Quality Items Research Articles

Analisis Butir Soal Sumatif IPA Kelas VII SMP Negeri 3 Pontianak dengan Rasch Model Menggunakan Rstudio

Item analysis is carried out to improve the quality of items through revision or discarding ineffective items. This study aims to determine the quality of the items of the Summative Assessment of Science Subjects Class VII SMP Negeri 3 Pontianak Academic Year 2022/2023. This research is a quantitative research with descriptive method. Data obtained through documentation in the form of student answer sheets tested to 135 students with 30 multiple choice questions analyzed in aspects of validity, reliability, difficulty level, and differentiability with the Rasch Model using the R Program, especially R-Studio. The results of the analysis show that the questions have good validity quality because there are only 28 items that fit (93%) and 2 items that do not fit (7%), the reliability is categorized as sufficient with a reliability value of 0.683, the level of difficulty is good because it has a level of difficulty that varies from the category of very difficult, difficult, easy and very easy, good distinguishing power because it distributes person ability into 5 scales, namely very low, low, medium, high and very high so that it can measure students with diverse abilities, so that based on the results of the analysis it can be judged that the questions have good quality with good validity, sufficient reliability, good difficulty level and good distinguishing power.

Perancangan Instrumen Go-Green Movement Inventory dalam Konteks Gerakan Go-Green

The purpose of this research was to examine the content validity, inter-rater reliability, item validity, and item reliability of the Go-Green Movement Inventory (GGMI) instrument developed for high school students. The instrument development process utilized the Research & Development (R&D) method by Borg and Gall in Sugiyono (2019), up to the fourth stage. Prior to testing the instrument with 148 high school students, validation was conducted by 5 experts comprising two university lecturers and three high school teachers. The research findings indicate that the content validity analysis of the Go-Green Movement Inventory (GGMI) instrument for high school students is valid, as evidenced by Vhitung > Vtabel, specifically 0.89 > 0.87. Inter-rater reliability analysis yielded a score of 0.79, categorized as moderate. Item validity analysis revealed that out of 30 statement items, 2 items were rejected: item number 13 and 30, while the rest were accepted. Item reliability analysis showed a person reliability value of 0.80, indicating good consistency in student responses, and an item reliability of 0.96, indicating excellent quality of individual items. The Cronbach's Alpha coefficient was 0.83, indicating good overall interaction between respondents and item statements.

초등고학년 다중지능 검사 개발 및 타당화

The purpose of this study was to develop a self-report test to measure the multiple intelligences of elementary school students in grades 4-6, and to verify the reliability and validity of the test. For the study, domestic and international prior research related to measuring multiple intelligences was first reviewed. To operationally define multiple intelligences and develop test items, a panel of 13 experts underwent two rounds of Delphi surveys, resulting in 155 preliminary test items. A preliminary test was administered online to 375 participants, and after item analysis, 122 items were selected for the main test. The main test was administered to 1,062 participants, and after verifying item quality and considering test practicality through research team meetings, 97 final items were confirmed. The final developed test confirmed construct validity through confirmatory factor analysis, and the reliability of the eight multiple intelligence domains ranged from .811 to .878, which is satisfactory. To verify concurrent validity, 87 of the main test participants took the Career Development Competency Test for Elementary Students, confirming significant correlations between competencies measuring similar domains and intelligences.

Prospects of nanotechnology advances in food adulterant detection, spoilage detection, packaging and preservation applications

Abstract Food is essential for the development and essential functions of our lives. Our typical dietary intake consists of vegetables, fruits, legumes, pulses, grains, and other similar foods. These ingredients can be consumed in their raw form or transformed into delicious recipes. Food adulteration refers to the deliberate introduction of potentially hazardous substances into food or food products to contaminate or adulterate them. Prolonged storage of food without sufficient preservation leads to spoilage, which poses a health risk. Food undergoes degradation over an extended duration of storage, leading to the proliferation of germs on its surface. Nanotechnology revolutionizes food safety by employing precise detection and preservation methods. Nanoparticles play a crucial role in expediting the detection of adulterants, enabling the identification of even minute amounts of contaminants like pesticides or hazardous compounds. This, in turn, ensures the preservation of the quality and safety of food items. Nanosensors are used to identify spoilage by monitoring microbial activity or changes in pH levels, to prevent the intake of spoiled food. Nano-emulsions and coatings can extend the shelf life of products by establishing protective barriers that hinder the ingress of oxygen, moisture, and microbial growth. This process effectively preserves the freshness and nutritional value of the products. In this review, we have discussed the role of nanotechnology in detecting food adulteration, food spoilage, food preservation and food packaging techniques.

