Internal validity of the Swedish Maternal Health Care Register

Background: The Swedish Maternal Health Care Register (MHCR) is a national quality register that has been collecting pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum data since 1999. A substantial revision of the MHCR resulted in a Web-based version of the register in 2010. Although MHCR provides data for health care services and research, the validity of the MHCR data has not been evaluated. This study investigated degree of coverage and internal validity of specific variables in the MHCR and identified possible systematic errors. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study compared pregnancy and delivery data in medical records with corresponding data in the MHCR. The medical record was considered the gold standard. The medical records from nine Swedish hospitals were selected for data extraction. This study compared data from 878 women registered in both medical records and in the MHCR. To evaluate the quality of the initial data extraction, a second data extraction of 150 medical records was performed. Statistical analyses were performed for degree of coverage, agreement and correlation of data, and sensitivity and specificity. Results: Degree of coverage of specified variables in the MHCR varied from 90.0% to 100%. Identical information in both medical records and the MHCR ranged from 71.4% to 99.7%. For more than half of the investigated variables, 95% or more of the information was identical. Sensitivity and specificity were analysed for binary variables. Probable systematic errors were identified for two variables. Conclusions: When comparing data from medical records and data registered in the MHCR, most variables in the MHCR demonstrated good to very good degree of coverage, agreement, and internal validity. Hence, data from the MHCR may be regarded as reliable for research as well as for evaluating, planning, and decision-making with respect to Swedish maternal health care services.

The role of internal audit in corporate governance and management

This research report is based on a study undertaken in Australia, and aims to evaluate the role of internal audit in corporate governance and management. It identifies the accountability structures and objectives of internal audit, considers the nature of internal audit functions and the extent of application of The Institute of Internal Auditors Standards of Professional Practice, reviews the relationships of the chief audit executives (CAEs) and assesses the nature of financial report risks and other issues covered by internal auditors. The research findings include a diversity of accountability structures for CAEs and a range of internal audit activities, with the application of the IIA Standards being in need of improvement. In conclusion, the researchers make recommendations for improvements in practice to be considered by The Institute of Internal Auditors and other regulating and governing bodies.

Internal consistency and validity of the Stroke Impact Scale 2.0 (SIS 2.0) and SIS - 16 in an Australian sample

Background and Purpose: The impact of stroke is multidimensional however standard stroke measures do not discriminate well when stroke patients are less physically impaired. The Stroke Impact Scale 2.0 (SIS 2.0) is a multidimensional measure of the impact of stroke but its'' psychometric properties require further testing. The SIS-16 is a measure of physical functioning designed to be more sensitive to differences in physical functioning than current stroke outcome measures but there is only preliminary information detailing its'' reliability and validity. The current study examined the internal consistency and validity of the SIS 2.0 and SIS-16 in an Australian sample of stroke patients. Methods: The SIS 2.0, SIS-16, World Health Organization Bref-Scale (WHOQOL-BREF) and Zung''s Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) were completed by 74 stroke patients in rural Victoria, Australia.
Results: The item convergent validity index indicated good item convergence of the SIS-16 and SIS 2.0 domains. The item discriminant validity index had only adequate divergence for most SIS 2.0 domains. Internal consistencies of the SIS-16 and SIS 2.0 domains were acceptable (agr = 0.87–0.95). Correlations between the SIS-16 and SIS 2.0 and the WHOQOL-BREF and SDS supported the convergent and discriminant validity of the SIS-16 and all the dimensions of the SIS 2.0 except lsquoParticipationrsquo which lacked discriminant validity. Conclusions: The SIS 2.0 and SIS-16 had good psychometric properties with support for the internal consistency and validity of both measures.

Internal structure and pigment granules in colored alpaca fibers

Alpaca fibers have some distinct properties such as softness and warmth, which have not been fully understood in combination with the fiber internal structures. In the present investigation, the internal structures of alpaca fibers have been closely examined under the scanning electron microscope (SEM), especially in the longitudinal direction. The results showed that numerous pigment granules reside loosely inside pockets in brown and dark-brown alpaca fibers. These pigment granules were mainly distributed inside the cortical cells, the medullation regions as well as underneath the cuticles. Their size in the brown alpaca fibers was smaller and more uniformly round than in the dark-brown fibers. These granules in colored alpaca fibers loosen the bundle of cortical cells, providing many crannies in the fibers which may contribute to the superior flexibility, warmth and softness of the fibers. Moreover, there are no heavy metal elements found in the granules. The mordant hydrogen peroxide bleaching employed could eliminate the pigment granules and create many nano-volumes for further dyeing of fibers into more attractive colors.

Surface morphologies and internal fine structures of bast fibers

Fiber surface morphologies and associated internal structures are closely related to its properties. Unlike other fibers including cotton, bast fibers possess transverse nodes and fissures in cross-sectional and longitudinal directions. Their morphologies and associated internal structures were anatomically examined under the scanning electron microscope. The results showed that the morphologies of the nodes and the fissures of bast fibers varied depending on the construction of the inner fibril cellular layers. The transverse nodes and fissures were formed by the folding and spiralling of the cellular layers during plant growth. The dimensions of nodes and fissures were determined by the dislocations of the cellular layers. There were also many longitudinal fissures in bast fibers. Some deep longitudinal fissures even opened the fiber lumen for a short way along the fiber. In addition, the lumen channel of the bast fibers could be disturbed or disrupted by the nodes and the spirals of the internal cellular layers. The existence of the transverse nodes and fissures in the bast fibers could degrade the fiber mechanical properties, whereas the longitudinal fissures may contribute to the very rapid moisture absorption and desorption.

