• Title/Summary/Keyword: assessed methods

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Assessment of Bacterial Abundance and Activities in Sediment of Daecheong Dam Reservoir (대청댐 저층 퇴적물 박테리아 군집과 활성 평가)

  • Kong, In Chul;Lee, Yo Sang
    • Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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    • v.12 no.1
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    • pp.35-44
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    • 2003
  • Bacterial activities of dam reservoir sediments were assessed using the methods of viable counts, ATP contents, dehydrogenase activity, and oxygen consumption. Viable heterotrophs in collected sediments were observed in the range of $10^6{\sim}10^{10}$ CFU/g dry wt. sediment. All assessed methods showed high activities in sediment samples collected from near dam site. In addition, bacteria increase in sediments amended with cellulose, starch, lipid, and protein compounds. Various ranges of antibiotics and heavy metals resistance bacteria were also detected, especially, 10~100 times less numbers of Cd resistance bacteria were observed compared with those of Pb and Cr. In general, antibiotics resistance groups were in the range of $10^{-1}{\sim}10^{-6}$ times of control.

The quality of subgroup analyses in chronic pain randomized controlled trials: a methodological review

  • AminiLari, Mahmood;Ashoorian, Vahid;Caldwell, Alexa;Rahman, Yasir;Nieuwlaat, Robby;Busse, Jason W.;Mbuagbaw, Lawrence
    • The Korean Journal of Pain
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    • v.34 no.2
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    • pp.139-155
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    • 2021
  • The quality of subgroup analyses (SGAs) in chronic non-cancer pain trials is uncertain. The purpose of this study was to address this issue. We conducted a comprehensive search in MEDLINE and EMBASE from January 2012 to September 2018 to identify eligible trials. Two pairs of reviewers assessed the quality of the SGAs and the credibility of subgroup claims using the 10 criteria developed by Sun et al. in 2012. The associations between the quality of the SGAs and the studies' characteristics including risk of bias, funding sources, sample size, and the latest impact factor, were assessed using multivariable logistic regression. Our search retrieved 3,401 articles of which 66 were eligible. The total number of SGAs was 177 of which 52 (29.4%) made a subgroup claim. Of these, only 15 (8.5%) were evaluated as being of high quality. Among the 30 SGAs that claimed subgroup effects using an appropriate method of performing interaction tests, the credibility of only 5 were assessed as high. None of the subgroup claims met all the credibility criteria. No significant association was found between the quality of SGAs and the studies' characteristics. The quality of the SGAs performed in chronic pain trials was poor. To enhance the quality of SGAs, scholars should consider the developed criteria when designing and conducting trials, particularly those which need to be specified a priori.

Reliability between Parents and Therapists of the Manual Ability Classification System for Children with Cerebral Palsy (뇌성마비 아동 사물조작 능력 분류 체계의 부모-치료사 간의 신뢰도)

  • Kim, Jang-Gon
    • PNF and Movement
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    • v.7 no.2
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    • pp.21-26
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    • 2009
  • Purpose : The aim of this study was to determine the reliability of parents and therapists-assessed manual ability using the Manual Ability Classification System (MACS) for children with cerebral palsy Methods : Subjects were 136 children with cerebral palsy using rehabilitation programs in 16 welfare centers. Reliability was determined using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Parents and therapists assessed manual ability of children using MACS. Result : The 136 children (Male 73, Female 63) mean age was 7y 5mo years [range 3y 11mo - 13y 5mo]. The overall agreement between parents-assessed and therapists- assessed MACS was good (ICC = 0.84, 95% confidence interval 0.77-0.88). Conclusion : The MACS offers a reliable method for population-based research and communicating about the manual ability of children with CP.

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Analysis of Trends in Self-assessment of Performance of Clinical Skills in Nursing Students after OSCE (구조화된 객관적 임상시험(OSCE) 실시 후 간호학생들의 임상수행능력에 대한 자기평가경향 분석)

  • Han, Mi-Hyun;Park, Seok-Gun
    • Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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    • v.18 no.2
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    • pp.210-216
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    • 2011
  • Purpose: The self-assessment ability of students is important in acquiring clinical skills. The study explored the self-assessment behavior of nursing students after OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination). Methods: The participants were 90 nursing students. They assessed their performance just after an OSCE (assessment 1). They were given OSCE checklists and re-assessed their performance level (assessment 2). Assessments 1, 2, and an assessment by professor were compared and analyzed. Results: Students assessed themselves higher than professor. But, when students were divided into three groups according to score level, different behaviors were evident between the groups. The high-score group assessed themselves lower than the professor, while the mid-and low-score groups assessed themselves higher than the professor. Students' self-assessment more closely approximated the professor's assessment when they were given checklists. The correlation between assessments 1 and 2 was stronger in high-score group and weak in low-score group. Conclusion: The study results indicate that students tend to assess their skills higher than the professor, but their scores were more in line with the professor when they were provided with checklists, and students' self-assessment behavior differed in the different score groups, suggesting a need for customized feedback and a concern for students with low scores.

