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The main chapters of the cognitive simulation and its usage in solving poorly structured problems are investigated. Proven that algorithm of building cognitive map for complicated unstructured problems and poorly structured problems require expert assessment. Algorithm of building cognitive map and adjusting expert assessment is described. Adjusting model list of concepts described by group of experts based on theory of fuzzy sets, which expands set of opportunities to build cognitive maps for cognitive model analysis in case of poorly structured or unstructured data. Group decision support system could be built by using described method of cognitive analysis of poorly structured systems.

Relevance: high-quality training of Masters in Physical Culture and Sports for entrepreneurial activity is determined by the needs of society in creating a network of sports and recreation institutions accessible to the general population, whose activities are aimed at preserving people's health. The paper reveals the pedagogical conditions for the development of entrepreneurial competence of future Masters in Physical Culture and Sports (PCaS). The development of entrepreneurial competence of future Masters in Physical Culture and Sports is due to the creation of an appropriate educational and developmental environment in higher educational institutions, which integrates the processes of professional training in the field of Physical Culture and Sports and preparation for entrepreneurial activity. Aim: to analyze the existing pedagogical conditions for the development of entrepreneurial competence in domestic higher educational institutions and, in particular, institutions for training specialists in Physical Culture and Sports (PCaS); to substantiate the expediency of implementing the pedagogical conditions proposed by the author of the paper. Methods: to solve the given tasks, theoretical analysis, generalization of data from scientific and methodological literature have been used. We have also conducted an expert assessment of the circumstances that affect the level of professional training of future Masters in PCaS and the rating estimation of the pedagogical conditions for the development of entrepreneurial competence, which are often found in scientific research and methodological recommendations of domestic and foreign teachers. Results: based on the results of an expert assessment of the circumstances that affect the level of professional training of future Masters in PCaS and a rating assessment of the pedagogical conditions for the development of entrepreneurial competence, the following pedagogical conditions for the development of entrepreneurial competence have been determined: involvement of Master's degree students in the development of business plans; practicing skills of creating business projects; stimulating positive motivation for the development of entrepreneurial competence of future Masters in PCaS in the process of professional training; introduction of the course 'Entrepreneurial activity in the field of Physical Culture and Sports' to the content of professional training of future Masters in Physical Culture and Sports; application of simulation-role learning technologies within the implementation of personalized education and trends of practice-oriented learning. Conclusions: the main conditions for successful development of entrepreneurial competence (involvement of undergraduates in goal-setting and planning of joint and individual educational activities; use of forms of organization of creative and project activities; organization of interaction with successful business entities; creation of psychologically comfortable educational environment for acquaintance with modern sports enterprises and organizations) are determined; the most effective forms and means of forming entrepreneurial competence of future Masters in PCaS (development of business plans, creation of business projects and startups; use of business games; application of problem and project training; intensification of extracurricular activities of students on the basis of business centers, consulting centers, career centers) are substantiated.

Introduction. An important role in health care management was taken by the service of managing the volume of medical care for this population group and the progressive development of the opportunities of the district doctor and GP for most of the population which requires only general medical assistance while maintaining all the possibilities for the consultant to get this patient’s advice. Materials and methods. An expert assessment of the organization’s problems, prospects for development and the main directions for optimizing the outpatient care were conducted among the heads of health authorities, state outpatient clinics and the oblast’s top specialists (111 experts). Results. An expert assessment of the problems and perspectives of the organization of out-patient and polyclinic care in the territorial polyclinics obtained the following results. At present, the health of the population is monitored by: citizens themselves – 23,1%; District doctors – 7,9%, medical specialists – 1,2%, no one follows – 67,8%. At the same time, according to experts, citizens themselves should monitor citizens’ health – 81,3% and district doctors – 18,7%. With a deterioration in health status or an exacerbation of the disease, patients most often turn to: the district doctor – 84,1%; The average medical worker working on the site – 2,7% and the specialist doctor – 13,2%. At the same time, according to experts, patients with worsening health or exacerbation of the disease most often need to contact the local doctor – 88,3% and the average medical worker working on the site – 11,7%. The share of unreasonable visits is: a district doctor – 28,1%, house calls – 56,4%, doctors-specialists – 37,3%. Thus, according to experts’ estimates, the share of unjustified visits of district doctors is 28,1%, of the doctor’s call at home – 56,4%, and of specialist doctors – 37,3%, which indicates a low level of organization of work of polyclinics. The proportion of visits by patients to district doctors that could be resolved: on pre-hospital admission, is 24,7%, by telephone consultation, is 24,5%. Thus, the share of visits to district doctors, which could be resolved at a pre-hospital reception and by telephone consultation, is almost half (49,2%). The proportion of visits by patients to medical specialists that could be resolved by telephone consultation: between the district doctor and medical specialists is 11,2%, the number of patients by telephone by medical specialists is 12,4%. Thus, the share of visits by specialist doctors, which could be resolved by telephone consultation between the district doctor and specialist doctors and patient consultations by telephone by specialist doctors, is almost a quarter of all visits (23,6%). Discussion. The data obtained are in some ways consistent with the results of a number of authors who are optimizing outpatient care in terms of the unreasonableness of visits, the possibility of transferring part of the functions of primary general medical reception to specially trained middle medical personnel, using telephone consultations between patients and between doctors, etc. Conclusion. The results of the expert assessment of the organization of outpatient care helped to identify some approaches to optimizing its delivery in the territorial polyclinics. This is optimization of the work of district doctors; Transfer of a certain part of the functions performed by district doctors to district nurses and paramedics; The development of a system for counseling patients and district doctors by medical specialists of polyclinics and other medical organizations.

International audience; Occupational exposure to pesticides concerns a wide population of workers not only in agriculture. The reliability of self-reported information on pesticide use is questionable because of the diversity of use. The PESTIPOP job-exposure matrix has been designed to assess pesticide occupational exposure in the general population. The matrix is composed of two axes: the first axis corresponding to jobs (combinations of occupations and industries) and the second one to pesticide exposure. The estimated exposure metric is the probability of exposure coupled with a reliability assessment (low, medium or high). These metrics were defined by combining different sources: (1) an a priori expert assessment (Agricultural industry experts); (2) data from a multicenter case-control study on brain tumors in the general population (occupational history, specific questionnaires); and (3) an a posteriori expert assessment based on the data of a case-control study. So far, 2559 jobs have been identified and 209 (8%) were found to be exposed to pesticides. Jobs with agricultural exposure had a higher exposure probability than jobs with non-agricultural exposure (wood preservation, park maintenance, pest control). Indirect exposure was more frequent than direct exposure. The PESTIPOP matrix will be transcoded into international classifications for use in epidemiological studies.

It is important to take into account the application of management theories and models for development of rail transport. During the examination of the management science, it is necessary to take into account various theories that can be applied to different fields of activity. Railway transport is a special field of activity in which attention must be paid to the specifics, asserted to diverse activities, across organizational, technological and productive aspects. Therefore, in the context of application of management principles, it is necessary to evaluate the complexity of the railway transport activity, linkages with other activities, by properly selecting the type of management and its specific theories of management application. In order to check the relevance of internationalization process management model of Lithuanian railway transport development, it was carried out an expert assessment on the expert assessment method. This method includes the expert survey questionnaires and evaluation of expert opinions compatibility and their results.

Background One of the most frequent complications of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation is the development of right ventricular (RV) failure, which occurs in 10%-40% of patients. It is, therefore, essential to identify which LVAD candidates are at risk for RV failure and will require additional RV mechanical support with a biventricular assist device (BiVAD). However, the echocardiographic assessment of the RV is challenging due to its complex geometry and marked load dependence of its function indices. To our knowledge, there is no published evidence regarding which specific RV echocardiographic parameters should inform this decision in the paediatric population. Aims We sought to determine which pre-operative RV echocardiographic parameters best correlate with the need for a BiVAD, as opposed to LVAD alone, in a paediatric population undergoing VAD insertion at a tertiary care institution. Methods Retrospective review of the pre-operative echocardiograms of children ( Results 89 patients were included, 39 (43.8%) males, median age = 1.7 years (IQR = 6.9), median weight = 11.6 kg (IQR = 13.8). 49 (55.1%) patients had an LVAD implanted, whereas 40 (44.9%) were deemed to need biventricular support. 45 (50.6%) patients received an EXCOR Berlin Heart, 16 (18%) a HeartWare HVAD and 28 (31.4%) a Levitronix Centrimag device. Requirement of BiVAD support was significantly more common in patients with moderate to severe RV impairment, as per expert assessment (OR = 2.864; 95% CI: 1.188–6.903, p=0.018), and tricuspid regurgitation > grade III (OR = 3.154; 95% CI: 1.124–8.850, p=0.025). All the other parameters collected – tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity, tricuspid regurgitation duration corrected for heart rate, RV tissue Doppler indices, RV fractional area change, and RV/LV diameter ratio– were not significantly different among groups. Conclusions In our paediatric population, expert assessment of RV function and degree of tricuspid regurgitation were strong predictors of RV failure among patients undergoing LVAD implantation, allowing for pre-emptive RVAD implantation and improving patient outcomes.

