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Background: Colorectal cancer screening by fecal occult blood testing has been an important public health test and shown to reduce colorectal cancer-related mortality. However, the low participation rate in colorectal cancer screening by the general public remains a problematic public health issue. This fact could be attributed to the complex and unpleasant operation of the screening tool.Objective: This study aimed to validate a novel toilet paper-based point-of-care test (ie, JustWipe) as a public health instrument to detect fecal occult blood and provide detailed results from the evaluation of the analytic characteristics in the clinical validation.Methods: The mechanism of fecal specimen collection by the toilet-paper device was verified with repeatability and reproducibility tests. We also evaluated the analytical characteristics of the test reagents. For clinical validation, we conducted comparisons between JustWipe and other fecal occult blood tests. The first comparison was between JustWipe and typical fecal occult blood testing in a central laboratory setting with 70 fecal specimens from the hospital. For the second comparison, a total of 58 volunteers were recruited, and JustWipe was compared with the commercially available Hemoccult SENSA in a point-of-care setting.Results: Adequate amounts of fecal specimens were collected using the toilet-paper device with small day-to-day and person-to-person variations. The limit of detection of the test reagent was evaluated to be 3.75 µg of hemoglobin per milliliter of reagent. Moreover, the test reagent also showed high repeatability (100%) on different days and high reproducibility (>96%) among different users. The overall agreement between JustWipe and a typical fecal occult blood test in a central laboratory setting was 82.9%. In the setting of point-of-care tests, the overall agreement between JustWipe and Hemoccult SENSA was 89.7%. Moreover, the usability questionnaire showed that the novel test tool had high scores in operation friendliness (87.3/100), ease of reading results (97.4/100), and information usefulness (96.1/100).Conclusions: We developed and validated a toilet paper-based fecal occult blood test for use as a point-of-care test for the rapid (in 60 seconds) and easy testing of fecal occult blood. These favorable characteristics render it a promising tool for colorectal cancer screening as a public health instrument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Electronic data collection is increasingly being used for discrete choice experiments (DCEs).Objectives: To study whether paper or electronic administration results in measurement effects.Methods: Respondents were drawn from the same sample frame (an Internet panel) and completed a nearly identical DCE survey either online or on paper during the same period. A DCE on preferences for basic health insurance served as a case study. We used panel mixed logit models for the analysis.Results: In total, 898 respondents completed the survey: 533 respondents completed the survey online, whereas 365 respondents returned the paper survey. There were no significant differences with respect to sociodemographic characteristics between the respondents in both samples. The median response time was shorter for the online sample than for the paper sample, and a smaller proportion of respondents from the online sample were satisfied with the number of choice sets. Although some willingness- to-pay estimates were higher for the online sample, the elicited preferences for basic health insurance characteristics were similar between both modes of administration.Conclusions: We find no indication that online surveys yield inferior results compared with paper-based surveys, whereas the price per respondent is lower for online surveys. Researchers might want to include fewer choice sets per respondent when collecting DCE data online. Because our findings are based on a nonrandomized DCE that covers one health domain only, research in other domains is needed to support our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The collection of subgingival plaque samples with paper points is time-consuming and accident-sensitive. However, the collection of saliva is simple and contains pathogens of all intraoral surfaces. The aim of this study is to investigate whether a sampling strategy with mouthrinse (mouthrinse sample [MSP]; test) leads to results comparable with standard sampling method (multiple site test from the deepest pocket of each quadrant [MT4]; control).Methods: In 50 patients with periodontitis, subgingival plaque was sampled from the deepest pocket of each quadrant by using paper points and by gaining saliva with saline mouthrinse. Analysis was performed using a commercially available polymerase chain reaction test for 11 periodontal pathogens.Results: Detection frequency of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (MT4/MSP: 42%/36%), Porphyromonas gingivalis (78%/66%), Tannerella forsythia (98%/84%), Treponema denticola (94%/74%), Parvimonas micra (86%/62%), Campylobacter rectus (90%/76%), Eubacterium nodatum (64%/30%), Prevotella intermedia (58%/54%), and Eikenella corrodens (90%/82%) was higher with MT4 than MSP. For Fusobacterium nucleatum (100%/100%), there was no difference between test and control. Only detection frequency of Capnocytophaga species (68%/74%) was higher with MSP than MT4. Differences were significant for P. gingivalis, T. forsythia, T. denticola, P. micra, C. rectus, and E. nodatum.Conclusions: There is no significant difference between MT4 and MSP for detection frequency of key pathogen A. actinomycetemcomitans. Key pathogens P. gingivalis, T. forsythia, T. denticola, P. micra, C. rectus, and E. nodatum show statistically higher detection frequencies with MT4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opinions about the importance of various measures of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis gathered from a survey of 20% of British rheumatologists showed a wide diversity for all clinical variables. 'Paper patients' have been developed as a method of investigating actual clinical decisions rather than expressed opinions. Assessments based on 'paper patients' correlate highly (r = +0.901) with those made on the equivalent real patients when seen in person. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this article, the author echoes his co-author's and colleague's pleasure (Hill, this issue) at the thoughtfulness and far-ranging nature of the comments to their initial attempts at test validation for the mathematical knowledge for teaching (MKT) measures using the validity argument approach. Because of the large number of commentaries they have received, it is impossible to address fully all the points and observations raised in the commentaries. Moreover, the necessity to provide a timely response precludes giving the sort of detailed response that each commentator's unique insights warrant. Rather the author selectively uses the points raised to help illustrate important points not addressed in their original papers, points that were unclear, or points brought into sharper focus due to the insightful nature of the commentaries. The key points are as follows: (1) Their belief in the utility of the validity argument approach, their agreement with Kane with respect to the importance of the distinction between the formative and summative stage of the validity, and the importance of a clearly specified interpretive argument; (2) The question of the degree to which generalizations can be made with respect to the form, content, and structure of the interpretive arguments and the degree to which interpretive arguments are unique; (3) The ongoing nature of validity research and the incompleteness of the research reported here; and (4) Implications for future work on test validation, particularly what future papers might look like and how should the results of that research be organized and reported.

