A Generalized Approach for Measuring Relationships Among Genes.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lijun; Ahsan, Md Asif; Chen, Ming

2017-07-21

Several methods for identifying relationships among pairs of genes have been developed. In this article, we present a generalized approach for measuring relationships between any pairs of genes, which is based on statistical prediction. We derive two particular versions of the generalized approach, least squares estimation (LSE) and nearest neighbors prediction (NNP). According to mathematical proof, LSE is equivalent to the methods based on correlation; and NNP is approximate to one popular method called the maximal information coefficient (MIC) according to the performances in simulations and real dataset. Moreover, the approach based on statistical prediction can be extended from two-genes relationships to multi-genes relationships. This application would help to identify relationships among multi-genes.

Spinal anesthesia using Taylor′s approach helps avoid general anesthesia in short stature asthmatic patient

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amarjeet Dnyandeo Patil

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The case history of a 35-year-old female patient with short stature is presented. She was posted for rectopexy in view of rectal prolapse. She was a known case of bronchial asthma. She had crowding of intervertebral spaces, which made administration of spinal anesthesia via the normal route very difficult. Taylor′s approach for administration of the same was tried and proved successful, thus saving the patient from receiving general anesthesia in the presence of bronchial asthma, for a perineal surgery. The possible cause for the difficulty in administration of spinal anesthesia and the Taylor′s approach are discussed, and reports of similar cases reviewed.

Alternatives to Sedation and General Anesthesia in Pediatric Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Literature Review.

Science.gov (United States)

McGuirt, Delaney

2016-09-01

To assess alternatives to sedation and general anesthesia to prepare children for magnetic resonance (MR) imaging examinations. Online databases were searched for articles discussing methods of preparing children for MR imaging procedures. Because of the large number of articles returned, criteria were limited to only studies that prepared patients without the use of sedation or general anesthesia. Twenty-four studies were deemed appropriate for inclusion in the review. The following methods emerged as alternatives to pediatric sedation: mock scanners, MR-compatible audiovisual systems, feed-sleep manipulation, play therapy, infant incubators/immobilizers, photo diaries, sucrose solutions, and guided imagery. The approaches with the most extensive research were mock MR scanners and feed-sleep manipulation. Evidence supports the use of these alternative techniques as valid substitutes for pediatric sedation and general anesthesia. To reduce the risks associated with sedation of pediatric patients, institutions could implement the alternatives discussed in this review. Cost analyses should be conducted first because some methods are more expensive than others. Finally, further research is needed to better assess the effectiveness of lesser-practiced methods, including photo diaries, sucrose solutions, and guided imagery. ©2016 American Society of Radiologic Technologists.

Advanced human-system interface design review guideline. General evaluation model, technical development, and guideline description

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Hara, J.M.

1994-07-01

Advanced control rooms will use advanced human-system interface (HSI) technologies that may have significant implications for plant safety in that they will affect the operator's overall role in the system, the method of information presentation, and the ways in which operators interact with the system. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reviews the HSI aspects of control rooms to ensure that they are designed to good human factors engineering principles and that operator performance and reliability are appropriately supported to protect public health and safety. The principal guidance available to the NRC, however, was developed more than ten years ago, well before these technological changes. Accordingly, the human factors guidance needs to be updated to serve as the basis for NRC review of these advanced designs. The purpose of this project was to develop a general approach to advanced HSI review and the human factors guidelines to support NRC safety reviews of advanced systems. This two-volume report provides the results of the project. Volume I describes the development of the Advanced HSI Design Review Guideline (DRG) including (1) its theoretical and technical foundation, (2) a general model for the review of advanced HSIs, (3) guideline development in both hard-copy and computer-based versions, and (4) the tests and evaluations performed to develop and validate the DRG. Volume I also includes a discussion of the gaps in available guidance and a methodology for addressing them. Volume 2 provides the guidelines to be used for advanced HSI review and the procedures for their use

Advanced human-system interface design review guideline. General evaluation model, technical development, and guideline description

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O`Hara, J.M.

1994-07-01

Advanced control rooms will use advanced human-system interface (HSI) technologies that may have significant implications for plant safety in that they will affect the operator`s overall role in the system, the method of information presentation, and the ways in which operators interact with the system. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reviews the HSI aspects of control rooms to ensure that they are designed to good human factors engineering principles and that operator performance and reliability are appropriately supported to protect public health and safety. The principal guidance available to the NRC, however, was developed more than ten years ago, well before these technological changes. Accordingly, the human factors guidance needs to be updated to serve as the basis for NRC review of these advanced designs. The purpose of this project was to develop a general approach to advanced HSI review and the human factors guidelines to support NRC safety reviews of advanced systems. This two-volume report provides the results of the project. Volume I describes the development of the Advanced HSI Design Review Guideline (DRG) including (1) its theoretical and technical foundation, (2) a general model for the review of advanced HSIs, (3) guideline development in both hard-copy and computer-based versions, and (4) the tests and evaluations performed to develop and validate the DRG. Volume I also includes a discussion of the gaps in available guidance and a methodology for addressing them. Volume 2 provides the guidelines to be used for advanced HSI review and the procedures for their use.

Robotics in general surgery: an evidence-based review.

Science.gov (United States)

Baek, Se-Jin; Kim, Seon-Hahn

2014-05-01

Since its introduction, robotic surgery has been rapidly adopted to the extent that it has already assumed an important position in the field of general surgery. This rapid progress is quantitative as well as qualitative. In this review, we focus on the relatively common procedures to which robotic surgery has been applied in several fields of general surgery, including gastric, colorectal, hepato-biliary-pancreatic, and endocrine surgery, and we discuss the results to date and future possibilities. In addition, the advantages and limitations of the current robotic system are reviewed, and the advanced technologies and instruments to be applied in the near future are introduced. Such progress is expected to facilitate the widespread introduction of robotic surgery in additional fields and to solve existing problems.

International approaches to driving under the influence of cannabis: A review of evidence on impact.

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Tara Marie; Mann, Robert E

2016-12-01

There are knowledge gaps regarding the effectiveness of different approaches designed to prevent and deter driving under the influence of cannabis (DUIC). Policymakers are increasingly interested in evidence-based responses to DUIC as numerous jurisdictions worldwide have legally regulated cannabis or are debating such regulation. We contribute a comprehensive review of international literature on countermeasures that address DUIC, and identify where and how such measures have been evaluated. The following databases were systematically searched from 1995 to present: Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Sociological Abstracts, and Criminal Justice Abstracts. Hand searching of relevant documents, internet searches for grey literature, and review of ongoing email alerts were conducted to capture any emerging literature and relevant trends. Numerous international jurisdictions have introduced a variety of measures designed to deter DUIC. Much interest has been generated regarding non-zero per se laws that set fixed legal limits for tetrahydrocannabinol and/or its metabolites detected in drivers. Other approaches include behavioural impairment laws, zero-tolerance per se laws, roadside drug testing, graduated licensing system restrictions, and remedial programs. However, very few evaluations have appeared in the literature. Although some promising results have been reported (e.g., roadside testing), it is premature to draw firm conclusions regarding the broader impacts of general deterrent approaches to DUIC. This review points to the need for a long-term commitment to rigorously evaluate, using multiple methods, the impact of general and specific deterrent DUIC countermeasures. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigating the Problem of Skill Generalization: Literature Review III.

Science.gov (United States)

Haring, Norris

The third in a series of literature reviews, this monograph presents three articles on skill generalization among individuals with severe disabilities. Kathleen A. Liberty analyzes the results of 15 studies to determine how teaching self-control affected students' performance in training and generalization, "Behavior-Control of Stimulus Events to…

A mixed-methods approach to systematic reviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Pearson, Alan; White, Heath; Bath-Hextall, Fiona; Salmond, Susan; Apostolo, Joao; Kirkpatrick, Pamela

2015-09-01

There are an increasing number of published single-method systematic reviews that focus on different types of evidence related to a particular topic. As policy makers and practitioners seek clear directions for decision-making from systematic reviews, it is likely that it will be increasingly difficult for them to identify 'what to do' if they are required to find and understand a plethora of syntheses related to a particular topic.Mixed-methods systematic reviews are designed to address this issue and have the potential to produce systematic reviews of direct relevance to policy makers and practitioners.On the basis of the recommendations of the Joanna Briggs Institute International Mixed Methods Reviews Methodology Group in 2012, the Institute adopted a segregated approach to mixed-methods synthesis as described by Sandelowski et al., which consists of separate syntheses of each component method of the review. Joanna Briggs Institute's mixed-methods synthesis of the findings of the separate syntheses uses a Bayesian approach to translate the findings of the initial quantitative synthesis into qualitative themes and pooling these with the findings of the initial qualitative synthesis.

AN APPROACH FOR REVIEWING AND RANKING THE CUSTOMERS’ REVIEWS THROUGH QUALITY OF REVIEW (QoR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sumit Kawate

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Quality is referred as the degree of excellence that means the expected product or service being considered to achieve desired requirements. Whereas, Quality of Reviews (QoR relates to the task of determining the quality, efficiency, suitability, or utility of each review by addressing Quality of Product (QoP and Quality of Service (QoS. It is an essential task of ranking, the reviews based on the quality and efficiency of the reviews given by the users. Whatever the reviews are provided to the particular product or services are from user experiences. The Quality of Reviews (QoR is one of a kind method that defines how the customer’s standpoint for the service or product that he/she experienced. The main issue while reviewing any product, the reviewer provides his/her opinion in the form of reviews and might be a few of those reviews are malicious spam entries to skew the rating of the product. Also in another case, many times customers provide the reviews which are quite common and that won’t helpful for the buyer to interpret the helpful feedback on their products because of too many formal reviews from distinct customers. Hence, we proposed novel approaches: i to statistical analyzes the customer reviews on products by Amazon to identify top most useful or helpful reviewers; ii to analyze the products and its reviews associated for malicious reviews ratings that skewed the overall product ranking. As this is one of the efficient approaches to avoid spam reviewers somehow from reviewing the products. With this, we can use this method for distinguishing between nominal users and spammers. This method helps to quest for helpful reviewers not only to make the product better from best quality reviewers, but also these quality reviewers themselves can able to review future products.

Polarization speckles and generalized Stokes vector wave: a review [invited

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Takeda, Mitsuo; Wang, Wei; Hanson, Steen Grüner

2010-01-01

We review some of the statistical properties of polarization-related speckle phenomena, with an introduction of a less known concept of polarization speckles and their spatial degree of polarization. As a useful means to characterize twopoint vector field correlations, we review the generalized...... Stokes parameters proposed by Korotkova and Wolf, and introduce its time-domain representation to describe the space-time evolution of the correlation between random electric vector fields at two different space-time points. This time-domain generalized Stokes vector, with components similar to those...... of the beam coherence polarization matrix proposed by Gori, is shown to obey the wave equation in exact analogy to a coherence function of scalar fields. Because of this wave nature, the time-domain generalized Stokes vector is referred to as generalized Stokes vector wave in this paper....

Regge cuts: A general approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weis, J.H.

1976-01-01

We discuss an approach to the calculation of Regge-cut contributions to scattering amplitudes which relies only on the general structure of the physical Reggeon couplings. It thus allows a unified treatment of disparate models [such as the Feynman (Mandelstam) graph model and the dual model] and a general derivation of the Abramovskii--Gribov--Kancheli (AGK) rules. The structure of the Reggeon couplings is expressed through integrals over complex helicity. The Regge-cut amplitude can then be obtained, and its s-channel discontinuity, taken; there results a direct derivation of a set of ''cutting rules'' which express the total discontinuity as a sum of terms involving various discontinuities of the Reggeon couplings. The equality of these discontinuities follows directly if the singularities in complex helicity are the usual ones. Thus the AGK rules are seen to be quite model independent. Here we study in detail the simplest example: the Reggeon-particle cut in the four-particle amplitude

General anesthesia in cardiac surgery: a review of drugs and practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Alwardt, Cory M; Redford, Daniel; Larson, Douglas F

2005-06-01

General anesthesia is defined as complete anesthesia affecting the entire body with loss of consciousness, analgesia, amnesia, and muscle relaxation. There is a wide spectrum of agents able to partially or completely induce general anesthesia. Presently, there is not a single universally accepted technique for anesthetic management during cardiac surgery. Instead, the drugs and combinations of drugs used are derived from the pathophysiologic state of the patient and individual preference and experience of the anesthesiologist. According to the definition of general anesthesia, current practices consist of four main components: hypnosis, analgesia, amnesia, and muscle relaxation. Although many of the agents highlighted in this review are capable of producing more than one of these effects, it is logical that drugs producing these effects are given in combination to achieve the most beneficial effect. This review features a discussion of currently used anesthetic drugs and clinical practices of general anesthesia during cardiac surgery. The information in this particular review is derived from textbooks, current literature, and personal experience, and is designed as a general overview of anesthesia during cardiac surgery.

Nuclear Installation Safety: General Observations and Trends from IAEA Peer Reviews

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rzentkowski, G.

2016-01-01

The Safety Review Services (SRSs) for nuclear installations address the needs of Member States at all stages of installations’ lifecycle. SRSs are based on the IAEA Safety Standards and are provided on Member States’ request to peer review national regulatory frameworks and safety provisions for nuclear installations. They result in recommendations and suggestions to improve national regulations and operational safety, and serve to exert peer pressure to ensure that that every Member State with nuclear installations recognizes its safety responsibility and the need to comply with the IAEA Safety Standards. This presentation provides an overview of SRSs for Nuclear Installations, including their structure and main subject areas. The presentation also summarizes general findings and trends which clearly demonstrate that there is continuous improvement in regulation of nuclear installations and in safety of their operation. Nevertheless, there is the need to further enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of SRSs through review of the overall governance model and service delivery to better serve the needs of Member States. The presentation points out some areas of improvements which have already been implemented or are being considered for implementation. Just as important, SRSs are conducted by teams of experts from around the world to strengthening international cooperation, ensure diversity and impartiality, and improve the overall quality of the safety review being conducted. The review team members are also provided with the opportunity for mutual learning and sharing good practices among themselves and with the Member State undergoing the review. As a result, SRAs play an important role in a quest to harmonize regulatory requirements and approaches globally. (author)

Treatment Approaches in Down's Syndrome: A Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Foreman, Philip J.; Ward, James

1986-01-01

The paper reviews research into treatment approaches in Down's Syndrome. Pharmacological treatments reviewed include thyroid therapy, 5-hydroxytryptophan, vitamin therapy, and cell therapy. Other treatments considered are movement patterning, early intervention, and facial surgery. Early educational intervention is seen as the most effective…

Generalized Galilean transformations and the measurement problem in the entropic dynamics approach to quantum theory

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, David T.

Quantum mechanics is an extremely successful and accurate physical theory, yet since its inception, it has been afflicted with numerous conceptual difficulties. The primary subject of this thesis is the theory of entropic quantum dynamics (EQD), which seeks to avoid these conceptual problems by interpreting quantum theory from an informational perspective. We begin by reviewing Cox's work in describing probability theory as a means of rationally and consistently quantifying uncertainties. We then discuss how probabilities can be updated according to either Bayes' theorem or the extended method of maximum entropy (ME). After that discussion, we review the work of Caticha and Giffin that shows that Bayes' theorem is a special case of ME. This important result demonstrates that the ME method is the general method for updating probabilities. We then review some motivating difficulties in quantum mechanics before discussing Caticha's work in deriving quantum theory from the approach of entropic dynamics, which concludes our review. After entropic dynamics is introduced, we develop the concepts of symmetries and transformations from an informational perspective. The primary result is the formulation of a symmetry condition that any transformation must satisfy in order to qualify as a symmetry in EQD. We then proceed to apply this condition to the extended Galilean transformation. This transformation is of interest as it exhibits features of both special and general relativity. The transformation yields a gravitational potential that arises from an equivalence of information. We conclude the thesis with a discussion of the measurement problem in quantum mechanics. We discuss the difficulties that arise in the standard quantum mechanical approach to measurement before developing our theory of entropic measurement. In entropic dynamics, position is the only observable. We show how a theory built on this one observable can account for the multitude of measurements present in

Teaching the Literature Review: A Practical Approach for College Instructors

Science.gov (United States)

Cisco, Jonathan

2014-01-01

Instructors across the disciplines require their students to write literature reviews. Although numerous sources describe the literature review process, instructors and students face difficulty when approaching the structure of a literature review. This paper presents a straightforward, efficient approach for teaching students how to write a…

Refugee experiences of general practice in countries of resettlement: a literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, I-Hao; Drillich, Ann; Schattner, Peter

2015-03-01

Refugees and asylum seekers often struggle to use general practice services in resettlement countries. To describe and analyse the literature on the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers using general practice services in countries of resettlement. Literature review using systematic search and narrative data extraction and synthesis methodologies. International, peer-reviewed literature published in English language between 1990 and 2013. Embase, Ovid MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CSA Sociological Abstracts, and CINAHL databases were searched using the terms: refugee, asylum seeker, experience, perception, doctor, physician, and general practitioner. Titles, abstracts and full texts were reviewed and were critically appraised. Narrative themes describing the refugee or asylum seeker's personal experiences of general practice services were identified, coded, and analysed. From 8722 papers, 85 were fully reviewed and 23 included. These represented the experiences of approximately 864 individuals using general practice services across 11 countries. Common narrative themes that emerged were: difficulties accessing general practice services, language barriers, poor doctor-patient relationships, and problems with the cultural acceptability of medical care. The difficulties refugees and asylum seekers experience accessing and using general practice services could be addressed by providing practical support for patients to register, make appointments, and attend services, and through using interpreters. Clinicians should look beyond refugee stereotypes to focus on the needs and expectations of the individual. They should provide clear explanations about unfamiliar clinical processes and treatments while offering timely management. © British Journal of General Practice 2015.

Nutritional deficiency in general practice: a systematic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wayenburg, van C.A.M.; Laar, van de F.A.; Weel, van C.; Staveren, van W.A.; Binsbergen, van J.J.

2005-01-01

Objective: Nutritional deficiency is an independent risk factor for mortality. Despite its clinical relevance, the prevalence in a primary care setting is poorly documented. We performed a systematic review of reported prevalence and clinical assessment of nutritional deficiency in general practice.

A linear programming approach to max-sum problem: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Werner, Tomás

2007-07-01

The max-sum labeling problem, defined as maximizing a sum of binary (i.e., pairwise) functions of discrete variables, is a general NP-hard optimization problem with many applications, such as computing the MAP configuration of a Markov random field. We review a not widely known approach to the problem, developed by Ukrainian researchers Schlesinger et al. in 1976, and show how it contributes to recent results, most importantly, those on the convex combination of trees and tree-reweighted max-product. In particular, we review Schlesinger et al.'s upper bound on the max-sum criterion, its minimization by equivalent transformations, its relation to the constraint satisfaction problem, the fact that this minimization is dual to a linear programming relaxation of the original problem, and the three kinds of consistency necessary for optimality of the upper bound. We revisit problems with Boolean variables and supermodular problems. We describe two algorithms for decreasing the upper bound. We present an example application for structural image analysis.

General parenting, childhood overweight and obesity-inducing behaviors: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Sleddens, Ester F C; Gerards, Sanne M P L; Thijs, Carel; de Vries, Nanne K; Kremers, Stef P J

2011-06-01

Despite emerging efforts to investigate the influence parents have on their children's weight status and related dietary and activity behaviors, reviews regarding the role of general parenting are lacking. We performed a systematic review regarding the relationship between general parenting and these weight-related outcomes to guide observational research. In total, 36 studies were included. Discrepancies across studies were found, which may be explained by differences in conceptualization of parenting constructs. Overall, however, results suggest that children raised in authoritative homes ate more healthy, were more physically active and had lower BMI levels, compared to children who were raised with other styles (authoritarian, permissive/indulgent, uninvolved/neglectful). Findings of some moderation studies indicate that general parenting has a differential impact on children's weight-related outcomes, depending on child and parental characteristics. These findings underline the importance of acknowledging interactions between general parenting and both child and parent characteristics, as well as behavior-specific parenting practices.

A review of the theoretical and numerical approaches to modeling skyglow: Iterative approach to RTE, MSOS, and two-stream approximation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kocifaj, Miroslav

2016-01-01

The study of diffuse light of a night sky is undergoing a renaissance due to the development of inexpensive high performance computers which can significantly reduce the time needed for accurate numerical simulations. Apart from targeted field campaigns, numerical modeling appears to be one of the most attractive and powerful approaches for predicting the diffuse light of a night sky. However, computer-aided simulation of night-sky radiances over any territory and under arbitrary conditions is a complex problem that is difficult to solve. This study addresses three concepts for modeling the artificial light propagation through a turbid stratified atmosphere. Specifically, these are two-stream approximation, iterative approach to Radiative Transfer Equation (RTE) and Method of Successive Orders of Scattering (MSOS). The principles of the methods, their strengths and weaknesses are reviewed with respect to their implications for night-light modeling in different environments. - Highlights: • Three methods for modeling nightsky radiance are reviewed. • The two-stream approximation allows for rapid calculation of radiative fluxes. • The above approach is convenient for modeling large uniformly emitting areas. • SOS is applicable to heterogeneous deployment of well-separated cities or towns. • MSOS is generally CPU less-intensive than traditional 3D RTE.

The general entity of life: a cybernetic approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Bielecki, Andrzej

2015-06-01

Life, not only in the well-known context of biochemical metabolism but also in the context of hypothetical life synthesized laboratorially or possibly found on other planets, is considered in this paper. The three-component information-energetic-structural irreducible processing in autonomous systems is the core of the proposed approach. The cybernetic organization of a general entity of life--the alivon--is postulated. The crucial properties of life and evolution are derived from the proposed approach. Information encoded in biological structures is also studied.

Generalizing human error rates: A taxonomic approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buffardi, L.; Fleishman, E.; Allen, J.

1989-01-01

It is well established that human error plays a major role in malfunctioning of complex, technological systems and in accidents associated with their operation. Estimates of the rate of human error in the nuclear industry range from 20-65% of all system failures. In response to this, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has developed a variety of techniques for estimating human error probabilities for nuclear power plant personnel. Most of these techniques require the specification of the range of human error probabilities for various tasks. Unfortunately, very little objective performance data on error probabilities exist for nuclear environments. Thus, when human reliability estimates are required, for example in computer simulation modeling of system reliability, only subjective estimates (usually based on experts' best guesses) can be provided. The objective of the current research is to provide guidelines for the selection of human error probabilities based on actual performance data taken in other complex environments and applying them to nuclear settings. A key feature of this research is the application of a comprehensive taxonomic approach to nuclear and non-nuclear tasks to evaluate their similarities and differences, thus providing a basis for generalizing human error estimates across tasks. In recent years significant developments have occurred in classifying and describing tasks. Initial goals of the current research are to: (1) identify alternative taxonomic schemes that can be applied to tasks, and (2) describe nuclear tasks in terms of these schemes. Three standardized taxonomic schemes (Ability Requirements Approach, Generalized Information-Processing Approach, Task Characteristics Approach) are identified, modified, and evaluated for their suitability in comparing nuclear and non-nuclear power plant tasks. An agenda for future research and its relevance to nuclear power plant safety is also discussed

Psychotherapy approaches for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse: an integrative review of outcomes research.

Science.gov (United States)

Martsolf, Donna S; Draucker, Claire B

2005-10-01

This review synthesized results of 26 outcomes research studies and two meta-analyses that evaluated abuse-focused psychotherapy techniques for survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Different therapeutic approaches delivered in individual, group, or combination formats were evaluated with pre/post test, quasi-experimental, or randomized control designs. Accumulated research findings suggest that abuse-focused psychotherapy for adults sexually abused as children is generally beneficial in reducing psychiatric distress, depression, and trauma-specific symptoms. No one therapeutic approach was demonstrated to be superior. There was little evidence about the effectiveness of individual versus group therapy or the optimal treatment duration.

Systematic review protocol of interventions to improve the psychological well-being of general practitioners.

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, Marylou; Murray, Lois; Donnelly, Michael

2015-09-22

The challenges and complexities faced by general practitioners are increasing, and there are concerns about their well-being. Consequently, attention has been directed towards developing and evaluating interventions and strategies to improve general practitioner well-being and their capacity to cope with workplace challenges. This systematic review aims to evaluate research evidence regarding the effectiveness of interventions designed to improve general practitioner well-being. Eligible studies will include programmes developed to improve psychological well-being that have assessed outcomes using validated tools pertaining to well-being and related outcomes. Only programmes that have been evaluated using controlled study designs will be reviewed. An appropriately developed search strategy will be applied to six electronic databases: the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Web of Science. Studies will be screened in two stages by two independent reviewers. A third reviewer will arbitrate when required. Pre-specified inclusion and exclusion criteria will be assessed during a pilot phase early on in the review process. The Cochrane data extraction form will be adapted and applied to each eligible study by two independent reviewers, and each study will be appraised critically using standardised checklists from the Cochrane Handbook. Methodological quality will be taken into account in the analysis of the data and the synthesis of results. A narrative synthesis will be undertaken if data is unsuited to a meta-analysis. The systematic review will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidance. This will be the first systematic review on this topic, and the evidence synthesis will aid decision-making by general practitioners, policy makers and planners regarding ways in which to improve GP well-being. Findings will be disseminated at general practitioner meetings

Life cycle costing of food waste: A review of methodological approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

De Menna, Fabio; Dietershagen, Jana; Loubiere, Marion; Vittuari, Matteo

2018-03-01

Food waste (FW) is a global problem that is receiving increasing attention due to its environmental and economic impacts. Appropriate FW prevention, valorization, and management routes could mitigate or avoid these effects. Life cycle thinking and approaches, such as life cycle costing (LCC), may represent suitable tools to assess the sustainability of these routes. This study analyzes different LCC methodological aspects and approaches to evaluate FW management and valorization routes. A systematic literature review was carried out with a focus on different LCC approaches, their application to food, FW, and waste systems, as well as on specific methodological aspects. The review consisted of three phases: a collection phase, an iterative phase with experts' consultation, and a final literature classification. Journal papers and reports were retrieved from selected databases and search engines. The standardization of LCC methodologies is still in its infancy due to a lack of consensus over definitions and approaches. Research on the life cycle cost of FW is limited and generally focused on FW management, rather than prevention or valorization of specific flows. FW prevention, valorization, and management require a consistent integration of LCC and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to avoid tradeoffs between environmental and economic impacts. This entails a proper investigation of methodological differences between attributional and consequential modelling in LCC, especially with regard to functional unit, system boundaries, multi-functionality, included cost, and assessed impacts. Further efforts could also aim at finding the most effective and transparent categorization of costs, in particular when dealing with multiple stakeholders sustaining costs of FW. Interpretation of results from LCC of FW should take into account the effect on larger economic systems. Additional key performance indicators and analytical tools could be included in consequential approaches

A Review of the Wood Pellet Value Chain, Modern Value/Supply Chain Management Approaches, and Value/Supply Chain Models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalie M. Hughes

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We reviewed 153 peer-reviewed sources to provide identification of modern supply chain management techniques and exploration of supply chain modeling, to offer decision support to managers. Ultimately, the review is intended to assist member-companies of supply chains, mainly producers, improve their current management approaches, by directing them to studies that may be suitable for direct application to their supply chains and value chains for improved efficiency and profitability. We found that information on supply chain management and modeling techniques in general is available. However, few Canadian-based published studies exist regarding a demand-driven modeling approach to value/supply chain management for wood pellet production. Only three papers were found specifically on wood pellet value chain analysis. We propose that more studies should be carried out on the value chain of wood pellet manufacturing, as well as demand-driven management and modeling approaches with improved demand forecasting methods.

The validity of peer review in a general medicine journal.

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Jeffrey L; Srinivasan, Malathi; Rea, Joanna; Fletcher, Kathlyn E; Kravitz, Richard L

2011-01-01

All the opinions in this article are those of the authors and should not be construed to reflect, in any way, those of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Our study purpose was to assess the predictive validity of reviewer quality ratings and editorial decisions in a general medicine journal. Submissions to the Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM) between July 2004 and June 2005 were included. We abstracted JGIM peer review quality ratings, verified the publication status of all articles and calculated an impact factor for published articles (Rw) by dividing the 3-year citation rate by the average for this group of papers; an Rw>1 indicates a greater than average impact. Of 507 submissions, 128 (25%) were published in JGIM, 331 rejected (128 with review) and 48 were either not resubmitted after revision was requested or were withdrawn by the author. Of 331 rejections, 243 were published elsewhere. Articles published in JGIM had a higher citation rate than those published elsewhere (Rw: 1.6 vs. 1.1, p = 0.002). Reviewer quality ratings of article quality had good internal consistency and reviewer recommendations markedly influenced publication decisions. There was no quality rating cutpoint that accurately distinguished high from low impact articles. There was a stepwise increase in Rw for articles rejected without review, rejected after review or accepted by JGIM (Rw 0.60 vs. 0.87 vs. 1.56, p<0.0005). However, there was low agreement between reviewers for quality ratings and publication recommendations. The editorial publication decision accurately discriminated high and low impact articles in 68% of submissions. We found evidence of better accuracy with a greater number of reviewers. The peer review process largely succeeds in selecting high impact articles and dispatching lower impact ones, but the process is far from perfect. While the inter-rater reliability between individual reviewers is low, the accuracy of sorting is improved with a greater

Nanomedicine approaches in vascular disease: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Anirban Sen

2011-12-01

Nanomedicine approaches have revolutionized the treatment of cancer and vascular diseases, where the limitations of rapid nonspecific clearance, poor biodistribution and harmful side effects associated with direct systemic drug administration can be overcome by packaging the agents within sterically stabilized, long-circulating nanovehicles that can be further surface-modified with ligands to actively target cellular/molecular components of the disease. With significant advancements in genetics, proteomics, cellular and molecular biology and biomaterials engineering, the nanomedicine strategies have become progressively refined regarding the modulation of surface and bulk chemistry of the nanovehicles, control of drug release kinetics, manipulation of nanoconstruct geometry and integration of multiple functionalities on single nanoplatforms. The current review aims to capture the various nanomedicine approaches directed specifically toward vascular diseases during the past two decades. Analysis of the promises and limitations of these approaches will help identify and optimize vascular nanomedicine systems to enhance their efficacy and clinical translation in the future. Nanomedicine-based approaches have had a major impact on the treatment and diagnosis of malignancies and vascular diseases. This review discusses various nanomedicine approaches directed specifically toward vascular diseases during the past two decades, highlighting their advantages, limitations and offering new perspectives on future applications. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review of design approaches of advanced pressurized LWRs. Report of a technical committee meeting and workshop

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

The Technical Committee Meeting and Workshop was devoted to review and discuss differences and commonalties in the various design approaches with the aim of increasing the understanding of the design decisions taken, and a number of general conclusions were drawn. Though many differences in design approaches were found in the presentations, a number of common features could also be identified. These included design approaches to achieve further improvements with respect to safety, design simplification, reduction in cost, incorporation of feedback from operating experience, and control room improvements regarding human factors and digitization. Design approaches to achieve further improvements in safety included consideration of severe accidents in the design process, increased thermal margins and water inventories, longer grace periods and double containments. Refs, figs and tabs

Review of design approaches of advanced pressurized LWRs. Report of a technical committee meeting and workshop

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-01-01

The Technical Committee Meeting and Workshop was devoted to review and discuss differences and commonalties in the various design approaches with the aim of increasing the understanding of the design decisions taken, and a number of general conclusions were drawn. Though many differences in design approaches were found in the presentations, a number of common features could also be identified. These included design approaches to achieve further improvements with respect to safety, design simplification, reduction in cost, incorporation of feedback from operating experience, and control room improvements regarding human factors and digitization. Design approaches to achieve further improvements in safety included consideration of severe accidents in the design process, increased thermal margins and water inventories, longer grace periods and double containments. Refs, figs and tabs.

BOOK REVIEW: A First Course in General Relativity (Second Edition) A First Course in General Relativity (Second Edition)

Science.gov (United States)

Poisson, Eric

2010-05-01

A few years ago, in my review of Sean Carroll's book in Classical and Quantum Gravity [1], I wrote that while the 1970s was the decade of Weinberg [2] and Misner, Thorne and Wheeler [3], and while the eighties was the decade of Schutz [4] and Wald [5], the 2000s was clearly the decade of Hartle [6] and Carroll [7]. In my opinion, these books continue to stand out in the surprisingly dense crowd of introductory textbooks on general relativity. At the dawn of this new decade I look forward to see what fresh pedagogical insights will be produced next, and who will be revealed as the winners of the 2010s. It is, of course, much too early to tell, but Schutz is back, and he will set the standard just as he did back in 1985. This is the long-awaited second edition of his `First Course', a short, accessible, and very successful introduction to general relativity. The changes from the first edition are modest: Schutz wisely refrained from bloating the text with new topics, and limited himself to updating his discussion of gravitational-wave sources and detectors, neutron-star and black-hole astrophysics, and suggestions for further reading. Most importantly, he completely rewrote the chapter on cosmology, a topic that has evolved enormously since the first edition. The book begins in chapter 1 with a beautiful review of special relativity that emphasizes spacetime geometry and stays away from an algebraic approach based on the Lorentz transformation, which appears only later in the chapter. This is followed up in chapters 2 and 3 with an introduction to vector and tensor analysis in flat spacetime. The point of view is modern (tensors are defined as linear mapping of vectors and one-forms into real numbers) but the presentation is very accessible and avoids an overload of mathematical fine print. In chapter 4 the book introduces the spacetime description of fluids; it is here that the energy-momentum tensor makes its first appearance. The move to curved spacetime is

g-factor calculations from the generalized seniority approach

Science.gov (United States)

Maheshwari, Bhoomika; Jain, Ashok Kumar

2018-05-01

The generalized seniority approach proposed by us to understand the B(E1)/B(E2)/B(E3) properties of semi-magic nuclei has been widely successful in the explanation of the same and has led to an expansion in the scope of seniority isomers. In the present paper, we apply the generalized seniority scheme to understand the behavior of g-factors in semi-magic nuclei. We find that the magnetic moment and the gfactors do show a particle number independent behavior as expected and the understanding is consistent with the explanation of transition probabilities.

Teaching the Literature Review: A Practical Approach for College Instructors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonathan Cisco

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Instructors across the disciplines require their students to write literature reviews. Although numerous sources describe the literature review process, instructors and students face difficulty when approaching the structure of a literature review. This paper presents a straightforward, efficient approach for teaching students how to write a literature review. Developed over the course of three years at a university writing center, this lesson received substantial support from students across the disciplines. This paper reflects on one group of students’ experiences while writing literature reviews in a political science course, showing that students demonstrated a sense of confidence and direction after the lesson. University professors, writing center staff, and content-discipline instructors in higher education classrooms can alleviate their students’ anxiety about literature reviews by using this lesson in their classrooms.

Job satisfaction among general practitioners : A systematic literature review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Ham, I.; Verhoeven, A.A.; Groenier, K.H.; Groothoff, J.W.; de Haan, J.

2006-01-01

Objective: In recent years, the incidence of being overworked and burnt out has increased among general practitioners (GPs). One of the factors that influences the development of burnout is the job satisfaction that physicians experience. Therefore, we conducted a literature review to answer the

Job satisfaction among general practitioners: A systematic literature review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Ham, I.; Verhoeven, A.A.; Groenier, K.H.; Groothoff, J.W.; de Haan, J.

2006-01-01

Objective: In recent years, the incidence of being overworked and burnt out has increased among general practitioners (GPs). One of the factors that influences the development of burnout is the job satisfaction that physicians experience. Therefore, we conducted a literature review to answer the

Albert Einstein's 1916 Review Article on General Relativity

OpenAIRE

Sauer, Tilman

2004-01-01

The first comprehensive overview of the final version of the general theory of relativity was published by Einstein in 1916 after several expositions of preliminary versions and latest revisions of the theory in November 1915. A historical account of this review paper is given, of its prehistory, including a discussion of Einstein's collaboration with Marcel Grossmann, and of its immediate reception.

Multidisciplinary approaches to managing osteoarthritis in multiple joint sites: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Finney, Andrew; Healey, Emma; Jordan, Joanne L; Ryan, Sarah; Dziedzic, Krysia S

2016-07-08

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's Osteoarthritis (OA) guidelines recommended that future research should consider the benefits of combination therapies in people with OA across multiple joint sites. However, the clinical effectiveness of such approaches to OA management is unknown. This systematic review therefore aimed to identify the clinical and cost effectiveness of multidisciplinary approaches targeting multiple joint sites for OA in primary care. A systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Computerised bibliographic databases were searched (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsychINFO, BNI, HBE, HMIC, AMED, Web of Science and Cochrane). Studies were included if they met the following criteria; a randomised controlled trial (RCT), a primary care population with OA across at least two different peripheral joint sites (multiple joint sites), and interventions undertaken by at least two different health disciplines (multidisciplinary). The Cochrane 'Risk of Bias' tool and PEDro were used for quality assessment of eligible studies. Clinical and cost effectiveness was determined by extracting and examining self-reported outcomes for pain, function, quality of life (QoL) and health care utilisation. The date range for the search was from database inception until August 2015. The search identified 1148 individual titles of which four were included in the review. A narrative review was conducted due to the heterogeneity of the included trials. Each of the four trials used either educational or exercise interventions facilitated by a range of different health disciplines. Moderate clinical benefits on pain, function and QoL were reported across the studies. The beneficial effects of exercise generally decreased over time within all studies. Two studies were able to show a reduction in healthcare utilisation due to a reduction in visits to a physiotherapist or a reduction in x-rays and orthopaedic referrals. The intervention that showed the most

Global nuclear developments and the IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei reviews achievements, challenges at IAEA General Conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

In a statement to the 44th regular session of the Agency's General Conference (18 - 22 September 2000, Austria Center Vienna), the IAEA Director General reviewed nuclear developments from the IAEA perspectives. In this connection, the Director General signalled the IAEA's achievements and its readiness to provide its services as may be requested in response to global developments. He also underlined present and future challenges shaping the IAEA agenda, including financial challenges

24 CFR 4.34 - Review of Inspector General's report by the Ethics Law Division.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... report by the Ethics Law Division. 4.34 Section 4.34 Housing and Urban Development Office of the... Funding Decisions § 4.34 Review of Inspector General's report by the Ethics Law Division. After receipt of the Inspector General's report, the Ethics Law Division shall review the facts and circumstances of...

Using Q Methodology in the Literature Review Process: A Mixed Research Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J.; Frels, Rebecca K.

2015-01-01

Because of the mixed research-based nature of literature reviews, it is surprising, then, that insufficient information has been provided as to how reviewers can incorporate mixed research approaches into their literature reviews. Thus, in this article, we provide a mixed methods research approach--Q methodology--for analyzing information…

The screening approach for review of accident management programmes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Misak, J.

1999-01-01

In this lecture the screening approach for review of accident management programmes are presented. It contains objective trees for accident management: logic structure of the approach; objectives and safety functions for accident management; safety principles

Learning environment, approaches to learning and learning preferences: medical students versus general education students.

Science.gov (United States)

Ullah, Raza

2016-05-01

The main objective of the study was to see whether medical students use more desirable approaches to studying than general education students. Survey method was used to collect data from both the medical students and the general education students. The survey of the medical students was carried out between January and March, 2012. The survey was administered to all the medical students present in lecture halls on day of data collection, while general education students were randomly selected from four subject areas at two universities. In total, 976 medical students and 912 general students participated in the study. Of the general students, 494(54%) were boys and 418(46%)were girls with an overall mean age of 20.53±1.77 years (range: 17-27 years). The medical students' perceptions of their learning environment and their learning preferences were broadly similar to that of general education students with the exception of workload. The medical students perceived the workload to be less appropriate (Mean = 2.06±0.72) than the students in general education (Mean = 2.84±0.90). The medical students were more likely to use the deep approach to studying (Mean = 3.66±0.59) than the students in general education (Mean = 3.16±0.91). The students in general education were slightly more likely to use the organized studying (Mean = 3.44±0.90) than the medical students (Mean =3.23±0.90). Both medical students and the students in general education tended to use the surface approaches along with other approaches to studying. There was not a great difference between the medical students and the students pursuing general education with regard to perceptions of the learning environment and approaches to learning.

A review of the decoherent histories approach to the arrival time problem in quantum theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yearsley, James M

2011-01-01

We review recent progress in understanding the arrival time problem in quantum mechanics, from the point of view of the decoherent histories approach to quantum theory. We begin by discussing the arrival time problem, focussing in particular on the role of the probability current in the expected classical solution. After a brief introduction to decoherent histories we review the use of complex potentials in the construction of appropriate class operators. We then discuss the arrival time problem for a particle coupled to an environment, and review how the arrival time probability can be expressed in terms of a POVM in this case. We turn finally to the question of decoherence of the corresponding histories, and we show that this can be achieved for simple states in the case of a free particle, and for general states for a particle coupled to an environment.

Open Peer Review: Collective Intelligence as a Framework for Theorizing Approaches to Peer Review in the Humanities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jenna Pack Sheffield

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This article takes a moderate approach, balancing suggestions for when open peer review can benefit scholarship in the humanities, while offering important concerns authors and editors must consider before deciding to implement the process. I focus on online commenting functions and how they have been—and can be—used for open peer review to help improve the quality of an author’s scholarly work and change the way publishers go about their peer review processes. While open peer review is not necessarily digital, digital technologies allow for a broader range of participants and faster dissemination of knowledge, which is why this article focuses on online open peer review. Open Peer Review: Collective Intelligence as a Framework for Theorizing Approaches to Peer Review in the Humanities, by Jenna Pack Sheffield

A critical review of treatment approaches for gambling disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Stea, Jonathan N; Hodgins, David C

2011-06-01

This review presents the theoretical model, evidence base, and theoretical and methodological issues for seven treatment approaches to gambling disorders: 1) psychoanalytic and psychodynamic treatments, 2) Gamblers Anonymous, 3) behavioural treatments, 4) cognitive and cognitive-behavioural therapies, 5) brief, motivational, and self-directed interventions, 6) pharmacotherapies, and 7) family therapy approaches. Throughout the review, broader clinical and research issues are also discussed, including barriers to treatment-seeking, controlled gambling versus abstinence as a treatment goal, comorbidity, and the evaluation of treatment efficacy and effectiveness.

Review of existing issues, ethics and practices in general medical research and in radiation protection research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schreiner-Karoussou, A.

2008-01-01

A literature review was carried out in relation to general medical research and radiation protection research. A large number of documents were found concerning the subject of ethics in general medical research. For radiation protection research, the number of documents and the information available is very limited. A review of practices in 13 European countries concerning general medical research and radiation protection research was carried out by sending a questionnaire to each country. It was found that all countries reviewed were well regulated for general medical research. For research that involves ionising radiation, the UK and Ireland are by far the most regulated countries. For other countries, there does not seem to be much information available. From the literature review and the review of practices, a number of existing ethical issues were identified and exposed, and a number of conclusions were drawn. (authors)

Identification of Climate Change with Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) Distribution Approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahayu, Anita

2013-01-01

Some events are difficult to avoid and gives considerable influence to humans and the environment is extreme weather and climate change. Many of the problems that require knowledge about the behavior of extreme values and one of the methods used are the Extreme Value Theory (EVT). EVT used to draw up reliable systems in a variety of conditions, so as to minimize the risk of a major disaster. There are two methods for identifying extreme value, Block Maxima with Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution approach and Peaks over Threshold (POT) with Generalized Pareto Distribution (GPD) approach. This research in Indramayu with January 1961-December 2003 period, the method used is Block Maxima with GEV distribution approach. The result showed that there is no climate change in Indramayu with January 1961-December 2003 period.

A general approach-avoidance hypothesis of oxytocin: accounting for social and non-social effects of oxytocin.

Science.gov (United States)

Harari-Dahan, Osnat; Bernstein, Amit

2014-11-01

We critically reexamine extant theory and empirical study of Oxytocin. We question whether OT is, in fact, a "social neuropeptide" as argued in dominant theories of OT. We critically review human and animal research on the social and non-social effects of Oxytocin, including behavioral, psychophysiological, neurobiological, and neuroimaging studies. We find that extant (social) theories of Oxytocin do not account for well-documented non-social effects of Oxytocin. Furthermore, we find a range of evidence that social and non-social effects of Oxytocin may be mediated by core approach-avoidance motivational processes. We propose a General Approach-avoidance Hypothesis of Oxytocin (GAAO). We argue that the GAAO may provide a parsimonious account of established social and non-social effects of Oxytocin. We thus re-conceptualize the basic function(s) and mechanism(s) of action of Oxytocin. Finally, we highlight implications of the GAAO for basic and clinical research in humans

General presentation of the core mechanical behaviour approach in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernard, A.; Dorsselaere, J.P. van

1984-01-01

This French review paper presents the evolution along time of the FBR core mechanical behaviour approach, from RAPSODIE to SPX2, through PHENIX and SPX1: core designs, knowledge of the irradiation laws, project criterias, calculation codes, and R and D fields. (author)

Annual banned-substance review: analytical approaches in human sports drug testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Thevis, Mario; Kuuranne, Tiia; Walpurgis, Katja; Geyer, Hans; Schänzer, Wilhelm

2016-01-01

The aim of improving anti-doping efforts is predicated on several different pillars, including, amongst others, optimized analytical methods. These commonly result from exploiting most recent developments in analytical instrumentation as well as research data on elite athletes' physiology in general, and pharmacology, metabolism, elimination, and downstream effects of prohibited substances and methods of doping, in particular. The need for frequent and adequate adaptations of sports drug testing procedures has been incessant, largely due to the uninterrupted emergence of new chemical entities but also due to the apparent use of established or even obsolete drugs for reasons other than therapeutic means, such as assumed beneficial effects on endurance, strength, and regeneration capacities. Continuing the series of annual banned-substance reviews, literature concerning human sports drug testing published between October 2014 and September 2015 is summarized and reviewed in reference to the content of the 2015 Prohibited List as issued by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), with particular emphasis on analytical approaches and their contribution to enhanced doping controls. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The regulatory review: general comments, current status of review, identification of critical issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vigfusson, J.; Franck, E.

2004-01-01

Typically, a lot of interesting and important details add up to give a coherent and convincing picture of a safe repository. A good portion of these details must be studied and the scientific basis of the system must be clearly understood by the reviewing authority in order to be able to pass a judgement on the safety case. HSK has already received a large part of the documentation relating to the project, including the three high level documents that summarize the synthesis of the geological information, the demonstration of repository design and construction feasibility and the safety case. After a first look at the contents of the documentation we would like to complement Nagra on the maturity and clarity of the presentation in these reports. At this early stage, we shall not present any review judgements. The reviewer usually is dependent upon having not only the high level documents but also all the detailed reference reports in front of him in order to do his job, and HSK is still receiving very relevant documents. Thus we are still at the very beginning of our review. Here, we offer some comments of general nature about the review process and mention a few points that seem to be uppermost in our mind at this stage. (author)

Book review: Preventing Crime. A Holistic Approach.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Díaz Rozas

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Book review. Tore Bjørgo. Preventing Crime. A Holistic Approach. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016. 9781137560476 (Hb 93.59€, 9781349569786 (Pb 41.59€, 9781137560483 (eBook 76.99€.Reseña. Tore Bjørgo. Preventing Crime. A Holistic Approach. Londres: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016. 9781137560476 (Td 93.59€, 9781349569786 (Tb 41.59€, 9781137560483 (e-Libro 76.99€.DOWNLOAD THIS PAPER FROM SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3092188

A general approach for optimal kinematic design of 6-DOF parallel ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Optimal kinematic design of parallel manipulators is a challenging problem. In this work, an attempt has been made to present a generalized approach of kinematic design for a 6-legged parallel manipulator, by considering only the minimally required design parameters. The same approach has been used to design a ...

Models of clinical reasoning with a focus on general practice: A critical review.

Science.gov (United States)

Yazdani, Shahram; Hosseinzadeh, Mohammad; Hosseini, Fakhrolsadat

2017-10-01

Diagnosis lies at the heart of general practice. Every day general practitioners (GPs) visit patients with a wide variety of complaints and concerns, with often minor but sometimes serious symptoms. General practice has many features which differentiate it from specialty care setting, but during the last four decades little attention was paid to clinical reasoning in general practice. Therefore, we aimed to critically review the clinical reasoning models with a focus on the clinical reasoning in general practice or clinical reasoning of general practitioners to find out to what extent the existing models explain the clinical reasoning specially in primary care and also identity the gaps of the model for use in primary care settings. A systematic search to find models of clinical reasoning were performed. To have more precision, we excluded the studies that focused on neurobiological aspects of reasoning, reasoning in disciplines other than medicine decision making or decision analysis on treatment or management plan. All the articles and documents were first scanned to see whether they include important relevant contents or any models. The selected studies which described a model of clinical reasoning in general practitioners or with a focus on general practice were then reviewed and appraisal or critics of other authors on these models were included. The reviewed documents on the model were synthesized. Six models of clinical reasoning were identified including hypothetic-deductive model, pattern recognition, a dual process diagnostic reasoning model, pathway for clinical reasoning, an integrative model of clinical reasoning, and model of diagnostic reasoning strategies in primary care. Only one model had specifically focused on general practitioners reasoning. A Model of clinical reasoning that included specific features of general practice to better help the general practitioners with the difficulties of clinical reasoning in this setting is needed.

