Minimum Acceptable Value Research Articles

Scan of the postgraduate educational environment domains questionnaire: a reliable and valid tool for the evaluation of educational environment in postgraduate medical education

BackgroundThe educational environment plays a critical role in shaping learners’ perceptions and experiences in medical education. Evaluating and enhancing the quality of this environment is essential for the continuous improvement of medical training programs. The Scan of the Postgraduate Educational Environment Domains (SPEED) is a concise instrument that assesses three domains of the educational environment. This study aimed to translate the SPEED questionnaire into Persian and evaluate its validity and reliability in the context of postgraduate.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted with 200 first and second-year medical residents. The Persian translation of the SPEED questionnaire was assessed for content validity, and confirmatory factor analysis was performed to evaluate its structural validity. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was calculated to assess internal consistency reliability.ResultsThe Persian-translated SPEED questionnaire demonstrated satisfactory content validity, with all items exceeding the minimum acceptable values for content validity ratio and index. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated an acceptable fit for the 3-dimensional structure of the SPEED instrument. Internal consistency reliability analysis showed high reliability for the content, atmosphere, and organization domains.ConclusionThe Persian-translated version of the SPEED questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for assessing the domains of the educational environment in postgraduate medical education.

Protocol validation for the preservation of forensic traces in health services

Care protocols integrate norms, routines and procedures related to a particular health problem/condition. This study proposed the elaboration and validation of a protocol on the preservation of forensic traces in urgent/emergency health services. Methodological study with a quantitative approach. The protocol content validation was performed by 16 judges with expertise in the area of forensic sciences. The measures used to assess the degree of agreement were Percentage of Agreement, Content Validity Index (CVI) and Cronbach's Alpha. A rate of agreement with values above 80% was considered acceptable in the study; a value higher than 78% was considered for CVI calculated per item, and the minimum acceptable value for Cronbach's Alpha was 0.70. The average agreement rate of the instrument was 89.9% (±14.0), varying between the blocks of questions. Of all the items evaluated, 97.4% had an average CVI above 0.78 (78%).The sum of the items considered relevant by each evaluator resulted in an average score of 0.992 (99.2%) for the CVI of the entire protocol. In the evaluation of the degree of reliability, general Cronbach's Alpha showed a high level of internal consistency of the protocol, equivalent to 0.864. The protocol had acceptable psychometric measures of content validity, being valid for use in the preservation of forensic traces by health professionals in urgent/emergency health services.

Information gap decision theory-based optimization of joint decision making for power producers participating in carbon and electricity markets

Carbon markets have been established in many countries and regions with the goal of promoting global carbon neutrality. The position of power producers as the dominant carbon emitters necessitates that they engage in both electricity and carbon markets. However, most studies have considered only short-term electricity markets and unrealistically static carbon markets, and the speculative behavior of power producers in the carbon market remains poorly considered. The present study addresses these issues by proposing an optimized joint decision model based on information gap decision theory to facilitate the participation of power producers in annual and monthly electricity markets, and monthly carbon markets, where uncertainties in the prices of electricity and carbon quotas, and the speculative behavior of power producers in the carbon market are explicitly considered to ensure that the revenues of market participants do not fall below a predetermined minimum acceptable value. The results of simulations based on the rules and actual market data obtained for electricity and carbon markets in a specific province of China demonstrate that the proposed model provides power producers with trading solutions to meet different expected revenue targets, and thereby assists them as much as possible in counteracting the risks to profit associated with fluctuations in electricity and carbon market prices.

STATCOM Effect on Voltage Profile of a Distributed Network Considering Two Different Measurement Positions

he voltage profile of low voltage distribution systems must be in accordance to national regulations, usually given by a range in which voltage needs to be. Along a day, usually voltage fluctuates according to load characteristics, especially power level and power factor, and in some situations can overpass minimum acceptable values. This paper studies the influence of the power factor measurement point governing a DSTATCOM, over the feeder voltage profile. By simulation, it was saw that connecting the D-STATCOM at the end of the system, but correcting power factor saw by the initial pole, a better voltage compliance is obtained.

Content Validity of Assessment Instrument for High-Performance Work Systems in Health Care Industry.

