Visualizing exploratory factor analysis models

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is an important tool in data analyses, particularly in social science. Usually four steps are carried out which contain a large number of options. One important option is the number of factors and the association of variables with a factor. Our tools aim to visualize various models with different numbers in parallel of factors and to analyze which consequences a specific option has.We apply our method to data collected at the School of Business and Economics for evaluation of lectures by students. These data were analyzed by Zhou (2004) and Reichelt (2007).Factor analysis, visualization, questionnaire, evaluation of teaching

Quality of life in workers and stress: gender differences in exposure to psychosocial risks and perceived well-being

Background. Quality of working life is the result of many factors inherent in the workplace environment, especially in terms of exposure to psychosocial risks. Objectives. The purpose of this study is to assess the quality of life with special attention to gender differences. Methods. The HSE-IT questionnaire and the WHO-5 Well-Being Index were administered to a group of workers (74 males and 33 females). The authors also used Cronbach’s alpha test to assess the internal consistency of both questionnaires and the Mann–Whitney test to evaluate the significance of gender differences in both questionnaires. Results. The HSE-IT highlighted the existence of work-related stress in all the population with a critical perception regarding the domain “Relationships.” Furthermore, gender analysis highlighted the presence of two additional domains in the female population: “Demand” ( = 0,002) and “Support from Managers” ( = 0,287). The WHO-5 highlighted a well-being level below the standard cut-off point with a significant gender difference ( = 0.009) for males (18, SD = 6) as compared to females (14, SD = 6,4). Cronbach’s alpha values indicated a high level of internal consistency for both of our scales. Conclusions. The risk assessment of quality of working life should take into due account the individual characteristics of workers, with special attention to gender

Design and evaluation of a virtual gearshift application

When a customer buys a new car, he or she wants it to address personal preferences with respect to its driving behavior. By utilizing virtual reality technology, a virtual prototyping environment (VPE) can be created in which the behavior of a vehicle or part of a vehicle can be evaluated and adjusted to match the driver's desires. This paper describes the design and the evaluation of a VPE for manually operated gearboxes. The test group considered the simulated "virtual" gearshift feel to be quite similar to the "real" gearshift feel of a test vehicle. By further developing this VPE, it should become possible to define gearshift feel by customer assessment through haptic simulation, after which the physical gearbox is designed in such a way that it matches the preferred shifting behavior

Evaluasi Kinerja Sistem Informasi Manajemen di Balai Besar Kesehatan Paru Masyarakat Surakarta Berdasarkan Aspek Persepsi Pengguna