In this article, the authors provide their critique on a set of papers that investigated Mathematics Knowledge for Teachers (MKT) assessment and the underlying theory and characteristics of the validity enterprise. Three types of assumptions and inferences--elemental, structural, and ecological--are discussed in these papers. These assumptions provide a general and prescriptive validity framework that will enable assessment developers to plan comprehensive validity investigations that incorporate appropriate types of evidence gathering: psychometric and statistical, qualitative, and experimental. Here, the authors opine that the prescriptive three-facet approach mapped out in the papers that incorporates sophisticated psychometric methods and is strongly interdisciplinary, adds significantly to this work by offering a solid and practical contribution to the theory and methods of assessment validity, and by providing an important concrete case example.

This data article describes a dataset showing the five-year performance of 471 researchers from 14 Hungarian research institutions, with a total of 3219 observations. Each observation represent items produced between the 1st January 2014 and the 31th December 2018 by a researcher employed in the sampled research institutions from one of six research output types. Due to a prestige and independence-controlled categorization of research output, and the scarcity of easily accessible, well-structured data curated for research performance evaluation, this dataset can play an important role in new research evaluation policies at Hungarian research institutions aiming to enhance global competitiveness by fostering scientific excellence and innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessment pervades the learning process. This paper provides an overview of the application of technology to support and enhance diagnostic, formative and summative assessment. The focus is on examining how it can replace what already exists, improve the functionality, catalyse a redesign of the process and in some circumstances, make possible what was previously inconceivable. The paper considers formal and informal individual learning environments, group settings and assessment at a national or international scale.

As is typically the case when this author sets fingers to keyboard and writes about evaluation, his intent is to offer his work and perspective as "one" African American evaluator. The impetus for the thoughts and ideas he expresses in this article were prompted by his preparation to attend and present a paper at the inaugural annual conference of the African Evaluation Association (AfrEA). As an African American evaluator, his participation was first and foremost personally significant. It was equally a historically significant moment in global evaluation history. He took this opportunity to write a paper that reflected on evaluation approaches he personally believed had a major influence on the evaluation of schools and other educational institutions in the United States. Since the 1999 AfrEA conference, conversations in the evaluation literature and the American Evaluation Association about the role of culture and cultural context have resulted in additional personal reflections that are shared in this article. The author first takes an historical look at selected program evaluation approaches and thoughts by a select group of evaluation theorists (in the case of some icons in the field) who have influenced his views as well as evaluative practices. He then considers, through the scholarly work of these individuals, the evaluation approaches they have articulated, and related discussions. He asserts that program evaluation approaches can and should be more culturally responsive if one is to fully understand the effectiveness, benefits, and outcomes of programs designed to help less powerful stakeholders. He goes on to discuss a few encouraging examples of emerging thinking about program evaluation approaches and standards offered by the evaluation community that may be conducive to achieving such objectives for this new millennium. One realistic remedy to advance the discourse and practice of educational evaluation is to increase the number of trained evaluatorsfrom racial and cultural groups that have typically been disenfranchised within the social fabric of the United States.

