Search

Teacher education quality and effectiveness have been at the centre of policy discussions in the last decades. As part of efforts to improve teacher preparation, law 20.903 requires Chilean universities to design and apply diagnostic tests assessing the construct of their choice to all first-year preservice teachers. Based on these results, universities must design strategies to support their students. However, universities are facing challenges in implementing these tests, primarily due to the complexity, time and cost associated with developing high-quality tests. In collaboration with three universities, we developed three diagnostic tests: Social Thinking Test, Attitudes Towards Diversity Questionnaire, and Mathematics test for Teaching in Primary Education. Unlike many of the tests currently used by universities, these instruments were specifically designed to measure core teaching skills and attitudes defined by the national standards for Chilean teachers. To collect validity and reliability evidence, the tests were piloted with over 850 Chilean preservice teachers. Reliability was analysed using Cronbach's alpha, with results ranging between 0.67 and 0.92. Validity was examined based on content and internal structure evidence. The analysis of content evidence indicated good coverage of the target domains as defined by the assessment frameworks, and internal structure results point towards the presence of multidimensionality in two of the three tests. This paper discusses the results of these pilot studies and how diagnostic tests that are constructed and analysed from the perspective of the standards (American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association y National Council on Measurement in Education, 2014) can provide valuable information to improve the effectiveness of teaching education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies show that students have difficulty understanding topics such as fruit formation, germination and seed dispersal. The concept of seed is perceived as a general concept by students and its boundaries cannot be drawn exactly. In this context, the study aimed to determine the misconceptions of 12th grade secondary school students about seeds by developing a four-tier concept diagnostic test. For this purpose, a four-tier multiple-choice seed concept diagnostic test was developed for 12th grade secondary school students. The four-tier seed concept diagnostic test consisted of 11 questions and had a 3-factor structure. As a result of the analysis, this test was found to be valid and reliable. 30 different misconceptions were revealed with the four-tier seed concept diagnostic test. The results of the study showed that approximately one fourth of the 12th grade secondary school students had misconceptions about the concept of seed, and the rate of three of the misconceptions was above 10%. This study, which was conducted on 12th grade secondary school students, should also be conducted on different sample groups, and various studies should be conducted to eliminate the misconceptions determined in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: There are limited data from the United States regarding the real-world signs and symptoms of Wilson disease (WD). This retrospective, observational medical chart review was conducted to identify real-world characteristics of patients with WD in the United States, as well as WD signs and symptoms at diagnosis and over time. Methods: De-identified clinical data were abstracted from medical charts of US patients diagnosed with WD between January 1, 2012, and June 30, 2017. Hepatic, neurologic, and psychiatric biochemical findings, signs, and symptoms were characterized at diagnosis and follow-up/during treatment. Results: In total, 225 WD patients were included in the study. The mean (SD) age at diagnosis was 24.7 (9.8) years, and 65.3% were male. Median (Q1-Q3) follow-up after diagnosis was 39.5 (33.8-60.4) months. The most common disease presentation at WD diagnosis was combined neurologic/psychiatric and hepatic (52.9%), followed by neurologic/psychiatric (20.0%), hepatic (16.9%), and asymptomatic (10.2%). Common clinical characteristics at diagnosis were Kayser-Fleischer rings (77.2%), low ceruloplasmin levels (95.2%), high hepatic copper (97.8%), elevated 24-hour urinary copper excretion (90.2%), and abnormal liver function tests (38.7%-85.1%). At diagnosis, the most common biochemical findings or hepatic sign/symptoms were abnormal liver enzymes (50.7%), abdominal pain (16.6%), and fatigue (15.7%). The most common neurologic signs/symptoms were headache (18.3%), dysarthria (17.4%), and ataxia (17.0%). Common psychiatric signs/symptoms included anxiety/depression/other mood changes (36.2%), emotional lability (12.8%), and increased irritability/anger outbursts (9.2%). Prevalence of biochemical abnormalities or signs/symptoms among patients at diagnosis and after ~1-year follow-up were neurologic (60.1% and 44.0%), hepatic (69.6% and 37.8%), and psychiatric (53.7% and 37.6%), respectively. Common new onset symptoms at ~1-year post-WD diagnosis were abnormal liver enzymes (5.6%), headache (6.2%), and anxiety/depression/other mood changes (7.2%). Conclusions: These real-world, descriptive data highlight the clinical complexity and heterogeneity of WD and the need for better education about diagnostic testing and multidisciplinary support. Although rare, the neurologic, psychiatric, and hepatic signs/symptoms of WD have a substantial clinical impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Misconceiving fundamental physics concepts is a persistent challenge in education, hindering students' ability to grasp more advanced topics. This study aims to compare students' conceptual understanding and confidence levels using a 4-tier diagnostic instrument. Conducted as a survey involving 56 high school students in Yogyakarta, the research utilized a 4-tier diagnostic test covering topics of temperature and heat. Data were collected through Google Forms and analyzed using Excel and Winsteps 4.6.1 based on the Rasch Model. Data analysis involved coding, preparing raw data, and utilizing Wright maps combined with Logit Value of Person (LVP) for assessing students' conceptual understanding and confidence levels. Results indicated a significant inconsistency between students' conceptual understanding and their confidence, with many students displaying high confidence despite low understanding, and vice versa. This mismatch highlights the necessity for educational strategies that not only clarify concepts but also align students' confidence with their actual understanding. The study's implications suggest the need for more comprehensive diagnostic tools and targeted pedagogical interventions to enhance learning outcomes in physics education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Misconception is a problem that is often found in learning biology concepts. Ecosystem concept is one of the biology concepts in which misconceptions are found a lot. As a learning problem, misconceptions need to be addressed as soon as possible. The purpose of this research is to produce a valid and reliable diagnostic test instrument for misconceptions in the form of a threetier multiple choice test which is presented through Google Form platform. This development research applied the research and development method with a 4D development model. The developed diagnostic test instrument was validated by two expert validators and obtained a mean score of 3.27 (very feasible). Through the results of item validation, from 40 questions there are 30 valid items with an average correlation coefficient value of 0.67 and 10 invalid items with an average correlation coefficient value of 0.10. The diagnostic test instrument was also tested for readability to students and got an average value of 3.41 (very feasible) and was tested for readability to teachers and got an average value of 3.74 (very feasible). This shows that the developed product is very valid and reliable to be used as a diagnostic test instrument for misconceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are a lot of very interesting scientific concepts to learn in natural and social science. The initial concepts that the student possesses may contradict the actual concepts, which is what causes misconceptions. Misconceptions are identified using misconception detection test tools. In fact, the development of the use of diagnostic test instruments in Indonesia is still very limited. The objective of the study is to create a diagnostic exam instrument that is two tiers and multiple-choice using certainty of response index (CRI) to identify misunderstandings that students have about changes in matters form in science learning. The research design was research and development (RnD). Development starts with literature studies, design and drafting product drafts, testing product validation with expert validation, and empirical testing. The result analysis showed that the two-tier multiplechoice diagnostic test has a high validity of 0.791. The difficulty level belongs to the moderate category, with a coefficient between 0.2 and 0.8 and a good differential and decaying power. Diagnostic tests are said to be suitable for the detection of misconceptions in science learning in elementary school. The outcome of this study contributes to increasing students' knowledge, understanding, critical thinking, and reducing the level of student misconceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Arboviruses are growing concern for state and central health authorities in India. Prevention of arbovirus infections or to break the chain of infection valuable strategy is by vector control measures. However, it's not effective to control the country's mosquito population. The primary aim of this study was to analyse the epidemiology and demographic characteristics of dengue and chikungunya. Materials And Methods: In this prospective study patients presenting with clinical features suggestive of dengue and chikungunya data was collected. Specimens about 5 ml of blood from each patient were collected for serological testing. Results: The mean age of dengue and chikungunya positive patients was 34.8±2.34 and 43±4.21 respectively with a slight male predominance. Dengue confirmed cases count increased in August and September and more number of cases was noted from November to January. Whereas, Chikungunya confirmed cases didn’t show any much seasonal variation during the studied years. 49.7% positives were detected as IgM antibodies, 28.57% were tested as NS1 antigen positive and remaining 21.6% positives were detected as both NS1 and IgM antibodies. Conclusion: South India region is endemic for dengue & chikungunya, research studies on incidence, demographic parameters and transmission dynamics will be useful for central and state government authorities to implement protocols like vector control measures, early diagnostic testing and health education at higher level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Formación Universitaria is the property of Centro de Informacion Tecnologica (CIT) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The correct diagnosis of Candida species is of great importance, because it provides a therapeutic and predictive importance, as it allows for appropriate and early treatment when people are infected. The aim of this study is to confirm the diagnosis of some pathogenic Candida species. The material for this research were 46 isolates collected from the fungi unit in the Department of Biology, College of Science at University of Mosul. Diagnostic tests were conducted, including the phenotypic characteristics of colonies where the external appearance of the colonies was examined growing on the Sabouraud Dextrose Agar was examined and the color of the colony, the whole, its size, its diameter, its height, and its odor were observed, and several biochemical tests were performed, including the growth test on chrom agar candida (CAC) and the chlamydospores formation test using the Tween 80 medium (corn meal agar - CMA), while the germ tube forming test (GTT) was performed according to the Ellis et al., (2007) a pure colony of growing yeast was suspended on SDA solid medium in a sterile test tube containing 0.5 mL of human serum. The mixture was incubated at a temperature of 37 0C for 3 hours, then a drop of the suspension was taken. It was placed on a sterile glass slide and examined under a light microscope to see the germination tube. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) molecular diagnostics test was also performed, as well as DNA electrophoresis test using agarose gel. The results showed that the diagnosed losses belong to the following species: 41 isolates of Candida albicans with a rate of 89.13%, and 3 isolates belonging to the type Candida glabrata with 6.52%, or one isolate for each of the two species Candida tropicalis, Candida lusitaniae 2.17% for each type. Five types of Candida spp. were identified by PCR technique. The PCR results of the purified DNA samples isolated from the five yeasts and using Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) primers showed that 5 bundles of DNA were obtained. Sequencing was performed for the five isolates and then entered into the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) for National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) program to determine the similarity between the isolates and the results in the global gene bank. The sequence results showed that the five isolates matched, in high proportions, with the sequences recorded in the GenBank. We conclude from the study that C. albicans is characterized by its ability to form germination tubes and chlamydia spores, which is a characteristic and diagnostic characteristic of this species. Diagnosis using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology is also more accurate compared to the typical and cultured diagnostic methods used in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the pre-service basic science teachers' misconceptions using a six-tier diagnostic (STD) test. This study used a cross-sectional survey research model with respondents, namely pre-service basic science teachers (PBSTs) who are first-year students. The six-tier diagnostic test consisted of three questions about change in matter (CIM), classification of matter (COM), and separation of mixtures (SOM). Each test package consists of six questions ranging from questions at the macroscopic level, microscopic communication, level of confidence, symbolic visualization to represent microscopic conditions, and self-confidence in representing concepts. The combination of answers and decisions in six-tier diagnostic includes scientific conception (SC), almost scientific conception (ASC), lack of confidence (LC), lack of knowledge (LK), misconception (MSC), have no conception (HNC). The study showed that the conceptual mastery condition is dominated by the misconceptions (MSC) category. The condition for pre-service basic science teachers' mastery concepts having the most scientific conception category is related to changes in matter (CIM), while the condition that shows the least scientific conception category is related to material classification (COM). The results can map the conditions of mastery of the pre-service basic science teachers' concept so that strategies can be designed to correct the emerging misconceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A brief resolved unexplained event (BRUE) is a recent clinical entity that has now replaced the term "infant discomfort". Despite the availability of recent recommendations, identification of patients requiring further examination remains difficult. We aimed to identify factors associated with severe pathology and/or recurrence by studying the medical files of 767 patients admitted to the pediatric emergency department of a French university hospital for a BRUE. Overall, 255 files were studied; 45 patients had a recurrence and 23 patients had a severe diagnosis. The most frequently found etiology was gastroesophageal reflux in the benign diagnosis group and apnea or central hypoventilation in the severe diagnosis group. Prematurity (p = 0.032) and time since last meal >1 h (p = 0.019) were the main factors associated with severe disease. Most of the routine examination results remained non-contributive to the etiology. As prematurity is a factor associated with severe diagnosis, special attention should be given to this population, without subjecting them to multiple tests, since the main complication was found to be apnea or central hypoventilation. Prospective research is needed to establish the usefulness and prioritization of diagnostic tests for infants who are at "high risk" of experiencing a BRUE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence of item bias in a set of measuring instruments can threaten the instrument's validity. Based on the Rasch model, this study evaluated item bias in the four-tier heat and temperature diagnostic test (4T-HTDT). This study used a cross-sectional quantitative survey method. There were 241 students selected using a stratified random sampling technique. The 4T-HTDT instrument consisted of 20 items grouped into five concept groups. Students' conceptual understanding was grouped into five categories, namely scientific knowledge (Rating=5), false positive (Rating=4), false negative (Rating=3), misconceptions (Rating=2), and lack of knowledge (Rating=1). The differential item functioning (DIF) score was used to evaluate item bias in the 4T-HTDT. Bias was reviewed based on the respondent's gender, class, and school. The item has DIF if the probability value is <5%. The results showed that 35% (7 out of 20 items) spread over five groups of heat and temperature concepts were biased. However, excluding seven DIF items from the measurement set would not significantly affect the composition and distribution of items. Thus, the 13 items in the 4T-HTDT instrument are free from bias and can be used to evaluate the conceptual understanding of high school students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research studied the effectiveness of the simulation-based learning assisted with scaffolding approach to address students' misconceptions (MCs) about projectile motion. The five MCs were related to the direction of the force acting on an object (MC1), the acceleration of an object at the top of the trajectory (MC2), the directions of velocity and acceleration during projectile motion (MC3), the time of flight of objects (MC4), and the relationship between the range of projectile motion and angle of projection (MC5). This study was a pre-experimental design using both quantitative and qualitative data. The sample comprised 35 tenth-grade Thai high school students who were chosen using the cluster sampling technique. The teaching method consisted of three steps: a briefing, simulation, and debriefing. Each step was assisted with scaffolding to guide and help the students. The MCs tests consisted of five multiple-choice questions with a four-tier diagnostic test, and the tests were used as a pre-test, end-of-class test, and end-of-topic test. Six semi-structured interview questions were used to obtain in-depth data. The results indicated that MC1, MC2, MC3, MC4, and MC5 were addressed by 11.1%, 85.7%, 57.2%, 57.2%, and 61.5%, respectively, at the end-of-topic test. Students who had MCs in the pre-test changed their understanding of the concepts in MC2, MC3, MC4, and MC5 by 57.1%, 14.3%, 28.6%, and 53.8%, respectively. None of the MC students in MC1 understood the concept at the end-of-topic test. Nevertheless, the overall results showed increased students' understanding of all conceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is part of developing a four-tier online diagnostic test for geometry in junior high schools in Indonesia. After wrote the items and validated by experts, items were tested on 249 students in Yogyakarta, one of the Special Regions in Indonesia. This study aims to identify the characteristics of a four-tier online diagnostic test, from a classical test theory (CTT) perspective. This test contains 20 items of four-tier multiple choice with four options. The students' responses were analyzed using Item and Test Analysis (ITEMAN) package. Item difficulty index, discriminant index, and reliability coefficient were three attributes analyzed. The average of item difficulty index is 0.384 (moderate category). The average item discriminant index is 0.513 (good category). The estimation of the reliability coefficient using the Cronbach-Alpha formula is 0.706 (good category). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Malaria is a severe disease, so delay in treatment could increase morbidity and mortality. World Health Organization recommends confirmation of the diagnosis by laboratory test before initiation of therapy. Smear microscopy and polymerase chain reaction are methods approved by WHO for diagnosing malaria, but they are timeconsuming, operator-dependent, and require laboratory staff training. WHO has recommended the Blood-based Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) as an acceptable method for diagnosing malaria. It provides rapid results and can be performed with limited resources. Methods: Four hundred and fourteen febrile cases admitted to Khartoum North General Hospital, Khartoum, Sudan during January 2021 - June 2021 with clinical suspicion of malaria were examined for the presence of asexual forms of Plasmodium falciparum in peripheral blood smears. Blood smear microscopy-positive patients who matched the acceptance criteria were included, while negative patients were selected as control cases. Blood and urine samples were examined with the same RDT kits designed for blood. Results: Fifty-eight blood smear-positive cases and 50 febrile blood smearnegative cases were enrolled in the study. The sensitivity and specificity of urine-based RDT were 82.76% and 92.00%, respectively, while blood-based RDT was 96.55% and 96.00%. Conclusion: This study aimed to evaluate the performance of urine-based RDT through comparison with blood-based RDT and the use of blood smear microscopy as the reference method. Although the results showed acceptable performance of both tests, more extensive sample size studies should be conducted to consider urine samples as an alternative sample for diagnosing Plasmodium falciparum malaria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to conduct a review of studies using four-tier tests to detect misconceptions in physics education. Fifty-eight studies whose main purpose was to develop a four-tier misconception test and eleven studies whose purpose was to determine learners' misconceptions using a four-tier diagnostic test without test development process in physics education between 2010 and 2022 inclusive with respect to their publication type, the publication year, the number of authors, and number of pages and whether the test was modified or not. General test information such as the physics topic that it examined, the number of misconceptions which were targeted, misconception criteria, validity, and reliability techniques and the number of items were also collected. Indonesia is the country where most of the studies were carried out. Surprisingly, it is found that there is no common agreement about misconception criteria in the studies. Also, it is seen that some important information about test development stages was not specified in many studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture is a dominant field in Sri Lanka, with vegetable cultivation accounting for a large portion of it. Improving agri-entrepreneurship is a good solution for increasing farm efficiency and effectiveness, reducing youth unemployment, and alleviating poverty in rural Sri Lanka. The purpose of this study was to identify the factors influencing farmers' entrepreneurial skills and the challenges that farmer-entrepreneurs face. The study area was chosen as Polgahawela DS division in Kurunegala district. One hundred vegetable farmers (50 young and 50 old) were chosen at random. A questionnaire survey was used to collect data. The data was analyzed using reliability analysis, multiple regression models, and one-way ANOVA. According to the findings, education level, farming experience, and extension services all have a significant impact on the development of farmers' entrepreneurial skills, which have a positive effect on farmer performance. The most significant challenges for vegetable farmers are marketing risk and finance. To develop farmers' entrepreneurial skills, projects and programs may focus on education level, farming experience, and extension services, with the support of successful and more experienced old farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyse the socio-economic factors contributing to poverty reduction in South Africa using time series data from 2006 to 2019. The stationarity of the variables will be assessed by applying the Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) test. The Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) analytical technique will be adopted to analyse the cointegration amongst variables pertaining to different orders of cointegration amongst lower bound [I(0)] and upper bound [I(1)]. The study will analyse the long-term and short-term effects of the socio-economic factors contributing to poverty reduction in South Africa. If the calculated F-statistic is greater than the upper bound [I(1)], the Error Correction Model will be adopted to assess the short-run effects. Diagnostic tests will be performed to test the robustness of the model. The tests will performed will include: (1) the Breusch-Godfrey test for serial correlation; (2) the Jarque-Bera test for normality; (3) the Breusch-Pagan-Godfrey technique to test for heteroscedasticity; and (4) the cumulative sum chart to detect deviation from the average associated with a subgroup. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The covalent bonding concept is perceived by students as abstract to comprehend and thus leads to the development of misconceptions. The inappropriate preconception on the subject is one of the contributing factors that lead to the development of misconceptions among the students. To this end, identifying and remediating learners' misconceptions is vital for every individual teacher in order to cultivate sound scientific knowledge in their learners. This study aimed to explore two aspects: first, the misconceptions of the grade-ninth students on the covalent bonding concept. Second, the effectiveness of cooperative learning based on conceptual change instruction, the use of concrete models, and computer simulation in remediating those misconceptions. The study adopted a quantitative method. The sample comprised 20 students (n=20) studying in the ninth grade of Drukjegang Higher Secondary School in Bhutan. The misconceptions of the students were identified using two-tier diagnostic tests. The study revealed that students' common misconceptions related to covalent bonding are concentrated under five themes: the kinds of atoms that form covalent bonding, how covalent bonding is formed, the kinds of covalent bonding, the characteristics of covalent compounds, and the Lewis dot structure and the octet rule. The data collected from the pre-test and post-test were analyzed and compared to determine the effectiveness of the intervention strategies. The misconceptions of students in post-test have significantly reduced after the intervention was implemented. The study suggests the use of cooperative learning, concrete models, and computer simulation as an effective remediating means of delivering the concept of covalent bonding among the students. Implications of the findings are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Misconceptions are important to know, so that future learning can be improved. This study aims to identify students' misconceptions on the subject of Biodiversity and Protists. This type of research is descriptive quantitative. The sampling technique used in this study was purposive sampling, considering that students who had studied the material on Biological Diversity and Protists had not identified misconceptions and the geographical location of the research site. The research subjects were students of class X SMA Negeri in Kampar Regency, each in two classes, with a total sample of 405 students. The instrument used in the study was a Three-Tier Multiple Choice Diagnostic Test. The study results concluded that the average Percentage of students who had misconceptions about the material on Biodiversity was 32.44% (medium category), and the material Protista was 31.56% (medium category). In the material on Biological Diversity and Protists, many students experience falsenegative misconceptions, which means that the information possessed by students is little or incomplete. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to develop a deep learning-based algorithm for fully automated spleen segmentation using CT images and to evaluate the performance in conditions directly or indirectly affecting the spleen (e.g., splenomegaly, ascites). For this, a 3D U-Net was trained on an in-house dataset (n = 61) including diseases with and without splenic involvement (in-house U-Net), and an open-source dataset from the Medical Segmentation Decathlon (open dataset, n = 61) without splenic abnormalities (open U-Net). Both datasets were split into a training (n = 32.52%), a validation (n = 9.15%) and a testing dataset (n = 20.33%). The segmentation performances of the two models were measured using four established metrics, including the Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC). On the open test dataset, the in-house and open U-Net achieved a mean DSC of 0.906 and 0.897 respectively (p = 0.526). On the in-house test dataset, the in-house U-Net achieved a mean DSC of 0.941, whereas the open U-Net obtained a mean DSC of 0.648 (p < 0.001), showing very poor segmentation results in patients with abnormalities in or surrounding the spleen. Thus, for reliable, fully automated spleen segmentation in clinical routine, the training dataset of a deep learning-based algorithm should include conditions that directly or indirectly affect the spleen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic capacity of integrated pulmonary index (IPI) in predicting the pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients admitted to emergency departments (ED) with dyspnea. BACKGROUND: The acute dyspnea is one of the most common chief complaints in EDs. PE is a potentially fatal disease and the delay in specific therapy increases the worst outcomes. METHODS: This study is a prospective methodological study, in which we evaluated the diagnostic performance of the IPI in predicting PE in patients admitted to ED with dyspnea. ROC analysis was used for estimating the accuracy of IPI and OCRS. RESULTS: Of the 144 patients included in the study, there were 20 (13.9 %) PE patients. In the ROC analysis, the best cut-off point for IPI was ≤ 2. For this cut-off point, the sensitivity and specificity of IPI were 100.0 % and 96.0 %, respectively. Besides, the accuracy of IPI was 96.5 % with a +LR of 24.8 and a -LR of 0.0. CONCLUSION: IPI was a potential candidate for evaluating the respiratory status, and a limiting tool to prevent unnecessary diagnostic tests and save time in determining the treatment course in dyspneic patients at ED (Tab. 5, Fig. 3, Ref. 34). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider the setting in which a categorical exposure variable of interest can only be measured subject to misclassification via surrogate variables. These surrogate variables may represent the classification of an individual via imperfect diagnostic tests. In such settings, a random number of diagnostic tests may be ordered at the discretion of a treating physician with the decision to order further tests made in a sequential fashion based on the results of preliminary test results. Because the underlying latent status is not ascertainable these cheaper but imperfect surrogate test results are used in lieu of the definitive classification in a model for a long-term outcome. Naive use of a single surrogate or functions of the available surrogates can lead to biased estimators of the association and invalid inference. We propose a likelihood-based approach for modeling the effect of the latent variable in the absence of validation data with estimation based on an expectation–maximization (EM) algorithm. The method yields consistent and efficient estimates and is shown to out-perform several common alternative approaches. The performance of the proposed method is demonstrated in simulation studies and its utility is illustrated by applying the proposed method to the stimulating study on breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessment in education is part of collecting and processing various information related to student achievements during learning. Good learning quality can be seen from the quality of the assessment. Assessment activities that help educators to find out the difficulty of students on a learning material so that it can be guided to achieve completeness criteria, namely by diagnostic tests. The assessment carried out must follow 21st-century learning that is integrated with the industrial era 4.0, namely how to diagnose difficulties related to the representation ability of students in physics learning by utilizing assessments that have advantages in detecting student difficulties and giving suggestions for appropriate improvement. The purpose of this research was to develop a test instrument (PhysDTRA) that could be used to diagnose students' mathematical representation abilities in high school physics learning. The results of the research were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively using Item Response Theory (IRT). Based on the content validity, the PhysDTRA instrument was declared to be valid according to the expert judgments who were analyzed using the Aiken's V equation. All items in the test instrument were valid based on the Rasch, INFIT MNSQ, and INFIT t models. The PhysDTRA instrument has also been relied upon based on the reliability of the estimated items and TIC curves so that it can be used to diagnose and determine the profile of students' mathematical representation abilities. Thus, the PhysDTRA instrument developed has fulfilled the test characteristics that are feasible of its content, empirical evidence, validity, and reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we present a new diagnostic test for dyslexia, called the Flamingo Test, inspired by the French Alouette Test. The purpose of the test is to measure students' word decoding skills and reading fluency by means of a grammatically correct but meaningless text. Two experiments were run to test the predictive validity of the Flamingo Test. In the first experiment, we compared reading times, error rates and, sensitivity and specificity of the Flamingo Test for samples of students with and without dyslexia. In the second experiment, we compared performance on the Flamingo Test with reading performance on two Dutch standard word reading tests: the Leestest Een Minuut voor Studenten (LEMs; 'one-minute word reading test for students') and the Klepel, a one-minute pseudo-word reading test. Again, students with dyslexia and matched non-dyslexic students were included. Our results show that sensitivity and specificity, as well as the positive predictive value (PPV), of the Flamingo Test are high, with even slightly higher PPVs for the Flamingo Test than for LEMs and Klepel. Together with the fact that the test is short and easy to administer, we believe that the Flamingo Test is a valuable new diagnostic instrument to assess reading skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University students' misconceptions have become an important issue to discuss as prior concepts brought by the students into the classroom can affect the acquisition of new information. The current study attempted to identify Biology students' misconceptions in Human Anatomy and Physiology courses through a three-tier diagnostic test. The participants of this study were 128 students from the Department of Biology Education who were currently enrolled in Human Anatomy and Physiology courses at the Institute of Teacher Training and Educational Sciences (STKIP) Pembangunan Indonesia in Makassar. A three-tier diagnostic test was used as the instrument to identify the number of participants who had developed misconceptions about the concepts introduced in the courses. The test contained 23 items of Certainty of Response Index (CRI) that, on average, achieved a validity score of 0.426 and a reliability score of 0.794. The research data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results of the test analysis showed that the majority (61.51%) of the students developed misconceptions in Human Anatomy and Physiology courses. In detail, there were several misconceptions in 57.81% skeletal system, 52.34% muscular system, 55.47% integumentary system, 51.04% nervous system, 54.69% endocrine system, 66.02% hemolymphatic system, 62.89% cardiovascular system, 68.75% respiratory system, 70.31% digestive system, 70.70% urinary system, and 71.88% reproductive system. Misconceptions were mostly developed on reproductive system sub-materials and less likely found in nervous system sub-materials. Given this information, it can be concluded that the misconceptions of Biology students from the Institute of Teacher Training and Educational Sciences (STKIP) Pembangunan Indonesia in Human Anatomy and Physiology courses are categorized as high. Therefore, there should be an effort to deal with this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of hybrid systems is increasingly growing in Europe and this is progressively important for the final result of diagnostic tests. As an integral part of the hybrid imaging system, computed tomography (CT) plays a crucial role in myocardial perfusion imaging diagnostics. Throughout Europe, a variety of equipment is available and also different university curricula of the nuclear medicine technologist are observed. Hence, the Technologist Committee of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine proposes to identify, through a bibliographic review, the recommendations for best practice in computed tomography applied to attenuation correction and calcium score in myocardial perfusion imaging, which courses