Clinicopathological significance of psychotic experiences in non-psychotic young people: evidence from four population-based studies.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Kelleher, Ian

2012-07-01

Epidemiological research has shown that hallucinations and delusions, the classic symptoms of psychosis, are far more prevalent in the population than actual psychotic disorder. These symptoms are especially prevalent in childhood and adolescence. Longitudinal research has demonstrated that psychotic symptoms in adolescence increase the risk of psychotic disorder in adulthood. There has been a lack of research, however, on the immediate clinicopathological significance of psychotic symptoms in adolescence.

Mammography image quality and evidence based practice: Analysis of the demonstration of the inframammary angle in the digital setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Spuur, Kelly; Webb, Jodi; Poulos, Ann; Nielsen, Sharon; Robinson, Wayne

2018-03-01

The aim of this study is to determine the clinical rates of the demonstration of the inframammary angle (IMA) on the mediolateral oblique (MLO) view of the breast on digital mammograms and to compare the outcomes with current accreditation standards for compliance. Relationships between the IMA, age, the posterior nipple line (PNL) and compressed breast thickness will be identified and the study outcomes validated using appropriate analyses of inter-reader and inter-rater reliability and variability. Differences in left versus right data were also investigated. A quantitative retrospective study of 2270 randomly selected paired digital mammograms performed by BreastScreen NSW was undertaken. Data was collected by direct measurement and visual analysis. Intra-class correlation analyses were used to evaluate inter- and intra-rater reliability. The IMA was demonstrated on 52.4% of individual and 42.6% of paired mammograms. A linear relationship was found between the posterior nipple line (PNL) and age (p-value PNL was predicted to increase by 0.48 mm for every one year increment in age. The odds of demonstrating the IMA reduced by 2% for every one year increase in age (p-value = 0.001); are 0.4% higher for every 1 mm increase in PNL (p-value = 0.001) and 1.6% lower for every 1 mm increase in compressed breast thickness, (p-valuePNL while there was 100% agreement for the demonstration of the IMA. Analysis of the demonstration of the IMA indicates clinically achievable rates (42.6%) well below that required for compliance (50%-75%) to known worldwide accreditation standards for screening mammography. These standards should be aligned to the reported evidence base. Visualisation of the IMA is impacted negatively by increasing age and compressed breast thickness but positively by breast size (PNL). Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evidence-based insulin treatment in type 1 diabetes mellitus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, Iben Brock; Henriksen, J E; Hother-Nielsen, O

2009-01-01

AIM: Evaluation of the evidence base for recommending different insulin treatment regimens in type 1 diabetes. METHODS: A computerised literature survey was conducted using The Cochrane Controlled Trials Register and the Pub Med database for the period of 1982-2007. RESULTS: A meta-analysis on only...... 49 out of 1295 references showed that CSII compared with conventional or multiple insulin injections therapy demonstrated a significant reduction in mean HbA1c (primary outcome) of 1.2% CI [0.73; 1.59] (P... daily insulin injections was based on only one publication demonstrating an improved quality of life but no significant reduction in HbA1c or hypoglycaemia. A comparison of rapid-acting insulin analogues and human soluble insulin demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in HbA1c of 0.1% CI: [0...

Moral significance of phenomenal consciousness.

Science.gov (United States)

Levy, Neil; Savulescu, Julian

2009-01-01

Recent work in neuroimaging suggests that some patients diagnosed as being in the persistent vegetative state are actually conscious. In this paper, we critically examine this new evidence. We argue that though it remains open to alternative interpretations, it strongly suggests the presence of consciousness in some patients. However, we argue that its ethical significance is less than many people seem to think. There are several different kinds of consciousness, and though all kinds of consciousness have some ethical significance, different kinds underwrite different kinds of moral value. Demonstrating that patients have phenomenal consciousness--conscious states with some kind of qualitative feel to them--shows that they are moral patients, whose welfare must be taken into consideration. But only if they are subjects of a sophisticated kind of access consciousness--where access consciousness entails global availability of information to cognitive systems--are they persons, in the technical sense of the word employed by philosophers. In this sense, being a person is having the full moral status of ordinary human beings. We call for further research which might settle whether patients who manifest signs of consciousness possess the sophisticated kind of access consciousness required for personhood.

Adaptive significance of root grafting in trees

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loehle, C.; Jones, R.

1988-12-31

Root grafting has long been observed in forest trees but the adaptive significance of this trait has not been fully explained. Various authors have proposed that root grafting between trees contributes to mechanical support by linking adjacent root systems. Keeley proposes that this trait would be of greatest advantage in swamps where soils provide poor mechanical support. He provides as evidence a greenhouse study of Nyssa sylvatica Marsh in which seedlings of swamp provenance formed between-individual root grafts more frequently than upland provenance seedlings. In agreement with this within-species study, Keeley observed that arid zone species rarely exhibit grafts. Keeley also demonstrated that vines graft less commonly than trees, and herbs never do. Since the need for mechanical support coincides with this trend, these data seem to support his model. In this paper, the authors explore the mechanisms and ecological significance of root grafting, leading to predictions of root grafting incidence. Some observations support and some contradict the mechanical support hypothesis.

Fine mapping of ZNF804A and genome-wide significant evidence for its involvement in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Williams, H J

2011-04-01

A recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) reported evidence for association between rs1344706 within ZNF804A (encoding zinc-finger protein 804A) and schizophrenia (P=1.61 × 10(-7)), and stronger evidence when the phenotype was broadened to include bipolar disorder (P=9.96 × 10(-9)). In this study we provide additional evidence for association through meta-analysis of a larger data set (schizophrenia\\/schizoaffective disorder N=18 945, schizophrenia plus bipolar disorder N=21 274 and controls N=38 675). We also sought to better localize the association signal using a combination of de novo polymorphism discovery in exons, pooled de novo polymorphism discovery spanning the genomic sequence of the locus and high-density linkage disequilibrium (LD) mapping. The meta-analysis provided evidence for association between rs1344706 that surpasses widely accepted benchmarks of significance by several orders of magnitude for both schizophrenia (P=2.5 × 10(-11), odds ratio (OR) 1.10, 95% confidence interval 1.07-1.14) and schizophrenia and bipolar disorder combined (P=4.1 × 10(-13), OR 1.11, 95% confidence interval 1.07-1.14). After de novo polymorphism discovery and detailed association analysis, rs1344706 remained the most strongly associated marker in the gene. The allelic association at the ZNF804A locus is now one of the most compelling in schizophrenia to date, and supports the accumulating data suggesting overlapping genetic risk between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Evidence for significantly enhancing reduction of Azo dyes in Escherichia coli by expressed cytoplasmic Azoreductase (AzoA) of Enterococcus faecalis.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, J; Heinze, T M; Xu, H; Cerniglia, C E; Chen, H

2010-05-01

Although cytoplasmic azoreductases have been purified and characterized from various bacteria, little evidence demonstrating that these azoreductases are directly involved in azo dye reduction in vivo is known. In order to evaluate the contribution of the enzyme to azo dye reduction in vivo, experiments were conducted to determine the effect of a recombinant cytoplasmic azoreductase (AzoA) from Enterococcus faecalis expressed in Escherichia coli on the rate of metabolism of Methyl Red, Ponceau BS and Orange II. The intact cells that contained IPTG induced AzoA had a higher rate of dye reduction with increases of 2 (Methyl Red), 4 (Ponceau BS) and 2.6 (Orange II)-fold compared to noninduced cells, respectively. Metabolites of Methyl Red isolated from induced cultures were identified as N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine and 2-aminobenzoic acid through liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) analyses. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that AzoA from Ent. faecalis is capable of increasing the reduction of azo dyes in intact E. coli cells and that cytoplasmic azoreductase is involved in bacterial dye degradation in vivo.

Detection of Clinically Significant Retinopathy of Prematurity Using Wide-angle Digital Retinal Photography

Science.gov (United States)

Chiang, Michael F.; Melia, Michele; Buffenn, Angela N.; Lambert, Scott R.; Recchia, Franco M.; Simpson, Jennifer L.; Yang, Michael B.

2013-01-01

Objective To evaluate the accuracy of detecting clinically significant retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) using wide-angle digital retinal photography. Methods Literature searches of PubMed and the Cochrane Library databases were conducted last on December 7, 2010, and yielded 414 unique citations. The authors assessed these 414 citations and marked 82 that potentially met the inclusion criteria. These 82 studies were reviewed in full text; 28 studies met inclusion criteria. The authors extracted from these studies information about study design, interventions, outcomes, and study quality. After data abstraction, 18 were excluded for study deficiencies or because they were superseded by a more recent publication. The methodologist reviewed the remaining 10 studies and assigned ratings of evidence quality; 7 studies were rated level I evidence and 3 studies were rated level III evidence. Results There is level I evidence from ≥5 studies demonstrating that digital retinal photography has high accuracy for detection of clinically significant ROP. Level III studies have reported high accuracy, without any detectable complications, from real-world operational programs intended to detect clinically significant ROP through remote site interpretation of wide-angle retinal photographs. Conclusions Wide-angle digital retinal photography has the potential to complement standard ROP care. It may provide advantages through objective documentation of clinical examination findings, improved recognition of disease progression by comparing previous photographs, and the creation of image libraries for education and research. Financial Disclosure(s) Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references. PMID:22541632

Exploration Medical System Demonstration

Science.gov (United States)

Rubin, D. A.; Watkins, S. D.

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: Exploration class missions will present significant new challenges and hazards to the health of the astronauts. Regardless of the intended destination, beyond low Earth orbit a greater degree of crew autonomy will be required to diagnose medical conditions, develop treatment plans, and implement procedures due to limited communications with ground-based personnel. SCOPE: The Exploration Medical System Demonstration (EMSD) project will act as a test bed on the International Space Station (ISS) to demonstrate to crew and ground personnel that an end-to-end medical system can assist clinician and non-clinician crew members in optimizing medical care delivery and data management during an exploration mission. Challenges facing exploration mission medical care include limited resources, inability to evacuate to Earth during many mission phases, and potential rendering of medical care by non-clinicians. This system demonstrates the integration of medical devices and informatics tools for managing evidence and decision making and can be designed to assist crewmembers in nominal, non-emergent situations and in emergent situations when they may be suffering from performance decrements due to environmental, physiological or other factors. PROJECT OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the EMSD project are to: a. Reduce or eliminate the time required of an on-orbit crew and ground personnel to access, transfer, and manipulate medical data. b. Demonstrate that the on-orbit crew has the ability to access medical data/information via an intuitive and crew-friendly solution to aid in the treatment of a medical condition. c. Develop a common data management framework that can be ubiquitously used to automate repetitive data collection, management, and communications tasks for all activities pertaining to crew health and life sciences. d. Ensure crew access to medical data during periods of restricted ground communication. e. Develop a common data management framework that

Exploration Medical System Demonstration Project

Science.gov (United States)

Chin, D. A.; McGrath, T. L.; Reyna, B.; Watkins, S. D.

2011-01-01

A near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) mission will present significant new challenges including hazards to crew health created by exploring a beyond low earth orbit destination, traversing the terrain of asteroid surfaces, and the effects of variable gravity environments. Limited communications with ground-based personnel for diagnosis and consultation of medical events require increased crew autonomy when diagnosing conditions, creating treatment plans, and executing procedures. Scope: The Exploration Medical System Demonstration (EMSD) project will be a test bed on the International Space Station (ISS) to show an end-to-end medical system assisting the Crew Medical Officers (CMO) in optimizing medical care delivery and medical data management during a mission. NEA medical care challenges include resource and resupply constraints limiting the extent to which medical conditions can be treated, inability to evacuate to Earth during many mission phases, and rendering of medical care by a non-clinician. The system demonstrates the integration of medical technologies and medical informatics tools for managing evidence and decision making. Project Objectives: The objectives of the EMSD project are to: a) Reduce and possibly eliminate the time required for a crewmember and ground personnel to manage medical data from one application to another. b) Demonstrate crewmember's ability to access medical data/information via a software solution to assist/aid in the treatment of a medical condition. c) Develop a common data management architecture that can be ubiquitously used to automate repetitive data collection, management, and communications tasks for all crew health and life sciences activities. d) Develop a common data management architecture that allows for scalability, extensibility, and interoperability of data sources and data users. e) Lower total cost of ownership for development and sustainment of peripheral hardware and software that use EMSD for data management f) Provide

Lack of evidence for significant hepatitis B transmission in Australian Rules footballers.

Science.gov (United States)

Siebert, D J; Lindschau, P B; Burrell, C J

1995-03-20

To determine the prevalence of markers of past hepatitis B infection among participants in Australian Rules football, to estimate the potential exposure of Australians to hepatitis B virus (HBV) in contact sport. A point prevalence survey for antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) and core antigen (anti-HBc), supported by a questionnaire used to determine the history of risk and exposure, in South Australian National Football League (SANFL) players supervised at club level by general practitioners and sports medicine specialists. Of 245 players from seven clubs, 49 were excluded from the study because they had been previously vaccinated. Of 196 eligible participants, 117 submitted blood samples and, of these, 85 returned questionnaires. One player was positive for anti-HBc (a prevalence rate of 0.85%). This individual and three anti-HBc-negative players were positive for anti-HBs in the absence of a history of vaccination. We could not ascertain whether these additional three players had been previously infected, or vaccinated without this fact having been recorded on the questionnaires. No single behavioural factor correlated with positive anti-HBs results. The prevalence of markers of past hepatitis B infection in SANFL football players was no different to that in blood donors of the same age group from the same city. There was no evidence for any additional HBV transmission due to participation in football over that in the blood donor population. Vaccination of footballers and people engaged in similar sports is of benefit in conferring protection on the individual, but would be unlikely to make a significant public health impact on community rates of HBV infection.

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of the Pelagic Thresher Shark (Alopias pelagicus) in the Pacific Ocean: Evidence for Two Evolutionarily Significant Units

Science.gov (United States)

Cardeñosa, Diego; Hyde, John; Caballero, Susana

2014-01-01

There has been an increasing concern about shark overexploitation in the last decade, especially for open ocean shark species, where there is a paucity of data about their life histories and population dynamics. Little is known regarding the population structure of the pelagic thresher shark, Alopias pelagicus. Though an earlier study using mtDNA control region data, showed evidence for differences between eastern and western Pacific populations, the study was hampered by low sample size and sparse geographic coverage, particularly a lack of samples from the central Pacific. Here, we present the population structure of Alopias pelagicus analyzing 351 samples from six different locations across the Pacific Ocean. Using data from mitochondrial DNA COI sequences and seven microsatellite loci we found evidence of strong population differentiation between western and eastern Pacific populations and evidence for reciprocally monophyly for organelle haplotypes and significant divergence of allele frequencies at nuclear loci, suggesting the existence of two Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESU) in the Pacific Ocean. Interestingly, the population in Hawaii appears to be composed of both ESUs in what seems to be clear sympatry with reproductive isolation. These results may indicate the existence of a new cryptic species in the Pacific Ocean. The presence of these distinct ESUs highlights the need for revised management plans for this highly exploited shark throughout its range. PMID:25337814

Demonstrating the benefits of fuel cells: further significant progress towards commercialisation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon,

1995-01-01

The fourteenth Fuel Cell Seminar held in San Diego, California in 1994 is reported. The phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) is the closest to widespread commercialization. PAFC cogeneration plants have to be shown to compare favourable in reliability with current mature natural gas-fuelled engine and turbine technologies. Although highly efficient, further development is necessary to produce cost effective generators. Progress is being made on proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stationary power plants, too, which may prove to be cost effective. In view of its lower operating temperature, at below 100[sup o]C compared with about 200[sup o]C for the PAFC, the principal use of the PEMFC has been identified as powering vehicles. Fuel cells have significant environmental advantages but further capital cost reductions are necessary if they are to compete with established technologies. (UK)

Neurogenetic evidence in the courtroom: a randomised controlled trial with German judges.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuss, Johannes; Dressing, Harald; Briken, Peer

2015-11-01

Prominent court decisions and recent research suggest that introduction of neurogenetic evidence, for example, monoamine oxidase A alleles, may reduce the sentence of convicted psychopaths. Here, we are aiming to demonstrate that judges' response to neurogenetic evidence is highly influenced by the legal system in which they operate. Participating German judges (n=372) received a hypothetical case vignette of aggravated battery, and were randomly assigned to expert testimonies that either involved a neurogenetic explanation of the offender's psychopathy or only a psychiatric diagnosis of psychopathy. Testimonies were presented either by the prosecution or defence. Neurogenetic evidence significantly reduced judges' estimation of legal responsibility of the convict. Nevertheless, the average prison sentence was not affected in the German legal system. Most interestingly, analysis of judges' reasoning revealed that neurogenetic arguments presented by the prosecution significantly increased the number of judges (23% compared with ∼ 6%) ordering an involuntary commitment in a forensic psychiatric hospital. Such an involuntary commitment due to diminished or absent legal responsibility may last much longer than a prison sentence in the German legal system. Our data, thus, demonstrate the socially contingent nature of legal responses to neurogenetic evidence in criminal cases. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Promoting Evidence-Based Practice at a Primary Stroke Center: A Nurse Education Strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Case, Christina Anne

before and after the educational intervention. This modification ensured that the responses for each individual participant in this group were matched. Registered nurses reported a significant increase in perceived confidence in ability to explain how standardized stroke order sets reflect current evidence after the intervention (n = 20, P < .001). This sample was matched for each individual respondent. No significant change was shown in unmatched group mean self-reported confidence ratings overall after the intervention or separately by unit for the progressive care unit, critical care unit, or intensive care unit (n = 89 preintervention, n = 43 postintervention). However, the emergency department demonstrated a significant increase in group mean perceived confidence scores (n = 20 preintervention, n = 11 postintervention, P = .020). Registered nurses reported a significantly higher self-perceived likelihood of performing an ordered nursing intervention when they were confident that the order was evidence based compared with if they were unsure the order was evidence based (n = 88, P < .001). This nurse education strategy increased RNs' confidence in ability to explain the path from evidence to bedside nursing care by demonstrating how evidence-based clinical practice guidelines provide current evidence used to create standardized order sets. Although further evaluation of the intervention's effectiveness is needed, this educational intervention has the potential for generalization to different types of standardized order sets to increase nurse confidence in utilization of evidence-based practice.

Bayes factor design analysis: Planning for compelling evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Schönbrodt, Felix D; Wagenmakers, Eric-Jan

2018-02-01

A sizeable literature exists on the use of frequentist power analysis in the null-hypothesis significance testing (NHST) paradigm to facilitate the design of informative experiments. In contrast, there is almost no literature that discusses the design of experiments when Bayes factors (BFs) are used as a measure of evidence. Here we explore Bayes Factor Design Analysis (BFDA) as a useful tool to design studies for maximum efficiency and informativeness. We elaborate on three possible BF designs, (a) a fixed-n design, (b) an open-ended Sequential Bayes Factor (SBF) design, where researchers can test after each participant and can stop data collection whenever there is strong evidence for either [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text], and (c) a modified SBF design that defines a maximal sample size where data collection is stopped regardless of the current state of evidence. We demonstrate how the properties of each design (i.e., expected strength of evidence, expected sample size, expected probability of misleading evidence, expected probability of weak evidence) can be evaluated using Monte Carlo simulations and equip researchers with the necessary information to compute their own Bayesian design analyses.

Lithium-induced alterations in the testis of the male roseringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri) : evidence for significant structural changes and disruption in the spermatogenetic activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Banerji, T K; Maitra, S K; Basu, A; Hawkins, H K

1999-02-01

In this report, we have examined the effects of lithium on testicular morphology in a male subtropical wild avian species, the roseringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri). Adult male birds were collected during the months of February-March, a time when the testicular gametogenic activity in these seasonally breeding birds is at its peak. They were injected, intramuscularly, twice daily (07:00 and 19:00 h) with lithium chloride (Sigma Chemical Company) at a dosage of 0.5 mEq/Kg body weight either for 5 or 10 days. A significant decrease in both the absolute and relative testicular weights was evident in the lithium-treated birds as compared to those of the saline-injected control animals. Light microscopic studies of the testis in the lithium-treated animals showed a wide range of degenerative changes. These included a) a significant reduction in the diameter of seminiferous tubules; b) necrosis and exfoliation of most of the germ cells in the seminiferous tubular lumen with the exception of the spermatogonia; and c) a significant reduction in the number of mature spermatozoa in the tubular lumen. These degenerative changes were dependent on the duration of lithium treatment and were evident when the plasma lithium concentrations were well below the human therapeutic range. Leydig cell morphology was not affected by lithium however. Our results provide the first experimental evidence of lithium's adverse reproductive function in an avian species. These data provide further support to the view that lithium adversely affects the male reproductive system and that these effects extend beyond mammalian species.

Systematic review of evidence underpinning non-pharmacological therapies in dementia.

Science.gov (United States)

Olley, Richard; Morales, Andrea

2017-05-15

Objective Dementia is one of the most common illnesses worldwide, and is one of the most important causes of disability in older people. Currently, dementia affects over 35million people around the globe. It is expected that this number will increase to 65.7million by 2030. Early detection, diagnosis and treatment to control the principal behaviour symptoms may help reduce these numbers and delay the progression to more advanced and dangerous stages of this disorder with resultant increase quality of life for those affected. The main goal of the present systematic literature review was to examine contemporary evidence relating to non-pharmacological therapy in the treatment of dementia. Methods To achieve the study goal, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement was used. Results This study identified the five most common behaviours in patients with dementia as aggression, wandering, agitation, apathy and sleep disturbances. Two non-pharmacological therapies were the most studied treatment: music therapy and aromatherapy. Ten other non-pharmacological therapies were also identified, but these lack a sufficient evidence-base. Conclusion Although all the therapies identified could be used as part of the treatment of behavioural symptoms, there is insufficient evidence relating to the indications, appropriate use and effectiveness of these therapies to apply in each behavioural treatment. Thus, the present study has demonstrated a significant research gap. What is known about the topic? Despite the widespread use of many different types of therapies, there is limited evidence regarding the efficacy of non-pharmaceutical therapies deployed in the management of behaviours of concern manifested by some people who suffer with dementia in all its forms. What does this paper add? This systematic review examines contemporary evidence from the literature to determine whether there is an evidence base available that would

Evidence for the functional significance of diazotroph community structure in soil.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Shi-Fang; Buckley, Daniel H

2009-01-01

Microbial ecologists continue to seek a greater understanding of the factors that govern the ecological significance of microbial community structure. Changes in community structure have been shown to have functional significance for processes that are mediated by a narrow spectrum of organisms, such as nitrification and denitrification, but in some cases, functional redundancy in the community seems to buffer microbial ecosystem processes. The functional significance of microbial community structure is frequently obscured by environmental variation and is hard to detect in short-term experiments. We examine the functional significance of free-living diazotrophs in a replicated long-term tillage experiment in which extraneous variation is minimized and N-fixation rates can be related to soil characteristics and diazotroph community structure. Soil characteristics were found to be primarily impacted by tillage management, whereas N-fixation rates and diazotroph community structure were impacted by both biomass management practices and interactions between tillage and biomass management. The data suggest that the variation in diazotroph community structure has a greater impact on N-fixation rates than do soil characteristics at the site. N-fixation rates displayed a saturating response to increases in diazotroph community diversity. These results show that the changes in the community structure of free-living diazotrophs in soils can have ecological significance and suggest that this response is related to a change in community diversity.

p-Curve and Effect Size: Correcting for Publication Bias Using Only Significant Results.

Science.gov (United States)

Simonsohn, Uri; Nelson, Leif D; Simmons, Joseph P

2014-11-01

Journals tend to publish only statistically significant evidence, creating a scientific record that markedly overstates the size of effects. We provide a new tool that corrects for this bias without requiring access to nonsignificant results. It capitalizes on the fact that the distribution of significant p values, p-curve, is a function of the true underlying effect. Researchers armed only with sample sizes and test results of the published findings can correct for publication bias. We validate the technique with simulations and by reanalyzing data from the Many-Labs Replication project. We demonstrate that p-curve can arrive at conclusions opposite that of existing tools by reanalyzing the meta-analysis of the "choice overload" literature. © The Author(s) 2014.

Super-exponential bubbles in lab experiments: evidence for anchoring over-optimistic expectations on price

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hüsler, A.; Sornette, D.; Hommes, C.H.

2013-01-01

We analyze a controlled price formation experiment in the laboratory that shows evidence for bubbles. We calibrate two models that demonstrate with high statistical significance that these laboratory bubbles have a tendency to grow faster than exponential due to positive feedback. We show that the

Evidence for weight effects in Russian

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kizach, Johannes

2012-01-01

It is well-known that factors such as weight, pronominality, animacy and newness influence word order in several languages, but whereas newness repeatedly has been argued to be a relevant factor for Russian, little or no attention has been paid to weight. In this paper, which is based on evidence...... from corpus data, weight is demonstrated to have a very significant influence on word order in Russian. Specifically, four constructions are tested: Postverbal PPs, the double object construction, adversity impersonals and the order of S, V and O. In all cases the same pattern emerges: The heavier...

Summary of the evidence file demonstrating completion of the NIF Project Completion Criteria

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haynam, C. A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2014-12-04

This document summarizes the results of performance verification tests on NIF that demonstrate it has met its performance-related Project Completion Criteria (PCC). It includes measurements made on NIF with the NIF diagnostics, the calibration of these diagnostics and the supporting analyses that verify the NIF performance criteria have been met.

A pursuit of significance of the coarsened gastric rugae in radiologic examination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Ok Dong [Chung Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1979-06-15

The radiologic upper G.I. series and gastroscopic examination with gastric biopsies of 230 cases were carried out in Korea General Hospital for the purpose of pursuit of significance of coarsened gastric rugae. Out of the above series the 26 cases showing mere radiologic finding of coarsening of the gastric mucosal rugae were selected, excluding the cases with definite evidence of ulceration, malignancies and others. The correlativity of the coarsened gastric rugae was investigated with clinical pictures, gastroscopic features and biopsy findings. The following results were obtained: 1. There were 24 cases of gastritis, 5 of stomach ulcer and 2 of stomach cancer in the 26 cases with mere finding of mucosal coarsening. 2. There was 5 cases of stomach ulcer disease revealing no radiologic evidence, but there were found tiny ulcers in 4 cases and a large ulcer crater of 1.0 cm by 1.5 cm in diameter in the other case under the gastroscopic study. 3. Two cases of stomach cancer were not detected in neither radiologic nor gastroscopic examination, however, they were found by gastric biopsy. 4. It should be strongly emphasized that the biopsy under the gastroscopic control must be followed when a radiologic evidence of coarsened gastric rugae is demonstrated.

A pursuit of significance of the coarsened gastric rugae in radiologic examination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Ok Dong

1979-01-01

The radiologic upper G.I. series and gastroscopic examination with gastric biopsies of 230 cases were carried out in Korea General Hospital for the purpose of pursuit of significance of coarsened gastric rugae. Out of the above series the 26 cases showing mere radiologic finding of coarsening of the gastric mucosal rugae were selected, excluding the cases with definite evidence of ulceration, malignancies and others. The correlativity of the coarsened gastric rugae was investigated with clinical pictures, gastroscopic features and biopsy findings. The following results were obtained: 1. There were 24 cases of gastritis, 5 of stomach ulcer and 2 of stomach cancer in the 26 cases with mere finding of mucosal coarsening. 2. There was 5 cases of stomach ulcer disease revealing no radiologic evidence, but there were found tiny ulcers in 4 cases and a large ulcer crater of 1.0 cm by 1.5 cm in diameter in the other case under the gastroscopic study. 3. Two cases of stomach cancer were not detected in neither radiologic nor gastroscopic examination, however, they were found by gastric biopsy. 4. It should be strongly emphasized that the biopsy under the gastroscopic control must be followed when a radiologic evidence of coarsened gastric rugae is demonstrated.