Models of clinical reasoning with a focus on general practice: a critical review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SHAHRAM YAZDANI

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Diagnosis lies at the heart of general practice. Every day general practitioners (GPs visit patients with a wide variety of complaints and concerns, with often minor but sometimes serious symptoms. General practice has many features which differentiate it from specialty care setting, but during the last four decades little attention was paid to clinical reasoning in general practice. Therefore, we aimed to critically review the clinical reasoning models with a focus on the clinical reasoning in general practice or clinical reasoning of general practitioners to find out to what extent the existing models explain the clinical reasoning specially in primary care and also identity the gaps of the model for use in primary care settings Methods: A systematic search to find models of clinical reasoning were performed. To have more precision, we excluded the studies that focused on neurobiological aspects of reasoning, reasoning in disciplines other than medicine decision making or decision analysis on treatment or management plan. All the articles and documents were first scanned to see whether they include important relevant contents or any models. The selected studies which described a model of clinical reasoning in general practitioners or with a focus on general practice were then reviewed and appraisal or critics of other authors on these models were included. The reviewed documents on the model were synthesized Results: Six models of clinical reasoning were identified including hypothetic-deductive model, pattern recognition, a dual process diagnostic reasoning model, pathway for clinical reasoning, an integrative model of clinical reasoning, and model of diagnostic reasoning strategies in primary care. Only one model had specifically focused on general practitioners reasoning. Conclusion: A Model of clinical reasoning that included specific features of general practice to better help the general practitioners with the difficulties

A Review of Educational Approaches for Individuals with Autism.

Science.gov (United States)

Dempsey, Ian; Foreman, Phil

2001-01-01

This article reviews research on educational approaches to the management of autism. Approaches include sensory-motor therapies (sensory integration training, auditory integration therapy, music therapy), applied behavior analysis, communication therapies, multi-treatment programs, and play and group therapy. Recommendations are made about the…

An approach to vertigo in general practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Dommaraju, Sindhu; Perera, Eshini

2016-04-01

Dizziness is a common and very distressing presentation in general practice. In more than half of these cases, the dizziness is due to vertigo, which is the illusion of movement of the body or its surroundings. It can have central or peripheral causes, and determining the cause can be difficult. The aim of this article is to provide a clear framework for approaching patients who present with vertigo. A suggested approach to the assessment of vertigo is outlined. The causes of vertigo may be central (involving the brainstem or cerebellum) or peripheral (involving the inner ear). A careful history and physical examination can distinguish between these causes. The most common causes of vertigo seen in primary care are benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), vestibular neuronitis (VN) and Ménière's disease. These peripheral causes of vertigo are benign, and treatment involves reassurance and management of symptoms.

Intermittent Smoothing Approaches for Wind Power Output: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Jabir

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Wind energy is one of the most common types of renewable energy resource. Due to its sustainability and environmental benefits, it is an emerging source for electric power generation. Rapid and random changes of wind speed makes it an irregular and inconsistent power source when connected to the grid, causing different technical problems in protection, power quality and generation dispatch control. Due to these problems, effective intermittent smoothing approaches for wind power output are crucially needed to minimize such problems. This paper reviews various intermittent smoothing approaches used in smoothing the output power fluctuations caused by wind energy. Problems associated with the inclusion of wind energy resources to grid are also briefly reviewed. From this review, it has been found that battery energy storage system is the most suitable and effective smoothing approach, provided that an effective control strategy is available for optimal utilization of battery energy system. This paper further demonstrates different control strategies built for battery energy storage system to obtain the smooth output wind power.

Generalized structured component analysis a component-based approach to structural equation modeling

CERN Document Server

Hwang, Heungsun

2014-01-01

Winner of the 2015 Sugiyama Meiko Award (Publication Award) of the Behaviormetric Society of Japan Developed by the authors, generalized structured component analysis is an alternative to two longstanding approaches to structural equation modeling: covariance structure analysis and partial least squares path modeling. Generalized structured component analysis allows researchers to evaluate the adequacy of a model as a whole, compare a model to alternative specifications, and conduct complex analyses in a straightforward manner. Generalized Structured Component Analysis: A Component-Based Approach to Structural Equation Modeling provides a detailed account of this novel statistical methodology and its various extensions. The authors present the theoretical underpinnings of generalized structured component analysis and demonstrate how it can be applied to various empirical examples. The book enables quantitative methodologists, applied researchers, and practitioners to grasp the basic concepts behind this new a...

A general approach to welfare measurement through national income accounting

OpenAIRE

Asheim, Geir B.; Buchholz, Wolfgang

2002-01-01

We develop a framework for analyzing national income accounting using a revealed welfare approach that is sufficiently general to cover, e.g., both the standard discounted utilitarian and maximin criteria as special cases. We show that the basic welfare properties of comprehensive national income accounting, which were previously ascribed only to the discounted utilitarian case, in fact extend to this more general framework. In particular, it holds under a wide range of circumstances that rea...

General Approach to Characterize Reservoir Fluids Using a Large PVT Database

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Varzandeh, Farhad; Yan, Wei; Stenby, Erling Halfdan

2016-01-01

methods. We proposed a general approach to develop correlations for model parameters and applied it to the characterization for the PC-SAFT EoS. The approach consists in first developing the correlations based on the DIPPR database, and then adjusting the correlations based on a large PVT database......, the approach gives better PVT calculation results for the tested systems. Comparison was also made between PC-SAFT with the proposed characterization method and other EoS models. The proposed approach can be applied to other EoS models for improving their fluid characterization. Besides, the challenges...

Review Article: Celiac Disease, New Approaches to Therapy

Science.gov (United States)

Rashtak, Shahrooz; Murray, Joseph A

2014-01-01

STRUCTURED SUMMARY Background Celiac disease is managed by life-long gluten withdrawal from the diet. However strict adherence to a gluten-free diet is difficult and is not always effective. Novel therapeutic approaches are needed to supplement or even replace the dietary treatment. Aims To review recent advances in new therapeutic options for celiac disease. Methods A literature search was performed on MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus, DDW.org and ClinicalTrial.gov for English articles and abstracts. The search terms used include but not limited to “Celiac disease”, “new”, “novel”, Advances”, “alternatives” and “Drug therapy”. The cited articles were selected based on the relevancy to the review objective. Results Several new therapeutic approaches for celiac disease are currently under development by targeting its underlying pathogenesis. Alternative therapies range from reproduction of harmless wheat strains to immunomodulatory approaches. Some of these therapies such as enzymatic cleavage of gluten and permeability inhibitors have shown promise in clinical studies. Conclusion Gluten-free diet is still the only practical treatment for patients with celiac disease. Novel strategies provide promise of alternative adjunctive approaches to diet restriction alone for patients with this disorder. PMID:22324389

Review of the Mobile Malware Mitigation Approaches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anastasiia Alekseevna Skovoroda

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets are extremely widespread nowadays. These devices provide users with a wide range of applications for commercial and public use. However, the contents of applications and their full behavior are not always properly reviewed which makes the presence of malware in the application marketplaces possible. Mobile security researchers have proposed many effective solutions for detection and prevention of malicious applications on mobile devices. This paper provides a comprehensive review and comparison of the most recent approaches to mobile malware mitigation.

Navigating the sustainability landscape: a systematic review of sustainability approaches in healthcare.

Science.gov (United States)

Lennox, L; Maher, L; Reed, J

2018-02-09

Improvement initiatives offer a valuable mechanism for delivering and testing innovations in healthcare settings. Many of these initiatives deliver meaningful and necessary changes to patient care and outcomes. However, many improvement initiatives fail to sustain to a point where their full benefits can be realised. This has led many researchers and healthcare practitioners to develop frameworks, models and tools to support and monitor sustainability. This work aimed to identify what approaches are available to assess and influence sustainability in healthcare and to describe the different perspectives, applications and constructs within these approaches to guide their future use. A systematic review was carried out following PRISMA guidelines to identify publications that reported approaches to support or influence sustainability in healthcare. Eligibility criteria were defined through an iterative process in which two reviewers independently assessed 20% of articles to test the objectivity of the selection criteria. Data were extracted from the identified articles, and a template analysis was undertaken to identify and assess the sustainability constructs within each reported approach. The search strategy identified 1748 publications with 227 articles retrieved in full text for full documentary analysis. In total, 62 publications identifying a sustainability approach were included in this review (32 frameworks, 16 models, 8 tools, 4 strategies, 1 checklist and 1 process). Constructs across approaches were compared and 40 individual constructs for sustainability were found. Comparison across approaches demonstrated consistent constructs were seen regardless of proposed interventions, setting or level of application with 6 constructs included in 75% of the approaches. Although similarities were found, no approaches contained the same combination of the constructs nor did any single approach capture all identified constructs. From these results, a consolidated

Generalized Wigner functions in curved spaces: A new approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kandrup, H.E.

1988-01-01

It is well known that, given a quantum field in Minkowski space, one can define Wigner functions f/sub W//sup N/(x 1 ,p 1 ,...,x/sub N/,p/sub N/) which (a) are convenient to analyze since, unlike the field itself, they are c-number quantities and (b) can be interpreted in a limited sense as ''quantum distribution functions.'' Recently, Winter and Calzetta, Habib and Hu have shown one way in which these flat-space Wigner functions can be generalized to a curved-space setting, deriving thereby approximate kinetic equations which make sense ''quasilocally'' for ''short-wavelength modes.'' This paper suggests a completely orthogonal approach for defining curved-space Wigner functions which generalizes instead an object such as the Fourier-transformed f/sub W/ 1 (k,p), which is effectively a two-point function viewed in terms of the ''natural'' creation and annihilation operators a/sup dagger/(p-(12k) and a(p+(12k). The approach suggested here lacks the precise phase-space interpretation implicit in the approach of Winter or Calzetta, Habib, and Hu, but it is useful in that (a) it is geared to handle any ''natural'' mode decomposition, so that (b) it can facilitate exact calculations at least in certain limits, such as for a source-free linear field in a static spacetime

A general approach for cache-oblivious range reporting and approximate range counting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Afshani, Peyman; Hamilton, Chris; Zeh, Norbert

2010-01-01

We present cache-oblivious solutions to two important variants of range searching: range reporting and approximate range counting. Our main contribution is a general approach for constructing cache-oblivious data structures that provide relative (1+ε)-approximations for a general class of range c...

Clinical TVA-based studies: a general review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas eHabekost

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In combination with whole report and partial report tasks, the Theory of Visual Attention (TVA can be used to estimate individual differences in five basic attentional parameters: The visual processing speed, the storage capacity of visual short-term memory, the perceptual threshold, the efficiency of top-down selectivity, and the spatial bias of attentional weighting. TVA-based assessment has been used in about 30 studies to investigate attentional deficits in a range of neurological and psychiatric conditions: (a neglect and simultanagnosia, (b reading disturbances, (c aging and neurodegenerative diseases, and most recently (d neurodevelopmental disorders. The article introduces TVA based assessment, discusses its methodology and psychometric properties, and reviews the progress made in each of the four research fields. The empirical results demonstrate the general usefulness of TVA-based assessment for many types of clinical neuropsychological research. The method’s most important qualities are cognitive specificity and theoretical grounding, but it is also characterized by good reliability and sensitivity to minor deficits. The review concludes by pointing to promising new areas for clinical TVA-based research.

A Neuroevolution Approach to General Atari Game Playing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hausknecht, Matthew; Lehman, Joel; Miikkulainen, Risto

2014-01-01

This article addresses the challenge of learning to play many dierent video games with little domain- specic knowledge. Specically, it introduces a neuro-evolution approach to general Atari 2600 game playing. Four neuro-evolution algorithms were paired with three dierent state representations...... representations while indirect-encoding methods (i.e. HyperNEAT) allow scaling to higher-dimensional representations (i.e. the raw game screen). Previous approaches based on temporal- dierence learning had trouble dealing with the large state spaces and sparse reward gradients often found in Atari games. Neuro...... and evaluated on a set of 61 Atari games. The neuro-evolution agents represent dierent points along the spectrum of algorithmic sophistication - including weight evolution on topologically xed neural net- works (Conventional Neuro-evolution), Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategy (CMA-ES), evolution...

A comprehensive review of telementoring applications in laparoscopic general surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Antoniou, Stavros A; Antoniou, George A; Franzen, Jan; Bollmann, Stefan; Koch, Oliver O; Pointner, Rudolf; Granderath, Frank A

2012-08-01

Incorporation of advanced laparoscopic procedures in the practice of institutions without respective experience is a significant impediment in the dissemination of minimally invasive techniques. On-site mentoring programs carry several cost-related and practical constraints. Telementoring has emerged as a practical and cost-effective alternative mentoring tool. The present study aimed to review the pertinent literature on telementoring applications in laparoscopic general surgery. A systematic review using the Medline database was performed. Articles reporting on clinical experience with telementoring applications in general surgery were included. Variations in methodology, study design, and operative procedures precluded cumulative outcome evaluation. Instead, a critical appraisal of current evidence was undertaken. Seventy-five articles were identified in the primary search, and ten studies were considered eligible. No randomized studies comparing on-site mentoring with telementoring were identified. The included studies reported on a total of 96 laparoscopic telementored procedures: 50 cholecystectomies, 23 colorectal resections, 7 fundoplications, 9 adrenalectomies, 6 hernia repairs, and 2 splenectomies. Completion of remotely assisted procedures was feasible in the vast majority of cases, whereas technical difficulties included video and audio latency with low transfer rates (programs in general surgery. Their clinical effectiveness as teaching alternatives to traditional mentoring programs remains to be further evaluated.

Implementation of the rapid cross section adjustment approach at General Electric

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cowan, C.L.; Kujawski, E.; Protsik, R.

1978-01-01

The General Electric rapid cross section adjustment approach was developed to use the shielding factor method for formulating multigroup cross sections. In this approach, space- and composition-dependent cross sections for a particular reactor or shield design are prepared from a generalized cross section library by the use of resonance self-shielding factors, and by the adjustment of elastic scattering cross sections for the local neutron flux spectra. The principal tool in the cross section adjustment package is the data processing code TDOWN. This code was specified to give the user a high degree of flexibility in the analysis of advanced reactor designs. Of particular interest in the analysis of critical experiments is the ability to carry out cell heterogeneity self-shielding calculations using a multiregion equivalence relationship, and the homogenization of the cross sections over the specified cell with the flux weighting obtained from transport theory calculations. Extensive testing of the rapid cross section adjustment approach, including comparisons with Monte Carlo methods, indicated that this approach can be utilized with a high degree of confidence in the design analysis of complex fast reactor systems. 2 figures, 1 table

Approaches to Outdoor Thermal Comfort Thresholds through Public Space Design: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andre Santos Nouri

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Based on the Köppen Geiger (KG classification system, this review article examines existing studies and projects that have endeavoured to address local outdoor thermal comfort thresholds through Public Space Design (PSD. The review is divided into two sequential stages, whereby (1 overall existing approaches to pedestrian thermal comfort thresholds are reviewed within both quantitative and qualitative spectrums; and (2 the different techniques and measures are reviewed and framed into four Measure Review Frameworks (MRFs, in which each type of PSD measure is presented alongside its respective local scale urban specificities/conditions and their resulting thermal attenuation outcomes. The result of this review article is the assessment of how current practices of PSD within three specific subcategories of the KG ‘Temperate’ group have addressed microclimatic aggravations such as elevated urban temperatures and Urban Heat Island (UHI effects. Based upon a bottom-up approach, the interdisciplinary practice of PSD is hence approached as a means to address existing and future thermal risk factors within the urban public realm in an era of potential climate change.

A national review of the frequency of minimally invasive surgery among general surgery residents: assessment of ACGME case logs during 2 decades of general surgery resident training.

Science.gov (United States)

Richards, Morgan K; McAteer, Jarod P; Drake, F Thurston; Goldin, Adam B; Khandelwal, Saurabh; Gow, Kenneth W

2015-02-01

Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has created a shift in how many surgical diseases are treated. Examining the effect on resident operative experience provides valuable insight into trends that may be useful for restructuring the requirements of resident training. To evaluate changes in general surgery resident operative experience regarding MIS. Retrospective review of the frequency of MIS relative to open operations among general surgery residents using the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education case logs for academic years 1993-1994 through 2011-2012. General surgery residency training among accredited programs in the United States. We analyzed the difference in the mean number of MIS techniques and corresponding open procedures across training periods using 2-tailed t tests with statistical significance set at P surgery has an increasingly prominent role in contemporary surgical therapy for many common diseases. The open approach, however, still predominates in all but 5 procedures. Residents today must become efficient at performing multiple techniques for a single procedure, which demands a broader skill set than in the past.

Modeling urban building energy use: A review of modeling approaches and procedures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Wenliang; Zhou, Yuyu; Cetin, Kristen; Eom, Jiyong; Wang, Yu; Chen, Gang; Zhang, Xuesong

2017-12-01

With rapid urbanization and economic development, the world has been experiencing an unprecedented increase in energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While reducing energy consumption and GHG emissions is a common interest shared by major developed and developing countries, actions to enable these global reductions are generally implemented at the city scale. This is because baseline information from individual cities plays an important role in identifying economical options for improving building energy efficiency and reducing GHG emissions. Numerous approaches have been proposed for modeling urban building energy use in the past decades. This paper aims to provide an up-to-date review of the broad categories of energy models for urban buildings and describes the basic workflow of physics-based, bottom-up models and their applications in simulating urban-scale building energy use. Because there are significant differences across models with varied potential for application, strengths and weaknesses of the reviewed models are also presented. This is followed by a discussion of challenging issues associated with model preparation and calibration.

What do we know about who does and does not attend general health checks? Findings from a narrative scoping review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dryden Ruth

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background General and preventive health checks are a key feature of contemporary policies of anticipatory care. Ensuring high and equitable uptake of such general health checks is essential to ensuring health gain and preventing health inequalities. This literature review explores the socio-demographic, clinical and social cognitive characteristics of those who do and do not engage with general health checks or preventive health checks for cardiovascular disease. Methods An exploratory scoping study approach was employed. Databases searched included the British Nursing Index and Archive, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR and Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI. Titles and abstracts of 17463 papers were screened; 1171 papers were then independently assessed by two researchers. A review of full text was carried out by two of the authors resulting in 39 being included in the final review. Results Those least likely to attend health checks were men on low incomes, low socio-economic status, unemployed or less well educated. In general, attenders were older than non-attenders. An individual’s marital status was found to affect attendance rates with non-attenders more likely to be single. In general, white individuals were more likely to engage with services than individuals from other ethnic backgrounds. Non-attenders had a greater proportion of cardiovascular risk factors than attenders, and smokers were less likely to attend than non-smokers. The relationship between health beliefs and health behaviours appeared complex. Non-attenders were shown to value health less strongly, have low self-efficacy, feel less in control of their health and be less likely to believe in the efficacy of health checks. Conclusion Routine health check-ups appear to be taken up inequitably, with

Hyperparathyroidism-related extensor tenosynovitis at the wrist: a general review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Ichihara, Satoshi; Hidalgo-Diaz, Juan Jose; Prunières, Guillaume; Facca, Sybille; Bodin, Frédéric; Boucher, Stéphanie; Liverneaux, Philippe

2015-07-01

Extensor tenosynovitis often occurs accompanying with rheumatoid arthritis, gout, trauma, mycobacterium and dialysis-related amyloidosis. However, there is no recognition of extensor tenosynovitis accompanying with hyperparathyroidism. The purpose of this general review was to describe the clinical condition and to report the results of surgical intervention in the extensor tenosynovitis at the wrist related to hyperparathyroidism. Hyperparathyroidism is thought to be a rare disease in adult. Although renal symptoms are the commonest symptom, musculoskeletal complaints also occur in hyperparathyroidism. From our general review, hyperparathyroidism deserves consideration in the differential diagnosis of extensor tenosynovitis at the wrist.

Book Review: Comparative Education Research: Approaches and Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Noel Mcginn

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Book Review Comparative Education Research: Approaches and Methods (2nd edition By Mark Bray, Bob Adamson and Mark Mason (Eds. (2014, 453p ISBN: 978-988-17852-8-2, Hong Kong: Comparative Education Research Centre and Springer

A review of function modeling: Approaches and applications

OpenAIRE

Erden, M.S.; Komoto, H.; Van Beek, T.J.; D'Amelio, V.; Echavarria, E.; Tomiyama, T.

2008-01-01

This work is aimed at establishing a common frame and understanding of function modeling (FM) for our ongoing research activities. A comparative review of the literature is performed to grasp the various FM approaches with their commonalities and differences. The relations of FM with the research fields of artificial intelligence, design theory, and maintenance are discussed. In this discussion the goals are to highlight the features of various classical approaches in relation to FM, to delin...

A frequency-domain approach to improve ANNs generalization quality via proper initialization.

Science.gov (United States)

Chaari, Majdi; Fekih, Afef; Seibi, Abdennour C; Hmida, Jalel Ben

2018-08-01

The ability to train a network without memorizing the input/output data, thereby allowing a good predictive performance when applied to unseen data, is paramount in ANN applications. In this paper, we propose a frequency-domain approach to evaluate the network initialization in terms of quality of training, i.e., generalization capabilities. As an alternative to the conventional time-domain methods, the proposed approach eliminates the approximate nature of network validation using an excess of unseen data. The benefits of the proposed approach are demonstrated using two numerical examples, where two trained networks performed similarly on the training and the validation data sets, yet they revealed a significant difference in prediction accuracy when tested using a different data set. This observation is of utmost importance in modeling applications requiring a high degree of accuracy. The efficiency of the proposed approach is further demonstrated on a real-world problem, where unlike other initialization methods, a more conclusive assessment of generalization is achieved. On the practical front, subtle methodological and implementational facets are addressed to ensure reproducibility and pinpoint the limitations of the proposed approach. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Review article: Surgical approaches for correction of post-tubercular kyphosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Panchmatia, Jaykar R; Lenke, Lawrence G; Molloy, Sean; Cheung, Kenneth M C; Kebaish, Khaled M

2015-12-01

This study reviewed the literature regarding the pros and cons of various surgical approaches (anterior, anterolateral, combined, and posterior) for correction of post-tubercular kyphosis. The anterior and anterolateral approaches are effective in improving neurological deficit but not in correcting kyphosis. The combined anterior and posterior approach and the posterior approach combined with 3-column osteotomy achieve good neurological improvement and kyphosis correction. The latter is superior when expertise and facilities are available.

Making the Most of What We Already Know: A Three-Stage Approach to Systematic Reviewing.

Science.gov (United States)

Rebelo Da Silva, Natalie; Zaranyika, Hazel; Langer, Laurenz; Randall, Nicola; Muchiri, Evans; Stewart, Ruth

2016-09-06

Conducting a systematic review in social policy is a resource-intensive process in terms of time and funds. It is thus important to understand the scope of the evidence base of a topic area prior to conducting a synthesis of primary research in order to maximize these resources. One approach to conserving resources is to map out the available evidence prior to undertaking a traditional synthesis. A few examples of this approach exist in the form of gap maps, overviews of reviews, and systematic maps supported by social policy and systematic review agencies alike. Despite this growing call for alternative approaches to systematic reviews, it is still common for systematic review teams to embark on a traditional in-depth review only. This article describes a three-stage approach to systematic reviewing that was applied to a systematic review focusing in interventions for smallholder farmers in Africa. We argue that this approach proved useful in helping us to understand the evidence base. By applying preliminary steps as part of a three-stage approach, we were able to maximize the resources needed to conduct a traditional systematic review on a more focused research question. This enabled us to identify and fill real knowledge gaps, build on work that had already been done, and avoid wasting resources on areas of work that would have no useful outcome. It also facilitated meaningful engagement between the review team and our key policy stakeholders. © The Author(s) 2016.

Findings Brief External Review of the Ecosystem Approaches to ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

External Review of the Ecosystem Approaches to Human. Health Program ... Improved understanding of social, political, economic, and ecological interactions and .... global learning, communication among partners and others stakeholders.

Vibrational mechanics nonlinear dynamic effects, general approach, applications

CERN Document Server

Blekhman, Iliya I

2000-01-01

This important book deals with vibrational mechanics - the new, intensively developing section of nonlinear dynamics and the theory of nonlinear oscillations. It offers a general approach to the study of the effect of vibration on nonlinear mechanical systems.The book presents the mathematical apparatus of vibrational mechanics which is used to describe such nonlinear effects as the disappearance and appearance under vibration of stable positions of equilibrium and motions (i.e. attractors), the change of the rheological properties of the media, self-synchronization, self-balancing, the vibrat

A Review of Accident Modelling Approaches for Complex Critical Sociotechnical Systems

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Qureshi, Zahid H

2008-01-01

.... This report provides a review of key traditional accident modelling approaches and their limitations, and describes new system-theoretic approaches to the modelling and analysis of accidents in safety-critical systems...

Statistical Analysis of fMRI Time-Series: A Critical Review of the GLM Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin M Monti

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI is one of the most widely used tools to study the neural underpinnings of human cognition. Standard analysis of fMRI data relies on a General Linear Model (GLM approach to separate stimulus induced signals from noise. Crucially, this approach relies on a number of assumptions about the data which, for inferences to be valid, must be met. The current paper reviews the GLM approach to analysis of fMRI time-series, focusing in particular on the degree to which such data abides by the assumptions of the GLM framework, and on the methods that have been developed to correct for any violation of those assumptions. Rather than biasing estimates of effect size, the major consequence of non-conformity to the assumptions is to introduce bias into estimates of the variance, thus affecting test statistics, power and false positive rates. Furthermore, this bias can have pervasive effects on both individual subject and group-level statistics, potentially yielding qualitatively different results across replications, especially after the thresholding procedures commonly used for inference-making.

Systematic review of general burden of disease studies using disability-adjusted life years

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Polinder Suzanne

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Objective To systematically review the methodology of general burden of disease studies. Three key questions were addressed: 1 what was the quality of the data, 2 which methodological choices were made to calculate disability adjusted life years (DALYs, and 3 were uncertainty and risk factor analyses performed? Furthermore, DALY outcomes of the included studies were compared. Methods Burden of disease studies (1990 to 2011 in international peer-reviewed journals and in grey literature were identified with main inclusion criteria being multiple-cause studies that quantified the burden of disease as the sum of the burden of all distinct diseases expressed in DALYs. Electronic database searches included Medline (PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science. Studies were collated by study population, design, methods used to measure mortality and morbidity, risk factor analyses, and evaluation of results. Results Thirty-one studies met the inclusion criteria of our review. Overall, studies followed the Global Burden of Disease (GBD approach. However, considerable variation existed in disability weights, discounting, age-weighting, and adjustments for uncertainty. Few studies reported whether mortality data were corrected for missing data or underreporting. Comparison with the GBD DALY outcomes by country revealed that for some studies DALY estimates were of similar magnitude; others reported DALY estimates that were two times higher or lower. Conclusions Overcoming “error” variation due to the use of different methodologies and low-quality data is a critical priority for advancing burden of disease studies. This can enlarge the detection of true variation in DALY outcomes between populations or over time.

A review of game theory approach to cyber security risk management

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A review of game theory approach to cyber security risk management. ... This paper presents a review of game theoretic-based model for cyber security risk management. Specifically, issues on ... AJOL African Journals Online. HOW TO USE ...

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Pancreas Cancer in 2016: A Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Fogel, Evan L; Shahda, Safi; Sandrasegaran, Kumar; DeWitt, John; Easler, Jeffrey J; Agarwal, David M; Eagleson, Mackenzie; Zyromski, Nicholas J; House, Michael G; Ellsworth, Susannah; El Hajj, Ihab; O'Neil, Bert H; Nakeeb, Attila; Sherman, Stuart

2017-04-01

In this article, we review our multidisciplinary approach for patients with pancreatic cancer. Specifically, we review the epidemiology, diagnosis and staging, biliary drainage techniques, selection of patients for surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and discuss other palliative interventions. The areas of active research investigation and where our knowledge is limited are emphasized.

Agricultural Development in Rural Nigeria: A Review of Approaches ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Agricultural Development in Rural Nigeria: A Review of Approaches. ... African Journal of Sustainable Development ... the country's very low human development indicators, particularly in the rural areas, is a serious cause of concern.

Interagency Nuclear Safety Review Panel Power System Subpanel review for the Ulysses mission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCulloch, W.H.

1991-01-01

As part of the Interagency Nuclear Safety Review Panel's assessment of the nuclear safety of NASA's Ulysses Mission to investigate properties of the sun, the Power System Subpanel has reviewed the safety analyses and risk evaluations done for the General Purpose Heat Source-Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator which provides on-board electrical power for the spacecraft. This paper summarizes the activities and results of that review. In general, the approach taken in the primary analysis, executed by the General Electric Company under contract to the Department of Energy, and the resulting conclusions were confirmed by the review. However, the Subpanel took some exceptions and modified the calculations accordingly, producing an independent evaluation of potential releases of radioactive fuel in launch and reentry accidents. Some of the more important of these exceptions are described briefly

A review of function modeling : Approaches and applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Erden, M.S.; Komoto, H.; Van Beek, T.J.; D'Amelio, V.; Echavarria, E.; Tomiyama, T.

2008-01-01

This work is aimed at establishing a common frame and understanding of function modeling (FM) for our ongoing research activities. A comparative review of the literature is performed to grasp the various FM approaches with their commonalities and differences. The relations of FM with the research

Role of genetics in the etiopathogenesis of genetic generalized epilepsy: A review of current literature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S A Balarabe

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Until recently, genetic generalized epilepsy (GGE was believed to be of presumed genetic etiology with no identifiable genetic mutation or demonstrable epigenetic abnormality. A wide range of epileptic disorders has clue for an inherited susceptibility. Monogenic disorders associated with epilepsy mental retardation and structural brain lesion typified by heterotopias, tuberous sclerosis, and progressive myoclonus epilepsies account for about 1% of epilepsies. This review focuses on the role of genetic mutations and epigenetic rearrangements in the pathophysiologic mechanism of GGE. To achieve this; PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar were systematically and comprehensively searched using keywords (“epilepsy” “juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME,” “typical absences,” “idiopathic generalized epilepsy,” “JME,” “juvenile absence epilepsy,” “childhood absence epilepsy” “generalized tonic-clonic seizure” “GTCS”. Most GGE has evidence of underlying genetic inheritance. Recent animal studies have shown that early detection and treatment of genetic generalized epilepsies can alter the phenotypic presentation in rodents. These findings suggest a critical period in epileptogenesis, during which spike-and-wave seizures can be suppressed, leading to chronic changes in the brain (epileptogenesis and the preceding dysfunctions may, therefore, be targeted using therapeutic approaches that may either delay or inhibit the transition to active epileptic attack. The interplay between genetic mutations and epigenetic rearrangements play important roles in the development of GCE and that this process, especially at crucial developmental periods, is very susceptible to environmental modulations.

Systems and complexity thinking in the general practice literature: an integrative, historical narrative review.

Science.gov (United States)

Sturmberg, Joachim P; Martin, Carmel M; Katerndahl, David A

2014-01-01

Over the past 7 decades, theories in the systems and complexity sciences have had a major influence on academic thinking and research. We assessed the impact of complexity science on general practice/family medicine. We performed a historical integrative review using the following systematic search strategy: medical subject heading [humans] combined in turn with the terms complex adaptive systems, nonlinear dynamics, systems biology, and systems theory, limited to general practice/family medicine and published before December 2010. A total of 16,242 articles were retrieved, of which 49 were published in general practice/family medicine journals. Hand searches and snowballing retrieved another 35. After a full-text review, we included 56 articles dealing specifically with systems sciences and general/family practice. General practice/family medicine engaged with the emerging systems and complexity theories in 4 stages. Before 1995, articles tended to explore common phenomenologic general practice/family medicine experiences. Between 1995 and 2000, articles described the complex adaptive nature of this discipline. Those published between 2000 and 2005 focused on describing the system dynamics of medical practice. After 2005, articles increasingly applied the breadth of complex science theories to health care, health care reform, and the future of medicine. This historical review describes the development of general practice/family medicine in relation to complex adaptive systems theories, and shows how systems sciences more accurately reflect the discipline's philosophy and identity. Analysis suggests that general practice/family medicine first embraced systems theories through conscious reorganization of its boundaries and scope, before applying empirical tools. Future research should concentrate on applying nonlinear dynamics and empirical modeling to patient care, and to organizing and developing local practices, engaging in community development, and influencing

Identifying approaches for assessing methodological and reporting quality of systematic reviews

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pussegoda, Kusala; Turner, Lucy; Garritty, Chantelle

2017-01-01

there are potential gaps in research best-practice guidance materials. The aims of this study are to identify reports assessing the methodological quality (MQ) and/or reporting quality (RQ) of a cohort of SRs and to assess their number, general characteristics, and approaches to 'quality' assessment over time......BACKGROUND: The methodological quality and completeness of reporting of the systematic reviews (SRs) is fundamental to optimal implementation of evidence-based health care and the reduction of research waste. Methods exist to appraise SRs yet little is known about how they are used in SRs or where...... or reporting guidelines used as proxy to assess RQ were used in 80% (61/76) of identified reports. These included two reporting guidelines (PRISMA and QUOROM) and five quality assessment tools (AMSTAR, R-AMSTAR, OQAQ, Mulrow, Sacks) and GRADE criteria. The remaining 24% (18/76) of reports developed their own...

A general approach for optimal kinematic design of 6-DOF parallel ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

In this work, an attempt has been made to present a generalized approach of ..... made either with the help of contour plots (figures 6a and b) or by comparing the .... IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation 3: 1970–1975.

Relationships of Approaches to Studying, Metacognition, and Intellectual Development of General Chemistry Students

Science.gov (United States)

Egenti, Henrietta N.

2012-01-01

This study investigated approaches to studying, intellectual developments, and metacognitive skills of general chemistry students enrolled for the spring 2011 semester at a single campus of a multi-campus community college. The three instruments used were the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST), the Learning Environment…

An approach to teaching general chemistry II that highlights the interdisciplinary nature of science.

Science.gov (United States)

Sumter, Takita Felder; Owens, Patrick M

2011-01-01

The need for a revised curriculum within the life sciences has been well-established. One strategy to improve student preparation in the life sciences is to redesign introductory courses like biology, chemistry, and physics so that they better reflect their disciplinary interdependence. We describe a medically relevant, context-based approach to teaching second semester general chemistry that demonstrates the interdisciplinary nature of biology and chemistry. Our innovative method provides a model in which disciplinary barriers are diminished early in the undergraduate science curriculum. The course is divided into three principle educational modules: 1) Fundamentals of General Chemistry, 2) Medical Approaches to Inflammation, and 3) Neuroscience as a connector of chemistry, biology, and psychology. We accurately anticipated that this modified approach to teaching general chemistry would enhance student interest in chemistry and bridge the perceived gaps between biology and chemistry. The course serves as a template for context-based, interdisciplinary teaching that lays the foundation needed to train 21st century scientists. Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Relation between generalized Bogoliubov and Bogoliubov-de Gennes approaches including Nambu-Goldstone mode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mine, M.; Okumura, M.; Yamanaka, Y.

2005-01-01

The two approaches of consistent quantum field theory for systems of the trapped Bose-Einstein condensates are known, one is the Bogoliubov-de Gennes approach and the other is the generalized Bogoliubov approach. In this paper, we investigate the relation between the two approaches and show that they are formally equivalent to each other. To do this one must carefully treat the Nambu-Goldstone mode which plays a crucial role in the condensation. It is emphasized that the choice of vacuum is physically relevant

Approaches to Macroevolution: 1. General Concepts and Origin of Variation.

Science.gov (United States)

Jablonski, David

2017-01-01

. The temporal and spatial patterns of the origins of evolutionary novelties are a challenge to macroevolutionary theory; individual events can be described retrospectively, but a general model relating development, genetics, and ecology is needed. An accompanying paper (Jablonski in Evol Biol 2017) reviews diversity dynamics and the sorting of variation, with some general conclusions.

Pediatric patients on ketogenic diet undergoing general anesthesia-a medical record review.

Science.gov (United States)

Soysal, Elif; Gries, Heike; Wray, Carter

2016-12-01

To identify guidelines for anesthesia management and determine whether general anesthesia is safe for pediatric patients on ketogenic diet (KD). Retrospective medical record review. Postoperative recovery area. All pediatric patients who underwent general anesthesia while on KD between 2009 and 2014 were reviewed. We identified 24 patients who underwent a total of 33 procedures. All children were on KD due to intractable epilepsy. The age of patients ranged from 1 to 15 years. General anesthesia for the scheduled procedures. Patients' demographics, seizure history, type of procedure; perioperative blood chemistry, medications including the anesthesia administered, and postoperative complications. Twenty-four patients underwent a total of 33 procedures. The duration of KD treatment at the time of general anesthesia ranged from 4 days to 8 years. Among the 33 procedures, 3 patients had complications that could be attributable to KD and general anesthesia. A 9-year-old patient experienced increased seizures on postoperative day 0. An 8-year-old patient with hydropcephalus developed metabolic acidosis on postoperative day 1, and a 7-year-old patient's procedure was complicated by respiratory distress and increased seizure activity in the postanesthesia care unit. This study showed that it is relatively safe for children on KD to undergo general anesthesia. The 3 complications attributable to general anesthesia were mild, and the increased seizure frequencies in 2 patients returned back to baseline in 24 hours. Although normal saline is considered more beneficial than lactated Ringer's solution in patients on KD, normal saline should also be administered carefully because of the risk of exacerbating patients' metabolic acidosis. One should be aware of the potential change of the ketogenic status due to drugs given intraoperatively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Ritz - Sublaminate Generalized Unified Formulation approach for piezoelectric composite plates

Science.gov (United States)

D'Ottavio, Michele; Dozio, Lorenzo; Vescovini, Riccardo; Polit, Olivier

2018-01-01

This paper extends to composite plates including piezoelectric plies the variable kinematics plate modeling approach called Sublaminate Generalized Unified Formulation (SGUF). Two-dimensional plate equations are obtained upon defining a priori the through-thickness distribution of the displacement field and electric potential. According to SGUF, independent approximations can be adopted for the four components of these generalized displacements: an Equivalent Single Layer (ESL) or Layer-Wise (LW) description over an arbitrary group of plies constituting the composite plate (the sublaminate) and the polynomial order employed in each sublaminate. The solution of the two-dimensional equations is sought in weak form by means of a Ritz method. In this work, boundary functions are used in conjunction with the domain approximation expressed by an orthogonal basis spanned by Legendre polynomials. The proposed computational tool is capable to represent electroded surfaces with equipotentiality conditions. Free-vibration problems as well as static problems involving actuator and sensor configurations are addressed. Two case studies are presented, which demonstrate the high accuracy of the proposed Ritz-SGUF approach. A model assessment is proposed for showcasing to which extent the SGUF approach allows a reduction of the number of unknowns with a controlled impact on the accuracy of the result.

A review on colloidal systems in general and in respect of nuclear waste disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vuorinen, Ulla

1987-04-01

Recently the possible importance of colloids in connection with nuclear waste disposal, especially in radionuclide migration has been emphasized. Several studies have been or are going to be initiated to investigate the occurrence of natural groundwater colloids and their properties as well as formation and properties of radiocolloids, especially pseudoradiocolloids. If colloids are found to be important, they also have to considered in the safety assessments of nuclear waste disposal. In order to do so, additional theory and equations have to be added to present codes and models. This study is a literature survey consisting first a general approach on colloidal systems and their properties. Then a review on natural groundwater colloids (clays and organs) is given following descriptions of several methods to study colloids. Lastly the role of colloids in nuclear waste disposal is discussed including especially some information about possible actinide colloids and some current research going on in this field. 96 refs

Review of Instructional Approaches in Ethics Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Mulhearn, Tyler J; Steele, Logan M; Watts, Logan L; Medeiros, Kelsey E; Mumford, Michael D; Connelly, Shane

2017-06-01

Increased investment in ethics education has prompted a variety of instructional objectives and frameworks. Yet, no systematic procedure to classify these varying instructional approaches has been attempted. In the present study, a quantitative clustering procedure was conducted to derive a typology of instruction in ethics education. In total, 330 ethics training programs were included in the cluster analysis. The training programs were appraised with respect to four instructional categories including instructional content, processes, delivery methods, and activities. Eight instructional approaches were identified through this clustering procedure, and these instructional approaches showed different levels of effectiveness. Instructional effectiveness was assessed based on one of nine commonly used ethics criteria. With respect to specific training types, Professional Decision Processes Training (d = 0.50) and Field-Specific Compliance Training (d = 0.46) appear to be viable approaches to ethics training based on Cohen's d effect size estimates. By contrast, two commonly used approaches, General Discussion Training (d = 0.31) and Norm Adherence Training (d = 0.37), were found to be considerably less effective. The implications for instruction in ethics training are discussed.

Sequential approach to Colombeau's theory of generalized functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Todorov, T.D.

1987-07-01

J.F. Colombeau's generalized functions are constructed as equivalence classes of the elements of a specially chosen ultrapower of the class of the C ∞ -functions. The elements of this ultrapower are considered as sequences of C ∞ -functions, so in a sense, the sequential construction presented here refers to the original Colombeau theory just as, for example, the Mikusinski sequential approach to the distribution theory refers to the original Schwartz theory of distributions. The paper could be used as an elementary introduction to the Colombeau theory in which recently a solution was found to the problem of multiplication of Schwartz distributions. (author). Refs

A Generalized Hybrid Multiscale Modeling Approach for Flow and Reactive Transport in Porous Media

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, X.; Meng, X.; Tang, Y. H.; Guo, Z.; Karniadakis, G. E.

2017-12-01

Using emerging understanding of biological and environmental processes at fundamental scales to advance predictions of the larger system behavior requires the development of multiscale approaches, and there is strong interest in coupling models at different scales together in a hybrid multiscale simulation framework. A limited number of hybrid multiscale simulation methods have been developed for subsurface applications, mostly using application-specific approaches for model coupling. The proposed generalized hybrid multiscale approach is designed with minimal intrusiveness to the at-scale simulators (pre-selected) and provides a set of lightweight C++ scripts to manage a complex multiscale workflow utilizing a concurrent coupling approach. The workflow includes at-scale simulators (using the lattice-Boltzmann method, LBM, at the pore and Darcy scale, respectively), scripts for boundary treatment (coupling and kriging), and a multiscale universal interface (MUI) for data exchange. The current study aims to apply the generalized hybrid multiscale modeling approach to couple pore- and Darcy-scale models for flow and mixing-controlled reaction with precipitation/dissolution in heterogeneous porous media. The model domain is packed heterogeneously that the mixing front geometry is more complex and not known a priori. To address those challenges, the generalized hybrid multiscale modeling approach is further developed to 1) adaptively define the locations of pore-scale subdomains, 2) provide a suite of physical boundary coupling schemes and 3) consider the dynamic change of the pore structures due to mineral precipitation/dissolution. The results are validated and evaluated by comparing with single-scale simulations in terms of velocities, reactive concentrations and computing cost.

Workload and job satisfaction among general practitioners: a review of the literature.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groenewegen, P.P.; Hutten, J.B.F.

1991-01-01

The workload of general practitioners (GPs) is an important issue in health care systems with capitation payment for GPs services. This article reviews the literature on determinants and consequences of workload and job satisfaction of GPs. Determinants of workload are located on the demand side

Effects of the teach-model-coach-review instructional approach on caregiver use of language support strategies and children's expressive language skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Megan Y; Kaiser, Ann P; Wolfe, Cathy E; Bryant, Julie D; Spidalieri, Alexandria M

2014-10-01

In this study, the authors examined the effects of the Teach-Model-Coach-Review instructional approach on caregivers' use of four enhanced milieu teaching (EMT) language support strategies and on their children's use of expressive language. Four caregiver-child dyads participated in a single-subject, multiple-baseline study. Children were between 24 and 42 months of age and had language impairment. Interventionists used the Teach-Model-Coach-Review instructional approach to teach caregivers to use matched turns, expansions, time delays, and milieu teaching prompts during 24 individualized clinic sessions. Caregiver use of each EMT language support strategy and child use of communication targets were the dependent variables. The caregivers demonstrated increases in their use of each EMT language support strategy after instruction. Generalization and maintenance of strategy use to the home was limited, indicating that teaching across routines is necessary to achieve maximal outcomes. All children demonstrated gains in their use of communication targets and in their performance on norm-referenced measures of language. The results indicate that the Teach-Model-Coach-Review instructional approach resulted in increased use of EMT language support strategies by caregivers. Caregiver use of these strategies was associated with positive changes in child language skills.

Social network approaches to leadership: an integrative conceptual review.

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, Dorothy R; DeChurch, Leslie A; Braun, Michael T; Contractor, Noshir S

2015-05-01

Contemporary definitions of leadership advance a view of the phenomenon as relational, situated in specific social contexts, involving patterned emergent processes, and encompassing both formal and informal influence. Paralleling these views is a growing interest in leveraging social network approaches to study leadership. Social network approaches provide a set of theories and methods with which to articulate and investigate, with greater precision and rigor, the wide variety of relational perspectives implied by contemporary leadership theories. Our goal is to advance this domain through an integrative conceptual review. We begin by answering the question of why-Why adopt a network approach to study leadership? Then, we offer a framework for organizing prior research. Our review reveals 3 areas of research, which we term: (a) leadership in networks, (b) leadership as networks, and (c) leadership in and as networks. By clarifying the conceptual underpinnings, key findings, and themes within each area, this review serves as a foundation for future inquiry that capitalizes on, and programmatically builds upon, the insights of prior work. Our final contribution is to advance an agenda for future research that harnesses the confluent ideas at the intersection of leadership in and as networks. Leadership in and as networks represents a paradigm shift in leadership research-from an emphasis on the static traits and behaviors of formal leaders whose actions are contingent upon situational constraints, toward an emphasis on the complex and patterned relational processes that interact with the embedding social context to jointly constitute leadership emergence and effectiveness. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

Novel Approaches to Spectral Properties of Correlated Electron Materials: From Generalized Kohn-Sham Theory to Screened Exchange Dynamical Mean Field Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Delange, Pascal; Backes, Steffen; van Roekeghem, Ambroise; Pourovskii, Leonid; Jiang, Hong; Biermann, Silke

2018-04-01

The most intriguing properties of emergent materials are typically consequences of highly correlated quantum states of their electronic degrees of freedom. Describing those materials from first principles remains a challenge for modern condensed matter theory. Here, we review, apply and discuss novel approaches to spectral properties of correlated electron materials, assessing current day predictive capabilities of electronic structure calculations. In particular, we focus on the recent Screened Exchange Dynamical Mean-Field Theory scheme and its relation to generalized Kohn-Sham Theory. These concepts are illustrated on the transition metal pnictide BaCo2As2 and elemental zinc and cadmium.

A review of governance of maternity services at South Tipperary general hospital

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Flory, David

2015-09-01

This review of the governance of maternity services at South Tipperary General Hospital has focussed on the systems and processes for assurance of service quality, risk management and patient safety primarily inside the hospital but also in the Hospital Group structure within which it operates. The effectiveness of the governance arrangements is largely determined by the quality of the leadership and management – both clinical and general – which designs, implements, and oversees those systems and processes and is ultimately responsible and accountable.\\r\

Dynamic epidemiological models for dengue transmission: a systematic review of structural approaches.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mathieu Andraud

Full Text Available Dengue is a vector-borne disease recognized as the major arbovirose with four immunologically distant dengue serotypes coexisting in many endemic areas. Several mathematical models have been developed to understand the transmission dynamics of dengue, including the role of cross-reactive antibodies for the four different dengue serotypes. We aimed to review deterministic models of dengue transmission, in order to summarize the evolution of insights for, and provided by, such models, and to identify important characteristics for future model development. We identified relevant publications using PubMed and ISI Web of Knowledge, focusing on mathematical deterministic models of dengue transmission. Model assumptions were systematically extracted from each reviewed model structure, and were linked with their underlying epidemiological concepts. After defining common terms in vector-borne disease modelling, we generally categorised fourty-two published models of interest into single serotype and multiserotype models. The multi-serotype models assumed either vector-host or direct host-to-host transmission (ignoring the vector component. For each approach, we discussed the underlying structural and parameter assumptions, threshold behaviour and the projected impact of interventions. In view of the expected availability of dengue vaccines, modelling approaches will increasingly focus on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of vaccination options. For this purpose, the level of representation of the vector and host populations seems pivotal. Since vector-host transmission models would be required for projections of combined vaccination and vector control interventions, we advocate their use as most relevant to advice health policy in the future. The limited understanding of the factors which influence dengue transmission as well as limited data availability remain important concerns when applying dengue models to real-world decision problems.

BOOK REVIEW: Neurosurgery in the Tropics: A practical approach ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

BOOK REVIEW: Neurosurgery in the Tropics: A practical approach to common problems By Jeffrey V. Rosenfeld MBBS, MS, FRACS, FRCS (Ed), FACS, FACTM and David A.K Watters ChM, FRACS, FRCS (Ed) Macmillan Education LTD 2000, Price $ 50 US ISBN 0-333-68412-5.

A review of anthropological approaches to ageing

OpenAIRE

Kaczmarek, Maria; Szwed, Anita

1997-01-01

It is evident that the pattern of ageing among humans has a unique character. Therefore, when undertaking any research on human ageing one has to specify a proper methodology and methods which are available in the anthropological perspective. The paper is aimed at providing a review of anthropological approaches to the study of ageing. On the basis of the meaning and scope of the concept of ageing, its sources and causal factors are discussed. Further, functional, physiological an...

