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Sample records for selected case study

  1. Portfolio Manager Selection – A Case Study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Michael

    2017-01-01

    Within a delegated portfolio management setting, this paper presents a case study of how the manager selection process can be operationalized in practice. Investors have to pursue a thorough screening of potential portfolio managers in order to discover their quality, and this paper discusses how...

  2. Managing the Public Sector Research and Development Portfolio Selection Process: A Case Study of Quantitative Selection and Optimization

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-09-01

    PUBLIC SECTOR RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT PORTFOLIO SELECTION PROCESS: A CASE STUDY OF QUANTITATIVE SELECTION AND OPTIMIZATION by Jason A. Schwartz...PUBLIC SECTOR RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT PORTFOLIO SELECTION PROCESS: A CASE STUDY OF QUANTITATIVE SELECTION AND OPTIMIZATION 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 6...describing how public sector organizations can implement a research and development (R&D) portfolio optimization strategy to maximize the cost

  3. The role of context in case study selection: An international business perspective

    OpenAIRE

    Poulis, K; Poulis, E; Plakoyiannaki, ME

    2013-01-01

    The extant methodological literature has challenged case selection in qualitative case study research for being arbitrary or relying too much on convenience logic. This paper aims to address parts of such criticism on the rigour of case selection through the presentation of a sampling framework that promotes contextualisation and thoroughness of sampling decisions in the study of international phenomena. This framework emerged from an inductive process following an actual case study project i...

  4. The lack of selection bias in a snowball sampled case-control study on drug abuse.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lopes, C S; Rodrigues, L C; Sichieri, R

    1996-12-01

    Friend controls in matched case-control studies can be a potential source of bias based on the assumption that friends are more likely to share exposure factors. This study evaluates the role of selection bias in a case-control study that used the snowball sampling method based on friendship for the selection of cases and controls. The cases selected fro the study were drug abusers located in the community. Exposure was defined by the presence of at least one psychiatric diagnosis. Psychiatric and drug abuse/dependence diagnoses were made according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III-R) criteria. Cases and controls were matched on sex, age and friendship. The measurement of selection bias was made through the comparison of the proportion of exposed controls selected by exposed cases (p1) with the proportion of exposed controls selected by unexposed cases (p2). If p1 = p2 then, selection bias should not occur. The observed distribution of the 185 matched pairs having at least one psychiatric disorder showed a p1 value of 0.52 and a p2 value of 0.51, indicating no selection bias in this study. Our findings support the idea that the use of friend controls can produce a valid basis for a case-control study.

  5. Recruitment and quality academic staff selection: the case study of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The sources from which organizations decide to select personnel from are central to its ability to survive, adapt, and grow (Noe et al, 2004:171). The paper examines a case study of recruitment and selection of quality academic staff into Covenant University. The paper addresses the factors that could affect recruitment ...

  6. Reducing selection bias in case-control studies from rare disease registries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cole, J Alexander; Taylor, John S; Hangartner, Thomas N; Weinreb, Neal J; Mistry, Pramod K; Khan, Aneal

    2011-09-12

    In clinical research of rare diseases, where small patient numbers and disease heterogeneity limit study design options, registries are a valuable resource for demographic and outcome information. However, in contrast to prospective, randomized clinical trials, the observational design of registries is prone to introduce selection bias and negatively impact the validity of data analyses. The objective of the study was to demonstrate the utility of case-control matching and the risk-set method in order to control bias in data from a rare disease registry. Data from the International Collaborative Gaucher Group (ICGG) Gaucher Registry were used as an example. A case-control matching analysis using the risk-set method was conducted to identify two groups of patients with type 1 Gaucher disease in the ICGG Gaucher Registry: patients with avascular osteonecrosis (AVN) and those without AVN. The frequency distributions of gender, decade of birth, treatment status, and splenectomy status were presented for cases and controls before and after matching. Odds ratios (and 95% confidence intervals) were calculated for each variable before and after matching. The application of case-control matching methodology results in cohorts of cases (i.e., patients with AVN) and controls (i.e., patients without AVN) who have comparable distributions for four common parameters used in subject selection: gender, year of birth (age), treatment status, and splenectomy status. Matching resulted in odds ratios of approximately 1.00, indicating no bias. We demonstrated bias in case-control selection in subjects from a prototype rare disease registry and used case-control matching to minimize this bias. Therefore, this approach appears useful to study cohorts of heterogeneous patients in rare disease registries.

  7. Reducing selection bias in case-control studies from rare disease registries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mistry Pramod K

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In clinical research of rare diseases, where small patient numbers and disease heterogeneity limit study design options, registries are a valuable resource for demographic and outcome information. However, in contrast to prospective, randomized clinical trials, the observational design of registries is prone to introduce selection bias and negatively impact the validity of data analyses. The objective of the study was to demonstrate the utility of case-control matching and the risk-set method in order to control bias in data from a rare disease registry. Data from the International Collaborative Gaucher Group (ICGG Gaucher Registry were used as an example. Methods A case-control matching analysis using the risk-set method was conducted to identify two groups of patients with type 1 Gaucher disease in the ICGG Gaucher Registry: patients with avascular osteonecrosis (AVN and those without AVN. The frequency distributions of gender, decade of birth, treatment status, and splenectomy status were presented for cases and controls before and after matching. Odds ratios (and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for each variable before and after matching. Results The application of case-control matching methodology results in cohorts of cases (i.e., patients with AVN and controls (i.e., patients without AVN who have comparable distributions for four common parameters used in subject selection: gender, year of birth (age, treatment status, and splenectomy status. Matching resulted in odds ratios of approximately 1.00, indicating no bias. Conclusions We demonstrated bias in case-control selection in subjects from a prototype rare disease registry and used case-control matching to minimize this bias. Therefore, this approach appears useful to study cohorts of heterogeneous patients in rare disease registries.

  8. Selection bias in population-based cancer case-control studies due to incomplete sampling frame coverage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walsh, Matthew C; Trentham-Dietz, Amy; Gangnon, Ronald E; Nieto, F Javier; Newcomb, Polly A; Palta, Mari

    2012-06-01

    Increasing numbers of individuals are choosing to opt out of population-based sampling frames due to privacy concerns. This is especially a problem in the selection of controls for case-control studies, as the cases often arise from relatively complete population-based registries, whereas control selection requires a sampling frame. If opt out is also related to risk factors, bias can arise. We linked breast cancer cases who reported having a valid driver's license from the 2004-2008 Wisconsin women's health study (N = 2,988) with a master list of licensed drivers from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WDOT). This master list excludes Wisconsin drivers that requested their information not be sold by the state. Multivariate-adjusted selection probability ratios (SPR) were calculated to estimate potential bias when using this driver's license sampling frame to select controls. A total of 962 cases (32%) had opted out of the WDOT sampling frame. Cases age <40 (SPR = 0.90), income either unreported (SPR = 0.89) or greater than $50,000 (SPR = 0.94), lower parity (SPR = 0.96 per one-child decrease), and hormone use (SPR = 0.93) were significantly less likely to be covered by the WDOT sampling frame (α = 0.05 level). Our results indicate the potential for selection bias due to differential opt out between various demographic and behavioral subgroups of controls. As selection bias may differ by exposure and study base, the assessment of potential bias needs to be ongoing. SPRs can be used to predict the direction of bias when cases and controls stem from different sampling frames in population-based case-control studies.

  9. Treating Selective Mutism Using Modular CBT for Child Anxiety: A Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reuther, Erin T.; Davis, Thompson E., III; Moree, Brittany N.; Matson, Johnny L.

    2011-01-01

    Selective mutism is a rare, debilitating condition usually seen in children. Unfortunately, there is little research examining effective treatments for this disorder, and designing an evidence-based treatment plan can be difficult. This case study presents the evidence-based treatment of an 8-year-old Caucasian boy with selective mutism using an…

  10. Selecting appropriate cases when tracing causal mechanisms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Beach, Derek; Pedersen, Rasmus Brun

    2016-01-01

    The last decade has witnessed resurgence in the interest in studying the causal mechanisms linking causes and outcomes in the social sciences. This article explores the overlooked implications for case selection when tracing mechanisms using in-depth case studies. Our argument is that existing case...... selection guidelines are appropriate for research aimed at making cross-case claims about causal relationships, where case selection is primarily used to control for other causes. However, existing guidelines are not in alignment with case-based research that aims to trace mechanisms, where the goal...... is to unpack the causal mechanism between X and Y, enabling causal inferences to be made because empirical evidence is provided for how the mechanism actually operated in a particular case. The in-depth, within-case tracing of how mechanisms operate in particular cases produces what can be termed mechanistic...

  11. Selection of a plant location - A case study: Urea production using ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Selection of a plant location - A case study: Urea production using Calub Gas. ... The criteria are. amongst others, supply of raw materials and fuel, market proximity, water supply. waste ... To set up · critical factors for Ethiopian scenario

  12. Multi-criteria selection of offshore wind farms: Case study for the Baltic States

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chaouachi, Aymen; Covrig, Catalin Felix; Ardelean, Mircea

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents a multi-criteria selection approach for offshore wind sites assessment. The proposed site selection framework takes into consideration the electricity network’s operating security aspects, economic investment, operation costs and capacity performances relative to each potential site. The selection decision is made through Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), with an inherited flexibility that aims to allow end users to adjust the expected benefits accordingly to their respective and global priorities. The proposed site selection framework is implemented as an interactive case study for three Baltic States in the 2020 time horizon, based on real data and exhaustive power network models, taking into consideration the foreseen upgrades and network reinforcements. For each country the optimal offshore wind sites are assessed under multiple weight contribution scenarios, reflecting the characteristics of market design, regulatory aspects or renewable integration targets. - Highlights: • We use a multi-criteria selection approach for offshore wind sites assessment. • Security aspects, economic investment, operation costs and capacity performances are included. • The selection decision is made through an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). • We implement the methodology as a case study for three Baltic States in the 2020 time horizon.

  13. Lessons learned? Selected public acceptance case studies since Three Mile Island

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Blee, D. [NAC International, Atlanta Corporate Headquarters, Atlanta, GA (United States)

    2001-02-01

    This paper will present an overview of the present situation, some recent polling survey information, and then look at lessons learned in terms of selected case studies and some global issues over the 22 years since the Three Mile Island (TMI) accident. That is quite an ambitious topic but there are some important lessons we can learn from the post-TMI era. (author)

  14. Field-based random sampling without a sampling frame: control selection for a case-control study in rural Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crampin, A C; Mwinuka, V; Malema, S S; Glynn, J R; Fine, P E

    2001-01-01

    Selection bias, particularly of controls, is common in case-control studies and may materially affect the results. Methods of control selection should be tailored both for the risk factors and disease under investigation and for the population being studied. We present here a control selection method devised for a case-control study of tuberculosis in rural Africa (Karonga, northern Malawi) that selects an age/sex frequency-matched random sample of the population, with a geographical distribution in proportion to the population density. We also present an audit of the selection process, and discuss the potential of this method in other settings.

  15. Association between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and upper gastrointestinal bleeding: population based case-control study

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Abajo, Francisco José; Rodríguez, Luis Alberto García; Montero, Dolores

    1999-01-01

    Objective To examine the association between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Design Population based case-control study. Setting General practices included in the UK general practice research database. Subjects 1651 incident cases of upper gastrointestinal bleeding and 248 cases of ulcer perforation among patients aged 40 to 79 years between April 1993 and September 1997, and 10 000 controls matched for age, sex, and year that the case was identified. Interventions Review of computer profiles for all potential cases, and an internal validation study to confirm the accuracy of the diagnosis on the basis of the computerised information. Main outcome measures Current use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or other antidepressants within 30 days before the index date. Results Current exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors was identified in 3.1% (52 of 1651) of patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding but only 1.0% (95 of 10 000) of controls, giving an adjusted rate ratio of 3.0 (95% confidence interval 2.1 to 4.4). This effect measure was not modified by sex, age, dose, or treatment duration. A crude incidence of 1 case per 8000 prescriptions was estimated. A small association was found with non-selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (relative risk 1.4, 1.1 to 1.9) but not with antidepressants lacking this inhibitory effect. None of the groups of antidepressants was associated with ulcer perforation. The concurrent use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs increased the risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding beyond the sum of their independent effects (15.6, 6.6 to 36.6). A smaller interaction was also found between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and low dose aspirin (7.2, 3.1 to 17.1). Conclusions Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors increase the risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The absolute effect is, however

  16. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and gastrointestinal bleeding: a case-control study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alfonso Carvajal

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs have been associated with upper gastrointestinal (GI bleeding. Given their worldwide use, even small risks account for a large number of cases. This study has been conducted with carefully collected information to further investigate the relationship between SSRIs and upper GI bleeding. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study in hospitals in Spain and in Italy. Cases were patients aged ≥18 years with a primary diagnosis of acute upper GI bleeding diagnosed by endoscopy; three controls were matched by sex, age, date of admission (within 3 months and hospital among patients who were admitted for elective surgery for non-painful disorders. Exposures to SSRIs, other antidepressants and other drugs were defined as any use of these drugs in the 7 days before the day on which upper gastrointestinal bleeding started (index day. RESULTS: 581 cases of upper GI bleeding and 1358 controls were considered eligible for the study; no differences in age or sex distribution were observed between cases and controls after matching. Overall, 4.0% of the cases and 3.3% of controls used an SSRI antidepressant in the week before the index day. No significant risk of upper GI bleeding was encountered for SSRI antidepressants (adjusted odds ratio, 1.06, 95% CI, 0.57-1.96 or for whichever other grouping of antidepressants. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this case-control study showed no significant increase in upper GI bleeding with SSRIs and provide good evidence that the magnitude of any increase in risk is not greater than 2.

  17. Quantifying the impact of selection bias caused by nonparticipation in a case-control study of mobile phone use

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vrijheid, Martine; Richardson, Lesley; Armstrong, Bruce K

    2009-01-01

    To quantitatively assess the impact of selection bias caused by nonparticipation in a multinational case-control study of mobile phone use and brain tumor.......To quantitatively assess the impact of selection bias caused by nonparticipation in a multinational case-control study of mobile phone use and brain tumor....

  18. Materials selection as an interdisciplinary technical activity: basic methodology and case studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Ferrante

    2000-04-01

    Full Text Available The technical activity known as Materials Selection is reviewed in its concepts and methodologies. Objectives and strategies are briefly presented and two important features are introduced and discussed; (i Merit Indices: a combination of materials properties, which maximises the objectives chosen by the designer and (ii Materials Properties Maps: a bi-dimensional space whose coordinates are pairs of properties in which materials can be plotted and compared directly in terms of their merit indices. A general strategy for the deduction of these indices is explained and a formal methodology to establish a ranking of candidate materials when multiple constraints intervene is presented. Finally, two case studies are discussed in depth, one related to materials substitution in the context of mechanical design and a less conventional case linking material selection to physical comfort in the home furniture industry.

  19. The Power of Natural Selection: A Guided Investigation of Three Case Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beachly, William

    2010-01-01

    I describe a quantitative approach to three case studies in evolution that can be used to challenge college freshmen to explore the power of natural selection and ask questions that foster a deeper understanding of its operation and relevance. Hemochromatosis, the peppered moth, and hominid cranial capacity are investigated with a common algebraic…

  20. Recruiting Young Volunteers in an Area of Selective Education: A Qualitative Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dean, Jon

    2016-01-01

    This article presents findings from a small qualitative case study of a youth volunteering brokerage organisation in England, operating in an area of selective state education. Data show how brokerage workers felt grammar schools managed their students in a concerted way to improve students' chances of attending university. Conversely, workers…

  1. Ericksonian hypnotherapy for selective mutism: A single-case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cavarra, Mauro; Brizio, Adelina; Gava, Nicoletta

    2017-01-16

    Children affected by selective mutism don't speak in contexts that are unfamiliar to them or in which speaking is expected or required (e.g. school, kindergarten…). Such disorder interferes with the child's normal activities, may have invalidating consequences in the long run if left untreated, is associated to anxious conditions and is considered hard to treat. Contemporary research is still in need of methodologically rigorous outcome studies and the results described in the small number of published randomized controlled trials and retrospective studies indicate cognitive-behavioral interventions lasting 20-24 sessions as the best therapeutic option. This case study, involving a 7-year-old girl, aims at providing preliminary evidence on the effectiveness of Ericksonian hypnosis in the treatment of this condition. A brief review of current evidence is provided. The case was treated by a licensed hypnotherapist, specialized in family therapy, in 5 sessions during the course of 3 months. After 3 months the symptoms of the client were resolved and the diagnosis was no longer applicable. Other improvements regarded her mood, social skills and school performance.  Conclusions: Ericksonian Hypnotherapy lead to the remission of the disorder and to the improvement of the general well being of the client in 5 sessions, a much briefer time span compared to what is reported in current literature. This paper represents the first step in the elaboration of replicable and reliable intervention principles.

  2. Application Of Decision Tree Approach To Student Selection Model- A Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harwati; Sudiya, Amby

    2016-01-01

    The main purpose of the institution is to provide quality education to the students and to improve the quality of managerial decisions. One of the ways to improve the quality of students is to arrange the selection of new students with a more selective. This research takes the case in the selection of new students at Islamic University of Indonesia, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. One of the university's selection is through filtering administrative selection based on the records of prospective students at the high school without paper testing. Currently, that kind of selection does not yet has a standard model and criteria. Selection is only done by comparing candidate application file, so the subjectivity of assessment is very possible to happen because of the lack standard criteria that can differentiate the quality of students from one another. By applying data mining techniques classification, can be built a model selection for new students which includes criteria to certain standards such as the area of origin, the status of the school, the average value and so on. These criteria are determined by using rules that appear based on the classification of the academic achievement (GPA) of the students in previous years who entered the university through the same way. The decision tree method with C4.5 algorithm is used here. The results show that students are given priority for admission is that meet the following criteria: came from the island of Java, public school, majoring in science, an average value above 75, and have at least one achievement during their study in high school.

  3. A Phenomenological Case Study of the Elementary to Secondary Transition for One Female Student Diagnosed with Selective Mutism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nashman-Smith, Mona

    2017-01-01

    Selective mutism (SM) is considered a communication and anxiety disorder that afflicts about 1% of students. The rarity of SM and the isolated cases of this condition has rendered the elementary to secondary school experience for a student with SM difficult to study. Utilizing a qualitative approach, this phenomenological case study examined the…

  4. SELECTION OF PROJECT MANAGERS IN CONSTRUCTION FIRMS USING ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS (AHP AND FUZZY TOPSIS: A CASE STUDY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fatemeh Torfi

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Selecting a project manager is a major decision for every construction company. Traditionally, a project manager is selected by interviewing applicants and evaluating their capabilities by considering the special requirements of the project. The interviews are usually conducted by senior managers, and the selection of the best candidate depends on their opinions. Thus, the results may not be completely reliable. Moreover, conducting interviews for a large group of candidates is time-consuming. Thus, there is a need for computational models that can be used to select the most suitable applicant, given the project specifications and the applicants’ details. In this paper, a case study is performed in which a Fuzzy Multiple Criteria Decision Making (FMCDM model is used to select the best candidate for the post of project manager in a large construction firm. First, with the opinions of the senior managers, all the criteria and sub-criteria required for the selection are gathered, and the criteria priorities are qualitatively specified. Then, the applicants are ranked using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP, approximate weights of the criteria, and fuzzy technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS. The results of the case study are shown to be satisfactory.

  5. Tests of selection in pooled case-control data: an empirical study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Udpa, Nitin; Zhou, Dan; Haddad, Gabriel G; Bafna, Vineet

    2011-01-01

    For smaller organisms with faster breeding cycles, artificial selection can be used to create sub-populations with different phenotypic traits. Genetic tests can be employed to identify the causal markers for the phenotypes, as a precursor to engineering strains with a combination of traits. Traditional approaches involve analyzing crosses of inbred strains to test for co-segregation with genetic markers. Here we take advantage of cheaper next generation sequencing techniques to identify genetic signatures of adaptation to the selection constraints. Obtaining individual sequencing data is often unrealistic due to cost and sample issues, so we focus on pooled genomic data. We explore a series of statistical tests for selection using pooled case (under selection) and control populations. The tests generally capture skews in the scaled frequency spectrum of alleles in a region, which are indicative of a selective sweep. Extensive simulations are used to show that these approaches work well for a wide range of population divergence times and strong selective pressures. Control vs control simulations are used to determine an empirical False Positive Rate, and regions under selection are determined using a 1% FPR level. We show that pooling does not have a significant impact on statistical power. The tests are also robust to reasonable variations in several different parameters, including window size, base-calling error rate, and sequencing coverage. We then demonstrate the viability (and the challenges) of one of these methods in two independent Drosophila populations (Drosophila melanogaster) bred under selection for hypoxia and accelerated development, respectively. Testing for extreme hypoxia tolerance showed clear signals of selection, pointing to loci that are important for hypoxia adaptation. Overall, we outline a strategy for finding regions under selection using pooled sequences, then devise optimal tests for that strategy. The approaches show promise for

  6. Birth order and sibship size: evaluation of the role of selection bias in a case-control study of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mensah, F K; Willett, E V; Simpson, J; Smith, A G; Roman, E

    2007-09-15

    Substantial heterogeneity has been observed among case-control studies investigating associations between non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and familial characteristics, such as birth order and sibship size. The potential role of selection bias in explaining such heterogeneity is considered within this study. Selection bias according to familial characteristics and socioeconomic status is investigated within a United Kingdom-based case-control study of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosed during 1998-2001. Reported distributions of birth order and maternal age are each compared with expected reference distributions derived using national birth statistics from the United Kingdom. A method is detailed in which yearly data are used to derive expected distributions, taking account of variability in birth statistics over time. Census data are used to reweight both the case and control study populations such that they are comparable with the general population with regard to socioeconomic status. The authors found little support for an association between non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and birth order or family size and little evidence for an influence of selection bias. However, the findings suggest that between-study heterogeneity could be explained by selection biases that influence the demographic characteristics of participants.

  7. Not accounting for interindividual variability can mask habitat selection patterns: a case study on black bears.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lesmerises, Rémi; St-Laurent, Martin-Hugues

    2017-11-01

    Habitat selection studies conducted at the population scale commonly aim to describe general patterns that could improve our understanding of the limiting factors in species-habitat relationships. Researchers often consider interindividual variation in selection patterns to control for its effects and avoid pseudoreplication by using mixed-effect models that include individuals as random factors. Here, we highlight common pitfalls and possible misinterpretations of this strategy by describing habitat selection of 21 black bears Ursus americanus. We used Bayesian mixed-effect models and compared results obtained when using random intercept (i.e., population level) versus calculating individual coefficients for each independent variable (i.e., individual level). We then related interindividual variability to individual characteristics (i.e., age, sex, reproductive status, body condition) in a multivariate analysis. The assumption of comparable behavior among individuals was verified only in 40% of the cases in our seasonal best models. Indeed, we found strong and opposite responses among sampled bears and individual coefficients were linked to individual characteristics. For some covariates, contrasted responses canceled each other out at the population level. In other cases, interindividual variability was concealed by the composition of our sample, with the majority of the bears (e.g., old individuals and bears in good physical condition) driving the population response (e.g., selection of young forest cuts). Our results stress the need to consider interindividual variability to avoid misinterpretation and uninformative results, especially for a flexible and opportunistic species. This study helps to identify some ecological drivers of interindividual variability in bear habitat selection patterns.

  8. Selection of controls in case-control studies on maternal medication use and risk of birth defects

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bakker, M.K.; de Walle, H.E.; Dequito, A.; van den Berg, P.B.; de Jong-van den Berg, L.T.

    BACKGROUND:: In case-control studies on teratogenic risks of maternal drug use during pregnancy, the use of normal or malformed controls may lead to recall-bias or selection bias. This can be avoided by using controls with a genetic disorder. However, researchers are hesitant to use these as

  9. The role intuitive decision making plays in project selection in the residential property market: a case study of a medium sized

    OpenAIRE

    Ryan, Diarmuid

    2013-01-01

    non-peer-reviewed This thesis addresses the role of intuition in project selection in residential property development. The paper provides a comprehensive review of existing literature in relation to project selection and decision making. In addition, the examination of the project files of M.A. Ryan & Sons Ltd., a medium sized property development company, has enabled a case study to be carried out on three projects carried out by the organisation. Through the case study, t...

  10. [Sexual offences--selected cases].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Łabecka, Marzena; Jarzabek-Bielecka, Grazyna; Lorkiewicz-Muszyńska, Dorota

    2013-04-01

    Expert testimony on violence victims also includes victims of sexual assault. The role of an expert is to classify the injuries by their severity as defined in art. 157 156 or 217 of the Criminal Code pertaining to crimes against health and life. Also, the role of an expert opinion is to determine whether the injuries identified during the exam occurred at the time and under the circumstances stated in medical history. The examination of sexual assault victims is conducted by two experts: a gynecologist and a forensic physician. Most examinations are performed at different times and various medical centers. The conclusions are presented in an official report. Regardless of victim age, all sexual crimes are investigated ex officio by the Police Department and the Prosecutor's Office. Further legal classification of criminal offenses is the task of an appropriate legal body and the offenses are codified in accordance with the provisions of chapter XXV of the Criminal Code, articles 197 - 205. In controversial cases, i.e. when two different expert opinions appear on the same case, or if, according to the law enforcement, a medical opinion is insufficient for some reason, an appropriate expert or team of experts is appointed to resolve the problem. To present selected cases of sexual violence victims treated at the Department of Gynecology and assessed at the Department of Forensic Medicine with reference to the challenges regarding qualification of the sustained injuries and clinical diagnoses. Research material included selected forensic opinions developed for law enforcement offices that involved victims of sexual violence. The expert opinions were prepared either on the basis of submitted evidence, or both, submitted evidence and examination of the victim at the Department of Forensic Medicine. Moreover the article presents a case of a patient examined and treated at the Department of Gynecology in Poznan. Based on the selected cases, the authors conclude that a

  11. Tests of Selection in Pooled Case-Control Data: An Empirical Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nitin eUdpa

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available For smaller organisms with faster breeding cycles, artificial selection can be used to create sub-populations with different phenotypic traits. Genetic tests can be employed to identify the causal markers for the phenotypes, as a precursor to engineering strains with a combination of traits. Traditional approaches involve analyzing crosses of inbred strains to test for co-segregation with genetic markers. Here we take advantage of cheaper next generation sequencing techniques to identifygenetic signatures of adaptation to the selection constraints. Obtaining individual sequencing data is often unrealistic due to cost and sample issues, so we focus on pooled genomic data.In this paper, we explore a series of statistical tests for selection using pooled case (under selection and control populations. Extensive simulations are used to show that these approaches work well for a wide range of population divergence times and strong selective pressures. We show that pooling does not have a significant impact on statistical power. The tests are also robust to reasonable variations in several different parameters, including window size, base-calling error rate, and sequencing coverage. We then demonstrate the viability (and the challenges of one of these methods in two independent Drosophila populations (Drosophila melanogaster bred under selectionfor hypoxia and accelerated development, respectively. Testing for extreme hypoxia tolerance showed clear signals of selection, pointing to loci that are important for hypoxia adaptation.Overall, we outline a strategy for finding regions under selection using pooled sequences, then devise optimal tests for that strategy. The approaches show promise for detecting selection, even several generations after fixation of the beneficial allele has occurred.

  12. Strategic decisions in transport: a case study for a naval base selection in Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amaury Caruzzo

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available A decision on a military strategic environment, such as the selection of a new naval base, is a complex process and involves various criteria. In this context, few studies are available on the problems of military-naval transport decisions. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to present a maritime transport case study using a multi-methodology framework in a process of strategic decision making in logistics. Through a review of the literature, normative documents from the Brazilian armed forces, and interviews with military officers, criteria and preferences were identified and a hierarchical structure was constructed for a case study in the Brazilian Navy–the location of the second Fleet Headquarters. The results indicated that São Marcos Bay, in Maranhão State, was the best location among the alternatives. The multi-criteria approach was shown to be a valuable tool in assisting the decision making process and to understand the trade-offs between strategic and operational criteria in a transport decision.

  13. Nuclear power plant site selection: a case study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lugasi, Y.; Mehrez, A.; Sinuany-Stern, Z.

    1985-01-01

    Selecting the site for a nuclear power plant involves the evaluation of numerous criteria and the professional judgment of various experts. The Israel Atomic Energy Commission has been concerned with the problem of selecting a site for a nuclear power station. Previous studies have been performed by the commission to identify potential sites. There were initial screenings where potential sites were chosen according to various minimal criteria and international standards. Only sites that met all the criteria were chosen. A study was made to find the most preferred site among the potential sites that met all the criteria. Two mathematical approaches were used: Keeney's multiattribute utility function and Saaty's eigenvalue prioritization technique. Both models ranked the same site as the most desirable; however, the models differed in their ranking of the other sites

  14. Case Studies on Timber Defects of Selected Traditional Houses in Malacca

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nor Haniza Ishak

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available The effect of adverse environmental conditions on building materials and the extent of damage caused depends on both the materials used and the environmental conditions. Although timber is a diminishing resource, it is still widely used in today's construction. In Malaysia, timber is one of the main components of many historic buildings. Appropriate maintenance of such buildings requires an understanding of timber defects and its related problems. Timber defects are classified into two major groups: non-biological and biological deteriorations. Non-biological deterioration consists of physical decay, excessive moisture content, dimensional instability and chemical deterioration. These defects are mainly caused by the timber in service being subjected to environmental exposure. The most common and destructive timber biological deteriorations are those due to dry rot, we t rot as well as insect attacks . A study based on seven selected houses was conducted to identify the most common building defects, specifically on timber components amongst traditional Malay houses in Malacca, Malaysia, A building condition survey was carried out to determine the effect of the environment towards timber buildings and their main components. Data collected were based on the investigation and visual observation of the selected case studies. Findings of this research will serve as an indicator towards maintaining the buildings' timber components in good condition in order that the buildings' life span could be extended and primarily to conserve the valuable traditional timber houses in a historical city.

  15. Methodology Series Module 2: Case-control Studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Setia, Maninder Singh

    2016-01-01

    Case-Control study design is a type of observational study. In this design, participants are selected for the study based on their outcome status. Thus, some participants have the outcome of interest (referred to as cases), whereas others do not have the outcome of interest (referred to as controls). The investigator then assesses the exposure in both these groups. The investigator should define the cases as specifically as possible. Sometimes, definition of a disease may be based on multiple criteria; thus, all these points should be explicitly stated in case definition. An important aspect of selecting a control is that they should be from the same 'study base' as that of the cases. We can select controls from a variety of groups. Some of them are: General population; relatives or friends; and hospital patients. Matching is often used in case-control control studies to ensure that the cases and controls are similar in certain characteristics, and it is a useful technique to increase the efficiency of the study. Case-Control studies can usually be conducted relatively faster and are inexpensive - particularly when compared with cohort studies (prospective). It is useful to study rare outcomes and outcomes with long latent periods. This design is not very useful to study rare exposures. Furthermore, they may also be prone to certain biases - selection bias and recall bias.

  16. Case studies on selected natural food antioxidants

    OpenAIRE

    Herrero, Miguel; Mendiola, J. A.; Cifuentes, Alejandro; Ibáñez, Elena

    2013-01-01

    In this chapter, a broad description of several case studies related to common antioxidants found in food-related products is presented. In this regard, special attention is put on the novel advanced environmentally-friendly extraction methods nowadays employed to extract and purify those potent antioxidants from natural matrices. A brief description of these extraction processes is provided together with some of the instrumentation needed. Besides, the studies carried out so f...

  17. Study Habits and Academic Performance of Secondary School Students in Mathematic: A Case Study of Selected Secondary Schools in Uyo Local Education Council

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakirudeen, Abisola Oladeni; Sanni, Kudirat Bimbo

    2017-01-01

    The study examined study habits and academic performance of secondary school students in Mathematics. A case study of selected secondary schools in Uyo Local Education Council. The main purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between study habits and academic performance of secondary school students in Mathematics. To carry out…

  18. How To Set Up Your Own Small Business. Service Company Case Study. Manufacturing Firm Case Study. Retail Store Case Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fallek, Max

    This collection of case studies is intended for use in a course in setting up a small business. The first, a case study of the process of setting up a service company, covers analyzing the pros and cons of starting one's own business, assessing the competition and local market, and selecting a site for and financing the business. The principal…

  19. Comparative study of control selection in a national population-based case-control study: Estimating risk of smoking on cancer deaths in Chinese men.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Jingmei; Liu, Boqi; Nasca, Philip C; Han, Wei; Zou, Xiaonong; Zeng, Xianjia; Tian, Xiaobing; Wu, Yanping; Zhao, Ping; Li, Junyao

    2009-10-28

    To assess the validation of a novel control selection design by comparing the consistency between the new design and a routine design in a large case-control study that was incorporated into a nationwide mortality survey in China. A nationwide mortality study was conducted during 1989-1991. Surviving spouses or other relatives of all adults who died during 1986-1988 provided detailed information about their own as well as the deceased person's smoking history. In this study, 130,079 males who died of various smoking-related cancers at age 35 or over were taken as cases, while 103,248 male surviving spouses (same age range with cases) of women who died during the same period and 49,331 males who died from causes other than those related to smoking were used as control group 1 and control group 2, respectively. Consistency in the results when comparing cases with each of the control groups was assessed. Consistency in the results was observed in the analyses using different control groups although cancer deaths varied with region and age. Equivalence could be ascertained using a 15% criterion in most cancer deaths which had high death rates in urban areas, but they were uncertain for most cancers in rural areas irrespective of whether the hypothesis testing showed significant differences or not. Sex-matched living spouse control design as an alternative control selection for a case-control study is valid and feasible, and the basic principles of the equivalence study are also supported by epidemiological survey data.

  20. Marketing Factors Affecting Leasing Selection in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Case Study on VB Leasing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Almir Ljeskovica

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available In constantly changing environment all types of companies need some support from various types of funding institutions. Companies use their own resources to finance some projects or purchases but also take loans, mostly from banks to have additional support or in case of lack of money. Beside small, medium, as well as big companies, physical persons also use different types of financing to achieve their goals and fulfil their needs. Financing companies need to recognize the criteria on which prospective customers establish their financing selection decision. Planning a proper marketing strategy in order to attract new customers is of crucial importance in identifying these criteria. The main purpose of the study is to identify which factors affects people to choose leasing services. For data collection and analyse both, qualitative and quantitative study is conducted. Data for this study were collected through surveys delivered to 65 VB Leasing users from Sarajevo region. Out of 65, 57 useful responses were accepted for further analysis. Also interview was done with director of VB Leasing for qualitative study in order to get more insights in this topic. Findings of the study show what are the important factors for leasing selection and these information can support leasing managers in designing marketing strategies for perspective customers.

  1. Selective preservation of the beat in apperceptive music agnosia: a case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baird, Amee D; Walker, David G; Biggs, Vivien; Robinson, Gail A

    2014-04-01

    Music perception involves processing of melodic, temporal and emotional dimensions that have been found to dissociate in healthy individuals and after brain injury. Two components of the temporal dimension have been distinguished, namely rhythm and metre. We describe an 18 year old male musician 'JM' who showed apperceptive music agnosia with selectively preserved metre perception, and impaired recognition of sad and peaceful music relative to age and music experience matched controls after resection of a right temporoparietal tumour. Two months post-surgery JM underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation including assessment of his music perception abilities using the Montreal Battery for Evaluation of Amusia (MBEA, Peretz, Champod, & Hyde, 2003). He also completed several experimental tasks to explore his ability to recognise famous songs and melodies, emotions portrayed by music and a broader range of environmental sounds. Five age-, gender-, education- and musical experienced-matched controls were administered the same experimental tasks. JM showed selective preservation of metre perception, with impaired performances compared to controls and scoring below the 5% cut-off on all MBEA subtests, except for the metric condition. He could identify his favourite songs and environmental sounds. He showed impaired recognition of sad and peaceful emotions portrayed in music relative to controls but intact ability to identify happy and scary music. This case study contributes to the scarce literature documenting a dissociation between rhythmic and metric processing, and the rare observation of selectively preserved metric interpretation in the context of apperceptive music agnosia. It supports the notion that the anterior portion of the superior temporal gyrus (STG) plays a role in metric processing and provides the novel observation that selectively preserved metre is sufficient to identify happy and scary, but not sad or peaceful emotions portrayed in music

  2. Selective scene perception deficits in a case of topographical disorientation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robin, Jessica; Lowe, Matthew X; Pishdadian, Sara; Rivest, Josée; Cant, Jonathan S; Moscovitch, Morris

    2017-07-01

    Topographical disorientation (TD) is a neuropsychological condition characterized by an inability to find one's way, even in familiar environments. One common contributing cause of TD is landmark agnosia, a visual recognition impairment specific to scenes and landmarks. Although many cases of TD with landmark agnosia have been documented, little is known about the perceptual mechanisms which lead to selective deficits in recognizing scenes. In the present study, we test LH, a man who exhibits TD and landmark agnosia, on measures of scene perception that require selectively attending to either the configural or surface properties of a scene. Compared to healthy controls, LH demonstrates perceptual impairments when attending to the configuration of a scene, but not when attending to its surface properties, such as the pattern of the walls or whether the ground is sand or grass. In contrast, when focusing on objects instead of scenes, LH demonstrates intact perception of both geometric and surface properties. This study demonstrates that in a case of TD and landmark agnosia, the perceptual impairments are selective to the layout of scenes, providing insight into the mechanism of landmark agnosia and scene-selective perceptual processes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Potential self-selection bias in a nested case-control study on indoor environmental factors and their association with asthma and allergic symptoms among pre-school children

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bornehag, Carl-Gustaf; Sundell, Jan; Sigsgaard, T.

    2006-01-01

    , including health, building characteristics of the home, and socioeconomic factors between participating and non-participating families in a nested case-control study on asthma and allergy among children. Information was collected in a baseline questionnaire to the parents of 14,077 children aged 1-6 years...... in a first step. In a second step 2,156 of the children were invited to participate in a case-control study. Of these, 198 cases and 202 controls were finally selected. For identifying potential selection bias, information concerning all invited families in the case-control study was obtained from...

  4. Methodology for the case studies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Smits, M.J.W.; Woltjer, G.B.

    2017-01-01

    This document is about the methodology and selection of the case studies. It is meant as a guideline for the case studies, and together with the other reports in this work package can be a source of inform ation for policy officers, interest groups and researchers evaluating or performing impact

  5. Ensuring optimal gender representation in recruitment and selection: the case of CERN

    CERN Document Server

    Sgouraki, Margarita

    This study examines gender diversity in recruitment and selection, exploring ways to improve female presence in science. First, the concepts of equal opportunities and managing diversity are presented. Next, the business case for diversity is discussed, emphasising the business and ethical benefits for organisations. Then, gender diversity issues regarding the underrepresentation of women in science are examined, focusing on gender stereotyping and the "leaky pipeline". Previous studies emphasise the importance of HRM activities such as recruitment and selection to promote gender diversity. However, there are still barriers when recruiting and selecting women in science. To examine and explore the research topic, a case-study approach is adopted. Methods included document analysis, interviews with key informants and cohort analysis. The limitations of the methodology are discussed and recommendations for future work are proposed. By examining the example of CERN, an intergovernmental research organisation, co...

  6. Selection and ranking of occupational safety indicators based on fuzzy AHP: A case study in road construction companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janackovic, Goran Lj.

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the factors, performance, and indicators of occupational safety, as well as a method to select and rank occupational safety indicators based on the expert evaluation method and the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (fuzzy AHP. A case study is done on road construction companies in Serbia. The key safety performance indicators for the road construction industry are identified and ranked according to the results of a survey that included experts who assessed occupational safety risks in these companies. The case study confirmed that organisational factors have a dominant effect on the quality of the occupational health and safety management system in Serbian road construction companies.

  7. Evaluation and selection of CASE tool for SMART OTS development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, K. O; Seo, S. M.; Seo, Y. S.; Koo, I. S.; Jang, M. H.

    1999-01-01

    CASE(Computer-Aided Software Engineering) tool is a software that aids in software engineering activities such as requirement analysis, design, testing, configuration management, and project management. The evaluation and selection of commercial CASE tools for the specific software development project is not a easy work because the technical ability of an evaluator and the maturity of a software development organization are required. In this paper, we discuss selection strategies, characteristic survey, evaluation criteria, and the result of CASE tool selection for the development of SMART(System-integrated Modular Advanced ReacTor) OTS(Operator Training Simulator)

  8. Strategic logistics service provider selection influenced by relationships, cost and market dynamics - a multi-factorial case study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tambo, Torben

    2012-01-01

    Selection of logistics service providers (LSPs) is regarded critical and complex. Relationships tend to last for many years and have a critical role in the architecting of supply chains. Occasionally, relationships between buyer and LSP come to a crossroad of termination, extension or change......; attrition of relationships can be caused by poor quality, changed market conditions, changed management, changed operational conditions on either side, and moves from competitors. This study uses a case-based methodology to provide an in-depth account of business motivations in relationship development...... in LSP selection. The study presents a tendering process as a fulcrum of "non-conformant‟ behaviour and unexpected outcome. Major findings are that contract-bound services and cost structures seem to drift into less transparent and informal patterns of interactions over time; this is wearing...

  9. Propulsive machinery selection for repowering of an old patrol craft - A case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahman, M. Muzibur; Mridha, A. H. Yusuf; Ahsan, Kazi Sakib

    2017-12-01

    This paper presents a case study of repowering peculiarities in relation to an old vessel. The vessel selected for study was designed for cruising speed of 15 knots. Over the years of operation the vessel's cruising speed reduced to about 8 knots. So, the owner wanted to repower it to have a fresh tenure of life and the work was given to a shipyard. But after replacement of old two engines by new engines of same power with different model, the performance of the vessel was not satisfactory. In the present paper, the problem is studied with comprehensive calculations of hydrostatic particulars and resistance of the ship. The analysis is carried out in respect of engine specifications, gear ratios, propeller design etc. and found that the operating ranges of new engines are not at par with the old engines. The new engine does not also match with old propeller. At this situation, comparative studies have determined that among all possible solutions redesign of propeller is the most suitable one and cost effective.

  10. Scarab/Saffron Development Project Case study: Material Selection Criteria for the Monoethylene Glycol Recovery Package

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moussa, A.M.; Habib, S.; Shinaishin, A.

    2004-01-01

    MEG Recovery Unit for Scarab/Saffron development project is the first application in gas production. The Mono Ethylene Glycol Recovery Unit (MEG) recovers MEG from Water/MEG stream and removes salts and other contaminants. MEG Recovery Unit Equipment Design Criteria were designed for two parallel trains A and B, each train is capable to treat 500 bbl MEG, 1500 bbl water and 9 ton salt. The MEG unit is a combination of two unit operations; MEG Recovery unit is normally applicable in the oil and gas industries that is applying distillation technique, while the new technology is salt treatment and handling. The MEG Unit material selection is made to be suitable for the entire design life which is 25 years, the materials for MEG Recovery Unit have been selected among the available corrosion resistance alloys, where requested by the service and ambient conditions. Therefore all. the parts of the MEG unit that are in saline service are in either (2205 duplex, AISI 316L) and in Inconel alloy 625 related to operating temperature. This case study focused at Inconel alloy 625, which is selected for salt service and their operation problem occurred during the construction and operating conditions

  11. Selected Regional Judicial Officer Cases, 2005 - Present

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — This dataset contains selected cases involving EPA's Regional Judicial Officers (RJOs) from 2005 to present. EPA's Regional Judicial Officers (RJOs) perform...

  12. Summary of case studies for cooperation mechanisms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Longa, Francesco Dalla; Klinge Jacobsen, Henrik; Hansen, Lise-Lotte Pade

    2012-01-01

    This document is a summary report highlighting the main aspect analyzed in the RES4LESS case studies. The document starts with an introductory chapter where the background that led to the selection of the case studies is outlined. In the following three chapters the case studies are presented, hi...

  13. Comparative Analysis of Site-Selection Process for Power Plants in Korea: Cases of Thermal, Nuclear, and Renewable Energies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, M.; Lee, M.; Yoon, J. W.; Choi, H. C.; Chu, C.; Lee, H.; Park, J.

    2017-01-01

    There are various conflicts related to power generation facilities; however, the conflicts that arise during the process of luring facilities or site selection, as in the previous cases, can eventually influence greatly the implementation of the national energy policy or strategy. This study analyzed the conflict phenomenon that occurred in the site selection policy of the power generation facilities through the case studies. We selected the most recent conflict cases by each energy source, identified the qualitative context characteristics of the cases and tried to suggest the policy leverages. In this study, it is concluded that the cause of conflicts in decision making system for site selection of power plants is insufficient yet due to the variable circumstances such as environmental events, stakeholder range, etc. However, the conclusions obtained from the case study are difficult generalization without specific prescription books, so further studies for those areas are required.

  14. Construction Tender Subcontract Selection using Case-based Reasoning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Due Luu

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Obtaining competitive quotations from suitably qualified subcontractors at tender tim n significantly increase the chance of w1nmng a construction project. Amidst an increasingly growing trend to subcontracting in Australia, selecting appropriate subcontractors for a construction project can be a daunting task requiring the analysis of complex and dynamic criteria such as past performance, suitable experience, track record of competitive pricing, financial stability and so on. Subcontractor selection is plagued with uncertainty and vagueness and these conditions are difficul_t o represent in generalised sets of rules. DeciSIOns pertaining to the selection of subcontr:act?s tender time are usually based on the mtu1t1onand past experience of construction estimators. Case-based reasoning (CBR may be an appropriate method of addressing the chal_lenges of selecting subcontractors because CBR 1s able to harness the experiential knowledge of practitioners. This paper reviews the practicality and suitability of a CBR approach for subcontractor tender selection through the development of a prototype CBR procurement advisory system. In this system, subcontractor selection cases are represented by a set of attributes elicited from experienced construction estimators. The results indicate that CBR can enhance the appropriateness of the selection of subcontractors for construction projects.

  15. When to Intervene in Selective Mutism: The Multimodal Treatment of a Case of Persistent Selective Mutism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Powell, Shawn; Dalley, Mahlono

    1995-01-01

    An identification and treatment model differentiating transient mutism from persistent selective mutism is proposed. The case study of a six-year-old girl is presented, who was treated with a multimodal approach combining behavioral techniques with play therapy and family involvement. At posttreatment and follow-up, she was talking in a manner…

  16. A Case Study in the Mars Landing Site Selection for Science Objects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haingja Seo

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available It is a crucial matter to select a landing site for landers or rovers in planning the Mars exploration. The landing site must have not only a scientific value as a landing site, but also geographical features to lead a safe landing for Mars probes. In this regard, this study analyzed landing site of Mars probes and rovers in previous studies and discussed the adequacy of the landing site to scientific missions. Moreover, this study also examined domestic studies on the Mars. The frameworks of these studies will guide the selection of exploration sites and a landing site when sending Mars probe to the Mars through our own efforts. Additionally, this paper will be used as the preliminary data for selection of exploration site and a landing site.

  17. A Novel Approach to Site Selection: Collaborative Multi-Criteria Decision Making through Geo-Social Network (Case Study: Public Parking

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zeinab Neisani Samani

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available There are many potential factors that are involved in the decision making process of site selection, which makes it a challenging issue. This paper addresses the collaborative decision making concept through a geo-social network to predict site selection for public parking in Tehran, Iran. The presented approach utilized the analytic hierarchy process (AHP as a multi-criteria decision method (MCDM for weighting the criteria, which was completed in two stages; once by 50 experts, and then by three different levels of users, including 50 experts, 25 urban managers, and 150 pubic citizens, with respect to the case study area. The fuzzy majority method aggregates the archived results of AHP to determine the preferred locations that are suitable for public parking. The proposed method was implemented using a telegram bot platform. Two main advantages of the collaborative decision making scenario for public urban site selection are the fair distribution of the selected locations and the high satisfaction of users, which increased from 65% to 85%. This study presents an application for site selection based on multi-criteria decision making in a geo-social network context.

  18. Selection of examples in case-based computer-aided decision systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mazurowski, Maciej A; Zurada, Jacek M; Tourassi, Georgia D

    2008-01-01

    Case-based computer-aided decision (CB-CAD) systems rely on a database of previously stored, known examples when classifying new, incoming queries. Such systems can be particularly useful since they do not need retraining every time a new example is deposited in the case base. The adaptive nature of case-based systems is well suited to the current trend of continuously expanding digital databases in the medical domain. To maintain efficiency, however, such systems need sophisticated strategies to effectively manage the available evidence database. In this paper, we discuss the general problem of building an evidence database by selecting the most useful examples to store while satisfying existing storage requirements. We evaluate three intelligent techniques for this purpose: genetic algorithm-based selection, greedy selection and random mutation hill climbing. These techniques are compared to a random selection strategy used as the baseline. The study is performed with a previously presented CB-CAD system applied for false positive reduction in screening mammograms. The experimental evaluation shows that when the development goal is to maximize the system's diagnostic performance, the intelligent techniques are able to reduce the size of the evidence database to 37% of the original database by eliminating superfluous and/or detrimental examples while at the same time significantly improving the CAD system's performance. Furthermore, if the case-base size is a main concern, the total number of examples stored in the system can be reduced to only 2-4% of the original database without a decrease in the diagnostic performance. Comparison of the techniques shows that random mutation hill climbing provides the best balance between the diagnostic performance and computational efficiency when building the evidence database of the CB-CAD system.

  19. The selection problem for discounted Hamilton–Jacobi equations: some non-convex cases

    KAUST Repository

    Gomes, Diogo A.; Mitake, Hiroyoshi; Tran, Hung V.

    2018-01-01

    Here, we study the selection problem for the vanishing discount approximation of non-convex, first-order Hamilton–Jacobi equations. While the selection problem is well understood for convex Hamiltonians, the selection problem for non-convex Hamiltonians has thus far not been studied. We begin our study by examining a generalized discounted Hamilton–Jacobi equation. Next, using an exponential transformation, we apply our methods to strictly quasi-convex and to some non-convex Hamilton–Jacobi equations. Finally, we examine a non-convex Hamiltonian with flat parts to which our results do not directly apply. In this case, we establish the convergence by a direct approach.

  20. The selection problem for discounted Hamilton–Jacobi equations: some non-convex cases

    KAUST Repository

    Gomes, Diogo A.

    2018-01-26

    Here, we study the selection problem for the vanishing discount approximation of non-convex, first-order Hamilton–Jacobi equations. While the selection problem is well understood for convex Hamiltonians, the selection problem for non-convex Hamiltonians has thus far not been studied. We begin our study by examining a generalized discounted Hamilton–Jacobi equation. Next, using an exponential transformation, we apply our methods to strictly quasi-convex and to some non-convex Hamilton–Jacobi equations. Finally, we examine a non-convex Hamiltonian with flat parts to which our results do not directly apply. In this case, we establish the convergence by a direct approach.

  1. Identification of Ambiguity in the Case Study Research Typology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grünbaum, Niels Nolsøe

    2015-01-01

    . Relevant to varied levels and scales of case study use, the aim of this collection is to provide readers with a comprehensive overview of where we are now with case study research, so that they may better judge their own applications of the case study. From definitions to interdisciplinary methods......The purpose of this four volume collection is to provide an accessible selection of the best writing on case study in the English language internationally. Such a collection is timely and highly relevant to students, researchers and academics in higher education, especially when the case......, this set will address the practical case study by offering a structured selection of some of the best modern and classic writing on the case study in article form, together with a synoptic editorial introduction and overview of the field of research....

  2. Effectiveness of 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine and seasonal influenza vaccine for pneumonia among the elderly - Selection of controls in a case-control study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kondo, Kyoko; Suzuki, Kanzo; Washio, Masakazu; Ohfuji, Satoko; Fukushima, Wakaba; Maeda, Akiko; Hirota, Yoshio

    2017-08-24

    We conducted a case-control study to elucidate associations between pneumonia in elderly individuals and 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) and seasonal influenza vaccine (influenza vaccine). Here, we examined selection of controls in our study using an analytic epidemiology approach. The study period was from October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2014. Cases comprised ≥65-year-old patients newly diagnosed with pneumonia. For every case with pneumonia, two patients with other diseases (one respiratory medicine, one non-respiratory medicine) who were sex-, age-, visit date- and visit hospital-matched were selected as controls. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of vaccination for pneumonia were calculated using conditional logistic regression model. Similar analyses were also conducted based on the clinical department of controls. Analysis was conducted in 234 cases and 438 controls. Effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccination or influenza vaccination against pneumonia was not detected. Proportions of either vaccination in controls were greater among respiratory medicine (pneumococcal vaccine, 38%; influenza vaccine, 55%) than among non-respiratory medicine (23%; 48%). Analysis using controls restricted to respiratory medicine showed marginally significant effectiveness of pneumococcal vaccination (OR, 0.59; 95%CI, 0.34-1.03; P=0.064) and influenza vaccination (0.64; 0.40-1.04; 0.072). However, this effectiveness might have been overestimated by selection bias of controls, as pneumonia cases are not necessarily respiratory medicine patients. In the analysis using controls restricted to non-respiratory medicine, OR of pneumococcal vaccination for pneumonia was close to 1, presumably because the proportion of pneumococcal vaccination was higher in cases than in controls. Because pneumococcal vaccine was not routinely administered during the study period, differences in recommendations of vaccination by physician in different

  3. Location of existing Case Studies on Open Education

    OpenAIRE

    Burke, Siobhan

    2014-01-01

    Members of the Open Education Special Interest Group have collected a selection of short case studies on Open Education. View all of the case studies at http://repository.alt.ac.uk/view/divisions/CaseStudies/ Location of existing Case Studies on Open Education: The following lists aims to capture and amalgamate the various different case study sources which have been created and developed within the UK around experiences of Open Educational Resources.

  4. Improving observational study estimates of treatment effects using joint modeling of selection effects and outcomes: the case of AAA repair.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Malley, A James; Cotterill, Philip; Schermerhorn, Marc L; Landon, Bruce E

    2011-12-01

    When 2 treatment approaches are available, there are likely to be unmeasured confounders that influence choice of procedure, which complicates estimation of the causal effect of treatment on outcomes using observational data. To estimate the effect of endovascular (endo) versus open surgical (open) repair, including possible modification by institutional volume, on survival after treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysm, accounting for observed and unobserved confounding variables. Observational study of data from the Medicare program using a joint model of treatment selection and survival given treatment to estimate the effects of type of surgery and institutional volume on survival. We studied 61,414 eligible repairs of intact abdominal aortic aneurysms during 2001 to 2004. The outcome, perioperative death, is defined as in-hospital death or death within 30 days of operation. The key predictors are use of endo, transformed endo and open volume, and endo-volume interactions. There is strong evidence of nonrandom selection of treatment with potential confounding variables including institutional volume and procedure date, variables not typically adjusted for in clinical trials. The best fitting model included heterogeneous transformations of endo volume for endo cases and open volume for open cases as predictors. Consistent with our hypothesis, accounting for unmeasured selection reduced the mortality benefit of endo. The effect of endo versus open surgery varies nonlinearly with endo and open volume. Accounting for institutional experience and unmeasured selection enables better decision-making by physicians making treatment referrals, investigators evaluating treatments, and policy makers.

  5. Areas of Hospitality Management and Stakeholders in Recruitment and Selection Multiple Case Study: Estanplaza, Travel in and Transamérica.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thiago Sbarai Santos Alves

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available This research aims to analyze the relationships between recruitment and selection and its stakeholders, considering the areas of hospitality and its characteristics as influential factors to recruit and select new employees. The research approach was qualitative methodologies for the study of multiple cases, which contributed to the form of empirical research. For this investigation were selected by three chains together features that enabled a comparative analysis of the study, which were used for data collection, three sources of evidence: interviews, direct observations and documentation. The selected networks, Estanplaza Hotels, Hotels Transamerica and Travel Inn Hotels The overall goal was to understand the processes used in recruitment and selection set features the fields of hospitality. From this issue were established specific objectives: to observe the dynamics of recruitment and selection of chains; analyze the content related to the fields of hospitality in the tools used in the process of recruitment and selection, and meet stakeholders in this area. The research was conducted through interviews with managers of lodging facilities and with stakeholders in the area of recruitment and selection, based on a semistructured interview guide. Through this research, we found that some features of the fields of hospitality are considered in the process of recruitment and selection. Chains surveyed, however, point out that it is necessary to use tools and processes that enable this type of analysis.

  6. Playing with Gladys: A case study integrating drama therapy with behavioural interventions for the treatment of selective mutism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oon, Phei Phei

    2010-04-01

    This case study examines an integrative approach combining drama therapy and the behavioural skill "shaping", as offered to Gladys, a 5-year-old girl diagnosed with selective mutism. This study found that shaping, when implemented in the context of play, with play as the primary reinforcer, elicited from Gladys vocalization and eventually speech within a very short time. Her vocalizations allowed her to enter dramatic play, which in turn propelled spontaneous speech. This article looks at how the three elements of dramatherapy - the playspace, role-playing and dramatic projection - brought about therapeutic changes for Gladys. Aside from spontaneous speech, Gladys also developed positive self-esteem and a heightened sense of spontaneity. Subsequently, these two qualities helped her generalize her speech to new settings on her own. Gladys's newly harnessed spontaneity further helped her become more sociable and resilient.This study advances the possibility of integrating a behavioural skill with drama therapy for the therapeutic benefits of a child with an anxiety-related condition like selective mutism.