Background: Clinical free-text data (eg, outpatient letters or nursing notes) represent a vast, untapped source of rich information that, if more accessible for research, would clarify and supplement information coded in structured data fields. Data usually need to be deidentified or anonymized before they can be reused for research, but there is a lack of established guidelines to govern effective deidentification and use of free-text information and avoid damaging data utility as a by-product.Objective: This study aimed to develop recommendations for the creation of data governance standards to integrate with existing frameworks for personal data use, to enable free-text data to be used safely for research for patient and public benefit.Methods: We outlined data protection legislation and regulations relating to the United Kingdom for context and conducted a rapid literature review and UK-based case studies to explore data governance models used in working with free-text data. We also engaged with stakeholders, including text-mining researchers and the general public, to explore perceived barriers and solutions in working with clinical free-text.Results: We proposed a set of recommendations, including the need for authoritative guidance on data governance for the reuse of free-text data, to ensure public transparency in data flows and uses, to treat deidentified free-text data as potentially identifiable with use limited to accredited data safe havens, and to commit to a culture of continuous improvement to understand the relationships between the efficacy of deidentification and reidentification risks, so this can be communicated to all stakeholders.Conclusions: By drawing together the findings of a combination of activities, we present a position paper to contribute to the development of data governance standards for the reuse of clinical free-text data for secondary purposes. While working in accordance with existing data governance frameworks, there is a need for further work to take forward the recommendations we have proposed, with commitment and investment, to assure and expand the safe reuse of clinical free-text data for public benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: electronic health record; health information technology; implementation; lung cancer screening; lung cancer screening software; tracking EN electronic health record health information technology implementation lung cancer screening lung cancer screening software tracking 1674 1679 6 05/23/20 20200601 NES 200601 Problem Statement The development of a high-quality lung cancer screening (LCS) program poses many operational challenges. Sophisticated EHRs and integrated LCS software systems should universally support established practice standards in the most basic LCS services and more comprehensive LCS programs. Most proprietary LCS software systems are designed to capture and transfer digital imaging and radiology report information from local or independent diagnostic testing facilities, and autopopulate and autointegrate LCS patient and imaging data into the LCS software system. Thus, information regarding the patient's navigation through the LCS program may not be accessible to providers who have access to the EHR but who do not have access to the LCS software system. [Extracted from the article]

The acceptance of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) as a legitimate form of scholarly investigation and the shape that it takes in post-secondary education are inherently discipline-specific. This paper examines how the character and heritage of public administration influence the acceptance of SoTL, and the form that it takes. It argues that the applied nature of public administration and its interdisciplinary character have influenced SoTL in the discipline. This study concludes systematic self-reflection by disciplines may be needed to identify potential factors that limit the acceptance and/or direction of SoTL in a discipline.

Many practitioner researchers strive to understand which assessment practices have the best impact on learning, but in authentic educational settings, it can be difficult to determine whether one intervention, for example the introduction of an online quiz to a course studied by diverse students, is responsible for the observed effect. This paper uses examples to highlight some of the difficulties inherent in assessment research and suggests some ways to overcome them. Problems observed in the literature include: assuming that if two effects are correlated then one must have caused the other; confounding variables obscuring the true relationships; experimental approaches that are too far removed from reality; and the danger that self-reported behaviour and opinion is sometimes different from student's actual behaviour. Practical solutions include: the use of an experimental or pseudo-experimental approach; the use of mixed methods; and the use of meta-analysis.

This article is written to inform educational community particularly in the respect of new tendencies in educational assessment and present a clear-cut picture of the recent studies conducted in the Black Sea Region. The review paper refers to the following countries: Georgia, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. It stresses the prevalent approach detected in these countries and sees the role of assessment as a tool to enhance the quality of education and obtain the reliable data that help professionals to make appropriate decisions in teaching and assessment.

