The Business Case for Systems Engineering Study: Results of the Systems Engineering Effectiveness Survey

This report summarizes the results of a survey that had the goal of quantifying the connection between the application of systems engineering (SE) best practices to projects and programs and the performance of those projects and programs. The survey population consisted of projects and programs executed by system developers reached through the National Defense Industrial Association Systems Engineering Division (NDIA-SED), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society (IEEE-AESS), and the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE). Analysis of survey responses revealed strong statistical relationships between project performance and several categories of specific SE best practices. The survey results show notable differences in the relationship between SE best practices and performance between more challenging and less challenging projects. The statistical relationship with project performance is quite strong for survey data of this kind when both SE capability and project challenge are considered together

The Business Case for Systems Engineering Study: Detailed Response Data

This report contains detailed response data from The Effectiveness of Systems Engineering: A Survey. The survey had the goal of quantifying the connection between the application of systems engineering (SE) best practices to projects and programs and the performance of those projects and programs. The survey population consisted of projects and programs executed by system developers reached through the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Systems Engineering Division, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society, and the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE). Analysis of survey responses revealed strong statistical relationships between project performance and several categories of SE best practices. The survey results show notable differences in the relationship between SE best practices and performance between more challenging and less challenging projects. The statistical relationship with project performance is quite strong for survey data of this kind when both SE capability and project challenge are considered together

The Business Case for Systems Engineering: Comparison of Defense Domain and Non-defense Projects

This report summarizes analysis of data collected from the 2011 Systems Engineering (SE) Effectiveness Survey performed by the National Defense Industrial Association Systems Engineering Division, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Aerospace and Electronic Systems Society, and the Software Engineering Institute. This analysis examined the differences in the deployment and impact of SE activities between defense-domain projects and non-defense projects. The analysis found significant differences in both the deployment of SE in the two domains and the effectiveness of the SE. The report identifies specific process areas where effectiveness in one domain is noticeably higher than in the other. Further research to understand these differences will benefit both domains by enabling them to share best practice

Wireless Emergency Alerts: Trust Model Simulations

Trust is a key factor in the effectiveness of the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) service. Alert originators must trust WEA to deliver alerts to the public in an accurate and timely manner. Members of the public must also trust the WEA service before they will act on the alerts that they receive. This research aimed to develop a trust model to enable the Federal Emergency Management Agency to maximize the effectiveness of WEA and provide guidance for alert originators that would support them in using WEA in a manner that maximizes public safety. This report overviews the public trust model and the alert originator trust model. The research method included Bayesian belief networks (BBNs) to model trust in WEA because they enable reasoning about and modeling of uncertainty. The report details the procedures used to run simulations on the trust models. For each trust model, single-factor, multifactor, random-input, and special-case simulations were run on each factor and group of factors investigated. The analysis of the simulations had two goals: to identify those simulations that predicted the highest levels of trust and those simulations that predicted the lowest levels of trust. This report includes the results for each trust Model

Quels sont les bénéfices d'une immunisation passive postexpositionnelle contre la rougeole ? : Revue Cochrane pour le praticien

Question clinique : Une patiente de 43 ans connue pour un lupus érythémateux disséminé et une néphropathie lupique stable et traitée par hydroxychloroquine et mycophénolate mofétil vous rapporte avoir eu contact il y a quatre jours avec un enfant atteint de la rougeole. Elle ne présente aucun symptôme et son dernier bilan vaccinal montre un taux d'anticorps contre la rougeole non protecteur. La patiente devrait-elle recevoir une immunisation active ou passive contre la rougeole? Contexte En Suisse : la couverture vaccinale contre la rougeole n'est pas assez importante pour empêcher sa diffusion. L'immunisation passive avec des immunoglobulines est destinée aux personnes non immunes exposées à la rougeole, recommandée en Suisse aux personnes à haut risque. Cette revue visait à évaluer l'efficacité et l'innocuité de l'injection intramusculaire ou de la perfusion intraveineuse d'immunoglobulines pour prévenir la rougeole chez les personnes susceptibles avant l'apparition des symptômes

Technology for large-scale translation of clinical practice guidelines : a pilot study of the performance of a hybrid human and computer-assisted approach