Development and deployment of an adaptive national elementary reading screening test

Increasingly over the past decade, there has been a demand of more thorough documentation of the quality of reading assessments. Yet, available documentation of high-quality measures are often restricted to general framework descriptions providing psychometric information as a token of test quality. In a modern view of validity, understanding what is being measured and how scores are calculated is a prerequisite for good interpretation and use of test scores. The present article aims to document the research and development process of a national adaptive screening test for reading difficulties, in which the envisioned interpretation and use of test scores is guiding the work. Given the mandatory nature of this test the sample consist of 49,828 third grade students aged 8. Significant outcomes from this design process involve detailed information on: (a) choice of sub-tests and item formats, (b) selection of high quality items, (c) choice and design of adaptive model, and finally, a statement on the challenges that are still to be met for such a test to function optimally. The present paper is among the first to, in an open and detailed manner, describe the development process as well as qualities and challenges of an adaptive reading screening test for students of this young age.

Investigating The Performance of Item Selection Algorithms in Cognitive Diagnosis Computerized Adaptive Testing

In this study, it was aimed to examine the performances of item selection algorithms in terms of measurement accuracy and computational time in fixed-length CD-CAT and average test lengths in the variable-length CD-CAT through factors such as test length, number of attributes and item quality in CD-CAT. In the research, two different simulation studies were conducted for the fixed and variable-length tests. Item responses were generated according to DINA model. Two item banks which consisted of 480 items for 5 and 6 attributes were generated and the item banks were used for both the fixed and variable-length test. Q-matrix was generated item by item and attribute by attribute. In the study, 3000 examinees were generated in such a way that each examinee had a 50% chance of achieving each attribute. Cognitive patterns of examinees were estimated by using MAP. In the variable-length CD-CAT, the first highest posterior probability threshold is 0.80, and the second highest posterior probability threshold is 0.10. R 3.6.1 was used to code CD-CAT administration and carry out to other analyses. At the end of the study in which the fixed-length CD-CAT was used, it was concluded that as the number of attributes increased, the pattern recovery rates of the item selection algorithms decreased, and these rates increased as the item quality and test length increased. The highest values in terms of pattern recovery rate were obtained from JSD and MPWKL algorithms. In the variable-length CD-CAT, it was concluded that the average test length increased as the number of attributes increased, and the average test length decreased as the item quality increased. In all conditions, the shortest average test length was obtained with the JSD. It has been determined that the GDI performs the fastest calculation in all conditions, while the MPWKL algorithm performs the slowest calculation.

A systematic literature review of imperfect quality items: challenges, opportunities, and insights with reference to SDGs

A systematic literature review of imperfect quality items: challenges, opportunities, and insights with reference to SDGs

Exploring Health-Related Quality of Life in Children With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and Relationship to Physical Activity.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a burdensome condition that inflicts both physical and psychological impairment on those with the disease, negatively impacting health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Given the abundance of evidence suggesting a role of physical activity (PA) in modulating HRQoL in healthy populations of children, we sought to determine the relationship between HRQoL and PA in children diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. A multicenter prospective observational cohort study was conducted, with patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy aged 10 to 19 years being provided a wrist-worn activity tracker (Fitbit Charge HR) to wear for 14 days. Patients self-reported on Pediatric Quality of Life 4.0 quality of life inventory items, which were associated with PA metrics following covariate adjustment using linear regression. A total of 56 participants were recruited to the study. The median age at enrollment was 15.5 years (interquartile range, 13.8-16.8), and 16 out of 56 (29%) of the cohort were girls. The cohort reported decreased metrics of physical, psychosocial, and total summary scores compared with health reference populations, with scores comparable with that of published populations with chronic disease. Increased physical HRQoL scores were significantly associated with increased daily steps taken, distance traveled, and flights of stairs climbed. These results show that impaired PA correlates with reduced HRQoL in children with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, suggesting PA may partially mediate HRQoL in this population.

