Sample records for study design involved

  1. Enhancing public involvement in assistive technology design research.

    PubMed

    Williamson, Tracey; Kenney, Laurence; Barker, Anthony T; Cooper, Glen; Good, Tim; Healey, Jamie; Heller, Ben; Howard, David; Matthews, Martin; Prenton, Sarah; Ryan, Julia; Smith, Christine

    2015-05-01

    To appraise the application of accepted good practice guidance on public involvement in assistive technology research and to identify its impact on the research team, the public, device and trial design. Critical reflection and within-project evaluation were undertaken in a case study of the development of a functional electrical stimulation device. Individual and group interviews were undertaken with lay members of a 10 strong study user advisory group and also research team members. Public involvement was seen positively by research team members, who reported a positive impact on device and study designs. The public identified positive impact on confidence, skills, self-esteem, enjoyment, contribution to improving the care of others and opportunities for further involvement in research. A negative impact concerned the challenge of engaging the public in dissemination after the study end. The public were able to impact significantly on the design of an assistive technology device which was made more fit for purpose. Research team attitudes to public involvement were more positive after having witnessed its potential first hand. Within-project evaluation underpins this case study which presents a much needed detailed account of public involvement in assistive technology design research to add to the existing weak evidence base. The evidence base for impact of public involvement in rehabilitation technology design is in need of development. Public involvement in co-design of rehabilitation devices can lead to technologies that are fit for purpose. Rehabilitation researchers need to consider the merits of active public involvement in research.

  2. The amount of ergonomics and user involvement in 151 design processes.

    PubMed

    Kok, Barbara N E; Slegers, Karin; Vink, Peter

    2012-01-01

    Ergonomics, usability and user-centered design are terms that are well known among designers. Yet, products often seem to fail to meet the users' needs, resulting in a gap between expected and experienced usability. To understand the possible causes of this gap the actions taken by the designer during the design process are studied in this paper. This can show whether and how certain actions influence the user-friendliness of the design products. The aim of this research was to understand whether ergonomic principles and methods are included in the design process, whether users are involved in this process and whether the experience of the designer (in ergonomics/user involvement) has an effect on the end product usability. In this study the design processes of 151 tangible products of students in design were analyzed. It showed that in 75% of the cases some ergonomic principles were applied. User involvement was performed in only 1/3 of the design cases. Hardly any correlation was found between the designers' experience in ergonomic principles and the way they applied it and no correlations were found between the designers' experience in user involvement and the users' involvement in the design process.

  3. Public Interest in Medical Research Participation: Does It Matter if Patients or Community Members Have Helped Design the Study?

    PubMed

    Cobb, Enesha M; Gebremariam, Achamyeleh; Singer, Dianne; Davis, Matthew M

    2015-10-01

    We determined national levels of public participation in medical research study design. We compared public interest in medical research participation (MRP) in studies overall, versus studies explicitly designed with public involvement. Cross-sectional household survey of US population in June 2013. Descriptive statistics estimated participation in medical research study design. Chi-square test compared levels of interest in MRP if respondent knew patients or community members helped design the study. Of 2,048 respondents (participation rate 60%), 5% knew someone who had helped design a medical research study. There was no association between having known someone or personal participation in study design and willingness to engage in MRP. Although the overall proportion of respondents who would consider MRP initially (51%) was similar to the proportion who would consider MRP with community member involvement in study design (49%), the changes in respondents' views across the different scenarios were significantly greater than what would have been expected by chance. We found similar levels of interest in MRP whether or not the public is involved in medical research study design. This finding may indicate that public involvement in study design, like community-based participatory research, may not affect overall rates of MRP. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. WeSaySo Case Study: Designing and Implementing a Case Study for Use in an Instructional Design Class.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Graves, Rick; Barnett, Mardee; Gamble, Yolanda; Kolak, Mike

    A case study was used in an instructional design class to facilitate the transfer of conceptual knowledge to concrete concerns and to aid instructional technology graduate students' understanding of the steps involved in designing, analyzing, and implementing an effective needs analysis. The case study involved real events at fictitious company…

  5. Teachers as Co-Designers of Technology-Rich Learning Activities for Early Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cviko, Amina; McKenney, Susan; Voogt, Joke

    2015-01-01

    Although kindergarten teachers often struggle with implementing technology, they are rarely involved in co-designing technology-rich learning activities. This study involved teachers in the co-design of technology-rich learning activities and sought to explore implementation and pupil learning outcomes. A case-study method was used to investigate:…

  6. A framework for public involvement at the design stage of NHS health and social care research: time to develop ethically conscious standards.

    PubMed

    Pandya-Wood, Raksha; Barron, Duncan S; Elliott, Jim

    2017-01-01

    Researchers who conduct studies in health and social care are encouraged to involve the public as early as possible in the process of designing their studies. Before their studies are allowed to start researchers must seek approval from a Research Ethics Committee, which will assess whether the study is going to be safe and ethical for patients or healthy volunteers to take part in. The process of ethical review does not consider how researchers work with patients and the public early on to design their studies. Furthermore, there is no requirement for researchers to seek ethical approval for public involvement. However, in our work advising researchers about public involvement we have found that the ways in which researchers involve the public in the design of their studies are sometimes unintentionally unethical, and this is the focus of our paper. We have observed ten areas where ethical issues may arise because of the actions researchers may or may not take and which might consequently have a negative impact. Therefore, we have used these observations to develop a "framework" to help researchers and the public work together at the early design stage in ways that are ethical. Our intention for the framework is to help researchers be mindful of these ten areas and how easily ethical issues can arise. The framework suggests some ways to overcome the potential issues in each of the ten areas. The ten areas are: 1) Allocating sufficient time for public involvement; 2) Avoiding tokenism; 3) Registering research design stage public involvement work with NHS Research & Development Trust Office at earliest opportunity; 4) Communicating clearly from the outset; 5) Entitling public contributors to stop their involvement for any unstated reasons; 6) Operating fairness of opportunity; 7) Differentiating qualitative research methods and public involvement activities; 8) Working sensitively; 9) Being conscious of confidentiality and 10) Valuing, acknowledging and rewarding public involvement. We looked to see whether any other similar approaches to helping researchers address potential ethical issues when working with the public on designing studies have been published and to our knowledge none exist. Our framework is presented as a draft and believe that it would now benefit from input from researchers and the public to gauge how useful it is and whether there are any other possible situations that it might need to cover. The current paper highlights real life examples of how ethical issues can arise during public involvement activities at the research design stage. We refer to "the research design stage" as the time between the generation of the research ideas and when formal permissions to start the work including ethical approval are granted. We argue that although most researchers work ethically at this early stage, some may still benefit from being informed about ethically conscious approaches to involving the public. The paper highlights 10 ethical issues that we have observed with involving the public at the research design stage. We provide examples of these observed scenarios to illustrate the issues and make suggestions for how they can be avoided to help researchers become more ethically conscious when involving the public at the research design stage. Currently the draft framework comprises: 1) Allocating sufficient time for public involvement; 2) Avoiding tokenism; 3) Registering research design stage public involvement work with NHS Research & Development Trust Office at earliest opportunity; 4) Communicating clearly from the outset; 5) Entitling public contributors to stop their involvement for any unstated reasons; 6) Operating fairness of opportunity; 7) Differentiating qualitative research methods and public involvement activities; 8) Working sensitively; 9) Being conscious of confidentiality and 10) Valuing, acknowledging and rewarding public involvement. The draft framework will help researchers to recognise the ethical issues when involving the public and is intended to be used voluntarily in a self-regulatory way. We believe that the draft framework requires further consultation and input from the wider research community and the public before endorsement by national UK bodies such as INVOLVE and the Health Research Authority (HRA).

  7. Empirical studies of design software: Implications for software engineering environments

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Krasner, Herb

    1988-01-01

    The empirical studies team of MCC's Design Process Group conducted three studies in 1986-87 in order to gather data on professionals designing software systems in a range of situations. The first study (the Lift Experiment) used thinking aloud protocols in a controlled laboratory setting to study the cognitive processes of individual designers. The second study (the Object Server Project) involved the observation, videotaping, and data collection of a design team of a medium-sized development project over several months in order to study team dynamics. The third study (the Field Study) involved interviews with the personnel from 19 large development projects in the MCC shareholders in order to study how the process of design is affected by organizationl and project behavior. The focus of this report will be on key observations of design process (at several levels) and their implications for the design of environments.

  8. Collaborative Behavioral Management for Drug-Involved Parolees: Rationale and Design of the Step'n Out Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Friedmann, Peter D.; Katz, Elizabeth C.; Rhodes, Anne G.; Taxman, Faye S.; O'Connell, Daniel J.; Frisman, Linda K.; Burdon, William M.; Fletcher, Bennett W.; Litt, Mark D.; Clarke, Jennifer; Martin, Steven S.

    2008-01-01

    This article describes the rationale, study design, and implementation for the Step'n Out study of the Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies. Step'n Out tests the relative effectiveness of collaborative behavioral management of drug-involved parolees. Collaborative behavioral management integrates the roles of parole officers and treatment…

  9. Participatory design of healthcare technology with children.

    PubMed

    Sims, Tara

    2018-02-12

    Purpose There are many frameworks and methods for involving children in design research. Human-Computer Interaction provides rich methods for involving children when designing technologies. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This paper examines various approaches to involving children in design, considering whether users view children as study objects or active participants. Findings The BRIDGE method is a sociocultural approach to product design that views children as active participants, enabling them to contribute to the design process as competent and resourceful partners. An example is provided, in which BRIDGE was successfully applied to developing upper limb prostheses with children. Originality/value Approaching design in this way can provide children with opportunities to develop social, academic and design skills and to develop autonomy.

  10. Employee Involvement. Issues for Agencies To Consider in Designing and Implementing Programs. Report to the Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on Federal Services, Post Office, and Civil Service, Committee on Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    General Accounting Office, Washington, DC. General Government Div.

    An investigation identified issues that are important for federal agencies to consider in designing and implementing employee involvement programs. Employee involvement programs in the private sector and in the federal government were studied. The use of seven involvement practices was examined: suggestion systems, survey feedback, quality…

  11. Tinkering self-efficacy and team interaction on freshman engineering design teams

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Richardson, Arlisa Labrie

    This study utilizes Bandura's theory of self-efficacy as a framework to examine the development of tinkering skills white working on a freshman engineering design team. The four sources of self-efficacy were analyzed in the context of tinkering within the design team. The research question, 'Does tinkering self-efficacy change for female students during the Freshman Engineering Design class while working on mixed sex teams?', was addressed using quantitative data collection and field observations. Approximately 41 students enrolled in a freshman engineering design class at a public university in the southwest participated by providing self-reports about their tinkering involvement during each design project. In addition, three mixed-sex student teams were observed while working to complete the course design projects. An observation protocol based on Bandura's sources of self efficacy, was used to document tinkering interactions within the three observed teams. The results revealed that Bandura's sources of self-efficacy influenced tinkering involvement. The self-efficacy source, performance accomplishment measured through prior tinkering experience, was the most influential on tinkering involvement. Unlike Bandura's ranking of influence, verbal persuasion was shown to correlate with more tinkering behaviors than the observation of others. The number of females on a team had no impact on tinkering involvement. Tinkering involvement did not change as students progressed from one project to another. However, the competitive nature of the design project appeared to have a negative impact on tinkering involvement and the division of tasks within the team. In addition, a difference was found in the female students' perception of their tinkering involvement and observation of their tinkering involvement. The findings suggest that effective implementation of teamwork including teamwork preparation, more emphasis on the design process and the elimination of competition between teams are necessary to create a more equitable learning environment.

  12. Systems cost/performance analysis; study 2.3. Volume 3: Programmer's manual and user's guide

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1975-01-01

    The implementation of the entire systems cost/performance model as a digital computer program was studied. A discussion of the operating environment in which the program was written and checked, the program specifications such as discussions of logic and computational flow, the different subsystem models involved in the design of the spacecraft, and routines involved in the nondesign area such as costing and scheduling of the design were covered. Preliminary results for the DSCS-2 design are also included.

  13. Training and Work Organisation: An Action-Research Study in a Sales and Distribution Company

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bernardes, Alda Cristina; Lopes, Albino Pedro

    2005-01-01

    This study seeks to define a method of designing work-linked training, based on day-to-day work practices and the collaboration between all those involved. From diagnosis to evaluation, no training is designed or given without considering the opinions and interests of the parties involved. The method used is based on action research (AR) and on…

  14. How Differences in Interactions Affect Learning and Development of Design Expertise in the Context of Biomedical Engineering Design

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Svihla, Vanessa Lynn

    2009-01-01

    Authentic design commonly involves teams of designers collaborating on ill-structured problems over extended time periods. Nonetheless, design has been studied extensively in sequestered settings, limiting our understanding of design as process and especially of learning design process. This study addresses potential shortcomings of such studies…

  15. Techniques and recommendations for the inclusion of users with autism in the design of assistive technologies.

    PubMed

    Francis, Peter; Mellor, David; Firth, Lucy

    2009-01-01

    The increasing numbers of technology platforms offer opportunities to develop new visual assistive aids for people with autism. However, their involvement in the design of such aids is critical to their short-term uptake and longer term use. Using a three-round Delphi study involving seven Australian psychologists specializing in treating people with autism, the authors explored the utility of four techniques that might be implemented to involve users with autism in the design process. The authors found that individual users from the target group would be likely to respond differently to the techniques and that no technique was clearly better than any other. Recommendations for using these techniques to involve individuals with autism in the design of assistive technologies are suggested.

  16. Participatory Design, User Involvement and Health IT Evaluation.

    PubMed

    Kushniruk, Andre; Nøhr, Christian

    2016-01-01

    End user involvement and input into the design and evaluation of information systems has been recognized as being a critical success factor in the adoption of information systems. Nowhere is this need more critical than in the design of health information systems. Consistent with evidence from the general software engineering literature, the degree of user input into design of complex systems has been identified as one of the most important factors in the success or failure of complex information systems. The participatory approach goes beyond user-centered design and co-operative design approaches to include end users as more active participants in design ideas and decision making. Proponents of participatory approaches argue for greater end user participation in both design and evaluative processes. Evidence regarding the effectiveness of increased user involvement in design is explored in this contribution in the context of health IT. The contribution will discuss several approaches to including users in design and evaluation. Challenges in IT evaluation during participatory design will be described and explored along with several case studies.

  17. Investigate-and-redesign tasks as a context for learning and doing science and technology: A study of naive, novice and expert high school and adult designers doing product comparisons and redesign tasks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crismond, David Paul

    This thesis studied high school students and adults with varying degrees of design experience doing two technology investigate-and-redesign (I&R) tasks. Each involved subjects investigating products, designing experiments to compare them fairly, and then redesigning the devices. A total of 25 pairs of subjects participated in this investigation and included naive and novice high school designers, as well as naive, novice, and expert adult designers. Subjects of similar age and design experience worked in same-gender teams and met for two 2-hour sessions. The essential research question of this thesis was: "What process skills and concepts do naive, novice and expert designers use and learn when investigating devices, designing experiments, and redesigning the devices?" Three methodologies were used to gather and analyze the data: clinical interviewing (Piaget, 1929/1960), protocol analysis (Ericsson & Simon, 1984) and interaction analysis (Jordan and Henderson, 1995). The thesis provides composite case-studies of 10 of the 50 test sessions, buttressed by descriptions of performance trends for all subjects. Given the small sample sizes involved, the findings are by necessity tentative and not supported by statistical analysis: (1) I&R activities are engaging, less time-intensive complements to design-and-build tasks, which involve simple mechanical devices and carry with them a host of potential "alternative understandings" in science and technology. Much gets learned during these tasks, more involving "device knowledge" and "device inquiry skills" than "big ideas" in science and technology. (2) Redesign tasks scaffold naive and novice designers to improved performance in the multidimensional and context-specific activity of design. The performances of naive and novice designers were more like that of expert designers when redesigning existing devices than when doing start-from-scratch designing. (3) Conceptual redesign involved more analysis- than synthesis-related design strategies, suggesting that opportunities for teaching science and technology during design are present, but underutilized since only experts made frequent connections to key science concepts. (4) Naive subjects focused mostly on product features and functions in their designs and made analogies mostly to concrete objects, while experts focused more on problem-finding, determining appropriate mechanisms, and made connections using analogies and concepts at both abstract and concrete levels.

  18. Public involvement at the design stage of primary health research: a narrative review of case examples.

    PubMed

    Boote, Jonathan; Baird, Wendy; Beecroft, Claire

    2010-04-01

    To review published examples of public involvement in research design, to synthesise the contributions made by members of the public, as well as the identified barriers, tensions and facilitating strategies. Systematic literature search and narrative review. Seven papers were identified covering the following topics: breast-feeding, antiretroviral and nutrition interventions; paediatric resuscitation; exercise and cognitive behavioural therapy; hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer; stroke; and parents' experiences of having a pre-term baby. Six papers reported public involvement in the development of a clinical trial, while one reported public involvement in the development of a mixed methods study. Group meetings were the most common method of public involvement. Contributions that members of the public made to research design were: review of consent procedures and patient information sheets; outcome suggestions; review of acceptability of data collection procedures; and recommendations on the timing of potential participants into the study and the timing of follow-up. Numerous barriers, tensions and facilitating strategies were identified. The issues raised here should assist researchers in developing research proposals with members of the public. Substantive and methodological directions for further research on the impact of public involvement in research design are set out. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Making a Case for a Blended Approach: The Need for The Design-Based Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Deaton, Cynthia C. M.; Malloy, Jacquelynn A.

    2017-01-01

    Design-based case studies address research questions that involve instructional innovations within a bounded system. This blend of case study and design-based research provides a systematic approach to examining instructional innovations that are bounded by perspective, context, and time. Design-based case studies provide a framework for engaging…

  20. Collaborative Behavioral Management for Drug-Involved Parolees: Rationale and Design of the Step'n Out Study

    PubMed Central

    FRIEDMANN, PETER D.; KATZ, ELIZABETH C.; RHODES, ANNE G.; TAXMAN, FAYE S.; O'CONNELL, DANIEL J.; FRISMAN, LINDA K.; BURDON, WILLIAM M.; FLETCHER, BENNETT W.; LITT, MARK D.; CLARKE, JENNIFER; MARTIN, STEVEN S.

    2009-01-01

    This article describes the rationale, study design, and implementation for the Step'n Out study of the Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies. Step'n Out tests the relative effectiveness of collaborative behavioral management of drug-involved parolees. Collaborative behavioral management integrates the roles of parole officers and treatment counselors to provide role induction counseling, contract for pro-social behavior, and deliver contingent reinforcement of behaviors consistent with treatment objectives. The Step'n Out study will randomize 450 drug-involved parolees to collaborative behavioral management or usual parole. Follow-up at 3-and 9-months will assess primary outcomes of rearrest, crime and drug use. If collaborative behavioral management is effective, its wider adoption could improve the outcomes of community reentry of drug-involved ex-offenders. PMID:19809591

  1. Three Cases of Teachers' Collaborative Design: Perspectives from Those Involved

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Preciado-Babb, Armando Paulino; Liljedahl, Peter

    2012-01-01

    We present the perspectives of teachers and others involved in the collaborative design of teaching and learning artifacts across three cases: (a) an independent group participating in lesson study; (b) teachers participating in professional development programs; and (c) a district initiative for producing numeracy tasks. Among the results we…

  2. Marine Ecology Research Resource Units Grades 7-9. Draft.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Contra Costa County Dept. of Education, Pleasant Hill, CA.

    Project Marine Ecology Research (MER) is an ecological unit designed to involve secondary students in the study of the marine biome. The teachers are also involved with MER through inservice participation and materials preparation. The unit is designed to be incorporated within the existing science curriculum. Specifically, the activities concern…

  3. Evaluating public involvement in research design and grant development: Using a qualitative document analysis method to analyse an award scheme for researchers.

    PubMed

    Baxter, Susan; Muir, Delia; Brereton, Louise; Allmark, Christine; Barber, Rosemary; Harris, Lydia; Hodges, Brian; Khan, Samaira; Baird, Wendy

    2016-01-01

    The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Research Design Service (RDS) for Yorkshire and Humber has been running a public involvement funding scheme since 2008. This scheme awards researchers a small amount of money to help them get involvement from patients and/or the public. Involvement activities take place at the time when researchers are planning studies, and when they are completing application forms to request funding for a proposed research project. After the public involvement activities researchers are asked to write a report for the RDS describing what they did with the public involvement funding. This study analysed those reports using an approach which included members of a public involvement panel in the data analysis process. The aim of the work was to see what the views and experiences of researchers who received funding were, and what might be learned for the future of the scheme. Twenty five reports were analysed. Four main themes were identified, these described: the added value of public involvement; aspects to consider when planning and designing public involvement; different roles of public contributors; and aspects of valuing public member contributions. The group approach to analysis was successful in enabling involvement of a variety of individuals in the process. The findings of the study provide evidence of the value of public involvement during the development of applications for research funding. The results also indicate that researchers recognise the variety in potential roles for the public in research, and acknowledge how involvement adds value to studies. Background A regional Research Design Service, funded by the National Institute for Health Research, introduced a small grant in 2008, to support public involvement (often known as patient and public involvement [PPI]) activities during the development of applications for research funding. Successful applicants are requested to submit a report detailing how the grant money was used, including a description of the aims and outcomes of the public involvement activities. The purpose of this study was to analyse the content of these reports. We aimed to find out what researcher views and experiences of public involvement activities were, and what lessons might be learned. Methods We used an innovative method of data analysis, drawing on group participatory approaches, qualitative content analysis, and Framework Analysis to sort and label the content of the reports. We developed a framework of categories and sub-categories (or themes and sub-themes) from this process. Results Twenty five documents were analysed. Four main themes were identified in the data: the added value of public involvement; planning and designing involvement; the role of public members; and valuing public member contributions. Within these themes, sub-themes related to the timing of involvement (prior to the research study/intended during the research study), and also specific benefits of public involvement such as: validating ideas; ensuring appropriate outcomes; ensuring the acceptability of data collection methods/tools and advice regarding research processes. Other sub-themes related to: finding and approaching public members; timing of events; training/support; the format of sessions; setting up public involvement panels: use of public contributors in analysis and interpretation of data; and using public members to assist with dissemination and translation into practice. Conclusions The analysis of reports submitted by researchers following involvement events provides evidence of the value of public involvement during the development of applications for research funding, and details a method for involving members of the public in data analysis which could be of value to other researchers The findings of the analysis indicate recognition amongst researchers of the variety in potential roles for public members in research, and also an acknowledgement of how involvement adds value to studies.

  4. Advanced Cogeneration Technology Economic Optimization Study (ACTEOS)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nanda, P.; Ansu, Y.; Manuel, E. H., Jr.; Price, W. G., Jr.

    1980-01-01

    The advanced cogeneration technology economic optimization study (ACTEOS) was undertaken to extend the results of the cogeneration technology alternatives study (CTAS). Cost comparisons were made between designs involving advanced cogeneration technologies and designs involving either conventional cogeneration technologies or not involving cogeneration. For the specific equipment cost and fuel price assumptions made, it was found that: (1) coal based cogeneration systems offered appreciable cost savings over the no cogeneration case, while systems using coal derived liquids offered no costs savings; and (2) the advanced cogeneration systems provided somewhat larger cost savings than the conventional systems. Among the issues considered in the study included: (1) temporal variations in steam and electric demands; (2) requirements for reliability/standby capacity; (3) availability of discrete equipment sizes; (4) regional variations in fuel and electricity prices; (5) off design system performance; and (6) separate demand and energy charges for purchased electricity.

  5. Trade-off results and preliminary designs of Near-Term Hybrid Vehicles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sandberg, J. J.

    1980-01-01

    Phase I of the Near-Term Hybrid Vehicle Program involved the development of preliminary designs of electric/heat engine hybrid passenger vehicles. The preliminary designs were developed on the basis of mission analysis, performance specification, and design trade-off studies conducted independently by four contractors. THe resulting designs involve parallel hybrid (heat engine/electric) propulsion systems with significant variation in component selection, power train layout, and control strategy. Each of the four designs is projected by its developer as having the potential to substitute electrical energy for 40% to 70% of the petroleum fuel consumed annually by its conventional counterpart.

  6. High Involvement Work Teams [in HRD].

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    1995

    These five papers are from a symposium on high involvement work teams that was facilitated by Catherine M. Sleezer at the 1995 Academy of Human Resource Development (HRD) conference. "An Empirical Study of Employee Involvement in Designing and Managing Reward Systems" (William M. Kahnweiler) reports on a study of 300 organizations that…

  7. Student Involvement in Wellness Policies: A Study of Pennsylvania Local Education Agencies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jomaa, Lamis H.; McDonnell, Elaine; Weirich, Elaine; Hartman, Terryl; Jensen, Leif; Probart, Claudia

    2010-01-01

    Objective: Explore student-involvement goals in local wellness policies (LWPs) of local education agencies (LEAs) in Pennsylvania (PA) and investigate associations with LEA characteristics. Design: An observational study that helped examine student-involvement goals. Setting: Public PA LEAs. Participants: LWPs submitted by 539 PA public LEAs. Main…

  8. Towards Design Guidelines for Work Related Learning Arrangements

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lappia, Josephine H.

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of the study is to produce design guidelines based on insights from both practice and theory that will enable teachers and educational developers to execute the design, implementation and evaluation of their work-related learning arrangements with stakeholders involved. Design/methodology/approach: The first study reported in…

  9. Evaluation of a Blog Based Parent Involvement Approach by Parents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ozcinar, Zehra; Ekizoglu, Nihat

    2013-01-01

    Despite the well-known benefits of parent involvement in children's education, research clearly shows that it is difficult to effectively involve parents. This study aims to capture parents' views of a Blog Based Parent Involvement Approach (BPIA) designed to secure parent involvement in education by strengthening school-parent communication. Data…

  10. May Stakeholders be Involved in Design Without Informed Consent? The Case of Hidden Design.

    PubMed

    Pols, A J K

    2017-06-01

    Stakeholder involvement in design is desirable from both a practical and an ethical point of view. It is difficult to do well, however, and some problems recur again and again, both of a practical nature, e.g. stakeholders acting strategically rather than openly, and of an ethical nature, e.g. power imbalances unduly affecting the outcome of the process. Hidden Design has been proposed as a method to deal with the practical problems of stakeholder involvement. It aims to do so by taking the observation of stakeholder actions, rather than the outcomes of a deliberative process, as its input. Furthermore, it hides from stakeholders the fact that a design process is taking place so that they will not behave differently than they otherwise would. Both aspects of Hidden Design have raised ethical worries. In this paper I make an ethical analysis of what it means for a design process to leave participants uninformed or deceived rather than acquiring their informed consent beforehand, and to use observation of actions rather than deliberation as input for design, using Hidden Design as a case study. This analysis is based on two sets of normative guidelines: the ethical guidelines for psychological research involving deception or uninformed participants from two professional psychological organisations, and Habermasian norms for a fair and just (deliberative) process. It supports the conclusion that stakeholder involvement in design organised in this way can be ethically acceptable, though under a number of conditions and constraints.

  11. Optimal Experiment Design for Thermal Characterization of Functionally Graded Materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cole, Kevin D.

    2003-01-01

    The purpose of the project was to investigate methods to accurately verify that designed , materials meet thermal specifications. The project involved heat transfer calculations and optimization studies, and no laboratory experiments were performed. One part of the research involved study of materials in which conduction heat transfer predominates. Results include techniques to choose among several experimental designs, and protocols for determining the optimum experimental conditions for determination of thermal properties. Metal foam materials were also studied in which both conduction and radiation heat transfer are present. Results of this work include procedures to optimize the design of experiments to accurately measure both conductive and radiative thermal properties. Detailed results in the form of three journal papers have been appended to this report.

  12. Supporting public involvement in research design and grant development: a case study of a public involvement award scheme managed by a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Research Design Service (RDS).

    PubMed

    Boote, Jonathan D; Twiddy, Maureen; Baird, Wendy; Birks, Yvonne; Clarke, Clare; Beever, Daniel

    2015-10-01

    It is good practice for the public to be involved in developing health research. Resources should be available for researchers to fund the involvement of the public in the development of their grants. To describe a funding award scheme to support public involvement in grant development, managed by an NIHR Research Design Service (RDS). Case examples of how the award contributed to successful grant applications and findings from a recent evaluation of the scheme are presented. A case study of resource provision to support public involvement activities in one region of England. University and NHS-based researchers, and members of the public. Between 2009 and 2012, the RDS approved 45 public involvement funding awards (totalling nearly £19,000). These awards contributed to 27 submitted applications at the time of writing, of which 11 were successful (totalling over £7.5 million). The evaluation revealed difficulties encountered by some researchers when involving the public in grant development, which led to suggestions about how the scheme could be improved. This award scheme represents an efficient method of providing researchers with resources to involve the public in grant development and would appear to represent good value for money. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. How Parents Were Involved in a Special School in Hong Kong

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ng, Shun Wing; Lee, Tai Hoi Theodore

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report on a case study of 93 parents' attitude toward their involvement at various levels of school education in a special school. It also examines the relations between parents' education backgrounds and different levels of parental involvement. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopted quantitative…

  14. Student Involvement in the Egyptian Quality Assurance System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Elassy, Noha

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the extent and the quality of student involvement in the quality assurance process (QAP) in Egyptian higher education institutions (HEIs). Design/methodology/approach: In this study, two qualitative methods were used to explore the extent and the quality of student involvement; these were focus groups…

  15. Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph : technology and mission design studies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ford, Virginia G.

    2004-01-01

    The Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) coronagraph study involves exploring the technologies that enable a coronagraph style instrument to image and characterize earth-like planets orbiting nearby stars. Testbeds have been developed to demonstrate the emerging technologies needed for this effort and an architecture study has resulted in designs of a facility that will provide the environment needed for the technology to function in this role. A broad community of participants is involved in this work through studies, analyses, fabrication of components, and participation in the design effort. The scope of activities - both on the technology side and in the architecture study side - will be presented in this paper. The status and the future plans of the activities will be reviewed.

  16. Investigating the Differential Effectiveness of a Teacher Professional Development Programme for Rural and Urban Classrooms in Indonesia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Soebari, Titien; Aldridge, Jill M.

    2016-01-01

    This article reports on the differential effectiveness of a teacher professional development programme for teachers in urban and rural schools in Indonesia. The study employed an embedded mixed methods design that involved the concurrent collection of both quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative component involved a pre-post design in…

  17. 75 FR 47592 - Final Test Guideline; Product Performance of Skin-applied Insect Repellents of Insect and Other...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-08-06

    ... considerations affecting the design and conduct of repellent studies when human subjects are involved. Any... recommendations for the design and execution of studies to evaluate the performance of pesticide products intended... recommends appropriate study designs and methods for selecting subjects, statistical analysis, and reporting...

  18. Getting better together? Opportunities and limitations for technology-facilitated social support in cardiac rehabilitation.

    PubMed

    Maitland, Julie

    2011-01-01

    Social support has long been positively correlated with cardiac outcomes. However, sources of tension surrounding peer-involvement in the period following acute cardiac events are well documented. Informed by a previous study of patient perspectives of peer-involvement in cardiac rehabilitation, this paper draws from the cardiac and computing literature to provide actionable insights into how technology could be designed to promote appropriate peer-involvement and the challenges that may be faced when designing technologies to support the unsupported.

  19. Participatory Research as One Piece of the Puzzle: A Systematic Review of Consumer Involvement in Design of Technology-Based Youth Mental Health and Well-Being Interventions.

    PubMed

    Orlowski, Simone Kate; Lawn, Sharon; Venning, Anthony; Winsall, Megan; Jones, Gabrielle M; Wyld, Kaisha; Damarell, Raechel A; Antezana, Gaston; Schrader, Geoffrey; Smith, David; Collin, Philippa; Bidargaddi, Niranjan

    2015-07-09

    Despite the potential of technology-based mental health interventions for young people, limited uptake and/or adherence is a significant challenge. It is thought that involving young people in the development and delivery of services designed for them leads to better engagement. Further research is required to understand the role of participatory approaches in design of technology-based mental health and well-being interventions for youth. To investigate consumer involvement processes and associated outcomes from studies using participatory methods in development of technology-based mental health and well-being interventions for youth. Fifteen electronic databases, using both resource-specific subject headings and text words, were searched describing 2 broad concepts-participatory research and mental health/illness. Grey literature was accessed via Google Advanced search, and relevant conference Web sites and reference lists were also searched. A first screening of titles/abstracts eliminated irrelevant citations and documents. The remaining citations were screened by a second reviewer. Full text articles were double screened. All projects employing participatory research processes in development and/or design of (ICT/digital) technology-based youth mental health and well-being interventions were included. No date restrictions were applied; English language only. Data on consumer involvement, research and design process, and outcomes were extracted via framework analysis. A total of 6210 studies were reviewed, 38 full articles retrieved, and 17 included in this study. It was found that consumer participation was predominantly consultative and consumerist in nature and involved design specification and intervention development, and usability/pilot testing. Sustainable participation was difficult to achieve. Projects reported clear dichotomies around designer/researcher and consumer assumptions of effective and acceptable interventions. It was not possible to determine the impact of participatory research on intervention effectiveness due to lack of outcome data. Planning for or having pre-existing implementation sites assisted implementation. The review also revealed a lack of theory-based design and process evaluation. Consumer consultations helped shape intervention design. However, with little evidence of outcomes and a lack of implementation following piloting, the value of participatory research remains unclear.

  20. Participatory Research as One Piece of the Puzzle: A Systematic Review of Consumer Involvement in Design of Technology-Based Youth Mental Health and Well-Being Interventions

    PubMed Central

    Lawn, Sharon; Venning, Anthony; Winsall, Megan; Jones, Gabrielle M; Wyld, Kaisha; Damarell, Raechel A; Antezana, Gaston; Schrader, Geoffrey; Smith, David; Collin, Philippa; Bidargaddi, Niranjan

    2015-01-01

    Background Despite the potential of technology-based mental health interventions for young people, limited uptake and/or adherence is a significant challenge. It is thought that involving young people in the development and delivery of services designed for them leads to better engagement. Further research is required to understand the role of participatory approaches in design of technology-based mental health and well-being interventions for youth. Objective To investigate consumer involvement processes and associated outcomes from studies using participatory methods in development of technology-based mental health and well-being interventions for youth. Methods Fifteen electronic databases, using both resource-specific subject headings and text words, were searched describing 2 broad concepts-participatory research and mental health/illness. Grey literature was accessed via Google Advanced search, and relevant conference Web sites and reference lists were also searched. A first screening of titles/abstracts eliminated irrelevant citations and documents. The remaining citations were screened by a second reviewer. Full text articles were double screened. All projects employing participatory research processes in development and/or design of (ICT/digital) technology-based youth mental health and well-being interventions were included. No date restrictions were applied; English language only. Data on consumer involvement, research and design process, and outcomes were extracted via framework analysis. Results A total of 6210 studies were reviewed, 38 full articles retrieved, and 17 included in this study. It was found that consumer participation was predominantly consultative and consumerist in nature and involved design specification and intervention development, and usability/pilot testing. Sustainable participation was difficult to achieve. Projects reported clear dichotomies around designer/researcher and consumer assumptions of effective and acceptable interventions. It was not possible to determine the impact of participatory research on intervention effectiveness due to lack of outcome data. Planning for or having pre-existing implementation sites assisted implementation. The review also revealed a lack of theory-based design and process evaluation. Conclusions Consumer consultations helped shape intervention design. However, with little evidence of outcomes and a lack of implementation following piloting, the value of participatory research remains unclear. PMID:27025279

  1. Teachers as Participatory Designers: Two Case Studies with Technology-Enhanced Learning Environments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cober, Rebecca; Tan, Esther; Slotta, Jim; So, Hyo-Jeong; Könings, Karen D.

    2015-01-01

    Teachers are not typically involved as participatory designers in the design of technology-enhanced learning environments. As they have unique and valuable perspectives on the role of technology in education, it is of utmost importance to engage them in a participatory design process. Adopting a case study methodology, we aim to reveal in what…

  2. The Role of Re-Appropriation in Open Design: A Case Study on How Openness in Higher Education for Industrial Design Engineering Can Trigger Global Discussions on the Theme of Urban Gardening

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ostuzzi, Francesca; Conradie, Peter; De Couvreur, Lieven; Detand, Jan; Saldien, Jelle

    2016-01-01

    This case study explores the opportunities for students of Industrial Design Engineering to engage with direct and indirect stakeholders by making their design process and results into open-ended designed solutions. The reported case study involved 47 students during a two-weeks intensive course on the topic of urban gardening. Observations were…

  3. Web-based Survey Data Collection With Peer Support and Advocacy Organizations: Implications of Participatory Methods.

    PubMed

    Ostrow, Laysha; Penney, Darby; Stuart, Elizabeth; Leaf, Phillip J

    2017-01-01

    The 2012 National Survey of Peer-Run Organizations is one of the first to survey a nationally representative sample of mental health peer-run organizations, nonprofit venues for support and advocacy which are defined by people with psychiatric histories being in positions of authority and control. This paper describes data collection methods and demonstrates how participatory strategies to involve people with psychiatric histories intersected with Internet research to achieve study aims. People with psychiatric histories were involved in designing and implementing a web-based survey to collect data on peer-run organizations' operations and views on national policy. Participatory approaches were used throughout design, data collection analysis, and dissemination. The extensive involvement of people with psychiatric histories in project design and implementation were important strategies that contributed to this study's success.

  4. Composite reinforced propellant tanks. [space shuttles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brown, L. D.; Martin, M. J.; Aleck, B. J.; Landes, R.

    1975-01-01

    Design studies involving weight and cost were carried out for several structural concepts applicable to space shuttle disposable tankage. An effective design, a honeycomb stabilized pressure vessel, was chosen. A test model was designed and fabricated.

  5. A Comparison Study of Second-Order Screening Designs and Their Extension

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-12-01

    H2 97 V. Nonlinear Screening Designs for Defense Testing: An Overview and Case Study 5.1 Introduction “Necessity is the Mother of Invention.” Plato is...involved concepts like design resolution, minimum aber- ration , power, the number of clear (non-confounded) effects, concepts like rotatability

  6. Cognitive Activity-based Design Methodology for Novice Visual Communication Designers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Hyunjung; Lee, Hyunju

    2016-01-01

    The notion of design thinking is becoming more concrete nowadays, as design researchers and practitioners study the thinking processes involved in design and employ the concept of design thinking to foster better solutions to complex and ill-defined problems. The goal of the present research is to develop a cognitive activity-based design…

  7. Involving people with dementia in developing an interactive web tool for shared decision-making: experiences with a participatory design approach.

    PubMed

    Span, Marijke; Hettinga, Marike; Groen-van de Ven, Leontine; Jukema, Jan; Janssen, Ruud; Vernooij-Dassen, Myrra; Eefsting, Jan; Smits, Carolien

    2018-06-01

    The aim of this study was at gaining insight into the participatory design approach of involving people with dementia in the development of the DecideGuide, an interactive web tool facilitating shared decision-making in their care networks. An explanatory case study design was used when developing the DecideGuide. A secondary analysis focused on the data gathered from the participating people with dementia during the development stages: semi-structured interviews (n = 23), four focus group interviews (n = 18), usability tests (n = 3), and a field study (n = 4). Content analysis was applied to the data. Four themes showed to be important regarding the participation experiences of involving people with dementia in research: valuable feedback on content and design of the DecideGuide, motivation to participate, perspectives of people with dementia and others about distress related to involvement, and time investment. People with dementia can give essential feedback and, therefore, their contribution is useful and valuable. Meaningful participation of people with dementia takes time that should be taken into account. It is important for people with dementia to be able to reciprocate the efforts others make and to feel of significance to others. Implications for Rehabilitation People with dementia can contribute meaningfully to the content and design and their perspective is essential for developing useful and user-friendly tools. Participating in research activities may contribute to social inclusion, empowerment, and quality of life of people with dementia.

  8. Consumer involvement in cancer research: example from a Cancer Network.

    PubMed

    Arain, Mubashir; Pyne, Sarah; Thornton, Nigel; Palmer, Susan; Sharma, Ricky A

    2015-10-01

    The involvement of consumers and the general public in improving cancer services is an important component of health services. However, consumer involvement in cancer research is relatively unexplored. The objective of this study was to explore different ways of involving consumers in cancer research in one regional network. Thames Valley Cancer Network Consumer Research Partnership (CRP) group was formed in 2009. The group consists of consumers and professionals to help in promoting consumer involvement in Cancer Research in the Thames Valley. This study evaluated the project of consumer involvement in cancer research in the Thames Valley from March 2010 to March 2011. We used different indices to judge the level of consumer involvement: number of projects involving consumers through the group, types of projects, level of involvement (ranged from consultation on research documents to collaborating in preparing grant applications) and the methods of involving consumers in cancer research. Fifteen projects were submitted to the CRP group during the 12-month period studied. Of these, eight projects were clinical trials, three were qualitative research projects, two were patients' surveys and two were non-randomized interventional studies. Seven projects requested consumer involvement on patient information sheets for clinical trials. Of these seven applications, three also requested consumers' help in designing research questionnaires and another three requested that consumers should be involved in their project management group. In addition, four projects involved consumers in the proposal development phase and another four projects asked for advice on how to increase trial recruitment, conduct patient interviews or help with grant applications. The creation of the CRP and this audit of its activity have documented consumer involvement in cancer research in the Thames Valley. We have clearly shown that consumers can be involved in designing and managing cancer research projects. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Father involvement and psychological well-being of pregnant women

    PubMed Central

    Giurgescu, Carmen; Templin, Thomas

    2015-01-01

    Purpose This study examined the relationships among father of the baby involvement during pregnancy, depressive symptoms and psychological well-being in African American women. Study Design and Methods Using a prospective study design, a sample of 95 pregnant African American women receiving prenatal care at a medical center in Chicago completed the self-report instruments about father of the baby involvement, depressive symptoms, and psychological well-being twice during pregnancy; once at between 15-25 and once between 25-37 weeks. Results Eighty percent of women reported that the father of the baby was involved during their pregnancy. Twenty-eight percent of women had clinically relevant depressive symptoms (CES-D scores ≥16) at the first data collection and 25% of women had clinically relevant depressive symptoms at the second data collection. Compared with women who reported no father involvement during pregnancy, women who reported father involvement during pregnancy had lower levels of depressive symptoms and higher levels of psychological well-being. Clinical Implications Fathers' involvement is important during pregnancy; nurses should encourage fathers to participate at prenatal visits and ask questions and educate fathers on pregnancy process and procedures during prenatal care. PMID:26488855

  10. Cognitive Task Analysis of Experts in Designing Multimedia Learning Object Guideline (M-LOG)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Razak, Rafiza Abdul; Palanisamy, Punithavathy

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to design and develop a set of guidelines for multimedia learning objects to inform instructional designers (IDs) about the procedures involved in the process of content analysis. This study was motivated by the absence of standardized procedures in the beginning phase of the multimedia learning object design which is…

  11. Beyond access: a case study on the intersection between accessibility, sustainability, and universal design.

    PubMed

    Gossett, Andrea; Mirza, Mansha; Barnds, Ann Kathleen; Feidt, Daisy

    2009-11-01

    A growing emphasis has been placed on providing equal opportunities for all people, particularly people with disabilities, to support participation. Barriers to participation are represented in part by physical space restrictions. This article explores the decision-making process during the construction of a new office building housing a disability-rights organization. The building project featured in this study was developed on the principles of universal design, maximal accessibility, and sustainability to support access and participation. A qualitative case study approach was used involving collection of data through in-depth interviews with key decision-makers; non-participant observations at design meetings; and on-site tours. Qualitative thematic analysis along with the development of a classification system was used to understand specific building elements and the relevant decision processes from which they resulted. Recording and analyzing the design process revealed several key issues including grassroots involvement of stakeholders; interaction between universal design and sustainable design; addressing diversity through flexibility and universality; and segregationist accessibility versus universal design. This case study revealed complex interactions between accessibility, universal design, and sustainability. Two visual models were proposed to understand and analyze these complexities.

  12. 29 CFR 1607.14 - Technical standards for validity studies.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... in the design of the study and their effects identified. (5) Statistical relationships. The degree of...; or such factors should be included in the design of the study and their effects identified. (f... arduous effort involving a series of research studies, which include criterion related validity studies...

  13. 29 CFR 1607.14 - Technical standards for validity studies.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... in the design of the study and their effects identified. (5) Statistical relationships. The degree of...; or such factors should be included in the design of the study and their effects identified. (f... arduous effort involving a series of research studies, which include criterion related validity studies...

  14. 29 CFR 1607.14 - Technical standards for validity studies.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... in the design of the study and their effects identified. (5) Statistical relationships. The degree of...; or such factors should be included in the design of the study and their effects identified. (f... arduous effort involving a series of research studies, which include criterion related validity studies...

  15. 29 CFR 1607.14 - Technical standards for validity studies.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... in the design of the study and their effects identified. (5) Statistical relationships. The degree of...; or such factors should be included in the design of the study and their effects identified. (f... arduous effort involving a series of research studies, which include criterion related validity studies...