Prognostic significance of EBV latent membrane protein 1 expression in lymphomas: evidence from 15 studies.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuan Mao

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV infection has been associated with lymphoma development. EBV latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1 is essential for EBV-mediated transformation and progression of different human cells, including lymphocytes. This meta-analysis investigated LMP1 expression with prognosis of patients with lymphoma. METHODS: The electronic databases of PubMed, Embase, and Chinese Biomedicine Databases were searched. There were 15 published studies available for a random effects model analysis. Quality assessment was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale for cohort studies. A funnel plot was used to investigate publication bias, and sources of heterogeneity were identified by meta-regression analysis. The combined hazard ratios (HR and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals of LMP1 expression were calculated by comparison to the overall survival. RESULTS: Overall, there was no statistical significance found between LMP1 expression and survival of lymphoma patients (HR 1.25 [95% CI, 0.92-1.68]. In subgroup analyses, LMP1 expression was associated with survival in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL (HR = 1.84, 95% CI: 1.02-3.34, but not with survival of patients with Hodgkin disease (HD (HR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.74-1.44. In addition, significant heterogeneity was present and the meta-regression revealed that the outcome of analysis was mainly influenced by the cutoff value. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis demonstrated that LMP1 expression appears to be an unfavorable prognostic factor for overall survival of NHL patients. The data suggested that EBV infection and LMP1 expression may be an important factor for NHL development or progression.

[Prevention and treatment of the complications of polycystic ovarian syndrome--the significance of evidence-based, interdisciplinary management].

Science.gov (United States)

Gődény, Sándor; Csenteri, Orsolya Karola

2015-12-13

Polycystic ovary syndrome is the most common hormonal and metabolic disorder likely to affect women. The syndrome is often associated with obesity, hyperinsulinemia and adversely affects endocrine, metabolic, and cardiovascular health. The complex feature of the syndrome requires an interdisciplinary approach to treatment, where cooperation of paediatrician, internist, gynaecologist, endocrinologist, dermatologist, psychologist and oncologist is essential. The prevention and the treatment should be based on the best available evidence. This should include physical examination, laboratory tests for hormones, serum insulin, glucose, lipids, in addition patient's preferences should be considered, too. To maximise health gain of polycystic ovarian syndrome, adequate, effective, efficient and safe treatment is necessary. This article summarises the highest available evidence provided by meta-analyses and systematic reviews of the prevention of metabolic and cardiovascular complications of the syndrome, and discusses the relevant evidence published in the literature.

Diel turbidity cycles in a headwater stream: evidence of nocturnal bioturbation?

OpenAIRE

Cooper, Richard J.; Outram, Faye; Hiscock, Kevin M.

2016-01-01

Purpose: A small number of recent studies have linked daily cycles in stream turbidity to nocturnal bioturbation by aquatic fauna, principally crayfish, and demonstrated this process can significantly impact upon water quality under baseflow conditions. Adding to this limited body of research, we use high-resolution water quality monitoring data to investigate evidence of diel turbidity cycles in a lowland, headwater stream with a known signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) population an...

In surgeons performing cardiothoracic surgery is sleep deprivation significant in its impact on morbidity or mortality?

Science.gov (United States)

Asfour, Leila; Asfour, Victoria; McCormack, David; Attia, Rizwan

2014-09-01

A best evidence topic in cardiac surgery was written according to a structured protocol. The question addressed was: is there a difference in cardiothoracic surgery outcomes in terms of morbidity or mortality of patients operated on by a sleep-deprived surgeon compared with those operated by a non-sleep-deprived surgeon? Reported search criteria yielded 77 papers, of which 15 were deemed to represent the best evidence on the topic. Three studies directly related to cardiothoracic surgery and 12 studies related to non-cardiothoracic surgery. Recommendations are based on 18 121 cardiothoracic patients and 214 666 non-cardiothoracic surgical patients. Different definitions of sleep deprivation were used in the studies, either reviewing surgeon's sleeping hours or out-of-hours operating. Surgical outcomes reviewed included: mortality rate, neurological, renal, pulmonary, infectious complications, length of stay, length of intensive care stay, cardiopulmonary bypass times and aortic-cross-clamp times. There were no significant differences in mortality or intraoperative complications in the groups of patients operated on by sleep-deprived versus non-sleep-deprived surgeons in cardiothoracic studies. One study showed a significant increase in the rate of septicaemia in patients operated on by severely sleep-deprived surgeons (3.6%) compared with the moderately sleep-deprived (0.9%) and non-sleep-deprived groups (0.8%) (P = 0.03). In the non-cardiothoracic studies, 7 of the 12 studies demonstrated statistically significant higher reoperation rate in trauma cases (P sleep deprivation in cardiothoracic surgeons on morbidity or mortality. However, overall the non-cardiothoracic studies have demonstrated that operative time and sleep deprivation can have a significant impact on overall morbidity and mortality. It is likely that other confounding factors concomitantly affect outcomes in out-of-hours surgery. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of

Modern environmental health hazards: a public health issue of increasing significance in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Nweke, Onyemaechi C; Sanders, William H

2009-06-01

Traditional hazards such as poor sanitation currently account for most of Africa's environmentally related disease burden. However, with rapid development absent appropriate safeguards for environment and health, modern environmental health hazards (MEHHs) may emerge as critical contributors to the continent's disease burden. We review recent evidence of human exposure to and health effects from MEHHs, and their occurrence in environmental media and consumer products. Our purpose is to highlight the growing significance of these hazards as African countries experience urbanization, industrial growth, and development. We reviewed published epidemiologic, exposure, and environmental studies of chemical agents such as heavy metals and pesticides. The body of evidence demonstrates ongoing environmental releases of MEHHs and human exposures sometimes at toxicologically relevant levels. Several sources of MEHHs in environmental media have been identified, including natural resource mining and processing and automobile exhaust. Biomonitoring studies provided direct evidence of human exposure to metals such as mercury and lead and pesticides such as p,p'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and organophosphates. Land and water resource pollution and industrial air toxics are areas of significant data gaps, notwithstanding the presence of several emitting sources. Unmitigated MEHH releases and human exposure have implications for Africa's disease burden. For Africans encumbered by conditions such as malnutrition that impair resilience to toxicologic challenges, the burden may be higher. A shift in public health policy toward accommodating the emerging diversity in Africa's environmental health issues is necessary to successfully alleviate the burden of avoidable ill health and premature death for all its communities now and in the future.

Crime event 3D reconstruction based on incomplete or fragmentary evidence material--case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Maksymowicz, Krzysztof; Tunikowski, Wojciech; Kościuk, Jacek

2014-09-01

Using our own experience in 3D analysis, the authors will demonstrate the possibilities of 3D crime scene and event reconstruction in cases where originally collected material evidence is largely insufficient. The necessity to repeat forensic evaluation is often down to the emergence of new facts in the course of case proceedings. Even in cases when a crime scene and its surroundings have undergone partial or complete transformation, with regard to elements significant to the course of the case, or when the scene was not satisfactorily secured, it is still possible to reconstruct it in a 3D environment based on the originally-collected, even incomplete, material evidence. In particular cases when no image of the crime scene is available, its partial or even full reconstruction is still potentially feasible. Credibility of evidence for such reconstruction can still satisfy the evidence requirements in court. Reconstruction of the missing elements of the crime scene is still possible with the use of information obtained from current publicly available databases. In the study, we demonstrate that these can include Google Maps(®*), Google Street View(®*) and available construction and architecture archives. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

CT demonstration of pharyngeal narrowing in adult obstructive sleep apnea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bohlman, M.E.; Haponik, E.F.; Smith, P.L.; Allen, R.P.; Bleecker, E.R.; Goldman, S.M.

1983-01-01

Sleep apnea is a major cause of daytime hypersomnolence. Among the proposed etiologies, focal obstruction of the airways at the level of the pharynx has been suggested but not proven. Using computed tomography, the cross-sectional area of the airway can be readily assessed. Thirty-three adults with clinically proven sleep apnea and 12 normal adults underwent systematic computed tomography of the neck. Significant airway narrowing was demonstrated in all the patients with obstructive sleep apnea, whereas no such narrowing was seen in the controls. In 11, the narrowing was at a single level, whereas in 22 patients two or more levels were affected. This study has shown that a structurally abnormal airway may serve as an anatomic substrate for the development of sleep apnea. On the basis of this evidence, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty has been performed in two patients with relief of symptoms in one

Evidence for the possible biological significance of the igf-1 gene alternative splicing in prostate cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anastassios ePhilippou

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I has been implicated in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer (PCa, since it plays a key role in cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. The IGF-I actions are mediated mainly via its binding to the type I IGF receptor (IGF-IR, however IGF-I signaling via insulin receptor (IR and hybrid IGF-I/IR is also evident. Different IGF-I mRNA splice variants, namely IGF-IEa, IGF-IEb and IGF-IEc, are expressed in human cells and tissues. These transcripts encode several IGF-I precursor proteins which contain the same bioactive product (mature IGF-I, however, they differ by the length of their signal peptides on the amino-terminal end and the structure of the extension peptides (E-peptides on the carboxy-terminal end. There is an increasing interest in the possible different role of the IGF-I transcripts and their respective non-(matureIGF-I products in the regulation of distinct biological activities. Moreover, there is strong evidence of a differential expression profile of the IGF-I splice variants in normal vs. PCa tissues and PCa cells, implying that the expression pattern of the various IGF-I transcripts and their respective protein products may possess different functions in cancer biology. Herein, the evidence that the IGF-IEc transcript regulates PCa growth via Ec-peptide specific and IGF-IR/IR-independent signaling is discussed.

Prototype scale demonstration of CECE detritiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sadhankar Ramesh; Cobanoglu, Macit

2004-01-01

AECL has developed and demonstrated the Combined Electrolysis and Catalytic Exchange (CECE) Process for detritiation of heavy water. Although CECE has been the subject of pilot-scale demonstrations by various organizations, AECL is the first to demonstrate this technology in an industrial prototype plant. AECL designed, built and operated a CECE demonstration facility under CAN/CSA N286 Quality Assurance Program. The facility was licensed by the Canadian nuclear regulator. This was a two-fold demonstration of the CECE technology - for upgrading (removal of light water) and for detritiation of heavy water. In 1998 June, AECL began operating the facility in upgrading mode. The design feed rate ranged up to 25 Mg/a for 95 mol% D 2 O feed water. After 18 months of operation in upgrading mode, the facility was reconfigured and operated for an additional 9 months from 2000 August in detritiation mode. Design capacity for detritiation was 5 Mg/a with a detritiation factor (DF) of 100. However, significantly higher DFs, up to 56 000, were demonstrated. Highlights of the detritiation demonstration were: Proven robustness of AECL's proprietary wetproofed catalyst for Liquid Phase Catalytic Exchange; Demonstration of a trickle-bed-recombiner for stoichiometric combination of deuterium and oxygen; Demonstration of electrolysis of highly tritiated heavy water; High process availability and controllability was demonstrated by a long interrupted run; Low emissions; Demonstration of high DF - up to 56 000 - a significant advantage of the CECE process over other approaches to detritiation; Validation of AECL's simulation code for the CECE process over a range of DFs from 100 to 50 000. Apart from the technology, AECL has expertise in all aspects of setting up a new detritiation facility including design, engineering, safety assessment, licensing support, project management and training. AECL is also the engineering and design contractor for a tritium removal facility that is under

Significance levels for studies with correlated test statistics.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Jianxin; Levinson, Douglas F; Whittemore, Alice S

2008-07-01

When testing large numbers of null hypotheses, one needs to assess the evidence against the global null hypothesis that none of the hypotheses is false. Such evidence typically is based on the test statistic of the largest magnitude, whose statistical significance is evaluated by permuting the sample units to simulate its null distribution. Efron (2007) has noted that correlation among the test statistics can induce substantial interstudy variation in the shapes of their histograms, which may cause misleading tail counts. Here, we show that permutation-based estimates of the overall significance level also can be misleading when the test statistics are correlated. We propose that such estimates be conditioned on a simple measure of the spread of the observed histogram, and we provide a method for obtaining conditional significance levels. We justify this conditioning using the conditionality principle described by Cox and Hinkley (1974). Application of the method to gene expression data illustrates the circumstances when conditional significance levels are needed.

Motivationally Significant Stimuli Show Visual Prior Entry: Evidence for Attentional Capture

Science.gov (United States)

West, Greg L.; Anderson, Adam A. K.; Pratt, Jay

2009-01-01

Previous studies that have found attentional capture effects for stimuli of motivational significance do not directly measure initial attentional deployment, leaving it unclear to what extent these items produce attentional capture. Visual prior entry, as measured by temporal order judgments (TOJs), rests on the premise that allocated attention…

Response to Commentary on Cheng, Broome, Feng, and Hu (2017) Leadership behaviours play a significant role in implementing evidence-based practice. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 2018;27:e1684-e1685.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Lei; Feng, Sheng; Hu, Yan; Broome, Marion E

2018-06-12

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Hu and Gifford's comments(Hu & Gifford, 2018). We appreciated their acknowledgement of our findings about the factors influencing the successful implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP). The authors described leadership behaviors as having a significant role in implementing evidence-based practice. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Persuasive Evidence: Improving Customer Service through Evidence Based Librarianship

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wendy A. Abbott

2006-03-01

Full Text Available Objective - To demonstrate how evidence based practice has contributed to informaing decisions and resolving issues if concern in service delivery at Bond University Librray. Methods - This paper critically analyses three evidence based research projects conducted at Bond University Library. Each project combined a range of research methods including surveys, literature reviews and the analysis of internal performance data to find solutions to problems in library service delivery. The first research project investigated library opening hours and the feasability of twenty-four hour opening. Another project reseached questions about the management of a collection of feature films on DVD and video. The thrd project investigated issues surrounding the teaching of EndNote to undergarduate students. Results - Despite some deficiencies in the methodologies used, each evidence based research project had positive outcomes. One of the highlights asn an essential feature of the process at Bond University Library was the involvement of stakeholders. The ability to build consensus and agree action plans with stakeholders was an important outcome of that process. Conclusion - Drawing on the experience of these research projects, the paper illustrates the benefits of evidence based information practice to stimulate innovation and improve library services. Librarians, like most professionals, need to continue to develop the skills and a culture to effectively carry out evidence based practice.

Weighted Evidence Combination Rule Based on Evidence Distance and Uncertainty Measure: An Application in Fault Diagnosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lei Chen

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Conflict management in Dempster-Shafer theory (D-S theory is a hot topic in information fusion. In this paper, a novel weighted evidence combination rule based on evidence distance and uncertainty measure is proposed. The proposed approach consists of two steps. First, the weight is determined based on the evidence distance. Then, the weight value obtained in first step is modified by taking advantage of uncertainty. Our proposed method can efficiently handle high conflicting evidences with better performance of convergence. A numerical example and an application based on sensor fusion in fault diagnosis are given to demonstrate the efficiency of our proposed method.

Demonstrating the capability and reliability of NDT inspections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wooldridge, A.B.

1996-01-01

This paper discusses some recent developments in demonstrating the capability of ultrasonics, eddy currents and radiography both theoretically and in practice, and indicates where further evidence is desirable. Magnox Electric has been involved with development of theoretical models for all three of these inspection methods. Feedback from experience on plant is also important to avoid overlooking any practical limitations of the inspections, and to ensure that the metallurgical characteristics of potential defects have been properly taken into account when designing and qualifying the inspections. For critical applications, inspection techniques are often supported by a Technical Justification which draws on all the relevant theoretical and experimental evidence, as well as experience of inspections on plant. The role of technical justifications is discussed in the context of inspection qualification. (author)

Environmental assessment for the Waste Water Treatment Facility at the West Valley Demonstration Project and finding of no significant impact

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1992-12-31

The possible environmental impacts from the construction and operation of a waste water treatment facility for the West Valley Demonstration Project are presented. The West Valley Project is a demonstration project on the solidification of high-level radioactive wastes. The need for the facility is the result of a rise in the work force needed for the project which rendered the existing sewage treatment plant incapable of meeting the nonradioactive waste water treatment needs.

Environmental assessment for the Waste Water Treatment Facility at the West Valley Demonstration Project and finding of no significant impact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

The possible environmental impacts from the construction and operation of a waste water treatment facility for the West Valley Demonstration Project are presented. The West Valley Project is a demonstration project on the solidification of high-level radioactive wastes. The need for the facility is the result of a rise in the work force needed for the project which rendered the existing sewage treatment plant incapable of meeting the nonradioactive waste water treatment needs

[A Study of the Evidence-Based Nursing Practice Competence of Nurses and Its Clinical Applications].

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Li-Ling; Hsieh, Suh-Ing; Huang, Ya-Hsuan

2015-10-01

Nurses must develop competence in evidence-based nursing in order to provide the best practice medical care to patients. Evidence-based nursing uses issue identification, data mining, and information consolidation from the related medical literature to help nurses find the best evidence. Therefore, for medical institutions to provide quality clinical care, it is necessary for nurses to develop competence in evidence-based nursing. This study aims to explore the effect of a fundamental evidence-based nursing course, as a form of educational intervention, on the development of evidence-based nursing knowledge, self-efficacy in evidence-based practice activities, and outcome expectations of evidence-based practice in nurse participants. Further the competence of these nurses in overcoming obstacles in evidence-based nursing practice. This quasi-experimental study used a pre-post test design with a single group of participants. A convenience sample of 34 nurses from a municipal hospital in northern Taiwan received 8 hours of a fundamental evidence-based nursing course over a two-week period. Participants were asked to complete four questionnaires before and after the intervention. The questionnaires measured the participants' basic demographics, experience in mining the medical literature, evidence-based nursing knowledge, self-efficacy in evidence-based practice activities, outcome expectations of evidence-based practice, competence in overcoming obstacles in evidence-based nursing practice, and learning satisfaction. Collected data was analyzed using paired t, Wilcoxon Signed Rank, and McNemar tests to measure the differences among participants' evidence-based nursing knowledge and practice activities before and after the workshop. The nurses demonstrated significantly higher scores from pre-test to post-test in evidence-based nursing knowledge II, self-efficacy in evidence-based nursing practice activities, and outcome expectations of evidence-based practice

Fine mapping of ZNF804A and genome-wide significant evidence for its involvement in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Williams, H.J.; Norton, N.; Dwyer, S.; Moskvina, V.; Nikolov, I.; Carroll, L.; Georgieva, L.; Williams, N.M.; Morris, D.W.; Quinn, E.M.; Giegling, I.; Ikeda, M.; Wood, J.; Lencz, T.; Hultman, C.; Lichtenstein, P.; Thiselton, D.; Maher, B.S.; Malhotra, A.K.; Riley, B.; Kendler, K.S.; Gill, M.; Sullivan, P.; Sklar, P.; Purcell, S.; Nimgaonkar, V.L.; Kirov, G.; Holmans, P.; Corvin, A.; Rujescu, D.; Craddock, N.; Owen, M.J.; O'Donovan, M.C.; GROUP investigators, [No Value

2011-01-01

A recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) reported evidence for association between rs1344706 within ZNF804A (encoding zinc-finger protein 804A) and schizophrenia (P = 1.61 x 10(-7)), and stronger evidence when the phenotype was broadened to include bipolar disorder (P = 9.96 x 10(-9)). In this

Autoradiographic demonstration of 3H-labelled glycoproteins in 'light' and 'dark' neurons of different grisea of rat brain after intraventricular application of tritiated fucose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Froehlich, J.; Rummelfaenger, H.; Pohle, W.

1982-01-01

The simultaneous demonstration of 3 H radioactivity and of 'light' and 'dark' neurons by histological staining revealed that the occurrence of 'light' and 'dark' neurons are morphological correlates of different activity stages of cell metabolism. In this connection it became evident that 'light' nerve cells incorporated significantly greater amounts of fucose and therefore should be regarded as metabolically more active. (author)

Can a significance test be genuinely Bayesian?

OpenAIRE

Pereira, Carlos A. de B.; Stern, Julio Michael; Wechsler, Sergio

2008-01-01

The Full Bayesian Significance Test, FBST, is extensively reviewed. Its test statistic, a genuine Bayesian measure of evidence, is discussed in detail. Its behavior in some problems of statistical inference like testing for independence in contingency tables is discussed.

Evidence accumulation as a model for lexical selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Anders, R; Riès, S; van Maanen, L; Alario, F X

2015-11-01

We propose and demonstrate evidence accumulation as a plausible theoretical and/or empirical model for the lexical selection process of lexical retrieval. A number of current psycholinguistic theories consider lexical selection as a process related to selecting a lexical target from a number of alternatives, which each have varying activations (or signal supports), that are largely resultant of an initial stimulus recognition. We thoroughly present a case for how such a process may be theoretically explained by the evidence accumulation paradigm, and we demonstrate how this paradigm can be directly related or combined with conventional psycholinguistic theory and their simulatory instantiations (generally, neural network models). Then with a demonstrative application on a large new real data set, we establish how the empirical evidence accumulation approach is able to provide parameter results that are informative to leading psycholinguistic theory, and that motivate future theoretical development. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Does journal club membership improve research evidence uptake in different allied health disciplines: a pre-post study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lizarondo Lucylynn M

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Although allied health is considered to be one 'unit' of healthcare providers, it comprises a range of disciplines which have different training and ways of thinking, and different tasks and methods of patient care. Very few empirical studies on evidence-based practice (EBP have directly compared allied health professionals. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of a structured model of journal club (JC, known as iCAHE (International Centre for Allied Health Evidence JC, on the EBP knowledge, skills and behaviour of the different allied health disciplines. Methods A pilot, pre-post study design using maximum variation sampling was undertaken. Recruitment was conducted in groups and practitioners such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, social workers, psychologists, nutritionists/dieticians and podiatrists were invited to participate. All participating groups received the iCAHE JC for six months. Quantitative data using the Adapted Fresno Test (McCluskey & Bishop and Evidence-based Practice Questionnaire (Upton & Upton were collected prior to the implementation of the JC, with follow-up measurements six months later. Mean percentage change and confidence intervals were calculated to compare baseline and post JC scores for all outcome measures. Results The results of this study demonstrate variability in EBP outcomes across disciplines after receiving the iCAHE JC. Only physiotherapists showed statistically significant improvements in all outcomes; speech pathologists and occupational therapists demonstrated a statistically significant increase in knowledge but not for attitude and evidence uptake; social workers and dieticians/nutritionists showed statistically significant positive changes in their knowledge, and evidence uptake but not for attitude. Conclusions There is evidence to suggest that a JC such as the iCAHE model is an effective method for improving the EBP knowledge

Immunological Effects of Probiotics and their Significance to Human Health

Science.gov (United States)

Gill, Harsharn S.; Grover, Sunita; Batish, Virender K.; Gill, Preet

Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit upon the host (FAO/WHO, 2001). Lactic acid bacteria, particularly Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species are commonly used as probiotics. Other less commonly used probiotics include the yeast Sacchromyces cerevisiae and some non-pathogenic Escherichia coli and Bacillus species. Studies over the past 20 years have demonstrated that probiotic intake is able to confer a range of health benefits including modulation of the immune system, protection against gastrointestinal and respiratory tract infections, lowering of blood cholesterol levels, attenuation of overt immuno-inflammatory disorders (such as inflammatory bowel disease, allergies) and anti-cancer effects. However, the strongest clinical evidence for probiotics relates to their effectiveness in improving gut health and modulating (via stimulation or regulation) the host immune system. This chapter provides an overview of the current status of our knowledge regarding the immunostimulatory and immunoregulatory effects of probiotics on the immune system and their significance to human health.

Exploration Medical System Demonstration (EMSD) Project

Science.gov (United States)

Chin, Duane

2012-01-01

The Exploration Medical System Demonstration (EMSD) is a project under the Exploration Medical Capability (ExMC) element managed by the Human Research Program (HRP). The vision for the EMSD is to utilize ISS as a test bed to show that several medical technologies needed for an exploration mission and medical informatics tools for managing evidence and decision making can be integrated into a single system and used by the on-orbit crew in an efficient and meaningful manner. Objectives: a) Reduce and even possibly eliminate the time required for on-orbit crew and ground personnel (which include Surgeon, Biomedical Engineer (BME) Flight Controller, and Medical Operations Data Specialist) to access and move medical data from one application to another. b) Demonstrate that the on-orbit crew has the ability to access medical data/information using an intuitive and crew-friendly software solution to assist/aid in the treatment of a medical condition. c) Develop a common data management framework and architecture that can be ubiquitously used to automate repetitive data collection, management, and communications tasks for all crew health and life sciences activities.

Utility of screening ultrasound after first febrile UTI among patients with clinically significant vesicoureteral reflux.

Science.gov (United States)

Massanyi, Eric Z; Preece, Janae; Gupta, Angela; Lin, Susan M; Wang, Ming-Hsien

2013-10-01

To assess the sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV) of screening renal and bladder ultrasound (RBUS) after initial febrile urinary tract infection (UTI) among patients with clinically significant vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). A retrospective review was performed of all children UTI between 2004 and 2011. The sensitivity and NPV of initial RBUS was calculated among patients who were found to have high-grade (IV-V) VUR. Additionally, initial RBUS among patients with evidence of photopenia on dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scan or who underwent surgical intervention were reviewed. One hundred forty-four patients with febrile UTI were identified; available RBUS, voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG), and DMSA results for each kidney were reviewed. One hundred fifty-eight kidneys had evidence of VUR on VCUG, and initial RBUS demonstrated abnormality in 25 (sensitivity 0.17). Forty-five kidneys had high-grade VUR and RBUS revealed abnormality in 16 (sensitivity 0.36). One hundred seventy-eight kidneys had no evidence of abnormality on initial RBUS, and 136 (76%) were found to have VUR (NPV 0.24), of which 31 had high-grade VUR (NPV 0.83). Seven kidneys had scarring on DMSA and initial RBUS was normal in 4 (57%). Twelve of 19 patients (63%) who eventually underwent surgical intervention had a normal initial RBUS. RBUS has poor sensitivity and NPV for detecting high-grade VUR in patients UTI. A significant number of patients who were diagnosed with high-grade VUR, renal scarring, or underwent surgical correction of VUR had a negative screening RBUS. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Colonic metastasis from renal cell carcinoma: helical-CT demonstration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diaz-Candamio, M.J.; Pombo, S.; Pombo, F.

2000-01-01

Clinically evident colonic metastasis from renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is rare. In the present study a hypervascular sigmoid mass was demonstrated on arterial-phase helical CT using a water enema in a patient who had suffered left nephrectomy 8 years previously for RCC. The intense and early enhancement of the lesion suggested the possibility of a solitary colonic metastasis from RCC, a diagnosis which was pathologically confirmed. (orig.)

Five-year results from a prospective multicentre study of percutaneous pulmonary valve implantation demonstrate sustained removal of significant pulmonary regurgitation, improved right ventricular outflow tract obstruction and improved quality of life

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hager, Alfred; Schubert, Stephan; Ewert, Peter

2017-01-01

. The EQ-5D quality of life utility index and visual analogue scale scores were both significantly improved six months post PPVI and remained so at five years. CONCLUSIONS: Five-year results following PPVI demonstrate resolved moderate or severe pulmonary regurgitation, improved right ventricular outflow...

