International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 28-31, 1996 / Town and Country Hotel and Convention Center, San Diego, California / With the technological evolution of flying equipment, computing and store capacity we need to have a new view of the methods of acquisition, storage and archiving data.

Two modalities of research design's workshops -long and short- were developed to qualify 658 Hispanamerican research workers, whom were divided into 30 groups, and were applyied along ten years. The terminal efficiency of the workshops was measured with a pre-post-test design and the differences were assessed with a t-test -for dependent samples-. The results showed that the values of the post-test were higher -p ≤ 0.001- than the pretest averages. Contrasting the two workshop versions, the average of the long workshop was significantly higher -p ≤ 0.001- than the short one, by means of a multiple pre-post-test design and the t-test for independent samples. Using Solomon four-group design it was feasible to establish that the significant increase of knowledge about research designs was not influenced by the interaction of the pretest and treatment factors and there was not observed any significant difference between both versions. / Se aplicaron dos modalidades de talleres de investigación -corta y larga- para habilitar por espacio de diez años a 658 investigadores hispanoamericanos, divididos en 30 grupos. La eficiencia terminal de los talleres fue medida con un diseño de pre y post-test y las diferencias con una prueba t-Student -para muestras dependientes-. Los resultados mostraron que los valores del post-test eran más elevados -p ≤ 0.001- que los del pretest. Contrastando las dos versiones del taller, el promedio del largo fue significantemente mayor -p ≤ 0.001- que el del corto; esto, bajo la tutela de un diseño múltiple de pre y post-test y la prueba t-Student, pero para muestras independientes. Con el diseño de cuatro grupos de Solomon se estableció que el incremento significativo en el conocimiento sobre diseños de investigación no fue intervenido por los factores tratamiento y pretest -interacción- y no se observaron diferencias significativas entre ambas versiones.

The main goal of this study is the use of polynomial chaos expansion (PCE) to analyze the uncertainty in calculating the lateral and longitudinal center of gravity for a vehicle from static load cell measurements. A secondary goal is to use experimental testing as a source of uncertainty and as a method to confirm the results from the PCE simulation. While PCE has often been used as an alternative to Monte Carlo, PCE models have rarely been based on experimental data. The 8-post test rig at the Virginia Institute for Performance Engineering and Research facility at Virginia International Raceway is the experimental test bed used to implement the PCE model. Experimental tests are conducted to define the true distribution for the load measurement systems' uncertainty. A method that does not require a new uncertainty distribution experiment for multiple tests with different goals is presented. Moved mass tests confirm the uncertainty analysis using portable scales that provide accurate results. The polynomial chaos model used to find the uncertainty in the center of gravity calculation is derived. Karhunen-Loeve expansions, similar to Fourier series, are used to define the uncertainties to allow for the polynomial chaos expansion. PCE models are typically computed via the collocation method or the Galerkin method. The Galerkin method is chosen as the PCE method in order to formulate a more accurate analytical result. The derivation systematically increases from one uncertain load cell to all four uncertain load cells noting the differences and increased complexity as the uncertainty dimensions increase. For each derivation the PCE model is shown and the solution to the simulation is given. Results are presented comparing the polynomial chaos simulation to the Monte Carlo simulation and to the accurate scales. It is shown that the PCE simulations closely match the Monte Carlo simulations. / Master of Science

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 28-31, 1996 / Town and Country Hotel and Convention Center, San Diego, California / A sophisticated human interface can be developed for Post flight analysis with the technology of UNIX-MOTIF. Tests and measurements demand performance and reliability. SAINT-EX can meet these requirements. This paper describes the results of an appraoch in the development of DASSAULT AVIATION’s SAINT-EX software.

