Publisher Evaluation Tool

The Publisher Evaluation Tool, or PET Project, is a scored checklist that can help scholars make more informed decisions about whether or not to submit their work to an unknown publisher. The Publisher Evaluation Tool was developed as part of a workshop for graduate students and faculty that explores deceptive journal practices, often called predatory practices. It is particularly useful in addressing those journals in the gray area: not quite green light, not quite red light

Evaluating methodological quality of Prognostic models Including Patient-reported HeAlth outcomes in oncologY (EPIPHANY): A systematic review protocol

Introduction While there is mounting evidence of the independent prognostic value of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for overall survival (OS) in patients with cancer, it is known that the conduct of these studies may hold a number of methodological challenges. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the quality of published studies in this research area, in order to identify methodological and statistical issues deserving special attention and to also possibly provide evidence-based recommendations. Methods and analysis An electronic search strategy will be performed in PubMed to identify studies developing or validating a prognostic model which includes PROs as predictors. Two reviewers will independently be involved in data collection using a predefined and standardised data extraction form including information related to study characteristics, PROs measures used and multivariable prognostic models. Studies selection will be reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, with data extraction form using fields from the Critical Appraisal and Data Extraction for Systematic Reviews of Prediction Modelling Studies (CHARMS) checklist for multivariable models. Methodological quality assessment will also be performed and will be based on prespecified domains of the CHARMS checklist. As a substantial heterogeneity of included studies is expected, a narrative evidence synthesis will also be provided. Ethics and dissemination Given that this systematic review will use only published data, ethical permissions will not be required. Findings from this review will be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals and presented at major international conferences. We anticipate that this review will contribute to identify key areas of improvement for conducting and reporting prognostic factor analyses with PROs in oncology and will lay the groundwork for developing future evidence-based recommendations in this area of research. Prospero registration number CRD42018099160

The extended ROSAT-ESO Flux Limited X-ray Galaxy Cluster Survey (REFLEX II)\\ II. Construction and Properties of the Survey

Galaxy clusters provide unique laboratories to study astrophysical processes on large scales and are important probes for cosmology. X-ray observations are currently the best means of detecting and characterizing galaxy clusters. In this paper we describe the construction of the REFLEX II galaxy cluster survey based on the southern part of the ROSAT All-Sky Survey. REFLEX II extends the REFLEX I survey by a factor of about two down to a flux limit of $1.8 \times 10^{-12}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{-2}$ (0.1 - 2.4 keV). We describe the determination of the X-ray parameters, the process of X-ray source identification, and the construction of the survey selection function. The REFLEX II cluster sample comprises currently 915 objects. A standard selection function is derived for a lower source count limit of 20 photons in addition to the flux limit. The median redshift of the sample is $z = 0.102$. Internal consistency checks and the comparison to several other galaxy cluster surveys imply that REFLEX II is better than 90\% complete with a contamination less than 10\%.Comment: Astronomy and Astrophysics Vol. 555, A30 - 15 pages, 20 figure

Enhancing Child Care for Children with Special Needs Through Technical Assistance

Children with special needs often require additional supports in child care settings. The provision of technical assistance (TA) and consultation to child care teachers is an established method for addressing this need. This study expands on existing research by bringing the perspective of different adults (parents, technical assistance consultants, teachers, and child care center directors) together to better understand the experiences of all parties involved in TA cases for children between the ages of three and five. The concerns most frequently leading to the consultation were social-emotional-behavioral (50.5%), developmental (32.3%), medical (28.3%), and environmental risk (14%), and one quarter of parents reported that their child had more than one of these concerns. Parents’ evaluations of the outcomes of the consultation were predicted by the parent’s race, level of education, and whether they saw a behavioral concern as the initial reason for the consultation. Open-ended comments provided more insight into each group of adults’ experiences, some of which included frustration about feeling involved/included in the consultation (for parents) and parents’ not being involved in and/or engaged with the consultation (for other adults). The study’s findings emphasize the importance of all adults working as a team to ensure the best possible care for children with special needs

Active Learning Methodologies in a High Stakes Graduate Nursing Program

Active learning with student engagement has been demonstrated to improve knowledge retention and improve learning in graduate education. Nurse anesthesia education has traditionally been taught using lecture with slide presentations without considering student centered learning. Much attention has been given to active learning strategies to promote student engagement and content retention, yet little information exists regarding student preferences for in higher level graduate nursing courses. This mixed-methods study aimed to examine student learning preferences for seven different instructional methodologies; traditional lecture, a problem-based learning exercise, reading with workbook assignments, development of cognitive aids, game-based learning, practice questions, and a case study, as well as to which were best to learn by. Students prefer game-based learning, practice questions, and assigned reading with workbooks over lecture and other active learning exercises and reported game-based learning and workbooks from assigned readings as easiest to methods by which to learn