The impact of initiation: Early onset marijuana smokers demonstrate altered Stroop performance and brain activation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K.A. Sagar

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Marijuana (MJ use is on the rise, particularly among teens and emerging adults. This poses serious public health concern, given the potential deleterious effects of MJ on the developing brain. We examined 50 chronic MJ smokers divided into early onset (regular MJ use prior to age 16; n = 24 and late onset (age 16 or later; n = 26, and 34 healthy control participants (HCs. All completed a modified Stroop Color Word Test during fMRI. Results demonstrated that MJ smokers exhibited significantly poorer performance on the Interference subtest of the Stroop, as well as altered patterns of activation in the cingulate cortex relative to HCs. Further, early onset MJ smokers exhibited significantly poorer performance relative to both HCs and late onset smokers. Additionally, earlier age of MJ onset as well as increased frequency and magnitude (grams/week of MJ use were predictive of poorer Stroop performance. fMRI results revealed that while late onset smokers demonstrated a more similar pattern of activation to the control group, a different pattern was evident in the early onset group. These findings underscore the importance of assessing age of onset and patterns of MJ use and support the need for widespread education and intervention efforts among youth.

Visual Antipriming Effect: Evidence from Chinese Character Identification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Feng Zhang

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Marsolek et al. (2006 have differentiated antipriming effects from priming effects, by adopting a novel priming paradigm comprised of four phases that include a baseline measurement. The general concept of antipriming supports the overlapping representation theory of knowledge. This study extended examination of the Marsolek et al. (2006 paradigm by investigating antipriming and priming effects in a series of Chinese character identification tasks. Results showed that identification accuracy of old characters was significantly higher than baseline measurements (i.e., the priming effect, while identification accuracy of novel characters was significantly lower than baseline measurements (i.e., the antipriming effect. This study demonstrates for the first time the effect of visual antipriming in Chinese character identification. It further provides new evidence for the overlapping representation theory of knowledge, and supports generalizability of the phenomenon to Chinese characters.

Space Internet-Embedded Web Technologies Demonstration

Science.gov (United States)

Foltz, David A.

2001-01-01

The NASA Glenn Research Center recently demonstrated the ability to securely command and control space-based assets by using the Internet and standard Internet Protocols (IP). This is a significant accomplishment because future NASA missions will benefit by using Internet standards-based protocols. The benefits include reduced mission costs and increased mission efficiency. The Internet-Based Space Command and Control System Architecture demonstrated at the NASA Inspection 2000 event proved that this communications architecture is viable for future NASA missions.

Evidence-Based Practice in Liposuction.

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, Patrick S; Moyer, Kurtis E

2018-01-24

The goal of this study is to examine the existing peer reviewed literature comparing modern adjunctive techniques in liposuction including laser-assisted liposuction (LAL) and ultrasound-assisted liposuction (UAL) to standard suction-assisted liposuction (SAL). We intend to interpret these findings into a literature-based clinical application to influence practice patterns. A literature review was conducted using a keyword search in PubMed. Keyword search items included liposuction, lipoplasty, suction assisted liposuction, ultrasound assisted liposuction, laser assisted liposuction, tumescent, liposuction comparison, liposuction review, and combinations therein. Exclusion criteria included articles with a primary focus on histologic effects of energy devices, primary animal models, primary opinion papers with no reference to available data, and industry-sponsored publications. Inclusion criteria included articles with direct comparison of liposuction modalities, randomized or blinded studies, and studies with objective outcomes. Twenty-five articles that met the inclusion criteria comparing SAL to UAL or LAL out of 9972 articles identified were obtained. The selected literature was assigned into 3 categories: evidence demonstrating an advantage of 1 modality (SAL, UAL, or LAL) over another, evidence that showed no benefit of 1 modality over another, and evidence that demonstrated risks of complications of 1 modality over another. The benefits of UAL and LAL over SAL include the following: (1) UAL over SAL in the treatment of gynecomastia, (2) LAL and UAL over SAL with decreased hemoglobin/hematocrit in high-volume lipoaspirates, and (3) LAL over SAL with skin tightening in select areas specifically the submental area. Otherwise, the literature demonstrates equivocal results among the described techniques with no clear benefit to set one apart from the other. There appears to be no demonstrable added benefit to the addition of either UAL or LAL that would urge a

Super-exponential bubbles in lab experiments: evidence for anchoring over-optimistic expectations on price

OpenAIRE

Hüsler, Andreas; Sornette, Didier; Hommes, Cars H.

2012-01-01

We analyze a controlled price formation experiment in the laboratory that shows evidence for bubbles. We calibrate two models that demonstrate with high statistical significance that these laboratory bubbles have a tendency to grow faster than exponential due to positive feedback. We show that the positive feedback operates by traders continuously upgrading their over-optimistic expectations of future returns based on past prices rather than on realized returns.

Influence of rural land use on streamwater nutrients and their ecological significance

Science.gov (United States)

Jarvie, Helen P.; Withers, Paul J. A.; Hodgkinson, Robin; Bates, Adam; Neal, Margaret; Wickham, Heather D.; Harman, Sarah A.; Armstrong, Linda

2008-02-01

SummaryConcentrations and loads of N and P fractions were examined for lowland rivers, the Wye and Avon, draining a range of representative agricultural land-use types in two major UK river basins. Data collected over a 2-year period demonstrated important diffuse agricultural source contributions to N and P loads in these rivers. Ground water provided a major source of total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) loads, whereas near-surface sources provided a major contribution to total phosphorus (TP) loads. In terms of aquatic ecology, concentrations of nutrients, at times of eutrophication risk (spring and summer low flows) were of key environmental and management significance. Agricultural diffuse sources provided the major source of long-term P loads across the two basins. However, the results demonstrated the dominance of point-source contributions to TP and SRP concentrations at times of ecological risk. Point sources typically 'tip the balance' of dissolved inorganic P (soluble reactive P, SRP) above the 100 μg l -1 guideline value indicative of eutrophication risk. The significance of point sources for TP and SRP concentrations was shown by (a) the strong correlations between TP, SRP and B concentrations, using B as a tracer of sewage effluent, (b) the dominant contribution of SRP to TP concentrations and (c) the predominant pattern of dilution of SRP and B with flow. The clean Chalk streams draining low intensity grassland in areas of the Avon with sparse human settlement were oligotrophic and P limited with low SRP concentrations under spring and summer baseflows attributable to groundwater sources. The data provide important insights into the ecological functioning of different lowland stream systems. There was evidence of greater SRP losses and N-limitation in a stream which drains a pond system, demonstrating the importance of longer water residence times for biological nutrient uptake.

Present or Play: The Effect of Serious Gaming on Demonstrated Behaviour

Science.gov (United States)

van Dijk, Tom; Spil, Ton; van der Burg, Sanne; Wenzler, Ivo; Dalmolen, Simon

2015-01-01

Serious gaming is one of the newest developments in the world of learning and is gaining increasing attention within the business environment. Although many practitioners claim that serious gaming has more impact on demonstrated behaviour of trainees when compared to common presentations, little evidence exists. In this paper, the authors present…

Evidence-based librarianship: an overview.

Science.gov (United States)

Eldredge, J D

2000-10-01

To demonstrate how the core characteristics of both evidence-based medicine (EBM) and evidence-based health care (EBHC) can be adapted to health sciences librarianship. Narrative review essay involving development of a conceptual framework. The author describes the central features of EBM and EBHC. Following each description of a central feature, the author then suggests ways that this feature applies to health sciences librarianship. First, the decision-making processes of EBM and EBHC are compatible with health sciences librarianship. Second, the EBM and EBHC values of favoring rigorously produced scientific evidence in decision making are congruent with the core values of librarianship. Third, the hierarchical levels of evidence can be applied to librarianship with some modifications. Library researchers currently favor descriptive-survey and case-study methods over systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, or other higher levels of evidence. The library literature nevertheless contains diverse examples of randomized controlled trials, controlled-comparison studies, and cohort studies conducted by health sciences librarians. Health sciences librarians are confronted with making many practical decisions. Evidence-based librarianship offers a decision-making framework, which integrates the best available research evidence. By employing this framework and the higher levels of research evidence it promotes, health sciences librarians can lay the foundation for more collaborative and scientific endeavors.

Effects of Behavioral Genetic Evidence on Perceptions of Criminal Responsibility and Appropriate Punishment

Science.gov (United States)

Appelbaum, Paul S.; Scurich, Nicholas; Raad, Raymond

2015-01-01

Demonstrations of a link between genetic variants and criminal behavior have stimulated increasing use of genetic evidence to reduce perceptions of defendants’ responsibility for criminal behavior and to mitigate punishment. However, because only limited data exist regarding the impact of such evidence on decision makers and the public at large, we recruited a representative sample of the U.S. adult population (n=960) for a web-based survey. Participants were presented with descriptions of three legal cases and were asked to: determine the length of incarceration for a convicted murderer; adjudicate an insanity defense; and decide whether a defendant should receive the death penalty. A fully crossed, between-participants, factorial design was used, varying the type of evidence (none, genetic, neuroimaging, both), heinousness of the crime, and past criminal record, with sentence or verdict as the primary outcome. Also assessed were participants’ apprehension of the defendant, belief in free will, political ideology, and genetic knowledge. Across all three cases, genetic evidence had no significant effects on outcomes. Neuroimaging data showed an inconsistent effect in one of the two cases in which it was introduced. In contrast, heinousness of the offense and past criminal record were strongly related to participants’ decisions. Moreover, participants’ beliefs about the controllability of criminal behavior and political orientations were significantly associated with their choices. Our findings suggest that neither hopes that genetic evidence will modify judgments of culpability and punishment nor fears about the impact of genetic evidence on decision makers are likely to come to fruition. PMID:26240516

Effects of Behavioral Genetic Evidence on Perceptions of Criminal Responsibility and Appropriate Punishment.

Science.gov (United States)

Appelbaum, Paul S; Scurich, Nicholas; Raad, Raymond

2015-05-01

Demonstrations of a link between genetic variants and criminal behavior have stimulated increasing use of genetic evidence to reduce perceptions of defendants' responsibility for criminal behavior and to mitigate punishment. However, because only limited data exist regarding the impact of such evidence on decision makers and the public at large, we recruited a representative sample of the U.S. adult population (n=960) for a web-based survey. Participants were presented with descriptions of three legal cases and were asked to: determine the length of incarceration for a convicted murderer; adjudicate an insanity defense; and decide whether a defendant should receive the death penalty. A fully crossed, between-participants, factorial design was used, varying the type of evidence (none, genetic, neuroimaging, both), heinousness of the crime, and past criminal record, with sentence or verdict as the primary outcome. Also assessed were participants' apprehension of the defendant, belief in free will, political ideology, and genetic knowledge. Across all three cases, genetic evidence had no significant effects on outcomes. Neuroimaging data showed an inconsistent effect in one of the two cases in which it was introduced. In contrast, heinousness of the offense and past criminal record were strongly related to participants' decisions. Moreover, participants' beliefs about the controllability of criminal behavior and political orientations were significantly associated with their choices. Our findings suggest that neither hopes that genetic evidence will modify judgments of culpability and punishment nor fears about the impact of genetic evidence on decision makers are likely to come to fruition.

Beyond rational imitation: learning arbitrary means actions from communicative demonstrations.

Science.gov (United States)

Király, Ildikó; Csibra, Gergely; Gergely, György

2013-10-01

The principle of rationality has been invoked to explain that infants expect agents to perform the most efficient means action to attain a goal. It has also been demonstrated that infants take into account the efficiency of observed actions to achieve a goal outcome when deciding whether to reenact a specific behavior or not. It is puzzling, however, that they also tend to imitate an apparently suboptimal unfamiliar action even when they can bring about the same outcome more efficiently by applying a more rational action alternative available to them. We propose that this apparently paradoxical behavior is explained by infants' interpretation of action demonstrations as communicative manifestations of novel and culturally relevant means actions to be acquired, and we present empirical evidence supporting this proposal. In Experiment 1, we found that 14-month-olds reenacted novel arbitrary means actions only following a communicative demonstration. Experiment 2 showed that infants' inclination to reproduce communicatively manifested novel actions is restricted to behaviors they can construe as goal-directed instrumental acts. The study also provides evidence that infants' reenactment of the demonstrated novel actions reflects epistemic motives rather than purely social motives. We argue that ostensive communication enables infants to represent the teleological structure of novel actions even when the causal relations between means and end are cognitively opaque and apparently violate the efficiency expectation derived from the principle of rationality. This new account of imitative learning of novel means shows how the teleological stance and natural pedagogy--two separate cognitive adaptations to interpret instrumental versus communicative actions--are integrated as a system for learning socially constituted instrumental knowledge in humans. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Significance of TP53 Mutation in Wilms Tumors with Diffuse Anaplasia: A Report from the Children’s Oncology Group

Science.gov (United States)

Ooms, Ariadne H.A.G.; Gadd, Samantha; Gerhard, Daniela S.; Smith, Malcolm A.; Guidry Auvil, Jaime M.; Meerzaman, Daoud; Chen, Qing-Rong; Hsu, Chih Hao; Yan, Chunhua; Nguyen, Cu; Hu, Ying; Ma, Yussanne; Zong, Zusheng; Mungall, Andrew J.; Moore, Richard A.; Marra, Marco A.; Huff, Vicki; Dome, Jeffrey S.; Chi, Yueh-Yun; Tian, Jing; Geller, James I.; Mullighan, Charles G.; Ma, Jing; Wheeler, David A.; Hampton, Oliver A.; Walz, Amy L.; van den Heuvel-Eibrink, Marry M.; de Krijger, Ronald R.; Ross, Nicole; Gastier-Foster, Julie M.; Perlman, Elizabeth J.

2016-01-01

Purpose To investigate the role and significance of TP53 mutation in diffusely anaplastic Wilms tumor (DAWT). Experimental Design All DAWTs registered on National Wilms Tumor Study-5 (n=118) with available samples were analyzed for TP53 mutations and copy loss. Integrative genomic analysis was performed on 39 selected DAWTs. Results Following analysis of a single random sample, 57 DAWT (48%) demonstrated TP53 mutations, 13(11%) copy loss without mutation, and 48(41%) lacked both (defined as TP53-wildtype (wt)). Patients with Stage III/IV TP53-wt DAWTs (but not those with Stage I/II disease) had significantly lower relapse and death rates than those with TP53 abnormalities. In-depth analysis of a subset of 39 DAWT showed 7(18%) to be TP53-wt: these demonstrated gene expression evidence of an active p53 pathway. Retrospective pathology review of TP53-wt DAWT revealed no or very low volume of anaplasia in 6/7 tumors. When samples from TP53-wt tumors known to contain anaplasia histologically were available, abnormal p53 protein accumulation was observed by immunohistochemistry. Conclusion These data support the key role of TP53 loss in the development of anaplasia in WT, and support its significant clinical impact in patients with residual anaplastic tumor following surgery. These data also suggest that most DAWTs will show evidence of TP53 mutation when samples selected for the presence of anaplasia are analyzed. This suggests that modifications of the current criteria to also consider volume of anaplasia and documentation of TP53 aberrations may better reflect the risk of relapse and death and enable optimization of therapeutic stratification. PMID:27702824

The Quantification of the Significance of EATR Determinants: Evidence for EU Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Široký

2017-01-01

Full Text Available At present, corporate tax is applied in all EU Member States with the exception of Estonia. Nevertheless, the nominal corporate tax rate does not reflect the real tax burden. For determination of the effective tax burden for corporations, there are used effective corporate tax rates. The aim of the paper is to quantify the relation between the effective average corporate tax rate and nominal corporate tax rates, depreciations, loss compensation and selected investment incentives and to identify the significance of these factors based on the panel analysis. Based on the panel analysis it was found that effective average tax rate is only statistically dependant on nominal corporate tax rate, on tax loss compensation and on the depreciation tax rate of movable property, while in case of other factors, such as depreciation of immovable property, tax holidays and R&D incentives, the dependence is not statistically significant.

Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration lessons learned: 1993 technology demonstrations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kostelnik, K.M.; Owens, K.J.

1994-01-01

An integrated technology demonstration was conducted by the Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration (BWID) at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Cold Test Pit in the summer of 1993. This program and demonstration was sponsored by the US Department of Energy Office of Technology Development. The demonstration included six technologies representing a synergistic system for the characterization and retrieval of a buried hazardous waste site. The integrated technology demonstration proved very successful and a summary of the technical accomplishments is presented. Upon completion of the integrated technology demonstration, cognizant program personnel participated in a lessons learned exercise. This exercise was conducted at the Simplot Decision Support Center at Idaho State University and lessons learned activity captured additional information relative to the integration of technologies for demonstration purposes. This information will be used by BWID to enhance program planning and strengthen future technology demonstrations

Assessing the evidence of Six Sigma and Lean in the health care industry.

Science.gov (United States)

DelliFraine, Jami L; Langabeer, James R; Nembhard, Ingrid M

2010-01-01

Popular quality improvement tools such as Six Sigma and Lean Systems (SS/L) claim to provide health care managers the opportunity to improve health care quality on the basis of sound methodology and data. However, it is unclear whether these 2 quality improvement tools actually improve health care quality. The authors conducted a comprehensive literature review to assess the empirical evidence relating SS/L to improved clinical outcomes, processes of care, and financial performance of health care organizations. The authors identified 177 articles on SS/L published in the last 10 years. However, only 34 of them reported any outcomes of the SS/L projects studied, and less than one-third of these articles included statistical analyses to test for significant changes in outcomes. This review demonstrates that there are significant gaps in the SS/L health care quality improvement literature and very weak evidence that SS/L improve health care quality.

Demonstration of reliability centered maintenance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwan, C.A.; Morgan, T.A.

1991-04-01

Reliability centered maintenance (RCM) is an approach to preventive maintenance planning and evaluation that has been used successfully by other industries, most notably the airlines and military. Now EPRI is demonstrating RCM in the commercial nuclear power industry. Just completed are large-scale, two-year demonstrations at Rochester Gas ampersand Electric (Ginna Nuclear Power Station) and Southern California Edison (San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station). Both demonstrations were begun in the spring of 1988. At each plant, RCM was performed on 12 to 21 major systems. Both demonstrations determined that RCM is an appropriate means to optimize a PM program and improve nuclear plant preventive maintenance on a large scale. Such favorable results had been suggested by three earlier EPRI pilot studies at Florida Power ampersand Light, Duke Power, and Southern California Edison. EPRI selected the Ginna and San Onofre sites because, together, they represent a broad range of utility and plant size, plant organization, plant age, and histories of availability and reliability. Significant steps in each demonstration included: selecting and prioritizing plant systems for RCM evaluation; performing the RCM evaluation steps on selected systems; evaluating the RCM recommendations by a multi-disciplinary task force; implementing the RCM recommendations; establishing a system to track and verify the RCM benefits; and establishing procedures to update the RCM bases and recommendations with time (a living program). 7 refs., 1 tab

Neurocognitive capabilities modulate the integration of evidence in schizophrenia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Eifler, Sarah; Rausch, Franziska; Schirmbeck, Frederike; Veckenstedt, Ruth; Englisch, Susanne; Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas; Kirsch, Peter; Zink, Mathias

2014-01-01

Previous studies have demonstrated a cognitive bias in the integration of disconfirmatory evidence (BADE) in patients with schizophrenia. This bias has been associated with delusions. So far, it is unclear how the integration of evidence is associated with neurocognitive capabilities. In the current

Significance of TP53 Mutation in Wilms Tumors with Diffuse Anaplasia: A Report from the Children's Oncology Group.

Science.gov (United States)

Ooms, Ariadne H A G; Gadd, Samantha; Gerhard, Daniela S; Smith, Malcolm A; Guidry Auvil, Jaime M; Meerzaman, Daoud; Chen, Qing-Rong; Hsu, Chih Hao; Yan, Chunhua; Nguyen, Cu; Hu, Ying; Ma, Yussanne; Zong, Zusheng; Mungall, Andrew J; Moore, Richard A; Marra, Marco A; Huff, Vicki; Dome, Jeffrey S; Chi, Yueh-Yun; Tian, Jing; Geller, James I; Mullighan, Charles G; Ma, Jing; Wheeler, David A; Hampton, Oliver A; Walz, Amy L; van den Heuvel-Eibrink, Marry M; de Krijger, Ronald R; Ross, Nicole; Gastier-Foster, Julie M; Perlman, Elizabeth J

2016-11-15

To investigate the role and significance of TP53 mutation in diffusely anaplastic Wilms tumors (DAWTs). All DAWTs registered on National Wilms Tumor Study-5 (n = 118) with available samples were analyzed for TP53 mutations and copy loss. Integrative genomic analysis was performed on 39 selected DAWTs. Following analysis of a single random sample, 57 DAWTs (48%) demonstrated TP53 mutations, 13 (11%) copy loss without mutation, and 48 (41%) lacked both [defined as TP53-wild-type (wt)]. Patients with stage III/IV TP53-wt DAWTs (but not those with stage I/II disease) had significantly lower relapse and death rates than those with TP53 abnormalities. In-depth analysis of a subset of 39 DAWTs showed seven (18%) to be TP53-wt: These demonstrated gene expression evidence of an active p53 pathway. Retrospective pathology review of TP53-wt DAWT revealed no or very low volume of anaplasia in six of seven tumors. When samples from TP53-wt tumors known to contain anaplasia histologically were available, abnormal p53 protein accumulation was observed by immunohistochemistry. These data support the key role of TP53 loss in the development of anaplasia in WT, and support its significant clinical impact in patients with residual anaplastic tumor following surgery. These data also suggest that most DAWTs will show evidence of TP53 mutation when samples selected for the presence of anaplasia are analyzed. This suggests that modifications of the current criteria to also consider volume of anaplasia and documentation of TP53 aberrations may better reflect the risk of relapse and death and enable optimization of therapeutic stratification. Clin Cancer Res; 22(22); 5582-91. ©2016 AACR. ©2016 American Association for Cancer Research.

Contextual Variability in Personality from Significant-Other Knowledge and Relational Selves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susan M Andersen

2016-01-01

Full Text Available We argue that the self is intrinsically embedded in an interpersonal context such that it varies in IF-THEN terms, as the relational self. We have demonstrated that representations of the significant other and the relationship with that other are automatically activated by situational cues and that this activation affects both experienced and expressed aspects of the self and personality. Here, we expand on developments of the IF–THEN cognitive-affective framework of personality (CAPS, Mischel & Shoda, 1995, by extending it to the domain of interpersonal relationships at the dyadic level (Andersen & Chen, 2002. Going beyond Mischel’s early research (Mischel, 1968, our framework combines social cognition and learning theory with a learning-based psychodynamic approach, which provides the basis for extensive research on the social-cognitive process of transference and the relational self as it arises in everyday social interactions (Andersen & Cole, 1990, evidence from which contributes to a modern conceptualization of personality that emphasizes the centrality of the situation.

Contextual Variability in Personality From Significant-Other Knowledge and Relational Selves.

Science.gov (United States)

Andersen, Susan M; Tuskeviciute, Rugile; Przybylinski, Elizabeth; Ahn, Janet N; Xu, Joy H

2015-01-01

We argue that the self is intrinsically embedded in an interpersonal context such that it varies in IF-THEN terms, as the relational self. We have demonstrated that representations of the significant other and the relationship with that other are automatically activated by situational cues and that this activation affects both experienced and expressed aspects of the self and personality. Here, we expand on developments of the IF-THEN cognitive-affective framework of personality system (Mischel and Shoda, 1995), by extending it to the domain of interpersonal relationships at the dyadic level (Andersen and Chen, 2002). Going beyond Mischel's early research (Mischel, 1968), our framework combines social cognition and learning theory with a learning-based psychodynamic approach, which provides the basis for extensive research on the social-cognitive process of transference and the relational self as it arises in everyday social interactions (Andersen and Cole, 1990), evidence from which contributes to a modern conceptualization of personality that emphasizes the centrality of the situation.

Worms in the College Classroom: More than Just a Composting Demonstration

Science.gov (United States)

Kelley, Rebecca L.

2010-01-01

Although worm bins have been used by K-12 and nonformal educators for decades, there is little evidence of their use in postsecondary education. The ease of use, maintenance, affordability, portability, and diversity of scientific concepts that can be demonstrated with a worm bin make it a valuable tool in college science classrooms. The purpose…

A comparison of the weights-of-evidence method and probabilistic neural networks

Science.gov (United States)

Singer, Donald A.; Kouda, Ryoichi

1999-01-01

The need to integrate large quantities of digital geoscience information to classify locations as mineral deposits or nondeposits has been met by the weights-of-evidence method in many situations. Widespread selection of this method may be more the result of its ease of use and interpretation rather than comparisons with alternative methods. A comparison of the weights-of-evidence method to probabilistic neural networks is performed here with data from Chisel Lake-Andeson Lake, Manitoba, Canada. Each method is designed to estimate the probability of belonging to learned classes where the estimated probabilities are used to classify the unknowns. Using these data, significantly lower classification error rates were observed for the neural network, not only when test and training data were the same (0.02 versus 23%), but also when validation data, not used in any training, were used to test the efficiency of classification (0.7 versus 17%). Despite these data containing too few deposits, these tests of this set of data demonstrate the neural network's ability at making unbiased probability estimates and lower error rates when measured by number of polygons or by the area of land misclassified. For both methods, independent validation tests are required to ensure that estimates are representative of real-world results. Results from the weights-of-evidence method demonstrate a strong bias where most errors are barren areas misclassified as deposits. The weights-of-evidence method is based on Bayes rule, which requires independent variables in order to make unbiased estimates. The chi-square test for independence indicates no significant correlations among the variables in the Chisel Lake–Andeson Lake data. However, the expected number of deposits test clearly demonstrates that these data violate the independence assumption. Other, independent simulations with three variables show that using variables with correlations of 1.0 can double the expected number of deposits

An Evidence-Based Education Program For Adults About Child Sexual Abuse (“Prevent It!” Significantly Improves Behaviours As Well As Attitudes And Knowledge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erin K Martin

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Here we describe the development of an evidence-based education program for adults about childhood sexual abuse (CSA, called Prevent It! Uniquely, the primary goal of this program was to change the behaviour of participants, as well as to increase knowledge about CSA and positive attitudes towards it. A comprehensive review shows no previous similar approach. The program includes a detailed manual to allow standardized administration by trained facilitators, as well as multiple video segments from CSA survivors and professionals. A total of 23 program workshops were run, with 366 adults participating. Of these, 312 (85% agreed to take part in the study. All completed baseline ratings prior to the program and 195 (63% of study sample completed follow-up assessments at 3-months. There were no significant differences between the demographic make-up of the baseline group and the follow-up group. Assessments included demographic data, knowledge, attitudes, and several measures of behaviour (our primary outcome variable. Behavioural questions asked individuals to select behaviours used in the previous 3-months from a list of options. Questions also included asking how many times in the previous 3-months have you talked about healthy sexual development or child sexual abuse with a child you know; suspected a child was sexually abused; taken steps to protect a child; or reported suspected sexual abuse to police or child welfare? The majority of attendees were women, with the commonest age group being between 30 – 39 years old. Approximately 33% had experienced CSA themselves. At 3-month follow-up there were highly statistically significant improvements in several aspects of behaviour and knowledge, and attitudes regarding CSA. For example, the number of subjects actively looking for evidence of CSA increased from 46% at baseline to 81% at follow-up, while the number of subjects who actively took steps to protect children increased from 25% at baseline

Evidence of circadian and extended shift effects on reactor transient frequency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maloney, S.

1992-01-01

An extensive body of knowledge exists documenting the significant swings in error rates, perception, judgment, and overall alertness levels in the course of a day. The literature also demonstrates pronounced differences in performance levels whereby night workers routinely underperform day workers in any set of tasks. The performance split widens with task complexity. Rotating shift workers, such as nuclear power plant operators, have been shown to experience performance problems comparable to straight night workers. Finally, sleep research also documents that extended hours, such as the so-called 4-day work week, can undermine alertness levels, particularly in the last 2 to 3 h of a daily shift. These issues suggest that cyclical performance by shift workers may be evident in nuclear plant operators. This paper seeks evidence of such cyclical performance by examining operating transients at nuclear power plants involving human error

Evidence & Gap Maps: A tool for promoting evidence informed policy and strategic research agendas.

