Frontonasal dysplasia: clinical evaluation on audiological and brainstem electrophysiological profiles

Frontonasal dysplasia (FND) is a rare malformative complex affecting the frontal portion of the face, the eyes and the nose; it may occur singly or associated with other clinical signs. No systematic studies describing hearing in this condition were found. AIM: To evaluate hearing sensitivity and sound stimulus conduction from cochlea to brainstem in patients with clinical signs of FND. METHODS: 21 patients with isolated or syndromic FND were submitted to a clinical (otological/vestibular antecedents and otoscopy) and instrumental (pure tone and speech audiometry, tympanometry and brainstem auditory evoked response) hearing evaluation. DESIGN: A clinical, cross-sectional observational prospective study. RESULTS: Hearing thresholds were normal in 15 (70%) patients, abnormal in 5 (25%), mostly with conductive hearing loss; one patient did not cooperate with testing. The tympanometric curve was type A in 30 (72%) ears, type C in 5 (12%), type As in 4 (9%) and type B in 3 (7%). The auditory brainstem response (ABR) showed no abnormalities. CONCLUSION: Patients with FND showed no abnormalities in the auditory system from cochlea to brainstem in this study. Mild conductive hearing loss found in some is probably related to cleft palate. Further evaluation of hearing pathways at higher levels is recommended.

Effects of a health advocacy program to promote physical activity and nutrition behaviors among adolescents: An evaluation of the Young Leaders for Healthy Change program

Background. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of the Young Leaders for Healthy Change program, an internet-delivered program in the school setting that emphasized health advocacy skills-development, on nutrition and physical activity behaviors among older adolescents (13–18 years). The program consisted of online curricular modules, training modules, social media, peer and parental support, and a community service project. Module content was developed based on Social Cognitive Theory and known determinants of behavior for older adolescents. ^ Methods. Of the 283 students who participated in the fall 2011 YL program, 38 students participated in at least ten of the 12 weeks and were eligible for this study. This study used a single group-only pretest/posttest evaluation design. Participants were 68% female, 58% white/Caucasian, 74% 10th or 11th graders, and 89% mostly A and/or B students. The primary behavioral outcomes for this analysis were participation in 60-minutes of physical activity per day, 20-minutes of vigorous- or moderate- intensity physical activity (MVPA) participation per day, television and computer time, fruit and vegetable (FV) intake, sugar-sweetened beverage intake, and consumption of breakfast, home-cooked meals, and fast food. Other outcomes included knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes related to healthy eating, physical activity, and advocacy skills. ^ Findings. Among the 38 participants, no significant changes in any variables were observed. However, among those who did not previously meet behavioral goals there was an 89% increase in students who participated in more than 20 minutes of MVPA per day and a 58% increase in students who ate home-cooked meals 5–7 days per week. The majority of participants met program goals related to knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes prior to the start of the program. Participants reported either maintaining or improving to the goal at posttest for all items except FV intake knowledge, taste and affordability of healthy foods, interest in teaching others about being healthy, and ease of finding ways to advocate in the community. ^ Conclusions. The results of this evaluation indicated that promoting healthy behaviors requires different strategies than maintaining healthy behaviors among high school students. In the school setting, programs need to target the promotion and maintenance of health behaviors to engage all students who participate in the program as part of a class or club activity. Tailoring the program using screening and modifying strategies to meet the needs of all students may increase the potential reach of the program. The Transtheoretical Model may provide information on how to develop a tailored program. Additional research on how to utilize the constructs of TTM effectively among high school students needs to be conducted. Further evaluation studies should employ a more expansive evaluation to assess the long-term effectiveness of health advocacy programming.^

Evaluation forum /

"A review journal for employment and training professionals focusing on policy analysis and evaluation research in education, occupational training, work and welfare, and economic development."

Evaluation of a Post Discharge Intervention on 30-Day Re-admission and Emergency Room Use in Patients with Diabetes A Pilot Program

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Evaluating impact of clinical guidelines using a realist evaluation framework

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The Remote Primary Health Care Manuals (RPHCM) project team manages the development and publication of clinical protocols and procedures for primary care clinicians practicing in remote Australia. The Central Australian Rural Practitioners Association Standard Treatment Manual, the flagship manual of the RPHCM suite, has been evaluated for accessibility and acceptability in remote clinics three times in its 20-year history. These evaluations did not consider a theory-based framework or a programme theory, resulting in some limitations with the evaluation findings. With the RPHCM having an aim of enabling evidence-based practice in remote clinics and anecdotally reported to do so, testing this empirically for the full suite is vital for both stakeholders and future editions of the RPHCM. METHODS: The project team utilized a realist evaluation framework to assess how, why and for what the RPHCM were being used by remote practitioners. A theory regarding the circumstances in which the manuals have and have not enabled evidence-based practice in the remote clinical context was tested. The project assessed this theory for all the manuals in the RPHCM suite, across government and aboriginal community-controlled clinics, in three regions of Australia. CONCLUSION: Implementing a realist evaluation framework to generate robust findings in this context has required innovation in the evaluation design and adaptation by researchers. This article captures the RPHCM team's experience in designing this evaluation.

L’efficacité contestée du recours aux agents de santé communautaires pour la prise en charge du paludisme : évaluation du programme burkinabé dans les districts de Kaya et de Zorgho

Contexte. Le paludisme provoque annuellement le décès d’environ 25 000 enfants de moins de cinq ans au Burkina Faso. Afin d’améliorer un accès rapide à des traitements efficaces, les autorités burkinabées ont introduit en 2010 la prise en charge du paludisme par les agents de santé communautaires (ASC). Alors que son efficacité a été démontrée dans des études contrôlées, très peu d’études ont évalué cette stratégie implantée dans des conditions naturelles et à l’échelle nationale. Objectif. L’objectif central de cette thèse est d’évaluer, dans des conditions réelles d’implantation, les effets du programme burkinabé de prise en charge communautaire du paludisme sur le recours aux soins des enfants fébriles. Les objectifs spécifiques sont : (1) de sonder les perceptions des ASC à l’égard du programme et explorer les facteurs contextuels susceptibles d’affecter leur performance ; (2) d’estimer le recours aux ASC par les enfants fébriles et identifier ses déterminants ; (3) de mesurer, auprès des enfants fébriles, le changement des pratiques de recours aux soins induit par l’introduction d’une intervention concomitante – la gratuité des soins dans les centres de santé. Méthodes. L’étude a été conduite dans deux districts sanitaires similaires, Kaya et Zorgho. Le devis d’évaluation combine des volets qualitatifs et quantitatifs. Des entrevues ont été menées avec tous les ASC de la zone à l’étude (N=27). Des enquêtes ont été répétées annuellement entre 2011 et 2013 auprès de 3002 ménages sélectionnés aléatoirement. Les pratiques de recours aux soins de tous les enfants de moins de cinq ans ayant connu un récent épisode de maladie ont été étudiées (N2011=707 ; N2012=787 ; N2013=831). Résultats. Les résultats montrent que le recours aux ASC est très modeste en comparaison de précédentes études réalisées dans des milieux contrôlés. Des obstacles liés à l’implantation du programme de prise en charge communautaire du paludisme ont été identifiés ainsi qu’un défaut de faisabilité dans les milieux urbains. Enfin, l’efficacité du programme communautaire a été négativement affectée par l’introduction de la gratuité dans les centres de santé. Conclusion. La prise en charge communautaire du paludisme rencontre au Burkina Faso des obstacles importants de faisabilité et d’implantation qui compromettent son efficacité potentielle pour réduire la mortalité infantile. Le manque de coordination entre le programme et des interventions locales concomitantes peut générer des effets néfastes et inattendus.

Preliminary investigations into triazole derived androgen receptor antagonists

A range of 1,4-substituted-1,2,3-N-phenyltriazoles were synthesized and evaluated as non-steroidal androgen receptor (AR) antagonists. The motivation for this study was to replace the N-phenyl amide portion of small molecule antiandrogens with a 1,2,3-triazole and determine effects, if any, on biological activity. The synthetic methodology presented herein is robust, high yielding and extremely rapid. Using this methodology a series of 17 N-aryl triazoles were synthesized from commercially available starting materials in less than 3h. After preliminary biological screening at 20 and 40 μM, the most promising three compounds were found to display IC50 values of 40-50 μM against androgen dependent (LNCaP) cells and serve as a starting point for further structure-activity investigations. All compounds in this work were the focus of an in silico study to dock the compounds into the human androgen receptor ligand binding domain (hARLBD) and compare their predicted binding affinity with known antiandrogens. A comparison of receptor-ligand interactions for the wild type and T877A mutant AR revealed two novel polar interactions. One with Q738 of the wild type site and the second with the mutated A877 residue.

Concepção da avaliação da educação superior nas constituições e demais normas do período de 1961 a 2007

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Pedagogical quality in e-learning

The article is concerned with design and use of e-learning technology to develop education qualitatively. The purpose is to develop a framework for a pedagogical evaluation of e-learning technology. The approach is that evaluation and design must be grounded in a learning theoretical approach, and it is argued that it is necessary to make a reflection of technology in relation to activities, learning principles, and a learning theory in order to qualitatively develop education. The article presents three frameworks developed on the basis of cognitivism, radical constructivism and activity theory. Finally, on the basis of the frameworks, the article discusses e-learning technology and, more specifically, design of virtual learning environments and learning objects. It is argued that e-learning technology is not pedagogically neutral, and that it is therefore necessary to focus on design of technology that explicitly supports a certain pedagogical approach. Further, it is argued that design should direct its focus away from organisation of content and towards design of activities.

Effectiveness of a nutrition education program for women in a residential program after incarceration

Background: The number of incarcerated women has increased dramatically over the past two decades. During their stay in prison, the medical and nutritional needs of these women are frequently ignored. Overweight or obesity related to poor dietary habits and low-income status are important risk factors for health inequities. Women in this population are at risk for dietary-related chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. This is an indication that there is a need for nutrition education in this population. ^ Purpose: The purpose of this study was to provide an evidence-based nutrition education program at a facility for previously incarcerated women in Downtown Houston, Texas (Brigid's Hope). This nutrition education program focused on promoting better health and prevention of chronic diseases by increasing fruit and vegetable (FV) intake and healthy eating on a limited budget. Constructs such as knowledge, skills, self-efficacy, and perceived barriers were evaluated as well as acceptability, feasibility, and sustainability of the program. ^ Methods: The Hope for Health Nutrition Education Program occurred in four weekly sessions at Brigid's Hope. The evaluation design was a one-group quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-test measures. Identical pre- and post-tests were administered before and after the intervention. A total of 11 residents and 2 staff members participated in the study. Results: After four nutrition education sessions, post-tests revealed an overall increase in knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy scores, and decrease in perceived barrier scores towards FV consumption. Changes in skills, self-efficacy, and perceived barriers scores were found to be statistically significant. Participant satisfaction surveys revealed overall high satisfaction of the program and that continuing the program in the future would be possible with support from staff member and mentors. ^ Conclusions: Results from this study show that a nutrition education program can have positive effects towards knowledge, skills, self-efficacy, and perceived barriers towards FV consumption for previously incarcerated women. The high satisfaction for this program shows that a health promotion program with focus on diet and nutrition can play an important role in helping this unique population of women re-enter society.^