A retrospective pre-then-post survey instrument design was intentionally used as a good fit for the SMART programming in order to evaluate learning outcomes both before and after the program for several reasons (see Marshall, Higginbotham, Harris, & Lee, 2007; Moore & Tananis, 2009) summarized below. The experimental pretest-posttest design using a control or comparison group is considered to be one of the most respected methods that can be used to measure change in individuals (Campbell & Stanley, 1966; Kaplan, 2004). This design is highly regarded because of its control over internal validity concerns and ability to compare results from the same people or groups of people at multiple time points. While there are advantages to using the pretest-posttest method, there are some limitations with this research method as well. One limitation comes with finding an adequate comparison group, which can be difficult or impossible for the researchers to locate. Another limitation concerns the possible lack of resources and time available for community-based programs to complete comprehensive pretest-posttest comparisons (Brooks & Gersh, 1998). Also, in order for the pretest-posttest comparisons to be meaningful, participants must attend the complete program from start to finish (Pratt, McGuigan, & Katzey, 2000). Due to the nature of community education programs, attrition and sporadic attendance are common issues (Pratt, McGuigan, & Katzev, 2000). While the pretest-posttest information must be complete for comparisons to be made, it may be challenging for researchers to see the actual changes in attitudes, behaviors, or skills if the participants overstate their original attitudes, behaviors, or skills when completing the pretest (Howard & Daily, 1979; Moore & Tananis, 2009). This overestimation may occur when the participants do not have a clear understanding of the attitudes, behaviors, or skills that the program is targeting (Pratt, McGuigan, & Katzev, 2000). A lack of knowledge on certain topics (e.g., attitudes, behaviors, skills) often supports the initial need for a program intervention, but this same issue may show participants during the program that they actually knew much less than they thought when they completed the pretest. Thus, one must be aware of the potentially misleading information from pretest-posttest comparisons due to the participants’ change in perspective (Howard & Daily, 1979). “Response shift bias,” first referred to by Howard and Daily (1979), explains the “program-produced change in the participants’ understanding of the construct being measured” (Pratt, McGuigan, & Katzev, 2000, p. 342). Response shift bias was assessed in this study by administering a pre-test at the beginning of programming and a pre-then-post test at the end of programming. Results indicate that response shift bias was present in a majority of the variables studied and that the design of administering a pre-test and then a retrospective pre-then-post test is a good fit for exposing response shit bias. Specific results will be discussed.

The lifetime prevalence of clinical depression in patients living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is approximately 22% compared to 3% to 10% in the primary care population. The nursing practice problem at the project site concerned nurses' lack of knowledge and understanding of procedures to help ensure that all patients living with HIV/AIDS were properly screened for depression and referred for further evaluation and treatment. The purpose of this project was to implement a staff education module to address the use of the PHQ-9 screening tool to identify depression in people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. The theoretical framework for this educational module was the theory of planned behavior. The practice-focused question explored the extent to which the implementation of an evidence-based practice education model in a primary care clinic treating patients living with HIV/AIDs would increase staff knowledge on the use of the PHQ-9 tool to screen for depression. A staff education project incorporating a pretest and posttest design was conducted to determine whether a significant change existed in the test scores of the participants between the pretest and the posttest. After completion, the posttest measures showed an improvement of 35%. The implications of this project for social change might include improvement in the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the nurses in the treatment of depression in adults living with HIV/AIDS.

