Definition Of Readiness Research Articles

Adaptation of the technology readiness levels for impact assessment in implementation sciences: The TRL-IS checklist

BackgroundIntervention development is a critical process in implementation research. There are key stages involved in the process to design, pilot, demonstrate and release a technology or an intervention. The Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is a globally accepted instrument for assessing the maturity of research development. However, the original levels do not fit all, and some adjustments are required for its applicability in implementation sciences. AimsThis study aimed to gather the prior knowledge base on TRL in public and population health research; to develop a standard definition of readiness, and to adapt and validate the TRL to an implementation science context (TRL-IS). Materials and methodsA Mixed methods approach has been followed in this study. A scoping review using the PRISMA extension (PRISMA-ScR) informed a nominal expert panel for developing a standard definition of readiness and to modify the TRL following an ontoterminology approach. Then the maturity of six practical case study examples were rated by ten researchers using the modified TRL to estimate inter-rater reliability, and a group of experts provided final content and face validity and feasibility.This mixed methods study included 1) a scoping review to examine the current literature and develop a knowledge base, identify knowledge gaps and to clarify concepts; 2) the development of a standard definition of ‘Readiness’ and related terms; and 3) adaptation of the TRL to implementation science and development of a checklist to rate the maturity of applications.A standard definition of readiness and related terms was produced by the core team, and an international nominal group (n = 30) was conducted to discuss and validate the definition and terms, and the location of ‘Readiness’ in the initiation and early development phases of implementation.Following feedback from the nominal group, the development of the TRL-IS was finalised and a TRL-IS rating checklist was developed to rate the maturity of applications. The TRL-IS checklist was tested using six cases based on real world studies on implementation research.The inter-rater reliability of the TRL-IS was evaluated by ten raters and finally six raters evaluated the content and face validity, and feasibility, of the TRL-IS checklist using the System Usability Scale (SUS). ResultsFew papers (n = 11) utilised the TRL to evaluate the readiness of readiness of health and social science implementation research. The main changes in the adaption of the TRL-IS included the removal of laboratory testing, limiting the use of “operational” environment and a clearer distinction between level 6 (pilot in a relevant environment) and 7 (demonstration in the real world prior to release). The adapted version was considered relevant by the expert panel. The TRL-IS checklist showed evidence of good inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.90 with 95 % confident interval = 0.74–0.98, p < .001) and provides a consistent metric. ConclusionsIn spite of recommendations made by national and international research funding agencies, few health and social science implementation studies include the TRL as part of their evaluation protocol. The TRL-IS offers a high degree of conceptual clarity between scientific maturity phases or readiness levels, and good reliability among raters of varying experience. This study highlights that adoption of the TRL-IS framework in implementation sciences will bolster the scientific robustness and comparability of research maturity in this domain.

Ready or not? Problematising the concept of graduate teacher readiness in Aotearoa New Zealand

This article interrogates the concept of teacher ‘readiness’ within Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in Aotearoa New Zealand. It reviews the influences of this concept, and interrogates the definition of readiness as currently understood and enacted within education in Aotearoa New Zealand. It highlights the opportunity to invoke concepts of readiness drawn from Kaupapa Māori Theory to provide a coherent, local concept of readiness that may resist the legacy of Western ideological domination in ITE. This article emanated from my own disquiet working in ITE, and a reconsideration of my relationship to Te Tiriti o Waitangi both as an individual and as representative of my institution. As a tuhiwai (non-Māori), I recognise my privileged position to ask these questions, my responsibility as tangata tiriti and the potential risk of acting as Western translator to Māori concepts (Mika &amp; Stewart, 2017).

Transgressive Behaviours and Readiness to Engage in Interreligious Dialogue in Young Adulthood

One of the key aspects of an individual’s spiritual intelligence is the ability to transcend, which allows one to identify dimensions of reality that go beyond the boundaries of the material world. In the present study, we look at transcendence from the theoretical perspective of a conception proposed by Kozielecki, who defines human transgressive behaviour as all those actions and acts of thinking which exceed the limits of an individual’s existing material, symbolic and social capacities, and achievements and which constitute a source of new important values. One important social value is the readiness to engage in dialogue with people of other faiths. We wanted to investigate the associations between transgression and young people’s readiness to enter into such dialogue. Rydz and Bartczuk, departing from a psycholinguistic definition of dialogue, developed a definition of readiness to engage in interreligious dialogue, describing it as a person’s mental readiness to exchange views about religious topics with people of other religions. We hypothesised that there was a relationship between transgressive behaviours and dimensions of readiness to engage in interreligious dialogue among young adults. To verify these hypotheses, 528 people aged 18–25 were surveyed using the Readiness to Engage in Interreligious Dialogue Test (REID) and the Alternative Behaviours Checklist (ABC) based on Kozielecki’s conception of transgression. The results we obtained show that the dimensions of social transgression, creative transgression, and psychological transgression were positively related to dimensions of readiness to engage in interreligious dialogue.