Background: The construction of EBMPracticeNet, a national electronic point-of-care information platform in Belgium, was initiated in 2011 to optimize quality of care by promoting evidence-based decision-making. The project involved, among other tasks, the translation of 940 EBM Guidelines of Duodecim Medical Publications from English into Dutch and French. Considering the scale of the translation process, it was decided to make use of computer-aided translation performed by certificated translators with limited expertise in medical translation. Our consortium used a hybrid approach, involving a human translator supported by a translation memory (using SDL Trados Studio), terminology recognition (using SDL Multiterm termbases) from medical termbases and support from online machine translation. This has resulted in a validated translation memory which is now in use for the translation of new and updated guidelines. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of the hybrid human and computer-assisted approach in comparison with translation unsupported by translation memory and terminology recognition. A comparison was also made with the translation efficiency of an expert medical translator. Methods: We conducted a pilot trial in which two sets of 30 new and 30 updated guidelines were randomized to one of three groups. Comparable guidelines were translated (a) by certificated junior translators without medical specialization using the hybrid method (b) by an experienced medical translator without this support and (c) by the same junior translators without the support of the validated translation memory. A medical proofreader who was blinded for the translation procedure, evaluated the translated guidelines for acceptability and adequacy. Translation speed was measured by recording translation and post-editing time. The Human Translation Edit Rate was calculated as a metric to evaluate the quality of the translation. A further evaluation was made of translation acceptability and adequacy. Results: The average number of words per guideline was 1,195 and the mean total translation time was 100.2 min/1,000 words. No meaningful differences were found in the translation speed for new guidelines. The translation of updated guidelines was 59 min/1,000 words faster (95% CI 2-115; P=.044) in the computer-aided group. Revisions due to terminology accounted for one third of the overall revisions by the medical proofreader. Conclusions: Use of the hybrid human and computer-aided translation by a non-expert translator makes the translation of updates of clinical practice guidelines faster and cheaper because of the benefits of translation memory. For the translation of new guidelines there was no apparent benefit in comparison with the efficiency of translation unsupported by translation memory (whether by an expert or non-expert translator

Wireless Emergency Alerts: New York City Demonstration

This material is based on work funded and supported by Department of Homeland Security and is also available at FirstResponder.gov in the Technology Documents Library. The Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) service is anew national capability for delivering geographically targeted alerts to the public on all mobile phones. This report describes the adoption of WEA by the New York City Office of Emergency Management (NYC OEM). NYC OEM was the first alert originator to adopt WEA, so the agency experienced some unique challenges. These challenges included finding software compatible with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, of which WEA is a component; obtaining emergency alerting authority from FEMA; and demonstrating use of the new WEA system from end to end. NYC OEM's experiences also offer other alert originators information that can guide their own adoption and integ­ration of WEA, including coordinating alerting authority with local and neighboring jurisdictions, handling the challenges presented by geotargeting and the 90-character limit, and informing the public about what to expect from WEA. An interview with NYC OEM's information security officer covers organizational learning in the areas of resources, staff buy-in,public outreach, technology, standard operating procedures, and staff training

Should Sputum Smear Examination Be Carried Out at the End of the Intensive Phase and End of Treatment in Sputum Smear Negative Pulmonary TB Patients?

The Indian guidelines on following up sputum smear-negative Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients differ from the current World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines in that the former recommends two follow up sputum examinations (once at the end of intensive phase and the other at the end of treatment) while the latter recommends only one follow up sputum smear microscopy examination, which is done at the end of the intensive phase. This study was conducted to examine if there was any added value in performing an additional sputum smear examination at the end of treatment within the context of a national TB program

Pre-hospital tracheal intubation in patients with traumatic brain injury: systematic review of current evidence

Background We reviewed the current evidence on the benefit and harm of pre-hospital tracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods We conducted a systematic literature search up to December 2007 without language restriction to identify interventional and observational studies comparing pre-hospital intubation with other airway management (e.g. bag-valve-mask or oxygen administration) in patients with TBI. Information on study design, population, interventions, and outcomes was abstracted by two investigators and cross-checked by two others. Seventeen studies were included with data for 15 335 patients collected from 1985 to 2004. There were 12 retrospective analyses of trauma registries or hospital databases, three cohort studies, one case-control study, and one controlled trial. Using Brain Trauma Foundation classification of evidence, there were 14 class 3 studies, three class 2 studies, and no class 1 study. Six studies were of adults, five of children, and three of both; age groups were unclear in three studies. Maximum follow-up was up to 6 months or hospital discharge. Results In 13 studies, the unadjusted odds ratios (ORs) for an effect of pre-hospital intubation on in-hospital mortality ranged from 0.17 (favouring control interventions) to 2.43 (favouring pre-hospital intubation); adjusted ORs ranged from 0.24 to 1.42. Estimates for functional outcomes after TBI were equivocal. Three studies indicated higher risk of pneumonia associated with pre-hospital (when compared with in-hospital) intubation. Conclusions Overall, the available evidence did not support any benefit from pre-hospital intubation and mechanical ventilation after TBI. Additional arguments need to be taken into account, including medical and procedural aspect

A Survey of Systems Engineering Effectiveness - Initial Results

This survey quantifies the relationship between the application of Systems Engineering (SE) best practices to projects and programs, and the performance of those projects and programs. The survey population consisted of projects and programs executed by defense contractors who are members of the Systems Engineering Division (SED) of the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA). The deployment of SE practices on a project or program was measured through the availability and characteristics of specific SE-related work products. Project Performance was measured through typically available project measures of cost performance, schedule performance, and scope performance. Additional project and program information such as project size, project domain, and other data was also collected to aid in characterizing the respondent's project. Analysis of the survey responses revealed moderately strong statistical relationships between Project Performance and several categorizations of specific of SE best practices. Notably stronger relationships are apparent by combining the effects of more than one the best practices categories. Of course, Systems Engineering Capability alone does not ensure outstanding Project Performance. The survey results show notable differences in the relationship between SE best practices and performance between more challenging as compared to less challenging projects. The statistical relationship between Project Performance and the combination of SE Capability and Project Challenge is quite strong for survey data of this type