Recalibration and predictive reliability of a solute-transport model of an irrigated stream-aquifer system

USGS Publications Warehouse

Person, M.; Konikow, Leonard F.

1986-01-01

A solute-transport model of an irrigated stream-aquifer system was recalibrated because of discrepancies between prior predictions of ground-water salinity trends during 1971-1982 and the observed outcome in February 1982. The original model was calibrated with a 1-year record of data collected during 1971-1972 in an 18-km reach of the Arkansas River Valley in southeastern Colorado. The model is improved by incorporating additional hydrologic processes (salt transport through the unsaturated zone) and through reexamination of the reliability of some input data (regression relationship used to estimate salinity from specific conductance data). Extended simulations using the recalibrated model are made to investigate the usefulness of the model for predicting long-term trends of salinity and water levels within the study area. Predicted ground-water levels during 1971-1982 are in good agreement with the observed, indicating that the original 1971-1972 study period was sufficient to calibrate the flow model. However, long-term simulations using the recalibrated model based on recycling the 1971-1972 data alone yield an average ground-water salinity for 1982 that is too low by about 10%. Simulations that incorporate observed surface-water salinity variations yield better results, in that the calculated average ground-water salinity for 1982 is within 3% of the observed value. Statistical analysis of temporal salinity variations of the applied surface water indicates that at least a 4-year sampling period is needed to accurately calibrate the transport model. ?? 1986.

Self-Recalibrating Surface EMG Pattern Recognition for Neuroprosthesis Control Based on Convolutional Neural Network

PubMed Central

Zhai, Xiaolong; Jelfs, Beth; Chan, Rosa H. M.; Tin, Chung

2017-01-01

Hand movement classification based on surface electromyography (sEMG) pattern recognition is a promising approach for upper limb neuroprosthetic control. However, maintaining day-to-day performance is challenged by the non-stationary nature of sEMG in real-life operation. In this study, we propose a self-recalibrating classifier that can be automatically updated to maintain a stable performance over time without the need for user retraining. Our classifier is based on convolutional neural network (CNN) using short latency dimension-reduced sEMG spectrograms as inputs. The pretrained classifier is recalibrated routinely using a corrected version of the prediction results from recent testing sessions. Our proposed system was evaluated with the NinaPro database comprising of hand movement data of 40 intact and 11 amputee subjects. Our system was able to achieve ~10.18% (intact, 50 movement types) and ~2.99% (amputee, 10 movement types) increase in classification accuracy averaged over five testing sessions with respect to the unrecalibrated classifier. When compared with a support vector machine (SVM) classifier, our CNN-based system consistently showed higher absolute performance and larger improvement as well as more efficient training. These results suggest that the proposed system can be a useful tool to facilitate long-term adoption of prosthetics for amputees in real-life applications. PMID:28744189

Self-Recalibrating Surface EMG Pattern Recognition for Neuroprosthesis Control Based on Convolutional Neural Network.

PubMed

Zhai, Xiaolong; Jelfs, Beth; Chan, Rosa H M; Tin, Chung

2017-01-01

Hand movement classification based on surface electromyography (sEMG) pattern recognition is a promising approach for upper limb neuroprosthetic control. However, maintaining day-to-day performance is challenged by the non-stationary nature of sEMG in real-life operation. In this study, we propose a self-recalibrating classifier that can be automatically updated to maintain a stable performance over time without the need for user retraining. Our classifier is based on convolutional neural network (CNN) using short latency dimension-reduced sEMG spectrograms as inputs. The pretrained classifier is recalibrated routinely using a corrected version of the prediction results from recent testing sessions. Our proposed system was evaluated with the NinaPro database comprising of hand movement data of 40 intact and 11 amputee subjects. Our system was able to achieve ~10.18% (intact, 50 movement types) and ~2.99% (amputee, 10 movement types) increase in classification accuracy averaged over five testing sessions with respect to the unrecalibrated classifier. When compared with a support vector machine (SVM) classifier, our CNN-based system consistently showed higher absolute performance and larger improvement as well as more efficient training. These results suggest that the proposed system can be a useful tool to facilitate long-term adoption of prosthetics for amputees in real-life applications.

Calibration of decadal ensemble predictions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasternack, Alexander; Rust, Henning W.; Bhend, Jonas; Liniger, Mark; Grieger, Jens; Müller, Wolfgang; Ulbrich, Uwe

2017-04-01

Decadal climate predictions are of great socio-economic interest due to the corresponding planning horizons of several political and economic decisions. Due to uncertainties of weather and climate, forecasts (e.g. due to initial condition uncertainty), they are issued in a probabilistic way. One issue frequently observed for probabilistic forecasts is that they tend to be not reliable, i.e. the forecasted probabilities are not consistent with the relative frequency of the associated observed events. Thus, these kind of forecasts need to be re-calibrated. While re-calibration methods for seasonal time scales are available and frequently applied, these methods still have to be adapted for decadal time scales and its characteristic problems like climate trend and lead time dependent bias. Regarding this, we propose a method to re-calibrate decadal ensemble predictions that takes the above mentioned characteristics into account. Finally, this method will be applied and validated to decadal forecasts from the MiKlip system (Germany's initiative for decadal prediction).

A procedure for radiometric recalibration of Landsat 5 TM reflective-band data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chander, G.; Haque, M.O.; Micijevic, E.; Barsi, J.A.

2010-01-01

From the Landsat program's inception in 1972 to the present, the Earth science user community has been benefiting from a historical record of remotely sensed data. The multispectral data from the Landsat 5 (L5) Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor provide the backbone for this extensive archive. Historically, the radiometric calibration procedure for the L5 TM imagery used the detectors' response to the internal calibrator (IC) on a scene-by-scene basis to determine the gain and offset for each detector. The IC system degraded with time, causing radiometric calibration errors up to 20%. In May 2003, the L5 TM data processed and distributed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earth Resources Observation and Science Center through the National Landsat Archive Production System (NLAPS) were updated to use a lifetime lookup-table (LUT) gain model to radiometrically calibrate TM data instead of using scene-specific IC gains. Further modification of the gain model was performed in 2007. The L5 TM data processed using IC prior to the calibration update do not benefit from the recent calibration revisions. A procedure has been developed to give users the ability to recalibrate their existing level-1 products. The best recalibration results are obtained if the work-order report that was included in the original standard data product delivery is available. However, if users do not have the original work-order report, the IC trends can be used for recalibration. The IC trends were generated using the radiometric gain trends recorded in the NLAPS database. This paper provides the details of the recalibration procedure for the following: 1) data processed using IC where users have the work-order file; 2) data processed using IC where users do not have the work-order file; 3) data processed using prelaunch calibration parameters; and 4) data processed using the previous version of the LUT (e.g., LUT03) that was released before April 2, 2007.

Impact of Response Shift on Time to Deterioration in Quality of Life Scores in Breast Cancer Patients

PubMed Central

Hamidou, Zeinab; Dabakuyo-Yonli, Tienhan S.; Guillemin, Francis; Conroy, Thierry; Velten, Michel; Jolly, Damien; Causeret, Sylvain; Graesslin, Olivier; Gauthier, Mélanie; Mercier, Mariette; Bonnetain, Franck.

2014-01-01

Background This prospective multicenter study aimed to study the impact of the recalibration component of response-shift (RS) on time to deterioration (TTD) in health related quality of life (QoL) scores in breast cancer (BC) patients and the influence of baseline QoL expectations on TTD. Methods The EORTC-QLQ-C30 and BR-23 questionnaires were used to assess the QoL in a prospective multicenter study at inclusion (T0), at the end of the first hospitalization (T1) and, three (T2) and 6 months after the first hospitalization (T3). Recalibration was investigated by the then-test method. QoL expectancy was assessed at diagnosis. Deterioration was defined as a 5-point decrease in QoL scores, considered a minimal clinically important difference (MCID). TTD was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox regression analyses were used to identify factors influencing TTD. Results From February 2006 to February 2008, 381 women were included. Recalibration of breast cancer patients' internal standards in the assessment of their QoL had an impact on TTD. Median TTD were significantly shorter when recalibration was not taken into account than when recalibration was taken into account for global health, role-functioning, social-functioning, body-image and side effects of systemic therapy. Cox multivariate analyses showed that for body image, when recalibration was taken into account, radiotherapy was associated with a shorter TTD (HR: 0.60[0.38–0.94], whereas, no significant impact of surgery type on TTD was observed. For global health, cognitive and social functioning dimensions, patients expecting a deterioration in their QoL at baseline had a significantly shorter TTD. Conclusions Our results showed that RS and baseline QoL expectations were associated with time to deterioration in breast cancer patients. PMID:24828426

Audiovisual temporal recalibration: space-based versus context-based.

PubMed

Yuan, Xiangyong; Li, Baolin; Bi, Cuihua; Yin, Huazhan; Huang, Xiting

2012-01-01

Recalibration of perceived simultaneity has been widely accepted to minimise delay between multisensory signals owing to different physical and neural conduct times. With concurrent exposure, temporal recalibration is either contextually or spatially based. Context-based recalibration was recently described in detail, but evidence for space-based recalibration is scarce. In addition, the competition between these two reference frames is unclear. Here, we examined participants who watched two distinct blob-and-tone couples that laterally alternated with one asynchronous and the other synchronous and then judged their perceived simultaneity and sequence when they swapped positions and varied in timing. For low-level stimuli with abundant auditory location cues space-based aftereffects were significantly more apparent (8.3%) than context-based aftereffects (4.2%), but without such auditory cues space-based aftereffects were less apparent (4.4%) and were numerically smaller than context-based aftereffects (6.0%). These results suggested that stimulus level and auditory location cues were both determinants of the recalibration frame. Through such joint judgments and the simple reaction time task, our results further revealed that criteria from perceived simultaneity to successiveness profoundly shifted without accompanying perceptual latency changes across adaptations, hence implying that criteria shifts, rather than perceptual latency changes, accounted for space-based and context-based temporal recalibration.

A self-recalibration method based on scale-invariant registration for structured light measurement systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Rui; Xu, Jing; Zhang, Song; Chen, Heping; Guan, Yong; Chen, Ken

2017-01-01

The accuracy of structured light measurement depends on delicate offline calibration. However, in some practical applications, the system is supposed to be reconfigured so frequently to track the target that an online calibration is required. To this end, this paper proposes a rapid and autonomous self-recalibration method. For the proposed method, first, the rotation matrix and the normalized translation vector are attained from the fundamental matrix; second, the scale factor is acquired based on scale-invariant registration such that the actual translation vector is obtained. Experiments have been conducted to verify the effectiveness of our proposed method and the results indicate a high degree of accuracy.

Adaptive model training system and method

DOEpatents

Bickford, Randall L; Palnitkar, Rahul M; Lee, Vo

2014-04-15

An adaptive model training system and method for filtering asset operating data values acquired from a monitored asset for selectively choosing asset operating data values that meet at least one predefined criterion of good data quality while rejecting asset operating data values that fail to meet at least the one predefined criterion of good data quality; and recalibrating a previously trained or calibrated model having a learned scope of normal operation of the asset by utilizing the asset operating data values that meet at least the one predefined criterion of good data quality for adjusting the learned scope of normal operation of the asset for defining a recalibrated model having the adjusted learned scope of normal operation of the asset.

Adaptive model training system and method

DOEpatents

Bickford, Randall L; Palnitkar, Rahul M

2014-11-18

An adaptive model training system and method for filtering asset operating data values acquired from a monitored asset for selectively choosing asset operating data values that meet at least one predefined criterion of good data quality while rejecting asset operating data values that fail to meet at least the one predefined criterion of good data quality; and recalibrating a previously trained or calibrated model having a learned scope of normal operation of the asset by utilizing the asset operating data values that meet at least the one predefined criterion of good data quality for adjusting the learned scope of normal operation of the asset for defining a recalibrated model having the adjusted learned scope of normal operation of the asset.

Audiovisual Simultaneity Judgment and Rapid Recalibration throughout the Lifespan.

PubMed

Noel, Jean-Paul; De Niear, Matthew; Van der Burg, Erik; Wallace, Mark T

2016-01-01

Multisensory interactions are well established to convey an array of perceptual and behavioral benefits. One of the key features of multisensory interactions is the temporal structure of the stimuli combined. In an effort to better characterize how temporal factors influence multisensory interactions across the lifespan, we examined audiovisual simultaneity judgment and the degree of rapid recalibration to paired audiovisual stimuli (Flash-Beep and Speech) in a sample of 220 participants ranging from 7 to 86 years of age. Results demonstrate a surprisingly protracted developmental time-course for both audiovisual simultaneity judgment and rapid recalibration, with neither reaching maturity until well into adolescence. Interestingly, correlational analyses revealed that audiovisual simultaneity judgments (i.e., the size of the audiovisual temporal window of simultaneity) and rapid recalibration significantly co-varied as a function of age. Together, our results represent the most complete description of age-related changes in audiovisual simultaneity judgments to date, as well as being the first to describe changes in the degree of rapid recalibration as a function of age. We propose that the developmental time-course of rapid recalibration scaffolds the maturation of more durable audiovisual temporal representations.

Locomotive Recalibration and Prism Adaptation of Children and Teens in Immersive Virtual Environments.

PubMed

Adams, Haley; Narasimham, Gayathri; Rieser, John; Creem-Regehr, Sarah; Stefanucci, Jeanine; Bodenheimer, Bobby

2018-04-01

As virtual reality expands in popularity, an increasingly diverse audience is gaining exposure to immersive virtual environments (IVEs). A significant body of research has demonstrated how perception and action work in such environments, but most of this work has been done studying adults. Less is known about how physical and cognitive development affect perception and action in IVEs, particularly as applied to preteen and teenage children. Accordingly, in the current study we assess how preteens (children aged 8-12 years) and teenagers (children aged 15-18 years) respond to mismatches between their motor behavior and the visual information presented by an IVE. Over two experiments, we evaluate how these individuals recalibrate their actions across functionally distinct systems of movement. The first experiment analyzed forward walking recalibration after exposure to an IVE with either increased or decreased visual flow. Visual flow during normal bipedal locomotion was manipulated to be either twice or half as fast as the physical gait. The second experiment leveraged a prism throwing adaptation paradigm to test the effect of recalibration on throwing movement. In the first experiment, our results show no differences across age groups, although subjects generally experienced a post-exposure effect of shortened distance estimation after experiencing visually faster flow and longer distance estimation after experiencing visually slower flow. In the second experiment, subjects generally showed the typical prism adaptation behavior of a throwing after-effect error. The error lasted longer for preteens than older children. Our results have implications for the design of virtual systems with children as a target audience.

Methods for recalibration of mass spectrometry data

DOEpatents

Tolmachev, Aleksey V [Richland, WA; Smith, Richard D [Richland, WA

2009-03-03

Disclosed are methods for recalibrating mass spectrometry data that provide improvement in both mass accuracy and precision by adjusting for experimental variance in parameters that have a substantial impact on mass measurement accuracy. Optimal coefficients are determined using correlated pairs of mass values compiled by matching sets of measured and putative mass values that minimize overall effective mass error and mass error spread. Coefficients are subsequently used to correct mass values for peaks detected in the measured dataset, providing recalibration thereof. Sub-ppm mass measurement accuracy has been demonstrated on a complex fungal proteome after recalibration, providing improved confidence for peptide identifications.

Re-calibration of coronary risk prediction: an example of the Seven Countries Study.

PubMed

Puddu, Paolo Emilio; Piras, Paolo; Kromhout, Daan; Tolonen, Hanna; Kafatos, Anthony; Menotti, Alessandro

2017-12-14

We aimed at performing a calibration and re-calibration process using six standard risk factors from Northern (NE, N = 2360) or Southern European (SE, N = 2789) middle-aged men of the Seven Countries Study, whose parameters and data were fully known, to establish whether re-calibration gave the right answer. Greenwood-Nam-D'Agostino technique as modified by Demler (GNDD) in 2015 produced chi-squared statistics using 10 deciles of observed/expected CHD mortality risk, corresponding to Hosmer-Lemeshaw chi-squared employed for multiple logistic equations whereby binary data are used. Instead of the number of events, the GNDD test uses survival probabilities of observed and predicted events. The exercise applied, in five different ways, the parameters of the NE-predictive model to SE (and vice-versa) and compared the outcome of the simulated re-calibration with the real data. Good re-calibration could be obtained only when risk factor coefficients were substituted, being similar in magnitude and not significantly different between NE-SE. In all other ways, a good re-calibration could not be obtained. This is enough to praise for an overall need of re-evaluation of most investigations that, without GNDD or another proper technique for statistically assessing the potential differences, concluded that re-calibration is a fair method and might therefore be used, with no specific caution.

Comparing Recalibration Strategies for Electroencephalography-Based Decoders of Movement Intention in Neurological Patients with Motor Disability.

PubMed

López-Larraz, Eduardo; Ibáñez, Jaime; Trincado-Alonso, Fernando; Monge-Pereira, Esther; Pons, José Luis; Montesano, Luis

2017-12-17

Motor rehabilitation based on the association of electroencephalographic (EEG) activity and proprioceptive feedback has been demonstrated as a feasible therapy for patients with paralysis. To promote long-lasting motor recovery, these interventions have to be carried out across several weeks or even months. The success of these therapies partly relies on the performance of the system decoding movement intentions, which normally has to be recalibrated to deal with the nonstationarities of the cortical activity. Minimizing the recalibration times is important to reduce the setup preparation and maximize the effective therapy time. To date, a systematic analysis of the effect of recalibration strategies in EEG-driven interfaces for motor rehabilitation has not yet been performed. Data from patients with stroke (4 patients, 8 sessions) and spinal cord injury (SCI) (4 patients, 5 sessions) undergoing two different paradigms (self-paced and cue-guided, respectively) are used to study the performance of the EEG-based classification of motor intentions. Four calibration schemes are compared, considering different combinations of training datasets from previous and/or the validated session. The results show significant differences in classifier performances in terms of the true and false positives (TPs) and (FPs). Combining training data from previous sessions with data from the validation session provides the best compromise between the amount of data needed for calibration and the classifier performance. With this scheme, the average true (false) positive rates obtained are 85.3% (17.3%) and 72.9% (30.3%) for the self-paced and the cue-guided protocols, respectively. These results suggest that the use of optimal recalibration schemes for EEG-based classifiers of motor intentions leads to enhanced performances of these technologies, while not requiring long calibration phases prior to starting the intervention.

Long-term music training modulates the recalibration of audiovisual simultaneity.

PubMed

Jicol, Crescent; Proulx, Michael J; Pollick, Frank E; Petrini, Karin

2018-07-01

To overcome differences in physical transmission time and neural processing, the brain adaptively recalibrates the point of simultaneity between auditory and visual signals by adapting to audiovisual asynchronies. Here, we examine whether the prolonged recalibration process of passively sensed visual and auditory signals is affected by naturally occurring multisensory training known to enhance audiovisual perceptual accuracy. Hence, we asked a group of drummers, of non-drummer musicians and of non-musicians to judge the audiovisual simultaneity of musical and non-musical audiovisual events, before and after adaptation with two fixed audiovisual asynchronies. We found that the recalibration for the musicians and drummers was in the opposite direction (sound leading vision) to that of non-musicians (vision leading sound), and change together with both increased music training and increased perceptual accuracy (i.e. ability to detect asynchrony). Our findings demonstrate that long-term musical training reshapes the way humans adaptively recalibrate simultaneity between auditory and visual signals.

Visual-motor recalibration in geographical slant perception

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhalla, M.; Proffitt, D. R.; Kaiser, M. K. (Principal Investigator)

1999-01-01

In 4 experiments, it was shown that hills appear steeper to people who are encumbered by wearing a heavy backpack (Experiment 1), are fatigued (Experiment 2), are of low physical fitness (Experiment 3), or are elderly and/or in declining health (Experiment 4). Visually guided actions are unaffected by these manipulations of physiological potential. Although dissociable, the awareness and action systems were also shown to be interconnected. Recalibration of the transformation relating awareness and actions was found to occur over long-term changes in physiological potential (fitness level, age, and health) but not with transitory changes (fatigue and load). Findings are discussed in terms of a time-dependent coordination between the separate systems that control explicit visual awareness and visually guided action.

Selective Attention Modulates the Direction of Audio-Visual Temporal Recalibration

PubMed Central

Ikumi, Nara; Soto-Faraco, Salvador

2014-01-01

Temporal recalibration of cross-modal synchrony has been proposed as a mechanism to compensate for timing differences between sensory modalities. However, far from the rich complexity of everyday life sensory environments, most studies to date have examined recalibration on isolated cross-modal pairings. Here, we hypothesize that selective attention might provide an effective filter to help resolve which stimuli are selected when multiple events compete for recalibration. We addressed this question by testing audio-visual recalibration following an adaptation phase where two opposing audio-visual asynchronies were present. The direction of voluntary visual attention, and therefore to one of the two possible asynchronies (flash leading or flash lagging), was manipulated using colour as a selection criterion. We found a shift in the point of subjective audio-visual simultaneity as a function of whether the observer had focused attention to audio-then-flash or to flash-then-audio groupings during the adaptation phase. A baseline adaptation condition revealed that this effect of endogenous attention was only effective toward the lagging flash. This hints at the role of exogenous capture and/or additional endogenous effects producing an asymmetry toward the leading flash. We conclude that selective attention helps promote selected audio-visual pairings to be combined and subsequently adjusted in time but, stimulus organization exerts a strong impact on recalibration. We tentatively hypothesize that the resolution of recalibration in complex scenarios involves the orchestration of top-down selection mechanisms and stimulus-driven processes. PMID:25004132

Selective attention modulates the direction of audio-visual temporal recalibration.

PubMed

Ikumi, Nara; Soto-Faraco, Salvador

2014-01-01

Temporal recalibration of cross-modal synchrony has been proposed as a mechanism to compensate for timing differences between sensory modalities. However, far from the rich complexity of everyday life sensory environments, most studies to date have examined recalibration on isolated cross-modal pairings. Here, we hypothesize that selective attention might provide an effective filter to help resolve which stimuli are selected when multiple events compete for recalibration. We addressed this question by testing audio-visual recalibration following an adaptation phase where two opposing audio-visual asynchronies were present. The direction of voluntary visual attention, and therefore to one of the two possible asynchronies (flash leading or flash lagging), was manipulated using colour as a selection criterion. We found a shift in the point of subjective audio-visual simultaneity as a function of whether the observer had focused attention to audio-then-flash or to flash-then-audio groupings during the adaptation phase. A baseline adaptation condition revealed that this effect of endogenous attention was only effective toward the lagging flash. This hints at the role of exogenous capture and/or additional endogenous effects producing an asymmetry toward the leading flash. We conclude that selective attention helps promote selected audio-visual pairings to be combined and subsequently adjusted in time but, stimulus organization exerts a strong impact on recalibration. We tentatively hypothesize that the resolution of recalibration in complex scenarios involves the orchestration of top-down selection mechanisms and stimulus-driven processes.

Learning to throw on a rotating carousel: recalibration based on limb dynamics and projectile kinematics.

PubMed

Bruggeman, Hugo; Pick, Herbert L; Rieser, John J

2005-05-01

Skilled actions exhibit adjustment in calibration to bring about their goals. The sought-after calibrations change as a function of the environmental situation that stages the actions. In these experiments participants sat on one side of a rotating carousel and threw beanbags underhanded at a target fixed on the opposite side. Logically, aimed throwing in this situation involves adjustment to fit changes in limb dynamics (originating from Coriolis forces) and changes in perceived projectile kinematics (originating from the tangential velocity of thrower and target). We studied whether such adjustment involved one or multiple components of recalibration. An initial experiment showed that exposure to rotation while throwing beanbags produced a robust recalibration in the direction of underhanded throws as manifest in throwing at stationary targets from a stationary position. Following some initial decay this recalibration persisted and approached an asymptote. Subsequent experiments suggested two independent components of recalibration. One is based on limb dynamics and accounts for the initial decay. The other is based on the perceived projectile kinematics and accounts for the stable change in throwing direction. These results raised the question of how multiple components of recalibration of an action are related. We propose that movement components are independent and calibrated separately at different levels in the organization of an action.

Impact of Retrospective Calibration Algorithms on Hypoglycemia Detection in Newborn Infants Using Continuous Glucose Monitoring

PubMed Central

Signal, Matthew; Le Compte, Aaron; Harris, Deborah L.; Weston, Philip J.; Harding, Jane E.

2012-01-01

Abstract Background Neonatal hypoglycemia is common and may cause serious brain injury. Diagnosis is by blood glucose (BG) measurements, often taken several hours apart. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) could improve hypoglycemia detection, while reducing the number of BG measurements. Calibration algorithms convert sensor signals into CGM output. Thus, these algorithms directly affect measures used to quantify hypoglycemia. This study was designed to quantify the effects of recalibration and filtering of CGM data on measures of hypoglycemia (BG <2.6 mmol/L) in neonates. Subjects and Methods CGM data from 50 infants were recalibrated using an algorithm that explicitly recognized the high-accuracy BG measurements available in this study. CGM data were analyzed as (1) original CGM output, (2) recalibrated CGM output, (3) recalibrated CGM output with postcalibration median filtering, and (4) recalibrated CGM output with precalibration median filtering. Hypoglycemia was classified by number of episodes, duration, severity, and hypoglycemic index. Results Recalibration increased the number of hypoglycemic events (from 161 to 193), hypoglycemia duration (from 2.2% to 2.6%), and hypoglycemic index (from 4.9 to 7.1 μmol/L). Median filtering postrecalibration reduced hypoglycemic events from 193 to 131, with little change in duration (from 2.6% to 2.5%) and hypoglycemic index (from 7.1 to 6.9 μmol/L). Median filtering prerecalibration resulted in 146 hypoglycemic events, a total duration of hypoglycemia of 2.6%, and a hypoglycemic index of 6.8 μmol/L. Conclusions Hypoglycemia metrics, especially counting events, are heavily dependent on CGM calibration BG error, and the calibration algorithm. CGM devices tended to read high at lower levels, so when high accuracy calibration measurements are available it may be more appropriate to recalibrate the data. PMID:22856622

Impact of retrospective calibration algorithms on hypoglycemia detection in newborn infants using continuous glucose monitoring.

PubMed

Signal, Matthew; Le Compte, Aaron; Harris, Deborah L; Weston, Philip J; Harding, Jane E; Chase, J Geoffrey

2012-10-01

Neonatal hypoglycemia is common and may cause serious brain injury. Diagnosis is by blood glucose (BG) measurements, often taken several hours apart. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) could improve hypoglycemia detection, while reducing the number of BG measurements. Calibration algorithms convert sensor signals into CGM output. Thus, these algorithms directly affect measures used to quantify hypoglycemia. This study was designed to quantify the effects of recalibration and filtering of CGM data on measures of hypoglycemia (BG <2.6 mmol/L) in neonates. CGM data from 50 infants were recalibrated using an algorithm that explicitly recognized the high-accuracy BG measurements available in this study. CGM data were analyzed as (1) original CGM output, (2) recalibrated CGM output, (3) recalibrated CGM output with postcalibration median filtering, and (4) recalibrated CGM output with precalibration median filtering. Hypoglycemia was classified by number of episodes, duration, severity, and hypoglycemic index. Recalibration increased the number of hypoglycemic events (from 161 to 193), hypoglycemia duration (from 2.2% to 2.6%), and hypoglycemic index (from 4.9 to 7.1 μmol/L). Median filtering postrecalibration reduced hypoglycemic events from 193 to 131, with little change in duration (from 2.6% to 2.5%) and hypoglycemic index (from 7.1 to 6.9 μmol/L). Median filtering prerecalibration resulted in 146 hypoglycemic events, a total duration of hypoglycemia of 2.6%, and a hypoglycemic index of 6.8 μmol/L. Hypoglycemia metrics, especially counting events, are heavily dependent on CGM calibration BG error, and the calibration algorithm. CGM devices tended to read high at lower levels, so when high accuracy calibration measurements are available it may be more appropriate to recalibrate the data.

ReQON: a Bioconductor package for recalibrating quality scores from next-generation sequencing data

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Next-generation sequencing technologies have become important tools for genome-wide studies. However, the quality scores that are assigned to each base have been shown to be inaccurate. If the quality scores are used in downstream analyses, these inaccuracies can have a significant impact on the results. Results Here we present ReQON, a tool that recalibrates the base quality scores from an input BAM file of aligned sequencing data using logistic regression. ReQON also generates diagnostic plots showing the effectiveness of the recalibration. We show that ReQON produces quality scores that are both more accurate, in the sense that they more closely correspond to the probability of a sequencing error, and do a better job of discriminating between sequencing errors and non-errors than the original quality scores. We also compare ReQON to other available recalibration tools and show that ReQON is less biased and performs favorably in terms of quality score accuracy. Conclusion ReQON is an open source software package, written in R and available through Bioconductor, for recalibrating base quality scores for next-generation sequencing data. ReQON produces a new BAM file with more accurate quality scores, which can improve the results of downstream analysis, and produces several diagnostic plots showing the effectiveness of the recalibration. PMID:22946927

Proprioceptive recalibration in the right and left hands following abrupt visuomotor adaptation.

PubMed

Salomonczyk, Danielle; Henriques, Denise Y P; Cressman, Erin K

2012-03-01

Previous studies have demonstrated that after reaching with misaligned visual feedback of the hand, one adapts his or her reaches and partially recalibrates proprioception, such that sense of felt hand position is shifted to match the seen hand position. However, to date, this has only been demonstrated in the right (dominant) hand following reach training with a visuomotor distortion in which the rotated cursor distortion was introduced gradually. As reach adaptation has been shown to differ depending on how the distortion is introduced (gradual vs. abrupt), we sought to examine proprioceptive recalibration following reach training with a cursor that was abruptly rotated 30° clockwise relative to hand motion. Furthermore, because the left and right arms have demonstrated selective advantages when matching visual and proprioceptive targets, respectively, we assessed proprioceptive recalibration in right-handed subjects following training with either the right or the left hand. On average, we observed shifts in felt hand position of approximately 7.6° following training with misaligned visual feedback of the hand, which is consistent with our previous findings in which the distortion was introduced gradually. Moreover, no difference was observed in proprioceptive recalibration across the left and right hands. These findings suggest that proprioceptive recalibration is a robust process that arises symmetrically in the two hands following visuomotor adaptation regardless of the initial magnitude of the error signal.

A New View on an Old Debate: Type of Cue-Conflict Manipulation and Availability of Stars Can Explain the Discrepancies between Cue-Calibration Experiments with Migratory Songbirds.

PubMed

Sjöberg, Sissel; Muheim, Rachel

2016-01-01

Migratory birds use multiple compass systems for orientation, including a magnetic, star and sun/polarized light compass. To keep these compasses in register, birds have to regularly update them with respect to a common reference. However, cue-conflict studies have revealed contradictory results on the compass hierarchy, favoring either celestial or magnetic compass cues as the primary calibration reference. Both the geomagnetic field and polarized light cues present at sunrise and sunset have been shown to play a role in compass cue integration, and evidence suggests that polarized light cues at sunrise and sunset may provide the primary calibration reference for the other compass systems. We tested whether migratory garden warblers recalibrated their compasses when they were exposed to the natural celestial cues at sunset in a shifted magnetic field, which are conditions that have been shown to be necessary for the use of a compass reference based on polarized light cues. We released the birds on the same evening under a starry sky and followed them by radio tracking. We found no evidence of compass recalibration, even though the birds had a full view of polarized light cues near the horizon at sunset during the cue-conflict exposure. Based on a meta-analysis of the available literature, we propose an extended unifying theory on compass cue hierarchy used by migratory birds to calibrate the different compasses. According to this scheme, birds recalibrate their magnetic compass by sunrise/sunset polarized light cues, provided they have access to the vertically aligned band of maximum polarization near the horizon and a view of landmarks. Once the stars appear in the sky, the birds then recalibrate the star compass with respect of the recalibrated magnetic compass. If sunrise and sunset information can be viewed from the same location, the birds average the information to get a true geographic reference. If polarized light information is not available near the horizon at sunrise or sunset, the birds temporarily transfer the previously calibrated magnetic compass information to the available celestial compasses. We conclude that the type of cue-conflict manipulation and the availability of stars can explain the discrepancies between studies.

A New View on an Old Debate: Type of Cue-Conflict Manipulation and Availability of Stars Can Explain the Discrepancies between Cue-Calibration Experiments with Migratory Songbirds

PubMed Central

Sjöberg, Sissel; Muheim, Rachel

2016-01-01

Migratory birds use multiple compass systems for orientation, including a magnetic, star and sun/polarized light compass. To keep these compasses in register, birds have to regularly update them with respect to a common reference. However, cue-conflict studies have revealed contradictory results on the compass hierarchy, favoring either celestial or magnetic compass cues as the primary calibration reference. Both the geomagnetic field and polarized light cues present at sunrise and sunset have been shown to play a role in compass cue integration, and evidence suggests that polarized light cues at sunrise and sunset may provide the primary calibration reference for the other compass systems. We tested whether migratory garden warblers recalibrated their compasses when they were exposed to the natural celestial cues at sunset in a shifted magnetic field, which are conditions that have been shown to be necessary for the use of a compass reference based on polarized light cues. We released the birds on the same evening under a starry sky and followed them by radio tracking. We found no evidence of compass recalibration, even though the birds had a full view of polarized light cues near the horizon at sunset during the cue-conflict exposure. Based on a meta-analysis of the available literature, we propose an extended unifying theory on compass cue hierarchy used by migratory birds to calibrate the different compasses. According to this scheme, birds recalibrate their magnetic compass by sunrise/sunset polarized light cues, provided they have access to the vertically aligned band of maximum polarization near the horizon and a view of landmarks. Once the stars appear in the sky, the birds then recalibrate the star compass with respect of the recalibrated magnetic compass. If sunrise and sunset information can be viewed from the same location, the birds average the information to get a true geographic reference. If polarized light information is not available near the horizon at sunrise or sunset, the birds temporarily transfer the previously calibrated magnetic compass information to the available celestial compasses. We conclude that the type of cue-conflict manipulation and the availability of stars can explain the discrepancies between studies. PMID:26941631

Visual illusion of tool use recalibrates tactile perception

PubMed Central

Miller, Luke E.; Longo, Matthew R.; Saygin, Ayse P.

2018-01-01

Brief use of a tool recalibrates multisensory representations of the user’s body, a phenomenon called tool embodiment. Despite two decades of research, little is known about its boundary conditions. It has been widely argued that embodiment requires active tool use, suggesting a critical role for somatosensory and motor feedback. The present study used a visual illusion to cast doubt on this view. We used a mirror-based setup to induce a visual experience of tool use with an arm that was in fact stationary. Following illusory tool use, tactile perception was recalibrated on this stationary arm, and with equal magnitude as physical use. Recalibration was not found following illusory passive tool holding, and could not be accounted for by sensory conflict or general interhemispheric plasticity. These results suggest visual tool-use signals play a critical role in driving tool embodiment. PMID:28196765

Parametric decadal climate forecast recalibration (DeFoReSt 1.0)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasternack, Alexander; Bhend, Jonas; Liniger, Mark A.; Rust, Henning W.; Müller, Wolfgang A.; Ulbrich, Uwe

2018-01-01

Near-term climate predictions such as decadal climate forecasts are increasingly being used to guide adaptation measures. For near-term probabilistic predictions to be useful, systematic errors of the forecasting systems have to be corrected. While methods for the calibration of probabilistic forecasts are readily available, these have to be adapted to the specifics of decadal climate forecasts including the long time horizon of decadal climate forecasts, lead-time-dependent systematic errors (drift) and the errors in the representation of long-term changes and variability. These features are compounded by small ensemble sizes to describe forecast uncertainty and a relatively short period for which typically pairs of reforecasts and observations are available to estimate calibration parameters. We introduce the Decadal Climate Forecast Recalibration Strategy (DeFoReSt), a parametric approach to recalibrate decadal ensemble forecasts that takes the above specifics into account. DeFoReSt optimizes forecast quality as measured by the continuous ranked probability score (CRPS). Using a toy model to generate synthetic forecast observation pairs, we demonstrate the positive effect on forecast quality in situations with pronounced and limited predictability. Finally, we apply DeFoReSt to decadal surface temperature forecasts from the MiKlip prototype system and find consistent, and sometimes considerable, improvements in forecast quality compared with a simple calibration of the lead-time-dependent systematic errors.

Dental examiners consistency in applying the ICDAS criteria for a caries prevention community trial.

PubMed

Nelson, S; Eggertsson, H; Powell, B; Mandelaris, J; Ntragatakis, M; Richardson, T; Ferretti, G

2011-09-01

To examine dental examiners' one-year consistency in utilizing the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) criteria after baseline training and calibration. A total of three examiners received baseline training/calibration by a "gold standard" examiner, and one year later re-calibration was conducted. For the baseline training/calibration, subjects aged 8-16 years, and for the re-calibration subjects aged five to six years were recruited for the study. The ICDAS criteria were used to classify visual caries lesion severity (0-6 scale), lesion activity (active/inactive), and presence of filling material (0-9 scale) of all available tooth surfaces of permanent and primary teeth. The examination used a clinical light, mirror and air syringe. Kappa (weighted: Wkappa, unweighted: Kappa) statistics were used to determine inter-and intra-examiner reliability at baseline and re-calibration. For lesion severity and filling criteria, the baseline calibration on 35 subjects indicated an inter-rater Wkappa ranging from 0.69-0.92 and intra-rater Wkappa ranging from 0.81-0.92. Re-calibration on 22 subjects indicated an inter-rater Wkappa of 0.77-0.98 and intra-rater Wkappa ranged from 0.93-1.00. The Wkappa for filling was consistently in the excellent range, while lesion severity was in the good to excellent range. Activity kappa was in the poor to good range. All examiners improved with time. The baseline training/calibration in ICDAS was crucial to maintain the stability of the examiners reliability over a one year period. The ICDAS can be an effective assessment tool for community-based clinical trials.

McGurk illusion recalibrates subsequent auditory perception

PubMed Central

Lüttke, Claudia S.; Ekman, Matthias; van Gerven, Marcel A. J.; de Lange, Floris P.

2016-01-01

Visual information can alter auditory perception. This is clearly illustrated by the well-known McGurk illusion, where an auditory/aba/ and a visual /aga/ are merged to the percept of ‘ada’. It is less clear however whether such a change in perception may recalibrate subsequent perception. Here we asked whether the altered auditory perception due to the McGurk illusion affects subsequent auditory perception, i.e. whether this process of fusion may cause a recalibration of the auditory boundaries between phonemes. Participants categorized auditory and audiovisual speech stimuli as /aba/, /ada/ or /aga/ while activity patterns in their auditory cortices were recorded using fMRI. Interestingly, following a McGurk illusion, an auditory /aba/ was more often misperceived as ‘ada’. Furthermore, we observed a neural counterpart of this recalibration in the early auditory cortex. When the auditory input /aba/ was perceived as ‘ada’, activity patterns bore stronger resemblance to activity patterns elicited by /ada/ sounds than when they were correctly perceived as /aba/. Our results suggest that upon experiencing the McGurk illusion, the brain shifts the neural representation of an /aba/ sound towards /ada/, culminating in a recalibration in perception of subsequent auditory input. PMID:27611960

Rapid, generalized adaptation to asynchronous audiovisual speech

PubMed Central

Van der Burg, Erik; Goodbourn, Patrick T.

2015-01-01

The brain is adaptive. The speed of propagation through air, and of low-level sensory processing, differs markedly between auditory and visual stimuli; yet the brain can adapt to compensate for the resulting cross-modal delays. Studies investigating temporal recalibration to audiovisual speech have used prolonged adaptation procedures, suggesting that adaptation is sluggish. Here, we show that adaptation to asynchronous audiovisual speech occurs rapidly. Participants viewed a brief clip of an actor pronouncing a single syllable. The voice was either advanced or delayed relative to the corresponding lip movements, and participants were asked to make a synchrony judgement. Although we did not use an explicit adaptation procedure, we demonstrate rapid recalibration based on a single audiovisual event. We find that the point of subjective simultaneity on each trial is highly contingent upon the modality order of the preceding trial. We find compelling evidence that rapid recalibration generalizes across different stimuli, and different actors. Finally, we demonstrate that rapid recalibration occurs even when auditory and visual events clearly belong to different actors. These results suggest that rapid temporal recalibration to audiovisual speech is primarily mediated by basic temporal factors, rather than higher-order factors such as perceived simultaneity and source identity. PMID:25716790

Recalibration of vocal affect by a dynamic face.

PubMed

Baart, Martijn; Vroomen, Jean

2018-04-25

Perception of vocal affect is influenced by the concurrent sight of an emotional face. We demonstrate that the sight of an emotional face also can induce recalibration of vocal affect. Participants were exposed to videos of a 'happy' or 'fearful' face in combination with a slightly incongruous sentence with ambiguous prosody. After this exposure, ambiguous test sentences were rated as more 'happy' when the exposure phase contained 'happy' instead of 'fearful' faces. This auditory shift likely reflects recalibration that is induced by error minimization of the inter-sensory discrepancy. In line with this view, when the prosody of the exposure sentence was non-ambiguous and congruent with the face (without audiovisual discrepancy), aftereffects went in the opposite direction, likely reflecting adaptation. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, that perception of vocal affect is flexible and can be recalibrated by slightly discrepant visual information.

Recalibration of the Klales et al. (2012) method of sexing the human innominate for Mexican populations.

PubMed

Gómez-Valdés, Jorge A; Menéndez Garmendia, Antinea; García-Barzola, Lizbeth; Sánchez-Mejorada, Gabriela; Karam, Carlos; Baraybar, José Pablo; Klales, Alexandra

2017-03-01

The aim of this study was to test the accuracy of the Klales et al. (2012) equation for sex estimation in contemporary Mexican population. Our investigation was carried out on a sample of 203 left innominates of identified adult skeletons from the UNAM-Collection and the Santa María Xigui Cemetery, in Central Mexico. The Klales' original equation produces a sex bias in sex estimation against males (86-92% accuracy versus 100% accuracy in females). Based on these results, the Klales et al. (2012) method was recalibrated for a new cutt-of-point for sex estimation in contemporary Mexican populations. The results show cross-validated classification accuracy rates as high as 100% after recalibrating the original logistic regression equation. Recalibration improved classification accuracy and eliminated sex bias. This new formula will improve sex estimation for Mexican contemporary populations. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Simulating stream transport of nutrients in the eastern United States, 2002, using a spatially-referenced regression model and 1:100,000-scale hydrography

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hoos, Anne B.; Moore, Richard B.; Garcia, Ana Maria; Noe, Gregory B.; Terziotti, Silvia E.; Johnston, Craig M.; Dennis, Robin L.

2013-01-01

Existing Spatially Referenced Regression on Watershed attributes (SPARROW) nutrient models for the northeastern and southeastern regions of the United States were recalibrated to achieve a hydrographically consistent model with which to assess nutrient sources and stream transport and investigate specific management questions about the effects of wetlands and atmospheric deposition on nutrient transport. Recalibrated nitrogen models for the northeast and southeast were sufficiently similar to be merged into a single nitrogen model for the eastern United States. The atmospheric deposition source in the nitrogen model has been improved to account for individual components of atmospheric input, derived from emissions from agricultural manure, agricultural livestock, vehicles, power plants, other industry, and background sources. This accounting makes it possible to simulate the effects of altering an individual component of atmospheric deposition, such as nitrate emissions from vehicles or power plants. Regional differences in transport of phosphorus through wetlands and reservoirs were investigated and resulted in two distinct phosphorus models for the northeast and southeast. The recalibrated nitrogen and phosphorus models account explicitly for the influence of wetlands on regional-scale land-phase and aqueous-phase transport of nutrients and therefore allow comparison of the water-quality functions of different wetland systems over large spatial scales. Seven wetland systems were associated with enhanced transport of either nitrogen or phosphorus in streams, probably because of the export of dissolved organic nitrogen and bank erosion. Six wetland systems were associated with mitigating the delivery of either nitrogen or phosphorus to streams, probably because of sedimentation, phosphate sorption, and ground water infiltration.

Audio-Visual Temporal Recalibration Can be Constrained by Content Cues Regardless of Spatial Overlap.

PubMed

Roseboom, Warrick; Kawabe, Takahiro; Nishida, Shin'ya

2013-01-01

It has now been well established that the point of subjective synchrony for audio and visual events can be shifted following exposure to asynchronous audio-visual presentations, an effect often referred to as temporal recalibration. Recently it was further demonstrated that it is possible to concurrently maintain two such recalibrated estimates of audio-visual temporal synchrony. However, it remains unclear precisely what defines a given audio-visual pair such that it is possible to maintain a temporal relationship distinct from other pairs. It has been suggested that spatial separation of the different audio-visual pairs is necessary to achieve multiple distinct audio-visual synchrony estimates. Here we investigated if this is necessarily true. Specifically, we examined whether it is possible to obtain two distinct temporal recalibrations for stimuli that differed only in featural content. Using both complex (audio visual speech; see Experiment 1) and simple stimuli (high and low pitch audio matched with either vertically or horizontally oriented Gabors; see Experiment 2) we found concurrent, and opposite, recalibrations despite there being no spatial difference in presentation location at any point throughout the experiment. This result supports the notion that the content of an audio-visual pair alone can be used to constrain distinct audio-visual synchrony estimates regardless of spatial overlap.

Audio-Visual Temporal Recalibration Can be Constrained by Content Cues Regardless of Spatial Overlap

PubMed Central

Roseboom, Warrick; Kawabe, Takahiro; Nishida, Shin’Ya

2013-01-01

It has now been well established that the point of subjective synchrony for audio and visual events can be shifted following exposure to asynchronous audio-visual presentations, an effect often referred to as temporal recalibration. Recently it was further demonstrated that it is possible to concurrently maintain two such recalibrated estimates of audio-visual temporal synchrony. However, it remains unclear precisely what defines a given audio-visual pair such that it is possible to maintain a temporal relationship distinct from other pairs. It has been suggested that spatial separation of the different audio-visual pairs is necessary to achieve multiple distinct audio-visual synchrony estimates. Here we investigated if this is necessarily true. Specifically, we examined whether it is possible to obtain two distinct temporal recalibrations for stimuli that differed only in featural content. Using both complex (audio visual speech; see Experiment 1) and simple stimuli (high and low pitch audio matched with either vertically or horizontally oriented Gabors; see Experiment 2) we found concurrent, and opposite, recalibrations despite there being no spatial difference in presentation location at any point throughout the experiment. This result supports the notion that the content of an audio-visual pair alone can be used to constrain distinct audio-visual synchrony estimates regardless of spatial overlap. PMID:23658549

Rapid, generalized adaptation to asynchronous audiovisual speech.

PubMed

Van der Burg, Erik; Goodbourn, Patrick T

2015-04-07

The brain is adaptive. The speed of propagation through air, and of low-level sensory processing, differs markedly between auditory and visual stimuli; yet the brain can adapt to compensate for the resulting cross-modal delays. Studies investigating temporal recalibration to audiovisual speech have used prolonged adaptation procedures, suggesting that adaptation is sluggish. Here, we show that adaptation to asynchronous audiovisual speech occurs rapidly. Participants viewed a brief clip of an actor pronouncing a single syllable. The voice was either advanced or delayed relative to the corresponding lip movements, and participants were asked to make a synchrony judgement. Although we did not use an explicit adaptation procedure, we demonstrate rapid recalibration based on a single audiovisual event. We find that the point of subjective simultaneity on each trial is highly contingent upon the modality order of the preceding trial. We find compelling evidence that rapid recalibration generalizes across different stimuli, and different actors. Finally, we demonstrate that rapid recalibration occurs even when auditory and visual events clearly belong to different actors. These results suggest that rapid temporal recalibration to audiovisual speech is primarily mediated by basic temporal factors, rather than higher-order factors such as perceived simultaneity and source identity. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

A Selective Deficit in Phonetic Recalibration by Text in Developmental Dyslexia.

PubMed

Keetels, Mirjam; Bonte, Milene; Vroomen, Jean

2018-01-01

Upon hearing an ambiguous speech sound, listeners may adjust their perceptual interpretation of the speech input in accordance with contextual information, like accompanying text or lipread speech (i.e., phonetic recalibration; Bertelson et al., 2003). As developmental dyslexia (DD) has been associated with reduced integration of text and speech sounds, we investigated whether this deficit becomes manifest when text is used to induce this type of audiovisual learning. Adults with DD and normal readers were exposed to ambiguous consonants halfway between /aba/ and /ada/ together with text or lipread speech. After this audiovisual exposure phase, they categorized auditory-only ambiguous test sounds. Results showed that individuals with DD, unlike normal readers, did not use text to recalibrate their phoneme categories, whereas their recalibration by lipread speech was spared. Individuals with DD demonstrated similar deficits when ambiguous vowels (halfway between /wIt/ and /wet/) were recalibrated by text. These findings indicate that DD is related to a specific letter-speech sound association deficit that extends over phoneme classes (vowels and consonants), but - as lipreading was spared - does not extend to a more general audio-visual integration deficit. In particular, these results highlight diminished reading-related audiovisual learning in addition to the commonly reported phonological problems in developmental dyslexia.

Mirror reversal and visual rotation are learned and consolidated via separate mechanisms: recalibrating or learning de novo?

PubMed

Telgen, Sebastian; Parvin, Darius; Diedrichsen, Jörn

2014-10-08

Motor learning tasks are often classified into adaptation tasks, which involve the recalibration of an existing control policy (the mapping that determines both feedforward and feedback commands), and skill-learning tasks, requiring the acquisition of new control policies. We show here that this distinction also applies to two different visuomotor transformations during reaching in humans: Mirror-reversal (left-right reversal over a mid-sagittal axis) of visual feedback versus rotation of visual feedback around the movement origin. During mirror-reversal learning, correct movement initiation (feedforward commands) and online corrections (feedback responses) were only generated at longer latencies. The earliest responses were directed into a nonmirrored direction, even after two training sessions. In contrast, for visual rotation learning, no dependency of directional error on reaction time emerged, and fast feedback responses to visual displacements of the cursor were immediately adapted. These results suggest that the motor system acquires a new control policy for mirror reversal, which initially requires extra processing time, while it recalibrates an existing control policy for visual rotations, exploiting established fast computational processes. Importantly, memory for visual rotation decayed between sessions, whereas memory for mirror reversals showed offline gains, leading to better performance at the beginning of the second session than in the end of the first. With shifts in time-accuracy tradeoff and offline gains, mirror-reversal learning shares common features with other skill-learning tasks. We suggest that different neuronal mechanisms underlie the recalibration of an existing versus acquisition of a new control policy and that offline gains between sessions are a characteristic of latter. Copyright © 2014 the authors 0270-6474/14/3413768-12$15.00/0.

Generalization of Prism Adaptation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Redding, Gordon M.; Wallace, Benjamin

2006-01-01

Prism exposure produces 2 kinds of adaptive response. Recalibration is ordinary strategic remapping of spatially coded movement commands to rapidly reduce performance error. Realignment is the extraordinary process of transforming spatial maps to bring the origins of coordinate systems into correspondence. Realignment occurs when spatial…

Recalibration of the ACC/AHA Risk Score in Two Population-Based German Cohorts

PubMed Central

de las Heras Gala, Tonia; Geisel, Marie Henrike; Peters, Annette; Thorand, Barbara; Baumert, Jens; Lehmann, Nils; Jöckel, Karl-Heinz; Moebus, Susanne; Erbel, Raimund; Meisinger, Christine

2016-01-01

Background The 2013 ACC/AHA guidelines introduced an algorithm for risk assessment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) within 10 years. In Germany, risk assessment with the ESC SCORE is limited to cardiovascular mortality. Applicability of the novel ACC/AHA risk score to the German population has not yet been assessed. We therefore sought to recalibrate and evaluate the ACC/AHA risk score in two German cohorts and to compare it to the ESC SCORE. Methods We studied 5,238 participants from the KORA surveys S3 (1994–1995) and S4 (1999–2001) and 4,208 subjects from the Heinz Nixdorf Recall (HNR) Study (2000–2003). There were 383 (7.3%) and 271 (6.4%) first non-fatal or fatal ASCVD events within 10 years in KORA and in HNR, respectively. Risk scores were evaluated in terms of calibration and discrimination performance. Results The original ACC/AHA risk score overestimated 10-year ASCVD rates by 37% in KORA and 66% in HNR. After recalibration, miscalibration diminished to 8% underestimation in KORA and 12% overestimation in HNR. Discrimination performance of the ACC/AHA risk score was not affected by the recalibration (KORA: C = 0.78, HNR: C = 0.74). The ESC SCORE overestimated by 5% in KORA and by 85% in HNR. The corresponding C-statistic was 0.82 in KORA and 0.76 in HNR. Conclusions The recalibrated ACC/AHA risk score showed strongly improved calibration compared to the original ACC/AHA risk score. Predicting only cardiovascular mortality, discrimination performance of the commonly used ESC SCORE remained somewhat superior to the ACC/AHA risk score. Nevertheless, the recalibrated ACC/AHA risk score may provide a meaningful tool for estimating 10-year risk of fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular disease in Germany. PMID:27732641

Recalibration of the ACC/AHA Risk Score in Two Population-Based German Cohorts.

PubMed

de Las Heras Gala, Tonia; Geisel, Marie Henrike; Peters, Annette; Thorand, Barbara; Baumert, Jens; Lehmann, Nils; Jöckel, Karl-Heinz; Moebus, Susanne; Erbel, Raimund; Meisinger, Christine; Mahabadi, Amir Abbas; Koenig, Wolfgang

2016-01-01

The 2013 ACC/AHA guidelines introduced an algorithm for risk assessment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) within 10 years. In Germany, risk assessment with the ESC SCORE is limited to cardiovascular mortality. Applicability of the novel ACC/AHA risk score to the German population has not yet been assessed. We therefore sought to recalibrate and evaluate the ACC/AHA risk score in two German cohorts and to compare it to the ESC SCORE. We studied 5,238 participants from the KORA surveys S3 (1994-1995) and S4 (1999-2001) and 4,208 subjects from the Heinz Nixdorf Recall (HNR) Study (2000-2003). There were 383 (7.3%) and 271 (6.4%) first non-fatal or fatal ASCVD events within 10 years in KORA and in HNR, respectively. Risk scores were evaluated in terms of calibration and discrimination performance. The original ACC/AHA risk score overestimated 10-year ASCVD rates by 37% in KORA and 66% in HNR. After recalibration, miscalibration diminished to 8% underestimation in KORA and 12% overestimation in HNR. Discrimination performance of the ACC/AHA risk score was not affected by the recalibration (KORA: C = 0.78, HNR: C = 0.74). The ESC SCORE overestimated by 5% in KORA and by 85% in HNR. The corresponding C-statistic was 0.82 in KORA and 0.76 in HNR. The recalibrated ACC/AHA risk score showed strongly improved calibration compared to the original ACC/AHA risk score. Predicting only cardiovascular mortality, discrimination performance of the commonly used ESC SCORE remained somewhat superior to the ACC/AHA risk score. Nevertheless, the recalibrated ACC/AHA risk score may provide a meaningful tool for estimating 10-year risk of fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular disease in Germany.

Grouping and Segregation of Sensory Events by Actions in Temporal Audio-Visual Recalibration.

PubMed

Ikumi, Nara; Soto-Faraco, Salvador

2016-01-01

Perception in multi-sensory environments involves both grouping and segregation of events across sensory modalities. Temporal coincidence between events is considered a strong cue to resolve multisensory perception. However, differences in physical transmission and neural processing times amongst modalities complicate this picture. This is illustrated by cross-modal recalibration, whereby adaptation to audio-visual asynchrony produces shifts in perceived simultaneity. Here, we examined whether voluntary actions might serve as a temporal anchor to cross-modal recalibration in time. Participants were tested on an audio-visual simultaneity judgment task after an adaptation phase where they had to synchronize voluntary actions with audio-visual pairs presented at a fixed asynchrony (vision leading or vision lagging). Our analysis focused on the magnitude of cross-modal recalibration to the adapted audio-visual asynchrony as a function of the nature of the actions during adaptation, putatively fostering cross-modal grouping or, segregation. We found larger temporal adjustments when actions promoted grouping than segregation of sensory events. However, a control experiment suggested that additional factors, such as attention to planning/execution of actions, could have an impact on recalibration effects. Contrary to the view that cross-modal temporal organization is mainly driven by external factors related to the stimulus or environment, our findings add supporting evidence for the idea that perceptual adjustments strongly depend on the observer's inner states induced by motor and cognitive demands.

Grouping and Segregation of Sensory Events by Actions in Temporal Audio-Visual Recalibration

PubMed Central

Ikumi, Nara; Soto-Faraco, Salvador

2017-01-01

Perception in multi-sensory environments involves both grouping and segregation of events across sensory modalities. Temporal coincidence between events is considered a strong cue to resolve multisensory perception. However, differences in physical transmission and neural processing times amongst modalities complicate this picture. This is illustrated by cross-modal recalibration, whereby adaptation to audio-visual asynchrony produces shifts in perceived simultaneity. Here, we examined whether voluntary actions might serve as a temporal anchor to cross-modal recalibration in time. Participants were tested on an audio-visual simultaneity judgment task after an adaptation phase where they had to synchronize voluntary actions with audio-visual pairs presented at a fixed asynchrony (vision leading or vision lagging). Our analysis focused on the magnitude of cross-modal recalibration to the adapted audio-visual asynchrony as a function of the nature of the actions during adaptation, putatively fostering cross-modal grouping or, segregation. We found larger temporal adjustments when actions promoted grouping than segregation of sensory events. However, a control experiment suggested that additional factors, such as attention to planning/execution of actions, could have an impact on recalibration effects. Contrary to the view that cross-modal temporal organization is mainly driven by external factors related to the stimulus or environment, our findings add supporting evidence for the idea that perceptual adjustments strongly depend on the observer's inner states induced by motor and cognitive demands. PMID:28154529

Dissociation of agency and body ownership following visuomotor temporal recalibration

PubMed Central

Imaizumi, Shu; Asai, Tomohisa

2015-01-01

Bodily self-consciousness consists of one’s sense of agency (I am causing an action) and body ownership (my body belongs to me). Both stem from the temporal congruence between different modalities, although some visuomotor temporal incongruence is acceptable for agency. To examine the association or dissociation between agency and body ownership in the context of different temporal sensitivities, we applied a temporal recalibration paradigm, in which subjective synchrony between asynchronous hand action and its visual feedback can be perceived after exposure to the asynchronous visuomotor stimulation. In the experiment, participants continuously clasped and unclasped their hand while watching an online video of their hand that was presented with delays of 50, 110, 170, 230, 290, and 350 ms. Then, they rated a video of their hand with a delay of 50 ms (test stimulus) with respect to the synchrony between hand action and hand video and the perceived agency over the video. Moreover, proprioceptive drift of participants’ hand location toward the hand video during the exposure was measured as an index of illusory body ownership. Results indicated that perception of agency emerged over the delayed hand video as subjective visuomotor synchrony was recalibrated, but that body ownership did not emerge for the delayed video, even after the recalibration. We suggest that there is a dissociation between agency and body ownership following visuomotor temporal recalibration. PMID:25999826

Multivariate meta-analysis of individual participant data helped externally validate the performance and implementation of a prediction model.

PubMed

Snell, Kym I E; Hua, Harry; Debray, Thomas P A; Ensor, Joie; Look, Maxime P; Moons, Karel G M; Riley, Richard D

2016-01-01

Our aim was to improve meta-analysis methods for summarizing a prediction model's performance when individual participant data are available from multiple studies for external validation. We suggest multivariate meta-analysis for jointly synthesizing calibration and discrimination performance, while accounting for their correlation. The approach estimates a prediction model's average performance, the heterogeneity in performance across populations, and the probability of "good" performance in new populations. This allows different implementation strategies (e.g., recalibration) to be compared. Application is made to a diagnostic model for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and a prognostic model for breast cancer mortality. In both examples, multivariate meta-analysis reveals that calibration performance is excellent on average but highly heterogeneous across populations unless the model's intercept (baseline hazard) is recalibrated. For the cancer model, the probability of "good" performance (defined by C statistic ≥0.7 and calibration slope between 0.9 and 1.1) in a new population was 0.67 with recalibration but 0.22 without recalibration. For the DVT model, even with recalibration, there was only a 0.03 probability of "good" performance. Multivariate meta-analysis can be used to externally validate a prediction model's calibration and discrimination performance across multiple populations and to evaluate different implementation strategies. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Volume of Courses Students Carry among Central Data Warehouse (CDW) Institutions: Implications for Recalibration of the BC Transfer System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Box, Dale

2008-01-01

The British Columbia (BC) Council on Admissions and Transfer (BCCAT) has undertaken, in the last couple of years, a review of the BC Transfer System. Preliminary findings indicate that the current structure of the BC Transfer Guide (BCTG), which designates institutions as either "sending" institutions or "receiving"…

MoDOT pavement preservation research program volume VII, re-calibration of triggers and performance models.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-10-01

The objective of this task is to develop the concept and framework for a procedure to routinely create, re-calibrate, and update the : Trigger Tables and Performance Models. The scope of work for Task 6 includes a limited review of the recent pavemen...

Short message service reminder intervention doubles sexually transmitted infection/HIV re-testing rates among men who have sex with men.

PubMed

Bourne, C; Knight, V; Guy, R; Wand, H; Lu, H; McNulty, A

2011-04-01

To evaluate the impact of a short message service (SMS) reminder system on HIV/sexually transmitted infection (STI) re-testing rates among men who have sex with men (MSM). The SMS reminder programme started in late 2008 at a large Australian sexual health clinic. SMS reminders were recommended 3-6 monthly for MSM considered high-risk based on self-reported sexual behaviour. The evaluation compared HIV negative MSM who had a HIV/STI test between 1 January and 31 August 2010 and received a SMS reminder (SMS group) with those tested in the same time period (comparison group) and pre-SMS period (pre-SMS group, 1 January 2008 and 31 August 2008) who did not receive the SMS. HIV/STI re-testing rates were measured within 9 months for each group. Baseline characteristics were compared between study groups and multivariate logistic regression used to assess the association between SMS and re-testing and control for any imbalances in the study groups. There were 714 HIV negative MSM in the SMS group, 1084 in the comparison group and 1753 in the pre-SMS group. In the SMS group, 64% were re-tested within 9 months compared to 30% in the comparison group (p<0.001) and 31% in the pre-SMS group (p<0.001). After adjusting for baseline differences, re-testing was 4.4 times more likely (95% CI 3.5 to 5.5) in the SMS group than the comparison group and 3.1 times more likely (95% CI 2.5 to 3.8) than the pre-SMS group. SMS reminders increased HIV/STI re-testing among HIV negative MSM. SMS offers a cheap, efficient system to increase HIV/STI re-testing in a busy clinical setting.

Determination and correction of persistent biases in quantum annealers

PubMed Central

Perdomo-Ortiz, Alejandro; O’Gorman, Bryan; Fluegemann, Joseph; Biswas, Rupak; Smelyanskiy, Vadim N.

2016-01-01

Calibration of quantum computers is essential to the effective utilisation of their quantum resources. Specifically, the performance of quantum annealers is likely to be significantly impaired by noise in their programmable parameters, effectively misspecification of the computational problem to be solved, often resulting in spurious suboptimal solutions. We developed a strategy to determine and correct persistent, systematic biases between the actual values of the programmable parameters and their user-specified values. We applied the recalibration strategy to two D-Wave Two quantum annealers, one at NASA Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, and another at D-Wave Systems in Burnaby, Canada. We show that the recalibration procedure not only reduces the magnitudes of the biases in the programmable parameters but also enhances the performance of the device on a set of random benchmark instances. PMID:26783120

Comparison of Medical and Consumer Wireless EEG Systems for Use in Clinical Trials.

PubMed

Ratti, Elena; Waninger, Shani; Berka, Chris; Ruffini, Giulio; Verma, Ajay

2017-01-01

Objectives: To compare quantitative EEG signal and test-retest reliability of medical grade and consumer EEG systems. Methods: Resting state EEG was acquired by two medical grade (B-Alert, Enobio) and two consumer (Muse, Mindwave) EEG systems in five healthy subjects during two study visits. EEG patterns, power spectral densities (PSDs) and test/retest reliability in eyes closed and eyes open conditions were compared across the four systems, focusing on Fp1, the only common electrode. Fp1 PSDs were obtained using Welch's modified periodogram method and averaged for the five subjects for each visit. The test/retest results were calculated as a ratio of Visit 1/Visit 2 Fp1 channel PSD at each 1 s epoch. Results: B-Alert, Enobio, and Mindwave Fp1 power spectra were similar. Muse showed a broadband increase in power spectra and the highest relative variation across test-retest acquisitions. Consumer systems were more prone to artifact due to eye blinks and muscle movement in the frontal region. Conclusions: EEG data can be successfully collected from all four systems tested. Although there was slightly more time required for application, medical systems offer clear advantages in data quality, reliability, and depth of analysis over the consumer systems. Significance: This evaluation provides evidence for informed selection of EEG systemsappropriate for clinical trials.

Phonetic Recalibration Only Occurs in Speech Mode

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vroomen, Jean; Baart, Martijn

2009-01-01

Upon hearing an ambiguous speech sound dubbed onto lipread speech, listeners adjust their phonetic categories in accordance with the lipread information (recalibration) that tells what the phoneme should be. Here we used sine wave speech (SWS) to show that this tuning effect occurs if the SWS sounds are perceived as speech, but not if the sounds…

The recalibration of tactile perception during tool use is body-part specific

PubMed Central

Cawley-Bennett, Andrew; Longo, Matthew R.; Saygin, Ayse P.

2018-01-01

Two decades of research have demonstrated that using a tool modulates spatial representations of the body. Whether this embodiment is specific to representations of the tool-using limb or extends to representations of other body parts has received little attention. Several studies of other perceptual phenomena have found that modulations to the primary somatosensory representation of the hand transfers to the face, due in part to their close proximity in primary somatosensory cortex. In the present study, we investigated whether tool-induced recalibration of tactile perception on the hand transfers to the cheek. Participants verbally estimated the distance between two tactile points applied to either their hand or face, before and after using a hand-shaped tool. Tool use recalibrated tactile distance perception on the hand—in line with previous findings—but left perception on the cheek unchanged. This finding provides support for the idea that embodiment is body-part specific. Furthermore, it suggests that tool-induced perceptual recalibration occurs at a level of somatosensory processing, where representations of the hand and face have become functionally disentangled. PMID:28702834

Results of the Phoenix Relative Humidity Sensor Recalibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez, G.; Fischer, E.; Renno, N. O.

2017-12-01

We show results of the recalibration of the Thermal and Electrical Conductivity Probe (TECP) relative humidity (RH) sensor of the Phoenix Mars lander [Zent et al., 2009]. Due to uncertainties in its pre-flight calibration, which partially overlapped the environmental conditions found at the Phoenix landing site [Tamppari et al., 2010], only the raw, unprocessed output of the TECP RH sensor is available in NASA's Planetary Data System (PDS). The sensor's calibration was revised in 2016 to correct for inaccuracies at the lowest temperatures [Zent et al., 2016], but the new processed RH values were not posted in the PDS. We have been using a spare engineering unit of the TECP to recalibrate the sensor in the full range of Phoenix landing site conditions in the Michigan Mars Environmental Chamber (MMEC) [Fischer et al., 2016]. We compare raw output data of the engineering unit in the MMEC with that of the flight unit from the preflight calibration. We observed that the engineering unit's RH sensor output was shifted to higher values compared to the flight unit's output at the same conditions of temperature and humidity. Based on this shift, we use a translation function that fits the in-situ measurements of the flight unit into the engineering unit output space. To improve the accuracy of this function, we use additional observations corresponding to saturated conditions when near-surface fog was observed [Whiteway et al., 2009], as well as observations around noon when the RH is expected to be below 5%. The entire range of conditions observed on the Martian surface is covered in our recalibration. The raw output of the sensor is used to obtain a new calibration function. This allows us to obtain high-level RH data at Martian polar conditions. The recalibrated data will be posted in the PDS. REFERENCES: Fischer, E., et al. (2016), Astrobiology, 16, 12, doi: 10.1089/ast.2016.1525. Tamppari, L. K., et al. (2010), J. Geophys. Res., 115, E00E17, doi:10.1029/2009JE003415. Whiteway, J. A., et al. (2009), Science, 325, 68, doi: 10.1126/science.1172344. Zent, A. P., et al. (2009), J. Geophys. Res., 114, E00A27, doi:10.1029/2007JE003052. Zent, A. P., et al. (2016), J. Geophys. Res. Planets, 121, 626-651, doi:10.1002/2015JE004933.

Decoder calibration with ultra small current sample set for intracortical brain-machine interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Peng; Ma, Xuan; Chen, Luyao; Zhou, Jin; Wang, Changyong; Li, Wei; He, Jiping

2018-04-01

Objective. Intracortical brain-machine interfaces (iBMIs) aim to restore efficient communication and movement ability for paralyzed patients. However, frequent recalibration is required for consistency and reliability, and every recalibration will require relatively large most current sample set. The aim in this study is to develop an effective decoder calibration method that can achieve good performance while minimizing recalibration time. Approach. Two rhesus macaques implanted with intracortical microelectrode arrays were trained separately on movement and sensory paradigm. Neural signals were recorded to decode reaching positions or grasping postures. A novel principal component analysis-based domain adaptation (PDA) method was proposed to recalibrate the decoder with only ultra small current sample set by taking advantage of large historical data, and the decoding performance was compared with other three calibration methods for evaluation. Main results. The PDA method closed the gap between historical and current data effectively, and made it possible to take advantage of large historical data for decoder recalibration in current data decoding. Using only ultra small current sample set (five trials of each category), the decoder calibrated using the PDA method could achieve much better and more robust performance in all sessions than using other three calibration methods in both monkeys. Significance. (1) By this study, transfer learning theory was brought into iBMIs decoder calibration for the first time. (2) Different from most transfer learning studies, the target data in this study were ultra small sample set and were transferred to the source data. (3) By taking advantage of historical data, the PDA method was demonstrated to be effective in reducing recalibration time for both movement paradigm and sensory paradigm, indicating a viable generalization. By reducing the demand for large current training data, this new method may facilitate the application of intracortical brain-machine interfaces in clinical practice.