Science.gov (United States)

Snilstveit, Birte; Vojtkova, Martina; Bhavsar, Ami; Stevenson, Jennifer; Gaarder, Marie

2016-11-01

A range of organizations are engaged in the production of evidence on the effects of health, social, and economic development programs on human welfare outcomes. However, evidence is often scattered around different databases, web sites, and the gray literature and is often presented in inaccessible formats. Lack of overview of the evidence in a specific field can be a barrier to the use of existing research and prevent efficient use of limited resources for new research. Evidence & Gap Maps (EGMs) aim to address these issues and complement existing synthesis and mapping approaches. EGMs are a new addition to the tools available to support evidence-informed policymaking. To provide an accessible resource for researchers, commissioners, and decision makers, EGMs provide thematic collections of evidence structured around a framework which schematically represents the types of interventions and outcomes of relevance to a particular sector. By mapping the existing evidence using this framework, EGMs provide a visual overview of what we know and do not know about the effects of different programs. They make existing evidence available, and by providing links to user-friendly summaries of relevant studies, EGMs can facilitate the use of existing evidence for decision making. They identify key "gaps" where little or no evidence from impact evaluations and systematic reviews is available and can be a valuable resource to inform a strategic approach to building the evidence base in a particular sector. The article will introduce readers to the concept and methods of EGMs and present a demonstration of the EGM tool using existing examples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

In vivo autoradiographic demonstration of β-adrenergic binding sites in adult rat type II alveolar epithelial cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, D.M.; Sidhu, M.K.

1984-01-01

Adult male rats were injected intravenously with the muscarinic binding probe 3 H-Quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB) or the β-adrenergic probe 3 H-dihydroalprenolol (DHA). Other rats were pre-treated with an intraperitoneal injection of a 500-fold excess of L-isoproterenol prior to the DHA. Light microscopic autoradiography of 0.5 μm sections of lung from the QNB group demonstrated very little labelling even after 6 months of exposure. In constrast, trachealis smooth muscle from these animals contained substantial labelling. Autoradiographs of lung from rats injected with DHA demonstrated labelling which was well localized over alveolar septa and concentrated over the cytoplasm of type II cells. Quantitative analysis of labelling in the DHA groups indicated a significant reduction of labelling in animals treated with L-isoproterenol prior to DHA, in both the alveolar parenchyma in general and over type II cells. The results of this study provide morphologic evidence for the uptake and specific binding of β-adrenergic antagonists by the adult lung in vivo, while failing to demonstrate similar binding of a muscarinic probe. In addition, the results demonstrate specific β-adrenergic receptors on type II cells in vivo and substantiate the view of a direct effect of β-adrenergic agonists on alveolar type II cells

Cross-correlating Cosmic IR and X-ray Background Fluctuations: Evidence of Significant Black Hole Populations Among the CIB Sources

Science.gov (United States)

Cappelluti, N.; Kashlinsky, A.; Arendt, R. G.; Comastri, A.; Fazio, G. G.; Finoguenov, A.; Hasinger, G.; Mather, J. C.; Miyaji, T; Moseley, S. H.

2013-01-01

In order to understand the nature of the sources producing the recently uncovered cosmic infrared background (CIB) fluctuations, we study cross-correlations between the fluctuations in the source-subtracted CIB from Spitzer/IRAC data and the unresolved cosmic X-ray background from deep Chandra observations. Our study uses data from the EGS/AEGIS field, where both data sets cover an approx = 8' x 45' region of the sky. Our measurement is the cross-power spectrum between the IR and X-ray data. The cross-power signal between the IRAC maps at 3.6 micron and 4.5 micron and the Chandra [0.5-2] keV data has been detected, at angular scales approx >20'', with an overall significance of approx = 3.8 sigma and approx. = 5.6 sigma, respectively. At the same time we find no evidence of significant cross-correlations at the harder Chandra bands. The cross-correlation signal is produced by individual IR sources with 3.6 micron and 4.5 micron magnitudes m(sub AB) approx. > 25-26 and [0.5-2] keV X-ray fluxes black holes than among the known populations. We discuss the various possible origins for the cross-power signal and show that neither local foregrounds nor the known remaining normal galaxies and active galactic nuclei can reproduce the measurements. These observational results are an important new constraint on theoretical modeling of the near-IR CIB fluctuations. local foregrounds, nor the known remaining normal galaxies and active galactic nuclei (AGN) can reproduce the measurements. These observational results are an important new constraint on theoretical modeling of the near-IR CIB fluctuations

Providing reviews of evidence to COPD patients: controlled prospective 12-month trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, M; Smith, B J; Veale, A J; Esterman, A; Frith, P A; Selim, P

2009-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate a novel patient-held manual designed to reduce the evidence-practice gap in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The intervention manual contained summaries of research evidence. It was developed using current best practice for patient information materials and designed to cause discussion of evidence between patient and doctor. A controlled before-and-after study was employed in two similar but geographically separate regions of metropolitan Adelaide, South Australia. Participants had moderate to severe COPD, with 249 included at baseline and 201 completing the study. Evidence-based COPD management was measured using an indicator with three components: rates of influenza vaccination, bone density testing, and pulmonary rehabilitation. A survey of behavioral steps leading to practice change was conducted with the trial. Analysis, by median split of socioeconomic disadvantage, showed significant difference between study arms for only one component of the indicator of evidence-based practice, enrollment in pulmonary rehabilitation and only for the most socioeconomically disadvantaged stratum. For both socioeconomic strata, more intervention participants than control participants reported remembering being given the information material, reading part or all, and finding it very or quite helpful. Other significant differences were restricted to the stratum of greatest socioeconomic disadvantage: reading all of the material, learning from it, referring back, and talking to a doctor about a topic from the material. Above 90% of all participants who received the manual reported reading from it, 42% reported discussing topics with a doctor, but only 10% reported treatment change attributable to the manual. We have found that people with COPD will read an evidence manual developed using current best practice. However, the study demonstrated improvement for only one of the three components of an indicator of evidence

Climatic fluctuations as a significant contributing factor for volcanic collapses. Evidence from Mexico during the Late Pleistocene

Science.gov (United States)

Capra, L.; Bernal-Uruchurtu, J. P.; Carrasco, G.

2013-05-01

Climate oscillations have significantly contributed to the planet's evolution, including volcanic activity. Major glaciations have been considered not only as a triggering mechanism for large magmatic eruptions but also inducing volcano instability. Generally, volcano instability can be inferred from detailed volcanological and structural studies of a volcano and its associated depositional sequence, but the triggering mechanism has been always difficult to infer. In this paper, we present evidence of how climatic variations during the Late Pleistocene could have forced sector collapses of the main Mexican stratovolcanoes and enhanced the mobility of associated massive flows inducing the transformation of debris avalanche into debris flows. In particular, the climatic record based on atmospheric moisture content from robustly dated lake record from Guatemala and a U/Th dated speleothem from New Mexico are used here as indicators of summer and winter precipitation. Depositional sequences associated with Late Pleistocene sector collapses of Volcan de Colima, Nevado de Toluca, Citlaltepetl (Pico de Orizaba) and Cofre de Perote volcanoes are here analyzed. Comparing the timing of the event with the climatic record, a combination of summer and/or winter pluvial conditions could have forced and triggered the failure of already unstable volcanoes, even during glacier advances (as for the Citlaltepetl event). Independently of the main cause of the volcano instability (magmatic or tectonic) it is important to highlight that the climatic factor played an important role in enhancing the volcano instability and promoted the lateral transformation of debris avalanches, which under dry conditions would have affected more limited areas.

Significance evaluation in factor graphs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Tobias; Hobolth, Asger; Jensen, Jens Ledet

2017-01-01

in genomics and the multiple-testing issues accompanying them, accurate significance evaluation is of great importance. We here address the problem of evaluating statistical significance of observations from factor graph models. Results Two novel numerical approximations for evaluation of statistical...... significance are presented. First a method using importance sampling. Second a saddlepoint approximation based method. We develop algorithms to efficiently compute the approximations and compare them to naive sampling and the normal approximation. The individual merits of the methods are analysed both from....... Conclusions The applicability of saddlepoint approximation and importance sampling is demonstrated on known models in the factor graph framework. Using the two methods we can substantially improve computational cost without compromising accuracy. This contribution allows analyses of large datasets...

Summary Report on Phase I and Phase II Results From the 3D Printing in Zero-G Technology Demonstration Mission. Volume II

Science.gov (United States)

Prater, T. J.; Werkheiser, N. J.; Ledbetter, F. E., III

2018-01-01

In-space manufacturing seeks to develop the processes, skill sets, and certification architecture needed to provide a rapid response manufacturing capability on long-duration exploration missions. The first 3D printer on the Space Station was developed by Made in Space, Inc. and completed two rounds of operation on orbit as part of the 3D Printing in Zero-G Technology Demonstration Mission. This Technical Publication provides a comprehensive overview of the technical objections of the mission, the two phases of hardware operation conducted on orbit, and the subsequent detailed analysis of specimens produced. No engineering significant evidence of microgravity effects on material outcomes was noted. This technology demonstration mission represents the first step in developing a suite of manufacturing capabilities to meet future mission needs.

Translating Evidence Into Practice via Social Media: A Mixed-Methods Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Maloney, Stephen; Tunnecliff, Jacqueline; Morgan, Prue; Gaida, Jamie E; Clearihan, Lyn; Sadasivan, Sivalal; Davies, David; Ganesh, Shankar; Mohanty, Patitapaban; Weiner, John; Reynolds, John; Ilic, Dragan

2015-10-26

Approximately 80% of research evidence relevant to clinical practice never reaches the clinicians delivering patient care. A key barrier for the translation of evidence into practice is the limited time and skills clinicians have to find and appraise emerging evidence. Social media may provide a bridge between health researchers and health service providers. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of social media as an educational medium to effectively translate emerging research evidence into clinical practice. The study used a mixed-methods approach. Evidence-based practice points were delivered via social media platforms. The primary outcomes of attitude, knowledge, and behavior change were assessed using a preintervention/postintervention evaluation, with qualitative data gathered to contextualize the findings. Data were obtained from 317 clinicians from multiple health disciplines, predominantly from the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, India, and Malaysia. The participants reported an overall improvement in attitudes toward social media for professional development (P<.001). The knowledge evaluation demonstrated a significant increase in knowledge after the training (P<.001). The majority of respondents (136/194, 70.1%) indicated that the education they had received via social media had changed the way they practice, or intended to practice. Similarly, a large proportion of respondents (135/193, 69.9%) indicated that the education they had received via social media had increased their use of research evidence within their clinical practice. Social media may be an effective educational medium for improving knowledge of health professionals, fostering their use of research evidence, and changing their clinical behaviors by translating new research evidence into clinical practice.

Experimental evidence of significant temperature fluctuations in the plasma edge region of the TJ-I Tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hidalgo, C.; Balbin, R.; Pedrosa, M.A.; Garcia-Cortes, I.; Ochando, M.A.

1993-01-01

Density and temperature fluctuations have been measured in the plasma bulk side of the velocity shear location of the TJ-I tokamak using a foast swept Langmuir probe technique. Evidence of sustantial temperature fluctuations which are in phase close to opposition with the corresponding density fluctuations has been found. This result suggests the possible role of radiation in determining edge fluctuation levels and call into question the determination of the density and potential fluctuations from the Langmuir current-probe and floating potential fluctuations. (Author)

Experimental evidence of significant temperature fluctuations in the plasma EDGE region of the TJ-I Tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hidalgo, C.; Balbin, R.; Pedrosa, M. A.; Garcia-Cortes, I.; Ochando, M. A.

1993-01-01

Density and temperature fluctuations have been measured in the plasma bulk side of the velocity shear location of the TJ-I tokamak using a feast swept Langmuir probe technique. Evidence of substantial temperature fluctuations which are in phase close to opposition with the corresponding density fluctuations has been found. This result suggests the possible role of radiation in determining edge fluctuation levels and call into question the determination of the density and potential fluctuations from the Langmuir current-probe and floating potential fluctuations. (Author) 16 refs

Experimental evidence of significant temperature fluctuations in the plasma EDGE region of the TJ-I Tokamak

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hidalgo, C; Balbin, R; Pedrosa, M A; Garcia-Cortes, I; Ochando, M A

1993-07-01

Density and temperature fluctuations have been measured in the plasma bulk side of the velocity shear location of the TJ-I tokamak using a feast swept Langmuir probe technique. Evidence of substantial temperature fluctuations which are in phase close to opposition with the corresponding density fluctuations has been found. This result suggests the possible role of radiation in determining edge fluctuation levels and call into question the determination of the density and potential fluctuations from the Langmuir current-probe and floating potential fluctuations. (Author) 16 refs.

Osteomyelitis in a Paleozoic reptile: ancient evidence for bacterial infection and its evolutionary significance

Science.gov (United States)

Reisz, Robert R.; Scott, Diane M.; Pynn, Bruce R.; Modesto, Sean P.

2011-06-01

We report on dental and mandibular pathology in Labidosaurus hamatus, a 275 million-year-old terrestrial reptile from North America and associate it with bacterial infection in an organism that is characterized by reduced tooth replacement. Analysis of the surface and internal mandibular structure using mechanical and CT-scanning techniques permits the reconstruction of events that led to the pathology and the possible death of the individual. The infection probably occurred as a result of prolonged exposure of the dental pulp cavity to oral bacteria, and this exposure was caused by injury to the tooth in an animal that is characterized by reduced tooth replacement cycles. In these early reptiles, the reduction in tooth replacement is an evolutionary innovation associated with strong implantation and increased oral processing. The dental abscess observed in L. hamatus, the oldest known infection in a terrestrial vertebrate, provides clear evidence of the ancient association between terrestrial vertebrates and their oral bacteria.

Experimental Evidence that Abrasion of Carbonate Sand is a Significant Source of Carbonate Mud

Science.gov (United States)

Trower, L.; Kivrak, L.; Lamb, M. P.; Fischer, W. W.

2017-12-01

Carbonate mud is a major sedimentary component of modern and ancient tropical carbonate environments, yet its enigmatic origin remains debated. Early views on the origin of carbonate mud considered the abrasion of carbonate sand during sediment transport as a possible mechanism. In recent decades, however, prevailing thought has generally settled on a binary explanation: 1) precipitation of aragonite needles within the water column, and 2) post-mortem dispersal of biological aragonite, in particular from algae, and perhaps aided by fish. To test these different hypotheses, we designed a model and a set of laboratory experiments to quantify the rates of mud production associated with sediment transport. We adapted a recent model of ooid abrasion rate to predict the rate of mud production by abrasion of carbonate sand as a function of grain size and sediment transport mode. This model predicts large mud production rates, ranging from 103 to 104 g CaCO3/m2/yr for typical grain sizes and transport conditions. These rate estimates are at least one order of magnitude more rapid than the 102 g CaCO3/m2/yr estimates for other mechanisms like algal biomineralization, indicating that abrasion could produce much larger mud fluxes per area as other mechanisms. We tested these estimates using wet abrasion mill experiments; these experiments generated mud through mechanical abrasion of both ooid and skeletal carbonate sand for grain sizes ranging from 250 µm to >1000 µm over a range of sediment transport modes. Experiments were run in artificial seawater, including a series of controls demonstrating that no mud was produced via homogenous nucleation and precipitation in the absence of sand. Our experimental rates match the model predictions well, although we observed small systematic differences in rates between abrasion ooid sand and skeletal carbonate sand that likely stems from innate differences in grain angularity. Electron microscopy of the experimental products revealed

Evidence Regarding the Impact of Conflicts of Interest on Environmental and Occupational Health Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Wells, Ellen M

2017-06-01

This review describes published literature providing evidence for financial conflicts of interest in environmental and occupational health research. Secondary goals were to describe evidence that (a) utilized quantitative methods to evaluate the association of conflicts with study outcomes, and (b) assessed undisclosed as well as disclosed conflicts of interest. Forty-three studies were identified which contained descriptions of the impact of financial conflicts of interest on research results; 11 of these conducted quantitative analyses to demonstrate these relationships. All 11 articles which quantified associations identified significant associations of the presence of financial conflicts of interest with study findings. In studies which measured undisclosed conflicts, these comprised a substantial proportion of all conflicts. Suggestions for improving understanding and interpretation of research results are presented.

Penn gap rule in phase-change memory materials: No clear evidence for resonance bonds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Shimakawa

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Although a proposal of resonance bonds in crystalline phase-change materials based on the GeSbTe system has been provided, we do not find any clear evidence in favor of the proposal. The ellipsometric study demonstrates that a change in the high frequency dielectric constant ε∞ between the amorphous and crystalline phases is only scaled by the average bandgap (the Penn gap rule. Even for a pure antimony film, regarded as a prototype resonance bonding material, ε∞ was found to follow the Penn gap rule. Experimentally, we did not find any evidence of a significant change in the optical transition matrix element during the phase change, which is necessary to support the idea of resonance bonds.

A genome-wide association study demonstrates significant genetic variation for fracture risk in Thoroughbred racehorses

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background Thoroughbred racehorses are subject to non-traumatic distal limb bone fractures that occur during racing and exercise. Susceptibility to fracture may be due to underlying disturbances in bone metabolism which have a genetic cause. Fracture risk has been shown to be heritable in several species but this study is the first genetic analysis of fracture risk in the horse. Results Fracture cases (n = 269) were horses that sustained catastrophic distal limb fractures while racing on UK racecourses, necessitating euthanasia. Control horses (n = 253) were over 4 years of age, were racing during the same time period as the cases, and had no history of fracture at the time the study was carried out. The horses sampled were bred for both flat and National Hunt (NH) jump racing. 43,417 SNPs were employed to perform a genome-wide association analysis and to estimate the proportion of genetic variance attributable to the SNPs on each chromosome using restricted maximum likelihood (REML). Significant genetic variation associated with fracture risk was found on chromosomes 9, 18, 22 and 31. Three SNPs on chromosome 18 (62.05 Mb – 62.15 Mb) and one SNP on chromosome 1 (14.17 Mb) reached genome-wide significance (p fracture than cases, p = 1 × 10-4), while a second haplotype increases fracture risk (cases at 3.39 times higher risk of fracture than controls, p = 0.042). Conclusions Fracture risk in the Thoroughbred horse is a complex condition with an underlying genetic basis. Multiple genomic regions contribute to susceptibility to fracture risk. This suggests there is the potential to develop SNP-based estimators for genetic risk of fracture in the Thoroughbred racehorse, using methods pioneered in livestock genetics such as genomic selection. This information would be useful to racehorse breeders and owners, enabling them to reduce the risk of injury in their horses. PMID:24559379

Evidence for Conversion of Methanol to Formaldehyde in Nonhuman Primate Brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhai, Rongwei; Zheng, Na; Rizak, Joshua; Hu, Xintian

2016-01-01

Many studies have reported that methanol toxicity to primates is mainly associated with its metabolites, formaldehyde (FA) and formic acid. While methanol metabolism and toxicology have been best studied in peripheral organs, little study has focused on the brain and no study has reported experimental evidence that demonstrates transformation of methanol into FA in the primate brain. In this study, three rhesus macaques were given a single intracerebroventricular injection of methanol to investigate whether a metabolic process of methanol to FA occurs in nonhuman primate brain. Levels of FA in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were then assessed at different time points. A significant increase of FA levels was found at the 18th hour following a methanol injection. Moreover, the FA level returned to a normal physiological level at the 30th hour after the injection. These findings provide direct evidence that methanol is oxidized to FA in nonhuman primate brain and that a portion of the FA generated is released out of the brain cells. This study suggests that FA is produced from methanol metabolic processes in the nonhuman primate brain and that FA may play a significant role in methanol neurotoxicology.

Unbiased proteomics analysis demonstrates significant variability in mucosal immune factor expression depending on the site and method of collection.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kenzie M Birse

Full Text Available Female genital tract secretions are commonly sampled by lavage of the ectocervix and vaginal vault or via a sponge inserted into the endocervix for evaluating inflammation status and immune factors critical for HIV microbicide and vaccine studies. This study uses a proteomics approach to comprehensively compare the efficacy of these methods, which sample from different compartments of the female genital tract, for the collection of immune factors. Matching sponge and lavage samples were collected from 10 healthy women and were analyzed by tandem mass spectrometry. Data was analyzed by a combination of differential protein expression analysis, hierarchical clustering and pathway analysis. Of the 385 proteins identified, endocervical sponge samples collected nearly twice as many unique proteins as cervicovaginal lavage (111 vs. 61 with 55% of proteins common to both (213. Each method/site identified 73 unique proteins that have roles in host immunity according to their gene ontology. Sponge samples enriched for specific inflammation pathways including acute phase response proteins (p = 3.37×10(-24 and LXR/RXR immune activation pathways (p = 8.82×10(-22 while the role IL-17A in psoriasis pathway (p = 5.98×10(-4 and the complement system pathway (p = 3.91×10(-3 were enriched in lavage samples. Many host defense factors were differentially enriched (p<0.05 between sites including known/potential antimicrobial factors (n = 21, S100 proteins (n = 9, and immune regulatory factors such as serpins (n = 7. Immunoglobulins (n = 6 were collected at comparable levels in abundance in each site although 25% of those identified were unique to sponge samples. This study demonstrates significant differences in types and quantities of immune factors and inflammation pathways collected by each sampling technique. Therefore, clinical studies that measure mucosal immune activation or factors assessing HIV transmission should utilize

Creative teaching an evidence-based approach

CERN Document Server

Sale, Dennis

2015-01-01

This book contains an evidence-based pedagogic guide to enable any motivated teaching/training professional to be able to teach effectively and creatively. It firstly summarises the extensive research field on human psychological functioning relating to learning and how this can be fully utilised in the design and facilitation of quality learning experiences. It then demonstrates what creativity actually 'looks like' in terms of teaching practices, modelling the underpinning processes of creative learning design and how to apply these in lesson planning. The book, having established an evidence-based and pedagogically driven approach to creative learning design, extensively focuses on key challenges facing teaching professionals today. These include utilising information technologies in blended learning formats, differentiating instruction, and developing self-directed learners who can think well. The main purpose of the book is to demystify what it means to teach creatively, explicitly demonstrating the pr...

The Significance of Ongoing Teacher Support in Earth Science Education Programs: Evidence from the GLOBE Program

Science.gov (United States)

Penuel, B.; Korbak, C.; Shear, L.

2003-12-01

The GLOBE program provides a rich context for examining issues concerning implementation of inquiry-oriented, scientist-driven educational programs, because the program has both a history of collecting evaluation data on implementation and mechanisms for capturing program activity as it occurs. In this paper, researchers from SRI International's evaluation team explore the different roles that regional partners play in preparing and supporting teachers to implement the GLOBE Program, an international inquiry-based Earth science education initiative that has trained over 14,000 teachers worldwide. GLOBE program evaluation results show the program can be effective in increasing students' inquiry skills, but that the program is also hard for teachers to implement (Means et al., 2001; Penuel et al., 2002). An analysis of GLOBE's regional partner organizations, which are tasked with preparing teachers to implement its data collection and reporting protocols with students, shows that some partners are more successful than others. This paper reports findings from a quantitative analysis of the relationship between data reporting and partner support activities and from case studies of two such regional partners focused on analyzing what makes them successful. The first analysis examined associations between partner training and support activities and data reporting. For this analysis, we used data from the GLOBE Student Data Archive matched with survey data collected from a large sample of GLOBE teachers as part of SRI's Year 5 evaluation of GLOBE. Our analyses point to the central importance of mentoring and material support to teachers. We found that incentives, mentoring, and other on-site support to teachers have a statistically significant association with higher data reporting levels. We also found that at present, teachers access these supports less often than they access listservs and e-mail communication with teachers after GLOBE training. As a follow-up to this

Background Model for the Majorana Demonstrator

Science.gov (United States)

Cuesta, C.; Abgrall, N.; Aguayo, E.; Avignone, F. T.; Barabash, A. S.; Bertrand, F. E.; Boswell, M.; Brudanin, V.; Busch, M.; Byram, D.; Caldwell, A. S.; Chan, Y.-D.; Christofferson, C. D.; Combs, D. C.; Detwiler, J. A.; Doe, P. J.; Efremenko, Yu.; Egorov, V.; Ejiri, H.; Elliott, S. R.; Fast, J. E.; Finnerty, P.; Fraenkle, F. M.; Galindo-Uribarri, A.; Giovanetti, G. K.; Goett, J.; Green, M. P.; Gruszko, J.; Guiseppe, V. E.; Gusev, K.; Hallin, A. L.; Hazama, R.; Hegai, A.; Henning, R.; Hoppe, E. W.; Howard, S.; Howe, M. A.; Keeter, K. J.; Kidd, M. F.; Kochetov, O.; Konovalov, S. I.; Kouzes, R. T.; LaFerriere, B. D.; Leon, J.; Leviner, L. E.; Loach, J. C.; MacMullin, J.; MacMullin, S.; Martin, R. D.; Meijer, S.; Mertens, S.; Nomachi, M.; Orrell, J. L.; O'Shaughnessy, C.; Overman, N. R.; Phillips, D. G.; Poon, A. W. P.; Pushkin, K.; Radford, D. C.; Rager, J.; Rielage, K.; Robertson, R. G. H.; Romero-Romero, E.; Ronquest, M. C.; Schubert, A. G.; Shanks, B.; Shima, T.; Shirchenko, M.; Snavely, K. J.; Snyder, N.; Suriano, A. M.; Thompson, J.; Timkin, V.; Tornow, W.; Trimble, J. E.; Varner, R. L.; Vasilyev, S.; Vetter, K.; Vorren, K.; White, B. R.; Wilkerson, J. F.; Wiseman, C.; Xu, W.; Yakushev, E.; Young, A. R.; Yu, C.-H.; Yumatov, V.

The Majorana Collaboration is constructing a system containing 40 kg of HPGe detectors to demonstrate the feasibility and potential of a future tonne-scale experiment capable of probing the neutrino mass scale in the inverted-hierarchy region. To realize this, a major goal of the Majorana Demonstrator is to demonstrate a path forward to achieving a background rate at or below 1 cnt/(ROI-t-y) in the 4 keV region of interest around the Q-value at 2039 keV. This goal is pursued through a combination of a significant reduction of radioactive impurities in construction materials with analytical methods for background rejection, for example using powerful pulse shape analysis techniques profiting from the p-type point contact HPGe detectors technology. The effectiveness of these methods is assessed using simulations of the different background components whose purity levels are constrained from radioassay measurements.

The meaning of evidence-based management to Brazilian senior nurse leaders.

Science.gov (United States)

Spiri, Wilza Carla; MacPhee, Maura

2013-09-01

The study objective was to understand the meaning of evidence-based management for senior nurse leaders in accredited, public hospitals in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. A phenomenological approach was used to analyze interviews conducted with 10 senior nurse leaders between August 2011 and March 2012. The analytic method was developed by the Brazilian phenomenologist, Martins. Senior nurse leaders described how they critically appraise many sources of evidence when making managerial decisions. They emphasized the importance of working with their teams to locally adapt and evaluate best evidence associated with managerial decision making and organizational innovations. Their statements also demonstrated how they use evidence-based management to support the adoption of evidence-based practices. They did not, however, provide specific strategies for seeking out and obtaining evidence. Notable challenges were traditional cultures and rigid bureaucracies, while major facilitators included accreditation, teamwork, and shared decision making. Evidence-based management necessitates a continuous process of locating, implementing, and evaluating evidence. In this study leaders provided multiple, concrete examples of all these processes except seeking out and locating evidence. They also gave examples of other leadership skills associated with successful adoption of evidence-based practice and management, particularly interdisciplinary teamwork and shared decision making. This study demonstrates senior nurse leaders' awareness and utilization of evidence-based management. The study also suggests what aspects of evidence-based management need further development, such as more active identification of potential, new organizational innovations. © 2013 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Evidence-based medicine and epistemological imperialism: narrowing the divide between evidence and illness.

Science.gov (United States)

Crowther, Helen; Lipworth, Wendy; Kerridge, Ian

2011-10-01

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) has been rapidly and widely adopted because it claims to provide a method for determining the safety and efficacy of medical therapies and public health interventions more generally. However, as others have noted, EBM may be riven through with cultural bias, both in the generation of evidence and in its translation. We suggest that technological and scientific advances in medicine accentuate and entrench these cultural biases, to the extent that they may invalidate the evidence we have about disease and its treatment. This creates a significant ethical, epistemological and ontological challenge for medicine. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Significance of the Centrally Expressed TRP Channel "Painless" in "Drosophila" Courtship Memory

Science.gov (United States)

Sakai, Takaomi; Sato, Shoma; Ishimoto, Hiroshi; Kitamoto, Toshihiro

2013-01-01

Considerable evidence has demonstrated that transient receptor potential (TRP) channels play vital roles in sensory neurons, mediating responses to various environmental stimuli. In contrast, relatively little is known about how TRP channels exert their effects in the central nervous system to control complex behaviors. This is also true for the…

Autologous Matrix-Induced Chondrogenesis: A Systematic Review of the Clinical Evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Liang; Orth, Patrick; Cucchiarini, Magali; Madry, Henning

2017-11-01

The addition of a type I/III collagen membrane in cartilage defects treated with microfracture has been advocated for cartilage repair, termed "autologous matrix-induced chondrogenesis" (AMIC). To examine the current clinical evidence regarding AMIC for focal chondral defects. Systematic review. A systematic review was performed by searching PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane Library databases. Inclusion criteria were clinical studies of AMIC for articular cartilage repair, written in English. Relative data were extracted and critically analyzed. PRISMA guidelines were applied, the methodological quality of the included studies was assessed by the modified Coleman Methodology Score (CMS), and aggregate data were generated. Twenty-eight clinical articles were included: 12 studies (245 patients) of knee cartilage defects, 12 studies (214 patients) of ankle cartilage defects, and 4 studies (308 patients) of hip cartilage defects. The CMS demonstrated a suboptimal study design in the majority of published studies (knee, 57.8; ankle, 55.3; hip, 57.7). For the knee, 1 study reported significant clinical improvements for AMIC compared with microfracture for medium-sized cartilage defects (mean defect size 3.6 cm 2 ) after 5 years (level of evidence, 1). No study compared AMIC with matrix-assisted autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) in the knee. For the ankle, no clinical trial was available comparing AMIC versus microfracture or ACI. In the hip, only one analysis (level of evidence, 3) compared AMIC with microfracture for acetabular lesions. For medium-sized acetabular defects, one study (level of evidence, 3) found no significant differences between AMIC and ACI at 5 years. Specific aspects not appropriately discussed in the currently available literature include patient-related factors, membrane fixation, and defect properties. No treatment-related adverse events were reported. This systematic review reveals a paucity of high-quality, randomized controlled

Current practice patterns of drain usage amongst UK and Irish surgeons performing bilateral breast reductions: Evidence down the drain.

Science.gov (United States)

Sugrue, Conor M; McInerney, Niall; Joyce, Cormac W; Jones, Deidre; Hussey, Alan J; Kelly, Jack L; Kerin, Michael J; Regan, Padraic J

2015-01-01

Bilateral breast reduction (BBR) is one of the most frequently performed female breast operations. Despite no evidence supporting efficacy of drain usage in BBRs, postoperative insertion is common. Recent high quality evidence demonstrating potential harm from drain use has subsequently challenged this traditional practice. The aim of this study is to assess the current practice patterns of drains usage by Plastic & Reconstructive and Breast Surgeons in UK and Ireland performing BBRs. An 18 question survey was created evaluating various aspects of BBR practice. UK and Irish Plastic & Reconstructive and Breast Surgeons were invited to participate by an email containing a link to a web-based survey. Statistical analysis was performed with student t-test and chi-square test. Two hundred and eleven responding surgeons were analysed, including 80.1% (171/211) Plastic Surgeons and 18.9% (40/211) Breast Surgeons. Of the responding surgeons, 71.6% (151/211) routinely inserted postoperative drains, for a mean of 1.32 days. Drains were used significantly less by surgeons performing ≥20 BBRs (p = 0.02). With the majority of BBRs performed as an inpatient procedure, there was a trend towards less drain usage in surgeons performing this procedure as an outpatient; however, this was not statistically significant (p = 0.07). Even with the high level of evidence demonstrating the safety of BBR without drains, they are still routinely utilised. In an era of evidence- based medicine, surgeons performing breast reductions must adopt the results from scientific research into their clinical practice.

Dynamic wall demonstration project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakatsui, L.; Mayhew, W.

1990-12-01

The dynamic wall concept is a ventilation strategy that can be applied to a single family dwelling. With suitable construction, outside air can be admitted through the exterior walls of the house to the interior space to function as ventilation air. The construction and performance monitoring of a demonstration house built to test the dynamic wall concept in Sherwood Park, Alberta, is described. The project had the objectives of demonstrating and assessing the construction methods; determining the cost-effectiveness of the concept in Alberta; analyzing the operation of the dynamic wall system; and determining how other components and systems in the house interact with the dynamic wall. The exterior wall construction consisted of vinyl siding, spun-bonded polyolefin-backed (SBPO) rigid fiberglass sheathing, 38 mm by 89 mm framing, fiberglass batt insulation and 12.7 mm drywall. The mechanical system was designed to operate in the dynamic (negative pressure) mode, however flexibility was provided to allow operation in the static (balanced pressure) mode to permit monitoring of the walls as if they were in a conventional house. The house was monitored by an extensive computerized monitoring system. Dynamic wall operation was dependent on pressure and temperature differentials between indoor and outdoor as well as wind speed and direction. The degree of heat gain was found to be ca 74% of the indoor-outdoor temperature differential. Temperature of incoming dynamic air was significantly affected by solar radiation and measurement of indoor air pollutants found no significant levels. 4 refs., 34 figs., 11 tabs.

Molecular analysis demonstrates high prevalence of chloroquine resistance but no evidence of artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh.

Science.gov (United States)

Alam, Mohammad Shafiul; Ley, Benedikt; Nima, Maisha Khair; Johora, Fatema Tuj; Hossain, Mohammad Enayet; Thriemer, Kamala; Auburn, Sarah; Marfurt, Jutta; Price, Ric N; Khan, Wasif A

2017-08-15

Artemisinin resistance is present in the Greater Mekong region and poses a significant threat for current anti-malarial treatment guidelines in Bangladesh. The aim of this molecular study was to assess the current status of drug resistance in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh near the Myanmar border. Samples were obtained from patients enrolled into a Clinical Trial (NCT02389374) conducted in Alikadam, Bandarban between August 2014 and January 2015. Plasmodium falciparum infections were confirmed by PCR and all P. falciparum positive isolates genotyped for the pfcrt K76T and pfmdr1 N86Y markers. The propeller region of the kelch 13 (k13) gene was sequenced from isolates from patients with delayed parasite clearance. In total, 130 P. falciparum isolates were available for analysis. The pfcrt mutation K76T, associated with chloroquine resistance was found in 81.5% (106/130) of cases and the pfmdr1 mutation N86Y in 13.9% (18/130) cases. No single nucleotide polymorphisms were observed in the k13 propeller region. This study provides molecular evidence for the ongoing presence of chloroquine resistant P. falciparum in Bangladesh, but no evidence of mutations in the k13 propeller domain associated with artemisinin resistance. Monitoring for artemisinin susceptibility in Bangladesh is needed to ensure early detection and containment emerging anti-malarial resistance.

Integration of evidence-based knowledge management in microsystems: a tele-ICU experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Rincon, Teresa A

2012-01-01

The Institute of Medicine's proposed 6 aims to improve health care are timely, safe, effective, efficient, equitable, and patient-centered care. Unfortunately, it also asserts that improvements in these 6 dimensions cannot be achieved within the existing framework of care systems. These systems are based on unrealistic expectations on human cognition and vigilance, and demonstrate a lack of dependence on computerized systems to support care processes and put information at the point of use. Knowledge-based care and evidence-based clinical decision-making need to replace the unscientific care that is being delivered in health care. Building care practices on evidence within an information technology platform is needed to support sound clinical decision-making and to influence organizational adoption of evidence-based practice in health care. Despite medical advances and evidence-based recommendations for treatment of severe sepsis, it remains a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in the world. It is a complex disease state that has proven difficult to define, diagnose, and treat. Supporting bedside teams with real-time knowledge and expertise to target early identification of severe sepsis and compliance to Surviving Sepsis Campaign, evidence-based practice bundles are important to improving outcomes. Using a centralized, remote team of expert nurses and an open-source software application to advance clinical decision-making and execution of the severe sepsis bundle will be examined.

The French methodology for EBS confirmation and demonstration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plas, F.; Voinis, S.; Mayer, S.

2007-01-01

The December 30, 1991 French Waste Act entrusted ANDRA, the French national agency for radioactive waste management, with the task of assessing the feasibility of deep geological disposal of high- and medium-level long-lived waste (HLW and ILW, respectively C-waste and B-waste types in French) plus spent fuel (CU in French). In that context, the 'Dossier 2005 Argile' submitted by ANDRA presents the feasibility assessment - with regard to the technical capacity to accommodate all wastes, to reversibility, and to safety - of a radioactive waste disposal in a clay formation studied at the Meuse/Haute-Marne URL. This report was built upon an iterative approach between site characterisation, design, modelling, phenomenological analysis and safety analysis, in which two principles always guided the elaboration of the safety case: the principle of robustness - repository components must maintain their functionality given reasonable solicitations, taking into account uncertainties on the nature and level of these solicitations; and the principle of demonstrability - safety must be verified without requiring complex demonstrations, and based on multiple lines of evidence/argument (numerical simulation, qualitative arguments such as use of natural analogues, experiments and technological demonstrators). In that respect, the EBS definition, demonstration and confirmation of design is a part of the overall safety case. The 'Dossier 2005 Argile' was submitted to three independent peer reviews. The aim. of this article is to present the methodology that ANDRA implemented in the context of 'Dossier 2005 Argile' for defining, demonstrating and confirming the EBS design as well as the future programme with respect with the new Act of 28 June 2006. (author)

Evidence and evidence gaps - an introduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Dreier, Gabriele; Löhler, Jan

2016-01-01

Background: Medical treatment requires the implementation of existing evidence in the decision making process in order to be able to find the best possible diagnostic, therapeutic or prognostic measure for the individual patient based on the physician's own expertise. Clinical trials form the evidence base and ideally, their results are assembled, analyzed, summarized, and made available in systematic review articles. Beside planning, conducting, and evaluating clinical trials in conformity with GCP (good clinical practice), it is essential that all results of conducted studies are publicly available in order to avoid publication bias. This includes also the public registration of planned and cancelled trials. History: During the last 25 years, evidence-based medicine became increasingly important in medical care and research. It is closely associated with the names of Archibald Cochrane and David Sackett. About 15 years ago, the Deutsche Cochrane Zentrum (Cochrane Germany) and the Deutsche Netzwerk Evidenzbasierte Medizin e.V. (German Network for Evidence-based Medicine, DNEbM) were founded in Germany. In the International Cochrane Collaboration, clinicians and methodologists come together on an interdisciplinary level to further develop methods of evidence-based medicine and to discuss the topics of evidence generation and processing as well as knowledge transfer. Problem: Evidence is particularly important for physicians in the process of decision making, however, at the same time it is the base of a scientific proof of benefit for the patient and finally for the payers in health care. The closure of evidence gaps requires enormously high staff and financial resources, significant organizational efforts, and it is only successful when clinical and methodical expertise as well as specific knowledge in the field of clinical research are included. On the other hand, the knowledge has to be transferred into practice. For this purpose, practice guidelines, meetings

A low-cost approach for rapidly creating demonstration models for hands-on learning

Science.gov (United States)

Kinzli, Kristoph-Dietrich; Kunberger, Tanya; O'Neill, Robert; Badir, Ashraf

2018-01-01

Demonstration models allow students to readily grasp theory and relate difficult concepts and equations to real life. However drawbacks of using these demonstration models are that they are can be costly to purchase from vendors or take a significant amount of time to build. These two limiting factors can pose a significant obstacle for adding demonstrations to the curriculum. This article presents an assignment to overcome these obstacles, which has resulted in 36 demonstration models being added to the curriculum. The article also presents the results of student performance on course objectives as a result of the developed models being used in the classroom. Overall, significant improvement in student learning outcomes, due to the addition of demonstration models, has been observed.

Experimental evidence of a symbiosis between red-cockaded woodpeckers and fungi.

Science.gov (United States)

Jusino, Michelle A; Lindner, Daniel L; Banik, Mark T; Rose, Kevin R; Walters, Jeffrey R

2016-03-30

Primary cavity excavators, such as woodpeckers, are ecosystem engineers in many systems. Associations between cavity excavators and fungi have long been hypothesized to facilitate cavity excavation, but these relationships have not been experimentally verified. Fungi may help excavators by softening wood, while excavators may facilitate fungal dispersal. Here we demonstrate that excavators facilitate fungal dispersal and thus we report the first experimental evidence of a symbiosis between fungi and a cavity excavator, the red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW,Picoides borealis). Swab samples of birds showed that RCWs carry fungal communities similar to those found in their completed excavations. A 26-month field experiment using human-made aseptically drilled excavations in live trees, half of which were inaccessible to RCWs, demonstrated that RCWs directly alter fungal colonization and community composition. Experimental excavations that were accessible to RCWs contained fungal communities similar to natural RCW excavations, whereas inaccessible experimental excavations contained significantly different fungal communities. Our work demonstrates a complex symbiosis between cavity excavators and communities of fungi, with implications for forest ecology, wildlife management, and conservation. © 2016 The Author(s).

Evidence based practice readiness: A concept analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Schaefer, Jessica D; Welton, John M

2018-01-15

To analyse and define the concept "evidence based practice readiness" in nurses. Evidence based practice readiness is a term commonly used in health literature, but without a clear understanding of what readiness means. Concept analysis is needed to define the meaning of evidence based practice readiness. A concept analysis was conducted using Walker and Avant's method to clarify the defining attributes of evidence based practice readiness as well as antecedents and consequences. A Boolean search of PubMed and Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature was conducted and limited to those published after the year 2000. Eleven articles met the inclusion criteria for this analysis. Evidence based practice readiness incorporates personal and organisational readiness. Antecedents include the ability to recognize the need for evidence based practice, ability to access and interpret evidence based practice, and a supportive environment. The concept analysis demonstrates the complexity of the concept and its implications for nursing practice. The four pillars of evidence based practice readiness: nursing, training, equipping and leadership support are necessary to achieve evidence based practice readiness. Nurse managers are in the position to address all elements of evidence based practice readiness. Creating an environment that fosters evidence based practice can improve patient outcomes, decreased health care cost, increase nurses' job satisfaction and decrease nursing turnover. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Discovery of Highly Potent Tyrosinase Inhibitor, T1, with Significant Anti-Melanogenesis Ability by zebrafish in vivo Assay and Computational Molecular Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Wang-Chuan; Tseng, Tien-Sheng; Hsiao, Nai-Wan; Lin, Yun-Lian; Wen, Zhi-Hong; Tsai, Chin-Chuan; Lee, Yu-Ching; Lin, Hui-Hsiung; Tsai, Keng-Chang

2015-01-01

Tyrosinase is involved in melanin biosynthesis and the abnormal accumulation of melanin pigments leading to hyperpigmentation disorders that can be treated with depigmenting agents. A natural product T1, bis(4-hydroxybenzyl)sulfide, isolated from the Chinese herbal plant, Gastrodia elata, is a strong competitive inhibitor against mushroom tyrosinase (IC50 = 0.53 μM, Ki = 58 +/- 6 nM), outperforms than kojic acid. The cell viability and melanin quantification assay demonstrate that 50 μM of T1 apparently attenuates 20% melanin content of human normal melanocytes without significant cell toxicity. Moreover, the zebrafish in vivo assay reveals that T1 effectively reduces melanogenesis with no adverse side effects. The acute oral toxicity study evidently confirms that T1 molecule is free of discernable cytotoxicity in mice. Furthermore, the molecular modeling demonstrates that the sulfur atom of T1 coordinating with the copper ions in the active site of tyrosinase is essential for mushroom tyrosinase inhibition and the ability of diminishing the human melanin synthesis. These results evident that T1 isolated from Gastrodia elata is a promising candidate in developing pharmacological and cosmetic agents of great potency in skin-whitening.

Concordance Between Clinical Practice and Published Evidence: Findings From Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiang, Harmeet K; Best, Al M; Sarrett, David C

2017-09-01

To evaluate the concordance between clinical practice and published evidence by dental faculty and graduating students of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry. A questionnaire previously developed by the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network with 12 clinical scenarios was administered to VCU faculty and graduating students. Responses were scored as either consistent or inconsistent with published evidence and then analyzed for differences between dental faculty, graduating students, and the national results. There were 43 dental faculty members with at least half-time student contact who responded to the survey. Faculty concordance ranged from 33% to 100%, and general practice faculty had the highest concordance (82%). Eighty-five of the graduating class of 98 responded to the survey, and student concordance ranged from 18% to 92% and averaged 67%. General practice faculty had higher concordance with published evidence than recently graduated dental students. Graduating students and dental faculty demonstrated higher concordance with evidence-based practice than practitioners in the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network. General practice dental faculty demonstrated adequate concordance, but students demonstrated only a medium-level concordance. Practitioners involved in teaching dental students are better able to keep up with evolving evidence and are better able to demonstrate evidence-based practice. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Long-term management of high-level radioactive waste. The meaning of a demonstration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-01-01

The ''demonstration'' of the safe management of high level radioactive waste is a prerequisite for the further development of nuclear energy. It is therefore essential to be clear about both the meaning of the term ''demonstration'' and the practical means to satisfy this request. In the complex sequence of operations necessary to the safe management of high level waste, short term activities can be directly demonstrated. For longer term activities, such as the long term isolation of radioactive waste in deep undergroung structures, demonstration must be indirect. The ''demonstration'' of deep underground disposal for high level radioactive waste involves two steps: one direct, to prove that the system could be built, operated and closed safely and at acceptable costs, and one indirect, to make a convincing evaluation of the system's performance and long term safety on the basis of predictive analyses confirmed by a body of varied technical and scienfic data, much of it deriving from experimental work. The assessment of the evidence collected from current operations, existing experience in related fields and specific research and development activities, calls for specialized scientific expertise. Uncertainties in far future situations and probabilistic events can be taken into account in a scientific assessment. Competent national authorithies will have to satisfy themselves that the proposed waste management solutions can meet long term safety objectives. An element of judgement will always be needed in determining the acceptability of a waste disposal concept. However, the level of confidence in our ability to predict the performance of waste management systems will increase as supporting evidence is collected from current research and development activities and as our predictive techniques improve

Judges Awareness, Understanding, and Application of Digital Evidence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gary C Kessler

2011-03-01

Full Text Available As digital evidence grows in both volume and importance in criminal and civil courts, judges need to fairly and justly evaluate the merits of the offered evidence. To do so, judges need a general understanding of the underlying technologies and applications from which digital evidence is derived. Due to the relative newness of the computer forensics field, there have been few studies on the use of digital forensic evidence and none about judges’ relationship with digital evidence.This paper describes a recent study, using grounded theory methods, into judges’ awareness, knowledge, and perceptions of digital evidence. This study is the first in the U.S. to examine judges and digital forensics, thus opening up a new avenue of research. It is the second time that grounded theory has been employed in a published digital forensics study, demonstrating the applicability of that methodology to this discipline.

Manipulating the Alpha Level Cannot Cure Significance Testing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Trafimow

2018-05-01

Full Text Available We argue that making accept/reject decisions on scientific hypotheses, including a recent call for changing the canonical alpha level from p = 0.05 to p = 0.005, is deleterious for the finding of new discoveries and the progress of science. Given that blanket and variable alpha levels both are problematic, it is sensible to dispense with significance testing altogether. There are alternatives that address study design and sample size much more directly than significance testing does; but none of the statistical tools should be taken as the new magic method giving clear-cut mechanical answers. Inference should not be based on single studies at all, but on cumulative evidence from multiple independent studies. When evaluating the strength of the evidence, we should consider, for example, auxiliary assumptions, the strength of the experimental design, and implications for applications. To boil all this down to a binary decision based on a p-value threshold of 0.05, 0.01, 0.005, or anything else, is not acceptable.

Fusion-power demonstration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henning, C.D.; Logan, B.G.; Carlson, G.A.; Neef, W.S.; Moir, R.W.; Campbell, R.B.; Botwin, R.; Clarkson, I.R.; Carpenter, T.J.

1983-01-01

As a satellite to the MARS (Mirror Advanced Reactor Study) a smaller, near-term device has been scoped, called the FPD (Fusion Power Demonstration). Envisioned as the next logical step toward a power reactor, it would advance the mirror fusion program beyond MFTF-B and provide an intermediate step toward commercial fusion power. Breakeven net electric power capability would be the goal such that no net utility power would be required to sustain the operation. A phased implementation is envisioned, with a deuterium checkout first to verify the plasma systems before significant neutron activation has occurred. Major tritium-related facilities would be installed with the second phase to produce sufficient fusion power to supply the recirculating power to maintain the neutral beams, ECRH, magnets and other auxiliary equipment

Fusion power demonstration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henning, C.D.; Logan, B.G.

1983-01-01

As a satellite to the MARS (Mirror Advanced Reactor Study) a smaller, near-term device has been scoped, called the FPD (Fusion Power Demonstration). Envisioned as the next logical step toward a power reactor, it would advance the mirror fusion program beyond MFTF-B and provide an intermediate step toward commercial fusion power. Breakeven net electric power capability would be the goal such that no net utility power would be required to sustain the operation. A phased implementation is envisioned, with a deuterium checkout first to verify the plasma systems before significant neutron activation has occurred. Major tritium-related facilities would be installed with the second phase to produce sufficient fusion power to supply the recirculating power to maintain the neutral beams, ECRH, magnets and other auxiliary equipment

Functional significance of brain glycogen in sustaining glutamatergic neurotransmission.

Science.gov (United States)

Sickmann, Helle M; Walls, Anne B; Schousboe, Arne; Bouman, Stephan D; Waagepetersen, Helle S

2009-05-01

The involvement of brain glycogen in sustaining neuronal activity has previously been demonstrated. However, to what extent energy derived from glycogen is consumed by astrocytes themselves or is transferred to the neurons in the form of lactate for oxidative metabolism to proceed is at present unclear. The significance of glycogen in fueling glutamate uptake into astrocytes was specifically addressed in cultured astrocytes. Moreover, the objective was to elucidate whether glycogen derived energy is important for maintaining glutamatergic neurotransmission, induced by repetitive exposure to NMDA in co-cultures of cerebellar neurons and astrocytes. In the astrocytes it was shown that uptake of the glutamate analogue D-[3H]aspartate was impaired when glycogen degradation was inhibited irrespective of the presence of glucose, signifying that energy derived from glycogen degradation is important for the astrocytic compartment. By inhibiting glycogen degradation in co-cultures it was evident that glycogen provides energy to sustain glutamatergic neurotransmission, i.e. release and uptake of glutamate. The relocation of glycogen derived lactate to the neuronal compartment was investigated by employing d-lactate, a competitive substrate for the monocarboxylate transporters. Neurotransmitter release was affected by the presence of d-lactate indicating that glycogen derived energy is important not only in the astrocytic but also in the neuronal compartment.

Generalizability of Evidence-Based Assessment Recommendations for Pediatric Bipolar Disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Jenkins, Melissa M.; Youngstrom, Eric A.; Youngstrom, Jennifer Kogos; Feeny, Norah C.; Findling, Robert L.

2013-01-01

Bipolar disorder is frequently clinically diagnosed in youths who do not actually satisfy DSM-IV criteria, yet cases that would satisfy full DSM-IV criteria are often undetected clinically. Evidence-based assessment methods that incorporate Bayesian reasoning have demonstrated improved diagnostic accuracy, and consistency; however, their clinical utility is largely unexplored. The present study examines the effectiveness of promising evidence-based decision-making compared to the clinical gold standard. Participants were 562 youth, ages 5-17 and predominantly African American, drawn from a community mental health clinic. Research diagnoses combined semi-structured interview with youths’ psychiatric, developmental, and family mental health histories. Independent Bayesian estimates relied on published risk estimates from other samples discriminated bipolar diagnoses, Area Under Curve=.75, pbipolar illness, were significant. Bayesian risk estimates were highly correlated with logistic regression estimates using optimal sample weights, r=.81, p<.0005. Clinical and Bayesian approaches agree in terms of overall concordance and deciding next clinical action, even when Bayesian predictions are based on published estimates from clinically and demographically different samples. Evidence-based assessment methods may be useful in settings that cannot routinely employ gold standard assessments, and they may help decrease rates of overdiagnosis while promoting earlier identification of true cases. PMID:22004538

VOC-Arid Integrated Demonstration guide to preparation of demonstration documents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jensen, E.J.; Brouns, T.M.; Koegler, K.J.; McCabe, G.H.; Morris, F.A.

1994-06-01

This guide has been prepared by Demonstration Operations of the Volatile Organic Compound-Arid Integrated Demonstration (VOC-Arid ID). Its purpose is to describe demonstration documents, designate responsibilities for these documents, and guide the Principal Investigator (PI) and others in their preparation. The main emphasis of this guide is to describe the documentation required of the PI. However, it does cover some of the responsibilities of other members of the VOC-Arid ID team. The VOC-Arid ID is one of several US Department of Energy (DOE) integrated demonstrations designed to support the demonstration of emerging environmental management and restoration technologies. The principal objective of the VOC-Arid ID is to identify, develop, and demonstrate new and innovative technologies for environmental restoration at arid or semiarid sites containing volatile organic compounds with or without associated contamination (e.g., radionuclides and metals)

Therapeutic Touch Has Significant Effects on Mouse Breast Cancer Metastasis and Immune Responses but Not Primary Tumor Size.

Science.gov (United States)

Gronowicz, Gloria; Secor, Eric R; Flynn, John R; Jellison, Evan R; Kuhn, Liisa T

2015-01-01

Evidence-based integrative medicine therapies have been introduced to promote wellness and offset side-effects from cancer treatment. Energy medicine is an integrative medicine technique using the human biofield to promote well-being. The biofield therapy chosen for study was Therapeutic Touch (TT). Breast cancer tumors were initiated in mice by injection of metastatic 66cl4 mammary carcinoma cells. The control group received only vehicle. TT or mock treatments were performed twice a week for 10 minutes. Two experienced TT practitioners alternated treatments. At 26 days, metastasis to popliteal lymph nodes was determined by clonogenic assay. Changes in immune function were measured by analysis of serum cytokines and by fluorescent activated cells sorting (FACS) of immune cells from the spleen and lymph nodes. No significant differences were found in body weight gain or tumor size. Metastasis was significantly reduced in the TT-treated mice compared to mock-treated mice. Cancer significantly elevated eleven cytokines. TT significantly reduced IL-1-a, MIG, IL-1b, and MIP-2 to control/vehicle levels. FACS demonstrated that TT significantly reduced specific splenic lymphocyte subsets and macrophages were significantly elevated with cancer. Human biofield therapy had no significant effect on primary tumor but produced significant effects on metastasis and immune responses in a mouse breast cancer model.