  7. A Mixed Methods Sampling Methodology for a Multisite Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharp, Julia L.; Mobley, Catherine; Hammond, Cathy; Withington, Cairen; Drew, Sam; Stringfield, Sam; Stipanovic, Natalie

    2012-01-01

    The flexibility of mixed methods research strategies makes such approaches especially suitable for multisite case studies. Yet the utilization of mixed methods to select sites for these studies is rarely reported. The authors describe their pragmatic mixed methods approach to select a sample for their multisite mixed methods case study of a…

  8. Case Studies Nested in Fuzzy-Set QCA on Sufficiency: Formalizing Case Selection and Causal Inference

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneider, Carsten Q.; Rohlfing, Ingo

    2016-01-01

    Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) is a method for cross-case analyses that works best when complemented with follow-up case studies focusing on the causal quality of the solution and its constitutive terms, the underlying causal mechanisms, and potentially omitted conditions. The anchorage of QCA in set theory demands criteria for follow-up…

  9. A Case Study of Human Resource Development Professionals' Decision Making in Vendor Selection for Employee Development: A Degrees-of-Freedom Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cathcart, Stephen Michael

    2016-01-01

    This mixed method study examines HRD professionals' decision-making processes when making an organizational purchase of training. The study uses a case approach with a degrees of freedom analysis. The data to analyze will examine how HRD professionals in manufacturing select outside vendors human resource development programs for training,…

  10. Validation of a New Method to Automatically Select Cases With Intraoperative Red Blood Cell Transfusion for Audit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dexter, Franklin; Epstein, Richard H; Ledolter, Johannes; Dasovich, Susan M; Herman, Jay H; Maga, Joni M; Schwenk, Eric S

    2018-05-01

    Hospitals review allogeneic red blood cell (RBC) transfusions for appropriateness. Audit criteria have been published that apply to 5 common procedures. We expanded on this work to study the management decision of selecting which cases involving transfusion of at least 1 RBC unit to audit (review) among all surgical procedures, including those previously studied. This retrospective, observational study included 400,000 cases among 1891 different procedures over an 11-year period. There were 12,616 cases with RBC transfusion. We studied the proportions of cases that would be audited based on criteria of nadir hemoglobin (Hb) greater than the hospital's selected transfusion threshold, or absent Hb or missing estimated blood loss (EBL) among procedures with median EBL 50%) that would be audited and most cases (>50%) with transfusion were among procedures with median EBL 9 g/dL, the procedure's median EBL was 9 g/dL and median EBL for the procedure ≥500 mL. An automated process to select cases for audit of intraoperative transfusion of RBC needs to consider the median EBL of the procedure, whether the nadir Hb is below the hospital's Hb transfusion threshold for surgical cases, and the absence of either a Hb or entry of the EBL for the case. This conclusion applies to all surgical cases and procedures.

  11. Study of decision framework of offshore wind power station site selection based on ELECTRE-III under intuitionistic fuzzy environment: A case of China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Yunna; Zhang, Jinying; Yuan, Jianping; Geng, Shuai; Zhang, Haobo

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • A novel MCDM framework is applied to assist group decision in OWPS site selection. • The index system consisting of veto and evaluation criteria is constructed. • A case study is carried five sites in coastal areas of Shandong in East China. - Abstract: Offshore wind power projects have been rapidly proposed in China due to policy promotion. Site selection immensely decides the success of any offshore wind power development and is a complex multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) problem. However, canonical MCDM methods tend to fail the site selection process due to the following three problems. Firstly, the compensation problem exists in information processing. Secondly, there exists the problem of incomplete utilization of decision information and information loss in the decision process. Thirdly, the interaction problem in the fuzzy environment is easy to be ignored. To deal with the above problems, this study builds a framework for offshore wind farm site selection decision utilizing Elimination et Choix Traduisant la Realité-III (ELECTRE-III) in the intuitionistic fuzzy environment. First of all, the comprehensive index system of OWPS site selection consisting of veto criteria and evaluation criteria is constructed. Then, the intuitionistic fuzzy set is used in the group decision for the decision makers to express the imperfect knowledge. Moreover, the generalized intuitionistic fuzzy ordered weighted geometric interaction averaging (GIFWGIA) operator is applied to deal with the interaction problem. Together with the likelihood-based valued comparisons, imprecise decision information is reasonably used and information loss problem is rationally avoided. Then a case of China is studied based on the proposed framework, demonstrating the site selection methodology valid and practical. This study implements evaluation method for offshore wind power site selection and also provides a theoretical basis for the development of offshore wind power

  12. Biomass energy policy in Africa: selected case studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kgathi, D.L.; Hall, D.O.; Hategeka, A.; Sekhwela, M.B.M.

    1997-01-01

    The majority of the population in the continent of Africa depend on biomass as a source of energy. Woodfuel (charcoal and fuelwood), the most important source of energy, is a subject of major concern in developing countries mainly because of its increasing scarcity, and recently because of its importance to the debate on climate change as its use is associated with emission on the greenhouse gases (GHG's). The book discusses the biomass energy problem and the policy options for addressing it in Botswana and Rwanda. Though the studies mainly draw their material from the surveys undertaken in these countries, extensive use is made of the existing general literature on this subject. The two case studies on Botswana address the nature, extent, and policy implications of the fuelwood problem, including the extent to which it contributes to deforestation. The Rwanda case studies examine the seasonal and spatial variation of the consumption of biomass energy (woodfuel and residues) and the evolution of the energy policy process with particular reference to biomass energy. A number of policy recommendations are made which may not only be relevant to Botswana and Rwanda, but also to other developing countries in a similar situation. The book thus makes a valuable contribution to the scarce literature on energy and environment in Africa. The multi-disciplinarity of the book makes it more valuable to a large number of readers. It will be an important reference material for policy makers and researchers in Africa as well as other developing countries. AFREPREN The African Energy Policy Research Network (AFREPREN) promotes research on energy issues relevant to the formulation and implementation of policy by African governments. It also aims to build research capability as well as mobilize existing expertise to address both near- and long-term challenges faced by the energy sector in Africa. (UK)

  13. Case studies of selected Project "Flash" events

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. A. Nicolaides

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available Flooding is a consequence of the prevailing meteorological situation, the intensity and duration of precipitation, geomorphology, human activities over a geographical region and other factors. Floods result in damage and destruction of infrastructure and private property and, in some cases, in fatalities. Flash floods are sudden and quite localized in extend, characterized by excessive amounts of rainfall within a short period of time and are distinguished from other floods by their degree of severity. The broader knowledge concerning flash floods is useful for the better understanding of the underlying thermodynamic and dynamic mechanisms, as well as the associated physical processes. The wider understanding of flashfloods can form part of an integrated system for short and very short forecasting of these events. In the present study, the synoptic, dynamic and thermodynamic conditions during the development of a baroclinic depression which affected the area of Cyprus on 6 November 2005 are studied. The depression was associated with extreme weather phenomena, such as thunderstorms, a water spout and high precipitation accumulations. The results indicate the importance of the dynamic parameters in the system's development and the thermodynamic analysis has shown the convective potential of the atmosphere.

  14. Correcting Classifiers for Sample Selection Bias in Two-Phase Case-Control Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Theis, Fabian J.

    2017-01-01

    Epidemiological studies often utilize stratified data in which rare outcomes or exposures are artificially enriched. This design can increase precision in association tests but distorts predictions when applying classifiers on nonstratified data. Several methods correct for this so-called sample selection bias, but their performance remains unclear especially for machine learning classifiers. With an emphasis on two-phase case-control studies, we aim to assess which corrections to perform in which setting and to obtain methods suitable for machine learning techniques, especially the random forest. We propose two new resampling-based methods to resemble the original data and covariance structure: stochastic inverse-probability oversampling and parametric inverse-probability bagging. We compare all techniques for the random forest and other classifiers, both theoretically and on simulated and real data. Empirical results show that the random forest profits from only the parametric inverse-probability bagging proposed by us. For other classifiers, correction is mostly advantageous, and methods perform uniformly. We discuss consequences of inappropriate distribution assumptions and reason for different behaviors between the random forest and other classifiers. In conclusion, we provide guidance for choosing correction methods when training classifiers on biased samples. For random forests, our method outperforms state-of-the-art procedures if distribution assumptions are roughly fulfilled. We provide our implementation in the R package sambia. PMID:29312464

  15. Hierarchical event selection for video storyboards with a case study on snooker video visualization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parry, Matthew L; Legg, Philip A; Chung, David H S; Griffiths, Iwan W; Chen, Min

    2011-12-01

    Video storyboard, which is a form of video visualization, summarizes the major events in a video using illustrative visualization. There are three main technical challenges in creating a video storyboard, (a) event classification, (b) event selection and (c) event illustration. Among these challenges, (a) is highly application-dependent and requires a significant amount of application specific semantics to be encoded in a system or manually specified by users. This paper focuses on challenges (b) and (c). In particular, we present a framework for hierarchical event representation, and an importance-based selection algorithm for supporting the creation of a video storyboard from a video. We consider the storyboard to be an event summarization for the whole video, whilst each individual illustration on the board is also an event summarization but for a smaller time window. We utilized a 3D visualization template for depicting and annotating events in illustrations. To demonstrate the concepts and algorithms developed, we use Snooker video visualization as a case study, because it has a concrete and agreeable set of semantic definitions for events and can make use of existing techniques of event detection and 3D reconstruction in a reliable manner. Nevertheless, most of our concepts and algorithms developed for challenges (b) and (c) can be applied to other application areas. © 2010 IEEE

  16. Integrated technology selection for energy conservation and PAHs control in iron and steel industry: Methodology and case study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Li; Lu, Yonglong; Shi, Yajuan; Wang, Tieyu; Luo, Wei; Gosens, Jorrit; Chen, Peng; Li, Haiqian

    2013-01-01

    Energy conservation and PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon) control are two challenges for the iron and steel industry, especially where the industry has developed at high speed. How to select appropriate technologies to improve energy efficiency and control pollution from PAHs simultaneously is encountered by both the researchers and the decision makers. This study sets up a framework on technology selection and combination which integrates technology assessment, multiple objective programming and scenario analysis. It can predict proper technology combination for different emission controls, energy conservation targets and desired levels of production. An iron and steel factory in Southwestern China is cited as a case. It is shown that stricter PAHs control will drive the transformation from process control technology to alternative smelting technology. In low PAHs limit, 25% energy reduction is a threshold. Before inclusion of a restraint on energy consumption at 25% reduction, PAHs emission is the key limiting factor for the technology selection; while after inclusion of this restraint, energy consumption becomes the key limiting factor. The desired level of production will also influence the technology selection. This study can help decision makers to select appropriate technologies to meet the PAHs control objectives and energy conservation strategies in energy-intensive industries. - Highlights: ► We predict technical strategy for energy and PAHs reduction in iron and steel mill. ► With low PAHs control objectives, process control technologies are preferable. ► With medium and high PAHs control goals, alternative smelting technology is dominate. ► In low PAHs control objective, 25% energy reduction is a threshold

  17. A Method to Select Software Test Cases in Consideration of Past Input Sequence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Hee Eun; Kim, Bo Gyung; Kang, Hyun Gook

    2015-01-01

    In the Korea Nuclear I and C Systems (KNICS) project, the software for the fully-digitalized reactor protection system (RPS) was developed under a strict procedure. Even though the behavior of the software is deterministic, the randomness of input sequence produces probabilistic behavior of software. A software failure occurs when some inputs to the software occur and interact with the internal state of the digital system to trigger a fault that was introduced into the software during the software lifecycle. In this paper, the method to select test set for software failure probability estimation is suggested. This test set reflects past input sequence of software, which covers all possible cases. In this study, the method to select test cases for software failure probability quantification was suggested. To obtain profile of paired state variables, relationships of the variables need to be considered. The effect of input from human operator also have to be considered. As an example, test set of PZR-PR-Lo-Trip logic was examined. This method provides framework for selecting test cases of safety-critical software

  18. Lingual biomechanics, case selection and success

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sanjay Labh

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Deeper understanding of lingual biomechanics is prerequisite for success with lingual appliance. The difference between labial and lingual force system must be understood and kept in mind during treatment planning, especially anchorage planning, and extraction decision-making. As point of application of force changes, it completely changes the force system in all planes. This article describes lingual biomechanics, anchorage planning, diagnostic considerations, treatment planning, and case selection criteria in lingual orthodontics.

  19. Five case studies of multifamily weatherization programs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kinney, L; Wilson, T.; Lewis, G. [Synertech Systems Corp. (United States); MacDonald, M. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

    1997-12-31

    The multifamily case studies that are the subject of this report were conducted to provide a better understanding of the approach taken by program operators in weatherizing large buildings. Because of significant variations in building construction and energy systems across the country, five states were selected based on their high level of multifamily weatherization. This report summarizes findings from case studies conducted by multifamily weatherization operations in five cities. The case studies were conducted between January and November 1994. Each of the case studies involved extensive interviews with the staff of weatherization subgrantees conducting multifamily weatherization, the inspection of 4 to 12 buildings weatherized between 1991 and 1993, and the analysis of savings and costs. The case studies focused on innovative techniques which appear to work well.

  20. Attention in selective mutism--an exploratory case-control study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oerbeck, Beate; Kristensen, Hanne

    2008-01-01

    The aim of the study was to explore the association between selective mutism (SM) and attention. In SM social anxiety seems central but language impairment and motor problems are also reported. Attention problems have been described in parental behavioral ratings, while neuropsychological studies are lacking. A neuropsychological test (the Trail Making Test) and parental ratings of attention- and anxiety problems were administered to a clinical sample of 23 children with SM (aged 7-16 years, 12 boys and 11 girls) and 46 non-referred matched controls. The SM group differed from controls on the Trail Making Test, but the group difference disappeared, when controlling for motor function and IQ. Parental ratings of attention problems were not significantly associated with the neuropsychological attention measure. Neuropsychological studies of attention controlled for IQ and motor function are needed as well as tests that measure different aspects of attention.

  1. Methodology or method? A critical review of qualitative case study reports

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nerida Hyett

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Despite on-going debate about credibility, and reported limitations in comparison to other approaches, case study is an increasingly popular approach among qualitative researchers. We critically analysed the methodological descriptions of published case studies. Three high-impact qualitative methods journals were searched to locate case studies published in the past 5 years; 34 were selected for analysis. Articles were categorized as health and health services (n=12, social sciences and anthropology (n=7, or methods (n=15 case studies. The articles were reviewed using an adapted version of established criteria to determine whether adequate methodological justification was present, and if study aims, methods, and reported findings were consistent with a qualitative case study approach. Findings were grouped into five themes outlining key methodological issues: case study methodology or method, case of something particular and case selection, contextually bound case study, researcher and case interactions and triangulation, and study design inconsistent with methodology reported. Improved reporting of case studies by qualitative researchers will advance the methodology for the benefit of researchers and practitioners.

  2. Methodology or method? A critical review of qualitative case study reports

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hyett, Nerida; Kenny, Amanda; Dickson-Swift, Virginia

    2014-01-01

    Despite on-going debate about credibility, and reported limitations in comparison to other approaches, case study is an increasingly popular approach among qualitative researchers. We critically analysed the methodological descriptions of published case studies. Three high-impact qualitative methods journals were searched to locate case studies published in the past 5 years; 34 were selected for analysis. Articles were categorized as health and health services (n=12), social sciences and anthropology (n=7), or methods (n=15) case studies. The articles were reviewed using an adapted version of established criteria to determine whether adequate methodological justification was present, and if study aims, methods, and reported findings were consistent with a qualitative case study approach. Findings were grouped into five themes outlining key methodological issues: case study methodology or method, case of something particular and case selection, contextually bound case study, researcher and case interactions and triangulation, and study design inconsistent with methodology reported. Improved reporting of case studies by qualitative researchers will advance the methodology for the benefit of researchers and practitioners. PMID:24809980

  3. Female monozygotic twins with selective mutism--a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharkey, L; Mc Nicholas, F

    2006-04-01

    Selective mutism is a rare social anxiety disorder characterized by a total lack of speech in certain specific situations despite the ability to speak in others. Both genetic and psychosocial factors are thought to be involved in its presentation, persistence, and response to treatment. This case report describes a case of young female monozygotic twins who presented with selective mutism and their treatment spanning a 2-year period. It highlights the strong genetic association along with environmental factors such as social isolation and consequences of maternal social phobia, all contributing to treatment resistance, despite an intensive multimodal biopsychosocial approach. General issues related to the difficulties in treating monozygotic twins are also addressed.

  4. Microbial Resistance to Triclosan: A Case Study in Natural Selection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serafini, Amanda; Matthews, Dorothy M.

    2009-01-01

    Natural selection is the mechanism of evolution caused by the environmental selection of organisms most fit to reproduce, sometimes explained as "survival of the fittest." An example of evolution by natural selection is the development of bacteria that are resistant to antimicrobial agents as a result of exposure to these agents. Triclosan, which…

  5. Leadership in school-based management: a case study in selected ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This article, derived from a qualitative case study undertaken among a number of divergent secondary schools in Gauteng province, is an attempt to conceptualise the important and pivotal leadership role of the school principal in ensuring school improvement via effective school-based management in South African ...

  6. Case studies in atomic collision physics

    CERN Document Server

    McDaniel, E W

    1974-01-01

    Case Studies in Atomic Physics III focuses on case studies on atomic and molecular physics, including atomic collisions, transport properties of electrons, ions, molecules, and photons, interaction potentials, spectroscopy, and surface phenomena. The selection first discusses detailed balancing in the time-dependent impact parameter method, as well as time-reversal in the impact parameter method and coupled state approximation. The text also examines the mechanisms of electron production in ion. Topics include measurement of doubly differential cross sections and electron spectra, direct Coul

  7. THE METHODOLOGY OF CASES SELECTION FOR TEACHING FOREGN SPEECH TO THE STUDENTS OF NON-LIGUISTIC SPECIALITIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tatyana Lozovskaya

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available This article deals with the advantages of case-study and its potential in forming the motivation for studying the English language for students of non-linguistic specialities, psychology students in particular. Training future psychologists foreign language communication should involve cases, published in foreign periodicals, and numerous exercises and communicative tasks according to the requirements of the case-technology which is used during their learning process. The studies enable to single out the main criteria of cases selection for the successful formation of foreign speech with the students of psychological faculty.

  8. Computer Assisted Instruction in Special Education Three Case Studies

    OpenAIRE

    İbrahim DOĞAN; Ömür AKDEMİR

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to investigate the computer use of three students attending the special education center. Students have mental retardation, hearing problem and physical handicap respectively. The maximum variation sampling is used to select the type of handicap while the convenience sampling is used to select the participants. Three widely encountered handicap types in special education are chosen to select the study participants. The multiple holistic case study design is used i...

  9. Evaluation of operational, economic, and environmental performance of mixed and selective collection of municipal solid waste: Porto case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teixeira, Carlos A; Russo, Mário; Matos, Cristina; Bentes, Isabel

    2014-12-01

    This article describes an accurate methodology for an operational, economic, and environmental assessment of municipal solid waste collection. The proposed methodological tool uses key performance indicators to evaluate independent operational and economic efficiency and performance of municipal solid waste collection practices. These key performance indicators are then used in life cycle inventories and life cycle impact assessment. Finally, the life cycle assessment environmental profiles provide the environmental assessment. We also report a successful application of this tool through a case study in the Portuguese city of Porto. Preliminary results demonstrate the applicability of the methodological tool to real cases. Some of the findings focus a significant difference between average mixed and selective collection effective distance (2.14 km t(-1); 16.12 km t(-1)), fuel consumption (3.96 L t(-1); 15.37 L t(-1)), crew productivity (0.98 t h(-1) worker(-1); 0.23 t h(-1) worker(-1)), cost (45.90 € t(-1); 241.20 € t(-1)), and global warming impact (19.95 kg CO2eq t(-1); 57.47 kg CO2eq t(-1)). Preliminary results consistently indicate: (a) higher global performance of mixed collection as compared with selective collection; (b) dependency of collection performance, even in urban areas, on the waste generation rate and density; (c) the decline of selective collection performances with decreasing source-separated material density and recycling collection rate; and (d) that the main threats to collection route efficiency are the extensive collection distances, high fuel consumption vehicles, and reduced crew productivity. © The Author(s) 2014.

  10. Multi-criteria selection of UPPT subsystems by a social community: The 'Beovoz' case study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vuković Dubravka R.

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This research paper considers the issue of multi-criteria selection of urban public passenger transport (UPPT subsystems by a social community, where possible solutions are as follows: (1 implementation of a new one, (2 replacement of the existing with a new one, (3 keeping the existing UPPT subsystem. In order to reach the specific solution for this issue, a new algorithm is proposed, which is heuristic, three phased and relatively simple. The aim of the algorithm is to choose the UPPT subsystem between possible options in the specific traffic corridor. To test the algorithm, the 'Beovoz' case study was made, which includes the analysis of six options of the UPPT subsystem (four of which with railway technology, from which stood out the following alternatives2: bus and railway. The conclusion is that the railway can be used in a modern city, however only for high-volume traffic corridors. The bus subsystem can be used in corridors with lower volume and those that supplement the railway.

  11. Guidelines for Using Case Studies in the Teaching-Learning Process

    Science.gov (United States)

    McFarlane, Donovan A.

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, the author expresses concerns regarding the extensive use of case studies in the college classroom and advises college and university faculties to be more careful in their selection and use of case studies as an effective­-based method of teaching. The author communicates the important role that case studies play in teaching and…

  12. The importance of indigenous games: The selected cases of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The importance of indigenous games: The selected cases of Indigenous games in South Africa. ... do not have enough time to transfer their skills and knowledge of indigenous games to the younger generation. ... AJOL African Journals Online.

  13. STUDY OF 200 CASES OF PLEURAL FLUID

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramakrishna R

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND We have studied 200 patients of pleural fluid presenting to our tertiary care centre. Presence of cases of pleural fluid is a common presentation both in pulmonary and extrapulmonary diseases. We analysed the patients having both exudates and transudates and studied the results. MATERIALS AND METHODS We selected patients above 20 years of age and classified the patients with pleural fluid as having transudates and exudates. We studied the causes of transudates and exudates. A total of 200 patients are studied in this prospective study. Diagnosis of pleural exudates is made on the basis of Light’s criteria, chest x-ray, pleural fluid analysis, CT scan in selected patients, sputum examination, bronchoscopy and bronchial washings. Moribund and non-cooperative patients and HIV positives were excluded from the study. RESULTS Among the 200 patients, 91% have exudates. 9% have transudates by Light’s criteria. Tuberculosis is the commonest cause of effusions (64.83% followed by malignancy (13.73% and sympneumonic or parapneumonic effusions (9.89%. Pleural effusions occurred predominantly in males. Prevalence of diabetes Mellitus among cases of tuberculous pleural effusions is 13.56%. Tuberculous effusions are predominantly right-sided. CONCLUSION Predominant cases of pleural fluid are exudates. Commonest cause of pleural effusion is Tuberculosis followed by malignancy both pulmonary and extrapulmonary and sym. and parapneumonic effusions. Prevalence of Diabetes among Tuberculous pleural effusion cases is more or less same as in general population. Cough, expectoration fever, chest pain and breathlessness are the common symptoms occurring in three fourths of the patients of tuberculous pleural effusion. Most of the cases of Tuberculous effusion are above 30 years of age. In the diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion, Pleural fluid ADA is very important. Pleural fluid cytology, pleural biopsy, bronchoscopy, bronchial washings and sputum

  14. Control selection and confounding factors: A lesson from a Japanese case-control study to examine acellular pertussis vaccine effectiveness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohfuji, Satoko; Okada, Kenji; Nakano, Takashi; Ito, Hiroaki; Hara, Megumi; Kuroki, Haruo; Hirota, Yoshio

    2017-08-24

    When using a case-control study design to examine vaccine effectiveness, both the selection of control subjects and the consideration of potential confounders must be the important issues to ensure accurate results. In this report, we described our experience from a case-control study conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of acellular pertussis vaccine combined with diphtheria-tetanus toxoids (DTaP vaccine). Newly diagnosed pertussis cases and age- and sex-matched friend-controls were enrolled, and the history of DTaP vaccination was compared between groups. Logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of vaccination for development of pertussis. After adjustment for potential confounders, four doses of DTaP vaccination showed a lower OR for pediatrician-diagnosed pertussis (OR=0.11, 95% CI, 0.01-0.99). In addition, the decreasing OR of four doses vaccination was more pronounced for laboratory-confirmed pertussis (OR=0.07, 95%CI, 0.01-0.82). Besides, positive association with pertussis was observed in subjects with a history of steroid treatment (OR=5.67) and those with a recent contact with a lasting cough (OR=4.12). When using a case-control study to evaluate the effectiveness of vaccines, particularly those for uncommon infectious diseases such as pertussis, the use of friend-controls may be optimal due to the fact that they shared a similar experience for exposure to the pathogen as the cases. In addition, to assess vaccine effectiveness as accurately as possible, the effects of confounding should be adequately controlled with a matching or analysis technique. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  15. Improvement of Students’ Ability to Analyzing Cases on Case Studies Through Journal and Learning Log

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Riska Ahmad

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to improve the ability of students in guidance and counseling  to  analyzing the case through journals and learning logs This research is classroom action research consists of two cycles. The research phase consisted of planning, implementation, observation and reflection. The research subject are students in guidance and counseling while they are in sixth semester, totaling 20 people who were taking courses in Case Study. The research instrument is the observation guidelines, assessment rubrics and documentation of case studies in the form of journals and learning logs, and case study reports. The study was conducted collaboratively with student magister’s program guidance and counseling. The results showed that in cycle 1 students are able to identify cases, to develop ideas about the case, select and use instruments to analyze the cause of the problem. The results of the research cycle 2, showed 17 of the 20 students were able to analyze the cause of the problem, select the type of service and provide appropriate assistance in accordance with problem cases. Overall value obtained by the students in the subject of Case Studies also increased. In terms of the ability of explanation of the concept, the concept of truth and creativity, based on the ratings given by fellow students of average ability students were in either category, although there is less good, as are associated with the activity of the opinion and the quality of the opinions expressed.

  16. Selective Attention in Web Forms: An Exploratory Case Study with Older People

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sayago, Sergio; Guijarro, Jose-Maria; Blat, Josep

    2012-01-01

    This article reports on an exploratory study aimed to identify which ways of marking required and optional fields help older people fill in web forms correctly. Drawing on a pilot study and selective attention research in ageing, modified versions of widely used forms were created, in which standard asterisks were replaced with one of three…

  17. Case Study on Logistics Performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shahryar Sorooshian

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents research carried out at a medium‐size manufacturing organization in east Asia. The study tries to highlight the importance of supply chain management; specifically, our aim for this study is to understand logistics and performance measurement in the logistics and supply chain, and we include a theoretical discussion of online data collected and a case study of the logistic performance of a real organization. The study also examines the performance of the selected company, identifies the problems and provides recommendations for improvements. This study can be a guide for business advisers and those interested in analysing company performance, especially from a logistics viewpoint. We also suggest the methodology of this case study for those who want to have a better understanding of a business environment before starting their own business, or for benchmarking practice during strategic planning.

  18. Case Study: Testing with Case Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herreid, Clyde Freeman

    2015-01-01

    This column provides original articles on innovations in case study teaching, assessment of the method, as well as case studies with teaching notes. This month's issue discusses using case studies to test for knowledge or lessons learned.

  19. Viticulture – Challenge for Tourism Development (Znojmo Case Study Area

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miroslav Foret

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The article, which deals with the issue whether the viticulture can be the challenge for tourism development, is based on research conducted in Znojmo case study area (the Czech Republic. It starts with general introduction of wine tourism concept based on the selected results of the previous scientific researches. The second part of the article brings description of the methods and brief characterisation of case study area. The third part pays attention to the analyses of the selected statistical data showing importance of viticulture for the case study area. The main fourth part is focused on selected activities which are connected with projects developing wine tourism (especially vineyards and vine festivals, where cooperation of different actors is necessary and continues by analysing of the potential of more intensive development of wine tourism on example of the important actor in case study area – wine producer Znovín Znojmo. The conducted research shows strong local embededness and association of company with the tourism industry. The article concludes with general recommendations, which emphasize the importance of effective partnership of the different actors by successful development of wine tourism.

  20. Development of the NUMO pre-selection, site-specific safety case

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujiyama, Tetsuo; Suzuki, Satoru; Deguchi, Akira; Umeki, Hiroyuki

    2016-01-01

    Key conclusions: ◆ “The NUMO pre-selection, site-specific safety case” provides the basic structure for subsequent safety cases that will be applied to any selected site, emphasising practical approaches and methodology which will be applicable for the conditions/constraints during an actual siting process. ◆ The preliminary results of the design and safety assessment would underpin the feasibility and safety of geological disposal in Japan.

  1. State Politics and Education: An Examination of Selected Multiple-State Case Studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burlingame, Martin; Geske, Terry G.

    1979-01-01

    Reviews the multiple-state case study literature, highlights some findings, discusses several methodological issues, and concludes with suggestions for possible research agendas. Urges students and researchers to be more actively critical of the assumptions and findings of these studies. (Author/IRT)

  2. A BSC method for supplier selection strategy using TOPSIS and VIKOR: A case study of part maker industry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adel Azar

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available In recent decades, provision-chain management has been one of the major concepts. The main reason that attracts attention to the concept is the increase in competition and struggle for the survival. There are different ways to increase the competition in organizations such as increasing productivity by acquiring information technology. In this paper, we present an integrated model with the balanced score card framework for supplier selection strategy. The proposed model of this paper gathers 161 important factors suggested in the literature and selects the six most important ones using different multi criteria techniques. We also propose a goal programming techniques with some hard constraints and implement the mathematical model for real-world case study of auto industry. The proposed model is solved in four different forms using TOPSIS, VIKOR and the combination of these 2 factors with factor analysis. The preliminary results indicate that a combination of VIKOR and factor analysis presented better results with 9% reduction in costs, 38% increase of quality, and 3.2% increase in acceptability.

  3. Daylight case study building. A working document of Task 21. Daylight in buildings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kristensen, P E

    1997-05-01

    This report describes 16 buildings, that have been selected as Task 21 case studies. Totally 15 buildings will be monitored and described according to the procedures developed in Task 21. One case study building is in design stage, the new ISE Headquarters in Freiburg, and this project has been selected as a case study on building design. The monitoring programme for the buildings runs through 1997 until mid 1998. The present document serves as a basic document describing the case studies, until the projects will be described in more detail, including monitoring results, towards the end of the Task. (au)

  4. Androstenedione response to recombinant human FSH is the most valid predictor of the number of selected follicles in polycystic ovarian syndrome: (a case-control study).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozyurek, Eser Sefik; Yoldemir, Tevfik; Artar, Gokhan

    2017-05-12

    We aimed to test the hypothesis that the correlation of the changes in the blood Androstenedione (A 4 ) levels to the number of selected follicles during ovulation induction with low-dose recombinant human follicle stimulating hormone (rhFSH) is as strong as the correlation to changes in the blood Estradiol (E 2 ) levels in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Prospective Case-control study conducted from October 2014 to January 2016. 61 non-PCOS control (Group I) and 46 PCOS (Group II) patients treated with the chronic low-dose step up protocosl with rhFSH. A 4 , E 2 , progesterone blood levels and follicular growth were monitored.. Univariate and hierarchical multivariable analysis were performed for age, BMI, HOMA-IR, A 4 and E 2 (with the number of selected follicles as the dependent variable in both groups). ROC analysis was performed to define threshold values for the significant determinants of the number of selected follicles to predict cyle cancellations due to excessive ovarian response. The control group (Group I) was comprised of 61 cycles from a group of primary infertile non-PCOS patients, and the study group (Group II) of 46 cycles of PCOS patients. The analysis revealed that the strongest independent predictor of the total number of selected follicles in Group I was the E 2 (AUC) (B = 0.0006[0.0003-0.001]; P ovarian response and accurate titration of the rhFSH doses. The study was registered as a prospective case-control study in the ClinicalTrials.gov registry with the identifier NCT02329483 .

  5. Material Selection for Competition–A Case Study for Air Coolers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luma A. H. Al Kindi

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Competition is one of the most important challenges that is facing the marketing of industrial products in today's markets. In this research study of the impact of material selection factor for air coolers of different materials is applied. Investigation on the air cooler windows which are part of the body of air coolers is conducted. Corrosion resistance, thermal conductivity, strength of material, weight, shape, cost and manufacturing process are the factors that are applied and calculated on three types of materials Aluminum, Galvanized steel and polypropylene. The physical properties of the three mentioned materials are used to calculate Merit Index .The corrosion average, according to Tafel Method depending the corrosion current and adopting contactors for the anodic and cathodic metals behaviors is performed. ANSYS is adopted using the three samples for the selected materials Aluminum, Galvanized steel and polypropylene to measure maximum stress and deflection are measured. Accordingly, the results are compared to choose the best alternative. It is observed that the polypropylene is the best choice depending three factors while the aluminum material is better depending two factors and the galvanized steel is regarded as the best in only one factor, the rest factors are identical when choosing  an alternative material for manufacturing the air cooler windows.

  6. Analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms in case-control studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yonghong; Shiffman, Dov; Oberbauer, Rainer

    2011-01-01

    Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most common type of genetic variants in the human genome. SNPs are known to modify susceptibility to complex diseases. We describe and discuss methods used to identify SNPs associated with disease in case-control studies. An outline on study population selection, sample collection and genotyping platforms is presented, complemented by SNP selection, data preprocessing and analysis.

  7. Agile methodology selection criteria: IT start-up case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Micic, Lj

    2017-05-01

    Project management in modern IT companies is often based on agile methodologies which have several advantages compared to traditional methodologies such is waterfall. Having in mind that clients sometimes change project during development it is crucial for an IT company to choose carefully which methodology is going to implement and is it going to be mostly based on one or is it going got be combination of several. There are several modern and often used methodologies but among those Scrum, Kanban and XP programming are usually the most common. Sometimes companies use mostly tools and procedures from one but quite often they use some of the combination of those methodologies. Having in mind that those methodologies are just a framework they allow companies to adapt it for their specific projects as well as for other limitations. These methodologies are in limited usage Bosnia but more and more IT companies are starting to use agile methodologies because it is practice and common not just for their clients abroad but also starting to be the only option in order to deliver quality product on time. However it is always challenging which methodology or combination of several companies should implement and how to connect it to its own project, organizational framework and HR management. This paper presents one case study based on local IT start up and delivers solution based on theoretical framework and practical limitations that case company has.

  8. Selecting registration schemes in case of interstitial lung disease follow-up in CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vlachopoulos, Georgios; Korfiatis, Panayiotis; Skiadopoulos, Spyros; Kazantzi, Alexandra; Kalogeropoulou, Christina; Pratikakis, Ioannis; Costaridou, Lena

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: Primary goal of this study is to select optimal registration schemes in the framework of interstitial lung disease (ILD) follow-up analysis in CT. Methods: A set of 128 multiresolution schemes composed of multiresolution nonrigid and combinations of rigid and nonrigid registration schemes are evaluated, utilizing ten artificially warped ILD follow-up volumes, originating from ten clinical volumetric CT scans of ILD affected patients, to select candidate optimal schemes. Specifically, all combinations of four transformation models (three rigid: rigid, similarity, affine and one nonrigid: third order B-spline), four cost functions (sum-of-square distances, normalized correlation coefficient, mutual information, and normalized mutual information), four gradient descent optimizers (standard, regular step, adaptive stochastic, and finite difference), and two types of pyramids (recursive and Gaussian-smoothing) were considered. The selection process involves two stages. The first stage involves identification of schemes with deformation field singularities, according to the determinant of the Jacobian matrix. In the second stage, evaluation methodology is based on distance between corresponding landmark points in both normal lung parenchyma (NLP) and ILD affected regions. Statistical analysis was performed in order to select near optimal registration schemes per evaluation metric. Performance of the candidate registration schemes was verified on a case sample of ten clinical follow-up CT scans to obtain the selected registration schemes. Results: By considering near optimal schemes common to all ranking lists, 16 out of 128 registration schemes were initially selected. These schemes obtained submillimeter registration accuracies in terms of average distance errors 0.18 ± 0.01 mm for NLP and 0.20 ± 0.01 mm for ILD, in case of artificially generated follow-up data. Registration accuracy in terms of average distance error in clinical follow-up data was in the

  9. Selecting registration schemes in case of interstitial lung disease follow-up in CT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vlachopoulos, Georgios; Korfiatis, Panayiotis; Skiadopoulos, Spyros; Kazantzi, Alexandra [Department of Medical Physics, School of Medicine,University of Patras, Patras 26504 (Greece); Kalogeropoulou, Christina [Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, University of Patras, Patras 26504 (Greece); Pratikakis, Ioannis [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, Xanthi 67100 (Greece); Costaridou, Lena, E-mail: costarid@upatras.gr [Department of Medical Physics, School of Medicine, University of Patras, Patras 26504 (Greece)

    2015-08-15

    Purpose: Primary goal of this study is to select optimal registration schemes in the framework of interstitial lung disease (ILD) follow-up analysis in CT. Methods: A set of 128 multiresolution schemes composed of multiresolution nonrigid and combinations of rigid and nonrigid registration schemes are evaluated, utilizing ten artificially warped ILD follow-up volumes, originating from ten clinical volumetric CT scans of ILD affected patients, to select candidate optimal schemes. Specifically, all combinations of four transformation models (three rigid: rigid, similarity, affine and one nonrigid: third order B-spline), four cost functions (sum-of-square distances, normalized correlation coefficient, mutual information, and normalized mutual information), four gradient descent optimizers (standard, regular step, adaptive stochastic, and finite difference), and two types of pyramids (recursive and Gaussian-smoothing) were considered. The selection process involves two stages. The first stage involves identification of schemes with deformation field singularities, according to the determinant of the Jacobian matrix. In the second stage, evaluation methodology is based on distance between corresponding landmark points in both normal lung parenchyma (NLP) and ILD affected regions. Statistical analysis was performed in order to select near optimal registration schemes per evaluation metric. Performance of the candidate registration schemes was verified on a case sample of ten clinical follow-up CT scans to obtain the selected registration schemes. Results: By considering near optimal schemes common to all ranking lists, 16 out of 128 registration schemes were initially selected. These schemes obtained submillimeter registration accuracies in terms of average distance errors 0.18 ± 0.01 mm for NLP and 0.20 ± 0.01 mm for ILD, in case of artificially generated follow-up data. Registration accuracy in terms of average distance error in clinical follow-up data was in the

  10. Opportunity for Stakeholder Input on EPA's Hydraulic Fracturing Research Study: Criteria for Selecting Case Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    EPA sought advice from stakeholders regarding potential case studies, stakeholder were invited to provide suggestions and refinements to the prioritization of criteria and information listed in Table 1 of the document.

  11. Factors associated with late ANC initiation among pregnant women in select public health centers of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: unmatched case-control study design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gebrekidan, Kahasse; Worku, Alemayehu

    2017-01-01

    Although Ethiopia has shown remarkable achievements in reducing maternal mortality in the last 10 years, the prevalence of late antenatal care (ANC) initiation is still high in the country. The primary purpose of this study was to identify the factors related to late ANC initiation among pregnant women in selected public health centers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A total of 402 pregnant women (cases=134, controls=268) were recruited using multistage sampling. The design selected for the study was unmatched case-control. EpiData version 3.02 and SPSS version 20.0 were used for data entry and statistical analysis, respectively. Binary logistic regression model was used to model the odds of late ANC initiation. The odds of attending ANC late were significantly higher for mothers with a monthly household income of $8.50 to start the ANC service (AOR=3.04; 95% CI: 1.98, 4.67). Low educational level, low income of the household, unplanned pregnancy, stay for ANC service were the main predictors of late ANC initiation. Therefore, any intervention which would need to improve early ANC initiation should focus on economic empowerment of women, and tailored health education for migrant women should be strengthened.

  12. Research on Contractual Model Selection of Farmers’ Cooperatives——A Case Study of Production and Marketing Cooperative of Sweet Pomegranate in Mengzi,Yunnan

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2011-01-01

    In the perspective of new institutional economics,we regard farmers’ cooperatives as a "contractual set" integrating a series of long-term contractual relations,and transform the selection problem of organization forms into selection problem of contractual model within organization.By the theoretical framework of Transaction Cost Economics,we analyze the formation mechanism and determinant factors of contractual model of different farmers’ cooperatives and conduct case study on Production and Marketing Cooperative of Sweet Pomegranate in Mengzi,Yunnan.The results show that selecting contractual forms of cooperatives is the result of weighing many factors;new organization model or contractual arrangement is complementary to the former system arrangement;the selection of cooperatives model is an important factor impacting cooperation efficiency and stability of organization.One organization model with efficiency not only hinges on the transaction characteristic of organization,but also considers the compatibility with exterior transaction environment.In the process of selecting contractual model,we should conform to objective evolving law,but not be in thrall to a certain given form.

  13. Approaches to sampling and case selection in qualitative research: examples in the geography of health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curtis, S; Gesler, W; Smith, G; Washburn, S

    2000-04-01

    This paper focuses on the question of sampling (or selection of cases) in qualitative research. Although the literature includes some very useful discussions of qualitative sampling strategies, the question of sampling often seems to receive less attention in methodological discussion than questions of how data is collected or is analysed. Decisions about sampling are likely to be important in many qualitative studies (although it may not be an issue in some research). There are varying accounts of the principles applicable to sampling or case selection. Those who espouse 'theoretical sampling', based on a 'grounded theory' approach, are in some ways opposed to those who promote forms of 'purposive sampling' suitable for research informed by an existing body of social theory. Diversity also results from the many different methods for drawing purposive samples which are applicable to qualitative research. We explore the value of a framework suggested by Miles and Huberman [Miles, M., Huberman,, A., 1994. Qualitative Data Analysis, Sage, London.], to evaluate the sampling strategies employed in three examples of research by the authors. Our examples comprise three studies which respectively involve selection of: 'healing places'; rural places which incorporated national anti-malarial policies; young male interviewees, identified as either chronically ill or disabled. The examples are used to show how in these three studies the (sometimes conflicting) requirements of the different criteria were resolved, as well as the potential and constraints placed on the research by the selection decisions which were made. We also consider how far the criteria Miles and Huberman suggest seem helpful for planning 'sample' selection in qualitative research.

  14. Fertility Decline in Pakistan 1980-2006 : A Case Study

    OpenAIRE

    World Bank

    2010-01-01

    Pakistan was selected as a case study because of its estimated 40 percent decline in fertility between 1980 and 2006. Pakistan's high fertility rate began to decline gradually after the late 1980s and has continued to fall since then, though progress has been uneven and there have been signs of a slowdown in recent years. Unlike the other four case study countries (Algeria, Botswana, Iran,...

  15. Case Study Report about Gender Impact Assessment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Faber, Stine Thidemann; Agustin, Lise Rolandsen

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this national case study report is to take a closer look at the use of Gender Impact Assessments in Denmark in order to describe the Danish implementation of this specific Gender Mainstreaming method. By way of analyzing two selected cases (two law proposals put forward by The Danish...... Ministry of Employment and the Danish Ministry of Transport, respectively) the aim is to assess the transformative potential of GIA as it is performed in Denmark....

  16. Novel Integrated Multi-Criteria Model for Supplier Selection: Case Study Construction Company

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Željko Stević

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Supply chain presents a very complex field involving a large number of participants. The aim of the complete supply chain is finding an optimum from the aspect of all participants, which is a rather complex task. In order to ensure optimum satisfaction for all participants, it is necessary that the beginning phase consists of correct evaluations and supplier selection. In this study, the supplier selection was performed in the construction company, on the basis of a new approach in the field of multi-criteria model. Weight coefficients were obtained by DEMATEL (Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory method, based on the rough numbers. Evaluation and the supplier selection were made on the basis of a new Rough EDAS (Evaluation based on Distance from Average Solution method, which presents one of the latest methods in this field. In order to determine the stability of the model and the applicability of the proposed Rough EDAS method, an extension of the COPRAS and MULTIMOORA method by rough numbers was also performed in this study, and the findings of the comparative analysis were presented. Besides the new approaches based on the extension by rough numbers, the results are also compared with the Rough MABAC (MultiAttributive Border Approximation area Comparison and Rough MAIRCA (MultiAttributive Ideal-Real Comparative Analysis. In addition, in the sensitivity analysis, 18 different scenarios were formed, the ones in which criteria change their original values. At the end of the sensitivity analysis, SCC (Spearman Correlation Coefficient of the obtained ranges was carried out, confirming the applicability of the proposed approaches.

  17. Accessing information to rural communities: case studies of selected ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... facilities is, therefore, a basic need. This paper defines Telecentres, reviews Information Communication Technologies, and gives an overview of selected Telecentres in Uganda and their users. It concludes with discussing challenges and possible solutions. (University of Dar es Salaam Library Journal: 2003 5(1): 13-23) ...

  18. Industrial process heat case studies. [PROSYS/ECONMAT code

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hooker, D.W.; May, E.K.; West, R.E.

    1980-05-01

    Commercially available solar collectors have the potential to provide a large fraction of the energy consumed for industrial process heat (IPH). Detailed case studies of individual industrial plants are required in order to make an accurate assessment of the technical and economic feasibility of applications. This report documents the results of seven such case studies. The objectives of the case study program are to determine the near-term feasibility of solar IPH in selected industries, identify energy conservation measures, identify conditions of IPH systems that affect solar applications, test SERI's IPH analysis software (PROSYS/ECONOMAT), disseminate information to the industrial community, and provide inputs to the SERI research program. The detailed results from the case studies are presented. Although few near-term, economical solar applications were found, the conditions that would enhance the opportunities for solar IPH applications are identified.

  19. Green supply chain management strategy selection using analytic network process: case study at PT XYZ

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adelina, W.; Kusumastuti, R. D.

    2017-01-01

    This study is about business strategy selection for green supply chain management (GSCM) for PT XYZ by using Analytic Network Process (ANP). GSCM is initiated as a response to reduce environmental impacts from industrial activities. The purposes of this study are identifying criteria and sub criteria in selecting GSCM Strategy, and analysing a suitable GSCM strategy for PT XYZ. This study proposes ANP network with 6 criteria and 29 sub criteria, which are obtained from the literature and experts’ judgements. One of the six criteria contains GSCM strategy options, namely risk-based strategy, efficiency-based strategy, innovation-based strategy, and closed loop strategy. ANP solves complex GSCM strategy-selection by using a more structured process and considering green perspectives from experts. The result indicates that innovation-based strategy is the most suitable green supply chain management strategy for PT XYZ.

  20. Space engineering modeling and optimization with case studies

    CERN Document Server

    Pintér, János

    2016-01-01

    This book presents a selection of advanced case studies that cover a substantial range of issues and real-world challenges and applications in space engineering. Vital mathematical modeling, optimization methodologies and numerical solution aspects of each application case study are presented in detail, with discussions of a range of advanced model development and solution techniques and tools. Space engineering challenges are discussed in the following contexts: •Advanced Space Vehicle Design •Computation of Optimal Low Thrust Transfers •Indirect Optimization of Spacecraft Trajectories •Resource-Constrained Scheduling, •Packing Problems in Space •Design of Complex Interplanetary Trajectories •Satellite Constellation Image Acquisition •Re-entry Test Vehicle Configuration Selection •Collision Risk Assessment on Perturbed Orbits •Optimal Robust Design of Hybrid Rocket Engines •Nonlinear Regression Analysis in Space Engineering< •Regression-Based Sensitivity Analysis and Robust Design ...

  1. Feeding problems in infancy and early childhood: A case study of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Feeding problems in infancy and early childhood: A case study of selected ... of feeding problems among children 6 to 24 months of age in Ibadan, Nigeria. ... from four selected Primary Health Centres in Ibadan North Local Government Area.

  2. The Best Practices for School Transformation: A Multiple-Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waheed, Zarina; Hussin, Sufean; Bin Megat Daud, Megat Ahmad Kamaluddin

    2018-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the best practices of school leaders, teachers, pupils, parents and the community in selected transformed schools in Selangor, Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach: This qualitative multiple-case study explores the best practices in two selected transformed schools through in-depth interviews,…

  3. From Insurgency to Stability. Volume 2: Insights from Selected Case Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Rangel Suárez, Colombia, Guerra en el Fin de Siglo , Bogotá: TM Editores, 1998. Counterinsurgency Transition Case Study: Colombia 43 At the same time...represents a risk to their communities—imposing a much more fundamentalist approach to religion and an ideology that differs radically from their...conditions of the people is less impor- tant than the conditions of their religion ,”17 which led to harsh tactics and intimidation that alienated

  4. A Community of Congruence among Secondary Social Studies Teachers: A Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Province, Rachael

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this case study was to explore the community of one purposely selected department of secondary social studies teachers. I aimed to provide insight into the nature of one community of congruence amid the many constraints and systemic pressures in school systems today. Many have suggested that education is a microcosm of larger…

  5. Should Controls With Respiratory Symptoms Be Excluded From Case-Control Studies of Pneumonia Etiology? Reflections From the PERCH Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Higdon, Melissa M; Hammitt, Laura L; Deloria Knoll, Maria; Baggett, Henry C; Brooks, W Abdullah; Howie, Stephen R C; Kotloff, Karen L; Levine, Orin S; Madhi, Shabir A; Murdoch, David R; Scott, J Anthony G; Thea, Donald M; Driscoll, Amanda J; Karron, Ruth A; Park, Daniel E; Prosperi, Christine; Zeger, Scott L; O'Brien, Katherine L; Feikin, Daniel R

    2017-06-15

    Many pneumonia etiology case-control studies exclude controls with respiratory illness from enrollment or analyses. Herein we argue that selecting controls regardless of respiratory symptoms provides the least biased estimates of pneumonia etiology. We review 3 reasons investigators may choose to exclude controls with respiratory symptoms in light of epidemiologic principles of control selection and present data from the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) study where relevant to assess their validity. We conclude that exclusion of controls with respiratory symptoms will result in biased estimates of etiology. Randomly selected community controls, with or without respiratory symptoms, as long as they do not meet the criteria for case-defining pneumonia, are most representative of the general population from which cases arose and the least subject to selection bias. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

  6. Synthesis across social innovation case studies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard; Avelino, Flor; Dorland, Jens

    2016-01-01

    Part 1 is an overview and a comparative analysis of the findings from the 20 case study reports in TRANSIT about aspects of transformative social innovation (TSI). Each of the 20 reports, which the report is based on, includes an analysis of a transnational social innovation network and at least...... two local social innovation initiatives. Part 2 consists of extended abstracts of 8 papers which either focus on empirical phenomena surfacing in different TRANSIT cases (e.g. alternative economic arrangements), take a societal or methodological issue as starting point (e.g. inclusivity or research...... relations), address propositions from TRANSIT proto-theory (institutionalization dialectics, responses to crisis), build upon thematic clusters used for case selection (e.g. spaces for/of innovation, inclusive society, new economy, transformative science) or inductively develop specific sensitizing concepts...

  7. A Bio-Economic Case Study of Canadian Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Colonies: Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS) in Queen Breeding Affects Beekeeper Profits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baylis, Kathy; Hoover, Shelley E.; Currie, Rob W.; Melathopoulos, Andony P.; Pernal, Stephen F.; Foster, Leonard J.; Guarna, M. Marta

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Over the past decade in North America and Europe, winter losses of honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies have increased dramatically. Scientific consensus attributes these losses to multifactorial causes including altered parasite and pathogen profiles, lack of proper nutrition due to agricultural monocultures, exposure to pesticides, management, and weather. One method to reduce colony loss and increase productivity is through selective breeding of queens to produce disease-, pathogen-, and mite-resistant stock. Historically, the only method for identifying desirable traits in honey bees to improve breeding was through observation of bee behavior. A team of Canadian scientists have recently identified markers in bee antennae that correspond to behavioral traits in bees and can be tested for in a laboratory. These scientists have demonstrated that this marker-assisted selection (MAS) can be used to produce hygienic, pathogen-resistant honey bee colonies. Based on this research, we present a beekeeping case study where a beekeeper’s profit function is used to evaluate the economic impact of adopting colonies selected for hygienic behavior using MAS into an apiary. Our results show a net profit gain from an MAS colony of between 2% and 5% when Varroa mites are effectively treated. In the case of ineffective treatment, MAS generates a net profit benefit of between 9% and 96% depending on the Varroa load. When a Varroa mite population has developed some treatment resistance, we show that MAS colonies generate a net profit gain of between 8% and 112% depending on the Varroa load and degree of treatment resistance. PMID:28334400

  8. Crescent Evaluation : appendix B : state case study evaluation report

    Science.gov (United States)

    1994-02-01

    The state case study evaluation approach uniquely captured an understanding of the potential of such a system by documenting the experiences, issues, and opportunities of selected key state government personnel from a cross-section of involved agenci...

  9. Automated selection of relevant information for notification of incident cancer cases within a multisource cancer registry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jouhet, V; Defossez, G; Ingrand, P

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a selection algorithm of relevant records for the notification of incident cases of cancer on the basis of the individual data available in a multi-source information system. This work was conducted on data for the year 2008 in the general cancer registry of Poitou-Charentes region (France). The selection algorithm hierarchizes information according to its level of relevance for tumoral topography and tumoral morphology independently. The selected data are combined to form composite records. These records are then grouped in respect with the notification rules of the International Agency for Research on Cancer for multiple primary cancers. The evaluation, based on recall, precision and F-measure confronted cases validated manually by the registry's physicians with tumours notified with and without records selection. The analysis involved 12,346 tumours validated among 11,971 individuals. The data used were hospital discharge data (104,474 records), pathology data (21,851 records), healthcare insurance data (7508 records) and cancer care centre's data (686 records). The selection algorithm permitted performances improvement for notification of tumour topography (F-measure 0.926 with vs. 0.857 without selection) and tumour morphology (F-measure 0.805 with vs. 0.750 without selection). These results show that selection of information according to its origin is efficient in reducing noise generated by imprecise coding. Further research is needed for solving the semantic problems relating to the integration of heterogeneous data and the use of non-structured information.

  10. Methodology for Selecting Best Management Practices Integrating Multiple Stakeholders and Criteria. Part 2: Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mauricio Carvallo Aceves

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The selection of stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs for mitigating the effects of urbanization on the hydrological cycle could be a complex process due to conflicting stakeholder views, and varying levels of performance of BMPs across a range of criteria (runoff reduction, erosion control, etc.. Part 1 of this article proposed a methodology based on the application of multi-criteria decision aid (MCDA methods, which was tested here on a residential stormwater network in the Montreal area. The case study considered green roofs, rain gardens, rain barrels and pervious pavement over a range of economic, social, and water quality and quantity criteria by applying 4 MCDA methods under three different stakeholder views. The results indicated Elimination et Choix Traduisant la Réalité (ELECTRE III to be the most appropriate method for the methodology, presenting flexibility concerning threshold values, criteria weights, and showing shared top choices across stakeholders (rain gardens, and rain gardens in combination with pervious pavement. The methodology shows potential for more formal applications and research opportunities. Future work may lie in the inclusion of multiple objective optimization, better stakeholder engagement, estimation of economic benefits, water quality modeling, long-term hydrological simulations, and estimating real BMP pollutant removal rates.

  11. Selected Translations of the Eichmann Case from German Magazine

    Science.gov (United States)

    1960-07-06

    to establish contact with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem , the number-one enemy of the Jews in the Near East. After the occupation of Austria, Eichmann ...SELECTED TRANSLATIONS ON THE EICHMANN CASE FROM GERMAN MAGAZINE /Following is a translation of two articles from Per Spiegel /The Mirror/, Hamburg... Jerusalem parliament called for a routine debate on the budget. The atmosphere was listless. Only a few men with stiff, military bearing kept

  12. Analytic Hierarchy Process & Multi Attribute Utility Theory Based Approach for the Selection of Lighting Systems in Residential Buildings: A Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Othman Alshamrani

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents an approach developed for selecting lighting systems in residential buildings using an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP and the Multi Criteria Decision Making Technique (MCDMT. The developed approach considers four selection criteria of lighting systems: life-cycle cost, illumination, environmental performance, and life-span. The criteria of selection, along with the most widely used lighting systems in residential buildings, were determined through questionnaire surveys with suppliers, maintenance managers, and lighting experts. The Analytic Hierarchy Process and Multi Attribute Utility Theory were utilized to assess the significant influence of the identified main and sub-criteria on the selection process, from the design point of view. The developed approach was tested on a real case project in selecting the lighting system for aresidential building in Saudi Arabia. The obtained results show that the life-cycle cost and illumination proprieties, followed by the service life were found to be the most influential measures in the selection process. The results also show that Light-Emitting Diode(LED lighting systems prove to bear the highest initial cost while sustaining the best overall performance.

  13. An Exploratory Study on Retaining Talents in Malaysia : A Case Study of Selected Malaysian Talents

    OpenAIRE

    Kok, Phui Fun

    2011-01-01

    This research is intended as an exploratory case study to convey a qualitative feel on the issue of retention of Malaysian talents still in Malaysia. It fills a gap not covered by the World Bank’s “Malaysia Economic Monitor: Brain Drain” report, in order to give some insights to individual companies in Malaysia concerning the retention of their existing talents, provide some food for thought for other stakeholders, and spur ideas for more in-depth study in the future.It examines how salary an...

  14. CASE STUDY CRITIQUE; UPPER CLINCH CASE STUDY

    Science.gov (United States)

    Case study critique: Upper Clinch case study (from Research on Methods for Integrating Ecological Economics and Ecological Risk Assessment: A Trade-off Weighted Index Approach to Integrating Economics and Ecological Risk Assessment). This critique answers the questions: 1) does ...

  15. Selection of Celebrity Endorsers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hollensen, Svend; Schimmelpfennig, Christian

    2013-01-01

    several candidates by means of subtle evaluation procedures. Design/methodology/approach – A case study research has been carried out among companies experienced in celebrity endorsements to learn more about the endorser selection process in practise. Based on these cases theory is inductively developed......Purpose - This research aims at shedding some light on the various avenues marketers can undertake until finally an endorsement contract is signed. The focus of the study lies on verifying the generally held assumption that endorser selection is usually taken care of by creative agencies, vetting....... Findings – Our research suggests that generally held assumption that endorsers being selected and thoroughly vetted by a creative agency may not be universally valid. A normative model to illustrate the continuum of the selection process in practise is suggested and the two polar case studies (Swiss brand...

  16. A case-control study of risk factors for male infertility in Southern ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between selected potential socio-demographic and behavioural risk factors and infertility in Nigeria males. Methods: The study consisted of cases and controls. The cases were 150 males with proven male infertility, while the controls were 150 fertile males with ...

  17. Instance selection in digital soil mapping: a study case in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elvio Giasson

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available A critical issue in digital soil mapping (DSM is the selection of data sampling method for model training. One emerging approach applies instance selection to reduce the size of the dataset by drawing only relevant samples in order to obtain a representative subset that is still large enough to preserve relevant information, but small enough to be easily handled by learning algorithms. Although there are suggestions to distribute data sampling as a function of the soil map unit (MU boundaries location, there are still contradictions among research recommendations for locating samples either closer or more distant from soil MU boundaries. A study was conducted to evaluate instance selection methods based on spatially-explicit data collection using location in relation to soil MU boundaries as the main criterion. Decision tree analysis was performed for modeling digital soil class mapping using two different sampling schemes: a selecting sampling points located outside buffers near soil MU boundaries, and b selecting sampling points located within buffers near soil MU boundaries. Data was prepared for generating classification trees to include only data points located within or outside buffers with widths of 60, 120, 240, 360, 480, and 600m near MU boundaries. Instance selection methods using both spatial selection of methods was effective for reduced size of the dataset used for calibrating classification tree models, but failed to provide advantages to digital soil mapping because of potential reduction in the accuracy of classification tree models.