Background and Purpose: The main purpose of this article is to content validate and evaluate a measuring instrument of high-performance work systems (HPWS) in healthcare organizations that capture the nurses' perception of HPWS present in their working organization. Methods: A panel of six experts participated to validate the HPWS instrument through their feedback. Later, coding and recoding of expert feedback were performed to calculate the item content validity index (I-CVI), scale content validity index (S-CVI), and Kappa statistic coefficient (K*) to rate its content validity. Results: For 50 out of 52 items of the measuring instrument, I-CVI is well above the recommended minimum acceptable value of .78. The S-CVI value is observed as .94, and the K* value is above .74 for 50 items. Conclusion: The results indicated excellent content validity for all the domains indicating evidence that the HPWS scale and the items on it are content valid and can be used for nursing research in the healthcare industry.

Аccuracy of different methods of assessing competitive results in air gun shooting in olympic disciplines

The article deals with the problem of improving shooting evaluating system of air gun results in Olympic disciplines. A total of 45 competition finals were analysed, in which 164 shooters from 35 countries took part. The shooting results in Olympic air guns disciplines at international competitions such as World, European and Asian Championships, World Cups and ISSF Grand Prix among men and women in individual, mixed pairs and team events were analysed. Based on the results of 45 competitions, it was established that in many cases the shooters took worse places with a larger score results. According to the results of our research, it was found that the scales for evaluating the results in air gun shooting competitions in Olympic disciplines could have different accuracy and quality. The rating scale for whole points, drawn up according to the linear regression equation with the characteristics D = 99.03% and Ā = 7.25%, does not meet the requirements of high accuracy and gives errors in the selection of the best shooters to participate in competition finals. The scale evaluating the results by points received the worst quality indicators (D = 76.36% and Ā = 41.64%), which is beyond the minimum acceptable values (D ˂ 80% and Ā > 15%). The use of the highest accuracy scales can improve the objectivity of determining the medallists in air gun competitions in Olympic disciplines.

Inhaled Medications in Chronic Respiratory Diseases: Analysis of Real-Life Use in Puglia (Apulia), Italy

Chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) are common diseases with a heterogeneous distribution worldwide. Due to their impact on disability, weight assistance and pharmaceutical spending, they represent an important global burden for national health systems. However, few studies have investigated the use and consumption of inhaled drugs in real life in patients with CRDs. This study aimed to investigate the real-life consumption of health care resources of main CRDs through an analysis of the administrative databases of the local health authority (ASL) in the Puglia region (Italy). The present study is an observational study that longitudinally reviewed the administrative and health databases associated with patients' consumption of health resources between 2017 and 2018. The first important finding is a marked underestimation of the true incidence of CRDs despite the search for disease-specific exemption codes. Another important result is that the real-life consumption of inhaled drugs among these patients is well below the minimum acceptable values for adherence. The most commonly used inhaled drugs, for which at least one pack was withdrawn, were inhaled steroids (61.6%), followed by the ICS/LABA combination (43.7%) and LABAs (32.4%). However, less than one-third of patients (31%) withdrew at least three packages of ICS or ICS/LABA during the year, while the percentage was reduced to less than 15% for other combinations. Another alarming finding is that only 8.4% of patients taking CRDs drugs reported at least one spirometry during the study period. The wide availability of computerized systems may be an important tool for increasing therapeutic adherence and optimizing the resources of health systems in the diagnosis, treatment and management of patients with CRDs.

Overall Drilling Effectiveness: key performance indicator adapted for rock drilling

OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) is a key performance indicator (KPI) widely used in performance analysis in the mining industry. The present study develops the ODE indicator (Overall Drilling Effectiveness) adapting OEE concept for the reality of diamond drilling. The product of availability, utilization and quality rates in the drilling process calculates ODE. Quality is defined by the quotient between recovered drill core metreage and total drilling advance metreage. ODE consists of a management numeric tool when confronted with productivity results and drilling equipment cost. In this case study of Pilar Mine, property of Jaguar Mining Inc., the 21% rate portrays the minimum acceptable ODE value considering the enterprise operational reality according to its geological, logistical and financial particularities. When the ODE rate approaches or exceeds this value, productivity increase and cost reduction per drilled metreage are noted. The adaptation of OEE concept and elaboration of ODE as a new performance indicator, intended directly for diamond drilling process, displays as a useful performance control tool. The utilization of ODE as a KPI provides the opportunity to manage operational productivity and financial performance simultaneously.