The article substantiates methodological approaches to the assessment of production risks that agricultural enterprises bear in the course of their activity. The criteria for assessing the production risks of agriculture have been determined and refined. Expert assessment of production risks was carried out. In the study of the dynamics of yield of sunflower in agricultural enterprises for 2007–2017 the calculations showed that the change in the yield of sunflower was formed due to agrotechnical factors, and other variations due to the climatic factor. It is shown that the problem of determining the risks of the production environment of agricultural enterprises is relevant. An expert assessment of the importance of individual risk factors showed that in the first place is occupational risk, according to which commercial, investment, and financial risks are placed in order of decreasing. Thus, the results of the analysis showed that the most significant are production and commercial risks.

The aim of the study was with using peer review to determine how the active dancers can reproduce the rhythm and also to maintain this rhythm. The average age of tested people is 21,53 years ± 6,8. As motion – dance act of reproduction rhythm we chose simple locomototion, which is an essential element in dance and walk. Group of 102 dancers was tested on 4 different rates of the rhythm, so in order to determine their ability to reproduce the rhythm from slow to fast rhythms. We chose the rates 80 BPM, 100 BPM, 120 BPM and 140 BPM (Beat Per Minute). The evaluation was carried out by the method of expert assessment on the basis of scale. Testing was carried out by a qualified person with more than 20 years of experiences in the dance field. From the obtained data we found that the slower rate is for the person to be tested more difficult to reproduce it and keep up the rate. On the contrary, the faster rate is for the person being tested easier to reproduce and maintain the rate – Spearmann´s correlation coefficient of sequence is statistically significant, p-value < 2.2e–16. For evaluation of the faster rate of the rhythm we can explain this result, that reproduced rate is so fast that it may goes to some error in expert assessment. We demonstrated that this testing can be performed in any sport that puts high requirements on rhythm and rhythmic skills.

The aim of this study was to examine the relations between the achievement in acquiring the program of rhythmic gymnastics (RG) and the motor abilities important for success in this sport discipline, in the students of different genders. The study included 58 Faculty of Sport and Physical Education students (29 male students and 29 female students, aged 20-21). Balance was measured using the 'Flamingo' balance test; overall coordination was measured using the test of 20 lunges with a stick; coordination in rhythm using the Drumming with legs and arms test; flexibility was measured using the Active straight leg raise test; explosive muscle power of the leg extensors was measured using the Split squat vertical jump test and High jump after a dismount and repetitive muscle power of the leg extensors was measured using the test of a Series of repetitive jumps lasting 15s. The success in RG was operationalized through the expert assessment. To determine the relationship between motor abilities and expert assessment Pearson's correlation analysis was used (Pearson-product moment). The results of this research indicate the conclusion that the motor abilities i.e. flexibility and coordination are significant for successful acquisition of the program contents of RG among the students of the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education.

The article considers the risks of implementing an investment project in the construction sector. The purpose of the study is to develop a methodological approach to assessing the risks of implementing investment projects of a construction organization. The object of the study is an investment project of a construction company. The subject of the study is the risks associated with the implementation of the investment project of a construction organization. Research methodology-methods of logical analysis, grouping and comparison, generalization were used. Using the method of expert assessment, an integral indicator of risk assessment is proposed. The main results and conclusions of the study: a risk management algorithm is proposed, a system of external and internal risks for the implementation of investment projects in the construction sector is formed within the algorithm, which allows to identify market and investment risks of the project. A method for assessing the risks of investment projects in the construction sector, based on expert assessment, is proposed. It allows to quantify and rank the impact of risks on the implementation of an investment project of a construction organization, as well as to calculate the integral level of risk for the implementation of investment projects of a construction organization.