  18. Case-Control Studies of Sporadic Enteric Infections: A Review and Discussion of Studies Conducted Internationally from 1990 to 2009

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fullerton, Kathleen E.; Scallan, Elaine; Kirk, Martyn D.; Mahon, Barbara E.; Angulo, Frederick J.; de Valk, Henriette; van Pelt, Wilfrid; Gauci, Charmaine; Hauri, Anja M.; Majowicz, Shannon; O’Brien, Sarah J.

    2015-01-01

    Epidemiologists have used case-control studies to investigate enteric disease outbreaks for many decades. Increasingly, case-control studies are also used to investigate risk factors for sporadic (not outbreak-associated) disease. While the same basic approach is used, there are important differences between outbreak and sporadic disease settings that need to be considered in the design and implementation of the case-control study for sporadic disease. Through the International Collaboration on Enteric Disease “Burden of Illness” Studies (the International Collaboration), we reviewed 79 case-control studies of sporadic enteric infections caused by nine pathogens that were conducted in 22 countries and published from 1990 through to 2009. We highlight important methodological and study design issues (including case definition, control selection, and exposure assessment) and discuss how approaches to the study of sporadic enteric disease have changed over the last 20 years (e.g., making use of more sensitive case definitions, databases of controls, and computer-assisted interviewing). As our understanding of sporadic enteric infections grows, methods and topics for case-control studies are expected to continue to evolve; for example, advances in understanding of the role of immunity can be used to improve control selection, the apparent protective effects of certain foods can be further explored, and case-control studies can be used to provide population-based measures of the burden of disease. PMID:22443481

  19. A Bio-Economic Case Study of Canadian Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Colonies: Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS) in Queen Breeding Affects Beekeeper Profits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bixby, Miriam; Baylis, Kathy; Hoover, Shelley E; Currie, Rob W; Melathopoulos, Andony P; Pernal, Stephen F; Foster, Leonard J; Guarna, M Marta

    2017-06-01

    Over the past decade in North America and Europe, winter losses of honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies have increased dramatically. Scientific consensus attributes these losses to multifactorial causes including altered parasite and pathogen profiles, lack of proper nutrition due to agricultural monocultures, exposure to pesticides, management, and weather. One method to reduce colony loss and increase productivity is through selective breeding of queens to produce disease-, pathogen-, and mite-resistant stock. Historically, the only method for identifying desirable traits in honey bees to improve breeding was through observation of bee behavior. A team of Canadian scientists have recently identified markers in bee antennae that correspond to behavioral traits in bees and can be tested for in a laboratory. These scientists have demonstrated that this marker-assisted selection (MAS) can be used to produce hygienic, pathogen-resistant honey bee colonies. Based on this research, we present a beekeeping case study where a beekeeper's profit function is used to evaluate the economic impact of adopting colonies selected for hygienic behavior using MAS into an apiary. Our results show a net profit gain from an MAS colony of between 2% and 5% when Varroa mites are effectively treated. In the case of ineffective treatment, MAS generates a net profit benefit of between 9% and 96% depending on the Varroa load. When a Varroa mite population has developed some treatment resistance, we show that MAS colonies generate a net profit gain of between 8% and 112% depending on the Varroa load and degree of treatment resistance. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America.

  20. Using step and path selection functions for estimating resistance to movement: Pumas as a case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katherine A. Zeller; Kevin McGarigal; Samuel A. Cushman; Paul Beier; T. Winston Vickers; Walter M. Boyce

    2015-01-01

    GPS telemetry collars and their ability to acquire accurate and consistently frequent locations have increased the use of step selection functions (SSFs) and path selection functions (PathSFs) for studying animal movement and estimating resistance. However, previously published SSFs and PathSFs often do not accommodate multiple scales or multiscale modeling....

  1. An alternative approach for socio-hydrology: case study research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mostert, Erik

    2018-01-01

    Currently the most popular approach in socio hydrology is to develop coupled human-water models. This article proposes an alternative approach, qualitative case study research, involving a systematic review of (1) the human activities affecting the hydrology in the case, (2) the main human actors, and (3) the main factors influencing the actors and their activities. Moreover, this article presents a case study of the Dommel Basin in Belgium and the Netherlands, and compares this with a coupled model of the Kissimmee Basin in Florida. In both basins a pendulum swing from water resources development and control to protection and restoration can be observed. The Dommel case study moreover points to the importance of institutional and financial arrangements, community values, and broader social, economic, and technical developments. These factors are missing from the Kissimmee model. Generally, case studies can result in a more complete understanding of individual cases than coupled models, and if the cases are selected carefully and compared with previous studies, it is possible to generalize on the basis of them. Case studies also offer more levers for management and facilitate interdisciplinary cooperation. Coupled models, on the other hand, can be used to generate possible explanations of past developments and quantitative scenarios for future developments. The article concludes that, given the limited attention they currently get and their potential benefits, case studies deserve more attention in socio-hydrology.

  2. Health information security: a case study of three selected medical centers in iran.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hajrahimi, Nafiseh; Dehaghani, Sayed Mehdi Hejazi; Sheikhtaheri, Abbas

    2013-03-01

    Health Information System (HIS) is considered a unique factor in improving the quality of health care activities and cost reduction, but today with the development of information technology and use of internet and computer networks, patients' electronic records and health information systems have become a source for hackers. This study aims at checking health information security of three selected medical centers in Iran using AHP fuzzy and TOPSIS compound model. To achieve that security measures were identified, based on the research literature and decision making matrix using experts' points of view. Among the 27 indicators, seven indicators were selected as effective indicators and Fuzzy AHP technique was used to determine the importance of security indicators. Based on the comparisons made between the three selected medical centers to assess the security of health information, it is concluded that Chamran hospital has the most acceptable level of security and attention in three indicators of "verification and system design, user access management, access control system", Al Zahra Hospital in two indicators of "access management and network access control" and Amin Hospital in "equipment safety and system design". In terms of information security, Chamran Hospital ranked first, Al-Zahra Hospital ranked second and Al- Zahra hospital has the third place.

  3. A Collective Case Study of Secondary Students' Model-Based Inquiry on Natural Selection through Programming in an Agent-Based Modeling Environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiang, Lin

    This is a collective case study seeking to develop detailed descriptions of how programming an agent-based simulation influences a group of 8 th grade students' model-based inquiry (MBI) by examining students' agent-based programmable modeling (ABPM) processes and the learning outcomes. The context of the present study was a biology unit on natural selection implemented in a charter school of a major California city during spring semester of 2009. Eight 8th grade students, two boys and six girls, participated in this study. All of them were low socioeconomic status (SES). English was a second language for all of them, but they had been identified as fluent English speakers at least a year before the study. None of them had learned either natural selection or programming before the study. The study spanned over 7 weeks and was comprised of two study phases. In phase one the subject students learned natural selection in science classroom and how to do programming in NetLogo, an ABPM tool, in a computer lab; in phase two, the subject students were asked to program a simulation of adaptation based on the natural selection model in NetLogo. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected in this study. The data resources included (1) pre and post test questionnaire, (2) student in-class worksheet, (3) programming planning sheet, (4) code-conception matching sheet, (5) student NetLogo projects, (6) videotaped programming processes, (7) final interview, and (8) investigator's field notes. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were applied to analyze the gathered data. The findings suggested that students made progress on understanding adaptation phenomena and natural selection at the end of ABPM-supported MBI learning but the progress was limited. These students still held some misconceptions in their conceptual models, such as the idea that animals need to "learn" to adapt into the environment. Besides, their models of natural selection appeared to be

  4. Selection of Malaysia School Youth Cadet Corps leader by using analytical hierarchy process: A case study at SMK Ahmad Boestamam

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohamed, Nurul Huda; Ahmat, Norhayati; Mohamed, Nurul Akmal; Razmi, Syazwani Che; Mohamed, Nurul Farihan

    2017-05-01

    This research is a case study to identify the best criteria that a person should have as the leader of Malaysia School Youth Cadet Corps (Kadet Remaja Sekolah (KRS)) at SMK Ahmad Boestamam, Sitiawan in order to select the most appropriate person to hold the position. The approach used in this study is Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) which include pairwise comparison to compare the criteria and also the candidates. There are four criteria namely charisma, interpersonal communication, personality and physical. Four candidates (1, 2, 3 and 4) are being considered in this study. Purposive sampling and questionnaires are used as instruments to obtain the data which are then analyzed by using the AHP method. The final output indicates that Candidate 1 has the highest score, followed by Candidate 2, Candidate 4 and Candidate 3. It shows that this method is very helpful in the multi-criteria decision making when there are several options available.

  5. Selecting the patients for morning report sessions: case-based vs. conventional method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rabiei, Mehdi; Saeidi, Masumeh; Kiani, Mohammad Ali; Amin, Sakineh Mohebi; Ahanchian, Hamid; Jafari, Seyed Ali; Kianifar, Hamidreza

    2015-08-01

    One of the most important issues in morning report sessions is the number of patients. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the number of cases reported in the morning report sessions in terms of case-based and conventional methods from the perspective of pediatric residents of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. The present study was conducted on 24 pediatric residents of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in the academic year 2014-2015. In this survey, the residents replied to a 20-question researcher-made questionnaire that had been designed to measure the views of residents regarding the number of patients in the morning report sessions using case-based and conventional methods. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by experts' views and its reliability by calculating Cronbach's alpha coefficients. Data were analyzed by t-test analysis. The mean age of the residents was 30.852 ± 2.506, and 66.6% of them were female. The results showed that there was no significant relationship among the variables of academic year, gender, and residents' perspective to choosing the number of patients in the morning report sessions (P > 0.05). T-test analysis showed a significant relationship among the average scores of residents in the selection of the case-based method in comparison to the conventional method (P case-based morning report was preferred compared to the conventional method. This method makes residents pay more attention to the details of patients' issues and therefore helps them to better plan how to address patient problems and improve their differential diagnosis skills.

  6. Multi-criteria decision making on selection of solar–wind hybrid power station location: A case of China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yunna, Wu; Geng, Shuai

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • We summarize the evaluation attributes from the perspective of project management. • The duties of roles are defined in the decision process. • The decision framework can provide various rankings of alternatives. • A China’s solar–wind hybrid power station location selection case is study. - Abstract: Site selection plays an important role in the entire life cycle of solar–wind hybrid power station (SWHPS) project and is worthy to further study. There are problems in the present researches: first, the SWHPS site evaluation results are difficult to be understood by the project managers due to the evaluations of SWHPS site are few from the perspective of project management. Second, the independence of experts is difficult to be protected since the undefined duties of roles in the evaluation process Third, the project managers cannot consider the alternatives thoroughly because that the evaluation result is single. Hence the innovativeness of this paper is as follows: first, the evaluation attributes of SWHPS site selection are summarized from the perspective of project management; second, the duties of roles in the decision process are defined; third, according to the principle of practicality, a decision framework of SWHPS site selection is built based on the analytic hierarchy process method, the merits of this decision framework are that it can provide various rankings of alternatives and is easy to be used. Finally, a case study of China demonstrates the effectiveness of decision framework

  7. Guidelines for Conducting Positivist Case Study Research in Information Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Graeme Shanks

    2002-11-01

    Full Text Available The case study research approach is widely used in a number of different ways within the information systems community. This paper focuses on positivist, deductive case study research in information systems. It provides clear definitions of important concepts in positivist case study research and illustrates these with an example research study. A critical analysis of the conduct and outcomes of two recently published positivist case studies is reported. One is a multiple case study that validated concepts in a framework for viewpoint development in requirements definition. The other is a single case study that examined the role of social enablers in enterprise resource planning systems implementation. A number of guidelines for successfully undertaking positivist case study research are identified including developing a clear understanding of key concepts and assumptions within the positivist paradigm; providing clear and unambiguous definitions of the units and interactions when using any theory; carefully defining the boundary of the theory used in the case study; using hypotheses rather than propositions in the empirical testing of theory; using fuzzy or probabilistic propositions in recognising that reality can never be perfectly known; selecting case studies carefully, particularly single case studies; and recognising that generalisation from positivist, single case studies is inherently different from generalisation from single experiments. When properly undertaken, positivist, deductive case study research is a valuable research approach for information systems researchers, particularly when used within pluralist research programs that use a number of different research approaches from different paradigms.

  8. E-BANKING: A CASE STUDY OF ASKARI COMMERCIAL BANK PAKISTAN

    OpenAIRE

    Muhammad Shakil AHMAD; Shahid RASHID; Muhammad Tahir MASOOD; Ehtesham UL MUJEEB

    2011-01-01

    This paper has covered the operational issues related to e-banking as well as customer’s perception on usage of e-banking a case study of Askari Bank, Pakistan. 40 staff members and four customers are selected as sample for this study. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used to present the results. Descriptive statistics is applied to describe the demographic variables while for operational problems correlation was used. Finally cross case analysis present customers’ perception abo...

  9. Vitiligo: A study of 120 cases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kar P

    2001-11-01

    Full Text Available Vitiligo is a common pignientary disorder and of major social and cosmetic concern in India. Purpose of the study was to find out age at onset and sex incidence in vitiligo, role of hereditary factors and associations with other diseases. 120 self reporting vitiligo patients attending out patient department of a service hospital were selected for the study and this data was analysed. In the present series out of 120 cases 62 (51.6% were males and 58(48.35%were females. There was practically no difference in sex incidence. The lowest age of onset was two years and the oldest was 65 years. In the majority of patients,52(43.2%, disease started before twenty years of age.8 (6.6% cases gave definite family history of vitiligo. Exposed areas of the body were commonly affected in majority (66.6% of cases. The legs were commonest site of involvement in 60(50% cases. Circunicript type of vitiligo (46.6% was heading the list. Majority of patients (56.6% had multiple lesions. Diabetes mellitus was found in 2 (2.6% patients. Cause of vitiligo is still idiopathic. Hereditary factors hardly play any role in manifestation of vitiligo

  10. Application of artificial neural networks in indirect selection: a case study on the breeding of lettuce

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alcinei Mistico Azevedo

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The efficiency of artificial neural networks (ANN to model complex problems may enable the prediction of characteristics that are hard to measure, providing better results than the traditional indirect selection. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the potential of using artificial neural networks (ANN for indirect selection against early flowering in lettuce, identify the influence of genotype by environment interaction in this strategy and compare your results with the traditional indirect selection. The number of days to anthesis were used as the desired output and the information of six characteristics (fresh weight of shoots, mass of marketable fresh matter of shoots, commercial dry matter of shoots, average diameter of the head, head circumference and leaf number as input file for the training of the ANN-MLP (Perceptron Multi-Layer. The use of ANN has great potential adjustment for indirect selection for genetic improvement of lettuce against early flowering. The selection based on the predicted values by network provided estimates of gain selection largest that traditional indirect selection. The ANN trained with data from an experiment have low power extrapolation to another experiment, due to effect of interaction genotype by environment. The ANNs trained simultaneously with data from different experiments presented greater predictive power and extrapolation.

  11. Qualitative case study methodology in nursing research: an integrative review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anthony, Susan; Jack, Susan

    2009-06-01

    This paper is a report of an integrative review conducted to critically analyse the contemporary use of qualitative case study methodology in nursing research. Increasing complexity in health care and increasing use of case study in nursing research support the need for current examination of this methodology. In 2007, a search for case study research (published 2005-2007) indexed in the CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, Sociological Abstracts and SCOPUS databases was conducted. A sample of 42 case study research papers met the inclusion criteria. Whittemore and Knafl's integrative review method guided the analysis. Confusion exists about the name, nature and use of case study. This methodology, including terminology and concepts, is often invisible in qualitative study titles and abstracts. Case study is an exclusive methodology and an adjunct to exploring particular aspects of phenomena under investigation in larger or mixed-methods studies. A high quality of case study exists in nursing research. Judicious selection and diligent application of literature review methods promote the development of nursing science. Case study is becoming entrenched in the nursing research lexicon as a well-accepted methodology for studying phenomena in health and social care, and its growing use warrants continued appraisal to promote nursing knowledge development. Attention to all case study elements, process and publication is important in promoting authenticity, methodological quality and visibility.

  12. An Examination of Fluoxetine for the Treatment of Selective Mutism Using a Nonconcurrent Multiple-Baseline Single-Case Design Across 5 Cases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barterian, Justin A; Sanchez, Joel M; Magen, Jed; Siroky, Allison K; Mash, Brittany L; Carlson, John S

    2018-01-01

    This study examined the utility of fluoxetine in the treatment of 5 children, aged 5 to 14 years, diagnosed with selective mutism who also demonstrated symptoms of social anxiety. A nonconcurrent, randomized, multiple-baseline, single-case design with a single-blind placebo-controlled procedure was used. Parents and the study psychiatrist completed multiple methods of assessment including Direct Behavior Ratings and questionnaires. Treatment outcomes were evaluated by calculating effect sizes for each participant as an individual and for the participants as a group. Information regarding adverse effects with an emphasis on behavioral disinhibition and ratings of parental acceptance of the intervention was gathered. All 5 children experienced improvement in social anxiety, responsive speech, and spontaneous speech with medium to large effect sizes; however, children still met criteria for selective mutism at the end of the study. Adverse events were minimal, with only 2 children experiencing brief occurrences of minor behavioral disinhibition. Parents found the treatment highly acceptable.

  13. Continuing professional education and the selection of candidates: the case for a tripartite model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellis, L B

    2000-02-01

    This paper argues the case for a tripartite model involving the manager educator and practitioner in the selection of candidates to programmes of continuing professional education (CPE). Nurse educators are said to play a key link in the education practice chain (Pendleton & Myles 1991), yet with the introduction of a market philosophy for education, the educator appears to have little, if any, influence over the selection of CPE candidates. Empirical studies on the value of an effective system for identifying the educational needs of the individual and the locality are unequivocal in specifying the benefits of a collaborative selection process (Larcombe & Maggs 1991). However, there are few studies that offer a model of collaboration and fewer still on how to operationalize such a model. This paper presents the policy and legislative context of CPE leading to the development of a market philosophy. The tension between educational reforms such as life-long learning and diminishing and finite resources are highlighted. These strategic issues provide the backdrop and rationale for considering the process for identifying CPE needs, and the characteristics of an effective system as suggested in the literature. Finally, this paper outlines recommendations for a partnership between the manager practitioner and educationalist in the selection of CPE candidates.

  14. [Use of Cone Beam Computed Tomography in endodontics: rational case selection criteria].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosen, E; Tsesis, I

    2016-01-01

    To present rational case selection criteria for the use of CBCT (Cone Beam Computed Tomography) in endodontics. This article reviews the literature concerning the benefits of CBCT in endodontics, alongside its radiation risks, and present case selection criteria for referral of endodontic patients to CBCT. Up to date, the expected ultimate benefit of CBCT to the endodontic patient is yet uncertain, and the current literature is mainly restricted to its technical efficacy. In addition, the potential radiation risks of CBCT scan are stochastic in nature and uncertain, and are worrying especially in pediatric patients. Both the efficacy of CBCT in supporting the endodontic practitioner decision making and in affecting treatment outcomes, and its long term potential radiation risks are yet uncertain. Therefore, a cautious rational decision making is essential when a CBCT scan is considered in endodontics. Risk-benefit considerations are presented.

  15. Simultaneous feature selection and parameter optimisation using an artificial ant colony: case study of melting point prediction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nigsch Florian

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background We present a novel feature selection algorithm, Winnowing Artificial Ant Colony (WAAC, that performs simultaneous feature selection and model parameter optimisation for the development of predictive quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR models. The WAAC algorithm is an extension of the modified ant colony algorithm of Shen et al. (J Chem Inf Model 2005, 45: 1024–1029. We test the ability of the algorithm to develop a predictive partial least squares model for the Karthikeyan dataset (J Chem Inf Model 2005, 45: 581–590 of melting point values. We also test its ability to perform feature selection on a support vector machine model for the same dataset. Results Starting from an initial set of 203 descriptors, the WAAC algorithm selected a PLS model with 68 descriptors which has an RMSE on an external test set of 46.6°C and R2 of 0.51. The number of components chosen for the model was 49, which was close to optimal for this feature selection. The selected SVM model has 28 descriptors (cost of 5, ε of 0.21 and an RMSE of 45.1°C and R2 of 0.54. This model outperforms a kNN model (RMSE of 48.3°C, R2 of 0.47 for the same data and has similar performance to a Random Forest model (RMSE of 44.5°C, R2 of 0.55. However it is much less prone to bias at the extremes of the range of melting points as shown by the slope of the line through the residuals: -0.43 for WAAC/SVM, -0.53 for Random Forest. Conclusion With a careful choice of objective function, the WAAC algorithm can be used to optimise machine learning and regression models that suffer from overfitting. Where model parameters also need to be tuned, as is the case with support vector machine and partial least squares models, it can optimise these simultaneously. The moving probabilities used by the algorithm are easily interpreted in terms of the best and current models of the ants, and the winnowing procedure promotes the removal of irrelevant descriptors.

  16. Simultaneous feature selection and parameter optimisation using an artificial ant colony: case study of melting point prediction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Boyle, Noel M; Palmer, David S; Nigsch, Florian; Mitchell, John Bo

    2008-10-29

    We present a novel feature selection algorithm, Winnowing Artificial Ant Colony (WAAC), that performs simultaneous feature selection and model parameter optimisation for the development of predictive quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) models. The WAAC algorithm is an extension of the modified ant colony algorithm of Shen et al. (J Chem Inf Model 2005, 45: 1024-1029). We test the ability of the algorithm to develop a predictive partial least squares model for the Karthikeyan dataset (J Chem Inf Model 2005, 45: 581-590) of melting point values. We also test its ability to perform feature selection on a support vector machine model for the same dataset. Starting from an initial set of 203 descriptors, the WAAC algorithm selected a PLS model with 68 descriptors which has an RMSE on an external test set of 46.6 degrees C and R2 of 0.51. The number of components chosen for the model was 49, which was close to optimal for this feature selection. The selected SVM model has 28 descriptors (cost of 5, epsilon of 0.21) and an RMSE of 45.1 degrees C and R2 of 0.54. This model outperforms a kNN model (RMSE of 48.3 degrees C, R2 of 0.47) for the same data and has similar performance to a Random Forest model (RMSE of 44.5 degrees C, R2 of 0.55). However it is much less prone to bias at the extremes of the range of melting points as shown by the slope of the line through the residuals: -0.43 for WAAC/SVM, -0.53 for Random Forest. With a careful choice of objective function, the WAAC algorithm can be used to optimise machine learning and regression models that suffer from overfitting. Where model parameters also need to be tuned, as is the case with support vector machine and partial least squares models, it can optimise these simultaneously. The moving probabilities used by the algorithm are easily interpreted in terms of the best and current models of the ants, and the winnowing procedure promotes the removal of irrelevant descriptors.

  17. Risk Factors Profile of Shoulder Dystocia in Oman: A Case Control Study

    OpenAIRE

    Maha M. Al-Khaduri; Rania Mohammed Abudraz; Sayed G. Rizvi; Yahya M. Al-Farsi

    2014-01-01

    Objective: This study aimed to assess the risk factor profile of shoulder dystocia and associated neonatal complications in Oman, a developing Arab country. Methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted among 111 cases with dystocia and 111 controls, identified during 1994-2006 period in a tertiary care hospital in Oman. Controls were randomly selected among women who did not have dystocia, and were matched to cases on the day of delivery. Data related to potential risk factor...

  18. New Hybrid Features Selection Method: A Case Study on Websites Phishing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khairan D. Rajab

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Phishing is one of the serious web threats that involves mimicking authenticated websites to deceive users in order to obtain their financial information. Phishing has caused financial damage to the different online stakeholders. It is massive in the magnitude of hundreds of millions; hence it is essential to minimize this risk. Classifying websites into “phishy” and legitimate types is a primary task in data mining that security experts and decision makers are hoping to improve particularly with respect to the detection rate and reliability of the results. One way to ensure the reliability of the results and to enhance performance is to identify a set of related features early on so the data dimensionality reduces and irrelevant features are discarded. To increase reliability of preprocessing, this article proposes a new feature selection method that combines the scores of multiple known methods to minimize discrepancies in feature selection results. The proposed method has been applied to the problem of website phishing classification to show its pros and cons in identifying relevant features. Results against a security dataset reveal that the proposed preprocessing method was able to derive new features datasets which when mined generate high competitive classifiers with reference to detection rate when compared to results obtained from other features selection methods.

  19. Boosting Reading Fluency: An Intervention Case Study at Subword Level

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kairaluoma, Leila; Ahonen, Timo; Aro, Mikko; Holopainen, Leena

    2007-01-01

    This study is an intervention case study of fluency in Finnish-speaking children with dyslexia. Two 7-year-old children, a girl and a boy, were selected from the Jyvaskyla Longitudinal Study of Dyslexia. The intervention emphasised syllables as reading units, and proceeded from reading syllables to reading words and text. Letter knowledge, reading…

  20. An association between initiation of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and suicide - a nationwide register-based case-crossover study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Charlotte Björkenstam

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI is one of the most common treatments for depression. It is however not clear whether or not there is an increased short-term suicide risk during initiation with SSRI. METHODS: A register-based nationwide case-crossover study including 5,866 suicides, 1,698 women and 4,168 men, from the Death Register 2007-2010 in Sweden. SSRI initiation was defined as a dispensed prescription of SSRI within 28 days prior to the date of suicide with no previous dispensed prescription of SSRI within 4 months prior that prescription. The control period took place one year earlier. Odds ratio (OR was estimated using conditional logistic regression. RESULT: During the 28 day period prior to suicide 48 women and 138 men were exposed to SSRI initiation (while not being exposed in the control period and 22 women and 43 men were exposed in the control period (while not being exposed in the case period. The OR for suicide after initiation with SSRI was 2.7 (95% CI: 1.6-44 for women, and 4.3 (95% CI: 3.0-6.1 for men. The highest OR was found 8-11 days after initiation with SSRI 9.7 (95% CI: 3.0-31.7 for women and men combined. CONCLUSION: The main limitation in this study is confounding by indication, but the descriptive question is however not confounded by indication. Together with plausible biological mechanisms and previous clinical and epidemiological observations our findings, linking initiation of SSRI to increased short-term suicide risk, deserve further attention specifically in the clinical setting.

  1. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors for Treatment of Selective Mutism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mazlum Çöpür

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Some authors suggest that selective mutism should be considered as a variant of social phobia or a disorder in the obsessive-compulsive spectrum. Recent studies indicate that pharmacological treatments may be effective in the treatment of selective mutism. In this article, four cases who were treated with citalopram and escitalopram are presented. The results indicate that the drugs were well tolerated, and the level of social and verbal interactions improved significantly. These findings have shown that citalopram and escitalopram can be considered in medication of selective mutism; nevertheless, it is essential that research be done with more cases than previous ones, in order to prove their accuracy

  2. How to investigate and adjust for selection bias in cohort studies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nohr, Ellen A; Liew, Zeyan

    2018-01-01

    National Birth Cohort (DNBC) as examples on how to quantify selection bias and also understand the underlying selection mechanisms. Although women who chose to participate in the cohort were typically of higher social status, healthier and with less disease than all those eligible for study, differential...... of the presented methods are applicable even with limited data on non-participants and those lost to follow-up, and can also be applied to other study designs such as case-control studies and surveys. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.......Longitudinal cohort studies can provide important evidence about preventable causes of disease, but the success relies heavily on the commitment of their participants, both at recruitment and during follow-up. Initial participation rates have decreased in recent decades as have willingness...

  3. Refuse Dumps And The Environment: A Case Study Of Some ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Refuse Dumps And The Environment: A Case Study Of Some Selected Cities In Nigeria. ... International Journal of Emotional Psychology and Sport Ethics ... This study assessed the level of environmental pollution in the nation by focusing on the degree of accumulation of house – hold wastes, industrial scraps or wastes, ...

  4. Multi-Collinearity Based Model Selection for Landslide Susceptibility Mapping: A Case Study from Ulus District of Karabuk, Turkey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahin, E. K.; Colkesen, I., , Dr; Kavzoglu, T.

    2017-12-01

    Identification of localities prone to landslide areas plays an important role for emergency planning, disaster management and recovery planning. Due to its great importance for disaster management, producing accurate and up-to-date landslide susceptibility maps is essential for hazard mitigation purpose and regional planning. The main objective of the present study was to apply multi-collinearity based model selection approach for the production of a landslide susceptibility map of Ulus district of Karabuk, Turkey. It is a fact that data do not contain enough information to describe the problem under consideration when the factors are highly correlated with each other. In such cases, choosing a subset of the original features will often lead to better performance. This paper presents multi-collinearity based model selection approach to deal with the high correlation within the dataset. Two collinearity diagnostic factors (Tolerance (TOL) and the Variance Inflation Factor (VIF)) are commonly used to identify multi-collinearity. Values of VIF that exceed 10.0 and TOL values less than 1.0 are often regarded as indicating multi-collinearity. Five causative factors (slope length, curvature, plan curvature, profile curvature and topographical roughness index) were found highly correlated with each other among 15 factors available for the study area. As a result, the five correlated factors were removed from the model estimation, and performances of the models including the remaining 10 factors (aspect, drainage density, elevation, lithology, land use/land cover, NDVI, slope, sediment transport index, topographical position index and topographical wetness index) were evaluated using logistic regression. The performance of prediction model constructed with 10 factors was compared to that of 15-factor model. The prediction performance of two susceptibility maps was evaluated by overall accuracy and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) values. Results showed that overall

  5. Negative hyper-selection of metastatic colorectal cancer patients for anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies: the PRESSING case-control study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cremolini, C; Morano, F; Moretto, R; Berenato, R; Tamborini, E; Perrone, F; Rossini, D; Gloghini, A; Busico, A; Zucchelli, G; Baratelli, C; Tamburini, E; Tampellini, M; Sensi, E; Fucà, G; Volpi, C; Milione, M; Di Maio, M; Fontanini, G; De Braud, F; Falcone, A; Pietrantonio, F

    2017-12-01

    Refining the selection of metastatic colorectal cancer patients candidates for anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibodies beyond RAS and BRAF testing is a challenge of precision oncology. Several uncommon genomic mechanisms of primary resistance, leading to activation of tyrosine kinase receptors other than EGFR or downstream signalling pathways, have been suggested by preclinical and retrospective studies. We conducted this multicentre, prospective, case-control study to demonstrate the negative predictive impact of a panel of rare genomic alterations [PRESSING (PRimary rESiStance IN RAS and BRAF wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer patients treated with anti-eGfr monoclonal antibodies) panel], including HER2/MET amplifications, ALK/ROS1/NTRK1-3/RET fusions and PIK3CA mutations. Hypothesizing a prevalence of candidate alterations of 15% and 0% in resistant and sensitive RAS and BRAF wild-type patients, respectively, with two-sided α and β errors of 0.05 and 0.20, 47 patients per group were needed. Forty-seven patients per group were included. PRESSING panel alterations were significantly more frequent in resistant (24 out of 47, 51.1%) than in sensitive (1 out of 47, 2.1%) patients (P < 0.001) and in right- (12 out of 29, 41.4%) than left-sided (13 out of 65, 20.0%) tumours (P = 0.03). The predictive accuracy of PRESSING panel and sidedness was 75.3% and 70.2%, respectively. Among hyper-selected patients, right-sidedness was still associated with resistance (P = 0.002). The predictive accuracy of the combined evaluation of PRESSING panel and sidedness was 80.4%. As a secondary analysis, 8 (17.0%) resistant and 0 sensitive patients showed microsatellite instability (P < 0.001). The investigated panel of genomic alterations allows refining the selection of RAS and BRAF wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer patients candidates for anti-EGFRs, partially explaining and further corroborating the predictive ability of primary

  6. Propensity score matching for selection of local areas as controls for evaluation of effects of alcohol policies in case series and quasi case-control designs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Vocht, F; Campbell, R; Brennan, A; Mooney, J; Angus, C; Hickman, M

    2016-03-01

    Area-level public health interventions can be difficult to evaluate using natural experiments. We describe the use of propensity score matching (PSM) to select control local authority areas (LAU) to evaluate the public health impact of alcohol policies for (1) prospective evaluation of alcohol policies using area-level data, and (2) a novel two-stage quasi case-control design. Ecological. Alcohol-related indicator data (Local Alcohol Profiles for England, PHE Health Profiles and ONS data) were linked at LAU level. Six LAUs (Blackpool, Bradford, Bristol, Ipswich, Islington, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne) as sample intervention or case areas were matched to two control LAUs each using PSM. For the quasi case-control study a second stage was added aimed at obtaining maximum contrast in outcomes based on propensity scores. Matching was evaluated based on average standardized absolute mean differences (ASAM) and variable-specific P-values after matching. The six LAUs were matched to suitable control areas (with ASAM 0.05 indicating good matching) for a prospective evaluation study that sought areas that were similar at baseline in order to assess whether a change in intervention exposure led to a change in the outcome (alcohol related harm). PSM also generated appropriate matches for a quasi case-control study--whereby the contrast in health outcomes between cases and control areas needed to be optimized in order to assess retrospectively whether differences in intervention exposure were associated with the outcome. The use of PSM for area-level alcohol policy evaluation, but also for other public health interventions, will improve the value of these evaluations by objective and quantitative selection of the most appropriate control areas. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  7. Suspected survivor bias in case-control studies: stratify on survival time and use a negative control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Rein, Nienke; Cannegieter, Suzanne C; Rosendaal, Frits R; Reitsma, Pieter H; Lijfering, Willem M

    2014-02-01

    Selection bias in case-control studies occurs when control selection is inappropriate. However, selection bias due to improper case sampling is less well recognized. We describe how to recognize survivor bias (i.e., selection on exposed cases) and illustrate this with an example study. A case-control study was used to analyze the effect of statins on major bleedings during treatment with vitamin K antagonists. A total of 110 patients who experienced such bleedings were included 18-1,018 days after the bleeding complication and matched to 220 controls. A protective association of major bleeding for exposure to statins (odds ratio [OR]: 0.56; 95% confidence interval: 0.29-1.08) was found, which did not become stronger after adjustment for confounding factors. These observations lead us to suspect survivor bias. To identify this bias, results were stratified on time between bleeding event and inclusion, and repeated for a negative control (an exposure not related to survival): blood group non-O. The ORs for exposure to statins increased gradually to 1.37 with shorter time between outcome and inclusion, whereas ORs for the negative control remained constant, confirming our hypothesis. We recommend the presented method to check for overoptimistic results, that is, survivor bias in case-control studies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. “On the Margins and Not the Mainstream:” Case Selection for the Implementation of Community based Primary Health Care in Canada and New Zealand

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kerry Kuluski

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Healthcare system reforms are pushing beyond primary care to more holistic, integrated models of community based primary health care (CBPHC to better meet the needs of the population. Across the world CBPHC is at varying stages of development and few standard models exist. In order to scale up and spread successful models of care it is important to study what works and why. The first step is to select ‘appropriate’ cases to study. In this commentary we reflect on our journey in the selection of CBPHC models for older adults, revealing the limited utility of sourcing the empirical literature; the difficulty in identifying “successful” models to study when outcomes of importance differ across stakeholders; the value of drawing on clinical and organisational networks and experts; and the association between policy context and ease of case selection. Such insights have important implications for case study methodology in health services and policy research.

  9. Case study of siting technology for underground nuclear power plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hibino, Satoshi; Komada, Hiroya; Honsho, Shizumitsu; Fujiwara, Yoshikazu; Motojima, Mutsumi; Nakagawa, Kameichiro; Nosaki, Takashi

    1991-01-01

    Underground siting method is one of new feasible siting methods for nuclear power plants. This report presents the results on case studies on underground siting. Two sites of a steeply inclined and plateau like configurations were selected. 'Tunnel type cavern; all underground siting' method was applied for the steeply inclined configuration, and 'shaft type semi-cavern; partial underground siting' method was applied for the plateau like configuration. The following designs were carried out for these two sites as case studies; (1) conceptual designs, (2) geological surveys and rock mechanics tests, (3) stability analysis during cavern excavations, (4) seismic stability analysis of caverns during earthquake, (5) reinforcement designs for caverns, (6) drainage designs. The case studies showed that these two cases were fully feasible, and comparison between two cases revealed that the 'shaft type semi-cavern; partial underground siting' method was more suitable for Japanese islands. As a first step of underground siting, therefore, the authors recommend to construct a nuclear power plant by this method. (author)

  10. Winning strategies: A case study of Oyo State Lottery, Nigeria ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In this study, we investigated three common lottery strategies: random, low and high frequency strategies, usually employed by lottery players. The Oyo State Lottery, a type of lottery in Oyo State, Nigeria was used as a case study. For the three strategies, we considered whether the selection of numbers in Oyo State lottery ...

  11. Optimization of Candidate Selection Using Naive Bayes: Case Study in Company X

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kadar, JA; Agustono, D.; Napitupulu, D.

    2018-01-01

    This research was conducted as a decision-making system, and an alternative solution to complete the candidate assessment for a particular position. The human resources (HR) section on company X is responsible and initiative in selecting candidates in accordance with the assessment of their superiors. Selection by using the method of filling out the manager’s assessment questionnaire on the candidate’s subordinate. Three (3) managers have been determined to assess the 11 candidates for subordinates. By using questionnaire of quality classification of human resources and formula naive bayes it will get result which finally grouped using criteria scale as final grouping. The HR department has also determined that what is received is that which meets criteria 5. The result is three (3) candidates who can be proposed as candidates for certain positions in company X, and have met all required calculations. Furthermore the candidate will be given to management as an alternative input data in the selection of candidates.

  12. Applicability of bioanalysis of multiple analytes in drug discovery and development: review of select case studies including assay development considerations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srinivas, Nuggehally R

    2006-05-01

    The development of sound bioanalytical method(s) is of paramount importance during the process of drug discovery and development culminating in a marketing approval. Although the bioanalytical procedure(s) originally developed during the discovery stage may not necessarily be fit to support the drug development scenario, they may be suitably modified and validated, as deemed necessary. Several reviews have appeared over the years describing analytical approaches including various techniques, detection systems, automation tools that are available for an effective separation, enhanced selectivity and sensitivity for quantitation of many analytes. The intention of this review is to cover various key areas where analytical method development becomes necessary during different stages of drug discovery research and development process. The key areas covered in this article with relevant case studies include: (a) simultaneous assay for parent compound and metabolites that are purported to display pharmacological activity; (b) bioanalytical procedures for determination of multiple drugs in combating a disease; (c) analytical measurement of chirality aspects in the pharmacokinetics, metabolism and biotransformation investigations; (d) drug monitoring for therapeutic benefits and/or occupational hazard; (e) analysis of drugs from complex and/or less frequently used matrices; (f) analytical determination during in vitro experiments (metabolism and permeability related) and in situ intestinal perfusion experiments; (g) determination of a major metabolite as a surrogate for the parent molecule; (h) analytical approaches for universal determination of CYP450 probe substrates and metabolites; (i) analytical applicability to prodrug evaluations-simultaneous determination of prodrug, parent and metabolites; (j) quantitative determination of parent compound and/or phase II metabolite(s) via direct or indirect approaches; (k) applicability in analysis of multiple compounds in select

  13. Risk factors for idiopathic orbital inflammation: a case-control study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bijlsma, Ward R.; van Gils, Carla H.; Paridaens, Dion; Mourits, Maarten P.; Kalmann, Rachel

    2011-01-01

    Objective To identify risk factors involved in the development of idiopathic orbital inflammation (IOI). Methods Case-control study of 69 adults who had had a first episode of IOI and 296 adult controls with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RD) selected from three orbital centres in The

  14. Is image selection a useful strategy to decrease the transmission time in teleradiology? A study using 100 emergency cranial CTs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ludwig, K.; Bick, U.; Oelerich, M.; Schuierer, G.; Puskas, Z.; Nicolas, K.; Koch, A.; Lenzen, H.

    1998-01-01

    This study examines the suitability of working with a selection of images in a teleradiology consulting system in neurological or neurosurgical emergency situations. The teleradiology system was based on IBM-compatible personal computers, video digitization for data acquisition, and data transmission by Integrated System Digital Network. Forty normal and 60 abnormal emergency cranial computed tomograms were shown to a radiologist on call who presented all cases he regarded as pathologic to a neuroradiologic expert by teleradiology. To reduce transmission time, only a selection of images from the CT study was presented (up to four images per case). For each case the on-call radiologist's diagnosis (D on-call ), the expert's diagnosis on the teleradiology screen (D monitor ), and the expert's diagnosis on the original film (D original ) was documented, together with an estimation of the agreement between those diagnoses. There was clinically relevant disagreement between the on-call radiologist's diagnosis and the neuroradiologist's diagnosis based on the image selection on the teleradiology monitor in 23 % of cases. A clinically important discrepancy between the neuroradiologist's diagnosis based on the image selection and his diagnosis using the original films was found in 30 % of cases. This was due to the presence of clinically relevant information on images not transferred by the on-call radiologist. Image quality of the transferred images was sufficient in all cases. Drastic selection of images from a complete CT study leads to a high rate of incorrect diagnoses and is not appropriate to reduce transmission time in teleradiology. (orig.)

  15. Assessing organisational governance maturity: A retail industry case study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hendrik Marius Wessels

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available For any business to operate effectively, a governance framework that operates at the relevant maturity level is required. An organisational governance maturity framework is a tool that leadership can use to determine governance maturity. This study aims to determine whether the organisational governance maturity framework (developed by Wilkinson can be applied to the selected retail industry organisation to assess the maturity of the organisation’s governance, limited to the ‘leadership’ attribute. Firstly, a high-level literature review on ethical leadership, ethical decision-making, ethical foundation and culture (‘tone at the top’, and organisational governance and maturity was conducted. Secondly, a Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE listed South African-based company was selected for the empirical part of the study using a single case study research design. The empirical results confirmed that the organisational governance maturity framework can be used to determine the maturity level of organisational governance for the selected attribute of ‘leadership’

  16. Feedback on composition: a case study of a remedial sixth-grader Feedback on composition: a case study of a remedial sixth-grader

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marilda C. Cavalcanti

    2008-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper reports on a case study conducted in Brazil, aimed at investigating the relationship between what a Portuguese native-language teacher provided as feedback on compositions in a remedial sixth-grade class and what the students thought about and did with that feedback. The study called for the teacher to fill out a questionnaire and to provide verbal report protocol data while making comments on the composition of a selected student. The student also provided a verbal report protocol concerning his reactions to the feedback, and all the students in the class filled out a questionnaire about their handling of the feedback. This paper reports on a case study conducted in Brazil, aimed at investigating the relationship between what a Portuguese native-language teacher provided as feedback on compositions in a remedial sixth-grade class and what the students thought about and did with that feedback. The study called for the teacher to fill out a questionnaire and to provide verbal report protocol data while making comments on the composition of a selected student. The student also provided a verbal report protocol concerning his reactions to the feedback, and all the students in the class filled out a questionnaire about their handling of the feedback.

  17. Sex selection: treating different cases differently.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dickens, B M; Serour, G I; Cook, R J; Qiu, R-Z

    2005-08-01

    This paper contrasts ethical approaches to sex selection in countries where discrimination against women is pervasive, resulting in selection against girl children, and in countries where there is less general discrimination and couples do not prefer children of either sex. National sex ratio imbalances where discrimination against women is common have resulted in laws and policies, such as in India and China, to deter and prevent sex selection. Birth ratios of children can be affected by techniques of prenatal sex determination and abortion, preconception sex selection and discarding disfavored embryos, and prefertilization sperm sorting, when disfavored sperm remain unused. Incentives for son preference are reviewed, and laws and policies to prevent sex selection are explained. The elimination of social, economic and other discrimination against women is urged to redress sex selection against girl children. Where there is no general selection against girl children, sex selection can be allowed to assist families that want children of both sexes.

  18. An Epidemiological Study of Accidents in a Construction Industry: A Case-Control Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Malakouti J.

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background and Objectives: Despite science and technology development and their application in various industries, accidents continue to occur in many workplaces. This study was designed and carried out with the aim of epidemiological survey of accident among workers of a tunneling industry.Methods: This study was conducted on 144 out of a total of 440 employees of a tunneling project who were at risk of occupational accidents. 48 workers with a history of occupational accident over the past two years were selected as case group and 96 workers of the same project were selected as control group. The data were collected through a designed checklist and analyzed using logistic regression, chi-square and independent t tests.Results: A significant association was observed between accident rate and different age groups (p<0.05. There was a significant relationship (p=0.016 in the case of sport activities between case and control groups, and significant relationships were observed between two groups regarding education (p=0.057 and smoking (p=0.06, but there was no significant relationships between accident occurrence with marital status, residence in workplace, job related education, job experience, chronic diseases and obesity.Conclusion: The results of this study clarify the necessity of the use of epidemiological data in preventive and control measures in workplaces. Therefore, Developing programs for determination of physical and mental capacity of workers are essential to employ them in jobs commensurate with their abilities, especially in older workers.

  19. Computer Assisted Instruction in Special Education Three Case Studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    İbrahim DOĞAN

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to investigate the computer use of three students attending the special education center. Students have mental retardation, hearing problem and physical handicap respectively. The maximum variation sampling is used to select the type of handicap while the convenience sampling is used to select the participants. Three widely encountered handicap types in special education are chosen to select the study participants. The multiple holistic case study design is used in the study. Results of the study indicate that teachers in special education prefer to use educational games and drill and practice type of computers programs. Also it is found that over use of the animation, text and symbols cause cognitive overload on the student with mental retardation. Additionally, it is also discovered that the student with hearing problem learn words better when the computers are used in education as compared to the traditional method. Furthermore the student with physical handicap improved his fine muscle control abilities besides planned course objectives when computers are used in special education.

  20. The Value of Outsourcing Selected Cases in a Medical Examiner Population: A 10-Year Experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCleskey, Brandi C; Reilly, Stephanie D; Atherton, Dan

    2017-01-01

    Due to increasing caseloads and inadequate staffing, the burden on Coroner/Medical Examiner Offices to comply with recommended autopsy limits for forensic pathologists (FPs) has been difficult. Since 2006, pathologists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have performed select autopsies for the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences. Each case was reviewed by a state FP and scene investigator to determine appropriateness for referral. All referred cases received full postmortem examination including microscopic examination and collection of toxicological samples, and toxicology was ordered by the referring FP as appropriate. The final cause and manner of death were determined by the referring state FP after review of all findings. A majority of the 421 cases were ruled accidental deaths (233), most due to drug toxicity. Of the 178 natural deaths, 118 were attributed to cardiovascular disease. Outsourcing select forensic cases can be educational and an effective tool to manage workflow without compromising quality. © 2016 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

  1. Transformation of tourist landscapes in mountain areas: Case studies from Slovakia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Branislav Chrenka

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available After two decades of deregulated free market economy the post-socialist rural mountain areas are being unprecedently commodified. Landscapes of tourist consumption with specific behaviour patterns are produced and reproduced. The paper explores how landscapes are transformed due to massive investments into tourist infrastructure with questionable impacts on quality of life and environmental sustainability. Power relations and related production of space are analysed in three case studies in the selected mountain areas in Slovakia. First, the Oščadnica case study reflects on rural landscape rapidly transformed by massive ski resort development and deforestation. Second, the Tále golf course development case study describes commodification and gentrification processes in Central Slovakia. Third, the High Tatras case study explores how power structures push on the transformation of the oldest and most visited National Park in Slovakia.

  2. A decision model for selecting sustainable drinking water supply and greywater reuse systems for developing communities with a case study in Cimahi, Indonesia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henriques, Justin J; Louis, Garrick E

    2011-01-01

    Capacity Factor Analysis is a decision support system for selection of appropriate technologies for municipal sanitation services in developing communities. Developing communities are those that lack the capability to provide adequate access to one or more essential services, such as water and sanitation, to their residents. This research developed two elements of Capacity Factor Analysis: a capacity factor based classification for technologies using requirements analysis, and a matching policy for choosing technology options. First, requirements analysis is used to develop a ranking for drinking water supply and greywater reuse technologies. Second, using the Capacity Factor Analysis approach, a matching policy is developed to guide decision makers in selecting the appropriate drinking water supply or greywater reuse technology option for their community. Finally, a scenario-based informal hypothesis test is developed to assist in qualitative model validation through case study. Capacity Factor Analysis is then applied in Cimahi Indonesia as a form of validation. The completed Capacity Factor Analysis model will allow developing communities to select drinking water supply and greywater reuse systems that are safe, affordable, able to be built and managed by the community using local resources, and are amenable to expansion as the community's management capacity increases. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. A trend towards co-determination? Case studies of South African ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    lations system was not supplemented by workplace-based institutions for ... Japan, Germany and Sweden. If we are to have any hope of ... case studies of selected companies where new forms of workplace repre- sentation were .... In contrast to state and management initiated workplace representation and employee ...

  4. Study of karyotypes in Case of Recurrent Abortions in Gujarat

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Parikh

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: - The biological definition of miscarriage is the expulsion of the conceptus before viability has been achieved. The definition of recurrent miscarriage is three or more consecutive spontaneous abortions. The risk factors for recurrent miscarriage are epidemiological, genetic, anatomical disorders, endocrinal, reproductive tract infections, thrombophilic disorders, disorders of materno-fetal alloimmune relationships, environmental effects and psychological causes. About 50% to 60% of all first trimester abortions are associated with derangement of one or more chromosomal complements. Aim: - The aim of this study was to assess frequency and increasing the awareness of physician about the nature of chromosomal aberration that contribute to the occurrence of repeated abortions. Material & Methods: - Patient of recurrent abortion was investigated by history taking, examination and investigations. For present study 20 women having two or more consecutive spontaneous abortions, who attended outdoor & indoor patient department, were selected and karyotyping was done. In 10 of the above cases karyotype study of both partners was done. So in total 30 individuals (20 females & 10 males were selected for Cytogenetic study. In all cases relevant history and clinical findings and other investigations were noted. Blood samples were obtained and karyotype study was performed at Genetic Laboratory, B. J. Medical College, Ahmedabad. Results and Conclusions: - Cytogenetic evaluation by karyotypes revealed robertsonian translocation in one (5% female; this patient had a history of 2 spontaneous abortions and two times IVF failure, she had history of chocolate cyst of ovary and family history of infertility. No numerical anomaly; mosaicism or inversions were found in this study; 23 cases had normal karyotype and remaining 6 cases came out inconclusive.

  5. Role of nutrition in pre-eclampsia and eclampsia cases, a case control study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Punyatoya Bej

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Background: Preeclampsia and eclampsia during pregnancy contribute to maternal and fetal morbidity as well as mortality. The identification of the role of maternal nutrition during pregnancy will help in reducing morbidity and mortality. Aims & Objective: The objective of this study is to find out the role of nutrition, in the form of total calorie, protein, fruits, iron, folic acid and calcium intake in the development of preeclampsia and eclampsia among pregnant women in a tertiary level hospital. Material Methods: After ethical approval and informed consent, 122 women who delivered beyond 22 weeks of gestation and diagnosed as preeclampsia or eclampsia were selected. Simultaneously, 122 controls with no diagnosis of preeclampsia or eclampsia were selected from the post natal ward. Cases and controls were administered the same pre-tested questionnaire containing questions related to food and micronutrient intake by cases and control. Results: Logistic regression was applied in the statistical analysis. The factors that were found to be significant predictors of risk for development of preeclampsia and eclampsia were higher calorie intake (adjusted Odds Ratio (OR 14.12 [6.41-43.23] P < 0.001, less protein intake (adjusted OR 3.87 [1.97-8.01] P < 0.001 during pregnancy. Fruits intake in both cases and controls were similar. 77.9% of cases and 84.4% of controls had taken iron tablets during their antenatal period. 75.4% of cases and 82.8% of controls had taken calcium tablets during their antenatal period. Iron and calcium intake is not significantly associated with development of preeclampsia and eclampsia. Conclusion: Higher calorie intake and less protein intake during pregnancy were associated with development of preeclampsia and eclampsia. Fruits intake, iron and calcium intake were not associated with development of preeclampsia and eclampsia

  6. Bodies in Contempt: A Mixed Methods Study of Federal ADA Employment Cases

    OpenAIRE

    Dick-Mosher, Jennifer

    2013-01-01

    This paper draws on theories of gendered organizations to examine discrimination against people with disabilities in the workplace. A sample of 200 cases which document disability discrimination lawsuits was drawn from the Westlaw legal database. Each case was coded for gender, job, disability and discrimination type and analyzed using multinomial logistic models. Of those 200 cases, 34 were selected for in depth qualitative analysis. This study finds that disability type and gender do have a...

  7. THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL MODEL FOR MINING METHOD SELECTION IN A FUZZY ENVIRONMENT; CASE STUDY: TAZAREH COAL MINE, SEMNAN PROVINCE, IRAN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fatemeh Asadi Ooriad

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Mining method selection (MMS for mineral resources is one of the most significant steps in mining production management. Due to high costs involved and environmental problems, it is usually not possible to change the coal mining method after planning and starting the operation. In most cases, MMS can be considered as an irreversible process. Selecting a method for mining mainly depends on geological, geometrical properties of the resource, environmental impacts of exploration, impacts of hazardous activities and land use management. This paper seeks to develop a novel model for mining method selection in order to achieve a stable production rate and to reduce environmental problems. This novel model is illustrated by implementing for Tazareh coal mine. Given the disadvantages of the previous models for selecting coal mining method, the purpose of this research is modifying the previous models and offering a comprehensive model. In this respect, TOPSIS method is used as a powerful multi attribute decision-making procedure in Fuzzy environment. After implementation of the presented model in Tazareh coal mine, long wall mining method has been selected as the most appropriate mining method.

  8. Exposure to pistachio pesticides and stillbirth: a case-control study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Razi, Saeid; Rezaeian, Mohsen; Dehkordi, Fatemeh Ghani; Manshoori, Azita; Goujani, Reza; Vazirinejad, Reza

    2016-01-01

    Stillbirth is an undesirable outcome of pregnancy. In light of the increasing use of pesticides and growing concerns about the possible health effects of agricultural pesticides, we investigated the effect of exposure to pistachio pesticides on stillbirth in pregnant mothers. This case-control study was conducted in Rafsanjan, Iran from 2011 to 2012. A total of 125 females who had a recent stillbirth were included as the case group, and 250 controls were selected from females who had a recent live birth. For each case, two controls with the nearest propensity score to the case were selected. Data were collected using a protocol developed by the researcher that involved interviewing respondents and reviewing their medical records. Conditional multivariate and univariate logistic regression analysis were performed and odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. The ORs of stillbirth in mothers living in pistachio gardens and those who were exposed to sprayed pesticides, in comparison to the controls, were 14.1 (95% CI, 3.3 to 63.4) and 5.0 (95% CI, 1.2 to 28.6), respectively. No significant differences were found in stillbirth rates according to the distance between the mother's residence and a pistachio garden or involvement in agricultural activities. The results of our study showed that exposure to pistachio pesticides during pregnancy may increase the likelihood of stillbirth in mothers.

  9. Method selection for sustainability assessments: The case of recovery of resources from waste water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zijp, M C; Waaijers-van der Loop, S L; Heijungs, R; Broeren, M L M; Peeters, R; Van Nieuwenhuijzen, A; Shen, L; Heugens, E H W; Posthuma, L

    2017-07-15

    Sustainability assessments provide scientific support in decision procedures towards sustainable solutions. However, in order to contribute in identifying and choosing sustainable solutions, the sustainability assessment has to fit the decision context. Two complicating factors exist. First, different stakeholders tend to have different views on what a sustainability assessment should encompass. Second, a plethora of sustainability assessment methods exist, due to the multi-dimensional characteristic of the concept. Different methods provide other representations of sustainability. Based on a literature review, we present a protocol to facilitate method selection together with stakeholders. The protocol guides the exploration of i) the decision context, ii) the different views of stakeholders and iii) the selection of pertinent assessment methods. In addition, we present an online tool for method selection. This tool identifies assessment methods that meet the specifications obtained with the protocol, and currently contains characteristics of 30 sustainability assessment methods. The utility of the protocol and the tool are tested in a case study on the recovery of resources from domestic waste water. In several iterations, a combination of methods was selected, followed by execution of the selected sustainability assessment methods. The assessment results can be used in the first phase of the decision procedure that leads to a strategic choice for sustainable resource recovery from waste water in the Netherlands. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Reported cases of selected diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1994-06-01

    The number of reported cases of measles, poliomyelitis, tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough for the period of January 1, 1994 to the date of the last report is presented in tabular form by country with a comparison for the same epidemiological period in 1993. The countries included are Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Mexico, Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent, Saint Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, and the US. The figures for measles are given as reported and as confirmed. In some countries, the reported number of cases of measles decreased from 1993 figures (Venezuela 5275 vs. 6060, Paraguay 26 vs. 958, Brazil 272 vs. 958, Canada 30 vs. 38), but, in others, the figure increased from 1993 (Mexico 47 vs. 21, the US 155 vs. 86). There were no reported cases of poliomyelitis for either year in any country. The figures for tetanus are divided into nonneonatal and neonatal. In Brazil the number of nonneonatal cases decreased to 360 from 371 in 1993, and the number of neonatal cases decreased to 28 from 65. In Mexico, nonneonatal cases decreased to 28 from 45, but neonatal cases increased to 23 from 20 in 1993. The number of cases of diphtheria cases in Brazil decreased to 28 from 65 in the same period of 1993. The number of cases of whooping cough decreased to 431 from 1651 in Brazil and to 51 from 70 in Mexico. However, the number of cases in Canada increased to 1047 from 784.

  11. Energy management study: A proposed case of government building

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tahir, Mohamad Zamhari; Nawi, Mohd Nasrun Mohd; Baharum, Mohd Faizal

    2015-01-01

    Align with the current needs of the sustainable and green technology in Malaysian construction industry, this research is conducted to seek and identify opportunities to better manage energy use including the process of understand when, where, and how energy is used in a building. The purpose of this research is to provide a best practice guideline as a practical tool to assist construction industry in Malaysia to improve the energy efficiency of the office building during the post-production by reviewing the current practice of the building operation and maintenance in order to optimum the usage and reduce the amount of energy input into the building. Therefore, this paper will review the concept of maintenance management, current issue in energy management, and on how the research process will be conducted. There are several process involves and focuses on technical and management techniques such as energy metering, tracing, harvesting, and auditing based on the case study that will be accomplish soon. Accordingly, a case study is appropriate to be selected as a strategic research approach in which involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within its real life context using multiple sources of evidence for the data collection process. A Government office building will be selected as an appropriate case study for this research. In the end of this research, it will recommend a strategic approach or model in a specific guideline for enabling energy-efficient operation and maintenance in the office building

  12. Energy management study: A proposed case of government building

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tahir, Mohamad Zamhari; Nawi, Mohd Nasrun Mohd; Baharum, Mohd Faizal

    2015-05-01

    Align with the current needs of the sustainable and green technology in Malaysian construction industry, this research is conducted to seek and identify opportunities to better manage energy use including the process of understand when, where, and how energy is used in a building. The purpose of this research is to provide a best practice guideline as a practical tool to assist construction industry in Malaysia to improve the energy efficiency of the office building during the post-production by reviewing the current practice of the building operation and maintenance in order to optimum the usage and reduce the amount of energy input into the building. Therefore, this paper will review the concept of maintenance management, current issue in energy management, and on how the research process will be conducted. There are several process involves and focuses on technical and management techniques such as energy metering, tracing, harvesting, and auditing based on the case study that will be accomplish soon. Accordingly, a case study is appropriate to be selected as a strategic research approach in which involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within its real life context using multiple sources of evidence for the data collection process. A Government office building will be selected as an appropriate case study for this research. In the end of this research, it will recommend a strategic approach or model in a specific guideline for enabling energy-efficient operation and maintenance in the office building.

  13. Energy management study: A proposed case of government building

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tahir, Mohamad Zamhari; Nawi, Mohd Nasrun Mohd [School of Technology Management and Logistics, Universiti Utara Malaysia, 06010 Sintok, Kedah (Malaysia); Baharum, Mohd Faizal [School of Building, Housing and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang (Malaysia)

    2015-05-15

    Align with the current needs of the sustainable and green technology in Malaysian construction industry, this research is conducted to seek and identify opportunities to better manage energy use including the process of understand when, where, and how energy is used in a building. The purpose of this research is to provide a best practice guideline as a practical tool to assist construction industry in Malaysia to improve the energy efficiency of the office building during the post-production by reviewing the current practice of the building operation and maintenance in order to optimum the usage and reduce the amount of energy input into the building. Therefore, this paper will review the concept of maintenance management, current issue in energy management, and on how the research process will be conducted. There are several process involves and focuses on technical and management techniques such as energy metering, tracing, harvesting, and auditing based on the case study that will be accomplish soon. Accordingly, a case study is appropriate to be selected as a strategic research approach in which involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within its real life context using multiple sources of evidence for the data collection process. A Government office building will be selected as an appropriate case study for this research. In the end of this research, it will recommend a strategic approach or model in a specific guideline for enabling energy-efficient operation and maintenance in the office building.

  14. Users Behavior in Selecting Cited Bibliographies-A Case Study of National Taiwan University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mu-hsuan Huang

    1999-12-01

    Full Text Available This project analyzes the behavior of selecting cited bibliographies of college and graduate students in National Taiwan University when they are writing their term papers and graduate theses. After instruction, 33 subjects searched through the semester, doing 41 searches and finishing 40 papers. This research studies the overlaps between the bibliographies from online searching and the cited references of those subjects’ works. In addition, this project attempts to identify the sources of articles that are not retrieved by the Dialog system and the reasons why students did not cite relevant articles.[Article content in Chinese

  15. Case Report: Evaluation strategies and cognitive intervention: the case of a monovular twin child affected by selective mutism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Capobianco, Micaela; Cerniglia, Luca

    2018-01-01

    The present work describes the assessment process, evaluation strategies, and cognitive intervention on a 9 years old child with selective mutism (SM), a monovular twin of a child also affected by mutism. Currently, the cognitive behavioral multimodal treatment seems the most effective therapeutic approach for children diagnosed with selective mutism (Capobianco & Cerniglia, 2018). The illustrated case confirms the role of biological factors involved in mutacic disorder but also highlights the importance of environmental influences in the maintenance of the disorder with respect to relational and contextual dynamics (e.g. complicity between sisters, family relationships). The article discusses furthermore the importance of an early diagnosis as a predictor of positive treatment outcomes.

  16. A case-control study of Yersinia enterocolitica infections in Auckland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Satterthwaite, P; Pritchard, K; Floyd, D; Law, B

    1999-10-01

    To identify major risk factors for Yersinia enterocolitica (YE) and identify measures to reduce YE infections. A prospective case control study, group age matched, using 186 cases of YE identified by community pathology laboratories and 379 randomly selected controls. Conducted between April 1995 and June 1996 in Auckland, New Zealand. Face-to-face interviews used a standardised questionnaire examining exposures to factors potentially associated with YE infections including untreated water, unreticulated sewerage, consumption of selected foods, selected food handling practices and socio-demographic factors. Multivariate logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios for the potential risk factors. Population attributable risk (PAR) was calculated for significant exposures. Having more than two people living in the home was more common among cases than controls (OR = 2.2). Town supply water (OR = 0.2), reticulated sewerage (OR = 0.34) and looking after a young child (OR = 0.51) were significantly less common. Of the meats, only pork (OR = 1.34) had a higher consumption rate, while bacon (OR = 0.75) and smallgoods (OR = 0.73) were consumed less frequently by cases than controls. Eating food from a sandwich bar was more frequent among cases (OR = 1.18). Fruit and vegetable consumption was marginally less (OR = 0.98). The population attributable risk of these factors was 0.89, implying that 89% of YE would be eliminated if adverse exposures were removed. The risk of YE illness is increased by contact with untreated water, unreticulated sewerage and consumption of pork. Investigation of non-town water supply, informal sewerage systems and methods of preparation and consumption of pork are recommended to determine how YE enters the human food chain.

  17. Application of random effects to the study of resource selection by animals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gillies, Cameron S; Hebblewhite, Mark; Nielsen, Scott E; Krawchuk, Meg A; Aldridge, Cameron L; Frair, Jacqueline L; Saher, D Joanne; Stevens, Cameron E; Jerde, Christopher L

    2006-07-01

    1. Resource selection estimated by logistic regression is used increasingly in studies to identify critical resources for animal populations and to predict species occurrence. 2. Most frequently, individual animals are monitored and pooled to estimate population-level effects without regard to group or individual-level variation. Pooling assumes that both observations and their errors are independent, and resource selection is constant given individual variation in resource availability. 3. Although researchers have identified ways to minimize autocorrelation, variation between individuals caused by differences in selection or available resources, including functional responses in resource selection, have not been well addressed. 4. Here we review random-effects models and their application to resource selection modelling to overcome these common limitations. We present a simple case study of an analysis of resource selection by grizzly bears in the foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains with and without random effects. 5. Both categorical and continuous variables in the grizzly bear model differed in interpretation, both in statistical significance and coefficient sign, depending on how a random effect was included. We used a simulation approach to clarify the application of random effects under three common situations for telemetry studies: (a) discrepancies in sample sizes among individuals; (b) differences among individuals in selection where availability is constant; and (c) differences in availability with and without a functional response in resource selection. 6. We found that random intercepts accounted for unbalanced sample designs, and models with random intercepts and coefficients improved model fit given the variation in selection among individuals and functional responses in selection. Our empirical example and simulations demonstrate how including random effects in resource selection models can aid interpretation and address difficult assumptions

  18. Team effectiveness in academic medical libraries: a multiple case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Elaine Russo

    2006-07-01

    The objective of this study is to apply J. Richard Hackman's framework on team effectiveness to academic medical library settings. The study uses a qualitative, multiple case study design, employing interviews and focus groups to examine team effectiveness in three academic medical libraries. Another site was selected as a pilot to validate the research design, field procedures, and methods to be used with the cases. In all, three interviews and twelve focus groups, with approximately seventy-five participants, were conducted at the case study libraries. Hackman identified five conditions leading to team effectiveness and three outcomes dimensions that defined effectiveness. The participants in this study identified additional characteristics of effectiveness that focused on enhanced communication, leadership personality and behavior, and relationship building. The study also revealed an additional outcome dimension related to the evolution of teams. Introducing teams into an organization is not a trivial matter. Hackman's model of effectiveness has implications for designing successful library teams.

  19. Team effectiveness in academic medical libraries: a multiple case study*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Russo Martin, Elaine

    2006-01-01

    Objectives: The objective of this study is to apply J. Richard Hackman's framework on team effectiveness to academic medical library settings. Methods: The study uses a qualitative, multiple case study design, employing interviews and focus groups to examine team effectiveness in three academic medical libraries. Another site was selected as a pilot to validate the research design, field procedures, and methods to be used with the cases. In all, three interviews and twelve focus groups, with approximately seventy-five participants, were conducted at the case study libraries. Findings: Hackman identified five conditions leading to team effectiveness and three outcomes dimensions that defined effectiveness. The participants in this study identified additional characteristics of effectiveness that focused on enhanced communication, leadership personality and behavior, and relationship building. The study also revealed an additional outcome dimension related to the evolution of teams. Conclusions: Introducing teams into an organization is not a trivial matter. Hackman's model of effectiveness has implications for designing successful library teams. PMID:16888659

  20. Multistable selection equations of pattern formation type in the case of inhomogeneous growth rates: With applications to two-dimensional assignment problems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frank, T.D.

    2011-01-01

    We study the stability of solutions of a particular type of multistable selection equations proposed by Starke, Schanz and Haken in the case of an inhomogeneous spectrum of growth parameters. We determine how the stability of feasible solutions depends on the inhomogeneity of the spectrum. We show that the strength of the competitive interaction between feasible solutions can act as a control parameter that induces bifurcations reducing the degree of multistability. - Research highlights: → Feasible solutions can be stable in the case of inhomogeneous growth parameters. → Changing coupling strength can induce bifurcations of feasible solutions. → Optimal solutions are obtained when selected winnings are relatively large.

  1. Surgical management of thalamic gliomas: case selection, technical considerations, and review of literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sai Kiran, Narayanam Anantha; Thakar, Sumit; Dadlani, Ravi; Mohan, Dilip; Furtado, Sunil Valentine; Ghosal, Nandita; Aryan, Saritha; Hegde, Alangar S

    2013-07-01

    This study aimed to identify (1) the thalamic gliomas suitable for surgical resection and (2) the appropriate surgical approach based on their location and the displacement of the posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC). A retrospective study over a 5-year period (from 2006 to 2010) was performed in 41 patients with thalamic gliomas. The mean age of these patients was 20.4 years (range, 2-65 years). Twenty (49 %) tumors were thalamic, 19 (46 %) were thalamopeduncular, and 2 (5 %) were bilateral. The PLIC, based on T2-weighted magnetic resonance axial sections, was displaced anterolaterally in 23 (56 %) cases and laterally in 6 (14 %) cases. It was involved by lesion in eight (20 %) cases and could not be identified in four (10 %) cases. Resection, favored in patients with well-defined, contrast-enhancing lesions, was performed in 34 (83 %) cases, while a biopsy was resorted to in 7 (17 %) cases. A gross total resection or near total resection (>90 %) could be achieved in 26 (63 %) cases. The middle temporal gyrus approach, used when the PLIC was displaced anterolaterally, was the commonly used approach (63.5 %). Common pathologies were pilocytic astrocytoma (58 %) in children and grade III/IV astrocytomas (86 %) in adults. Preoperative motor deficits improved in 64 % of the patients with pilocytic lesions as compared to 0 % in patients with grade III/IV lesions (P value, 0.001). Postoperatively, two patients (5 %) had marginal worsening of motor power, two patients developed visual field defects, and one patient developed a third nerve paresis. Radical resection of thalamic gliomas is a useful treatment modality in a select subset of patients and is the treatment of choice for pilocytic astrocytomas. Tailoring the surgical approach, depending on the relative position of the PLIC, has an important bearing on outcome.

  2. Case Study Research Methodology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mark Widdowson

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Commenting on the lack of case studies published in modern psychotherapy publications, the author reviews the strengths of case study methodology and responds to common criticisms, before providing a summary of types of case studies including clinical, experimental and naturalistic. Suggestions are included for developing systematic case studies and brief descriptions are given of a range of research resources relating to outcome and process measures. Examples of a pragmatic case study design and a hermeneutic single-case efficacy design are given and the paper concludes with some ethical considerations and an exhortation to the TA community to engage more widely in case study research.

  3. Admiral Furman Academy: A Case Study in Selected Not-for-Profit Auditing Issues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grippo, Frank J.; Nassiripour, Sia

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this case is to help students explore accounting and auditing issues often confronted by auditors of not-for-profit organizations. Given final financial statements, the goal of the case is to require students to prepare the footnotes that would be considered an integral part of the financial statements. The case is intended for…

  4. Reflections on Teaching Periodic Table Concepts: A Case Study of Selected Schools in South Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mokiwa, Hamza Omari

    2017-01-01

    The Periodic Table of Elements is central to the study of modern Physics and Chemistry. It is however, considered by teachers as difficult to teach. This paper reports on a case study exploring reflections on teaching periodic table concepts in five secondary schools from South Africa. Qualitative methodology of interviews and document analysis…

  5. Project management case studies

    CERN Document Server

    Kerzner, Harold R

    2013-01-01

    A new edition of the most popular book of project management case studies, expanded to include more than 100 cases plus a ""super case"" on the Iridium Project Case studies are an important part of project management education and training. This Fourth Edition of Harold Kerzner''s Project Management Case Studies features a number of new cases covering value measurement in project management. Also included is the well-received ""super case,"" which covers all aspects of project management and may be used as a capstone for a course. This new edition:Contains 100-plus case studies drawn from re

  6. Organizing cross-sectoral collaboration in river basin management : Case studies from the Rhine and the Zhujiang (Pearl River) basins

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Silveira, André; Junier, S.J.; Hüesker, Frank; Qunfang, Fan; Rondorf, Andreas

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT: This paper analyses the drivers and constraints for effective cross-sectoral collaboration in river basin management and the extent to which factors identified in related literature determine success or failure of collaboration in selected case studies. Cases selected were from

  7. Selection bias in genetic-epidemiological studies of cleft lip and palate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Christensen, K.; Holm, N.V.; Kock, K. (Odense Univ. (Denmark)); Olsen, J. (Aarhus Univ. (Denmark)); Fogh-Anderson, P.

    1992-09-01

    The possible impact of selection bias in genetic and epidemiological studies of cleft lip and palate was studied, using three nationwide ascertainment sources and an autopsy study in a 10% sample of the Danish population. A total of 670 cases were identified. Two national record systems, when used together, were found suitable for ascertaining facial cleft in live births. More than 95% ascertainment was obtained by means of surgical files for cleft lip (with or without cleft palate) without associated malformations/syndromes. However, surgical files could be a poor source for studying isolated cleft palate (CP) (only a 60% and biased ascertainment), and they cannot be used to study the prevalence of associated malformations or syndromes in facial cleft cases. The male:female ratio was 0.88 in surgically treated cases of CP and was 1.5 in nonoperated CP cases, making the overall sex ratio for CP 1.1 (95% confidence limits 0.86-1.4) The sex ratio for CP without associated malformation was 1.1 (95% confidence limits 0.84-1.6). One of the major test criteria in CP multifactorial threshold models (higher CP liability among male CP relatives) must be reconsidered, if other investigations confirm that a CP sex-ratio reversal to male predominance occurs when high ascertainment is achieved. 24 refs., 1 fig., 4 tabs.

  8. A model for strategic selection of feeder management systems: A case study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Hsing Hung [Faculty of Management and Administration, Macau University of Science and Technology, Avenue Wei Long, Taipa, Macau (China); Lee, Amy H.I. [Department of Industrial Management, Chung Hua University, No. 707, Sec. 2, Wu Fu Rd., Hsinchu 300 (China); Kang, He-Yau [Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, National Chin-Yi University of Technology, 35, Lane 215, Sec. 1, Chung San Rd., Taiping, Taichung 411 (China)

    2010-06-15

    The move to integrating distribution management system (DMS) and feeder management system (FMS) in China is becoming the main trend in recent years, in addition to upgrading and rebuilding existing energy management system (EMS) and DMS. However, with increasing complexity in the social environments along with rapidly changing technologies, how to select a suitable contractor and a FMS project is becoming an important issue for electric power companies. This paper first briefly introduces FMS and then lists its critical success criteria. A model that applies a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method, an analytic network process (ANP) associated with benefits, opportunities, costs and risks (BOCR), is constructed to help power companies to select the most suitable FMS project. (author)

  9. A study of Consistency in the Selection of Search Terms and Search Concepts: A Case Study in National Taiwan University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mu-hsuan Huang

    2001-12-01

    Full Text Available This article analyzes the consistency in the selection of search terms and search contents of college and graduate students in National Taiwan University when they are using PsycLIT CD-ROM database. 31 students conducted pre-assigned searches, doing 59 searches generating 609 search terms. The study finds the consistency in selection of search terms of first level is 22.14% and second level is 35%. These results are similar with others’ researches. About the consistency in search concepts, no matter the overlaps of searched articles or judge relevant articles are lower than other researches. [Article content in Chinese

  10. On quantifying uncertainty for project selection: the case of renewable energy sources' investment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kirytopoulos, Konstantinos; Rentizelas, Athanassios; Tziralis, Georgios

    2006-01-01

    The selection of a project among different alternatives, considering the limited resources of a company (organisation), is an added value process that determines the prosperity of an undertaken project (investment). This applies also to the 'boming' Renewable Energy Sector, especially under the circumstances established by the recent activation of the Kyoto protocal and by the plethora of available choices for renewable energy sources (RES) projjects. The need for a reliable project selection method among the various alternatives is, therefore, highlighted and, in this context, the paper proposes the NPV function as one of possible criteria for the selection of a RES project. Furthermore, it differentiates from the typical NPV calculation process by adding the concept of a probabilistic NPV approach through Monte Carlo simulation. Reality is non-deterministic, so any attempt of modelling it by using a deterministic approach is by definition erroneous. The paper ultimately proposes a process of substituting the point with a range estimation, capable of quantifying the various uncertainty factors and in this way elucidate the accomplishment possibilities of eligible scenarious. The paper is enhanced by case study showing how the proposed method can be practically applied to support the investment decision, thus enabling the decision makers to judge its effectiveness and usefulness.(Author)

  11. Case-control Studies on the Effectiveness of Breast Cancer Screening: Insights from the UK Age Trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van der Waal, Daniëlle; Broeders, Mireille J M; Verbeek, André L M; Duffy, Stephen W; Moss, Sue M

    2015-07-01

    Ongoing breast cancer screening programs can only be evaluated using observational study designs. Most studies have observed a reduction in breast cancer mortality, but design differences appear to have resulted in different estimates. Direct comparison of case-control and trial analyses gives more insight into this variation. Here, we performed case-control analyses within the randomized UK Age Trial. The Age Trial assessed the effect of screening on breast cancer mortality in women ages 40-49 years. In our approach, case subjects were defined as breast cancer deaths between trial entry (1991-1997) and 2004. Women were ages 39-41 years at entry. For every case subject, five control subjects were selected. All case subjects were included in analyses of screening invitation (356 case subjects, 1,780 controls), whereas analyses of attendance were restricted to women invited to screening (105 case subjects, 525 age-matched controls). Odds ratios (OR) were estimated with conditional logistic regression. We used and compared two methods to correct for self-selection bias. Screening invitation resulted in a breast cancer mortality reduction of 17% (95% confidence interval [CI]: -36%, +6%), similar to trial results. Different exposure definitions and self-selection adjustments influenced the observed breast cancer mortality reduction. Depending on the method, "ever screened" appeared to be associated with a small reduction (OR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.40, 1.89) or no reduction (OR: 1.02, 95% CI: 0.48, 2.14) using the two methods of correction. Recent attendance resulted in an adjusted mortality reduction of 36% (95% CI: -69%, +31%) or 45% (95% CI: -71%, +5%). Observational studies, and particularly case-control studies, are an important monitoring tool for breast cancer screening programs. The focus should be on diminishing bias in observational studies and gaining a better understanding of the influence of study design on estimates of mortality reduction.

  12. Comparison of automatic procedures in the selection of peaks over threshold in flood frequency analysis: A Canadian case study in the context of climate change

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durocher, M.; Mostofi Zadeh, S.; Burn, D. H.; Ashkar, F.

    2017-12-01

    Floods are one of the most costly hazards and frequency analysis of river discharges is an important part of the tools at our disposal to evaluate their inherent risks and to provide an adequate response. In comparison to the common examination of annual streamflow maximums, peaks over threshold (POT) is an interesting alternative that makes better use of the available information by including more than one flood event per year (on average). However, a major challenge is the selection of a satisfactory threshold above which peaks are assumed to respect certain conditions necessary for an adequate estimation of the risk. Additionally, studies have shown that POT is also a valuable approach to investigate the evolution of flood regimes in the context of climate change. Recently, automatic procedures for the selection of the threshold were suggested to guide that important choice, which otherwise rely on graphical tools and expert judgment. Furthermore, having an automatic procedure that is objective allows for quickly repeating the analysis on a large number of samples, which is useful in the context of large databases or for uncertainty analysis based on a resampling approach. This study investigates the impact of considering such procedures in a case study including many sites across Canada. A simulation study is conducted to evaluate the bias and predictive power of the automatic procedures in similar conditions as well as investigating the power of derived nonstationarity tests. The results obtained are also evaluated in the light of expert judgments established in a previous study. Ultimately, this study provides a thorough examination of the considerations that need to be addressed when conducting POT analysis using automatic threshold selection.

  13. Exposure to pistachio pesticides and stillbirth: a case-control study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saeid Razi

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVES Stillbirth is an undesirable outcome of pregnancy. In light of the increasing use of pesticides and growing concerns about the possible health effects of agricultural pesticides, we investigated the effect of exposure to pistachio pesticides on stillbirth in pregnant mothers. METHODS This case-control study was conducted in Rafsanjan, Iran from 2011 to 2012. A total of 125 females who had a recent stillbirth were included as the case group, and 250 controls were selected from females who had a recent live birth. For each case, two controls with the nearest propensity score to the case were selected. Data were collected using a protocol developed by the researcher that involved interviewing respondents and reviewing their medical records. Conditional multivariate and univariate logistic regression analysis were performed and odds ratios (ORs and 95% confidence intervals (CIs were calculated. RESULTS The ORs of stillbirth in mothers living in pistachio gardens and those who were exposed to sprayed pesticides, in comparison to the controls, were 14.1 (95% CI, 3.3 to 63.4 and 5.0 (95% CI, 1.2 to 28.6, respectively. No significant differences were found in stillbirth rates according to the distance between the mother’s residence and a pistachio garden or involvement in agricultural activities. CONCLUSIONS The results of our study showed that exposure to pistachio pesticides during pregnancy may increase the likelihood of stillbirth in mothers.

  14. Creativity in fashion design in Slovakia: the case study of Bratislava region

    OpenAIRE

    Rudolf Pástor; Jana Parízková

    2013-01-01

    This paper is focused on creativity in the fashion design in Slovakia. The fashion design in Bratislava region was selected as one of the creative industry for our research. The aim of the paper is to analyze creativity and innovation activities between Slovak fashion designers. In the paper will be presented results from research carried out between Slovak fashion designers located in Bratislava region. The empirical work that provides the basis for this case study used a case study approach...

  15. [A case with apraxia of tool use: selective inability to form a hand posture for a tool].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayakawa, Yuko; Fujii, Toshikatsu; Yamadori, Atsushi; Meguro, Kenichi; Suzuki, Kyoko

    2015-03-01

    Impaired tool use is recognized as a symptom of ideational apraxia. While many studies have focused on difficulties in producing gestures as a whole, using tools involves several steps; these include forming hand postures appropriate for the use of certain tool, selecting objects or body parts to act on, and producing gestures. In previously reported cases, both producing and recognizing hand postures were impaired. Here we report the first case showing a selective impairment of forming hand postures appropriate for tools with preserved recognition of the required hand postures. A 24-year-old, right-handed man was admitted to hospital because of sensory impairment of the right side of the body, mild aphasia, and impaired tool use due to left parietal subcortical hemorrhage. His ability to make symbolic gestures, copy finger postures, and orient his hand to pass a slit was well preserved. Semantic knowledge for tools and hand postures was also intact. He could flawlessly select the correct hand postures in recognition tasks. He only demonstrated difficulties in forming a hand posture appropriate for a tool. Once he properly grasped a tool by trial and error, he could use it without hesitation. These observations suggest that each step of tool use should be thoroughly examined in patients with ideational apraxia.

  16. Evaluation of E-learning Platforms: a Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristina POP

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available In the recent past, a great number of e-learning platforms have been introduced on the market showing different characteristics and services. These platforms can be evaluated using multiple criteria and methods. This paper proposes a list of selected quality criteria for describing, characterizing and selecting e-learning platform. These criteria were designed based on e-learning standards. I also propose a mathematical model to determine the probability that a student uses an e-learning platform based on the factors (criteria that determine the quality of the platform and the socio-demographic variables of the student. The case study presented is an application of the model and the input data, intermediate calculations and final results were processed using SAS (Statistical Analysis Software.

  17. Assessment of global phase uncertainty in case-control studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    van Houwelingen Hans C

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In haplotype-based candidate gene studies a problem is that the genotype data are unphased, which results in haplotype ambiguity. The measure 1 quantifies haplotype predictability from genotype data. It is computed for each individual haplotype, and for a measure of global relative efficiency a minimum value is suggested. Alternatively, we developed methods directly based on the information content of haplotype frequency estimates to obtain global relative efficiency measures: and based on A- and D-optimality, respectively. All three methods are designed for single populations; they can be applied in cases only, controls only or the whole data. Therefore they are not necessarily optimal for haplotype testing in case-control studies. Results A new global relative efficiency measure was derived to maximize power of a simple test statistic that compares haplotype frequencies in cases and controls. Application to real data showed that our proposed method gave a clear and summarizing measure for the case-control study conducted. Additionally this measure might be used for selection of individuals, who have the highest potential for improving power by resolving phase ambiguity. Conclusion Instead of using relative efficiency measure for cases only, controls only or their combined data, we link uncertainty measure to case-control studies directly. Hence, our global efficiency measure might be useful to assess whether data are informative or have enough power for estimation of a specific haplotype risk.

  18. [Case and studies].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schubert, András

    2015-11-15

    Case studies and case reports form an important and ever growing part of scientific and scholarly literature. The paper deals with the share and citation rate of these publication types on different fields of research. In general, evidence seems to support the opinion that an excessive number of such publications may negatively influence the impact factor of the journal. In the literature of scientometrics, case studies (at least the presence of the term "case study" in the titles of the papers) have a moderate share, but their citation rate is practically equal to that of other publication types.

  19. Project selection problem under uncertainty: An application of utility theory and chance constrained programming to a real case

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reza Hosnavi Atashgah

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Selecting from a pool of interdependent projects under certainty, when faced with resource constraints, has been studied well in the literature of project selection problem. After briefly reviewing and discussing popular modeling approaches for dealing with uncertainty, this paper proposes an approach based on chance constrained programming and utility theory for a certain range of problems and under some practical assumptions. Expected Utility Programming, as the proposed modeling approach, will be compared with other well-known methods and its meaningfulness and usefulness will be illustrated via two numerical examples and one real case.

  20. Association of Serum Uric Acid with Preeclampsia: A Case Control Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Razia Sultana

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Background: Preeclampsia (PE is still one of the important causes of maternal and fetal mortality in Bangladesh. Many researches have been done to identify a unique screening test that would predict the risk of developing PE before the classic symptoms appear. One of the most accessible and easiest screening tests is serum uric acid measurement. Numerous studies have demonstrated a relation between elevated maternal serum uric acid levels and adverse maternal and fetal outcome. Among several pathophysiologic factors the most commonly accepted explanation for hyperuricemia in PE is increased reabsorption and decreased excretion of uric acid.Objective: The aim of the present study was to assess the association of serum uric acid with preeclampsia.Materials and method: A case control study was conducted in the department of Biochemistry, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka from July 2010 to June 2011. A total number of 100 pregnant women in third trimester of pregnancy attending in Obstetrics and Gynaecology department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital were selected purposively as study subjects. Among them 50 pregnant women with preeclampsia were selected as cases and 50 normal healthy pregnant women as controls.Results: Most of the study subjects were within 21 – 30 years of age group and mean age in case and control was 24.06±3.71 and 24.66±3.22 years respectively, which was not statistically different. Mean gestational age in case and control was 33.50±2.55 weeks and 33.60±2.95 weeks respectively, which was also not statistically different. Among the study subjects majority was primi in both groups (case 76%, contol 58% showing no statistical significance. Majority of the subjects in both groups were irregular in their antenatal checkup (case 52%, contol 40%. Uric acid concentration was measured in all the study subjects. The mean serum uric acid concentration in cases and controls were 7.01±1.90 mg/dl and 4.55±1.63 mg/dl respectively. This

  1. Hospital visitors as controls in case-control studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gulnar Azevedo S Mendonça

    2001-10-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Selecting controls is one of the most difficult tasks in the design of case-control studies. Hospital controls may be inadequate and random controls drawn from the base population may be unavailable. The aim was to assess the use of hospital visitors as controls in a case-control study on the association of organochlorinated compounds and other risk factors for breast cancer conducted in the main hospital of the "Instituto Nacional de Câncer" -- INCA (National Cancer Institute in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil. METHODS: The study included 177 incident cases and 377 controls recruited among female visitors. Three different models of control group composition were compared: Model 1, with all selected visitors; Model 2, excluding women visiting relatives with breast cancer; and Model 3, excluding all women visiting relatives with any type of cancer. Odds ratios (OR and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to test the associations. RESULTS: Age-adjusted OR for breast cancer associated with risk factors other than family history of cancer, except smoking and breast size, were similar in the three models. Regarding family history of all cancers, except for breast cancer, there was a decreased risk in Models 1 and 2, while in Model 3 there was an increased risk, but not statistically significant. Family history of breast cancer was a risk factor in Models 2 and 3, but no association was found in Model 1. In multivariate analysis a significant risk of breast cancer was found when there was a family history of breast cancer in Models 2 and 3 but not in Model 1. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that while investigating risk factors unrelated to family history of cancer, the use of hospital visitors as controls may be a valid and feasible alternative.

  2. Transformational change in healthcare: an examination of four case studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charlesworth, Kate; Jamieson, Maggie; Davey, Rachel; Butler, Colin D

    2016-04-01

    Objectives Healthcare leaders around the world are calling for radical, transformational change of our health and care systems. This will be a difficult and complex task. In this article, we examine case studies in which transformational change has been achieved, and seek to learn from these experiences. Methods We used the case study method to investigate examples of transformational change in healthcare. The case studies were identified from preliminary doctoral research into the transition towards future sustainable health and social care systems. Evidence was collected from multiple sources, key features of each case study were displayed in a matrix and thematic analysis was conducted. The results are presented in narrative form. Results Four case studies were selected: two from the US, one from Australia and one from the UK. The notable features are discussed for each case study. There were many common factors: a well communicated vision, innovative redesign, extensive consultation and engagement with staff and patients, performance management, automated information management and high-quality leadership. Conclusions Although there were some notable differences between the case studies, overall the characteristics of success were similar and collectively provide a blueprint for transformational change in healthcare. What is known about the topic? Healthcare leaders around the world are calling for radical redesign of our systems in order to meet the challenges of modern society. What does this paper add? There are some remarkable examples of transformational change in healthcare. The key factors in success are similar across the case studies. What are the implications for practitioners? Collectively, these key factors can guide future attempts at transformational change in healthcare.

  3. The use of case studies in undergraduate Business Administration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carlos J. O. Trejo-Pech

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available We develop constructs to evaluate the factors influencing the degree of students’ acceptance of cases. In our proposed framework, student acceptance is affected by the case selection, intensity of faculty use, training, course type and level, level of instructor expertise, teaching atmosphere, and the faculty’s beliefs about the usefulness of the case method. Our sample includes faculty teaching quantitative or qualitative courses across several disciplines in undergraduate business administration. Responses to a survey are analyzed using factor analysis and regression. The quantitative analysis is complemented by interviews with a subset of expert faculty using a two-round modified Delphi technique. This study may be limited by the fact that it measured faculty perceptions of the degree of students’ acceptance of cases, rather than student acceptance directly. Future research might survey students or use students’ courses evaluations to validate or contradict our results.

  4. Selected acoustic characteristics of emerging esophageal speech: Case study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Glenn Binder

    1978-11-01

    Full Text Available The development of esophageal speech was examined in a laryngectomee subject to observe the emergence of selected acoustic characteristics, and their relation to listener intelligibility ratings. Over a two-and-a-half  month period, the data from  five recording sessions was used for spectrographic and perceptual (listener analysis. There was evidence to suggest a fairly reliable correlation between emerging acoustic characteristics and increasing perceptual ratings. Acoustic factors coincident with increased intelligibility ratings appeared related to two dimensions: firstly, the increasing pseudoglottic control over esophageal air release; secondly the presence of  a mechanism of  pharyngeal compression. Increased pseudoglottic control manifested  in a reduction of  tracheo-esophageal turbulence, and a more efficient  burping mode of  vibration with clearer formant structure. Spectrographic evidence of  a fundamental  frequency  did not emerge. These dimensions appeared to have potential diagnostic and therapeutic value, rendering an analysis of  the patient's developing vocal performance  more explicit for  both clinician and patient.

  5. Building theories from case study research: the progressive case study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Steenhuis, H.J.; de Bruijn, E.J.

    2006-01-01

    Meredith (1998) argues for more case and field research studies in the field of operations management. Based on a literature review, we discuss several existing approaches to case studies and their characteristics. These approaches include; the Grounded Theory approach which proposes no prior

  6. The research project KLIMAT. Report of carrot case study; Forskningsprosjektet KLIMAT. Rapport fra gulrot case studie

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Svanes, Erik

    2012-07-01

    The research project 'KLIMAT' was 1.1.2009 to 31.8.2012. The main goal of this project was to develop a 'best practice' methodology for quantifying the carbon footprint of products with a focus on fruits, vegetables, dairy and meat products. The methodology was tested on six selected case products. One of these products was the carrot. The product was selected because it is a product with high sales volume, a large part of the production takes place in Norway, and it may be assumed to represent the root vegetables which are a very important group of vegetable products. Oestfold Research, in conjunction with BAMA and Gartnerhallen, collected the necessary data to conduct the study. Data came from a group of 13 producers with ties to Laagendalen that all products supplied to the Laagen Gulrot for processing and packing. The producers were voluntarily affiliated with an online reporting system for a variety of information, including information about resource use that were used in this study. Climate track of carrot packed in the cup was, according to the methodology that was developed 0.39 kg Co2-ekv/kg product delivered to the consumer, 0.44 kg Co2-ekv/kg consumed carrot. (Author)

  7. Emotional selection in memes: the case of urban legends.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bell, C; Sternberg, E

    2001-12-01

    This article explores how much memes like urban legends succeed on the basis of informational selection (i.e., truth or a moral lesson) and emotional selection (i.e., the ability to evoke emotions like anger, fear, or disgust). The article focuses on disgust because its elicitors have been precisely described. In Study 1, with controls for informational factors like truth, people were more willing to pass along stories that elicited stronger disgust. Study 2 randomly sampled legends and created versions that varied in disgust; people preferred to pass along versions that produced the highest level of disgust. Study 3 coded legends for specific story motifs that produce disgust (e.g., ingestion of a contaminated substance) and found that legends that contained more disgust motifs were distributed more widely on urban legend Web sites. The conclusion discusses implications of emotional selection for the social marketplace of ideas.

  8. Indication, methods and results of selective arteriography of the A. iliaca interna in case of erectile dysfunction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baehren, W.; Gall, H.; Scherb, W.; Thon, W.

    1988-01-01

    Erectile dysfunction very frequently can be traced back to the real cause by means of angiography. Selective angiography is the method of choice in cases where other causes of circulatory disturbance have already been excluded, and non-invasive tests are expected to yield information of relevance to therapy. The qualitatively best angiographic results are obtained by examination under peridural anesthesia and by intracavitary injection of vaso-active substances. Selective arteriography is indicated in cases of primary or post-traumatic erectile dysfunction. It is a prerequisite of surgery for revascularisation of the pudendal-penile vascular bed.

  9. Concentric-Electrode Organic Electrochemical Transistors: Case Study for Selective Hydrazine Sensing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sébastien Pecqueur

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available We report on hydrazine-sensing organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs with a design consisting of concentric annular electrodes. The design engineering of these OECTs was motivated by the great potential of using OECT sensing arrays in fields such as bioelectronics. In this work, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene:poly(styrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS-based OECTs have been studied as aqueous sensors that are specifically sensitive to the lethal hydrazine molecule. These amperometric sensors have many relevant features for the development of hydrazine sensors, such as a sensitivity down to 10−5 M of hydrazine in water, an order of magnitude higher selectivity for hydrazine than for nine other water-soluble common analytes, the capability to entirely recover its base signal after water flushing, and a very low operation voltage. The specificity for hydrazine to be sensed by our OECTs is caused by its catalytic oxidation at the gate electrode, and enables an increase in the output current modulation of the devices. This has permitted the device-geometry study of the whole series of 80 micrometric OECT devices with sub-20-nm PEDOT:PSS layers, channel lengths down to 1 µm, and a specific device geometry of coplanar and concentric electrodes. The numerous geometries unravel new aspects of the OECT mechanisms governing the electrochemical sensing behaviours of the device—more particularly the effect of the contacts which are inherent at the micro-scale. By lowering the device cross-talk, micrometric gate-integrated radial OECTs shall contribute to the diminishing of the readout invasiveness and therefore further promote the development of OECT biosensors.

  10. Nanomaterial Case Studies: Nanoscale Titanium Dioxide in ...

    Science.gov (United States)

    EPA announced the availability of the final report, Nanomaterial Case Studies: Nanoscale Titanium Dioxide in Water Treatment and in Topical Sunscreen. This report is a starting point to determine what is known and what needs to be known about selected nanomaterials as part of a process to identify and prioritize research to inform future assessments of the potential ecological and health implications of these materials. Two specific applications of nanoscale titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2) are considered: (1) as an agent for removing arsenic from drinking water; and (2) as an active ingredient in topical sunscreen. These case studies are organized around a comprehensive environmental assessment (CEA) framework that combines a product life cycle perspective with the risk assessment paradigm. They are intended to help identify what may need to be known in order to conduct a comprehensive environmental assessment of the potential risks related to nano-TiO2. These “case studies” do not represent completed or even preliminary assessments, nor are they intended to serve as a basis for risk management decisions in the near term on these specific uses of nano TiO2. Rather, the intent is to use this document in developing the scientific and technical information needed for future assessment efforts.

  11. ITER site selection studies in Spain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Medrano, M.; Alejaldre, C.; Doncel, J.; Garcia, A.; Ibarra, A.; Jimenez, J.A.; Sanchez de Mora, M.A.; Alcala, F.; Diez, J.E.; Dominguez, M.; Albisu, F.

    2003-01-01

    The studies carried out to evaluate and select a candidate site for International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) construction in Spain are presented in this paper. The ITER design, completed in July 2001, considered a number of technical requirements that must be fulfilled by the selected site. Several assumptions concerning the ITER site were made in order to carry on the design before final site selection. In the studies undertaken for ITER site selection in Spain, the referred technical requirements and assumptions were applied across the whole of Spain and two areas were identified as being preferential. These areas are on the Mediterranean coast and are situated in the Catalan and Valencian regions. A comparative evaluation based on technical characteristics for the concrete plots, proposed within the preferential areas, has been done. The result of these studies was the selection of a site that was deemed to be the most competitive--Vandellos (Tarragona)--and it was proposed to the European Commission for detailed studies in order to be considered as a possible European site for ITER construction. Another key factor for hosting ITER in Spain, is the licensing process. The present status is summarised in this paper

  12. An evidence-based approach to case management model selection for an acute care facility: is there really a preferred model?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Terra, Sandra M

    2007-01-01

    This research seeks to determine whether there is adequate evidence-based justification for selection of one acute care case management model over another. Acute Inpatient Hospital. This article presents a systematic review of published case management literature, resulting in classification specific to terms of level of evidence. This review examines the best available evidence in an effort to select an acute care case management model. Although no single case management model can be identified as preferred, it is clear that adequate evidence-based literature exists to acknowledge key factors driving the acute care model and to form a foundation for the efficacy of hospital case management practice. Although no single case management model can be identified as preferred, this systematic review demonstrates that adequate evidence-based literature exists to acknowledge key factors driving the acute care model and forming a foundation for the efficacy of hospital case management practice. Distinctive aspects of case management frameworks can be used to guide the development of an acute care case management model. The study illustrates: * The effectiveness of case management when there is direct patient contact by the case manager regardless of disease condition: not only does the quality of care increase but also length of stay (LOS) decreases, care is defragmented, and both patient and physician satisfaction can increase. * The preferred case management models result in measurable outcomes that can directly relate to, and demonstrate alignment with, organizational strategy. * Acute care management programs reduce cost and LOS, and improve outcomes. * An integrated case management program that includes social workers, as well as nursing, is the most effective acute care management model. * The successful case management model will recognize physicians, as well as patients, as valued customers with whom partnership can positively affect financial outcomes in terms of

  13. Two models of inventory control with supplier selection in case of multiple sourcing: a case of Isfahan Steel Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rabieh, Masood; Soukhakian, Mohammad Ali; Mosleh Shirazi, Ali Naghi

    2016-06-01

    Selecting the best suppliers is crucial for a company's success. Since competition is a determining factor nowadays, reducing cost and increasing quality of products are two key criteria for appropriate supplier selection. In the study, first the inventories of agglomeration plant of Isfahan Steel Company were categorized through VED and ABC methods. Then the models to supply two important kinds of raw materials (inventories) were developed, considering the following items: (1) the optimal consumption composite of the materials, (2) the total cost of logistics, (3) each supplier's terms and conditions, (4) the buyer's limitations and (5) the consumption behavior of the buyers. Among diverse developed and tested models—using the company's actual data within three pervious years—the two new innovative models of mixed-integer non-linear programming type were found to be most suitable. The results of solving two models by lingo software (based on company's data in this particular case) were equaled. Comparing the results of the new models to the actual performance of the company revealed 10.9 and 7.1 % reduction in total procurement costs of the company in two consecutive years.

  14. Usability in product development practice : An exploratory case study comparing four markets

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Kuijk, J.I.; van Driel, Liesbeth; van Eijk, D.J.

    2015-01-01

    This study explored how usability was dealt with in four product development organizations active in different sectors: high-end automotive, professional printers and copiers, office coffee makers and fast moving consumer goods. The primary differentiators of the selected cases were whether they

  15. The association of dietary pattern and breast cancer in Jiangsu, China: A population-based case-control study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lu, S.; Qian, Y.; Huang, X.; Yu, H.; Yang, J.; Han, R.; Su, J.; Du, W.; Zhou, J; Dong, M.; Yu, X.; Duijnhoven, F.; Kampman, E.; Wu, M.

    2017-01-01

    This study aims to examine the association of breast cancer with dietary patterns among Chinese women. A population-based case-control study was conducted in Jiangsu, China. Newly diagnosed primary breast cancer patients were recruited as cases (n = 818). Controls (n = 935), selected from the

  16. Selecting Optimal Random Forest Predictive Models: A Case Study on Predicting the Spatial Distribution of Seabed Hardness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jin; Tran, Maggie; Siwabessy, Justy

    2016-01-01

    Spatially continuous predictions of seabed hardness are important baseline environmental information for sustainable management of Australia’s marine jurisdiction. Seabed hardness is often inferred from multibeam backscatter data with unknown accuracy and can be inferred from underwater video footage at limited locations. In this study, we classified the seabed into four classes based on two new seabed hardness classification schemes (i.e., hard90 and hard70). We developed optimal predictive models to predict seabed hardness using random forest (RF) based on the point data of hardness classes and spatially continuous multibeam data. Five feature selection (FS) methods that are variable importance (VI), averaged variable importance (AVI), knowledge informed AVI (KIAVI), Boruta and regularized RF (RRF) were tested based on predictive accuracy. Effects of highly correlated, important and unimportant predictors on the accuracy of RF predictive models were examined. Finally, spatial predictions generated using the most accurate models were visually examined and analysed. This study confirmed that: 1) hard90 and hard70 are effective seabed hardness classification schemes; 2) seabed hardness of four classes can be predicted with a high degree of accuracy; 3) the typical approach used to pre-select predictive variables by excluding highly correlated variables needs to be re-examined; 4) the identification of the important and unimportant predictors provides useful guidelines for further improving predictive models; 5) FS methods select the most accurate predictive model(s) instead of the most parsimonious ones, and AVI and Boruta are recommended for future studies; and 6) RF is an effective modelling method with high predictive accuracy for multi-level categorical data and can be applied to ‘small p and large n’ problems in environmental sciences. Additionally, automated computational programs for AVI need to be developed to increase its computational efficiency and

  17. Scientists' attitudes on science and values: Case studies and survey methods in philosophy of science.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steel, Daniel; Gonnerman, Chad; O'Rourke, Michael

    2017-06-01

    This article examines the relevance of survey data of scientists' attitudes about science and values to case studies in philosophy of science. We describe two methodological challenges confronting such case studies: 1) small samples, and 2) potential for bias in selection, emphasis, and interpretation. Examples are given to illustrate that these challenges can arise for case studies in the science and values literature. We propose that these challenges can be mitigated through an approach in which case studies and survey methods are viewed as complementary, and use data from the Toolbox Dialogue Initiative to illustrate this claim. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Prospective performance evaluation of selected common virtual screening tools. Case study: Cyclooxygenase (COX) 1 and 2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaserer, Teresa; Temml, Veronika; Kutil, Zsofia; Vanek, Tomas; Landa, Premysl; Schuster, Daniela

    2015-01-01

    Computational methods can be applied in drug development for the identification of novel lead candidates, but also for the prediction of pharmacokinetic properties and potential adverse effects, thereby aiding to prioritize and identify the most promising compounds. In principle, several techniques are available for this purpose, however, which one is the most suitable for a specific research objective still requires further investigation. Within this study, the performance of several programs, representing common virtual screening methods, was compared in a prospective manner. First, we selected top-ranked virtual screening hits from the three methods pharmacophore modeling, shape-based modeling, and docking. For comparison, these hits were then additionally predicted by external pharmacophore- and 2D similarity-based bioactivity profiling tools. Subsequently, the biological activities of the selected hits were assessed in vitro, which allowed for evaluating and comparing the prospective performance of the applied tools. Although all methods performed well, considerable differences were observed concerning hit rates, true positive and true negative hits, and hitlist composition. Our results suggest that a rational selection of the applied method represents a powerful strategy to maximize the success of a research project, tightly linked to its aims. We employed cyclooxygenase as application example, however, the focus of this study lied on highlighting the differences in the virtual screening tool performances and not in the identification of novel COX-inhibitors. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.

  19. An approach for integrating toxicogenomic data in risk assessment: The dibutyl phthalate case study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Euling, Susan Y., E-mail: euling.susan@epa.gov [National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (United States); Thompson, Chad M. [ToxStrategies, Inc., 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd., Suite G265, Katy, TX 77494 (United States); Chiu, Weihsueh A. [National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (United States); Benson, Robert [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8, Mail code 8P-W, 1595 Wynkoop Street, Denver, CO 80202 (United States)

    2013-09-15

    An approach for evaluating and integrating genomic data in chemical risk assessment was developed based on the lessons learned from performing a case study for the chemical dibutyl phthalate. A case study prototype approach was first developed in accordance with EPA guidance and recommendations of the scientific community. Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) was selected for the case study exercise. The scoping phase of the dibutyl phthalate case study was conducted by considering the available DBP genomic data, taken together with the entire data set, for whether they could inform various risk assessment aspects, such as toxicodynamics, toxicokinetics, and dose–response. A description of weighing the available dibutyl phthalate data set for utility in risk assessment provides an example for considering genomic data for future chemical assessments. As a result of conducting the scoping process, two questions—Do the DBP toxicogenomic data inform 1) the mechanisms or modes of action?, and 2) the interspecies differences in toxicodynamics?—were selected to focus the case study exercise. Principles of the general approach include considering the genomics data in conjunction with all other data to determine their ability to inform the various qualitative and/or quantitative aspects of risk assessment, and evaluating the relationship between the available genomic and toxicity outcome data with respect to study comparability and phenotypic anchoring. Based on experience from the DBP case study, recommendations and a general approach for integrating genomic data in chemical assessment were developed to advance the broader effort to utilize 21st century data in risk assessment. - Highlights: • Performed DBP case study for integrating genomic data in risk assessment • Present approach for considering genomic data in chemical risk assessment • Present recommendations for use of genomic data in chemical risk assessment.

  20. Wind to Hydrogen in California: Case Study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Antonia, O.; Saur, G.

    2012-08-01

    This analysis presents a case study in California for a large scale, standalone wind electrolysis site. This is a techno-economic analysis of the 40,000 kg/day renewable production of hydrogen and subsequent delivery by truck to a fueling station in the Los Angeles area. This quantity of hydrogen represents about 1% vehicle market penetration for a city such as Los Angeles (assuming 0.62 kg/day/vehicle and 0.69 vehicles/person) [8]. A wind site near the Mojave Desert was selected for proximity to the LA area where hydrogen refueling stations are already built.

  1. Numerical study of the mode selection in response spectrum analysis-condensed version

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ng, D.S.

    1986-01-01

    For quality assurance of the dynamic response spectrum analysis, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recommends retaining all modes below the cutoff frequency at which the spectral acceleration (S/sub a/) returns to the peak zero period acceleration (ZPA). It also suggests that modes accounting for at least 90 percent of the structural masses be included in the analysis. A simple frame-type structure is generated as a baseline frame. Then groups of oscillators representing substructure are added onto the frame to study substructure behavior. A base case is established for each frame by including the specific number of modes used. The tests are conducted by incrementing the number of modes in the response spectrum analyses starting with one mode. The structural response of each modal increment is compared with the base case to identify the efficiency of mode selection method. All three methods are then applied to the MFTF-B Axicell Vacuum Vessel. The responses in critical components of the vessel, such as hangers and foundations, will be analyzed to confirm the accuracy of the selected method

  2. Melioidosis Cases and Selected Reports of Occupational Exposures to Burkholderia pseudomallei--United States, 2008-2013.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benoit, Tina J; Blaney, David D; Gee, Jay E; Elrod, Mindy G; Hoffmaster, Alex R; Doker, Thomas J; Bower, William A; Walke, Henry T

    2015-07-03

    Melioidosis is an infection caused by the Gram-negative bacillus Burkholderia pseudomallei, which is naturally found in water and soil in areas endemic for melioidosis. Infection can be severe and sometimes fatal. The federal select agent program designates B. pseudomallei as a Tier 1 overlap select agent, which can affect both humans and animals. Identification of B. pseudomallei and all occupational exposures must be reported to the Federal Select Agent Program immediately (i.e., within 24 hours), whereas states are not required to notify CDC's Bacterial Special Pathogens Branch (BSPB) of human infections. 2008-2013. The passive surveillance system includes reports of suspected (human and animal) melioidosis cases and reports of incidents of possible occupational exposures. Reporting of suspected cases to BSPB is voluntary. BSPB receives reports of occupational exposure in the context of a request for technical consultation (so that the system does not include the full complement of the mandatory and confidential reporting to the Federal Select Agent Program). Reporting sources include state health departments, medical facilities, microbiologic laboratories, or research facilities. Melioidosis cases are classified using the standard case definition adopted by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists in 2011. In follow up to reports of occupational exposures, CDC often provides technical assistance to state health departments to identify all persons with possible exposures, define level of risk, and provide recommendations for postexposure prophylaxis and health monitoring of exposed persons. During 2008-2013, BSPB provided technical assistance to 20 U.S. states and Puerto Rico involving 37 confirmed cases of melioidosis (34 human cases and three animal cases). Among those with documented travel history, the majority of reported cases (64%) occurred among persons with a documented travel history to areas endemic for melioidosis. Two persons did not

  3. Selection of Objective Function For Imbalanced Classification: An Industrial Case Study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Khan, Abdul Rauf; Schiøler, Henrik; Kulahci, Murat

    2017-01-01

    In this article we discuss the issue of selecting suitable objective function for Genetic Algorithm to solve an imbalanced classification problem. More precisely, first we discuss the need of specialized objective function to solve a real classification problem from our industrial partner and the...... and then we compare the results of our proposed objective function with commonly used candidates to serve this purpose. Our comparison is based on the analysis of real data collected during the quality control stages of the manufacturing process....

  4. Efficient Use of Historical Data for Genomic Selection: A Case Study of Stem Rust Resistance in Wheat

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Rutkoski

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Genomic selection (GS is a methodology that can improve crop breeding efficiency. To implement GS, a training population (TP with phenotypic and genotypic data is required to train a statistical model used to predict genotyped selection candidates (SCs. A key factor impacting prediction accuracy is the relationship between the TP and the SCs. This study used empirical data for quantitative adult plant resistance to stem rust of wheat ( L. to investigate the utility of a historical TP (TP compared with a population-specific TP (TP, the potential for TP optimization, and the utility of TP data when close relative data is available for training. We found that, depending on the population size, a TP was 1.5 to 4.4 times more accurate than a TP, and TP optimization based on the mean of the generalized coefficient of determination or prediction error variance enabled the selection of subsets that led to significantly higher accuracy than randomly selected subsets. Retaining historical data when data on close relatives were available lead to a 11.9% increase in accuracy, at best, and a 12% decrease in accuracy, at worst, depending on the heritability. We conclude that historical data could be used successfully to initiate a GS program, especially if the dataset is very large and of high heritability. Training population optimization would be useful for the identification of TP subsets to phenotype additional traits. However, after model updating, discarding historical data may be warranted. More studies are needed to determine if these observations represent general trends.

  5. Building America Case Study: Selecting Ventilation Systems for Existing Homes (Fact Sheet)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    2014-12-01

    This document addresses adding -or improving - mechanical ventilation systems to existing homes. The purpose of ventilation is to remove contaminants from homes, and this report discusses where, when, and how much ventilation is appropriate in a home, including some discussion of relevant codes and standards. Advantages, disadvantages, and approximate costs of various system types are presented along with general guidelines for implementing the systems in homes. CARB intends for this document to be useful to decision makers and contractors implementing ventilation systems in homes. Choosing the "best" system is not always straightforward; selecting a system involves balancing performance, efficiency, cost, required maintenance, and several other factors. It is the intent of this document to assist contractors in making more informed decisions when selecting systems. Ventilation is an integral part of a high-performance home. With more air-sealed envelopes, a mechanical means of removing contaminants is critical for indoor environmental quality and building durability.

  6. Using a Statistical-Numerical Procedure for the Selection of Pumps running as Turbines to be applied in Water Pipelines: Study Cases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvio Barbarelli

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available A combined method using statistical and numerical models has been developed by the authors for selecting a pump running as turbine to be applied in micro-hydro plants. The data of the hydrological site chosen for the installation (head and capacity allow the calculation of two conversion factors which identify the pump to use successfully as turbine in that place. Then, a one-dimensional model, starting from data available on the pumps manufacturers catalogues, reconstructs a virtual geometry of the pump running as turbine, and calculates the performances curves, head vs. capacity, efficiency vs. capacity, useful for identifying the operating point. Two study cases are presented to apply the proposed methodology, concerning the feasibility of the installation of a pump running as turbine in the purifier water plants of Casali and Sersale, located at 1,000 m above sea level (Calabria, South Italy.The assessment of the annual energy yield gives a confirmation of the effectiveness and convenience of using pumps running as turbines.

  7. Virtual Reality Therapy: case study of fear of public speaking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    North, Max M; Schoeneman, Curt M; Mathis, James R

    2002-01-01

    The major goal of this research case study was to investigate the effectiveness of Virtual Reality Therapy (VRT) in the treatment of the fear of public speaking. A twenty-eight-year-old Caucasian male was selected from questionnaires distributed to a class of undergraduate students enrolled at Kennesaw State University. Two assessment measures were used in this study. The first measure used was the Attitude Towards Public Speaking (ATPS) Questionnaire. The second measure used was the eleven-point Subjective Units of Disturbance (SUD) scale. These measurements assessed the anxiety, avoidance, attitudes and disturbance associated with the subject's fear of public speaking before and after each VRT treatment session. This case study of public speaking fear indicates that VRT may be used as an effective treatment method for reducing self-reported anxiety.

  8. The Case for Quality Book Selection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bob, Murray C.

    1982-01-01

    This essay on library book selection critiques Nora Rawlinson's article on practices at the Baltimore County Public Library which appeared in Library Journal, November 15, 1981, p. 2188, and discusses library circulation statistics in relation to book selection. (EJS)

  9. Without Women No Development: Selected Case Studies from Asia of Non-Formal Education for Women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, Madhuri, Ed.

    This handbook presents 15 case studies on the non-formal education of women from four Asian countries: India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia. The goal of this publication is to provide information about education-related issues concerning women and girls and development. This information is intended for those people, in governmental and…

  10. Ergonomics, anthropometrics, and kinetic evaluation of gait: A case study

    OpenAIRE

    Lima, Rosa; Fontes, Liliana Magalhães Campos; Arezes, P.; Carvalho, Miguel

    2015-01-01

    This study aimed to develop appropriate changes in a pair of shoes in order to improve the gait of an individual selected for this case study. This analysis took into account ergonomic aspects, namely those relating to the individual’s anthropometrics. Gait analysis was done with the adapted footwear both before and after intervention.A conventional X-ray was performed, which revealed a 29-mm left lower limb shortening and possible foot adduction. The anthropometric assessment confir...

  11. A Case Study of Synchronous Distance Learning Between Shih Chien University and Beijing Foreign Studies University

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yen-Fen Lo

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Shih Chien University and Beijing Foreign Studies University collaboratively launched a project to offer synchronous distance learning courses on "Case Studies of Taiwanese Entrepreneurs" since February 2012. The three objectives of this study are: (1 to explore the Cross-Strait students' motives for selecting the course; (2 to examine the students' accommodation condition before and after completing the course; (3 to discuss the student's level of satisfaction of the course. This study uses qualitative data from case study interviews conducted in the second year of the project based on the research focus of the Cross-Strait students' motivation and satisfaction of the course. The research analysis tools are content analysis and theory triangulation. The findings are: (1 Cross-Strait students are motivated by their curiosity about the course, interest in the contents, and willingness to experience the novelty of distance learning to select the course; (2 the results of Cross-Strait students' accommodation condition are correlated to their interactions with the professor, the familiarity with the materials, the quality of the communication equipment, and the clarity of the images; (3 Cross-Strait students all accept the method of synchronous distance learning; (4 the quality of communication equipment has the lowest level of satisfaction.

