scholarly journals COMPARING GOAL-MODELLING TOOLS WITH THE RE-TOOL EVALUATION APPROACH∗

2006 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raimundas Matulevičius ◽  
Patrick Heymans ◽  
Guttorm Sindre
Keyword(s):  
Project Success ◽  
Information Systems Development ◽  
Tool Support ◽  
Good Tool ◽  
Evaluation Approach ◽  
Tool Evaluation ◽  
Goal Modelling ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Language Characteristics

Goal modelling usually takes place during the early information systems development phase known as requirements engineering (RE). RE is a key factor for project success where a good tool support is necessary. Several goal-modelling tools exist and several approaches can be used to evaluate them. In this paper, we report on an experiment to evaluate two goal-modelling tools - KAOS/Objectiver and i*/OME. We use an RE-tool evaluation approach (R-TEA) in order to determine which of the tools is better at supporting the creation of goal models. It turns out that KAOS/Objectiver apparently offers better model creation support but the quality of the resulting models is more dependent on situational language characteristics such as the focus on early (vs late) requirements.

Impacts of Vending Practices on the Microbiological Quality of Bread in the Ojoo Area of Ibadan, Oyo-State, Nigeria

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-39
Author(s):  
Oluwadara Oluwaseun Alegbeleye ◽  
Wasiu Akinloye Oyebisi Afolabi ◽  
Beatrice Oluwatoyin Opeolu ◽  
Amin Mousavi Khaneghah
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Microbiological Quality ◽  
Bacillus Species ◽  
Potential Hazard ◽  
Safety Regulations ◽  
Bacillus Flexus ◽  
Microbiological Methods ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Quality Of Food

Background: Bacterial counts in ready-to-eat foods are a key factor in assessing the microbiological quality and safety of food. Periodic assessment of the microbiological quality of food is necessary to develop a robust database and help to ensure food safety. </P><P> Methods: The bacterial contamination of a total of 336 bread samples collected from two bakeries and 10 vendors in Ojoo Area of Ibadan, Oyo-State, Nigeria (December 2014 -June 2015) was evaluated. The microbiological quality of the bread loaves was investigated using standard microbiological methods (morphological, phenotypic and molecular characterization). </P><P> Results: The results showed that the number of contaminated samples among the vended bread samples was higher than the bakery bread samples and can be summarized as Bacillus megaterium (4.30%), Staphylococcus arlettae (0.005%), Staphylococcus saprophyticus (2.78%), Citrobacter freundii (2.40%), Bacillus flexus (1.64%), Bacillus species (49.59%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4.12%), Pseudomonas fluorescens (0.92%), Pseudomonas species (0.045%), Escherichia coli (30.44%) Klebsiella sp. (0.040%) and Aeromonas hydrophila (3.72%). </P><P> Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that the bread samples which become contaminated after transport and handling can be considered a potential hazard to human health in the area. More stringent adherence to food safety regulations should be encouraged and enforced by the appropriate authorities. The findings of this study may be adopted to improve the hygienic conditions of bread distribution chain in the area as well as in other regions of the World.