Item response theory and factor analysis as a mean to characterize occurrence of response shift in a longitudinal quality of life study in breast cancer patients

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The occurrence of response shift (RS) in longitudinal health-related quality of life (HRQoL) studies, reflecting patient adaptation to disease, has already been demonstrated. Several methods have been developed to detect the three different types of response shift (RS), i.e. recalibration RS, 2) reprioritization RS, and 3) reconceptualization RS. We investigated two complementary methods that characterize the occurrence of RS: factor analysis, comprising Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA), and a method of Item Response Theory (IRT). Methods Breast cancer patients (n = 381) completed the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-BR23 questionnaires at baseline, immediately following surgery, and three and six months after surgery, according to the “then-test/post-test” design. Recalibration was explored using MCA and a model of IRT, called the Linear Logistic Model with Relaxed Assumptions (LLRA) using the then-test method. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to explore reconceptualization and reprioritization. Results MCA highlighted the main profiles of recalibration: patients with high HRQoL level report a slightly worse HRQoL level retrospectively and vice versa. The LLRA model indicated a downward or upward recalibration for each dimension. At six months, the recalibration effect was statistically significant for 11/22 dimensions of the QLQ-C30 and BR23 according to the LLRA model (p ≤ 0.001). Regarding the QLQ-C30, PCA indicated a reprioritization of symptom scales and reconceptualization via an increased correlation between functional scales. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate the usefulness of these analyses in characterizing the occurrence of RS. MCA and IRT model had convergent results with then-test method to characterize recalibration component of RS. PCA is an indirect method in investigating the reprioritization and reconceptualization components of RS. PMID:24606836

A pragmatic approach for mortality prediction after surgery in infective endocarditis: optimizing and refining EuroSCORE.

PubMed

Fernández-Hidalgo, N; Ferreria-González, I; Marsal, J R; Ribera, A; Aznar, M L; de Alarcón, A; García-Cabrera, E; Gálvez-Acebal, J; Sánchez-Espín, G; Reguera-Iglesias, J M; De La Torre-Lima, J; Lomas, J M; Hidalgo-Tenorio, C; Vallejo, N; Miranda, B; Santos-Ortega, A; Castro, M A; Tornos, P; García-Dorado, D; Almirante, B

2018-03-03

To simplify and optimize the ability of EuroSCORE I and II to predict early mortality after surgery for infective endocarditis (IE). Multicentre retrospective study (n = 775). Simplified scores, eliminating irrelevant variables, and new specific scores, adding specific IE variables, were created. The performance of the original, recalibrated and specific EuroSCOREs was assessed by Brier score, C-statistic and calibration plot in bootstrap samples. The Net Reclassification Index was quantified. Recalibrated scores including age, previous cardiac surgery, critical preoperative state, New York Heart Association >I, and emergent surgery (EuroSCORE I and II); renal failure and pulmonary hypertension (EuroSCORE I); and urgent surgery (EuroSCORE II) performed better than the original EuroSCOREs (Brier original and recalibrated: EuroSCORE I: 0.1770 and 0.1667; EuroSCORE II: 0.2307 and 0.1680). Performance improved with the addition of fistula, staphylococci and mitral location (EuroSCORE I and II) (Brier specific: EuroSCORE I 0.1587, EuroSCORE II 0.1592). Discrimination improved in specific models (C-statistic original, recalibrated and specific: EuroSCORE I: 0.7340, 0.7471 and 0.7728; EuroSCORE II: 0.7442, 0.7423 and 0.7700). Calibration improved in both EuroSCORE I models (intercept 0.295, slope 0.829 (original); intercept -0.094, slope 0.888 (recalibrated); intercept -0.059, slope 0.925 (specific)) but only in specific EuroSCORE II model (intercept 2.554, slope 1.114 (original); intercept -0.260, slope 0.703 (recalibrated); intercept -0.053, slope 0.930 (specific)). Net Reclassification Index was 5.1% and 20.3% for the specific EuroSCORE I and II CONCLUSIONS: The use of simplified EuroSCORE I and EuroSCORE II models in IE with the addition of specific variables may lead to simpler and more accurate models. Copyright © 2018 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Inclusive Schooling: Are We There yet?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Causton, Julie; Theoharis, George

2013-01-01

Today, when trying to find a way to an unfamiliar destination, many rely on global positioning systems, or GPS technology. "Recalibrating" and "Whenever possible make a legal U-turn" are now ubiquitous phrases in the audio backdrop to many car trips. One can think about modern-day inclusive education in similar terms. The…

Transfer of Recalibration from Audition to Touch: Modality Independence as a Special Case of Anatomical Independence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagman, Jeffrey B.; Abney, Drew H.

2012-01-01

An important step in developing a theory of calibration is establishing what it is that participants become calibrated to as a result of feedback. Three experiments used a transfer of calibration paradigm to investigate this issue. In particular, these experiments investigated whether recalibration of perception of length transferred from audition…

Mass measurement errors of Fourier-transform mass spectrometry (FTMS): distribution, recalibration, and application.

PubMed

Zhang, Jiyang; Ma, Jie; Dou, Lei; Wu, Songfeng; Qian, Xiaohong; Xie, Hongwei; Zhu, Yunping; He, Fuchu

2009-02-01

The hybrid linear trap quadrupole Fourier-transform (LTQ-FT) ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer, an instrument with high accuracy and resolution, is widely used in the identification and quantification of peptides and proteins. However, time-dependent errors in the system may lead to deterioration of the accuracy of these instruments, negatively influencing the determination of the mass error tolerance (MET) in database searches. Here, a comprehensive discussion of LTQ/FT precursor ion mass error is provided. On the basis of an investigation of the mass error distribution, we propose an improved recalibration formula and introduce a new tool, FTDR (Fourier-transform data recalibration), that employs a graphic user interface (GUI) for automatic calibration. It was found that the calibration could adjust the mass error distribution to more closely approximate a normal distribution and reduce the standard deviation (SD). Consequently, we present a new strategy, LDSF (Large MET database search and small MET filtration), for database search MET specification and validation of database search results. As the name implies, a large-MET database search is conducted and the search results are then filtered using the statistical MET estimated from high-confidence results. By applying this strategy to a standard protein data set and a complex data set, we demonstrate the LDSF can significantly improve the sensitivity of the result validation procedure.

Agreement between the spatio-temporal gait parameters from treadmill-based photoelectric cell and the instrumented treadmill system in healthy young adults and stroke patients.

PubMed

Lee, Myungmo; Song, Changho; Lee, Kyoungjin; Shin, Doochul; Shin, Seungho

2014-07-14

Treadmill gait analysis was more advantageous than over-ground walking because it allowed continuous measurements of the gait parameters. The purpose of this study was to investigate the concurrent validity and the test-retest reliability of the OPTOGait photoelectric cell system against the treadmill-based gait analysis system by assessing spatio-temporal gait parameters. Twenty-six stroke patients and 18 healthy adults were asked to walk on the treadmill at their preferred speed. The concurrent validity was assessed by comparing data obtained from the 2 systems, and the test-retest reliability was determined by comparing data obtained from the 1st and the 2nd session of the OPTOGait system. The concurrent validity, identified by the intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC [2, 1]), coefficients of variation (CVME), and 95% limits of agreement (LOA) for the spatial-temporal gait parameters, were excellent but the temporal parameters expressed as a percentage of the gait cycle were poor. The test-retest reliability of the OPTOGait System, identified by ICC (3, 1), CVME, 95% LOA, standard error of measurement (SEM), and minimum detectable change (MDC95%) for the spatio-temporal gait parameters, was high. These findings indicated that the treadmill-based OPTOGait System had strong concurrent validity and test-retest reliability. This portable system could be useful for clinical assessments.

AVIRIS calibration and application in coastal oceanic environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carder, Kendall L.

1992-01-01

The Airborne Visible-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) is a test-bed for future spacecraft sensors such as the High-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer and the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectrometers planned for the Earth Observing System. To use this sensor for ocean applications, S/N was increased by spatial averaging of images. Post-flight recalibration was accomplished using in situ the water-leaving radiance measured at flight time, modeling radiance transmission to the aircraft, and adding modeled atmospheric radiance to that value. The preflight calibration curve was then adjusted until aircraft and modeled total radiance values matched. Water-leaving radiance values from the recalibrated AVIRIS imagery were consistent with in situ data supporting the validity of the approach. Imagery of the absorption coefficient at 415 nm and backscattering coefficient at 671 nm were used to depict the dissolved and particulate constituents of an ebb-tidal esturance plume on the East coast of Florida.

A New Type of Frequency Chain and Its Application to Fundamental Frequency Metrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Udem, Thomas; Reichert, Joerg; Holzwarth, Ronald; Diddams, Scott; Jones, David; Ye, Jun; Cundiff, Steven; Haensch, Theodor; Hall, John

A suitable femtosecond (fs) laser system can provide a broad band comb of stable optical frequencies and thus can serve as an rf/optical coherent link. In this way we have performed a direct comparison of the 1S-2S transition in atomic hydrogen at 121 nm with a cesium fountain clock, built at the LPTF/Paris, to reach an accuracy of 1.9times 10^{-14}. The same comb-line counting technique was exploited to determine and recalibrate several important optical frequency standards. In particular, the improved measurement of the Cesium D1 line is necessary for a more precise determination of the fine structure constant. In addition, several of the best-known optical frequency standards have been recalibrated via the fs method. By creating an octave-spanning frequency comb a single-laser frequency chain has been realized and tested.

Mental Imagery Induces Cross-Modal Sensory Plasticity and Changes Future Auditory Perception.

PubMed

Berger, Christopher C; Ehrsson, H Henrik

2018-04-01

Can what we imagine in our minds change how we perceive the world in the future? A continuous process of multisensory integration and recalibration is responsible for maintaining a correspondence between the senses (e.g., vision, touch, audition) and, ultimately, a stable and coherent perception of our environment. This process depends on the plasticity of our sensory systems. The so-called ventriloquism aftereffect-a shift in the perceived localization of sounds presented alone after repeated exposure to spatially mismatched auditory and visual stimuli-is a clear example of this type of plasticity in the audiovisual domain. In a series of six studies with 24 participants each, we investigated an imagery-induced ventriloquism aftereffect in which imagining a visual stimulus elicits the same frequency-specific auditory aftereffect as actually seeing one. These results demonstrate that mental imagery can recalibrate the senses and induce the same cross-modal sensory plasticity as real sensory stimuli.

Phase change references for in-flight recalibration of orbital thermometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Topham, T. S.; Latvakoski, H.; Watson, M.

2013-09-01

Several critical questions need to be answered to determine the potential utility of phase change materials as long-term orbital references: How accurate and repeatable will phase change reference implementations be after incorporating necessary design trade-offs to accommodate launch and the space environment? How can the temperature of phase transitions be transferred to something useful for calibration such as a black body. How, if at all, will the microgravity environment affect the phase transitions? To help answer some of these questions, three experiments will be conducted on the International Space Station (ISS). The experiments will test melts and freezes of three different phase change materials in various containment apparatus. This paper addresses the current status of the ISS experiments, as well as results from ground testing of several concepts for space application of PCM recalibration systems in the CORSAIR (Calibration Observations of Radiance Spectra in the far Infrared) black body.

Sociology of Low Expectations: Recalibration as Innovation Work in Biomedicine.

PubMed

Gardner, John; Samuel, Gabrielle; Williams, Clare

2015-11-01

Social scientists have drawn attention to the role of hype and optimistic visions of the future in providing momentum to biomedical innovation projects by encouraging innovation alliances. In this article, we show how less optimistic, uncertain, and modest visions of the future can also provide innovation projects with momentum. Scholars have highlighted the need for clinicians to carefully manage the expectations of their prospective patients. Using the example of a pioneering clinical team providing deep brain stimulation to children and young people with movement disorders, we show how clinicians confront this requirement by drawing on their professional knowledge and clinical expertise to construct visions of the future with their prospective patients; visions which are personalized, modest, and tainted with uncertainty. We refer to this vision-constructing work as recalibration, and we argue that recalibration enables clinicians to manage the tension between the highly optimistic and hyped visions of the future that surround novel biomedical interventions, and the exigencies of delivering those interventions in a clinical setting. Drawing on work from science and technology studies, we suggest that recalibration enrolls patients in an innovation alliance by creating a shared understanding of how the "effectiveness" of an innovation shall be judged.

The reliability of WorkWell Systems Functional Capacity Evaluation: a systematic review

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Functional capacity evaluation (FCE) determines a person’s ability to perform work-related tasks and is a major component of the rehabilitation process. The WorkWell Systems (WWS) FCE (formerly known as Isernhagen Work Systems FCE) is currently the most commonly used FCE tool in German rehabilitation centres. Our systematic review investigated the inter-rater, intra-rater and test-retest reliability of the WWS FCE. Methods We performed a systematic literature search of studies on the reliability of the WWS FCE and extracted item-specific measures of inter-rater, intra-rater and test-retest reliability from the identified studies. Intraclass correlation coefficients ≥ 0.75, percentages of agreement ≥ 80%, and kappa coefficients ≥ 0.60 were categorised as acceptable, otherwise they were considered non-acceptable. The extracted values were summarised for the five performance categories of the WWS FCE, and the results were classified as either consistent or inconsistent. Results From 11 identified studies, 150 item-specific reliability measures were extracted. 89% of the extracted inter-rater reliability measures, all of the intra-rater reliability measures and 96% of the test-retest reliability measures of the weight handling and strength tests had an acceptable level of reliability, compared to only 67% of the test-retest reliability measures of the posture/mobility tests and 56% of the test-retest reliability measures of the locomotion tests. Both of the extracted test-retest reliability measures of the balance test were acceptable. Conclusions Weight handling and strength tests were found to have consistently acceptable reliability. Further research is needed to explore the reliability of the other tests as inconsistent findings or a lack of data prevented definitive conclusions. PMID:24674029

Method variation in the impact of missing data on response shift detection.

PubMed

Schwartz, Carolyn E; Sajobi, Tolulope T; Verdam, Mathilde G E; Sebille, Veronique; Lix, Lisa M; Guilleux, Alice; Sprangers, Mirjam A G

2015-03-01

Missing data due to attrition or item non-response can result in biased estimates and loss of power in longitudinal quality-of-life (QOL) research. The impact of missing data on response shift (RS) detection is relatively unknown. This overview article synthesizes the findings of three methods tested in this special section regarding the impact of missing data patterns on RS detection in incomplete longitudinal data. The RS detection methods investigated include: (1) Relative importance analysis to detect reprioritization RS in stroke caregivers; (2) Oort's structural equation modeling (SEM) to detect recalibration, reprioritization, and reconceptualization RS in cancer patients; and (3) Rasch-based item-response theory-based (IRT) models as compared to SEM models to detect recalibration and reprioritization RS in hospitalized chronic disease patients. Each method dealt with missing data differently, either with imputation (1), attrition-based multi-group analysis (2), or probabilistic analysis that is robust to missingness due to the specific objectivity property (3). Relative importance analyses were sensitive to the type and amount of missing data and imputation method, with multiple imputation showing the largest RS effects. The attrition-based multi-group SEM revealed differential effects of both the changes in health-related QOL and the occurrence of response shift by attrition stratum, and enabled a more complete interpretation of findings. The IRT RS algorithm found evidence of small recalibration and reprioritization effects in General Health, whereas SEM mostly evidenced small recalibration effects. These differences may be due to differences between the two methods in handling of missing data. Missing data imputation techniques result in different conclusions about the presence of reprioritization RS using the relative importance method, while the attrition-based SEM approach highlighted different recalibration and reprioritization RS effects by attrition group. The IRT analyses detected more recalibration and reprioritization RS effects than SEM, presumably due to IRT's robustness to missing data. Future research should apply simulation techniques in order to make conclusive statements about the impacts of missing data according to the type and amount of RS.

Increasing chlamydia test of re-infection rates using SMS reminders and incentives.

PubMed

Downing, Sandra Gaye; Cashman, Colette; McNamee, Heather; Penney, Debbie; Russell, Darren B; Hellard, Margaret E

2013-02-01

Clients diagnosed and treated for Chlamydia trachomatis are a recognised high-risk group for subsequent infection. An estimated 8% of clients treated for chlamydia at Cairns Sexual Health Service return for re-testing within the recommended 3-4-month period. There is no recall or reminder system in place. This study assesses the effectiveness of using short messaging service (SMS) reminders with and without incentive payments to increase re-testing rates. Eligible consenting clients were randomly allocated to one of three groups. Group 1 (controls) received the standard advice from the clinician to return for re-testing in 3-4 months. Group 2 received the standard advice and an SMS reminder at 10-12 weeks post-treatment. Group 3 received the standard advice and the SMS reminder, which also offered an incentive payment on clinic attendance. 32 participants were recruited to groups 1 and 2 and 30 participants to group 3. 62 SMS reminders were sent with 13 (21.0%) reported as undelivered. Re-testing rates were 6.3%, 28.1% and 26.7% for groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively. SMS reminders with or without an incentive payment increased re-testing rates in our clients who were diagnosed and treated for chlamydia. However, re-testing remained less than ideal, and the high rate of undelivered SMS reminders suggest that this intervention alone will not achieve desired re-testing rates and that a range of strategies will be required to increase re-testing in this population.

Iterative outlier removal: A method for identifying outliers in laboratory recalibration studies

PubMed Central

Parrinello, Christina M.; Grams, Morgan E.; Sang, Yingying; Couper, David; Wruck, Lisa M.; Li, Danni; Eckfeldt, John H.; Selvin, Elizabeth; Coresh, Josef

2016-01-01

Background Extreme values that arise for any reason, including through non-laboratory measurement procedure-related processes (inadequate mixing, evaporation, mislabeling), lead to outliers and inflate errors in recalibration studies. We present an approach termed iterative outlier removal (IOR) for identifying such outliers. Methods We previously identified substantial laboratory drift in uric acid measurements in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study over time. Serum uric acid was originally measured in 1990–92 on a Coulter DACOS instrument using an uricase-based measurement procedure. To recalibrate previous measured concentrations to a newer enzymatic colorimetric measurement procedure, uric acid was re-measured in 200 participants from stored plasma in 2011–13 on a Beckman Olympus 480 autoanalyzer. To conduct IOR, we excluded data points >3 standard deviations (SDs) from the mean difference. We continued this process using the resulting data until no outliers remained. Results IOR detected more outliers and yielded greater precision in simulation. The original mean difference (SD) in uric acid was 1.25 (0.62) mg/dL. After four iterations, 9 outliers were excluded, and the mean difference (SD) was 1.23 (0.45) mg/dL. Conducting only one round of outlier removal (standard approach) would have excluded 4 outliers (mean difference [SD] = 1.22 [0.51] mg/dL). Applying the recalibration (derived from Deming regression) from each approach to the original measurements, the prevalence of hyperuricemia (>7 mg/dL) was 28.5% before IOR and 8.5% after IOR. Conclusion IOR is a useful method for removal of extreme outliers irrelevant to recalibrating laboratory measurements, and identifies more extraneous outliers than the standard approach. PMID:27197675

Calibration of magnetic and celestial compass cues in migratory birds--a review of cue-conflict experiments.

PubMed

Muheim, Rachel; Moore, Frank R; Phillips, John B

2006-01-01

Migratory birds use multiple sources of compass information for orientation, including the geomagnetic field, the sun, skylight polarization patterns and star patterns. In this paper we review the results of cue-conflict experiments designed to determine the relative importance of the different compass mechanisms, and how directional information from these compass mechanisms is integrated. We focus on cue-conflict experiments in which the magnetic field was shifted in alignment relative to natural celestial cues. Consistent with the conclusions of earlier authors, our analyses suggest that during the premigratory season, celestial information is given the greatest salience and used to recalibrate the magnetic compass by both juvenile and adult birds. Sunset polarized light patterns from the region of the sky near the horizon appear to provide the calibration reference for the magnetic compass. In contrast, during migration, a majority of experiments suggest that birds rely on the magnetic field as the primary source of compass information and use it to calibrate celestial compass cues, i.e. the relative saliency of magnetic and celestial cues is reversed. An alternative possibility, however, is suggested by several experiments in which birds exposed to a cue conflict during migration appear to have recalibrated the magnetic compass, i.e. their response is similar to that of birds exposed to cue conflicts during the premigratory season. The general pattern to emerge from these analyses is that birds exposed to the cue conflict with a view of the entire sunset sky tended to recalibrate the magnetic compass, regardless of whether the cue conflict occurred during the premigratory or migratory period. In contrast, birds exposed to the cue conflict in orientation funnels and registration cages that restricted their view of the region of sky near the horizon (as was generally the case in experiments carried out during the migratory season) did not recalibrate the magnetic compass but, instead, used the magnetic compass to calibrate the other celestial compass systems. If access to critical celestial cues, rather than the timing of exposure to the cue conflict (i.e. premigratory vs migratory), determines whether recalibration of the magnetic compass occurs, this suggests that under natural conditions there may be a single calibration reference for all of the compass systems of migratory birds that is derived from sunset (and possibly also sunrise) polarized light cues from the region of sky near the horizon. In cue-conflict experiments carried out during the migratory season, there was also an interesting asymmetry in the birds' response to magnetic fields shifted clockwise and counterclockwise relative to celestial cues. We discuss two possible explanations for these differences: (1) lateral asymmetry in the role of the right and left eye in mediating light-dependent magnetic compass orientation and (2) interference from the spectral and intensity distribution of skylight at sunset with the response of the light-dependent magnetic compass.

Continuous detection of the self-initiated walking pre-movement state from EEG correlates without session-to-session recalibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ioana Sburlea, Andreea; Montesano, Luis; Minguez, Javier

2015-06-01

Objective. Brain-computer interfaces (BCI) as a rehabilitation tool have been used to restore functions in patients with motor impairments by actively involving the central nervous system and triggering prosthetic devices according to the detected pre-movement state. However, since EEG signals are highly variable between subjects and recording sessions, typically a BCI is calibrated at the beginning of each session. This process is inconvenient especially for patients suffering locomotor disabilities in maintaining a bipedal position for a longer time. This paper presents a continuous EEG decoder of a pre-movement state in self-initiated walking and the usage of this decoder from session to session without recalibrating. Approach. Ten healthy subjects performed a self-initiated walking task during three sessions, with an intersession interval of one week. The implementation of our continuous decoder is based on the combination of movement-related cortical potential (MRCP) and event-related desynchronization (ERD) features with sparse classification models. Main results. During intrasession our technique detects the pre-movement state with 70% accuracy. Moreover this decoder can be applied from session to session without recalibration, with a decrease in performance of about 4% on a one- or two-week intersession interval. Significance. Our detection model operates in a continuous manner, which makes it a straightforward asset for rehabilitation scenarios. By using both temporal and spectral information we attained higher detection rates than the ones obtained with the MRCP and ERD detection models, both during the intrasession and intersession conditions.

The role of feedback information for calibration and attunement in perceiving length by dynamic touch.

PubMed

Withagen, Rob; Michaels, Claire F

2005-12-01

Two processes have been hypothesized to underlie improvement in perception: attunement and calibration. These processes were examined in a dynamic touch paradigm in which participants were asked to report the lengths of unseen, wielded rods differing in length, diameter, and material. Two experiments addressed whether feedback informs about the need for reattunement and recalibration. Feedback indicating actual length induced both recalibration and reattunement. Recalibration did not occur when feedback indicated only whether 2 rods were of the same length or of different lengths. Such feedback, however, did induce reattunement. These results suggest that attunement and calibration are dissociable processes and that feedback informs which is needed. The observed change in variable use has implications also for research on what mechanical variables underlie length perception by dynamic touch. (c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved.

van Eijck and Roth's Utilitarian Science Education: Why the Recalibration of Science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge Invokes Multiple Perspectives to Protect Science Education from Being Exclusive

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mueller, Michael P.; Tippins, Deborah J.

2010-01-01

This article is a philosophical analysis of van Eijck and Roth's ("2007") claim that science and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) should be recalibrated because they are incommensurate, particular to the local contexts in which they are practical. In this view, science maintains an incommensurate status as if it is a…

Recalibrating Reference within a Dual-Space Interaction Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zemel, Alan; Koschmann, Timothy

2013-01-01

In this paper we examine how two groups of middle school students arrive at shared understandings of and solutions to mathematical problems. Our data consists of logs of student participation in the Virtual Math Teams (VMT) system as they work on math problems. The project supports interaction both through chat and through a virtual whiteboard. We…

Passive exposure of Earth radiation budget experiment components LDEF experiment AO-147: Post-flight examinations and tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hickey, John R.

1991-01-01

The Passive Exposure of Earth Radiation Budget Experiment Components (PEERBEC) experiment of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) mission was composed of sensors and components associated with the measurement of the earth radiation budget (ERB) from satellites. These components included the flight spare sensors from the ERB experiment which operated on Nimbus 6 and 7 satellites. The experiment components and materials as well as the pertinent background and ancillary information necessary for the understanding of the intended mission and the results are described. The extent and timing of the LDEF mission brought the exposure from solar minimum between cycles 21 and 22 through the solar maximum of cycle 22. The orbital decay, coupled with the events of solar maximum, caused the LDEF to be exposed to a broader range of space environmental effects than were anticipated. The mission spanned almost six years concurrent with the 12 year (to date) Nimbus 7 operations. Preliminary information is presented on the following: (1) the changes in transmittance experienced by the interference filters; (2) the results of retesting of the thermopile sensors, which appear to be relatively unaffected by the exposure; and (3) the results of the recalibration of the APEX cavity radiometer. The degradation and recovery of the filters of the Nimbus 7 ERB are also discussed relative to the apparent atomic oxygen cleaning which also applies to the LDEF.

Recalibration of indium foil for personnel screening in criticality accidents.

PubMed

Takada, C; Tsujimura, N; Mikami, S

2011-03-01

At the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Engineering Laboratories of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), small pieces of indium foil incorporated into personal dosemeters have been used for personnel screening in criticality accidents. Irradiation tests of the badges were performed using the SILENE reactor to verify the calibration of the indium activation that had been made in the 1980s and to recalibrate them for simulated criticalities that would be the most likely to occur in the solution process line. In addition, Monte Carlo calculations of the indium activation using the badge model were also made to complement the spectral dependence. The results lead to a screening level of 15 kcpm being determined that corresponds to a total dose of 0.25 Gy, which is also applicable in posterior-anterior exposure. The recalibration based on the latest study will provide a sounder basis for the screening procedure in the event of a criticality accident.

Hypercalibration: A Pan-STARRS1-Based Recalibration of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Photometry

DOE PAGES

Finkbeiner, Douglas P.; Schlafly, Edward F.; Schlegel, David J.; ...

2016-05-05

In this paper, we present a recalibration of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) photometry with new flat fields and zero points derived from Pan-STARRS1. Using point-spread function (PSF) photometry of 60 million stars with 16 < r < 20, we derive a model of amplifier gain and flat-field corrections with per-run rms residuals of 3 millimagnitudes (mmag) in griz bands and 15 mmag in u band. The new photometric zero points are adjusted to leave the median in the Galactic north unchanged for compatibility with previous SDSS work. We also identify transient non-photometric periods in SDSS ("contrails") based onmore » photometric deviations co-temporal in SDSS bands. Finally, the recalibrated stellar PSF photometry of SDSS and PS1 has an rms difference of {9, 7, 7, 8} mmag in griz, respectively, when averaged over 15' regions.« less

Intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging to update interactive navigation in neurosurgery: method and preliminary experience.

PubMed

Wirtz, C R; Bonsanto, M M; Knauth, M; Tronnier, V M; Albert, F K; Staubert, A; Kunze, S

1997-01-01

We report on the first successful intraoperative update of interactive image guidance based on an intraoperatively acquired magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) date set. To date, intraoperative imaging methods such as ultrasound, computerized tomography (CT), or MRI have not been successfully used to update interactive navigation. We developed a method of imaging patients intraoperatively with the surgical field exposed in an MRI scanner (Magnetom Open; Siemens Corp., Erlangen, Germany). In 12 patients, intraoperatively acquired 3D data sets were used for successful recalibration of neuronavigation, accounting for any anatomical changes caused by surgical manipulations. The MKM Microscope (Zeiss Corp., Oberkochen, Germany) was used as navigational system. With implantable fiducial markers, an accuracy of 0.84 +/- 0.4 mm for intraoperative reregistration was achieved. Residual tumor detected on MRI was consequently resected using navigation with the intraoperative data. No adverse effects were observed from intraoperative imaging or the use of navigation with intraoperative images, demonstrating the feasibility of recalibrating navigation with intraoperative MRI.

Recalibration of risk prediction models in a large multicenter cohort of admissions to adult, general critical care units in the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Harrison, David A; Brady, Anthony R; Parry, Gareth J; Carpenter, James R; Rowan, Kathy

2006-05-01

To assess the performance of published risk prediction models in common use in adult critical care in the United Kingdom and to recalibrate these models in a large representative database of critical care admissions. Prospective cohort study. A total of 163 adult general critical care units in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, during the period of December 1995 to August 2003. A total of 231,930 admissions, of which 141,106 met inclusion criteria and had sufficient data recorded for all risk prediction models. None. The published versions of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II, APACHE II UK, APACHE III, Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II, and Mortality Probability Models (MPM) II were evaluated for discrimination and calibration by means of a combination of appropriate statistical measures recommended by an expert steering committee. All models showed good discrimination (the c index varied from 0.803 to 0.832) but imperfect calibration. Recalibration of the models, which was performed by both the Cox method and re-estimating coefficients, led to improved discrimination and calibration, although all models still showed significant departures from perfect calibration. Risk prediction models developed in another country require validation and recalibration before being used to provide risk-adjusted outcomes within a new country setting. Periodic reassessment is beneficial to ensure calibration is maintained.

MEASURING SPORT-SPECIFIC PHYSICAL ABILITIES IN MALE GYMNASTS: THE MEN'S GYMNASTICS FUNCTIONAL MEASUREMENT TOOL.

PubMed

Sleeper, Mark D; Kenyon, Lisa K; Elliott, James M; Cheng, M Samuel

2016-12-01

Despite the availability of various field-tests for many competitive sports, a reliable and valid test specifically developed for use in men's gymnastics has not yet been developed. The Men's Gymnastics Functional Measurement Tool (MGFMT) was designed to assess sport-specific physical abilities in male competitive gymnasts. The purpose of this study was to develop the MGFMT by establishing a scoring system for individual test items and to initiate the process of establishing test-retest reliability and construct validity. A total of 83 competitive male gymnasts ages 7-18 underwent testing using the MGFMT. Thirty of these subjects underwent re-testing one week later in order to assess test-retest reliability. Construct validity was assessed using a simple regression analysis between total MGFMT scores and the gymnasts' USA-Gymnastics competitive level to calculate the coefficient of determination (r 2 ). Test-retest reliability was analyzed using Model 1 Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Statistical significance was set at the p<0.05 level. The relationship between total MGFMT scores and subjects' current USA-Gymnastics competitive level was found to be good (r 2  = 0.63). Reliability testing of the MGFMT composite test score showed excellent test-retest reliability over a one-week period (ICC = 0.97). Test-retest reliability of the individual component tests ranged from good to excellent (ICC = 0.75-0.97). The results of this study provide initial support for the construct validity and test-retest reliability of the MGFMT. Level 3.

Long-Term Stability of the NIST Standard Ultrasonic Source.

PubMed

Fick, Steven E

2008-01-01

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Standard Ultrasonic Source (SUS) is a system comprising a transducer capable of output power levels up to 1 W at multiple frequencies between 1 MHz and 30 MHz, and an electrical impedance-matching network that allows the system to be driven by a conventional 50 Ω rf (radio-frequency) source. It is designed to allow interlaboratory replication of ultrasonic power levels with high accuracy using inexpensive readily available ancillary equipment. The SUS was offered for sale for 14 years (1985 to 1999). Each system was furnished with data for the set of calibration points (combinations of power level and frequency) specified by the customer. Of the systems that had been ordered with some calibration points in common, three were returned more than once to NIST for recalibration. Another system retained at NIST has been recalibrated periodically since 1984. The collective data for these systems comprise 9 calibration points and 102 measurements spanning a 17 year interval ending in 2001, the last year NIST ultrasonic power measurement services were available to the public. These data have been analyzed to compare variations in output power with frequency, power level, and time elapsed since the first calibration. The results verify the claim, made in the instruction sheet furnished with every SUS, that "long-term drift, if any, in the calibration of NIST Standard Sources is insignificant compared to the uncertainties associated with a single measurement of ultrasonic power by any method available at NIST."

The grammar of anger: Mapping the computational architecture of a recalibrational emotion.

PubMed

Sell, Aaron; Sznycer, Daniel; Al-Shawaf, Laith; Lim, Julian; Krauss, Andre; Feldman, Aneta; Rascanu, Ruxandra; Sugiyama, Lawrence; Cosmides, Leda; Tooby, John

2017-11-01

According to the recalibrational theory of anger, anger is a computationally complex cognitive system that evolved to bargain for better treatment. Anger coordinates facial expressions, vocal changes, verbal arguments, the withholding of benefits, the deployment of aggression, and a suite of other cognitive and physiological variables in the service of leveraging bargaining position into better outcomes. The prototypical trigger of anger is an indication that the offender places too little weight on the angry individual's welfare when making decisions, i.e. the offender has too low a welfare tradeoff ratio (WTR) toward the angry individual. Twenty-three experiments in six cultures, including a group of foragers in the Ecuadorian Amazon, tested six predictions about the computational structure of anger derived from the recalibrational theory. Subjects judged that anger would intensify when: (i) the cost was large, (ii) the benefit the offender received from imposing the cost was small, or (iii) the offender imposed the cost despite knowing that the angered individual was the person to be harmed. Additionally, anger-based arguments conformed to a conceptual grammar of anger, such that offenders were inclined to argue that they held a high WTR toward the victim, e.g., "the cost I imposed on you was small", "the benefit I gained was large", or "I didn't know it was you I was harming." These results replicated across all six tested cultures: the US, Australia, Turkey, Romania, India, and Shuar hunter-horticulturalists in Ecuador. Results contradict key predictions about anger based on equity theory and social constructivism. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Recalibrating sleep: is recalibration and readjustment of sense organs and brain-body connections the core function of sleep?

PubMed

Smetacek, Victor

2010-10-01

Sleep is an enigma because we all know what it means and does to us, yet a scientific explanation for why animals including humans need to sleep is still lacking. However, the enigma can be resolved if the animal body is regarded as a purposeful machine whose moving parts are coordinated with spatial information provided by a disparate array of sense organs. The performance of all complex machines deteriorates with time due to inevitable instrument drift of the individual sensors combined with wear and tear of the moving parts which result in declining precision and coordination. Peak performance is restored by servicing the machine, which involves calibrating the sensors against baselines and standards, then with one another, and finally readjusting the connections between instruments and moving parts. It follows that the animal body and its sensors will also require regular calibration of sense organs and readjustment of brain-body connections which will need to be carried out while the animal is not in functional but in calibration mode. I suggest that this is the core function of sleep. This recalibration hypothesis of sleep can be tested subjectively. We all know from personal experience that sleep is needed to recover from tiredness that sets in towards the end of a long day. This tiredness, which is quite distinct from mental or muscular exhaustion caused by strenuous exertion, manifests itself in deteriorating general performance: the sense organs lose precision, movements become clumsy and the mind struggles to maintain focus. We can all agree that sleep sharpens the sense organs and restores agility to mind and body. I now propose that the sense of freshness and buoyancy after a good night's sleep is the feeling of recalibrated sensory and motor systems. The hypothesis can be tested rigorously by examining available data on sleep cycles and stages against this background. For instance, REM and deep sleep cycles can be interpreted as successive, separate calibration runs of the vestibulo-ocular reflex and the sensory-motor systems, respectively, amongst other functions running in parallel, such as dreaming. Because the split-second connections between sensory information and emotional responses will also require calibration, some aspects of dreaming could be interpreted in this light. Much of the baffling behaviour and patterns of brain activity of sleeping animals and humans make sense in the framework of this technological paradigm since different animal lineages will have evolved different techniques to achieve calibration. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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

PubMed Central

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

2012-01-01

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

Validation of the Manchester scoring system for predicting BRCA1/2 mutations in 9,390 families suspected of having hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.

PubMed

Kast, Karin; Schmutzler, Rita K; Rhiem, Kerstin; Kiechle, Marion; Fischer, Christine; Niederacher, Dieter; Arnold, Norbert; Grimm, Tiemo; Speiser, Dorothee; Schlegelberger, Brigitte; Varga, Dominic; Horvath, Judit; Beer, Marit; Briest, Susanne; Meindl, Alfons; Engel, Christoph

2014-11-15

The Manchester scoring system (MSS) allows the calculation of the probability for the presence of mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes in families suspected of having hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. In 9,390 families, we determined the predictive performance of the MSS without (MSS-2004) and with (MSS-2009) consideration of pathology parameters. Moreover, we validated a recalibrated version of the MSS-2009 (MSS-recal). Families were included in the registry of the German Consortium for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer, using defined clinical criteria. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was used to determine the predictive performance. The recalibrated model was developed using logistic regression analysis and tested using an independent random validation sample. The area under the ROC curves regarding a mutation in any of the two BRCA genes was 0.77 (95%CI 0.75-0.79) for MSS-2004, 0.80 (95%CI 0.78-0.82) for MSS-2009, and 0.82 (95%CI 0.80-0.83) for MSS-recal. Sensitivity at the 10% mutation probability cutoff was similar for all three models (MSS-2004 92.2%, MSS-2009 92.2%, and MSS-recal 90.3%), but specificity of MSS-recal (46.0%) was considerably higher than that of MSS-2004 (25.4%) and MSS-2009 (32.3%). In the MSS-recal model, almost all predictors of the original MSS were significantly predictive. However, the score values of some predictors, for example, high grade triple negative breast cancers, differed considerably from the originally proposed score values. The original MSS performed well in our sample of high risk families. The use of pathological parameters increased the predictive performance significantly. Recalibration improved the specificity considerably without losing much sensitivity. © 2014 UICC.

The recalibration of the IUE scientific instrument

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Imhoff, Catherine L.; Oliversen, Nancy A.; Nichols-Bohlin, Joy; Casatella, Angelo; Lloyd, Christopher

1988-01-01

The IUE instrument was recalibrated because of long time-scale changes in the scientific instrument, a better understanding of the performance of the instrument, improved sets of calibration data, and improved analysis techniques. Calibrations completed or planned include intensity transfer functions (ITF), low-dispersion absolute calibrations, high-dispersion ripple corrections and absolute calibrations, improved geometric mapping of the ITFs to spectral images, studies to improve the signal-to-noise, enhanced absolute calibrations employing corrections for time, temperature, and aperture dependence, and photometric and geometric calibrations for the FES.

Environmental Health Monitor: Advanced Development of Temperature Sensor Suite.

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-07-30

systems was implemented using program code existing at Veritay. The software , written in Microsoft® QuickBASIC, facilitated program changes for...currently unforeseen reason re-calibration is needed, this can be readily * accommodated by a straightforward change in the software program---without...unit. A linear relationship between these differences * was obtained using curve fitting software . The ½/-inch globe to 6-inch globe correlation * was

Comparing the STEMS and AFIS growth models with respect to the uncertainty of predictions

Treesearch

Ronald E. McRoberts; Margaret R. Holdaway; Veronica C. Lessard

2000-01-01

The uncertainty in 5-, 10-, and 20-year diameter growth predictions is estimated using Monte Carlo simulations for four Lake States tree species. Two sets of diameter growth models are used: recalibrations of the STEMS models using forest inventory and analysis data, and new growth models developed as a component of an annual forest inventory system for the North...

Dynamic data filtering system and method

DOEpatents

Bickford, Randall L; Palnitkar, Rahul M

2014-04-29

A computer-implemented dynamic data filtering system and method for selectively choosing operating data of a monitored asset that modifies or expands a learned scope of an empirical model of normal operation of the monitored asset while simultaneously rejecting operating data of the monitored asset that is indicative of excessive degradation or impending failure of the monitored asset, and utilizing the selectively chosen data for adaptively recalibrating the empirical model to more accurately monitor asset aging changes or operating condition changes of the monitored asset.

MEASURING SPORT-SPECIFIC PHYSICAL ABILITIES IN MALE GYMNASTS: THE MEN'S GYMNASTICS FUNCTIONAL MEASUREMENT TOOL

PubMed Central

Kenyon, Lisa K.; Elliott, James M; Cheng, M. Samuel

2016-01-01

Purpose/Background Despite the availability of various field-tests for many competitive sports, a reliable and valid test specifically developed for use in men's gymnastics has not yet been developed. The Men's Gymnastics Functional Measurement Tool (MGFMT) was designed to assess sport-specific physical abilities in male competitive gymnasts. The purpose of this study was to develop the MGFMT by establishing a scoring system for individual test items and to initiate the process of establishing test-retest reliability and construct validity. Methods A total of 83 competitive male gymnasts ages 7-18 underwent testing using the MGFMT. Thirty of these subjects underwent re-testing one week later in order to assess test-retest reliability. Construct validity was assessed using a simple regression analysis between total MGFMT scores and the gymnasts’ USA-Gymnastics competitive level to calculate the coefficient of determination (r2). Test-retest reliability was analyzed using Model 1 Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Statistical significance was set at the p<0.05 level. Results The relationship between total MGFMT scores and subjects’ current USA-Gymnastics competitive level was found to be good (r2 = 0.63). Reliability testing of the MGFMT composite test score showed excellent test-retest reliability over a one-week period (ICC = 0.97). Test-retest reliability of the individual component tests ranged from good to excellent (ICC = 0.75-0.97). Conclusions The results of this study provide initial support for the construct validity and test-retest reliability of the MGFMT. Level of Evidence Level 3 PMID:27999723

Audiovisual Temporal Recalibration for Speech in Synchrony Perception and Speech Identification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asakawa, Kaori; Tanaka, Akihiro; Imai, Hisato

We investigated whether audiovisual synchrony perception for speech could change after observation of the audiovisual temporal mismatch. Previous studies have revealed that audiovisual synchrony perception is re-calibrated after exposure to a constant timing difference between auditory and visual signals in non-speech. In the present study, we examined whether this audiovisual temporal recalibration occurs at the perceptual level even for speech (monosyllables). In Experiment 1, participants performed an audiovisual simultaneity judgment task (i.e., a direct measurement of the audiovisual synchrony perception) in terms of the speech signal after observation of the speech stimuli which had a constant audiovisual lag. The results showed that the “simultaneous” responses (i.e., proportion of responses for which participants judged the auditory and visual stimuli to be synchronous) at least partly depended on exposure lag. In Experiment 2, we adopted the McGurk identification task (i.e., an indirect measurement of the audiovisual synchrony perception) to exclude the possibility that this modulation of synchrony perception was solely attributable to the response strategy using stimuli identical to those of Experiment 1. The characteristics of the McGurk effect reported by participants depended on exposure lag. Thus, it was shown that audiovisual synchrony perception for speech could be modulated following exposure to constant lag both in direct and indirect measurement. Our results suggest that temporal recalibration occurs not only in non-speech signals but also in monosyllabic speech at the perceptual level.

Split-belt walking adaptation recalibrates sensorimotor estimates of leg speed but not position or force

PubMed Central

Vazquez, Alejandro; Statton, Matthew A.; Busgang, Stefanie A.

2015-01-01

Motor learning during reaching not only recalibrates movement but can also lead to small but consistent changes in the sense of arm position. Studies have suggested that this sensory effect may be the result of recalibration of a forward model that associates motor commands with their sensory consequences. Here we investigated whether similar perceptual changes occur in the lower limbs after learning a new walking pattern on a split-belt treadmill—a task that critically involves proprioception. Specifically, we studied how this motor learning task affects perception of leg speed during walking, perception of leg position during standing or walking, and perception of contact force during stepping. Our results show that split-belt adaptation leads to robust motor aftereffects and alters the perception of leg speed during walking. This is specific to the direction of walking that was trained during adaptation (i.e., backward or forward). The change in leg speed perception accounts for roughly half of the observed motor aftereffect. In contrast, split-belt adaptation does not alter the perception of leg position during standing or walking and does not change the perception of stepping force. Our results demonstrate that there is a recalibration of a sensory percept specific to the domain of the perturbation that was applied during walking (i.e., speed but not position or force). Furthermore, the motor and sensory consequences of locomotor adaptation may be linked, suggesting overlapping mechanisms driving changes in the motor and sensory domains. PMID:26424576

Comparison of alternative weight recalibration methods for diagnosis-related groups

PubMed Central

Rogowski, Jeannette Roskamp; Byrne, Daniel J.

1990-01-01

In this article, alternative methodologies for recalibration of the diagnosis-related group (DRG) weights are examined. Based on 1984 data, cost and charge-based weights are less congruent than those calculated with 1981 data. Previous studies using 1981 data demonstrated that cost- and charge-based weights were not very different. Charge weights result in higher payments to surgical DRGs and lower payments to medical DRGs, relative to cost weights. At the provider level, charge weights result in higher payments to large urban hospitals and teaching hospitals, relative to cost weights. PMID:10113568

An observational study to evaluate three pilot programmes of retesting chlamydia-positive individuals within 6 months in the South West of England

PubMed Central

Angel, Georgina; Horner, Paddy J; O'Brien, Norah; Sharp, Matt; Pye, Karl; Priestley, Cecilia; Macleod, John; Looker, Katharine J; Turner, Katherine M E

2015-01-01

Objectives To evaluate 3 pilot chlamydia retesting programmes in South West England which were initiated prior to the release of new National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) guidelines recommending retesting in 2014. Methods Individuals testing positive between August 2012 and July 2013 in Bristol (n=346), Cornwall (n=252) and Dorset (n=180) programmes were eligible for inclusion in the retesting pilots. The primary outcomes were retest within 6 months (yes/no) and repeat diagnosis at retest (yes/no), adjusted for area, age and gender. Results Overall 303/778 (39.0%) of participants were retested within 6 months and 31/299 (10.4%) were positive at retest. Females were more likely to retest than males and Dorset had higher retesting rates than the other areas. Conclusions More than a third of those eligible were retested within the time frame of the study. Chlamydia retesting programmes appear feasible within the context of current programmes to identify individuals at continued risk of infection with relatively low resource and time input. PMID:26510723

Intrarater test-retest reliability of static and dynamic stability indexes measurement using the Biodex Stability System during unilateral stance.

PubMed

Arifin, Nooranida; Abu Osman, Noor Azuan; Wan Abas, Wan Abu Bakar

2014-04-01

The measurements of postural balance often involve measurement error, which affects the analysis and interpretation of the outcomes. In most of the existing clinical rehabilitation research, the ability to produce reliable measures is a prerequisite for an accurate assessment of an intervention after a period of time. Although clinical balance assessment has been performed in previous study, none has determined the intrarater test-retest reliability of static and dynamic stability indexes during dominant single stance. In this study, one rater examined 20 healthy university students (female=12, male=8) in two sessions separated by 7 day intervals. Three stability indexes--the overall stability index (OSI), anterior/posterior stability index (APSI), and medial/ lateral stability index (MLSI) in static and dynamic conditions--were measured during single dominant stance. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error measurement (SEM) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated. Test-retest ICCs for OSI, APSI, and MLSI were 0.85, 0.78, and 0.84 during static condition and were 0.77, 0.77, and 0.65 during dynamic condition, respectively. We concluded that the postural stability assessment using Biodex stability system demonstrates good-to-excellent test-retest reliability over a 1 week time interval.

Soil specific re-calibration of water content sensors for a field-scale sensor network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasch, Caley K.; Brown, David J.; Anderson, Todd; Brooks, Erin S.; Yourek, Matt A.

2015-04-01

Obtaining accurate soil moisture data from a sensor network requires sensor calibration. Soil moisture sensors are factory calibrated, but multiple site specific factors may contribute to sensor inaccuracies. Thus, sensors should be calibrated for the specific soil type and conditions in which they will be installed. Lab calibration of a large number of sensors prior to installation in a heterogeneous setting may not be feasible, and it may not reflect the actual performance of the installed sensor. We investigated a multi-step approach to retroactively re-calibrate sensor water content data from the dielectric permittivity readings obtained by sensors in the field. We used water content data collected since 2009 from a sensor network installed at 42 locations and 5 depths (210 sensors total) within the 37-ha Cook Agronomy Farm with highly variable soils located in the Palouse region of the Northwest United States. First, volumetric water content was calculated from sensor dielectric readings using three equations: (1) a factory calibration using the Topp equation; (2) a custom calibration obtained empirically from an instrumented soil in the field; and (3) a hybrid equation that combines the Topp and custom equations. Second, we used soil physical properties (particle size and bulk density) and pedotransfer functions to estimate water content at saturation, field capacity, and wilting point for each installation location and depth. We also extracted the same reference points from the sensor readings, when available. Using these reference points, we re-scaled the sensor readings, such that water content was restricted to the range of values that we would expect given the physical properties of the soil. The re-calibration accuracy was assessed with volumetric water content measurements obtained from field-sampled cores taken on multiple dates. In general, the re-calibration was most accurate when all three reference points (saturation, field capacity, and wilting point) were represented in the sensor readings. We anticipate that obtaining water retention curves for field soils will improve the re-calibration accuracy by providing more precise estimates of saturation, field capacity, and wilting point. This approach may serve as an alternative method for sensor calibration in lieu of or to complement pre-installation calibration.

Sleeping on the rubber-hand illusion: Memory reactivation during sleep facilitates multisensory recalibration.

PubMed

Honma, Motoyasu; Plass, John; Brang, David; Florczak, Susan M; Grabowecky, Marcia; Paller, Ken A

2016-01-01

Plasticity is essential in body perception so that physical changes in the body can be accommodated and assimilated. Multisensory integration of visual, auditory, tactile, and proprioceptive signals contributes both to conscious perception of the body's current state and to associated learning. However, much is unknown about how novel information is assimilated into body perception networks in the brain. Sleep-based consolidation can facilitate various types of learning via the reactivation of networks involved in prior encoding or through synaptic down-scaling. Sleep may likewise contribute to perceptual learning of bodily information by providing an optimal time for multisensory recalibration. Here we used methods for targeted memory reactivation (TMR) during slow-wave sleep to examine the influence of sleep-based reactivation of experimentally induced alterations in body perception. The rubber-hand illusion was induced with concomitant auditory stimulation in 24 healthy participants on 3 consecutive days. While each participant was sleeping in his or her own bed during intervening nights, electrophysiological detection of slow-wave sleep prompted covert stimulation with either the sound heard during illusion induction, a counterbalanced novel sound, or neither. TMR systematically enhanced feelings of bodily ownership after subsequent inductions of the rubber-hand illusion. TMR also enhanced spatial recalibration of perceived hand location in the direction of the rubber hand. This evidence for a sleep-based facilitation of a body-perception illusion demonstrates that the spatial recalibration of multisensory signals can be altered overnight to stabilize new learning of bodily representations. Sleep-based memory processing may thus constitute a fundamental component of body-image plasticity.

Response shift in parents' assessment of health-related quality of life of children with new-onset epilepsy.

PubMed

Sajobi, Tolulope T; Speechley, Kathy N; Liang, Zhiying; Goodwin, Shane W; Ferro, Mark A; Wiebe, Samuel

2017-10-01

Diagnosis of epilepsy is known to impact health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of children with new-onset epilepsy and can also influence their conceptualization and valuation of HRQOL construct, also known as response shift. This study investigates the presence of response shift in a cohort of children with new-onset epilepsy. Data are from the HEalth-Related QUality of Life in children with Epilepsy Study, a prospective cohort study of 373 children with new-onset epilepsy. Hypotheses about the presence of reconceptualization, reprioritization, and recalibration response shift were tested in the Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy (QOLCE-55) Questionnaire, a parent-reported, disease-specific HRQOL measure, using Oort's structural equation model between baseline and 1-year follow-up. Model fit was assessed using log-likelihood ratio test, root mean square error of approximation, and comparative fit index. Small positive uniform recalibration response shift effects were observed on physical, emotional, and social functioning domains of the QOLCE-55, but negligibly small negative nonuniform recalibration response shift effect was observed on social functioning domain. There was no significant change in overall QOLCE-55 scores over time after adjusting for response shift effects. Parents of children with new-onset epilepsy are likely to positively recalibrate (upward bias) their assessments of their children's HRQOL over a 1-year period after diagnosis. This study highlights the potential benefits of response shift as a desired consequence in parents' perception of changes in HRQOL of children with new-onset epilepsy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Recalibrating disparities in perceived and actual balance abilities in older adults: a mixed-methods evaluation of a novel exergaming intervention.

PubMed

Ellmers, Toby J; Paraskevopoulos, Ioannis Th; Williams, A Mark; Young, William R

2018-03-22

Published reports suggest a disparity between perceived and actual balance abilities, a trait associated with increased fall-risk in older adults. We investigate whether it is possible to 'recalibrate' these disparities using a novel gaming intervention. We recruited 26 older adults for a 4-week intervention in which they participated in 8-sessions using a novel gaming intervention designed to provide explicit, augmented feedback related to postural control. Measures of perceived balance abilities (Falls Efficacy Scale-International) and actual postural control (limits of stability) were assessed pre- and post-intervention. We used focus groups to elicit the opinions of participants about how the game may have influenced balance abilities and confidence. A stronger alignment was observed between postural control and perceived balance capabilities post-intervention (i.e., significant correlations between Falls Efficacy Scale-International scores and limits of stability which were not present pre-intervention). Also, significant improvements in measures of postural control were observed, with these improvements confined to the aspects of postural control for which the exergame provided explicit, augmented feedback. Qualitative data revealed that the intervention made participants more "aware" of their balance abilities. Our results demonstrate that it is possible to recalibrate the perceptions of older adults relating to their balance abilities through a targeted, short-term intervention. We propose that the post-intervention improvements in postural control may have been, in part, the result of this recalibration; with altered perceptions leading to changes in balance performance. Findings support the application of novel interventions aimed at addressing the psychological factors associated with elderly falls.

Atypical rapid audio-visual temporal recalibration in autism spectrum disorders.

PubMed

Noel, Jean-Paul; De Niear, Matthew A; Stevenson, Ryan; Alais, David; Wallace, Mark T

2017-01-01

Changes in sensory and multisensory function are increasingly recognized as a common phenotypic characteristic of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Furthermore, much recent evidence suggests that sensory disturbances likely play an important role in contributing to social communication weaknesses-one of the core diagnostic features of ASD. An established sensory disturbance observed in ASD is reduced audiovisual temporal acuity. In the current study, we substantially extend these explorations of multisensory temporal function within the framework that an inability to rapidly recalibrate to changes in audiovisual temporal relations may play an important and under-recognized role in ASD. In the paradigm, we present ASD and typically developing (TD) children and adolescents with asynchronous audiovisual stimuli of varying levels of complexity and ask them to perform a simultaneity judgment (SJ). In the critical analysis, we test audiovisual temporal processing on trial t as a condition of trial t - 1. The results demonstrate that individuals with ASD fail to rapidly recalibrate to audiovisual asynchronies in an equivalent manner to their TD counterparts for simple and non-linguistic stimuli (i.e., flashes and beeps, hand-held tools), but exhibit comparable rapid recalibration for speech stimuli. These results are discussed in terms of prior work showing a speech-specific deficit in audiovisual temporal function in ASD, and in light of current theories of autism focusing on sensory noise and stability of perceptual representations. Autism Res 2017, 10: 121-129. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

An observational study to evaluate three pilot programmes of retesting chlamydia-positive individuals within 6 months in the South West of England.

PubMed

Angel, Georgina; Horner, Paddy J; O'Brien, Norah; Sharp, Matt; Pye, Karl; Priestley, Cecilia; Macleod, John; Looker, Katharine J; Turner, Katherine M E

2015-10-28

To evaluate 3 pilot chlamydia retesting programmes in South West England which were initiated prior to the release of new National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) guidelines recommending retesting in 2014. Individuals testing positive between August 2012 and July 2013 in Bristol (n=346), Cornwall (n=252) and Dorset (n=180) programmes were eligible for inclusion in the retesting pilots. The primary outcomes were retest within 6 months (yes/no) and repeat diagnosis at retest (yes/no), adjusted for area, age and gender. Overall 303/778 (39.0%) of participants were retested within 6 months and 31/299 (10.4%) were positive at retest. Females were more likely to retest than males and Dorset had higher retesting rates than the other areas. More than a third of those eligible were retested within the time frame of the study. Chlamydia retesting programmes appear feasible within the context of current programmes to identify individuals at continued risk of infection with relatively low resource and time input. 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/

7 CFR 868.52 - Certificating retest inspection results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Certificating retest inspection results. 868.52... Certificating retest inspection results. (a) General. Retest inspection certificates shall be issued according to § 868.70 and instructions. The certificate shall show the results of the factor(s) retested and...

7 CFR 868.52 - Certificating retest inspection results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Certificating retest inspection results. 868.52... Certificating retest inspection results. (a) General. Retest inspection certificates shall be issued according to § 868.70 and instructions. The certificate shall show the results of the factor(s) retested and...

7 CFR 868.52 - Certificating retest inspection results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Certificating retest inspection results. 868.52... Certificating retest inspection results. (a) General. Retest inspection certificates shall be issued according to § 868.70 and instructions. The certificate shall show the results of the factor(s) retested and...

7 CFR 868.52 - Certificating retest inspection results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Certificating retest inspection results. 868.52... Certificating retest inspection results. (a) General. Retest inspection certificates shall be issued according to § 868.70 and instructions. The certificate shall show the results of the factor(s) retested and...

7 CFR 868.52 - Certificating retest inspection results.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Certificating retest inspection results. 868.52... Certificating retest inspection results. (a) General. Retest inspection certificates shall be issued according to § 868.70 and instructions. The certificate shall show the results of the factor(s) retested and...

Recalibrated mariner 10 color mosaics: Implications for mercurian volcanism

USGS Publications Warehouse

Robinson, M.S.; Lucey, P.G.

1997-01-01

Recalibration of Mariner 10 color image data allows the identification of distinct color units on the mercurian surface. We analyze these data in terms of opaque mineral abundance, iron content, and soil maturity and find color units consistent with the presence of volcanic deposits on Mercury's surface. Additionally, materials associated with some impact craters have been excavated from a layer interpreted to be deficient in opaque minerals within the crust, possibly analogous to the lunar anorthosite crust. These observations suggest that Mercury has undergone complex differentiation like the other terrestrial planets and the Earth's moon.

Test-Retest Gains in WAIS Scores after Four Retest Intervals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Catron, David W.; Thompson, Claudia C.

1979-01-01

To analyze the hypothesis that retest gain scores would decrease in a decelerating curve to zero-gain as the retest interval increased, male college students were administered the WAIS on two occasions with a retest at either 1 week, 2 months, or 4 months. (Author/SJL)

Test-retest reliability of the multifocal photopic negative response.

PubMed

Van Alstine, Anthony W; Viswanathan, Suresh

2017-02-01

To assess the test-retest reliability of the multifocal photopic negative response (mfPhNR) of normal human subjects. Multifocal electroretinograms were recorded from one eye of 61 healthy adult subjects on two separate days using a Visual Evoked Response Imaging System software version 4.3 (EDI, San Mateo, California). The visual stimulus delivered on a 75-Hz monitor consisted of seven equal-sized hexagons each subtending 12° of visual angle. The m-step exponent was 9, and the m-sequence was slowed to include at least 30 blank frames after each flash. Only the first slice of the first-order kernel was analyzed. The mfPhNR amplitude was measured at a fixed time in the trough from baseline (BT) as well as at the same fixed time in the trough from the preceding b-wave peak (PT). Additionally, we also analyzed BT normalized either to PT (BT/PT) or to the b-wave amplitude (BT/b-wave). The relative reliability of test-retest differences for each test location was estimated by the Wilcoxon matched-pair signed-rank test and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Absolute test-retest reliability was estimated by Bland-Altman analysis. The test-retest amplitude differences for neither of the two measurement techniques were statistically significant as determined by Wilcoxon matched-pair signed-rank test. PT measurements showed greater ICC values than BT amplitude measurements for all test locations. For each measurement technique, the ICC value of the macular response was greater than that of the surrounding locations. The mean test-retest difference was close to zero for both techniques at each of the test locations, and while the coefficient of reliability (COR-1.96 times the standard deviation of the test-retest difference) was comparable for the two techniques at each test location when expressed in nanovolts, the %COR (COR normalized to the mean test and retest amplitudes) was superior for PT than BT measurements. The ICC and COR were comparable for the BT/PT and BT/b-wave ratios and were better than the ICC and COR for BT but worse than PT. mfPhNR amplitude measured at a fixed time in the trough from the preceding b-wave peak (PT) shows greater test-retest reliability when compared to amplitude measurement from baseline (BT) or BT amplitude normalized to either the PT or b-wave amplitudes.

Chlamydia retesting and retest positivity rates: results from a state-wide laboratory data linkage study in Tasmania, 2012-13.

PubMed

Stephens, Nicola; Coleman, David; Shaw, Kelly; O'Sullivan, Maree; McGregor, Alistair; Cooley, Louise; Venn, Alison

2017-06-01

Background Chlamydia re-infection increases the likelihood of adverse long-term sequelae. Clinical guidelines recommend retesting at 3-12 months for individuals with positive results, to detect re-infections. Retesting and test positivity levels were measured in young people who previously tested positive for chlamydia infection. All chlamydia tests conducted during 2012-13 in Tasmanian residents aged 15-29 years were linked. Retesting and retest positivity rates were calculated by sex, age, socioeconomic indicators and test timeframe. Retesting rates were higher in females than males at 3 months (14.5%, n=242/1673 vs 10%, n=71/721) (P<0.01) and 12 months (27%, 265/968 vs 24%, 98/410) (P=0.24). The retesting rate was higher in females living in areas of most disadvantage (35.5%, 154/434) compared with areas of middle and least disadvantage (26% 139/534) (P<0.01). Males were more likely than females to retest positive at 3 months (35%, 25/71 vs 23%, 55/242) (P<0.01); retest positivity at 12 months was 32% in both sexes (males 98/140; females 265/968). Retest positivity was higher in males living in areas of least disadvantage (43%, 3/7) compared with middle (24%, 16/67) (P=0.27) and most (27%, 10/37) (P=0.09); and higher in females living in areas of least disadvantage (39%, 7/18) compared with middle (24%, 29/121) (P<0.01) and most (31%, 48/154) (P=0.02). Retesting rates are low in Tasmania and retest positivity is high, reinforcing the importance of promoting safer sex practices, partner notification and treatment, and retesting.

Calibration transfer of a Raman spectroscopic quantification method for the assessment of liquid detergent compositions between two at-line instruments installed at two liquid detergent production plants.

PubMed

Brouckaert, D; Uyttersprot, J-S; Broeckx, W; De Beer, T

2017-09-01

Calibration transfer of partial least squares (PLS) quantification models is established between two Raman spectrometers located at two liquid detergent production plants. As full recalibration of existing calibration models is time-consuming, labour-intensive and costly, it is investigated whether the use of mathematical correction methods requiring only a handful of standardization samples can overcome the dissimilarities in spectral response observed between both measurement systems. Univariate and multivariate standardization approaches are investigated, ranging from simple slope/bias correction (SBC), local centring (LC) and single wavelength standardization (SWS) to more complex direct standardization (DS) and piecewise direct standardization (PDS). The results of these five calibration transfer methods are compared reciprocally, as well as with regard to a full recalibration. Four PLS quantification models, each predicting the concentration of one of the four main ingredients in the studied liquid detergent composition, are aimed at transferring. Accuracy profiles are established from the original and transferred quantification models for validation purposes. A reliable representation of the calibration models performance before and after transfer is thus established, based on β-expectation tolerance intervals. For each transferred model, it is investigated whether every future measurement that will be performed in routine will be close enough to the unknown true value of the sample. From this validation, it is concluded that instrument standardization is successful for three out of four investigated calibration models using multivariate (DS and PDS) transfer approaches. The fourth transferred PLS model could not be validated over the investigated concentration range, due to a lack of precision of the slave instrument. Comparing these transfer results to a full recalibration on the slave instrument allows comparison of the predictive power of both Raman systems and leads to the formulation of guidelines for further standardization projects. It is concluded that it is essential to evaluate the performance of the slave instrument prior to transfer, even when it is theoretically identical to the master apparatus. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A new kind of relativity: Compensated delays as phenomenal blind spots.

PubMed

Vrobel, Susie

2015-12-01

The French phenomenologist Merleau-Ponty identified the human body as the blind spot of perception and cognition. Being situated in its environment both spatially and temporally, the body forms a primordial field of presence, which is transparent from the obserpant's(1) perspective and therefore creates a sytemic blindness. This paper is primarily concerned with what Merleau-Ponty calls the pulse of the duration of the body, which, in his view, "impregnates" our perception. This notion of duration will be described in terms of the temporal extensions of an embodied obserpant. For biological systems, these extensions may be measured in the obserpant's temporal endo-sphere, a time cone, which extends in two dimensions: succession and simultaneity (Δtlength and Δtdepth, respectively). Obserpants are described not as having, but being a model of the world (including themselves). The perception of Δtlength and Δtdepth results in a fractal temporal structure, which correlates with successive and instantaneous perception. This temporal structure becomes important during temporal recalibration, i.e. delay compensation. During such processes, the distribution of the temporal dimensions succession and simultaneity may vary from one obserpant's Now to another's. Furthermore, recalibration provides a window in which the obserpant's Now may be tipped towards either temporal dimension. We can measure the difference between obserpant A's temporal extension and that of obserpant B in Δtlength and Δtdepth. The complexity of an obserpant's temporal perspective - his temporal interface - can thus be compared and quantified by the size of his time cone. The units of this measurement are the number of compensated and uncompensated delays. During temporal recalibration, an obserpant can turn succession into simultaneity and vice-versa. Moreover, what is successive in obserpant A's Now may be simultaneous for obserpant B and vice-versa. This discrepancy can be modelled as time cones which display a new kind of (Δtlength-Δtdepth-) relativity. This new kind of relativity arises from the oberpants' inability to spot the systemic blindness that manifests itself in anticipated, i.e. compensated, delays. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Retest effects in working memory capacity tests: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Scharfen, Jana; Jansen, Katrin; Holling, Heinz

2018-06-15

The repeated administration of working memory capacity tests is common in clinical and research settings. For cognitive ability tests and different neuropsychological tests, meta-analyses have shown that they are prone to retest effects, which have to be accounted for when interpreting retest scores. Using a multilevel approach, this meta-analysis aims at showing the reproducibility of retest effects in working memory capacity tests for up to seven test administrations, and examines the impact of the length of the test-retest interval, test modality, equivalence of test forms and participant age on the size of retest effects. Furthermore, it is assessed whether the size of retest effects depends on the test paradigm. An extensive literature search revealed 234 effect sizes from 95 samples and 68 studies, in which healthy participants between 12 and 70 years repeatedly performed a working memory capacity test. Results yield a weighted average of g = 0.28 for retest effects from the first to the second test administration, and a significant increase in effect sizes was observed up to the fourth test administration. The length of the test-retest interval and publication year were found to moderate the size of retest effects. Retest effects differed between the paradigms of working memory capacity tests. These findings call for the development and use of appropriate experimental or statistical methods to address retest effects in working memory capacity tests.

Developing and validating the Communication Function Classification System for individuals with cerebral palsy

PubMed Central

HIDECKER, MARY JO COOLEY; PANETH, NIGEL; ROSENBAUM, PETER L; KENT, RAYMOND D; LILLIE, JANET; EULENBERG, JOHN B; CHESTER, KEN; JOHNSON, BRENDA; MICHALSEN, LAUREN; EVATT, MORGAN; TAYLOR, KARA

2011-01-01

Aim The purpose of this study was to create and validate a Communication Function Classification System (CFCS) for children with cerebral palsy (CP) that can be used by a wide variety of individuals who are interested in CP. This paper reports the content validity, interrater reliability, and test–retest reliability of the CFCS for children with CP. Method An 11-member development team created comprehensive descriptions of the CFCS levels, and four nominal groups comprising 27 participants critiqued these levels. Within a Delphi survey, 112 participants commented on the clarity and usefulness of the CFCS. Interrater reliability was completed by 61 professionals and 68 parents/relatives who classified 69 children with CP aged 2 to 18 years. Test–retest reliability was completed by 48 professionals who allowed at least 2 weeks between classifications. The participants who assessed the CFCS were all relevant stakeholders: adults with CP, parents of children with CP, educators, occupational therapists, physical therapists, physicians, and speech–language pathologists. Results The interrater reliability of the CFCS was 0.66 between two professionals and 0.49 between a parent and a professional. Professional interrater reliability improved to 0.77 for classification of children older than 4 years. The test–retest reliability was 0.82. Interpretation The CFCS demonstrates content validity and shows very good test–retest reliability, good professional interrater reliability, and moderate parent–professional interrater reliability. Combining the CFCS with the Gross Motor Function Classification System and the Manual Ability Classification System contributes to a functional performance view of daily life for individuals with CP, in accordance with the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. PMID:21707596

On-ground re-calibration of the GOME-2 satellite spectrometer series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otter, Gerard; Dijkhuizen, Niels; Vosteen, Amir; Brinkers, Sanneke; Gür, Bilgehan; Kenter, Pepijn; Sallusti, Marcello; Tomuta, Dana; Veratti, Rubes; Cappani, Annalisa

2017-11-01

The Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2[1] (GOME-2) represents one of the European instruments carried on board the MetOp satellite within the ESA's "Living Planet Program". Consisting of three flight models (FM's) it is intended to provide long-term monitoring of atmospheric ozone and other trace gases over a time frame of 15-20 years, thus contributing valuable input towards climate and atmospheric research and providing near real-time data for use in air quality forecasting. The ambition to achieve highly accurate scientific results requires a thorough calibration and characterization of the instrument prior to launch. These calibration campaigns were performed by TNO in Delft in the Netherlands, in the "Thermal Vacuum Calibration Facility" of the institute. Due to refurbishment and / or storage of the instruments over a period of a few years, several re-calibration campaigns were necessary. These re-calibrations provided the unique opportunity to study the effects of long term storage and build up statistics on the instrument as well as the calibration methods used. During the re-calibration of the second flight model a difference was found in the radiometric calibration output, which was not understood initially. In order to understand the anomalies on the radiometry, a deep investigation was performed using numerous variations of the setup and different sources. The major contributor was identified to be a systematic error in the alignment, for which a correction was applied. Apart from this, it was found that the geometry of the sources influenced the results. Based on the calibration results combined with a theoretical geometrical hypothesis inferred that the on-ground calibration should mimic as close as possible the in-orbit geometry.

External Validation and Recalibration of Risk Prediction Models for Acute Traumatic Brain Injury among Critically Ill Adult Patients in the United Kingdom

PubMed Central

Griggs, Kathryn A.; Prabhu, Gita; Gomes, Manuel; Lecky, Fiona E.; Hutchinson, Peter J. A.; Menon, David K.; Rowan, Kathryn M.