Formation of a spectrum of system-information criteria for the consistency of expert opinions

The article is devoted to the development of a system-information methodology for establishing the consistency of generalized expert opinions. After all, in the process of conducting any research in which expert information is revealed, a paradoxical situation may arise when the indicator of a generalized group opinion, usually obtained based on the “group normalization effect”, is actually determined, but there is no individual opinion that would coincide with it. Moreover, in the context of this publication, we are talking about the consistency of group systems of specialists’ advantages. Under the system of benefits, we mean an ordered series of indicators, characteristics of professional activity or objects of expertise: from more acceptable (important, significant, etc.) to less acceptable. And it is clear that the inconsistency of opinions arises precisely when individual preference systems are aggregated into a group one. It is determined that the consistency of group opinions should be checked in the following areas: 1) for each individual alternative, which is ordered. It is advisable to implement the direction after the introduction into practice of expert research — the methodology and the differential method for establishing a part of the total significance of the compared alternatives; 2) coincidence/non-coincidence of individual systems of preferences of group members; 3) integrally — using the Kendall concordance coefficient; 4) complex. Based on the experience of using a multi-step technology for identifying and screening out marginal thoughts, eliminating the “systematic error of the survivor”, as well as building a “reference” group system of advantages, a set of known and new system-information criteria for the consistency of expert opinions is formulated. We are talking about the requirements for: the probability of the Kendall concordance coefficient, tested using the statistical criterion for testing hypotheses “хі-square”, and its minimum acceptable value, which should be equal to W≥0,7; the need for statistically probable matching of all individual preference systems with group thought in the final group preference system; the need to match the individual system of preferences with the majority opinions of group members etc. Moreover, the last two criteria are implemented based on the Spearman rank correlation coefficient, and their reliability is checked using Student’s t-test. Information about the effectiveness of these criteria is provided.

Construction and validation of a scenario for recognizing sepsis by nursing students: a methodological study.

To build and validate a clinical simulation scenario for teaching Nursing students about early recognition of signs and symptoms of sepsis in the context of the emergency unit. Methodological study developed in two phases: construction of a simulated scenario and content validation by expert judges. For data analysis, the Content Validity Index (CVI) was calculated considering agreement equal to or greater than 80%. The minimum acceptable CVI value for scenario validation was 1.0. The simulation scenario proved to be appropriate, with a global Content Validity Index equal to 1. Some adjustments related to the clarity of the wording were necessary, as suggested by the judges. Conclusions: A medium-complexity, high-fidelity scenario was successfully constructed and validated for teaching early recognition of sepsis signs and symptoms.

Psychometric Properties of the Disrespect and Abuse Questionnaire in Iranian Parturient Women.

Disrespect and abuse during childbirth is regarded as harassment of women and a violation of their rights. The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the disrespect and abuse questionnaire in Iranian parturient women. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 265 postpartum women in both private and public hospitals in Tabriz, Iran. The scale was translated from English into Farsi. In the quantitative face validity, the impact score was determined for each item. Moreover, in the quantitative content validity, the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and Content Validity Index (CVI) were assessed based on the comments of experts on the relevance, clarity, and simplicity of items (CVI) and the necessity of items (CVR). Construct validity was assessed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. In the face validity assessment, all items received a minimum impact score of 1.5. In assessing the content validity, all the items attained the minimum acceptable value of CVR (>0.69) and CVI (>0.79). According to the exploratory factor analysis, the Disrespect and Abuse Questionnaire has 23 items and five factors, including abandoning the mother, improper care, mother's immobility, not talking to the mother, and mother's deprivation. The construct validity of the scale was confirmed by the confirmatory factor analysis, in which X2/df <5 and root mean square error of approximation <0.08. The Farsi version of the disrespect and abuse questionnaire can be used as a valid tool for assessing instances of lack of respectful maternity care in the postpartum period.

Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the 47-item Mobility Questionnaire in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a developmental-neurological disorder that is common in children. As children with CP have several problems and limitations regarding locomotion and mobility, accessing an assessment tool for measuring mobility is crucial. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the 47-item mobility questionnaire in Iranian children with cerebral palsy between 6 and 12 years of age in Tehran, Iran September 2019. Methods: In this psychometric study, 202 participants (84 girls and 118 boys, with a mean age of 95.92 months ± 23.73), 15 parents, and nine occupational therapists participated. A multistage sampling method was used. Content, construct, convergent, and face validity were estimated. Internal validity and test-retest reliability were studied, too. The convergent validity of MobQ was studied according to the gross motor functions classification scale (GMFCS). Results: The results showed that all items of the 47-item mobility questionnaire had a content validity higher than the minimum acceptable value (0.78 for CVR and 0.79 for CVI). Further, based on the opinions of 9 experts and 15 persons completing the questionnaire, an understandable and unambiguous questionnaire was reported regarding face validity. The evaluation of the intragroup correlation coefficient's reliability in this study also showed that ICC was 0.998 and Cronbach's alpha coefficient value was 0.996. A Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.937 was obtained to assess the convergent validity of the Persian version of the "Mobility Questionnaire" and the Gross Motor Skills Classification Scale. Conclusions: The results of this study, therefore, showed that the Persian version of the 47-item mobility questionnaire had good psychometric characteristics for children with CP between 6 and 12 years of age. Therefore, this questionnaire can be suitable for measuring children's mobility in research and clinical studies.

Development of Prediction Models for Performance of Flexible Pavements in Kansas with Emphasis on the Effects of Subgrade and Unbound Layers

This study resulted from the need for better consideration of subgrade and unbound layers on the performance of flexible pavements in Kansas. Thus, the main objective was to develop pavement performance prediction models with emphasis on the effects of subgrade and unbound layers. To this end, pavement distress data, which were collected over several years across the state of Kansas, including rutting, fatigue cracking, transverse cracking, roughness and core analysis, served as the input data into statistical models. The effects of subgrade and unbound layers were represented by the corresponding results of dynamic cone penetrometer (DCP) tests and thickness of the unbound layer. In addition, traffic volume was represented by average annual daily truck traffic (AADTT). Multiple statistical analyses identified positive correlations of dynamic cone penetration index (DPI) and rate of total rutting, and DPI and percent of good core. Negative correlation was discovered between DPI and fatigue cracking code one, and DPI and percent of poor core. AADTT was positively correlated with transverse cracking codes one and two while it had no correlation with transverse cracking code zero. Thickness of the unbound layer was negatively correlated with pavement roughness and percent of poor core, while it was positively correlated with the percent of good core. Finally, the recommendation for minimum acceptable value of California bearing ratio (CBR) was provided based on the correlation between DPI and rate of change of rutting code. The recommendation enables the selection of a CBR value based on the number of years required for unit increase in the rutting code.

Reliability analysis using the in-lux examination method for dental indices in adolescents for use in epidemiological studies.

To evaluate the in-lux examination method to assess the reliability of examiners for oral health surveys. A calibration study involving 10 examiners and 27 patients was conducted, and high-quality photographs of dental epidemiological indices were projected. The latter refers to the in-lux examination method. Two groups, comprised of five examiners each, were trained to assess dental caries (DMFT index) and malocclusion (DAI). The first group carried out in vivo (clinical) and in-lux examinations in the same patients. The second group performed in-lux examinations only. The measurements were repeated to obtain intraexaminer weighted kappa coefficients. Interexaminer weighted kappa coefficients of the in vivo examination method for DMFT and DAI ranged from 0.597 to 0.851 and from 0.574 to 0.844, respectively. The values for in-lux examination were between 0.440 and 0.856 (DMFT) and between 0.524 and 0.783 (DAI). The intraexaminer kappa coefficients of the in vivo examination method ranged between 0.569 and 0.851 (DMFT) and between 0.644 and 0.834 (DAI). In the in-lux method, these values were between 0.426 and 0.831 (DMFT) and between 0.341 and 0.838 (DAI). Three examiners did not reach the minimum acceptable kappa value (k=0.610) for DMFT, and one for DAI. Of these, one examiner managed to reach the minimum kappa coefficient for DMFT after additional training. The three others maintained the kappa coefficients at lower than acceptable limits. Calibration, using both in vivo and in-lux examination methods, was able to discriminate the examiners regarding their reliability to reproduce dental indices. The in-lux examination method was considered reliable and can replace the in vivo examination method. The in-lux method might be more feasible to evaluate the reliability of examiners when clinical calibration is unrealistic due to logistic issues and when a large number of examiners are involved in the survey.