Demonstration of the renal venous system at routine nephroangiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nilsson, P.E.; Aspelin, P.; Holtas, S.

1985-01-01

The demonstration of renal veins during routine nephroangiography was retrospectively investigated and blindly scored in 60 patients. Three different types of contrast media were used: one high-osmolar ionic monomeric (metrozoate) and two low-osmolar, the non-ionic monomeric (metrizamide) and the ionic monoacidic dimeric (ioxalate). The renal veins and the inferior vena cava were significantly better and more often demonstrated when ioxaglate was used compared with metrizoate and metrizmide. There was no significant difference between metrizoate and metrizamide. Following semiselective renal artery injection, the main renal veins were demonstrated with a diagnostically acceptable quality with ioxaglate in 76 per cent, with metrizamide in 40 per cent and with metrizoate in 29 per cent. On selective renal artery injection the demonstration of renal veins increased to 85 per cent with ioxaglate and remained unchanged with metrizmide (38%) and metrizoate(26%). Semiselective or selective nephroangiography with ioxaglate at an ordinary dose was in most patients sufficient to allow evaluation of renal vein involvement in disease, rendering high dose selective nephroangiography or selective nephrophlebography unnecessary. A slower diffusion rate of ioxaglate compared with metrizoate and metrizamide is considered to be the major explanation for the better demonstration of the renal veins. (orig.)

Plausibility and evidence: the case of homeopathy.

Science.gov (United States)

Rutten, Lex; Mathie, Robert T; Fisher, Peter; Goossens, Maria; van Wassenhoven, Michel

2013-08-01

Homeopathy is controversial and hotly debated. The conclusions of systematic reviews of randomised controlled trials of homeopathy vary from 'comparable to conventional medicine' to 'no evidence of effects beyond placebo'. It is claimed that homeopathy conflicts with scientific laws and that homoeopaths reject the naturalistic outlook, but no evidence has been cited. We are homeopathic physicians and researchers who do not reject the scientific outlook; we believe that examination of the prior beliefs underlying this enduring stand-off can advance the debate. We show that interpretations of the same set of evidence--for homeopathy and for conventional medicine--can diverge. Prior disbelief in homeopathy is rooted in the perceived implausibility of any conceivable mechanism of action. Using the 'crossword analogy', we demonstrate that plausibility bias impedes assessment of the clinical evidence. Sweeping statements about the scientific impossibility of homeopathy are themselves unscientific: scientific statements must be precise and testable. There is growing evidence that homeopathic preparations can exert biological effects; due consideration of such research would reduce the influence of prior beliefs on the assessment of systematic review evidence.

Evidence of lensing of the cosmic microwave background by dark matter halos.

Science.gov (United States)

Madhavacheril, Mathew; Sehgal, Neelima; Allison, Rupert; Battaglia, Nick; Bond, J Richard; Calabrese, Erminia; Caligiuri, Jerod; Coughlin, Kevin; Crichton, Devin; Datta, Rahul; Devlin, Mark J; Dunkley, Joanna; Dünner, Rolando; Fogarty, Kevin; Grace, Emily; Hajian, Amir; Hasselfield, Matthew; Hill, J Colin; Hilton, Matt; Hincks, Adam D; Hlozek, Renée; Hughes, John P; Kosowsky, Arthur; Louis, Thibaut; Lungu, Marius; McMahon, Jeff; Moodley, Kavilan; Munson, Charles; Naess, Sigurd; Nati, Federico; Newburgh, Laura; Niemack, Michael D; Page, Lyman A; Partridge, Bruce; Schmitt, Benjamin; Sherwin, Blake D; Sievers, Jon; Spergel, David N; Staggs, Suzanne T; Thornton, Robert; Van Engelen, Alexander; Ward, Jonathan T; Wollack, Edward J

2015-04-17

We present evidence of the gravitational lensing of the cosmic microwave background by 10(13) solar mass dark matter halos. Lensing convergence maps from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope Polarimeter (ACTPol) are stacked at the positions of around 12 000 optically selected CMASS galaxies from the SDSS-III/BOSS survey. The mean lensing signal is consistent with simulated dark matter halo profiles and is favored over a null signal at 3.2σ significance. This result demonstrates the potential of microwave background lensing to probe the dark matter distribution in galaxy group and galaxy cluster halos.

A Novel Evidence Theory and Fuzzy Preference Approach-Based Multi-Sensor Data Fusion Technique for Fault Diagnosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fuyuan Xiao

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The multi-sensor data fusion technique plays a significant role in fault diagnosis and in a variety of such applications, and the Dempster–Shafer evidence theory is employed to improve the system performance; whereas, it may generate a counter-intuitive result when the pieces of evidence highly conflict with each other. To handle this problem, a novel multi-sensor data fusion approach on the basis of the distance of evidence, belief entropy and fuzzy preference relation analysis is proposed. A function of evidence distance is first leveraged to measure the conflict degree among the pieces of evidence; thus, the support degree can be obtained to represent the reliability of the evidence. Next, the uncertainty of each piece of evidence is measured by means of the belief entropy. Based on the quantitative uncertainty measured above, the fuzzy preference relations are applied to represent the relative credibility preference of the evidence. Afterwards, the support degree of each piece of evidence is adjusted by taking advantage of the relative credibility preference of the evidence that can be utilized to generate an appropriate weight with respect to each piece of evidence. Finally, the modified weights of the evidence are adopted to adjust the bodies of the evidence in the advance of utilizing Dempster’s combination rule. A numerical example and a practical application in fault diagnosis are used as illustrations to demonstrate that the proposal is reasonable and efficient in the management of conflict and fault diagnosis.

Clinical significance of stress-related increase in blood pressure: current evidence in office and out-of-office settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Munakata, Masanori

2018-05-29

High blood pressure is the most significant risk factor of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases worldwide. Blood pressure and its variability are recognized as risk factors. Thus, hypertension control should focus not only on maintaining optimal levels but also on achieving less variability in blood pressure. Psychosocial stress is known to contribute to the development and worsening of hypertension. Stress is perceived by the brain and induces neuroendocrine responses in either a rapid or long-term manner. Moreover, endothelial dysfunction and inflammation might be further involved in the modulation of blood pressure elevation associated with stress. White-coat hypertension, defined as high clinic blood pressure but normal out-of-office blood pressure, is the most popular stress-related blood pressure response. Careful follow-up is necessary for this type of hypertensive patients because some show organ damage or a worse prognosis. On the other hand, masked hypertension, defined as high out-of-office blood pressure but normal office blood pressure, has received considerable interest as a poor prognostic condition. The cause of masked hypertension is complex, but evidence suggests that chronic stress at the workplace or home could be involved. Chronic psychological stress could be associated with distorted lifestyle and mental distress as well as long-lasting allostatic load, contributing to the maintenance of blood pressure elevation. Stress issues are common in patients in modern society. Considering psychosocial stress as the pathogenesis of blood pressure elevation is useful for achieving an individual-focused approach and 24-h blood pressure control.

Developing Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Era of Evidence-Based Medicine: Current Evidences and Challenges

Science.gov (United States)

Fung, Foon Yin; Linn, Yeh Ching

2015-01-01

Evidence-based medicine (EBM), by integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available clinical evidence from systematic research, has in recent years been established as the standard of modern medical practice for greater treatment efficacy and safety. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), on the other hand, evolved as a system of medical practice from ancient China more than 2000 years ago based on empirical knowledge as well as theories and concepts which are yet to be mapped by scientific equivalents. Despite the expanding TCM usage and the recognition of its therapeutic benefits worldwide, the lack of robust evidence from the EBM perspective is hindering acceptance of TCM by the Western medicine community and its integration into mainstream healthcare. For TCM to become an integral component of the healthcare system so that its benefits can be rationally harnessed in the best interests of patients, it is essential for TCM to demonstrate its efficacy and safety by high-level evidence in accordance with EBM, though much debate remains on the validity and feasibility of applying the EBM model on this traditional practice. This review aims to discuss the current status of research in TCM, explore the evidences available on its efficacy and safety, and highlight the issues and challenges faced in applying EBM to TCM. PMID:25949261

Novel Plasmodium falciparum malaria vaccines: evidence-based searching for variant surface antigens as candidates for vaccination against pregnancy-associated malaria

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Staalsoe, Trine; Jensen, Anja T R; Theander, Thor G

2002-01-01

Malaria vaccine development has traditionally concentrated on careful molecular, biochemical, and immunological characterisation of candidate antigens. In contrast, evidence of the importance of identified antigens in immunity to human infection and disease has generally been limited to statistic......Malaria vaccine development has traditionally concentrated on careful molecular, biochemical, and immunological characterisation of candidate antigens. In contrast, evidence of the importance of identified antigens in immunity to human infection and disease has generally been limited...... to statistically significant co-variation with protection rather than on demonstration of causal relationships. We have studied the relationship between variant surface antigen-specific antibodies and clinical protection from Plasmodium falciparum malaria in general, and from pregnancy-associated malaria (PAM......) in particular, to provide robust evidence of a causal link between the two in order to allow efficient and evidence-based identification of candidate antigens for malaria vaccine development....

21 CFR 514.4 - Substantial evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... adequate and well-controlled studies, such as a study in a target species, study in laboratory animals... and conditions of use. Substantial evidence of effectiveness of a new animal drug shall demonstrate that the new animal drug is effective for each intended use and associated conditions of use for and...

Exercise-induced thallium-201 myocardial perfusion defects in angina pectoris without significant coronary artery stenosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakazato, Masayasu; Maruoka, Yuji; Sunagawa, Osahiko; Kinjo, Kunihiko; Tomori, Masayuki; Fukiyama, Koshiro

1990-01-01

We performed exercise thallium-201 myocardial scintigraphy in 32 patients with angina pectoris to study the incidence of perfusion defects, who had no significant organic stenosis on coronary angiography. None of them had myocardial infarction or cardiomyopathy. Thallium-201 myocardial scintigraphy and 12-lead ECG recording were performed during supine bicycle ergometer exercise. Perfusion defects in thallium-201 scintigrams in SPECT images were assessed during visual analysis by two observers. In the coronary angiograms obtained during intravenous infusion of nitroglycerin, the luminal diameter of 75% stenosis or less in the AHA classification was regarded as an insignificant organic stenosis. Myocardial perfusion defects in the thallium-201 scintigrams were detected in eight (25%) of the 32 patients. Six of these eight patients had variant angina documented during spontaneous attacks with ST elevations in standard 12-lead ECGs. Perfusion defects were demonstrated at the inferior or infero-posterior regions in six patients, one of whom had concomitant anteroseptal defect. The defects were not always accompanied by chest pain. All but one patient demonstrating inferior or inferoposterior defects showed ST depression in leads II, III and aV F on their ECGs, corresponding to inferior wall ischemia. The exception was a case with right bundle branch block. Thus, 25% of the patients with angina pectoris, who had no evidence of significant organic stenosis on their coronary angiograms, exhibited exercise-induced perfusion defects in their thallium-201 scintigrams. Coronary spasms might have caused myocardial ischemia in these patients. (author)

Large-scale demonstration of D ampersand D technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhattacharyya, S.K.; Black, D.B.; Rose, R.W.

1997-01-01

It is becoming increasingly evident that new technologies will need to be utilized for decontamination and decommissioning (D ampersand D) activities in order to assure safe and cost effective operations. The magnitude of the international D ampersand D problem is sufficiently large in anticipated cost (100's of billions of dollars) and in elapsed time (decades), that the utilization of new technologies should lead to substantial improvements in cost and safety performance. Adoption of new technologies in the generally highly contaminated D ampersand D environments requires assurances that the technology will perform as advertised. Such assurances can be obtained from demonstrations of the technology in environments that are similar to the actual environments without being quite as contaminated and hazardous. The Large Scale Demonstration Project (LSDP) concept was designed to provide such a function. The first LSDP funded by the U.S. Department Of Energy's Environmental Management Office (EM) was on the Chicago Pile 5 (CP-5) Reactor at Argonne National Laboratory. The project, conducted by a Strategic Alliance for Environmental Restoration, has completed demonstrations of 10 D ampersand D technologies and is in the process of comparing the performance to baseline technologies. At the conclusion of the project, a catalog of performance comparisons of these technologies will be developed that will be suitable for use by future D ampersand D planners

Current Thoughts on Fat Grafting: Using the Evidence to Determine Fact or Fiction.

Science.gov (United States)

Sinno, Sammy; Wilson, Stelios; Brownstone, Nicholas; Levine, Steven M

2016-03-01

Autologous fat grafting is an increasingly popular procedure used for facial rejuvenation and body contouring. The purpose of this article is to perform an evidence-based review to determine fact from fiction for the hot topics in autologous fat grafting. A comprehensive literature search was performed. The following key words were then searched: "fat grafting," "autologous fat grafting," "autologous fat transfer," "lipotransfer," "liposculping," and "lipofilling." The authors then assessed each modality individually for the level of evidence that exists and whether the majority of evidence supports or refutes it. A review of the literature demonstrated that there is no standard test for determining fat viability or volume augmentation after grafting. Furthermore, there is no difference in cell viability seen between syringe aspiration and liposuction pump aspiration harvest techniques (Level II). The decision to wash or centrifuge the fat plays very little role in fat graft survival (Level III). There is no difference between cell viability as a function of harvest location (Level IV). Nearly all studies show no significant effect of local anesthesia on adipocyte cells (Level IV). There are excellent data that support the fact that low-shear devices maintain fat structural integrity (Level IV). There is quality evidence that supports longevity of fat grafted to the breast (Level III). Two studies support large-volume fat grafting longevity but fail to prove their results using objective measures or with sufficiently large sample sizes (Level IV). External preexpansion devices improve total graft survival rate (Level IV). There is quality evidence to support that fat should be injected soon after harvesting, as properties of fat begin to change after processing (Level IV). Microneedling (preconditioning) before fat grafting has been demonstrated to improve fat survival (Level III). Currently, the highest levels of evidence derive from human studies of clinical

Evidence for aerobic exercise training on the autonomic function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammed, Jibril; Derom, Eric; Van Oosterwijck, Jessica; Da Silva, Hellen; Calders, Patrick

2018-03-01

To assess evidence for the effectiveness of aerobic exercise training (AET) on the autonomic function (AF) outcomes in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Online databases of PubMed, CINAHL and Web of Science were systematically searched for all years till 26th of January, 2017. Clinical studies assessing any measure of AF following exercise training in patients with COPD were included. Data were extracted from studies with high methodological quality for evidence synthesis. Rating of evidence quality was determined using the GRADE guidelines. The Majority of the included studies utilized continuous exercise training mode with a vigorous level of intensity. Each exercise training session lasted between 30 to 40minutes, and the frequency of intervention was ≥3 times/week. Evidence synthesis of studies with high methodological quality revealed that a high quality evidence level supported a significant increase for time-domain heart rate variability (HRV) analyses and the heart rate recovery (HRR) following AET. The review also found that frequency domain HRV analyses were not significantly affected by AET. The evidence to support the effect of exercise training on baroreceptor sensitivity (BRS) in patients with COPD is very low. Aerobic exercise training demonstrated beneficial but limited effects on the AF in COPD. Presently, it is not clear whether these effects are sustained in the long term. Only a limited number of RCTs were available indicating a significant gap in the literature. Copyright © 2017 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

MR demonstration of the meninges: Normal and pathological findings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schoerner, W.; Henkes, H.; Sander, B.; Felix, R.

1988-01-01

The MR appearance of normal and pathological meninges was studied in 23 patients. Amongst twelve normals, T 1 -weighted images demonstrated the meninges as slightly hyperintense density structures (compared with CSF) which increased in signal intensity somewhat after the administration of gadolinium-DTPA. On T 2 -weighted images, the subarachnoid space and meninges were isointense. In eleven patients with inflammatory disease or tumourous infiltration of the meninges, abnormal findings were evident in the unenhanced images as well as after administration of gadolinium-DTPA. Compared with CT, MR proved greatly superior in the diagnosis of meningeal abnormalities. (orig.) [de

Radiographers' preconditions for evidence-based radiography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahonen, Sanna-Mari; Liikanen, Eeva

2010-01-01

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is essential in today's health care, but its establishment requires several preconditions from individuals and organizations (e.g. knowledge, understanding, attitudes, abilities, self-confidence, support, and resources). Previous studies suggest that radiographers do generate and use evidence in their work, but evidence-based radiography (EBR) is not yet used routinely as established practice, especially in terms of research utilization. This paper aims to describe radiographers' preconditions for EBR, and their participation in research activities. Main focus is on research utilization. Using an electronic questionnaire developed for this study, a survey was conducted: data collected from Finnish radiographers and radiotherapists (N = 438) were analysed both statistically and qualitatively. The final response rate was 39%. The results suggest radiographers' preconditions for EBR to consist of knowledge of research, significance of research activities, research-orientated way of working, and support. In addition, adequate resourcing is essential. Reading scientific journals, participation in research activities, a higher degree of education, and senior post seem to be significant promoters of EBR and research utilization. The results support the notion that EBR, and especially research utilization, are not yet well-established in Finland, and radiographers' viewpoints concerning the role and significance of research evidence and research activities still seem to vary.

Randomised controlled trial of a theoretically grounded tailored intervention to diffuse evidence-based public health practice [ISRCTN23257060

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nordheim Lena

2003-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Previous studies have shown that Norwegian public health physicians do not systematically and explicitly use scientific evidence in their practice. They work in an environment that does not encourage the integration of this information in decision-making. In this study we investigate whether a theoretically grounded tailored intervention to diffuse evidence-based public health practice increases the physicians' use of research information. Methods 148 self-selected public health physicians were randomised to an intervention group (n = 73 and a control group (n = 75. The intervention group received a multifaceted intervention while the control group received a letter declaring that they had access to library services. Baseline assessments before the intervention and post-testing immediately at the end of a 1.5-year intervention period were conducted. The intervention was theoretically based and consisted of a workshop in evidence-based public health, a newsletter, access to a specially designed information service, to relevant databases, and to an electronic discussion list. The main outcome measure was behaviour as measured by the use of research in different documents. Results The intervention did not demonstrate any evidence of effects on the objective behaviour outcomes. We found, however, a statistical significant difference between the two groups for both knowledge scores: Mean difference of 0.4 (95% CI: 0.2–0.6 in the score for knowledge about EBM-resources and mean difference of 0.2 (95% CI: 0.0–0.3 in the score for conceptual knowledge of importance for critical appraisal. There were no statistical significant differences in attitude-, self-efficacy-, decision-to-adopt- or job-satisfaction scales. There were no significant differences in Cochrane library searching after controlling for baseline values and characteristics. Conclusion Though demonstrating effect on knowledge the study failed to provide support for

Ground test for vibration control demonstrator

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, C.; Prodigue, J.; Broux, G.; Cantinaud, O.; Poussot-Vassal, C.

2016-09-01

In the objective of maximizing comfort in Falcon jets, Dassault Aviation is developing an innovative vibration control technology. Vibrations of the structure are measured at several locations and sent to a dedicated high performance vibration control computer. Control laws are implemented in this computer to analyse the vibrations in real time, and then elaborate orders sent to the existing control surfaces to counteract vibrations. After detailing the technology principles, this paper focuses on the vibration control ground demonstration that was performed by Dassault Aviation in May 2015 on Falcon 7X business jet. The goal of this test was to attenuate vibrations resulting from fixed forced excitation delivered by shakers. The ground test demonstrated the capability to implement an efficient closed-loop vibration control with a significant vibration level reduction and validated the vibration control law design methodology. This successful ground test was a prerequisite before the flight test demonstration that is now being prepared. This study has been partly supported by the JTI CleanSky SFWA-ITD.

Translations of Developmental Screening Instruments: An Evidence Map of Available Research.

Science.gov (United States)

El-Behadli, Ana F; Neger, Emily N; Perrin, Ellen C; Sheldrick, R Christopher

2015-01-01

Children whose parents do not speak English experience significant disparities in the identification of developmental delays and disorders; however, little is known about the availability and validity of translations of developmental screeners. The goal was to create a map of the scientific evidence regarding translations of the 9 Academy of Pediatrics-recommended screening instruments into languages other than English. The authors conducted a systematic search of Medline and PsycINFO, references of identified articles, publishers' Web sites, and official manuals. Through evidence mapping, a new methodology supported by AHRQ and the Cochrane Collaboration, the authors documented the extent and distribution of published evidence supporting translations of developmental screeners. Data extraction focused on 3 steps of the translation and validation process: (1) translation methods used, (2) collection of normative data in the target language, and (3) evidence for reliability and validity. The authors identified 63 distinct translations among the 9 screeners, of which 44 had supporting evidence published in peer-reviewed sources. Of the 63 translations, 35 had at least some published evidence regarding translation methods used, 28 involving normative data, and 32 regarding reliability and/or construct validity. One-third of the translations found were of the Denver Developmental Screening Test. Specific methods used varied greatly across screeners, as did the level of detail with which results were reported. Few developmental screeners have been translated into many languages. Evidence map of the authors demonstrates considerable variation in both the amount and the comprehensiveness of information available about translated instruments. Informal guidelines exist for conducting translation of psychometric instruments but not for documentation of this process. The authors propose that uniform guidelines be established for reporting translation research in peer

[Evaluation on intervention measures of comprehensive control for parasitic diseases in demonstration plot of Xiangyun County].

Science.gov (United States)

Wen-Juan, Li; Shao-Rong, Chen; Yan-Hong, Li; Wen, Fang; Chun-Rong, Ke; Li-Bo, Wang

2011-10-01

To evaluate the effect of comprehensive intervention measures to control and prevent parasitic diseases in the demonstration plot of Xiangyun County, so as to provide the evidence for establishing appropriate measures of parasitic diseases control and prevention. The baseline data of soil-transmitted nematode infections were obtained in 2006. A series of intervention measures, including health education, deworming, drinking water improvement,latrine improvement, and environment reconstruction, were performed for three years and the effect of the comprehensive intervention measures was evaluated by the national expert group in 2009. The awareness rate of parasitic disease knowledge of residents in 2009 (86.96%) was significantly higher than that in 2006 (35.20%) (Chi2 = 122.95, P transmitted nematode infections, the infection rates of Ascaris lumbricoides in both 2006 and 2009 were the highest and the rates were 18.74% and 2.08%, respectively. In the demonstration plots for parasitic diseases control and prevention of Xiangyun County, the effect of the comprehensive intervention measures which take health education as the forerunner and give priority to control source of parasite infection is remarkable. The measures implemented can achieve the purpose to reduce the infection rates of parasites and improve human health.

Combining evidence and values in priority setting: testing the balance sheet method in a low-income country.

Science.gov (United States)

Makundi, Emmanuel; Kapiriri, Lydia; Norheim, Ole Frithjof

2007-09-24

Procedures for priority setting need to incorporate both scientific evidence and public values. The aim of this study was to test out a model for priority setting which incorporates both scientific evidence and public values, and to explore use of evidence by a selection of stakeholders and to study reasons for the relative ranking of health care interventions in a setting of extreme resource scarcity. Systematic search for and assessment of relevant evidence for priority setting in a low-income country. Development of a balance sheet according to Eddy's explicit method. Eight group interviews (n-85), using a modified nominal group technique for eliciting individual and group rankings of a given set of health interventions. The study procedure made it possible to compare the groups' ranking before and after all the evidence was provided to participants. A rank deviation is significant if the rank order of the same intervention differed by two or more points on the ordinal scale. A comparison between the initial rank and the final rank (before deliberation) showed a rank deviation of 67%. The difference between the initial rank and the final rank after discussion and voting gave a rank deviation of 78%. Evidence-based and deliberative decision-making does change priorities significantly in an experimental setting. Our use of the balance sheet method was meant as a demonstration project, but could if properly developed be feasible for health planners, experts and health workers, although more work is needed before it can be used for laypersons.

Significant Lactic Acidosis from Albuterol

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deborah Diercks

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Lactic acidosis is a clinical entity that demands rapid assessment and treatment to prevent significant morbidity and mortality. With increased lactate use across many clinical scenarios, lactate values themselves cannot be interpreted apart from their appropriate clinical picture. The significance of Type B lactic acidosis is likely understated in the emergency department (ED. Given the mortality that sepsis confers, a serum lactate is an important screening study. That said, it is with extreme caution that we should interpret and react to the resultant elevated value. We report a patient with a significant lactic acidosis. Though he had a high lactate value, he did not require aggressive resuscitation. A different classification scheme for lactic acidosis that focuses on the bifurcation of the “dangerous” and “not dangerous” causes of lactic acidosis may be of benefit. In addition, this case is demonstrative of the potential overuse of lactates in the ED.

Evidence-based pathology in its second decade: toward probabilistic cognitive computing.

Science.gov (United States)

Marchevsky, Alberto M; Walts, Ann E; Wick, Mark R

2017-03-01

Evidence-based pathology advocates using a combination of best available data ("evidence") from the literature and personal experience for the diagnosis, estimation of prognosis, and assessment of other variables that impact individual patient care. Evidence-based pathology relies on systematic reviews of the literature, evaluation of the quality of evidence as categorized by evidence levels and statistical tools such as meta-analyses, estimates of probabilities and odds, and others. However, it is well known that previously "statistically significant" information usually does not accurately forecast the future for individual patients. There is great interest in "cognitive computing" in which "data mining" is combined with "predictive analytics" designed to forecast future events and estimate the strength of those predictions. This study demonstrates the use of IBM Watson Analytics software to evaluate and predict the prognosis of 101 patients with typical and atypical pulmonary carcinoid tumors in which Ki-67 indices have been determined. The results obtained with this system are compared with those previously reported using "routine" statistical software and the help of a professional statistician. IBM Watson Analytics interactively provides statistical results that are comparable to those obtained with routine statistical tools but much more rapidly, with considerably less effort and with interactive graphics that are intuitively easy to apply. It also enables analysis of natural language variables and yields detailed survival predictions for patient subgroups selected by the user. Potential applications of this tool and basic concepts of cognitive computing are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

AEP Ohio gridSMART Demonstration Project Real-Time Pricing Demonstration Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Widergren, Steven E.; Subbarao, Krishnappa; Fuller, Jason C.; Chassin, David P.; Somani, Abhishek; Marinovici, Maria C.; Hammerstrom, Janelle L.

2014-02-01

This report contributes initial findings from an analysis of significant aspects of the gridSMART® Real-Time Pricing (RTP) – Double Auction demonstration project. Over the course of four years, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) worked with American Electric Power (AEP), Ohio and Battelle Memorial Institute to design, build, and operate an innovative system to engage residential consumers and their end-use resources in a participatory approach to electric system operations, an incentive-based approach that has the promise of providing greater efficiency under normal operating conditions and greater flexibility to react under situations of system stress. The material contained in this report supplements the findings documented by AEP Ohio in the main body of the gridSMART report. It delves into three main areas: impacts on system operations, impacts on households, and observations about the sensitivity of load to price changes.