  12. The evaluation of complex interventions in palliative care: an exploration of the potential of case study research strategies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walshe, Catherine

    2011-12-01

    Complex, incrementally changing, context dependent and variable palliative care services are difficult to evaluate. Case study research strategies may have potential to contribute to evaluating such complex interventions, and to develop this field of evaluation research. This paper explores definitions of case study (as a unit of study, a process, and a product) and examines the features of case study research strategies which are thought to confer benefits for the evaluation of complex interventions in palliative care settings. Ten features of case study that are thought to be beneficial in evaluating complex interventions in palliative care are discussed, drawing from exemplars of research in this field. Important features are related to a longitudinal approach, triangulation, purposive instance selection, comprehensive approach, multiple data sources, flexibility, concurrent data collection and analysis, search for proving-disproving evidence, pattern matching techniques and an engaging narrative. The limitations of case study approaches are discussed including the potential for subjectivity and their complex, time consuming and potentially expensive nature. Case study research strategies have great potential in evaluating complex interventions in palliative care settings. Three key features need to be exploited to develop this field: case selection, longitudinal designs, and the use of rival hypotheses. In particular, case study should be used in situations where there is interplay and interdependency between the intervention and its context, such that it is difficult to define or find relevant comparisons.

  13. Evidence-based case selection: An innovative knowledge management method to cluster public technical and vocational education and training colleges in South Africa

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Margaretha M. Visser

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Background: Case studies are core constructs used in information management research. A persistent challenge for business, information management and social science researchers is how to select a representative sample of cases among a population with diverse characteristics when convenient or purposive sampling is not considered rigorous enough. The context of the study is post-school education, and it involves an investigation of quantitative methods of clustering the population of public technical and vocational education and training (TVET colleges in South Africa into groups with a similar level of maturity in terms of their information systems. Objectives: The aim of the study was to propose an evidence-based quantitative method for the selection of cases for case study research and to demonstrate the use and usefulness thereof by clustering public TVET colleges. Method: The clustering method was based on the use of a representative characteristic of the context, as a proxy. In this context of management information systems (MISs, website maturity was used as a proxy and website maturity model theory was used in the development of an evaluation questionnaire. The questionnaire was used for capturing data on website characteristics, which was used to determine website maturity. The websites of the 50 public TVET colleges were evaluated by nine evaluators. Multiple statistical techniques were applied to establish inter-rater reliability and to produce clusters of colleges. Results: The analyses revealed three clusters of public TVET colleges based on their website maturity levels. The first cluster includes three colleges with no websites or websites at a low maturity level. The second cluster consists of 30 colleges with websites at an average maturity level. The third cluster contains 17 colleges with websites at a high maturity level. Conclusion: The main contribution to the knowledge domain is an innovative quantitative method employing a

  14. MODIFIED APPROACH FOR SITE SELECTION OF UNWANTED RADIOACTIVE SEALED SOURCES DISPOSAL IN ARID COUNTRIES (CASE STUDY - EGYPT)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    ABDEL AZIZ, M.A.H.; COCHRAN, J.R.

    2008-01-01

    The aim of this study is to present a systematic methodology for siting of radioactive sealed sources disposal in arid countries and demonstrate the use of this methodology in Egypt. Availing from the experience gained from the greater confinement disposal (GCD) boreholes in Nevada, USA, the IAEA's approach for siting of near disposal was modified to fit the siting of the borehole disposal which suits the unwanted radioactive sealed sources. The modifications are represented by dividing the surveyed area into three phases; the exclusion phase in which the areas that meet exclusion criteria should be excluded, the site selection phase in which some potential sites that meet the primary criteria should be candidate and the preference stage in which the preference between the potential candidate sites should be carried out based on secondary criteria to select one or two sites at most. In Egypt, a considerable amount of unwanted radioactive sealed sources wastes have accumulated due to the peaceful uses of radio-isotopes.Taking into account the regional aspects and combining of the proposed developed methodology with geographic information system (GIS), the Nile Delta and its valley, the Sinai Peninsula and areas of historical heritage value are excluded from our concern as potential areas for radioactive waste disposal. Using the primary search criteria, some potential sites south Kharga, the Great Sand Sea, Gilf El-Kebear and the central part of the eastern desert have been identified as candidate areas meeting the primary criteria of site selection. More detailed studies should be conducted taking into account the secondary criteria to prefer among the above sites and select one or two sites at most

  15. HYBRID DATA APPROACH FOR SELECTING EFFECTIVE TEST CASES DURING THE REGRESSION TESTING

    OpenAIRE

    Mohan, M.; Shrimali, Tarun

    2017-01-01

    In the software industry, software testing becomes more important in the entire software development life cycle. Software testing is one of the fundamental components of software quality assurances. Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC)is a process involved in testing the complete software, which includes Regression Testing, Unit Testing, Smoke Testing, Integration Testing, Interface Testing, System Testing & etc. In the STLC of Regression testing, test case selection is one of the most importan...

  16. The ancestral selection graph under strong directional selection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pokalyuk, Cornelia; Pfaffelhuber, Peter

    2013-08-01

    The ancestral selection graph (ASG) was introduced by  Neuhauser and Krone (1997) in order to study populations of constant size which evolve under selection. Coalescence events, which occur at rate 1 for every pair of lines, lead to joint ancestry. In addition, splitting events in the ASG at rate α, the scaled selection coefficient, produce possible ancestors, such that the real ancestor depends on the ancestral alleles. Here, we use the ASG in the case without mutation in order to study fixation of a beneficial mutant. Using our main tool, a reversibility property of the ASG, we provide a new proof of the fact that a beneficial allele fixes roughly in time (2logα)/α if α is large. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Nuclear site selection studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gharib, A.; Zohoorian Izadpanah, A.A.; Iranmanesh, H.

    2000-01-01

    It is of special importance, especially from the nuclear safety viewpoint, to select suitable sites for different nuclear structures with the considered future activities. Site selection sometimes involves high costs not necessarily for merely selecting of site but for some preliminary measures to be taken so as the site may have the necessary characteristics. The more suitable the natural characteristics of the site for the considered project, the more successful and efficient the project, the lower the project costs and the longer the project operation period. If so, the project will cause the growth of public culture and sustainable socioeconomic development. This paper is the result of the conclusion of numerous massive reports of this activity in the preliminary phase based on theories, practices and the related safety principles on this ground as well as the application of data and information of the past and a glance to the future. The conception of need for a site for medium structures and nuclear research projects and how to perform this process are presented step by step here with a scientific approach to its selection during the investigations. In this study, it is practically described how the site is selected, by determining and defining the characteristics of research and nuclear projects with medium structures and also its fitting to the optimum site. The discovered sites typically involve the best advantages in technical and economic aspects and no particular contrast with the concerned structures

  18. [Application of nested case-control study on safe evaluation of post-marketing traditional Chinese medicine injection].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Ying; Zhao, Yubin; Xie, Yanming

    2011-10-01

    The nested case-control study design (or the case-control in a cohort study) is described here as a new study design used in safe evaluation of post-marketing traditional Chinese medicine injection. In the nested case-control study, cases of a disease that occur in a defined cohort are identified and, for each, a specified number of matched controls is selected from among those in the cohort who have not developed the disease by the time of disease occurrence in the case. For many research questions, the nested case-control design potentially offers impressive reductions in costs and efforts of data collection and analysis compared with the full cohort approach, with relatively minor loss in statistical efficiency. The nested case-control design is particularly advantageous for studies in safe evaluation of post-marketing traditional Chinese medicine injection. Some examples of the application of nested case-control study were given.

  19. Associated factors with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a case-control study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malek, Ayyoub; Amiri, Shahrokh; Sadegfard, Majid; Abdi, Salman; Amini, Saeedeh

    2012-09-01

    The current study attempted to investigate factors associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children without co-morbidities. In this case-control study, 164 ADHD children who attended the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran were compared with 166 normal children selected in a random-cluster method from primary and secondary schools. Clinical interviews based on DSM-IV-TR using K-SADS were used to diagnose ADHD cases and to select the control group. Participants were matched for age. We used chi-square and binary logistic regression for data analysis. Among the associated factors with ADHD were gender and maternal employment. Boys (OR 0.54; 95% confidence interval: 0.34 - 0.86) and those children with working mothers (OR 0.16: 95% confidence interval: 0.06 - 0.86) suffered more from ADHD. The birth season, family size, birth order, and parental kinship were not among risk factors for ADHD. The results of the study show that maternal employment and male gender are among the associated risk factors for ADHD.

  20. Development Impact Assessment (DIA) Case Study. South Africa

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cox, Sadie [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Nawaz, Kathleen [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Sandor, Debra [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

    2015-05-19

    This case study reviews South Africa’s experience in considering the impacts of climate change action on development goals, focusing on the South African energy sector and development impact assessments (DIAs) that have and could be used to influence energy policy or inform the selection of energy activities. It includes a review of assessments—conducted by government ministries, technical partners, and academic institutes and non-governmental organizations (NGOs)—that consider employment, health, and water implications of possible energy sector actions, as well as multi-criteria impact assessments.

  1. Increasing market share through consumer marketing: a case study in obstetrics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kingsley, V H

    1986-05-01

    Consumers are becoming ever more selective in their choice of health care providers. Hospitals that are aware of local preferences and how to reach and influence consumers will gain a competitive advantage. Outlined in this article are consumer marketing techniques that can be utilized for all product lines. The concept is applied here as a case study in obstetrics.

  2. An Outbreak of Clostridium difficile Ribotype 027 Associated with Length of Stay in the Intensive Care Unit and Use of Selective Decontamination of the Digestive Tract: A Case Control Study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yvette H van Beurden

    Full Text Available An outbreak of Clostridium difficile ribotype 027 infection (CDI occurred at an university hospital, involving 19 departments. To determine what hospital-associated factors drove the outbreak of this particular strain we performed a case-control study.Cases (n = 79, diagnosed with CDI due to C. difficile ribotype 027 were matched for age and treating medical specialty to four control patients (n = 316. Patients diagnosed with CDI due to other ribotypes were included as a second control group. A random selection of C. difficile ribotype 027 strains (n = 10 was genotyped by Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS.WGS showed the outbreak was likely caused by a single strain of C. difficile (two or less single-nucleotide variants between isolates. Ninety-five percent of cases had used antibiotics, compared to 56% of controls. Previous admission to the intensive care unit (ICU (OR: 2.4, 95% CI 1.0-5.6, longer length of stay (LOS, and recent hospital admission were associated with CDI ribotype 027. Cases were less likely to have been admitted to a ward with a known isolated CDI patient (OR: 0.2, 95% CI 0.1-0.6. Analysis of patients who stayed at the ICU (35 cases; 51 controls, indicated that the use of selective decontamination of the digestive tract (SDD and a longer LOS in the ICU were associated with CDI risk.In this large outbreak, any antibiotic use, including SDD use, appeared as a prerequisite for acquisition of the outbreak strain. The role of use of SDD and prolonged stay on the ICU could not be disentangled, but both factors can play a biologically plausible role in C. difficile acquisition and infection.

  3. Final report on case studies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ljungberg, Daniel; McKelvey, Maureen; Lassen, Astrid Heidemann

    2012-01-01

    Case study as a research design means investigating a single or multiple instance(s) or setting(s) (i.e. a case) and its entire context to explain a phenomenon and its processes. This is achieved through detailed understanding, usually comprised of multiple sources of information. In this way, case...... studies attempt to provide as a complete an understanding of a (complex) phenomenon as possible. Within the AEGIS project, survey and case study research are complementary. They are complementary in the sense that the former can provide more generalizable evidence on a phenomenon in terms of cross......-sectional data, while the latter can provide more in-depth (qualitative) understanding on specific issues. In systematically examining the case studies, however, this report goes beyond a typical single case study. Here we provide a synthesis of 86 case studies. Multiple case studies, following similar focus...

  4. Phenomenology and treatment of selective mutism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumpulainen, Kirsti

    2002-01-01

    Selective mutism is a multidimensional childhood disorder in which, according to the most recent studies, biologically mediated temperament and anxiety components seem to play a major role. Several psychotherapy methods have been reported in case studies to be useful, but the disorder is commonly seen to be resistant to change, particularly in cases of long duration. Currently, behaviour modification and other cognitive methods, together with cooperation with the family and the school personnel, are recommended in the treatment of selective mutism. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and selective monoamine oxidase inhibitors have also been reported to be helpful when treating children with selective mutism. At the moment, pharmacotherapy cannot be recommended as the treatment of first choice but if other methods of treatment are not helpful, medication can be included in the treatment scheme. Comprehensive evaluation and treatment of possible primary and comorbid problems that require treatment are also essential.

  5. Feature Selection as a Time and Cost-Saving Approach for Land Suitability Classification (Case Study of Shavur Plain, Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saeid Hamzeh

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Land suitability classification is important in planning and managing sustainable land use. Most approaches to land suitability analysis combine a large number of land and soil parameters, and are time-consuming and costly. In this study, a potentially useful technique (combined feature selection and fuzzy-AHP method to increase the efficiency of land suitability analysis was presented. To this end, three different feature selection algorithms—random search, best search and genetic methods—were used to determine the most effective parameters for land suitability classification for the cultivation of barely in the Shavur Plain, southwest Iran. Next, land suitability classes were calculated for all methods by using the fuzzy-AHP approach. Salinity (electrical conductivity (EC, alkalinity (exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP, wetness and soil texture were selected using the random search method. Gypsum, EC, ESP, and soil texture were selected using both the best search and genetic methods. The result shows a strong agreement between the standard fuzzy-AHP methods and methods presented in this study. The values of Kappa coefficients were 0.82, 0.79 and 0.79 for the random search, best search and genetic methods, respectively, compared with the standard fuzzy-AHP method. Our results indicate that EC, ESP, soil texture and wetness are the most effective features for evaluating land suitability classification for the cultivation of barely in the study area, and uses of these parameters, together with their appropriate weights as obtained from fuzzy-AHP, can perform good results for land suitability classification. So, the combined feature selection presented and the fuzzy-AHP approach has the potential to save time and money for land suitability classification.

  6. Technical Approach and Results from the Fuels Pathway on an Alternative Selection Case Study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bob Youngblood; Curtis Smith

    2013-09-01

    The report presents a detailed plan for conducting case studies to characterize probabilistic safety margins associated with different fuel cladding types in a way that supports a valid comparison of different fuels' performance. Recent work performed in other programs is described briefly and used to illustrate the challenges posed by characterization of margin in a probabilistic way. It is additionally pointed out that consistency of evaluation of performance across different cladding types is not easy to assure; a process for achieving the needed consistency is described.

  7. Case-control study of mesothelioma in the shipyard industry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Correa-Villasenor, A.

    1987-01-01

    A nested case-control study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between occupational exposures to asbestos and low-level gamma radiation and mesothelioma. One hundred nineteen cases and four hundred fifty-two latency-matched controls were selected. Analyses were conducted using the conditional maximum likelihood estimate of the odds ratio and conditional logistic regression for matched sets. The results from the analyses revealed a relationship between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma; the strength of this relationship increased with the intensity and duration of the asbestos exposure. Exposure to low-level gamma radiation was also associated with an increased risk of mesothelioma. There was no interaction between asbestos and radiation. Shipyard employment in non-asbestos jobs and male gender were also found to be associated with mesothelioma

  8. Selective use of the biphasic-contrast barium enema study for evaluation of colonic lesions: Results of a prospective study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Lange, E.E.; Shaffer, H.A. Jr.; Riddervold, H.O.

    1987-01-01

    The authors performed a prospective study to determine the value of selective use of the biphasic contrast technique for a variety of indications. In a series of 571 double-contrast barium enema examinations, the examination was immediately followed by a single-contrast study in 85 cases. The biphasic procedure was performed to reexamine a colonic segment that was poorly evaluated initially because of diverticulosis (eta = 35), incomplete filling (eta = 28), or poor mucosal coating (eta = 26); or to verify or exclude a possible lesion identified during the double-contrast examination (eta = 22). The single-contrast study confirmed five polyps and excluded lesions in 17 cases with suspected polyps (eta = 5), strictures (eta = 4), and spasm (eta = 8). Six polyps not visualized on the double-contrast examination were detected with the single-contrast procedure

  9. Sex-selective abortion in Nepal: a qualitative study of health workers' perspectives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lamichhane, Prabhat; Harken, Tabetha; Puri, Mahesh; Darney, Philip D; Blum, Maya; Harper, Cynthia C; Henderson, Jillian T

    2011-01-01

    Sex-selective abortion is expressly prohibited in Nepal, but limited evidence suggests that it occurs nevertheless. Providers' perspectives on sex-selective abortion were examined as part of a larger study on legal abortion in the public sector in Nepal. In-depth interviews were conducted with health care providers and administrators providing abortion services at four major hospitals (n = 35), two in the Kathmandu Valley and two in outlying rural areas. A grounded theory approach was used to code interview transcripts and to identify themes in the data. Most providers were aware of the ban on sex-selective abortion and, despite overall positive views of abortion legalization, saw sex selection as an increasing problem. Greater availability of abortion and ultrasonography, along with the high value placed on sons, were seen as contributing factors. Providers wanted to perform abortions for legal indications, but described challenges identifying sex-selection cases. Providers also believed that illegal sex-selective procedures contribute to serious abortion complications. Sex-selective abortion complicates the provision of legal abortion services. In addition to the difficulty of determining which patients are seeking abortion for sex selection, health workers are aware of the pressures women face to bear sons and know they may seek unsafe services elsewhere when unable to obtain abortions in public hospitals. Legislative, advocacy, and social efforts aimed at promoting gender equality and women's human rights are needed to reduce the cultural and economic pressures for sex-selective abortion, because providers alone cannot prevent the practice. Copyright © 2011 Jacobs Institute of Women's Health. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. A Case Study of MOOCs Design and Administration at Seoul National University

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Cheolil; Kim, Sunyoung; Kim, Mihwa; Han, Songlee; Seo, Seungil

    2014-01-01

    This research, based on the case study of edX at Seoul National University, which is running Korea's first Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), discussed and proposed the roles of principal facilitators, the process, and the relationships among various facilitators in selecting, designing, opening and administrating MOOCs classes. Researches on…

  11. [Case-non case studies: Principles, methods, bias and interpretation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faillie, Jean-Luc

    2017-10-31

    Case-non case studies belongs to the methods assessing drug safety by analyzing the disproportionality of notifications of adverse drug reactions in pharmacovigilance databases. Used for the first time in the 1980s, the last few decades have seen a significant increase in the use of this design. The principle of the case-non case study is to compare drug exposure in cases of a studied adverse reaction with that of cases of other reported adverse reactions and called "non cases". Results are presented in the form of a reporting odds ratio (ROR), the interpretation of which makes it possible to identify drug safety signals. This article describes the principle of the case-non case study, the method of calculating the ROR and its confidence interval, the different modalities of analysis and how to interpret its results with regard to the advantages and limitations of this design. Copyright © 2017 Société française de pharmacologie et de thérapeutique. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  12. Selection of important ecological source patches base on Green Infrastructure theory: A case study of Wuhan city

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ke, Yuanyuan; Yu, Yan; Tong, Yan

    2018-01-01

    Selecting urban ecological patches is of great significance for constructing urban green infrastructure network, protecting urban biodiversity and ecological environment. With the support of GIS technology, a criterion for selecting sources of patches was developed according to existing planning. Then ecological source patches of terrestrial organism, aquatic and amphibious organism were selected in Wuhan city. To increase the connectivity of the ecological patches and achieve greater ecological protection benefits, the green infrastructure networks in Wuhan city were constructed with the minimum path analysis method. Finally, the characteristics of ecological source patches were analyzed with landscape metrics, and ecological protection importance degree of ecological source patches were evaluated comprehensively. The results showed that there were 23 important ecological source patches in Wuhan city, among which Sushan Temple Forest Patch, Lu Lake and Shangshe Lake Wetland Patch were the most important in all kinds of patches for ecological protection. This study can provide a scientific basis for the preservation of urban ecological space, the delineation of natural conservation areas and the protection of biological diversity.

  13. External radiotherapy prior to thyroid cancer: A case-control study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hallquist, A.; Loefroth, P.O.; Hardell, L.

    1993-01-01

    The aim of this investigation was to study previous radiotherapy of malignant diseases as a risk factor for thyroid cancer. By using the Swedish Cancer Registry all cases of thyroid cancer with another malignant disease at least one year previously and living within the catchment area of the hospital were traced. During 1959-1989 a total of 1056 cases of thyroid cancer were identified. Of these, 37 had had another previous malignant disease and they constituted the cases in this study. As controls four persons with at least two malignant diseases, thyroid cancer excluded, were selected for each case from the same cancer registry. Ten (27.0%) of the 37 patients with thyroid cancer as a second tumor had earlier been irradiated with the treatment dose including the thyroid gland as compared with 34 (24.5%) of the 139 control patients. Eight of the ten cases with previous irradiation of the thyroid gland had papillary cancer. The median latency was 13 years. The estimated radiation dose in the thyroid varied between 3 and 40 Gy. External radiotherapy gave a crude odds ratio of 1.1 with 95% confidence interval = 0.5-2.8 for thyroid cancer. The weighted odds ratio was calculated to 2.3 with confidence interval = 0.5-8.9. This case-control study gave a nonsignificantly increased odds ratio for thyroid cancer in patients with external radiotherapy including the thyroid gland. 26 refs., 4 tabs

  14. First implantation of selective his bundle pacing in Colombia. Report of two cases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Velasquez, Jorge E; Duque, Mauricio; Marin V, Jorge E; Aristizabal, Julian M; Medina, Luis E; Gonzalez, Edgardo; Duque, Laura; Uribe, William

    2010-01-01

    Pacing in the right ventricular apex is known to produce ventricular dysynchrony and patients often develop dilated cardiomyopathy. For this reason, a more physiological stimulation has been performed. With the recent technological development of electrodes for selective stimulation of the His bundle, we want to show the experience of this type of implantation in the first two cases made in the electrophysiology laboratory in Medellin.

  15. Competitiveness based on logistic management: a real case study

    OpenAIRE

    García Márquez, Fausto Pedro; Peña García Pardo, Isidro; Ramos M. Nieto, Marta

    2014-01-01

    An efficient and effective logistic system is a strategic objective in any produc- tive business. This paper presents a real case study of a routing problem in a food industry firm. This problem is solved as a Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) using the Neural Net- work (NN) and Tabu Search (TS) algorithms. A customer selection based on a profitability analysis was carried out. The aforementioned algorithms were then applied, leading to a considerable reduction in the total logistic costs. This r...

  16. [Clinical decision making: Fostering critical thinking in the nursing diagnostic process through case studies].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Müller-Staub, Maria; Stuker-Studer, Ursula

    2006-10-01

    Case studies, based on actual patients' situations, provide a method of clinical decision making to foster critical thinking in nurses. This paper describes the method and process of group case studies applied in continuous education settings. This method bases on Balints' case supervision and was further developed and combined with the nursing diagnostic process. A case study contains different phases: Pre-phase, selection phase, case delineation and case work. The case provider narratively tells the situation of a patient. This allows the group to analyze and cluster signs and symptoms, to state nursing diagnoses and to derive nursing interventions. Results of the case study are validated by applying the theoretical background and critical appraisal of the case provider. Learning effects of the case studies were evaluated by means of qualitative questionnaires and analyzed according to Mayring. Findings revealed the following categories: a) Patients' problems are perceived in a patient centred way, accurate nursing diagnoses are stated and effective nursing interventions implemented. b) Professional nursing tasks are more purposefully perceived and named more precise. c) Professional nursing relationship, communication and respectful behaviour with patients were perceived in differentiated ways. The theoretical framework is described in the paper "Clinical decision making and critical thinking in the nursing diagnostic process". (Müller-Staub, 2006).

  17. Students' Research Experiences during Consulting Projects: Three Themes Emerging from Case Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillips, Carissa M. Holler

    2010-01-01

    Student consulting projects, an advanced form of problem-based learning, allow students to apply the skills developed in their classes on behalf of client organizations. A review of selected case studies in business education and other management education literature shows that research is an integral part of this consulting process. More than…

  18. The fuzzy TOPSIS and generalized Choquet fuzzy integral algorithm for nuclear power plant site selection - a case study from Turkey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurt, Ünal

    2014-01-01

    The location selection for nuclear power plant (NPP) is a strategic decision, which has significant impact on the economic operation of the plant and sustainable development of the region. This paper proposes fuzzy TOPSIS and generalized Choquet fuzzy integral algorithm for evaluation and selection of optimal locations for NPP in Turkey. Many sub-criteria such as geological, social, touristic, transportation abilities, cooling water capacity and nearest to consumptions markets are taken into account. Among the evaluated locations, according to generalized Choquet fuzzy integral method, Inceburun–Sinop was selected as a study site due to its highest performance and meeting most of the investigated criteria. The Inceburun-Sinop is selected by generalized Choquet fuzzy integral and fuzzy TOPSIS Iğneada–Kırklareli took place in the first turn. The Mersin–Akkuyu is not selected in both methods. (author)

  19. Sensitivity of landscape resistance estimates based on point selection functions to scale and behavioral state: Pumas as a case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katherine A. Zeller; Kevin McGarigal; Paul Beier; Samuel A. Cushman; T. Winston Vickers; Walter M. Boyce

    2014-01-01

    Estimating landscape resistance to animal movement is the foundation for connectivity modeling, and resource selection functions based on point data are commonly used to empirically estimate resistance. In this study, we used GPS data points acquired at 5-min intervals from radiocollared pumas in southern California to model context-dependent point selection...

  20. Discovery and Use of Online Learning Resources: Case Study Findings

    OpenAIRE

    Laurie Miller Nelson; James Dorward; Mimi M. Recker

    2004-01-01

    Much recent research and funding have focused on building Internet-based repositories that contain collections of high-quality learning resources, often called learning objects. Yet little is known about how non-specialist users, in particular teachers, find, access, and use digital learning resources. To address this gap, this article describes a case study of mathematics and science teachers practices and desires surrounding the discovery, selection, and use of digital library resources for...

  1. Case-control studies in neurosurgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nesvick, Cody L; Thompson, Clinton J; Boop, Frederick A; Klimo, Paul

    2014-08-01

    Observational studies, such as cohort and case-control studies, are valuable instruments in evidence-based medicine. Case-control studies, in particular, are becoming increasingly popular in the neurosurgical literature due to their low cost and relative ease of execution; however, no one has yet systematically assessed these types of studies for quality in methodology and reporting. The authors performed a literature search using PubMed/MEDLINE to identify all studies that explicitly identified themselves as "case-control" and were published in the JNS Publishing Group journals (Journal of Neurosurgery, Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics, Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine, and Neurosurgical Focus) or Neurosurgery. Each paper was evaluated for 22 descriptive variables and then categorized as having either met or missed the basic definition of a case-control study. All studies that evaluated risk factors for a well-defined outcome were considered true case-control studies. The authors sought to identify key features or phrases that were or were not predictive of a true case-control study. Those papers that satisfied the definition were further evaluated using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist. The search detected 67 papers that met the inclusion criteria, of which 32 (48%) represented true case-control studies. The frequency of true case-control studies has not changed with time. Use of odds ratios (ORs) and logistic regression (LR) analysis were strong positive predictors of true case-control studies (for odds ratios, OR 15.33 and 95% CI 4.52-51.97; for logistic regression analysis, OR 8.77 and 95% CI 2.69-28.56). Conversely, negative predictors included focus on a procedure/intervention (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.13-0.998) and use of the word "outcome" in the Results section (OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.082-0.65). After exclusion of nested case-control studies, the negative correlation between focus on a procedure

  2. Factors Affecting Women's Decisions to Pursue an IS Degree: A Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serapiglia, Constance Patricia; Lenox, Terri L.

    2010-01-01

    The declining participation of women in the computer-related professions is a concern to academia and business. There appears to be a complex set of factors influencing the selection of a major and completing the degree. A case study of 25 undergraduate women explored, in detail, the events, conditions, and relationships that affected the decision…

  3. AUTOMATIC TRAINING SITE SELECTION FOR AGRICULTURAL CROP CLASSIFICATION: A CASE STUDY ON KARACABEY PLAIN, TURKEY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Ozdarici Ok

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available This study implements a traditional supervised classification method to an optical image composed of agricultural crops by means of a unique way, selecting the training samples automatically. Panchromatic (1m and multispectral (4m Kompsat-2 images (July 2008 of Karacabey Plain (~100km2, located in Marmara region, are used to evaluate the proposed approach. Due to the characteristic of rich, loamy soils combined with reasonable weather conditions, the Karacabey Plain is one of the most valuable agricultural regions of Turkey. Analyses start with applying an image fusion algorithm on the panchromatic and multispectral image. As a result of this process, 1m spatial resolution colour image is produced. In the next step, the four-band fused (1m image and multispectral (4m image are orthorectified. Next, the fused image (1m is segmented using a popular segmentation method, Mean- Shift. The Mean-Shift is originally a method based on kernel density estimation and it shifts each pixel to the mode of clusters. In the segmentation procedure, three parameters must be defined: (i spatial domain (hs, (ii range domain (hr, and (iii minimum region (MR. In this study, in total, 176 parameter combinations (hs, hr, and MR are tested on a small part of the area (~10km2 to find an optimum segmentation result, and a final parameter combination (hs=18, hr=20, and MR=1000 is determined after evaluating multiple goodness measures. The final segmentation output is then utilized to the classification framework. The classification operation is applied on the four-band multispectral image (4m to minimize the mixed pixel effect. Before the image classification, each segment is overlaid with the bands of the image fused, and several descriptive statistics of each segment are computed for each band. To select the potential homogeneous regions that are eligible for the selection of training samples, a user-defined threshold is applied. After finding those potential regions, the

  4. Analysis of risk factors for schizophrenia with two different case definitions: a nationwide register-based external validation study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sørensen, Holger J; Larsen, Janne T; Mors, Ole; Nordentoft, Merete; Mortensen, Preben B; Petersen, Liselotte

    2015-03-01

    Different case definitions of schizophrenia have been used in register based research. However, no previous study has externally validated two different case definitions of schizophrenia against a wide range of risk factors for schizophrenia. We investigated hazard ratios (HRs) for a wide range of risk factors for ICD-10 DCR schizophrenia using a nationwide Danish sample of 2,772,144 residents born in 1955-1997. We compared one contact only (OCO) (the case definition of schizophrenia used in Danish register based studies) with two or more contacts (TMC) (a case definition of at least 2 inpatient contacts with schizophrenia). During the follow-up, the OCO definition included 15,074 and the TMC 7562 cases; i.e. half as many. The TMC case definition appeared to select for a worse illness course. A wide range of risk factors were uniformly associated with both case definitions and only slightly higher risk estimates were found for the TMC definition. Choosing at least 2 inpatient contacts with schizophrenia (TMC) instead of the currently used case definition would result in almost similar risk estimates for many well-established risk factors. However, this would also introduce selection and include considerably fewer cases and reduce power of e.g. genetic studies based on register-diagnosed cases only. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. A Comparative Study of Feature Selection and Classification Methods for Gene Expression Data

    KAUST Repository

    Abusamra, Heba

    2013-05-01

    Microarray technology has enriched the study of gene expression in such a way that scientists are now able to measure the expression levels of thousands of genes in a single experiment. Microarray gene expression data gained great importance in recent years due to its role in disease diagnoses and prognoses which help to choose the appropriate treatment plan for patients. This technology has shifted a new era in molecular classification, interpreting gene expression data remains a difficult problem and an active research area due to their native nature of “high dimensional low sample size”. Such problems pose great challenges to existing classification methods. Thus, effective feature selection techniques are often needed in this case to aid to correctly classify different tumor types and consequently lead to a better understanding of genetic signatures as well as improve treatment strategies. This thesis aims on a comparative study of state-of-the-art feature selection methods, classification methods, and the combination of them, based on gene expression data. We compared the efficiency of three different classification methods including: support vector machines, k- nearest neighbor and random forest, and eight different feature selection methods, including: information gain, twoing rule, sum minority, max minority, gini index, sum of variances, t- statistics, and one-dimension support vector machine. Five-fold cross validation was used to evaluate the classification performance. Two publicly available gene expression data sets of glioma were used for this study. Different experiments have been applied to compare the performance of the classification methods with and without performing feature selection. Results revealed the important role of feature selection in classifying gene expression data. By performing feature selection, the classification accuracy can be significantly boosted by using a small number of genes. The relationship of features selected in

  6. Case Study Methodology: Flexibility, Rigour, and Ethical Considerations for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marion L. Pearson

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Individuals and teams engaging in the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL in multidisciplinary higher education settings must make decisions regarding choice of research methodology and methods. These decisions are guided by the research context and the goals of the inquiry. With reference to our own recent experiences investigating pedagogical and curricular practices in a pharmacy program, we outline case study methodology as one of the many options available for SoTL inquiry. Case study methodology has the benefits of flexibility in terms of the types of research questions that can be addressed and the data collection methods that can be employed. Conducted with proper attention to the context of the case(s selected, ethical treatment of participants, and data management, case studies also have the necessary rigour to be credible and generalizable. In the matter of generalization, however, we recommend that the readers of a case study draw their own conclusions about the applicability of the findings to other settings.

  7. Case studies in the retailer internationalization: a literature review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renata Maria de Almeida Bastos Gomes

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Research on retail internationalization (RI has undergone an intense development phase since the 1990s, dominated by quantitative research and based on the retail experience of large-scale retailers formats such as supermarkets. However, the internationalization of the retail sector has evolved into areas that existing models have not been able to explain, generating a demand for more thorough research. The result has been an increase of articles published since the early 2000s based on research of an exploratory and qualitative nature, such as case studies. In this article, main contributions are identified in RI arising from case studies resulting from the selection and analysis of 48 articles published in academic journals between 2000 and 2015. As a result, relevant findings on the steps of the RI process are presented, such as input modes for franchise, international divestment, and characteristics of the RI process of specific types of firms, such as fashion retailers and small- and medium-size retailers.

  8. The case for selection at CCR5-Delta32.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2005-11-01

    Full Text Available The C-C chemokine receptor 5, 32 base-pair deletion (CCR5-Delta32 allele confers strong resistance to infection by the AIDS virus HIV. Previous studies have suggested that CCR5-Delta32 arose within the past 1,000 y and rose to its present high frequency (5%-14% in Europe as a result of strong positive selection, perhaps by such selective agents as the bubonic plague or smallpox during the Middle Ages. This hypothesis was based on several lines of evidence, including the absence of the allele outside of Europe and long-range linkage disequilibrium at the locus. We reevaluated this evidence with the benefit of much denser genetic maps and extensive control data. We find that the pattern of genetic variation at CCR5-Delta32 does not stand out as exceptional relative to other loci across the genome. Moreover using newer genetic maps, we estimated that the CCR5-Delta32 allele is likely to have arisen more than 5,000 y ago. While such results can not rule out the possibility that some selection may have occurred at C-C chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5, they imply that the pattern of genetic variation seen atCCR5-Delta32 is consistent with neutral evolution. More broadly, the results have general implications for the design of future studies to detect the signs of positive selection in the human genome.

  9. The case for selection at CCR5-Delta32.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pardis C Sabeti

    2005-11-01

    Full Text Available The C-C chemokine receptor 5, 32 base-pair deletion (CCR5-Delta32 allele confers strong resistance to infection by the AIDS virus HIV. Previous studies have suggested that CCR5-Delta32 arose within the past 1,000 y and rose to its present high frequency (5%-14% in Europe as a result of strong positive selection, perhaps by such selective agents as the bubonic plague or smallpox during the Middle Ages. This hypothesis was based on several lines of evidence, including the absence of the allele outside of Europe and long-range linkage disequilibrium at the locus. We reevaluated this evidence with the benefit of much denser genetic maps and extensive control data. We find that the pattern of genetic variation at CCR5-Delta32 does not stand out as exceptional relative to other loci across the genome. Moreover using newer genetic maps, we estimated that the CCR5-Delta32 allele is likely to have arisen more than 5,000 y ago. While such results can not rule out the possibility that some selection may have occurred at C-C chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5, they imply that the pattern of genetic variation seen at CCR5-Delta32 is consistent with neutral evolution. More broadly, the results have general implications for the design of future studies to detect the signs of positive selection in the human genome.

  10. Risk Factors Profile of Shoulder Dystocia in Oman: A Case Control Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Khaduri, Maha M.; Abudraz, Rania Mohammed; Al-Farsi, Yahya M.

    2014-01-01

    Objective This study aimed to assess the risk factor profile of shoulder dystocia and associated neonatal complications in Oman, a developing Arab country. Methods A retrospective case-control study was conducted among 111 cases with dystocia and 111 controls, identified during 1994-2006 period in a tertiary care hospital in Oman. Controls were randomly selected among women who did not have dystocia, and were matched to cases on the day of delivery. Data related to potential risk factors, delivery, and obstetric complications were collected. Results Dystocia was significantly associated with older maternal age, higher parity, larger BMI, diabetes, and previous record of dystocia. In addition, dystocia was associated more with vacuum and forceps deliveries. Routine traction (51%) was the most used manoeuvre. Among dystocia cases, 13% were associated with fetal complications of which Erb’s Palsy was the most prevalent (79%). Conclusion Our finding of significant associations with risk factors lays out the ground to develop a predictability index for shoulder dystocia, which would help in making it preventable. Further p rospective studies are required to confirm the obtained results. PMID:25337307

  11. Risk Factors Profile of Shoulder Dystocia in Oman: A Case Control Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maha M. Al-Khaduri

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Objective: This study aimed to assess the risk factor profile of shoulder dystocia and associated neonatal complications in Oman, a developing Arab country. Methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted among 111 cases with dystocia and 111 controls, identified during 1994-2006 period in a tertiary care hospital in Oman. Controls were randomly selected among women who did not have dystocia, and were matched to cases on the day of delivery. Data related to potential risk factors, delivery, and obstetric complications were collected. Results: Dystocia was significantly associated with older maternal age, higher parity, larger BMI, diabetes, and previous record of dystocia. In addition, dystocia was associated more with vacuum and forceps deliveries. Routine traction (51% was the most used manoeuvre. Among dystocia cases, 13% were associated with fetal complications of which Erb’s Palsy was the most prevalent (79%. Conclusion: Our finding of significant associations with risk factors lays out the ground to develop a predictability index for shoulder dystocia, which would help in making it preventable. Further prospective studies are required to confirm the obtained results.

  12. Analysis and modeling of safety parameters in the selection of optimal routes for emergency evacuation after the earthquake (Case study: 13 Aban neighborhood of Tehran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sajad Ganjehi

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Introduction : Earthquakes are imminent threats to urban areas of Iran, especially Tehran. They can cause extensive destructions and lead to heavy casualties. One of the most important aspects of disaster management after earthquake is the rapid transfer of casualties to emergency shelters. To expedite emergency evacuation process the optimal safe path method should be considered. To examine the safety of road networks and to determine the most optimal route at pre-earthquake phase, a series of parameters should be taken into account.   Methods : In this study, we employed a multi-criteria decision-making approach to determine and evaluate the effective safety parameters for selection of optimal routes in emergency evacuation after an earthquake.   Results: The relationship between the parameters was analyzed and the effect of each parameter was listed. A process model was described and a case study was implemented in the 13th Aban neighborhood ( Tehran’s 20th municipal district . Then, an optimal path to safe places in an emergency evacuation after an earthquake in the 13th Aban neighborhood was selected.   Conclusion : Analytic hierarchy process (AHP, as the main model, was employed. Each parameter of the model was described. Also, the capabilities of GIS software such as layer coverage were used.     Keywords: Earthquake, emergency evacuation, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP, crisis management, optimization, 13th Aban neighborhood of Tehran

  13. A methodology for spatial data selection for statistical downscaling purposes. A case study of precipitation in southwestern Europe

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Woth, K. [GKSS-Forschungszentrum Geesthacht GmbH (Germany). Inst. fuer Kuestenforschung

    2001-07-01

    In this study, the sensitivity of the estimation of small-scale climate variables using the technique of statistical downscaling is investigated and one method to select the most suitable input data is presented. For the example of precipitation in southwest Europe, the input data are selected systematically by extracting those stations that show a strong statistical relation in time with North Atlantic sea level pressure (SLP). From these stations the sector of North Atlantic SLP is selected that best explains the dominant spatial pattern of regional precipitation. For comparison, one alternative, slightly different geographical box is used. For both sectors a statistical model for the estimation of future rainfall in the southwest of Europe is constructed. It is shown that the method of statistical downscaling is sensitive to small changes of the input data and that the estimations of future precipitation show remarkable differences for the two different Atlantic SLP sectors considered. Possible reasons are discussed. (orig.)

  14. Case Study: Mini-Case Studies: Small Infusions of Active Learning for Large-Lecture Courses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carloye, Lisa

    2017-01-01

    In this article, the author introduces the usage of case studies to be an excellent method for engaging students through stories. The author notes she developed a series of mini-case studies that can be implemented, with a little advance preparation, within a 10- to 15-minute window during lecture. What makes them "mini" case studies?…

  15. Performance Implications of Business Model Change: A Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jana Poláková

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper deals with changes in performance level introduced by the change of business model. The selected case is a small family business undergoing through substantial changes in reflection of structural changes of its markets. The authors used the concept of business model to describe value creation processes within the selected family business and by contrasting the differences between value creation processes before and after the change introduced they prove the role of business model as the performance differentiator. This is illustrated with the use of business model canvas constructed on the basis interviews, observations and document analysis. The two business model canvases allow for explanation of cause-and-effect relationships within the business leading to change in performance. The change in the performance is assessed by financial analysis of the business conducted over the period of 2006–2012 demonstrates changes in performance (comparing development of ROA, ROE and ROS having their lowest levels before the change of business model was introduced, growing after the introduction of the change, as well as the activity indicators with similar developments of the family business. The described case study contributes to the concept of business modeling with the arguments supporting its value as strategic tool facilitating decisions related to value creation within the business.

  16. Assessing the joint effect of population stratification and sample selection in studies of gene-gene (environment interactions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheng KF

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background It is well known that the presence of population stratification (PS may cause the usual test in case-control studies to produce spurious gene-disease associations. However, the impact of the PS and sample selection (SS is less known. In this paper, we provide a systematic study of the joint effect of PS and SS under a more general risk model containing genetic and environmental factors. We provide simulation results to show the magnitude of the bias and its impact on type I error rate of the usual chi-square test under a wide range of PS level and selection bias. Results The biases to the estimation of main and interaction effect are quantified and then their bounds derived. The estimated bounds can be used to compute conservative p-values for the association test. If the conservative p-value is smaller than the significance level, we can safely claim that the association test is significant regardless of the presence of PS or not, or if there is any selection bias. We also identify conditions for the null bias. The bias depends on the allele frequencies, exposure rates, gene-environment odds ratios and disease risks across subpopulations and the sampling of the cases and controls. Conclusion Our results show that the bias cannot be ignored even the case and control data were matched in ethnicity. A real example is given to illustrate application of the conservative p-value. These results are useful to the genetic association studies of main and interaction effects.

  17. BioFleet case studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2007-01-01

    These six case studies examined the use of different biodiesel blends as fuel supply sources for businesses in British Columbia (BC). In the first case study, 6 municipalities participated in a pilot program designed to compare the performance of biodiesel and diesel fuels. Each municipality operated 2 base vehicles running on conventional diesel along with 2 similar vehicles which used biodiesel. Real time emissions tests and analyses of the vehicles using biodiesel were also conducted by 2 of the participating municipalities. All municipalities participating in the study agreed to purchase significant volumes of biodiesel. The second case study described a pilot study conducted by the City of Vancouver's equipment services branch in 2004. As a result of the study, the city now has over 530 types of equipment that use biodiesel. The third case study described a program designed by TSI Terminals in Vancouver to assess the emission reduction impact of using biodiesel at its port facility. Six different pieces of equipment were used to confirm that biodiesel could be used throughout the terminal. Test results confirmed that biodiesel blends could be used to reduce emissions. Overall emissions were reduced by 30 per cent. The fourth case study described a waste renderer that used a fleet of 36 trucks to deliver raw products to its plants. The company made the decision to use only biodiesel for its entire fleet of trucks. Since July 2005, the company has logged over 1.7 million km using biodiesel blends. The fifth case study described a salmon hatchery that switched from diesel to biodiesel in order to reduce emissions. The biodiesel blends are used to fuel the hatchery's 2 diesel generators. The hatchery has reduced emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) by an estimated 1800 tonnes annually. The sixth case study described how the Township of Langley has started using biodiesel for its entire fleet of of approximately 250 pieces of equipment. The township has not

  18. Cost decreases in environmental technology. Evidence from four case studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oosterhuis, F. [Instituut for Environmental Studies, Vrije Universiteit VU, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

    2007-07-15

    The cost of a new technology tends to decrease as its uptake grows, and environmental technology is no exception to this general rule. Factors that can bring about such cost reductions include economies of scale, 'learning-by-doing', incremental technological improvements, and growing competition. In preparing environmental policies, the potential for future cost reductions is often disregarded. The present study aims to provide some additional empirical evidence on the cost decreases in environmental technology and the factors that lie behind them. To this end, four exemplary case studies have been selected. The first case (NOx emission abatement by Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR)), shows a wide variety in cost estimates, without a clear trend. This is even true for the costs of a fairly homogeneous type of investment (SCR in coal fired power plants). Nevertheless, it is clear that an important cost decrease has been achieved by prolonging the lifetime of the catalyst, which is one of the main cost components in SCR. In the second case (NH3 emission abatement by chemical air scrubbers in pig farming) there is not yet sufficient experience with the technology to draw conclusions on the development of costs. However, it is already clear that economizing on the capacity of the system can contribute to important cost savings. Three-way catalytic converters in cars have shown significant price decreases following their large scale introduction on the European market in the early 1990s. Probably economies of scale have played an important role in this case, as the size of the market made mass production possible. To some extent, cost reductions may also be attributed to improvements such as the need for less materials (e.g. platinum). Furthermore, the performance of catalytic converters has improved, implying that the cost per unit of emission reduction has decreased even more than the cost of the device itself. Market prices of Compact Fluorescent Lamps

  19. Nanomaterial Case Studies: Nanoscale Titanium Dioxide in Water Treatment and in Topical Sunscreen (Final)

    Science.gov (United States)

    EPA announced the availability of the final report, Nanomaterial Case Studies: Nanoscale Titanium Dioxide in Water Treatment and in Topical Sunscreen. This report is a starting point to determine what is known and what needs to be known about selected nanomaterials as par...

  20. Statistical study of autopsy cases in Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Hospital 1956-1975

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hamada, T; Ishida, S [H.ma Atomic Bomb Hospital (Japan); Matsushita, Hiroshi

    1976-03-01

    In order to study the differences in the incidence of a variety of disease (excluding tumors), between the cases exposed to the atomic bomb and those who were unexposed, main lesions were studied statistically by autopsy. The subjects were 1230 cases autopsied at the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Hospital or the Hiroshima Red-Cross Hospital. They were divided into 318 cases exposed at a short distance from the bombed area (within 2 km), and 420 cases exposed at a long distance from that area (more than 2 km), including those who had come to Hiroshima later. Four hundred twenty nine unexposed cases were selected as controls. The incidence of tumor, disturbance of circulation, disturbance of the blood vessels in the brain, blood disease, and respiratory disease was higher in the exposed cases than in the unexposed cases. The incidence of cirrhosis of the liver was higher in females than in males, and was lower in cases farther from the bombed area. Cardiac infarction, valvular disease, and endocarditis were more often seen in the cases exposed near the bombed area. The incidence of the blood vessels in the brain was highest in the exposed cases near the bombed area. The incidence of disturbance of circulation, and disturbance of the blood vessels in the brain had a tendency to be higher in the exposed cases than in the unexposed cases. This is considered to be due to the advanced age in the exposed cases.

  1. A new approach towards biomarker selection in estimation of human exposure to chiral chemicals: a case study of mephedrone.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castrignanò, Erika; Mardal, Marie; Rydevik, Axel; Miserez, Bram; Ramsey, John; Shine, Trevor; Pantoș, G Dan; Meyer, Markus R; Kasprzyk-Hordern, Barbara

    2017-11-02

    Wastewater-based epidemiology is an innovative approach to estimate public health status using biomarker analysis in wastewater. A new compound detected in wastewater can be a potential biomarker of an emerging trend in public health. However, it is currently difficult to select new biomarkers mainly due to limited human metabolism data. This manuscript presents a new framework, which enables the identification and selection of new biomarkers of human exposure to drugs with scarce or unknown human metabolism data. Mephedrone was targeted to elucidate the assessment of biomarkers for emerging drugs of abuse using a four-step analytical procedure. This framework consists of: (i) identification of possible metabolic biomarkers present in wastewater using an in-vivo study; (ii) verification of chiral signature of the target compound; (iii) confirmation of human metabolic residues in in-vivo/vitro studies and (iv) verification of stability of biomarkers in wastewater. Mephedrone was selected as a suitable biomarker due to its high stability profile in wastewater. Its enantiomeric profiling was studied for the first time in biological and environmental matrices, showing stereoselective metabolism of mephedrone in humans. Further biomarker candidates were also proposed for future investigation: 4'-carboxy-mephedrone, 4'-carboxy-normephedrone, 1-dihydro-mephedrone, 1-dihydro-normephedrone and 4'-hydroxy-normephedrone.

  2. Optimizing radiology peer review: a mathematical model for selecting future cases based on prior errors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheu, Yun Robert; Feder, Elie; Balsim, Igor; Levin, Victor F; Bleicher, Andrew G; Branstetter, Barton F

    2010-06-01

    Peer review is an essential process for physicians because it facilitates improved quality of patient care and continuing physician learning and improvement. However, peer review often is not well received by radiologists who note that it is time intensive, is subjective, and lacks a demonstrable impact on patient care. Current advances in peer review include the RADPEER() system, with its standardization of discrepancies and incorporation of the peer-review process into the PACS itself. The purpose of this study was to build on RADPEER and similar systems by using a mathematical model to optimally select the types of cases to be reviewed, for each radiologist undergoing review, on the basis of the past frequency of interpretive error, the likelihood of morbidity from an error, the financial cost of an error, and the time required for the reviewing radiologist to interpret the study. The investigators compiled 612,890 preliminary radiology reports authored by residents and attending radiologists at a large tertiary care medical center from 1999 to 2004. Discrepancies between preliminary and final interpretations were classified by severity and validated by repeat review of major discrepancies. A mathematical model was then used to calculate, for each author of a preliminary report, the combined morbidity and financial costs of expected errors across 3 modalities (MRI, CT, and conventional radiography) and 4 departmental divisions (neuroradiology, abdominal imaging, musculoskeletal imaging, and thoracic imaging). A customized report was generated for each on-call radiologist that determined the category (modality and body part) with the highest total cost function. A universal total cost based on probability data from all radiologists was also compiled. The use of mathematical models to guide case selection could optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of physician time spent on peer review and produce more concrete and meaningful feedback to radiologists

  3. Describing Case Study Method and Identifying the Factors that Contribute to the Successful Conduct of Case Studies

    OpenAIRE

    Ahmad H. Juma'h; Mustafa Cavus

    2001-01-01

    This article has attempted to describe case study, the limitations and critiques on case study methodology and how the proponents have responded to these. Our special focus have been on the debate on theory building from case study research, and a framework for conducting case study research as well as the factors for a successful case study research. The overall conclusion is that the case study has been inappropriately used to generate theories.

  4. Evaluating correlation between serum liver enzymes and toxocariasis: a case control study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hosein Miladi

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of toxocariasis in individuals with the normal and abnormal level of liver enzymes. Methods: In this case-control study, the serum samples were collected in the individuals referred to diagnostic laboratories of Arak in Iran. A total of 144 sera with abnormal level of liver enzymes were selected as cases and the same numbers of sera with the normal level of liver enzymes also were selected as controls. The sera were examined for anti-Toxocara IgG. Results: Twelve (4.2% sera contained anti-Toxocara antibody and all of them were in the case group. Although the mean of all liver enzymes was significantly different in the two groups (P < 0.05, statistical test showed no relationship between the level of liver enzymes and toxocariasis. Conclusions: It was concluded that the liver enzyme alteration is not the valid indicator for predicting toxocariasis. Because the kind of liver dysfunction, that is caused by the larvae of Toxocara, is unspecified, and it seems factors such as the number of larvae can play a basic role for the emergence of alterations.

  5. Cancer risk in long-term users of vitamin K antagonists: A population-based case-control study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pottegård, Anton; Friis, Søren; Hallas, Jesper

    2013-01-01

    performed for selected cancer sites, subgroups and measures of exposure. A total of 238,196 cases and 1,713,176 controls were included. The adjusted OR for cancer associated with long-term VKA exposure was 0.99 (95% CI: 0.95–1.02). Long-term VKA use was associated with increased ORs for alcohol- or obesity-related...... a matched case–control analysis. We used data from four Danish nationwide registers. Cases were all Danish individuals with a first-time cancer diagnosis (except nonmelanoma skin cancer) between 2000 and 2009. For each case, eight controls, matched by birth year and gender, were selected from the source...... cancer sites, whereas we observed a decreased risk of prostate cancer (OR: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.78–0.95). Our study does not support a general chemopreventive effect of VKA drugs. However, in accordance with findings from previous studies, we found an inverse association between use of VKA and prostate cancer....

  6. Selection bias in studies of human reproduction-longevity trade-offs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helle, Samuli

    2017-12-13

    A shorter lifespan as a potential cost of high reproductive effort in humans has intrigued researchers for more than a century. However, the results have been inconclusive so far and despite strong theoretical expectations we do not currently have compelling evidence for the longevity costs of reproduction. Using Monte Carlo simulation, it is shown here that a common practice in human reproduction-longevity studies using historical data (the most relevant data sources for this question), the omission of women who died prior to menopausal age from the analysis, results in severe underestimation of the potential underlying trade-off between reproduction and lifespan. In other words, assuming that such a trade-off is expressed also during reproductive years, the strength of the trade-off between reproduction and lifespan is progressively weakened when women dying during reproductive ages are sequentially and non-randomly excluded from the analysis. In cases of small sample sizes (e.g. few hundreds of observations), this selection bias by reducing statistical power may even partly explain the null results commonly found in this field. Future studies in this field should thus apply statistical approaches that account for or avoid selection bias in order to recover reliable effect size estimates between reproduction and longevity. © 2017 The Author(s).

  7. Combining epidemiology and biomechanics in sports injury prevention research: a new approach for selecting suitable controls.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finch, Caroline F; Ullah, Shahid; McIntosh, Andrew S

    2011-01-01

    Several important methodological issues need to be considered when designing sports injury case-control studies. Major design goals for case-control studies include the accounting for prior injury risk exposure, and optimal definitions of both cases and suitable controls are needed to ensure this. This article reviews methodological aspects of published sports injury case-control studies, particularly with regard to the selection of controls. It argues for a new approach towards selecting controls for case-control studies that draws on an interface between epidemiological and biomechanical concepts. A review was conducted to identify sport injury case-control studies published in the peer-review literature during 1985-2008. Overall, 32 articles were identified, of which the majority related to upper or lower extremity injuries. Matching considerations were used for control selection in 16 studies. Specific mention of application of biomechanical principles in the selection of appropriate controls was absent from all studies, including those purporting to evaluate the benefits of personal protective equipment to protect against impact injury. This is a problem because it could lead to biased conclusions, as cases and controls are not fully comparable in terms of similar biomechanical impact profiles relating to the injury incident, such as site of the impact on the body. The strength of the conclusions drawn from case-control studies, and the extent to which results can be generalized, is directly influenced by the definition and recruitment of cases and appropriate controls. Future studies should consider the interface between epidemiological and biomechanical concepts when choosing appropriate controls to ensure that proper adjustment of prior exposure to injury risk is made. To provide necessary guidance for the optimal selection of controls in case-control studies of interventions to prevent sports-related impact injury, this review outlines a new case

  8. The Image of the Country in Journalists’ Tweets – Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Banias Oksana

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This article attempts to assess the role of Twitter in international communication on the basis of intentionally selected part of reality. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the potential impact of messages, posted in the microblogging service by the internationally recognized journalist, on creating the image of Poland in the world. Case study was carried out on the example of Anne Applebaum’s Twitter account.

  9. Identification and selection of cases and controls in the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health project

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Deloria-Knoll, Maria; Feikin, Daniel R.; Scott, J. Anthony G.; O'Brien, Katherine L.; DeLuca, Andrea N.; Driscoll, Amanda J.; Levine, Orin S.; Black, Robert E.; Bhutta, Zulfiqar A.; Campbell, Harry; Cherian, Thomas; Crook, Derrick W.; de Jong, Menno D.; Dowell, Scott F.; Graham, Stephen M.; Klugman, Keith P.; Lanata, Claudio F.; Madhi, Shabir A.; Martin, Paul; Nataro, James P.; Piazza, Franco M.; Qazi, Shamim A.; Zar, Heather J.; Baggett, Henry C.; Brooks, W. Abdullah; Chipeta, James; Ebruke, Bernard; Endtz, Hubert P.; Groome, Michelle; Hammitt, Laura L.; Howie, Stephen R. C.; Kotloff, Karen; Maloney, Susan A.; Moore, David; Otieno, Juliet; Seidenberg, Phil; Tapia, Milagritos; Thamthitiwat, Somsak; Thea, Donald M.; Zaman, Khaleque

    2012-01-01

    Methods for the identification and selection of patients (cases) with severe or very severe pneumonia and controls for the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) project were needed. Issues considered include eligibility criteria and sampling strategies, whether to enroll hospital or

  10. Evaluation of effects of selected factors on inter-vertebral fusion-a simulation study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiaobo; Dumas, Geneviève A

    2005-04-01

    This study simulated the effects of inter-vertebral disc degeneration and bone density distribution on the structural stiffness and strength provided by inter-vertebral fusion. Based on the original and redistributed bone density distributions, the effects of selected factors, including contact area between device/graft and vertebral endplates, endplate conditions, and bone growth capacity were evaluated using a factorial design of experiment. The simulation results suggested that the degeneration of inter-vertebral disc significantly affected the bone density and density distribution in adjacent vertebrae. The mechanical strength immediately after instrumentation is the worst case of device/graft subsidence. After that procedure, bone will adapt itself to the changed loading conditions and therefore reduce the risk of subsidence. A deficiency in structural stiffness immediately after instrumentation could be the "worst-case scenario" depending on the combinations of selected factors. The simulation results demonstrated that the contact area and initial bone density distribution should be considered jointly while estimating the risk of device/graft subsidence. The endplate condition is a secondary factor on the subsidence risk, compared with the contact area and initial bone density distribution.