Structural health monitoring for pinching structures via hysteretic mechanics models

  • Rabiepour, Mohammad;Zhou, Cong;Chase, James G.;Rodgers, Geoffrey W.;Xu, Chao
    • Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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    • v.82 no.2
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    • pp.245-258
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    • 2022
  • Many Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) methods have been proposed for structural damage diagnosis and prognosis. However, SHM for pinched hysteretic structures can be problematic due to the high level of nonlinearity. The model-free hysteresis loop analysis (HLA) has displayed notable robustness and accuracy in identifying damage for full-scaled and scaled test buildings. In this paper, the performance of HLA is compared with seven other SHM methods in identifying lateral elastic stiffness for a six-story numerical building with highly nonlinear pinching behavior. Two successive earthquakes are employed to compare the accuracy and consistency of methods within and between events. Robustness is assessed across sampling rates 50-1000 Hz in noise-free condition and then assessed with 10% root mean square (RMS) noise added to responses at 250 Hz sampling rate. Results confirm HLA is the most robust method to sampling rate and noise. HLA preserves high accuracy even when the sampling rate drops to 50 Hz, where the performance of other methods deteriorates considerably. In noisy conditions, the maximum absolute estimation error is less than 4% for HLA. The overall results show HLA has high robustness and accuracy for an extremely nonlinear, but realistic case compared to a range of leading and recent model-based and model-free methods.

The Development and Implementation of Web-based Parental Education Programs (웹 기반 부모교육 프로그램의 개발 및 적용을 위한 기초연구)

  • Kim, Jung-Won
    • Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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    • v.46 no.1
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    • pp.1-14
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    • 2008
  • The purpose of this study was to develop and implement web-based parental education programs applicable for the parents of young children in Korea. The results of this study were as follows. First, the parents of the young children recognized the importance of parental education, but were unable to participate in face-to-face parental education programs. However, they welcomed the possibility of participating in web-based parental education programs. Second, to develop web-based parental education programs, the parents' needs should be assessed and preliminary content analysis based on the previous works and subject specialists' opinions should be conducted. In addition, results of research about web-based education programs in various fields, especially about teaching-learning methods in web-based education for adult learners, should be considered in the process of developing web-based programs for the parents of young children. Third, various types of needs and demands should be assessed during the step-by-step program application periods and at the end of the program implementation. Finally, the parents who participated and assessed the web-based parental education program in this study were generally satisfied with the content and teaching-learning methods.

Associations between normative and self-perceived orthodontic treatment needs in young-adult dental patients (치과에 내원한 젊은 성인의 교정치료의 필요성과 자기 인식간의 관계)

  • Oshagh, Morteza;Salehi, Parisa;Pakshir, Hamidreza;Bazyar, Leyla;Rakhshan, Vahid
    • The korean journal of orthodontics
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    • v.41 no.6
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    • pp.440-446
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    • 2011
  • Objective: Our aim was to determine the correlation between dental treatment need as assessed by the components of the index of orthodontic treatment need (IOTN) and a self-evaluation questionnaire in a population selected from the dental clinics of Shiraz, Iran. Methods: The dental treatment needs of 240 participants (120 men and 120 women) were measured on the basis of the IOTN dental health component (IOTN-DHC), IOTN aesthetic component (IOTN-AC), IOTN AC determined by the examiner (IOTN-ACE), and a self-evaluation questionnaire (SEQ). The correlations between the treatment needs assessed by all the methods as well as the correlations of the treatment needs with age and gender were assessed using a Spearman's correlation coefficient (${\alpha}$ = 0.01). Results: All methods were significantly correlated ($p{\leq}0.001$). The associations of IOTN-ACE with IOTN-DHC and SEQ were moderately significant (rho = 0.49 and 0.41, respectively). The associations of IOTN-AC with IOTN-DHC and SEQ were weakly significant (rho = 0.24 and 0.35, respectively). The IOTN-DHC was moderately associated with SEQ (rho = 0.53). Gender and age were not associated with treatment needs estimated by any of the methods used ($p$ > 0.06). Conclusions: The correlations between the self-evaluation and the IOTN components in young adults were close to those reported in children, and IOTN-ACE was more reliable than IOTN-AC.