The author used Put-Call-Futures Parity, Arbitrage-Free, Ex-ante Tests and Ex-post Tests to examine the arbitrage opportunity and market efficiency of the TAIEX index futures (TX) and the TAIEX index options (TXO) in this paper, during the period of December 24th, 2001 to December 31st, 2002. The author first, used daily closing prices to test for the existence of possible arbitrage opportunities. Second, she used ex-ante tests and arbitrage strategy to examine the arbitrage opportunity whether it exists or not with a time lag. Furthermore, The author classified the samples which exist ex-post arbitrage profit into five sub-samples according to call options positions belonging to near-the-money and far-from-the-money, futures positions belonging to positive basis and negative basis, markets belonging to bull markets and bear markets, and different margin requirement. She used ex-post and ex-ante tests to compare the results of over-all markets samples with the sub-samples, then, she also examined the results of included transaction cost or not. The major findings are as follows: 1. Whether taking into transaction cost or not, the TAIEX index futures and the TAIEX index options markets have arbitrage opportunity¡Aand so the markets unefficient. 2. The results of ex-ante tests and the average of arbitrage profit are positive for time to increase. 3. The long arbitrage strategy generates a higher arbitrage profit than the short arbitrage strategy. 4. The investors could proceed arbitrage profit during markets belonging to positive basis and bear market and low margin requirement.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 20-23, 2003 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / The Interactive Analysis and Display System (IADS) provides the test engineer with enhanced test-data processing, management and display capabilities necessary to perform critical data monitoring in near real-time during a test mission. The IADS provides enhanced situational awareness through a display capability designed to increase the confidence of the engineer in making clearance decisions within a Mission Control Room (MCR) environment. The engineer achieves this confidence level through IADS’ real-time display capability (every data point) and simultaneous near real-time processing capability consisting of both time and frequency domain analyses. The system displays real-time data while performing interactive and automated near real-time analyses; alerting the engineer when displayed data exceed predefined threshold limits. The IADS provides a post-test capability at the engineer’s project area desktop, with a user interface common with the real-time system. The IADS promotes teamwork by allowing engineers to share data and test results during a mission and in the post-test environment. The IADS was originally developed for the government’s premier flight test programs. IADS has set the standard for MCR advancements in data acquisition and monitoring and is currently being integrated into all the existing MCR disciplines.

The high school pass rate, for mathematics, in South Africa is very low. This is particularly so in trigonometry functions. One of the possible factors leading to this is the traditional method of teaching and learning. This study was undertaken to determine whether the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) would influence students’ learning of trigonometry functions. In order to answer this question the teaching and learning instructions developed were based on activity theory (AT) and action, process, object, and schema (APOS) theory. The study followed a non-equivalent control group, quasi-experimental design with a pre- post-test approach. Since it was not possible to randomly select participants for the study, intact groups were used. There were two groups: a control and an experimental one. Both groups wrote a standardized achievement pre-test to establish their comparability at the beginning of the study. While the control group was taught in the traditional way (grade 10-12 syllabus), the experimental group used the software Geogebra. The computer software (Geogebra) and the South African grade 10-12 syllabus for trigonometry functions were used during the lessons of the experimental group. At the end of the study, a similar post-test was administered on both groups to measure the comparative effects of either of the teaching methods on the performance of students. A t-test independent sample statistical analysis was performed on the findings using a statistics package, SPSS. The results of this investigation indicated that the use of the computer software, Geogebra, in the teaching and learning of trigonometry functions improved the performance of the Grade 12 students. / Mathematics Education / M. Sc. (Mathematics Education)

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a meal supplement fortified with micronutrients would, statistically, significantly improve the intelligence scores of Grade 3 and 4 learners. The data collection procedures in this study took the form of a pre-test – post-test control group design. The Paper and Pencil Games (PPG) Level 3, a standardised psychological test, was administered before and after the respondents were exposed to the meal supplements. For a treatment period of 16 weeks the experimental group received the meal supplement fortified with micronutrients and the control group the meal supplement without any added micronutrients. Data analysis took the form of statistical analysis to determine whether the meal supplements consumed by those in the experimental group could significantly contribute to improving their intelligence scores. The results indicated statistically significant increases in scores, between the pretest and post-test on the various scales of the PPG, of both the experimental and control group on the one hand, but no statistically significant differences between the two treatment groups on the post-test on the other. The null hypothesis that there are no (statistically significant) differences between the average post-test scores (V, NV, and T) of the experimental and control groups could not be rejected. However, the increase between the pre-test and post-test stanine scores of the two treatment groups has led to recommendations for further research. Copyright / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted