Augmenting Amyloid PET Interpretations With Quantitative Information Improves Consistency of Early Amyloid Detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Harn, Nicholas R; Hunt, Suzanne L; Hill, Jacqueline; Vidoni, Eric; Perry, Mark; Burns, Jeffrey M

2017-08-01

Establishing reliable methods for interpreting elevated cerebral amyloid-β plaque on PET scans is increasingly important for radiologists, as availability of PET imaging in clinical practice increases. We examined a 3-step method to detect plaque in cognitively normal older adults, focusing on the additive value of quantitative information during the PET scan interpretation process. Fifty-five F-florbetapir PET scans were evaluated by 3 experienced raters. Scans were first visually interpreted as having "elevated" or "nonelevated" plaque burden ("Visual Read"). Images were then processed using a standardized quantitative analysis software (MIMneuro) to generate whole brain and region of interest SUV ratios. This "Quantitative Read" was considered elevated if at least 2 of 6 regions of interest had an SUV ratio of more than 1.1. The final interpretation combined both visual and quantitative data together ("VisQ Read"). Cohen kappa values were assessed as a measure of interpretation agreement. Plaque was elevated in 25.5% to 29.1% of the 165 total Visual Reads. Interrater agreement was strong (kappa = 0.73-0.82) and consistent with reported values. Quantitative Reads were elevated in 45.5% of participants. Final VisQ Reads changed from initial Visual Reads in 16 interpretations (9.7%), with most changing from "nonelevated" Visual Reads to "elevated." These changed interpretations demonstrated lower plaque quantification than those initially read as "elevated" that remained unchanged. Interrater variability improved for VisQ Reads with the addition of quantitative information (kappa = 0.88-0.96). Inclusion of quantitative information increases consistency of PET scan interpretations for early detection of cerebral amyloid-β plaque accumulation.

Quantitative Model for Economic Analyses of Information Security Investment in an Enterprise Information System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bojanc Rok

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The paper presents a mathematical model for the optimal security-technology investment evaluation and decision-making processes based on the quantitative analysis of security risks and digital asset assessments in an enterprise. The model makes use of the quantitative analysis of different security measures that counteract individual risks by identifying the information system processes in an enterprise and the potential threats. The model comprises the target security levels for all identified business processes and the probability of a security accident together with the possible loss the enterprise may suffer. The selection of security technology is based on the efficiency of selected security measures. Economic metrics are applied for the efficiency assessment and comparative analysis of different protection technologies. Unlike the existing models for evaluation of the security investment, the proposed model allows direct comparison and quantitative assessment of different security measures. The model allows deep analyses and computations providing quantitative assessments of different options for investments, which translate into recommendations facilitating the selection of the best solution and the decision-making thereof. The model was tested using empirical examples with data from real business environment.

Quantitative standard-less XRF analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ulitzka, S.

2002-01-01

Full text: For most analytical tasks in the mining and associated industries matrix-matched calibrations are used for the monitoring of ore grades and process control. In general, such calibrations are product specific (iron ore, bauxite, alumina, mineral sands, cement etc.) and apply to a relatively narrow concentration range but give the best precision and accuracy for those materials. A wide range of CRMs is available and for less common materials synthetic standards can be made up from 'pure' chemicals. At times, analysis of materials with varying matrices (powders, scales, fly ash, alloys, polymers, liquors, etc.) and diverse physical shapes (non-flat, metal drillings, thin layers on substrates etc.) is required that could also contain elements which are not part of a specific calibration. A qualitative analysis can provide information about the presence of certain elements and the relative intensities of element peaks in a scan can give a rough idea about their concentrations. More often however, quantitative values are required. The paper will look into the basics of quantitative standardless analysis and show results for some well-defined CRMs. Copyright (2002) Australian X-ray Analytical Association Inc

Communication and information-giving in high-risk breast cancer consultations: influence on patient outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Lobb, E A; Butow, P N; Barratt, A; Meiser, B; Gaff, C; Young, M A; Haan, E; Suthers, G; Gattas, M; Tucker, K

2004-01-26

This longitudinal study aimed to document (i) the information-giving and patient-communication styles of clinical geneticists and genetic counsellors (consultants) in familial breast cancer clinics and (ii) assess the effect of these styles on women's knowledge, whether their expectations were met, satisfaction, risk perception and psychological status. A total of 158 women from high-risk breast cancer families completed self-report questionnaires at 2 weeks preconsultation and 4 weeks postconsultation. The consultations were audiotaped, transcribed and coded. Multivariate logistic regressions showed that discussing prophylactic mastectomy (P=0.00) and oophorectomy (P=0.01) led to women having significantly more expectations met; discussing genetic testing significantly decreased anxiety (P=0.03) and facilitating understanding significantly decreased depression (P=0.05). Receiving a summary letter of the consultation significantly lowered anxiety (P=0.01) and significantly increased the accuracy of perceived risk (P=0.02). Women whose consultant used more supportive communications experienced significantly more anxiety about breast cancer at the 4 weeks follow-up (P=0.00). These women were not significantly more anxious before genetic counselling. In conclusion, this study found that consultants vary in the amount of information they give and the way they communicate; and this variation can result in better or worse psychosocial outcomes. Greater use of supportive and counselling communications appeared to increase anxiety about breast cancer. Identifying methods to assist consultants to address emotional issues effectively may be helpful.

Giving information on medicinal products to the general public--in search of a definition to safeguard the patient.

Science.gov (United States)

Faeh, Andrea

2014-04-01

Information on medicinal products is vital for enabling patients to give informed consent to the use of a specific product. Within the European Union (EU) the debate about how much information about prescription-only medicinal products should be made available to patients has gone on for the past five years with no definite conclusion yet. This contribution assesses the current legislation and the ongoing debate in order to identify the challenges and the prospect of new legislation, and consider its potential implications for the scope for advertising and for patient safety.

Perceived relevance and information needs regarding food topics and preferred information sources among Dutch adults: results of a quantitative consumer study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dillen, van S.M.E.; Hiddink, G.J.; Koelen, M.A.; Graaf, de C.; Woerkum, van C.M.J.

2004-01-01

Objective: For more effective nutrition communication, it is crucial to identify sources from which consumers seek information. Our purpose was to assess perceived relevance and information needs regarding food topics, and preferred information sources by means of quantitative consumer research.

The Limitations of Quantitative Social Science for Informing Public Policy

Science.gov (United States)

Jerrim, John; de Vries, Robert

2017-01-01

Quantitative social science (QSS) has the potential to make an important contribution to public policy. However it also has a number of limitations. The aim of this paper is to explain these limitations to a non-specialist audience and to identify a number of ways in which QSS research could be improved to better inform public policy.

Do women give the same information on binge drinking during pregnancy when asked repeatedly?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Strandberg-Larsen, Katrine; Andersen, Anne-Marie Nybo; Olsen, Jørn

2006-01-01

in question. As the report of binge drinking was highest in the first of two interviews referring to the same period, as well as women who participated in the first interview in pregnancy week 12 or earlier reported more binge drinking compared to women who participated in the interview later in pregnancy......OBJECTIVE: To study if pregnant women give the same answers to questions on frequency and timing of binge drinking when asked more than once during and after pregnancy. DESIGN: Cohort study.Setting:The Danish National Birth Cohort. SUBJECTS: The study is based on 76 307 pregnant women with repeated...... information on binge drinking during the early part of pregnancy and 8933 pregnant women with information on binge drinking during pregnancy weeks 30-36, obtained while pregnant and 6 months after delivery. RESULTS: More women reported binge drinking, if the interview took place close to the period...

Parameter determination for quantitative PIXE analysis using genetic algorithms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aspiazu, J.; Belmont-Moreno, E.

1996-01-01

For biological and environmental samples, PIXE technique is in particular advantage for elemental analysis, but the quantitative analysis implies accomplishing complex calculations that require the knowledge of more than a dozen parameters. Using a genetic algorithm, the authors give here an account of the procedure to obtain the best values for the parameters necessary to fit the efficiency for a X-ray detector. The values for some variables involved in quantitative PIXE analysis, were manipulated in a similar way as the genetic information is treated in a biological process. The authors carried out the algorithm until they reproduce, within the confidence interval, the elemental concentrations corresponding to a reference material

Optimisation of information influences on problems of consequences of Chernobyl accident and quantitative criteria for estimation of information actions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sobaleu, A.

2004-01-01

Consequences of Chernobyl NPP accident still very important for Belarus. About 2 million Byelorussians live in the districts polluted by Chernobyl radionuclides. Modern approaches to the decision of after Chernobyl problems in Belarus assume more active use of information and educational actions to grow up a new radiological culture. It will allow to reduce internal doze of radiation without spending a lot of money and other resources. Experience of information work with the population affected by Chernobyl since 1986 till 2004 has shown, that information and educational influences not always reach the final aim - application of received knowledge on radiating safety in practice and changing the style of life. If we take into account limited funds and facilities, we should optimize information work. The optimization can be achieved on the basis of quantitative estimations of information actions effectiveness. It is possible to use two parameters for this quantitative estimations: 1) increase in knowledge of the population and experts on the radiating safety, calculated by new method based on applied theory of the information (Mathematical Theory of Communication) by Claude E. Shannon and 2) reduction of internal doze of radiation, calculated on the basis of measurements on human irradiation counter (HIC) before and after an information or educational influence. (author)

Quantitative Analysis of Qualitative Information from Interviews: A Systematic Literature Review

Science.gov (United States)

Fakis, Apostolos; Hilliam, Rachel; Stoneley, Helen; Townend, Michael

2014-01-01

Background: A systematic literature review was conducted on mixed methods area. Objectives: The overall aim was to explore how qualitative information from interviews has been analyzed using quantitative methods. Methods: A contemporary review was undertaken and based on a predefined protocol. The references were identified using inclusion and…

Providing Quantitative Information and a Nudge to Undergo Stool Testing in a Colorectal Cancer Screening Decision Aid: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwartz, Peter H; Perkins, Susan M; Schmidt, Karen K; Muriello, Paul F; Althouse, Sandra; Rawl, Susan M

2017-08-01

Guidelines recommend that patient decision aids should provide quantitative information about probabilities of potential outcomes, but the impact of this information is unknown. Behavioral economics suggests that patients confused by quantitative information could benefit from a "nudge" towards one option. We conducted a pilot randomized trial to estimate the effect sizes of presenting quantitative information and a nudge. Primary care patients (n = 213) eligible for colorectal cancer screening viewed basic screening information and were randomized to view (a) quantitative information (quantitative module), (b) a nudge towards stool testing with the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) (nudge module), (c) neither a nor b, or (d) both a and b. Outcome measures were perceived colorectal cancer risk, screening intent, preferred test, and decision conflict, measured before and after viewing the decision aid, and screening behavior at 6 months. Patients viewing the quantitative module were more likely to be screened than those who did not ( P = 0.012). Patients viewing the nudge module had a greater increase in perceived colorectal cancer risk than those who did not ( P = 0.041). Those viewing the quantitative module had a smaller increase in perceived risk than those who did not ( P = 0.046), and the effect was moderated by numeracy. Among patients with high numeracy who did not view the nudge module, those who viewed the quantitative module had a greater increase in intent to undergo FIT ( P = 0.028) than did those who did not. The limitations of this study were the limited sample size and single healthcare system. Adding quantitative information to a decision aid increased uptake of colorectal cancer screening, while adding a nudge to undergo FIT did not increase uptake. Further research on quantitative information in decision aids is warranted.

Understanding the information needs of people with haematological cancers. A meta-ethnography of quantitative and qualitative research.

Science.gov (United States)

Atherton, K; Young, B; Salmon, P

2017-11-01

Clinical practice in haematological oncology often involves difficult diagnostic and treatment decisions. In this context, understanding patients' information needs and the functions that information serves for them is particularly important. We systematically reviewed qualitative and quantitative evidence on haematological oncology patients' information needs to inform how these needs can best be addressed in clinical practice. PsycINFO, Medline and CINAHL Plus electronic databases were searched for relevant empirical papers published from January 2003 to July 2016. Synthesis of the findings drew on meta-ethnography and meta-study. Most quantitative studies used a survey design and indicated that patients are largely content with the information they receive from physicians, however much or little they actually receive, although a minority of patients are not content with information. Qualitative studies suggest that a sense of being in a caring relationship with a physician allows patients to feel content with the information they have been given, whereas patients who lack such a relationship want more information. The qualitative evidence can help explain the lack of association between the amount of information received and contentment with it in the quantitative research. Trusting relationships are integral to helping patients feel that their information needs have been met. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Toward 3D structural information from quantitative electron exit wave analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borisenko, Konstantin B; Moldovan, Grigore; Kirkland, Angus I; Wang, Amy; Van Dyck, Dirk; Chen, Fu-Rong

2012-01-01

Simulations show that using a new direct imaging detector and accurate exit wave restoration algorithms allows nearly quantitative restoration of electron exit wave phase, which can be regarded as only qualitative for conventional indirect imaging cameras. This opens up a possibility of extracting accurate information on 3D atomic structure of the sample even from a single projection.

Identifying Contributors of DNA Mixtures by Means of Quantitative Information of STR Typing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tvedebrink, Torben; Eriksen, Poul Svante; Mogensen, Helle Smidt

2012-01-01

identified using polymorphic genetic markers. However, modern typing techniques supply additional quantitative data, which contain very important information about the observed evidence. This is particularly true for cases of DNA mixtures, where more than one individual has contributed to the observed......Abstract Estimating the weight of evidence in forensic genetics is often done in terms of a likelihood ratio, LR. The LR evaluates the probability of the observed evidence under competing hypotheses. Most often, probabilities used in the LR only consider the evidence from the genomic variation...... biological stain. This article presents a method for including the quantitative information of short tandem repeat (STR) DNA mixtures in the LR. Also, an efficient algorithmic method for finding the best matching combination of DNA mixture profiles is derived and implemented in an on-line tool for two...

Quantitative Study of Emotional Intelligence and Communication Levels in Information Technology Professionals

Science.gov (United States)

Hendon, Michalina

2016-01-01

This quantitative non-experimental correlational research analyzes the relationship between emotional intelligence and communication due to the lack of this research on information technology professionals in the U.S. One hundred and eleven (111) participants completed a survey that measures both the emotional intelligence and communication…

Qualitative and Quantitative Data on the Use of the Internet for Archaeological Information

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lorna-Jane Richardson

2015-04-01

Full Text Available These survey results are from an online survey of 577 UK-based archaeological volunteers, professional archaeologists and archaeological organisations. These data cover a variety of topics related to how and why people access the Internet for information about archaeology, including demographic information, activity relating to accessing information on archaeological topics, archaeological sharing and networking and the use of mobile phone apps and QR codes for public engagement. There is wide scope for further qualitative and quantitative analysis of these data.

Information Risk Management: Qualitative or Quantitative? Cross industry lessons from medical and financial fields

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Upasna Saluja

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Enterprises across the world are taking a hard look at their risk management practices. A number of qualitative and quantitative models and approaches are employed by risk practitioners to keep risk under check. As a norm most organizations end up choosing the more flexible, easier to deploy and customize qualitative models of risk assessment. In practice one sees that such models often call upon the practitioners to make qualitative judgments on a relative rating scale which brings in considerable room for errors, biases and subjectivity. On the other hand under the quantitative risk analysis approach, estimation of risk is connected with application of numerical measures of some kind. Medical risk management models lend themselves as ideal candidates for deriving lessons for Information Security Risk Management. We can use this considerably developed understanding of risk management from the medical field especially Survival Analysis towards handling risks that information infrastructures face. Similarly, financial risk management discipline prides itself on perhaps the most quantifiable of models in risk management. Market Risk and Credit Risk Information Security Risk Management can make risk measurement more objective and quantitative by referring to the approach of Credit Risk. During the recent financial crisis many investors and financial institutions lost money or went bankrupt respectively, because they did not apply the basic principles of risk management. Learning from the financial crisis provides some valuable lessons for information risk management.

Operations management research methodologies using quantitative modeling

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bertrand, J.W.M.; Fransoo, J.C.

2002-01-01

Gives an overview of quantitative model-based research in operations management, focusing on research methodology. Distinguishes between empirical and axiomatic research, and furthermore between descriptive and normative research. Presents guidelines for doing quantitative model-based research in

To give or not to give, that's the question: How methodology is destiny in Dutch giving data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bekkers, R.H.F.P.; Wiepking, P.

2006-01-01

In research on giving, methodology is destiny. The volume of donations estimated from sample surveys strongly depends on the length of the questionnaire used to measure giving. By comparing two giving surveys from the Netherlands, the authors show that a short questionnaire on giving not only

Results of Studying Astronomy Students’ Science Literacy, Quantitative Literacy, and Information Literacy

Science.gov (United States)

Buxner, Sanlyn; Impey, Chris David; Follette, Katherine B.; Dokter, Erin F.; McCarthy, Don; Vezino, Beau; Formanek, Martin; Romine, James M.; Brock, Laci; Neiberding, Megan; Prather, Edward E.

2017-01-01

Introductory astronomy courses often serve as terminal science courses for non-science majors and present an opportunity to assess non future scientists’ attitudes towards science as well as basic scientific knowledge and scientific analysis skills that may remain unchanged after college. Through a series of studies, we have been able to evaluate students’ basic science knowledge, attitudes towards science, quantitative literacy, and informational literacy. In the Fall of 2015, we conducted a case study of a single class administering all relevant surveys to an undergraduate class of 20 students. We will present our analysis of trends of each of these studies as well as the comparison case study. In general we have found that students basic scientific knowledge has remained stable over the past quarter century. In all of our studies, there is a strong relationship between student attitudes and their science and quantitative knowledge and skills. Additionally, students’ information literacy is strongly connected to their attitudes and basic scientific knowledge. We are currently expanding these studies to include new audiences and will discuss the implications of our findings for instructors.

To Give or Not to Give, That Is the Question : How Methodology Is Destiny in Dutch Giving Data

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bekkers, René; Wiepking, Pamala

2006-01-01

In research on giving, methodology is destiny. The volume of donations estimated from sample surveys strongly depends on the length of the questionnaire used to measure giving. By comparing two giving surveys from the Netherlands, the authors show that a short questionnaire on giving not only

[Benevolent Lies and Divine Truths: Information-giving Practices in the Era of Medical Paternalism, Brussels (1870-1930)].

Science.gov (United States)

Leclercq, Valérie

2016-01-01

Mostly based on Belgian and French-language source material (such as hospital archives, medical ethics, Catholic nursing manuals, etc.), this article sheds light on the way that information around serious illnesses was managed in the late 19th and early 20th century. It is suggested that information-giving practices were largely defined by the paternalistic nature of pre-mid-20th century medicine and although these practices aimed to the same objective, their content varied greatly according to the medical professionals or caregivers involved (doctors, catholic nurses, priests). The patients' and their families' reactions are examined as well. With the ambition to better flesh out the history of the therapeutic relationship, we argue that the interactions between patients and the various actors of the medical world were in continuity with the broader social dynamics of the time.

Quantitative digital radiography with two dimensional flat panels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dinten, J.M.; Robert-Coutant, C.; Darboux, M.

2003-01-01

Purpose: Attenuation law relates radiographic images to irradiated object thickness and chemical composition. Film radiography exploits qualitatively this property for diagnosis. Digital radiographic flat panels present large dynamic range, reproducibility and linearity properties which open the gate for quantification. We will present, through two applications (mammography and bone densitometry), an approach to extract quantitative information from digital 2D radiographs. Material and method: The main difficulty for quantification is X-rays scatter, which superimposes to acquisition data. Because of multiple scatterings and 3D geometry dependence, it cannot be directly exploited through an exact analytical model. Therefore we have developed an approach for its estimation and subtraction from medical radiographs, based on approximations and derivations of analytical models of scatter formation in human tissues. Results: In digital mammography, the objective is to build a map of the glandular tissue thickness. Its separation from fat tissue is based on two equations: height of compression and attenuation. This last equation needs X-Rays scatter correction. In bone densitometry, physicians look for quantitative bone mineral density. Today, clinical DEXA systems use collimated single or linear detectors to eliminate scatter. This scanning technology induces poor image quality. By applying our scatter correction approach, we have developed a bone densitometer using a digital flat panel (Lexxos, DMS). It provides with accurate and reproducible measurements while presenting radiological image quality. Conclusion: These applications show how information processing, and especially X-Rays scatter processing, enables to extract quantitative information from digital radiographs. This approach, associated to Computer Aided Diagnosis algorithms or reconstructions algorithms, gives access to useful information for diagnosis. (author)

The good news about giving bad news to patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Farber, Neil J; Urban, Susan Y; Collier, Virginia U; Weiner, Joan; Polite, Ronald G; Davis, Elizabeth B; Boyer, E Gil

2002-12-01

There are few data available on how physicians inform patients about bad news. We surveyed internists about how they convey this information. We surveyed internists about their activities in giving bad news to patients. One set of questions was about activities for the emotional support of the patient (11 items), and the other was about activities for creating a supportive environment for delivering bad news (9 items). The impact of demographic factors on the performance of emotionally supportive items, environmentally supportive items, and on the number of minutes reportedly spent delivering news was analyzed by analysis of variance and multiple regression analysis. More than half of the internists reported that they always or frequently performed 10 of the 11 emotionally supportive items and 6 of the 9 environmentally supportive items while giving bad news to patients. The average time reportedly spent in giving bad news was 27 minutes. Although training in giving bad news had a significant impact on the number of emotionally supportive items reported (P woman, unmarried, and having a history of major illness were also associated with reporting a greater number of emotionally supportive activities. Internists report that they inform patients of bad news appropriately. Some deficiencies exist, specifically in discussing prognosis and referral of patients to support groups. Physician educational efforts should include discussion of prognosis with patients as well as the availability of support groups.

System for the chemical professing and evaluation gives the residual thickness the gives detecting for gives appearances LR115 type 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carrazana Gonzalez, J.A.; Tomas Zerquera, J.; Prendes Alonso, M.

1998-01-01

In this work the system is described built in the CPHR for the homogeneous chemical processing gives detecting gives nuclear appearances. A new developed method is exposed, based on the application gives the technique optical densitometry, for the precise estimate gives the residual thickness, gives detecting, gives nuclear appearances LR115 type 2 after the process gives chemical engraving

Quantitative metrics for evaluating the phased roll-out of clinical information systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, David; Wu, Nicolas; Watkinson, Peter

2017-09-01

We introduce a novel quantitative approach for evaluating the order of roll-out during phased introduction of clinical information systems. Such roll-outs are associated with unavoidable risk due to patients transferring between clinical areas using both the old and new systems. We proposed a simple graphical model of patient flow through a hospital. Using a simple instance of the model, we showed how a roll-out order can be generated by minimising the flow of patients from the new system to the old system. The model was applied to admission and discharge data acquired from 37,080 patient journeys at the Churchill Hospital, Oxford between April 2013 and April 2014. The resulting order was evaluated empirically and produced acceptable orders. The development of data-driven approaches to clinical Information system roll-out provides insights that may not necessarily be ascertained through clinical judgment alone. Such methods could make a significant contribution to the smooth running of an organisation during the roll-out of a potentially disruptive technology. Unlike previous approaches, which are based on clinical opinion, the approach described here quantitatively assesses the appropriateness of competing roll-out strategies. The data-driven approach was shown to produce strategies that matched clinical intuition and provides a flexible framework that may be used to plan and monitor Clinical Information System roll-out. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Progress in stable isotope labeled quantitative proteomics methods].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Yuan; Shan, Yichu; Zhang, Lihua; Zhang, Yukui

2013-06-01

Quantitative proteomics is an important research field in post-genomics era. There are two strategies for proteome quantification: label-free methods and stable isotope labeling methods which have become the most important strategy for quantitative proteomics at present. In the past few years, a number of quantitative methods have been developed, which support the fast development in biology research. In this work, we discuss the progress in the stable isotope labeling methods for quantitative proteomics including relative and absolute quantitative proteomics, and then give our opinions on the outlook of proteome quantification methods.

The giving standard: conditional cooperation in the case of charitable giving

NARCIS (Netherlands)

P. Wiepking (Pamala); M. Heijnen (Merijn)

2011-01-01

textabstractIn this study, we make a first attempt to investigate the mechanisms of conditional cooperation in giving outside experiments, using retrospective survey data on charitable giving (the Giving the Netherlands Panel Study 2005 (GINPS05, 2005 ; N  = 1474)). Our results show that in the case

Information giving and receiving in hematological malignancy consultations.

Science.gov (United States)

Alexander, Stewart C; Sullivan, Amy M; Back, Anthony L; Tulsky, James A; Goldman, Roberta E; Block, Susan D; Stewart, Susan K; Wilson-Genderson, Maureen; Lee, Stephanie J

2012-03-01

Little is known about communication with patients suffering from hematologic malignancies, many of whom are seen by subspecialists in consultation at tertiary-care centers. These subspecialized consultations might provide the best examples of optimal physician-patient communication behaviors, given that these consultations tend to be lengthy, to occur between individuals who have not met before and may have no intention of an ongoing relationship, and which have a goal of providing treatment recommendations. The aim of this paper is to describe and quantify the content of the subspecialty consultation in regards to exchanging information and identify patient and provider characteristics associated with discussion elements. Audio-recorded consultations between 236 patients and 40 hematologists were coded for recommended communication practices. Multilevel models for dichotomous outcomes were created to test associations between patient, physician and consultation characteristics and key discussion elements. Discussions about the purpose of the visit and patient's knowledge about their disease were common. Other elements such as patient's preference for his/her role in decision-making, preferences for information, or understanding of presented information were less common. Treatment recommendations were provided in 97% of the consultations and unambiguous presentations of prognosis occurred in 81% of the consultations. Unambiguous presentations of prognosis were associated with non-White patient race, lower educational status, greater number of questions asked, and specific physician provider. Although some communication behaviors occur in most consultations, others are much less common and could help tailor the amount and type of information discussed. Approximately half of the patients are told unambiguous prognostic estimates for mortality or cure. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Information giving and receiving in hematological malignancy consultations†

Science.gov (United States)

Alexander, Stewart C.; Sullivan, Amy M.; Back, Anthony L.; Tulsky, James A.; Goldman, Roberta E.; Block, Susan D.; Stewart, Susan K.; Wilson-Genderson, Maureen; Lee, Stephanie J.

2012-01-01

Purpose Little is known about communication with patients suffering from hematologic malignancies, many of whom are seen by subspecialists in consultation at tertiary-care centers. These subspecialized consultations might provide the best examples of optimal physician–patient communication behaviors, given that these consultations tend to be lengthy, to occur between individuals who have not met before and may have no intention of an ongoing relationship, and which have a goal of providing treatment recommendations. The aim of this paper is to describe and quantify the content of the subspecialty consultation in regards to exchanging information and identify patient and provider characteristics associated with discussion elements. Methods Audio-recorded consultations between 236 patients and 40 hematologists were coded for recommended communication practices. Multilevel models for dichotomous outcomes were created to test associations between patient, physician and consultation characteristics and key discussion elements. Results Discussions about the purpose of the visit and patient’s knowledge about their disease were common. Other elements such as patient’s preference for his/her role in decision-making, preferences for information, or understanding of presented information were less common. Treatment recommendations were provided in 97% of the consultations and unambiguous presentations of prognosis occurred in 81% of the consultations. Unambiguous presentations of prognosis were associated with non-White patient race, lower educational status, greater number of questions asked, and specific physician provider. Conclusion Although some communication behaviors occur in most consultations, others are much less common and could help tailor the amount and type of information discussed. Approximately half of the patients are told unambiguous prognostic estimates for mortality or cure. PMID:21294221

A study on the quantitative model of human response time using the amount and the similarity of information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sung Jin

2006-02-01

The mental capacity to retain or recall information, or memory is related to human performance during processing of information. Although a large number of studies have been carried out on human performance, little is known about the similarity effect. The purpose of this study was to propose and validate a quantitative and predictive model on human response time in the user interface with the basic concepts of information amount, similarity and degree of practice. It was difficult to explain human performance by only similarity or information amount. There were two difficulties: constructing a quantitative model on human response time and validating the proposed model by experimental work. A quantitative model based on the Hick's law, the law of practice and similarity theory was developed. The model was validated under various experimental conditions by measuring the participants' response time in the environment of a computer-based display. Human performance was improved by degree of similarity and practice in the user interface. Also we found the age-related human performance which was degraded as he or she was more elder. The proposed model may be useful for training operators who will handle some interfaces and predicting human performance by changing system design

Quantitative Characterisation of Surface Texture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

De Chiffre, Leonardo; Lonardo, P.M.; Trumpold, H.

2000-01-01

This paper reviews the different methods used to give a quantitative characterisation of surface texture. The paper contains a review of conventional 2D as well as 3D roughness parameters, with particular emphasis on recent international standards and developments. It presents new texture...

New generation quantitative x-ray microscopy encompassing phase-contrast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilkins, S.W.; Mayo, S.C.; Gureyev, T.E.; Miller, P.R.; Pogany, A.; Stevenson, A.W.; Gao, D.; Davis, T.J.; Parry, D.J.; Paganin, D.

2000-01-01

Full text: We briefly outline a new approach to X-ray ultramicroscopy using projection imaging in a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Compared to earlier approaches, the new approach offers spatial resolution of ≤0.1 micron and includes novel features such as: i) phase contrast to give additional sample information over a wide energy range, rapid phase/amplitude extraction algorithms to enable new real-time modes of microscopic imaging widespread applications are envisaged to fields such as materials science, biomedical research, and microelectronics device inspection. Some illustrative examples are presented. The quantitative methods described here are also very relevant to X-ray projection microscopy using synchrotron sources

Compositional and Quantitative Model Checking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Kim Guldstrand

2010-01-01

This paper gives a survey of a composition model checking methodology and its succesfull instantiation to the model checking of networks of finite-state, timed, hybrid and probabilistic systems with respect; to suitable quantitative versions of the modal mu-calculus [Koz82]. The method is based...

Children are sensitive to norms of giving.

Science.gov (United States)

McAuliffe, Katherine; Raihani, Nichola J; Dunham, Yarrow

2017-10-01

People across societies engage in costly sharing, but the extent of such sharing shows striking cultural variation, highlighting the importance of local norms in shaping generosity. Despite this acknowledged role for norms, it is unclear when they begin to exert their influence in development. Here we use a Dictator Game to investigate the extent to which 4- to 9-year-old children are sensitive to selfish (give 20%) and generous (give 80%) norms. Additionally, we varied whether children were told how much other children give (descriptive norm) or what they should give according to an adult (injunctive norm). Results showed that children generally gave more when they were exposed to a generous norm. However, patterns of compliance varied with age. Younger children were more likely to comply with the selfish norm, suggesting a licensing effect. By contrast, older children were more influenced by the generous norm, yet capped their donations at 50%, perhaps adhering to a pre-existing norm of equality. Children were not differentially influenced by descriptive or injunctive norms, suggesting a primacy of norm content over norm format. Together, our findings indicate that while generosity is malleable in children, normative information does not completely override pre-existing biases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

MetaFluxNet: the management of metabolic reaction information and quantitative metabolic flux analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Dong-Yup; Yun, Hongsoek; Park, Sunwon; Lee, Sang Yup

2003-11-01

MetaFluxNet is a program package for managing information on the metabolic reaction network and for quantitatively analyzing metabolic fluxes in an interactive and customized way. It allows users to interpret and examine metabolic behavior in response to genetic and/or environmental modifications. As a result, quantitative in silico simulations of metabolic pathways can be carried out to understand the metabolic status and to design the metabolic engineering strategies. The main features of the program include a well-developed model construction environment, user-friendly interface for metabolic flux analysis (MFA), comparative MFA of strains having different genotypes under various environmental conditions, and automated pathway layout creation. http://mbel.kaist.ac.kr/ A manual for MetaFluxNet is available as PDF file.

Information to be wished with a view to an evaluation of the optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oudiz, A.; Despres, A.; Champion, M.; Collinet, J.; Bretheau, F.; Hubert, Ph.

1998-01-01

This document makes a general survey of the information to be wished in order to evaluate the optimization. The base information are qualitative and are on the general organisation in the frame of radiation protection. The information to give are also about the personnel training to radiation protection. The quantitative data concern: the individual doses, the collective dose, the dose rates, the indicators of internal exposure, the time of exposure and the strength concerned by it. (N.C.)

Informed Consent and Capacity to Give Consent in Mental Disorders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zeynep Mackali

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Among four basic principles (respect for autonomy, beneficence, non-malfeasance, and justice which determine ethical behaviors in healthcare, informed consent is mostly related to and lsquo;respect for autonomy'. Also, it reflects patient/client's right for decision and the value given for the client and his/her autonomy. Informed consent is an information sharing process including both rational decision-making about the most appropriate method among many different options and the interaction between the clinician and the client. This concept sheds light on criteria regarding the limits of confidentiality, competency, appropriate and sufficient information sharing and voluntariness. In this theoretical review, the definitions and the content of informed consent were shared, and then a section regarding the required content of informed consent for psychotherapy process was provided. Then, the components of informed consent were discussed and the relationship between capacity to consent and mental disorders in terms of aforementioned diagnostic groups was examined. [Psikiyatride Guncel Yaklasimlar - Current Approaches in Psychiatry 2014; 6(3.000: 227-242

Basic research for developing the quantitative neutron radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tamaki, Masayoshi; Ikeda, Yasushi; Ohkubo, Kohei; Tasaka, Kanji; Yoneda, Kenji; Fujine, Shigenori.

1992-01-01

This investigation concerns the basic research and development on quantitative neutron radiography by using a honeycomb collimator which reduces the effect due to scattered neutrons in objective matter. On the observation of the hydrogenate materials such as metal hydrides, water and hydrocarbons by neutron radiography, scattered neutrons from these objectives make the quantitativeness of the neutron radiographic image lower grade. In order to improve the quantitativeness of the image, a honeycomb collimator, which is a honeycomb structure of neutron absorbing material, was introduced to the conventional neutron radiography system. By setting the neutron-absorbing honeycomb collimator between objective and imaging system, neutrons scattered in the objective were absorbed by the honeycomb material and attenuated before coming to the imaging system, but neutrons which were transmitted the objective sample without any interaction reached the imaging system and formed the image of the sample. As the image by purely transmitted neutrons is intrinsic due to the neutronic character of the sample, the image data give the quantitative information. In the present experiment, aluminum honeycomb which was coated with boron nitride was prepared and used in order to image the standard stepwise samples for the evaluation of the quantitative grade of the newly proposed neutron radiography method. From the comparison between macroscopic total cross section and the attenuation coefficient of the thermal neutron for aluminum, copper and hydrocarbons, it was confirmed that they were fairly consistent each other. It can be concluded that the newly proposed neutron radiography method using the neutron-absorbing honeycomb collimator for the elimination of the scattered neutrons improves remarkably the quantitativeness of the neutron radiography technique. (author)

Norm, gender, and bribe-giving: Insights from a behavioral game.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tian Lan

Full Text Available Previous research has suggested that bribery is more normative in some countries than in others. To understand the underlying process, this paper examines the effects of social norm and gender on bribe-giving behavior. We argue that social norms provide information for strategic planning and impression management, and thus would impact participants' bribe amount. Besides, males are more agentic and focus more on impression management than females. We predicted that males would defy the norm in order to win when the amount of their bribe was kept private, but would conform to the norm when it was made public. To test this hypothesis, we conducted two studies using a competitive game. In each game, we asked three participants to compete in five rounds of creative tasks, and the winner was determined by a referee's subjective judgment of the participants' performance on the tasks. Participants were allowed to give bribes to the referee. Bribe-giving norms were manipulated in two domains: norm level (high vs. low and norm context (private vs. public, in order to investigate the influence of informational and affiliational needs. Studies 1 and 2 consistently showed that individuals conformed to the norm level of bribe-giving while maintaining a relative advantage for economic benefit. Study 2 found that males gave larger bribes in the private context than in the public, whereas females gave smaller bribes in both contexts. We used a latent growth curve model (LGCM to depict the development of bribe-giving behaviors during five rounds of competition. The results showed that gender, creative performance, and norm level all influence the trajectory of bribe-giving behavior.

Norm, gender, and bribe-giving: Insights from a behavioral game.

Science.gov (United States)

Lan, Tian; Hong, Ying-Yi

2017-01-01

Previous research has suggested that bribery is more normative in some countries than in others. To understand the underlying process, this paper examines the effects of social norm and gender on bribe-giving behavior. We argue that social norms provide information for strategic planning and impression management, and thus would impact participants' bribe amount. Besides, males are more agentic and focus more on impression management than females. We predicted that males would defy the norm in order to win when the amount of their bribe was kept private, but would conform to the norm when it was made public. To test this hypothesis, we conducted two studies using a competitive game. In each game, we asked three participants to compete in five rounds of creative tasks, and the winner was determined by a referee's subjective judgment of the participants' performance on the tasks. Participants were allowed to give bribes to the referee. Bribe-giving norms were manipulated in two domains: norm level (high vs. low) and norm context (private vs. public), in order to investigate the influence of informational and affiliational needs. Studies 1 and 2 consistently showed that individuals conformed to the norm level of bribe-giving while maintaining a relative advantage for economic benefit. Study 2 found that males gave larger bribes in the private context than in the public, whereas females gave smaller bribes in both contexts. We used a latent growth curve model (LGCM) to depict the development of bribe-giving behaviors during five rounds of competition. The results showed that gender, creative performance, and norm level all influence the trajectory of bribe-giving behavior.

Benefits of Giving (A Book Review Using Islamic Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Hamdar Arraiyyah

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This writing is a book review. It discusses a book entitled Give and Take. The book introduces a new approach to success. It makes three categories of people in doing interaction or communication. They are takers, matchers, and givers. The writer of the book, Adam Grant, explains the principles and characteristics of each category. He shows a lot of facts to prove that being a giver brings benefits for people and the doer as well. The objects of giving here comprise different kinds help like wealth, ideas, knowledge, skills and information. Therefore, he motivates people to become givers. In this connection, the reviewer would like to show that Islamic religion also motivates its followers to give helps to others. Though, there are some similarities and differences between the benefits of giving mentioned in the book and the verses of the Holy Qur’an and the sayings of Prophet Muhammad Peace be upon him.

Qualitative and quantitative methods for human factor analysis and assessment in NPP. Investigations and results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hristova, R.; Kalchev, B.; Atanasov, D.

2005-01-01

We consider here two basic groups of methods for analysis and assessment of the human factor in the NPP area and give some results from performed analyses as well. The human factor is the human interaction with the design equipment, with the working environment and takes into account the human capabilities and limits. In the frame of the qualitative methods for analysis of the human factor are considered concepts and structural methods for classifying of the information, connected with the human factor. Emphasize is given to the HPES method for human factor analysis in NPP. Methods for quantitative assessment of the human reliability are considered. These methods allow assigning of probabilities to the elements of the already structured information about human performance. This part includes overview of classical methods for human reliability assessment (HRA, THERP), and methods taking into account specific information about human capabilities and limits and about the man-machine interface (CHR, HEART, ATHEANA). Quantitative and qualitative results concerning human factor influence in the initiating events occurrences in the Kozloduy NPP are presented. (authors)

A Quantitative Version of a Theorem due to Borwein-Reich-Shafrir

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kohlenbach, Ulrich

2001-01-01

We give a quantitative analysis of a result due to Borwein, Reich and Shafrir on the asymptotic behaviour of the general Krasnoselski-Mann iteration for nonexpansive self-mappings of convex sets in arbitrary normed spaces. Besides providing explicit bounds we also get new qualitative results...... bounds were known in that bounded case. For the unbounded case, no quantitative information was known before. Our results were obtained in a case study of analysing non-effective proofs in analysis by certain logical methods. General logical meta-theorems of the author guarantee (at least under some...... concerning the independence of the rate of asymptotic regularity of that iteration from various input data. In the special case of bounded convex sets, where by well-known results of Ishikawa, Edelstein/O'Brien and Goebel/Kirk the norm of the iteration converges to zero, we obtain uniform bounds which do...

Informed Consent and Capacity to Give Consent in Mental Disorders

OpenAIRE

Zeynep Mackali

2014-01-01

Among four basic principles (respect for autonomy, beneficence, non-malfeasance, and justice) which determine ethical behaviors in healthcare, informed consent is mostly related to and lsquo;respect for autonomy'. Also, it reflects patient/client's right for decision and the value given for the client and his/her autonomy. Informed consent is an information sharing process including both rational decision-making about the most appropriate method among many different options and the interacti...

Quantitative study of FORC diagrams in thermally corrected Stoner– Wohlfarth nanoparticles systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Biasi, E.; Curiale, J.; Zysler, R.D.

2016-01-01

The use of FORC diagrams is becoming increasingly popular among researchers devoted to magnetism and magnetic materials. However, a thorough interpretation of this kind of diagrams, in order to achieve quantitative information, requires an appropriate model of the studied system. For that reason most of the FORC studies are used for a qualitative analysis. In magnetic systems thermal fluctuations 'blur' the signatures of the anisotropy, volume and particle interactions distributions, therefore thermal effects in nanoparticles systems conspire against a proper interpretation and analysis of these diagrams. Motivated by this fact, we have quantitatively studied the degree of accuracy of the information extracted from FORC diagrams for the special case of single-domain thermal corrected Stoner– Wohlfarth (easy axes along the external field orientation) nanoparticles systems. In this work, the starting point is an analytical model that describes the behavior of a magnetic nanoparticles system as a function of field, anisotropy, temperature and measurement time. In order to study the quantitative degree of accuracy of our model, we built FORC diagrams for different archetypical cases of magnetic nanoparticles. Our results show that from the quantitative information obtained from the diagrams, under the hypotheses of the proposed model, is possible to recover the features of the original system with accuracy above 95%. This accuracy is improved at low temperatures and also it is possible to access to the anisotropy distribution directly from the FORC coercive field profile. Indeed, our simulations predict that the volume distribution plays a secondary role being the mean value and its deviation the only important parameters. Therefore it is possible to obtain an accurate result for the inversion and interaction fields despite the features of the volume distribution. - Highlights: • Quantify the degree of accuracy of the information obtained using the FORC diagrams. �

Gender inequalities in care-giving in Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Dowler, J M; Jordan-Simpson, D A; Adams, O

1992-01-01

In Canada today, as in the past, men and women devote different amounts of time and effort to providing health care to their family and in the broader community. This paper examines "the social distinction between masculinity and femininity" in care-giving. Issues of gender inequality in care-giving have the potential to affect the formal health care system as the burden of caring will increase over the next few decades with the aging of society. This increase in need for care is occurring at a time when primary care providers--women--have additional demand on their time. Canadian society has been facing a series of social, demographic and economic shifts such as a higher divorce rate, two-income families, women's increasing professional commitments and first pregnancies at later ages, these factors may not affect women's willingness to care for others. However women may need support to provide the care. Assuming present trends, increasing need for families to care for elderly relatives may be inevitable. Perhaps society will recognize this need and provide support to those providing informal care. This could take the form of allowing individuals more time to provide care through child care leave, leave to care for parents and job-sharing. Support to those providing informal care might also be facilitated through community support services such as respite care, household maintenance, psychological support to care-givers, support groups, informal networks within a community and consideration of unconventional support methods.

Evaluation gives the activity inventory the nuclear fuel irradiated and its radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodriguez Gual, Maritza

1998-01-01

The present work has as objectives to give a quantitative evaluation to the activity that possesses the nuclear fuel for 3,6% enrichment with a burnt one the 33 000 NWd/Tu proposed for the Juragua Nuclear Power Plant . In this work the method is used I calculate ORIGEN2. Obtained results are presented and they are compared with other calculations carried out in reactors type VVER-440

Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis of Nutrition and Food Safety Information in School Science Textbooks of India

Science.gov (United States)

Subba Rao, G. M.; Vijayapushapm, T.; Venkaiah, K.; Pavarala, V.

2012-01-01

Objective: To assess quantity and quality of nutrition and food safety information in science textbooks prescribed by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), India for grades I through X. Design: Content analysis. Methods: A coding scheme was developed for quantitative and qualitative analyses. Two investigators independently coded the…

Quantitative analysis of gender stereotypes and information aggregation in a national election.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michele Tumminello

Full Text Available By analyzing a database of a questionnaire answered by a large majority of candidates and elected in a parliamentary election, we quantitatively verify that (i female candidates on average present political profiles which are more compassionate and more concerned with social welfare issues than male candidates and (ii the voting procedure acts as a process of information aggregation. Our results show that information aggregation proceeds with at least two distinct paths. In the first case candidates characterize themselves with a political profile aiming to describe the profile of the majority of voters. This is typically the case of candidates of political parties which are competing for the center of the various political dimensions. In the second case, candidates choose a political profile manifesting a clear difference from opposite political profiles endorsed by candidates of a political party positioned at the opposite extreme of some political dimension.

Sentence Comprehension as Mental Simulation: An Information-Theoretic Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriella Vigliocco

2011-11-01

Full Text Available It has been argued that the mental representation resulting from sentence comprehension is not (just an abstract symbolic structure but a “mental simulation” of the state-of-affairs described by the sentence. We present a particular formalization of this theory and show how it gives rise to quantifications of the amount of syntactic and semantic information conveyed by each word in a sentence. These information measures predict simulated word-processing times in a dynamic connectionist model of sentence comprehension as mental simulation. A quantitatively similar relation between information content and reading time is known to be present in human reading-time data.

The accompanying adult: authority to give consent in the UK.

Science.gov (United States)

Lal, Seema Madhur Lata; Parekh, Susan; Mason, Carol; Roberts, Graham

2007-05-01

Children may be accompanied by various people when attending for dental treatment. Before treatment is started, there is a legal requirement that the operator obtain informed consent for the proposed procedure. In the case of minors, the person authorized to give consent (parental responsibility) is usually a parent. To ascertain if accompanying persons of children attending the Department of Paediatric Dentistry at the Eastman Dental Hospital, London were empowered to give consent for the child's dental treatment. A total of 250 accompanying persons of children attending were selected, over a 6-month period. A questionnaire was used to establish whether the accompanying person(s) were authorized to give consent. The study showed that 12% of accompanying persons had no legal authority to give consent for the child's dental treatment. Clinicians need to be aware of the status of persons accompanying children to ensure valid consent is obtained.

Give Me Strength.

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

维拉

1996-01-01

Mort had an absolutely terrible day at the office.Everythingthat could go wrong did go wrong.As he walked home he could beheard muttering strange words to himself:“Oh,give me strength,give me strength.”Mort isn’t asking for the kind of strength thatbuilds strong muscles:he’s asking for the courage or ability to

Testing for altruism and social pressure in charitable giving.

Science.gov (United States)

DellaVigna, Stefano; List, John A; Malmendier, Ulrike

2012-01-01

Every year, 90% of Americans give money to charities. Is such generosity necessarily welfare enhancing for the giver? We present a theoretical framework that distinguishes two types of motivation: individuals like to give, for example, due to altruism or warm glow, and individuals would rather not give but dislike saying no, for example, due to social pressure. We design a door-to-door fund-raiser in which some households are informed about the exact time of solicitation with a flyer on their doorknobs. Thus, they can seek or avoid the fund-raiser. We find that the flyer reduces the share of households opening the door by 9% to 25% and, if the flyer allows checking a Do Not Disturb box, reduces giving by 28% to 42%. The latter decrease is concentrated among donations smaller than $10. These findings suggest that social pressure is an important determinant of door-to-door giving. Combining data from this and a complementary field experiment, we structurally estimate the model. The estimated social pressure cost of saying no to a solicitor is $3.80 for an in-state charity and $1.40 for an out-of-state charity. Our welfare calculations suggest that our door-to-door fund-raising campaigns on average lower the utility of the potential donors.

A New Variable Selection Method Based on Mutual Information Maximization by Replacing Collinear Variables for Nonlinear Quantitative Structure-Property Relationship Models

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghasemi, Jahan B.; Zolfonoun, Ehsan [Toosi University of Technology, Tehran (Korea, Republic of)

2012-05-15

Selection of the most informative molecular descriptors from the original data set is a key step for development of quantitative structure activity/property relationship models. Recently, mutual information (MI) has gained increasing attention in feature selection problems. This paper presents an effective mutual information-based feature selection approach, named mutual information maximization by replacing collinear variables (MIMRCV), for nonlinear quantitative structure-property relationship models. The proposed variable selection method was applied to three different QSPR datasets, soil degradation half-life of 47 organophosphorus pesticides, GC-MS retention times of 85 volatile organic compounds, and water-to-micellar cetyltrimethylammonium bromide partition coefficients of 62 organic compounds.The obtained results revealed that using MIMRCV as feature selection method improves the predictive quality of the developed models compared to conventional MI based variable selection algorithms.