Correlation of Altmetric Attention Scores with Citations in Major Pharmacy Journals (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dave L Dixon ◽  
William L Baker
Keyword(s):  
Citation Count ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Scientific Output ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Promotion And Tenure ◽  
Article Type ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Number Of Citations ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND The impact and quality of a faculty members publications is a key factor in promotion and tenure decisions and career advancement. Traditional measures, including citation counts and journal impact factor, have notable limitations. Since 2010, alternative metrics have been proposed as another means of assessing the impact and quality of scholarly work. The Altmetric Attention Score is an objective score frequently used to determine the immediate reach of a published work across the web, including news outlets, blogs, social media, and more. Several studies evaluating the correlation between the Altmetric Attention Score and number of citations have found mixed results and may be discipline-specific. OBJECTIVE To determine the correlation between higher Altmetric Attention Scores and citation count for journal articles published in major pharmacy journals. METHODS This cross-sectional study evaluated articles from major pharmacy journals ranked in the top 10% according to the Altmetric Attention Score. Sources of attention that determined the Altmetric Attention Score were obtained, as well each articles open access status, article type, study design, and topic. Correlation between journal characteristics, including the Altmetric Attention Score and number of citations, was assessed using the Spearman’s correlation test. A Kruskal-Wallis 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the Altmetric Attention Scores between journals. RESULTS Six major pharmacy journals were identified. A total of 1,376 articles were published in 2017 and 137 of these represented the top 10% with the highest Altmetric Attention Scores. The median Altmetric Attention Score was 19 (IQR 15-28). Twitter and Mendeley were the most common sources of attention. Over half (56.2%) of the articles were original investigations and 49.8% were either cross-sectional, qualitative, or cohort studies. No significant correlation was found between the Altmetric Attention Score and citation count (rs=0.07, P = 0.485). Mendeley was the only attention source that correlated with the number of citations (rs=0.486, P<0.001). The median Altmetric Attention Score varied widely between each journal (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS The overall median Altmetric Attention score of 19 suggests articles published in major pharmacy journals are near the top 5% of all scientific output. However, we found no correlation between the Altmetric Attention Score and number of citations for articles published in major pharmacy journals in the year 2017.

scholarly journals Promoting Sustainable Mobility: A Perspective from Car and Public Transport Users

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 4715
Author(s):  
Audrius Dėdelė ◽  
Auksė Miškinytė
Keyword(s):  
Public Transport ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Urban Mobility ◽  
Sustainable Mobility ◽  
Bicycle Safety ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Significant Factors

Sustainable mobility is becoming a key factor in improving the quality of life of the residents and increasing physical activity (PA) levels. The current situation of sustainable mobility and its analysis is a first step in understanding the factors that would encourage residents to discover and choose alternative modes of travel. The present study examined the factors that encourage the choice of active modes of travel among urban adult population. Walking and cycling were analyzed as the most sustainable forms of urban mobility from the perspective of car and public transport (PT) users. Total of 902 subjects aged 18 years or older were analyzed in the study to assess commuting habits in Kaunas city, Lithuania. The majority (61.1%) of the respondents used a passenger vehicle, 28.2% used PT, and only 13.5% used active modes of travel. The results showed that safer pedestrian crossings, and comfortable paths were the most significant factors that encourage walking. A wider cycling network, and bicycle safety were the most important incentives for the promotion of cycling. Our findings show that the main factors encouraging walking and cycling among car and PT users are similar, however, the individual characteristics that determine the choice of these factors vary significantly.

scholarly journals Body image, self-esteem, and sense of masculinity in patients with prostate cancer: a qualitative meta-synthesis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Bowie ◽  
Oliver Brunckhorst ◽  
Robert Stewart ◽  
Prokar Dasgupta ◽  
Kamran Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Body Image ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Qualitative Studies ◽  
Prostate Cancer Survivors ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Key Topics

Abstract Purpose Body image, self-esteem, and masculinity are three interconnected constructs in men with prostate cancer, with profound effects on quality of life. This meta-synthesis aimed to evaluate all known qualitative studies published studying the effect of prostate cancer on these constructs. Methods A systematic review utilising PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases up to May 2020 was conducted in line with PRISMA and ENTREQ guidelines. All qualitative studies of men’s experiences with body image, self-esteem, and masculinity whilst living with prostate cancer were included. A thematic meta-synthesis was conducted to identify emergent descriptive and analytical themes under the main study constructs. Results Of 2188 articles identified, 68 were included. Eight descriptive themes were identified under two analytical themes: ‘Becoming a Prostate Cancer Patient’ and ‘Becoming a Prostate Cancer Survivor’. These described the distress caused by changes to body image, sexual functioning, sense of masculinity, and self-esteem, and the subsequent discourses men engaged with to cope with and manage their disease. A key element was increased flexibility in masculinity definitions, and finding other ways to re-affirm masculinity. Conclusions Prostate cancer has an important effect on men’s health post-diagnosis, and we identified strong relationships between each construct evaluated. The role of hegemonic masculinity is important when considering men’s coping mechanisms and is also a key factor when addressing these constructs in counselling post-treatment. Implications for Cancer Survivors This meta-synthesis provides key topics that uniquely affect prostate cancer survivors, enabling these patients to be effectively counselled, and have their concerns recognised by clinicians.

