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Testing Approach (testing + approach)
Selected AbstractsScreening for adult coeliac disease , which serological marker(s) to use?JOURNAL OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, Issue 3 2001C. Lagerqvist Abstract.,Lagerqvist C, Ivarsson A, Juto P, Persson LÅ & Hernell O (Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden). Screening for adult coeliac disease , which serological marker(s) to use? J Intern Med 2001; 250: 241,248. Objective.,To determine which serological marker(s) to use when screening for coeliac disease. Design.,In a population-based cross-sectional study we compared the use of antigliadin antibodies (AGA) of isotypes IgA and IgG, antiendomysial antibodies (AEA) of isotype IgA and antitransglutaminase antibodies (ATGA) of isotype IgA for detecting coeliac disease amongst adults. Setting.,Northern Sweden. Subjects.,A total of 1850 of 2500 (74%) invited adults (aged 25,74 years) who were randomly selected from the population register after stratification for age and sex. Main outcome measures.,The sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of the AGA, ATGA and AEA tests. Results.,Nine cases of biopsy proven, previously undiagnosed coeliac disease were detected by screening. The sensitivity of both ATGA and AEA was 100% whilst AGA IgA and IgG both had a sensitivity of 89%. The AEA test had a specificity of 100% whereas the specificities of the ATGA, AGA IgA and IgG tests were 97, 96 and 78%, respectively. The positive predictive value for the AEA test was 100%, whereas it was considerably lower for the other tests (ATGA > AGA IgA > AGA IgG), with further decreases for all tests when shifting from a clinical to a screening situation. Conclusions.,When screening for coeliac disease we suggest a serial testing approach, i.e. an initial ATGA test and, when positive, followed by an AEA test, provided that IgA deficiency has been excluded. However, assessment of the small intestinal mucosal morphology is still required to ascertain the diagnosis. [source] ASSESSING THE CANDIDATE AS A WHOLE: A HISTORICAL AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT FOR PERSONNEL DECISION MAKINGPERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2002SCOTT HIGHHOUSEArticle first published online: 7 DEC 200 Although individual assessment is a thriving area of professional practice in industry, it receives little, if any, attention from textbooks on industrial psychology or personnel management. This article is an attempt to establish individual assessment's place in the history of personnel selection, and to examine why the practice has survived despite receiving little attention in research and graduate training. It is argued that the clinical, holistic approach that has characterized individual-assessment practice has survived primarily because the "elementalistic" testing approach, focusing on traits and abilities, has often been dismissed as inadequate for addressing the complexities of the executive profile. Moreover, public displeasure with standard paper-and-pencil testing in the 1960s and 1970s made the holistic approach to assessment an attractive, alternative. The article contrasts individual assessment practice with the current state of knowledge on psychological assessment and personnel decision making. Like psychotherapy in the 1950s, individual psychological assessment appears to have achieved the status of functional autonomy within psychology. [source] DOES INTEREST RATE VOLATILITY AFFECT THE US DEMAND FOR HOUSING?THE MANCHESTER SCHOOL, Issue 4 2010EVIDENCE FROM THE AUTOREGRESSIVE DISTRIBUTED LAG METHOD This paper investigates empirically the effects of real interest rate volatility on demand for total housing and new housing in the USA. The investigation looks at monthly data from 1975 to 2006 using the autoregressive distributed lag bounds testing approach to co-integration and the Hendry ,general-to-specific' causality test. Three different real rates are applied: mortgage, long term and short term. The results indicate a long-run equilibrium relationship between housing demand and its determinants including interest rate volatility. Results from the causality test indicate housing demand determinants (including interest rate volatility) cause demand for both total and new housing in the long run. [source] Does a Country's Openness to Trade and Capital Accounts Lead to Financial Development?ASIAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL, Issue 2 2008Evidence from Malaysia F19 and G29 This paper examines the role of trade openness and capital account openness in influencing financial development in Malaysia. The empirical findings using the bounds testing approach demonstrate that trade openness and capital account openness are positively significant determinants of financial development. However, there is no empirical support of the hypothesis that the simultaneous opening of both trade and capital accounts is necessary for financial development to take place. The evidence is valid for three banking sector development and two stock market development indicators. [source] Assessment of pulp vitality: a reviewINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PAEDIATRIC DENTISTRY, Issue 1 2009VELAYUTHAM GOPIKRISHNA Background., One of the greatest diagnostic challenges in clinical practice is the accurate assessment of pulp status. This may be further complicated in paediatric dentistry where the practitioner is faced with a developing dentition, traumatized teeth, or young children who have a limited ability to recall a pain history for the tooth in