A New Variable Selection Method Based on Mutual Information Maximization by Replacing Collinear Variables for Nonlinear Quantitative Structure-Property Relationship Models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghasemi, Jahan B.; Zolfonoun, Ehsan

2012-01-01

Selection of the most informative molecular descriptors from the original data set is a key step for development of quantitative structure activity/property relationship models. Recently, mutual information (MI) has gained increasing attention in feature selection problems. This paper presents an effective mutual information-based feature selection approach, named mutual information maximization by replacing collinear variables (MIMRCV), for nonlinear quantitative structure-property relationship models. The proposed variable selection method was applied to three different QSPR datasets, soil degradation half-life of 47 organophosphorus pesticides, GC-MS retention times of 85 volatile organic compounds, and water-to-micellar cetyltrimethylammonium bromide partition coefficients of 62 organic compounds.The obtained results revealed that using MIMRCV as feature selection method improves the predictive quality of the developed models compared to conventional MI based variable selection algorithms

STDP in adaptive neurons gives close-to-optimal information transmission

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guillaume Hennequin

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Spike-frequency adaptation is known to enhance the transmission of information in sensory spiking neurons, by rescaling the dynamic range for input processing, matching it to the temporal statistics of the sensory stimulus. Achieving maximal information transmission has also been recently postulated as a role for Spike-Timing Dependent Plasticity (STDP. However, the link between optimal plasticity and STDP in cortex remains loose, and so does the relationship between STDP and adaptation processes. We investigate how STDP, as described by recent minimal models derived from experimental data, influences the quality of information transmission in an adapting neuron. We show that a phenomenological model based on triplets of spikes yields almost the same information rate as an optimal model specially designed to this end. In contrast, the standard pair-based model of STDP does not improve information transmission as much. This result holds not only for additive STDP with hard weight bounds, known to produce bimodal distributions of synaptic weights, but also for weight-dependent STDP in the context of unimodal but skewed weight distributions. We analyze the similarities between the triplet model and the optimal learning rule, and find that the triplet effect is an important feature of the optimal model when the neuron is adaptive. If STDP is optimized for information transmission, it must take into account the dynamical properties of the postsynaptic cell, which might explain the target-cell specificity of STDP. In particular, it accounts for the differences found in vitro between STDP at excitatory synapses onto principal cells and those onto fast-spiking interneurons.

Climate Change Education: Quantitatively Assessing the Impact of a Botanical Garden as an Informal Learning Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Sellmann, Daniela; Bogner, Franz X.

2013-01-01

Although informal learning environments have been studied extensively, ours is one of the first studies to quantitatively assess the impact of learning in botanical gardens on students' cognitive achievement. We observed a group of 10th graders participating in a one-day educational intervention on climate change implemented in a botanical garden.…

Validity of spherical quantitative refractometry: application to laser-produced plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benattar, R.; Popovics, C.

1983-01-01

We report an experimental laser technique of quantitative Schlieren imaging of spherical plasmas combined with streak camera recording. We show that quantitative refractometry applies for small values of refraction angles, i.e., when the law giving the refraction angle versus the impact parameter of rays passing through the plasma is a linearly decreasing function

Visible light scatter as quantitative information source on milk constituents

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Melentiyeva, Anastasiya; Kucheryavskiy, Sergey; Bogomolov, Andrey

2012-01-01

analysis. The main task here is to extract individual quantitative information on milk fat and total protein content from spectral data. This is particularly challenging problem in the case of raw natural milk, where the fat globule sizes may essentially differ depending on source. Fig. 1. Spots of light...... designed set of raw milk samples with simultaneously varying fat, total protein and particle size distribution has been analyzed in the Vis spectral region. The feasibility of raw milk analysis by PLS regression on spectral data has been proved. The root mean-square errors below 0.10% and 0.04% for fat....... 3J&M Analytik AG, Willy-Messerschmitt-Strasse 8, 73457 Essingen, Germany. bogomolov@j-m.de Fat and protein are two major milk nutrients that are routinely analyzed in the dairy industry. Growing food quality requirements promote the dissemination of spectroscopic analysis, enabling real...

A methodology for the extraction of quantitative information from electron microscopy images at the atomic level

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Galindo, P L; Pizarro, J; Guerrero, E; Guerrero-Lebrero, M P; Scavello, G; Yáñez, A; Sales, D L; Herrera, M; Molina, S I; Núñez-Moraleda, B M; Maestre, J M

2014-01-01

In this paper we describe a methodology developed at the University of Cadiz (Spain) in the past few years for the extraction of quantitative information from electron microscopy images at the atomic level. This work is based on a coordinated and synergic activity of several research groups that have been working together over the last decade in two different and complementary fields: Materials Science and Computer Science. The aim of our joint research has been to develop innovative high-performance computing techniques and simulation methods in order to address computationally challenging problems in the analysis, modelling and simulation of materials at the atomic scale, providing significant advances with respect to existing techniques. The methodology involves several fundamental areas of research including the analysis of high resolution electron microscopy images, materials modelling, image simulation and 3D reconstruction using quantitative information from experimental images. These techniques for the analysis, modelling and simulation allow optimizing the control and functionality of devices developed using materials under study, and have been tested using data obtained from experimental samples

Role-modeling and conversations about giving in the socialization of adolescent charitable giving and volunteering.

Science.gov (United States)

Ottoni-Wilhelm, Mark; Estell, David B; Perdue, Neil H

2014-01-01

This study investigated the relationship between the monetary giving and volunteering behavior of adolescents and the role-modeling and conversations about giving provided by their parents. The participants are a large nationally-representative sample of 12-18 year-olds from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics' Child Development Supplement (n = 1244). Adolescents reported whether they gave money and whether they volunteered. In a separate interview parents reported whether they talked to their adolescent about giving. In a third interview, parents reported whether they gave money and volunteered. The results show that both role-modeling and conversations about giving are strongly related to adolescents' giving and volunteering. Knowing that both role-modeling and conversation are strongly related to adolescents' giving and volunteering suggests an often over-looked way for practitioners and policy-makers to nurture giving and volunteering among adults: start earlier, during adolescence, by guiding parents in their role-modeling of, and conversations about, charitable giving and volunteering. Copyright © 2013 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantitative analysis of coupler tuning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng Shuxin; Cui Yupeng; Chen Huaibi; Xiao Liling

2001-01-01

The author deduces the equation of coupler frequency deviation Δf and coupling coefficient β instead of only giving the adjusting direction in the process of matching coupler, on the basis of coupling-cavity chain equivalent circuits model. According to this equation, automatic measurement and quantitative display are realized on a measuring system. It contributes to industrialization of traveling-wave accelerators for large container inspection systems

Application of information and complexity theories to public opinion polls. The case of Greece (2004-2007)

OpenAIRE

Panos, C. P.; Chatzisavvas, K. Ch.

2007-01-01

A general methodology to study public opinion inspired from information and complexity theories is outlined. It is based on probabilistic data extracted from opinion polls. It gives a quantitative information-theoretic explanation of high job approval of Greek Prime Minister Mr. Constantinos Karamanlis (2004-2007), while the same time series of polls conducted by the company Metron Analysis showed that his party New Democracy (abbr. ND) was slightly higher than the opposition party of PASOK -...

State tax incentives for persons giving informal care to the elderly

Science.gov (United States)

Hendrickson, Michael C.

1988-01-01

Programs for informal caregivers of frail elderly can be adopted by States to address some of the problems associated with an expanding and costly long-term care system. In this article, highlights are given from a 3-year study of Idaho and Arizona tax incentive programs. Characteristics of informal caregivers and elderly participants are described, and elderly participants are compared with elderly nonparticipants and with the general elderly population. Tax incentives were positively related to the level of service and financial support provided by informal caregivers. Data were inadequate to determine whether the induced informal help substituted for public expenditures. PMID:10312965

State tax incentives for person giving informal care of the elderly.

Science.gov (United States)

Hendrickson, M C

1988-12-01

Programs for informal caregivers of frail elderly can be adopted by States to address some of the problems associated with an expanding and costly long-term care system. In this article, highlights are given from a 3-year study of Idaho and Arizona tax incentive programs. Characteristics of informal caregivers and elderly participants are described, and elderly participants are compared with elderly nonparticipants and with the general elderly population. Tax incentives were positively related to the level of service and financial support provided by informal caregivers. Data were inadequate to determine whether the induced informal help substituted for public expenditures.

The Quantitative Theory of Information

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Topsøe, Flemming; Harremoës, Peter

2008-01-01

Information Theory as developed by Shannon and followers is becoming more and more important in a number of sciences. The concepts appear to be just the right ones with intuitively appealing operational interpretations. Furthermore, the information theoretical quantities are connected by powerful...

Giving presentations

CERN Document Server

Ellis, Mark

1997-01-01

This is part of a series of books, which gives training in key business communication skills. Emphasis is placed on building awareness of language appropriateness and fluency in typical business interactions. This new edition is in full colour.

The Effect of Media on Charitable Giving and Volunteering: Evidence from the "Give Five" Campaign

Science.gov (United States)

Yoruk, Baris K.

2012-01-01

Fundraising campaigns advertised via mass media are common. To what extent such campaigns affect charitable behavior is mostly unknown, however. Using giving and volunteering surveys conducted biennially from 1988 to 1996, I investigate the effect of a national fundraising campaign, "Give Five," on charitable giving and volunteering patterns. The…

Research in health sciences library and information science: a quantitative analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Dimitroff, A

1992-10-01

A content analysis of research articles published between 1966 and 1990 in the Bulletin of the Medical Library Association was undertaken. Four specific questions were addressed: What subjects are of interest to health sciences librarians? Who is conducting this research? How do health sciences librarians conduct their research? Do health sciences librarians obtain funding for their research activities? Bibliometric characteristics of the research articles are described and compared to characteristics of research in library and information science as a whole in terms of subject and methodology. General findings were that most research in health sciences librarianship is conducted by librarians affiliated with academic health sciences libraries (51.8%); most deals with an applied (45.7%) or a theoretical (29.2%) topic; survey (41.0%) or observational (20.7%) research methodologies are used; descriptive quantitative analytical techniques are used (83.5%); and over 25% of research is funded. The average number of authors was 1.85, average article length was 7.25 pages, and average number of citations per article was 9.23. These findings are consistent with those reported in the general library and information science literature for the most part, although specific differences do exist in methodological and analytical areas.

Mapping the imaginary of charitable giving

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bajde, Domen

2012-01-01

The meaningfulness of charitable giving is largely owed to the imaginary conceptions that underpin this form of giving. Building on Taylor's notion of “social imaginary” and Godelier's work on “gift imaginary,” we theorize the imaginary of charitable giving. Through a combination of qualitative m...... across relatively stable assemblages of conceptions of poverty, donors, end-recipients and charitable giving. These assemblages are suggested to form a multifaceted imaginary that is both cultural (shared) and personal (individually performed).......The meaningfulness of charitable giving is largely owed to the imaginary conceptions that underpin this form of giving. Building on Taylor's notion of “social imaginary” and Godelier's work on “gift imaginary,” we theorize the imaginary of charitable giving. Through a combination of qualitative...

Relating Maxwell’s demon and quantitative analysis of information leakage for practical imperative programs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anjaria, Kushal; Mishra, Arun

2017-01-01

Shannon observed the relation between information entropy and Maxwell demon experiment to come up with information entropy formula. After that, Shannon’s entropy formula is widely used to measure information leakage in imperative programs. But in the present work, our aim is to go in a reverse direction and try to find possible Maxwell’s demon experimental setup for contemporary practical imperative programs in which variations of Shannon’s entropy formula has been applied to measure the information leakage. To establish the relation between the second principle of thermodynamics and quantitative analysis of information leakage, present work models contemporary variations of imperative programs in terms of Maxwell’s demon experimental setup. In the present work five contemporary variations of imperative program related to information quantification are identified. They are: (i) information leakage in imperative program, (ii) imperative multithreaded program, (iii) point to point leakage in the imperative program, (iv) imperative program with infinite observation, and (v) imperative program in the SOA-based environment. For these variations, minimal work required by an attacker to gain the secret is also calculated using historical Maxwell’s demon experiment. To model the experimental setup of Maxwell’s demon, non-interference security policy is used. In the present work, imperative programs with one-bit secret information have been considered to avoid the complexity. The findings of the present work from the history of physics can be utilized in many areas related to information flow of physical computing, nano-computing, quantum computing, biological computing, energy dissipation in computing, and computing power analysis. (paper)

A Primer on Disseminating Applied Quantitative Research

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, Bethany A.; DiStefano, Christine; Morgan, Grant B.

2010-01-01

Transparency and replication are essential features of scientific inquiry, yet scientific communications of applied quantitative research are often lacking in much-needed procedural information. In an effort to promote researchers dissemination of their quantitative studies in a cohesive, detailed, and informative manner, the authors delineate…

Quantitative determination of in vitro immunoglobulin secretion with protein A from Staphylococcus aureus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manciulea, M.

1982-01-01

A micromethod for the quantitative determination of Ig secreted in vitro by mice lymphocytes isolated from the spleen of normal animals is described. The indicator system consists in sheep erythrocytes radiolabelled with sodium chromate ( 51 Cr) and coated with protein A of Staphylococcus aureus ( 51 Cr-labelled ES). When splenocytes were incubated in fluid phase at 37 0 C for 7/2 h with rabbit antisera to mouse Ig (IgM and IgG) and with guinea pig complement, the immune complexes formed between the secreted Ig and its specific IgG antibody are bound to protein A on the erythrocyte surface allowing the complement-mediated lysis of 51 Cr-labelled ES. The degree of haemolysis produced in this experimental system, which reflects the amount of in vitro secreted Ig, was quantitatively measured by radioactive determination of 51 Cr release. In combination with the ES plaque assay the method also gives information as immunoglobulin secretion per plaque forming cell. (Auth.)

An overview of quantitative approaches in Gestalt perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Jäkel, Frank; Singh, Manish; Wichmann, Felix A; Herzog, Michael H

2016-09-01

Gestalt psychology is often criticized as lacking quantitative measurements and precise mathematical models. While this is true of the early Gestalt school, today there are many quantitative approaches in Gestalt perception and the special issue of Vision Research "Quantitative Approaches in Gestalt Perception" showcases the current state-of-the-art. In this article we give an overview of these current approaches. For example, ideal observer models are one of the standard quantitative tools in vision research and there is a clear trend to try and apply this tool to Gestalt perception and thereby integrate Gestalt perception into mainstream vision research. More generally, Bayesian models, long popular in other areas of vision research, are increasingly being employed to model perceptual grouping as well. Thus, although experimental and theoretical approaches to Gestalt perception remain quite diverse, we are hopeful that these quantitative trends will pave the way for a unified theory. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Practical Realities of Giving Back

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashton Bree Wesner

2014-07-01

Full Text Available In this thematic section, authors consider practical ways of giving back to the communities in which they conduct research. Each author discusses their evolving thoughts on how to give back in these practical ways. Some of these authors discuss giving back by giving money, food, rides, parties, and water bottles. In other cases, authors discuss giving back by creating jobs in the short or long term, grant writing, advocacy, and education. Story-telling is also a theme that many of the authors in this section discuss. For some authors, non-material forms of giving back are critical—simply maintaining social ties to the communities in which they worked, or sharing humor. The authors consider the utility of their attempts at giving back, and in some cases present their personal philosophy or guidelines on the subject.

Chemometric study of Andalusian extra virgin olive oils Raman spectra: Qualitative and quantitative information.

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-López, E; Sánchez-Rodríguez, M I; Marinas, A; Marinas, J M; Urbano, F J; Caridad, J M; Moalem, M

2016-08-15

Authentication of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is an important topic for olive oil industry. The fraudulent practices in this sector are a major problem affecting both producers and consumers. This study analyzes the capability of FT-Raman combined with chemometric treatments of prediction of the fatty acid contents (quantitative information), using gas chromatography as the reference technique, and classification of diverse EVOOs as a function of the harvest year, olive variety, geographical origin and Andalusian PDO (qualitative information). The optimal number of PLS components that summarizes the spectral information was introduced progressively. For the estimation of the fatty acid composition, the lowest error (both in fitting and prediction) corresponded to MUFA, followed by SAFA and PUFA though such errors were close to zero in all cases. As regards the qualitative variables, discriminant analysis allowed a correct classification of 94.3%, 84.0%, 89.0% and 86.6% of samples for harvest year, olive variety, geographical origin and PDO, respectively. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Birthplace choices: what are the information needs of women when choosing where to give birth in England? A qualitative study using online and face to face focus groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Hinton, Lisa; Dumelow, Carol; Rowe, Rachel; Hollowell, Jennifer

2018-01-08

Current clinical guidelines and national policy in England support offering 'low risk' women a choice of birth setting. Options include: home, free-standing midwifery unit (FMU), alongside midwifery unit (AMU) or obstetric unit (OU). This study, which is part of a broader project designed to inform policy on 'choice' in relation to childbirth, aimed to provide evidence on UK women's experiences of choice and decision-making in the period since the publication of the Birthplace findings (2011) and new NICE guidelines (2014). This paper reports on findings relating to women's information needs when making decisions about where to give birth. A qualitative focus group study including 69 women in the last trimester of pregnancy in England in 2015-16. Seven focus groups were conducted online via a bespoke web portal, and one was face-to-face. To explore different aspects of women's experience, each group included women with specific characteristics or options; planning a home birth, living in areas with lots of choice, living in areas with limited choice, first time mothers, living close to a FMU, living in opt-out AMU areas, living in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas and planning to give birth in an OU. Focus group transcripts were analysed thematically. Women drew on multiple sources when making choices about where to give birth. Sources included; the Internet, friends' recommendations and experiences, antenatal classes and their own personal experiences. Their midwife was not the main source of information. Women wanted the option to discuss and consider their birth preferences throughout their pregnancy, not at a fixed point. Birthplace choice is informed by many factors. Women may encounter fewer overt obstacles to exercising choice than in the past, but women do not consistently receive information about birthplace options from their midwife at a time and in a manner that they find helpful. Introducing options early in pregnancy, but deferring decision

Quantitative measure of randomness and order for complete genomes

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Sing-Guan; Fan, Wen-Lang; Chen, Hong-Da; Wigger, Jan; Torda, Andrew E.; Lee, H. C.

2009-06-01

We propose an order index, ϕ , which gives a quantitative measure of randomness and order of complete genomic sequences. It maps genomes to a number from 0 (random and of infinite length) to 1 (fully ordered) and applies regardless of sequence length. The 786 complete genomic sequences in GenBank were found to have ϕ values in a very narrow range, ϕg=0.031-0.015+0.028 . We show this implies that genomes are halfway toward being completely random, or, at the “edge of chaos.” We further show that artificial “genomes” converted from literary classics have ϕ ’s that almost exactly coincide with ϕg , but sequences of low information content do not. We infer that ϕg represents a high information-capacity “fixed point” in sequence space, and that genomes are driven to it by the dynamics of a robust growth and evolution process. We show that a growth process characterized by random segmental duplication can robustly drive genomes to the fixed point.

Authorization gives the personnel he/she gives the center he/she gives Isotopes for the acting he/she gives tied functions with the security and the radiological protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perez Pijuan, S.; Hernandez Alvarez, R.; Peres Reyes, Y.; Venegas Bernal, M.C.

1998-01-01

The conception is described used in a center production labelled compound and radiopharmaceuticals for the authorization to the support, operation and supervision personnel The approaches are exposed used to define the excellent positions for the security the installation. The are described the training programs, designed starting from the indentification the specific competitions for each duty station and with particular emphasis in the development gives abilities you practice. It is used for the administration and evaluation gives the programs training the Automated System Administration Programs Training (GESAT)

Giving what one should: explanations for the knowledge-behavior gap for altruistic giving.

Science.gov (United States)

Blake, Peter R

2018-04-01

Several studies have shown that children struggle to give what they believe that they should: the so-called knowledge-behavior gap. Over a dozen recent Dictator Game studies find that, although young children believe that they should give half of a set of resources to a peer, they typically give less and often keep all of the resources for themselves. This article reviews recent evidence for five potential explanations for the gap and how children close it with age: self-regulation, social distance, theory of mind, moral knowledge and social learning. I conclude that self-regulation, social distance, and social learning show the most promising evidence for understanding the mechanisms that can close the gap. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reduced reciprocal giving in social anxiety - Evidence from the Trust Game.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderl, Christine; Steil, Regina; Hahn, Tim; Hitzeroth, Patricia; Reif, Andreas; Windmann, Sabine

2018-06-01

Social anxiety is known to impair interpersonal relationships. These impairments are thought to partly arise from difficulties to engage in affiliative interactions with others, such as sharing favors or reciprocating prosocial acts. Here, we examined whether individuals high compared to low in social anxiety differ in giving towards strangers in an economic game paradigm. One hundred and twenty seven non-clinical participants who had been pre-screened to be either particularly high or low in social anxiety played an incentivized Trust Game to assess trustful and reciprocal giving towards strangers in addition to providing information on real life interpersonal functioning (perceived social support and attachment style). We found that reciprocal, but not trustful giving, was significantly decreased among highly socially anxious individuals. Both social anxiety and reciprocal giving furthermore showed significant associations with self-reported real life interpersonal functioning. Participants played the Trust Game with the strategy method; results need replication with a clinical sample. Individuals high in social anxiety showed reduced reciprocal, but intact trustful giving, pointing to a constraint in responsiveness. The research may contribute to the development of new treatment and prevention programs to reduce the interpersonal impairments in socially anxious individuals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Markovian Processes for Quantitative Information Leakage

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Biondi, Fabrizio

Quantification of information leakage is a successful approach for evaluating the security of a system. It models the system to be analyzed as a channel with the secret as the input and an output as observable by the attacker as the output, and applies information theory to quantify the amount...... and randomized processes with Markovian models and to compute their information leakage for a very general model of attacker. We present the QUAIL tool that automates such analysis and is able to compute the information leakage of an imperative WHILE language. Finally, we show how to use QUAIL to analyze some...... of information transmitted through such channel, thus effectively quantifying how many bits of the secret can be inferred by the attacker by analyzing the system’s output. Channels are usually encoded as matrices of conditional probabilities, known as channel matrices. Such matrices grow exponentially...

An Introduction to Quantitative Measures for Software Maintenance of Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jo, Hyun Jun; Seong, Poong Hyun

2007-01-01

The I and C system of NPP has changed from the analog system to the digital-based system using microcontrollers and software. Thus, software has become very important for NPP control system. The software life cycle is divided into the development and maintenance phase largely. Because poor software maintenance work introduces new errors and makes software much complex, we have to consider the effective maintenance methods for the reliability and maintainability of NPP software. Function Block Diagram (FBD) is a standard application programming language for the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and currently being used in the development of a fully-digitalized reactor protection system (RPS) under the KNICS project. Therefore, the maintenance work will be of great importance in a few years. This paper studies on the measures which give quantitative information to software maintainer and manager before and after modification. The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. Section 2 briefly describes software maintenance types and model. In Section 3-5, we introduce the quantitative measures for software maintenance and characteristics of FBD program. A conclusion is provided in Section 6

Information-theoretic limitations on approximate quantum cloning and broadcasting

Science.gov (United States)

Lemm, Marius; Wilde, Mark M.

2017-07-01

We prove quantitative limitations on any approximate simultaneous cloning or broadcasting of mixed states. The results are based on information-theoretic (entropic) considerations and generalize the well-known no-cloning and no-broadcasting theorems. We also observe and exploit the fact that the universal cloning machine on the symmetric subspace of n qudits and symmetrized partial trace channels are dual to each other. This duality manifests itself both in the algebraic sense of adjointness of quantum channels and in the operational sense that a universal cloning machine can be used as an approximate recovery channel for a symmetrized partial trace channel and vice versa. The duality extends to give control of the performance of generalized universal quantum cloning machines (UQCMs) on subspaces more general than the symmetric subspace. This gives a way to quantify the usefulness of a priori information in the context of cloning. For example, we can control the performance of an antisymmetric analog of the UQCM in recovering from the loss of n -k fermionic particles.

The Limits to Giving Back

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jade S. Sasser

2014-07-01

Full Text Available In this thematic section, authors consider the limitations on giving back that they faced in field research, or saw others face. For some authors, their attempts at giving back were severely limited by the scope of their projects, or their understandings of local cultures or histories. For others, very specific circumstances and historical interventions of foreigners in certain places can limit how and to what extent a researcher is able to have a reciprocal relationship with the participating community. Some authors, by virtue of their lesser positions of power relative to those that they were studying, simply decided not to give back to those communities. In each article it becomes apparent that how and in what ways people give back is unique (and limited both to their personal values and the contexts in which they do research.

Whether and How Much to Give

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petrovski, Erik

This study evaluates whether factors known to foster charitable giving have a uniform influence on both (1) the decision to give and (2) the decision of how much to give. I establish that these two decisions are independent by dismissing the widely used Tobit model, which assumes a singe decision...

Quantitative X-ray mapping, scatter diagrams and the generation of correction maps to obtain more information about your material

Science.gov (United States)

Wuhrer, R.; Moran, K.

2014-03-01

Quantitative X-ray mapping with silicon drift detectors and multi-EDS detector systems have become an invaluable analysis technique and one of the most useful methods of X-ray microanalysis today. The time to perform an X-ray map has reduced considerably with the ability to map minor and trace elements very accurately due to the larger detector area and higher count rate detectors. Live X-ray imaging can now be performed with a significant amount of data collected in a matter of minutes. A great deal of information can be obtained from X-ray maps. This includes; elemental relationship or scatter diagram creation, elemental ratio mapping, chemical phase mapping (CPM) and quantitative X-ray maps. In obtaining quantitative x-ray maps, we are able to easily generate atomic number (Z), absorption (A), fluorescence (F), theoretical back scatter coefficient (η), and quantitative total maps from each pixel in the image. This allows us to generate an image corresponding to each factor (for each element present). These images allow the user to predict and verify where they are likely to have problems in our images, and are especially helpful to look at possible interface artefacts. The post-processing techniques to improve the quantitation of X-ray map data and the development of post processing techniques for improved characterisation are covered in this paper.

Quantitative X-ray mapping, scatter diagrams and the generation of correction maps to obtain more information about your material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wuhrer, R; Moran, K

2014-01-01

Quantitative X-ray mapping with silicon drift detectors and multi-EDS detector systems have become an invaluable analysis technique and one of the most useful methods of X-ray microanalysis today. The time to perform an X-ray map has reduced considerably with the ability to map minor and trace elements very accurately due to the larger detector area and higher count rate detectors. Live X-ray imaging can now be performed with a significant amount of data collected in a matter of minutes. A great deal of information can be obtained from X-ray maps. This includes; elemental relationship or scatter diagram creation, elemental ratio mapping, chemical phase mapping (CPM) and quantitative X-ray maps. In obtaining quantitative x-ray maps, we are able to easily generate atomic number (Z), absorption (A), fluorescence (F), theoretical back scatter coefficient (η), and quantitative total maps from each pixel in the image. This allows us to generate an image corresponding to each factor (for each element present). These images allow the user to predict and verify where they are likely to have problems in our images, and are especially helpful to look at possible interface artefacts. The post-processing techniques to improve the quantitation of X-ray map data and the development of post processing techniques for improved characterisation are covered in this paper

QOI7/423: Does Giving Patient Information by Internet Make Sense?

OpenAIRE

Van der Slikke, JW

1999-01-01

Introduction In the European collaboration "WOMAN"-project there is amongst others a set up for patient information and education about menopause on the WWW. One of the questions was how many women in Europe have access to Internet. Methods In our clinic (Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the "de Heel" hospital) we used the WOMAN-questionnaire. In this form questions are asked about computer use (at work and at home), if the respondent knew Web sites that gave information about meno...

Giving Devices the Ability to Exercise Reason

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Keeley

2008-10-01

Full Text Available One of the capabilities that separates humans from computers has been the ability to exercise "reason / judgment". Computers and computerized devices have provided excellent platforms for following rules. Computer programs provide the scripts for processing the rules. The exercise of reason, however, is more of an image processing function than a function composed of a series of rules. The exercise of reason is more right brain than left brain. It involves the interpretation of information and balancing inter-related alternatives. This paper will discuss a new way to define and process information that will give devices the ability to exercise human-like reasoning and judgment. The paper will discuss the characteristics of a "dynamic graphical language" in the context of addressing judgment, since judgment is often required to adjust rules when operating in a dynamic environment. The paper will touch on architecture issues and how judgment is integrated with rule processing.

Giving behavior of millionaires.

Science.gov (United States)

Smeets, Paul; Bauer, Rob; Gneezy, Uri

2015-08-25

This paper studies conditions influencing the generosity of wealthy people. We conduct incentivized experiments with individuals who have at least €1 million in their bank account. The results show that millionaires are more generous toward low-income individuals in a giving situation when the other participant has no power, than in a strategic setting, where the other participant can punish unfair behavior. Moreover, the level of giving by millionaires is higher than in any other previous study. Our findings have important implications for charities and financial institutions that deal with wealthy individuals.

[Feasibility, in general practice, to give to the patients clear, loyal and appropriate information about the undesirable side effects of the medicines prescribed. EICLAT study].

Science.gov (United States)

Arnould, Pascale; Raineri, François; Hebbrecht, Gilles; Duhot, Didier

2011-12-01

Drug prescription in general practice is present in 78 to 83% of consultations; practitioners must give to their patient clear loyal and appropriate information about the undesirable side effects of the medicines prescribed. The object of the EICLAT study was to give some light on the feasibility to respect this obligation. To that effect the study evaluates, for a normal prescription activity, the average number of potential undesirable side effects (USE) in relation with the number of lines of different medicines prescribed in each doctor's prescription. A total of 8,382 doctor's prescriptions, generating 34,427 lines of prescriptions given by 175 general practitioners, were analysed. Amongst these prescriptions, 11% included only one line, 55% from 2 to 4 lines and 34% 5 lines or more. The average doctor's prescription was of 4 lines of medicines generating 407 potential USE, of which 194 were different (the same undesirable effect may be present twice or more in the same doctor's prescription), and 293 frequent or serious potential USE, of which 166 were different. The patent medicines with a major or important added medical value (AMV), present in 7,840 doctor's prescriptions for a total of 24,127 lines exposed the patient, in the average, to 151 frequent or serious USE different. The patent medicines with an insufficient AMV, present in 2,292 prescriptions for a total of 3,887 lines, exposed the patient to 37 frequent and/or serious potential USE. Supposing that the information provided by the legal authority is sufficiently adequate, precise and exhaustive, the volume of information that must be given to the patient is not compatible with the present conditions of exercise of the profession.

Gender Differences In Giving Directions: A Case Study Of English Literature Students At Binus University

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tjoo Hong Sing

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Many researchers have said that there are differences in the ways people give direction between males and females, especially in spatial task (cardinal directions, topography, mileage, building, right/left markers (e.g., Lawton, 2001; Dabbs et al., 1998. Here, the thesis investigates what differences occur between both genders in giving direction. The respondents are 25 females and 25 males of fifth semester Binus University students majoring in English Literature. The respondents answered with a certain route from Binus’s Anggrek Campus to Senayan City. The study was conducted by qualitative and quantitative method. From the data analysis, the writer discovered that gender does affect in selecting the key words in explaining direction it is found that there were differences in choosing key words in giving direction between females and males. The difference is women use more than twice spatial references than men do. In terms of verbal abilities, it was confirmed that female use longer explanation. However, in other aspects such as serial orientation and maintenance words, the result is inconclusive. 

Whether and How Much to Give

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petrovski, Erik

2017-01-01

Charitable giving involves two seemingly distinct decisions: whether to give and how much to give. However, many researchers methodologically assume that these decisions are one and the same. The present study supports the argument that this is an incorrect assumption that is likely to generate...... misleading conclusions, in part, since the second decision is much more financial in nature than the first. The argument that charitable giving entails two distinct decisions is validated by empirically dismissing the prevailing Tobit model, which assumes a single decision, in favor of less restrictive two......-stage approaches: Cragg’s model and the Heckman model. Most importantly, it is shown that only by adopting a two-stage approach may it be uncovered that common determinants of charitable giving such as income and gender affect the two decisions at hand very differently. Data comes from a high-quality 2012 Danish...

Quantitative graph theory mathematical foundations and applications

CERN Document Server

Dehmer, Matthias

2014-01-01

The first book devoted exclusively to quantitative graph theory, Quantitative Graph Theory: Mathematical Foundations and Applications presents and demonstrates existing and novel methods for analyzing graphs quantitatively. Incorporating interdisciplinary knowledge from graph theory, information theory, measurement theory, and statistical techniques, this book covers a wide range of quantitative-graph theoretical concepts and methods, including those pertaining to real and random graphs such as:Comparative approaches (graph similarity or distance)Graph measures to characterize graphs quantitat

Adversity magnifies the importance of social information in decision-making.

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez-Escudero, Alfonso; de Polavieja, Gonzalo G

2017-11-01

Decision-making theories explain animal behaviour, including human behaviour, as a response to estimations about the environment. In the case of collective behaviour, they have given quantitative predictions of how animals follow the majority option. However, they have so far failed to explain that in some species and contexts social cohesion increases when conditions become more adverse (i.e. individuals choose the majority option with higher probability when the estimated quality of all available options decreases). We have found that this failure is due to modelling simplifications that aided analysis, like low levels of stochasticity or the assumption that only one choice is the correct one. We provide a more general but simple geometric framework to describe optimal or suboptimal decisions in collectives that gives insight into three different mechanisms behind this effect. The three mechanisms have in common that the private information acts as a gain factor to social information: a decrease in the privately estimated quality of all available options increases the impact of social information, even when social information itself remains unchanged. This increase in the importance of social information makes it more likely that agents will follow the majority option. We show that these results quantitatively explain collective behaviour in fish and experiments of social influence in humans. © 2017 The Authors.

Geographical information systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Möller, Bernd

2004-01-01

The chapter gives an introduction to Geographical Information Systems (GIS) with particular focus on their application within environmental management.......The chapter gives an introduction to Geographical Information Systems (GIS) with particular focus on their application within environmental management....

Information and Communications Technology Literacy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Syarifuddin Syarifuddin

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Development of information and communication technology (ICT has brought changes for the people of Indonesia. With ICT, community can easily access a variety of information and support jobs. But the problem that arises is the uneven penetration of ICT in all parts of Indonesia, including in South Sulawesi. Giving rise to the digital divide as well as the weakness of ICT literacy. Therefore, this study aims to determine the ICT literacy community in South Sulawesi. The method used in this study is a survey with a quantitative approach. The results show that ICT (computer, mobile phone, and internet has been used by communities in South Sulawesi. Among the three media, mobile phone has the highest number of penetration followed by computer and the internet. The majority of respondents have also entered into 5 levels of ICT literacy mobile phones and computers as an integral part of daily activities. While the internet was still in level 3 where they have been used but not significantly.

Privacy notice for dummies? Towards European guidelines on how to give "clear and comprehensive information" on the cookies' use in order to protect the internet users' right to online privacy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Luzak, J.A.

2014-01-01

The reviewed ePrivacy Directive aims at ensuring internet users’ online privacy by requiring users to give informed consent to the gathering, storing, and processing of their data by internet service providers, e.g., through the cookies’ use. However, it is hardly possible to talk about an

Giving Back, Moving Forward

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Louise Fortmann

2014-07-01

Full Text Available While reflecting on her own experience with giving back in Zimbabwe, Fortmann considers how the idea of “giving back” sits at the intersection of feminist theory, participatory research, and the democratization of science. From feminist theory arises the question of how to reciprocate to those who have contributed to our research. The participatory research and democratization of science literature push us to recognize and consider the collaborative nature of our research. Fortmann concludes by identifying three categories of reciprocity in research: material, intellectual, and personal. Sharing must occur, regardless of the kind of research taking place.

The influence on birthweight of maternal living conditions a decade prior to giving birth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Singhammer

2009-10-01

Full Text Available The study’s aim was to correlate measures of mothers’ socio-economic status, a decade prior to giving birth, with their children’s birthweight. As part of a larger study, information on birth characteristics from 706 babies born 1970-73 were linked with census data obtained from their mothers near the time of birth as well as one decade earlier. The 706 individuals were selected at random from two national surveys in 1998 and 2000 and traced back to the time of birth in the period 1970-73. Information on birth characteristics was linked to census data obtained from the mothers in 1960 and 1970. Included was information on parent’s living conditions (e.g. income, type of dwelling, indoor plumbing, telephone, number of people in the household. Information on mother’s health during pregnancy, a decade before childbirth and near childbirth, and data on mothers’ and the infants’ health at birth was obtained from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. In analysis that included both early and current socio-economic conditions maternal education and rural residency at the time of giving birth were observed as statistical significant predictors of birthweight. Results were adjusted for maternal age, parity, plurality, gender and diagnoses before and during pregnancy, all factors observed to attenuate birthweight. Indicators of women’s socio-economic conditions a decade prior to giving birth were not significantly associated with birthweight. These findings do not clearly support suggestions in the literature that an infant’s vitality may be influenced by the family’s socio-economic conditions years before birth.

GIVING AND RECEIVING CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ірина Олійник

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The article scrutinizes the notion of feedback applicable in classrooms where team teaching is provided. The experience of giving and receiving feedback has been a good practice in cooperation between a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer and a Ukrainian counterpart. Giving and receiving feedback is an effective means of classroom observation that provides better insight into the process of teaching a foreign language. The article discusses the stages of feedback and explicates the notion of sharing experience between two teachers working simultaneously in the same classroom. The guidelines for giving and receiving feedback have been provided as well as the most commonly used vocabulary items have been listed. It has been proved that mutual feedback leads to improving teaching methods and using various teaching styles and techniques.

Dynamics of a Successful Planned Giving Program Utilizing Shared Leadership at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

Science.gov (United States)

Baldwin, Robin Lynn Brunty

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the dynamics of a successful planned giving program utilizing shared leadership at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). This information will assist the leadership in determining if and how a successful planned giving program can be established for HBCUs. It is possible for planned gifts…

Analysis gives sensibility two models gives migration and transport gives radionuclides in the geosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torres Berdeguez, M. B.; Gil Castillo, R.; Peralta Vidal, J.L.

1998-01-01

An sensibility analysis it was applied two models, the first one, a model compressible for the near field (I finish source) The second, a simple model gives migration and transport radionuclides in the geosphere. The study was developed varying the securities ed simultaneously at the same time each parameter and observing the results in changes in the output and input. The intention in analysis it is to determine the parameter that but it influences in the variation the concentration. The statistical technique Regression it was employee in the study. This statistical method is used to analyze the dependence between a dependent variable and an or but independent variables

Neural underpinnings of the identifiable victim effect: affect shifts preferences for giving.

Science.gov (United States)

Genevsky, Alexander; Västfjäll, Daniel; Slovic, Paul; Knutson, Brian

2013-10-23

The "identifiable victim effect" refers to peoples' tendency to preferentially give to identified versus anonymous victims of misfortune, and has been proposed to partly depend on affect. By soliciting charitable donations from human subjects during behavioral and neural (i.e., functional magnetic resonance imaging) experiments, we sought to determine whether and how affect might promote the identifiable victim effect. Behaviorally, subjects gave more to orphans depicted by photographs versus silhouettes, and their shift in preferences was mediated by photograph-induced feelings of positive arousal, but not negative arousal. Neurally, while photographs versus silhouettes elicited activity in widespread circuits associated with facial and affective processing, only nucleus accumbens activity predicted and could statistically account for increased donations. Together, these findings suggest that presenting evaluable identifiable information can recruit positive arousal, which then promotes giving. We propose that affect elicited by identifiable stimuli can compel people to give more to strangers, even despite costs to the self.

How to Give a Good Talk?

OpenAIRE

Legout , Arnaud

2013-01-01

Why should you give great talks? How to make great slides? How to give a talk? How to make good presentations?; 3rd cycle; Warning: download the powerpoint version to get animations. Animated slides in the PDF version may look cluttered.

Quantitative uranium speciation with U M{sub 4,5}-edge HERFD absorption spectra

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kvashnina, Kristina O.; Rossberg, Andre [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., Dresden (Germany). Molecular Structures

2017-06-01

This report gives a brief description of the quantitative uranium speciation performed by iterative transformation factor analysis (ITFA) of High Energy Resolution X-ray Fluorescence Detection (HERFD) data collected at the M{sub 4,5} edge.

Quantitative Decision Support Requires Quantitative User Guidance

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, L. A.

2009-12-01

Is it conceivable that models run on 2007 computer hardware could provide robust and credible probabilistic information for decision support and user guidance at the ZIP code level for sub-daily meteorological events in 2060? In 2090? Retrospectively, how informative would output from today’s models have proven in 2003? or the 1930’s? Consultancies in the United Kingdom, including the Met Office, are offering services to “future-proof” their customers from climate change. How is a US or European based user or policy maker to determine the extent to which exciting new Bayesian methods are relevant here? or when a commercial supplier is vastly overselling the insights of today’s climate science? How are policy makers and academic economists to make the closely related decisions facing them? How can we communicate deep uncertainty in the future at small length-scales without undermining the firm foundation established by climate science regarding global trends? Three distinct aspects of the communication of the uses of climate model output targeting users and policy makers, as well as other specialist adaptation scientists, are discussed. First, a brief scientific evaluation of the length and time scales at which climate model output is likely to become uninformative is provided, including a note on the applicability the latest Bayesian methodology to current state-of-the-art general circulation models output. Second, a critical evaluation of the language often employed in communication of climate model output, a language which accurately states that models are “better”, have “improved” and now “include” and “simulate” relevant meteorological processed, without clearly identifying where the current information is thought to be uninformative and misleads, both for the current climate and as a function of the state of the (each) climate simulation. And thirdly, a general approach for evaluating the relevance of quantitative climate model output

Cancer screening information at community health fairs: What the participants do with information they receive.

Science.gov (United States)

Monrose, Erica; Ledergerber, Jessica; Acheampong, Derrick; Jandorf, Lina

2017-09-21

To assess participants' reasons for seeking cancer screening information at community health fairs and what they do with the information they receive. Mixed quantitative and qualitative approach was used. Community health fairs are organized in underserved New York City neighbourhoods. From June 14, 2016 to August 26, 2016, cancer prevention tables providing information about various cancer screenings were established at 12 local community health fairs in New York City. In-person and follow up telephone surveys assessing interest in the cancer prevention table, personal cancer screening adherence rates, information-sharing behaviours and demographic variables have been taken into account. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS 22.0: frequencies, descriptive, cross tabulations. All qualitative data was coded by theme so that it could be analysed through SPSS. For example, Were you interested in a specific cancer? may be coded as 2 for yes , breast cancer . One hundred and sixteen patrons participated in the initial survey. Of those, 88 (78%) agreed to give their contact information for the follow-up survey and 60 follow-up surveys were completed (68%). Of those who reported reading the material, 45% shared the information; 15% subsequently spoke to a provider about cancer screenings and 40% intended to speak to a provider. Participants disseminated information without prompting; suggesting the reach of these fairs extends beyond the people who visit our table. Future studies should look at whether patrons would share information at higher rates when they are explicitly encouraged to share the information.

Information sources used by parents to learn about medications they are giving their children.

Science.gov (United States)

Holappa, Miina; Ahonen, Riitta; Vainio, Kirsti; Hämeen-Anttila, Katri

2012-01-01

Previous studies have indicated the use of medication by children to be dependent on the attitudes of knowledge of their parents; however, little is known about sources parents might use in driving medication use decisions. The aim of this study was to describe the information sources that parents use regarding their children's medication and their perceptions of the reliability of these information sources. This study is part of a cross-sectional population survey with a random sample of 6000 children younger than 12 years. The response rate of the questionnaire was 67%. Parents were asked about the use of information sources and their perception of reliability with a list of 16 information sources. The information sources that parents reported having used were physicians (72%), patient information leaflets (PILs) (67%), public or school health nurses (52%), and pharmacists (44%). Regardless of the child's age, physicians were the parents' most-used information source. Physicians were the most-used information source also when the child had at least 1 of the 4 most common long-term diseases among children in Finland (asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis). Parents considered physicians (50%), PILs (31%), pharmacists (27%), nurses (20%), and public or school health nurses (17%) very reliable information sources. Finnish parents seek information from health care professionals and PILs when looking for information concerning their children's medication. Furthermore, they find health care professionals and PILs to be reliable information sources. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A quantitative method to analyze the quality of EIA information in wind energy development and avian/bat assessments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, Tony; Nielsen, Erik; Auberle, William; Solop, Frederic I.

2013-01-01

The environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been a tool for decision makers since the enactment of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Since that time, few analyses have been performed to verify the quality of information and content within EIAs. High quality information within assessments is vital in order for decision makers, stake holders, and the public to understand the potential impact of proposed actions on the ecosystem and wildlife species. Low quality information has been a major cause for litigation and economic loss. Since 1999, wind energy development has seen an exponential growth with unknown levels of impact on wildlife species, in particular bird and bat species. The purpose of this article is to: (1) develop, validate, and apply a quantitative index to review avian/bat assessment quality for wind energy EIAs; and (2) assess the trends and status of avian/bat assessment quality in a sample of wind energy EIAs. This research presents the development and testing of the Avian and Bat Assessment Quality Index (ABAQI), a new approach to quantify information quality of ecological assessments within wind energy development EIAs in relation to avian and bat species based on review areas and factors derived from 23 state wind/wildlife siting guidance documents. The ABAQI was tested through a review of 49 publicly available EIA documents and validated by identifying high variation in avian and bat assessments quality for wind energy developments. Of all the reviewed EIAs, 66% failed to provide high levels of preconstruction avian and bat survey information, compared to recommended factors from state guidelines. This suggests the need for greater consistency from recommended guidelines by state, and mandatory compliance by EIA preparers to avoid possible habitat and species loss, wind energy development shut down, and future lawsuits. - Highlights: ► We developed, validated, and applied a quantitative index to review avian/bat assessment quality

A quantitative method to analyze the quality of EIA information in wind energy development and avian/bat assessments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chang, Tony, E-mail: tc282@nau.edu [Environmental Science and Policy Program, School of Earth Science and Environmental Sustainability, Northern Arizona University, 602 S Humphreys P.O. Box 5694, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011 (United States); Nielsen, Erik, E-mail: erik.nielsen@nau.edu [Environmental Science and Policy Program, School of Earth Science and Environmental Sustainability, Northern Arizona University, 602 S Humphreys P.O. Box 5694, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011 (United States); Auberle, William, E-mail: william.auberle@nau.edu [Civil and Environmental Engineering Program, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northern Arizona University, 2112 S Huffer Ln P.O. Box 15600, Flagstaff, AZ, 860011 (United States); Solop, Frederic I., E-mail: fred.solop@nau.edu [Political Science Program, Department of Politics and International Affairs, Northern Arizona University, P.O. Box 15036, Flagstaff, AZ 86001 (United States)

2013-01-15

The environmental impact assessment (EIA) has been a tool for decision makers since the enactment of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Since that time, few analyses have been performed to verify the quality of information and content within EIAs. High quality information within assessments is vital in order for decision makers, stake holders, and the public to understand the potential impact of proposed actions on the ecosystem and wildlife species. Low quality information has been a major cause for litigation and economic loss. Since 1999, wind energy development has seen an exponential growth with unknown levels of impact on wildlife species, in particular bird and bat species. The purpose of this article is to: (1) develop, validate, and apply a quantitative index to review avian/bat assessment quality for wind energy EIAs; and (2) assess the trends and status of avian/bat assessment quality in a sample of wind energy EIAs. This research presents the development and testing of the Avian and Bat Assessment Quality Index (ABAQI), a new approach to quantify information quality of ecological assessments within wind energy development EIAs in relation to avian and bat species based on review areas and factors derived from 23 state wind/wildlife siting guidance documents. The ABAQI was tested through a review of 49 publicly available EIA documents and validated by identifying high variation in avian and bat assessments quality for wind energy developments. Of all the reviewed EIAs, 66% failed to provide high levels of preconstruction avian and bat survey information, compared to recommended factors from state guidelines. This suggests the need for greater consistency from recommended guidelines by state, and mandatory compliance by EIA preparers to avoid possible habitat and species loss, wind energy development shut down, and future lawsuits. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We developed, validated, and applied a quantitative index to review

An Informed Approach to Improving Quantitative Literacy and Mitigating Math Anxiety in Undergraduates Through Introductory Science Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Follette, K.; McCarthy, D.

2012-08-01

Current trends in the teaching of high school and college science avoid numerical engagement because nearly all students lack basic arithmetic skills and experience anxiety when encountering numbers. Nevertheless, such skills are essential to science and vital to becoming savvy consumers, citizens capable of recognizing pseudoscience, and discerning interpreters of statistics in ever-present polls, studies, and surveys in which our society is awash. Can a general-education collegiate course motivate students to value numeracy and to improve their quantitative skills in what may well be their final opportunity in formal education? We present a tool to assess whether skills in numeracy/quantitative literacy can be fostered and improved in college students through the vehicle of non-major introductory courses in astronomy. Initial classroom applications define the magnitude of this problem and indicate that significant improvements are possible. Based on these initial results we offer this tool online and hope to collaborate with other educators, both formal and informal, to develop effective mechanisms for encouraging all students to value and improve their skills in basic numeracy.

Oxygen octahedra picker: A software tool to extract quantitative information from STEM images

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Yi, E-mail: y.wang@fkf.mpg.de; Salzberger, Ute; Sigle, Wilfried; Eren Suyolcu, Y.; Aken, Peter A. van

2016-09-15

In perovskite oxide based materials and hetero-structures there are often strong correlations between oxygen octahedral distortions and functionality. Thus, atomistic understanding of the octahedral distortion, which requires accurate measurements of atomic column positions, will greatly help to engineer their properties. Here, we report the development of a software tool to extract quantitative information of the lattice and of BO{sub 6} octahedral distortions from STEM images. Center-of-mass and 2D Gaussian fitting methods are implemented to locate positions of individual atom columns. The precision of atomic column distance measurements is evaluated on both simulated and experimental images. The application of the software tool is demonstrated using practical examples. - Highlights: • We report a software tool for mapping atomic positions from HAADF and ABF images. • It enables quantification of both crystal lattice and oxygen octahedral distortions. • We test the measurement accuracy and precision on simulated and experimental images. • It works well for different orientations of perovskite structures and interfaces.

Interactions between care-giving and paid work hours among European midlife women, 1994 to 1996

OpenAIRE

Spieß, Christa Katharina; Schneider, A. Ulrike

2003-01-01

This paper uses data from the European Community Household Panel surveys of 1994 and 1996 to study the association between changes in care-giving and changes in weekly work hours. Our sample comprises women aged 45-59 years who participated in the labour force in at least one of the two years studied. Controlling for country variation, we find significant relationships between starting or increasing informal care-giving and changes in weekly work hours. No such association is found however am...

Patient information about radiation therapy: a survey in Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hubert, Annie; Kantor, Guy; Dilhuydy, Jean-Marie; Toulouse, Claude; Germain, Colette; Le Polles, Gisele; Salamon, Roger; Scalliet, Pierre

1997-01-01

Background and purpose: We performed a survey to evaluate the present status and means of information given to patients treated by radiotherapy. A short questionnaire was sent, with the help of ESTRO, to 746 European heads of department with a request to send specific documents used for informing the patient. Within 2 months (March and April 1996) we received 290 answers (39%) and 97 centres sent documents. Materials and methods: Analysis of the questionnaire and the documents was performed quantitatively with usual statistical methods and qualitatively with a socio-anthropological method of content analysis. Results: Analysis of the questionnaire shows the major role of the radiation oncologist in giving information and writing documents. The 298 different samples sent from 97 centres represent a wide panel with a booklet of general information (59 booklets/57 centres), practical advice and specific explanations (177 documents/49 centres) and informed consent (36 documents/28 centres). The anthropological study was centred on the way information was given, evaluation of the patient's understanding and analysis of documents sent. Conclusion: This preliminary survey needs to be completed by a study, including the patient's point of view and needs, about the information given

Quantitative interpretation of nuclear logging data by adopting point-by-point spectrum striping deconvolution technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang Bin; Liu Ling; Zhou Shumin; Zhou Rongsheng

2006-01-01

The paper discusses the gamma-ray spectrum interpretation technology on nuclear logging. The principles of familiar quantitative interpretation methods, including the average content method and the traditional spectrum striping method, are introduced, and their limitation of determining the contents of radioactive elements on unsaturated ledges (where radioactive elements distribute unevenly) is presented. On the basis of the intensity gamma-logging quantitative interpretation technology by using the deconvolution method, a new quantitative interpretation method of separating radioactive elements is presented for interpreting the gamma spectrum logging. This is a point-by-point spectrum striping deconvolution technology which can give the logging data a quantitative interpretation. (authors)

EVALUATION OF SERVICE QUALITY OF AIRWAY COMPANIES GIVING DOMESTIC SERVICES IN TURKEY WITH FUZZY SET APPROACH

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Handan DEMIR

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Today, service quality has become a major phenomenon with the requirement of meeting consumer demands in the best way brought along with the rising competition between companies. Airway transportation is preferred more and more during the recent years. Many qualitative and quantitative criteria are considered while evaluating service criteria in airway transportation. In this context, evaluation of service quality is a decisionmaking problem with many criteria. The purpose of this study is to evaluate service quality of domestic airway companies in Turkey. In this study; fuzzy TOPSIS method which is one of the most preferred fuzzy MCDM methods, extension of multi criteria decision making methods in fuzzy environments, considering qualitative and quantitative criteria together and giving opportunity to make group decisions in fuzzy environments. As a result, evaluation was made based on service quality criteria for the most preferred airways companies in Turkey and these companies were ranked according to their levels of service quality.

A method to extract quantitative information in analyzer-based x-ray phase contrast imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pagot, E.; Cloetens, P.; Fiedler, S.; Bravin, A.; Coan, P.; Baruchel, J.; Haertwig, J.; Thomlinson, W.

2003-01-01

Analyzer-based imaging is a powerful phase-sensitive technique that generates improved contrast compared to standard absorption radiography. Combining numerically two images taken on either side at ±1/2 of the full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the rocking curve provides images of 'pure refraction' and of 'apparent absorption'. In this study, a similar approach is made by combining symmetrical images with respect to the peak of the analyzer rocking curve but at general positions, ±α·FWHM. These two approaches do not consider the ultrasmall angle scattering produced by the object independently, which can lead to inconsistent results. An accurate way to separately retrieve the quantitative information intrinsic to the object is proposed. It is based on a statistical analysis of the local rocking curve, and allows one to overcome the problems encountered using the previous approaches

Assessment of viability by quantitative evaluation of 24h-redistribution in 201-thallium myocardial scintigraphy (SPECT): A comparative study versus clinical follow-up after revascularisation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stirner, H.; Spreng, M.; Picker, D.; Pfafferott, C.

1992-01-01

Results of regional quantitative assessment of 24h-redistribution in routinely performed Thallium myocardial scintigraphy (SPECT) were compared to findings of coronary angiography/ventriculography and/or echocardiography as well as clinical status 6 months after revascularisation in up to now 34 patients. In respect of positive and negative predictive values evaluation of 24h-redistribution behaves best (81/100%) compared to perfusion and 3h-redistribution alone. Performing an additional 24h-study gives a gain of at least 80% of diagnostic information. (orig.) [de

Rethinking the social and cultural dimensions of charitable giving

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bajde, Domen

2009-01-01

-giving and focuses on charitable gifts as an emblem of postmodern gift-giving to distant others. Historical evidence and sociological theory on postmodern solidarity are combined to shed light on the fluid duality of contemporary giving and the importance of the imaginary in charitable giving. The outlined socially...... symbolic dimensions of charitable giving are critically examined in light of postmodern consumer culture and the recent social corporate responsibility trends. By openly engaging the proposed complexities of gift-giving, our vocabulary and understanding of postmodern giving can be revised so as to invite...

The effect of giving detailed information about intravenous radiopharmaceutical administration on the anxiety level of patients who request more information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaya, E.; Ciftci, I.; Demirel, R.; Gecici, O.; Cigerci, Y.

2010-01-01

Nuclear medicine procedures use radiopharmaceuticals, which produce radiation and potential adverse reactions, albeit at a low rate. It is the patient's ethical, legal, and medical right to be informed of the potential side effects of procedures applied to them. Our purpose was to determine the effect of providing information about intravenous radiopharmaceutical administration on the anxiety level of patients who request more information. This study was completed in two separate Nuclear Medicine Departments. The study included 620 (247 M, 373 F) patients who had been referred for myocardial perfusion, bone, dynamic renal, and thyroid scintigraphic examinations. The patients were divided into two groups according to whether they requested more information or not. Group 1 consisted of 388 patients who wanted to receive more information about the procedure, while Group 2 consisted of 232 patients who did not request additional information. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S and STAI-T) was used to determine a patient's anxiety level. After simple information was given, state and trait anxiety levels were measured in both groups. We gave detailed information to the patients in Group 1 and then measured state anxiety again. Detailed information included an explanation of the radiopharmaceutical risk and probable side effects due to the scan procedure. There was no statistical difference between Groups 1 and 2 in STAI-T or STAI-S scores after simple information was given (p=0.741 and p=0.945, respectively). The mean value of STAI-S score was increased after the provision of detailed information and there was a statistically significant difference between after simple information STAI-S and after detailed information STAI-S (p<0.001). The STAI-S score was increased in 246 patients and decreased in 110 patients after detailed information, while there was no change in 32 patients. After detailed information, the greatest increase in STAI-S score was seen in the

The profile of quantitative risk indicators in Krsko NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vrbanic, I.; Basic, I.; Bilic-Zabric, T.; Spiler, J.

2004-01-01

During the past decade strong initiative was observed which was aimed at incorporating information on risk into various aspects of operation of nuclear power plants. The initiative was observable in activities carried out by regulators as well as utilities and industry. It resulted in establishing the process, or procedure, which is often referred to as integrated decision making or risk informed decision making. In this process, engineering analyses and evaluations that are usually termed traditional and that rely on considerations of safety margins and defense in depth are supplemented by quantitative indicators of risk. Throughout the process, the plant risk was most commonly expressed in terms of likelihood of events involving damage to the reactor core and events with radiological releases to the environment. These became two commonly used quantitative indicators or metrics of plant risk (or, reciprocally, plant safety). They were evaluated for their magnitude (e.g. the expected number of events per specified time interval), as well as their profile (e.g. the types of contributing events). The information for quantitative risk indicators (to be used in risk informing process) is obtained from plant's probabilistic safety analyses or analyses of hazards. It is dependable on issues such as availability of input data or quality of model or analysis. Nuclear power plant Krsko has recently performed Periodic Safety Review, which was a good opportunity to evaluate and integrate the plant specific information on quantitative plant risk indicators and their profile. The paper discusses some aspects of quantitative plant risk profile and its perception.(author)

Quantitative measurements in laser-induced plasmas using optical probing. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sweeney, D.W.

1981-01-01

Optical probing of laser induced plasmas can be used to quantitatively reconstruct electron number densities and magnetic fields. Numerical techniques for extracting quantitative information from the experimental data are described. A computer simulation of optical probing is used to determine the quantitative information that can be reasonably extracted from real experimental interferometric systems to reconstruct electron number density distributions. An example of a reconstructed interferogram shows a steepened electron distribution due to radiation pressure effects

Conscientious refusals and reason-giving.

Science.gov (United States)

Marsh, Jason

2014-07-01

Some philosophers have argued for what I call the reason-giving requirement for conscientious refusal in reproductive healthcare. According to this requirement, healthcare practitioners who conscientiously object to administering standard forms of treatment must have arguments to back up their conscience, arguments that are purely public in character. I argue that such a requirement, though attractive in some ways, faces an overlooked epistemic problem: it is either too easy or too difficult to satisfy in standard cases. I close by briefly considering whether a version of the reason-giving requirement can be salvaged despite this important difficulty. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

On the quantitativeness of EDS STEM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lugg, N.R. [Institute of Engineering Innovation, The University of Tokyo, 2-11-16, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Kothleitner, G. [Institute for Electron Microscopy and Nanoanalysis, Graz University of Technology, Steyrergasse 17, 8010 Graz (Austria); Centre for Electron Microscopy, Steyrergasse 17, 8010 Graz (Austria); Shibata, N.; Ikuhara, Y. [Institute of Engineering Innovation, The University of Tokyo, 2-11-16, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan)

2015-04-15

Chemical mapping using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) has recently shown to be a powerful technique in analyzing the elemental identity and location of atomic columns in materials at atomic resolution. However, most applications of EDS STEM have been used only to qualitatively map whether elements are present at specific sites. Obtaining calibrated EDS STEM maps so that they are on an absolute scale is a difficult task and even if one achieves this, extracting quantitative information about the specimen – such as the number or density of atoms under the probe – adds yet another layer of complexity to the analysis due to the multiple elastic and inelastic scattering of the electron probe. Quantitative information may be obtained by comparing calibrated EDS STEM with theoretical simulations, but in this case a model of the structure must be assumed a priori. Here we first theoretically explore how exactly elastic and thermal scattering of the probe confounds the quantitative information one is able to extract about the specimen from an EDS STEM map. We then show using simulation how tilting the specimen (or incident probe) can reduce the effects of scattering and how it can provide quantitative information about the specimen. We then discuss drawbacks of this method – such as the loss of atomic resolution along the tilt direction – but follow this with a possible remedy: precession averaged EDS STEM mapping. - Highlights: • Signal obtained in EDS STEM maps (of STO) compared to non-channelling signal. • Deviation from non-channelling signal occurs in on-axis experiments. • Tilting specimen: signal close to non-channelling case but atomic resolution is lost. • Tilt-precession series: non-channelling signal and atomic-resolution features obtained. • Associated issues are discussed.

Extracting quantitative three-dimensional unsteady flow direction from tuft flow visualizations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Omata, Noriyasu; Shirayama, Susumu, E-mail: omata@nakl.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp, E-mail: sirayama@sys.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp [Department of Systems Innovation, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656 (Japan)

2017-10-15

We focus on the qualitative but widely used method of tuft flow visualization, and propose a method for quantifying it using information technology. By applying stereo image processing and computer vision, the three-dimensional (3D) flow direction in a real environment can be obtained quantitatively. In addition, we show that the flow can be divided temporally by performing appropriate machine learning on the data. Acquisition of flow information in real environments is important for design development, but it is generally considered difficult to apply simulations or quantitative experiments to such environments. Hence, qualitative methods including the tuft method are still in use today. Although attempts have been made previously to quantify such methods, it has not been possible to acquire 3D information. Furthermore, even if quantitative data could be acquired, analysis was often performed empirically or qualitatively. In contrast, we show that our method can acquire 3D information and analyze the measured data quantitatively. (paper)

Extracting quantitative three-dimensional unsteady flow direction from tuft flow visualizations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Omata, Noriyasu; Shirayama, Susumu

2017-01-01

We focus on the qualitative but widely used method of tuft flow visualization, and propose a method for quantifying it using information technology. By applying stereo image processing and computer vision, the three-dimensional (3D) flow direction in a real environment can be obtained quantitatively. In addition, we show that the flow can be divided temporally by performing appropriate machine learning on the data. Acquisition of flow information in real environments is important for design development, but it is generally considered difficult to apply simulations or quantitative experiments to such environments. Hence, qualitative methods including the tuft method are still in use today. Although attempts have been made previously to quantify such methods, it has not been possible to acquire 3D information. Furthermore, even if quantitative data could be acquired, analysis was often performed empirically or qualitatively. In contrast, we show that our method can acquire 3D information and analyze the measured data quantitatively. (paper)

Subjective Quantitative Studies of Human Agency

Science.gov (United States)

Alkire, Sabina

2005-01-01

Amartya Sen's writings have articulated the importance of human agency, and identified the need for information on agency freedom to inform our evaluation of social arrangements. Many approaches to poverty reduction stress the need for empowerment. This paper reviews "subjective quantitative measures of human agency at the individual level." It…

[Gift giving and the ethics of the caregiver].

Science.gov (United States)

Grassin, Marc

2014-12-01

Modern societies establish relationships on a contract basis, but the caregiver relationship invariably involves the notion of a gift. Caring engages the giving / receiving / giving back circle of reciprocity. The caregiving relationship requires a gift ethic which gives meaning to the nurse/patient contract.

Real-time and quantitative isotropic spatial resolution susceptibility imaging for magnetic nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Pi, Shiqiang; Liu, Wenzhong; Jiang, Tao

2018-03-01

The magnetic transparency of biological tissue allows the magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) to be a promising functional sensor and contrast agent. The complex susceptibility of MNPs, strongly influenced by particle concentration, excitation magnetic field and their surrounding microenvironment, provides significant implications for biomedical applications. Therefore, magnetic susceptibility imaging of high spatial resolution will give more detailed information during the process of MNP-aided diagnosis and therapy. In this study, we present a novel spatial magnetic susceptibility extraction method for MNPs under a gradient magnetic field, a low-frequency drive magnetic field, and a weak strength high-frequency magnetic field. Based on this novel method, a magnetic particle susceptibility imaging (MPSI) of millimeter-level spatial resolution (<3 mm) was achieved using our homemade imaging system. Corroborated by the experimental results, the MPSI shows real-time (1 s per frame acquisition) and quantitative abilities, and isotropic high resolution.

How predictive quantitative modelling of tissue organisation can inform liver disease pathogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Drasdo, Dirk; Hoehme, Stefan; Hengstler, Jan G

2014-10-01

From the more than 100 liver diseases described, many of those with high incidence rates manifest themselves by histopathological changes, such as hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease, fatty liver disease, fibrosis, and, in its later stages, cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, primary biliary cirrhosis and other disorders. Studies of disease pathogeneses are largely based on integrating -omics data pooled from cells at different locations with spatial information from stained liver structures in animal models. Even though this has led to significant insights, the complexity of interactions as well as the involvement of processes at many different time and length scales constrains the possibility to condense disease processes in illustrations, schemes and tables. The combination of modern imaging modalities with image processing and analysis, and mathematical models opens up a promising new approach towards a quantitative understanding of pathologies and of disease processes. This strategy is discussed for two examples, ammonia metabolism after drug-induced acute liver damage, and the recovery of liver mass as well as architecture during the subsequent regeneration process. This interdisciplinary approach permits integration of biological mechanisms and models of processes contributing to disease progression at various scales into mathematical models. These can be used to perform in silico simulations to promote unravelling the relation between architecture and function as below illustrated for liver regeneration, and bridging from the in vitro situation and animal models to humans. In the near future novel mechanisms will usually not be directly elucidated by modelling. However, models will falsify hypotheses and guide towards the most informative experimental design. Copyright © 2014 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Information and information flow an introduction

CERN Document Server

Bremer, Manuel

2004-01-01

This book is conceived as an introductory text into the theory of syntactic and semantic information, and information flow. Syntactic information theory is concerned with the information contained in the very fact that some signal has a non-random structure. Semantic information theory is concerned with the meaning or information content of messages and the like. The theory of information flow is concerned with deriving some piece of information from another. The main part will take us to situation semantics as a foundation of modern approaches in information theory. We give a brief overview o

Quantitative grain-scale ferroic domain volume fractions and domain switching strains from three-dimensional X-ray diffraction data

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Oddershede, Jette; Majkut, Marta; Caosyd, Qinghua

2015-01-01

A method for the extension of the three-dimensional X-ray diffraction technique to allow the extraction of domain volume fractions in polycrystalline ferroic materials is presented. This method gives access to quantitative domain volume fractions of hundreds of independent embedded grains within...... are applied to tetragonal coarse-grained Ba0.88Ca0.12Zr0.06Ti0.94O3 and rhombohedral fine-grained (0.82)Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3–(0.18)Bi0.5K0.5TiO3 electroceramic materials. The fitted volume fraction information is used to calculate grain-scale non-180° ferroelectric domain switching strains. The absolute errors...

Linguistic complex networks as a young field of quantitative linguistics. Comment on "Approaching human language with complex networks" by J. Cong and H. Liu

Science.gov (United States)

Köhler, Reinhard

2014-12-01

We have long been used to the domination of qualitative methods in modern linguistics. Indeed, qualitative methods have advantages such as ease of use and wide applicability to many types of linguistic phenomena. However, this shall not overshadow the fact that a great part of human language is amenable to quantification. Moreover, qualitative methods may lead to over-simplification by employing the rigid yes/no scale. When variability and vagueness of human language must be taken into account, qualitative methods will prove inadequate and give way to quantitative methods [1, p. 11]. In addition to such advantages as exactness and precision, quantitative concepts and methods make it possible to find laws of human language which are just like those in natural sciences. These laws are fundamental elements of linguistic theories in the spirit of the philosophy of science [2,3]. Theorization effort of this type is what quantitative linguistics [1,4,5] is devoted to. The review of Cong and Liu [6] has provided an informative and insightful survey of linguistic complex networks as a young field of quantitative linguistics, including the basic concepts and measures, the major lines of research with linguistic motivation, and suggestions for future research.

What information on measurement uncertainty should be communicated to clinicians, and how?

Science.gov (United States)

Plebani, Mario; Sciacovelli, Laura; Bernardi, Daniela; Aita, Ada; Antonelli, Giorgia; Padoan, Andrea

2018-02-02

The communication of laboratory results to physicians and the quality of reports represent fundamental requirements of the post-analytical phase in order to assure the right interpretation and utilization of laboratory information. Accordingly, the International Standard for clinical laboratories accreditation (ISO 15189) requires that "laboratory reports shall include the information necessary for the interpretation of the examination results". Measurement uncertainty (MU) is an inherent property of any quantitative measurement result which express the lack of knowledge of the true value and quantify the uncertainty of a result, incorporating the factors known to influence it. Even if the MU is not included in the report attributes of ISO 15189 and cannot be considered a post-analytical requirement, it is suggested as an information which should facilitate an appropriate interpretation of quantitative results (quantity values). Therefore, MU has two intended uses: for laboratory professionals, it gives information about the quality of measurements, providing evidence of the compliance with analytical performance characteristics; for physicians (and patients) it may help in interpretation of measurement results, especially when values are compared with reference intervals or clinical decision limits, providing objective information. Here we describe the way that MU should be added to laboratory reports in order to facilitate the interpretation of laboratory results and connecting efforts performed within laboratory to provide more accurate and reliable results with a more objective tool for their interpretation by physicians. Copyright © 2018 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

(Micro)Financing to Give

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bajde, Domen

2013-01-01

and workings of microfinance. We illustrate how market-like elements are productively and problematically deployed in philanthropic giving and address the need to consider a broader range of socio-material relations involved in the framing of transactions. A complex network of actors and (trans)actions needs...

[Methods of quantitative proteomics].

Science.gov (United States)

Kopylov, A T; Zgoda, V G

2007-01-01

In modern science proteomic analysis is inseparable from other fields of systemic biology. Possessing huge resources quantitative proteomics operates colossal information on molecular mechanisms of life. Advances in proteomics help researchers to solve complex problems of cell signaling, posttranslational modification, structure and functional homology of proteins, molecular diagnostics etc. More than 40 various methods have been developed in proteomics for quantitative analysis of proteins. Although each method is unique and has certain advantages and disadvantages all these use various isotope labels (tags). In this review we will consider the most popular and effective methods employing both chemical modifications of proteins and also metabolic and enzymatic methods of isotope labeling.

Combining qualitative and quantitative operational research methods to inform quality improvement in pathways that span multiple settings

Science.gov (United States)

Crowe, Sonya; Brown, Katherine; Tregay, Jenifer; Wray, Jo; Knowles, Rachel; Ridout, Deborah A; Bull, Catherine; Utley, Martin

2017-01-01

Background Improving integration and continuity of care across sectors within resource constraints is a priority in many health systems. Qualitative operational research methods of problem structuring have been used to address quality improvement in services involving multiple sectors but not in combination with quantitative operational research methods that enable targeting of interventions according to patient risk. We aimed to combine these methods to augment and inform an improvement initiative concerning infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) whose complex care pathway spans multiple sectors. Methods Soft systems methodology was used to consider systematically changes to services from the perspectives of community, primary, secondary and tertiary care professionals and a patient group, incorporating relevant evidence. Classification and regression tree (CART) analysis of national audit datasets was conducted along with data visualisation designed to inform service improvement within the context of limited resources. Results A ‘Rich Picture’ was developed capturing the main features of services for infants with CHD pertinent to service improvement. This was used, along with a graphical summary of the CART analysis, to guide discussions about targeting interventions at specific patient risk groups. Agreement was reached across representatives of relevant health professions and patients on a coherent set of targeted recommendations for quality improvement. These fed into national decisions about service provision and commissioning. Conclusions When tackling complex problems in service provision across multiple settings, it is important to acknowledge and work with multiple perspectives systematically and to consider targeting service improvements in response to confined resources. Our research demonstrates that applying a combination of qualitative and quantitative operational research methods is one approach to doing so that warrants further

[Dental and health law 4. The treatment of minors and of adults who are unable to give informed consent].

Science.gov (United States)

Brands, W G; van der Ven, J M; Brands-Bottema, G W

2013-01-01

When minors are treated, a complex triangular relationship can emerge among dentist, patient and the individual legally responsible for the patient. Generally speaking, both parents are those legally responsible for a child. This might not be the case if the parents are not married to each other or have divorced, or when there is a question of a child protection ruling. The governing rule is that dentists are required to honour the obligations to the legal representatives thatfollow from the patients' rights concerning the treatment of children under the age of 12. In the case of patients between the ages of 12 and 16, dentists are required to act in accordance with their obligations to both those legally responsible and to the patients. Finally, in the case ofpatients who are 16 and older, dentists are required to act only in accordance with their obligations to the patients. There are, however, various exceptions to this governing rule. One of the most common examples is the patient who is a minor of 16 or older who is unable to determine what is in his own best interest. That criterium is also used in determining the capability to give informed consent in adults.

BBN based Quantitative Assessment of Software Design Specification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eom, Heung-Seop; Park, Gee-Yong; Kang, Hyun-Gook; Kwon, Kee-Choon; Chang, Seung-Cheol

2007-01-01

Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA), which is one of the important methods in assessing the overall safety of a nuclear power plant (NPP), requires quantitative reliability information of safety-critical software, but the conventional reliability assessment methods can not provide enough information for PSA of a NPP. Therefore current PSA which includes safety-critical software does not usually consider the reliability of the software or uses arbitrary values for it. In order to solve this situation this paper proposes a method that can produce quantitative reliability information of safety-critical software for PSA by making use of Bayesian Belief Networks (BBN). BBN has generally been used to model an uncertain system in many research fields including the safety assessment of software. The proposed method was constructed by utilizing BBN which can combine the qualitative and the quantitative evidence relevant to the reliability of safety critical software. The constructed BBN model can infer a conclusion in a formal and a quantitative way. A case study was carried out with the proposed method to assess the quality of software design specification (SDS) of safety-critical software that will be embedded in a reactor protection system. The intermediate V and V results of the software design specification were used as inputs to the BBN model

Information content in B→VV decays and the angular moments method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dighe, A.; Sen, S.

1998-10-01

The time-dependent angular distributions of decays of neutral B mesons into two vector mesons contain information about the lifetimes, mass differences, strong and weak phases, form factors, and CP violating quantities. A statistical analysis of the information content is performed by giving the ''information'' a quantitative meaning. It is shown that for some parameters of interest, the information content in time and angular measurements combined may be orders of magnitude more than the information from time measurements alone and hence the angular measurements are highly recommended. The method of angular moments is compared with the (maximum) likelihood method to find that it works almost as well in the region of interest for the one-angle distribution. For the complete three-angle distribution, an estimate of possible statistical errors expected on the observables of interest is obtained. It indicates that the three-angle distribution, unraveled by the method of angular moments, would be able to nail down many quantities of interest and will help in pointing unambiguously to new physics. (author)

Execution gives the recommendations given by WAMAP to Guatemala in relation to the administration he/she gives the radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomez Ordonnez, P.

1998-01-01

The Wamap mission visits Guatemala assisting to application Direccion General de Energia. The nuclear activity in Guatemala is limited to the investigation and the radioisotopes application. In this visit three important aspects were identified that required attention: The establishment gives a Regulatory law in the handling waste; An inventory gives the radioactive waste that have been generated; Technical knowledge on the storage. gathering and immobilization gives the waste

Quality control in quantitative computed tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jessen, K.A.; Joergensen, J.

1989-01-01

Computed tomography (CT) has for several years been an indispensable tool in diagnostic radiology, but it is only recently that extraction of quantitative information from CT images has been of practical clinical value. Only careful control of the scan parameters, and especially the scan geometry, allows useful information to be obtained; and it can be demonstrated by simple phantom measurements how sensitive a CT system can be to variations in size, shape and position of the phantom in the gantry aperture. Significant differences exist between systems that are not manifested in normal control of image quality and general performance tests. Therefore an actual system has to be analysed for its suitability for quantitative use of the images before critical clinical applications are justified. (author)

Quantitative imaging methods in osteoporosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Oei, Ling; Koromani, Fjorda; Rivadeneira, Fernando; Zillikens, M Carola; Oei, Edwin H G

2016-12-01

Osteoporosis is characterized by a decreased bone mass and quality resulting in an increased fracture risk. Quantitative imaging methods are critical in the diagnosis and follow-up of treatment effects in osteoporosis. Prior radiographic vertebral fractures and bone mineral density (BMD) as a quantitative parameter derived from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) are among the strongest known predictors of future osteoporotic fractures. Therefore, current clinical decision making relies heavily on accurate assessment of these imaging features. Further, novel quantitative techniques are being developed to appraise additional characteristics of osteoporosis including three-dimensional bone architecture with quantitative computed tomography (QCT). Dedicated high-resolution (HR) CT equipment is available to enhance image quality. At the other end of the spectrum, by utilizing post-processing techniques such as the trabecular bone score (TBS) information on three-dimensional architecture can be derived from DXA images. Further developments in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) seem promising to not only capture bone micro-architecture but also characterize processes at the molecular level. This review provides an overview of various quantitative imaging techniques based on different radiological modalities utilized in clinical osteoporosis care and research.

Development of quantitative x-ray microtomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deckman, H.W.; Dunsmuir, J.A.; D'Amico, K.L.; Ferguson, S.R.; Flannery, B.P.

1990-01-01

The authors have developed several x-ray microtomography systems which function as quantitative three dimensional x-ray microscopes. In this paper the authors describe the evolutionary path followed from making the first high resolution experimental microscopes to later generations which can be routinely used for investigating materials. Developing the instrumentation for reliable quantitative x-ray microscopy using synchrotron and laboratory based x-ray sources has led to other imaging modalities for obtaining temporal and spatial two dimensional information

Rethinking the Numerate Citizen: Quantitative Literacy and Public Issues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ander W. Erickson

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Does a citizen need to possess quantitative literacy in order to make responsible decisions on behalf of the public good? If so, how much is enough? This paper presents an analysis of the quantitative claims made on behalf of ballot measures in order to better delineate the role of quantitative literacy for the citizen. I argue that this role is surprisingly limited due to the contextualized nature of quantitative claims that are encountered outside of a school setting. Instead, rational dependence, or the reasoned dependence on the knowledge of others, is proposed as an educational goal that can supplement quantitative literacy and, in so doing, provide a more realistic plan for informed evaluations of quantitative claims.

Giving in Europe : The state of research on giving in 20 European countries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoolwerf, L.K.; Schuyt, T.N.M.

2017-01-01

This study is in intitial attempt to map philanthropy in Europe and presents a first overall estimation of the European philanthropic sector. Containing an overview of what we know about research on the philanthropy sector, it provides data and and assesment of the data on giving by households,

Does giving brief information keep patients calm during different oral surgical procedures?

Science.gov (United States)

Cabbar, Fatih; Burdurlu, Muammer Çağrı; Tomruk, Ceyda Özçakır

2018-04-16

Dental anxiety may play a central role in the oral health status and treatment outcomes of oral surgical procedures. The study aimed to investigate the effect that brief written information has over patients undergoing oral surgical procedures and to evaluate factors that may cause anxiety. A prospective study was performed on 38 mandibular third molar surgery patients (mean age 26.74 ± 6.44 years) and 56 implant surgery patients (mean age 49.13 ± 15.11 years). Each group was divided into two subgroups, and written information, explaining what they could expect and details about the procedure, was provided to study groups. The Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to measure state (STAI-S) and trait anxiety (STAI-T). The visual analog scale (VAS) was used for pain scores preoperatively and on days 1, 3, 5, and 7. Demographic data and intraoperative behaviors of patients were recorded. All groups had similar anxiety scores at baseline. Preoperative STAI-S and VAS scores were similar between study and control groups (P > .05). Study groups showed significantly lower mean intraoperative anxiety levels (P < .05). The implant group had a significantly lower VAS score (P < .05). STAI-T and preoperative STAI-S were not related to VAS. Postoperative STAI-S and VAS and recuperation were correlated (P < .05). Women showed significantly higher anxiety and VAS scores. The patients who received written information did not report lower anxiety scores. However, improved patient cooperation could be achieved with this method. Different surgical procedures may cause anxiety for different reasons.

The notion of gift-giving and organ donation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gerrand, Nicole

1994-04-01

The analogy between gift-giving and organ donation was first suggested at the beginning of the transplantation era, when policy makers and legislators were promoting voluntary organ donation as the preferred procurement procedure. It was believed that the practice of gift-giving had some features which were also thought to be necessary to ensure that an organ procurement procedure would be morally acceptable, namely voluntarism and altruism. Twenty-five years later, the analogy between gift-giving and organ donation is still being made in the literature and used in organ donation awareness campaigns. In this paper I want to challenge this analogy. By examining a range of circumstances in which gift-giving occurs, I argue that the significant differences between the various types of gift-giving and organ donation makes any analogy between the two very general and superficial, and I suggest that a more appropriate analogy can be found elsewhere.

Towards an information geometric characterization/classification of complex systems. I. Use of generalized entropies

Science.gov (United States)

Ghikas, Demetris P. K.; Oikonomou, Fotios D.

2018-04-01

Using the generalized entropies which depend on two parameters we propose a set of quantitative characteristics derived from the Information Geometry based on these entropies. Our aim, at this stage, is to construct first some fundamental geometric objects which will be used in the development of our geometrical framework. We first establish the existence of a two-parameter family of probability distributions. Then using this family we derive the associated metric and we state a generalized Cramer-Rao Inequality. This gives a first two-parameter classification of complex systems. Finally computing the scalar curvature of the information manifold we obtain a further discrimination of the corresponding classes. Our analysis is based on the two-parameter family of generalized entropies of Hanel and Thurner (2011).

Thinkers and feelers: Emotion and giving.

Science.gov (United States)

Corcoran, Katie E

2015-07-01

Voluntary organizations, such as religious congregations, ask their members to contribute money as a part of membership and rely on these contributions for their survival. Yet often only a small cadre of members provides the majority of the contributions. Past research on congregational giving focuses on cognitive rational processes, generally neglecting the role of emotion. Extending Collins' (2004) interaction ritual theory, I predict that individuals who experience positive emotions during religious services will be more likely to give a higher proportion of their income to their congregation than those who do not. Moreover, I argue that this effect will be amplified in congregational contexts characterized by high aggregate levels of positive emotion, strictness, dense congregational networks, and expressive rituals. Using data from the 2001 U.S. Congregational Life Survey and multilevel modeling, I find support for several of these hypotheses. The findings suggest that both cognitive and emotional processes underlie congregational giving. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quantitative hard x-ray phase contrast imaging of micropipes in SiC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kohn, V. G.; Argunova, T. S.; Je, J. H.

2013-01-01

Peculiarities of quantitative hard x-ray phase contrast imaging of micropipes in SiC are discussed. The micropipe is assumed as a hollow cylinder with an elliptical cross section. The major and minor diameters can be restored using the least square fitting procedure by comparing the experimental data, i.e. the profile across the micropipe axis, with those calculated based on phase contrast theory. It is shown that one projection image gives an information which does not allow a complete determination of the elliptical cross section, if an orientation of micropipe is not known. Another problem is a weak accuracy in estimating the diameters, partly because of using pink synchrotron radiation, which is necessary because a monochromatic beam intensity is not sufficient to reveal the weak contrast from a very small object. The general problems of accuracy in estimating the two diameters using the least square procedure are discussed. Two experimental examples are considered to demonstrate small as well as modest accuracies in estimating the diameters

A General Method for Targeted Quantitative Cross-Linking Mass Spectrometry.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan D Chavez

Full Text Available Chemical cross-linking mass spectrometry (XL-MS provides protein structural information by identifying covalently linked proximal amino acid residues on protein surfaces. The information gained by this technique is complementary to other structural biology methods such as x-ray crystallography, NMR and cryo-electron microscopy[1]. The extension of traditional quantitative proteomics methods with chemical cross-linking can provide information on the structural dynamics of protein structures and protein complexes. The identification and quantitation of cross-linked peptides remains challenging for the general community, requiring specialized expertise ultimately limiting more widespread adoption of the technique. We describe a general method for targeted quantitative mass spectrometric analysis of cross-linked peptide pairs. We report the adaptation of the widely used, open source software package Skyline, for the analysis of quantitative XL-MS data as a means for data analysis and sharing of methods. We demonstrate the utility and robustness of the method with a cross-laboratory study and present data that is supported by and validates previously published data on quantified cross-linked peptide pairs. This advance provides an easy to use resource so that any lab with access to a LC-MS system capable of performing targeted quantitative analysis can quickly and accurately measure dynamic changes in protein structure and protein interactions.

Quantitative high-resolution genomic analysis of single cancer cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Hannemann, Juliane; Meyer-Staeckling, Sönke; Kemming, Dirk; Alpers, Iris; Joosse, Simon A; Pospisil, Heike; Kurtz, Stefan; Görndt, Jennifer; Püschel, Klaus; Riethdorf, Sabine; Pantel, Klaus; Brandt, Burkhard

2011-01-01

During cancer progression, specific genomic aberrations arise that can determine the scope of the disease and can be used as predictive or prognostic markers. The detection of specific gene amplifications or deletions in single blood-borne or disseminated tumour cells that may give rise to the development of metastases is of great clinical interest but technically challenging. In this study, we present a method for quantitative high-resolution genomic analysis of single cells. Cells were isolated under permanent microscopic control followed by high-fidelity whole genome amplification and subsequent analyses by fine tiling array-CGH and qPCR. The assay was applied to single breast cancer cells to analyze the chromosomal region centred by the therapeutical relevant EGFR gene. This method allows precise quantitative analysis of copy number variations in single cell diagnostics.

Sharing information in teams : Giving up privacy or compromising on team performance?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Harbers, M.; Aydogan, R.; Jonker, C.M.; Neerincx, M.A.

2014-01-01

Human teamwork can be supported by agent technology by providing each human team member with an agent that monitors, supports and advices the human. The agent can, for example, monitor the human's workload, and share that information with (agents of) other team members so that work can be

Combining qualitative and quantitative operational research methods to inform quality improvement in pathways that span multiple settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Crowe, Sonya; Brown, Katherine; Tregay, Jenifer; Wray, Jo; Knowles, Rachel; Ridout, Deborah A; Bull, Catherine; Utley, Martin

2017-08-01

Improving integration and continuity of care across sectors within resource constraints is a priority in many health systems. Qualitative operational research methods of problem structuring have been used to address quality improvement in services involving multiple sectors but not in combination with quantitative operational research methods that enable targeting of interventions according to patient risk. We aimed to combine these methods to augment and inform an improvement initiative concerning infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) whose complex care pathway spans multiple sectors. Soft systems methodology was used to consider systematically changes to services from the perspectives of community, primary, secondary and tertiary care professionals and a patient group, incorporating relevant evidence. Classification and regression tree (CART) analysis of national audit datasets was conducted along with data visualisation designed to inform service improvement within the context of limited resources. A 'Rich Picture' was developed capturing the main features of services for infants with CHD pertinent to service improvement. This was used, along with a graphical summary of the CART analysis, to guide discussions about targeting interventions at specific patient risk groups. Agreement was reached across representatives of relevant health professions and patients on a coherent set of targeted recommendations for quality improvement. These fed into national decisions about service provision and commissioning. When tackling complex problems in service provision across multiple settings, it is important to acknowledge and work with multiple perspectives systematically and to consider targeting service improvements in response to confined resources. Our research demonstrates that applying a combination of qualitative and quantitative operational research methods is one approach to doing so that warrants further consideration. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group

Quantitative analysis of water heavy by NMR spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomez Gil, V.

1975-01-01

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance has been applied to a wide variety of quantitative problems. A typical example has been the determination of isotopic composition. In this paper two different analytical methods for the determination of water in deuterium oxide are described. The first one, employs acetonitril as an internal standard compound and in the second one calibration curve of signal integral curve versus amount of D 2 O is constructed. Both methods give results comparable to those of mass spectrometry of IR spectroscopy. (Author) 5 refs

Give blood at CERN

CERN Multimedia

SC Unit

2008-01-01

ACCIDENTS and ILLNESSES don’t take a break! DO SOMETHING AMAZING - GIVE BLOOD! IT’S IN ALL OUR INTERESTS. 30 July 2008 from 9.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. CERN RESTAURANT NOVAE First floor - Salle des Pas Perdus After you have given blood, you are invited to partake of refreshments kindly offered by NOVAE.

Quantitative densitometry of neurotransmitter receptors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rainbow, T.C.; Bleisch, W.V.; Biegon, A.; McEwen, B.S.

1982-01-01

An autoradiographic procedure is described that allows the quantitative measurement of neurotransmitter receptors by optical density readings. Frozen brain sections are labeled in vitro with [ 3 H]ligands under conditions that maximize specific binding to neurotransmitter receptors. The labeled sections are then placed against the 3 H-sensitive LKB Ultrofilm to produce the autoradiograms. These autoradiograms resemble those produced by [ 14 C]deoxyglucose autoradiography and are suitable for quantitative analysis with a densitometer. Muscarinic cholinergic receptors in rat and zebra finch brain and 5-HT receptors in rat brain were visualized by this method. When the proper combination of ligand concentration and exposure time are used, the method provides quantitative information about the amount and affinity of neurotransmitter receptors in brain sections. This was established by comparisons of densitometric readings with parallel measurements made by scintillation counting of sections. (Auth.)

Why healthcare workers give prelacteal feeds.

Science.gov (United States)

Akuse, R M; Obinya, E A

2002-08-01

Because prelacteal feeds can adversely affect breastfeeding, UNICEF/WHO discourage their use unless medically indicated. The study was carried out to determine the proportion of healthcare workers who routinely give prelacteal feeds, and their reasons for doing so; further, to determine whether any differences exist between medically and non-medically trained healthcare workers in their administration of prelacteal feeds. Survey. Primary, secondary and tertiary health facilities in Kaduna township Nigeria. Of 1100 healthcare workers sampled, 747 (68%) responded. Of these 80% had received medical training, 20% had not. Use of a pretested validated questionnaire. Large proportions of both medical and non-medically trained healthcare workers stated they routinely give prelacteal feeds (doctors, 68.2%; nurses, 70.2%; and non-medical, 73.6%). However their reasons for doing so differed significantly (P=0.00001). Nurses gave mainly for perceived breast milk insufficiency, doctors for prevention of dehydration, hypoglycaemia and neonatal jaundice and non-medical staff to prepare the gastrointestinal tract for digestion and to quench thirst. Most healthcare workers (medical and non-medical) routinely and unnecessarily give prelacteal feeds. Therefore training and retraining programmes in lactation management are necessary and must include non-medical staff. These programmes, while emphasizing the danger of giving prelacteal feeds, must deal with the misconceptions of each group. Deliberate efforts have to be made to incorporate clinical training in breastfeeding in curricula of Schools of Medicine and Nursing.

Why it makes sense to give stuff away (The CANTEACH Project)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garland, B.; Lightfoot, M.; Meneley, D.; Safa, M.

2005-01-01

There is a critical need for preserving CANDU technical knowledge and for providing a means of disseminating that knowledge to the nuclear community in a convenient and cost effective manner. The CANTEACH project is aimed at fulfilling those needs. This paper describes the project model and how collecting information and then giving it away via a public domain web site is a worthwhile and essential strategy for the Canadian nuclear enterprise. Knowledge management has never been so clearly a superior investment as it is now in this economy. (author)

A simple bias correction in linear regression for quantitative trait association under two-tail extreme selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwan, Johnny S H; Kung, Annie W C; Sham, Pak C

2011-09-01

Selective genotyping can increase power in quantitative trait association. One example of selective genotyping is two-tail extreme selection, but simple linear regression analysis gives a biased genetic effect estimate. Here, we present a simple correction for the bias.

Will Quantitative Proteomics Redefine Some of the Key Concepts in Skeletal Muscle Physiology?

Science.gov (United States)

Gizak, Agnieszka; Rakus, Dariusz

2016-01-11

Molecular and cellular biology methodology is traditionally based on the reasoning called "the mechanistic explanation". In practice, this means identifying and selecting correlations between biological processes which result from our manipulation of a biological system. In theory, a successful application of this approach requires precise knowledge about all parameters of a studied system. However, in practice, due to the systems' complexity, this requirement is rarely, if ever, accomplished. Typically, it is limited to a quantitative or semi-quantitative measurements of selected parameters (e.g., concentrations of some metabolites), and a qualitative or semi-quantitative description of expression/post-translational modifications changes within selected proteins. A quantitative proteomics approach gives a possibility of quantitative characterization of the entire proteome of a biological system, in the context of the titer of proteins as well as their post-translational modifications. This enables not only more accurate testing of novel hypotheses but also provides tools that can be used to verify some of the most fundamental dogmas of modern biology. In this short review, we discuss some of the consequences of using quantitative proteomics to verify several key concepts in skeletal muscle physiology.

Will Quantitative Proteomics Redefine Some of the Key Concepts in Skeletal Muscle Physiology?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agnieszka Gizak

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Molecular and cellular biology methodology is traditionally based on the reasoning called “the mechanistic explanation”. In practice, this means identifying and selecting correlations between biological processes which result from our manipulation of a biological system. In theory, a successful application of this approach requires precise knowledge about all parameters of a studied system. However, in practice, due to the systems’ complexity, this requirement is rarely, if ever, accomplished. Typically, it is limited to a quantitative or semi-quantitative measurements of selected parameters (e.g., concentrations of some metabolites, and a qualitative or semi-quantitative description of expression/post-translational modifications changes within selected proteins. A quantitative proteomics approach gives a possibility of quantitative characterization of the entire proteome of a biological system, in the context of the titer of proteins as well as their post-translational modifications. This enables not only more accurate testing of novel hypotheses but also provides tools that can be used to verify some of the most fundamental dogmas of modern biology. In this short review, we discuss some of the consequences of using quantitative proteomics to verify several key concepts in skeletal muscle physiology.

A semi-quantitative model for risk appreciation and risk weighing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bos, Peter M.J.; Boon, Polly E.; van der Voet, Hilko

2009-01-01

Risk managers need detailed information on (1) the type of effect, (2) the size (severity) of the expected effect(s) and (3) the fraction of the population at risk to decide on well-balanced risk reduction measures. A previously developed integrated probabilistic risk assessment (IPRA) model...... provides quantitative information on these three parameters. A semi-quantitative tool is presented that combines information on these parameters into easy-readable charts that will facilitate risk evaluations of exposure situations and decisions on risk reduction measures. This tool is based on a concept...... detailed information on the estimated health impact in a given exposure situation. These graphs will facilitate the discussions on appropriate risk reduction measures to be taken....

An information gap in DNA evidence interpretation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark W Perlin

Full Text Available Forensic DNA evidence often contains mixtures of multiple contributors, or is present in low template amounts. The resulting data signals may appear to be relatively uninformative when interpreted using qualitative inclusion-based methods. However, these same data can yield greater identification information when interpreted by computer using quantitative data-modeling methods. This study applies both qualitative and quantitative interpretation methods to a well-characterized DNA mixture and dilution data set, and compares the inferred match information. The results show that qualitative interpretation loses identification power at low culprit DNA quantities (below 100 pg, but that quantitative methods produce useful information down into the 10 pg range. Thus there is a ten-fold information gap that separates the qualitative and quantitative DNA mixture interpretation approaches. With low quantities of culprit DNA (10 pg to 100 pg, computer-based quantitative interpretation provides greater match sensitivity.

Towards a Quantitative Performance Measurement Framework to Assess the Impact of Geographic Information Standards

Science.gov (United States)

Vandenbroucke, D.; Van Orshoven, J.; Vancauwenberghe, G.

2012-12-01

Over the last decennia, the use of Geographic Information (GI) has gained importance, in public as well as in private sector. But even if many spatial data and related information exist, data sets are scattered over many organizations and departments. In practice it remains difficult to find the spatial data sets needed, and to access, obtain and prepare them for using in applications. Therefore Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI) haven been developed to enhance the access, the use and sharing of GI. SDIs consist of a set of technological and non-technological components to reach this goal. Since the nineties many SDI initiatives saw light. Ultimately, all these initiatives aim to enhance the flow of spatial data between organizations (users as well as producers) involved in intra- and inter-organizational and even cross-country business processes. However, the flow of information and its re-use in different business processes requires technical and semantic interoperability: the first should guarantee that system components can interoperate and use the data, while the second should guarantee that data content is understood by all users in the same way. GI-standards within the SDI are necessary to make this happen. However, it is not known if this is realized in practice. Therefore the objective of the research is to develop a quantitative framework to assess the impact of GI-standards on the performance of business processes. For that purpose, indicators are defined and tested in several cases throughout Europe. The proposed research will build upon previous work carried out in the SPATIALIST project. It analyzed the impact of different technological and non-technological factors on the SDI-performance of business processes (Dessers et al., 2011). The current research aims to apply quantitative performance measurement techniques - which are frequently used to measure performance of production processes (Anupindi et al., 2005). Key to reach the research objectives

Quantitative learning strategies based on word networks

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yue-Tian-Yi; Jia, Zi-Yang; Tang, Yong; Xiong, Jason Jie; Zhang, Yi-Cheng

2018-02-01

Learning English requires a considerable effort, but the way that vocabulary is introduced in textbooks is not optimized for learning efficiency. With the increasing population of English learners, learning process optimization will have significant impact and improvement towards English learning and teaching. The recent developments of big data analysis and complex network science provide additional opportunities to design and further investigate the strategies in English learning. In this paper, quantitative English learning strategies based on word network and word usage information are proposed. The strategies integrate the words frequency with topological structural information. By analyzing the influence of connected learned words, the learning weights for the unlearned words and dynamically updating of the network are studied and analyzed. The results suggest that quantitative strategies significantly improve learning efficiency while maintaining effectiveness. Especially, the optimized-weight-first strategy and segmented strategies outperform other strategies. The results provide opportunities for researchers and practitioners to reconsider the way of English teaching and designing vocabularies quantitatively by balancing the efficiency and learning costs based on the word network.

Quantitative high-resolution genomic analysis of single cancer cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juliane Hannemann

Full Text Available During cancer progression, specific genomic aberrations arise that can determine the scope of the disease and can be used as predictive or prognostic markers. The detection of specific gene amplifications or deletions in single blood-borne or disseminated tumour cells that may give rise to the development of metastases is of great clinical interest but technically challenging. In this study, we present a method for quantitative high-resolution genomic analysis of single cells. Cells were isolated under permanent microscopic control followed by high-fidelity whole genome amplification and subsequent analyses by fine tiling array-CGH and qPCR. The assay was applied to single breast cancer cells to analyze the chromosomal region centred by the therapeutical relevant EGFR gene. This method allows precise quantitative analysis of copy number variations in single cell diagnostics.

A Quantitative Gas Chromatographic Ethanol Determination.

Science.gov (United States)

Leary, James J.

1983-01-01

Describes a gas chromatographic experiment for the quantitative determination of volume percent ethanol in water ethanol solutions. Background information, procedures, and typical results are included. Accuracy and precision of results are both on the order of two percent. (JN)

Left atrial appendage segmentation and quantitative assisted diagnosis of atrial fibrillation based on fusion of temporal-spatial information.

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Cheng; Feng, Jianjiang; Wang, Lei; Yu, Heng; Liu, Jiang; Lu, Jiwen; Zhou, Jie

2018-05-01

In this paper, we present an approach for left atrial appendage (LAA) multi-phase fast segmentation and quantitative assisted diagnosis of atrial fibrillation (AF) based on 4D-CT data. We take full advantage of the temporal dimension information to segment the living, flailed LAA based on a parametric max-flow method and graph-cut approach to build 3-D model of each phase. To assist the diagnosis of AF, we calculate the volumes of 3-D models, and then generate a "volume-phase" curve to calculate the important dynamic metrics: ejection fraction, filling flux, and emptying flux of the LAA's blood by volume. This approach demonstrates more precise results than the conventional approaches that calculate metrics by area, and allows for the quick analysis of LAA-volume pattern changes of in a cardiac cycle. It may also provide insight into the individual differences in the lesions of the LAA. Furthermore, we apply support vector machines (SVMs) to achieve a quantitative auto-diagnosis of the AF by exploiting seven features from volume change ratios of the LAA, and perform multivariate logistic regression analysis for the risk of LAA thrombosis. The 100 cases utilized in this research were taken from the Philips 256-iCT. The experimental results demonstrate that our approach can construct the 3-D LAA geometries robustly compared to manual annotations, and reasonably infer that the LAA undergoes filling, emptying and re-filling, re-emptying in a cardiac cycle. This research provides a potential for exploring various physiological functions of the LAA and quantitatively estimating the risk of stroke in patients with AF. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantitative PCR--new diagnostic tool for quantifying specific mRNA and DNA molecules

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schlemmer, B O; Sorensen, B S; Overgaard, J

2004-01-01

of a subset of ligands from the EGF system is increased in bladder cancer. Furthermore, measurement of the mRNA concentration gives important information such as the expression of these ligands correlated to the survival of the patients. In addition to the alterations at the mRNA level, changes also can occur...... at the DNA level in the EGF system. Thus, it has been demonstrated that the number of genes coding for the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is increased in a number of breast tumors. It is now possible to treat breast cancer patients with a humanized antibody reacting with HER2...... of mRNA or DNA in biological samples. In this study quantitative PCR was used to investigate the role of the EGF (epidermal growth factor) system in cancer both for measurements of mRNA concentrations and for measurements of the number of copies of specific genes. It is shown that the mRNA expression...

Maintaining clinical governance when giving telephone advice.

Science.gov (United States)

Alazawi, William; Agarwal, Kosh; Suddle, Abid; Aluvihare, Varuna; Heneghan, Michael A

2013-10-01

Delivering excellent healthcare depends on accurate communication between professionals who may be in different locations. Frequently, the first point of contact with the liver unit at King's College Hospital (KCH) is through a telephone call to a specialist registrar or liver fellow, for whom no case notes are available in which to record information. The aim of this study was to improve the clinical governance of telephone referrals and to generate contemporaneous records that could be easily retrieved and audited. An electronic database for telephone referrals and advice was designed and made securely available to registrars in our unit. Service development in a tertiary liver centre that receives referrals from across the UK and Europe. Demographic and clinical data were recorded prospectively and analysed retrospectively. Data from 350 calls were entered during 5 months. The information included the nature and origin of the call (200 from 75 different institutions), disease burden and severity of disease among the patients discussed with KCH, and outcome of the call. The majority of cases were discussed with consultants or arrangements were made for formal review at KCH. A telephone referrals and advice database provides clinical governance, serves as a quality indicator and forms a contemporaneous record at the referral centre. Activity data and knowledge of disease burden help to tailor services to the needs of referrers and commissioners. We recommend implementation of similar models in other centres that give extramural verbal advice.

Deriving Quantitative Crystallographic Information from the Wavelength-Resolved Neutron Transmission Analysis Performed in Imaging Mode

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hirotaka Sato

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Current status of Bragg-edge/dip neutron transmission analysis/imaging methods is presented. The method can visualize real-space distributions of bulk crystallographic information in a crystalline material over a large area (~10 cm with high spatial resolution (~100 μm. Furthermore, by using suitable spectrum analysis methods for wavelength-dependent neutron transmission data, quantitative visualization of the crystallographic information can be achieved. For example, crystallographic texture imaging, crystallite size imaging and crystalline phase imaging with texture/extinction corrections are carried out by the Rietveld-type (wide wavelength bandwidth profile fitting analysis code, RITS (Rietveld Imaging of Transmission Spectra. By using the single Bragg-edge analysis mode of RITS, evaluations of crystal lattice plane spacing (d-spacing relating to macro-strain and d-spacing distribution’s FWHM (full width at half maximum relating to micro-strain can be achieved. Macro-strain tomography is performed by a new conceptual CT (computed tomography image reconstruction algorithm, the tensor CT method. Crystalline grains and their orientations are visualized by a fast determination method of grain orientation for Bragg-dip neutron transmission spectrum. In this paper, these imaging examples with the spectrum analysis methods and the reliabilities evaluated by optical/electron microscope and X-ray/neutron diffraction, are presented. In addition, the status at compact accelerator driven pulsed neutron sources is also presented.

The experience gives the Cuban program with children gives territories affected by the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia, O.; Llanes, R.

1998-01-01

From 1990 it works in Cuba a program destined to offer medical attention you specialize and to develop a plan sanatoria gives rehabilitation with children provided the different areas affected by the contamination radioactive resultant to the Chernobyl accident

Infrared thermography quantitative image processing

Science.gov (United States)

Skouroliakou, A.; Kalatzis, I.; Kalyvas, N.; Grivas, TB

2017-11-01

Infrared thermography is an imaging technique that has the ability to provide a map of temperature distribution of an object’s surface. It is considered for a wide range of applications in medicine as well as in non-destructive testing procedures. One of its promising medical applications is in orthopaedics and diseases of the musculoskeletal system where temperature distribution of the body’s surface can contribute to the diagnosis and follow up of certain disorders. Although the thermographic image can give a fairly good visual estimation of distribution homogeneity and temperature pattern differences between two symmetric body parts, it is important to extract a quantitative measurement characterising temperature. Certain approaches use temperature of enantiomorphic anatomical points, or parameters extracted from a Region of Interest (ROI). A number of indices have been developed by researchers to that end. In this study a quantitative approach in thermographic image processing is attempted based on extracting different indices for symmetric ROIs on thermograms of the lower back area of scoliotic patients. The indices are based on first order statistical parameters describing temperature distribution. Analysis and comparison of these indices result in evaluating the temperature distribution pattern of the back trunk expected in healthy, regarding spinal problems, subjects.

Leaderless Covert Networks : A Quantitative Approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Husslage, B.G.M.; Lindelauf, R.; Hamers, H.J.M.

2012-01-01

Abstract: Lindelauf et al. (2009a) introduced a quantitative approach to investigate optimal structures of covert networks. This approach used an objective function which is based on the secrecy versus information trade-off these organizations face. Sageman (2008) hypothesized that covert networks

Informal information for web-based engineering catalogues

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Richard D.; Culley, Stephen J.; Hicks, Ben J.

2001-10-01

Success is highly dependent on the ability of a company to efficiently produce optimal designs. In order to achieve this companies must minimize time to market and possess the ability to make fully informed decisions at the early phase of the design process. Such decisions may include the choice of component and suppliers, as well as cost and maintenance considerations. Computer modeling and electronic catalogues are becoming the preferred medium for the selection and design of mechanical components. In utilizing these techniques, the designer demands the capability to identify, evaluate and select mechanical components both quantitatively and qualitatively. Quantitative decisions generally encompass performance data included in the formal catalogue representation. It is in the area of qualitative decisions that the use of what the authors call 'Informal Information' is of crucial importance. Thus, 'Informal Information' must often be incorporated into the selection process and selection systems. This would enable more informed decisions to be made quicker, without the need for information retrieval via discussion with colleagues in the design environment. This paper provides an overview of the use of electronic information in the design of mechanical systems, including a discussion of limitations of current technology. The importance of Informal Information is discussed and the requirements for association with web based electronic catalogues are developed. This system is based on a flexible XML schema and enables the storage, classification and recall of Informal Information packets. Furthermore, a strategy for the inclusion of Informal Information is proposed, and an example case is used to illustrate the benefits.

Information Measures of Roughness of Knowledge and Rough Sets for Incomplete Information Systems

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

LIANG Ji-ye; QU Kai-she

2001-01-01

In this paper we address information measures of roughness of knowledge and rough sets for incomplete information systems. The definition of rough entropy of knowledge and its important properties are given. In particular, the relationship between rough entropy of knowledge and the Hartley measure of uncertainty is established. We show that rough entropy of knowledge decreases monotonously as granularity of information become smaller. This gives an information interpretation for roughness of knowledge. Based on rough entropy of knowledge and roughness of rough set. a definition of rough entropy of rough set is proposed, and we show that rough entropy of rough set decreases monotonously as granularity of information become smaller. This gives more accurate measure for roughness of rough set.

A simple bias correction in linear regression for quantitative trait association under two-tail extreme selection

OpenAIRE

Kwan, Johnny S. H.; Kung, Annie W. C.; Sham, Pak C.

2011-01-01

Selective genotyping can increase power in quantitative trait association. One example of selective genotyping is two-tail extreme selection, but simple linear regression analysis gives a biased genetic effect estimate. Here, we present a simple correction for the bias. © The Author(s) 2011.

A quantitative assessment method for the NPP operators' diagnosis of accidents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, M. C.; Seong, P. H.

2003-01-01

In this research, we developed a quantitative model for the operators' diagnosis of the accident situation when an accident occurs in a nuclear power plant. After identifying the occurrence probabilities of accidents, the unavailabilities of various information sources, and the causal relationship between accidents and information sources, Bayesian network is used for the analysis of the change in the occurrence probabilities of accidents as the operators receive the information related to the status of the plant. The developed method is applied to a simple example case and it turned out that the developed method is a systematic quantitative analysis method which can cope with complex relationship between the accidents and information sources and various variables such accident occurrence probabilities and unavailabilities of various information sources

The New Planned Giving Officer.

Science.gov (United States)

Jordan, Ronald R.; Quynn, Katelyn L.

1994-01-01

A planned giving officer is seen as an asset to college/university development for technical expertise, credibility, and connections. Attorneys, certified public accountants, bank trust officers, financial planners, investment advisers, life insurance agents, and real estate brokers may be qualified but probably also need training. (MSE)

Quantitative methods in electroencephalography to access therapeutic response.

Science.gov (United States)

Diniz, Roseane Costa; Fontenele, Andrea Martins Melo; Carmo, Luiza Helena Araújo do; Ribeiro, Aurea Celeste da Costa; Sales, Fábio Henrique Silva; Monteiro, Sally Cristina Moutinho; Sousa, Ana Karoline Ferreira de Castro

2016-07-01

Pharmacometrics or Quantitative Pharmacology aims to quantitatively analyze the interaction between drugs and patients whose tripod: pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and disease monitoring to identify variability in drug response. Being the subject of central interest in the training of pharmacists, this work was out with a view to promoting this idea on methods to access the therapeutic response of drugs with central action. This paper discusses quantitative methods (Fast Fourier Transform, Magnitude Square Coherence, Conditional Entropy, Generalised Linear semi-canonical Correlation Analysis, Statistical Parametric Network and Mutual Information Function) used to evaluate the EEG signals obtained after administration regimen of drugs, the main findings and their clinical relevance, pointing it as a contribution to construction of different pharmaceutical practice. Peter Anderer et. al in 2000 showed the effect of 20mg of buspirone in 20 healthy subjects after 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8h after oral ingestion of the drug. The areas of increased power of the theta frequency occurred mainly in the temporo-occipital - parietal region. It has been shown by Sampaio et al., 2007 that the use of bromazepam, which allows the release of GABA (gamma amino butyric acid), an inhibitory neurotransmitter of the central nervous system could theoretically promote dissociation of cortical functional areas, a decrease of functional connectivity, a decrease of cognitive functions by means of smaller coherence (electrophysiological magnitude measured from the EEG by software) values. Ahmad Khodayari-Rostamabad et al. in 2015 talk that such a measure could be a useful clinical tool potentially to assess adverse effects of opioids and hence give rise to treatment guidelines. There was the relation between changes in pain intensity and brain sources (at maximum activity locations) during remifentanil infusion despite its potent analgesic effect. The statement of mathematical and computational

The risks associated with consumer magazines giving advice on complementary therapies.

Science.gov (United States)

Mantle, Fiona

The increased popularity of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has led to increased demand for information on it, giving rise to the concept of "new experts". However, there is concern about the quality and accuracy of this information, much of which is published in popular magazines and written by contributors with no medical qualifications. To examine the extent of CAM product advice in women's and health magazines, and the potential for adverse drug/herbal interaction. Fifteen women's magazines were examined over one month. A total of 150 articles were identified, of which 131 were written by non-medically qualified contributors, mainly journalists. Out of the 150, 95 discussed ingested herbs which had the potential for adverse interactions and are contraindicated for certain groups. The findings have legal and ethical implications. The re-evaluation of the journalists' code of conduct to reflect this development in journalism should be considered.

When Information Improves Information Security

Science.gov (United States)

Grossklags, Jens; Johnson, Benjamin; Christin, Nicolas

This paper presents a formal, quantitative evaluation of the impact of bounded-rational security decision-making subject to limited information and externalities. We investigate a mixed economy of an individual rational expert and several naïve near-sighted agents. We further model three canonical types of negative externalities (weakest-link, best shot and total effort), and study the impact of two information regimes on the threat level agents are facing.

Children are sensitive to norms of giving

OpenAIRE

McAuliffe, K.; Raihani, N. J.; Dunham, Y.

2017-01-01

People across societies engage in costly sharing, but the extent of such sharing shows striking cultural variation, highlighting the importance of local norms in shaping generosity. Despite this acknowledged role for norms, it is unclear when they begin to exert their influence in development. Here we use a Dictator Game to investigate the extent to which 4- to 9-year-old children are sensitive to selfish (give 20%) and generous (give 80%) norms. Additionally, we varied whether children were ...

Characterization of a multidrug resistant Salmonella enterica give ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Salmonella enterica Give is one of the serotypes that have been incriminated in Salmonella infections; sometimes associated with hospitalization and mortalities in humans and animals in some parts of the world. In this work, we characterized one Salmonella Give isolated from cloaca swab of an Agama agama lizard ...

Changes in quantitative ultrasound in preterm and term infants during the first year of life

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tansug, Nermin, E-mail: ntansug@hotmail.com [Celal Bayar University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, 45020 Manisa (Turkey); Yildirim, Sule Aslan, E-mail: sulesln@yahoo.com [Celal Bayar University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, 45020 Manisa (Turkey); Canda, Ebru, E-mail: ebruerbass@hotmail.com [Celal Bayar University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, 45020 Manisa (Turkey); Ozalp, Deniz, E-mail: bluexxdeniz@hotmail.com [Celal Bayar University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, 45020 Manisa (Turkey); Yilmaz, Ozge, E-mail: oyilmaz_76@hotmail.com [Celal Bayar University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, 45020 Manisa (Turkey); Taneli, Fatma, E-mail: fatma.taneli@bayar.edu.tr [Celal Bayar University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, 45020 Manisa (Turkey); Ersoy, Betuel, E-mail: betul_e@hotmail.com [Celal Bayar University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, 45020 Manisa (Turkey)

2011-09-15

Since most of in utero bone mass accretion occurs during the third trimester and postnatal need for bone nutrients is increased, preterm infants have an increased risk of low bone mass. Early identification of the risk is of crucial importance. Quantitative ultrasound, which is a relatively inexpensive, portable, noninvasive, and radiation-free method, gives information about bone density, cortical thickness, elasticity and microarchitecture. The aim of this study was to obtain quantitative ultrasound measurements of tibial speed of sound of preterm and term infants and to assess clinical factors associated with these measurements during the first year of life. Seventy-eight preterm and 48 term infants were enrolled in this study. Measurements were made on the 10th day of life in both groups, and were repeated on the 2nd, 6th and 12th months for preterm infants and on the12th month for the term infants. Speed of sound on preterm infants was significantly decreased on the 2nd month but significantly increased on the 12th month (P = 0.00). Comparing speed of sound of term and preterm infants, 10th day measurements were significantly different (P = 0.00), but there was not any significant difference between the 12th month values (P = 0.26). There was not any relation between biochemical parameters and speed of sound. The technique has potential clinical value for assessment of bone status. Further studies with long term follow up are needed to evaluate the value of quantitative ultrasound with other bone markers to predict the risk of fracture.

Changes in quantitative ultrasound in preterm and term infants during the first year of life

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tansug, Nermin; Yildirim, Sule Aslan; Canda, Ebru; Ozalp, Deniz; Yilmaz, Ozge; Taneli, Fatma; Ersoy, Betuel

2011-01-01

Since most of in utero bone mass accretion occurs during the third trimester and postnatal need for bone nutrients is increased, preterm infants have an increased risk of low bone mass. Early identification of the risk is of crucial importance. Quantitative ultrasound, which is a relatively inexpensive, portable, noninvasive, and radiation-free method, gives information about bone density, cortical thickness, elasticity and microarchitecture. The aim of this study was to obtain quantitative ultrasound measurements of tibial speed of sound of preterm and term infants and to assess clinical factors associated with these measurements during the first year of life. Seventy-eight preterm and 48 term infants were enrolled in this study. Measurements were made on the 10th day of life in both groups, and were repeated on the 2nd, 6th and 12th months for preterm infants and on the12th month for the term infants. Speed of sound on preterm infants was significantly decreased on the 2nd month but significantly increased on the 12th month (P = 0.00). Comparing speed of sound of term and preterm infants, 10th day measurements were significantly different (P = 0.00), but there was not any significant difference between the 12th month values (P = 0.26). There was not any relation between biochemical parameters and speed of sound. The technique has potential clinical value for assessment of bone status. Further studies with long term follow up are needed to evaluate the value of quantitative ultrasound with other bone markers to predict the risk of fracture.

No-call NIPT gives important information

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Uldbjerg, Niels

2018-01-01

Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) based on cell free fetal DNA fragments in maternal serum samples (cffDNA) is a well-established method for Downs-screening in early pregnancy. The sensitivity is above 99%. However, when used for screening of younger women without risk factors, the positive pr...

Principle of Care and Giving to Help People in Need.

Science.gov (United States)

Bekkers, René; Ottoni-Wilhelm, Mark

2016-01-01

Theories of moral development posit that an internalized moral value that one should help those in need-the principle of care-evokes helping behaviour in situations where empathic concern does not. Examples of such situations are helping behaviours that involve cognitive deliberation and planning, that benefit others who are known only in the abstract, and who are out-group members. Charitable giving to help people in need is an important helping behaviour that has these characteristics. Therefore we hypothesized that the principle of care would be positively associated with charitable giving to help people in need, and that the principle of care would mediate the empathic concern-giving relationship. The two hypotheses were tested across four studies. The studies used four different samples, including three nationally representative samples from the American and Dutch populations, and included both self-reports of giving (Studies 1-3), giving observed in a survey experiment (Study 3), and giving observed in a laboratory experiment (Study 4). The evidence from these studies indicated that a moral principle to care for others was associated with charitable giving to help people in need and mediated the empathic concern-giving relationship. © 2016 The Authors. European Journal of Personality published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Association of Personality Psychology.

Correlation Feature Selection and Mutual Information Theory Based Quantitative Research on Meteorological Impact Factors of Module Temperature for Solar Photovoltaic Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yujing Sun

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The module temperature is the most important parameter influencing the output power of solar photovoltaic (PV systems, aside from solar irradiance. In this paper, we focus on the interdisciplinary research that combines the correlation analysis, mutual information (MI and heat transfer theory, which aims to figure out the correlative relations between different meteorological impact factors (MIFs and PV module temperature from both quality and quantitative aspects. The identification and confirmation of primary MIFs of PV module temperature are investigated as the first step of this research from the perspective of physical meaning and mathematical analysis about electrical performance and thermal characteristic of PV modules based on PV effect and heat transfer theory. Furthermore, the quantitative description of the MIFs influence on PV module temperature is mathematically formulated as several indexes using correlation-based feature selection (CFS and MI theory to explore the specific impact degrees under four different typical weather statuses named general weather classes (GWCs. Case studies for the proposed methods were conducted using actual measurement data of a 500 kW grid-connected solar PV plant in China. The results not only verified the knowledge about the main MIFs of PV module temperatures, more importantly, but also provide the specific ratio of quantitative impact degrees of these three MIFs respectively through CFS and MI based measures under four different GWCs.

Integration of Qualitative and Quantitative Methods: Building and Interpreting Clusters from Grounded Theory and Discourse Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aldo Merlino

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Qualitative methods present a wide spectrum of application possibilities as well as opportunities for combining qualitative and quantitative methods. In the social sciences fruitful theoretical discussions and a great deal of empirical research have taken place. This article introduces an empirical investigation which demonstrates the logic of combining methodologies as well as the collection and interpretation, both sequential as simultaneous, of qualitative and quantitative data. Specifically, the investigation process will be described, beginning with a grounded theory methodology and its combination with the techniques of structural semiotics discourse analysis to generate—in a first phase—an instrument for quantitative measuring and to understand—in a second phase—clusters obtained by quantitative analysis. This work illustrates how qualitative methods allow for the comprehension of the discursive and behavioral elements under study, and how they function as support making sense of and giving meaning to quantitative data. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0701219

Quantitative nuclear medicine imaging: application of computers to the gamma camera and whole-body scanner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Budinger, T.F.

1974-01-01

The following topics are reviewed: properties of computer systems for nuclear medicine quantitation; quantitative information concerning the relation between organ isotope concentration and detected projections of the isotope distribution; quantitation using two conjugate views; three-dimensional reconstruction from projections; quantitative cardiac radioangiography; and recent advances leading to quantitative nuclear medicine of clinical importance. (U.S.)

Knowledge and reported confidence of final year midwifery students regarding giving advice on contraception and sexual health.

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Susan H; Davis, Geraldine

2014-05-01

this study explored the views of three cohorts of final year midwifery students, regarding their confidence in giving advice to women on contraception and sexual health in the postnatal period. The project also investigated knowledge of contraception using a factual quiz, based on clinical scenarios regarding contraception and sexual health in the postpartum period. a mixed method design using qualitative data from focus groups, and mixed qualitative and quantitative data from a paper based questionnaire was used. the project was carried out in one higher educational institution in England. findings demonstrate that expressed confidence varies according to contraceptive method, with most confidence being reported when advising on the male condom. The findings of the factual quiz indicate that students applied theoretical knowledge poorly in a practically oriented context. These findings also indicated that most students limited advice to general advice. the paper concludes that midwifery students need more practically oriented education in contraception and sexual health, and that the role of mentors is very important in helping students feel confident when giving advice in this area. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multimodal quantitative phase and fluorescence imaging of cell apoptosis

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Xinye; Zuo, Chao; Yan, Hao

2017-06-01

Fluorescence microscopy, utilizing fluorescence labeling, has the capability to observe intercellular changes which transmitted and reflected light microscopy techniques cannot resolve. However, the parts without fluorescence labeling are not imaged. Hence, the processes simultaneously happen in these parts cannot be revealed. Meanwhile, fluorescence imaging is 2D imaging where information in the depth is missing. Therefore the information in labeling parts is also not complete. On the other hand, quantitative phase imaging is capable to image cells in 3D in real time through phase calculation. However, its resolution is limited by the optical diffraction and cannot observe intercellular changes below 200 nanometers. In this work, fluorescence imaging and quantitative phase imaging are combined to build a multimodal imaging system. Such system has the capability to simultaneously observe the detailed intercellular phenomenon and 3D cell morphology. In this study the proposed multimodal imaging system is used to observe the cell behavior in the cell apoptosis. The aim is to highlight the limitations of fluorescence microscopy and to point out the advantages of multimodal quantitative phase and fluorescence imaging. The proposed multimodal quantitative phase imaging could be further applied in cell related biomedical research, such as tumor.

SAXS and TEM Investigation of Bentonite Structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matusewicz, Michal; Liljestroem, Ville; Muurinen, Arto; Serimaa, Ritva

2013-01-01

A preliminary investigation of bentonite structure using Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) is presented. Three types of clay were used: unchanged MX-80 bentonite and purified clays with sodium or calcium ions. Quantitative information in nano-scale - basal spacing, mean crystallite size - was obtained from SAXS, which was complemented by TEM to give qualitative information from micron to nanometre scale. SAXS seems to be a more reliable source of quantitative data than TEM. SAXS gives the averaged information about basal spacing. TEM in this study gives more qualitative information, but in a greater resolution range. The presented work is a starting point to combine more methods to obtain a better idea of bentonite structure. (authors)

Neurocultural evidence that ideal affect match promotes giving.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, BoKyung; Blevins, Elizabeth; Knutson, Brian; Tsai, Jeanne L

2017-07-01

Why do people give to strangers? We propose that people trust and give more to those whose emotional expressions match how they ideally want to feel ("ideal affect match"). European Americans and Koreans played multiple trials of the Dictator Game with recipients who varied in emotional expression (excited, calm), race (White, Asian) and sex (male, female). Consistent with their culture's valued affect, European Americans trusted and gave more to excited than calm recipients, whereas Koreans trusted and gave more to calm than excited recipients. These findings held regardless of recipient race and sex. We then used fMRI to probe potential affective and mentalizing mechanisms. Increased activity in the nucleus accumbens (associated with reward anticipation) predicted giving, as did decreased activity in the right temporo-parietal junction (rTPJ; associated with reduced belief prediction error). Ideal affect match decreased rTPJ activity, suggesting that people may trust and give more to strangers whom they perceive to share their affective values. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press.

14 CFR 221.140 - Method of giving concurrence.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

...) Conflicting authority to be avoided. Care should be taken to avoid giving authority to two or more carriers... Aviation shall be used by a carrier to give authority to another carrier to issue and file with the... used as authority to file joint fares or charges in which the carrier to whom the concurrence is given...

Preservice Science Teachers' Epistemological Beliefs and Informal Reasoning Regarding Socioscientific Issues

Science.gov (United States)

Ozturk, Nilay; Yilmaz-Tuzun, Ozgul

2017-12-01

This study investigated preservice elementary science teachers' (PSTs) informal reasoning regarding socioscientific issues (SSI), their epistemological beliefs, and the relationship between informal reasoning and epistemological beliefs. From several SSIs, nuclear power usage was selected for this study. A total of 647 Turkish PSTs enrolled in three large universities in Turkey completed the open-ended questionnaire, which assessed the participants' informal reasoning about the target SSI, and Schommer's (1990) Epistemological Questionnaire. The participants' epistemological beliefs were assessed quantitatively and their informal reasoning was assessed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The findings revealed that PSTs preferred to generate evidence-based arguments rather than intuitive-based arguments; however, they failed to generate quality evidence and present different types of evidence to support their claims. Furthermore, among the reasoning quality indicators, PSTs mostly generated supportive argument construction. Regarding the use of reasoning modes, types of risk arguments and political-oriented arguments emerged as the new reasoning modes. The study demonstrated that the PSTs had different epistemological beliefs in terms of innate ability, omniscient authority, certain knowledge, and quick learning. Correlational analyses revealed that there was a strong negative correlation between the PSTs' certain knowledge and counterargument construction, and there were negative correlations between the PSTs' innate ability, certain knowledge, and quick learning dimensions of epistemological beliefs and their total argument construction. This study has implications for both science teacher education and the practice of science education. For example, PST teacher education programs should give sufficient importance to training teachers that are skillful and knowledgeable regarding SSIs. To achieve this, specific SSI-related courses should form part of science

Rhetorical Numbers: A Case for Quantitative Writing in the Composition Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Wolfe, Joanna

2010-01-01

Contemporary argument increasingly relies on quantitative information and reasoning, yet our profession neglects to view these means of persuasion as central to rhetorical arts. Such omission ironically serves to privilege quantitative arguments as above "mere rhetoric." Changes are needed to our textbooks, writing assignments, and instructor…

Qualitative and Quantitative Information Flow Analysis for Multi-threaded Programs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ngo, Minh Tri

2014-01-01

In today’s information-based society, guaranteeing information security plays an important role in all aspects of life: governments, military, companies, financial information systems, web-based services etc. With the existence of Internet, Google, and shared-information networks, it is easier than

Quantitative and qualitative coronary arteriography. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, B.G.; Simpson, Paul; Dodge, J.T. Jr; Bolson, E.L.; Dodge, H.T.

1991-01-01

The clinical objectives of arteriography are to obtain information that contributes to an understanding of the mechanisms of the clinical syndrome, provides prognostic information, facilitates therapeutic decisions, and guides invasive therapy. Quantitative and improved qualitative assessments of arterial disease provide us with a common descriptive language which has the potential to accomplish these objectives more effectively and thus to improve clinical outcome. In certain situations, this potential has been demonstrated. Clinical investigation using quantitative techniques has definitely contributed to our understanding of disease mechanisms and of atherosclerosis progression/regression. Routine quantitation of clinical images should permit more accurate and repeatable estimates of disease severity and promises to provide useful estimates of coronary flow reserve. But routine clinical QCA awaits more cost- and time-efficient methods and clear proof of a clinical advantage. Careful inspection of highly magnified, high-resolution arteriographic images reveals morphologic features related to the pathophysiology of the clinical syndrome and to the likelihood of future progression or regression of obstruction. Features that have been found useful include thrombus in its various forms, ulceration and irregularity, eccentricity, flexing and dissection. The description of such high-resolution features should be included among, rather than excluded from, the goals of image processing, since they contribute substantially to the understanding and treatment of the clinical syndrome. (author). 81 refs.; 8 figs.; 1 tab

MR urography: Anatomical and quantitative information on ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background and Aim: Magnetic resonance urography (MRU) is considered to be the next step in uroradiology. This technique combines superb anatomical images and functional information in a single test. In this article, we aim to present the topic of MRU in children and how it has been implemented in Northern Greece so ...

Quantitative angle-insensitive flow measurement using relative standard deviation OCT.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Jiang; Zhang, Buyun; Qi, Li; Wang, Ling; Yang, Qiang; Zhu, Zhuqing; Huo, Tiancheng; Chen, Zhongping

2017-10-30

Incorporating different data processing methods, optical coherence tomography (OCT) has the ability for high-resolution angiography and quantitative flow velocity measurements. However, OCT angiography cannot provide quantitative information of flow velocities, and the velocity measurement based on Doppler OCT requires the determination of Doppler angles, which is a challenge in a complex vascular network. In this study, we report on a relative standard deviation OCT (RSD-OCT) method which provides both vascular network mapping and quantitative information for flow velocities within a wide range of Doppler angles. The RSD values are angle-insensitive within a wide range of angles, and a nearly linear relationship was found between the RSD values and the flow velocities. The RSD-OCT measurement in a rat cortex shows that it can quantify the blood flow velocities as well as map the vascular network in vivo .

Effects of normalization on quantitative traits in association test

Science.gov (United States)

2009-01-01

Background Quantitative trait loci analysis assumes that the trait is normally distributed. In reality, this is often not observed and one strategy is to transform the trait. However, it is not clear how much normality is required and which transformation works best in association studies. Results We performed simulations on four types of common quantitative traits to evaluate the effects of normalization using the logarithm, Box-Cox, and rank-based transformations. The impact of sample size and genetic effects on normalization is also investigated. Our results show that rank-based transformation gives generally the best and consistent performance in identifying the causal polymorphism and ranking it highly in association tests, with a slight increase in false positive rate. Conclusion For small sample size or genetic effects, the improvement in sensitivity for rank transformation outweighs the slight increase in false positive rate. However, for large sample size and genetic effects, normalization may not be necessary since the increase in sensitivity is relatively modest. PMID:20003414

Effects of normalization on quantitative traits in association test

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yap Von Bing

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Quantitative trait loci analysis assumes that the trait is normally distributed. In reality, this is often not observed and one strategy is to transform the trait. However, it is not clear how much normality is required and which transformation works best in association studies. Results We performed simulations on four types of common quantitative traits to evaluate the effects of normalization using the logarithm, Box-Cox, and rank-based transformations. The impact of sample size and genetic effects on normalization is also investigated. Our results show that rank-based transformation gives generally the best and consistent performance in identifying the causal polymorphism and ranking it highly in association tests, with a slight increase in false positive rate. Conclusion For small sample size or genetic effects, the improvement in sensitivity for rank transformation outweighs the slight increase in false positive rate. However, for large sample size and genetic effects, normalization may not be necessary since the increase in sensitivity is relatively modest.

Substitution or Symbiosis? Assessing the Relationship between Religious and Secular Giving

Science.gov (United States)

Hill, Jonathan P.; Vaidyanathan, Brandon

2011-01-01

Research on philanthropy has not sufficiently examined whether charitable giving to religious causes impinges on giving to secular causes. Examining three waves of national panel data, we find that the relationship between religious and secular giving is generally not of a zero-sum nature; families that increase their religious giving also…

Quantitative model for the generic 3D shape of ICMEs at 1 AU

Science.gov (United States)

Démoulin, P.; Janvier, M.; Masías-Meza, J. J.; Dasso, S.

2016-10-01

Context. Interplanetary imagers provide 2D projected views of the densest plasma parts of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs), while in situ measurements provide magnetic field and plasma parameter measurements along the spacecraft trajectory, that is, along a 1D cut. The data therefore only give a partial view of the 3D structures of ICMEs. Aims: By studying a large number of ICMEs, crossed at different distances from their apex, we develop statistical methods to obtain a quantitative generic 3D shape of ICMEs. Methods: In a first approach we theoretically obtained the expected statistical distribution of the shock-normal orientation from assuming simple models of 3D shock shapes, including distorted profiles, and compared their compatibility with observed distributions. In a second approach we used the shock normal and the flux rope axis orientations together with the impact parameter to provide statistical information across the spacecraft trajectory. Results: The study of different 3D shock models shows that the observations are compatible with a shock that is symmetric around the Sun-apex line as well as with an asymmetry up to an aspect ratio of around 3. Moreover, flat or dipped shock surfaces near their apex can only be rare cases. Next, the sheath thickness and the ICME velocity have no global trend along the ICME front. Finally, regrouping all these new results and those of our previous articles, we provide a quantitative ICME generic 3D shape, including the global shape of the shock, the sheath, and the flux rope. Conclusions: The obtained quantitative generic ICME shape will have implications for several aims. For example, it constrains the output of typical ICME numerical simulations. It is also a base for studying the transport of high-energy solar and cosmic particles during an ICME propagation as well as for modeling and forecasting space weather conditions near Earth.

Quantitative study of Xanthosoma violaceum leaf surfaces using RIMAPS and variogram techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Favret, Eduardo A; Fuentes, Néstor O; Molina, Ana M

2006-08-01

Two new imaging techniques (rotated image with maximum averaged power spectrum (RIMAPS) and variogram) are presented for the study and description of leaf surfaces. Xanthosoma violaceum was analyzed to illustrate the characteristics of both techniques. Both techniques produce a quantitative description of leaf surface topography. RIMAPS combines digitized images rotation with Fourier transform, and it is used to detect patterns orientation and characteristics of surface topography. Variogram relates the mathematical variance of a surface with the area of the sample window observed. It gives the typical scale lengths of the surface patterns. RIMAPS detects the morphological variations of the surface topography pattern between fresh and dried (herbarium) samples of the leaf. The variogram method finds the characteristic dimensions of the leaf microstructure, i.e., cell length, papillae diameter, etc., showing that there are not significant differences between dry and fresh samples. The results obtained show the robustness of RIMAPS and variogram analyses to detect, distinguish, and characterize leaf surfaces, as well as give scale lengths. Both techniques are tools for the biologist to study variations of the leaf surface when different patterns are present. The use of RIMAPS and variogram opens a wide spectrum of possibilities by providing a systematic, quantitative description of the leaf surface topography.

Radiation risk perception and public information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boggs-Mayes, C.J.

1988-01-01

We as Health Physicists face what, at many times, appears to be a hopeless task. The task simply stated is informing the public about the risks (or lack thereof) of radiation. Unfortunately, the public has perceived radiation risks to be much greater than they actually are. An example of this problem is shown in a paper by Arthur C. Upton. Three groups of people -- the League of Women Voters, students, and Business and Professional Club members -- were asked to rank 30 sources of risk according to their contribution to the number of deaths in the United States. Not surprisingly, they ranked nuclear power much higher and medical x-rays much lower than the actual values. In addition to the perception problem, we are faced with another hurdle: health physicists as communicators. Members of the Health Physics Society (HPS) found that the communication styles of most health physicists appear to be dissimilar to those of the general public. These authors administered the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to the HPS Baltimore-Washington Chapter. This test, a standardized test for psychological type developed by Isabel Myers, ask questions that provide a quantitative measure of our natural preferences in four areas. Assume that you as a health physicist have the necessary skills to communicate information about radiation to the public. Health physicists do nothing with these tools. Most people involved in radiation protection do not get involved with public information activies. What I will attempt to do is heighten your interest in such activities. I will share information about public information activities in which I have been involved and give you suggestions for sources of information and materials. 2 refs., 1 tab

The Case for Infusing Quantitative Literacy into Introductory Geoscience Courses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer M. Wenner

2009-01-01

- Infusing Quantitative Literacy into Introductory Geoscience Courses. These portions of the website are designed to give geoscience faculty the resources they need to infuse quantitative content into their entry-level courses, thereby building the QL of the students who enroll. The infusion of QL in the introductory geoscience classroom allows faculty to realistically represent the quantitative nature of the science to the students who may need it most. Ultimately, the inclusion of pedagogically sound quantitative activities and exercises will serve to increase QL of our educated citizenry.

Quantitative performance monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heller, A.S.

1987-01-01

In the recently published update of NUREG/CR 3883, it was shown that Japanese plants of size and design similar to those in the US have significantly fewer trips in a given year of operation. One way to reduce such imbalance is the efficient use of available plant data. Since plant data are recorded and monitored continuously for management feedback and timely resolution of problems, this data should be actively used to increase the efficiency of operations and, ultimately, for a reduction of plant trips in power plants. A great deal of information is lost, however, if the analytical tools available for the data evaluation are misapplied or not adopted at all. This paper deals with a program developed to use quantitative techniques to monitor personnel performance in an operating power plant. Visual comparisons of ongoing performance with predetermined quantitative performance goals are made. A continuous feedback is provided to management for early detection of adverse trends and timely resolution of problems. Ultimately, costs are reduced through effective resource management and timely decision making

A Qualitative and Quantitative Comparative Analysis of Commercial and Independent Online Information for Hip Surgery: A Bias in Online Information Targeting Patients?

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Martin J; Feeley, Iain H; O'Byrne, John M

2016-10-01

Direct to consumer (DTC) advertising, targeting the public over the physician, is an increasingly pervasive presence in medical clinics. It is trending toward a format of online interaction rather than that of traditional print and television advertising. We analyze patient-focused Web pages from the top 5 companies supplying prostheses for total hip arthroplasties, comparing them to the top 10 independent medical websites. Quantitative comparison is performed using the Journal of American Medical Association benchmark and DISCERN criteria, and for comparative readability, we use the Flesch-Kincaid grade level, the Flesch reading ease, and the Gunning fog index. Content is analyzed for information on type of surgery and surgical approach. There is a statistically significant difference between the independent and DTC websites in both the mean DISCERN score (independent 74.6, standard deviation [SD] = 4.77; DTC 32.2, SD = 10.28; P = .0022) and the mean Journal of American Medical Association score (Independent 3.45, SD = 0.49; DTC 1.9, SD = 0.74; P = .004). The difference between the readability scores is not statistically significantly. The commercial content is found to be heavily biased in favor of the direct anterior approach and minimally invasive surgical techniques. We demonstrate that the quality of information on commercial websites is inferior to that of the independent sites. The advocacy of surgical approaches by industry to the patient group is a concern. This study underlines the importance of future regulation of commercial patient education Web pages. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Information adaptation the interplay between Shannon information and semantic information in cognition

CERN Document Server

Haken, Hermann

2015-01-01

This monograph demonstrates the interplay between Shannon information and semantic information in cognition. It shows that Shannon’s information acts as driving force for the formation of semantic information; and vice versa, namely, that semantic information participates in the formation of Shannonian information. The authors show that in cognition, Shannonian and semantic information are interrelated as two aspects of a cognitive process termed as information adaptation. In the latter the mind/brain adapts to the environment by the deflating and/or inflating of the information conveyed by the environment. In the process of information adaptation, quantitative variations in Shannon’s information entail different meanings while different meanings affect the quantity of information. The book illustrates the above conceptually and mathematically by reference to three cognitive processes: pattern recognition, face learning and the recognition of a moving object.

Quantitative nanohistological investigation of scleroderma: an atomic force microscopy-based approach to disease characterization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Strange AP

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Adam P Strange,1 Sebastian Aguayo,1 Tarek Ahmed,1 Nicola Mordan,1 Richard Stratton,2 Stephen R Porter,3 Susan Parekh,4 Laurent Bozec1 1Department of Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, UCL Eastman Dental Institute, 2Centre for Rheumatology and Connective Tissue Diseases, Royal Free Hospital, UCL Medical School, 3UCL Eastman Dental Institute, 4Department of Pediatrics, UCL Eastman Dental Institute, London, UK Abstract: Scleroderma (or systemic sclerosis, SSc is a disease caused by excess crosslinking of collagen. The skin stiffens and becomes painful, while internally, organ function can be compromised by the less elastic collagen. Diagnosis of SSc is often only possible in advanced cases by which treatment time is limited. A more detailed analysis of SSc may provide better future treatment options and information of disease progression. Recently, the histological stain picrosirius red showing collagen register has been combined with atomic force microscopy (AFM to study SSc. Skin from healthy individuals and SSc patients was biopsied, stained and studied using AFM. By investigating the crosslinking of collagen at a smaller hierarchical stage, the effects of SSc were more pronounced. Changes in morphology and Young’s elastic modulus were observed and quantified; giving rise to a novel technique, we have termed “quantitative nanohistology”. An increase in nanoscale stiffness in the collagen for SSc compared with healthy individuals was seen by a significant increase in the Young’s modulus profile for the collagen. These markers of stiffer collagen in SSc are similar to the symptoms experienced by patients, giving additional hope that in the future, nanohistology using AFM can be readily applied as a clinical tool, providing detailed information of the state of collagen. Keywords: rheumatology, adjunct diagnosis, picrosirius red, collagen, nanohistology

QUAIL: A Quantitative Security Analyzer for Imperative Code

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Biondi, Fabrizio; Wasowski, Andrzej; Traonouez, Louis-Marie

2013-01-01

Quantitative security analysis evaluates and compares how effectively a system protects its secret data. We introduce QUAIL, the first tool able to perform an arbitrary-precision quantitative analysis of the security of a system depending on private information. QUAIL builds a Markov Chain model...... of the system’s behavior as observed by an attacker, and computes the correlation between the system’s observable output and the behavior depending on the private information, obtaining the expected amount of bits of the secret that the attacker will infer by observing the system. QUAIL is able to evaluate...... the safety of randomized protocols depending on secret data, allowing to verify a security protocol’s effectiveness. We experiment with a few examples and show that QUAIL’s security analysis is more accurate and revealing than results of other tools...

Scientific and technological information: analysis of periodic publications of information science

OpenAIRE

Mayara Cintya do Nascimento Vasconcelos; Gabriela Belmont de Farias

2017-01-01

The research analyzes the articles published in national scientific journals of the area of Information Science, classified with Qualis A1, having as parameter the term "scientific and technological information". It presents concepts about scientific and technological information and the processes that involve its uses, as well as scientific communication, information flows and sources of information. The methodology used is a descriptive study with a quantitative-qualitative approach, using ...

Qualitative and quantitative laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy of bronze objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tankova, V; Blagoev, K; Grozeva, M; Malcheva, G; Penkova, P

2016-01-01

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an analytical technique for qualitative and quantitative elemental analysis of solids, liquids and gases. In this work, the method was applied for investigation of archaeological bronze objects. The analytical information obtained by LIBS was used for qualitative determination of the elements in the material used for manufacturing of the objects under study. Quantitative chemical analysis was also performed after generating calibration curves with standard samples of similar matrix composition. Quantitative estimation of the elemental concentration of the bulk of the samples was performed, together with investigation of the surface layer of the objects. The results of the quantitative analyses gave indications about the manufacturing process of the investigated objects. (paper)

Quantitative analysis of real-time radiographic systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barker, M.D.; Condon, P.E.; Barry, R.C.; Betz, R.A.; Klynn, L.M.