  16. 29 CFR 1607.14 - Technical standards for validity studies.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... in the design of the study and their effects identified. (5) Statistical relationships. The degree of...; or such factors should be included in the design of the study and their effects identified. (f... arduous effort involving a series of research studies, which include criterion related validity studies...

  17. Developing a Conceptual Framework for Participatory Design of Psychosocial and Physical Learning Environments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mäkelä, Tiina; Helfenstein, Sacha

    2016-01-01

    The present study shows how the mixed-methods approach can be used in capturing and organising learning environment (LE) characteristics for the participatory design of psychosocial and physical LEs involving learners. Theoretical constructs were tested and further elaborated on in the analysis of two similar educational design research studies:…

  18. Group-Based Life Design Counseling in an Italian Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Di Fabio, Annamaria; Maree, Jacobus Gideon

    2012-01-01

    This study examined the effectiveness of group-based Life Design Counseling using the Career-Story Interview. Written exercises were used to implement the seven topics in the Career-Story Interview. The present study employed an experimental design that involved two groups of Italian entrepreneurs from the agricultural and trade sectors, namely an…

  19. The consultation of rugby players in co-developing a player health study: feasibility and consequences of sports participants as research partners.

    PubMed

    Davies, Madeleine A M; Balai, Edward; Adams, Jo; Carter, John-Henry; Judge, Andrew; Newton, Julia L; Arden, Nigel K

    2017-01-01

    Many funding bodies within the United Kingdom and globally have encouraged public involvement in research. The Department of Health has also called public involvement a sign of good research. Despite the wide acceptance of public involvement improving many aspects of research, from its design to its communication, involvement has varied levels of implementation across different fields of research. Sports people have rarely been involved in research, partly as this research tends not to be funded by mainstream funding bodies. This may lead to a lower research quality, not founded in player ('service user') experiences. When creating a study of former rugby player health, we were very keen to involve rugby players, understand their thoughts on player health, and their playing experiences. This article explains how rugby players were involved in several ways, but mainly in group discussions during the design stage. These groups helped to inform our study's aims and questionnaire, ensure the questionnaire would capture player experiences and answer questions relevant to players, that they would like to understand after their participation in rugby. We found that these groups were easy to arrange, and that in only one session with each group, we were given many ideas of how to improve the questionnaire and study. We believe that other studies in sports should involve sports people, and that this is a useful activity that will change data collection forms and processes, improving the research, helping researchers, and making studies more suitable for players who take part in them. Background Patient and public involvement ('involvement') in the UK has increased in accordance with funding requirements, patient-centered health policy initiatives and reporting of the positive impact of involvement for those involved, research and researchers. However, involvement has not been implemented equally across all disease areas and populations. The aim of this process was to involve rugby players across the research cycle of a player health study, ensure the study is player-centred, and that players had approved and informed the design of the study and its questionnaire from their playing experiences. Methods Two group discussions were undertaken with current students who were playing rugby at a Collegiate University. All male and female University rugby players and two College rugby teams were approached to become involved. Sessions were chaired by a player-lead using a topic guide and were audio-recorded and transcribed. Player suggestions were extracted by the player-lead and discussed within the study team for inclusion in the player health study and its questionnaire. Results Players readily engaged with the sessions and made many contributions to the development of the study and the questionnaire. Players discussed whether certain topics were being collected satisfactorily, and whether the questionnaire would encompass their playing experiences or that of other players. Players suggested where answers might be less reliable, and ways in which this could be improved. Players recommended additions to the questionnaire, and questioned researchers on the choice of language, motivation for question inclusion and if measures were standardised or novel. Alterations were made to the questionnaire based on suggestions, where these were agreed by the study team. Conclusions Involving a group of players in the design of a player health study and questionnaire was not an arduous process and was rewarding for researchers. The process resulted in numerous alterations to the questionnaire and its functionality, which may improve response rate, the experience of players participating in the player health study, and their ability to report relevant information aligned with their previous experience. Player involvement in research was feasible to implement and improved not only the questionnaire, but also researcher confidence in the project and player experiences being accurately captured and leading a reliable data collection processes in a population with the potential for cultural bias to affect the ascertainment of health, pain and injury.

  20. Efficiency Study of NLS Base-Year Design. RTI-22U-884-3.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moore, R. P.; And Others

    An efficiency study was conducted of the base year design used for the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS). Finding the optimal design involved a search for the numbers of sample schools and students that would maximize the variance at a given cost. Twenty-one variables describing students' plans, attitudes,…

  1. A Design Study to Develop Young Children's Understanding of Multiplication and Division

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bicknell, Brenda; Young-Loveridge, Jenny; Nguyen, Nhung

    2016-01-01

    This design study investigated the use of multiplication and division problems to help 5-year-old children develop an early understanding of multiplication and division. One teacher and her class of 15 5-year-old children were involved in a collaborative partnership with the researchers. The design study was conducted over two 4-week periods in…

  2. The Use of Visual Advance Organizers for Learning Earth Science Concepts.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Weisberg, Joseph S.

    This study was designed to determine whether advance organizers in the form of visual aids might serve the same function as Ausubel's verbal advance organizers. The basic design of the study consisted of a 4 X 3 X 2 ANOVA factorial design. Ninety-six eighth-grade students were involved in the study. One group was exposed to a physiographic diagram…

  3. Lessons learned: clinicians' post-occupancy perspective of facility design involvement.

    PubMed

    Reno, Kathy; Okland, Kathy; Finis, Nanne; Lamantia, Gina; Call, Roger; Cardon, Kerrie; Gerber, Deborah; Zeigler, Janet

    2014-01-01

    The research was conducted to determine clinician knowledge needs for competent involvement with the facility design process as well as to gather lessons learned on building stronger design teams. As clinical stakeholders are invited to the healthcare facility design table, the question arises as to the ability of professionally diverse team members to translate each other's comments and ideas accurately. In the past, hospitals were designed by a handful of hospital leaders and architects. More recently, multiple players have become involved throughout the design and construction of new healthcare facilities. Clinical consultants from two international healthcare companies observed that many clinicians were unprepared to effectively translate their needs to the architectural community or to competently utilize architectural tools and documents. A qualitative, post-occupancy cross-case study was conducted to understand how clinicians could increase their competencies for successful involvement in facility design. Focus group interviews were held with teams from healthcare facilities occupying their new facility for more than 6 months and less than 2 years. Curriculum topics were validated and additional areas recommended based on the interviews. Open-ended questioins on lessons learned provided several new dimensions to the research. Although validating the curriculum was the initial intent, the feedback from the focus groups on lessons learned provided rich concepts for practice implications and further research on post-occupancy. Decision-making, design process, interdisciplinary, planning, post-occupancy.

  4. The New Workforce Generation: Understanding the Problems Facing Parental Involvement in Jordanian Kindergartens

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ihmeideh, Fathi; Khasawneh, Samer; Mahfouz, Safi; Khawaldeh, Moustafa

    2008-01-01

    This study aimed to investigate the problems facing parental involvement in Jordanian kindergartens from the parents' perspectives. A 36-item questionnaire that addressed five domains was designed by the researchers and distributed among the study participants. The study sample consisted of 297 parents of kindergarten children from various…

  5. Exploring the relationship between time management skills and the academic achievement of African engineering students - a case study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Swart, Arthur James; Lombard, Kobus; de Jager, Henk

    2010-03-01

    Poor academic success by African engineering students is currently experienced in many higher educational institutions, contributing to lower financial subsidies by local governments. One of the contributing factors to this low academic success may be the poor time management skills of these students. This article endeavours to explore this relationship by means of a theoretical literature review and an empirical study. Numerous studies have been conducted in this regard, but with mixed results. The case study of this article involves a design module termed Design Projects III, where the empirical study incorporated an ex post facto study involving a pre-experimental/exploratory design using descriptive statistics. The results of this study were applied to various tests, which indicated no statistically significant relationship between time management skills and the academic achievement of African engineering students.

  6. New quality assurance program integrating "modern radiotherapy" within the German Hodgkin Study Group.

    PubMed

    Kriz, J; Baues, C; Engenhart-Cabillic, R; Haverkamp, U; Herfarth, K; Lukas, P; Schmidberger, H; Marnitz-Schulze, S; Fuchs, M; Engert, A; Eich, H T

    2017-02-01

    Field design changed substantially from extended-field RT (EF-RT) to involved-field RT (IF-RT) and now to involved-node RT (IN-RT) and involved-site RT (IS-RT) as well as treatment techniques in radiotherapy (RT) of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL). The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the establishment of a quality assurance program (QAP) including modern RT techniques and field designs within the German Hodgkin Study Group (GHSG). In the era of modern conformal RT, this QAP had to be fundamentally adapted and a new evaluation process has been intensively discussed by the radiotherapeutic expert panel of the GHSG. The expert panel developed guidelines and criteria to analyse "modern" field designs and treatment techniques. This work is based on a dataset of 11 patients treated within the sixth study generation (HD16-17). To develop a QAP of "modern RT", the expert panel defined criteria for analysing current RT procedures. The consensus of a modified QAP in ongoing and future trials is presented. With this schedule, the QAP of the GHSG could serve as a model for other study groups.

  7. Concept Verification Test - Evaluation of Spacelab/Payload operation concepts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mcbrayer, R. O.; Watters, H. H.

    1977-01-01

    The Concept Verification Test (CVT) procedure is used to study Spacelab operational concepts by conducting mission simulations in a General Purpose Laboratory (GPL) which represents a possible design of Spacelab. In conjunction with the laboratory a Mission Development Simulator, a Data Management System Simulator, a Spacelab Simulator, and Shuttle Interface Simulator have been designed. (The Spacelab Simulator is more functionally and physically representative of the Spacelab than the GPL.) Four simulations of Spacelab mission experimentation were performed, two involving several scientific disciplines, one involving life sciences, and the last involving material sciences. The purpose of the CVT project is to support the pre-design and development of payload carriers and payloads, and to coordinate hardware, software, and operational concepts of different developers and users.

  8. The Complex Dynamics of Student Engagement in Novel Engineering Design Activities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McCormick, Mary

    In engineering design, making sense of "messy," design situations is at the heart of the discipline (Schon, 1983); engineers in practice bring structure to design situations by organizing, negotiating, and coordinating multiple aspects (Bucciarelli, 1994; Stevens, Johri, & O'Connor, 2014). In classroom settings, however, students are more often given well-defined, content-focused engineering tasks (Jonassen, 2014). These tasks are based on the assumption that elementary students are unable to grapple with the complexity or open-endedness of engineering design (Crismond & Adams, 2012). The data I present in this dissertation suggest the opposite. I show that students are not only able to make sense of, or frame (Goffman, 1974), complex design situations, but that their framings dynamically involve their nascent abilities for engineering design. The context of this work is Novel Engineering, a larger research project that explores using children's literature as an access point for engineering design. Novel Engineering activities are inherently messy: there are characters with needs, settings with implicit constraints, and rich design situations. In a series of three studies, I show how students' framings of Novel Engineering design activities involve their reasoning and acting as beginning engineers. In the first study, I show two students whose caring for the story characters contributes to their stability in framing the task: they identify the needs of their fictional clients and iteratively design a solution to meet their clients' needs. In the second, I show how students' shifting and negotiating framings influence their engineering assumptions and evaluation criteria. In the third, I show how students' coordinating framings involve navigating a design process to meet clients' needs, classroom expectations, and technical requirements. Collectively, these studies contribute to literature by documenting students' productive beginnings in engineering design. The implications span research and practice, specifically targeting how we attend to and support students as they engage in engineering design.

  9. Toward Understanding the Cognitive Processes of Software Design in Novice Programmers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yeh, Kuo-Chuan

    2009-01-01

    This study provides insights with regard to the types of cognitive processes that are involved in the formation of mental models and the way those models change over the course of a semester in novice programmers doing a design task. Eight novice programmers participated in this study for three distinct software design sessions, using the same…

  10. Conditions for the Successful Implementation of Teacher Educator Design Teams for ICT Integration: A Delphi Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Becuwe, Heleen; Roblin, Natalie Pareja; Tondeur, Jo; Thys, Jeroen; Castelein, Els; Voogt, Joke

    2017-01-01

    Teacher educators often struggle to model effective integration of technology. Several studies suggest that the involvement of teacher educators in collaborative design is effective in developing the competences necessary for integrating information and communication technology (ICT) in teaching. In a teacher educator design team (TeDT), two or…

  11. Interplay of Computer and Paper-Based Sketching in Graphic Design

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pan, Rui; Kuo, Shih-Ping; Strobel, Johannes

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to investigate student designers' attitude and choices towards the use of computers and paper sketches when involved in a graphic design process. 65 computer graphic technology undergraduates participated in this research. A mixed method study with survey and in-depth interviews was applied to answer the research…

  12. Improving Students' Conceptual Understanding of a Specific Content Learning: A Designed Teaching Sequence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ahmad, N. J.; Lah, Y. Che

    2012-01-01

    The efficacy of a teaching sequence designed for a specific content of learning of electrochemistry is described in this paper. The design of the teaching draws upon theoretical insights into perspectives on learning and empirical studies to improve the teaching of this topic. A case study involving two classes, the experimental and baseline…

  13. Primary School Teachers' Perception on Parental Involvement: A Quliatative Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aslan, Dolgun

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to highlight the opinions of teachers with regard to the approaches of parental involvement in school. A case study design was used in this study conducted that is employed in studies of a qualitative nature. In the "case" under research, there was an attempt to determine the opinions of teachers regarding…

  14. Participant dropout as a function of survey length in internet-mediated university studies: implications for study design and voluntary participation in psychological research.

    PubMed

    Hoerger, Michael

    2010-12-01

    Internet-mediated research has offered substantial advantages over traditional laboratory-based research in terms of efficiently and affordably allowing for the recruitment of large samples of participants for psychology studies. Core technical, ethical, and methodological issues have been addressed in recent years, but the important issue of participant dropout has received surprisingly little attention. Specifically, web-based psychology studies often involve undergraduates completing lengthy and time-consuming batteries of online personality questionnaires, but no known published studies to date have closely examined the natural course of participant dropout during attempted completion of these studies. The present investigation examined participant dropout among 1,963 undergraduates completing one of six web-based survey studies relatively representative of those conducted in university settings. Results indicated that 10% of participants could be expected to drop out of these studies nearly instantaneously, with an additional 2% dropping out per 100 survey items included in the study. For individual project investigators, these findings hold ramifications for study design considerations, such as conducting a priori power analyses. The present results also have broader ethical implications for understanding and improving voluntary participation in research involving human subjects. Nonetheless, the generalizability of these conclusions may be limited to studies involving similar design or survey content.

  15. Topical Reports: Sustainable Design for Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fox, Anne W.

    This document presents several reports on the practical applications of sustainable design and schools; it includes information about student performance and sustainable design features involving lighting, acoustics, air quality, and student well-being. Three case studies (Washington's Bainbridge Island School District, Texas' Roy Lee Walker…

  16. Organizing a Collaborative Development of Technological Design Requirements Using a Constructive Dialogue on Value Profiles: A Case in Automated Vehicle Development.

    PubMed

    Flipse, Steven M; Puylaert, Steven

    2018-02-01

    Following societal and policy pressures for responsible innovation, innovators are more and more expected to consider the broader socio-ethical context of their work, and more importantly, to integrate such considerations into their daily practices. This may require the involvement of 'outsiders' in innovation trajectories, including e.g. societal and governmental actors. However, methods on how to functionally organize such integration in light of responsible innovation have only recently started to emerge. We present an approach to do just that, in which we first develop value profiles of the involved actors, and second, design a workshop setting that allows innovators to develop design requirements in collaboration with representatives of parties that are not usually involved in such innovation design practices. Using a case study in automated vehicle development, we positively demonstrate the possibility and utility of our approach. We stress that in this study we wish to demonstrate the functionality of our developed method, and did not search for scientifically valid outcomes regarding this technical field.

  17. Lessons for Successful Study Enrollment from the Veterans Affairs/National Institutes of Health Acute Renal Failure Trial Network Study

    PubMed Central

    Crowley, Susan T.; Chertow, Glenn M.; Vitale, Joseph; O'Connor, Theresa; Zhang, Jane; Schein, Roland M.H.; Choudhury, Devasmita; Finkel, Kevin; Vijayan, Anitha; Paganini, Emil; Palevsky, Paul M.

    2008-01-01

    Background and objectives: Design elements of clinical trials can introduce recruitment bias and reduce study efficiency. Trials involving the critically ill may be particularly prone to design-related inefficiencies. Design, setting, participants, & measurements: Enrollment into the Veterans Affairs/National Institutes of Health Acute Renal Failure Trial Network Study was systematically monitored. Reasons for nonenrollment into this study comparing strategies of renal replacement therapy in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury were categorized as modifiable or nonmodifiable. Results: 4339 patients were screened; 2744 fulfilled inclusion criteria. Of these, 1034 were ineligible by exclusion criteria. Of the remaining 1710 patients, 1124 (65.7%) enrolled. Impediments to informed consent excluded 21.4% of potentially eligible patients. Delayed identification of potential patients, physician refusal, and involvement in competing trials accounted for 4.4, 2.7, and 2.3% of exclusions. Comfort measures only status, chronic illness, chronic kidney disease, and obesity excluded 11.8, 7.8, 7.6, and 5.9% of potential patients. Modification of an enrollment window reduced the loss of patients from 6.6 to 2.3%. Conclusions: The Acute Renal Failure Trial Network Study's enrollment efficiency compared favorably with previous intensive care unit intervention trials and supports the representativeness of its enrolled population. Impediments to informed consent highlight the need for nontraditional acquisition methods. Restrictive enrollment windows may hamper recruitment but can be effectively modified. The low rate of physician refusal acknowledges clinical equipoise in the study design. Underlying comorbidities are important design considerations for future trials that involve the critically ill with acute kidney injury. PMID:18385390

  18. A DEVELOPMENTAL STUDY OF MEDICAL TRAINING SIMULATORS FOR ANESTHESIOLOGISTS. FINAL REPORT.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    ABRAHAMSON, STEPHEN; DENSON, JUDSON S.

    IN THIS STUDY, A COMPUTER-CONTROLLED PATIENT SIMULATOR (SIM ONE) WAS DESIGNED, CONSTRUCTED, AND TESTED FOR THE TRAINING OF ANESTHESIOLOGY RESIDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE. THE TRAINING INVOLVED THE DEVELOPMENT OF SKILL IN ENDOTRACHEAL INTUBATION. THE EXPERIMENT INVOLVED 10 ANESTHESIOLOGY RESIDENTS. FIVE WERE…

  19. Ten-Structure as Strategy of Addition 1-20 by Involving Spatial Structuring Ability for First Grade Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Salmah, Ummy; Putri, Ratu Ilma Indra; Somakim

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study is to design learning activities that can support students to develop strategies for the addition of number 1 to 20 in the first grade by involving students' spatial structuring ability. This study was conducted in Indonesia by involving 27 students. In this paper, one of three activities is discussed namely ten-box activity.…

  20. Perceptions of Fathers' Involvement in Their Daughters' Sports: The Relationship to Self-Esteem and Fear of Failure in Specialized AAU Basketball Players

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Veinot, Jan E.

    2014-01-01

    This study was designed to investigate and describe a daughter's perception of father involvement in her sports; and the relationship to her self-esteem and fear of failure. The purpose of the study was exploratory in nature and it was hypothesized that quality father involvement would be positively associated with a daughter's self-esteem and…

  1. An Algorithm for Integrated Subsystem Embodiment and System Synthesis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lewis, Kemper

    1997-01-01

    Consider the statement,'A system has two coupled subsystems, one of which dominates the design process. Each subsystem consists of discrete and continuous variables, and is solved using sequential analysis and solution.' To address this type of statement in the design of complex systems, three steps are required, namely, the embodiment of the statement in terms of entities on a computer, the mathematical formulation of subsystem models, and the resulting solution and system synthesis. In complex system decomposition, the subsystems are not isolated, self-supporting entities. Information such as constraints, goals, and design variables may be shared between entities. But many times in engineering problems, full communication and cooperation does not exist, information is incomplete, or one subsystem may dominate the design. Additionally, these engineering problems give rise to mathematical models involving nonlinear functions of both discrete and continuous design variables. In this dissertation an algorithm is developed to handle these types of scenarios for the domain-independent integration of subsystem embodiment, coordination, and system synthesis using constructs from Decision-Based Design, Game Theory, and Multidisciplinary Design Optimization. Implementation of the concept in this dissertation involves testing of the hypotheses using example problems and a motivating case study involving the design of a subsonic passenger aircraft.

  2. Evaluating Evaluations: The Case of Parent Involvement Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mattingly, Doreen J.; Prislin, Radmila; McKenzie, Thomas L.; Rodriguez, James L.; Kayzar, Brenda

    2002-01-01

    This article analyzes 41 studies that evaluated K-12 parent involvement programs in order to assess claims that such programs are an effective means of improving student learning. It examines the characteristics of the parent involvement programs, as well as the research design, data, and analytical techniques used in program evaluation. Our…

  3. Religious Involvement, Coping, Social Support, and Psychological Distress in HIV-Seropositive African American Mothers

    PubMed Central

    Prado, Guillermo; Feaster, Daniel J.; Schwartz, Seth J.; Pratt, Indira Abraham; Smith, Lila; Szapocznik, Jose

    2005-01-01

    This study used a cross-sectional design to examine the role of religious involvement within a stress-process framework. Participants were 252 urban, low-income HIV-seropositive African American mothers. The relationships among religious involvement, stress, coping responses, social support, and psychological distress were examined using structural equation modeling. The number of stressors reported by the mother was related to greater religious involvement, which in turn was negatively related to psychological distress. Furthermore, the results suggest that social support, active coping, and avoidant coping responses mediated the relationship between religious involvement and psychological distress. According to the present results, interventions to attenuate psychological distress in HIV-seropositive African American mothers might focus on increasing social support, promoting active coping, and decreasing avoidant coping. The present findings suggest that this may be accomplished, in part, by promoting involvement in religious institutions and practices. However, in light of the cross-sectional design used in the present study, and given that religion may have both positive and negative consequences further research is needed to determine the extent to which promoting religiosity may increase or alleviate distress. PMID:15475672

  4. Analyzing Data from a Pretest-Posttest Control Group Design: The Importance of Statistical Assumptions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zientek, Linda; Nimon, Kim; Hammack-Brown, Bryn

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: Among the gold standards in human resource development (HRD) research are studies that test theoretically developed hypotheses and use experimental designs. A somewhat typical experimental design would involve collecting pretest and posttest data on individuals assigned to a control or experimental group. Data from such a design that…

  5. African Refugee Parents' Involvement in Their Children's Schools: Barriers and Recommendations for Improvement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Githembe, Purity Kanini

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine involvement of African refugee parents in the education of their elementary school children. The setting of the study was Northern and Southern Texas. African refugee parents and their children's teachers completed written surveys and also participated in interviews. In the study's mixed-method design,…

  6. Effect Sizes in Cluster-Randomized Designs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hedges, Larry V.

    2007-01-01

    Multisite research designs involving cluster randomization are becoming increasingly important in educational and behavioral research. Researchers would like to compute effect size indexes based on the standardized mean difference to compare the results of cluster-randomized studies (and corresponding quasi-experiments) with other studies and to…

  7. Developing Instructional Design to Improve Mathematical Higher Order Thinking Skills of Students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Apino, E.; Retnawati, H.

    2017-02-01

    This study aimed to describe the instructional design to improve the Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) of students in learning mathematics. This research is design research involving teachers and students of class X MIPA 1 MAN Yigyakarta III, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Data collected through focus group discussions and tests. Data analyzed by quantitative descriptive. The results showed that the instructional design developed is effective to improving students’ HOTS in learning mathematics. Instructional design developed generally include three main components: (1) involve students in the activities non-routine problem solving; (2) facilitating students to develop the ability to analyze and evaluate (critical thinking) and the ability to create (creative thinking); and (3) encourage students to construct their own knowledge.

  8. Developing a conceptual model for the application of patient and public involvement in the healthcare system in Iran.

    PubMed

    Azmal, Mohammad; Sari, Ali Akbari; Foroushani, Abbas Rahimi; Ahmadi, Batoul

    2016-06-01

    Patient and public involvement is engaging patients, providers, community representatives, and the public in healthcare planning and decision-making. The purpose of this study was to develop a model for the application of patient and public involvement in decision making in the Iranian healthcare system. A mixed qualitative-quantitative approach was used to develop a conceptual model. Thirty three key informants were purposely recruited in the qualitative stage, and 420 people (patients and their companions) were included in a protocol study that was implemented in five steps: 1) Identifying antecedents, consequences, and variables associated with the patient and the publics' involvement in healthcare decision making through a comprehensive literature review; 2) Determining the main variables in the context of Iran's health system using conceptual framework analysis; 3) Prioritizing and weighting variables by Shannon entropy; 4) designing and validating a tool for patient and public involvement in healthcare decision making; and 5) Providing a conceptual model of patient and the public involvement in planning and developing healthcare using structural equation modeling. We used various software programs, including SPSS (17), Max QDA (10), EXCEL, and LISREL. Content analysis, Shannon entropy, and descriptive and analytic statistics were used to analyze the data. In this study, seven antecedents variable, five dimensions of involvement, and six consequences were identified. These variables were used to design a valid tool. A logical model was derived that explained the logical relationships between antecedent and consequent variables and the dimensions of patient and public involvement as well. Given the specific context of the political, social, and innovative environments in Iran, it was necessary to design a model that would be compatible with these features. It can improve the quality of care and promote the patient and the public satisfaction with healthcare and legitimate the representative of people they served for. This model can provide a practical guide for managers and policy makers to involve people in making the decisions that influence their lives.

  9. Automotive HMI design and participatory user involvement: review and perspectives.

    PubMed

    François, Mathilde; Osiurak, François; Fort, Alexandra; Crave, Philippe; Navarro, Jordan

    2017-04-01

    Automotive human-machine interface (HMI) design is facing new challenges due to the technological advances of the last decades. The design process has to be adapted in order to address human factors and road safety challenges. It is now widely accepted that user involvement in the HMI design process is valuable. However, the current form of user involvement in industry remains at the stages of concept assessment and usability tests. Moreover, the literature in other fields (e.g. information systems) promotes a broader user involvement with participatory design (i.e. the user is fully involved in the development process). This article reviews the established benefits of participatory design and reveals perspectives for automotive HMI quality improvement in a cognitive ergonomic framework. Practitioner Summary: Automotive HMI quality determines, in part, drivers' ability to perform primary driving tasks while using in-vehicle devices. User involvement in the design process is a key point to contribute to HMI quality. This article reports the potential benefits of a broad involvement from drivers to meet automotive HMI design challenges.

  10. Evaluation of horizontal curve design

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1980-08-01

    This report documents an initial evaluation of horizontal curve design criteria which involved two phases: an observational study and an analytical evaluation. Three classes of vehicles (automobiles, school buses and tractor semi-trailers) and three ...

  11. Traffic impacts of bicycle facilities : final report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2017-06-01

    Engineers need information about interactions between vehicles and bicyclists to design efficient, safe transportation systems. This study involved a review of design guidelines for bicycle facilities, observation of bicycle-vehicle interactions at n...

  12. Understanding the effectiveness of the entertainment-education strategy: an investigation of how audience involvement, message processing, and message design influence health information recall.

    PubMed

    Quintero Johnson, Jessie M; Harrison, Kristen; Quick, Brian L

    2013-01-01

    A growing body of evidence suggests that entertainment-education (EE) is a promising health communication strategy. The purpose of this study was to identify some of the factors that facilitate and hinder audience involvement with EE messages. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the authors introduce a construct they call experiential involvement, which describes the experience of being cognitively and emotionally involved with EE messages and is a product of transportation into an EE text and identification with EE characters. Using an experimental design, the authors also investigated how reports of experiential involvement and health information recall varied depending on the degree to which the educational content was well integrated with the narrative content in EE messages. Findings indicated that integration significantly influenced health information recall. Results indicated that experiential involvement and the perception that the health topic in EE messages was personally relevant predicted participants' systematic processing of the information in EE messages. Contrary to expectation, personal relevance did not predict experiential involvement, and systematic message processing was negatively related to health information recall. Implications for the construction of EE messages and the study of the EE strategy are discussed.

  13. Aircraft Optimization for Minimum Environmental Impact

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Antoine, Nicolas; Kroo, Ilan M.

    2001-01-01

    The objective of this research is to investigate the tradeoff between operating cost and environmental acceptability of commercial aircraft. This involves optimizing the aircraft design and mission to minimize operating cost while constraining exterior noise and emissions. Growth in air traffic and airport neighboring communities has resulted in increased pressure to severely penalize airlines that do not meet strict local noise and emissions requirements. As a result, environmental concerns have become potent driving forces in commercial aviation. Traditionally, aircraft have been first designed to meet performance and cost goals, and adjusted to satisfy the environmental requirements at given airports. The focus of the present study is to determine the feasibility of including noise and emissions constraints in the early design of the aircraft and mission. This paper introduces the design tool and results from a case study involving a 250-passenger airliner.

  14. Using Human Factors Methods to Design a New Interface for an Electronic Medical Record

    PubMed Central

    Saleem, Jason J.; Patterson, Emily S.; Militello, Laura; Asch, Steven M.; Doebbeling, Bradley N.; Render, Marta L.

    2007-01-01

    The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is a leader in development and use of electronic patient records and clinical decision support. The VHA is currently reengineering a somewhat dated platform for its Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS). This process affords a unique opportunity to implement major changes to the current design and function of the system. We report on two human factors studies designed to provide input and guidance during this reengineering process. One study involved a card sort to better understand how providers tend to cognitively organize clinical data, and how that understanding can help guide interface design. The other involved a simulation to assess the impact of redesign modifications on computerized clinical reminders, a form of clinical decision support in the CPRS, on the learnability of the system for first-time users. PMID:18693914

  15. Design Core Commonalities: A Study of the College of Design at Iowa State University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Venes, Jane

    2015-01-01

    This comprehensive study asks what a group of rather diverse disciplines have in common. It involves a cross-disciplinary examination of an entire college, the College of Design at Iowa State University. This research was intended to provide a sense of direction in developing and assessing possible core content. The reasoning was that material…

  16. A Multiple Case Study of Faculty Control over Course Design and Its Effect on Faculty Efficacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    King, Tara

    2017-01-01

    Online education continues to grow and change and different colleges and universities have varying degrees of faculty control over course design. This multiple case study investigated patterns in the efficacy of faculty who teach online courses in relation to the faculty members' involvement in the creation of elements of course design. The…

  17. An Analysis of Teaching Competence in Science Teachers Involved in the Design of Context-Based Curriculum Materials

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    De Putter-Smits, Lesley G. A.; Taconis, Ruurd; Jochems, Wim; Van Driel, Jan

    2012-01-01

    The committees for the current Dutch context-based innovation in secondary science education employed teachers to design context-based curriculum materials. A study on the learning of science teachers in design teams for context-based curriculum materials is presented in this paper. In a correlation study, teachers with (n = 5 and 840 students)…

  18. Design and Analysis of a Subcritical Airfoil for High Altitude, Long Endurance Missions.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-12-01

    Airfoil Design and Analysis Method ......... .... 61 Appendix D: Boundary Layer Analysis Method ............. ... 81 Appendix E: Detailed Results ofr...attack. Computer codes designed by Richard Eppler were used for this study. The airfoil was anlayzed by using a viscous effects analysis program...inverse program designed by Eppler (Ref 5) was used in this study to accomplish this part. The second step involved the analysis of the airfoil under

  19. Course Design and Student Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Billing, David, Ed.

    Papers presented at the Society for Research into Higher Education's conference on course design and student learning dealt with the following overall topics: the needs of special groups of students; student involvement; study skills and learning methods; course design; and employment, adaptation, and socialization. Among the papers presented were…

  20. Mixed Methods Research Designs in Counseling Psychology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanson, William E.; Creswell, John W.; Clark, Vicki L. Plano; Petska, Kelly S.; Creswell, David J.

    2005-01-01

    With the increased popularity of qualitative research, researchers in counseling psychology are expanding their methodologies to include mixed methods designs. These designs involve the collection, analysis, and integration of quantitative and qualitative data in a single or multiphase study. This article presents an overview of mixed methods…

  1. Design and construction of PCC pavements, volume 2 : design features and practices that influence performance of pavements.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1998-10-01

    A study has been conducted to evaluate and analyze portland cement concrete (PCC) pavements in order to : develop recommendations for the design and construction of long-lived concrete pavements. It involved a : detailed evaluation and analysis of th...

  2. Challenges of Designing Interdisciplinary Postgraduate Curricula: Case Studies of Interdisciplinary Master's Programmes at a Research-Intensive UK University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gantogtokh, Orkhon; Quinlan, Kathleen M.

    2017-01-01

    This study, based on case study analyses of two interdisciplinary programmes in a research-intensive university in the UK, focuses on the challenges involved in designing, coordinating, and leading interdisciplinary postgraduate curricula, including workload, student heterogeneity, and difficulties in achieving coherence. Solutions and approaches…

  3. Asking good clinical research questions and choosing the right study design.

    PubMed

    Bragge, P

    2010-07-01

    Clinicians and researchers seek answers to clinical research questions, primarily by accessing the results of clinical research studies. This paper moves the focus of research enquiry from getting answers to developing good clinical research questions. Using worked examples, the steps involved in refining questions drawn from various sources to create 'answerable' clinical research questions using the 'PICO' principle are described. Issues to consider in prioritising clinical research questions are also identified. Theoretical and practical considerations involved in choosing the right study design for a clinical research question are then discussed using the worked examples. These include: Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Feeling "Secrety": Children's Views on Involvement in Landscape Decisions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roe, Maggie

    2007-01-01

    This paper focuses on a case study pilot project working with a small group of children aged 6- to 10-years-old in a village in the northeast of England. The study was established to examine children's attitudes to environmental issues, particularly their involvement in environmental decisions and their feelings about planning, design and…

  5. Sibling Involvement in Interventions for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shivers, Carolyn M.; Plavnick, Joshua B.

    2015-01-01

    Many researchers have studied various interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Occasionally, siblings will be included in intervention studies, participating in programs designed to address a number of challenges faced by individuals with ASD. Although sibling involvement in such interventions is not a new phenomenon,…

  6. Research Ethics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dooly, Melinda; Moore, Emilee; Vallejo, Claudia

    2017-01-01

    Qualitative research, especially studies in educational contexts, often brings up questions of ethics because the study design involves human subjects, some of whom are under age (e.g. data collected in primary education classrooms). It is not always easy for young researchers to anticipate where ethical issues might emerge while designing their…

  7. Systems cost/performance analysis (study 2.3). Volume 3: Programmer's manual and user's guide. [for unmanned spacecraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Janz, R. F.

    1974-01-01

    The systems cost/performance model was implemented as a digital computer program to perform initial program planning, cost/performance tradeoffs, and sensitivity analyses. The computer is described along with the operating environment in which the program was written and checked, the program specifications such as discussions of logic and computational flow, the different subsystem models involved in the design of the spacecraft, and routines involved in the nondesign area such as costing and scheduling of the design. Preliminary results for the DSCS-II design are also included.

  8. Analytical study of electrical disconnect system for use on manned and unmanned missions

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rosener, A. A.; Lenda, J. A.; Trummer, R. O.

    1976-01-01

    The objective of this contract is to establish an optimum electrical disconnect system design(s) for use on manned and unmanned missions. The purpose of the disconnect system is to electrically mate and demate the spacecraft to subsystem module interfaces to accomplish orbital operations. The results of Task 1 and Task 2 of the effort are presented. Task 1 involves the definition of the functional, operational, and environmental requirements for the connector system to support the leading prototype candidate concepts. Task 2 involves the documentation review and survey of available existing connector designs.

  9. Analysis of the implementation of ergonomic design at the new units of an oil refinery.

    PubMed

    Passero, Carolina Reich Marcon; Ogasawara, Erika Lye; Baú, Lucy Mara Silva; Buso, Sandro Artur; Bianchi, Marcos Cesar

    2012-01-01

    Ergonomic design is the adaptation of working conditions to human limitations and skills in the physical design phase of a new installation, a new working system, or new products or tools. Based on this concept, the purpose of this work was to analyze the implementation of ergonomic design at the new industrial units of an oil refinery, using the method of Ergonomic Workplace Assessment. This study was conducted by a multidisciplinary team composed of operation, maintenance and industrial safety technicians, ergonomists, designers and engineers. The analysis involved 6 production units, 1 industrial wastewater treatment unit, and 3 utilities units, all in the design detailing phase, for which 455 ergonomic requirements were identified. An analysis and characterization of the requirements identified for 5 of the production units, involving a total of 246 items, indicated that 62% were related to difficult access and blockage operations, while 15% were related to difficulties in the circulation of employees inside the units. Based on these data, it was found that the ergonomic requirements identified in the design detailing phase of an industrial unit involve physical ergonomics, and that it is very difficult to identify requirements related to organizational or cognitive ergonomics.

  10. Political Involvement. Community Involvement/Career Education: An Experience-based Social Studies Program, Volume III.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kyle, James; And Others

    This collection of materials and ideas is designed for the high school student who wants to try to influence society. The guide provides background information and descriptions of experience-based learning activities for use by students as they explore political involvement opportunities in their communities. The purposes of the materials are to…

  11. 76 FR 77538 - Family and Youth Services Bureau; Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-13

    ...) evaluation design, which will involve baseline surveys and two follow-up surveys. This will allow short- and... descriptive analysis of how States designed and implemented PREP programs. The study will use multiple methods... ``Design Survey'', will focus on how states designed programs, and the second round of interviews, known as...

  12. Advancing Integrated STEM Learning through Engineering Design: Sixth-Grade Students' Design and Construction of Earthquake Resistant Buildings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    English, Lyn D.; King, Donna; Smeed, Joanna

    2017-01-01

    As part of a 3-year longitudinal study, 136 sixth-grade students completed an engineering-based problem on earthquakes involving integrated STEM learning. Students employed engineering design processes and STEM disciplinary knowledge to plan, sketch, then construct a building designed to withstand earthquake damage, taking into account a number of…

  13. Effective Home-School Partnership: Some Strategies to Help Strengthen Parental Involvement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Okeke, Chinedu I.

    2014-01-01

    The primary aim of the study from which this paper derives was to investigate the level of parental involvement in the schooling of their children. The study employed a descriptive case study research design. All data were based on unstructured interviews with the 30 parents whose children attended one of the primary schools located in the London…

  14. Government's Involvement in Safety Management in Public Early Childhood Education Centres (ECECs) in Rivers State, Nigeria

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Igbinedion, Doye Angela; Abraham, N. M.; Nwogu, U. J.

    2016-01-01

    The study examined Governments' Involvement in Safety Management in Public Early Childhood Education Centres (ECECs) in Rivers State. Two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study which adopted the descriptive survey design. The population of the study comprised of five hundred and ten (510) ECECs in the twenty three (23) Local…

  15. Public involvement in research within care homes: benefits and challenges in the APPROACH study.

    PubMed

    Froggatt, Katherine; Goodman, Claire; Morbey, Hazel; Davies, Sue L; Masey, Helen; Dickinson, Angela; Martin, Wendy; Victor, Christina

    2016-12-01

    Public involvement in research (PIR) can improve research design and recruitment. Less is known about how PIR enhances the experience of participation and enriches the data collection process. In a study to evaluate how UK care homes and primary health-care services achieve integrated working to promote older people's health, PIR was integrated throughout the research processes. This paper aims to present one way in which PIR has been integrated into the design and delivery of a multisite research study based in care homes. A prospective case study design, with an embedded qualitative evaluation of PIR activity. Data collection was undertaken in six care homes in three sites in England. Six PIR members participated: all had prior personal or work experience in care homes. Qualitative data collection involved discussion groups, and site-specific meetings to review experiences of participation, benefits and challenges, and completion of structured fieldwork notes after each care home visit. PIR members supported recruitment, resident and staff interviews and participated in data interpretation. Benefits of PIR work were resident engagement that minimized distress and made best use of limited research resources. Challenges concerned communication and scheduling. Researcher support for PIR involvement was resource intensive. Clearly defined roles with identified training and support facilitated involvement in different aspects of the data collection process. This can also ensure that vulnerable older people who participate in research have a positive experience that reinforces the value of their views. © 2015 The Authors Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. Product design enhancement using apparent usability and affective quality.

    PubMed

    Seva, Rosemary R; Gosiaco, Katherine Grace T; Santos, Ma Crea Eurice D; Pangilinan, Denise Mae L

    2011-03-01

    In this study, apparent usability and affective quality were integrated in a design framework called the Usability Perception and Emotion Enhancement Model (UPEEM). The UPEEM was validated using structural equation modeling (SEM). The methodology consists of four phases namely product selection, attribute identification, design alternative generation, and design alternative evaluation. The first stage involved the selection of a product that highly involves the consumer. In the attribute identification stage, design elements of the product were identified. The possible values of these elements were also determined for use in the experimentation process. Design of experiments was used to identify how the attributes will be varied in the design alternative stage and which of the attributes significantly contribute to affective quality, apparent usability, and desirability in the design evaluation stage. Results suggest that product attributes related to form are relevant in eliciting intense affect and perception of usability in mobile phones especially those directly related to functionality and aesthetics. This study considered only four product attributes among so many due to the constraints of the research design employed. Attributes related to aesthetic perception of a product enhance apparent usability such as those related to dimensional ratios. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

  17. Concept mapping for virtual rehabilitation and training of the blind.

    PubMed

    Sanchez, Jaime; Flores, Hector

    2010-04-01

    Concept mapping is a technique that allows for the strengthening of the learning process, based on graphic representations of the learner's mental schemes. However, due to its graphic nature, it cannot be utilized by learners with visual disabilities. In response to this limitation we implemented a study that involves the design of AudiodMC, an audio-based, virtual environment for concept mapping designed for use by blind users and aimed at virtual training and rehabilitation. We analyzed the stages involved in the design of AudiodMC from a user-centered design perspective, considering user involvement and usability testing. These include an observation stage to learn how blind learners construct conceptual maps using concrete materials, a design stage to design of a software tool that aids blind users in creating concept maps, and a cognitive evaluation stage using AudiodMC. We also present the results of a study implemented in order to determine the impact of the use of this software on the development of essential skills for concept mapping (association, classification, categorization, sorting and summarizing). The results point to a high level of user acceptance, having identified key sound characteristics that help blind learners to learn concept codification and selection skills. The use of AudiodMC also allowed for the effective development of the skills under review in our research, thus facilitating meaningful learning.

  18. Students' Construction of External Representations in Design-Based Learning Situations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    de Vries, Erica

    2006-01-01

    This article develops a theoretical framework for the study of students' construction of mixed multiple external representations in design-based learning situations involving an adaptation of professional tasks and tools to a classroom setting. The framework draws on research on professional design processes and on learning with multiple external…

  19. Adapting the Mathematical Task Framework to Design Online Didactic Objects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bowers, Janet; Bezuk, Nadine; Aguilar, Karen

    2011-01-01

    Designing didactic objects involves imagining how students can conceive of specific mathematical topics and then imagining what types of classroom discussions could support these mental constructions. This study investigated whether it was possible to design Java applets that might serve as didactic objects to support online learning where…

  20. Design Research on Inquiry-Based Multivariable Calculus: Focusing on Students' Argumentation and Instructional Design

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kwon, Oh Nam; Bae, Younggon; Oh, Kuk Hwan

    2015-01-01

    In this study, researchers design and implement an inquiry based multivariable calculus course in a university which aims at enhancing students' argumentation in rich mathematical discussions. This research aims to understand the characteristics of students' argumentation in activities involving proof constructions through mathematical…

  1. Design and construction of PCC pavements. Volume 1, summary of design features and construction practices that influence performance of pavements

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1998-04-01

    A study has been conducted to evaluate and analyze Portland cement concrete (PCC) pavements in order to develop recommendations for the design and construction of long-lived concrete pavements. In involved a detailed evaluation and analysis of the PC...

  2. Design and construction of PCC pavements. Volume 2, design features and practices that influence performance of pavements

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1998-10-01

    A study has been conducted to evaluate and analyze Portland cement concrete (PCC) pavements in order to develop recommendations for the design and construction of long-lived concrete pavements. In involved a detailed evaluation and analysis of the PC...

  3. Teachers as Designers of Technology Enhanced Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kali, Yael; McKenney, Susan; Sagy, Ornit

    2015-01-01

    While the benefits of teacher involvement in designing technology enhanced learning are acknowledged in the literature, far less is known about shaping that involvement to yield those benefits. Research is needed to understand how teachers learn through design; how teacher design activities may be supported; and how teacher involvement in design…

  4. Impact of Globalization on Higher Education: An Empirical Study of Education Policy & Planning of Design Education in Hong Kong

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lam, Yan Yan

    2010-01-01

    This paper focuses on the impact of globalization in the domain of higher education, particularly, design education. It reviews how globalization may affect educational policy and planning in Hong Kong by drawing on an empirical study involving senior management, a course leader and a design trainer/facilitator. This paper not only illustrates the…

  5. The Impact of Ideology on the Interaction between Tutors and Students in the Education of Industrial Design: A Case Study in Taiwan

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hsiao, Hsi-Chi; Cheng, Yung-Shin

    2006-01-01

    This paper applies the concept of ideology to the field of design education. Specifically, this study explores the potential impact of ideology on the interaction between tutors and students involved in the education of industrial design in Taiwan. Particular emphasis is placed upon the instruction of the core curriculum. The present investigation…

  6. Design Models as Emergent Features: An Empirical Study in Communication and Shared Mental Models in Instructional

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Botturi, Luca

    2006-01-01

    This paper reports the results of an empirical study that investigated the instructional design process of three teams involved in the development of an e-­learning unit. The teams declared they were using the same fast-­prototyping design and development model, and were composed of the same roles (although with a different number of SMEs).…

  7. The Comparative Rowhouse Study: An Introduction to Architectural Design.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hirshorn, Paul

    1982-01-01

    A course is described that involves a comparative study of Philadelphia rowhouses. Students each visit a house and complete its architectural drawing according to established guidelines. The drawings are later reduced and offset printed for sale. A series of exercises focuses on a number of design elements. (MSE)

  8. Using a Pseudoscience Activity to Teach Critical Thinking

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adam, Aimee; Manson, Todd M.