scholarly journals Syngas Quality as a Key Factor in the Design of an Energy-Efficient Pyrolysis Plant for Scrap Tyres

Proceedings ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (23) ◽  
pp. 1455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dina Czajczyńska ◽  
Renata Krzyżyńska ◽  
Hussam Jouhara
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Industrial Emissions ◽  
Whole Process ◽  
Start Up ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Industrial Emissions Directive ◽  
Pyrolytic Oil ◽  
Quality Of Products

In 2016 4.94 million tonnes of tyres were produced. Each tyre eventually become waste and pyrolysis has been considered an effective way of utilizing scrap tyres for several decades. However, pyrolysis has failed many times because the process has a great energy demand and the quality of products is unstable or insufficient for commercial use. Usually plants are focused on the production of pyrolytic oil or char and the gaseous phase is only a by-product. In this paper the importance of composition and quality of pyrolytic gas is emphasized. The main chemical properties make this gas a valuable biofuel that may satisfy energy requirements of the whole process (except for the start-up phase). Available data from literature concerning composition and other features of the pyrolytic gas from scrap tyres obtained at temperatures up to 1000 °C are compared with experimental results. The quality of evolved gases is discussed in the context of the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED), too. Finally, an analysis of the mass balances obtained allows a decision about the business profile and profitability.

scholarly journals What Are the Benefits of Pet Ownership and Care Among People With Mild-to-Moderate Dementia? Findings From the IDEAL programme

2020 ◽  
pp. 073346482096261
Author(s):  
Carol Opdebeeck ◽  
Michael A. Katsaris ◽  
Anthony Martyr ◽  
Ruth A. Lamont ◽  
James A. Pickett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Pet Ownership ◽  
Active Life ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Moderate Dementia ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Person With Dementia ◽  
The Ideal

Pet ownership has been associated with positive outcomes in many populations, yet the associations with physical and psychological wellbeing in people with dementia remain unclear. The current study used baseline data from 1,542 people living at home with mild-to-moderate dementia from the Improving the experience of Dementia and Enhancing Active Life (IDEAL) programme. Regression analyses investigated associations of pet ownership and pet care with self-reports of walking, loneliness, depression, and quality of life (QoL). After adjusting for covariates, having any pet was associated with higher likelihood of walking over 3 hr in the last week. Those with a dog and who were involved in its care were less likely to be lonely than those with no dog. Having any pet but no involvement in its care was associated with increased depression and decreased QoL compared with those without a pet. The key factor in the associations was involvement in the care of the pet by the person with dementia.

Novel evaluation approach for extracurricular sports lifestyle of college students

2020 ◽  
pp. 002072092092851
Author(s):  
Pingping Zhang ◽  
Jiyun Cai ◽  
Lining Xing
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Extracurricular Activities ◽  
University Education ◽  
Concordance Index ◽  
Evaluation Approach ◽  
Electre Method ◽  
Classroom Education ◽  
Credibility Index ◽  
Evaluation Matrix

Good extracurricular activities can optimize the quality of education, fetch up with classroom education and teach them what they cannot learn from it, is conducive to improve students’ comprehensive quality, to complete the task and achieve the goal of university education. For this reason, this paper proposes an extracurricular sports lifestyle evaluation to college students via an improved ELECTRE method. In the proposed method, three indexes – concordance index, non-concordance index and credibility index – are defined first. Based on these indexes, the preference evaluation matrix is constructed, and consistent credibility, non-consistent credibility and net credibility are computed second. Third, it was sorted for the quality of all alternatives according to the value of group net credibility. In general, the greater the value of the group net credibility of a project, the better the project is. Simulation experiments suggest that this proposed method is feasible and valid. Extracurricular activities for college students take a very important part of university education, and it models their characters, opens up their minds, adventure spirits, strengthens their social connections, improve their comprehensive quality and their personal positive socialization.