The Invention of Latin American Music: A Transnational History, by Pablo Palomino

<i>The Invention of Latin American Music: A Transnational History</i>, by Pablo Palomino

Digital competencies in communication management: a conceptual framework of Readiness for Industry 4.0 for communication professionals in the workplace

PurposeThis research is motivated to explore communication professionals' understanding of the digital changes brought by the Industry 4.0 revolution and how such changes may affect the strategies and skills expected in effective communication management. A specific focus of the research is to define the concept of Readiness for Industry 4.0 in communication and propose a theoretical framework to address the key dimensions of Readiness for Industry 4.0 as related to communication management.Design/methodology/approachA mixed research design was employed to fulfill the goal of this research. First, the authors took a grounded theory approach in proposing, conceptualizing and constructing the concept of Readiness for Industry 4.0 by reviewing a wider literature on technology and communication. As part of the conceptualization process, the authors proposed five dimensions which encompass the complexity of building capacity in communication practice to effectively manage changes associated with Industry 4.0. Second, the authors used a qualitative research method, in-depth interviews, to gain insights from 16 senior communication professionals working in South Korea.FindingsThe study’s interview results confirmed the challenge in finding a universal definition of Readiness for Industry 4.0, even though the interviewed senior communication professionals have widely recognized the changes in the workplace brought by the Industry 4.0. Our interviewees agreed that their mindset is ready for the changes. However, they addressed the need for communication professionals to continue to learn and build their knowledge and skills from multiple perspectives. More specifically, skill sets and knowledge in cognitive analytics, data management, technology literacy, sense making skills for digital transformation and digital competencies in crisis management are desired and necessary.Originality/valueThis research advances theory building in communication management by addressing the importance of digital competencies in the workplace. By proposing a theoretical framework to explain the Readiness for Industry 4.0, this article contributes to our knowledge of digital transformation and its impact on effective communication. Moreover, by having deep conversations with industry leaders who are in the forefront of managing the challenges associated with technology advancement, this article enriches its practical implications by linking the discussion to the proposed theoretical framework.

Готовність майбутніх учителів фізичної культури до спортивно-патріотичної діяльності

The article deals with the problem of readiness of future physical education teachers to sports-patriotic activity. We examined the emergence and development of the category "readiness" in the studies of psychologists, physiologists, teachers, specialists of physical culture and sport. Different approaches to the definition of readiness for activity in individual researchers are explained by different types of readiness, different types of activity itself and the specificity of a variety of professional specialties. We have determined that the readiness of future physical culture teachers for sports-patriotic activity is a complex, integral category, which consists of psychological, scientific-theoretical, psychophysical and physical training, and is a state of professional mastery of a teacher and the possibility of its implementation in practice with the aim of sports-patriotic education of the younger generation. According to the quality of readiness of future physical culture teachers for sports-patriotic activity, we have defined the following criteria: informational and cognitive; motivational and axiological, reflexive, operative, activity-practical. The determined levels and indicators of future physical education teachers' readiness for sports-patriotic activity: low, medium, high. Further research will focus on the connection of sport-patriotic activity of future physical culture teachers with the aspects of functioning in the conditions of New Ukrainian School.

“That’s the whole idea of college readiness”: A critical examination of universal Pre-K teachers’ understandings around kindergarten readiness

This study examines universal Pre-Kindergarten teachers’ understanding of kindergarten readiness through critical lens towards neoliberal narratives of “quality and high return” (Moss, 2014; 2018) and power and knowledge that produce “regime of truth” (Foucault, 1984). In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 teachers, transcribed, and analyzed by utilizing thematic analysis. The implications include recognizing where the dominant narratives lie in early childhood education and valuing teachers, especially those of color, is critical to develop a clear definition of readiness with culturally relevant and sustainable approaches. (85)

Competence in Decision Making: Setting Performance Standards for Critical Care.