    2014-01-01

    In two studies, we assessed the effectiveness of a classroom activity designed to increase students' ability to think critically. This activity involved watching and discussing an infomercial that contained pseudoscientific claims, thus incorporating course material on good research design and critical thinking. In Study 1, we used a…

  9. Service Learning: An Auditing Project Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Laing, Gregory Kenneth

    2013-01-01

    There is a growing demand in higher education for universities to introduce teaching methods that achieve the learning outcomes of vocational education. The need for vocational educational outcomes was met in this study involving a service learning activity designed to provide basic professional auditing competencies. The details of the design and…

  10. Enroute flight planning: The design of cooperative planning systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Smith, Philip J.; Layton, Chuck; Mccoy, Elaine

    1990-01-01

    Design concepts and principles to guide in the building of cooperative problem solving systems are being developed and evaluated. In particular, the design of cooperative systems for enroute flight planning is being studied. The investigation involves a three stage process, modeling human performance in existing environments, building cognitive artifacts, and studying the performance of people working in collaboration with these artifacts. The most significant design concepts and principles identified thus far are the principle focus.

  11. Genesis lunar outpost: An evolutionary lunar habitat

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Moore, Gary T. (Compiler); Baschiera, Dino; Fieber, Joe; Moths, Janis

    1990-01-01

    Students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Department of Agriculture undertook a series of studies of lunar habitats during the 1989 to 1990 academic year. Undergraduate students from architecture and mechanical and structural engineering with backgrounds in interior design, biology and construction technology were involved in a seminar in the fall semester followed by a design studio in the spring. The studies resulted in three design alternatives for lunar habitation and an integrated design for an early stage lunar outpost.

  12. Systemic Sclerosis Disease Modification Clinical Trials Design: Quo Vadis?

    PubMed Central

    Mendoza, Fabian A.; Keyes-Elstein, Lynette L.; Jimenez, Sergio A.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this manuscript is to discuss relevant aspects of clinical trials for Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) and to identify important considerations for the design of SSc disease modification clinical trials. Placebo randomized controlled trials with appropriate identification of SSc patients with diffuse progressive SSc skin involvement of recent onset, along with a rescue strategy for patients with worsening lung and skin involvement are suggested. If change in skin thickening is a major outcome of the study, the selection of patients with recent onset of disease and a predetermined degree of skin involvement are crucial requirements. The trial duration should be of at least 12 months. Sample size calculations should consider differences that exceed the Minimal Important Difference. Other relevant trial designs and potential threats to study validity are also discussed. Previous SSc-disease modifying trials have been beset by high dropout rates. Analyses on the subset of subjects completing the trial or applying the last-observation-carried-forward approach can potentially lead to biased estimates and false conclusions. Strategies for retention of subjects should be included at the design stage and analyses to account for missing data should be performed. PMID:22422541

  13. Implementing the Health Promoting School in Denmark: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nordin, Lone Lindegaard

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into teachers' practice in implementing school-based health promotion. Design/methodology/approach: This qualitative research was designed as a multiple case study. The study involved five schools, 233 pupils in the age 12-16 and 23 teachers. The primary data generation method were focus…

  14. Engaging Struggling Early Readers to Promote Reading Success: A Pilot Study of Reading by Design

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mendez, Linda M. Raffaele; Pelzmann, Catherine A.; Frank, Michael J.

    2016-01-01

    In this study, we piloted a Tier 2 intervention designed to improve reading skills among struggling early readers using an intervention that included SRA Reading Mastery, listening-while-reading activities, strategies to increase motivation and engagement in reading, and parent involvement in reading homework. The study included 6 students in…

  15. The Effect of Environmental Science Projects on Students' Environmental Knowledge and Science Attitudes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Al-Balushi, Sulaiman M.; Al-Aamri, Shamsa S.

    2014-01-01

    The current study explores the effectiveness of involving students in environmental science projects for their environmental knowledge and attitudes towards science. The study design is a quasi-experimental pre-post control group design. The sample was 62 11th-grade female students studying at a public school in Oman. The sample was divided into…

  16. Selective Attentional Effects of Adjunct Study Questions on Achievement in Nigerian Secondary School Science

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Okoye, Nnamdi S.

    2008-01-01

    The study investigated the selective attentional effects of adjunct study questions inserted before or after the presentation of science flow diagrams. The basic design for the study was a post-test only control group design involving a total of 252 students randomly selected from six secondary schools in Ile-Ife, Oshun State Nigeria. These were…

  17. The Use of Instructional Simulations to Support Classroom Teaching: A Crisis Communication Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shifflet, Mark; Brown, Jane

    2006-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate how exposure to classroom instruction affected the use of a computer simulation that was designed to provide students an opportunity to apply material presented in class. The study involved an analysis of a computer-based crisis communication case study designed for a college-level public relations…

  18. Evaluation of the ET2000 guardrail end treatment.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2004-01-01

    The objectives of this study were to monitor and report the performance of the ET2000 guardrail end treatment design in traffic crashes. The involved vehicle was inspected when available. : Data for a total of 135 collisions involving the ET2000 were...

  19. Factors Affecting Teen Involvement in Pennsylvania 4-H Programming

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gill, Bart E.; Ewing, John C.; Bruce, Jacklyn A.

    2010-01-01

    The study reported here determined the factors that affect teen involvement in 4-H programming. The design of the study was descriptive and correlational in nature. Using a purposive sampling procedure, a survey questionnaire was distributed to all (N=214) 4-H members attending the 4-H State Leadership Conference. The major findings of the study…

  20. The Effects of Involvement, Message Appeal, and Viewing Conditions on Memory and Evaluation of TV Commercials.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nowak, Glen; Thorson, Esther

    A study tested an information processing model that incorporates the concepts of episodic and semantic memory. The model was designed to provide for the concurrent study of three advertising and communication variables: product involvement, message appeal, and distraction in viewing conditions. Among the five hypotheses being tested were that…

  1. Aerodynamic Design Using Neural Networks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rai, Man Mohan; Madavan, Nateri K.

    2003-01-01

    The design of aerodynamic components of aircraft, such as wings or engines, involves a process of obtaining the most optimal component shape that can deliver the desired level of component performance, subject to various constraints, e.g., total weight or cost, that the component must satisfy. Aerodynamic design can thus be formulated as an optimization problem that involves the minimization of an objective function subject to constraints. A new aerodynamic design optimization procedure based on neural networks and response surface methodology (RSM) incorporates the advantages of both traditional RSM and neural networks. The procedure uses a strategy, denoted parameter-based partitioning of the design space, to construct a sequence of response surfaces based on both neural networks and polynomial fits to traverse the design space in search of the optimal solution. Some desirable characteristics of the new design optimization procedure include the ability to handle a variety of design objectives, easily impose constraints, and incorporate design guidelines and rules of thumb. It provides an infrastructure for variable fidelity analysis and reduces the cost of computation by using less-expensive, lower fidelity simulations in the early stages of the design evolution. The initial or starting design can be far from optimal. The procedure is easy and economical to use in large-dimensional design space and can be used to perform design tradeoff studies rapidly. Designs involving multiple disciplines can also be optimized. Some practical applications of the design procedure that have demonstrated some of its capabilities include the inverse design of an optimal turbine airfoil starting from a generic shape and the redesign of transonic turbines to improve their unsteady aerodynamic characteristics.

  2. Effective public involvement in the HoST-D Programme for dementia home care support: From proposal and design to methods of data collection (innovative practice).

    PubMed

    Giebel, Clarissa; Roe, Brenda; Hodgson, Anthony; Britt, David; Clarkson, Paul

    2017-01-01

    Public involvement is an important element in health and social care research. However, it is little evaluated in research. This paper discusses the utility and impact of public involvement of carers and people with dementia in a five-year programme on effective home support in dementia, from proposal and design to methods of data collection, and provides a useful guide for future research on how to effectively involve the public. The Home SupporT in Dementia (HoST-D) Programme comprises two elements of public involvement, a small reference group and a virtual lay advisory group. Involving carers and people with dementia is based on the six key values of involvement - respect, support, transparency, responsiveness, fairness of opportunity, and accountability. Carers and people with dementia gave opinions on study information, methods of data collection, an economic model, case vignettes, and a memory aid booklet, which were all taken into account. Public involvement has provided benefits to the programme whilst being considerate of the time constraints and geographical locations of members.

  3. Principals' Opinions on the Role of Speech-Language Pathologists Serving Students with Communication Disorders Involved in Violence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ritzman, Mitzi J.; Sanger, Dixie

    2007-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to survey the opinions of principals concerning the role of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) serving students with communication disorders who have been involved in violence. Method: A mixed methods design involving 678 questionnaires was mailed to elementary, middle, and high school principals in a…

  4. Identification of Tools and Techniques to Enhance Interdisciplinary Collaboration During Design and Construction Projects.

    PubMed

    Keys, Yolanda; Silverman, Susan R; Evans, Jennie

    2017-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to collect the perceptions of design professionals and clinicians regarding design process success strategies and elements of interprofessional engagement and communication during healthcare design and construction projects. Additional objectives were to gather best practices to maximize clinician engagement and provide tools and techniques to improve interdisciplinary collaboration for future projects. Strategies are needed to enhance the design and construction process and create interactions that benefit not only the project but the individuals working to see its completion. Meaningful interprofessional collaboration is essential to any healthcare design project and making sure the various players communicate is a critical element. This was a qualitative study conducted via an online survey. Respondents included architects, construction managers, interior designers, and healthcare personnel who had recently been involved in a building renovation or new construction project for a healthcare facility. Responses to open-ended questions were analyzed for themes, and descriptive statistics were used to provide insight into participant demographics. Information on the impressions, perceptions, and opportunities related to clinician involvement in design projects was collected from nurses, architects, interior designers, and construction managers. Qualitative analysis revealed themes of clinician input, organizational dynamics, and a variety of communication strategies to be the most frequently mentioned elements of successful interprofessional collaboration. This study validates the need to include clinician input in the design process, to consider the importance of organizational dynamics on design team functioning, and to incorporate effective communication strategies during design and construction projects.

  5. Designing a placebo device: involving service users in clinical trial design.

    PubMed

    Gooberman-Hill, Rachael; Jinks, Clare; Bouças, Sofia Barbosa; Hislop, Kelly; Dziedzic, Krysia S; Rhodes, Carol; Burston, Amanda; Adams, Jo

    2013-12-01

    Service users are increasingly involved in the design of clinical trials and in product and device development. Service user involvement in placebo development is crucial to a credible and acceptable placebo for clinical trials, but such involvement has not yet been reported. To enhance the design of a future clinical trial of hand splints for thumb-base osteoarthritis (OA), service users were involved in splint selection and design of a placebo splint. This article describes and reflects on this process. Two fora of service users were convened in 2011. Service users who had been prescribed a thumb splint for thumb-base OA were approached about involvement by Occupational Therapy (OT) practitioners. A total of eight service users took part in the fora. Service users discussed their experience of OA and their own splints and then tried a variety of alternative splints. Through this they identified the active features of splints alongside acceptable and unacceptable design features. Service users focused on wearability and support with or without immobilization. Fora discussed whether a placebo group ('arm') was an acceptable feature of a future trial, and service users developed a potential design for a placebo splint. This is the first project that to involve service users in placebo design. Service users are increasingly involved in product and device design and are ideally placed to identify features to make a placebo credible yet lacking key active ingredients. The future trial will include research into its acceptability. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  6. mHealth in Urology: A Review of Experts' Involvement in App Development.

    PubMed

    Pereira-Azevedo, Nuno; Carrasquinho, Eduardo; Cardoso de Oliveira, Eduardo; Cavadas, Vitor; Osório, Luís; Fraga, Avelino; Castelo-Branco, Miguel; Roobol, Monique J

    2015-01-01

    Smartphones are increasingly playing a role in healthcare and previous studies assessing medical applications (apps) have raised concerns about lack of expert involvement and low content accuracy. However, there are no such studies in Urology. We reviewed Urology apps with the aim of assessing the level of participation of healthcare professionals (HCP) and scientific Urology associations in their development. A systematic search was performed on PubMed, Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store, for Urology apps, available in English. Apps were reviewed by three graders to determine the app's platform, target customer, developer, app type, app category, price and the participation of a HCP or a scientific Urology association in the development. The search yielded 372 apps, of which 150 were specific for Urology. A fifth of all apps had no HCP involvement (20.7%) and only a third had been developed with a scientific Urology association (34.7%). The lowest percentage of HCP (13.4%) and urological association (1.9%) involvement was in apps designed for the general population. Furthermore, there was no contribution from an Urology society in "Electronic Medical Record" nor in "Patient Information" apps. A limitation of the study is that only Android and iOS apps were reviewed. Despite the increasing Mobile Health (mHealth) market, this is the first study that demonstrates the lack of expert participation in the design of Urology apps, particularly in apps designed for the general public. Until clear regulation is enforced, the urological community should help regulate app development. Maintaining a register of certified apps or issuing an official scientific seal of approval could improve overall app quality. We propose that urologists become stakeholders in mHealth, shaping future app design and promoting peer-review app validation.

  7. mHealth in Urology: A Review of Experts’ Involvement in App Development

    PubMed Central

    Pereira-Azevedo, Nuno; Carrasquinho, Eduardo; Cardoso de Oliveira, Eduardo; Cavadas, Vitor; Osório, Luís; Fraga, Avelino; Castelo-Branco, Miguel; Roobol, Monique J.

    2015-01-01

    Introduction Smartphones are increasingly playing a role in healthcare and previous studies assessing medical applications (apps) have raised concerns about lack of expert involvement and low content accuracy. However, there are no such studies in Urology. We reviewed Urology apps with the aim of assessing the level of participation of healthcare professionals (HCP) and scientific Urology associations in their development. Material and Methods A systematic search was performed on PubMed, Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store, for Urology apps, available in English. Apps were reviewed by three graders to determine the app’s platform, target customer, developer, app type, app category, price and the participation of a HCP or a scientific Urology association in the development. Results The search yielded 372 apps, of which 150 were specific for Urology. A fifth of all apps had no HCP involvement (20.7%) and only a third had been developed with a scientific Urology association (34.7%). The lowest percentage of HCP (13.4%) and urological association (1.9%) involvement was in apps designed for the general population. Furthermore, there was no contribution from an Urology society in "Electronic Medical Record" nor in "Patient Information" apps. A limitation of the study is that only Android and iOS apps were reviewed. Conclusions Despite the increasing Mobile Health (mHealth) market, this is the first study that demonstrates the lack of expert participation in the design of Urology apps, particularly in apps designed for the general public. Until clear regulation is enforced, the urological community should help regulate app development. Maintaining a register of certified apps or issuing an official scientific seal of approval could improve overall app quality. We propose that urologists become stakeholders in mHealth, shaping future app design and promoting peer-review app validation. PMID:25984916

  8. Humane Science Projects: Suggestions for Biology Studies That Are Scientifically Educational and Ethically Non-Controversial.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Balcombe, Jonathan P., Comp.

    This paper lists 35 studies in biology which can be tailored to suit the full range of student age groups and are designed to involve most or all of the key elements of the scientific process (study design, data collection and presentation, and experimental manipulation). Examples of some studies are: (1) study the growth of molds on food items…

  9. Upper and Middle Atmospheric Density Modeling Requirements for Spacecraft Design and Operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Davis, M. H. (Editor); Smith, R. E. (Editor); Johnson, D. L. (Editor)

    1987-01-01

    Presented and discussed are concerns with applications of neutral atmospheric density models to space vehicle engineering design and operational problems. The area of concern which the atmospheric model developers and the model users considered, involved middle atmosphere (50 to 90 km altitude) and thermospheric (above 90 km) models and their engineering application. Engineering emphasis involved areas such as orbital decay and lifetime prediction along with attitude and control studies for different types of space and reentry vehicles.

  10. Attitudinal Changes of the Student Teacher--A Further Analysis. An Example of an Orthogonal Comparisons Analysis Model Applied to Educational Research.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Courtney, E. Wayne

    This report was designed to present an example of a research study involving the use of coefficients of orthogonal comparisons in analysis of variance tests of significance. A sample research report and analysis was included so as to lead the reader through the design steps. The sample study was designed to determine the extent of attitudinal…

  11. Solid propellant processing factor in rocket motor design

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1971-01-01

    The ways are described by which propellant processing is affected by choices made in designing rocket engines. Tradeoff studies, design proof or scaleup studies, and special design features are presented that are required to obtain high product quality, and optimum processing costs. Processing is considered to include the operational steps involved with the lining and preparation of the motor case for the grain; the procurement of propellant raw materials; and propellant mixing, casting or extrusion, curing, machining, and finishing. The design criteria, recommended practices, and propellant formulations are included.

  12. Breadth in Design Problem Scoping: Using Insights from Experts to Investigate Student Processes. Research Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morozov, Andrew; Kilgore, Deborah; Atman, Cynthia

    2007-01-01

    In this study, the authors used two methods for analyzing expert data: verbal protocol analysis (VPA) and narrative analysis. VPA has been effectively used to describe the design processes employed by engineering students, expert designers, and expert-novice comparative research. VPA involves asking participants to "think aloud" while…

  13. Educational Game Design as Gateway for Operationalizing Computational Thinking Skills among Middle School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wu, Min Lun

    2018-01-01

    This qualitative case study reports descriptive findings of digital game-based learning involving 15 Taiwanese middle school students' use of computational thinking skills elicited through programmed activities in a game design workshop. Situated learning theory is utilized as framework to evaluate novice game designers' individual advancement in…

  14. Planned Missing Data Designs for Spline Growth Models in Salivary Cortisol Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hogue, Candace M.; Pornprasertmanit, Sunthud; Fry, Mary D.; Rhemtulla, Mijke; Little, Todd D.

    2013-01-01

    Salivary cortisol is often used as an index of physiological and psychological stress in exercise science and psychoneuroendocrine research. A primary concern when designing research studies examining cortisol stems from the high cost of analysis. Planned missing data designs involve intentionally omitting a random subset of observations from data…

  15. A Case Study of Online Degree Course Design and Performance of Online Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saul, Robert

    2013-01-01

    The increasing demand of learners in online higher education courses currently presents a challenge to online course designs in increasing the performance of learners. The online course design process involves many challenges, including a new delivery system, understanding online drivers for success, and an emerging profession of online…

  16. Estimation of a Nonlinear Intervention Phase Trajectory for Multiple-Baseline Design Data

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hembry, Ian; Bunuan, Rommel; Beretvas, S. Natasha; Ferron, John M.; Van den Noortgate, Wim

    2015-01-01

    A multilevel logistic model for estimating a nonlinear trajectory in a multiple-baseline design is introduced. The model is applied to data from a real multiple-baseline design study to demonstrate interpretation of relevant parameters. A simple change-in-levels (?"Levels") model and a model involving a quadratic function…

  17. Chasing Innovation: A Pilot Case Study of a Rhizomatic Design Thinking Education Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Biffi, Alfredo; Bissola, Rita; Imperatori, Barbara

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to illustrate and discuss the main features and key challenges of an original post-graduate education program designed according to an innovative theoretical framework promoting design thinking in a rhizomatic approach. By involving different stakeholders, the aim of this entrepreneurship education program is…

  18. Lessons for successful study enrollment from the Veterans Affairs/National Institutes of Health Acute Renal Failure Trial Network Study.

    PubMed

    Crowley, Susan T; Chertow, Glenn M; Vitale, Joseph; O'Connor, Theresa; Zhang, Jane; Schein, Roland M H; Choudhury, Devasmita; Finkel, Kevin; Vijayan, Anitha; Paganini, Emil; Palevsky, Paul M

    2008-07-01

    Design elements of clinical trials can introduce recruitment bias and reduce study efficiency. Trials involving the critically ill may be particularly prone to design-related inefficiencies. Enrollment into the Veterans Affairs/National Institutes of Health Acute Renal Failure Trial Network Study was systematically monitored. Reasons for nonenrollment into this study comparing strategies of renal replacement therapy in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury were categorized as modifiable or nonmodifiable. 4339 patients were screened; 2744 fulfilled inclusion criteria. Of these, 1034 were ineligible by exclusion criteria. Of the remaining 1710 patients, 1124 (65.7%) enrolled. Impediments to informed consent excluded 21.4% of potentially eligible patients. Delayed identification of potential patients, physician refusal, and involvement in competing trials accounted for 4.4, 2.7, and 2.3% of exclusions. Comfort measures only status, chronic illness, chronic kidney disease, and obesity excluded 11.8, 7.8, 7.6, and 5.9% of potential patients. Modification of an enrollment window reduced the loss of patients from 6.6 to 2.3%. The Acute Renal Failure Trial Network Study's enrollment efficiency compared favorably with previous intensive care unit intervention trials and supports the representativeness of its enrolled population. Impediments to informed consent highlight the need for nontraditional acquisition methods. Restrictive enrollment windows may hamper recruitment but can be effectively modified. The low rate of physician refusal acknowledges clinical equipoise in the study design. Underlying comorbidities are important design considerations for future trials that involve the critically ill with acute kidney injury.

  19. Examining the design and developmental factors associated with crashes involving pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists in urban environments.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2012-05-01

    "Using a parcel-level database of crash incidence and urban form developed for the San Antonio-Bexar : County metropolitan region, this study examined how urban form-related variables affect the incidence of : crashes involving pedestrians, bicyclist...

  20. Cognitive Process as a Basis for Intelligent Retrieval Systems Design.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chen, Hsinchun; Dhar, Vasant

    1991-01-01

    Two studies of the cognitive processes involved in online document-based information retrieval were conducted. These studies led to the development of five computational models of online document retrieval which were incorporated into the design of an "intelligent" document-based retrieval system. Both the system and the broader implications of…

  1. ILSI/HESI Maternal Toxicity Workshop Summary: Maternal Toxicity and its Impact on Study Design and Data Interpretation

    EPA Science Inventory

    Workshops on maternal toxicity were held at the annual meetings of the Society of Toxicology, Teratology Society, and European Teratology Society in 2009. Prior to a general discussion of the issues involved with maternal toxicity and its impact on study design and data interpret...

  2. Reinventing clinical trials: a review of innovative biomarker trial designs in cancer therapies.

    PubMed

    Lin, Ja-An; He, Pei

    2015-06-01

    Recently, new clinical trial designs involving biomarkers have been studied and proposed in cancer clinical research, in the hope of incorporating the rapid growing basic research into clinical practices. Journal articles related to various biomarkers and their role in cancer clinical trial, articles and books about statistical issues in trial design, and regulatory website, documents, and guidance for submission of targeted cancer therapies. The drug development process involves four phases. The confirmatory Phase III is essential in regulatory approval of a special treatment. Regulatory agency has restrictions on confirmatory trials 'using adaptive designs'. No rule of thumb to pick the most appropriate design for biomarker-related trials. Statistical issues to solve in new designs. Regulatory acceptance of the 'newly proposed trial designs'. Biomarker-related trial designs that can resolve the statistical issues and satisfy the regulatory requirement. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  3. Clinical Research Methodology 2: Observational Clinical Research.

    PubMed

    Sessler, Daniel I; Imrey, Peter B

    2015-10-01

    Case-control and cohort studies are invaluable research tools and provide the strongest feasible research designs for addressing some questions. Case-control studies usually involve retrospective data collection. Cohort studies can involve retrospective, ambidirectional, or prospective data collection. Observational studies are subject to errors attributable to selection bias, confounding, measurement bias, and reverse causation-in addition to errors of chance. Confounding can be statistically controlled to the extent that potential factors are known and accurately measured, but, in practice, bias and unknown confounders usually remain additional potential sources of error, often of unknown magnitude and clinical impact. Causality-the most clinically useful relation between exposure and outcome-can rarely be definitively determined from observational studies because intentional, controlled manipulations of exposures are not involved. In this article, we review several types of observational clinical research: case series, comparative case-control and cohort studies, and hybrid designs in which case-control analyses are performed on selected members of cohorts. We also discuss the analytic issues that arise when groups to be compared in an observational study, such as patients receiving different therapies, are not comparable in other respects.

  4. Clinician user involvement in the real world: Designing an electronic tool to improve interprofessional communication and collaboration in a hospital setting.

    PubMed

    Tang, Terence; Lim, Morgan E; Mansfield, Elizabeth; McLachlan, Alexander; Quan, Sherman D

    2018-02-01

    User involvement is vital to the success of health information technology implementation. However, involving clinician users effectively and meaningfully in complex healthcare organizations remains challenging. The objective of this paper is to share our real-world experience of applying a variety of user involvement methods in the design and implementation of a clinical communication and collaboration platform aimed at facilitating care of complex hospitalized patients by an interprofessional team of clinicians. We designed and implemented an electronic clinical communication and collaboration platform in a large community teaching hospital. The design team consisted of both technical and healthcare professionals. Agile software development methodology was used to facilitate rapid iterative design and user input. We involved clinician users at all stages of the development lifecycle using a variety of user-centered, user co-design, and participatory design methods. Thirty-six software releases were delivered over 24 months. User involvement has resulted in improvement in user interface design, identification of software defects, creation of new modules that facilitated workflow, and identification of necessary changes to the scope of the project early on. A variety of user involvement methods were complementary and benefited the design and implementation of a complex health IT solution. Combining these methods with agile software development methodology can turn designs into functioning clinical system to support iterative improvement. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Planning and Instruction and the Social Studies Curriculum: A Discourse on Design and Delivery Systems.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peters, Richard

    A model for Continuous-Integrated-Sequential (C/I/S) curricula for social studies education is presented. The design advocated involves ensuring continuity of instruction from grades K-12, an integration of social studies disciplines, and a sequential process of refining and reinforcing concept and skills from grade-to-grade along the K-12…

  6. Study Of The Feasibility And Design Configuration For In-Vehicle Route Guidance, Volume II: Final Report

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2000-03-01

    Procurement of Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) projects using Federal-aid funds can present challenges that are not typically observed in traditional transportation projects. Many roadway improvement projects involve the two-step "Design-Bid-...

  7. Using Neural Networks in the Mapping of Mixed Discrete/Continuous Design Spaces With Application to Structural Design

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1994-02-01

    desired that the problem to which the design space mapping techniques were applied be easily analyzed, yet provide a design space with realistic complexity...consistent fully stressed solution. 3 DESIGN SPACE MAPPING In order to reduce the computational expense required to optimize design spaces, neural networks...employed in this study. Some of the issues involved in using neural networks to do design space mapping are how to configure the neural network, how much

  8. Empowering Prospective Teachers to Become Active Sense-Makers: Multimodal Modeling of the Seasons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Mi Song

    2015-10-01

    Situating science concepts in concrete and authentic contexts, using information and communications technologies, including multimodal modeling tools, is important for promoting the development of higher-order thinking skills in learners. However, teachers often struggle to integrate emergent multimodal models into a technology-rich informal learning environment. Our design-based research co-designs and develops engaging, immersive, and interactive informal learning activities called "Embodied Modeling-Mediated Activities" (EMMA) to support not only Singaporean learners' deep learning of astronomy but also the capacity of teachers. As part of the research on EMMA, this case study describes two prospective teachers' co-design processes involving multimodal models for teaching and learning the concept of the seasons in a technology-rich informal learning setting. Our study uncovers four prominent themes emerging from our data concerning the contextualized nature of learning and teaching involving multimodal models in informal learning contexts: (1) promoting communication and emerging questions, (2) offering affordances through limitations, (3) explaining one concept involving multiple concepts, and (4) integrating teaching and learning experiences. This study has an implication for the development of a pedagogical framework for teaching and learning in technology-enhanced learning environments—that is empowering teachers to become active sense-makers using multimodal models.

  9. The neural correlates of strategic reading comprehension: cognitive control and discourse comprehension.

    PubMed

    Moss, Jarrod; Schunn, Christian D; Schneider, Walter; McNamara, Danielle S; Vanlehn, Kurt

    2011-09-15

    Neuroimaging studies of text comprehension conducted thus far have shed little light on the brain mechanisms underlying strategic learning from text. Thus, the present study was designed to answer the question of what brain areas are active during performance of complex reading strategies. Reading comprehension strategies are designed to improve a reader's comprehension of a text. For example, self-explanation is a complex reading strategy that enhances existing comprehension processes. It was hypothesized that reading strategies would involve areas of the brain that are normally involved in reading comprehension along with areas that are involved in strategic control processes because the readers are intentionally using a complex reading strategy. Subjects were asked to reread, paraphrase, and self-explain three different texts in a block design fMRI study. Activation was found in both executive control and comprehension areas, and furthermore, learning from text was associated with activation in the anterior prefrontal cortex (aPFC). The authors speculate that the aPFC may play a role in coordinating the internal and external modes of thought that are necessary for integrating new knowledge from texts with prior knowledge. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Naturally-Emerging Technology-Based Leadership Roles in Three Independent Schools: A Social Network-Based Case Study Using Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Velastegui, Pamela J.

    2013-01-01

    This hypothesis-generating case study investigates the naturally emerging roles of technology brokers and technology leaders in three independent schools in New York involving 92 school educators. A multiple and mixed method design utilizing Social Network Analysis (SNA) and fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (FSQCA) involved gathering…

  11. Perspectives on Academic Staff Involvement in the Acquisition and Implementation of Educational Technologies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Habib, Laurence; Johannesen, Monica

    2014-01-01

    This article presents the results of a study using both quantitative and qualitative data to uncover the extent and nature of the involvement of academic staff in the processes of acquisition and implementation of educational technologies. Actor-network theory (ANT) is used to inform the design of the study and the analysis of the data. Three main…

  12. Seeding Writing Project Principles and Practices in a School Community: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Locke, Terry; Kato, Helen

    2014-01-01

    This article reports on a small-scale case study involving all English teachers of junior classes in a rural high school in New Zealand. The Head of English had been involved in Writing Project professional learning, designed in accordance with principles and practices that can be found in a number of countries, especially the United States. The…

  13. Exploring the Role of Elementary Parent Involvement Coordinators in a North Georgia Title I Charter School District

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Elrod, Philip

    2015-01-01

    This study explored the role of elementary parent involvement coordinators (EPIC) in a Northeast Georgia Title I Charter School District. EPICs were charged with facilitating programs designed to build social capital and network closure for families. This nested case study explored the experiences of five EPICs, each located in one of the five…

  14. Department Involvement in Instructional Materials Development for ODL Study at the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tanyanyiwa, Vincent Itai; Mutambanengwe, Betty

    2015-01-01

    The teaching and designing of modules at Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) is the principal responsibility of a single body of teaching staff, although some authors and content reviewers could be sourced from elsewhere if they are not available in ZOU. This survey, through a case study, examines the involvement of lecturers and staff in the…

  15. Compendium of Authenticated Systems and Logistics Terms, Definitions and Acronyms

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1981-04-01

    assigned for storage operations, within OTHER NON WAREHOUSE SPACE a structure designed for other than storage Space being used for storage within any...opposed to Any work done in order to correct rejected work. administrative), design (engineering design and (AFLCM1 74-2) drafting), experimental test...study. (principal or designated representative) authorized practices, methodology , or procedures involved in to request, receive, store, and account

  16. A Co-Design Process Microanalysis: Stages and Facilitators of an Inquiry-Based and Technology-Enhanced Learning Scenario

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barbera, Elena; Garcia, Iolanda; Fuertes-Alpiste, Marc

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents a case study of the co-design process for an online course on Sustainable Development (Degree in Tourism) involving the teacher, two students, and the project researchers. The co-design process was founded on an inquiry-based and technology-enhanced model that takes shape in a set of design principles. The research had two main…

  17. Parental Involvement in Children's Independent Music Lessons

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Upitis, Rena; Abrami, Philip C.; Brook, Julia; King, Matthew

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to examine types of parental involvement associated with independent music lessons. A self-report survey was designed to explore parent characteristics, parental goals, students' musical progress, the teacher-student relationship, the practice environment, and parent behaviours during practice sessions. The extent to…

  18. Exploring Parental Involvement Strategies Utilized by Middle School Interdisciplinary Teams

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Robbins, Chris; Searby, Linda

    2013-01-01

    Adolescents present a unique collection of characteristics and challenges which middle school interdisciplinary teams were designed to address. This article describes a research study which explored parental involvement strategies employed by interdisciplinary teaching teams from three very different middle schools: an affluent suburban school, a…

  19. Simulation of Propellant Loading System Senior Design Implement in Computer Algorithm

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bandyopadhyay, Alak

    2010-01-01

    Propellant loading from the Storage Tank to the External Tank is one of the very important and time consuming pre-launch ground operations for the launch vehicle. The propellant loading system is a complex integrated system involving many physical components such as the storage tank filled with cryogenic fluid at a very low temperature, the long pipe line connecting the storage tank with the external tank, the external tank along with the flare stack, and vent systems for releasing the excess fuel. Some of the very important parameters useful for design purpose are the prediction of pre-chill time, loading time, amount of fuel lost, the maximum pressure rise etc. The physics involved for mathematical modeling is quite complex due to the fact the process is unsteady, there is phase change as some of the fuel changes from liquid to gas state, then conjugate heat transfer in the pipe walls as well as between solid-to-fluid region. The simulation is very tedious and time consuming too. So overall, this is a complex system and the objective of the work is student's involvement and work in the parametric study and optimization of numerical modeling towards the design of such system. The students have to first become familiar and understand the physical process, the related mathematics and the numerical algorithm. The work involves exploring (i) improved algorithm to make the transient simulation computationally effective (reduced CPU time) and (ii) Parametric study to evaluate design parameters by changing the operational conditions

  20. Tendencies of Comprehension and Acceptance of Theory of Evolution: A Study Involving Students from the Faculties of Education and Theology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bilen, Kadir; Ercan, Orhan

    2016-01-01

    The current study aimed to identify the views of students from the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Theology from the University of Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam regarding their comprehension and acceptance of the theory of evolution. A survey model was used involving a quantitative research design. The working group of the study was composed of…

  1. Optimum study designs.

    PubMed

    Gu, C; Rao, D C

    2001-01-01

    Because simplistic designs will lead to prohibitively large sample sizes, the optimization of genetic study designs is critical for successfully mapping genes for complex diseases. Creative designs are necessary for detecting and amplifying the usually weak signals for complex traits. Two important outcomes of a study design--power and resolution--are implicitly tied together by the principle of uncertainty. Overemphasis on either one may lead to suboptimal designs. To achieve optimality for a particular study, therefore, practical measures such as cost-effectiveness must be used to strike a balance between power and resolution. In this light, the myriad of factors involved in study design can be checked for their effects on the ultimate outcomes, and the popular existing designs can be sorted into building blocks that may be useful for particular situations. It is hoped that imaginative construction of novel designs using such building blocks will lead to enhanced efficiency in finding genes for complex human traits.

  2. Why do pregnant women participate in research? A patient participation investigation using Q-Methodology.

    PubMed

    Meshaka, Riwa; Jeffares, Stephen; Sadrudin, Farah; Huisman, Nicole; Saravanan, Ponnusamy

    2017-04-01

    Patient participation in study design is paramount to design studies that are acceptable to patients. Despite an increase in research involving pregnant women, relatively little is known about the motivational factors that govern their decision to be involved in a clinical trial, compared to other patient groups. To better understand the viewpoints of pregnant women who take part in clinical trials. We chose to use Q-Methodology, a method of exploring the structure of opinions surrounding a topic. We developed a set of 40 statements that encompassed the reasons why pregnant women might want to take part in research and 30 research participants from the PRiDE study (an observational trial investigating the role of micronutrients in gestational diabetes) were asked to rank them in order of agreement. The finished matrices from each participant were compared and analysed to produce capturing viewpoints. About 30 women aged 19-40 involved in the PRiDE study completed the questionnaire. There were two overarching motivators that emerged: a willingness to help medical research and improve our knowledge of medical science, and having a personal connection to the disease, therefore a potential fear of being affected by it. A third, less significant viewpoint, was that of a lack of inconvenience being a motivating factor. Understanding what motivates pregnant women to decide to take part in a research study is valuable and helps researchers maximize their uptake and retention rates when designing a trial involving pregnant women. © 2016 The Authors. Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  3. Is Participatory Design Associated with the Effectiveness of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion? A Meta-Analysis.

    PubMed

    DeSmet, Ann; Thompson, Debbe; Baranowski, Tom; Palmeira, Antonio; Verloigne, Maïté; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse

    2016-04-29

    Serious digital games can be effective at changing healthy lifestyles, but large differences in their effectiveness exist. The extent of user involvement in game design may contribute to game effectiveness by creating a better fit with user preferences. Participatory design (PD), which represents active user involvement as informant (ie, users are asked for input and feedback) or codesigner (ie, users as equal partners in the design) early on and throughout the game development, may be associated with higher game effectiveness, as opposed to no user involvement or limited user involvement. This paper reports the results of a meta-analysis examining the moderating role of PD in the effectiveness of serious digital games for healthy lifestyle promotion. Four databases were searched for peer-reviewed papers in English that were published or in press before October 2014, using a (group-) randomized controlled trial design. Effectiveness data were derived from another meta-analysis assessing the role of behavior change techniques and game features in serious game effectiveness. A total of 58 games evaluated in 61 studies were included. As previously reported, serious digital games had positive effects on healthy lifestyles and their determinants. Unexpectedly, PD (g=0.075, 95% CI 0.017 to 0.133) throughout game development was related to lower game effectiveness on behavior (Q=6.74, P<.05) than when users were only involved as testers (g=0.520, 95% CI 0.150 to 0.890, P<.01). Games developed with PD (g=0.171, 95% CI 0.061 to 0.281, P<.01) were also related to lower game effectiveness on self-efficacy (Q=7.83, P<.05) than when users were not involved in game design (g=0.384, 95% CI 0.283 to 0.485, P<.001). Some differences were noted depending on age group, publication year of the study, and on the specific role in PD (ie, informant or codesigner), and depending on the game design element. Games developed with PD were more effective in changing behavioral determinants when they included users in design elements on game dynamics (beta=.215, 95% CI .075 to .356, P<.01) and, more specifically, as an informant (beta=.235, 95% CI .079 to .329, P<.01). Involving users as informants in PD to create game levels was also related to higher game effectiveness (Q=7.02, P<.01). Codesign was related to higher effectiveness when used to create the game challenge (Q=11.23, P<.01), but to lower game effectiveness when used to create characters (Q=4.36, P<.05) and the game world (Q=3.99, P<.05). The findings do not support higher effectiveness of games developed with PD. However, significant differences existed among PD games. More support was found for informant roles than for codesign roles. When PD was applied to game dynamics, levels, and game challenge, this was associated with higher effectiveness than when it was applied to game aesthetics. Since user involvement may have an important influence on reach, adoption, and implementation of the intervention, further research and design efforts are needed to enhance effectiveness of serious games developed with PD.

  4. The benefits of in-group contact through physical activity involvement for health and well-being among Korean immigrants

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Junhyoung; Heo, Jinmoo; Kim, Jun

    2014-01-01

    This qualitative study is designed to examine the benefits of physical activity involvement with members of the same ethnic group. For this study, Korean immigrants who were members of Korean physical activity clubs such as badminton and tennis were selected as participants. Using a constructive grounded theory methodology, three themes were identified as benefits of physical activity involvement: (1) the experience of psychological well-being, (2) the creation of a unique cultural world, and (3) the facilitation of physical activity involvement. The findings of this study suggest that Korean immigrant participants gained various social, cultural, and psychological benefits by engaging in activities with other Korean immigrants. PMID:24875239

  5. The benefits of in-group contact through physical activity involvement for health and well-being among Korean immigrants.

    PubMed

    Kim, Junhyoung; Heo, Jinmoo; Kim, Jun

    2014-01-01

    This qualitative study is designed to examine the benefits of physical activity involvement with members of the same ethnic group. For this study, Korean immigrants who were members of Korean physical activity clubs such as badminton and tennis were selected as participants. Using a constructive grounded theory methodology, three themes were identified as benefits of physical activity involvement: (1) the experience of psychological well-being, (2) the creation of a unique cultural world, and (3) the facilitation of physical activity involvement. The findings of this study suggest that Korean immigrant participants gained various social, cultural, and psychological benefits by engaging in activities with other Korean immigrants.

  6. Integrating Comparative Effectiveness Design Elements and Endpoints Into a Phase III, Randomized Clinical Trial (SWOG S1007) Evaluating OncotypeDX-Guided Management for Women With Breast Cancer Involving Lymph Nodes

    PubMed Central

    Ramsey, Scott D.; Barlow, William E.; Gonzalez-Angulo, Ana M.; Tunis, Sean; Baker, Laurence; Crowley, John; Deverka, Patricia; Veenstra, David; Hortobagyi, Gabriel N.

    2012-01-01

    Women with breast cancer involving the lymph nodes are typically treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy. Retrospective evaluations of prior studies suggest that the 21-gene test (OncotypeDX®), may allow identification of those who can safely avoid chemotherapy. To better understand the performance of the 21-gene test, the RxPONDER (Rx for Positive Node, Endocrine Responsive breast cancer) study was designed, a multicenter Phase III trial randomizing women with hormone receptor-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer involving 1–3 lymph nodes and a 21-gene assay recurrence score (RS) of 25 or less to endocrine therapy alone versus chemotherapy followed by endocrine therapy. As one of the first large-scale comparative-effectiveness studies in oncology, RxPONDER utilized an external stakeholder group to help inform the design of the trial. Stakeholders met with representatives of SWOG over several months through a structured discussion process. The stakeholder engagement process resulted in several changes being made to the trial design. In addition, stakeholder representatives from the health insurance industry provided guidance regarding a mechanism whereby the costs of OncotypeDX® would be paid by the majority of health insurers as part of the trial. The process may serve as a template for future studies evaluating the comparative effectiveness of genomic tests in oncology, particularly those that are conducted within cooperative clinical trials groups. PMID:23000081

  7. Design and Implementation of a Student-Generated Virtual Museum in a Language Curriculum to Enhance Collaborative Multimodal Meaning-Making

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ho, Caroline M. L.; Nelson, Mark Evan; Mueller-Wittig, Wolfgang

    2011-01-01

    This paper reports on a study, "MUSE", which involved Secondary (Grade 7) students in designing and constructing a virtual museum. It presents a description and evaluation of the design and implementation of the technologically-mediated intervention within a language curriculum that emphasizes multimodal meaning-making and expression.…

  8. A Model To Address Design Constraints of Training Delivered via Satellite. Study Number Eight.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Montler, Joseph; Geroy, Gary D.

    This document: summarizes how some companies are addressing the design constraints involved in using satellite technology to deliver training, presents a model aimed at examining cost effectiveness of the satellite option, and includes a guide to designing instructional materials for delivery by satellite. A survey of 39 organizations, 12…

  9. Involving Members of the Public in Health Economics Research: Insights from Selecting Health States for Valuation to Estimate Quality-Adjusted Life-Year (QALY) Weights.

    PubMed

    Goodwin, Elizabeth; Boddy, Kate; Tatnell, Lynn; Hawton, Annie

    2018-04-01

    Over recent years, public involvement in health research has expanded considerably. However, public involvement in designing and conducting health economics research is seldom reported. Here we describe the development, delivery and assessment of an approach for involving people in a clearly defined piece of health economics research: selecting health states for valuation in estimating quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). This involvement formed part of a study to develop a condition-specific preference-based measure of health-related quality of life, the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-8D), and the work reported here relates to the identification of plausible, or realistic, health states for valuation. An Expert Panel of three people with multiple sclerosis (MS) was recruited from a local involvement network, and two health economists designed an interactive task that enabled the Panel to identify health states that were implausible, or unlikely to be experienced. Following some initial confusion over terminology, which was resolved by discussion with the Panel, the task worked well and can be adapted to select health states for valuation in the development of any preference-based measure. As part of the involvement process, five themes were identified by the Panel members and the researchers which summarised our experiences of public involvement in this health economics research example: proportionality, task design, prior involvement, protectiveness and partnerships. These are described in the paper, along with their practical implications for involving members of the public in health economics research. Our experience demonstrates how members of the public and health economists can work together to improve the validity of health economics research. Plain Language Summary It has become commonplace to involve members of the public in health service research. However, published reports of involving people in designing health economics research are rare. We describe how we designed a way of involving people in a particular piece of health economics research.The aim of the work was to produce descriptions of different states of health experienced by people with multiple sclerosis (MS). These descriptions have since been rated in terms of how good or bad they are in a way that can be used by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to make decisions about what services to fund on the NHS.We formed a panel of three people with MS, and designed a task to help the group produce health descriptions likely to be experienced by people with MS. After discussion about jargon, and working together to find more layman's terms, the task worked well, and can be adapted to produce health descriptions for any condition.We identified some key themes about working together that give insights into how members of the public can be involved in health economics research, and show the importance of their involvement in improving the relevance of this research.