Fall Risk Assessments Based on Postural and Dynamic Stability Using Inertial Measurement Unit

  • Liu, Jian;Zhang, Xiaoyue;Lockhart, Thurmon E.
    • Safety and Health at Work
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    • v.3 no.3
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    • pp.192-198
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    • 2012
  • Objectives: Slip and fall accidents in the workplace are one of the top causes of work related fatalities and injuries. Previous studies have indicated that fall risk was related to postural and dynamic stability. However, the usage of this theoretical relationship was limited by laboratory based measuring instruments. The current study proposed a new method for stability assessment by use of inertial measurement units (IMUs). Methods: Accelerations at different body parts were recorded by the IMUs. Postural and local dynamic stability was assessed from these measures and compared with that computed from the traditional method. Results: The results demonstrated: 1) significant differences between fall prone and healthy groups in IMU assessed dynamic stability; and 2) better power of discrimination with multi stability index assessed by IMUs. Conclusion: The findings can be utilized in the design of a portable screening or monitoring tool for fall risk assessment in various industrial settings.

Sperm nuclear DNA fragmentation and chromatin structure in one-day-old ejaculated sperm

  • Jee, Byung-Chul;Suh, Chang-Suk;Shin, Mi-Sun;Lee, Hee-Jun;Lee, Jae-Ho;Kim, Seok-Hyun
    • Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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    • v.38 no.2
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    • pp.82-86
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    • 2011
  • Objective: To evaluate sperm nuclear DNA fragmentation and chromatin structure after 18 hours' incubation at room temperature. Methods: Twenty-eight male partners who participating IVF treatment were prospectively included in this study. Ejaculated sperm count and motility were assessed. The sperm was then immediately processed by the conventional swim-up method. After utilization of some of the sample for routine clinical use, the remainder of each of the samples was divided into two aliquots. One aliquot was immediately assessed for sperm nuclear DNA fragmentation (TUNEL assay) and chromatin structure (toluidine blue [TB] staining). The other aliquot was incubated at room temperature for 18 hours and then assessed by two methods. Only dark-TB sperms were considered as having abnormal chromatin structure. Data before and after extended incubation were compared using a paired Student's $t$-test. Results: Before and after extended culture, nuclear DNA fragmentation assessed by TUNEL was $4.9{\pm}4.7%$ and $7.0{\pm}6.4%$, respectively ($p$=0.008). The proportion of abnormal chromatin structure (dark-TB sperm) was $8.2{\pm}5.6%$ and $10.3{\pm}6.5%$ ($p$ <0.001), before and after incubation, respectively. Conclusion: After 18 hours' incubation at room temperature, sperm nuclear DNA and chromatin structure were significantly affected. The IVF practitioner should bear this information in mind when performing delayed insemination, especially for $in$ $vitro$ maturation cycles.

Evaluation of the Reporting and Methodological Quality of the Systematic Review from the Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine (대한한방소아과학회지에 게재된 체계적 문헌고찰의 보고 질 및 방법론적 질 평가)

  • Shim, Soo Bo;Lee, Ju Ah;Lee, Hye Lim
    • The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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    • v.34 no.1
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    • pp.26-36
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    • 2020
  • Objectives The purpose of this study is to assess the reporting quality and methodological quality of systematic reviews from the Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine. Methods Systematic reviews were selected from the Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine (JPKM) by utilizing Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System (OASIS) and JPKM homepage. Two independent researchers assessed the reporting quality through Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline checklist, and assessed the methodological quality of systematic review through Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) 2 tool checklist. Results Four systematic reviews were finally selected for the assessment. When assessed by PRISMA, three literatures were little insufficient, and one literature was sufficient. When assessed by AMSTAR 2, three literatures were moderate quality, and one literature was critically low quality. Also, all of the reviews had no information about 'Protocol and registration', 'publication bias', and 'conflicts of interest'. Conclusions Systematic review is important for Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine and Korean Medicine Society. Efforts are needed to improve the reporting and methodological quality of the systematic reviews through PRISMA and AMSTAR 2.