Thesis (M.Tech. (Information Technology, Faculty of Applied and Computer Sciences))--Vaal University of Technology, 2006 / The sole purpose of a test is to make a measurement. Assessment is very much a process of measurement, whether the outcome is used for baseline, diagnostic, formative or summative purposes. When measurement is taken, in whatever form, a score is obtained. The score that is obtained forms the important part of assessment, because this score determines the outcome of the assessment, the decisions that are to be made regarding the student’s progress, curriculum changes and the evaluation of a course as a whole. Although a score is obtained from a test, the analysis thereof is frequently much neglected. The use of computers in education is not a new concept. The first computer application goes back a long way when computers were first used to do psychological testing. It then became clear that computers can be applied to more fields in education, especially in the field of testing. In the early days real progress was slow, since computers were expensive and were only used in large companies. However, the scenario has changed with the widespread availability of personal computers that has enabled educators to focus on the appropriate role of computerisation in the development, administration, scoring and interpretation of tests. The main objective of this study is to show the major advantage of using computers as a comprehensive assessment tool and to demonstrate the ability to construct and ‘bank’ test items to subsequently produce a standardised test. An added advantage was the computer’s ability to administer tests to students and manage student progress records. The research findings indicate that a Comprehensive Computer-Assisted Assessment Tool (CCAT) has the potential to contribute to the enhancement of assessment and that it can enable educators to prepare valid, reliable and fair test items which were more difficult and time-consuming without technology.

Der Übergang von Schule zu Hochschule verläuft unbefriedigend, wenn die Passung von Studieninteresse und Fähigkeiten der Studienanfänger_innen mit den Anforderungen des Studiums nicht optimal ist. An der Universität Jena werden ein Online Self-Assessment und ein lernbezogenes Beratungsangebot, aufbauend auf einer multimethodischen Bedarfsanalyse, entwickelt. Erste Ergebnisse zeigen den Zusammenhang von unrealistischen Erwartungen, geringer Studienzufriedenheit und erhöhter Abbruchneigung. Lernbezogene Präventionsstrategien hängen negativ mit erlebter Belastung durch Lernschwierigkeiten zusammen. Der Artikel stellt Ergebnisse der Bedarfsanalyse und die entstehenden Unterstützungsangebote vor.

O entendimento da dinâmica hidrossedimentológica em uma bacia hidrográfica pode ser realizado pelo monitoramento das variáveis hidrossedimentológicas e pela modelagem desses processos. Nesse contexto, essa pesquisa analisou a eficiência do modelo Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) na previsão dos processos hidrossedimentológicos na bacia do Taboão (Pejuçara, RS), considerando as saídas (vazão e produção de sedimentos) em um passo de tempo mensal e diário. Para tal, foram utilizados dados de chuva horária dos anos 2008 a 2016, monitorada em quatro pluviógrafos instalados na bacia (PVGs 34, 40, 43 e 51), e dados climáticos da estação meteorológica de Cruz Alta. As informações de vazão, para os anos de 2011 a 2016, foram obtidas por meio da conversão dos dados de nível de água monitorados no exutório da bacia, utilizando uma curva-chave cota x vazão. A concentração de sedimentos suspensos (CSS), para os anos de 2013 a 2015, foi estimada por meio de modelos de redes neurais artificias (RNAs), empregando como entrada dados de turbidez e de nível de água, monitorados no exutório da bacia. O preenchimento das falhas dos registros de precipitação horária foi executado por meio de modelos de Combinações de RNAs (CRNAs) associados à média simples (MS) ou à média ponderada pelo inverso da distância (MP), utilizando como entrada dados pluviométricos dos postos vizinhos. As falhas nos dados de nível de água foram preenchidas por modelos de RNAs, que usaram como entrada níveis de água monitorados em sub-bacias embutidas ou adjacente à bacia do Taboão (bacias