EVALUATION OF SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC FEATURES AND ANXIETY LEVELS OF PREGNANT ADOLESCENT AND ADULT PREGNANCY

ABSTRACT&#x0D; Objective: In this study, it was aimed to examine some sociodemographic characteristics and state trait anxiety levels of adolescent and adult pregnant women.&#x0D; Methods: The research was carried out in three health center regions affiliated to Kayseri Melikgazi Health Group Presidency. A total of 2100 births took place in this region of health centers in 2007. By taking the adolescent pregnancy frequency of 10% and the minimum acceptable value of 5%, it was calculated that 138 individuals should be included for the 95% confidence interval with the Epi Info 6.0 program. A total of 300 pregnant women were included in the study. 132 of the pregnants are adolescent pregnants and 168 of them are non-adolescent pregnants. The data were collected by the researcher through face-to-face interviews. Data; It consists of an information form consisting of 23 questions related to sociodemographic characteristics and reproductive health, and State and Trait Anxiety scale questions. The data were transferred to the SPSS program and analyzed. Chi-square and student-t tests were used in the analysis.&#x0D; Results: When the mean age at marriage was examined, it was found that adolescent pregnant women (16.6± 0.9) were much lower than non-adolescents (20.6± 3.1).All of the spouses of non-adolescent pregnant women are working, and 22.7% of the spouses of adolescent pregnant women do not have a job. At the same time, the monthly average income of non-adolescent pregnant women is higher than that of adolescent pregnant women. The rate of consanguineous marriage in adolescent pregnant women was found to be 28%. The mean of the state and trait anxiety scale is inversely proportional to the education level of the participants, and the mean of the scale decreases as the education level increases. The rate of not completing primary school was quite high in adolescent pregnant women and it was determined as 43.2%. This rate is 4.2% in non-adolescent pregnant women.&#x0D; Conclusion: Higher anxiety is observed due to the low level of education of pregnant adolescents who have not yet completed their own development.

Scenario validation for clinical simulation: prenatal nursing consultation for adolescents.

to validate a scenario for clinical simulation: prenatal nursing consultation for adolescents. methodological study developed from January to December 2019, in five stages (overview, scenario, scenario design, progression, debriefing and assessment). The validation involved four volunteer students, a teacher as a facilitator and four judges. The judges filled out a Likert scale with four responses. Data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel® software, version 2016. Absolute and relative frequencies and the content validity index were calculated, considering a minimum acceptable value of 1.0. the preparation of the scenario was based on the proposed learning objectives. The scenario was validated with a global content validity index equal to 1.0. the study achieved the proposed objective. This scenario can contribute to preparing nurses to work in the care of pregnant teenagers, a representative public in Brazil that requires specific care.

ADAPTATION AND VALIDATION OF A MULTIDISCIPLINARY CHECKLIST FOR ROUNDS IN THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