Job-exposure matrices (JEM) are a common method for exposure assessment in occupational epidemiology. The first JEM were described in the early 1980s (1, 2) and have been used in a wide range of settings ever since. A recent review on methods for retrospective exposure assessment in the general population revealed that more than a quarter of the studies on cancer applied a JEM (3). Where JEM originally assigned exposures at a qualitative or semi-quantitative level based on expert ratings, quantitative exposure estimates can also be derived when measurements are used to calibrate these ratings (4-6). A JEM typically consists of job and exposure axes. The major advantage of JEM is that job histories can be translated into specific exposures in a systematic and unbiased way. It is basically a computerized linkage of exposure estimates to job codes, and, as such, JEM represent a highly efficient and reproducible methodology. This way, a standardized exposure assessment within and between studies can be guaranteed, and any misclassification is expected to be non-differential with respect to the health outcome. Once developed, a JEM is relatively easy to apply and less costly than case-by-case expert assessment. These benefits make JEM a particularly useful instrument for exposure assessment in large-scale, general population studies. Such studies (eg, based on register data) permit collection of full occupational histories and enable the study of rare diseases or subtypes. Subjects have typically worked in a wide variety of occupations and industries. Detailed exposure information, which can more easily be collected in industry-based cohorts, is often not available. For register-based cohorts, collected occupational histories are also typically limited to the basic information of job titles and industries. Using JEM, exposures can be assessed for many agents and stressors, based solely on job titles. The DOC*X project is a good example of the use of register data in occupational epidemiology (7). The large number of subjects – the full working population of Denmark for several decades – offers unique opportunities for studying new associations between a variety of exposures and various health outcomes. Individual data from several databases, including health and labour registries, were linked by a personal identifier. For each cohort member, job title and industry have been annually registered and coded (7). Subsequently, the project has been linking a series of JEM to this nationwide cohort to assess several kinds of occupational exposures. A couple of these efforts have been published in this issue of the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health to assess the association between physical activities at work and acute myocardial infarction (8) and the risk of work-related hand eczema in relation to wet work (9). It is impossible to go back to all individuals in this cohort to collect detailed information on their occupations: firstly because part of the cohort has died over the years but also due to practical reasons given the large numbers. So, by applying JEM, the Danes make the best use of the information available in their registry data. The ease of using a JEM, by simply assigning exposures based on job titles, also has a flipside. By design, a JEM allocates the same exposure estimates to all workers with the same job title. This aspect represents the main drawback since it is well-recognized that there can be substantial inter-individual variability (10). In other words, a JEM completely dismisses exposure heterogeneity between workers in similar jobs, as has also been acknowledged by the authors of the DOC*X studies (8, 9). Heterogeneity between workers may be larger for some types of exposures than others, particularly when exposures are largely determined by specific tasks. To illustrate, when assessing welding fumes, job title alone does not provide information on different tasks and circumstances that influence the level and frequency of exposure to welding fumes (11). For exposures related to tasks like welding, decreasing or pesticide application – but also exposures such as shift work or certain psychosocial working conditions – exposure assessment based on job title alone may not be sufficient. Thus, researchers need to critically evaluate for each given exposure, if that exposure can be reasonably assessed on the job group level or if further assessment on the workplace, work unit or individual-worker level is needed. A large part of heterogeneity is determined by the workers’ behavior (12). Although this is virtually impossible to take into account in a JEM, some of the exposure heterogeneity may be accounted for by adding more detail, ie, by expanding the number of axes of the JEM. For example, an industry-axis, a time dimension, or region-, sex- and age-specific estimates may help explain part of the exposure heterogeneity. Importantly, this type of information is also typically available in the large studies where the JEM are being applied to. The JEM for wet work used by Lund et al (9) provided sex-specific estimates. A similar effort has been described for mechanical and psychosocial work exposures in Norway (13). In addition to within-job (ie, between-worker) variability, exposures may have large temporal (ie, within-worker) variability. Levels can vary from day-to-day or over the course of the work day, the variability of which is not captured in a JEM. When studying acute health effects, for example, short-term high exposures may be more relevant than the annual average or cumulative levels and a JEM may not provide the appropriate assessment. Many different JEM, in all forms and shapes, have been developed over the last 40 years. Due to the lack of a gold standard, JEM cannot be truly validated. Several studies, however, have described the performance of JEM (14–16). For asbestos, for instance, poor agreement between different JEM has been reported, indicating variable performance (14). Exposure assessment methods can also be evaluated using known associations with health outcomes. Using lung cancer case–control data, comparisons with other methods showed that a JEM for asbestos could outperform self-reported exposure (16) and perform as well as case-by-case expert assessment in a multicenter study (15). Yet, as indicated above, the performance of a JEM will depend on the exposure and effect of interest. Improvement in the use of JEM could be achieved by harmonizing existing JEM. A harmonized JEM, which provides a standardized exposure assessment across regions and time periods, would be highly valuable for pooled analyses. Such large-scale analyses will offer unique opportunities to study exposure–disease associations that have been understudied until now due to lack of statistical power. JEM will be invaluable instruments to such (exploratory) exercises. Derivation of exposure–response relations requires quantification of exposure. Development of more quantitative JEM, as first described for the multinational SYNERGY project on lung cancer (4) and the Shanghai Women’s Health Study (6), may further increase the impact of occupational studies. However, a quantitative JEM will still have the same limitation of assuming homogeneity within jobs and large amounts of (measurement) data are needed to develop a quantitative JEM. Data mining techniques could be explored to make better use. The coding of job titles is another major challenge related to the use of JEM. Manual coding of each individual’s job history in large epidemiological studies is a very time-consuming task. As a result, many of these studies are not used to their full potential for occupational health outcomes. Further improvement could therefore be achieved by systems that automatically translate free text into occupational codes, increasing the efficiency and feasibility of investigating occupational risk factors (using JEM) in large-scale epidemiological studies. Efforts in developing automatic coding in the US have shown agreements with manual coding of around 50% (17, 18). Automated coding systems would not be applicable to most registry data, however, since job information is only available as a code. For pooling these registry data with other data, or for application of another JEM, crosswalks between systems can be the solution. In addition to differences between human coders, crosswalks may also introduce disagreement between codes and actual jobs, possibly leading to further misclassification of exposure. Interestingly, within DOC*X it was shown that errors in job coding had limited effect on the exposure assessment of wood dust, lifting, standing/walking, arm elevation, and noise (19). Previous studies also reported that the effects of disagreements in job coding generally diminish in the exposure assessment stage (12, 20). Specificity is crucial when the prevalence of occupational exposure is low, which is often the case in the general population because possible associations may otherwise be severely underestimated. When exposures are more prevalent, sensitivity becomes more important (12). Since the performance of a JEM is also determined by the between-worker (ie, within job) and between-job variance, the level of detail of the job classification plays an important role. Occupational classification systems have primarily been developed from a social-economic perspective. These systems, either international or national coding schemes, are therefore not necessarily reflecting exposure categories in the best way. Developing new or adjusted coding systems for exposure assessment may help moving the occupational health field forward. Several research initiatives are currently working on such improvements in the use of JEM, including the Network on the Coordination and Harmonisation of European Occupational Cohorts (OMEGA-NET, omeganetcohorts.eu) and the Exposome Project for Health and Occupational Research (EPHOR, www.ephor-project.eu). In conclusion, a JEM can be a very handy tool for exposure assessment in occupational epidemiology, particularly in large-scale studies with limited occupational information. When selecting the most suitable exposure assessment method, however, researchers should always remain critical. Know when a JEM has added value and recognize its limitations. References 1. Hoar SK, Morrison AS, Cole P, Silverman DT. An occupation and exposure linkage system for the study of occupational carcinogenesis. J Occup Med. 1980;22(11):722-6. 2. Pannett B, Coggon D, Acheson ED. A job-exposure matrix for use in population based studies in England and Wales. Br J Ind Med. 1985;42(11):777-83. https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.42.11.777 3. Ge CB, Friesen MC, Kromhout H, Peters S, Rothman N, Lan Q, et al. Use and Reliability of Exposure Assessment Methods in Occupational Case-Control Studies in the General Population: Past, Present, and Future. Ann Work Expo Health. 2018;62(9):1047-63. https://doi.org/10.1093/annweh/wxy080 4. Peters S, Vermeulen R, Portengen L, Olsson A, Kendzia B, Vincent R, et al. Modelling of occupational respirable crystalline silica exposure for quantitative exposure assessment in community-based case-control studies. J Environ Monit. 2011;13(11):3262-8. https://doi.org/10.1039/c1em10628g 5. Peters S, Vermeulen R, Portengen L, Olsson A, Kendzia B, Vincent R, et al. SYN-JEM: A Quantitative Job-Exposure Matrix for Five Lung Carcinogens. Ann Occup Hyg. 2016;60(7):795-811. https://doi.org/10.1093/annhyg/mew034 6. Friesen MC, Coble JB, Lu W, Shu XO, Ji BT, Xue S, et al. Combining a job-exposure matrix with exposure measurements to assess occupational exposure to benzene in a population cohort in shanghai, china. Ann Occup Hyg. 2012;56(1):80-91. https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2011-100382.81 7. Flachs EM, Petersen SEB, Kolstad HA, Schlunssen V, Svendsen SW, Hansen J, et al. Cohort Profile: DOC*X: a nationwide Danish occupational cohort with eXposure data - an open research resource. Int J Epidemiol. 2019;48(5):1413-k. https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyz110 8. Bonde JPE, Flachs EM, Madsen IE, Petersen SB, Andersen JH, Hansen J, et al. Acute myocardial infarction in relation to physical activities at work: a nationwide follow-up study based on job-exposure matrices. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2019. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3863 9. Lund T, Petersen SB, Flachs EM, Ebbehoj NE, Bonde JP, Agner T. Risk of work-related hand eczema in relation to wet work exposure. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2020. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3876 10. Kromhout H, Symanski E, Rappaport SM. A comprehensive evaluation of within- and between-worker components of occupational exposure to chemical agents. Ann Occup Hyg. 1993;37(3):253-70. 11. IARC Working Group. Volume 118: Welding, Indium Tin Oxide, Molybdenum Trioxide.: IARC Monogr Eval Carcinog Risks Hum; 2018. 12. Kromhout H, Vermeulen R. Application of job-exposure matrices in studies of the general population. Some clues to their performance. European Respiratory Review. 2001;11:80-90. 13. Hanvold TN, Sterud T, Kristensen P, Mehlum IS. Mechanical and psychosocial work exposures: the construction and evaluation of a gender-specific job exposure matrix (JEM). Scand J Work Environ Health. 2019;45(3):239-47. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3774 14. Offermans NS, Vermeulen R, Burdorf A, Peters S, Goldbohm RA, Koeman T, et al. Comparison of expert and job-exposure matrix-based retrospective exposure assessment of occupational carcinogens in The Netherlands Cohort Study. Occup Environ Med. 2012;69(10):745-51. https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2011-100556 15. Peters S, Vermeulen R, Cassidy A, Mannetje A, van Tongeren M, Boffetta P, et al. Comparison of exposure assessment methods for occupational carcinogens in a multi-centre lung cancer case-control study. Occup Environ Med. 2011;68(2):148-53. https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.2010.055608 16. Hardt JS, Vermeulen R, Peters S, Kromhout H, McLaughlin JR, Demers PA. A comparison of exposure assessment approaches: lung cancer and occupational asbestos exposure in a population-based case-control study. Occup Environ Med. 2014;71(4):282-8. https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2013-101735 17. Russ DE, Ho KY, Colt JS, Armenti KR, Baris D, Chow WH, et al. Computer-based coding of free-text job descriptions to efficiently identify occupations in epidemiological studies. Occup Environ Med. 2016;73(6):417-24. https://doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2015-103152 18. Burstyn I, Slutsky A, Lee DG, Singer AB, An Y, Michael YL. Beyond crosswalks: reliability of exposure assessment following automated coding of free-text job descriptions for occupational epidemiology. Ann Occup Hyg. 2014;58(4):482-92. 19. Petersen SB, Flachs EM, Svendsen SW, Marott JL, Budtz-Jorgensen E, Hansen J, et al. Influence of errors in job codes on job exposure matrix-based exposure assessment in the register-based occupational cohort DOC*X. Scand J Work Environ Health. 2019. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3857 20. Koeman T, Offermans NS, Christopher-de Vries Y, Slottje P, Van Den Brandt PA, Goldbohm RA, et al. JEMs and incompatible occupational coding systems: effect of manual and automatic recoding of job codes on exposure assignment. Ann Occup Hyg. 2013;57(1):107-14.

[Extract] Sir In a recent paper in this journal, Rosetta et al. [1] compared methods of identifying (i) ovulatory cycles and (ii) the day of ovulation based on intermittent urinary hormone metabolite measurements using expert assessment of the data as a 'gold' standard. Some of their work is based on our pregnanediol-3-glucuronide (PdG) excretion rate threshold(s) which were developed to (i) identify the end of the fertile window of the cycle and (ii) distinguish between different categories of the menstrual cycle [2]. Several issues arise from their report, but we wish to consider only those concerning (a) the implicit assumption that different measures of PdG are equivalent, (b) the criteria used in the expert assessment and (c) the history of intermittent sampling.

