Reliability Test Research Articles

Strengthening Muamalah Maliyah's Literacy Understanding of Online Transactions in Indonesia

This research aims to test and analyze the understanding of students majoring in Commerce Management at the ALKS study program in implementing online buying and selling schemes from an Islamic perspective, namely by using the Muamalah Maaliyaah contract. The population in this study was 278 people from each generation of the ALKS study program, a sample of at least 10 people was taken and then the sample size became 100 people. This research uses a quantitative approach. The data collection technique used was by distributing questionnaires and interviews. The model used is a simple linear regression model with statistical analysis tests used are the classical assumption test, T-test, validity, and reliability tests. The research results show that from a simple regression test, the results of the t-test variable for the variable Understanding the Muamalah Maaliyaah Agreement show t_count of 15.024 > t_tabel of 1.98472 and a Sig value of 0.000 < 0.05. These results show that "There is a significant relationship between the influence of Understanding the Muamalah Maaliyah Agreement (X) on the decision to carry out online transactions (Y)". It can be concluded that there is a very large influence of ALKS study program students' muamalah literacy on the decision to carry out online transactions.

He Influence of Brand Image and Price on the Decision to Purchase an Avanza Car at PT. Hadji Kalla Daya Makassar Branch

The aim of this research is a type of quantitative research with the aim of finding out how much influence brand image and price have on the decision to purchase an Avanza car at PT. Hadji Kalla Daya Makassar Branch. The population in this study was 80 people with a sample of 67 respondents using a Non Probability Sampling sampling technique with a sampling technique, namely Incidental Sampling. The types and sources of data used are primary data and secondary data with questionnaire data collection and documentation. Meanwhile, the data analysis methods used are validity test, reliability test, normality test, and partial hypothesis test (t test). The results of this research show that the brand image and price variables simultaneously have a positive and significant effect on the decision to purchase an Avanza car at PT. Hadji Kalla Daya Makassar Branch. Brand image and price variables influence purchasing decisions. Based on the results of the t test, the Brand Image Significance Value of 0.001 is smaller than the specified significance value of 0.05, so based on this decision making, there is an influence of brand image in purchasing decisions. Meanwhile, the price significance value of 0.001 is smaller than the significance value set at 0.05, so there is an influence of price in purchasing decisions.

The influence of green quality of work life, green employee engagement, and green rewards on green employee retention in SME employees

One of the biggest challenges for employers is retaining employees, who are crucial for enhancing company performance, especially in SMEs. This research aims to determine the influence of Green Quality of Work Life, Green Employee Engagement, and Green Rewards on Green Employee Retention. The study employs a quantitative approach, sampling 204 SME employees in Indonesia, determined using the Slovin formula with a 7% margin of error. Quota sampling techniques and questionnaires distributed via Google Forms were used for data collection. The analytical tool used is SEM PLS version 4, incorporating validity and reliability testing, Fornell-Larcker Criterion, Heterotrait-Monotrait Ratio, and hypothesis testing, with responses measured on a 5-point Likert scale. The results indicate that Green Quality of Work Life does not significantly affect Green Employee Retention. However, Green Employee Engagement and Green Rewards have a significant impact on Green Employee Retention. The theoretical contribution of this research lies in the application of financial motivation theory, particularly regarding the lowest mean of the first indicator. This theory could be valuable as a moderator in future research models. Practically, the study suggests that increasing salaries and providing knowledge and training as forms of additional expertise can enhance employee retention.

Modeling manual corrective actions in probabilistic risk assessment of cascading outages

Cascading outages in power systems can lead to major power disruptions and blackouts in power systems. By taking Manual Corrective Actions (MCAs), operators could be able to mitigate a cascading outage following an initiating event. However, due to stressful and time-constrained situations, they might not be able to take appropriate corrective actions in time and might even take counter-productive actions. Although numerous approaches have been developed to assess the risk of cascading outages in a probabilistic way, they generally do not consider in a realistic manner MCAs, including their imperfection. This paper aims to address that gap by proposing a Human Reliability Analysis-Optimal Power Flow (HRA-OPF) framework. The developed approach is applied to the New England Test System (NETS) and to the Reliability Test System (RTS). The risks of loss of supplied power are compared for different possibilities: no MCAs, perfect MCAs, and imperfect MCAs.