  11. The diagnosis and treatment of tubal pregnancy with selective salpingography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Qunying

    2000-01-01

    Objective: To study feasibility of diagnosing and treating tubal pregnancy with selective salpingography. methods: 13 women diagnosed clinically as ectopic pregnancy without abdominal bleeding were studied and confirmed as tubal pregnancy with selective salpingography, MTX was then injected through fallopian tube. Urine hCG, blood β-hCG and US were studied during follow-up. Results: 12 cases tubal pregnancy were confirmed as well as 1 case of intra-uterine pregnancy. X-ray showed a localized dilation of fallopian tube, half-loop, ring-like or irregular shaped filling defect. In one case, cluster of grapes appearance of contrast medium could be seen at the umbrella end of fallopian tube. Of the 12 cases of tubal pregnancy, 10 were successfully treated, the successful rate was 83%. Conclusion: Selective salpingography is a simple safe and effective method of diagnosing and treating tubal pregnancy

  12. Integrated ground-water monitoring strategy for NRC-licensed facilities and sites: Case study applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Price, V.; Temples, T.; Hodges, R.; Dai, Z.; Watkins, D.; Imrich, J.

    2007-01-01

    This document discusses results of applying the Integrated Ground-Water Monitoring Strategy (the Strategy) to actual waste sites using existing field characterization and monitoring data. The Strategy is a systematic approach to dealing with complex sites. Application of such a systematic approach will reduce uncertainty associated with site analysis, and therefore uncertainty associated with management decisions about a site. The Strategy can be used to guide the development of a ground-water monitoring program or to review an existing one. The sites selected for study fall within a wide range of geologic and climatic settings, waste compositions, and site design characteristics and represent realistic cases that might be encountered by the NRC. No one case study illustrates a comprehensive application of the Strategy using all available site data. Rather, within each case study we focus on certain aspects of the Strategy, to illustrate concepts that can be applied generically to all sites. The test sites selected include:Charleston, South Carolina, Naval Weapons Station,Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island, New York,The USGS Amargosa Desert Research Site in Nevada,Rocky Flats in Colorado,C-Area at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, andThe Hanford 300 Area.A Data Analysis section provides examples of detailed data analysis of monitoring data.

  13. Theory Testing Using Case Studies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Møller, Ann-Kristina Løkke; Dissing Sørensen, Pernille

    2014-01-01

    The appropriateness of case studies as a tool for theory testing is still a controversial issue, and discussions about the weaknesses of such research designs have previously taken precedence over those about its strengths. The purpose of the paper is to examine and revive the approach of theory...... testing using case studies, including the associated research goal, analysis, and generalisability. We argue that research designs for theory testing using case studies differ from theorybuilding case study research designs because different research projects serve different purposes and follow different...... research paths....

  14. Association between bullous pemphigoid and neurologic diseases: a case-control study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Casas-de-la-Asunción, E; Ruano-Ruiz, J; Rodríguez-Martín, A M; Vélez García-Nieto, A; Moreno-Giménez, J C

    2014-11-01

    In the past 10 years, bullous pemphigoid has been associated with other comorbidities and neurologic and psychiatric conditions in particular. Case series, small case-control studies, and large population-based studies in different Asian populations, mainland Europe, and the United Kingdom have confirmed this association. However, no data are available for the Spanish population. This was an observational, retrospective, case-control study with 1:2 matching. Fifty-four patients with bullous pemphigoid were selected. We compared the percentage of patients in each group with concurrent neurologic conditions, ischemic heart disease, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and solid tumors using univariate logistic regression. An association model was constructed with conditional multiple logistic regression. The case group had a significantly higher percentage of patients with cerebrovascular accident and/or transient ischemic attack (odds ratio [OR], 3.06; 95% CI, 1.19-7.87], dementia (OR, 5.52; 95% CI, 2.19-13.93), and Parkinson disease (OR, 5; 95% CI, 1.57-15.94). A significantly higher percentage of cases had neurologic conditions (OR, 6.34; 95% CI, 2.89-13.91). Dementia and Parkinson disease were independently associated with bullous pemphigoid in the multivariate analysis. Patients with bullous pemphigoid have a higher frequency of neurologic conditions. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and AEDV. All rights reserved.

  15. Theory testing using case studies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dissing Sørensen, Pernille; Løkke Nielsen, Ann-Kristina

    2006-01-01

    on the strengths of theory-testing case studies. We specify research paths associated with theory testing in case studies and present a coherent argument for the logic of theoretical development and refinement using case studies. We emphasize different uses of rival explanations and their implications for research...... design. Finally, we discuss the epistemological logic, i.e., the value to larger research programmes, of such studies and, following Lakatos, conclude that the value of theory-testing case studies lies beyond naïve falsification and in their contribution to developing research programmes in a progressive......Case studies may have different research goals. One such goal is the testing of small-scale and middle-range theories. Theory testing refers to the critical examination, observation, and evaluation of the 'why' and 'how' of a specified phenomenon in a particular setting. In this paper, we focus...

  16. Genomic selection prediction accuracy in a perennial crop: case study of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cros, David; Denis, Marie; Sánchez, Leopoldo; Cochard, Benoit; Flori, Albert; Durand-Gasselin, Tristan; Nouy, Bruno; Omoré, Alphonse; Pomiès, Virginie; Riou, Virginie; Suryana, Edyana; Bouvet, Jean-Marc

    2015-03-01

    Genomic selection empirically appeared valuable for reciprocal recurrent selection in oil palm as it could account for family effects and Mendelian sampling terms, despite small populations and low marker density. Genomic selection (GS) can increase the genetic gain in plants. In perennial crops, this is expected mainly through shortened breeding cycles and increased selection intensity, which requires sufficient GS accuracy in selection candidates, despite often small training populations. Our objective was to obtain the first empirical estimate of GS accuracy in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), the major world oil crop. We used two parental populations involved in conventional reciprocal recurrent selection (Deli and Group B) with 131 individuals each, genotyped with 265 SSR. We estimated within-population GS accuracies when predicting breeding values of non-progeny-tested individuals for eight yield traits. We used three methods to sample training sets and five statistical methods to estimate genomic breeding values. The results showed that GS could account for family effects and Mendelian sampling terms in Group B but only for family effects in Deli. Presumably, this difference between populations originated from their contrasting breeding history. The GS accuracy ranged from -0.41 to 0.94 and was positively correlated with the relationship between training and test sets. Training sets optimized with the so-called CDmean criterion gave the highest accuracies, ranging from 0.49 (pulp to fruit ratio in Group B) to 0.94 (fruit weight in Group B). The statistical methods did not affect the accuracy. Finally, Group B could be preselected for progeny tests by applying GS to key yield traits, therefore increasing the selection intensity. Our results should be valuable for breeding programs with small populations, long breeding cycles, or reduced effective size.

  17. Selected Trace Element Concentrations in Peat Used for Cosmetic Production – A Case Study from Southern Poland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Glina Bartłomiej

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the study was to assess the concentration of selected trace elements in organic soils used as a source to obtain a unique peat extract for cosmetics production. Peat material for laboratory analysis were collected from fen peatland located in the Prosna River Valley (Borek village. Studied peatland is managed by “Torf Corporation” company as a source of material to obtain peat extract for cosmetics production. In the collected soil samples (four soil profiles Zn, Cu and Pb concentrations were determined by using atomic absorption spectrometer SpectraAA 220 (Varian, after acid digestion. Obtained results showed that the highest concentrations of selected trace elements were recorded in the surface horizons of organic soils. This fact might be the results of Prosna river flooding or air deposition. Howevere, according to the new Polish regulations (Ordinance of the Minister for Environment 01.09.2016 - the way of conducting contamination assessment of the earth surface, the content of trace elements in the examined soils was greatly belowe the permissible limit for areas from group IV (mine lands. Thus, described soils are proper to obtain peat extract used as a component in cosmetic production.

  18. Association Between Zolpidem Use and Glaucoma Risk: A Taiwanese Population-Based Case-Control Study

    OpenAIRE

    Ho, Yi-Hao; Chang, Yue-Cune; Huang, Wei-Cheng; Chen, Hsin-Yi; Lin, Che-Chen; Sung, Fung-Chang

    2015-01-01

    Background To date, the relationship between zolpidem use and subsequent risk of glaucoma in a Taiwanese population has not been assessed. Methods We used data from the National Health Insurance system to investigate whether zolpidem use was related to glaucoma risk. A 1:4 matched case-control study was conducted. The cases were patients newly diagnosed with glaucoma from 2001 to 2010. The controls were randomly selected non-glaucoma subjects matched by sex and age (?5 years). Zolpidem exposu...

  19. Five Misunderstandings About Case-Study Research

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Flyvbjerg, Bent

    2006-01-01

    This article examines five common misunderstandings about case-study research: (a) theoretical knowledge is more valuable than practical knowledge; (b) one cannot generalize from a single case, therefore, the single-case study cannot contribute to scientific development; (c) the case study is most...... useful for generating hypotheses, whereas other methods are more suitable for hypotheses testing and theory building; (d) the case study contains a bias toward verification; and (e) it is often difficult to summarize specific case studies. This article explains and corrects these misunderstandings one...

  20. Selecting the most appropriate maintenance strategies using fuzzy Analytic Network Process: A case study of Saipa vehicle industry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mina Rahimi

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available It is necessary for companies and industries to select the most appropriate maintenance strategy to increase the reliability and safety level with reasonable cost. The primary objective of this paper is to assess different maintenance strategies and to select the best and the most appropriate alternatives for Saipa vehicle industry in Tehran, Iran. For this purpose, we simultaneously consider numerous conflicting objectives and constraints. In this study to counter with this conflicting and to consider the dependency among the qualitative and quantitative criteria and sub-criteria, an integration of Analytic Network Process (ANP and fuzzy set theory are considered. Therefore, factors playing important role in selecting the best maintenance strategy are determined by reviewing the research literature and interviewing with the experts by Delphi technique. Considering the relations among different factors, a network with 4 criteria and 28 sub-criteria are proposed. In the next step, ANP technique is applied for ranking effective factors in evolution of appropriate maintenance strategy. Results reveal that the best maintenance strategy for fixture body of pride (setter is corrective maintenance.

  1. Range Selection and Median

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Allan Grønlund; Larsen, Kasper Green

    2011-01-01

    and several natural special cases thereof. The rst special case is known as range median, which arises when k is xed to b(j 􀀀 i + 1)=2c. The second case, denoted prex selection, arises when i is xed to 0. Finally, we also consider the bounded rank prex selection problem and the xed rank range......Range selection is the problem of preprocessing an input array A of n unique integers, such that given a query (i; j; k), one can report the k'th smallest integer in the subarray A[i];A[i+1]; : : : ;A[j]. In this paper we consider static data structures in the word-RAM for range selection...... selection problem. In the former, data structures must support prex selection queries under the assumption that k for some value n given at construction time, while in the latter, data structures must support range selection queries where k is xed beforehand for all queries. We prove cell probe lower bounds...

  2. Organizational Buying Behavior of Selected Leather Footwear ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The purpose of this study is to assess the buying behavior of the Ethiopian leather footwear exporting companies in terms of supplier selection criteria, buying center, and factors affecting the purchasing process. In order to achieve the objective, a multiple case study approach is used in three case companies.

  3. A strategic approach to selecting policy mechanisms for addressing coal mine methane emissions: A case study on Kazakhstan

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roshchanka, Volha; Evans, Meredydd; Ruiz, Felicia; Kholod, Nazar

    2017-12-01

    Coal production globally is projected to grow in the foreseeable future. Countries with heavy reliance on coal could reduce methane and other emissions through the capture and utilization of coal mine methane (CMM) in the short and medium term, while they pursue structural and long-term economic changes. Several countries have successfully implemented policies to promote CMM capture and utilization; however, some countries still struggle to implement projects. This paper outlines key factors to consider in adapting policies for CMM mitigation. The authors propose an approach for selecting adequate mechanisms for stimulating CMM mitigation that involves reviewing global best practices and categorizing them functionally either as mechanisms needed to improve the underlying conditions or as CMM-specific policies. It is important to understand local policy frameworks and to consider whether it is more feasible to improve underlying policy conditions or to provide targeted incentives as an interim measure. Using Kazakhstan as a case study, the authors demonstrate how policymakers could assess the overall policy framework to find the most promising options to facilitate CMM projects. Kazakhstan’s emissions from underground coal mines have been increasing both in total and per tonne of coal production, while overall production has been declining. CMM mitigation presents an opportunity for the country to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in the near and medium term, while the government pursues sustainable development goals. Analysis shows that policymakers in Kazakhstan can leverage existing policies to stimulate utilization by extending feed-in tariffs to cover CMM and by developing working methodologies for companies to obtain emission reduction credits from CMM projects.

  4. Interval selection with machine-dependent intervals

    OpenAIRE

    Bohmova K.; Disser Y.; Mihalak M.; Widmayer P.

    2013-01-01

    We study an offline interval scheduling problem where every job has exactly one associated interval on every machine. To schedule a set of jobs, exactly one of the intervals associated with each job must be selected, and the intervals selected on the same machine must not intersect.We show that deciding whether all jobs can be scheduled is NP-complete already in various simple cases. In particular, by showing the NP-completeness for the case when all the intervals associated with the same job...

  5. Fuzzy-Set Case Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mikkelsen, Kim Sass

    2017-01-01

    Contemporary case studies rely on verbal arguments and set theory to build or evaluate theoretical claims. While existing procedures excel in the use of qualitative information (information about kind), they ignore quantitative information (information about degree) at central points of the analysis. Effectively, contemporary case studies rely on…

  6. Industrial Pollution in Ghana: Some Selected Case Studies of Industries in Tema

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taylor, Nora Priscilla Ama Kuma

    1999-09-01

    Waste waters from eight selected industries namely Tema Oil Refinery, Tuyee Manufacturing Industries, Cocoa Processing Company, Tema Lube Oil Company Limited, Pioneer Food Cannery Limited, Bridal Trust Paints Company Limited, Ghana Textiles Manufacturing Company and Ghana Textiles Printing Company Limited were sampled and subjected to various physico-chemical and trace metal analysis to determine levels of pollutants, using standard methods of WHO, AO AC and APHA. Generally, the ROD values were found to be high for all the industries. Some other parameter levels were significantly high enough for the individual industries to deserve attention. Generally, the results seem to suggest that these industries sited in Tema, are likely contributors to the high degree of pollution of the Chemu and Gao Lagoons which have been reported by various workers as being highly polluted. Consequent to the results obtained, an attempt was made to treat the wastewaters. Thus wastewaters of three of these major industries Ghana Textiles Manufacturing Company. Pioneer Food Cannery Company Limited and Tema Lube Oil Company Limited, representing the textile, food and petroleum-based industries in the Tema industrial area of Ghana were subjected to various physical and chemical treatments using mainly local materials, to try and reduce the levels of pollutants detected in the earlier investigations. Sedimentation, filtration using paper and sea-sand and adsorption using charcoals prepared from dried coconut husks and palm kernel husks as well as industrially prepared activated charcoal as adsorbents, were some of the physical methods used whilst chemical precipitation and oxidation-reduction were the chemical methods used to bring about the desired results. Six different naturally occurring soil samples from Ankaful, Ekon and Elmina in the Central Region, Asokwa in the Ashanti Region, Bokazo in the Western Region and Somanya in the Eastern Region were also used to obtain some levels of

  7. Is opium a real risk factor for esophageal cancer or just a methodological artifact? Hospital and neighborhood controls in case-control studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shakeri, Ramin; Kamangar, Farin; Nasrollahzadeh, Dariush; Nouraie, Mehdi; Khademi, Hooman; Etemadi, Arash; Islami, Farhad; Marjani, Hajiamin; Fahimi, Saman; Sepehr, Alireza; Rahmati, Atieh; Abnet, Christian C; Dawsey, Sanford M; Brennan, Paul; Boffetta, Paolo; Malekzadeh, Reza; Majdzadeh, Reza

    2012-01-01

    Control selection is a major challenge in epidemiologic case-control studies. The aim of our study was to evaluate using hospital versus neighborhood control groups in studying risk factors of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We compared the results of two different case-control studies of ESCC conducted in the same region by a single research group. Case definition and enrollment were the same in the two studies, but control selection differed. In the first study, we selected two age- and sex-matched controls from inpatient subjects in hospitals, while for the second we selected two age- and sex-matched controls from each subject's neighborhood of residence. We used the test of heterogeneity to compare the results of the two studies. We found no significant differences in exposure data for tobacco-related variables such as cigarette smoking, chewing Nass (a tobacco product) and hookah (water pipe) usage, but the frequency of opium usage was significantly different between hospital and neighborhood controls. Consequently, the inference drawn for the association between ESCC and tobacco use did not differ between the studies, but it did for opium use. In the study using neighborhood controls, opium use was associated with a significantly increased risk of ESCC (adjusted OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.17-2.68), while in the study using hospital controls, this was not the case (OR 1.09, 95% CI 0.63-1.87). Comparing the prevalence of opium consumption in the two control groups and a cohort enrolled from the same geographic area suggested that the neighborhood controls were more representative of the study base population for this exposure. Hospital and neighborhood controls did not lead us to the same conclusion for a major hypothesized risk factor for ESCC in this population. Our results show that control group selection is critical in drawing appropriate conclusions in observational studies.

  8. Investigation of the paired-gear method in selectivity studies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sistiaga, Manu; Herrmann, Bent; Larsen, R.B.

    2009-01-01

    was repeated throughout the eight cases in this investigation. When using the paired-gear method, the distribution of the estimated L50 and SR is wider; the distribution of the estimated split parameter has a higher variability than the true split; the estimated mean L50 and SR can be biased; the estimated...... recommend that the methodology used to obtain selectivity estimates using the paired-gear method be reviewed....

  9. Cell Phone Video Recording Feature as a Language Learning Tool: A Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gromik, Nicolas A.

    2012-01-01

    This paper reports on a case study conducted at a Japanese national university. Nine participants used the video recording feature on their cell phones to produce weekly video productions. The task required that participants produce one 30-second video on a teacher-selected topic. Observations revealed the process of video creation with a cell…

  10. Case Study: Guidelines for Producing Videos to Accompany Flipped Cases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prud'homme-Généreux, Annie; Schiller, Nancy A.; Wild, John H.; Herreid, Clyde Freeman

    2017-01-01

    Three years ago, the "National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science" (NCCSTS) was inspired to merge the case study and flipped classroom approaches. The resulting project aimed to create the materials required to teach a flipped course in introductory biology by assigning videos as homework and case studies in the classroom. Three…

  11. Fuzzy Logic Based Multi-Criteria Wind Turbine Selection Strategy—A Case Study of Qassim, Saudi Arabia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shafiqur Rehman

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available The emergence of wind energy as a potential alternative to traditional sources of fuel has prompted notable research in recent years. One primary factor contributing to efficient utilization of wind energy from a wind farm is the type of turbines used. However, selection of a specific wind turbine type is a difficult task due to several criteria involved in the selection process. Important criteria include turbine’s power rating, height of tower, energy output, rotor diameter, cut-in wind speed, and rated wind speed. The complexity of this selection process is further amplified by the presence of conflicts between the decision criteria. Therefore, a decision is desired that provides the best balance between all selection criteria. Considering the complexities involved in the decision-making process, this paper proposes a two-level decision turbine selection strategy based on fuzzy logic and multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM approach. More specifically, the fuzzy arithmetic mean operator is used in the decision process. The proposed approach is applied to wind data collected from the site of Qassim, Saudi Arabia. Results indicate that the proposed approach was effective in finding the optimal turbine from a set of 20 turbines of various capacities.

  12. Using the Multi-Criteria AHP for the Optimal Selection of Site Location and Wastewater Collection System The Case Study of Varzeghan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hassan talebi

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available This study investigates the use of multi-criteria decision making in waste management and selection of the site location and proper wastewater collection and processing system in Varzeqan Town. Moreover, the effect of the decision-making method employed on ranking the final alternatives will be evaluated. Different factors are involved in the selection of wastewater treatment construction sites. These factors, in turn, not only depend on the special location and time the decision is made but also have their own weights in the final decision. In this study, the environmental conditions in the study area are initially investigated to select one site from among five different alternatives proposed for the construction of the facility using the AHP method. Also, the AHP method is used to evaluate and select the suitable collection and treatment method from among the four non-conventional options including Septic Tank Effluent Gravity, Septic Tank Effluent Pressure, Vacuum Sewerage System, and Simplified Sewerage for this region based on the special geographical and geotechnical conditions. The results indicate that the barren lands between Varzeghan Town and Dizaj Safar Ali Village are the best site for constructing the treatment facility and that the simplified sewarge system is the best collection system for the region.

  13. Five misunderstandings about case study research

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Flyvbjerg, Bent

    2004-01-01

    This article examines five common misunderstandings about case-study research: (1) Theoretical knowledge is more valuable than practical knowledge; (2) One cannot generalize from a single case, therefore the single case study cannot contribute to scientific development; (3) The case study is most...... useful for generating hypotheses, while other methods aremore suitable for hypotheses testing and theory building; (4) The case study contains a bias toward verification; and (5) It is often difficult to summarize specific case studies. The article explains and corrects these misunderstandings one by one...... and concludes with the Kuhnian insight that a scientific discipline without a large number of thoroughly executed case studies is a discipline without systematic production of exemplars, and that a discipline without exemplars is an ineffective one. Social science may be strengthened by the execution of more...

  14. Risk factors for measles among adults in Tianjin, China: Who should be controls in a case-control study?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wagner, Abram L; Boulton, Matthew L; Gillespie, Brenda W; Zhang, Ying; Ding, Yaxing; Carlson, Bradley F; Luo, Xiaoyan; Montgomery, JoLynn P; Wang, Xiexiu

    2017-01-01

    Control groups in previous case-control studies of vaccine-preventable diseases have included people immune to disease. This study examines risk factors for measles acquisition among adults 20 to 49 years of age in Tianjin, China, and compares findings using measles IgG antibody-negative controls to all controls, both IgG-negative and IgG-positive. Measles cases were sampled from a disease registry, and controls were enrolled from community registries in Tianjin, China, 2011-2015. Through a best subsets selection procedure, we compared which variables were selected at different model sizes when using IgG-negative controls or all controls. We entered risk factors for measles in two separate logistic regression models: one with measles IgG-negative controls and the other with all controls. The study included 384 measles cases and 1,596 community controls (194 IgG-negative). Visiting a hospital was an important risk factor. For specialty hospitals, the odds ratio (OR) was 4.53 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.28, 16.03) using IgG-negative controls, and OR = 5.27 (95% CI: 2.73, 10.18) using all controls. Variables, such as age or length of time in Tianjin, were differentially selected depending on the control group. Individuals living in Tianjin ≤3 years had 2.87 (95% CI: 1.46, 5.66) times greater odds of measles case status compared to all controls, but this relationship was not apparent for IgG-negative controls. We recommend that case-control studies examining risk factors for infectious diseases, particularly in the context of transmission dynamics, consider antibody-negative controls as the gold standard.

  15. Network-based regularization for high dimensional SNP data in the case-control study of Type 2 diabetes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Jie; He, Tao; Li, Ye; Liu, Sai; Du, Yinhao; Jiang, Yu; Wu, Cen

    2017-05-16

    Over the past decades, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) has been steadily increasing around the world. Despite large efforts devoted to better understand the genetic basis of the disease, the identified susceptibility loci can only account for a small portion of the T2D heritability. Some of the existing approaches proposed for the high dimensional genetic data from the T2D case-control study are limited by analyzing a few number of SNPs at a time from a large pool of SNPs, by ignoring the correlations among SNPs and by adopting inefficient selection techniques. We propose a network constrained regularization method to select important SNPs by taking the linkage disequilibrium into account. To accomodate the case control study, an iteratively reweighted least square algorithm has been developed within the coordinate descent framework where optimization of the regularized logistic loss function is performed with respect to one parameter at a time and iteratively cycle through all the parameters until convergence. In this article, a novel approach is developed to identify important SNPs more effectively through incorporating the interconnections among them in the regularized selection. A coordinate descent based iteratively reweighed least squares (IRLS) algorithm has been proposed. Both the simulation study and the analysis of the Nurses's Health Study, a case-control study of type 2 diabetes data with high dimensional SNP measurements, demonstrate the advantage of the network based approach over the competing alternatives.

  16. Mutism as the presenting symptom: three case reports and selective review of literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aggarwal, Ashish; Sharma, Dinesh Dutt; Kumar, Ramesh; Sharma, Ravi C

    2010-01-01

    Mutism, defined as an inability or unwillingness to speak, resulting in an absence or marked paucity of verbal output, is a common clinical symptom seen in psychiatric as well as neurology outpatient department. It rarely presents as an isolated disability and often occurs in association with other disturbances in behavior, thought processes, affect, or level of consciousness. It is often a focus of clinical attention, both for the physician and the relatives. Mutism occurs in a number of conditions, both functional and organic, and a proper diagnosis is important for the management. We hereby present three cases, who presented with mutism as the presenting symptom and the differential diagnosis and management issues related to these cases are discussed. The authors also selectively reviewed the literature on mutism, including psychiatric, neurologic, toxic-metabolic, and drug-induced causes.

  17. A case-control study of childhood brain tumors and fathers' hobbies: a Children's Oncology Group study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosso, Andrea L; Hovinga, Mary E; Rorke-Adams, Lucy B; Spector, Logan G; Bunin, Greta R

    2008-12-01

    A comprehensive case-control study was conducted to evaluate parental risk factors for medulloblastoma (MB) and primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET). This analysis was conducted to evaluate associations between fathers' hobbies and risk of their children developing MB/PNET. The hobbies chosen for study were those with similar exposures as occupations associated with childhood cancers. Cases were 318 subjects under six years of age at diagnosis between 1991 and 1997 and registered with the Children's Cancer Group. An equal number of controls were selected through random digit dialing and individually matched to cases. In multivariate analyses, a significant association was seen for lawn care with pesticides [during pregnancy: odds ratio (OR) = 1.6, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.0, 2.5; after birth: OR = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.2, 2.8] and a weak association was seen for stripping paint [during pregnancy: OR = 1.4, 95% CI: 0.8, 2.6; after birth: OR = 1.4, 95% CI: 0.7, 2.6]. This study suggests that household exposures from hobbies, particularly pesticides, may increase risk of MB/PNET in children; previous research has been mostly limited to occupational exposures.

  18. Case Study: A Picture Worth a Thousand Words? Making a Case for Video Case Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pai, Aditi

    2014-01-01

    A picture, they say, is worth a thousand words. If a mere picture is worth a thousand words, how much more are "moving pictures" or videos worth? The author poses this not merely as a rhetorical question, but because she wishes to make a case for using videos in the traditional case study method. She recommends four main approaches of…

  19. Five misunderstandings about Case-study Research

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Flyvbjerg, Bent

    This article examines five common misunderstandings about case-study research: (1) Theoretical knowledge is more valuable than practical knowledge; (2) One cannot generalize from a single case, therefore the single case study cannot contribute to scientific development; (3) The case study is most...... useful for generating hypotheses, while other methods aremore suitable for hypotheses testing and theory building; (4) The case study contains a bias toward verification; and (5) It is often difficult to summarize specific case studies. The article explains and corrects these misunderstandings one by one...... and concludes with the Kuhnian insight that a scientific discipline without a large number of thoroughly executed case studies is a discipline without systematic production of exemplars, and that a discipline without  exemplars is an ineffective one. Social science may be strengthened by the execution of more...

  20. A statistical study of autopsy cases in Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Hospital 1956-1975

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamada, Tadao; Ishida, Sadamu; Matsushita, Hiroshi.

    1976-01-01

    In order to study the differences in the incidence of a variety of disease (excluding tumors), between the cases exposed to the atomic bomb and those who were unexposed, main lesions were studied statistically by autopsy. The subjects were 1230 cases autopsied at the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Hospital or the Hiroshima Red-Cross Hospital. They were divided into 318 cases exposed at a short distance from the bombed area (within 2 km), and 420 cases exposed at a long distance from that area (more than 2 km), including those who had come to Hiroshima later. Four hundred twenty nine unexposed cases were selected as controls. The incidence of tumor, disturbance of circulation, disturbance of the blood vessels in the brain, blood disease, and respiratory disease was higher in the exposed cases than in the unexposed cases. The incidence of cirrhosis of the liver was higher in females than in males, and was lower in cases farther from the bombed area. Cardiac infarction, valvular disease, and endocarditis were more often seen in the cases exposed near the bombed area. The incidence of the blood vessels in the brain was highest in the exposed cases near the bombed area. The incidence of disturbance of circulation, and disturbance of the blood vessels in the brain had a tendency to be higher in the exposed cases than in the unexposed cases. This is considered to be due to the advanced age in the exposed cases. (Serizawa, K.)

  1. Channels of social influence for decision making in restaurants: A case study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Romero-Charneco

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Consumers use the Internet to obtain information on tourism products and services. When evaluating the alternatives, they are faced with a large volume of information that makes their purchasing decision difficult. In this context, the generalized use of mobile instant messaging (MIM has led to the implementation of chatbots in these channels, to help to plan the purchase. This research explores restaurant selection through a WhatsApp mobile instant messaging (MIM chatbot. A study is made of the channels consulted by travellers on Web 2.0 as well as the search models and restaurant selection processes, and a case study is presented. The results allow the diagnosis of the main criteria of user behaviour in this type of conversational interface in the decision-making process related to gastronomic consumption.

  2. Financial Performance of Irrigation Associations: Selected Cases from Turkey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erol H. Cakmak

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available The objective of the study was to trace the performance of selected irrigation associations after the transfer of operation and maintenance (O&M activities from the state to the farmers. Four irrigation associations were selected according to the regional and cropping pattern diversity. The area of the selected associations made up slightly more than 5 percent of the total transferred area. The data for the different types of revenues and expenses of the associations were obtained from the annual reports of the associations to the State Hydraulic Works. Results suggest that irrigation associations are able to fulfill irrigation tasks to a large extent using enhanced equipment. Fee collection rates are at improved levels, despite delays in payments, mainly due to the mismatch of the financial and production calendars. Dominant cropping patterns for cotton lead to higher and increasing O&M expenditures compared to cereals. Although the transfers increased the adjustment ability of farmers to exogenous factors, the findings suggest that it is still too early to decide on the sustainability of the transfer program.

  3. Selection of population controls for a Salmonella case-control study in the UK using a market research panel and web-survey provides time and resource savings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mook, P; Kanagarajah, S; Maguire, H; Adak, G K; Dabrera, G; Waldram, A; Freeman, R; Charlett, A; Oliver, I

    2016-04-01

    Timely recruitment of population controls in infectious disease outbreak investigations is challenging. We evaluated the timeliness and cost of using a market research panel as a sampling frame for recruiting controls in a case-control study during an outbreak of Salmonella Mikawasima in the UK in 2013. We deployed a web-survey by email to targeted members of a market research panel (panel controls) in parallel to the outbreak control team interviewing randomly selected public health staff by telephone and completing paper-based questionnaires (staff controls). Recruitment and completion of exposure history web-surveys for panel controls (n = 123) took 14 h compared to 15 days for staff controls (n = 82). The average staff-time cost per questionnaire for staff controls was £13·13 compared to an invoiced cost of £3·60 per panel control. Differences in the distribution of some exposures existed between these control groups but case-control studies using each group found that illness was associated with consumption of chicken outside of the home and chicken from local butchers. Recruiting market research panel controls offers time and resource savings. More rapid investigations would enable more prompt implementation of control measures. We recommend that this method of recruiting controls is considered in future investigations and assessed further to better understand strengths and limitations.

  4. Selecting a Web Conferencing Solution. A Case Study for a Non-Profit Organization.

    OpenAIRE

    Botchkarev, Alexei

    2013-01-01

    Web conferencing has been acknowledged as a valuable organizational resource. Diverse geographically dispersed project teams gain benefits from real time online collaboration, e-learning and document sharing. Web conferencing tools have entered the mainstream of business applications and multiple vendors offer over 100 different types and systems. This presentation is showcasing an approach to defining business requirements and selecting a web conferencing tool for a local chapter of a non-pr...

  5. Tumors of the salivary gland in Mexicans. A retrospective study of 360 cases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mejía-Velázquez, C-P; Durán-Padilla, M-A; Gómez-Apo, E; Quezada-Rivera, D; Gaitán-Cepeda, L-A

    2012-03-01

    To establish distribution frequency and demographic characteristics of salivary gland tumours (SGT) in order to identify possible risk profiles. The present report constitutes an eight year retrospective study (January 2000-August 2007). The archives of the Clinical and Experimental Pathology Laboratory (Graduate and Research Division, Dental School, National Autonomous University of Mexico) as well as archives of the Surgical Pathology Service (General Hospital, Mexico City) were subject to revision in order to select all cases where SGT tumour diagnoses were emitted. Age and gender of patients as well as SGT topography were obtained from medical records. Selected cases were classified according to location of the lesion, histological lineage and biological behaviour. 360 cases of SGT were included, 227 (67%) cases were benign tumours, while 83 cases (23%) were malignant tumours. SGT were most frequent in women with ages ranging from their 3rd to 5th decades of life. 275 tumours were located in major salivary glands, 78.9% of them were identified in the parotid gland. The most frequent location of tumours arising from minor salivary glands (33 cases, 38%) was found in the palatine glands. Tumours of epithelial lineage were the predominant histological type. The most frequent benign tumours were pleomorphic adenomas (86.1%) and papillary cystadenoma lymphomatosum (7.3%). The most frequent malignant tumours were adenoid cystic carcinomas (25%) and mucoepidermoid carcinomas (23.6%). Salivary gland tumours in Mexican population appear principally in major salivary glands of women in their 3rd to 5th decade of life.

  6. A comparative study in disaster planning in selected countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahmode M

    2007-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: Assessment of different strategic in disaster planning in selected countries. According to the international report indicating that IRAN is among the seven countries most susceptible to disaster, experiencing 31 known disasters out of 40 in the world, occurrence of 1536 moderate to severe earthquake, during 1370-80 and 712 other disasters at the same period it seems necessary to design a disaster plan."nMethods: This research is a comparative-descriptive and case based study in which the researcher used random sampling process in selecting the statistical society from both developed and developing countries. In this goal oriented research the necessary information are extracted from valid global reports, articles and many questionnaires which were subjected to scientific analysis."nResults: Studying different countries (which includes: Canada, Japan, India, USA, Turkey, Pakistan and Iran shows that there is a direct relationship between the level of countries development and their success in disaster planning and management (including preventive measures and confrontation. In most of the studied countries, decentralized planning caused many professional planners participate in different levels of disaster management which ultimately led to development of efficient and realistic plans which in turn decreased the catastrophic effects of disasters dramatically. The results of the aforementioned countries showed that a balanced approach to disaster plan with investment in prophylactic area is very important."nConclusion: As our country uses a centralized strategy for disaster management which has proven its ineffectiveness, the researcher suggests that we should change our approach in disaster management and let our planners participate from all levels include: provincial, rural and etc. This will led to a reality based planning and using all potential capacities in disaster management. According to this study it will be possible to use

  7. Factor selection for service quality evaluation: a hospital case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ameryoun, Ahmad; Najafi, Seyedvahid; Nejati-Zarnaqi, Bayram; Khalilifar, Seyed Omid; Ajam, Mahdi; Ansarimoghadam, Ahmad

    2017-02-13

    Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a systematic approach to predict service quality dimension's influence on service quality using a novel analysis based on data envelopment and SERVQUAL. Design/methodology/approach To assess hospital service quality in Tehran, expectation and perception of those who received the services were evaluated using SERVQUAL. The hospital service quality dimensions were found by exploratory factor analysis (EFA). To compare customer expectation and perception, perceived service quality index (PSQI) was measured using a new method based on common weights. A novel sensitivity approach was used to test the service quality factor's impact on the PSQI. Findings A new service quality dimension named "trust in services" was found using EFA, which is not an original SERVQUAL factor. The approach was applied to assess the hospital's service quality. Since the PSQI value was 0.76 it showed that improvements are needed to meet customer expectations. The results showed the factor order that affect PSQI. "Trust in services" has the strongest influence on PSQI followed by "tangibles," "assurance," "empathy," and "responsiveness," respectively. Practical implications This work gives managers insight into service quality by following a systematic method; i.e., measuring perceived service quality from the customer viewpoint and service factors' impact on customer perception. Originality/value The procedure helps managers to select the required service quality dimensions which need improvement and predict their effects on customer perception.

  8. Theoretical pluralism in psychoanalytic case studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willemsen, Jochem; Cornelis, Shana; Geerardyn, Filip M; Desmet, Mattias; Meganck, Reitske; Inslegers, Ruth; Cauwe, Joachim M B D

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the scientific activity of different psychoanalytic schools of thought in terms of the content and production of case studies published on ISI Web of Knowledge. Between March 2013 and November 2013, we contacted all case study authors included in the online archive of psychoanalytic and psychodynamic case studies (www.singlecasearchive.com) to inquire about their psychoanalytic orientation during their work with the patient. The response rate for this study was 45%. It appears that the two oldest psychoanalytic schools, Object-relations psychoanalysis and Ego psychology or "Classical psychoanalysis" dominate the literature of published case studies. However, most authors stated that they feel attached to two or more psychoanalytic schools of thought. This confirms that the theoretical pluralism in psychoanalysis stretches to the field of single case studies. The single case studies of each psychoanalytic school are described separately in terms of methodology, patient, therapist, or treatment features. We conclude that published case studies features are fairly similar across different psychoanalytic schools. The results of this study are not representative of all psychoanalytic schools, as some do not publish their work in ISI ranked journals.

  9. Theoretical pluralism in psychoanalytic case studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willemsen, Jochem; Cornelis, Shana; Geerardyn, Filip M.; Desmet, Mattias; Meganck, Reitske; Inslegers, Ruth; Cauwe, Joachim M. B. D.

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study is to provide an overview of the scientific activity of different psychoanalytic schools of thought in terms of the content and production of case studies published on ISI Web of Knowledge. Between March 2013 and November 2013, we contacted all case study authors included in the online archive of psychoanalytic and psychodynamic case studies (www.singlecasearchive.com) to inquire about their psychoanalytic orientation during their work with the patient. The response rate for this study was 45%. It appears that the two oldest psychoanalytic schools, Object-relations psychoanalysis and Ego psychology or “Classical psychoanalysis” dominate the literature of published case studies. However, most authors stated that they feel attached to two or more psychoanalytic schools of thought. This confirms that the theoretical pluralism in psychoanalysis stretches to the field of single case studies. The single case studies of each psychoanalytic school are described separately in terms of methodology, patient, therapist, or treatment features. We conclude that published case studies features are fairly similar across different psychoanalytic schools. The results of this study are not representative of all psychoanalytic schools, as some do not publish their work in ISI ranked journals. PMID:26483725

  10. Review of human error analysis methodologies and case study for accident management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jung, Won Dae; Kim, Jae Whan; Lee, Yong Hee; Ha, Jae Joo

    1998-03-01

    In this research, we tried to establish the requirements for the development of a new human error analysis method. To achieve this goal, we performed a case study as following steps; 1. review of the existing HEA methods 2. selection of those methods which are considered to be appropriate for the analysis of operator's tasks in NPPs 3. choice of tasks for the application, selected for the case study: HRMS (Human reliability management system), PHECA (Potential Human Error Cause Analysis), CREAM (Cognitive Reliability and Error Analysis Method). And, as the tasks for the application, 'bleed and feed operation' and 'decision-making for the reactor cavity flooding' tasks are chosen. We measured the applicability of the selected methods to the NPP tasks, and evaluated the advantages and disadvantages between each method. The three methods are turned out to be applicable for the prediction of human error. We concluded that both of CREAM and HRMS are equipped with enough applicability for the NPP tasks, however, compared two methods. CREAM is thought to be more appropriate than HRMS from the viewpoint of overall requirements. The requirements for the new HEA method obtained from the study can be summarized as follows; firstly, it should deal with cognitive error analysis, secondly, it should have adequate classification system for the NPP tasks, thirdly, the description on the error causes and error mechanisms should be explicit, fourthly, it should maintain the consistency of the result by minimizing the ambiguity in each step of analysis procedure, fifty, it should be done with acceptable human resources. (author). 25 refs., 30 tabs., 4 figs

  11. Design of a PLC control program for a batch plant : VHS case study 1

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mader, A.H.; Brinksma, E.; Wupper, H.; Bauer, N.

    2001-01-01

    This article reports on the systematic design and validation of a PLC control program for the batch plant that has been selected as a case study for the EC project on Verification of Hybrid Systems (VHS). We show how a correct design of the control program can be obtained in an incremental manner

  12. Design of a PLC Control Program for a Batch Plant - VHS Case Study 1

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mader, Angelika H.; Brinksma, Hendrik; Wupper, H.; Bauer, N.

    2001-01-01

    This article reports on the systematic design and validation of a PLC control program for the batch plant that has been selected as a case study for the EC project on Verification of Hybrid Systems (VHS). We show how a correct design of the control program can be obtained in an incremental manner

  13. Exposure to selected fragrance materials. A case study of fragrance-mix-positive eczema patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johansen, J D; Rastogi, Suresh Chandra; Menné, T

    1996-01-01

    . In all cases, the use of these cosmetics completely or partly explained present or past episodes of eczema. Between 1 to 6 constituents of the fragrance mix were found in 22 out of 23 products. The cosmetics of all the patients sensitive to hydroxycitronellal, eugenol, cinnamic alcohol and alpha......The aim of the present study was to assess exposure to constituents of the fragrance mix from cosmetic products used by fragrance-mix-positive eczema patients. 23 products, which had either given a positive patch and/or use test in a total of 11 fragrance-mix-positive patients, were analyzed....... It is concluded that exposure to constituents of the fragrance mix is common in fragrance-allergic patients with cosmetic eczema, and that the fragrance mix is a good reflection of actual exposure....

  14. Selective Mutism in Elementary School: Multidisciplinary Interventions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giddan, Jane J.; And Others

    1997-01-01

    Presents the symptoms of selective mutism and historical background for treatment. It provides a case study which illustrates successful multidisciplinary treatment outcomes for a child who was selectively mute. Issues relevant to speech-language pathologists working with elementary school children are discussed and treatment guidelines provided.…

  15. An Integrated Approach to Mitigation Wetland Site Selection: A Case Study in Gwacheon, Korea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Junga Lee

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents an integrated approach to mitigation wetland site selection using functional landscape connectivity and landscape structure. This approach enables landscape designers to evaluate the relative priorities of mitigation wetland areas based on functional landscape connectivity and wildlife mobility, as well as landscape structure, composition, and configuration. The least-cost path method is used to evaluate candidate sites for mitigation wetlands with regard to wildlife movement. A set of assessments for landscape indices using FRAGSTATS was applied to identify suitable mitigation wetland areas on the basis of landscape connectivity, composition, and configuration. The study was conducted in Gwacheon, Korea, where there are plans for regional development that will change the landscape. In the first step, a group of 14 candidate sites is identified via analysis of functional landscape connectivity using the least-cost path method. In the second step, candidate mitigation wetland areas are ranked according to landscape connectivity and composition. The five mitigation wetland areas that were found to be suitable were analyzed based on landscape configuration at the class level. This study demonstrates that functional landscape connectivity and landscape structure are important aspects to consider when identifying suitable sites for mitigation wetland planning and restoration.

  16. The selective angiographic diagnosis and endovascular embolization treatment of severe epistaxis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Xiquan; Lu Yonghong; Sun Jinghua; Guo Deqiang; Li Yuzhen; Wei Aihua

    2002-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate selective angiographic diagnosis and embolization of severe epistaxis in 57 cases. Methods: 41 cases with spontaneous haemorrhage, 11 cases with traumatic haemorrhage, 3 cases with haemorrhage of nasopharyngeal fibroangioma, and 2 case with haemorrhage of nasopharyngeal carcinoma were included in the study. Selective angiographic diagnosis and embolization of epistaxis were performed with absorbable gelatin sponge or balloon or spring coil by using Seldinger's method. Results: 59 procedure of angiographic diagnosis and embolization were performed in 57 cases. Both maxillaris internal artery embolization was performed in 6 cases. After embolization, satisfactory results were achieved immediately in 55 cases. After 6 months to 2 years' follow-up, no haemorrhage recurred. In 4 cases with traumatic haemorrhage in the face, simple maxillaris internal artery embolization was performed in 2 cases. Conclusion: Selective angiographic diagnosis and embolization are safe, effective, and successful method of choices in the treatment of severe epistaxis

  17. Evolutionary dynamics of molecular markers during local adaptation: a case study in Drosophila subobscura

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matos Margarida

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Here we present a correction to our article "Evolutionary dynamics of molecular markers during local adaptation: a case study in Drosophila subobscura". We have recently detected an error concerning the application of the Ln RH formula – a test to detect positive selection – to our microsatellite data. Here we provide the corrected data and discuss its implications for our overall findings. The corrections presented here have produced some changes relative to our previous results, namely in a locus (dsub14 that presents indications of being affected by positive selection. In general, our populations present less consistent indications of positive selection for this particular locus in both periods studied – between generations 3 and 14 and between generation 14 and 40 of laboratory adaptation. Despite this, the main findings of our study regarding the possibility of positive selection acting on that particular microsatellite still hold. As previously concluded in our article, further studies should be performed on this specific microsatellite locus (and neighboring areas to elucidate in greater detail the evolutionary forces acting on this specific region of the O chromosome of Drosophila subobscura.

  18. Bioremediation case studies: Abstracts. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Devine, K.

    1992-03-01

    The report contains abstracts of 132 case studies of bioremediation technology applied to hazardous waste clean-up. It was prepared to compile bioremediation studies in a variety of locations and treating diverse contaminants, most of which were previously undocumented. All data are based on vendor-supplied information and there was no opportunity to independently confirm its accuracy. These 132 case studies, from 10 different biotechnology companies, provide users with reference information about on-going and/or completed field applications and studies. About two-thirds of the cases were at full-scale clean-up level with the remainder at pilot or laboratory scale. In 74 percent of the cases, soil was at least one of the media treated. Soil alone accounts for 46 percent of the cases. Petroleum-related wastes account for the largest contaminant with 82 cases. Thirty-one states are represented in the case studies

  19. 451 Case studies Cardiac

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Marinda

    Case Studies. 29 ... A case of a 26-year-old ASA I physical status male undergoing septoplasty had an abrupt ... myocardial infarction, severe hypertensive crisis, cerebral .... or no formal management is required in an ASA I patient.8 One.

  20. The roles and needs of community health workers in developing countries: an exploratory case study in South Africa

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Khalala, G

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available counseling and testing. Community Health Workers play a significant role in primary health care provision to vulnerable communities[5][6]. Although the importance of Community Health Workers in the provision of primary health care to rural... slightly urbanized (Soweto). In terms of data collection, group interviews and questionnaires were used as data collection tools. 1) Selection of case studies Case study was chosen as an appropriate approach as this study sought to explore...

  1. [Rectal mucosal prolapse syndrome: study of cases. Hospital Daniel A Carrion, Lima, Peru, 2010-2013].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arévalo Suarez, Fernando; Cárdenas Vela, Irene; Rodríguez Rodríguez, Kriss; Pérez Narrea, María Teresa; Rodríguez Vargas, Omar; Montes Teves, Pedro; Monge Salgado, Eduardo

    2014-04-01

    to describe the clinical, endoscopic, and histological characteristics of rectal mucosal prolapse syndrome, formerly known as Solitary rectal ulcer, in patients from a general hospital. All patient diagnosed as rectal mucosal prolapse syndrome during 2010-2013 was selected; the medical history war reviewed and the histological slides were reevaluated by two pathologists. 17 cases of rectal mucosal prolapse syndrome were selected, the majority were males under 50 years, the most common clinical findings were rectal bleeding (82%) and constipation (65%), the endocopic findings were heterogeneous,: erythema (41%), ulcers (35%) and elevated lesions (29%). All cases presented fibromuscularhyperplasia in lamina propia and crypt distortion in the microscopic evaluation. In our study of rectal mucosal prolapse syndrome. The most common clinical findings were rectal bleeding and constipation. Erythematous mucosa was the most common endoscopic finding.

  2. Modeling of environmentally significant interfaces: Two case studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Williford, R.E.

    2006-01-01

    When some parameters cannot be easily measured experimentally, mathematical models can often be used to deconvolute or interpret data collected on complex systems, such as those characteristic of many environmental problems. These models can help quantify the contributions of various physical or chemical phenomena that contribute to the overall behavior, thereby enabling the scientist to control and manipulate these phenomena, and thus to optimize the performance of the material or device. In the first case study presented here, a model is used to test the hypothesis that oxygen interactions with hydrogen on the catalyst particles of solid oxide fuel cell anodes can sometimes occur a finite distance away from the triple phase boundary (TPB), so that such reactions are not restricted to the TPB as normally assumed. The model may help explain a discrepancy between the observed structure of SOFCs and their performance. The second case study develops a simple physical model that allows engineers to design and control the sizes and shapes of mesopores in silica thin films. Such pore design can be useful for enhancing the selectivity and reactivity of environmental sensors and catalysts. This paper demonstrates the mutually beneficial interactions between experiment and modeling in the solution of a wide range of problems

  3. Determinants in the development of advanced nursing practice: a case study of primary-care settings in Hong Kong.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Twinn, Sheila; Thompson, David R; Lopez, Violeta; Lee, Diana T F; Shiu, Ann T Y

    2005-01-01

    Different factors have been shown to influence the development of models of advanced nursing practice (ANP) in primary-care settings. Although ANP is being developed in hospitals in Hong Kong, China, it remains undeveloped in primary care and little is known about the factors determining the development of such a model. The aims of the present study were to investigate the contribution of different models of nursing practice to the care provided in primary-care settings in Hong Kong, and to examine the determinants influencing the development of a model of ANP in such settings. A multiple case study design was selected using both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. Sampling methods reflected the population groups and stage of the case study. Sampling included a total population of 41 nurses from whom a secondary volunteer sample was drawn for face-to-face interviews. In each case study, a convenience sample of 70 patients were recruited, from whom 10 were selected purposively for a semi-structured telephone interview. An opportunistic sample of healthcare professionals was also selected. The within-case and cross-case analysis demonstrated four major determinants influencing the development of ANP: (1) current models of nursing practice; (2) the use of skills mix; (3) the perceived contribution of ANP to patient care; and (4) patients' expectations of care. The level of autonomy of individual nurses was considered particularly important. These determinants were used to develop a model of ANP for a primary-care setting. In conclusion, although the findings highlight the complexity determining the development and implementation of ANP in primary care, the proposed model suggests that definitions of advanced practice are appropriate to a range of practice models and cultural settings. However, the findings highlight the importance of assessing the effectiveness of such models in terms of cost and long-term patient outcomes.

  4. MARKETING MIX POLICIES IN FMCG CASE-STUDY: THE ADVERTISING STRATEGY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ANA MARIA BOBEICA

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper explores the relationships between selected marketing mix elements in the area of FMCG. It discusses the nature and sometimes negative consequences of the dominating marketing paradigm of today, marketing mix management, and furthermore discusses how modern research into, for example in the case of FMCG Companies, the marketing policies as well as customer relationship tactics shows that another approach to marketing is required. It proposes a conceptual framework in which marketing elements are related to the dimensions of brand equity and brand awareness. It also presents a case study deriving from advertising strategies of FMCG Companies showing that the change in advertising spending is related to changes in market share, changes in product plans and changes in the number of competitors modified by the number of customers, their concentration and the size of the advertising budget.

  5. Model Design for Personnel Selection with Data Mining Approach (Case Study: A Commerce Bank of Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adel Azar

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available The success or failure of an organization has a direct relationship with how its human resources are employed and retained. It is the case that organizations keep large amounts of information and data on entrance evaluations and processes. This information, however, is often left unutilized. Data mining is considered a solution for analyzing these data. This paper is investigating educated and objective methods of data analysis. It follows statistical rules, data mining techniques, and the relationship between entrance evaluation scores and personal and professional variables. These factors are studied in order to determine the assignment and rank of potential employees. The database and personnel information of the a Commerce Bank of Iran (in years of 2005 and 2006 is studied and analyzed as a case study in order to identify the labor factors which are considered effective in job performance. The data mining technique that is used in this project serves as the decision-tree. Rules Derivation has been accomplished by the QUEST, CHAID, C5.0 and CART algorithms. The objective and the appropriate algorithms are determined based on seemingly “irrelevant” components, which the Commerce Bank Human Resources management experts described. Results indicated not taking into account the “performance assessment” variable as the objective. Also this project has identified the following from 26 variables have been investigated, five variables as the effective factors in employee promotion: examination score, interview score, degree, years of experience, and job location. The paper's results led in knowledge that can be practical.

  6. Case Report: Evaluation strategies and cognitive intervention: the case of a monovular twin child affected by selective mutism [version 1; referees: 2 approved

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Micaela Capobianco

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The present work describes the assessment process, evaluation strategies, and cognitive intervention on a 9 years old child with selective mutism (SM, a monovular twin of a child also affected by mutism. Currently, the cognitive behavioral multimodal treatment seems the most effective therapeutic approach for children diagnosed with selective mutism (Capobianco & Cerniglia, 2018. The illustrated case confirms the role of biological factors involved in mutacic disorder but also highlights the importance of environmental influences in the maintenance of the disorder with respect to relational and contextual dynamics (e.g. complicity between sisters, family relationships. The article discusses furthermore the importance of an early diagnosis as a predictor of positive treatment outcomes.

  7. The Application of Fuzzy Analytical Network Process (FANP Approach for Appropriate Location Selection of Health Centers: case study in ramsar cite

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dariush Mohammadi Zanjirani

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Background: Appropriate location selection for health Services unites is a Strategic decision which is based on gathering information and also exact analysis of related alternatives. It's clear that result of this decision is really important and will led to long time improvement in all dimensions including economic, social, and etc. Otherwise, the most studies of location have done in background manufacturing rather than service area and there are just few articles which have focused in field of healthcare. This study attempted to solve this stock of researches. Methods: By using an almost comprehensive literatures review, objective and subjective criteria are identified. After finalizing criteria's, Are used from decision-makers’ assessments for collection data. Fuzzy Analytical Network Process is used for analyzing the data. Results: The finding indicates that the criteria's of proposed model are high validity and reliability for appropriate location selection of Health Centers. Conclusion: The analyzing of data indicates that lamtar locate is selected appropriate location.

  8. Determinants of malaria program expenditures during elimination: case study evidence from select provinces in the Philippines.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jenny X Liu

    Full Text Available ...Even though eliminating malaria from the endemic margins is a part of the Global Malaria Action Plan, little guidance exists on what resources are needed to transition from controlling malaria to eliminating it. Using Philippines as an example, this study aimed to (1 estimate the financial resources used by sub-national malaria programs in different phases during elimination and (2 understand how different environmental and organizational factors may influence expenditure levels and spending proportions. The Philippines provides an opportunity to study variations in sub-national programs because its epidemiological and ecological diversity, devolved health system, and progressive elimination strategy all allow greater flexibility for lower-level governments to direct activities, but also create challenges for coordination and resource mobilization. Through key informant interviews and archival record retrieval in four selected provinces chosen based on eco-epidemiological variation, expenditures associated with provincial malaria programs were collected for selected years (mid-1990s to 2010. Results show that expenditures per person at risk per year decrease as programs progress from a state of controlled low-endemic malaria to elimination to prevention of reintroduction regardless of whether elimination was deliberately planned. However, wide variation across provinces were found: expenditures were generally higher if mainly financed with donor grants, but were moderated by the level of economic development, the level of malaria transmission and receptivity, and the capacity of program staff. Across all provinces, strong leadership appears to be a necessary condition for maintaining progress and is vital in controlling outbreaks. While sampled provinces and years may not be representative of other sub-national malaria programs, these findings suggest that the marginal yearly cost declines with each phase during elimination.

  9. Determinants of malaria program expenditures during elimination: case study evidence from select provinces in the Philippines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jenny X; Newby, Gretchen; Brackery, Aprielle; Smith Gueye, Cara; Candari, Christine J; Escubil, Luz R; Vestergaard, Lasse S; Baquilod, Mario

    2013-01-01

    ...Even though eliminating malaria from the endemic margins is a part of the Global Malaria Action Plan, little guidance exists on what resources are needed to transition from controlling malaria to eliminating it. Using Philippines as an example, this study aimed to (1) estimate the financial resources used by sub-national malaria programs in different phases during elimination and (2) understand how different environmental and organizational factors may influence expenditure levels and spending proportions. The Philippines provides an opportunity to study variations in sub-national programs because its epidemiological and ecological diversity, devolved health system, and progressive elimination strategy all allow greater flexibility for lower-level governments to direct activities, but also create challenges for coordination and resource mobilization. Through key informant interviews and archival record retrieval in four selected provinces chosen based on eco-epidemiological variation, expenditures associated with provincial malaria programs were collected for selected years (mid-1990s to 2010). Results show that expenditures per person at risk per year decrease as programs progress from a state of controlled low-endemic malaria to elimination to prevention of reintroduction regardless of whether elimination was deliberately planned. However, wide variation across provinces were found: expenditures were generally higher if mainly financed with donor grants, but were moderated by the level of economic development, the level of malaria transmission and receptivity, and the capacity of program staff. Across all provinces, strong leadership appears to be a necessary condition for maintaining progress and is vital in controlling outbreaks. While sampled provinces and years may not be representative of other sub-national malaria programs, these findings suggest that the marginal yearly cost declines with each phase during elimination.

  10. His Trail of Silence: A Case Study in Reaching a Child Who Refused To Speak.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Antwerp, Kathleen

    1999-01-01

    Discusses selective mutism, a childhood disorder characterized by persistent failure to speak in specific social situations. Details a case study of one boy from kindergarten until treatment was received in 8th grade. Discusses techniques used in the communication process between the boy and his counselor. (Author/JDM)

  11. The contribution of single case studies to the neuroscience of vision.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zihl, Josef; Heywood, Charles A

    2016-03-01

    Visual neuroscience is concerned with the neurobiological foundations of visual perception, that is, the morphological, physiological, and functional organization of the visual brain and its co-operative partners. One important approach for understanding the functional organization of the visual brain is the study of visual perception from the pathological perspective. The study of patients with focal injury to the visual brain allows conclusions about the representation of visual perceptual functions in the framework of association and dissociation of functions. Selective disorders have been reported for more "elementary" visual capabilities, for example, color and movement vision, but also for visuo-cognitive capacities, such as visual agnosia or the visual field of attention. Because these visual disorders occur rather seldom as selective and specific dysfunctions, single cases have always played, and still play, a significant role in gaining insights into the functional organization of the visual brain. © 2016 The Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  12. CASE STUDY

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2011-06-02

    Jun 2, 2011 ... immunosuppression associated with HIV/AIDS puts them at a higher risk of developing oesophageal cancer. 47. CASE STUDY. A 49-year-old man was diagnosed as HIV infected, with a CD4 count of 60 cells/µl. He was started on an antiretroviral treatment regimen comprising zidovudine, lamivudine and ...

