B; Stelzer-Chilton, O; Stentz, D; Strologas, J; Strycker, G L; Sudo, Y; Sukhanov, A; Suslov, I; Takemasa, K; Takeuchi, Y; Tang, J; Tecchio, M; Teng, P K; Thom, J; Thome, J; Thompson, G A; Thomson, E; Ttito-Guzmán, P; Tkaczyk, S; Toback, D; Tokar, S; Tollefson, K; Tomura, T; Tonelli, D; Torre, S; Torretta, D; Totaro, P; Trovato, M; Tu, Y; Ukegawa, F; Uozumi, S; Varganov, A; Vázquez, F; Velev, G; Vellidis, C; Vidal, M; Vila, I; Vilar, R; Vizán, J; Vogel, M; Volpi, G; Wagner, P; Wagner, R L; Wakisaka, T; Wallny, R; Wang, S M; Warburton, A; Waters, D; Weinberger, M; Wester, W C; Whitehouse, B; Whiteson, D; Wicklund, A B; Wicklund, E; Wilbur, S; Wick, F; Williams, H H; Wilson, J S; Wilson, P; Winer, B L; Wittich, P; Wolbers, S; Wolfe, H; Wright, T; Wu, X; Wu, Z; Yamamoto, K; Yamaoka, J; Yang, T; Yang, U K; Yang, Y C; Yao, W-M; Yeh, G P; Yi, K; Yoh, J; Yorita, K; Yoshida, T; Yu, G B; Yu, I; Yu, S S; Yun, J C; Zanetti, A; Zeng, Y; Zucchelli, S

    2011-10-28

    We present a search for new physics in events with two high pT leptons of the same electric charge, using data with an integrated luminosity of 6.1 fb(-1). The observed data are consistent with standard model predictions. We set 95% C.L. lower limits on the mass of doubly charged scalars decaying to like-sign dileptons, m(H±±) > 190-245 GeV/c(2), assuming 100% BR to ee, μμ or eμ.

  3. Weighted network analysis of high-frequency cross-correlation measures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Iori, Giulia; Precup, Ovidiu V.

    2007-03-01

    In this paper we implement a Fourier method to estimate high-frequency correlation matrices from small data sets. The Fourier estimates are shown to be considerably less noisy than the standard Pearson correlation measures and thus capable of detecting subtle changes in correlation matrices with just a month of data. The evolution of correlation at different time scales is analyzed from the full correlation matrix and its minimum spanning tree representation. The analysis is performed by implementing measures from the theory of random weighted networks.

  4. Social and attentional aspects of echolalia in highly echolalic mentally retarded persons.

    PubMed

    Campbell, B; Grieve, R

    1978-01-01

    Echolalia was examined in a sample of highly echolalic mentally retarded individuals. When presented with a standard set of questions, under conditions differing in appropriateness for exchange of discourse (e.g., questions presented with examiner and patient face-to-face vs. questions presented with the examiner's face averted vs. questions addressed towards another person sitting silently beside the patient), subjects' frequency of echolalia varied. Besides showing considerable sensitivity to aspects of discourse exchange, subjects exhibited some limited capacity for processing linguistic information.

  5. Development of a database of health insurance claims: standardization of disease classifications and anonymous record linkage.

    PubMed

    Kimura, Shinya; Sato, Toshihiko; Ikeda, Shunya; Noda, Mitsuhiko; Nakayama, Takeo

    2010-01-01

    Health insurance claims (ie, receipts) record patient health care treatments and expenses and, although created for the health care payment system, are potentially useful for research. Combining different types of receipts generated for the same patient would dramatically increase the utility of these receipts. However, technical problems, including standardization of disease names and classifications, and anonymous linkage of individual receipts, must be addressed. In collaboration with health insurance societies, all information from receipts (inpatient, outpatient, and pharmacy) was collected. To standardize disease names and classifications, we developed a computer-aided post-entry standardization method using a disease name dictionary based on International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 classifications. We also developed an anonymous linkage system by using an encryption code generated from a combination of hash values and stream ciphers. Using different sets of the original data (data set 1: insurance certificate number, name, and sex; data set 2: insurance certificate number, date of birth, and relationship status), we compared the percentage of successful record matches obtained by using data set 1 to generate key codes with the percentage obtained when both data sets were used. The dictionary's automatic conversion of disease names successfully standardized 98.1% of approximately 2 million new receipts entered into the database. The percentage of anonymous matches was higher for the combined data sets (98.0%) than for data set 1 (88.5%). The use of standardized disease classifications and anonymous record linkage substantially contributed to the construction of a large, chronologically organized database of receipts. This database is expected to aid in epidemiologic and health services research using receipt information.

  6. When is hub gene selection better than standard meta-analysis?

    PubMed

    Langfelder, Peter; Mischel, Paul S; Horvath, Steve

    2013-01-01

    Since hub nodes have been found to play important roles in many networks, highly connected hub genes are expected to play an important role in biology as well. However, the empirical evidence remains ambiguous. An open question is whether (or when) hub gene selection leads to more meaningful gene lists than a standard statistical analysis based on significance testing when analyzing genomic data sets (e.g., gene expression or DNA methylation data). Here we address this question for the special case when multiple genomic data sets are available. This is of great practical importance since for many research questions multiple data sets are publicly available. In this case, the data analyst can decide between a standard statistical approach (e.g., based on meta-analysis) and a co-expression network analysis approach that selects intramodular hubs in consensus modules. We assess the performance of these two types of approaches according to two criteria. The first criterion evaluates the biological insights gained and is relevant in basic research. The second criterion evaluates the validation success (reproducibility) in independent data sets and often applies in clinical diagnostic or prognostic applications. We compare meta-analysis with consensus network analysis based on weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) in three comprehensive and unbiased empirical studies: (1) Finding genes predictive of lung cancer survival, (2) finding methylation markers related to age, and (3) finding mouse genes related to total cholesterol. The results demonstrate that intramodular hub gene status with respect to consensus modules is more useful than a meta-analysis p-value when identifying biologically meaningful gene lists (reflecting criterion 1). However, standard meta-analysis methods perform as good as (if not better than) a consensus network approach in terms of validation success (criterion 2). The article also reports a comparison of meta-analysis techniques applied to gene expression data and presents novel R functions for carrying out consensus network analysis, network based screening, and meta analysis.

  7. web cellHTS2: a web-application for the analysis of high-throughput screening data.

    PubMed

    Pelz, Oliver; Gilsdorf, Moritz; Boutros, Michael

    2010-04-12

    The analysis of high-throughput screening data sets is an expanding field in bioinformatics. High-throughput screens by RNAi generate large primary data sets which need to be analyzed and annotated to identify relevant phenotypic hits. Large-scale RNAi screens are frequently used to identify novel factors that influence a broad range of cellular processes, including signaling pathway activity, cell proliferation, and host cell infection. Here, we present a web-based application utility for the end-to-end analysis of large cell-based screening experiments by cellHTS2. The software guides the user through the configuration steps that are required for the analysis of single or multi-channel experiments. The web-application provides options for various standardization and normalization methods, annotation of data sets and a comprehensive HTML report of the screening data analysis, including a ranked hit list. Sessions can be saved and restored for later re-analysis. The web frontend for the cellHTS2 R/Bioconductor package interacts with it through an R-server implementation that enables highly parallel analysis of screening data sets. web cellHTS2 further provides a file import and configuration module for common file formats. The implemented web-application facilitates the analysis of high-throughput data sets and provides a user-friendly interface. web cellHTS2 is accessible online at http://web-cellHTS2.dkfz.de. A standalone version as a virtual appliance and source code for platforms supporting Java 1.5.0 can be downloaded from the web cellHTS2 page. web cellHTS2 is freely distributed under GPL.

  8. End-of-Kindergarten Spelling Outcomes: How Can Spelling Error Analysis Data Inform Beginning Reading Instruction?

    PubMed

    Lee, Julia Ai Cheng; Otaiba, Stephanie Al

    2017-01-01

    In this article, the authors examined the spelling performance of 430 kindergarteners, which included a high risk sample, to determine the relations between end of kindergarten reading and spelling in a high quality language arts setting. The spelling outcomes including the spelling errors between the good and the poor readers were described, analyzed, and compared. The findings suggest that not all the children have acquired the desired standard as outlined by the Common Core State Standards. In addition, not every good reader is a good speller and that not every poor speller is a poor reader. The study shows that spelling tasks that are accompanied by spelling errors analysis provide a powerful window for making instructional sense of children's spelling errors and for individualizing spelling instructional strategies.

  9. Implications of the Next Generation Science Standards for Earth and Space Sciences

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wysession, M. E.; Colson, M.; Duschl, R. A.; Huff, K.; Lopez, R. E.; Messina, P.; Speranza, P.; Matthews, T.; Childress, J.

    2012-12-01

    The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), due to be released in 2013, set a new direction for K-12 science education in America. These standards will put forth significant changes for Earth and space sciences. The NGSS are based upon the recommendations of the National Research Council's 2011 report "A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Cross-Cutting Concepts, and Core Ideas." The standards are being written by a large group of authors who represent many different constituencies, including 26 participating states, in a process led by Achieve, Inc. The standards encourage innovative ways to teach science at the K-12 level, including enhanced integration between the content, practices, and crosscutting ideas of science and greater assimilation among the sciences and engineering, and among the sciences, mathematics, and English language arts. The NGSS presents a greater emphasis on Earth and space sciences than in previous standards, recommending a year at both the middle and high school levels. The new standards also present a greater emphasis on areas of direct impact between humans and the Earth system, including climate change, natural hazards, resource management, and sustainability.

  10. Validation of the NIMH-ChEFS adolescent face stimulus set in an adolescent, parent, and health professional sample.

    PubMed

    Coffman, Marika C; Trubanova, Andrea; Richey, J Anthony; White, Susan W; Kim-Spoon, Jungmeen; Ollendick, Thomas H; Pine, Daniel S

    2015-12-01

    Attention to faces is a fundamental psychological process in humans, with atypical attention to faces noted across several clinical disorders. Although many clinical disorders onset in adolescence, there is a lack of well-validated stimulus sets containing adolescent faces available for experimental use. Further, the images comprising most available sets are not controlled for high- and low-level visual properties. Here, we present a cross-site validation of the National Institute of Mental Health Child Emotional Faces Picture Set (NIMH-ChEFS), comprised of 257 photographs of adolescent faces displaying angry, fearful, happy, sad, and neutral expressions. All of the direct facial images from the NIMH-ChEFS set were adjusted in terms of location of facial features and standardized for luminance, size, and smoothness. Although overall agreement between raters in this study and the original development-site raters was high (89.52%), this differed by group such that agreement was lower for adolescents relative to mental health professionals in the current study. These results suggest that future research using this face set or others of adolescent/child faces should base comparisons on similarly-aged validation data. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  11. Update on risk stratification and treatment of newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

    PubMed

    Kapoor, Prashant; Rajkumar, S Vincent

    2011-10-01

    Multiple myeloma is the second most common hematologic malignancy. Chromosomal aberrations are important prognostic determinants that influence the clinical decision-making in newly-diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM). Patients are considered high-risk if any of the following features are detected: hypodiploidy, deletion 13 by cytogenetics, t(4;14), t(14;16), t(14;20) and/or 17 p deletion. In the absence of these features patients are considered standard risk. Outside of trials, risk-adapted therapy in the transplant-eligible high-risk patients advocates use of bortezomib-based induction therapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) and bortezomib-based maintenance therapy. High-risk, transplant-ineligible patients should also utilize bortezomib as initial therapy since it is known to overcome the poor prognosis associated with some high-risk features. The goal of therapy in high-risk patients is to attain and maintain a state of complete remission as much as possible. In contrast, the standard-risk, transplant-eligible patients may be treated with either lenalidomide-dexamethasone or bortezomib-based therapy followed by ASCT. In such patients, ASCT can also be deferred until first relapse if the patients are tolerating initial therapy well. Lenalidomide maintenance therapy in the post-transplant setting in standard-risk patients is controversial and not recommended routinely. For transplant-ineligible standard-risk patients, multiple options exist, although in the absence direct comparisons, we prefer lenalidomide plus low-dose dexamethasone over melphalan-based combinations. This review outlines evidence-based management approaches in NDMM, with a focus on risk-adapted therapy.

  12. [Correlative factors related to the density of Meriones unguiculatus in the Meriones unguiculatus plague foci of Hebei province, 2001-2013].

    PubMed

    Niu, Y F; Kang, X P; Yan, D; Zhang, Y H; Liu, G; Kang, D M; Liu, H Z; Shi, X M; Li, Y G

    2016-08-10

    To explore the yearly, monthly and habitat-related distribution and their relations with Meriones unguiculatus density in the Hebei Meriones unguiculatus plague foci, from 2001 to 2013. Data related to Meriones unguiculatus was gathered through the monitoring programs set up at the national and provincial Meriones unguiculatus plague foci in Hebei province, from 2001 to 2013. According to the yearly density of Meriones unguiculatus, criteria set for the three groups under study, were as follows:'high-risk group'-when the rodent density was≥1.00 under rodents/hm(2),'warning group'-when the rodents/hm(2)>rodent density> 0.20,'standard group'-when rodents/hm(2) rodent density≤0.20 rodents/hm(2). Differences of habitats and monthly distribution among the three groups were compared, under the Kruskal-Wallis H rank sum test while their relations were under the multiple correspondence analysis. The Meriones unguiculatus densities were higher than 1.00 rodents/hm(2), far above the set national standards, in the monitoring area, between 2001 and 2005. From 2005, though the rodent densities began to decrease, however, figures from 2008 to 2013 were still among 0.20 to 1.00 rodents/hm(2). The distribution of habitats in the three groups showed that the Meriones unguiculatus densities were all different in habitats and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The highest median densities were all in the arable land, with maximum value of high-risk group appeared the highest (20.50 rodents/hm(2)) in the wasteland. Monthly distribution showed that the Meriones unguiculatus densities were different and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05) in the high-risk and standard groups but not statistically significant in the warning group. Data from the multiple correspondence analysis showed that there was a strong aggregation among wasteland, in April and June, while the warning group was associated with weather in July and the arable land. When the density became higher than 1.00 rodents/hm(2), the risk on animal plague increased in Hebei Meriones unguiculatus plague foci. Based on the distribution of Meriones unguiculatus, programs should be set to monitor the rodent in arable land and wasteland, in April and June, to reduce the prevalence of animals plague.

  13. Extraordinarily Adaptive Properties of the Genetically Encoded Amino Acids

    PubMed Central

    Ilardo, Melissa; Meringer, Markus; Freeland, Stephen; Rasulev, Bakhtiyor; Cleaves II, H. James

    2015-01-01

    Using novel advances in computational chemistry, we demonstrate that the set of 20 genetically encoded amino acids, used nearly universally to construct all coded terrestrial proteins, has been highly influenced by natural selection. We defined an adaptive set of amino acids as one whose members thoroughly cover relevant physico-chemical properties, or “chemistry space.” Using this metric, we compared the encoded amino acid alphabet to random sets of amino acids. These random sets were drawn from a computationally generated compound library containing 1913 alternative amino acids that lie within the molecular weight range of the encoded amino acids. Sets that cover chemistry space better than the genetically encoded alphabet are extremely rare and energetically costly. Further analysis of more adaptive sets reveals common features and anomalies, and we explore their implications for synthetic biology. We present these computations as evidence that the set of 20 amino acids found within the standard genetic code is the result of considerable natural selection. The amino acids used for constructing coded proteins may represent a largely global optimum, such that any aqueous biochemistry would use a very similar set. PMID:25802223

  14. Historical Precision of an Ozone Correction Procedure for AM0 Solar Cell Calibration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Snyder, David B.; Jenkins, Phillip; Scheiman, David

    2005-01-01

    In an effort to improve the accuracy of the high altitude aircraft method for calibration of high band-gap solar cells, the ozone correction procedure has been revisited. The new procedure adjusts the measured short circuit current, Isc, according to satellite based ozone measurements and a model of the atmospheric ozone profile then extrapolates the measurements to air mass zero, AMO. The purpose of this paper is to assess the precision of the revised procedure by applying it to historical data sets. The average Isc of a silicon cell for a flying season increased 0.5% and the standard deviation improved from 0.5% to 0.3%. The 12 year average Isc of a GaAs cell increased 1% and the standard deviation improved from 0.8% to 0.5%. The slight increase in measured Isc and improvement in standard deviation suggests that the accuracy of the aircraft method may improve from 1% to nearly 0.5%.

  15. Construction of Home-Made Tin Fixed-Point Cell at TUBITAK UME

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kalemci, M.; Arifovic, N.; Bağçe, A.; Aytekin, S. O.; Ince, A. T.

    2015-08-01

    TUBITAK UME Temperature Laboratory initiated a new study which focuses on the construction of a tin freezing-point cell as a primary temperature standard. The design is an open-cell type similar to the National Institute of Standards and Technology design. With this aim, a brand new vacuum and filling line employing an oil diffusion pump and two cold traps (liquid nitrogen and dry ice) was set-up. The graphite parts (crucible, thermometer well, etc.) have been baked at high temperature under vacuum. Each cell was filled with approximately 1 kg of high-purity tin (99.9999 %) in a three-zone furnace. Then several melting and freezing curves were obtained to assess the quality of the home-made cell, and also the new cell was compared with the existing reference cell of the laboratory. The results obtained are very close to the reference cell of UME, indicating that the method used for fabrication was promising and satisfactory and also seems to meet the requirements to have a primary level temperature standard.

  16. Realization of the medium and high vacuum primary standard in CENAM, Mexico

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Torres-Guzman, J. C.; Santander, L. A.; Jousten, K.

    2005-12-01

    A medium and high vacuum primary standard, based on the static expansion method, has been set up at Centro Nacional de Metrología (CENAM), Mexico. This system has four volumes and covers a measuring range of 1 × 10-5 Pa to 1 × 103 Pa of absolute pressure. As part of its realization, a characterization was performed, which included volume calibrations, several tests and a bilateral key comparison. To determine the expansion ratios, two methods were applied: the gravimetric method and the method with a linearized spinning rotor gauge. The outgassing ratios for the whole system were also determined. A comparison was performed with Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (comparison SIM-Euromet.M.P-BK3). By means of this comparison, a link has been achieved with the Euromet comparison (Euromet.M.P-K1.b). As a result, it is concluded that the value obtained at CENAM is equivalent to the Euromet reference value, and therefore the design, construction and operation of CENAM's SEE-1 vacuum primary standard were successful.

  17. An Examination of a Teacher's Use of Authentic Assessment in an Urban Middle School Setting

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stevens, Patricia

    2013-01-01

    Today in urban education, schools are forced to keep up and compete with students nationally with high-stake testing. Standardized tests are often bias in nature and often do not measure the true ability of a student. Casas (2003) believes that all children can learn but they may learn differently. Therefore, using authentic assessments is an…

  18. Common Core in California Schools: Preparing Kids for Their Future. Fact Sheet

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Children Now, 2015

    2015-01-01

    Today's students are preparing to enter a world in which higher education and the workforce are demanding higher-level skills than ever before. To ensure all students are ready for success after high school, the Common Core State Standards establish a set of learning goals that work grade-by-grade, step-by-step, to prepare them to meet challenges…

  19. Evaluating the Risk of Nonresponse Bias in Educational Large-Scale Assessments with School Nonresponse Questionnaires: A Theoretical Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meinck, Sabine; Cortes, Diego; Tieck, Sabine

    2017-01-01

    Survey participation rates can have a direct impact on the validity of the data collected since nonresponse always holds the risk of bias. Therefore, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) has set very high standards for minimum survey participation rates. Nonresponse in IEA studies varies between studies…

  20. The Impact of SIM on FCAT Reading Scores of Special Education and At-Risk Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Matyo-Cepero, Jude

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine if special education and at-risk students educated exclusively in a school-within-a-school setting showed improved high-stakes standardized reading test scores after learning the strategic instruction model (SIM) inference strategy. This study was focused on four groups of eighth-grade students attending…

  1. For the Teacher and by the Teacher: Development of Exemplar Technology Learning Activities in Taiwan.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Lung-Sheng Steven

    In Taiwan, revised curriculum standards for junior and senior high school technology education were developed to take effect in the 1997 and 1998 school years. A project was undertaken to develop a set of exemplar technology learning activities (TLAs) to assist teachers in developing their school-based course of study for the living technology…

  2. Establishing a Strong Foundation: District and School-Level Supports for Classroom Implementation of the LDC and MDC Frameworks. Executive Summary

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reumann-Moore, Rebecca; Lawrence, Nancy; Sanders, Felicia; Christman, Jolley Bruce; Duffy, Mark

    2011-01-01

    The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has invested in the development and dissemination of high-quality instructional and formative assessment tools to support teachers' incorporation of the Core Common State Standards (CCSS) into their classroom instruction. Literacy experts have developed a framework and a set of templates that teachers can use…

  3. Development of a Procedural Guide to Implement Response to Intervention (RtI) with High-Ability Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Robertson, Stephanie; Pfeiffer, Steven

    2016-01-01

    In recent years, a focus on individual student needs has set the stage for tailoring educational interventions to address issues of students who are not working up to educational proficiency standards outlined in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. This new pedagogical model may provide a unique opportunity to meet the needs of…

  4. Light and dark: A survey of new physics ideas in the 1-100 MeV window

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

    Pospelov, Maxim

    2013-11-07

    I review the set of theoretical ideas motivating experimental searches of light physics beyond Standard Model using the high-intensity electron beams. While 'dark photon' is the chief example of such physics, the other 'light and dark' states (e.g. 'Dark Higgses') are also of interest. I discuss particle physics, cosmology and astrophysics applications.

  5. A professional development model for medical laboratory scientists working in the microbiology laboratory.

    PubMed

    Amerson, Megan H; Pulido, Lila; Garza, Melinda N; Ali, Faheem A; Greenhill, Brandy; Einspahr, Christopher L; Yarsa, Joseph; Sood, Pramilla K; Hu, Peter C

    2012-01-01

    The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Division of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine is committed to providing the best pathology and medicine through: state-of-the art techniques, progressive ground-breaking research, education and training for the clinical diagnosis and research of cancer and related diseases. After surveying the laboratory staff and other hospital professionals, the Department administrators and Human Resource generalists developed a professional development model for Microbiology to support laboratory skills, behavior, certification, and continual education within its staff. This model sets high standards for the laboratory professionals to allow the labs to work at their fullest potential; it provides organization to training technologists based on complete laboratory needs instead of training technologists in individual areas in which more training is required if the laboratory needs them to work in other areas. This model is a working example for all microbiology based laboratories who want to set high standards and want their staff to be acknowledged for demonstrated excellence and professional development in the laboratory. The PDM model is designed to focus on the needs of the laboratory as well as the laboratory professionals.

  6. Search for dark matter in events with heavy quarks and missing transverse momentum in [Formula: see text] collisions with the ATLAS detector.

    PubMed

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Thun, R P; Tian, F; Tibbetts, M J; Tikhomirov, V O; Tikhonov, Yu A; Timoshenko, S; Tiouchichine, E; Tipton, P; Tisserant, S; Todorov, T; Todorova-Nova, S; Tojo, J; Tokár, S; Tokushuku, K; Tollefson, K; Tolley, E; Tomlinson, L; Tomoto, M; Tompkins, L; Toms, K; Topilin, N D; Torrence, E; Torres, H; Torró Pastor, E; Toth, J; Touchard, F; Tovey, D R; Tran, H L; Trefzger, T; Tremblet, L; Tricoli, A; Trigger, I M; Trincaz-Duvoid, S; Tripiana, M F; Trischuk, W; Trocmé, B; Troncon, C; Trottier-McDonald, M; Trovatelli, M; True, P; Trzebinski, M; Trzupek, A; Tsarouchas, C; Tseng, J C-L; Tsiareshka, P V; Tsionou, D; Tsipolitis, G; Tsirintanis, N; Tsiskaridze, S; Tsiskaridze, V; Tskhadadze, E G; Tsukerman, I I; Tsulaia, V; Tsuno, S; Tsybychev, D; Tudorache, A; Tudorache, V; Tuna, A N; Tupputi, S A; Turchikhin, S; Turecek, D; Turk Cakir, I; Turra, R; Turvey, A J; Tuts, P M; Tykhonov, A; Tylmad, M; Tyndel, M; Uchida, K; Ueda, I; Ueno, R; Ughetto, M; Ugland, M; Uhlenbrock, M; Ukegawa, F; Unal, G; Undrus, A; Unel, G; Ungaro, F C; Unno, Y; Unverdorben, C; Urban, J; Urbaniec, D; Urquijo, P; Usai, G; Usanova, A; Vacavant, L; Vacek, V; Vachon, B; Valencic, N; Valentinetti, S; Valero, A; Valery, L; Valkar, S; Valladolid Gallego, E; Vallecorsa, S; Valls Ferrer, J A; Van Den Wollenberg, W; Van Der Deijl, P C; van der Geer, R; van der Graaf, H; Van Der Leeuw, R; van der Ster, D; van Eldik, N; van Gemmeren, P; Van Nieuwkoop, J; van Vulpen, I; van Woerden, M C; Vanadia, M; Vandelli, W; Vanguri, R; Vaniachine, A; Vankov, P; Vannucci, F; Vardanyan, G; Vari, R; Varnes, E W; Varol, T; Varouchas, D; Vartapetian, A; Varvell, K E; Vazeille, F; Vazquez Schroeder, T; Veatch, J; Veloso, F; Velz, T; Veneziano, S; Ventura, A; Ventura, D; Venturi, M; Venturi, N; Venturini, A; Vercesi, V; Verducci, M; Verkerke, W; Vermeulen, J C; Vest, A; Vetterli, M C; Viazlo, O; Vichou, I; Vickey, T; Vickey Boeriu, O E; Viehhauser, G H A; Viel, S; Vigne, R; Villa, M; Villaplana Perez, M; Vilucchi, E; Vincter, M G; Vinogradov, V B; Virzi, J; Vivarelli, I; Vives Vaque, F; Vlachos, S; Vladoiu, D; Vlasak, M; Vogel, A; Vogel, M; Vokac, P; Volpi, G; Volpi, M; von der Schmitt, H; von Radziewski, H; von Toerne, E; Vorobel, V; Vorobev, K; Vos, M; Voss, R; Vossebeld, J H; Vranjes, N; Vranjes Milosavljevic, M; Vrba, V; Vreeswijk, M; Vu Anh, T; Vuillermet, R; Vukotic, I; Vykydal, Z; Wagner, P; Wagner, W; Wahlberg, H; Wahrmund, S; Wakabayashi, J; Walder, J; Walker, R; Walkowiak, W; Wall, R; Waller, P; Walsh, B; Wang, C; Wang, C; Wang, F; Wang, H; Wang, H; Wang, J; Wang, J; Wang, K; Wang, R; Wang, S M; Wang, T; Wang, X; Wanotayaroj, C; Warburton, A; Ward, C P; Wardrope, D R; Warsinsky, M; Washbrook, A; Wasicki, C; Watkins, P M; Watson, A T; Watson, I J; Watson, M F; Watts, G; Watts, S; Waugh, B M; Webb, S; Weber, M S; Weber, S W; Webster, J S; Weidberg, A R; Weinert, B; Weingarten, J; Weiser, C; Weits, H; Wells, P S; Wenaus, T; Wendland, D; Weng, Z; Wengler, T; Wenig, S; Wermes, N; Werner, M; Werner, P; Wessels, M; Wetter, J; Whalen, K; White, A; White, M J; White, R; White, S; Whiteson, D; Wicke, D; Wickens, F J; Wiedenmann, W; Wielers, M; Wienemann, P; Wiglesworth, C; Wiik-Fuchs, L A M; Wijeratne, P A; Wildauer, A; Wildt, M A; Wilkens, H G; Williams, H H; Williams, S; Willis, C; Willocq, S; Wilson, A; Wilson, J A; Wingerter-Seez, I; Winklmeier, F; Winter, B T; Wittgen, M; Wittig, T; Wittkowski, J; Wollstadt, S J; Wolter, M W; Wolters, H; Wosiek, B K; Wotschack, J; Woudstra, M J; Wozniak, K W; Wright, M; Wu, M; Wu, S L; Wu, X; Wu, Y; Wulf, E; Wyatt, T R; Wynne, B M; Xella, S; Xiao, M; Xu, D; Xu, L; Yabsley, B; Yacoob, S; Yakabe, R; Yamada, M; Yamaguchi, H; Yamaguchi, Y; Yamamoto, A; Yamamoto, S; Yamamura, T; Yamanaka, T; Yamauchi, K; Yamazaki, Y; Yan, Z; Yang, H; Yang, H; Yang, Y; Yanush, S; Yao, L; Yao, W-M; Yasu, Y; Yatsenko, E; Yau Wong, K H; Ye, J; Ye, S; Yeletskikh, I; Yen, A L; Yildirim, E; Yilmaz, M; Yoosoofmiya, R; Yorita, K; Yoshida, R; Yoshihara, K; Young, C; Young, C J S; Youssef, S; Yu, D R; Yu, J; Yu, J M; Yu, J; Yuan, L; Yurkewicz, A; Yusuff, I; Zabinski, B; Zaidan, R; Zaitsev, A M; Zaman, A; Zambito, S; Zanello, L; Zanzi, D; Zeitnitz, C; Zeman, M; Zemla, A; Zengel, K; Zenin, O; Ženiš, T; Zerwas, D; Zevi Della Porta, G; Zhang, D; Zhang, F; Zhang, H; Zhang, J; Zhang, L; Zhang, R; Zhang, X; Zhang, Z; Zhao, X; Zhao, Y; Zhao, Z; Zhemchugov, A; Zhong, J; Zhou, B; Zhou, L; Zhou, L; Zhou, N; Zhu, C G; Zhu, H; Zhu, J; Zhu, Y; Zhuang, X; Zhukov, K; Zibell, A; Zieminska, D; Zimine, N I; Zimmermann, C; Zimmermann, R; Zimmermann, S; Zimmermann, S; Zinonos, Z; Ziolkowski, M; Zobernig, G; Zoccoli, A; Zur Nedden, M; Zurzolo, G; Zutshi, V; Zwalinski, L

    This article reports on a search for dark matter pair production in association with bottom or top quarks in [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] collisions collected at [Formula: see text] TeV by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events with large missing transverse momentum are selected when produced in association with high-momentum jets of which one or more are identified as jets containing [Formula: see text]-quarks. Final states with top quarks are selected by requiring a high jet multiplicity and in some cases a single lepton. The data are found to be consistent with the Standard Model expectations and limits are set on the mass scale of effective field theories that describe scalar and tensor interactions between dark matter and Standard Model particles. Limits on the dark-matter-nucleon cross-section for spin-independent and spin-dependent interactions are also provided. These limits are particularly strong for low-mass dark matter. Using a simplified model, constraints are set on the mass of dark matter and of a coloured mediator suitable to explain a possible signal of annihilating dark matter.

  7. Practical considerations for obtaining high quality quantitative computed tomography data of the skeletal system.

    PubMed

    Troy, Karen L; Edwards, W Brent

    2018-05-01

    Quantitative CT (QCT) analysis involves the calculation of specific parameters such as bone volume and density from CT image data, and can be a powerful tool for understanding bone quality and quantity. However, without careful attention to detail during all steps of the acquisition and analysis process, data can be of poor- to unusable-quality. Good quality QCT for research requires meticulous attention to detail and standardization of all aspects of data collection and analysis to a degree that is uncommon in a clinical setting. Here, we review the literature to summarize practical and technical considerations for obtaining high quality QCT data, and provide examples of how each recommendation affects calculated variables. We also provide an overview of the QCT analysis technique to illustrate additional opportunities to improve data reproducibility and reliability. Key recommendations include: standardizing the scanner and data acquisition settings, minimizing image artifacts, selecting an appropriate reconstruction algorithm, and maximizing repeatability and objectivity during QCT analysis. The goal of the recommendations is to reduce potential sources of error throughout the analysis, from scan acquisition to the interpretation of results. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Search for dark matter in events with heavy quarks and missing transverse momentum in pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

    DOE PAGES

    Aad, G.

    2015-02-24

    This article reports on a search for dark matter pair production in association with bottom or top quarks in 20.3 fb –1 of pp collisions collected at √s=8 TeV by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events with large missing transverse momentum are selected when produced in association with high-momentum jets of which one or more are identified as jets containing b-quarks. Final states with top quarks are selected by requiring a high jet multiplicity and in some cases a single lepton. The data are found to be consistent with the Standard Model expectations and limits are set on themore » mass scale of effective field theories that describe scalar and tensor interactions between dark matter and Standard Model particles. Limits on the dark-matter–nucleon cross-section for spin-independent and spin-dependent interactions are also provided. These limits are particularly strong for low-mass dark matter. Using a simplified model, constraints are set on the mass of dark matter and of a colored mediator suitable to explain a possible signal of annihilating dark matter.« less

  9. Transportable GPU (General Processor Units) chip set technology for standard computer architectures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fosdick, R. E.; Denison, H. C.

    1982-11-01

    The USAFR-developed GPU Chip Set has been utilized by Tracor to implement both USAF and Navy Standard 16-Bit Airborne Computer Architectures. Both configurations are currently being delivered into DOD full-scale development programs. Leadless Hermetic Chip Carrier packaging has facilitated implementation of both architectures on single 41/2 x 5 substrates. The CMOS and CMOS/SOS implementations of the GPU Chip Set have allowed both CPU implementations to use less than 3 watts of power each. Recent efforts by Tracor for USAF have included the definition of a next-generation GPU Chip Set that will retain the application-proven architecture of the current chip set while offering the added cost advantages of transportability across ISO-CMOS and CMOS/SOS processes and across numerous semiconductor manufacturers using a newly-defined set of common design rules. The Enhanced GPU Chip Set will increase speed by an approximate factor of 3 while significantly reducing chip counts and costs of standard CPU implementations.

  10. High sensitivity and specificity of clinical microscopy in rural health facilities in western Kenya under an external quality assurance program.

    PubMed

    Wafula, Rebeccah; Sang, Edna; Cheruiyot, Olympia; Aboto, Angeline; Menya, Diana; O'Meara, Wendy Prudhomme

    2014-09-01

    Microscopic diagnosis of malaria is a well-established and inexpensive technique that has the potential to provide accurate diagnosis of malaria infection. However, it requires both training and experience. Although it is considered the gold standard in research settings, the sensitivity and specificity of routine microscopy for clinical care in the primary care setting has been reported to be unacceptably low. We established a monthly external quality assurance program to monitor the performance of clinical microscopy in 17 rural health centers in western Kenya. The average sensitivity over the 12-month period was 96% and the average specificity was 88%. We identified specific contextual factors that contributed to inadequate performance. Maintaining high-quality malaria diagnosis in high-volume, resource-constrained health facilities is possible. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

  11. Evidence for the Existing American Nurses Association-Recognized Standardized Nursing Terminologies: A Systematic Review

    PubMed Central

    Tastan, Sevinc; Linch, Graciele C. F.; Keenan, Gail M.; Stifter, Janet; McKinney, Dawn; Fahey, Linda; Dunn Lopez, Karen; Yao, Yingwei; Wilkie, Diana J.

    2014-01-01

    Objective To determine the state of the science for the five standardized nursing terminology sets in terms of level of evidence and study focus. Design Systematic Review. Data sources Keyword search of PubMed, CINAHL, and EMBASE databases from 1960s to March 19, 2012 revealed 1,257 publications. Review Methods From abstract review we removed duplicate articles, those not in English or with no identifiable standardized nursing terminology, and those with a low-level of evidence. From full text review of the remaining 312 articles, eight trained raters used a coding system to record standardized nursing terminology names, publication year, country, and study focus. Inter-rater reliability confirmed the level of evidence. We analyzed coded results. Results On average there were 4 studies per year between 1985 and 1995. The yearly number increased to 14 for the decade between 1996–2005, 21 between 2006–2010, and 25 in 2011. Investigators conducted the research in 27 countries. By evidence level for the 312 studies 72.4% were descriptive, 18.9% were observational, and 8.7% were intervention studies. Of the 312 reports, 72.1% focused on North American Nursing Diagnosis-International, Nursing Interventions Classification, Nursing Outcome Classification, or some combination of those three standardized nursing terminologies; 9.6% on Omaha System; 7.1% on International Classification for Nursing Practice; 1.6% on Clinical Care Classification/Home Health Care Classification; 1.6% on Perioperative Nursing Data Set; and 8.0% on two or more standardized nursing terminology sets. There were studies in all 10 foci categories including those focused on concept analysis/classification infrastructure (n = 43), the identification of the standardized nursing terminology concepts applicable to a health setting from registered nurses’ documentation (n = 54), mapping one terminology to another (n = 58), implementation of standardized nursing terminologies into electronic health records (n = 12), and secondary use of electronic health record data (n = 19). Conclusions Findings reveal that the number of standardized nursing terminology publications increased primarily since 2000 with most focusing on North American Nursing Diagnosis-International, Nursing Interventions Classification, and Nursing Outcome Classification. The majority of the studies were descriptive, qualitative, or correlational designs that provide a strong base for understanding the validity and reliability of the concepts underlying the standardized nursing terminologies. There is evidence supporting the successful integration and use in electronic health records for two standardized nursing terminology sets: (1) the North American Nursing Diagnosis-International, Nursing Interventions Classification, and Nursing Outcome Classification set; and (2) the Omaha System set. Researchers, however, should continue to strengthen standardized nursing terminology study designs to promote continuous improvement of the standardized nursing terminologies and use in clinical practice. PMID:24412062

  12. Accuracy of a radiofrequency identification (RFID) badge system to monitor hand hygiene behavior during routine clinical activities.

    PubMed

    Pineles, Lisa L; Morgan, Daniel J; Limper, Heather M; Weber, Stephen G; Thom, Kerri A; Perencevich, Eli N; Harris, Anthony D; Landon, Emily

    2014-02-01

    Hand hygiene (HH) is a critical part of infection prevention in health care settings. Hospitals around the world continuously struggle to improve health care personnel (HCP) HH compliance. The current gold standard for monitoring compliance is direct observation; however, this method is time-consuming and costly. One emerging area of interest involves automated systems for monitoring HH behavior such as radiofrequency identification (RFID) tracking systems. To assess the accuracy of a commercially available RFID system in detecting HCP HH behavior, we compared direct observation with data collected by the RFID system in a simulated validation setting and to a real-life clinical setting over 2 hospitals. A total of 1,554 HH events was observed. Accuracy for identifying HH events was high in the simulated validation setting (88.5%) but relatively low in the real-life clinical setting (52.4%). This difference was significant (P < .01). Accuracy for detecting HCP movement into and out of patient rooms was also high in the simulated setting but not in the real-life clinical setting (100% on entry and exit in simulated setting vs 54.3% entry and 49.5% exit in real-life clinical setting, P < .01). In this validation study of an RFID system, almost half of the HH events were missed. More research is necessary to further develop these systems and improve accuracy prior to widespread adoption. Copyright © 2014 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Installing a System of Performance Standards for National Assessments in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago: Issues and Challenges

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    De Lisle, Jerome

    2015-01-01

    This article explores the challenge of setting performance standards in a non-Western context. The study is centered on standard-setting practice in the national learning assessments of Trinidad and Tobago. Quantitative and qualitative data from annual evaluations between 2005 and 2009 were compiled, analyzed, and deconstructed. In the mixed…

  14. 20 CFR 619.4 - Data exchange standardization for the UI Benefits and Tax Systems.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... Benefits and Tax Systems. 619.4 Section 619.4 Employees' Benefits EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION... § 619.4 Data exchange standardization for the UI Benefits and Tax Systems. (a) XML is the data exchange standard for the real time ICON applications set out in § 619.2 and for the SIDES exchanges set out in...

  15. Detecting Intrajudge Inconsistency in Standard Setting Using Test Items with a Selected-Response Format. Research Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    van der Linden, Wim J.; Vos, Hans J.; Chang, Lei

    In judgmental standard setting experiments, it may be difficult to specify subjective probabilities that adequately take the properties of the items into account. As a result, these probabilities are not consistent with each other in the sense that they do not refer to the same borderline level of performance. Methods to check standard setting…

  16. Setting Standards and Primary School Teachers' Experiences of the Process

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scherman, Vanessa; Zimmerman, Lisa; Howie, Sarah J.; Bosker, Roel

    2014-01-01

    In South Africa, very few standard-setting exercises are carried out in education and, if they are, teachers are not involved in their execution. As a result, there is no clear understanding of what the standard is and how it was arrived at. This situation is compounded when teachers are held accountable when learners do not meet the prescribed…

  17. SLAE–CPS: Smart Lean Automation Engine Enabled by Cyber-Physical Systems Technologies

    PubMed Central

    Ma, Jing; Wang, Qiang; Zhao, Zhibiao

    2017-01-01

    In the context of Industry 4.0, the demand for the mass production of highly customized products will lead to complex products and an increasing demand for production system flexibility. Simply implementing lean production-based human-centered production or high automation to improve system flexibility is insufficient. Currently, lean automation (Jidoka) that utilizes cyber-physical systems (CPS) is considered a cost-efficient and effective approach for improving system flexibility under shrinking global economic conditions. Therefore, a smart lean automation engine enabled by CPS technologies (SLAE–CPS), which is based on an analysis of Jidoka functions and the smart capacity of CPS technologies, is proposed in this study to provide an integrated and standardized approach to design and implement a CPS-based smart Jidoka system. A set of comprehensive architecture and standardized key technologies should be presented to achieve the above-mentioned goal. Therefore, a distributed architecture that joins service-oriented architecture, agent, function block (FB), cloud, and Internet of things is proposed to support the flexible configuration, deployment, and performance of SLAE–CPS. Then, several standardized key techniques are proposed under this architecture. The first one is for converting heterogeneous physical data into uniform services for subsequent abnormality analysis and detection. The second one is a set of Jidoka scene rules, which is abstracted based on the analysis of the operator, machine, material, quality, and other factors in different time dimensions. These Jidoka rules can support executive FBs in performing different Jidoka functions. Finally, supported by the integrated and standardized approach of our proposed engine, a case study is conducted to verify the current research results. The proposed SLAE–CPS can serve as an important reference value for combining the benefits of innovative technology and proper methodology. PMID:28657577

  18. Medical Abortion Provided by Nurse-Midwives or Physicians in a High Resource Setting: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.

    PubMed

    Sjöström, Susanne; Kopp Kallner, Helena; Simeonova, Emilia; Madestam, Andreas; Gemzell-Danielsson, Kristina

    2016-01-01

    The objective of the present study is to calculate the cost-effectiveness of early medical abortion performed by nurse-midwifes in comparison to physicians in a high resource setting where ultrasound dating is part of the protocol. Non-physician health care professionals have previously been shown to provide medical abortion as effectively and safely as physicians, but the cost-effectiveness of such task shifting remains to be established. A cost effectiveness analysis was conducted based on data from a previously published randomized-controlled equivalence study including 1180 healthy women randomized to the standard procedure, early medical abortion provided by physicians, or the intervention, provision by nurse-midwifes. A 1.6% risk difference for efficacy defined as complete abortion without surgical interventions in favor of midwife provision was established which means that for every 100 procedures, the intervention treatment resulted in 1.6 fewer incomplete abortions needing surgical intervention than the standard treatment. The average direct and indirect costs and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) were calculated. The study was conducted at a university hospital in Stockholm, Sweden. The average direct costs per procedure were EUR 45 for the intervention compared to EUR 58.3 for the standard procedure. Both the cost and the efficacy of the intervention were superior to the standard treatment resulting in a negative ICER at EUR -831 based on direct costs and EUR -1769 considering total costs per surgical intervention avoided. Early medical abortion provided by nurse-midwives is more cost-effective than provision by physicians. This evidence provides clinicians and decision makers with an important tool that may influence policy and clinical practice and eventually increase numbers of abortion providers and reduce one barrier to women's access to safe abortion.

  19. SLAE-CPS: Smart Lean Automation Engine Enabled by Cyber-Physical Systems Technologies.

    PubMed

    Ma, Jing; Wang, Qiang; Zhao, Zhibiao

    2017-06-28

    In the context of Industry 4.0, the demand for the mass production of highly customized products will lead to complex products and an increasing demand for production system flexibility. Simply implementing lean production-based human-centered production or high automation to improve system flexibility is insufficient. Currently, lean automation (Jidoka) that utilizes cyber-physical systems (CPS) is considered a cost-efficient and effective approach for improving system flexibility under shrinking global economic conditions. Therefore, a smart lean automation engine enabled by CPS technologies (SLAE-CPS), which is based on an analysis of Jidoka functions and the smart capacity of CPS technologies, is proposed in this study to provide an integrated and standardized approach to design and implement a CPS-based smart Jidoka system. A set of comprehensive architecture and standardized key technologies should be presented to achieve the above-mentioned goal. Therefore, a distributed architecture that joins service-oriented architecture, agent, function block (FB), cloud, and Internet of things is proposed to support the flexible configuration, deployment, and performance of SLAE-CPS. Then, several standardized key techniques are proposed under this architecture. The first one is for converting heterogeneous physical data into uniform services for subsequent abnormality analysis and detection. The second one is a set of Jidoka scene rules, which is abstracted based on the analysis of the operator, machine, material, quality, and other factors in different time dimensions. These Jidoka rules can support executive FBs in performing different Jidoka functions. Finally, supported by the integrated and standardized approach of our proposed engine, a case study is conducted to verify the current research results. The proposed SLAE-CPS can serve as an important reference value for combining the benefits of innovative technology and proper methodology.

  20. Deviance sensitivity in the auditory cortex of freely moving rats

    PubMed Central

    2018-01-01

    Deviance sensitivity is the specific response to a surprising stimulus, one that violates expectations set by the past stimulation stream. In audition, deviance sensitivity is often conflated with stimulus-specific adaptation (SSA), the decrease in responses to a common stimulus that only partially generalizes to other, rare stimuli. SSA is usually measured using oddball sequences, where a common (standard) tone and a rare (deviant) tone are randomly intermixed. However, the larger responses to a tone when deviant does not necessarily represent deviance sensitivity. Deviance sensitivity is commonly tested using a control sequence in which many different tones serve as the standard, eliminating the expectations set by the standard ('deviant among many standards'). When the response to a tone when deviant (against a single standard) is larger than the responses to the same tone in the control sequence, it is concluded that true deviance sensitivity occurs. In primary auditory cortex of anesthetized rats, responses to deviants and to the same tones in the control condition are comparable in size. We recorded local field potentials and multiunit activity from the auditory cortex of awake, freely moving rats, implanted with 32-channel drivable microelectrode arrays and using telemetry. We observed highly significant SSA in the awake state. Moreover, the responses to a tone when deviant were significantly larger than the responses to the same tone in the control condition. These results establish the presence of true deviance sensitivity in primary auditory cortex in awake rats. PMID:29874246

  1. Approaching bathymetry estimation from high resolution multispectral satellite images using a neuro-fuzzy technique

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Corucci, Linda; Masini, Andrea; Cococcioni, Marco

    2011-01-01

    This paper addresses bathymetry estimation from high resolution multispectral satellite images by proposing an accurate supervised method, based on a neuro-fuzzy approach. The method is applied to two Quickbird images of the same area, acquired in different years and meteorological conditions, and is validated using truth data. Performance is studied in different realistic situations of in situ data availability. The method allows to achieve a mean standard deviation of 36.7 cm for estimated water depths in the range [-18, -1] m. When only data collected along a closed path are used as a training set, a mean STD of 45 cm is obtained. The effect of both meteorological conditions and training set size reduction on the overall performance is also investigated.

  2. Effect of High-Dose vs Standard-Dose Multivitamin Supplementation at the Initiation of HAART on HIV Disease Progression and Mortality in Tanzania

    PubMed Central

    Isanaka, Sheila; Mugusi, Ferdinand; Hawkins, Claudia; Spiegelman, Donna; Okuma, James; Aboud, Said; Guerino, Chalamilla; Fawzi, Wafaie W.

    2013-01-01

    Context Large randomized trials have previously shown that high-dose micronutrient supplementation can increase CD4 counts and reduce human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease progression and mortality among individuals not receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART); however, the safety and efficacy of such supplementation has not been established in the context of HAART. Objective To test the hypothesis that high-dose multivitamin supplementation vs standard-dose multivitamin supplementation decreases the risk of HIV disease progression or death and improves immunological, virological, and nutritional parameters in patients with HIV initiating HAART. Design, Setting, and Participants A randomized, double-blind, controlled trial of high-dose vs standard-dose multivitamin supplementation for 24 months in 3418 patients with HIV initiating HAART between November 2006 and November 2008 in 7 clinics in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Intervention The provision of daily oral supplements of vitamin B complex, vitamin C, and vitamin E at high levels or standard levels of the recommended dietary allowance. Main Outcome Measure The composite of HIV disease progression or death from any cause. Results The study was stopped early in March 2009 because of evidence of increased levels of alanine transaminase (ALT) in patients receiving the high-dose multivitamin supplement. At the time of stopping, 3418 patients were enrolled (median follow-up, 15 months), and there were 2374 HIV disease progression events and 453 observed deaths (2460 total combined events). Compared with standard-dose multivitamin supplementation, high-dose supplementation did not reduce the risk of HIV disease progression or death. The absolute risk of HIV progression or death was 72% in the high-dose group vs 72% in the standard-dose group (risk ratio [RR], 1.00; 95% CI, 0.96–1.04). High-dose supplementation had no effect on CD4 count, plasma viral load, body mass index, or hemoglobin level concentration, but increased the risk of ALT elevations (1239 events per 1215 person-years vs 879 events per 1236 person-years; RR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.11–1.87) vs standard-dose supplementation. Conclusion In adults receiving HAART, use of high-dose multivitamin supplements compared with standard-dose multivitamin supplements did not result in a decrease in HIV disease progression or death but may have resulted in an increase in ALT levels. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00383669 PMID:23073950

  3. Setting the standards for signal transduction research.

    PubMed

    Saez-Rodriguez, Julio; Alexopoulos, Leonidas G; Stolovitzky, Gustavo

    2011-02-15

    Major advances in high-throughput technology platforms, coupled with increasingly sophisticated computational methods for systematic data analysis, have provided scientists with tools to better understand the complexity of signaling networks. In this era of massive and diverse data collection, standardization efforts that streamline data gathering, analysis, storage, and sharing are becoming a necessity. Here, we give an overview of current technologies to study signal transduction. We argue that along with the opportunities the new technologies open, their heterogeneous nature poses critical challenges for data handling that are further increased when data are to be integrated in mathematical models. Efficient standardization through markup languages and data annotation is a sine qua non condition for a systems-level analysis of signaling processes. It remains to be seen the extent to which and the speed at which the emerging standardization efforts will be embraced by the signaling community.

  4. Quality standards for bone conduction implants.

    PubMed

    Gavilan, Javier; Adunka, Oliver; Agrawal, Sumit; Atlas, Marcus; Baumgartner, Wolf-Dieter; Brill, Stefan; Bruce, Iain; Buchman, Craig; Caversaccio, Marco; De Bodt, Marc T; Dillon, Meg; Godey, Benoit; Green, Kevin; Gstoettner, Wolfgang; Hagen, Rudolf; Hagr, Abdulrahman; Han, Demin; Kameswaran, Mohan; Karltorp, Eva; Kompis, Martin; Kuzovkov, Vlad; Lassaletta, Luis; Li, Yongxin; Lorens, Artur; Martin, Jane; Manoj, Manikoth; Mertens, Griet; Mlynski, Robert; Mueller, Joachim; O'Driscoll, Martin; Parnes, Lorne; Pulibalathingal, Sasidharan; Radeloff, Andreas; Raine, Christopher H; Rajan, Gunesh; Rajeswaran, Ranjith; Schmutzhard, Joachim; Skarzynski, Henryk; Skarzynski, Piotr; Sprinzl, Georg; Staecker, Hinrich; Stephan, Kurt; Sugarova, Serafima; Tavora, Dayse; Usami, Shin-Ichi; Yanov, Yuri; Zernotti, Mario; Zorowka, Patrick; de Heyning, Paul Van

    2015-01-01

    Bone conduction implants are useful in patients with conductive and mixed hearing loss for whom conventional surgery or hearing aids are no longer an option. They may also be used in patients affected by single-sided deafness. To establish a consensus on the quality standards required for centers willing to create a bone conduction implant program. To ensure a consistently high level of service and to provide patients with the best possible solution the members of the HEARRING network have established a set of quality standards for bone conduction implants. These standards constitute a realistic minimum attainable by all implant clinics and should be employed alongside current best practice guidelines. Fifteen items are thoroughly analyzed. They include team structure, accommodation and clinical facilities, selection criteria, evaluation process, complete preoperative and surgical information, postoperative fitting and assessment, follow-up, device failure, clinical management, transfer of care and patient complaints.

  5. 76 FR 12410 - BMW of North America, LLC, Receipt of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential Noncompliance

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-07

    ... surrounding the entire placard, as shown in the example set forth in Figure 1 in this standard. At the... example set forth in Figure 2 in this standard. The label shall be permanently affixed and proximate to... format and color scheme set forth in Figures 1 and 2. * * * (c) Vehicle manufacturer's recommended cold...

  6. Establishing the pharmaceutical quality of Chinese herbal medicine: a provisional BCS classification.

    PubMed

    Fong, Sophia Y K; Liu, Mary; Wei, Hai; Löbenberg, Raimar; Kanfer, Isadore; Lee, Vincent H L; Amidon, Gordon L; Zuo, Zhong

    2013-05-06

    The Biopharmaceutical Classification System (BCS), which is a scientific approach to categorize active drug ingredient based on its solubility and intestinal permeability into one of the four classes, has been used to set the pharmaceutical quality standards for drug products in western society. However, it has received little attention in the area of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM). This is likely, in part, due to the presence of multiple active components as well as lack of standardization of CHM. In this report, we apply BCS classification to CHMs provisionally as a basis for establishing improved in vitro quality standards. Based on a top-200 drugs selling list in China, a total of 31 CHM products comprising 50 official active marker compounds (AMCs) were provisionally classified according to BCS. Information on AMC content and doses of these CHM products were retrieved from the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. BCS parameters including solubility and permeability of the AMCs were predicted in silico (ACD/Laboratories). A BCS classification of CHMs according to biopharmaceutical properties of their AMCs is demonstrated to be feasible in the current study and can be used to provide a minimum set of quality standards. Our provisional results showed that 44% of the included AMCs were classified as Class III (high solubility, low permeability), followed by Class II (26%), Class I (18%), and Class IV (12%). A similar trend was observed when CHMs were classified in accordance with the BCS class of AMCs. Most (45%) of the included CHMs were classified as Class III, followed by Class II (16%), Class I (10%), and Class IV (6%); whereas 23% of the CHMs were of mixed class due to the presence of multiple individual AMCs with different BCS classifications. Moreover, about 60% of the AMCs were classified as high-solubility compounds (Class I and Class III), suggesting an important role for an in vitro dissolution test in setting quality control standards ensuring consistent biopharmaceutical quality for the commercially available CHM products. That is, provisionally, more than half of the AMCs of the top-selling CHMs included in this study would be candidates for a bioequivalence (BE) biowaiver, based on WHO recommendations and EMEA guidelines. Thus a dissolution requirement on these AMCs would represent a significant advance in the pharmaceutical quality of CHM today.

  7. Defining a standard set of patient-centered outcomes for men with localized prostate cancer.

    PubMed

    Martin, Neil E; Massey, Laura; Stowell, Caleb; Bangma, Chris; Briganti, Alberto; Bill-Axelson, Anna; Blute, Michael; Catto, James; Chen, Ronald C; D'Amico, Anthony V; Feick, Günter; Fitzpatrick, John M; Frank, Steven J; Froehner, Michael; Frydenberg, Mark; Glaser, Adam; Graefen, Markus; Hamstra, Daniel; Kibel, Adam; Mendenhall, Nancy; Moretti, Kim; Ramon, Jacob; Roos, Ian; Sandler, Howard; Sullivan, Francis J; Swanson, David; Tewari, Ashutosh; Vickers, Andrew; Wiegel, Thomas; Huland, Hartwig

    2015-03-01

    Value-based health care has been proposed as a unifying force to drive improved outcomes and cost containment. To develop a standard set of multidimensional patient-centered health outcomes for tracking, comparing, and improving localized prostate cancer (PCa) treatment value. We convened an international working group of patients, registry experts, urologists, and radiation oncologists to review existing data and practices. The group defined a recommended standard set representing who should be tracked, what should be measured and at what time points, and what data are necessary to make meaningful comparisons. Using a modified Delphi method over a series of teleconferences, the group reached consensus for the Standard Set. We recommend that the Standard Set apply to men with newly diagnosed localized PCa treated with active surveillance, surgery, radiation, or other methods. The Standard Set includes acute toxicities occurring within 6 mo of treatment as well as patient-reported outcomes tracked regularly out to 10 yr. Patient-reported domains of urinary incontinence and irritation, bowel symptoms, sexual symptoms, and hormonal symptoms are included, and the recommended measurement tool is the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite Short Form. Disease control outcomes include overall, cause-specific, metastasis-free, and biochemical relapse-free survival. Baseline clinical, pathologic, and comorbidity information is included to improve the interpretability of comparisons. We have defined a simple, easily implemented set of outcomes that we believe should be measured in all men with localized PCa as a crucial first step in improving the value of care. Measuring, reporting, and comparing identical outcomes across treatments and treatment centers will provide patients and providers with information to make informed treatment decisions. We defined a set of outcomes that we recommend being tracked for every man being treated for localized prostate cancer. Copyright © 2014 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Costs, equity, efficiency and feasibility of identifying the poor in Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme: empirical analysis of various strategies.

    PubMed

    Aryeetey, Genevieve Cecilia; Jehu-Appiah, Caroline; Spaan, Ernst; Agyepong, Irene; Baltussen, Rob

    2012-01-01

    To analyse the costs and evaluate the equity, efficiency and feasibility of four strategies to identify poor households for premium exemptions in Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS): means testing (MT), proxy means testing (PMT), participatory wealth ranking (PWR) and geographic targeting (GT) in urban, rural and semi-urban settings in Ghana. We conducted the study in 145-147 households per setting with MT as our gold standard strategy. We estimated total costs that included costs of household surveys and cost of premiums paid to the poor, efficiency (cost per poor person identified), equity (number of true poor excluded) and the administrative feasibility of implementation. The cost of exempting one poor individual ranged from US$15.87 to US$95.44; exclusion of the poor ranged between 0% and 73%. MT was most efficient and equitable in rural and urban settings with low-poverty incidence; GT was efficient and equitable in the semi-urban setting with high-poverty incidence. PMT and PWR were less equitable and inefficient although feasible in some settings. We recommend MT as optimal strategy in low-poverty urban and rural settings and GT as optimal strategy in high-poverty semi-urban setting. The study is relevant to other social and developmental programmes that require identification and exemptions of the poor in low-income countries. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  9. Consistency endangered by FASB-GASB (Financial Accounting Standards Board, Government Accounting Standards Board ) dispute.

    PubMed

    Garner, M; Grossman, W

    1991-02-01

    The Financial Accounting Foundation's (FAF's) November 1989 decision to uphold the 1984 jurisdictional arrangement between the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB) leaves little doubt that the healthcare industry will now be subject to two sets of accounting standards. The FAF's decision created a distinction between the accounting practices of government-owned hospitals and non-hospital governmental entities and their adherence to standards set by FASB, GASB, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. A governmental healthcare organization should carefully determine which accounting rules it follows and remain attentive to further GASB developments.

  10. Performance comparison of leading image codecs: H.264/AVC Intra, JPEG2000, and Microsoft HD Photo

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tran, Trac D.; Liu, Lijie; Topiwala, Pankaj

    2007-09-01

    This paper provides a detailed rate-distortion performance comparison between JPEG2000, Microsoft HD Photo, and H.264/AVC High Profile 4:4:4 I-frame coding for high-resolution still images and high-definition (HD) 1080p video sequences. This work is an extension to our previous comparative study published in previous SPIE conferences [1, 2]. Here we further optimize all three codecs for compression performance. Coding simulations are performed on a set of large-format color images captured from mainstream digital cameras and 1080p HD video sequences commonly used for H.264/AVC standardization work. Overall, our experimental results show that all three codecs offer very similar coding performances at the high-quality, high-resolution setting. Differences tend to be data-dependent: JPEG2000 with the wavelet technology tends to be the best performer with smooth spatial data; H.264/AVC High-Profile with advanced spatial prediction modes tends to cope best with more complex visual content; Microsoft HD Photo tends to be the most consistent across the board. For the still-image data sets, JPEG2000 offers the best R-D performance gains (around 0.2 to 1 dB in peak signal-to-noise ratio) over H.264/AVC High-Profile intra coding and Microsoft HD Photo. For the 1080p video data set, all three codecs offer very similar coding performance. As in [1, 2], neither do we consider scalability nor complexity in this study (JPEG2000 is operating in non-scalable, but optimal performance mode).

  11. Measuring the nose in septorhinoplasty patients: ultrasonographic standard values and clinical correlations.

    PubMed

    Stenner, Markus; Koopmann, Mario; Rudack, Claudia

    2017-02-01

    Although septorhinoplasty is the most commonly performed operation in plastic surgery, and the surgical plan as well as its outcome is directly related to the configuration of the anatomical structures in the nose, these are not routinely assessed preoperatively. The aim of our study was to evaluate the nasal soft tissue and cartilaginous structures by means of high-resolution ultrasonography to set up clinical correlations and standard values. We examined 44 patients before septorhinoplasty by high-resolution ultrasonography in noncontact mode. All pictures were quantitatively evaluated by measuring 13 lengths and 4 ratios. All patients underwent a rhinomanometry measuring the nasal air flow. Besides others, men as well as older patients have a significantly thicker alar cartilage. Patients with thinner alar cartilages have a significantly smaller interdomal distance as well as significantly thinner upper lateral cartilages. The soft tissue above the bony dorsum was significantly thicker in older patients. Younger patients have significantly thicker soft tissue in relation to their cartilage. Patients with thicker soft tissue and thinner cartilage have a smaller tip. The interdomal distance and the thickness of the cartilaginous septum significantly correlated with the nasal air flow. We set up standard values of nasal structures in septorhinoplasty patients which can be used as reference values. By judging cartilage and soft tissue characteristics preoperatively, relevant factors for distinct procedures could be analyzed and the surgical steps can be better planned. Visualization by ultrasonography enables the surgeon to achieve treatment goals in a more predictable fashion.

  12. Identification of relevant ICF categories for indication, intervention planning and evaluation of health resort programs: a Delphi exercise

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Morita, E.; Weigl, M.; Schuh, A.; Stucki, G.

    2006-01-01

    Health resort programs have a long tradition, mainly in European countries and Japan. They rely on local resources and the physical environment, physical medicine interventions and traditional medicine to optimise functioning and health. Arguably because of the long tradition, there is only a limited number of high-quality studies that examine the effectiveness of health resort programs. Specific challenges to the evaluation of health resort programs are to randomise the holistic approach with a varying number of specific interventions but also the reliance on the effect of the physical environment. Reference standards for the planning and reporting of health resort studies would be highly beneficial. With the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF), we now have such a standard that allows us to describe body functions and structures, activities and participation and interaction with environmental factors. A major challenge when applying the ICF in practice is its length. Therefore, the objective of this project was to identify the ICF categories most relevant for health resort programs. We conducted a consensus-building, three-round, e-mail survey using the Delphi technique. Based on the consensus of the experts, it was possible to come up with an ICF Core Set that can serve as reference standards for the indication, intervention planning and evaluation of health resort programs. This preliminary ICF Core Set should be tested in different regions and in subsets of health resort visitors with varying conditions.

  13. Setting and Reviewing Standards to Control Carbon Monoxide (CO) Pollution in Outdoor Air

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    EPA sets National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for CO to protect public health and to protect public welfare. The Clean Air Act also requires EPA to periodically review and revise them if appropriate.

  14. Comparison of two methods of standard setting: the performance of the three-level Angoff method.

    PubMed

    Jalili, Mohammad; Hejri, Sara M; Norcini, John J

    2011-12-01

    Cut-scores, reliability and validity vary among standard-setting methods. The modified Angoff method (MA) is a well-known standard-setting procedure, but the three-level Angoff approach (TLA), a recent modification, has not been extensively evaluated. This study aimed to compare standards and pass rates in an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) obtained using two methods of standard setting with discussion and reality checking, and to assess the reliability and validity of each method. A sample of 105 medical students participated in a 14-station OSCE. Fourteen and 10 faculty members took part in the MA and TLA procedures, respectively. In the MA, judges estimated the probability that a borderline student would pass each station. In the TLA, judges estimated whether a borderline examinee would perform the task correctly or not. Having given individual ratings, judges discussed their decisions. One week after the examination, the procedure was repeated using normative data. The mean score for the total test was 54.11% (standard deviation: 8.80%). The MA cut-scores for the total test were 49.66% and 51.52% after discussion and reality checking, respectively (the consequent percentages of passing students were 65.7% and 58.1%, respectively). The TLA yielded mean pass scores of 53.92% and 63.09% after discussion and reality checking, respectively (rates of passing candidates were 44.8% and 12.4%, respectively). Compared with the TLA, the MA showed higher agreement between judges (0.94 versus 0.81) and a narrower 95% confidence interval in standards (3.22 versus 11.29). The MA seems a more credible and reliable procedure with which to set standards for an OSCE than does the TLA, especially when a reality check is applied. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2011.

  15. COOP 3D ARPA Experiment 109 National Center for Atmospheric Research

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1998-01-01

    Coupled atmospheric and hydrodynamic forecast models were executed on the supercomputing resources of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado and the Ohio Supercomputing Center (OSC)in Columbus, Ohio. respectively. The interoperation of the forecast models on these geographically diverse, high performance Cray platforms required the transfer of large three dimensional data sets at very high information rates. High capacity, terrestrial fiber optic transmission system technologies were integrated with those of an experimental high speed communications satellite in Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) to test the integration of the two systems. Operation over a spacecraft in GEO orbit required modification of the standard configuration of legacy data communications protocols to facilitate their ability to perform efficiently in the changing environment characteristic of a hybrid network. The success of this performance tuning enabled the use of such an architecture to facilitate high data rate, fiber optic quality data communications between high performance systems not accessible to standard terrestrial fiber transmission systems. Thus obviating the performance degradation often found in contemporary earth/satellite hybrids.

  16. Imaging tristimulus colorimeter for the evaluation of color in printed textiles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hunt, Martin A.; Goddard, James S., Jr.; Hylton, Kathy W.; Karnowski, Thomas P.; Richards, Roger K.; Simpson, Marc L.; Tobin, Kenneth W., Jr.; Treece, Dale A.

    1999-03-01

    The high-speed production of textiles with complicated printed patterns presents a difficult problem for a colorimetric measurement system. Accurate assessment of product quality requires a repeatable measurement using a standard color space, such as CIELAB, and the use of a perceptually based color difference formula, e.g. (Delta) ECMC color difference formula. Image based color sensors used for on-line measurement are not colorimetric by nature and require a non-linear transformation of the component colors based on the spectral properties of the incident illumination, imaging sensor, and the actual textile color. This research and development effort describes a benchtop, proof-of-principle system that implements a projection onto convex sets (POCS) algorithm for mapping component color measurements to standard tristimulus values and incorporates structural and color based segmentation for improved precision and accuracy. The POCS algorithm consists of determining the closed convex sets that describe the constraints on the reconstruction of the true tristimulus values based on the measured imperfect values. We show that using a simulated D65 standard illuminant, commercial filters and a CCD camera, accurate (under perceptibility limits) per-region based (Delta) ECMC values can be measured on real textile samples.

  17. Optimal Normalization Tests for Muscle Activation of the Levator Scapulae, Pectoralis Minor, and Rhomboid Major: An Electromyography Study Using Maximum Voluntary Isometric Contractions.

    PubMed

    Castelein, Birgit; Cagnie, Barbara; Parlevliet, Thierry; Danneels, Lieven; Cools, Ann

    2015-10-01

    To identify maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) test positions for the deeper-lying scapulothoracic muscles (ie, levator scapulae, pectoralis minor, rhomboid major), and to provide a standard set of a limited number of test positions that generate an MVIC in all scapulothoracic muscles. Cross-sectional study. Physical and rehabilitation medicine department. Healthy subjects (N=21). Not applicable. Mean peak electromyographic activity from levator scapulae, pectoralis minor, and rhomboid major (investigated with fine-wire electromyography) and from upper trapezius, middle trapezius, lower trapezius, and serratus anterior (investigated with surface electromyography) during the performance of 12 different MVICs. The results indicated that various test positions generated similar high mean electromyographic activity and that no single test generated maximum activity for a specific muscle in all subjects. The results of this study support using a series of test positions for normalization procedures rather than a single exercise to increase the likelihood of recruiting the highest activity in the scapulothoracic muscles. A standard set of 5 test positions was identified as being sufficient for generating an MVIC of all scapulothoracic muscles: seated T, seated U 135°, prone T-thumbs up, prone V-thumbs up, and supine V-thumbs up. A standard set of test positions for normalization of scapulothoracic electromyographic data that also incorporates the levator scapulae, pectoralis minor, and rhomboid major muscles is 1 step toward a more comprehensive understanding of normal and abnormal muscle function of these muscles and will help to standardize the presentation of scapulothoracic electromyographic muscle activity. Copyright © 2015 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Mental and social health in disasters: the Sphere standards and post-tsunami psychosocial interventions in Asia.

    PubMed

    Henderson, Silja E K; Elsass, Peter; Berliner, Peter

    2016-07-01

    The primary objective of this paper is to examine and inform the mental health and psychosocial support standards of the 2011 edition of the Sphere Project's Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response. This is done through a qualitative analysis of internal evaluation documents, reflecting four long-term humanitarian psychosocial programmes in different countries in post-tsunami Asia. The analysis yielded three overall conclusions. First, the Sphere standards on mental health and psychosocial support generally are highly relevant to long-term psychosocial interventions after disasters such as the Indian Ocean tsunami of 26 December 2004, and their application in such settings may improve the quality of the response. Second, some of the standards in the current Sphere handbook may lack sufficient guidance to ensure the quality of humanitarian response required. Third, the long-term intervention approach poses specific challenges to programming, a problem that could be addressed by including additional guidance in the publication. © 2016 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2016.

  19. The H.264/AVC advanced video coding standard: overview and introduction to the fidelity range extensions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sullivan, Gary J.; Topiwala, Pankaj N.; Luthra, Ajay

    2004-11-01

    H.264/MPEG-4 AVC is the latest international video coding standard. It was jointly developed by the Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG) of the ITU-T and the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) of ISO/IEC. It uses state-of-the-art coding tools and provides enhanced coding efficiency for a wide range of applications, including video telephony, video conferencing, TV, storage (DVD and/or hard disk based, especially high-definition DVD), streaming video, digital video authoring, digital cinema, and many others. The work on a new set of extensions to this standard has recently been completed. These extensions, known as the Fidelity Range Extensions (FRExt), provide a number of enhanced capabilities relative to the base specification as approved in the Spring of 2003. In this paper, an overview of this standard is provided, including the highlights of the capabilities of the new FRExt features. Some comparisons with the existing MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 Part 2 standards are also provided.

  20. Search for high-mass new phenomena in the dilepton final state using proton–proton collisions at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

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

    Aaboud, M.; Aad, G.; Abbott, B.

    A search is conducted for both resonant and non-resonant high-mass new phenomena in dielectron and dimuon final states. The search uses 3.2 fb-1of proton–proton collision data, collected at √s = 13 TeV by the ATLAS experiment at the LHC in 2015. The dilepton invariant mass is used as the discriminating variable. No significant deviation from the Standard Model prediction is observed; therefore limits are set on the signal model parameters of interest at 95% credibility level. Upper limits are set on the cross-section times branching ratio for resonances decaying to dileptons, and the limits are converted into lower limits onmore » the resonance mass, ranging between 2.74 TeV and 3.36 TeV, depending on the model. Lower limits on the ℓℓqq contact interaction scale are set between 16.7 TeV and 25.2 TeV, also depending on the model.« less

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