  10. FACTORS INFLUENCING THE DESIGN OF BIOACCUMULATION FACTOR AND BIOTA-SEDIMENT ACCUMULATION FACTOR FIELD STUDIES

    EPA Science Inventory

    A series of modeling simulations were performed to develop an understanding of the underlying factors and principles involved in developing field sampling designs for measuring bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) and biota-sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs. These simulations reveal...

  11. DESIGNING ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY CHEMICAL PROCESSES

    EPA Science Inventory

    The design of a chemical process involves many aspects: from profitability, flexibility and reliability to safety to the environment. While each of these is important, in this work, the focus will be on profitability and the environment. Key to the study of these aspects is the ...

  12. Practical Aspects of Designing and Conducting Validation Studies Involving Multi-study Trials.

    PubMed

    Coecke, Sandra; Bernasconi, Camilla; Bowe, Gerard; Bostroem, Ann-Charlotte; Burton, Julien; Cole, Thomas; Fortaner, Salvador; Gouliarmou, Varvara; Gray, Andrew; Griesinger, Claudius; Louhimies, Susanna; Gyves, Emilio Mendoza-de; Joossens, Elisabeth; Prinz, Maurits-Jan; Milcamps, Anne; Parissis, Nicholaos; Wilk-Zasadna, Iwona; Barroso, João; Desprez, Bertrand; Langezaal, Ingrid; Liska, Roman; Morath, Siegfried; Reina, Vittorio; Zorzoli, Chiara; Zuang, Valérie

    This chapter focuses on practical aspects of conducting prospective in vitro validation studies, and in particular, by laboratories that are members of the European Union Network of Laboratories for the Validation of Alternative Methods (EU-NETVAL) that is coordinated by the EU Reference Laboratory for Alternatives to Animal Testing (EURL ECVAM). Prospective validation studies involving EU-NETVAL, comprising a multi-study trial involving several laboratories or "test facilities", typically consist of two main steps: (1) the design of the validation study by EURL ECVAM and (2) the execution of the multi-study trial by a number of qualified laboratories within EU-NETVAL, coordinated and supported by EURL ECVAM. The approach adopted in the conduct of these validation studies adheres to the principles described in the OECD Guidance Document on the Validation and International Acceptance of new or updated test methods for Hazard Assessment No. 34 (OECD 2005). The context and scope of conducting prospective in vitro validation studies is dealt with in Chap. 4 . Here we focus mainly on the processes followed to carry out a prospective validation of in vitro methods involving different laboratories with the ultimate aim of generating a dataset that can support a decision in relation to the possible development of an international test guideline (e.g. by the OECD) or the establishment of performance standards.

  13. Overview of clinical research design.

    PubMed

    Hartung, Daniel M; Touchette, Daniel

    2009-02-15

    Basic concepts and terminology of clinical research design are presented for new clinical investigators. Clinical research, research involving human subjects, can be described as either observational or experimental. The findings of all clinical research can be threatened by issues of bias and confounding. Biases are systematic errors in how study subjects are selected or measured, which result in false inferences. Confounding is a distortion in findings that is attributable to mixing variable effects. Uncontrolled observation research is generally more prone to bias and confounding than experimental research. Observational research includes designs such as the cohort study, case-control study, and cross-sectional study, while experimental research typically involves a randomized controlled trial (RCT). The cohort study, which includes the RCT, defines subject allocation on the basis of exposure interest (e.g., drug, disease-management program) and follows the patients to assess the outcomes. The case-control study uses the primary outcome of interest (e.g., adverse event) to define subject allocation, and different exposures are assessed in a retrospective manner. Cross-sectional research evaluates both exposure and outcome concurrently. Each of these design methods possesses different strengths and weaknesses in answering research questions, as well as underlying many study subtypes. While experimental research is the strongest method for establishing causality, it can be difficult to accomplish under many scenarios. Observational clinical research offers many design alternatives that may be appropriate if planned and executed carefully.

  14. Distracted Driving and Risk of Crash or Near-crash Involvement among Older Drivers using Naturalistic Driving Data with a Case-crossover Study Design.

    PubMed

    Huisingh, Carrie; Owsley, Cynthia; Levitan, Emily B; Irvin, Marguerite R; MacLennan, Paul; McGwin, Gerald

    2018-05-17

    The purpose of this study was to examine the association between secondary task involvement and risk of crash and near-crash involvement among older drivers using naturalistic driving data. Data from drivers aged ≥70 years in the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2) Naturalistic Driving Study database was utilized. The personal vehicle of study participants was equipped with four video cameras enabling recording of the driver and the road environment. Secondary task involvement during a crash or near-crash event was compared to periods of non-crash involvement in a case-crossover study design. Conditional logistic regression was used to generate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Overall, engaging in any secondary task was not associated with crash (OR=0.94, 95% CI 0.68-1.29) or near-crash (OR=1.08, 95% CI 0.79-1.50) risk. The risk of a major crash event with cell phone use was 3.79 times higher than the risk with no cell phone use (95% CI 1.00-14.37). Other glances into the interior of the vehicle were associated with an increased risk of near-crash involvement (OR=2.55, 95% CI 1.24-5.26). Other distractions external to the vehicle were associated with a decreased risk of crash involvement (OR=0.53, 95% CI 0.30-0.94). Interacting with a passenger and talking/singing were not associated with crash or near-crash risk. Older drivers should avoid any cell phone use and minimize non-driving related eye glances towards the interior of the vehicle while driving. Certain types of events external to the vehicle are associated with a reduced crash risk among older drivers.

  15. Single Group, Pre- and Post-Test Research Designs: Some Methodological Concerns

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marsden, Emma; Torgerson, Carole J.

    2012-01-01

    This article provides two illustrations of some of the factors that can influence findings from pre- and post-test research designs in evaluation studies, including regression to the mean (RTM), maturation, history and test effects. The first illustration involves a re-analysis of data from a study by Marsden (2004), in which pre-test scores are…

  16. Experiences of Black Women Who Persist to Graduation at Predominantly White Schools of Nursing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thomas, Francine Simms

    2009-01-01

    This study was designed to explore the experiences of Black women who attended predominantly White nursing schools. A phenomenological design was used to investigate eight nurses who persisted through to graduation from their nursing programs in the 21st century. The study examined persistence through the lens of academic involvement, alienation,…

  17. Meeting the Need to Belong: Predicting Effects of a Friendship Enrichment Program for Older Women

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stevens, Nan L.; Martina, Camille M. S.; Westerhof, Gerben J.

    2006-01-01

    Purpose: This study explores the effects of participation in a program designed to enrich friendship and reduce loneliness among women in later life. Several hypotheses based on the need to belong, socioemotional selectivity theory, and the social compensation model were tested. Design and Methods: Study 1 involved two measurement points, one at…

  18. Science and Technology Concepts in a Design and Technology Project: A Pilot Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Levinson, Ralph; Murphy, Patricia; McCormick, Robert

    1997-01-01

    This pilot study of a project involving the design and making of a moisture sensor indicated that science knowledge developed through science lessons could not be used in technology lessons. This is argued to be because knowledge is constructed in the various contexts and hence not generalizable. Implications for science and technology teaching…

  19. Lay Referral Patterns Involved in Cardiac Treatment Decision Making among Middle-Aged and Older Adults

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schoenberg, Nancy E.; Amey, Cheryl H.; Stoller, Eleanor Palo; Muldoon, Susan B.

    2003-01-01

    Purpose: This study examined age and contextually related factors that are influential in lay referral patterns during cardiac treatment decision making. Design and Methods: A complementary design was used. The Myocardial Infarction (MI) Onset Study identified demographic correlates of who sought medical care for 1,388 MI (heart attack) survivors.…

  20. The Effect of Prior Knowledge and Feedback Type Design on Student Achievement and Satisfaction in Introductory Accounting

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Campbell, Donald P.

    2013-01-01

    This study investigated the effect of student prior knowledge and feedback type on student achievement and satisfaction in an introductory managerial accounting course using computer-based formative assessment tools. The study involved a redesign of the existing Job Order Costing unit using the ADDIE model of instructional design. The…

  1. Management Design Theories

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pries-Heje, Jan; Baskerville, Richard L.

    This paper elaborates a design science approach for management planning anchored to the concept of a management design theory. Unlike the notions of design theories arising from information systems, management design theories can appear as a system of technological rules, much as a system of hypotheses or propositions can embody scientific theories. The paper illus trates this form of management design theories with three grounded cases. These grounded cases include a software process improvement study, a user involvement study, and an organizational change study. Collectively these studies demonstrate how design theories founded on technological rules can not only improve the design of information systems, but that these concepts have great practical value for improving the framing of strategic organi zational design decisions about such systems. Each case is either grounded in an empirical sense, that is to say, actual practice, or it is grounded to practices described extensively in the practical literature. Such design theories will help managers more easily approach complex, strategic decisions.

  2. What contributes to a technical purchasing decision maker's reliance on brand name for design decisions involving I&T products

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coutoumanos, Vincent

    The following research is intended to develop more formal mechanisms for collection, analysis, retention and dissemination of information relating to brand influence on high-technology products. Specifically, these high-technology products are associated with the engineering applications that likely would involve the loss of human life in the advent of catastrophic failure. The results of the study lead to an extension of theory involving marketing and product selection of "highly engineered" parts within the aerospace industry. The findings were separated into three distinct areas: 1) Information load will play a large role in the final design decision. If the designer is under a high level of information load during the time of a design decision, he or she likely will gravitate to the traditional design choice, regardless of the level of brand strength. 2) Even when strong brand names, like 3M, were offered as the non-traditional design choice, engineers gravitated to the traditional design choice that was presented in a mock Society for Manufacturing Engineers article. 3) Designer self-efficacy by itself will not often contribute to a decision maker's design choice. However, these data collected indicates that a combination of high designer self-efficacy moderated by high brand strength is likely to contribute significantly to a decision maker's decision. The post-hoc finding shows that many designers having high levels of self-efficacy could be developing a sense of comfort with strong brand names (like 3M) when making a design choice.

  3. Physicians' Involvement with the New York State Health Care Proxy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heyman, Janna C.; Sealy, Yvette M.

    2011-01-01

    This study examined physicians' attitude, involvement, and perceived barriers with the health care proxy. A cross sectional, correlational design was used to survey practicing physicians (N = 70). Physicians had positive attitudes toward the health care proxy and indicated that the most significant barriers to health care proxy completion were…

  4. Parent Involvement and the Impact on Student Achievement in Grades 2-5

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thurber, Yvonne Marie

    2013-01-01

    This quantitative research study examined the relationship between student achievement in reading and mathematics on the STAR (Standardized Test for the Assessment of Reading and Mathematics) and parent involvement in specific character development activities. The research design was quantitative in nature and conducted in two similar elementary…

  5. The Interactive Effects of Perceived Parental Involvement and Personality on Teacher Satisfaction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Li, Chung-Kai; Hung, Chia-Hung

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: This study aims to examine the relations between teachers' perception of parental involvement and teacher satisfaction. It further aims to investigate how this relationship may be moderated by interpersonal personality traits. Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire was conducted; participants were 572 classroom teachers who teach at…

  6. An Analysis of Active Rehearsal in Children's Memory.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stone, Barbara Prince; And Others

    This paper presents a developmental study of the effects of item rehearsal on children's short term memory. Two experiments are discussed. The first, involving second and sixth grade children, concerned the relationship between item retrieval ability and rehearsal strategies in item recall. The design of the experiment involved varying the visual…

  7. Third Sector Involvement in Public Education: The Israeli Case

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berkovich, Izhak; Foldes, Vincent Jonathan

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this article is to address the involvement of third sector organizations in state public education in Israel, with emphasis on the decision-making processes affecting the geographic distribution of service provision. Design/methodology/approach: A collective case study approach was used to investigate non-governmental…

  8. Group Desensitization of Test Anxiety.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cohen, Robert; Dean, Sanford J.

    Some of the specific learning and motivational variables involved in desensitization therapy were investigated. Two factors were considered: group interaction as a source of motivation and discrimination learning, and the effect of a progressive hierarchy of problem-related situations upon anxiety arousal. The design of the study involved a 2x2…

  9. Extending Volunteer Programs in Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hedges, Henry G.

    Documented here is a project involving three extensions or adaptations for using volunteers in schools. The first adaptation involves a plan for meeting certain major needs of a secondary school with volunteer help. This plan includes components designed to reorganize the secondary school curriculum to allow some of the students to study aspects…

  10. Project SAIL: An Evaluation of a Dropout Prevention Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thompson, John L.; And Others

    Project SAIL (Student Advocates Inspire Learning) is a Title IV-C Project located in Hopkins, Minnesota, designed to prevent students from dropping out of school by keeping them successfully involved in the mainstream environment. This study presents a review of other dropout prevention approaches, describes the intervention strategies involved in…

  11. Patient and public involvement in health literacy interventions: a mapping review.

    PubMed

    Howard Wilsher, Stephanie; Brainard, Julii; Loke, Yoon; Salter, Charlotte

    2017-01-01

    If people can read, understand and act on health information to better their health and reduce illness, they are thought to have "adequate" health literacy. Poor health literacy can mean people are less able to access health care and manage their health. Health literacy tends to worsen as adults get older, and is especially poor in adults age 65 and over. Ideally, health literacy interventions target people before age 65, to establish good skills and habits before people have many health problems associated with ageing. It is also good if researchers consult ordinary people, including patients and the public (PPI) when planning a programme to try to improve health literacy. This may help ensure individual needs are catered for.We therefore looked for studies that described any role of patient or public representatives in the research planning stages. We explored how the representatives contributed to each project. We found only 20 studies that included people other than the research team. Lack of reporting and consultation with patient and public representatives may contribute to less success when public health programmes are undertaken. Health literacy is the ability to understand, access and use health care and is a critical mediating factor that affects the health of older adults. Patient and public involvement in health and social care research, policy and design of care delivery is one mechanism that can promote production of better health literacy. This mapping review looks for and describes practices, concepts and methods that have been reported involving patients and public in the development and design of health literacy interventions for older people. Studies for the present review were selected from an inventory of health behaviour studies published between 2003 and 2013. The inventory was created by systematic searches on bibliographic databases (Medline, CINAHL, Scopus, Google) for health literacy interventions involving older people (50+ years) and resulted in screening of 5561 articles, of which 1097 met study inclusion criteria. For the research described in this article 96 of the 1097 studies specifically focused on health literacy and were independently screened by two reviewers to assess involvement of stakeholders other than investigators and participants. Twenty studies included patient and/or public involvement in at least one research domain: design, management or evaluation. Involvement included volunteers, older people, patients, and/or community representatives. Patient and public involvement were rarely reported in studies on health literacy interventions for older people. Future intervention development needs high quality PPI, which is well reported to develop the evidence base and inform practice.

  12. Influence of Cultural, Organizational, and Automation Capability on Human Automation Trust: A Case Study of Auto-GCAS Experimental Test Pilots

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Koltai, Kolina; Ho, Nhut; Masequesmay, Gina; Niedober, David; Skoog, Mark; Cacanindin, Artemio; Johnson, Walter; Lyons, Joseph

    2014-01-01

    This paper discusses a case study that examined the influence of cultural, organizational and automation capability upon human trust in, and reliance on, automation. In particular, this paper focuses on the design and application of an extended case study methodology, and on the foundational lessons revealed by it. Experimental test pilots involved in the research and development of the US Air Force's newly developed Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System served as the context for this examination. An eclectic, multi-pronged approach was designed to conduct this case study, and proved effective in addressing the challenges associated with the case's politically sensitive and military environment. Key results indicate that the system design was in alignment with pilot culture and organizational mission, indicating the potential for appropriate trust development in operational pilots. These include the low-vulnerability/ high risk nature of the pilot profession, automation transparency and suspicion, system reputation, and the setup of and communications among organizations involved in the system development.

  13. An Extended Case Study Methoology for Investigating Influence of Cultural, Organizational, and Automation Factors on Human-Automation Trust

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Koltai, Kolina Sun; Ho, Nhut; Masequesmay, Gina; Niedober, David; Skoog, Mark; Johnson, Walter; Cacanindin, Artemio

    2014-01-01

    This paper discusses a case study that examined the influence of cultural, organizational and automation capability upon human trust in, and reliance on, automation. In particular, this paper focuses on the design and application of an extended case study methodology, and on the foundational lessons revealed by it. Experimental test pilots involved in the research and development of the US Air Forces newly developed Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System served as the context for this examination. An eclectic, multi-pronged approach was designed to conduct this case study, and proved effective in addressing the challenges associated with the cases politically sensitive and military environment. Key results indicate that the system design was in alignment with pilot culture and organizational mission, indicating the potential for appropriate trust development in operational pilots. These include the low-vulnerabilityhigh risk nature of the pilot profession, automation transparency and suspicion, system reputation, and the setup of and communications among organizations involved in the system development.

  14. Reply to Commentary: "Are HIV-Infected Candidates for Participation in Risky Cure-Related Studies Otherwise Healthy?"

    PubMed

    Dubé, Karine; Sylla, Laurie; Dee, Lynda

    2018-02-01

    We respond to Eyal et al.'s commentary focusing on how people living with HIV participating in HIV cure-related studies are defined. We argue that the types of participants enrolled in research cannot be dissociated from the study interventions, the types of anticipated risks, and the background standard of care. As the field of HIV cure research advances, more nuance and granularity will be needed to define research criteria and acceptable risk/benefit ratios for cure study participants, as well as specific tiered protocol designs that serve to protect various participant populations from untoward risks, especially in very early phase research with interventions known to have potentially serious toxicities. We highlight key lessons from the ACTIVATE study involving a latency-reversing agent, Panobinostat, for HIV cure study design involving "otherwise healthy volunteers".

  15. Novel participatory methods of involving patients in research: naming and branding a longitudinal cohort study, BRIGHTLIGHT.

    PubMed

    Taylor, Rachel M; Mohain, Jasjeet; Gibson, Faith; Solanki, Anita; Whelan, Jeremy; Fern, Lorna A

    2015-03-14

    Patient and public involvement (PPI) is central to research and service planning. Identifying effective, meaningful ways of involvement is challenging. The cohort study 'Do specialist services for teenagers and young adults with cancer add value?' follows young people for three years, examining outcomes associated with specialist care. Participant retention in longitudinal research can be problematic potentially jeopardising study completion. Maximising study awareness through high impact branding and publicity may improve study retention. Study names are typically generated by researchers rather than designed with patients. We aimed to involve young people in developing a brand identity and name to 'Do specialist services for teenagers and young adults with cancer add value?'. Nine young people aged 17-26 years diagnosed with cancer when aged 14-25 years participated in a one day workshop with further data collection at a patient conference. Methodology was similar to conventional branding and naming exercises and was divided into six stages. The workshop comprised five stages. Stage 1: 'What's in a brand' allowed young people to enquire why brands/logos are important, Stage 2: 'Brand Transformation' identified what young people needed to know and believe about the study when approached about participation, Stage 3: 'Brand Essence' determined how we wanted the study to be perceived by young people, Stage 4: 'What's in a name' identified potential names for the study. Stage 5: 'Logo creation' assembled the mood and feel of logos. Stage 6 was logo design and an electronic survey of 249 young people attending a patient conference. BRIGHTLIGHT was the final study name and the brand essence (or study personality) was friendly, supportive and inspiring. Four logos were designed and the final logo received 47% (n = 115) of votes. Acceptance and retention to BRIGHTLIGHT is higher than anticipated (80% versus 60%), this may be related to our integral PPI strategy. We propose this reproducible methodology as an important, enjoyable, and novel way of involving patients in research and a welcome alternative to researcher-developed acronyms. Ideally this should be carried out prior to engaging with healthcare professionals to prevent confusion around study identity.

  16. Designing a Citizen Involvement Program: A Guidebook for Involving Citizens in the Resolution of Environmental Issues.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Howell, Robert E.; And Others

    A model and supportive materials are presented for design and implementation of a program for involving citizens in decision-making concerning significant environmental issues. Chapter topics include: why citizen involvement? (potential benefits of the process); theoretical basis for citizen involvement (three fundamental perspectives underlying…

  17. Developing Evidence for Public Health Policy and Practice: The Implementation of a Knowledge Translation Approach in a Staged, Multi-Methods Study in England, 2007-09

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    South, Jane; Cattan, Mima

    2014-01-01

    Effective knowledge translation processes are critical for the development of evidence-based public health policy and practice. This paper reports on the design and implementation of an innovative approach to knowledge translation within a mixed methods study on lay involvement in public health programme delivery. The study design drew on…

  18. Using the cognitive interviewing process to improve survey design by allied health: A qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Howlett, Owen; McKinstry, Carol; Lannin, Natasha A

    2018-04-01

    Allied health professionals frequently use surveys to collect data for clinical practice and service improvement projects. Careful development and piloting of purpose-designed surveys is important to ensure intended measuring (that respondents correctly interpret survey items when responding). Cognitive interviewing is a specific technique that can improve the design of self-administered surveys. The aim of this study was to describe the use of the cognitive interviewing process to improve survey design, which involved a purpose-designed, online survey evaluating staff use of functional electrical stimulation. A qualitative study involving one round of cognitive interviewing with three occupational therapists and three physiotherapists. The cognitive interviewing process identified 11 issues with the draft survey, which could potentially influence the validity and quality of responses. The raised issues included difficulties with: processing the question to be able to respond, determining a response to the question, retrieving relevant information from memory and comprehending the written question. Twelve survey amendments were made following the cognitive interviewing process, comprising four additions, seven revisions and one correction. The cognitive interviewing process applied during the development of a purpose-designed survey enabled the identification of potential problems and informed revisions to the survey prior to its use. © 2017 Occupational Therapy Australia.

  19. Parent and Community Involvement in Education. Volume III: Technical Appendix--Research Design and Methodology. Studies of Education Reform.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderson, Beckie; And Others

    Genuine educational reform depends on developing relationships with the home, community groups, politicians, and the business community (Seeley, 1981). This report is the third of three volumes that are products of a 3.5 year study of education reform, with a focus on the role of parent, family, and community involvement in the middle grades. The…

  20. Parental Involvement as a Correlate of Academic Achievement of Primary School Pupils in Edo State, Nigeria

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fajoju, Samuel A.; Aluede, Oyaziwo; Ojugo, Augustine I.

    2016-01-01

    This study investigated the relationship between parental involvement in children's education and the academic achievement of primary six pupils in Edo State, Nigeria. The ex-post facto research design was employed in this study. The sample consisted of 1,895 primary six pupils (1,024 males and 863 females drawn from 37,908 primary six pupils in…

  1. Patient engagement in the design and execution of urologic oncology research.

    PubMed

    Lee, Daniel J; Avulova, Svetlana; Conwill, Ralph; Barocas, Daniel A

    2017-09-01

    There have been significant effort and financial support to engage patients in the design and execution of medical research. However, little is known about the relative benefits or potential impact of involving patients in research, most efficient practices and systems to enhance their involvement, and potential barriers and challenges that are involved with engaging patients. In this review, we will discuss the value of patient centered research, review the challenges that many of these studies faced, and highlight potential future opportunities to enhance patient involvement in urologic research. An English-language literature search was performed in the electronic databases of Medline (PubMed), EMBASE, Web of Science, Google Scholar, the Cochrane Library, and on the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) website. Search items included "patient-centered research," "patient-reported outcomes" and "patient engagement" in various combinations. Although PCORI has funded almost 600 projects with $1.6 billion to improve patient centered research, the search revealed 3 studies of patient engagement in the development, management, and execution of urologic oncology research. Patient engagement in the design and execution of medical research can help align research topics to match patient priorities, improve survey and data collection tools, increase patient recruitment and participation in studies, and improve accessibility and dissemination of clinically relevant results from medical research. However, engagement patients in research requires significant investment of time, financial support, and energy from the patients, stakeholders, and researchers to provide mutual benefit. In the three studies in urologic oncology that involved patients, the patients provided a significant impact on the structure of the studies and helped improve the ability of patients to apply the results from the research studies. The benefits to involving patients in research to improve the access, understanding, and application of clinical evidence can be significant. Patient engagement in urologic oncology research is limited currently, but is expected to grow as the funding agencies incentivize the practice and the culture shifts toward a greater emphasis on patient centered outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Optimization Studies of the FERMI at ELETTRA FEL Design

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

    De Ninno, Giovanni; Fawley, William M.; Penn, Gregory E.

    The FERMI at ELETTRA project at Sincotrone Trieste involves two FEL's, each based upon the principle of seeded harmonic generation and using the existing ELETTRA injection linac at 1.2 GeV beam energy. Scheduled to be completed in 2008, FEL-1 will operate in 40-100 nm wavelength range and will involve one stage of harmonic up-conversion. The second undulator line, FEL-2, will begin operation two years later in the 10-40 nm wavelength range and use two harmonic stages operating as a cascade. The FEL design assumes continuous wavelength tunability over the full wavelength range, and polarization tunability of the output radiation includingmore » vertical or horizontal linear as well as helical polarization. The design considers focusing properties and segmentation of realizable undulators and available input seed lasers. We review the studies that have led to our current design. We present results of simulations using GENESIS and GINGER simulation codes including studies of various shot-to-shot fluctuations and undulator errors. Findings for the expected output radiation in terms of the power, transverse and longitudinal coherence are reported.« less

  3. Study of Fuze Structure and Reliability Design Based on the Direct Search Method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, Zhang; Ning, Wang

    2017-03-01

    Redundant design is one of the important methods to improve the reliability of the system, but mutual coupling of multiple factors is often involved in the design. In my study, Direct Search Method is introduced into the optimum redundancy configuration for design optimization, in which, the reliability, cost, structural weight and other factors can be taken into account simultaneously, and the redundant allocation and reliability design of aircraft critical system are computed. The results show that this method is convenient and workable, and applicable to the redundancy configurations and optimization of various designs upon appropriate modifications. And this method has a good practical value.

  4. Evaluation of study design variables and their impact on food-maintained operant responding in mice.

    PubMed

    Haluk, Desirae M; Wickman, Kevin

    2010-03-05

    Operant conditioning paradigms are useful for studying factors involved in reward, particularly when combined with the tools of genetic manipulation in mice. Published operant studies involving mice vary widely with respect to design, and insight into the consequences of design choices on performance in mice is limited. Here, we evaluated the impact of five design variables on the performance of inbred male mice in operant tasks involving solid food pellets as reinforcing agents. We found that the use of lever-press or nose-poke during FR1 sessions did not impact the performance of C57BL/6 mice, but that the lever-press approach correlated with enhanced performance during PR testing. While FR1 session duration had a notable impact on the rate of acquisition of food-maintained responding, performance during FR1 and PR sessions was largely unaffected. Higher order schedules of reinforcement (FR3 and FR5) led to elevated responding during both FR and PR sessions, and improved the correspondence between rewards earned and consumed. Single and group-housed mice performed indistinguishably during FR1 and PR sessions, while environmental enrichment combined with group housing accelerated the rate of acquisition of food-maintained responding while decreasing responding during PR testing. Finally, while C57BL/6 and 129/Sv mice exhibited comparable behavior during FR1 sessions, C57BL/6 mice tended to acquire food-maintained responding faster than 129/Sv counterparts, and exhibited elevated responding during PR testing. Altogether, our findings indicate that while operant performance for food in mice is relatively insensitive to many study parameters, experimental outcomes can be shaped predictably with proper design decisions. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Using a bespoke situated digital kiosk to encourage user participation in healthcare environment design.

    PubMed

    Mackrill, J; Marshall, P; Payne, S R; Dimitrokali, E; Cain, R

    2017-03-01

    Involving users through participation in healthcare service and environment design is growing. Existing approaches and toolkits for practitioners and researchers are often paper based involving workshops and other more traditional design approaches such as paper prototyping. The advent of digital technology provides the opportunity to explore new platforms for user participation. This paper presents results from three studies that used a bespoke situated user participation digital kiosk, engaging 33 users in investigating healthcare environment design. The studies, from primary and secondary care settings, allowed participant feedback on each environment and proved a novel, engaging "21st century" way to participate in the appraisal of the design process. The results point toward this as an exciting and growing area of research in developing not just a new method of user participation but also the technology that supports it. Limitations were noted in terms of data validity and engagement with the device. To guide the development of user participation using similar situated digital devices, key lessons and reflections are presented. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  6. Community design and the incidence of crashes involving pedestrians and motorists aged 75 and older.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2012-04-01

    Contemporary community design practice has focused on strategies intended to make communities safe for families with children. Comparatively little attention has been given to its effects on older adults. This study employs a series of negative binom...

  7. Students at the Center: Feminist Assessment.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Musil, Caryn McTighe, Ed.

    This publication is designed to facilitate program assessment involving women's studies courses by setting feminist principles of assessment in the context of the larger assessment movement. It features innovative assessment designs, a variety of methodological approaches, and practical advice about how to conduct a productive assessment project…

  8. Confronting Challenges in Intervention Research with Ethnically Diverse Older Adults: The USC Well Elderly II Trial

    PubMed Central

    Jackson, Jeanne; Mandel, Deborah; Blanchard, Jeanine; Carlson, Mike; Cherry, Barbara; Azen, Stanley; Chou, Chih-Ping; Jordan-Marsh, Maryalice; Forman, Todd; White, Brett; Granger, Douglas; Knight, Bob; Clark, Florence

    2011-01-01

    Background Community-dwelling older adults are at risk for declines in physical health, cognition, and psychosocial well-being. However, their enactment of active and health-promoting lifestyles can reduce such declines. Purpose The purpose of this article is to describe the USC Well Elderly II study, a randomized clinical trial designed to test the effectiveness of a healthy lifestyle program for elders, and document how various methodological challenges were addressed during the course of the trial. Methods In the study, 460 ethnically diverse elders recruited from a variety of sites in the urban Los Angeles area were enrolled in a randomized experiment involving a crossover design component. Within either the first or second six month phase of their study involvement, each elder received a lifestyle intervention designed to improve a variety of aging outcomes. At 4–5 time points over an 18–24 month interval, the research participants were assessed on measures of healthy activity, coping, social support, perceived control, stress-related biomarkers, perceived physical health, psychosocial well-being, and cognitive functioning to test the effectiveness of the intervention and document the process mechanisms responsible for its effects. Results The study protocol was successfully implemented, including the enrollment of study sites, the recruitment of 460 older adults, administration of the intervention, adherence to the plan for assessment, and establishment of a large computerized data base. Limitations Methodological challenges were encountered in the areas of site recruitment, participant recruitment, testing, and intervention delivery. Conclusions The completion of clinical trials involving elders from numerous local sites requires careful oversight and anticipation of threats to the study design that stem from: (a) social situations that are particular to specific study sites; and (b) physical, functional, and social challenges pertaining to the elder population. PMID:19254939

  9. Confronting challenges in intervention research with ethnically diverse older adults: the USC Well Elderly II Trial.

    PubMed

    Jackson, Jeanne; Mandel, Deborah; Blanchard, Jeanine; Carlson, Mike; Cherry, Barbara; Azen, Stanley; Chou, Chih-Ping; Jordan-Marsh, Maryalice; Forman, Todd; White, Brett; Granger, Douglas; Knight, Bob; Clark, Florence

    2009-02-01

    Community-dwelling older adults are at risk for declines in physical health, cognition, and psychosocial well-being. However, their enactment of active and health-promoting lifestyles can reduce such declines. The purpose of this article is to describe the USC Well Elderly II study, a randomized clinical trial designed to test the effectiveness of a healthy lifestyle program for elders, and document how various methodological challenges were addressed during the course of the trial. In the study, 460 ethnically diverse elders recruited from a variety of sites in the urban Los Angeles area were enrolled in a randomized experiment involving a crossover design component. Within either the first or second 6-month phase of their study involvement, each elder received a lifestyle intervention designed to improve a variety of aging outcomes. At 4-5 time points over an 18-24 month interval, the research participants were assessed on measures of healthy activity, coping, social support, perceived control, stress-related biomarkers, perceived physical health, psychosocial well-being, and cognitive functioning to test the effectiveness of the intervention and document the process mechanisms responsible for its effects. The study protocol was successfully implemented, including the enrollment of study sites, the recruitment of 460 older adults, administration of the intervention, adherence to the plan for assessment, and establishment of a large computerized data base. Methodological challenges were encountered in the areas of site recruitment, participant recruitment, testing, and intervention delivery. The completion of clinical trials involving elders from numerous local sites requires careful oversight and anticipation of threats to the study design that stem from: (a) social situations that are particular to specific study sites; and (b) physical, functional, and social challenges pertaining to the elder population.

  10. Multiobjective optimization in structural design with uncertain parameters and stochastic processes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rao, S. S.

    1984-01-01

    The application of multiobjective optimization techniques to structural design problems involving uncertain parameters and random processes is studied. The design of a cantilever beam with a tip mass subjected to a stochastic base excitation is considered for illustration. Several of the problem parameters are assumed to be random variables and the structural mass, fatigue damage, and negative of natural frequency of vibration are considered for minimization. The solution of this three-criteria design problem is found by using global criterion, utility function, game theory, goal programming, goal attainment, bounded objective function, and lexicographic methods. It is observed that the game theory approach is superior in finding a better optimum solution, assuming the proper balance of the various objective functions. The procedures used in the present investigation are expected to be useful in the design of general dynamic systems involving uncertain parameters, stochastic process, and multiple objectives.

  11. A Lead User Approach to Universal Design - Involving Older Adults in the Design Process.

    PubMed

    Raviselvam, Sujithra; Wood, Kristin L; Hölttä-Otto, Katja; Tam, Victoria; Nagarajan, Kamya

    2016-01-01

    The concept of Universal Design has received increasing appreciation over the past two decades. Yet, there are very few existing designs that cater to the needs of extraordinary users who experience some form of physical challenge. Previous work has shown promising results on involving users with physical challenges as lead users - users who have the potential to identify needs that could be latent among the general population. It has also been shown that older adults can act as such lead users. They can help design universal product ideas that satisfy both older adults and the general population. In this paper we build on this and examine if involving older adults in the design phase can result in universal products, products preferred by both older adults and the general population over a current option. Eighty-nine older adult participants and thirty-four general population participants took part in the study. Products were redesigned and prototyped based on the needs of older adults and tested among both populations. Results show that, although older adults and the general population did share certain needs and demands, the majority of older adults had needs and demands that were different from those of the general population. However, even though the needs differed between the populations, on average 89% of the general population participants preferred products designed based on design needs expressed by older adults over the current option. This provides further evidence supporting the use of older adults in designing products for all.

  12. Teacher Involvement in Curriculum Design: Need for Support to Enhance Teachers' Design Expertise

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huizinga, Tjark; Handelzalts, Adam; Nieveen, Nienke; Voogt, Joke M.

    2014-01-01

    Teacher involvement in curriculum design has a long tradition. However, although it fosters implementation of curriculum reforms, teachers encounter various problems while designing related to conditions set for the design process, and lack the knowledge and skills needed to enact collaborative design processes. Providing support to enhance…

  13. Adaptive Automation and Cue Invocation: The Effect of Cue Timing on Operator Error

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-05-01

    129. 5. Parasuraman, R. (2000). Designing automation for human use: Empirical studies and quantitative models. Ergonomics , 43, 931-951. 6...Prospective memory errors involve memory for intended actions that are planned to be performed at some designated point in the future [20]. In the DMOO...RESCHU) [21] was used in this study. A Navy pilot who is familiar with supervisory control tasks designed the RESCHU task and the task has been

  14. Risk assessment as standard work in design.

    PubMed

    Morrill, Patricia W

    2013-01-01

    This case study article examines a formal risk assessment as part of the decision making process for design solutions in high risk areas. The overview of the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) tool with examples of its application in hospital building projects will demonstrate the benefit of those structured conversations. This article illustrates how two hospitals used FMEA when integrating operational processes with building projects: (1) adjacency decision for Intensive Care Unit (ICU); and (2) distance concern for handling of specimens from Surgery to Lab. Both case studies involved interviews that exposed facility solution concerns. Just-in-time studies using the FMEA followed the same risk assessment process with the same workshop facilitator involving structured conversations in analyzing risks. In both cases, participants uncovered key areas of risk enabling them to take the necessary next steps. While the focus of this article is not the actual design solution, it is apparent that the risk assessment brought clarity to the situations resulting in prompt decision making about facility solutions. Hospitals are inherently risky environments; therefore, use of the formal risk assessment process, FMEA, is an opportunity for design professionals to apply more rigor to design decision making when facility solutions impact operations in high risk areas. Case study, decision making, hospital, infection control, strategy, work environment.

  15. Absorbable energy monitoring scheme: new design protocol to test vehicle structural crashworthiness.

    PubMed

    Ofochebe, Sunday M; Enibe, Samuel O; Ozoegwu, Chigbogu G

    2016-05-01

    In vehicle crashworthiness design optimization detailed system evaluation capable of producing reliable results are basically achieved through high-order numerical computational (HNC) models such as the dynamic finite element model, mesh-free model etc. However the application of these models especially during optimization studies is basically challenged by their inherent high demand on computational resources, conditional stability of the solution process, and lack of knowledge of viable parameter range for detailed optimization studies. The absorbable energy monitoring scheme (AEMS) presented in this paper suggests a new design protocol that attempts to overcome such problems in evaluation of vehicle structure for crashworthiness. The implementation of the AEMS involves studying crash performance of vehicle components at various absorbable energy ratios based on a 2DOF lumped-mass-spring (LMS) vehicle impact model. This allows for prompt prediction of useful parameter values in a given design problem. The application of the classical one-dimensional LMS model in vehicle crash analysis is further improved in the present work by developing a critical load matching criterion which allows for quantitative interpretation of the results of the abstract model in a typical vehicle crash design. The adequacy of the proposed AEMS for preliminary vehicle crashworthiness design is demonstrated in this paper, however its extension to full-scale design-optimization problem involving full vehicle model that shows greater structural detail requires more theoretical development.

  16. Using decoy effects to influence an online brand choice: the role of price-quality trade-offs.

    PubMed

    Hsu, Huei-Chen; Liu, Wen-Liang

    2011-04-01

    This research aims to investigate decoy effects on online brand choices. To assess the influence of decoys, we test decoy effects on three constructs-product involvement, judgment conditions, and decoy conditions-within an online experiment. A survey of 635 Internet users and a 2 × 2 × 3 ANOVA between-subjects experimental design is used to guide the research design and the systematic analysis procedure. A major finding of this study is that a standard decoy seems to have a significant effect on an advertised (target) brand for high-involvement products; from the survey, it is also apparent that competitors can also use inferior decoys to increase brand preference for low-involvement products.

  17. Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Increasing the Meaningful Involvement of Women Living With HIV/AIDS (MIWA) in the Design and Delivery of HIV/AIDS Services.

    PubMed

    Carter, Allison; Greene, Saara; Nicholson, Valerie; O'Brien, Nadia; Sanchez, Margarite; de Pokomandy, Alexandra; Loutfy, Mona; Kaida, Angela

    2015-01-01

    The meaningful involvement of women living with HIV/AIDS (MIWA) is a key feature of women-centred HIV care, yet little is known about transforming MIWA from principle to practice. Drawing on focus group data from the Canadian HIV Women's Sexual and Reproductive Health Cohort Study (CHIWOS), we explored HIV-positive women's meaningful involvement in the design and delivery of HIV/AIDS services in British Columbia, Canada. In this article, we highlight the benefits and tensions that emerge as women traverse multiple roles as service users and service providers within their care communities, and the impact this has on their access to care and overall health.

  18. Engaging Foreign Curriculum Experts in Curriculum Design: A Case Study of Primary School Curriculum Change in Lesotho

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nhlapo, Molise David; Maharajh, Lokesh Ramnath

    2017-01-01

    Involvement of foreign consultants in the Lesotho curriculum design has been in operation since the beginning of formal education around 1833 in the country to-date. The expectation was that, with time, Lesotho would produce enough quality curriculum specialists who would be entrusted with the task of curriculum design. However, the trained…

  19. To think or not to think: two pathways towards persuasion by short films on AIDS prevention.

    PubMed

    Igartua, Juan José; Cheng, Lifen; Lopes, Orquídea

    2003-01-01

    Health messages are designed to stimulate an active cognitive process in those audiences generally with little involvement. The Elaboration Likelihood Model by Petty and Cacioppo sustains that subjects with high involvement and those with low involvement react differently to the persuasive message to which they are exposed. One efficient way to capture the attention of the low involvement audiences is to insert the messages within an entertainment context. Our study attempted to analyze affective and cognitive processes to explain the impact of these new formats, fictional shorts for HIV/AIDS prevention. A 2 x 2 factorial design was used, with involvement in the AIDS issue (high/low) and the type of format (musical/dialogue) as independent variables. The finding showed the better the quality of the short (with dialogue style) the more negative affectivity was stimulated, also the more cognitive processing was induced, and a more favorable attitude towards preventive behavior was stimulated.

  20. Effects of Reflective Inquiry Instructional Technique on Students' Academic Achievement and Ability Level in Electronic Work Trade in Technical Colleges

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ogbuanya, T. C.; Owodunni, A. S.

    2015-01-01

    This study was designed to determine the effect of reflective inquiry instructional technique on achievement of students in Technical Colleges. The study adopted a pre-test, post-test, non-equivalent control group, quasi-experimental research design which involved groups of students in their intact class assigned to experimental group and control…

  1. Effects of the Wisconsin Reading Design Comprehension Program on Reading Achievement and Self-Concept of Sixth Grade Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Negley, Sandra Anne

    The main purpose of this study was to determine and describe the effects of the comprehension component of the criterion-referenced reading program, Wisconsin Design for Reading Skills Development (WDRSD), on reading achievement and self-concept of sixth-grade students. Parametric techniques were employed in a quasi-experimental study involving 44…

  2. A Case Study in Classroom Management and School Involvement: Designing an Art Room for Effective Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Broome, Jeffrey L.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this research project is to investigate the design of classroom environments through the lens of a uniquely selected art educator. More specifically, the purpose is to use case study methodology (Stake, 1995) to characterize the resulting instructional experiences for an art educator who had the unique opportunity to collaborate…

  3. An Action Research Study Using the Music Model of Academic Motivation to Increase Reading Motivation in a Fourth-Grade Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, Angela W.

    2013-01-01

    This study involved examination of the processes employed in tailoring fourth-grade reading instruction to increase levels of student motivation. A participatory action research approach was utilized to design and conduct reading instruction that fourth-grade students perceived to be motivating. The reading instructional program was designed using…

  4. Natural environment design criteria for the space station program definition phase

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vaughan, W. W.

    1984-01-01

    The natural environment design criteria requirements for use in the Space Station and its Elements (SSPE) definition phase studies are presented. The atmospheric dynamic and thermodynamic environments, meteoroids, radiation, physical constants are addressed. It is intended to enable all groups involved in the definition phase studies to proceed with a common and consistent set of natural environment criteria requirements.

  5. Exploring Customization in Higher Education: An Experiment in Leveraging Computer Spreadsheet Technology to Deliver Highly Individualized Online Instruction to Undergraduate Business Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kunzler, Jayson S.

    2012-01-01

    This dissertation describes a research study designed to explore whether customization of online instruction results in improved learning in a college business statistics course. The study involved utilizing computer spreadsheet technology to develop an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) designed to: a) collect and monitor individual real-time…

  6. Identifying Barriers That Hinder Onsite Parental Involvement in a School-Based Health Promotion Program

    PubMed Central

    Garcia-Dominic, Oralia; Wray, Linda A.; Treviño, Roberto P.; Hernandez, Arthur E.; Yin, Zenong; Ulbrecht, Jan S.

    2009-01-01

    We investigated whether barriers to onsite parental involvement in the Bienestar Health Program Parent Component could be identified and whether participation rates could be increased by addressing these barriers. All nonparticipating parents of fourth-grade students of San Antonio Independent School District from 4 schools, which were selected randomly from 20 intervention schools in Bienestar, were invited to take part in this study. A total of 47 of 223 (21%) parents engaged in one of four focus groups offered. Parents identified barriers to their involvement in Bienestar that fit into five descriptive categories: (a) low value, (b) high cost, (c) competing family demands, (d) concerns about the program design, and (e) social role norms. The Bienestar Parent Component was then modified according to the focus group findings, which resulted in a marked increase in parental involvement from 17% to 37% overall. These findings suggest that even when parents are involved in the initial design of parent-friendly and culturally sensitive programs, as was the case for Bienestar, maximizing parental involvement may require additional assessment, identification, and remediation of barriers. PMID:19339644

  7. Negotiating Authority by Designing Individualized Grading Contracts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brubaker, Nathan D.