2015-01-01

Abstract This study validates risk prediction models for acute traumatic brain injury (TBI) in critical care units in the United Kingdom and recalibrates the models to this population. The Risk Adjustment In Neurocritical care (RAIN) Study was a prospective, observational cohort study in 67 adult critical care units. Adult patients admitted to critical care following acute TBI with a last pre-sedation Glasgow Coma Scale score of less than 15 were recruited. The primary outcomes were mortality and unfavorable outcome (death or severe disability, assessed using the Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale) at six months following TBI. Of 3626 critical care unit admissions, 2975 were analyzed. Following imputation of missing outcomes, mortality at six months was 25.7% and unfavorable outcome 57.4%. Ten risk prediction models were validated from Hukkelhoven and colleagues, the Medical Research Council (MRC) Corticosteroid Randomisation After Significant Head Injury (CRASH) Trial Collaborators, and the International Mission for Prognosis and Analysis of Clinical Trials in TBI (IMPACT) group. The model with the best discrimination was the IMPACT “Lab” model (C index, 0.779 for mortality and 0.713 for unfavorable outcome). This model was well calibrated for mortality at six months but substantially under-predicted the risk of unfavorable outcome. Recalibration of the models resulted in small improvements in discrimination and excellent calibration for all models. The risk prediction models demonstrated sufficient statistical performance to support their use in research and audit but fell below the level required to guide individual patient decision-making. The published models for unfavorable outcome at six months had poor calibration in the UK critical care setting and the models recalibrated to this setting should be used in future research. PMID:25898072

External Validation and Recalibration of Risk Prediction Models for Acute Traumatic Brain Injury among Critically Ill Adult Patients in the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Harrison, David A; Griggs, Kathryn A; Prabhu, Gita; Gomes, Manuel; Lecky, Fiona E; Hutchinson, Peter J A; Menon, David K; Rowan, Kathryn M

2015-10-01

This study validates risk prediction models for acute traumatic brain injury (TBI) in critical care units in the United Kingdom and recalibrates the models to this population. The Risk Adjustment In Neurocritical care (RAIN) Study was a prospective, observational cohort study in 67 adult critical care units. Adult patients admitted to critical care following acute TBI with a last pre-sedation Glasgow Coma Scale score of less than 15 were recruited. The primary outcomes were mortality and unfavorable outcome (death or severe disability, assessed using the Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale) at six months following TBI. Of 3626 critical care unit admissions, 2975 were analyzed. Following imputation of missing outcomes, mortality at six months was 25.7% and unfavorable outcome 57.4%. Ten risk prediction models were validated from Hukkelhoven and colleagues, the Medical Research Council (MRC) Corticosteroid Randomisation After Significant Head Injury (CRASH) Trial Collaborators, and the International Mission for Prognosis and Analysis of Clinical Trials in TBI (IMPACT) group. The model with the best discrimination was the IMPACT "Lab" model (C index, 0.779 for mortality and 0.713 for unfavorable outcome). This model was well calibrated for mortality at six months but substantially under-predicted the risk of unfavorable outcome. Recalibration of the models resulted in small improvements in discrimination and excellent calibration for all models. The risk prediction models demonstrated sufficient statistical performance to support their use in research and audit but fell below the level required to guide individual patient decision-making. The published models for unfavorable outcome at six months had poor calibration in the UK critical care setting and the models recalibrated to this setting should be used in future research.

Adaptive screening for depression--recalibration of an item bank for the assessment of depression in persons with mental and somatic diseases and evaluation in a simulated computer-adaptive test environment.

PubMed

Forkmann, Thomas; Kroehne, Ulf; Wirtz, Markus; Norra, Christine; Baumeister, Harald; Gauggel, Siegfried; Elhan, Atilla Halil; Tennant, Alan; Boecker, Maren

2013-11-01

This study conducted a simulation study for computer-adaptive testing based on the Aachen Depression Item Bank (ADIB), which was developed for the assessment of depression in persons with somatic diseases. Prior to computer-adaptive test simulation, the ADIB was newly calibrated. Recalibration was performed in a sample of 161 patients treated for a depressive syndrome, 103 patients from cardiology, and 103 patients from otorhinolaryngology (mean age 44.1, SD=14.0; 44.7% female) and was cross-validated in a sample of 117 patients undergoing rehabilitation for cardiac diseases (mean age 58.4, SD=10.5; 24.8% women). Unidimensionality of the itembank was checked and a Rasch analysis was performed that evaluated local dependency (LD), differential item functioning (DIF), item fit and reliability. CAT-simulation was conducted with the total sample and additional simulated data. Recalibration resulted in a strictly unidimensional item bank with 36 items, showing good Rasch model fit (item fit residuals<|2.5|) and no DIF or LD. CAT simulation revealed that 13 items on average were necessary to estimate depression in the range of -2 and +2 logits when terminating at SE≤0.32 and 4 items if using SE≤0.50. Receiver Operating Characteristics analysis showed that θ estimates based on the CAT algorithm have good criterion validity with regard to depression diagnoses (Area Under the Curve≥.78 for all cut-off criteria). The recalibration of the ADIB succeeded and the simulation studies conducted suggest that it has good screening performance in the samples investigated and that it may reasonably add to the improvement of depression assessment. © 2013.

Evaluation and Enhancement of Calibration in the American College of Surgeons NSQIP Surgical Risk Calculator.

PubMed

Liu, Yaoming; Cohen, Mark E; Hall, Bruce L; Ko, Clifford Y; Bilimoria, Karl Y

2016-08-01

The American College of Surgeon (ACS) NSQIP Surgical Risk Calculator has been widely adopted as a decision aid and informed consent tool by surgeons and patients. Previous evaluations showed excellent discrimination and combined discrimination and calibration, but model calibration alone, and potential benefits of recalibration, were not explored. Because lack of calibration can lead to systematic errors in assessing surgical risk, our objective was to assess calibration and determine whether spline-based adjustments could improve it. We evaluated Surgical Risk Calculator model calibration, as well as discrimination, for each of 11 outcomes modeled from nearly 3 million patients (2010 to 2014). Using independent random subsets of data, we evaluated model performance for the Development (60% of records), Validation (20%), and Test (20%) datasets, where prediction equations from the Development dataset were recalibrated using restricted cubic splines estimated from the Validation dataset. We also evaluated performance on data subsets composed of higher-risk operations. The nonrecalibrated Surgical Risk Calculator performed well, but there was a slight tendency for predicted risk to be overestimated for lowest- and highest-risk patients and underestimated for moderate-risk patients. After recalibration, this distortion was eliminated, and p values for miscalibration were most often nonsignificant. Calibration was also excellent for subsets of higher-risk operations, though observed calibration was reduced due to instability associated with smaller sample sizes. Performance of NSQIP Surgical Risk Calculator models was shown to be excellent and improved with recalibration. Surgeons and patients can rely on the calculator to provide accurate estimates of surgical risk. Copyright © 2016 American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Vision can recalibrate the vestibular reafference signal used to re-establish postural equilibrium following a platform perturbation.

PubMed

Toth, Adam J; Harris, Laurence R; Zettel, John; Bent, Leah R

2017-02-01

Visuo-vestibular recalibration, in which visual information is used to alter the interpretation of vestibular signals, has been shown to influence both oculomotor control and navigation. Here we investigate whether vision can recalibrate the vestibular feedback used during the re-establishment of equilibrium following a perturbation. The perturbation recovery responses of nine participants were examined following exposure to a period of 11 s of galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS). During GVS in VISION trials, occlusion spectacles provided 4 s of visual information that enabled participants to correct for the GVS-induced tilt and associate this asymmetric vestibular signal with a visually provided 'upright'. NoVISION trials had no such visual experience. Participants used the visual information to assist in realigning their posture compared to when visual information was not provided (p < 0.01). The initial recovery response to a platform perturbation was not impacted by whether vision had been provided during the preceding GVS, as determined by peak centre of mass and pressure deviations (p = 0.09). However, after using vision to reinterpret the vestibular signal during GVS, final centre of mass and pressure equilibrium positions were significantly shifted compared to trials in which vision was not available (p < 0.01). These findings support previous work identifying a prominent role of vestibular input for re-establishing postural equilibrium following a perturbation. Our work is the first to highlight the capacity for visual feedback to recalibrate the vertical interpretation of vestibular reafference for re-establishing equilibrium following a perturbation. This demonstrates the rapid adaptability of the vestibular reafference signal for postural control.

Test-Retest Reliability of the 10-Metre Fast Walk Test and 6-Minute Walk Test in Ambulatory School-Aged Children with Cerebral Palsy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Patricia; Beath, Tricia; Bell, Jacqueline; Jacobson, Gabrielle; Phair, Tegan; Salbach, Nancy M.; Wright, F. Virginia

2008-01-01

Short-term test-retest reliability of the 10-metre fast walk test (10mFWT) and 6-minute walk test (6MWT) was evaluated in 31 ambulatory children with cerebral palsy (CP), with subgroup analyses in Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) Levels I (n=9), II (n=8), and III (n=14). Sixteen females and 15 males participated, mean age 9 years…

An alternative to the balance error scoring system: using a low-cost balance board to improve the validity/reliability of sports-related concussion balance testing.

PubMed

Chang, Jasper O; Levy, Susan S; Seay, Seth W; Goble, Daniel J

2014-05-01

Recent guidelines advocate sports medicine professionals to use balance tests to assess sensorimotor status in the management of concussions. The present study sought to determine whether a low-cost balance board could provide a valid, reliable, and objective means of performing this balance testing. Criterion validity testing relative to a gold standard and 7 day test-retest reliability. University biomechanics laboratory. Thirty healthy young adults. Balance ability was assessed on 2 days separated by 1 week using (1) a gold standard measure (ie, scientific grade force plate), (2) a low-cost Nintendo Wii Balance Board (WBB), and (3) the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS). Validity of the WBB center of pressure path length and BESS scores were determined relative to the force plate data. Test-retest reliability was established based on intraclass correlation coefficients. Composite scores for the WBB had excellent validity (r = 0.99) and test-retest reliability (R = 0.88). Both the validity (r = 0.10-0.52) and test-retest reliability (r = 0.61-0.78) were lower for the BESS. These findings demonstrate that a low-cost balance board can provide improved balance testing accuracy/reliability compared with the BESS. This approach provides a potentially more valid/reliable, yet affordable, means of assessing sports-related concussion compared with current methods.

The Perceived Efficacy and Goal Setting System (PEGS), part II: evaluation of test-retest reliability and differences between child and parental reports in the Swedish version.

PubMed

Vroland-Nordstrand, Kristina; Krumlinde-Sundholm, Lena

2012-11-01

to evaluate the test-retest reliability of children's perceptions of their own competence in performing daily tasks and of their choice of goals for intervention using the Swedish version of the perceived efficacy and goal setting system (PEGS). A second aim was to evaluate agreement between children's and parents' perceptions of the child's competence and choices of intervention goals. Forty-four children with disabilities and their parents completed the Swedish version of the PEGS. Thirty-six of the children completed a retest session allocated into one of two groups: (A) for evaluation of perceived competence and (B) for evaluation of choice of goals. Cohen's kappa, weighted kappa and absolute agreement were calculated. Test-retest reliability for children's perceived competence showed good agreement for the dichotomized scale of competent/non-competent performance; however, using the four-point scale the agreement varied. The children's own goals were relatively stable over time; 78% had an absolute agreement ranging from 50% to 100%. There was poor agreement between the children's and their parents' ratings. Goals identified by the children differed from those identified by their parents, with 48% of the children having no goals identical to those chosen by their parents. These results indicate that the Swedish version of the PEGS produces reliable outcomes comparable to the original version.

Modular optical detector system

DOEpatents

Horn, Brent A [Livermore, CA; Renzi, Ronald F [Tracy, CA

2006-02-14

A modular optical detector system. The detector system is designed to detect the presence of molecules or molecular species by inducing fluorescence with exciting radiation and detecting the emitted fluorescence. Because the system is capable of accurately detecting and measuring picomolar concentrations it is ideally suited for use with microchemical analysis systems generally and capillary chromatographic systems in particular. By employing a modular design, the detector system provides both the ability to replace various elements of the detector system without requiring extensive realignment or recalibration of the components as well as minimal user interaction with the system. In addition, the modular concept provides for the use and addition of a wide variety of components, including optical elements (lenses and filters), light sources, and detection means, to fit particular needs.

Determination and Correction of Persistent Biases in Quantum Annealers

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-08-25

programmable parameters and their user-specified values. We applied the recalibration strategy to two D-Wave Two quantum annealers, one at NASA Ames...The quantum annealers used for this study are of the second generation of D-Wave devices, also called D-Wave Two2: one located at NASA Ames Research...Center in Moffett Field, California, (“ NASA device”), and another located at D-Wave Systems in Burnaby, Canada (“Burnaby device”). These consist of 64

Validity and Reliability of a New Device (WIMU®) for Measuring Hamstring Muscle Extensibility.

PubMed

Muyor, José M

2017-09-01

The aims of the current study were 1) to evaluate the validity of the WIMU ® system for measuring hamstring muscle extensibility in the passive straight leg raise (PSLR) test using an inclinometer for the criterion and 2) to determine the test-retest reliability of the WIMU ® system to measure hamstring muscle extensibility during the PSLR test. 55 subjects were evaluated on 2 separate occasions. Data from a Unilever inclinometer and WIMU ® system were collected simultaneously. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for the validity were very high (0.983-1); a very low systematic bias (-0.21°--0.42°), random error (0.05°-0.04°) and standard error of the estimate (0.43°-0.34°) were observed (left-right leg, respectively) between the 2 devices (inclinometer and the WIMU ® system). The R 2 between the devices was 0.999 (p<0.001) in both the left and right legs. The test-retest reliability of the WIMU ® system was excellent, with ICCs ranging from 0.972-0.995, low coefficients of variation (0.01%), and a low standard error of the estimate (0.19-0.31°). The WIMU ® system showed strong concurrent validity and excellent test-retest reliability for the evaluation of hamstring muscle extensibility in the PSLR test. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Differential sensory cortical involvement in auditory and visual sensorimotor temporal recalibration: Evidence from transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).

PubMed

Aytemür, Ali; Almeida, Nathalia; Lee, Kwang-Hyuk

2017-02-01

Adaptation to delayed sensory feedback following an action produces a subjective time compression between the action and the feedback (temporal recalibration effect, TRE). TRE is important for sensory delay compensation to maintain a relationship between causally related events. It is unclear whether TRE is a sensory modality-specific phenomenon. In 3 experiments employing a sensorimotor synchronization task, we investigated this question using cathodal transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS). We found that cathodal tDCS over the visual cortex, and to a lesser extent over the auditory cortex, produced decreased visual TRE. However, both auditory and visual cortex tDCS did not produce any measurable effects on auditory TRE. Our study revealed different nature of TRE in auditory and visual domains. Visual-motor TRE, which is more variable than auditory TRE, is a sensory modality-specific phenomenon, modulated by the auditory cortex. The robustness of auditory-motor TRE, unaffected by tDCS, suggests the dominance of the auditory system in temporal processing, by providing a frame of reference in the realignment of sensorimotor timing signals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clinical applications of correlational vestibular autorotation test.

PubMed

Hsieh, Li-Chun; Lin, Te-Ming; Chang, Yu-Min; Kuo, Terry B J; Lee, Gho-She

2015-06-01

The correlational vestibular autorotation test (VAT) system has the advantages of good test-retest reliability and calibrations of absolute degrees of eye movement are unnecessary when acquiring a cross correlation coefficient (CCC). The approach is able to efficiently detect peripheral vestibulopathies. A VAT has some drawbacks including poor test-retest reliability and slippage of sensor. This study aimed to develop a correlational VAT system and to evaluate the reliability and applicability of this system. Twenty healthy participants and 10 vertiginous patients were enrolled. Vertical and horizontal autorotations from 0 to 3 Hz with either closed or open eyes were performed. A small sensor and a wireless transmission technique were used to acquire the electro-ocular graph and head velocity signals. The two signals were analyzed using CCCs to assess the functioning of the vestibular ocular reflex (VOR). The results showed a significantly greater CCC for open-eye versus closed-eye of head autorotations. The CCCs also increased significantly with head rotational frequencies. Moreover, the CCCs significantly correlated with the VOR gains at autorotation frequencies ≥1.0 Hz. The test-retest reliability was good (intraclass correlation coefficients ≥0.85). The vertiginous participants had significantly lower individual CCCs and overall average CCC than age- and-gender matched controls.

How actions shape perception: learning action-outcome relations and predicting sensory outcomes promote audio-visual temporal binding

PubMed Central

Desantis, Andrea; Haggard, Patrick

2016-01-01

To maintain a temporally-unified representation of audio and visual features of objects in our environment, the brain recalibrates audio-visual simultaneity. This process allows adjustment for both differences in time of transmission and time for processing of audio and visual signals. In four experiments, we show that the cognitive processes for controlling instrumental actions also have strong influence on audio-visual recalibration. Participants learned that right and left hand button-presses each produced a specific audio-visual stimulus. Following one action the audio preceded the visual stimulus, while for the other action audio lagged vision. In a subsequent test phase, left and right button-press generated either the same audio-visual stimulus as learned initially, or the pair associated with the other action. We observed recalibration of simultaneity only for previously-learned audio-visual outcomes. Thus, learning an action-outcome relation promotes temporal grouping of the audio and visual events within the outcome pair, contributing to the creation of a temporally unified multisensory object. This suggests that learning action-outcome relations and the prediction of perceptual outcomes can provide an integrative temporal structure for our experiences of external events. PMID:27982063

How actions shape perception: learning action-outcome relations and predicting sensory outcomes promote audio-visual temporal binding.

PubMed

Desantis, Andrea; Haggard, Patrick

2016-12-16

To maintain a temporally-unified representation of audio and visual features of objects in our environment, the brain recalibrates audio-visual simultaneity. This process allows adjustment for both differences in time of transmission and time for processing of audio and visual signals. In four experiments, we show that the cognitive processes for controlling instrumental actions also have strong influence on audio-visual recalibration. Participants learned that right and left hand button-presses each produced a specific audio-visual stimulus. Following one action the audio preceded the visual stimulus, while for the other action audio lagged vision. In a subsequent test phase, left and right button-press generated either the same audio-visual stimulus as learned initially, or the pair associated with the other action. We observed recalibration of simultaneity only for previously-learned audio-visual outcomes. Thus, learning an action-outcome relation promotes temporal grouping of the audio and visual events within the outcome pair, contributing to the creation of a temporally unified multisensory object. This suggests that learning action-outcome relations and the prediction of perceptual outcomes can provide an integrative temporal structure for our experiences of external events.

Feedback about action performed can alter the sense of self-agency

PubMed Central

Kumar, Neeraj; Manjaly, Jaison A.; Miyapuram, Krishna P.

2014-01-01

Sense of agency refers to the sense of authorship of an action and its outcome. Sense of agency is often explained through computational models of motor control (e.g., the comparator model). Previous studies using the comparator model have manipulated action-outcome contingency to understand its effect on the sense of agency. More recent studies have shown that cues related to outcome, priming outcome and priming action have an effect on agency attribution. However, relatively few studies have focused on the effect of recalibrating internal predictions on the sense of agency. This study aims to investigate how feedback about action can recalibrate prediction and modulates the sense of agency. While participants performed a Flanker task, we manipulated the feedback about the validity of the action performed, independent of their responses. When true feedback is given, the sense of agency would reflect congruency between the sensory outcome and the action performed. The results show an opposite effect on the sense of agency when false feedback was given. We propose that feedback about action performed can recalibrate the prediction of sensory outcome and thus alter the sense of agency. PMID:24611059

Acoustic stapedial reflexes in healthy neonates: normative data and test-retest reliability.

PubMed

Kei, Joseph

2012-01-01

The acoustic stapedial reflex (ASR) test provides useful information about the function of the auditory system. While it is frequently used with adults and children in a clinical setting, its use with young infants is limited. Presently, there are few data for neonates and inadequate research into the test-retest reliability of the ASR test. This study aimed to establish normative data and evaluate the test-retest reliability of the ASR test in healthy neonates. A cross-sectional experimental design was used to establish ASR normative data and assess the test-retest reliability of ASR thresholds obtained from healthy neonates. Sixty-eight full-term neonates with mean chronological age of 2.5 days (SD = 1.8 day), who passed the automated auditory brainstem response, transient evoked otoacoustic emission, and high frequency (1 kHz) tympanometry (HFT) tests. One randomly selected ear from each neonate was tested using TEOAE (transient evoked otoacoustic emission), HFT, and ASR tests using a 1 kHz probe tone. ASR thresholds were elicited by presenting pure tones of 0.5, 2, and 4 kHz and broadband noise (BBN) separately to the test ear in an ipsilateral stimulation mode. The ASR procedure was repeated to acquire retest data within the same testing session. Descriptive statistics, χ2, and analysis of variance with repeated measures tests were used to analyze ASR data. All neonates exhibited ASR when stimulated by tonal stimuli or BBN. The mean ASRTs (acoustic stapedial reflex thresholds) for the 0.5, 2, and 4 kHz tones were 81.6 ± 7.9, 71.3 ± 7.9, and 65.4 ± 8.7 dB HL, respectively. The mean ASRT for the BBN was estimated to be smaller than 57.2 dB HL, given the limitation of the equipment. The 95th percentiles of the ASRT were 95, 85, 80, and 75 dB HL for the 0.5, 2, and 4 kHz and BBN, respectively. The test-retest reliability of the ASR test for all stimuli was high, with no significant difference in mean ASRTs across the test and retest conditions. Test-retest differences were within 10 dB for more than 91% of ASRT data across all stimuli. There was a slight trend of ASRTs being more repeatable in the medium ASRT range than in the higher or lower range. This study demonstrated that ASRTs obtained from healthy neonates were highly repeatable across test and retest sessions. Given the availability of normative data and the high test-retest reliability, the ASR test will be useful as a diagnostic tool in a battery of tests to evaluate the auditory function of neonates. American Academy of Audiology.

Retesting young STI clinic visitors with urogenital Chlamydia trachomatis infection in the Netherlands; response to a text message reminder and reinfection rates: a prospective study with historical controls.

PubMed

Kampman, Cjg; Koedijk, Fdh; Driessen-Hulshof, Hcm; Hautvast, Jla; van den Broek, Ivf

2016-03-01

The objective of this study is to assess the effect of reminder text messages 6 months after the initial treatment on retest and chlamydia reinfection rates in young heterosexuals compared with a historical control group and to assess factors associated with both outcomes. Heterosexual people (aged 16-23 years), testing positive for urogenital chlamydia, were offered a retest after 6 months. Participants received a text message reminder at 6 months after the initial chlamydia diagnosis. Rates of retest uptake and the result of the retest were analysed using Cox regression. Prevalence ratios (PRs) were calculated to identify factors associated with these outcomes. Furthermore, the retest rate was compared with the retest rate of a historical control group. 30.6% (253/838) of the study group returned within 5-8 months compared with 9.2% (140/1530) in the historical control group. Women and persons who were not notified for a sexually transmitted infection (STI) at inclusion were more likely to return for a retest. 20.4% (56/275) of participants had a chlamydia reinfection upon retesting. Reinfection was higher in participants reporting STI-related symptoms (PR 3.2, 95% CI 1.8 to 5.6) and in participants who were notified for an STI at retest (PR 5.3, 95% CI 2.4 to 11.5). A text message reminder appeared to have a clear, positive impact on the resulting retest rate. These results also indicate that retesting is necessary to identify chlamydia reinfections. 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/

Interrater and Test-Retest Reliability and Minimal Detectable Change of the Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest) and Subsystems With Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

PubMed

Wang-Hsu, Elizabeth; Smith, Susan S

2017-01-10

Falls are a common cause of injuries and hospital admissions in older adults. Balance limitation is a potentially modifiable factor contributing to falls. The Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest), a clinical balance measure, categorizes balance into 6 underlying subsystems. Each of the subsystems is scored individually and summed to obtain a total score. The reliability of the BESTest and its individual subsystems has been reported in patients with various neurological disorders and cancer survivors. However, the reliability and minimal detectable change (MDC) of the BESTest with community-dwelling older adults have not been reported. The purposes of our study were to (1) determine the interrater and test-retest reliability of the BESTest total and subsystem scores; and (2) estimate the MDC of the BESTest and its individual subsystem scores with community-dwelling older adults. We used a prospective cohort methodological design. Community-dwelling older adults (N = 70; aged 70-94 years; mean = 85.0 [5.5] years) were recruited from a senior independent living community. Trained testers (N = 3) administered the BESTest. All participants were tested with the BESTest by the same tester initially and then retested 7 to 14 days later. With 32 of the participants, a second tester concurrently scored the retest for interrater reliability. Testers were blinded to each other's scores. Intraclass correlation coefficients [ICC(2,1)] were used to determine the interrater and test-retest reliability. Test-retest reliability was also analyzed using method error and the associated coefficients of variation (CVME). MDC was calculated using standard error of measurement. Interrater reliability (N = 32) of the BESTest total score was ICC(2, 1) = 0.97 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.94-0.99). The ICCs for the individual subsystem scores ranged from 0.85 to 0.94. Test-retest reliability (N = 70) of the BESTest total score was ICC(2,1) = 0.93 (95% CI, 0.89-0.96). ICCs for the individual subsystem scores ranged from 0.72 to 0.89. The CVME (N = 70) of the BESTest total score was 4.1%. The CVME for the subsystem scores ranged from 5.0% to 10.7%. MDC (N = 70) for the BESTest total score at the 95% CI was 7.6%, or 8.2 points. MDC at the 95% CI for subsystem scores ranged from 11.7% to 19.0% (2.1-3.4 points). Results demonstrated generally good to excellent interrater and test-retest reliability in both the BESTest total and subsystem scores with community-dwelling older adults. The BESTest total and individual subsystem scores demonstrate good to excellent interrater and test-retest reliability with community-dwelling older adults. A change of 7.6% (8.2 points) or more in the BESTest total and a percentage change ranged from 11.7% to 19.0% (2.1-3.4 points) in the subsystem scores are suggested for clinicians to be 95% confident of true change when evaluating change in this population.

Personality retesting for managing intentional distortion.

PubMed

Ellingson, Jill E; Heggestad, Eric D; Makarius, Erin E

2012-05-01

Self-report personality questionnaires often contain validity scales designed to flag individuals who intentionally distort their responses toward a more favorable characterization of themselves. Yet, there are no clear directives on how scores on these scales should be used by administrators when making high-stakes decisions about respondents. Two studies were conducted to investigate whether administrator-initiated retesting of flagged individuals represents a viable response to managing intentional distortion on personality questionnaires. We explored the effectiveness of retesting by considering whether retest responses are more accurate representations of a flagged individual's personality characteristics. A comparison of retest scores to a baseline measure of personality indicated that such scores were more accurate. Retesting should only work as a strategy for dealing with intentional distortion when individuals choose to respond more accurately the second time. Thus, we further explored the emotional reaction to being asked to retest as one possible explanation of why individuals who engage in intentional distortion respond more accurately upon retest.

Validity and reliability of Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Instruments in Osteoarthritis

PubMed Central

Broderick, Joan E.; Schneider, Stefan; Junghaenel, Doerte U.; Schwartz, Joseph E.; Stone, Arthur A.

2013-01-01

Objective Evaluation of known group validity, ecological validity, and test-retest reliability of four domain instruments from the Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement System (PROMIS) in osteoarthritis (OA) patients. Methods Recruitment of an osteoarthritis sample and a comparison general population (GP) through an Internet survey panel. Pain intensity, pain interference, physical functioning, and fatigue were assessed for 4 consecutive weeks with PROMIS short forms on a daily basis and compared with same-domain Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) instruments that use a 7-day recall. Known group validity (comparison of OA and GP), ecological validity (comparison of aggregated daily measures with CATs), and test-retest reliability were evaluated. Results The recruited samples matched (age, sex, race, ethnicity) the demographic characteristics of the U.S. sample for arthritis and the 2009 Census for the GP. Compliance with repeated measurements was excellent: > 95%. Known group validity for CATs was demonstrated with large effect sizes (pain intensity: 1.42, pain interference: 1.25, and fatigue: .85). Ecological validity was also established through high correlations between aggregated daily measures and weekly CATs (≥ .86). Test-retest validity (7-day) was very good (≥ .80). Conclusion PROMIS CAT instruments demonstrated known group and ecological validity in a comparison of osteoarthritis patients with a general population sample. Adequate test-retest reliability was also observed. These data provide encouraging initial data on the utility of these PROMIS instruments for clinical and research outcomes in osteoarthritis patients. PMID:23592494

Retention of the "first-trial effect" in gait-slip among community-living older adults.

PubMed

Liu, Xuan; Bhatt, Tanvi; Wang, Shuaijie; Yang, Feng; Pai, Yi-Chung Clive

2017-02-01

"First-trial effect" characterizes the rapid adaptive behavior that changes the performance outcome (from fall to non-fall) after merely a single exposure to postural disturbance. The purpose of this study was to investigate how long the first-trial effect could last. Seventy-five (≥ 65 years) community-dwelling older adults, who were protected by an overhead full body harness system, were retested for a single slip 6-12 months after their initial exposure to a single gait-slip. Subjects' body kinematics that was used to compute their proactive (feedforward) and reactive (feedback) control of stability was recorded by an eight-camera motion analysis system. We found the laboratory falls of subjects on their retest slip were significantly lower than that on the novel initial slip, and the reactive stability of these subjects was also significantly improved. However, the proactive stability of subjects remains unchanged between their initial slip and retest slip. The fall rates and stability control had no difference among the 6-, 9-, and 12-month retest groups, which indicated a maximum retention on 12 months after a single slip in the laboratory. These results highlighted the importance of the "first-trial effect" and suggested that perturbation training is effective for fall prevention, with lower trial doses for a long period (up to 1 year). Therefore, single slip training might benefit those older adults who could not tolerate larger doses in reality.

A paradigm for viewing biologic systems as scale-free networks based on energy efficiency: implications for present therapies and the future of evolution.

PubMed

Yun, Anthony J; Lee, Patrick Y; Doux, John D

2006-01-01

A network constitutes an abstract description of the relationships among entities, respectively termed links and nodes. If a power law describes the probability distribution of the number of links per node, the network is said to be scale-free. Scale-free networks feature link clustering around certain hubs based on preferential attachments that emerge due either to merit or legacy. Biologic systems ranging from sub-atomic to ecosystems represent scale-free networks in which energy efficiency forms the basis of preferential attachments. This paradigm engenders a novel scale-free network theory of evolution based on energy efficiency. As environmental flux induces fitness dislocations and compels a new meritocracy, new merit-based hubs emerge, previously merit-based hubs become legacy hubs, and network recalibration occurs to achieve system optimization. To date, Darwinian evolution, characterized by innovation sampling, variation, and selection through filtered termination, has enabled biologic progress through optimization of energy efficiency. However, as humans remodel their environment, increasing the level of unanticipated fitness dislocations and inducing evolutionary stress, the tendency of networks to exhibit inertia and retain legacy hubs engender maladaptations. Many modern diseases may fundamentally derive from these evolutionary displacements. Death itself may constitute a programmed adaptation, terminating individuals who represent legacy hubs and recalibrating the network. As memes replace genes as the basis of innovation, death itself has become a legacy hub. Post-Darwinian evolution may favor indefinite persistence to optimize energy efficiency. We describe strategies to reprogram or decommission legacy hubs that participate in human disease and death.

Reliability of the Cooking Task in adults with acquired brain injury.

PubMed

Poncet, Frédérique; Swaine, Bonnie; Taillefer, Chantal; Lamoureux, Julie; Pradat-Diehl, Pascale; Chevignard, Mathilde

2015-01-01

Acquired brain injury (ABI) often leads to deficits in executive functioning (EF) responsible for severe and long-standing disabilities in daily life activities. The Cooking Task is an ecological and valid test of EF involving multi-tasking in a real environment. Given its complex scoring system, it is important to establish the tool's reliability. The objective of the study was to examine the reliability of the Cooking Task (internal consistency, inter-rater and test-retest reliability). A total of 160 patients with ABI (113 men, mean age 37 years, SD = 14.3) were tested using the Cooking Task. For test-retest reliability, patients were assessed by the same rater on two occasions (mean interval 11 days) while two raters independently and simultaneously observed and scored patients' performances to estimate inter-rater reliability. Internal consistency was high for the global scale (Cronbach α = .74). Inter-rater reliability (n = 66) for total errors was also high (ICC = .93), however the test-retest reliability (n = 11) was poor (ICC = .36). In general the Cooking Task appears to be a reliable tool. The low test-retest results were expected given the importance of EF in the performance of novel tasks.

Development and clinical application of a computer-aided real-time feedback system for detecting in-bed physical activities.

PubMed

Lu, Liang-Hsuan; Chiang, Shang-Lin; Wei, Shun-Hwa; Lin, Chueh-Ho; Sung, Wen-Hsu

2017-08-01

Being bedridden long-term can cause deterioration in patients' physiological function and performance, limiting daily activities and increasing the incidence of falls and other accidental injuries. Little research has been carried out in designing effective detecting systems to monitor the posture and status of bedridden patients and to provide accurate real-time feedback on posture. The purposes of this research were to develop a computer-aided system for real-time detection of physical activities in bed and to validate the system's validity and test-retest reliability in determining eight postures: motion leftward/rightward, turning over leftward/rightward, getting up leftward/rightward, and getting off the bed leftward/rightward. The in-bed physical activity detecting system consists mainly of a clinical sickbed, signal amplifier, a data acquisition (DAQ) system, and operating software for computing and determining postural changes associated with four load cell sensing components. Thirty healthy subjects (15 males and 15 females, mean age = 27.8 ± 5.3 years) participated in the study. All subjects were asked to execute eight in-bed activities in a random order and to participate in an evaluation of the test-retest reliability of the results 14 days later. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to compare the system's determinations of postural states with researchers' recordings of postural changes. The test-retest reliability of the system's ability to determine postures was analyzed using the interclass correlation coefficient ICC(3,1). The system was found to exhibit high validity and accuracy (r = 0.928, p < 0.001; accuracy rate: 87.9%) in determining in-bed displacement, turning over, sitting up, and getting off the bed. The system was particularly accurate in detecting motion rightward (90%), turning over leftward (83%), sitting up leftward or rightward (87-93%), and getting off the bed (100%). The test-retest reliability ICC(3,1) value was 0.968 (p < 0.001). The system developed in this study exhibits satisfactory validity and reliability in detecting changes in-bed body postures and can be beneficial in assisting caregivers and clinical nursing staff in detecting the in-bed physical activities of bedridden patients and in developing fall prevention warning systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Temporal Stability of the Dutch Version of the Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition (WMS-IV-NL).

PubMed

Bouman, Zita; Hendriks, Marc P H; Aldenkamp, Albert P; Kessels, Roy P C

2015-01-01

The Wechsler Memory Scale-Fourth Edition (WMS-IV) is one of the most widely used memory batteries. We examined the test-retest reliability, practice effects, and standardized regression-based (SRB) change norms for the Dutch version of the WMS-IV (WMS-IV-NL) after both short and long retest intervals. The WMS-IV-NL was administered twice after either a short (M = 8.48 weeks, SD = 3.40 weeks, range = 3-16) or a long (M = 17.87 months, SD = 3.48, range = 12-24) retest interval in a sample of 234 healthy participants (M = 59.55 years, range = 16-90; 118 completed the Adult Battery; and 116 completed the Older Adult Battery). The test-retest reliability estimates varied across indexes. They were adequate to good after a short retest interval (ranging from .74 to .86), with the exception of the Visual Working Memory Index (r = .59), yet generally lower after a long retest interval (ranging from .56 to .77). Practice effects were only observed after a short retest interval (overall group mean gains up to 11 points), whereas no significant change in performance was found after a long retest interval. Furthermore, practice effect-adjusted SRB change norms were calculated for all WMS-IV-NL index scores. Overall, this study shows that the test-retest reliability of the WMS-IV-NL varied across indexes. Practice effects were observed after a short retest interval, but no evidence was found for practice effects after a long retest interval from one to two years. Finally, the SRB change norms were provided for the WMS-IV-NL.

Building an Evaluation Framework for the VIC Model in the NLDAS Testbed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Y.; Mocko, D. M.; Wang, S.; Pan, M.; Kumar, S.; Peters-Lidard, C. D.; Wei, H.; Ek, M. B.

2017-12-01

Since the second phase of North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS-2) was operationally implemented at NCEP in August 2014, developing the third phase of NLDAS system (NLDAS-3) has been a key task for the NCEP and NASA NLDAS team. The Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model is one major component of the NLDAS system. The current operational NLDAS-2 uses version 4.0.3 (VIC403), research NLDAS-2 uses version 4.0.5 (VIC405), and LIS-based (Land Information System) NLDAS uses version 4.1.2 (VIC412). The purpose of this study is to compressively evaluate three versions and document changes in model behavior towards VIC412 for NLDAS-3. To do that, we develop a relatively comprehensive framework including multiple variables and metrics to assess the performance of different versions. This framework is being incorporated into the NASA Land Verification Toolkit (LVT) for evaluation of other LSMs for NLDAS-3 development. The evaluation results show that there are large and significant improvements for VIC412 in southeastern United States when compared with VIC403 and VIC405. In the other regions, there are very limited improvements or even some degree of deteriorations. Potential reasons are due to: (1) few USGS streamflow observations for soil and hydrologic parameter calibration, (2) the lack of re-calibration of VIC412 in the NLDAS domain, and (3) changes in model physics from VIC403 to VIC412. Overall, the model version upgrade largely/significantly enhances model performance and skill score for all United States except for the Great Plains, suggesting a right direction for VIC model development. Some further efforts are needed for science understanding of land surface physical processes in GP and a re-calibration for VIC412 using reasonable reference datasets is suggested.

Recalibration of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strain Pao Chromosome Map in Time Units Using High-Frequency-of-Recombination Donors

PubMed Central

O'Hoy, Kim; Krishnapillai, Viji

1987-01-01

High-frequency-of-recombination donors of P. aeruginosa strain PAO were generated using a temperature-sensitive, replication mutant of the IncP-1 plasmid R68, loaded with the transposon Tn2521. Fourteen donors so isolated mobilized the chromosome in a polarized manner from a number of different transfer origins. The donors were used to construct a time of entry map of the entire chromosome and this was achieved by determining the time of entry of 32 randomly dispersed markers in crosses using nalidixic acid to interrupt chromosome transfer. Analysis of the time of entry data enabled the recalibration of the chromosome map to 75 min. PMID:3108071

Virtual sensors for robust on-line monitoring (OLM) and Diagnostics

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

Tipireddy, Ramakrishna; Lerchen, Megan E.; Ramuhalli, Pradeep

Unscheduled shutdown of nuclear power facilities for recalibration and replacement of faulty sensors can be expensive and disruptive to grid management. In this work, we present virtual (software) sensors that can replace a faulty physical sensor for a short duration thus allowing recalibration to be safely deferred to a later time. The virtual sensor model uses a Gaussian process model to process input data from redundant and other nearby sensors. Predicted data includes uncertainty bounds including spatial association uncertainty and measurement noise and error. Using data from an instrumented cooling water flow loop testbed, the virtual sensor model has predictedmore » correct sensor measurements and the associated error corresponding to a faulty sensor.« less

Liquid water content and droplet size calibration of the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ide, Robert F.

1989-01-01

The icing research tunnel at the NASA Lewis Research Center underwent a major rehabilitation in 1986 to 1987, necessitating recalibration of the icing cloud. The methods used in the recalibration, including the procedure used to establish a uniform icing cloud and the use of a standard icing blade technique for measurement of liquid water content are described. PMS Forward Scattering Spectrometer and Optical Array probes were used for measurement of droplet size. Examples of droplet size distributions are shown for several median volumetric diameters. Finally, the liquid water content/droplet size operating envelopes of the icing tunnel are shown for a range of airspeeds and are compared to the FAA icing certification criteria.

Icing Cloud Calibration of the NASA Glenn Icing Research Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ide, Robert F.; Oldenburg, John R.

2001-01-01

The icing research tunnel at the NASA Glenn Research Center underwent a major rehabilitation in 1999, necessitating recalibration of the icing clouds. This report describes the methods used in the recalibration, including the procedure used to establish a uniform icing cloud and the use of a standard icing blade technique for measurement of liquid water content. The instruments and methods used to perform the droplet size calibration are also described. The liquid water content/droplet size operating envelopes of the icing tunnel are shown for a range of airspeeds and compared to the FAA icing certification criteria. The capabilities of the IRT to produce large droplet icing clouds is also detailed.

Imaging of striatal dopamine transporters in rat brain with single pinhole SPECT and co-aligned MRI is highly reproducible.

PubMed

Booij, Jan; de Bruin, Kora; de Win, Maartje M L; Lavini, Cristina; den Heeten, Gerard J; Habraken, Jan B A

2003-08-01

A recently developed pinhole high-resolution SPECT system was used to measure striatal to non-specific binding ratios in rats (n = 9), after injection of the dopamine transporter ligand (123)I-FP-CIT, and to assess its test/retest reproducibility. For co-alignment purposes, the rat brain was imaged on a 1.5 Tesla clinical MRI scanner using a specially developed surface coil. The SPECT images showed clear striatal uptake. On the MR images, cerebral and extra-cerebral structures could be easily delineated. The mean striatal to non-specific [(123)I]FP-CIT binding ratios of the test/retest studies were 1.7 +/- 0.2 and 1.6 +/- 0.2, respectively. The test/retest variability was approximately 9%. We conclude that the assessment of striatal [(123)I]FP-CIT binding ratios in rats is highly reproducible.

The NASA Langley 8-foot Transonic Pressure Tunnel calibration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brooks, Cuyler W., Jr.; Harris, Charles D.; Reagon, Patricia G.

1994-01-01

The NASA Langley 8-Foot Transonic Pressure Tunnel is a continuous-flow, variable-pressure wind tunnel with control capability to independently vary Mach number, stagnation pressure, stagnation temperature, and humidity. The top and bottom walls of the test section are axially slotted to permit continuous variation of the test section Mach number from 0.2 to 1.2, the slot-width contour provides a gradient-free test section 50 in. long for Mach numbers equal to or greater than 1.0 and 100 in. long for Mach numbers less than 1.0. The stagnation pressure may be varied from 0.25 to 2.0 atm. The tunnel test section has been recalibrated to determine the relationship between the free-stream Mach number and the test chamber reference Mach number. The hardware was the same as that of an earlier calibration in 1972 but the pressure measurement instrumentation available for the recalibration was about an order of magnitude more precise. The principal result of the recalibration was a slightly different schedule of reentry flap settings for Mach numbers from 0.80 to 1.05 than that determined during the 1972 calibration. Detailed tunnel contraction geometry, test section geometry, and limited test section wall boundary layer data are presented.

Ab Initio Calculated Results Require New Formulations for Properties in the Limit of Zero Density: The Viscosity of Methane (CH4)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laesecke, Arno; Muzny, Chris D.

2017-12-01

A wide-ranging formulation for the viscosity of methane in the limit of zero density is presented. Using ab initio calculated data of Hellmann et al. (J Chem Phys 129, 064302, 2008) from 80 K to 1500 K, the functional form was developed by guided symbolic regression with the constraints of correct extrapolation to T → 0 and in the high-temperature limit. The formulation was adjusted to the recalibrated experimental data of May et al. (Int J Thermophys 28, 1085-1110, 2007) so that these are represented within their estimated expanded uncertainty of 0.053 % (k = 2) in their temperature range from 210.756 K to 391.551 K. Based on comparisons with original data and recalibrated viscosity ratio measurements, the expanded uncertainty of the new correlation is estimated outside this temperature range to be 0.2 % to 700 K, 0.5 % to 1100 K, 1 % to 1500 K, and physically correct at higher temperatures. At temperatures below 210 K, the new correlation agrees with recalibrated experimental data within 0.3 % down to 150 K. Hellmann et al. estimated the expanded uncertainty of their calculated data at 1 % to 80 K. The new formulation extrapolates without a singularity to T→ 0.

Predictors of retest effects in a longitudinal study of cognitive aging in a diverse community-based sample

PubMed Central

Gross, Alden L.; Benitez, Andreana; Shih, Regina; Bangen, Katherine J.; Glymour, M Maria M; Sachs, Bonnie; Sisco, Shannon; Skinner, Jeannine; Schneider, Brooke C.; Manly, Jennifer J.

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVE Better performance due to repeated testing can bias long-term trajectories of cognitive aging and correlates of change. We examined whether retest effects differ as a function of individual differences pertinent to cognitive aging: race/ethnicity, age, sex, language, years of education, and dementia risk factors including APOE ε4 status, baseline cognitive performance, and cardiovascular risk. METHOD We used data from the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project, a community-based cohort of older adults (n=4,073). We modeled cognitive change and retest effects in summary factors for general cognitive performance, memory, executive functioning, and language using multilevel models. Retest effects were parameterized in two ways, as improvement between the first and subsequent testings, and as the square root of the number of prior testings. We evaluated whether the retest effect differed by individual characteristics. RESULTS The mean retest effect for general cognitive performance was 0.60 standard deviations (95%CI: 0.46, 0.74), and was similar for memory, executive functioning, and language. Retest effects were greater for participants in the lowest quartile of cognitive performance, consistent with regression to the mean. Retest did not differ by other characteristics. CONCLUSIONS Retest effects are large in this community-based sample, but do not vary by demographic or dementia-related characteristics. Differential retest effects may not limit the generalizability of inferences across different groups in longitudinal research. PMID:26527240

Chlamydia Retesting Among Safety-Net Clinic Patients: Infertility Prevention Project.

PubMed

McArdle, Breanna J; Buser, Genevieve L; Hedberg, Katrina; Schafer, Sean

2018-04-25

Due to high reinfection rates, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend retesting everyone diagnosed with chlamydia after treatment. However, retesting rates are often low, and research on retesting is limited. Infertility Prevention Project (IPP) was a national chlamydia screening and treatment project in the United States. We completed a retrospective longitudinal analysis using IPP testing data from 8,266 women with at least 1 positive test result from 2010 to 2013. We calculated the proportion of women retested 2-12 months after a chlamydia diagnosis and used Cox proportional hazards models to explore associated factors. Only 32% of women had evidence of retesting by 12 months of follow-up. Being younger (multivariate hazard ratio [mHR]: 0.96; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.95-0.96), black (mHR: 1.29; 95% CI: 1.12-1.50), or attending a county sexually transmitted diseases (STD; mHR: 1.91; 95% CI: 1.68-2.17), county family planning (mHR: 1.53; 95% CI: 1.39-1.69), or school-based (mHR: 2.34; 95% CI: 2.07-2.65) clinic relative to a nonprofit community health clinic were associated with increased retesting rates. Less than one-third of women are retested. Our results show that some clinic settings may have systematic differences which facilitate retesting, such as use of automated reminders, closed patient populations, and makeup of patient populations. Investigation of clinical environments through site visits and further data analyses may be keys to improving retesting rates.

An Empirical Approach to Ocean Color Data: Reducing Bias and the Need for Post-Launch Radiometric Re-Calibration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gregg, Watson W.; Casey, Nancy W.; O'Reilly, John E.; Esaias, Wayne E.

2009-01-01

A new empirical approach is developed for ocean color remote sensing. Called the Empirical Satellite Radiance-In situ Data (ESRID) algorithm, the approach uses relationships between satellite water-leaving radiances and in situ data after full processing, i.e., at Level-3, to improve estimates of surface variables while relaxing requirements on post-launch radiometric re-calibration. The approach is evaluated using SeaWiFS chlorophyll, which is the longest time series of the most widely used ocean color geophysical product. The results suggest that ESRID 1) drastically reduces the bias of ocean chlorophyll, most impressively in coastal regions, 2) modestly improves the uncertainty, and 3) reduces the sensitivity of global annual median chlorophyll to changes in radiometric re-calibration. Simulated calibration errors of 1% or less produce small changes in global median chlorophyll (less than 2.7%). In contrast, the standard NASA algorithm set is highly sensitive to radiometric calibration: similar 1% calibration errors produce changes in global median chlorophyll up to nearly 25%. We show that 0.1% radiometric calibration error (about 1% in water-leaving radiance) is needed to prevent radiometric calibration errors from changing global annual median chlorophyll more than the maximum interannual variability observed in the SeaWiFS 9-year record (+/- 3%), using the standard method. This is much more stringent than the goal for SeaWiFS of 5% uncertainty for water leaving radiance. The results suggest ocean color programs might consider less emphasis of expensive efforts to improve post-launch radiometric re-calibration in favor of increased efforts to characterize in situ observations of ocean surface geophysical products. Although the results here are focused on chlorophyll, in principle the approach described by ESRID can be applied to any surface variable potentially observable by visible remote sensing.

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing early after stroke using feedback-controlled robotics-assisted treadmill exercise: test-retest reliability and repeatability.

PubMed

Stoller, Oliver; de Bruin, Eling D; Schindelholz, Matthias; Schuster-Amft, Corina; de Bie, Rob A; Hunt, Kenneth J

2014-10-11

Exercise capacity is seriously reduced after stroke. While cardiopulmonary assessment and intervention strategies have been validated for the mildly and moderately impaired populations post-stroke, there is a lack of effective concepts for stroke survivors suffering from severe motor limitations. This study investigated the test-retest reliability and repeatability of cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) using feedback-controlled robotics-assisted treadmill exercise (FC-RATE) in severely motor impaired individuals early after stroke. 20 subjects (age 44-84 years, <6 month post-stroke) with severe motor limitations (Functional Ambulatory Classification 0-2) were selected for consecutive constant load testing (CLT) and incremental exercise testing (IET) within a powered exoskeleton, synchronised with a treadmill and a body weight support system. A manual human-in-the-loop feedback system was used to guide individual work rate levels. Outcome variables focussed on standard cardiopulmonary performance parameters. Relative and absolute test-retest reliability were assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), standard error of the measurement (SEM), and minimal detectable change (MDC). Mean difference, limits of agreement, and coefficient of variation (CoV) were estimated to assess repeatability. Peak performance parameters during IET yielded good to excellent relative reliability: absolute peak oxygen uptake (ICC =0.82), relative peak oxygen uptake (ICC =0.72), peak work rate (ICC =0.91), peak heart rate (ICC =0.80), absolute gas exchange threshold (ICC =0.91), relative gas exchange threshold (ICC =0.88), oxygen cost of work (ICC =0.87), oxygen pulse at peak oxygen uptake (ICC =0.92), ventilation rate versus carbon dioxide output slope (ICC =0.78). For these variables, SEM was 4-13%, MDC 12-36%, and CoV 0.10-0.36. CLT revealed high mean differences and insufficient test-retest reliability for all variables studied. This study presents first evidence on reliability and repeatability for CPET in severely motor impaired individuals early after stroke using a feedback-controlled robotics-assisted treadmill. The results demonstrate good to excellent test-retest reliability and appropriate repeatability for the most important peak cardiopulmonary performance parameters. These findings have important implications for the design and implementation of cardiovascular exercise interventions in severely impaired populations. Future research needs to develop advanced control strategies to enable the true limit of functional exercise capacity to be reached and to further assess test-retest reliability and repeatability in larger samples.

Thermal mathematical modeling and system simulation of Space Shuttle less subsystem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chao, D. C.; Battley, H. H.; Gallegos, J. J.; Curry, D. M.

1984-01-01

Applications, validation tests, and upgrades of the two- and three-dimensional system level thermal mathematical system simulation models (TMSSM) used for thermal protection system (TPS) analyses are described. The TMSSM were developed as an aid to predicting the performance requirements and configurations of the Shuttle wing leading edge (WLE) and nose cone (NC) TPS tiles. The WLE and its structure were subjected to acoustic, thermal/vacuum, and air loads tests to simulate launch, on-orbit, and re-entry behavior. STS-1, -2 and -5 flight data led to recalibration of on-board instruments and raised estimates of the thermal shock at the NC and WLE. Baseline heating data are now available for the design of future TPS.

Efficient and accurate time-stepping schemes for integrate-and-fire neuronal networks.

PubMed

Shelley, M J; Tao, L

2001-01-01

To avoid the numerical errors associated with resetting the potential following a spike in simulations of integrate-and-fire neuronal networks, Hansel et al. and Shelley independently developed a modified time-stepping method. Their particular scheme consists of second-order Runge-Kutta time-stepping, a linear interpolant to find spike times, and a recalibration of postspike potential using the spike times. Here we show analytically that such a scheme is second order, discuss the conditions under which efficient, higher-order algorithms can be constructed to treat resets, and develop a modified fourth-order scheme. To support our analysis, we simulate a system of integrate-and-fire conductance-based point neurons with all-to-all coupling. For six-digit accuracy, our modified Runge-Kutta fourth-order scheme needs a time-step of Delta(t) = 0.5 x 10(-3) seconds, whereas to achieve comparable accuracy using a recalibrated second-order or a first-order algorithm requires time-steps of 10(-5) seconds or 10(-9) seconds, respectively. Furthermore, since the cortico-cortical conductances in standard integrate-and-fire neuronal networks do not depend on the value of the membrane potential, we can attain fourth-order accuracy with computational costs normally associated with second-order schemes.

The effect of retesting on end-of-semester performance in high school chemistry at three levels of previous science achievement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deboer, George E.

To determine the effect of retesting on student learning in chemistry, three questions were addressed by means of a 3 × 2 (achievement level X treatment) factorial design: (1) Does retesting affect differently the end-of-semester mastery of course objectives of students who are grouped according to their previous achievement in science? (2) Do students who are given an opportunity to take retests merely delay their studying and perform at a lower level on initial tests than nonretested students? (3) Is the procrastination of retested students (if it exists) affected by their achievement level? The results showed that for one of four units low ability students who were retested demonstrated greater learning gains than low ability students who were not retested, and that procrastination, if it was present, did not have significant effects on student learning at any achievement level. Results were discussed in terms of the students' room for improvement, motivation to improve, and ability to improve.

The Dissemination of Mass in the United States: Results and Implications of Recent BIPM Calibrations of US National Prototype Kilograms

PubMed Central

Kubarych, Zeina J; Abbott, Patrick J

2014-01-01

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is responsible for the dissemination of the unit of mass within the United States of America through the national prototype kilogram K20 and its check standard K4. These platinum-iridium artifacts have been in use since 1889 and are periodically sent to the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) for recalibration. The following is a brief description of the roles of the national prototype kilograms in the dissemination of mass in the United States of America, and the implications for NIST mass calibration customers of the most recent recalibrations of K20 and K4. PMID:26601023

Recalibrating intellectual property rights to enhance translational research collaborations.

PubMed

Bubela, Tania; FitzGerald, Garret A; Gold, E Richard

2012-02-22

Multisectoral collaborative models for drug and therapeutic research and development (R&D) are emerging, requiring a recalibration of how intellectual property rights (IPRs) are used. Although these models appear promising, little study has been conducted on the optimal blend of sharing and exclusion as mediated through the proactive use or nonuse of IPRs. This Commentary is a call for a combination of theoretical and empirical analyses to build a comprehensive understanding of the interplay between formal IP laws, institutions that administer and manage IPRs, and the use of IPRs in practice to better construct and manage collaborations. Such analyses require outcome metrics formulated to measure the success of therapeutic outcomes and to capture the complexity of a highly networked R&D environment.

Test-retest reliability and four-week changes in cardiopulmonary fitness in stroke patients: evaluation using a robotics-assisted tilt table.

PubMed

Saengsuwan, Jittima; Berger, Lucia; Schuster-Amft, Corina; Nef, Tobias; Hunt, Kenneth J

2016-09-06

Exercise testing devices for evaluating cardiopulmonary fitness in patients with severe disability after stroke are lacking, but we have adapted a robotics-assisted tilt table (RATT) for cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). Using the RATT in a sample of patients after stroke, this study aimed to investigate test-retest reliability and repeatability of CPET and to prospectively investigate changes in cardiopulmonary outcomes over a period of four weeks. Stroke patients with all degrees of disability underwent 3 separate CPET sessions: 2 tests at baseline (TB1 and TB2) and 1 test at follow up (TF). TB1 and TB2 were at least 24 h apart. TB2 and TF were 4 weeks apart. A RATT equipped with force sensors in the thigh cuffs, a work rate estimation algorithm and a real-time visual feedback system was used to guide the patients' exercise work rate during CPET. Test-retest reliability and repeatability of CPET variables were analysed using paired t-tests, the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), the coefficient of variation (CoV), and Bland and Altman limits of agreement. Changes in cardiopulmonary fitness during four weeks were analysed using paired t-tests. Seventeen sub-acute and chronic stroke patients (age 62.7 ± 10.4 years [mean ± SD]; 8 females) completed the test sessions. The median time post stroke was 350 days. There were 4 severely disabled, 1 moderately disabled and 12 mildly disabled patients. For test-retest, there were no statistically significant differences between TB1 and TB2 for most CPET variables. Peak oxygen uptake, peak heart rate, peak work rate and oxygen uptake at the ventilatory anaerobic threshold (VAT) and respiratory compensation point (RCP) showed good to excellent test-retest reliability (ICC 0.65-0.94). For all CPET variables, CoV was 4.1-14.5 %. The mean difference was close to zero in most of the CPET variables. There were no significant changes in most cardiopulmonary performance parameters during the 4-week period (TB2 vs TF). These findings provide the first evidence of test-retest reliability and repeatability of the principal CPET variables using the novel RATT system and testing methodology, and high success rates in identification of VAT and RCP: good to excellent test-retest reliability and repeatability were found for all submaximal and maximal CPET variables. Reliability and repeatability of the main CPET parameters in stroke patients on the RATT were comparable to previous findings in stroke patients using standard exercise testing devices. The RATT has potential to be used as an alternative exercise testing device in patients who have limitations for use of standard exercise testing devices.

An on-line calibration algorithm for external parameters of visual system based on binocular stereo cameras

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Liqiang; Liu, Zhen; Zhang, Zhonghua

2014-11-01

Stereo vision is the key in the visual measurement, robot vision, and autonomous navigation. Before performing the system of stereo vision, it needs to calibrate the intrinsic parameters for each camera and the external parameters of the system. In engineering, the intrinsic parameters remain unchanged after calibrating cameras, and the positional relationship between the cameras could be changed because of vibration, knocks and pressures in the vicinity of the railway or motor workshops. Especially for large baselines, even minute changes in translation or rotation can affect the epipolar geometry and scene triangulation to such a degree that visual system becomes disabled. A technology including both real-time examination and on-line recalibration for the external parameters of stereo system becomes particularly important. This paper presents an on-line method for checking and recalibrating the positional relationship between stereo cameras. In epipolar geometry, the external parameters of cameras can be obtained by factorization of the fundamental matrix. Thus, it offers a method to calculate the external camera parameters without any special targets. If the intrinsic camera parameters are known, the external parameters of system can be calculated via a number of random matched points. The process is: (i) estimating the fundamental matrix via the feature point correspondences; (ii) computing the essential matrix from the fundamental matrix; (iii) obtaining the external parameters by decomposition of the essential matrix. In the step of computing the fundamental matrix, the traditional methods are sensitive to noise and cannot ensure the estimation accuracy. We consider the feature distribution situation in the actual scene images and introduce a regional weighted normalization algorithm to improve accuracy of the fundamental matrix estimation. In contrast to traditional algorithms, experiments on simulated data prove that the method improves estimation robustness and accuracy of the fundamental matrix. Finally, we take an experiment for computing the relationship of a pair of stereo cameras to demonstrate accurate performance of the algorithm.

Retesting and repeat positivity following diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoea in New Zealand: a retrospective cohort study.

PubMed

Rose, Sally B; Garrett, Susan M; Stanley, James; Pullon, Susan R H

2017-07-28

Testing for reinfection at 3 to 6 months following treatment for Chlamydia Trachomatis or Neisseria gonorrhoea is recommended in best practice sexual health management guidelines. This study aimed to describe rates of retesting and repeat positivity following diagnosis of chlamydia or gonorrhoea in a defined geographic region of New Zealand. Retrospective cohort study in Wellington, New Zealand involving analysis of laboratory data for chlamydia and gonorrhoea tests performed in primary care and sexual health clinics (July 2012-July 2015). rate of retesting and rate of repeat positivity 6 weeks to 6 months after a positive result (index event). Kaplan-Meier curves were used to plot time from first index event to retest. Logistic regression modelling was used to determine the odds of retesting and repeat positivity between 6 weeks and 6 months of follow-up, adjusting for potential confounders (age, gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic deprivation). Overall 29.4% (1919/6530) of the cohort was retested between 6 weeks and 6 months, with 18% (347/1919) of those retested returning positive results. Lower odds of retesting were observed for males (OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.34-0.48), and individuals of NZ Maori (OR 0.72, 0.61-0.85) and Pacific ethnicities (OR 0.49, 0.39-0.62, reference European). Factors associated with higher odds of repeat positivity on retesting included male gender (OR 2.0, 1.14-2.82), age 15-19 years (OR 1.78, 1.32-2.41, reference 20-24 years), chlamydia/gonorrhoea co-infection (OR 2.39, 1.32-4.35, reference chlamydia only), Maori (OR 1.6, 1.18-2.17) and Pacific ethnicities (OR 1.88, 1.22-2.9, reference European). We observed low adherence to STI retesting guidelines, and marked gender and ethnic disparities in rates of retesting and repeat positivity. Low retesting rates are suggestive of low levels of awareness of this aspect of patient management, and an absence of a systematic approach to retesting. High rates of repeat positivity reinforce the importance of advising patients about reducing their risk of reinfection, including notification and treatment of all recent sexual partners. Greater priority needs to be placed on increasing retesting and reducing rates of reinfection, with strategies implemented to improve these important aspects of patient care and population STI control.

Back to the Future with the Uniform Code of Military Justice: The Need to Recalibrate the Relationship Between the Military Justice System, Due Process, and Good Order and Discipline

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-01

successes against the Roman army, Plutarch focused on Sertorius’ ability to bring good order and discipline to the seemingly barbaric tribes of the...Roman frontier.161 Plutarch noted that after the campaigns against Rome, Sertorius was “highly honored for his introducing discipline and good order...Sertorius’ ability to achieve good order and discipline within his troops, Plutarch did not mention discipline or fear; instead, he noted that Sertorius

The effect of sample storage on the performance and reproducibility of the galactomannan EIA test.

PubMed

Kimpton, George; White, P Lewis; Barnes, Rosemary A

2014-08-01

Galactomannan enzyme immune assay (GM EIA) is a nonculture test for detecting invasive aspergillosis (IA) forming a key part of diagnosis and management. Recent reports have questioned the reproducibility of indices after sample storage. To investigate this, 198 serum samples (72 from cases and 126 from controls) and 61 plasma samples (24 from cases and 37 from controls), initially tested between 2010 and 2013, were retested to determine any change in index. Data were also collected on circulatory protein levels for false-positive serum samples. Serum indices significantly declined on retesting (median: initial, 0.50, retest, 0.23; P < 0.0001). This was shown to be diagnosis dependent as the decline was apparent on retesting of control samples (median: initial 0.50, retest 0.12; P < 0.0001), but was not evident with case samples (median: initial, 0.80, retest, 0.80; P = 0.724). Plasma samples showed little change on reanalysis after long-term storage at 4°C. Retesting after freezing showed a decrease in index values for controls (median: initial 0.40, retest 0.26; P = 0.0505), but no significant change in cases. Circulatory proteins showed a correlation between serum albumin concentration and difference in index value on retesting. Overall, this study suggests that a lack of reproducibility in GM EIA positivity is only significant when disease is absent. Retesting after freezing helps to differentiate false-positive GM EIA results and, with consecutive positivity, could help to improve accuracy in predicting disease status. The freezing of samples prior to testing could potentially reduce false-positivity rates and the need to retest. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The International Society for Human and Animal Mycology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The Reliability of Pharyngeal High Resolution Manometry with Impedance for Derivation of Measures of Swallowing Function in Healthy Volunteers

PubMed Central

Omari, Taher I.; Savilampi, Johanna; Kokkinn, Karmen; Schar, Mistyka; Lamvik, Kristin; Doeltgen, Sebastian; Cock, Charles

2016-01-01

Purpose. We evaluated the intra- and interrater agreement and test-retest reliability of analyst derivation of swallow function variables based on repeated high resolution manometry with impedance measurements. Methods. Five subjects swallowed 10 × 10 mL saline on two occasions one week apart producing a database of 100 swallows. Swallows were repeat-analysed by six observers using software. Swallow variables were indicative of contractility, intrabolus pressure, and flow timing. Results. The average intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for intra- and interrater comparisons of all variable means showed substantial to excellent agreement (intrarater ICC 0.85–1.00; mean interrater ICC 0.77–1.00). Test-retest results were less reliable. ICC for test-retest comparisons ranged from slight to excellent depending on the class of variable. Contractility variables differed most in terms of test-retest reliability. Amongst contractility variables, UES basal pressure showed excellent test-retest agreement (mean ICC 0.94), measures of UES postrelaxation contractile pressure showed moderate to substantial test-retest agreement (mean Interrater ICC 0.47–0.67), and test-retest agreement of pharyngeal contractile pressure ranged from slight to substantial (mean Interrater ICC 0.15–0.61). Conclusions. Test-retest reliability of HRIM measures depends on the class of variable. Measures of bolus distension pressure and flow timing appear to be more test-retest reliable than measures of contractility. PMID:27190520

Retest Effects in Matrix Test Performance: Differential Impact of Predictors at Different Hierarchy Levels in an Educational Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freund, Philipp Alexander; Holling, Heinz

2011-01-01

If tests of cognitive ability are repeatedly taken, test scores rise. Such retest effects have been observed for a long time and for a variety of tasks. This study investigates retest effects on figural matrix items in an educational context. A short term effect is assumed for the direct retest administration in the same test session, and a long…

A reliability generalization meta-analysis of coefficient alpha and test-retest coefficient for the aging males' symptoms (AMS) scale.

PubMed

Lee, Chin-Pang; Chiu, Yu-Wen; Chu, Chun-Lin; Chen, Yu; Jiang, Kun-Hao; Chen, Jiun-Liang; Chen, Ching-Yen

2016-12-01

The aging males' symptoms (AMS) scale is an instrument used to determine the health-related quality of life in adult and elderly men. The purpose of this study was to synthesize internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) and test-retest reliability for the AMS scale and its three subscales. Of the 123 studies reviewed, 12 provided alpha coefficients which were then used in the meta-analyses of internal consistency. Seven of the 12 included studies provided test-retest coefficients, and these were used in the meta-analyses of test-retest reliability. The AMS scale had excellent internal consistency [α = 0.89 (95% CI 0.88-0.90)]; the mean alpha estimates across the AMS subscales ranged from 0.79 to 0.82. The AMS scale also had good test-retest reliability [r = 0.85 (95% CI 0.82-0.88]; the test-retest reliability coefficients of the AMS subscales ranged from 0.76 to 0.83. There was significant heterogeneity among the included studies. The AMS scale and the three subscales had fairly good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Future psychometric studies of the AMS scale should report important characteristics of the participants, details of item scores, and test-retest reliability.

Neurodegenerative disease and cognitive retest learning.

PubMed

Wilson, Robert S; Capuano, Ana W; Yu, Lei; Yang, Jingyun; Kim, Namhee; Leurgans, Sue E; Lamar, Melissa; Schneider, Julie A; Bennett, David A; Boyle, Patricia A

2018-06-01

Retest learning impacts estimates of cognitive aging, but its bases are uncertain. Here, we test the hypothesis that dementia-related neurodegeneration impairs retest learning. Older persons without cognitive impairment at enrollment (n = 567) had annual cognitive testing for a mean of 11 years, died, and had a neuropathologic examination to quantify 5 neurodegenerative pathologies. Change point models were used to divide cognitive trajectories into an early retest sensitive component and a later component less sensitive to retest. Performance on a global cognitive measure (baseline mean = 0.227, standard deviation = 0.382) increased an estimated mean of 0.142-unit per year for a mean of 1.5 years and declined an estimated mean of 0.123-unit per year thereafter. No pathologic marker was related to cognitive change before the change point; each was related to cognitive decline after the change point. Results were comparable in analyses that used specific cognitive outcomes, included 220 individuals with mild cognitive impairment at enrollment, or allowed a longer retest learning period. The findings suggest that neurodegeneration does not impact cognitive retest learning. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of calibration on estimates of central blood pressures.

PubMed

Soender, T K; Van Bortel, L M; Møller, J E; Lambrechtsen, J; Hangaard, J; Egstrup, K

2012-12-01

Using the Sphygmocor device it is recommended that the radial pressure wave is calibrated for brachial systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). However it has been suggested that brachial-to-radial pressure amplification causes underestimation of central blood pressures (BPs) using this calibration. In the present study we examined if different calibrations had an impact on estimates of central BPs and on the clinical interpretation of our results. On the basis of ambulatory BP measurements, patients were categorized into patients with controlled, uncontrolled or resistant hypertension. We first calibrated the radial pressure wave as recommended and afterwards recalibrated the same pressure wave using brachial DBP and calculated mean arterial pressure. Recalibration of the pressure wave generated significantly higher estimates of central SBP (P=0.0003 and P<0.0001 at baseline and P=0.0001 and P=0.0002 after 6 months). Using recommended calibration we found a significant change in central SBP in both treatment groups (P=0.05 and P=0.01), however, after recalibrating significance was lost in patients with resistant hypertension (P=0.15). We conclude that calibration with DBP and mean arterial pressure produces higher estimates of central BPs than recommended calibration. The present study also shows that this difference between the two calibration methods can produce more than a systematic error and has an impact on interpretation of clinical results.

Crossmodal Statistical Binding of Temporal Information and Stimuli Properties Recalibrates Perception of Visual Apparent Motion

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yi; Chen, Lihan

2016-01-01

Recent studies of brain plasticity that pertain to time perception have shown that fast training of temporal discrimination in one modality, for example, the auditory modality, can improve performance of temporal discrimination in another modality, such as the visual modality. We here examined whether the perception of visual Ternus motion could be recalibrated through fast crossmodal statistical binding of temporal information and stimuli properties binding. We conducted two experiments, composed of three sessions each: pre-test, learning, and post-test. In both the pre-test and the post-test, participants classified the Ternus display as either “element motion” or “group motion.” For the training session in Experiment 1, we constructed two types of temporal structures, in which two consecutively presented sound beeps were dominantly (80%) flanked by one leading visual Ternus frame and by one lagging visual Ternus frame (VAAV) or dominantly inserted by two Ternus visual frames (AVVA). Participants were required to respond which interval (auditory vs. visual) was longer. In Experiment 2, we presented only a single auditory–visual pair but with similar temporal configurations as in Experiment 1, and asked participants to perform an audio–visual temporal order judgment. The results of these two experiments support that statistical binding of temporal information and stimuli properties can quickly and selectively recalibrate the sensitivity of perceiving visual motion, according to the protocols of the specific bindings. PMID:27065910

Apollo Experience Report: Command and Service Module Reaction Control Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taeuber, Ralph J.; Weary, Dwayne P.