do Donato, Turcato, Alemão e Andorinhas), e dados de precipitação média dos quatro pluviógrafos utilizados nessa pesquisa Foram determinadas as defasagens temporais entre os níveis de água das diferentes bacias, e testados o uso da precipitação média com aplicação de filtro temporal linear e/ou exponencial. Os registros falhos nos dados de turbidez foram preenchidos por modelos de RNAs, que empregaram como entrada informações de nível de água monitoradas, de 10 em 10 minutos, no exutório da bacia. A calibração do modelo SWAT para a previsão dos processos hidrológicos foi realizada usando dados de vazão, diários e mensais, para os anos de 2013, 2014 e 2016 e; a etapa de verificação foi executada para os anos de 2011 e 2015. Considerou-se o Método de Green & Ampt para determinação da infiltração de água no solo e 2 anos (2008-2009) para período de aquecimento do modelo SWAT. A calibração do modelo para a produção de sedimentos foi realizada para os anos de 2013 e 2015 e o processo de verificação foi efetuado para o ano de 2014. A calibração e a análise de sensibilidade dos parâmetros foram realizadas com auxílio do SWAT-CUP, utilizando o algoritmo SUFI-2. O coeficiente de Nash–Sutcliffe (NS) das RNAs para preenchimento das falhas de precipitação variou entre 0,35, classificado como “Insatisfatório”, e 0,86, avaliado como “Muito Bom”, considerando critérios propostos por Moriasi et al. (2007). Das 13 RNAs desenvolvidas para preenchimento das falhas nos níveis de água, apenas uma delas foi classificada como de desempenho “Satisfatório” durante o treinamento e; as demais enquadraram-se como de desempenho “Muito Bom”. Na etapa de verificação, sete RNAs foram consideradas com desempenho “Muito Bom” e cinco com “Bom” desempenho No preenchimento das falhas de turbidez, das cinco RNAs desenvolvidas, quatro mostraram “Bom” desempenho durante o treinamento, e uma rede teve desempenho “Muito Bom”; enquanto que, no processo de verificação, duas RNAs tiveram desempenho “Muito Bom”, uma delas foi classificada com desempenho “Bom” e; duas RNAs foram consideradas com desempenho “Satisfatório”. As estatísticas de desempenho dos modelos de RNAs desenvolvidos para o preenchimento das falhas de nível de água, de turbidez e de precipitação também demonstraram que tais redes representam uma alternativa interessante para a obtenção de séries contínuas desses dados, possibilitando o uso posterior dos registros para a modelagem hidrossedimentológica. A calibração do modelo SWAT para estimativa da vazão mensal mostrou desempenho “Muito Bom” (NS=0,78), e para a determinação da vazão diária foi considerado “Bom” (NS=0,72). Na etapa de verificação, o modelo manteve o “Bom” desempenho (NS=0,68) para estimativa da vazão diária, decaindo para desempenho “Satisfatório” (NS=0,64) para a simulação em escala mensal. Para a estimativa da produção de sedimentos mensal, o desempenho do modelo foi considerado “Bom” tanto na calibração (NS=0,66) quanto na verificação (NS=0,70). Na escala diária o desempenho foi “Satisfatório” para a calibração (NS=0,64) e “Insatisfatório” para a verificação (NS=0,38) Tais resultados indicam que o modelo SWAT é uma ferramenta promissora para aplicações na previsão hidrossedimentológica na bacia do Taboão, especialmente em termos de simulações dos processos hidrológicos. No entanto, existem limitações para aplicações na estimativa da produção de sedimentos, sobretudo quando considerados os processos em escala diária. Essas limitações são consequência da presença de processos erosivos na bacia (voçorocas), que não são simulados pelas rotinas presentes no modelo SWAT, bem como pelo escoamento dominante ser do tipo subsuperficial, com ocorrência de pipping; indicando-se, portanto, adequações nas rotinas do modelo para melhor representatividade desses processos. / The understanding of hydrosedimentological dynamics in a watershed can be obtained by monitoring the hydrossedimentological variables and by modeling these processes. In this context, this research analyzed the efficiency of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in predicting the hydrosedimentological processes in the Taboão basin (Pejuçara, RS), considering the outputs (flow and sediment production) in a monthly and daily time step. For that, hourly rainfall data from 