in the set of knowledge, skills, and competencies for nuclear medicine technologists. This document aims at providing recommendations for CT acquisition protocols and CT image optimization in nuclear cardiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Intoxication with new psychoactive substances (NPSs), colloquially known as designer drugs, has become a significant problem in the last several years. The aim of the study was to conduct a statistical analysis of retrospective data from test records for the presence of NPSs in patients hospitalized in 2015-2018 in the West Pomeranian province. Materials and methods: We analyzed 5,916 results of tests undertaken at the Department of Clinical and Forensic Toxicology at Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin. Blood samples had been analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC/MS) and Headspace gas chromatography (GC/Headspace). Results: Our research was based on 5,916 diagnostic tests for poisoning with volatile and non-volatile organic compounds carried out in 2015-2018 at Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin. Psychoactive substances used for non-medical purposes were detected in 1,465 patients. In the period under analysis 1,328 of these patients were poisoned with classic psychoactive substances, the poisonings caused by the intentional use NPS were recorded in 137. Conclusions: A retrospective analysis of the above-mentioned data for the period 2015-2018 revealed a gradual increase in the incidence of poisoning with psychoactive substances used for non-medical purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work concerns the diagnostic assessment of the technical condition of the car suspension. The paper discusses practical problems that usually appear during testing of car shock absorbers mounted in a vehicle. The results of experimental tests for passenger car, carried out according to the EUSAMA standard test, were compared with the results obtained using newer methods (phase angle method and half power bandwidth method - HPBM). The article also deals with the issue of incompatibility of typical excitation at diagnostic devices for testing suspension with the one that often occurs in road conditions (by simulation method). The main purpose of the work was to assess the usefulness and reliability of various diagnostic methods intended for the testing of vehicle shock absorbers without disassembly them from the vehicle. The analyses carried out indicated the advantages and disadvantages of these methods in practice. It is also shown that the conditions of diagnostic tests correspond poorly to the operating conditions of the shock absorbers under normal vehicle operating conditions. An important factor in this case is the sliding friction in the suspension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There has been interest in using the non-invasive, home-based quantitative faecal immunochemical test (FIT) to rule out colorectal cancer (CRC) in high-risk symptomatic patients. Aim: To elicit public preferences for FIT versus colonoscopy (CC) and its delivery in primary care. Design & setting: A cross-sectional online survey in England. Method: A total of 1057 adults (without CRC symptoms and diagnosis) aged 40-59 years were invited from an English online survey panel. Responders were asked to imagine they had been experiencing CRC symptoms that would qualify them for a diagnostic test. Participants were presented with choices between CC and FIT in ascending order of number of CRCs missed by FIT (from 1-10%). It was measured at what number of missed CRCs responders preferred CC over FIT. Results: While 150 participants did not want either of the tests when both missed 1% CRCs, the majority (n = 741, 70.0%) preferred FIT to CC at that level of accuracy. However, this preference reduced to 427 (40.4%) when FIT missed one additional cancer. Women were more likely to tolerate missing CRC when using FIT. Having lower numeracy and perceiving a higher level of risk meant participants were less likely to tolerate a false negative test. Most of those who chose FIT preferred to return it by mail (62.2%), to be informed about normal test results by letter (42.1%), and about abnormal test results face to face (32.5%). Conclusion: While the majority of participants preferred FIT over CC when both tests had the same sensitivity, tolerance for missed CRCs was low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe an approach to characterizing and diagnosing complex professional competencies (CPCs) for the field of Intrapreneurship, i.e. activities of an entrepreneurial nature engaged by employees within their existing organizations. Our approach draws upon prior conceptual, empirical, and analytical efforts by researchers in Germany. Results are presented from an application of a cognitive diagnostic modeling approach to the performance of late stage apprentices on tasks derived from a previously developed competence model of Intrapreneurship. The results are discussed in terms of the type of cognitive diagnosis model (CDM) most appropriate for the domain and task battery, and patterns of performance are presented for seven diagnosable Intrapreneurship skills. By interpreting the assessment task response data in terms of a CDM, diagnostic, skill‐based information is obtained which verifies the strengths and weaknesses of the apprentices at a late stage in their training and has the potential to provide feedback to training programs triggering the improvement of individual apprentice learning and subsequent work‐related performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the existing classification accuracy indices of attribute patterns lose effectiveness when the response data is absent in diagnostic testing. To handle this issue, this article proposes new indices to predict the correct classification rate of a diagnostic test before administering the test under the deterministic noise input "and" gate (DINA) model. The new indices include an item‐level expected classification accuracy (ECA) for attributes and a test‐level ECA for attributes and attribute patterns, and both of them are calculated based solely on the known item parameters and Q‐matrix. Theoretical analysis showed that the item‐level ECA could be regarded as a measure of correct classification rates of attributes contributed by an item. This article also illustrates how to apply the item‐level ECA for attributes to estimate the correct classification rate of attributes patterns at the test level. Simulation results showed that two test‐level ECA indices, ECA W (an index based on the independence assumption and the weighted sum of the item‐level ECAs) and ECA_C_M (an index based on Gaussian Copula function that incorporates the dependence structure of the events of attribute classification and the simple average of the item‐level ECAs), could make an accurate prediction for correct classification rates of attribute patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urdu assigns the nominative case, ergative case, dative case and other postpositional cases in subject argument position. Nominative and ergative cases occur with the finite verb and vary according to tense and aspect in Urdu. But dative case is the semantic case and associated with experience and goal. This paper discusses the case pattern of subject argument in respect of native speakers and non-native speakers of Urdu. Urdu is the split-ergative language, it takes ergative case with perfective aspect and past tense in transitive verb. But the non-native speakers (who do not have ergative case in their languages) use nominative case in the context of ergative case. On the bases of this system, the present paper