The “Baseline Widal Titre” Amongst Apparently Healthy Adults Working at a Tertiary Care Medical Institution, a Pilot Study, Uttarakhand, India

Introduction: As typhoid fever is known for its endemicity all over the India, healthy people may contain antibodies against salmonella typhi and paratyphi. These antibodies may react up-to a variable titre either due to past exposure, vaccination or/and cross -reacting antigen. Therefore, antibody titre in widal test varies widely from place to place and is referred as baseline titre of that particular area. Two properly staged tests (2-4 weeks interval) show about a four -fold rise in antibody levels leads to a reliable widal test. Single widal test values are not considered significant for diagnosis but many places still use this as diagnostic marker which further depends upon baseline titre prevalent in that particular area. Aims: This study was undertaken in jhajra, Uttarakhand to determine the baseline titre in this geographical region for calculating significant widal titres. Material and Methods: Blood samples were collected from apparently healthy individuals which included medical students, nursing staff, doctors, and other health care workers (aged 19-45) with proper consent. All the samples after being screened by slide agglutination test were further confirmed by Quantitative tube agglutination test, to find out the baseline titre. The tube agglutination test was carried out by taking 0.5 ml of two-fold serially diluted sera (dilutions from 1:20 to 1:320) in 0.9% normal saline with an equal amount of antigen. Results: Out of total 110 serum samples,36 (32.7%) sera were positive (titre ≥ 1:20) and 74 (67.3%) were negative(titre<1:20). A total of 36 samples were positive for agglutinins of “O” antigen,32 for agglutinins of “H” antigen,16 for paratyphi A and 10 for paratyphi B. 23 out of 36 (63.8 %) sera were positive for agglutinins of 'O' antigen of Salmonella typhi (TO) at a titre of 1:40 followed by 6 sera positive at 1:20 (16.6%) and 1:80 (16.6%) and 1 serum sample positive at 1:160 (2.77%) 59.3 % (19) sera were positive for 'H' antigen of Salmonella typhi (TH) at a titre of 1:80 and 10 % sera (11) were positive for 'H' antigen at a titre of 1:40 and 2(1.8%) were positive at 1:20.16(44.4%) sera samples were positive for of Salmonella paratyphi A (AH) and Salmonella paratyphi B (BH) respectively, both at a titre of 1:20 and 8.3% sera were positive at 1:40 respectively. Conclusion: The most frequently recorded titre of the reactive sera was 1:40 and 1:80 for anti-O antibodies and anti-H antibodies and 1:20 for AH and BH. Thus, the significant cut-off level for TO and TH was ≥ 1:80 and ≥ 1:160 that for AH and BH was ≥ 1:40.

Estimating Reliability for Tests With One Constructed‐Response Item in a Section

The goal of this paper is to find better ways to estimate the internal consistency reliability of scores on tests with a specific type of design that are often encountered in practice: tests with constructed‐response items clustered into sections that are not parallel or tau‐equivalent, and one of the sections has only one item. To estimate the reliability of scores on this kind of test, we propose a two‐step approach (denoted as CA_STR) that first estimates the reliability of scores on the section with a single item using the correction for attenuation method and then estimates the reliability of scores on the whole test using the stratified coefficient alpha. We compared the CA_STR method with three other reliability estimation approaches under various conditions using both real and simulated data. We found that overall, the CA_STR method performed the best and it was easy to implement.

Exploring Well-being in College Students: The Influence of Resilience and Social Support

Resilience and social support are pivotal factors in fostering positive mental health outcomes and enhancing overall well-being among students. With this in mind, the present study sought to examine the impact of resilience and social support on subjective well-being among college students. Employing a quantitative research approach, the researchers utilized a descriptive- correlational technique to survey 255 college students. Standardized instruments, validated by experts and subjected to reliability testing, were employed for data collection. The statistical analysis revealed that students exhibited a high level of resilience and perceived social support. Moreover, students reported a high level of subjective well-being. Notably, correlation analysis highlighted a significant relationship between resilience, social support, and subjective well-being. Regression analysis further underscored the influential role of resilience and social support in shaping subjective well- being. This finding suggests that students with higher resilience levels are better equipped to manage stress and adversity, while those with robust social support networks benefit from emotional, informational, and practical assistance, thereby contributing to an enhanced sense of well-being.