Approaches to the Surveillance of Foodborne Disease: A Review of the Evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Ford, Laura; Miller, Megge; Cawthorne, Amy; Fearnley, Emily; Kirk, Martyn

2015-12-01

Foodborne disease surveillance aims to reduce the burden of illness due to contaminated food. There are several different types of surveillance systems, including event-based surveillance, indicator-based surveillance, and integrated food chain surveillance. These approaches are not mutually exclusive, have overlapping data sources, require distinct capacities and resources, and can be considered a hierarchy, with each level being more complex and resulting in a greater ability to detect and control foodborne disease. Event-based surveillance is generally the least resource-intensive system and makes use of informal data sources. Indicator-based surveillance is seen as traditional notifiable disease surveillance and consists of routinely collected data. Integrated food chain surveillance is viewed as the optimal practice for conducting continuous risk analysis for foodborne diseases, but also requires significant ongoing resources and greater multisectoral collaboration compared to the other systems. Each country must determine the most appropriate structure for their surveillance system for foodborne diseases based on their available resources. This review explores the evidence on the principles, minimum capabilities, and minimum requirements of each type of surveillance and discusses examples from a range of countries. This review forms the evidence base for the Strengthening the Surveillance and Response for Foodborne Diseases: A Practical Manual.

MODELING OF INNOVATION EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT OF GENERAL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION: THE SCIENTIFIC APPROACHES

OpenAIRE

Anzhelika D. Tsymbalaru

2010-01-01

In the paper the scientific approaches to modeling of innovation educational environment of a general educational institution – system (analysis of object, process and result of modeling as system objects), activity (organizational and psychological structure) and synergetic (aspects and principles).

Exponential stability for formation control systems with generalized controllers: A unified approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sun, Zhiyong; Mou, Shaoshuai; Anderson, Brian D.O.; Cao, Ming

2016-01-01

This paper discusses generalized controllers for distance-based rigid formation shape stabilization and aims to provide a unified approach for the convergence analysis. We consider two types of formation control systems according to different characterizations of target formations: minimally rigid

The Peer Education Approach in Adolescents- Narrative Review Article.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdi, Fatemeh; Simbar, Masoumeh

2013-11-01

Adolescence is an important stage of human life span, which crucial developmental processes occur. Since peers play a critical role in the psychosocial development of most adolescents, peer education is currently considered as a health promotion strategy in adolescents. Peer education is defined as a system of delivering knowledge that improves social learning and provides psychosocial support. As identifying the outcomes of different educational approaches will be beneficial in choosing the most effective programs for training adolescents, the present article reviewed the impact of the peer education approach on adolescents. In this review, databases such as PubMed, EMBASE, ISI, and Iranian databases, from 1999 to 2013, were searched using a number of keywords. Peer education is an effective tool for promoting healthy behaviors among adolescents. The development of this social process depends on the settings, context, and the values and expectations of the participants. Therefore, designing such programs requires proper preparation, training, supervision, and evaluation.

Associations between self-esteem, general self-efficacy and approaches to studying in occupational therapy students: A cross-sectional study

OpenAIRE

Bonsaksen, Tore; Sadeghi, Talieh; Thørrisen, Mikkel Magnus

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to explore associations between self-esteem, general self-efficacy, and the deep, strategic, and surface approaches to studying. Norwegian occupational therapy students (n = 125) completed questionnaires measuring study approaches, self-esteem, and general self-efficacy. Regression analyses were used to explore the direct relationships between self-esteem, general self-efficacy and the approaches to studying, after controlling for age, gender, prior higher education,...

Approach Towards an Evidence-Oriented Knowledge and Data Acquisition for the Optimization of Interdisciplinary Care in Dentistry and General Medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Seitz, Max W; Haux, Christian; Knaup, Petra; Schubert, Ingrid; Listl, Stefan

2018-01-01

Associations between dental and chronic-systemic diseases were observed frequently in medical research, however the findings of this research have so far found little relevance in everyday clinical treatment. Major problems are the assessment of evidence for correlations between such diseases and how to integrate current medical knowledge into the intersectoral care of dentists and general practitioners. On the example of dental and chronic-systemic diseases, the Dent@Prevent project develops an interdisciplinary decision support system (DSS), which provides the specialists with information relevant for the treatment of such cases. To provide the physicians with relevant medical knowledge, a mixed-methods approach is developed to acquire the knowledge in an evidence-oriented way. This procedure includes a literature review, routine data analyses, focus groups of dentists and general practitioners as well as the identification and integration of applicable guidelines and Patient Reported Measures (PRMs) into the treatment process. The developed mixed methods approach for an evidence-oriented knowledge acquisition indicates to be applicable and supportable for interdisciplinary projects. It can raise the systematic quality of the knowledge-acquisition process and can be applicable for an evidence-based system development. Further research is necessary to assess the impact on patient care and to evaluate possible applicability in other interdisciplinary areas.

An Approach to Teaching General Chemistry II that Highlights the Interdisciplinary Nature of Science*,†

Science.gov (United States)

Sumter, Takita Felder; Owens, Patrick M.

2012-01-01

The need for a revised curriculum within the life sciences has been well-established. One strategy to improve student preparation in the life sciences is to redesign introductory courses like biology, chemistry, and physics so that they better reflect their disciplinary interdependence. We describe a medically relevant, context-based approach to teaching second semester general chemistry that demonstrates the interdisciplinary nature of biology and chemistry. Our innovative method provides a model in which disciplinary barriers are diminished early in the undergraduate science curriculum. The course is divided into three principle educational modules: 1) Fundamentals of General Chemistry, 2) Medical Approaches to Inflammation, and 3) Neuroscience as a connector of chemistry, biology, and psychology. We accurately anticipated that this modified approach to teaching general chemistry would enhance student interest in chemistry and bridge the perceived gaps between biology and chemistry. The course serves as a template for context-based, interdisciplinary teaching that lays the foundation needed to train 21st century scientists. PMID:21445902

Generalized worry disorder: a review of DSM-IV generalized anxiety disorder and options for DSM-V.

Science.gov (United States)

Andrews, Gavin; Hobbs, Megan J; Borkovec, Thomas D; Beesdo, Katja; Craske, Michelle G; Heimberg, Richard G; Rapee, Ronald M; Ruscio, Ayelet Meron; Stanley, Melinda A

2010-02-01

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) has undergone a series of substantial classificatory changes since its first inclusion in DSM-III. The majority of these revisions have been in response to its poor inter-rater reliability and concerns that it may lack diagnostic validity. This article provides options for the revision of the DSM-IV GAD criteria for DSM-V. First, searches were conducted to identify the evidence that previous DSM Work Groups relied upon when revising the DSM-III-R GAD and the overanxious disorder classifications. Second, the literature pertaining to the DSM-IV criteria for GAD was examined. The review presents a number of options to be considered for DSM-V. One option is for GAD to be re-labeled in DSM-V as generalized worry disorder. This would reflect its hallmark feature. Proposed revisions would result in a disorder that is characterized by excessive anxiety and worry generalized to a number of events or activities for 3 months or more. Worry acts as a cognitive coping strategy that manifests in avoidant behaviors. The reliability and validity of the proposed changes could be investigated in DSM-V validity tests and field trials.

Biotechnological and molecular approaches for vanillin production: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaur, Baljinder; Chakraborty, Debkumar

2013-02-01

Vanillin is one of the most widely used flavoring agents in the world. As the annual world market demand of vanillin could not be met by natural extraction, chemical synthesis, or tissue culture technology, thus biotechnological approaches may be replacement routes to make production of bio-vanillin economically viable. This review's main focus is to highlight significant aspects of biotechnology with emphasis on the production of vanillin from eugenol, isoeugenol, lignin, ferulic acid, sugars, phenolic stilbenes, vanillic acid, aromatic amino acids, and waste residues by applying fungi, bacteria, and plant cells. Production of biovanillin using GRAS lactic acid bacteria and metabolically engineered microorganisms, genetic organization of vanillin biosynthesis operons/gene cassettes and finally the stability of biovanillin generated through various biotechnological procedures are also critically reviewed in the later sections of the review.

[Systemic inflammation: theoretical and methodological approaches to description of general pathological process model. Part 3. Backgroung for nonsyndromic approach].

Science.gov (United States)

Gusev, E Yu; Chereshnev, V A

2013-01-01

Theoretical and methodological approaches to description of systemic inflammation as general pathological process are discussed. It is shown, that there is a need of integration of wide range of types of researches to develop a model of systemic inflammation.

Review of physical and socio-economic characteristics and intervention approaches of informal settlements

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Wekesa, BW

2011-04-01

Full Text Available -1 Habitat International Volume 35, Issue 2, April 2011, Pages 238-245 A review of physical and socio-economic characteristics and intervention approaches of informal settlements B.W. Wekesaa, b, , , G.S. Steyna, 1, , F.A.O. (Fred) Otienoc, 2, , a... a literature survey, this paper reviews physical and socio-economic characteristics and the factors attributed to proliferation of the informal settlements and intervention approaches. The main objective was to establish how such settlements could...

Min-max optimization and the radial approach to the public service system design with generalized utility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaroslav Janáček

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with the min-max public service system design, where the generalized utility is considered. In contrast to the formulations presented in the literature, the generalized utility defined for a public service system assumes that the user’s utility comes generally from more than one located service center and the individual contributions from relevant centers are weighted by reduction coefficients depending on a center order. Given that commercial IP-solvers often fail due to enormous computational times or extreme memory demands when resolving this issue, we suggested and compared several approaches based on a bisection process with the purpose of developing an effective max-min approach to the public service system design with a generalized utility.

mosaicQA - A General Approach to Facilitate Basic Data Quality Assurance for Epidemiological Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Bialke, Martin; Rau, Henriette; Schwaneberg, Thea; Walk, Rene; Bahls, Thomas; Hoffmann, Wolfgang

2017-05-29

Epidemiological studies are based on a considerable amount of personal, medical and socio-economic data. To answer research questions with reliable results, epidemiological research projects face the challenge of providing high quality data. Consequently, gathered data has to be reviewed continuously during the data collection period. This article describes the development of the mosaicQA-library for non-statistical experts consisting of a set of reusable R functions to provide support for a basic data quality assurance for a wide range of application scenarios in epidemiological research. To generate valid quality reports for various scenarios and data sets, a general and flexible development approach was needed. As a first step, a set of quality-related questions, targeting quality aspects on a more general level, was identified. The next step included the design of specific R-scripts to produce proper reports for metric and categorical data. For more flexibility, the third development step focussed on the generalization of the developed R-scripts, e.g. extracting characteristics and parameters. As a last step the generic characteristics of the developed R functionalities and generated reports have been evaluated using different metric and categorical datasets. The developed mosaicQA-library generates basic data quality reports for multivariate input data. If needed, more detailed results for single-variable data, including definition of units, variables, descriptions, code lists and categories of qualified missings, can easily be produced. The mosaicQA-library enables researchers to generate reports for various kinds of metric and categorical data without the need for computational or scripting knowledge. At the moment, the library focusses on the data structure quality and supports the assessment of several quality indicators, including frequency, distribution and plausibility of research variables as well as the occurrence of missing and extreme values. To

A Hybrid Generalized Hidden Markov Model-Based Condition Monitoring Approach for Rolling Bearings.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jie; Hu, Youmin; Wu, Bo; Wang, Yan; Xie, Fengyun

2017-05-18

The operating condition of rolling bearings affects productivity and quality in the rotating machine process. Developing an effective rolling bearing condition monitoring approach is critical to accurately identify the operating condition. In this paper, a hybrid generalized hidden Markov model-based condition monitoring approach for rolling bearings is proposed, where interval valued features are used to efficiently recognize and classify machine states in the machine process. In the proposed method, vibration signals are decomposed into multiple modes with variational mode decomposition (VMD). Parameters of the VMD, in the form of generalized intervals, provide a concise representation for aleatory and epistemic uncertainty and improve the robustness of identification. The multi-scale permutation entropy method is applied to extract state features from the decomposed signals in different operating conditions. Traditional principal component analysis is adopted to reduce feature size and computational cost. With the extracted features' information, the generalized hidden Markov model, based on generalized interval probability, is used to recognize and classify the fault types and fault severity levels. Finally, the experiment results show that the proposed method is effective at recognizing and classifying the fault types and fault severity levels of rolling bearings. This monitoring method is also efficient enough to quantify the two uncertainty components.

A Hybrid Generalized Hidden Markov Model-Based Condition Monitoring Approach for Rolling Bearings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jie Liu

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The operating condition of rolling bearings affects productivity and quality in the rotating machine process. Developing an effective rolling bearing condition monitoring approach is critical to accurately identify the operating condition. In this paper, a hybrid generalized hidden Markov model-based condition monitoring approach for rolling bearings is proposed, where interval valued features are used to efficiently recognize and classify machine states in the machine process. In the proposed method, vibration signals are decomposed into multiple modes with variational mode decomposition (VMD. Parameters of the VMD, in the form of generalized intervals, provide a concise representation for aleatory and epistemic uncertainty and improve the robustness of identification. The multi-scale permutation entropy method is applied to extract state features from the decomposed signals in different operating conditions. Traditional principal component analysis is adopted to reduce feature size and computational cost. With the extracted features’ information, the generalized hidden Markov model, based on generalized interval probability, is used to recognize and classify the fault types and fault severity levels. Finally, the experiment results show that the proposed method is effective at recognizing and classifying the fault types and fault severity levels of rolling bearings. This monitoring method is also efficient enough to quantify the two uncertainty components.

The Voice of Chinese Health Consumers: A Text Mining Approach to Web-Based Physician Reviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Haijing; Zhang, Kunpeng

2016-05-10

skills and bedside manner, general appreciation from patients, and description of various symptoms. To the best of our knowledge, our work is the first study using an automated text-mining approach to analyze a large amount of unstructured textual data of Web-based physician reviews in China. Based on our analysis, we found that Chinese reviewers mainly concentrate on a few popular topics. This is consistent with the goal of Chinese online health platforms and demonstrates the health care focus in China's health care system. Our text-mining approach reveals a new research area on how to use big data to help health care providers, health care administrators, and policy makers hear patient voices, target patient concerns, and improve the quality of care in this age of patient-centered care. Also, on the health care consumer side, our text mining technique helps patients make more informed decisions about which specialists to see without reading thousands of reviews, which is simply not feasible. In addition, our comparison analysis of Web-based physician reviews in China and the United States also indicates some cultural differences.

A general approach to error propagation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanborn, J.B.

1987-01-01

A computational approach to error propagation is explained. It is shown that the application of the first-order Taylor theory to a fairly general expression representing an inventory or inventory-difference quantity leads naturally to a data structure that is useful for structuring error-propagation calculations. This data structure incorporates six types of data entities: (1) the objects in the material balance, (2) numerical parameters that describe these objects, (3) groups or sets of objects, (4) the terms which make up the material-balance equation, (5) the errors or sources of variance and (6) the functions or subroutines that represent Taylor partial derivatives. A simple algorithm based on this data structure can be defined using formulas that are sums of squares of sums. The data structures and algorithms described above have been implemented as computer software in FORTRAN for IBM PC-type machines. A free-form data-entry format allows users to separate data as they wish into separate files and enter data using a text editor. The program has been applied to the computation of limits of error for inventory differences (LEIDs) within the DOE complex. 1 ref., 3 figs

Review on Electrodynamic Energy Harvesters—A Classification Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roland Lausecker

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Beginning with a short historical sketch, electrodynamic energy harvesters with focus on vibration generators and volumes below 1dm3 are reviewed. The current challenges to generate up to several milliwatts of power from practically relevant flows and vibrations are addressed, and the variety of available solutions is sketched. Sixty-seven different harvester concepts from more than 130 publications are classified with respect to excitation, additional boundary conditions, design and fabrication. A chronological list of the harvester concepts with corresponding references provides an impression about the developments. Besides resonant harvester concepts, the review includes broadband approaches and mechanisms to harvest from flow. Finally, a short overview of harvesters in applications and first market ready concepts is given.

Female genital mutilation reversal: a general approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Anand, Mallika; Stanhope, Todd J; Occhino, John A

2014-07-01

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a violation of human rights; yet, more than 100 million females are estimated to have undergone the procedure worldwide. There is an increased need for physician education in treating FGM. Female pelvic surgeons have a unique opportunity to treat this population of patients. Here, we depict the classification of FGM and a general approach to FGM reversal. We specifically address the procedure of type III FGM reversal, or defibulation. In this video, we first highlight the importance of the problem of FGM. Next, we present the classification of FGM using an original, simple, schematic diagram highlighting they key anatomic structures involved in the four types of FGM. We then present a simple case of reversal of type III FGM, a procedure also known as defibulation. After depicting the surgical procedure, we discuss clinical results and summarize key principles of the defibulation procedure. Our patient was a 25-year-old woman who had undergone type III FGM as a child in Somalia. She desired restoration of vaginal function. We performed a reversal, and her postoperative course was uncomplicated. By 6 weeks postoperatively, she was able to engage in sexual intercourse without dyspareunia. FGM is a problem at the doorsteps of female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. Our video demonstrates a basic surgical approach that can be applied to simple cases of type III FGM presenting to the female pelvic surgeon.

Estimating productivity costs using the friction cost approach in practice: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Kigozi, Jesse; Jowett, Sue; Lewis, Martyn; Barton, Pelham; Coast, Joanna

2016-01-01

The choice of the most appropriate approach to valuing productivity loss has received much debate in the literature. The friction cost approach has been proposed as a more appropriate alternative to the human capital approach when valuing productivity loss, although its application remains limited. This study reviews application of the friction cost approach in health economic studies and examines how its use varies in practice across different country settings. A systematic review was performed to identify economic evaluation studies that have estimated productivity costs using the friction cost approach and published in English from 1996 to 2013. A standard template was developed and used to extract information from studies meeting the inclusion criteria. The search yielded 46 studies from 12 countries. Of these, 28 were from the Netherlands. Thirty-five studies reported the length of friction period used, with only 16 stating explicitly the source of the friction period. Nine studies reported the elasticity correction factor used. The reported friction cost approach methods used to derive productivity costs varied in quality across studies from different countries. Few health economic studies have estimated productivity costs using the friction cost approach. The estimation and reporting of productivity costs using this method appears to differ in quality by country. The review reveals gaps and lack of clarity in reporting of methods for friction cost evaluation. Generating reporting guidelines and country-specific parameters for the friction cost approach is recommended if increased application and accuracy of the method is to be realized.

A Review of Singapore Principals' Leadership Qualities, Styles, and Roles

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, David Foo Seong; Nguyen, Dong Thanh; Wong, Benjamin Koon Siak; Choy, William Kim Weng

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a review of empirical studies on principal leadership in Singapore. It seeks to provide a general picture of Singapore principals' leadership qualities, styles, and roles. Design/methodology/approach: This is a systematic review of empirical studies, using a "bounded" approach with a focus…

[Priority setting of health interventions. Review of criteria, approaches and role of assessment agencies].

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Varela-Lema, Leonor; Atienza-Merino, Gerardo; López-García, Marisa

This study was carried out to develop an explicit health priority setting methodology to support decision-making regarding the technologies to be assessed for inclusion in the National Health Service service portfolio. The primary objective is to identify and analyse the criteria, approaches and conceptual frameworks used for national/international priority setting. An exhaustive review of the literature was carried out. For this purpose, a search of the main biomedical databases was performed and assessment agency websites were reviewed, among other sources. In general terms, it was found that there are no standardised criteria for priority setting, although some consensus and common trends have been identified regarding key elements (criteria, models and strategies, key actors, etc.). Globally, 8 key domains were identified: 1) need for intervention; 2) health outcomes; 3) type of benefit of the intervention; 4) economic consequences; 5) existing knowledge on the intervention/quality of and uncertainties regarding the evidence; 6) implementation and complexity of the intervention/feasibility; 7) priority, justice and ethics; and 8) overall context. The review provides a thorough analysis of the relevant issues and offers key recommendations regarding considerations for developing a national prioritisation framework. Findings are envisioned to be useful for different public organisations that are aiming to establish healthcare priorities. Copyright © 2016 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Screening for sepsis in general hospitalized patients: a systematic review.

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Alberto, L; Marshall, A P; Walker, R; Aitken, L M

2017-08-01

Sepsis is a condition widely observed outside critical care areas. To examine the application of sepsis screening tools for early recognition of sepsis in general hospitalized patients to: (i) identify the accuracy of these tools; (ii) determine the outcomes associated with their implementation; and (iii) describe the implementation process. A systematic review method was used. PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase databases were systematically searched for primary articles, published from January 1990 to June 2016, that investigated screening tools or alert mechanisms for early identification of sepsis in adult general hospitalized patients. The review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42016042261). More than 8000 citations were screened for eligibility after duplicates had been removed. Six articles met the inclusion criteria testing two types of sepsis screening tools. Electronic tools can capture, recognize abnormal variables, and activate an alert in real time. However, accuracy of these tools was inconsistent across studies with only one demonstrating high specificity and sensitivity. Paper-based, nurse-led screening tools appear to be more sensitive in the identification of septic patients but were only studied in small samples and particular populations. The process of care measures appears to be enhanced; however, demonstrating improved outcomes is more challenging. Implementation details are rarely reported. Heterogeneity of studies prevented meta-analysis. Clinicians, researchers and health decision-makers should consider these findings and limitations when implementing screening tools, research or policy on sepsis recognition in general hospitalized patients. Copyright © 2017 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Erosion and Sediment Transport Modelling in Shallow Waters: A Review on Approaches, Models and Applications

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Mohammad Hajigholizadeh

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The erosion and sediment transport processes in shallow waters, which are discussed in this paper, begin when water droplets hit the soil surface. The transport mechanism caused by the consequent rainfall-runoff process determines the amount of generated sediment that can be transferred downslope. Many significant studies and models are performed to investigate these processes, which differ in terms of their effecting factors, approaches, inputs and outputs, model structure and the manner that these processes represent. This paper attempts to review the related literature concerning sediment transport modelling in shallow waters. A classification based on the representational processes of the soil erosion and sediment transport models (empirical, conceptual, physical and hybrid is adopted, and the commonly-used models and their characteristics are listed. This review is expected to be of interest to researchers and soil and water conservation managers who are working on erosion and sediment transport phenomena in shallow waters. The paper format should be helpful for practitioners to identify and generally characterize the types of available models, their strengths and their basic scope of applicability.

Erosion and Sediment Transport Modelling in Shallow Waters: A Review on Approaches, Models and Applications.

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Hajigholizadeh, Mohammad; Melesse, Assefa M; Fuentes, Hector R

2018-03-14

The erosion and sediment transport processes in shallow waters, which are discussed in this paper, begin when water droplets hit the soil surface. The transport mechanism caused by the consequent rainfall-runoff process determines the amount of generated sediment that can be transferred downslope. Many significant studies and models are performed to investigate these processes, which differ in terms of their effecting factors, approaches, inputs and outputs, model structure and the manner that these processes represent. This paper attempts to review the related literature concerning sediment transport modelling in shallow waters. A classification based on the representational processes of the soil erosion and sediment transport models (empirical, conceptual, physical and hybrid) is adopted, and the commonly-used models and their characteristics are listed. This review is expected to be of interest to researchers and soil and water conservation managers who are working on erosion and sediment transport phenomena in shallow waters. The paper format should be helpful for practitioners to identify and generally characterize the types of available models, their strengths and their basic scope of applicability.

Generalized peeling skin syndrome: Case report and review of the literature.

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Kharfi, Monia; Khaled, Aida; Ammar, Donia; Ezzine, Nadia; El Fekih, Nadia; Fazaa, Becima; Jaafoura, Hiabib; Kamoun, Mohamed Ridha

2010-03-15

Peeling skin syndrome (PSS) is a rare form of ichthyosis with a probable autosomal recessive inheritance that exhibits superficial, painless, continual, or seasonal cutaneous exfoliation. The syndrome generally appears at birth or in infancy. We report a case of generalized PSS and provide a literature review. A 34-year-old woman reported a lifelong history of generalized and painless peeling of the skin that worsened in summer. Her parents were third degree cousins. Her twin sister and her two cousins presented with the same condition. Physical examination showed widespread superficial sheets of variable size that could be easily removed without bleeding or pain. No underlying erythema was noted. Otherwise, the patient was in good health. Histological findings showed an epidermal cleavage within the stratum corneum. The generalized form of PSS is classified into 3 types, A, B, and C, according to the classification system of Traupe and Mevorah. We have tried to classify the cases of generalized PSS already reported in the literature into one of these three types. Thirteen reported cases probably presented PSS-type A. Sixteen patients are best described as PSS-type B. Two patients exhibit PSS-type C. Fifteen reported patients had an acral form of peeling skin syndrome. The classification of the eleven remaining patients was difficult to determine. Our patient presented clinical and histological features of generalized PSS-type A.

The neurolinguistic approach to awake surgery reviewed.

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De Witte, Elke; Mariën, Peter

2013-02-01

Intraoperative direct electrical stimulation (DES) is increasingly used in patients operated on for tumours in critical language areas. Although a positive impact of DES on postoperative linguistic outcome is generally advocated, the literature is only scantily documented with information about the linguistic methods applied in awake surgery. This article critically reviews the neurolinguistic procedures currently used in awake studies. Based on an extensive review of the literature, an overview is given of the language mapping techniques applied in brain tumour surgery. Studies investigating linguistic testing and outcome in awake surgery were analysed. Information about the timing of the assessment(s), the linguistic tasks, the linguistic stimuli and the indication for awake surgery was also discussed. Intraoperative DES remains the 'gold standard' for language mapping, but pre- and postoperative non-invasive mapping methods are important adjuncts. In the pre- and postoperative phase, standardised linguistic test batteries are generally used to assess language function. In the intraoperative phase, only naming and number counting are commonly applied. Most often no detailed information about the linguistic stimuli is provided and no standardised protocols measuring different linguistic levels have been described. Awake surgery with DES is a useful tool for preserving linguistic functions in patients undergoing surgery in critical brain regions. However, no studies exist that apply a well-balanced and standardised linguistic protocol to reliably identify the critical language zones. The availability of a standardised linguistic protocol might substantially increase intraoperative comfort and might improve outcome and quality of life. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Comparison of Traditional Book Reviews and Amazon.com Book Reviews of Fiction Using a Content Analysis Approach

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Christy Sich

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Objective - This study compared the quality and helpfulness of traditional book review sources with the online user rating system in Amazon.com in order to determine if one mode is superior to the other and should be used by library selectors to assist in making purchasing decisions. Methods - For this study, 228 reviews of 7 different novels were analyzed using a content analysis approach. Of these, 127 reviews came from traditional review sources and 101 reviews were published on Amazon.com. Results - Using a checklist developed for this study, a significant difference in the quality of reviews was discovered. Reviews from traditional sources scored significantly higher than reviews from Amazon.com. The researcher also looked at review length. On average, Amazon.com reviews are shorter than reviews from traditional sources. Review rating—favourable, unfavourable, or mixed/neutral—also showed a lack of consistency between the two modes of reviews. Conclusion - Although Amazon.com provides multiple reviews of a book on one convenient site, traditional sources of professionally written reviews would most likely save librarians more time in making purchasing decisions, given the higher quality of the review assessment.

77 FR 58380 - General Services Administration Acquisition Regulation; Submission for OMB Review; Price...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-20

...] General Services Administration Acquisition Regulation; Submission for OMB Review; Price Reductions Clause... requirement regarding the GSAR Price Reductions Clause. A notice was published in the Federal Register at 76... identified by Information Collection 3090- 0235, Price Reduction Clause, by any of the following methods...

Human Rights-Based Approaches to Mental Health: A Review of Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Porsdam Mann, Sebastian; Bradley, Valerie J; Sahakian, Barbara J

2016-06-01

The incidence of human rights violations in mental health care across nations has been described as a "global emergency" and an "unresolved global crisis." The relationship between mental health and human rights is complex and bidirectional. Human rights violations can negatively impact mental health. Conversely, respecting human rights can improve mental health. This article reviews cases where an explicitly human rights-based approach was used in mental health care settings. Although the included studies did not exhibit a high level of methodological rigor, the qualitative information obtained was considered useful and informative for future studies. All studies reviewed suggest that human-rights based approaches can lead to clinical improvements at relatively low costs. Human rights-based approaches should be utilized for legal and moral reasons, since human rights are fundamental pillars of justice and civilization. The fact that such approaches can contribute to positive therapeutic outcomes and, potentially, cost savings, is additional reason for their implementation. However, the small sample size and lack of controlled, quantitative measures limit the strength of conclusions drawn from included studies. More objective, high quality research is needed to ascertain the true extent of benefits to service users and providers.

Different Aspects of General Anesthesia in Pediatric Dentistry: A Review.

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Ramazani, Nahid

2016-04-01

Most child population is able to undergo dental treatment in the conventional setting. However, some children fail to cope with in-office conscious state and cannot respond to usual management modalities. This review aims to discuss the topic further. A computerized search in databases PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Google Scholar and Google were performed using dental general anesthesia related keywords. Original and review English-written articles that were limited to child population were retrieved without any limitation of publication date. The suitable papers were selected and carefully studied. A data form designed by author was used to write relevant findings. Preoperative oral examination and comprehensive evaluation of treatment needs is only possible after clinical and radiographic oral examination. Effective collaboration in dental GA team should be made to minimize psychological trauma of children who undergo dental GA. Before conducting comprehensive dental treatment under GA, the general health of the child and the success rate of procedures provided needs to be accurately evaluated. It is noteworthy that determination of the optimal timing for GA dental operation is of great importance. Providing safety with pediatric dental rehabilitation under GA is critical. Besides criteria for case selection of dental GA, some degree of dental practitioner's judgment is required to make decision. Pre- and post-operative instructions to parents or caregiver decrease the risk of complications. However, trained resuscitation providers, careful monitoring and advanced equipment minimize adverse outcomes.

General practice training and virtual communities of practice - a review of the literature

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Barnett Stephen

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Good General Practice is essential for an effective health system. Good General Practice training is essential to sustain the workforce, however training for General Practice can be hampered by a number of pressures, including professional, structural and social isolation. General Practice trainees may be under more pressure than fully registered General Practitioners, and yet isolation can lead doctors to reduce hours and move away from rural practice. Virtual communities of practice (VCoPs in business have been shown to be effective in improving knowledge sharing, thus reducing professional and structural isolation. This literature review will critically examine the current evidence relevant to virtual communities of practice in General Practice training, identify evidence-based principles that might guide their construction and suggest further avenues for research. Methods Major online databases Scopus, Psychlit and Pubmed were searched for the terms “Community of Practice” (CoP AND (Online OR Virtual OR Electronic AND (health OR healthcare OR medicine OR “Allied Health”. Only peer-reviewed journal articles in English were selected. A total of 76 articles were identified, with 23 meeting the inclusion criteria. There were no studies on CoP or VCoP in General Practice training. The review was structured using a framework of six themes for establishing communities of practice, derived from a key study from the business literature. This framework has been used to analyse the literature to determine whether similar themes are present in the health literature and to identify evidence in support of virtual communities of practice for General Practice training. Results The framework developed by Probst is mirrored in the health literature, albeit with some variations. In particular the roles of facilitator or moderator and leader whilst overlapping, are different. VCoPs are usually collaborations between stakeholders

General practice training and virtual communities of practice - a review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Barnett, Stephen; Jones, Sandra C; Bennett, Sue; Iverson, Don; Bonney, Andrew

2012-08-21

Good General Practice is essential for an effective health system. Good General Practice training is essential to sustain the workforce, however training for General Practice can be hampered by a number of pressures, including professional, structural and social isolation. General Practice trainees may be under more pressure than fully registered General Practitioners, and yet isolation can lead doctors to reduce hours and move away from rural practice. Virtual communities of practice (VCoPs) in business have been shown to be effective in improving knowledge sharing, thus reducing professional and structural isolation. This literature review will critically examine the current evidence relevant to virtual communities of practice in General Practice training, identify evidence-based principles that might guide their construction and suggest further avenues for research. Major online databases Scopus, Psychlit and Pubmed were searched for the terms "Community of Practice" (CoP) AND (Online OR Virtual OR Electronic) AND (health OR healthcare OR medicine OR "Allied Health"). Only peer-reviewed journal articles in English were selected. A total of 76 articles were identified, with 23 meeting the inclusion criteria. There were no studies on CoP or VCoP in General Practice training. The review was structured using a framework of six themes for establishing communities of practice, derived from a key study from the business literature. This framework has been used to analyse the literature to determine whether similar themes are present in the health literature and to identify evidence in support of virtual communities of practice for General Practice training. The framework developed by Probst is mirrored in the health literature, albeit with some variations. In particular the roles of facilitator or moderator and leader whilst overlapping, are different. VCoPs are usually collaborations between stakeholders rather than single company VCoPs. Specific goals are important

Compliance with the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH diet: a systematic review.

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Mandy Wing-Man Kwan

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH diet has been recognized as effective to lower blood pressure in feeding trials, but compliance with the diet must be persistent to maximize health benefits in clinical practice. This paper reports a systematic review of the latest evidence on the method to assess DASH compliance and the corresponding patients' compliance in interventional settings. METHODS: The databases including MEDLINE, EBM Reviews, EMBASE, and CINAHL Plus were searched for original research studies published in the period of January 1992-December 2012 that evaluated compliance with DASH diet. Studies written in English language, with DASH intervention, with complete documentation of the degree of DASH compliance and the assessment method used were included in this review. The search terms included: dietary approaches to stop hypertension, DASH, compliance, adherence, consistency, and concordance. RESULTS: Nine studies were included. Different types of interventions were identified, ranging from feeding trial to dietary counseling. These studies differed in the assessment methods used to evaluate DASH compliance, which included objective approaches like measurement of urinary excretion, and subjective approaches like dietary intake assessment for DASH target comparison and construction of DASH scoring systems. Compliance levels were lower in educational interventions than that of the original DASH feeding trial. CONCLUSIONS: To conclude, although no consensus existed regarding the best approach to assess DASH compliance, its suboptimal compliance warrants attention. This study implied a need to investigate effective approaches to sustain the DASH dietary pattern beyond counselling alone.

General approach to polymer chains confined by interacting boundaries.

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Freed, Karl F; Dudowicz, Jacek; Stukalin, Evgeny B; Douglas, Jack F

2010-09-07

Polymer chains, confined to cavities or polymer layers with dimensions less than the chain radius of gyration, appear in many phenomena, such as gel chromatography, rubber elasticity, viscolelasticity of high molar mass polymer melts, the translocation of polymers through nanopores and nanotubes, polymer adsorption, etc. Thus, the description of how the constraints alter polymer thermodynamic properties is a recurrent theoretical problem. A realistic treatment requires the incorporation of impenetrable interacting (attractive or repulsive) boundaries, a process that introduces significant mathematical complications. The standard approach involves developing the generalized diffusion equation description of the interaction of flexible polymers with impenetrable confining surfaces into a discrete eigenfunction expansion, where the solutions are normally truncated at the first mode (the "ground state dominance" approximation). This approximation is mathematically well justified under conditions of strong confinement, i.e., a confinement length scale much smaller than the chain radius of gyration, but becomes unreliable when the polymers are confined to dimensions comparable to their typically nanoscale size. We extend a general approach to describe polymers under conditions of weak to moderate confinement and apply this semianalytic method specifically to determine the thermodynamics and static structure factor for a flexible polymer confined between impenetrable interacting parallel plate boundaries. The method is first illustrated by analyzing chain partitioning between a pore and a large external reservoir, a model system with application to chromatography. Improved agreement is found for the partition coefficients of a polymer chain in the pore geometry. An expression is derived for the structure factor S(k) in a slit geometry to assist in more accurately estimating chain dimensions from scattering measurements for thin polymer films.

Psychosomatic approaches to obstetrics, gynaecology and andrology--a review.

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Lal, Mira

2009-01-01

This review aims to clarify the scope and clinical importance of psychosomatic approaches to obstetrics, gynaecology and andrology. This gradually expanding sub-specialty covers a wide domain of complex disease conditions that can be managed more effectively if the various biological, psychological and social aspects are recognised at the start and concurrent treatment initiated. The current need to practise biopsychosocial management of disease conditions is highlighted along with a description of what this would involve. The nine-field psychosomatic approach, which can be applied to everyday clinical encounters, has been illustrated. Clinical applications of the psychosomatic approach are discussed for various conditions including chronic pelvic pain, eating disorders, tokophobia, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, menstrual disorders, infertility, bereavement and testicular cancer. Cultural considerations and the need for further research are also briefly discussed.

Augmentative Approaches in Family-Based Treatment for Adolescents with Restrictive Eating Disorders: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Richards, Imogen Lim; Subar, Anni; Touyz, Stephen; Rhodes, Paul

2018-03-01

To systematically review the literature reporting outcomes of augmentative family-based treatment (FBT) interventions for adolescents with restrictive eating disorders (EDs). Articles were identified through a systematic search of five electronic databases (PsycINFO, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Database). Thirty articles were included, reporting on FBT augmentations featuring adjunctive treatment components, modified treatment structure and/or content with adherence to FBT principles, and adaptations allowing FBT delivery in different settings. All reported significant improvements in weight and/or ED symptoms at end-of-treatment, although few compared augmentative and standard FBT interventions and good quality follow-up data was generally lacking. There is early evidence for the effectiveness of augmentative FBT-based approaches in facilitating weight and/or ED symptom improvements for adolescents with restrictive EDs. There remains a lack of robust evidence demonstrating superior effects of such approaches over standard FBT, and further controlled studies are required to expand on the current evidence. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Exploring Alternative Characteristic Curve Approaches to Linking Parameter Estimates from the Generalized Partial Credit Model.

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Roberts, James S.; Bao, Han; Huang, Chun-Wei; Gagne, Phill

Characteristic curve approaches for linking parameters from the generalized partial credit model were examined for cases in which common (anchor) items are calibrated separately in two groups. Three of these approaches are simple extensions of the test characteristic curve (TCC), item characteristic curve (ICC), and operating characteristic curve…

Innovative approaches to cervical cancer screening for sex trade workers: an international scoping review.

Science.gov (United States)

Thulien, Naomi S

2014-03-01

Female sex trade workers are among those at highest risk for developing and dying of cervical cancer, and yet many-particularly the most marginalized-are less likely than other women to be screened. This review summarizes global findings on innovative approaches to cervical cancer screening for female sex trade workers, highlights current gaps in the delivery of cervical cancer screening for female sex trade workers globally, and suggests areas for future research and policy development. A scoping review of peer-reviewed publications and grey literature was conducted. Medline (OVID), PubMed, EMBASE, and SCOPUS were searched for relevant studies written in English. There were no limitations placed on dates. Grey literature was identified by hand searching and through discussion with health care providers and community outreach workers currently working with sex trade workers. Twenty-five articles were deemed suitable for review. Articles detailing innovative ways for female sex trade workers to access cervical cancer screening were included. Articles about screening for sexually transmitted infections were also included if the findings could be generalized to screening for cervical cancer. Articles limited to exploring risk factors, knowledge, awareness, education, prevalence, and incidence of cervical cancer among sex trade workers were excluded from the review. Successful screening initiatives identified in the studies reviewed had unconventional hours of operation, understood the difference between street-based and venue-based sex trade workers, and/or used peers for outreach. Two significant gaps in health care service delivery were highlighted in this review: the limited use of unorthodox hours and the nearly exclusive practice of providing sexually transmitted infection screening for female sex trade workers without cervical cancer screening. In addition, although street-based (as opposed to venue-based) sex trade workers are likely at higher risk for

Generalization of the geometric optical series approach for nonadiabatic scattering problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herman, M.F.

1982-01-01

The geometric optical series approach of Bremmer is generalized for multisurface nonadiabatic scattering problems. This method yields the formal solution of the Schroedinger equation as an infinite series of multiple integrals. The zeroth order term corresponds to WKB propagation on a single adiabatic surface, while the general Nth order term involves N reflections and/or transitions between surfaces accompanied by ''free,'' single surface semiclassical propagation between the points of reflection and transition. Each term is integrated over all possible transition and reflection points. The adiabatic and diabatic limits of this expression are discussed. Numerical results, in which all reflections are ignored, are presented for curve crossing and noncrossing problems. These results are compared to exact quantum results and are shown to be highly accurate

Faculty Approaches to Assessing Critical Thinking in the Humanities and the Natural and Social Sciences: Implications for General Education

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Nicholas, Mark C.; Labig, Chalmer E., Jr.

2013-01-01

An analysis of interviews, focus-group discussions, assessment instruments, and assignment prompts revealed that within general education, faculty assessed critical thinking as faceted using methods and criteria that varied epistemically across disciplines. Faculty approaches were misaligned with discipline-general institutional approaches.…

CoSpa: A Co-training Approach for Spam Review Identification with Support Vector Machine

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Wen Zhang

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Spam reviews are increasingly appearing on the Internet to promote sales or defame competitors by misleading consumers with deceptive opinions. This paper proposes a co-training approach called CoSpa (Co-training for Spam review identification to identify spam reviews by two views: one is the lexical terms derived from the textual content of the reviews and the other is the PCFG (Probabilistic Context-Free Grammars rules derived from a deep syntax analysis of the reviews. Using SVM (Support Vector Machine as the base classifier, we develop two strategies, CoSpa-C and CoSpa-U, embedded within the CoSpa approach. The CoSpa-C strategy selects unlabeled reviews classified with the largest confidence to augment the training dataset to retrain the classifier. The CoSpa-U strategy randomly selects unlabeled reviews with a uniform distribution of confidence. Experiments on the spam dataset and the deception dataset demonstrate that both the proposed CoSpa algorithms outperform the traditional SVM with lexical terms and PCFG rules in spam review identification. Moreover, the CoSpa-U strategy outperforms the CoSpa-C strategy when we use the absolute value of decision function of SVM as the confidence.

Relationship between motivational goal orientations, perceptions of general education classroom learning environment, and deep approaches to learning

OpenAIRE

Chanut Poondej; Thanita Lerdpornkulrat

2016-01-01

Researchers have reported empirical evidence that the deep approaches to learning account for significant successful learning. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between students' motivational goal orientation, their perceptions of the general education classroom learning environment, and deep approaches to learning strategies. Participants (N = 494) were first- and second-year college students enrolled in any of the general education courses in higher education in Thaila...

Internet Safety and Security Surveys - A Review

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sharp, Robin

This report gives a review of investigations into Internet safety and security over the last 10 years. The review covers a number of surveys of Internet usage, of Internet security in general, and of Internet users' awareness of issues related to safety and security. The focus and approach...... of the various surveys is considered, and is related to more general proposals for investigating the issues involved. A variety of proposals for how to improve levels of Internet safety and security are also described, and they are reviewed in the light of studies of motivational factors which affect the degree...

The laparoscopic approach in emergency surgery: A review of the literature

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Ionut Negoi

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The role of laparoscopy in the acute care surgery had significantly increased during the latest years, both as a diagnostic and treatment method of all the upper or lower gastrointestinal pathologies. The objective of the present research is to review the current indications for laparoscopy in bdominal emergencies and to detail the benefits and complications associated with this approach. We have reviewed the relevant literature about this topic published between January 2005 and December 2017, using the PubMed/Medline and Web of Science Core Collection databases. According to the current evidence, we may conclude that the laparoscopic approach is an integral part of the emergency surgery for all the abdominal pathologies. Although laparoscopy requires specialized training and curricula, it brings all the benefits of minimal access in acute care arena.

Motivational interviewing in general dental practice: A review of the evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Kay, E J; Vascott, D; Hocking, A; Nield, H

2016-12-16

Objectives The objective of this study was to systematically review the evidence regarding the use of motivational interviewing in the context of general dental practice, in order that practitioners can decide whether it might be an important skill to develop within their practices.Data sources The results reported in this study form part of a larger systematic review which sought to identify whether oral health promotion within dental practice is effective and how its effects can be optimised. Here, we focus on the papers describing motivational interviewing in dental practice published since 1994. The systematic review included searches of 20 online resources (including Ovid Medline and Embase).Data selection Papers which were not about oral health promotion and did not apply the behavioural and psychological theories, which underpin motivational interviewing, were excluded.Data synthesis This review included eight papers all of which were considered to be of robust quality, in terms of their research methods and seven of which were considered to offer externally valid findings. Five described randomised controlled trials and all of these RCTs demonstrated that interventions including motivational interviewing had a positive effect on oral health and health behaviour.Conclusions This review shows that the motivational interviewing technique, which is based on the concept of autonomy support, has potential for helping patients with poor oral health. Training in motivational interviewing for dental personnel could be a very useful addition to the skill set of practitioners and dental teams.

The soft computing-based approach to investigate allergic diseases: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Tartarisco, Gennaro; Tonacci, Alessandro; Minciullo, Paola Lucia; Billeci, Lucia; Pioggia, Giovanni; Incorvaia, Cristoforo; Gangemi, Sebastiano

2017-01-01

Early recognition of inflammatory markers and their relation to asthma, adverse drug reactions, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis and other allergic diseases is an important goal in allergy. The vast majority of studies in the literature are based on classic statistical methods; however, developments in computational techniques such as soft computing-based approaches hold new promise in this field. The aim of this manuscript is to systematically review the main soft computing-based techniques such as artificial neural networks, support vector machines, bayesian networks and fuzzy logic to investigate their performances in the field of allergic diseases. The review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines and the protocol was registered within PROSPERO database (CRD42016038894). The research was performed on PubMed and ScienceDirect, covering the period starting from September 1, 1990 through April 19, 2016. The review included 27 studies related to allergic diseases and soft computing performances. We observed promising results with an overall accuracy of 86.5%, mainly focused on asthmatic disease. The review reveals that soft computing-based approaches are suitable for big data analysis and can be very powerful, especially when dealing with uncertainty and poorly characterized parameters. Furthermore, they can provide valuable support in case of lack of data and entangled cause-effect relationships, which make it difficult to assess the evolution of disease. Although most works deal with asthma, we believe the soft computing approach could be a real breakthrough and foster new insights into other allergic diseases as well.

Promoting Clinical Reasoning in Undergraduate Physical Therapy Education: A Review of Strategies and Approaches

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brekke, Anders Falk

2015-01-01

Title: Promoting Clinical Reasoning in Undergraduate Physical Therapy Education: A Review of Strategies and Approaches Juneja H1, Brekke A F2 1,2 Physical Therapy Education, University College Zealand, Denmark Background: Clinical reasoning (CR) also referred to as “critical thinking” or “decision....... It is imperative that physical therapy educators utilize innovative pedagogical methods to facilitate learning of reasoning skills in students. Purpose: The review is an attempt to highlight and discuss selected pedagogical strategies and approaches to enhance clinical reasoning skills in undergraduate physical...... programs was shortlisted for the review. References of pertinent literature were scanned to identify further relevant citations. Results: The review provides a detailed insight into the interwoven nature of pedagogical techniques to promote clinical reasoning being used by different physical therapy...

Protection of facilities against sabotage general approaches and studies in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Venot, R.; Loiseau, O.; Cheval, K.

2004-01-01

In addition to the measures taken in the frame of the nuclear safety demonstration, the French nuclear facilities are subjected to a specific verification approach concerning the risk resulting from a malevolent action that may cause a release of radioactive materials in the environment. This approach aims at determining the protection level for facilities, based on predefined threats and the provisions to be set, if necessary, to ensure a satisfactory protection. The approach presented in this paper basically consists of a sensitivity analysis followed by a vulnerability analysis. In the French national control system also shortly described in the paper, the competent authority asks the operator to present a demonstration based on the approach and IRSN is charged with the technical assessment of the dossier. Because these analyses are generally based on specific tools, particularly in the case of vulnerability assessment, IRSN has raised a program to collect a set of methods and data on this subject, presented in the second part of this paper. It must be pointed out that no quantitative results or detailed examples will be given in the paper due to the sensitivity of the subject and the confidentiality measures applying. (orig.)

General review of solar-powered closed sorption refrigeration systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarbu, Ioan; Sebarchievici, Calin

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Provide review of development in solar sorption refrigeration technologies. • Theoretical basis and applications of absorption and adsorption cycles are discussed. • Thermodynamic properties of most common working pairs have been reviewed. • Development of hybrid or thermal energy storage adsorption systems was explored. • A comparison between solar-powered absorption and adsorption systems was performed. - Abstract: The negative environmental impacts of burning fossil fuels have forced the energy research community seriously to consider renewable sources, such as naturally available solar energy. Thermally powered refrigeration technologies are classified into two categories: thermo-mechanical technology and sorption technology (open systems or closed systems). This paper provides a detailed review of the solar closed sorption (absorption and adsorption) refrigeration systems, which utilise working pairs (fluids). After an introduction of the basic principles of these systems, the history of development and recent advances in solar sorption refrigeration technologies are reported. The adsorption cooling typically has a lower heat source temperature requirement than the absorption cooling. Based on the coefficient of performance (COP), the absorption systems are preferred over the adsorption systems, and the higher temperature issues can be easily handled with solar adsorption systems. The thermodynamic properties of most common working fluids, as well as the use of ternary mixtures in solar-powered absorption systems, have been reviewed in this study. The paper also refers to new approaches to increase the efficiency and sustainability of the basic adsorption cycles, such as the development of hybrid or thermal energy storage adsorption systems. This research shows that solar-powered closed sorption refrigeration technologies can be attractive alternatives not only to serve the needs for air-conditioning, refrigeration, ice making, thermal

Pharmacotherapy for the treatment of aggressive behavior in general adult psychiatry: a systematic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Goedhard, L.E.; Stolker, J.J.; Heerdink, E.R.; Nijman, H.L.I.; Olivier, B.; Egberts, A.C.G.