scholarly journals Epidural analgesia in a paediatric teaching hospital: Trends, developments, and a brief review of literature

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jolin Wong ◽  
Serene Siu Tin Lim
Keyword(s):  
Epidural Analgesia ◽  
Teaching Hospital ◽  
Perioperative Period ◽  
Review Of Literature ◽  
Good Tool ◽  
Patient Demographics ◽  
Included Patient ◽  
Continuous Epidural Analgesia ◽  
Continued Use

Introduction: Continuous epidural analgesia has proven to be a good tool in the anaesthetist’s quest to provide excellent pain relief for an extended perioperative period. Pharmaceutical advances provide us with a larger array of both local anaesthetic (LA) drugs and additives that can prolong the duration or enhance the quality of analgesia, or both. The avoidance of LA toxicity is of paramount importance for safe prescription, especially in the high-risk neonatal and infant cohort, and all patients stand to benefit from ‘safer’ LA agents and adjuvants that promote the use of a lowered concentration of epidural LA infusions. We present a descriptive review of trends in epidural prescription and technique in our hospital. Methods: Our observational study was conducted over a period of 19 years in a tertiary paediatric teaching hospital. Prospectively collected data that included patient demographics, level of epidural catheter insertion, LA drugs and adjuvants used, as well as postoperative infusion rates, were then analysed retrospectively. Results: There was a decline in the use of paediatric epidural analgesia. Over the study period, we also observed a shift in preference of LAs and adjuvant drugs toward safer alternatives. Conclusion: Paediatric epidural analgesia is gradually being superseded by other analgesic modalities with superior safety profiles (e.g. peripheral neural blockade). However, indications remain for its continued use, and anaesthetists should be familiar with its technical aspects and pitfalls.

scholarly journals The roles and mechanisms of hypoxia in liver fibrosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingyao Cai ◽  
Min Hu ◽  
Zhiyang Chen ◽  
Zeng Ling
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Liver Fibrosis ◽  
Theoretical Basis ◽  
Liver Diseases ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Clinical Intervention ◽  
Chronic Liver Injury ◽  
Key Factor

AbstractLiver fibrosis occurs in response to any etiology of chronic liver injury. Lack of appropriate clinical intervention will lead to liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), seriously affecting the quality of life of patients, but the current clinical treatments of liver fibrosis have not been developed yet. Recent studies have shown that hypoxia is a key factor promoting the progression of liver fibrosis. Hypoxia can cause liver fibrosis. Liver fibrosis can, in turn, profoundly further deepen the degree of hypoxia. Therefore, exploring the role of hypoxia in liver fibrosis will help to further understand the process of liver fibrosis, and provide the theoretical basis for its diagnosis and treatment, which is of great significance to avoid further deterioration of liver diseases and protect the life and health of patients. This review highlights the recent advances in cellular and molecular mechanisms of hypoxia in developments of liver fibrosis.

scholarly journals Conceptualizing and Fostering the Quality of CES Through a Dutch National Network on CES (NEON)

HEC Forum ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Hartman ◽  
Guy Widdershoven ◽  
Eva van Baarle ◽  
Froukje Weidema ◽  
Bert Molewijk
Keyword(s):  
Quality Standards ◽  
Evaluation Methodology ◽  
Clinical Ethics Support ◽  
National Network ◽  
Responsive Evaluation ◽  
Evaluation Approach ◽  
Ethics Support ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe prevalence of Clinical ethics support (CES) services is increasing. Yet, questions about what quality of CES entails and how to foster the quality of CES remain. This paper describes the development of a national network (NEON), which aimed to conceptualize and foster the quality of CES in the Netherlands simultaneously. Our methodology was inspired by a responsive evaluation approach which shares some of our key theoretical presuppositions of CES. A responsive evaluation methodology engages stakeholders in developing quality standards of a certain practice, instead of evaluating a practice by predefined standards. In this paper, we describe the relationship between our theoretical viewpoint on CES and a responsive evaluation methodology. Then we describe the development of the network (NEON) and focus on three activities that exemplify our approach. In the discussion, we reflect on the similarities and differences between our approach and other international initiatives focusing on the quality of CES.

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