Health care professionals must be able to make frequent and timely decisions that can alter the illness trajectory of intensive care patients. A competence standard for this ability is difficult to establish yet assuring practitioners can make appropriate judgments is an important step in advancing patient safety. We hypothesized that simulation can be used effectively to assess decision-making competence. To test our hypothesis, we used a "standard-setting" method to derive cut scores (standards) for 16 simulated ICU scenarios targeted at decision-making skills and applied them to a cohort of critical care trainees. Panelists (critical care experts) reviewed digital audio-video performances of critical care trainees managing simulated critical care scenarios. Based on their collectively agreed-upon definition of "readiness" to make decisions in an ICU setting, each panelist made an independent judgment (ready, not ready) for a large number of recorded performances. The association between the panelists' judgments and the assessment scores was used to derive scenario-specific performance standards. For all 16 scenarios, the aggregate panelists' ratings (ready/not ready for independent decision making) were positively associated with the performance scores, permitting derivation of performance standards for each scenario. Minimum competence standards for high-stakes decision making can be established through standard-setting techniques. We effectively identified "front-line" providers who are, or are not, ready to make independent decisions in an ICU setting. Our approach may be used to assure stakeholders that clinicians are competent to make appropriate judgments. Further work is needed to determine whether our approach is effective in simulation-based assessments in other domains.

L'adjectif en français et sa définition lexicographique par Paolo Frassi

Reviewed by: L'adjectif en français et sa définition lexicographique par Paolo Frassi Michael D. Picone Frassi, Paolo. L'adjectif en français et sa définition lexicographique. Peter Lang, 2018. ISBN 978-30-3433-394-8. Pp. 263. The specialized reader adhering to the Théorie Sens-Texte (Meaning-Text Theory) school of linguistics, most closely associated with Igor Mel' uk since its founding in the early 1960s, will find much satisfaction in Frassi's lexicographic reexamination of the French adjective, using it as a kind of TST proving ground, resulting in a normalized and simplified presentation of the adjectival part of speech when reconceptualized in conformity with the TST framework. The challenge that Frassi has taken on as a test case is at hand because the definitional constraining of the adjective is less straightforward than that of the noun or the verb, owing to the fact that the adjective does not lend itself transparently to the Aristotelian model of organizing the observable and experiential parts of our world into discrete entities in a kind of hierarchy. Applying the model of genre prochain (closest genus) and différences spécifiques, the lexicographer arrives at a ready definition of the noun renard by positing the hyperonyme (the lexicographic equivalent of the genre prochain), in this instance mammifère carnivore (canidé), and then adding a sufficient number of différences spécifiques, in this instance aux oreilles droites, à la tête triangulaire assez effilée, à la queue touffue, au pelage fourni, in order to constrain the targeted entity and contrast it (in the Saussurean sense) visà-vis all other comparable entities. As Frassi explains, however, modern lexicographers have abandoned this definitional structure when it comes to the adjective, in recognition [End Page 282] of the fact that it is a part of speech that functions differently than the noun. To exemplify, it would constitute a misconstrual to begin the definition for froid with the noun température as a hypernym. Although it can be substantivized, froid is fundamentally a part of speech functioning as a modifier and its primary definition must reflect this and give implicit recognition to the presence of the modified nom recteur (head noun). However, the nom recteur could be virtually anything and, consequently, must be left vacant in the ensuing definitional paraphrase: Qui est à une température sensiblement plus basse que celle du corps humain. For Frassi, such paraphrasing lacks formal rigor. Regardless of the category—adjectifs qualificatifs (froid), adjectifs de relation (présidentiel), adjectifs verbaux et déverbaux (effrayant, endormi)—by resorting to TST categories, he mirrors the hierarchical arrangement of the genre prochain and différences spécifiques by recasting all adjectival definitions as being composed of a composante centrale and a composante périphérique. Returning to the example of froid: CC = [X] qui a une température; CP (de polarité) = inférieure à la moyenne. For the lay reader, some of Frassi's argumentation may seem laborious and, at times, repetitive, but it is fascinating at the outset to learn that something that we now take for granted—namely that nouns and adjectives constitute two different parts of speech—was conceived of quite differently by our predecessors, for reasons alluded to above, and that the adjective was not fully emancipated from the category of the noun until the mid-eighteenth century. Michael D. Picone University of Alabama Copyright © 2020 American Association of Teachers of French