2006-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the evidence for pharmacologic management of outwardly directed aggressive behavior in general adult psychiatry. DATA SOURCES: Literature searches in PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Cochrane libraries from 1966 through March 2005 were used to identify relevant

Current psychological therapeutic approaches for gambling disorder with psychiatric comorbidities: A narrative review

OpenAIRE

Echeburúa, Enrique; Amor, Pedro J.; Gómez, Montserrat

2017-01-01

Abstract: Background: Although the presence of a gambling disorder (GD) together with another mental disorder poses special treatment challenges, such as relapses, severe outcomes for patients and families, and increased number of hospitalizations, there are only a few critical reviews in the literature. Objective: To review empirical evidence of psychological approaches to cope specifically with these dual disorders. Method: A narrative review of the relevant bibliography on this topic wa...

What Synthesis Methodology Should I Use? A Review and Analysis of Approaches to Research Synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Schick-Makaroff, Kara; MacDonald, Marjorie; Plummer, Marilyn; Burgess, Judy; Neander, Wendy

2016-01-01

When we began this process, we were doctoral students and a faculty member in a research methods course. As students, we were facing a review of the literature for our dissertations. We encountered several different ways of conducting a review but were unable to locate any resources that synthesized all of the various synthesis methodologies. Our purpose is to present a comprehensive overview and assessment of the main approaches to research synthesis. We use 'research synthesis' as a broad overarching term to describe various approaches to combining, integrating, and synthesizing research findings. We conducted an integrative review of the literature to explore the historical, contextual, and evolving nature of research synthesis. We searched five databases, reviewed websites of key organizations, hand-searched several journals, and examined relevant texts from the reference lists of the documents we had already obtained. We identified four broad categories of research synthesis methodology including conventional, quantitative, qualitative, and emerging syntheses. Each of the broad categories was compared to the others on the following: key characteristics, purpose, method, product, context, underlying assumptions, unit of analysis, strengths and limitations, and when to use each approach. The current state of research synthesis reflects significant advancements in emerging synthesis studies that integrate diverse data types and sources. New approaches to research synthesis provide a much broader range of review alternatives available to health and social science students and researchers.

Treatment of secondary burn wound progression in contact burns-a systematic review of experimental approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmauss, Daniel; Rezaeian, Farid; Finck, Tom; Machens, Hans-Guenther; Wettstein, Reto; Harder, Yves

2015-01-01

After a burn injury, superficial partial-thickness burn wounds may progress to deep partial-thickness or full-thickness burn wounds, if kept untreated. This phenomenon is called secondary burn wound progression or conversion. Burn wound depth is an important determinant of patient morbidity and mortality. Therefore, reduction or even the prevention of secondary burn wound progression is one goal of the acute care of burned patients. The objective of this study was to review preclinical approaches evaluating therapies to reduce burn wound progression. A systematic review of experimental approaches in animals that aim at reducing or preventing secondary burn wound progression was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. The selected references consist of all the peer-reviewed studies performed in vivo in animals and review articles published in English, German, Italian, Spanish, or French language relevant to the topic of secondary burn wound progression. We searched MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar including all the articles published from the beginning of notations to the present. The search was conducted between May 3, 2012 and December 26, 2013. We included 29 experimental studies in this review, investigating agents that maintain or increase local perfusion conditions, as well as agents that exhibit an anti-coagulatory, an anti-inflammatory, or an anti-apoptotic property. Warm water, simvastatin, EPO, or cerium nitrate may represent particularly promising approaches for the translation into clinical use in the near future. This review demonstrates promising experimental approaches that might reduce secondary burn wound progression. Nevertheless, a translation into clinical application needs to confirm the results compiled in experimental animal studies.

A review of significant events analysed in general practice: implications for the quality and safety of patient care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bradley Nick

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Significant event analysis (SEA is promoted as a team-based approach to enhancing patient safety through reflective learning. Evidence of SEA participation is required for appraisal and contractual purposes in UK general practice. A voluntary educational model in the west of Scotland enables general practitioners (GPs and doctors-in-training to submit SEA reports for feedback from trained peers. We reviewed reports to identify the range of safety issues analysed, learning needs raised and actions taken by GP teams. Method Content analysis of SEA reports submitted in an 18 month period between 2005 and 2007. Results 191 SEA reports were reviewed. 48 described patient harm (25.1%. A further 109 reports (57.1% outlined circumstances that had the potential to cause patient harm. Individual 'error' was cited as the most common reason for event occurrence (32.5%. Learning opportunities were identified in 182 reports (95.3% but were often non-specific professional issues not shared with the wider practice team. 154 SEA reports (80.1% described actions taken to improve practice systems or professional behaviour. However, non-medical staff were less likely to be involved in the changes resulting from event analyses describing patient harm (p Conclusion The study provides some evidence of the potential of SEA to improve healthcare quality and safety. If applied rigorously, GP teams and doctors in training can use the technique to investigate and learn from a wide variety of quality issues including those resulting in patient harm. This leads to reported change but it is unclear if such improvement is sustained.

The effectiveness of consultation-liaison psychiatry in the general hospital setting: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, Rebecca; Wand, Anne P F

2014-03-01

The aim of this study was to review how the effectiveness of consultation liaison psychiatry (CLP) services has been measured and to evaluate the strength of the evidence for effectiveness. Systematic review of medical databases using broad search terms as well as expert opinion was sought. The literature search was restricted to studies of general, whole-of-hospital inpatient CLP services. Forty articles were found and grouped into five measurements of effectiveness: cost effectiveness including length of stay, concordance, staff and patient feedback, and follow-up outcome studies. All measurements contributed to the evaluation of CLP services, but no one measure in isolation could adequately cover the multifaceted roles of CLP. Concordance was the only measurement with an established, consistent approach for evaluation. Cost effectiveness and follow-up outcome studies were the only measures with levels of evidence above four, however the three follow-up outcome studies reported conflicting results. Subjective evidence derived from patient and staff feedback is important but presently lacking due to methodological problems. The effectiveness of CLP services was demonstrated by cost-effectiveness, earlier referrals to CLP predicting shorter length of stay, and concordance with some management recommendations. There is evidence that some CLP services are cost-effective and reduce length of stay when involved early and that referrers follow certain recommendations. However, many studies had disparate results and were methodologically flawed. Future research should focus on standardising patient and staff feedback, and short-term patient outcomes. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A general approach toward enhancement of pseudocapacitive performance of conducting polymers by redox-active electrolytes

KAUST Repository

Chen, Wei

2014-12-01

A general approach is demonstrated where the pseudocapacitive performance of different conducting polymers is enhanced in redox-active electrolytes. The concept is demonstrated using several electroactive conducting polymers, including polyaniline, polypyrrole, and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene). As compared to conventional electrolytes, the redox-active electrolytes, prepared by simply adding a redox mediator to the conventional electrolyte, can significantly improve the energy storage capacity of pseudocapacitors with different conducting polymers. The results show that the specific capacitance of conducting polymer based pseudocapacitors can be increased by a factor of two by utilization of the redox-active electrolytes. In fact, this approach gives some of the highest reported specific capacitance values for electroactive conducting polymers. Moreover, our findings present a general and effective approach for the enhancement of energy storage performance of pseudocapacitors using a variety of polymeric electrode materials. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

77 FR 31016 - General Services Administration Acquisition Regulation; Submission for OMB Review; GSA Mentor...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-24

... Services Administration Acquisition Regulation; Submission for OMB Review; GSA Mentor-Prot[eacute]g[eacute... collection concerning the GSA Mentor-Prot[eacute]g[eacute] Program, General Service Administration... Collection 3090- 0286, GSA Mentor-Prot[eacute]g[eacute] Program by any of the following methods: Regulations...

Theoretical Approaches to Coping

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sofia Zyga

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Dealing with stress requires conscious effort, it cannot be perceived as equal to individual's spontaneous reactions. The intentional management of stress must not be confused withdefense mechanisms. Coping differs from adjustment in that the latter is more general, has a broader meaning and includes diverse ways of facing a difficulty.Aim: An exploration of the definition of the term "coping", the function of the coping process as well as its differentiation from other similar meanings through a literature review.Methodology: Three theoretical approaches of coping are introduced; the psychoanalytic approach; approaching by characteristics; and the Lazarus and Folkman interactive model.Results: The strategic methods of the coping approaches are described and the article ends with a review of the approaches including the functioning of the stress-coping process , the classificationtypes of coping strategies in stress-inducing situations and with a criticism of coping approaches.Conclusions: The comparison of coping in different situations is difficult, if not impossible. The coping process is a slow process, so an individual may select one method of coping under one set ofcircumstances and a different strategy at some other time. Such selection of strategies takes place as the situation changes.

BOOK REVIEW: Partial Differential Equations in General Relativity

Science.gov (United States)

Halburd, Rodney G.

2008-11-01

Although many books on general relativity contain an overview of the relevant background material from differential geometry, very little attention is usually paid to background material from the theory of differential equations. This is understandable in a first course on relativity but it often limits the kinds of problems that can be studied rigorously. Einstein's field equations lie at the heart of general relativity. They are a system of partial differential equations (PDEs) relating the curvature of spacetime to properties of matter. A central part of most problems in general relativity is to extract information about solutions of these equations. Most standard texts achieve this by studying exact solutions or numerical and analytical approximations. In the book under review, Alan Rendall emphasises the role of rigorous qualitative methods in general relativity. There has long been a need for such a book, giving a broad overview of the relevant background from the theory of partial differential equations, and not just from differential geometry. It should be noted that the book also covers the basic theory of ordinary differential equations. Although there are many good books on the rigorous theory of PDEs, methods related to the Einstein equations deserve special attention, not only because of the complexity and importance of these equations, but because these equations do not fit into any of the standard classes of equations (elliptic, parabolic, hyperbolic) that one typically encounters in a course on PDEs. Even specifying exactly what ones means by a Cauchy problem in general relativity requires considerable care. The main problem here is that the manifold on which the solution is defined is determined by the solution itself. This means that one does not simply define data on a submanifold. Rendall's book gives a good overview of applications and results from the qualitative theory of PDEs to general relativity. It would be impossible to give detailed

Precipitation in Powder Metallurgy, Nickel Base Superalloys: Review of Modeling Approach and Formulation of Engineering (Postprint)

Science.gov (United States)

2016-12-01

AFRL-RX-WP-JA-2016-0333 PRECIPITATION IN POWDER- METALLURGY , NICKEL-BASE SUPERALLOYS: REVIEW OF MODELING APPROACH AND FORMULATION OF...PRECIPITATION IN POWDER- METALLURGY , NICKEL- BASE SUPERALLOYS: REVIEW OF MODELING APPROACH AND FORMULATION OF ENGINEERING (POSTPRINT) 5a...and kinetic parameters required for the modeling of γ′ precipitation in powder- metallurgy (PM), nickel-base superalloys are summarized. These

28 CFR 68.55 - Referral of cases arising under sections 274A or 274C to the Attorney General for review.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

...) Review by the Attorney General. When a final order of an Administrative Law Judge or the Chief... 274A or 274C to the Attorney General for review. 68.55 Section 68.55 Judicial Administration DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE (CONTINUED) RULES OF PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE FOR ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS BEFORE...

A BEME systematic review of UK undergraduate medical education in the general practice setting: BEME Guide No. 32.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Sophie; Khan, Nada F; Hampshire, Mandy; Knox, Richard; Malpass, Alice; Thomas, James; Anagnostelis, Betsy; Newman, Mark; Bower, Peter; Rosenthal, Joe; Murray, Elizabeth; Iliffe, Steve; Heneghan, Carl; Band, Amanda; Georgieva, Zoya

2015-05-06

General practice is increasingly used as a learning environment in undergraduate medical education in the UK. The aim of this project was to identify, summarise and synthesise research about undergraduate medical education in general practice in the UK. We systematically identified studies of undergraduate medical education within a general practice setting in the UK from 1990 onwards. All papers were summarised in a descriptive report and categorised into two in-depth syntheses: a quantitative and a qualitative in-depth review. 169 papers were identified, representing research from 26 UK medical schools. The in-depth review of quantitative papers (n = 7) showed that medical students learned clinical skills as well or better in general practice settings. Students receive more teaching, and clerk and examine more patients in the general practice setting than in hospital. Patient satisfaction and enablement are similar whether a student is present or not in a consultation, however, patients experience lower relational empathy. Two main thematic groups emerged from the qualitative in-depth review (n = 10): the interpersonal interactions within the teaching consultation and the socio-cultural spaces of learning which shape these interactions. The GP has a role as a broker of the interactions between patients and students. General practice is a socio-cultural and developmental learning space for students, who need to negotiate the competing cultures between hospital and general practice. Lastly, patients are transient members of the learning community, and their role requires careful facilitation. General practice is as good, if not better, than hospital delivery of teaching of clinical skills. Our meta-ethnography has produced rich understandings of the complex relationships shaping possibilities for student and patient active participation in learning.

What Synthesis Methodology Should I Use? A Review and Analysis of Approaches to Research Synthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Schick-Makaroff, Kara; MacDonald, Marjorie; Plummer, Marilyn; Burgess, Judy; Neander, Wendy

2016-01-01

Background When we began this process, we were doctoral students and a faculty member in a research methods course. As students, we were facing a review of the literature for our dissertations. We encountered several different ways of conducting a review but were unable to locate any resources that synthesized all of the various synthesis methodologies. Our purpose is to present a comprehensive overview and assessment of the main approaches to research synthesis. We use ‘research synthesis’ as a broad overarching term to describe various approaches to combining, integrating, and synthesizing research findings. Methods We conducted an integrative review of the literature to explore the historical, contextual, and evolving nature of research synthesis. We searched five databases, reviewed websites of key organizations, hand-searched several journals, and examined relevant texts from the reference lists of the documents we had already obtained. Results We identified four broad categories of research synthesis methodology including conventional, quantitative, qualitative, and emerging syntheses. Each of the broad categories was compared to the others on the following: key characteristics, purpose, method, product, context, underlying assumptions, unit of analysis, strengths and limitations, and when to use each approach. Conclusions The current state of research synthesis reflects significant advancements in emerging synthesis studies that integrate diverse data types and sources. New approaches to research synthesis provide a much broader range of review alternatives available to health and social science students and researchers. PMID:29546155

What Synthesis Methodology Should I Use? A Review and Analysis of Approaches to Research Synthesis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kara Schick-Makaroff

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Background: When we began this process, we were doctoral students and a faculty member in a research methods course. As students, we were facing a review of the literature for our dissertations. We encountered several different ways of conducting a review but were unable to locate any resources that synthesized all of the various synthesis methodologies. Our purpose is to present a comprehensive overview and assessment of the main approaches to research synthesis. We use ‘research synthesis’ as a broad overarching term to describe various approaches to combining, integrating, and synthesizing research findings. Methods: We conducted an integrative review of the literature to explore the historical, contextual, and evolving nature of research synthesis. We searched five databases, reviewed websites of key organizations, hand-searched several journals, and examined relevant texts from the reference lists of the documents we had already obtained. Results: We identified four broad categories of research synthesis methodology including conventional, quantitative, qualitative, and emerging syntheses. Each of the broad categories was compared to the others on the following: key characteristics, purpose, method, product, context, underlying assumptions, unit of analysis, strengths and limitations, and when to use each approach. Conclusions: The current state of research synthesis reflects significant advancements in emerging synthesis studies that integrate diverse data types and sources. New approaches to research synthesis provide a much broader range of review alternatives available to health and social science students and researchers.

MGF Approach to the Analysis of Generalized Two-Ray Fading Models

KAUST Repository

Rao, Milind; Lopez-Martinez, F. Javier; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Goldsmith, Andrea

2015-01-01

We analyze a class of Generalized Two-Ray (GTR) fading channels that consist of two line of sight (LOS) components with random phase plus a diffuse component. We derive a closedform expression for the moment generating function (MGF) of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for this model, which greatly simplifies its analysis. This expression arises from the observation that the GTR fading model can be expressed in terms of a conditional underlying Rician distribution. We illustrate the approach to derive simple expressions for statistics and performance metrics of interest such as the amount of fading, the level crossing rate, the symbol error rate, and the ergodic capacity in GTR fading channels. We also show that the effect of considering a more general distribution for the phase difference between the LOS components has an impact on the average SNR.

Patients' and carers' perspectives of palliative care in general practice: A systematic review with narrative synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Green, Emilie; Knight, Selena; Gott, Merryn; Barclay, Stephen; White, Patrick

2018-04-01

General practitioners have overall responsibility for community care, including towards end of life. Current policy places generalists at the centre of palliative care provision. However, little is known about how patients and carers understand the general practitioner's role. To explore patient and carer perspectives of (1) the role of the general practitioner in providing palliative care to adult patients and (2) the facilitators and barriers to the general practitioner's capacity to fulfil this perceived role. Systematic literature review and narrative synthesis. Seven electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, BNI, CINAHL, Cochrane and HMIC) were searched from inception to May 2017. Two reviewers independently screened papers at title, abstract and full-text stages. Grey literature, guideline, hand searches of five journals and reference list/citation searches of included papers were undertaken. Data were extracted, tabulated and synthesised using narrative, thematic analysis. A total of 25 studies were included: 14 employed qualitative methods, 8 quantitative survey methods and 3 mixed-methods. Five key themes were identified: continuity of care, communication between primary and secondary care, contact and accessibility, communication between general practitioner and patient, and knowledge and competence. Although the terminology and context of general practice vary internationally, themes relating to the perceived role of general practitioners were consistent. General practitioners are considered well placed to provide palliative care due to their breadth of clinical responsibility, ongoing relationships with patients and families, and duty to visit patients at home and coordinate healthcare resources. These factors, valued by service users, should influence future practice and policy development.

A strategic approach to quality improvement and patient safety education and resident integration in a general surgery residency.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Heron, Colette T; Jarman, Benjamin T

2014-01-01

To outline a structured approach for general surgery resident integration into institutional quality improvement and patient safety education and development. A strategic plan to address Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Clinical Learning Environment Review assessments for resident integration into Quality Improvement and Patient Safety initiatives is described. Gundersen Lutheran Medical Foundation is an independent academic medical center graduating three categorical residents per year within an integrated multi-specialty health system serving 19 counties over 3 states. The quality improvement and patient safety education program includes a formal lecture series, online didactic sessions, mandatory quality improvement or patient safety projects, institutional committee membership, an opportunity to serve as a designated American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Project and Quality in Training representative, mandatory morbidity and mortality conference attendance and clinical electives in rural surgery and international settings. Structured education regarding and participation in quality improvement and patient safety programs are able to be accomplished during general surgery residency. The long-term outcomes and benefits of these strategies are unknown at this time and will be difficult to measure with objective data. © 2013 Published by Association of Program Directors in Surgery on behalf of Association of Program Directors in Surgery.

The clinical approach to movement disorders.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Abdo, W.F.; Warrenburg, B.P.C. van de; Burn, D.J.; Quinn, N.P.; Bloem, B.R.

2010-01-01

Movement disorders are commonly encountered in the clinic. In this Review, aimed at trainees and general neurologists, we provide a practical step-by-step approach to help clinicians in their 'pattern recognition' of movement disorders, as part of a process that ultimately leads to the diagnosis.

Preoperative nutrition status and postoperative outcome in elderly general surgery patients: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

van Stijn, Mireille F M; Korkic-Halilovic, Ines; Bakker, Marjan S M; van der Ploeg, Tjeerd; van Leeuwen, Paul A M; Houdijk, Alexander P J

2013-01-01

Poor nutrition status is considered a risk factor for postoperative complications in the adult population. In elderly patients, who often have a poor nutrition status, this relationship has not been substantiated. Thus, the aim of this systematic review was to assess the merit of preoperative nutrition parameters used to predict postoperative outcome in elderly patients undergoing general surgery. A systematic literature search of 10 consecutive years, 1998-2008, in PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases was performed. Search terms used were nutrition status, preoperative assessment, postoperative outcome, and surgery (hip or general), including their synonyms and MeSH terms. Limits used in the search were human studies, published in English, and age (65 years or older). Articles were screened using inclusion and exclusion criteria. All selected articles were checked on methodology and graded. Of 463 articles found, 15 were included. They showed profound heterogeneity in the parameters used for preoperative nutrition status and postoperative outcome. The only significant preoperative predictors of postoperative outcome in elderly general surgery patients were serum albumin and ≥ 10% weight loss in the previous 6 months. This systematic review revealed only 2 preoperative parameters to predict postoperative outcome in elderly general surgery patients: weight loss and serum albumin. Both are open to discussion in their use as a preoperative nutrition parameter. Nonetheless, serum albumin seems a reliable preoperative parameter to identify a patient at risk for nutrition deterioration and related complicated postoperative course.

The positive deviance/hearth approach to reducing child malnutrition: systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Bisits Bullen, Piroska A

2011-11-01

The Positive Deviance/Hearth approach aims to rehabilitate malnourished children using practices from mothers in the community who have well-nourished children despite living in poverty. This study assesses its effectiveness in a range of settings. Systematic review of peer reviewed intervention trials and grey literature evaluation reports of child malnutrition programs using the Positive Deviance/Hearth approach. Ten peer reviewed studies and 14 grey literature reports met the inclusion criteria. These described results for 17 unique Positive Deviance/Hearth programs in 12 countries. Nine programs used a pre- and post-test design without a control, which limited the conclusions that could be drawn. Eight used more robust designs such as non-randomized trials, non-randomized cross-sectional sibling studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Of the eight programs that reported nutritional outcomes, five reported some type of positive result in terms of nutritional status - although the improvement was not always as large as predicted, or across the entire target population. Both the two RCTs demonstrated improvements in carer feeding practices. Qualitative results unanimously reported high levels of satisfaction from participants and recipient communities. Overall this study shows mixed results in terms of program effectiveness, although some Positive Deviance/Hearth programs have clearly been successful in particular settings. Sibling studies suggest that the Positive Deviance/Hearth approach may have a role in preventing malnutrition, not just rehabilitation. Further research is needed using more robust study designs and larger sample sizes. Issues related to community participation and consistency in reporting results need to be addressed. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Systematic reviews of adverse effects: framework for a structured approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Herxheimer Andrew

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background As every healthcare intervention carries some risk of harm, clinical decision making needs to be supported by a systematic assessment of the balance of benefit to harm. A systematic review that considers only the favourable outcomes of an intervention, without also assessing the adverse effects, can mislead by introducing a bias favouring the intervention. Much of the current guidance on systematic reviews is directed towards the evaluation of effectiveness; but this differs in important ways from the methods used in assessing the safety and tolerability of an intervention. A detailed discussion of why, how and when to include adverse effects in a systematic review, is required. Methods This discussion paper, which presupposes a basic knowledge of systematic review methodology, was developed by consensus among experienced reviewers, members of the Adverse Effects Subgroup of The Cochrane Collaboration, and supplemented by a consultation of content experts in reviews methodology, as well as those working in drug safety. Results A logical framework for making decisions in reviews that incorporate adverse effects is provided. We explore situations where a comprehensive investigation of adverse effects is warranted and suggest strategies to identify practicable and clinically useful outcomes. The advantages and disadvantages of including observational and experimental study designs are reviewed. The consequences of including separate studies for intended and unintended effects are explained. Detailed advice is given on designing electronic searches for studies with adverse effects data. Reviewers of adverse effects are given general guidance on the assessment of study bias, data collection, analysis, presentation and the interpretation of harms in a systematic review. Conclusion Readers need to be able to recognize how strategic choices made in the review process determine what harms are found, and how the findings may affect

The typological approach in child and family psychology: a review of theory, methods, and research.

Science.gov (United States)

Mandara, Jelani

2003-06-01

The purpose of this paper was to review the theoretical underpinnings, major concepts, and methods of the typological approach. It was argued that the typological approach offers a systematic, empirically rigorous and reliable way to synthesize the nomothetic variable-centered approach with the idiographic case-centered approach. Recent advances in cluster analysis validation make it a promising method for uncovering natural typologies. This paper also reviewed findings from personality and family studies that have revealed 3 prototypical personalities and parenting styles: Adjusted/Authoritative, Overcontrolled/Authoritarian, and Undercontrolled/Permissive. These prototypes are theorized to be synonymous with attractor basins in psychological state space. The connection between family types and personality structure as well as future directions of typological research were also discussed.

General approach to understanding the electronic structure of graphene on metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voloshina, E N; Dedkov, Yu S

2014-01-01

This manuscript presents the general approach to the understanding of the connection between bonding mechanism and electronic structure of graphene on metals. To demonstrate its validity, two limiting cases of ‘weakly’ and ‘strongly’ bonded graphene on Al(111) and Ni(111) are considered, where the Dirac cone is preserved or fully destroyed, respectively. Furthermore, the electronic structure, i.e. doping level, hybridization effects, as well as a gap formation at the Dirac point of the intermediate system, graphene/Cu(111), is fully understood in the framework of the proposed approach. This work summarises the long-term debates regarding connection of the bonding strength and the valence band modification in the graphene/metal systems and paves a way for the effective control of the electronic states of graphene in the vicinity of the Fermi level. (paper)

A general approach toward enhancement of pseudocapacitive performance of conducting polymers by redox-active electrolytes

KAUST Repository

Chen, Wei; Xia, Chuan; Baby, Rakhi Raghavan; Alshareef, Husam N.

2014-01-01

A general approach is demonstrated where the pseudocapacitive performance of different conducting polymers is enhanced in redox-active electrolytes. The concept is demonstrated using several electroactive conducting polymers, including polyaniline

A selective review of knowledge-based approaches to database design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shahrul Azman Noah

1995-01-01

Full Text Available The inclusion of real world knowledge or specialised knowledge has not been addressed by the majority of the systems reviewed. ODA has real world knowledge provided by using a thesaurus-type structure to represent generic models. Only NITDT includes the specialised knowledge in its knowledge base. NITDT classified its knowledge into application specific, domain specific and general knowledge. However the literature does not discuss in detail how this knowledge is applied during the design session. One of the key factors that distinguish computer-based expert systems from human experts is that the latter apply not only their specialised expertise to a problem but also their general knowledge of the world. NITDT is the only system reviewed here that holds any form of internal domain specific knowledge, which can be easily augmented, enriched and updated, as required. This knowledge allows the designer to be an active participant along with the user in the design process and significantly eases the user task. The inclusion of real world knowledge and specialised knowledge is an area that must be further addressed before intelligent tools are able to offer a realistic level of assistance to the human designers.

[The potential of general magnetic therapy for the treatment and rehabilitation (a review)].

Science.gov (United States)

Kulikov, A G; Voronina, D D

2016-01-01

This paper was designed to describe the main characteristics of general magnetic therapy and the mechanisms underlying its biological and therapeutic action. Special attention is given to the extensive application of this method in the routine clinical practice. The publications in the current scientific literature are reviewed in order to evaluate the potential of general magnetic therapy as a component of the combined treatment of various somatic pathologies, rehabilitation of the patients after surgical intervention with special reference to the management of the patients presenting with the oncological problems. The data suggesting good tolerability and high therapeutic effectiveness of the physiotherapeutic method under consideration.

Carbon capture in vehicles : a review of general support, available mechanisms, and consumer-acceptance issues.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-01

This survey of the feasibility of introducing carbon capture and storage (CCS) into light vehicles : started by reviewing the level of international support for CCS in general. While there have been : encouraging signs that CCS is gaining acceptance ...

The Flipped Learning Approach in Nursing Education: A Literature Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Presti, Carmen Rosa

2016-05-01

This integrative review examines the application of the pedagogical methodology-the flipped classroom-in nursing education. A literature search of the CINAHL, ERIC, and the National Library of Medicine (PubMed and MEDLINE) databases was conducted, using the following key words: flipped classroom, inverted classroom, and nursing education. Results of a literature search yielded 94 articles, with 13 meeting the criteria of the flipped classroom approach in nursing education. Themes identified include the theoretical underpinning, strategies for implementation of a flipped classroom, and student satisfaction with and outcomes of the flipped classroom approach. Syntheses of the findings indicate that the flipped classroom approach can yield positive outcomes, but further study of this methodology is needed to guide future implementation. [J Nurs Educ. 2016;55(5):252-257.]. Copyright 2016, SLACK Incorporated.

Generalized Lagrangian Path Approach to Manifestly-Covariant Quantum Gravity Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Massimo Tessarotto

2018-03-01

Full Text Available A trajectory-based representation for the quantum theory of the gravitational field is formulated. This is achieved in terms of a covariant Generalized Lagrangian-Path (GLP approach which relies on a suitable statistical representation of Bohmian Lagrangian trajectories, referred to here as GLP-representation. The result is established in the framework of the manifestly-covariant quantum gravity theory (CQG-theory proposed recently and the related CQG-wave equation advancing in proper-time the quantum state associated with massive gravitons. Generally non-stationary analytical solutions for the CQG-wave equation with non-vanishing cosmological constant are determined in such a framework, which exhibit Gaussian-like probability densities that are non-dispersive in proper-time. As a remarkable outcome of the theory achieved by implementing these analytical solutions, the existence of an emergent gravity phenomenon is proven to hold. Accordingly, it is shown that a mean-field background space-time metric tensor can be expressed in terms of a suitable statistical average of stochastic fluctuations of the quantum gravitational field whose quantum-wave dynamics is described by GLP trajectories.

The use of generalized functions and distributions in general relativity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steinbauer, R; Vickers, J A

2006-01-01

We review the extent to which one can use classical distribution theory in describing solutions of Einstein's equations. We show that there are a number of physically interesting cases which cannot be treated using distribution theory but require a more general concept. We describe a mathematical theory of nonlinear generalized functions based on Colombeau algebras and show how this may be applied in general relativity. We end by discussing the concept of singularity in general relativity and show that certain solutions with weak singularities may be regarded as distributional solutions of Einstein's equations. (topical review)

Electrical deicing utilizing carbon fiber tape for asphalt approach and crosswalk phase I - literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-06-30

The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive literature review of electrical deicing technology for possible application in asphalt approach and crosswalks. A : thorough review of existing and emerging deicing technology for snow/ice melti...

Quantum Networks: General theory and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bisio, A.; D'Ariano, G. M.; Perinotti, P.; Chiribella, G.

2011-01-01

In this work we present a general mathematical framework to deal with Quantum Networks, i.e. networks resulting from the interconnection of elementary quantum circuits. The cornerstone of our approach is a generalization of the Choi isomorphism that allows one to efficiently represent any given Quantum Network in terms of a single positive operator. Our formalism allows one to face and solve many quantum information processing problems that would be hardly manageable otherwise, the most relevant of which are reviewed in this work: quantum process tomography, quantum cloning and learning of transformations, inversion of a unitary gate, information-disturbance tradeoff in estimating a unitary transformation, cloning and learning of a measurement device (Authors)

CoFea: A Novel Approach to Spam Review Identification Based on Entropy and Co-Training

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wen Zhang

2016-11-01

Full Text Available With the rapid development of electronic commerce, spam reviews are rapidly growing on the Internet to manipulate online customers’ opinions on goods being sold. This paper proposes a novel approach, called CoFea (Co-training by Features, to identify spam reviews, based on entropy and the co-training algorithm. After sorting all lexical terms of reviews by entropy, we produce two views on the reviews by dividing the lexical terms into two subsets. One subset contains odd-numbered terms and the other contains even-numbered terms. Using SVM (support vector machine as the base classifier, we further propose two strategies, CoFea-T and CoFea-S, embedded with the CoFea approach. The CoFea-T strategy uses all terms in the subsets for spam review identification by SVM. The CoFea-S strategy uses a predefined number of terms with small entropy for spam review identification by SVM. The experiment results show that the CoFea-T strategy produces better accuracy than the CoFea-S strategy, while the CoFea-S strategy saves more computing time than the CoFea-T strategy with acceptable accuracy in spam review identification.

A κ-generalized statistical mechanics approach to income analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Clementi, F.; Gallegati, M.; Kaniadakis, G.

2009-02-01

This paper proposes a statistical mechanics approach to the analysis of income distribution and inequality. A new distribution function, having its roots in the framework of κ-generalized statistics, is derived that is particularly suitable for describing the whole spectrum of incomes, from the low-middle income region up to the high income Pareto power-law regime. Analytical expressions for the shape, moments and some other basic statistical properties are given. Furthermore, several well-known econometric tools for measuring inequality, which all exist in a closed form, are considered. A method for parameter estimation is also discussed. The model is shown to fit remarkably well the data on personal income for the United States, and the analysis of inequality performed in terms of its parameters is revealed as very powerful.

A κ-generalized statistical mechanics approach to income analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clementi, F; Gallegati, M; Kaniadakis, G

2009-01-01

This paper proposes a statistical mechanics approach to the analysis of income distribution and inequality. A new distribution function, having its roots in the framework of κ-generalized statistics, is derived that is particularly suitable for describing the whole spectrum of incomes, from the low–middle income region up to the high income Pareto power-law regime. Analytical expressions for the shape, moments and some other basic statistical properties are given. Furthermore, several well-known econometric tools for measuring inequality, which all exist in a closed form, are considered. A method for parameter estimation is also discussed. The model is shown to fit remarkably well the data on personal income for the United States, and the analysis of inequality performed in terms of its parameters is revealed as very powerful

Generalized approach to bilateral control for EMG driven exoskeleton

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gradetsky Valery

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The paper discusses a generalized approach to bilateral control for EMG driven exoskeleton systems. In this paper we consider a semi-automatic mechatronic system that is controlled via human muscle activity (EMG level. The problem is to understand how the movement of the exoskeleton effects on the control. The considered system can be described in terms of bilateral control. This means the existence of force feedback from the object via the exoskeleton links and drives to operator. The simulation of the considered model was held on the MATLAB Simulink. The mathematical model of the bilateral system with exoskeleton and operator was developed. Transient functions for different dynamic parameters were obtained. It was shown that force feedback is essential for the R&D of such systems.

On the generalization of the hazard rate twisting-based simulation approach

KAUST Repository

Rached, Nadhir B.

2016-11-17

Estimating the probability that a sum of random variables (RVs) exceeds a given threshold is a well-known challenging problem. A naive Monte Carlo simulation is the standard technique for the estimation of this type of probability. However, this approach is computationally expensive, especially when dealing with rare events. An alternative approach is represented by the use of variance reduction techniques, known for their efficiency in requiring less computations for achieving the same accuracy requirement. Most of these methods have thus far been proposed to deal with specific settings under which the RVs belong to particular classes of distributions. In this paper, we propose a generalization of the well-known hazard rate twisting Importance Sampling-based approach that presents the advantage of being logarithmic efficient for arbitrary sums of RVs. The wide scope of applicability of the proposed method is mainly due to our particular way of selecting the twisting parameter. It is worth observing that this interesting feature is rarely satisfied by variance reduction algorithms whose performances were only proven under some restrictive assumptions. It comes along with a good efficiency, illustrated by some selected simulation results comparing the performance of the proposed method with some existing techniques.

Routine general practice care for panic disorder within the lifestyle approach to managing panic study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodney A. Lambert

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Routine general practice (GP care is rarely comprehensively described in clinical trials. This paper examines routine GP care within the lifestyle approach to managing panic (LAMP study. The aim of this paper is to describe/discuss routine GP care for panic disorder (PD patients within both study arms in the LAMP study. An unblinded pragmatic randomised controlled trial in 15 East of England GP practices (2 primary care trusts. Participants met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria for PD with/without agoraphobia. Follow-up measures recorded at 20 weeks/10 months following randomisation. Control arm, unrestricted routine GP care (practice appointments, referrals and prescriptions. Trial arm, occupational therapyled lifestyle treatment comprising lifestyle review of fluid intake, diet pattern, exercise, caffeine, alcohol and nicotine. Primary outcome measure: beck anxiety inventory. At baseline, participants attended 2-3 times more GP appointments than population average, reducing at 10 months to 1.6 times population average for routine GP care and 0.97 population average for lifestyle arm. At 10 months, 33% fewer referrals (6 referrals; 0 mental health than at baseline (9 referrals; 2 mental health were made for lifestyle arm patients compared with 42% increase (from 12 referrals; 8 mental health at baseline to 17 referrals; 7 mental health in GP care arm. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors were prescribed most often. Benzodiazepines and beta-blockers were prescribed more often than tricyclic against current clinical guidelines. In conclusion, we found that PD patients at baseline were high healthcare resource users. Treatment in both study arms reduced resource use. Routine GP care requires further review for this patient group.

Patient-centred care in general dental practice - a systematic review of the literature

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background Delivering improvements in quality is a key objective within most healthcare systems, and a view which has been widely embraced within the NHS in the United Kingdom. Within the NHS, quality is evaluated across three key dimensions: clinical effectiveness, safety and patient experience, with the latter modelled on the Picker Principles of Patient-Centred Care (PCC). Quality improvement is an important feature of the current dental contract reforms in England, with “patient experience” likely to have a central role in the evaluation of quality. An understanding and appreciation of the evidence underpinning PCC within dentistry is highly relevant if we are to use this as a measure of quality in general dental practice. Methods A systematic review of the literature was undertaken to identify the features of PCC relevant to dentistry and ascertain the current research evidence base underpinning its use as a measure of quality within general dental practice. Results Three papers were identified which met the inclusion criteria and demonstrated the use of primary research to provide an understanding of the key features of PCC within dentistry. None of the papers identified were based in general dental practice and none of the three studies sought the views of patients. Some distinct differences were noted between the key features of PCC reported within the dental literature and those developed within the NHS Patient Experience Framework. Conclusions This systematic review reveals a lack of understanding of PCC within dentistry, and in particular general dental practice. There is currently a poor evidence base to support the use of the current patient reported outcome measures as indicators of patient-centredness. Further research is necessary to understand the important features of PCC in dentistry and patients’ views should be central to this research. PMID:24902842

Global general pediatric surgery partnership: The UCLA-Mozambique experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Amado, Vanda; Martins, Deborah B; Karan, Abraar; Johnson, Brittni; Shekherdimian, Shant; Miller, Lee T; Taela, Atanasio; DeUgarte, Daniel A

2017-09-01

There has been increasing recognition of the disparities in surgical care throughout the world. Increasingly, efforts are being made to improve local infrastructure and training of surgeons in low-income settings. The purpose of this study was to review the first 5-years of a global academic pediatric general surgery partnership between UCLA and the Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo, Mozambique. A mixed-methods approach was utilized to perform an ongoing needs assessment. A retrospective review of admission and operative logbooks was performed. Partnership activities were summarized. The needs assessment identified several challenges including limited operative time, personnel, equipment, and resources. Review of logbooks identified a high frequency of burn admissions and colorectal procedures. Partnership activities focused on providing educational resources, on-site proctoring, training opportunities, and research collaboration. This study highlights the spectrum of disease and operative case volume of a referral center for general pediatric surgery in sub-Saharan Africa, and it provides a context for academic partnership activities to facilitate training and improve the quality of pediatric general surgical care in limited-resource settings. Level IV. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Large-scale structure observables in general relativity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeong, Donghui; Schmidt, Fabian

2015-01-01

We review recent studies that rigorously define several key observables of the large-scale structure of the Universe in a general relativistic context. Specifically, we consider (i) redshift perturbation of cosmic clock events; (ii) distortion of cosmic rulers, including weak lensing shear and magnification; and (iii) observed number density of tracers of the large-scale structure. We provide covariant and gauge-invariant expressions of these observables. Our expressions are given for a linearly perturbed flat Friedmann–Robertson–Walker metric including scalar, vector, and tensor metric perturbations. While we restrict ourselves to linear order in perturbation theory, the approach can be straightforwardly generalized to higher order. (paper)

Effects produced by oscillations applied to nonlinear dynamic systems: a general approach and examples

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blekhman, I. I.; Sorokin, V. S.

2016-01-01

A general approach to study effects produced by oscillations applied to nonlinear dynamic systems is developed. It implies a transition from initial governing equations of motion to much more simple equations describing only the main slow component of motions (the vibro-transformed dynamics.......g., the requirement for the involved nonlinearities to be weak. The approach is illustrated by several relevant examples from various fields of science, e.g., mechanics, physics, chemistry and biophysics....... equations). The approach is named as the oscillatory strobodynamics, since motions are perceived as under a stroboscopic light. The vibro-transformed dynamics equations comprise terms that capture the averaged effect of oscillations. The method of direct separation of motions appears to be an efficient...

Does generalized joint hypermobility predict joint injury in sport? A review.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Donaldson, Peter R

2012-02-01

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether persons with generalized joint hypermobility have an increased risk of lower limb joint injury during sport. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, and SportDiscus were searched through February 2009, without language restrictions, using terms related to risk; hip, ankle, and knee injuries; and joint instability. Reference lists of included studies and relevant reviews were searched by hand. STUDY SELECTION: Selection criteria were peer-reviewed studies with a prospective design that used an objective scale to measure generalized joint hypermobility; the participants were engaged in sport activity, and the injury data were quantitative and based on diagnosis by a health professional, were self-reported, or resulted in time lost to athletic participation. The studies were screened by 1 researcher and checked by a second. Study methods were independently assessed by 2 investigators using the 6-point scale for prognostic studies developed by Pengel. Disagreements were resolved through discussion. Of 4841 studies identified, 18 met inclusion criteria. Of these, 8 were included in random-effects meta-analyses. DATA EXTRACTION: The data extracted by 2 reviewers included participant and sport characteristics and details of joint hypermobility and injury measurements. More detailed data for 4 investigations were obtained from the study authors. Where possible, hypermobility was defined as >\\/=4 of 9 points on the British Society of Rheumatology Scale (BSRS). MAIN RESULTS: Lower limb joint injuries (3 studies, 1047 participants) occurred in 14% of participants. Using the BSRS of joint hypermobility, any lower limb injury was not associated with hypermobility [odds ratio (OR), 1.43; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.56-3.67]. Using the original authors\\' definitions, hypermobility was associated with risk of knee joint injuries (OR, 2.62; 95% CI, 1.04-6.58) in 5 studies. In 4 studies in which the BSRS could be used (1167 participants; incidence

Communication: General variational approach to nuclear-quadrupole coupling in rovibrational spectra of polyatomic molecules

Science.gov (United States)

Yachmenev, Andrey; Küpper, Jochen

2017-10-01

A general algorithm for computing the quadrupole-hyperfine effects in the rovibrational spectra of polyatomic molecules is presented for the case of ammonia (NH3). The method extends the general variational approach TROVE [J. Mol. Spectrosc. 245, 126-140 (2007)] by adding the extra term in the Hamiltonian that describes the nuclear quadrupole coupling, with no inherent limitation on the number of quadrupolar nuclei in a molecule. We applied the new approach to compute the nitrogen-nuclear-quadrupole hyperfine structure in the rovibrational spectrum of NH143. These results agree very well with recent experimental spectroscopic data for the pure rotational transitions in the ground vibrational and ν2 states and the rovibrational transitions in the ν1, ν3, 2ν4, and ν1 + ν3 bands. The computed hyperfine-resolved rovibrational spectrum of ammonia will be beneficial for the assignment of experimental rovibrational spectra, further detection of ammonia in interstellar space, and studies of the proton-to-electron mass variation.

Models and Approaches for Integrating Protected Areas with Their Surroundings: A Review of the Literature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenwu Du

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Several studies have identified threats that originate in areas surrounding protected areas (PAs. While there have been various efforts to integrate PAs with their surroundings, considerable challenges remain. Here we summarize these efforts to date, discuss their effectiveness, and provide recommendations for future research. Based on a broad literature review of theoretical and applied approaches, we have outlined 68 models for balancing conservation and sustainable development in PAs. We comprehensively analyzed 23 of these models for integrating PAs with their surroundings. They were divided into two categories: area-oriented and process-oriented approaches. This review reveals the absolute necessity of combining these two approaches for future conservation and sustainable development of PAs.

Characteristics of qualitative studies in influential journals of general medicine: a critical review.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamazaki, Hiroshi; Slingsby, Brian Taylor; Takahashi, Miyako; Hayashi, Yoko; Sugimori, Hiroki; Nakayama, Takeo

2009-12-01

Although qualitative studies have increased since the 1990s, some reports note that relatively few influential journals published them up until 2000. This study critically reviewed the characteristics of qualitative studies published in top tier medical journals since 2000. We assessed full texts of qualitative studies published between 2000 and 2004 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, BMJ, JAMA, Lancet, and New England Journal of Medicine. We found 80 qualitative studies, of which 73 (91%) were published in BMJ. Only 10 studies (13%) combined qualitative and quantitative methods. Sixty-two studies (78%) used only one method of data collection. Interviews dominated the choice of data collection. The median sample size was 36 (range: 9-383). Thirty-three studies (41%) did not specify the type of analysis used but rather described the analytic process in detail. The rest indicated the mode of data analysis, in which the most prevalent methods were the constant comparative method (23%) and the grounded theory approach (22%). Qualitative data analysis software was used by 33 studies (41%). Among influential journals of general medicine, only BMJ consistently published an average of 15 qualitative study reports between 2000 and 2004. These findings lend insight into what qualities and characteristics make a qualitative study worthy of consideration to be published in an influential journal, primarily BMJ.

The role of the general practitioner in return to work after cancer-a systematic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Jong, Femke; Frings-Dresen, Monique H.; van Dijk, Nynke; van Etten-Jamaludin, Faridi S.; van Asselt, Kristel M.; de Boer, Angela G. E. M.

2018-01-01

The number of cancer patients and survivors of working age is increasing. General Practitioners (GPs) may have a significant role in psychosocial cancer care, including work-related concerns. Therefore, we performed a systematic literature review to identify the role of the GP in work-related

Towards vertical integration in general practice education: literature review and discussion paper.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Regan, A; Culhane, A; Dunne, C; Griffin, M; Meagher, D; McGrath, D; O'Dwyer, P; Cullen, W

2013-09-01

Medical education policy in Ireland has enabled an increase in undergraduate and postgraduate education activity in general practice. Internationally, 'vertical integration in general practice education' is suggested as a key strategy to support the implementation of this policy development. To review the emerging literature on vertical integration in GP education, specifically to define the concept of 'vertical integration' with regard to education in general practice and to describe its benefits and challenges. We searched 'Pubmed', 'Academic Search Complete', 'Google', and 'MEDLINE' databases using multiple terms related to 'vertical integration' and 'general practice education' for relevant articles published since 2001. Discussion papers, reports, policy documents and position statements were identified from reference lists and retrieved through internet searches. The key components of 'vertical integration' in GP education include continuous educational pathway, all stages in GP education, supporting the continuing educational/professional development needs of learners at each stage and effective curriculum planning and delivery. Many benefits (for GPs, learners and the community) and many challenges (for GPs/practices, learners and GPs in training) have been described. Characteristics of successful implementation include role sharing and collaborative organisational structures. Recent developments in medical education in Ireland, such as the increase in medical school clinical placements in general practice and postgraduate GP training and the introduction of new competence assurance requirements offer an important opportunity to further inform how vertical integration can support increased educational activity in general practice. Describing this model, recognising its benefits and challenges and supporting its implementation in practice are priorities for medical education in Ireland.

Fluorescent Protein Approaches in Alpha Herpesvirus Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ian B. Hogue

2015-11-01

Full Text Available In the nearly two decades since the popularization of green fluorescent protein (GFP, fluorescent protein-based methodologies have revolutionized molecular and cell biology, allowing us to literally see biological processes as never before. Naturally, this revolution has extended to virology in general, and to the study of alpha herpesviruses in particular. In this review, we provide a compendium of reported fluorescent protein fusions to herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1 and pseudorabies virus (PRV structural proteins, discuss the underappreciated challenges of fluorescent protein-based approaches in the context of a replicating virus, and describe general strategies and best practices for creating new fluorescent fusions. We compare fluorescent protein methods to alternative approaches, and review two instructive examples of the caveats associated with fluorescent protein fusions, including describing several improved fluorescent capsid fusions in PRV. Finally, we present our future perspectives on the types of powerful experiments these tools now offer.

General practitioners' views of pharmacists' current and potential contributions to medication review and prescribing in New Zealand

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hatah E

2013-09-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Internationally, non-medical practitioners are increasingly involved in tasks traditionally undertaken by general practitioners (GPs, such as medication review and prescribing. This study aims to evaluate GPs' perceptions of pharmacists' contributions to those services. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were carried out in two localities with GPs whose patients had and had not undergone a pharmacist-led adherence support Medication Use Review (MUR. GPs were asked their opinions of pharmacists' provision of MUR, clinical medication review and prescribing. Data were analysed thematically using NVivo 8 and grouped by strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT category. FINDINGS: Eighteen GPs were interviewed. GPs mentioned their own skills, training and knowledge of clinical conditions. These were considered GPs' major strengths. GPs' perceived weaknesses were their time constraints and heavy workloads. GPs thought pharmacists' strengths were their knowledge of pharmacology and having more time for in-depth medication review than GPs. Nevertheless, GPs felt pharmacist-led medication reviews might confuse patients, and increase GP workloads. GPs were concerned that pharmacist prescribing might include pharmacists making a diagnosis. This is not the proposed model for New Zealand. In general, GPs were more accepting of pharmacists providing medication reviews than of pharmacist prescribing, unless appropriate controls, close collaboration and co-location of services took place. CONCLUSION: GPs perceived their own skills were well suited to reviewing medication and prescribing, but thought pharmacists might also have strengths and skills in these areas. In future, GPs thought that working together with pharmacists in these services might be possible in a collaborative setting.