    2010-01-01

    This qualitative study examined how authority was negotiated in an undergraduate teacher education course in which I, as the teacher of the course, involved students in establishing their obligations for the semester by designing individualized grading contracts. The findings suggest that seeking mutually satisfactory agreement, finding several…

  8. Factors Influencing the Design, Establishment, Administration, and Governance of Correctional Education for Females

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ellis, Johnica; McFadden, Cheryl; Colaric, Susan

    2008-01-01

    This article summarizes the results of a study conducted to investigate factors influencing the organizational design, establishment, administration, and governance of correctional education for females. The research involved interviews with correctional and community college administrators and practitioners representing North Carolina female…

  9. Learning from Transitioning to New Technology That Supports Online and Blended Learning: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lock, Jennifer; Johnson, Carol

    2017-01-01

    Transitioning from one technology to another within educational institutions is complex and multi-faceted, and requires time. Such a transition involves more than making the new technology available for use. It requires knowing the people involved, designing differentiated support structures, and integrating various resources to meet their…

  10. Job Characteristics, Work Involvement, and Job Performance of Public Servants

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johari, Johanim; Yahya, Khulida Kirana

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: The primary purpose of this study is to assess the predicting role of job characteristics on job performance. Dimensions in the job characteristics construct are skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy and feedback. Further, work involvement is tested as a mediator in the hypothesized link. Design/methodology/approach: A…

  11. "A Big Door Opened for Us": Parents' Perceptions of Comprehensive Preschool

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DeMulder, Elizabeth K.; Stribling, Stacia M.

    2012-01-01

    This qualitative research study was designed to explore the perceptions of parents with low income regarding the effects of involvement in a comprehensive preschool program on their children's development and on the families' quality of life. A purposeful sample of parents who became actively involved in the preschool community was interviewed…

  12. Involvement of Students with Disabilities in the New American Schools Development Corporation Projects. Project FORUM.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ahearn, Eileen M.

    This study examined the involvement of students with disabilities in the New American Schools Development Corporation (NASDC) projects. The report begins with a description of the competition to select demonstration projects that would create teams to design, implement, and disseminate "break-the-mold" schools to bring about educational…

  13. Pet Care Teaching Unit: 1st-3rd Grades.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peninsula Humane Society, San Mateo, CA.

    Activities in this unit are designed to familiarize primary grade students with the responsibilities involved in pet ownership. Teaching plans are provided for a total of 12 lessons involving social studies, language arts, math, and health sciences. Activities adaptable for readers and non-readers focus on pet overpopulation, care of pets when…

  14. The extent and effects of patient involvement in pictogram design for written drug information: a short systematic review.

    PubMed

    Beusekom, Mara M van; Kerkhoven, Anne H; Bos, Mark J W; Guchelaar, Henk-Jan; Broek, Jos M van den

    2018-05-07

    This short review provides insight into the extent and effectiveness of patient involvement in the design and evaluation of pictograms to support patient drug information. Pubmed, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase, PsycINFO, Academic Search Premier and Web of Science were searched systematically; the 73 included articles were evaluated with the MMAT. We see that, usually, non-patient end-users are involved in the design of pharmaceutical pictograms - patients are more commonly involved in the final evaluation of pictogram success. Repeated involvement of (non-)patients aids the design of effective pharmaceutical pictograms, although there is limited evidence for such effects on patient perception of drug information or health behaviour. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  15. Co-design and implementation research: challenges and solutions for ethics committees.

    PubMed

    Goodyear-Smith, Felicity; Jackson, Claire; Greenhalgh, Trisha

    2015-11-16

    Implementation science research, especially when using participatory and co-design approaches, raises unique challenges for research ethics committees. Such challenges may be poorly addressed by approval and governance mechanisms that were developed for more traditional research approaches such as randomised controlled trials. Implementation science commonly involves the partnership of researchers and stakeholders, attempting to understand and encourage uptake of completed or piloted research. A co-creation approach involves collaboration between researchers and end users from the onset, in question framing, research design and delivery, and influencing strategy, with implementation and broader dissemination strategies part of its design from gestation. A defining feature of co-creation is its emergent and adaptive nature, making detailed pre-specification of interventions and outcome measures impossible. This methodology sits oddly with ethics committee protocols that require precise pre-definition of interventions, mode of delivery, outcome measurements, and the role of study participants. But the strict (and, some would say, inflexible) requirements of ethics committees were developed for a purpose - to protect participants from harm and help ensure the rigour and transparency of studies. We propose some guiding principles to help square this circle. First, ethics committees should acknowledge and celebrate the diversity of research approaches, both formally (through training) and informally (by promoting debate and discussion); without active support, their members may not understand or value participatory designs. Second, ground rules should be established for co-design applications (e.g. how to judge when 'consultation' or 'engagement' becomes research) and communicated to committee members and stakeholders. Third, the benefits of power-sharing should be recognised and credit given to measures likely to support this important goal, especially in research with vulnerable communities. Co-design is considered best practice, for example, in research involving indigenous peoples in New Zealand, Australia and Canada.

  16. The Impact of Environmental Design on Teamwork and Communication in Healthcare Facilities: A Systematic Literature Review.

    PubMed

    Gharaveis, Arsalan; Hamilton, D Kirk; Pati, Debajyoti

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this systematic review is to investigate the current knowledge about the impact of healthcare facility design on teamwork and communication by exploring the relevant literature. Teamwork and communication are behavioral factors that are impacted by physical design. However, the effects of environmental factors on teamwork and communication have not been investigated extensively in healthcare design literature. There are no published systematic reviews on the current topic. Searches were conducted in PubMed and Google Scholar databases in addition to targeted design journals including Health Environmental Research & Design, Environment and Behavior, Environmental Psychology, and Applied Ergonomics. Inclusion criteria were (a) full-text English language articles related to teamwork and communication and (b) involving any healthcare built environment and space design published in peer-reviewed journals between 1984 and 2017. Studies were extracted using defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. In the first phase, 26 of the 195 articles most relevant to teamwork and 19 studies of the 147 were identified and reviewed to understand the impact of communication in healthcare facilities. The literature regarding the impact of built environment on teamwork and communication were reviewed and explored in detail. Eighteen studies were selected and succinctly summarized as the final product of this review. Environmental design, which involves nurses, support staff, and physicians, is one of the critical factors that promotes the efficiency of teamwork and collaborative communication. Layout design, visibility, and accessibility levels are the most cited aspects of design which can affect the level of communication and teamwork in healthcare facilities.

  17. Community College Facility Design: The Relationship between the Learning-Centered Paradigm and Learning Space as Viewed through the Lens of Developmental Studies Faculty

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perkinson, Betty J.

    2009-01-01

    The view that community college developmental studies educators have about the space in which they teach, any renovated or new spaces they were involved in designing, and the type of space in which they would like to teach is examined. The developmental studies educators are experts in their field, having completed The Kellogg Institute at…

  18. Direction of Influence between Parenting Style and Parental Involvement in Schooling Practices, and Students' Autonomy: A Short-Term Longitudinal Design.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Deslandes, Rollande

    This study examined the reciprocal influence between parenting style and parental involvement in schooling practices and adolescent autonomy over a 2-year period. Participating in the study were 872 adolescents with a mean age of 14.5 years at Time 1 and attending 5 French-speaking public high schools in Quebec, Canada. From the initial cohort,…

  19. The conception, birth, and growth of a missile umbilical system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nordman, G. W.

    1977-01-01

    The design development was traced for the sprint 2 and improved sprint 2 missile system (ISMS) umbilical system. The unique system requirements, umbilical designs considered to meet the requirements, and the problems encountered and solutions derived during the design, and development testing of the selected systems are described. The sprint 2 development effort consisted of design, analysis, and testing activities. The ISMS effort involved the performance of an extensive trade study to determine the optimum design to meet the ISMS conditions.

  20. Designing a Safer Interactive Healthcare System - The Impact of Authentic User Participation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Went, Kathryn L.; Gregor, Peter; Ricketts, Ian W.

    Information technology has been widely promoted in the healthcare sector to improve current practice and patient safety. However, end users are seldom involved extensively in the design and development of healthcare systems, with lip service often paid to the idea of true user involvement. In this case study the impact of sustained authentic user participation was explored using an interdisciplinary team, consisting of experts both in interaction and healthcare design and consultant anaesthetists, nurses, and pharmacists, to create an electronic prescribing and administration system. This paper details the interface that was created and provides examples of the way in which the design evolved in response to the sustained authentic user participation methods. The working prototype both reduced the opportunity for user error and was preferred by its users to the existing manual system.

  1. BIOMONITORING OF EXPOSURE IN FARMWORKER STUDIES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Though biomonitoring has been used in many occupational and environmental health and exposure studies, we are only beginning to understand the complexities and uncertainties involved with the biomonitoring process -- from study design, to sample collection, to chemical analysis -...

  2. Is Participatory Design Associated with the Effectiveness of Serious Digital Games for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion? A Meta-Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Thompson, Debbe; Baranowski, Tom; Palmeira, Antonio; Verloigne, Maïté

    2016-01-01

    Background Serious digital games can be effective at changing healthy lifestyles, but large differences in their effectiveness exist. The extent of user involvement in game design may contribute to game effectiveness by creating a better fit with user preferences. Participatory design (PD), which represents active user involvement as informant (ie, users are asked for input and feedback) or codesigner (ie, users as equal partners in the design) early on and throughout the game development, may be associated with higher game effectiveness, as opposed to no user involvement or limited user involvement. Objective This paper reports the results of a meta-analysis examining the moderating role of PD in the effectiveness of serious digital games for healthy lifestyle promotion. Methods Four databases were searched for peer-reviewed papers in English that were published or in press before October 2014, using a (group-) randomized controlled trial design. Effectiveness data were derived from another meta-analysis assessing the role of behavior change techniques and game features in serious game effectiveness. Results A total of 58 games evaluated in 61 studies were included. As previously reported, serious digital games had positive effects on healthy lifestyles and their determinants. Unexpectedly, PD (g=0.075, 95% CI 0.017 to 0.133) throughout game development was related to lower game effectiveness on behavior (Q=6.74, P<.05) than when users were only involved as testers (g=0.520, 95% CI 0.150 to 0.890, P<.01). Games developed with PD (g=0.171, 95% CI 0.061 to 0.281, P<.01) were also related to lower game effectiveness on self-efficacy (Q=7.83, P<.05) than when users were not involved in game design (g=0.384, 95% CI 0.283 to 0.485, P<.001). Some differences were noted depending on age group, publication year of the study, and on the specific role in PD (ie, informant or codesigner), and depending on the game design element. Games developed with PD were more effective in changing behavioral determinants when they included users in design elements on game dynamics (beta=.215, 95% CI .075 to .356, P<.01) and, more specifically, as an informant (beta=.235, 95% CI .079 to .329, P<.01). Involving users as informants in PD to create game levels was also related to higher game effectiveness (Q=7.02, P<.01). Codesign was related to higher effectiveness when used to create the game challenge (Q=11.23, P<.01), but to lower game effectiveness when used to create characters (Q=4.36, P<.05) and the game world (Q=3.99, P<.05). Conclusions The findings do not support higher effectiveness of games developed with PD. However, significant differences existed among PD games. More support was found for informant roles than for codesign roles. When PD was applied to game dynamics, levels, and game challenge, this was associated with higher effectiveness than when it was applied to game aesthetics. Since user involvement may have an important influence on reach, adoption, and implementation of the intervention, further research and design efforts are needed to enhance effectiveness of serious games developed with PD. PMID:27129447

  3. Fostering Emotion Expression and Affective Involvement with Communication Partners in People with Congenital Deafblindness and Intellectual Disabilities.

    PubMed

    Martens, Marga A W; Janssen, Marleen J; Ruijssenaars, Wied A J J M; Huisman, Mark; Riksen-Walraven, J Marianne

    2017-09-01

    Recent studies have shown that it is possible to foster affective involvement between people with congenital deafblindness and their communication partners. Affective involvement is crucial for well-being, and it is important to know whether it can also be fostered with people who have congenital deafblindness and intellectual disabilities. This study used a multiple-baseline design to examine whether an intervention based on the Intervention Model for Affective Involvement would (i) increase affective involvement between four participants with congenital deafblindness and intellectual disabilities and their 13 communication partners and (ii) increase the participants' positive emotions and decrease their negative emotions. In all cases, dyadic affective involvement increased, the participants' very positive emotions also increased and the participants' negative emotions decreased. The results indicate that communication partners of persons with congenital deafblindness and intellectual disabilities can be successfully trained to foster affective involvement. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  4. The importance of user centered design methods applied to the design of a new workstation: a case study.

    PubMed

    Duschenes, Ronaldo; Mendes, Andressa; Betiol, Adriana; Barreto, Suzana

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents a case study of the application of user centered design methodologies in the product development for a line of ergonomic office furniture. The study aimed to analyze the experience of using a workstation from the perspective of two groups of users, installers and end users. The observation of users in their natural context of use not only allowed the development team to identify key needs and strategies of the users, transforming them into design solutions, but mainly it warned them of the importance and impact of user involvement in the product development cycle.

  5. Identifying Effective Design Approaches to Allocate Genotypes in Two-Phase Designs: A Case Study in Pelargonium zonale.

    PubMed

    Molenaar, Heike; Boehm, Robert; Piepho, Hans-Peter

    2017-01-01

    Robust phenotypic data allow adequate statistical analysis and are crucial for any breeding purpose. Such data is obtained from experiments laid out to best control local variation. Additionally, experiments frequently involve two phases, each contributing environmental sources of variation. For example, in a former experiment we conducted to evaluate production related traits in Pelargonium zonale , there were two consecutive phases, each performed in a different greenhouse. Phase one involved the propagation of the breeding strains to obtain the stem cutting count, and phase two involved the assessment of root formation. The evaluation of the former study raised questions regarding options for improving the experimental layout: (i) Is there a disadvantage to using exactly the same design in both phases? (ii) Instead of generating a separate layout for each phase, can the design be optimized across both phases, such that the mean variance of a pair-wise treatment difference (MVD) can be decreased? To answer these questions, alternative approaches were explored to generate two-phase designs either in phase-wise order (Option 1) or across phases (Option 2). In Option 1 we considered the scenarios (i) using in both phases the same experimental design and (ii) randomizing each phase separately. In Option 2, we considered the scenarios (iii) generating a single design with eight replicates and splitting these among the two phases, (iv) separating the block structure across phases by dummy coding, and (v) design generation with optimal alignment of block units in the two phases. In both options, we considered the same or different block structures in each phase. The designs were evaluated by the MVD obtained by the intra-block analysis and the joint inter-block-intra-block analysis. The smallest MVD was most frequently obtained for designs generated across phases rather than for each phase separately, in particular when both phases of the design were separated with a single pseudo-level. The joint optimization ensured that treatment concurrences were equally balanced across pairs, one of the prerequisites for an efficient design. The proposed alternative approaches can be implemented with any model-based design packages with facilities to formulate linear models for treatment and block structures.

  6. Are Water-Related Leadership Development Programs Designed to Be Effective? An Exploratory Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burbach, Mark E.; Floress, Kristin; Kaufman, Eric K.

    2015-01-01

    Water resource professionals and others involved in managing water resources face increasingly complex challenges. Effective leadership development programs are needed to produce water leaders who can address these challenges. Leadership programs must be designed not simply to increase participants' environmental and leadership knowledge but to…

  7. Five Principles for MOOC Design: With a Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Drake, John R.; O'Hara, Margaret; Seeman, Elaine

    2015-01-01

    New web technologies have enabled online education to take on a massive scale, prompting many universities to create massively open online courses (MOOCs) that take advantage of these technologies in a seemingly effortless manner. Designing a MOOC, however, is anything but trivial. It involves developing content, learning activities, and…

  8. Simultaneous Communication and Cochlear Implants in the Classroom?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blom, Helen C.; Marschark, Marc

    2015-01-01

    This study was designed to evaluate the potential of simultaneous communication (sign and speech together) to support classroom learning by college students who use cochlear implants (CIs). Metacognitive awareness of learning also was evaluated. A within-subjects design involving 40 implant users indicated that the student participants learned…

  9. Evaluation of an Online "Teachable Moment" Dietary Intervention

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marks, Leah; Ogden, Jane

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate an online "teachable moment" intervention to promote healthy eating for overweight and food intolerance symptoms. Design/methodology/approach: The study involves a 2×2 factorial design with two conditions: group (weight loss vs food intolerance) and condition (intervention vs control).…

  10. Study of alternate space shuttle concepts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1971-01-01

    A study of alternate space shuttle concepts was conducted to examine the stage-and-one-half concept and its potential for later conversion and use in the two stage reusable shuttle system. A study of external hydrogen tank concepts was conducted to determine the issues involved in the design and production of a low-cost expendable tank system. The major objectives of the study were to determine: (1) realistic drop tank program cost estimates, (2) estimated drop tank program cost for selected specific designs, and (3) change in program cost due to variations in design and manufacturing concepts and changes in program assumptions.

  11. Understanding the role consumer involvement plays in the effectiveness of hospital advertising.

    PubMed

    McCullough, Tammy; Dodge, H Robert

    2002-01-01

    Both intensified competition and greater consumer participation in the choice process for healthcare has increased the importance of advertising for health care providers and seriously challenged many of the preconceptions regarding advertising. This study investigates the effectiveness of advertising under conditions of high and low involvement using the Elaboration Likelihood Model to develop hypotheses that are tested in a 2 x 2 x 2 experimental design. The study findings provide insights into the influence of message content and message source on consumers categorized as high or low involvement. It was found that consumers classified as high-involvement are more influenced by a core service-relevant message than those consumers classified as low-involvement. Moreover, a non-physician spokesperson was found to have as much or more influence as a physician spokesperson regardless of the consumers' involvement level.

  12. Survey of Experience Using Reinforced Concrete in Floating Marine Structures.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-01-01

    organizations involved in materials research and testing . The second largest group consists of those involved in design, consulting, and construction...This distribution is consistent with the open literature where the majority of articles are concerned with materials research, testing , and design. Only...example, organizations involved in materials research, design, testing , and certification were visited in the Netherlands, France, Norway, Scotland, and

  13. Understanding Motivators and Challenges to Involving Urban Parents as Collaborators in HIV Prevention Research Efforts.

    PubMed

    McKay, Mary M; Pinto, Rogério M; Bannon, William M; Guilamo-Ramos, Vincent

    2007-01-01

    This study was designed to explore the experiences of urban parents in their role as Collaborative Board members as part of the CHAMP (Collaborative HIV prevention and Adolescent Mental health Project) Family Program Study. The CHAMP Collaborative Board is comprised of urban parents, representatives from schools and community-based agencies and university-based researchers and is charged with overseeing the design, delivery and testing of a family-based HIV prevention program for pre and early adolescent youth. The current qualitative study, guided by the Theory of Unified Behavior Change, is meant to elucidate: (1) pathways to involvement by urban parents; (2) benefits and costs of participating in this collaborative HIV prevention research effort; and (3) the role of social relationships in influencing initial and ongoing participation by parent participants. Twenty-nine parent Collaborative Board members were interviewed for this study. In-depth interviews were audio recorded and ranged from 30 to 90 minutes in length. Transcripts were coded and analyzed using NUD*IST, computerized software used for examining narratives. Findings include community parent members identifying social support and learning opportunities as major reasons for involvement with the Collaborative Board. Prior involvement with other community-based projects and knowledge of at least one other person on the Board also influenced members to join the Board and remain involved over time. Further, recommendations for future collaborative partnerships are made. Findings have direct implication for participatory HIV prevention research activities.

  14. THE DETROIT EXPOSURE AND AEROSOL RESEARCH STUDY (DEARS)

    EPA Science Inventory

    Field data collections for the Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS) have completed one-half of the planned study design. The DEARS is collecting personal, residential indoor, residential outdoor and central community monitoring data involving particulate matter, v...

  15. PRELIMINARY HEALTH BURDEN ANALYSIS FOR EPIDEMIOLOGIC RECREATIONAL WATER STUDY

    EPA Science Inventory

    Introduction: The National Epidemiological and Environmental Assessment of Recreational Water Study (NEEAR) offers a rare opportunity for researchers. The study's design involves the collection of health data before and after visiting the beach in conjunction with water quality...

  16. Estimates of Intraclass Correlation for Variables Related to Behavioral HIV/STD Prevention in a Predominantly African American and Hispanic Sample of Young Women

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pals, Sherri L.; Beaty, Brenda L.; Posner, Samuel F.; Bull, Sheana S.

    2009-01-01

    Studies designed to evaluate HIV and STD prevention interventions often involve random assignment of groups such as neighborhoods or communities to study conditions (e.g., to intervention or control). Investigators who design group-randomized trials (GRTs) must take the expected intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) into account in sample size…

  17. Challenges to Providing End-of-Life Care to Low-Income Elders with Advanced Chronic Disease: Lessons Learned from a Model Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kramer, Betty J.; Auer, Casey

    2005-01-01

    Purpose: This study explored the challenges in providing end-of-life care to low-income elders with multiple comorbid chronic conditions in a fully "integrated" managed care program, and it highlighted essential recommendations. Design and Methods: A case-study design was used that involved an extensive analysis of qualitative data from five focus…

  18. Keys to Successful Implementation and Sustainment of Managed Maintenance for Healthcare Facilities

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2004-03-23

    second they involve studying those phenomena in all their complexity (Leedy and Ormrod, 2001). According to Denzin and Lincoln (1994), qualitative...people being studied (Leedy and Ormrod, 2001). Research Design Methodological Triangulation Denzin and Lincoln (1994) suggest because different...the setting. This dual view is refereed to as methodological triangulation ( Denzin and Lincoln , 1994). A research design develops a logical plan for

  19. Laboratory Training Manual on the Use of Nuclear Techniques in Pesticide Research. Technical Reports Series No. 225.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria).

    Radiolabelled pesticides are used: in studies involving improved formulations of pesticides, to assist in developing standard residue analytical methodology, and in obtaining metabolism data to support registration of pesticides. This manual is designed to give the scientist involved in pesticide research the basic terms and principles for…

  20. Integrating ARCS Motivational Theory into the Component Display Theory of Instructional Design.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marovitz, Mitchell E.; Buckley, Jeanne

    A two-stage study was conducted to determine the effects of motivational components in the learning experience. The first stage involved administration of a survey instrument to 150 teachers in the New York City area to obtain information on the means by which teachers incorporate motivation into their instruction. The second stage involved the…

  1. Adolescents in Transition: School and Family Characteristics in the Development of Violent Behaviors Entering High School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Frey, Ariel; Ruchkin, Vladislav; Martin, Andres; Schwab-Stone; Mary

    2009-01-01

    Adolescents are vulnerable to becoming involved in problematic behaviors, disengaging academically, and dropping out of school. This study was designed to evaluate the protective role of self-perceived school attachment and family involvement on the development of these negative behaviors during adolescence. The Social and Health Assessment (SAHA)…

  2. Social Skills Scores: The Impact of Primary School Population Characteristics and Parental Involvement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dekker, Karien; Kamerling, Margje

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: The paper aims to examine to what extent and why parental involvement as well as characteristics of ethnic school population influence social skills scores (social position, behavioural skills) of students. Design/methodology/approach: The study used the COOL5-18 database (2010) that included 553 Dutch primary schools and nearly 38,000…

  3. Education for Sustainability in University Studies: Experiences from a Project Involving European and Latin American Universities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Geli de Ciurana, Anna M.; Filho, Walter Leal

    2006-01-01

    Purpose: To report on a project involving European and Latin American universities, focusing on curriculum greening. Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents the experiences gained in connection with the "ACES Project" which is a model of the implementation of sustainability principles in higher education, with a special emphasis…

  4. ART/Ada design project, phase 1. Task 2 report: Detailed design

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allen, Bradley P.

    1988-01-01

    Various issues are studied in the context of the design of an Ada based expert system building tool. Using an existing successful design as a starting point, the impact is analyzed of the Ada language and Ada development methodologies on that design, the Ada system is redesigned, and its performance is analyzed using both complexity-theoretic and empirical techniques. The algorithms specified in the overall design are refined, resolving and documenting any open design issues, identifying each system module, documenting the internal architecture and control logic, and describing the primary data structures involved in the module.

  5. Effects of mothers involved in dental health program for their children.

    PubMed

    Choi, Hye Seon; Ahn, Hye Young

    2012-12-01

    The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of mothers' involvement in a dental health program for their elementary school children. This study was a non-equivalent control group pre-post test design in which knowledge and behaviors related to dental health, perceived benefits and barriers, self-efficacy and plaque control scores were compared between the experimental group (n=26) for whom the dental health program included the direct involvement of the mothers, and the control group (n=24) for whom knowledge related to dental health was provided through brochures. Scores for the experimental group in which the mothers were involved in the dental health program were significantly higher for knowledge, behaviors in dental health, self-efficacy and plaque control compared to the control group. Results of this study suggest that mothers involvement in the dental health program is effective in reinforcing dental health enhancing behavior in elementary school children.

  6. Stakeholder involvement in the design of a patient-centered comparative effectiveness trial of the "On the Move" group exercise program in community-dwelling older adults.

    PubMed

    Brach, Jennifer S; Perera, Subashan; Gilmore, Sandra; VanSwearingen, Jessie M; Brodine, Deborah; Wert, David; Nadkarni, Neelesh K; Ricci, Edmund

    2016-09-01

    Group exercise programs for older adults often exclude the timing and coordination of movement. Stakeholder involvement in the research process is strongly encouraged and improves the relevance and adoption of findings. We describe stakeholder involvement in the design of a clinical trial of a group-based exercise program that incorporates timing and coordination of movement into the exercises. The study was a cluster randomized, single-blind intervention trial to compare the effects on function, disability and mobility of a standard group exercise program and the "On the Move" group exercise program in older adults residing in independent living facilities and senior apartment buildings, and attending community centers. Exercise classes were twice weekly for 12weeks delivered by study exercise leaders and facility activity staff personnel. The primary outcomes function, disability and mobility were assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Function and disability were assessed using the Late Life Function and Disability Instrument, and mobility using the Six-Minute Walk Test and gait speed. Patient and provider stakeholders had significant input into the study aims, design, sample, intervention, outcomes and operational considerations. A community-based exercise program to improve walking can be developed to address both investigator identified missing components in current exercise to improve walking and stakeholder defined needs and interest for the activity program. Involvement of stakeholders substantially improves the relevance of research questions, increases the transparency of research activities and may accelerate the adoption of research into practice. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Stakeholder involvement in the design of a patient-centered comparative effectiveness trial of the “On the Move” group exercise program in community-dwelling older adults

    PubMed Central

    Brach, Jennifer S.; Perera, Subashan; Gilmore, Sandra; VanSwearingen, Jessie M.; Brodine, Deborah; Wert, David; Nadkarni, Neelesh K.; Ricci, Edmund

    2016-01-01

    Background Group exercise programs for older adults often exclude the timing and coordination of movement. Stakeholder involvement in the research process is strongly encouraged and improves the relevance and adoption of findings. We describe stakeholder involvement in the design of a clinical trial of a group-based exercise program that incorporates timing and coordination of movement into the exercises. Methods The study was a cluster randomized, single-blind intervention trial to compare the effects on function, disability and mobility of a standard group exercise program and the “On the Move” group exercise program in older adults residing in independent living facilities and senior apartment buildings, and attending community centers. Exercise classes were twice weekly for 12 weeks delivered by study exercise leaders and facility activity staff personnel. Outcomes The primary outcomes function, disability and mobility were assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Function and disability were assessed using the Late Life Function and Disability Instrument, and mobility using the Six-Minute Walk Test and gait speed. Stakeholders Patient and provider stakeholders had significant input into the study aims, design, sample, intervention, outcomes and operational considerations. Summary A community-based exercise program to improve walking can be developed to address both investigator identified missing components in current exercise to improve walking and stakeholder defined needs and interest for the activity program. Involvement of stakeholders substantially improves the relevance of research questions, increases the transparency of research activities and may accelerate the adoption of research into practice. PMID:27521806

  8. How system designers think: a study of design thinking in human factors engineering.

    PubMed

    Papantonopoulos, Sotiris

    2004-11-01

    The paper presents a descriptive study of design thinking in human factors engineering. The objective of the study is to analyse the role of interpretation in design thinking and the role of design practice in guiding interpretation. The study involved 10 system designers undertaking the allocation of cognitive functions in three production planning and control task scenarios. Allocation decisions were recorded and verbal protocols of the design process were collected to elicit the subjects' thought processes. Verbal protocol analysis showed that subjects carried out the design of cognitive task allocation as a problem of applying a selected automation technology from their initial design deliberations. This design strategy stands in contrast to the predominant view of system design that stipulates that user requirements should be thoroughly analysed prior to making any decisions about technology. Theoretical frameworks from design research and ontological design showed that the system design process may be better understood by recognizing the role of design hypotheses in system design, as well as the diverse interactions between interpretation and practice, means and ends, and design practice and the designer's pre-understanding which shape the design process. Ways to balance the bias exerted on the design process were discussed.

  9. A web-based program for informal caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease: an iterative user-centered design.

    PubMed

    Cristancho-Lacroix, Victoria; Moulin, Florence; Wrobel, Jérémy; Batrancourt, Bénédicte; Plichart, Matthieu; De Rotrou, Jocelyne; Cantegreil-Kallen, Inge; Rigaud, Anne-Sophie

    2014-09-15

    Web-based programs have been developed for informal caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease (PWAD). However, these programs can prove difficult to adopt, especially for older people, who are less familiar with the Internet than other populations. Despite the fundamental role of usability testing in promoting caregivers' correct use and adoption of these programs, to our knowledge, this is the first study describing this process before evaluating a program for caregivers of PWAD in a randomized clinical trial. The objective of the study was to describe the development process of a fully automated Web-based program for caregivers of PWAD, aiming to reduce caregivers' stress, and based on the user-centered design approach. There were 49 participants (12 health care professionals, 6 caregivers, and 31 healthy older adults) that were involved in a double iterative design allowing for the adaptation of program content and for the enhancement of website usability. This process included three component parts: (1) project team workshops, (2) a proof of concept, and (3) two usability tests. The usability tests were based on a mixed methodology using behavioral analysis, semistructured interviews, and a usability questionnaire. The user-centered design approach provided valuable guidelines to adapt the content and design of the program, and to improve website usability. The professionals, caregivers (mainly spouses), and older adults considered that our project met the needs of isolated caregivers. Participants underlined that contact between caregivers would be desirable. During usability observations, the mistakes of users were also due to ergonomics issues from Internet browsers and computer interfaces. Moreover, negative self-stereotyping was evidenced, when comparing interviews and results of behavioral analysis. Face-to-face psycho-educational programs may be used as a basis for Web-based programs. Nevertheless, a user-centered design approach involving targeted users (or their representatives) remains crucial for their correct use and adoption. For future user-centered design studies, we recommend to involve end-users from preconception stages, using a mixed research method in usability evaluations, and implementing pilot studies to evaluate acceptability and feasibility of programs.

  10. Engaging parents to increase youth physical activity a systematic review.

    PubMed

    O'Connor, Teresia M; Jago, Russell; Baranowski, Tom

    2009-08-01

    Parents are often involved in interventions to engage youth in physical activity, but it is not clear which methods for involving parents are effective. A systematic review was conducted of interventions with physical activity and parental components among healthy youth to identify how best to involve parents in physical activity interventions for children. Identified intervention studies were reviewed in 2008 for study design, description of family components, and physical activity outcomes. The quality of reporting was assessed using the CONSORT checklist for reporting on trials of nonpharmacologic treatments. The literature search identified 1227 articles, 35 of which met review criteria. Five of the 14 RCTs met > or =70% of CONSORT checklist items. Five general procedures for involving parents were identified: (1) face-to-face educational programs or parent training, (2) family participatory exercise programs, (3) telephone communication, (4) organized activities, and (5) educational materials sent home. Lack of uniformity in reporting trials, multiple pilot studies, and varied measurements of physical activity outcomes prohibited systematic conclusions. Interventions with educational or training programs during family visits or via telephone communication with parents appear to offer some promise. There is little evidence for effectiveness of family involvement methods in programs for promoting physical activity in children, because of the heterogeneity of study design, study quality, and outcome measures used. There is a need to build an evidence base of more-predictive models of child physical activity that include parent and child mediating variables and procedures that can effect changes in these variables for future family-based physical activity interventions.

  11. Using Pamphlets to Teach Biochemistry: A Service-Learning Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harrison, Melinda A.; Dunbar, David; Lopatto, David

    2013-01-01

    A service-learning project appropriate for a biochemistry or advanced biochemistry course was designed and implemented. The project involved students partnering with a homeless shelter to design informational pamphlets to be displayed at the shelter for the clients' use. The pamphlet topics were based on diseases studied within the course.…

  12. Alternatives for jet engine control

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sain, M. K.

    1983-01-01

    The technical progress of researches on alternatives for jet engine control, is reported. The principal new activities involved the initial testing of an input design method for choosing the inputs to a non-linear system to aid the approximation of its tensor parameters, and the beginning of order reduction studies designed to remove unnecessary monomials from tensor models.

  13. 40 CFR 300.515 - Requirements for state involvement in remedial and enforcement response.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... not limited to, remedial investigations, feasibility studies, and remedial designs, the state agency... later than the early stages of the comparative analysis described in § 300.430(e)(9), such that... separate phase or activity, for supervising the remedial design and construction of the entire remedy. (2...

  14. Towards a Taxonomy of Intergenerational Knowledge Transfer Practices: Insights from an International Comparison (Germany-Quebec)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kuyken, Kerstin; Ebrahimi, Mehran; Saives, Anne-Laure

    2018-01-01

    Purpose: This paper aims to develop a better understanding of intergenerational knowledge transfer (IKT) practices by adopting a context-related and comparative perspective. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative case study design involving 83 interviews and non-participative observation in German and Quebec organizations has been chosen.…

  15. 40 CFR 300.515 - Requirements for state involvement in remedial and enforcement response.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... not limited to, remedial investigations, feasibility studies, and remedial designs, the state agency... later than the early stages of the comparative analysis described in § 300.430(e)(9), such that... separate phase or activity, for supervising the remedial design and construction of the entire remedy. (2...

  16. 40 CFR 300.515 - Requirements for state involvement in remedial and enforcement response.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... not limited to, remedial investigations, feasibility studies, and remedial designs, the state agency... later than the early stages of the comparative analysis described in § 300.430(e)(9), such that... separate phase or activity, for supervising the remedial design and construction of the entire remedy. (2...

  17. 40 CFR 300.515 - Requirements for state involvement in remedial and enforcement response.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... not limited to, remedial investigations, feasibility studies, and remedial designs, the state agency... later than the early stages of the comparative analysis described in § 300.430(e)(9), such that... separate phase or activity, for supervising the remedial design and construction of the entire remedy. (2...

  18. 40 CFR 300.515 - Requirements for state involvement in remedial and enforcement response.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... not limited to, remedial investigations, feasibility studies, and remedial designs, the state agency... later than the early stages of the comparative analysis described in § 300.430(e)(9), such that... separate phase or activity, for supervising the remedial design and construction of the entire remedy. (2...

  19. Measuring Thermal Variations in a Valley Environment Using a Team, Field Project Designed by Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Abbott, J. Anthony

    2006-01-01

    Students frequently struggle when scientific instruction seems divorced from personal experience, especially in the physical sub-disciplines, like climatology, where exercise books often present historical or abstracted case studies. In contrast I present a three-phase project involving student input on experimental design, data collection, and…

  20. Using Participatory Design to Improve Web Sites

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nikolova-Houston, Tatiana

    2005-01-01

    In this article, the author, a doctoral candidate from the School of Information at the University of Texas-Austin, describes the experience gathered from her attempt to redesign her existing Web sites in order to supply online resources for Slavic and Byzantine studies. The use of participatory design, which involves the users in creating the…

  1. Discussion of the Effectiveness of the National Accreditation Process of Secondary Science Education Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bazler, Judith A.; Van Sickle, Meta; Simonis, Doris; Graybill, Letty; Sorenson, Nancy; Brounstein, Erica

    2014-01-01

    This paper reflects upon the development, design, and results of a questionnaire distributed to professors of science education concerning the processes involved in a national accreditation of teacher education programs in science. After a pilot study, five professors/administrators from public and private institutions designed a questionnaire and…

  2. The Effects of a Course in Science and Culture Designed for Secondary School Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cossman, George Wilford

    This study was designed to evaluate the success of an experimental secondary school course for fostering scientific literacy and the development of scientific attitudes. Students were matched using I.Q., sex, grade level, involvement with formal science courses, and cumulative grade point average. Twenty-one "self selected" eleventh and…

  3. Case Study III: The University of Washington and Bellevue School District Partnership

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coburn, Cynthia E.; Penuel, William R.; Geil, Kimberly E.

    2015-01-01

    This design-research partnership involves learning scientists, design researchers, and graduate students from the Learning in Informal and Formal Environments (LIFE) Center and the College of Education at the University of Washington (UW), and district staff, teachers, and students from the Bellevue School District (BSD). The goal of their work is…

  4. The Teacher as Re-Designer of Technology Integrated Activities for an Early Literacy Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cviko, Amina; McKenney, Susan; Voogt, Joke

    2013-01-01

    Though popular among children outside of school, Dutch teachers often struggle to offer technology integrated activities in the kindergarten classroom. Because involving teachers in development of technology integrated activities can support their implementation, this study examines teachers in the role of re-designing such activities. Two case…

  5. MALL in the Wild: Learners' Designs for Scaffolding Vocabulary Learning Trajectories

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Underwood, Joshua; Luckin, Rosemary; Winters, Niall

    2014-01-01

    This study aims to inform the design of mobile apps for vocabulary learning. Learning vocabulary involves developing, connecting, and sustaining various types of knowledge and skills. Learners do not typically acquire these all at once, but rather over the course of distinct episodes of activity. Yet, little is known about learning experience…

  6. Stroke Survivors' Evaluations of a Stroke Workbook-Based Intervention Designed to Increase Perceived Control over Recovery

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Joice, Sara; Johnston, Marie; Bonetti, Debbie; Morrison, Val; MacWalter, Ron

    2012-01-01

    Objective: To report stroke survivors' experiences and perceived usefulness of an effective self-help workbook-based intervention. Design: A cross-sectional study involving the intervention group of an earlier randomized controlled trial. Setting: At the participants' homes approximately seven weeks post-hospital discharge. Method: Following the…

  7. Sexuality Education in South African Schools: The Challenge for Civil Society Organisations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adams Tucker, Leigh; George, Gavin; Reardon, Candice; Panday, Saadhna

    2017-01-01

    Objective: Drawing on the perceptions of various key stakeholders, the paper explores the strengths and limitations of involving civil society organisations in the delivery of HIV and AIDS and sexuality education in South African schools. Design: Qualitative study with a cross-sectional design. Setting: Research was conducted at 16 public…

  8. Blended Learning in Vocational Education: Teachers' Conceptions of Blended Learning and Their Approaches to Teaching and Design

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bliuc, Ana-Maria; Casey, Grant; Bachfischer, Agnieszka; Goodyear, Peter; Ellis, Robert A.

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents research exploring teachers' experiences of using blended learning in vocational education. Teachers involved in designing and teaching using blended learning from a major Australian vocational education provider participated in the study. They received open-ended questionnaires asking to describe their conceptions of blended…

  9. Comparison of Performance Due to Guided Hyperlearning, Unguided Hyperlearning, and Conventional Learning in Mathematics: An Empirical Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fathurrohman, Maman; Porter, Anne; Worthy, Annette L.

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, the use of guided hyperlearning, unguided hyperlearning, and conventional learning methods in mathematics are compared. The design of the research involved a quasi-experiment with a modified single-factor multiple treatment design comparing the three learning methods, guided hyperlearning, unguided hyperlearning, and conventional…

  10. A More Powerful Test in Three-Level Cluster Randomized Designs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Konstantopoulos, Spyros

    2011-01-01

    Field experiments that involve nested structures frequently assign treatment conditions to entire groups (such as schools). A key aspect of the design of such experiments includes knowledge of the clustering effects that are often expressed via intraclass correlation. This study provides methods for constructing a more powerful test for the…

  11. Impact of an inquiry unit on grade 4 students' science learning

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Di Mauro, María Florencia; Furman, Melina

    2016-09-01

    This paper concerns the identification of teaching strategies that enhance the development of 4th grade students' experimental design skills at a public primary school in Argentina. Students' performance in the design of relevant experiments was evaluated before and after an eight-week intervention compared to a control group, as well as the persistence of this learning after eight months. The study involved a quasi-experimental longitudinal study with pre-test/post-test/delayed post-test measures, complemented with semi-structured interviews with randomly selected students. Our findings showed improvement in the experimental design skills as well as its sustainability among students working with the inquiry-based sequence. After the intervention, students were able to establish valid comparisons, propose pertinent designs and identify variables that should remain constant. Contrarily, students in the control group showed no improvement and continued to solve the posed problems based on prior beliefs. In summary, this paper shows evidence that implementing inquiry-based units involving problems set in cross-domain everyday situations that combine independent student work with teacher guidance significantly improves the development of scientific skills in real classroom contexts.

  12. Study of Using Excess Stock to Reduce Naval Aviation Depot-Level Repairable Piece Part Backorders

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-12-01

    Designator Code, may get involved to ensure timely receipt. When a high-priority (Issue Priority Group 1) requisition is backordered, a CAS...alternative source for acquiring bit-piece parts is Navy excess material. Excess material is inventory designated by Navy organizations as meeting...potential alternative source for acquiring bit-piece parts is Navy excess material. Excess material is inventory designated by Navy organizations as

  13. Analysis of optical route in a micro high-speed magneto-optic switch

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weng, Zihua; Yang, Guoguang; Huang, Yuanqing; Chen, Zhimin; Zhu, Yun; Wu, Jinming; Lin, Shufen; Mo, Weiping

    2005-02-01

    A novel micro high-speed 2x2 magneto-optic switch and its optical route, which is used in high-speed all-optical communication network, is designed and analyzed in this paper. The study of micro high-speed magneto-optic switch mainly involves the optical route and high-speed control technique design. The optical route design covers optical route design of polarization in optical switch, the performance analysis and material selection of magneto-optic crystal and magnetic path design in Faraday rotator. The research of high-speed control technique involves the study of nanosecond pulse generator, high-speed magnetic field and its control technique etc. High-speed current transients from nanosecond pulse generator are used to switch the magnetization of the magneto-optic crystal, which propagates a 1550nm optical beam. The optical route design schemes and electronic circuits of high-speed control technique are both simulated on computer and test by the experiments respectively. The experiment results state that the nanosecond pulse generator can output the pulse with rising edge time 3~35ns, voltage amplitude 10~90V and pulse width 10~100ns. Under the control of CPU singlechip, the optical beam can be stably switched and the switching time is less than 1μs currently.

  14. Design and development of progressive tool for manufacturing washer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Annigeri, Ulhas K.; Raghavendra Ravi Kiran, K.; Deepthi, Y. P.

    2017-07-01

    In a progressive tool the raw material is worked at different station to finally fabricate the component. A progressive tool is a lucrative tool for mass production of components. A lot of automobile and other transport industries develop progressive tool for the production of components. The design of tool involves lot of planning and the same amount of skill of process planning is required in the fabrication of the tool. The design also involves use of thumb rules and standard elements as per experience gained in practice. Manufacturing the press tool is a laborious task as special jigs and fixtures have to be designed for the purpose. Assembly of all the press tool elements is another task where use of accurate measuring instruments for alignment of various tool elements is important. In the present study, design and fabrication of progressive press tool for production of washer has been developed and the press tool has been tried out on a mechanical type of press. The components produced are to dimensions.

  15. Defining and evaluating novel procedures for involving patients in Core Outcome Set research: creating a meaningful long list of candidate outcome domains.

    PubMed

    Smith, Harriet; Horobin, Adele; Fackrell, Kathryn; Colley, Veronica; Thacker, Brian; Hall, Deborah A

    2018-01-01

    Outcome domains are aspects of a condition that matter to patients and clinicians and can be measured to assess treatment effects. For tinnitus, examples include 'tinnitus loudness' and 'ability to concentrate'. This study focuses on the first stage of agreeing which outcome domains should be measured in all clinical trials of tinnitus. Crucially, it involves identifying outcome domains, prior to a voting process. This article describes how we effectively involved patients in that study design process, and reflects on the impact of their input.The study first compiled a long list of all possible outcome domains before asking interested parties, including patients, to vote which ones to include. Ensuring patients fully participate in this process holds unique challenges as it can be long, repetitive and its purpose far removed from their needs. These challenges may be addressed by involving patients in designing the research. There is evidence that other research teams are doing this, but its reporting is not detailed enough to guide others. Our paper seeks to address this.We describe how we involved patients (people living with tinnitus) in creating a long list of outcome domains that we included in our study. We also reflect on the benefits this brought. Two patients partnered with us in designing the survey. We also consulted an independent patient review panel. Involving patients reduced the list of domains included in the survey and made domain names and associated descriptions clearer. Our resulting survey performed well in recruiting and retaining patients as participants. Background Tinnitus is a complex audiological condition affecting many different domains of everyday life. Clinical trials of tinnitus interventions measure and report those outcome domains inconsistently and this hinders direct comparison between study findings. To address this problem, an ongoing project is developing a Core Outcome Set; an agreed list of outcome domains to be measured and reported in all future trials. Part of this project uses a consensus methodology ('Delphi' survey), whereby all relevant stakeholders identify important and critical outcome domains from a long list of candidates. This article addresses a gap in the patient involvement literature by describing and reflecting on our involvement of patients to create a meaningful long list of candidate outcome domains. Methods Two Public Research Partners with lived experience of tinnitus reviewed an initial list of 124 outcome domains over two face-to-face workshops. With the Study Management Team, they interpreted each candidate outcome domain and generated a plain language description. Following this, the domain names and descriptions underwent an additional lay review by 14 patients and 5 clinical experts, via an online survey platform. Results Insights gained from the workshops and survey feedback prompted substantial, unforeseen modifications to the long list. These included the reduction of the number of outcome domains (from 124 to 66) via the exclusion of broad concepts and consolidation of equivalent domains or domains outside the scope of the study. Reviewers also applied their lived experience of tinnitus to bring clarity and relevance to domain names and plain language descriptions. Four impacts on the Delphi survey were observed: recruitment exceeded the target by 171%, there were equivalent numbers of patient and professional participants ( n  = 358 and n  = 312, respectively), feedback was mostly positive, and retention was high (87%). Conclusions Patient involvement was an integral and transformative step of the study design process. Patient involvement was impactful because the online Delphi survey was successful in recruiting and retaining participants, and there were many comments about a positive participatory experience. Seven general methodological features are highlighted which fit with general principles of good patient involvement. These can benefit other Core Outcome Set developers.