The demand for e-books for distance learning courses in the health field in Brazil has increased. Thus, it is necessary to accelerate the e-book production process. In this regard, this article reports the development and evaluation of saiteBooker, an authoring tool for e-books proposed by the Open University of the Unified Health System (UNA-SUS/UFMA) in Brazil. Within an information design approach, a qualitative evaluation was conducted, with 32 participants, through: (a) Expert assessment (n = 16) by technology and design experts, and information design researchers; followed by (b) Users’ assessment (n = 16). The results of the Expert assessment showed deficiencies in the visualization and consistency of components and functions of the tool. Based on these results, the saiteBooker tool was improved for the Users’ assessment (online questionnaire prior and post interaction). The results indicated that the improved tool was positively evaluated, meeting users’ expectations. To conclude, it is highlighted the importance of an evaluation method that combines technology and information design views with user testing.

The paper presents a method for identifying and classifying local stakeholders involved in renewable energy development. The method is based on the expert assessment and comprises three main steps: (1) identification of the independent experts considering their expertise and knowledge of the local context; (2) identification of the local stakeholders based on expert assessment; and (3) analytical categorisation of stakeholders taking into account the professional relationship network. Using forest biomass (bioenergy) production as example, the stakeholder analysis is illustrated on the case study of Triglav National Park, which is characterised by a high potential of woody biomass production and a large number of stakeholders involved in land use and management. The first stage of stakeholder analysis identifies the key stakeholders to be involved in bioenergy development, through a survey with local experts. The results highlight eight key stakeholders and several primary and secondary stakeholders that should be involved to ensure socially acceptable decision-making about the renewable energy development in the Triglav National Park.

SummaryUnusual features and problems at the expert assessment of vein damages and venous diseases are described, including indications for rational and evidence based diagnostics adapted to the needs. Besides it was an essential concern to point out important actual conceptual changes for the expert assessment in the legal scheme by the German social civil code (Sozialgesetzbuch VI). So the concepts of occupational disability (Berufsunfähigkeit) and of lost of earning capacity (Erwerbsunfähigkeit) don‘t exist in the legal pension scheme since 01st 01st 2001 any more. The idea of the “reduction in earning capacity” (Erwerbsminderung) has been introduced instead. There is still the concept of occupational disability (Berufsunfähigkeit) for the professional supply systems (berufsständige Versorgungswerke) and the private occupational disability insurances – but with different definitions and performances, which have to be taken into account if need be. Since the old definitions still frequently appear at the expert’s activcity, they are represented in these explanations briefly.In general, the scope and contents of expert appraisal records for venous diseases often constitute a sorry example of the general ignorance pertaining to the pathophysiology, clinical medicine, modern diagnostics and the significance of venous diseases, in both the sociomedical context and in occupational health.

BACKGROUND: Specific inhalation challenges (SIC) enable the identification of the agent responsible of occupational asthma (OA). A clinician may fail to identify a specific agent in the workplace, which may potentially lead to a misdiagnosis. The expert assessment method performed by an occupational hygienist has been used to evaluate occupational exposures in epidemiological studies.OBJECTIVE: The broad aim of the present study was to evaluate the contribution of an expert assessment performed by an occupational hygienist to the diagnosis of OA. The specific aim was to compare work-place exposures identified by an occupational hygienist and by chest physicians in subjects with positive SICs and subjects with asthma, but with a negative SIC.METHODS: SICs were performed in 120 cases: 67 were positive and 53 were negative. A clinician assessed occupational exposures to sensitizers during a routine clinical evaluation preceding the performance of the SIC. An expert assessment of occupational exposures was performed by an occupational hygienist blind to the result of the SIC.RESULTS: The occupational hygienist identified the causal agent in 96.7% of the 61 cases of positive SIC. In 33 (62.3%) cases of negative SICs, the occupational hygienist identified ≥1 sensitizing agent(s) that had not been identified by the clinician.CONCLUSION: The hygienist identified the causal agent in almost all subjects with OA. In contrast, the clinician failed to identify potential exposures to sensitizers in >60% of the negative SIC subjects, which may have resulted in some subjects being misdiagnosed as not having OA.

Due to instrumentation and time constraints, it is infeasible to perform thorough research, especially experiments, for all the possible solutions, encompassing a full combination of materials with the expected mechanical and functional properties and the manufacturing technologies ensuring such properties. An objectivised selection of a material for research and its surface treatment technology is, therefore, essential in the planning phase of a materials science experiment. A methodology of computer-integrated prediction of development is dedicated to such task, enabling to perform an expert assessment and to present results thereof graphically using contextual matrices being a tool of a quantitative analysis that is very desirable in engineering circles. Considering the three groups of materials, i.e.: steels, casting magnesium alloys and casting aluminum alloys subjected to an expert assessment using a dendrological matrix being an inherent part of materials surface engineering development prediction methods, aluminum casting alloys has achieved the best position. It was further demonstrated that laser treatment is a technology of the highest potential and attractiveness in the context of applying aluminum casting alloys for surface treatment.

The paper dwells on the design of a diagnostic system and expert assessment of the significance of threats to the security of industrial networks. The proposed system is based on a new cyber-attacks classification and presupposes the existence of two structural blocks: the industrial network virtual model based on the scan selected nodal points and the generator of cyber-attacks sets. The diagnostic and expert assessment quality is improved by the use of the Markov chains or the Monte Carlo numerical method. The numerical algorithm of generating cyber-attacks sets is based on the LPτ-sequence.

Objective: Motorcycle riders are involved in significantly more crashes per kilometer driven than passenger car drivers. Nonetheless, the development and implementation of motorcycle safety systems lags far behind that of passenger cars. This research addresses the identification of the most effective motorcycle safety solutions in the context of different countries. Methods: A Knowledge-Based system of Motorcycle Safety (KBMS) was developed to assess the potential for various safety solutions to mitigate or avoid motorcycle crashes. First, a set of 26 common crash scenarios was identified from the analysis of multiple crash databases. Second, the relative effectiveness of 10 safety solutions was assessed for the 26 crash scenarios by a panel of experts. Third, relevant information about crashes was used to weigh the importance of each crash scenario in the region studied. The KBMS method was applied with an Italian database, totalizing more than one million motorcycle crashes in the period 2000-2012. Results: When applied to the Italian context, the KBMS suggested that automatic systems designed to compensate for riders’ or drivers’ errors of commission or omission are the potentially most effective safety solution. The KBMS method showed an effective way to compare the potential of various safety solutions, through a scored list with the expected effectiveness of each safety solution for the region to which the crash data belong. A comparison of our results with a previous study that attempted a systematic prioritization of safety systems for motorcycles (PISa project) showed an encouraging agreement. Conclusions: Current results revealed that automatic systems have the greatest potential to improve motorcycle safety. Accumulating and encoding expertise in crash analysis from a range of disciplines into a scalable and re-usable analytical tool, as proposed with the use of KBMS, has the potential to guide research and development of effective safety systems. As the expert assessment of the crash scenarios is decoupled from the regional crash database, the expert assessment may be re-utilized, thereby allowing rapid re-analysis when new crash data becomes available. In addition, the KBMS methodology has potential application to injury forecasting, driver/rider training strategies, and redesign of existing road infrastructure.

In this paper, we investigated two questions: (1) can measurements of anthropometric and physiological attributes substitute for expert assessment of adolescent basketball players, and (2) how much does the quantitative assessment of a player vary among experts? The first question is relevant to the potential simplification of the player selection process. The second question pertains directly to the validity of expert quantitative assessment. Our research was based on data from 148 U14 female and male basketball players. For each player, an array of anthropometric and physiological attributes was recorded, including body height, body mass, BMI, and several motor skill tests. Furthermore, each player's current ability and potential ability were quantitatively evaluated by two different experts from a group of seven experts. Analysis of the recorded data showed that the anthropometric and physiological attributes explained between 15% and 40% of the variance in experts’ scores. The primary predictive attributes were speed and agility (for predicting current ability) and body height and growth potential (for predicting potential ability). We concluded that these attributes were not sufficiently informative to act as a substitute for expert assessment of the players’ current or potential ability. There is substantial variability in different experts' scores of the same player’s ability. However, the differences between experts are mostly in scale, and the relationships between experts’ scores are monotonic. That is, different experts rank players on ability very similarly, but their scores are not well calibrated.

This research analysist engineering drawing module that developed based on Learning Cycle 5E approach includes engagement, exploration, elaboration, evaluation and adapted to the Competency Standards and Basic Competencies of Curriculum 2013. Learning Cycle 5E was chosen as a development model because it is considered in line with the Curriculum 2013. The objective of this research are : (1) Developing a learning media Drawing Technique in the form of module based on learning cycle approach 5E as supporting technical drawings subjects in SMK. (2) Doing fesibility analysis developing a learning media drawings technique in the form of module based on learning cycle approach 5E as supporting technical drawings subjects in SMK based on material assesment, media, and teacher's subjects.Developing a learning media module drawing technique based on learning cycle approach 5E refer to developing 4D thiagarajan model. Developing 4D model consists of 4 main steps: define, design, development, and disseminate. Because there are some reason, this developing research is limited to development steps. While for the disseminate is doing with the questionnaire of teacher responses.The results of this research are: (1) A Learning Cycle 5E Engineering Drawing Module developed on the basic competence of the size tags and layout of image size, sign recognition and the location of the cut image, the introduction and application of the cut image type. (2) Feasibility study engineering drawings Module media-based Learning Cycle 5E Approach derived from the results of the expert assessment of the material and media experts. The result of the expert assessment of the material obtain an average percentage 87.5% it is included on the criterion of "very good". The results of the assessment of the experts the media earn the average percentage of 88.006% and included on the criterion of "very good", and now from the responses the teacher obtained the mean percentage of 91.67%, it is included in the criteria of "very good".