Spreading dynamics on complex networks: a general stochastic approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Noël, Pierre-André; Allard, Antoine; Hébert-Dufresne, Laurent; Marceau, Vincent; Dubé, Louis J

2014-12-01

Dynamics on networks is considered from the perspective of Markov stochastic processes. We partially describe the state of the system through network motifs and infer any missing data using the available information. This versatile approach is especially well adapted for modelling spreading processes and/or population dynamics. In particular, the generality of our framework and the fact that its assumptions are explicitly stated suggests that it could be used as a common ground for comparing existing epidemics models too complex for direct comparison, such as agent-based computer simulations. We provide many examples for the special cases of susceptible-infectious-susceptible and susceptible-infectious-removed dynamics (e.g., epidemics propagation) and we observe multiple situations where accurate results may be obtained at low computational cost. Our perspective reveals a subtle balance between the complex requirements of a realistic model and its basic assumptions.

A general analytical approach to the one-group, one-dimensional transport equation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barichello, L.B.; Vilhena, M.T.

1993-01-01

The main feature of the presented approach to solve the neutron transport equation consists in the application of the Laplace transform to the discrete ordinates equations, which yields a linear system of order N to be solved (LTS N method). In this paper this system is solved analytically and the inversion is performed using the Heaviside expansion technique. The general formulation achieved by this procedure is then applied to homogeneous and heterogeneous one-group slab-geometry problems. (orig.) [de

Differential topology and general equilibrium with complete and incomplete markets

CERN Document Server

Villanacci, Antonio; Benevieri, Pierluigi; Battinelli, Andrea

2002-01-01

General equilibrium In this book we try to cope with the challenging task of reviewing the so called general equilibrium model and of discussing one specific aspect of the approach underlying it, namely, market completeness. With the denomination "general equilibrium" (from now on in short GE) we shall mainly refer to two different things. On one hand, in particular when using the expression "GE approach", we shall refer to a long established methodolog­ ical tradition in building and developing economic models, which includes, as of today, an enormous amount of contributions, ranging in number by several 1 thousands • On the other hand, in particular when using the expression "stan­ dard differentiable GE model", we refer to a very specific version of economic model of exchange and production, to be presented in Chapters 8 and 9, and to be modified in Chapters 10 to 15. Such a version is certainly formulated within the GE approach, but it is generated by making several quite restrictive 2 assumptions •...

Generalized Hubbard Hamiltonian: renormalization group approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cannas, S.A.; Tamarit, F.A.; Tsallis, C.

1991-01-01

We study a generalized Hubbard Hamiltonian which is closed within the framework of a Quantum Real Space Renormalization Group, which replaces the d-dimensional hypercubic lattice by a diamond-like lattice. The phase diagram of the generalized Hubbard Hamiltonian is analyzed for the half-filled band case in d = 2 and d = 3. Some evidence for superconductivity is presented. (author). 44 refs., 12 figs., 2 tabs

Classical approach in atomic physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Solov'ev, E.A.

2011-01-01

The application of a classical approach to various quantum problems - the secular perturbation approach to quantization of a hydrogen atom in external fields and a helium atom, the adiabatic switching method for calculation of a semiclassical spectrum of a hydrogen atom in crossed electric and magnetic fields, a spontaneous decay of excited states of a hydrogen atom, Gutzwiller's approach to Stark problem, long-lived excited states of a helium atom discovered with the help of Poincare section, inelastic transitions in slow and fast electron-atom and ion-atom collisions - is reviewed. Further, a classical representation in quantum theory is discussed. In this representation the quantum states are treated as an ensemble of classical states. This approach opens the way to an accurate description of the initial and final states in classical trajectory Monte Carlo (CTMC) method and a purely classical explanation of tunneling phenomenon. The general aspects of the structure of the semiclassical series such as renormalization group symmetry, criterion of accuracy and so on are reviewed as well. (author)

Research Impact Assessment in Agriculture--A Review of Approaches and Impact Areas

Science.gov (United States)

Weißhuhn, Peter; Helming, Katharina; Ferretti, Johanna

2018-01-01

Research has a role to play in society's endeavour for sustainable development. This is particularly true for agricultural research, since agriculture is at the nexus between numerous sustainable development goals. Yet, generally accepted methods for linking research outcomes to sustainability impacts are missing. We conducted a review of…

General review on cermets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nouvel, G.

1975-01-01

After an attempt to classify the basic constituents of cermets in function of their resistivity and microhardness, the history of ceramic-metal composites is reviewed. The two main methods of production, sintering and impregnation, are examined from the point of view of the problems posed and solutions required to obtain optimum mechanical properties (resistance to creep and thermal shock...). A summary table of the chief cermets and their applications is proposed with precise details in some particular cases [fr

Digital communication between clinician and patient and the impact on marginalised groups: a realist review in general practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Huxley, Caroline J; Atherton, Helen; Watkins, Jocelyn Anstey; Griffiths, Frances

2015-12-01

Increasingly, the NHS is embracing the use of digital communication technology for communication between clinicians and patients. Policymakers deem digital clinical communication as presenting a solution to the capacity issues currently faced by general practice. There is some concern that these technologies may exacerbate existing inequalities in accessing health care. It is not known what impact they may have on groups who are already marginalised in their ability to access general practice. To assess the potential impact of the availability of digital clinician-patient communication on marginalised groups' access to general practice in the UK. Realist review in general practice. A four-step realist review process was used: to define the scope of the review; to search for and scrutinise evidence; to extract and synthesise evidence; and to develop a narrative, including hypotheses. Digital communication has the potential to overcome the following barriers for marginalised groups: practical access issues, previous negative experiences with healthcare service/staff, and stigmatising reactions from staff and other patients. It may reduce patient-related barriers by offering anonymity and offers advantages to patients who require an interpreter. It does not impact on inability to communicate with healthcare professionals or on a lack of candidacy. It is likely to work best in the context of a pre-existing clinician-patient relationship. Digital communication technology offers increased opportunities for marginalised groups to access health care. However, it cannot remove all barriers to care for these groups. It is likely that they will remain disadvantaged relative to other population groups after their introduction. © British Journal of General Practice 2015.

Review of the general regulation of radiological protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cortes C, A.

2008-12-01

As a result of advances in radiation protection at the international level, the National Commission of Nuclear Safety and Safeguards has been given the task of revising the General Regulation of Radiation Safety to cover such developments, especially those contained in the safety basic standards No. 115 of the IAEA, published in 1977. In addition, the working group has considered issues that need to be regulated to avoid unnecessary dose received by the public due to exposure to ionizing radiation. Related to the public exposure believes the preliminary deal with situations of chronic exposure in homes, as well as human activities involving natural sources of ionizing radiation exposure to cause the public to levels that exceed the dose limits laid down in the Regulation. It is also envisaged that they will be subject to monitoring by the Commission, the concentration levels due to radon in homes, radon outdoor, radio and radon in drinking water, and external radiation levels due to naturally occurring radionuclides in building materials. Thus, the processes that may be subject to surveillance by the National Commission of Nuclear Safety and Safeguards include water treatment, some metallurgical processes, some of the mining industry and some industrial processes in which waste increase activity concentration of naturally occurring radionuclides. With the revision of the General Regulation of Radiation Safety, certain standards must be reviewed and further developed such as the concentration of radon levels in homes room, outdoor radon, radon and radio in drinking water, radiation levels out sourcing due to naturally occurring radionuclides in building materials, and standards governing (and identify) the radioactive material generation in the processes mentioned previously. (Author)

A review of approaches to the value of privacy

OpenAIRE

Anagnostou, Miltiades E.; Lambrou, Maria A.

2017-01-01

In this paper we examine information privacy from a value-centered angle. We review and compare different personal data valuation approaches. We consider the value of personal data now and in the near future, and we find that the enduring part of personal data will soon become common knowledge and that their price and value will drop substantially. Therefore the sector that is based on personal data extraction will need to focus on new ways of monetization and on the of the dynamic part of pe...

Generalized approach to modifying optical vortices with suppressed sidelobes using Bessel-like functions.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, J; Yuan, X-C; Zhao, X; Fang, Z L; Zhu, S W

2009-11-01

We propose a generalized approach to producing optical vortices with suppressed sidelobes using a variable Bessel-like function added to the conventional spiral phase plate. Experimental verifications are implemented by a phase-only spatial light modulator. It is demonstrated that the method is valid for optical vortex beams with arbitrary topological charges and without changing the primary ring size as a unique property among the existing techniques.

Evidence for a comprehensive approach to Aboriginal tobacco control to maintain the decline in smoking: an overview of reviews among Indigenous peoples.

Science.gov (United States)

Chamberlain, Catherine; Perlen, Susan; Brennan, Sue; Rychetnik, Lucie; Thomas, David; Maddox, Raglan; Alam, Noore; Banks, Emily; Wilson, Andrew; Eades, Sandra

2017-07-10

Tobacco smoking is a leading cause of disease and premature mortality among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) Australians. While the daily smoking prevalence among Indigenous Australians has declined significantly from 49% in 2001, it remains about three times higher than that of non-Indigenous Australians (39 and 14%, respectively, for age ≥15 years in 2014-15). This overview of systematic reviews aimed to synthesise evidence about reducing tobacco consumption among Indigenous peoples using a comprehensive framework for Indigenous tobacco control in Australia comprised of the National Tobacco Strategy (NTS) and National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan (NATSIHP) principles and priorities. MEDLINE, EMBASE, systematic review and Indigenous health databases were searched (2000 to Jan 2016) for reviews examining the effects of tobacco control interventions among Indigenous peoples. Two reviewers independently screened reviews, extracted data, and assessed review quality using Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews. Data were synthesised narratively by framework domain. Reporting followed the PRISMA statement. Twenty-one reviews of varying quality were included. There was generally limited Indigenous-specific evidence of effective interventions for reducing smoking; however, many reviewers recommended multifaceted interventions which incorporate Indigenous leadership, partnership and engagement and cultural tailoring. Under the NTS priority areas, reviewers reported evidence for brief smoking cessation interventions and pharmacological support, mass media campaigns (on knowledge and attitudes) and reducing affordability and regulation of tobacco sales. Aspects of intervention implementation related to the NATSIHP domains were less well described and evidence was limited; however, reviewers suggested that cultural tailoring, holistic approaches and building workforce capacity were important strategies to address

76 FR 67530 - Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): Notice of Actions Arising Out of the 2010 Annual GSP Review

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-01

... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): Notice of Actions Arising Out of the 2010 Annual GSP Review AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative. ACTION: Notice of a petition accepted for review; and request for comments. SUMMARY: In September...

Review of Qualitative Approaches for the Construction Industry: Designing a Risk Management Toolbox

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David M. Zalk

2011-06-01

Conclusion: The Construction Toolbox presents a review-generated format to harness multiple solutions-based national programs and publications for controlling construction-related risks with simplified approaches across the occupational safety, health and hygiene professions.

A statistical approach to plasma profile analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kardaun, O.J.W.F.; McCarthy, P.J.; Lackner, K.; Riedel, K.S.

1990-05-01

A general statistical approach to the parameterisation and analysis of tokamak profiles is presented. The modelling of the profile dependence on both the radius and the plasma parameters is discussed, and pertinent, classical as well as robust, methods of estimation are reviewed. Special attention is given to statistical tests for discriminating between the various models, and to the construction of confidence intervals for the parameterised profiles and the associated global quantities. The statistical approach is shown to provide a rigorous approach to the empirical testing of plasma profile invariance. (orig.)

On the equivalence of generalized least-squares approaches to the evaluation of measurement comparisons

Science.gov (United States)

Koo, A.; Clare, J. F.

2012-06-01

Analysis of CIPM international comparisons is increasingly being carried out using a model-based approach that leads naturally to a generalized least-squares (GLS) solution. While this method offers the advantages of being easier to audit and having general applicability to any form of comparison protocol, there is a lack of consensus over aspects of its implementation. Two significant results are presented that show the equivalence of three differing approaches discussed by or applied in comparisons run by Consultative Committees of the CIPM. Both results depend on a mathematical condition equivalent to the requirement that any two artefacts in the comparison are linked through a sequence of measurements of overlapping pairs of artefacts. The first result is that a GLS estimator excluding all sources of error common to all measurements of a participant is equal to the GLS estimator incorporating all sources of error, including those associated with any bias in the standards or procedures of the measuring laboratory. The second result identifies the component of uncertainty in the estimate of bias that arises from possible systematic effects in the participants' measurement standards and procedures. The expression so obtained is a generalization of an expression previously published for a one-artefact comparison with no inter-participant correlations, to one for a comparison comprising any number of repeat measurements of multiple artefacts and allowing for inter-laboratory correlations.

Using text mining for study identification in systematic reviews: a systematic review of current approaches.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Mara-Eves, Alison; Thomas, James; McNaught, John; Miwa, Makoto; Ananiadou, Sophia

2015-01-14

The large and growing number of published studies, and their increasing rate of publication, makes the task of identifying relevant studies in an unbiased way for inclusion in systematic reviews both complex and time consuming. Text mining has been offered as a potential solution: through automating some of the screening process, reviewer time can be saved. The evidence base around the use of text mining for screening has not yet been pulled together systematically; this systematic review fills that research gap. Focusing mainly on non-technical issues, the review aims to increase awareness of the potential of these technologies and promote further collaborative research between the computer science and systematic review communities. Five research questions led our review: what is the state of the evidence base; how has workload reduction been evaluated; what are the purposes of semi-automation and how effective are they; how have key contextual problems of applying text mining to the systematic review field been addressed; and what challenges to implementation have emerged? We answered these questions using standard systematic review methods: systematic and exhaustive searching, quality-assured data extraction and a narrative synthesis to synthesise findings. The evidence base is active and diverse; there is almost no replication between studies or collaboration between research teams and, whilst it is difficult to establish any overall conclusions about best approaches, it is clear that efficiencies and reductions in workload are potentially achievable. On the whole, most suggested that a saving in workload of between 30% and 70% might be possible, though sometimes the saving in workload is accompanied by the loss of 5% of relevant studies (i.e. a 95% recall). Using text mining to prioritise the order in which items are screened should be considered safe and ready for use in 'live' reviews. The use of text mining as a 'second screener' may also be used cautiously

Recent developments in gluten-free bread baking approaches: a review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kun WANG

Full Text Available Abstract Celiac disease (CD is one of the most common human intestinal malabsorption diseases. The only effective treatment for patients with CD is to follow a gluten-free (GF diet strictly. Nowadays, the increasing incidence of CD promotes worldwide interests for various desirable GF products. However, baking without gluten, the key ingredient for bread structure and quality, is a big challenge for all bakers and cereal researchers. Several approaches have been applied to understand and improve gluten-free bread (GFB elaboration and further studies are still required. The main focus of this review is to discuss the approaches for GFB improvements in recent 5 years, including the use of novel alternative flours, functional ingredients, processing aids, additives, innovative techniques, and their combinations.

Malaria Vaccine Development: The Need for Novel Approach-es: A Review Article

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shima MAHMOUDI

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Although rigorous efforts have substantially decreased the malaria burden through decades, it still threatens the lives of millions of children. Development of an effective vaccine can provide important approach in malaria control strategies. Unfortunately, development of an effective vaccine for falciparum malaria has been hindered by the extreme complexity of malaria parasite biology, complex and diverse parasite genomes, and immune evasion by the parasites as well as the intricate nature of the parasites infection cycle. The aim of this review was to discuss the different approaches to malaria vaccine development until now.Methods: Scientific databases, including MEDLINE (via PubMed and SCOPUS were searched up to 30 Jan 2017 and the articles regarding malaria vaccine development were taken into examination.Results: Several strategies for malaria vaccine development including pre-erythrocytic vaccines, antibody-based subunit vaccines, vectored vaccines, whole sporozoite vaccines, genetically Attenuated parasites and sporozoite subunit vaccine, erythrocytic vaccines, sexual stage vaccine, transmission-blocking vaccine as well as synthetic peptides and conjugate vaccine has been introduced. However, the success has been limited thus far.Conclusion: Although development of malaria vaccine over the past 70 year has been continued, the discovery, development, and licensing of a malaria vaccine formulation, which meets safety, affordability, accessibility, applicability, and efficacy has not yet been achieved.

Energy policy of the International Energy Agency (IEA) countries. General review of the year 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

This book is a general review on energy policy leaded by Members countries of International Energy Agency (IEA) during the year 1990. This book describes also the trends and the recent events which have affected energy demand, energy conservation, energy efficiency, energy supply and energy source development. This annual review gives the IEA energy forecasting for the next years, till year 2001. A detailed study of energy policy in Federal Republic of Germany, Austria, Denmark, Greece, Ireland and Japan is given. The policy of fifteen another Members countries, which have been analyzed the previous years, is recapitulated and briefly brought up to date

Emergent management of postpartum hemorrhage for the general and acute care surgeon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Blankenship Charles L

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Postpartum hemorrhage is one of the rare occasions when a general or acute care surgeon may be emergently called to labor and delivery, a situation in which time is limited and the stakes high. Unfortunately, there is generally a paucity of exposure and information available to surgeons regarding this topic: obstetric training is rarely found in contemporary surgical residency curricula and is omitted nearly completely from general and acute care surgery literature and continuing medical education. Methods The purpose of this manuscript is to serve as a topic specific review for surgeons and to present a surgeon oriented management algorithm. Medline and Ovid databases were utilized in a comprehensive literature review regarding the management of postpartum hemorrhage and a management algorithm for surgeons developed based upon a collaborative panel of general, acute care, trauma and obstetrical surgeons' review of the literature and expert opinion. Results A stepwise approach for surgeons of the medical and surgical interventions utilized to manage and treat postpartum hemorrhage is presented and organized into a basic algorithm. Conclusion The manuscript should promote and facilitate a more educated, systematic and effective surgeon response and participation in the management of postpartum hemorrhage.

Factors influencing attitudes of nurses in general health care toward patients with comorbid mental illness: an integrative literature review.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kluit, M.J. van der; Goossens, P.J.J.

2011-01-01

An estimated 40% of patients in general health care settings suffer from a comorbid mental illness. A literature review was conducted to elucidate the factors underlying the different attitudes of nurses in general health care toward the nursing care of these patients. Although lack of knowledge,

A general approach to mesoporous metal oxide microspheres loaded with noble metal nanoparticles

KAUST Repository

Jin, Zhao; Xiao, Manda; Bao, Zhihong; Wang, Peng; Wang, Jianfang

2012-01-01

Catalytic microspheres: A general approach is demonstrated for the facile preparation of mesoporous metal oxide microspheres loaded with noble metal nanoparticles (see TEM image in the picture). Among 18 oxide/noble metal catalysts, TiO 2/0.1 mol Pd microspheres showed the highest turnover frequency in NaBH 4 reduction of 4-nitrophenol (see picture). Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A general approach to mesoporous metal oxide microspheres loaded with noble metal nanoparticles

KAUST Repository

Jin, Zhao

2012-04-26

Catalytic microspheres: A general approach is demonstrated for the facile preparation of mesoporous metal oxide microspheres loaded with noble metal nanoparticles (see TEM image in the picture). Among 18 oxide/noble metal catalysts, TiO 2/0.1 mol Pd microspheres showed the highest turnover frequency in NaBH 4 reduction of 4-nitrophenol (see picture). Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Generalized Models from Beta(p, 2) Densities with Strong Allee Effect: Dynamical Approach

OpenAIRE

Aleixo, Sandra M.; Rocha, J. Leonel

2012-01-01

A dynamical approach to study the behaviour of generalized populational growth models from Beta(p, 2) densities, with strong Allee effect, is presented. The dynamical analysis of the respective unimodal maps is performed using symbolic dynamics techniques. The complexity of the correspondent discrete dynamical systems is measured in terms of topological entropy. Different populational dynamics regimes are obtained when the intrinsic growth rates are modified: extinction, bistability, chaotic ...

Senior expert group for the review of the Agency's programme of activities. Opening remarks by the Director General

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ElBaradei, M.

1998-01-01

The document reproduces the opening remarks made by the Director General of the IAEA on 23 March 1998 at the first meeting of the Senior Expert Group for the review of the Agency's programme and activities. The Director General explains his considerations in establishing the group, and the major challenges facing the safe use of nuclear energy and technologies

Windows 7 Antiforensics: A Review and a Novel Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Eterovic-Soric, Brett; Choo, Kim-Kwang Raymond; Mubarak, Sameera; Ashman, Helen

2017-07-01

In this paper, we review literature on antiforensics published between 2010 and 2016 and reveal the surprising lack of up-to-date research on this topic. This research aims to contribute to this knowledge gap by investigating different antiforensic techniques for devices running Windows 7, one of the most popular operating systems. An approach which allows for removal or obfuscation of most forensic evidence is then presented. Using the Trojan software DarkComet RAT as a case study, we demonstrate the utility of our approach and that a Trojan Horse infection may be a legitimate possibility, even if there is no evidence of an infection on a seized computer's hard drive. Up-to-date information regarding how forensic artifacts can be compromised will allow relevant stakeholders to make informed decisions when deciding the outcome of legal cases involving digital evidence. © 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

[Ten years retrospective review of the application of digital medical technology in general surgery in China].

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, C H; Lau, Y Y; Zhou, W P; Cai, W

2017-12-01

Digital medical technology is a powerful tool which has forcefully promoted the development of general surgery in China. In this article, we reviews the application status of three-dimensional visualization and three-dimensional printing technology in general surgery, introduces the development situation of surgical navigation guided by optical and electromagnetic technology and preliminary attempt to combined with mixed reality applied to complicated hepatectomy, looks ahead the development direction of digital medicine in the era of artificial intelligence and big data on behalf of surgical robot and radiomics. Surgeons should proactively master these advanced techniques and accelerate the innovative development of general surgery in China.

Generation Y Health Professional Students ’ Preferred Teaching and Learning Approaches: A Systematic Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caroline Mary Hills

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Generation Y or Millennials are descriptors for those born between 1982 and 2000. This cohort has grown up in the digital age and is purported to have different learning preferences from previous generations. Students are important stakeholders in identifying their preferred teaching and learning approaches in health professional programs. This study aimed to identify, appraise, and synthesize the best available evidence regarding the teaching and learning preferences of Generation Y health professional students. The review considered any objectively measured or self-reported outcomes of teaching and learning reported from Generation Y health professional student perspectives. In accordance with a previously published Joanna Briggs Institute Protocol, a three-step search strategy was completed. Two research articles (nursing and dental hygiene students and three dissertations (nursing were critically appraised. All studies were cross-sectional descriptive studies. A range of pedagogical approaches was reported, including lecture, group work, and teaching clinical skills. Based on the Joanna Briggs Institute levels of evidence, reviewers deemed the evidence as Level 3. Some generational differences were reported, but these were inconsistent across the studies reviewed. There is, therefore, insufficient evidence to provide specific recommendations for the preferred educational approaches of health professional students and further research is warranted.

Approaches to facilitate institutional review board approval of multicenter research studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Marsolo, Keith

2012-07-01

Gaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for a multicenter research study can be a lengthy and time-consuming process. It can increase the complexity of consent forms, decreasing patient understanding and lowering recruitment numbers. It also leads to increased costs through the duplication of effort. This paper examines some of the strategies used to streamline the IRB review process for multicenter studies and provides examples used by 2 existing multicenter comparative effectiveness research networks. A literature search was conducted to identify sources that described the challenges and potential strategies to facilitate multicenter IRB approval. The most promising avenues were identified and included in this review. Phone interviews were conducted with the Principal Investigators and Project Managers of 2 successful multicenter research networks to learn their "keys to success" and their lessons learned. Three strategies were identified that held the most promise: working with IRBs before submission, the use of central and/or federated IRBs, and the establishment of an umbrella protocol. Each of these strategies was used to some degree by the case study projects. Although the approaches documented here can help streamline the IRB approval process, they are not a "silver bullet." Because some of these approaches are still relatively new, empirical data are sparse. However, it is believed that they will significantly reduce the administrative burden of the project as a whole and lead to a decrease in the overall time to protocol approval.

Generalized Ford-Vilenkin approach for the dynamical Casimir effect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rego, Andreson L.C.; Alves, Danilo Teixeira; Alves, Joao Paulo da Silva

2012-01-01

Full text: In the 70s decade the first works investigating the quantum problem of the radiation emitted by moving mirrors in vacuum were published by Moore, DeWitt, Fulling and Davies. This effect, usually named dynamical Casimir effect (DCE). The DCE is also related to several other problems like particle creation in cosmological models and radiation emitted by collapsing black holes, decoherence, entanglement the Unruh effect. The DCE has been subject to experimental investigations: few months ago, Wilson and collaborators have announced the first experimental observation of the DCE. The theory of the DCE has been investigated by many authors, among them Ford and Vilenkin [L.H. Ford and A. Vilenkin, Phys. Rev. D 25, 2569 (1982)] who developed a perturbative method, which can be applied to moving mirrors in small displacements δq(t) = εF (t) and with nonrelativistic velocities. The usual application of the Ford-Vilenkin approach to the calculation of the spectrum of the created particles, results in the spectral distribution proportional to ε 2 . In the present paper, we consider a real massless scalar field and a moving mirror in a two-dimensional spacetime, satisfying Dirichlet boundary condition at the instantaneous position of the mirror, for large displacements and relativistic velocities. We generalize the Ford-Vilenkin approach to the calculation of the spectral density of the created particles, obtaining formulas for the spectrum up to order ε n . (author)

Uncertainty characterization approaches for risk assessment of DBPs in drinking water: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Chowdhury, Shakhawat; Champagne, Pascale; McLellan, P James

2009-04-01

The management of risk from disinfection by-products (DBPs) in drinking water has become a critical issue over the last three decades. The areas of concern for risk management studies include (i) human health risk from DBPs, (ii) disinfection performance, (iii) technical feasibility (maintenance, management and operation) of treatment and disinfection approaches, and (iv) cost. Human health risk assessment is typically considered to be the most important phase of the risk-based decision-making or risk management studies. The factors associated with health risk assessment and other attributes are generally prone to considerable uncertainty. Probabilistic and non-probabilistic approaches have both been employed to characterize uncertainties associated with risk assessment. The probabilistic approaches include sampling-based methods (typically Monte Carlo simulation and stratified sampling) and asymptotic (approximate) reliability analysis (first- and second-order reliability methods). Non-probabilistic approaches include interval analysis, fuzzy set theory and possibility theory. However, it is generally accepted that no single method is suitable for the entire spectrum of problems encountered in uncertainty analyses for risk assessment. Each method has its own set of advantages and limitations. In this paper, the feasibility and limitations of different uncertainty analysis approaches are outlined for risk management studies of drinking water supply systems. The findings assist in the selection of suitable approaches for uncertainty analysis in risk management studies associated with DBPs and human health risk.

Review of Qualitative Approaches for the Construction Industry: Designing a Risk Management Toolbox

Science.gov (United States)

Spee, Ton; Gillen, Matt; Lentz, Thomas J.; Garrod, Andrew; Evans, Paul; Swuste, Paul

2011-01-01

Objectives This paper presents the framework and protocol design for a construction industry risk management toolbox. The construction industry needs a comprehensive, systematic approach to assess and control occupational risks. These risks span several professional health and safety disciplines, emphasized by multiple international occupational research agenda projects including: falls, electrocution, noise, silica, welding fumes, and musculoskeletal disorders. Yet, the International Social Security Association says, "whereas progress has been made in safety and health, the construction industry is still a high risk sector." Methods Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) employ about 80% of the world's construction workers. In recent years a strategy for qualitative occupational risk management, known as Control Banding (CB) has gained international attention as a simplified approach for reducing work-related risks. CB groups hazards into stratified risk 'bands', identifying commensurate controls to reduce the level of risk and promote worker health and safety. We review these qualitative solutions-based approaches and identify strengths and weaknesses toward designing a simplified CB 'toolbox' approach for use by SMEs in construction trades. Results This toolbox design proposal includes international input on multidisciplinary approaches for performing a qualitative risk assessment determining a risk 'band' for a given project. Risk bands are used to identify the appropriate level of training to oversee construction work, leading to commensurate and appropriate control methods to perform the work safely. Conclusion The Construction Toolbox presents a review-generated format to harness multiple solutions-based national programs and publications for controlling construction-related risks with simplified approaches across the occupational safety, health and hygiene professions. PMID:22953194

Review of qualitative approaches for the construction industry: designing a risk management toolbox.

Science.gov (United States)

Zalk, David M; Spee, Ton; Gillen, Matt; Lentz, Thomas J; Garrod, Andrew; Evans, Paul; Swuste, Paul

2011-06-01

This paper presents the framework and protocol design for a construction industry risk management toolbox. The construction industry needs a comprehensive, systematic approach to assess and control occupational risks. These risks span several professional health and safety disciplines, emphasized by multiple international occupational research agenda projects including: falls, electrocution, noise, silica, welding fumes, and musculoskeletal disorders. Yet, the International Social Security Association says, "whereas progress has been made in safety and health, the construction industry is still a high risk sector." Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) employ about 80% of the world's construction workers. In recent years a strategy for qualitative occupational risk management, known as Control Banding (CB) has gained international attention as a simplified approach for reducing work-related risks. CB groups hazards into stratified risk 'bands', identifying commensurate controls to reduce the level of risk and promote worker health and safety. We review these qualitative solutions-based approaches and identify strengths and weaknesses toward designing a simplified CB 'toolbox' approach for use by SMEs in construction trades. This toolbox design proposal includes international input on multidisciplinary approaches for performing a qualitative risk assessment determining a risk 'band' for a given project. Risk bands are used to identify the appropriate level of training to oversee construction work, leading to commensurate and appropriate control methods to perform the work safely. The Construction Toolbox presents a review-generated format to harness multiple solutions-based national programs and publications for controlling construction-related risks with simplified approaches across the occupational safety, health and hygiene professions.

International Approaches for Nuclear Waste Disposal in Geological Formations: Report on Fifth Worldwide Review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Faybishenko, Boris [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Birkholzer, Jens [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Persoff, Peter [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Sassani, David [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Swift, Peter [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2016-09-01

The goal of the Fifth Worldwide Review is to document evolution in the state-of-the-art of approaches for nuclear waste disposal in geological formations since the Fourth Worldwide Review that was released in 2006. The last ten years since the previous Worldwide Review has seen major developments in a number of nations throughout the world pursuing geological disposal programs, both in preparing and reviewing safety cases for the operational and long-term safety of proposed and operating repositories. The countries that are approaching implementation of geological disposal will increasingly focus on the feasibility of safely constructing and operating their repositories in short- and long terms on the basis existing regulations. The WWR-5 will also address a number of specific technical issues in safety case development along with the interplay among stakeholder concerns, technical feasibility, engineering design issues, and operational and post-closure safety. Preparation and publication of the Fifth Worldwide Review on nuclear waste disposal facilitates assessing the lessons learned and developing future cooperation between the countries. The Report provides scientific and technical experiences on preparing for and developing scientific and technical bases for nuclear waste disposal in deep geologic repositories in terms of requirements, societal expectations and the adequacy of cases for long-term repository safety. The Chapters include potential issues that may arise as repository programs mature, and identify techniques that demonstrate the safety cases and aid in promoting and gaining societal confidence. The report will also be used to exchange experience with other fields of industry and technology, in which concepts similar to the design and safety cases are applied, as well to facilitate the public perception and understanding of the safety of the disposal approaches relative to risks that may increase over long times frames in the absence of a successful

Decompounding random sums: A nonparametric approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Martin Bøgsted; Pitts, Susan M.

Observations from sums of random variables with a random number of summands, known as random, compound or stopped sums arise within many areas of engineering and science. Quite often it is desirable to infer properties of the distribution of the terms in the random sum. In the present paper we...... review a number of applications and consider the nonlinear inverse problem of inferring the cumulative distribution function of the components in the random sum. We review the existing literature on non-parametric approaches to the problem. The models amenable to the analysis are generalized considerably...

Review. Assessing uncertainty and risk in forest planning and decision support systems: review of classical methods and introduction of innovative approaches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pasalodos-Tato, M.; Makinen, A.; Garcia-Gonzalez, J.; Borges, J. G.; Lamas, T.; Eriksson, L. O.

2013-09-01

Aim: Since forest planning is characterized by long time horizon and it typically involves large areas of land and numerous stake holders, uncertainty and risk should play an important role when developing forest management plans. The aim of this study is to review different methods to deal with risk and uncertainty in forest planning, listing problems that forest managers may face during the preparation of management plans and trying to give recommendations in regard to the application of each method according to the problem case. The inclusion of risk and uncertainty in decision support systems is also analyzed. Area: It covers the temporal and spatial scale of forest planning, the spatial context, the participation process, the objectives dimensions and the good and services addressed. Material and methods: Several hundreds of articles dealing with uncertainty and risk were identified regarding different forestry-related topics and approaches. Form them, around 170 articles were further reviewed, categorized and evaluated. Main results: The study presents a thorough review and classification of methods and approaches to consider risk and uncertainty in forest planning. Moreover, new approaches are introduced, showing the opportunities that their application presents in forest planning. Research highlights: The study can aid forest managers in the decision making process when designing a forest management plan considering risk and uncertainty. (Author)

Review. Assessing uncertainty and risk in forest planning and decision support systems: review of classical methods and introduction of new approaches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Pasalodos-Tato

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Aim: Since forest planning is characterized by long time horizon and it typically involves large areas of land and numerous stakeholders, uncertainty and risk should play an important role when developing forest management plans. The aim of this study is to review different methods to deal with risk and uncertainty in forest planning, listing problems that forest managers may face during the preparation of management plans and trying to give recommendations in regard to the application of each method according to the problem case. The inclusion of risk and uncertainty in decision support systems is also analyzed.Area: It covers the temporal and spatial scale of forest planning, the spatial context, the participation process, the objectives dimensions and the good and services addressed.Material and methods: Several hundreds of articles dealing with uncertainty and risk were identified regarding different forestry-related topics and approaches. Form them, around 170 articles were further reviewed, categorized and evaluated.Main results: The study presents a thorough review and classification of methods and approaches to consider risk and uncertainty in forest planning. Moreover, new approaches are introduced, showing the opportunities that their application present in forest planning.Research highlights: The study can aid forest managers in the decision making process when designing a forest management plan considering risk and uncertainty.Keywords: operations research; optimal alternative; stochastic risk; endogenous risk; stand level; forest level.

A Critical Review of the Oversight Role of the Office of the Auditor-General in Financial Accountability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ogochukwu Nzewi

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Accountability is the very essence of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (Act No. 108 of 1996. In this regard, the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA as the supreme audit institution of the Republic of South Africa plays an important oversight role of promoting financial accountability in government. The purpose of this article is to examine the challenges facing the office of the Auditor-General in executing its oversight role of promoting financial accountability in the sphere of provincial government. Information and sources for this article was gathered through literature review. The article gives some background on the establishment and rationale of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI. It explores some policy framework that informs public finance management in the Republic of South Africa, establishing the role of the AGSA within this purview. Based on the data gathered through literature review, the key challenges facing the office of the Auditor-General are discussed. Finally, possible solutions are recommended to the challenges that were identified.

2013 Nutrition Risk Evidence Review Panel. Evidence Review for: The Risk Factor of Inadequate Nutrition

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

The 2013 Nutrition Risk Standing Review Panel (from here on referred to as the SRP) met for a site visit in Houston, TX on November 20 - 21, 2013. The SRP reviewed the new Evidence Report for the Risk Factor of Inadequate Nutrition (from here on referred to as the 2013 Nutrition Evidence Report), as well as the Research Plan for this Risk. Overall, the SRP thinks the well-qualified research team has compiled an excellent summary of background information in the 2013 Nutrition Evidence Report. The SRP would like to commend the authors in general and particularly note that while the 2013 Nutrition Evidence Report has been written using a single nutrient approach, the research plan takes a much more integrated and physiologically based approach.

Machine learning approaches to analysing textual injury surveillance data: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Vallmuur, Kirsten

2015-06-01

To synthesise recent research on the use of machine learning approaches to mining textual injury surveillance data. Systematic review. The electronic databases which were searched included PubMed, Cinahl, Medline, Google Scholar, and Proquest. The bibliography of all relevant articles was examined and associated articles were identified using a snowballing technique. For inclusion, articles were required to meet the following criteria: (a) used a health-related database, (b) focused on injury-related cases, AND used machine learning approaches to analyse textual data. The papers identified through the search were screened resulting in 16 papers selected for review. Articles were reviewed to describe the databases and methodology used, the strength and limitations of different techniques, and quality assurance approaches used. Due to heterogeneity between studies meta-analysis was not performed. Occupational injuries were the focus of half of the machine learning studies and the most common methods described were Bayesian probability or Bayesian network based methods to either predict injury categories or extract common injury scenarios. Models were evaluated through either comparison with gold standard data or content expert evaluation or statistical measures of quality. Machine learning was found to provide high precision and accuracy when predicting a small number of categories, was valuable for visualisation of injury patterns and prediction of future outcomes. However, difficulties related to generalizability, source data quality, complexity of models and integration of content and technical knowledge were discussed. The use of narrative text for injury surveillance has grown in popularity, complexity and quality over recent years. With advances in data mining techniques, increased capacity for analysis of large databases, and involvement of computer scientists in the injury prevention field, along with more comprehensive use and description of quality

Helping E-Commerce Consumers Make Good Purchase Decisions: A User Reviews-Based Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Richong; Tran, Thomas T.

Online product reviews provided by the consumers, who have previously purchased and used some particular products, form a rich source of information for other consumers who would like to study about these products in order to make their purchase decisions. Realizing this great need of consumers, several e-commerce web sites such as Amazon.com offer facilities for consumers to review products and exchange their purchase opinions. Unfortunately, reading through the massive amounts of product reviews available online from many e-communities, forums and newsgroups is not only a tedious task but also an impossible one. Indeed, nowadays consumers need an effective and reliable method to search through those huge sources of information and sort out the most appropriate and helpful product reviews. This paper proposes a model to discover the helpfulness of online product reviews. Product reviews can be analyzed and ranked by our scoring system and those reviews that may help consumers better than others will be found. In addition, we compare our model with a number of machine learning techniques. Our experimental results confirm that our approach is effective in ranking and classifying online product reviews.

Implementing Head and Neck Contouring Peer Review without Pathway Delay: The On-demand Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Fong, C; Sanghera, P; Good, J; Nightingale, P; Hartley, A

2017-12-01

Peer review of contour volume is a priority in the radiotherapy treatment quality assurance process for head and neck cancer. It is essential that incorporation of peer review activity does not introduce additional delays. An on-demand peer review process was piloted to assess the feasibility and efficiency of this approach, as compared with a historic scheduled weekly approach. Between November 2016 and April 2017 four head and neck clinicians in one centre took part in an on-demand peer review process. Cases were of radical or adjuvant intent of any histology and submitted on a voluntary basis. The outcome of contour peer review would be one of unchanged (UC), unchanged with variation or discretion noted (UV), minor change (M) or significant change (S). The time difference between the completion of the on-demand peer review was compared with the time difference to a hypothetical next Monday or Tuesday weekly peer review meeting. The time taken to review each case was also documented in the latter period of the pilot project. In total, 62 cases underwent peer review. Peer review on-demand provided dosimetrists with an average of an extra two working days available per case to meet treatment start dates. The proportion of cases with outcomes UC, UV, M and S were 45%, 16%, 26% and 13%, respectively. The mean peer review time spent per case was 17 min (12 cases). The main reason for S was discrepancy in imaging interpretation (4/8 cases). A lower proportion of oropharyngeal cases were submitted and had S outcomes. A higher proportion of complex cases, e.g. sinonasal/nasopharynx location or previous downstaging chemotherapy had S outcomes. The distribution of S outcomes appears to be similar regardless of clinician experience. The level of peer review activity among individuals differed by workload and job timetable. On-demand peer review of the head and neck contour volume is feasible, reduces delay to the start of dosimetry planning and bypasses the logistical

Generalized coherent state approach to star products and applications to the fuzzy sphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexanian, G.; Pinzul, A.; Stern, A.

2001-01-01

We construct a star product associated with an arbitrary two-dimensional Poisson structure using generalized coherent states on the complex plane. From our approach one easily recovers the star product for the fuzzy torus, and also one for the fuzzy sphere. For the latter we need to define the 'fuzzy' stereographic projection to the plane and the fuzzy sphere integration measure, which in the commutative limit reduce to the usual formulae for the sphere

The impact of new forms of large-scale general practice provider collaborations on England's NHS: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Pettigrew, Luisa M; Kumpunen, Stephanie; Mays, Nicholas; Rosen, Rebecca; Posaner, Rachel

2018-03-01

Over the past decade, collaboration between general practices in England to form new provider networks and large-scale organisations has been driven largely by grassroots action among GPs. However, it is now being increasingly advocated for by national policymakers. Expectations of what scaling up general practice in England will achieve are significant. To review the evidence of the impact of new forms of large-scale general practice provider collaborations in England. Systematic review. Embase, MEDLINE, Health Management Information Consortium, and Social Sciences Citation Index were searched for studies reporting the impact on clinical processes and outcomes, patient experience, workforce satisfaction, or costs of new forms of provider collaborations between general practices in England. A total of 1782 publications were screened. Five studies met the inclusion criteria and four examined the same general practice networks, limiting generalisability. Substantial financial investment was required to establish the networks and the associated interventions that were targeted at four clinical areas. Quality improvements were achieved through standardised processes, incentives at network level, information technology-enabled performance dashboards, and local network management. The fifth study of a large-scale multisite general practice organisation showed that it may be better placed to implement safety and quality processes than conventional practices. However, unintended consequences may arise, such as perceptions of disenfranchisement among staff and reductions in continuity of care. Good-quality evidence of the impacts of scaling up general practice provider organisations in England is scarce. As more general practice collaborations emerge, evaluation of their impacts will be important to understand which work, in which settings, how, and why. © British Journal of General Practice 2018.

Review of relationships between grey-tone co-occurrence, semivariance, and autocorrelation based image texture analysis approaches

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sanden, van der J.J.; Hoekman, D.H.

2005-01-01

In the present paper we review relationships between commonly used statistical approaches to analysis of image texture. The approaches considered characterize image texture by means of the statistics of grey- tone co- occurrence contrast, grey- tone co- occurrence correlation, semivariance, and

Understanding price discovery in interconnected markets: Generalized Langevin process approach and simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Schenck, Natalya A.; Horvath, Philip A.; Sinha, Amit K.

2018-02-01

While the literature on price discovery process and information flow between dominant and satellite market is exhaustive, most studies have applied an approach that can be traced back to Hasbrouck (1995) or Gonzalo and Granger (1995). In this paper, however, we propose a Generalized Langevin process with asymmetric double-well potential function, with co-integrated time series and interconnected diffusion processes to model the information flow and price discovery process in two, a dominant and a satellite, interconnected markets. A simulated illustration of the model is also provided.

Peer Review of Clinical Information Models: A Web 2.0 Crowdsourced Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Leslie, Heather; Ljosland Bakke, Silje

2017-01-01

Over the past 8 years the openEHR Clinical Model program has been developing a Web 2.0 approach and tooling to support the development, review and governance of atomic clincial information models, known as archetypes. This paper describes the background and review process, and provides a practical example where cross standards organisation collaboration resulted in jointly agreed clinical content which was subsequently represented in different implementation formalisms that were effectively semantically aligned. The discussion and conclusions highlight some of the socio-technical benefits and challenges facing organisations who seek to govern automic clinical information models in a global and collaborative online community.

Assessing the Accuracy of Generalized Inferences From Comparison Group Studies Using a Within-Study Comparison Approach: The Methodology.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaciw, Andrew P

2016-06-01

Various studies have examined bias in impact estimates from comparison group studies (CGSs) of job training programs, and in education, where results are benchmarked against experimental results. Such within-study comparison (WSC) approaches investigate levels of bias in CGS-based impact estimates, as well as the success of various design and analytic strategies for reducing bias. This article reviews past literature and summarizes conditions under which CGSs replicate experimental benchmark results. It extends the framework to, and develops the methodology for, situations where results from CGSs are generalized to untreated inference populations. Past research is summarized; methods are developed to examine bias in program impact estimates based on cross-site comparisons in a multisite trial that are evaluated against site-specific experimental benchmarks. Students in Grades K-3 in 79 schools in Tennessee; students in Grades 4-8 in 82 schools in Alabama. Grades K-3 Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) in reading and math scores; Grades 4-8 SAT10 reading scores. Past studies show that bias in CGS-based estimates can be limited through strong design, with local matching, and appropriate analysis involving pretest covariates and variables that represent selection processes. Extension of the methodology to investigate accuracy of generalized estimates from CGSs shows bias from confounders and effect moderators. CGS results, when extrapolated to untreated inference populations, may be biased due to variation in outcomes and impact. Accounting for effects of confounders or moderators may reduce bias. © The Author(s) 2016.

Economic evaluations of pharmacogenetic approaches in infectious diseases: a review of current approaches and evaluation of critical aspects affecting their quality

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Paolo Meoni

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Pharmacogenetics holds great potential for improving the effectiveness of treatment modalities in infectious diseases by taking into account the genetic determinants of both the host and infectious agents’ individuality. Better utilization of resources and improved therapeutic efficiency are the expected outcomes of personalized medicine using pharmacogenetic and pharmacogenomics information made available by technological advances. However, there has been growing concern in the clinical community regarding the evaluation of the true benefits of these approaches. This perception is partly due to the limited number and perceived poor quality of economic evaluations in this field, and initiatives aimed at harmonizing and communicating strategies improving the quality of these studies and their acceptance by the clinical community are greatly needed. This paper reviews current literature of economic evaluations of pharmacogenetics interventions guiding pharmacotherapy in infectious diseases. PubMed and the NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination databases were searched using a combination of five broad research terms related to pharmacogenetic approaches, and papers relative to economic evaluations of pharmacogenetic interventions in infectious diseases retained for further analysis. Using these criteria, a total of 14 papers were included in this review. The area of economic evaluation of pharmacogenetic interventions in infectious diseases remains understudied and would benefit from greater harmonization. The main weaknesses of evaluations reviewed in this paper seem to be represented by poor evidence of pharmacogenetic marker validation, inconsistencies in the selection of costs and utility included in the economic models and the choice of sensitivity analysis. All these factors limit the overall transparency of the studies, greater acceptance of their results and applicability to diverse and possibly resourcelimited environments where these

A General and Intuitive Approach to Understand and Compare the Torque Production Capability of AC Machines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Dong; Lu, Kaiyuan; Rasmussen, Peter Omand

2014-01-01

Electromagnetic torque analysis is one of the key issues in the analysis of electric machines. It plays an important role in machine design and control. The common method described in most of the textbooks is to calculate the torque in the machine variables and then transform them to the dq......-frame, through complicated mathematical manipulations. This is a more mathematical approach rather than explaining the physics behind torque production, which even brings a lot of difficulties to specialist. This paper introduces a general and intuitive approach to obtain the dq-frame torque equation of various...... AC machines. In this method, torque equation can be obtained based on the intuitive physical understanding of the mechanism behind torque production. It is then approved to be applicable for general case, including rotor saliency and various types of magnetomotive force sources. As an application...

Open Approaches to the Anterior Skull Base in Children: Review of the Literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Wasserzug, Oshri; DeRowe, Ari; Ringel, Barak; Fishman, Gadi; Fliss, Dan M

2018-02-01

Introduction  Skull base lesions in children and adolescents are rare, and comprise only 5.6% of all skull base surgery. Anterior skull base lesions dominate, averaging slightly more than 50% of the cases. Until recently, surgery of the anterior skull base was dominated by open procedures and endoscopic skull base surgery was reserved for benign pathologies. Endoscopic skull base surgery is gradually gaining popularity. In spite of that, open skull base surgery is still considered the "gold standard" for the treatment of anterior skull base lesions, and it is the preferred approach in selected cases. Objective  This article reviews current concepts and open approaches to the anterior skull base in children in the era of endoscopic surgery. Materials and Methods  Comprehensive literature review. Results  Extensive intracranial-intradural invasion, extensive orbital invasion, encasement of the optic nerve or the internal carotid artery, lateral supraorbital dural involvement and involvement of the anterior table of the frontal sinus or lateral portion of the frontal sinus precludes endoscopic surgery, and mandates open skull base surgery. The open approaches which are used most frequently for surgical resection of anterior skull base tumors are the transfacial/transmaxillary, subcranial, and subfrontal approaches. Reconstruction of anterior skull base defects is discussed in a separate article in this supplement. Discussion  Although endoscopic skull base surgery in children is gaining popularity in developed countries, in many cases open surgery is still required. In addition, in developing countries, which accounts for more than 80% of the world's population, limited access to expensive equipment precludes the use of endoscopic surgery. Several open surgical approaches are still employed to resect anterior skull base lesions in the pediatric population. With this large armamentarium of surgical approaches, tailoring the most suitable approach to a

Understanding Forest Health with Remote Sensing-Part II—A Review of Approaches and Data Models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angela Lausch

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Stress in forest ecosystems (FES occurs as a result of land-use intensification, disturbances, resource limitations or unsustainable management, causing changes in forest health (FH at various scales from the local to the global scale. Reactions to such stress depend on the phylogeny of forest species or communities and the characteristics of their impacting drivers and processes. There are many approaches to monitor indicators of FH using in-situ forest inventory and experimental studies, but they are generally limited to sample points or small areas, as well as being time- and labour-intensive. Long-term monitoring based on forest inventories provides valuable information about changes and trends of FH. However, abrupt short-term changes cannot sufficiently be assessed through in-situ forest inventories as they usually have repetition periods of multiple years. Furthermore, numerous FH indicators monitored in in-situ surveys are based on expert judgement. Remote sensing (RS technologies offer means to monitor FH indicators in an effective, repetitive and comparative way. This paper reviews techniques that are currently used for monitoring, including close-range RS, airborne and satellite approaches. The implementation of optical, RADAR and LiDAR RS-techniques to assess spectral traits/spectral trait variations (ST/STV is described in detail. We found that ST/STV can be used to record indicators of FH based on RS. Therefore, the ST/STV approach provides a framework to develop a standardized monitoring concept for FH indicators using RS techniques that is applicable to future monitoring programs. It is only through linking in-situ and RS approaches that we will be able to improve our understanding of the relationship between stressors, and the associated spectral responses in order to develop robust FH indicators.