Development of a quality of life measure for left ventricular assist device recipients using a mixed methods approach.

Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) recipients report symptom improvement but find adjusting to life with the LVAD challenging. These challenges are unique, and existing patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) do not reflect their experiences. This study aimed to develop a culturally relevant quality of life PROM for use with LVAD recipients in future research, design evolutions and clinical practice. A three-stage mixed-methods approach was used to develop a PROM: stage 1 included group concept mapping (GCM); stage 2 semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 11 LVAD recipients and 10 clinicians, and a questionnaire was developed using a conceptual framework; and stage 3 used exploratory psychometric analysis of the PROM data using Rasch measurement theory. This paper presents stages 2 and 3. The conceptual framework consisted of four key concepts, including general health, life with the LVAD, equipment and clothing and emotional impact. Statements from interviews and GCM were used to create items for the LVAD quality of life (LVAD-QoL). Cognitive interviews tested face validity and participant comprehension. Forty-nine participants were recruited from three UK transplant centres. PROM data were collected and analysed using Rasch analysis. Four items displayed misfit; dependency between item sets was the biggest issue (57/485 pairwise differences). After restructuring and dealing with item misfit, the LVAD-QoL conformed to the Rasch model, supporting the psychometric properties and quality of the LVAD-QoL. Using a mixed-methods approach ensured the development of a robust and psychometrically sound tool for research, design evolution and clinical practice with LVAD recipients.

A Smart IoT Solution for Monitoring and Predicting Grocery Freshness and Quality

According to the statistics,40% of the food produced is wasted before it reaches the consumers. The core problem lies in logistics and infrastructure. Firstly weather varies widely and it makes generalization difficult. This makes it impossible for perishables to naturally survive long-haul transport. Secondly, cold storage facility is not available and affordable to all farmers. Today food spoilage is a crucial problem. The food we consume can affect in any form of contamination that may occur due to storage or chemical changes within the food. This makes it necessary to develop a system that can help people to identify and predict the freshness of food or quality of food items. A smart grocery management system helps users manage groceries in large warehouses and long transportations. Users no longer have to worry about continuous food monitoring. This project aims to ensure the freshness of grocery by predicting the spoilage of grocery in prior and to notify the user about the same so that he can take necessary precautions to prevent grocery spoilage. Continuous analysis of temperature and humidity of the grocery is carried out by using DHT11 Temperature and Humidity sensor to monitor varying parameters of the grocery. ESP8266 Node MCU is used as the main controller of the system which is used to control the sensing action of the sensor. Data collected from the sensor is used to analyse the variations in the values of temperature and humidity when the grocery is fresh and when it is completely spoilt. The humidity and temperature data are sent to the cloud storage by using the Wi-Fi module which is inbuilt to the Node MCU. ThingSpeak cloud platform is set up for the storage purpose which is retrieved back to use it for predicting the spoilage of the grocery which is the main goal of the system. A prediction algorithm is used for this purpose which is basically a combination of machine learning and data mining approach for forecasting or predicting the future values based on some past set of values. The values of fresh grocery has been given as the input to prediction algorithm which is used to predict the future values of temperature and humidity. Predicted values obtained is compared with the spoilt values measured earlier to detect the spoilage of grocery. Predicted status of the grocery has been notified to the user through SMS. Key Words: food, grocery, freshness, prediction

Analysis the quality of critical thinking and creativity questions in high school biology subjects with the Rasch model

A good instrument is an instrument that can measure students' abilities accurately. The research aims to analyze the quality of critical thinking and creativity items on water pollution material in terms of validity, reliability, and level of difficulty using the Rasch model. The research used a quantitative descriptive method involving biology learning experts and 173 class X high school students. The research was carried out in December 2023-January 2024. The data collection method used expert assessment sheets and critical thinking and creativity essay questions. Data were analyzed using the Rasch model assisted by Quest. The results showed that of the 10 critical thinking essay questions, 3 questions were invalid, while of the 8 creativity essay questions, 1 question was invalid based on the suitability of the INFIT MNSQ and OUTFIT T scores. The results of the reliability test with Cronbach’s alpha showed that the reliability value of the critical thinking instrument was 0.74 and creativity 0.79. Average difficulty level of questions with threshold values in the medium and difficult categories. Overall, the instrument was feasible and question items that did not fit the Rasch model were removed.