explores the idea that ergative case is the structural case because it is replaced by the nominative case which is the structural case (Mahajan (1990), Butt (2004) Davison (2000)). Further support comes from the 'Woolford's (2006)' diagnostic tests. She presents six diagnostic tests (in the Icelandic language) to check whether ergative case is the inherent case related to theta role or the structural case related to the syntactic position. But Woolford's (2006)' diagnostic tests are not fully applicable in Urdu/Hindi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aimed at analyzing student misconceptions about Newton's Laws through Four-Tier Newtonian Test (FTNT). The research involved 30 students (15 boys and 15 girls, whose ages were middling of 16 years-old) at one of Senior High School in Bandung, Indonesia. The data were analyzed through mixed methods. Based on the quantitative analysis, the highest percentage of student misconceptions through four-tier test was 66% and through two-tier test was 100%. According to qualitative analysis, it was found student misconceptions about Newton's Laws. From the research, it can be concluded that FTNT can be used in analyzing student misconceptions on Newton's Laws concepts and more effective than using the two-tier test. Teachers or researchers can expand the concepts of Newton's Laws that are used in designing diagnostic test and developed for other physics concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The classic parameters used to assess the accuracy of a binary diagnostic test (BDT) are sensitivity and specificity. Other parameters used to describe the performance of a BDT are likelihood ratios (LRs). The LRs depend on the sensitivity and the specificity of the diagnostic test, and they reflect how much greater the probability of a positive or negative diagnostic test result for individuals with the disease than that for the individuals without the disease. In this study, several confidence intervals are studied for the LRs of a BDT in the presence of missing data. Two confidence intervals were studied through the method of maximum likelihood and seven confidence intervals were studied by applying the multiple imputation by chained equations method. A program in R software has been written that allows us to solve the estimation problem posed. The results obtained have been applied to the two real examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Evaluation of Eedi formative question setting and diagnostic digital platform. • Intervention targeted at children in Year 10 from September 2018 and their teachers. • Evaluation is a cluster randomized controlled trial. • Study will take place in 180 schools in England. • Study will commence in autumn 2018 and run for two years. Abstract This paper describes a cluster randomised controlled trial designed to test the efficacy of Eedi, a formative question setting and diagnostic digital platform, on attainment in mathematics at GCSE as well as its impact on teacher workload. The study is a pragmatic two arm trial that aims to randomise 180 English secondary schools to intervention and control (business as usual) conditions. The intervention is targeted at Year 10 pupils (aged 14–15 years) and their teachers commencing study of GCSE mathematics from September 2018 and will run for two years. The study is due to report at the end of 2021. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the performance of 790 fourth graders from Taiwan for judging the reasonableness of a computational result by using corresponding methods pertaining to whole numbers. A number-sense web-based two-tier diagnostic test was used to assess the number-sense performance of the fourth graders who participated in this study. The results revealed unsatisfactory performance of study participants. Only 25% of them could apply the number-sense-based method to answer problems, and approximately 38% of them had misconceptions regarding various items. This paper discusses several of these misconceptions, as well as the study implications and suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Client communication is a core clinical skill that is taught as part of the required curriculum at many veterinary colleges. Although much client communication occurs face-to-face, telephone communication is used to provide patient updates, relay results of diagnostic tests, and check on discharged patients. This research explored fourth year veterinary medical students' telephone communication skills. We recorded and analyzed the transcripts of 25 calls students made to clients of three different services in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Additionally, we explored the perspectives of veterinary educators by distributing a survey to university faculty and house officers (n = 57). Results indicate that students excelled at identifying the patient and purpose of the call and incorporating professional language and clear explanations. They require development in providing structure and incorporating core communication skills. Compared with our survey results, the student findings are at odds with clinicians' expectations of students' communication abilities. We conclude that additional training is required to familiarize students with expectations regarding telephone communication, including reviewing the case thoroughly, preparing to answer questions and provide explanations, following organizational protocol, and incorporating open ended questions, reflective listening, and empathy. This data will inform design, and help to measure the impact, of telephone communication education and training that will be incorporated into the existing veterinary communication curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Canine brucellosis is an emerging disease and compatible with a One Health management approach. Previous research has found higher prevalence of Brucella canis in stray dog populations than in owned animals, and shelter dogs may represent a zoonotic risk to pet owners. Dogs may also contract other Brucella spp., including Brucella suis , which is carried by some feral swine in the United States and poses a public health risk. Diagnostic tests for Brucella spp. are imperfect. Misclassification of disease status can result in serious repercussions for canine and human health including the unnecessary euthanasia of false positive dogs or failure to identify and remove false negative dogs from susceptible populations. Correct interpretation of any diagnostic test requires knowledge of the pre-test probability of disease in the population, therefore the objective of this cross-sectional study was to estimate the seroprevalence of B. canis and B. suis in Mississippi shelter dogs to guide evidence-based diagnostic testing and inform policy recommendations. Banked serum samples from 571 dogs collected in 2016–2017 as a representative sample of the Mississippi shelter dog population were tested for B. canis using a rapid slide agglutination test (RSAT) and for B. suis using a buffered acidified plate agglutination test. No dogs were seropositive for B. suis antibodies. Twenty-eight dogs (4.9%) were seropositive for B. canis antibodies on the RSAT, with 13 dogs (2.3%) remaining positive when retested with the addition of 2-mercaptoethanol to increase specificity. Test prevalence by shelter ranged from 0 to 8.6%. True prevalence was estimated using stochastic modeling to account for test performance and clustering of dogs by shelter. Approximately 65% of modeled shelters did not have seropositive dogs. For shelters where B. canis was present, the mean modeled seroprevalence was 17.8%. This cross-sectional study reveals important information regarding the distribution