question. A variety of pulp testing approaches exist, and there may be confusion as to their validity or appropriateness in different clinical situations. Aim., The aim of this paper is to provide the clinician with a comprehensive review of current pulp testing methods. A key objective is to highlight the difference between sensitivity testing and vitality testing. A biological basis for pulp testing is also provided to allow greater insight into the interpretation of pulp testing results. The rationale for, and methods of, assessing pulpal blood flow are described. [source] Regression testing with UML software designs: A surveyJOURNAL OF SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE AND EVOLUTION: RESEARCH AND PRACTICE, Issue 4 2009Alireza Mahdian Abstract The unified modeling language (UML) designs come in a variety of different notations. UML designs can be quite large and interactions between various notations and the models they define can be difficult to assess. During the design phase, and between successive releases of systems, designs change. The impact of such changes and the resulting effect on behavior can be non-obvious and difficult to assess. This survey article explores techniques for such re-evaluation that can be classified as regression testing and suggests regression testing criteria for designs. These might vary depending on testing objectives and include both selective and regenerative regression testing approaches. The article provides a concise overview of regression testing approaches related to various UML design notations including use cases, class diagrams, sequence diagrams, activity diagrams, and statecharts, as well as combinations of these models. It discusses UML-related techniques involving cost and prioritization during selective regression testing. Finally, it evaluates these techniques with respect to inclusiveness, precision, efficiency, generality, accountability, and safety. An example is used throughout to illustrate how the techniques work. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A hierarchical modelling framework for identifying unusual performance in health care providersJOURNAL OF THE ROYAL STATISTICAL SOCIETY: SERIES A (STATISTICS IN SOCIETY), Issue 4 2007David I. Ohlssen Summary. A wide variety of statistical methods have been proposed for detecting unusual performance in cross-sectional data on health care providers. We attempt to create a unified framework for comparing these methods, focusing on a clear distinction between estimation and hypothesis testing approaches, with the corresponding distinction between detecting ,extreme' and ,divergent' performance. When assuming a random-effects model the random-effects distribution forms the null hypothesis, and there appears little point in testing whether individual effects are greater or less than average. The hypothesis testing approach uses p -values as summaries and brings with it the standard problems of multiple testing, whether Bayesian or classical inference is adopted. A null random-effects formulation allows us to answer appropriate questions of the type: ,is a particular provider worse than we would expect the true worst provider (but still part of the null distribution) to be'? We outline a broad three-stage strategy of exploratory detection of unusual providers, detailed modelling robust to potential outliers and confirmation of unusual performance, illustrated by using two detailed examples. The concepts are most easily handled within a Bayesian analytic framework using Markov chain Monte Carlo methods, but the basic ideas should be generally applicable. [source] Design and Implementation of a Controlled Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Effectiveness and Efficiency of Routine Opt-out Rapid Human Immunodeficiency Virus Screening in the Emergency DepartmentACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 8 2009Jason S. Haukoos MD Abstract In 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released revised recommendations for performing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing in health care settings, including implementing routine rapid HIV screening, the use of an integrated opt-out consent, and limited prevention counseling. Emergency departments (EDs) have been a primary focus of these efforts. These revised CDC recommendations were primarily based on feasibility studies and have not been evaluated through the application of rigorous research methods. This article describes the design and implementation of a large prospective controlled clinical trial to evaluate the CDC's recommendations in an ED setting. From April 15, 2007, through April 15, 2009, a prospective quasi-experimental equivalent time-samples clinical trial was performed to compare the clinical effectiveness and efficiency of routine (nontargeted) opt-out rapid HIV screening (intervention) to physician-directed diagnostic rapid HIV testing (control) in a high-volume urban ED. In addition, three nested observational studies were performed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness and patient and staff acceptance of the two rapid HIV testing methods. This article describes the rationale, methodologies, and study design features of this program evaluation clinical trial. It also provides details regarding the integration of the principal clinical trial and its nested observational studies. Such ED-based trials are rare, but serve to provide valid comparisons between testing approaches. Investigators should consider similar methodology when performing future ED-based health services research. [source] | |||||||||||||