2008 to 2016 were monitored at four pluviographs installed in the basin (PVGs 34, 40, 43 and 51), and climate data were obtained from the Cruz Alta meteorological station. The flow information for the years 2011 to 2016 was obtained by converting the monitored water level data into flow by using a rating curve. The suspended sediment concentration (SSC), from 2013 to 2015, was estimated using artificial neural network (ANN) models, using as input turbidity and water level data, monitored in the basin. The filling of the hourly rainfall records was performed by models of Combinations of RNAs (CRNAs) associated with the simple mean (MS) or weighted mean to the inverse distance (MP), using as input rainfall data from the neighboring stations. Failures in the water-level data were filled by RNA models, which used as input water levels monitored in sub-basins adjacent or embedded to the Taboão basin (Donato, Turcato, Alemão and Andorinha basins), and mean precipitation data of the four pluviographs used in this research. The temporal lags between the water levels of the different basins were determined and the use of the average precipitation with linear and exponential temporal filters was tested The turbidity data records were filled by RNA models, using water level information monitored at every 10 minutes. The SWAT model calibration for predicting the hydrological processes was performed using daily and monthly flow data for the years 2013, 2014 and 2016 and the verification step was performed for the years 2011 and 2015; considering Green & Ampt Method for infiltration estimation and 2 years of warm-up period (2008-2009). The calibration of the model for sediment yield was performed for the years 2013 and 2015 and the verification process was carried out for the year 2014. The calibration and sensitivity analysis of the parameters were performed with the assistance of SWAT-CUP, using the SUFI-2 algorithm. The Nash-Sutcliffe Coefficient (NS) of the RNAs used to fill precipitation faults varied between 0.35, classified as "Unsatisfactory", and 0.86, evaluated as "Very Good", considering criteria proposed by Moriasi et al. (2007). Of the 13 RNAs developed to fill water level failures, only one of them was classified as a "Satisfactory" performance during training and; the others have been classified as "Very Good" performance. In the verification step, seven RNAs were considered to have "Very Good" performance and five had "Good” performance. In the fulfillment of the turbidity faults, of the five RNAs developed, four showed "Good" performance during the training, and one network had "Very Good" performance; while in the verification process two ANNs performed "Very Good", one of them was classified as "Good" and; two ANNs were considered to have "Satisfactory" performance The performance statistics of the ANN models developed to fill the water level, turbidity and precipitation failures also demonstrated that such networks represent an interesting alternative to obtain continuous series of these data, allowing the later use of the records for hydrossedimentological modeling. In the verification processes, the model maintained a “Good” performance (NS=0.68) to estimate the daily flow, decreasing to "Satisfactory" performance (NS=0.64) for the monthly scale simulation. For the estimation of sediment yield the model performance was considered "Good" for monthly calibration period (NS=0.66) and also for the verification (NS=0.70). In daily scale the performance was "Satisfactory" for calibration (NS=0.64) and “Unsatisfactory” in the verification (NS=0.38). These results indicate that the SWAT model is a promising tool for applications in the hydrosedimentological forecasting in the Taboão basin, especially in terms of hydrological processes simulations. However, there are limitations to applications in the estimation of sediment production, especially when considering daily scale processes. These limitations are due to the presence of erosive processes in the basin (gully erosion), which are not simulated by the routines present in the SWAT model, as well as by the existence of the lateral flow with occurrence of pipping; indicating, therefore, the need for adjustments in the routines of the model to better represent these processes.

The aim of this thesis is to study the usage of an Apparel and Footwear Environmental Assessment Tool, the Rapid Design Module, in Swedish companies in the textile and fashion industry and the tool’s possible impact on the change process of organizational culture towards a more sustainable one. A qualitative study has been conducted via interviewing and observing employees using the focal tool on-site in three different companies. A theoretical framework within organizational culture was developed along with necessary cultural traits a company should nurture in order to change its culture towards a more sustainable one. The most important findings pointed out that companies should develop common guidelines in order to use the tool in question coherently and in unison. The tool was found to act as a change initiator in the employee level of the companies and additionally management support was found to be essential in order to empower employees in taking initiative in their work. Furthermore, the tool showed signs of increased collaboration within the companies’ external and internal environments, i.e. learning from one another, as well as it was observed to encourage interdependent thinking, which both are the necessary traits mentioned earlier. / Program: Master programme in Fashion Management

Legionella pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease, is a water born pathogenic bacteria commonly found in natural and manmade water systems such as rivers, lakes, wet soil, hot and cold water storage systems (being able to survive at temperatures between 6-63 °C, and proliferating between 20-45 °C), showerheads, cooling towers and spa pools. The main pathway of exposure to Legionella is by inhaling the aerosols containing the microorganism. Legionnaires' disease can be fatal if not diagnosed and treated at the right time. Practical Legionella control starts with a risk assessment of the water system and followed by the regular monitoring and water sampling. UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have implemented strict legislations to protect the public from Legionnaires' disease. This research highlights and addresses three major data gaps identified in Legionella control and management strategy employed in the UK and worldwide; namely, (i) the underestimation of microbiological threat in current cold water storage sampling strategy, (ii) the inability of current qPCR diagnostic methods to detect live Legionella in water samples, and (iii) the lack of predictive 'risk management system' for Legionella control in domestic water systems. During my PhD, 15 relevant cold water storage tanks (selected from more than 6000 tanks surveyed at different sites located in different London Boroughs) were used to investigate the risk factors that contribute towards Legionella proliferation, and revealed serious shortcomings in the appropriateness of the water sample taken for regulatory testing. Secondly, molecular biology research was carried out to develop an accurate, reliable and rapid testing method for the detection and quantification of live Legionella using qPCR techniques. This was successfully achieved by extracting RNA from a Legionella lenticule, converting the RNA into cDNA and amplifying the cDNA using qPCR techniques. Finally, regular monitoring data from 120 London buildings (60 known to be Legionella positive and 60 known to be Legionella negative) was used to identify the possible risk factors contributing towards Legionella outbreaks. Data for these factors was then used to develop a predictive risk model for Legionella contamination using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The model was validated with 66 new London buildings and 9 out of London buildings. The model showed 100% accuracy in predicting the risk of Legionella by distinguishing infected and non-infected sites in London as well as for the sites in out of London.

Biomethane made from the anaerobic digestion of organic waste can provide several economic and environmental benefits such as: the valorisation of waste products, increased resource efficiency, increased retention of nutrients through recycling of biogas digestate (Banks, et al., 2011), reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (Börjesson, et al., 2016) as well as the reduction of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter emissions (Börjesson & Berglund, 2007).To help actors understand when and where biomethane solutions can succeed, including the qualitative and quantitative aspects of a solution, an Early Assessment Method has been developed. The categories included in the assessment are potential, feasibility, economic and environmental performance. The Early Assessment Method was developed using a multi-criteria framework and consists of 15 key areas and 24 key indicators that should be considered when assessing biomethane solutions. Each quantitative indicator can be assessed either with site-specific data or by using generic equations and average values while the qualitative indicators are given a five-grade scale to facilitate the assessment.The potential category focuses on assessing how much raw material there is in the investigated area and how much of the usable products can be produced. The final areas are: biomass potential, biomethane potential and bio-fertilizer potential. In the feasibility assessment, qualitative aspects are assessed using a five-grade scale. The key areas for feasibility include: customer demand, competing applications, strategies for renewable fuels, legislation, economic instruments and infrastructure suitability. Performance is assessed both for economic performance and environmental performance to understand how the biomethane solution would perform if implemented. Economic performance includes both an indicator for cost per unit produced and an indicator for the investment cost for each production step. The key areas included are: biogas generation cost, biogas upgrading cost and biomethane distribution cost. The environmental performance is evaluated to understand how environmental aspects would change if biomethane replaced an alternative fuel on the market in the studied region. Key areas to assess this are: climate impact, air quality and nutrient recycling. These areas highlight some important benefits of using biomethane over fossil fuels, which are the most common fuels for heavy-duty vehicles.A two-part Early Assessment Tool was also developed. The tool is included in the method, but can be used separately if the user has a basic knowledge of biomethane. It assists with information collection, through a questionnaire, and structuring and presenting data, through a spreadsheet. The design of the Early Assessment Tool favours simplicity and usability while striving to maintain relevant information. It is meant to be used both for educational and investigative purposes when providing an early assessment of biomethane solutions within a certain region. The result from the tool can aid when making decisions and help with identifying which local actors to involve and what consultancy work might be needed to realise a biomethane solution.

Falls are a serious issue for the elderly living in long-term care facilities, as falls contribute to signi�cant health problems such as increased dependence, loss of autonomy, confusion, immobilization, depression, restriction in daily activities, and, in some cases, death. An estimated 424,000 fatal falls in elderly patients residing in long-term facilities occur annually in the United States costing $34 billion in direct medical costs. One way to reduce falls among elderly patients in long-term care is to assess for fall risk frequently and implement evidence-based strategies to prevent falls. Patients in this project site facility had been assessed for fall risk via the Briggs Fall Risk Assessment Tool with implementation of fall risk iinterventions only upon admission or when there was a fall. The purpose of this project was to assess whether changing to weekly use of the Briggs Fall Risk Assessment Tool with implementation of fall risk interventions by nursing staff could decrease fall rates in the elderly in long-term care in Harris County, Texas. The model of prevention served as the conceptual framework for this project. Thirty participants (20 females and 10 males) between the ages of 65-115 participated in the program. Pre-implementation data were collected for 1 month and post-implementation data were collected for 1 month. The total number of falls reported weekly was counted before and after the weekly implementation of the Briggs Fall Risk Assessment Tool. The number of falls decreased from 12(70.6%) before the implementation of the assessment tool to 5(29.4%) falls afterwards. A fall prevention program in long-term care may affect social change positively by reducing fall risk in long term care by reinforcing the importance of increased awareness of risk of falls to implement fall prevention strategies

The Auditory Perception Test for the Hearing Impaired, 3rd edition (APT/HI-3) was adapted into an auditory perception assessment tool for Spanish-speaking children called the Auditory Perception Test for the Hearing Impaired—Spanish (APT/HI-S). Test items from the APT/HI-S were then validated by three groups of Spanish-English bilinguals to determine if selected words were developmentally and linguistically appropriate for 3-year old children. Survey results revealed that 37 out of 62 words were considered developmentally and grammatically appropriate. The APT/HI-S was then administered to two 3-year old and two 5-year old children, two with typical hearing and two with hearing loss. Results revealed that language proficiency played an integral role in the measurement of auditory perception skills. The children demonstrated better performance when tested in their dominant language, reinforcing the need to have a language-specific assessment tool to obtain a more accurate picture of auditory and speech perception skills in children.

Bakgrund: Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale är ett bedömningsinstrument som är frekvent använt, både i Sverige och internationellt, inom vården för personer med Parkinsons sjukdom. Under 2001 granskades och reviderades instrumentet vilket resulterade i en ny version benämnt Movement Disorder Society Unified Disease Rating Scale. Del III av MDSUPDRS syftar till att undersöka motoriska symtom och anses viktiga i bland annat fysioterapeuters utredning och som utvärdering efter behandling. I dagsläget saknas en svensk validerad översättning av del III. Syfte: Syftet med detta arbete var att översätta del III av bedömningsinstrumentet MDSUPDRS från engelska till svenska och därefter undersöka innehållsvaliditet för den svenska versionen. Metod: Översättningen skedde genom forward translation, backward translation samt analys av innehållsvaliditet genom Content Validity Index (CVI). Översättningen undersöktes med hjälp av fem forskningspersoner, sakkunniga inom området. Validitet analyserades under två skattningsomgångar utifrån följande CVI-delar med tillhörande referensvärden: I-CVI (0,80), S-CVI/AVE (0,90) och S-CVI/UA (0,80). Resultat: Efter två omgångar skattade samtliga forskningspersoner 20 av 24 frågor som relevanta med ett I-CVI-värde på 1,0. Resterande fyra frågor uppnådde ett I-CVI-värde på 0,80. Värdena för S-CVI/AVE och S-CVI/UA var 0,97 respektive 0,83, vilket innebar att dessa översteg de uppsatta referensvärdena. Skalan kan därmed i sin helhet ses som valid, då samtliga CVI-värden uppnådde de uppsatta referensvärdena. Slutsats: Den översatta versionen kan i sin helhet betraktas som valid. / Background: The Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale is a frequently used assessment tool world wide in clinics in care of people with Parkinson’s disease. In 2001, the assessment tool were reviewed and revised, which was titled Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale. Part III of MDS-UPDRS aims to investigate motor symptoms and is considered important in, among other things, physiotherapists' investigation, and as evaluation after treatment. Currently, a Swedish validated translation of Part III is lacking. Aim: The aim of this study is to translate part III of MDS-UPDRS from english to swedish, and then analyze content validity for the swedish version. Method: The translation was done with the use of forward translation, backward translation and the content validity was analyzed with Content Validity Index (CVI). The translation were analyzed in two rounds, with help by five individual proficient to the area. The content validity were set by following domains and reference values: I-CVI (0,80), S-CVI/AVE (0,90) and SCVI/UA (0,80). Results: After two rounds, 20 questions out of 24 reached an I-CVI of 1,0. The remaining four questions reached an I-CVI of 0,80. The values of S-CVI/AVE and S-CVI/UA were 0,97 and 0,83 which meant that it exceeded the set reference values. The integer scale can be considered valid based on the reference values on S-CVI/AVE and S-CVI/UA. Conclusion: The integer translated version of MDS-UPDRS part III can be considered valid.

<p>This master’s thesis consists of a scenario-based evaluation of an IT-security assessment method known as the eXtendedMethod for Assessment of System Security (XMASS), as well as an assessment of a real-world network using the softwareimplementation of this method known as the Security AssessmeNT Application (SANTA).This thesis also describes a number of improvements made to the software implementation, some which could also be addedto the method itself. These were performed during the preparation of the assessment but had no effect on the outcome.The evaluation showed that the method and implementation contained a number of flaws in the way the filtering effect ofthe traffic mediators of a network, such as network-based firewalls, was implemented. When it comes to the assessment ofthe real-world network it was seen that the network, given the supplied information regarding the software and hardwaresetup of its entities, appeared to be sufficiently secure to handle the transmission of data at the lowest classification level(Restricted). However, as with almost all security assessments, this does not mean that the network is guaranteed to besecure enough; it just indicates that, given the information specified, the network has the potential of being sufficientlysecure.The main conclusion of this thesis is that the way XMASS and SANTA calculates the effect of filtering traffic mediatorsshould be looked into and improved to increase the usability of the tool. The method can however still be used in its currentstate, but requires the individual(s) performing the assessment to be aware of the drawbacks of the current implementationand thus compensate for these when producing the input for the assessment method.</p>