  16. The Obstacles for the Teaching of 8th Grade TR History of Revolution and Kemalism Course According to the Constructivist Approach (An Example of Exploratory Sequential Mixed Method Design)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karademir, Yavuz; Demir, Selcuk Besir

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study is to ascertain the problems social studies teachers face in the teaching of topics covered in 8th grade TRHRK Course. The study was conducted in line with explanatory sequential mixed method design, which is one of the mixed research method, was used. The study involves three phases. In the first step, exploratory process…

  17. Fusion reactor blanket/shield design study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smith, D. L.; Clemmer, R. G.; Harkness, S. D.; Jung, J.; Krazinski, J. L.; Mattas, R. F.; Stevens, H. C.; Youngdahl, C. K.; Trachsel, C.; Bowers, D.

    1979-07-01

    A joint study of Tokamak reactor first wall/blanket/shield technology was conducted to identify key technological limitations for various tritium breeding blanket design concepts, establishment of a basis for assessment and comparison of the design features of each concept, and development of optimized blanket designs. The approach used involved a review of previously proposed blanket designs, analysis of critical technological problems and design features associated with each of the blanket concepts, and a detailed evaluation of the most tractable design concepts. Tritium breeding blanket concepts were evaluated according to the proposed coolant. The effort concentrated on evaluation of lithium and water cooled blanket designs and helium and molten salt cooled designs. Generalized nuclear analysis of the tritium breeding performance, an analysis of tritium breeding requirements, and a first wall stress analysis were conducted as part of the study. The impact of coolant selection on the mechanical design of a Tokamak reactor was evaluated. Reference blanket designs utilizing the four candidate coolants are presented.

  18. Flat-plate photovoltaic array design optimization

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ross, R. G., Jr.

    1980-01-01

    An analysis is presented which integrates the results of specific studies in the areas of photovoltaic structural design optimization, optimization of array series/parallel circuit design, thermal design optimization, and optimization of environmental protection features. The analysis is based on minimizing the total photovoltaic system life-cycle energy cost including repair and replacement of failed cells and modules. This approach is shown to be a useful technique for array optimization, particularly when time-dependent parameters such as array degradation and maintenance are involved.

  19. Space Operations Center, shuttle interaction study, volume 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1981-01-01

    The implication of using the Shuttle with the SOC, including constraints that the Shuttle places upon the SOC design is studied. The considerations involved in the use of the Shuttle as a part of the SOC concept, and the constraints to the SOC imposed by the Shuttle in its interactions with the SOC, and on the design or technical solutions which allow satisfactory accomplishment of the interactions are identified.

  20. Increasing value and reducing waste in research design, conduct, and analysis.

    PubMed

    Ioannidis, John P A; Greenland, Sander; Hlatky, Mark A; Khoury, Muin J; Macleod, Malcolm R; Moher, David; Schulz, Kenneth F; Tibshirani, Robert

    2014-01-11

    Correctable weaknesses in the design, conduct, and analysis of biomedical and public health research studies can produce misleading results and waste valuable resources. Small effects can be difficult to distinguish from bias introduced by study design and analyses. An absence of detailed written protocols and poor documentation of research is common. Information obtained might not be useful or important, and statistical precision or power is often too low or used in a misleading way. Insufficient consideration might be given to both previous and continuing studies. Arbitrary choice of analyses and an overemphasis on random extremes might affect the reported findings. Several problems relate to the research workforce, including failure to involve experienced statisticians and methodologists, failure to train clinical researchers and laboratory scientists in research methods and design, and the involvement of stakeholders with conflicts of interest. Inadequate emphasis is placed on recording of research decisions and on reproducibility of research. Finally, reward systems incentivise quantity more than quality, and novelty more than reliability. We propose potential solutions for these problems, including improvements in protocols and documentation, consideration of evidence from studies in progress, standardisation of research efforts, optimisation and training of an experienced and non-conflicted scientific workforce, and reconsideration of scientific reward systems. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. 32 CFR 206.3 - Overall program emphasis.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... curriculum development efforts. Such efforts may involve intensive language study designed for different... comparative terms. Students in these areas also need quality opportunities in international education. (3...

  2. 32 CFR 206.3 - Overall program emphasis.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... curriculum development efforts. Such efforts may involve intensive language study designed for different... comparative terms. Students in these areas also need quality opportunities in international education. (3...

  3. 32 CFR 206.3 - Overall program emphasis.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... curriculum development efforts. Such efforts may involve intensive language study designed for different... comparative terms. Students in these areas also need quality opportunities in international education. (3...

  4. 32 CFR 206.3 - Overall program emphasis.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... curriculum development efforts. Such efforts may involve intensive language study designed for different... comparative terms. Students in these areas also need quality opportunities in international education. (3...

  5. 32 CFR 206.3 - Overall program emphasis.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... curriculum development efforts. Such efforts may involve intensive language study designed for different... comparative terms. Students in these areas also need quality opportunities in international education. (3...

  6. Integrated control-structure design

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hunziker, K. Scott; Kraft, Raymond H.; Bossi, Joseph A.

    1991-01-01

    A new approach for the design and control of flexible space structures is described. The approach integrates the structure and controller design processes thereby providing extra opportunities for avoiding some of the disastrous effects of control-structures interaction and for discovering new, unexpected avenues of future structural design. A control formulation based on Boyd's implementation of Youla parameterization is employed. Control design parameters are coupled with structural design variables to produce a set of integrated-design variables which are selected through optimization-based methodology. A performance index reflecting spacecraft mission goals and constraints is formulated and optimized with respect to the integrated design variables. Initial studies have been concerned with achieving mission requirements with a lighter, more flexible space structure. Details of the formulation of the integrated-design approach are presented and results are given from a study involving the integrated redesign of a flexible geostationary platform.

  7. Independence and shared decision making: the role of smart home technology in empowering older adults.

    PubMed

    Demiris, George

    2009-01-01

    This study aims to explore the concepts of independence and shared decision making in the context of smart home technologies for older adults. We conducted a Delphi study with three rounds involving smart home designers, and researchers as well as community dwelling older adults. While there were differences in the way different stakeholders define these concepts, the study findings provide clear implications for the design, implementation and evaluation of smart home applications.

  8. Are all sport activities equal? A systematic review of how youth psychosocial experiences vary across differing sport activities.

    PubMed

    Evans, M Blair; Allan, Veronica; Erickson, Karl; Martin, Luc J; Budziszewski, Ross; Côté, Jean

    2017-02-01

    Models of sport development often support the assumption that young athletes' psychosocial experiences differ as a result of seemingly minor variations in how their sport activities are designed (eg, participating in team or individual sport; sampling many sports or specialising at an early age). This review was conducted to systematically search sport literature and explore how the design of sport activities relates to psychosocial outcomes. Systematic search, followed by data extraction and synthesis. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were applied and a coding sheet was used to extract article information and code for risk of bias. Academic databases and manual search of peer-reviewed journals. Search criteria determined eligibility primarily based on the sample (eg, ages 7 through 17 years) and study design (eg, measured psychosocial constructs). 35 studies were located and were classified within three categories: (1) sport types, (2) sport settings, and (3) individual patterns of sport involvement. These studies represented a wide range of scores when assessed for risk of bias and involved an array of psychosocial constructs, with the most prevalent investigations predicting outcomes such as youth development, self-esteem and depression by comparing (1) team or individual sport participants and (2) youth with varying amounts of sport involvement. As variations in sport activities impact youth sport experiences, it is vital for researchers to carefully describe and study these factors, while practitioners may use the current findings when designing youth sport programmes. 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/.

  9. Trainees' self-evaluation of their development as psychotherapists: An Italian contribution to an international collaborative study on psychotherapy training.

    PubMed

    Messina, Irene; Gelo, Omar C G; Sambin, Marco; Bianco, Francesca; Mosconi, Andrea; Fenelli, Antonio; Curto, Marcello; Gullo, Salvo; Orlinsky, David

    2018-03-01

    This study presents a pilot contribution to the new collaborative, multinational study of psychotherapy trainee development that was undertaken by the Society for Psychotherapy Research Interest Section on Therapist Training and Development (see Orlinsky, Strauss, Rønnestad, et al., ). Although the main project is longitudinal in design, this preliminary study investigated cross-sectional differences between trainees in different years of training and explored the influence of core training experiences-including supervision and personal therapy-on their perceived development as therapists. Using the trainee current-progress report that was designed for the Society for Psychotherapy Research Interest Section on Therapist Training and Development project, 90 trainees at 4 different 4-year training programs in Italy provided self-evaluations of their development and of their therapeutic work experiences. Perceived development included overall change, progress, deterioration, overcoming past limitations, and realization of potential as a therapist. Therapeutic work experiences were assessed using scales of healing and stressful involvement (Orlinsky & Rønnestad, ). Year in training and support in supervision predicted perceived development and healing involvement, whereas experiencing criticism in supervision was associated with stressful involvement. Having had personal therapy, and especially ratings of benefit from personal therapy, was also associated with perceived development and healing involvement. Results are discussed with regard of their implications for psychotherapy training. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  10. Drug and alcohol crash risk : a case-control study.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2016-12-01

    This study used a case-control design to estimate the risk of crashes involving drivers using drugs, alcohol or both. Data was collected in Virginia Beach, Virginia, for 20 months. The study obtained biological measures on more than 3,000 crash...

  11. A SURVEY OF LABORATORY AND STATISTICAL ISSUES RELATED TO FARMWORKER EXPOSURE STUDIES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Developing internally valid, and perhaps generalizable, farmworker exposure studies is a complex process that involves many statistical and laboratory considerations. Statistics are an integral component of each study beginning with the design stage and continuing to the final da...

  12. Tag Clouds as a Pathway to Improved Pedagogical Efficacy in Information Systems Courses: A Baseline Study Involving Web 2.0 Technologies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Conn, Samuel S.; English, John; Scheffler, Fred; Hall, Simin

    2011-01-01

    Various Web 2.0 technologies can be used to support pedagogy. Examples include wikis, blogs, and social media including forum discussions. Online class forum discussions involving electronic text can result in robust strings of data containing meta-knowledge, inherent meaning, themes and patterns. Based on instructional design, learning outcomes…

  13. An Undergraduate Study of Two Transcription Factors that Promote Lateral Root Formation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bargmann, Bastiaan O. R.; Birnbaum, Kenneth D.; Brenner, Eric D.

    2014-01-01

    We present a lab that enables students to test the role of genes involved in the regulation of lateral roots growth in the model plant "Arabidopsis thaliana." Here, students design an experiment that follows the effects of the hormone auxin on the stimulation of genes involved in the formation of lateral root initials. These genes, known…

  14. Perceived and Actual Motivational Climate of a Mastery-Involving Sport Education Season

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hastie, Peter; Sinelnikov, Oleg; Wallhead, Tristan; Layne, Todd

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of the study was to implement a Sport Education season designed to be mastery-involving and examine the degree of congruence between the objective measure of the presented climate with the students' perceptions of the saliency of this motivational climate. Twenty-one male high school students (mean age of 15.9 years) and one expert…

  15. Natural environment design criteria for the Space Station definition and preliminary design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vaughan, W. W.; Green, C. E.

    1985-03-01

    The natural environment design criteria for the Space Station Program (SSP) definition and preliminary design are presented. Information on the atmospheric, dynamic and thermodynamic environments, meteoroids, radiation, magnetic fields, physical constants, etc. is provided with the intension of enabling all groups involved in the definition and preliminary design studies to proceed with a common and consistent set of natural environment criteria requirements. The space station program elements (SSPE) shall be designed with no operational sensitivity to natural environment conditions during assembly, checkout, stowage, launch, and orbital operations to the maximum degree practical.

  16. Natural environment design criteria for the Space Station definition and preliminary design

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vaughan, W. W.; Green, C. E.

    1985-01-01

    The natural environment design criteria for the Space Station Program (SSP) definition and preliminary design are presented. Information on the atmospheric, dynamic and thermodynamic environments, meteoroids, radiation, magnetic fields, physical constants, etc. is provided with the intension of enabling all groups involved in the definition and preliminary design studies to proceed with a common and consistent set of natural environment criteria requirements. The space station program elements (SSPE) shall be designed with no operational sensitivity to natural environment conditions during assembly, checkout, stowage, launch, and orbital operations to the maximum degree practical.

  17. The development of Drink Less: an alcohol reduction smartphone app for excessive drinkers.

    PubMed

    Garnett, Claire; Crane, David; West, Robert; Brown, Jamie; Michie, Susan

    2018-05-04

    Excessive alcohol consumption poses a serious problem for public health. Digital behavior change interventions have the potential to help users reduce their drinking. In accordance with Open Science principles, this paper describes the development of a smartphone app to help individuals who drink excessively to reduce their alcohol consumption. Following the UK Medical Research Council's guidance and the Multiphase Optimization Strategy, development consisted of two phases: (i) selection of intervention components and (ii) design and development work to implement the chosen components into modules to be evaluated further for inclusion in the app. Phase 1 involved a scoping literature review, expert consensus study and content analysis of existing alcohol apps. Findings were integrated within a broad model of behavior change (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behavior). Phase 2 involved a highly iterative process and used the "Person-Based" approach to promote engagement. From Phase 1, five intervention components were selected: (i) Normative Feedback, (ii) Cognitive Bias Re-training, (iii) Self-monitoring and Feedback, (iv) Action Planning, and (v) Identity Change. Phase 2 indicated that each of these components presented different challenges for implementation as app modules; all required multiple iterations and design changes to arrive at versions that would be suitable for inclusion in a subsequent evaluation study. The development of the Drink Less app involved a thorough process of component identification with a scoping literature review, expert consensus, and review of other apps. Translation of the components into app modules required a highly iterative process involving user testing and design modification.

  18. A brief understanding of process optimisation in microwave-assisted extraction of botanical materials: options and opportunities with chemometric tools.

    PubMed

    Das, Anup Kumar; Mandal, Vivekananda; Mandal, Subhash C

    2014-01-01

    Extraction forms the very basic step in research on natural products for drug discovery. A poorly optimised and planned extraction methodology can jeopardise the entire mission. To provide a vivid picture of different chemometric tools and planning for process optimisation and method development in extraction of botanical material, with emphasis on microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) of botanical material. A review of studies involving the application of chemometric tools in combination with MAE of botanical materials was undertaken in order to discover what the significant extraction factors were. Optimising a response by fine-tuning those factors, experimental design or statistical design of experiment (DoE), which is a core area of study in chemometrics, was then used for statistical analysis and interpretations. In this review a brief explanation of the different aspects and methodologies related to MAE of botanical materials that were subjected to experimental design, along with some general chemometric tools and the steps involved in the practice of MAE, are presented. A detailed study on various factors and responses involved in the optimisation is also presented. This article will assist in obtaining a better insight into the chemometric strategies of process optimisation and method development, which will in turn improve the decision-making process in selecting influential extraction parameters. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  19. The influence of viewing an entertainment-education program on cornea donation intention: a test of the theory of planned behavior.

    PubMed

    Bae, Hyuhn-Suhck; Kang, Seok

    2008-01-01

    This study was designed to examine the role of issue involvement and the 3 components of the theory of planned behavior in predicting intentions to sign a cornea donor card. This study also compares viewers and nonviewers of an entertainment-education program in terms of issue involvement and the theory of planned behavior. The breakdown of effects for the latent constructs confirms that issue involvement is an important intermediary in the persuasion process. Issue involvement is a common causal antecedent of attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control, the last 2 of which, in turn, predict intentions, whereas attitude does not. The revised path model confirms that involvement directly influences intentions. In the comparison of viewers with nonviewers, viewers exhibit a significantly higher degree of involvement, attitude toward cornea donation, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, and intention to sign a cornea donor card. The overall findings of this study suggest that adding issue involvement in the theory of planned behavior enhances the explanatory power of the theory in predicting intentions.

  20. Concurrent Mission and Systems Design at NASA Glenn Research Center: The Origins of the COMPASS Team

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    McGuire, Melissa L.; Oleson, Steven R.; Sarver-Verhey, Timothy R.

    2012-01-01

    Established at the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) in 2006 to meet the need for rapid mission analysis and multi-disciplinary systems design for in-space and human missions, the Collaborative Modeling for Parametric Assessment of Space Systems (COMPASS) team is a multidisciplinary, concurrent engineering group whose primary purpose is to perform integrated systems analysis, but it is also capable of designing any system that involves one or more of the disciplines present in the team. The authors were involved in the development of the COMPASS team and its design process, and are continuously making refinements and enhancements. The team was unofficially started in the early 2000s as part of the distributed team known as Team JIMO (Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter) in support of the multi-center collaborative JIMO spacecraft design during Project Prometheus. This paper documents the origins of a concurrent mission and systems design team at GRC and how it evolved into the COMPASS team, including defining the process, gathering the team and tools, building the facility, and performing studies.

  1. The Influence of Study Away Experiences on Global Perspective-Taking

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Engberg, Mark E.

    2013-01-01

    This article examines the relationship between 2 study away experiences--study abroad and service-learning--and the development of a global perspective. Three different studies are presented using cross-sectional and longitudinal designs and multi-institutional samples. The results specifically link involvement in study abroad and service-learning…

  2. Exploring Diversity within Citizenship Behavior

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martin, Leisa A.

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine middle school students' citizenship behavior. Design/methodology/approach: The study involved an open-ended survey. Findings: In a previous study, when asked about citizenship, youth typically emphasized the importance of helping others. However, in this study, a different pattern of citizenship…

  3. Identification of human cytochrome P450 2D6 as major enzyme involved in the O-demethylation of the designer drug p-methoxymethamphetamine.

    PubMed

    Staack, Roland F; Theobald, Denis S; Paul, Liane D; Springer, Dietmar; Kraemer, Thomas; Maurer, Hans H

    2004-04-01

    p-Methoxymethamphetamine (PMMA) is a new designer drug, listed in many countries as a controlled substance. Several fatalities have been attributed to the abuse of this designer drug. Previous in vivo studies using Wistar rats had shown that PMMA was metabolized mainly by O-demethylation. The aim of the study presented here was to identify the human hepatic cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes involved in the biotransformation of PMMA to p-hydroxymethamphetamine. Baculovirus-infected insect cell microsomes, pooled human liver microsomes (pHLMs), and CYP2D6 poor-metabolizer genotype human liver microsomes (PM HLMs) were used for this purpose. Only CYP2D6 catalyzed O-demethylation. The apparent K(m) and V(max) values in baculovirus-infected insect cell microsomes were 4.6 +/- 1.0 microM and 92.0 +/- 3.7 pmol/min/pmol P450, respectively, and 42.0 +/- 4.0 microM and 412.5 +/- 10.8 pmol/min/mg protein in pHLMs. Inhibition studies with 1 microM quinidine showed significant inhibition of the metabolite formation (67.2 +/- 0.6%; p < 0.0001), and comparison of the metabolite formation between pHLMs and PM HLMs revealed significantly lower metabolite formation in the incubations with PM HLMs (87.3 +/- 1.1%; p < 0.0001). According to these studies, CYP2D6 is the major P450 involved in O-demethylation of PMMA.

  4. Does Using a Chair Backrest or Reducing Seated Hip Flexion Influence Trunk Muscle Activity and Discomfort? A Systematic Review.

    PubMed

    Curran, Máire; O'Sullivan, Leonard; O'Sullivan, Peter; Dankaerts, Wim; O'Sullivan, Kieran

    2015-11-01

    This paper systematically reviews the effect of chair backrests and reducing seated hip flexion on low back discomfort (LBD) and trunk muscle activation. Prolonged sitting commonly exacerbates low back pain (LBP). Several modifications to seated posture and chair design have been recommended, including using chairs with backrests and chairs that reduce hip flexion. Electronic databases were searched by two independent assessors. Part 1 of this review includes 26 studies comparing the effect of sitting with at least two different hip angles. In Part 2, seven studies that compared the effect of sitting with and without a backrest were eligible. Study quality was assessed using the PEDro scale. Significant confounding variables and a relatively small number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving people with LBP complicates analysis of the results. There was moderate evidence that chair backrests reduce paraspinal muscle activation, and limited evidence that chair backrests reduce LBD. There was no evidence that chairs involving less hip flexion reduce LBP or LBD, or consistently alter trunk muscle activation. However, participants in several studies subjectively preferred the modified chairs involving less hip flexion. The limited evidence to support the use of chairs involving less seated hip flexion, or the effect of a backrest, is consistent with the limited evidence that other isolated chair design features can reduce LBP. LBP management is likely to require consideration of several factors in addition to sitting position. Larger RCTs involving people with LBP are required. © 2015, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

  5. Small Independent Action Force (SIAF), Vegetation Classification Study

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1976-03-01

    CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION 8 II. BACKGBCUND and PORPOSE 10 III. METHOD 16 A. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN 16 B. SUBJECTS .’ 17 C. APPARATUS 17 D. STIMULUS...reliability of subjects will be obtained. 15 III. METHOD A. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN . The experiment involved a continous stream of stimuli. Phase 1 stimuli...the attribute to be scaled. The subjecr must designate one of the pair as greater. No equality judgments are permitted. In order to obtain data from

  6. Problematics of Time and Timing in the Longitudinal Study of Human Development: Theoretical and Methodological Issues

    PubMed Central

    Lerner, Richard M.; Schwartz, Seth J; Phelps, Erin

    2009-01-01

    Studying human development involves describing, explaining, and optimizing intraindividual change and interindividual differences in such change and, as such, requires longitudinal research. The selection of the appropriate type of longitudinal design requires selecting the option that best addresses the theoretical questions asked about developmental process and the use of appropriate statistical procedures to best exploit data derived from theory-predicated longitudinal research. This paper focuses on several interrelated problematics involving the treatment of time and the timing of observations that developmental scientists face in creating theory-design fit and in charting in change-sensitive ways developmental processes across life. We discuss ways in which these problematics may be addressed to advance theory-predicated understanding of the role of time in processes of individual development. PMID:19554215

  7. Beyond the VAD: Human Factors Engineering for Mechanically Assisted Circulation in the 21st Century.

    PubMed

    Throckmorton, Amy L; Patel-Raman, Sonna M; Fox, Carson S; Bass, Ellen J

    2016-06-01

    Thousands of ventricular assist devices (VADs) currently provide circulatory support to patients worldwide, and dozens of heart pump designs for adults and pediatric patients are under various stages of development in preparation for translation to clinical use. The successful bench-to-bedside development of a VAD involves a structured evaluation of possible system states, including human interaction with the device and auxiliary component usage in the hospital or home environment. In this study, we review the literature and present the current landscape of preclinical design and assessment, decision support tools and procedures, and patient-centered therapy. Gaps of knowledge are identified. The study findings support the need for more attention to user-centered design approaches for medical devices, such as mechanical circulatory assist systems, that specifically involve detailed qualitative and quantitative assessments of human-device interaction to mitigate risk and failure. Copyright © 2015 International Center for Artificial Organs and Transplantation and Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. Partnerships for parks and physical activity.

    PubMed

    Shulaker, Bianca D; Isacoff, Jennifer W; Cohen, Deborah A; Marsh, Terry; Wier, Megan; Bhatia, Rajiv

    2014-01-01

    Given the need for comprehensive and multidisciplinary active living interventions, this article describes an innovative partnership for park design and evaluation. The Trust for Public Land partnered with the RAND Corporation and the San Francisco Department of Public Health to generate context-sensitive active park design, establish evaluation methods, and build the framework for future collaboration. These partners worked together from 2009 to 2012 to design, renovate, and study parks in San Francisco, California. The three partnering organizations are the focus of this article. The Trust for Public Land's Parks for People-Bay Area Program raised more than $16 million to renovate three San Francisco parks, which served as the intervention for a study that initially brought the three partnering organizations together. The authors, who represent the three partners, collaborated to develop the lessons learned. This article is a description and commentary about a partnership that emphasized community involvement and rigorous evaluation. Lessons learned and elements for successful partnerships include collaborating with organizations with differing expertise, deciding upon goals initially, finding a common language, involving local communities, and recognizing the importance and appropriate role of evaluations. The model for collaboration and community involvement presented supports and encourages other organizations to use strategic, multidisciplinary partnerships and highlights the importance of evaluation.

  9. The Impact of Short-Term Professional Development on Participant Outcomes: A Review of the Literature

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lauer, Patricia A.; Christopher, Debra E.; Firpo-Triplett, Regina; Buchting, Francisco

    2014-01-01

    A narrative literature review was conducted to identify the design features of effective short-term face-to-face professional development (PD) events. The 23 reviewed studies described PD with durations of 30 hours or less and involved participants in education or human service-related professions. Design features associated with positive impacts…

  10. Design and Facilitation of Problem-Based Learning in Graduate Teacher Education: An MA TESOL Case

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Caswell, Cynthia Ann

    2016-01-01

    This exploratory, evaluative case study introduces a new context for problem-based learning (PBL) involving an iterative, modular approach to curriculum-wide delivery of PBL in an MA TESOL program. The introduction to the curriculum context provides an overview of the design and delivery features particular to the situation. The delivery approach…

  11. Integrating E-Learning 2.0 into Online Courses

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yuen, Steve Chi-Yin

    2014-01-01

    This paper provides an overview of e-learning 2.0 concepts and presents a case study that involves the design, development, and teaching of two online courses based on e-learning 2.0 concepts. The design and the construction of e-learning 2.0 courses, and their effects on the students' learning experience are examined. In addition, students'…

  12. A Seamless Learning Design for Mobile Assisted Language Learning: An Iranian Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Foomani, Elham Mohammadi; Hedayati, Mohsen

    2016-01-01

    Recent developments in information communication technology (ICT) have resulted in a paradigm shift in e-Learning and there is a growing interest in developing design-based research (DBR) focusing on learners and their involvement in knowledge sharing in a contextualized mode. The present study reports a mobile-assisted language learning (MALL)…

  13. Treating Youths with Selective Mutism with an Alternating Design of Exposure-Based Practice and Contingency Management

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vecchio, Jennifer; Kearney, Christopher A.

    2009-01-01

    Selective mutism is a severe childhood disorder involving failure to speak in public situations in which speaking is expected. The present study examined 9 youths with selective mutism treated with child-focused, exposure-based practices and parent-focused contingency management via an alternating treatments design. Broadband measures of…

  14. Learning "with" Immigrant Children, Families and Communities: The Imperative of Early Childhood Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    da Silva Iddings, Ana Christina; Reyes, Iliana

    2017-01-01

    This article reports on a longitudinal study spanning over 5 years, involving the design and implementation of an early childhood teacher education program model that engages a critical-ecological theoretical approach, a funds of knowledge perspective, and design-based methodology. This project aimed to promote equitable education for all…

  15. A Study To Determine Acceptable Curriculum Guidelines for Earning an ESE Culinary Arts Certificate.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Donnarumma, Leopold J.

    This practicum involved designing a special program for a target group of 19 high school Exceptional Student Education students enrolled in a culinary arts vocational program to build and maintain basic culinary arts skills. The program, intended to enable them to qualify for the Florida culinary arts completion certificate, was designed by the…

  16. Meta-Analysis of Single-Case Design Research on Self-Regulatory Interventions for Academic Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perry, Valerie; Albeg, Loren; Tung, Catherine

    2012-01-01

    The current study examined the effects of self-regulatory interventions on reading, writing, and math by conducting a meta-analysis of single-case design research. Self-regulatory interventions have promise as an effective approach that is both minimally invasive and involves minimal resources. Effects of the interventions were analyzed by…

  17. The Double Flip: Applying a Flipped Learning Approach to Teach the Teacher and Improve Student Satisfaction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kehoe, Thomas; Schofield, Penelope; Branigan, Elizabeth; Wilmore, Michael

    2018-01-01

    This paper describes a professional development (PD) program for academics at an Australian university designed to model good blended curriculum design and effective use of contemporary learning technologies. It evaluates a case study from the pilot of this program involving a postgraduate psychology course to illustrate one of the most…

  18. Evaluation of a Decision-Making Curriculum for Teaching Adolescents with Disabilities to Resist Negative Peer Pressure

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Khemka, Ishita; Hickson, Linda; Mallory, Sarah B.

    2016-01-01

    This study was designed to assess the impact of a decision-making curriculum (PEER-DM) on the social peer relationship knowledge and self-protective decision-making skills of adolescents with disabilities in hypothetical situations involving negative peer pressure. A randomized design was used to assign students with disabilities from…

  19. Evaluating Learning Management System (LMS)-Facilitated Delivery of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bryans Bongey, Sarah

    2012-01-01

    This quantitative study involved 157 students in two sections of an undergraduate class in general biology, as well as one instructor who taught both sections of the course. It used resources from the Center for Applied Special Technologies (CAST) to evaluate the viability of a Learning Management System (LMS) to provide Universal Design for…

  20. Evaluation of a Classroom Program of Creative Expression Workshops for Refugee and Immigrant Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rousseau, Cecile; Drapeau, Aline; Lacroix, Louise; Bagilishya, Deogratias; Heusch, Nicole

    2005-01-01

    Objective: This evaluative study assessed the effect of a creative expression program designed to prevent emotional and behavioral problems and to enhance self-esteem in immigrant and refugee children attending multiethnic schools. Method: The 12-week program involved 138 children, aged 7 to 13, registered in both integration classes designed for…

  1. Leaders of School Technology Innovation: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Change Facilitator Style Questionnaire (CFSQ)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liu, Feng; Ritzhaupt, Albert; Cavanaugh, Cathy

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: This paper aims to describe a construct validation study of the Change Facilitator Style Questionnaire (CFSQ), an instrument designed to measure the leadership style of school principals as change facilitators. Design/methodology/approach: Participants included 614 K-12 teachers across the state of Florida involved in the Enhancing…

  2. Engineering Design Processes in Seventh-Grade Classrooms: Bridging the Engineering Education Gap

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    English, Lyn D.; Hudson, Peter B.; Dawes, Les

    2012-01-01

    This paper reports on some findings from the first year of a three-year longitudinal study, in which seventh- to ninth-graders were introduced to engineering education. Specifically, the paper addresses students' responses to an initial design activity involving bridge construction, which was implemented at the end of seventh grade. This paper…

  3. A study of space station needs, attributes and architectural options. Final briefing: Cost working group discussion session

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1983-01-01

    The economic factors involved in the design and utilization of the space station are investigated. Topics include the economic benefits associated with research and production, the orbit transfer vehicle, and satellite servicing. Program costs and design options are examined. The possibilities of financing from the private sector are discussed.

  4. Statistical power and optimal design in experiments in which samples of participants respond to samples of stimuli.

    PubMed

    Westfall, Jacob; Kenny, David A; Judd, Charles M

    2014-10-01

    Researchers designing experiments in which a sample of participants responds to a sample of stimuli are faced with difficult questions about optimal study design. The conventional procedures of statistical power analysis fail to provide appropriate answers to these questions because they are based on statistical models in which stimuli are not assumed to be a source of random variation in the data, models that are inappropriate for experiments involving crossed random factors of participants and stimuli. In this article, we present new methods of power analysis for designs with crossed random factors, and we give detailed, practical guidance to psychology researchers planning experiments in which a sample of participants responds to a sample of stimuli. We extensively examine 5 commonly used experimental designs, describe how to estimate statistical power in each, and provide power analysis results based on a reasonable set of default parameter values. We then develop general conclusions and formulate rules of thumb concerning the optimal design of experiments in which a sample of participants responds to a sample of stimuli. We show that in crossed designs, statistical power typically does not approach unity as the number of participants goes to infinity but instead approaches a maximum attainable power value that is possibly small, depending on the stimulus sample. We also consider the statistical merits of designs involving multiple stimulus blocks. Finally, we provide a simple and flexible Web-based power application to aid researchers in planning studies with samples of stimuli.

  5. Designing visual displays and system models for safe reactor operations based on the user`s perspective of the system

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

    Brown-VanHoozer, S.A.

    Most designers are not schooled in the area of human-interaction psychology and therefore tend to rely on the traditional ergonomic aspects of human factors when designing complex human-interactive workstations related to reactor operations. They do not take into account the differences in user information processing behavior and how these behaviors may affect individual and team performance when accessing visual displays or utilizing system models in process and control room areas. Unfortunately, by ignoring the importance of the integration of the user interface at the information process level, the result can be sub-optimization and inherently error- and failure-prone systems. Therefore, tomore » minimize or eliminate failures in human-interactive systems, it is essential that the designers understand how each user`s processing characteristics affects how the user gathers information, and how the user communicates the information to the designer and other users. A different type of approach in achieving this understanding is Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). The material presented in this paper is based on two studies involving the design of visual displays, NLP, and the user`s perspective model of a reactor system. The studies involve the methodology known as NLP, and its use in expanding design choices from the user`s ``model of the world,`` in the areas of virtual reality, workstation design, team structure, decision and learning style patterns, safety operations, pattern recognition, and much, much more.« less

  6. What women want from women's reproductive health research: a qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Pandey, Shilpi; Porter, Maureen; Bhattacharya, Siladitya

    2015-12-01

    Researchers are being urged to involve patients in the design and conduct of studies in health care with limited insight at present into their needs, abilities or interests. This is particularly true in the field of reproductive health care where many conditions such as pregnancy, menopause and fertility problems involve women who are otherwise healthy. To ascertain the feasibility of involving patients and members of the public in research on women's reproductive health care (WRH). University and tertiary care hospital in north-east Scotland; 37 women aged 18-57. Four focus groups and one individual interview were audio-recorded and verbatim transcripts analysed thematically by two researchers using a grounded theory approach. Most participants were interested in WRH, but some participated to promote a health issue of special concern to them. Priorities for research reflected women's personal concerns: endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, menopause, fertility risks of delaying parenthood and early post-natal discharge from hospital. Women were initially enthusiastic about getting involved in research on WRH at the design or delivery stage, but after discussion in focus groups, some questioned their ability to do so or the time available to commit to research. None of the respondents expected payment for any involvement, believing that the experience would be rewarding enough in itself. Involving patients and public in research would include different perspectives and priorities; however, recruiting for this purpose would be challenging. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  7. Identifying Effective Design Approaches to Allocate Genotypes in Two-Phase Designs: A Case Study in Pelargonium zonale

    PubMed Central

    Molenaar, Heike; Boehm, Robert; Piepho, Hans-Peter

    2018-01-01

    Robust phenotypic data allow adequate statistical analysis and are crucial for any breeding purpose. Such data is obtained from experiments laid out to best control local variation. Additionally, experiments frequently involve two phases, each contributing environmental sources of variation. For example, in a former experiment we conducted to evaluate production related traits in Pelargonium zonale, there were two consecutive phases, each performed in a different greenhouse. Phase one involved the propagation of the breeding strains to obtain the stem cutting count, and phase two involved the assessment of root formation. The evaluation of the former study raised questions regarding options for improving the experimental layout: (i) Is there a disadvantage to using exactly the same design in both phases? (ii) Instead of generating a separate layout for each phase, can the design be optimized across both phases, such that the mean variance of a pair-wise treatment difference (MVD) can be decreased? To answer these questions, alternative approaches were explored to generate two-phase designs either in phase-wise order (Option 1) or across phases (Option 2). In Option 1 we considered the scenarios (i) using in both phases the same experimental design and (ii) randomizing each phase separately. In Option 2, we considered the scenarios (iii) generating a single design with eight replicates and splitting these among the two phases, (iv) separating the block structure across phases by dummy coding, and (v) design generation with optimal alignment of block units in the two phases. In both options, we considered the same or different block structures in each phase. The designs were evaluated by the MVD obtained by the intra-block analysis and the joint inter-block–intra-block analysis. The smallest MVD was most frequently obtained for designs generated across phases rather than for each phase separately, in particular when both phases of the design were separated with a single pseudo-level. The joint optimization ensured that treatment concurrences were equally balanced across pairs, one of the prerequisites for an efficient design. The proposed alternative approaches can be implemented with any model-based design packages with facilities to formulate linear models for treatment and block structures. PMID:29354145

  8. Study to develop improved fire resistant aircraft passenger seat materials

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Duskin, F. E.; Schutter, K. J.; Sieth, H. H.; Trabold, E. L.

    1980-01-01

    The Phase 3 study of the NASA 'Improved Fire Resistant Aircraft Seat Materials' involved fire tests of improved materials in multilayered combinations representative of cushion configurations. Tests were conducted to determine their thermal, smoke, and fire resistance characteristics. Additionally, a 'Design Guideline' for Fire Resistant Passenger Seats was written outlining general seat design considerations. Finally, a three-abreast 'Tourist Class' passenger seat assembly fabricated from the most advanced fire-resistant materials was delivered.

  9. Transitioning to a New Facility: The Crucial Role of Employee Engagement.

    PubMed

    Slosberg, Meredith; Nejati, Adeleh; Evans, Jennie; Nanda, Upali

    Transitioning to a new facility can be challenging for employees and detrimental to operations. A key aspect of the transition is employee understanding of, and involvement in, the design of the new facility. The literature lacks a comprehensive study of the impact of change engagement throughout the design, construction, and activation of a project as well as how that can affect perceptions, expectations, and, eventually, satisfaction of employees. The purpose of this research was to examine employee perceptions and satisfaction throughout a hospital design, construction, and activation process. Three pulse-point surveys were administered throughout the transition of a children's hospital emergency department and neonatal intensive care unit to a new facility. We also administered a postoccupancy survey 3 months after the move into the new facility. We received 544 responses and analyzed them to assess the relationship between involvement in design or change engagement initiatives and overall perceptions. The results revealed a strong relationship between employee engagement and their level of preparedness to move, readiness to adapt, and satisfaction. Early involvement in the design of a facility or new processes can significantly affect staff preparedness and readiness to adapt as well as employees' overall satisfaction with the building after occupancy. In addition, our findings suggest that keeping a finger on the pulse of employee perceptions and expectations throughout the design, construction, and activation phase is critical to employee preparedness and satisfaction in transitioning to a new facility.

  10. A Study of the Generalizability of Teacher Change Quasi-Experiments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stringfield, Samuel; Schaffer, Eugene; Devlin-Scherer, Roberta

    2017-01-01

    Quasi-experimental teacher effectiveness studies have indicated that properly designed staff development programs can lead to changes in teacher and student behavior and to gains in student achievement. Those studies involved workshop series led by nationally known scholars. Using instructors from varied backgrounds, the current study examined the…

  11. Design principles for simulation games for learning clinical reasoning: A design-based research approach.

    PubMed

    Koivisto, J-M; Haavisto, E; Niemi, H; Haho, P; Nylund, S; Multisilta, J

    2018-01-01

    Nurses sometimes lack the competence needed for recognising deterioration in patient conditions and this is often due to poor clinical reasoning. There is a need to develop new possibilities for learning this crucial competence area. In addition, educators need to be future oriented; they need to be able to design and adopt new pedagogical innovations. The purpose of the study is to describe the development process and to generate principles for the design of nursing simulation games. A design-based research methodology is applied in this study. Iterative cycles of analysis, design, development, testing and refinement were conducted via collaboration among researchers, educators, students, and game designers. The study facilitated the generation of reusable design principles for simulation games to guide future designers when designing and developing simulation games for learning clinical reasoning. This study makes a major contribution to research on simulation game development in the field of nursing education. The results of this study provide important insights into the significance of involving nurse educators in the design and development process of educational simulation games for the purpose of nursing education. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Implementation of sensor and control designs for bioregenerative systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1990-01-01

    The EGM 4000/4001 Engineering Design class is an interdisciplinary design course that allows students to experience the design process. The projects involved the design of sensors and subsystems of a closed-loop life support system (CLLSS) with special emphasis on the Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) currently being developed at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) by NASA. To understand the work performed by the students, one must understand the purpose and concept of a CLLSS system. In the years to come, NASA will be constructing Moon bases and sending astronauts to other worlds on extended space missions. In order to support the crews, unreasonably large quantities of supplies would have to be sent from Earth. These supplies would be difficult to transport and require large holds. To remedy this problem, NASA plans to incorporate crops into the spacecraft. These crops would supply food for the crews, as well as provide beneficial psychological side effects. In addition, the plants would recycle the air and human waste and provide oxygen and water for the humans. The students in the design class were to work on supporting this project. In order to do this successfully, the course was separated into two phases. The first semester involved studying the various aspects of a CLLSS to determine sensing needs and develop ideas. The second semester involved first determining which of the ideas were most promising. Specific sensors were then designed and tested under laboratory conditions with promising results. Finally, recommendations for further development were proposed. Atmosphere and temperature control, nutrient delivery, plant health and propagation, and resource recycling are discussed.

  13. Involving Latina/o parents in patient-centered outcomes research: Contributions to research study design, implementation and outcomes.

    PubMed

    Pérez Jolles, Mónica; Martinez, Maria; Garcia, San Juanita; Stein, Gabriela L; Thomas, Kathleen C

    2017-10-01

    Comparative effectiveness research (CER) is supported by policymakers as a way to provide service providers and patients with evidence-based information to make better health-care decisions and ultimately improve services for patients. However, Latina/o patients are rarely involved as study advisors, and there is a lack of documentation on how their voices contribute to the research process when they are included as collaborators. The purpose of this article was to contribute to the literature by presenting concrete contributions of Latina/o parent involvement to study design, implementation and outcomes in the context of a CER study called Padres Efectivos (Parent Activation). Researchers facilitated a collaborative relationship with parents by establishing a mentor parent group. The contributions of parent involvement in the following stages of the research process are described: (i) proposal development, (ii) implementation of protocols, (iii) analysis plan and (iv) dissemination of results. Mentor parents' contributions helped tailor the content of the intervention to their needs during proposal, increased recruitment, validated the main outcome measure and added two important outcome measures, emphasized the importance of controlling for novice treatment status and developed innovative dissemination strategies. Mentor parents' guidance to the researchers has contributed to reaching recruitment goals, strengthened the study protocol, expanded findings, supported broad ownership of study implications and enriched the overall study data collection efforts. These findings can inform future research efforts seeking an active Latino parent collaboration and the timely incorporation of parent voices in each phase of the research process. © 2017 The Authors Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  14. Nursing students' prosocial motivation: does it predict professional commitment and involvement in the job?

    PubMed

    Nesje, Kjersti

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated how prosocial motivation reported by nursing students in their final year of academic studies relates to career commitment and job involvement three years after graduation. Most studies investigating nurses' prosocial motivation for choosing the nursing profession examine only their prosocial motivation for entering nursing training; they do not investigate whether this motivation is associated with job involvement or commitment to the profession. A longitudinal survey design was used. The present longitudinal study included 160 nurses. In their final academic year of spring 2007, the nurses received a questionnaire about their motivation for entering nursing. Three years after graduation, spring 2010, they received another questionnaire about their level of job involvement and career commitment. The results showed that prosocial motivation measured in their last academic year was related to career commitment three years after graduation, but unrelated to job involvement. The results indicated that prosocial motivation is important in identifying with the profession but not necessarily for personal involvement in the job. The study gives important knowledge on how a commonly reported motivation for entering nursing relates to the nurses' attitudes about their work life. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. Risk Factors Associated with Injury and Mortality from Paediatric Low Speed Vehicle Incidents: A Systematic Review

    PubMed Central

    Paul Anthikkat, Anne; Page, Andrew; Barker, Ruth

    2013-01-01

    Objective. This study reviews modifiable risk factors associated with fatal and nonfatal injury from low-speed vehicle runover (LSVRO) incidents involving children aged 0–15 years. Data Sources. Electronic searches for child pedestrian and driveway injuries from the peer-reviewed literature and transport-related websites from 1955 to 2012. Study Selection. 41 studies met the study inclusion criteria. Data Extraction. A systematic narrative summary was conducted that included study design, methodology, risk factors, and other study variables. Results. The most commonly reported risk factors for LSVRO incidents included age under 5 years, male gender, and reversing vehicles. The majority of reported incidents involved residential driveways, but several studies identified other traffic and nontraffic locations. Low socioeconomic status and rental accommodation were also associated with LSVRO injury. Vehicles were most commonly driven by a family member, predominantly a parent. Conclusion. There are a number of modifiable vehicular, environmental, and behavioural factors associated with LSVRO injuries in young children that have been identified in the literature to date. Strategies relating to vehicle design (devices for increased rearward visibility and crash avoidance systems), housing design (physical separation of driveway and play areas), and behaviour (driver behaviour, supervision of young children) are discussed. PMID:23781251

  16. Automatic Requirements Specification Extraction from Natural Language (ARSENAL)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-10-01

    designers, implementers) involved in the design of software systems. However, natural language descriptions can be informal, incomplete, imprecise...communication of technical descriptions between the various stakeholders (e.g., customers, designers, imple- menters) involved in the design of software systems...the accuracy of the natural language processing stage, the degree of automation, and robustness to noise. 1 2 Introduction Software systems operate in

  17. Optimum Design of High Speed Prop-Rotors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chattopadhyay, Aditi

    1992-01-01

    The objective of this research is to develop optimization procedures to provide design trends in high speed prop-rotors. The necessary disciplinary couplings are all considered within a closed loop optimization process. The procedures involve the consideration of blade aeroelastic, aerodynamic performance, structural and dynamic design requirements. Further, since the design involves consideration of several different objectives, multiobjective function formulation techniques are developed.

