Wer hat einen Nutzen von Kompetenzmodellen?

National educational standards (NES) were released in Germany 2003/2004 as obligatory performance standards substantively and normatively defining an acceptable degree of proficiency. The NES describe tangible competencies in the form of can-do statements for core subjects to be acquired by students at the end of defined stages of schooling. To evaluate standards-based performances the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Federal States in Germany (KMK) implemented a test-based monitoring system that comprised a centralized evaluation in a nationwide study sample comparing the German federal states (Ländervergleich), as well as state-wide testing schemes at the end of grade 3 and grade 8 linked to the NES. All test items were designed by didactic experts on the basis of domain specific competence models that were psychometrically evaluated. The potential practical benefit from competence testing is discussed for the various system levels of feedback (state, school, teacher, and student). It is argued that, in order to tap the full potential of standards-based performance feedback, it must be appropriately communicated to the target system level and should be accompanied by suitable measures of action support.     

The spiral of silence and journalists' outspokenness on Twitter

This study examined views on the practice of account planning among advertising professionals in India. Three research questions were proposed to investigate perceptions of planning's growth in this emerging global hotspot, practitioner beliefs about planning, as well as opinions of coercive, mimetic and normative pressures in its development. A cross-sectional survey (n=154) across all key agency areas was conducted. Results indicate that (1) planning is seen as a growing practice in Indian advertising, (2) overall beliefs about account planning are highly positive, and (3) environmental (external) pressures impact planning in India though not all are considered equally important. Future research directions are proposed.     

A literature review of RFID-enabled healthcare applications and issues

Despite the rising implementation of RFID technology-based healthcare services, few empirical studies have been conducted to assess the potential of this technology within the healthcare sector. The purpose of this study is to help initiate and direct such empirical research by both conducting a review of the extant literature and using the findings to provide a discussion of current trends and future directions in this domain. In this paper, we develop a conceptual framework that can be used to classify publications on RFID applications and issues in the healthcare industry. We then use this framework to systematically summarize relevant articles. We conclude by highlighting future research directions where the deployment of RFID technology is likely to transform the healthcare sector.     

Setting Standards for English Foreign Language Assessment: Methodology,Validation, and a Degree of Arbitrariness

Cut‐scores were set by expert judges on assessments of reading and listening comprehension of English as a foreign language (EFL), using the bookmark standard‐setting method to differentiate proficiency levels defined by the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). Assessments contained stratified item samples drawn from extensive item pools, calibrated using Rasch models on the basis of examinee responses of a German nationwide assessment of secondary school language performance. The results suggest significant effects of item sampling strategies for the bookmark method on cut‐score recommendations, as well as significant cut‐score judgment revision over cut‐score placement rounds. Results are discussed within a framework of establishing validity evidence supporting cut‐score recommendations using the widely employed bookmark method.     

Leg Power

Leg power is an essential component for success in sports and athletic performance. Therefore, the leg power measurement may help athletes, coaches, athletic trainers, and rehabilitation specialists in selecting, treating, and training athletes for a specific sport. Using a conventional ‘jump and reach’ test, one can accurately predict the leg power and success in anaerobic‐type sports. Nineteen untrained male subjects performed ‘jump and reach’ vertical jumps on a force platform. Power values were calculated from the force versus time data obtained from the force platform. A regression equation was obtained to predict the power values using the weight of an individual and the ‘jump and reach’ height as independent variables. The regression equation is given by p = ‐666.3+14.74 [Mass (kg)] +1925.72 [Height (m)]; [R‐square = 0.69, p<0.05].     

Effect of Hemodialysis on Plasma Myeloperoxidase Activity in End Stage Renal Disease Patients

End stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on hemodialysis (HD) have an increased oxidative stress, with a high risk of atherosclerosis and other co-morbid conditions. Recent studies have suggested that myeloperoxidase (MPO)—mediated oxidative stress may play a role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular complications in dialysis patients. Furthermore, dialysis treatment ‘per se’ can aggravate oxidative stress. Hence this study was designed to determine whether HD leads to an alteration in the plasma levels of MPO and malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of oxidative stress in ESRD patients on maintenance HD. To study the effect of HD, plasma MPO and MDA were determined before and after HD in forty ESRD patients (24 men and 16 women, age between 8 and 71 years, median being 40.5 years) on maintenance HD. Plasma MPO and MDA were assayed by spectrophotometric methods. Haematological and other biochemical parameters were obtained from patients’ case records. Plasma MPO and MDA levels were significantly higher after HD when compared with pre-dialysis levels (p < 0.05). There was no correlation between MPO and MDA (r = 0.184, p = 0.10) and other biochemical parameters (p > 0.05). However, there was a significant correlation between MPO and MDA with haemodialysis vintage (p < 0.05). In univariate regression analysis duration of HD (β = 1.470, p = 0.045, β = 0.388, p = 0.013), was independently associated with MPO and MDA. Although HD is indispensable for survival of patients with ESRD, it is fraught with undesirable side-effects, such as an increase in the plasma MPO and MDA levels. The elevated levels of MPO contribute to the increased oxidative stress as free radicals are produced by the reaction catalyzed by it.     

Initiation,Experimentation, Implementation of innovations: The case for Radio Frequency Identification Systems

This research primarily examines the stages hypothesis of the process of technology adoption by management personnel of organizations in the supply chain sector involving the Initiation, Experimentation, and Implementation stages. Further, this research examines key antecedents that may influence the various stages, including top management support, external pressure, and organization size. Using responses provided by top management representatives of 210 supply chain organizations on their organizations’ engagement with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies, this research finds that the stages hypothesis holds for RFID technologies. Specifically, organizations were seen to sequentially progress through the Initiation, Experimentation, and Implementation stages. Over 80% of organizations, who had reached the Implementation stage of adoption, had gone through the Initiation and Experimentation stages as well. Additionally, the data showed that the antecedents exerted varying levels of influences on the three stages. Top management support strongly influenced all three stages; external pressure influenced the Initiation and Implementation stages, and organizational size influenced Experimentation and Implementation stages. The paper discusses several implications for research and practice.