Assessment objectives

Usually, 10 to 20 measurements are made of the isotope ratio for one substance. Sometimes, one or more of these measurements appears to be sufficiently different from the mean value that the question arises as to whether or not it should be included in the set at all. Several statistical criteria are available for reaching an objective assessment of the reliability of the apparently rogue result (Figure 48.10). Such odd results are often called outliers, and ignoring them gives a more precise mean value (lower standard deviation). It is not advisable to remove such data more than once in any one set of measurements. 

Most catalogues give insufficient information for comparisons of quality, and an objective assessment may be difficult. For major items of equipment and in cases of doubt, it will be helpful to visit an existing installation or the factory. 

Quality Assurance/Quality Control parameter and metrics to ensure data reproducibility, e.g. the establishment of calibrated RNA samples and reference datasets to objectively assess the performance of different microarray platforms (see also MAQC project http //w w w.nature. com/nbt/focus/maqc/). 

Carling, P. C., Bruno-Murtha, L. A., and Griffiths, J. K. (2009). Cruise ship environmental hygiene and the risk of norovirus infection outbreaks An objective assessment of 56 vessels over 3 years. Clin. Infect. Dis. 49,1312-1317. 

In ocular applications, Raman spectroscopy can quickly and objectively assess composite lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations of macular pigment using spatially averaged, integral measurements or images that quantify and map the complete MP distribution with high spatial resolution. Importantly, both variants can be validated with HPLC methods in excised human eyecups and in animal models. 

The chapters following in this book should, we hope, enable one to obtain an objective assessment and comparison of the most appropriate polymer molecular... 

Dervenis C, Johnson CD, Bassi C, Bradley EL 3rd, Imrie CW, McMahon MJ, Modlin I Diagnosis, objective assessment of severity, and the management of acute pancreatitis. Int JPancreatol 1999,25 195—210. 

Objective assessment also includes the resolution of ECG changes at rest, during exercise, or with ambulatory ECG monitoring. 

Optimizing quality of life is the therapeutic endpoint in the treatment of patients with MBC. Many valid and reliable tools are available for objective assessment of quality of life. 

Objective assessments, such as the MMSE for cognition and the Functional Activities Questionnaire for activities of daily living, should be used to quantify changes in symptoms and functioning. 

Chlordecone causes a number of neurotoxic responses in humans and animals exposed to sufficiently high levels. Tremor that is accentuated by intentional acts, sustained postural movement, anxiety, or fatigue has been observed in workers exposed to high levels of chlordecone. Tremorograms have been used to objectively assess the tremor associated with chlordecone exposure in humans (Taylor et al. 1978). An infrared reflection technique and oculography have been used to assess the oculomotor disturbances caused by chlordecone (Taylor et al. 1978). Standard tests for memory and intelligence can be used to determine the presence of encephalopathy, but in the absence of baseline preexposure levels for individuals, subtle changes may be difficult to detect. 

Weighted Objectives assess the added value of each design proposal based on different weighted objectives... 

Objective assessments of currently available prediction methods are rather difficult because there are relatively few membrane proteins with known membrane-spanning segments (especially including their boundary information) and topology. Several tests have been attempted on newly determined structures, but they do not give an average performance for each prediction method (Turner and Weiner, 1993). Only... 

Although perhaps counterintuitive, caffeine does not increase disruptive behavior in preschool children when objectively assessed (Baer 1987). A meta-analysis of 12 studies failed to show any adverse cognitve or behavioral effects in children (Stein et al. 1996). 

The issue of sensibvity of different objective assessment methods has been discussed extensively in earber editions of this volume (Spiegel and Aebi, 1983, p.75, SpiegeL 1989, p.72). The-somewhat updated — conclusions were as follows. 

In frozen vegetables, health quality, nutritional quality, and aspects of sensory quality like color and texture can be objectively assessed and controlled also, in frozen potato products the effects of the thermal treatments included in the process have to be assessed due to their influence on texture, color, and nutritional value. However, in the case of overall assessment of sensory quality, only the consumer can perceive and process the overall blend of sensations that denote quality and cause consumers to prefer, accept, or reject a product. 

Collison, R., Johnson, K., Okikiolu, O. O., West, A. (1980). Subjective and objective assessments of the degree of cooking of potatoes heated by different methods. Food TechnoL, 15,1-8. 

A comparison of the duration of the residual hypnotic and sedative effects of zaleplon with those of zolpidem and placebo following nocturnal administration at various times before morning awakening demonstrated that zaleplon 10 mg is free of residual hypnotic or sedative effects when administered as little as 2 hours before waking in normal subjects. Zolpidem s residual effects were still apparent on objective assessments up to 5 hours after nocturnal administration, longer than has been reported from studies involving daytime administration (159). 

Meat discoloration studies typically involve a maximum of 5 days, with discoloration analy-sis being performed every day or on alternate days. The actual experimental time involved in the objective assessment of discoloration is not extensive and depends on the number of samples being analyzed. Colorimetric measurements with hand-held colorimeters are very rapid (three measurements per meat surface in < 1 min). Spectral scans of meat surfaces require 1 to 2 min. Extraction and analysis of ground meat products has the added step of homogenization and filtration prior to spectrophotometry, but relative to many laboratory procedures, this is relatively quick. Isolation and purification of preparative amounts of myoglobin requires only 2 to 3 days once appropriate preparations are made. Finally, metmyoglobin can be reduced to oxymyoglobin in 15 to 20 min. 

To assess the impact of dairy food on health, measures to objectively assess intake are critical. As stated earlier in this chapter, one of the major limitations of nutrition research is the utilization of self-reported dietary intake data. An increase in awareness of healthy eating patterns as a result of advertising and nutrition education may exacerbate bias associated with self-reported dietary intake methodology (Johansson et al., 1998). This is especially the case of at-risk groups. For example, obese people are more prone to underreporting dietary intakes (Livingstone and Black, 2003). 

Kopman AF, Kopman DJ, Ng J, Zank LM. Antagonism of profound cisatracurium and rocuronium block the role of objective assessment of neuromuscular function. J ClinAnesth. 2005 17 30-35. 

Fontanarosa, P.B., Alternative Medicine An Objective Assessment, American Medical Association, JAMA, Chicago, IL, 2000. 

Ernst, Edzard, Julia Rand, and Clare Stevinson. Complementary Therapies for Depression, In Alternative Medicine, An Objective Assessment. Washington, DC JAMA and Archives Journals, 2000. 

Different lines of treatment for sleep disorders associated with EDS, such as continuous positive airway pressure or airway surgery, were evaluated using the MSLT. In comparing pre- and posttreatment symptoms, a subject may perceive an improvement of awareness as very substantial, whereas the MSLT may reveal that the vulnerability remains. Hence, objective assessment of the response is offered by the MSLT (16,54). The alerting effect of caffeine has been proven by its ability to increase the sleep latency on the MSLT of normal sleep-deprived subjects (55). 

Janes C, Casey P, Huntsdale C, Angus G. Memory in pregnancy. I. Subjective experiences and objective assessment of implicit, explicit and working memory in primigravid and primiparous women. J Psychosom Obstet Gynecol 1999 20 80-87. 

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