72 research outputs found
Utilizing Generalizability Theory to Investigate the Reliability of Grades Assigned to Undergraduate Research Papers
Background: Educational researchers have long espoused the virtues of writing with regard to student cognitive skills. However, research on the reliability of the grades assigned to written papers reveals a high degree of contradiction, with some researchers concluding that the grades assigned are very reliable whereas others suggesting that they are so unreliable that random assignment of grades would have been almost as helpful. Purpose: The primary purpose of the study was to investigate the reliability of grades assigned to written reports. The secondary purpose was to illustrate the use of Generalizability Theory, specifically the fully-crossed two-facet model, for computing interrater reliability coefficients. Setting: The participants for this study were 29 undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory-level course on Political Behavior in Spring 2011 at a Midwest university. Intervention: Not applicable. Research Design: Students were randomly assigned to one of nine groups. Two-facet fully crossed G-study and D-study designs were used wherein two raters graded four assignments for 9 student groups—72 evaluations in total. The universe of admissible observations was deemed to be random for both raters and assignments, whereas the universe of generalization was deemed to be mixed (random for two raters but fixed for four assignments). Data Collection and Analysis: The semester-long project was assigned to groups consisting of an annotated bibliography, survey development, sampling design, and analysis and final report. Four grading rubrics were developed and utilized to evaluate the quality of each written report. Two-facet generalizability analyses were conducted to assess interrater reliability using software developed by one of the authors. Findings: This study found a very high interrater reliability coefficient (0.929) for only two raters who received no training in how to use the four grading rubrics. Keywords: grading; reliability; Generalizability Theory; writing  
First atom lifetime and scattering length measurements
The results of a search for hydrogen-like atoms consisting of
mesons are presented. Evidence for atom production
by 24 GeV/c protons from CERN PS interacting with a nickel target has been seen
in terms of characteristic pairs from their breakup in the same target
() and from Coulomb final state interaction (). Using
these results the analysis yields a first value for the atom lifetime
of fs and a first model-independent measurement of
the S-wave isospin-odd scattering length
( for isospin ).Comment: 14 pages, 8 figure
The chronic care model: Congruency and predictors among patients with cardiovascular diseases and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the Netherlands
Objective: The Chronic Care Model (CCM) achieved widespread acceptance and reflects the core elements of patient-centred care in chronic diseases such as CVD and COPD. Our aim is to assess the extent to which current care for CVD and COPD patients aligns with the CCM in Dutch healthcare practices in the early stages of implementing disease-management programs, thereby revealing possible predictors that tell us whether certain patients are more likel
X-ray fluorescence from the element with atomic number Z = 120
Accepted for publication in Physical Review LettersAn atomic clock based on X-ray fluorescence yields has been used to estimate the mean characteristic time for fusion followed by fission in reactions 238U + 64Ni at 6.6 MeV/A. Inner shell vacancies are created during the collisions in the electronic structure of the possibly formed Z=120 compound nuclei. The filling of these vacancies accompanied by X-ray emission with energies characteristic of Z=120 can take place only if the atomic transitions occur before nuclear fission. Therefore, the X-ray yield characteristic of the united atom with 120 protons is strongly related to the fission time and to the vacancy lifetimes. K X-rays from the element with Z = 120 have been unambiguously identified from a coupled analysis of the involved nuclear reaction mechanisms and of the measured photon spectra. A minimum mean fission time _f$ = 2.5×10−18s has been deduced for Z=120 from the measured X-ray multiplicity
Determination of scattering lengths from measurement of atom lifetime
The DIRAC experiment at CERN has achieved a sizeable production of
atoms and has significantly improved the precision on its lifetime
determination. From a sample of 21227 atomic pairs, a 4% measurement of the
S-wave scattering length difference
has been attained, providing an important test of Chiral Perturbation Theory.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure
Investigation of pairs in the effective mass region near
The DIRAC experiment at CERN investigated in the reaction
the particle pairs and with relative momentum in the pair system less than 100 MeV/c.
Because of background influence studies, DIRAC explored three subsamples of
pairs, obtained by subtracting -- using time-of-flight (TOF) technique
-- background from initial distributions with sample fractions
more than 70\%, 50\% and 30\%. The corresponding pair distributions in and
in its longitudinal projection were analyzed first in a Coulomb model,
which takes into account only Coulomb final state interaction (FSI) and
assuming point-like pair production. This Coulomb model analysis leads to a
yield increase of about four at MeV/c compared to 100 MeV/c.
In order to study contributions from strong interaction, a second more
sophisticated model was applied, considering besides Coulomb FSI also strong
FSI via the resonances and and a variable distance
between the produced mesons. This analysis was based on three different
parameter sets for the pair production. For the 70\% subsample and with best
parameters, pairs was found to be compared to extracted by means of the Coulomb model. Knowing the efficiency
of the TOF cut for background suppression, the total number of detected
pairs was evaluated to be around , which agrees with
the result from the 30\% subsample. The pair number in the 50\%
subsample differs from the two other values by about three standard deviations,
confirming -- as discussed in the paper -- that experimental data in this
subsample is less reliable
Evidence for -atoms with DIRAC
We present evidence for the first observation of electromagnetically bound
-pairs (-atoms) with the DIRAC experiment at the CERN-PS.
The -atoms are produced by the 24 GeV/c proton beam in a thin Pt-target
and the and -mesons from the atom dissociation are analyzed in
a two-arm magnetic spectrometer. The observed enhancement at low relative
momentum corresponds to the production of 173 54 -atoms. The mean
life of -atoms is related to the s-wave -scattering lengths, the
measurement of which is the goal of the experiment. From these first data we
derive a lower limit for the mean life of 0.8 fs at 90% confidence level.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figure
Evidence-based guidelines for use of probiotics in preterm neonates
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Current evidence indicates that probiotic supplementation significantly reduces all-cause mortality and definite necrotising enterocolitis without significant adverse effects in preterm neonates. As the debate about the pros and cons of routine probiotic supplementation continues, many institutions are satisfied with the current evidence and wish to use probiotics routinely. Because of the lack of detail on many practical aspects of probiotic supplementation, clinician-friendly guidelines are urgently needed to optimise use of probiotics in preterm neonates.</p> <p>Aim</p> <p>To develop evidence-based guidelines for probiotic supplementation in preterm neonates.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To develop core guidelines on use of probiotics, including strain selection, dose and duration of supplementation, we primarily used the data from our recent updated systematic review of randomised controlled trials. For equally important issues including strain identification, monitoring for adverse effects, product format, storage and transport, and regulatory hurdles, a comprehensive literature search, covering the period 1966-2010 without restriction on the study design, was conducted, using the databases PubMed and EMBASE, and the proceedings of scientific conferences; these data were used in our updated systematic review.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this review, we present guidelines, including level of evidence, for the practical aspects (for example, strain selection, dose, duration, clinical and laboratory surveillance) of probiotic supplementation, and for dealing with non-clinical but important issues (for example, regulatory requirements, product format). Evidence was inadequate in some areas, and these should be a target for further research.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We hope that these evidence-based guidelines will help to optimise the use of probiotics in preterm neonates. Continued research is essential to provide answers to the current gaps in knowledge about probiotics.</p
Comorbidities and characteristics of coronary heart disease patients: their impact on health-related quality of life
Judicialização do acesso ao tratamento de doenças genéticas raras: a doença de Fabry no Rio Grande do Sul
- …