Readiness to Perform Aerobic Activity in Adults With Obesity: A Thematic Analysis of Online Surveys

ABSTRACTFlexible nonlinear periodization (FNLP) was designed to optimize sport-specific resistance training by matching bout demand to pre-exercise mental and physical states (“readiness to train”). Before applying this participant-responsive framework to aerobic prescriptions for inactive adults, operational definitions of readiness are needed. Purpose: To identify themes underlying readiness to perform aerobic bouts considered to be low-demand bouts (LDB) and high-demand bouts (HDB) in adults with obesity. Method: Using Qualtrics, 1,059 respondents initiated the online survey. Quality responses from adults with obesity (N = 112) were analyzed. Respondents described physical and mental states necessary to complete an LDB (10-min slow stroll) and an HDB (60-min jog). Data were assessed using content and thematic analyses. Results: Respondents (57% female) could be classified with class II obesity (35 ± 5 kg/m2) and were 48 ± 12 years old. One theme, body integrity (no pain//illness) emerged for both the LDB and HDB. Regarding affect/arousal, both bouts required the need to feel rested and in a positive mood, but the HDB required higher states of arousal (“pumped up”). Specific to the LDB, a recurring theme suggested that it could be completed under normal or worse (hungry, sick) circumstances. Specific to the HDB were themes relating to physical fitness, proper fueling (“hydrated,” “not hungry but not too full”), and enhanced motivation (“determination,” “focus,” “confidence”). Conclusions: These uncovered themes provide empirical evidence to guide the construction of a readiness checklist that can be further validated and applied in adults with obesity undergoing an FNLP-based aerobic exercise prescription.

Approaches to the essential characteristic of students' readiness for professional activity

The article describes the views of scientists on the problem of readiness for professional activity. The author identifies the most common approaches of researchers regarding the characterization of the concept «readiness for professional activity» (personal, functional, systemic, personal-activity, result-activity); summarizes the proposed interpretations of the definition of readiness for professional activity and shows a considerable number of definitions of this concept (readiness as a condition, result, phenomenon, process, quality, purpose, etc.). The analysis of the above formulations shows that they are complementary, but not contradictory, since each of them highlights certain aspects of understanding the essence of such readiness, significantly broadens and deepens the understanding of the complexity and versatility of the «readiness» phenomenon. Students' readiness for professional activity can be understood as a multilevel personal neoplasm, which is formed in several sub-structures of the personality and which are interconnected: the personal component of readiness (substructure of orientation, substructure of mental processes, substructure of biopsychic properties); functional component of readiness (experience substructure). The author analyzes the relationship between the concepts of «preparation», «readiness for professional activity», «professional competence»: the purpose and result of professional training of specialists is their readiness for professional activity, which organically contributes to the formation of professional competence through systematic self-improvement of personality, the accumulation of professional etc. Professional competence is seen not only as a result of professional training, but also as an integration of experience and further self-education, the ability to solve professional problems. The competency approach integrates the above approaches of researchers, penetrates the students' readiness for professional activity and aims to develop professional competence.

Ready for what? Confusion around college and career readiness

Florida’s College and Career Readiness Initiative (FCCRI) required schools to administer a community college placement test to 11th-grade students and enroll students who did not pass in a college readiness course. Christine Mokher, James Rosenbaum, Alexis Gable, Caitlin Ahearn, and Louis Jacobson surveyed teachers of the course and found that, from their perspective, the initiative overemphasized preparation for college degree programs and provided few options for lower-performing students. The use of the college placement test effectively conflated college and career readiness, leaving work-bound students unmotivated and discouraged. The authors recommend broadening the definition of readiness to include both college and careers and to raise the profile of certificate programs that could lead to well-paid careers without requiring a placement test.

Unpacking ‘disadvantage’ and ‘potential’ in the context of fair access policies in England

Policy makers internationally are increasingly preoccupied with the need for education systems to be developed in ways that mitigate unfairness. What is more contestable is what might need to change. In England this emphasis has informed the development of fair access policies that aim to improve the representation of ‘disadvantaged’ young people of high ‘potential’ at high status universities. Drawing on research conducted at the inception of one fair access intervention, this paper provides original insights into a process of policy translation that requires multiple encodings and decodings of two constructs that defy ready definition, with their intersection being a particular point of difficulty. Behind the apparent objectivity of commonly used selection criteria sits a process of situated decision-making that incorporates not only the particularities of institutional context and the understandings of key actors, but also macro level pressures that reinforce the need for changes in understandings of fairness at the top.