Tackling Tomorrow's Challenges With NFC Mobile Payment in Public Transport System

Tackling Tomorrow's Challenges With NFC Mobile Payment in Public Transport System

Efforts to Improve Service Quality at Skenario Kopi Cafe Based on Consumer Needs Using Quality Function Deployment

Faced with fierce competition, coffee shops need to stay in tune with evolving customer preferences. This research was conducted the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) method, specifically the House of Quality (HoQ) tool, to analyze feedback from subject consist of 100 customers of Skenario Kopi Cafe. The HoQ is a structured approach that translates customer desires (Voice of Customer or VoC) into actionable technical improvements. The sampling technique is based on purposive sampling technique. Analysis of Validity Test and Reliability Test data using SPSS 24 software. The research identified 15 key customer needs, categorized by their level of importance. They then compared these needs to 5 potential technical responses that Skenario Kopi Cafe could implement. Based on this analysis, the result showed such as prioritizing communication training for staff, followed by facility upgrades, and lastly, implementing regular performance evaluations. By analyzing the relationships between these factors, the researchers were able to prioritize the actions that would have the greatest impact on customer satisfaction.

Therapy outcome measure for inducible laryngeal obstruction and chronic cough: development and testing of reliability and validity

Therapy outcome measure for inducible laryngeal obstruction and chronic cough: development and testing of reliability and validity

Analisis Faktor-Faktor Yang Mempengaruhi Tingkat Literasi Keuangan Pegawai di Kantor Sekretariat Daerah Kabupaten Nias

Employees at the Nias Regency Regional Secretariat Office have different understandings about financial literacy. Some employees are trapped in fraudulent investments and there are still many employees who have consumerist habits, namely buying things based on desire, not need. This research aims to determine the influence of age, gender, education and income factors on the level of financial literacy of employees at the District Regional Secretariat Office. The data collection method in this research uses primary data obtained from filling out questionnaires with 51 employee respondents at the Nias Regency Regional Secretariat office as well as secondary data obtained from journals related to this research. The data analysis methods used are validity test, reliability test, correlation coefficient test, determinant coefficient test, normality test, heteroscedasticity test, multiple linear regression test, T test and F test. The results of this study show that the factors of age and education have a positive and significant effect on the level of financial literacy of employees at the Regional Secretariat Office of Nias Regency, while the factors of gender and income do not have a positive and significant effect on the level of financial literacy of employees at the Regional Secretariat Office of Nias Regency. Simultaneously, the factors age, gender, education and income have a 76.4% influence on the level of employee financial literacy, while the other 23.6% is influenced by other variables not included in the research.

In-house homologous recombination deficiency testing in ovarian cancer: a multi-institutional Italian pilot study

AimsPoly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors (PARPIs) represent a standard of care for the clinical management of high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). The recognition of homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) has emerged...

Ocular rosacea without facial erythema involvement manifesting as bilateral multiple recurrent chalazions: A case report

BACKGROUND In addition to the non-specific symptomatology of ocular rosacea, currently, there are no reliable diagnostic tests for the disease, which may lead to its misdiagnosis. Here, we report a case of ocular rosacea presenting with multiple recurrent chalazion on both eyelids. CASE SUMMARY A 63-year-old female patient presented with multiple chalazion and dry eyes in both eyes, with no facial erythema. Initial management done were application of steroid eye ointment on both eyelids, hot compresses, and eyelid margin cleaning; noting that there was no relief of symptoms. Surgical excision of the chalazion was done on both eyes, however, bilateral recurrence occurred post-operatively. The pathological studies showed infiltration of a small amount of fibrous tissue with many chronic inflammatory cells. Immunohistochemistry studies were positive for LL-37. Resolution of the chalazion occurred after oral administration of doxycycline and azithromycin. CONCLUSION Our findings show that ophthalmologists should recognize the ocular manifestations of skin diseases.