A generalized approach for historical mock-up acquisition and data modelling: Towards historically enriched 3D city models

Science.gov (United States)

Hervy, B.; Billen, R.; Laroche, F.; Carré, C.; Servières, M.; Van Ruymbeke, M.; Tourre, V.; Delfosse, V.; Kerouanton, J.-L.

2012-10-01

Museums are filled with hidden secrets. One of those secrets lies behind historical mock-ups whose signification goes far behind a simple representation of a city. We face the challenge of designing, storing and showing knowledge related to these mock-ups in order to explain their historical value. Over the last few years, several mock-up digitalisation projects have been realised. Two of them, Nantes 1900 and Virtual Leodium, propose innovative approaches that present a lot of similarities. This paper presents a framework to go one step further by analysing their data modelling processes and extracting what could be a generalized approach to build a numerical mock-up and the knowledge database associated. Geometry modelling and knowledge modelling influence each other and are conducted in a parallel process. Our generalized approach describes a global overview of what can be a data modelling process. Our next goal is obviously to apply this global approach on other historical mock-up, but we also think about applying it to other 3D objects that need to embed semantic data, and approaching historically enriched 3D city models.

Service oriented architecture for clinical decision support: a systematic review and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Loya, Salvador Rodriguez; Kawamoto, Kensaku; Chatwin, Chris; Huser, Vojtech

2014-12-01

The use of a service-oriented architecture (SOA) has been identified as a promising approach for improving health care by facilitating reliable clinical decision support (CDS). A review of the literature through October 2013 identified 44 articles on this topic. The review suggests that SOA related technologies such as Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) and Service Component Architecture (SCA) have not been generally adopted to impact health IT systems' performance for better care solutions. Additionally, technologies such as Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) and architectural approaches like Service Choreography have not been generally exploited among researchers and developers. Based on the experience of other industries and our observation of the evolution of SOA, we found that the greater use of these approaches have the potential to significantly impact SOA implementations for CDS.

Comprehensive Review on Divisible Load Theory: Concepts, Strategies, and Approaches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shamsollah Ghanbari

2014-01-01

Full Text Available There is extensive literature concerning the divisible load theory. The divisible load theory is mainly applied for scheduling in the area of distributed computing. It is based on the fact that the load can be divided into some arbitrarily independent parts, in which each part can be processed independently by a processor. This paper reviews the literature concerning the divisible load theory, while focusing on the details of the basic concepts, approaches, strategies, typologies, and open problems.

Is beer consumption related to measures of abdominal and general obesity? A systematic review and meta-analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bendsen, N.T.; Christensen, R.; Bartels, E.M.; Kok, F.J.; Sierksma, A.; Raben, A.; Astrup, A.

2013-01-01

A systematic review was conducted to assess the evidence linking beer consumption to abdominal and general obesity. Following a systematic search strategy, 35 eligible observational studies and 12 experimental studies were identified. Regarding abdominal obesity, most observational data pointed

Radiation dose optimization research: Exposure technique approaches in CR imaging – A literature review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seeram, Euclid; Davidson, Rob; Bushong, Stewart; Swan, Hans

2013-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on exposure technique approaches in Computed Radiography (CR) imaging as a means of radiation dose optimization in CR imaging. Specifically the review assessed three approaches: optimization of kVp; optimization of mAs; and optimization of the Exposure Indicator (EI) in practice. Only papers dating back to 2005 were described in this review. The major themes, patterns, and common findings from the literature reviewed showed that important features are related to radiation dose management strategies for digital radiography include identification of the EI as a dose control mechanism and as a “surrogate for dose management”. In addition the use of the EI has been viewed as an opportunity for dose optimization. Furthermore optimization research has focussed mainly on optimizing the kVp in CR imaging as a means of implementing the ALARA philosophy, and studies have concentrated on mainly chest imaging using different CR systems such as those commercially available from Fuji, Agfa, Kodak, and Konica-Minolta. These studies have produced “conflicting results”. In addition, a common pattern was the use of automatic exposure control (AEC) and the measurement of constant effective dose, and the use of a dose-area product (DAP) meter

Liquid-phase microextraction approaches combined with atomic detection: A critical review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pena-Pereira, Francisco; Lavilla, Isela; Bendicho, Carlos

2010-01-01

Liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) displays unique characteristics such as excellent preconcentration capability, simplicity, low cost, sample cleanup and integration of steps. Even though LPME approaches have the potential to be combined with almost every analytical technique, their use in combination with atomic detection techniques has not been exploited until recently. A comprehensive review dealing with the applications of liquid-phase microextraction combined with atomic detection techniques is presented. Theoretical features, possible strategies for these combinations as well as the effect of key experimental parameters influencing method development are addressed. Finally, a critical comparison of the different LPME approaches in terms of enrichment factors achieved, extraction efficiency, precision, selectivity and simplicity of operation is provided.

Review of the Space Mapping Approach to Engineering Optimization and Modeling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bakr, M. H.; Bandler, J. W.; Madsen, Kaj

2000-01-01

We review the Space Mapping (SM) concept and its applications in engineering optimization and modeling. The aim of SM is to avoid computationally expensive calculations encountered in simulating an engineering system. The existence of less accurate but fast physically-based models is exploited. S......-based Modeling (SMM). These include Space Derivative Mapping (SDM), Generalized Space Mapping (GSM) and Space Mapping-based Neuromodeling (SMN). Finally, we address open points for research and future development....

Adaptive eLearning modules for cytopathology education: A review and approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Samulski, T Danielle; La, Teresa; Wu, Roseann I

2016-11-01

Clinical training imposes time and resource constraints on educators and learners, making it difficult to provide and absorb meaningful instruction. Additionally, innovative and personalized education has become an expectation of adult learners. Fortunately, the development of web-based educational tools provides a possible solution to these challenges. Within this review, we introduce the utility of adaptive eLearning platforms in pathology education. In addition to a review of the current literature, we provide the reader with a suggested approach for module creation, as well as a critical assessment of an available platform, based on our experience in creating adaptive eLearning modules for teaching basic concepts in gynecologic cytopathology. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2016;44:944-951. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Handwriting Without Tears(®): General Education Effectiveness Through a Consultative Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Donica, Denise K

2015-01-01

This study explores the effectiveness of the Handwriting Without Tears(®) (HWT) kindergarten printing curriculum in general education through a consultative approach with occupational therapy. One cohort of students was the control (n = 19), whereas two other cohorts were experimental groups learning printing through the HWT curriculum (n = 20 each). The Test of Handwriting Skills-Revised (THS-R) was used to collect end-of-year legibility scores for all cohorts. Both experimental groups individually and both experimental groups combined into one group outperformed the control group on all 10 of the THS-R subtests-scoring significantly higher (p handwriting curriculum implementation and the success of HWT for printing instruction. Copyright © 2015 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Pattern Recognition Approaches for Breast Cancer DCE-MRI Classification: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Fusco, Roberta; Sansone, Mario; Filice, Salvatore; Carone, Guglielmo; Amato, Daniela Maria; Sansone, Carlo; Petrillo, Antonella

2016-01-01

We performed a systematic review of several pattern analysis approaches for classifying breast lesions using dynamic, morphological, and textural features in dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI). Several machine learning approaches, namely artificial neural networks (ANN), support vector machines (SVM), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), tree-based classifiers (TC), and Bayesian classifiers (BC), and features used for classification are described. The findings of a systematic review of 26 studies are presented. The sensitivity and specificity are respectively 91 and 83 % for ANN, 85 and 82 % for SVM, 96 and 85 % for LDA, 92 and 87 % for TC, and 82 and 85 % for BC. The sensitivity and specificity are respectively 82 and 74 % for dynamic features, 93 and 60 % for morphological features, 88 and 81 % for textural features, 95 and 86 % for a combination of dynamic and morphological features, and 88 and 84 % for a combination of dynamic, morphological, and other features. LDA and TC have the best performance. A combination of dynamic and morphological features gives the best performance.

Decision support models for solid waste management: Review and game-theoretic approaches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karmperis, Athanasios C.; Aravossis, Konstantinos; Tatsiopoulos, Ilias P.; Sotirchos, Anastasios

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► The mainly used decision support frameworks for solid waste management are reviewed. ► The LCA, CBA and MCDM models are presented and their strengths, weaknesses, similarities and possible combinations are analyzed. ► The game-theoretic approach in a solid waste management context is presented. ► The waste management bargaining game is introduced as a specific decision support framework. ► Cooperative and non-cooperative game-theoretic approaches to decision support for solid waste management are discussed. - Abstract: This paper surveys decision support models that are commonly used in the solid waste management area. Most models are mainly developed within three decision support frameworks, which are the life-cycle assessment, the cost–benefit analysis and the multi-criteria decision-making. These frameworks are reviewed and their strengths and weaknesses as well as their critical issues are analyzed, while their possible combinations and extensions are also discussed. Furthermore, the paper presents how cooperative and non-cooperative game-theoretic approaches can be used for the purpose of modeling and analyzing decision-making in situations with multiple stakeholders. Specifically, since a waste management model is sustainable when considering not only environmental and economic but also social aspects, the waste management bargaining game is introduced as a specific decision support framework in which future models can be developed

Decision support models for solid waste management: Review and game-theoretic approaches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karmperis, Athanasios C., E-mail: athkarmp@mail.ntua.gr [Sector of Industrial Management and Operational Research, School of Mechanical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Iroon Polytechniou 9, 15780 Athens (Greece); Army Corps of Engineers, Hellenic Army General Staff, Ministry of Defence (Greece); Aravossis, Konstantinos; Tatsiopoulos, Ilias P.; Sotirchos, Anastasios [Sector of Industrial Management and Operational Research, School of Mechanical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Iroon Polytechniou 9, 15780 Athens (Greece)

2013-05-15

Highlights: ► The mainly used decision support frameworks for solid waste management are reviewed. ► The LCA, CBA and MCDM models are presented and their strengths, weaknesses, similarities and possible combinations are analyzed. ► The game-theoretic approach in a solid waste management context is presented. ► The waste management bargaining game is introduced as a specific decision support framework. ► Cooperative and non-cooperative game-theoretic approaches to decision support for solid waste management are discussed. - Abstract: This paper surveys decision support models that are commonly used in the solid waste management area. Most models are mainly developed within three decision support frameworks, which are the life-cycle assessment, the cost–benefit analysis and the multi-criteria decision-making. These frameworks are reviewed and their strengths and weaknesses as well as their critical issues are analyzed, while their possible combinations and extensions are also discussed. Furthermore, the paper presents how cooperative and non-cooperative game-theoretic approaches can be used for the purpose of modeling and analyzing decision-making in situations with multiple stakeholders. Specifically, since a waste management model is sustainable when considering not only environmental and economic but also social aspects, the waste management bargaining game is introduced as a specific decision support framework in which future models can be developed.

The Approach of General Surgeons to Oncoplastic and Reconstructive Breast Surgery in Turkey: A Survey of Practice Patterns

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Mustafa Emiroğlu

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Oncoplastic Breast Surgery (OBS, which is a combination of oncological procedures and plastic surgery techniques, has recently gained widespread use. Aims: To assess the experiences, practice patterns and preferred approaches to Oncoplastic and Reconstructive Breast Surgery (ORBS undertaken by general surgeons specializing in breast surgery in Turkey. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: Between December 2013 and February 2014, an eleven-question survey was distributed among 208 general surgeons specializing in breast surgery. The questions focused on the attitudes of general surgeons toward performing oncoplastic breast surgery (OBS, the role of the general surgeon in OBS and their training for it as well as their approaches to evaluating cosmetic outcomes in Breast Conserving Surgery (BCS and informing patients about ORBS preoperatively. Results: Responses from all 208 surgeons indicated that 79.8% evaluated the cosmetic outcomes of BCS, while 94.2% informed their patients preoperatively about ORBS. 52.5% performed BCS (31.3% themselves, 21.1% together with a plastic surgeon. 53.8% emphasized that general surgeons should carry out OBS themselves. 36.1% of respondents suggested that OBS training should be included within mainstream surgical training, whereas 27.4% believed this training should be conducted by specialised centres. Conclusion: Although OBS procedure rates are low in Turkey, it is encouraging to see general surgeons practicing ORBS themselves. The survey demonstrates that our general surgeons aspire to learn and utilize OBS techniques.

[Robotic general surgery: where do we stand in 2013?].

Science.gov (United States)

Buchs, Nicolas C; Pugin, François; Ris, Frédéric; Jung, Minoa; Hagen, Monika E; Volonté, Francesco; Azagury, Dan; Morel, Philippe

2013-06-19

While the number of publications concerning robotic surgery is increasing, the level of evidence remains to be improved. The safety of robotic approach has been largely demonstrated, even for complex procedures. Yet, the objective advantages of this technology are still lacking in several fields, notably in comparison to laparoscopy. On the other hand, the development of robotic surgery is on its way, as the enthusiasm of the public and the surgical community can testify. Still, clear clinical indications remain to be determined in the field of general surgery. The study aim is to review the current literature on robotic general surgery and to give the reader an overview in 2013.

Addressing the General Education Curriculum in General Education Settings with Students with Severe Disabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Ballard, Sarah L.; Dymond, Stacy K.

2017-01-01

This systematic literature review examined research on stakeholders' beliefs about addressing the general education curriculum in general education classrooms with students with severe disabilities (SD). The investigation was limited to studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 1997 and 2015. Ten articles were identified and then…

Stroke admissions in Kubwa General Hospital: A 30-month review

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Osaze Ojo

2017-01-01

Full Text Available >Background: Stroke is a common neurological disorder that contributes significantly to the morbidity and mortality of medical admissions.Objectives: To review the types, risk factors, hemispheric involvement, and outcomes of admitted stroke patients in Kubwa General Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria.Subjects and Methods: We carried out a retrospective study of patients who had a clinical diagnosis of stroke in Kubwa General Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria, between January 2013 and June 2015.Results: A total of 60 patients who had stroke were admitted during this period, accounting for 4.25% of medical admissions. Men and women accounted for 68.3% and 31.7%, respectively, with a male-to-female ratio of 2:1. Their mean age was 54.9 ± 13.5 years while the median age was 52.5 years. The mean hospital stay for these patients was 8.4 ± 5.5 days. Ischemic stroke occurred more frequently (65% compared with hemorrhagic stroke (35%. Hypertension (65%, alcohol (25%, previous stroke (18.3%, diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia (18.3% were the common identifiable risk factors for stroke. Ten patients (16.7% had two risk factors for stroke, whereas 8 patients (13.3% had three risk factors for stroke. The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures on admission were 171.5 ± 41.6 mmHg and 103.3 ± 24.0 mmHg, respectively. The left hemisphere (53.3% was more often affected than the right hemisphere in these patients. Majority of the patients (48.3% were discharged following improvement while the case fatality was 11.7%.Conclusion: Stroke is not uncommon as a cause of medical admission in Kubwa General Hospital. Ischemic stroke occurred more commonly and the left hemisphere was more often involved compared with the right hemisphere. Hypertension was the most common risk factor for stroke in these patients.

Automated spatial and thematic generalization using a context transformation model : integrating steering parameters, classification and aggregation hierarchies, reduction factors, and topological structures for multiple abstractions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Richardson, D.E.

1993-01-01

This dissertation presents a model for spatial and thematic digital generalization. To do so, the development of digital generalization over the last thirty years is first reviewed

The approach to generalization taken in this research differs from other existing works as

Emergency general surgery in the geriatric patient.

Science.gov (United States)

Desserud, K F; Veen, T; Søreide, K

2016-01-01

Emergency general surgery in the elderly is a particular challenge to the surgeon in charge of their care. The aim was to review contemporary aspects of managing elderly patients needing emergency general surgery and possible alterations to their pathways of care. This was a narrative review based on a PubMed/MEDLINE literature search up until 15 September 2015 for publications relevant to emergency general surgery in the geriatric patient. The number of patients presenting as an emergency with a general surgical condition increases with age. Up to one-quarter of all emergency admissions to hospital may be for general surgical conditions. Elderly patients are a particular challenge owing to added co-morbidity, use of drugs and risk of poor outcome. Frailty is an important potential risk factor, but difficult to monitor or manage in the emergency setting. Risk scores are not available universally. Outcomes are usually severalfold worse than after elective surgery, in terms of both higher morbidity and increased mortality. A care bundle including early diagnosis, resuscitation and organ system monitoring may benefit the elderly in particular. Communication with the patient and relatives throughout the care pathway is essential, as indications for surgery, level of care and likely outcomes may evolve. Ethical issues should also be addressed at every step on the pathway of care. Emergency general surgery in the geriatric patient needs a tailored approach to improve outcomes and avoid futile care. Although some high-quality studies exist in related fields, the overall evidence base informing perioperative acute care for the elderly remains limited. © 2015 BJS Society Ltd Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

28 CFR 65.40 - General.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Administration DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE (CONTINUED) EMERGENCY FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ASSISTANCE Submission and Review of Applications § 65.40 General. This subpart describes the process and criteria for the Attorney General's review and approval or disapproval of state applications. The original application, on Standard...

Economic evaluation of environmental impacts of open cast mining project - an approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maiti, S.K.; Pathak, K.

1998-01-01

Economic valuation of environmental attributes are pragmatic approach to evaluating the impacts and it helps decision makers to arrive at objective decisions on the basis of cost benefit ratio. For determining the physical impact and its quantification, four evaluation methods, namely-market price method, surrogate market price, survey based and cost based approaches are generally used. The present paper reviews the importance of environmental evaluation of impacts of mining and also reviews a few suitable methodologies that could be effectively used for economic evaluation of environmental impacts in open cast mining projects. (author)

A general excimer signaling approach for aptamer sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Cuichen; Yan, Ling; Wang, Chunming; Lin, Haoxue; Wang, Chi; Chen, Xi; Yang, Chaoyong James

2010-06-15

Simple, fast and direct analysis or monitoring of significant molecules in complex biological samples is important for many biological study, clinical diagnosis and forensic investigations. Herein we highlight a general method to tailor aptamer sequence into functional subunits to design target-induced light-switching excimer sensors for rapid, sensitive and selective detection of important molecules in complex biological fluids. Our approach is to split one single strand aptamer into two pieces and each terminally labeled with a pyrene molecule while maintaining their binding affinity to target molecules. In the presence of target molecules, two aptamer fragments are induced to self-assemble to form aptamer-target complex and bring two pyrene molecules into a close proximity to form an excimer, resulting in fluorescent switching from approximately 400 nm to 485 nm. With an anti-cocaine sensor, as low as 1 microM of cocaine can be detected using steady-state fluorescence assays and more importantly low picomole level of target can be directly visualized with naked eyes. Because the excimer has a long fluorescence lifetime, time-resolved measurements were used to directly detect as low as 5 microM cocaine in urine samples quantitatively without any sample pretreatment. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Integrative Therapeutic Approaches for the Management and Control of Nausea in Children Undergoing Cancer Treatment: A Systematic Review of Literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Momani, Tha'er G; Berry, Donna L

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) continues to be a common symptom experienced by children undergoing cancer treatment despite the use of contemporary antiemetics. Integrative therapeutic approaches in addition to standard pharmacologic antiemetic regimes offer potential to control CINV. The purpose of this review was to identify current evidence on integrative therapeutic approaches for the control of CINV in children with cancer. Online search engines (PubMed, CINAHL, PsychINFO) were queried using MESH terms. Titles, abstracts, and then full-text articles were reviewed for relevance to the review. The search resulted in 53 studies. Twenty-one studies met our review criteria. Integrative therapies identified included acupuncture/acupressure, aromatherapy, herbal supplements, hypnosis, and other cognitive behavioral interventions. Our review identified little information on the effectiveness and safety of most integrative therapeutic approaches for the control and management of CINV in children with cancer. However, evidence from adult cancer studies and some pediatric studies identify promising interventions for further testing.

Numerical Hydrodynamics and Magnetohydrodynamics in General Relativity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Font José A.

2008-09-01

Full Text Available This article presents a comprehensive overview of numerical hydrodynamics and magnetohydrodynamics (MHD in general relativity. Some significant additions have been incorporated with respect to the previous two versions of this review (2000, 2003, most notably the coverage of general-relativistic MHD, a field in which remarkable activity and progress has occurred in the last few years. Correspondingly, the discussion of astrophysical simulations in general-relativistic hydrodynamics is enlarged to account for recent relevant advances, while those dealing with general-relativistic MHD are amply covered in this review for the first time. The basic outline of this article is nevertheless similar to its earlier versions, save for the addition of MHD-related issues throughout. Hence, different formulations of both the hydrodynamics and MHD equations are presented, with special mention of conservative and hyperbolic formulations well adapted to advanced numerical methods. A large sample of numerical approaches for solving such hyperbolic systems of equations is discussed, paying particular attention to solution procedures based on schemes exploiting the characteristic structure of the equations through linearized Riemann solvers. As previously stated, a comprehensive summary of astrophysical simulations in strong gravitational fields is also presented. These are detailed in three basic sections, namely gravitational collapse, black-hole accretion, and neutron-star evolutions; despite the boundaries, these sections may (and in fact do overlap throughout the discussion. The material contained in these sections highlights the numerical challenges of various representative simulations. It also follows, to some extent, the chronological development of the field, concerning advances in the formulation of the gravitational field, hydrodynamics and MHD equations and the numerical methodology designed to solve them. To keep the length of this article reasonable

A Review of Nutrition-Specific and Nutrition-Sensitive Approaches to Preventing Moderate Acute Malnutrition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mucha, Noreen; Jimenez, Michelle; Stone-Jimenez, Maryanne; Brown, Rebecca

2014-01-01

Full text: Recent literature reviews have demonstrated the limited efficacy of targeted supplementary feeding programmes aimed at both treating and preventing moderate acute malnutrition (MAM), with high rates of defaulting, low coverage and high associated costs. There is a growing interest in a) reviewing and improving protocols / tools for the management of acute malnutrition and b) increasing the quality and variety of products available for the treatment / prevention of moderate acute malnutrition. There is however, varying evidence on the impact of nutritional products aimed at preventing or treating acute malnutrition, or on the comparative efficacy of different products. Following several literature reviews and operational research with varying results, there is increasing consensus that MAM should be tackled not only through products, and that clearer guidance should be provided on broader preventive strategies, such as optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) and caregiving practices, optimal maternal nutrition, counselling, social protection, food security and livelihoods, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). The CMAM Forum has commissioned Technical Briefs which aim to summarise current thinking and practice relating to preventive approaches to MAM, looking at the role of both nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions. The work is being launched in January 2014 and results will be available for presentation at the IAEA MAM Symposium in May 2014. The briefs aim to provide: • An overview of approaches to preventing MAM across different sectors (e.g. agriculture, health, IYCF, social protection, water and sanitation) and in different contexts. • A review of current knowledge including: – Evidence from systematic and literature reviews. – Existing approaches and practice for prevention of MAM. – Current guidance on making programmatic choices relating to MAM prevention interventions and decision-making frameworks. �

A review of ecogeochemistry approaches to estimating movements of marine animals

KAUST Repository

McMahon, Kelton W.; Ling Hamady, Li; Thorrold, Simon R.

2013-01-01

Ecogeochemistry—the application of geochemical techniques to fundamental questions in population and community ecology—has been used in animal migration studies in terrestrial environments for several decades; however, the approach has received far less attention in marine systems. This review includes comprehensive meta-analyses of organic zooplankton δ13C and δ15N values at the base of the food web, dissolved inorganic carbon δ13C values, and seawater δ18O values to create, for the first time, robust isoscapes for the Atlantic Ocean. These isoscapes present far greater geographic variability in multiple geochemical tracers than was previously thought, thus forming the foundation for reconstructions of habitat use and migration patterns of marine organisms. We review several additional tracers, including trace-element-to-calcium ratios and heavy element stable isotopes, to examine anadromous migrations. We highlight the value of the ecogeochemistry approach by examining case studies on three components of connectivity: dispersal and natal homing, functional connectivity, and migratory connectivity. We also discuss recent advances in compound-specific stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses for tracking animal movement. A better understanding of isotopic routing and fractionation factors, particularly of individual compound classes, is necessary to realize the full potential of ecogeochemistry.

Urbanity and Urbanization: An Interdisciplinary Review Combining Cultural and Physical Approaches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christoph Schneider

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This review paper focuses on research schemes regarding urbanity and urbanization, and brings together both cultural and physical approaches. First, we review the cultural and social construction of urbanity (as related to urbanization in Germany. In the early 20th century, urbanity was mainly the result of identity derived from a historical perspective in cities. This has changed profoundly in recent decades as urbanity stems more and more from various urban lifestyles and the staging of societal experiences, as summarized in the German term, “Erlebnisgesellschaft” (thrill-seeking society. The discussion is extended by an assessment of the recent state of the art regarding physical urban research. The focus lies on different fields of research; we address topics such as biodiversity, urban climate, air pollution, and resilience, as well as their impact on urban planning and governance. In conclusion, in order to tackle recent developments and future challenges regarding social and environmental issues, an integrative approach urges novel cross- and inter-disciplinary research efforts in urban studies, including urban-rural linkages. A newly constituted assessment of urbanization and city quarter development is proposed; the assessment focuses on the conjoint analysis of mobility, “Energiewende” (energy transition, cultural drivers, demographic development, and environmental issues.

A review of ecogeochemistry approaches to estimating movements of marine animals

KAUST Repository

McMahon, Kelton W.

2013-03-22

Ecogeochemistry—the application of geochemical techniques to fundamental questions in population and community ecology—has been used in animal migration studies in terrestrial environments for several decades; however, the approach has received far less attention in marine systems. This review includes comprehensive meta-analyses of organic zooplankton δ13C and δ15N values at the base of the food web, dissolved inorganic carbon δ13C values, and seawater δ18O values to create, for the first time, robust isoscapes for the Atlantic Ocean. These isoscapes present far greater geographic variability in multiple geochemical tracers than was previously thought, thus forming the foundation for reconstructions of habitat use and migration patterns of marine organisms. We review several additional tracers, including trace-element-to-calcium ratios and heavy element stable isotopes, to examine anadromous migrations. We highlight the value of the ecogeochemistry approach by examining case studies on three components of connectivity: dispersal and natal homing, functional connectivity, and migratory connectivity. We also discuss recent advances in compound-specific stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses for tracking animal movement. A better understanding of isotopic routing and fractionation factors, particularly of individual compound classes, is necessary to realize the full potential of ecogeochemistry.

Final Technical Report: "Representing Endogenous Technological Change in Climate Policy Models: General Equilibrium Approaches"

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ian Sue Wing

2006-04-18

The research supported by this award pursued three lines of inquiry: (1) The construction of dynamic general equilibrium models to simulate the accumulation and substitution of knowledge, which has resulted in the preparation and submission of several papers: (a) A submitted pedagogic paper which clarifies the structure and operation of computable general equilibrium (CGE) models (C.2), and a review article in press which develops a taxonomy for understanding the representation of technical change in economic and engineering models for climate policy analysis (B.3). (b) A paper which models knowledge directly as a homogeneous factor, and demonstrates that inter-sectoral reallocation of knowledge is the key margin of adjustment which enables induced technical change to lower the costs of climate policy (C.1). (c) An empirical paper which estimates the contribution of embodied knowledge to aggregate energy intensity in the U.S. (C.3), followed by a companion article which embeds these results within a CGE model to understand the degree to which autonomous energy efficiency improvement (AEEI) is attributable to technical change as opposed to sub-sectoral shifts in industrial composition (C.4) (d) Finally, ongoing theoretical work to characterize the precursors and implications of the response of innovation to emission limits (E.2). (2) Data development and simulation modeling to understand how the characteristics of discrete energy supply technologies determine their succession in response to emission limits when they are embedded within a general equilibrium framework. This work has produced two peer-reviewed articles which are currently in press (B.1 and B.2). (3) Empirical investigation of trade as an avenue for the transmission of technological change to developing countries, and its implications for leakage, which has resulted in an econometric study which is being revised for submission to a journal (E.1). As work commenced on this topic, the U.S. withdrawal

Cosmology and particle physics: A general review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olive, K.A.

1986-01-01

Cosmology today does not stop at t = 1 s. Indeed, ''reasonable'' statements begin at the Planck epoch or when t ≅ 10/sup -44/s. In this review, the author attempts to highlight the current understanding of the various stages in the evolution of the universe from -- 10/sup -4/s to the period of galaxy formation at t≅10/sup 5/ years. He tries to follow a chronological order for the discussion and begins with the Planck epoch. In the section entitled INFLATION, discusses the inflationary epoch. In the section, GUTs and COSMOLOGY, he reviews the present status of big bang baryosynthesis, i.e., the origin of the apparent slight excess of baryons over antibaryons. This is perhaps the third most reliable piece of evidence indicating a hot big bang. He also reviews the present status of big bang nucleosynthesis and discuss why he feels it is one of the greatest successes of the standard big bang model. Finally, in the last section, he reviews the present role of particles in the universe; that is, their effects on galaxy formation and constraints from present observations that can be placed on particle properties

A Whole Community Approach toward Child and Youth Resilience Promotion: A Review of Resilience Literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Khanlou, Nazilla; Wray, Ron

2014-01-01

A literature review of child and youth resilience with a focus on: definitions and factors of resilience; relationships between resilience, mental health and social outcomes; evidence for resilience promoting interventions; and implications for reducing health inequities. To conduct the review, the first two following steps were conducted iteratively and informed the third step: 1) Review of published peer-review literature since 2000; and 2) Review of grey literature; and 3) Quasi-realist synthesis of evidence. Evidence from three perspectives were examined: i) whether interventions can improve 'resilience' for vulnerable children and youth; ii) whether there is a differential effect among different populations; and, iii) whether there is evidence that resilience interventions 'close the gap' on health and social outcome measures. Definitions of resilience vary as do perspectives on it. We argue for a hybrid approach that recognizes the value of combining multiple theoretical perspectives, epistemologies (positivistic and constructivist/interpretive/critical) in studying resilience. Resilience is: a) a process (rather than a single event), b) a continuum (rather than a binary outcome), and c) likely a global concept with specific dimensions. Individual, family and social environmental factors influence resilience. A social determinants perspective on resilience and mental health is emphasized. Programs and interventions to promoting resilience should be complimentary to public health measures addressing the social determinants of health. A whole community approach to resilience is suggested as a step toward closing the public health policy gap. Local initiatives that stimulate a local transformation process are needed. Recognition of each child's or youth's intersections of gender, lifestage, family resources within the context of their identity markers fits with a localized approach to resilience promotion and, at the same time, requires recognition of the

Venous Thromboembolism Prevention in Emergency General Surgery: A Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Murphy, Patrick B; Vogt, Kelly N; Lau, Brandyn D; Aboagye, Jonathan; Parry, Neil G; Streiff, Michael B; Haut, Elliott R

2018-05-01

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the most preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in US hospitals, and approximately 2.5% of emergency general surgery (EGS) patients will be diagnosed with a VTE event. Emergency general surgery patients are at increased risk of morbidity and mortality because of the nature of acute surgical conditions and the challenges related to prophylaxis. MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Database of Collected Reviews were searched from January 1, 1990, through December 31, 2015. Nearly all operatively and nonoperatively treated EGS patients have a moderate to high risk of developing a VTE, and individual risk should be assessed at admission. Pharmacologic prophylaxis in the form of unfractionated or low-molecular-weight heparin should be considered unless an absolute contraindication, such as bleeding, exists. Patients should receive the first dose at admission to the hospital, and administration should continue until discharge without missed doses. Certain patient populations, such as those with malignant tumors, may benefit from prolonged VTE prophylaxis after discharge. Mechanical prophylaxis should be considered in all patients, particularly if pharmacologic prophylaxis is contraindicated. Studies that specifically target improved adherence with VTE prophylaxis in EGS patients suggest that efficacy and quality improvement initiatives should be undertaken from a system and institutional perspective. Operatively and nonoperatively treated EGS patients are at a comparatively high risk of VTE. Despite gaps in existing literature with respect to this increasing patient population, successful best practices can be applied. Best practices include assessment of VTE risk, optimal prophylaxis, and physician, nurse, and patient education regarding the use of mechanical and pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis and institutional policies.

Senior expert group for the review of the Agency`s programme of activities. Opening remarks by the Director General

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

ElBaradei, M [International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)

1998-03-23

The document reproduces the opening remarks made by the Director General of the IAEA on 23 March 1998 at the first meeting of the Senior Expert Group for the review of the Agency`s programme and activities. The Director General explains his considerations in establishing the group, and the major challenges facing the safe use of nuclear energy and technologies

Literature Review: Weldability of Iridium DOP-26 Alloy for General Purpose Heat Source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burgardt, Paul [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Pierce, Stanley W. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-10-19

The basic purpose of this paper is to provide a literature review relative to fabrication of the General Purpose Heat Source (GPHS) that is used to provide electrical power for deep space missions of NASA. The particular fabrication operation to be addressed here is arc welding of the GPHS encapsulation. A considerable effort was made to optimize the fabrication of the fuel pellets and of other elements of the encapsulation; that work will not be directly addressed in this paper. This report consists of three basic sections: 1) a brief description of the GPHS will be provided as background information for the reader; 2) mechanical properties and the optimization thereof as relevant to welding will be discussed; 3) a review of the arc welding process development and optimization will be presented. Since the welding equipment must be upgraded for future production, some discussion of the historical establishment of relevant welding variables and possible changes thereto will also be discussed.

The viable but non-culturable state in pathogenic Escherichia coli: A general review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer A. Pienaar

2016-05-01

Objectives: This review discusses various general aspects of the VBNC state, the mechanisms and possible public health impact of indicator and pathogenic E. coli entering into the VBNC state. Method: A literature review was conducted to ascertain the possibleimpact of E. coli entering into the VBNC state. Results: Escherichia coli enter into the VBNC state by means of several induction mechanisms. Various authors have found that E. coli can be resuscitated post-VBNC. Certain strains of pathogenic E. coli are still able to produce toxins in the VBNC state, whilst others are avirulent during the VBNC state but are able to regain virulence after resuscitation. Conclusion: Pathogenic and indicator E. coli entering into the VBNC state could have an adverse effect on public health if conventional detection methods are used, where the number of viable cells could be underestimated and the VBNC cells still produce toxins or could, at anytime, be resuscitated and become virulent again.

Integrative review of research on general health status and prevalence of common physical health conditions of women after childbirth.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Ching-Yu; Li, Qing

2008-01-01

Postpartum mothers experience certain physical health conditions that may affect their quality of life, future health, and health of their children. Yet, the physical health of postpartum mothers is relatively neglected in both research and practice. The purpose of this review is to describe the general health status and prevalence of common physical health conditions of postpartum mothers. The review followed standard procedures for integrative literature reviews. Twenty-two articles were reviewed from searches in scientific databases, reference lists, and an up-to-date survey. Three tables were designed to answer review questions. In general, postpartum mothers self-rate their health as good. They experience certain physical conditions such as fatigue/physical exhaustion, sleep-related problems, pain, sex-related concerns, hemorrhoids/constipation, and breast problems. Despite a limited number of studies, the findings provide a glimpse of the presence of a number of physical health conditions experienced by women in the 2 years postpartum. In the articles reviewed, physical health conditions and postpartum period were poorly defined, no standard scales existed, and the administration of surveys varied widely in time. Those disparities prevented systematic comparisons of results and made it difficult to gain a coherent understanding of the physical health conditions of postpartum mothers. More longitudinal research is needed that focuses on the etiology, predictors, and management of the health conditions most prevalent among postpartum mothers. Instruments are needed that target a broader range of physical conditions in respect to type and severity.

Retrospective chart review of elderly patients receiving electroconvulsive therapy in a tertiary general hospital

OpenAIRE

Mosam Phirke; Harshal Sathe; Nilesh Shah; Sushma Sonavane; Anup Bharati; Avinash DeSousa

2015-01-01

Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the one of the oldest and effective treatments in psychiatry today. It has been used in a wide variety of psychiatric disorders in both young and old patients. Aims of the study: The present study is a retrospective chart review of geriatric patients receiving ECT as a treatment option in a tertiary care general hospital psychiatry setting. Methodology: The study evaluated ECT records over a 5-year period between the years 2010 and 2014...

Chlamydia prevalence in the general population: is there a sex difference? a systematic review

OpenAIRE

Dielissen, Patrick W; Teunissen, Doreth AM; Lagro-Janssen, Antoine LM

2013-01-01

Background The focus of Chlamydia trachomatis screening and testing lies more on women than on men. The study aim was to establish by systematic review the prevalence of urogenital Chlamydia trachomatis infection in men and women in the general population. Methods Electronic databases and reference lists were searched from 2000 to 2013 using the key words “Chlamydia trachomatis”, “population-based study” and “disease prevalence”. Reference lists were checked. Studies were included in the anal...

Rehabilitation of gait after stroke: a review towards a top-down approach

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

This document provides a review of the techniques and therapies used in gait rehabilitation after stroke. It also examines the possible benefits of including assistive robotic devices and brain-computer interfaces in this field, according to a top-down approach, in which rehabilitation is driven by neural plasticity. The methods reviewed comprise classical gait rehabilitation techniques (neurophysiological and motor learning approaches), functional electrical stimulation (FES), robotic devices, and brain-computer interfaces (BCI). From the analysis of these approaches, we can draw the following conclusions. Regarding classical rehabilitation techniques, there is insufficient evidence to state that a particular approach is more effective in promoting gait recovery than other. Combination of different rehabilitation strategies seems to be more effective than over-ground gait training alone. Robotic devices need further research to show their suitability for walking training and their effects on over-ground gait. The use of FES combined with different walking retraining strategies has shown to result in improvements in hemiplegic gait. Reports on non-invasive BCIs for stroke recovery are limited to the rehabilitation of upper limbs; however, some works suggest that there might be a common mechanism which influences upper and lower limb recovery simultaneously, independently of the limb chosen for the rehabilitation therapy. Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) enables researchers to detect signals from specific regions of the cortex during performance of motor activities for the development of future BCIs. Future research would make possible to analyze the impact of rehabilitation on brain plasticity, in order to adapt treatment resources to meet the needs of each patient and to optimize the recovery process. PMID:22165907

Rehabilitation of gait after stroke: a review towards a top-down approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Belda-Lois Juan-Manuel

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract This document provides a review of the techniques and therapies used in gait rehabilitation after stroke. It also examines the possible benefits of including assistive robotic devices and brain-computer interfaces in this field, according to a top-down approach, in which rehabilitation is driven by neural plasticity. The methods reviewed comprise classical gait rehabilitation techniques (neurophysiological and motor learning approaches, functional electrical stimulation (FES, robotic devices, and brain-computer interfaces (BCI. From the analysis of these approaches, we can draw the following conclusions. Regarding classical rehabilitation techniques, there is insufficient evidence to state that a particular approach is more effective in promoting gait recovery than other. Combination of different rehabilitation strategies seems to be more effective than over-ground gait training alone. Robotic devices need further research to show their suitability for walking training and their effects on over-ground gait. The use of FES combined with different walking retraining strategies has shown to result in improvements in hemiplegic gait. Reports on non-invasive BCIs for stroke recovery are limited to the rehabilitation of upper limbs; however, some works suggest that there might be a common mechanism which influences upper and lower limb recovery simultaneously, independently of the limb chosen for the rehabilitation therapy. Functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS enables researchers to detect signals from specific regions of the cortex during performance of motor activities for the development of future BCIs. Future research would make possible to analyze the impact of rehabilitation on brain plasticity, in order to adapt treatment resources to meet the needs of each patient and to optimize the recovery process.

Practice-level quality improvement interventions in primary care: a review of systematic reviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Irwin, Ryan; Stokes, Tim; Marshall, Tom

2015-11-01

To present an overview of effective interventions for quality improvement in primary care at the practice level utilising existing systematic reviews. Quality improvement in primary care involves a range of approaches from the system-level to patient-level improvement. One key setting in which quality improvement needs to occur is at the level of the basic unit of primary care--the individual general practice. Therefore, there is a need for practitioners to have access to an overview of the effectiveness of quality improvement interventions available in this setting. A tertiary evidence synthesis was conducted (a review of systematic reviews). A systematic approach was used to identify and summarise published literature relevant to understanding primary-care quality improvement at the practice level. Quality assessment was via the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool for systematic reviews, with data extraction identifying evidence of effect for the examined interventions. Included reviews had to be relevant to quality improvement at the practice level and relevant to the UK primary-care context. Reviews were excluded if describing system-level interventions. A range of measures across care structure, process and outcomes were defined and interpreted across the quality improvement interventions. Audit and feedback, computerised advice, point-of-care reminders, practice facilitation, educational outreach and processes for patient review and follow-up all demonstrated evidence of a quality improvement effect. Evidence of an improvement effect was higher where baseline performance was low and was particularly demonstrated across process measures and measures related to prescribing. Evidence was not sufficient to suggest that multifaceted approaches were more effective than single interventions. Evidence exists for a range of quality improvement interventions at the primary-care practice level. More research is required to determine the use and impact of quality

Successful management of Barth syndrome: a systematic review highlighting the importance of a flexible and multidisciplinary approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reynolds S

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Stacey Reynolds Department of Occupational Therapy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA Abstract: This review describes and summarizes the available evidence related to the treatment and management of Barth syndrome. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA standards were used to identify articles published between December 2004 and January 2015. The Cochrane Population, Intervention, Control, Outcome, Study Design (PICOS approach was used to guide the article selection and evaluation process. Of the 128 articles screened, 28 articles matched the systematic review inclusion criteria. The results of this review indicate the need for a flexible and multidisciplinary approach to manage the symptoms most commonly associated with Barth syndrome. It is recommended that a comprehensive care team should include individuals with Barth syndrome, their family members and caregivers, as well as medical, rehabilitative, nutritional, psychological, and educational professionals. The evidence for specific treatments, therapies, and techniques for individuals with Barth syndrome is currently lacking in both quality and quantity. Keywords: Barth syndrome, rare disorders, rehabilitation, cardiac, systematic review

A Review of Behavioral Conceptualizations and Treatments of Child Noncompliance.

Science.gov (United States)

Houlihan, Daniel; And Others

1992-01-01

This review of behavioral conceptualizations and approaches to the treatment of child noncompliance includes discussion of behavioral definitions, methods of assessment, types of behavioral interventions, generalization of treatment effects, future research directions, and potential ethical concerns. (Author/JDD)

A Fuzzy Approach Using Generalized Dinkelbach’s Algorithm for Multiobjective Linear Fractional Transportation Problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nurdan Cetin

2014-01-01

Full Text Available We consider a multiobjective linear fractional transportation problem (MLFTP with several fractional criteria, such as, the maximization of the transport profitability like profit/cost or profit/time, and its two properties are source and destination. Our aim is to introduce MLFTP which has not been studied in literature before and to provide a fuzzy approach which obtain a compromise Pareto-optimal solution for this problem. To do this, first, we present a theorem which shows that MLFTP is always solvable. And then, reducing MLFTP to the Zimmermann’s “min” operator model which is the max-min problem, we construct Generalized Dinkelbach’s Algorithm for solving the obtained problem. Furthermore, we provide an illustrative numerical example to explain this fuzzy approach.

The "Magic Cure" A Review of the Current Controversial Approaches for Treating Learning Disabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Silver, Larry B.

1987-01-01

In view of popular press coverage of controversial approaches to treating learning disabilities, the article briefly reviews evidence concerning the following: neurophysiological retraining (patterning, optometric visual training, cerebellar-vestibular remediation, and applied kinesiology); and orthomolecular medicine (concerning megavitamins,…

Understanding and Measuring LGBTQ Pathways to Health: A Scoping Review of Strengths-Based Health Promotion Approaches in LGBTQ Health Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Gahagan, Jacqueline; Colpitts, Emily

2017-01-01

Health research traditionally has focused on the health risks and deficits of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) populations, obscuring the determinants that can promote health across the life course. Recognizing, appropriately measuring, and rendering visible these determinants of health is paramount to informing appropriate and engaging health policies, services, and systems for LGBTQ populations. The overarching purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the findings of a scoping review aimed at exploring strengths-based health promotion approaches to understanding and measuring LGBTQ health. Specifically, this scoping review examined peer-reviewed, published academic literature to determine (a) existing methodological frameworks for studying LGBTQ health from a strengths-based health promotion approach, and (b) suggestions for future methodological approaches for studying LGBTQ health from a strengths-based health promotion approach. The findings of this scoping review will be used to inform the development of a study aimed at assessing the health of and improving pathways to health services among LGBTQ populations in Nova Scotia, Canada.

A generalized estimating equations approach to quantitative trait locus detection of non-normal traits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomson Peter C

2003-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract To date, most statistical developments in QTL detection methodology have been directed at continuous traits with an underlying normal distribution. This paper presents a method for QTL analysis of non-normal traits using a generalized linear mixed model approach. Development of this method has been motivated by a backcross experiment involving two inbred lines of mice that was conducted in order to locate a QTL for litter size. A Poisson regression form is used to model litter size, with allowances made for under- as well as over-dispersion, as suggested by the experimental data. In addition to fixed parity effects, random animal effects have also been included in the model. However, the method is not fully parametric as the model is specified only in terms of means, variances and covariances, and not as a full probability model. Consequently, a generalized estimating equations (GEE approach is used to fit the model. For statistical inferences, permutation tests and bootstrap procedures are used. This method is illustrated with simulated as well as experimental mouse data. Overall, the method is found to be quite reliable, and with modification, can be used for QTL detection for a range of other non-normally distributed traits.

Chronic widespread pain prevalence in the general population: A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Andrews, P; Steultjens, M; Riskowski, J

2018-01-01

Chronic widespread pain (CWP) is a significant burden in communities. Understanding the impact of population-dependent (e.g., age, gender) and contextual-dependent (e.g. survey method, region, inequality level) factors have on CWP prevalence may provide a foundation for population-based strategies to address CWP. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to estimate the global prevalence of CWP and evaluate the population and contextual factors associated with CWP. A systematic review of CWP prevalence studies (1990-2017) in the general population was undertaken. Meta-analyses were conducted to determine CWP prevalence, and study population data and contextual factors were evaluated using a meta-regression. Thirty-nine manuscripts met the inclusion criteria. Study CWP prevalence ranged from 1.4% to 24.0%, with CWP prevalence in men ranging from 0.8% to 15.3% and 1.7% to 22.1% in women. Estimated overall CWP prevalence was 9.6% (8.0-11.2%). Meta-regression analyses showed gender, United Nations country development status, and human development index (HDI) influenced CWP prevalence, while survey method, region, methodological and reporting quality, and inequality showed no significant effect on the CWP estimate. Globally CWP affects one in ten individuals within the general population, with women more likely to experience CWP than men. HDI was noted to be the socioeconomic factor related to CWP prevalence, with those in more developed countries having a lower CWP prevalence than those in less developed countries. Most CWP estimates were from developed countries, and CWP estimates from countries with a lower socioeconomic position is needed to further refine the global estimate of CWP. This systematic review and meta-analysis updates the current global CWP prevalence by examining the population-level (e.g. age, gender) and contextual (e.g. country development status; survey style; reporting and methodologic quality) factors associated with CWP prevalence. This analyses

Generalized Aggressive Periodontitis and Its Treatment Options: Case Reports and Review of the Literature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Roshna

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Generalized aggressive periodontitis results in rapid destruction of the periodontium and can lead to early tooth loss in the affected individuals if not diagnosed early and treated appropriately. The diagnostic features of the disease are characteristic, but the clinical presentation and patterns of destructions may vary between patients. Successful management of the disease is challenging especially if diagnosed at advanced stages of the disease, but not impossible with the current therapeutic choices for the disease. A vast array of treatment modalities is available which can be employed in the treatment of generalized aggressive periodontitis with varying success rates, but a definite guideline for the management is yet to be formulated. However, with the exponential rate of developments in periodontal research, regenerative therapy, tissue engineering, and genetic technologies, the future seems promising in regard to options at managing the disease. This paper attempts to describe the clinical and radiographic diagnostic features and the current treatment options along with a suggested protocol for comprehensive management of generalized aggressive periodontitis patients with case reports and a brief review.