Setting Targets for Emergency Preparedness for a Jurisdiction's Whole Health Care System: The Approach Taken by New York City's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

There is little existing in the literature that provides a definition of readiness for a jurisdiction's whole health care system. As defining readiness at the system level has proven to be challenging, an approach that provides a framework for planning and measuring health care readiness with broad utility is needed. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) devised the Readiness Target Project. Nine areas or dimensions of readiness emerged from this work. Through focus groups and feedback from hospital stakeholders DOHMH developed a matrix of readiness areas outlining current state, target state, gaps, and recommendations to achieve readiness. The matrix is in use as a systematic approach to discover and close gaps in the readiness of the whole health care system and to provide that system a locally valid framework to drive continuous improvement. This paper describes a framework for planning and determining the status of health care readiness at the system level for the jurisdiction. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:759-764)).

Readiness of hospitals to provide Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) and documentation of KMC service delivery: Analysis of Malawi 2014 Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) survey data

BackgroundMalawi introduced Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) in 1999 as part of its efforts to address newborn morbidity and mortality and has continued to expand KMC services across the country. Yet, data on availability of KMC services and routine service provision are limited.MethodsData from the 2014 Emergency Obstetric Newborn Care (EmONC) survey, which was a census of all 87 hospitals in Malawi, were analyzed. The WHO service availability and readiness domains were used to generate indicators for KMC service readiness and an additional domain for documentation of KMC services was included. Levels of KMC service delivery were quantified using data extracted from a 12–month register review and a KMC initiation rate was calculated for each facility by dividing the reported number of babies initiated on KMC by the number of live births at facility. We defined three levels of KMC readiness and two levels of KMC operational status.Results79% of hospitals (69/87) reported providing inpatient KMC services. More than half of the hospitals (62%; 54/87) met the most basic definition of readiness (staff, space for KMC and functional weighing scale) and 35% (30/87) met an expanded definition of readiness (guidelines, staff, space, scale and register in use). Only 15% (13/87) of hospitals had all KMC tracer items. Less than half of the hospitals (43%; 37/87) met criteria for KMC operational status at minimum levels (≥1/100 live births), and just 16% (14/87) met criteria for KMC operational status at routine levels (≥5/100 live births).ConclusionsOur study found large differences between reported levels of KMC services and documented levels of KMC readiness and service provision among hospitals in Malawi. It is recommended that facility assessments of services such as KMC include record reviews to better estimate service availability and delivery. Further efforts to strengthen the capacity of Malawian hospitals to deliver KMC are needed.

Readiness for hospital discharge: A concept analysis.

To report on an analysis on the concept of 'readiness for hospital discharge'. No uniform operational definition of 'readiness for hospital discharge' exists in the literature; therefore, a concept analysis is required to clarify the concept and identify an up-to-date understanding of readiness for hospital discharge. Clarity of the concept will identify all uses of the concept; provide conceptual clarity, an operational definition and direction for further research. Literature review and concept analysis. A review of literature was conducted in 2016. Databases searched were: Academic Search Complete, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, PsycARTICLES, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection, PsycINFO, Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) and SocINDEX with Full Text. No date limits were applied. Identification of the attributes, antecedents and consequences of readiness for hospital discharge led to an operational definition of the concept. The following attributes belonging to 'readiness for hospital discharge' were extracted from the literature: physical stability, adequate support, psychological ability, and adequate information and knowledge. This analysis contributes to the advancement of knowledge in the area of hospital discharge, by proposing an operational definition of readiness for hospital discharge, derived from the literature. A better understanding of the phenomenon will assist healthcare professionals to recognize, measure and implement interventions where necessary, to ensure patients are ready for hospital discharge and assist in the advancement of knowledge for all professionals involved in patient discharge from hospital.

Readiness to Implement School-Based Social-Emotional Learning Interventions: Using Research on Factors Related to Implementation to Maximize Quality.

