An early assessment of silicone hydrogel safety : pearls and pitfalls, and current status

The contact lens industry has evolved and now provides many choices, including continuous wear, overnight orthokeratology, frequent-replacement lenses, daily-disposable lenses, and many alternatives in systems of care and maintenance. Epidemiologic studies to date have shown that how a lens is worn, particularly if worn overnight, can increase the risk of microbial keratitis. However, the risk of silicone hydrogel contact lenses worn on a continuous-wear basis has been evaluated only recently. This article summarizes the recent research data on extended-wear silicone hydrogel lenses and discusses the challenges of early evaluations of silicone hydrogel lens safety. Finally, the relevance of this information is discussed to practitioners and contact lens wearers making choices about the risks and benefits of different products and how they are used.

What factors influence nurses’ assessment practices? Development of the Barriers to Nurses’ use of Physical Assessment Scale

Aim To develop and psychometrically test the Barriers to Nurses’ use of Physical Assessment Scale. Background There is growing evidence of failure to recognise hospitalised patients at risk of clinical deterioration, in part due to inadequate physical assessment by nurses. Yet, little is known about the barriers to nurses’ use of physical assessment in the acute hospital setting and no validated scales have been published. Design Instrument development study. Method Scale development was based on a comprehensive literature review, focus groups, expert review and psychometric evaluation. The scale was administered to 434 acute care registered nurses working at a large Australian teaching hospital between June and July 2013. Psychometric analysis included factor analysis, model fit statistics and reliability testing. Results The final scale was reduced to 38 items representing seven factors, together accounting for 57.7% of the variance: (1) reliance on others and technology, (2) lack of time and interruptions, (3) ward culture, (4) lack of confidence, (5) lack of nursing role models, (6) lack of influence on patient care, and; (7) specialty area. Internal reliability ranged from .70 to .86. Conclusion Findings provide initial evidence for the validity and reliability of the Barriers to Nurses’ use of Physical Assessment Scale and point to the importance of understanding the organisational determinants of nurses’ assessment practices. The new scale has potential clinical and research applications to support nursing assessment in acute care settings.

Australasian nutrition research for prevention and management of child obesity : innovation and progress in the last decade

The Food and Nutrition stream of Australasian Child and Adolescent Obesity Research Network (ACAORN) aims to improve the quality of dietary methodologies and the reporting of dietary intake within Australasian child obesity research (http://www.acaorn.org.au/streams/nutrition/). With 2012 marking ACAORN’s 10th anniversary, this commentary profiles a selection of child obesity nutrition research published over the last decade by Food and Nutrition Stream members. In addition, stream activities have included the development of an online selection guide to assist researchers in their selection of appropriate dietary intake methodologies (http://www.acaorn.org.au/streams/nutrition/dietary-intake/index.php). The quantity and quality of research to guide effective child obesity prevention and treatment has increased substantially over the last decade. ACAORN provides a successful case study of how research networks can provide a collegial atmosphere to foster and co-ordinate research efforts in an otherwise competitive environment.

Nutrition screening and assessment in Parkinson's disease : a comparison of methods

Background & Aims Nutrition screening and assessment enable early identification of malnourished people and those at risk of malnutrition. Appropriate assessment tools assist with informing and monitoring nutrition interventions. Tool choice needs to be appropriate to the population and setting. Methods Community-dwelling people with Parkinson’s disease (>18 years) were recruited. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated from weight and height. Participants were classified as underweight according to World Health Organisation (WHO) (≤18.5kg/m2) and age specific (<65 years,≤18.5kg/m2; ≥65 years,≤23.5kg/m2) cut-offs. The Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) screening (MNA-SF) and total assessment scores were calculated. The Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA), including the Subjective Global Assessment (SGA), was performed. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and weighted kappa statistic of each of the above compared to SGA were determined. Results Median age of the 125 participants was 70.0(35-92) years. Age-specific BMI (Sn 68.4%, Sp 84.0%) performed better than WHO (Sn 15.8%, Sp 99.1%) categories. MNA-SF performed better (Sn 94.7%, Sp 78.3%) than both BMI categorisations for screening purposes. MNA had higher specificity but lower sensitivity than PG-SGA (MNA Sn 84.2%, Sp 87.7%; PG-SGA Sn 100.0%, Sp 69.8%). Conclusions BMI lacks sensitivity to identify malnourished people with Parkinson’s disease and should be used with caution. The MNA-SF may be a better screening tool in people with Parkinson’s disease. The PG-SGA performed well and may assist with informing and monitoring nutrition interventions. Further research should be conducted to validate screening and assessment tools in Parkinson’s disease.  