1988-01-01

A method was developed which yields quantitative information on the spatial resolution, contrast sensitivity, image noise, and focal spot size from real time radiographic images. The method uses simple image quality indicators and computer programs which make it possible to readily obtain quantitative performance measurements of single or multiple radiographic systems. It was used for x-ray and optical images to determine which component of the system was not operating up to standard. Focal spot size was monitored by imaging a bar pattern. This paper constitutes the second progress report on the development of the camera and radiation image quality indicators

Qualitative and quantitative information flow analysis for multi-thread programs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ngo, Minh Tri

2014-01-01

In today's information-based society, guaranteeing information security plays an important role in all aspects of life: communication between citizens and governments, military, companies, financial information systems, web-based services etc. With the increasing popularity of computer systems with

Quantitative modeling of gene networks of biological systems using fuzzy Petri nets and fuzzy sets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raed I. Hamed

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Quantitative demonstrating of organic frameworks has turned into an essential computational methodology in the configuration of novel and investigation of existing natural frameworks. Be that as it may, active information that portrays the framework's elements should be known keeping in mind the end goal to get pertinent results with the routine displaying strategies. This information is frequently robust or even difficult to get. Here, we exhibit a model of quantitative fuzzy rational demonstrating approach that can adapt to obscure motor information and hence deliver applicable results despite the fact that dynamic information is fragmented or just dubiously characterized. Besides, the methodology can be utilized as a part of the blend with the current cutting edge quantitative demonstrating strategies just in specific parts of the framework, i.e., where the data are absent. The contextual analysis of the methodology suggested in this paper is performed on the model of nine-quality genes. We propose a kind of FPN model in light of fuzzy sets to manage the quantitative modeling of biological systems. The tests of our model appear that the model is practical and entirely powerful for information impersonation and thinking of fuzzy expert frameworks.

Shedding quantitative fluorescence light on novel regulatory mechanisms in skeletal biomedicine and biodentistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Ji-Won; Iimura, Tadahiro

2017-02-01

Digitalized fluorescence images contain numerical information such as color (wavelength), fluorescence intensity and spatial position. However, quantitative analyses of acquired data and their validation remained to be established. Our research group has applied quantitative fluorescence imaging on tissue sections and uncovered novel findings in skeletal biomedicine and biodentistry. This review paper includes a brief background of quantitative fluorescence imaging and discusses practical applications by introducing our previous research. Finally, the future perspectives of quantitative fluorescence imaging are discussed.

To The Question Of The Concepts "National Security", "Information Security", "National Information Security" Meanings

OpenAIRE

Alexander A. Galushkin

2015-01-01

In the present article author analyzes value of the concepts "national security", "information security", "national information security". Author gives opinions of scientists-jurists, definitions given by legislators and normotvorets in various regulations.

[Quantitative data analysis for live imaging of bone.

Science.gov (United States)

Seno, Shigeto

Bone tissue is a hard tissue, it was difficult to observe the interior of the bone tissue alive. With the progress of microscopic technology and fluorescent probe technology in recent years, it becomes possible to observe various activities of various cells forming bone society. On the other hand, the quantitative increase in data and the diversification and complexity of the images makes it difficult to perform quantitative analysis by visual inspection. It has been expected to develop a methodology for processing microscopic images and data analysis. In this article, we introduce the research field of bioimage informatics which is the boundary area of biology and information science, and then outline the basic image processing technology for quantitative analysis of live imaging data of bone.

Ion-solid interaction at low energies: principles and application of quantitative ISS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niehus, H.; Spitzl, R.

1991-01-01

Quantitative surface analysis with low-energy (500-5000 eV) ion scattering spectroscopy is known to be difficult, most often because of strong charge transfer and multiple scattering effects occurring during ion-surface interaction. In order to avoid neutralization problems, either alkali primary ions or noble gas ions in combination with the detection of all scattered particles was applied. Multiple scattering occurs predominantly at forward scattering and might confound the analysis. Backward scattering (i.e. 180 o impact collision ion scattering) bypasses strongly the multiple scattering complication and has been used successfully for the analysis of a number of surface structures for metals, semiconductors and binary alloys. A simple triangulation concept gives access to mass-selective qualitative surface crystallography. Quantitative surface structures were determined by comparison with computer simulations. (author)

Detecting Genetic Interactions for Quantitative Traits Using m-Spacing Entropy Measure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaeyong Yee

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A number of statistical methods for detecting gene-gene interactions have been developed in genetic association studies with binary traits. However, many phenotype measures are intrinsically quantitative and categorizing continuous traits may not always be straightforward and meaningful. Association of gene-gene interactions with an observed distribution of such phenotypes needs to be investigated directly without categorization. Information gain based on entropy measure has previously been successful in identifying genetic associations with binary traits. We extend the usefulness of this information gain by proposing a nonparametric evaluation method of conditional entropy of a quantitative phenotype associated with a given genotype. Hence, the information gain can be obtained for any phenotype distribution. Because any functional form, such as Gaussian, is not assumed for the entire distribution of a trait or a given genotype, this method is expected to be robust enough to be applied to any phenotypic association data. Here, we show its use to successfully identify the main effect, as well as the genetic interactions, associated with a quantitative trait.

Initial Description of a Quantitative, Cross-Species (Chimpanzee-Human) Social Responsiveness Measure

Science.gov (United States)

Marrus, Natasha; Faughn, Carley; Shuman, Jeremy; Petersen, Steve E.; Constantino, John N.; Povinelli, Daniel J.; Pruett, John R., Jr.

2011-01-01

Objective: Comparative studies of social responsiveness, an ability that is impaired in autism spectrum disorders, can inform our understanding of both autism and the cognitive architecture of social behavior. Because there is no existing quantitative measure of social responsiveness in chimpanzees, we generated a quantitative, cross-species…

Quantitative Models and Analysis for Reactive Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thrane, Claus

phones and websites. Acknowledging that now more than ever, systems come in contact with the physical world, we need to revise the way we construct models and verification algorithms, to take into account the behavior of systems in the presence of approximate, or quantitative information, provided...

The ALICE Data Quality Monitoring: qualitative and quantitative review of three years of operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haller, Barthélémy von; Telesca, Adriana; Bellini, Francesca; Foka, Yiota

2014-01-01

ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) is a detector designed to study the physics of strongly interacting matter produced in heavy-ion collisions at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Due to the complexity of ALICE in terms of number of detectors and performance requirements, Data Quality Monitoring (DQM) plays an essential role in providing online feedback on the data being recorded. It intends to provide shifters with precise and complete information to quickly identify problems, and as a consequence to ensure acquisition of high quality data. This paper presents a review of the ALICE DQM system during the first three years of LHC operations from a quantitative and qualitative point of view. We start by presenting the DQM software and tools before moving on to the various analyses carried out. An overview of the produced monitoring quantities is given, presenting the diversity of usage and flexibility of the DQM. Well-prepared shifters and experts, in addition to a precise organisation, were required to ensure smooth and successful operations. The description of the measures taken to ensure both aspects and an account of the DQM shifters' job are followed by a summary of the evolution of the system. We then give a quantitative review of the final setup of the system used during the whole year 2012. We conclude the paper with use cases where the DQM proved to be very valuable, scalable and efficient and with the plans for the coming years.

They Make Space and Give Time

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

... Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 3; Issue 3. They Make Space and Give Time The Engineer as Poet. Gangan Prathap. Book Review Volume 3 ... Author Affiliations. Gangan Prathap1. National Aerospace Laboratories and the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Bangalore.

76 FR 9637 - Proposed Information Collection (Veteran Suicide Prevention Online Quantitative Surveys) Activity...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-18

... Collection (Veteran Suicide Prevention Online Quantitative Surveys) Activity: Comment Request AGENCY... prevention of suicide among Veterans and their families. DATES: Written comments and recommendations on the.... Abstract: VA's top priority is the prevention of Veterans suicide. It is imperative to reach these at-risk...

76 FR 27384 - Agency Information Collection Activity (Veteran Suicide Prevention Online Quantitative Surveys...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-11

... Collection Activity (Veteran Suicide Prevention Online Quantitative Surveys) Under OMB Review AGENCY.... Abstract: VA's top priority is the prevention of Veterans suicide. It is imperative to reach these at-risk... families' awareness of VA's suicide prevention and mental health support services. In addition, the surveys...

Stepwise kinetic equilibrium models of quantitative polymerase chain reaction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cobbs Gary

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Numerous models for use in interpreting quantitative PCR (qPCR data are present in recent literature. The most commonly used models assume the amplification in qPCR is exponential and fit an exponential model with a constant rate of increase to a select part of the curve. Kinetic theory may be used to model the annealing phase and does not assume constant efficiency of amplification. Mechanistic models describing the annealing phase with kinetic theory offer the most potential for accurate interpretation of qPCR data. Even so, they have not been thoroughly investigated and are rarely used for interpretation of qPCR data. New results for kinetic modeling of qPCR are presented. Results Two models are presented in which the efficiency of amplification is based on equilibrium solutions for the annealing phase of the qPCR process. Model 1 assumes annealing of complementary targets strands and annealing of target and primers are both reversible reactions and reach a dynamic equilibrium. Model 2 assumes all annealing reactions are nonreversible and equilibrium is static. Both models include the effect of primer concentration during the annealing phase. Analytic formulae are given for the equilibrium values of all single and double stranded molecules at the end of the annealing step. The equilibrium values are then used in a stepwise method to describe the whole qPCR process. Rate constants of kinetic models are the same for solutions that are identical except for possibly having different initial target concentrations. Analysis of qPCR curves from such solutions are thus analyzed by simultaneous non-linear curve fitting with the same rate constant values applying to all curves and each curve having a unique value for initial target concentration. The models were fit to two data sets for which the true initial target concentrations are known. Both models give better fit to observed qPCR data than other kinetic models present in the

Stepwise kinetic equilibrium models of quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Cobbs, Gary

2012-08-16

Numerous models for use in interpreting quantitative PCR (qPCR) data are present in recent literature. The most commonly used models assume the amplification in qPCR is exponential and fit an exponential model with a constant rate of increase to a select part of the curve. Kinetic theory may be used to model the annealing phase and does not assume constant efficiency of amplification. Mechanistic models describing the annealing phase with kinetic theory offer the most potential for accurate interpretation of qPCR data. Even so, they have not been thoroughly investigated and are rarely used for interpretation of qPCR data. New results for kinetic modeling of qPCR are presented. Two models are presented in which the efficiency of amplification is based on equilibrium solutions for the annealing phase of the qPCR process. Model 1 assumes annealing of complementary targets strands and annealing of target and primers are both reversible reactions and reach a dynamic equilibrium. Model 2 assumes all annealing reactions are nonreversible and equilibrium is static. Both models include the effect of primer concentration during the annealing phase. Analytic formulae are given for the equilibrium values of all single and double stranded molecules at the end of the annealing step. The equilibrium values are then used in a stepwise method to describe the whole qPCR process. Rate constants of kinetic models are the same for solutions that are identical except for possibly having different initial target concentrations. Analysis of qPCR curves from such solutions are thus analyzed by simultaneous non-linear curve fitting with the same rate constant values applying to all curves and each curve having a unique value for initial target concentration. The models were fit to two data sets for which the true initial target concentrations are known. Both models give better fit to observed qPCR data than other kinetic models present in the literature. They also give better estimates of

Demonstration of two-phase Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) methods potentiality to give information to averaged models: application to bubbles column

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magdeleine, S.

2009-11-01

This work is a part of a long term project that aims at using two-phase Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) in order to give information to averaged models. For now, it is limited to isothermal bubbly flows with no phase change. It could be subdivided in two parts: Firstly, theoretical developments are made in order to build an equivalent of Large Eddy Simulation (LES) for two phase flows called Interfaces and Sub-grid Scales (ISS). After the implementation of the ISS model in our code called Trio U , a set of various cases is used to validate this model. Then, special test are made in order to optimize the model for our particular bubbly flows. Thus we showed the capacity of the ISS model to produce a cheap pertinent solution. Secondly, we use the ISS model to perform simulations of bubbly flows in column. Results of these simulations are averaged to obtain quantities that appear in mass, momentum and interfacial area density balances. Thus, we processed to an a priori test of a complete one dimensional averaged model.We showed that this model predicts well the simplest flows (laminar and monodisperse). Moreover, the hypothesis of one pressure, which is often made in averaged model like CATHARE, NEPTUNE and RELAP5, is satisfied in such flows. At the opposite, without a polydisperse model, the drag is over-predicted and the uncorrelated A i flux needs a closure law. Finally, we showed that in turbulent flows, fluctuations of velocity and pressure in the liquid phase are not represented by the tested averaged model. (author)

Bidding to give in the field

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Onderstal, Sander; Schram, Arthur J. H. C.; Soetevent, Adriaan R.

In a door-to-door fundraising field experiment, we study the impact of fundraising mechanisms on charitable giving. We approached about 4500 households, each participating in an all-pay auction, a lottery, a non-anonymous voluntary contribution mechanism (VCM), or an anonymous VCM. In contrast to

Bidding to give in the field

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Onderstal, S.; Schram, A.J.H.C.; Soetevent, A.R.

2013-01-01

In a door-to-door fundraising field experiment, we study the impact of fundraising mechanisms on charitable giving. We approached about 4500 households, each participating in an all-pay auction, a lottery, a non-anonymous voluntary contribution mechanism (VCM), or an anonymous VCM. In contrast to

Contribution and perspectives of quantitative genetics to plant breeding in Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando Henrique Ribeiro Barrozo Toledo

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this article is to show how quantitative genetics has contributed to the huge genetic progress obtained inplant breeding in Brazil in the last forty years. The information obtained through quantitative genetics has given Brazilian breedersthe possibility of responding to innumerable questions in their work in a much more informative way, such as the use or not of hybridcultivars, which segregating population to use, which breeding method to employ, alternatives for improving the efficiency of selectionprograms, and how to handle the data of progeny and/or cultivars evaluations to identify the most stable ones and thus improverecommendations.

Gift-giving in the medical student--patient relationship.

Science.gov (United States)

Alamri, Yassar Abdullah S

2012-08-01

There is paucity in the published literature that provides any ethical guidance guiding gift-giving within the student--patient relationship. This is perhaps because the dynamics of the medical student--patient relationship have not yet been explored as extensively as the doctor--patient relationship. More importantly, however, gift--giving in the doctor-patient relationship has traditionally been from the patient to the doctor and not vice versa. This article examines the literature published in this vicinity reflecting on an encounter with a patient.

Quantitative measurements in laser induced plasmas using optical probing. Progress report, October 1, 1977--April 30, 1978

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sweeney, D.W.

1978-06-01

Optical probing of laser induced plasmas can be used to quantitatively reconstruct electron number densities and magnetic fields. Numerical techniques for extracting quantitative information from the experimental data are described and four Abel inversion codes are provided. A computer simulation of optical probing is used to determine the quantitative information that can be reasonably extracted from real experimental systems. Examples of reconstructed electron number densities from interferograms of laser plasmas show steepened electron distributions

Collecting data for quantitative research on pluvial flooding

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spekkers, M.H.; Ten Veldhuis, J.A.E.; Clemens, F.H.L.R.

2011-01-01

Urban pluvial flood management requires detailed spatial and temporal information on flood characteristics and damaging consequences. There is lack of quantitative field data on pluvial flooding resulting in large uncertainties in urban flood model calculations and ensuing decisions for investments

From inverse problems in mathematical physiology to quantitative differential diagnoses.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sven Zenker

2007-11-01

Full Text Available The improved capacity to acquire quantitative data in a clinical setting has generally failed to improve outcomes in acutely ill patients, suggesting a need for advances in computer-supported data interpretation and decision making. In particular, the application of mathematical models of experimentally elucidated physiological mechanisms could augment the interpretation of quantitative, patient-specific information and help to better target therapy. Yet, such models are typically complex and nonlinear, a reality that often precludes the identification of unique parameters and states of the model that best represent available data. Hypothesizing that this non-uniqueness can convey useful information, we implemented a simplified simulation of a common differential diagnostic process (hypotension in an acute care setting, using a combination of a mathematical model of the cardiovascular system, a stochastic measurement model, and Bayesian inference techniques to quantify parameter and state uncertainty. The output of this procedure is a probability density function on the space of model parameters and initial conditions for a particular patient, based on prior population information together with patient-specific clinical observations. We show that multimodal posterior probability density functions arise naturally, even when unimodal and uninformative priors are used. The peaks of these densities correspond to clinically relevant differential diagnoses and can, in the simplified simulation setting, be constrained to a single diagnosis by assimilating additional observations from dynamical interventions (e.g., fluid challenge. We conclude that the ill-posedness of the inverse problem in quantitative physiology is not merely a technical obstacle, but rather reflects clinical reality and, when addressed adequately in the solution process, provides a novel link between mathematically described physiological knowledge and the clinical concept of

From Inverse Problems in Mathematical Physiology to Quantitative Differential Diagnoses

Science.gov (United States)

Zenker, Sven; Rubin, Jonathan; Clermont, Gilles

2007-01-01

The improved capacity to acquire quantitative data in a clinical setting has generally failed to improve outcomes in acutely ill patients, suggesting a need for advances in computer-supported data interpretation and decision making. In particular, the application of mathematical models of experimentally elucidated physiological mechanisms could augment the interpretation of quantitative, patient-specific information and help to better target therapy. Yet, such models are typically complex and nonlinear, a reality that often precludes the identification of unique parameters and states of the model that best represent available data. Hypothesizing that this non-uniqueness can convey useful information, we implemented a simplified simulation of a common differential diagnostic process (hypotension in an acute care setting), using a combination of a mathematical model of the cardiovascular system, a stochastic measurement model, and Bayesian inference techniques to quantify parameter and state uncertainty. The output of this procedure is a probability density function on the space of model parameters and initial conditions for a particular patient, based on prior population information together with patient-specific clinical observations. We show that multimodal posterior probability density functions arise naturally, even when unimodal and uninformative priors are used. The peaks of these densities correspond to clinically relevant differential diagnoses and can, in the simplified simulation setting, be constrained to a single diagnosis by assimilating additional observations from dynamical interventions (e.g., fluid challenge). We conclude that the ill-posedness of the inverse problem in quantitative physiology is not merely a technical obstacle, but rather reflects clinical reality and, when addressed adequately in the solution process, provides a novel link between mathematically described physiological knowledge and the clinical concept of differential diagnoses

Introduction to quantitative research methods an investigative approach

CERN Document Server

Balnaves, Mark

2001-01-01

Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods is a student-friendly introduction to quantitative research methods and basic statistics. It uses a detective theme throughout the text and in multimedia courseware to show how quantitative methods have been used to solve real-life problems. The book focuses on principles and techniques that are appropriate to introductory level courses in media, psychology and sociology. Examples and illustrations are drawn from historical and contemporary research in the social sciences. The multimedia courseware provides tutorial work on sampling, basic statistics, and techniques for seeking information from databases and other sources. The statistics modules can be used as either part of a detective games or directly in teaching and learning. Brief video lessons in SPSS, using real datasets, are also a feature of the CD-ROM.

How Research on Charitable Giving Can Inform Strategies to Promote Human Milk Donations to Milk Banks.

Science.gov (United States)

Stevens, Jack; Keim, Sarah A

2015-08-01

Many hospitalized preterm infants do not exclusively receive mother's own milk, so milk from another mother may be sought. Previous research indicated that just 1% of US women who express breast milk actually donate it for another family. Therefore, strategies to boost donation rates should be identified. We draw upon the experimental literature on charitable giving of monetary donations to offer 6 strategies to promote breast milk donations to milk banks in North America. These strategies include (1) highlighting a potential identifiable recipient of donated breast milk as opposed to highlighting groups of potential recipients; (2) emphasizing similarities between the potential donor and potential beneficiaries; (3) emphasizing similarities between the potential donor and previous donors; (4) using negative arousal to promote donations; (5) emphasizing the self-interest of those asking for breast milk donations; and (6) highlighting the specific effect of breast milk donations. Potential limitations of these strategies are discussed. © The Author(s) 2015.

Giving USA 1997: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 1996.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaplan, Ann E., Ed.

This report presents a comprehensive review of private philanthropy in the United States during 1996. After a preliminary section, the first section presents data on giving, using text, graphs, and charts. Sections cover: overall 1996 contributions; changes in giving by source and use; total giving (1966-1996); inflation-adjusted giving in 5-year…

Determination of Calcium in Cereal with Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy: An Experiment for a Quantitative Methods of Analysis Course

Science.gov (United States)

Bazzi, Ali; Kreuz, Bette; Fischer, Jeffrey

2004-01-01

An experiment for determination of calcium in cereal using two-increment standard addition method in conjunction with flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS) is demonstrated. The experiment is intended to introduce students to the principles of atomic absorption spectroscopy giving them hands on experience using quantitative methods of…

Information fluency for undergraduate biology majors: applications of inquiry-based learning in a developmental biology course.

Science.gov (United States)

Gehring, Kathleen M; Eastman, Deborah A

2008-01-01

Many initiatives for the improvement of undergraduate science education call for inquiry-based learning that emphasizes investigative projects and reading of the primary literature. These approaches give students an understanding of science as a process and help them integrate content presented in courses. At the same time, general initiatives to promote information fluency are being promoted on many college and university campuses. Information fluency refers to discipline-specific processing of information, and it involves integration of gathered information with specific ideas to form logical conclusions. We have implemented the use of inquiry-based learning to enhance and study discipline-specific information fluency skills in an upper-level undergraduate Developmental Biology course. In this study, an information literacy tutorial and a set of linked assignments using primary literature analysis were integrated with two inquiry-based laboratory research projects. Quantitative analysis of student responses suggests that the abilities of students to identify and apply valid sources of information were enhanced. Qualitative assessment revealed a set of patterns by which students gather and apply information. Self-assessment responses indicated that students recognized the impact of the assignments on their abilities to gather and apply information and that they were more confident about these abilities for future biology courses and beyond.

MCM - 2 and Ki - 67 as proliferation markers in renal cell carcinoma: A quantitative and semi - quantitative analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Mehdi, Muhammad Zain; Nagi, Abdul Hanan; Naseem, Nadia

2016-01-01

Fuhrman nuclear grade is the most important histological parameter to predict prognosis in a patient of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, it suffers from inter-observer and intra-observer variation giving rise to need of a parameter that not only correlates with nuclear grade but is also objective and reproducible. Proliferation is the measure of aggressiveness of a tumour and it is strongly correlated with Fuhrman nuclear grade, clinical survival and recurrence in RCC. Ki-67 is conventionally used to assess proliferation. Mini-chromosome maintenance 2 (MCM-2) is a lesser known marker of proliferation and identifies a greater proliferation faction. This study was designed to assess the prognostic significance of MCM-2 by comparing it with Fuhrman nuclear grade and Ki-67. n=50 cases of various ages, stages, histological subtypes and grades of RCC were selected for this study. Immunohistochemical staining using Ki-67(MIB-1, Mouse monoclonal antibody, Dako) and MCM-2 (Mouse monoclonal antibody, Thermo) was performed on the paraffin embedded blocks in the department of Morbid anatomy and Histopathology, University of Health Sciences, Lahore. Labeling indices (LI) were determined by two pathologists independently using quantitative and semi-quantitative analysis. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS 20.0. Kruskall-Wallis test was used to determine a correlation of proliferation markers with grade, and Pearson's correlate was used to determine correlation between the two proliferation markers. Labeling index of MCM-2 (median=24.29%) was found to be much higher than Ki-67(median=13.05%). Both markers were significantly related with grade (p=0.00; Kruskall-Wallis test). LI of MCM-2 was found to correlate significantly with LI of Ki-67(r=0.0934;p=0.01 with Pearson's correlate). Results of semi-quantitative analysis correlated well with quantitative analysis. Both Ki-67 and MCM-2 are markers of proliferation which are closely linked to grade. Therefore, they

Quantitative Preparation in Doctoral Education Programs: A Mixed-Methods Study of Doctoral Student Perspectives on their Quantitative Training

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah L Ferguson

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Aim/Purpose: The purpose of the current study is to explore student perceptions of their own doctoral-level education and quantitative proficiency. Background: The challenges of preparing doctoral students in education have been discussed in the literature, but largely from the perspective of university faculty and program administrators. The current study directly explores the student voice on this issue. Methodology: Utilizing a sequential explanatory mixed-methods research design, the present study seeks to better understand doctoral-level education students’ perceptions of their quantitative methods training at a large public university in the southwestern United States. Findings: Results from both phases present the need for more application and consistency in doctoral-level quantitative courses. Additionally, there was a consistent theme of internal motivation in the responses, suggesting students perceive their quantitative training to be valuable beyond their personal interest in the topic. Recommendations for Practitioners: Quantitative methods instructors should emphasize practice in their quantitative courses and consider providing additional support for students through the inclusion of lab sections, tutoring, and/or differentiation. Pre-testing statistical ability at the start of a course is also suggested to better meet student needs. Impact on Society: The ultimate goal of quantitative methods in doctoral education is to produce high-quality educational researchers who are prepared to apply their knowledge to problems and research in education. Results of the present study can inform faculty and administrator decisions in doctoral education to best support this goal. Future Research: Using the student perspectives presented in the present study, future researchers should continue to explore effective instructional strategies and curriculum design within education doctoral programs. The inclusion of student voice can strengthen

The Basis of Distinction Between Qualitative and Quantitative ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This article examines methodological issues associated with qualitative and quantitative research. In doing this, I briefly begin by outlining the philosophical and conceptual framework that informed the two research methodologies and discusses how ontological and epistemological issues were translated in to specific ...

Quantitative isotopes miction cystoureterography (QIMCU)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szy, D.A.G.; Stroetges, M.W.; Funke-Voelkers, R.

1982-01-01

A simple method for a quantitative evaluation of vesicoureteral reflux was developed. It allows the determination of a) the volume of reflux b) the volume of the bladder at each point of time during the examination. The QIMCU gives an insight into the dynamic of reflux, of reflux volume, and of actual bladder volume. The clinical application in 37 patients with 53 insufficient ureteral orifices (i.e. reflux) showed that the onset of reflux occured in 60% as early as in the first five minutes of the examination but later in the remaining 40%. The maximal reflux was found only in 26% during the first five minutes. The reflux volume exceeded in more than 50% the amount of 3.5 ml. The international grading corresponds with the reflux volume determined by this method. Radionuclide cystoureterography can be used as well in childhood as in adults. Because the radiaction exposure is low, the method can be recommended for the initial examination and for follow up studies. (Author)

Quantitative evaluations in planar myocardial scintigraphy using 201-thallium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaiser, J.W.

1987-01-01

The observation that the judgements of myocardial images obtained by 201-thallium scintigraphy tend to vary considerably between investigators has prompted us to develop two versions of a quantitative evaluation technique which - after orthogonal-polar adjustment of the coordinates (with the centre of the left ventricle being the origin of the coordinate system) - would allow the counting rates to be expressed as goniometric functions and shown in graphs. The methods under investigation did, however, not appear to give reasonable approximations to a 'normal range', on the basis of which it would be possible to make clearer distinctions between scintiscans with and without pathological findings. (orig./MG) [de

Application of LC–MS/MS for quantitative analysis of glucocorticoids and stimulants in biological fluids

OpenAIRE

Haneef, Jamshed; Shaharyar, Mohammad; Husain, Asif; Rashid, Mohd; Mishra, Ravinesh; Parveen, Shama; Ahmed, Niyaz; Pal, Manoj; Kumar, Deepak

2013-01-01

Liquid chromatography tandem mass chromatography (LCâMS/MS) is an important hyphenated technique for quantitative analysis of drugs in biological fluids. Because of high sensitivity and selectivity, LCâMS/MS has been used for pharmacokinetic studies, metabolites identification in the plasma and urine. This manuscript gives comprehensive analytical review, focusing on chromatographic separation approaches (column packing materials, column length and mobile phase) as well as different acquisiti...

Application of LC–MS/MS for quantitative analysis of glucocorticoids and stimulants in biological fluids

OpenAIRE

Haneef, Jamshed; Shaharyar, Mohammad; Husain, Asif; Rashid, Mohd; Mishra, Ravinesh; Parveen, Shama; Ahmed, Niyaz; Pal, Manoj; Kumar, Deepak

2013-01-01

Liquid chromatography tandem mass chromatography (LC–MS/MS) is an important hyphenated technique for quantitative analysis of drugs in biological fluids. Because of high sensitivity and selectivity, LC–MS/MS has been used for pharmacokinetic studies, metabolites identification in the plasma and urine. This manuscript gives comprehensive analytical review, focusing on chromatographic separation approaches (column packing materials, column length and mobile phase) as well as different acquisiti...

Leadership training in a family medicine residency program: Cross-sectional quantitative survey to inform curriculum development.

Science.gov (United States)

Gallagher, Erin; Moore, Ainsley; Schabort, Inge

2017-03-01

To assess the current status of leadership training as perceived by family medicine residents to inform the development of a formal leadership curriculum. Cross-sectional quantitative survey. Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont, in December 2013. A total of 152 first- and second-year family medicine residents. Family medicine residents' attitudes toward leadership, perceived level of training in various leadership domains, and identified opportunities for leadership training. Overall, 80% (152 of 190) of residents completed the survey. On a Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 4 = neutral, 7 = strongly agree), residents rated the importance of physician leadership in the clinical setting as high (6.23 of 7), whereas agreement with the statement "I am a leader" received the lowest rating (5.28 of 7). At least 50% of residents desired more training in the leadership domains of personal mastery, mentorship and coaching, conflict resolution, teaching, effective teamwork, administration, ideals of a healthy workplace, coalitions, and system transformation. At least 50% of residents identified behavioural sciences seminars, a lecture and workshop series, and a retreat as opportunities to expand leadership training. The concept of family physicians as leaders resonated highly with residents. Residents desired more personal and system-level leadership training. They also identified ways that leadership training could be expanded in the current curriculum and developed in other areas. The information gained from this survey might facilitate leadership development among residents through application of its results in a formal leadership curriculum. Copyright© the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

Informational analysis involving application of complex information system

Science.gov (United States)

Ciupak, Clébia; Vanti, Adolfo Alberto; Balloni, Antonio José; Espin, Rafael

The aim of the present research is performing an informal analysis for internal audit involving the application of complex information system based on fuzzy logic. The same has been applied in internal audit involving the integration of the accounting field into the information systems field. The technological advancements can provide improvements to the work performed by the internal audit. Thus we aim to find, in the complex information systems, priorities for the work of internal audit of a high importance Private Institution of Higher Education. The applied method is quali-quantitative, as from the definition of strategic linguistic variables it was possible to transform them into quantitative with the matrix intersection. By means of a case study, where data were collected via interview with the Administrative Pro-Rector, who takes part at the elaboration of the strategic planning of the institution, it was possible to infer analysis concerning points which must be prioritized at the internal audit work. We emphasize that the priorities were identified when processed in a system (of academic use). From the study we can conclude that, starting from these information systems, audit can identify priorities on its work program. Along with plans and strategic objectives of the enterprise, the internal auditor can define operational procedures to work in favor of the attainment of the objectives of the organization.

Micro-computer system for quantitative image analysis of damage microstructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kohyama, A.; Kohno, Y.; Satoh, K.; Igata, N.

1984-01-01

Quantitative image analysis of radiation induced damage microstructure is very important in evaluating material behaviors in radiation environment. But, quite a few improvement have been seen in quantitative analysis of damage microstructure in these decades. The objective of this work is to develop new system for quantitative image analysis of damage microstructure which could improve accuracy and efficiency of data sampling and processing and could enable to get new information about mutual relations among dislocations, precipitates, cavities, grain boundaries, etc. In this system, data sampling is done with X-Y digitizer. The cavity microstructure in dual-ion irradiated 316 SS is analyzed and the effectiveness of this system is discussed. (orig.)

Quantitative measures of walking and strength provide insight into brain corticospinal tract pathology in multiple sclerosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nora E Fritz

2017-01-01

Quantitative measures of strength and walking are associated with brain corticospinal tract pathology. The addition of these quantitative measures to basic clinical information explains more of the variance in corticospinal tract fractional anisotropy and magnetization transfer ratio than the basic clinical information alone. Outcome measurement for multiple sclerosis clinical trials has been notoriously challenging; the use of quantitative measures of strength and walking along with tract-specific imaging methods may improve our ability to monitor disease change over time, with intervention, and provide needed guidelines for developing more effective targeted rehabilitation strategies.

Separation and Quantitation of Polyamines in Plant Tissue by High Performance Liquid Chromatography of Their Dansyl Derivatives

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Mary A.; Davies, Peter J.

1985-01-01

High performance liquid chromatography in combination with fluorescence spectrophotometry can be used to separate and quantitate polyamines (putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine, spermine), prepared as their dansyl derivatives, from plant tissue. The procedure gives sensitive and consistent results for polyamine determinations in plant tissue. In a standard mixture, the minimal detection level was less than 1 picomole of polyamines. PMID:16664216

Quantitative security analysis for programs with low input and noisy output

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ngo, Minh Tri; Huisman, Marieke

Classical quantitative information flow analysis often considers a system as an information-theoretic channel, where private data are the only inputs and public data are the outputs. However, for systems where an attacker is able to influence the initial values of public data, these should also be

Melanoma screening: Informing public health policy with quantitative modelling.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephen Gilmore

Full Text Available Australia and New Zealand share the highest incidence rates of melanoma worldwide. Despite the substantial increase in public and physician awareness of melanoma in Australia over the last 30 years-as a result of the introduction of publicly funded mass media campaigns that began in the early 1980s -mortality has steadily increased during this period. This increased mortality has led investigators to question the relative merits of primary versus secondary prevention; that is, sensible sun exposure practices versus early detection. Increased melanoma vigilance on the part of the public and among physicians has resulted in large increases in public health expenditure, primarily from screening costs and increased rates of office surgery. Has this attempt at secondary prevention been effective? Unfortunately epidemiologic studies addressing the causal relationship between the level of secondary prevention and mortality are prohibitively difficult to implement-it is currently unknown whether increased melanoma surveillance reduces mortality, and if so, whether such an approach is cost-effective. Here I address the issue of secondary prevention of melanoma with respect to incidence and mortality (and cost per life saved by developing a Markov model of melanoma epidemiology based on Australian incidence and mortality data. The advantages of developing a methodology that can determine constraint-based surveillance outcomes are twofold: first, it can address the issue of effectiveness; and second, it can quantify the trade-off between cost and utilisation of medical resources on one hand, and reduced morbidity and lives saved on the other. With respect to melanoma, implementing the model facilitates the quantitative determination of the relative effectiveness and trade-offs associated with different levels of secondary and tertiary prevention, both retrospectively and prospectively. For example, I show that the surveillance enhancement that began in

REASON-GIVING IN COURT PRACTICE: THE EXAMPLE OF FRENCH IMMIGRATION LITIGATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mathilde Cohen, Columbia Law School-School of Law, Estados Unidos

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract: This Article examines the thesis according to which the practice of giving reasons for decisions is a central element of liberal democracies. In this view, public institutions’ practice—and sometimes duty—to give reasons is required so that each individual may view the state as reasonable and therefore, according to deliberative democratic theory, legitimate. Does the giving of reasons in actual court practice achieve these goals?  Drawing on empirical research carried out in a French administrative court, this Article argues that, in practice, reason-giving often falls either short of democracy or beyond democracy. Reasons fall short of democracy in the first case because they are transformed from a device designed to “protect” citizens from arbitrariness into a professional norm intended to “protect” the judges themselves and perhaps further their career goals. In the second case, reasons go beyond democracy because judges’ ambitions are much greater than to merely provide petitioners with a ground for understanding and criticizing the decision: they aim at positively—and paternalistically in some instances—guiding people’s conduct.  The discussion proceeds by drawing attention to social aspects that are often neglected in theoretical discussions on reason-giving. A skeptical conclusion is suggested: one can rarely guarantee that any predetermined value will be achieved by the giving of reasons. The degree to which individuals are empowered by the reasons given to them is dependent on the way in which decision-givers envision their reason-giving activity, and this representation is itself conditioned by the social setting of the court. Keywords: Arbitrariness. Reason-giving. Judges.

Information about radiation dose and risks in connection with radiological examinations: what patients would like to know

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ukkola, Leila; Oikarinen, Heljae; Haapea, Marianne; Tervonen, Osmo; Henner, Anja; Honkanen, Hilkka

2016-01-01

To find out patients' wishes for the content and sources of the information concerning radiological procedures. A questionnaire providing quantitative and qualitative data was prepared. It comprised general information, dose and risks of radiation, and source of information. Two tables demonstrating different options to indicate the dose or risks were also provided. Patients could give one or many votes. Altogether, 147 patients (18-85 years) were interviewed after different radiological examinations using these devices. 95 % (139/147) of the patients wished for dose and risk information. Symbols (78/182 votes) and verbal scale (56/182) were preferred to reveal the dose, while verbal (83/164) and numerical scale (55/164) on the risk of fatal cancer were preferred to indicate the risks. Wishes concerning the course, options and purpose of the examination were also expressed. Prescriber (3.9 on a scale 1-5), information letter (3.8) and radiographer (3.3) were the preferred sources. Patients aged 66-85 years were reluctant to choose electronic channels. Apart from general information, patients wish for dose and risk information in connection with radiological examinations. The majority preferred symbols to indicate dose and verbal scales to indicate risks, and the preferred source of information was the prescriber or information letter. (orig.)

HOW TO CALCULATE INFORMATION VALUE FOR EFFECTIVE SECURITY RISK ASSESSMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mario Sajko

2006-12-01

Full Text Available The actual problem of information security (infosec risk assessment is determining the value of information property or asset. This is particularly manifested through the use of quantitative methodology in which it is necessary to state the information value in quantitative sizes. The aim of this paper is to describe the evaluation possibilities of business information values, and the criteria needed for determining importance of information. For this purpose, the dimensions of information values will be determined and the ways used to present the importance of information contents will be studied. There are two basic approaches that can be used in evaluation: qualitative and quantitative. Often they are combined to determine forms of information content. The proposed criterion is the three-dimension model, which combines the existing experiences (i.e. possible solutions for information value assessment with our own criteria. An attempt for structuring information value in a business environment will be made as well.

Grids for Kids gives next-generation IT an early start

CERN Multimedia

2008-01-01

"Grids for Kids gives children a crash course in grid computing," explains co-organiser Anna Cook of the Enabling Grids for E-sciencE project. "We introduce them to concepts such as middleware, parallel processing and supercomputing, and give them opportunities for hands-on learning.

Performance Theories for Sentence Coding: Some Quantitative Models

Science.gov (United States)

Aaronson, Doris; And Others

1977-01-01

This study deals with the patterns of word-by-word reading times over a sentence when the subject must code the linguistic information sufficiently for immediate verbatim recall. A class of quantitative models is considered that would account for reading times at phrase breaks. (Author/RM)

Social Relations of Fieldwork: Giving Back in a Research Setting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clare Gupta

2014-07-01

Full Text Available The project of this special issue emerged from the guest editors' experiences as field researchers in sub-Saharan Africa. During this time both researchers faced the difficult question of "giving back" to the communities in which, and with whom, they worked—communities that were often far less privileged than the researchers were in terms of wealth, mobility, education, and access to health care. Returning from their field sites, both researchers felt a combination of guilt and frustration that they had not done enough or had not done things right. Thus emerged the idea of bringing together a group of researchers, from a range of disciplines, to discuss the topic of giving back in field research. This editorial describes the idea and process that led to the present collection of articles. The guest editors situate the project in the literature on feminist studies and briefly summarize each of the four thematic sections in this special issue. They conclude by emphasizing that their collection is not a guide to giving back. Rather than lay out hard and fast rules about what, how much, and to whom field researchers should give, their collection offers a series of examples and considerations for giving back in fieldwork.

Quantitation of TGF-beta1 mRNA in porcine mesangial cells by comparative kinetic RT/PCR: comparison with ribonuclease protection assay and in situ hybridization.

Science.gov (United States)

Ceol, M; Forino, M; Gambaro, G; Sauer, U; Schleicher, E D; D'Angelo, A; Anglani, F

2001-01-01

Gene expression can be examined with different techniques including ribonuclease protection assay (RPA), in situ hybridisation (ISH), and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT/PCR). These methods differ considerably in their sensitivity and precision in detecting and quantifying low abundance mRNA. Although there is evidence that RT/PCR can be performed in a quantitative manner, the quantitative capacity of this method is generally underestimated. To demonstrate that the comparative kinetic RT/PCR strategy-which uses a housekeeping gene as internal standard-is a quantitative method to detect significant differences in mRNA levels between different samples, the inhibitory effect of heparin on phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced-TGF-beta1 mRNA expression was evaluated by RT/PCR and RPA, the standard method of mRNA quantification, and the results were compared. The reproducibility of RT/PCR amplification was calculated by comparing the quantity of G3PDH and TGF-beta1 PCR products, generated during the exponential phases, estimated from two different RT/PCR (G3PDH, r = 0.968, P = 0.0000; TGF-beta1, r = 0.966, P = 0.0000). The quantitative capacity of comparative kinetic RT/PCR was demonstrated by comparing the results obtained from RPA and RT/PCR using linear regression analysis. Starting from the same RNA extraction, but using only 1% of the RNA for the RT/PCR compared to RPA, significant correlation was observed (r = 0.984, P = 0.0004). Moreover the morphometric analysis of ISH signal was applied for the semi-quantitative evaluation of the expression and localisation of TGF-beta1 mRNA in the entire cell population. Our results demonstrate the close similarity of the RT/PCR and RPA methods in giving quantitative information on mRNA expression and indicate the possibility to adopt the comparative kinetic RT/PCR as reliable quantitative method of mRNA analysis. Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Quantitative analysis of untreated human nails for monitoring human exposure to heavy metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sera, Koichiro; Futatsugawa, Shouji; Murao, Satoshi; Clemente, E.

2002-01-01

In order to address global environmental issues, a standard-free method developed by ourselves has been successfully applied to various kinds of bio-samples. Especially, a method for untreated hairs has been applied in many polluted areas to study human exposure to toxic elements. In addition to hair, nail is expected to give us valuable information about human exposure to toxic elements. However, the analysis requires relatively large amounts of samples and laborious sample preparation techniques which necessitate internal standards. In this work, we have developed a quantitative method for untreated human-nail analysis based on the standard-free method. It requires neither large amounts of nails nor complicated target preparation procedure. Furthermore, it is perfectly free from any ambiguity in target preparation such as volatilization of certain elements and contamination of the sample during chemical ashing. The optimum conditions of irradiating nail samples are established, and accuracy and reproducibility of the present method are confirmed. It is found that ultrasonic washing in distilled water is effective for many nail samples preventing the loss of elements from the sample. It is also found that elemental concentration in nails strongly depends on their sampling positions. (author)

Experimental study on quantitative evaluation of slow pulsatile flow of CSF with cine MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuda, Masao

1991-01-01

The present study was designed to evaluate the slow pulsatile flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) quantitatively with cine MRI in phantom experiment for the clinical application. The flow phantom was constructed from a plastic tube with a narrow channel to represent the central aqueduct. The phantom was filled with water to represent the CSF. The second tube filled with stationary water was positioned beside the flow phantom and acted as a control for no-flow signal strength. The ratio of signal intensity in regions of interest for the flow phantom and the control was measured. Not only the actual velocity curve of the flowing water through the phantom but also the temporal profile of signal intensity showed two main peaks with other small peaks in one cycle. This suggested a close relationship between signal intensity of cine MRI and flow velocity. A significant correlation between the signal intensity ratio and the velocity was obtained on cine MRI pulse sequences. Cine MRI was thus found to have the ability to give quantitative information about slow pulsatile flow. The most suitable pulse sequence was fast imaging with steady state free precession pulse sequence at the flip angle between 50 and 90 degrees. This preliminary study suggests that the slow pulsatile flow of CSF passing along the aqueduct can be visualized and measured. Thus, the sequence proposed has a potential for the investigation of normal and disturbed CSF circulation and the mapping of the flow pattern in different pathological conditions. (N.K.)

Microfluorometric mithramycin assay for quantitating the effects of immunotoxicants on lymphocyte activation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quattrone, A.J.; Ranney, D.F.

1981-01-01

A semiautomated, microfluorometric assay has been developed for the detection of toxicant-induced changes in lymphocyte DNA content at standard intervals after mitogen activation. DNA is quantitated by solubilizing the cells and determining the fluorescence enhancement that results from formation of the highly specific mithramycin:DNA adduct. The limit of detection is 0.21 μg (30,000 resting cell equivalents) per microliter well. Correlation with the less sensitive, nonautomatable, diphenylamine DNA assay give a correlation coefficient r = 0.91. Prototype substances representative of true immunotoxicants (prostaglandin E 2 ) and common interfering substances (thymidine at 14 M) have been tested. The latter substance produces false positive results in the standard [ 3 H] thymidine assay. The mithramycin assay does not inappropriately detect this interfering substance. It has the characteristics of a highly specific, accurate technique of screening and quantitating immunotoxic drugs, agents, and mediators in patient sera and other complex biological fluids

Brain microstructure mapping using quantitative and diffusion MRI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lebois, Alice

2014-01-01

This thesis is focused on the human brain microstructure mapping using quantitative and diffusion MRI. The T1/T2 quantitative imaging relies on sequences dedicated to the mapping of T1 and T2 relaxation times. Their variations within the tissue are linked to the presence of different water compartments defined by a specific organization of the tissue at the cell scale. Measuring these parameters can help, therefore, to better characterize the brain microstructure. The dMRI, on the other hand, explores the brownian motion of water molecules in the brain tissue, where the water molecules' movement is constrained by natural barriers, such as cell membranes. Thus, the information on their displacement carried by the dMRI signal gives access to the underlying cyto-architecture. Combination of these two modalities is, therefore, a promising way to probe the brain tissue microstructure. The main goal of the present thesis is to set up the methodology to study the microstructure of the white matter of the human brain in vivo. The first part includes the acquisition of a unique MRI database of 79 healthy subjects (the Archi/CONNECT), which includes anatomical high resolution data, relaxometry data, diffusion-weighted data at high spatio-angular resolution and functional data. This database has allowed us to build the first atlas of the anatomical connectivity of the healthy brain through the automatic segmentation of the major white matter bundles, providing an appropriate anatomical reference for the white matter to study individually the quantitative parameters along each fascicle, characterizing its microstructure organization. Emphasis was placed on the construction of the first atlas of the T1/T2 profiles along the major white matter pathways. The profiles of the T1 and T2 relaxation times were then correlated to the quantitative profiles computed from the diffusion MRI data (fractional anisotropy, radial and longitudinal diffusivities, apparent diffusion coefficient

Digital radiography: a quantitative approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Retraint, F.

2004-01-01

'Full-text:' In a radiograph the value of each pixel is related to the material thickness crossed by the x-rays. Using this relationship, an object can be characterized by parameters such as depth, surface and volume. Assuming a locally linear detector response and using a radiograph of reference object, the quantitative thickness map of object can be obtained by applying offset and gain corrections. However, for an acquisition system composed of cooled CCD camera optically coupled to a scintillator screen, the radiographic image formation process generates some bias which prevent from obtaining the quantitative information: non uniformity of the x-ray source, beam hardening, Compton scattering, scintillator screen, optical system response. In a first section, we propose a complete model of the radiographic image formation process taking account of these biases. In a second section, we present an inversion scheme of this model for a single material object, which enables to obtain the thickness map of the object crossed by the x-rays. (author)

Quantitative Digital Tomosynthesis Mammography for Improved Breast Cancer Detection and Diagnosis

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Zhang, Yiheng

2008-01-01

.... When fully developed, the DTM can provide radiologists improved quantitative, three-dimensional volumetric information of the breast tissue, and assist in breast cancer detection and diagnosis...

Quantitative inspection by computerized tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lopes, R.T.; Assis, J.T. de; Jesus, E.F.O. de

1989-01-01

The computerized Tomography (CT) is a method of nondestructive testing, that furnish quantitative information, that permit the detection and accurate localization of defects, internal dimension measurement, and, measurement and chart of the density distribution. The CT technology is much versatile, not presenting restriction in relation to form, size or composition of the object. A tomographic system, projected and constructed in our laboratory is presented. The applications and limitation of this system, illustrated by tomographyc images, are shown. (V.R.B.)

Information Quality of a Nursing Information System depends on the nurses: A combined quantitative and qualitative evaluation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Michel-Verkerke, M.B.

2012-01-01

Purpose Providing access to patient information is the key factor in nurses’ adoption of a Nursing Information System (NIS). In this study the requirements for information quality and the perceived quality of information are investigated. A teaching hospital in the Netherlands has developed a NIS as

Some exercises in quantitative NMR imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bakker, C.J.G.

1985-01-01

The articles represented in this thesis result from a series of investigations that evaluate the potential of NMR imaging as a quantitative research tool. In the first article the possible use of proton spin-lattice relaxation time T 1 in tissue characterization, tumor recognition and monitoring tissue response to radiotherapy is explored. The next article addresses the question whether water proton spin-lattice relaxation curves of biological tissues are adequately described by a single time constant T 1 , and analyzes the implications of multi-exponentiality for quantitative NMR imaging. In the third article the use of NMR imaging as a quantitative research tool is discussed on the basis of phantom experiments. The fourth article describes a method which enables unambiguous retrieval of sign information in a set of magnetic resonance images of the inversion recovery type. The next article shows how this method can be adapted to allow accurate calculation of T 1 pictures on a pixel-by-pixel basis. The sixth article, finally, describes a simulation procedure which enables a straightforward determination of NMR imaging pulse sequence parameters for optimal tissue contrast. (orig.)