Plant-based diets and the risk of age-related cataract: a case-control study

PurposeCataract, or lens opacification, is a major public health burden accounting for more than half of all blindness worldwide. Plant-based dietary indices provide a unique approach to investigating a modifiable risk for age-related cataracts (ARC). The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between plant-based diet indices and risk of ARC.Design/methodology/approachThis case-control study was conducted on 97 patients with newly diagnosed ARC and 198 healthy people (as a control group) in Iran. Convenience sampling and a food frequency questionnaire were used. Three plant-based dietary indices were used based on the health promoting qualities of food items, the overall plant-based diet index (PDI), healthful plant-based diet index (H-PDI) and unhealthful plant-based diet index (U-PDI) which comprised refined carbohydrates and highly processed foods. The plant-based dietary indices were used to investigate relationships with risk of ARC.FindingsAfter adjusting for potential covariates, no significant association between a higher adherence to O-PDI and risk of ARC. As well, a higher adherence to H-PDI was inversely associated with the risk of ARC (OR = 0.35,95%CI:0.16–0.78). In contrast, there was a significant positive association between a higher adherence to U-PDI and the risk of ARC (OR = 3.67,95%CI:1.66 – 8.15).Originality/valueThe findings of this study have underscored the potential impact of the quality of plant-based food selections on the likelihood of developing ARC. Therefore, adopting a plant-based diet that is rich in nutrient-dense plant-based foods while being low in unhealthy options may have the potential to reduce the risk of ARC.

Nursing categories’ perceptions of the practice environment and quality of care in North West Province: a cross-sectional survey design

BackgroundThere is a substantial amount of literature on the perception of the practice environment and quality of care as perceived by registered nurses and community services nurses in South Africa and worldwide, but there is little to no research that could be found regarding other categories of nurses, and how these perceptions differ between the different categories. Therefore, the aim of this study is to describe the different nursing categories’ perceptions of the practice environment and quality of care and the association between the variables.MethodsThis study applied a cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected in April 2021 in the public sector of the North West Province. Multiphase sampling was applied to all categories of nurses who worked in an in-patient unit in the selected hospital for at least 3 months (n = 236).ResultsAll nursing categories perceived the practice environment as negative, regarding nurse participation in hospital affairs; nurse manager ability, leadership, and support of nurses and staffing and resource adequacy. Perceived quality of care and patient safety items were perceived as neutral and good. However, in all instances, the perceptions of community service nurses and registered nurses were most negative, and enrolled nurse assistants most positive. Adverse events towards patients and nurses were perceived to only occur a few times a year. Overall, nurse perceptions of quality of care and patient safety were most correlated with the subscale of nurse foundations of quality of care and nurse manager ability, leadership, and support of nurses. Adverse events towards patients were most correlated with the collegial nurse-physician relationship subscale, while adverse events towards nurses were correlated with the foundations of quality of care subscale.ConclusionImproving the practice environment, especially regarding the subscale nurse foundations of quality of care and nurse manager ability, leadership, and support of nurses, is associated with improved quality of care. Nurses with higher qualifications, registered nurses and community service nurses rated quality of care lower than other categories of nurses, contributing to literature that higher qualified staff are more competent to assess the practice environment and quality of care.

Sustainable Consumption Patterns: Evaluating Consumer Preferences and Barriers in the Adoption of Organic Versus Conventional Agri-Food Products

Abstract This study delves into how consumers view and choose between conventional agri food items focusing on the factors that influence their purchasing decisions amidst growing concerns about climate change and sustainability. By gathering insights from a focus group of 21 individuals, the research uncovers a clear preference for products due to perceived health and environmental advantages. Consumers recognize the quality, taste and nutritional value of items, which justifies their higher price points. Nonetheless challenges like affordability, limited availability and lack of information pose obstacles to adoption. The paper underscores the importance of an approach to promote product consumption through government initiatives awareness efforts, education programs and cost saving production methods.