Ghost hunting with lollies, chess and Lego : appreciating the ‘messy’ complexity (and costs) of doing difficult research in education

This paper contributes to conversations about the funding and quality of education research. The paper proceeds in two parts. Part I sets the context by presenting an historical analysis of funding allocations made to Education research through the ARC’s Discovery projects scheme between the years 2002 and 2014, and compares these trends to allocations made to another field within the Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences assessment panel: Psychology and Cognitive Science. Part II highlights the consequences of underfunding education research by presenting evidence from an Australian Research Council Discovery project that is tracking the experiences of disaffected students who are referred to behaviour schools. The re-scoping decisions that became necessary and the incidental costs that accrue from complications that occur in the field are illustrated and discussed through vignettes of research with “ghosts” who don’t like school but who do like lollies, chess and Lego.

Analysis of distance learner value assessment of distance education in engineering

Numerous research studies have evaluated whether distance learning is a viable alternative to traditional learning methods. These studies have generally made use of cross-sectional surveys for collecting data, comparing distance to traditional learners with intent to validate the former as a viable educational tool. Inherent fundamental differences between traditional and distance learning pedagogies, however, reduce the reliability of these comparative studies and constrain the validity of analyses resulting from this analytical approach. This article presents the results of a research project undertaken to analyze expectations and experiences of distance learners with their degree programs. Students were given surveys designed to examine factors expected to affect their overall value assessment of their distance learning program. Multivariate statistical analyses were used to analyze the correlations among variables of interest to support hypothesized relationships among them. Focusing on distance learners overcomes some of the limitations with assessments that compare off- and on-campus student experiences. Evaluation and modeling of distance learner responses on perceived value for money of the distance education they received indicate that the two most important influences are course communication requirements, which had a negative effect, and course logistical simplicity, which revealed a positive effect. Combined, these two factors accounted for approximately 47% of the variability in perceived value for money of the educational program of sampled students. A detailed focus on comparing expectations with outcomes of distance learners complements the existing literature dominated by comparative studies of distance and nondistance learners.

Transforming assessment practices

This research project produced a number of resources to assist faculties in reviewing their assessment practices. These resources include an Evidence of Learning Matrix, Assessment Review Flowchart and Action Plan. In completing a review of assessment practices, this would then inform a curriculum review or retreat.

From impact assessment to user-friendly risk management decision-making

In earlier cultures and societies, hazards and risks to human health were dealt with by methods derived from myth, metaphor and ritual. In modem society however, notions of hazard and risk have been transformed from the level of a folk discourse to that of an expert centred concept (Plough & Krimsky, 1987). With the professionalization of risk and hazard analysis came a preferred framework for decision making based on a range of 'technical' methodologies (Giere, 1991 ). This is especially true for decision processes relating to risk assessment and management, and impact assessment. Such approaches however, often entail narrow technical-based theoretical assumptions about human behaviour and the natural world, and the· methods used. They therefore carry 'in-built' error factors that contribute considerable uncertainty to the results.

Blast response and vulnerability assessment of piled foundations

This research treated the response of pile foundations to blast loads. The influence of important parameters was investigated. The research techniques and the results will enable safer design of pile foundations that are vulnerable to blast loads.

Development of a dose assessment tool for the auditing of radiotherapy treatment dosimetric quality

The reporting and auditing of patient dose is an important component of radiotherapy quality assurance. The manual extraction of dose-volume metrics is time consuming and undesirable when auditing the dosimetric quality of a large cohort of patient plans. A dose assessment application was written to overcome this, allowing the calculation of various dose-volume metrics for large numbers of plans exported from treatment planning systems. This application expanded on the DICOM-handling functionality of the MCDTK software suite. The software extracts dose values in the volume of interest by using a ray casting point-in-polygon algorithm, where the polygons have been defined by the contours in the RTSTRUCT file...