The article presents the clinical and experimental substantiation of the method of dental identification by contrast contouring of iatrogenic interventions with an expert assessment of the dental status. The method showed its effectiveness in the three experimental groups of patients who have basic and repeated X-ray photos with a time interval of one to five years. He is part of a comprehensive medical information program of identification with an expert assessment of changes dental status in forensic dentistry along with methods of mapping the intensity of the image, the relevant cluster mapping objects of digital panoramic X-ray photos, constant anthropometric indexes of the lower jaw.

Footpad dermatitis is increasingly used as an indicator of decreased broiler welfare, and automation of dermatitis monitoring potentially reduces the effort needed to monitor commercial flocks. In this study we evaluated a prototype system for the automatic assessment of footpad dermatitis in broiler chickens by comparing the automatic assessment with a human expert assessment. The expert aimed at selecting 2 times (different period) 20 broilers per footpad dermatitis category (5 categories in total), from 2 different flocks of 38-d-old broilers on an experimental farm. Two days later these broilers were transported to the slaughterhouse, where footpad dermatitis was assessed by the automatic system. Subsequently the footpads were reassessed by the same expert that had selected the birds. Automatic scores were only weakly correlated with scores given by the expert on-farm (r = 0.54) and at the slaughterhouse (r = 0.59). Manual evaluation of the photographs on which the automatic system based its scores revealed several errors. For 41.1% of the birds, the automatic system assessed only one of the footpads, whereas for 15.2% neither footpad was assessed. For 49.4% of the birds, scores were based on partially incorrectly identified areas. When data from such incomplete and obviously incorrect assessments were discarded, stronger correlations between automatic and expert scores were found (r = 0.68 and r = 0.74 for expert scores given on-farm and at-slaughter, respectively). Footpads that were missed by the automatic system were more likely to receive a high expert score at slaughter (P = 0.02). However, average flock scores did not differ greatly between automatic and expert scores. The prototype system for automatic dermatitis assessment needs to be improved on several points if it is to replace expert assessment of footpad dermatitis.

Occupational exposure to pesticides concerns a wide population of workers, not only in agriculture but in numerous other occupational industries, including gardeners/landscapers, pest killers, workers in wood industry. The reliability of self-reported information on lifelong use of pesticides is questionable because of the large range of molecules possibly used. So are biological measurements because of the short half-life of most pesticides. The PESTIPOP job-exposure matrix, which is under development, intends to estimate parameters of pesticide occupational exposure in the French general population. The current version of the matrix is composed of two axis: the first axis corresponding to occupations (combinations of jobs and industries classified according to the French classifications of the National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies) and the second one to pesticide exposure (globally and in four categories: insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, others). The estimated exposure metric is the probability of exposure coupled with a reliability level (low, medium or high). These metrics were defined by combining different sources: i) an a priori expert assessment (panel of agricultural industry experts); ii) data collected in a multicentric case control study (596 cases and 1192 controls) on brain tumours in the general population (occupational history, specific questionnaires); iii) an a posteriori expert assessment by consensus among three experts, based on the data of the case control study. So far, 105 occupations (24 in agriculture) and 77 industries (14 in agriculture) were classified as exposed to pesticides, corresponding to 166 occupation-industry pairs. For example, youth workers in training centres had a probability of 33% to be exposed to insecticides and herbicides whereas teachers in nursery or primary schools had a probability of 25% to be exposed to insecticides according to the matrix. Transcoding into international classifications (ISOC, ISIC) will follow to allow comparison with international existing matrices.

The results of the analysis of materials on the expert assessment of 66 healthy pilots subjected to a passive orthostatic stress test (POT) by the generally accepted technique of a 20-min head-down tilt bed rest at an angle of 80° to the horizontal are presented. The obtained hemodynamic responses to the test were typified using the generally accepted concepts of functional classes (FC). A good POT tolerance was recorded in 86.4% of the observations, with 36.4% assigned to the first functional class (FC-I) and 50%, to the second functional class (FC-II). A satisfactory orthostatic test tolerance (FC-III) was recorded in 10.6% of the observations, whereas a reduced and poor tolerance (FC-IV and FC-V) was found in 3% of the observations. According to ECGs and computer-assisted tachooscillography, subjects of the FC-I group reached the optimum indicators in their adaptive hemodynamic responses, compared to the pilots of the FC-II group and, particularly, the FC-III group. The latter two groups were found to exhibit some previously unknown objective symptoms, such as marked blood pressure (BP) lability and reversible hypo- and hypertensive responses, which allowed us to differentiate the FC-I pilots from the latter two groups. Based on the obtained results, additional clinical functional tolerance assessment criteria have been developed for a passive orthostatic test as part of the medical expert assessment of flight personnel with different levels of functional stability.

Increasing organizational dependence on the IS has led to a corresponding increase in the impact of information systems security (ISS) abuses. In this paper, we propose a multi-target synthetic assessment approach for ISS risk based on neural network. Firstly, an assessment system of ISS risk is established. Secondly, a trained neural network can endue the assessment approach with expert assessment knowledge in the way of joint weight, through its learning and adapting capability. Finally, the approach is capable to simulate expert assessment method by verifying the data of ISS risk assessment.

Objectives: Retrospective exposure assessment remains a problematic aspect of population-based case-control studies. Different methods have been developed, including case-by-case expert assessment and job-exposure matrices (JEM). The present analyses compare exposure prevalence and risk estimates derived by different exposure assessment methods. Methods: In the context of a case-control study conducted in seven European countries, exposure was estimated for asbestos, diesel motor emissions (DME) and crystalline silica, using three different assessment methods. First, experts assigned exposures to all reported jobs on a case-by-case basis. Second, a population-specific JEM (PSJEM) was developed using the expert assessments of controls only, and re-applied to all study subjects. Third, an independent general population JEM (GPJEM) was created by occupational exposure experts not involved in the original study, and applied to study subjects. Results from these methods were compared. Results: There was poor to fair agreement in assigned exposure between expert assessment and the GPJEM (kappas: asbestos 0.17; DME 0.48; silica 0.38). Exposure prevalence was significantly heterogeneous (p

Intellectual property (IP) management has been widely accepted as an important topic to support the technological innovation. In order to effectively and efficiently implement IP management, it is more practical to firstly focus on the most important aspects which, in turn, provide immediate beneficial results to allow organizations to further implementing other aspects by allocating more resources. The authors propose an IP management excellence audit system that breaks down the complicated IP management practices into a list of enabling criteria and the IP management performance in various criteria can be measured in details. The enabling criteria are the critical success factors to good IP management system and practice. Analytic hierarchy process approach is used to determine the relative importance among the identified criteria in the IP management excellence audit system. The evidential reasoning approach is adopted to develop an expert assessment tool to carry out the audit of organizations' performance in IP management. Based on the audit results, organizations will know the strength and weakness of their current IP management practice and can allocate resources and efforts in priority area for improvement. The authors have validated the developed system and tool in HK-Guangdong (HK-GD) based manufacturing organizations with satisfactory outcome. The audit results are helpful to provide top management facts and information to develop action plans for improving IP management. This paper presents the proposed IP audit system and the industrial case study with the development of an expert assessment tool.

BACKGROUND: Adenocarcinomas of the nasal cavity and the paranasal sinuses after occupational exposure to sawdust from oak and beech have been listed as occupational diseases in Germany since 1988. Given that modes of treatment have changed, we analyzed the guidelines based on the recommendations of Hartung et al. for developing an expert assessment on reduced earning capacity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 43 cases which had been evaluated between March 1994 and February 2007 for an occupational disease #4203, in the Ear-Nose-Throat clinic of the Munster University Hospital, Germany. RESULTS: Following the guidelines of Hartung et al., it was impossible to formally classify 21 of 43 cases (48.8 %) in an unambiguous manner. This was primarily due to the assessment of the results of radiotherapy, either adjuvant or therapeutic, as well as the grading of postoperative dysfunction in the area of the sinuses operated on (Rhinitis, Ozaena). Suggestions for a revision of the classification system include a modified assessment of radiotherapy as well as evidence for grading post-therapeutic inflammations of the sinus operated on based on the need for further care. These changes enable all cases in question to be classified unambiguously. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the revised guidelines is recommended for expert assessment of adenocarcinomas of the nasal cavity and the paranasal sinuses caused by wood dust.