Background: Information security is essential for organisations, hence the risk assessment. Information security risk assessment (ISRA) identifies, assesses, and prioritizes risks according to organisational goals. Previous studies have analysed and discussed information security risk assessment. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the models more systematically. Objective: This study aims to determine types of ISRA and fill a gap in literature review research by categorizing existing frameworks, models, and methods. Methods: The systematic literature review (SLR) approach developed by Kitchenham is applied in this research. A total of 25 studies were selected, classified, and analysed according to defined criteria. Results: Most selected studies focus on implementing and developing new models for risk assessment. In addition, most are related to information systems in general. Conclusion: The findings show that there is no single best framework or model because the best framework needs to be tailored according to organisational goals. Previous researchers have developed several new ISRA models, but empirical evaluation research is needed. Future research needs to develop more robust models for risk assessments for cloud computing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dear Editor, We are pleased our article is of interest to readers of I Caries Research i and appreciate the opportunity to respond to the "Letter to Editor" comments by Balachandran et al. [2022] regarding our publication, "Dental Health Inequalities among Indigenous Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis"[Nath et al., 2021]. The funnel plot is a scatter diagram that represents study-specific effect sizes against study precision and means for detecting publication bias and exploring small study effect [Sterne et al., 2011]. Therefore, we decided to use a more generalized proxy terminology for dental caries inequality as "dental health inequalities.". [Extracted from the article]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the measurement equivalence of individual response scale types by using a patient reported outcome measure (PROM) collected on paper and migrated into electronic format for use on the subject's own mobile device (BYOD) and on a provisioned device (site device).Methods: Subjects suffering from chronic health conditions causing daily pain or discomfort were invited to participate in this single-site, single visit, three-way crossover study. Association between individual item and instrument subscale scores was assessed by using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and its CI. Participant attitudes toward the use of BYOD in a clinical trial were assessed through use of a questionnaire.Results: In this study, 155 subjects (females 83 [54%]; males 72 [46%]) ages 19 to 69 years (mean ± SD: 48.6 ± 13.1) were recruited. High association between the modes of administration (paper, BYOD, site device) was shown with analysis of ICCs (0.79-0.98) for each response scale type, including visual analogue scale, numeric rating scale, verbal response scale, and Likert scale. Of the subjects, 94% (146 of 155) stated that they would definitely or probably be willing to download an app onto their own mobile device for a forthcoming clinical trial. Forty-five percent of subjects felt BYOD would be more convenient compared with 15% preferring a provisioned device (40% had no preference).Conclusions: This study provides strong evidence supporting the use of BYOD for PROM collection in terms of the conservation of instrument measurement equivalence across the most widely used response scale types, and high patient acceptance of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Weight loss interventions have not been advocated for overweight/obese older adults due to potential loss of skeletal muscle and strength impacting on physical function with potential loss of independence. Carotenoids and polyphenols are inversely associated with sarcopenic symptomology. This paper reports the protocol of a study evaluating the efficacy of a high-protein, energy restricted diet rich in carotenoids and polyphenols on body composition, muscle strength, physical performance and quality of life in overweight and obese older adults.Methods: This randomised controlled clinical trial will recruit community-dwelling, healthy overweight and obese older adults (≥60 years) for a 12-week weight loss intervention. Seventy-three participants will be recruited and randomized to an energy restricted (~30% restriction), isocaloric diet (30% protein; 30% carbohydrate; 40% fat) enriched with either: a) 375 g/d of high carotenoid vegetables, 300 g/d high carotenoid fruit, and 40-60 ml extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO); or b) 375 g/d of lower carotenoid vegetables, 300 g/d lower carotenoid fruit, and 40-60 ml Polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) based oil. All participants will receive individual dietary counselling each fortnight for the duration of the study and will be asked to maintain their habitual level of physical activity throughout the study. The primary outcome will be appendicular skeletal muscle (ASM) assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Secondary outcomes will include body weight, fat-free mass (FFM), fat mass (FM), muscle strength (Isometric hand-grip strength), physical performance (Short Physical Performance Battery), physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) and health related quality of life (SF-36). Outcomes will be measured at baseline and at week 12.Discussion: The results of this study will provide a novel insight relating to the potential influence of high carotenoid and polyphenol intakes on attenuation of ASM during dietary energy-restricted weight loss in overweight and obese older adults.Trial Registration: The trial was registered on the Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Register ( ACTRN12616001400459 ); Trial registration date: 10th October, 2016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the effect of magnesium sulfate for prevention of eclampsia on blood loss at time of cesarean delivery (CD). Methods: We conducted an electronic based search using the following databases: MEDLINE, PUBMED and the Cochrane Library. The search terms were “magnesium sulfate”, “preeclampsia” and “randomized”. Inclusion criteria were randomized controlled trials of women with preeclampsia who delivered with or without magnesium sulfate therapy for seizure prophylaxis. Only trials with placebo or no treatment comparison groups were included. Primary outcome was postpartum hemorrhage. Secondary outcomes were estimated blood loss, change in hemoglobin, blood transfusion and eclampsia. Results: Five trials met inclusion criteria. The incidence of postpartum hemorrhage was similar between the two groups [magnesium sulfate: 754/4482 (17%); no magnesium sulfate: 775/4427 (18%); RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.88–1.06]. There was no statistical difference between any of the other blood loss outcomes reported in the included studies. The rate of eclampsia with magnesium sulfate was significantly lower than with placebo (42/5604, 0.7%, versus 107/5600, 1.9%; RR 0.40, 95% CI 0.28–0.57). Conclusions: Magnesium sulfate does not appear to affect blood loss intrapartum and postpartum in women with preeclampsia. Magnesium sulfate, therefore, should be continued during CD, given the benefit of seizure prophylaxis without any increased risk of hemorrhage. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, we focus on participatory evaluation in the context of international development and specifically on the emerging empirical knowledge base. In a prior review and critique of research on participatory evaluation (Cousins and Chouinard 2012), we examined 121 studies, with only 21 (17%) situated in development contexts. However, the circumstances and challenges for international development and for development evaluation are distinct from those found in developed countries and therefore warrant separate consideration. To provide a more focused and detailed understanding of participatory evaluation in international development contexts, in this paper we augment our initial sample to a total of 40 studies on participatory evaluation in development published over the past 16.5 years. Based on an analysis of this research and related theoretical and conceptual contributions we identify and discuss eight emergent themes: multiplicity of relationships, consequences of stakeholder selection, characterization of participation, contextual complexity, methodological requirements, cultural influence, politics and power and learning and capacity building. We conclude with some reflections on an agenda for research.