1973-01-01

The reaction control systems of the Apollo command and service module were developed and modified between July 1961 and July 1969. The successful development of these systems, as part of the Apollo Program, was the result of extensive testing, retesting, and modifications of the hardware to ensure system capability and intrasystem compatibility.

Test-retest and inter- and intrareliability of the quality of the upper-extremity skills test in preschool-age children with cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Haga, Nienke; van der Heijden-Maessen, Hélène C; van Hoorn, Jessika F; Boonstra, Anne M; Hadders-Algra, Mijna

2007-12-01

To investigate the test-retest, inter-, and intraobserver reliability of the Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test (QUEST) in young children with cerebral palsy (CP). For test-retest reliability, a test-retest design was used; for the intra- and interobserver reliability, the videotaped test was scored on 2 occasions by 1 observer and by various observers. Groups of preschool-age children in 2 general rehabilitation centers. Twenty-one children with CP (12 boys, 9 girls) aged 2 to 4.5 years (mean, 39 mo). Not applicable. Spearman correlation coefficient. The data indicated that test-retest reliability was strong (rho range, .85-.94). Intraobserver agreement (rho range, .63-.95) and agreement between various observers (rho range, .72-.90) were moderate to strong. Test-retest and inter- and intraobserver reliability of the QUEST in preschool-age children with CP is good.

Test-retest reliability of automated whole body and compartmental muscle volume measurements on a wide bore 3T MR system.

PubMed

Thomas, Marianna S; Newman, David; Leinhard, Olof Dahlqvist; Kasmai, Bahman; Greenwood, Richard; Malcolm, Paul N; Karlsson, Anette; Rosander, Johannes; Borga, Magnus; Toms, Andoni P

2014-09-01

To measure the test-retest reproducibility of an automated system for quantifying whole body and compartmental muscle volumes using wide bore 3 T MRI. Thirty volunteers stratified by body mass index underwent whole body 3 T MRI, two-point Dixon sequences, on two separate occasions. Water-fat separation was performed, with automated segmentation of whole body, torso, upper and lower leg volumes, and manually segmented lower leg muscle volumes. Mean automated total body muscle volume was 19·32 L (SD9·1) and 19·28 L (SD9·12) for first and second acquisitions (Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 1·0, 95% level of agreement -0·32-0·2 L). ICC for all automated test-retest muscle volumes were almost perfect (0·99-1·0) with 95% levels of agreement 1.8-6.6% of mean volume. Automated muscle volume measurements correlate closely with manual quantification (right lower leg: manual 1·68 L (2SD0·6) compared to automated 1·64 L (2SD 0·6), left lower leg: manual 1·69 L (2SD 0·64) compared to automated 1·63 L (SD0·61), correlation coefficients for automated and manual segmentation were 0·94-0·96). Fully automated whole body and compartmental muscle volume quantification can be achieved rapidly on a 3 T wide bore system with very low margins of error, excellent test-retest reliability and excellent correlation to manual segmentation in the lower leg. Sarcopaenia is an important reversible complication of a number of diseases. Manual quantification of muscle volume is time-consuming and expensive. Muscles can be imaged using in and out of phase MRI. Automated atlas-based segmentation can identify muscle groups. Automated muscle volume segmentation is reproducible and can replace manual measurements.

Test-Retest Reliability of the Multiple Sleep Latency Test in Narcolepsy without Cataplexy and Idiopathic Hypersomnia

PubMed Central

Trotti, Lynn Marie; Staab, Beth A.; Rye, David B.

2013-01-01

Study Objectives: Differentiation of narcolepsy without cataplexy from idiopathic hypersomnia relies entirely upon the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT). However, the test-retest reliability for these central nervous system hypersomnias has never been determined. Methods: Patients with narcolepsy without cataplexy, idiopathic hypersomnia, and physiologic hypersomnia who underwent two diagnostic multiple sleep latency tests were identified retrospectively. Correlations between the mean sleep latencies on the two studies were evaluated, and we probed for demographic and clinical features associated with reproducibility versus change in diagnosis. Results: Thirty-six patients (58% women, mean age 34 years) were included. Inter -test interval was 4.2 ± 3.8 years (range 2.5 months to 16.9 years). Mean sleep latencies on the first and second tests were 5.5 (± 3.7 SD) and 7.3 (± 3.9) minutes, respectively, with no significant correlation (r = 0.17, p = 0.31). A change in diagnosis occurred in 53% of patients, and was accounted for by a difference in the mean sleep latency (N = 15, 42%) or the number of sleep onset REM periods (N = 11, 31%). The only feature predictive of a diagnosis change was a history of hypnagogic or hypnopompic hallucinations. Conclusions: The multiple sleep latency test demonstrates poor test-retest reliability in a clinical population of patients with central nervous system hypersomnia evaluated in a tertiary referral center. Alternative diagnostic tools are needed. Citation: Trotti LM; Staab BA; Rye DB. Test- retest reliability of the multiple sleep latency test in narcolepsy without cataplexy and idiopathic hypersomnia. J Clin Sleep Med 2013;9(8):789-795. PMID:23946709

Reliability of a standardized test in Swedish for evaluation of reading performance in healthy eyes. Interchart and test-retest analyses.

PubMed

Thaung, Jörgen; Olseke, Kjell; Ahl, Johan; Sjöstrand, Johan

2014-09-01

The purpose of our study was to establish a practical and quick test for assessing reading performance and to statistically analyse interchart and test-retest reliability of a new standardized Swedish reading chart system consisting of three charts constructed according to the principles available in the literature. Twenty-four subjects with healthy eyes, mean age 65 ± 10 years, were tested binocularly and the reading performance evaluated as reading acuity, critical print size and maximum reading speed. The test charts all consist of 12 short text sentences with a print size ranging from 0.9 to -0.2 logMAR in approximate steps of 0.1 logMAR. Two testing sessions, in two different groups (C1 and C2), were under strict control of luminance and lighting environment. Reading performance tests with chart T1, T2 and T3 were used for evaluation of interchart reliability and test data from a second session 1 month or more apart for the test-retest analysis. The testing of reading performance in adult observers with short sentences of continuous text was quick and practical. The agreement between the tests obtained with the three different test charts was high both within the same test session and at retest. This new Swedish variant of a standardized reading system based on short sentences and logarithmic progression of print size provides reliable measurements of reading performance and preliminary norms in an age group around 65 years. The reading test with three independent reading charts can be useful for clinical studies of reading ability before and after treatment. © 2013 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

On the confounds among retest gains and age-cohort differences in the estimation of within-person change in longitudinal studies: a simulation study.

PubMed

Hoffman, Lesa; Hofer, Scott M; Sliwinski, Martin J

2011-12-01

Although longitudinal designs are the only way in which age changes can be directly observed, a recurrent criticism involves to what extent retest effects may downwardly bias estimates of true age-related cognitive change. Considerable attention has been given to the problem of retest effects within mixed effects models that include separate parameters for longitudinal change over time (usually specified as a function of age) and for the impact of retest (specified as a function of number of exposures). Because time (i.e., intervals between assessment) and number of exposures are highly correlated (and are perfectly correlated in equal interval designs) in most longitudinal studies, the separation of effects of within-person change from effects of retest gains is only possible given certain assumptions (e.g., age convergence). To the extent that cross-sectional and longitudinal effects of age differ, obtained estimates of aging and retest may not be informative. The current simulation study investigated the recovery of within-person change (i.e., aging) and retest effects from repeated cognitive testing as a function of number of waves, age range at baseline, and size and direction of age-cohort differences on the intercept and age slope in age-based models of change. Significant bias and Type I error rates in the estimated effects of retest were observed when these convergence assumptions were not met. These simulation results suggest that retest effects may not be distinguishable from effects of aging-related change and age-cohort differences in typical long-term traditional longitudinal designs.

Space vehicle electromechanical system and helical antenna winding fixture

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

Judd, Stephen; Dallmann, Nicholas; Guenther, David

A space vehicle electromechanical system may employ an architecture that enables convenient and practical testing, reset, and retesting of solar panel and antenna deployment on the ground. A helical antenna winding fixture may facilitate winding and binding of the helical antenna.

Periodic Application of Stochastic Cost Optimization Methodology to Achieve Remediation Objectives with Minimized Life Cycle Cost

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, U.; Parker, J.

2016-12-01

Many dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) contaminated sites in the U.S. are reported as "remediation in progress" (RIP). However, the cost to complete (CTC) remediation at these sites is highly uncertain and in many cases, the current remediation plan may need to be modified or replaced to achieve remediation objectives. This study evaluates the effectiveness of iterative stochastic cost optimization that incorporates new field data for periodic parameter recalibration to incrementally reduce prediction uncertainty and implement remediation design modifications as needed to minimize the life cycle cost (i.e., CTC). This systematic approach, using the Stochastic Cost Optimization Toolkit (SCOToolkit), enables early identification and correction of problems to stay on track for completion while minimizing the expected (i.e., probability-weighted average) CTC. This study considers a hypothetical site involving multiple DNAPL sources in an unconfined aquifer using thermal treatment for source reduction and electron donor injection for dissolved plume control. The initial design is based on stochastic optimization using model parameters and their joint uncertainty based on calibration to site characterization data. The model is periodically recalibrated using new monitoring data and performance data for the operating remediation systems. Projected future performance using the current remediation plan is assessed and reoptimization of operational variables for the current system or consideration of alternative designs are considered depending on the assessment results. We compare remediation duration and cost for the stepwise re-optimization approach with single stage optimization as well as with a non-optimized design based on typical engineering practice.

Eight proxy indices of solar activity for the International Reference Ionosphere and Plasmasphere model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gulyaeva, T. L.; Arikan, F.; Sezen, U.; Poustovalova, L. V.

2018-07-01

In view of the recent recalibration of the sunspot number time series SSN2, a need has arisen to re-evaluate solar and ionospheric indices in the International Reference Ionosphere, IRI, and its extension to the Plasmasphere, IRI-Plas models, which are developed using the predecessor SSN1 index. To improve efficiency of the model, eight solar proxy indices are introduced in IRI-Plas system: the daily measured solar emissions, the Ottawa 10.7-cm radio flux F10.7 and the H Lyman-α line at 121.6 nm; the core-to-wing ratio of the magnesium ion h and k lines at 279.56 and 280.27 nm, MgII index; sunspot number SSN1 observed before 05.2015 and modelled afterwards; re-calibrated SSN2 sunspots time series; the ionosonde foF2-based global IG-index and the Global Electron Content, GEC, index, the new ionospheric TEC-noon index based on GPS-derived Total Electron Content measurements at 288 IGS stations for 1994-2018. The regression relations are deduced between the different solar and ionospheric proxy indices smoothed by 12-month sliding window. The IG, TEC and GEC saturation or amplification effect is observed towards the solar maximum. The SSN1 and F10.7 data serve as a default IRI-Plas input while the rest indices are scaled to SSN1 units envisaged by the F2 layer peak maps. Relevant subroutines are incorporated in IRI-Plas system for automatic conversion of user's predefined index to other related indices which are applied by the different model procedures.

Test-retest reliability of infant event related potentials evoked by faces.

PubMed

Munsters, N M; van Ravenswaaij, H; van den Boomen, C; Kemner, C

2017-04-05

Reliable measures are required to draw meaningful conclusions regarding developmental changes in longitudinal studies. Little is known, however, about the test-retest reliability of face-sensitive event related potentials (ERPs), a frequently used neural measure in infants. The aim of the current study is to investigate the test-retest reliability of ERPs typically evoked by faces in 9-10 month-old infants. The infants (N=31) were presented with neutral, fearful and happy faces that contained only the lower or higher spatial frequency information. They were tested twice within two weeks. The present results show that the test-retest reliability of the face-sensitive ERP components is moderate (P400 and Nc) to substantial (N290). However, there is low test-retest reliability for the effects of the specific experimental manipulations (i.e. emotion and spatial frequency) on the face-sensitive ERPs. To conclude, in infants the face-sensitive ERP components (i.e. N290, P400 and Nc) show adequate test-retest reliability, but not the effects of emotion and spatial frequency on these ERP components. We propose that further research focuses on investigating elements that might increase the test-retest reliability, as adequate test-retest reliability is necessary to draw meaningful conclusions on individual developmental trajectories of the face-sensitive ERPs in infants. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The ingestible thermal monitoring system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cutchis, Protagoras N.; Hogrefe, Arthur F.; Lesho, Jeffery C.

1988-01-01

A thermal monitoring system for measuring body core temperatures was developed that contains an ingestible pill which is both commandable and rechargeable, and which uses magnetic induction for command and telemetry as well as for recharging. The pill electronics consist of a battery power source, a crystal-controlled oscillator that drives a small air coil, and a command detection circuit. The resulting 262-kHz magnetilc field can be easily detected from a distance of 1 m. The pill oscillator functions at voltages less than 1 V, supplied by a single Ni-Cd battery, which must be recharged after 72 h of continuous transmission. The pill can be recalibrated periodically to compensate for long-term drift.

A feasibility study of ion implantation techniques for mass spectrometer calibration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koslin, M. E.; Krycuk, G. A.; Schatz, J. G., Jr.; White, F. A.; Wood, G. M.

1978-01-01

An experimental study was undertaken to examine the feasibility of using ion-implanted filaments doped with either an alkali metal or noble gas for in situ recalibration of onboard mass spectrometers during extended space missions. Implants of rubidium and krypton in rhenium ribbon filaments were subsequently tested in a bakeable 60 deg sector mass spectrometer operating in the static mode. Surface ionization and electron impact ion sources were both used, each yielding satisfactory results. The metallic implant with subsequent ionization provided a means of mass scale calibration and determination of system operating parameters, whereas the noble gas thermally desorbed into the system was more suited for partial pressure and sensitivity determinations.

Reliability of a device for the knee and ankle isometric and isokinetic strength testing in older adults.

PubMed

Bergamin, Marco; Gobbo, Stefano; Bullo, Valentina; Vendramin, Barbara; Duregon, Federica; Frizziero, Antonio; Di Blasio, Andrea; Cugusi, Lucia; Zaccaria, Marco; Ermolao, Andrea

2017-01-01

Lower extremity muscle mass, strength, power, and physical performance are critical determinants of independent functioning in later life. Isokinetic dynamometers are becoming very common in assessing different features of muscle strength, in both research and clinical practice; however, reliability studies are still needed to support the extended use of those devices. The purpose of this study is to assess the test-retest reliability of knee and ankle isokinetic and isometric strength testing protocols in a sample of older healthy subjects, using a new and untested isokinetic multi-joint evaluation system. Sixteen male and fourteen female older adults (mean age 65.2 ± 4.6 years) were assessed in two testing sessions. Each participant performed a randomized testing procedure that includes different isometric and isokinetic tests for knee and ankle joints. All participants concluded the trial safety and no subject reported any discomfort throughout the overall assessment. Coefficients of correlation between measures were calculated showing moderate to strong effects among all test-retest assessments and paired-sample t test showed only one significant difference (p<0.05) in the maximal isokinetic bilateral knee flexion torque. The multi-joint evaluation system for the assessment of knee and ankle isokinetic and isometric strength provided reliable test-retest measures in healthy older adults. Ib.

Implementation of repeat HIV testing during pregnancy in Kenya: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Rogers, Anna Joy; Weke, Elly; Kwena, Zachary; Bukusi, Elizabeth A; Oyaro, Patrick; Cohen, Craig R; Turan, Janet M

2016-07-11

Repeat HIV testing in late pregnancy has the potential to decrease rates of mother-to-child transmission of HIV by identifying mothers who seroconvert after having tested negative for HIV in early pregnancy. Despite being national policy in Kenya, the available data suggest that implementation rates are low. We conducted 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews with healthcare providers and managers to explore barriers and enablers to implementation of repeat HIV testing guidelines for pregnant women. Participants were from the Nyanza region of Kenya and were purposively selected to provide variation in socio-demographics and job characteristics. Interview transcripts were coded and analyzed in Dedoose software using a thematic analysis approach. Four themes were identified a priori using Ferlie and Shortell's Framework for Change and additional themes were allowed to emerge from the data. Participants identified barriers and enablers at the client, provider, facility, and health system levels. Key barriers at the client level from the perspective of providers included late initial presentation to antenatal care and low proportions of women completing the recommended four antenatal visits. Barriers to offering repeat HIV testing for providers included heavy workloads, time limitations, and failing to remember to check for retest eligibility. At the facility level, inconsistent volume of clients and lack of space required for confidential HIV retesting were cited as barriers. Finally, at the health system level, there were challenges relating to the HIV test kit supply chain and the design of nationally standardized antenatal patient registers. Enablers to improving the implementation of repeat HIV testing included client dissemination of the benefits of antenatal care through word-of-mouth, provider cooperation and task shifting, and it was suggested that use of an electronic health record system could provide automatic reminders for retest eligibility. This study highlights some important barriers to improving HIV retesting rates among pregnant women who attend antenatal clinics in the Nyanza region of Kenya at the client, provider, facility, and health system levels. To successfully implement Kenya's national repeat HIV testing guidelines during pregnancy, it is essential that these barriers be addressed and enablers capitalized on through a multi-faceted intervention program.

A mechano-acoustic indentor system for in vivo measurement of nonlinear elastic properties of soft tissue.

PubMed

Koo, Terry K; Cohen, Jeffrey H; Zheng, Yongping

2011-11-01

Soft tissue exhibits nonlinear stress-strain behavior under compression. Characterizing its nonlinear elasticity may aid detection, diagnosis, and treatment of soft tissue abnormality. The purposes of this study were to develop a rate-controlled Mechano-Acoustic Indentor System and a corresponding finite element optimization method to extract nonlinear elastic parameters of soft tissue and evaluate its test-retest reliability. An indentor system using a linear actuator to drive a force-sensitive probe with a tip-mounted ultrasound transducer was developed. Twenty independent sites at the upper lateral quadrant of the buttock from 11 asymptomatic subjects (7 men and 4 women from a chiropractic college) were indented at 6% per second for 3 sessions, each consisting of 5 trials. Tissue thickness, force at 25% deformation, and area under the load-deformation curve from 0% to 25% deformation were calculated. Optimized hyperelastic parameters of the soft tissue were calculated with a finite element model using a first-order Ogden material model. Load-deformation response on a standardized block was then simulated, and the corresponding area and force parameters were calculated. Between-trials repeatability and test-retest reliability of each parameter were evaluated using coefficients of variation and intraclass correlation coefficients, respectively. Load-deformation responses were highly reproducible under repeated measurements. Coefficients of variation of tissue thickness, area under the load-deformation curve from 0% to 25% deformation, and force at 25% deformation averaged 0.51%, 2.31%, and 2.23%, respectively. Intraclass correlation coefficients ranged between 0.959 and 0.999, indicating excellent test-retest reliability. The automated Mechano-Acoustic Indentor System and its corresponding optimization technique offers a viable technology to make in vivo measurement of the nonlinear elastic properties of soft tissue. This technology showed excellent between-trials repeatability and test-retest reliability with potential to quantify the effects of a wide variety of manual therapy techniques on the soft tissue elastic properties. Copyright © 2011 National University of Health Sciences. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

A new pediatrics for a new century.

PubMed

Lantos, John D; Ward, Neil A

2013-04-01

Is the field of pediatrics doing all that it can for the health of children? Many think that the field has gone off track and that we could do better. These articles highlight some different ways of judging the successes and failures of pediatrics in the United States today. The choices that we face are stark. To change the system, we would need to recalibrate the balance between utilitarian approaches to resource allocation, such as might be dictated by cost-effectiveness analyses, and deontologic approaches that prioritize unbreakable commitments or promises to individuals. These changes would entail large-scale social engineering projects to reshape our health care system, our educational system, and our public health system. A failure to change, however, might perpetuate a system that is not doing all it can for the health of America's children and the society they will form.

Test-retest reliability of sensor-based sit-to-stand measures in young and older adults.

PubMed

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

2014-01-01

This study investigated test-retest reliability of sensor-based sit-to-stand (STS) peak power and other STS measures in young and older adults. In addition, test-retest reliability of the sensor method was compared to test-retest reliability of the Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT) and Five-Times-Sit-to-Stand Test (FTSST) in older adults. Ten healthy young female adults (20-23 years) and 31 older adults (21 females; 73-94 years) participated in two assessment sessions separated by 3-8 days. Vertical peak power was assessed during three (young adults) and five (older adults) normal and fast STS trials with a hybrid motion sensor worn on the hip. Older adults also performed the FTSST and TUGT. The average sensor-based STS peak power of the normal STS trials and the average sensor-based STS peak power of the fast STS trials showed excellent test-retest reliability in young adults (intra-class correlation (ICC)≥0.90; zero in 95% confidence interval of mean difference between test and retest (95%CI of D); standard error of measurement (SEM)≤6.7% of mean peak power) and older adults (ICC≥0.91; zero in 95%CI of D; SEM≤9.9%). Test-retest reliability of sensor-based STS peak power and TUGT (ICC=0.98; zero in 95%CI of D; SEM=8.5%) was comparable in older adults, test-retest reliability of the FTSST was lower (ICC=0.73; zero outside 95%CI of D; SEM=14.4%). Sensor-based STS peak power demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability and may therefore be useful for clinical assessment of functional status and fall risk. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multiwavelength Comparison of Modeled and Measured Remote Tropospheric Aerosol Backscatter Over Pacific Ocean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cutten, D. R.; Pueschel, R. F.; Srivastava, V.; Clarke, A. D.; Rothermel, J.; Spinhirne, J. D.; Menzies, R. T.

1996-01-01

Aerosol concentrations and size distributions in the middle and upper troposphere over the remote Pacific Ocean were measured with a forward scattering spectrometer probe (FSSP) on the NASA DC-8 aircraft during NASA's Global Backscatter Experiment (GLOBE) in May-June 1990. The FSSP size channels were recalibrated based on refractive index estimates from flight-level aerosol volatility measurements with a collocated laser optical particle counter (LOPC). The recalibrated FSSP size distributions were averaged over 100-s intervals, fitted with lo-normal distributions and used to calculate aerosol backscatter coefficients at selected wavelengths. The FSSP-derived backscatter estimates were averaged over 300-s intervals to reduce large random fluctuations. The smoothed FSSP aerosol backscatter coefficients were then compared with LOPC-derived backscatter values and with backscatter measured at or near flight level from four lidar systems operating at 0.53, 1.06, 9.11, 9.25, and 10.59 micrometers. Agreement between FSSP-derived and lidar-measured backscatter was generally best at flight level in homogeneous aerosol fields and at high backscatter values. FSSP data often underestimated low backscatter values especially at the longer wavelengths due to poor counting statistics for larger particles (greater than 0.8 micrometers diameter) that usually dominate aerosol backscatter at these wavelengths. FSSP data also underestimated backscatter at shorter wavelengths when particles smaller than the FSSP lower cutoff diameter (0.35 micrometers) made significant contributions to the total backscatter.

A graphical modeling tool for evaluating nitrogen loading to and nitrate transport in ground water in the mid-Snake region, south-central Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clark, David W.; Skinner, Kenneth D.; Pollock, David W.

2006-01-01

A flow and transport model was created with a graphical user interface to simplify the evaluation of nitrogen loading and nitrate transport in the mid-Snake region in south-central Idaho. This model and interface package, the Snake River Nitrate Scenario Simulator, uses the U.S. Geological Survey's MODFLOW 2000 and MOC3D models. The interface, which is enabled for use with geographic information systems (GIS), was created using ESRI's royalty-free MapObjects LT software. The interface lets users view initial nitrogen-loading conditions (representing conditions as of 1998), alter the nitrogen loading within selected zones by specifying a multiplication factor and applying it to the initial condition, run the flow and transport model, and view a graphical representation of the modeling results. The flow and transport model of the Snake River Nitrate Scenario Simulator was created by rediscretizing and recalibrating a clipped portion of an existing regional flow model. The new subregional model was recalibrated with newly available water-level data and spring and ground-water nitrate concentration data for the study area. An updated nitrogen input GIS layer controls the application of nitrogen to the flow and transport model. Users can alter the nitrogen application to the flow and transport model by altering the nitrogen load in predefined spatial zones contained within similar political, hydrologic, and size-constrained boundaries.

14 CFR 65.19 - Retesting after failure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Retesting after failure. 65.19 Section 65.19 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED) AIRMEN CERTIFICATION: AIRMEN OTHER THAN FLIGHT CREWMEMBERS General § 65.19 Retesting after failure. An...

14 CFR 65.19 - Retesting after failure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Retesting after failure. 65.19 Section 65.19 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED) AIRMEN CERTIFICATION: AIRMEN OTHER THAN FLIGHT CREWMEMBERS General § 65.19 Retesting after failure. An...

14 CFR 65.19 - Retesting after failure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Retesting after failure. 65.19 Section 65.19 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED) AIRMEN CERTIFICATION: AIRMEN OTHER THAN FLIGHT CREWMEMBERS General § 65.19 Retesting after failure. An...

14 CFR 65.19 - Retesting after failure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Retesting after failure. 65.19 Section 65.19 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED) AIRMEN CERTIFICATION: AIRMEN OTHER THAN FLIGHT CREWMEMBERS General § 65.19 Retesting after failure. An...

WIDE RANGE ACHIEVEMENT TEST IN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER: TEST-RETEST STABILITY.

PubMed

Jantz, Paul B; Bigler, Erin D; Froehlich, Alyson L; Prigge, Molly B D; Cariello, Annahir N; Travers, Brittany G; Anderson, Jeffrey; Zielinski, Brandon A; Alexander, Andrew L; Lange, Nicholas; Lainhart, Janet E

2015-06-01

The principal goal of this descriptive study was to establish the test-retest stability of the Reading, Spelling, and Arithmetic subtest scores of the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT-3) across two administrations in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Participants (N = 31) were males ages 6-22 years (M = 15.2, SD = 4.0) who were part of a larger ongoing longitudinal study of brain development in children and adults with autism spectrum disorder (N = 185). Test-retest stability for all three subtests remained consistent across administration periods (M = 31.8 mo., SD = 4.1). Age at time of administration, time between administrations, and test form did not significantly influence test-retest stability. Results indicated that for research involving individuals with autism spectrum disorder with a full scale intelligence quotient above 75, the WRAT-3 Spelling and Arithmetic subtests have acceptable test-retest stability over time and the Reading subtest has moderate test-retest stability over time.

Test-retest reliability of a single-channel, wireless EEG system.

PubMed

Rogers, Jeffrey M; Johnstone, Stuart J; Aminov, Anna; Donnelly, James; Wilson, Peter H

2016-08-01

Recording systems to acquire electroencephalogram (EEG) data are traditionally lab-based. However, there are shortcomings to this method, and the ease of use and portability of emerging wireless EEG technologies offer a promising alternative. A previous validity study demonstrated data derived from a single-channel, wireless system (NeuroSky ThinkGear, San Jose, California) is comparable to EEG recorded from conventional lab-based equipment. The current study evaluated the reliability of this portable system using test-retest and reliable change analyses. Relative power (RP) of delta, theta, alpha, and beta frequency bands was derived from EEG data obtained from a single electrode over FP1 in 19 healthy youth (10-17years old), 21 healthy adults (18-28years old), and 19 healthy older adults (55-79years old), during eyes-open, eyes-closed, auditory oddball, and visual n-back conditions. Intra-class correlations (ICCs) and Coefficients of Repeatability (CRs) were calculated from RP data re-collected one-day, one-week, and one-month later. Participants' levels of mood and attention were consistent across sessions. Eyes-closed resting EEG measurements using the portable device were reproducible (ICCs 0.76-0.85) at short and longer retest intervals in all three participant age groups. While still of at least fair reliability (ICCs 0.57-0.85), EEG obtained during eyes-open paradigms was less stable, and any change observed over time during these testing conditions can be interpreted utilizing the CR values provided. Combined with existing validity data, these findings encourage application of the portable EEG system for the study of brain function. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analysis of regional rainfall-runoff parameters for the Lake Michigan Diversion hydrological modeling

USGS Publications Warehouse

Soong, David T.; Over, Thomas M.

2015-01-01

Recalibration of the HSPF parameters to the updated inputs and land covers was completed on two representative watershed models selected from the nine by using a manual method (HSPEXP) and an automatic method (PEST). The objective of the recalibration was to develop a regional parameter set that improves the accuracy in runoff volume prediction for the nine study watersheds. Knowledge about flow and watershed characteristics plays a vital role for validating the calibration in both manual and automatic methods. The best performing parameter set was determined by the automatic calibration method on a two-watershed model. Applying this newly determined parameter set to the nine watersheds for runoff volume simulation resulted in “very good” ratings in five watersheds, an improvement as compared to “very good” ratings achieved for three watersheds by the North Branch parameter set.

Reduced audiovisual recalibration in the elderly.

PubMed

Chan, Yu Man; Pianta, Michael J; McKendrick, Allison M

2014-01-01

Perceived synchrony of visual and auditory signals can be altered by exposure to a stream of temporally offset stimulus pairs. Previous literature suggests that adapting to audiovisual temporal offsets is an important recalibration to correctly combine audiovisual stimuli into a single percept across a range of source distances. Healthy aging results in synchrony perception over a wider range of temporally offset visual and auditory signals, independent of age-related unisensory declines in vision and hearing sensitivities. However, the impact of aging on audiovisual recalibration is unknown. Audiovisual synchrony perception for sound-lead and sound-lag stimuli was measured for 15 younger (22-32 years old) and 15 older (64-74 years old) healthy adults using a method-of-constant-stimuli, after adapting to a stream of visual and auditory pairs. The adaptation pairs were either synchronous or asynchronous (sound-lag of 230 ms). The adaptation effect for each observer was computed as the shift in the mean of the individually fitted psychometric functions after adapting to asynchrony. Post-adaptation to synchrony, the younger and older observers had average window widths (±standard deviation) of 326 (±80) and 448 (±105) ms, respectively. There was no adaptation effect for sound-lead pairs. Both the younger and older observers, however, perceived more sound-lag pairs as synchronous. The magnitude of the adaptation effect in the older observers was not correlated with how often they saw the adapting sound-lag stimuli as asynchronous. Our finding demonstrates that audiovisual synchrony perception adapts less with advancing age.

Reduced audiovisual recalibration in the elderly

PubMed Central

Chan, Yu Man; Pianta, Michael J.; McKendrick, Allison M.

2014-01-01

Perceived synchrony of visual and auditory signals can be altered by exposure to a stream of temporally offset stimulus pairs. Previous literature suggests that adapting to audiovisual temporal offsets is an important recalibration to correctly combine audiovisual stimuli into a single percept across a range of source distances. Healthy aging results in synchrony perception over a wider range of temporally offset visual and auditory signals, independent of age-related unisensory declines in vision and hearing sensitivities. However, the impact of aging on audiovisual recalibration is unknown. Audiovisual synchrony perception for sound-lead and sound-lag stimuli was measured for 15 younger (22–32 years old) and 15 older (64–74 years old) healthy adults using a method-of-constant-stimuli, after adapting to a stream of visual and auditory pairs. The adaptation pairs were either synchronous or asynchronous (sound-lag of 230 ms). The adaptation effect for each observer was computed as the shift in the mean of the individually fitted psychometric functions after adapting to asynchrony. Post-adaptation to synchrony, the younger and older observers had average window widths (±standard deviation) of 326 (±80) and 448 (±105) ms, respectively. There was no adaptation effect for sound-lead pairs. Both the younger and older observers, however, perceived more sound-lag pairs as synchronous. The magnitude of the adaptation effect in the older observers was not correlated with how often they saw the adapting sound-lag stimuli as asynchronous. Our finding demonstrates that audiovisual synchrony perception adapts less with advancing age. PMID:25221508

A Quasi-Global Approach to Improve Day-Time Satellite Surface Soil Moisture Anomalies through the Land Surface Temperature Input

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parinussa, Robert M.; de Jeu, Richard A. M.; van Der Schalie, Robin; Crow, Wade T.; Lei, Fangni; Holmes, Thomas R. H.

2016-01-01

Passive microwave observations from various spaceborne sensors have been linked to the soil moisture of the Earth's surface layer. A new generation of passive microwave sensors are dedicated to retrieving this variable and make observations in the single theoretically optimal L-band frequency (1-2 GHz). Previous generations of passive microwave sensors made observations in a range of higher frequencies, allowing for simultaneous estimation of additional variables required for solving the radiative transfer equation. One of these additional variables is land surface temperature, which plays a unique role in the radiative transfer equation and has an influence on the final quality of retrieved soil moisture anomalies. This study presents an optimization procedure for soil moisture retrievals through a quasi-global precipitation-based verification technique, the so-called Rvalue metric. Various land surface temperature scenarios were evaluated in which biases were added to an existing linear regression, specifically focusing on improving the skills to capture the temporal variability of soil moisture. We focus on the relative quality of the day-time (01:30 pm) observations from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for Earth Observing System (AMSR-E), as these are theoretically most challenging due to the thermal equilibrium theory, and existing studies indicate that larger improvements are possible for these observations compared to their night-time (01:30 am) equivalent. Soil moisture data used in this study were retrieved through the Land Parameter Retrieval Model (LPRM), and in line with theory, both satellite paths show a unique and distinct degradation as a function of vegetation density. Both the ascending (01:30 pm) and descending (01:30 am) paths of the publicly available and widely used AMSR-E LPRM soil moisture products were used for benchmarking purposes. Several scenarios were employed in which the land surface temperature input for the radiative transfer was varied by imposing a bias on an existing regression. These scenarios were evaluated through the Rvalue technique, resulting in optimal bias values on top of this regression. In a next step, these optimal bias values were incorporated in order to re-calibrate the existing linear regression, resulting in a quasi-global uniform LST relation for day-time observations. In a final step, day-time soil moisture retrievals using the re-calibrated land surface temperature relation were again validated through the Rvalue technique. Results indicate an average increasing Rvalue of 16.5%, which indicates a better performance obtained through the re-calibration. This number was confirmed through an independent Triple Collocation verification over the same domain, demonstrating an average root mean square error reduction of 15.3%. Furthermore, a comparison against an extensive in situ database (679 stations) also indicates a generally higher quality for the re-calibrated dataset. Besides the improved day-time dataset, this study furthermore provides insights on the relative quality of soil moisture retrieved from AMSR-E's day- and night-time observations.

7 CFR 201.55 - Retests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

..., Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) FEDERAL SEED ACT FEDERAL SEED ACT REGULATIONS Germination Tests in the Administration of the Act § 201.55 Retests. Retests shall be made as follows: (a) When the range of 100-seed replicates of a given test exceeds the maximum tolerated range in the table...

7 CFR 201.55 - Retests.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

..., Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (CONTINUED) FEDERAL SEED ACT FEDERAL SEED ACT REGULATIONS Germination Tests in the Administration of the Act § 201.55 Retests. Retests shall be made as follows: (a) When the range of 100-seed replicates of a given test exceeds the maximum tolerated range in the table...

Development of the CLAES instrument aperture door system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stubbs, D. M.

1990-01-01

The design, assembly, and test processes followed in developing a space-qualified aperture door system are described. A blackbody calibration source is mounted inside the door, requiring the assembly to open and close a minimum of 150 cycles for instrument recalibration. Within the door system are four separate mechanisms, three of which are redundant; a pyro launch latch, a hinge bearing assembly, and a pair of pivot mechanisms. Decoupling devices within the pivot mechanisms allow an active drive unit to automatically overdrive a failed drive unit. The door is also stowable for possible Shuttle retrieval and re-entry. Illustrations and photographs of the flight hardware help acquaint the reader with the design. The aim is to pass on lessons learned in all phases of developing this spaceflight mechanism.

Hepatitis C testing and re-testing among people attending sexual health services in Australia, and hepatitis C incidence among people with human immunodeficiency virus: analysis of national sentinel surveillance data.

PubMed

Boettiger, David C; Law, Matthew G; Dore, Gregory J; Guy, Rebecca; Callander, Denton; Donovan, Basil; O'Connor, Catherine C; Fairley, Christopher K; Hellard, Margaret; Matthews, Gail

2017-12-01

Direct acting antivirals are expected to drastically reduce the burden of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). However, rates of HCV testing, re-testing and incident infection in this group remain uncertain in Australia. We assessed trends in HCV testing, re-testing and incident infection among HIV-positive individuals, and evaluated factors associated with HCV re-testing and incident infection. The study population consisted of HIV-positive individuals who visited a sexual health service involved in the Australian Collaboration for Coordinated Enhanced Sentinel Surveillance (ACCESS) between 2007 and 2015. Poisson regression was used to assess trends and to evaluate factors associated with HCV re-testing and incident HCV infection. There were 9227 HIV-positive individuals included in our testing rate analysis. Of 3799 HIV-positive/HCV-negative people that attended an ACCESS sexual health service more than once, 2079 (54.7%) were re-tested for HCV and were therefore eligible for our incidence analysis. The rate of HCV testing increased from 17.1 to 51.4 tests per 100 patient years between 2007 and 2015 (p for trend <0.01). Over the same period, HCV re-testing rates increased from 23.9 to 79.7 tests per 100 person years (p for trend <0.01). A clear increase in testing and re-testing began after 2011. Patients who identified as men who have sex with men and those with a history of injecting drug use experienced high rates of HCV re-testing over the course of the study period. Among those who re-tested, 157 incident HCV infections occurred at a rate of 2.5 events per 100 person years. Between 2007 and 2009, 2010-2011, 2012-2013 and 2014-2015, rates of incident HCV were 0.8, 1.5, 3.9 and 2.7 events per 100 person years, respectively (p for trend <0.01). Incident HCV was strongly associated with a history of injecting drug use. High rates of HCV testing and re-testing among HIV-positive individuals in Australia will assist strategies to achieve HCV elimination through rapid treatment scale up. Continued monitoring of HCV incidence in this population is essential for guiding both HCV prevention and treatment strategies.

Test of cure, retesting and extragenital testing practices for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae among general practitioners in different socioeconomic status areas: A retrospective cohort study, 2011-2016

PubMed Central

van Liere, Geneviève A. F. S.; Cals, Jochen W. L.; Dukers-Muijrers, Nicole H. T. M.

2018-01-01

Background For Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), a test of cure (TOC) within 3–5 weeks is not recommended. International guidelines differ in advising a Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) TOC. Retesting CT and NG positives within 3–12 months is recommended in international guidelines. We assessed TOC and retesting practices including extragenital testing in general practitioner (GP) practices located in different socioeconomic status (SES) areas to inform and optimize local test practices. Methods Laboratory data of 48 Dutch GP practices between January 2011 and July 2016 were used. Based on a patient’s first positive CT or NG test, the proportion of TOC (<3 months) and retests (3–12 months) were calculated. Patient- and GP-related factors were assessed using multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results For CT (n = 622), 20% had a TOC and 24% had a retest at the GP practice. GP practices in low SES areas were more likely to perform a CT TOC (OR:1.8;95%CI:1.1–3.1). Younger patients (<25 years) were more likely to have a CT TOC (OR:1.6;95%CI:1.0–2.4). For CT (n = 622), 2.4% had a TOC and 6.1% had a retest at another STI care provider. For NG (n = 73), 25% had a TOC and 15% had a retest at the GP practice. For NG (n = 73), 2.7% had a TOC and 12.3% had a retest at another STI care provider. In only 0.3% of the consultations patients were tested on extragenital sites. Conclusion Almost 20% of the patients returned for a CT TOC, especially at GP practices in low SES areas. For NG, 1 out of 4 patients returned for a TOC. Retesting rates were low for both CT (24%) and NG (15%), (re)infections including extragenital infections may be missed. Efforts are required to focus TOC and increase retesting practices of GPs in order to improve CT/NG control. PMID:29538469

Test-Retest Reliability of the Short-Form Survivor Unmet Needs Survey.

PubMed

Taylor, Karen; Bulsara, Max; Monterosso, Leanne

2018-01-01

Reliable and valid needs assessment measures are important assessment tools in cancer survivorship care. A new 30-item short-form version of the Survivor Unmet Needs Survey (SF-SUNS) was developed and validated with cancer survivors, including hematology cancer survivors; however, test-retest reliability has not been established. The objective of this study was to assess the test-retest reliability of the SF-SUNS with a cohort of lymphoma survivors ( n = 40). Test-retest reliability of the SF-SUNS was conducted at two time points: baseline (time 1) and 5 days later (time 2). Test-retest data were collected from lymphoma cancer survivors ( n = 40) in a large tertiary cancer center in Western Australia. Intraclass correlation analyses compared data at time 1 (baseline) and time 2 (5 days later). Cronbach's alpha analyses were performed to assess the internal consistency at both time points. The majority (23/30, 77%) of items achieved test-retest reliability scores 0.45-0.74 (fair to good). A high degree of overall internal consistency was demonstrated (time 1 = 0.92, time 2 = 0.95), with scores 0.65-0.94 across subscales for both time points. Mixed test-retest reliability of the SF-SUNS was established. Our results indicate the SF-SUNS is responsive to the changing needs of lymphoma cancer survivors. Routine use of cancer survivorship specific needs-based assessments is required in oncology care today. Nurses are well placed to administer these assessments and provide tailored information and resources. Further assessment of test-retest reliability in hematology and other cancer cohorts is warranted.

Hearing and loud music exposure in a group of adolescents at the ages of 14-15 and retested at 17-18.

PubMed

Biassoni, Ester C; Serra, Mario R; Hinalaf, María; Abraham, Mónica; Pavlik, Marta; Villalobo, Jorge Pérez; Curet, Carlos; Joekes, Silvia; Yacci, María R; Righetti, Andrea

2014-01-01

Young people expose themselves to potentially damaging loud sounds while leisure activities and noise induced hearing loss is diagnosed in increasing number of adolescents. Hearing and music exposure in a group of adolescents of a technical high school was assessed at the ages of: 14-15 (test) and 17-18 (retest). The aims of the current study were: (1) To compare the auditory function between test and retest; (2) to compare the musical exposure levels during recreational activities in test and retest; (3) to compare the auditory function with the musical exposure along time in a subgroup of adolescents. The participants in the test were 172 male; in the retest, this number was reduced to 59. At the test and retest the conventional and extended high frequency audiometry, transient evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) and recreational habits questionnaire were performed. In the test, hearing threshold levels (HTLs) were classified as: Normal (Group 1), slightly shifted (Group 2), and significantly shifted (Group 3); the Musical General Exposure (MGE), categorized in: Low, moderate, high, and very high exposure. The results revealed a significant difference (P < 0.0001) between test and retest in the HTL and global amplitude of TEOAEs in Group 1, showing an increase of the HTL and a decrease TEOAEs amplitude. A subgroup of adolescents, with normal hearing and low exposure to music in the test, showed an increase of the HTL according with the categories of MGE in the retest. To implement educational programs for assessing hearing function, ear vulnerability and to promote hearing health, would be advisable.

Missouri Highway Safety Manual Recalibration

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2018-05-01

The Highway Safety Manual (HSM) is a national manual for analyzing the highway safety of various facilities, including rural roads, urban arterials, freeways, and intersections. The HSM was first published in 2010, and a 2014 supplement addressed fre...

Special Reports.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haycock, Ken; Chapin, Betty; Bruce, David; Durrance, Joan C.; Pettigrew, Karen; Oakley, Robert L.; Juergens, Bonnie; Nevins, Kate

1999-01-01

Presents these special reports: "Information Age Dilemma: Filtering the Internet for Young People"; "KALIPER: A Look at Library and Information Science Education at the Turn of a New Century"; "Copyright 1998: Recalibrating the Balance"; "Library Networking and Cooperation in 1998". (AEF)

Test-Retest Reliability of a Survey to Measure Transport-Related Physical Activity in Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Badland, Hannah; Schofield, Grant

2006-01-01

The present research details test-retest reliability of a newly developed, telephone-administered TPA survey for adults. This instrument examines barriers, perceptions, and current travel behaviors to place of work/study and local convenience shops. Demonstrated test-retest reliability of the Active Friendly Environments-Transport-Related Physical…

An Empirical Investigation of Change in MCAT Scores upon Retest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hynes, Kevin; Givner, Nathaniel

1980-01-01

An investigation of Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) retest scores indicates that limited retest improvement may result when initial scores are fairly low or below what might be predicted based on grade point averages. However, when initial scores approach the national, standardized MCAT mean, or are above what might be predicted, significant…

Test-retest reliability and practice effects of a rapid screen of mild traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

De Monte, Veronica Eileen; Geffen, Gina Malke; Kwapil, Karleigh

2005-07-01

Test-retest reliabilities and practice effects of measures from the Rapid Screen of Concussion (RSC), in addition to the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (Digit Symbol), were examined. Twenty five male participants were tested three times; each testing session scheduled a week apart. The test-retest reliability estimates for most measures were reasonably good, ranging from .79 to .97. An exception was the delayed word recall test, which has had a reliability estimate of .66 for the first retest, and .59 for the second retest. Practice effects were evident from Times 1 to 2 on the sentence comprehension and delayed recall subtests of the RSC, Digit Symbol and a composite score. There was also a practice effect of the same magnitude found from Time 2 to Time 3 on Digit Symbol, delayed recall and the composite score. Statistics on measures for both the first and second retest intervals, with associated practice effects, are presented to enable the calculation of reliable change indices (RCI). The RCI may be used to assess any improvement in cognitive functioning after mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

Action-based language: a theory of language acquisition, comprehension, and production.

PubMed

Glenberg, Arthur M; Gallese, Vittorio

2012-07-01

Evolution and the brain have done a marvelous job solving many tricky problems in action control, including problems of learning, hierarchical control over serial behavior, continuous recalibration, and fluency in the face of slow feedback. Given that evolution tends to be conservative, it should not be surprising that these solutions are exploited to solve other tricky problems, such as the design of a communication system. We propose that a mechanism of motor control, paired controller/predictor models, has been exploited for language learning, comprehension, and production. Our account addresses the development of grammatical regularities and perspective, as well as how linguistic symbols become meaningful through grounding in perception, action, and emotional systems. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Srl. All rights reserved.

Results from CrIS/ATMS Obtained Using an "AIRS Version-6 Like" Retrieval Algorithm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Susskind, Joel; Kouvaris, Louis; Iredell, Lena; Blaisdell, John

2015-01-01

AIRS and CrIS Version-6.22 O3(p) and q(p) products are both superior to those of AIRS Version-6.Monthly mean August 2014 Version-6.22 AIRS and CrIS products agree reasonably well with OMPS, CERES, and witheach other. JPL plans to process AIRS and CrIS for many months and compare interannual differences. Updates to thecalibration of both CrIS and ATMS are still being finalized. We are also working with JPL to develop a joint AIRS/CrISlevel-1 to level-3 processing system using a still to be finalized Version-7 retrieval algorithm. The NASA Goddard DISCwill eventually use this system to reprocess all AIRS and recalibrated CrIS/ATMS. .

Activity in prelimbic cortex is required for adjusting the anxiety response level during the elevated plus-maze retest.

PubMed

Stern, C A J; Do Monte, F H M; Gazarini, L; Carobrez, A P; Bertoglio, L J

2010-09-29

The prelimbic (PL) subregion of medial prefrontal cortex has been implicated in anxiety regulation. It is unknown, however, whether PL cortex also serves to fine-tuning the level of anxiety-related behavior exhibited on the next exposure to the same potentially threatening situation. To address this, we infused cobalt (1.0 mM) to temporarily inactivate the PL cortex during testing, post-testing or retesting in the elevated plus-maze (EPM). This protocol was chosen because it allowed us to concurrently investigate anxiety and the process of aversive learning and memory. PL cortex inactivation during the EPM testing increased the exploration of open-arms, substantiating its role in anxiety. PL cortex inactivation during the EPM retesting counteracted the further avoidance to open-arms exhibited by rats. Interestingly, as evidenced by min-by-min analysis, the cobalt-treated group behaved on EPM retesting as did the vehicle-treated group on EPM testing. This result may imply that activity in PL cortex is necessary for retrieving previously learned information that adjusts the anxiety response level on EPM retesting. Alternatively, a simple reduction in anxiety could explain the cobalt-induced increase in retest open-arms exploration. Neither test nor post-test PL cortex inactivation affected the further avoidance to open-arms observed on EPM retesting. To extend the investigation of PL cortex role in the regulation of open-arms avoidance, we infused other drugs prior to testing or retesting in the EPM. Antagonism of PL cortex adrenergic beta-1 receptors with atenolol (10 nmol), cholinergic muscarinic receptors with scopolamine (20 nmol) or glutamatergic N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors with AP5 (6.0 nmol) interfered with the level of open-arms exploration on testing, but not on retesting. Copyright 2010 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cross-cultural Adaptation of a Questionnaire on Self-perceived Level of Skills, Abilities and Competencies of Family Physicians in Albania.

PubMed

Alla, Arben; Czabanowska, Katarzyna; Kijowska, Violetta; Roshi, Enver; Burazeri, Genc

2012-01-01

Our aim was to validate an international instrument measuring self-perceived competency level of family physicians in Albania. A representative sample of 57 family physicians operating in primary health care services was interviewed twice in March-April 2012 in Tirana (26 men and 31 women; median age: 46 years, inter-quartile range: 38-56 years). A structured questionnaire was administered [and subsequently re-administered after two weeks (test-retest)] to all family physicians aiming to self-assess physicians' level of abilities, skills and competencies regarding different domains of quality of health care. The questionnaire included 37 items organized into 6 subscales/domains. Answers for each item of the tool ranged from 1 ("novice" physicians) to 5 ("expert" physicians). An overall summary score (range: 37-185) and a subscale summary score for each domain were calculated for the test and retest procedures. Cronbach's alpha was used to assess the internal consistency for both the test and the retest procedures, whereas Spearman's rho was employed to assess the stability over time (test-retest reliability) of the instrument. Cronbach's alpha was 0.87 for the test and 0.86 for the retest procedure. Overall, Spearman's rho was 0.84 (P<0.001). The overall summary score for the 37 items of the instrument was 96.3±10.0 for the test and 97.3±10.1 for the retest. All the subscale summary scores were very similar for the test and the retest procedure. This study provides evidence on cross-cultural adaptation of an international instrument taping self-perceived level of competencies of family physicians in Albania. The questionnaire displayed a satisfactory internal consistency for both test and retest procedures in this sample of family physicians in Albania. Furthermore, the high test-retest reliability (stability over time) of the instrument suggests a good potential for wide scale application to nationally representative samples of family physicians in Albanian populations.

Inter-Rater and Test-Retest Reliability of the Beery VMI in Schoolchildren

PubMed Central

Harvey, Erin M.; Leonard-Green, Tina K.; Mohan, Kathleen M.; Kulp, Marjean Taylor; Davis, Amy L.; Miller, Joseph M.; Twelker, J. Daniel; Campus, Irene; Dennis, Leslie K.

2017-01-01

Purpose To assess inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the 6th Edition Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (VMI) and test-retest reliability of the VMI Visual Perception Supplemental Test (VMIp) in school-age children. Methods Subjects were 163 Native American 3rd – 8th grade students with no significant refractive error (astigmatism < 1.00 D, myopia: < 0.75 D, hyperopia: < 2.50 D, anisometropia < 1.50 D) or ocular abnormalities. The VMI and VMIp were administered twice, on separate days. All VMI tests were scored by two trained scorers and a subset of 50 tests were also scored by an experienced scorer. Scorers strictly applied objective scoring criteria. Analyses included inter-rater and test-retest assessments of bias, 95% limits of agreement, and intraclass correlation analysis. Results Trained scorers had no significant scoring bias compared to the experienced scorer. One of the two trained scorers tended to provide higher scores than the other (mean difference in standardized scores = 1.54). Inter-rater correlations were strong (0.75 to 0.88). VMI and VMIp test-retest comparisons indicated no significant bias (subjects did not tend to score better on retest). Test-retest correlations were moderate (0.54 to 0.58). The 95% LOAs for the VMI were −24.14 to 24.67 (scorer 1) and −26.06 to 26.58 (scorer 2) and the 95% LOAs for the VMIp were −27.11 to 27.34. Conclusions The 95% LOA for test-retest differences will be useful for determining if the VMI and VMIp have sufficient sensitivity for detecting change with treatment in both clinical and research settings. Further research on test-retest reliability reporting 95% LOAs for children across different age ranges are recommended, particularly if the test is to be used to detect changes due to intervention or treatment. PMID:28422801

The plastic ear and perceptual relearning in auditory spatial perception

PubMed Central

Carlile, Simon

2014-01-01

The auditory system of adult listeners has been shown to accommodate to altered spectral cues to sound location which presumably provides the basis for recalibration to changes in the shape of the ear over a life time. Here we review the role of auditory and non-auditory inputs to the perception of sound location and consider a range of recent experiments looking at the role of non-auditory inputs in the process of accommodation to these altered spectral cues. A number of studies have used small ear molds to modify the spectral cues that result in significant degradation in localization performance. Following chronic exposure (10–60 days) performance recovers to some extent and recent work has demonstrated that this occurs for both audio-visual and audio-only regions of space. This begs the questions as to the teacher signal for this remarkable functional plasticity in the adult nervous system. Following a brief review of influence of the motor state in auditory localization, we consider the potential role of auditory-motor learning in the perceptual recalibration of the spectral cues. Several recent studies have considered how multi-modal and sensory-motor feedback might influence accommodation to altered spectral cues produced by ear molds or through virtual auditory space stimulation using non-individualized spectral cues. The work with ear molds demonstrates that a relatively short period of training involving audio-motor feedback (5–10 days) significantly improved both the rate and extent of accommodation to altered spectral cues. This has significant implications not only for the mechanisms by which this complex sensory information is encoded to provide spatial cues but also for adaptive training to altered auditory inputs. The review concludes by considering the implications for rehabilitative training with hearing aids and cochlear prosthesis. PMID:25147497

White Matter Hyperintensities Improve Ischemic Stroke Recurrence Prediction.

PubMed

Andersen, Søren Due; Larsen, Torben Bjerregaard; Gorst-Rasmussen, Anders; Yavarian, Yousef; Lip, Gregory Y H; Bach, Flemming W

2017-01-01

Nearly one in 5 patients with ischemic stroke will invariably experience a second stroke within 5 years. Stroke risk stratification schemes based solely on clinical variables perform only modestly in non-atrial fibrillation (AF) patients and improvement of these schemes will enhance their clinical utility. Cerebral white matter hyperintensities are associated with an increased risk of incident ischemic stroke in the general population, whereas their association with the risk of ischemic stroke recurrence is more ambiguous. In a non-AF stroke cohort, we investigated the association between cerebral white matter hyperintensities and the risk of recurrent ischemic stroke, and we evaluated the predictive performance of the CHA2DS2VASc score and the Essen Stroke Risk Score (clinical scores) when augmented with information on white matter hyperintensities. In a registry-based, observational cohort study, we included 832 patients (mean age 59.6 (SD 13.9); 42.0% females) with incident ischemic stroke and no AF. We assessed the severity of white matter hyperintensities using MRI. Hazard ratios stratified by the white matter hyperintensities score and adjusted for the components of the CHA2DS2VASc score were calculated based on the Cox proportional hazards analysis. Recalibrated clinical scores were calculated by adding one point to the score for the presence of moderate to severe white matter hyperintensities. The discriminatory performance of the scores was assessed with the C-statistic. White matter hyperintensities were significantly associated with the risk of recurrent ischemic stroke after adjusting for clinical risk factors. The hazard ratios ranged from 1.65 (95% CI 0.70-3.86) for mild changes to 5.28 (95% CI 1.98-14.07) for the most severe changes. C-statistics for the prediction of recurrent ischemic stroke were 0.59 (95% CI 0.51-0.65) for the CHA2DS2VASc score and 0.60 (95% CI 0.53-0.68) for the Essen Stroke Risk Score. The recalibrated clinical scores showed improved C-statistics: the recalibrated CHA2DS2VASc score 0.62 (95% CI 0.54-0.70; p = 0.024) and the recalibrated Essen Stroke Risk Score 0.63 (95% CI 0.56-0.71; p = 0.031). C-statistics of the white matter hyperintensities score were 0.62 (95% CI 0.52-0.68) to 0.65 (95% CI 0.58-0.73). An increasing burden of white matter hyperintensities was independently associated with recurrent ischemic stroke in a cohort of non-AF ischemic stroke patients. Recalibration of the CHA2DS2VASc score and the Essen Stroke Risk Score with one point for the presence of moderate to severe white matter hyperintensities led to improved discriminatory performance in ischemic stroke recurrence prediction. Risk scores based on white matter hyperintensities alone were at least as accurate as the established clinical risk scores in the prediction of ischemic stroke recurrence. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Reliability of a device for the knee and ankle isometric and isokinetic strength testing in older adults

PubMed Central

Bergamin, Marco; Gobbo, Stefano; Bullo, Valentina; Vendramin, Barbara; Duregon, Federica; Frizziero, Antonio; Di Blasio, Andrea; Cugusi, Lucia; Zaccaria, Marco; Ermolao, Andrea

2017-01-01

Summary Background Lower extremity muscle mass, strength, power, and physical performance are critical determinants of independent functioning in later life. Isokinetic dynamometers are becoming very common in assessing different features of muscle strength, in both research and clinical practice; however, reliability studies are still needed to support the extended use of those devices. Objective The purpose of this study is to assess the test-retest reliability of knee and ankle isokinetic and isometric strength testing protocols in a sample of older healthy subjects, using a new and untested isokinetic multi-joint evaluation system. Methods Sixteen male and fourteen female older adults (mean age 65.2 ± 4.6 years) were assessed in two testing sessions. Each participant performed a randomized testing procedure that includes different isometric and isokinetic tests for knee and ankle joints. Results All participants concluded the trial safety and no subject reported any discomfort throughout the overall assessment. Coefficients of correlation between measures were calculated showing moderate to strong effects among all test-retest assessments and paired-sample t test showed only one significant difference (p<0.05) in the maximal isokinetic bilateral knee flexion torque. Conclusions The multi-joint evaluation system for the assessment of knee and ankle isokinetic and isometric strength provided reliable test-retest measures in healthy older adults. Level of evidence Ib. PMID:29264344

Test-retest reliability of the multiple sleep latency test in narcolepsy without cataplexy and idiopathic hypersomnia.

PubMed

Trotti, Lynn Marie; Staab, Beth A; Rye, David B

2013-08-15

Differentiation of narcolepsy without cataplexy from idiopathic hypersomnia relies entirely upon the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT). However, the test-retest reliability for these central nervous system hypersomnias has never been determined. Patients with narcolepsy without cataplexy, idiopathic hypersomnia, and physiologic hypersomnia who underwent two diagnostic multiple sleep latency tests were identified retrospectively. Correlations between the mean sleep latencies on the two studies were evaluated, and we probed for demographic and clinical features associated with reproducibility versus change in diagnosis. Thirty-six patients (58% women, mean age 34 years) were included. Inter -test interval was 4.2 ± 3.8 years (range 2.5 months to 16.9 years). Mean sleep latencies on the first and second tests were 5.5 (± 3.7 SD) and 7.3 (± 3.9) minutes, respectively, with no significant correlation (r = 0.17, p = 0.31). A change in diagnosis occurred in 53% of patients, and was accounted for by a difference in the mean sleep latency (N = 15, 42%) or the number of sleep onset REM periods (N = 11, 31%). The only feature predictive of a diagnosis change was a history of hypnagogic or hypnopompic hallucinations. The multiple sleep latency test demonstrates poor test-retest reliability in a clinical population of patients with central nervous system hypersomnia evaluated in a tertiary referral center. Alternative diagnostic tools are needed.

Interrater and test-retest reliability and validity of the Norwegian version of the BESTest and mini-BESTest in people with increased risk of falling.

PubMed

Hamre, Charlotta; Botolfsen, Pernille; Tangen, Gro Gujord; Helbostad, Jorunn L

2017-04-20

The Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest) was developed to assess underlying systems for balance control in order to be able to individually tailor rehabilitation interventions to people with balance disorders. A short form, the Mini-BESTest, was developed as a screening test. The study aimed to assess interrater and test-retest reliability of the Norwegian version of the BESTest and the Mini-BESTest in community-dwelling people with increased risk of falling and to assess concurrent validity with the Fall Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I), and it was an observational study with a cross-sectional design. Forty-two persons with increased risk of falling (elderly over 65 years of age, persons with a history of stroke or Multiple Sclerosis) were assessed twice by two raters. Relative reliability was analysed with Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC), and absolute reliability with standard error of measurement (SEM) and smallest detectable change (SDC). Concurrent validity was assessed against the FES-I using Spearman's rho. The BESTest showed very good interrater reliability (ICC = 0.98, SEM = 1.79, SDC 95  = 5.0) and test-retest reliability (rater A/rater B = ICC = 0.89/0.89, SEM = 3.9/4.3, SDC 95  = 10.8/11.8). The Mini-BESTest also showed very good interrater reliability (ICC = 0.95, SEM = 1.19, SDC 95  = 3.3) and test-retest reliability (rater A/rater B = ICC = 0.85/0.84, SEM = 1.8/1.9, SDC 95  = 4.9/5.2). The correlations were moderate between the FES-I and both the BESTest and the Mini-BESTest (Spearman's rho -0.51 and-0.50, p < 0.01). The BESTest and its short form, the Mini-BESTest, showed very good interrater and test-retest reliability when assessed in a heterogeneous sample of people with increased risk of falling. The concurrent validity measured against the FES-I showed moderate correlation. The results are comparable with earlier studies and indicate that the Norwegian versions can be used in daily clinic and in research.

Self-validating type C thermocouples to 2300 °C using high temperature fixed points

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pearce, J. V.; Elliott, C. J.; Machin, G.; Ongrai, O.

2013-09-01

Above 1500 °C, tungsten-rhenium (W-Re) thermocouples are the most commonly used contact thermometers because they are practical and inexpensive. However in general loss of calibration is very rapid, and, due to their embrittlement at high temperature, it is generally not possible to remove them for recalibration from the process environments in which they are used. Even if removal for recalibration was possible this would be of, at best, very limited use due to large inhomogeneity effects. Ideally, these thermocouples require some mechanism to monitor their drift in-situ. In this study, we describe self-validation of Type C (W5%Re/W26%Re) thermocouples by means of miniature high temperature fixed points comprising crucibles containing respectively Co-C, Pt-C, Ru-C, and Ir-C eutectic alloys. An overview of developments in this area is presented.

The Italian version of the Mouth Handicap in Systemic Sclerosis scale (MHISS) is valid, reliable and useful in assessing oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients.

PubMed

Maddali Bongi, S; Del Rosso, A; Miniati, I; Galluccio, F; Landi, G; Tai, G; Matucci-Cerinic, M

2012-09-01

In systemic sclerosis (SSc), mouth and face involvement leads to problems in oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). Mouth Handicap in Systemic Sclerosis scale (MHISS) is a 12-item questionnaire specifically quantifying mouth disability in SSc, organized in 3 subscales. Our aim was to validate Italian version of MHISS, by assessing its test-retest reliability and internal and external consistency in Italian SSc patients. Forty SSc patients (7 dSSc, 33 lSSc; age and disease duration: 57.27 ± 11.41, 9.4 ± 4.4 years; 22 with sicca syndrome) were evaluated with MHISS. MHISS was translated following a forward-backward translation procedure, with independent translations and counter-translation. Test-retest reliability was evaluated, comparing the results of two administrations, with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach's α and external consistency by comparison with mouth opening. MHISS has a good test-retest reliability (ICC: 0.93) and internal consistency (Cronbach's α:0.99). A good external consistency was confirmed by correlation with mouth opening (rho: -0,3869, p: 0.0137). Total MHISS score was 17.65 ± 5.20, with scores of subscale 1 (reduced mouth opening) of 6.60 ± 2.85 and scores of subscales 2 (sicca syndrome) and 3 (aesthetic concerns) of 7.82 ± 2.59 and 3.22 ± 1.14. Total and subscale 2 scores are higher in dSSc than in lSSc. This result may be due to the higher presence of sicca syndrome in dSSc than in lSSc (p = 0.0109). Our results support validity and reliability in Italian SSc patients of MHISS, specifically measuring SSc OHRQoL.

Validity and reliability of Optojump photoelectric cells for estimating vertical jump height.

PubMed

Glatthorn, Julia F; Gouge, Sylvain; Nussbaumer, Silvio; Stauffacher, Simone; Impellizzeri, Franco M; Maffiuletti, Nicola A

2011-02-01

Vertical jump is one of the most prevalent acts performed in several sport activities. It is therefore important to ensure that the measurements of vertical jump height made as a part of research or athlete support work have adequate validity and reliability. The aim of this study was to evaluate concurrent validity and reliability of the Optojump photocell system (Microgate, Bolzano, Italy) with force plate measurements for estimating vertical jump height. Twenty subjects were asked to perform maximal squat jumps and countermovement jumps, and flight time-derived jump heights obtained by the force plate were compared with those provided by Optojump, to examine its concurrent (criterion-related) validity (study 1). Twenty other subjects completed the same jump series on 2 different occasions (separated by 1 week), and jump heights of session 1 were compared with session 2, to investigate test-retest reliability of the Optojump system (study 2). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for validity were very high (0.997-0.998), even if a systematic difference was consistently observed between force plate and Optojump (-1.06 cm; p < 0.001). Test-retest reliability of the Optojump system was excellent, with ICCs ranging from 0.982 to 0.989, low coefficients of variation (2.7%), and low random errors (±2.81 cm). The Optojump photocell system demonstrated strong concurrent validity and excellent test-retest reliability for the estimation of vertical jump height. We propose the following equation that allows force plate and Optojump results to be used interchangeably: force plate jump height (cm) = 1.02 × Optojump jump height + 0.29. In conclusion, the use of Optojump photoelectric cells is legitimate for field-based assessments of vertical jump height.

The test-retest reliability of the latent construct of executive function depends on whether tasks are represented as formative or reflective indicators.

PubMed

Willoughby, Michael T; Kuhn, Laura J; Blair, Clancy B; Samek, Anya; List, John A

2017-10-01

This study investigates the test-retest reliability of a battery of executive function (EF) tasks with a specific interest in testing whether the method that is used to create a battery-wide score would result in differences in the apparent test-retest reliability of children's performance. A total of 188 4-year-olds completed a battery of computerized EF tasks twice across a period of approximately two weeks. Two different approaches were used to create a score that indexed children's overall performance on the battery-i.e., (1) the mean score of all completed tasks and (2) a factor score estimate which used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Pearson and intra-class correlations were used to investigate the test-retest reliability of individual EF tasks, as well as an overall battery score. Consistent with previous studies, the test-retest reliability of individual tasks was modest (rs ≈ .60). The test-retest reliability of the overall battery scores differed depending on the scoring approach (r mean  = .72; r factor_ score  = .99). It is concluded that the children's performance on individual EF tasks exhibit modest levels of test-retest reliability. This underscores the importance of administering multiple tasks and aggregating performance across these tasks in order to improve precision of measurement. However, the specific strategy that is used has a large impact on the apparent test-retest reliability of the overall score. These results replicate our earlier findings and provide additional cautionary evidence against the routine use of factor analytic approaches for representing individual performance across a battery of EF tasks.

Test-retest stability of the Task and Ego Orientation Questionnaire.

PubMed

Lane, Andrew M; Nevill, Alan M; Bowes, Neal; Fox, Kenneth R

2005-09-01

Establishing stability, defined as observing minimal measurement error in a test-retest assessment, is vital to validating psychometric tools. Correlational methods, such as Pearson product-moment, intraclass, and kappa are tests of association or consistency, whereas stability or reproducibility (regarded here as synonymous) assesses the agreement between test-retest scores. Indexes of reproducibility using the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire (TEOSQ; Duda & Nicholls, 1992) were investigated using correlational (Pearson product-moment, intraclass, and kappa) methods, repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance, and calculating the proportion of agreement within a referent value of +/-1 as suggested by Nevill, Lane, Kilgour, Bowes, and Whyte (2001). Two hundred thirteen soccer players completed the TEOSQ on two occasions, 1 week apart. Correlation analyses indicated a stronger test-retest correlation for the Ego subscale than the Task subscale. Multivariate analysis of variance indicated stability for ego items but with significant increases in four task items. The proportion of test-retest agreement scores indicated that all ego items reported relatively poor stability statistics with test-retest scores within a range of +/-1, ranging from 82.7-86.9%. By contrast, all task items showed test-retest difference scores ranging from 92.5-99%, although further analysis indicated that four task subscale items increased significantly. Findings illustrated that correlational methods (Pearson product-moment, intraclass, and kappa) are influenced by the range in scores, and calculating the proportion of agreement of test-retest differences with a referent value of +/-1 could provide additional insight into the stability of the questionnaire. It is suggested that the item-by-item proportion of agreement method proposed by Nevill et al. (2001) should be used to supplement existing methods and could be especially helpful in identifying rogue items in the initial stages of psychometric questionnaire validation.

Retesting for genital Chlamydia trachomatis among visitors of a sexually transmitted infections clinic: randomized intervention trial of home- versus clinic-based recall.

PubMed

Götz, Hannelore M; Wolfers, Mireille E G; Luijendijk, Ad; van den Broek, Ingrid V F

2013-05-24

Reinfections of Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) are common. In a two-armed intervention study at an urban STI clinic in the Netherlands, heterosexual Ct-positive visitors received an invitation for retesting after 4-5 months. Interventions were either home-based sampling by mailed test-kit, or clinic-based testing without appointment. Data collection included socio-demographic and sexual behavioural variables at first (T0) and repeat test (T1). Participation in retesting, prevalence and determinants of repeat infection among study participants are described and compared with findings from non-participants. Of the 216 visitors enrolled in the study, 75 accepted retesting (35%). The retest participation was 46% (50/109) in the home group versus 23% (25/107) in the clinic group (p = 0.001). Men were less often retested than women (15% versus 43%, p < 0.001). The overall chlamydia positivity rate at retest was 17.3% (13/75) compared to 12.4% seen at all visits at the STI clinic in 2011. Repeated infections were more frequent among non-Dutch than Dutch participants (27.0% versus 7.9%; p = 0.04) and in persons reporting symptoms (31.0% versus 7.0%; p = 0.01). Both untreated infections of current partners as well as unprotected sex with new partners contribute to repeated infections. The high rate of repeated infections indicates the need for interventions to increase retesting; improvement of partner-management and risk reduction counselling remain necessary. Home- based testing was more effective than clinic-based testing. However other strategies, including self-triage of patients, may also increase repeat testing rates and personal preferences should be taken into account.