  13. Casing study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roche, P.

    2000-12-01

    An unorthodox method of casing drilling used by Tesco Corporation at a gas well in Wyoming to drill deeper using casings as drillpipe is discussed. The process involves either rotating the casing as drill string or using a downhole mud motor to rotate the bit. In this instance, the surface hole and the production hole were casing-drilled to a record 8,312 feet by rotating the casing. The 8 1/2-inch surface hole was drilled with 7-inch casing to 1,200 feet using a Tesco underreamer and a polycrystalline pilot bit; drilling and cementing was completed in 12 1/2 hours. The 6 1/4-inch production hole was drilled with 4 1/2-inch casing and the bottomhole assembly was retrieved after 191 hours rotating. This case was the first in which the entire well was casing-drilled from surface to TD. Penetration rate compared favorably with conventional methods: 12 1/2 hours for casing-drilling to 18.9 hours for conventional drilling, despite the fact that the casing-drilling technology is still in its infancy. It is suggested that casing-drilling has the potential to eliminate the need for the drillpipe entirely. If these expectations were to be realised, casing-drilling could be one of the most radical drilling changes in the history of the oil and gas industry. 1 photo.

  14. Goiania incident case study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Petterson, J.S.

    1988-06-01

    The reasons for wanting to document this case study and present the findings are simple. According to USDOE technical risk assessments (and our own initial work on the Hanford socioeconomic study), the likelihood of a major accident involving exposure to radioactive materials in the process of site characterization, construction, operation, and closure of a high-level waste repository is extremely remote. Most would agree, however, that there is a relatively high probability that a minor accident involving radiological contamination will occur sometime during the lifetime of the repository -- for example, during transport, at an MRS site or at the permanent site itself during repacking and deposition. Thus, one of the major concerns of the Yucca Mountain Socioeconomic Study is the potential impact of a relatively minor radiation-related accident. A large number of potential impact of a relatively minor radiation-related accident. A large number of potential accident scenarios have been under consideration (such as a transportation or other surface accident which results in a significant decline in tourism, the number of conventions, or the selection of Nevada as a retirement residence). The results of the work in Goiania make it clear, however, that such a significant shift in established social patterns and trends is not likely to occur as a direct outcome of a single nuclear-related accident (even, perhaps, a relatively major one), but rather, are likely to occur as a result of the enduring social interpretations of such an accident -- that is, as a result of the process of understanding, communicating, and socially sustaining a particular set of associations with respect to the initial incident

  15. Performance of the colorectal cancer screening marker Sept9 is influenced by age, diabetes and arthritis: a nested case-control study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ørntoft, Mai-Britt Worm; Nielsen, Hans Jørgen; Ørntoft, Torben Falck

    2015-01-01

    Using a retrospective nested case–control study design, we studied plasma from 150 cancer and 150 controls selected from a well-characterized cohort of 4698 subjects referred for diagnostic colonoscopy due to CRC-related symptoms. The cases and controls were matched on age and gender, and moreover cases...... were stratified on tumor-site and tumor-stage. The selected cohort included a wide range of comorbidities. Plasma Sept9 levels were assessed using a commercially available PCR based assay (Epi-proColon). Results Clinical sensitivity for CRC stages I-IV was 37 %, 91 %, 77 %, and 89 %, and the overall...

  16. Comparing Non-Medical Sex Selection and Saviour Sibling Selection in the Case of JS and LS v Patient Review Panel: Beyond the Welfare of the Child?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Malcolm K; Taylor-Sands, Michelle

    2018-03-01

    The national ethical guidelines relevant to assisted reproductive technology (ART) have recently been reviewed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). The review process paid particular attention to the issue of non-medical sex selection, although ultimately, the updated ethical guidelines maintain the pre-consultation position of a prohibition on non-medical sex selection. Whilst this recent review process provided a public forum for debate and discussion of this ethically contentious issue, the Victorian case of JS and LS v Patient Review Panel (Health and Privacy) [2011] VCAT 856 provides a rare instance where the prohibition on non-medical sex selection has been explored by a court or tribunal in Australia. This paper analyses the reasoning in that decision, focusing specifically on how the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal applied the statutory framework relevant to ART and its comparison to other uses of embryo selection technologies. The Tribunal relied heavily upon the welfare-of-the-child principle under the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Act 2008 (Vic). The Tribunal also compared non-medical sex selection with saviour sibling selection (that is, where a child is purposely conceived as a matched tissue donor for an existing child of the family). Our analysis leads us to conclude that the Tribunal's reasoning fails to adequately justify the denial of the applicants' request to utilize ART services to select the sex of their prospective child.

  17. MRI case studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huggett, S.; Barber, J.

    1989-01-01

    Three case studies are presented to show the value of magnetic resonance imaging used in conjunction with other imaging techniques. In each case MRI proved a vital diagnostic tool and superior to CT in showing firstly the haematoma in a patient with aphasia and right-sided weakness, secondly the size of the disc herniation in a patient with severe leg and ankle pains and thirdly the existence of a metastatic lesion in a patient with a previous history of breast cancer. 11 figs

  18. Risk of Infective Endocarditis After Invasive Dental Treatments: A Case-Only Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Tzu-Ting; Yeh, Yi-Chun; Chien, Kuo-Liong; Lai, Mei-Shu; Tu, Yu-Kang

    2018-04-19

    Background -Invasive dental treatments (IDTs) can yield temporary bacteremia and has therefore been considered a potential risk factor of infective endocarditis (IE). It is hypothesized that, through the trauma caused by IDTs, bacteria gain entry to the bloodstream and may attach to abnormal heart valves or damaged heart tissue, giving rise to IE. However, the association between IDTs and IE remains controversial. The aim of this study is to estimate the association between IDTs and IE. Methods -The data in this study were obtained from the Health Insurance Database in Taiwan. We selected two case-only study designs, case-crossover and self-controlled case series, to analyze the data. The advantage of these methods is that confounding factors which do not vary with time are adjusted for implicitly. In the case-crossover design, conditional logistic regression model with exposure to IDTs was used to estimate the risks of IE following an IDT with 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks delay, respectively. In the self-controlled case series design, conditional Poisson regression model was used to estimate the risk of IE for the risk periods of 1-4, 5-8, 9-12, and 13-16 weeks following an IDT. Results -In total, 9120 and 8181 IE patients were included in case-crossover design and self-controlled case series design, respectively. In case-crossover design, 277 cases and 249 controls received IDTs during the exposure period, and the odds ratio was 1.12 (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.94-1.34) for 4 weeks. In self-controlled case series design, we observed that 407 IE occurred during the first four weeks after IDTs, and the age-adjusted incidence rate ratio was 1.14 (95% CI: 1.02-1.26) for 1-4 weeks after IDTs. Conclusions -In both study designs, we did not observe a clinically larger risk for IE in the short periods after IDTs. We also found no association between IDTs and IE among high-risk patients. Therefore, antibiotic prophylaxis for prevention of IE is not required for the

  19. MO-E-BRB-00: PANEL DISCUSSION: SBRT/SRS Case Studies - Lung

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2016-06-15

    In this interactive session, lung SBRT patient cases will be presented to highlight real-world considerations for ensuring safe and accurate treatment delivery. An expert panel of speakers will discuss challenges specific to lung SBRT including patient selection, patient immobilization techniques, 4D CT simulation and respiratory motion management, target delineation for treatment planning, online treatment alignment, and established prescription regimens and OAR dose limits. Practical examples of cases, including the patient flow thought the clinical process are presented and audience participation will be encouraged. This panel session is designed to provide case demonstration and review for lung SBRT in terms of (1) clinical appropriateness in patient selection, (2) strategies for simulation, including 4D and respiratory motion management, and (3) applying multi imaging modality (4D CT imaging, MRI, PET) for tumor volume delineation and motion extent, and (4) image guidance in treatment delivery. Learning Objectives: Understand the established requirements for patient selection in lung SBRT Become familiar with the various immobilization strategies for lung SBRT, including technology for respiratory motion management Understand the benefits and pitfalls of applying multi imaging modality (4D CT imaging, MRI, PET) for tumor volume delineation and motion extent determination for lung SBRT Understand established prescription regimes and OAR dose limits.

  20. Blended learning in health education: three case studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Jong, Nynke; Savin-Baden, Maggi; Cunningham, Anne Marie; Verstegen, Daniëlle M L

    2014-09-01

    Blended learning in which online education is combined with face-to-face education is especially useful for (future) health care professionals who need to keep up-to-date. Blended learning can make learning more efficient, for instance by removing barriers of time and distance. In the past distance-based learning activities have often been associated with traditional delivery-based methods, individual learning and limited contact. The central question in this paper is: can blended learning be active and collaborative? Three cases of blended, active and collaborative learning are presented. In case 1 a virtual classroom is used to realize online problem-based learning (PBL). In case 2 PBL cases are presented in Second Life, a 3D immersive virtual world. In case 3 discussion forums, blogs and wikis were used. In all cases face-to-face meetings were also organized. Evaluation results of the three cases clearly show that active, collaborative learning at a distance is possible. Blended learning enables the use of novel instructional methods and student-centred education. The three cases employ different educational methods, thus illustrating diverse possibilities and a variety of learning activities in blended learning. Interaction and communication rules, the role of the teacher, careful selection of collaboration tools and technical preparation should be considered when designing and implementing blended learning.

  1. An integrated fuzzy regression algorithm for energy consumption estimation with non-stationary data: A case study of Iran

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Azadeh, A; Seraj, O [Department of Industrial Engineering and Research Institute of Energy Management and Planning, Center of Excellence for Intelligent-Based Experimental Mechanics, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, P.O. Box 11365-4563 (Iran); Saberi, M [Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Tafresh (Iran); Institute for Digital Ecosystems and Business Intelligence, Curtin University of Technology, Perth (Australia)

    2010-06-15

    This study presents an integrated fuzzy regression and time series framework to estimate and predict electricity demand for seasonal and monthly changes in electricity consumption especially in developing countries such as China and Iran with non-stationary data. Furthermore, it is difficult to model uncertain behavior of energy consumption with only conventional fuzzy regression (FR) or time series and the integrated algorithm could be an ideal substitute for such cases. At First, preferred Time series model is selected from linear or nonlinear models. For this, after selecting preferred Auto Regression Moving Average (ARMA) model, Mcleod-Li test is applied to determine nonlinearity condition. When, nonlinearity condition is satisfied, the preferred nonlinear model is selected and defined as preferred time series model. At last, the preferred model from fuzzy regression and time series model is selected by the Granger-Newbold. Also, the impact of data preprocessing on the fuzzy regression performance is considered. Monthly electricity consumption of Iran from March 1994 to January 2005 is considered as the case of this study. The superiority of the proposed algorithm is shown by comparing its results with other intelligent tools such as Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN). (author)

  2. Generalising via the Case Studies and Adapting the Oil and Gas Industry's Project Execution Concepts to the Construction Industry

    OpenAIRE

    Mejlænder-Larsen, Øystein

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to explore whether it is possible to generalise findings on project execution in the oil and gas industryrelated to the use of project execution models and a 3D design environment, based on case study research. Besides, sufficientsimilarities between the two industries were assessed and the applicability of the findings from the cases in the oil and gasindustry was assessed. The selected cases (the ongoing ...

  3. Enhanced Web-Based Otitis Study Case vs. Simple Paper-Case: Impact on Medical Student Objective Structured Clinical Exam Performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael H. Malloy, M.D., M.S.

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Distance education methods have taken on greater importance as medical student education has moved off campus into the community. What the best methods are for conveying information to students at distant sites has not been determined. Objective: To determine if students at distant community sites who received an otitis media study case by e-mail that was enhanced with a referral to a web-based otitis study case, performed better on otitis OSCE stations than students who received the same case not enhanced with visuals or referrals to a web-based otitis case. Design/Methods: Students were randomized by community site to receive either the enhanced (E or simple otitis study case (S. Students were e-mailed an otitis media study case during the 5th week of the rotation. Those randomized to the E-case received a case that started with a case scenario followed by a "Task" that instructed them to go to this web address: http://www.aap.org/otitismedia/www/vc/ear/index.cfm (American Academy of Pediatrics Otitis Web Site. They were then to select "Case 1" which was a continuation of the case scenario present on their e-mail. A list of learning objectives was also printed on the e-mail. Students receiving the S-case viewed the same case scenario and objectives, but were not instructed to go to the web page. All students rotated through two OSCE otitis stations. In the first station they interviewed a simulated patient(OSCE-SP and counseled her on the management of her 12 month old with otitis. Within that station they viewed a video of a pneumoscopic exam of two ears, one ear with otitis and the other ear normal. At the 2nd otitis station the student presented the case to a faculty and was asked a series of questions about otitis media(OSCE-PR. Scores on the two stations were compared by group. Results: There were 198 students who took the OSCE. 178 (90% responded to a survey that indicated they had opened and read the e-mailed case. There

  4. Qualitative Case Study Guidelines

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-01

    Introduction to Sociological Methods. 2nd ed. New York, McGraw-Hill 14. Denzin , N. K. and Lincoln , Y. S. (2011) The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative...The Art of Science. In: Denzin , N. K. and Lincoln , Y. S. (eds.) Handbook of Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks, Sage 19. GAO (1990) Case Study...Rinehart & Winston 39. Stake, R. E. (1994) Case Studies. In: Denzin , N. K. and Lincoln , Y. S. (eds.) Handbook of Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks, Sage

  5. Qat use and esophageal cancer in Ethiopia: A pilot case-control study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria E Leon

    Full Text Available Qat (Catha edulis chewing is reported to induce lesions in the buccal mucosa, irritation of the esophagus, and esophageal reflux. Case series suggest a possible etiological role in oral and esophageal cancers. This pilot study aimed to generate preliminary estimates of the magnitude and direction of the association between qat use and esophageal cancer (EC risk and to inform the logistics required to conduct a multi-center case-control study.Between May 2012 and May 2013, 73 EC cases (including 12 gastro-esophageal junction cases and 133 controls matched individually on sex, age, and residence were enrolled at two endoscopy clinics and a cancer treatment hospital in Addis Ababa. A face-to-face structured questionnaire was administered. Qat use was defined as ever having chewed qat once a week or more frequently for at least one year. Odds ratios were calculated using conditional logistic regression.Only 8% of cases resided in Addis Ababa. Qat use was more frequent in cases (36% than in controls (26%. A 2-fold elevation in EC risk was observed in ever qat chewers compared with never users in unadjusted conditional logistic regression (OR = 2.12; 95% CI = 0.94, 4.74, an association that disappeared after adjusting for differences in tobacco use, consumption of alcohol and green vegetables, education level, and religion (OR = 0.95; 0.22, 4.22. Among never tobacco users, however, a non-significant increase in EC risk was suggested in ever qat users also after adjustment. Increases in EC risk were observed with ever tobacco use, alcohol consumption, low consumption of green vegetables, a salty diet, illiteracy, and among Muslims; the four latter associations were significant.This pilot study generated EC risk estimates in association with a habit practiced by millions of people and never before studied in a case-control design. Results must be interpreted cautiously in light of possible selection bias, with some demographics such as education level

  6. Adoption of the HPV vaccine: a case study of three emerging countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caro Martínez, Araceli; Espín Balbino, Jaime; Lemgruber, Alexandre; Martín Ruiz, Eva; Olry de Labry Lima, Antonio; García-Mochón, Leticia; Lessa, Fernanda

    2017-05-01

    The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has recently attracted considerable attention in emerging countries, due to its potential to reduce the impact of HPV-related diseases. This case study sheds new light about the variety of HTA arrangements, methods and processes involved in the adoption and use of HPV vaccines in a selected sample of central, eastern and southern Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean, all of them emerging in the use of HTA. A multi-country case study was designed. Mixed methods, document review, semi-structured surveys and personal communication with experts, were used for data collection and triangulation. This study shows that common elements of good practice exist in the processes and methods used, with all countries arriving at the same appraisal recommendations. However, the influence of socio-politico-economic factors appears to be determinant on the final decisions and restrictions to access made. This case study intends to draw useful lessons for policymakers in emerging settings interested in the adoption of the HPV vaccine supported by evidence-informed processes, such as those offered by institutionalized HTA. Future studies are also recommended to elucidate the specific roles that social values and uncertainties play in vaccine decision-making across different societies.

  7. E-BANKING: A CASE STUDY OF ASKARI COMMERCIAL BANK PAKISTAN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Shakil AHMAD

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper has covered the operational issues related to e-banking as well as customer’s perception on usage of e-banking a case study of Askari Bank, Pakistan. 40 staff members and four customers are selected as sample for this study. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used to present the results. Descriptive statistics is applied to describe the demographic variables while for operational problems correlation was used. Finally cross case analysis present customers’ perception about e-banking practices. Analysis shows that customer is not ready to adopt new technology that why their satisfaction level with e-banking is low. Internet speed and government policies are not supportive for e-banking in Pakistan. Due to lack of trust on technology and low computer literacy rate, customer hesitates to adopt new technology. : In order to promote IT culture in Pakistan, government has to reduce the internet rate. to promote the benefits of e-banking on media so that more user get facilitated from e-banking services.

  8. Procreative liberty: the case for preconception sex selection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dahl, Edgar

    2003-01-01

    Preconception sex selection for non-medical reasons raises serious moral, legal and social issues. The main concerns include the threat of a sex ratio distortion due to a common preference for boys over girls, the charge of sexism, the danger of reinforcing gender stereotypical behaviour in sex selected children, and the fear of a slippery slope towards creating designer babies. This paper endeavours to show that none of the objections to preconception sex selection is conclusive and that there is no justification for denying parents the right to choose the sex of their prospective children.

  9. A cholera outbreak in Alborz Province, Iran: a matched case-control study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moradi, Ghobad; Rasouli, Mohammad Aziz; Mohammadi, Parvin; Elahi, Elham; Barati, Hojatollah

    2016-01-01

    A total of 229 confirmed cholera cases were reported in Alborz Province during an outbreak that lasted from June 2011 to August 2011. This study aimed to identify potential sources of transmission in order to determine suitable interventions in similar outbreaks. In other words, the lessons learned from this retrospective study can be utilized to manage future similar outbreaks. An age-matched and sex-matched case-control study was conducted during the outbreak. For each case, two control subjects were selected from the neighborhood. A case of cholera was defined as a bacteriologically confirmed case with signs and symptoms of cholera. This study was conducted from June 14, 2011 through August 23, 2011. The data were analyzed by calculating odds ratios (ORs) using the logistic regression method. In this outbreak, 229 confirmed cholera cases were diagnosed. The following risk factors were found to be associated with cholera: consumption of unrefrigerated leftover food (OR, 3.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.72 to 5.41), consumption of vegetables and fruits in the previous three days (OR, 2.75; 95% CI, 1.95 to 3.89), and a history of traveling in the previous five days (OR, 5.31; 95% CI, 2.21 to 9.72). Consumption of vegetables and fruits has remained an unresolved risk factor in cholera outbreaks in Iran in recent years. In order to reduce the risk of cholera, sanitary standards for fruits and vegetables should be observed at all points from production to consumption, the population should be educated regarding hygienic food storage during outbreaks, and sanitary standards should be maintained when traveling during cholera outbreaks.

  10. A cholera outbreak in Alborz Province, Iran: a matched case-control study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ghobad Moradi

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: A total of 229 confirmed cholera cases were reported in Alborz Province during an outbreak that lasted from June 2011 to August 2011. This study aimed to identify potential sources of transmission in order to determine suitable interventions in similar outbreaks. In other words, the lessons learned from this retrospective study can be utilized to manage future similar outbreaks. METHODS: An age-matched and sex-matched case-control study was conducted during the outbreak. For each case, two control subjects were selected from the neighborhood. A case of cholera was defined as a bacteriologically confirmed case with signs and symptoms of cholera. This study was conducted from June 14, 2011 through August 23, 2011. The data were analyzed by calculating odds ratios (ORs using the logistic regression method. RESULTS: In this outbreak, 229 confirmed cholera cases were diagnosed. The following risk factors were found to be associated with cholera: consumption of unrefrigerated leftover food (OR, 3.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.72 to 5.41, consumption of vegetables and fruits in the previous three days (OR, 2.75; 95% CI, 1.95 to 3.89, and a history of traveling in the previous five days (OR, 5.31; 95% CI, 2.21 to 9.72. CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of vegetables and fruits has remained an unresolved risk factor in cholera outbreaks in Iran in recent years. In order to reduce the risk of cholera, sanitary standards for fruits and vegetables should be observed at all points from production to consumption, the population should be educated regarding hygienic food storage during outbreaks, and sanitary standards should be maintained when traveling during cholera outbreaks.

  11. Assessing the benefits of OHER (Office of Health and Environmental Research) research: Three case studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nesse, R.J.; Callaway, J.M.; Englin, J.E.; Klan, M.S.; Nicholls, A.K.; Serot, D.E.

    1987-09-01

    This research was undertaken to estimate the societal benefits and costs of selected past research performed for the Office of Health and Environmental Research (OHER) of the US Department of Energy (DOE). Three case studies of representative OHER and DOE research were performed. One of these, the acid rain case study, includes research conducted elsewhere in DOE. The other two cases were the OHER marine research program and the development of high-purity germanium that is used in radiation detectors. The acid rain case study looked at the research benefits and costs of furnace sorbent injection and duct injection, technologies that might reduce acid deposition precursors. Both appear to show benefits in excess of costs. We examined in detail one of the OHER marine research program's accomplishments - the increase in environmental information used by the Outer Continental Shelf leasing program to manage bidding for off-shore oil drilling. The results of an econometric model show that environmental information of the type supported by OHER is unequivocally linked to government and industry leasing decisions. The germanium case study indicated that the benefits of germanium radiation detectors were significant.

  12. Fuzzy Logic Based Multi-Criteria Wind Turbine Selection Strategy—A Case Study of Qassim, Saudi Arabia

    OpenAIRE

    Shafiqur Rehman; Salman A. Khan

    2016-01-01

    The emergence of wind energy as a potential alternative to traditional sources of fuel has prompted notable research in recent years. One primary factor contributing to efficient utilization of wind energy from a wind farm is the type of turbines used. However, selection of a specific wind turbine type is a difficult task due to several criteria involved in the selection process. Important criteria include turbine’s power rating, height of tower, energy output, rotor diameter, cut-in wind spe...

  13. Well selection in depleted oil and gas fields for a safe CO2 storage practice: A case study from Malaysia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arshad Raza

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Carbon capture and sequestration technology is recognized as a successful approach taken to mitigate the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. However, having a successful storage practice requires wise selection of suitable wells in depleted oil or gas fields to reduce the risk of leakage and contamination of subsurface resources. The aim of this paper is to present a guideline which can be followed to provide a better understanding of sophisticated wells chosen for injection and storage practices. Reviewing recent studies carried out on different aspects of geosequestration indicated that the fracture pressure of seals and borehole conditions such as cement-sheath integrity, distance from faults and fractures together with the depth of wells are important parameters, which should be part of the analysis for well selection in depleted reservoirs. A workflow was then designed covering these aspects and it was applied to a depleted gas field in Malaysia. The results obtained indicated that Well B in the field may have the potential of being a suitable conduit for injection. Although more studies are required to consider other aspects of well selections, it is recommended to employ the formation integrity analysis as part of the caprock assessment before making any decisions.

  14. Splenectomy Correlates With Increased Risk of Acute Pancreatitis: A Case-Control Study in Taiwan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Shih-Wei; Lin, Cheng-Li; Liao, Kuan-Fu

    2016-01-01

    Objective The objective of the study was to investigate the association between splenectomy and acute pancreatitis. Methods We conducted a case-control study using the database of the Taiwan National Health Insurance Program. We included 7666 subjects aged 20–84 years with first-time acute pancreatitis during the period of 1998–2011 as cases and 30 664 randomly selected subjects without acute pancreatitis as controls. Both cases and controls were matched for sex, age, and index year of acute pancreatitis diagnosis. The association of acute pancreatitis with splenectomy was examined using a multivariable unconditional logistic regression model and reported as an odds ratio and its 95% confidence interval (CI). Results After adjustment for covariables, the adjusted odds ratio of acute pancreatitis was 2.90 for subjects with splenectomy (95% CI, 1.39–6.05) compared with subjects without splenectomy. Conclusions Splenectomy is associated with acute pancreatitis. Further studies are necessary to clarify the underlying mechanism. PMID:27087607

  15. Significance of cultural beliefs in presentation of psychiatric illness: a case report of selective mutism in a man from Nepal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Babikian, Sarkis; Emerson, Lyndal; Wynn, Gary H

    2007-11-01

    A 22-year-old active duty E1 Nepalese male who recently emigrated from Nepal suddenly exhibited strange behaviors and mutism during Advanced Individual Training. After receiving care from a hospital near his unit, he was transferred to Walter Reed Army Medical Center Inpatient Psychiatry for further evaluation and treatment. Although he was admitted with a diagnosis of psychosis not otherwise specified (NOS), after consideration of cultural factors and by ruling out concurrent thought disorder, a diagnosis of selective mutism was made. To our knowledge this is the first reported case of selective mutism in a soldier. This case serves as a reminder of the need for cultural awareness during psychological evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of patients.

  16. Case Study: The Chemistry of Cocaine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dewprashad, Brahmadeo

    2011-01-01

    This column provides original articles on innovations in case study teaching, assessment of the method, as well as case studies with teaching notes. This month's case study focuses on the chemistry of cocaine to teach a number of core concepts in organic chemistry. It also requires that students read and analyze an original research paper on…

  17. The role of radionuclide studies in emergency cases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishimura, Tsunehiko; Hayashida, Kohei; Uehara, Toshiisa

    1982-01-01

    Radionuclide studies have been performed popularly because of its noninvasive and simple method recently. In this study, we applied this technique for the evaluation of emergency cases in cardiovascular diseases. There were 93 cases (1.5%) out of 6163 cases, done during 1981. The subjects were 34 cases of cardiac studies (9 cases of sup(99m)Tc-PYP myocardial imaging, 12 cases of thallium myocardial imaging, 13 cases of cardioangiography), 23 cases of peripheral diseases (12 cases of peripheral angiography, 11 cases of venography), 16 cases of pulmonary imaging, 10 cases of renal studies (6 cases of renal angiography, 9 cases of renal imaging) and 5 cases of brain angiography. These studies were proven to be useful clinically for the evaluation of emergency cases and follow-up studies. In the near future, ''emergency radionuclide studies'' would be benefit for the high-risk patients noninvasively. (author)

  18. Predictive validity of the Biomedical Admissions Test: an evaluation and case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McManus, I C; Ferguson, Eamonn; Wakeford, Richard; Powis, David; James, David

    2011-01-01

    There has been an increase in the use of pre-admission selection tests for medicine. Such tests need to show good psychometric properties. Here, we use a paper by Emery and Bell [2009. The predictive validity of the Biomedical Admissions Test for pre-clinical examination performance. Med Educ 43:557-564] as a case study to evaluate and comment on the reporting of psychometric data in the field of medical student selection (and the comments apply to many papers in the field). We highlight pitfalls when reliability data are not presented, how simple zero-order associations can lead to inaccurate conclusions about the predictive validity of a test, and how biases need to be explored and reported. We show with BMAT that it is the knowledge part of the test which does all the predictive work. We show that without evidence of incremental validity it is difficult to assess the value of any selection tests for medicine.

  19. SELECTION OF NON-CONVENTIONAL MACHINING PROCESSES USING THE OCRA METHOD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miloš Madić

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Selection of the most suitable nonconventional machining process (NCMP for a given machining application can be viewed as multi-criteria decision making (MCDM problem with many conflicting and diverse criteria. To aid these selection processes, different MCDM methods have been proposed. This paper introduces the use of an almost unexplored MCDM method, i.e. operational competitiveness ratings analysis (OCRA method for solving the NCMP selection problems. Applicability, suitability and computational procedure of OCRA method have been demonstrated while solving three case studies dealing with selection of the most suitable NCMP. In each case study the obtained rankings were compared with those derived by the past researchers using different MCDM methods. The results obtained using the OCRA method have good correlation with those derived by the past researchers which validate the usefulness of this method while solving complex NCMP selection problems.

  20. Determinant factors for Brebes shallot farmers in selecting shallot varieties (Case study in Brebes, Central Java Indonesia)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sembiring, A.

    2017-03-01

    The using of a high quality seed is very important for a successfully cultivation and an increasing of vegetable production. The vegetable productions, including for shallot are much more affected by seed varieties. Previous studies showed that production rate, shape, colour, resistant to pest and disease, number of bulbs and demanding by market were factors that influence farmers to choose shallot variety. The aim of the study is to observe determinant factors that influence shallot farmers to change their shallot varieties and persist to use certain varieties. The study was conducted in June to December 2014 in Wanasari, Tanjung, Kemukten and Limbangan villages, Brebes District. Brebes was selected as it is the biggest shallot production in Indonesia. Data were collected from 35 shallot farmers through survey by using the structural questionnaire. The data then analysed with the descriptive statistic.

  1. eCompetence Case Studies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Helle Bækkelund

    2006-01-01

    In this paper we present some details of the processes undertaken in the European eCompetence Initiative. We present two illustrative and representative case studies. The research aims to identify and understand patterns of individual and organisational eCompetence approaches.......In this paper we present some details of the processes undertaken in the European eCompetence Initiative. We present two illustrative and representative case studies. The research aims to identify and understand patterns of individual and organisational eCompetence approaches....

  2. Identifying Potential Conservation Corridors Along the Mongolia-Russia Border Using Resource Selection Functions: A Case Study on Argali Sheep

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Buyanaa Chimeddorj

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The disruption of animal movements is known to affect wildlife populations, particularly large bodied, free-ranging mammals that require large geographic ranges to survive. Corridors commonly connect fragmented wildlife populations and their habitats, yet identifying corridors rarely uses data on habitat selection and movements of target species. New technologies and analytical tools make it possible to better integrate landscape patterns with spatial behavioral data. We show how resource selection functions can describe habitat suitability using continuous and multivariate metrics to determine potential wildlife movement corridors. During 2005–2010, we studied movements of argali sheep ( Ovis ammon near the Mongolia-Russia border using radio-telemetry and modeled their spatial distribution in relation to landscape features to create a spatially explicit habitat suitability surface to identify potential transboundary conservation corridors. Argali sheep habitat selection in western Mongolia positively correlated with elevation, ruggedness index, and distance to border. In other words, argali were tended use areas with higher elevation, rugged topography, and distances farther from the international border. We suggest that these spatial modeling approaches offer ways to design and identify wildlife corridors more objectively and holistically, and can be applied to many other target species.

  3. Case Study Methodology and Homelessness Research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jill Pable

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes the potential suitability of case study methodology for inquiry with the homeless population. It references a research study that uses case study research method to build theory. This study's topic is the lived experience of destitute individuals who reside in homeless shelters, and explores the homeless shelter built environment's potential influence on resident satisfaction and recovery. Case study methodology may be appropriate because it explores real-life contextual issues that characterize homelessness and can also accommodate the wide range of homeless person demographics that make this group difficult to study in a generalized fashion. Further, case study method accommodates the need within research in this area to understand individualized treatments as a potential solution for homelessness.

  4. Assembling a Case Study Tool Kit: 10 Tools for Teaching with Cases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prud'homme-Généreux, Annie

    2017-01-01

    This column provides original articles on innovations in case study teaching, assessment of the method, as well as case studies with teaching notes. The author shares the strategies and tools that teachers can use to manage a case study classroom effectively.

  5. Location selection in the visual domain

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Lubbe, Robert Henricus Johannes; Woestenburg, Jaap C.

    2000-01-01

    According to A.H.C. Van der Heijden (1992), attentional selection of visual stimuli can be considered as location selection. Depending on the type of task, location selection can be considered to be automatic )e.g., in case of abrupt onsets), directly controlled (e.g., in case of symbolic precues),

  6. On misunderstandings in connection with case-studies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Flyvbjerg, Bent

    2005-01-01

    This article examines five common misunderstandings about case-study research: (1) Theoretical knowledge is more valuable than practical knowledge; (2) One cannot generalize from a single case, therefore the single case study cannot contribute to scientific development; (3) The case study is most...

  7. Case-control study on infant mortality in Southern Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mendes Karina Giane

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To identify risk factors associated with infant mortality and, more specifically, with neonatal mortality. METHODS: A case-control study was carried out in the municipality of Caxias do Sul, Southern Brazil. Characteristics of prenatal care and causes of mortality were assessed for all live births in the 2001-2002 period with a completed live-birth certificate and whose mothers lived in the municipality. Cases were defined as all deaths within the first year of life. As controls, there were selected the two children born immediately after each case in the same hospital, who were of the same sex, and did not die within their first year of life. Multivariate analysis was performed using conditional logistic regression. RESULTS: There was a reduction in infant mortality, the greatest reduction was observed in the post-neonatal period. The variables gestational age (<36 weeks, birth weight (<2,500 g, and 5-minute Apgar (<6 remained in the final model of the multivariate analysis, after adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Perinatal conditions comprise almost the totality of neonatal deaths, and the majority of deaths occur at delivery. The challenge for reducing infant mortality rate in the city is to reduce the mortality by perinatal conditions in the neonatal period.

  8. The application of method supplier’s complex evaluation. Case study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ekaterina Chytilová

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The main goal of this article includes the illustration of selecting bidders evaluation with help Method of complex evaluation of suppliers (MCE. Nowadays the evaluation of suppliers has more importance is in the supply chain management. For SMEs with discontinuous custom manufacturing supplier evaluation at first stage becomes a priority to maintain and enhance the competitiveness of farm output and overall competitiveness. This article presents results of control MCE. The results of this article are results of suppliers’ evaluation conditions and eliminations of MCE application on the base of real enterprise data. MCE is oriented to small and medium-sized enterprises with discontinue manufacturing to order. Research is oriented to selecting procedure of existing suppliers at the first stage of supply chain. Nationality and geographic location haven’t importance to MCE application. Illustrative case study presents the evaluation process to the specific conditions and subsequently demonstrated viability of MCE.

  9. State funding for local public health: observations from six case studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Potter, Margaret A; Fitzpatrick, Tiffany

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to describe state funding of local public health within the context of state public health system types. These types are based on administrative relationships, legal structures, and relative proportion of state funding in local public health budgets. We selected six states representing various types and geographic regions. A case study for each state summarized available information and was validated by state public health officials. An analysis of the case studies reveals that the variability of state public health systems--even within a given type--is matched by variability in approaches to funding local public health. Nevertheless, some meaningful associations appear. For example, higher proportions of state funding occur along with higher levels of state oversight and the existence of local service mandates in state law. These associations suggest topics for future research on public health financing in relation to local accountability, local input to state priority-setting, mandated local services, and the absence of state funds for public health services in some local jurisdictions.

  10. Applying Theory of Inventive Problem Solving to Develop Innovative Solutions: A Case Study

    OpenAIRE

    Y. H. Wang; C. C. Hsieh

    2016-01-01

    Good service design can increase organization revenue and consumer satisfaction while reducing labor and time costs. The problems facing consumers in the original serve model for eyewear and optical industry includes the following issues: 1. Insufficient information on eyewear products 2. Passively dependent on recommendations, insufficient selection 3. Incomplete records on progression of vision conditions 4. Lack of complete customer records. This study investigates the case of Kobayashi Op...

  11. Selective adsorption of ions in charged slit-systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.Valiskó

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available We study the selective adsorption of various cations into a layered slit system using grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations. The slit system is formed by a series of negatively charged membranes. The electrolyte contains two kinds of cations with different sizes and valences modeled by charged hard spheres immersed in a continuum dielectric solvent. We present results for various cases depending on the combinations of the properties of the competing cations. We concentrate to the case when the divalent cations are larger than the monovalent cations. In this case, size and charge have counterbalancing effects, which results in interesting selectivity phenomena.

  12. Qualitative Case Study Research as Empirical Inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellinger, Andrea D.; McWhorter, Rochell

    2016-01-01

    This article introduces the concept of qualitative case study research as empirical inquiry. It defines and distinguishes what a case study is, the purposes, intentions, and types of case studies. It then describes how to determine if a qualitative case study is the preferred approach for conducting research. It overviews the essential steps in…

  13. Perspectives on domestic violence: case study from Karachi, Pakistan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rabbani, F; Qureshi, F; Rizvi, N

    2008-01-01

    There is no adequate profile of domestic violence in Pakistan although this issue is frequently highlighted by the media. This case study used qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the nature and forms of domestic violence, circumstances, impact and coping mechanisms amongst selected women victims in Karachi. Violence was a continuum: all the women reported verbal abuse, often escalating into physical, emotional, sexual and economic abuse. The husband was the most common perpetrator. Women suffered in silence due to sociocultural norms, misinterpretation of religious beliefs, subordinate status, economic dependence and lack of legal redress. Besides short-term local measures, public policy informed by correct interpretation of religion can bring about a change in prevailing societal norms.

  14. Understanding Pharmaceutical Sustainable Supply chains - A Case Study Application

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Margarida Santos Bravo

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available A major paradigmchange is occurring in the pharmaceutical industry and an increase of returnsand recalls has been seen; although this industry in known for the continuoussearch for quality and regulatory compliance.Hence, in this paperwe combine the findings of previous literature reviews conducted by theauthors. Essentially, explore the links between pharmaceutical drugs quality,reverse logistics, and sustainability. A case study on a global corporationmanufacturing in the area of generic drug products has been selected andcorrelations are done with regards to returns and recalls from hospitalpharmacies, in particular. With this approach it is expected to link bothparties in the application of a quality by design risk management approach aswell as reduce variability and risk of noncompliance.

  15. Partnership selection and formation: a case study of developing adolescent health community-researcher partnerships in fifteen U.S. communities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Straub, Diane M; Deeds, Bethany Griffin; Willard, Nancy; Castor, Judith; Peralta, Ligia; Francisco, Vincent T; Ellen, Jonathan

    2007-06-01

    This study describes the partner selection process in 15 U.S. communities developing community-researcher partnerships for the Connect to Protect (C2P): Partnerships for Youth Prevention Interventions, an initiative of the Adolescent Trials Network for human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) Interventions. Each site generated an epidemiological profile of urban youth in their community, selected a focus population and geographic area of youth at risk for HIV, conducted a series of successive structured interviews, and engaged in a process of relationship-building efforts culminating in a collaborative network of community agencies. Sites chose as their primary target population young women who have sex with men (n = 8 sites), young men who have sex with men (n = 6), and intravenous drug users (n = 1). Of 1162 agencies initially interviewed, 281 of 335 approached (84%) agreed to join the partnership (average 19/site). A diverse array of community agencies were represented in the final collaborative network; specific characteristics included: 93% served the sites' target population, 54% were predominantly youth oriented, 59% were located in the geographical area of focus, and 39% reported provision of HIV/STI (sexually transmitted infection) prevention services. Relationship-building activities, development of collaborative relationships, and lessons learned, including barriers and facilitators to partnership, are also described. Study findings address a major gap in the community partner research literature. Health researchers and policymakers need an effective partner selection framework whereby community-researcher partnerships can develop a solid foundation to address public health concerns.

  16. Methods for studying medical device technology and practitioner cognition : The case of user-interface issues with infusion pumps

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schraagen, J.M.C.; Verhoeven, F.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose : The aims of this study were to investigate how a variety of research methods is commonly employed to study technology and practitioner cognition. User-interface issues with infusion pumps were selected as a case because of its relevance to patient safety. Methods : Starting from a

  17. COST AND TIME ESTIMATES DURING THE SUPPLIER SELECTION OF AN INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR LEGAL AREA: A CASE STUDY COMPARING TRADITIONAL AND AGILE PROJECT APPROACHES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vieira, G. L. S.

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Considering a direct correlation between projects requirements details levels and their performance, this paper aims to evaluate whether the adoption of more extensive and detailed cost, time and scope estimation processes based on both practices, traditional and agile, and executed concurrently with the supplier selection stage, could guarantee greater accuracy in these estimates, thus increasing project success rates. Based on a case study for the information system project implementation into the legal area of a large Brazilian company, five suppliers had their proposals analyzed and compared in terms of the costs and deadlines involved, as well as the project management processes used in theirs estimates. From the obtained results, it was possible to observe that not all companies follow, at least during the prospecting phase, their service proposals described management processes, according to the theory. Another important finding was that the proposals involving, at least partially, agile approach concepts, were more likely to justify their estimates. These proposals still presented lower values, whenever compared to those less adherents to the theoretical concepts, as those based on traditional concepts.

  18. Performable Case Studies in Ethics Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robeson, Richard; King, Nancy M P

    2017-09-12

    Bioethics education often includes the study of short stories, novels, plays, and films, because such materials present case examples that can highlight relevant issues and questions especially vividly for a wide range of students. In addition, creative writing is widely used in the education of health professional students and in continuing education settings for health professionals. There are very few academic or professional disciplines that do not use case studies, but the case study in dialogic form has not been standard practice for thousands of years. Dramatic arts casuistry-the creation and performance of short case studies designed specifically to raise bioethics issues for discussion-represents an application of literature and the medical humanities that is both unique and uniquely valuable. This essay describes the development and history of a course that has been successfully taught to medical students and graduate bioethics students, in which the class researches, writes, and performs a case study designed to elicit reflection and discussion about a topic and set of bioethics issues of current interest to both academic and general audiences. The model is also suited to the presentation and discussion of existing case studies, both live and via on-demand audio.

  19. Saharan and Arabian Dust Aerosols: A Comparative Case Study of Lidar Ratio

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Córdoba-Jabonero Carmen

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This work presents a first comparative study of the Lidar Ratio (LR values obtained for dust particles in two singular dust-influenced regions: the Canary Islands (Spain, close to the African coast in the North Atlantic Ocean, frequently affected by Saharan dust intrusions, and the Kuwait area (Arabian Peninsula as usually influenced by Arabian dust storms. Synergetic lidar and sun-photometry measurements are carried out in two stations located in these particular regions for that purpose. Several dusty cases were observed during 2014 in both stations and, just for illustration, two specific dusty case studies have been selected and analyzed to be shown in this work. In general, mean LR values of 54 sr and 40 sr were obtained in these studies cases for Saharan and Arabian dust particles, respectively. Indeed, these results are in agreement with other studies performed for dust particles arriving from similar desert areas. In particular, the disparity found in Saharan and Arabian dust LR values can be based on the singular composition of the suspended dust aerosols over each station. These results can be useful for CALIPSO extinction retrievals, where a single LR value (40 sr is assumed for pure dust particles independently on the dust source region.

  20. Incidence and risk factors of aplastic anemia in Latin American countries: the LATIN case-control study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maluf, Eliane; Hamerschlak, Nelson; Cavalcanti, Alexandre Biasi; Júnior, Álvaro Avezum; Eluf-Neto, José; Falcão, Roberto Passetto; Lorand-Metze, Irene G.; Goldenberg, Daniel; Santana, Cézar Leite; de Oliveira Werneck Rodrigues, Daniela; da Motta Passos, Leny Nascimento; Rosenfeld, Luis Gastão Mange; Pitta, Marimilia; Loggetto, Sandra; Feitosa Ribeiro, Andreza A.; Velloso, Elvira Deolinda; Kondo, Andrea Tiemi; de Miranda Coelho, Erika Oliveira; Pintão, Maria Carolina Tostes; de Souza, Hélio Moraes; Borbolla, José Rafael; Pasquini, Ricardo

    2009-01-01

    Background Associations between aplastic anemia and numerous drugs, pesticides and chemicals have been reported. However, at least 50% of the etiology of aplastic anemia remains unexplained. Design and Methods This was a case-control, multicenter, multinational study, designed to identify risk factors for agranulocytosis and aplastic anemia. The cases were patients with diagnosis of aplastic anemia confirmed through biopsy or bone marrow aspiration, selected through an active search of clinical laboratories, hematology clinics and medical records. The controls did not have either aplastic anemia or chronic diseases. A total of 224 patients with aplastic anemia were included in the study, each case was paired with four controls, according to sex, age group, and hospital where the case was first seen. Information was collected on demographic data, medical history, laboratory tests, medications, and other potential risk factors prior to diagnosis. Results The incidence of aplastic anemia was 1.6 cases per million per year. Higher rates of benzene exposure (≥30 exposures per year) were associated with a greater risk of aplastic anemia (odds ratio, OR: 4.2; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.82–9.82). Individuals exposed to chloramphenicol in the previous year had an adjusted OR for aplastic anemia of 8.7 (CI: 0.87–87.93) and those exposed to azithromycin had an adjusted OR of 11.02 (CI 1.14–108.02). Conclusions The incidence of aplastic anemia in Latin America countries is low. Although the research study centers had a high coverage of health services, the underreporting of cases of aplastic anemia in selected regions can be discussed. Frequent exposure to benzene-based products increases the risk for aplastic anemia. Few associations with specific drugs were found, and it is likely that some of these were due to chance alone. PMID:19734415

  1. Emotion, Engagement, and Case Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herreid, Clyde Freeman; Terry, David R.; Lemons, Paula; Armstrong, Norris; Brickman, Peggy; Ribbens, Eric

    2014-01-01

    Three college faculty taught large general biology classes using case studies and personal response systems (clickers). Each instructor taught the same eight cases in two different sections, except the questions within the cases differed. In one section the questions were lower order (LO) factual inquiries, and in the other they were largely…

  2. Selection as a learning experience: an exploratory study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Visser, Marieke; Laan, Roland F; Engbers, Rik; Cohen-Schotanus, Janke; Fluit, Cornelia

    2018-01-01

    Research on selection for medical school does not explore selection as a learning experience, despite growing attention for the learning effects of assessment in general. Insight in the learning effects allows us to take advantage of selection as an inclusive part of medical students' learning process to become competent professionals. The aims of this study at Radboud University Medical Center, the Netherlands, were 1) to determine whether students have learning experiences in the selection process, and, if so, what experiences; and 2) to understand what students need in order to utilize the learning effects of the selection process at the start of the formal curriculum. We used focus groups to interview 30 students admitted in 2016 about their learning experiences in the selection process. Thematic analysis was used to explore the outcomes of the interviews and to define relevant themes. In the selection process, students learned about the curriculum, themselves, their relation to others, and the profession they had been selected to enter, although this was not explicitly perceived as learning. Students needed a connection between selection and the curriculum as well as feedback to be able to really use their learning experiences for their further development. Medical school selection qualifies as a learning experience, and students as well as medical schools can take advantage of this. We recommend a careful design of the selection procedure, integrating relevant selection learning experiences into the formal curriculum, providing feedback and explicitly approaching the selection and the formal curriculum as interconnected contributors to students' development.

  3. A Comparative Case Study of Non-Music Major Participation in Two Contrasting Collegiate Choral Ensembles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Sara K.

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this comparative case study was to examine the motivation for participation in traditional and non-traditional vocal ensembles by students who are not pursuing a career in music and the perceived benefits of this participation. Participants were selected from a traditional mixed choral ensemble and a student-run a cappella ensemble.…

  4. What's in a Name? The Incorrect Use of Case Series as a Study Design Label in Studies Involving Dogs and Cats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sargeant, J M; O'Connor, A M; Cullen, J N; Makielski, K M; Jones-Bitton, A

    2017-07-01

    Study design labels are used to identify relevant literature to address specific clinical and research questions and to aid in evaluating the evidentiary value of research. Evidence from the human healthcare literature indicates that the label "case series" may be used inconsistently and inappropriately. Our primary objective was to determine the proportion of studies in the canine and feline veterinary literature labeled as case series that actually corresponded to descriptive cohort studies, population-based cohort studies, or other study designs. Our secondary objective was to identify the proportion of case series in which potentially inappropriate inferential statements were made. Descriptive evaluation of published literature. One-hundred published studies (from 19 journals) labeled as case series. Studies were identified by a structured literature search, with random selection of 100 studies from the relevant citations. Two reviewers independently characterized each study, with disagreements resolved by consensus. Of the 100 studies, 16 were case series. The remaining studies were descriptive cohort studies (35), population-based cohort studies (36), or other observational or experimental study designs (13). Almost half (48.8%) of the case series or descriptive cohort studies, with no control group and no formal statistical analysis, included inferential statements about the efficacy of treatment or statistical significance of potential risk factors. Authors, peer-reviewers, and editors should carefully consider the design elements of a study to accurately identify and label the study design. Doing so will facilitate an understanding of the evidentiary value of the results. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

  5. A CASE-CONTROL STUDY OF CHILDHOOD BRAIN TUMORS AND FATHERS’ HOBBIES — A CHILDREN’S ONCOLOGY GROUP STUDY

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosso, Andrea L.; Hovinga, Mary E.; Rorke-Adams, Lucy B.; Spector, Logan G.; Bunin, Greta R.

    2009-01-01

    Objective A comprehensive case-control study was conducted to evaluate parental risk factors for medulloblastoma (MB) and primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET). This analysis was conducted to evaluate associations between fathers’ hobbies and risk of their children developing MB/PNET. The hobbies chosen for study were those with similar exposures as occupations associated with childhood cancers. Methods Cases were 318 subjects under 6 years of age at diagnosis between 1991-1997 and registered with the Children’s Cancer Group. An equal number of controls were selected through random digit dialing and individually matched to cases. Results In multivariate analyses, a significant association was seen for lawn care with pesticides [during pregnancy: odds ratio (OR) = 1.6, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.0, 2.5; after birth: OR = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.2, 2.8] and a weak association was seen for stripping paint [during pregnancy: OR = 1.4, 95% CI: 0.8, 2.6; after birth: OR = 1.4, 95% CI: 0.7, 2.6]. Conclusions This study suggests that household exposures from hobbies, particularly pesticides, may increase risk of MB/PNET in children; previous research has been mostly limited to occupational exposures. PMID:18560982

  6. Using Correspondence Analysis in Multiple Case Studies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kienstra, Natascha; van der Heijden, Peter G.M.

    2015-01-01

    In qualitative research of multiple case studies, Miles and Huberman proposed to summarize the separate cases in a so-called meta-matrix that consists of cases by variables. Yin discusses cross-case synthesis to study this matrix. We propose correspondence analysis (CA) as a useful tool to study

  7. Using correspondence analysis in multiple case studies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kienstra, N.H.H.; van der Heijden, P.G.M.

    2015-01-01

    In qualitative research of multiple case studies, Miles and Huberman proposed to summarize the separate cases in a so-called meta-matrix that consists of cases by variables. Yin discusses cross-case synthesis to study this matrix. We propose correspondence analysis (CA) as a useful tool to study

  8. Active Self-Tracking of Subjective Experience with a One-Button Wearable: A Case Study in Military PTSD

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Jakob Eg; Eskelund, Kasper; Christiansen, Thomas Blomseth

    2017-01-01

    We describe a case study with the participation of a Danish veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As part of psychotherapeutic treatment the participant and therapist have used our novel technique for instrumenting self-tracking of select aspects of subjective experience...

  9. Determinants of the incidence of childhood asthma: a two-stage case-control study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martel, Marie-Josée; Rey, Evelyne; Malo, Jean-Luc; Perreault, Sylvie; Beauchesne, Marie-France; Forget, Amélie; Blais, Lucie

    2009-01-15

    Extensive literature exists on potential risk factors for childhood asthma. To the authors' knowledge, no investigators have yet attempted to disentangle the effects of those determinants within a single study setting. The authors aimed to evaluate the independent effects of 47 potential determinants (from the prenatal, perinatal, and childhood periods) of asthma development in children within the first 10 years of life. From a Canadian birth cohort of 26,265 children (1990-2002), a 2-stage case-control study was conducted. In the first stage, 20 controls per case were selected from 3 administrative databases. In the second stage, selected mothers were mailed questionnaires for assessment of additional determinants. Increased risks of childhood asthma were found for > or =1 previous diagnosis of bronchopulmonary disease and atopic dermatitis in the child, oxygen administration after birth, prescription of antibiotics within the first 6 months of life, male gender, asthma during pregnancy, use of antibiotics during pregnancy, maternal receipt of social aid, paternal asthma, and asthma in siblings. Protective effects included use of intranasal corticosteroids during pregnancy, having a wood-burning fireplace, having pets in the home prior to the index date, breastfeeding, and day-care attendance. This study allowed the authors to identify, within a single setting, the most influential determinants of childhood asthma among 47 predictors assessed for the prenatal, perinatal, and childhood periods.

  10. Teaching Business French through Case Studies: Presentation of a Marketing Case.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Federico, Salvatore; Moore, Catherine

    The use of case studies as a means for teaching business French is discussed. The approach is advocated because of the realism of case studies, which are based on actual occurrences. Characteristics of a good case are noted: it tells a story, focuses on interest-arousing issues, is set in the past 10 years, permits empathy with the main…

  11. Case Study: Puttin' on the Ritz: How to Put Science into Cases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herreid, Clyde Freeman

    2017-01-01

    There are multiple ways to put science into a case. This column provides original articles on innovations in case study teaching, assessment of the method, as well as case studies with teaching notes. This month's issue discusses different ways of presenting science in case studies.

  12. Case Study Observational Research: A Framework for Conducting Case Study Research Where Observation Data Are the Focus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morgan, Sonya J; Pullon, Susan R H; Macdonald, Lindsay M; McKinlay, Eileen M; Gray, Ben V

    2017-06-01

    Case study research is a comprehensive method that incorporates multiple sources of data to provide detailed accounts of complex research phenomena in real-life contexts. However, current models of case study research do not particularly distinguish the unique contribution observation data can make. Observation methods have the potential to reach beyond other methods that rely largely or solely on self-report. This article describes the distinctive characteristics of case study observational research, a modified form of Yin's 2014 model of case study research the authors used in a study exploring interprofessional collaboration in primary care. In this approach, observation data are positioned as the central component of the research design. Case study observational research offers a promising approach for researchers in a wide range of health care settings seeking more complete understandings of complex topics, where contextual influences are of primary concern. Future research is needed to refine and evaluate the approach.

  13. Beyond Clinical Case Studies in Psychoanalysis: A Review of Psychoanalytic Empirical Single Case Studies Published in ISI-Ranked Journals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meganck, Reitske; Inslegers, Ruth; Krivzov, Juri; Notaerts, Liza

    2017-01-01

    Single case studies are at the origin of both theory development and research in the field of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. While clinical case studies are the hallmark of psychoanalytic theory and practice, their scientific value has been strongly criticized. To address problems with the subjective bias of retrospective therapist reports and uncontrollability of clinical case studies, systematic approaches to investigate psychotherapy process and outcome at the level of the single case have been developed. Such empirical case studies are also able to bridge the famous gap between academic research and clinical practice as they provide clinically relevant insights into how psychotherapy works. This study presents a review of psychoanalytic empirical case studies published in ISI-ranked journals and maps the characteristics of the study, therapist, patient en therapies that are investigated. Empirical case studies increased in quantity and quality (amount of information and systematization) over time. While future studies could pay more attention to providing contextual information on therapist characteristics and informed consent considerations, the available literature provides a basis to conduct meta-studies of single cases and as such contribute to knowledge aggregation. PMID:29046660

  14. A case-control study of risk factors for bovine cysticercosis in Danish cattle herds

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Calvo Artavia, Francisco Fernando; Nielsen, Liza Rosenbaum; Dahl, J.

    2013-01-01

    than in countries with few lightly infected cases per year. The aim of the present case-control study was to quantify associations between potential herd-level risk factors and BC in Danish cattle herds. Risk factors can be used in the design of a risk-based meat inspection system targeted towards...... a questionnaire and register data from the Danish Cattle Database were grouped into meaningful variables and used to investigate the risk factors for BC using a multivariable logistic regression model. Case herds were almost three times more likely than control herds to let all or most animals out grazing. Case...... the animals with the highest risk of BC. Cases (n = 77) included herds that hosted at least one animal diagnosed with BC at meat inspection, from 2006 to 2010. Control herds (n = 231) consisted of randomly selected herds that had not hosted any animals diagnosed with BC between 2004 and 2010. The answers from...

  15. Buffer-Aided Relaying with Adaptive Link Selection

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zlatanov, Nikola; Schober, Robert; Popovski, Petar

    2013-01-01

    In this paper, we consider a simple network consisting of a source, a half-duplex decode-and-forward relay, and a destination. We propose a new relaying protocol employing adaptive link selection, i.e., in any given time slot, based on the channel state information of the source-relay and the relay......-destination link a decision is made whether the source or the relay transmits. In order to avoid data loss at the relay, adaptive link selection requires the relay to be equipped with a buffer such that data can be queued until the relay-destination link is selected for transmission. We study both delay......-constrained and delay-unconstrained transmission. For the delay-unconstrained case, we characterize the optimal link selection policy, derive the corresponding throughput, and develop an optimal power allocation scheme. For the delay-constrained case, we propose to starve the buffer of the relay by choosing...

  16. Out of the box selection and application of UX evaluation methods and practical cases

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Obrist, Marianna; Knoche, Hendrik; Basapur, Santosh

    2013-01-01

    The scope of user experience supersedes the concept of usability and other performance oriented measures by including for example users' emotions, motivations and a strong focus on the context of use. The purpose of this tutorial is to motivate researchers and practitioners to think about...... the challenging questions around how to select and apply UX evaluation methods for different usage contexts, in particular for the "home" and "mobile" context, relevant for TV-based services. Next to a general understanding of UX evaluation and available methods, we will provide concrete UX evaluation case...