Conducting accelerometer-based activity assessments in field-based research

Purpose The purpose of this review is to address important methodological issues related to conducting accelerometer-based assessments of physical activity in free-living individuals. Methods We review the extant scientific literature for empirical information related to the following issues: product selection, number of accelerometers needed, placement of accelerometers, epoch length, and days of monitoring required to estimate habitual physical activity. We also discuss the various options related to distributing and collecting monitors and strategies to enhance compliance with the monitoring protocol. Results No definitive evidence exists currently to indicate that one make and model of accelerometer is more valid and reliable than another. Selection of accelerometer therefore remains primarily an issue of practicality, technical support, and comparability with other studies. Studies employing multiple accelerometers to estimate energy expenditure report only marginal improvements in explanatory power. Accelerometers are best placed on hip or the lower back. Although the issue of epoch length has not been studied in adults, the use of count cut points based on 1-min time intervals maybe inappropriate in children and may result in underestimation of physical activity. Among adults, 3–5 d of monitoring is required to reliably estimate habitual physical activity. Among children and adolescents, the number of monitoring days required ranges from 4 to 9 d, making it difficult to draw a definitive conclusion for this population. Face-to-face distribution and collection of accelerometers is probably the best option in field-based research, but delivery and return by express carrier or registered mail is a viable option. Conclusion Accelerometer-based activity assessments requires careful planning and the use of appropriate strategies to increase compliance.

Assessment of driving-related performance in chronic whiplash using an advanced driving simulator

Driving is often nominated as problematic by individuals with chronic whiplash associated disorders (WAD), yet driving-related performance has not been evaluated objectively. The purpose of this study was to test driving-related performance in persons with chronic WAD against healthy controls of similar age, gender and driving experience to determine if driving-related performance in the WAD group was sufficiently impaired to recommend fitness to drive assessment. Driving-related performance was assessed using an advanced driving simulator during three driving scenarios; freeway, residential and a central business district (CBD). Total driving duration was approximately 15 min. Five driving tasks which could cause a collision (critical events) were included in the scenarios. In addition, the effect of divided attention (identify red dots projected onto side or rear view mirrors) was assessed three times in each scenario. Driving performance was measured using the simulator performance index (SPI) which is calculated from 12 measures. z-Scores for all SPI measures were calculated for each WAD subject based on mean values of the control subjects. The z-scores were then averaged for the WAD group. A z-score of ≤−2 indicated a driving failing grade in the simulator. The number of collisions over the five critical events was compared between the WAD and control groups as was reaction time and missed response ratio in identifying the red dots. Seventeen WAD and 26 control subjects commenced the driving assessment. Demographic data were comparable between the groups. All subjects completed the freeway scenario but four withdrew during the residential and eight during the CBD scenario because of motion sickness. All scenarios were completed by 14 WAD and 17 control subjects. Mean z-scores for the SPI over the three scenarios was statistically lower in the WAD group (−0.3 ± 0.3; P < 0.05) but the score was not below the cut-off point for safe driving. There were no differences in the reaction time and missed response ratio in divided attention tasks between the groups (All P > 0.05). Assessment of driving in an advanced driving simulator for approximately 15 min revealed that driving-related performance in chronic WAD was not sufficiently impaired to recommend the need for fitness to drive assessment.

Relevation! : an open source system for information retrieval relevance assessment

Relevation! is a system for performing relevance judgements for information retrieval evaluation. Relevation! is web-based, fully configurable and expandable; it allows researchers to effectively collect assessments and additional qualitative data. The system is easily deployed allowing assessors to smoothly perform their relevance judging tasks, even remotely. Relevation! is available as an open source project at: http://ielab.github.io/relevation.

Agent-based modelling simulation case study : assessment of airport check-in and evacuation process by considering group travel behaviour of air passengers

Passenger experience has become a major factor that influences the success of an airport. In this context, passenger flow simulation has been used in designing and managing airports. However, most passenger flow simulations failed to consider the group dynamics when developing passenger flow models. In this paper, an agent-based model is presented to simulate passenger behaviour at the airport check-in and evacuation process. The simulation results show that the passenger behaviour can have significant influences on the performance and utilisation of services in airport terminals. The model was created using AnyLogic software and its parameters were initialised using recent research data published in the literature.