Repeatability of automated perimetry: a comparison between standard automated perimetry with stimulus size III and V, matrix, and motion perimetry.

PubMed

Wall, Michael; Woodward, Kimberly R; Doyle, Carrie K; Artes, Paul H

2009-02-01

Standard automated perimetry (SAP) shows a marked increase in variability in damaged areas of the visual field. This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that larger stimuli are associated with more uniform variability, by investigating the retest variability of four perimetry tests: standard automated perimetry size III (SAP III), with the SITA standard strategy; SAP size V (SAP V), with the full-threshold strategy; Matrix (FDT II), and Motion perimetry. One eye each of 120 patients with glaucoma was examined on the same day with these four perimetric tests and retested 1 to 8 weeks later. The decibel scales were adjusted to make the test's scales numerically similar. Retest variability was examined by establishing the distributions of retest threshold estimates, for each threshold level observed at the first test. The 5th and 95th percentiles of the retest distribution were used as point-wise limits of retest variability. Regression analyses were performed to quantify the relationship between visual field sensitivity and variability. With SAP III, the retest variability increased substantially with reducing sensitivity. Corresponding increases with SAP V, Matrix, and Motion perimetry were considerably smaller or absent. With SAP III, sensitivity explained 22% of the retest variability (r(2)), whereas corresponding data for SAP V, Matrix, and Motion perimetry were 12%, 2%, and 2%, respectively. Variability of Matrix and Motion perimetry does not increase as substantially as that of SAP III in damaged areas of the visual field. Increased sampling with the larger stimuli of these techniques is the likely explanation for this finding. These properties may make these stimuli excellent candidates for early detection of visual field progression.

Mental Transformation Skill in Young Children: The Role of Concrete and Abstract Motor Training.

PubMed

Levine, Susan C; Goldin-Meadow, Susan; Carlson, Matthew T; Hemani-Lopez, Naureen

2018-05-01

We examined the effects of three different training conditions, all of which involve the motor system, on kindergarteners' mental transformation skill. We focused on three main questions. First, we asked whether training that involves making a motor movement that is relevant to the mental transformation-either concretely through action (action training) or more abstractly through gestural movements that represent the action (move-gesture training)-resulted in greater gains than training using motor movements irrelevant to the mental transformation (point-gesture training). We tested children prior to training, immediately after training (posttest), and 1 week after training (retest), and we found greater improvement in mental transformation skill in both the action and move-gesture training conditions than in the point-gesture condition, at both posttest and retest. Second, we asked whether the total gain made by retest differed depending on the abstractness of the movement-relevant training (action vs. move-gesture), and we found that it did not. Finally, we asked whether the time course of improvement differed for the two movement-relevant conditions, and we found that it did-gains in the action condition were realized immediately at posttest, with no further gains at retest; gains in the move-gesture condition were realized throughout, with comparable gains from pretest-to-posttest and from posttest-to-retest. Training that involves movement, whether concrete or abstract, can thus benefit children's mental transformation skill. However, the benefits unfold differently over time-the benefits of concrete training unfold immediately after training (online learning); the benefits of more abstract training unfold in equal steps immediately after training (online learning) and during the intervening week with no additional training (offline learning). These findings have implications for the kinds of instruction that can best support spatial learning. Copyright © 2018 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Monitoring Thyroid Function in Patients on Levothyroxine. Assessment of Conformity to National Guidance and Variability in Practice.

PubMed

Scargill, Jonathan J; Livingston, Mark; Holland, David; Duff, Christopher J; Fryer, Anthony A; Heald, Adrian H

2017-10-01

With demand for endocrine tests steadily increasing year-on-year, we examined thyroid function test (TFT) frequencies in patients on levothyroxine replacement therapy to assess the effect of initial TFT results and request source on TFT re-testing interval. All TFTs performed by the Clinical Biochemistry Departments at the Salford Royal Hospital (2009-2012; 288 263 requests from 139 793 patients) and University Hospital of North Midlands (2011-2014; 579 156 requests from 193 035 patients) were extracted from the laboratory computer systems. Of these, 54 894 tests were on 13 297 patients confirmed to be on levothyroxine therapy in the test cohort (Salford) and 67 298 requests on 11 971 patients in the confirmatory cohort (North Midlands). In the test cohort, median TFT re-testing interval in the total group was 19.1 weeks (IQR 9.1-37.7 weeks), with clearly defined peaks in TFT re-testing evident at 6 and 12 months and a prominent broad peak at 1-3 months. Median re-test interval was much lower than recommended (52 weeks) for those with normal TFTs at 31.3 weeks (30.6 weeks for the confirmatory cohort). Where thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) was elevated and free thyroxine (fT4) was below the reference range, re-test interval was much longer than is recommended (8 weeks) at 13.4-17.6 weeks (7.1-23.4 weeks in the confirmatory cohort), as was the interval when TSH was below and fT4 was above the normal range, at 16.7-25.6 weeks (27.5-31.9 weeks in the confirmatory cohort). Our findings show that the majority of TFT requests are requested outside recommended intervals and within-practice variability is high. A new approach to ensuring optimum monitoring frequency is required. Direct requesting from the clinical laboratory may provide one such solution. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

40 CFR 205.171-10 - Prohibition on distribution in commerce; manufacturer's remedy.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 26 2012-07-01 2011-07-01 true Prohibition on distribution in commerce... Systems § 205.171-10 Prohibition on distribution in commerce; manufacturer's remedy. (a) The Administrator... commerce until necessary adjustment or repairs have been made and the exhaust system passes a retest. [45...

Brief Report: Development of the Adolescent Empathy and Systemizing Quotients

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Auyeung, Bonnie; Allison, Carrie; Wheelwright, Sally; Baron-Cohen, Simon

2012-01-01

Adolescent versions of the Empathy Quotient (EQ) and Systemizing Quotient (SQ) were developed and administered to n = 1,030 parents of typically developing adolescents, aged 12-16 years. Both measures showed good test-retest reliability and high internal consistency. Girls scored significantly higher on the EQ, and boys scored significantly higher…

Are More Stringent NCLB State Accountability Systems Associated with Better Student Outcomes? An Analysis of NAEP Results across States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wei, Xin

2012-01-01

This study developed a comprehensive measure of the stringency level of NCLB states' accountability systems, including the strength of their annual measurable objectives, confidence intervals, performance indexing, retesting, minimum subgroup size, and the difficulty levels of proficiency standards. This study related accountability stringency in…

Predictions of the near edge transport shortfall in DIII-D L-mode plasmas using the trapped gyro-Landau-fluid model [Predictions of the near edge transport shortfall in DIII-D L-mode plasmas using the TGLF model

DOE PAGES

Kinsey, Jon E.; Staebler, Gary M.; Candy, Jefferey M.; ...

2015-01-14

Previous studies of DIII-D L-mode plasmas have shown that a transport shortfall exists in that our current models of turbulent transport can significantly underestimate the energy transport in the near edge region. In this paper, the Trapped Gyro-Landau-Fluid (TGLF) drift wave transport model is used to simulate the near edge transport in a DIII-D L-mode experiment designed to explore the impact of varying the safety factor on the shortfall. We find that the shortfall systematically increases with increasing safety factor and is more pronounced for the electrons than for the ions. Within the shortfall dataset, a single high current casemore » has been found where no transport shortfall is predicted. Reduced neutral beam injection power has been identified as the key parameter separating this discharge from other discharges exhibiting a shortfall. Further analysis shows that the energy transport in the L-mode near edge region is not stiff according to TGLF. Unlike the H-mode core region, the predicted temperature profiles are relatively more responsive to changes in auxiliary heating power. In testing the fidelity of TGLF for the near edge region, we find that a recalibration of the collision model is warranted. A recalibration improves agreement between TGLF and nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations performed using the GYRO code with electron-ion collisions. As a result, the recalibration only slightly impacts the predicted shortfall.« less

Adaptation to delayed auditory feedback induces the temporal recalibration effect in both speech perception and production.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Kosuke; Kawabata, Hideaki

2014-12-01

We ordinarily speak fluently, even though our perceptions of our own voices are disrupted by various environmental acoustic properties. The underlying mechanism of speech is supposed to monitor the temporal relationship between speech production and the perception of auditory feedback, as suggested by a reduction in speech fluency when the speaker is exposed to delayed auditory feedback (DAF). While many studies have reported that DAF influences speech motor processing, its relationship to the temporal tuning effect on multimodal integration, or temporal recalibration, remains unclear. We investigated whether the temporal aspects of both speech perception and production change due to adaptation to the delay between the motor sensation and the auditory feedback. This is a well-used method of inducing temporal recalibration. Participants continually read texts with specific DAF times in order to adapt to the delay. Then, they judged the simultaneity between the motor sensation and the vocal feedback. We measured the rates of speech with which participants read the texts in both the exposure and re-exposure phases. We found that exposure to DAF changed both the rate of speech and the simultaneity judgment, that is, participants' speech gained fluency. Although we also found that a delay of 200 ms appeared to be most effective in decreasing the rates of speech and shifting the distribution on the simultaneity judgment, there was no correlation between these measurements. These findings suggest that both speech motor production and multimodal perception are adaptive to temporal lag but are processed in distinct ways.

[Recalibration via a postero-lateral approach in recent traumatic stenosis of the dorsal and lumbar spine. Modalities and results apropos of 31 cases].

PubMed

Richaud, J; Bousquet, P; Ealet, G; Clamens, J; Beltchika, K; Lazorthes, Y

1990-01-01

The authors present 31 cases of spinal trauma affecting thoraco lumbar level with severe spinal canal stenosis secondary to compressive trauma of the anterior disco-corpereal region. Associated neurological disorders were of varying severity. 23 cases were investigated by computed tomography. In all cases, the surgical procedure involved rectification of spinal deformities, with initially a unilateral postero-lateral approach permitting anterior spinal canal recalibration, either by impaction of protrusive fragments or ablation of free disc fragments. The stabilization was usually achieved by complementary bilateral plates using Roy-Camille or Privat material in 22 cases, associated with postero-lateral arthrodesis by grafting with reconstruction of the articulo-pedicular structure in 19 cases. Emergency operation was done in 14 cases; in 5 cases operation was done on the 2nd or 3rd day and in 11 cases after the 3rd day. The functional spinal result was excellent, and recalibration was verified by tomography in all cases. In those cases showing neurological deficiency, good and early recovery was attributable to the suppression of spinal canal stenosis, and a consequently neurological improvement was always obtained, even for the most serious of lesions except those at the thoracis level superior to T10. The application of this postero-lateral approach for severe spinal trauma seems to represent, in all cases of recent lesions, an alternative to the anterior or combined methods. We do not share the opinion that delay in decompression does not influence the neurological prognosis and emergency operation is advisable.

Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency: Further Verification with 3- to 5- yr. -old Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beitel, Patricia A.; Mead, Barbara J.

1982-01-01

The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency was evaluated to determine test-retest reliability and if there were presensitizing effects at retest for four- to five-year olds. Test reliability was significantly high. No significant test sensitization of the short form to retesting with the short form or subtests was found. (Author/RD)

49 CFR 180.519 - Periodic retest and inspection of tank cars other than single-unit tank car tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Periodic retest and inspection of tank cars other than single-unit tank car tanks. 180.519 Section 180.519 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to... of Tank Cars § 180.519 Periodic retest and inspection of tank cars other than single-unit tank car...

Reliability of temporal summation and diffuse noxious inhibitory control

PubMed Central

Cathcart, Stuart; Winefield, Anthony H; Rolan, Paul; Lushington, Kurt

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND: The test-retest reliability of temporal summation (TS) and diffuse noxious inhibitory control (DNIC) has not been reported to date. Establishing such reliability would support the possibility of future experimental studies examining factors affecting TS and DNIC. Similarly, the use of manual algometry to induce TS, or an occlusion cuff to induce DNIC of TS to mechanical stimuli, has not been reported to date. Such devices may offer a simpler method than current techniques for inducing TS and DNIC, affording assessment at more anatomical locations and in more varied research settings. METHOD: The present study assessed the test-retest reliability of TS and DNIC using the above techniques. Sex differences on these measures were also investigated. RESULTS: Repeated measures ANOVA indicated successful induction of TS and DNIC, with no significant differences across test-retest occasions. Sex effects were not significant for any measure or interaction. Intraclass correlations indicated high test-retest reliability for all measures; however, there was large interindividual variation between test and retest measurements. CONCLUSION: The present results indicate acceptable within-session test-retest reliability of TS and DNIC. The results support the possibility of future experimental studies examining factors affecting TS and DNIC. PMID:20011713

Test-retest reliability of the scale of participation in organized activities among adolescents in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

PubMed

Bosakova, Lucia; Kolarcik, Peter; Bobakova, Daniela; Sulcova, Martina; Van Dijk, Jitse P; Reijneveld, Sijmen A; Geckova, Andrea Madarasova

2016-04-01

Participation in organized activities is related with a range of positive outcomes, but the way such participation is measured has not been scrutinized. Test-retest reliability as an important indicator of a scale's reliability has been assessed rarely and for "The scale of participation in organized activities" lacks completely. This test-retest study is based on the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study and is consistent with its methodology. We obtained data from 353 Czech (51.9 % boys) and 227 Slovak (52.9 % boys) primary school pupils, grades five and nine, who participated in this study in 2013. We used Cohen's kappa statistic and single measures of the intraclass correlation coefficient to estimate the test-retest reliability of all selected items in the sample, stratified by gender, age and country. We mostly observed a large correlation between the test and retest in all of the examined variables (κ ranged from 0.46 to 0.68). Test-retest reliability of the sum score of individual items showed substantial agreement (ICC = 0.64). The scale of participation in organized activities has an acceptable level of agreement, indicating good reliability.

Implementation of repeat HIV testing during pregnancy in southwestern Kenya: progress and missed opportunities.

PubMed

Rogers, Anna J; Akama, Eliud; Weke, Elly; Blackburn, Justin; Owino, George; Bukusi, Elizabeth A; Oyaro, Patrick; Kwena, Zachary A; Cohen, Craig R; Turan, Janet M

2017-12-01

Repeat HIV testing during the late antenatal period is crucial to identify and initiate treatment for pregnant women with incident HIV infection to prevent perinatal HIV transmission and keep mothers alive. In 2012, the Kenya Ministry of Health adopted international guidelines suggesting that pregnant women be offered retesting three months after an initial negative HIV test. Our objectives were to determine the current rate of antenatal repeat HIV testing; identify successes, missed opportunities and factors associated with retesting; and estimate the incidence of HIV during pregnancy. Retrospective analysis of longitudinal data was conducted for a cohort of 2145 women attending antenatal care clinic at a large district hospital in southwestern Kenya. Data were abstracted from registers for all women who attended the clinic from the years 2011 to 2014. Although 90.2% of women first came to clinic prior to their third trimester and 27.5% had at least four clinic visits, 58.0% of all women went to delivery without a retest. Missed opportunities for retesting included not returning to clinic at all, not returning when eligible, or late gestational age (>28 weeks) at first clinic visit making them ineligible for retesting (accounting for 14.2%, 26.8% and 9.6% of all clinic attendees respectively); and failure to be retested even when eligible at one or more visits (accounting for 73.2% of eligible returnees). Being unmarried and aged 20 or younger was associated with an increase in mean gestational age of first visit by 2.52 weeks (95% CI: 1.56, 3.48) and a 2.59 increased odds (95% CI: 1.90, 3.54) of failing to return to clinic, compared to those who were married and over 20 years of age. On retest, two women tested HIV positive, suggesting an incidence rate of 4.4 per 100 person-years. After adjusting for potential confounders, only later year of last menstrual period (2013 vs. 2012 and 2011) was associated with retesting. Adoption of retesting guidelines in 2012 appears to have successfully increased retesting rates, but missed opportunities to identify incident HIV infection during pregnancy may contribute to continuing high rates of perinatal HIV transmission in southwestern Kenya. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of the International AIDS Society published by John Wiley & sons Ltd on behalf of the International AIDS Society.

A comparison of measured radiances from AIRS and HIRS across different cloud types

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schreier, M. M.; Kahn, B. H.; Staten, P.

2015-12-01

The observation of Earth's atmosphere with passive remote sensing instruments is ongoing for decades and resulting in a long-term global dataset. Two prominent examples are operational satellite platforms from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) or research platforms like NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS). The observed spectral ranges of these observations are often similar among the different platforms, but have large differences when it comes to resolution, accuracy and quality control. Our approach is to combine different kinds of instruments at the pixel-scale to improve the characterization of infrared radiances. We focus on data from the High-resolution Infrared Radiation Sounder (HIRS) and compare the observations to radiances from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on Aqua. The high spectral resolution of AIRS is used to characterize and possibly recalibrate the observed radiances from HIRS. Our approach is unique in that we use additional information from other passive instruments on the same platforms including the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). We will present comparisons of radiances from HIRS and AIRS within different types of clouds that are determined from the imagers. In this way, we can analyze and select the most homogeneous conditions for radiance comparisons and a possible re-calibration of HIRS. We hope to achieve a cloud-type-dependent calibration and quality control for HIRS, which can be extrapolated into the past via inter-calibration of the different HIRS instruments beyond the time of AIRS.

Information content of sky intensity and polarization measurements at right angles to the solar direction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holland, A. C.; Thomas, R. W. L.; Pearce, W. A.

1978-01-01

The paper presents the results of a Monte Carlo simulation study of the brightness and polarization at right angles to the solar direction both for ground-based observations (looking up) and for satellite-based systems (looking down). Calculations have been made for a solar zenith angle whose cosine was 0.6 and wavelengths ranging from 3500 A to 9500 A. A sensitivity of signatures to total aerosol loading, aerosol particle size distribution and refractive index, and the surface reflectance albedo has been demonstrated. For Lambertian-type surface reflection the albedo effects enter solely through the intensity sensitivity, and very high correlations have been found between the polarization term signatures for the ground-based and satellite-based systems. Potential applications of these results for local albedo predictions and satellite imaging systems recalibrations are discussed.

Mobile Robot and Mobile Manipulator Research Towards ASTM Standards Development.

PubMed

Bostelman, Roger; Hong, Tsai; Legowik, Steven

2016-01-01

Performance standards for industrial mobile robots and mobile manipulators (robot arms onboard mobile robots) have only recently begun development. Low cost and standardized measurement techniques are needed to characterize system performance, compare different systems, and to determine if recalibration is required. This paper discusses work at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and within the ASTM Committee F45 on Driverless Automatic Guided Industrial Vehicles. This includes standards for both terminology, F45.91, and for navigation performance test methods, F45.02. The paper defines terms that are being considered. Additionally, the paper describes navigation test methods that are near ballot and docking test methods being designed for consideration within F45.02. This includes the use of low cost artifacts that can provide alternatives to using relatively expensive measurement systems.

Mobile Robot and Mobile Manipulator Research Towards ASTM Standards Development

PubMed Central

Bostelman, Roger; Hong, Tsai; Legowik, Steven

2017-01-01

Performance standards for industrial mobile robots and mobile manipulators (robot arms onboard mobile robots) have only recently begun development. Low cost and standardized measurement techniques are needed to characterize system performance, compare different systems, and to determine if recalibration is required. This paper discusses work at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and within the ASTM Committee F45 on Driverless Automatic Guided Industrial Vehicles. This includes standards for both terminology, F45.91, and for navigation performance test methods, F45.02. The paper defines terms that are being considered. Additionally, the paper describes navigation test methods that are near ballot and docking test methods being designed for consideration within F45.02. This includes the use of low cost artifacts that can provide alternatives to using relatively expensive measurement systems. PMID:28690359

Calibration of region-specific gates equation for LRFD.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-02-01

The objectives of this research are to recalibrate the FHWA-modi ed Gates equation : and update the associated LRFD resistance factor for pile types and local soil conditions : encountered in Louisiana. This research is consistent with FHWA recomm...

ISS Payload Racks Automated Flow Control Calibration Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simmonds, Boris G.

2003-01-01

Payload Racks utilize MTL and/or LTL station water for cooling of payloads and avionics. Flow control range from valves of fully closed, to up to 300 Ibmhr. Instrument accuracies are as high as f 7.5 Ibm/hr for flow sensors and f 3 Ibm/hr for valve controller, for a total system accuracy of f 10.5 Ibm/hr. Improved methodology was developed, tested and proven that reduces accuracy of the commanded flows to less than f 1 Ibmhr. Uethodology could be packed in a "calibration kit" for on- orbit flow sensor checkout and recalibration, extending the rack operations before return to earth. -

A spectroscopic system for time- and space-resolved studies of impurities on the EXTRAP-T2 reversed field pinch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sallander, J.

1998-06-01

The radial distribution of impurity line emission in the EXTRAP-T2 reversed field pinch (RFP) is studied with a five viewing chord, absolutely calibrated, spectrometer system. The light is analyzed with a single 0.5 m grating spectrometer. Different parts of the entrance slit are used for different channels. This arrangement makes it possible to use the system over a wide wavelength range, from 2500 to 6500 Å, without having to recalibrate the relative sensitivity for the different channels. The rather short plasma pulses of 10-15 ms require a high time resolution. The use of photomultiplier tubes provides a time resolution of 10 μs which is limited by the transient recorders used. The result is a robust, low-cost system that produces reliable measurements of the radial dependence of emission from a wide range of impurity ions.

Effect on adult height of pubertal growth hormone retesting and withdrawal of therapy in patients with previously diagnosed growth hormone deficiency.

PubMed

Zucchini, Stefano; Pirazzoli, Piero; Baronio, Federico; Gennari, Monia; Bal, Milva Orquidea; Balsamo, Antonio; Gualandi, Stefano; Cicognani, Alessandro

2006-11-01

GH replacement therapy in GH-deficient (GHD) patients is usually continued until adult height despite the fact that most of these subjects display a normal secretion when retested at the end of growth. Puberty is the most likely time for normalization of GH secretion. The objectives of this study are to establish the characteristics and the percentage of the subjects with isolated GHD who normalized secretion at puberty and to compare their statural outcomes with those of the subjects with persistent deficiency treated also after retesting. This was a prospective, nonrandomized, open-label study conducted in a university research hospital. Sixty-nine subjects (40 male, 29 female) with a diagnosis before puberty of isolated GHD by means of arginine and l-dopa tests were reevaluated with the same tests after at least 2 yr of therapy and after puberty onset. If GH peak at retesting was more than 10 microg/liter, therapy was withdrawn. Percentage and characteristics of normalized subjects at retesting, outcome of treatment in the subjects treated or untreated to adult height, and factors predictive of growth outcome were measured. At retesting, 44 subjects (63.7%) confirmed a GH peak less than 10 microg/liter (24 of 40 male and 20 of 29 female). Apart from a less delayed bone age at diagnosis in females, the subjects with confirmed GHD were not different at diagnosis from the other group for height deficit at diagnosis, first year growth response to GH, age and height at puberty onset, height, and IGF-I at retesting. Mean adult height was 165.1 +/- 4.5 cm in the male group treated until adult height vs. 164.0 +/- 3.4 cm in the group who suspended therapy at retesting. Mean adult height was 153.2 +/- 4.1 cm in the female group treated until adult height vs. 152.9 +/- 5.2 cm in the group that suspended therapy at retesting. As regards the parameters expressing the final outcome, the only difference was found in the mean increment adult height-target height sd score in favor of the male group treated until adult height. In both sexes, therapy duration and GH levels at diagnosis and at retesting were unrelated to adult height parameters and to height increments during the period of observation. One third of our GHD subjects diagnosed before puberty presented a normal secretion at puberty. The withdrawal of GH therapy in these subjects after retesting was not associated with a catch down growth, and they obtained an adult height similar to those obtained by the GHD subjects treated until adult height. It seems convenient, in subjects with nonsevere GHD, to retest GH secretion at midpuberty and to withdraw treatment for the subjects that are no longer deficient.

How to Get Really Smart: Modeling Retest and Training Effects in Ability Testing using Computer-Generated Figural Matrix Items

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freund, Philipp Alexander; Holling, Heinz

2011-01-01

The interpretation of retest scores is problematic because they are potentially affected by measurement and predictive bias, which impact construct validity, and because their size differs as a function of various factors. This paper investigates the construct stability of scores on a figural matrices test and models retest effects at the level of…

Test-retest reliability of evoked heat stimulation BOLD fMRI.

PubMed

Upadhyay, Jaymin; Lemme, Jordan; Anderson, Julie; Bleakman, David; Large, Thomas; Evelhoch, Jeffrey L; Hargreaves, Richard; Borsook, David; Becerra, Lino

2015-09-30

To date, the blood oxygenated-level dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technique has enabled an objective and deeper understanding of pain processing mechanisms embedded within the human central nervous system (CNS). In order to further comprehend the benefits and limitations of BOLD fMRI in the context of pain as well as the corresponding subjective pain ratings, we evaluated the univariate response, test-retest reliability and confidence intervals (CIs) at the 95% level of both data types collected during evoked stimulation of 40°C (non-noxious), 44°C (mildly noxious) and a subject-specific temperature eliciting a 7/10 pain rating. The test-retest reliability between two scanning sessions was determined by calculating group-level interclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and at the single-subject level. Across the three stimuli, we initially observed a graded response of increasing magnitude for both VAS (visual analog score) pain ratings and fMRI data. Test-retest reliability was observed to be highest for VAS pain ratings obtained during the 7/10 pain stimulation (ICC=0.938), while ICC values of pain fMRI data for a distribution of CNS structures ranged from 0.5 to 0.859 (p<0.05). Importantly, the upper and lower confidence interval CI bounds reported herein could be utilized in subsequent trials involving healthy volunteers to hypothesize the magnitude of effect required to overcome inherent variability of either VAS pain ratings or BOLD responses evoked during innocuous or noxious thermal stimulation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated Testing Experience of the Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment (LASRE) Controller

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larson, Richard R.

1999-01-01

System controllers must be fail-safe, low cost, flexible to software changes, able to output health and status words, and permit rapid retest qualification. The system controller designed and tested for the aerospike engine program was an attempt to meet these requirements. This paper describes (1) the aerospike controller design, (2) the automated simulation testing techniques, and (3) the real time monitoring data visualization structure. Controller cost was minimized by design of a single-string system that used an off-the-shelf 486 central processing unit (CPU). A linked-list architecture, with states (nodes) defined in a user-friendly state table, accomplished software changes to the controller. Proven to be fail-safe, this system reported the abort cause and automatically reverted to a safe condition for any first failure. A real time simulation and test system automated the software checkout and retest requirements. A program requirement to decode all abort causes in real time during all ground and flight tests assured the safety of flight decisions and the proper execution of mission rules. The design also included health and status words, and provided a real time analysis interpretation for all health and status data.

Recalibration of the GRLWEAP LRFD resistance factor for Oregon DOT.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-02-01

The Bridge Section of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is responsible for the design of all bridge structures and routinely uses GRLWEAP for controlling pile driving stresses and establishing capacity from the bearing graph. The LRFD re...

Verification and implementation of set-up empirical models in pile design : research project capsule.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-08-01

The primary objectives of this research include: performing static and dynamic load tests on : newly instrumented test piles to better understand the set-up mechanism for individual soil : layers, verifying or recalibrating previously developed empir...

Reproducibility of Automated Voice Range Profiles, a Systematic Literature Review.

PubMed

Printz, Trine; Rosenberg, Tine; Godballe, Christian; Dyrvig, Anne-Kirstine; Grøntved, Ågot Møller

2018-05-01

Reliable voice range profiles are of great importance when measuring effects and side effects from surgery affecting voice capacity. Automated recording systems are increasingly used, but the reproducibility of results is uncertain. Our objective was to identify and review the existing literature on test-retest accuracy of the automated voice range profile assessment. Systematic review. PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, ComDisDome, Embase, and CINAHL (EBSCO). We conducted a systematic literature search of six databases from 1983 to 2016. The following keywords were used: phonetogram, voice range profile, and acoustic voice analysis. Inclusion criteria were automated recording procedure, healthy voices, and no intervention between test and retest. Test-retest values concerning fundamental frequency and voice intensity were reviewed. Of 483 abstracts, 231 full-text articles were read, resulting in six articles included in the final results. The studies found high reliability, but data are few and heterogeneous. The reviewed articles generally reported high reliability of the voice range profile, and thus clinical usefulness, but uncertainty remains because of low sample sizes and different procedures for selecting, collecting, and analyzing data. More data are needed, and clinical conclusions must be drawn with caution. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Test-retest reliability of the Capute scales for neurodevelopmental screening of a high risk sample: Impact of test-retest interval and degree of neonatal risk.

PubMed

McCurdy, M; Bellows, A; Deng, D; Leppert, M; Mahone, E; Pritchard, A

2015-01-01

Reliable and valid screening and assessment tools are necessary to identify children at risk for neurodevelopmental disabilities who may require additional services. This study evaluated the test-retest reliability of the Capute Scales in a high-risk sample, hypothesizing adequate reliability across 6- and 12-month intervals. Capute Scales scores (N = 66) were collected via retrospective chart review from a NICU follow-up clinic within a large urban medical center spanning three age-ranges: 12-18, 19-24, and 25-36 months. On average, participants were classified as very low birth weight and premature. Reliability of the Capute Scales was evaluated with intraclass correlation coefficients across length of test-retest interval, age at testing, and degree of neonatal complications. The Capute Scales demonstrated high reliability, regardless of length of test-retest interval (ranging from 6 to 14 months) or age of participant, for all index scores, including overall Developmental Quotient (DQ), language-based skill index (CLAMS) and nonverbal reasoning index (CAT). Linear regressions revealed that greater neonatal risk was related to poorer test-retest reliability; however, reliability coefficients remained strong. The Capute Scales afford clinicians a reliable and valid means of screening and assessing for neurodevelopmental delay within high-risk infant populations.

The role of test-retest reliability in measuring individual and group differences in executive functioning.

PubMed

Paap, Kenneth R; Sawi, Oliver

2016-12-01

Studies testing for individual or group differences in executive functioning can be compromised by unknown test-retest reliability. Test-retest reliabilities across an interval of about one week were obtained from performance in the antisaccade, flanker, Simon, and color-shape switching tasks. There is a general trade-off between the greater reliability of single mean RT measures, and the greater process purity of measures based on contrasts between mean RTs in two conditions. The individual differences in RT model recently developed by Miller and Ulrich was used to evaluate the trade-off. Test-retest reliability was statistically significant for 11 of the 12 measures, but was of moderate size, at best, for the difference scores. The test-retest reliabilities for the Simon and flanker interference scores were lower than those for switching costs. Standard practice evaluates the reliability of executive-functioning measures using split-half methods based on data obtained in a single day. Our test-retest measures of reliability are lower, especially for difference scores. These reliability measures must also take into account possible day effects that classical test theory assumes do not occur. Measures based on single mean RTs tend to have acceptable levels of reliability and convergent validity, but are "impure" measures of specific executive functions. The individual differences in RT model shows that the impurity problem is worse than typically assumed. However, the "purer" measures based on difference scores have low convergent validity that is partly caused by deficiencies in test-retest reliability. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Test-retest reliability at the item level and total score level of the Norwegian version of the Spinal Cord Injury Falls Concern Scale (SCI-FCS).

PubMed

Roaldsen, Kirsti Skavberg; Måøy, Åsa Blad; Jørgensen, Vivien; Stanghelle, Johan Kvalvik

2016-05-01

Translation of the Spinal Cord Injury Falls Concern Scale (SCI-FCS), and investigation of test-retest reliability on item-level and total-score-level. Translation, adaptation and test-retest study. A specialized rehabilitation setting in Norway. Fifty-four wheelchair users with a spinal cord injury. The median age of the cohort was 49 years, and the median number of years after injury was 13. Interventions/measurements: The SCI-FCS was translated and back-translated according to guidelines. Individuals answered the SCI-FCS twice over the course of one week. We investigated item-level test-retest reliability using Svensson's rank-based statistical method for disagreement analysis of paired ordinal data. For relative reliability, we analyzed the total-score-level test-retest reliability with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC2.1), the standard error of measurement (SEM), and the smallest detectable change (SDC) for absolute reliability/measurement-error assessment and Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency. All items showed satisfactory percentage agreement (≥69%) between test and retest. There were small but non-negligible systematic disagreements among three items; we recovered an 11-13% higher chance for a lower second score. There was no disagreement due to random variance. The test-retest agreement (ICC2.1) was excellent (0.83). The SEM was 2.6 (12%), and the SDC was 7.1 (32%). The Cronbach's alpha was high (0.88). The Norwegian SCI-FCS is highly reliable for wheelchair users with chronic spinal cord injuries.

Reliability and criterion validity of measurements using a smart phone-based measurement tool for the transverse rotation angle of the pelvis during single-leg lifting.

PubMed

Jung, Sung-Hoon; Kwon, Oh-Yun; Jeon, In-Cheol; Hwang, Ui-Jae; Weon, Jong-Hyuck

2018-01-01

The purposes of this study were to determine the intra-rater test-retest reliability of a smart phone-based measurement tool (SBMT) and a three-dimensional (3D) motion analysis system for measuring the transverse rotation angle of the pelvis during single-leg lifting (SLL) and the criterion validity of the transverse rotation angle of the pelvis measurement using SBMT compared with a 3D motion analysis system (3DMAS). Seventeen healthy volunteers performed SLL with their dominant leg without bending the knee until they reached a target placed 20 cm above the table. This study used a 3DMAS, considered the gold standard, to measure the transverse rotation angle of the pelvis to assess the criterion validity of the SBMT measurement. Intra-rater test-retest reliability was determined using the SBMT and 3DMAS using intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) [3,1] values. The criterion validity of the SBMT was assessed with ICC [3,1] values. Both the 3DMAS (ICC = 0.77) and SBMT (ICC = 0.83) showed excellent intra-rater test-retest reliability in the measurement of the transverse rotation angle of the pelvis during SLL in a supine position. Moreover, the SBMT showed an excellent correlation with the 3DMAS (ICC = 0.99). Measurement of the transverse rotation angle of the pelvis using the SBMT showed excellent reliability and criterion validity compared with the 3DMAS.

Validity and Reliability of the 8-Item Work Limitations Questionnaire.

PubMed

Walker, Timothy J; Tullar, Jessica M; Diamond, Pamela M; Kohl, Harold W; Amick, Benjamin C

2017-12-01

Purpose To evaluate factorial validity, scale reliability, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of the 8-item Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ) among employees from a public university system. Methods A secondary analysis using de-identified data from employees who completed an annual Health Assessment between the years 2009-2015 tested research aims. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) (n = 10,165) tested the latent structure of the 8-item WLQ. Scale reliability was determined using a CFA-based approach while test-retest reliability was determined using the intraclass correlation coefficient. Convergent/discriminant validity was tested by evaluating relations between the 8-item WLQ with health/performance variables for convergent validity (health-related work performance, number of chronic conditions, and general health) and demographic variables for discriminant validity (gender and institution type). Results A 1-factor model with three correlated residuals demonstrated excellent model fit (CFI = 0.99, TLI = 0.99, RMSEA = 0.03, and SRMR = 0.01). The scale reliability was acceptable (0.69, 95% CI 0.68-0.70) and the test-retest reliability was very good (ICC = 0.78). Low-to-moderate associations were observed between the 8-item WLQ and the health/performance variables while weak associations were observed between the demographic variables. Conclusions The 8-item WLQ demonstrated sufficient reliability and validity among employees from a public university system. Results suggest the 8-item WLQ is a usable alternative for studies when the more comprehensive 25-item WLQ is not available.

Rationale and design of REACT: a randomised controlled trial assessing the effectiveness of home-collection to increase chlamydia retesting and detect repeat positive tests.

PubMed

Smith, Kirsty S; Hocking, Jane S; Chen, Marcus; Fairley, Christopher K; McNulty, Anna; Read, Phillip; Bradshaw, Catriona S; Tabrizi, Sepehr N; Wand, Handan; Saville, Marion; Rawlinson, William; Garland, Suzanne M; Donovan, Basil; Kaldor, John M; Guy, Rebecca

2014-04-24

Repeat infection with Chlamydia trachomatis is common and increases the risk of sequelae in women and HIV seroconversion in men who have sex with men (MSM). Despite guidelines recommending chlamydia retesting three months after treatment, retesting rates are low. We are conducting the first randomised controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of home collection combined with short message service (SMS) reminders on chlamydia retesting and reinfection rates in three risk groups. The REACT (retest after Chlamydia trachomatis) trial involves 600 patients diagnosed with chlamydia: 200 MSM, 200 women and 200 heterosexual men recruited from two Australian sexual health clinics where SMS reminders for retesting are routine practice. Participants will be randomised to the home group (3-month SMS reminder and home-collection) or the clinic group (3-month SMS reminder to return to the clinic). Participants in the home group will be given the choice of attending the clinic if they prefer. The mailed home-collection kit includes a self-collected vaginal swab (women), UriSWAB (Copan) for urine collection (heterosexual men), and UriSWAB plus rectal swab (MSM). The primary outcome is the retest rate at 1-4 months after a chlamydia diagnosis, and the secondary outcomes are: the repeat positive test rate; the reinfection rate; the acceptability of home testing with SMS reminders; and the cost effectiveness of home testing. Sexual behaviour data collected via an online survey at 4-5 months, and genotyping of repeat infections, will be used to discriminate reinfections from treatment failures. The trial will be conducted over two years. An intention to treat analysis will be conducted. This study will provide evidence about the effectiveness of home-collection combined with SMS reminders on chlamydia retesting, repeat infection and reinfection rates in three risk groups. The trial will determine client acceptability and cost effectiveness of this strategy. Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12611000968976.

Test-retest reliability of the eating disorder examination-questionnaire (EDE-Q) in a college sample

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q), a widely used self-report instrument, is often used for measuring change in eating disorder symptoms over the course of treatment. However, limited data exist about test-retest reliability, particularly for men. The current study evaluated EDE-Q 7-day test-retest reliability in male (n = 47) and female (n = 44) undergraduate students together and separately by gender. Results Internal consistency was consistently higher for women and at Time 2, but remained acceptable for both men and women at both time points. Cronbach’s α ranged from .75 (Restraint at Time 1) to .93 (Shape Concern at Time 2) for women and from .73 (Eating Concern at Time 2) to .89 (Shape Concern at Time 2) for men. With the exception of some of the eating disorder behaviors, test re-test reliability was fairly strong for both men and women. Shape Concern and the global EDE-Q score were highest for both men and women (Spearman’s rho > 0.89 with the exception of Shape Concern for women for which Spearman’s rho = .86). Test re-test reliability was lower for the eating disorder behavior measures, particularly for men, for whom Kendall’s tau-b for frequency and phi for occurrence was less than 0.70 for all but objective bulimic episodes. Conclusions Results were consistent with past research for women, indicating strong test re-test reliability in attitudinal features of eating disorders, but lower test re-test reliability in behavioral features. Internal consistency and test re-test reliability was good for the attitudinal features of eating disorder in men, but tended to be lower for men compared to women. The EDE-Q appears to be a reliable instrument for assessing eating disorder attitudes in both male and female undergraduate students, but is less reliable for assessing ED behaviors, particularly in men. PMID:24999420

Validity and reliability of the abdominal test and evaluation systems tool (ABTEST) to accurately measure abdominal force.

PubMed

Glenn, Jordan M; Galey, Madeline; Edwards, Abigail; Rickert, Bradley; Washington, Tyrone A

2015-07-01

Ability to generate force from the core musculature is a critical factor for sports and general activities with insufficiencies predisposing individuals to injury. This study evaluated isometric force production as a valid and reliable method of assessing abdominal force using the abdominal test and evaluation systems tool (ABTEST). Secondary analysis estimated 1-repetition maximum on commercially available abdominal machine compared to maximum force and average power on ABTEST system. This study utilized test-retest reliability and comparative analysis for validity. Reliability was measured using test-retest design on ABTEST. Validity was measured via comparison to estimated 1-repetition maximum on a commercially available abdominal device. Participants applied isometric, abdominal force against a transducer and muscular activation was evaluated measuring normalized electromyographic activity at the rectus-abdominus, rectus-femoris, and erector-spinae. Test, re-test force production on ABTEST was significantly correlated (r=0.84; p<0.001). Mean electromyographic activity for the rectus-abdominus (72.93% and 75.66%), rectus-femoris (6.59% and 6.51%), and erector-spinae (6.82% and 5.48%) were observed for trial-1 and trial-2, respectively. Significant correlations for the estimated 1-repetition maximum were found for average power (r=0.70, p=0.002) and maximum force (r=0.72, p<0.001). Data indicate the ABTEST can accurately measure rectus-abdominus force isolated from hip-flexor involvement. Negligible activation of erector-spinae substantiates little subjective effort among participants in the lower back. Results suggest ABTEST is a valid and reliable method of evaluating abdominal force. Copyright © 2014 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cerebellar cathodal tDCS interferes with recalibration and spatial realignment during prism adaptation procedure in healthy subjects.

PubMed

Panico, Francesco; Sagliano, Laura; Grossi, Dario; Trojano, Luigi

2016-06-01

The aim of this study is to clarify the specific role of the cerebellum during prism adaptation procedure (PAP), considering its involvement in early prism exposure (i.e., in the recalibration process) and in post-exposure phase (i.e., in the after-effect, related to spatial realignment). For this purpose we interfered with cerebellar activity by means of cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), while young healthy individuals were asked to perform a pointing task on a touch screen before, during and after wearing base-left prism glasses. The distance from the target dot in each trial (in terms of pixels) on horizontal and vertical axes was recorded and served as an index of accuracy. Results on horizontal axis, that was shifted by prism glasses, revealed that participants who received cathodal stimulation showed increased rightward deviation from the actual position of the target while wearing prisms and a larger leftward deviation from the target after prisms removal. Results on vertical axis, in which no shift was induced, revealed a general trend in the two groups to improve accuracy through the different phases of the task, and a trend, more visible in cathodal stimulated participants, to worsen accuracy from the first to the last movements in each phase. Data on horizontal axis allow to confirm that the cerebellum is involved in all stages of PAP, contributing to early strategic recalibration process, as well as to spatial realignment. On vertical axis, the improving performance across the different stages of the task and the worsening accuracy within each task phase can be ascribed, respectively, to a learning process and to the task-related fatigue. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A new methodology based on sensitivity analysis to simplify the recalibration of functional-structural plant models in new conditions.

PubMed

Mathieu, Amélie; Vidal, Tiphaine; Jullien, Alexandra; Wu, QiongLi; Chambon, Camille; Bayol, Benoit; Cournède, Paul-Henry

2018-06-19

Functional-structural plant models (FSPMs) describe explicitly the interactions between plants and their environment at organ to plant scale. However, the high level of description of the structure or model mechanisms makes this type of model very complex and hard to calibrate. A two-step methodology to facilitate the calibration process is proposed here. First, a global sensitivity analysis method was applied to the calibration loss function. It provided first-order and total-order sensitivity indexes that allow parameters to be ranked by importance in order to select the most influential ones. Second, the Akaike information criterion (AIC) was used to quantify the model's quality of fit after calibration with different combinations of selected parameters. The model with the lowest AIC gives the best combination of parameters to select. This methodology was validated by calibrating the model on an independent data set (same cultivar, another year) with the parameters selected in the second step. All the parameters were set to their nominal value; only the most influential ones were re-estimated. Sensitivity analysis applied to the calibration loss function is a relevant method to underline the most significant parameters in the estimation process. For the studied winter oilseed rape model, 11 out of 26 estimated parameters were selected. Then, the model could be recalibrated for a different data set by re-estimating only three parameters selected with the model selection method. Fitting only a small number of parameters dramatically increases the efficiency of recalibration, increases the robustness of the model and helps identify the principal sources of variation in varying environmental conditions. This innovative method still needs to be more widely validated but already gives interesting avenues to improve the calibration of FSPMs.

A model for evaluating stream temperature response to climate change scenarios in Wisconsin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Westenbroek, Stephen M.; Stewart, Jana S.; Buchwald, Cheryl A.; Mitro, Matthew G.; Lyons, John D.; Greb, Steven

2010-01-01

Global climate change is expected to alter temperature and flow regimes for streams in Wisconsin over the coming decades. Stream temperature will be influenced not only by the predicted increases in average air temperature, but also by changes in baseflow due to changes in precipitation patterns and amounts. In order to evaluate future stream temperature and flow regimes in Wisconsin, we have integrated two existing models in order to generate a water temperature time series at a regional scale for thousands of stream reaches where site-specific temperature observations do not exist. The approach uses the US Geological Survey (USGS) Soil-Water-Balance (SWB) model, along with a recalibrated version of an existing artificial neural network (ANN) stream temperature model. The ANN model simulates stream temperatures on the basis of landscape variables such as land use and soil type, and also includes climate variables such as air temperature and precipitation amounts. The existing ANN model includes a landscape variable called DARCY designed to reflect the potential for groundwater recharge in the contributing area for a stream segment. SWB tracks soil-moisture and potential recharge at a daily time step, providing a way to link changing climate patterns and precipitation amounts over time to baseflow volumes, and presumably to stream temperatures. The recalibrated ANN incorporates SWB-derived estimates of potential recharge to supplement the static estimates of groundwater flow potential derived from a topographically based model (DARCY). SWB and the recalibrated ANN will be supplied with climate drivers from a suite of general circulation models and emissions scenarios, enabling resource managers to evaluate possible changes in stream temperature regimes for Wisconsin.

On the Long-Term Stability of Microwave Radiometers Using Noise Diodes for Calibration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Shannon T.; Desai, Shailen; Lu, Wenwen; Tanner, Alan B.

2007-01-01

Results are presented from the long-term monitoring and calibration of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Jason Microwave Radiometer (JMR) on the Jason-1 ocean altimetry satellite and the ground-based Advanced Water Vapor Radiometers (AWVRs) developed for the Cassini Gravity Wave Experiment. Both radiometers retrieve the wet tropospheric path delay (PD) of the atmosphere and use internal noise diodes (NDs) for gain calibration. The JMR is the first radiometer to be flown in space that uses NDs for calibration. External calibration techniques are used to derive a time series of ND brightness for both instruments that is greater than four years. For the JMR, an optimal estimator is used to find the set of calibration coefficients that minimize the root-mean-square difference between the JMR brightness temperatures and the on-Earth hot and cold references. For the AWVR, continuous tip curves are used to derive the ND brightness. For the JMR and AWVR, both of which contain three redundant NDs per channel, it was observed that some NDs were very stable, whereas others experienced jumps and drifts in their effective brightness. Over the four-year time period, the ND stability ranged from 0.2% to 3% among the diodes for both instruments. The presented recalibration methodology demonstrates that long-term calibration stability can be achieved with frequent recalibration of the diodes using external calibration techniques. The JMR PD drift compared to ground truth over the four years since the launch was reduced from 3.9 to - 0.01 mm/year with the recalibrated ND time series. The JMR brightness temperature calibration stability is estimated to be 0.25 K over ten days.

Prediction of cardiovascular risk in rheumatoid arthritis: performance of original and adapted SCORE algorithms.

PubMed

Arts, E E A; Popa, C D; Den Broeder, A A; Donders, R; Sandoo, A; Toms, T; Rollefstad, S; Ikdahl, E; Semb, A G; Kitas, G D; Van Riel, P L C M; Fransen, J

2016-04-01

Predictive performance of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk calculators appears suboptimal in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A disease-specific CVD risk algorithm may improve CVD risk prediction in RA. The objectives of this study are to adapt the Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) algorithm with determinants of CVD risk in RA and to assess the accuracy of CVD risk prediction calculated with the adapted SCORE algorithm. Data from the Nijmegen early RA inception cohort were used. The primary outcome was first CVD events. The SCORE algorithm was recalibrated by reweighing included traditional CVD risk factors and adapted by adding other potential predictors of CVD. Predictive performance of the recalibrated and adapted SCORE algorithms was assessed and the adapted SCORE was externally validated. Of the 1016 included patients with RA, 103 patients experienced a CVD event. Discriminatory ability was comparable across the original, recalibrated and adapted SCORE algorithms. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test results indicated that all three algorithms provided poor model fit (p<0.05) for the Nijmegen and external validation cohort. The adapted SCORE algorithm mainly improves CVD risk estimation in non-event cases and does not show a clear advantage in reclassifying patients with RA who develop CVD (event cases) into more appropriate risk groups. This study demonstrates for the first time that adaptations of the SCORE algorithm do not provide sufficient improvement in risk prediction of future CVD in RA to serve as an appropriate alternative to the original SCORE. Risk assessment using the original SCORE algorithm may underestimate CVD risk in patients with RA. 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/

Cardiovascular risk prediction tools for populations in Asia.

PubMed

Barzi, F; Patel, A; Gu, D; Sritara, P; Lam, T H; Rodgers, A; Woodward, M

2007-02-01

Cardiovascular risk equations are traditionally derived from the Framingham Study. The accuracy of this approach in Asian populations, where resources for risk factor measurement may be limited, is unclear. To compare "low-information" equations (derived using only age, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol and smoking status) derived from the Framingham Study with those derived from the Asian cohorts, on the accuracy of cardiovascular risk prediction. Separate equations to predict the 8-year risk of a cardiovascular event were derived from Asian and Framingham cohorts. The performance of these equations, and a subsequently "recalibrated" Framingham equation, were evaluated among participants from independent Chinese cohorts. Six cohort studies from Japan, Korea and Singapore (Asian cohorts); six cohort studies from China; the Framingham Study from the US. 172,077 participants from the Asian cohorts; 25,682 participants from Chinese cohorts and 6053 participants from the Framingham Study. In the Chinese cohorts, 542 cardiovascular events occurred during 8 years of follow-up. Both the Asian cohorts and the Framingham equations discriminated cardiovascular risk well in the Chinese cohorts; the area under the receiver-operator characteristic curve was at least 0.75 for men and women. However, the Framingham risk equation systematically overestimated risk in the Chinese cohorts by an average of 276% among men and 102% among women. The corresponding average overestimation using the Asian cohorts equation was 11% and 10%, respectively. Recalibrating the Framingham risk equation using cardiovascular disease incidence from the non-Chinese Asian cohorts led to an overestimation of risk by an average of 4% in women and underestimation of risk by an average of 2% in men. A low-information Framingham cardiovascular risk prediction tool, which, when recalibrated with contemporary data, is likely to estimate future cardiovascular risk with similar accuracy in Asian populations as tools developed from data on local cohorts.

The Recalibrated Sunspot Number: Impact on Solar Cycle Predictions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clette, F.; Lefevre, L.

2017-12-01

Recently and for the first time since their creation, the sunspot number and group number series were entirely revisited and a first fully recalibrated version was officially released in July 2015 by the World Data Center SILSO (Brussels). Those reference long-term series are widely used as input data or as a calibration reference by various solar cycle prediction methods. Therefore, past predictions may now need to be redone using the new sunspot series, and methods already used for predicting cycle 24 will require adaptations before attempting predictions of the next cycles.In order to clarify the nature of the applied changes, we describe the different corrections applied to the sunspot and group number series, which affect extended time periods and can reach up to 40%. While some changes simply involve constant scale factors, other corrections vary with time or follow the solar cycle modulation. Depending on the prediction method and on the selected time interval, this can lead to different responses and biases. Moreover, together with the new series, standard error estimates are also progressively added to the new sunspot numbers, which may help deriving more accurate uncertainties for predicted activity indices. We conclude on the new round of recalibration that is now undertaken in the framework of a broad multi-team collaboration articulated around upcoming ISSI workshops. We outline the future corrections that can still be expected in the future, as part of a permanent upgrading process and quality control. From now on, future sunspot-based predictive models should thus be made more adaptable, and regular updates of predictions should become common practice in order to track periodic upgrades of the sunspot number series, just like it is done when using other modern solar observational series.

Lung cancer risk prediction to select smokers for screening CT--a model based on the Italian COSMOS trial.

PubMed

Maisonneuve, Patrick; Bagnardi, Vincenzo; Bellomi, Massimo; Spaggiari, Lorenzo; Pelosi, Giuseppe; Rampinelli, Cristiano; Bertolotti, Raffaella; Rotmensz, Nicole; Field, John K; Decensi, Andrea; Veronesi, Giulia

2011-11-01

Screening with low-dose helical computed tomography (CT) has been shown to significantly reduce lung cancer mortality but the optimal target population and time interval to subsequent screening are yet to be defined. We developed two models to stratify individual smokers according to risk of developing lung cancer. We first used the number of lung cancers detected at baseline screening CT in the 5,203 asymptomatic participants of the COSMOS trial to recalibrate the Bach model, which we propose using to select smokers for screening. Next, we incorporated lung nodule characteristics and presence of emphysema identified at baseline CT into the Bach model and proposed the resulting multivariable model to predict lung cancer risk in screened smokers after baseline CT. Age and smoking exposure were the main determinants of lung cancer risk. The recalibrated Bach model accurately predicted lung cancers detected during the first year of screening. Presence of nonsolid nodules (RR = 10.1, 95% CI = 5.57-18.5), nodule size more than 8 mm (RR = 9.89, 95% CI = 5.84-16.8), and emphysema (RR = 2.36, 95% CI = 1.59-3.49) at baseline CT were all significant predictors of subsequent lung cancers. Incorporation of these variables into the Bach model increased the predictive value of the multivariable model (c-index = 0.759, internal validation). The recalibrated Bach model seems suitable for selecting the higher risk population for recruitment for large-scale CT screening. The Bach model incorporating CT findings at baseline screening could help defining the time interval to subsequent screening in individual participants. Further studies are necessary to validate these models.

Results of the space shuttle vehicle ascent air data system probe calibration test using a 0.07-scale external tank forebody model (68T) in the AEDC 16-foot transonic wind tunnel (IA-310), volume 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Collette, J. G. R.

1991-01-01

A recalibration of the Space Shuttle Vehicle Ascent Air Data System probe was conducted in the Arnold Engineering and Development Center (AEDC) transonic wind tunnel. The purpose was to improve on the accuracy of the previous calibration in order to reduce the existing uncertainties in the system. A probe tip attached to a 0.07-scale External Tank Forebody model was tested at angles of attack of -8 to +4 degrees and sideslip angles of -4 to +4 degrees. High precision instrumentation was used to acquire pressure data at discrete Mach numbers ranging from 0.6 to 1.55. Pressure coefficient uncertainties were estimated at less than 0.0020. Additional information is given in tabular form.

Results of the space shuttle vehicle ascent air data system probe calibration test using a 0.07-scale external tank forebody model (68T) in the AEDC 16-foot transonic wind tunnel (IA-310), volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Collette, J. G. R.

1991-01-01

A recalibration of the Space Shuttle Vehicle Ascent Air Data System probe was conducted in the Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) transonic wind tunnel. The purpose was to improve on the accuracy of the previous calibration in order to reduce the existing uncertainties in the system. A probe tip attached to a 0.07-scale External Tank Forebody model was tested at angles of attack of -8 to +4 degrees and sideslip angles of -4 to +4 degrees. High precision instrumentation was used to acquire pressure data at discrete Mach numbers ranging from 0.6 to 1.55. Pressure coefficient uncertainties were estimated at less than 0.0020. Data is given in graphical and tabular form.

[Techniques for pixel response nonuniformity correction of CCD in interferential imaging spectrometer].

PubMed

Yao, Tao; Yin, Shi-Min; Xiangli, Bin; Lü, Qun-Bo

2010-06-01

Based on in-depth analysis of the relative radiation scaling theorem and acquired scaling data of pixel response nonuniformity correction of CCD (charge-coupled device) in spaceborne visible interferential imaging spectrometer, a pixel response nonuniformity correction method of CCD adapted to visible and infrared interferential imaging spectrometer system was studied out, and it availably resolved the engineering technical problem of nonuniformity correction in detector arrays for interferential imaging spectrometer system. The quantitative impact of CCD nonuniformity on interferogram correction and recovery spectrum accuracy was given simultaneously. Furthermore, an improved method with calibration and nonuniformity correction done after the instrument is successfully assembled was proposed. The method can save time and manpower. It can correct nonuniformity caused by other reasons in spectrometer system besides CCD itself's nonuniformity, can acquire recalibration data when working environment is changed, and can also more effectively improve the nonuniformity calibration accuracy of interferential imaging

From Caregivers to Peers: Puberty Shapes Human Face Perception.

PubMed

Picci, Giorgia; Scherf, K Suzanne

2016-11-01

Puberty prepares mammals to sexually reproduce during adolescence. It is also hypothesized to invoke a social metamorphosis that prepares adolescents to take on adult social roles. We provide the first evidence to support this hypothesis in humans and show that pubertal development retunes the face-processing system from a caregiver bias to a peer bias. Prior to puberty, children exhibit enhanced recognition for adult female faces. With puberty, superior recognition emerges for peer faces that match one's pubertal status. As puberty progresses, so does the peer recognition bias. Adolescents become better at recognizing faces with a pubertal status similar to their own. These findings reconceptualize the adolescent "dip" in face recognition by showing that it is a recalibration of the face-processing system away from caregivers toward peers. Thus, in addition to preparing the physical body for sexual reproduction, puberty shapes the perceptual system for processing the social world in new ways. © The Author(s) 2016.

Medicare program; prospective payment system and consolidated billing for skilled nursing facilities for FY 2012. Final rule.

PubMed

2011-08-08

This final rule updates the payment rates used under the prospective payment system for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) for fiscal year 2012. In addition, it recalibrates the case-mix indexes so that they more accurately reflect parity in expenditures between RUG-IV and the previous case-mix classification system. It also includes a discussion of a Non-Therapy Ancillary component currently under development within CMS. In addition, this final rule discusses the impact of certain provisions of the Affordable Care Act, and reduces the SNF market basket percentage by the multi-factor productivity adjustment. This rule also implements certain changes relating to the payment of group therapy services and implements new resident assessment policies. Finally, this rule announces that the proposed provisions regarding the ownership disclosure requirements set forth in section 6101 of the Affordable Care Act will be finalized at a later date.

Adjustment of inpatient care reimbursement for nursing intensity.

PubMed

Welton, John M; Zone-Smith, Laurie; Fischer, Mary H

2006-11-01

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has begun an ambitious recalibration of the inpatient prospective payment system, the first since its introduction in 1983. Unfortunately, inpatient nursing care has been overlooked in the new payment system and continues to be treated as a fixed cost and billed at a set per-diem "room and board" fee despite the known variability of nursing intensity across different care settings and diagnoses. This article outlines the historical influences regarding costing, billing, and reimbursement of inpatient nursing care and provides contemporary evidence about the variability of nursing intensity and costs at acute care hospitals in the United States. A remedy is proposed to overcome the existing limitations of the Inpatient Prospective Payment System by creating a new nursing cost center and nursing intensity adjustment by DRG for each routine-and intensive-care day of stay to allow independent costing, billing, and reimbursement of inpatient nursing care.

A critical analysis of test-retest reliability in instrument validation studies of cancer patients under palliative care: a systematic review

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Patient-reported outcome validation needs to achieve validity and reliability standards. Among reliability analysis parameters, test-retest reliability is an important psychometric property. Retested patients must be in a clinically stable condition. This is particularly problematic in palliative care (PC) settings because advanced cancer patients are prone to a faster rate of clinical deterioration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the methods by which multi-symptom and health-related qualities of life (HRQoL) based on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have been validated in oncological PC settings with regards to test-retest reliability. Methods A systematic search of PubMed (1966 to June 2013), EMBASE (1980 to June 2013), PsychInfo (1806 to June 2013), CINAHL (1980 to June 2013), and SCIELO (1998 to June 2013), and specific PRO databases was performed. Studies were included if they described a set of validation studies. Studies were included if they described a set of validation studies for an instrument developed to measure multi-symptom or multidimensional HRQoL in advanced cancer patients under PC. The COSMIN checklist was used to rate the methodological quality of the study designs. Results We identified 89 validation studies from 746 potentially relevant articles. From those 89 articles, 31 measured test-retest reliability and were included in this review. Upon critical analysis of the overall quality of the criteria used to determine the test-retest reliability, 6 (19.4%), 17 (54.8%), and 8 (25.8%) of these articles were rated as good, fair, or poor, respectively, and no article was classified as excellent. Multi-symptom instruments were retested over a shortened interval when compared to the HRQoL instruments (median values 24 hours and 168 hours, respectively; p = 0.001). Validation studies that included objective confirmation of clinical stability in their design yielded better results for the test-retest analysis with regard to both pain and global HRQoL scores (p < 0.05). The quality of the statistical analysis and its description were of great concern. Conclusion Test-retest reliability has been infrequently and poorly evaluated. The confirmation of clinical stability was an important factor in our analysis, and we suggest that special attention be focused on clinical stability when designing a PRO validation study that includes advanced cancer patients under PC. PMID:24447633

Developing and Validating the Communication Function Classification System for Individuals with Cerebral Palsy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hidecker, Mary Jo Cooley; Paneth, Nigel; Rosenbaum, Peter L.; Kent, Raymond D.; Lillie, Janet; Eulenberg, John B.; Chester, Ken, Jr.; Johnson, Brenda; Michalsen, Lauren; Evatt, Morgan; Taylor, Kara

2011-01-01

Aim: The purpose of this study was to create and validate the Communication Function Classification System (CFCS) for children with cerebral palsy (CP), for use by a wide variety of individuals who are interested in CP. This paper reports the content validity, interrater reliability, and test-retest reliability of the CFCS for children with CP.…

Repeated rat-forced swim test: reducing the number of animals to evaluate gradual effects of antidepressants.

PubMed

Mezadri, T J; Batista, G M; Portes, A C; Marino-Neto, J; Lino-de-Oliveira, C

2011-02-15

The forced swim test (FST) is a pre-clinical test to short and long term treatment with antidepressant drugs (ADT), which requires between-subject designs. Herein a modified protocol of the FST using within-subject design (repeated rat-FST) was evaluated. Male Wistar rats were submitted to 15 min of swimming (Day 1: pretest) followed by three subsequent 5 min-swimming tests one week apart (Day 2: test, Day 7: retest 1, Day 14: retest 2). To determine the temporal and factorial characteristics of the variables scored in the repeated rat-FST, the protocol was carried out in untreated animals (E1). To validate the method, daily injections of Fluoxetine (FLX, 2.5mg/kg, i.p.) or saline were given over a 2-week period (E2). Tests and retests have been videotaped for further register of the latency, frequency and duration of behaviors. Over retesting the latency to immobility decreased whereas duration of immobility tended to increase. Factorial analysis revealed that the test, the retest 1 as well as the retest 2 have variables suitable to detection of antidepressant-like effects of ADT. Compared to saline, FLX chronically administrated reduced duration of immobility whereas increased duration of swimming in retest 2. The data suggest that repeated rat-FST detected the gradual increase in the efficacy of low doses of FLX over time. Therefore, repeated rat-FST seemed suitable to detect short and long term effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or other ADT, thus reducing the number of animals used in the screenings of this type of compounds. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Test-retest reliability and construct validity of the ENERGY-child questionnaire on energy balance-related behaviours and their potential determinants: the ENERGY-project.

PubMed

Singh, Amika S; Vik, Froydis N; Chinapaw, Mai J M; Uijtdewilligen, Léonie; Verloigne, Maïté; Fernández-Alvira, Juan M; Stomfai, Sarolta; Manios, Yannis; Martens, Marloes; Brug, Johannes

2011-12-09

Insight in children's energy balance-related behaviours (EBRBs) and their determinants is important to inform obesity prevention research. Therefore, reliable and valid tools to measure these variables in large-scale population research are needed. To examine the test-retest reliability and construct validity of the child questionnaire used in the ENERGY-project, measuring EBRBs and their potential determinants among 10-12 year old children. We collected data among 10-12 year old children (n = 730 in the test-retest reliability study; n = 96 in the construct validity study) in six European countries, i.e. Belgium, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain. Test-retest reliability was assessed using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and percentage agreement comparing scores from two measurements, administered one week apart. To assess construct validity, the agreement between questionnaire responses and a subsequent face-to-face interview was assessed using ICC and percentage agreement. Of the 150 questionnaire items, 115 (77%) showed good to excellent test-retest reliability as indicated by ICCs > .60 or percentage agreement ≥ 75%. Test-retest reliability was moderate for 34 items (23%) and poor for one item. Construct validity appeared to be good to excellent for 70 (47%) of the 150 items, as indicated by ICCs > .60 or percentage agreement ≥ 75%. From the other 80 items, construct validity was moderate for 39 (26%) and poor for 41 items (27%). Our results demonstrate that the ENERGY-child questionnaire, assessing EBRBs of the child as well as personal, family, and school-environmental determinants related to these EBRBs, has good test-retest reliability and moderate to good construct validity for the large majority of items.

Exercise-Induced Hypoalgesia After Isometric Wall Squat Exercise: A Test-Retest Reliabilty Study.

PubMed

Vaegter, Henrik Bjarke; Lyng, Kristian Damgaard; Yttereng, Fredrik Wannebo; Christensen, Mads Holst; Sørensen, Mathias Brandhøj; Graven-Nielsen, Thomas

2018-05-19

Isometric exercises decrease pressure pain sensitivity in exercising and nonexercising muscles known as exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH). No studies have assessed the test-retest reliability of EIH after isometric exercise. This study investigated the EIH on pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) after an isometric wall squat exercise. The relative and absolute test-retest reliability of the PPT as a test stimulus and the EIH response in exercising and nonexercising muscles were calculated. In two identical sessions, PPTs of the thigh and shoulder were assessed before and after three minutes of quiet rest and three minutes of wall squat exercise, respectively, in 35 healthy subjects. The relative test-retest reliability of PPT and EIH was determined using analysis of variance models, Person's r, and intraclass correlations (ICCs). The absolute test-retest reliability of EIH was determined based on PPT standard error of measurements and Cohen's kappa for agreement between sessions. Squat increased PPTs of exercising and nonexercising muscles by 16.8% ± 16.9% and 6.7% ± 12.9%, respectively (P < 0.001), with no significant differences between sessions. PPTs within and between sessions showed moderately strong correlations (r ≥ 0.74) and excellent (ICC ≥ 0.84) within-session (rest) and between-session test-retest reliability. EIH responses of exercising and nonexercising muscles showed no systematic errors between sessions; however, the relative test-retest reliability was low (ICCs = 0.03-0.43), and agreement in EIH responders and nonresponders between sessions was not significant (κ < 0.13, P > 0.43). A wall squat exercise increased PPTs compared with quiet rest; however, the relative and absolute reliability of the EIH response was poor. Future research is warranted to investigate the reliability of EIH in clinical pain populations.

Psychometric Properties of Performance-based Measurements of Functional Capacity: Test-Retest Reliability, Practice Effects, and Potential Sensitivity to Change

PubMed Central

Leifker, Feea R.; Patterson, Thomas L.; Bowie, Christopher R.; Mausbach, Brent T.; Harvey, Philip D.

2010-01-01

Performance-based measures of the ability to perform social and everyday living skills are being more widely used to assess functional capacity in people with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Since they are also being used as outcome measures in pharmacological and cognitive remediation studies aimed at cognitive impairments in schizophrenia, understanding their measurement properties and potential sensitivity to change is important. In this study, the test-retest reliability, practice effects, and reliable change indices of two different performance-based functional capacity measures, the UCSD Performance-based skills assessment (UPSA) and Social skills performance assessment (SSPA) were examined over several different retest intervals in two different samples of people with schizophrenia (n’s=238 and 116) and a healthy comparison sample (n=109). These psychometric properties were compared to those of a neuropsychological assessment battery. Test-retest reliabilities of the long form of the UPSA ranged from r=.63 to r=.80 over follow-up periods up to 36 months in people with schizophrenia, while brief UPSA reliabilities ranged from r=.66 to r=.81. Test-retest reliability of the NP performance scores ranged from r=.77 to r=.79. Test-retest reliabilities of the UPSA were lower in healthy controls, while NP performance was slightly more reliable. SSPA test-retest reliability was lower. Practice effect sizes ranged from .05 to .16 for the UPSA and .07 to .19 for the NP assessment in patients, with HC having more practice effects. Reliable change intervals were consistent across NP and both FC measures, indicating equal potential for detection of change. These performance-based measures of functional capacity appear to have similar potential to be sensitive to change compared to NP performance in people with schizophrenia. PMID:20399613

Test-retest reliability and construct validity of the ENERGY-child questionnaire on energy balance-related behaviours and their potential determinants: the ENERGY-project

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Insight in children's energy balance-related behaviours (EBRBs) and their determinants is important to inform obesity prevention research. Therefore, reliable and valid tools to measure these variables in large-scale population research are needed. Objective To examine the test-retest reliability and construct validity of the child questionnaire used in the ENERGY-project, measuring EBRBs and their potential determinants among 10-12 year old children. Methods We collected data among 10-12 year old children (n = 730 in the test-retest reliability study; n = 96 in the construct validity study) in six European countries, i.e. Belgium, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain. Test-retest reliability was assessed using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and percentage agreement comparing scores from two measurements, administered one week apart. To assess construct validity, the agreement between questionnaire responses and a subsequent face-to-face interview was assessed using ICC and percentage agreement. Results Of the 150 questionnaire items, 115 (77%) showed good to excellent test-retest reliability as indicated by ICCs > .60 or percentage agreement ≥ 75%. Test-retest reliability was moderate for 34 items (23%) and poor for one item. Construct validity appeared to be good to excellent for 70 (47%) of the 150 items, as indicated by ICCs > .60 or percentage agreement ≥ 75%. From the other 80 items, construct validity was moderate for 39 (26%) and poor for 41 items (27%). Conclusions Our results demonstrate that the ENERGY-child questionnaire, assessing EBRBs of the child as well as personal, family, and school-environmental determinants related to these EBRBs, has good test-retest reliability and moderate to good construct validity for the large majority of items. PMID:22152048

General inattentiveness is a long-term reliable trait independently predictive of psychological health: Danish validation studies of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale.

PubMed

Jensen, Christian Gaden; Niclasen, Janni; Vangkilde, Signe Allerup; Petersen, Anders; Hasselbalch, Steen Gregers

2016-05-01

The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) measures perceived degree of inattentiveness in different contexts and is often used as a reversed indicator of mindfulness. MAAS is hypothesized to reflect a psychological trait or disposition when used outside attentional training contexts, but the long-term test-retest reliability of MAAS scores is virtually untested. It is unknown whether MAAS predicts psychological health after controlling for standardized socioeconomic status classifications. First, MAAS translated to Danish was validated psychometrically within a randomly invited healthy adult community sample (N = 490). Factor analysis confirmed that MAAS scores quantified a unifactorial construct of excellent composite reliability and consistent convergent validity. Structural equation modeling revealed that MAAS scores contributed independently to predicting psychological distress and mental health, after controlling for age, gender, income, socioeconomic occupational class, stressful life events, and social desirability (β = 0.32-.42, ps < .001). Second, MAAS scores showed satisfactory short-term test-retest reliability in 100 retested healthy university students. Finally, MAAS sample mean scores as well as individuals' scores demonstrated satisfactory test-retest reliability across a 6 months interval in the adult community (retested N = 407), intraclass correlations ≥ .74. MAAS scores displayed significantly stronger long-term test-retest reliability than scores measuring psychological distress (z = 2.78, p = .005). Test-retest reliability estimates did not differ within demographic and socioeconomic strata. Scores on the Danish MAAS were psychometrically validated in healthy adults. MAAS's inattentiveness scores reflected a unidimensional construct, long-term reliable disposition, and a factor of independent significance for predicting psychological health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Effective Dynamic Range and Retest Reliability of Dark-Adapted Two-Color Fundus-Controlled Perimetry in Patients With Macular Diseases.