Biphasic Medium Using Nicotinamide for Detection of Pyrazinamide Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Reliable drug susceptibility testing of pyrazinamide (PZA) is technically difficult, since PZA activity is pH sensitive. The aim of this study was to evaluate a biphasic medium assay (BMA) for the reliable detection of PZA resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) using nicotinamide (NIC) as a surrogate for PZA and identifying the appropriate cut-off value for the assay. The PZA susceptibility of 122 multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) isolates and 39 drug-susceptible tuberculosis (DS-TB) isolates was examined using the BMA with NIC at four different concentrations (250, 500, 1000, and 2000 mg/L) and comparing the results with results from the BACTEC MGIT 960 reference method. Out of 122 MDR-TB isolates, 40 were identified as resistant by the BACTEC MGIT 960 system, of which 92.5% contained mutations within their pncA gene plus promoter region. A minimum inhibitory concentration of NIC ≥ 1000 mg/L was used as the cut-off concentration to define resistance in correlation with the MGIT 960 outcomes. NIC-BMA had a sensitivity of 90.91%, a specificity of 100%, and an accuracy of 97.52% compared with the MGIT 960 method. NIC-BMA is a promising assay to screen PZA resistance in microbiological laboratories without automation or advanced molecular instruments.

The Influence of Promotion and Sevice Facilities on Tourist Satisfaction on Punjabu Hill, Buntu Buangin Village, Pitu Riase District, Sidenreng Rappang Regency

This research aims to determinne and analyze “The Influence of Promotion and service Facilities on Tourist Satisfaction at Punjabu Hil, Buntu Buangin Village, Pitu Riase District, Sidenreng Rappang Regency”. The type of research used is a quantitative method. The data quw=estionnaire. The data analysis method uses are validity testing, reliability testing, classical assumption testing, multiple linear regression testing and hypothesis testing using SPSS version 26 analysis tools. Based on the results of research that has been conducted, it shows that the influence of promotions and services facilities has a positive effect on tourist satififactio. On Punjabu Hill, Buntu Buangin Village, Pitu Riase District, Sidenreng Rappang Regency. This is indicated by the calculated t value of 4.544 which is greater than the t table of 1.659 with a determination test of 0.462 with a positive relationship.

An observational study to evaluate the within-day reliability and concurrent validity of 2-minute walk test (2MWT) and 10-metere walk test (10MWT) in health individuals wearing a mask

Background Exercise tests are widely used to prescribe exercises for patients with cardiorespiratory conditions and assess impact of treatments. The 2-minute walk test (2MWT) and 10-metre walk test (10MWT) are common assessments of functional exercise capacity. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in people wearing masks (commonly surgical masks) to reduce infection. However, the validity and reliability of 2MWT and 10MWT wearing a mask is unknown and further research is required. Aim To assess the within-day reliability and concurrent validity of the 2MWT and 10MWT in healthy individuals wearing a surgical mask. Design and Setting Observational study, in a university setting Methods All participants completed three tests of 2MWT and 10MWT wearing a surgical mask (on one day) and one test without a mask (on a separate day) within one week. Oxygen saturation and heart rate were measured using pulse oximetry and the Borg scale assessed dyspnoea. Statistical analyses included: intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for within-day reliability of mask-wearing during three tests and Pearson’s coefficient for concurrent validity correlated tests with a surgical mask and without a mask (the gold standard). Results 15 people, mean (standard deviation) age 26 (2) years were included. The 2MWT and 10MWT (with mask) had excellent within-day reliability (ICC =0.823, 0.920 respectively). Both the 2MWT and 10MWT with and without a mask were highly correlated (r = 0.815, 0.943 respectively, p<0.01). Conclusions The results showed excellent within-day reliability and concurrent validity of 2MWT and 10MWT with a surgical mask in healthy individuals. Further research in clinical populations is needed.