Few instruments exist to measure control of asthma symptoms in children. A brief instrument administered at healthcare visits could provide a more consistent approach to symptom recognition for patients and providers.To develop a Pediatric Asthma Control Tool to measure asthma symptom control at pediatric healthcare visits and evaluate the instrument compared to expert assessment and an asthma-related quality-of-life (QOL) measure.A preliminary 14-item instrument was generated through a process of literature review, meetings of institutional experts, and focus groups of parents and providers. The preliminary survey measured asthma control over the past 3 months in 2 domains: frequency of asthma flares and presence of symptoms when the child was at their best. Persistent symptoms were categorized according to published national asthma guidelines (NAEPP). The instrument and an asthma-related QOL measure were administered in the waiting room before a specialist visit for asthma. After the visit the specialist independently assessed asthma control in both domains on a 7-point Likert scale. Internal consistency and assessments of criterion and construct validity were calculated using standard statistics.A total of 200 subjects ranging from 1 to 18 years of age and their caregivers were enrolled; 60% were male. During the prior 3 months, 19% had an emergency visit and 24% described persistent asthma symptoms. After item review the instrument was shortened to five items each for frequency of flares and symptoms at best. Internal consistency was high for each of these domains (Cronbach's alpha = 0.81/0.83, respectively). Correlation of each domain was good when compared to expert assessment (r = 0.54/0.59) and QOL (r = 0.61/0.77).Responses to a 10-item instrument to measure control of asthma symptoms in children at a healthcare visit demonstrated internal consistency and criterion and construct validity.

Background Abdominal cancer surgery is associated with considerable morbidity in older patients. Assessment of preoperative physical status is therefore essential. The aim of this review was to describe and compare the objective physical tests that are currently used in abdominal cancer surgery in the older patient population with regard to postoperative outcomes. Methods Medline, Embase, CINAHL and Web of Science were searched until 31 December 2020. Non-interventional cohort studies were eligible if they included patients ≥65 years undergoing abdominal cancer surgery, reported results on objective preoperative physical assessment such as Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET), field walk tests or muscle strength, and on postoperative outcomes. Results 23 publications were included (10 CPET, 13 non-CPET including Timed Up & Go, grip strength, 6-minute walking test (6MWT) and incremental shuttle walk test (ISWT)). Meta-analysis was precluded due to heterogeneity between study cohorts, different cut-off points, and inconsistent reporting of outcomes. In CPET studies, ventilatory anaerobic threshold and minute ventilation/carbon dioxide production gradient were associated with adverse outcomes. ISWT and 6MWT predicted outcomes in two studies. Tests addressing muscle strength and function were of limited value. No study compared different physical tests. Discussion CPET has the ability to predict adverse postoperative outcomes, but it is time-consuming and requires expert assessment. ISWT or 6MWT might be a feasible alternative to estimate aerobic capacity. Muscle strength and function tests currently have limited value in risk prediction. Future research should compare the predictive value of different physical instruments with regard to postoperative outcomes in older surgical patients.

Retinal fundus image provides information of retinal pathologies to diagnose some diseases by computer automatic detection. The quality of the retinal image mostly affects the detection results. In this research, blood vessels contrast measurement algorithm is approached as the first step in no-reference retinal image quality metric. The step includes segmentation of blood vessels. This work was used retinal images from HEI-MED database. The retinal images are divided as poor and good quality, and then compared with the expert assessment. The result shows that the performance of the approach algorithm is correlated closely with the expert assessment. The qualitative evaluation achieves sensitivity 0.97619, specificity 0.8 and accuracy 0.89362.

CONSUMERS RIGHTLY DEMAND assurances that food is safe to eat. Opponents of genetic modification (GM) or genetically modified organisms (GMOs) complain that products of the new technology are entering our food supply either in an essentially unregulated manner or are evaluated by experts tainted by private interests. Ingredients from GM soy or corn, for example, may be found in up to 60 per cent of processed foods. Who investigated these products to ensure they are safe for human consumption? Who represents the public interest?The companies developing the GM crops claim that they fully scrutinize and evaluate each new variety and conclude that the new versions are at least as safe as earlier crop products on the market. So, we consumers, according to their assurances, have nothing to worry about.We might take their word for it, but the mere thought of accepting corporate assurance about the safety of one of their products gives us indigestion. Because the developing company knows more about a new product than anyone else, it ought to be capable of making a health safety determination, at least from a purely scientific perspective. However, other pressures - especially the need to satiate share-holders - can influence the conclusion. Can we assume the company will share less than laudatory information with us? Unfortunately for their public credibility, companies have a history of suppressing unflattering data. How many tobacco manufacturers freely admit their product causes suffering and death? Whether companies like it or not, they lack public trustworthiness when it comes to proclaiming the safety of their own products.Public confidence in the safety of a new food product requires an unbiased evaluation by an expert third party who serves the public interest. Credible evaluation requires two components, independence and expert assessment. While this might seem superficially self-evident, when it comes to investigating GM food, neither of these components is what it seems and in reality the terms independent and expert assessment are, paradoxically, incompatible. Independence and expert assessment require adequate financial and human resources. The current public regulatory regime lacks both.Take assessment. In most jurisdictions, a new non-GM soybean variety joins the ranks of hundreds of other soybean varieties grown by farmers with little regulatory oversight. Regulatory approvals for new crop varieties differ in different countries. All require evidence that the new line is distinct from earlier varieties, that the population is uniform, and that the new line is genetically stable. Some jurisdictions require data on various additional parameters. But what additional information is required to determine health safety for GM soybeans? As with regulatory approvals for conventional crop varieties, each jurisdiction sets its own standards. The United States has a regulatory process for GM crops, as does Canada and the European Union. All start with the same objective - to assess and assure health safety prior to commercial release of a new GM product. All insist science and scientific analysis rule their procedures, not political, economic, or social pressures. Yet all jurisdictions are somewhat different, sometimes vastly different, in the information they require to assess health safety properly.How can this be? Science is supposed to be value neutral. Arsenic is as toxic to Americans as it is to Europeans, Japanese, and everyone else. It respects no cultural borders. How, then, can scientific experts judge a GM product, based solely on the same scientific data, safe for unconfined release in one place but unacceptable elsewhere? Other, non-scientific factors must be influencing the outcome. Clearly, assessment is not the impartial detached and objective procedure implicit in the public mind. Are those people making the assessments of these products really scientific experts?What about 'independent'? …

Subject. This article discusses the prospects for the strategic development of shipbuilding of the fishing fleet of Russia, and its impact on the fisheries industry. Objectives. The article aims to identify the existing resource constraints and strategic opportunities of shipbuilding of the fishing fleet of Russia, taking into account global trends, and conduct a comprehensive analysis and systematization of the sectoral strategies and develop recommendations for their updating. Methods. For the study, I used the methods of logical analysis, synthesis, comparison, aggregation by specific feature, and systematization. Results. The article offers a model of expert assessment of the optimal number of fishing fleet, taking into account the segmentation of the object of strategizing and determination of strategic priorities for the development of the fisheries industry of Russia. Conclusions. In Russia, shipbuilding of the fishing fleet is a catalyst for a high synergistic effect in mechanical engineering, fisheries industry, and development of coastal regions. The further sustainable development of its interrelated elements is possible through updating strategic development priorities. The article proposes to lay special emphasis on small shipbuilding that has the greatest growth potential, as a priority area for the development of the fisheries industry.

Digital transformation covers all areas of the economy. The analysis in the article showed that this mechanism of filing documents has a number of serious shortcomings related to technical and organizational shortcomings. one of 49 pilot universities in the country that have implemented this project in the admissions campaign. that the proportion of applicants who submitted documents through the super service is insignificant, so it is necessary to identify the main reasons for the low popularity of this mechanism. To do this, the authors conducted a sociological survey among the applicants of the Russian Federation, which reflected the attitude of respondents to the peculiarities of applying to universities and identified the difficulties they had. In order to determine the main areas of improvement of the superservice "Getting to the university online" the main criteria for competitiveness of each of the mechanisms of filing documents to the admissions commission were defined and an expert assessment on them was made. As a result of the study, concrete measures to improve the implementation of the superservice in Kazan GAU, which can be extrapolated to other universities in the country, have been proposed

The purpose of this review is to discuss the risk stratification and management of pregnancy in women with complex congenital heart disease. Classifying congenital heart defects (CHD) including both anatomy and physiology is important for maternal risk stratification. Although most women with CHD can tolerate the physiological challenge of pregnancy, some may experience serious risks both to their health and that of their foetus. The WHO maternal risk classification model remains the best-validated risk measure. Ideally, women with CHD should have pre-conception assessment with a CHD cardiologist. General principles of management, such as need for expert centre delivery, a multidisciplinary team, epidural and mode of delivery are based on WHO risk in combination with expert assessment of status. CHD is increasingly prevalent in women of child-bearing age. Assessment by an adult CHD cardiologist, ideally pre-conception, is key in assessing and minimising risk to mother and foetus.