PubMed

Pfau, Maximilian; Lindner, Moritz; Müller, Philipp L; Birtel, Johannes; Finger, Robert P; Harmening, Wolf M; Fleckenstein, Monika; Holz, Frank G; Schmitz-Valckenberg, Steffen

2017-05-01

To determine the effective dynamic range (EDR), retest reliability, and number of discriminable steps (DS) for mesopic and dark-adapted two-color fundus-controlled perimetry (FCP) using the S-MAIA (Scotopic-Macular Integrity Assessment) "micro-perimeter." In this prospective cross-sectional study, each of the 52 eyes of 52 subjects with various macular diseases (mean age 62.0 ± 16.9 years; range, 19.1-90.1 years) underwent duplicate mesopic (achromatic stimuli, 400-800 nm), dark-adapted cyan (505 nm), and dark-adapted red (627 nm) FCP using a grid of 61 stimuli covering 18° of the central retina. The EDR, the number of DS, and the retest reliability for point-wise sensitivity (PWS) were analyzed. The effects of fixation stability, sensitivity, and age on retest reliability were examined using mixed-effects models. The EDR was 10 to 30 dB with five DS for mesopic and 4 to 17 dB with four DS for dark-adapted cyan and red testing. PWS retest reliability was good among all three types of retinal sensitivity assessments (coefficient of repeatability ±5.79, ±4.72, and ±4.77 dB, respectively) and did not depend on fixation stability or age. PWS had no effect on retest variability in dark-adapted cyan and dark-adapted red testing but had a minor effect in mesopic testing. Combined mesopic and dark-adapted two-color FCP allows for reliable topographic testing of cone and rod function in patients with various macular diseases with and without foveal fixation. Retest reliability is homogeneous across eccentricities and various degrees of scotoma depth, including zones at risk for disease progression. These reliability estimates can serve for the design of future clinical trials.

Radiation physics, biophysics and radiation biology. Progress report for October 1, 1979-September 30, 1980. [Lead abstract

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

Rossi, H.H.; Hall, E.J.

1980-07-01

Separate abstracts were prepared for 31 of the 32 papers presented in this progress report. The other paper is represented by an abstract only and deals with field shaping and recalibration of x-ray facilities.

Creative Energy Management Can Save Money.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rose, Patricia

1984-01-01

Schools can launch energy conservation programs with simple money-saving measures like improving boiler maintenance, recalibrating utility meters, and obtaining preferred utility rates. Becoming more assertive in the marketplace and using "creative financing" when needed, they can then reinvest their savings in more extensive projects. (MCG)

LOPES-3D: An antenna array for full signal detection of air-shower radio emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Apel, W. D.; Arteaga, J. C.; Bähren, L.; Bekk, K.; Bertaina, M.; Biermann, P. L.; Blümer, J.; Bozdog, H.; Brancus, I. M.; Buchholz, P.; Cantoni, E.; Chiavassa, A.; Daumiller, K.; de Souza, V.; Di Pierro, F.; Doll, P.; Engel, R.; Falcke, H.; Finger, M.; Fuchs, B.; Fuhrmann, D.; Gemmeke, H.; Grupen, C.; Haungs, A.; Heck, D.; Hörandel, J. R.; Horneffer, A.; Huber, D.; Huege, T.; Isar, P. G.; Kampert, K.-H.; Kang, D.; Krömer, O.; Kuijpers, J.; Link, K.; Łuczak, P.; Ludwig, M.; Mathes, H. J.; Melissas, M.; Morello, C.; Oehlschläger, J.; Palmieri, N.; Pierog, T.; Rautenberg, J.; Rebel, H.; Roth, M.; Rühle, C.; Saftoiu, A.; Schieler, H.; Schmidt, A.; Schröder, F. G.; Sima, O.; Toma, G.; Trinchero, G. C.; Weindl, A.; Wochele, J.; Wommer, M.; Zabierowski, J.; Zensus, J. A.

2012-12-01

To better understand the radio signal emitted by extensive air-showers and to further develop the radio detection technique of high-energy cosmic rays, the LOPES experiment was reconfigured to LOPES-3D. LOPES-3D is able to measure all three vectorial components of the electric field of radio emission from cosmic ray air showers. The additional measurement of the vertical component ought to increase the reconstruction accuracy of primary cosmic ray parameters like direction and energy, provides an improved sensitivity to inclined showers, and will help to validate simulation of the emission mechanisms in the atmosphere. LOPES-3D will evaluate the feasibility of vectorial measurements for large scale applications. In order to measure all three electric field components directly, a tailor-made antenna type (tripoles) was deployed. The change of the antenna type necessitated new pre-amplifiers and an overall recalibration. The reconfiguration and the recalibration procedure are presented and the operationality of LOPES-3D is demonstrated.

Resilience in adults with cancer: development of a conceptual model.

PubMed

Deshields, Teresa L; Heiland, Mark F; Kracen, Amanda C; Dua, Priya

2016-01-01

Resilience is a construct addressed in the psycho-oncology literature and is especially relevant to cancer survivorship. The purpose of this paper is to propose a model for resilience that is specific to adults diagnosed with cancer. To establish the proposed model, a brief review of the various definitions of resilience and of the resilience literature in oncology is provided. The proposed model includes baseline attributes (personal and environmental) which impact how an individual responds to an adverse event, which in this paper is cancer-related. The survivor has an initial response that fits somewhere on the distress-resilience continuum; however, post-cancer experiences (and interventions) can modify the initial response through a process of recalibration. The literature reviewed indicates that resilience is a common response to cancer diagnosis or treatment. The proposed model supports the view of resilience as both an outcome and a dynamic process. Given the process of recalibration, a discussion is provided of interventions that might facilitate resilience in adults with cancer. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Recalibration and Validation of the SMAP L-Band Radiometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peng, Jinzheng; Piepmeier, Jeffrey; Le Vine, David M.; Dinnat, Emmanuel; Bindlish, Rajat; De amici, Giovanni; Mohammed, Priscilla; Misra, Sidharth; Yueh, Simon; Meissner, Thomas

2017-01-01

SMAP mission was launched on 31st January 2015 in a 6 AM 6 PM sun-synchronous orbit at 685 km altitude to measure soil moisture and freethaw globally. The passive instrument of SMAP is a fully polarimetric L-band radiometer (1.4GHz) operating with a bandwidth of 24MHz. The radiometer L1B data product version 3 has been released for public science activities. Post-launch calibration and validation activities are described in [4,5]. Validation results show that SMAP antenna temperature (TA) is 2.6 K warmer over galactic Cold Sky (CS), and land TB is 2.6 K colder comparing to SMOS land TB (compared at the top of the atmosphere) after the update of the reflectors thermal model. Due to the biases, the SMAP radiometer is under re-calibration for next data release in 2018.We present the updated calibration approaches for the SMAP radiometer product. We will discuss the various radiometer calibration parameters and part of the validation process and result.

Improving the Test-Retest Reliability of Resting State fMRI by Removing the Impact of Sleep.

PubMed

Wang, Jiahui; Han, Junwei; Nguyen, Vinh T; Guo, Lei; Guo, Christine C

2017-01-01

Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) provides a powerful tool to examine large-scale neural networks in the human brain and their disturbances in neuropsychiatric disorders. Thanks to its low demand and high tolerance, resting state paradigms can be easily acquired from clinical population. However, due to the unconstrained nature, resting state paradigm is associated with excessive head movement and proneness to sleep. Consequently, the test-retest reliability of rs-fMRI measures is moderate at best, falling short of widespread use in the clinic. Here, we characterized the effect of sleep on the test-retest reliability of rs-fMRI. Using measures of heart rate variability (HRV) derived from simultaneous electrocardiogram (ECG) recording, we identified portions of fMRI data when subjects were more alert or sleepy, and examined their effects on the test-retest reliability of functional connectivity measures. When volumes of sleep were excluded, the reliability of rs-fMRI is significantly improved, and the improvement appears to be general across brain networks. The amount of improvement is robust with the removal of as much as 60% volumes of sleepiness. Therefore, test-retest reliability of rs-fMRI is affected by sleep and could be improved by excluding volumes of sleepiness as indexed by HRV. Our results suggest a novel and practical method to improve test-retest reliability of rs-fMRI measures.

Development of a Walking-Safety Scale for Older Adults, Part II: Interrater and Test–Retest Agreement of the GEM Scale

PubMed Central

Rousseau, Jacqueline; Kaegi, Christine; Boudreault, Renée; Nadeau, Sylvie

2008-01-01

Purpose: The GEM scale is an objective assessment tool, specifically developed for older adults, to evaluate walking safety using standardized tasks. The purpose of this study was to estimate the interrater and test–retest agreement of the GEM scale. Method: Participants (n = 41; ≥ 65 years) were recruited from geriatric units and assessed independently and simultaneously by three raters on two occasions using the GEM scale. Kappa coefficients and percentage agreement were calculated for each item of the scale. Results: A majority of walking items (n = 22) showed fair to substantial interrater agreement (κ ≥ 0.25) and substantial to almost perfect test–retest agreement (κ ≥ 0.60). Mean percentage agreement was high for both interrater and test–retest agreement (79% ± 15% and 83% ± 16% respectively). Moreover, detailed analyses demonstrated that the relatively low agreement of some items resulted from changes in the performance of some participants and the low variability of scores. Although some walking items showed less agreement, the final decision regarding the participants’ ability to walk safely resulted in moderate to substantial interrater and test–retest agreement. Conclusion: The GEM scale is a new assessment tool that can now be used with estimated interrater and test–retest properties to allow therapists to objectively evaluate walking safety among the elderly. PMID:20145760

The importance of retesting the hearing screening as an indicator of the real early hearing disorder.

PubMed

Silva, Daniela Polo Camargo da; Lopez, Priscila Suman; Ribeiro, Georgea Espíndola; Luna, Marcos Otávio de Mesquita; Lyra, João César; Montovani, Jair Cortez

2015-01-01

Early diagnosis of hearing loss minimizes its impact on child development. We studied factors that influence the effectiveness of screening programs. To investigate the relationship between gender, weight at birth, gestational age, risk factors for hearing loss, venue for newborn hearing screening and "pass" and "fail" results in the retest. Prospective cohort study was carried out in a tertiary referral hospital. The screening was performed in 565 newborns through transient evoked otoacoustic emissions in three admission units before hospital discharge and retest in the outpatient clinic. Gender, weight at birth, gestational age, presence of risk indicators for hearing loss and venue for newborn hearing screening were considered. Full-term infants comprised 86% of the cases, preterm 14%, and risk factors for hearing loss were identified in 11%. Considering the 165 newborns retested, only the venue for screening, Intermediate Care Unit, was related to "fail" result in the retest. Gender, weight at birth, gestational age and presence of risk factors for hearing loss were not related to "pass" and/or "fail" results in the retest. The screening performed in intermediate care units increases the chance of continued "fail" result in the Transient Otoacoustic Evoked Emissions test. Copyright © 2015 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Test-retest reliability of the Progressive Isoinertial Lifting Evaluation (PILE).

PubMed

Lygren, Hildegunn; Dragesund, Tove; Joensen, Jón; Ask, Tove; Moe-Nilssen, Rolf

2005-05-01

A repeated measures single group design. To investigate test-retest reliability of Progressive Isoinertial Lifting Evaluation on patients with long lasting musculoskeletal problems related to the lumbar spine. Test-retest reliability has been satisfactory in healthy men. Test-retest reliability for clinical populations has not been reported. A total of 31 patients (17 women and 14 men) with long lasting low back pain participated in the study. The patients were tested twice at an interval of 2 days and at the same time of the day. The heaviest load that the patient could lift 4 times was used as outcome measure. The error of measurement indicates that the true result in 95% of cases will be within +/-4.5 kg from the measured value, while the difference between 2 measurements in 95% of cases will be less than 6.4 kg. Intra-class correlation (1,1) was 0.91. Relative test-retest reliability was high assessed by intra-class correlation, but absolute measurement variability reported as the smallest detectable difference has relevance for the interpretation of clinical test results and should also be considered.

Transient-evoked and distortion product otoacoustic emissions: A short-term test-retest reliability study.

PubMed

Keppler, Hannah; Dhooge, Ingeborg; Maes, Leen; D'haenens, Wendy; Bockstael, Annelies; Philips, Birgit; Swinnen, Freya; Vinck, Bart

2010-02-01

Knowledge regarding the variability of transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) is essential in clinical settings and improves their utility in monitoring hearing status over time. In the current study, TEOAEs and DPOAEs were measured with commercially available OAE-equipment in 56 normally-hearing ears during three sessions. Reliability was analysed for the retest measurement without probe-refitting, the immediate retest measurement with probe-refitting, and retest measurements after one hour and one week. The highest reliability was obtained in the retest measurement without probe-refitting, and decreased with increasing time-interval between measurements. For TEOAEs, the lowest reliability was seen at half-octave frequency bands 1.0 and 1.4 kHz; whereas for DPOAEs half-octave frequency band 8.0 kHz had also poor reliability. Higher primary tone level combination for DPOAEs yielded to a better reliability of DPOAE amplitudes. External environmental noise seemed to be the dominating noise source in normal-hearing subjects, decreasing the reliability of emission amplitudes especially in the low-frequency region.

Validation study of an electronic method of condensed outcomes tools reporting in orthopaedics.

PubMed

Farr, Jack; Verma, Nikhil; Cole, Brian J

2013-12-01

Patient-reported outcomes (PRO) instruments are a vital source of data for evaluating the efficacy of medical treatments. Historically, outcomes instruments have been designed, validated, and implemented as paper-based questionnaires. The collection of paper-based outcomes information may result in patients becoming fatigued as they respond to redundant questions. This problem is exacerbated when multiple PRO measures are provided to a single patient. In addition, the management and analysis of data collected in paper format involves labor-intensive processes to score and render the data analyzable. Computer-based outcomes systems have the potential to mitigate these problems by reformatting multiple outcomes tools into a single, user-friendly tool.The study aimed to determine whether the electronic outcomes system presented produces results comparable with the test-retest correlations reported for the corresponding orthopedic paper-based outcomes instruments.The study is designed as a crossover study based on consecutive orthopaedic patients arriving at one of two designated orthopedic knee clinics.Patients were assigned to complete either a paper or a computer-administered questionnaire based on a similar set of questions (Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, International Knee Documentation Committee form, 36-Item Short Form survey, version 1, Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale). Each patient completed the same surveys using the other instrument, so that all patients had completed both paper and electronic versions. Correlations between the results from the two modes were studied and compared with test-retest data from the original validation studies.The original validation studies established test-retest reliability by computing correlation coefficients for two administrations of the paper instrument. Those correlation coefficients were all in the range of 0.7 to 0.9, which was deemed satisfactory. The present study computed correlation coefficients between the paper and electronic modes of administration. These correlation coefficients demonstrated similar results with an overall value of 0.86.On the basis of the correlation coefficients, the electronic application of commonly used knee outcome scores compare variably to the traditional paper variants with a high rate of test-retest correlation. This equivalence supports the use of the condensed electronic outcomes system and validates comparison of scores between electronic and paper modes. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Quality of life of the Indonesian general population: Test-retest reliability and population norms of the EQ-5D-5L and WHOQOL-BREF.

PubMed

Purba, Fredrick Dermawan; Hunfeld, Joke A M; Iskandarsyah, Aulia; Fitriana, Titi Sahidah; Sadarjoen, Sawitri S; Passchier, Jan; Busschbach, Jan J V

2018-01-01

The objective of this study is to obtain population norms and to assess test-retest reliability of EQ-5D-5L and WHOQOL-BREF for the Indonesian population. A representative sample of 1056 people aged 17-75 years was recruited from the Indonesian general population. We used a multistage stratified quota sampling method with respect to residence, gender, age, education level, religion and ethnicity. Respondents completed EQ-5D-5L and WHOQOL-BREF with help from an interviewer. Norms data for both instruments were reported. For the test-retest evaluations, a sub-sample of 206 respondents completed both instruments twice. The total sample and test-retest sub-sample were representative of the Indonesian general population. The EQ-5D-5L shows almost perfect agreement between the two tests (Gwet's AC: 0.85-0.99 and percentage agreement: 90-99%) regarding the five dimensions. However, the agreement of EQ-VAS and index scores can be considered as poor (ICC: 0.45 and 0.37 respectively). For the WHOQOL-BREF, ICCs of the four domains were between 0.70 and 0.79, which indicates moderate to good agreement. For EQ-5D-5L, it was shown that female and older respondents had lower EQ-index scores, whilst rural, younger and higher-educated respondents had higher EQ-VAS scores. For WHOQOL-BREF: male, younger, higher-educated, high-income respondents had the highest scores in most of the domains, overall quality of life, and health satisfaction. This study provides representative estimates of self-reported health status and quality of life for the general Indonesian population as assessed by the EQ-5D-5L and WHOQOL-BREF instruments. The descriptive system of the EQ-5D-5L and the WHOQOL-BREF have high test-retest reliability while the EQ-VAS and the index score of EQ-5D-5L show poor agreement between the two tests. Our results can be useful to researchers and clinicians who can compare their findings with respect to these concepts with those of the Indonesian general population.

Methodological and physiological test-retest reliability of (13) C-MRS glycogen measurements in liver and in skeletal muscle of patients with type 1 diabetes and matched healthy controls.

PubMed

Buehler, Tania; Bally, Lia; Dokumaci, Ayse Sila; Stettler, Christoph; Boesch, Chris

2016-06-01

Glycogen is a major substrate in energy metabolism and particularly important to prevent hypoglycemia in pathologies of glucose homeostasis such as type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). (13) C-MRS is increasingly used to determine glycogen in skeletal muscle and liver non-invasively; however, the low signal-to-noise ratio leads to long acquisition times, particularly when glycogen levels are determined before and after interventions. In order to ease the requirements for the subjects and to avoid systematic effects of the lengthy examination, we evaluated if a standardized preparation period would allow us to shift the baseline (pre-intervention) experiments to a preceding day. Based on natural abundance (13) C-MRS on a clinical 3 T MR system the present study investigated the test-retest reliability of glycogen measurements in patients with T1DM and matched controls (n = 10 each group) in quadriceps muscle and liver. Prior to the MR examination, participants followed a standardized diet and avoided strenuous exercise for two days. The average coefficient of variation (CV) of myocellular glycogen levels was 9.7% in patients with T1DM compared with 6.6% in controls after a 2 week period, while hepatic glycogen variability was 13.3% in patients with T1DM and 14.6% in controls. For comparison, a single-session test-retest variability in four healthy volunteers resulted in 9.5% for skeletal muscle and 14.3% for liver. Glycogen levels in muscle and liver were not statistically different between test and retest, except for hepatic glycogen, which decreased in T1DM patients in the retest examination, but without an increase of the group distribution. Since the CVs of glycogen levels determined in a "single session" versus "within weeks" are comparable, we conclude that the major source of uncertainty is the methodological error and that physiological variations can be minimized by a pre-study standardization. For hepatic glycogen examinations, familiarization sessions (MR and potentially strenuous interventions) are recommended. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Brain GABA Detection in vivo with the J-editing 1H MRS Technique: A Comprehensive Methodological Evaluation of Sensitivity Enhancement, Macromolecule Contamination and Test-Retest Reliability

PubMed Central

Shungu, Dikoma C.; Mao, Xiangling; Gonzales, Robyn; Soones, Tacara N.; Dyke, Jonathan P.; van der Veen, Jan Willem; Kegeles, Lawrence S.

2016-01-01

Abnormalities in brain γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) have been implicated in various neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders. However, in vivo GABA detection by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) presents significant challenges arising from low brain concentration, overlap by much stronger resonances, and contamination by mobile macromolecule (MM) signals. This study addresses these impediments to reliable brain GABA detection with the J-editing difference technique on a 3T MR system in healthy human subjects by (a) assessing the sensitivity gains attainable with an 8-channel phased-array head coil, (b) determining the magnitude and anatomic variation of the contamination of GABA by MM, and (c) estimating the test-retest reliability of measuring GABA with this method. Sensitivity gains and test-retest reliability were examined in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), while MM levels were compared across three cortical regions: the DLPFC, the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and the occipital cortex (OCC). A 3-fold higher GABA detection sensitivity was attained with the 8-channel head coil compared to the standard single-channel head coil in DLPFC. Despite significant anatomic variation in GABA+MM and MM across the three brain regions (p < 0.05), the contribution of MM to GABA+MM was relatively stable across the three voxels, ranging from 41% to 49%, a non-significant regional variation (p = 0.58). The test-retest reliability of GABA measurement, expressed either as ratios to voxel tissue water (W) or total creatine, was found to be very high for both the single-channel coil and the 8-channel phased-array coil. For the 8-channel coil, for example, Pearson’s correlation coefficient of test vs. retest for GABA/W was 0.98 (R2 = 0.96, p = 0.0007), the percent coefficient of variation (CV) was 1.25%, and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0.98. Similar reliability was also found for the co-edited resonance of combined glutamate and glutamine (Glx) for both coils. PMID:27173449

Species coextinctions and the biodiversity crisis.

PubMed

Koh, Lian Pin; Dunn, Robert R; Sodhi, Navjot S; Colwell, Robert K; Proctor, Heather C; Smith, Vincent S

2004-09-10

To assess the coextinction of species (the loss of a species upon the loss of another), we present a probabilistic model, scaled with empirical data. The model examines the relationship between coextinction levels (proportion of species extinct) of affiliates and their hosts across a wide range of coevolved interspecific systems: pollinating Ficus wasps and Ficus, parasites and their hosts, butterflies and their larval host plants, and ant butterflies and their host ants. Applying a nomographic method based on mean host specificity (number of host species per affiliate species), we estimate that 6300 affiliate species are "coendangered" with host species currently listed as endangered. Current extinction estimates need to be recalibrated by taking species coextinctions into account.

Method and apparatus for calibrating a tiled display

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Chung-Jen (Inventor); Johnson, Michael J. (Inventor); Chandrasekhar, Rajesh (Inventor)

2001-01-01

A display system that can be calibrated and re-calibrated with a minimal amount of manual intervention. To accomplish this, one or more cameras are provided to capture an image of the display screen. The resulting captured image is processed to identify any non-desirable characteristics, including visible artifacts such as seams, bands, rings, etc. Once the non-desirable characteristics are identified, an appropriate transformation function is determined. The transformation function is used to pre-warp the input video signal that is provided to the display such that the non-desirable characteristics are reduced or eliminated from the display. The transformation function preferably compensates for spatial non-uniformity, color non-uniformity, luminance non-uniformity, and other visible artifacts.

The Rover Environmental Monitoring Station Ground Temperature Sensor: a pyrometer for measuring ground temperature on Mars.

PubMed

Sebastián, Eduardo; Armiens, Carlos; Gómez-Elvira, Javier; Zorzano, María P; Martinez-Frias, Jesus; Esteban, Blanca; Ramos, Miguel

2010-01-01

We describe the parameters that drive the design and modeling of the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) Ground Temperature Sensor (GTS), an instrument aboard NASA's Mars Science Laboratory, and report preliminary test results. REMS GTS is a lightweight, low-power, and low cost pyrometer for measuring the Martian surface kinematic temperature. The sensor's main feature is its innovative design, based on a simple mechanical structure with no moving parts. It includes an in-flight calibration system that permits sensor recalibration when sensor sensitivity has been degraded by deposition of dust over the optics. This paper provides the first results of a GTS engineering model working in a Martian-like, extreme environment.

ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN THREE CLINICAL ASSESSMENT TOOLS FOR POSTURAL STABILITY

PubMed Central

Saxion, Casie E.; Cameron, Kenneth L.; Gerber, J. Parry

2010-01-01

Study Design: Clinical Measurement, Correlation, Reliability Objectives: To assess the relationship between the Single Leg Balance (SLB), modified Balance Error Scoring System (mBESS), and modified Star Excursion Balance (mSEBT) tests and secondarily to assess inter-rater and test-retest reliability of these tests. Background: Ankle sprains often result in chronic instability and dysfunction. Several clinical tests assess postural deficits as a potential cause of this dysfunction; however, limited information exists pertaining to the relationship that these tests have with one another. Methods: Two independent examiners measured the performance of 34 healthy participants completing the SLB Test, mBESS test, and mSEBT at two different time periods. The relationship between tests was assessed using the Pearson Correlation and Fisher's Exact Tests. Inter-rater and test-retest reliability were assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Kappa statistics. Results: A significant correlation (r = -0.35) was observed between the mSEBT and the mBESS. Fisher's Exact Test showed a significant association between the SLB Test and mBESS (P = .048), but no association between the SLB and mSEBT (P = 1.000). Inter-rater reliability was excellent for the mSEBT and fair for the mBESS (ICCs of .91 and .61 respectively). Excellent agreement was observed between raters for the SLB test (k = 1.00). Test-retest reliability was excellent for the mSEBT (ICC = 0.98) and fair for the mBESS (ICC = 0.74). There was poor test-retest agreement for the SLB test (k = .211). Conclusion: There was a significant relationship observed between the SLB Test, mBESS test, and mSEBT: however; strength of association measures showed limited overlap between these tests. This suggests that these tests are interrelated but may not assess equal components of postural stability. PMID:21589668

Test-retest reliability of a standardized psychiatric interview (DIS/CIDI).

PubMed

Semler, G; Wittchen, H U; Joschke, K; Zaudig, M; von Geiso, T; Kaiser, S; von Cranach, M; Pfister, H

1987-01-01

The reliability of DSM-III diagnoses using an expanded version of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS), called the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI), was evaluated by examining 60 psychiatric inpatients on a test-retest basis. Acceptable agreement coefficients of (kappa) 0.5 or above were found for all but two disorders: dysthymic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. The subclassification of DSM-III affective disorders also revealed some discrepancies between the test and the retest interviews. When compared with results from earlier versions of the DIS, diagnostic reliability was found to have improved for the DSM-III anxiety disorders in particular. These improvements can possibly be attributed to some changes in the wording of the respective items of this section. Several reasons for lowered test-retest reliability are discussed.

Academic medicine amenities unit: developing a model to integrate academic medical care with luxury hotel services.

PubMed

Kennedy, David W; Kagan, Sarah H; Abramson, Kelly Brennen; Boberick, Cheryl; Kaiser, Larry R

2009-02-01

The interface between established values of academic medicine and the trend toward inpatient amenities units requires close examination. Opinions of such units can be polarized, reflecting traditional reservations about the ethical dilemma of offering exclusive services only to an elite patient group. An amenities unit was developed at the University of Pennsylvania Health System in 2007, using an approach that integrated academic medicine values with the benefits of philanthropy and service excellence to make amenities unit services available to all patients. Given inherent internal political concerns, a broadly based steering committee of academic and hospital leadership was developed. An academically appropriate model was conceived, anchored by four principles: (1) integration of academic values, (2) interdisciplinary senior leadership, (3) service excellence, and (4) recalibrated occupancy expectations based on multiple revenue streams. Foremost is ensuring the same health care is afforded all patients throughout the hospital, thereby overcoming ethical challenges and optimizing teaching experiences. Service excellence frames the service ethic for all staff, and this, in addition to luxury hotel-style amenities, differentiates the style and feel of the unit from others in the hospital. Recalibrated occupancy creates program viability given revenue streams redefined to encompass gifts and patient revenue, including both reimbursement and self-pay. The medical-surgical amenities patient-care unit has enjoyed a successful first year and a growing stream of returning patients and admitting physicians. Implications for other academic medical centers include opportunities to extrapolate service excellence throughout the hospital and to cultivate philanthropy to benefit services throughout the medical center.

Reach Adaptation: What Determines Whether We Learn an Internal Model of the Tool or Adapt the Model of Our Arm?

PubMed Central

Kluzik, JoAnn; Diedrichsen, Jörn; Shadmehr, Reza; Bastian, Amy J.

2008-01-01

We make errors when learning to use a new tool. However, the cause of error may be ambiguous: is it because we misestimated properties of the tool or of our own arm? We considered a well-studied adaptation task in which people made goal-directed reaching movements while holding the handle of a robotic arm. The robot produced viscous forces that perturbed reach trajectories. As reaching improved with practice, did people recalibrate an internal model of their arm, or did they build an internal model of the novel tool (robot), or both? What factors influenced how the brain solved this credit assignment problem? To investigate these questions, we compared transfer of adaptation between three conditions: catch trials in which robot forces were turned off unannounced, robot-null trials in which subjects were told that forces were turned off, and free-space trials in which subjects still held the handle but watched as it was detached from the robot. Transfer to free space was 40% of that observed in unannounced catch trials. We next hypothesized that transfer to free space might increase if the training field changed gradually, rather than abruptly. Indeed, this method increased transfer to free space from 40 to 60%. Therefore although practice with a novel tool resulted in formation of an internal model of the tool, it also appeared to produce a transient change in the internal model of the subject's arm. Gradual changes in the tool's dynamics increased the extent to which the nervous system recalibrated the model of the subject's own arm. PMID:18596187

PASSwrite: Recalibrating Student Academic Literacies Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williamson, Frances; Goldsmith, Rosalie

2013-01-01

Concern about student retention and success remains paramount in universities both in Australia and overseas, especially in the light of the ongoing massification of higher education, yet current strategies are not necessarily dealing successfully with the changing demographics of student populations. This is particularly so in the realm of…

Evaluating the test-retest reliability of symptom indices associated with the ImPACT post-concussion symptom scale (PCSS).

PubMed

Merritt, Victoria C; Bradson, Megan L; Meyer, Jessica E; Arnett, Peter A

2018-05-01

The Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) is a commonly used tool in sports concussion assessment. While test-retest reliabilities have been established for the ImPACT cognitive composites, few studies have evaluated the psychometric properties of the ImPACT's Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS). The purpose of this study was to establish the test-retest reliability of symptom indices associated with the PCSS. Participants included 38 undergraduate students (50.0% male) who underwent neuropsychological testing as part of their participation in their psychology department's research subject pool. The majority of the participants were Caucasian (94.7%) and had no history of concussion (73.7%). All participants completed the ImPACT at two time points, approximately 6 weeks apart. The PCSS was the main outcome measure, and eight symptom indices were calculated (a total symptom score, three symptom summary indices, and four symptom clusters). Pearson correlations (r) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were computed as measures of test-retest reliability. Overall, reliabilities ranged from low to high (r = .44 to .80; ICC = .44 to .77). The cognitive symptom cluster exhibited the highest test-retest reliability (r = .80, ICC = .77), followed by the positive symptom total (PST) index, an indicator of the total number of symptoms endorsed (r = .71, ICC = .69). In contrast, the commonly used total symptom score showed lower test-retest reliability (r = .67, ICC = .62). Paired-samples t tests revealed no significant differences between test and retest for any of the symptom variables (all p > .01). Finally, reliable change indices (RCI) were computed to determine whether differences observed between test and retest represented clinically significant change. RCI values were provided for each symptom index at the 80%, 90%, and 95% confidence intervals. These results suggest that evaluating additional symptom indices beyond the total symptom score from the PCSS is beneficial. Findings from this study can be applied to athlete samples to assess reliable change in symptoms following concussion.

Development and reliability testing of a self-report instrument to measure the office layout as a correlate of occupational sitting.

PubMed

Duncan, Mitch J; Rashid, Mahbub; Vandelanotte, Corneel; Cutumisu, Nicoleta; Plotnikoff, Ronald C

2013-02-04

Spatial configurations of office environments assessed by Space Syntax methodologies are related to employee movement patterns. These methods require analysis of floors plans which are not readily available in large population-based studies or otherwise unavailable. Therefore a self-report instrument to assess spatial configurations of office environments using four scales was developed. The scales are: local connectivity (16 items), overall connectivity (11 items), visibility of co-workers (10 items), and proximity of co-workers (5 items). A panel cohort (N = 1154) completed an online survey, only data from individuals employed in office-based occupations (n = 307) were used to assess scale measurement properties. To assess test-retest reliability a separate sample of 37 office-based workers completed the survey on two occasions 7.7 (±3.2) days apart. Redundant scale items were eliminated using factor analysis; Chronbach's α was used to evaluate internal consistency and test re-test reliability (retest-ICC). ANOVA was employed to examine differences between office types (Private, Shared, Open) as a measure of construct validity. Generalized Linear Models were used to examine relationships between spatial configuration scales and the duration of and frequency of breaks in occupational sitting. The number of items on all scales were reduced, Chronbach's α and ICCs indicated good scale internal consistency and test re-test reliability: local connectivity (5 items; α = 0.70; retest-ICC = 0.84), overall connectivity (6 items; α = 0.86; retest-ICC = 0.87), visibility of co-workers (4 items; α = 0.78; retest-ICC = 0.86), and proximity of co-workers (3 items; α = 0.85; retest-ICC = 0.70). Significant (p ≤ 0.001) differences, in theoretically expected directions, were observed for all scales between office types, except overall connectivity. Significant associations were observed between all scales and occupational sitting behaviour (p ≤ 0.05). All scales have good measurement properties indicating the instrument may be a useful alternative to Space Syntax to examine environmental correlates of occupational sitting in population surveys.

Development and reliability testing of a self-report instrument to measure the office layout as a correlate of occupational sitting

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Spatial configurations of office environments assessed by Space Syntax methodologies are related to employee movement patterns. These methods require analysis of floors plans which are not readily available in large population-based studies or otherwise unavailable. Therefore a self-report instrument to assess spatial configurations of office environments using four scales was developed. Methods The scales are: local connectivity (16 items), overall connectivity (11 items), visibility of co-workers (10 items), and proximity of co-workers (5 items). A panel cohort (N = 1154) completed an online survey, only data from individuals employed in office-based occupations (n = 307) were used to assess scale measurement properties. To assess test-retest reliability a separate sample of 37 office-based workers completed the survey on two occasions 7.7 (±3.2) days apart. Redundant scale items were eliminated using factor analysis; Chronbach’s α was used to evaluate internal consistency and test re-test reliability (retest-ICC). ANOVA was employed to examine differences between office types (Private, Shared, Open) as a measure of construct validity. Generalized Linear Models were used to examine relationships between spatial configuration scales and the duration of and frequency of breaks in occupational sitting. Results The number of items on all scales were reduced, Chronbach’s α and ICCs indicated good scale internal consistency and test re-test reliability: local connectivity (5 items; α = 0.70; retest-ICC = 0.84), overall connectivity (6 items; α = 0.86; retest-ICC = 0.87), visibility of co-workers (4 items; α = 0.78; retest-ICC = 0.86), and proximity of co-workers (3 items; α = 0.85; retest-ICC = 0.70). Significant (p ≤ 0.001) differences, in theoretically expected directions, were observed for all scales between office types, except overall connectivity. Significant associations were observed between all scales and occupational sitting behaviour (p ≤ 0.05). Conclusion All scales have good measurement properties indicating the instrument may be a useful alternative to Space Syntax to examine environmental correlates of occupational sitting in population surveys. PMID:23379485

Acoustic sand detector for fluid flowstreams

DOEpatents

Beattie, Alan G.; Bohon, W. Mark

1993-01-01

The particle volume and particle mass production rate of particulate solids entrained in fluid flowstreams such as formation sand or fracture proppant entrained in oil and gas production flowstreams is determined by a system having a metal probe interposed in a flow conduit for transmitting acoustic emissions created by particles impacting the probe to a sensor and signal processing circuit which produces discrete signals related to the impact of each of the particles striking the probe. The volume or mass flow rate of particulates is determined from making an initial particle size distribution and particle energy distribution and comparing the initial energy distribution and/or the initial size distribution with values related to the impact energies of a predetermined number of recorded impacts. The comparison is also used to recalibrate the system to compensate for changes in flow velocity.

Intensity response function of the photopic negative response (PhNR): effect of age and test-retest reliability.

PubMed

Joshi, Nabin R; Ly, Emma; Viswanathan, Suresh

2017-08-01

To assess the effect of age and test-retest reliability of the intensity response function of the full-field photopic negative response (PhNR) in normal healthy human subjects. Full-field electroretinograms (ERGs) were recorded from one eye of 45 subjects, and 39 of these subjects were tested on two separate days with a Diagnosys Espion System (Lowell, MA, USA). The visual stimuli consisted of brief (<5 ms) red flashes ranging from 0.00625 to 6.4 phot cd.s/m 2 , delivered on a constant 7 cd/m 2 blue background. PhNR amplitudes were measured at its trough from baseline (BT) and from the preceding b-wave peak (PT), and b-wave amplitude was measured at its peak from the preceding a-wave trough or baseline if the a-wave was not present. The intensity response data of all three ERG measures were fitted with a generalized Naka-Rushton function to derive the saturated amplitude (V max ), semisaturation constant (K) and slope (n) parameters. Effect of age on the fit parameters was assessed with linear regression, and test-retest reliability was assessed with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Bland-Altman analysis. Holm's correction was applied to account for multiple comparisons. V max of BT was significantly smaller than that of PT and b-wave, and the V max of PT and b-wave was not significantly different from each other. The slope parameter n was smallest for BT and the largest for b-wave and the difference between the slopes of all three measures were statistically significant. Small differences observed in the mean values of K for the different measures did not reach statistical significance. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated no significant differences between the two test visits for any of the Naka-Rushton parameters for the three ERG measures, and the Bland-Altman plots indicated that the mean difference between test and retest measurements of the different fit parameters was close to zero and within 6% of the average of the test and retest values of the respective parameters for all three ERG measurements, indicating minimal bias. While the coefficient of reliability (COR, defined as 1.96 times the standard deviation of the test and retest difference) of each fit parameter was more or less comparable across the three ERG measurements, the %COR (COR normalized to the mean test and retest measures) was generally larger for BT compared to both PT and b-wave for each fit parameter. The Naka-Rushton fit parameters did not show statistically significant changes with age for any of the ERG measures when corrections were applied for multiple comparisons. However, the V max of BT demonstrated a weak correlation with age prior to correction for multiple comparisons, and the effect of age on this parameter showed greater significance when the measure was expressed as a ratio of the V max of b-wave from the same subject. V max of the BT amplitude measure of PhNR at the best was weakly correlated with age. None of the other parameters of the Naka-Rushton fit to the intensity response data of either the PhNR or the b-wave showed any systematic changes with age. The test-retest reliability of the fit parameters for PhNR BT amplitude measurements appears to be lower than those of the PhNR PT and b-wave amplitude measurements.

The Physical Activity Scale for Individuals with Physical Disabilities: test-retest reliability and comparison with an accelerometer.

PubMed

van der Ploeg, Hidde P; Streppel, Kitty R M; van der Beek, Allard J; van der Woude, Luc H V; Vollenbroek-Hutten, Miriam; van Mechelen, Willem

2007-01-01

The objective was to determine the test-retest reliability and criterion validity of the Physical Activity Scale for Individuals with Physical Disabilities (PASIPD). Forty-five non-wheelchair dependent subjects were recruited from three Dutch rehabilitation centers. Subjects' diagnoses were: stroke, spinal cord injury, whiplash, and neurological-, orthopedic- or back disorders. The PASIPD is a 7-d recall physical activity questionnaire that was completed twice, 1 wk apart. During this week, physical activity was also measured with an Actigraph accelerometer. The test-retest reliability Spearman correlation of the PASIPD was 0.77. The criterion validity Spearman correlation was 0.30 when compared to the accelerometer. The PASIPD had test-retest reliability and criterion validity that is comparable to well established self-report physical activity questionnaires from the general population.

Stability of person ability measures in people with acquired brain injury in the use of everyday technology: the test-retest reliability of the Management of Everyday Technology Assessment (META).

PubMed

Malinowsky, Camilla; Kassberg, Ann-Charlotte; Larsson-Lund, Maria; Kottorp, Anders

2016-01-01

To evaluate the test-retest reliability of the Management of Everyday Technology Assessment (META) in a sample of people with acquired brain injury (ABI). The META was administered twice within a two-week period to 25 people with ABI. A Rasch measurement model was used to convert the META ordinal raw scores into equal-interval linear measures of each participant's ability to manage everyday technology (ET). Test-retest reliability of the stability of the person ability measures in the META was examined by a standardized difference Z-test and an intra-class correlations analysis (ICC 1). The results showed that the paired person ability measures generated from the META were stable over the test-retest period for 22 of the 25 subjects. The ICC 1 correlation was 0.63, which indicates good overall reliability. The META demonstrated acceptable test-retest reliability in a sample of people with ABI. The results illustrate the importance of using sufficiently challenging ETs (relative to a person's abilities) to generate stable META measurements over time. Implications for Rehabilitation The findings add evidence regarding the test-retest reliability of the person ability measures generated from the observation assessment META in a sample of people with ABI. The META might support professionals in the evaluation of interventions that are designed to improve clients' performance of activities including the ability to manage ET.

PREDICTION OF RELIABILITY IN BIOGRAPHICAL QUESTIONNAIRES.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

STARRY, ALLAN R.

THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS STUDY WERE (1) TO DEVELOP A GENERAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM FOR LIFE HISTORY ITEMS, (2) TO DETERMINE TEST-RETEST RELIABILITY ESTIMATES, AND (3) TO ESTIMATE RESISTANCE TO EXAMINEE FAKING, FOR REPRESENTATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL QUESTIONNAIRES. TWO 100-ITEM QUESTIONNAIRES WERE CONSTRUCTED THROUGH RANDOM ASSIGNMENT BY CONTENT AREA OF 200…

Constructivism in Music Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shively, Joseph

2015-01-01

Over the past twenty years, constructivism, as a theory of learning, has taken on an increasingly important role in music education. Efforts to shift music education toward a more constructivist practice have significant implications for policymaking at all levels of music education. In this article, I seek to recalibrate our thinking about what…

Guidelines for Implementing NCHRP 1-37A M-E Design Procedures in Ohio : Volume 4 -- MEPDG Models Validation & Recalibration

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-11-01

The development of the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) under National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) projects 1-37A and 1-40D has significantly improved the ability of pavement designers to model and simulate the eff...

40 CFR 86.327-79 - Quench checks; NOX analyzer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... (CONTINUED) CONTROL OF EMISSIONS FROM NEW AND IN-USE HIGHWAY VEHICLES AND ENGINES Emission Regulations for New Gasoline-Fueled and Diesel-Fueled Heavy-Duty Engines; Gaseous Exhaust Test Procedures § 86.327-79..., recalibrate and repeat the quench check. (4) Prior to testing, the difference between the calculated NOX...

40 CFR 86.327-79 - Quench checks; NOX analyzer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... (CONTINUED) CONTROL OF EMISSIONS FROM NEW AND IN-USE HIGHWAY VEHICLES AND ENGINES Emission Regulations for New Gasoline-Fueled and Diesel-Fueled Heavy-Duty Engines; Gaseous Exhaust Test Procedures § 86.327-79..., recalibrate and repeat the quench check. (4) Prior to testing, the difference between the calculated NOX...

10 CFR 74.59 - Quality assurance and accounting requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... analyses and evaluations of the design, installation, preoperational tests, calibration, and operation of... performed at a pre-determined frequency, indicate a need for recalibration. Calibrations and tests must be... necessary for performance of the material control tests required by § 74.53(b). (e) Measurement control. The...

10 CFR 74.59 - Quality assurance and accounting requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... analyses and evaluations of the design, installation, preoperational tests, calibration, and operation of... performed at a pre-determined frequency, indicate a need for recalibration. Calibrations and tests must be... necessary for performance of the material control tests required by § 74.53(b). (e) Measurement control. The...

Horsfall-Barratt recalibration and replicated severity estimates of citrus canker

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Citrus canker is a serious disease of citrus in tropical and subtropical citrus growing regions. Accurate and precise assessment of citrus canker and other plant pathogens is needed to obtain good quality data. Citrus canker assessment data were used to ascertain some of the mechanics of the Horsfal...

75 FR 67985 - Government-Owned Inventions; Availability for Licensing

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-04

... spectrum data, recalibrates and scales the normalized MRS spectrum data, and then renormalizes the scaled MRS spectrum data. The resulting preprocessed MRS data is used to assist in identifying abnormalities in tissues shown in MRS scans. Raw MRS spectrum data and scaling the raw MRS spectrum data is...

Investigation on Improvements in Lightning Retest Criteria for Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Terseck, Alex; Trout, Dawn

2016-01-01

Spacecraft are generally protected from a direct strike by launch the vehicle and ground structures, but protocols to evaluate the impact of nearby strikes are not consistent. Often spacecraft rely on the launch vehicle constraints to trigger a retest, but launch vehicles can typically evaluate the impact of a strike within minutes while spacecraft evaluation times can be on the order of hours or even days. For launches at the Kennedy Space Center where lightning activity is among the highest in the United States, this evaluation related delay could be costly with the possibility of missing the launch window altogether. This paper evaluated available data from local lightning measurements systems and computer simulations to predict the coupled effect from various nearby strikes onto a typical payload umbilical. Recommendations are provided to reduce the typical trigger criteria and costly delays.

Summary of Part 75 Administrative Processes: Table 3

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Learn how to submit your notice of semiannual or annual RATA testing, RATA results, Appendix D fuel flowmeter accuracy tesing and Appendinx E retesting or LME unit retesting. Table 3, routine quality assurance testing.

Missed Opportunities for Repeat HIV Testing in Pregnancy: Implications for Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission in the United States.

PubMed

Liao, Caiyun; Golden, William Christopher; Anderson, Jean R; Coleman, Jenell S

2017-01-01

HIV testing is an effective intervention that is used for reducing perinatal HIV transmission. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a second HIV test during the third trimester of pregnancy for women in settings with an elevated HIV incidence (≥17 cases per 100,000 person-years). We conducted a retrospective cohort study at a single hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, to determine whether a second HIV test was done and to compare HIV retesting with mandated syphilis retesting. Of women who delivered at this hospital, 98.8% received prenatal care. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariable analyses were performed. Among 1632 women, mean age was 27.6 years (standard deviation: 6.3), 59.6% were black, and 55.5% were single. HIV retesting was done in 28.4% of women, which was significantly less often compared with the state-mandated syphilis retesting (78.7%, p < 0.001). The odds of having an HIV retest were 15 times higher among women who received prenatal care at a teaching clinic [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 15.58; 95% confidence interval (CI): 11.12-21.81], and they were lower among women with private insurance (aOR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.34-0.86). The odds of having a syphilis retest were twice as high among women who received prenatal care at a faculty practice (aOR: 2.17; 95% CI: 1.53-3.09), and they were lower among women with private insurance (aOR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.43-0.88). Emphasizing an "opt-out" HIV retesting approach through state laws may minimize risk perception, and this is one strategy that can be considered in areas of high HIV incidence to reach the goal of eliminating perinatal HIV transmission in the United States.

Properties of perimetric threshold estimates from Full Threshold, SITA Standard, and SITA Fast strategies.

PubMed

Artes, Paul H; Iwase, Aiko; Ohno, Yuko; Kitazawa, Yoshiaki; Chauhan, Balwantray C

2002-08-01

To investigate the distributions of threshold estimates with the Swedish Interactive Threshold Algorithms (SITA) Standard, SITA Fast, and the Full Threshold algorithm (Humphrey Field Analyzer; Zeiss-Humphrey Instruments, Dublin, CA) and to compare the pointwise test-retest variability of these strategies. One eye of 49 patients (mean age, 61.6 years; range, 22-81) with glaucoma (Mean Deviation mean, -7.13 dB; range, +1.8 to -23.9 dB) was examined four times with each of the three strategies. The mean and median SITA Standard and SITA Fast threshold estimates were compared with a "best available" estimate of sensitivity (mean results of three Full Threshold tests). Pointwise 90% retest limits (5th and 95th percentiles of retest thresholds) were derived to assess the reproducibility of individual threshold estimates. The differences between the threshold estimates of the SITA and Full Threshold strategies were largest ( approximately 3 dB) for midrange sensitivities ( approximately 15 dB). The threshold distributions of SITA were considerably different from those of the Full Threshold strategy. The differences remained of similar magnitude when the analysis was repeated on a subset of 20 locations that are examined early during the course of a Full Threshold examination. With sensitivities above 25 dB, both SITA strategies exhibited lower test-retest variability than the Full Threshold strategy. Below 25 dB, the retest intervals of SITA Standard were slightly smaller than those of the Full Threshold strategy, whereas those of SITA Fast were larger. SITA Standard may be superior to the Full Threshold strategy for monitoring patients with visual field loss. The greater test-retest variability of SITA Fast in areas of low sensitivity is likely to offset the benefit of even shorter test durations with this strategy. The sensitivity differences between the SITA and Full Threshold strategies may relate to factors other than reduced fatigue. They are, however, small in comparison to the test-retest variability.

Space shuttle propulsion systems on-board checkout and monitoring system development study (extension). Volume 1: Summary and technical results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

An analysis was conducted of the space shuttle propulsion systems to define the onboard checkout and monitoring function. A baseline space shuttle vehicle and mission were used to establish the techniques and approach for defining the requirements. The requirements were analyzed to formulate criteria for implementing the functions of preflight checkout, performance monitoring, fault isolation, emergency detection, display, data storage, postflight evaluation, and maintenance retest.

Internal Consistency, Retest Reliability, and their Implications For Personality Scale Validity

PubMed Central

McCrae, Robert R.; Kurtz, John E.; Yamagata, Shinji; Terracciano, Antonio

2010-01-01

We examined data (N = 34,108) on the differential reliability and validity of facet scales from the NEO Inventories. We evaluated the extent to which (a) psychometric properties of facet scales are generalizable across ages, cultures, and methods of measurement; and (b) validity criteria are associated with different forms of reliability. Composite estimates of facet scale stability, heritability, and cross-observer validity were broadly generalizable. Two estimates of retest reliability were independent predictors of the three validity criteria; none of three estimates of internal consistency was. Available evidence suggests the same pattern of results for other personality inventories. Internal consistency of scales can be useful as a check on data quality, but appears to be of limited utility for evaluating the potential validity of developed scales, and it should not be used as a substitute for retest reliability. Further research on the nature and determinants of retest reliability is needed. PMID:20435807

Measuring deception: test-retest reliability of physicians' self-reported manipulation of reimbursement rules for patients.

PubMed

VanGeest, Jonathan B; Wynia, Matthew K; Cummins, Deborah S; Wilson, Ira B

2002-06-01

This study examined the test-retest reliability of physicians' self-reported manipulation of reimbursement rules for patients. The test-retest reliability of self-report of three specific tactics were examined: (1) exaggerating the severity of patients' conditions, (2) changing a patient's official (billing) diagnosis, and (3) reporting signs or symptoms that patients did not have. The reliability of a scaled summary measure of physicians' manipulation of reimbursement rules was also assessed. Overall, the authors found high levels of test-retest agreement across all three items and the summary measure. These findings suggest that self-report can be used to produce reliable data on this controversial issue. Specifically, the three items reported here can be used to produce a reliable summary measure of physicians' manipulation of reimbursement rules to help patients obtain care that physicians perceive as necessary.

Cross-cultural Adaptation of the "Functional Activities Questionnaire - FAQ" for use in Brazil

PubMed Central

Sanchez, Maria Angélica dos Santos; Correa, Pricila Cristina Ribeiro; Lourenço, Roberto Alves

2011-01-01

Objective The aim of this paper was to present the results of the first stage of cross-cultural adaptation of the Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ). Methods The tool was subjected to translation and re-translation, and the test-retest reliability of a proposed version for use in Brazil was analyzed. Results Of the 548 questionnaire respondents, a convenience sample of 68 informants was selected for retesting. Internal consistency was measured by Cronbach's alpha (0.95) while test-retest reliability was assessed using intra-class correlation (0.97). The findings have shown that FAQ is brief - averaging seven minutes to apply, easily understood and has good intra-rater test-retest reliability. Conclusion Our results suggest this adapted version of the FAQ is a reliable and stable tool which may be useful for assessing function in Brazilian elderly. Notwithstanding, the version should be subjected to further analysis with the aim of reaching functional equivalence. PMID:29213759

Test-Retest Reliability of Measures Commonly Used to Measure Striatal Dysfunction across Multiple Testing Sessions: A Longitudinal Study.

PubMed

Palmer, Clare E; Langbehn, Douglas; Tabrizi, Sarah J; Papoutsi, Marina

2017-01-01

Cognitive impairment is common amongst many neurodegenerative movement disorders such as Huntington's disease (HD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) across multiple domains. There are many tasks available to assess different aspects of this dysfunction, however, it is imperative that these show high test-retest reliability if they are to be used to track disease progression or response to treatment in patient populations. Moreover, in order to ensure effects of practice across testing sessions are not misconstrued as clinical improvement in clinical trials, tasks which are particularly vulnerable to practice effects need to be highlighted. In this study we evaluated test-retest reliability in mean performance across three testing sessions of four tasks that are commonly used to measure cognitive dysfunction associated with striatal impairment: a combined Simon Stop-Signal Task; a modified emotion recognition task; a circle tracing task; and the trail making task. Practice effects were seen between sessions 1 and 2 across all tasks for the majority of dependent variables, particularly reaction time variables; some, but not all, diminished in the third session. Good test-retest reliability across all sessions was seen for the emotion recognition, circle tracing, and trail making test. The Simon interference effect and stop-signal reaction time (SSRT) from the combined-Simon-Stop-Signal task showed moderate test-retest reliability, however, the combined SSRT interference effect showed poor test-retest reliability. Our results emphasize the need to use control groups when tracking clinical progression or use pre-baseline training on tasks susceptible to practice effects.

Test-retest reliability of computer-based video analysis of general movements in healthy term-born infants.

PubMed

Valle, Susanne Collier; Støen, Ragnhild; Sæther, Rannei; Jensenius, Alexander Refsum; Adde, Lars

2015-10-01

A computer-based video analysis has recently been presented for quantitative assessment of general movements (GMs). This method's test-retest reliability, however, has not yet been evaluated. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the test-retest reliability of computer-based video analysis of GMs, and to explore the association between computer-based video analysis and the temporal organization of fidgety movements (FMs). Test-retest reliability study. 75 healthy, term-born infants were recorded twice the same day during the FMs period using a standardized video set-up. The computer-based movement variables "quantity of motion mean" (Qmean), "quantity of motion standard deviation" (QSD) and "centroid of motion standard deviation" (CSD) were analyzed, reflecting the amount of motion and the variability of the spatial center of motion of the infant, respectively. In addition, the association between the variable CSD and the temporal organization of FMs was explored. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC 1.1 and ICC 3.1) were calculated to assess test-retest reliability. The ICC values for the variables CSD, Qmean and QSD were 0.80, 0.80 and 0.86 for ICC (1.1), respectively; and 0.80, 0.86 and 0.90 for ICC (3.1), respectively. There were significantly lower CSD values in the recordings with continual FMs compared to the recordings with intermittent FMs (p<0.05). This study showed high test-retest reliability of computer-based video analysis of GMs, and a significant association between our computer-based video analysis and the temporal organization of FMs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Test-retest reliability of jump execution variables using mechanography: a comparison of jump protocols.

PubMed

Fitzgerald, John S; Johnson, LuAnn; Tomkinson, Grant; Stein, Jesse; Roemmich, James N

2018-05-01

Mechanography during the vertical jump may enhance screening and determining mechanistic causes underlying physical performance changes. Utility of jump mechanography for evaluation is limited by scant test-retest reliability data on force-time variables. This study examined the test-retest reliability of eight jump execution variables assessed from mechanography. Thirty-two women (mean±SD: age 20.8 ± 1.3 yr) and 16 men (age 22.1 ± 1.9 yr) attended a familiarization session and two testing sessions, all one week apart. Participants performed two variations of the squat jump with squat depth self-selected and controlled using a goniometer to 80º knee flexion. Test-retest reliability was quantified as the systematic error (using effect size between jumps), random error (using coefficients of variation), and test-retest correlations (using intra-class correlation coefficients). Overall, jump execution variables demonstrated acceptable reliability, evidenced by small systematic errors (mean±95%CI: 0.2 ± 0.07), moderate random errors (mean±95%CI: 17.8 ± 3.7%), and very strong test-retest correlations (range: 0.73-0.97). Differences in random errors between controlled and self-selected protocols were negligible (mean±95%CI: 1.3 ± 2.3%). Jump execution variables demonstrated acceptable reliability, with no meaningful differences between the controlled and self-selected jump protocols. To simplify testing, a self-selected jump protocol can be used to assess force-time variables with negligible impact on measurement error.

Dual Intervention to Increase Chlamydia Retesting: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Three Populations.

PubMed

Smith, Kirsty S; Hocking, Jane S; Chen, Marcus Y; Fairley, Christopher K; McNulty, Anna M; Read, Phillip; Bradshaw, Catriona S; Tabrizi, Sepehr N; Wand, Handan; Saville, Marion; Rawlinson, William; Garland, Suzanne M; Donovan, Basil; Kaldor, John M; Guy, Rebecca J

2015-07-01

Chlamydia retesting 3 months after treatment is recommended to detect reinfections, but retesting rates are typically low. The purpose of this study is to determine if the addition of a postal home collection kit to a short message service (SMS) reminder at 3 months increases the percentage of patients retested for chlamydia at 1-4 months, compared to SMS alone. In this unblinded randomized controlled trial, participants were randomized 1:1 to intervention (home arm) or control (clinic arm) status. Participants included 200 each of women, heterosexual men, and men who have sex with men diagnosed and treated for chlamydia at sexual health services. Three months after chlamydia diagnosis, home arm participants received an SMS reminder and postal home collection kit (women, vaginal swab; heterosexual men, Copan UriSwab; men who have sex with men, UriSwab and rectal swab). The main outcome measures were the percentage of participants retested at 1-4 months after chlamydia diagnosis and the percentage in each arm with repeat positive tests, by risk group and overall, analyzed by intention to treat. Data were collected from 2011 to 2013 and analyzed in 2014. The percentage retested within 1-4 months of chlamydia diagnosis was significantly higher in home versus clinic arm participants among women (64% [66/103] vs 39% [38/97], p<0.001); heterosexual men (56% [57/101] vs 34% [34/99], p=0.002); men who have sex with men (62% [61/98] vs 44% [45/102], p=0.010); and overall (61% [184/302] vs 39% [117/298], p<0.001). The percentage in the home versus clinic arm with repeat positive tests was significantly higher among men who have sex with men (16% [16/98] vs 5% [5/102], p=0.021) and overall (10% [31/302] vs 4% [12/298], p=0.006). The addition of a postal home collection kit to routine SMS reminders resulted in substantial improvements in chlamydia retesting rates in all three risk groups and detection of more repeat positive tests, compared with SMS alone. Extending the intervention to other primary care settings with low retesting rates should be considered. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dual conception of risk in the Iowa Gambling Task: effects of sleep deprivation and test-retest gap.

PubMed

Singh, Varsha

2013-01-01

Risk in the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) is often understood in terms of intertemporal choices, i.e., preference for immediate outcomes in favor of delayed outcomes is considered risky decision making. According to behavioral economics, healthy decision makers are expected to refrain from choosing the short-sighted immediate gain because, over time (10 trials of the IGT), the immediate gains result in a long term loss (net loss). Instead decision makers are expected to maximize their gains by choosing options that, over time (10 trials), result in delayed or long term gains (net gain). However, task choices are sometimes made on the basis of the frequency of reward and punishment such that frequent rewards/infrequent punishments are favored over infrequent rewards/frequent punishments. The presence of these two attributes (intertemporality and frequency of reward) in IGT decision making may correspond to the emotion-cognition dichotomy and reflect a dual conception of risk. Decision making on the basis of the two attributes was tested under two conditions: delay in retest and sleep deprivation. An interaction between sleep deprivation and time delay was expected to attenuate the difference between the two attributes. Participants were 40 male university students. Analysis of the effects of IGT attribute type (intertemporal vs. frequency of reinforcement), sleep deprivation (sleep deprivation vs. no sleep deprivation), and test-retest gap (short vs. long delay) showed a significant within-subjects effect of IGT attribute type thus confirming the difference between the two attributes. Sleep deprivation had no effect on the attributes, but test-retest gap and the three-way interaction between attribute type, test-retest gap, and sleep deprivation were significantly different. Post-hoc tests revealed that sleep deprivation and short test-retest gap attenuated the difference between the two attributes. Furthermore, the results showed an expected trend of increase in intertemporal decision making at retest suggesting that intertemporal decision making benefited from repeated task exposure. The present findings add to understanding of the emotion-cognition dichotomy. Further, they show an important time-dependent effect of a universally experienced constraint (sleep deprivation) on decision making. It is concluded that risky decision making in the IGT is contingent on the attribute under consideration and is affected by factors such as time elapsed and constraint experienced before the retest.

The Rover Environmental Monitoring Station Ground Temperature Sensor: A Pyrometer for Measuring Ground Temperature on Mars

PubMed Central

Sebastián, Eduardo; Armiens, Carlos; Gómez-Elvira, Javier; Zorzano, María P.; Martinez-Frias, Jesus; Esteban, Blanca; Ramos, Miguel

2010-01-01

We describe the parameters that drive the design and modeling of the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) Ground Temperature Sensor (GTS), an instrument aboard NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory, and report preliminary test results. REMS GTS is a lightweight, low-power, and low cost pyrometer for measuring the Martian surface kinematic temperature. The sensor’s main feature is its innovative design, based on a simple mechanical structure with no moving parts. It includes an in-flight calibration system that permits sensor recalibration when sensor sensitivity has been degraded by deposition of dust over the optics. This paper provides the first results of a GTS engineering model working in a Martian-like, extreme environment. PMID:22163405

Dynamic performance of accommodating intraocular lenses in a negative feedback control system: a simulation-based study.

PubMed

Schor, Clifton M; Bharadwaj, Shrikant R; Burns, Christopher D

2007-07-01

A dynamic model of ocular accommodation is used to simulate the stability and dynamic performance of accommodating intraocular lenses (A-IOLs) that replace the hardened natural ocular lens that is unable to change focus. Accommodation simulations of an older eye with A-IOL materials having biomechanical properties of a younger eye illustrate overshoots and oscillations resulting from decreased visco-elasticity of the A-IOL. Stable dynamics of an A-IOL are restored by adaptation of phasic and tonic neural-control properties of accommodation. Simulations indicate that neural control must be recalibrated to avoid unstable dynamic accommodation with A-IOLs. An interactive web-model of A-IOL illustrating these properties is available at http://schorlab.berkeley.edu.

Self-Motion Perception during Locomotor Recalibration: More than Meets the Eye

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Durgin, Frank H.; Pelah, Adar; Fox, Laura F.; Lewis, Jed; Kane, Rachel; Walley, Katherine A.

2005-01-01

Do locomotor after effects depend specifically on visual feedback? In 7 experiments, 116 college students were tested, with closed eyes, at stationary running or at walking to a previewed target after adaptation, with closed eyes, to treadmill locomotion. Subjects showed faster inadvertent drift during stationary running and increased distance…

42 CFR 412.517 - Revision of LTC-DRG group classifications and weighting factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 42 Public Health 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Revision of LTC-DRG group classifications and... classifications and weighting factors. (a) CMS adjusts the classifications and weighting factors annually to... the LTC-DRG classifications and recalibration of the weighting factors described in paragraph (a) of...

42 CFR 412.517 - Revision of LTC-DRG group classifications and weighting factors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Revision of LTC-DRG group classifications and... classifications and weighting factors. (a) CMS adjusts the classifications and weighting factors annually to... the LTC-DRG classifications and recalibration of the weighting factors described in paragraph (a) of...

The Recalibration of Neoliberalisation: Repoliticising Higher Education Policy in Hong Kong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lo, William Yat Wai

2017-01-01

This article analyses a recent policy change in higher education in Hong Kong to determine the significance of politics in the conceptual understanding of higher education governance. To achieve this objective, the article examines the tension between the global agenda, which is characterised by neoliberal ideology and practices, and local needs,…

Audiovisual Speech Recalibration in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Linden, Sabine; Vroomen, Jean

2008-01-01

In order to examine whether children adjust their phonetic speech categories, children of two age groups, five-year-olds and eight-year-olds, were exposed to a video of a face saying /aba/ or /ada/ accompanied by an auditory ambiguous speech sound halfway between /b/ and /d/. The effect of exposure to these audiovisual stimuli was measured on…

Singapore's Global Schoolhouse Strategy: Retreat or Recalibration?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waring, Peter

2014-01-01

In 2002 a high-level economic review committee recommended that Singapore position itself as a "global schoolhouse". An ambitious target was set to attract 150,000 international students to Singapore by 2015 and to lift the education sector's contribution to GDP from 1.9% to 5% in the same timeframe. The global schoolhouse was viewed as…

Toward Trust: Recalibrating Accreditation Practices for Postsecondary Arts Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warburton, Edward C.

2018-01-01

This article charts the influence of American accreditation policies on postsecondary arts education practices. Some commentators suggest that accreditation is a standards- and evidence-based process. I argue that trust is at the center of concerns about assessment in higher education, especially in the arts. The purpose of this article is to…

Controlling qubit drift by recycling error correction syndromes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blume-Kohout, Robin

2015-03-01

Physical qubits are susceptible to systematic drift, above and beyond the stochastic Markovian noise that motivates quantum error correction. This parameter drift must be compensated - if it is ignored, error rates will rise to intolerable levels - but compensation requires knowing the parameters' current value, which appears to require halting experimental work to recalibrate (e.g. via quantum tomography). Fortunately, this is untrue. I show how to perform on-the-fly recalibration on the physical qubits in an error correcting code, using only information from the error correction syndromes. The algorithm for detecting and compensating drift is very simple - yet, remarkably, when used to compensate Brownian drift in the qubit Hamiltonian, it achieves a stabilized error rate very close to the theoretical lower bound. Against 1/f noise, it is less effective only because 1/f noise is (like white noise) dominated by high-frequency fluctuations that are uncompensatable. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE

Initial estimate of NOAA-9 SBUV/2 total ozone drift: Based on comparison with re-calibrated TOMS measurements and pair justification of SBUV/2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wellemeyer, C. G.; Taylor, S. L.; Gu, X. U.; Mcpeters, Richard D.; Hudson, R. D.

1990-01-01

Newly recalibrated version 6 Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) data are used as a reference measurement in a comparison of monthly means of total ozone in 10 degree latitude zones from SBUV/2 and the nadir measurements from TOMS. These comparisons indicate a roughly linear long-term drift in SBUV/2 total ozone relative to TOMS of about 2.5 Dobson units per year at the equator over the first three years of SBUV/2. The pari justification technique is also applied to the SBUV/2 measurements in a manner similar to that used for SBUV and TOMS. The higher solar zenith angles associated with the afternoon orbit of NOAA-9 and the large changes in solar zenith angle associated with its changing equator crossing time degrade the accuracy of the pair justification method relative to its application to SBUV and TOMS, but the results are consistent with the SBUV/2-TOMS comparisons, and show a roughly linear drift in SBUV/2 of 2.5 to 4.5 Dobson units per year in equatorial ozone.

A miniature high-temperature fixed point for self-validation of type C thermocouples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ongrai, O.; Pearce, J. V.; Machin, G.; Sweeney, S. J.

2011-10-01

Reliable high-temperature (>1500 °C) measurement is crucial for a wide range of industrial processes as well as specialized applications, e.g. aerospace. The most common type of sensor used for high-temperature measurement is the thermocouple. At and above 1500 °C, tungsten-rhenium (W-Re) thermocouples are the most commonly used temperature sensors due to their utility up to 2300 °C. However, the achievable accuracy of W-Re thermocouples is seriously limited by the effects of their inhomogeneity, drift and hysteresis. Furthermore, due to their embrittlement at high temperature, the removal of these thermocouples from environments such as nuclear power plants or materials processing furnaces for recalibration is generally not possible. Even if removal for recalibration were possible, this would be of, at best, very limited use due to large inhomogeneity effects. Ideally, these thermocouples require some mechanism to monitor their drift in situ. In this study, we describe a miniature Co-C eutectic fixed-point cell to evaluate the stability of type C (W5%Re/W26%Re) thermocouples by means of in situ calibration.

Pressure Relief Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manha, William D.

2010-09-01

Pressure relief devices are used in pressure systems and on pressure vessels to prevent catastrophic rupture or explosion from excessive pressure. Pressure systems and pressure vessels have manufacturers maximum rated operating pressures or maximum design pressures(MDP) for which there are relatively high safety factors and minimum risk of rupture or explosion. Pressure systems and pressure vessels that have a potential to exceed the MDP by being connected to another higher pressure source, a compressor, or heat to water(boiler) are required to have over-pressure protecting devices. Such devices can be relief valves and/or burst discs to safely relieve potentially excessive pressure and prevent unacceptable ruptures and explosions which result in fail-safe pressure systems and pressure vessels. Common aerospace relief valve and burst disc requirements and standards will be presented. This will include the NASA PSRP Interpretation Letter TA-88-074 Fault Tolerance of Systems Using Specially Certified Burst Disks that dictates burst disc requirements for payloads on Shuttle. Two recent undesirable manned space payloads pressure relief devices and practices will be discussed, as well as why these practices should not be continued. One example for discussion is the use of three burst discs that have been placed in series to comply with safety requirements of three controls to prevent a catastrophic hazard of the over-pressurization and rupture of pressure system and/or vessels. The cavities between the burst discs are evacuated and are the reference pressures for activating the two upstream burst discs. If the upstream burst disc leaks into the reference cavity, the reference pressure increases and it can increase the burst disc activating pressure and potentially result in the burst disc assembly being ineffective for over pressure protection. The three burst discs-in-series assembly was found acceptable because the burst discs are designed for minimum risk(DFMR) of leakage into the reference cavity. Since the burst discs are DFMR, a single burst disc would suffice, without adding the two leak-into-reference cavity failure modes. A single DFMR burst disc is preferable. An Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer - 02 burst disc assembly, with three-in-series burst discs test failure, necessitated the deletion of one of the burst discs, will be presented. Payload relief valves require periodic retests were extended significantly beyond the normal one year retest period because of the reduced ISS down mass capability which followed the Columbia accident. The acceptability of the extended retest period was determined by analysis, materials stability, benign environment, relatively inert fluid exposure, etc.(The policy letter, NC4-02-205 Guidelines for Certification and Verification of Pressure System Control Hardware, that permitted this action will be provided even though this application is not recommended for extending relief valve annual retest requirements.) The first crack pressure of a relief valve after an extended inactive period can be higher than the set crack pressure. Extrapolation of the extended inactive period and increased crack pressure could result in ineffective over pressure protection. Thus, relief valves with a ring or lever for activation are recommended so the relief valve can periodically be verified to open, functionality verified and the extended relief valve retest period should be discouraged. Stainless Steel cylindrical poppet-in-cylindrical housing check valves should never be used in a fluid with ions for an extended period of time, because the poppet is vulnerable to seizing or not functioning as a relief valve, even though the specifications, crack pressure, reseat pressure, maximum flow, and reseat leak look very much like the specifications for a relief valve. The technical reasons for this avoidance of using check valves as a relief valve will be discussed. The presentation will be summarized and recommendations made.