Proyecto básico de explotación de un yacimiento precámbrico de fosfato

El proyecto se centra en la caracterización, evaluación, diseño de la explotación y tratamiento de un yacimiento de fosfato precámbrico cristalizado. Este se desarrolla a partir de los datos obtenidos de la prospección minera del mismo realizada anteriormente. Esto condujo a la evaluación mediante modelo de bloques y el diseño de explotación por el método de cielo abierto. El diseño de la planta de tratamiento se basó en estudios mineralúrgicos y de recuperación, incluyendo el cálculo del relleno de las cámaras con pasta y el vertido de estériles necesario. Completado con el plan de restauración cierre y abandono de la explotación. ABSTRACT The project focuses on the characterization, evaluation, design of mining operation and processing plant of precambrian phosphate deposit. This is developed from data obtained from the mineral exploration undertaken previously. This led to the evaluation by the block model designing and operating by open pit method. The design of the treatment plant was based on mineralurgy studies and mineral recovery, including the calculation of filled labors with pasta and sterile deposit necessary. Completed with the restoration, close and abandonment plan of the mine.

Investigating microphone efficacy for facilitation of mobile speech-based data entry

Despite being nominated as a key potential interaction technique for supporting today's mobile technology user, the widespread commercialisation of speech-based input is currently being impeded by unacceptable recognition error rates. Developing effective speech-based solutions for use in mobile contexts, given the varying extent of background noise, is challenging. The research presented in this paper is part of an ongoing investigation into how best to incorporate speechbased input within mobile data collection applications. Specifically, this paper reports on a comparison of three different commercially available microphones in terms of their efficacy to facilitate mobile, speech-based data entry. We describe, in detail, our novel evaluation design as well as the results we obtained.

Multimodal field data entry:performance and usability issues

Mobile technologies have yet to be widely adopted by the Architectural, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry despite being one of the major growth areas in computing in recent years. This lack of uptake in the AEC industry is likely due, in large part, to the combination of small screen size and inappropriate interaction demands of current mobile technologies. This paper discusses the scope for multimodal interaction design with a specific focus on speech-based interaction to enhance the suitability of mobile technology use within the AEC industry by broadening the field data input capabilities of such technologies. To investigate the appropriateness of using multimodal technology for field data collection in the AEC industry, we have developed a prototype Multimodal Field Data Entry (MFDE) application. This application, which allows concrete testing technicians to record quality control data in the field, has been designed to support two different modalities of data input speech-based data entry and stylus-based data entry. To compare the effectiveness or usability of, and user preference for, the different input options, we have designed a comprehensive lab-based evaluation of the application. To appropriately reflect the anticipated context of use within the study design, careful consideration had to be given to the key elements of a construction site that would potentially influence a test technician's ability to use the input techniques. These considerations and the resultant evaluation design are discussed in detail in this paper.

Gestão de três equipas por parte do(a) treinador(a) : relatório de estágio em futebol realizado na Sociedade União 1º Dezembro, Campeonato Distrital de Juniores C da 2ª Divisão, série 7

O Futebol é a forma de desporto mais popular no Mundo, sendo praticado em todas as Nações (Reilly, 2003). Em Portugal, nenhum outro desporto atrai tantos adeptos como o Futebol. É este o desporto que movimenta mais paixões e mais dinheiro. O seu poder e influência são cada vez maiores, sendo já considerado uma importante referência do setor económico, social e cultural (Santos, 2011). E uma verdade é inegável: o Futebol joga-se praticamente em todo o lado (Ramos, 2002). O estágio profissionalizante propõe um trabalho de planeamento, intervenção e reflexão da prática profissional diária de um(a) Treinador(a) de Futebol, que vive confrontado com a necessidade constante de encontrar soluções para os mais variados problemas, com que se depara regularmente no exercício da sua profissão. O estágio foi realizado na Sociedade União 1ºDezembro no escalão de Iniciados B, arcando a signatária, pela primeira vez na carreira, a função de Treinadora Principal. Esta Equipa B competiu no Campeonato Distrital de Juniores “C” da 2ª Divisão na série 7 e no Torneio Extraordinário. O documento segue a exposição de toda a atividade desenvolvida ao longo do estágio.