On an experimental model of eventration in small and large animals (94 rats and 12 pigs), the safety and effectiveness of samples of aseptic protective dressings made of nanomaterials with impregnations used to prevent the development of complications from abdominal organs and tissues in comparison with control ones gauze medical sterile ones were evaluated. After 3 hours, 3 and 7 days after surgery, the viability of the intestinal wall and the presence of complications were assessed on the basis of laboratory, experimental, instrumental and morphological techniques. The assessment of microcirculation (perfusion) of the intestine was carried out using the apparatus LAKK-02. It was found that according to the complex of clinical and laboratory, microbiological, morphological, microcirculatory data and expert assessment, the safest and most effective for the protection of abdominal organs was an aseptic bandage made of non-woven material spunbond impregnated with vinylin + silicone. The initial values of microcirculation parameters in the pig groups were: 18.4 [17.1; 19] perfusion units in the experimental group and 15.6 [6.8; 17.7] perfusion units in the control group. After applying the bandage in the experimental group, the level of microcirculation did not significantly change. In the control group, after 3-hour exposure to the bandage, a decrease in the level of microcirculation was observed to 6.5 [5.1; 8] perfusion units (p 0.05 compared to the initial and similar stage in the experimental group). Thus, an aseptic bandage made of spunbond nanomaterial impregnated with vinylin + silicone retains the necessary moisture and protects the eventrated abdominal organs, demonstrates safe adhesive properties and prevents the development of local and general complications in the early postoperative period.

This is a design and development carried out to develop a web-based evaluation model in teacher professional programs. The subject of this research were participants in the professional teacher program in 2021. In addition, experts in the field of technology and evaluation are also the subject of this research to assess the feasibility of the developed model. The data collection technique used in this study is a questionnaire technique. Data analysis was carried out by descriptive quantitative analysis. Proof of the validity and reliability of internal consistency using the Gregory method. The results show that a web-based evaluation model has been developed by measuring four program components, namely context, input, process, and product. The results of the expert assessment indicate that this model is feasible and meets content validity. The developed model is also reliable based on internal consistency and meets the aspects of practicality and effectiveness based on user ratings. Keywords: Web-based evaluation, teacher professional program

Healthcare quality criteria and indicators allow the head of the health care facility to clearly orientate in the degree of achievement of targets and improvement of results for patients. Studies of approaches to the formation of criteria and indicators of quality in the conditions of real domestic clinical practice, in particular, dental, are isolated. At the same time, in Ukraine there are no clinical protocols of dental care based on evidence-based technologies, which contain clinical quality indicators. The purpose of the study was to conduct a research on approaches to the development and usage of criteria and indicators for the quality of dental care in dental health facilities. Materials and methods. Such materials were used in the study as work plans for 2010-2019, administrative documents (orders), maps of expert assessments, "Guidelines for quality", internal audit protocols (a total of 149 units) of the three regional health care institutions of the dental profile. Methods, which were used, are system and process approach, content analysis, comparative analysis, graphical method. Results and discussion. In each institution, criteria and quality indicators are developed and monitored at the level of the doctor, line managers, the head of the institution and the medical council. Line managers conduct expert quality assessment, generalized "models of end results" which are formed at the level of the head of the institution. Detailed sets of criteria for the quality of the dental care process, ancillary processes and quality management systems are formed. Quantitative evaluation of the corresponding results on a scale and individual percentages is carried out. In general, the set of quality criteria and indicators is excessive in number, which does not meet the quality criteria defined by the standards for quality management systems, it contains mainly indicators of traditional industry reporting. At the same time, the world's evidence-based technologies of dental practice contain clinical indicators that reflect the use of interventions that have a proven impact on the quality of dental care expected by the patient, and which ensure efficient use of resources. Conclusion. The introduction of evidence-based technologies in dental practice is appropriate to improve approaches to the development of quality criteria and indicators, monitoring of clinical processes and compliance audits should be used, expert assessment should be carried out in case of defects

Subject. This article deals with the issues related to the application of methods for auditing the effectiveness of municipal programmes in the field of unfit housing facilities management by municipal control and accounts bodies. Objectives. The article aims to develop a methodology for auditing the effectiveness of the activities of local executive bodies on the use of budget funds allocated for the resettlement of citizens from unfit housing facilities. Methods. For the study, we used the methods of logical, historical, and comparative analyses, and quantitative and qualitative methods of expert assessment. Results. The article addresses the content of the methodology for auditing the effectiveness of budget funds use within the framework of the implemented municipal programmes, presents a developed assessment scale for auditing the effectiveness of the use of budget funds allocated for the resettlement of citizens from unfit housing facilities, and determines the ares for improving municipal legal acts. Conclusions. The advantage of the indicative approach to assessing the effectiveness of the use of budget funds allocated for the resettlement of citizens from unfit housing facilities is to determine the weights of the formed evaluation indicators and aggregate them into the final result. The differentiated approach allows for assessing the effectiveness of individual elements of the audit object.

The purpose of this research is to produce a comic multimedia product that is feasible as a geography learning medium that improves student learning attitudes, describes an increase in student learning achievement using multimedia comics and describes student achievement using multimedia comics compared to the learning media used so far. The research method used is the research and development method (Research and Development -R & D-) according to Brog and Gall. The research subjects were students of SMAN 11 Bengkulu Utara, SMAN 2 Bengkulu Utara, SMAN 4 Bengkulu Utara, and students SMAN 13 Bengkulu Utara. Data collection techniques in this study were expert assessment sheets, questionnaires and tests. The data analysis technique used in this research was the average score (mean), the percentage score, the Ngain Score and the t-test. This study shows that multimedia comics are suitable to be used as a learning medium in geography learning and the use of comic multimedia can improve student attitudes and learning achievement

Background: Tandem Gait (TG) testing is known as a clinical method for studying the walking function with complicated coordination. The precise biomechanical walking parameters in this test remain poorly investigated. Moreover, TG is a modified locomotion of walking. In general, walking is a highly automated movement. TG introduces a component of voluntary control into it. Aims: A study of functional and biomechanical symptoms in children after the treatment for the posterior fossa tumor in the long term. Methods: The study involved 15 healthy subjects aged 12 to 35 years (20.47.2), among them 4 men and 11 women control group. The group of patients comprised 33 children who had a tumor of the posterior cranial fossa (HF) at the age of 7 to 17 years (12.33.1), of these 15 boys and 18 girls, who were admitted for rehabilitation treatment to the "Russkoe pole" Rehabilitation Center. A study on the TG kinematics was performed with the Optitrack system. Results: The results showed asymmetry in the duration of the step cycle and an increase in its duration proportional to the severity of the functional state. The pelvic movements showed different abnormalities. The flexion-extension movements in the hip joints were characterized by an extension lag at the end of the transfer period and a slight decrease in the amplitude, which probably became more pronounced with an increase in the degree of the motor impairment. The movements in the knee joints demonstrated two main phenomena: an increase in the flexion setting of the joint and a decrease in the amplitude of the main swing flexion. In addition, there was a delay in the maximum of the swing flexion. The kinematic parameters of the TG of the examined patients, in contrast to the control group, are not stable. This is, presumably, due to the fact, that normally such a modification of walking is easily automated and does not require voluntary control. In patients with SCF, each step in the TG mode requires additional voluntary control, and under these conditions, the stability and repeatability of a movement are dramatically reduced. Conclusions: In contrast to the routine clinical version of the test, the analysis of the movement biomechanics allows one to present an accurate qualitative and quantitative characterization of functional disorders. According to our research, motor function disorders develop at various levels of the musculoskeletal system. The degree of their severity is in a good agreement with the expert assessment of the patient's functional state.

This article focuses on soft skills that are needed for young engineers starting their professional careers. The objectives of the study were: 1) to determine soft skills of young engineers that are most in demand among employers; 2) to assess the importance of soft skills for the successful start of the graduates’ professional career; 3) to determine the necessary conditions for soft skills development in the engineering bachelor’s degree educational process. The methods of expert assessment, written survey, oral conversation, decomposition, statistical and structural-logical analysis were used in the study. A review of foreign and domestic studies focusing on the analysis and assessment of soft skills needed in the work of engineering and technical personnel in various fields of activity is made. The results of an empirical study showed which soft skills are assessed by young engineers and heads of industrial enterprises as highly demanded for university graduates’ successful career start. On their basis, an optimal grouping of soft skills was compiled, which meets the requirements of professional training for many types of engineering activities. The authors adduce the results of a comparative analysis of the highlighted soft skills, based on the assessments of their importance made by teachers of engineering disciplines, heads of departments and engineers of industrial enterprises, as well as senior students of engineering bachelor’s degree. It was found that representatives of industrial enterprises, especially managers more highly assess the importance of soft skills for the successful professional activity of graduates of an engineering university in comparison with teachers and students. An explanation of the discrepancies in the obtained assessments of soft skills is proposed. The difficulties and necessary conditions for soft skills development in engineering bachelor degree educational process are determined. The article substantiates the key role of the studentcentered approach to teaching and the corresponding teaching and learning technologies for the successful development of soft skills on the basis of different disciplines, including specialized and practice-oriented ones for the engineering profile. The authors formulate the conclusions about the features of soft skills development, which can be used to improve the university training of engineering personnel.