A quantitative framework for estimating water resources in India

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Shankar, D.; Kotamraju, V.; Shetye, S.R

of information on the variables associated with hydrology, and second, the absence of an easily accessible quantitative framework to put these variables in perspective. In this paper, we discuss a framework that has been assembled to address both these issues...

Quantitative nanometer-scale mapping of dielectric tunability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tselev, Alexander [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Klein, Andreas [Technische Univ. Darmstadt (Germany); Gassmann, Juergen [Technische Univ. Darmstadt (Germany); Jesse, Stephen [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Li, Qian [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Kalinin, Sergei V. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Wisinger, Nina Balke [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2015-08-21

Two scanning probe microscopy techniques—near-field scanning microwave microscopy (SMM) and piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM)—are used to characterize and image tunability in a thin (Ba,Sr)TiO3 film with nanometer scale spatial resolution. While sMIM allows direct probing of tunability by measurement of the change in the dielectric constant, in PFM, tunability can be extracted via electrostrictive response. The near-field microwave imaging and PFM provide similar information about dielectric tunability with PFM capable to deliver quantitative information on tunability with a higher spatial resolution close to 15 nm. This is the first time that information about the dielectric tunability is available on such length scales.

Quantitative multimodality imaging in cancer research and therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Yankeelov, Thomas E; Abramson, Richard G; Quarles, C Chad

2014-11-01

Advances in hardware and software have enabled the realization of clinically feasible, quantitative multimodality imaging of tissue pathophysiology. Earlier efforts relating to multimodality imaging of cancer have focused on the integration of anatomical and functional characteristics, such as PET-CT and single-photon emission CT (SPECT-CT), whereas more-recent advances and applications have involved the integration of multiple quantitative, functional measurements (for example, multiple PET tracers, varied MRI contrast mechanisms, and PET-MRI), thereby providing a more-comprehensive characterization of the tumour phenotype. The enormous amount of complementary quantitative data generated by such studies is beginning to offer unique insights into opportunities to optimize care for individual patients. Although important technical optimization and improved biological interpretation of multimodality imaging findings are needed, this approach can already be applied informatively in clinical trials of cancer therapeutics using existing tools. These concepts are discussed herein.

Information Literacy Follow-Through: Enhancing Preservice Teachers' Information Evaluation Skills through Formative Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Seely, Sara Robertson; Fry, Sara Winstead; Ruppel, Margie

2011-01-01

An investigation into preservice teachers' information evaluation skills at a large university suggests that formative assessment can improve student achievement. Preservice teachers were asked to apply information evaluation skills in the areas of currency, relevancy, authority, accuracy, and purpose. The study used quantitative methods to assess…

Quantitative analysis of immobilized penicillinase using enzyme-modified AlGaN/GaN field-effect transistors.

Science.gov (United States)

Müntze, Gesche Mareike; Baur, Barbara; Schäfer, Wladimir; Sasse, Alexander; Howgate, John; Röth, Kai; Eickhoff, Martin

2015-02-15

Penicillinase-modified AlGaN/GaN field-effect transistors (PenFETs) are utilized to systematically investigate the covalently immobilized enzyme penicillinase under different experimental conditions. We demonstrate quantitative evaluation of covalently immobilized penicillinase layers on pH-sensitive field-effect transistors (FETs) using an analytical kinetic PenFET model. This kinetic model is explicitly suited for devices with thin enzyme layers that are not diffusion-limited, as it is the case for the PenFETs discussed here. By means of the kinetic model it was possible to extract the Michaelis constant of covalently immobilized penicillinase as well as relative transport coefficients of the different species associated with the enzymatic reaction which, exempli gratia, give information about the permeability of the enzymatic layer. Based on this analysis we quantify the reproducibility and the stability of the analyzed PenFETs over the course of 33 days as well as the influence of pH and buffer concentration on the properties of the enzymatic layer. Thereby the stability measurements reveal a Michalis constant KM of (67 ± 13)μM while the chronological development of the relative transport coefficients suggests a detachment of physisorbed penicillinase during the first two weeks since production. Our results show that AlGaN/GaN PenFETs prepared by covalent immobilization of a penicillinase enzyme layer present a powerful tool for quantitative analysis of enzyme functionality. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantitative verification of ab initio self-consistent laser theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Ge, Li; Tandy, Robert J; Stone, A D; Türeci, Hakan E

2008-10-13

We generalize and test the recent "ab initio" self-consistent (AISC) time-independent semiclassical laser theory. This self-consistent formalism generates all the stationary lasing properties in the multimode regime (frequencies, thresholds, internal and external fields, output power and emission pattern) from simple inputs: the dielectric function of the passive cavity, the atomic transition frequency, and the transverse relaxation time of the lasing transition.We find that the theory gives excellent quantitative agreement with full time-dependent simulations of the Maxwell-Bloch equations after it has been generalized to drop the slowly-varying envelope approximation. The theory is infinite order in the non-linear hole-burning interaction; the widely used third order approximation is shown to fail badly.

Heterogeneity mapping of protein expression in tumors using quantitative immunofluorescence.

Science.gov (United States)

Faratian, Dana; Christiansen, Jason; Gustavson, Mark; Jones, Christine; Scott, Christopher; Um, InHwa; Harrison, David J

2011-10-25

Morphologic heterogeneity within an individual tumor is well-recognized by histopathologists in surgical practice. While this often takes the form of areas of distinct differentiation into recognized histological subtypes, or different pathological grade, often there are more subtle differences in phenotype which defy accurate classification (Figure 1). Ultimately, since morphology is dictated by the underlying molecular phenotype, areas with visible differences are likely to be accompanied by differences in the expression of proteins which orchestrate cellular function and behavior, and therefore, appearance. The significance of visible and invisible (molecular) heterogeneity for prognosis is unknown, but recent evidence suggests that, at least at the genetic level, heterogeneity exists in the primary tumor(1,2), and some of these sub-clones give rise to metastatic (and therefore lethal) disease. Moreover, some proteins are measured as biomarkers because they are the targets of therapy (for instance ER and HER2 for tamoxifen and trastuzumab (Herceptin), respectively). If these proteins show variable expression within a tumor then therapeutic responses may also be variable. The widely used histopathologic scoring schemes for immunohistochemistry either ignore, or numerically homogenize the quantification of protein expression. Similarly, in destructive techniques, where the tumor samples are homogenized (such as gene expression profiling), quantitative information can be elucidated, but spatial information is lost. Genetic heterogeneity mapping approaches in pancreatic cancer have relied either on generation of a single cell suspension(3), or on macrodissection(4). A recent study has used quantum dots in order to map morphologic and molecular heterogeneity in prostate cancer tissue(5), providing proof of principle that morphology and molecular mapping is feasible, but falling short of quantifying the heterogeneity. Since immunohistochemistry is, at best, only semi-quantitative

Qualitative and quantitative measurement of human brain activity using pixel subtraction algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jin Myoung; Jeong, Gwang Woo; Kim, Hyung Joong; Cho, Seong Hoon; Kang, Heoung Keun; Seo, Jeong Jin; Park, Seung Jin

2004-01-01

To develop an automated quantification program, which is called FALBA (Functional and Anatomical Labeling of Brain Activation), and to provide information on the brain centers, brain activity (%) and hemispheric lateralization index on the basis of a brain activation map obtained from functional MR imaging. The 3-dimensional activation MR images were processed by a statistical parametric mapping program (SPM99, The Wellcome Department of Cognitive Neurology, University College London, UK) and MRIcro software (www.micro.com). The 3-dimensional images were first converted into 2-dimensional sectional images, and then overlapped with the corresponding T1-weighted images. Then, the image dataset was extended to -59 mm to 83 mm with a 2 mm slice-gap, giving 73 axial images. By using a pixeI subtraction method, the differences in the R, G, B values between the T1-weighted images and the activation images were extracted, in order to produce black and white (B/W) differentiation images, in which each pixel is represented by 24-bit R, G, B true colors. Subsequently, another pixel differentiation method was applied to two template images, namely one functional and one anatomical index image, in order to generate functional and anatomical differentiation images containing regional brain activation information based on the Brodmann's and anatomical areas, respectively. In addition, the regional brain lateralization indices were automatically determined, in order to evaluate the hemispheric predominance, with the positive (+) and negative (-) indices showing left and right predominance, respectively. The manual counting method currently used is time consuming and has limited accuracy and reliability in the case of the activated cerebrocortical regions. The FALBA program we developed was 240 times faster than the manual counting method: -10 hours for manual accounting and -2.5 minutes for the FALBA program using a Pentium IV processor. Compared with the FALBA program, the manual

Qualitative and quantitative measurement of human brain activity using pixel subtraction algorithm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jin Myoung; Jeong, Gwang Woo; Kim, Hyung Joong; Cho, Seong Hoon; Kang, Heoung Keun; Seo, Jeong Jin; Park, Seung Jin [School of Medicine, Chonnam National Univ., Kwangju (Korea, Republic of)

2004-08-01

To develop an automated quantification program, which is called FALBA (Functional and Anatomical Labeling of Brain Activation), and to provide information on the brain centers, brain activity (%) and hemispheric lateralization index on the basis of a brain activation map obtained from functional MR imaging. The 3-dimensional activation MR images were processed by a statistical parametric mapping program (SPM99, The Wellcome Department of Cognitive Neurology, University College London, UK) and MRIcro software (www.micro.com). The 3-dimensional images were first converted into 2-dimensional sectional images, and then overlapped with the corresponding T1-weighted images. Then, the image dataset was extended to -59 mm to 83 mm with a 2 mm slice-gap, giving 73 axial images. By using a pixeI subtraction method, the differences in the R, G, B values between the T1-weighted images and the activation images were extracted, in order to produce black and white (B/W) differentiation images, in which each pixel is represented by 24-bit R, G, B true colors. Subsequently, another pixel differentiation method was applied to two template images, namely one functional and one anatomical index image, in order to generate functional and anatomical differentiation images containing regional brain activation information based on the Brodmann's and anatomical areas, respectively. In addition, the regional brain lateralization indices were automatically determined, in order to evaluate the hemispheric predominance, with the positive (+) and negative (-) indices showing left and right predominance, respectively. The manual counting method currently used is time consuming and has limited accuracy and reliability in the case of the activated cerebrocortical regions. The FALBA program we developed was 240 times faster than the manual counting method: -10 hours for manual accounting and -2.5 minutes for the FALBA program using a Pentium IV processor. Compared with the FALBA program, the

Quantitative Market Research Regarding Funding of District 8 Construction Projects

Science.gov (United States)

1995-05-01

The primary objective of this quantitative research is to provide information : for more effective decision making regarding the level of investment in various : transportation systems in District 8. : This objective was accomplished by establishing ...

The Readability of Electronic Cigarette Health Information and Advice: A Quantitative Analysis of Web-Based Information.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Albert; Zhu, Shu-Hong; Conway, Mike

2017-01-06

The popularity and use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) has increased across all demographic groups in recent years. However, little is currently known about the readability of health information and advice aimed at the general public regarding the use of e-cigarettes. The objective of our study was to examine the readability of publicly available health information as well as advice on e-cigarettes. We compared information and advice available from US government agencies, nongovernment organizations, English speaking government agencies outside the United States, and for-profit entities. A systematic search for health information and advice on e-cigarettes was conducted using search engines. We manually verified search results and converted to plain text for analysis. We then assessed readability of the collected documents using 4 readability metrics followed by pairwise comparisons of groups with adjustment for multiple comparisons. A total of 54 documents were collected for this study. All 4 readability metrics indicate that all information and advice on e-cigarette use is written at a level higher than that recommended for the general public by National Institutes of Health (NIH) communication guidelines. However, health information and advice written by for-profit entities, many of which were promoting e-cigarettes, were significantly easier to read. A substantial proportion of potential and current e-cigarette users are likely to have difficulty in fully comprehending Web-based health information regarding e-cigarettes, potentially hindering effective health-seeking behaviors. To comply with NIH communication guidelines, government entities and nongovernment organizations would benefit from improving the readability of e-cigarettes information and advice. ©Albert Park, Shu-Hong Zhu, Mike Conway. Originally published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance (http://publichealth.jmir.org), 06.01.2017.

Charity Begins At Home: How Socialization Experiences Influence Giving and Volunteering

OpenAIRE

Bekkers, R.H.F.P.

2005-01-01

This paper shows that charity begins at home. Using retrospective reports on youth experiences from the Giving in the Netherlands Panel Survey (n=1,964, 2001) I find that (1) parents who volunteer when their children are young promote giving and volunteering of their children once they have become adults; (2) the intensity of youth participation in nonprofit organizations is positively related to current giving and volunteering; (3) that parental volunteering and youth participation promote c...

An interview study of Gift-giving in China at New Year

OpenAIRE

Zhang, Shuo

2007-01-01

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine to what a extent the Chinese culture including the custom during Chinese New Year, reciprocity, face and Guanxi has influence on gift-giving among Chinese people and how these factors affect the behavior of gift-giving during Chinese New Year using qualitative research method with in-depth interview and limited observation. This dissertation stemmed from the observations of gift-giving in Bejing institute of geological engineering (BIGE) in...

14 CFR 382.119 - What information must carriers give individuals with vision or hearing impairment on aircraft?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... paragraph (b) of this section, to the extent that it does not interfere with crewmembers' safety duties as... limited to the following: information concerning flight safety, procedures for takeoff and landing, flight... flight's destination, beverage and menu information, connecting gate assignments, baggage claim...

Quantitative sputter profiling at surfaces and interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirschner, J.; Etzkorn, H.W.

1981-01-01

The key problem in quantitative sputter profiling, that of a sliding depth scale has been solved by combined Auger/X-ray microanalysis. By means of this technique and for the model system Ge/Si (amorphous) the following questions are treated quantitatively: shape of the sputter profiles when sputtering through an interface and origin of their asymmetry; precise location of the interface plane on the depth profile; broadening effects due to limited depth of information and their correction; origin and amount of bombardment induced broadening for different primary ions and energies; depth dependence of the broadening, and basic limits to depth resolution. Comparisons are made to recent theoretical calculations based on recoil mixing in the collision cascade and very good agreement is found

APPROACHES TO DATA ACQUISITION AND ON-LINE INFORMATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mihail Dumitru SACALĂ

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Thanks to the Internet, „high-quality” information is now easier and quicker to obtain than ever before. However, the Internet investing environment fosters overconfidence. As you acquire more information, your confidence in your ability to predict the future rises far faster than your true ability. Online investors have access to vast quantities of data, but information is not knowledge or wisdom. In fact, having loads of data gives you the illusion of knowledge and thus control. Ultimately, this data may give you a false confidence that you can pick stocks.

Number of warning information sources and decision making during tornadoes.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Jianjun; Cong, Zhen; Liang, Daan

2015-03-01

Taking proper protective action upon receiving tornado warnings is critical to reducing casualties. With more warning information sources becoming available, how the number of such information sources affects decision making should be quantitatively investigated. To examine how the number of warning information sources affected individuals' decisions to take protective action during tornadoes. A telephone survey using random sampling was conducted in 2012 with residents in Tuscaloosa AL and Joplin MO, resulting in a working sample of 782 respondents. Both cities were struck by violent tornadoes (Enhanced Fujita Scale [EF]4 and EF5) in 2011. The analysis was conducted in 2013. Logistic regression analysis showed that relative to having only one warning information source, having two and three or more warning information sources significantly increased the odds of taking protective action in Joplin but not in Tuscaloosa; having three or more sources had a significantly stronger effect on taking protective action in Joplin than in Tuscaloosa. Having an emergency preparation plan in both cities and being white in Tuscaloosa significantly increased the odds of taking protective action, whereas being divorced in Joplin reduced these odds. Receiving warnings from more warning information sources might be more beneficial in places with less previous exposure to tornadoes and for populations with lower awareness of a potential tornado and higher probability of receiving no warnings. Emergency management agencies and public health officials should give priority to these places and populations when formulating disaster mitigation decisions and policies. Copyright © 2015 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Students Can Give Psychology Away: Oral Presentations on YouTube

Science.gov (United States)

Malouff, John M.; Emmerton, Ashley J.

2014-01-01

This article describes a novel assignment involving students giving a presentation on YouTube about how to apply behavior-modification principles to change a specific type of behavior, chosen by each student. The presentations covered topics such as how to end nail biting and how to reduce anxiety about public speaking. Giving an oral presentation…

QUANTITATIVE INDICATORS OF THE SECURITIZATION OF ASSETS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Denis VOSTRICOV

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Securitization is instrumental in return on capital increment through the withdrawal from the balance oflending activities being accompanied by off-balance incomes flow from fees, which are less capital-intensive. Thepurpose of this paper is to analyze the quantitative indicators characterizing the securitization of assets. For draftingthis article, the method of analysis, synthesis method, logic and dialectic method, normative method, the study ofstatistical sampling and time series of expert evaluations (Standard and Poor’s, personal observations, andmonographic studies have been used. The main difference between the securitization of assets from traditional waysof financing is related to the achievement of a plenty of secondary goals in attracting financial resources, whichcan play a significant role in choosing to favour the securitization of assets or other types of financing. Inparticular, it gives a possibility to write off the assets from the balance sheet along with the relevant obligationsunder the securities, to expand the range of potential investors accompanied by the reducing of credit risk, interestrate and liquidity risk, as well as to improve the management quality of assets, liabilities and risks. All of thesesecondary effects are achieved by the isolation of selected assets from the total credit risk of the enterprise, raisingits funds, which forms the pivotal actuality and significance of asset securitization. The article containsdemonstrations of quantitative and qualitative indicators characterizing the securitization of assets.

A quantitative calculation for software reliability evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Young-Jun; Lee, Jang-Soo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

To meet these regulatory requirements, the software used in the nuclear safety field has been ensured through the development, validation, safety analysis, and quality assurance activities throughout the entire process life cycle from the planning phase to the installation phase. A variety of activities, such as the quality assurance activities are also required to improve the quality of a software. However, there are limitations to ensure that the quality is improved enough. Therefore, the effort to calculate the reliability of the software continues for a quantitative evaluation instead of a qualitative evaluation. In this paper, we propose a quantitative calculation method for the software to be used for a specific operation of the digital controller in an NPP. After injecting random faults in the internal space of a developed controller and calculating the ability to detect the injected faults using diagnostic software, we can evaluate the software reliability of a digital controller in an NPP. We tried to calculate the software reliability of the controller in an NPP using a new method that differs from a traditional method. It calculates the fault detection coverage after injecting the faults into the software memory space rather than the activity through the life cycle process. We attempt differentiation by creating a new definition of the fault, imitating the software fault using the hardware, and giving a consideration and weights for injection faults.

Quantum systems, channels, information. A mathematical introduction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holevo, Alexander S.

2012-07-01

The subject of this book is theory of quantum system presented from information science perspective. The central role is played by the concept of quantum channel and its entropic and information characteristics. Quantum information theory gives a key to understanding elusive phenomena of quantum world and provides a background for development of experimental techniques that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems. This is important for the new efficient applications such as quantum computing, communication and cryptography. Research in the field of quantum informatics, including quantum information theory, is in progress in leading scientific centers throughout the world. This book gives an accessible, albeit mathematically rigorous and self-contained introduction to quantum information theory, starting from primary structures and leading to fundamental results and to exiting open problems.

An empirical Bayes method for updating inferences in analysis of quantitative trait loci using information from related genome scans.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Kui; Wiener, Howard; Beasley, Mark; George, Varghese; Amos, Christopher I; Allison, David B

2006-08-01

Individual genome scans for quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping often suffer from low statistical power and imprecise estimates of QTL location and effect. This lack of precision yields large confidence intervals for QTL location, which are problematic for subsequent fine mapping and positional cloning. In prioritizing areas for follow-up after an initial genome scan and in evaluating the credibility of apparent linkage signals, investigators typically examine the results of other genome scans of the same phenotype and informally update their beliefs about which linkage signals in their scan most merit confidence and follow-up via a subjective-intuitive integration approach. A method that acknowledges the wisdom of this general paradigm but formally borrows information from other scans to increase confidence in objectivity would be a benefit. We developed an empirical Bayes analytic method to integrate information from multiple genome scans. The linkage statistic obtained from a single genome scan study is updated by incorporating statistics from other genome scans as prior information. This technique does not require that all studies have an identical marker map or a common estimated QTL effect. The updated linkage statistic can then be used for the estimation of QTL location and effect. We evaluate the performance of our method by using extensive simulations based on actual marker spacing and allele frequencies from available data. Results indicate that the empirical Bayes method can account for between-study heterogeneity, estimate the QTL location and effect more precisely, and provide narrower confidence intervals than results from any single individual study. We also compared the empirical Bayes method with a method originally developed for meta-analysis (a closely related but distinct purpose). In the face of marked heterogeneity among studies, the empirical Bayes method outperforms the comparator.

SDAR 1.0 a New Quantitative Toolkit for Analyze Stratigraphic Data

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz, John; Moreno, Carlos; Cardenas, Andres; Jaramillo, Carlos

2015-04-01

Since the foundation of stratigraphy geoscientists have recognized that data obtained from stratigraphic columns (SC), two dimensional schemes recording descriptions of both geological and paleontological features (e.g., thickness of rock packages, grain size, fossil and lithological components, and sedimentary structures), are key elements for establishing reliable hypotheses about the distribution in space and time of rock sequences, and ancient sedimentary environmental and paleobiological dynamics. Despite the tremendous advances on the way geoscientists store, plot, and quantitatively analyze sedimentological and paleontological data (e.g., Macrostrat [http://www.macrostrat.org/], Paleobiology Database [http://www.paleodb.org/], respectively), there is still a lack of computational methodologies designed to quantitatively examine data from a highly detailed SCs. Moreover, frequently the stratigraphic information is plotted "manually" using vector graphics editors (e.g., Corel Draw, Illustrator), however, this information although store on a digital format, cannot be used readily for any quantitative analysis. Therefore, any attempt to examine the stratigraphic data in an analytical fashion necessarily takes further steps. Given these issues, we have developed the sofware 'Stratigraphic Data Analysis in R' (SDAR), which stores in a database all sedimentological, stratigraphic, and paleontological information collected from a SC, allowing users to generate high-quality graphic plots (including one or multiple features stored in the database). SDAR also encompasses quantitative analyses helping users to quantify stratigraphic information (e.g. grain size, sorting and rounding, proportion of sand/shale). Finally, given that the SDAR analysis module, has been written in the open-source high-level computer language "R graphics/statistics language" [R Development Core Team, 2014], it is already loaded with many of the crucial features required to accomplish basic and

Automated Spatial Brain Normalization and Hindbrain White Matter Reference Tissue Give Improved [(18)F]-Florbetaben PET Quantitation in Alzheimer's Model Mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Overhoff, Felix; Brendel, Matthias; Jaworska, Anna; Korzhova, Viktoria; Delker, Andreas; Probst, Federico; Focke, Carola; Gildehaus, Franz-Josef; Carlsen, Janette; Baumann, Karlheinz; Haass, Christian; Bartenstein, Peter; Herms, Jochen; Rominger, Axel

2016-01-01

Preclinical PET studies of β-amyloid (Aβ) accumulation are of growing importance, but comparisons between research sites require standardized and optimized methods for quantitation. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate systematically the (1) impact of an automated algorithm for spatial brain normalization, and (2) intensity scaling methods of different reference regions for Aβ-PET in a large dataset of transgenic mice. PS2APP mice in a 6 week longitudinal setting (N = 37) and another set of PS2APP mice at a histologically assessed narrow range of Aβ burden (N = 40) were investigated by [(18)F]-florbetaben PET. Manual spatial normalization by three readers at different training levels was performed prior to application of an automated brain spatial normalization and inter-reader agreement was assessed by Fleiss Kappa (κ). For this method the impact of templates at different pathology stages was investigated. Four different reference regions on brain uptake normalization were used to calculate frontal cortical standardized uptake value ratios (SUVRCTX∕REF), relative to raw SUVCTX. Results were compared on the basis of longitudinal stability (Cohen's d), and in reference to gold standard histopathological quantitation (Pearson's R). Application of an automated brain spatial normalization resulted in nearly perfect agreement (all κ≥0.99) between different readers, with constant or improved correlation with histology. Templates based on inappropriate pathology stage resulted in up to 2.9% systematic bias for SUVRCTX∕REF. All SUVRCTX∕REF methods performed better than SUVCTX both with regard to longitudinal stability (d≥1.21 vs. d = 0.23) and histological gold standard agreement (R≥0.66 vs. R≥0.31). Voxel-wise analysis suggested a physiologically implausible longitudinal decrease by global mean scaling. The hindbrain white matter reference (R mean = 0.75) was slightly superior to the brainstem (R mean = 0.74) and the cerebellum (R mean = 0.73). Automated

How to give a good talk.

Science.gov (United States)

Alon, Uri

2009-10-23

We depend on talks to communicate our work, and we spend much of our time as audience members in talks. However, few scientists are taught the well-established principles of giving good talks. Here, I describe how to prepare, present, and answer questions in a scientific talk. We will see how a talk prepared with a single premise and delivered with good eye contact is clear and enjoyable.

Quantitative SRXRF analysis on the BL15U1 beamline at SSRF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Yanle; Yu Xiaohan

2010-01-01

In this paper, we give an introduction first to two quantification methods for synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence analysis (SRXRF), namely fundamental parameters method and Monte-Carlo simulation method, for their application on the BL15U1 beamline (hard X-ray microprobe) at SSRF (Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility). Effectiveness of the two methods is demonstrated and the XRF detection limits of the BL15U1 beamline are calculated. The results show that, quantitative analysis at the ppm level can be done using the two methods, with an accuracy of better than 10%. Although both the methods are valid for the SRXRF data analysis,the Monte Carlo method gives better analysis result, as it compares the simulated spectrum with the experiment spectrum, and this helps the determination of experiment parameters and thus minimizes the error caused by incorrect parameters. Finally, the detection limits shows that the BL15U1 beamline is capable of carrying out standard-of-the-art XRF experiment. (authors)

Informed Food Choice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Coff, Christian

2014-01-01

of informed food choice. An informed food choice is an enlightened food choice made by the individual based on the information made available. Food choices are made when shopping for food or when eating/drinking, and information is believed to give clarity to the options by increasing market transparency......Food production and consumption influence health, the environment, social structures, etc. For this reason consumers are increasingly interested in information about these effects. Disclosure of information about the consequences of food production and consumption is essential for the idea......, supporting rationality (the best choice), consumers’ self-governance (autonomy) and life coherence (integrity). On a practical level, informed food choice remains an ideal to strive for, as information on food often is inadequate....

76 FR 12960 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-09

... population to which generalizations will be made, the sampling frame, the sample design (including... for submission for other generic mechanisms that are designed to yield quantitative results. The... generic clearance for qualitative information will not be used for quantitative information collections...

Metric-adjusted skew information

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liang, Cai; Hansen, Frank

2010-01-01

on a bipartite system and proved superadditivity of the Wigner-Yanase-Dyson skew informations for such states. We extend this result to the general metric-adjusted skew information. We finally show that a recently introduced extension to parameter values 1 ...We give a truly elementary proof of the convexity of metric-adjusted skew information following an idea of Effros. We extend earlier results of weak forms of superadditivity to general metric-adjusted skew information. Recently, Luo and Zhang introduced the notion of semi-quantum states...... of (unbounded) metric-adjusted skew information....

Quantitative X-ray fluorescence analysis at the ESRF ID18F microprobe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vekemans, B.; Vincze, L.; Somogyi, A.; Drakopoulos, M.; Kempenaers, L.; Simionovici, A.; Adams, F.

2003-01-01

The new ID18F end-station at the European synchrotron radiation facility (ESRF) in Grenoble (France) is dedicated to sensitive and accurate quantitative micro-X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis at the ppm level with accuracy better than 10% for elements with atomic numbers above 18. For accurate quantitative analysis, given a high level of instrumental stability, major steps are the extraction and conversion of experimental X-ray line intensities into elemental concentrations. For this purpose a two-step quantification approach was adopted. In the first step, the collected XRF spectra are deconvoluted on the basis of a non-linear least-squares fitting algorithm (AXIL). The extracted characteristic line intensities are then used as input for a detailed Monte Carlo (MC) simulation code dedicated to XRF spectroscopy taking into account specific experimental conditions (excitation/detection) as well as sample characteristics (absorption and enhancement effects, sample topology, heterogeneity etc.). The iterative use of the MC code gives a 'no-compromise' solution for the quantification problem

Quantitative X-ray fluorescence analysis at the ESRF ID18F microprobe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vekemans, B. E-mail: vekemans@uia.ua.ac.be; Vincze, L.; Somogyi, A.; Drakopoulos, M.; Kempenaers, L.; Simionovici, A.; Adams, F

2003-01-01

The new ID18F end-station at the European synchrotron radiation facility (ESRF) in Grenoble (France) is dedicated to sensitive and accurate quantitative micro-X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis at the ppm level with accuracy better than 10% for elements with atomic numbers above 18. For accurate quantitative analysis, given a high level of instrumental stability, major steps are the extraction and conversion of experimental X-ray line intensities into elemental concentrations. For this purpose a two-step quantification approach was adopted. In the first step, the collected XRF spectra are deconvoluted on the basis of a non-linear least-squares fitting algorithm (AXIL). The extracted characteristic line intensities are then used as input for a detailed Monte Carlo (MC) simulation code dedicated to XRF spectroscopy taking into account specific experimental conditions (excitation/detection) as well as sample characteristics (absorption and enhancement effects, sample topology, heterogeneity etc.). The iterative use of the MC code gives a 'no-compromise' solution for the quantification problem.

Quantitative Phase-Field Approach for Simulating Grain Growth in Anisotropic Systems with Arbitrary Inclination and Misorientation Dependence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moelans, N.; Blanpain, B.; Wollants, P.

2008-01-01

A phase-field approach for quantitative simulations of grain growth in anisotropic systems is introduced, together with a new methodology to derive appropriate model parameters that reproduce given misorientation and inclination dependent grain boundary energy and mobility in the simulations. The proposed model formulation and parameter choice guarantee a constant diffuse interface width and consequently give high controllability of the accuracy in grain growth simulations

Quantitative assessment of information load on control room operator in emergency situations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Filshtein, E.L.

1986-01-01

The information processing by the operator in reading-from-display mode is addressed with the following conclusions: 1) The information measure which is needed should be translatable into the time requirements and as such, should reflect the peculiarities associated with mental information processing abilities. 2) The Information Processing Unit (IPU) is introduced as a measure that reflects the peculiarities and, therefore, is better than the Information Entropy unit (H) for the problem under consideration. 3) All the messages that the operator might encounter are classified as belonging to one of three types, and the amount of processing information is quantified in the Information Processing Units (IPU). 4) A pilot study has been conducted to verify underlined assumptions and to evaluate the rate of information processing in reading-from-display mode

Processes give selection location like fundamental approach gives the security for the repositories radioactive waste (radioactive installation) in Cuba

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peralta Vidal, J.L.; Gil Castillo, R.O.; Chales Suarez, G.; Rodriguez Reyes, A.

1998-01-01

On the base for the best international practice, the requirements given by the IAEA, specialized national experience, the technician economic conditions and social matters give Cuba, it has been documented in the country the process the documented location for evacuation and storage the worn-out fuel lingeringly

Can False Advertising Give Rise to Antitrust Liability?

OpenAIRE

Christopher Cole

2014-01-01

With the Retractable Technologies case, is the theory that false advertising can give rise to violations of the Sherman Act, while rarely invoked, gaining traction? Christopher A. Cole (Crowell & Moring)

Contextual Bandits for Information Retrieval

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hofmann, K.; Whiteson, S.; de Rijke, M.

2011-01-01

In this paper we give an overview of and outlook on research at the intersection of information retrieval (IR) and contextual bandit problems. A critical problem in information retrieval is online learning to rank, where a search engine strives to improve the quality of the ranked result lists it

Total quantitative recording of elemental maps and spectra with a scanning microprobe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Legge, G.J.F.; Hammond, I.

1979-01-01

A system of data recording and analysis has been developed by means of which simultaneously all data from a scanning instrument such as a microprobe can be quantitatively recorded and permanently stored, including spectral outputs from several detectors. Only one scanning operation is required on the specimen. Analysis is then performed on the stored data, which contain quantitative information on distributions of all elements and spectra of all regions

Information theory in analytical chemistry

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Eckschlager, Karel; Danzer, Klaus

1994-01-01

Contents: The aim of analytical chemistry - Basic concepts of information theory - Identification of components - Qualitative analysis - Quantitative analysis - Multicomponent analysis - Optimum analytical...

19 CFR 111.32 - False information.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false False information. 111.32 Section 111.32 Customs... CUSTOMS BROKERS Duties and Responsibilities of Customs Brokers § 111.32 False information. A broker must... procure the giving of, any false or misleading information or testimony in any matter pending before the...

Markel senior vice president to give Wachovia Lecture

OpenAIRE

Ho, Sookhan

2008-01-01

Markel Corporation's senior vice president and chief financial officer Richard R. Whitt will give a talk on Thursday, Nov. 13, as the Wachovia Distinguished Speaker in the Pamplin College of Business.

Quantitative trait loci and metabolic pathways

Science.gov (United States)

McMullen, M. D.; Byrne, P. F.; Snook, M. E.; Wiseman, B. R.; Lee, E. A.; Widstrom, N. W.; Coe, E. H.

1998-01-01

The interpretation of quantitative trait locus (QTL) studies is limited by the lack of information on metabolic pathways leading to most economic traits. Inferences about the roles of the underlying genes with a pathway or the nature of their interaction with other loci are generally not possible. An exception is resistance to the corn earworm Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) in maize (Zea mays L.) because of maysin, a C-glycosyl flavone synthesized in silks via a branch of the well characterized flavonoid pathway. Our results using flavone synthesis as a model QTL system indicate: (i) the importance of regulatory loci as QTLs, (ii) the importance of interconnecting biochemical pathways on product levels, (iii) evidence for “channeling” of intermediates, allowing independent synthesis of related compounds, (iv) the utility of QTL analysis in clarifying the role of specific genes in a biochemical pathway, and (v) identification of a previously unknown locus on chromosome 9S affecting flavone level. A greater understanding of the genetic basis of maysin synthesis and associated corn earworm resistance should lead to improved breeding strategies. More broadly, the insights gained in relating a defined genetic and biochemical pathway affecting a quantitative trait should enhance interpretation of the biological basis of variation for other quantitative traits. PMID:9482823

When breastfeeding is unsuccessful--mothers' experiences after giving up breastfeeding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Jette Schilling; Kronborg, Hanne

2013-01-01

by meaning condensation. The mothers experienced that giving up breastfeeding was a crucial but necessary decision for the child’s health and well-being. They tried to “be on the side of the angels” by caring for and bonding with the child. The mothers were divided between expressing milk or formula feeding...... that mothers who have to give up breastfeeding need special attention and support....

Quantitation: clinical applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Britton, K.E.

1982-01-01

Single photon emission tomography may be used quantitatively if its limitations are recognized and quantitation is made in relation to some reference area on the image. Relative quantitation is discussed in outline in relation to the liver, brain and pituitary, thyroid, adrenals, and heart. (U.K.)

A Study of Cognitive Load for Enhancing Student’s Quantitative Literacy in Inquiry Lab Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Nuraeni, E.; Rahman, T.; Alifiani, D. P.; Khoerunnisa, R. S.

2017-09-01

Students often find it difficult to appreciate the relevance of the role of quantitative analysis and concept attainment in the science class. This study measured student cognitive load during the inquiry lab of the respiratory system to improve quantitative literacy. Participants in this study were 40 11th graders from senior high school in Indonesia. After students learned, their feelings about the degree of mental effort that it took to complete the learning tasks were measured by 28 self-report on a 4-point Likert scale. The Task Complexity Worksheet were used to asses processing quantitative information and paper based test were applied to assess participants’ concept achievements. The results showed that inquiry instructional induced a relatively low mental effort, high processing information and high concept achievments.

77 FR 39690 - Proposed Agency Information Collection

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-05

... through a simple algorithm that will establish appropriate quantitative criteria, translating the... information collection request contains: (1) OMB No.: {New{time} ; (2) Information Collection Request Title... needed to research information would have been completed previously; (5) Type of Respondents: Public; (6...

Information users and usability in the digital age

CERN Document Server

Chowdhury, G G

2013-01-01

Gives an overview of the necessary issues relating to information users and the usability of information services in the digital world, including user-centred design, and the characteristics and behaviour of information users. This book helps readers understand why information users and the usability of information services are important.

Modelling the Kampungkota: A quantitative approach in defining Indonesian informal settlements

Science.gov (United States)

Anindito, D. B.; Maula, F. K.; Akbar, R.

2018-02-01

Bandung City is home to 2.5 million inhabitants, some of which are living in slums and squatter. However, the terms conveying this type of housing is not adequate to describe that of Indonesian called as kampungkota. Several studies suggest various variables in constituting kampungkota qualitatively. This study delves to define kampungkota in a quantitative manner, using the characteristics of slums and squatter. The samples for this study are 151 villages (kelurahan) in Bandung City. Ordinary Least Squares, Geographically Weighted Regression, and Spatial Cluster and Outlier Analysis are employed. It is suggested that kampungkota may have distinguished variables regarding to its location. As kampungkota may be smaller than administrative area of kelurahan, it can develop beyond the jurisdiction of kelurahan, as indicated by the clustering pattern of kampungkota.

Asian American Giving to US Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Tsunoda, Kozue

2010-01-01

Asian Americans have had significant impacts on and within mainstream US society, and their great efforts and gifts in the name of charitable causes are no exception. This study aims to examine perceptions within American university development offices about Asian American giving to US higher education. The article begins with a literature review…

The term nevestnina – A contribution to the terminology of matrimonial gift giving

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vojislav Stanimirović

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This essay attempts to bring more order to terminology of matrimonial gift giving – the ever more complicated area in the past couple of decades. Furthermore, it reaffirms the idea of the evolution of matrimonial gift giving, and after many decades in which historians of law and ethnologists focused their research on particularities of matrimonial gift giving in certain cultures and epochs, points out the need of their systematization. Connecting history of law with ethnology, the author offers more precise references of the term brideprice, giving it back its usability, linking it with all the matrimonial gift givings the groom’s side presents to the bride’s father who possesses the exclusive authority to handle it as he pleases. On the other hand, the paper emphasizes the unjust disregard and neglect of another type of matrimonial gift giving in science, or perhaps its erroneous definitions by some authors. Namely, all those matrimonial gift giving from the groom’s side directly or indirectly intended for the girl herself. Girl’s father no longer controls the matrimonial gift giving and he bestows most or all of it to the girl on the wedding. It is what girl brings into marriage under the veil of trousseau, and later partially of dowry. Later on, these symbolic matrimonial gift givings were no longer given to girl’s father not even symbolically, but rather went straight into her hands. These new matrimonial gift givings can no longer be assigned to a category of buying the bride, while the term indirect dowry proposed by Goody is inappropriate for it creates a false picture of these matrimonial gift givings. That is why, in the absence of an appropriate name, the author took the liberty of coining the term nevestnina to cover both aspects of these matrimonial gift-giving. The term bridewealth used in the English speaking areas to replace the politically incorrect term brideprice is proper for the term nevestnina. For the later

Quantitative prediction of drug side effects based on drug-related features.

Science.gov (United States)

Niu, Yanqing; Zhang, Wen

2017-09-01

Unexpected side effects of drugs are great concern in the drug development, and the identification of side effects is an important task. Recently, machine learning methods are proposed to predict the presence or absence of interested side effects for drugs, but it is difficult to make the accurate prediction for all of them. In this paper, we transform side effect profiles of drugs as their quantitative scores, by summing up their side effects with weights. The quantitative scores may measure the dangers of drugs, and thus help to compare the risk of different drugs. Here, we attempt to predict quantitative scores of drugs, namely the quantitative prediction. Specifically, we explore a variety of drug-related features and evaluate their discriminative powers for the quantitative prediction. Then, we consider several feature combination strategies (direct combination, average scoring ensemble combination) to integrate three informative features: chemical substructures, targets, and treatment indications. Finally, the average scoring ensemble model which produces the better performances is used as the final quantitative prediction model. Since weights for side effects are empirical values, we randomly generate different weights in the simulation experiments. The experimental results show that the quantitative method is robust to different weights, and produces satisfying results. Although other state-of-the-art methods cannot make the quantitative prediction directly, the prediction results can be transformed as the quantitative scores. By indirect comparison, the proposed method produces much better results than benchmark methods in the quantitative prediction. In conclusion, the proposed method is promising for the quantitative prediction of side effects, which may work cooperatively with existing state-of-the-art methods to reveal dangers of drugs.

Quantitative phase imaging with scanning holographic microscopy: an experimental assesment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tada Yoshitaka

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract This paper demonstrates experimentally how quantitative phase information can be obtained in scanning holographic microscopy. Scanning holography can operate in both coherent and incoherent modes, simultaneously if desired, with different detector geometries. A spatially integrating detector provides an incoherent hologram of the object's intensity distribution (absorption and/or fluorescence, for example, while a point detector in a conjugate plane of the pupil provides a coherent hologram of the object's complex amplitude, from which a quantitative measure of its phase distribution can be extracted. The possibility of capturing simultaneously holograms of three-dimensional specimens, leading to three-dimensional reconstructions with absorption contrast, reflectance contrast, fluorescence contrast, as was previously demonstrated, and quantitative phase contrast, as shown here for the first time, opens up new avenues for multimodal imaging in biological studies.

New Approach to Quantitative Analysis by Laser-induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, D. H.; Kim, T. H.; Yun, J. I.; Jung, E. C.

2009-01-01

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been studied as the technique of choice in some particular situations like screening, in situ measurement, process monitoring, hostile environments, etc. Especially, LIBS can fulfill the qualitative and quantitative analysis for radioactive high level waste (HLW) glass in restricted experimental conditions. Several ways have been suggested to get quantitative information from LIBS. The one approach is to use the absolute intensities of each element. The other approach is to use the elemental emission intensities relative to the intensity of the internal standard element whose concentration is known already in the specimen. But these methods are not applicable to unknown samples. In the present work, we introduce new approach to LIBS quantitative analysis by using H α (656.28 nm) emission line as external standard

Guidelines for reporting quantitative mass spectrometry based experiments in proteomics.

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-Bartolomé, Salvador; Deutsch, Eric W; Binz, Pierre-Alain; Jones, Andrew R; Eisenacher, Martin; Mayer, Gerhard; Campos, Alex; Canals, Francesc; Bech-Serra, Joan-Josep; Carrascal, Montserrat; Gay, Marina; Paradela, Alberto; Navajas, Rosana; Marcilla, Miguel; Hernáez, María Luisa; Gutiérrez-Blázquez, María Dolores; Velarde, Luis Felipe Clemente; Aloria, Kerman; Beaskoetxea, Jabier; Medina-Aunon, J Alberto; Albar, Juan P

2013-12-16

Mass spectrometry is already a well-established protein identification tool and recent methodological and technological developments have also made possible the extraction of quantitative data of protein abundance in large-scale studies. Several strategies for absolute and relative quantitative proteomics and the statistical assessment of quantifications are possible, each having specific measurements and therefore, different data analysis workflows. The guidelines for Mass Spectrometry Quantification allow the description of a wide range of quantitative approaches, including labeled and label-free techniques and also targeted approaches such as Selected Reaction Monitoring (SRM). The HUPO Proteomics Standards Initiative (HUPO-PSI) has invested considerable efforts to improve the standardization of proteomics data handling, representation and sharing through the development of data standards, reporting guidelines, controlled vocabularies and tooling. In this manuscript, we describe a key output from the HUPO-PSI-namely the MIAPE Quant guidelines, which have developed in parallel with the corresponding data exchange format mzQuantML [1]. The MIAPE Quant guidelines describe the HUPO-PSI proposal concerning the minimum information to be reported when a quantitative data set, derived from mass spectrometry (MS), is submitted to a database or as supplementary information to a journal. The guidelines have been developed with input from a broad spectrum of stakeholders in the proteomics field to represent a true consensus view of the most important data types and metadata, required for a quantitative experiment to be analyzed critically or a data analysis pipeline to be reproduced. It is anticipated that they will influence or be directly adopted as part of journal guidelines for publication and by public proteomics databases and thus may have an impact on proteomics laboratories across the world. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Standardization and

A Quantitative ADME-base Tool for Exploring Human ...

Science.gov (United States)

Exposure to a wide range of chemicals through our daily habits and routines is ubiquitous and largely unavoidable within modern society. The potential for human exposure, however, has not been quantified for the vast majority of chemicals with wide commercial use. Creative advances in exposure science are needed to support efficient and effective evaluation and management of chemical risks, particularly for chemicals in consumer products. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development is developing, or collaborating in the development of, scientifically-defensible methods for making quantitative or semi-quantitative exposure predictions. The Exposure Prioritization (Ex Priori) model is a simplified, quantitative visual dashboard that provides a rank-ordered internalized dose metric to simultaneously explore exposures across chemical space (not chemical by chemical). Diverse data streams are integrated within the interface such that different exposure scenarios for “individual,” “population,” or “professional” time-use profiles can be interchanged to tailor exposure and quantitatively explore multi-chemical signatures of exposure, internalized dose (uptake), body burden, and elimination. Ex Priori has been designed as an adaptable systems framework that synthesizes knowledge from various domains and is amenable to new knowledge/information. As such, it algorithmically captures the totality of exposure across pathways. It

Quantitative contrast-enhanced mammography for contrast medium kinetics studies

Science.gov (United States)

Arvanitis, C. D.; Speller, R.

2009-10-01

Quantitative contrast-enhanced mammography, based on a dual-energy approach, aims to extract quantitative and temporal information of the tumour enhancement after administration of iodinated vascular contrast media. Simulations using analytical expressions and optimization of critical parameters essential for the development of quantitative contrast-enhanced mammography are presented. The procedure has been experimentally evaluated using a tissue-equivalent phantom and an amorphous silicon active matrix flat panel imager. The x-ray beams were produced by a tungsten target tube and spectrally shaped using readily available materials. Measurement of iodine projected thickness in mg cm-2 has been performed. The effect of beam hardening does not introduce nonlinearities in the measurement of iodine projected thickness for values of thicknesses found in clinical investigations. However, scattered radiation introduces significant deviations from slope equal to unity when compared with the actual iodine projected thickness. Scatter correction before the analysis of the dual-energy images provides accurate iodine projected thickness measurements. At 10% of the exposure used in clinical mammography, signal-to-noise ratios in excess of 5 were achieved for iodine projected thicknesses less than 3 mg cm-2 within a 4 cm thick phantom. For the extraction of temporal information, a limited number of low-dose images were used with the phantom incorporating a flow of iodinated contrast medium. The results suggest that spatial and temporal information of iodinated contrast media can be used to indirectly measure the tumour microvessel density and determine its uptake and washout from breast tumours. The proposed method can significantly improve tumour detection in dense breasts. Its application to perform in situ x-ray biopsy and assessment of the oncolytic effect of anticancer agents is foreseeable.

Development of the Quantitative Reasoning Items on the National Survey of Student Engagement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amber D. Dumford

2015-01-01

Full Text Available As society’s needs for quantitative skills become more prevalent, college graduates require quantitative skills regardless of their career choices. Therefore, it is important that institutions assess students’ engagement in quantitative activities during college. This study chronicles the process taken by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE to develop items that measure students’ participation in quantitative reasoning (QR activities. On the whole, findings across the quantitative and qualitative analyses suggest good overall properties for the developed QR items. The items show great promise to explore and evaluate the frequency with which college students participate in QR-related activities. Each year, hundreds of institutions across the United States and Canada participate in NSSE, and, with the addition of these new items on the core survey, every participating institution will have information on this topic. Our hope is that these items will spur conversations on campuses about students’ use of quantitative reasoning activities.

Giving form to computational things: developing a practice of interaction design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vallgårda, Anna K. A.

2014-01-01

between states. Thus, an interaction design practice needs to encompass this temporal form giving in combination with physical form giving and performances of the interaction gestalt. In this paper, I propose this trinity of forms as a framework to unfold the practice of interaction design. I further...