This study compares the use and efficacy of assessment grading tools within postgraduate education courses in a regional Australian university and a regional university in the US. Specifically, we investigate how the quality of postgraduate education courses can be improved through the use of assessment rubrics or criterion referenced assessment sheets (CRA sheets). The researchers used a critical review of rubrics from Master of Education courses, interviews and a modified form of the Delphi method to investigate how one can assure the quality of assessment grading tools and their effects on student motivation and learning. The research resulted in the development of a checklist, in the form of a set of questions, that lecturers should ask themselves before writing rubrics or CRA sheets. The paper demonstrates how assessment grading tools might be researched, developed, applied and constantly improved in order to advance the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

Existing literature indicates that physical attractiveness positively affects variables such as income, perceived employee quality and performance evaluations. Similarly, in the academic arena, studies indicate instructors who are better looking receive better teaching evaluations from their students. Previous analysis of the website RateMyProfessors.com confirms this, indicating that instructors who are viewed by students as "hot" receive higher "quality" ratings than those who are "not." However, psychology literature indicates that perceptions of attractiveness are influenced by positive illusions, a property whereby individuals with higher quality relationships view each other more positively than objective observers. This paper uses data from Rate My Professors to investigate the existence of positive illusions in the instructor-student relationship. It finds that positive illusions exist, suggesting that existing literature overestimates the premium associated with physical attractiveness. Furthermore, the source of these illusions varies significantly between male and female instructors with important implications for the role of gender in workplace evaluations, hiring, promotion, and tenure.

The main problem of the educational evaluation validity is that it just copies the conceptual framework system of validity from educational measurement to its own conceptual system. The validity conceptual system that fits the need of theory and practice of educational evaluation has not been established yet. According to the inherent attributive character of educational evaluation, this paper constructs eight concepts of validity in educational evaluation: objective validity, construct validity, content validity, cross validity, subject validity, process validity, function validity and result validity, and elaborates its basis and connotation.