Digital transformation involves utilizing information technologies and digital tools to restructure the business processes and increase their efficiency. During the COVID-19 lockdown, this topic becomes even more relevant. This paper covers the digitalization of such processes as preparing the master’s research work and presenting the results. We modeled a system for supporting decision-making when evaluating master's thesis based on the results of expert assessment and automated text verification for plagiarism following the regulatory documents of a higher education institution and general recommendations for observing academic integrity. This paper suggests system implementation via LMS Moodle, determines the resources for loading the master's thesis and accompanying documents, conducting peer review, organizing consulting undergraduates, and communication per the distribution of the roles. To verify texts for plagiarism, the Unicheck module can be integrated with LMS Moodle. The availability of an educational environment in the universities along with the creation of a single user base will allow for implementing the proposed information system with minimal costs.

The article is devoted to the problem of professional selection of personnel in private security organizations. This problem is relevant, since a significant (and even excessive) number of employees are engaged in security activities in the Russian economy, and their professionalism is a subject of discussion both among managers and personnel officers, and among ordinary people. The article briefly examines the system of professional selection and substantiates the stages of the research carried out by the author in accordance with the order of one of the security fiLms management, which provides physical protection of sensitive facilities. The article briefly examines the system of professional selection and substantiates the stages of the research carried out by the author in accordance with the order of the management of one of the security firms, which provides physical protection of sensitive facilities. An expert-stating method of constructing a psychogram is described. It provides for: expert assessment of personnel to determine successful and unsuccessful employees; selection of methods and techniques of psychodiagnostics and testing of successful and unsuccessful employees; identification of statistically significant differences in test results between successful and unsuccessful employees and determination of professionally important qualities. Difficulties and limitations in the implementation of these research procedures are analyzed in detail. As a result of the study, a psychological portrait of a successful security guard is presented, carrying out physical protection of sensitive objects. This portrait includes a general description of the factors of success, as well as a description of specific professionally important qualities.

Summary. In order to study the correlation of clinical-biological and socio-psychological characteristics of women with cosmetological problems of the skin of the face using a complex of methods of clinical, clinical-psychological and psychometric diagnostics, 110 patients of the cosmetology clinic were studied and were divided into four diagnostic groups («Gravitational ptosis»,»Mimic wrinkles»,»Acne»,»Skin dehydration»). The average age of the sample was 35.64 ± 1.11 years. The specific objectives of the study were to study the relationship between age, clinical and psychological characteristics of patients; the effectiveness of cosmetological treatment and the psychological characteristics of the patients; the degree of influence of the cosmetological problem on the vital activity and psychological characteristics of the patients; attitude towards oneself and other psychological characteristics of women with facial skin defects.Based on the analysis of special literature and the results of our own research, it is shown that it is necessary to study the relationship of psychological and clinical-biological factors for the individualization of the process of cosmetological correction of the facial skin.A statistically significant relationship was established between age and clinical diagnosis, between age and psychological characteristics of patients. It has been proven that subjective satisfaction with the results of treatment positively correlates with extraversion and self-confidence, as well as with an objective assessment of the effectiveness of treatment, which in turn is interrelated with patient satisfaction with their social and professional status, as well as with the internal orientation of the personality - factors that contribute to compliance. and partnership in the treatment process.It was revealed: the higher the severity of the facial skin defect, the more self-doubt, inability to cooperate and cooperate in the personality structure, and the lower the expert assessment of the effectiveness of treatment.

To evaluate the performance of Cirrus spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT)-guided progression analysis (GPA) software to detect progression of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thinning in glaucoma patients.This retrospective cohort study included 272 eyes of 154 glaucoma patients. Median follow-up time was 2.2 years, during which time data from at least four good-quality OCT examinations were collected. Glaucomatous eyes were classified as either early or advanced group according to visual field (VF) severity. Reference standard of glaucoma progression was defined by expert assessment of optic disc/RNFL photographs or VF GPA data, or visual field index (VFI) linear regression analysis. Sensitivity and specificity of OCT GPA, and agreement between OCT GPA findings and each reference standard strategy were estimated.Fifty-three eyes (19.5%) showed progression by at least one of the reference standard strategies, while OCT GPA detected progression in 36 eyes (13.2%). When expert assessment of optic disc/RNFL photographs and/or VF analysis was used as the reference standard, the sensitivity and specificity of OCT GPA employed to detect glaucoma progression were 20.8% and 88.6%. Agreement between OCT GPA and either optic disc/RNFL photographic evaluation or VF analysis was poor (κ = 0.12 and 0.03, respectively). RNFL photographic assessment in early stage glaucoma showed best agreement with OCT GPA in terms of progression detection.The Cirrus OCT GPA detected a considerable number of eyes exhibiting glaucoma progression. OCT GPA may be useful for progression detection in earlier stage of glaucoma to complement other reference standard strategies.

Currently, work in any medical organization carries a risk of coronavirus infection, and, first of all, this applies to medical organizations dealing with the treatment of patients infected with coronavirus. Medical workers are a group at increased risk of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the provision of medical care in modern conditions, which determines their incidence of COVID-19 [1–3]. The aim of the study is to explore the prevalence of cases of COVID-19 infection in medical workers providing medical care on an outpatient basis. The analysis of the incidence of COVID-19 medical workers in one of the large medical organizations of the Samara region during the period of the pandemic was carried out. The medical staff of the medical organization includes 207 doctors. There are 11 subdivisions in the structure of the medical and prophylactic institution. Research methods: content analysis of the modern regulatory framework (2020-2021), statistical, expert. For the period from May 2020 to March 2021 71 cases of infection of medical workers on an outpatient basis with SARS-CoV-2 were identified, of which 32 doctors (45%) and 39 people (55%) nurses. Based on the results of the expert assessment, the insurance nature of the infection case was established in 50 people (70%). Among the medical and nursing categories of medical workers, the largest number of cases was made by doctors and nurses of primary contact — specialists of the district service: general practitioners (40%), pediatricians (32%), doctors — obstetricians-gynecologists (12%), nurses adults (76%) and children (20%) polyclinic departments. A third of health workers received inpatient treatment for severe COVID-19, an average of 60 days. Medical workers are a risk group of COVID-19 who need support measures, since the possibility of occupational infection has been sufficiently proven, and the risk probably depends on the work performed and the conditions of direct contact of medical personnel, which requires further study in the current persisting epidemic conditions. © 2021, Izmerov Research Institute of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved.

Modern society has a need for a systematic analysis of innovative processes that open a new digital era in the development of society. The purpose of the article was to analyze the historical, genetic, scientific and technical prerequisites for the digital transformation of the educational sphere in Russian and world practice; to determine the methodological foundations of transformational processes in education; to identify effective methods of digital pedagogy considering the needs of modern society. Research methods: theoretical and methodological analysis, which allowed us to identify the initial research positions; conceptual and terminological analysis; empirical methods: observation, survey, questionnaire, expert assessment method. The following conditions are necessary for the development of the digital environment in education: the development of digital indicators of the content of the universal competencies of the teacher, the support of the parent community, the material and technical equipment of educational institutions, new digital information tools.

The milk market in the quarantine conditions associated with the pandemic and the spread of COVID-19 is going through a difficult period, superimposed on a number of pre-existing problems. In particular, the production of raw milk by agricultural producers is growing, while this contradicts the fact that the consumption of milk in the country is falling, and incomes of the population are decreasing. All these factors lead to increased competition in the drinking milk market and determine the relevance of the issues of studying its competitiveness, especially in a specific regional market. Today there is a lack of a comprehensive scientific understanding of methods for assessing the competitiveness of drinking milk presented on the local market. As the purpose of the study, the article stated the assessment of the competitiveness of drinking milk brands, the most common in the market of Chelyabinsk region. As a result of scientific research, a quantitative expert assessment of quality was determined and an assessment of competitiveness from a professional objective point of view was carried out by taking into account the quality per unit of money paid. The result of the study was the development of recommendations separately for different target audiences, who can benefit from the results of the study: consumers, retailers and manufacturers.