  18. A Rule Based Approach to ISS Interior Volume Control and Layout

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Peacock, Brian; Maida, Jim; Fitts, David; Dory, Jonathan

    2001-01-01

    Traditional human factors design involves the development of human factors requirements based on a desire to accommodate a certain percentage of the intended user population. As the product is developed human factors evaluation involves comparison between the resulting design and the specifications. Sometimes performance metrics are involved that allow leniency in the design requirements given that the human performance result is satisfactory. Clearly such approaches may work but they give rise to uncertainty and negotiation. An alternative approach is to adopt human factors design rules that articulate a range of each design continuum over which there are varying outcome expectations and interactions with other variables, including time. These rules are based on a consensus of human factors specialists, designers, managers and customers. The International Space Station faces exactly this challenge in interior volume control, which is based on anthropometric, performance and subjective preference criteria. This paper describes the traditional approach and then proposes a rule-based alternative. The proposed rules involve spatial, temporal and importance dimensions. If successful this rule-based concept could be applied to many traditional human factors design variables and could lead to a more effective and efficient contribution of human factors input to the design process.

  19. Social cohesion through football: a quasi-experimental mixed methods design to evaluate a complex health promotion program

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Social isolation and disengagement fragments local communities. Evidence indicates that refugee families are highly vulnerable to social isolation in their countries of resettlement. Research to identify approaches to best address this is needed. Football United is a program that aims to foster social inclusion and cohesion in areas with high refugee settlement in New South Wales, Australia, through skills and leadership development, mentoring, and the creation of links with local community and corporate leaders and organisations. The Social Cohesion through Football study's broad goal is to examine the implementation of a complex health promotion program, and to analyse the processes involved in program implementation. The study will consider program impact on individual health and wellbeing, social inclusion and cohesion, as well as analyse how the program by necessity interacts and adapts to context during implementation, a concept we refer to as plasticity. The proposed study will be the first prospective cohort impact study to our knowledge to assess the impact of a comprehensive integrated program using football as a vehicle for fostering social inclusion and cohesion in communities with high refugee settlement. Methods/design A quasi-experimental cohort study design with treatment partitioning involving four study sites. The study employs a 'dose response' model, comparing those with no involvement in the Football United program with those with lower or higher levels of participation. A range of qualitative and quantitative measures will be used in the study. Study participants' emotional well being, resilience, ethnic identity and other group orientation, feelings of social inclusion and belonging will be measured using a survey instrument complemented by relevant data drawn from in-depth interviews, self reporting measures and participant observation. The views of key informants from the program and the wider community will also be solicited. Discussion The complexity of the Football United program poses challenges for measurement, and requires the study design to be responsive to the dynamic nature of the program and context. Assessment of change is needed at multiple levels, drawing on mixed methods and multidisciplinary approaches in implementation and evaluation. Attention to these challenges has underpinned the design and methods in the Social Cohesion through Football study, which will use a unique and innovative combination of measures that have not been applied together previously in social inclusion/cohesion and sport and social inclusion/cohesion program research. PMID:20920361

  20. Family interventions to improve diabetes outcomes for adults

    PubMed Central

    Baig, Arshiya A.; Benitez, Amanda; Quinn, Michael T.; Burnet, Deborah L.

    2015-01-01

    Diabetes self-care is a critical aspect of disease management for adults with diabetes. Since family members can play a vital role in a patient’s disease management, involving them in self-care interventions may positively influence patients’ diabetes outcomes. We systematically reviewed family-based interventions for adults with diabetes published from 1994 to 2014 and assessed their impact on patients’ diabetes outcomes and the extent of family involvement. We found 26 studies describing family-based diabetes interventions for adults. Interventions were conducted across a range of patient populations and settings. The degree of family involvement varied across studies. We found evidence for improvement in patients’ self-efficacy, perceived social support, diabetes knowledge, and diabetes self-care across the studies. Owing to the heterogeneity of the study designs, types of interventions, reporting of outcomes, and family involvement, it is difficult to determine how family participation in diabetes interventions may affect patients’ clinical outcomes. Future studies should clearly describe the role of family in the intervention, assess quality and extent of family participation, and compare patient outcomes with and without family involvement. PMID:26250784

  1. Levels of Leadership: Effects of District and School Leaders on the Quality of School Programs of Family and Community Involvement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Epstein, Joyce L.; Galindo, Claudia L.; Sheldon, Steven B.

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: This study tests key constructs of sociocultural and organizational learning theories with quantitative methods to better understand the nature and impact of district and school leadership and actions on the quality of programs of family and community involvement. Research Design: Survey data from a "nested" sample of 24 districts and 407…

  2. Pilot-Scale Demonstration of In-Situ Chemical Oxidation Involving Chlorinated Volatile Organic Compounds - Design and Deployment Guidelines (Parris Island, SC, U.S. Marine Corp Recruit Depot, Site 45 Pilot Study)

    EPA Science Inventory

    A pilot-scale in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) demonstration, involving subsurface injections of sodium permanganate (NaMnO4), was performed at the US Marine Corp Recruit Depot (MCRD), site 45 (Parris Island (PI), SC). The ground water was originally contaminated with perchloroe...

  3. The Effect of a Physiological Evaluation Program on Coronary Heart Disease Risk Scores for Sedentary Individuals.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Finkenberg, Mel; And Others

    The purpose of this study was to compare the coronary heart disease (CHD) probability estimates of a group of sedentary males involved in an exercise stress test program from 1968 through 1974 with those of a comparison group of sedentary males not involved in the program. The program was designed to evaluate cardiopulmonary function and improve…

  4. The Learning Environment in Clicker Classrooms: Student Processes of Learning and Involvement in Large University-Level Courses Using Student Response Systems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trees, April R.; Jackson, Michele H.

    2007-01-01

    To explore what social and educational infrastructure is needed to support classroom use of student response systems (Roschelle et al., 2004), this study investigated the ways in which student characteristics and course design choices were related to students' assessments of the contribution of clicker use to their learning and involvement in the…

  5. Summary of Research

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1993-10-01

    Department .......................... .............................. 113 Language Studies Department...seventh year, in which the researcher has been reporting period, work was conducted in ihc design actively involved. This area i. ditinct from other study ...proposal concerns the study of oscillating wings without flaps demonstrate the hydrodynamic performance of a high aspect-ratio impotance of the

  6. A Study of District Governing Boards.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harkins, Clifton L.; And Others

    This study was undertaken to obtain and analyze information pertinent to the Arizona Revised Statutes for community colleges dealing with precinct selection, District Governing Board member terms, and their qualifications, vacancies, and election procedures. The study design involved questionnaire surveys of practices in other states and of State…

  7. Design, Construction and Testing of Annular Diffusers for High Speed Civil Transportation Combustor Applications

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Okhio, Cyril B.

    1996-01-01

    A theoretical and an experimental design study of subsonic flow through curved-wall annular diffusers has been initiated under this award in order to establish the most pertinent design parameters and hence performance characteristics for such devices, an the implications of their application in the design of engine components in the aerospace industries. The diffusers under this study are expected to contain appreciable regions of stall and the effects of swirl on their performance are being studied. The experimental work involves the application of Computer Aided Design software tool to the development of a suitable annular diffuse geometry and the subsequent downloading of such data to a CNC machine at Central State University (CSU). Two experimental run segments have been completed so far during FY-95 involving flow visualization and diffuser performance evaluation based on Kinetic Energy Dissipation. The method of calculation of the performance of diffusers based on pressure recovery coefficient has been shown to have some shortcomings and so the kinetic energy dissipation approach has been introduced in the run segment two with some success. The application of the discretized, full Navier Stokes and Continuity equations to the numerical study of the problem described above for the time-mean flow is expected to follow. Various models of turbulence are being evaluated for adoption throughout the study and comparisons would be made with experimental data where they exist. Assessment of diffuser performance based on the dissipated mechanical energy would also be made. The result of the investigations are expected to indicate that more cost effective component design of such devices as diffusers which normally contain complex flows can still be achieved.

  8. The TMT instrumentation program

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Simard, Luc; Crampton, David; Ellerbroek, Brent; Boyer, Corinne

    2010-07-01

    An overview of the current status of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) instrumentation program is presented. Conceptual designs for the three first light instruments (IRIS, WFOS and IRMS) are in progress, as well as feasibility studies of MIRES. Considerable effort is underway to understand the end-to-end performance of the complete telescopeadaptive optics-instrument system under realistic conditions on Mauna Kea. Highly efficient operation is being designed into the TMT system, based on a detailed investigation of the observation workflow to ensure very fast target acquisition and set up of all subsystems. Future TMT instruments will almost certainly involve contributions from institutions in many different locations in North America and partner nations. Coordinating and optimizing the design and construction of the instruments to ensure delivery of the best possible scientific capabilities is an interesting challenge. TMT welcomes involvement from all interested instrument teams.

  9. Continuation of superpave projects monitoring.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-07-01

    This study involved the continuous monitoring of material properties and field performance of : twelve Superpave project sections in Florida for the establishment of reasonable and effective mixture : design guidelines and criteria, the identificatio...

  10. Research: increasing value, reducing waste 2

    PubMed Central

    Ioannidis, John P A; Greenland, Sander; Hlatky, Mark A; Khoury, Muin J; Macleod, Malcolm R; Moher, David; Schulz, Kenneth F; Tibshirani, Robert

    2015-01-01

    Correctable weaknesses in the design, conduct, and analysis of biomedical and public health research studies can produce misleading results and waste valuable resources. Small effects can be difficult to distinguish from bias introduced by study design and analyses. An absence of detailed written protocols and poor documentation of research is common. Information obtained might not be useful or important, and statistical precision or power is often too low or used in a misleading way. Insufficient consideration might be given to both previous and continuing studies. Arbitrary choice of analyses and an overemphasis on random extremes might affect the reported findings. Several problems relate to the research workforce, including failure to involve experienced statisticians and methodologists, failure to train clinical researchers and laboratory scientists in research methods and design, and the involvement of stakeholders with conflicts of interest. Inadequate emphasis is placed on recording of research decisions and on reproducibility of research. Finally, reward systems incentivise quantity more than quality, and novelty more than reliability. We propose potential solutions for these problems, including improvements in protocols and documentation, consideration of evidence from studies in progress, standardisation of research efforts, optimisation and training of an experienced and non-conflicted scientific workforce, and reconsideration of scientific reward systems. PMID:24411645

  11. Feasibility Study of a Satellite Solar Power Station

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Glaser, P. E.; Maynard, O. E.; Mackovciak, J. J. R.; Ralph, E. I.

    1974-01-01

    A feasibility study of a satellite solar power station (SSPS) was conducted to: (1) explore how an SSPS could be flown and controlled in orbit; (2) determine the techniques needed to avoid radio frequency interference (RFI); and (3) determine the key environmental, technological, and economic issues involved. Structural and dynamic analyses of the SSPS structure were performed, and deflections and internal member loads were determined. Desirable material characteristics were assessed and technology developments identified. Flight control performance of the SSPS baseline design was evaluated and parametric sizing studies were performed. The study of RFI avoidance techniques covered (1) optimization of the microwave transmission system; (2) device design and expected RFI; and (3) SSPS RFI effects. The identification of key issues involved (1) microwave generation, transmissions, and rectification and solar energy conversion; (2) environmental-ecological impact and biological effects; and (3) economic issues, i.e., costs and benefits associated with the SSPS. The feasibility of the SSPS based on the parameters of the study was established.

  12. How to build institutionalization on students: a pilot experiment on a didactical design of addition and subtraction involving negative integers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fuadiah, N. F.; Suryadi, D.; Turmudi

    2018-05-01

    This study focuses on the design of a didactical situation in addition and subtraction involving negative integers at the pilot experiment phase. As we know, negative numbers become an obstacle for students in solving problems related to them. This study aims to create a didactical design that can assist students in understanding the addition and subtraction. Another expected result in this way is that students are introduced to the characteristics of addition and subtraction of integers. The design was implemented on 32 seventh grade students in one of the classes in a junior secondary school as the pilot experiment. Learning activities were observed thoroughly including the students’ responses that emerged during the learning activities. The written documentation of the students was also used to support the analysis in the learning activities. The results of the analysis showed that this method could help the students perform a large number of integer operations that could not be done with a number line. The teacher’s support as a didactical potential contract was still needed to encourage institutionalization processes. The results of the design analysis used as the basis of the revision are expected to be implemented by the teacher in the teaching experiment.

  13. Using Blocked Fractional Factorial Designs to Construct Discrete Choice Experiments for Health Care Studies

    PubMed Central

    Jaynes, Jessica; Wong, Weng Kee; Xu, Hongquan

    2016-01-01

    Discrete choice experiments (DCEs) are increasingly used for studying and quantifying subjects preferences in a wide variety of health care applications. They provide a rich source of data to assess real-life decision making processes, which involve trade-offs between desirable characteristics pertaining to health and health care, and identification of key attributes affecting health care. The choice of the design for a DCE is critical because it determines which attributes’ effects and their interactions are identifiable. We apply blocked fractional factorial designs to construct DCEs and address some identification issues by utilizing the known structure of blocked fractional factorial designs. Our design techniques can be applied to several situations including DCEs where attributes have different number of levels. We demonstrate our design methodology using two health care studies to evaluate (1) asthma patients’ preferences for symptom-based outcome measures, and (2) patient preference for breast screening services. PMID:26823156

  14. Genetic factors in pemphigus.

    PubMed

    Tron, François; Gilbert, Danièle; Mouquet, Hugo; Joly, Pascal; Drouot, Laurent; Makni, Sondès; Masmoudi, Hatem; Charron, Dominique; Zitouni, Mondher; Loiseau, Pascale; Ben Ayed, Mourad

    2005-06-01

    Epidemiological studies performed in different ethnic populations and family studies, notably based on a partial phenotype of the autoimmune process, indicate that genetic factors are involved in the occurrence of pemphigus. However, the precise heritability remains uncertain in the absence of twin concordance rate studies. Among the different strategies available to identify genetic factors participating in autoimmune disease susceptibility, only population studies based on case-control design have been performed in pemphigus. These studies consistently showed that MHC locus, in particular HLA class II alleles, are associated with pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceus. Other genes of the MHC locus may also participate in disease susceptibility as shown by studies using microsatellite markers across different regions of the MHC. It is likely that other non-MHC genes are involved in the pathogenesis of pemphigus. In particular, involvement of a polymorphic variant of desmoglein 1 gene was shown to be associated with pemphigus foliaceus and to interact in an epistatic manner with MHC class II genes to contribute to the autoimmune process. Other candidate genes to which a role can be assigned in the disease pathogenesis should be considered to design case-control or family-based association studies. Genome scan studies which require a large number of multiplex families to reach statistical power, should also be considered in the endemic form of pemphigus foliaceus because of the high number of familial cases.

  15. Organizational Commitment and Nurses' Characteristics as Predictors of Job Involvement.

    PubMed

    Alammar, Kamila; Alamrani, Mashael; Alqahtani, Sara; Ahmad, Muayyad

    2016-01-01

    To predict nurses' job involvement on the basis of their organizational commitment and personal characteristics at a large tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected in 2015 from a convenience sample of 558 nurses working at a large tertiary hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional correlational design was used in this study. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. All commitment scales had significant relationships. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the model predicted a sizeable proportion of variance in nurses' job involvement (p < 0.001). High organizational commitment enhances job involvement, which may lead to more organizational stability and effectiveness.

  16. Effect of uncertainties on probabilistic-based design capacity of hydrosystems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tung, Yeou-Koung

    2018-02-01

    Hydrosystems engineering designs involve analysis of hydrometric data (e.g., rainfall, floods) and use of hydrologic/hydraulic models, all of which contribute various degrees of uncertainty to the design process. Uncertainties in hydrosystem designs can be generally categorized into aleatory and epistemic types. The former arises from the natural randomness of hydrologic processes whereas the latter are due to knowledge deficiency in model formulation and model parameter specification. This study shows that the presence of epistemic uncertainties induces uncertainty in determining the design capacity. Hence, the designer needs to quantify the uncertainty features of design capacity to determine the capacity with a stipulated performance reliability under the design condition. Using detention basin design as an example, the study illustrates a methodological framework by considering aleatory uncertainty from rainfall and epistemic uncertainties from the runoff coefficient, curve number, and sampling error in design rainfall magnitude. The effects of including different items of uncertainty and performance reliability on the design detention capacity are examined. A numerical example shows that the mean value of the design capacity of the detention basin increases with the design return period and this relation is found to be practically the same regardless of the uncertainty types considered. The standard deviation associated with the design capacity, when subject to epistemic uncertainty, increases with both design frequency and items of epistemic uncertainty involved. It is found that the epistemic uncertainty due to sampling error in rainfall quantiles should not be ignored. Even with a sample size of 80 (relatively large for a hydrologic application) the inclusion of sampling error in rainfall quantiles resulted in a standard deviation about 2.5 times higher than that considering only the uncertainty of the runoff coefficient and curve number. Furthermore, the presence of epistemic uncertainties in the design would result in under-estimation of the annual failure probability of the hydrosystem and has a discounting effect on the anticipated design return period.

  17. How can students contribute? A qualitative study of active student involvement in development of technological learning material for clinical skills training.

    PubMed

    Haraldseid, Cecilie; Friberg, Febe; Aase, Karina

    2016-01-01

    Policy initiatives and an increasing amount of the literature within higher education both call for students to become more involved in creating their own learning. However, there is a lack of studies in undergraduate nursing education that actively involve students in developing such learning material with descriptions of the students' roles in these interactive processes. Explorative qualitative study, using data from focus group interviews, field notes and student notes. The data has been subjected to qualitative content analysis. Active student involvement through an iterative process identified five different learning needs that are especially important to the students: clarification of learning expectations, help to recognize the bigger picture, stimulation of interaction, creation of structure, and receiving context- specific content. The iterative process involvement of students during the development of new technological learning material will enhance the identification of important learning needs for students. The use of student and teacher knowledge through an adapted co-design process is the most optimal level of that involvement.

  18. Life sciences payload definition and integration study. Volume 1: Executive summary. [carry-on laboratory for Spacelab

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1974-01-01

    The definition and integration tasks involved in the development of design concepts for a carry-on laboratory (COL), to be compatible with Spacelab operations, were divided into the following study areas: (1) identification of research and equipment requirements of the COL; (2) development of a number of conceptual layouts for COL based on the defined research of final conceptual designs; and (4) development of COL planning information for definition of COL/Spacelab interface data, cost data, and program cost schedules, including design drawings of a selected COL to permit fabrication of a functional breadboard.

  19. Family caregiver satisfaction with the nursing home after placement of a relative with dementia.

    PubMed

    Tornatore, Jane B; Grant, Leslie A

    2004-03-01

    This article examines family caregiver satisfaction after nursing home placement of a relative with Alzheimer disease or a related dementia. Determining what contributes to family caregiver satisfaction is a critical step toward implementing effective quality improvement strategies. A stress process model is used to study caregiver satisfaction among 285 family caregivers in relation to primary objective stressors (stage of dementia, length of stay, length of time in caregiving role, visitation frequency, involvement in nursing home, and involvement in hands-on care), subjective stressors (expectations for care), caregiver characteristics (education, marital status, familial relationship, workforce participation, distance from nursing home, and age), and organizational resources (rural/urban location, profit/nonprofit ownership, special care unit [SCU] designation, and custodial unit designation). SAS PROC MIXED is used in a multilevel analysis. Higher satisfaction is associated with earlier stage of dementia, greater length of time involved in caregiving prior to institutionalization, higher visitation frequency, less involvement in hands-on care, greater expectations for care, and less workforce participation. Multilevel analysis showed that primary stressors are the strongest predictors of satisfaction. Only one caregiver characteristic (work participation) and one organizational resource (rural/urban location) predict satisfaction. SCU designation was unrelated to satisfaction, perhaps because SCUs have less to offer residents in more advanced as opposed to earlier stages of Alzheimer disease. If family satisfaction is to be achieved, family presence in a nursing home needs to give caregivers a sense of positive involvement and influence over the care of their relative.

  20. The impact of design-based modeling instruction on seventh graders' spatial abilities and model-based argumentation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McConnell, William J.

    Due to the call of current science education reform for the integration of engineering practices within science classrooms, design-based instruction is receiving much attention in science education literature. Although some aspect of modeling is often included in well-known design-based instructional methods, it is not always a primary focus. The purpose of this study was to better understand how design-based instruction with an emphasis on scientific modeling might impact students' spatial abilities and their model-based argumentation abilities. In the following mixed-method multiple case study, seven seventh grade students attending a secular private school in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States underwent an instructional intervention involving design-based instruction, modeling and argumentation. Through the course of a lesson involving students in exploring the interrelatedness of the environment and an animal's form and function, students created and used multiple forms of expressed models to assist them in model-based scientific argument. Pre/post data were collected through the use of The Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Rotation, the Mental Rotation Test and interviews. Other data included a spatial activities survey, student artifacts in the form of models, notes, exit tickets, and video recordings of students throughout the intervention. Spatial abilities tests were analyzed using descriptive statistics while students' arguments were analyzed using the Instrument for the Analysis of Scientific Curricular Arguments and a behavior protocol. Models were analyzed using content analysis and interviews and all other data were coded and analyzed for emergent themes. Findings in the area of spatial abilities included increases in spatial reasoning for six out of seven participants, and an immense difference in the spatial challenges encountered by students when using CAD software instead of paper drawings to create models. Students perceived 3D printed models to better assist them in scientific argumentation over paper drawing models. In fact, when given a choice, students rarely used paper drawing to assist in argument. There was also a difference in model utility between the two different model types. Participants explicitly used 3D printed models to complete gestural modeling, while participants rarely looked at 2D models when involved in gestural modeling. This study's findings added to current theory dealing with the varied spatial challenges involved in different modes of expressed models. This study found that depth, symmetry and the manipulation of perspectives are typically spatial challenges students will attend to using CAD while they will typically ignore them when drawing using paper and pencil. This study also revealed a major difference in model-based argument in a design-based instruction context as opposed to model-based argument in a typical science classroom context. In the context of design-based instruction, data revealed that design process is an important part of model-based argument. Due to the importance of design process in model-based argumentation in this context, trusted methods of argument analysis, like the coding system of the IASCA, was found lacking in many respects. Limitations and recommendations for further research were also presented.

  1. Multiple Correlation versus Multiple Regression.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huberty, Carl J.

    2003-01-01

    Describes differences between multiple correlation analysis (MCA) and multiple regression analysis (MRA), showing how these approaches involve different research questions and study designs, different inferential approaches, different analysis strategies, and different reported information. (SLD)

  2. Continuation of superpave projects monitoring.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2011-07-01

    This study involved the continuous monitoring of material properties and field performance of twelve Superpave project sections in Florida for the establishment of reasonable and effective mixture design guidelines and criteria, the identification an...

  3. Learning Creativity in the Client-Agency Relationship

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Suh, Taewon; Jung, Jae C.; Smith, Bruce L.

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: This study aims to investigate creativity-related determinants of learning in the context of business-to-business services and client-agency relationships. Design/methodology/approach: The research model includes client encouragement, agency creativity, campaign creativity, and perceived performance. The study involved conducting a…

  4. Communication Behaviors and Trust in Collaborative Online Teams

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bulu, Saniye Tugba; Yildirim, Zahide

    2008-01-01

    This study investigates preservice teachers' trust levels and collaborative communication behaviors namely leadership, feedback, social interaction, enthusiasm, task and technical uncertainties, and task-oriented interactions in online learning environment. A case study design involving qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis was…

  5. Impact of travel patterns and driving behavior on crash involvement.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1983-07-21

    This study was conducted to obtain statistically valid data on a variety of highway safety issues, such as attitudes toward drunk driving, use of safety belts and child safety seats, and to establish data regarding driving patterns. The study design ...

  6. Adapting a Multiple-Baseline Design Rationale for Evaluating Instructional Interventions: Implications for the Adoption of Direct Instruction Reading Curricula for Evidence-Based Reform

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vitale, Michael R.; Kaniuka, Theodore S.

    2012-01-01

    Present national methodological standards for evaluating the credibility of the design of individual research studies have resulted in findings reporting the pre-­post effectiveness of Direct Instruction programs to be eliminated from consideration by educational leaders involved in making curricular decisions intended to advance local school…

  7. Design of a Model Management Information System (MIS) for California's Regional Occupational Centers and Programs. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dick, James C.; And Others

    The management information system (MIS) development project for California's Regional Occupational Centers and Programs (ROC/Ps) was conducted in 3 phases over a 12-month period. Phase I involved a literature review and field study to match MIS design features and development strategy with existing conditions in ROC/Ps. A decision support system…

  8. Do Alzheimer's Disease Patients Want to Participate in a Treatment Decision, and Would Their Caregivers Let Them?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hirschman, Karen B.; Joyce, Colette M.; James, Bryan D.; Xie, Sharon X.; Karlawish, Jason H.T.

    2005-01-01

    Purpose: This study was designed to examine the factors associated with the preferences of Alzheimer's disease patients to participate in a decision to use an Alzheimer's disease-slowing medication and how involved their caregivers would let them be in this decision. Design and Methods: Interviews were conducted with 48 patients in the…

  9. The Challenge of Being an Instructional Designer for New Media Development: A View from the Practitioners.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liu, Min; Gibby, Scott; Quiros, Ondrea; Demps, Elaine

    The rapid changes in the field of technology are redefining the process of developing technology-enhanced educational materials as well as the roles of developers involved in the process.The purpose of this study was to learn from practitioners the roles and responsibilities of an instructional designer in developing new media enhanced…

  10. School Buildings for the 21st Century -- Some Features of New School Buildings in Iceland

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sigurðardóttir, Anna Kristín; Hjartarson, Torfi

    2011-01-01

    The aim of this study is to identify features of change in the recent design of school buildings in Iceland, and how they might affect teaching practices. Environmental and architectonic features characterising school buildings designed and built at the beginning of the 21st century are examined in light of challenges involving architecture,…

  11. Do Test Design and Uses Influence Test Preparation? Testing a Model of Washback with Structural Equation Modeling

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Xie, Qin; Andrews, Stephen

    2013-01-01

    This study introduces Expectancy-value motivation theory to explain the paths of influences from perceptions of test design and uses to test preparation as a special case of washback on learning. Based on this theory, two conceptual models were proposed and tested via Structural Equation Modeling. Data collection involved over 870 test takers of…

  12. Mediating Effects of Coping, Personal Belief, and Social Support on the Relationship among Stress, Depression, and Smoking Behaviour in University Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sun, Jing; Buys, Nicholas; Stewart, Donald; Shum, David

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether university students' smoking behaviour is associated with higher levels of stress and depression directly, or indirectly, via the mediation of coping, personal beliefs and social support. Design/methodology/approach: The study design involves a cross-sectional survey. Structural equation…

  13. Bioelectrochemical Systems Workshop:Standardized Analyses, Design Benchmarks, and Reporting

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-01-01

    related to the exoelectrogenic biofilm activity, and to investigate whether the community structure is a function of design and operational parameters...where should biofilm samples be collected? The most prevalent methods of community characterization in BES studies have entailed phylogenetic ...of function associated with this genetic marker, and in methods that involve polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification the quantitative

  14. Rockets Away!

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaahaaina, Nancy

    1997-01-01

    Describes a project that involved a rocket-design competition where students played the roles of McDonnell Douglas employees competing for NASA contracts. Provides a real world experience involving deadlines, design and performance specifications, and budgets. (JRH)

  15. Use of designated boat operators and designated drivers among college students.

    PubMed

    Cheong, JeeWon; Hall, Nicole M; MacKinnon, David P

    2006-07-01

    Prior research has shown that designated drivers (DD) are widely used as a preventive measure for driving under the influence. Despite the prevalence of alcohol involvement in boating accidents, much less is known about the use of a designated boat operator (DBO). The current study investigated the prevalence of DBO use in recreational boating and compared the characteristics of DD users and DBO users. Several survey questionnaires were distributed to a group of undergraduate students at a large southwestern university for the purpose of investigating demographic characteristics, alcohol-use pattern, and other alcohol-related problem behaviors, such as driving and boating under the influence. Approximately 45% of the boaters reported they had drunk alcohol while boating, and approximately 70% had used a DBO in the most recent boating event. The DBO users were found to be similar to the DD users in terms of drinking pattern, age of drinking onset, and driving behaviors. High rates of alcohol use in recreational boating suggest the need for prevention strategies. Furthermore, future studies are needed to investigate the selection process of the DBOs and the differences between passengers and boat operators, which could shed light on strategies to prevent alcohol- involved boating injuries.

  16. Multidisciplinary Optimization Methods for Aircraft Preliminary Design

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kroo, Ilan; Altus, Steve; Braun, Robert; Gage, Peter; Sobieski, Ian

    1994-01-01

    This paper describes a research program aimed at improved methods for multidisciplinary design and optimization of large-scale aeronautical systems. The research involves new approaches to system decomposition, interdisciplinary communication, and methods of exploiting coarse-grained parallelism for analysis and optimization. A new architecture, that involves a tight coupling between optimization and analysis, is intended to improve efficiency while simplifying the structure of multidisciplinary, computation-intensive design problems involving many analysis disciplines and perhaps hundreds of design variables. Work in two areas is described here: system decomposition using compatibility constraints to simplify the analysis structure and take advantage of coarse-grained parallelism; and collaborative optimization, a decomposition of the optimization process to permit parallel design and to simplify interdisciplinary communication requirements.

  17. Learning with Concept and Knowledge Maps: A Meta-Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nesbit, John C.; Adesope, Olusola O.

    2006-01-01

    This meta-analysis reviews experimental and quasi-experimental studies in which students learned by constructing, modifying, or viewing node-link diagrams. Following an exhaustive search for studies meeting specified design criteria, 67 standardized mean difference effect sizes were extracted from 55 studies involving 5,818 participants. Students…

  18. Study of optical design of three-dimensional digital ophthalmoscopes.

    PubMed

    Fang, Yi-Chin; Yen, Chih-Ta; Chu, Chin-Hsien

    2015-10-01

    This study primarily involves using optical zoom structures to design a three-dimensional (3D) human-eye optical sensory system with infrared and visible light. According to experimental data on two-dimensional (2D) and 3D images, human-eye recognition of 3D images is substantially higher (approximately 13.182%) than that of 2D images. Thus, 3D images are more effective than 2D images when they are used at work or in high-recognition devices. In the optical system design, infrared and visible light wavebands were incorporated as light sources to perform simulations. The results can be used to facilitate the design of optical systems suitable for 3D digital ophthalmoscopes.

  19. Evaluation of high temperature superconductive thermal bridges for space-borne cryogenic infrared detectors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Scott, Elaine P.

    1993-01-01

    The focus of this research is on the reduction of the refrigeration requirements for infrared sensors operating in space through the use of high temperature superconductive (HTS) materials as electronic leads between the cooled sensors and the relatively warmer data acquisition components. Specifically, this initial study was directed towards the design of an experiment to quantify the thermal performance of these materials in the space environment. First, an intensive review of relevant literature was undertaken, and then, design requirements were formulated. From this background information, a preliminary experimental design was developed. Additional studies will involve a thermal analysis of the experiment and further modifications of the experimental design.

  20. User Involvement in Designing a Survey of People Directly Employing Care and Support Workers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dixon, Josie; McNaughton-Nicholls, Carol; d'Ardenne, Joanna; Doyle-Francis, Melanie; Manthorpe, Jill

    2013-01-01

    User involvement in social care research has generally been the preserve of qualitative methodologies, while user involvement in quantitative research has tended to be limited by the assumed inflexibility of statistical designs and concerns that lay people may require specialist training to engage with quantitative methods. Using the example of…

  1. Contributing factors in construction accidents.

    PubMed

    Haslam, R A; Hide, S A; Gibb, A G F; Gyi, D E; Pavitt, T; Atkinson, S; Duff, A R

    2005-07-01

    This overview paper draws together findings from previous focus group research and studies of 100 individual construction accidents. Pursuing issues raised by the focus groups, the accident studies collected qualitative information on the circumstances of each incident and the causal influences involved. Site based data collection entailed interviews with accident-involved personnel and their supervisor or manager, inspection of the accident location, and review of appropriate documentation. Relevant issues from the site investigations were then followed up with off-site stakeholders, including designers, manufacturers and suppliers. Levels of involvement of key factors in the accidents were: problems arising from workers or the work team (70% of accidents), workplace issues (49%), shortcomings with equipment (including PPE) (56%), problems with suitability and condition of materials (27%), and deficiencies with risk management (84%). Employing an ergonomics systems approach, a model is proposed, indicating the manner in which originating managerial, design and cultural factors shape the circumstances found in the work place, giving rise to the acts and conditions which, in turn, lead to accidents. It is argued that attention to the originating influences will be necessary for sustained improvement in construction safety to be achieved.

  2. Why Quantify Uncertainty in Ecosystem Studies: Obligation versus Discovery Tool?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harmon, M. E.

    2016-12-01

    There are multiple motivations for quantifying uncertainty in ecosystem studies. One is as an obligation; the other is as a tool useful in moving ecosystem science toward discovery. While reporting uncertainty should become a routine expectation, a more convincing motivation involves discovery. By clarifying what is known and to what degree it is known, uncertainty analyses can point the way toward improvements in measurements, sampling designs, and models. While some of these improvements (e.g., better sampling designs) may lead to incremental gains, those involving models (particularly model selection) may require large gains in knowledge. To be fully harnessed as a discovery tool, attitudes toward uncertainty may have to change: rather than viewing uncertainty as a negative assessment of what was done, it should be viewed as positive, helpful assessment of what remains to be done.

  3. Thin film battery/fuel cell power generating system. Final report of the continuation contract (Tasks 1-4), April 1, 1978-March 31, 1980

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

    Not Available

    1980-06-30

    Research on the design, development, and testing of a high-temperature solid electrolyte (HTSOE) fuel cell is described in detail. Task 1 involves the development and refinement of fabrication processes for the porous support tube, fuel electrode, solid electrolyte, air electrode, and interconnection. Task 2 includes the life testing of cell components and the stack; task 3 involves the stack performance evaluation; task 4 includes demonstrating the reproducibility of 10 watt stacks. A cost, design and benefit study to evaluate the nature and worth of an industrial cogeneration application of the HTSOE fuel cell is underway. Here, promisng applications are nowmore » being considered, from which a single application has been selected as a basis for the study - an integrated aluminum production facility. (WHK)« less

  4. Promoting older people's voices- the contribution of social work to inter-disciplinary research.

    PubMed

    Powell, Jackie

    2007-01-01

    UK government policies over the last decade or more have focussed on giving older people more voice in the design, delivery and assessment of services. Mirroring these trends, there has been a shift towards increased involvement of older people in the research process. Drawing on three research studies, this paper examines the contribution of social work to an inter-disciplinary research agenda designed to promote increased involvement of older people in issues of service quality in primarily health settings. Challenges and opportunities are discussed. Each of the studies illustrates the importance of promoting research practice congruent with social work's commitment to partnership and empowering forms of practice. This, it is argued, requires the challenging of ageist assumptions, the use of a range of research methods and the valuing of different forms of knowledge.

  5. Construction and Validation of a Questionnaire to Study Future Teachers' Beliefs about Cultural Diversity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    López López, M. Carmen; Hinojosa Pareja, Eva F.

    2016-01-01

    The article presents the construction and validation process of a questionnaire designed to study student teachers' beliefs about cultural diversity. The study, beyond highlighting the complexity involved in the study of beliefs, emphasises their relevance in implementing inclusive educational processes that guarantee the right to a good education…

  6. Newspapers in Science Education: A Study Involving Sixth Grade Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lai, Ching-San; Wang, Yun-Fei

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore the learning performance of sixth grade elementary school students using newspapers in science teaching. A quasi-experimental design with a single group was used in this study. Thirty-three sixth grade elementary school students participated in this study. The research instruments consisted of three…

  7. 41 CFR 60-3.14 - Technical standards for validity studies.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... likely to affect validity differences; or that these factors are included in the design of the study and... construct validity is both an extensive and arduous effort involving a series of research studies, which... validity studies. 60-3.14 Section 60-3.14 Public Contracts and Property Management Other Provisions...

  8. 41 CFR 60-3.14 - Technical standards for validity studies.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... likely to affect validity differences; or that these factors are included in the design of the study and... construct validity is both an extensive and arduous effort involving a series of research studies, which... validity studies. 60-3.14 Section 60-3.14 Public Contracts and Property Management Other Provisions...

  9. 41 CFR 60-3.14 - Technical standards for validity studies.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... likely to affect validity differences; or that these factors are included in the design of the study and... construct validity is both an extensive and arduous effort involving a series of research studies, which... validity studies. 60-3.14 Section 60-3.14 Public Contracts and Property Management Other Provisions...

  10. 41 CFR 60-3.14 - Technical standards for validity studies.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... likely to affect validity differences; or that these factors are included in the design of the study and... construct validity is both an extensive and arduous effort involving a series of research studies, which... validity studies. 60-3.14 Section 60-3.14 Public Contracts and Property Management Other Provisions...

  11. 41 CFR 60-3.14 - Technical standards for validity studies.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... likely to affect validity differences; or that these factors are included in the design of the study and... construct validity is both an extensive and arduous effort involving a series of research studies, which... validity studies. 60-3.14 Section 60-3.14 Public Contracts and Property Management Other Provisions...

  12. Observed Changes in the Alertness and Communicative Involvement of Students with Multiple and Severe Disability Following In-Class Mentor Modelling for Staff in Segregated and General Education Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Foreman, P.; Arthur-Kelly, M.; Bennett, D.; Neilands, J.; Colyvas, K.

    2014-01-01

    Background: The improvement of engagement and involvement in communicative and socially centred exchanges for individuals with multiple and severe disability (MSD) presents complex and urgent challenges to educators. This paper reports the findings of an intervention study designed to enhance the interactive skills of students with MSD using an…

  13. 3D Simulation as a Learning Environment for Acquiring the Skill of Self-Management: An Experience Involving Spanish University Students of Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cela-Ranilla, Jose María; Esteve-Gonzalez, Vanessa; Esteve-Mon, Francesc; Gisbert-Cervera, Merce

    2014-01-01

    In this study we analyze how 57 Spanish university students of Education developed a learning process in a virtual world by conducting activities that involved the skill of self-management. The learning experience comprised a serious game designed in a 3D simulation environment. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests were used in the…

  14. Wind energy development: methods for assessing risks to birds and bats pre-construction

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Katzner, Todd E.; Bennett, Victoria; Miller, Tricia A.; Duerr, Adam E.; Braham, Melissa A.; Hale, Amanda

    2016-01-01

    Wind power generation is rapidly expanding. Although wind power is a low-carbon source of energy, it can impact negatively birds and bats, either directly through fatality or indirectly by displacement or habitat loss. Pre-construction risk assessment at wind facilities within the United States is usually required only on public lands. When conducted, it generally involves a 3-tier process, with each step leading to more detailed and rigorous surveys. Preliminary site assessment (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tier 1) is usually conducted remotely and involves evaluation of existing databases and published materials. If potentially at-risk wildlife are present and the developer wishes to continue the development process, then on-site surveys are conducted (Tier 2) to verify the presence of those species and to assess site-specific features (e.g., topography, land cover) that may influence risk from turbines. The next step in the process (Tier 3) involves quantitative or scientific studies to assess the potential risk of the proposed project to wildlife. Typical Tier-3 research may involve acoustic, aural, observational, radar, capture, tracking, or modeling studies, all designed to understand details of risk to specific species or groups of species at the given site. Our review highlights several features lacking from many risk assessments, particularly the paucity of before-and-after-control- impact (BACI) studies involving modeling and a lack of understanding of cumulative effects of wind facilities on wildlife. Both are essential to understand effective designs for pre-construction monitoring and both would help expand risk assessment beyond eagles.

  15. A Systematic Review of Interventions to Improve Initiation of Mental Health Care Among Racial-Ethnic Minority Groups.

    PubMed

    Lee-Tauler, Su Yeon; Eun, John; Corbett, Dawn; Collins, Pamela Y

    2018-06-01

    The objective of this systematic review was to identify interventions to improve the initiation of mental health care among racial-ethnic minority groups. The authors searched three electronic databases in February 2016 and independently assessed eligibility of 2,065 titles and abstracts on the basis of three criteria: the study design included an intervention, the participants were members of racial-ethnic minority groups and lived in the United States, and the outcome measures included initial access to or attitudes toward mental health care. The qualitative synthesis involved 29 studies. Interventions identified included collaborative care (N=10), psychoeducation (N=7), case management (N=5), colocation of mental health services within existing services (N=4), screening and referral (N=2), and a change in Medicare medication reimbursement policy that served as a natural experiment (N=1). Reduction of disparities in the initiation of antidepressants or psychotherapy was noted in seven interventions (four involving collaborative care, two involving colocation of mental health services, and one involving screening and referral). Five of these disparities-reducing interventions were tested among older adults only. Most (N=23) interventions incorporated adaptations designed to address social or cultural barriers to care. Interventions that used a model of integrated care reduced racial-ethnic disparities in the initiation of mental health care.

  16. An exploratory study examining the influence of translation on the validity and reliability of qualitative data in nursing research.

    PubMed

    Twinn, S

    1997-08-01

    Although the complexity of undertaking qualitative research with non-English speaking informants has become increasingly recognized, few empirical studies exist which explore the influence of translation on the findings of the study. The aim of this exploratory study was therefore to examine the influence of translation on the reliability and validity of the findings of a qualitative research study. In-depth interviews were undertaken in Cantonese with a convenience sample of six women to explore their perceptions of factors influencing their uptake of Pap smears. Data analysis involved three stages. The first stage involved the translation and transcription of all the interviews into English independently by two translators as well as transcription into Chinese by a third researcher. The second stage involved content analysis of the three data sets to develop categories and themes and the third stage involved a comparison of the categories and themes generated from the Chinese and English data sets. Despite no significant differences in the major categories generated from the Chinese and English data, some minor differences were identified in the themes generated from the data. More significantly the results of the study demonstrated some important issues to consider when using translation in qualitative research, in particular the complexity of managing data when no equivalent word exists in the target language and the influence of the grammatical style on the analysis. In addition the findings raise questions about the significance of the conceptual framework of the research design and sampling to the validity of the study. The importance of using only one translator to maximize the reliability of the study was also demonstrated. In addition the author suggests the findings demonstrate particular problems in using translation in phenomenological research designs.

  17. Manager`s views of public involvement

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

    Branch, K.M.; Heerwagen, J.; Bradbury, J.

    1995-12-01

    Four issues commonly form the framework for debates about the acceptability of proposed projects or technologies--the substantive decision or technological choice; the treatment of the community by the proponent organization; the way the decision-making process has been structured and managed; and the status of institutional safeguards and protection. One of the clear messages of cultural theory is that differences in perspectives are a normal and inevitable part of society, and that attempts to resolve differences by persuasion are not likely to work. These findings are useful when considering the goals and possibilities of public involvement as a decision-making tool, andmore » when designing or evaluating public involvement training programs for managers. The research reported here examines the viewpoints and concerns of managers and decision-makers about the four issues identified above, with particular emphasis on their perspectives and concerns about opening decision-making processes to the public and about managers` roles and responsibilities for structuring and managing open decision-making processes. Implications of these findings for public involvement training for managers is also discussed. The data presented in this paper were obtained from face-to-face interviews with managers and decision-makers with experience managing a variety of hazardous waste management decision-making processes. We conducted these interviews in the course of four separate research projects: needs assessments to support the design and development of a public involvement training program for managers; a study of community residents` and managers` perspectives on the chemical stockpile disposal program; an evaluation of the effectiveness of public involvement training for managers in the Department of Energy; and a study to develop indicators of the benefits and costs of public involvement.« less

  18. Developing Innovative Approaches to Teaching and Learning through Lesson Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Runcieman, Andria

    2015-01-01

    The author, who teaches in a Norfolk comprehensive school, presents an account of her involvement with the new research practice of lesson study, and discusses its benefits as part of a continuing professional development programme designed to encourage teachers to become more reflective.

  19. Set. Research Information for Teachers. Number Two 1990.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jeffery, Peter, Ed.