Termination of Commercial Contracts by giving Notice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Edlund, Hans Henrik

2008-01-01

Some long-term contracts are brought to an end if one of the parties gives notice. Usually, such a step is not considered a breach of contract. It causes the contract to end in accordance with the contract. When no express rules cover the situation, it is often not entirely clear whether or not t...

Exploring women's personal experiences of giving birth in Gonabad city: a qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Askari, Fariba; Atarodi, Alireza; Torabi, Shirin; Moshki, Mahdi

2014-05-08

Women's health is an important task in society. The aim of this qualitative study that used a phenomenological approach was to explain women's personal experiences of giving birth in Gonabad city that had positive experiences of giving birth in order to establish quality cares and the related factors of midwifery cares for this physiological phenomenon. The participants were 21 primiparae women who gave a normal and or uncomplicated giving birth in the hospital of Gonabad University of medical sciences. Based on a purposeful approach in-depth interviews were continued to reach data saturation. The data were collected through open and semi-structured interactional in-depth interviews with all the participants. All the interviews were taped, transcribed and then analyzed through a qualitative content analysis method to identify the concepts and themes. Some categories were emerged. A quiet and safe environment was the most urgent need of the most women giving birth. Unnecessary routine interventions that are performed on all women regardless of their needs and should be avoided were considered such as: "absolute rest, establishing vein, frequent vaginal examinations, fasting and early Amniotomy". All the women wanted to take part actively in their giving birth, because they believed it could affect their giving birth. We hope that the women's experiences of giving birth will be a pleasant and enjoyable experience for all the mothers giving birth.

Car monitoring information systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alica KALAŠOVÁ

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this contribution is to characterize alternatives of information systems used for managing, processing and evaluation of information related to company vehicles. Especially we focus on logging, transferring and processing of on-road vehicle movement information in inland and international transportation. This segment of company information system has to monitor the car movement – actively or passively – according to demand of the company and after the processing it has to evaluate and give the complex monitoring of a situation of all the company vehicles to the controller.

An information theory-based approach to modeling the information processing of NPP operators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jong Hyun; Seong, Poong Hyun

2002-01-01

This paper proposes a quantitative approach to modeling the information processing of NPP operators. The aim of this work is to derive the amount of the information processed during a certain control task. The focus will be on i) developing a model for information processing of NPP operators and ii) quantifying the model. To resolve the problems of the previous approaches based on the information theory, i.e. the problems of single channel approaches, we primarily develop the information processing model having multiple stages, which contains information flows. Then the uncertainty of the information is quantified using the Conant's model, a kind of information theory

Comprehensive, Quantitative Risk Assessment of CO{sub 2} Geologic Sequestration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lepinski, James

2013-09-30

A Quantitative Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (QFMEA) was developed to conduct comprehensive, quantitative risk assessments on CO{sub 2} capture, transportation, and sequestration or use in deep saline aquifers, enhanced oil recovery operations, or enhanced coal bed methane operations. The model identifies and characterizes potential risks; identifies the likely failure modes, causes, effects and methods of detection; lists possible risk prevention and risk mitigation steps; estimates potential damage recovery costs, mitigation costs and costs savings resulting from mitigation; and ranks (prioritizes) risks according to the probability of failure, the severity of failure, the difficulty of early failure detection and the potential for fatalities. The QFMEA model generates the necessary information needed for effective project risk management. Diverse project information can be integrated into a concise, common format that allows comprehensive, quantitative analysis, by a cross-functional team of experts, to determine: What can possibly go wrong? How much will damage recovery cost? How can it be prevented or mitigated? What is the cost savings or benefit of prevention or mitigation? Which risks should be given highest priority for resolution? The QFMEA model can be tailored to specific projects and is applicable to new projects as well as mature projects. The model can be revised and updated as new information comes available. It accepts input from multiple sources, such as literature searches, site characterization, field data, computer simulations, analogues, process influence diagrams, probability density functions, financial analysis models, cost factors, and heuristic best practices manuals, and converts the information into a standardized format in an Excel spreadsheet. Process influence diagrams, geologic models, financial models, cost factors and an insurance schedule were developed to support the QFMEA model. Comprehensive, quantitative risk assessments

Adaptive Visualization for Focused Personalized Information Retrieval

Science.gov (United States)

Ahn, Jae-wook

2010-01-01

The new trend on the Web has totally changed today's information access environment. The traditional information overload problem has evolved into the qualitative level beyond the quantitative growth. The mode of producing and consuming information is changing and we need a new paradigm for accessing information. Personalized search is one of…

Charity begins at home : How socialization experiences influence giving and volunteering

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bekkers, René

2005-01-01

This paper shows that charity begins at home. Using retrospective reports on youth experiences from the Giving in the Netherlands Panel Survey (n=1,964, 2001) I find that (1) parents who volunteer when their children are young promote giving and volunteering of their children once they have become

Quantum Information Theory - an Invitation

Science.gov (United States)

Werner, Reinhard F.

Quantum information and quantum computers have received a lot of public attention recently. Quantum computers have been advertised as a kind of warp drive for computing, and indeed the promise of the algorithms of Shor and Grover is to perform computations which are extremely hard or even provably impossible on any merely ``classical'' computer.In this article I shall give an account of the basic concepts of quantum information theory is given, staying as much as possible in the area of general agreement.The article is divided into two parts. The first (up to the end of Sect. 2.5) is mostly in plain English, centered around the exploration of what can or cannot be done with quantum systems as information carriers. The second part, Sect. 2.6, then gives a description of the mathematical structures and of some of the tools needed to develop the theory.

77 FR 58364 - Agency Information Collection Extension

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-20

...) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to... users of The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) products or other services, and individuals or businesses... customer service performance. Both quantitative and qualitative studies are developed by EIA. Quantitative...

"Who's been a good dog?" - Owner perceptions and motivations for treat giving.

Science.gov (United States)

White, G A; Ward, L; Pink, C; Craigon, J; Millar, K M

2016-09-15

Complex relationships commonly exist between owners and their companion animals, particularly around feeding behaviour with an owner's affection or love for their animal most pronounced through the provision of food. It is notable that the pet food market is experiencing strong year-on-year growth in sales of dog and cat treats. Recognising the impact of treat giving in pet nutrition, the objective of the study was to investigate owner attitudes and motivations towards feeding treats (shop bought and other) to their dogs. A researcher-mediated questionnaire consisting of both quantitative and qualitative questions was used to interview dog owners (n=280) at two locations: an out-of-town retail park and a country park in the East Midlands. Owners almost unanimously viewed the word 'treat' within a nutritional context, as opposed to a new toy or other pleasure. The majority (96%) of owners interviewed reported feeding treats to their dog, with 69% feeding shop-bought treats on a daily basis. A wide range of treats was reportedly given by owners and the majority of owners interviewed fed multiple treat types. No association was found between owner age and frequency of shop-bought treats fed (P=0.659) nor between owner age and frequency of food given to the dog from the owner's plate (P=0.083). A wide range of foods which would not be considered balanced for the animal's nutritional requirements was viewed as a treat by some dog owners. A range of positive and negative views around the feeding of treats were expressed by dog owners, with some citing beneficial effects while others were clearly aware of the association between treat feeding and potential weight gain/obesity. Owner views included themes around positive reinforcement and responsibility but also reflected relational aspects of the human-animal bond. The results of the study show that treat giving is commonplace in feeding regimes and that treats are embedded in the feeding behaviour of many dog owners

Information and Announcements

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2005-06-08

Jun 8, 2005 ... Modern biology uses concepts and methods from other sciences to elucidate the working of life processes. Measurement and analyses of biological data employ quantitative methods from physics, chemistry, engineering, information technology, mathematics and statistics. Prediction and description oflife ...

Quantitative Algebraic Reasoning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mardare, Radu Iulian; Panangaden, Prakash; Plotkin, Gordon

2016-01-01

We develop a quantitative analogue of equational reasoning which we call quantitative algebra. We define an equality relation indexed by rationals: a =ε b which we think of as saying that “a is approximately equal to b up to an error of ε”. We have 4 interesting examples where we have a quantitative...... equational theory whose free algebras correspond to well known structures. In each case we have finitary and continuous versions. The four cases are: Hausdorff metrics from quantitive semilattices; pWasserstein metrics (hence also the Kantorovich metric) from barycentric algebras and also from pointed...

developing skills of giving and receiving feedbacks between

African Journals Online (AJOL)

User

could be by developing the skill of giving and receiving feedbacks among the individuals involved in the ... education rather than damaging their self esteem against to improve the teaching – process (David ..... A better skill of communication.

The Internet Use for Health Information Seeking among Ghanaian University Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benedict Osei Asibey

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of the study was to investigate university students’ use of the Internet for health purpose in the Ghanaian context. The study employed a quantitative cross-sectional design. A total of 650 out of 740 students selected from 3 different universities participated, giving a response rate of 87.7% (650/740. Data were obtained using questionnaires and frequency and percentages were used to analyze data. The results show that university students are active users of the Internet as 78.3% (509/650 used Internet daily and 67.7% (440/650 use Internet for health purposes, for reasons including availability and ease of accessing information, privacy, confidentiality, and affordability. Use of Internet was constrained by unreliable and slow connection, high cost of Internet, and unreliable power supply. Also, 72.4% (315/435 used the online health information obtained as a basis for lifestyle change and only 39.5% (170/430 consulted health professionals after obtaining online information. The study concludes that students use Internet to seek online health support. The use of Internet to communicate with young people in relation to their health must therefore be explored. There is the need to be aware of online safety issues for young adults, including the need to provide information on privacy options.

A quantitative approach to measure road network information based on edge diversity

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Xun; Zhang, Hong; Lan, Tian; Cao, Weiwei; He, Jing

2015-12-01

The measure of map information has been one of the key issues in assessing cartographic quality and map generalization algorithms. It is also important for developing efficient approaches to transfer geospatial information. Road network is the most common linear object in real world. Approximately describe road network information will benefit road map generalization, navigation map production and urban planning. Most of current approaches focused on node diversities and supposed that all the edges are the same, which is inconsistent to real-life condition, and thus show limitations in measuring network information. As real-life traffic flow are directed and of different quantities, the original undirected vector road map was first converted to a directed topographic connectivity map. Then in consideration of preferential attachment in complex network study and rich-club phenomenon in social network, the from and to weights of each edge are assigned. The from weight of a given edge is defined as the connectivity of its end node to the sum of the connectivities of all the neighbors of the from nodes of the edge. After getting the from and to weights of each edge, edge information, node information and the whole network structure information entropies could be obtained based on information theory. The approach has been applied to several 1 square mile road network samples. Results show that information entropies based on edge diversities could successfully describe the structural differences of road networks. This approach is a complementarity to current map information measurements, and can be extended to measure other kinds of geographical objects.

Information Technology Industry 2004

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Altieri, Richard; Buccheit, Nathan; Burke, Kyle; Dillard, Norvel; Dolan, Patrick; Edwards, Gregory; Elins, Daniel; Gaines, Leonard; Goodwin, Steven; Lawrence, Michael

2004-01-01

.... This study will define the Information Technology Industry, give an overview of current domestic and international conditions, and then analyze the state of national network security and challenges faced by the U.S. government and U.S...

Nanostructured surfaces investigated by quantitative morphological studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perani, Martina; Carapezzi, Stefania; Mutta, Geeta Rani; Cavalcoli, Daniela

2016-01-01

The morphology of different surfaces has been investigated by atomic force microscopy and quantitatively analyzed in this paper. Two different tools have been employed to this scope: the analysis of the height–height correlation function and the determination of the mean grain size, which have been combined to obtain a complete characterization of the surfaces. Different materials have been analyzed: SiO_xN_y, InGaN/GaN quantum wells and Si nanowires, grown with different techniques. Notwithstanding the presence of grain-like structures on all the samples analyzed, they present very diverse surface design, underlying that this procedure can be of general use. Our results show that the quantitative analysis of nanostructured surfaces allows us to obtain interesting information, such as grain clustering, from the comparison of the lateral correlation length and the grain size. (paper)

Accuracy in the estimation of quantitative minimal area from the diversity/area curve.

Science.gov (United States)

Vives, Sergi; Salicrú, Miquel

2005-05-01

The problem of representativity is fundamental in ecological studies. A qualitative minimal area that gives a good representation of species pool [C.M. Bouderesque, Methodes d'etude qualitative et quantitative du benthos (en particulier du phytobenthos), Tethys 3(1) (1971) 79] can be discerned from a quantitative minimal area which reflects the structural complexity of community [F.X. Niell, Sobre la biologia de Ascophyllum nosodum (L.) Le Jolis en Galicia, Invest. Pesq. 43 (1979) 501]. This suggests that the populational diversity can be considered as the value of the horizontal asymptote corresponding to the curve sample diversity/biomass [F.X. Niell, Les applications de l'index de Shannon a l'etude de la vegetation interdidale, Soc. Phycol. Fr. Bull. 19 (1974) 238]. In this study we develop a expression to determine minimal areas and use it to obtain certain information about the community structure based on diversity/area curve graphs. This expression is based on the functional relationship between the expected value of the diversity and the sample size used to estimate it. In order to establish the quality of the estimation process, we obtained the confidence intervals as a particularization of the functional (h-phi)-entropies proposed in [M. Salicru, M.L. Menendez, D. Morales, L. Pardo, Asymptotic distribution of (h,phi)-entropies, Commun. Stat. (Theory Methods) 22 (7) (1993) 2015]. As an example used to demonstrate the possibilities of this method, and only for illustrative purposes, data about a study on the rocky intertidal seawed populations in the Ria of Vigo (N.W. Spain) are analyzed [F.X. Niell, Estudios sobre la estructura, dinamica y produccion del Fitobentos intermareal (Facies rocosa) de la Ria de Vigo. Ph.D. Mem. University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 1979].

Quantitative chemical state XPS analysis of first row transition metals, oxides and hydroxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biesinger, M C; Payne, B P; McIntryre, N S; Hart, B R; Lau, L Wm; Grosvenor, A P; Smart, R StC

2008-01-01

Practical quantitative chemical state X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of first row transition metals, oxides and hydroxides is challenging due to the complexity of their M 2p spectra. Complex multiplet splitting, shake-up and plasmon loss structure can play a role in the interpretation of the chemical states present. This paper will show practical curve fitting procedures for the quantitative measurement of different chemical states for metal oxides and hydroxides from a survey of transition metals. It will also discuss some of the limitations and pitfalls present as well as give practical examples of their successful use. These curve-fitting procedures are based on 1) standard spectra from quality reference samples, 2) a survey of appropriate literature databases and/or a compilation of literature references, 3) fitting of multiplet split spectra based on spectra of numerous reference materials and theoretical modelling, 4) spectral subtractions routines, again using reference spectra, and 5) specific literature references where fitting procedures are available

Quantitative chemical state XPS analysis of first row transition metals, oxides and hydroxides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Biesinger, M C; Payne, B P; McIntryre, N S [Department of Chemistry, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7 (Canada); Hart, B R; Lau, L Wm [Surface Science Western, Room G1, Western Science Centre, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7 (Canada); Grosvenor, A P [Department of Chemistry, Gunning/Lemieux Chemistry Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2G2 (Canada); Smart, R StC [ACeSSS, Applied Centre for Structural and Synchrotron Studies, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095 (Australia)], E-mail: biesingr@uwo.ca

2008-03-15

Practical quantitative chemical state X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of first row transition metals, oxides and hydroxides is challenging due to the complexity of their M 2p spectra. Complex multiplet splitting, shake-up and plasmon loss structure can play a role in the interpretation of the chemical states present. This paper will show practical curve fitting procedures for the quantitative measurement of different chemical states for metal oxides and hydroxides from a survey of transition metals. It will also discuss some of the limitations and pitfalls present as well as give practical examples of their successful use. These curve-fitting procedures are based on 1) standard spectra from quality reference samples, 2) a survey of appropriate literature databases and/or a compilation of literature references, 3) fitting of multiplet split spectra based on spectra of numerous reference materials and theoretical modelling, 4) spectral subtractions routines, again using reference spectra, and 5) specific literature references where fitting procedures are available.

Connecting qualitative observation and quantitative measurement for enhancing quantitative literacy in plant anatomy course

Science.gov (United States)

Nuraeni, E.; Rahmat, A.

2018-05-01

Forming of cognitive schemes of plant anatomy concepts is performed by processing of qualitative and quantitative data obtained from microscopic observations. To enhancing student’s quantitative literacy, strategy of plant anatomy course was modified by adding the task to analyze quantitative data produced by quantitative measurement of plant anatomy guided by material course. Participant in this study was 24 biology students and 35 biology education students. Quantitative Literacy test, complex thinking in plant anatomy test and questioner used to evaluate the course. Quantitative literacy capability data was collected by quantitative literacy test with the rubric from the Association of American Colleges and Universities, Complex thinking in plant anatomy by test according to Marzano and questioner. Quantitative literacy data are categorized according to modified Rhodes and Finley categories. The results showed that quantitative literacy of biology education students is better than biology students.

Religious Education and Information Technology: Challenges and Problems

Science.gov (United States)

Sajjadi, Seyed Mahdi

2008-01-01

With advances in information technology, the velocity of information production on the global level has expanded as well. This acceleration has led to the delegitimizing of knowledge, the equating of information with knowledge, and the giving of predominance to information rather than knowledge. This advance has created epistemological challenges…

When may doctors give nurses telephonic treatment instructions?

African Journals Online (AJOL)

When is it legal for doctors to give nurses telephonic treatment instructions? ... telemedicine? Telemedicine is defined as 'the practice of medicine, from a distance, ... [6] Therefore, if in such circumstances the doctors cannot reach the patients in ...

Quantitative analysis of fission products by γ spectrography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malet, G.

1962-01-01

The activity of the fission products present in treated solutions of irradiated fuels is given as a function of the time of cooling and of the irradiation time. The variation of the ratio ( 144 Ce + 144 Pr activity)/ 137 Cs activity) as a function of these same parameters is also given. From these results a method is deduced giving the 'age' of the solution analyzed. By γ-scintillation spectrography it was possible to estimate the following elements individually: 141 Ce, 144 Ce + 144 Pr, 103 Ru, 106 Ru + 106 Rh, 137 Cs, 95 Zr + 95 Nb. Yield curves are given for the case of a single emitter. Of the various existing methods, that of the least squares was used for the quantitative analysis of the afore-mentioned fission products. The accuracy attained varies from 3 to 10%. (author) [fr

Purposeful Goal-Directed Movements Give Rise to Higher Tactile Discrimination Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Georgiana Juravle

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Tactile perception is inhibited during goal-directed reaching movements (sensory suppression. Here, participants performed simple reaching or exploratory movements (where contact with the table surface was maintained. We measured tactile discrimination thresholds for vibratory stimuli delivered to participants' wrists while executing the movement, and while at rest. Moreover, we measured discrimination performance (in a same vs. different task for the materials covering the table surface, during the execution of the different movements. The threshold and discrimination tasks could be performed either singly or together, both under active movement and passive conditions (ie, no movement required, but with tactile stimulation. Thresholds measured at rest were significantly lower than thresholds measured during both active movements and passive touches. This provides a clear indication of sensory suppression during movement execution. Moreover, the discrimination data revealed main effects of task (single vs. dual, movement execution type (passive vs. active, and movement type (reach vs. exploration: Discrimination performance was significantly higher under conditions of single-tasking, active movements, as well as exploratory movements. Therefore, active movement of the hand with the purpose of gaining tactual information about the surface of the table gives rise to enhanced performance, thus suggesting that we feel more when we need to; It would appear that tactual information is prioritized when relevant for the movement being executed.

Neural computations underpinning the strategic management of influence in advice giving.

Science.gov (United States)

Hertz, Uri; Palminteri, Stefano; Brunetti, Silvia; Olesen, Cecilie; Frith, Chris D; Bahrami, Bahador

2017-12-19

Research on social influence has focused mainly on the target of influence (e.g., consumer and voter); thus, the cognitive and neurobiological underpinnings of the source of the influence (e.g., politicians and salesmen) remain unknown. Here, in a three-sided advice-giving game, two advisers competed to influence a client by modulating their own confidence in their advice about which lottery the client should choose. We report that advisers' strategy depends on their level of influence on the client and their merit relative to one another. Moreover, blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) signal in the temporo-parietal junction is modulated by adviser's current level of influence on the client, and relative merit prediction error affects activity in medial-prefrontal cortex. Both types of social information modulate ventral striatum response. By demonstrating what happens in our mind and brain when we try to influence others, these results begin to explain the biological mechanisms that shape inter-individual differences in social conduct.

Approaches on information presented in different brazilian periodicals from the area of information science

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadia Aurora Vanti

2013-04-01

Full Text Available This article aims at mapping approaches on information presented in different Brazilian periodicals from the area of Information Science, regarding three conceptual guidelines: Business information, citizenship information and information for emancipation. The methodological approach encompassed a review of literature and qualitative and quantitative analysis. We conclude that the concept of information adopted in the articles analyzed varies according to the theoretical framework addressed by the authors, and for each of them is used a set of terms that identifies it as such. It was also possible to observe that the more recurring focus in the analyzed journals was Business information.

Framing charitable donations as exceptional expenses increases giving.

Science.gov (United States)

Sussman, Abigail B; Sharma, Eesha; Alter, Adam L

2015-06-01

Many articles have examined the psychological drivers of charitable giving, but little is known about how people mentally budget for charitable gifts. The present research aims to address this gap by investigating how perceptions of donations as exceptional (uncommon and infrequent) rather than ordinary (common and frequent) expenses might affect budgeting for and giving to charity. We provide the first demonstration that exceptional framing of an identical item can directly influence mental budgeting processes, and yield societal benefits. In 5 lab and field experiments, exceptional framing increased charitable behavior, and diminished the extent to which people considered the effect of the donation on their budgets. The current work extends our understanding of mental accounting and budgeting for charitable gifts, and demonstrates practical techniques that enable fundraisers to enhance the perceived exceptionality of donations. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Quantitative assessment of left ventricular systolic wall thickening using multidetector computed tomography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristensen, Thomas S; Kofoed, Klaus F; Møller, Daniel V

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND: Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) of the heart provides both anatomical and functional information. The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of quantitative assessment of left ventricular contractile function in relation to two-dimensional transthoracic echocard......BACKGROUND: Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) of the heart provides both anatomical and functional information. The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of quantitative assessment of left ventricular contractile function in relation to two-dimensional transthoracic...... echocardiography (TTE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-four patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease underwent ECG-gated 64-slice MDCT and TTE. Regional left ventricular contractile function was measured by percent systolic wall thickening (SWT) in 16 myocardial segments using MDCT, and compared...

Gift-Giving in the Podiatric Medical Student-Patient Relationship.

Science.gov (United States)

López, Daniel López; Pazo, Paula Torreiro; Iglesias, Marta E Losa; de Bengoa Vallejo, Ricardo Becerro

2016-09-02

We sought to explore the relationship between the podiatric medical student and the patient as it relates to the act of gift-giving as a sign of gratefulness for the services provided. This article presents the clinical case of a man who visited a podiatric medical student because of pain in his feet and subsequently presented the student with several gifts. Philanthropy, empathy, a positive attitude, treatment instructions, and the time devoted to the patient are some of the reasons why patients offer gifts to podiatric medical students. The relationship between the podiatric medical student and the patient and the act of gift-giving by patients are of ethical concern.

Quantitative analysis of HGF and EGF-dependent phosphotyrosine signaling networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hammond, Dean E; Hyde, Russell; Kratchmarova, Irina

2010-01-01

549 lung adenocarcinoma cells with EGF or HGF. In total, we obtained quantitative information for 274 proteins, which respond to either or both stimuli by >1.5 fold changes in enrichment, following immuno-precipitation with antiphosphotyrosine antibodies. The data reveal a high degree of overlap...

Data from quantitative label free proteomics analysis of rat spleen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khadar Dudekula

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The dataset presented in this work has been obtained using a label-free quantitative proteomic analysis of rat spleen. A robust method for extraction of proteins from rat spleen tissue and LC-MS-MS analysis was developed using a urea and SDS-based buffer. Different fractionation methods were compared. A total of 3484 different proteins were identified from the pool of all experiments run in this study (a total of 2460 proteins with at least two peptides. A total of 1822 proteins were identified from nine non-fractionated pulse gels, 2288 proteins and 2864 proteins were identified by SDS-PAGE fractionation into three and five fractions respectively. The proteomics data are deposited in ProteomeXchange Consortium via PRIDE PXD003520, Progenesis and Maxquant output are presented in the supported information. The generated list of proteins under different regimes of fractionation allow assessing the nature of the identified proteins; variability in the quantitative analysis associated with the different sampling strategy and allow defining a proper number of replicates for future quantitative analysis. Keywords: Spleen, Rat, Protein extraction, Label-free quantitative proteomics

A Network Neuroscience of Human Learning: Potential to Inform Quantitative Theories of Brain and Behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Bassett, Danielle S; Mattar, Marcelo G

2017-04-01

Humans adapt their behavior to their external environment in a process often facilitated by learning. Efforts to describe learning empirically can be complemented by quantitative theories that map changes in neurophysiology to changes in behavior. In this review we highlight recent advances in network science that offer a sets of tools and a general perspective that may be particularly useful in understanding types of learning that are supported by distributed neural circuits. We describe recent applications of these tools to neuroimaging data that provide unique insights into adaptive neural processes, the attainment of knowledge, and the acquisition of new skills, forming a network neuroscience of human learning. While promising, the tools have yet to be linked to the well-formulated models of behavior that are commonly utilized in cognitive psychology. We argue that continued progress will require the explicit marriage of network approaches to neuroimaging data and quantitative models of behavior. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantitative sexing (Q-Sexing) and relative quantitative sexing (RQ ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

samer

Key words: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), quantitative sexing, Siberian tiger. INTRODUCTION. Animal molecular sexing .... 43:3-12. Ellegren H (1996). First gene on the avian W chromosome (CHD) provides a tag for universal sexing of non-ratite birds. Proc.

[The ability of drivers to give first aid--testing by questionnaire].

Science.gov (United States)

Goniewicz, M

1998-01-01

Road accidents have become a serious social problem. The scale and complexity of this problem shows clearly that there is a necessity to improve citizens' ability to give first aid which is especially essential in the case of drivers. Thus special training how to give first aid at the accident place seems to be of the primary importance. The objective of this paper is to: 1) identify to what extent the drivers of motor vehicles are prepared to provide first aid for casualties of the road accidents, 2) evaluate the training system of teaching motorists how to give first aid before professional help arrives, 3) identify drivers' views on possibilities of decreasing the number of fatal casualties of the road accidents. The questionnaire was given to 560 employees of local government institutions in the city of Lublin either professional or non-professional drivers. The direct method and anonymous questionnaire were used. The results of the questionnaire revealed clearly that very few drivers are well-prepared to give proper first aid at the accident site. No matter what sex, education or driving experience, the drivers have not got enough skills to give first aid and the effect is enhanced by various psychological barriers. The questioned drivers shared the opinion that first aid training is badly run. The drivers stressed bad quality of the training and the fact that it is impossible to acquire practical skills that may be required in the case of emergency. Drivers' views on possibilities of decreasing the number of fatal casualties of the road accidents included, among others, the following propositions: in addition to the driving licence exam first aid exam should be compulsory severe enforcement and execution of the law which regulates the mandatory first aid giving.

Characteristics of quantitative nursing research from 1990 to 2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Yarcheski, Adela; Mahon, Noreen E

2013-12-01

To assess author credentials of quantitative research in nursing, the composition of the research teams, and the disciplinary focus of the theories tested. Nursing Research, Western Journal of Nursing Research, and Journal of Advanced Nursing were selected for this descriptive study; 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010 were included. The final sample consisted of 484 quantitative research articles. From 1990 to 2010, there was an increase in first authors holding doctoral degrees, research from other countries, and funding. Solo authorship decreased; multi-authorship and multidisciplinary teams increased. Theories tested were mostly from psychology; the testing of nursing theory was modest. Multidisciplinary research far outdistanced interdisciplinary research. Quantitative nursing research can be characterized as multidisciplinary (distinct theories from different disciplines) rather than discipline-specific to nursing. Interdisciplinary (theories synthesized from different disciplines) research has been conducted minimally. This study provides information about the growth of the scientific knowledge base of nursing, which has implications for practice. © 2013 Sigma Theta Tau International.

A study on quantitative V and V of safety-critical software

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eom, H. S.; Kang, H. G.; Chang, S. C.; Ha, J. J.; Son, H. S.

2004-03-01

Recently practical needs have required quantitative features for the software reliability for Probabilistic Safety Assessment which is one of the important methods being used in assessing the overall safety of nuclear power plant. But the conventional assessment methods of software reliability could not provide enough information for PSA of NPP, therefore current assessments of a digital system which includes safety-critical software usually exclude the software part or use arbitrary values. This paper describes a Bayesian Belief Networks based method that models the rule-based qualitative software assessment method for a practical use and can produce quantitative results for PSA. The framework was constructed by utilizing BBN that can combine the qualitative and quantitative evidence relevant to the reliability of safety-critical software and can infer a conclusion in a formal and a quantitative way. The case study was performed by applying the method for assessing the quality of software requirement specification of safety-critical software that will be embedded in reactor protection system

Sustainability appraisal. Quantitative methods and mathematical techniques for environmental performance evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Erechtchoukova, Marina G.; Khaiter, Peter A. [York Univ., Toronto, ON (Canada). School of Information Technology; Golinska, Paulina (eds.) [Poznan Univ. of Technology (Poland)

2013-06-01

The book will present original research papers on the quantitative methods and techniques for the evaluation of the sustainability of business operations and organizations' overall environmental performance. The book contributions will describe modern methods and approaches applicable to the multi-faceted problem of sustainability appraisal and will help to fulfil generic frameworks presented in the literature with the specific quantitative techniques so needed in practice. The scope of the book is interdisciplinary in nature, making it of interest to environmental researchers, business managers and process analysts, information management professionals and environmental decision makers, who will find valuable sources of information for their work-related activities. Each chapter will provide sufficient background information, a description of problems, and results, making the book useful for a wider audience. Additional software support is not required. One of the most important issues in developing sustainable management strategies and incorporating ecodesigns in production, manufacturing and operations management is the assessment of the sustainability of business operations and organizations' overall environmental performance. The book presents the results of recent studies on sustainability assessment. It provides a solid reference for researchers in academia and industrial practitioners on the state-of-the-art in sustainability appraisal including the development and application of sustainability indices, quantitative methods, models and frameworks for the evaluation of current and future welfare outcomes, recommendations on data collection and processing for the evaluation of organizations' environmental performance, and eco-efficiency approaches leading to business process re-engineering.

A quantitative approach for risk-informed safety significance categorization in option-2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ha, Jun Su; Seong, Poong Hyun

2004-01-01

OPTION-2 recommends that Structures, Systems, or Components (SSCs) of Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) should be categorized into four groups according to their safety significance as well as whether they are safety-related or not. With changes to the scope of SSCs covered by 10 CFR 50, safety-related components which categorized into low safety significant SSC (RISC-3 SSC) can be exempted from the existing conservative burden (or requirements). As OPTION-2 paradigm is applied, a lot of SSCs may be categorized into RISC-3 SSCs. Changes in treatment of the RISC-3 SSCs will be recommended and then finally the recommended changes shall be evaluated. Consequently, before recommending the changes in treatment, probable candidate SSCs for the changes in treatment need to be identified for efficient risk-informed regulation and application (RIRA). Hence, in this work, a validation focused on the RISC-3 SSCs is proposed to identify probable candidate SSCs. Burden to Importance Ratio (BIR) is utilized as a quantitative measure for the validation. BIR is a measure representing the extent of resources or requirements imposed on a SSC with respect to the value of the importance measure of the SSC. Therefore SSCs having high BIR can be considered as probable candidate SSCs for the changes in treatment. In addition, the final decision whether RISC-3 SSCs can be considered as probable candidate SSCs or not should be made by an expert panel. For the effective decision making, a structured mathematical decision-making process is constructed based on Belief Networks (BBN) to overcome demerits of conventional group meeting based on unstructured discussion for decision-making. To demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed approach, the approach is applied to 22 components selected from 512 In-Service Test (IST) components of Ulchin unit 3. The results of the application show that the proposed approach can identify probable candidate SSCs for changes in treatment. The identification of the

ACCURACY AND RELIABILITY AS CRITERIA OF INFORMATIVENESS IN THE NEWS STORY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melnikova Ekaterina Aleksandrovna

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The article clarifies the meaning of the terms accuracy and reliability of the news story, offers a researcher's approach to obtaining objective data that helps to verify linguistic means of accuracy and reliability presence in the informative structure of the text. The accuracy of the news story is defined as a high relevance degree of event reflection through language representation of its constituents; the reliability is viewed as news story originality that is proved by introducing citations and sources of information considered being trustworthy into the text content. Having based the research on an event nominative density identification method, the author composed nominative charts of 115 news story texts, collected at web-sites of BBC and CNN media corporations; distinguished qualitative and quantitative markers of accuracy and reliability in the news story text; confirmed that the accuracy of the news story is achieved with terminological clearness in nominating event constituents in the text, thematic bind between words, presence of onyms that help deeply identify characteristics of the referent event. The reliability of the text is discovered in eyewitness accounts, quotations, and references to the sources being considered as trustworthy. Accurate revision of associations between accuracy and reliability and informing strategies in digital news nets allowed the author to set two variants of information delivery, that differ in their communicative and pragmatic functions: developing (that informs about major and minor details of an event and truncated (which gives some details thus raising the interest to the event and urging a reader to open a full story.

A quantitative assessment of changing trends in internet usage for cancer information.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

McHugh, Seamus M

2012-02-01

BACKGROUND: The internet is an important source of healthcare information. To date, assessment of its use as a source of oncologic information has been restricted to retrospective surveys. METHODS: The cancer-related searches of approximately 361,916,185 people in the United States and the United Kingdom were examined. Data were collected from two separate 100-day periods in 2008 and 2010. RESULTS: In 2008, there were 97,531 searches. The majority of searches related to basic cancer information (18,700, 19%), followed by treatment (8404, 9%) and diagnosis (6460, 7%). This compares with 179,025 searches in 2010 representing an increase of 183%. In 2008 breast cancer accounted for 21,102 (21%) individual searches, increasing to 85,825 searches in 2010. In 2010 a total of 0.2% (321) of searches focused on litigation, with those searching for breast cancer information most likely to research this topic (P=0.000). CONCLUSION: Use of the internet as a source of oncological information is increasing rapidly. These searches represent the most sensitive information relating to cancer, including prognosis and litigation. It is imperative now that efforts are made to ensure the reliability and comprehensiveness of this information.

Elastography as a hybrid imaging technique : coupling with photoacoustics and quantitative imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Widlak, T.G.

2015-01-01

While classical imaging methods, such as ultrasound, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, are well-known and mathematically understood, a host of physiological parameters relevant for diagnostic purposes cannot be obtained by them. This gap is recently being closed by the introduction of hybrid, or coupled-physics imaging methods. They connect more then one physical modality, and aim to provide quantitative information on optical, electrical or mechanical parameters with high resolution. Central to this thesis is the mechanical contrast of elastic tissue, especially Young’s modulus or the shear modulus. Different methods of qualitative elastography provide interior information of the mechanical displacement field. From this interior data the nonlinear inverse problem of quantitative elastography aims to reconstruct the shear modulus. In this thesis, the elastography problem is seen from a hybrid imaging perspective; methods from coupled-physics inspired literature and regularization theory have been employed to recover displacement and shear modulus information. The overdetermined systems approach by G. Bal is applied to the quantitative problem, and ellipticity criteria are deduced, for one and several measurements, as well as injectivity results. Together with the geometric theory of G. Chavent, the results are used for analyzing convergence of Tikhonov regularization. Also, a convergence analysis for the Levenberg Marquardt method is provided. As a second mainstream project in this thesis, elastography imaging is developed for extracting displacements from photoacoustic images. A novel method is provided for texturizing the images, and the optical flow problem for motion estimation is shown to be regularized with this texture generation. The results are tested in cooperation with the Medical University Vienna, and the methods for quantitative determination of the shear modulus evaluated in first experiments. In summary, the overdetermined systems

Statistical aspects of quantitative real-time PCR experiment design.

Science.gov (United States)

Kitchen, Robert R; Kubista, Mikael; Tichopad, Ales

2010-04-01

Experiments using quantitative real-time PCR to test hypotheses are limited by technical and biological variability; we seek to minimise sources of confounding variability through optimum use of biological and technical replicates. The quality of an experiment design is commonly assessed by calculating its prospective power. Such calculations rely on knowledge of the expected variances of the measurements of each group of samples and the magnitude of the treatment effect; the estimation of which is often uninformed and unreliable. Here we introduce a method that exploits a small pilot study to estimate the biological and technical variances in order to improve the design of a subsequent large experiment. We measure the variance contributions at several 'levels' of the experiment design and provide a means of using this information to predict both the total variance and the prospective power of the assay. A validation of the method is provided through a variance analysis of representative genes in several bovine tissue-types. We also discuss the effect of normalisation to a reference gene in terms of the measured variance components of the gene of interest. Finally, we describe a software implementation of these methods, powerNest, that gives the user the opportunity to input data from a pilot study and interactively modify the design of the assay. The software automatically calculates expected variances, statistical power, and optimal design of the larger experiment. powerNest enables the researcher to minimise the total confounding variance and maximise prospective power for a specified maximum cost for the large study. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

National scholarly information system in Japan. Extended synopsis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adachi, J.

1990-05-01

A recent development of academic information network serving university community in Japan is reported. Quantitative aspects of academic activities in the sector of library and information services are reviewed

Methodology development for quantitative optimization of security enhancement in medical information systems -Case study in a PACS and a multi-institutional radiotherapy database-.

Science.gov (United States)

Haneda, Kiyofumi; Umeda, Tokuo; Koyama, Tadashi; Harauchi, Hajime; Inamura, Kiyonari

2002-01-01

The target of our study is to establish the methodology for analyzing level of security requirements, for searching suitable security measures and for optimizing security distribution to every portion of medical practice. Quantitative expression must be introduced to our study as possible for the purpose of easy follow up of security procedures and easy evaluation of security outcomes or results. Results of system analysis by fault tree analysis (FTA) clarified that subdivided system elements in detail contribute to much more accurate analysis. Such subdivided composition factors very much depended on behavior of staff, interactive terminal devices, kinds of service, and routes of network. As conclusion, we found the methods to analyze levels of security requirements for each medical information systems employing FTA, basic events for each composition factor and combination of basic events. Methods for searching suitable security measures were found. Namely risk factors for each basic event, number of elements for each composition factor and candidates of security measure elements were found. Method to optimize the security measures for each medical information system was proposed. Namely optimum distribution of risk factors in terms of basic events were figured out, and comparison of them between each medical information systems became possible.

Quantitative model analysis with diverse biological data: applications in developmental pattern formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Pargett, Michael; Umulis, David M

2013-07-15

Mathematical modeling of transcription factor and signaling networks is widely used to understand if and how a mechanism works, and to infer regulatory interactions that produce a model consistent with the observed data. Both of these approaches to modeling are informed by experimental data, however, much of the data available or even acquirable are not quantitative. Data that is not strictly quantitative cannot be used by classical, quantitative, model-based analyses that measure a difference between the measured observation and the model prediction for that observation. To bridge the model-to-data gap, a variety of techniques have been developed to measure model "fitness" and provide numerical values that can subsequently be used in model optimization or model inference studies. Here, we discuss a selection of traditional and novel techniques to transform data of varied quality and enable quantitative comparison with mathematical models. This review is intended to both inform the use of these model analysis methods, focused on parameter estimation, and to help guide the choice of method to use for a given study based on the type of data available. Applying techniques such as normalization or optimal scaling may significantly improve the utility of current biological data in model-based study and allow greater integration between disparate types of data. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Textual information access statistical models

CERN Document Server

Gaussier, Eric

2013-01-01

This book presents statistical models that have recently been developed within several research communities to access information contained in text collections. The problems considered are linked to applications aiming at facilitating information access:- information extraction and retrieval;- text classification and clustering;- opinion mining;- comprehension aids (automatic summarization, machine translation, visualization).In order to give the reader as complete a description as possible, the focus is placed on the probability models used in the applications

Mapping publication trends and identifying hot spots of research on Internet health information seeking behavior: a quantitative and co-word biclustering analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Fan; Li, Min; Guan, Peng; Ma, Shuang; Cui, Lei

2015-03-25

) interaction between Internet utilization and physician-patient communication or relationship, (9) preference and computer literacy of people using search engines or other Web-based systems, and (10) attitude of people (especially adolescents) when seeking health information via the Internet. The 10 major research hot spots could provide some hints for researchers when launching new projects. The output of research on Internet health information seeking behavior is gradually increasing. Compared to the United States, the relatively small number of publications indexed by PubMed from other developed and developing countries indicates to some extent that the field might be still underdeveloped in many countries. More studies on Internet health information seeking behavior could give some references for health information providers.

Clinical experience of rehabilitation therapists with chronic diseases: a quantitative approach.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rijken, P.M.; Dekker, J.

1998-01-01

Objectives: To provide an overview of the numbers of patients with selected chronic diseases treated by rehabilitation therapists (physical therapists, occupational therapists, exercise therapists and podiatrists). The study was performed to get quantitative information on the degree to which

Quantitative analysis chemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ko, Wansuk; Lee, Choongyoung; Jun, Kwangsik; Hwang, Taeksung

1995-02-01

This book is about quantitative analysis chemistry. It is divided into ten chapters, which deal with the basic conception of material with the meaning of analysis chemistry and SI units, chemical equilibrium, basic preparation for quantitative analysis, introduction of volumetric analysis, acid-base titration of outline and experiment examples, chelate titration, oxidation-reduction titration with introduction, titration curve, and diazotization titration, precipitation titration, electrometric titration and quantitative analysis.

Multiplex Quantitative Histologic Analysis of Human Breast Cancer Cell Signaling and Cell Fate

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Lee, William M; Roysam, Badrinath

2008-01-01

.... We are developing a novel platform for immunohistological study of breast cancer specimens that will retrieve multiplex quantitative molecular information about tumor cells at a cytologic level...

Mass spectrometry as a quantitative tool in plant metabolomics

Science.gov (United States)

Jorge, Tiago F.; Mata, Ana T.

2016-01-01

Metabolomics is a research field used to acquire comprehensive information on the composition of a metabolite pool to provide a functional screen of the cellular state. Studies of the plant metabolome include the analysis of a wide range of chemical species with very diverse physico-chemical properties, and therefore powerful analytical tools are required for the separation, characterization and quantification of this vast compound diversity present in plant matrices. In this review, challenges in the use of mass spectrometry (MS) as a quantitative tool in plant metabolomics experiments are discussed, and important criteria for the development and validation of MS-based analytical methods provided. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Quantitative mass spectrometry’. PMID:27644967

A uniform quantitative stiff stability estimate for BDF schemes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Winfried Auzinger

2006-01-01

Full Text Available The concepts of stability regions, \\(A\\- and \\(A(\\alpha\\-stability - albeit based on scalar models - turned out to be essential for the identification of implicit methods suitable for the integration of stiff ODEs. However, for multistep methods, knowledge of the stability region provides no information on the quantitative stability behavior of the scheme. In this paper we fill this gap for the important class of Backward Differentiation Formulas (BDF. Quantitative stability bounds are derived which are uniformly valid in the stability region of the method. Our analysis is based on a study of the separation of the characteristic roots and a special similarity decomposition of the associated companion matrix.

Who gives? Multilevel effects of gender and ethnicity on workplace charitable giving.

Science.gov (United States)

Leslie, Lisa M; Snyder, Mark; Glomb, Theresa M

2013-01-01

Research on diversity in organizations has largely focused on the implications of gender and ethnic differences for performance, to the exclusion of other outcomes. We propose that gender and ethnic differences also have implications for workplace charitable giving, an important aspect of corporate social responsibility. Drawing from social role theory, we hypothesize and find that gender has consistent effects across levels of analysis; women donate more money to workplace charity than do men, and the percentage of women in a work unit is positively related to workplace charity, at least among men. Alternatively and consistent with social exchange theory, we hypothesize and find that ethnicity has opposing effects across levels of analysis; ethnic minorities donate less money to workplace charity than do Whites, but the percentage of minorities in a work unit is positively related to workplace charity, particularly among minorities. The findings provide a novel perspective on the consequences of gender and ethnic diversity in organizations and highlight synergies between organizational efforts to increase diversity and to build a reputation for corporate social responsibility. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Information Needs and Behaviours of Theology Students at the International Baptist Theological Seminary

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katharina Penner

2009-11-01

Full Text Available The study analyses information needs and behaviours of master’s and doctoral theology students currently studying at the International Baptist Theological Seminary (IBTS in Prague, Czech Republic. The aim is two-fold: first, to extend understanding of the information behaviour of theologians working as distance learners in a cross cultural setting; and secondly, to provide guidance for the development of library information services for this group. The study follows a quantitative research approach with a survey design and attempts to replicate in a modified way studies by Gorman (1990 and Stieg Dalton and Charnigo (2004. The findings suggest that theology students at IBTS use many and varied types of materials in their interdisciplinary studies while giving clear preference to books, periodicals and theses. Most of the participants have, partly successfully, embraced information technology as a tool and use it extensively. To satisfy their research needs they employ a variety of methods to find relevant information and fall back on “typical” humanists’ research behaviours when “usual” channels do not work: engage their networks, expand their personal library, and browse. While the humanist profile is evident throughout the diverse group, there are also notable differences. Theologians increasingly work interdisciplinary and integrate approaches considered typical for other disciplines. Partly differences are caused by the fact that the group under consideration are students who still experiment with research approaches. Many differences are caused by technological developments and contextual aspects.

Quantitative research.

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Roger

2015-04-01

This article describes the basic tenets of quantitative research. The concepts of dependent and independent variables are addressed and the concept of measurement and its associated issues, such as error, reliability and validity, are explored. Experiments and surveys – the principal research designs in quantitative research – are described and key features explained. The importance of the double-blind randomised controlled trial is emphasised, alongside the importance of longitudinal surveys, as opposed to cross-sectional surveys. Essential features of data storage are covered, with an emphasis on safe, anonymous storage. Finally, the article explores the analysis of quantitative data, considering what may be analysed and the main uses of statistics in analysis.

Quantitative film radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devine, G.; Dobie, D.; Fugina, J.; Hernandez, J.; Logan, C.; Mohr, P.; Moss, R.; Schumacher, B.; Updike, E.; Weirup, D.

1991-01-01

We have developed a system of quantitative radiography in order to produce quantitative images displaying homogeneity of parts. The materials that we characterize are synthetic composites and may contain important subtle density variations not discernible by examining a raw film x-radiograph. In order to quantitatively interpret film radiographs, it is necessary to digitize, interpret, and display the images. Our integrated system of quantitative radiography displays accurate, high-resolution pseudo-color images in units of density. We characterize approximately 10,000 parts per year in hundreds of different configurations and compositions with this system. This report discusses: the method; film processor monitoring and control; verifying film and processor performance; and correction of scatter effects

The risk perception and public information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choudens, H. de

2004-01-01

The problems in the field of risk to inform the public are the difference in the risk perception by the public, between the risk realities and the image the public makes in himself, the confidence of the public towards those that give information, the readability ( and then understanding) of the information, the easiness for the public to forget the information. Solutions can be summarized by the same way: durability of information actions, information elaborated by safety authority, inhabitants associations, risk generator, elected members, supports of information clear and understandable. (N.C.)

Ethics of trial drug use: to give or not to give?

Science.gov (United States)

Ebunoluwa, Oduwole O; Kareem, Fayemi A

2016-01-01

The 2014 outbreak of Ebola viral disease in some West African countries, which later spread to the USA and Spain, has continued to be a subject of global public health debate. While there is no approved vaccine or drug for Ebola cure yet, moral questions of bioethical significance are emerging even as vaccine studies are at different clinical trial phases. This paper, through a normative and critical approach, focuses on the question of whether it is ethical to give any experimental drugs to Ebola victims in West Africa or not. Given the global panic and deadly contagious nature of Ebola, this paper argues on three major compassionate grounds that it is ethical to use experimental drugs on the dying African victims of Ebola. Besides respecting patients and family consent in the intervention process, this paper argues that the use of Ebola trial drugs on West African population will be ethical if it promotes the common good, and does not violate the fundamental principles of transparency and integrity in human research ethics. Using Kantian ethical framework of universality as a basis for moral defense of allowing access to yet approved drugs. This paper provides argument to strengthen the compassionate ground provisional recommendation of the WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) on Ebola vaccines and vaccination.