In 1980 the first meeting of the UK-based Language Testing Forum was held in Lancaster. In 2010, 30 years later, the annual meeting celebrated that first meeting, basing the discussions, as in 1980, on three seminal papers: on the structure of language ability, on communicative language testing, and on testing Languages for Specific Purposes. Following the 1980 meeting, Charles Alderson and Arthur Hughes edited the three papers along with the proceedings of the conference as Issues in Language Testing 1981: ELT Documents: London: the British Council. I was asked to give the keynote address at the 2010 meeting, reflecting on the language testing situation in 1980.

Recent software advances have led to an expansion of the development and usage of application programming interfaces (APIs). From millions of Android packages (APKs) available on Google Store to millions of open-source packages available in Maven, PyPI, and npm, APIs have become an integral part of software development. Like any software artifact, software APIs evolve and suffer from this evolution. Prior research has uncovered many challenges to the development, usage, and evolution of APIs. While some challenges have been studied and solved, many remain. These challenges are scattered in the literature, which hides advances and cloaks the remaining challenges. In this systematic literature review on APIs and API evolution, we uncover and describe publication trends and trending topics.We compile common research goals, evaluation methods, metrics, and subjects.We summarize the current state-of-the-art and outline known existing challenges aswell as newchallenges uncovered during this review. We conclude that the main remaining challenges related to APIs and API evolution are (1) automatically identifying and leveraging factors that drive API changes, (2) creating and using uniform benchmarks for research evaluation, and (3) understanding the impact of API evolution on API developers and users with respect to various programming languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: DETERMIND (DETERMinants of quality of life, care and costs, and consequences of INequalities in people with Dementia and their carers) is designed to address fundamental, and, as yet unanswered questions about inequalities, outcomes and costs following diagnosis with dementia. These answers are needed to improve the quality of care and equity of access to care, and therefore the quality of life, of people with dementia and their carers.Method: DETERMIND is a programme of research consisting of seven complementary workstreams (WS) exploring various components that may result in unequal dementia care: WS1: Recruitment and follow-up of the DETERMIND cohort-900 people with dementia and their carers from three geographically and socially diverse sites within six months following diagnosis, and follow them up for three years. WS2: Investigation of the extent of inequalities in access to dementia care. WS3: Relationship between use and costs of services and outcomes. WS4: Experiences of self-funders of care. WS5: Decision-making processes for people with dementia and carers. WS6: Effect of diagnostic stage and services on outcomes. WS7: Theory of Change informed strategy and actions for applying the research findings.Outcomes: During the life of the programme, analysing baseline results and then follow-up of the DETERMIND cohort over 3 years, we will establish evidence on current services and practice. DETERMIND will deliver novel, detailed data on inequalities in dementia care and what drives positive and negative outcomes and costs for people with dementia and carers, and identify factors that help or hinder living well with dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Knee-specific patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) are important tools in evaluating the effectiveness of sports medicine interventions. The PROMs were originally developed for paper administration, but electronic data capture technologies offer potential benefits such as increased efficiency and accuracy. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of touch screen versus paper administration using several common knee-specific and general health surveys.Methods: Agreement between scores was compared for knee-specific PROMs administered on paper versus computer; paper versus tablet; computer versus tablet in 60 patients per group undergoing ACL reconstruction. Surveys were given at pre-operative assessment and between 1 and 7 days later. Weighted kappa statistic (κ) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated to test agreement between the two modalities in: IKDC Subjective Knee Form, Marx Activity Scale, Tegner Activity Level Scale, and Lysholm Knee Scale. SF-12 Physical and Mental Component Summary scores were also assessed.Results: Response rate was over 90 %. Mean age was 29.6 ± 10.9 years, with patients in the paper-computer cohort being 4 years older than in the other groups. Agreement was substantial or better for all PROMs collected: IKDC Subjective (ICC: 0.79); Marx (ICC: 0.70); Lysholm (ICC: 0.65); and Tegner (κ = 0.67). Agreement for the SF-12 PCS (ICC: 0.77) and MCS (ICC: 0.73) was also found to have substantial agreement.Conclusion: In conclusion, touch screen-based PROMs are a valid capture method, providing reliable results relative to traditional paper survey administration. Digital methods of direct data capture may also foster multi-centre collaborations and allow for more accurate comparisons of outcomes between patient groups in clinical practice and orthopaedic research.Level Of Evidence: II. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Researchers administering surveys seek to balance data quality, sources of error, and practical concerns when selecting an administration mode. Rarely are decisions about survey administration based on the background of study participants, although socio-demographic characteristics like age, education, and race may contribute to participants' (non)responses.Objectives: In this study, we describe differences in paper- and web-based surveys administered in a national cancer survivor study of women with a history of cancer to compare the ability of each survey administrative mode to provide quality, generalizable data.Methods: We compared paper- and web-based survey data by socio-demographic characteristics of respondents, missing data rates, scores on primary outcome measure, and administrative costs and time using descriptive statistics, tests of mean group differences, and linear regression.Results: Our findings indicate that more potentially vulnerable patients preferred paper questionnaires and that data quality, responses, and costs significantly varied by mode and participants' demographic information. We provide targeted suggestions for researchers conducting survey research to reduce survey error and increase generalizability of study results to the patient population of interest.Conclusion: Researchers must carefully weigh the pros and cons of survey administration modes to ensure a representative sample and high-quality data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While hearing aids for a contralateral routing of signals (CROS-HA) and bone conduction devices have been the traditional treatment for single-sided deafness (SSD) and asymmetric hearing loss (AHL), in recent years, cochlear implants (CIs) have increasingly become a viable treatment choice, particularly in countries where regulatory approval and reimbursement schemes are in place. Part of the reason for this shift is that the CI is the only device capable of restoring bilateral input to the auditory system and hence of possibly reinstating binaural hearing. Although several studies have independently shown that the CI is a safe and effective treatment for SSD and AHL, clinical outcome measures in those studies and across CI centers vary greatly. Only with a consistent use of defined and agreed-upon outcome measures across centers can high-level evidence be generated to assess the safety and efficacy of CIs and alternative treatments in recipients with SSD and AHL.Methods: This paper presents a comparative study design and minimum outcome measures for the assessment of current treatment options in patients with SSD/AHL. The protocol was developed, discussed, and eventually agreed upon by expert panels that convened at the 2015 APSCI conference in Beijing, China, and at the CI 2016 conference in Toronto, Canada.Results: A longitudinal study design comparing CROS-HA, BCD, and CI treatments is proposed. The recommended outcome measures include (1) speech in noise testing, using the same set of 3 spatial configurations to compare binaural benefits such as summation, squelch, and head shadow across devices; (2) localization testing, using stimuli that rove in both level and spectral content; (3) questionnaires to collect quality of life measures and the frequency of device use; and (4) questionnaires for assessing the impact of tinnitus before and after treatment, if applicable.Conclusion: A protocol for the assessment of treatment options and outcomes in recipients with SSD and AHL is presented. The proposed set of minimum outcome measures aims at harmonizing assessment methods across centers and thus at generating a growing body of high-level evidence for those treatment options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Changing the food environment is an important public health lever for encouraging sustainable food choices. Targeting the availability of vegetarian main meals served in cafeterias substantially affects food choice, but acceptability has never been assessed. We examined the effects of an availability intervention at a French university cafeteria on students' main meal choices, meal offer satisfaction and liking. Methods: A four-week controlled trial was conducted in a university cafeteria in Dijon, France. During the two-week control period, vegetarian main meals constituted 24% of the offer. In the subsequent two-week intervention period, this proportion increased to 48%, while all the other menu items remained unchanged. Students were not informed of the change. Student choices were tracked using production data, and daily paper ballots were used to assess student satisfaction with the meal offer and liking of the main meal they chose (score range [1;5]). Nutritional quality, environmental impact, and cost of production of meal choices were calculated for each lunchtime. Food waste was measured over 4 lunchtimes during control and intervention periods. An online questionnaire collected student feedback at the end of the study. Results: Doubling availability of vegetarian main meals significantly increased the likelihood of choosing vegetarian options (OR = 2.57, 95% CI = [2.41; 2.74]). Responses of the paper ballots (n = 18,342) indicated slight improvements in meal offer satisfaction from 4.05 ± 0.92 to 4.07 ± 0.93 (p = 0.028) and in liking from 4.09 ± 0.90 to 4.13 ± 0.92 (p < 0.001) during control and intervention periods, respectively. The end-of-study questionnaire (n = 510) revealed that only 6% of students noticed a change the availability of vegetarian main meals. The intervention led to a decrease in the environmental impact of the main meals chosen, a slight decrease in nutritional quality, a slight increase in meal costs and no change in food waste. Conclusions: Doubling availability of vegetarian main meals in a university cafeteria resulted in a twofold increase in their selection, with students reporting being more satisfied and liking the main meals more during the intervention period. These results suggest that serving an equal proportion of vegetarian and nonvegetarian main meals could be considered in French university cafeterias to tackle environmental issues. Trial registration: Study protocol and analysis plan were pre-registered on the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/pf3x7/). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the author's comment on "Evaluation Field Building in South Asia: Reflections, Anecdotes, and Questions" by Katherine Hay. Hay raises a number of extremely relevant issues relating to evaluation field building in South Asia. In this paper, the author aims to underscore the importance of three priorities for initiating public action. The author agrees with Hay that a concerted effort must be made to build the field of development evaluation in South Asia. The time is right and the opportunity to do so exists. Mobilizing public support for demanding a central role for evaluation is critical to field building. However, more is needed than simply broad-based advocacy for evaluation. Countries need to professionalize, decentralize, and democratize the practice of evaluation. Major transformations in managerial practice and administrative culture will be required.