A study of universal modulation techniques applied to satellite data collection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

A universal modulation and frequency control system for use with data collection platform (DCP) transmitters is examined. The final design discussed can, under software/firmwave control, generate all of the specific digital data modulation formats currently used in the NASA satellite data collection service and can simultaneously synthesize the proper RF carrier frequencies employed. A novel technique for DCP time and frequency control is presented. The emissions of NBS radio station WWV/WWVH are received, detected, and finally decoded in microcomputer software to generate a highly accurate time base for the platform; with the assistance of external hardware, the microcomputer also directs the recalibration of all DCP oscillators to achieve very high frequency accuracies and low drift rates versus temperature, supply voltage, and time. The final programmable DCP design also employs direct microcomputer control of data reduction, formatting, transmitter switching, and system power management.

A room-temperature non-volatile CNT-based molecular memory cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Senbin; Jing, Qingshen; Han, Ray P. S.

2013-04-01

Recent experiments with a carbon nanotube (CNT) system confirmed that the innertube can oscillate back-and-forth even under a room-temperature excitation. This demonstration of relative motion suggests that it is now feasible to build a CNT-based molecular memory cell (MC), and the key to bring the concept to reality is the precision control of the moving tube for sustained and reliable read/write (RW) operations. Here, we show that by using a 2-section outertube design, we are able to suitably recalibrate the system energetics and obtain the designed performance characteristics of a MC. Further, the resulting energy modification enables the MC to operate as a non-volatile memory element at room temperatures. Our paper explores a fundamental understanding of a MC and its response at the molecular level to roadmap a novel approach in memory technologies that can be harnessed to overcome the miniaturization limit and memory volatility in memory technologies.

Test-retest reliability and construct validity of the Helplessness, Hopelessness, and Haplessness Scale in patients with anxiety disorders.

PubMed

Vatan, Sevginar; Ertaş, Sedar; Lester, David

2011-04-01

In a sample of 100 Turkish psychiatric patients with diagnoses of anxiety disorders, Lester's Helplessness, Hopelessness, and Haplessness inventory had moderate estimates of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity.

Shared action spaces: a basis function framework for social re-calibration of sensorimotor representations supporting joint action

PubMed Central

Pezzulo, Giovanni; Iodice, Pierpaolo; Ferraina, Stefano; Kessler, Klaus

2013-01-01

The article explores the possibilities of formalizing and explaining the mechanisms that support spatial and social perspective alignment sustained over the duration of a social interaction. The basic proposed principle is that in social contexts the mechanisms for sensorimotor transformations and multisensory integration (learn to) incorporate information relative to the other actor(s), similar to the “re-calibration” of visual receptive fields in response to repeated tool use. This process aligns or merges the co-actors’ spatial representations and creates a “Shared Action Space” (SAS) supporting key computations of social interactions and joint actions; for example, the remapping between the coordinate systems and frames of reference of the co-actors, including perspective taking, the sensorimotor transformations required for lifting jointly an object, and the predictions of the sensory effects of such joint action. The social re-calibration is proposed to be based on common basis function maps (BFMs) and could constitute an optimal solution to sensorimotor transformation and multisensory integration in joint action or more in general social interaction contexts. However, certain situations such as discrepant postural and viewpoint alignment and associated differences in perspectives between the co-actors could constrain the process quite differently. We discuss how alignment is achieved in the first place, and how it is maintained over time, providing a taxonomy of various forms and mechanisms of space alignment and overlap based, for instance, on automaticity vs. control of the transformations between the two agents. Finally, we discuss the link between low-level mechanisms for the sharing of space and high-level mechanisms for the sharing of cognitive representations. PMID:24324425

JMR Noise Diode Stability and Recalibration Methodology after Three Years On-Orbit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Shannon; Desai, Shailen; Keihm, Stephen; Ruf, Christopher

2006-01-01

The Jason Microwave Radiometer (JMR) is included on the Jason-1 ocean altimeter satellite to measure the wet tropospheric path delay (PD) experienced by the radar altimeter signal. JMR is nadir pointing and measures the radiometric brightness temperature (T(sub B)) at 18.7, 23.8 and 34.0 GHz. JMR is a Dicke radiometer and it is the first radiometer to be flown in space that uses noise diodes for calibration. Therefore, monitoring the long term stability of the noise diodes is essential. Each channel has three redundant noise diodes which are individually coupled into the antenna signal to provide an estimate of the gain. Two significant jumps in the JMR path delays, relative to ground truth, were observed around 300 and 700 days into the mission. Slow drifts in the retrieved products were also evident over the entire mission. During a recalibration effort, it was determined that a single set of calibration coefficients was not able to remove the calibration jumps and drifts, suggesting that there was a change in the hardware and time dependent coefficients would be required. To facilitate the derivation of time dependent coefficients, an optimal estimation based calibration system was developed which iteratively determines that set of calibration coefficients which minimize the RMS difference between the JMR TBs and on-Earth hot and cold absolute references. This optimal calibration algorithm was used to fine tune the front end path loss coefficients and derive a time series of the JMR noise diode brightness temperatures for each of the nine diodes. Jumps and drifts, on the order of 1% to 2%, are observed among the noise diodes in the first three years on-orbit.

Measurements of matric and water potentials in unsaturated tuff at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

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

Thamir, F.; McBride, C.M.

1985-12-31

Two types of instruments were installed in a borehole in order to monitor matric and water potentials of various hydrogeologic units consisting of tuff. The borehole was drilled as part of a study to provide information to the US Department of Energy for their use in evaluating Yucca Mountain, Nevada, for a repository for high-level radioactive waste. Heat-dissipation probes were used to monitor matric potentials and thermocouple psychrometers were used to monitor water potentials. Two major concerns regarding the use of these instruments in deep boreholes are: (1) the effect of length of the lead wires, and (2) the inabilitymore » to recalibrate the instruments after installation. The length of the lead wire contributes to the source resistance and lead capacitance, which affects the signal settling time. Both instruments tested proved to be insensitive to lead-wire length, except when connected to smaller input-impedance data loggers. Thermocouple wires were more sensitive than heat-dissipation probe wires because of their greater resistance and quality of voltmeters used. Two thermocouple psychrometers were installed at every instrument station for backup and verification of data, because the instruments could not be recalibrated in situ. Multiple scanning rather than single-point scanning of the evaporation curve of a thermocouple psychrometer could give more reliable data, especially in differentiating between very wet and very dry environments. An isolated power supply needs to be used for each heat dissipation probe rather than a single power supply for a group of probes to avoid losing data from all probes when one probe malfunctions. This type of system is particularly desirable if the site is unattended by an operator for as long as a month. 20 refs., 13 figs., 2 tabs.« less

Developing an oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) knowledge and behaviors survey.

PubMed

Dodd, Virginia J; Riley Iii, Joseph L; Logan, Henrietta L

2012-09-01

To use the community participation research model to (1) develop a survey assessing knowledge about mouth and throat cancer and (2) field test and establish test-retest reliability with newly developed instrument. Cognitive interviews with primarily rural African American adults to assess their perception and interpretation of survey items. Test-retest reliability was established with a racially diverse rural population. Test-retest reliabilities ranged from .79 to .40 for screening awareness and .74 to .19 for knowledge. Coefficients increased for composite scores. Community participation methodology provided a culturally appropriate survey instrument that demonstrated acceptable levels of reliability.

Adaptation, test-retest reliability, and construct validity of the Physical Activity Neighborhood Environment Scale in Nigeria (PANES-N).

PubMed

Oyeyemi, Adewale L; Sallis, James F; Oyeyemi, Adetoyeje Y; Amin, Mariam M; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse; Deforche, Benedicte

2013-11-01

This study adapted the Physical Activity Neighborhood Environment Scale (PANES) to the Nigerian context and assessed the test-retest reliability and construct validity of the Nigerian version (PANESN). A multidisciplinary panel of experts adapted the original PANES to reflect the built and social environment of Nigeria. The adapted PANES was subjected to cognitive testing and test retest reliability in a diverse sample of Nigerian adults (N = 132) from different neighborhood types. Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC) was used to assess test-retest reliability, and construct validity was investigated with Analysis of Covariance for differences in environmental attributes between neighborhoods. Four of the 17 items on the original PANES were significantly modified, 3 were removed and 2 new items were incorporated into the final version of adapted PANES-N. Test-retest reliability was substantial to almost perfect (ICC = 0.62-1.00) for all items on the PANES-N, and residents of neighborhoods in the inner city reported higher residential density, land use mix and safety, but lower pedestrian facilities and aesthetics than did residents of government reserved area/new layout neighborhoods. The PANES-N appears promising for assessing environmental perceptions related to physical activity in Nigeria, but further testing is required to assess its applicability across Africa.

Test-retest reliability of cognitive EEG

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McEvoy, L. K.; Smith, M. E.; Gevins, A.

2000-01-01

OBJECTIVE: Task-related EEG is sensitive to changes in cognitive state produced by increased task difficulty and by transient impairment. If task-related EEG has high test-retest reliability, it could be used as part of a clinical test to assess changes in cognitive function. The aim of this study was to determine the reliability of the EEG recorded during the performance of a working memory (WM) task and a psychomotor vigilance task (PVT). METHODS: EEG was recorded while subjects rested quietly and while they performed the tasks. Within session (test-retest interval of approximately 1 h) and between session (test-retest interval of approximately 7 days) reliability was calculated for four EEG components: frontal midline theta at Fz, posterior theta at Pz, and slow and fast alpha at Pz. RESULTS: Task-related EEG was highly reliable within and between sessions (r0.9 for all components in WM task, and r0.8 for all components in the PVT). Resting EEG also showed high reliability, although the magnitude of the correlation was somewhat smaller than that of the task-related EEG (r0.7 for all 4 components). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that under appropriate conditions, task-related EEG has sufficient retest reliability for use in assessing clinical changes in cognitive status.

Test-retest reliability of biodex system 4 pro for isometric ankle-eversion and -inversion measurement.

PubMed

Tankevicius, Gediminas; Lankaite, Doanata; Krisciunas, Aleksandras

2013-08-01

The lack of knowledge about isometric ankle testing indicates the need for research in this area. to assess test-retest reliability and to determine the optimal position for isometric ankle-eversion and -inversion testing. Test-retest reliability study. Isometric ankle eversion and inversion were assessed in 3 different dynamometer foot-plate positions: 0°, 7°, and 14° of inversion. Two maximal repetitions were performed at each angle. Both limbs were tested (40 ankles in total). The test was performed 2 times with a period of 7 d between the tests. University hospital. The study was carried out on 20 healthy athletes with no history of ankle sprains. Reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC2,1); minimal detectable change (MDC) was calculated using a 95% confidence interval. Paired t test was used to measure statistically significant changes, and P <.05 was considered statistically significant. Eversion and inversion peak torques showed high ICCs in all 3 angles (ICC values .87-.96, MDC values 3.09-6.81 Nm). Eversion peak torque was the smallest when testing at the 0° angle and gradually increased, reaching maximum values at 14° angle. The increase of eversion peak torque was statistically significant at 7 ° and 14° of inversion. Inversion peak torque showed an opposite pattern-it was the smallest when measured at the 14° angle and increased at the other 2 angles; statistically significant changes were seen only between measures taken at 0° and 14°. Isometric eversion and inversion testing using the Biodex 4 Pro system is a reliable method. The authors suggest that the angle of 7° of inversion is the best for isometric eversion and inversion testing.

Interaction between morphine and noradrenergic system of basolateral amygdala on anxiety and memory in the elevated plus-maze test based on a test-retest paradigm.

PubMed

Valizadegan, Farhad; Oryan, Shahrbanoo; Nasehi, Mohammad; Zarrindast, Mohammad Reza

2013-05-01

The amygdala is the key brain structure for anxiety and emotional memory storage. We examined the involvement of β-adrenoreceptors in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) and their interaction with morphine in modulating these behaviors. The elevated plus-maze has been employed for investigating anxiety and memory. Male Wistar rats were used for this test. We injected morphine (4, 5, and 6 mg/kg) intraperitoneally, while salbutamol (albuterol) (1, 2, and 4 μg/rat) and propranolol (1, 2, and 4 μg/rat) were injected into the BLA. Open- arms time percentage (%OAT), open- arms entry percentage (%OAE), and locomotor activity were determined by this behavioral test. Retention was tested 24 hours later. Intraperitoneal injection of morphine (6 mg/kg) had an anxiolytic-like effect and improvement of memory. The highest dose of salbutamol decreased the anxiety parameters in test session and improved the memory in retest session. Coadministration of salbutamol and ineffective dose of morphine presenting anxiolytic response. In this case, the memory was improved. Intra-BLA administration of propranolol (4 μg/rat) decreased %OAT in the test session, while had no effect on memory formation. Coadministration of propranolol and morphine (6 mg/kg) showed an increase in %OAT. There was not any significant change in the above- mentioned parameter in the retest session. Coadministration of morphine and propranolol with the effective dose of salbutamol showed that propranolol could reverse anxiolytic-like effect. We found that opioidergic and β-adrenergic systems have the same effects on anxiety and memory in the BLA; but these effects are independent of each other.

Translation and validation of the Dutch new Knee Society Scoring System ©.

PubMed

Van Der Straeten, Catherine; Witvrouw, Erik; Willems, Tine; Bellemans, Johan; Victor, Jan

2013-11-01

A new version of The Knee Society Knee Scoring System(©) (KSS) has recently been developed. Before this scale can be used in non-English-speaking populations, it has to be translated and validated for a particular population. We evaluated the construct and content validity, the test-retest reliability, and the internal consistency of the Dutch version of the New Knee Society KSS. A Dutch translation was performed using a forward-backward translation protocol. We tested the construct validity of the Dutch New KSS by comparing it with the Dutch versions of the WOMAC, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), and SF-12 scores in 137 patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Content validity was assessed by comparing pre- and postoperative scores and by checking floor and ceiling effects. To evaluate test-retest reliability and consistency, 47 patients completed the questionnaire a second time with a mean of 8 days interval (range, 2-20 days) between tests. Construct validity was demonstrated because the Dutch New KSS correlated well with the Dutch WOMAC (r = -0.751; p < 0.001), Dutch KOOS (r = -0.723; p < 0.001), and Dutch SF-12 (r = 0.569; p < 0.001). There was a significant difference between pre- and postoperative scores (p < 0.001) in line with the other scores. Test-retest reliability proved excellent with an intraclass correlation coefficient between 0.73 and 0.92 depending on the domain tested. Consistency as indicated by Cronbach's alpha ranging from 0.84 to 0.96 was good to excellent. As demonstrated by the validation procedure, the Dutch New KSS is an excellent instrument to evaluate TKA outcome in Dutch-speaking patients.

Mapping protein-protein interactions using yeast two-hybrid assays.

PubMed

Mehla, Jitender; Caufield, J Harry; Uetz, Peter

2015-05-01

Yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) screens are an efficient system for mapping protein-protein interactions and whole interactomes. The screens can be performed using random libraries or collections of defined open reading frames (ORFs) called ORFeomes. This protocol describes both library and array-based Y2H screening, with an emphasis on array-based assays. Array-based Y2H is commonly used to test a number of "prey" proteins for interactions with a single "bait" (target) protein or pool of proteins. The advantage of this approach is the direct identification of interacting protein pairs without further downstream experiments: The identity of the preys is known and does not require further confirmation. In contrast, constructing and screening a random prey library requires identification of individual prey clones and systematic retesting. Retesting is typically performed in an array format. © 2015 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

[Value of positive auto controls in the gel centrifugation method].

PubMed

Eichler, H; Kretschmer, V

1994-01-01

We studied 97 samples of patients being positive in the autocontrol of the indirect antiglobulin test (IAT) in the gel system (DiaMed). In 83.2%, retesting with monospecific anti-IgG serum gave also positive results, due to a specific phenomenon caused, for example, by drug-specific antibodies (AB), warm auto-AB or allo-AB. In contrast, only 52.9% of the samples retested by the standard tube technique with polyspecific antiglobulin serum reacted positive. Only in 6 patients slightly increased cold agglutinins could be detected. None of the investigated patients showed any clinical or laboratory signs of hemolysis except one with pernicious anemia. We conclude that positive results of the autocontrol in the gel IAT should be confirmed by an additional DAT in the tube technique. If this second test shows a negative result, transfusions can take place without any restrictions.

A validation study of the Keyboard Personal Computer Style instrument (K-PeCS) for use with children.

PubMed

Green, Dido; Meroz, Anat; Margalit, Adi Edit; Ratzon, Navah Z

2012-11-01

This study examines a potential instrument for measurement of typing postures of children. This paper describes inter-rater, test-retest reliability and concurrent validity of the Keyboard Personal Computer Style instrument (K-PeCS), an observational measurement of postures and movements during keyboarding, for use with children. Two trained raters independently rated videos of 24 children (aged 7-10 years). Six children returned one week later for identifying test-retest reliability. Concurrent validity was assessed by comparing ratings obtained using the K-PECS to scores from a 3D motion analysis system. Inter-rater reliability was moderate to high for 12 out of 16 items (Kappa: 0.46 to 1.00; correlation coefficients: 0.77-0.95) and test-retest reliability varied across items (Kappa: 0.25 to 0.67; correlation coefficients: r = 0.20 to r = 0.95). Concurrent validity compared favourably across arm pathlength, wrist extension and ulnar deviation. In light of the limitations of other tools the K-PeCS offers a fairly affordable, reliable and valid instrument to address the gap for measurement of typing styles of children, despite the shortcomings of some items. However further research is required to refine the instrument for use in evaluating typing among children. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Reproducibility assessment of brain responses to visual food stimuli in adults with overweight and obesity.

PubMed

Drew Sayer, R; Tamer, Gregory G; Chen, Ningning; Tregellas, Jason R; Cornier, Marc-Andre; Kareken, David A; Talavage, Thomas M; McCrory, Megan A; Campbell, Wayne W

2016-10-01

The brain's reward system influences ingestive behavior and subsequently obesity risk. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a common method for investigating brain reward function. This study sought to assess the reproducibility of fasting-state brain responses to visual food stimuli using BOLD fMRI. A priori brain regions of interest included bilateral insula, amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, caudate, and putamen. Fasting-state fMRI and appetite assessments were completed by 28 women (n = 16) and men (n = 12) with overweight or obesity on 2 days. Reproducibility was assessed by comparing mean fasting-state brain responses and measuring test-retest reliability of these responses on the two testing days. Mean fasting-state brain responses on day 2 were reduced compared with day 1 in the left insula and right amygdala, but mean day 1 and day 2 responses were not different in the other regions of interest. With the exception of the left orbitofrontal cortex response (fair reliability), test-retest reliabilities of brain responses were poor or unreliable. fMRI-measured responses to visual food cues in adults with overweight or obesity show relatively good mean-level reproducibility but considerable within-subject variability. Poor test-retest reliability reduces the likelihood of observing true correlations and increases the necessary sample sizes for studies. © 2016 The Obesity Society.

Reproducibility assessment of brain responses to visual food stimuli in adults with overweight and obesity

PubMed Central

Sayer, R Drew; Tamer, Gregory G; Chen, Ningning; Tregellas, Jason R; Cornier, Marc-Andre; Kareken, David A; Talavage, Thomas M; McCrory, Megan A; Campbell, Wayne W

2016-01-01

Objective The brain’s reward system influences ingestive behavior and subsequently, obesity risk. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a common method for investigating brain reward function. We sought to assess the reproducibility of fasting-state brain responses to visual food stimuli using BOLD fMRI. Methods A priori brain regions of interest included bilateral insula, amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, caudate, and putamen. Fasting-state fMRI and appetite assessments were completed by 28 women (n=16) and men (n=12) with overweight or obesity on 2 days. Reproducibility was assessed by comparing mean fasting-state brain responses and measuring test-retest reliability of these responses on the 2 testing days. Results Mean fasting-state brain responses on Day 2 were reduced compared to Day 1 in the left insula and right amygdala, but mean Day 1 and Day 2 responses were not different in the other regions of interest. With the exception of the left orbitofrontal cortex response (fair reliability), test-retest reliabilities of brain responses were poor or unreliable. Conclusion fMRI-measured responses to visual food cues in adults with overweight or obesity show relatively good mean-level reproducibility, but considerable within-subject variability. Poor test-retest reliability reduces the likelihood of observing true correlations and increases the necessary sample sizes for studies. PMID:27542906

Reliability and validity of pendulum test measures of spasticity obtained with the Polhemus tracking system from patients with chronic stroke

PubMed Central

Bohannon, Richard W; Harrison, Steven; Kinsella-Shaw, Jeffrey

2009-01-01

Background Spasticity is a common impairment accompanying stroke. Spasticity of the quadriceps femoris muscle can be quantified using the pendulum test. The measurement properties of pendular kinematics captured using a magnetic tracking system has not been studied among patients who have experienced a stroke. Therefore, this study describes the test-retest reliability and known groups and convergent validity of the pendulum test measures obtained with the Polhemus tracking system. Methods Eight patients with chronic stroke underwent pendulum tests with their affected and unaffected lower limbs, with and without the addition of a 2.2 kg cuff weight at the ankle, using the Polhemus magnetic tracking system. Also measured bilaterally were knee resting angles, Ashworth scores (grades 0–4) of quadriceps femoris muscles, patellar tendon (knee jerk) reflexes (grades 0–4), and isometric knee extension force. Results Three measures obtained from pendular traces of the affected side were reliable (intraclass correlation coefficient ≥ .844). Known groups validity was confirmed by demonstration of a significant difference in the measurements between sides. Convergent validity was supported by correlations ≥ .57 between pendulum test measures and other measures reflective of spasticity. Conclusion Pendulum test measures obtained with the Polhemus tracking system from the affected side of patients with stroke have good test-retest reliability and both known groups and convergent validity. PMID:19642989

Reliability and validity of pendulum test measures of spasticity obtained with the Polhemus tracking system from patients with chronic stroke.

PubMed

Bohannon, Richard W; Harrison, Steven; Kinsella-Shaw, Jeffrey

2009-07-30

Spasticity is a common impairment accompanying stroke. Spasticity of the quadriceps femoris muscle can be quantified using the pendulum test. The measurement properties of pendular kinematics captured using a magnetic tracking system has not been studied among patients who have experienced a stroke. Therefore, this study describes the test-retest reliability and known groups and convergent validity of the pendulum test measures obtained with the Polhemus tracking system. Eight patients with chronic stroke underwent pendulum tests with their affected and unaffected lower limbs, with and without the addition of a 2.2 kg cuff weight at the ankle, using the Polhemus magnetic tracking system. Also measured bilaterally were knee resting angles, Ashworth scores (grades 0-4) of quadriceps femoris muscles, patellar tendon (knee jerk) reflexes (grades 0-4), and isometric knee extension force. Three measures obtained from pendular traces of the affected side were reliable (intraclass correlation coefficient > or = .844). Known groups validity was confirmed by demonstration of a significant difference in the measurements between sides. Convergent validity was supported by correlations > or = .57 between pendulum test measures and other measures reflective of spasticity. Pendulum test measures obtained with the Polhemus tracking system from the affected side of patients with stroke have good test-retest reliability and both known groups and convergent validity.

Predicting the 10-year risk of hip and major osteoporotic fracture in rheumatoid arthritis and in the general population: an independent validation and update of UK FRAX without bone mineral density

PubMed Central

Klop, Corinne; de Vries, Frank; Bijlsma, Johannes W J; Leufkens, Hubert G M; Welsing, Paco M J

2016-01-01

Objectives FRAX incorporates rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as a dichotomous predictor for predicting the 10-year risk of hip and major osteoporotic fracture (MOF). However, fracture risk may deviate with disease severity, duration or treatment. Aims were to validate, and if needed to update, UK FRAX for patients with RA and to compare predictive performance with the general population (GP). Methods Cohort study within UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) (RA: n=11 582, GP: n=38 755), also linked to hospital admissions for hip fracture (CPRD-Hospital Episode Statistics, HES) (RA: n=7221, GP: n=24 227). Predictive performance of UK FRAX without bone mineral density was assessed by discrimination and calibration. Updating methods included recalibration and extension. Differences in predictive performance were assessed by the C-statistic and Net Reclassification Improvement (NRI) using the UK National Osteoporosis Guideline Group intervention thresholds. Results UK FRAX significantly overestimated fracture risk in patients with RA, both for MOF (mean predicted vs observed 10-year risk: 13.3% vs 8.4%) and hip fracture (CPRD: 5.5% vs 3.1%, CPRD-HES: 5.5% vs 4.1%). Calibration was good for hip fracture in the GP (CPRD-HES: 2.7% vs 2.4%). Discrimination was good for hip fracture (RA: 0.78, GP: 0.83) and moderate for MOF (RA: 0.69, GP: 0.71). Extension of the recalibrated UK FRAX using CPRD-HES with duration of RA disease, glucocorticoids (>7.5 mg/day) and secondary osteoporosis did not improve the NRI (0.01, 95% CI −0.04 to 0.05) or C-statistic (0.78). Conclusions UK FRAX overestimated fracture risk in RA, but performed well for hip fracture in the GP after linkage to hospitalisations. Extension of the recalibrated UK FRAX did not improve predictive performance. PMID:26984006

Recalibration of the limiting antigen avidity EIA to determine mean duration of recent infection in divergent HIV-1 subtypes.

PubMed

Duong, Yen T; Kassanjee, Reshma; Welte, Alex; Morgan, Meade; De, Anindya; Dobbs, Trudy; Rottinghaus, Erin; Nkengasong, John; Curlin, Marcel E; Kittinunvorakoon, Chonticha; Raengsakulrach, Boonyos; Martin, Michael; Choopanya, Kachit; Vanichseni, Suphak; Jiang, Yan; Qiu, Maofeng; Yu, Haiying; Hao, Yan; Shah, Neha; Le, Linh-Vi; Kim, Andrea A; Nguyen, Tuan Anh; Ampofo, William; Parekh, Bharat S

2015-01-01

Mean duration of recent infection (MDRI) and misclassification of long-term HIV-1 infections, as proportion false recent (PFR), are critical parameters for laboratory-based assays for estimating HIV-1 incidence. Recent review of the data by us and others indicated that MDRI of LAg-Avidity EIA estimated previously required recalibration. We present here results of recalibration efforts using >250 seroconversion panels and multiple statistical methods to ensure accuracy and consensus. A total of 2737 longitudinal specimens collected from 259 seroconverting individuals infected with diverse HIV-1 subtypes were tested with the LAg-Avidity EIA as previously described. Data were analyzed for determination of MDRI at ODn cutoffs of 1.0 to 2.0 using 7 statistical approaches and sub-analyzed by HIV-1 subtypes. In addition, 3740 specimens from individuals with infection >1 year, including 488 from patients with AIDS, were tested for PFR at varying cutoffs. Using different statistical methods, MDRI values ranged from 88-94 days at cutoff ODn = 1.0 to 177-183 days at ODn = 2.0. The MDRI values were similar by different methods suggesting coherence of different approaches. Testing for misclassification among long-term infections indicated that overall PFRs were 0.6% to 2.5% at increasing cutoffs of 1.0 to 2.0, respectively. Balancing the need for a longer MDRI and smaller PFR (<2.0%) suggests that a cutoff ODn = 1.5, corresponding to an MDRI of 130 days should be used for cross-sectional application. The MDRI varied among subtypes from 109 days (subtype A&D) to 152 days (subtype C). Based on the new data and revised analysis, we recommend an ODn cutoff = 1.5 to classify recent and long-term infections, corresponding to an MDRI of 130 days (118-142). Determination of revised parameters for estimation of HIV-1 incidence should facilitate application of the LAg-Avidity EIA for worldwide use.

External Validation of a Tool Predicting 7-Year Risk of Developing Cardiovascular Disease, Type 2 Diabetes or Chronic Kidney Disease.

PubMed

Rauh, Simone P; Rutters, Femke; van der Heijden, Amber A W A; Luimes, Thomas; Alssema, Marjan; Heymans, Martijn W; Magliano, Dianna J; Shaw, Jonathan E; Beulens, Joline W; Dekker, Jacqueline M

2018-02-01

Chronic cardiometabolic diseases, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes (T2D) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), share many modifiable risk factors and can be prevented using combined prevention programs. Valid risk prediction tools are needed to accurately identify individuals at risk. We aimed to validate a previously developed non-invasive risk prediction tool for predicting the combined 7-year-risk for chronic cardiometabolic diseases. The previously developed tool is stratified for sex and contains the predictors age, BMI, waist circumference, use of antihypertensives, smoking, family history of myocardial infarction/stroke, and family history of diabetes. This tool was externally validated, evaluating model performance using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC)-assessing discrimination-and Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit (HL) statistics-assessing calibration. The intercept was recalibrated to improve calibration performance. The risk prediction tool was validated in 3544 participants from the Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study (AusDiab). Discrimination was acceptable, with an AUC of 0.78 (95% CI 0.75-0.81) in men and 0.78 (95% CI 0.74-0.81) in women. Calibration was poor (HL statistic: p < 0.001), but improved considerably after intercept recalibration. Examination of individual outcomes showed that in men, AUC was highest for CKD (0.85 [95% CI 0.78-0.91]) and lowest for T2D (0.69 [95% CI 0.65-0.74]). In women, AUC was highest for CVD (0.88 [95% CI 0.83-0.94)]) and lowest for T2D (0.71 [95% CI 0.66-0.75]). Validation of our previously developed tool showed robust discriminative performance across populations. Model recalibration is recommended to account for different disease rates. Our risk prediction tool can be useful in large-scale prevention programs for identifying those in need of further risk profiling because of their increased risk for chronic cardiometabolic diseases.

Development of a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model for assessment of human exposure to bisphenol A

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

Yang, Xiaoxia, E-mail: xiaoxia.yang@fda.hhs.gov; Doerge, Daniel R.; Teeguarden, Justin G.

A previously developed physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for bisphenol A (BPA) in adult rhesus monkeys was modified to characterize the pharmacokinetics of BPA and its phase II conjugates in adult humans following oral ingestion. Coupled with in vitro studies on BPA metabolism in the liver and the small intestine, the PBPK model was parameterized using oral pharmacokinetic data with deuterated-BPA (d{sub 6}-BPA) delivered in cookies to adult humans after overnight fasting. The availability of the serum concentration time course of unconjugated d{sub 6}-BPA offered direct empirical evidence for the calibration of BPA model parameters. The recalibrated PBPK adult humanmore » model for BPA was then evaluated against published human pharmacokinetic studies with BPA. A hypothesis of decreased oral uptake was needed to account for the reduced peak levels observed in adult humans, where d{sub 6}-BPA was delivered in soup and food was provided prior to BPA ingestion, suggesting the potential impact of dosing vehicles and/or fasting on BPA disposition. With the incorporation of Monte Carlo analysis, the recalibrated adult human model was used to address the inter-individual variability in the internal dose metrics of BPA for the U.S. general population. Model-predicted peak BPA serum levels were in the range of pM, with 95% of human variability falling within an order of magnitude. This recalibrated PBPK model for BPA in adult humans provides a scientific basis for assessing human exposure to BPA that can serve to minimize uncertainties incurred during extrapolations across doses and species. - Highlights: • A PBPK model predicts the kinetics of bisphenol A (BPA) in adult humans. • Serum concentrations of aglycone BPA are available for model calibration. • Model predicted peak BPA serum levels for adult humans were in the range of pM. • Model predicted 95% of human variability fell within an order of magnitude.« less

Performance of PRISM III and PELOD-2 scores in a pediatric intensive care unit.

PubMed

Gonçalves, Jean-Pierre; Severo, Milton; Rocha, Carla; Jardim, Joana; Mota, Teresa; Ribeiro, Augusto

2015-10-01

The study aims were to compare two models (The Pediatric Risk of Mortality III (PRISM III) and Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction (PELOD-2)) for prediction of mortality in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and recalibrate PELOD-2 in a Portuguese population. To achieve the previous goal, a prospective cohort study to evaluate score performance (standardized mortality ratio, discrimination, and calibration) for both models was performed. A total of 556 patients consecutively admitted to our PICU between January 2011 and December 2012 were included in the analysis. The median age was 65 months, with an interquartile range of 1 month to 17 years. The male-to-female ratio was 1.5. The median length of PICU stay was 3 days. The overall predicted number of deaths using PRISM III score was 30.8 patients whereas that by PELOD-2 was 22.1 patients. The observed mortality was 29 patients. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve for the two models was 0.92 and 0.94, respectively. The Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test showed a good calibration only for PRISM III (PRISM III: χ (2) = 3.820, p = 0.282; PELOD-2: χ (2) = 9.576, p = 0.022). Both scores had good discrimination. PELOD-2 needs recalibration to be a better reliable prediction tool. • PRISM III (Pediatric Risk of Mortality III) and PELOD (Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction) scores are frequently used to assess the performance of intensive care units and also for mortality prediction in the pediatric population. • Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction 2 is the newer version of PELOD and has recently been validated with good discrimination and calibration. What is New: • In our population, both scores had good discrimination. • PELOD-2 needs recalibration to be a better reliable prediction tool.

Characterizing Congo Basin rainfall and climate using Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite data and limited rain gauge ground observations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Munzimi, Yolande A.; Hansen, Matthew C.; Adusei, Bernard; Senay, Gabriel B.

2015-01-01

Quantitative understanding of Congo River basin hydrological behavior is poor because of the basin’s limited hydrometeorological observation network. In cases such as the Congo basin where ground data are scarce, satellite-based estimates of rainfall, such as those from the joint NASA/JAXA Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), can be used to quantify rainfall patterns. This study tests and reports the use of limited rainfall gauge data within the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to recalibrate a TRMM science product (TRMM 3B42, version 6) in characterizing precipitation and climate in the Congo basin. Rainfall estimates from TRMM 3B42, version 6, are compared and adjusted using ground precipitation data from 12 DRC meteorological stations from 1998 to 2007. Adjustment is achieved on a monthly scale by using a regression-tree algorithm. The output is a new, basin-specific estimate of monthly and annual rainfall and climate types across the Congo basin. This new product and the latest version-7 TRMM 3B43 science product are validated by using an independent long-term dataset of historical isohyets. Standard errors of the estimate, root-mean-square errors, and regression coefficients r were slightly and uniformly better with the recalibration from this study when compared with the 3B43 product (mean monthly standard errors of 31 and 40 mm of precipitation and mean r2 of 0.85 and 0.82, respectively), but the 3B43 product was slightly better in terms of bias estimation (1.02 and 1.00). Despite reasonable doubts that have been expressed in studies of other tropical regions, within the Congo basin the TRMM science product (3B43) performed in a manner that is comparable to the performance of the recalibrated product that is described in this study.

Classification of different reaching movements from the same limb using EEG

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiman, Farid; López-Larraz, Eduardo; Sarasola-Sanz, Andrea; Irastorza-Landa, Nerea; Spüler, Martin; Birbaumer, Niels; Ramos-Murguialday, Ander

2017-08-01

Objective. Brain-computer-interfaces (BCIs) have been proposed not only as assistive technologies but also as rehabilitation tools for lost functions. However, due to the stochastic nature, poor spatial resolution and signal to noise ratio from electroencephalography (EEG), multidimensional decoding has been the main obstacle to implement non-invasive BCIs in real-live rehabilitation scenarios. This study explores the classification of several functional reaching movements from the same limb using EEG oscillations in order to create a more versatile BCI for rehabilitation. Approach. Nine healthy participants performed four 3D center-out reaching tasks in four different sessions while wearing a passive robotic exoskeleton at their right upper limb. Kinematics data were acquired from the robotic exoskeleton. Multiclass extensions of Filter Bank Common Spatial Patterns (FBCSP) and a linear discriminant analysis (LDA) classifier were used to classify the EEG activity into four forward reaching movements (from a starting position towards four target positions), a backward movement (from any of the targets to the starting position and rest). Recalibrating the classifier using data from previous or the same session was also investigated and compared. Main results. Average EEG decoding accuracy were significantly above chance with 67%, 62.75%, and 50.3% when decoding three, four and six tasks from the same limb, respectively. Furthermore, classification accuracy could be increased when using data from the beginning of each session as training data to recalibrate the classifier. Significance. Our results demonstrate that classification from several functional movements performed by the same limb is possible with acceptable accuracy using EEG oscillations, especially if data from the same session are used to recalibrate the classifier. Therefore, an ecologically valid decoding could be used to control assistive or rehabilitation mutli-degrees of freedom (DoF) robotic devices using EEG data. These results have important implications towards assistive and rehabilitative neuroprostheses control in paralyzed patients.

Recalibrating disease parameters for increasing realism in modeling epidemics in closed settings.

PubMed

Bioglio, Livio; Génois, Mathieu; Vestergaard, Christian L; Poletto, Chiara; Barrat, Alain; Colizza, Vittoria

2016-11-14

The homogeneous mixing assumption is widely adopted in epidemic modelling for its parsimony and represents the building block of more complex approaches, including very detailed agent-based models. The latter assume homogeneous mixing within schools, workplaces and households, mostly for the lack of detailed information on human contact behaviour within these settings. The recent data availability on high-resolution face-to-face interactions makes it now possible to assess the goodness of this simplified scheme in reproducing relevant aspects of the infection dynamics. We consider empirical contact networks gathered in different contexts, as well as synthetic data obtained through realistic models of contacts in structured populations. We perform stochastic spreading simulations on these contact networks and in populations of the same size under a homogeneous mixing hypothesis. We adjust the epidemiological parameters of the latter in order to fit the prevalence curve of the contact epidemic model. We quantify the agreement by comparing epidemic peak times, peak values, and epidemic sizes. Good approximations of the peak times and peak values are obtained with the homogeneous mixing approach, with a median relative difference smaller than 20 % in all cases investigated. Accuracy in reproducing the peak time depends on the setting under study, while for the peak value it is independent of the setting. Recalibration is found to be linear in the epidemic parameters used in the contact data simulations, showing changes across empirical settings but robustness across groups and population sizes. An adequate rescaling of the epidemiological parameters can yield a good agreement between the epidemic curves obtained with a real contact network and a homogeneous mixing approach in a population of the same size. The use of such recalibrated homogeneous mixing approximations would enhance the accuracy and realism of agent-based simulations and limit the intrinsic biases of the homogeneous mixing.

21 CFR 106.100 - Records.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... CONSUMPTION INFANT FORMULA QUALITY CONTROL PROCEDURES Records and Reports § 106.100 Records. (a) Every..., including tests conducted when nutrients exceed their expiration date or shelf life (retest date). (2) All... when nutrient premixes exceed their expiration date or shelf life (retest date). (e) The manufacturer...

The Motivating Influence of Retest and Repeated Dietary Counseling on Cholesterol Reduction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, P.; Townsend, J. C.; Villafana, C.; Arnoldi, L. B.

1971-01-01

An analysis was made of retest and followup counselling effects on the reduction of hypercholesterolemia levels in NASA employees. Criteria used to measure such control include motivation, age of patient, personality of patient, job stress, and physical exercise.

Test-retest reliability of the trauma and life events self-report inventory.

PubMed

Hovens, J E; Bramsen, I; van der Ploeg, H M; Reuling, I E

2000-12-01

Three groups of first-year male and female medical students (total N = 90) completed the Trauma and Life Events Self-report Inventory twice. Test-retest reliability for the three different time periods was .82, .89, and .75, respectively.

Laboratory-based and office-based risk scores and charts to predict 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease in 182 countries: a pooled analysis of prospective cohorts and health surveys.

PubMed

Ueda, Peter; Woodward, Mark; Lu, Yuan; Hajifathalian, Kaveh; Al-Wotayan, Rihab; Aguilar-Salinas, Carlos A; Ahmadvand, Alireza; Azizi, Fereidoun; Bentham, James; Cifkova, Renata; Di Cesare, Mariachiara; Eriksen, Louise; Farzadfar, Farshad; Ferguson, Trevor S; Ikeda, Nayu; Khalili, Davood; Khang, Young-Ho; Lanska, Vera; León-Muñoz, Luz; Magliano, Dianna J; Margozzini, Paula; Msyamboza, Kelias P; Mutungi, Gerald; Oh, Kyungwon; Oum, Sophal; Rodríguez-Artalejo, Fernando; Rojas-Martinez, Rosalba; Valdivia, Gonzalo; Wilks, Rainford; Shaw, Jonathan E; Stevens, Gretchen A; Tolstrup, Janne S; Zhou, Bin; Salomon, Joshua A; Ezzati, Majid; Danaei, Goodarz

2017-03-01

Worldwide implementation of risk-based cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention requires risk prediction tools that are contemporarily recalibrated for the target country and can be used where laboratory measurements are unavailable. We present two cardiovascular risk scores, with and without laboratory-based measurements, and the corresponding risk charts for 182 countries to predict 10-year risk of fatal and non-fatal CVD in adults aged 40-74 years. Based on our previous laboratory-based prediction model (Globorisk), we used data from eight prospective studies to estimate coefficients of the risk equations using proportional hazard regressions. The laboratory-based risk score included age, sex, smoking, blood pressure, diabetes, and total cholesterol; in the non-laboratory (office-based) risk score, we replaced diabetes and total cholesterol with BMI. We recalibrated risk scores for each sex and age group in each country using country-specific mean risk factor levels and CVD rates. We used recalibrated risk scores and data from national surveys (using data from adults aged 40-64 years) to estimate the proportion of the population at different levels of CVD risk for ten countries from different world regions as examples of the information the risk scores provide; we applied a risk threshold for high risk of at least 10% for high-income countries (HICs) and at least 20% for low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) on the basis of national and international guidelines for CVD prevention. We estimated the proportion of men and women who were similarly categorised as high risk or low risk by the two risk scores. Predicted risks for the same risk factor profile were generally lower in HICs than in LMICs, with the highest risks in countries in central and southeast Asia and eastern Europe, including China and Russia. In HICs, the proportion of people aged 40-64 years at high risk of CVD ranged from 1% for South Korean women to 42% for Czech men (using a ≥10% risk threshold), and in low-income countries ranged from 2% in Uganda (men and women) to 13% in Iranian men (using a ≥20% risk threshold). More than 80% of adults were similarly classified as low or high risk by the laboratory-based and office-based risk scores. However, the office-based model substantially underestimated the risk among patients with diabetes. Our risk charts provide risk assessment tools that are recalibrated for each country and make the estimation of CVD risk possible without using laboratory-based measurements. National Institutes of Health. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Laboratory-based and office-based risk scores and charts to predict 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease in 182 countries: a pooled analysis of prospective cohorts and health surveys

PubMed Central

Ueda, Peter; Woodward, Mark; Lu, Yuan; Hajifathalian, Kaveh; Al-Wotayan, Rihab; Aguilar-Salinas, Carlos A; Ahmadvand, Alireza; Azizi, Fereidoun; Bentham, James; Cifkova, Renata; Di Cesare, Mariachiara; Eriksen, Louise; Farzadfar, Farshad; Ferguson, Trevor S; Ikeda, Nayu; Khalili, Davood; Khang, Young-Ho; Lanska, Vera; León-Muñoz, Luz; Magliano, Dianna J; Margozzini, Paula; Msyamboza, Kelias P; Mutungi, Gerald; Oh, Kyungwon; Oum, Sophal; Rodríguez-Artalejo, Fernando; Rojas-Martinez, Rosalba; Valdivia, Gonzalo; Wilks, Rainford; Shaw, Jonathan E; Stevens, Gretchen A; Tolstrup, Janne S; Zhou, Bin; Salomon, Joshua A; Ezzati, Majid; Danaei, Goodarz

2017-01-01

Summary Background Worldwide implementation of risk-based cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention requires risk prediction tools that are contemporarily recalibrated for the target country and can be used where laboratory measurements are unavailable. We present two cardiovascular risk scores, with and without laboratory-based measurements, and the corresponding risk charts for 182 countries to predict 10-year risk of fatal and non-fatal CVD in adults aged 40–74 years. Methods Based on our previous laboratory-based prediction model (Globorisk), we used data from eight prospective studies to estimate coefficients of the risk equations using proportional hazard regressions. The laboratory-based risk score included age, sex, smoking, blood pressure, diabetes, and total cholesterol; in the non-laboratory (office-based) risk score, we replaced diabetes and total cholesterol with BMI. We recalibrated risk scores for each sex and age group in each country using country-specific mean risk factor levels and CVD rates. We used recalibrated risk scores and data from national surveys (using data from adults aged 40–64 years) to estimate the proportion of the population at different levels of CVD risk for ten countries from different world regions as examples of the information the risk scores provide; we applied a risk threshold for high risk of at least 10% for high-income countries (HICs) and at least 20% for low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) on the basis of national and international guidelines for CVD prevention. We estimated the proportion of men and women who were similarly categorised as high risk or low risk by the two risk scores. Findings Predicted risks for the same risk factor profile were generally lower in HICs than in LMICs, with the highest risks in countries in central and southeast Asia and eastern Europe, including China and Russia. In HICs, the proportion of people aged 40–64 years at high risk of CVD ranged from 1% for South Korean women to 42% for Czech men (using a ≥10% risk threshold), and in low-income countries ranged from 2% in Uganda (men and women) to 13% in Iranian men (using a ≥20% risk threshold). More than 80% of adults were similarly classified as low or high risk by the laboratory-based and office-based risk scores. However, the office-based model substantially underestimated the risk among patients with diabetes. Interpretation Our risk charts provide risk assessment tools that are recalibrated for each country and make the estimation of CVD risk possible without using laboratory-based measurements. PMID:28126460

Test-retest reliability and smallest detectable change of the Bristol Impact of Hypermobility (BIoH) questionnaire.

PubMed

Palmer, S; Manns, S; Cramp, F; Lewis, R; Clark, E M

2017-12-01

The Bristol Impact of Hypermobility (BIoH) questionnaire is a patient-reported outcome measure developed in conjunction with adults with Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (JHS). It has demonstrated strong concurrent validity with the Short Form-36 (SF-36) physical component score but other psychometric properties have yet to be established. This study aimed to determine its test-retest reliability and smallest detectable change (SDC). A test-retest reliability study. Participants were recruited from the Hypermobility Syndromes Association, a patient organisation in the United Kingdom. Recruitment packs were sent to 1080 adults who had given permission to be contacted about research. BIoH and SF-36 questionnaires were administered at baseline and repeated two weeks later. An 11-point global rating of change scale (-5 to +5) was also administered at two weeks. Test-retest analysis and calculation of the SDC was conducted on 'stable' patients (defined as global rating of change -1 to +1). 462 responses were received. 233 patients reported a 'stable' condition and were included in analysis (95% women; mean (SD) age 44.5 (13.9) years; BIoH score 223.6 (54.0)). The BIoH questionnaire demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability (ICC 0.923, 95% CI 0.900-0.940). The SDC was 42 points (equivalent to 19% of the mean baseline score). The SF-36 physical and mental component scores demonstrated poorer test-retest reliability and larger SDCs (as a proportion of the mean baseline scores). The results provide further evidence of the potential of the BIoH questionnaire to underpin research and clinical practice for people with JHS. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Test-Retest Reliability and Minimal Detectable Change of the D2 Test of Attention in Patients with Schizophrenia.

PubMed

Lee, Posen; Lu, Wen-Shian; Liu, Chin-Hsuan; Lin, Hung-Yu; Hsieh, Ching-Lin

2017-12-08

The d2 Test of Attention (D2) is a commonly used measure of selective attention for patients with schizophrenia. However, its test-retest reliability and minimal detectable change (MDC) are unknown in patients with schizophrenia, limiting its utility in both clinical and research settings. The aim of the present study was to examine the test-retest reliability and MDC of the D2 in patients with schizophrenia. A rater administered the D2 on 108 patients with schizophrenia twice at a 1-month interval. Test-retest reliability was determined through the calculation of the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). We also carried out Bland-Altman analysis, which included a scatter plot of the differences between test and retest against their mean. Systematic biases were evaluated by use of a paired t-test. The ICCs for the D2 ranged from 0.78 to 0.94. The MDCs (MDC%) of the seven subscores were 102.3 (29.7), 19.4 (85.0), 7.2 (94.6), 21.0 (69.0), 104.0 (33.1), 105.0 (35.8), and 7.8 (47.8), which represented limited-to-acceptable random measurement error. Trends in the Bland-Altman plots of the omissions (E1), commissions (E2), and errors (E) were noted, presenting that the data had heteroscedasticity. According to the results, the D2 had good test-retest reliability, especially in the scores of TN, TN-E, and CP. For the further research, finding a way to improve the administration procedure to reduce random measurement error would be important for the E1, E2, E, and FR subscores. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

RELIABILITY CONCERNS IN THE REPEATED COMPUTERIZED ASSESSMENT OF ATTENTION IN CHILDREN

PubMed Central

Zabel, T. Andrew; von Thomsen, Christian; Cole, Carolyn; Martin, Rebecca; Mahone, E. Mark

2010-01-01

Assessment of attentional processes via computerized assessment is frequently used to quantify intra-individual cognitive improvement or decline in response to treatment. However, assessment of intra-individual change is highly dependent on sufficient test reliability. We examined the test–retest reliability of selected variables from one popular computerized continuous performance test (CPT)—i.e., the Conners’ CPT – Second Edition (CPT-II). Participants were 39 healthy children (20 girls) ages 6–18 without intellectual impairment (mean PPVT-III SS = 102.6), LD, or psychiatric disorders (DICA-IV). Test–retest reliability over the 3–8 month interval (mean = 6 months) was acceptable (Intraclass Correlations [ICC] = .82 to .92) on comparison measures (Beery Test of Visual Perception, WISC-IV Block Design, PPVT-III). In contrast, test–retest reliability was only modest for CPT-II raw scores (ICCs ranging from .62 to .82) and T-scores (ICCs ranging from .33 to .65) for variables of interest (Omissions, Commissions, Variability, Hit Reaction Time, and Attentiveness). Using test–retest reliability information published in the CPT-II manual, 90% confidence intervals based on reliable change index (RCI) methodology were constructed to examine the significance of test–retest difference/change scores. Of the participants in this sample of typically developing youth, 30% generated intra-individual changes in T-scores on the Omissions and Attentiveness variables that exceeded the 90% confidence intervals and qualified as “statistically rare” changes in score. These results suggest a considerable degree of normal variability in CPT-II test scores over extended test–retest intervals, and suggest a need for caution when interpreting test score changes in neurologically unstable clinical populations. PMID:19452302

Influence of enrichment on behavioral and neurogenic effects of antidepressants in Wistar rats submitted to repeated forced swim test.

PubMed

Possamai, Fernanda; dos Santos, Juliano; Walber, Thais; Marcon, Juliana C; dos Santos, Tiago Souza; Lino de Oliveira, Cilene

2015-04-03

Repeated forced swimming test (rFST) may detect gradual effects of antidepressants in adult rats. Antidepressants, as enrichment, affected behavior and neurogenesis in rats. However, the influence of enrichment on behavioral and neurogenic effects of antidepressants is unknown. Here, effects of antidepressants on rFST and hippocampal neurogenesis were investigated in rats under enriched conditions. Behaviors of male Wistar rats, housed from weaning in standard (SE) or enriched environment (EE), were registered during rFST. The rFST consisted of 15min of swimming (pretest) followed by 5min of swimming in the first (test), seventh (retest 1) and fourteenth (retest 2) days after pretest. One hour before the test, rats received an intraperitoneal injection of saline (1ml/kg), fluoxetine (2.5mg/kg) or imipramine (2.5 or 5mg/kg). These treatments were performed daily until the day of the retest 2. After retest 2, rats were euthanized for the identification of markers for neurogenesis in the hippocampus. Fluoxetine or imipramine decreased immobility in retests 1 and 2, as compared to saline. EE abolished these differences. In EE, fluoxetine or imipramine (5mg/kg) reduced immobility time in retest 2, as compared to the test. Independent of the housing conditions, fluoxetine and imipramine (5mg/kg) increased the ratio of immature neurons per progenitor cell in the hippocampus. In summary, antidepressants or enrichment counteracted the high immobility in rFST. Enrichment changed the effects of antidepressants in rFST depending on the type, and the dose of a substance but failed to change neurogenesis in control or antidepressant treated-rats. Effects of antidepressants and enrichment on rFST seemed neurogenesis-independent. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The influence of validity criteria on Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) test-retest reliability among high school athletes.

PubMed

Brett, Benjamin L; Solomon, Gary S

2017-04-01

Research findings to date on the stability of Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) Composite scores have been inconsistent, requiring further investigation. The use of test validity criteria across these studies also has been inconsistent. Using multiple measures of stability, we examined test-retest reliability of repeated ImPACT baseline assessments in high school athletes across various validity criteria reported in previous studies. A total of 1146 high school athletes completed baseline cognitive testing using the online ImPACT test battery at two time periods of approximately two-year intervals. No participant sustained a concussion between assessments. Five forms of validity criteria used in previous test-retest studies were applied to the data, and differences in reliability were compared. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) ranged in composite scores from .47 (95% confidence interval, CI [.38, .54]) to .83 (95% CI [.81, .85]) and showed little change across a two-year interval for all five sets of validity criteria. Regression based methods (RBMs) examining the test-retest stability demonstrated a lack of significant change in composite scores across the two-year interval for all forms of validity criteria, with no cases falling outside the expected range of 90% confidence intervals. The application of more stringent validity criteria does not alter test-retest reliability, nor does it account for some of the variation observed across previously performed studies. As such, use of the ImPACT manual validity criteria should be utilized in the determination of test validity and in the individualized approach to concussion management. Potential future efforts to improve test-retest reliability are discussed.

Test-retest reliability and gender differences in the sexual discounting task among cocaine-dependent individuals.

PubMed

Johnson, Matthew W; Bruner, Natalie R

2013-08-01

The Sexual Discounting Task uses the delay discounting framework to examine sexual HIV risk behavior. Previous research showed task performance to be significantly correlated with self-reported HIV risk behavior in cocaine dependence. Test-retest reliability and gender differences had remained unexamined. The present study examined the test-retest reliability of the Sexual Discounting Task. Cocaine-dependent individuals (18 men, 13 women) completed the task in two laboratory visits ∼7 days apart. Participants selected photographs of individuals with whom they were willing to have casual sex. Among these, participants identified the individual most (and least) likely to have a sexually transmitted infection (STI), and the individual with whom he or she most (and least) wanted to have sex. In reference to these individuals, participants rated their likelihood of having unprotected sex versus waiting to have sex with a condom, at various delays. A money delay discounting task was also completed at the first visit. Significant differences in discounting among partner conditions were shown. Differential stability was demonstrated by significant, positive correlations between test and retest for all four partner conditions. Absolute stability was demonstrated by statistical equivalence tests between test and retest, and also supported by a lack of significant differences between test and retest. Men generally discounted significantly more than women for sexual outcomes but not money. Results suggest the Sexual Discounting Task to be a reliable measure in cocaine-dependent individuals, which supports its use as a repeated measure in clinical research, for example, studies examining acute drug effects on sexual risk and the effects of addiction treatment and HIV prevention interventions on sexual risk. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved

Fast Beam-Based BPM Calibration

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

Bertsche, K.; Loos, H.; Nuhn, H.-D.

2012-10-15

The Alignment Diagnostic System (ADS) of the LCLS undulator system indicates that the 33 undulator quadrupoles have extremely high position stability over many weeks. However, beam trajectory straightness and lasing efficiency degrade more quickly than this. A lengthy Beam Based Alignment (BBA) procedure must be executed every two to four weeks to re-optimize the X-ray beam parameters. The undulator system includes RF cavity Beam Position Monitors (RFBPMs), several of which are utilized by an automatic feedback system to align the incoming electron-beam trajectory to the undulator axis. The beam trajectory straightness degradation has been traced to electronic drifts of themore » gain and offset of the BPMs used in the beam feedback system. To quickly recover the trajectory straightness, we have developed a fast beam-based procedure to recalibrate the BPMs. This procedure takes advantage of the high-precision monitoring capability of the ADS, which allows highly repeatable positioning of undulator quadrupoles. This report describes the ADS, the position stability of the LCLS undulator quadrupoles, and some results of the new recovery procedure.« less

Kinect based real-time position calibration for nasal endoscopic surgical navigation system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Jingfan; Yang, Jian; Chu, Yakui; Ma, Shaodong; Wang, Yongtian

2016-03-01

Unanticipated, reactive motion of the patient during skull based tumor resective surgery is the source of the consequence that the nasal endoscopic tracking system is compelled to be recalibrated. To accommodate the calibration process with patient's movement, this paper developed a Kinect based Real-time positional calibration method for nasal endoscopic surgical navigation system. In this method, a Kinect scanner was employed as the acquisition part of the point cloud volumetric reconstruction of the patient's head during surgery. Then, a convex hull based registration algorithm aligned the real-time image of the patient head with a model built upon the CT scans performed in the preoperative preparation to dynamically calibrate the tracking system if a movement was detected. Experimental results confirmed the robustness of the proposed method, presenting a total tracking error within 1 mm under the circumstance of relatively violent motions. These results point out the tracking accuracy can be retained stably and the potential to expedite the calibration of the tracking system against strong interfering conditions, demonstrating high suitability for a wide range of surgical applications.

Test-retest reliability and minimal detectable change of two simplified 3-point balance measures in patients with stroke.

PubMed

Chen, Yi-Miau; Huang, Yi-Jing; Huang, Chien-Yu; Lin, Gong-Hong; Liaw, Lih-Jiun; Lee, Shih-Chieh; Hsieh, Ching-Lin

2017-10-01

The 3-point Berg Balance Scale (BBS-3P) and 3-point Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke Patients (PASS-3P) were simplified from the BBS and PASS to overcome the complex scoring systems. The BBS-3P and PASS-3P were more feasible in busy clinical practice and showed similarly sound validity and responsiveness to the original measures. However, the reliability of the BBS-3P and PASS-3P is unknown limiting their utility and the interpretability of scores. We aimed to examine the test-retest reliability and minimal detectable change (MDC) of the BBS-3P and PASS-3P in patients with stroke. Cross-sectional study. The rehabilitation departments of a medical center and a community hospital. A total of 51 chronic stroke patients (64.7% male). Both balance measures were administered twice 7 days apart. The test-retest reliability of both the BBS-3P and PASS-3P were examined by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). The MDC and its percentage over the total score (MDC%) of each measure was calculated for examining the random measurement errors. The ICC values of the BBS-3P and PASS-3P were 0.99 and 0.97, respectively. The MDC% (MDC) of the BBS-3P and PASS-3P were 9.1% (5.1 points) and 8.4% (3.0 points), respectively, indicating that both measures had small and acceptable random measurement errors. Our results showed that both the BBS-3P and the PASS-3P had good test-retest reliability, with small and acceptable random measurement error. These two simplified 3-level balance measures can provide reliable results over time. Our findings support the repeated administration of the BBS-3P and PASS-3P to monitor the balance of patients with stroke. The MDC values can help clinicians and researchers interpret the change scores more precisely.

Short-interval test-retest interrater reliability of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R personality disorders (SCID-II) in outpatients.

PubMed

Dreessen, L; Arntz, A

1998-01-01

The short-interval test-retest interrater reliability of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R personality disorders (SCID-II) was studied in a psychotherapy outpatient group whose main complaint was mostly an Axis I anxiety disorder. Using a test-retest approach to assess interrater reliability, three sources of variance were taken into account (rater variance in the elicitation and interpretation of information and patient variance across interviews). Base rate requirements were established before calculating reliability coefficients. On the whole, interrater agreement on the SCID-II was found to be satisfactory, except for the histrionic personality traits. This is the first study that has estimated short-interval test-retest interrater reliability of the SCID-II in outpatients, and also the first that has studied single SCID-II traits and dimensional diagnoses. The results found support the use of the SCID-II as a diagnostic instrument for clinical and research purposes.

Reliability of Autism-Tics, AD/HD, and other Comorbidities (A-TAC) inventory in a test-retest design.

PubMed

Larson, Tomas; Kerekes, Nóra; Selinus, Eva Norén; Lichtenstein, Paul; Gumpert, Clara Hellner; Anckarsäter, Henrik; Nilsson, Thomas; Lundström, Sebastian

2014-02-01

The Autism-Tics, AD/HD, and other Comorbidities (A-TAC) inventory is used in epidemiological research to assess neurodevelopmental problems and coexisting conditions. Although the A-TAC has been applied in various populations, data on retest reliability are limited. The objective of the present study was to present additional reliability data. The A-TAC was administered by lay assessors and was completed on two occasions by parents of 400 individual twins, with an average interval of 70 days between test sessions. Intra- and inter-rater reliability were analysed with intraclass correlations and Cohen's kappa. A-TAC showed excellent test-retest intraclass correlations for both autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (each at .84). Most modules in the A-TAC had intra- and inter-rater reliability intraclass correlation coefficients of > or = .60. Cohen's kappa indi- cated acceptable reliability. The current study provides statistical evidence that the A-TAC yields good test-retest reliability in a population-based cohort of children.

Reliability of laboratory measurement of human food intake.

PubMed

Laessle, R; Geiermann, L

2012-02-01

The universal eating monitor (UEM) of Kissileff for laboratory measurement of food intake was modified and used with a newly developed special software to compute cumulative intake data. To explore the measurement precision of the UEM an investigation of test-retest-reliability of food intake parameters was conducted. The intake characteristics of 125 males and females were measured repeatedly in the laboratory with a measurement interval of 1 week. Pudding of preferred flavour served as test meal. Test-retest-reliability of intake characteristics ranged from .49 (change of eating rate) to .89 (initial eating rate). All test-retest correlations were highly significant. Sex, BMI and eating habits according to TFEQ-factors had no significant effects on reliability of intake characteristics. The test-retest-reliability of the laboratory intake measures is as good as those of personality questionnaires, where it should be better than .80. Reliability coefficients are valid independent of sex, BMI or trait characteristics of eating behaviour. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Comprehensive Snack Parenting Questionnaire (CSPQ): Development and Test-Retest Reliability.

PubMed

Gevers, Dorus W M; Kremers, Stef P J; de Vries, Nanne K; van Assema, Patricia

2018-04-26

The narrow focus of existing food parenting instruments led us to develop a food parenting practices instrument measuring the full range of food practices constructs with a focus on snacking behavior. We present the development of the questionnaire and our research on the test-retest reliability. The developed Comprehensive Snack Parenting Questionnaire (CSPQ) covers 21 constructs. Test-retest reliability was assessed by calculating intra class correlation coefficients and percentage agreement after two administrations of the CSPQ among a sample of 66 Dutch parents. Test-retest reliability analysis revealed acceptable intra class correlation coefficients (≥0.41) or agreement scores (≥0.60) for all items. These results, together with earlier work, suggest sufficient psychometric characteristics. The comprehensive, but brief CSPQ opens up chances for highly essential but unstudied research questions to understand and predict children’s snack intake. Example applications include studying the interactional nature of food parenting practices or interactions of food parenting with general parenting or child characteristics.

Reliability of a tool for measuring theory of planned behaviour constructs for use in evaluating research use in policymaking

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Although measures of knowledge translation and exchange (KTE) effectiveness based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) have been used among patients and providers, no measure has been developed for use among health system policymakers and stakeholders. A tool that measures the intention to use research evidence in policymaking could assist researchers in evaluating the effectiveness of KTE strategies that aim to support evidence-informed health system decision-making. Therefore, we developed a 15-item tool to measure four TPB constructs (intention, attitude, subjective norm and perceived control) and assessed its face validity through key informant interviews. Methods We carried out a reliability study to assess the tool's internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Our study sample consisted of 62 policymakers and stakeholders that participated in deliberative dialogues. We assessed internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha and generalizability (G) coefficients, and we assessed test-retest reliability by calculating Pearson correlation coefficients (r) and G coefficients for each construct and the tool overall. Results The internal consistency of items within each construct was good with alpha ranging from 0.68 to alpha = 0.89. G-coefficients were lower for a single administration (G = 0.34 to G = 0.73) than for the average of two administrations (G = 0.79 to G = 0.89). Test-retest reliability coefficients for the constructs ranged from r = 0.26 to r = 0.77 and from G = 0.31 to G = 0.62 for a single administration, and from G = 0.47 to G = 0.86 for the average of two administrations. Test-retest reliability of the tool using G theory was moderate (G = 0.5) when we generalized across a single observation, but became strong (G = 0.9) when we averaged across both administrations. Conclusion This study provides preliminary evidence for the reliability of a tool that can be used to measure TPB constructs in relation to research use in policymaking. Our findings suggest that the tool should be administered on more than one occasion when the intervention promotes an initial 'spike' in enthusiasm for using research evidence (as it seemed to do in this case with deliberative dialogues). The findings from this study will be used to modify the tool and inform further psychometric testing following different KTE interventions. PMID:21702956

Evaluating test-retest reliability in patient-reported outcome measures for older people: A systematic review.

PubMed

Park, Myung Sook; Kang, Kyung Ja; Jang, Sun Joo; Lee, Joo Yun; Chang, Sun Ju

2018-03-01

This study aimed to evaluate the components of test-retest reliability including time interval, sample size, and statistical methods used in patient-reported outcome measures in older people and to provide suggestions on the methodology for calculating test-retest reliability for patient-reported outcomes in older people. This was a systematic literature review. MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched from January 1, 2000 to August 10, 2017 by an information specialist. This systematic review was guided by both the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist and the guideline for systematic review published by the National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaborating Agency in Korea. The methodological quality was assessed by the Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments checklist box B. Ninety-five out of 12,641 studies were selected for the analysis. The median time interval for test-retest reliability was 14days, and the ratio of sample size for test-retest reliability to the number of items in each measure ranged from 1:1 to 1:4. The most frequently used statistical methods for continuous scores was intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Among the 63 studies that used ICCs, 21 studies presented models for ICC calculations and 30 studies reported 95% confidence intervals of the ICCs. Additional analyses using 17 studies that reported a strong ICC (>0.09) showed that the mean time interval was 12.88days and the mean ratio of the number of items to sample size was 1:5.37. When researchers plan to assess the test-retest reliability of patient-reported outcome measures for older people, they need to consider an adequate time interval of approximately 13days and the sample size of about 5 times the number of items. Particularly, statistical methods should not only be selected based on the types of scores of the patient-reported outcome measures, but should also be described clearly in the studies that report the results of test-retest reliability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Test-retest reliability and responsiveness of the Barthel Index-based Supplementary Scales in patients with stroke.

PubMed

Lee, Ya-Chen; Yu, Wan-Hui; Hsueh, I-Ping; Chen, Sheng-Shiung; Hsieh, Ching-Lin

2017-10-01

A lack of evidence on the test-retest reliability and responsiveness limits the utility of the BI-based Supplementary Scales (BI-SS) in both clinical and research settings. To examine the test-retest reliability and responsiveness of the BI-based Supplementary Scales (BI-SS) in patients with stroke. A repeated-assessments design (1 week apart) was used to examine the test-retest reliability of the BI-SS. For the responsiveness study, the participants were assessed with the BI-SS and BI (treated as an external criterion) at admission to and discharge from rehabilitation wards. Seven outpatient rehabilitation units and one inpatient rehabilitation unit. Outpatients with chronic stroke. Eighty-four outpatients with chronic stroke participated in the test-retest reliability study. Fifty-seven inpatients completed baseline and follow-up assessments in the responsiveness study. For the test-retest reliability study, the values of the intra-class correlation coefficient and the overall percentage of minimal detectable change for the Ability Scale and Self-perceived Difficulty Scale were 0.97, 12.8%, and 0.78, 35.8%, respectively. For the responsiveness study, the standardized effect size and standardized response mean (representing internal responsiveness) of the Ability Scale and Self-perceived Difficulty Scale were 1.17 and 1.56, and 0.78 and 0.89, respectively. Regarding external responsiveness, the change in score of the Ability Scale had significant and moderate association with that of the BI (r=0.61, P<0.001). The change in score of the Self-perceived Difficulty Scale had non-significant and weak association with that of the BI (r=0.23, P=0.080). The Ability Scale of the BI-SS has satisfactory test-retest reliability and sufficient responsiveness for patients with stroke. However, the Self-perceived Difficulty Scale of the BI-SS has substantial random measurement error and insufficient external responsiveness, which may affect its utility in clinical settings. The findings of this study provide empirical evidence of psychometric properties of the BI-SS for assessing ability and self-perceived difficulty of ADL in patients with stroke.

Evaluating the reliability of an injury prevention screening tool: Test-retest study.

PubMed

Gittelman, Michael A; Kincaid, Madeline; Denny, Sarah; Wervey Arnold, Melissa; FitzGerald, Michael; Carle, Adam C; Mara, Constance A

2016-10-01

A standardized injury prevention (IP) screening tool can identify family risks and allow pediatricians to address behaviors. To assess behavior changes on later screens, the tool must be reliable for an individual and ideally between household members. Little research has examined the reliability of safety screening tool questions. This study utilized test-retest reliability of parent responses on an existing IP questionnaire and also compared responses between household parents. Investigators recruited parents of children 0 to 1 year of age during admission to a tertiary care children's hospital. When both parents were present, one was chosen as the "primary" respondent. Primary respondents completed the 30-question IP screening tool after consent, and they were re-screened approximately 4 hours later to test individual reliability. The "second" parent, when present, only completed the tool once. All participants received a 10-dollar gift card. Cohen's Kappa was used to estimate test-retest reliability and inter-rater agreement. Standard test-retest criteria consider Kappa values: 0.0 to 0.40 poor to fair, 0.41 to 0.60 moderate, 0.61 to 0.80 substantial, and 0.81 to 1.00 as almost perfect reliability. One hundred five families participated, with five lost to follow-up. Thirty-two (30.5%) parent dyads completed the tool. Primary respondents were generally mothers (88%) and Caucasian (72%). Test-retest of the primary respondents showed their responses to be almost perfect; average 0.82 (SD = 0.13, range 0.49-1.00). Seventeen questions had almost perfect test-retest reliability and 11 had substantial reliability. However, inter-rater agreement between household members for 12 objective questions showed little agreement between responses; inter-rater agreement averaged 0.35 (SD = 0.34, range -0.19-1.00). One question had almost perfect inter-rater agreement and two had substantial inter-rater agreement. The IP screening tool used by a single individual had excellent test-retest reliability for nearly all questions. However, when a reporter changes from pre- to postintervention, differences may reflect poor reliability or different subjective experiences rather than true change.