Does information form matter when giving tailored risk information to patients in clinical settings? A review of patients’ preferences and responses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Harris R

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Rebecca Harris, Claire Noble, Victoria Lowers Institute of Psychology, Health and Society, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK Abstract: Neoliberal emphasis on “responsibility” has colonized many aspects of public life, including how health care is provided. Clinical risk assessment of patients based on a range of data concerned with lifestyle, behavior, and health status has assumed a growing importance in many health systems. It is a mechanism whereby responsibility for self (preventive care can be shifted to patients, provided that risk assessment data is communicated to patients in a way which is engaging and motivates change. This study aimed to look at whether the form in which tailored risk information was presented in a clinical setting (for example, using photographs, online data, diagrams etc., was associated with differences in patients’ responses and preferences to the material presented. We undertook a systematic review using electronic searching of nine databases, along with handsearching specialist journals and backward and forward citation searching. We identified eleven studies (eight with a randomized controlled trial design. Seven studies involved the use of computerized health risk assessments in primary care. Beneficial effects were relatively modest, even in studies merely aiming to enhance patient–clinician communication or to modify patients’ risk perceptions. In our paper, we discuss the apparent importance of the accompanying discourse between patient and clinician, which appears to be necessary in order to impart meaning to information on “risk,” irrespective of whether the material is personalized, or even presented in a vivid way. Thus, while expanding computer technologies might be able to generate a highly personalized account of patients’ risk in a time efficient way, the need for face-to-face interactions to impart meaning to the data means that these new technologies cannot fully address the

Quantitative lung perfusion evaluation using Fourier decomposition perfusion MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Kjørstad, Åsmund; Corteville, Dominique M R; Fischer, Andre; Henzler, Thomas; Schmid-Bindert, Gerald; Zöllner, Frank G; Schad, Lothar R

2014-08-01

To quantitatively evaluate lung perfusion using Fourier decomposition perfusion MRI. The Fourier decomposition (FD) method is a noninvasive method for assessing ventilation- and perfusion-related information in the lungs, where the perfusion maps in particular have shown promise for clinical use. However, the perfusion maps are nonquantitative and dimensionless, making follow-ups and direct comparisons between patients difficult. We present an approach to obtain physically meaningful and quantifiable perfusion maps using the FD method. The standard FD perfusion images are quantified by comparing the partially blood-filled pixels in the lung parenchyma with the fully blood-filled pixels in the aorta. The percentage of blood in a pixel is then combined with the temporal information, yielding quantitative blood flow values. The values of 10 healthy volunteers are compared with SEEPAGE measurements which have shown high consistency with dynamic contrast enhanced-MRI. All pulmonary blood flow (PBF) values are within the expected range. The two methods are in good agreement (mean difference = 0.2 mL/min/100 mL, mean absolute difference = 11 mL/min/100 mL, mean PBF-FD = 150 mL/min/100 mL, mean PBF-SEEPAGE = 151 mL/min/100 mL). The Bland-Altman plot shows a good spread of values, indicating no systematic bias between the methods. Quantitative lung perfusion can be obtained using the Fourier Decomposition method combined with a small amount of postprocessing. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Stable Isotope Quantitative N-Glycan Analysis by Liquid Separation Techniques and Mass Spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Mittermayr, Stefan; Albrecht, Simone; Váradi, Csaba; Millán-Martín, Silvia; Bones, Jonathan

2017-01-01

Liquid phase separation analysis and subsequent quantitation remains a challenging task for protein-derived oligosaccharides due to their inherent structural complexity and diversity. Incomplete resolution or co-detection of multiple glycan species complicates peak area-based quantitation and associated statistical analysis when optical detection methods are used. The approach outlined herein describes the utilization of stable isotope variants of commonly used fluorescent tags that allow for mass-based glycan identification and relative quantitation following separation by liquid chromatography (LC) or capillary electrophoresis (CE). Comparability assessment of glycoprotein-derived oligosaccharides is performed by derivatization with commercially available isotope variants of 2-aminobenzoic acid or aniline and analysis by LC- and CE-mass spectrometry. Quantitative information is attained from the extracted ion chromatogram/electropherogram ratios generated from the light and heavy isotope clusters.

GWAPower: a statistical power calculation software for genome-wide association studies with quantitative traits.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Sheng; Wang, Shengchu; Chen, Chia-Cheng; Lan, Lan

2011-01-21

In designing genome-wide association (GWA) studies it is important to calculate statistical power. General statistical power calculation procedures for quantitative measures often require information concerning summary statistics of distributions such as mean and variance. However, with genetic studies, the effect size of quantitative traits is traditionally expressed as heritability, a quantity defined as the amount of phenotypic variation in the population that can be ascribed to the genetic variants among individuals. Heritability is hard to transform into summary statistics. Therefore, general power calculation procedures cannot be used directly in GWA studies. The development of appropriate statistical methods and a user-friendly software package to address this problem would be welcomed. This paper presents GWAPower, a statistical software package of power calculation designed for GWA studies with quantitative traits, where genetic effect is defined as heritability. Based on several popular one-degree-of-freedom genetic models, this method avoids the need to specify the non-centrality parameter of the F-distribution under the alternative hypothesis. Therefore, it can use heritability information directly without approximation. In GWAPower, the power calculation can be easily adjusted for adding covariates and linkage disequilibrium information. An example is provided to illustrate GWAPower, followed by discussions. GWAPower is a user-friendly free software package for calculating statistical power based on heritability in GWA studies with quantitative traits. The software is freely available at: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10502931/GWAPower.zip.

IMPACT OF THE “GIVING CIGARETTES IS GIVING HARM” CAMPAIGN ON KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES OF CHINESE SMOKERS

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Li-Ling; Thrasher, James F.; Jiang, Yuan; Li, Qiang; Fong, Geoffrey T.; Chang, Yvette; Walsemann, Katrina M.; Friedman, Daniela B.

2015-01-01

Objective To date there is limited published evidence on the efficacy of tobacco control mass media campaigns in China. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a mass media campaign “Giving Cigarettes is Giving Harm” (GCGH) on Chinese smokers’ knowledge of smoking-related harms and attitudes toward cigarette gifts. Methods Population-based, representative data were analyzed from a longitudinal cohort of 3,709 adult smokers who participated in the International Tobacco Control China Survey conducted in six Chinese cities before and after the campaign. Logistic regression models were estimated to examine associations between campaign exposure and attitudes about cigarettes as gifts measured post-campaign. Poisson regression models were estimated to assess the effects of campaign exposure on post-campaign knowledge, adjusting for pre-campaign knowledge. Findings Fourteen percent (n=335) of participants recalled the campaign within the cities where the GCGH campaign was implemented. Participants in the intervention cities who recalled the campaign were more likely to disagree that cigarettes are good gifts (71% vs. 58%, pcampaign-targeted knowledge than those who did not recall the campaign (Mean=1.97 vs. 1.62, pcampaign-targeted knowledge were similar in both cities, perhaps due to a secular trend, low campaign recall, or contamination issues. Conclusions These findings suggest that the GCGH campaign increased knowledge of smoking harms, which could promote downstream cessation. Findings provide evidence to support future campaign development to effectively fight the tobacco epidemic in China. PMID:24813427

Improving Evidence on Private Giving in Emerging Economies ...

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

... gaps on amounts and sources. There is also a lack of research on regulations and policies that support or discourage private giving. This research project will explore philanthropic cooperation in emerging and developing country contexts by quantifying financial flows from emerging economies to developing countries.

Magnetoresistive biosensors for quantitative proteomics

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Xiahan; Huang, Chih-Cheng; Hall, Drew A.

2017-08-01

Quantitative proteomics, as a developing method for study of proteins and identification of diseases, reveals more comprehensive and accurate information of an organism than traditional genomics. A variety of platforms, such as mass spectrometry, optical sensors, electrochemical sensors, magnetic sensors, etc., have been developed for detecting proteins quantitatively. The sandwich immunoassay is widely used as a labeled detection method due to its high specificity and flexibility allowing multiple different types of labels. While optical sensors use enzyme and fluorophore labels to detect proteins with high sensitivity, they often suffer from high background signal and challenges in miniaturization. Magnetic biosensors, including nuclear magnetic resonance sensors, oscillator-based sensors, Hall-effect sensors, and magnetoresistive sensors, use the specific binding events between magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and target proteins to measure the analyte concentration. Compared with other biosensing techniques, magnetic sensors take advantage of the intrinsic lack of magnetic signatures in biological samples to achieve high sensitivity and high specificity, and are compatible with semiconductor-based fabrication process to have low-cost and small-size for point-of-care (POC) applications. Although still in the development stage, magnetic biosensing is a promising technique for in-home testing and portable disease monitoring.

Role of quantitative chemical shift magnetic resonance imaging and chemical shift subtraction technique in discriminating adenomatous from non adenomatous adrenal solid lesions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmed H. Afifi

2017-03-01

Conclusion: The signal intensity index and adrenal to spleen ratio are the most reliable quantitative chemical shift MRI methods in differentiation of adrenal adenomas from other non-adenomatous adrenal solid lesions. Chemical shift subtraction MRI is a recent technique that gives highly confident discrimination between two categories of pathology without using of any reference organ.

Magnetic Resonance-based Motion Correction for Quantitative PET in Simultaneous PET-MR Imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Rakvongthai, Yothin; El Fakhri, Georges

2017-07-01

Motion degrades image quality and quantitation of PET images, and is an obstacle to quantitative PET imaging. Simultaneous PET-MR offers a tool that can be used for correcting the motion in PET images by using anatomic information from MR imaging acquired concurrently. Motion correction can be performed by transforming a set of reconstructed PET images into the same frame or by incorporating the transformation into the system model and reconstructing the motion-corrected image. Several phantom and patient studies have validated that MR-based motion correction strategies have great promise for quantitative PET imaging in simultaneous PET-MR. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Oxyfuels information needs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-05-01

Questions have been raised about the benefits and risks of oxygenated gasoline and reformulatd gasoline (`oxyfuels`). This document highlights areas of information that would improve scientific understanding of the impacts of these fuels on the environment and public health. It emphasizes the importance of obtaining data to support quantitative assessments of oxyfuels in comparison to conventional fuels. In addition to providing some background information and outlining a general framework for comparative risk assessments of fuels, the document briefly summarizes currently available information and then focuses on work that is now underway or planned and on data needs that remain to be filled.

Inequality and redistribution behavior in a give-or-take game

Science.gov (United States)

Bechtel, Michael M.; Scheve, Kenneth F.

2018-01-01

Political polarization and extremism are widely thought to be driven by the surge in economic inequality in many countries around the world. Understanding why inequality persists depends on knowing the causal effect of inequality on individual behavior. We study how inequality affects redistribution behavior in a randomized “give-or-take” experiment that created equality, advantageous inequality, or disadvantageous inequality between two individuals before offering one of them the opportunity to either take from or give to the other. We estimate the causal effect of inequality in representative samples of German and American citizens (n = 4,966) and establish two main findings. First, individuals imperfectly equalize payoffs: On average, respondents transfer 12% of the available endowments to realize more equal wealth distributions. This means that respondents tolerate a considerable degree of inequality even in a setting in which there are no costs to redistribution. Second, redistribution behavior in response to disadvantageous and advantageous inequality is largely asymmetric: Individuals who take from those who are richer do not also tend to give to those who are poorer, and individuals who give to those who are poorer do not tend to take from those who are richer. These behavioral redistribution types correlate in meaningful ways with support for heavy taxes on the rich and the provision of welfare benefits for the poor. Consequently, it seems difficult to construct a majority coalition willing to back the type of government interventions needed to counter rising inequality. PMID:29555734

A Quantitative Method for Localizing User Interface Problems: The D-TEO Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juha Lamminen

2009-01-01

Full Text Available A large array of evaluation methods have been proposed to identify Website usability problems. In log-based evaluation, information about the performance of users is collected and stored into log files, and used to find problems and deficiencies in Web page designs. Most methods require the programming and modeling of large task models, which are cumbersome processes for evaluators. Also, because much statistical data is collected onto log files, recognizing which Web pages require deeper usability analysis is difficult. This paper suggests a novel quantitative method, called the D-TEO, for locating problematic Web pages. This semiautomated method explores the decomposition of interaction tasks of directed information search into elementary operations, deploying two quantitative usability criteria, search success and search time, to reveal how a user navigates within a web of hypertext.

Quantitative Indicators for Behaviour Drift Detection from Home Automation Data.

Science.gov (United States)

Veronese, Fabio; Masciadri, Andrea; Comai, Sara; Matteucci, Matteo; Salice, Fabio

2017-01-01

Smart Homes diffusion provides an opportunity to implement elderly monitoring, extending seniors' independence and avoiding unnecessary assistance costs. Information concerning the inhabitant behaviour is contained in home automation data, and can be extracted by means of quantitative indicators. The application of such approach proves it can evidence behaviour changes.

A Qualitative and Quantitative Assay to Study DNA/Drug Interaction ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Research Article. A Qualitative and Quantitative Assay to Study. DNA/Drug Interaction Based on Sequence Selective. Inhibition of Restriction Endonucleases. Syed A Hassan1*, Lata Chauhan2, Ritu Barthwal2 and Aparna Dixit3. 1 Faculty of Computing and Information Technology, King Abdul Aziz University, Rabigh-21911 ...

Ground-Based Remote Sensing and Imaging of Volcanic Gases and Quantitative Determination of Multi-Species Emission Fluxes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ulrich Platt

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The physical and chemical structure and the spatial evolution of volcanic plumes are of great interest since they influence the Earth’s atmospheric composition and the climate. Equally important is the monitoring of the abundance and emission patterns of volcanic gases, which gives insight into processes in the Earth’s interior that are difficult to access otherwise. Here, we review spectroscopic approaches (from ultra-violet to thermal infra-red to determine multi-species emissions and to quantify gas fluxes. Particular attention is given to the emerging field of plume imaging and quantitative image interpretation. Here UV SO2 cameras paved the way but several other promising techniques are under study and development. We also give a brief summary of a series of initial applications of fast imaging techniques for volcanological research.

Temporal maps and informativeness in associative learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Balsam, Peter D; Gallistel, C Randy

2009-02-01

Neurobiological research on learning assumes that temporal contiguity is essential for association formation, but what constitutes temporal contiguity has never been specified. We review evidence that learning depends, instead, on learning a temporal map. Temporal relations between events are encoded even from single experiences. The speed with which an anticipatory response emerges is proportional to the informativeness of the encoded relation between a predictive stimulus or event and the event it predicts. This principle yields a quantitative account of the heretofore undefined, but theoretically crucial, concept of temporal pairing, an account in quantitative accord with surprising experimental findings. The same principle explains the basic results in the cue competition literature, which motivated the Rescorla-Wagner model and most other contemporary models of associative learning. The essential feature of a memory mechanism in this account is its ability to encode quantitative information.

Central index of dose information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

The Central Index of Dose Information (CIDI) is a national database of occupational exposure to radiation operated by the NRPB as agent for the Health and Safety Executive. It receives summarised information on the radiation doses to classified persons in Great Britain annually from Approved Dosimetry Services. This document is the first annual CIDI summary of the data, giving statistics for 1986. (UK)

Reprint of: Bidding to give in the field

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Onderstal, S.; Schram, A.J.H.C.; Soetevent, A.R.

2014-01-01

In a door-to-door fundraising field experiment, we study the impact of fundraising mechanisms on charitable giving. We approached about 4500 households, each participating in an all-pay auction, a lottery, a non-anonymous voluntary contribution mechanism (VCM), or an anonymous VCM. In contrast to

Reprint of : Bidding to give in the field

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Onderstal, Sander; Schram, Arthur J. H. C.; Soetevent, Adriaan R.

In a door-to-door fundraising field experiment, we study the impact of fundraising mechanisms on charitable giving. We approached about 4500 households, each participating in an all-pay auction, a lottery, a non-anonymous voluntary contribution mechanism (VCM), or an anonymous VCM. In contrast to

Using "The Giving Tree" To Teach Literary Criticism.

Science.gov (United States)

Remler, Nancy Lawson

2000-01-01

Argues that introducing students to literary criticism while introducing them to literature boosts their confidence and abilities to analyze literature, and increases their interest in discussing it. Describes how the author, in her college-level introductory literature course, used Shel Silverstein's "The Giving Tree" (a children's…

Social support and ambulatory blood pressure: an examination of both receiving and giving.

Science.gov (United States)

Piferi, Rachel L; Lawler, Kathleen A

2006-11-01

The relationship between the social network and physical health has been studied extensively and it has consistently been shown that individuals live longer, have fewer physical symptoms of illness, and have lower blood pressure when they are a member of a social network than when they are isolated. Much of the research has focused on the benefits of receiving social support from the network and the effects of giving to others within the network have been neglected. The goal of the present research was to systematically investigate the relationship between giving and ambulatory blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, and heart rate were recorded every 30 min during the day and every 60 min at night during a 24-h period. Linear mixed models analyses revealed that lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure were related to giving social support. Furthermore, correlational analyses revealed that participants with a higher tendency to give social support reported greater received social support, greater self-efficacy, greater self-esteem, less depression, and less stress than participants with a lower tendency to give social support to others. Structural equation modeling was also used to test a proposed model that giving and receiving social support represent separate pathways predicting blood pressure and health. From this study, it appears that giving social support may represent a unique construct from receiving social support and may exert a unique effect on health.

Ignorance, information and autonomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, J; Keywood, K

2001-09-01

People have a powerful interest in genetic privacy and its associated claim to ignorance, and some equally powerful desires to be shielded from disturbing information are often voiced. We argue, however, that there is no such thing as a right to remain in ignorance, where a fight is understood as an entitlement that trumps competing claims. This does not of course mean that information must always be forced upon unwilling recipients, only that there is no prima facie entitlement to be protected from true or honest information about oneself. Any claims to be shielded from information about the self must compete on equal terms with claims based in the rights and interests of others. In balancing the weight and importance of rival considerations about giving or withholding information, if rights claims have any place, rights are more likely to be defensible on the side of honest communication of information rather than in defence of ignorance. The right to free speech and the right to decline to accept responsibility to take decisions for others imposed by those others seem to us more plausible candidates for fully fledged rights in this field than any purported right to ignorance. Finally, and most importantly, if the right to autonomy is invoked, a proper understanding of the distinction between claims to liberty and claims to autonomy show that the principle of autonomy, as it is understood in contemporary social ethics and English law, supports the giving rather than the withholding of information in most circumstances.

A Quantitative Study on the Relationship of Information Security Policy Awareness, Enforcement, and Maintenance to Information Security Program Effectiveness

Science.gov (United States)

Francois, Michael T.

2016-01-01

Today's organizations rely heavily on information technology to conduct their daily activities. Therefore, their information security systems are an area of heightened security concern. As a result, organizations implement information security programs to address and mitigate that concern. However, even with the emphasis on information security,…

The influence of relationship beliefs on gift giving

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rai Dipankar

2017-12-01

Full Text Available People have fundamental beliefs about what constitutes a good relationship, known as implicit theories of relationship, where some people have destiny beliefs whereas others have growth beliefs. People with destiny beliefs believe that potential partners are meant either for each other or not, whereas people with growth beliefs believe that successful relationships are cultivated and developed. This research shows that different implicit theories of relationship influence consumers’ gift choice to their significant others. We demonstrate, through two studies, that consumers with destiny beliefs prefer giving gifts that are more feasible in nature, whereas consumers with growth beliefs prefer giving gifts that are more desirable in nature. We show that this effect is mediated by desirability-feasibility considerations. Specifically, consumers with destiny beliefs focus on feasibility considerations, which leads them to choose a highly feasible gift. Conversely, consumers with growth beliefs focus on desirability considerations, which leads them to choose a highly desirable gift. We also discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of our research.

Reciprocity is not give and take: asymmetric reciprocity to positive and negative acts.

Science.gov (United States)

Keysar, Boaz; Converse, Benjamin A; Wang, Jiunwen; Epley, Nicholas

2008-12-01

Unlike economic exchange, social exchange has no well-defined "value." It is based on the norm of reciprocity, in which giving and taking are to be repaid in equivalent measure. Although giving and taking are colloquially assumed to be equivalent actions, we demonstrate that they produce different patterns of reciprocity. In five experiments utilizing a dictator game, people reciprocated in like measure to apparently prosocial acts of giving, but reciprocated more selfishly to apparently antisocial acts of taking, even when the objective outcomes of the acts of giving and taking were identical. Additional results demonstrate that acts of giving in social exchanges are perceived as more generous than objectively identical acts of taking, that taking tends to escalate, and that the asymmetry in reciprocity is not due to gaining versus losing resources. Reciprocity appears to operate on an exchange rate that assigns value to the meaning of events, in a fashion that encourages prosocial exchanges.

Can False Advertising Give Rise to Antitrust Liability? (2)

OpenAIRE

Christopher Cole

2014-01-01

With the Retractable Technologies case, is the theory that false advertising can give rise to violations of the Sherman Act, while rarely invoked, gaining traction? Christopher A. Cole (Crowell & Moring)

Are Charitable Giving and Religious Attendance Complements or Substitutes? The Role of Measurement Error

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Matthew

2013-01-01

Government policies sometimes cause unintended consequences for other potentially desirable behaviors. One such policy is the charitable tax deduction, which encourages charitable giving by allowing individuals to deduct giving from taxable income. Whether charitable giving and other desirable behaviors are complements or substitutes affect the…

IMPROVING WOMEN'S LIVES Practical support for women gives ...

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

IMPROVING WOMEN'S LIVES Practical support for women gives communities a better future. October 26 ... Organized into small cooperatives, the women produce and market argan oil using a mix of traditional and modern methods. At the same time ... arts and craft. Technology helps Asian women balance family and work.

Advice-giving in the English lingua franca classroom

African Journals Online (AJOL)

important pragmatic differences between the ways in which advice is given by native speakers and ... gender differences and that teacher modeling may have an effect on which available form of advice-giving a ... nation wishes to participate in global enterprises such as international finance, multi-national corporations, and ...

Biotechnology information service of the GDR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poetzsch, E.

1990-05-01

The paper gives a survey of the biotechnology information in the GDR and describes the establishment of the Biotechnology Information Service of the GDR (BioInfo GDR). BioInfo GDR is a referral database and is to provide information on information sources available in the GDR, and on institutions working in the various fields of biotechnology in the GDR. In addition, some general problems of the building and use of databases are discussed. (author). 8 refs

Biotechnology information service of the GDR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poetzsch, E [Academy of Sciences, Berlin (Germany). Scientific Information Center

1990-05-01

The paper gives a survey of the biotechnology information in the GDR and describes the establishment of the Biotechnology Information Service of the GDR (BioInfo GDR). BioInfo GDR is a referral database and is to provide information on information sources available in the GDR, and on institutions working in the various fields of biotechnology in the GDR. In addition, some general problems of the building and use of databases are discussed. (author). 8 refs.

Give and Take in Dictator Games

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cappelen, Alexander W.; Nielsen, Ulrik Haagen; Sørensen, Erik Ø.

2014-01-01

It has been shown that participants in the dictator game are less willing to give money to the other participant when their choice set also includes the option to take money. We examine whether this effect is due to the choice set providing a signal about entitlements in a setting where...... entitlements initially may be considered unclear. We find that the share of positive transfers depends on the choice set even when there is no uncertainty about entitlements, and that this choice-set effect is robust across a heterogenous group of participants recruited from the general adult population...

Quantitative imaging of protein targets in the human brain with PET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gunn, Roger N; Slifstein, Mark; Searle, Graham E; Price, Julie C

2015-01-01

PET imaging of proteins in the human brain with high affinity radiolabelled molecules has a history stretching back over 30 years. During this period the portfolio of protein targets that can be imaged has increased significantly through successes in radioligand discovery and development. This portfolio now spans six major categories of proteins; G-protein coupled receptors, membrane transporters, ligand gated ion channels, enzymes, misfolded proteins and tryptophan-rich sensory proteins. In parallel to these achievements in radiochemical sciences there have also been significant advances in the quantitative analysis and interpretation of the imaging data including the development of methods for image registration, image segmentation, tracer compartmental modeling, reference tissue kinetic analysis and partial volume correction. In this review, we analyze the activity of the field around each of the protein targets in order to give a perspective on the historical focus and the possible future trajectory of the field. The important neurobiology and pharmacology is introduced for each of the six protein classes and we present established radioligands for each that have successfully transitioned to quantitative imaging in humans. We present a standard quantitative analysis workflow for these radioligands which takes the dynamic PET data, associated blood and anatomical MRI data as the inputs to a series of image processing and bio-mathematical modeling steps before outputting the outcome measure of interest on either a regional or parametric image basis. The quantitative outcome measures are then used in a range of different imaging studies including tracer discovery and development studies, cross sectional studies, classification studies, intervention studies and longitudinal studies. Finally we consider some of the confounds, challenges and subtleties that arise in practice when trying to quantify and interpret PET neuroimaging data including motion artifacts

Quantitative imaging of protein targets in the human brain with PET

Science.gov (United States)

Gunn, Roger N.; Slifstein, Mark; Searle, Graham E.; Price, Julie C.

2015-11-01

PET imaging of proteins in the human brain with high affinity radiolabelled molecules has a history stretching back over 30 years. During this period the portfolio of protein targets that can be imaged has increased significantly through successes in radioligand discovery and development. This portfolio now spans six major categories of proteins; G-protein coupled receptors, membrane transporters, ligand gated ion channels, enzymes, misfolded proteins and tryptophan-rich sensory proteins. In parallel to these achievements in radiochemical sciences there have also been significant advances in the quantitative analysis and interpretation of the imaging data including the development of methods for image registration, image segmentation, tracer compartmental modeling, reference tissue kinetic analysis and partial volume correction. In this review, we analyze the activity of the field around each of the protein targets in order to give a perspective on the historical focus and the possible future trajectory of the field. The important neurobiology and pharmacology is introduced for each of the six protein classes and we present established radioligands for each that have successfully transitioned to quantitative imaging in humans. We present a standard quantitative analysis workflow for these radioligands which takes the dynamic PET data, associated blood and anatomical MRI data as the inputs to a series of image processing and bio-mathematical modeling steps before outputting the outcome measure of interest on either a regional or parametric image basis. The quantitative outcome measures are then used in a range of different imaging studies including tracer discovery and development studies, cross sectional studies, classification studies, intervention studies and longitudinal studies. Finally we consider some of the confounds, challenges and subtleties that arise in practice when trying to quantify and interpret PET neuroimaging data including motion artifacts

Radiation information and informed consent for clinical trials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caon, Martin [School of Nursing and Midwifery, Flinders University, Adelaide (Australia)], E-mail: martin.caon@flinders.edu.au

2008-09-01

Examples of the statements about the radiation from medical imaging in the information for participants provided to the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) for approval are presented and discussed. There is considerable scope for improvement in the information about radiation that is presented to potential participants in clinical trials. Many radiation statements seem only intended to allay fear and anxiety about radiation rather than providing accurate information. This situation cannot be said to be conducive to allowing the participant to give informed consent to their involvement in a clinical trial in which ionising radiation is used. As many clinical trials are international and conducted at many sites (sometimes over 100), we would expect the same statements to have been seen by members of HRECs in many countries. Few HRECs include a member who is an expert in radiation. Hence, to ensure that the information is sound, those sections of the participant information that refer to radiation should be written or reviewed by a specialist in radiation protection such as a medical physicist, a health physicist or a radiation safety officer. (opinion)

Radiation information and informed consent for clinical trials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caon, Martin

2008-01-01

Examples of the statements about the radiation from medical imaging in the information for participants provided to the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) for approval are presented and discussed. There is considerable scope for improvement in the information about radiation that is presented to potential participants in clinical trials. Many radiation statements seem only intended to allay fear and anxiety about radiation rather than providing accurate information. This situation cannot be said to be conducive to allowing the participant to give informed consent to their involvement in a clinical trial in which ionising radiation is used. As many clinical trials are international and conducted at many sites (sometimes over 100), we would expect the same statements to have been seen by members of HRECs in many countries. Few HRECs include a member who is an expert in radiation. Hence, to ensure that the information is sound, those sections of the participant information that refer to radiation should be written or reviewed by a specialist in radiation protection such as a medical physicist, a health physicist or a radiation safety officer. (opinion)

Quantitative analysis of styrene butadiene copolymers using S-SIMS and LA-FTICRMS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruch, D.; Boes, C.; Zimmer, R.; Muller, J.F.; Migeon, H.-N.

2003-01-01

Styrene butadiene copolymers (SBR) have been analyzed by static secondary ion mass spectrometry (S-SIMS) and laser ablation Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (LA-FTICRMS) to obtain quantitative information based on specific peaks knowing that the complication of this system is that there are no characteristic SIMS peaks unique to each styrene and butadiene monomer. So, to overcome this problem, a silver deposition has been applied into polystyrene (PS), butadiene rubber (BR) and SBR. By this way, new secondary ions are detected in particular silver cationized butadiene and styrene monomers at m/z 161/163 and 211/213, respectively. The LA-FTICRMS experiments do not require pre-treatment. At high laser power density, UV photons (193, 266 and 355 nm) allow to detect directly the styrene and butadiene ions at m/z 104 and 54, respectively. Using these SIMS and LA-FTICRMS peaks, it is possible to obtain quantitative results. However, the silver coating in the SIMS experiment seems to have a great influence on the obtention of quantitative information. For LA-FTICRMS experiments, the best results seem to be obtained at the 355 nm wavelength

Peer support for parents of children with chronic disabling conditions: a systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Shilling, Val; Morris, Christopher; Thompson-Coon, Jo; Ukoumunne, Obioha; Rogers, Morwenna; Logan, Stuart

2013-07-01

To review the qualitative and quantitative evidence of the benefits of peer support for parents of children with disabling conditions in the context of health, well-being, impact on family, and economic and service implications. We comprehensively searched multiple databases. Eligible studies evaluated parent-to-parent support and reported on the psychological health and experience of giving or receiving support. There were no limits on the child's condition, study design, language, date, or setting. We sought to aggregate quantitative data; findings of qualitative studies were combined using thematic analysis. Qualitative and quantitative data were brought together in a narrative synthesis. Seventeen papers were included: nine qualitative studies, seven quantitative studies, and one mixed-methods evaluation. Four themes were identified from qualitative studies: (1) shared social identity, (2) learning from the experiences of others, (3) personal growth, and (4) supporting others. Some quantitative studies reported a positive effect of peer support on psychological health and other outcomes; however, this was not consistently confirmed. It was not possible to aggregate data across studies. No costing data were identified. Qualitative studies strongly suggest that parents perceive benefit from peer support programmes, an effect seen across different types of support and conditions. However, quantitative studies provide inconsistent evidence of positive effects. Further research should explore whether this dissonance is substantive or an artefact of how outcomes have been measured. © The Authors. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology © 2013 Mac Keith Press.

Recent advances on multidimensional liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry for proteomics: From qualitative to quantitative analysis—A review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Qi; Yuan Huiming; Zhang Lihua; Zhang Yukui

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We discuss progress of MDLC–MS systems in qualitative and quantitative proteomics. ► Both “Top-down” and “bottom-up” strategies are discussed in detail. ► On-line integrations of stable isotope labeling process are highlighted. ► This review gives insights into further directions for higher level integration. - Abstract: With the acceleration of proteome research, increasing attention has been paid to multidimensional liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (MDLC–MS) due to its high peak capacity and separation efficiency. Recently, many efforts have been put to improve MDLC-based strategies including “top-down” and “bottom-up” to enable highly sensitive qualitative and quantitative analysis of proteins, as well as accelerate the whole analytical procedure. Integrated platforms with combination of sample pretreatment, multidimensional separations and identification were also developed to achieve high throughput and sensitive detection of proteomes, facilitating highly accurate and reproducible quantification. This review summarized the recent advances of such techniques and their applications in qualitative and quantitative analysis of proteomes.

Discussion on the nuclear information resources co-constructing and sharing under network information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Yang

2010-01-01

During the tenth five-year plan, along with the digitization of information, and the development of information transmission network, the co-construction and sharing of China's nuclear industry information is facing a new development opportunities and challenges. This paper is based on the analysis of the nuclear library status and characteristics, combined of the development process of nuclear information resources over the past 20 years. For the characteristic of information sharing and services in the net environment, the problem in the current co-construction and sharing of nuclear information, and the needs of the future nuclear research and development of nuclear production, this paper forecast the work trends of nuclear information, and gives some countermeasure to strength the development of the co-construction and sharing of nuclear information. (author)

Information and documentation - Thesauri and interoperability with other vocabularies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dalbin, Sylvie; Smedt, Johan De; Marco, F. Javier García

This part of ISO 25964 gives recommendations for the development and maintenance of thesauri intended for information retrieval applications. It applies to vocabularies used for retrieving information about all types of information resources, irrespective of the media used (text, sound, still or ...

Rigour in quantitative research.

Science.gov (United States)

Claydon, Leica Sarah

2015-07-22

This article which forms part of the research series addresses scientific rigour in quantitative research. It explores the basis and use of quantitative research and the nature of scientific rigour. It examines how the reader may determine whether quantitative research results are accurate, the questions that should be asked to determine accuracy and the checklists that may be used in this process. Quantitative research has advantages in nursing, since it can provide numerical data to help answer questions encountered in everyday practice.

Information Risk Management: Qualitative or Quantitative? Cross industry lessons from medical and financial fields

OpenAIRE

Upasna Saluja; Norbik Bashah Idris

2012-01-01

Enterprises across the world are taking a hard look at their risk management practices. A number of qualitative and quantitative models and approaches are employed by risk practitioners to keep risk under check. As a norm most organizations end up choosing the more flexible, easier to deploy and customize qualitative models of risk assessment. In practice one sees that such models often call upon the practitioners to make qualitative judgments on a relative rating scale which brings in consid...

Giving Voice: A Course on American Indian Women.

Science.gov (United States)

Krouse, Susan Applegate

1997-01-01

Presents the story of the creation of an undergraduate course on the traditional and contemporary roles of women in North American Indian cultures. Notes that the course was designed around experiential learning precepts and the idea of "giving voice" to American Indian women. Lists texts used and evaluates course strengths. (DSK)

Past, present, and future of the concept of information

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafael Capurro

2009-11-01

Full Text Available This text provides an overview of the complex history of the concept of information in the Greek-Latin as well as in the Medieval and Modern traditions. It connects the Latin etymology of the term informatio with the Greek concepts of eidos/idea and morphé and shows how the objective meaning of information (‘giving form to something’ becomes obsolete in modernity where only the communicational meaning (‘telling something (new to someone’ remains. Information theories in the 20th Century are related to the development of technical systems of message transmission. They give rise to a renaissance of the objective notion of information but under a different framework as the one of the classic pre-modern philosophy. Establishing a connection between the concepts of information and message several options are presented leading to a concept of information based on a theory of messages.

Quantitative investment analysis

CERN Document Server

DeFusco, Richard

2007-01-01

In the "Second Edition" of "Quantitative Investment Analysis," financial experts Richard DeFusco, Dennis McLeavey, Jerald Pinto, and David Runkle outline the tools and techniques needed to understand and apply quantitative methods to today's investment process.

Quantitative targeted proteomics for understanding the blood-brain barrier: towards pharmacoproteomics.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohtsuki, Sumio; Hirayama, Mio; Ito, Shingo; Uchida, Yasuo; Tachikawa, Masanori; Terasaki, Tetsuya

2014-06-01

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is formed by brain capillary endothelial cells linked together via complex tight junctions, and serves to prevent entry of drugs into the brain. Multiple transporters are expressed at the BBB, where they control exchange of materials between the circulating blood and brain interstitial fluid, thereby supporting and protecting the CNS. An understanding of the BBB is necessary for efficient development of CNS-acting drugs and to identify potential drug targets for treatment of CNS diseases. Quantitative targeted proteomics can provide detailed information on protein expression levels at the BBB. The present review highlights the latest applications of quantitative targeted proteomics in BBB research, specifically to evaluate species and in vivo-in vitro differences, and to reconstruct in vivo transport activity. Such a BBB quantitative proteomics approach can be considered as pharmacoproteomics.

Perceptions of informal care givers: health and support services provided to people with multiple sclerosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Buchanan, Robert; Radin, Dagmar; Chakravorty, Bonnie J; Tyry, Tuula

2010-01-01

About 30% of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) need some form of home care assistance, with 80% of that assistance provided by informal or unpaid care givers. This study focuses on the care givers to 530 more disabled people with MS, with the objective to learn more about informal care giving to people with greater dependency and need for assistance. The data presented in this study were collected in a national survey of 530 informal care givers to people with MS who have greater levels of physical dependency. About 70% of informal care givers responded that assisting the person with MS perform daily activities or personal care took up the largest amount of their care giving time. Care givers also reported a range of home and community-based services that would make care giving easier or improve the care provided. However, informal care givers generally reported low satisfaction with health insurance coverage of these services, especially coverage by health maintenance organizations and other managed care plans. Lack of health insurance coverage of needed home and community-based services can reduce the quality of informal care provided, as well as increase the burden of informal care giving.

Others' opinions count, but not all of them: anchoring to ingroup versus outgroup members' behavior in charitable giving

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dorina Hysenbelli

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Because of the large amount of information and the difficulty in selecting an appropriate recipient in the context of charitable giving, people tend to make extensive use of heuristics, which sometimes leads them to wrong decisions. In the present work, we focused on exploring how individuals are influenced by anchoring heuristics and how group membership interacts with this heuristic. In Experiment 1, two different groups of participants were informed about low versus high average donations of other people, and a third control group did not receive any information about the others' donations. The results showed that participants were willing to donate significantly more in the high-anchor condition compared to the low-anchor condition, as well as about the same amount of money in the low-anchor condition and no-anchor condition. Experiment 2 and 3 showed that high anchors are more effective when the information about others' donations reflects members of the ingroup rather than the outgroup. Other variables related to these results are further discussed.

Critical Quantitative Inquiry in Context

Science.gov (United States)

Stage, Frances K.; Wells, Ryan S.

2014-01-01

This chapter briefly traces the development of the concept of critical quantitative inquiry, provides an expanded conceptualization of the tasks of critical quantitative research, offers theoretical explanation and justification for critical research using quantitative methods, and previews the work of quantitative criticalists presented in this…

Retirees and their Information Needs: A Survey Oluremi A. Abiolu ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Information Impact Vol. 6 (2) 2015 ... retirees and their new social status necessitated the study of their information needs. ... gives up one's work, position or business ... media to computer-based information ..... of women in small business in.

Qualitative and Quantitative Integrated Modeling for Stochastic Simulation and Optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xuefeng Yan

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The simulation and optimization of an actual physics system are usually constructed based on the stochastic models, which have both qualitative and quantitative characteristics inherently. Most modeling specifications and frameworks find it difficult to describe the qualitative model directly. In order to deal with the expert knowledge, uncertain reasoning, and other qualitative information, a qualitative and quantitative combined modeling specification was proposed based on a hierarchical model structure framework. The new modeling approach is based on a hierarchical model structure which includes the meta-meta model, the meta-model and the high-level model. A description logic system is defined for formal definition and verification of the new modeling specification. A stochastic defense simulation was developed to illustrate how to model the system and optimize the result. The result shows that the proposed method can describe the complex system more comprehensively, and the survival probability of the target is higher by introducing qualitative models into quantitative simulation.

Picture of informal care

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Alice de Boer

2005-01-01

Original title: Kijk op informele zorg. Many people assume that the giving of informal care to the sick and disabled is in decline. This is blamed among other things on the growing labour participation of women. In reality, however, this assumption is incorrect: the percentage of people

A Childhood Rich in Culture Gives a Socioeconomic Bonus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Austring, Bennye Düranc

2015-01-01

Artiklen ridser den nyeste forskning op inden for feltet 'art rich learning', altså æstetiske læreprocesser af god kvalitet. In the book ”Art and Culture Give Children a Life that Works” 60 (Danish and non-Danish) experts, practitioners, artists and several Ministers from the Danish Government fo...... focus on the significance of Art and Culture for children. The book provides lots of inspiration for teachers, pedagogues and cultural mediators and contains many examples of specific cultural activities, links and bibliographic references.......Artiklen ridser den nyeste forskning op inden for feltet 'art rich learning', altså æstetiske læreprocesser af god kvalitet. In the book ”Art and Culture Give Children a Life that Works” 60 (Danish and non-Danish) experts, practitioners, artists and several Ministers from the Danish Government...

Quantitative phase imaging and differential interference contrast imaging for biological TEM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allman, B.E.; McMahon, P.J.; Barone-Nugent, E.D.; Nugent, E.D.

2002-01-01

Full text: Phase microscopy is a central technique in science. An experienced microscopist uses this effect to visualise (edge) structure within transparent samples by slightly defocusing the microscope. Although widespread in optical microscopy, phase contrast transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has not been widely adopted. TEM for biological specimens has largely relied on staining techniques to yield sufficient contrast. We show here a simple method for quantitative TEM phase microscopy that quantifies this phase contrast effect. Starting with conventional, digital, bright field images of the sample, our algorithm provides quantitative phase information independent of the sample's bright field intensity image. We present TEM phase images of a range of stained and unstained, biological and material science specimens. This independent phase and intensity information is then used to emulate a range of phase visualisation images familiar to optical microscopy, e.g. differential interference contrast. The phase images contain features not visible with the other imaging modalities. Further, if the TEM samples have been prepared on a microtome to a uniform thickness, the phase information can be converted into refractive index structure of the specimen. Copyright (2002) Australian Society for Electron Microscopy Inc

Space-based Networking Technology Developments in the Interplanetary Network Directorate Information Technology Program

Science.gov (United States)

Clare, Loren; Clement, B.; Gao, J.; Hutcherson, J.; Jennings, E.

2006-01-01

Described recent development of communications protocols, services, and associated tools targeted to reduce risk, reduce cost and increase efficiency of IND infrastructure and supported mission operations. Space-based networking technologies developed were: a) Provide differentiated quality of service (QoS) that will give precedence to traffic that users have selected as having the greatest importance and/or time-criticality; b) Improve the total value of information to users through the use of QoS prioritization techniques; c) Increase operational flexibility and improve command-response turnaround; d) Enable new class of networked and collaborative science missions; e) Simplify applications interfaces to communications services; and f) Reduce risk and cost from a common object model and automated scheduling and communications protocols. Technologies are described in three general areas: communications scheduling, middleware, and protocols. Additionally developed simulation environment, which provides comprehensive, quantitative understanding of the technologies performance within overall, evolving architecture, as well as ability to refine & optimize specific components.

The quantitative LOD score: test statistic and sample size for exclusion and linkage of quantitative traits in human sibships.

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Page, G P; Amos, C I; Boerwinkle, E

1998-04-01

We present a test statistic, the quantitative LOD (QLOD) score, for the testing of both linkage and exclusion of quantitative-trait loci in randomly selected human sibships. As with the traditional LOD score, the boundary values of 3, for linkage, and -2, for exclusion, can be used for the QLOD score. We investigated the sample sizes required for inferring exclusion and linkage, for various combinations of linked genetic variance, total heritability, recombination distance, and sibship size, using fixed-size sampling. The sample sizes required for both linkage and exclusion were not qualitatively different and depended on the percentage of variance being linked or excluded and on the total genetic variance. Information regarding linkage and exclusion in sibships larger than size 2 increased as approximately all possible pairs n(n-1)/2 up to sibships of size 6. Increasing the recombination (theta) distance between the marker and the trait loci reduced empirically the power for both linkage and exclusion, as a function of approximately (1-2theta)4.

New tendencies in the legal mark give the civil liability for nuclear damages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gil Portela, Rosario; Alonso Gonzalez, Ivonne

1998-01-01

The development gives an indispensable legal mark for the execution a nuclear program it includes relative special dispositions to the civil liability for nuclear damages. The existence gives an international regime in this matter and its current improvement, give the one that Cuba is State it leaves, it conditions the inclusion additional requirements in the national legislative system on civil liability relatives to the possible damages that it could cause to the personal one and environment in general a nuclear accident

Institutionalization of evidence-informed practices in healthcare settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Novotná, Gabriela; Dobbins, Maureen; Henderson, Joanna

2012-11-21

The effective and timely integration of the best available research evidence into healthcare practice has considerable potential to improve the quality of provided care. Knowledge translation (KT) approaches aim to develop, implement, and evaluate strategies to address the research-practice gap. However, most KT research has been directed toward implementation strategies that apply cognitive, behavioral, and, to a lesser extent, organizational theories. In this paper, we discuss the potential of institutional theory to inform KT-related research. Despite significant research, there is still much to learn about how to achieve KT within healthcare systems and practices. Institutional theory, focusing on the processes by which new ideas and concepts become accepted within their institutional environments, holds promise for advancing KT efforts and research. To propose new directions for future KT research, we present some of the main concepts of institutional theory and discuss their application to KT research by outlining how institutionalization of new practices can lead to their ongoing use in organizations. In addition, we discuss the circumstances under which institutionalized practices dissipate and give way to new insights and ideas that can lead to new, more effective practices. KT research informed by institutional theory can provide important insights into how knowledge becomes implemented, routinized, and accepted as institutionalized practices. Future KT research should employ both quantitative and qualitative research designs to examine the specifics of sustainability, institutionalization, and deinstitutionalization of practices to enhance our understanding of these complex constructs.

Spatial Representation of Ordinal Information

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meng eZhang

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Right hand responds faster than left hand when shown larger numbers and vice-versa when shown smaller numbers (the SNARC effect. Accumulating evidence suggests that the SNARC effect may not be exclusive for numbers and can be extended to other ordinal sequences (e.g., months or letters in the alphabet as well. In this study, we tested the SNARC effect with a non-numerically ordered sequence: The Chinese notations for the color spectrum (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. Chinese color word sequence reserves relatively weak ordinal information, because each element color in the sequence normally appears in non-sequential contexts, making it ideal to test the spatial organization of sequential information that was stored in the long-term memory. This study found a reliable SNARC-like effect for Chinese color words (deciding whether the presented color word was before or after the reference color word green, suggesting that, without access to any quantitative information or exposure to any previous training, ordinal representation can still activate a sense of space. The results support that weak ordinal information without quantitative magnitude encoded in the long-term memory can activate spatial representation in a comparison task.

Spatial Representation of Ordinal Information.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Meng; Gao, Xuefei; Li, Baichen; Yu, Shuyuan; Gong, Tianwei; Jiang, Ting; Hu, Qingfen; Chen, Yinghe

2016-01-01

Right hand responds faster than left hand when shown larger numbers and vice-versa when shown smaller numbers (the SNARC effect). Accumulating evidence suggests that the SNARC effect may not be exclusive for numbers and can be extended to other ordinal sequences (e.g., months or letters in the alphabet) as well. In this study, we tested the SNARC effect with a non-numerically ordered sequence: the Chinese notations for the color spectrum (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet). Chinese color word sequence reserves relatively weak ordinal information, because each element color in the sequence normally appears in non-sequential contexts, making it ideal to test the spatial organization of sequential information that was stored in the long-term memory. This study found a reliable SNARC-like effect for Chinese color words (deciding whether the presented color word was before or after the reference color word "green"), suggesting that, without access to any quantitative information or exposure to any previous training, ordinal representation can still activate a sense of space. The results support that weak ordinal information without quantitative magnitude encoded in the long-term memory can activate spatial representation in a comparison task.

Information measures for terrain visualization

Science.gov (United States)

Bonaventura, Xavier; Sima, Aleksandra A.; Feixas, Miquel; Buckley, Simon J.; Sbert, Mateu; Howell, John A.

2017-02-01

Many quantitative and qualitative studies in geoscience research are based on digital elevation models (DEMs) and 3D surfaces to aid understanding of natural and anthropogenically-influenced topography. As well as their quantitative uses, the visual representation of DEMs can add valuable information for identifying and interpreting topographic features. However, choice of viewpoints and rendering styles may not always be intuitive, especially when terrain data are augmented with digital image texture. In this paper, an information-theoretic framework for object understanding is applied to terrain visualization and terrain view selection. From a visibility channel between a set of viewpoints and the component polygons of a 3D terrain model, we obtain three polygonal information measures. These measures are used to visualize the information associated with each polygon of the terrain model. In order to enhance the perception of the terrain's shape, we explore the effect of combining the calculated information measures with the supplementary digital image texture. From polygonal information, we also introduce a method to select a set of representative views of the terrain model. Finally, we evaluate the behaviour of the proposed techniques using example datasets. A publicly available framework for both the visualization and the view selection of a terrain has been created in order to provide the possibility to analyse any terrain model.