    This set of research materials incorporates information for teachers, principals, students, lecturers, and actively involved parents. Included are leaflets and brief reports designed for private study, staff meetings, inservice courses, or small group discussion. The package contains 15 research studies: "Modified Sports: Kiwi and…

  20. Microcomputer Use in a Labor Studies Environment.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sorcinelli, Gino; Spencer, David C.

    1987-01-01

    Describes the development and classroom application of a microcomputer-assisted collective bargaining simulation by Indiana University's Division of Labor Studies. Student involvement in the simulation is described, instructional development techniques used in designing the simulation are discussed, and benefits of the simulation are reviewed.…

  1. Lifestyle interventions and independence for elders study: Recruitment and baseline characteristics

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Recruitment of older adults into long-term clinical trials involving behavioral interventions is a significant challenge. The Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders (LIFE) Study is a Phase 3 multicenter randomized controlled multisite trial, designed to compare the effects of a moderate...

  2. Optimum design calculations for detectors based on ZnSe(Те,О) scintillators

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Katrunov, K.; Ryzhikov, V.; Gavrilyuk, V.; Naydenov, S.; Lysetska, O.; Litichevskyi, V.

    2013-06-01

    Light collection in scintillators ZnSe(X), where X is an isovalent dopant, was studied using Monte Carlo calculations. Optimum design was determined for detectors of "scintillator—Si-photodiode" type, which can involve either one scintillation element or scintillation layers of large area made of small-crystalline grains. The calculations were carried out both for determination of the optimum scintillator shape and for design optimization of light guides, on the surface of which the layer of small-crystalline grains is formed.

  3. The NMCSSC Quick-Reacting General War Gaming System (QUICK). Analytical Manual. Volume I - Data Base Preparation. Change

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1972-02-21

    is a two-sided strategic nuclear exchange war gaming system. It is designed co assist the military planner in examining various facets of strategic...substantial, the data base preparation process is designed to provide an efficient means of assembling, maintaining, and organizing an input data base to... designed to assist in the study of &’trategic conflicts involving a large-scale Pexchange of nuclear weapons. The system is structured into five

  4. Compact Heat Exchanger Design and Testing for Advanced Reactors and Advanced Power Cycles

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

    Sun, Xiaodong; Zhang, Xiaoqin; Christensen, Richard

    The goal of the proposed research is to demonstrate the thermal hydraulic performance of innovative surface geometries in compact heat exchangers used as intermediate heat exchangers (IHXs) and recuperators for the supercritical carbon dioxide (s-CO 2) Brayton cycle. Printed-circuit heat exchangers (PCHEs) are the primary compact heat exchangers of interest. The overall objectives are: To develop optimized PCHE designs for different working fluid combinations including helium to s-CO 2, liquid salt to s-CO 2, sodium to s-CO 2, and liquid salt to helium; To experimentally and numerically investigate thermal performance, thermal stress and failure mechanism of PCHEs under various transients;more » and To study diffusion bonding techniques for elevated-temperature alloys and examine post-test material integrity of the PCHEs. The project objectives were accomplished by defining and executing five different tasks corresponding to these specific objectives. The first task involved a thorough literature review and a selection of IHX candidates with different surface geometries as well as a summary of prototypic operational conditions. The second task involved optimization of PCHE design with numerical analyses of thermal-hydraulic performances and mechanical integrity. The subsequent task dealt with the development of testing facilities and engineering design of PCHE to be tested in s-CO 2 fluid conditions. The next task involved experimental investigation and validation of the thermal-hydraulic performances and thermal stress distribution of prototype PCHEs manufactured with particular surface geometries. The last task involved an investigation of diffusion bonding process and posttest destructive testing to validate mechanical design methods adopted in the design process. The experimental work utilized the two test facilities at The Ohio State University (OSU) including one existing High-Temperature Helium Test Facility (HTHF) and the newly developed s-CO 2 test loop (STL) facility and s-CO 2 test facility at University of Wisconsin – Madison (UW).« less

  5. Where is the F in MCH? Father involvement in African American families.

    PubMed

    Lu, Michael C; Jones, Loretta; Bond, Melton J; Wright, Kynna; Pumpuang, Maiteeny; Maidenberg, Molly; Jones, Drew; Garfield, Craig; Rowley, Diane L

    2010-01-01

    To: 1) review the historical contexts and current profiles of father involvement in African American families; 2) identify barriers to, and supports of, involvement; 3) evaluate the effectiveness of father involvement programs; and 4) recommend directions for future research, programs, and public policies. Review of observational and interventional studies on father involvement. Several historical developments (slavery, declining employment for Black men and increasing workforce participation for Black women, and welfare policies that favored single mothers) led to father absence from African American families. Today, more than two thirds of Black infants are born to unmarried mothers. Even if unmarried fathers are actively involved initially, their involvement over time declines. We identified multiple barriers to, and supports of, father involvement at multiple levels. These levels include intrapersonal (eg, human capital, attitudes and beliefs about parenting), interpersonal (eg, the father's relationships with the mother and maternal grandmother), neighborhoods and communities (eg, high unemployment and incarceration rates), cultural or societal (eg, popular cultural perceptions of Black fathers as expendable and irresponsible, racial stratification and institutionalized racism), policy (eg, Earned Income Tax Credit, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, child support enforcement), and life-course factors (eg, father involvement by the father's father). We found strong evidence of success for several intervention programs (eg, Reducing the Risk, Teen Outreach Program, and Children's Aid Society - Carrera Program) designed to prevent formation of father-absent families, but less is known about the effectiveness of programs to encourage greater father involvement because of a lack of rigorous research design and evaluation for most programs. A multi-level, life-course approach is needed to strengthen the capacity of African American men to promote greater involvement in pregnancy and parenting as they become fathers.

  6. The Benefits and Challenges of Involving Adolescents in Medical Education: A Qualitative Study.

    PubMed

    Moreau, Katherine A; Eady, Kaylee

    2018-05-30

    To explore the potential benefits and challenges of involving adolescents in the education of medical students and residents from the perspectives of adolescents who are hospitalized with chronic health conditions. We conducted qualitative interviews with adolescents at a Canadian pediatric hospital. Eligible participants were those between 13-18 years of age, with chronic health conditions lasting more than three months who were feeling well enough to participate in an interview. We used conventional content analysis to analyze the data. Sixteen adolescents participated in the study. In terms of benefits, the participants described how involving adolescents in the education of medical students and residents would improve patient-physician interactions, increase patients' confidence and self-worth, encourage patients to self-reflect and gain knowledge about their health conditions and themselves, as well as enable patients to socialize with other patients. When asked about the challenges, the participants discussed how it might be difficult to include diverse patient perspectives, manage adolescents' negativity, and ensure that learners are non-judgmental towards adolescents and take them seriously. While many of the reported benefits and challenges correspond with those featured in the literature on adult patient involvement in medical education, our findings underscore the distinctive benefits and challenges that medical educators may experience in designing and implementing educational initiatives that involve adolescents. Through the future design and implementation of educational initiatives, it is important to further explore the benefits and challenges of such adolescent involvement, as we know that adolescents can be valuable contributors to medical education. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  7. Jordanian Nurses' involvement in health policy: perceived benefits and barriers.

    PubMed

    AbuAlRub, R F; Foudeh, F N

    2017-03-01

    To examine (1) the level of involvement of Jordanian nurses in health policy development and (2) perceived benefits, barriers and impacts on health outcomes of involvement in health policy process. Lack of nurses' political involvement may result in self-serving policies by policymakers who are in power and passing policies that are less than optimum. A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted in this study. A convenience sample of 231 nurses was recruited with a response rate of 77%. The instrument of Registered Nurses' Involvement in Health Policies was used in this study. The results revealed that participants were most frequently involved in the health policy activity 'voting for a candidate or a health policy proposal'. The mean scores for involvement of participants as nurses and as citizens were low. The most perceived frequent barrier to involvement in health policy was lack of time. The low rate of Jordanian nurses' involvement in health policy could be explained by the fact that most participants had family roles in addition to work roles, which might leave little time for health policy activities. Lack of mentoring for nurses by nursing leaders could also negatively affect their involvement in health policy development. Results of this study could be baseline information for Jordanian nurse leaders to enhance the level of nurses' involvement in health policy development. Such findings could also add knowledge to the existing literature about nurses' involvement in health policy. © 2016 International Council of Nurses.

  8. Instrumented Architectural Simulation System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Delagi, B. A.; Saraiya, N.; Nishimura, S.; Byrd, G.

    1987-01-01

    Simulation of systems at an architectural level can offer an effective way to study critical design choices if (1) the performance of the simulator is adequate to examine designs executing significant code bodies, not just toy problems or small application fragements, (2) the details of the simulation include the critical details of the design, (3) the view of the design presented by the simulator instrumentation leads to useful insights on the problems with the design, and (4) there is enough flexibility in the simulation system so that the asking of unplanned questions is not suppressed by the weight of the mechanics involved in making changes either in the design or its measurement. A simulation system with these goals is described together with the approach to its implementation. Its application to the study of a particular class of multiprocessor hardware system architectures is illustrated.

  9. Father Involvement and Psychological Well-Being of Pregnant Women.

    PubMed

    Giurgescu, Carmen; Templin, Thomas N

    2015-01-01

    This study examined the relationships among father of the baby involvement during pregnancy, depressive symptoms, and psychological well-being in African American women. Using a prospective study design, a sample of 95 pregnant African American women receiving prenatal care at a medical center in Chicago completed the self-report instruments about father of the baby involvement, depressive symptoms, and psychological well-being twice during pregnancy, once at between 15 and 25 weeks and once between 25 and 37 weeks. Eighty percent of women reported that the father of the baby was involved during their pregnancy. Twenty-eight percent of women had clinically relevant depressive symptoms (CES-D scores ≥16) at the first data collection and 25% of women had clinically relevant depressive symptoms at the second data collection. Compared with women who reported no father involvement during pregnancy, women who reported father involvement during pregnancy had lower levels of depressive symptoms and higher levels of psychological well-being. Fathers' involvement is important during pregnancy; nurses should encourage fathers to participate at prenatal visits and ask questions, and educate fathers on pregnancy process and procedures during prenatal care.

  10. Multi-kw dc power distribution system study program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Berkery, E. A.; Krausz, A.

    1974-01-01

    The first phase of the Multi-kw dc Power Distribution Technology Program is reported and involves the test and evaluation of a technology breadboard in a specifically designed test facility according to design concepts developed in a previous study on space vehicle electrical power processing, distribution, and control. The static and dynamic performance, fault isolation, reliability, electromagnetic interference characterisitics, and operability factors of high distribution systems were studied in order to gain a technology base for the use of high voltage dc systems in future aerospace vehicles. Detailed technical descriptions are presented and include data for the following: (1) dynamic interactions due to operation of solid state and electromechanical switchgear; (2) multiplexed and computer controlled supervision and checkout methods; (3) pulse width modulator design; and (4) cable design factors.

  11. Development and Design Application of Rigidized Surface Insulation Thermal Protection Systems, Volume 1. [for the space shuttle

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1972-01-01

    Materials and design technology of the all-silica LI-900 rigid surface insulation (RSI) thermal protection system (TPS) concept for the shuttle spacecraft is presented. All results of contract development efforts are documented. Engineering design and analysis of RSI strain arrestor plate material selections, sizing, and weight studies are reported. A shuttle prototype test panel was designed, analyzed, fabricated, and delivered. Thermophysical and mechanical properties of LI-900 were experimentally established and reported. Environmental tests, including simulations of shuttle loads represented by thermal response, turbulent duct, convective cycling, and chemical tolerance tests are described and results reported. Descriptions of material test samples and panels fabricated for testing are included. Descriptions of analytical sizing and design procedures are presented in a manner formulated to allow competent engineering organizations to perform rational design studies. Results of parametric studies involving material and system variables are reported. Material performance and design data are also delineated.

  12. Systems design study of the Pioneer Venus spacecraft. Volume 1. Technical analyses and tradeoffs, sections 1-4 (part 1 of 4)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1973-01-01

    The results are reported of the Pioneer Venus studies from 2 October 1972 through 30 June 1973. Many missions were considered, involving two launch vehicles (Thor/Delta and Atlas/Centaur), and different launch opportunities and spacecraft configurations to meet varying science requirements, all at minimum cost. The sequence of events is described and the specific studies conducted are summarized. The effects of science payload on mission and spacecraft design are discussed along with the mission analyses.

  13. Targeted proteins for diabetes drug design

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Doan Trang Nguyen, Ngoc; Thi Le, Ly

    2012-03-01

    Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a common metabolism disorder characterized by high glucose in the bloodstream, especially in the case of insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency. Nowadays, it is very common in middle-aged people and involves such dangerous symptoms as increasing risk of stroke, obesity and heart failure. In Vietnam, besides the common treatment of insulin injection, some herbal medication is used but no unified optimum remedy for the disease yet exists and there is no production of antidiabetic drugs in the domestic market yet. In the development of nanomedicine at the present time, drug design is considered as an innovative tool for researchers to study the mechanisms of diseases at the molecular level. The aim of this article is to review some common protein targets involved in type 2 diabetes, offering a new idea for designing new drug candidates to produce antidiabetic drugs against type 2 diabetes for Vietnamese people.

  14. Health worker preferences for performance-based payment schemes in a rural health district in Burkina Faso

    PubMed Central

    Yé, Maurice; Diboulo, Eric; Kagoné, Moubassira; Sié, Ali; Sauerborn, Rainer; Loukanova, Svetla

    2016-01-01

    Background One promising way to improve the motivation of healthcare providers and the quality of healthcare services is performance-based incentives (PBIs) also referred as performance-based financing. Our study aims to explore healthcare providers’ preferences for an incentive scheme based on local resources, which aimed at improving the quality of maternal and child health care in the Nouna Health District. Design A qualitative and quantitative survey was carried out in 2010 involving 94 healthcare providers within 34 health facilities. In addition, in-depth interviews involving a total of 33 key informants were conducted at health facility levels. Results Overall, 85% of health workers were in favour of an incentive scheme based on the health district's own financial resources (95% CI: [71.91; 88.08]). Most health workers (95 and 96%) expressed a preference for financial incentives (95% CI: [66.64; 85.36]) and team-based incentives (95% CI: [67.78; 86.22]), respectively. The suggested performance indicators were those linked to antenatal care services, prevention of mother-to-child human immunodeficiency virus transmission, neonatal care, and immunization. Conclusions The early involvement of health workers and other stakeholders in designing an incentive scheme proved to be valuable. It ensured their effective participation in the process and overall acceptance of the scheme at the end. This study is an important contribution towards the designing of effective PBI schemes. PMID:26739784

  15. Involvement of consumers in studies run by the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit: Results of a survey

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background We aimed to establish levels of consumer involvement in randomised controlled trials (RCTs), meta-analyses and other studies carried out by the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) Clinical Trials Unit across the range of research programs, predominantly in cancer and HIV. Methods Staff responsible for studies that were included in a Unit Progress Report (MRC CTU, April 2009) were asked to complete a semi-structured questionnaire survey regarding consumer involvement. This was defined as active involvement of consumers as partners in the research process and not as subjects of that research. The electronic questionnaires combined open and closed questions, intended to capture quantitative and qualitative information on whether studies had involved consumers; types of activities undertaken; recruitment and support; advantages and disadvantages of involvement and its perceived impact on aspects of the research. Results Between October 2009 and April 2010, 138 completed questionnaires (86%) were returned. Studies had been conducted over a 20 year period from 1989, and around half were in cancer; 30% in HIV and 20% were in other disease areas including arthritis, tuberculosis and blood transfusion medicine. Forty-three studies (31%) had some consumer involvement, most commonly as members of trial management groups (TMG) [88%]. A number of positive impacts on both the research and the researcher were identified. Researchers generally felt involvement was worthwhile and some felt that consumer involvement had improved the credibility of the research. Benefits in design and quality, trial recruitment, dissemination and decision making were also perceived. Researchers felt they learned from consumer involvement, albeit that there were some barriers. Conclusions Whilst most researchers identified benefits of involving consumers, most of studies included in the survey had no involvement. Information from this survey will inform the development of a unit policy on consumer involvement, to guide future research conducted within the MRC Clinical Trials Unit and beyond. PMID:22243649

  16. Involvement of consumers in studies run by the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit: results of a survey.

    PubMed

    Vale, Claire L; Thompson, Lindsay C; Murphy, Claire; Forcat, Silvia; Hanley, Bec

    2012-01-13

    We aimed to establish levels of consumer involvement in randomised controlled trials (RCTs), meta-analyses and other studies carried out by the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) Clinical Trials Unit across the range of research programs, predominantly in cancer and HIV. Staff responsible for studies that were included in a Unit Progress Report (MRC CTU, April 2009) were asked to complete a semi-structured questionnaire survey regarding consumer involvement. This was defined as active involvement of consumers as partners in the research process and not as subjects of that research. The electronic questionnaires combined open and closed questions, intended to capture quantitative and qualitative information on whether studies had involved consumers; types of activities undertaken; recruitment and support; advantages and disadvantages of involvement and its perceived impact on aspects of the research. Between October 2009 and April 2010, 138 completed questionnaires (86%) were returned. Studies had been conducted over a 20 year period from 1989, and around half were in cancer; 30% in HIV and 20% were in other disease areas including arthritis, tuberculosis and blood transfusion medicine. Forty-three studies (31%) had some consumer involvement, most commonly as members of trial management groups (TMG) [88%]. A number of positive impacts on both the research and the researcher were identified. Researchers generally felt involvement was worthwhile and some felt that consumer involvement had improved the credibility of the research. Benefits in design and quality, trial recruitment, dissemination and decision making were also perceived. Researchers felt they learned from consumer involvement, albeit that there were some barriers. Whilst most researchers identified benefits of involving consumers, most of studies included in the survey had no involvement. Information from this survey will inform the development of a unit policy on consumer involvement, to guide future research conducted within the MRC Clinical Trials Unit and beyond.

  17. Pure moment testing for spinal biomechanics applications: Fixed versus sliding ring cable-driven test designs.

    PubMed

    Eguizabal, Johnny; Tufaga, Michael; Scheer, Justin K; Ames, Christopher; Lotz, Jeffrey C; Buckley, Jenni M

    2010-05-07

    In vitro multi-axial bending testing using pure moment loading conditions has become the standard in evaluating the effects of different types of surgical intervention on spinal kinematics. Simple, cable-driven experimental set-ups have been widely adopted because they require little infrastructure. Traditionally, "fixed ring" cable-driven experimental designs have been used; however, there have been concerns with the validity of this set-up in applying pure moment loading. This study involved directly comparing the loading state induced by a traditional "fixed ring" apparatus versus a novel "sliding ring" approach. Flexion-extension bending was performed on an artificial spine model and a single cadaveric test specimen, and the applied loading conditions to the specimen were measured with an in-line multiaxial load cell. The results showed that the fixed ring system applies flexion-extension moments that are 50-60% less than the intended values. This design also imposes non-trivial anterior-posterior shear forces, and non-uniform loading conditions were induced along the length of the specimen. The results of this study indicate that fixed ring systems have the potential to deviate from a pure moment loading state and that our novel sliding ring modification corrects this error in the original test design. This suggests that the proposed sliding ring design should be used for future in vitro spine biomechanics studies involving a cable-driven pure moment apparatus. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Defining Special-Use Lanes: Case Studies and Guidelines

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2000-10-01

    This research assesses the feasibility of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV)and high-occupancy vehicle/toll (HOT) facilities. In this report, current operational facilities are described and guidelines for the operation, design, agency involvement, and mon...

  19. Catalytic Chemistry.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Borer, Londa; And Others

    1996-01-01

    Describes an approach for making chemistry relevant to everyday life. Involves the study of kinetics using the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide by vegetable juices. Allows students to design and carry out experiments and then draw conclusions from their results. (JRH)

  20. Design and analysis of multiple diseases genome-wide association studies without controls.

    PubMed

    Chen, Zhongxue; Huang, Hanwen; Ng, Hon Keung Tony

    2012-11-15

    In genome-wide association studies (GWAS), multiple diseases with shared controls is one of the case-control study designs. If data obtained from these studies are appropriately analyzed, this design can have several advantages such as improving statistical power in detecting associations and reducing the time and cost in the data collection process. In this paper, we propose a study design for GWAS which involves multiple diseases but without controls. We also propose corresponding statistical data analysis strategy for GWAS with multiple diseases but no controls. Through a simulation study, we show that the statistical association test with the proposed study design is more powerful than the test with single disease sharing common controls, and it has comparable power to the overall test based on the whole dataset including the controls. We also apply the proposed method to a real GWAS dataset to illustrate the methodologies and the advantages of the proposed design. Some possible limitations of this study design and testing method and their solutions are also discussed. Our findings indicate that the proposed study design and statistical analysis strategy could be more efficient than the usual case-control GWAS as well as those with shared controls. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Addition of fraction in swimming context

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Putri, R. I. I.; Gunawan, M. S.; Zulkardi

    2017-12-01

    This study aimed to produce learning trajectory that can help students in learning fractions by using swimming context. The study involved 37 fourth grade students with different capabilities in Elementary School IBA, South Sumatra, Indonesia. This study used an instructional theory called Indonesian version of Realistic Mathematics Education (PMRI). This research used design research method with three stages: preliminary design, the design experiment, and retrospective analysis. Several techniques used for collecting data including a video recording of students interaction in the group discussion, students’ work, and interviewing the students. To conclude, the swimming context could stimulate students’ informal knowledge about the meaning of fractions in which it can be used in the additional learning either the same denominator or different denominator.

  2. The MedlinePlus public user interface: studies of design challenges and opportunities.

    PubMed

    Marill, Jennifer L; Miller, Naomi; Kitendaugh, Paula

    2006-01-01

    What are the challenges involved in designing, modifying, and improving a major health information portal that serves over sixty million page views a month? MedlinePlus, the National Library of Medicine's (NLM's) consumer health Website, is examined. Challenges are presented as six "studies," which describe selected design issues and how NLM staff resolved them. Improving MedlinePlus is an iterative process. Changes in the public user interface are ongoing, reflecting Web design trends, usability testing recommendations, user survey results, new technical requirements, and the need to grow the site in an orderly way. Testing and analysis should accompany Website design modifications. New technologies may enhance a site but also introduce problems. Further modifications to MedlinePlus will be informed by the experiences described here.

  3. Energy Efficiency Performance in Refurbishment Projects with Design Team Attributes As A Mediator: A Pilot Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sekak, Siti Nor Azniza Ahmad; Rahmat Dr, Ismail, Prof.; Yunus, Julitta; Saád, Sri Rahayu Mohd; Hanafi Azman Ong, Mohd

    2017-12-01

    The Energy Efficiency (EE) plays an important role over the building life cycle and the implementation of EE in refurbishment projects has a significant potential towards the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. However, the involvement of the design team at the early stage of the refurbishment projects will determine the success of EE implementations. Thus, a pilot study was conducted at the initial stage of the data collection process of this research to validate and verify the questionnaires.

  4. Corn blight review: Sampling model and ground data measurements program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allen, R. D.

    1972-01-01

    The sampling plan involved the selection of the study area, determination of the flightline and segment sample design within the study area, and determination of a field sample design. Initial interview survey data consisting of crop species acreage and land use were collected. On all corn fields, additional information such as seed type, row direction, population, planting date, ect. were also collected. From this information, sample corn fields were selected to be observed through the growing season on a biweekly basis by county extension personnel.

  5. The Emergency Landing Planner Experiment

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Meuleau, Nocolas F.; Neukom, Christian; Plaunt, Christian John; Smith, David E.; Smith, Tristan B.

    2011-01-01

    In previous work, we described an Emergency Landing Planner (ELP) designed to assist pilots in choosing the best emergency landing site when damage or failures occur in an aircraft. In this paper, we briefly describe the system, but focus on the integration of this system into the cockpit of a 6 DOF full-motion simulator and a study designed to evaluate the ELP. We discuss the results of this study, the lessons learned, and some of the issues involved in advancing this work further.

  6. Safety System Design for Technology Education. A Safety Guide for Technology Education Courses K-12.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    North Carolina State Dept. of Public Instruction, Raleigh. Div. of Vocational Education.

    This manual is designed to involve both teachers and students in planning and controlling a safety system for technology education classrooms. The safety program involves students in the design and maintenance of the system by including them in the analysis of the classroom environment, job safety analysis, safety inspection, and machine safety…

  7. HERE'S HOW TO DESIGN A SCHOOL CAFETERIA.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    POWERS, ALICE

    A DISCUSSION IS PRESENTED OF THE FACTORS INVOLVED IN DESIGNING A SYSTEM OF "UNIT KITCHENS." REASONS FOR CHOICE OF A UNIT SYSTEM OVER A CENTRAL KITCHEN ARE GIVEN, AND A DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE FACTORS INVOLVED IN DESIGNING AND EQUIPPING SUCH FACILITIES IS PRESENTED. THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN THE NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 1964 ISSUE OF THE SCHOOL LUNCH…

  8. Some empirical evidence for ecological dissonance theory.

    PubMed

    Miller, D I; Verhoek-Miller, N; Giesen, J M; Wells-Parker, E

    2000-04-01

    Using Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory as a model, the extension to Barker's ecological theory, referred to as ecological dissonance theory, was developed. Designed to examine the motivational dynamics involved when environmental systems are in conflict with each other or with cognitive systems, ecological dissonance theory yielded five propositions which were tested in 10 studies. This summary of the studies suggests operationally defined measures of ecological dissonance may correlate with workers' satisfaction with their jobs, involvement with their jobs, alienation from their work, and to a lesser extent, workers' conflict resolution behavior and communication style.

  9. Study of design and control of remote manipulators. Part 4: Experiments in video camera positioning with regard to remote manipulation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mackro, J.

    1973-01-01

    The results are presented of a study involving closed circuit television as the means of providing the necessary task-to-operator feedback for efficient performance of the remote manipulation system. Experiments were performed to determine the remote video configuration that will result in the best overall system. Two categories of tests were conducted which include: those which involved remote control position (rate) of just the video system, and those in which closed circuit TV was used along with manipulation of the objects themselves.

  10. A study on task difficulty and acceleration stress

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Repperger, D. W.; Rogers, D. B.

    1981-01-01

    The results of two experiments which relate to task difficulty and the effects of environmental stress on tracking performance are discussed and compared to subjective evaluations. The first experiment involved five different sum of sine tracking tasks which humans tracked both in a static condition and under a 5 Gz acceleration stress condition. The second experiment involved similar environmental stress conditions but in this case the tasks were constructed from deterministic functions with specially designed velocity and acceleration profiles. Phase Plane performance analysis was conducted to study potential measures of workload or tracking difficulty.

  11. Design and Development of a Self-Assessment Tool and Investigating its Effectiveness for E-Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Domun, Manisha; Bahadur, Goonesh K.

    2014-01-01

    One of the most effective tools in e-learning is the Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) and research has shown that students need to accurately assess their own performance thus improving their learning. The study involved the design and development of a self-assessment tool based on the Revised Blooms taxonomy Framework. As a second step in investigating…

  12. A Simulation Environment for Aerodynamic Analysis and Design of Flapping Wing Micro Air Vehicles

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-01-01

    parametric study involving numerous configurations with multiple flight conditions must be conducted in order to determine the potential "best design...virilis Honey Bee : Apis mellifica Bumble Bee : Bombus terrestris Hummingbird: Archi lochus colubris Hawkmoth: Manduca Sexta Hummingbird...Sf. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) B.PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER Streamline Numerics , Inc. SNI-CR

  13. The Potential of Adaptive Design in Animal Studies.

    PubMed

    Majid, Arshad; Bae, Ok-Nam; Redgrave, Jessica; Teare, Dawn; Ali, Ali; Zemke, Daniel

    2015-10-12

    Clinical trials are the backbone of medical research, and are often the last step in the development of new therapies for use in patients. Prior to human testing, however, preclinical studies using animal subjects are usually performed in order to provide initial data on the safety and effectiveness of prospective treatments. These studies can be costly and time consuming, and may also raise concerns about the ethical treatment of animals when potentially harmful procedures are involved. Adaptive design is a process by which the methods used in a study may be altered while it is being conducted in response to preliminary data or other new information. Adaptive design has been shown to be useful in reducing the time and costs associated with clinical trials, and may provide similar benefits in preclinical animal studies. The purpose of this review is to summarize various aspects of adaptive design and evaluate its potential for use in preclinical research.

  14. The Potential of Adaptive Design in Animal Studies

    PubMed Central

    Majid, Arshad; Bae, Ok-Nam; Redgrave, Jessica; Teare, Dawn; Ali, Ali; Zemke, Daniel

    2015-01-01

    Clinical trials are the backbone of medical research, and are often the last step in the development of new therapies for use in patients. Prior to human testing, however, preclinical studies using animal subjects are usually performed in order to provide initial data on the safety and effectiveness of prospective treatments. These studies can be costly and time consuming, and may also raise concerns about the ethical treatment of animals when potentially harmful procedures are involved. Adaptive design is a process by which the methods used in a study may be altered while it is being conducted in response to preliminary data or other new information. Adaptive design has been shown to be useful in reducing the time and costs associated with clinical trials, and may provide similar benefits in preclinical animal studies. The purpose of this review is to summarize various aspects of adaptive design and evaluate its potential for use in preclinical research. PMID:26473839

  15. Application of factorial designs to study factors involved in the determination of aldehydes present in beer by on-fiber derivatization in combination with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Carrillo, Génesis; Bravo, Adriana; Zufall, Carsten

    2011-05-11

    With the aim of studying the factors involved in on-fiber derivatization of Strecker aldehydes, furfural, and (E)-2-nonenal with O-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine in beer, factorial designs were applied. The effect of the temperature, time, and NaCl addition on the analytes' derivatization/extraction efficiency was studied through a factorial 2(3) randomized-block design; all of the factors and their interactions were significant at the 95% confidence level for most of the analytes. The effect of temperature and its interactions separated the analytes in two groups. However, a single sampling condition was selected that optimized response for most aldehydes. The resulting method, combining on-fiber derivatization with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, was validated. Limits of detections were between 0.015 and 1.60 μg/L, and relative standard deviations were between 1.1 and 12.2%. The efficacy of the internal standardization method was confirmed by recovery percentage (73-117%). The method was applied to the determination of aldehydes in fresh beer and after storage at 28 °C.

  16. Male Partner's Involvement in HIV Counselling and Testing and Associated Factors among Partners of Pregnant Women in Gondar Town, Northwest Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Zenebe, Alemu; Gebeyehu, Abebaw; Derseh, Lemma; Ahmed, Kedir Y

    2016-01-01

    Background. Despite the existence of several programmes promoting male involvement in HIV counselling and testing during their wife's pregnancy as a part of PMTCT, few men have heeded the call. The aim of this study was to assess male partner's involvement in HCT and its associated factors. Methods. This study was based on institution based cross-sectional study design that used systematic random sampling technique. A total of 416 partners were interviewed in the data collection. Multivariable logistic regression model was fitted to identify the independent predictors. Result. In this study, the prevalence of male involvement in HCT was found to be 40.1% (95% CI: 35.3%-44.7%). The independent predictors of male involvement were partners who were younger, were cohabitant, were with multigravida wives, were knowledgeable on route of mother-to-child transmission, and discussed HCT. Conclusion. The prevalence of male involvement in HCT was found to be suboptimal compared to similar studies in Ethiopia. There is a need of interventions on partners who are older, separated, and with lower gravidity wife. Awareness creation campaign should also be created on the route of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and on the importance of discussion with wife.

  17. Male Partner's Involvement in HIV Counselling and Testing and Associated Factors among Partners of Pregnant Women in Gondar Town, Northwest Ethiopia

    PubMed Central

    Zenebe, Alemu; Gebeyehu, Abebaw; Derseh, Lemma

    2016-01-01

    Background. Despite the existence of several programmes promoting male involvement in HIV counselling and testing during their wife's pregnancy as a part of PMTCT, few men have heeded the call. The aim of this study was to assess male partner's involvement in HCT and its associated factors. Methods. This study was based on institution based cross-sectional study design that used systematic random sampling technique. A total of 416 partners were interviewed in the data collection. Multivariable logistic regression model was fitted to identify the independent predictors. Result. In this study, the prevalence of male involvement in HCT was found to be 40.1% (95% CI: 35.3%–44.7%). The independent predictors of male involvement were partners who were younger, were cohabitant, were with multigravida wives, were knowledgeable on route of mother-to-child transmission, and discussed HCT. Conclusion. The prevalence of male involvement in HCT was found to be suboptimal compared to similar studies in Ethiopia. There is a need of interventions on partners who are older, separated, and with lower gravidity wife. Awareness creation campaign should also be created on the route of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and on the importance of discussion with wife. PMID:27555968

  18. The IDEFICS intervention trial to prevent childhood obesity: Design and study methods

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    One of the major research dimensions of the Identification and prevention of Dietary- and lifestyle-induced health EFfects In Children and infantS (IDEFICS) study involved the development, implementation and evaluation of a setting-based community-oriented intervention program for primary prevention...

  19. Cattails or Concrete?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Heal, Fred A.; And Others

    Developed for elementary science studies, this unit on man and environment requires student involvement in discovery, observation, gathering and recording data, and problem solving. A series of 19 booklets, each designed as an activity which can be completed out-of-doors, comprise this student packet of materials. Topics studied in the activities…

  20. Student-Created Digital Media and Engagement in Middle School History

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alexander, Curby

    2014-01-01

    In this study, student engagement during classroom activities was investigated where sixth graders created digital media projects using historical images. The study employed a qualitative design involving observations, student artifacts, and interviews while students were creating digital storyboards using a Web-based application developed for…

  1. Creating SunSmart Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Giles-Corti, B.; English, D. R.; Costa, C.; Milne, E.; Cross, D.; Johnston, R.

    2004-01-01

    Kidskin was a sun-protection intervention study involving 1776 children attending 33 primary schools in Perth, Western Australia. There were three study groups: a control group, a moderate intervention group and a high intervention group. In addition to receiving a specially designed curricular intervention (1995-1998), the moderate and high…

  2. An integrated optimum design approach for high speed prop-rotors including acoustic constraints

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chattopadhyay, Aditi; Wells, Valana; Mccarthy, Thomas; Han, Arris

    1993-01-01

    The objective of this research is to develop optimization procedures to provide design trends in high speed prop-rotors. The necessary disciplinary couplings are all considered within a closed loop multilevel decomposition optimization process. The procedures involve the consideration of blade-aeroelastic aerodynamic performance, structural-dynamic design requirements, and acoustics. Further, since the design involves consideration of several different objective functions, multiobjective function formulation techniques are developed.

  3. Effects of Graphic Organiser on Students' Achievement in Algebraic Word Problems

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Owolabi, Josiah; Adaramati, Tobiloba Faith

    2015-01-01

    This study investigated the effects of graphic organiser and gender on students' academic achievement in algebraic word problem. Three research questions and three null hypotheses were used in guiding this study. Quasi experimental research was employed and Non-equivalent pre and post test design was used. The study involved the Senior Secondary…

  4. Pupil Dilation and Object Permanence in Infants

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sirois, Sylvain; Jackson, Iain R.

    2012-01-01

    This paper examines the relative merits of looking time and pupil diameter measures in the study of early cognitive abilities of infants. Ten-month-old infants took part in a modified version of the classic drawbridge experiment used to study object permanence (Baillargeon, Spelke, & Wasserman, 1985). The study involved a factorial design where…

  5. A Meta-Analysis of Referential Communication Studies: A Computer Readable Literature Review.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dickson, W. Patrick; Moskoff, Mary

    A computer-assisted analysis of studies on referential communication (giving directions/explanations) located 66 reports involving 80 experiments, 114 referential tasks, and over 6,200 individuals. The studies were entered into a statistical software package system (SPSS) and analyzed for characteristics of the subjects and experimental designs,…

  6. An Evaluation of Parent Aide Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Andrews, Mary P.; Swanson, Jane F.

    A descriptive-comparative study was designed to document the service delivery functions and impacts of three different parent-aide programs ongoing in Michigan. The study took place over the period of summer 1978 to summer 1979. The programs involved in the study were the Genesee County Department of Social Services' Volunteer Services Parent-Aide…

  7. Handicap Parking: A Demographic Study of Legal and Illegal Users.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bordeaux, Monica N.; And Others

    Studies on handicap parking reveal the existence of a significant problem of unauthorized use of designated handicap spaces. This study examined various demographic variables involved in the illegal use of handicap parking spaces. Subjects (N=266) were drivers of vehicles observed in handicap parking spaces in three grocery store parking lots.…

  8. A Water Quality Study in Rutherford County, Tennessee: Student Group Project

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    James, Rebecca R.; Ogden, Albert E.; DiVincenzo, John P.

    2006-01-01

    Undergraduate research is the most rewarding way for science students to become exposed to the process of scientific investigation. Water quality studies offer the unique advantages of being easily designed by the students and analytically approachable. This two-part, 14-month study involved several students in the delineation of ground water flow…

  9. A Pilot Study of Collective Parent Engagement and Children's Academic Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alameda-Lawson, Tania

    2014-01-01

    Parent involvement (PI) programs typically represent an important improvement strategy for schools serving low-income children of color. This pilot study offers an alternative to conventional PI approaches, collective parent engagement (CPE). The study relied on a post hoc, quasiexperimental design, and data were collected from 32 low-income,…

  10. The Benefits of Short-Term Study Abroad as a Blended Learning Experience

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Slotkin, Michael H.; Durie, Christopher J.; Eisenberg, Jarin R.

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to highlight the role blended learning plays in expanding study abroad opportunities. Design/methodology/approach: The approach utilized involves providing a synopsis of research dealing with study abroad and its benefits, particularly for student populations likely to comprise a significant portion of the…

  11. Cost model relationships between textile manufacturing processes and design details for transport fuselage elements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Metschan, Stephen L.; Wilden, Kurtis S.; Sharpless, Garrett C.; Andelman, Rich M.

    1993-01-01

    Textile manufacturing processes offer potential cost and weight advantages over traditional composite materials and processes for transport fuselage elements. In the current study, design cost modeling relationships between textile processes and element design details were developed. Such relationships are expected to help future aircraft designers to make timely decisions on the effect of design details and overall configurations on textile fabrication costs. The fundamental advantage of a design cost model is to insure that the element design is cost effective for the intended process. Trade studies on the effects of processing parameters also help to optimize the manufacturing steps for a particular structural element. Two methods of analyzing design detail/process cost relationships developed for the design cost model were pursued in the current study. The first makes use of existing databases and alternative cost modeling methods (e.g. detailed estimating). The second compares design cost model predictions with data collected during the fabrication of seven foot circumferential frames for ATCAS crown test panels. The process used in this case involves 2D dry braiding and resin transfer molding of curved 'J' cross section frame members having design details characteristic of the baseline ATCAS crown design.

  12. Participatory design facilitates Person Centred Nursing in service improvement with older people: a secondary directed content analysis.

    PubMed

    Wolstenholme, Daniel; Ross, Helen; Cobb, Mark; Bowen, Simon

    2017-05-01

    To explore, using the example of a project working with older people in an outpatient setting in a large UK NHS Teaching hospital, how the constructs of Person Centred Nursing are reflected in interviews from participants in a Co-design led service improvement project. Person Centred Care and Person Centred Nursing are recognised terms in healthcare. Co-design (sometimes called participatory design) is an approach that seeks to involve all stakeholders in a creative process to deliver the best result, be this a product, technology or in this case a service. Co-design practice shares some of the underpinning philosophy of Person Centred Nursing and potentially has methods to aid in Person Centred Nursing implementation. The research design was a qualitative secondary Directed analysis. Seven interview transcripts from nurses and older people who had participated in a Co-design led improvement project in a large teaching hospital were transcribed and analysed. Two researchers analysed the transcripts for codes derived from McCormack & McCance's Person Centred Nursing Framework. The four most expressed codes were as follows: from the pre-requisites: knowing self; from care processes, engagement, working with patient's beliefs and values and shared Decision-making; and from Expected outcomes, involvement in care. This study describes the Co-design theory and practice that the participants responded to in the interviews and look at how the co-design activity facilitated elements of the Person Centred Nursing framework. This study adds to the rich literature about using emancipatory and transformational approaches to Person Centred Nursing development, and is the first study exploring explicitly the potential contribution of Co-design to this area. Methods from Co-design allow older people to contribute as equals in a practice development project, co-design methods can facilitate nursing staff to engage meaningfully with older participants and develop a shared understanding and goals. The co-produced outputs of Co-design projects embody and value the expressed beliefs and values of staff and older people. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Clinical Nursing Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. [Relationships amongst work values, job characteristics and job involvement in "net generation" nurses].

    PubMed

    Chen, Sue-Hui; Chiou, Chii-Jun

    2010-04-01

    Children of the so-called "net generation" began joining the nurse workforce from the mid-1990s. Studies on the characteristics of this generation have been done primarily outside of Taiwan, and results may not adequately reflect conditions in Taiwan due to cultural differences. This study aimed to investigate the relationships amongst work values, job characteristics and job involvement in "net generation" nurses. This study employed a cross-sectional design. A randomized sample of 370 nurses born between 1977 and 1985 working in a medical center or a community hospital in Southern Taiwan accepted our invitation to join this study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. (1) Variables including work values, job characteristics, head nurse leadership qualities, job structure and opportunities for in-service education all correlated significantly with job involvement. (2) Regression analysis showed work values, job characteristics, head nurse leadership and religious belief to be significant predictors of job involvement, explaining 22.6% of the variance. This study provides insights that may be of potential value to nursing administrators. We suggest that administrators adopt democratic management practices, build diverse learning methods, strengthen autonomy, completeness, and feedback, and provide appropriate work guidance for nurses to increase job involvement.

  14. Earth Observatory Satellite system definition study. Report no. 7: EOS system definition report

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1974-01-01

    The design concept and operational aspects of the Earth Observatory Satellite (EOS) are presented. A table of the planned EOS missions is included to show the purpose of the mission, the instruments involved, and the launch date. The subjects considered in the analysis of the EOS development are: (1) system requirements, (2) design/cost trade methodology, (3) observatory design alternatives, (4) the data management system, (5) the design evaluation and preferred approach, (6) program cost compilation, (7) follow-on mission accommodation, and (8) space shuttle interfaces and utilization. Illustrations and block diagrams of the spacecraft configurations are provided.

  15. Multiple comparisons in drug efficacy studies: scientific or marketing principles?

    PubMed

    Leo, Jonathan

    2004-01-01

    When researchers design an experiment to compare a given medication to another medication, a behavioral therapy, or a placebo, the experiment often involves numerous comparisons. For instance, there may be several different evaluation methods, raters, and time points. Although scientifically justified, such comparisons can be abused in the interests of drug marketing. This article provides two recent examples of such questionable practices. The first involves the case of the arthritis drug celecoxib (Celebrex), where the study lasted 12 months but the authors only presented 6 months of data. The second case involves the NIMH Multimodal Treatment Study (MTA) study evaluating the efficacy of stimulant medication for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder where ratings made by several groups are reported in contradictory fashion. The MTA authors have not clarified the confusion, at least in print, suggesting that the actual findings of the study may have played little role in the authors' reported conclusions.

  16. Social Studies Resource Supplement to the Consumer Education Curriculum Guide for Ohio.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ohio State Dept. of Education, Columbus. Div. of Vocational Education.

    The active involvement of students in a study of the customs, traditions, and institutionalized ways society has organized to preserve economic stability is the goal of this consumer education teaching guide. Designed for the use of social studies teachers, units are devoted to the studies of: (1) the economic system; (2) income procurement; (3)…

  17. Improving the Reading Ability of Science Students through Study Groups and Multiple Intelligences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Owolabi, Tunde; Okebukola, Foluso

    2009-01-01

    This study explored the effects of appropriate pedagogical skills (study groups and multiple intelligences) on students' efficiencies in reading skills. It employed a factorial design using three variables. A sample of 90 science students choosing from three intact classes were involved in the study. Data analyses were carried out using mean,…

  18. FINAL WHITE PAPER: ASSESSMENT OF EXISTING LINKAGES WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES AMONG POTENTIAL RESEARCH SITES FOR THE NATIONAL CHILDREN'S STUDY

    EPA Science Inventory

    This paper was prepared to assist the planners of the National Childrens Study (NCS) as they assess possible study design options and consider the role of the community in this initiative. The consensus among the planners is to involve the community in the conduct of the< study. ...

  19. StudyWorks! A Model Project Establishing a Coalition between Two Diverse Groups of Exceptional Children.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Metzger, Rebecca Griffeth

    The StudyWorks Project was a 1-year unit of study designed for implementation with gifted/talented (G/T) students and developmentally handicapped (DH) students. The project involved four major areas of study (economic development, career education, social/interpersonal skills, and health/nutrition) and provided practical application of these areas…

  20. Improving Classroom Learning Environments by Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE): Results of Two Pilot Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jennings, Patricia A.; Snowberg, Karin E.; Coccia, Michael A.; Greenberg, Mark T.

    2011-01-01

    Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE) is a professional development program designed to reduce stress and improve teachers' performance. Two pilot studies examined program feasibility and attractiveness and preliminary evidence of efficacy. Study 1 involved educators from a high-poverty urban setting (n = 31). Study 2 involved…

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