In the past several years, interest in social and emotional learning (SEL) has grown significantly. What was once a specialized domain of educational research and practice is now a significant movement with greater numbers of practitioners, policy-makers, and researchers recognizing the importance of social and emotional competence for students’ success in school and life (Durlak et al. 2015). SEL involves fostering social and emotional competencies in children through various strategies including direct instruction and studentcentered practices that create engaging learning environments nurturing students’ development of analytical, communication, and collaboration skills (CASEL 2013; Jones and Bouffard 2012). Social and emotional interventions have evolved out of different traditions including education, social work, child psychiatry, public health, psychology, and prevention (Catalano et al. 2004; Greenberg et al. 2001; Hahn et al. 2007; Wilson and Lipsey 2007). The evidence base for these programs has grown steadily since rigorous trials first established their positive impact on behavioral and academic outcomes; there are now several meta-analyses summarizing this body of research (Durlak et al. 2011; Sklad et al. 2012). As non-academic competencies are increasingly incorporated into learning standards at the preschool and elementary levels, and federal and state funding agencies require the use of evidence-based interventions (EBIs) as part of their accountability requirements, early childhood education programs and schools are implementing SEL interventions more frequently than in the past. Interest in SEL interventions has also increased internationally (for examples, see Kam and Yick 2013; Yoshikawa et al. 2015). Using evidence-based SEL interventions, however, is not enough to ensure positive outcomes. The success of an intervention on children’s social emotional competence depends on how it is implemented (e.g., Durlak and Dupre 2008; Durlak et al. 2011; Elias 2006; Greenberg et al. 2003, 2005). Recent research has increased understanding of this process by identifying a number of factors that enhance and undermine implementation success. The primary goal of this special issue is to feature research examining factors that were assessed prior to the delivery of an SEL intervention, and their relations to implementation. Specifically, by highlighting the state of schools and teachers before they begin implementing a SEL intervention, it may be possible to understand which schools are more or less likely to implement successfully, and see opportunities for increasing that likelihood. Given that the factors researched in this special issue were evident prior to intervention delivery, we believe it is appropriate to conceptualize them as aspects of readiness to implement EBIs. Included in this special issue introduction is a definition of readiness, an overview of how the findings from the papers included in this special issue have implications for understanding this concept, and examples of existing initiatives that might be used to improve readiness to implement EBIs. Influenced by the increase in type II translational research, many funding agencies that endorse the use of evidence-based interventions (EBIs), such as the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute for Educational Sciences, now require researchers to include measures in research proposals to monitor intervention implementation. Intervention developers are * Shannon B. Wanless swanless@pitt.edu

MGenomeSubtractor: a web-based tool for parallel in silico subtractive hybridization analysis of multiple bacterial genomes

mGenomeSubtractor performs an mpiBLAST-based comparison of reference bacterial genomes against multiple user-selected genomes for investigation of strain variable accessory regions. With parallel computing architecture, mGenomeSubtractor is able to run rapid BLAST searches of the segmented reference genome against multiple subject genomes at the DNA or amino acid level within a minute. In addition to comparison of protein coding sequences, the highly flexible sliding window-based genome fragmentation approach offered can be used to identify short unique sequences within or between genes. mGenomeSubtractor provides powerful schematic outputs for exploration of identified core and accessory regions, including searches against databases of mobile genetic elements, virulence factors or bacterial essential genes, examination of G+C content and binucleotide distribution bias, and integrated primer design tools. mGenomeSubtractor also allows for the ready definition of species-specific gene pools based on available genomes. Pan-genomic arrays can be easily developed using the efficient oligonucleotide design tool. This simple high-throughput in silico ‘subtractive hybridization’ analytical tool will support the rapidly escalating number of comparative bacterial genomics studies aimed at defining genomic biomarkers of evolutionary lineage, phenotype, pathotype, environmental adaptation and/or disease-association of diverse bacterial species. mGenomeSubtractor is freely available to all users without any login requirement at: http://bioinfo-mml.sjtu.edu.cn/mGS/.