Impact of Carbon Emission Policy on Fresh Food Supply Chain Model for Deteriorating Imperfect Quality Items

Impact of Carbon Emission Policy on Fresh Food Supply Chain Model for Deteriorating Imperfect Quality Items

SENSE RELATION IN VOCABULARY ACQUISITION

Foreign language teachers must select vocabulary carefully to ensure that high quality items are included and provide varied opportunities for practice. Teachers should pay the most prudent attention in organization of lexis for the classroom as to offer as wide a range of practice ideas in order to facilitateeffective learning. Acquiring a large, coloured and nuanced vocabulary knowledge does not imply simply studying a list of words alongside with dictionary definitions. Language diversity implies great possibilities of lexical choice as means of enhancing the effectiveness and accuracy of speech. Modern foreign languages teaching methods should aim at building a broad, deep, rich and flexible vocabulary corpus of words. Grouping of words is based upon similarities and contrasts. Every language has in its lexicon a variety of words, kindred in meaning, but distinct in morphemic composition and usage, ensuring the expression of the most delicate and somehow hidden shades of human perception, thought, feeling and imagination. The use of synonyms and antonyms is a quick and effective way of explaining unknown words and teachers can resort to them as means of describing words’ meanings.

Reliability of the quality of life-aged care consumers (QOL-ACC) and EQ-5D-5L among older people using aged care services at home

PurposeThe Quality of Life-Aged Care Consumers (QOL-ACC), a valid preference-based instrument, has been rolled out in Australia as part of the National Quality Indicator (QI) program since April 2023 to monitor and benchmark the quality of life of aged care recipients. As the QOL-ACC is being used to collect quality of life data longitudinally as one of the key aged care QI indicators, it is imperative to establish the reliability of the QOL-ACC in aged care settings. Therefore, we aimed to assess the reliability of the QOL-ACC and compare its performance with the EQ-5D-5L.MethodsHome care recipients completed a survey including the QOL-ACC, EQ-5D-5L and two global items for health and quality of life at baseline (T1) and 2 weeks later (T2). Using T1 and T2 data, the Gwet’s AC2 and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) were estimated for the dimension levels and overall scores agreements respectively. The standard error of measurement (SEM) and the smallest detectable change (SDC) were also calculated. Sensitivity analyses were conducted for respondents who did not change their response to global item of quality of life and health between T1 and T2.ResultsOf the 83 respondents who completed T1 and T2 surveys, 78 respondents (mean ± SD age, 73.6 ± 5.3 years; 56.4% females) reported either no or one level change in their health and/or quality of life between T1 and T2. Gwet’s AC2 ranged from 0.46 to 0.63 for the QOL-ACC dimensions which were comparable to the EQ-5D-5L dimensions (Gwet’s AC2 ranged from 0.52 to 0.77). The ICC for the QOL-ACC (0.85; 95% CI, 0.77–0.90) was comparable to the EQ-5D-5L (0.83; 95% CI, 0.74–0.88). The SEM for the QOL-ACC (0.08) was slightly smaller than for the EQ-5D-5L (0.11). The SDC for the QOL-ACC and the EQ-5D-5L for individual subjects were 0.22 and 0.30 respectively. Sensitivity analyses stratified by quality of life and health status confirmed the base case results.ConclusionsThe QOL-ACC demonstrated a good test-retest reliability similar to the EQ-5D-5L, supporting its repeated use in aged care settings. Further studies will provide evidence of responsiveness of the QOL-ACC to aged care-specific interventions in aged care settings.