Use of a genealogical database demonstrates heritability of pulmonary fibrosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Scholand, Mary Beth; Coon, Hilary; Wolff, Roger; Cannon-Albright, Lisa

2013-10-01

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a progressive fatal disease of unknown etiology. Identification of risk genes and pathways will enhance our understanding of this disease. Analysis of Utah genealogical resources has shown previously strong evidence for a genetic contribution to other disease, such as cancer. This approach has led to gene discovery in diseases, such as breast cancer and colon cancer and is used here for PF to quantify the heritability. We hypothesize that there is a heritable contribution to death from PF and use existing genealogic and death certificate data to examine patterns of relatedness amongst individuals who have died of PF. We analyzed familial clustering of individuals who died from PF using the Utah Population Database, a unique population-based genealogical resource that has been linked to death certificates dating from 1904. We identified 1,000 individuals with at least three generations of genealogy data and a cause of death documented as PF (cases). We estimated the relative risk (RR) of death from PF among the first-, second-, and third-degree relatives of cases. We also tested the hypothesis of excess relatedness among the cases by comparing the average pairwise relatedness of all cases to the average pair-wise relatedness of 1,000 sets of matched controls. We observed significantly increased risk for death from PF among the first- (RR = 4.69), second- (RR = 1.92), and third-degree relatives (RR = 1.14) of cases. The average relatedness of the 1,000 cases was significantly higher than the expected average relatedness of matched control sets (p < 0.001). When close (first- and second-degree) relationships were ignored, significantly increased relatedness remained (p = 0.002). Our results demonstrate significant clustering among both close and distant relatives, providing strong support for genetic contributions to death from PF. High-risk pedigrees derived from this unique resource may help identify new risk genes and gene

Validation of Sizewell ''B'' ultrasonic inspections -- Messages for performance demonstration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conroy, P.J.; Leyland, K.S.; Waites, C.

1994-01-01

At the time that the decisions leading to the construction of the Sizewell ''B'' plant were being made, public concern over the potential hazards of nuclear power was increasing. This concern was heightened by the accident at USA's Three Mile Island plant. The result of this and public pressure was that an extensive public inquiry was held in addition to the UK's normal licensing process. Part of the evidence to the inquiry supporting the safety case relied upon the ability of ultrasonic inspections to demonstrate that the Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) and other key components were free from defects that could threaten structural integrity. Evidence from a variety of trials designed to investigate the performance capability of ultrasonic inspection revealed that although ultrasonic inspection had the potential to satisfy this requirement its performance in practice was heavily dependent upon the details of application. It was therefore generally recognized that some form of inspection validation was required to provide assurance that the equipment, procedures and operators to be employed were adequate for purpose. The concept of inspection validation was therefore included in the safety case for the licensing of Sizewell ''B''. The UK validation trials covering the ultrasonic inspections of the Sizewell ''B'' PWR Reactor Pressure Vessel are now nearing completion. This paper summarizes the results of the RPV validations and considers some of the implications for ASME 11 Appendix 8 the US code covering performance demonstration

Effects of a community scorecard on improving the local health system in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: qualitative evidence using the most significant change technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Lara S; Labrecque, Guillaume; Batonon, Isatou; Salsi, Viviana; Ratnayake, Ruwan

2015-01-01

More than a decade of conflict has weakened the health system in the Democratic Republic of Congo and decreased its ability to respond to the needs of the population. Community scorecards have been conceived as a way to increase accountability and responsiveness of service providers, but there is limited evidence of their effects, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. This paper describes the implementation of community scorecards within a community-driven reconstruction project in two provinces of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Between June 2012 and November 2013, 45 stories of change in the health system were collected from village development committee, health committee, community members (20 men and 18 women) and healthcare providers (n = 7) in 25 sites using the Most Significant Change technique. Stories were analyzed qualitatively for content related to the types and mechanisms of change observed. The most salient changes were related to increased transparency and community participation in health facility management, and improved quality of care. Quality of care included increased access to services, improved patient-provider relationships, improved performance of service providers, and improved maintenance of physical infrastructure. Changes occurred through many different mechanisms including provider actions in response to information, pressure from community representatives, or supervisors; and joint action and improved collaboration by health facility committees and providers. Although it is often assumed that confrontation is a primary mechanism for citizens to change state-provided services, this study demonstrates that healthcare providers may also be motivated to change through other means. Positive experiences of community scorecards can provide a structured space for interface between community members and the health system, allowing users to voice their opinions and preferences and bridge information gaps for both

Invasive physiological indices to determine the functional significance of coronary stenosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Firas R. AL-Obaidi

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Physiological measurements are now commonly used to assess coronary lesions in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory, and this practice is evidence-based and supported by clinical guidelines. Fractional flow reserve is currently the gold standard method to determine whether coronary lesions are functionally significant, and is used to guide revascularization. There are however several other physiological measurements that have been proposed as alternatives to the fractional flow reserve. This review aims to comprehensively discuss physiological indices that can be used in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory to determine the functional significance of coronary lesions. We will focus on their advantages and disadvantages, and the current evidence supporting their use. Keywords: Coronary physiology, Fractional flow reserve, Resting physiological indices, Coronary flow reserve

The thresholds for statistical and clinical significance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Janus Christian; Gluud, Christian; Winkel, Per

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: Thresholds for statistical significance are insufficiently demonstrated by 95% confidence intervals or P-values when assessing results from randomised clinical trials. First, a P-value only shows the probability of getting a result assuming that the null hypothesis is true and does...... not reflect the probability of getting a result assuming an alternative hypothesis to the null hypothesis is true. Second, a confidence interval or a P-value showing significance may be caused by multiplicity. Third, statistical significance does not necessarily result in clinical significance. Therefore...... of the probability that a given trial result is compatible with a 'null' effect (corresponding to the P-value) divided by the probability that the trial result is compatible with the intervention effect hypothesised in the sample size calculation; (3) adjust the confidence intervals and the statistical significance...

The missing link between sleep disorders and age-related dementia: recent evidence and plausible mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Feng; Zhong, Rujia; Li, Song; Chang, Raymond Chuen-Chung; Le, Weidong

2017-05-01

Sleep disorders are among the most common clinical problems and possess a significant concern for the geriatric population. More importantly, while around 40% of elderly adults have sleep-related complaints, sleep disorders are more frequently associated with co-morbidities including age-related neurodegenerative diseases and mild cognitive impairment. Recently, increasing evidence has indicated that disturbed sleep may not only serve as the consequence of brain atrophy, but also contribute to the pathogenesis of dementia and, therefore, significantly increase dementia risk. Since the current therapeutic interventions lack efficacies to prevent, delay or reverse the pathological progress of dementia, a better understanding of underlying mechanisms by which sleep disorders interact with the pathogenesis of dementia will provide possible targets for the prevention and treatment of dementia. In this review, we briefly describe the physiological roles of sleep in learning/memory, and specifically update the recent research evidence demonstrating the association between sleep disorders and dementia. Plausible mechanisms are further discussed. Moreover, we also evaluate the possibility of sleep therapy as a potential intervention for dementia.

Iconoclast or creed? Objectivism, pragmatism, and the hierarchy of evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldenberg, Maya J

2009-01-01

Because "evidence" is at issue in evidence-based medicine (EBM), the critical responses to the movement have taken up themes from post-positivist philosophy of science to demonstrate the untenability of the objectivist account of evidence. While these post-positivist critiques seem largely correct, I propose that when they focus their analyses on what counts as evidence, the critics miss important and desirable pragmatic features of the evidence-based approach. This article redirects critical attention toward EBM's rigid hierarchy of evidence as the culprit of its objectionable epistemic practices. It reframes the EBM discourse in light of a distinction between objectivist and pragmatic epistemology, which allows for a more nuanced analysis of EBM than previously offered: one that is not either/or in its evaluation of the decision-making technology as either iconoclastic or creedal.

West Valley Demonstration Project community relations plan FY 1990/91

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Damerow, M.W.

1989-09-01

The purpose of the Community Relations Plan is to fully inform the community about the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) and provide opportunities for public input. A sound approach to community relations is essential to the creation and maintenance of public awareness and community support. The WVDP is a matter of considerable public interest because it deals with nuclear waste. The mission of the WVDP is to solve an existing environmental concern by solidifying high-level radioactive waste and transporting the solidified waste to a federal repository for permanent disposal. The public requires evidence of the continued commitment and demonstrated progress of the industry and government in carrying out the mission in order to sustain confidence that the WVDP is being managed well and will be discussed successfully completed. For this reason, a comprehensive communication plan is essential for the successful completion of the WVDP

Derivation of a No-Significant-Risk-Level (NSRL) for diethanolamine (DEA).

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Bingxuan; Amacher, David E; Whittaker, Margaret H

2014-02-01

Diethanolamine (DEA) has been listed on the State of California's Proposition 65 List. This listing is based in part on tumors reported in a National Toxicology Program (NTP) 2-year dermal carcinogenicity study in mice which found clear evidence of carcinogenic activity in B6C3F₁ mice based on increased incidences of liver neoplasms in both sexes, and increased incidences of renal tubule neoplasms in males. Although considerable controversy exists on the relevance of the NTP study to humans, industries are obligated to comply with the Proposition 65 labeling requirement and drinking water discharge prohibition, unless they are able to demonstrate that DEA levels in their products are below a specific No Significant Risk Level (NSRL). The State of California has not published an NSRL for DEA. In this article, a NSRL of 5.6 μg/day and a life-stage-adjusted NSRL(adj) of 1.4 μg/day are derived from the NTP carcinogenicity study using a benchmark dose modeling method based on the incidence of hepatocellular carcinomas in female mice, in accordance with the guidelines of California EPA. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Eumalacostracan phylogeny and total evidence: limitations of the usual suspects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ferla Matteo P

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The phylogeny of Eumalacostraca (Crustacea remains elusive, despite over a century of interest. Recent morphological and molecular phylogenies appear highly incongruent, but this has not been assessed quantitatively. Moreover, 18S rRNA trees show striking branch length differences between species, accompanied by a conspicuous clustering of taxa with similar branch lengths. Surprisingly, previous research found no rate heterogeneity. Hitherto, no phylogenetic analysis of all major eumalacostracan taxa (orders has either combined evidence from multiple loci, or combined molecular and morphological evidence. Results We combined evidence from four nuclear ribosomal and mitochondrial loci (18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, 16S rRNA, and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I with a newly synthesized morphological dataset. We tested the homogeneity of data partitions, both in terms of character congruence and the topological congruence of inferred trees. We also performed Bayesian and parsimony analyses on separate and combined partitions, and tested the contribution of each partition. We tested for potential long-branch attraction (LBA using taxon deletion experiments, and with relative rate tests. Additionally we searched for molecular polytomies (spurious clades. Lastly, we investigated the phylogenetic stability of taxa, and assessed their impact on inferred relationships over the whole tree. We detected significant conflict between data partitions, especially between morphology and molecules. We found significant rate heterogeneity between species for both the 18S rRNA and combined datasets, introducing the possibility of LBA. As a test case, we showed that LBA probably affected the position of Spelaeogriphacea in the combined molecular evidence analysis. We also demonstrated that several clades, including the previously reported and surprising clade of Amphipoda plus Spelaeogriphacea, are 'supported' by zero length branches. Furthermore we showed

Sibling Competition & Growth Tradeoffs. Biological vs. Statistical Significance.

Science.gov (United States)

Kramer, Karen L; Veile, Amanda; Otárola-Castillo, Erik

2016-01-01

Early childhood growth has many downstream effects on future health and reproduction and is an important measure of offspring quality. While a tradeoff between family size and child growth outcomes is theoretically predicted in high-fertility societies, empirical evidence is mixed. This is often attributed to phenotypic variation in parental condition. However, inconsistent study results may also arise because family size confounds the potentially differential effects that older and younger siblings can have on young children's growth. Additionally, inconsistent results might reflect that the biological significance associated with different growth trajectories is poorly understood. This paper addresses these concerns by tracking children's monthly gains in height and weight from weaning to age five in a high fertility Maya community. We predict that: 1) as an aggregate measure family size will not have a major impact on child growth during the post weaning period; 2) competition from young siblings will negatively impact child growth during the post weaning period; 3) however because of their economic value, older siblings will have a negligible effect on young children's growth. Accounting for parental condition, we use linear mixed models to evaluate the effects that family size, younger and older siblings have on children's growth. Congruent with our expectations, it is younger siblings who have the most detrimental effect on children's growth. While we find statistical evidence of a quantity/quality tradeoff effect, the biological significance of these results is negligible in early childhood. Our findings help to resolve why quantity/quality studies have had inconsistent results by showing that sibling competition varies with sibling age composition, not just family size, and that biological significance is distinct from statistical significance.

Sibling Competition & Growth Tradeoffs. Biological vs. Statistical Significance.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karen L Kramer

Full Text Available Early childhood growth has many downstream effects on future health and reproduction and is an important measure of offspring quality. While a tradeoff between family size and child growth outcomes is theoretically predicted in high-fertility societies, empirical evidence is mixed. This is often attributed to phenotypic variation in parental condition. However, inconsistent study results may also arise because family size confounds the potentially differential effects that older and younger siblings can have on young children's growth. Additionally, inconsistent results might reflect that the biological significance associated with different growth trajectories is poorly understood. This paper addresses these concerns by tracking children's monthly gains in height and weight from weaning to age five in a high fertility Maya community. We predict that: 1 as an aggregate measure family size will not have a major impact on child growth during the post weaning period; 2 competition from young siblings will negatively impact child growth during the post weaning period; 3 however because of their economic value, older siblings will have a negligible effect on young children's growth. Accounting for parental condition, we use linear mixed models to evaluate the effects that family size, younger and older siblings have on children's growth. Congruent with our expectations, it is younger siblings who have the most detrimental effect on children's growth. While we find statistical evidence of a quantity/quality tradeoff effect, the biological significance of these results is negligible in early childhood. Our findings help to resolve why quantity/quality studies have had inconsistent results by showing that sibling competition varies with sibling age composition, not just family size, and that biological significance is distinct from statistical significance.

"People power" or "pester power"? YouTube as a forum for the generation of evidence and patient advocacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Mazanderani, Fadhila; O'Neill, Braden; Powell, John

2013-12-01

Venoplasty has been proposed, alongside the theory of chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI), as a treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS). Despite concerns about its efficacy and safety, thousands of patients have undergone the procedure. This paper analyses YouTube videos where patients have shared their treatment experiences. Content analysis on the 100 most viewed videos from over 4000 identified in a search for 'CCSVI', and qualitative thematic analysis on popular 'channels' demonstrating patients' experiences. Videos adopt an overwhelmingly positive stance towards CCSVI; many were uploaded by patients and present pre- and/or post-treatment experiences. Patients demonstrate rather than merely describe their symptoms, performing tests on themselves before and after treatment to quantify improvement. Videos combine medical terminology and tests with personal experiences of living with MS. Social media technologies provide patients with novel opportunities for advocating for particular treatments; generating alternative forms of 'evidence' built on a hybrid of personal experience and medical knowledge. Healthcare practitioners need to engage with new digital forms of content, including online social media. Instead of disregarding sources not considered 'evidence-based', practitioners should enhance their understanding of what 'experiential-evidence' is deemed significant to patients, particularly in contested areas of healthcare. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Demonstration of slot-waveguide structures on silicon nitride / silicon oxide platform.

Science.gov (United States)

Barrios, C A; Sánchez, B; Gylfason, K B; Griol, A; Sohlström, H; Holgado, M; Casquel, R

2007-05-28

We report on the first demonstration of guiding light in vertical slot-waveguides on silicon nitride/silicon oxide material system. Integrated ring resonators and Fabry-Perot cavities have been fabricated and characterized in order to determine optical features of the slot-waveguides. Group index behavior evidences guiding and confinement in the low-index slot region at O-band (1260-1370nm) telecommunication wavelengths. Propagation losses of <20 dB/cm have been measured for the transverse-electric mode of the slot-waveguides.

Complementary Therapies for Significant Dysfunction from Tinnitus: Treatment Review and Potential for Integrative Medicine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruth Q. Wolever

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Tinnitus is a prevalent and costly chronic condition; no universally effective treatment exists. Only 20% of patients who report tinnitus actually seek treatment, and when treated, most patients commonly receive sound-based and educational (SBE therapy. Additional treatment options are necessary, however, for nonauditory aspects of tinnitus (e.g., anxiety, depression, and significant interference with daily life and when SBE therapy is inefficacious or inappropriate. This paper provides a comprehensive review of (1 conventional tinnitus treatments and (2 promising complementary therapies that have demonstrated some benefit for severe dysfunction from tinnitus. While there has been no systematic study of the benefits of an Integrative Medicine approach for severe tinnitus, the current paper reviews emerging evidence suggesting that synergistic combinations of complementary therapies provided within a whole-person framework may augment SBE therapy and empower patients to exert control over their tinnitus symptoms without the use of medications, expensive devices, or extended programs.

Discriminating evidence accumulation from urgency signals in speeded decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Hawkins, Guy E; Wagenmakers, Eric-Jan; Ratcliff, Roger; Brown, Scott D

2015-07-01

The dominant theoretical paradigm in explaining decision making throughout both neuroscience and cognitive science is known as “evidence accumulation”--The core idea being that decisions are reached by a gradual accumulation of noisy information. Although this notion has been supported by hundreds of experiments over decades of study, a recent theory proposes that the fundamental assumption of evidence accumulation requires revision. The "urgency gating" model assumes decisions are made without accumulating evidence, using only moment-by-moment information. Under this assumption, the successful history of evidence accumulation models is explained by asserting that the two models are mathematically identical in standard experimental procedures. We demonstrate that this proof of equivalence is incorrect, and that the models are not identical, even when both models are augmented with realistic extra assumptions. We also demonstrate that the two models can be perfectly distinguished in realistic simulated experimental designs, and in two real data sets; the evidence accumulation model provided the best account for one data set, and the urgency gating model for the other. A positive outcome is that the opposing modeling approaches can be fruitfully investigated without wholesale change to the standard experimental paradigms. We conclude that future research must establish whether the urgency gating model enjoys the same empirical support in the standard experimental paradigms that evidence accumulation models have gathered over decades of study. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

The Navigation Guide - evidence-based medicine meets environmental health: integration of animal and human evidence for PFOA effects on fetal growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Lam, Juleen; Koustas, Erica; Sutton, Patrice; Johnson, Paula I; Atchley, Dylan S; Sen, Saunak; Robinson, Karen A; Axelrad, Daniel A; Woodruff, Tracey J

2014-10-01

The Navigation Guide is a novel systematic review method to synthesize scientific evidence and reach strength of evidence conclusions for environmental health decision making. Our aim was to integrate scientific findings from human and nonhuman studies to determine the overall strength of evidence for the question "Does developmental exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) affect fetal growth in humans?" We developed and applied prespecified criteria to systematically and transparently a) rate the quality of the scientific evidence as "high," "moderate," or "low"; b) rate the strength of the human and nonhuman evidence separately as "sufficient," "limited," "moderate," or "evidence of lack of toxicity"; and c) integrate the strength of the human and nonhuman evidence ratings into a strength of the evidence conclusion. We identified 18 epidemiology studies and 21 animal toxicology studies relevant to our study question. We rated both the human and nonhuman mammalian evidence as "moderate" quality and "sufficient" strength. Integration of these evidence ratings produced a final strength of evidence rating in which review authors concluded that PFOA is "known to be toxic" to human reproduction and development based on sufficient evidence of decreased fetal growth in both human and nonhuman mammalian species. We concluded that developmental exposure to PFOA adversely affects human health based on sufficient evidence of decreased fetal growth in both human and nonhuman mammalian species. The results of this case study demonstrate the application of a systematic and transparent methodology, via the Navigation Guide, for reaching strength of evidence conclusions in environmental health.

Knowledge-fused differential dependency network models for detecting significant rewiring in biological networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Ye; Zhang, Bai; Hoffman, Eric P; Clarke, Robert; Zhang, Zhen; Shih, Ie-Ming; Xuan, Jianhua; Herrington, David M; Wang, Yue

2014-07-24

Modeling biological networks serves as both a major goal and an effective tool of systems biology in studying mechanisms that orchestrate the activities of gene products in cells. Biological networks are context-specific and dynamic in nature. To systematically characterize the selectively activated regulatory components and mechanisms, modeling tools must be able to effectively distinguish significant rewiring from random background fluctuations. While differential networks cannot be constructed by existing knowledge alone, novel incorporation of prior knowledge into data-driven approaches can improve the robustness and biological relevance of network inference. However, the major unresolved roadblocks include: big solution space but a small sample size; highly complex networks; imperfect prior knowledge; missing significance assessment; and heuristic structural parameter learning. To address these challenges, we formulated the inference of differential dependency networks that incorporate both conditional data and prior knowledge as a convex optimization problem, and developed an efficient learning algorithm to jointly infer the conserved biological network and the significant rewiring across different conditions. We used a novel sampling scheme to estimate the expected error rate due to "random" knowledge. Based on that scheme, we developed a strategy that fully exploits the benefit of this data-knowledge integrated approach. We demonstrated and validated the principle and performance of our method using synthetic datasets. We then applied our method to yeast cell line and breast cancer microarray data and obtained biologically plausible results. The open-source R software package and the experimental data are freely available at http://www.cbil.ece.vt.edu/software.htm. Experiments on both synthetic and real data demonstrate the effectiveness of the knowledge-fused differential dependency network in revealing the statistically significant rewiring in biological

Introducing evidence based medicine to the journal club, using a structured pre and post test: a cohort study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahoney Martin C

2001-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Journal Club at a University-based residency program was restructured to introduce, reinforce and evaluate residents understanding of the concepts of Evidence Based Medicine. Methods Over the course of a year structured pre and post-tests were developed for use during each Journal Club. Questions were derived from the articles being reviewed. Performance with the key concepts of Evidence Based Medicine was assessed. Study subjects were 35 PGY2 and PGY3 residents in a University based Family Practice Program. Results Performance on the pre-test demonstrated a significant improvement from a median of 54.5 % to 78.9 % over the course of the year (F 89.17, p Conclusions Following organizational revision, the introduction of a pre-test/post-test instrument supported achievement of the learning objectives with a better understanding and utilization of the concepts of Evidence Based Medicine.

Feasibility and demonstration of a cloud-based RIID analysis system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wright, Michael C., E-mail: wrightmc@ornl.gov [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (United States); Hertz, Kristin L.; Johnson, William C. [Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA 94551 (United States); Sword, Eric D.; Younkin, James R. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831 (United States); Sadler, Lorraine E. [Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA 94551 (United States)

2015-06-01

A significant limitation in the operational utility of handheld and backpack radioisotope identifiers (RIIDs) is the inability of their onboard algorithms to accurately and reliably identify the isotopic sources of the measured gamma-ray energy spectrum. A possible solution is to move the spectral analysis computations to an external device, the cloud, where significantly greater capabilities are available. The implementation and demonstration of a prototype cloud-based RIID analysis system have shown this type of system to be feasible with currently available communication and computational technology. A system study has shown that the potential user community could derive significant benefits from an appropriately implemented cloud-based analysis system and has identified the design and operational characteristics required by the users and stakeholders for such a system. A general description of the hardware and software necessary to implement reliable cloud-based analysis, the value of the cloud expressed by the user community, and the aspects of the cloud implemented in the demonstrations are discussed. - Highlights: • A prototype cloud-based RIID analysis system was implemented and demonstrated. • A cloud-based system was shown to be feasible with currently available technology. • A system study identified the operational characteristics required by the users. • The system study showed that the user community could derive significant benefit. • An architecture was defined for field testing by users in relevant environments.

Feasibility and demonstration of a cloud-based RIID analysis system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wright, Michael C.; Hertz, Kristin L.; Johnson, William C.; Sword, Eric D.; Younkin, James R.; Sadler, Lorraine E.

2015-01-01

A significant limitation in the operational utility of handheld and backpack radioisotope identifiers (RIIDs) is the inability of their onboard algorithms to accurately and reliably identify the isotopic sources of the measured gamma-ray energy spectrum. A possible solution is to move the spectral analysis computations to an external device, the cloud, where significantly greater capabilities are available. The implementation and demonstration of a prototype cloud-based RIID analysis system have shown this type of system to be feasible with currently available communication and computational technology. A system study has shown that the potential user community could derive significant benefits from an appropriately implemented cloud-based analysis system and has identified the design and operational characteristics required by the users and stakeholders for such a system. A general description of the hardware and software necessary to implement reliable cloud-based analysis, the value of the cloud expressed by the user community, and the aspects of the cloud implemented in the demonstrations are discussed. - Highlights: • A prototype cloud-based RIID analysis system was implemented and demonstrated. • A cloud-based system was shown to be feasible with currently available technology. • A system study identified the operational characteristics required by the users. • The system study showed that the user community could derive significant benefit. • An architecture was defined for field testing by users in relevant environments

A clip-based protocol for breast boost radiotherapy provides clear target visualisation and demonstrates significant volume reduction over time

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lewis, Lorraine [Department of Radiation Oncology, Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales (Australia); Cox, Jennifer [Department of Radiation Oncology, Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales (Australia); Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales (Australia); Morgia, Marita [Department of Radiation Oncology, Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales (Australia); Atyeo, John [Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales (Australia); Lamoury, Gillian [Department of Radiation Oncology, Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales (Australia)

2015-09-15

The clinical target volume (CTV) for early stage breast cancer is difficult to clearly identify on planning computed tomography (CT) scans. Surgical clips inserted around the tumour bed should help to identify the CTV, particularly if the seroma has been reabsorbed, and enable tracking of CTV changes over time. A surgical clip-based CTV delineation protocol was introduced. CTV visibility and its post-operative shrinkage pattern were assessed. The subjects were 27 early stage breast cancer patients receiving post-operative radiotherapy alone and 15 receiving post-operative chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy. The radiotherapy alone (RT/alone) group received a CT scan at median 25 days post-operatively (CT1rt) and another at 40 Gy, median 68 days (CT2rt). The chemotherapy/RT group (chemo/RT) received a CT scan at median 18 days post-operatively (CT1ch), a planning CT scan at median 126 days (CT2ch), and another at 40 Gy (CT3ch). There was no significant difference (P = 0.08) between the initial mean CTV for each cohort. The RT/alone cohort showed significant CTV volume reduction of 38.4% (P = 0.01) at 40 Gy. The Chemo/RT cohort had significantly reduced volumes between CT1ch: median 54 cm{sup 3} (4–118) and CT2ch: median 16 cm{sup 3}, (2–99), (P = 0.01), but no significant volume reduction thereafter. Surgical clips enable localisation of the post-surgical seroma for radiotherapy targeting. Most seroma shrinkage occurs early, enabling CT treatment planning to take place at 7 weeks, which is within the 9 weeks recommended to limit disease recurrence.

A clip-based protocol for breast boost radiotherapy provides clear target visualisation and demonstrates significant volume reduction over time

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, Lorraine; Cox, Jennifer; Morgia, Marita; Atyeo, John; Lamoury, Gillian

2015-01-01

The clinical target volume (CTV) for early stage breast cancer is difficult to clearly identify on planning computed tomography (CT) scans. Surgical clips inserted around the tumour bed should help to identify the CTV, particularly if the seroma has been reabsorbed, and enable tracking of CTV changes over time. A surgical clip-based CTV delineation protocol was introduced. CTV visibility and its post-operative shrinkage pattern were assessed. The subjects were 27 early stage breast cancer patients receiving post-operative radiotherapy alone and 15 receiving post-operative chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy. The radiotherapy alone (RT/alone) group received a CT scan at median 25 days post-operatively (CT1rt) and another at 40 Gy, median 68 days (CT2rt). The chemotherapy/RT group (chemo/RT) received a CT scan at median 18 days post-operatively (CT1ch), a planning CT scan at median 126 days (CT2ch), and another at 40 Gy (CT3ch). There was no significant difference (P = 0.08) between the initial mean CTV for each cohort. The RT/alone cohort showed significant CTV volume reduction of 38.4% (P = 0.01) at 40 Gy. The Chemo/RT cohort had significantly reduced volumes between CT1ch: median 54 cm 3 (4–118) and CT2ch: median 16 cm 3 , (2–99), (P = 0.01), but no significant volume reduction thereafter. Surgical clips enable localisation of the post-surgical seroma for radiotherapy targeting. Most seroma shrinkage occurs early, enabling CT treatment planning to take place at 7 weeks, which is within the 9 weeks recommended to limit disease recurrence

Safety significance evaluation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lew, B.S.; Yee, D.; Brewer, W.K.; Quattro, P.J.; Kirby, K.D.