Stability of scores for the Slosson Full-Range Intelligence Test.

PubMed

Williams, Thomas O; Eaves, Ronald C; Woods-Groves, Suzanne; Mariano, Gina

2007-08-01

The test-retest stability of the Slosson Full-Range Intelligence Test by Algozzine, Eaves, Mann, and Vance was investigated with test scores from a sample of 103 students. With a mean interval of 13.7 mo. and different examiners for each of the two test administrations, the test-retest reliability coefficients for the Full-Range IQ, Verbal Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Memory were .93, .85, .80, .80, and .83, respectively. Mean differences from the test-retest scores were not statistically significantly different for any of the scales. Results suggest that Slosson scores are stable over time even when different examiners administer the test.

Intersectionality and Reflexivity in Gender Research: Disruptions, Tracing Lines and Shooting Arrows

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Locke, Kirsten

2015-01-01

This paper utilises the conceptual lens of intersectionality to explore gendered academic career trajectory in the context of one participant's challenge to a normative reading of the link between her private life and its relation to a "successful" academic career. The paper then charts the recalibrations that needed to take place to…

The Changing Role of the Principal: How High-Achieving Districts Are Recalibrating School Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alvoid, Lee; Black, Watt Lesley, Jr.

2014-01-01

The principal has historically been portrayed in television and film as decidedly unheroic. In the public mind, principals were often thought of as mere school-building managers, individuals who were more interested in wielding power and enforcing compliance than in the loftier concerns of teaching and learning. Today, however, those stale notions…

With Dwindling Resources, Colleges Recalibrate Fund-Raising Staffs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Masterson, Kathryn

2009-01-01

After several years of aggressive hiring, some college fund-raising operations are now cutting back as both revenue and investment income fall. The regrouping could slow growth plans on many campuses at a time when the need for private support has never been greater. Often the colleges cutting employees are laying off back-office staff members and…

78 FR 22944 - Notice of Receipt of Petition for Decision That Nonconforming 1991 Volkswagen Transporter Multi...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-17

..., installation of a seat belt warning lamp, and recalibration of the speedometer/odometer to show speed in miles... Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention: installation of a U.S.-model micro switch in the steering lock...: installation of an information placard containing manufacturer specifications for seating capacity and loading...

Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-11-01

Remain Strong, Capacities Will Shrink New Relationships and Recalibrated Old Partnerships Less Financial Margin of Error More Limited Military...making reforms that create a “European President” and “European Foreign Minister” and develops greater institutional capacity for crisis management...domestic issues and sustaining their economic development, increasingly, as outlined in this chapter, they will have the capacity to be global

Inverting the Object of Study: Recalibrating the Frame of Reference in Study Abroad Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palmer, Norris W.

2015-01-01

This essay is concerned with study abroad experiences as opportunities for student cognitive development, using the interpretive lens of educational psychologist William G. Perry. A standard and often valuable assignment in courses on world religions is a site visit to a religious institution in one's local area. This may concretize otherwise…

Keeping the Local Local: Recalibrating the Status of Science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Eijck, Michiel; Roth, Wolff-Michael

2007-01-01

The debate on the status of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) in science curricula is currently centered on a juxtaposition of two incompatible frameworks: multiculturalism and universalism. The aim of this paper is to establish a framework that overcomes this opposition between multiculturalism and universalism in science education, so that…

Mathematics Education in a Time of Earthquakes: Holding on and Letting Go

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McChesney, Jane; Wilson, Susanna

2016-01-01

Two mathematics teacher educators describe their responses during a year disrupted by a serious earthquake and the ongoing effects on students and staff. We discuss our pedagogical responses to unforeseen changes in courses and in students' lives, including the re-calibrating of social relationships. We describe our work in a postgraduate course…

Test-Retest Stability of the Task and Ego Orientation Questionnaire

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane, Andrew M.; Nevill, Alan M.; Bowes, Neal; Fox, Kenneth R.

2005-01-01

Establishing stability, defined as observing minimal measurement error in a test-retest assessment, is vital to validating psychometric tools. Correlational methods, such as Pearson product-moment, intraclass, and kappa are tests of association or consistency, whereas stability or reproducibility (regarded here as synonymous) assesses the…

Retest Reliability of the Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration Study and Similar Semiprojective Techniques

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenzweig, Saul; And Others

1975-01-01

The research dealing with the reliability of the Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration Study is surveyed. Analysis of various split-half, and retest procedures are reviewed and their relative effectiveness evaluated. Reliability measures as applied to projective techniques in general are discussed. (Author/DEP)

The Assertiveness Scale for Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peeler, Elizabeth; Rimmer, Susan M.

1981-01-01

Described an assertiveness scale for children developed to assess four dimensions of assertiveness across three categories of interpersonal situations. The scale was administered to elementary and middle school children (N=609) and readministered to students (N=164) to assess test-retest reliability. Test-retest reliability was low while internal…

14 CFR 63.41 - Retesting after failure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Retesting after failure. 63.41 Section 63.41 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED... failure. An applicant for a flight engineer certificate who fails a written test or practical test for...

14 CFR 63.41 - Retesting after failure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Retesting after failure. 63.41 Section 63.41 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED... failure. An applicant for a flight engineer certificate who fails a written test or practical test for...

14 CFR 63.59 - Retesting after failure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Retesting after failure. 63.59 Section 63.59 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED... failure. (a) An applicant for a flight navigator certificate who fails a written or practical test for...

14 CFR 63.41 - Retesting after failure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Retesting after failure. 63.41 Section 63.41 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED... failure. An applicant for a flight engineer certificate who fails a written test or practical test for...

14 CFR 63.41 - Retesting after failure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Retesting after failure. 63.41 Section 63.41 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED... failure. An applicant for a flight engineer certificate who fails a written test or practical test for...

14 CFR 63.59 - Retesting after failure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Retesting after failure. 63.59 Section 63.59 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED... failure. (a) An applicant for a flight navigator certificate who fails a written or practical test for...

14 CFR 63.59 - Retesting after failure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Retesting after failure. 63.59 Section 63.59 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED... failure. (a) An applicant for a flight navigator certificate who fails a written or practical test for...

14 CFR 63.59 - Retesting after failure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Retesting after failure. 63.59 Section 63.59 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED... failure. (a) An applicant for a flight navigator certificate who fails a written or practical test for...

The validity and reliability of a dynamic neuromuscular stabilization-heel sliding test for core stability.

PubMed

Cha, Young Joo; Lee, Jae Jin; Kim, Do Hyun; You, Joshua Sung H

2017-10-23

Core stabilization plays an important role in the regulation of postural stability. To overcome shortcomings associated with pain and severe core instability during conventional core stabilization tests, we recently developed the dynamic neuromuscular stabilization-based heel sliding (DNS-HS) test. The purpose of this study was to establish the criterion validity and test-retest reliability of the novel DNS-HS test. Twenty young adults with core instability completed both the bilateral straight leg lowering test (BSLLT) and DNS-HS test for the criterion validity study and repeated the DNS-HS test for the test-retest reliability study. Criterion validity was determined by comparing hip joint angle data that were obtained from BSLLT and DNS-HS measures. The test-retest reliability was determined by comparing hip joint angle data. Criterion validity was (ICC2,3) = 0.700 (p< 0.05), suggesting a good relationship between the two core stability measures. Test-retest reliability was (ICC3,3) = 0.953 (p< 0.05), indicating excellent consistency between the repeated DNS-HS measurements. Criterion validity data demonstrated a good relationship between the gold standard BSLLT and DNS-HS core stability measures. Test-retest reliability data suggests that DNS-HS core stability was a reliable test for core stability. Clinically, the DNS-HS test is useful to objectively quantify core instability and allow early detection and evaluation.

Hand-Eye Calibration of Robonaut

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nickels, Kevin; Huber, Eric

2004-01-01

NASA's Human Space Flight program depends heavily on Extra-Vehicular Activities (EVA's) performed by human astronauts. EVA is a high risk environment that requires extensive training and ground support. In collaboration with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), NASA is conducting a ground development project to produce a robotic astronaut's assistant, called Robonaut, that could help reduce human EVA time and workload. The project described in this paper designed and implemented a hand-eye calibration scheme for Robonaut, Unit A. The intent of this calibration scheme is to improve hand-eye coordination of the robot. The basic approach is to use kinematic and stereo vision measurements, namely the joint angles self-reported by the right arm and 3-D positions of a calibration fixture as measured by vision, to estimate the transformation from Robonaut's base coordinate system to its hand coordinate system and to its vision coordinate system. Two methods of gathering data sets have been developed, along with software to support each. In the first, the system observes the robotic arm and neck angles as the robot is operated under external control, and measures the 3-D position of a calibration fixture using Robonaut's stereo cameras, and logs these data. In the second, the system drives the arm and neck through a set of pre-recorded configurations, and data are again logged. Two variants of the calibration scheme have been developed. The full calibration scheme is a batch procedure that estimates all relevant kinematic parameters of the arm and neck of the robot The daily calibration scheme estimates only joint offsets for each rotational joint on the arm and neck, which are assumed to change from day to day. The schemes have been designed to be automatic and easy to use so that the robot can be fully recalibrated when needed such as after repair, upgrade, etc, and can be partially recalibrated after each power cycle. The scheme has been implemented on Robonaut Unit A and has been shown to reduce mismatch between kinematically derived positions and visually derived positions from a mean of 13.75cm using the previous calibration to means of 1.85cm using a full calibration and 2.02cm using a suboptimal but faster daily calibration. This improved calibration has already enabled the robot to more accurately reach for and grasp objects that it sees within its workspace. The system has been used to support an autonomous wrench-grasping experiment and significantly improved the workspace positioning of the hand based on visually derived wrench position. estimates.

Test-Retest Reliability of the Salutogenic Wellness Promotion Scale (SWPS)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, L. M.; Moore, J. B.; Hayden, B. M.; Becker, C. M.

2014-01-01

Objective: This study examined the temporal stability (i.e. test-retest reliability) of the Salutogenic Wellness Promotion Scale (SWPS) using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Current intraclass results were also compared to previously published interclass correlations to support the use of the intraclass method for test-retest…

14 CFR 61.49 - Retesting after failure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Retesting after failure. 61.49 Section 61.49 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED... failure. (a) An applicant for a knowledge or practical test who fails that test may reapply for the test...

14 CFR 61.49 - Retesting after failure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Retesting after failure. 61.49 Section 61.49 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED... failure. (a) An applicant for a knowledge or practical test who fails that test may reapply for the test...

Additional Evidence for the Accuracy of Biographical Data: Long-Term Retest and Observer Ratings.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaffer, Garnett Stokes; And Others

1986-01-01

Investigated accuracy of responses to biodata questionnaire using a test-retest design and informed external observers for verification. Responses from 237 subjects and 200 observers provided evidence that many responses to biodata questionnaire were accurate. Assessed sources of inaccuracy, including social desirability effects, and noted…

Test-Retest Reliability of Computerized, Everyday Memory Measures and Traditional Memory Tests.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Youngjohn, James R.; And Others

Test-retest reliabilities and practice effect magnitudes were considered for nine computer-simulated tasks of everyday cognition and five traditional neuropsychological tests. The nine simulated everyday memory tests were from the Memory Assessment Clinic battery as follows: (1) simple reaction time while driving; (2) divided attention (driving…

Test-retest reliability of jump execution variables using mechanography: a comparison of jump protocols

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Mechanography during the vertical jump may enhance screening and determining mechanistic causes for functional deficits that reduce physical performance. Utility of jump mechanography for evaluation is limited by scant test-retest reliability data on force-time variables. This study examined the tes...

Development and Performance of a Filter Radiometer Monitor System for Integrating Sphere Sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ding, Leibo; Kowalewski, Matthew G.; Cooper, John W.; Smith, GIlbert R.; Barnes, Robert A.; Waluschka, Eugene; Butler, James J.

2011-01-01

The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Radiometric Calibration Laboratory (RCL) maintains several large integrating sphere sources covering the visible to the shortwave infrared wavelength range. Two critical, functional requirements of an integrating sphere source are short and long-term operational stability and repeatability. Monitoring the source is essential in determining the origin of systemic errors, thus increasing confidence in source performance and quantifying repeatability. If monitor data falls outside the established parameters, this could be an indication that the source requires maintenance or re-calibration against the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) irradiance standard. The GSFC RCL has developed a Filter Radiometer Monitoring System (FRMS) to continuously monitor the performance of its integrating sphere calibration sources in the 400 to 2400nm region. Sphere output change mechanisms include lamp aging, coating (e.g. BaSO4) deterioration, and ambient water vapor level. The Filter Radiometer Monitor System (FRMS) wavelength bands are selected to quantify changes caused by these mechanisms. The FRMS design and operation are presented, as well as data from monitoring four of the RCL s integrating sphere sources.

Experiment K-7-31: Studies of Vestibular Primary Afferents and Eye Movements in Normal, Hypergravity and Hypogravity - Axon Cosmos Flight 2044

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Correia, M. J.; Perachio, A. A.; Dickman, J. D.; Kozlovskaya, I.; Sirota, M.; Yakushin, S.; Beloozerova, I. N.

1994-01-01

Fourteen days of active head movements in microgravity appear to modify the gain and neural adaptation properties of the horizontal semicircular canals in the rhesus monkey. This is the first demonstration of adaptive plasticity in the sensory receptor. Reversing prisms, for example, do not modify the gain of the primary afferent response. Pulse yaw rotation, sinusoidal rotation, and sum of sinusoidal rotation testing during the first day following recovery revealed that the gain of a sample of afferents was significantly greater than the gain derived from afferent responses obtained during pre-flight and control monkey testing. There was no strong evidence of tilt sensitivity in the sample of afferents that we tested either during the pre-flight or control tests or during the first day post-flight. Two irregular afferents tested on postflight day 2 showed changes with tilt but the responses were not systematic. The spontaneous discharge did not change following flight. Mean firing rate and coefficient of variation remained constant during the post flight tests and was near the value measured during pre flight tests. The change in gain of horizontal canal afferents might be adaptive. The animals were required to look at a target for food. This required active head and eye movements. Active head movements have been shown to be hypometric and eye movements have been shown to be hypermetric during the first few days of past Cosmos flights (see introduction). It might be that the increased gain in the horizontal semicircular canals permit accurate target acquisition during hypometric head movements by driving the eyes to greater angles for smaller angles of head movement. The mechanism by which the semicircular canals recalibrate (increase their gain) is unknown. The efferent vestibular system is a logical candidate. Horizontal nystagmus during rotation about an earth vertical axis with the horizontal semicircular canals in the plane of rotation produced the same response during postflight day 1 and post-flight day 9. But when the head was pitched down 45? the nystagmus slow phase velocity was greater and the duration was about twice during post-flight day 1. Apparently, this response involving the interaction of the horizontal and vertical semicircular canals and the otoliths did not recalibrate during post-flight day 1. The 'DC' bias of the slow phase velocity of the horizontal nystagmus during constant velocity horizontal axis rotation was roughly 4 times for one flight monkey and roughly 2 times for the other on post-flight day 1 compared to post-flight day 9. These results suggest that the otolith mediated response during constant velocity rotation also did not recalibrate on post-flight day 1.

Towards quantitative [18F]FDG-PET/MRI of the brain: Automated MR-driven calculation of an image-derived input function for the non-invasive determination of cerebral glucose metabolic rates.

PubMed

Sundar, Lalith Ks; Muzik, Otto; Rischka, Lucas; Hahn, Andreas; Rausch, Ivo; Lanzenberger, Rupert; Hienert, Marius; Klebermass, Eva-Maria; Füchsel, Frank-Günther; Hacker, Marcus; Pilz, Magdalena; Pataraia, Ekaterina; Traub-Weidinger, Tatjana; Beyer, Thomas

2018-01-01

Absolute quantification of PET brain imaging requires the measurement of an arterial input function (AIF), typically obtained invasively via an arterial cannulation. We present an approach to automatically calculate an image-derived input function (IDIF) and cerebral metabolic rates of glucose (CMRGlc) from the [18F]FDG PET data using an integrated PET/MRI system. Ten healthy controls underwent test-retest dynamic [18F]FDG-PET/MRI examinations. The imaging protocol consisted of a 60-min PET list-mode acquisition together with a time-of-flight MR angiography scan for segmenting the carotid arteries and intermittent MR navigators to monitor subject movement. AIFs were collected as the reference standard. Attenuation correction was performed using a separate low-dose CT scan. Assessment of the percentage difference between area-under-the-curve of IDIF and AIF yielded values within ±5%. Similar test-retest variability was seen between AIFs (9 ± 8) % and the IDIFs (9 ± 7) %. Absolute percentage difference between CMRGlc values obtained from AIF and IDIF across all examinations and selected brain regions was 3.2% (interquartile range: (2.4-4.3) %, maximum < 10%). High test-retest intravariability was observed between CMRGlc values obtained from AIF (14%) and IDIF (17%). The proposed approach provides an IDIF, which can be effectively used in lieu of AIF.

Effectiveness of a computerized alert system based on re-testing intervals for limiting the inappropriateness of laboratory test requests.

PubMed

Lippi, Giuseppe; Brambilla, Marco; Bonelli, Patrizia; Aloe, Rosalia; Balestrino, Antonio; Nardelli, Anna; Ceda, Gian Paolo; Fabi, Massimo

2015-11-01

There is consolidated evidence that the burden of inappropriate laboratory test requests is very high, up to 70%. We describe here the function of a computerized alert system linked to the order entry, designed to limit the number of potentially inappropriate laboratory test requests. A computerized alert system based on re-testing intervals and entailing the generation of pop-up alerts when preset criteria of appropriateness for 15 laboratory tests were violated was implemented in two clinical wards of the University Hospital of Parma. The effectiveness of the system for limiting potentially inappropriate tests was monitored for 6months. Overall, 765/3539 (22%) test requests violated the preset criteria of appropriateness and generated the appearance of electronic alert. After alert appearance, 591 requests were annulled (17% of total tests requested and 77% of tests alerted, respectively). The total number of test requests violating the preset criteria of inappropriateness constantly decreased over time (26% in the first three months of implementation versus 17% in the following period; p<0.001). The total financial saving of test withdrawn was 3387 Euros (12.8% of the total test cost) throughout the study period. The results of this study suggest that a computerized alert system may be effective to limit the inappropriateness of laboratory test requests, generating significant economic saving and educating physicians to a more efficient use of laboratory resources. Copyright © 2015 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Horizon: The Portable, Scalable, and Reusable Framework for Developing Automated Data Management and Product Generation Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, T.; Alarcon, C.; Quach, N. T.

2014-12-01

Capture, curate, and analysis are the typical activities performed at any given Earth Science data center. Modern data management systems must be adaptable to heterogeneous science data formats, scalable to meet the mission's quality of service requirements, and able to manage the life-cycle of any given science data product. Designing a scalable data management doesn't happen overnight. It takes countless hours of refining, refactoring, retesting, and re-architecting. The Horizon data management and workflow framework, developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is a portable, scalable, and reusable framework for developing high-performance data management and product generation workflow systems to automate data capturing, data curation, and data analysis activities. The NASA's Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center (PO.DAAC)'s Data Management and Archive System (DMAS) is its core data infrastructure that handles capturing and distribution of hundreds of thousands of satellite observations each day around the clock. DMAS is an application of the Horizon framework. The NASA Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS) is NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS)'s solution for making high-resolution global imageries available to the science communities. The Imagery Exchange (TIE), an application of the Horizon framework, is a core subsystem for GIBS responsible for data capturing and imagery generation automation to support the EOSDIS' 12 distributed active archive centers and 17 Science Investigator-led Processing Systems (SIPS). This presentation discusses our ongoing effort in refining, refactoring, retesting, and re-architecting the Horizon framework to enable data-intensive science and its applications.

Using an Interactive Online Quiz to Recalibrate College Students' Attitudes and Behavioral Intentions about Phishing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perrault, Evan K.

2018-01-01

Despite improved spam filtering technology, phishing continues to be a prevalent threat for college students. The current study found that approximately 4-in-10 of the students surveyed (N = 462) indicate they do not know what phishing is and the threat it poses. Students also report initially overestimating their confidence to successfully…

Recalibrating Baseline Evidence in Burundi, Malawi, Senegal and Uganda: Exploring the Potential of Multi-Site, National-Level Stakeholder Engagement in Participatory Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edge, Karen; Marphatia, Akanksha A.

2015-01-01

This paper details our collaborative work on the Improving Learning Outcomes in Primary Schools (ILOPS) project in Burundi, Malawi, Uganda and Senegal. ILOPS set out to establish an innovative template for multi-stakeholder, multinational participatory evaluation (PE) and examine the fundamental roles, relationships and evidence that underpin the…

10 CFR 26.165 - Testing split specimens and retesting single specimens.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Testing split specimens and retesting single specimens. 26.165 Section 26.165 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION FITNESS FOR DUTY PROGRAMS Laboratories... laboratory or maintained in secure storage at the licensee testing facility, as required by § 26.135(a) and...

Test-Retest Reliability and Predictive Validity of the Implicit Association Test in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rae, James R.; Olson, Kristina R.

2018-01-01

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is increasingly used in developmental research despite minimal evidence of whether children's IAT scores are reliable across time or predictive of behavior. When test-retest reliability and predictive validity have been assessed, the results have been mixed, and because these studies have differed on many…

Test-Retest Stability of Word Retrieval in Aphasic Discourse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyle, Mary

2014-01-01

Purpose: This study examined the test-retest stability of select word-retrieval measures in the discourses of people with aphasia who completed a 5-stimulus discourse task. Method: Discourse samples across 3 sessions from 12 individuals with aphasia were analyzed for the stability of measures of informativeness, efficiency, main concepts, noun and…

Test-Retest Reliability of Self-Reported Sexual Health Measures among US Hispanic Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jerman, Petra; Berglas, Nancy F.; Rohrbach, Louise A.; Constantine, Norman A.

2016-01-01

Objective: Although Hispanic adolescents in the USA are often the focus of sexual health interventions, their response to survey measures has rarely been assessed within evaluation studies. This study documents the test-retest reliability of a wide range of self-reported sexual health values, attitudes, knowledge and behaviours among Hispanic…

Temporal Stability of Strength-Based Assessments: Test-Retest Reliability of Student and Teacher Reports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Romer, Natalie; Merrell, Kenneth W.

2013-01-01

This study focused on evaluating the temporal stability of self-reported and teacher-reported perceptions of students' social and emotional skills and assets. We used a test-retest reliability procedure over repeated administrations of the child, adolescent, and teacher versions of the "Social-Emotional Assets and Resilience Scales".…

A Matter of Time: Faster Percolator Analysis via Efficient SVM Learning for Large-Scale Proteomics.

PubMed

Halloran, John T; Rocke, David M

2018-05-04

Percolator is an important tool for greatly improving the results of a database search and subsequent downstream analysis. Using support vector machines (SVMs), Percolator recalibrates peptide-spectrum matches based on the learned decision boundary between targets and decoys. To improve analysis time for large-scale data sets, we update Percolator's SVM learning engine through software and algorithmic optimizations rather than heuristic approaches that necessitate the careful study of their impact on learned parameters across different search settings and data sets. We show that by optimizing Percolator's original learning algorithm, l 2 -SVM-MFN, large-scale SVM learning requires nearly only a third of the original runtime. Furthermore, we show that by employing the widely used Trust Region Newton (TRON) algorithm instead of l 2 -SVM-MFN, large-scale Percolator SVM learning is reduced to nearly only a fifth of the original runtime. Importantly, these speedups only affect the speed at which Percolator converges to a global solution and do not alter recalibration performance. The upgraded versions of both l 2 -SVM-MFN and TRON are optimized within the Percolator codebase for multithreaded and single-thread use and are available under Apache license at bitbucket.org/jthalloran/percolator_upgrade .

Test-retest reliability of Yale Physical Activity Survey among older Mexican American adults: a pilot investigation.

PubMed

Pennathur, Arunkumar; Magham, Rohini; Contreras, Luis Rene; Dowling, Winifred

2004-01-01

The objective of the work reported in this paper is to assess test-retest reliability of Yale Physical Activity Survey Total Time, Estimated Energy Expenditure, Activity Dimension Indices, and Activities Check-list in older Mexican American men and women. A convenience-based healthy sample of 49 (42 women and 7 men) older Mexican American adults recruited from senior recreation centers aged 68 to 80 years volunteered to participate in this pilot study. Forty-nine older Mexican American adults filled out the Yale Physical Activity Survey for this study. Fifteen (12 women and 3 men) of the 49 volunteers responded twice to the Yale Physical Activity Survey after a 2-week period, and helped assess the test-retest reliability of the Yale Physical Activity Survey. Results indicate that based on a 2-week test-retest administration, the Yale Physical Activity Survey was found to have moderate (rhoI= .424, p < .05) to good reliability (rs = .789, p < .01) for physical activity assessment in older Mexican American adults who responded.

Reliability of a questionnaire on substance use among adolescent students, Brazil.

PubMed

Machado Neto, Adelmo de Souza; Andrade, Tarcisio Matos; Fernandes, Gilênio Borges; Zacharias, Helder Paulo; Carvalho, Fernando Martins; Machado, Ana Paula Souza; Dias, Ana Carmen Costa; Garcia, Ana Carolina Rocha; Santana, Lauro Reis; Rolin, Carlos Eduardo; Sampaio, Cyntia; Ghiraldi, Gisele; Bastos, Francisco Inácio

2010-10-01

To analyze reliability of a self-applied questionnaire on substance use and misuse among adolescent students. Two cross-sectional studies were carried out for the instrument test-retest. The sample comprised male and female students aged 1119 years from public and private schools (elementary, middle, and high school students) in the city of Salvador, Northeastern Brazil, in 2006. A total of 591 questionnaires were applied in the test and 467 in the retest. Descriptive statistics, the Kappa index, Cronbach's alpha and intraclass correlation were estimated. The prevalence of substance use/misuse was similar in both test and retest. Sociodemographic variables showed a "moderate" to "almost perfect" agreement for the Kappa index, and a "satisfactory" (>0.75) consistency for Cronbach's alpha and intraclass correlation. The age which psychoactive substances (tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis) were first used and chronological age were similar in both studies. Test-retest reliability was found to be a good indicator of students' age of initiation and their patterns of substance use. The questionnaire reliability was found to be satisfactory in the population studied.

Assessing fear-avoidance beliefs in patients with cervical radiculopathy.

PubMed

Dedering, Asa; Börjesson, Tina

2013-12-01

The study sought to evaluate validity and reliability of the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire and the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia in patients with cervical radiculopathy. A test-retest design was used to test stability over time in 46 patients with cervical radiculopathy. Differences between patients and healthy subjects were also evaluated comparing the patients with 41 physically active and healthy subjects. The patients answered the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire and the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia twice. To test for differences between the patients and the healthy subjects, the latter answered the same questionnaires once. Questionnaires about activity, personal factors and health were also used. The test-retest reliability assessed with weighted kappa was 0.68 for the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire and 0.45 for the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia. Only six of the 11 single items of the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire and none of the single items of the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia showed kappa coefficients exceeding 0.60 (good reliability). Patients with cervical radiculopathy rated significantly worse on the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire and the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia than the healthy subjects did. The Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire may be recommended for test-retest evaluations because 'good' reliability was found. The Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia had only 'moderate' test-retest reliability, and this should be considered when using this scale in test-retest evaluations. Both questionnaires can discriminate between patients with cervical radiculopathy and healthy subjects. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Dimensional indicators of generalized anxiety disorder severity for DSM-V.

PubMed

Niles, Andrea N; Lebeau, Richard T; Liao, Betty; Glenn, Daniel E; Craske, Michelle G

2012-03-01

For DSM-V, simple dimensional measures of disorder severity will accompany diagnostic criteria. The current studies examine convergent validity and test-retest reliability of two potential dimensional indicators of worry severity for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): percent of the day worried and number of worry domains. In study 1, archival data from diagnostic interviews from a community sample of individuals diagnosed with one or more anxiety disorders (n = 233) were used to assess correlations between percent of the day worried and number of worry domains with other measures of worry severity (clinical severity rating (CSR), age of onset, number of comorbid disorders, Penn state worry questionnaire (PSWQ)) and DSM-IV criteria (excessiveness, uncontrollability and number of physical symptoms). Both measures were significantly correlated with CSR and number of comorbid disorders, and with all three DSM-IV criteria. In study 2, test-retest reliability of percent of the day worried and number of worry domains were compared to test-retest reliability of DSM-IV diagnostic criteria in a non-clinical sample of undergraduate students (n = 97) at a large west coast university. All measures had low test-retest reliability except percent of the day worried, which had moderate test-retest reliability. Findings suggest that these two indicators capture worry severity, and percent of the day worried may be the most reliable existing indicator. These measures may be useful as dimensional measures for DSM-V. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development and reliability testing of the Worksite and Energy Balance Survey.

PubMed

Hoehner, Christine M; Budd, Elizabeth L; Marx, Christine M; Dodson, Elizabeth A; Brownson, Ross C

2013-01-01

Worksites represent important venues for health promotion. Development of psychometrically sound measures of worksite environments and policy supports for physical activity and healthy eating are needed for use in public health research and practice. Assess the test-retest reliability of the Worksite and Energy Balance Survey (WEBS), a self-report instrument for assessing perceptions of worksite supports for physical activity and healthy eating. The WEBS included items adapted from existing surveys or new items on the basis of a review of the literature and expert review. Cognitive interviews among 12 individuals were used to test the clarity of items and further refine the instrument. A targeted random-digit-dial telephone survey was administered on 2 occasions to assess test-retest reliability (mean days between time periods = 8; minimum = 5; maximum = 14). Five Missouri census tracts that varied by racial-ethnic composition and walkability. Respondents included 104 employed adults (67% white, 64% women, mean age = 48.6 years). Sixty-three percent were employed at worksites with less than 100 employees, approximately one-third supervised other people, and the majority worked a regular daytime shift (75%). Test-retest reliability was assessed using Spearman correlations for continuous variables, Cohen's κ statistics for nonordinal categorical variables, and 1-way random intraclass correlation coefficients for ordinal categorical variables. Test-retest coefficients ranged from 0.41 to 0.97, with 80% of items having reliability coefficients of more than 0.6. Items that assessed participation in or use of worksite programs/facilities tended to have lower reliability. Reliability of some items varied by gender, obesity status, and worksite size. Test-retest reliability and internal consistency for the 5 scales ranged from 0.84 to 0.94 and 0.63 to 0.84, respectively. The WEBS items and scales exhibited sound test-retest reliability and may be useful for research and surveillance. Further evaluation is needed to document the validity of the WEBS and associations with energy balance outcomes.

Test-Retest Reliability of Rating of Perceived Exertion and Agreement With 1-Repetition Maximum in Adults.

PubMed

Bove, Allyn M; Lynch, Andrew D; DePaul, Samantha M; Terhorst, Lauren; Irrgang, James J; Fitzgerald, G Kelley

2016-09-01

Study Design Clinical measurement. Background It has been suggested that rating of perceived exertion (RPE) may be a useful alternative to 1-repetition maximum (1RM) to determine proper resistance exercise dosage. However, the test-retest reliability of RPE for resistance exercise has not been determined. Additionally, prior research regarding the relationship between 1RM and RPE is conflicting. Objectives The purpose of this study was to (1) determine test-retest reliability of RPE related to resistance exercise and (2) assess agreement between percentages of 1RM and RPE during quadriceps resistance exercise. Methods A sample of participants with and without knee pathology completed a series of knee extension exercises and rated the perceived difficulty of each exercise on a 0-to-10 RPE scale, then repeated the procedure 1 to 2 weeks later for test-retest reliability. To determine agreement between RPE and 1RM, participants completed knee extension exercises at various percentages of their 1RM (10% to 130% of predicted 1RM) and rated the perceived difficulty of each exercise on a 0-to-10 RPE scale. Percent agreement was calculated between the 1RM and RPE at each resistance interval. Results The intraclass correlation coefficient indicated excellent test-retest reliability of RPE for quadriceps resistance exercises (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.895; 95% confidence interval: 0.866, 0.918). Overall percent agreement between RPE and 1RM was 60%, but agreement was poor within the ranges that would typically be used for training (50% 1RM for muscle endurance, 70% 1RM and greater for strength). Conclusion Test-retest reliability of perceived exertion during quadriceps resistance exercise was excellent. However, agreement between the RPE and 1RM was poor, especially in common training zones for knee extensor strengthening. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2016;46(9):768-774. Epub 5 Aug 2016. doi:10.2519/jospt.2016.6498.

Test-retest reliability of Brazilian version of Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale for assessing symptoms in cancer patients.

PubMed

Menezes, Josiane Roberta de; Luvisaro, Bianca Maria Oliveira; Rodrigues, Claudia Fernandes; Muzi, Camila Drumond; Guimarães, Raphael Mendonça

2017-01-01

To assess the test-retest reliability of the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale translated and culturally adapted into Brazilian Portuguese. The scale was applied in an interview format for 190 patients with various cancers type hospitalized in clinical and surgical sectors of the Instituto Nacional de Câncer José de Alencar Gomes da Silva and reapplied in 58 patients. Data from the test-retest were double typed into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and analyzed by the weighted Kappa. The reliability of the scale was satisfactory in test-retest. The weighted Kappa values obtained for each scale item had to be adequate, the largest item was 0.96 and the lowest was 0.69. The Kappa subscale was also evaluated and values were 0.84 for high frequency physic symptoms, 0.81 for low frequency physical symptoms, 0.81 for psychological symptoms, and 0.78 for Global Distress Index. High level of reliability estimated suggests that the process of measurement of Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale aspects was adequate. Avaliar a confiabilidade teste-reteste da versão traduzida e adaptada culturalmente para o português do Brasil do Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale. A escala foi aplicada em forma de entrevista em 190 pacientes com diversos tipos de câncer internados nos setores clínicos e cirúrgicos do Instituto Nacional de Câncer José de Alencar Gomes da Silva e reaplicada em 58 pacientes. Os dados dos testes-retestes foram inseridos num banco de dados por dupla digitação independente em Excel e analisados pelo Kappa ponderado. A confiabilidade da escala mostrou-se satisfatória nos testes-retestes. Os valores do Kappa ponderado obtidos para cada item da escala apresentaram-se adequados, sendo o maior item de 0,96 e o menor de 0,69. Também se avaliou o Kappa das subescalas, sendo de 0,84 para sintomas físicos de alta frequência, de 0,81 para sintomas físicos de baixa frequência, de 0,81 também para sintomas psicológicos, e de 0,78 para Índice Geral de Sofrimento. Altos níveis de confiabilidade estimados permitem concluir que o processo de aferição dos itens do Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale foi adequado.

Test-retest reliability of neurophysiological tests of hand-arm vibration syndrome in vibration exposed workers and unexposed referents.

PubMed

Gerhardsson, Lars; Gillström, Lennart; Hagberg, Mats

2014-01-01

Exposure to hand-held vibrating tools may cause the hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). The aim was to study the test-retest reliability of hand and muscle strength tests, and tests for the determination of thermal and vibration perception thresholds, which are used when investigating signs of neuropathy in vibration exposed workers. In this study, 47 vibration exposed workers who had been investigated at the department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in Gothenburg were compared with a randomized sample of 18 unexposed subjects from the general population of the city of Gothenburg. All participants passed a structured interview, answered several questionnaires and had a physical examination including hand and finger muscle strength tests, determination of vibrotactile (VPT) and thermal perception thresholds (TPT). Two weeks later, 23 workers and referents, selected in a randomized manner, were called back for the same test-procedures for the evaluation of test-retest reliability. The test-retest reliability after a two week interval expressed as limits of agreement (LOA; Bland-Altman), intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) and Pearson correlation coefficients was excellent for tests with the Baseline hand grip, Pinch-grip and 3-Chuck grip among the exposed workers and referents (N = 23: percentage of differences within LOA 91 - 100%; ICC-values ≥0.93; Pearson r ≥0.93). The test-retest reliability was also excellent (percentage of differences within LOA 96-100 %) for the determination of vibration perception thresholds in digits 2 and 5 bilaterally as well as for temperature perception thresholds in digits 2 and 5, bilaterally (percentage of differences within LOA 91 - 96%). For ICC and Pearson r the results for vibration perception thresholds were good for digit 2, left hand and for digit 5, bilaterally (ICC ≥ 0.84; r ≥0.85), and lower (ICC = 0.59; r = 0.59) for digit 2, right hand. For the latter two indices the test-retest reliability for the determination of temperature thresholds was lower and showed more varying results. The strong test-retest reliability for hand and muscle strength tests as well as for the determination of VPTs makes these procedures useful for diagnostic purposes and follow-up studies in vibration exposed workers.

The Extended Mind: Coupling Environment and Brain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vrobel, Susie

2010-11-01

This paper describes embodiment and cognitive extension as examples of strong anticipation as defined by Dubois. Clark and Chalmers formulated a thesis which states that parts of the environment, if coupled successfully, can become part of the extended mind. This coupling, be it deliberate or unintentional, shifts the observer-world boundary outwards when the observer encompasses parts of his environment. The resulting extended observer forms a new systemic whole, which consists of both the assimilated context and the recalibrated version of the original observer. Recalibration occurs when conditioning and adaptation lead to corresponding changes on the neural level, for instance, when an agent compensates for delays in a control loop. Plasticity is a prerequisite for any successful incorporation of external structures. However, uncoupled parts of the observer must remain inviolate in order to preserve the boundary. Neither the extended mind nor the core observer are absolute concepts. Depending on whether we focus on local-scale interactions or on large-scale behaviour, boundaries are formed at different interfacial cuts, which lead to either an endo- or an exo-perspective or endo- or exo-anticipation, respectively. For biological extended agents which undergo a transition from exo- to endo-states, a tell-tale sign of a successful exo-endo transition is invisibility. This invisibility occurs when the agent is no longer aware of the delay originally introduced into the control loop by the assimilated part of the environment. Explaining the world in terms of effective causality is not sufficient to account for extended minds. The latter require explanations in terms of final causation. For extended minds, this ordering principle comes in the shape of nested hierarchical layers. The interfaces of these layers may have merged for an endo-observer, whereas an exo-observer can make out the detailed structure, including artificially introduced delays. A sufficient condition for an endo-observer to turn into an extended mind is the formation of a new systemic whole as a result of shifting the interfacial cut between exo-and endo-world outwards. However, this is only a necessary condition for an extended agent with strong anticipatory properties. It is invisibility which is a sufficient condition for strong or endo-anticipation.

The North American Listening in Spatialized Noise-Sentences test (NA LiSN-S): normative data and test-retest reliability studies for adolescents and young adults.

PubMed

Brown, David K; Cameron, Sharon; Martin, Jeffrey S; Watson, Charlene; Dillon, Harvey

2010-01-01

The Listening in Spatialized Noise-Sentences test (LiSN-S; Cameron and Dillon, 2009) was originally developed to assess auditory stream segregation skills in children aged 6 to 11 yr with suspected central auditory processing disorder. The LiSN-S creates a three-dimensional auditory environment under headphones. A simple repetition-response protocol is used to assess a listener's speech reception threshold (SRT) for target sentences presented in competing speech maskers. Performance is measured as the improvement in SRT in dB gained when either pitch, spatial, or both pitch and spatial cues are incorporated in the maskers. A North American-accented version of the LiSN-S (NA LiSN-S) is available for use in the United States and Canada. To develop normative data for adolescents and adults on the NA LiSN-S, to compare these data with those of children aged 6 to 11 yr as documented in Cameron et al (2009), and to consolidate the child, adolescent, and adult normative and retest data to allow the software to be used with a wider population. In a descriptive design, normative data and test-retest reliability data were collected. One hundred and twenty normally hearing participants took part in the normative data study (67 adolescents aged 12 yr, 1 mo, to 17 yr, 10 mo, and 53 adults aged 19 yr, 10 mo, to 30 yr, 30 mo). Forty-nine participants returned between 1 and 4 mo after the initial assessment for retesting. Participants were recruited from sites in Cincinnati, Dallas, and Calgary. When combined with data collected from children aged 6 to 11 yr, a trend of improved performance as a function of increasing age was found across performance measures. ANOVA (analysis of variance) revealed a significant effect of age on performance. Planned contrasts revealed that there were no significant differences between adults and children aged 13 yr and older on the low-cue SRT; 14 yr and older on talker and spatial advantage; 15 yr and older on total advantage; and 16 yr and older on the high-cue SRT. Mean test-retest differences on the various NA LiSN-S performance measures for the combined child, adult, and adolescent data ranged from 0.05 to 0.5 dB. Paired comparisons revealed test-retest differences were not significant on any measure of the NA LiSN-S except low-cue SRT. Test-retest differences across measures did not differ as a function of age. Test and retest scores were significantly correlated for all NA LiSN-S measures. The ability to use either spatial or talker cues in isolation becomes adultlike by about 14 yr of age, whereas the ability to combine spatial and talker cues does not fully mature until closer to adulthood. By consolidating child, adolescent, and adult normative and retest data the NA LiSN-S can now been utilized to assess auditory processing skills in a wider population. American Academy of Audiology.

49 CFR 180.519 - Periodic retest and inspection of tank cars other than single-unit tank car tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Periodic retest and inspection of tank cars other than single-unit tank car tanks. 180.519 Section 180.519 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to... (CONTINUED) CONTINUING QUALIFICATION AND MAINTENANCE OF PACKAGINGS Qualification and Maintenance of Tank Cars...

49 CFR 180.519 - Periodic retest and inspection of tank cars other than single-unit tank car tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 3 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Periodic retest and inspection of tank cars other than single-unit tank car tanks. 180.519 Section 180.519 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to... (CONTINUED) CONTINUING QUALIFICATION AND MAINTENANCE OF PACKAGINGS Qualification and Maintenance of Tank Cars...

49 CFR 180.519 - Periodic retest and inspection of tank cars other than single-unit tank car tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 3 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Periodic retest and inspection of tank cars other than single-unit tank car tanks. 180.519 Section 180.519 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to... (CONTINUED) CONTINUING QUALIFICATION AND MAINTENANCE OF PACKAGINGS Qualification and Maintenance of Tank Cars...

49 CFR 180.519 - Periodic retest and inspection of tank cars other than single-unit tank car tanks.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 3 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Periodic retest and inspection of tank cars other than single-unit tank car tanks. 180.519 Section 180.519 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to... (CONTINUED) CONTINUING QUALIFICATION AND MAINTENANCE OF PACKAGINGS Qualification and Maintenance of Tank Cars...

Test-Retest Reliability of the Parent Behavior Importance Questionnaire-Revised and the Parent Behavior Frequency Questionnaire-Revised

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mowder, Barbara A.; Shamah, Renee

2011-01-01

This study evaluated the test-retest reliability of two parenting measures: the Parent Behavior Importance Questionnaire-Revised (PBIQ-R) and Parent Behavior Frequency Questionnaire-Revised (PBFQ-R). These self-report parenting behavior assessment measures may be utilized as pre- and post-parent education program measures, with parents as well as…

Centennial Class Survey. Sophomore Year Re-Test. Part One - Current Issues Survey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aberman, Hugh M.

The Centennial Class Survey determines the effects of four years of college experience upon Shippensburg State College's centennial year freshman class of 1970-71. The overall testing program scheduled a sophomore and senior year retest after the freshman year data were collected. Statistics were gathered in the areas of: sex distribution; major;…

The intra-individual reproducibility of flash-evoked potentials in a sample of children.

PubMed

Schellberg, D; Gasser, T; Köhler, W

1987-07-01

Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) to flash stimuli were recorded twice from 26 children aged 10-13 years, with an intersession interval of about 10 months. Test-retest reliability was poor for recordings taken from scalp locations overlying non-specific cortex and somewhat better for specific cortex. The size of consistency coefficients (i.e. correlations within session) showed that noise and artefacts were not the decisive factors which lower reliability. A comparison with retest correlations of broad band parameters of the EEG at rest for the same sample showed, to our surprise, smaller retest reliability for VEP parameters. Variability of the VEP in children over time seems to be a substantial as its well-known inter-individual variability.

Monthly forecasting of agricultural pests in Switzerland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirschi, M.; Dubrovsky, M.; Spirig, C.; Samietz, J.; Calanca, P.; Weigel, A. P.; Fischer, A. M.; Rotach, M. W.

2012-04-01

Given the repercussions of pests and diseases on agricultural production, detailed forecasting tools have been developed to simulate the degree of infestation depending on actual weather conditions. The life cycle of pests is most successfully predicted if the micro-climate of the immediate environment (habitat) of the causative organisms can be simulated. Sub-seasonal pest forecasts therefore require weather information for the relevant habitats and the appropriate time scale. The pest forecasting system SOPRA (www.sopra.info) currently in operation in Switzerland relies on such detailed weather information, using hourly weather observations up to the day the forecast is issued, but only a climatology for the forecasting period. Here, we aim at improving the skill of SOPRA forecasts by transforming the weekly information provided by ECMWF monthly forecasts (MOFCs) into hourly weather series as required for the prediction of upcoming life phases of the codling moth, the major insect pest in apple orchards worldwide. Due to the probabilistic nature of operational monthly forecasts and the limited spatial and temporal resolution, their information needs to be post-processed for use in a pest model. In this study, we developed a statistical downscaling approach for MOFCs that includes the following steps: (i) application of a stochastic weather generator to generate a large pool of daily weather series consistent with the climate at a specific location, (ii) a subsequent re-sampling of weather series from this pool to optimally represent the evolution of the weekly MOFC anomalies, and (iii) a final extension to hourly weather series suitable for the pest forecasting model. Results show a clear improvement in the forecast skill of occurrences of upcoming codling moth life phases when incorporating MOFCs as compared to the operational pest forecasting system. This is true both in terms of root mean squared errors and of the continuous rank probability scores of the probabilistic forecasts vs. the mean absolute errors of the deterministic system. Also, the application of the climate conserving recalibration (CCR, Weigel et al. 2009) technique allows for successful correction of the under-confidence in the forecasted occurrences of codling moth life phases. Reference: Weigel, A. P.; Liniger, M. A. & Appenzeller, C. (2009). Seasonal Ensemble Forecasts: Are Recalibrated Single Models Better than Multimodels? Mon. Wea. Rev., 137, 1460-1479.

The Communication Function Classification System: cultural adaptation, validity, and reliability of the Farsi version for patients with cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Soleymani, Zahra; Joveini, Ghodsiye; Baghestani, Ahmad Reza

2015-03-01

This study developed a Farsi language Communication Function Classification System and then tested its reliability and validity. Communication Function Classification System is designed to classify the communication functions of individuals with cerebral palsy. Up until now, there has been no instrument for assessment of this communication function in Iran. The English Communication Function Classification System was translated into Farsi and cross-culturally modified by a panel of experts. Professionals and parents then assessed the content validity of the modified version. A backtranslation of the Farsi version was confirmed by the developer of the English Communication Function Classification System. Face validity was assessed by therapists and parents of 10 patients. The Farsi Communication Function Classification System was administered to 152 individuals with cerebral palsy (age, 2 to 18 years; median age, 10 years; mean age, 9.9 years; standard deviation, 4.3 years). Inter-rater reliability was analyzed between parents, occupational therapists, and speech and language pathologists. The test-retest reliability was assessed for 75 patients with a 14 day interval between tests. The inter-rater reliability of the Communication Function Classification System was 0.81 between speech and language pathologists and occupational therapists, 0.74 between parents and occupational therapists, and 0.88 between parents and speech and language pathologists. The test-retest reliability was 0.96 for occupational therapists, 0.98 for speech and language pathologists, and 0.94 for parents. The findings suggest that the Farsi version of Communication Function Classification System is a reliable and valid measure that can be used in clinical settings to assess communication function in patients with cerebral palsy. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Measuring VET Participation by Socioeconomic Status: An Examination of the Robustness of ABS SEIFA Measures over Time. Occasional Paper

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lim, Patrick; Karmel, Tom

2014-01-01

At every five-yearly census, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) recalculates both the SEIFA (Socio-economic Indexes for Areas) indexes and also recalibrates the borders and sizes of the geographic areas from which these SEIFA measurements are derived. Further, over time, the composition of geographic areas may change, due to urban renewal…

Geographic extension of an uneven-aged, multi-species matrix growth model for northern hardwood forests

Treesearch

Audra E. Kolbe; Joseph Buongiorno; Michael Vasievich

1999-01-01

The objective of this study was to update and extend the geographic range of a forest growth model for northern hardwoods, developed previously with data from the fourth Wisconsin inventory (Lin et al., 1996. Ecol. Model., 91: 193-211.). To this end, Lin's model was recalibrated with data from the recent fifth inventory of Wisconsin and Michigan, and with the...

Predicting the 10-year risk of hip and major osteoporotic fracture in rheumatoid arthritis and in the general population: an independent validation and update of UK FRAX without bone mineral density.

PubMed

Klop, Corinne; de Vries, Frank; Bijlsma, Johannes W J; Leufkens, Hubert G M; Welsing, Paco M J

2016-12-01

FRAX incorporates rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as a dichotomous predictor for predicting the 10-year risk of hip and major osteoporotic fracture (MOF). However, fracture risk may deviate with disease severity, duration or treatment. Aims were to validate, and if needed to update, UK FRAX for patients with RA and to compare predictive performance with the general population (GP). Cohort study within UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) (RA: n=11 582, GP: n=38 755), also linked to hospital admissions for hip fracture (CPRD-Hospital Episode Statistics, HES) (RA: n=7221, GP: n=24 227). Predictive performance of UK FRAX without bone mineral density was assessed by discrimination and calibration. Updating methods included recalibration and extension. Differences in predictive performance were assessed by the C-statistic and Net Reclassification Improvement (NRI) using the UK National Osteoporosis Guideline Group intervention thresholds. UK FRAX significantly overestimated fracture risk in patients with RA, both for MOF (mean predicted vs observed 10-year risk: 13.3% vs 8.4%) and hip fracture (CPRD: 5.5% vs 3.1%, CPRD-HES: 5.5% vs 4.1%). Calibration was good for hip fracture in the GP (CPRD-HES: 2.7% vs 2.4%). Discrimination was good for hip fracture (RA: 0.78, GP: 0.83) and moderate for MOF (RA: 0.69, GP: 0.71). Extension of the recalibrated UK FRAX using CPRD-HES with duration of RA disease, glucocorticoids (>7.5 mg/day) and secondary osteoporosis did not improve the NRI (0.01, 95% CI -0.04 to 0.05) or C-statistic (0.78). UK FRAX overestimated fracture risk in RA, but performed well for hip fracture in the GP after linkage to hospitalisations. Extension of the recalibrated UK FRAX did not improve predictive performance. 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/.

Inverse Modeling of the Thermal Hydrodynamic and Chemical Processes During Exploitation of the Mutnovsky Geothermal Field (Kamchatka, Russia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiryukhin, A. V.

2012-12-01

A TOUGH2-EOS1 3D rectangular numerical model of the Mutnovsky geothermal field (Kiryukhin, 1996) was re-calibrated using natural state and history exploitation data during the time period 1984-2006 years. Recalibration using iTOUGH2-EOS1+tracer inversion modeling capabilities, was useful to remove outliers from calibration data, identify sets of the estimated parameters of the model, and perform estimations. Chloride ion was used as a "tracer" in this modeling. Thermal hydrodynamic observational data which were used for model recalibration are as follows: 37 temperature and 1 pressure calibration points - for natural state, 13 production wells with monthly averaged enthalpies (650 values during the time period 1983-1987, 2000-2006 years) and 1 transient pressure monitoring wells (57 values during 2003-2006 years) - for exploitation history match. Chemical observational data includes transient mass chloride concentrations from 10 production wells and chloride hot spring sampling data (149 values during 1999-2006 years). The following features of Mutnovsky geothermal reservoir based on integrated inverse modeling analysis of natural state and exploitation data were estimated and better understood: 1. Reservoir permeability was found to be one order more comparable to model-1996, especially the lower part coinciding with intrusion contact zone (600-800 mD at -750 - -1250 masl); 2. Local meteoric inflow in the central part of the field accounting for 45 - 80 kg/s since year 2002; 3. Reinjection rates were estimated significantly lower, than officially reported as 100% of total fluid withdrawal; 4. Upflow fluid flows were estimated hotter (314oC) and the rates are larger (+50%), than assumed before; 5. Global double porosity parameters estimates are: fracture spacing - 5 - 10 m, void fraction N 10-3; 6. Main upflow zone chloride mass concentration estimate is 150 ppm. Conversion of the calibrated TOUGH2-EOS1+tracer model into electrical resistivity model using TOUGH2-EOS9 (L. Magnusdottir, 2012) may significantly improve efficiency of Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ETR) applications to detect spatial features of infiltration downflows and chloride enriched reinjected flows during reservoir exploitation.

External Validation and Evaluation of Reliability and Validity of the Modified Seoul National University Renal Stone Complexity Scoring System to Predict Stone-Free Status After Retrograde Intrarenal Surgery.

PubMed

Park, Juhyun; Kang, Minyong; Jeong, Chang Wook; Oh, Sohee; Lee, Jeong Woo; Lee, Seung Bae; Son, Hwancheol; Jeong, Hyeon; Cho, Sung Yong

2015-08-01

The modified Seoul National University Renal Stone Complexity scoring system (S-ReSC-R) for retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) was developed as a tool to predict stone-free rate (SFR) after RIRS. We externally validated the S-ReSC-R. We retrospectively reviewed 159 patients who underwent RIRS. The S-ReSC-R was assigned from 1 to 12 according to the location and number of sites involved. The stone-free status was defined as no evidence of a stone or with clinically insignificant residual fragment stones less than 2 mm. Interobserver and test-retest reliabilities were evaluated. Statistical performance of the prediction model was assessed by its predictive accuracy, predictive probability, and clinical usefulness. Overall SFR was 73.0%. The SFRs were 86.7%, 70.2%, and 48.6% in low-score (1-2), intermediate-score (3-4), and high-score (5-12) groups, respectively (p<0.001). External validation of S-ReSC-R revealed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.731 (95% CI 0.650-0.813). The AUC of the three-titered S-ReSC-R was 0.701 (95% CI 0.609-0.794). The calibration plot showed that the predicted probability of SFR had a concordance comparable to that of observed frequency. The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test revealed a p-value of 0.01 for the S-ReSC-R and 0.90 for the three-titered S-ReSC-R. Interobserver and test-retest reliabilities revealed an almost perfect level of agreement. The present study proved the predictive value of S-ReSC-R to predict SFR following RIRS in an independent cohort. Interobserver and test-retest reliabilities confirmed that S-ReSC-R was reliable and valid.

Reliability and cross-cultural validation of the Turkish version of Manual Ability Classification System (MACS) for children with cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Akpinar, Pinar; Tezel, Canan G; Eliasson, Ann-Christin; Icagasioglu, Afitap

2010-01-01

To determine the reliability and cross-cultural validation of the Turkish translation of the Manual Ability Classification System (MACS) for children with cerebral palsy (CP) and to investigate the relation to gross motor function and other comorbidities. After the forward and backward translation procedures, inter-rater and test-retest reliability was assessed between parents, physiotherapists and physicians using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Children (N = 118, 4 to 18 years, mean age 9 years 4 months; 68 boys, 50 girls) with various types of CP were classified. Additional data on the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), intellectual delay, visual acuity, and epilepsy were collected. The inter-rater reliability was high; the ICC ranged from 0.89 to 0.96 among different professionals and parents. Between two persons of the same profession it ranged from 0.97 to 0.98. For the test-retest reliability it ranged from 0.91 to 0.98. Total agreement between the GMFCS and the MACS occurred in only 45% of the children. The level of the MACS was found to correlate with the accompanying comorbidities, namely intellectual delay and epilepsy. The Turkish version of the MACS is found to be valid and reliable, and is suggested to be appropriate for the assessment of manual ability within the Turkish population.

Evaluating the INSPIRE measure of staff support for personal recovery in a Swedish psychiatric context.

PubMed

Schön, Ulla-Karin; Svedberg, Petra; Rosenberg, David

2015-05-01

Recovery is understood to be an individual process that cannot be controlled, but can be supported and facilitated at the individual, organizational and system levels. Standardized measures of recovery may play a critical role in contributing to the development of a recovery-oriented system. The INSPIRE measure is a 28-item service user-rated measure of recovery support. INSPIRE assesses both the individual preferences of the user in the recovery process and their experience of support from staff. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the INSPIRE measure, for potential use in Swedish mental health services and in order to promote recovery in mental illness. The sample consisted of 85 participants from six community mental health services targeting people with a diagnosis of psychosis in a municipality in Sweden. For the test-retest evaluation, 78 participants completed the questionnaire 2 weeks later. The results in the present study indicate that the Swedish version of the INSPIRE measure had good face and content validity, satisfactory internal consistency and some level of instability in test-retest reliability. While further studies that test the instrument in a larger and more diverse clinical context are needed, INSPIRE can be considered a relevant and feasible instrument to utilize in supporting the development of a recovery-oriented system in Sweden.

Inter-vender and test-retest reliabilities of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging: Implications for multi-center imaging studies.

PubMed

An, Hyeong Su; Moon, Won-Jin; Ryu, Jae-Kyun; Park, Ju Yeon; Yun, Won Sung; Choi, Jin Woo; Jahng, Geon-Ho; Park, Jang-Yeon

2017-12-01

This prospective multi-center study aimed to evaluate the inter-vendor and test-retest reliabilities of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI) by assessing the temporal signal-to-noise ratio (tSNR) and functional connectivity. Study included 10 healthy subjects and each subject was scanned using three 3T MR scanners (GE Signa HDxt, Siemens Skyra, and Philips Achieva) in two sessions. The tSNR was calculated from the time course data. Inter-vendor and test-retest reliabilities were assessed with intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) derived from variant component analysis. Independent component analysis was performed to identify the connectivity of the default-mode network (DMN). In result, the tSNR for the DMN was not significantly different among the GE, Philips, and Siemens scanners (P=0.638). In terms of vendor differences, the inter-vendor reliability was good (ICC=0.774). Regarding the test-retest reliability, the GE scanner showed excellent correlation (ICC=0.961), while the Philips (ICC=0.671) and Siemens (ICC=0.726) scanners showed relatively good correlation. The DMN pattern of the subjects between the two sessions for each scanner and between three scanners showed the identical patterns of functional connectivity. The inter-vendor and test-retest reliabilities of RS-fMRI using different 3T MR scanners are good. Thus, we suggest that RS-fMRI could be used in multicenter imaging studies as a reliable imaging marker. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modeling the Test-Retest Statistics of a Localization Experiment in the Full Horizontal Plane.

PubMed

Morsnowski, André; Maune, Steffen

2016-10-01

Two approaches to model the test-retest statistics of a localization experiment basing on Gaussian distribution and on surrogate data are introduced. Their efficiency is investigated using different measures describing directional hearing ability. A localization experiment in the full horizontal plane is a challenging task for hearing impaired patients. In clinical routine, we use this experiment to evaluate the progress of our cochlear implant (CI) recipients. Listening and time effort limit the reproducibility. The localization experiment consists of a 12 loudspeaker circle, placed in an anechoic room, a "camera silens". In darkness, HSM sentences are presented at 65 dB pseudo-erratically from all 12 directions with five repetitions. This experiment is modeled by a set of Gaussian distributions with different standard deviations added to a perfect estimator, as well as by surrogate data. Five repetitions per direction are used to produce surrogate data distributions for the sensation directions. To investigate the statistics, we retrospectively use the data of 33 CI patients with 92 pairs of test-retest-measurements from the same day. The first model does not take inversions into account, (i.e., permutations of the direction from back to front and vice versa are not considered), although they are common for hearing impaired persons particularly in the rear hemisphere. The second model considers these inversions but does not work with all measures. The introduced models successfully describe test-retest statistics of directional hearing. However, since their applications on the investigated measures perform differently no general recommendation can be provided. The presented test-retest statistics enable pair test comparisons for localization experiments.

One year test-retest reliability of neurocognitive baseline scores in 10- to 12-year olds.

PubMed

Moser, Rosemarie Scolaro; Schatz, Philip; Grosner, Emily; Kollias, Kelly

2017-01-01

How often youth athletes 10-12 years of age should undergo neurocognitive baseline testing remains an unanswered question. We sought to examine the test-retest reliability of annual ImPACT data in a sample of middle school athletes. Participants were 30 youth athletes, ages 10-12 years (Mean = 11.6, SD = 0.6) selected from a larger database of 10-18 year old athletes, who completed two consecutive annual baseline evaluations using the online version of ImPACT. Athlete assent and parental consent were obtained for all participants. Assessments were conducted either individually or in small groups of 2 to 3 athletes, under the supervision of a neuropsychologist or post-doctoral fellow. Test-retest coefficients were as follows: Verbal Memory .71, Visual Memory .35, Visual Motor Speed .69, Reaction Time .34. Intra-class Correlation Coefficients (single/average) were as follows: Verbal Memory .70/.83, Visual Memory .35/.52, Visual Motor Speed .69/.82, Reaction Time .34/.50. Regression-based measures to correct for practice effects revealed that only a small percentage of cases fell outside 90 and 95% confidence intervals, reflecting stability across assessments. Findings indicate that test-retest reliability of Verbal Memory and Visual Motor Speed are generally stable in 10-12 year old athletes. Nevertheless, Visual Memory Index, Reaction Time Index, and Symptom Checklist scores appear to be less reliable over time, especially compared to published data on high school athletes, suggesting the utility of re-testing on an annual basis in this younger age group.

Quantifying risk and benchmarking performance in the adult intensive care unit.

PubMed

Higgins, Thomas L

2007-01-01

Morbidity, mortality, and length-of-stay outcomes in patients receiving critical care are difficult to interpret unless they are risk-stratified for diagnosis, presenting severity of illness, and other patient characteristics. Acuity adjustment systems for adults include the Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE), the Mortality Probability Model (MPM), and the Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS). All have recently been updated and recalibrated to reflect contemporary results. Specialized scores are also available for patient subpopulations where general acuity scores have drawbacks. Demand for outcomes data is likely to grow with pay-for-performance initiatives as well as for routine clinical, prognostic, administrative, and research applications. It is important for clinicians to understand how these scores are derived and how they are properly applied to quantify patient severity of illness and benchmark intensive care unit performance.

76 FR 68525 - Medicare Program; Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update for Calendar Year 2012

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-04

...This final rule sets forth updates to the home health prospective payment system (HH PPS) rates, including: the national standardized 60-day episode rates; the national per-visit rates; and the low utilization payment amount (LUPA) under the Medicare PPS for home health agencies effective January 1, 2012. This rule applies a 1.4 percent update factor to the episode rates, which reflects a 1 percent reduction applied to the 2.4 percent market basket update factor, as mandated by the Affordable Care Act. This rule also updates the wage index used under the HH PPS, and further reduces home health payments to account for continued nominal growth in case-mix which is unrelated to changes in patient health status. This rule removes two hypertension codes from the HH PPS case-mix system, thereby requiring recalibration of the case-mix weights. In addition, the rule implements two structural changes designed to decrease incentives to upcode and provide unneeded therapy services. Finally, this rule incorporates additional flexibility regarding face-to-face encounters with providers related to home health care.

The effect of 3 torque delivery systems on gold screw preload at the gold cylinder-abutment screw joint.

PubMed

Tan, Keson B; Nicholls, Jack I

2002-01-01

This study measured the gold screw preload at the gold cylinder-abutment screw joint interface obtained by 3 torque delivery systems. Using a precalibrated, strain-gauged standard abutment as the load cell, 3 torque delivery systems tested were shown to have significant differences in gold screw preload when a gold cylinder was attached. Mean preloads measured were 291.2 N for hand torque drivers set at 10 Ncm, 340.3 N for electronic torque controllers at low setting/10 Ncm, 384.4 N for electronic torque controllers at high setting/10 Ncm; and 140.8 N for hand-tightening with a prosthetic slot screwdriver. Significant differences in screw preload were also found between operators using a hand torque driver. Hand-tightening delivered insufficient preload and cannot be recommended for final gold screw tightening. Different electronic torque controller units set at 10 Ncm induced mean gold screw preloads that ranged from 264.1 N to as high as 501.2 N. Electronic torque controllers should be regularly recalibrated to ensure optimal output.

Intelligent control of mixed-culture bioprocesses

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

Stoner, D.L.; Larsen, E.D.; Miller, K.S.

A hierarchical control system is being developed and applied to a mixed culture bioprocess in a continuous stirred tank reactor. A bioreactor, with its inherent complexity and non-linear behavior was an interesting, yet, difficult application for control theory. The bottom level of the hierarchy was implemented as a number of integrated set point controls and data acquisition modules. Within the second level was a diagnostic system that used expert knowledge to determine the operational status of the sensors, actuators, and control modules. A diagnostic program was successfully implemented for the detection of stirrer malfunctions, and to monitor liquid delivery ratesmore » and recalibrate the pumps when deviations from desired flow rates occurred. The highest control level was a supervisory shell that was developed using expert knowledge and the history of the reactor operation to determine the set points required to meet a set of production criteria. At this stage the supervisory shell analyzed the data to determine the state of the system. In future implementations, this shell will determine the set points required to optimize a cost function using expert knowledge and adaptive learning techniques.« less

Medicare program; home health prospective payment system rate update for calendar year 2012. Final rule.

PubMed

2011-11-04

This final rule sets forth updates to the home health prospective payment system (HH PPS) rates, including: the national standardized 60-day episode rates; the national per-visit rates; and the low utilization payment amount (LUPA) under the Medicare PPS for home health agencies effective January 1, 2012. This rule applies a 1.4 percent update factor to the episode rates, which reflects a 1 percent reduction applied to the 2.4 percent market basket update factor, as mandated by the Affordable Care Act. This rule also updates the wage index used under the HH PPS, and further reduces home health payments to account for continued nominal growth in case-mix which is unrelated to changes in patient health status. This rule removes two hypertension codes from the HH PPS case-mix system, thereby requiring recalibration of the case-mix weights. In addition, the rule implements two structural changes designed to decrease incentives to upcode and provide unneeded therapy services. Finally, this rule incorporates additional flexibility regarding face-to-face encounters with providers related to home health care.

Test-retest reliability of 3D ultrasound measurements of the thoracic spine.

PubMed

Fölsch, Christian; Schlögel, Stefanie; Lakemeier, Stefan; Wolf, Udo; Timmesfeld, Nina; Skwara, Adrian

2012-05-01

To explore the reliability of the Zebris CMS 20 ultrasound analysis system with pointer application for measuring end-range flexion, end-range extension, and neutral kyphosis angle of the thoracic spine. The study was performed within the School of Physiotherapy in cooperation with the Orthopedic Department at a University Hospital. The thoracic spines of 28 healthy subjects were measured. Measurements for neutral kyphosis angle, end-range flexion, and end-range extension were taken once at each time point. The bone landmarks were palpated by one examiner and marked with a pointer containing 2 transmitters using a frequency of 40 kHz. A third transmitter was fixed to the pelvis, and 3 microphones were used as receiver. The real angle was calculated by the software. Bland-Altman plots with 95% limits of agreement, intraclass correlations (ICC), standard deviations of mean measurements, and standard error of measurements were used for statistical analyses. The test-retest reliability in this study was measured within a 24-hour interval. Statistical parameters were used to judge reliability. The mean kyphosis angle was 44.8° with a standard deviation of 17.3° at the first measurement and a mean of 45.8° with a standard deviation of 16.2° the following day. The ICC was high at 0.95 for the neutral kyphosis angle, and the Bland-Altman 95% limits of agreement were within clinical acceptable margins. The ICC was 0.71 for end-range flexion and 0.34 for end-range extension, whereas the Bland-Altman 95% limits of agreement were wider than with the static measurement of kyphosis. Compared with static measurements, the analysis of motion with 3-dimensional ultrasound showed an increased standard deviation for test-retest measurements. The test-retest reliability of ultrasound measuring of the neutral kyphosis angle of the thoracic spine was demonstrated within 24 hours. Bland-Altman 95% limits of agreement and the standard deviation of differences did not appear to be clinically acceptable for measuring flexion and extension. Copyright © 2012 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Estimation of the Regression Effect Using a Latent Trait Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quinn, Jimmy L.

A logistic model was used to generate data to serve as a proxy for an immediate retest from item responses to a fourth grade standardized reading comprehension test of 45 items. Assuming that the actual test may be considered a pretest and the proxy data may be considered a retest, the effect of regression was investigated using a percentage of…

A Test-Retest Analysis of the Vanderbilt Assessment for Leadership in Education in the USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minor, Elizabeth Covay; Porter, Andrew C.; Murphy, Joseph; Goldring, Ellen; Elliott, Stephen N.

2017-01-01

The Vanderbilt Assessment for Leadership in Education (VAL-ED) is a 360-degree learning-centered behaviors principal evaluation tool that includes ratings from the principal, supervisors, and teachers. The current study assesses the test-retest reliability of the VAL-ED for a sample of seven school districts as part of multiple validity and…

Test-Retest Reliability of the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment (PAPA)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Egger, Helen Link; Erkanli, Alaattin; Keeler, Gordon; Potts, Edward; Walter, Barbara Keith; Angold, Adrian

2006-01-01

Objective: To examine the test-retest reliability of a new interviewer-based psychiatric diagnostic measure (the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment) for use with parents of preschoolers 2 to 5 years old. Method: A total of 1,073 parents of children attending a large pediatric clinic completed the Child Behavior Checklist 1 1/2-5. For 18 months,…

Multilevel Factor Structure, Concurrent Validity, and Test-Retest Reliability of the High School Teacher Version of the Authoritative School Climate Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Francis L.; Cornell, Dewey G.

2016-01-01

Although school climate has long been recognized as an important factor in the school improvement process, there are few psychometrically supported measures based on teacher perspectives. The current study replicated and extended the factor structure, concurrent validity, and test-retest reliability of the teacher version of the Authoritative…

Test-Retest Analyses of the Test of English as a Foreign Language. TOEFL Research Reports Report 45.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henning, Grant

This study provides information about the total and component scores of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). First, the study provides comparative global and component estimates of test-retest, alternate-form, and internal-consistency reliability, controlling for sources of measurement error inherent in the examinees and the testing…