Analytical Comparison of Item Statistics Employing IRT 3PLM in WASSCE and NECO SSCE 2023 English Language Multiple Choice Tests

This assessment encompassed the analytical comparison of item statistics employing the Item Response Theory Three Parameter Logistic Model (IRT 3PLM) in WASSCE and NECO SSCE 2023 English Language multiple choice tests. Three hypothesised questions were articulated. In this study, a survey research design was utilised. This investigation’s population comprised 72,400 English Language SS 3 students in 384 public senior secondary schools in Ogun State. A multistage sampling procedure was applied to pick a sample size of 8,000 English Language SS 3 students. The assessment instruments used were WASSCE and NECO SSCE 2023 English Language multiple choice tests. The data collected were subjected to IRT 3PLM using jMetrik psychometric software to generate the item parameters. All hypothesised questions were tested for significance utilising independent samples t-test statistics. This assessment’s outcomes divulged a significant dissimilarity in the guessing parameter between WASSCE and NECO SSCE 2023 English Language multiple-choice items. However, no significant dissimilarities existed in the discrimination and difficulty parameters between the two. The pragmatic extrapolation of this analytical comparison accentuated in the findings alluded that employing IRT 3PLM to establish the item statistics before administering the tests could further enhance the quality of English Language multiple choice items developed by WAEC and NECO.

Is surgical quality more important than radicality? Long-term outcomes of stage I–III colon cancer (SAKK 40/00)

BackgroundTo prospectively determine the influence of variations of surgical radicality and surgical quality on long-term outcome in patients with stage I-III colon cancer. MethodsFrom a prospective multicenter cohort study including 1040 patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer from 09/2001 to 06/2005 in nine Swiss and one German hospital, 423 patients with stage I-III colon cancer were selected and analyzed. Surgeons and pathologists filled in standardized forms prospectively assessing items of oncosurgical radicality and quality. Patients had standardized follow-up according to national guidelines. ResultsFollow-up was median 6.2 years (range 0.3–10.4) showing a 5-year disease-free survival/overall survival of 83 %/87 % in stage I (n = 85), 69 %/77 % in stage II (n = 187), and 53 %/61 % in stage III (n = 151) colon cancer. Despite remarkable variations of oncosurgical radicality and quality, the multivariate model revealed that mainly quality items correlated significantly with disease-free survival (surgical tumor lesion HR 2.12, p = 0.036, perioperative blood transfusion HR 1.67, p = 0.018, emergency resection HR 1.74, p = 0.035) and overall survival (early venous ligation HR 0.66, p = 0.023, surgical tumor lesion HR 2.28, p = 0.027, perioperative blood transfusion HR1.79, p = 0.010, emergency resection HR 1.88, p = 0.026), while radicality parameters (length of specimen, distance of the tumor to nearest bowel resection site, number of lymph nodes, height of resected mesocolon and of central vascular dissection) did not. ConclusionSurgical quality seems to have a stronger impact on oncologic long-term outcome in stage I – III colon cancer than surgical radicality.

Endocardial ablation of ganglionated plexus for the treatment of carotid sinus syndrome

Abstract Introduction Carotid sinus syndrome (CSS), characterized by exaggerated vagal responses leading to asystolic pauses with carotid sinus massage (CSM), often necessitates pacemaker implantation. This study investigates cardioneuroablation (CNA) as an alternative management strategy for CSS. Methods Prospective study of consecutive patients referred for CNA. All patients underwent CSM, atropine test, 24-hour Holter monitoring and SF-36 quality of life questionary before the procedure and at 6 months. The objective of the study was to assess syncope free survival, grade of cardioinhibition with CSM and heart rate variation (HRV) and quality of life after the procedure. Results A total of 13 patients (84.6% male, mean age 63.8 ± 12.3 years) were included. After a median follow-up of 9.2 (8.6-14.3) months, none of the patients experienced syncope (0%) and none of the patients required pacemaker implantation. After the procedure all the patients had a negative CSM and only one patient (7.7%) had a positive CSM at 6 months (Figure 1). There was an improvement in the energy and health change items in the SF-36 quality of life questionary. There was a reduction in HR increase in the atropine test at 6 months (pre-CNA: 66% (52-84) vs. post-CNA 27.4% (21.9-90.9); p=0.027) and in most of the 24-hour Holter monitoring HRV parameters (Figure 2). Conclusions Cardioneuroablation emerges as a promising and effective alternative to pacemaker implantation in managing cardioinhibitory CSS. Further research is warranted to solidify these findings and explore the long-term effects of CNA in this scenario.Maximum RR interval with CSMHeart rate increase in the atropine tes