  17. Temporal evolution of the environmental performance of implementing selective collection in municipal waste management systems in developing countries: A Brazilian case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ibáñez-Forés, Valeria; Bovea, María D; Coutinho-Nóbrega, Claudia; de Medeiros-García, Hozana R; Barreto-Lins, Raissa

    2018-02-01

    The aim of this study is to analyse the evolution of the municipal solid waste management system of João Pessoa (Brazil), which was one of the Brazilian pioneers cities in implementing door-to-door selective collection programmes, in order to analyse the effect of policy decisions adopted in last decade with regard to selective collection. To do it, this study focuses on analysing the evolution, from 2005 to 2015, of the environmental performance of the municipal solid waste management (MSWM) system implemented in different sorting units with selective collection programmes by applying the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology and using as a starting point data collected directly from the different stakeholders involved in the MSWM system. This article presents the temporal evolution of environmental indicators measuring the environmental performance of the MSWM system implemented in João Pessoa by sorting unit, for each stage of the life cycle of the waste (collection, classification, intermediate transports, recycling and landfilling), for each waste fraction and for each collection method (selective collection or mixed collection), with the aim of identifying the key aspects with the greatest environmental impact and their causes. Results show on one hand, that environmental behaviour of waste management in a door-to-door selective collection programme significantly improves the behaviour of the overall waste management system. Consequently, the potential to reduce the existing environmental impact based on citizens' increased participation in selective collection is evidenced, so the implementation of awareness-raising campaigns should be one of the main issues of the next policies on solid waste. On the other hand, increasing the amount of recyclable wastes collected selectively, implementing alternative methods for valorising the organic fraction (compost/biomethanization) and improving the efficiency of the transportation stage by means of optimizing

  18. Ultrahigh Dimensional Variable Selection for Interpolation of Point Referenced Spatial Data: A Digital Soil Mapping Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lamb, David W.; Mengersen, Kerrie

    2016-01-01

    Modern soil mapping is characterised by the need to interpolate point referenced (geostatistical) observations and the availability of large numbers of environmental characteristics for consideration as covariates to aid this interpolation. Modelling tasks of this nature also occur in other fields such as biogeography and environmental science. This analysis employs the Least Angle Regression (LAR) algorithm for fitting Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) penalized Multiple Linear Regressions models. This analysis demonstrates the efficiency of the LAR algorithm at selecting covariates to aid the interpolation of geostatistical soil carbon observations. Where an exhaustive search of the models that could be constructed from 800 potential covariate terms and 60 observations would be prohibitively demanding, LASSO variable selection is accomplished with trivial computational investment. PMID:27603135

  19. Functionally enigmatic genes: a case study of the brain ignorome.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ashutosh K Pandey

    Full Text Available What proportion of genes with intense and selective expression in specific tissues, cells, or systems are still almost completely uncharacterized with respect to biological function? In what ways do these functionally enigmatic genes differ from well-studied genes? To address these two questions, we devised a computational approach that defines so-called ignoromes. As proof of principle, we extracted and analyzed a large subset of genes with intense and selective expression in brain. We find that publications associated with this set are highly skewed--the top 5% of genes absorb 70% of the relevant literature. In contrast, approximately 20% of genes have essentially no neuroscience literature. Analysis of the ignorome over the past decade demonstrates that it is stubbornly persistent, and the rapid expansion of the neuroscience literature has not had the expected effect on numbers of these genes. Surprisingly, ignorome genes do not differ from well-studied genes in terms of connectivity in coexpression networks. Nor do they differ with respect to numbers of orthologs, paralogs, or protein domains. The major distinguishing characteristic between these sets of genes is date of discovery, early discovery being associated with greater research momentum--a genomic bandwagon effect. Finally we ask to what extent massive genomic, imaging, and phenotype data sets can be used to provide high-throughput functional annotation for an entire ignorome. In a majority of cases we have been able to extract and add significant information for these neglected genes. In several cases--ELMOD1, TMEM88B, and DZANK1--we have exploited sequence polymorphisms, large phenome data sets, and reverse genetic methods to evaluate the function of ignorome genes.

  20. Functionally enigmatic genes: a case study of the brain ignorome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pandey, Ashutosh K; Lu, Lu; Wang, Xusheng; Homayouni, Ramin; Williams, Robert W

    2014-01-01

    What proportion of genes with intense and selective expression in specific tissues, cells, or systems are still almost completely uncharacterized with respect to biological function? In what ways do these functionally enigmatic genes differ from well-studied genes? To address these two questions, we devised a computational approach that defines so-called ignoromes. As proof of principle, we extracted and analyzed a large subset of genes with intense and selective expression in brain. We find that publications associated with this set are highly skewed--the top 5% of genes absorb 70% of the relevant literature. In contrast, approximately 20% of genes have essentially no neuroscience literature. Analysis of the ignorome over the past decade demonstrates that it is stubbornly persistent, and the rapid expansion of the neuroscience literature has not had the expected effect on numbers of these genes. Surprisingly, ignorome genes do not differ from well-studied genes in terms of connectivity in coexpression networks. Nor do they differ with respect to numbers of orthologs, paralogs, or protein domains. The major distinguishing characteristic between these sets of genes is date of discovery, early discovery being associated with greater research momentum--a genomic bandwagon effect. Finally we ask to what extent massive genomic, imaging, and phenotype data sets can be used to provide high-throughput functional annotation for an entire ignorome. In a majority of cases we have been able to extract and add significant information for these neglected genes. In several cases--ELMOD1, TMEM88B, and DZANK1--we have exploited sequence polymorphisms, large phenome data sets, and reverse genetic methods to evaluate the function of ignorome genes.

  1. HYDROGEOLOGIC CASE STUDIES

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hydrogeology is the foundation of subsurface site characterization for evaluations of monitored natural attenuation (MNA). Three case studies are presented. Examples of the potentially detrimental effects of drilling additives on ground-water samples from monitoring wells are d...

  2. Day-case laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Khan, S A

    2012-01-01

    For day-case laparoscopic surgery to be successful, patient selection is of the utmost importance. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of day-case laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication and to identify factors that may lead to readmission and overstay.

  3. Assessment of financial control practices in Polytechnics in Ghana. A case study of Sunyani Polytechnic

    OpenAIRE

    Prempeh, Kwadwo Boateng; Twumasi, Patrick; Kyeremeh, Kwadwo

    2015-01-01

    The study sought to assess the financial Control systems of Polytechnics in Ghana and suggest ways of improving them. Financial control systems exist to help organizations meet their goals and objectives, promote efficiency, reduce the risk of loss, and help ensure financial statement reliability and compliance with laws and regulations. The study adopts the case study design using Sunyani Polytechnic in the Brong Ahafo region, Ghana. A sample size of 50 staff members was selected for the stu...

  4. A shared frailty model for case-cohort samples: parent and offspring relations in an adoption study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Liselotte; Sørensen, Thorkild I A; Andersen, Per Kragh

    2010-01-01

    of their biological and adoptive parents were collected with the purpose of studying the association of survival between the adoptee and his/her biological or adoptive parents. Motivated by this study, we explored how to make inference in a shared frailty model for case-cohort data. Our approach was to use inverse......The Danish adoption register contains data on the 12 301 Danish nonfamilial adoptions during 1924-1947. From that register a case-cohort sample was selected consisting of all case adoptees, that is those adoptees dying before age 70 years, and a random sample of 1683 adoptees. The survival data...... probability weighting to account for the sampling in a conditional, shared frailty Poisson model and to use the robust variance estimator proposed by Moger et al. (Statist. Med. 2008; 27:1062-1074).To explore the performance of the estimation procedure, a simulation study was conducted. We studied situations...

  5. Contemporary views on selective mutism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dimoski Sanja

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to review contemporary literature on selective mutism (SM, available in our language. The paper includes a contemporary definition of the disorder, previous studies of selective mutism, theories about its origin, and treatment. SM is a disorder that occurs in childhood, when a child's speech is selectively lacking in certain social situations. School is the context in which the disorder is typically manifested, which is why SM is often diagnosed only after children start school. The paper gives a historical account of changes in views on this disorder. Modern conceptions emphasize selective inability of children to spontaneously and successfully express themselves verbally. In researching SM, case studies on children who have selective mutism are most commonly published. Etiological factors are not precisely defined, and different conceptions give their interpretations depending on various theoretical frameworks. Some studies consistently indicate a relation between SM and social anxiety, and some with opposing behavior and delays in language development. Based on theoretical explanations of SM, psychological interventions (behavioral and cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic and projective techniques, counseling and family therapy are created. Modern treatment of selective mutism includes an eclectic approach and emphasizes the role of teachers and school in general. Future studies should deepen the knowledge about selective mutism, specify the methodological procedure and stimulate the individualized treatment of children with SM.

  6. Selection in artistic gymnastics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Olaru

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available This study envisages the analysis of the specific aspects of the selection process in artistic gymnastics, focusing particularly onthe selection of Romania’s recent years. In our opinion, the shift to a cone of darkness of the artistic gymnastics, an extremelypopular sport in our country 20 years ago, is also based on and the orientation of children to other fields – unfortunately manyof them outside sports and physical activities in general. In the present study, we shall present the stages of the artisticgymnastics, as its importance in the subsequent performances has been proven a long time ago. The plethora of qualities andskills which are necessary to select a child for gymnastics and those that this sport develops when performed as a spare timeactivity. The case studied in this endeavour is the one of the main centers for gymnast recruitment in Romania; the attentionpaid by the trainers to the selection for this sport makes the data regarding the number of children involved to increase oncemore. This is a satisfactory fact as it is a well-known fact that a wide range primary selection sets a serious basis for thesecondary selection, and the third, respectively, envisaging the future performance and concurrently ensures the involvementof more children in a physical activity that will prepare them, both physically and mentally for a healthy life.

  7. Objectivist case study research

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ridder, Hanne Mette Ochsner; Fachner, Jörg

    2016-01-01

    be achieved through the use of objectivist case study research. The strength of the case study design is that it allows for uncovering or suggesting causal relationships in real-life settings through an intensive and rich collection of data. According to Hilliard (1993), the opposite applies for extensive......In order to comprehend the impact of music therapy or music therapy processes, a researcher might look for an approach where the topic under investigation can be understood within a broader context. This calls for a rich inclusion of data and consequently a limited number of participants and may...... designs, in which a small amount of data is gathered on a large number of subjects. With the richness of data, the intensive design is ―the primary pragmatic reason for engaging in single-case or small N research‖ (p. 374) and for working from an idiographic rather than a nomothetic perspective....

  8. Using Educational Neuroscience and Psychology to Teach Science. Part 1: A Case Study Review of Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) and Cognitive Acceleration through Science Education (CASE)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jenkins, Rebecca Torrance

    2017-01-01

    This article is the first of a two-part series that explores science teachers' and their pupils' experiences of using different pedagogical approaches based on understandings of how brains learn. For this case-study research, nine science teachers were interviewed and four teachers self-selected to trial a pedagogical approach, new to them, from…

  9. Catalog of NASA-Related Case Studies

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The OCKO has developed over 50 case studies to enhance learning at workshops, training, retreats and conferences. Case studies make mission knowledge attractive and...

  10. The impact of the ECHR on private international law: An analysis of Strasbourg and selected national case law

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kiestra, L.R.

    2013-01-01

    In this research the interaction between the rights guaranteed in the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) and private international law has been analyzed by examining the case law of the European Court of Human Rights (the Court) in Strasbourg and selected national courts. In doing so the

  11. Image selection in static telepathology through the Internet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Della Mea, V; Cataldi, P; Boi, S; Finato, N; Della Palma, P; Beltrami, C A

    1998-01-01

    A telepathology study was carried out to examine the differences occurring when the images were selected by an experienced pathologist, a junior pathologist and a first-year resident. One hundred and fifty-five consecutive frozen-section pathology cases were collected and sent for consultation to a remote experienced pathologist using multimedia email. Local diagnoses (as reported in the files of the Institute, not from the image selector) and remote diagnoses (based on the images) were compared with those performed on paraffin-embedded sections. Acquisition time and number of selected images were recorded for each case and used to compare the different behaviour of the three local pathologists. Of the 155 cases sent by telepathology, four were considered insufficient for a diagnosis by the remote pathologist and thus the diagnosis was postponed. In the remaining 151 cases, the overall diagnostic agreement between remote and definitive diagnosis was 96.7%. The results indicate that in the routine diagnostic work of a frozen-section service, an inexperienced pathologist can select images which are sufficiently informative for a remote diagnosis, in a sufficiently short time.

  12. The outcome of children with selective mutism following cognitive behavioral intervention: a follow-up study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lang, Claudia; Nir, Ziv; Gothelf, Ayelet; Domachevsky, Shoshi; Ginton, Lee; Kushnir, Jonathan; Gothelf, Doron

    2016-04-01

    Selective mutism (SM) is a relatively rare childhood disorder and is underdiagnosed and undertreated. The purpose of the retrospective naturalistic study was to examine the long-term outcome of children with SM who were treated with specifically designed modular cognitive behavioral therapy (MCBT). Parents of 36 children who met diagnostic criteria of SM that received MCBT treatment were invited for a follow-up evaluation. Parents were interviewed using structured scales and completed questionnaires regarding the child, including the Selective Mutism Questionnaire (SMQ). Twenty-four subjects were identified and evaluated. Their mean age ± SD of onset of SM symptoms, beginning of treatment, and age at follow-up were 3.4 ± 1.4, 6.4 ± 3.1, and 9.3 ± 3.4 years, respectively. There was robust improvement from beginning of treatment to follow-up evaluation in SM, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobia symptoms. The recovery rate from SM was 84.2 %. SM-focused MCBT is feasible in children and possibly effective in inducing long-term reduction of SM and comorbid anxiety symptoms. • There are limited empirical data on selective mutism (SM) treatment outcome and specifically on cognitive-behavioral therapy, with the majority of studies being uncontrolled case reports of 1 to 2 cases each. • There is also limited data on the long-term outcome of children with SM following treatment. What is New: • Modular cognitive behavioral treatment is a feasible and possibly effective treatment for SM. Intervention at a younger age is more effective comparing to an older age. • Treatment for SM also decreases the rate of psychiatric comorbidities, including separation anxiety disorder and specific phobia.

  13. Power substation location selection using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process and PROMETHEE: A case study from Bangladesh

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kabir, Golam; Sumi, Razia Sultana

    2014-01-01

    Electromagnetic radiations emanating from the high voltage lines and substations pose serious adverse health consequences to living beings. As a result, selection of power substation location is an important strategic decision-making problem for both public and private sectors. In general, many conflicting factors affect the appropriate substation location selection problem which adheres to uncertain and imprecise data. In this paper, a simple, systematic and logical scientific approach is structured to evaluate power substation location through integrating Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP) with the Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE). The proposed integrated approach provides more realistic and reliable results, and facilitates the decision-maker to handle multiple contradictory decision perspectives through eliminating the limitations of FAHP and PROMETHEE methods. To accredit the proposed model, it is implemented in a power substation location selection problem in Bangladesh. - Highlights: • Integrate the strengths and eliminate the limitations of FAHP and PROMETHEE. • Consider social, technological, economic, environmental, and site characteristics criteria. • Determine the weights of criteria and sub-criteria using FAHP. • Present both PROMETHEE I and PROMETHEE II ranking. • Enable graphical representation of the alternatives and criteria by GAIA plane

  14. [Synostosis and tarsal coalitions in children. A study of 68 cases in 47 patients].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rouvreau, P; Pouliquen, J C; Langlais, J; Glorion, C; de Cerqueira Daltro, G

    1994-01-01

    The authors report their experience with tarsal coalitions in children. The purpose of this study was to discuss the origins of the of the calcaneum, and to propose a simple therapeutic strategy for diagnosis and treatment. The study included 47 children (68 feet), with one or more idiopathic tarsal coalitions. All patients had physical examinations to record symptoms, morphology of the foot, mobility of the foot, gait analysis, standard radiographs, and in some cases CT scans or MRI. The average age of the patients was 11.5 years old, 7 patients had a positive family history for tarsal coalitions. 66 per cent of the patients had mild tarsal pain or a history of repeated ankle sprains. The conservative treatment concerned 28 feet: 3 casts, 2 injections of corticosteroids into the subtalar joint, insole-shoes in 3 cases, and abstention in 20 cases. The operative treatment (40 feet) consisted of resection of calcaneonavicular coalitions (24 feet) resection of talocalcaneal coalitions (3 feet), mediotarsal and subtalar arthrodesis (8 feet), resection of calcaneonavicular coalition combined with the "Cavalier'' procedure described by Judet (3 feet), calcaneal osteotomy (2 feet). The mean follow-up was 42 months. The morphology of the involved foot was normal in 33 cases, flat foot was seen in 24 cases (4 peroneal spastic flat feet), pes cavus in 3 cases, club foot in 2 cases, pes varus in 4 cases, "Z'' shaped feet in 2 cases. The radiological examination was demonstrative of tarsal coalition in 61 feet. 7 tarsal coalitions were seen during operative procedures. The location or the coalition was calcaneonavicular (57), talocalcaneal (16), talo-navicular (8), calcaneo-cuboid (7), naviculo-cuneiform (4). The secondary radiographic signs were studied for each foot. In the conservative group, 2 patients degraded their clinical status, one developed a spastic flat foot. In the surgical group, all except 2 patients had good clinical and functional results. One patient had

  15. MONETARY TRANSMISSION CHANNELS IN FLEXIBLE MONETARY AND EXCHANGE RATE REGIMES: THE CASE OF SELECTED TRANSITION ECONOMIES

    OpenAIRE

    JOSIFIDIS, Kosta; PUCAR, Emilija Beker; SUPIĆ, Novica

    2010-01-01

    The paper explores selected monetary transmission channels in the case of transition economies. Namely, an exchange rate channel, an interest rate channel, direct and indirect influence to an exchange rate, are focused. Specific (former) transition economies are differentiated according the combination of implemented monetary and exchange rate regimes: exchange rate as a nominal anchor and rigid exchange rate regimes, exchange rate as a nominal anchor and intermediate exchange rate regimes, a...

  16. Case Study: Let's Get Personal--Putting Personality into Your Cases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herreid, Clyde Freeman

    2017-01-01

    In this case study, the subject for discussion is the need to use teaching notes in order to add personality to case studies. Personality, it is said, is more important than policy, than demographics, than finances, or amorous peccadillos. Personality is essential. It is the interaction of people that capture our interest, yet, the question is…

  17. Case Study of 'moral injury' : Format Dutch Case Studies Project

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Korver, Sjaak; Walton, Martin N.; van Loenen, Guus

    2017-01-01

    The case study ‘Moral Injury’ traces care provided by a chaplain in a mental health institution to a former military marksman named Hans. Hans was in care at a specialized unit for military veterans with traumas. He sought contact with a chaplain “to set things right with God” and wanted the

  18. A Case Study in Classroom Management and School Involvement: Designing an Art Room for Effective Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Broome, Jeffrey L.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this research project is to investigate the design of classroom environments through the lens of a uniquely selected art educator. More specifically, the purpose is to use case study methodology (Stake, 1995) to characterize the resulting instructional experiences for an art educator who had the unique opportunity to collaborate…

  19. Satellite observed impacts of wildfires on regional atmosphere composition and shortwave radiative forcing: multiple cases study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Y.; Li, R.; Huang, J.; Bergeron, Y.; Fu, Y.

    2017-12-01

    Emissions of aerosols and trace gases from wildfires and the direct shortwave radiative forcing were studied using multi-satellite/sensor observations from Aqua Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Aqua Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), and Aqua Cloud's and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES). The selected cases occurred in Northeast of China (NEC), Siberia of Russia, California of America have dominant fuel types of cropland, mixed forest and needleleaf forest, respectively. The Fire radiative power (FRP) based emission coefficients (Ce) of aerosol, NOx (NO2+NO), formaldehyde (HCHO), and carbon monoxide (CO) showed significant differences from case to case. 1) the FRP of the cropland case in NEC is strongest, however, the Ce of aerosol is the lowest (20.51 ± 2.55 g MJ-1). The highest Ce of aerosol is 71.34 ± 13.24 g MJ-1 in the needleleaf fire case in California. 2) For NOx, the highest Ce existed in the cropland case in NEC (2.76 ± 0.25 g MJ-1), which is more than three times of those in the forest fires in Siberia and California. 3) The Ce of CO is 70.21±10.97 and 88.38±46.16 g MJ-1 in the forest fires in Western Siberia and California, which are about four times of that in cropland fire. 4) The variation of Ce of HCHO are relatively small among cases. Strong spatial correlations are found among aerosol optical depth (AOD), NOx, HCHO, and CO. The ratios of NOx to AOD, HCHO, and CO in the cropland case in NEC show much higher values than those in other cases. Although huge differences of emissions and composition ratios exist among cases, the direct shortwave (SW) radiative forcing efficiency (SWARFE) of smoke at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) are in good agreement, with the shortwave radiative forcing efficiencies values of 20.09 to 22.93 per unit AOD. Results in this study reveal noteworthy variations of the FRP-based emissions coefficient and relative chemical composition in the smoke

  20. Potential risk factors for diabetic neuropathy: a case control study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nooraei Mahdi

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Diabetes mellitus type II afflicts at least 2 million people in Iran. Neuropathy is one of the most common complications of diabetes and lowers the patient's quality of life. Since neuropathy often leads to ulceration and amputation, we have tried to elucidate the factors that can affect its progression. Methods In this case-control study, 110 diabetic patients were selected from the Shariati Hospital diabetes clinic. Michigan Neuropathic Diabetic Scoring (MNDS was used to differentiate cases from controls. The diagnosis of neuropathy was confirmed by nerve conduction studies (nerve conduction velocity and electromyography. The multiple factors compared between the two groups included consumption of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI, blood pressure, serum lipid level, sex, smoking, method of diabetes control and its quality. Results Statistically significant relationships were found between neuropathy and age, gender, quality of diabetes control and duration of disease (P values in the order: 0.04, 0.04, Conclusion In this study, hyperglycemia was the only modifiable risk factor for diabetic neuropathy. Glycemic control reduces the incidence of neuropathy, slows its progression and improves the diabetic patient's quality of life. More attention must be paid to elderly male diabetic patients with poor diabetes control with regard to regular foot examinations and more practical education.

  1. Treatment of selective mutism: focus on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaakeh, Yaman; Stumpf, Janice L

    2008-02-01

    Abstract Selective mutism is a pediatric psychiatric disorder that occurs when a child consistently fails to speak in specific situations in which speaking is expected, such as at school and social gatherings, but speaks appropriately in other settings. Selective mutism often is diagnosed when a child starts school and does not talk to teachers or peers, but talks to family members at home; the condition is frequently accompanied by anxiety and shyness. Although the underlying etiology of the condition remains unclear, psychotherapy is the preferred initial treatment, with the support of parents and teachers. If the child does not respond to psychotherapy, addition of pharmacologic treatment should be considered, depending on the severity of symptoms and presence of other illnesses. Although data are limited to case reports and trials with small patient populations and short follow-up periods, some patients with selective mutism respond to therapy with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Fluoxetine is the most studied SSRI as treatment for the condition, although further investigation is required to determine the optimal dosage and duration of therapy.

  2. Scenario for concurrent conceptual assembly line design: A case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mas, F.; Ríos, J.; Menéndez, J. L.

    2012-04-01

    The decision to design and build a new aircraft is preceded by years of research and study. Different disciplines work together throughout the lifecycle to ensure not only a complete functional definition of the product, but also a complete industrialization, a marketing plan, a maintenance plan, etc. This case study focuses on the conceptual design phase. During this phase, the design solutions that will meet the functional and industrial requirements are defined, i.e.: the basic requirements of industrialization. During this phase, several alternatives are studied, and the most attractive in terms of performance and cost requirements is selected. As a result of the study of these alternatives, it is possible to define an early conceptual design of the assembly line and its basic parameters. The plant needs, long cycle jigs & tools or industrial means and human resources with the necessary skills can be determined in advance.

  3. Change of hepatic volume after selective bile duct ligation: an experimental study in the rabbit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Hye Won; Yoon, Yup; Ko, Young Tae; Choi, Woo Suk; Lim, Joo Won; Oh, Joo Hyeong; Rim, Hyeong Teck; Kim, Youn Wha; Lee, Seok Hwan

    1998-01-01

    To evaluate the role of bile duct obstuction in the development of atrophy of the liver, using an animal model. Seven rabbits were divided into two groups: group 1(n=3D5), in which there was selective bile duct ligation, and group 2(n=3D2), which underwent a sham operation. Each group was evaluated using CT for changes in hepatic volume after selective bile duct ligation or a sham operation. In group I, the diameter of dilated bile duct was measured 2, 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks after bile duct ligation, while gross and histologic change were evaluated in all cases. In group 1, bile duct dilatation was seen on CT two weeks after selective bile duct ligation, and did not change significantly during follow-up. In four of five cases, CT revealed no evidence of significant atrophy of the involved segment. Pathologic specimens, however, revealed dilatation of the bile duct, periductal fibrosis, infiltration of chronic inflammatory cells, and periportal fibrosis. One of five cases showed segmental liver atrophy after selective bile duct ligation. In addion to the above pathologic findings, there was obstruction of the portal vein by foreign body reaction. In group 2, no evidence of dilated bile duct or liver atrophy was revealed by CT or pathologic specimen after a sham operation. During long-term follow-up of 16 weeks, obstruction of the bile duct did not play a major role in the development of lobar atrophy in the rabbit.=20

  4. Schematic representation of case study research designs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosenberg, John P; Yates, Patsy M

    2007-11-01

    The paper is a report of a study to demonstrate how the use of schematics can provide procedural clarity and promote rigour in the conduct of case study research. Case study research is a methodologically flexible approach to research design that focuses on a particular case - whether an individual, a collective or a phenomenon of interest. It is known as the 'study of the particular' for its thorough investigation of particular, real-life situations and is gaining increased attention in nursing and social research. However, the methodological flexibility it offers can leave the novice researcher uncertain of suitable procedural steps required to ensure methodological rigour. This article provides a real example of a case study research design that utilizes schematic representation drawn from a doctoral study of the integration of health promotion principles and practices into a palliative care organization. The issues discussed are: (1) the definition and application of case study research design; (2) the application of schematics in research; (3) the procedural steps and their contribution to the maintenance of rigour; and (4) the benefits and risks of schematics in case study research. The inclusion of visual representations of design with accompanying explanatory text is recommended in reporting case study research methods.

  5. Adventitious agents in viral vaccines: lessons learned from 4 case studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petricciani, John; Sheets, Rebecca; Griffiths, Elwyn; Knezevic, Ivana

    2014-09-01

    Since the earliest days of biological product manufacture, there have been a number of instances where laboratory studies provided evidence for the presence of adventitious agents in a marketed product. Lessons learned from such events can be used to strengthen regulatory preparedness for the future. We have therefore selected four instances where an adventitious agent, or a signal suggesting the presence of an agent, was found in a viral vaccine, and have developed a case study for each. The four cases are: a) SV40 in polio vaccines; b) bacteriophage in measles and polio vaccines; c) reverse transcriptase in measles and mumps vaccines; and d) porcine circovirus and porcine circovirus DNA sequences in rotavirus vaccines. The lessons learned from each event are discussed. Based in part on those experiences, certain scientific principles have been identified by WHO that should be considered in regulatory risk evaluation if an adventitious agent is found in a marketed vaccine in the future. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  6. A life cycle framework to support materials selection for Ecodesign: A case study on biodegradable polymers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ribeiro, I.; Peças, P.; Henriques, E.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • Life cycle framework to support material selection in Ecodesign. • Early design stage estimates and sensitivity analyses based on process-based models. • Sensitivity analysis to product geometry, industrial context and EoL scenarios. • Cost and environmental performance comparison – BDP vs. fossil based polymers. • Best alternatives mapping integrating cost and environmental performances. - Abstract: Nowadays society compels designers to develop more sustainable products. Ecodesign directs product design towards the goal of reducing environmental impacts. Within Ecodesign, materials selection plays a major role on product cost and environmental performance throughout its life cycle. This paper proposes a comprehensive life cycle framework to support Ecodesign in material selection. Dealing with new materials and technologies in early design stages, process-based models are used to represent the whole life cycle and supply integrated data to assess material alternatives, considering cost and environmental dimensions. An integrated analysis is then proposed to support decision making by mapping the best alternative materials according to the importance given to upstream and downstream life phases and to the environmental impacts. The proposed framework is applied to compare the life cycle performance of injection moulded samples made of four commercial biodegradable polymers with different contents of Thermo Plasticized Starch and PolyLactic Acid and a common fossil based polymer, Polypropylene. Instead of labelling materials just as “green”, the need to fully capture all impacts in the whole life cycle was shown. The fossil based polymer is the best economic alternative, but polymers with higher content of Thermo Plasticized Starch have a better environmental performance. However, parts geometry and EoL scenarios play a major role on the life cycle performance of candidate materials. The selection decision is then supported by mapping

  7. A Comparative Study of Feature Selection and Classification Methods for Gene Expression Data of Glioma

    KAUST Repository

    Abusamra, Heba

    2013-11-01

    Microarray gene expression data gained great importance in recent years due to its role in disease diagnoses and prognoses which help to choose the appropriate treatment plan for patients. This technology has shifted a new era in molecular classification. Interpreting gene expression data remains a difficult problem and an active research area due to their native nature of “high dimensional low sample size”. Such problems pose great challenges to existing classification methods. Thus, effective feature selection techniques are often needed in this case to aid to correctly classify different tumor types and consequently lead to a better understanding of genetic signatures as well as improve treatment strategies. This paper aims on a comparative study of state-of-the- art feature selection methods, classification methods, and the combination of them, based on gene expression data. We compared the efficiency of three different classification methods including: support vector machines, k-nearest neighbor and random forest, and eight different feature selection methods, including: information gain, twoing rule, sum minority, max minority, gini index, sum of variances, t-statistics, and one-dimension support vector machine. Five-fold cross validation was used to evaluate the classification performance. Two publicly available gene expression data sets of glioma were used in the experiments. Results revealed the important role of feature selection in classifying gene expression data. By performing feature selection, the classification accuracy can be significantly boosted by using a small number of genes. The relationship of features selected in different feature selection methods is investigated and the most frequent features selected in each fold among all methods for both datasets are evaluated.

  8. A Comparative Study of Feature Selection and Classification Methods for Gene Expression Data of Glioma

    KAUST Repository

    Abusamra, Heba

    2013-01-01

    Microarray gene expression data gained great importance in recent years due to its role in disease diagnoses and prognoses which help to choose the appropriate treatment plan for patients. This technology has shifted a new era in molecular classification. Interpreting gene expression data remains a difficult problem and an active research area due to their native nature of “high dimensional low sample size”. Such problems pose great challenges to existing classification methods. Thus, effective feature selection techniques are often needed in this case to aid to correctly classify different tumor types and consequently lead to a better understanding of genetic signatures as well as improve treatment strategies. This paper aims on a comparative study of state-of-the- art feature selection methods, classification methods, and the combination of them, based on gene expression data. We compared the efficiency of three different classification methods including: support vector machines, k-nearest neighbor and random forest, and eight different feature selection methods, including: information gain, twoing rule, sum minority, max minority, gini index, sum of variances, t-statistics, and one-dimension support vector machine. Five-fold cross validation was used to evaluate the classification performance. Two publicly available gene expression data sets of glioma were used in the experiments. Results revealed the important role of feature selection in classifying gene expression data. By performing feature selection, the classification accuracy can be significantly boosted by using a small number of genes. The relationship of features selected in different feature selection methods is investigated and the most frequent features selected in each fold among all methods for both datasets are evaluated.

  9. Changes in foot pressure on the ground during mae-geri kekomi (front kick in karate athlete - case study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    W. Cynarski

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Background and Study Aim : Biomechanical analysis of martial art techniques are objective and quantitative method, which may be useful in training practice for the purpose of improving these techniques as well as monitoring and enhancing athletes performance. The aim of this study was to assess selected kinetic parameters and lower limb loading during karate front kick, using force platforms, for both kicking and support leg. Material and Methods : Karate athlete, second dan, black belt holder in Idokan style, participated in this case study. The subject performed front kick in the air (without a physical target, both for his right and left leg, while standing on the force platforms. For the purpose of kinetic data recording two force platforms were used in this study (Kistler force plate, type 9286AA, Kistler, Switzerland. Selected kinetic parameters for kicking and support leg as well as front kick execution time were analysed. Results : Results of our case study revealed higher values of the kinetic parameters for the right leg, comparing to the left leg. This results confirm athlete’s declaration of being right leg dominant. Conclusions : Analysis of selected kinetic parameters may be useful in identifying lower leg laterization (leg dominance, as well as existing asymmetries between the dominant and non-dominant leg in karate and other martial art athletes.

  10. Peace Corps Water/Sanitation Case Studies and Analyses. Appropriate Technologies for Development. Case Study CS-4.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Talbert, Diana E., Comp.

    This document provides an overview of Peace Corps water and sanitation activities, five case studies (Thailand, Yemen, Paraguay, Sierra Leone, and Togo), programming guidelines, and training information. Each case study includes: (1) background information on the country's geography, population, and economics; (2) information on the country's…

  11. Review. Promises, pitfalls and challenges of genomic selection in breeding programs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ibanez-Escriche, N.; Gonzalez-Recio, O.

    2011-07-01

    The aim of this work was to review the main challenges and pitfalls of the implementation of genomic selection in the breeding programs of different livestock species. Genomic selection is now one of the main challenges in animal breeding and genetics. Its application could considerably increase the genetic gain in traits of interest. However, the success of its practical implementation depends on the selection scheme characteristics, and these must be studied for each particular case. In dairy cattle, especially in Holsteins, genomic selection is a reality. However, in other livestock species (beef cattle, small ruminants, monogastrics and fish) genomic selection has mainly been used experimentally. The main limitation for its implementation in the mentioned livestock species is the high geno typing costs compared to the low selection value of the candidate. Nevertheless, nowadays the possibility of using single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chips of low density to make genomic selection applications economically feasible is under study. Economic studies may optimize the benefits of genomic selection (GS) to include new traits in the breeding goals. It is evident that genomic selection offers great potential; however, a suitable geno typing strategy and recording system for each case is needed in order to properly exploit it. (Author) 50 refs.

  12. Educational Values in Different Social-Economic Status--A Study Case of Six Families in Maros Regency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jabaruddin; Alimuddin; Manda, Darman

    2016-01-01

    This research aims at determining educational values in families by describing the priority of the values selected in the educational value, the role of parents, and the socialization of values that were used by parents in educational values. This research is a case study with a qualitative approach. The subjects of the research were selected…

  13. Experimental study of precisely selected evaporation chains in the decay of excited 25Mg

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camaiani, A.; Casini, G.; Morelli, L.; Barlini, S.; Piantelli, S.; Baiocco, G.; Bini, M.; Bruno, M.; Buccola, A.; Cinausero, M.; Cicerchia, M.; D'Agostino, M.; Degelier, M.; Fabris, D.; Frosin, C.; Gramegna, F.; Gulminelli, F.; Mantovani, G.; Marchi, T.; Olmi, A.; Ottanelli, P.; Pasquali, G.; Pastore, G.; Valdré, S.; Verde, G.

    2018-04-01

    The reaction 12C+13C at 95 MeV bombarding energy is studied using the Garfield + Ring Counter apparatus located at the INFN Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro. In this paper we want to investigate the de-excitation of 25Mg aiming both at a new stringent test of the statistical description of nuclear decay and a direct comparison with the decay of the system 24Mg formed through 12C+12C reactions previously studied. Thanks to the large acceptance of the detector and to its good fragment identification capabilities, we could apply stringent selections on fusion-evaporation events, requiring their completeness in charge. The main decay features of the evaporation residues and of the emitted light particles are overall well described by a pure statistical model; however, as for the case of the previously studied 24Mg, we observed some deviations in the branching ratios, in particular for those chains involving only the evaporation of α particles. From this point of view the behavior of the 24Mg and 25Mg decay cases appear to be rather similar. An attempt to obtain a full mass balance even without neutron detection is also discussed.

  14. Developing Public Policies for New Welfare Technologies – A Case Study of Telemedicine and Telehomecare

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tambo, Torben

    2012-01-01

    and communication-based technologies (ICT) for homecare and monitoring (telemedicine, telehomecare). Despite major investments and national commitment, public policies have not yet found a general approach to move from technological and clinical opportunity and into large-scale regular use of the technology...... (normalisation). This article provides two case studies from Denmark; one case with hypertension monitoring at a local level and another case on national policy implementation through funding of selected demonstration projects. Among the findings are that policy-making processes certainly face major challenges...... in capturing research and development for the transition of technologies into working practice. Furthermore, policy approaches of supporting experimentation and demonstration are found inadequate in promoting technology into a level of normalisation in highly cross-organisational operational environments...

  15. Selective Denervation for Persistent Knee Pain After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Report of 50 Cases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Shao-Min; Meister, David W; Graner, Kelly C; Ninomiya, James T

    2017-03-01

    Despite the general success of total knee arthroplasty (TKA), up to 20% of patients report dissatisfaction following surgery. One potential cause of this dissatisfaction is residual pain secondary to neuroma formation in the sensory nerve branches that innervate the knee. We found, after performing a retrospective review, that up to 9.7% of patients following primary TKA and up to 21% of revision cases exhibited persistent knee pain attributable to neuroma formation. Despite the high incidence of this pathology, little is known about the effective diagnosis or treatment of neuroma formation following TKA. Between 2011 and 2014, 50 patients with persistent symptomatic neuroma pain following TKA underwent selective denervation. These patients had demonstrated the appropriate selection criteria and had failed conservative management. Patients were evaluated by the visual analog scale pain score and the Knee Society Score to determine the outcome of the described treatment. Thirty-two patients (64%) rated their outcome as excellent, 10 (20%) as good, 3 (6%) as fair, and 2 (4%) reported no change. The mean visual analog scale pain score was improved from 9.4 ± 0.8 to 1.1 ± 1.6 following surgery (P ≤ .001). The mean Knee Society Scores increased from 45.5 ± 14.3 to 94.1 ± 8.6 points (P ≤ .0001). Three patients (6%) required the second neurectomy due to recurrent pain and received excellent pain relief postoperatively. There were 2 complications of superficial skin peri-incisional hyperemia related to dressings. Average follow-up duration was 24 months (range, 16-38 months). Our study suggests that selective denervation provides an effective and long-lasting option for the management of this pathology. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Transition Management: Case Study of an Energy Efficiency Technology Roadmap in Turkey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Şiir Kilkiş

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper integrates several streams of literature in transition management and proposes a holistic framework for its application in policy-making. Separate fields of study, such as motors of change and strategic intelligence tools, are unified in a single analytical process. The process involves five steps that may be repeated until a desired policy objective is achieved. The pilot, integrated technology roadmap process that has been launched in Turkey is analyzed as a case study. The Energy Efficiency Technology Roadmap has been completed with the participation of over 160 experts in 5 different stages. It involved the collection of over 349 Delfi statements, their consolidation for a Delfi survey with 16 statements, the analysis of the results, a focal group meeting to develop roadmaps for the 7 selected goals, and the consultation of the roadmaps to the sector. The paper concludes that an integrated technology roadmap process, as described in the pilot case study, provides an advanced version of transition management, which is needed to mobilize research, development, and innovation for sustainable development.

  17. Selecting optimum locations for co-located wave and wind energy farms. Part II: A case study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Astariz, S.; Iglesias, G.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • The benefits of wave and wind combined systems relative to independent farms are analysed. • This purpose is carried out through a case study off the Danish coast. • The power production, power smoothing and shadow effect are analysed. • Hindcast and measured wave and wind data from 2005 to 2015 are used. • Third-generation models of winds and waves (WAsP and SWAN) are used. - Abstract: Combined energy systems present an opportunity to enhance the competitiveness of renewables and overcome other challenges of these novel renewables by realising the synergies between them. Among the different possibilities for combined systems, this work focuses on wave and wind co-located farms with the aim of assessing their benefits relative to standalone wind farms. To this end we estimate the energy production, investigate the power smoothing and shadow effect, and quantify the reduction in downtime achieved by the co-located farm through a case study off the Danish coast – a promising area for co-located farms based on the available resource and other considerations including technical constraints. The analysis is carried out based on hindcast data and observations extending from 2005 to 2015, and by means of state-of-the-art numerical models of the wind and wave fields – WAsP and SWAN, respectively. It is found that the energy yield per unit area with the combined wave-wind farm increases by 3.4% relative to a standalone wind farm, the downtime periods decrease by 58% and the power output variability reduces by 12.5%. Moreover, the capital and operational expenditures (CAPEX and OPEX, respectively) would also be significantly reduced thanks to the synergies realised through the combination of wind and wave power.

  18. The Importance of a Team Approach in Working Effectively with Selective Mutism: A Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borger, Gary W.; Bartley, Dana L.; Armstrong, Norma; Kaatz, Debra; Benson, Dave

    2007-01-01

    Selective Mutism (SM) in children and adolescents is characterized by a persistent failure to speak in certain social situations including at school or with friends despite the ability to speak and comprehend language. Not due to a specific communication disorder, SM is actually a pervasive psychological problem that lies along the continuum of…

  19. Beacon communities' public health initiatives: a case study analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Massoudi, Barbara L; Marcial, Laura H; Haque, Saira; Bailey, Robert; Chester, Kelley; Cunningham, Shellery; Riley, Amanda; Soper, Paula

    2014-01-01

    The Beacon Communities for Public Health (BCPH) project was launched in 2011 to gain a better understanding of the range of activities currently being conducted in population- and public health by the Beacon Communities. The project highlighted the successes and challenges of these efforts with the aim of sharing this information broadly among the public health community. The Beacon Community Program, designed to showcase technology-enabled, community-based initiatives to improve outcomes, focused on: building and strengthening health information technology (IT) infrastructure and exchange capabilities; translating investments in health IT to measureable improvements in cost, quality, and population health; and, developing innovative approaches to performance measurement, technology, and care delivery. Four multimethod case studies were conducted based on a modified sociotechnical framework to learn more about public health initiative implementation and use in the Beacon Communities. Our methodological approach included using document review and semistructured key informant interviews. NACCHO Model Practice Program criteria were used to select the public health initiatives included in the case studies. Despite differences among the case studies, common barriers and facilitators were found to be present in all areas of the sociotechnical framework application including structure, people, technology, tasks, overarching considerations, and sustainability. Overall, there were many more facilitators (range = 7-14) present for each Beacon compared to barriers (range = 4-6). Four influential promising practices were identified through the work: forging strong and sustainable partnerships; ensuring a good task-technology fit and a flexible and iterative design; fostering technology acceptance; and, providing education and demonstrating value. A common weakness was the lack of a framework or model for the Beacon Communities evaluation work. Sharing a framework or approach

  20. Beacon Communities’ Public Health Initiatives: A Case Study Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Massoudi, Barbara L.; Marcial, Laura H.; Haque, Saira; Bailey, Robert; Chester, Kelley; Cunningham, Shellery; Riley, Amanda; Soper, Paula

    2014-01-01

    Introduction: The Beacon Communities for Public Health (BCPH) project was launched in 2011 to gain a better understanding of the range of activities currently being conducted in population- and public health by the Beacon Communities. The project highlighted the successes and challenges of these efforts with the aim of sharing this information broadly among the public health community. Background: The Beacon Community Program, designed to showcase technology-enabled, community-based initiatives to improve outcomes, focused on: building and strengthening health information technology (IT) infrastructure and exchange capabilities; translating investments in health IT to measureable improvements in cost, quality, and population health; and, developing innovative approaches to performance measurement, technology, and care delivery. Methods: Four multimethod case studies were conducted based on a modified sociotechnical framework to learn more about public health initiative implementation and use in the Beacon Communities. Our methodological approach included using document review and semistructured key informant interviews. NACCHO Model Practice Program criteria were used to select the public health initiatives included in the case studies. Findings: Despite differences among the case studies, common barriers and facilitators were found to be present in all areas of the sociotechnical framework application including structure, people, technology, tasks, overarching considerations, and sustainability. Overall, there were many more facilitators (range = 7–14) present for each Beacon compared to barriers (range = 4–6). Discussion: Four influential promising practices were identified through the work: forging strong and sustainable partnerships; ensuring a good task-technology fit and a flexible and iterative design; fostering technology acceptance; and, providing education and demonstrating value. Conclusions: A common weakness was the lack of a framework or model for

  1. Implementing Product Platforms: A Case Study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Ole Fiil; Mortensen, Niels Henrik

    2006-01-01

    The paper describes a case study dealing with the process of creating and implementing a product platform. The paper espessially deals with the fact that to obtain the benefits of platforms a permanent change in behaviour in product development must be ensured. This change in behaviour requires...... acceptance and approval from the organisation in general and the commitment from management to enforce agreed-upon decisions. The case study itself was performed in the Danish company LEGO Group. The case study had two objectives: To create a technical architecture and align this architecture...

  2. Simulation as Logistic Support to Handling in the Warehouse: Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janka Šaderová

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Manipulation processes represent an important part of the material management in a company. These processes run inside a company and represent an integrated chain of material flow. The current situation regarding the material manipulation is evaluated using the manipulation indicators which may serve as the basis for manipulation system rationalisation designs. The present case study is focused on the determination of an appropriate number of forklift trucks in a given operation and consists of three sections. The introductory section deals with the evaluation of forklift activities while applying the selected analysis and the selected indicators. Analysis results subsequently served as a basis for the calculation. The calculated number of trucks must be properly verified; the verification should be focused on whether the given number of forklifts is actually sufficient for the performance of the current activities. The activities were verified while applying the simulation. A simulation model was created using the Technomatix Plan Simulation software.

  3. Neonatal Vitamin D Levels in Relation to Risk of Overweight at 7 Years in the Danish D-Tect Case-Cohort Study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Camilla B.; Lundqvist, Marika; Sørensen, Thorkild I. A.

    2017-01-01

    Background: Vitamin D level in pregnancy may be associated with risk of overweight in the offspring later in life. Methods: In a case-cohort study based on Danish biobanks and registers we examined the association between 25-hydroxy-vitamin D (25(OH)D) level at birth and overweight at 7 years....... Cases of overweight (n = 871) were randomly selected among 7-year-old children from the Copenhagen School Health Records Register (CSHRR) with a BMI above the 90th percentile. The cohort (n = 1,311) was a random sample selected among all Danish children born during the same period. Neonatal 25(OH...

  4. Selecting Question-Specific Genes to Reduce Incongruence in Phylogenomics: A Case Study of Jawed Vertebrate Backbone Phylogeny.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Meng-Yun; Liang, Dan; Zhang, Peng

    2015-11-01

    Incongruence between different phylogenomic analyses is the main challenge faced by phylogeneticists in the genomic era. To reduce incongruence, phylogenomic studies normally adopt some data filtering approaches, such as reducing missing data or using slowly evolving genes, to improve the signal quality of data. Here, we assembled a phylogenomic data set of 58 jawed vertebrate taxa and 4682 genes to investigate the backbone phylogeny of jawed vertebrates under both concatenation and coalescent-based frameworks. To evaluate the efficiency of extracting phylogenetic signals among different data filtering methods, we chose six highly intractable internodes within the backbone phylogeny of jawed vertebrates as our test questions. We found that our phylogenomic data set exhibits substantial conflicting signal among genes for these questions. Our analyses showed that non-specific data sets that are generated without bias toward specific questions are not sufficient to produce consistent results when there are several difficult nodes within a phylogeny. Moreover, phylogenetic accuracy based on non-specific data is considerably influenced by the size of data and the choice of tree inference methods. To address such incongruences, we selected genes that resolve a given internode but not the entire phylogeny. Notably, not only can this strategy yield correct relationships for the question, but it also reduces inconsistency associated with data sizes and inference methods. Our study highlights the importance of gene selection in phylogenomic analyses, suggesting that simply using a large amount of data cannot guarantee correct results. Constructing question-specific data sets may be more powerful for resolving problematic nodes. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Society of Systematic Biologists. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  5. A study on effects of organizational learning on organizational innovation: A case study of insurance industry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maryam Marvasti

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents an empirical investigation to study the relationship between organization learning and organization innovation in one of Iranian insurance firm. The proposed study selects a sample of 300 employees who work for different positions for the case study of this paper and using Pearson correlation as well as Freedman tests determines the relationship and ranks different components of the survey. The results of this implementation have indicated that organization innovation influences on organizational learning, data distribution, interpretation and memory significantly but the effect of organizational innovation on data collection cannot be confirmed when the level of significance is five or even ten percent. The implementation of Freedman test has also indicated that Information interpretation is number priority followed by information learning, organizational distribution and organizational memory.

  6. national Case study

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This national case study reports on the development of a national network, ... system under the new policy), tends to be limited by content on problems and ... 20 credit programme; and within two Post Graduate Certificate of Education contexts, ...... descriptive with an issues focus (empirical) towards awareness production to.

  7. Writing case studies in information systems research

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Blonk, H.C.

    Case study research can be reported in different ways. This paper explores the various ways in which researchers may choose to write down their case studies and then introduces a subsequent typology of writing case studies. The typology is based on a 2 x 2 matrix, resulting in four forms of writing

  8. Joint effect of unlinked genotypes: application to type 2 diabetes in the EPIC-Potsdam case-cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knüppel, Sven; Meidtner, Karina; Arregui, Maria; Holzhütter, Hermann-Georg; Boeing, Heiner

    2015-07-01

    Analyzing multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is a promising approach to finding genetic effects beyond single-locus associations. We proposed the use of multilocus stepwise regression (MSR) to screen for allele combinations as a method to model joint effects, and compared the results with the often used genetic risk score (GRS), conventional stepwise selection, and the shrinkage method LASSO. In contrast to MSR, the GRS, conventional stepwise selection, and LASSO model each genotype by the risk allele doses. We reanalyzed 20 unlinked SNPs related to type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the EPIC-Potsdam case-cohort study (760 cases, 2193 noncases). No SNP-SNP interactions and no nonlinear effects were found. Two SNP combinations selected by MSR (Nagelkerke's R² = 0.050 and 0.048) included eight SNPs with mean allele combination frequency of 2%. GRS and stepwise selection selected nearly the same SNP combinations consisting of 12 and 13 SNPs (Nagelkerke's R² ranged from 0.020 to 0.029). LASSO showed similar results. The MSR method showed the best model fit measured by Nagelkerke's R² suggesting that further improvement may render this method a useful tool in genetic research. However, our comparison suggests that the GRS is a simple way to model genetic effects since it does not consider linkage, SNP-SNP interactions, and no non-linear effects. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/University College London.

  9. Model selection emphasises the importance of non-chromosomal information in genetic studies.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reda Rawi

    Full Text Available Ever since the case of the missing heritability was highlighted some years ago, scientists have been investigating various possible explanations for the issue. However, none of these explanations include non-chromosomal genetic information. Here we describe explicitly how chromosomal and non-chromosomal modifiers collectively influence the heritability of a trait, in this case, the growth rate of yeast. Our results show that the non-chromosomal contribution can be large, adding another dimension to the estimation of heritability. We also discovered, combining the strength of LASSO with model selection, that the interaction of chromosomal and non-chromosomal information is essential in describing phenotypes.

  10. The Impact of Promotion Activities on Touristic Area Selection: A Case Study of Japanese Tourists Visiting Cappadocia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Pars Şahbaz

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to examine the impact of promotion activities on destination selection and to determine the level of the impact of promotion activities on Japanese tourists visiting Cappadocia region. The target population of the study is all Japanese tourists visiting Nevsehir province of Turkey. The sample of the study is composed of tourists visiting the city center and some districts of Nevsehir. After getting the required permissions, the questionnaires were distributed to Japanese tourists while they were staying at the hotels in Cappadocia. The software SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used to analyze the data. The findings of the study indicate that the Japanese tourists visiting Cappadocia were influenced at a certain level from the promotion activities. As a result, it was determined that the promotion activities have a significant impact on destinations. It was also determined that as the importance given to the promotion activities increase, both the familiarity of the destinations and the tourist arrivals could increase.

  11. Spectrally selective glazings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1998-08-01

    Spectrally selective glazing is window glass that permits some portions of the solar spectrum to enter a building while blocking others. This high-performance glazing admits as much daylight as possible while preventing transmission of as much solar heat as possible. By controlling solar heat gains in summer, preventing loss of interior heat in winter, and allowing occupants to reduce electric lighting use by making maximum use of daylight, spectrally selective glazing significantly reduces building energy consumption and peak demand. Because new spectrally selective glazings can have a virtually clear appearance, they admit more daylight and permit much brighter, more open views to the outside while still providing the solar control of the dark, reflective energy-efficient glass of the past. This Federal Technology Alert provides detailed information and procedures for Federal energy managers to consider spectrally selective glazings. The principle of spectrally selective glazings is explained. Benefits related to energy efficiency and other architectural criteria are delineated. Guidelines are provided for appropriate application of spectrally selective glazing, and step-by-step instructions are given for estimating energy savings. Case studies are also presented to illustrate actual costs and energy savings. Current manufacturers, technology users, and references for further reading are included for users who have questions not fully addressed here.

  12. A Thematic Look at Selected Cases of Marital Nullity in the Philippines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antero Rosauro V. Arias, Jr.

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Psychological incapacity on the part of either or both spouses as the basis of marital nullity under Article 36 of The Family Code of the Philippines has long been traced to cases of personality disorders. From a theoretical framework that included the legal basis under the said article and the categorical model of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV-TR (DSM-IV-TR, the author purposefully selected several clinical cases of spouses’ narratives in their social case history – these narratives were already part and parcel of court transcripts. Employing a qualitative research methodology using thematic analysis, they were then dissected into superordinate themes that represented spouses’ developmental years, premarital relationship years, and period of marital cohabitation as husband and wife. Thereafter, other themes and possible subthemes were extracted and listed under each of these superordinate themes. These themes and subthemes were then equated to the spouses’ overt manifestations of psychological incapacity. In turn, these manifestations were matched with any or all of the diagnostic features or traits of personality functioning in the DSM. The ultimate objective of deriving and labelling the identified themes with specific personality disorders, with due consideration to the subthemes that referred to spouses’ juridical antecedent behaviors, was successfully achieved to supplement the use of powerful psychometric tests, including the use of projective techniques which were utilized in the local courts. This innovative scheme of thematically analyzing spouses’ narratives on marital nullification figured very well in forensic mental health assessment, especially when the respondent spouse was not available to undergo the necessary psychological assessment for some reason.

  13. Understanding perspectives on sex-selection in India: an intersectional study

    OpenAIRE

    Sonya Davey, BA; Manisha Sharma, PhD MFA

    2014-01-01

    Background: Sex-selective abortion results in fewer girls than boys in India (914 girls:1000 boys). To understand perspectives about who is responsible for sex-selective abortion, our aim was to focus on narratives of vastly diverse stakeholders in Indian society. Methods: The qualitative study was undertaken in urban sectors of six northwestern Indian states. Ethnographic unstructured, conversation-style interviews with randomly selected participants were held for an unbiased study. To ca...

  14. How Do Contractors Select Suppliers for Greener Construction Projects? The Case of Three Swedish Companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shahin Mokhlesian

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available There are many studies of contractor selection based on clients and the selection of suppliers by contractors. However, supplier selection specifically related to green construction projects has been much less studied. Green construction differs from conventional construction because of differences in its underlying principles and use of environmentally-friendly materials and technologies. This paper studies how procurers in contractor companies in Sweden adopt green projects and how contractor perception of supplier mastery of green knowledge affects supplier selection. The investigation is based on a set of semi-structured interviews conducted among three large contractors in Sweden. A main finding is that the perceived differences between green and conventional projects do not change supplier selection dramatically. An implication is that “greener projects” is a more appropriate denotation than “green project”. Evidence shows that suppliers’ green knowledge is an important factor in supplier selection, as respondents rated suppliers’ knowledge of green projects as very important, and to fix his, there was a consensus among respondents about the need for close collaboration between contractors and suppliers. To ensure knowledge acquisition from suppliers and to increase their competitive advantage over rivals, contractors collaborate with their suppliers in a partnering setting. It is anticipated that the results of this study will be used to fill the gap in the literature on supplier selection in green projects and can also be used for construction firms contemplating getting involved in green projects.

  15. Residential traffic noise exposure and vestibular schwannoma - a Danish case-control study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roswall, Nina; Stangerup, Sven-Eric; Cayé-Thomasen, Per; Schüz, Joachim; Johansen, Christoffer; Jensen, Steen Solvang; Raaschou-Nielsen, Ole; Sørensen, Mette

    2017-10-01

    Few risk factors for sporadic vestibular schwannoma (VS) are known. Several studies have proposed an increased risk with occupational noise exposure, whereas no studies have investigated residential traffic noise exposure as a risk factor. The present study investigated if residential traffic noise was associated with vestibular schwannoma in a large, population-based Danish case-control study. We identified 1454 VS cases, age above 30 years at diagnosis, between 1990 and 2007. For each case, we selected two random population controls, matched on sex and year of birth. Road and railway traffic noise at the residence was calculated for all present and historical addresses between 1987 and index date. Associations between traffic noise and risk for VS were estimated using conditional logistic regression, adjusted for education, disposable personal income, cohabitation status, railway noise exposure, municipal population density, and municipal income. A two-year time-weighted mean road traffic noise exposure was associated with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.92 (0.82-1.03) for developing VS, per 10 dB increment. There was no clear trend in categorical analyses. Similarly, linear and categorical analyses of residential railway noise did not suggest an association. We found no interaction with demographics, year of diagnosis, individual and municipal socioeconomic variables, and railway noise exposure. The results did not differ by tumor side, spread or size. The present study does not suggest an association between residential traffic noise and VS.

  16. The classification problem in machine learning: an overview with study cases in emotion recognition and music-speech differentiation

    OpenAIRE

    Rodríguez Cadavid, Santiago

    2015-01-01

    This work addresses the well-known classification problem in machine learning -- The goal of this study is to approach the reader to the methodological aspects of the feature extraction, feature selection and classifier performance through simple and understandable theoretical aspects and two study cases -- Finally, a very good classification performance was obtained for the emotion recognition from speech

  17. Factors influencing household participation in solid waste management (Case study: Waste Bank Malang)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maryati, S.; Arifiani, N. F.; Humaira, A. N. S.; Putri, H. T.

    2018-03-01

    Solid waste management is very important measure in order to reduce the amount of waste. One of solid waste management form in Indonesia is waste banks. This kind of solid waste management required high level of participation of the community. The objective of this study is to explore factors influencing household participation in waste banks. Waste bank in Malang City (WBM) was selected as case study. Questionnaires distribution and investigation in WBM were conducted to identify problems of participation. Quantitative analysis was used to analyze the data. The research reveals that education, income, and knowledge about WBM have relationship with participation in WBM.

  18. A clear case. Selective investment in case management applications can yield significant returns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hagland, Mark

    2009-03-01

    Strategically conceived case management system implementation makes good patient care and business sense, CIOs agree. Significant financial savings can be achieved from case management IS implementations, if those implementations are executed in the context of partnership between clinical leaders and the CIO's team. CIOs agree that applying the concept of "investment" to the implementation of case management IT can make resource allocation decisions easier.

  19. The Danish National Case Study Report

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brodersen, Søsser; Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard

    Three case studies from Danish science shops within the environmental field are analysed with respect to societal background, interaction between the involved actors and the societal impact of the co-operation. The report is one of the seven national case study reports from the EU...

  20. Using Case Studies in Calculus-based Physics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katz, Debora M.

    2006-12-01

    Do your students believe that the physics only works in your classroom or laboratory? Or do they see that physics underlies their everyday experience? Case studies in physics help students connect physics principles to their everyday experience. For decades, case studies have been used to teach law, medicine and biology, but they are rarely used in physics. I am working on a calculus-based physics textbook for scientists and engineers. Case studies are woven into each chapter. Stop by and get a case study to test out in your classroom. I would love to get your feedback.