ABSTRACT Objective: to perform the adaptation, content validation and semantic analysis of a Multidisciplinary Checklist used in rounds in Intensive Care Units for adults. Method: a methodological study, consisting of three stages: Adaptation of the checklist, performed by one of the authors; Content validation, performed by seven judges/health professionals from a public teaching hospital in Paraná; and Semantic analysis, performed in a philanthropic hospital in the same state. Agreement of the judges and of the target audience in the content validation and semantic analysis stages was calculated using the Content Validity Index and the Agreement Index, respectively, with a minimum acceptable value of 0.80. Results: in the content validation stage, the checklist obtained a total agreement of 0.84. Of the 16 items included in the instrument, 11 (68.75%) were readjusted and four (25%) were excluded for not reaching the minimum agreement. The readjusted items referred to sedation; analgesia; nutrition; glycemic control; headboard elevation; gastric ulcer prophylaxis; prophylaxis for venous thromboembolism; indwelling urinary catheter, central venous catheter; protective mechanical ventilation and spontaneous breathing test. Regarding the items excluded, they referred to the cuff pressure of the orotracheal tube and to Nursing care measures such as taking the patient out of the bed, pressure injury prophylaxis, and ophthalmoprotection. In the semantic analysis, the final agreement of the instrument's items was 0.96. Conclusion: after two evaluation rounds by the judges, testing in critically-ill patients and high inter-evaluator agreement index, the Multidisciplinary Checklist is found with validated content suitable for use in rounds in intensive care.

Non-Destructive Assessment of the Elastic Properties of Low-Grade CLT Panels

The use of cross-laminated timber panels (CLT) made of low-grade structural timber has steadily increased in developing countries. These panels usually present several natural defects, which can cause a high local variation of their orthotropic elastic properties, generating future structural serviceability problems. Our work aims to estimate the local variability of the elastic properties in low-grade CLT panels by combining nondestructive transverse vibration testing, numerical simulations, and regional sensitivity analysis (RSA). Four three-layer Radiata pine CLT panels were subjected to transverse vibration tests with supports at four points. Besides, a series of numerical simulations of the panels, considering the local variability of the elastic properties of the panels in eight zones, were carried out using the finite element method. Then, RSA analysis was performed to study in which ranges of values the panels’ elastic properties generated lower differences between the measured versus simulated dynamic properties. Finally, a structural quality control indicator was proposed for the CLT panels based on keeping low the probability that the elastic properties in the central zones do not exceed minimum acceptable values. The results obtained suggest that the proposed methodology is suitable for segregating CLT panels with high concentrations of defects such as pith presence.

Automated Assessment of the Quality of Phonocardographic Recordings through Signal-to-Noise Ratio for Home Monitoring Applications.

The signal quality limits the applicability of phonocardiography at the patients’ domicile. This work proposes the signal-to-noise ratio of the recorded signal as its main quality metrics. Moreover, we define the minimum acceptable values of the signal-to-noise ratio that warrantee an accuracy of the derived parameters acceptable in clinics. We considered 25 original heart sounds recordings, which we corrupted by adding noise to decrease their signal-to-noise ratio. We found that a signal-to-noise ratio equal to or higher than 14 dB warrants an uncertainty of the estimate of the valve closure latencies below 1 ms. This accuracy is higher than that required by most clinical applications. We validated the proposed method against a public database, obtaining results comparable to those obtained on our sample population. In conclusion, we defined (a) the signal-to-noise ratio of the phonocardiographic signal as the preferred metric to evaluate its quality and (b) the minimum values of the signal-to-noise ratio required to obtain an uncertainty of the latency of heart sound components compatible with clinical applications. We believe these results are crucial for the development of home monitoring systems aimed at preventing acute episodes of heart failure and that can be safely operated by naïve users.

Guided MAC to Enhance Quality of Experience of Video Data Transmission over Massive MIMO

Massive MIMO (M-MIMO) system comprises of multiple number of antennas to achieve energy- efficiency and large gains in spectral-efficiency in comparison to existing MIMO technology. High speed and Quality of Experience (QoE) of video data over wireless communication has always been a challenge for the researchers due to scarcity of the bandwidth, fading and interference. The channels with high noise corrupt the transmitted video and results in poor QoE of at the receiver. Therefore, to maintain the quality of transmitted video, it is highly desirable to identify noisy channels and avoid transmission over them. This paper deals with QoE of the transmitted video over Massive MIMO channels. The channels are categorized into two categories: good and bad depending upon the value of Signal to Interference and Noise Ratio (SINR). A channel above the minimum acceptable value (threshold) of SINR is categorized as good channel otherwise bad channel. A Guided MAC layer (GMAC) protocol is designed to transmit the video data over good channels only and to discard the transmission over bad channels.