Assessment of physical fitness among people over 60 years of age

Introduction: An ageing of population is becoming more and more common. With age, the functionality and efficiency of the body decreases. As a result, the time spent by seniors on physical activity is shortened and physical fitness decreases. For this reason, the physical fitness of seniors should be regularly checked and they should be encouraged to take up physical activity. There are many proven and reliable tests used to assess physical fitness. Materials and methods: The study group consisted of 40 people (31 women and 9 men), aged 60-78 years. The tests used in following study were: the SPPB questionnaire, handgrip strength test, and arm and calf circumference measurements. An attempt was made to find sociodemographic factors that could influence the level of physical fitness. It was checked whether physical fitness and physical activity depend on age, gender and BMI. It was checked how much time older people spend on physical activity during the day and week. The study confirmed that physical fitness decreases with age. Results: Tests and interviews have shown that people who spend more than 60 minutes a day on physical activity achieve higher scores on the SPPB questionnaire. These results were applicable to both women and men. Studies in a larger and more diverse population would need to be repeated in order to further confirm these results and draw more conclusions.

Psychometric validation of a patient-reported experience measure for older adults attending the emergency department: the PREM-ED 65 study

IntroductionOptimising emergency department (ED) patient experience is vital to ensure care quality. However, there are few validated instruments to measure the experiences of specific patient groups, including older adults. We...

Advances in diagnostic liquid-based cytology.

Liquid-based cytology (LBC) has changed the landscape of gynaecological cytology. A growing demand exists for LBC in diagnostic cytology, particularly for ancillary testing, such as immunocytochemistry and molecular testing. Ancillary testing solely based on conventional preparation (CP) methods remains challenging. Recently, the increased demand for specialist testing and minimally invasive techniques, such as endoscopic ultrasonography fine-needle aspiration, to obtain cellular samples has led to an increasing demand for ancillary testing on cytology LBC supernatant, slides and cell block (CB). This facilitates the diagnosis and prognosis in cytology samples enabling personalized treatment. An understanding of the history and future prospects of LBC is crucial for its application in routine diagnostics by cytopathologists and cytotechnologists. In this review, we initiated an internet search using the keyword 'liquid-based cytology', and we conducted a literature review to discuss the usefulness of combined diagnosis of LBC and CP, immunocytochemistry and molecular testing and assessed the quality of nucleic acids in diagnostic LBC. High-quality and cell-rich diagnostic LBC surpassed the CP method alone in terms of reliability and versatility of ancillary testing in cytological diagnosis. Conclusively, diagnostic LBC lends itself to various new technologies and is expected to continue evolving with innovations in the future.

A comparative evaluation of five phenotypic methods for identification of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae: a modified carbapenemase detection test.

Rapid detection of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) is urgently needed to prevent their spread in healthcare settings. Here, we have evaluated the performance of the phenotypic methods for detection of carbapenemase production directly from bacterial cultures. A total of 99 clinical and rectal Enterobacteriaceae isolates were included (81 carrying known carbapenemase-encoding genes and 18 without carbapenemase production). All isolates were subjected to the five phenotypic tests including in-house Carba NP (iCarba NP), modified-Carba NP, E-Test MBL, modified Hodge test (MHT), and commercial combination disk test. Test results were read at different time points for iCarba NP and modified-Carba (1 min, 5 min, 15 min, 1 h and 2 h). The sensitivity and specificity of the iCarba NP were 78.87% and 100%, respectively, whereas those of the modified-Carba NP test were 95.06% and 94.44%, respectively. False-negative results were detected in four OXA-48 isolates with the use of modified-Carba NP, whereas one non-carbapenemase isolate had false-positive results. The sensitivity/specificity was 91.30%/100% and 80.25%/83.33% for the E-Test MBL and MHT, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the aminophenylboronic acid synergy test were 100% and 97.94%, respectively, whereas those of the dipicolinic acid synergy test were 82.61% and 96.23%, respectively. Rapid, simple, and reliable methods are needed for laboratory detection of CPE isolates to improve the detection and surveillance of these clinically relevant pathogens in an epidemiological context. We conclude that the modified-Carba NP test can be one of the reliable tests for the prediction of carbapenemase-producing bacteria.IMPORTANCEThe emergence of carbapenem resistance among Gram-negative bacteria is a serious global health threat. Here, we investigate the performance of the five phenotypic assays against carbapenemase-producing and carbapenemase-non-producing Enterobacteriaceae. Accurate and rapid detection of CPE isolates is critically required for clinical management and treatment of infections caused by these organisms. Among the five evaluated phenotypic tests, the mCNP test presented the highest sensitivity (95.06%) and, therefore, can be considered the best test to be used as a screening phenotypic methodology.