of B. canis seroprevalence in Mississippi shelter dogs. Current diagnostic tests lack the sensitivity needed to correctly identify individual infected dogs, but population testing may provide a reasonable estimate of disease. Eradication or control measures may be most efficiently allocated to shelters where canine brucellosis has been identified to effectively minimize transmission among dogs and to humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A substantial strand of literature unambiguously established the importance of financial development for economic growth. Relatively less attention has been paid to the impact that financial development of a country can have on important development outcomes like transparency. As established by existing research, strong financial institutions in a country would imply an improved and transparent banking system, better corporate governance, ease of accessing credit, greater availability of information and best practices in investment protection. All these should theoretically promise a more transparent economic system. Our empirical findings confirm this. Using several estimation strategies, our results confirm that greater financial development enhances transparency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to examine whether changes in nominal oil prices (Brent and West Texas Intermediate (WTI)) affect the stock market returns in the context of an emerging market framework. The Autoregressive Distributed Lag bounds testing approach of cointegration is used to test for the long run relation between the two variables, where the daily stock market index return is calculated using the first difference in the natural logarithms of stock market index. Further, we test for the stability of the cointegration relationship by examining the sensitivity analysis where diagnostic tests for serial correlation (namely the Breusch-Godfrey serial correlations LM test) and cumulative sum of recursive residuals (CUSUM) are employed. Using daily data from January 3, 2000 to December 9, 2015, the findings suggest that there is long run integration between oil prices and stock returns series in which the daily oil price shocks have a negative impact on stock returns. The highly significant error correction coefficient indicates high rate of convergence to equilibrium. In addition, the Toda and Yamamoto (J Econom 66(2):225-250, 1995) Granger non‐causality test indicates significant bidirectional causality between stock market returns and Brent nominal oil price, meanwhile there is unidirectional causality running from WTI oil price to stock market returns. These findings are, up to some extent, meaningful for investors, portfolio managers and policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an increasing focus on factors that influence the variability of rater-based judgments. First impressions are one such factor. First impressions are judgments about people that are made quickly and are based on little information. Under some circumstances, these judgments can be predictive of subsequent decisions. A concern for both examinees and test administrators is whether the relationship remains stable when the performance of the examinee changes. That is, once a first impression is formed, to what degree will an examiner be willing to modify it? The purpose of this study is to determine the degree that first impressions influence final ratings when the performance of examinees changes within the context of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). Physician examiners (n = 29) viewed seven videos of examinees (i.e., actors) performing a physical exam on a single OSCE station. They rated the examinees' clinical abilities on a six-point global rating scale after 60 s (first impression or FIGR). They then observed the examinee for the remainder of the station and provided a final global rating (GRS). For three of the videos, the examinees' performance remained consistent throughout the videos. For two videos, examinee performance changed from initially strong to weak and for two videos, performance changed from initially weak to strong. The mean FIGR rating for the Consistent condition (M = 4.80) and the Strong to Weak condition (M = 4.87) were higher compared to their respective GRS ratings (M = 3.93, M = 2.73) with a greater decline for the Strong to Weak condition. The mean FIGR rating for the Weak to Strong condition was lower (3.60) than the corresponding mean GRS (4.81). This pattern of findings suggests that raters were willing to change their judgments based on examinee performance. Future work should explore the impact of making a first impression judgment explicit versus implicit and the role of context on the relationship between a first impression and a subsequent judgment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patient Decision Aids (PDAs) are an important part of a movement towards truly informed consent and shared decision making (SDM) in medicine. The best PDAs are produced using readily understood terms and depictions but are nonetheless backed by the best available scientific evidence and most current clinical consensus. Ideally, but not always, PDAs are distributed by knowledgeable professionals working in doctor's offices, outpatient clinics, or hospitals, and carefully matched to the particular medical issues the patient is most likely facing. After having viewed or read an appropriate PDA, patients can more meaningfully discuss with their medical practitioners, what their options are for diagnostic tests, medications, treatments, or surgeries, and make their own preferences clearly understood with the full expectation that their wishes will be followed. The formats, sources, and standards by which PDAs are evaluated by experts are reviewed here so that librarians can assist patrons who often find them on their own via searching the web identify those with which are likely to be unbiased, most reliable and up to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate if Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) and highsensitivity troponin I predict significant arrhythmia, symptomatic significant arrhythmia and 90-day death and/or Major Adverse Cardiac Event in Emergency Department (ED) unexplained syncope patients investigated with a 14-day ambulatory electrocardiogram (ECG) recorder. Single-centre, prospective, cohort study. Patients 16 years or over presenting within 6 hours of an episode of unexplained syncope were fitted with an ambulatory ECG recorder (Zio® XT monitor) and had high-sensitivity troponin I and BNP measured on ED admission and 3 hours later. Between 17/11/2015 and 13/06/2017, 86 patients were recruited. 24 had significant arrhythmia, 9 symptomatic significant arrhythmia and 26 patients had death and/or Major adverse cardiac events by 90 days. BNP at admission, three hours and change in BNP and high-sensitivity troponin I at three hours were associated with significant arrhythmia and serious outcome. BNP >20pg/mL and/or high-sensitivity troponin I above the 99% sex specific centile (M>34ng/L, F>16ng/L) at 3 hours had a sensitivity of 100% (21/21; 95% CI 81%-100%) and specificity of 43% (16/37; 28%-60%) for significant arrhythmia and a sensitivity of 100% (22/22; 95% CI 82%-100%) and specificity of 44% (16/36; 28%-62%) for serious outcome both at 90 days. The combination of BNP and high-sensitivity troponin I at 3 hours shows promise as a potential predictive marker for serious arrhythmia and serious outcome at 90 days and deserves further exploration as a rule out test to enable safe discharge of patients from the ED who are at low risk of having cardiac syncope and subsequent adverse events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]