Universitas Diponegoro Fakultas Kesehatan Masyarakat Program Magister Ilmu Kesehatan Masyarakat Konsentrasi Sistem Informasi Manajemen Kesehatan 2015 ABSTRAK Novita Yuliani Evaluasi Kinerja Sistem Informasi Manajemen di Balai Besar Kesehatan Paru Masyarakat Surakarta Berdasarkan Aspek Persepsi Pengguna xv + 104 halaman + 19 tabel + 3 gambar + 23 lampiran Sistem informasi rumah sakit (hospital information system /HIS) turut berkembang seiring dengan perkembangan teknologi informasi. Balai Besar Kesehatan Paru Masyarakat (BBKPM) Surakarta pada tahun 2013 telah mengaplikasikan SIMRS berbasis komputer, yang awalnya sistem pelaporannya masih manual. Jenis penelitian ini adalah penelitian deskriptif evaluatif dengan pendekatan cross sectional, instrumen penelitian ini dengan menggunakan kuesioner. Metode evaluasi sistem informasi yang ada di BBKPM Surakarta adalah menggunakan metode PIECES yang dari Performance, Information/Data, Economic, Control/Security, Efficiency, Service. Hasil penelitian ini adalah, persepsi pengguna berdasarkan aspek performace dikategorikan persepsi baik47,5% dan persepsi kurang baik 52,5%, aspek informasi dikategorikan baik 50% dan kurang baik 50%, aspek ekonomi dikategorikan persepsi baik 60% dan persepsi kurang baik 40%, aspek kontrol dikategorikan persepsi baik 47,5% dan persepsi persepsi kurang baik 52,5%%, serta aspek efisiensi dikategorikan persepsi baik 47,5% dan persepsi kurang baik 52,5%, kemudian aspek servis dikategorikan persepsi baik 60% dan persepsi kurang baik 40%. Kesimpulan dalam penelitian ini bahwa persepsi pengguna berdasarkan aspek secara keseluruhan (aspek performance, informasi, ekonomi, kontrol, efisiensi, dan servis) yaitu dikategorikan baik 52,08% dan kurang baik 47,92%. Saran untuk Balai Besar Kesehatan Paru Masyarakat Surakarta adalah perlu adanya pembenahan dalam aspek performan dan kontrol serta melibatkan user dalam pengembangan sistem informasi. Pembenahan aspek efisiensi dan pelatihan menggunakan sistem informasi manajemen rumah sakit. Kata Kunci : Kinerja, sistem informasi, persepsi pengguna, metode PIECES Pustaka : 27 (1994-2013) Diponegoro University Faculty of Public Health Master’s Program in Public Health Majoring in Health Management Information System 2015 ABSTRACT Novita Yuliani Performance Evaluation of Management Information System at Council of Public Lung Health in Surakarta based upon Aspect of User’s Perception xv + 104 pages + 19 tables + 3 figures + 23 enclosures Hospital information system (HIS) developed together with information technology. Council of Public Lung Health in Surakarta in 2013 had applied HIS based on computer, previously done manually. This was descriptive-evaluative study with cross sectional approach. Research instrument used a questionnaire. Evaluation method of information system available at Council of Public Lung Health in Surakarta was PIECES (Performance, Information/Data, Economic, Control/Security, Efficiency, and Service). The results of this research showed that in terms of the aspect of performance, users had good perception (47.5%) and bad perception (52.5%); aspect of information, users had good perception (50%) and bad perception (50%); aspect of economic, users had good perception (60%) and bad perception (40%); aspect of control, users had good perception (47.5%) and bad perception (52.5%); aspect of efficiency, users had good perception (47.5%) and bad perception (52.5%); and for aspect of service, users had good perception (60%) and bad perception (40%). In conclusion, users’ perceptions of all measured aspects (performance, information, economic, control, efficiency, and service) were categorised as good (52.08%) and bad (47.92%). As suggestions, the Council needs to improve the aspects of performance and control that involves users in development of information system. In addition, improvement of efficiency aspect and training uses HIS. Key Words : Performance, Information System, Users’ Perceptions, PIECES method Bibliography : 27 (1994-2013

Community-based exercise interventions during pregnancy are perceived as a satisfactory and motivating form of exercise engagement

This study attempts to illuminate the experiences of participants using closed questions and scaled responses in a self-reporting, 13 item questionnaire. It explores factors relating to drop out and adherence rates, as well as associated motivational factors relating to group exercise during pregnancy, in addition to considering some of the barriers

Initial validation of a virtual-reality learning environment for prostate biopsies: realism matters!

: Introduction-objectives: A virtual-reality learning environment dedicated to prostate biopsies was designed to overcome the limitations of current classical teaching methods. The aim of this study was to validate reliability, face, content and construct of the simulator. Materials and methods: The simulator is composed of a) a laptop computer, b) a haptic device with a stylus that mimics the ultrasound probe, c) a clinical case database including three dimensional (3D) ultrasound volumes and patient data and d) a learning environment with a set of progressive exercises including a randomized 12-core biopsy procedure. Both visual (3D biopsy mapping) and numerical (score) feedback are given to the user. The simulator evaluation was conducted in an academic urology department on 7 experts and 14 novices who each performed a virtual biopsy procedure and completed a face and content validity questionnaire. Results: The overall realism of the biopsy procedure was rated at a median of 9/10 by non-experts (7.1-9.8). Experts rated the usefulness of the simulator for the initial training of urologists at 8.2/10 (7.9-8.3), but reported the range of motion and force feedback as significantly less realistic than novices (p=0.01 and 0.03 respectively). Pearson's r correlation coefficient between correctly placed biopsies on the right and left side of the prostate for each user was 0.79 (p<0.001). The 7 experts had a median score of 64% (59-73), and the 14 novices a median score of 52% (43-67), without reaching statistical significance (p=0,19). Conclusion: The newly designed virtual reality learning environment proved its versatility and its reliability, face and content were validated. Demonstrating the construct validity will require improvements to the realism and scoring system used