Task-Sharing Approaches to Improve Mental Health Care in Rural and Other Low-Resource Settings: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoeft, Theresa J; Fortney, John C; Patel, Vikram; Unützer, Jürgen

2018-12-01

Rural areas persistently face a shortage of mental health specialists. Task shifting, or task sharing, is an approach in global mental health that may help address unmet mental health needs in rural and other low-resource areas. This review focuses on task-shifting approaches and highlights future directions for research in this area. Systematic review on task sharing of mental health care in rural areas of high-income countries included: (1) PubMed, (2) gray literature for innovations not yet published in peer-reviewed journals, and (3) outreach to experts for additional articles. We included English language articles published before August 31, 2013, on interventions sharing mental health care tasks across a team in rural settings. We excluded literature: (1) from low- and middle-income countries, (2) involving direct transfer of care to another provider, and (3) describing clinical guidelines and shared decision-making tools. The review identified approaches to task sharing focused mainly on community health workers and primary care providers. Technology was identified as a way to leverage mental health specialists to support care across settings both within primary care and out in the community. The review also highlighted how provider education, supervision, and partnerships with local communities can support task sharing. Challenges, such as confidentiality, are often not addressed in the literature. Approaches to task sharing may improve reach and effectiveness of mental health care in rural and other low-resource settings, though important questions remain. We recommend promising research directions to address these questions. © 2017 National Rural Health Association.

Learning in Earth and Space Science: A Review of Conceptual Change Instructional Approaches

Science.gov (United States)

Mills, Reece; Tomas, Louisa; Lewthwaite, Brian

2016-01-01

In response to calls for research into effective instruction in the Earth and space sciences, and to identify directions for future research, this systematic review of the literature explores research into instructional approaches designed to facilitate conceptual change. In total, 52 studies were identified and analyzed. Analysis focused on the…

Training and learning robotic surgery, time for a more structured approach: a systematic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schreuder, H. W. R.; Wolswijk, R.; Zweemer, R. P.; Schijven, M. P.; Verheijen, R. H. M.

2012-01-01

Background Robotic assisted laparoscopic surgery is growing rapidly and there is an increasing need for a structured approach to train future robotic surgeons. Objectives To review the literature on training and learning strategies for robotic assisted laparoscopic surgery. Search strategy A

MGF approach to the capacity analysis of Generalized Two-Ray fading models

KAUST Repository

Rao, Milind

2015-09-11

We propose a class of Generalized Two-Ray (GTR) fading channels that consists of two line of sight (LOS) components with random phase and a diffuse component. Observing that the GTR fading model can be expressed in terms of the underlying Rician distribution, we derive a closed-form expression for the moment generating function (MGF) of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of this model. We then employ this approach to compute the ergodic capacity with receiver side information. The impact of the underlying phase difference between the LOS components on the average SNR of the signal received is also illustrated. © 2015 IEEE.

MGF approach to the capacity analysis of Generalized Two-Ray fading models

KAUST Repository

Rao, Milind; Lopez-Martinez, F. Javier; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Goldsmith, Andrea

2015-01-01

We propose a class of Generalized Two-Ray (GTR) fading channels that consists of two line of sight (LOS) components with random phase and a diffuse component. Observing that the GTR fading model can be expressed in terms of the underlying Rician distribution, we derive a closed-form expression for the moment generating function (MGF) of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of this model. We then employ this approach to compute the ergodic capacity with receiver side information. The impact of the underlying phase difference between the LOS components on the average SNR of the signal received is also illustrated. © 2015 IEEE.

Prevalence of homeopathy use by the general population worldwide: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Relton, Clare; Cooper, Katy; Viksveen, Petter; Fibert, Philippa; Thomas, Kate

2017-05-01

To systematically review surveys of 12-month prevalence of homeopathy use by the general population worldwide. Studies were identified via database searches to October 2015. Study quality was assessed using a six-item tool. All estimates were in the context of a survey which also reported prevalence of any complementary and alternative medicine use. A total of 36 surveys were included. Of these, 67% met four of six quality criteria. Twelve-month prevalence of treatment by a homeopath was reported in 24 surveys of adults (median 1.5%, range 0.2-8.2%). Estimates for children were similar to those for adults. Rates in the USA, UK, Australia and Canada all ranged from 0.2% to 2.9% and remained stable over the years surveyed (1986-2012). Twelve-month prevalence of all use of homeopathy (purchase of over-the-counter homeopathic medicines and treatment by a homeopath) was reported in 10 surveys of adults (median 3.9%, range 0.7-9.8%) while a further 11 surveys which did not define the type of homeopathy use reported similar data. Rates in the USA and Australia ranged from 1.7% to 4.4% and remained stable over the years surveyed. The highest use was reported by a survey in Switzerland where homeopathy is covered by mandatory health insurance. This review summarises 12-month prevalence of homeopathy use from surveys conducted in eleven countries (USA, UK, Australia, Israel, Canada, Switzerland, Norway, Germany, South Korea, Japan and Singapore). Each year a small but significant percentage of these general populations use homeopathy. This includes visits to homeopaths as well as purchase of over-the-counter homeopathic medicines. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

A statistical mechanical approach for the computation of the climatic response to general forcings

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V. Lucarini

2011-01-01

parameter alone for a general class of chaotic Lorenz 96 models. We then verify the theoretical predictions from the outputs of the simulations up to a high degree of precision. The theory is used to explain differences in the response of local and global observables, to define the intensive properties of the system, which do not depend on the spatial resolution of the Lorenz 96 model, and to generalize the concept of climate sensitivity to all time scales. We also show how to reconstruct the linear Green function, which maps perturbations of general time patterns into changes in the expectation value of the considered observable for finite as well as infinite time. Finally, we propose a simple yet general methodology to study general Climate Change problems on virtually any time scale by resorting to only well selected simulations, and by taking full advantage of ensemble methods. The specific case of globally averaged surface temperature response to a general pattern of change of the CO₂ concentration is discussed. We believe that the proposed approach may constitute a mathematically rigorous and practically very effective way to approach the problem of climate sensitivity, climate prediction, and climate change from a radically new perspective.

A review of mathematical models for the formation of vascular networks

KAUST Repository

Scianna, M.; Bell, C.G.; Preziosi, L.

2013-01-01

process generally called lymphangiogenesis. A number of mathematical approaches have been used to analyze these phenomena. In this paper, we review the different types of models, with special emphasis on their ability to reproduce different biological

Use of Machine-Learning Approaches to Predict Clinical Deterioration in Critically Ill Patients: A Systematic Review

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Tadashi Kamio

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Early identification of patients with unexpected clinical deterioration is a matter of serious concern. Previous studies have shown that early intervention on a patient whose health is deteriorating improves the patient outcome, and machine-learning-based approaches to predict clinical deterioration may contribute to precision improvement. To date, however, no systematic review in this area is available. Methods: We completed a search on PubMed on January 22, 2017 as well as a review of the articles identified by study authors involved in this area of research following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews. Results: Twelve articles were selected for the current study from 273 articles initially obtained from the PubMed searches. Eleven of the 12 studies were retrospective studies, and no randomized controlled trials were performed. Although the artificial neural network techniques were the most frequently used and provided high precision and accuracy, we failed to identify articles that showed improvement in the patient outcome. Limitations were reported related to generalizability, complexity of models, and technical knowledge. Conclusions: This review shows that machine-learning approaches can improve prediction of clinical deterioration compared with traditional methods. However, these techniques will require further external validation before widespread clinical acceptance can be achieved.

Regeneration and health: a structured, rapid literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

McCartney, G; Hearty, W; Taulbut, M; Mitchell, R; Dryden, R; Collins, C

2017-07-01

To identify and synthesise what is known about the impacts of regeneration on health, health inequalities and their socio-economic determinants. Rapid, structured literature review. A rapid, structured approach was undertaken to identifying relevant studies involving a search of peer-reviewed literature databases, an Internet search to identify relevant grey literature, and a review of articles citing two key systematic reviews. The identified citations were screened, critically appraised according to the research design and narratively synthesised. Of the 1382 identified citations, 46 were screened as relevant to the review and included in the synthesis. Fifteen citations were reviews but most of the evidence identified or included within the reviews was of medium or low quality due to a lack of longitudinal follow-up, low response rates or attrition. The evidence base on the impacts of regeneration is generally not of high quality and is prone to bias. However, it is theorised as being an important means of addressing the socio-economic determinants of health. Housing refurbishment (generally, and for specific improvements) seems likely to lead to small improvements in health, whereas rehousing and mixed-tenure approaches have less clear impacts on health and carry risks of disruption to social networks and higher rents. Changes in the social composition of communities (gentrification) is a common outcome of regeneration and some 'partnership' approaches to regeneration have been shown to have caused difficulties within communities. The evidence base for regeneration activities is limited but they have substantial potential to contribute to improving population health. Better quality evidence is available for there being positive health impacts from housing-led regeneration programmes involving refurbishment and specific housing improvements. There is also some evidence of the potential harms of regeneration activities, including social stratification

A Comprehensive Review on Handcrafted and Learning-Based Action Representation Approaches for Human Activity Recognition

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Allah Bux Sargano

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Human activity recognition (HAR is an important research area in the fields of human perception and computer vision due to its wide range of applications. These applications include: intelligent video surveillance, ambient assisted living, human computer interaction, human-robot interaction, entertainment, and intelligent driving. Recently, with the emergence and successful deployment of deep learning techniques for image classification, researchers have migrated from traditional handcrafting to deep learning techniques for HAR. However, handcrafted representation-based approaches are still widely used due to some bottlenecks such as computational complexity of deep learning techniques for activity recognition. However, approaches based on handcrafted representation are not able to handle complex scenarios due to their limitations and incapability; therefore, resorting to deep learning-based techniques is a natural option. This review paper presents a comprehensive survey of both handcrafted and learning-based action representations, offering comparison, analysis, and discussions on these approaches. In addition to this, the well-known public datasets available for experimentations and important applications of HAR are also presented to provide further insight into the field. This is the first review paper of its kind which presents all these aspects of HAR in a single review article with comprehensive coverage of each part. Finally, the paper is concluded with important discussions and research directions in the domain of HAR.

Risks in surgery-first orthognathic approach: complications of segmental osteotomies of the jaws. A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Pelo, S; Saponaro, G; Patini, R; Staderini, E; Giordano, A; Gasparini, G; Garagiola, U; Azzuni, C; Cordaro, M; Foresta, E; Moro, A

2017-01-01

To date, no systematic review has been undertaken to identify the complications of segmental osteotomies. The aim of the present systematic review was to analyze the type and incidence of complications of segmental osteotomies, as well as the time of subjective and/or clinical onset of the intra- and post-operative problems. A search was conducted in two electronic databases (MEDLINE - Pubmed database and Scopus) for articles published in English between 1 January 2000 and 30 August 2015; only human studies were selected. Case report studies were excluded. Two independent researchers selected the studies and extracted the data. Two studies were selected, four additional publications were recovered from the bibliography search of the selected articles, and one additional article was added through a manual search. The results of this systematic review demonstrate a relatively low rate of complications in segmental osteotomies, suggesting this surgical approach is safe and reliable in routine orthognathic surgery. Due to the small number of studies included in this systematic review, the rate of complication related to surgery first approach may be slightly higher than those associated with traditional orthognathic surgery, since the rate of complications of segmental osteotomies must be added to the complication rate of basal osteotomies. A surgery-first approach could be considered riskier than a traditional one, but further studies that include a greater number of subjects should be conducted to confirm these findings.

Burning mouth syndrome: A review on its diagnostic and therapeutic approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R Aravindhan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Burning mouth syndrome (BMS, a chronic and intractable orofacial pain syndrome is characterized by the presence of burning sensation of the oral mucosa in the absence of specific oral lesion. This condition affects chiefly of middle aged and elderly woman with hormonal changes or psychological disorders. In addition to burning sensation, patient with BMS also complains of oral mucosal pain, altered taste sensation, and dry mouth. This condition is probably of multifactorial origin, often idiopathic and its exact etiopathogenesis remains unclear. So far, there is no definitive cure for this condition and most of the treatment approaches, medications remains unsatisfactory. An interdisciplinary and systematic approach is required for better patient management. The purpose of this article is to present a review of epidemiology, clinical presentation, classification, etiopathogenesis, diagnosis and management of BMS.

Burning mouth syndrome: A review on its diagnostic and therapeutic approach

Science.gov (United States)

Aravindhan, R.; Vidyalakshmi, Santhanam; Kumar, Muniapillai Siva; Satheesh, C.; Balasubramanium, A. Murali; Prasad, V. Srinivas

2014-01-01

Burning mouth syndrome (BMS), a chronic and intractable orofacial pain syndrome is characterized by the presence of burning sensation of the oral mucosa in the absence of specific oral lesion. This condition affects chiefly of middle aged and elderly woman with hormonal changes or psychological disorders. In addition to burning sensation, patient with BMS also complains of oral mucosal pain, altered taste sensation, and dry mouth. This condition is probably of multifactorial origin, often idiopathic and its exact etiopathogenesis remains unclear. So far, there is no definitive cure for this condition and most of the treatment approaches, medications remains unsatisfactory. An interdisciplinary and systematic approach is required for better patient management. The purpose of this article is to present a review of epidemiology, clinical presentation, classification, etiopathogenesis, diagnosis and management of BMS. PMID:25210377

Review of specific effects in atmospheric dispersion calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Underwood, B.Y.; Cooper, P.J.; Holloway, N.J.; Kaiser, G.D.; Nixon, W.

1984-01-01

This report consists of a series of 3 individual review chapters -written between 1980 and 1983- together with a summary document linking and overviewing the work. The topics covered are as follows: ''plume rise in nuclear safety studies''; ''dry deposition''; ''wet deposition''. Although the reviews are on the whole, general in approach, emphasis has been given where appropriate to the impact of various phenomena on the assessment of reactor accident consequences. In general the work focuses on the 0-100 km range of distance downwind of the source. The reviews fulfil several functions: they serve as introductions to the subject areas; they outline theoretical and experimental developments; they act as reference documents providing a copious source of references for more detailed investigation of particular points; they raise unresolved technical issues and attempt to indicate principal uncertainties; they point to areas requiring further development

77 FR 1549 - Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): Notice of the Results of the 2010 GSP Annual Review

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-10

... OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE Generalized System of Preferences (GSP): Notice...-free importation of eligible articles when imported from designated beneficiary developing countries... review and the recommendation of the U.S. Trade Representative, President Obama removed one product...

Role of Soft Computing Approaches in HealthCare Domain: A Mini Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Gambhir, Shalini; Malik, Sanjay Kumar; Kumar, Yugal

2016-12-01

In the present era, soft computing approaches play a vital role in solving the different kinds of problems and provide promising solutions. Due to popularity of soft computing approaches, these approaches have also been applied in healthcare data for effectively diagnosing the diseases and obtaining better results in comparison to traditional approaches. Soft computing approaches have the ability to adapt itself according to problem domain. Another aspect is a good balance between exploration and exploitation processes. These aspects make soft computing approaches more powerful, reliable and efficient. The above mentioned characteristics make the soft computing approaches more suitable and competent for health care data. The first objective of this review paper is to identify the various soft computing approaches which are used for diagnosing and predicting the diseases. Second objective is to identify various diseases for which these approaches are applied. Third objective is to categories the soft computing approaches for clinical support system. In literature, it is found that large number of soft computing approaches have been applied for effectively diagnosing and predicting the diseases from healthcare data. Some of these are particle swarm optimization, genetic algorithm, artificial neural network, support vector machine etc. A detailed discussion on these approaches are presented in literature section. This work summarizes various soft computing approaches used in healthcare domain in last one decade. These approaches are categorized in five different categories based on the methodology, these are classification model based system, expert system, fuzzy and neuro fuzzy system, rule based system and case based system. Lot of techniques are discussed in above mentioned categories and all discussed techniques are summarized in the form of tables also. This work also focuses on accuracy rate of soft computing technique and tabular information is provided for

Constraint satisfaction adaptive neural network and heuristics combined approaches for generalized job-shop scheduling.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, S; Wang, D

2000-01-01

This paper presents a constraint satisfaction adaptive neural network, together with several heuristics, to solve the generalized job-shop scheduling problem, one of NP-complete constraint satisfaction problems. The proposed neural network can be easily constructed and can adaptively adjust its weights of connections and biases of units based on the sequence and resource constraints of the job-shop scheduling problem during its processing. Several heuristics that can be combined with the neural network are also presented. In the combined approaches, the neural network is used to obtain feasible solutions, the heuristic algorithms are used to improve the performance of the neural network and the quality of the obtained solutions. Simulations have shown that the proposed neural network and its combined approaches are efficient with respect to the quality of solutions and the solving speed.

28 CFR 30.4 - What are the Attorney General's general responsibilities under the Order?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What are the Attorney General's general... REVIEW OF DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES § 30.4 What are the Attorney General's general responsibilities under the Order? (a) The Attorney General provides opportunities for consultation by elected...

What do resource-oriented approaches mean to general practitioners and how can they be facilitated in primary care? A qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Prüfer, Franziska; Joos, Stefanie; Miksch, Antje

2013-01-01

Although resource orientation, as a part of health promotion, should play a major role in general practice, the anchoring and realization of resource-oriented approaches remain small in Germany. The aim of this study was to analyze what resource orientation means to general practitioners (GPs) and develop strategies as to how this can be facilitated in GP practice. Within a qualitative research approach, 19 semi-structured telephone interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Within the interviews, the inclusion of the patients' individual resources is described as core competence of GPs. Supporting the patients' disease coping strategies and self-help were seen as important by GPs. However, perceptions as to which resources are considered to be fundamental ranged widely across the participant group. The results confirm the important role of resource-oriented approaches in general practice. However, a general definition of resource orientation is needed. In addition, working conditions for GPs need to be taken into account to ensure that these contribute to a healthy work-life balance. The need for GP training was identified to improve communication skills. Further integration of GPs in health promotion and communal structures would be beneficial.

What Do Resource-Oriented Approaches Mean to General Practitioners and How Can They Be Facilitated in Primary Care? A Qualitative Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Franziska Prüfer

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Although resource orientation, as a part of health promotion, should play a major role in general practice, the anchoring and realization of resource-oriented approaches remain small in Germany. The aim of this study was to analyze what resource orientation means to general practitioners (GPs and develop strategies as to how this can be facilitated in GP practice. Within a qualitative research approach, 19 semi-structured telephone interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Within the interviews, the inclusion of the patients’ individual resources is described as core competence of GPs. Supporting the patients’ disease coping strategies and self-help were seen as important by GPs. However, perceptions as to which resources are considered to be fundamental ranged widely across the participant group. The results confirm the important role of resource-oriented approaches in general practice. However, a general definition of resource orientation is needed. In addition, working conditions for GPs need to be taken into account to ensure that these contribute to a healthy work-life balance. The need for GP training was identified to improve communication skills. Further integration of GPs in health promotion and communal structures would be beneficial.

Cost-effectiveness of greenhouse gas mitigation in transport: A review of methodological approaches and their impact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kok, Robert; Annema, Jan Anne; Wee, Bert van

2011-01-01

A review is given of methodological practices for ex ante cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) of transport greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation measures, e.g. fuel economy and CO 2 standards for road vehicles in the US and EU. Besides the fundamental differences between different types of policies and abatement options which inherently result in different CEA outcomes, differences in methodological choices and assumptions are another important source of variation in CEA outcomes. Fourteen methodological issues clustered into six groups are identified on which thirty-three selected studies are systematically reviewed. The potential variation between lower and upper cost-effectiveness estimates for GHG mitigation measures in transport, resulting from different methodological choices and assumptions, lies in the order of $400 per tonne CO 2 -eq. The practise of using CEA for policy-making could improve considerably by clearly indicating the specific purpose of the CEA and its strengths and limitations for policy decisions. Another improvement is related to the dominant approach in transport GHG mitigation studies: the bottom-up financial technical approach which assesses isolated effects, implying considerable limitations for policy-making. A shift to welfare-economic approaches using a hybrid model has the potential to establish an improved assessment of transport GHG mitigation measures based on realistic market responses and behavioural change. - Highlights: ► We identify fourteen important methodological issues clustered into six groups. ► We systematically review thirty-three selected transport GHG mitigation studies. ► Methodological choices can lead to a difference by up to $400 per tonne CO 2 -eq. ► The dominant bottom-up approach has limitations for policy-making. ► Welfare-economic approaches could improve cost-effectiveness analysis.

Complementary and alternative medicine approaches to blood pressure reduction: An evidence-based review.

Science.gov (United States)

Nahas, Richard

2008-11-01

ABSTRACTOBJECTIVETo review the evidence supporting complementary and alternative medicine approaches used in the treatment of hypertension.QUALITY OF EVIDENCEMEDLINE and EMBASE were searched from January 1966 to May 2008 combining the key words hypertension or blood pressure with acupuncture, chocolate, cocoa, coenzyme Q10, ubiquinone, melatonin, vitamin D, meditation, and stress reduction. Clinical trials, prospective studies, and relevant references were included.MAIN MESSAGEEvidence from systematic reviews supports the blood pressure-lowering effects of coenzyme Q10, polyphenol-rich dark chocolate, Qigong, slow breathing, and transcendental meditation. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with hypertension and cardiovascular risk; supplementation lowered blood pressure in 2 trials. Acupuncture reduced blood pressure in 3 trials; in 1 of these it was no better than an invasive placebo. Melatonin was effective in 2 small trials, but caution is warranted in patients taking pharmacotherapy.CONCLUSIONSeveral complementary and alternative medicine therapies can be considered as part of an evidence-based approach to the treatment of hypertension. The potential benefit of these interventions warrants further research using cardiovascular outcomes.

Exact traveling wave solutions of the KP-BBM equation by using the new approach of generalized (G'/G)-expansion method.

Science.gov (United States)

Alam, Md Nur; Akbar, M Ali

2013-01-01

The new approach of the generalized (G'/G)-expansion method is an effective and powerful mathematical tool in finding exact traveling wave solutions of nonlinear evolution equations (NLEEs) in science, engineering and mathematical physics. In this article, the new approach of the generalized (G'/G)-expansion method is applied to construct traveling wave solutions of the Kadomtsev-Petviashvili-Benjamin-Bona-Mahony (KP-BBM) equation. The solutions are expressed in terms of the hyperbolic functions, the trigonometric functions and the rational functions. By means of this scheme, we found some new traveling wave solutions of the above mentioned equation.

A Review on Block Matching Motion Estimation and Automata Theory based Approaches for Fractal Coding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shailesh Kamble

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Fractal compression is the lossy compression technique in the field of gray/color image and video compression. It gives high compression ratio, better image quality with fast decoding time but improvement in encoding time is a challenge. This review paper/article presents the analysis of most significant existing approaches in the field of fractal based gray/color images and video compression, different block matching motion estimation approaches for finding out the motion vectors in a frame based on inter-frame coding and intra-frame coding i.e. individual frame coding and automata theory based coding approaches to represent an image/sequence of images. Though different review papers exist related to fractal coding, this paper is different in many sense. One can develop the new shape pattern for motion estimation and modify the existing block matching motion estimation with automata coding to explore the fractal compression technique with specific focus on reducing the encoding time and achieving better image/video reconstruction quality. This paper is useful for the beginners in the domain of video compression.

Verification of FPGA-based NPP I and C systems. General approach and techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrashov, Anton; Kharchenko, Vyacheslav; Sklyar, Volodymir; Reva, Lubov; Siora, Alexander

2011-01-01

This paper presents a general approach and techniques for design and verification of Field Programmable Gates Arrays (FPGA)-based Instrumentation and Control (I and C) systems for Nuclear Power Plants (NPP). Appropriate regulatory documents used for I and C systems design, development, verification and validation (V and V) are discussed considering the latest international standards and guidelines. Typical development and V and V processes of FPGA electronic design for FPGA-based NPP I and C systems are presented. Some safety-related features of implementation process are discussed. Corresponding development artifacts, related to design and implementation activities are outlined. An approach to test-based verification of FPGA electronic design algorithms, used in FPGA-based reactor trip systems is proposed. The results of application of test-based techniques for assessment of FPGA electronic design algorithms for reactor trip system (RTS) produced by Research and Production Corporation (RPC) 'Radiy' are presented. Some principles of invariant-oriented verification for FPGA-based safety-critical systems are outlined. (author)

Is the efficacy of psychopharmacological drugs comparable to the efficacy of general medicine medication?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seemüller Florian

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract There is an ongoing debate concerning the risk benefit ratio of psychopharmacologic compounds. With respect to the benefit, recent reports and meta-analyses note only small effect sizes with comparably high placebo response rates in the psychiatric field. These reports together with others lead to a wider, general critique on psychotropic drugs in the scientific community and in the lay press. In a recently published article, Leucht and his colleagues compare the efficacy of psychotropic drugs with the efficacy of common general medicine drugs in different indications according to results from reviewed meta-analyses. The authors conclude that, overall, the psychiatric drugs were generally not less effective than most other medical drugs. This article will highlight some of the results of this systematic review and discuss the limitations and the impact of this important approach on the above mentioned debate.

Engineering Technical Review Planning Briefing

Science.gov (United States)

Gardner, Terrie

2012-01-01

The general topics covered in the engineering technical planning briefing are 1) overviews of NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), and Engineering, 2) the NASA Systems Engineering(SE) Engine and its implementation , 3) the NASA Project Life Cycle, 4) MSFC Technical Management Branch Services in relation to the SE Engine and the Project Life Cycle , 5) Technical Reviews, 6) NASA Human Factor Design Guidance , and 7) the MSFC Human Factors Team. The engineering technical review portion of the presentation is the primary focus of the overall presentation and will address the definition of a design review, execution guidance, the essential stages of a technical review, and the overall review planning life cycle. Examples of a technical review plan content, review approaches, review schedules, and the review process will be provided and discussed. The human factors portion of the presentation will focus on the NASA guidance for human factors. Human factors definition, categories, design guidance, and human factor specialist roles will be addressed. In addition, the NASA Systems Engineering Engine description, definition, and application will be reviewed as background leading into the NASA Project Life Cycle Overview and technical review planning discussion.

The Lax operator approach for the Virasoro and the W-constraints in the generalized KdV hierarchy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panda, S.; Roy, S.

1992-08-01

We show directly in the Lax operator approach how the Virasoro and W-constraints on the τ-function arise in the p-reduced KP hierarchy or Generalized KdV hierarchy. In particular, we consider the KdV and the Boussinesq hierarchy to show that the Virasoro and the W-constraints follow from the string equation by expanding the ''additional symmetry'' operator in terms of the Lax operator. We also mention how this method could be generalized for higher KdV hierarchies. (author). 34 refs

Violent video game effects on children and adolescents. A review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Gentile, D A; Stone, W

2005-12-01

Studies of violent video games on children and adolescents were reviewed to: 1) determine the multiple effects; 2) to offer critical observations about common strengths and weaknesses in the literature; 3) to provide a broader perspective to understand the research on the effects of video games. The review includes general theoretical and methodological considerations of media violence, and description of the general aggression model (GAM). The literature was evaluated in relation to the GAM. Published literature, including meta-analyses, are reviewed, as well as relevant unpublished material, such as conference papers and dissertations. Overall, the evidence supports hypotheses that violent video game play is related to aggressive affect, physiological arousal, aggressive cognitions, and aggressive behaviours. The effects of video game play on school performance are also evaluated, and the review concludes with a dimensional approach to video game effects. The dimensional approach evaluates video game effects in terms of amount, content, form, and mechanics, and appears to have many advantages for understanding and predicting the multiple types of effects demonstrated in the literature.

What methods do reviews of normative ethics literature use for search, selection, analysis, and synthesis? In-depth results from a systematic review of reviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Mertz, Marcel; Strech, Daniel; Kahrass, Hannes

2017-12-19

(Semi-)systematic approaches to finding, analysing, and synthesising ethics literature on medical topics are still in their infancy. However, our recent systematic review showed that the rate of publication of such (semi-)systematic reviews has increased in the last two decades. This is not only true for reviews of empirical ethics literature, but also for reviews of normative ethics literature. In the latter case, there is currently little in the way of standards and guidance available. Therefore, the methods and reporting strategies of such reviews vary greatly. The purpose of the follow-up study we present was to obtain deeper methodological insight into the ways reviews of normative literature are actually conducted and to analyse the methods used. Our search in the PubMed, PhilPapers, and Google Scholar databases led to the identification of 183 reviews of ethics literature published between 1997 and 2015, of which 84 were identified as reviews of normative and mixed literature. Qualitative content analysis was used to extract and synthesise descriptions of search, selection, quality appraisal, analysis, and synthesis methods. We further assessed quantitatively how often certain methods (e.g. search strategies, data analysis procedures) were used by the reviews. The overall reporting quality varies among the analysed reviews and was generally poor even for major criteria regarding the search and selection of literature. For example, only 24 (29%) used a PRISMA flowchart. Also, only 55 (66%) reviews mentioned the information unit they sought to extract, and 12 (14%) stated an ethical approach as the theoretical basis for the analysis. Interpretable information on the synthesis method was given by 47 (60%); the most common methods applied were qualitative methods commonly used in social science research (83%). Reviews which fail to provide sufficient relevant information to readers have reduced methodological transparency regardless of actual methodological

The General Factor of Personality: A General Critique

OpenAIRE

Revelle, William; Wilt, Joshua

2013-01-01

Recently, it has been proposed that all non-cognitive measures of personality share a general factor of personality. A problem with many of these studies is a lack of clarity in defining a general factor. In this paper we address the multiple ways in which a general factor has been identified and argue that many of these approaches find factors that are not in fact general. Through the use of artificial examples, we show that a general factor is not: The first factor or component of a correla...

Green Goggles: Designing and Teaching a General Chemistry Course to Nonmajors Using a Green Chemistry Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Prescott, Sarah

2013-01-01

A novel course using green chemistry as the context to teach general chemistry fundamentals was designed, implemented and is described here. The course design included an active learning approach, with major course graded components including a weekly blog entry, exams, and a semester project that was disseminated by wiki and a public symposium.…

Contribution by primary health nurses and general practitioners to the Diabetes Annual Review (Get Checked) programme in Auckland, New Zealand.

Science.gov (United States)

Daly, Barbara; Kenealy, Timothy; Arroll, Bruce; Sheridan, Nicolette; Scragg, Robert

2013-08-16

To describe primary health care (practice and specialist) nurses involvement in the government-funded annual diabetes review 'Get Checked' programme and the division of care between nurses and general practitioners in Auckland, New Zealand. Of the total 911 practice and specialist nurses identified and working in the greater Auckland region, 276 (30%) were randomly selected and invited to undertake a self-administered questionnaire and telephone interview in 2006-8. An 86% response rate was achieved. Over 60% of practice nurses and over half of specialist nurses participate in 'Get Checked' reviews. Of those nurses, 40% of practice and 70% specialist nurses, reported completing over half of the total number of 'Get Checked' reviews at their practice. Of the nurses sampled who work in general practice (n=198), 38% reported that 'nurses mostly complete' the reviews, 45% stated that 'nurses and doctors equally complete' them and 17% reported that only 'doctors' did so. For the nurses who reported that 'nurses and doctors equally complete' the reviews (n=89), most nurses undertake blood pressure measurements (90%), weigh patients (88%), give lifestyle advice (87%), examine patient's feet (73%), and 44% carried out the complete review of the patients they consult. These findings show the 'Get Checked' programme was successful in engaging practice and community-based specialist nurses in the community management of diabetes and has revealed positive relationships between nurses and doctors, extended roles for nurses and the importance of engaging nurses in the design of health care programmes.

Trading Land: A Review of Approaches to Accounting for Upstream Land Requirements of Traded Products.

Science.gov (United States)

Schaffartzik, Anke; Haberl, Helmut; Kastner, Thomas; Wiedenhofer, Dominik; Eisenmenger, Nina; Erb, Karl-Heinz

2015-10-01

Land use is recognized as a pervasive driver of environmental impacts, including climate change and biodiversity loss. Global trade leads to "telecoupling" between the land use of production and the consumption of biomass-based goods and services. Telecoupling is captured by accounts of the upstream land requirements associated with traded products, also commonly referred to as land footprints. These accounts face challenges in two main areas: (1) the allocation of land to products traded and consumed and (2) the metrics to account for differences in land quality and land-use intensity. For two main families of accounting approaches (biophysical, factor-based and environmentally extended input-output analysis), this review discusses conceptual differences and compares results for land footprints. Biophysical approaches are able to capture a large number of products and different land uses, but suffer from a truncation problem. Economic approaches solve the truncation problem, but are hampered by the limited disaggregation of sectors and products. In light of the conceptual differences, the overall similarity of results generated by both types of approaches is remarkable. Diametrically opposed results for some of the world's largest producers and consumers of biomass-based products, however, make interpretation difficult. This review aims to provide clarity on some of the underlying conceptual issues of accounting for land footprints.

Current approaches to journal club by general surgery programs within the Southwestern surgical congress.

Science.gov (United States)

Shifflette, Vanessa; Mitchell, Chris; Mangram, Alicia; Dunn, Ernest

2012-01-01

Journal club (JC) is a well-recognized education tool for many postgraduate medical education programs. Journal club helps residents learn critical analytic skills and keep up to date with current medical practices. To our knowledge, there is minimal evidence in the current literature detailing modern JC practices of general surgery training programs. Our study attempts to define how general surgery residency programs are implementing JC in their training process. We distributed by mail a 14-question survey to general surgery program directors within the Southwestern Surgical Congress. These surveys were redistributed 1 month after the initial attempt. The responses were collected and analyzed. Survey questions aimed to define JC practice characteristics, such as where JC is held, when JC is held, who directs JC, what journals are used, the perceived importance of JC, and average attendance. The surveys were sent to 32 program directors (PDs), which included 26 university and 6 community-based programs. We received responses from 26 (81%) PDs. Ninety-two percent of the programs have a consistent journal club (JC). Most JCs meet monthly (64%) or weekly (16%). The meeting places ranged from conference rooms (60%), faculty homes (20%), restaurants (8%), or in the hospital (12%). The meeting times were divided between morning (29%), midday (29%), and evening (42%). Most JCs lasted between 1 and 2 hours (88%), reviewed 1-4 articles (88%), and are attended by more than 60% of residents routinely (75%). Half of the programs (50%) had 3-4 faculty members present during discussion; 29% of the programs had only 1-2 faculty present. The articles were selected from more than 10 different journals. Seventy-five percent of the programs used the American Journal of Surgery and Annals of Surgery to find articles; only 13% of the programs used evidence-based reviews in surgery. PDs believe JC is very beneficial (42%), moderately beneficial (42%), or only fairly beneficial (16

Integrated Approaches to Occupational Health and Safety: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooklin, A; Joss, N; Husser, E; Oldenburg, B

2017-09-01

The study objective was to conduct a systematic review of the effectiveness of integrated workplace interventions that combine health promotion with occupational health and safety. Electronic databases (n = 8), including PsychInfo and MEDLINE, were systematically searched. Studies included were those that reported on workplace interventions that met the consensus definition of an "integrated approach," published in English, in the scientific literature since 1990. Data extracted were occupation, worksite, country, sample size, intervention targets, follow-up period, and results reported. Quality was assessed according to American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine Practice Guidelines. Heterogeneity precluded formal meta-analyses. Results were classified according to the outcome(s) assessed into five categories (health promotion, injury prevention, occupational health and safety management, psychosocial, and return-on-investment). Narrative synthesis of outcomes was performed. A total of 31 eligible studies were identified; 23 (74%) were (quasi-)experimental trials. Effective interventions were most of those aimed at improving employee physical or mental health. Less consistent results were reported from integrated interventions targeting occupational health and safety management, injury prevention, or organizational cost savings. Integrated approaches have been posed as comprehensive solutions to complex issues. Empirical evidence, while still emerging, provides some support for this. Continuing investment in, and evaluation of, integrated approaches are worthwhile.

Education in children's sleep hygiene: which approaches are effective? A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Halal, Camila S E; Nunes, Magda L

2014-01-01

To analyze the interventions aimed at the practice of sleep hygiene, as well as their applicability and effectiveness in the clinical scenario, so that they may be used by pediatricians and family physicians for parental advice. A search of the PubMed database was performed using the following descriptors: sleep hygiene OR sleep education AND children or school-aged. In the LILACS and SciELO databases, the descriptors in Portuguese were: higiene E sono, educação E sono, educação E sono E crianças, e higiene E sono E infância, with no limitations of the publication period. In total, ten articles were reviewed, in which the main objectives were to analyze the effectiveness of behavioral approaches and sleep hygiene techniques on children's sleep quality and parents' quality of life. The techniques used were one or more of the following: positive routines; controlled comforting and gradual extinction or sleep remodeling; as well as written diaries to monitor children's sleep patterns. All of the approaches yielded positive results. Although behavioral approaches to pediatric sleep hygiene are easy to apply and adhere to, there have been very few studies evaluating the effectiveness of the available techniques. This review demonstrated that these methods are effective in providing sleep hygiene for children, thus reflecting on parents' improved quality of life. It is of utmost importance that pediatricians and family physicians are aware of such methods in order to adequately advise patients and their families. Copyright © 2014 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

General Exercise Does Not Improve Long-Term Pain and Disability in Individuals With Whiplash-Associated Disorders: A Systematic Review.

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Griffin, Alexandra; Leaver, Andrew; Moloney, Niamh

2017-07-01

Study Design Systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Background General exercise, defined as purposeful physical activity involving repetitive exercises and incorporating multiple muscle groups, is frequently used in the management of whiplash-associated disorders (WADs). Evidence supporting its efficacy is not well established. Objectives To determine whether general exercise is effective in reducing pain and disability in people with WAD. Methods Studies published in English in peer-reviewed journals between January 1990 and May 2015 were eligible if they evaluated a general exercise intervention compared with a different intervention or control. Studies were required to evaluate pain and disability at medium-term (6-14 weeks) and long-term (52 weeks) follow-ups. The mean ± SD and sample size were recorded for follow-up scores and for change scores from baseline to follow-up. Results Of the 3 high-quality studies that were eligible for inclusion, none investigated general exercise alone. There were no clinically meaningful differences between comprehensive exercise programs, which included general exercise, and minimal intervention controls in the medium and long term. No studies directly compared general exercise with a no-treatment control. All included studies used different control interventions, preventing meta-analysis. Conclusion A lack of significant long-term improvements from general exercise interventions in individuals with WAD was identified. This finding differs from the positive benefits of general exercise for other musculoskeletal conditions. This may, in part, relate to the complexity of whiplash conditions. This may also reflect the challenge of exercise prescription in this population, where the need for sufficient intensity is balanced against the impact that exercise has on pain. Level of Evidence Therapy, level 1a. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2017;47(7):472-480. Epub 16 Jun 2017. doi:10.2519/jospt.2017.7081.

Application of Generalized Hukuhara derivative approach in an economic production quantity model with partial trade credit policy under fuzzy environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pinki Majumder

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In this present study, a production inventory model with partial trade credit is formulated and solved in fuzzy environment via Generalized Hukuhara derivative approach. To capture the market, a supplier offers a trade credit period to its retailers. Due to this facility, retailer also offers a partial trade credit period to his/her customer to boost the demand of the item. In practical life situation, demands are generally dependent upon time. Constant demand of an item varies time to time. In this vague situation, demands are taken as time dependent, where its constant part is taken as Left Right - type fuzzy number. In this paper, Generalized Hukuhara derivative approach is used to solve the fuzzy inventory model. Four different cases are considered by using Generalized Hukuhara-(i differentiability and Generalized Hukuhara-(ii differentiability. The objective of this paper is to find out the optimal time so as the total inventory cost is minimum. Finally the model is solved by generalized reduced gradient method. The proposed model and technique are illustrated by numerical examples. Some sensitivity analyses both in tabular and graphical forms are presented and the effects of minimum cost with respect to various inventory parameters are discussed.

A general approach for the estimation of loss of life due to natural and technological disasters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jonkman, S.N.; Lentz, A.; Vrijling, J.K.

2010-01-01

In assessing the safety of engineering systems in the context of quantitative risk analysis one of the most important consequence types concerns the loss of life due to accidents and disasters. In this paper, a general approach for loss of life estimation is proposed which includes three elements: (1) the assessment of physical effects associated with the event; (2) determination of the number of exposed persons (taking into account warning and evacuation); and (3) determination of mortality amongst the population exposed. The typical characteristics of and modelling approaches for these three elements are discussed. This paper focuses on 'small probability-large consequences' events within the engineering domain. It is demonstrated how the proposed approach can be applied to various case studies, such as tunnel fires, earthquakes and flood events.

78 FR 20672 - Literature Review Approach “Identifying Research Needs for Assessing Safe Use of High Intakes of...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-05

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health Literature Review Approach... Needs for Assessing Safe Use of High Intakes of Folic Acid,'' for review of the pertinent literature... folate and folic acid, screening of the literature was undertaken to identify the potential adverse...

The Importance of Haemospermia and Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huseyin Aydemir

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Hematospermia or hemospermia is defined as the presence of blood in ejaculate. It is generally thought to be a benign, self-limiting condition. But rarely, may be a first symptom of testicular tumor or prostate cancer. There is currently no evidence-based consensus on the approach and treatment, this patients for of the limited information about it. The purpose of this review is to evaluate the haemospermia with the accompaniment of literature.

Review of unfolding methods for neutron flux dosimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stallmann, F.W.; Kam, F.B.K.

1975-01-01

The primary method in reactor dosimetry is the foil activation technique. To translate the activation measurements into neutron fluxes, a special data processing technique called unfolding is needed. Some general observations about the problems and the reliability of this approach to reactor dosimetry are presented. Current unfolding methods are reviewed. 12 references. (auth)

Vision Restoration in Glaucoma by Activating Residual Vision with a Holistic, Clinical Approach: A Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Sabel, Bernhard A; Cárdenas-Morales, Lizbeth; Gao, Ying

2018-01-01

How to cite this article: Sabel BA, Cárdenas-Morales L, Gao Y. Vision Restoration in Glaucoma by activating Residual Vision with a Holistic, Clinical Approach: A Review. J Curr Glaucoma Pract 2018;12(1):1-9.

A general approach to query flattening

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Ruth, J.

The translation of queries from complex data models to simpler data models is a recurring theme in the construction of efficient data management systems. In this paper we propose a general framework to guide the translation from data models with nested types to a flat relational model (query

Spinal anesthesia using Taylor's approach helps avoid general anesthesia in short stature asthmatic patient

OpenAIRE

Patil, Amarjeet Dnyandeo; Bapat, Manasi; Patil, Sunita A.; Gogna, Roshan Lal

2015-01-01

The case history of a 35-year-old female patient with short stature is presented. She was posted for rectopexy in view of rectal prolapse. She was a known case of bronchial asthma. She had crowding of intervertebral spaces, which made administration of spinal anesthesia via the normal route very difficult. Taylor′s approach for administration of the same was tried and proved successful, thus saving the patient from receiving general anesthesia in the presence of bronchial asthma, for a perine...

Biomimetic approaches to modulate cellular adhesion in biomaterials: A review.

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Rahmany, Maria B; Van Dyke, Mark

2013-03-01

Natural extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins possess critical biological characteristics that provide a platform for cellular adhesion and activation of highly regulated signaling pathways. However, ECM-based biomaterials can have several limitations, including poor mechanical properties and risk of immunogenicity. Synthetic biomaterials alleviate the risks associated with natural biomaterials but often lack the robust biological activity necessary to direct cell function beyond initial adhesion. A thorough understanding of receptor-mediated cellular adhesion to the ECM and subsequent signaling activation has facilitated development of techniques that functionalize inert biomaterials to provide a biologically active surface. Here we review a range of approaches used to modify biomaterial surfaces for optimal receptor-mediated cell interactions, as well as provide insights into specific mechanisms of downstream signaling activation. In addition to a brief overview of integrin receptor-mediated cell function, so-called "biomimetic" techniques reviewed here include (i) surface modification of biomaterials with bioadhesive ECM macromolecules or specific binding motifs, (ii) nanoscale patterning of the materials and (iii) the use of "natural-like" biomaterials. Copyright © 2012 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mass transfer simulation of nanofiltration membranes for electrolyte solutions through generalized Maxwell-Stefan approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoshyargar, Vahid; Fadaei, Farzad; Ashrafizadeh, Seyed Nezameddin

2015-01-01

A comprehensive mathematical model is developed for simulation of ion transport through nanofiltration membranes. The model is based on the Maxwell-Stefan approach and takes into account steric, Donnan, and dielectric effects in the transport of mono and divalent ions. Theoretical ion rejection for multi-electrolyte mixtures was obtained by numerically solving the 'hindered transport' based on the generalized Maxwell-Stefan equation for the flux of ions. A computer simulation has been developed to predict the transport in the range of nanofiltration, a numerical procedure developed linearization and discretization form of the governing equations, and the finite volume method was employed for the numerical solution of equations. The developed numerical method is capable of solving equations for multicomponent systems of n species no matter to what extent the system shows stiffness. The model findings were compared and verified with the experimental data from literature for two systems of Na 2 SO 4 +NaCl and MgCl 2 +NaCl. Comparison showed great agreement for different concentrations. As such, the model is capable of predicting the rejection of different ions at various concentrations. The advantage of such a model is saving costs as a result of minimizing the number of required experiments, while it is closer to a realistic situation since the adsorption of ions has been taken into account. Using this model, the flux of permeates and rejections of multi-component liquid feeds can be calculated as a function of membrane properties. This simulation tool attempts to fill in the gap in methods used for predicting nanofiltration and optimization of the performance of charged nanofilters through generalized Maxwell-Stefan (GMS) approach. The application of the current model may weaken the latter gap, which has arisen due to the complexity of the fundamentals of ion transport processes via this approach, and may further facilitate the industrial development of

Approaches to capturing the financial cost of family care-giving within a palliative care context: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Gardiner, Clare; Brereton, Louise; Frey, Rosemary; Wilkinson-Meyers, Laura; Gott, Merryn

2016-09-01

The economic burden faced by family caregivers of people at the end of life is well recognised. Financial burden has a significant impact on the provision of family care-giving in the community setting, but has seen limited research attention. A systematic review with realist review synthesis and thematic analysis was undertaken to identify literature relating to the financial costs and impact of family care-giving at the end of life. This paper reports findings relating to previously developed approaches which capture the financial costs and implications of caring for family members receiving palliative/end-of-life care. Seven electronic databases were searched from inception to April 2012, for original research studies relating to the financial impact of care-giving at the end of life. Studies were independently screened to identify those which met the study inclusion criteria, and the methodological quality of included studies was appraised using realist review criteria of relevance and rigour. A descriptive thematic approach was used to synthesise data. Twelve articles met the inclusion criteria for the review. Various approaches to capturing data on the financial costs of care-giving at the end of life were noted; however, no single tool was identified with the sole purpose of exploring these costs. The majority of approaches used structured questionnaires and were administered by personal interview, with most studies using longitudinal designs. Calculation of costs was most often based on recall by patients and family caregivers, in some studies combined with objective measures of resource use. While the studies in this review provide useful data on approaches to capturing costs of care-giving, more work is needed to develop methods which accurately and sensitively capture the financial costs of caring at the end of life. Methodological considerations include study design and method of administration, contextual and cultural relevance, and accuracy of cost

Weight of evidence approaches for the identification of endocrine disrupting properties of chemicals: Review and recommendations for EU regulatory application.

Science.gov (United States)

Gross, Melanie; Green, Richard M; Weltje, Lennart; Wheeler, James R

2017-12-01

A Weight-of-evidence (WoE) evaluation should be applied in assessing all the available data for the identification of endocrine disrupting (ED) properties of chemicals. The European Commission draft acts specifying criteria under the biocidal products and plant protection products regulations require that WoE is implemented for the assessment of such products. However, only some general considerations and principles of how a WoE should be conducted are provided. This paper reviews WoE approaches to distil key recommendations specifically for the evaluation of potential ED properties of chemicals. In a manner, which is consistent with existing, published WoE frameworks, the WoE evaluation of ED properties can be divided into four phases: 1) Definition of causal questions and data gathering and selection, 2) Review of individual studies, 3) Data integration and evaluation, and 4) Drawing conclusions based on inferences. Recommendations are made on how to conduct each phase robustly and transparently to help guide the WoE evaluation of potential endocrine disrupting properties of chemicals within a European regulatory context. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Critical review and hydrologic application of threshold detection methods for the generalized Pareto (GP) distribution

Science.gov (United States)

Mamalakis, Antonios; Langousis, Andreas; Deidda, Roberto

2016-04-01

Estimation of extreme rainfall from data constitutes one of the most important issues in statistical hydrology, as it is associated with the design of hydraulic structures and flood water management. To that extent, based on asymptotic arguments from Extreme Excess (EE) theory, several studies have focused on developing new, or improving existing methods to fit a generalized Pareto (GP) distribution model to rainfall excesses above a properly selected threshold u. The latter is generally determined using various approaches, such as non-parametric methods that are intended to locate the changing point between extreme and non-extreme regions of the data, graphical methods where one studies the dependence of GP distribution parameters (or related metrics) on the threshold level u, and Goodness of Fit (GoF) metrics that, for a certain level of significance, locate the lowest threshold u that a GP distribution model is applicable. In this work, we review representative methods for GP threshold detection, discuss fundamental differences in their theoretical bases, and apply them to 1714 daily rainfall records from the NOAA-NCDC open-access database, with more than 110 years of data. We find that non-parametric methods that are intended to locate the changing point between extreme and non-extreme regions of the data are generally not reliable, while methods that are based on asymptotic properties of the upper distribution tail lead to unrealistically high threshold and shape parameter estimates. The latter is justified by theoretical arguments, and it is especially the case in rainfall applications, where the shape parameter of the GP distribution is low; i.e. on the order of 0.1 ÷ 0.2. Better performance is demonstrated by graphical methods and GoF metrics that rely on pre-asymptotic properties of the GP distribution. For daily rainfall, we find that GP threshold estimates range between 2÷12 mm/d with a mean value of 6.5 mm/d, while the existence of quantization in the

Anterior approach versus posterior approach for Pipkin I and II femoral head fractures: A systemic review and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chen-guang; Li, Yao-min; Zhang, Hua-feng; Li, Hui; Li, Zhi-jun

2016-03-01

We performed a meta-analysis, pooling the results from controlled clinical trials to compare the efficiency of anterior and posterior surgical approaches to Pipkin I and II fractures of the femoral head. Potential academic articles were identified from the Cochrane Library, Medline (1966-2015.5), PubMed (1966-2015.5), Embase (1980-2015.5) and ScienceDirect (1966-2015.5) databases. Gray studies were identified from the references of the included literature. Pooling of the data was performed and analyzed by RevMan software, version 5.1. Five case-control trials (CCTs) met the inclusion criteria. There were significant differences in the incidence of heterotopic ossification (HO) between the approaches, but no significant differences were found between the two groups regarding functional outcomes of the hip, general postoperative complications, osteonecrosis of the femoral head or post-traumatic arthritis. The present meta-analysis indicated that the posterior approach decreased the risk of heterotopic ossification compared with the anterior approach for the treatment of Pipkin I and II femoral head fractures. No other complications were related to anterior and posterior approaches. Future high-quality randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) are needed to determine the optimal surgical approach and to predict other postoperative complications. III. Copyright © 2016 IJS Publishing Group Limited. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Integrative modelling approaches for analysis of impact of multifunctional agriculture: a review for France, Germany and The Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rossing, W.A.H.; Zander, P.; Josien, E.; Groot, J.C.J.; Meyer, B.C.; Knierim, A.