This paper examines an assessment process within the context of quality, accountability and institutional effectiveness in academia. Considered as one of the most important elements in higher education, the assessment process plays a significant role in contributing to holistic quality as well as the performance of an academic institution. As a result, appropriate requirements need to be established, applied consistently and communicated effectively among different groups of stakeholders. The lack of a systematic approach in this matter as well as the lack of specific performance measures of the assessment process shape a false image of students', and consequently, graduates' academic capacity.

This special issue is a timely initiative in developing more knowledge and deeper understanding of assessment of, as, and for teaching. The alert reader might have noticed that the title of this author's contribution is not "Formative Assessment of Teachers", but "Formative Assessment of Teacher Learning". In her opinion it is the act of teacher learning which is object to assessment in the papers, and not the teacher as a person. Assessment research has to a large extent focused on understanding assessment of and for student learning, providing the faulty impressions that assessment of learning mainly relates to pupils or students, and not to teachers. Teacher learning has in itself been widely researched, but it has, to a large extent, ignored the assessment of teacher learning. So, the current special issue is a welcome contribution to all educators with an interest in assessment. The approach taken in this contribution to the special issue is to discuss the papers in a holistic perspective instead of going into each individual paper.

In 2010, HCM Strategists received support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to engage academic researchers in identifying and discussing the best currently available ways to account for differences in college "inputs"--students, resources, and fixed characteristics--when evaluating postsecondary outcomes. The project, Context for Success, was designed to generate ideas with practical benefits in the higher education policy world but that would also withstand academic scrutiny. Over a year the project, Context for Success, brought together 14 researchers working on seven different projects, along with a similar number of state and federal officials, nonprofit leaders, and higher education advocates. They assessed the current state of theory and practice for input adjustments and discussed whether and how such adjustments could be made compatible with transparent public policy. The seven papers that resulted, plus a literature review and a summary overview, are posted on the project's website at http://hcmstrategists.com/contextforsuccess. While nothing like a standard methodology came out of the discussions, the resulting papers have dozens of specific recommendations and should be required reading for leaders and analysts who want to make their funding or accountability systems more meaningful. As a member of the Context for Success project team, the author summarizes in this article the main lessons learned from the written research reports and the discussions with outside respondents.

This paper investigates the use of new media technologies, in particular wikis, for the compiling and grading of group assessment tasks. Wikis are open web pages that can be viewed and modified by anyone with internet access and are well known for their collaborative nature. Wikis are also transparent, which means that any edit/modification is recorded and attributed to a specific user. Such transparency has immense implications for the assessment of group work, as one of the major criticisms of group assessment tasks made by students relates to fairness in the distribution of grades. Therefore, the aims of this paper are to examine whether a wiki can help make the grading of group work fairer and whether the wiki environment encourages students to engage more directly with the contributions of other group members, thereby making it a truly collaborative experience.(Contains 3 figures.)