Comparing external and internal dorsal-spine bands to interpret the age and growth of the giant lantern shark, Etmopterus baxteri (Squaliformes: Etmopteridae)

The giant lantern shark, Etmopterus baxteri, is taken as bycatch of commercial fisheries that operate in deepwater off southeastern Australia. Bands on the second dorsal spine were used to obtain age estimates. The number of bands on the external surface of the spine and within the inner dentine layer increased with animal length. Most spines had more bands on the external surface, and the rate of band formation was significantly different between the external surface and the inner dentine layer. Females had a maximum of 57 external bands and 26 internal bands, while males had up to 48 external bands and 22 internal bands. Age estimates from external bands suggest maturity (A ₅₀) at 20 years for males and 30 years for females. Internal band age estimates suggest maturity at 10.5 years for males and 11.5 years for females. Although there is a large discrepancy between these two preliminary (i.e., unvalidated) age estimates, they both suggest that E. baxteri is a long-lived and late maturing species that is likely to be susceptible to over fishing.

Who thinks I need a perfect body? Perceptions and internal dialogue among adolescents about their bodies

The main aim of this study was to provide a detailed examination of the nature of the messages that adolescent boys and girls receive about their bodies. Forty adolescent boys and 40 adolescent girls participated in an in-depth interview to gain an understanding of the range of potential ‘sources’ of body-related messages. Messages were organized around the source of these messages (self, mother, father, brother, sister, female friends, male friends, media). There were consistent gender differences in the way that adolescents received and interpreted messages about their bodies. Overall girls received more positive and more negative messages than boys did. Boys reported having received virtually no negative messages from most people. The content of internal dialogue among adolescents revealed that messages about the body could be interpreted, distorted, and deflected. The implications of these findings for preventing body image-related problems and disordered eating among adolescents are discussed.

Investigation of effective material properties in composites with internal defect or reinforcement particles

This paper is concerned with the investigation of the effective material properties of internally defective or particle-reinforced composites. An analysis was carried out with a novel method using the two-dimensional special finite element method mixing the concept of equivalent homogeneous materials. A formulation has been developed for a series of special finite elements containing an internal defect or reinforcement in order to assure the high accuracy especially in the vicinity of defects or reinforcements. The adoption of the special finite element can greatly simplify numerical modeling of particle-composites. The numerical result provides the effective material properties of particle-reinforced composite and explains that the size of particles has great influence on the material properties. Numerical examples also demonstrate the validity and versatility of the proposed method by comparing with existing results from literatures.

Internal social performance motivators

The growth in research and writing on social reporting over recent years has seen an overwhelming focus on the external reporting of social performance measures. A remaining gap in our knowledge relates to what motivates managers to make socially aware decisions. This project identified relevant factors that guide decision-making in a firm that publishes audited social responsibility reports.

Applying external solutions to organizational development : elearning as a platform for internal growth

Innovations in technology have facilitated eLearning process development, bringing significant impact into education. eLearning is not simply putting study materials online on the Web, nor is it a substitute for traditional classroom teaching (KPMG, 2002). Businesses worldwide have been using eLearning as a facilitator in organisational development through knowledge sharing, especially in the area of web based training and project management. eLearning has also become a large area of potential business for many organisations. In this study, we explore how eLearning has helped an organisation based in India – Tata Interactive Systems (part of TATA conglomerate), which provides eLearning solutions for businesses locally and globally. In this single case study, we explored how the organisation has not only utilised eLearning as an internal development process, but also successfully converted this learning into business opportunities for itself. To study the development process, we have applied the process theories of Van De Ven and Poole (1995).

Differences in the role of market research and internal CRM according to strategy type

The traditional or conventional role of market research is one of enabling marketing managers to make informed decisions about key strategic issues and likewise reduce chances of poor strategic decisions. (Hamlin, 2000; Raguragavan et al., 2000) Yet recent literature suggests marketing research is becoming marginalized in supporting strategic decisionmaking. (Weber, 2001) In addition internal CRM is emerging as a viable source of aggregated customer intelligence (Malhotra and Peterson, 2001). Very few studies have explored the contingent role business strategy may have in explaining either the changing role of market research or the emergence of internal CRM systems. This study involved a cross-industry postal survey of 240 Australian marketing managers. One contribution of this study was to find market research having a greater role in supporting productivity and political outcomes for Prospector strategies when compared to both Defender and Analyzer strategies. The findings also showed Prospector strategies to have more sophisticated internal CRM systems than Defender strategies.

Differences between differentiators and cost leaders in market research and internal CRM usage

The Porter strategy types of Differentiation and Cost Leadership are put forward as strategies leading to competitive advantage (Porter 1980). These types have quite contrasting implementation guidelines in terms of human resources, organisational structure, job design decision-making process, control systems, and information systems. These internal contrasts suggest Differentiators and Cost Leaders require contrasting roles for market research and internal CRM systems. Very few studies have explored the contingent role business strategy may have in explaining contrasting roles in marketing information systems or market research.

This study involved a cross-industry postal survey of 240 Australian marketing managers. One contribution of this study was to find market research having quite different roles in supporting Marketing (i.e. brand) Differentiators compared to Product (i.e. innovative feature) Differentiators. Surprisingly only one market research role differed when comparing Cost Leaders with Marketing Differentiator strategies. A final contribution was to find that no one strategy having a greater reliance on internal CRM systems in supporting decisionmaking.