2007-01-01

This paper reviews integrative modelling approaches which were developed to analyze the impact of multifunctional agriculture, or which may be used as such. The approaches are integrative in combining multiple goals of agriculture, and confronting these with current or potential performance of

Clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment of vulvovaginitis in girls: a current approach and review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Beyitler, İlke; Kavukcu, Salih

2017-04-01

Vulvovaginitis is the most common cause of gynecological complaints in children and young girls. Some of the factors which cause vulvovaginitis include hypoestrogenism, the anatomical proximity of rectum and delicate vulvar skin and vaginal mucosa. We made a literature search with Pubmed, Medline and Cochrane database from January 2002 to May 2015 in English language using the key words vulvovaginitis, children, clinical, diagnosis and treatment. Vulvovaginitis in girls is usually caused by non-specific factors and hygiene measures, bioyoghurt and avoidance of chemical irritants are generally useful. Weight control if necessary and prevention of voiding dysfunction are effective. Vaginal flora is important in girls and results should be interpreted with clinical features to decide whether an isolated microorganism is part of the normal microflora or is the cause of symptomatic vulvovaginitis. Specific treatment is generally considered in case of a detected pathogen microorganism. Isolation of a sexually transmitted organism requires further investigation. Persistent disease may not always indicate a foreign body but it must be taken into account. Girls and parents are encouraged psychologically in all steps of evaluation, diagnosis and treatment. Probiotics, nanotechnology and petroleum jelly are other important treatment options used in vulvovaginitis. In this review, we present current approach to the presentation and management of vulvovaginitis in childhood. This disorder requires a comprehensive evaluation in all steps of diagnosis, differential diagnosis and treatment.

Protection motivation theory and physical activity in the general population: a systematic literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Bui, Linh; Mullan, Barbara; McCaffery, Kirsten

2013-01-01

An appropriate theoretical framework may be useful for guiding the development of physical activity interventions. This review investigates the effectiveness of the protection motivation theory (PMT), a model based on the cognitive mediation processes of behavioral change, in the prediction and promotion of physical activity participation. A literature search was conducted using the databases MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science, and a manual search was conducted on relevant reference lists. Studies were included if they tested or applied the PMT, measured physical activity, and sampled from healthy populations. A total of 20 studies were reviewed, grouped into four design categories: prediction, stage discrimination, experimental manipulation, and intervention. The results indicated that the PMT's coping appraisal construct of self-efficacy generally appears to be the most effective in predicting and promoting physical activity participation. In conclusion, the PMT shows some promise, however, there are still substantial gaps in the evidence.

Evaluating mobile phone applications for health behaviour change: A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

McKay, Fiona H; Cheng, Christina; Wright, Annemarie; Shill, Jane; Stephens, Hugh; Uccellini, Mary

2018-01-01

Introduction Increasing smartphones access has allowed for increasing development and use of smart phone applications (apps). Mobile health interventions have previously relied on voice or text-based short message services (SMS), however, the increasing availability and ease of use of apps has allowed for significant growth of smartphone apps that can be used for health behaviour change. This review considers the current body of knowledge relating to the evaluation of apps for health behaviour change. The aim of this review is to investigate approaches to the evaluation of health apps to identify any current best practice approaches. Method A systematic review was conducted. Data were collected and analysed in September 2016. Thirty-eight articles were identified and have been included in this review. Results Articles were published between 2011- 2016, and 36 were reviews or evaluations of apps related to one or more health conditions, the remaining two reported on an investigation of the usability of health apps. Studies investigated apps relating to the following areas: alcohol, asthma, breastfeeding, cancer, depression, diabetes, general health and fitness, headaches, heart disease, HIV, hypertension, iron deficiency/anaemia, low vision, mindfulness, obesity, pain, physical activity, smoking, weight management and women's health. Conclusion In order to harness the potential of mobile health apps for behaviour change and health, we need better ways to assess the quality and effectiveness of apps. This review is unable to suggest a single best practice approach to evaluate mobile health apps. Few measures identified in this review included sufficient information or evaluation, leading to potentially incomplete and inaccurate information for consumers seeking the best app for their situation. This is further complicated by a lack of regulation in health promotion generally.

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in the Iranian general population: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Daryani, Ahmad; Sarvi, Shahabeddin; Aarabi, Mohsen; Mizani, Azadeh; Ahmadpour, Ehsan; Shokri, Azar; Rahimi, Mohammad-Taghi; Sharif, Mehdi

2014-09-01

Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most common protozoan parasites with widespread distribution globally. It is the causative agent of Toxoplasma infection, which is prevalent in human and other warm-blooded vertebrates. While T. gondii infection in healthy people is usually asymptomatic, it can lead to serious pathological effects in congenital cases and immunodeficient patients. We sought to identify the seroprevalence rate of Toxoplasma infection in the Iranian general population to develop a comprehensive description of the disease condition in Iran for future use. Electronic databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and Scopus) and Persian language databases (Magiran, Scientific Information Database [SID], Iran Medex, and Iran Doc) were searched. Furthermore, graduate student dissertations and proceedings of national parasitology congresses were searched manually. Our search resulted in a total of 35 reports published from 1978 to 2012.These include 22 published articles, 1 unpublished study, 8 proceedings from the Iranian conference of parasitology, and 4 graduate student dissertations, resulting in 52,294 individuals and 23,385 IgG seropositive cases. The random errors method was used for this meta-analysis. The result shows that the overall seroprevalence rate of toxoplasmos is among the general population in Iran was 39.3% (95% CI=33.0%-45.7%). There was no significant difference in the seroprevalence rate between male and female patients. A significant linear trend of increasing overall prevalence by age was noted (P<0.0001). In addition, the data indicates that there are high seroprevalence in groups who have direct contact with cats, consume uncooked meat and raw fruits or vegetables, in farmers and Housewife, individuals who have a low level of education, and live in rural areas. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic review of T. gondii infection seroprevalence in Iran, which shows a high prevalence of Toxoplasma infection

Linking Science and Language Arts: A Review of the Literature Which Compares Integrated versus Non-Integrated Approaches

Science.gov (United States)

Bradbury, Leslie U.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to review the literature published during the last 20 years that investigates the impact of approaches that describe themselves as integrating science and language arts on student learning and/or attitude at the elementary level. The majority of papers report that integrated approaches led to greater student…

A Unified Simulation Approach for the Fast Outage Capacity Evaluation over Generalized Fading Channels

KAUST Repository

Rached, Nadhir B.

2016-01-06

The outage capacity (OC) is among the most important performance metrics of communication systems over fading channels. The evaluation of the OC, when equal gain combining (EGC) or maximum ratio combining (MRC) diversity techniques are employed, boils down to computing the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of the sum of channel envelopes (equivalently amplitudes) for EGC or channel gains (equivalently squared enveloped/ amplitudes) for MRC. Closed-form expressions of the CDF of the sum of many generalized fading variates are generally unknown and constitute open problems. We develop a unified hazard rate twisting Importance Sampling (IS) based approach to efficiently estimate the CDF of the sum of independent arbitrary variates. The proposed IS estimator is shown to achieve an asymptotic optimality criterion, which clearly guarantees its efficiency. Some selected simulation results are also shown to illustrate the substantial computational gain achieved by the proposed IS scheme over crude Monte Carlo simulations.

A Generalized Approach to Forensic Dye Identification: Development and Utility of Reference Libraries.

Science.gov (United States)

Groves, Ethan; Palenik, Skip; Palenik, Christopher S

2018-04-18

While color is arguably the most important optical property of evidential fibers, the actual dyestuffs responsible for its expression in them are, in forensic trace evidence examinations, rarely analyzed and still less often identified. This is due, primarily, to the exceedingly small quantities of dye present in a single fiber as well as to the fact that dye identification is a challenging analytical problem, even when large quantities are available for analysis. Among the practical reasons for this are the wide range of dyestuffs available (and the even larger number of trade names), the low total concentration of dyes in the finished product, the limited amount of sample typically available for analysis in forensic cases, and the complexity of the dye mixtures that may exist within a single fiber. Literature on the topic of dye analysis is often limited to a specific method, subset of dyestuffs, or an approach that is not applicable given the constraints of a forensic analysis. Here, we present a generalized approach to dye identification that ( 1 ) combines several robust analytical methods, ( 2 ) is broadly applicable to a wide range of dye chemistries, application classes, and fiber types, and ( 3 ) can be scaled down to forensic casework-sized samples. The approach is based on the development of a reference collection of 300 commercially relevant textile dyes that have been characterized by a variety of microanalytical methods (HPTLC, Raman microspectroscopy, infrared microspectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and visible microspectrophotometry). Although there is no single approach that is applicable to all dyes on every type of fiber, a combination of these analytical methods has been applied using a reproducible approach that permits the use of reference libraries to constrain the identity of and, in many cases, identify the dye (or dyes) present in a textile fiber sample.

Case study of read-across predictions using a Generalized Read-Across (GenRA) Approach (10th World Congress)

Science.gov (United States)

We developed the Generalized Read-Across (GenRA) approach to facilitate automated, algorithmic read across predictions. GenRA uses in vitro bioactivity data in conjunction with chemical information to predict up to 574 different apical outcomes from repeat-dose toxicity studies. ...

Generalized Langevin equation: An efficient approach to nonequilibrium molecular dynamics of open systems

Science.gov (United States)

Stella, L.; Lorenz, C. D.; Kantorovich, L.

2014-04-01

The generalized Langevin equation (GLE) has been recently suggested to simulate the time evolution of classical solid and molecular systems when considering general nonequilibrium processes. In this approach, a part of the whole system (an open system), which interacts and exchanges energy with its dissipative environment, is studied. Because the GLE is derived by projecting out exactly the harmonic environment, the coupling to it is realistic, while the equations of motion are non-Markovian. Although the GLE formalism has already found promising applications, e.g., in nanotribology and as a powerful thermostat for equilibration in classical molecular dynamics simulations, efficient algorithms to solve the GLE for realistic memory kernels are highly nontrivial, especially if the memory kernels decay nonexponentially. This is due to the fact that one has to generate a colored noise and take account of the memory effects in a consistent manner. In this paper, we present a simple, yet efficient, algorithm for solving the GLE for practical memory kernels and we demonstrate its capability for the exactly solvable case of a harmonic oscillator coupled to a Debye bath.

Maintenance approaches and practices in selected foreign nuclear power programs and other US industries: Review and lessons learned

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1990-04-01

The Commission published a Notice of Proposed Rule-making on Maintenance of Nuclear Power Plants on November 28, 1988, spelling out NRC's expectations in maintenance. In preparing the proposed rule, the NRC reviewed maintenance practices in other countries and considered maintenance approaches in other industries in this country. As a result of the review of maintenance practices, it was concluded that certain practices in the following areas have been found to contribute significantly to effective maintenance: (1) systems approach; (2) effectiveness monitoring; (3) technician qualifications and motivation; and (4) maintenance organization. 87 refs., 26 figs., 2 tabs.

Maintenance approaches and practices in selected foreign nuclear power programs and other US industries: Review and lessons learned

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-04-01

The Commission published a Notice of Proposed Rule-making on Maintenance of Nuclear Power Plants on November 28, 1988, spelling out NRC's expectations in maintenance. In preparing the proposed rule, the NRC reviewed maintenance practices in other countries and considered maintenance approaches in other industries in this country. As a result of the review of maintenance practices, it was concluded that certain practices in the following areas have been found to contribute significantly to effective maintenance: (1) systems approach; (2) effectiveness monitoring; (3) technician qualifications and motivation; and (4) maintenance organization. 87 refs., 26 figs., 2 tabs

A new approach to quantum field theory and a spacetime quantization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Banai, I.

1982-09-01

A quantum logical approach to achieve a sound kinematical picture for LQFT (local quantum field theory) is reviewed. Then a general language in the framework of axiomatic set theory is presented, in which the 'local' description of a LQFT can be formulated in almost the same form as quantum mechanics was formulated by von Neumann. The main physical implication of this approach is that, in this framework, the quantization of a CRLFT (classical relativistic local field theory) requires not only the quantization of physical fields over M 4 but the quantization of spacetime M 4 itself, too. The uncertainty priciple is compatible with the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, but it requires the generalization of Poincare symmetries to all unitary symmetries. Some indications show that his approach might be successful in describing low laying hadronic phenomena. (author)

[The positive deviance approach to change nutrition behavior: a systematic review].

Science.gov (United States)

Machado, Juliana Costa; Cotta, Rosângela Minardi Mitre; Silva, Luciana Saraiva da

2014-08-01

To conduct a systematic review of the literature describing the use of the positive deviance approach to change nutrition behavior in order to identify the potentials of this method for health and nutrition education. Cochrane Library, LILACS, MEDLINE, SciELO, PubMed, and Scopus were searched. The following search terms were used: positive deviance, desvio positivo, positive deviance inquiry and positive deviants. Inclusion criteria were: reporting primary data, clearly defined methods, and availability of full text. The main results of the studies selected for inclusion were described and examined based on psychosocial (socioeconomic and health status, hygiene and nutrition habits), anthropometric (weight, height), and biochemical and clinical (presence of morbidity and biochemical tests) criteria to determine the potential and limitations of the positive deviance approach to change nutrition behavior. Of the 47 studies identified, nine met the inclusion criteria. The positive deviance method was used for prevention and rehabilitation of child and maternal malnutrition in areas of socioeconomic vulnerability and for the treatment of overweight and obesity in adults. An improvement in maternal and child nutrition and the maintenance of beneficial behaviors over time were underscored as positive impacts of the method. The positive deviance approach may help change nutrition behaviors with the aim of reversing child malnutrition and overweight and obesity in adults. This approach seems effective to promote health education in areas of socioeconomic vulnerability.

SPI Project Criticality Task Force initial review and assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKinley, K.B.; Cannon, J.W.; Marsden, R.S.; Worle, H.A.

1980-03-01

The Slagging Pyrolysis Incinerator (SPI) Facility is being developed to process transuranic waste stored and buried at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) into a chemically inert, physically stable, basalt-like residue acceptable for a Federal Repository. A task force was established by the SPI Project Division to review and assess all aspects of criticality safety for the SPI Facility. This document presents the initial review, evaluations, and recommendations of the task force and includes the following: background information on waste characterization, and criticality control approaches and philosophies, a description of the SPI Facility Waste Processing Building, a review and assessment of potentially relevant codes and regulations; a review and assessment of the present state of criticality and assaying/monitoring studies, and recommendations for changes in and additions to these studies. The review and assessment of potentially relevant codes and regulations indicate that ERDAM 0530, Nuclear Criticality Safety should be the controlling document for criticality safety for the SPI Project. In general, the criticality control approaches and philosophies for the SPI Project comply with this document

Trends in high-risk sexual behaviors among general population groups in China: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Rui; Richardus, Jan Hendrik; Looman, Caspar W N; de Vlas, Sake J

2013-01-01

The objective of this review was to investigate whether Chinese population groups that do not belong to classical high risk groups show an increasing trend of engaging in high-risk sexual behaviors. We systematically searched the English and Chinese literature on sexual risk behaviors published between January 1980 and March 2012 in PubMed and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). We included observational studies that focused on population groups other than commercial sex workers (CSWs) and their clients, and men who have sex with men (MSM) and quantitatively reported one of the following indicators of recent high-risk sexual behavior: premarital sex, commercial sex, multiple sex partners, condom use or sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We used generalized linear mixed model to examine the time trend in engaging in high-risk sexual behaviors. We included 174 observational studies involving 932,931 participants: 55 studies reported on floating populations, 73 on college students and 46 on other groups (i.e. out-of-school youth, rural residents, and subjects from gynecological or obstetric clinics and premarital check-up centers). From the generalized linear mixed model, no significant trends in engaging in high-risk sexual behaviors were identified in the three population groups. Sexual risk behaviors among certain general population groups have not increased substantially. These groups are therefore unlikely to incite a STI/HIV epidemic among the general Chinese population. Because the studied population groups are not necessarily representative of the general population, the outcomes found may not reflect those of the general population.

Ensuring the Quality and Productivity of Education and Professional Development Activities: A Review of Approaches and Lessons for DoD

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Gates, Susan

2001-01-01

.... In support of this aim, the Chancellor asked RAND to review existing approaches for assessing academic quality and productivity and to suggest approaches that might be useful for the assessment...

Is Student Knowledge of Anatomy Affected by a Problem-Based Learning Approach? A Review

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Jonathan M.

2014-01-01

A fundamental understanding of anatomy is critical for students on many health science courses. It has been suggested that a problem-based approach to learning anatomy may result in deficits in foundation knowledge. The aim of this review is to compare traditional didactic methods with problem-based learning methods for obtaining anatomy…

General approaches to the risk assessment of chemicals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murphy, Patrick [Commission of the European Communities, Directorate General XI, Environment, Nuclear Safety and Civil Protection (Belgium)

1992-07-01

In the context of the UNCED 92 'Earth Summit' in Rio, the following definition of chemical risk assessment has been developed: 'Chemical risk assessment is a scientific process that identifies and quantifies the potential adverse effects on human health or ecosystems of defined exposures to chemical substances, to mixtures that include chemicals, or to chemically hazardous processes or situations. Risk itself is the probability of the occurrence of a defined adverse effect in a defined group and in defined circumstances'. I would not be so impertinent as to try and improve upon a definition that has the tacit endorsement of the majority of world-leaders. Furthermore, I consider that too many man-years have been spent discussing this topic. Thankfully the UNCED definition recognises chemical risk assessment as being a process and not some immutable physical law. In this presentation I will attempt to explain some of the details and mechanisms of that process but first of all it is worthwhile to spend a few moments putting chemical risk assessment in its proper context and asking the simple question: why do we want/need to assess the potential risk of chemicals?. In general terms, chemicals risk assessment is carried out in order to ensure that neither man (consumer/worker/general public) nor the environment are exposed to unacceptable risks arising from the production, use and disposal of chemicals. At a national and/or international level, risk assessments are performed by the regulatory authorities before they accept notification dossiers (e.g. new industrial chemicals) or grant authorizations (e.g. pharmaceuticals, pesticides, cosmetics, food additives). At the local level, plant-operators must carry out risk assessments to ensure that in the particular circumstances of their factory the workers are adequately protected and that satisfactory accident prevention and contingency plans are prepared. Similarly, local authorities must carry out risk assessments before

General approaches to the risk assessment of chemicals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murphy, Patrick

1992-01-01

In the context of the UNCED 92 'Earth Summit' in Rio, the following definition of chemical risk assessment has been developed: 'Chemical risk assessment is a scientific process that identifies and quantifies the potential adverse effects on human health or ecosystems of defined exposures to chemical substances, to mixtures that include chemicals, or to chemically hazardous processes or situations. Risk itself is the probability of the occurrence of a defined adverse effect in a defined group and in defined circumstances'. I would not be so impertinent as to try and improve upon a definition that has the tacit endorsement of the majority of world-leaders. Furthermore, I consider that too many man-years have been spent discussing this topic. Thankfully the UNCED definition recognises chemical risk assessment as being a process and not some immutable physical law. In this presentation I will attempt to explain some of the details and mechanisms of that process but first of all it is worthwhile to spend a few moments putting chemical risk assessment in its proper context and asking the simple question: why do we want/need to assess the potential risk of chemicals?. In general terms, chemicals risk assessment is carried out in order to ensure that neither man (consumer/worker/general public) nor the environment are exposed to unacceptable risks arising from the production, use and disposal of chemicals. At a national and/or international level, risk assessments are performed by the regulatory authorities before they accept notification dossiers (e.g. new industrial chemicals) or grant authorizations (e.g. pharmaceuticals, pesticides, cosmetics, food additives). At the local level, plant-operators must carry out risk assessments to ensure that in the particular circumstances of their factory the workers are adequately protected and that satisfactory accident prevention and contingency plans are prepared. Similarly, local authorities must carry out risk assessments before

Treatment of system dependencies and human interactions in PRA studies: a review and sensitivity study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orvis, D.D.; Joksimovich, V.; Worledge, D.H.

1985-01-01

The Electric Power Research Institute sponsored the review and comparison of five PRA studies: Arkansas Nuclear One - Unit 1, Big Rock Point, Grand Gulf, Limerick, and Zion - Unit 1. The review has been conducted in two phases. The Phase I review may be characterized as a qualitative look into many aspects of a PRA study. The Phase II review was performed to quantify the extent that differences in analytical techniques or key assumptions in these areas affect the differences in study results. In each of the PRA studies reviewed, the general descriptions of analytical approaches and descriptions of the analyses of event tree, fault tree and human interaction analyses that affected the dominant core damage sequences were reviewed. When these descriptions aroused interest because of seeming inconsistencies within the study or with other studies, they were pursued in some depth. The approaches or assumptions were contrasted to similar elements from other studies, and sensitivity analyses were performed in many cases to test the significance of results to the analytical models or assumptions. Inferences were drawn from the results regarding significance of the item to plant-specific results and, where possible, were generalized to other PRAs. This paper describes the results of the review of system dependencies and human interactions

A systematic review of approaches to refeeding in patients with anorexia nervosa.

Science.gov (United States)

Garber, Andrea K; Sawyer, Susan M; Golden, Neville H; Guarda, Angela S; Katzman, Debra K; Kohn, Michael R; Le Grange, Daniel; Madden, Sloane; Whitelaw, Melissa; Redgrave, Graham W

2016-03-01

Given the importance of weight restoration for recovery in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), we examined approaches to refeeding in adolescents and adults across treatment settings. Systematic review of PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Clinical Trials databases (1960-2015) using terms refeeding, weight restoration, hypophosphatemia, anorexia nervosa, anorexia, and anorexic. Of 948 screened abstracts, 27 met these inclusion criteria: participants had AN; reproducible refeeding approach; weight gain, hypophosphatemia or cognitive/behavioral outcomes. Twenty-six studies (96%) were observational/prospective or retrospective and performed in hospital. Twelve studies published since 2010 examined approaches starting with higher calories than currently recommended (≥1400 kcal/d). The evidence supports 8 conclusions: 1) In mildly and moderately malnourished patients, lower calorie refeeding is too conservative; 2) Both meal-based approaches or combined nasogastric+meals can administer higher calories; 3) Higher calorie refeeding has not been associated with increased risk for the refeeding syndrome under close medical monitoring with electrolyte correction; 4) In severely malnourished inpatients, there is insufficient evidence to change the current standard of care; 5) Parenteral nutrition is not recommended; 6) Nutrient compositions within recommended ranges are appropriate; 7) More research is needed in non-hospital settings; 8) The long-term impact of different approaches is unknown; Findings support higher calorie approaches to refeeding in mildly and moderately malnourished patients under close medical monitoring, however the safety, long-term outcomes, and feasibility outside of hospital have not been established. Further research is also needed on refeeding approaches in severely malnourished patients, methods of delivery, nutrient compositions and treatment settings. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Generalized quantum groups

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leivo, H.P.

1992-01-01

The algebraic approach to quantum groups is generalized to include what may be called an anyonic symmetry, reflecting the appearance of phases more general than ±1 under transposition. (author). 6 refs

Liver involvement in Gaucher disease - Review and clinical approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Adar, Tomer; Ilan, Yaron; Elstein, Deborah; Zimran, Ari

2018-02-01

Gaucher disease (GD), one of the most prevalent lysosomal storage diseases, is associated with glucocerebroside accumulation in cells of the monocyte-macrophage system in various organs, including the liver. Evaluating and managing liver disease in patients with Gaucher disease may be challenging. While hepatic involvement is common in Gaucher disease, its severity, and clinical significance span a wide spectrum, ranging from sub-clinical involvement to liver cirrhosis with its associated complications including portal hypertension. Apart from liver involvement in Gaucher disease, patients with may also suffer from other comorbidities involving the liver. That Gaucher disease itself can mimic hepatic lesions, affect laboratory tests used to characterize liver disease, and may be associated with non-cirrhotic portal hypertension, complicates the diagnostic approach even more. Better understanding of liver involvement in Gaucher disease can spare patients unnecessary invasive testing, and assist physicians in decision making when evaluating patients with Gaucher disease suspected for significant liver disease. This review describes the various clinical manifestations, laboratory and imaging abnormalities that may be encountered when following patients with Gaucher disease for liver involvement. The mechanism for liver disease are discussed, as well as the possible hepato-protective effect of glucocerebroside, and the a diagnostic and treatment approaches. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An interprofessional approach to managing children with treatment-resistant enuresis: an educational review.

Science.gov (United States)

Caldwell, Patrina H Y; Lim, Melissa; Nankivell, Gail

2017-11-06

Enuresis (intermittent urinary incontinence during sleep in a child aged ≥ 5 years) is commonly seen in paediatric practice. Despite the availability of effective interventions, treatment resistance is encountered in up to 50% of children. In this educational review we attempt to provide insight into the causes of treatment resistance, and offer practical suggestions for addressing this condition using an interprofessional approach. We explore the pathophysiology of and standard treatments for enuresis and discuss why standard treatments may fail. An interprofessional approach to treatment resistance is proposed which utilises the expertise of professionals from different disciplines to address the problems and barriers to treatment. The two interprofessional approaches include a multidisciplinary approach that involves the patient being sent to experts in different disciplines at different times to address their treatment resistance utilising the skills of the respective experts, and an interdisciplinary approach that involves a patient being managed by members of interdisciplinary team who integrate their separate discipline perspectives into a single treatment plan. Although an interdisciplinary approach is ideal, interdisciplinary teams may not be available in all circumstances. Understanding the roles of other disciplines and engaging clinicians from other disciplines when appropriate can still be helpful when treatment resistance is encountered.

A review of clinical approaches to gender dysphoria.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, G R

1990-02-01

Gender dysphoric patients are not infrequently encountered in the clinical practice of psychiatry. A comprehensive review of the world literature reveals that the systematic study of severe gender disorders--as exemplified by transsexualism--is relatively new, consisting of just over 25 years of collective experience. While the formal diagnosis of transsexualism is rare, this disorder represents the most severe form of the gender dysphoric conditions. Many nontranssexual patients with a variety of other psychiatric disorders present to psychiatrists desperately requesting somatic treatments (cross-gender hormones, sex reassignment surgery, and other cosmetic surgical procedures). A lengthy differential diagnosis needs to be considered, and a specialized approach to interviewing gender dysphoric patients is highly recommended. Available treatments and their efficacy are discussed. Large prospective controlled studies of treatments for gender dysphoria, such as sex reassignment surgery and psychotherapy, are lacking. Countertransference issues are noted to be particularly relevant in the care of gender dysphoric individuals.

Evaluating Structural Change Approaches to Health Promotion: An Exploratory Scoping Review of a Decade of U.S. Progress

Science.gov (United States)

Asada, Yuka; Lieberman, Lisa D.; Neubauer, Leah C.; Hanneke, Rosie; Fagen, Michael C.

2018-01-01

Structural change approaches--also known as policy and environmental changes--are becoming increasingly common in health promotion, yet our understanding of how to evaluate them is still limited. An exploratory scoping review of the literature was conducted to understand approaches and methods used to evaluate structural change interventions in…

Application of fluorescence in robotic general surgery: review of the literature and state of the art.

Science.gov (United States)

Marano, Alessandra; Priora, Fabio; Lenti, Luca Matteo; Ravazzoni, Ferruccio; Quarati, Raoul; Spinoglio, Giuseppe

2013-12-01

The initial use of the indocyanine green fluorescence imaging system was for sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with breast or colorectal cancer. Since then, application of this method has received wide acceptance in various fields of surgical oncology, and it has become a valid diagnostic tool for guiding cancer treatment. It has also been employed in numerous conventional surgical procedures with much success and benefit to the patient. The advent of minimally invasive surgery brought with it a new use for fluorescence in helping to improve the safety of these procedures, particularly for single-site procedures. In 2010, a near-infrared camera was integrated into the da Vinci Si System, creating a combination of technical and minimally invasive advantages that have been embraced by several experienced surgeons. The use of fluorescence, although useful, is considered challenging. Only a few studies are currently available on the use of fluorescence in robotic general surgery, whereas many articles have focused on its application in open and laparoscopic surgery. Many of these reports describe promising and satisfactory results, although with some shortcomings. The purpose of this article is to review the current status of the use of fluorescence in general surgery and particularly its role in robotic surgery. We also review potential uses in the future.

An Approach to Tailoring Major Technical Reviews Based on Project Characteristics and Stakeholder Interests

Science.gov (United States)

Richstein, Alan B.; Nolte, Jerome T.; Pfarr, Barbara B.

2004-01-01

There are numerous technical reviews that occur throughout the systems engineering process life cycle. Many are well known by project managers and stakeholders such as developers and end users, an example of much is the critical design review (CDR). This major milestone for a large, complex new project may last two or more days, include an extensive agenda of topics, and entail hundreds of hours of developer time to prepare presentation materials and associated documents. Additionally, the weeks of schedule spent on review preparation is at least partly at the expense of other work. This paper suggests an approach for tailoring technical reviews, based on the project characteristics and the project manager s identification of the key stakeholders and understanding of their most important issues and considerations. With this insight the project manager can communicate to, manage expectations oc and establish formal agreement with the stakeholders as to which reviews, and at what depth, are most appropriate to achieve project success. The authors, coming from diverse organizations and backgrounds, have drawn on their personal experiences and summarized the best practices of their own organizations to create a common framework to provide guidance on the adaptation of design reviews to other system engineers.

Options for a health system researcher to choose in Meta Review (MR approaches-Meta Narrative (MN and Meta Triangulation (MT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanjeev Davey

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Two new approaches in systematic reviewing i.e. Meta-narrative review(MNR (which a health researcher can use for topics which are differently conceptualized and studied by different types of researchers for policy decisions and Meta-triangulation review(MTR (done to build theory for studying multifaceted phenomena characterized by expansive and contested research domains are ready for penetration in an arena of health system research. So critical look at which approach in Meta-review is better i.e. Meta-narrative review or Meta-triangulation review, can give new insights to a health system researcher. A systematic review on 2 key words-"meta-narrative review" and "meta-triangulation review" in health system research, were searched from key search engines, such as Pubmed, Cochrane library, Bio-med Central and Google Scholar etc till 21st March 2014 since last 20 years. Studies from both developed and developing world were included in any form and scope to draw final conclusions. However unpublished data from thesis was not included in systematic review. Meta-narrative review is a type of systematic review which can be used for a wide range of topics and questions involving making judgments and inferences in public health. On the other hand Meta-triangulation review is a three-phased, qualitative meta-analysis process which can be used to explore variations in the assumptions of alternative paradigms, gain insights into these multiple paradigms at one point of time and addresses emerging themes and the resulting theories.

Approaches to acceptable risk

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whipple, C.

1997-01-01

Several alternative approaches to address the question open-quotes How safe is safe enough?close quotes are reviewed and an attempt is made to apply the reasoning behind these approaches to the issue of acceptability of radiation exposures received in space. The approaches to the issue of the acceptability of technological risk described here are primarily analytical, and are drawn from examples in the management of environmental health risks. These include risk-based approaches, in which specific quantitative risk targets determine the acceptability of an activity, and cost-benefit and decision analysis, which generally focus on the estimation and evaluation of risks, benefits and costs, in a framework that balances these factors against each other. These analytical methods tend by their quantitative nature to emphasize the magnitude of risks, costs and alternatives, and to downplay other factors, especially those that are not easily expressed in quantitative terms, that affect acceptance or rejection of risk. Such other factors include the issues of risk perceptions and how and by whom risk decisions are made

Summarizing systematic reviews: methodological development, conduct and reporting of an umbrella review approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Aromataris, Edoardo; Fernandez, Ritin; Godfrey, Christina M; Holly, Cheryl; Khalil, Hanan; Tungpunkom, Patraporn

2015-09-01

With the increase in the number of systematic reviews available, a logical next step to provide decision makers in healthcare with the evidence they require has been the conduct of reviews of existing systematic reviews. Syntheses of existing systematic reviews are referred to by many different names, one of which is an umbrella review. An umbrella review allows the findings of reviews relevant to a review question to be compared and contrasted. An umbrella review's most characteristic feature is that this type of evidence synthesis only considers for inclusion the highest level of evidence, namely other systematic reviews and meta-analyses. A methodology working group was formed by the Joanna Briggs Institute to develop methodological guidance for the conduct of an umbrella review, including diverse types of evidence, both quantitative and qualitative. The aim of this study is to describe the development and guidance for the conduct of an umbrella review. Discussion and testing of the elements of methods for the conduct of an umbrella review were held over a 6-month period by members of a methodology working group. The working group comprised six participants who corresponded via teleconference, e-mail and face-to-face meeting during this development period. In October 2013, the methodology was presented in a workshop at the Joanna Briggs Institute Convention. Workshop participants, review authors and methodologists provided further testing, critique and feedback on the proposed methodology. This study describes the methodology and methods developed for the conduct of an umbrella review that includes published systematic reviews and meta-analyses as the analytical unit of the review. Details are provided regarding the essential elements of an umbrella review, including presentation of the review question in a Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome format, nuances of the inclusion criteria and search strategy. A critical appraisal tool with 10 questions to

76 FR 18134 - Reducing Regulatory Burden; Review Under E.O. 13563

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-01

... regulations for review, alternative approaches, etc.--to help prepare the preliminary plan. There will be... private defined benefit plans. PBGC receives no funds from general tax revenues. Operations are financed... participants, improve transparency, simplify filing, provide relief for small businesses, and assist plans to...

A Generalized Estimating Equations Approach to Model Heterogeneity and Time Dependence in Capture-Recapture Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akanda Md. Abdus Salam

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Individual heterogeneity in capture probabilities and time dependence are fundamentally important for estimating the closed animal population parameters in capture-recapture studies. A generalized estimating equations (GEE approach accounts for linear correlation among capture-recapture occasions, and individual heterogeneity in capture probabilities in a closed population capture-recapture individual heterogeneity and time variation model. The estimated capture probabilities are used to estimate animal population parameters. Two real data sets are used for illustrative purposes. A simulation study is carried out to assess the performance of the GEE estimator. A Quasi-Likelihood Information Criterion (QIC is applied for the selection of the best fitting model. This approach performs well when the estimated population parameters depend on the individual heterogeneity and the nature of linear correlation among capture-recapture occasions.

Intervention pattern in crisis: mental health as a nursing care approach at a general hospital

OpenAIRE

Oliveira, Elias Barbosa; Kestenberg, Célia Caldeira Fonseca; Silva, Alexandre Vicente

2013-01-01

Objective: Testing and validating the application of Intervention in Crisis theory as an approach in mental health on HIV/AIDS patients care who are interned at a general hospital. Method: Help Interview has been accomplished as an activity for Mental Health subject according to an applied guide by graduation in nursing students in order to identify this illness psycho-social repercussion and draft therapeutic plan for patients under their care. The outcomes were the reports results presented...

Review of Business-Class and First-Class Airfares Within the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2004-01-01

We reviewed 20 transactions that were coded as business-class and first-class travel during the 2002 and 2003 calendar years for the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Defense (OIG DoD...

A unified simulation approach for the fast outage capacity evaluation over generalized fading channels

KAUST Repository

Rached, Nadhir B.

2015-06-14

The outage capacity (OC) is among the most important performance metrics of communication systems over fading channels. The evaluation of the OC, when Equal Gain Combining (EGC) or Maximum Ratio Combining (MRC) diversity techniques are employed, boils down to computing the Cumulative Distribution Function (CDF) of the sum of channel envelopes (equivalently amplitudes) for EGC or channel gain (equivalently squared enveloped/amplitudes) for MRC. Closed-form expressions of the CDF of the sum of many generalized fading variates are generally unknown and constitute open problems. In this paper, we develop a unified hazard rate twisting Importance Sampling (IS) based approach to efficiently estimate the CDF of the sum of independent arbitrary variates. The proposed IS estimator is shown to achieve an asymptotic optimality criterion, which clearly guarantees its efficiency. Some selected simulation results are also shown to illustrate the substantial computational gain achieved by the proposed IS scheme over crude Monte-Carlo simulations.

Cell-Phone Addiction: A Review

OpenAIRE

De-Sola Guti?rrez, Jos?; Rodr?guez de Fonseca, Fernando; Rubio, Gabriel

2016-01-01

We present a review of the studies that have been published about addiction to cell phones. We analyze the concept of cell-phone addiction as well as its prevalence, study methodologies, psychological features, and associated psychiatric comorbidities. Research in this field has generally evolved from a global view of the cell phone as a device to its analysis via applications and contents. The diversity of criteria and methodological approaches that have been used is notable, as is a certain...

A biopsychosocial approach to women's sexual function and dysfunction at midlife: A narrative review.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Holly N; Thurston, Rebecca C

2016-05-01

A satisfying sex life is an important component of overall well-being, but sexual dysfunction is common, especially in midlife women. The aim of this review is (a) to define sexual function and dysfunction, (b) to present theoretical models of female sexual response, (c) to examine longitudinal studies of how sexual function changes during midlife, and (d) to review treatment options. Four types of female sexual dysfunction are currently recognized: Female Orgasmic Disorder, Female Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder, Genito-Pelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder, and Substance/Medication-Induced Sexual Dysfunction. However, optimal sexual function transcends the simple absence of dysfunction. A biopsychosocial approach that simultaneously considers physical, psychological, sociocultural, and interpersonal factors is necessary to guide research and clinical care regarding women's sexual function. Most longitudinal studies reveal an association between advancing menopause status and worsening sexual function. Psychosocial variables, such as availability of a partner, relationship quality, and psychological functioning, also play an integral role. Future directions for research should include deepening our understanding of how sexual function changes with aging and developing safe and effective approaches to optimizing women's sexual function with aging. Overall, holistic, biopsychosocial approaches to women's sexual function are necessary to fully understand and treat this key component of midlife women's well-being. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies evaluating diagnostic test accuracy: A practical review for clinical researchers-Part II. general guidance and tips

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Kyung Won; Choi, Sang Hyun; Huh, Jimi; Park, Seong Ho; Lee, June Young

2015-01-01

Meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy studies differs from the usual meta-analysis of therapeutic/interventional studies in that, it is required to simultaneously analyze a pair of two outcome measures such as sensitivity and specificity, instead of a single outcome. Since sensitivity and specificity are generally inversely correlated and could be affected by a threshold effect, more sophisticated statistical methods are required for the meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy. Hierarchical models including the bivariate model and the hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic model are increasingly being accepted as standard methods for meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy studies. We provide a conceptual review of statistical methods currently used and recommended for meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy studies. This article could serve as a methodological reference for those who perform systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy studies

Variation of Student Numerical and Figural Reasoning Approaches by Pattern Generalization Type, Strategy Use and Grade Level

Science.gov (United States)

El Mouhayar, Rabih; Jurdak, Murad

2016-01-01

This paper explored variation of student numerical and figural reasoning approaches across different pattern generalization types and across grade level. An instrument was designed for this purpose. The instrument was given to a sample of 1232 students from grades 4 to 11 from five schools in Lebanon. Analysis of data showed that the numerical…

40 CFR 155.40 - General.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... does not apply to products whose sale or distribution is authorized under FIFRA section 5 or section 18... STANDARDS AND REGISTRATION REVIEW Registration Review Procedures § 155.40 General. (a) Purpose. These regulations establish procedures for the registration review program required in FIFRA section 3(g...

Applying the institutional review board data repository approach to manage ethical considerations in evaluating and studying medical education.

Science.gov (United States)

Thayer, Erin K; Rathkey, Daniel; Miller, Marissa Fuqua; Palmer, Ryan; Mejicano, George C; Pusic, Martin; Kalet, Adina; Gillespie, Colleen; Carney, Patricia A

2016-01-01

Medical educators and educational researchers continue to improve their processes for managing medical student and program evaluation data using sound ethical principles. This is becoming even more important as curricular innovations are occurring across undergraduate and graduate medical education. Dissemination of findings from this work is critical, and peer-reviewed journals often require an institutional review board (IRB) determination. IRB data repositories, originally designed for the longitudinal study of biological specimens, can be applied to medical education research. The benefits of such an approach include obtaining expedited review for multiple related studies within a single IRB application and allowing for more flexibility when conducting complex longitudinal studies involving large datasets from multiple data sources and/or institutions. In this paper, we inform educators and educational researchers on our analysis of the use of the IRB data repository approach to manage ethical considerations as part of best practices for amassing, pooling, and sharing data for educational research, evaluation, and improvement purposes. Fostering multi-institutional studies while following sound ethical principles in the study of medical education is needed, and the IRB data repository approach has many benefits, especially for longitudinal assessment of complex multi-site data.

Web-Based Interventions to Improve Mental Health, General Caregiving Outcomes, and General Health for Informal Caregivers of Adults With Chronic Conditions Living in the Community: Rapid Evidence Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Ploeg, Jenny; Markle-Reid, Maureen; Valaitis, Ruta; McAiney, Carrie; Duggleby, Wendy; Bartholomew, Amy; Sherifali, Diana

2017-07-28

Most adults with chronic conditions live at home and rely on informal caregivers to provide support. Caregiving can result in negative impacts such as poor mental and physical health. eHealth interventions may offer effective and accessible ways to provide education and support to informal caregivers. However, we know little about the impact of Web-based interventions for informal caregivers of community-dwelling adults with chronic conditions. The purpose of this rapid evidence review was to assess the impact of Web-based interventions on mental health, general caregiving outcomes, and general health for informal caregivers of persons with chronic conditions living in the community. A rapid evidence review of the current literature was employed to address the study purpose. EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsychInfo, CINAHL, Cochrane, and Ageline were searched covering all studies published from January 1995 to July 2016. Papers were included if they (1) included a Web-based modality to deliver an intervention; (2) included informal, unpaid adult caregivers of community-living adults with a chronic condition; (3) were either a randomized controlled trial (RCT) or controlled clinical trial (CCT); and (4) reported on any caregiver outcome as a result of use or exposure to the intervention. A total of 20 papers (17 studies) were included in this review. Study findings were mixed with both statistically significant and nonsignificant findings on various caregiver outcomes. Of the 17 included studies, 10 had at least one significant outcome. The most commonly assessed outcome was mental health, which included depressive symptoms, stress or distress, and anxiety. Twelve papers examined the impact of interventions on the outcome of depressive symptoms; 4 found a significant decrease in depressive symptoms. Eight studies examined the outcome of stress or distress; 4 of these found a significant reduction in stress or distress as a result of the intervention. Three studies examined the

Quantum harmonic Brownian motion in a general environment: A modified phase-space approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yeh, L.

1993-01-01

After extensive investigations over three decades, the linear-coupling model and its equivalents have become the standard microscopic models for quantum harmonic Brownian motion, in which a harmonically bound Brownian particle is coupled to a quantum dissipative heat bath of general type modeled by infinitely many harmonic oscillators. The dynamics of these models have been studied by many authors using the quantum Langevin equation, the path-integral approach, quasi-probability distribution functions (e.g., the Wigner function), etc. However, the quantum Langevin equation is only applicable to some special problems, while other approaches all involve complicated calculations due to the inevitable reduction (i.e., contraction) operation for ignoring/eliminating the degrees of freedom of the heat bath. In this dissertation, the author proposes an improved methodology via a modified phase-space approach which employs the characteristic function (the symplectic Fourier transform of the Wigner function) as the representative of the density operator. This representative is claimed to be the most natural one for performing the reduction, not only because of its simplicity but also because of its manifestation of geometric meaning. Accordingly, it is particularly convenient for studying the time evolution of the Brownian particle with an arbitrary initial state. The power of this characteristic function is illuminated through a detailed study of several physically interesting problems, including the environment-induced damping of quantum interference, the exact quantum Fokker-Planck equations, and the relaxation of non-factorizable initial states. All derivations and calculations axe shown to be much simplified in comparison with other approaches. In addition to dynamical problems, a novel derivation of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem which is valid for all quantum linear systems is presented

Librarian co-authors correlated with higher quality reported search strategies in general internal medicine systematic reviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Rethlefsen, Melissa L; Farrell, Ann M; Osterhaus Trzasko, Leah C; Brigham, Tara J

2015-06-01

To determine whether librarian and information specialist authorship was associated with better reported systematic review (SR) search quality. SRs from high-impact general internal medicine journals were reviewed for search quality characteristics and reporting quality by independent reviewers using three instruments, including a checklist of Institute of Medicine Recommended Standards for the Search Process and a scored modification of the Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies instrument. The level of librarian and information specialist participation was significantly associated with search reproducibility from reported search strategies (Χ(2) = 23.5; P Librarian co-authored SRs had significantly higher odds of meeting 8 of 13 analyzed search standards than those with no librarian participation and six more than those with mentioned librarian participation. One-way ANOVA showed that differences in total search quality scores between all three groups were statistically significant (F2,267 = 10.1233; P librarian or information specialist co-authors are correlated with significantly higher quality reported search strategies. To minimize bias in SRs, authors and editors could encourage librarian engagement in SRs including authorship as a potential way to help improve documentation of the search strategy. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dementia training programmes for staff working in general hospital settings - a systematic review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Scerri, Anthony; Innes, Anthea; Scerri, Charles

2017-08-01

Although literature describing and evaluating training programmes in hospital settings increased in recent years, there are no reviews that summarise these programmes. This review sought to address this, by collecting the current evidence on dementia training programmes directed to staff working in general hospitals. Literature from five databases were searched, based on a number of inclusion criteria. The selected studies were summarised and data was extracted and compared using narrative synthesis based on a set of pre-defined categories. Methodological quality was assessed. Fourteen peer-reviewed studies were identified with the majority being pre-test post-test investigations. No randomised controlled trials were found. Methodological quality was variable with selection bias being the major limitation. There was a great variability in the development and mode of delivery although, interdisciplinary ward based, tailor-made, short sessions using experiential and active learning were the most utilised. The majority of the studies mainly evaluated learning, with few studies evaluating changes in staff behaviour/practices and patients' outcomes. This review indicates that high quality studies are needed that especially evaluate staff behaviours and patient outcomes and their sustainability over time. It also highlights measures that could be used to develop and deliver training programmes in hospital settings.

76 FR 17572 - Reducing Regulatory Burden; Retrospective Review Under E.O. 13563

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-30

... businesses and the public. Agencies must consider approaches that maintain freedom of choice and flexibility... regulations, invites interested members of the public to submit comments on its preliminary plan to review....regulations.gov . Additional Instructions. In general, comments received, including attachments and other...

Carotid endarterectomy: review of 10 years of practice of general and locoregional anesthesia in a tertiary care hospital in Portugal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mercês Lobo

2015-08-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Retrospective and prospective randomized studies have compared general and locoregional anesthesia for carotid endarterectomy, but without definitive results.OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the incidence of complications (medical, surgical, neurological, and hospital mortality in a tertiary center in Portugal and review the literature.METHODS: Retrospective analysis of patients undergoing endarterectomy between 2000 and 2011, using a software for hospital consultation.RESULTS: A total of 750 patients were identified, and locoregional anesthesia had to be converted to general anesthesia in 13 patients. Thus, a total of 737 patients were included in this analysis: 74% underwent locoregional anesthesia and 26% underwent general anesthesia. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding per operative variables. The use of shunt was more common in patients undergoing general anesthesia, a statistically significant difference. The difference between groups of strokes and mortality was not statistically significant. The average length of stay was shorter in patients undergoing locoregional anesthesia with a statistically significant difference.CONCLUSIONS: We found that our data are overlaid with the literature data. After reviewing the literature, we found that the number of studies comparing locoregional and general anesthesia and its impact on delirium, cognitive impairment, and decreased quality of life after surgery is still very small and can provide important data to compare the two techniques. Thus, some questions remain open, which indicates the need for randomized studies with larger number of patients and in new centers.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW SEBAGAI METODE PENELITIAN UNTUK MENSINTESIS HASIL-HASIL PENELITIAN (SEBUAH PENGANTAR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siswanto Siswanto

2012-12-01