Active Learning Methodologies In a High Stakes Graduate Nursing Program

Active learning with student engagement has been demonstrated to improve knowledge retention and improve learning in graduate education. Nurse anesthesia education has traditionally been taught using lecture with slide presentations without considering student centered learning. Much attention has been given to active learning strategies to promote student engagement and content retention, yet little information exists regarding student preferences for in higher level graduate nursing courses. This mixed-methods study aimed to examine student learning preferences for seven different instructional methodologies; traditional lecture, a problem-based learning exercise, reading with workbook assignments, development of cognitive aids, game-based learning, practice questions, and a case study, as well as to which were best to learn by. Students prefer game-based learning, practice questions, and assigned reading with workbooks over lecture and other active learning exercises and reported game-based learning and workbooks from assigned readings as easiest to methods by which to learn

Streptococcus constellatus Brain Abscess in a Middle-Aged Man With an Undiagnosed Patent Foramen Ovale

Brain abscess is a rare diagnosis. Common sources of infection include direct spread from otic sources, sinuses, or oral cavities, and hematogenous spread from distant sources, including the heart and lungs. Brain abscess with cultures growing oral flora species, in rare cases, may develop from bacteria in the oral cavity entering the bloodstream and then traveling to the brain via a patent foramen ovale. This report highlights a case of brain abscess caused by Streptococcus constellatus in a middle-aged man with an undiagnosed patent foramen ovale

Uji Reliabilitas dan Validitas Skala Karakter Baik (SKB) untuk Siswa SMA/Sederajat Di Indonesia

Good character is a congruence of thought, feelings and behaviors that are in accordance with principles of morality. Since 2016 Indonesian education system attempts to develop good character in students using principles for encouraging character education (PPK, Penguatan Pendidikan Karakter). The principles of PPK are based on Pancasila, Indonesia national ideology. These five principles are religiosity, nationalism, independence, cooperation, and integrity. Currently, there are no instrument for measuring good character in accordance with the principle of PPK. This study aims to develop a reliable and valid measuring tool for good character that can be used for measuring good character in Indonesian high school students. In the development of this measurement, this study tests the reliability with discriminatory item analysis using SPSS v.21. Construct validity was measured using confirmatory factor analysis with JASP emulation MPlus, from which group norm was formed with average of 10 and standard deviation of 3. The subjects of this study are 728 Indonesian high school students. The result of this study show that the instrument can be deemed reliable with Cronbach alpha of 0.892. This instrument also shows model fit p-value of 0.000, SRMRS of 0.078 and GFI of 0.957, which can be interpreted as a reliable in term of measurement.Karakter baik (good character) merupakan bentuk keselarasan dari pemikiran, perasaan, dan tingkah laku yang sesuai moral dan diharapkan dimiliki oleh setiap pribadi. Sejak tahun 2016, Indonesia telah berupaya untuk membentuk karakter baik bagi setiap anak bangsa dengan menerapkankan nilai-nilai Penguatan Pendidikan Karakter (PPK) yang bersumber dari Pancasila di dalam dunia pendidikan. Lima nilai prioritas PPK adalah religius, nasionalis, mandiri, gotong royong, dan integritas, Namun demikian, sampai saat ini belum ditemukan pengukuran karakter yang baik dengan kontekstualisasi kelima nilai PPK tersebut. Oleh karena itu, peneliti mengembangkan alat ukur karakter baik yang reliabel, valid sehingga dapat digunakan untuk menggambarkan karakter yang baik bagi siswa/i SMA/sederajat di Indonesia. Pada pengembangan alat ukur ini, peneliti menguji reliabilitas dan melakukan analisis diskriminasi item menggunakan SPSS Versi 21, validitas konstruk melalui confirmatory factor analysis menggunakan JASP emulation MPlus, dan menyusun norma kelompok menggunakan skor standar dengan skor rata-rata = 10 dan deviasi standar = 3. Populasi dari pengujian alat ukur ini adalah siswa/i SMA sederajat di Indonesia dengan sebanyak 728 sampel. Hasilnya menunjukkan bahwa alat ukur Skala Karakter Baik adalah alat ukur yang reliabel (Cronbach alpha = 0,892) dan valid (Model Fit RMSEA p-value=0,000, SRMS=0,078, GFI=0,957)

Louisiana Tech’s Parkinson Resource Center Nursing Student Scholars

The abstract for this presentation can be downloaded by clicking on the blue download button