Setting Performance Standards for Mannequin-Based Acute-Care Scenarios

In medicine, standard setting methodologies have been developed for both selected-response and performance-based assessments. For simulation-based tasks, research efforts have been directed primarily at assessments that incorporate standardized patients. Mannequin-based evaluations often demand complex, time-sensitive, hierarchically ordered, sequential actions that are difficult to evaluate and score. Moreover, collecting reliable proficiency judgments, necessary to estimate meaningful cut points, can be challenging. The purpose of this investigation was to explore whether expert judgments obtained using an examinee-centered standard setting method that was previously validated for standardized patient-based assessments could be used to set defensible standards for acute-care, mannequin-based scenarios. Nineteen physicians were recruited to serve as panelists. For each of 12 simulation scenarios, between 8 and 10 performance samples (audio-video recordings), covering the expected ability continuum, were chosen for review. The performance samples were selected from a previously administered evaluation of postgraduate trainees. Based on a consensus definition of readiness to enter unsupervised practice, the panelists made independent judgments of each performance. For each scenario, the association between the panelists' judgments and the assessment scores was summarized and used to estimate a scenario-specific cut score. For 9 of the scenarios, there was at least a moderately strong relationship between the aggregate panelists' rating and the performance scores, thus allowing for estimation of meaningful numeric standards. For the other 3 scenarios, the aggregate decision rules used by the panelists did not correspond with the achievement measures. For scenarios independently rated by split panels, the estimated cut scores were similar. An examinee-centered approach, using aggregate expert judgments of audio-video performances, was suitable for setting standards on most acute-care, mannequin-based scenarios. It is necessary, however, to have valid scores for the chosen scenarios and to sample performances across the ability spectrum.

Modes of Recovery

Page 28 American Book Review Modes of Recovery Danny Rivera This Clumsy Living Bob Hicok University of Pittsburgh Press http://www.upress.pitt.edu 112 pages; paper, $14.00 In his memoir Before We Get Started (2005), Bret Lott teaches us, referring to the nature of writing and the critical, absolute importance of language, that “of course words matter. Of course we must choose carefully.” It is an adherence to this valuable lesson— and to the need for the artist to exercise precision on the page—that forms the basis for literature that is worthy of multiple readings, and of repeated immersions into the texts that transform, illuminate, and broaden our understanding of the human condition. Indeed, Bob Hicok, author of the newly-released collection of poems, This Clumsy Living, is a writer who is interested in such ideals and who recognizes that every word must count—that every word must remain vital if it is to have any relevance. This heightened sense of awareness propels Hicok’s latest work, his fifth, allowing him to exact his unerring focus on all those subjects that warrant closer scrutiny, reminding the reader to reconsider events, the “little shadows” that mark daily survival, which appear inconsequential and trivial. In the process, we are forced to examine the very nature of our hidden lives, since “memory is the gap between things,” that space in which so much activity, both psychic and emotional, occurs. It is this investigation into the personal and private that informs a number of poems in This Clumsy Living (the title references a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke), a collection that finds Hicok continuing to explore wide-ranging themes with the same kind of spirited intelligence that exemplified his earlier work, but with a growing taste for the inventive; however, he is neither constrained by prevailing modes in postmodern American poetry (in the use of disjunctive phrasing, obscure referents, etc.), nor content in repeating previously visited forms. It is clear that no one model is able to contain his linguistic restlessness, a sure sign that Hicok, as a writer who continually explores one realm of poetic possibility to another, is intent on delivering meaning , and a certain refined artistry, in all contexts. In this regard, he moves with remarkable deftness between the prose-poem form, as demonstrated in the revitalized “The collector” (which originally appeared in an altered version in the Winter 2006 issue of Washington Square), and the stanzaic structure of “My faith-based initiative,” which treats the notions of absence, the cold specter of history, and time’s inertia with unflinching honesty: If I could pray, I’d have one hand of shadow and one of light, I’d be a folded thing, a voice born on wings, if I could pray, could believe the sound is the word, the word the bond, the bond the touch, the touch the promise, the promise the sky, the sky the end But the sky is pregnant with other skies, other leavings Hicok’s strengths lie in blurring the edges between the internal and external, in unraveling those subjects which resist ready definition. As seen here, Hicok’s strengths lie, beyond maintaining a strong narrative voice and a penchant for existential motifs, in blurring the edges between the internal and external, in unraveling those subjects which resist ready definition. And it can be argued, given his critical eye and a desire to interpret the smallest of experiences, that he presents us with a view of the inside-out, turning a mirror not to the metaphorical body (as it exists through time and memory) but to its most necessary, unseen components . Hicok offers us this guidance, and a world not entirely devoid of possibility and promise, because he insists on engaging the reader to the point where she must take action; there is no such thing as passivity in these poems, in these phrases that extend farther into realms of questioning than most of us would care to contemplate. The construction of this book, being more than a reflection of the writer’s aesthetic tastes, insists on a careful study regarding its making: Hicok, perhaps in an effort to highlight themes of difference...