1991-01-01

This paper reports that the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG and E), in cooperation with ABZ, Incorporated and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), investigated the use of artificial intelligence-based programming techniques to assist utility personnel in regulatory compliance problems. The result of this investigation is that artificial intelligence-based programming techniques can successfully be applied to this problem. To demonstrate this, a general methodology was developed and several prototype systems based on this methodology were developed. The prototypes address U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) event reportability requirements, technical specification compliance based on plant equipment status, and quality assurance assistance. This collection of prototype modules is named the safety significance evaluation system

Novel perspectives on diagnosis and clinical significance of the post-thrombotic syndrome in children.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Sophie; Newall, Fiona; Monagle, Paul

2016-10-01

Given the increase in venous thromboembolic events (VTE) in children, the incidence, diagnosis and management of post thrombotic syndrome (PTS) in children is of increasing interest. Current challenges facing clinicians caring for children with VTE is the limited evidence of the long-term outcomes for this cohort; specifically the significance and potential functional impairment associated with PTS. This paper reviews the current evidence to elucidate the risk factors for PTS in children, methods for diagnosis and management of PTS in children (aged less than 18 years). Medline, Cinahl and PsycINFO database searches were undertaken using key search terms. Priority areas in need of further research are highlighted. Expert commentary: The two paediatric PTS assessment tools currently in use have been acknowledged to overcall the incidence of mild PTS in children. A PTS tool's ability to distinguish between clinically significant PTS and mild PTS is crucial. Variation in how PTS has been reported in children across the literature suggests that the real incidence of moderate and /or clinically significant PTS in children is unknown. Furthermore, evidence is lacking about the functional impairment experienced by children with clinically significant PTS and what this means for their long-term health.

Attitudes of mental health occupational therapists toward evidence-based practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Hitch, Danielle P

2016-02-01

Evidence-based practice is an important driver in modern health care and has become a priority in mental health occupational therapy in recent years. The aim of this study was to measure the attitudes of a cohort of mental health occupational therapists toward evidence-based practice. Forty-one mental health occupational therapists were surveyed using the Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale (EBPAS). Mann-Whitney U tests and Spearman's rho were used to analyze the data. The occupational therapy respondents had generally positive attitudes toward evidence-based practices comparable to established norms. Respondents with further qualifications beyond their professional degree were significantly more likely to try new interventions (p = .31). Significant negative correlations were found also for the subscales of Appeal and Openness in relation to years of occupational therapy practice (rho = -.354, p = .023; rho = -.344, p = 0.28) and mental health experience (rho = -.390, p = 0.12; rho = -.386, p = .013). Therapist factors can significantly impact attitudes toward evidence-based practice. © CAOT 2015.

Evidence-based management - healthcare manager viewpoints.

Science.gov (United States)

Janati, Ali; Hasanpoor, Edris; Hajebrahimi, Sakineh; Sadeghi-Bazargani, Homayoun

2018-06-11

Purpose Hospital manager decisions can have a significant impact on service effectiveness and hospital success, so using an evidence-based approach can improve hospital management. The purpose of this paper is to identify evidence-based management (EBMgt) components and challenges. Consequently, the authors provide an improving evidence-based decision-making framework. Design/methodology/approach A total of 45 semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2016. The authors also established three focus group discussions with health service managers. Data analysis followed deductive qualitative analysis guidelines. Findings Four basic themes emerged from the interviews, including EBMgt evidence sources (including sub-themes: scientific and research evidence, facts and information, political-social development plans, managers' professional expertise and ethical-moral evidence); predictors (sub-themes: stakeholder values and expectations, functional behavior, knowledge, key competencies and skill, evidence sources, evidence levels, uses and benefits and government programs); EBMgt barriers (sub-themes: managers' personal characteristics, decision-making environment, training and research system and organizational issues); and evidence-based hospital management processes (sub-themes: asking, acquiring, appraising, aggregating, applying and assessing). Originality/value Findings suggest that most participants have positive EBMgt attitudes. A full evidence-based hospital manager is a person who uses all evidence sources in a six-step decision-making process. EBMgt frameworks are a good tool to manage healthcare organizations. The authors found factors affecting hospital EBMgt and identified six evidence sources that healthcare managers can use in evidence-based decision-making processes.

Variation, certainty, evidence, and change in dental education: employing evidence-based dentistry in dental education.

Science.gov (United States)

Marinho, V C; Richards, D; Niederman, R

2001-05-01

Variation in health care, and more particularly in dental care, was recently chronicled in a Readers Digest investigative report. The conclusions of this report are consistent with sound scientific studies conducted in various areas of health care, including dental care, which demonstrate substantial variation in the care provided to patients. This variation in care parallels the certainty with which clinicians and faculty members often articulate strongly held, but very different opinions. Using a case-based dental scenario, we present systematic evidence-based methods for accessing dental health care information, evaluating this information for validity and importance, and using this information to make informed curricular and clinical decisions. We also discuss barriers inhibiting these systematic approaches to evidence-based clinical decision making and methods for effectively promoting behavior change in health care professionals.

Current status of evidence-based sports medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Joshua D; Cvetanovich, Gregory; Erickson, Brandon J; Abrams, Geoffrey D; Chahal, Jaskarndip; Gupta, Anil K; McCormick, Frank M; Bach, Bernard R

2014-03-01

The purpose of this investigation is to determine the proportion of sports medicine studies that are labeled as Level I Evidence in 5 journals and compare the quality of surgical and nonsurgical studies using simple quality assessment tools (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials [CONSORT] and Jadad). By use of PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines over the prior 2 years in the top 5 (citation and impact factor based) sports medicine journals, only Level I Evidence studies were eligible for inclusion and were analyzed. All study types (therapeutic, prognostic, diagnostic, and economic) were analyzed. Study quality was assessed with the level of evidence, Jadad score, and CONSORT 2010 guidelines. Study demographic data were compared among journals and between surgical and nonsurgical studies by use of χ(2), 1-way analysis of variance, and 2-sample Z tests. We analyzed 190 Level I Evidence studies (10% of eligible studies) (119 randomized controlled trials [RCTs]). Therapeutic, nonsurgical, single-center studies from the United States were the most common studies published. Sixty-two percent of studies reported a financial conflict of interest. The knee was the most common body part studied, and track-and-field/endurance sports were the most common sports analyzed. Significant differences (P journals reviewed. Overall, the Jadad and CONSORT scores were 2.71 and 77%, respectively. No differences (P > .05) were shown among journals based on the proportion of Level I studies or appropriate randomization. Significant strengths and limitations of RCTs were identified. This study showed that Level I Evidence and RCTs comprise 10% and 6% of contemporary sports medicine literature, respectively. Therapeutic, nonsurgical, single-center studies are the most common publications with Level I Evidence. Significant differences across sports medicine journals were found in study quality. Surgical studies appropriately described

Waste immobilization demonstration program for the Hanford Site's Mixed Waste Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burbank, D.A.; Weingardt, K.M.

1994-05-01

This paper presents an overview of the Waste Receiving and Processing facility, Module 2A> waste immobilization demonstration program, focusing on the cooperation between Hanford Site, commercial, and international participants. Important highlights of the development and demonstration activities is discussed from the standpoint of findings that have had significant from the standpoint of findings that have had significant impact on the evolution of the facility design. A brief description of the future direction of the program is presented, with emphasis on the key aspects of the technologies that call for further detailed investigation

Fuel Gas Demonstration Plant Program. Volume I. Demonstration plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1979-01-01

The objective of this project is for Babcock Contractors Inc. (BCI) to provide process designs, and gasifier retort design for a fuel gas demonstration plant for Erie Mining Company at Hoyt Lake, Minnesota. The fuel gas produced will be used to supplement natural gas and fuel oil for iron ore pellet induration. The fuel gas demonstration plant will consist of five stirred, two-stage fixed-bed gasifier retorts capable of handling caking and non-caking coals, and provisions for the installation of a sixth retort. The process and unit design has been based on operation with caking coals; however, the retorts have been designed for easy conversion to handle non-caking coals. The demonstration unit has been designed to provide for expansion to a commercial plant (described in Commercial Plant Package) in an economical manner.

Effectiveness of antidepressants: an evidence myth constructed from a thousand randomized trials?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ioannidis John PA

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Antidepressants, in particular newer agents, are among the most widely prescribed medications worldwide with annual sales of billions of dollars. The introduction of these agents in the market has passed through seemingly strict regulatory control. Over a thousand randomized trials have been conducted with antidepressants. Statistically significant benefits have been repeatedly demonstrated and the medical literature is flooded with several hundreds of "positive" trials (both pre-approval and post-approval. However, two recent meta-analyses question this picture. The first meta-analysis used data that were submitted to FDA for the approval of 12 antidepressant drugs. While only half of these trials had formally significant effectiveness, published reports almost ubiquitously claimed significant results. "Negative" trials were either left unpublished or were distorted to present "positive" results. The average benefit of these drugs based on the FDA data was of small magnitude, while the published literature suggested larger benefits. A second meta-analysis using also FDA-submitted data examined the relationship between treatment effect and baseline severity of depression. Drug-placebo differences increased with increasing baseline severity and the difference became large enough to be clinically important only in the very small minority of patient populations with severe major depression. In severe major depression, antidepressants did not become more effective, simply placebo lost effectiveness. These data suggest that antidepressants may be less effective than their wide marketing suggests. Short-term benefits are small and long-term balance of benefits and harms is understudied. I discuss how the use of many small randomized trials with clinically non-relevant outcomes, improper interpretation of statistical significance, manipulated study design, biased selection of study populations, short follow-up, and selective and distorted

MRI for the demonstration of subclinical muscle involvement in muscular dystrophy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sookhoo, S.; MacKinnon, I.; Bushby, K.; Chinnery, P.F.; Birchall, D.

2007-01-01

Aim: To compare magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with clinical examination for the detection of muscle abnormality in patients with muscular dystrophy. Methods: Muscle power in 20 patients with a variety of forms of muscular dystrophy was examined clinically using the Medical Research Council (MRC) grading scale, and patients were subsequently imaged with MRI. MRI and clinical examination for the detection of muscle normality and abnormality were compared using a McNemar chi-squared test to examine differences between the two methods. Results: MRI demonstrated radiological evidence of muscle abnormality more often than clinical examination; 50% of movements assessed as normal on clinical examination were associated with muscle abnormalities on MRI, including a significant proportion where there was severe radiological abnormality, indicating that focally advanced disease may be undetectable clinically. Conclusion: The combination of clinical examination and MRI could improve the accuracy of phenotypic characterization of patients with muscular dystrophy, and this in turn could allow a more focussed molecular analysis through muscle biopsy or genetic investigation. This may also be very helpful in the assessment of the degree of muscle compromise not only in the early phases of the disease but especially during follow-up and can be used in therapeutic trials

Analysis techniques for background rejection at the Majorana Demonstrator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cuestra, Clara [University of Washington; Rielage, Keith Robert [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Elliott, Steven Ray [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Xu, Wenqin [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Goett, John Jerome III [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2015-06-11

The MAJORANA Collaboration is constructing the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, an ultra-low background, 40-kg modular HPGe detector array to search for neutrinoless double beta decay in ⁷⁶Ge. In view of the next generation of tonne-scale Ge-based 0νββ-decay searches that will probe the neutrino mass scale in the inverted-hierarchy region, a major goal of the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is to demonstrate a path forward to achieving a background rate at or below 1 count/tonne/year in the 4 keV region of interest around the Q-value at 2039 keV. The background rejection techniques to be applied to the data include cuts based on data reduction, pulse shape analysis, event coincidences, and time correlations. The Point Contact design of the DEMONSTRATOR's germanium detectors allows for significant reduction of gamma background.

Fusion Power Demonstration III

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, J.D.

1985-07-01

This is the third in the series of reports covering the Fusion Power Demonstration (FPD) design study. This volume considers the FPD-III configuration that incorporates an octopole end plug. As compared with the quadrupole end-plugged designs of FPD-I and FPD-II, this octopole configuration reduces the number of end cell magnets and shortens the minimum ignition length of the central cell. The end-cell plasma length is also reduced, which in turn reduces the size and cost of the end cell magnets and shielding. As a contiuation in the series of documents covering the FPD, this report does not stand alone as a design description of FPD-III. Design details of FPD-III subsystems that do not differ significantly from those of the FPD-II configuration are not duplicated in this report

Chilaiditi's syndrome demonstrated by SPECT/CT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nalini S Perumal

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Chilaiditi’s syndrome is a rare condition commonly diagnosed as an incidental radiological finding. The aim of this report is to show the role of SPECT-CT in this syndrome and state the functional and anatomical role of this hybrid imaging modality. Materials and Methods: A case report. Results: A 49-year-old female patient was referred for gallium-67 citrate for a possible granulomatous myositis and underwent SPECT-CT of the abdomen to assess the area of decreased gallium uptake on planar images of the liver. The combined SPECT and CT modality demonstrated findings consistent with the clinical evidence of Chilaiditi’s syndrome. The anatomical part of this hybrid modality made it easier to evaluate the area of gallium lack of uptake which was due to air in the colon. Conclusion: This case does not only show the role of SPECT-CT in this syndrome but also suggest that the use of such modality should be considered whenever available in the evaluation of patients in whom the localization of active disease becomes imperative.

Geomorphic Effects, Chronologies, and Archaeological Significance of El Nino Floods in Southern Peru

Science.gov (United States)

Magilligan, F. J.; Manners, R.; Goldstein, P.

2003-12-01

The catastrophic effects of large floods have been well documented, on both contemporary and paleo-timecales, especially for the conterminous U.S. Less is known, however, about extreme events in hyper-arid sub-tropical climates where synoptic scale meteorological causes, such as El Nino-Southern Oscillation events, are the driving atmospheric mechanism. This research documents the geomorphic effects of extreme floods in the Moquegua River valley of southern Peru, in the core of the Atacama Desert. Using a combination of geomorphic mapping, hydrolologic modeling, aerial photography, ASTER satellite imagery, and GIS, we document the geomorphic signature of large contemporary floods within the mid-valley section (1500 masl) of the Rio Moquegua. Stratigraphic evidence and paleostage indicators of paleofloods, such as slackwater deposits and preserved high level flood gravels, are used to evidence late Holocene paleoflood magnitude-frequency relationships. On contemporary timescales, channel belt expansion by lateral erosion during large floods, such as the recent '97 and '98 floods, correspond to as much as 30-40 hectares of floodplain loss along the 20 km study reach. Sixty years of repeat aerial photography indicates that channel belt expansion and floodplain erosion commonly occurs along the Rio Moquegua. The frequent resetting of floodplain alluvium conditioned by these large floods is supported by radiocarbon dating of floodplain exposures. These dates indicate that most of the contemporary floodplain alluvium is younger that 560 14C yrs BP. The highest terrace remnants date to 3250 14C yrs BP and record a series of overbank flood gravels. Evidence for the regionally extensive Miraflores ENSO flood, ca. 1300 AD, exists in tributary and along mainstem sections. This flood has been documented along the coasts of Northern Chile to northern Peru, and has been evoked to explain significant social collapse. Our field evidence indicates that it catastrophically affected

Integrating evidence into practice: use of McKenzie-based treatment for mechanical low back pain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clarke S

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Angela Dunsford1, Saravana Kumar1,2, Sarah Clarke1 1International Centre for Allied Health Evidence, 2School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia Abstract: Low back pain (LBP is a major health issue with significant socioeconomic implications in most Western countries. Many forms of treatment have been proposed and investigated in the past, with exercise being a commonly prescribed intervention. Within allied health, in particular physiotherapy, there has been a growing movement that recognizes the role of the McKenzie method in treating LBP. Within the McKenzie framework, directional preference (DP exercises are one such intervention, with preliminary data demonstrating its effectiveness in the management of LBP. In this paper, we aim to integrate the evidence from current research, identified using a systematic review, and utilize a practical real-life case scenario to outline how evidence from the literature can be implemented in clinical practice. The findings from the systematic review indicate that DP exercises may have positive effects in the management of LBP. While the body of evidence to support this is limited (only four studies and therefore modest at best, it does provide some emerging evidence to support the use of DP exercises in clinical practice. Despite this, gaps also persist in the literature on DP exercises, and this relates to the exercise parameters and the compliance rates. Recognizing this dichotomy (modest evidence in some areas and evidence gaps in other areas, which is likely to confront health practitioners, using a practical approach with a real-life clinical scenario, we outline how the evidence from the systematic review can be implemented in clinical practice. This approach builds on the philosophy of evidence-based practice of integrating research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values. Keywords: low back pain, McKenzie method, directional

Some empirical evidence on the relationship between inventory management and social responsibility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khaled Elsayed

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Despite the crucial role that inventory plays in supply chain management (SCM, research that examines the relationship between inventory and corporate social responsibility (CSR is rare. This is surprising given the evidence that inventory represents a huge source of cost, a matter that is often reported as a major impediment in practicing social responsibility in SCM. As such, this paper fills this gape in literature by examining directly the effect of inventory management on CSR. Maximum-likelihood ordered logistic regression was performed on a sample of 38 Egyptian listed firms during the period from 2007 to 2010. The results demonstrate that inventory management exerts a positive and significant coefficient on CSR. Further analysis shows that inventory management cannot be safely dropped from model of analysis. Rather, inventory management does add something unique in explaining differences in CSR. For practitioners interested in optimizing their firms’ values, thinking in managing supply chain imperatives, and specially inventory, in terms of social responsibility may guide them to build up a stock of reputational capital that can be used, in turn, to increase the cost of their rivals. This study, to the best of knowledge, is the first one that offers empirical evidence regarding the effect of inventory management on CSR. Moreover, the paper adds to both SCM and CSR literature by providing empirical evidence from Egypt as an emerging market, where much of the existing evidence reflects experience from developed countries.

Evidence of local and regional freshening of Northeast Greenland coastal waters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sejr, Mikael K.; Stedmon, Colin A; Bendtsen, Jørgen

2017-01-01

The supply of freshwater to fjord systems in Greenland is increasing as a result of climate change-induced acceleration in ice sheet melt. However, insight into the marine implications of the melt water is impaired by lack of observations demonstrating the fate of freshwater along the Greenland...... coast and providing evaluation basis for ocean models. Here we present 13 years of summer measurements along a 120 km transect in Young Sound, Northeast Greenland and show that sub-surface coastal waters are decreasing in salinity with an average rate of 0.12 ± 0.05 per year. This is the first...... observational evidence of a significant freshening on decadal scale of the waters surrounding the ice sheet and comes from a region where ice sheet melt has been less significant. It implies that ice sheet dynamics in Northeast Greenland could be of key importance as freshwater is retained in southward flowing...

The Rubber Tail Illusion as Evidence of Body Ownership in Mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Wada, Makoto; Takano, Kouji; Ora, Hiroki; Ide, Masakazu; Kansaku, Kenji

2016-10-26

The ownership of one's body parts represents a fundamental aspect of self-consciousness. Accumulating empirical evidence supports the existence of this concept in humans and nonhuman primates, but it is unclear whether nonprimate mammals experience similar feelings. Therefore, the present study used rubber tails to investigate body ownership in rodents. When the real tails and rubber tails were synchronously stroked, the mice responded as if their own tails were touched when the rubber tails were grasped. In contrast, when the stimuli were delivered asynchronously, there was a significantly lower mean response rate when the rubber tail was grasped. These findings suggest that mice may experience body ownership of their tails, suggestive of the rubber hand illusion in humans. To explore the manner in which the ownership of body parts is experienced, this study specifically used the rubber hand illusion (RHI), in which self-consciousness can be extended out of one's own body. Accumulating empirical evidence supports the existence of this concept in humans and nonhuman primates, but it remains unclear whether nonprimate mammals experience similar feelings. This study demonstrated for the first time that mice may experience body ownership of their tails, which is suggestive of the RHI in humans and provides evidence that may highlight how humans experience the ownership of body parts. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/3611133-05$15.00/0.

Procedures and Claims among US Evidence-Producing Organisations: The Case of the Incredible Years Programme

Science.gov (United States)

Karlsson, Patrik; Bergmark, Anders; Lundström, Tommy

2014-01-01

We explore how four evidence-producing organisations in the US go ahead when they rate the evidence base for psychosocial interventions, using the Incredible Years programme as our case study. The findings demonstrate variation in the procedures and resulting evidence claims across the organisations, with some organisations being strict and some…

The ORNL fusion power demonstration study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shannon, T.E.; Steiner, D.

1978-01-01

In this paper, we review the design approach developed in the ORNL Fusion Power Demonstration Study [1]. The major emphasis of this study is in the application of current and near-term technology as the most logical path to near-term demonstration of tokamak fusion power. In addition we are pursuing a number of concepts to simplify the tokamak reactor to be more acceptable to the utility industry as a future source of energy. The discussion will focus on the areas having the greatest overall impact on reactor feasibility: 1) overall size and power output, 2) remote maintenance considerations, 3) electrical power supplies, 4) blanket design; and 5) economics. The tokamak device, by nature of its configuration and pulsed operation, is an exceptionally complex engineering design problem. We have concluded that innovative design concepts are essential to cope with this basic complexity. We feel that the feasibility of tokamak fusion power has been significantly improved by these design approaches. (author)

Authoring Effective Demonstrations

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Fu, Dan; Jensen, Randy; Salas, Eduardo; Rosen, Michael A; Ramachandran, Sowmya; Upshaw, Christin L; Hinkelman, Elizabeth; Lampton, Don

2007-01-01

... or human role-players for each training event. We report our ongoing efforts to (1) research the nature and purpose of demonstration, articulating guidelines for effective demonstration within a training context, and (2...

Serological evidence of hepatitis E virus infection in pigs and jaundice among pig handlers in Bangladesh.

Science.gov (United States)

Haider, N; Khan, M S U; Hossain, M B; Sazzad, H M S; Rahman, M Z; Ahmed, F; Zeidner, N S

2017-11-01

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the most common cause of viral hepatitis in humans. Pigs may act as a reservoir of HEV, and pig handlers were frequently identified with a higher prevalence of antibodies to HEV. The objectives of this study were to identify evidence of HEV infection in pigs and compare the history of jaundice between pig handlers and people not exposed to pigs and pork. Blood and faecal samples were collected from 100 pigs derived from three slaughterhouses in the Gazipur district of Bangladesh from January to June, 2011. We also interviewed 200 pig handlers and 250 non-exposed people who did not eat pork or handled pigs in the past 2 years. We tested the pig sera for HEV-specific antibodies using a competitive ELISA and pig faecal samples for HEV RNA using real-time RT-PCR. Of 100 pig sera, 82% (n = 82) had detectable antibody against HEV. Of the 200 pig handlers, 28% (56/200) demonstrated jaundice within the past 2 years, whereas only 17% (43/250) of controls had a history of jaundice (p Bangladesh demonstrated evidence of HEV infection, and a history of jaundice was significantly more frequent in pig handlers. Identifying and genotyping HEV in pigs and pig handlers may provide further evidence of the pig's role in zoonotic HEV transmission in Bangladesh. © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Making lasting memories: Remembering the significant

Science.gov (United States)

McGaugh, James L.

2013-01-01

Although forgetting is the common fate of most of our experiences, much evidence indicates that emotional arousal enhances the storage of memories, thus serving to create, selectively, lasting memories of our more important experiences. The neurobiological systems mediating emotional arousal and memory are very closely linked. The adrenal stress hormones epinephrine and corticosterone released by emotional arousal regulate the consolidation of long-term memory. The amygdala plays a critical role in mediating these stress hormone influences. The release of norepinephrine in the amygdala and the activation of noradrenergic receptors are essential for stress hormone-induced memory enhancement. The findings of both animal and human studies provide compelling evidence that stress-induced activation of the amygdala and its interactions with other brain regions involved in processing memory play a critical role in ensuring that emotionally significant experiences are well-remembered. Recent research has determined that some human subjects have highly superior autobiographic memory of their daily experiences and that there are structural differences in the brains of these subjects compared with the brains of subjects who do not have such memory. Understanding of neurobiological bases of such exceptional memory may provide additional insights into the processes underlying the selectivity of memory. PMID:23754441

No evidence demonstrating hepatotoxicity associated with hydroxycitric acid

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Sidney J Stohs; Harry G Preuss; Sunny E Ohia; Gilbert R Kaats; Carl L Keen; Lonnie D Williams; George A Burdock

2009-01-01

Although a number of cases of hepatotoxicity are associated with the use of Hydroxycut weight management products,it has been alleged that their effects are primarily due to the presence of hydroxycitric acid (HCA,as Super CitriMax) in the formulations.However,while these products contain up to 20 different ingredients,some do not contain HCA.Case studies reported to date have not considered in depth the literature on the numerous animal and human studies that have been conducted on the safety and efficacy of HCA.No HCAassociated hepatotoxicity or treatment-related adverse effects have been reported in these studies,and thus it is premature to make the assumptions presented in the recent case studies regarding Hydroxycut.If it is established in well controlled studies that the use of these formulations with and/or without HCA can result in the occurrence or progression of hepatotoxicity,additional studies should be conducted to characterize the causative factor(s).

Evidence conflict measure based on OWA operator in open world.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wen Jiang

Full Text Available Dempster-Shafer evidence theory has been extensively used in many information fusion systems since it was proposed by Dempster and extended by Shafer. Many scholars have been conducted on conflict management of Dempster-Shafer evidence theory in past decades. However, how to determine a potent parameter to measure evidence conflict, when the given environment is in an open world, namely the frame of discernment is incomplete, is still an open issue. In this paper, a new method which combines generalized conflict coefficient, generalized evidence distance, and generalized interval correlation coefficient based on ordered weighted averaging (OWA operator, to measure the conflict of evidence is presented. Through ordered weighted average of these three parameters, the combinatorial coefficient can still measure the conflict effectively when one or two parameters are not valid. Several numerical examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Factoring local sequence composition in motif significance analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, Patrick; Keich, Uri

2008-01-01

We recently introduced a biologically realistic and reliable significance analysis of the output of a popular class of motif finders. In this paper we further improve our significance analysis by incorporating local base composition information. Relying on realistic biological data simulation, as well as on FDR analysis applied to real data, we show that our method is significantly better than the increasingly popular practice of using the normal approximation to estimate the significance of a finder's output. Finally we turn to leveraging our reliable significance analysis to improve the actual motif finding task. Specifically, endowing a variant of the Gibbs Sampler with our improved significance analysis we demonstrate that de novo finders can perform better than has been perceived. Significantly, our new variant outperforms all the finders reviewed in a recently published comprehensive analysis of the Harbison genome-wide binding location data. Interestingly, many of these finders incorporate additional information such as nucleosome positioning and the significance of binding data.

Corruption in the health care system: the circumstantial evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Ibrahim, Joseph; Majoor, Jennifer

2002-01-01

Health care systems are under intense scrutiny, and there is an increasing emphasis on patient safety and quality of care in general. Evidence continues to emerge demonstrating that health systems are performing at sub-optimal levels. The evidence includes the under-use, over-use and mis-use of health care services; new standards asking for respect, dignity, honesty and transparency; the corporatization of health; and the existing inequalities in power and health outcomes. Recommendations for improving health care often refer to increasing the level of collaboration and consultation. These strategies are unlikely to remedy the root causes of our ailing health systems if we accept the circumstantial evidence that suggests the system is rotten.

Processing Instruction and Russian: Further Evidence Is IN

Science.gov (United States)

Comer, William J.; deBenedette, Lynne

2011-01-01

In response to Leaver, Rifkin, and Shekhtman (2004), Wong and VanPatten (2004) challenged instructors of Russian to present evidence for the claim that mechanical drills (Traditional Instruction) were necessary for second language learning, and to demonstrate empirically the claim that Processing Instruction would not be an effective intervention…

Building a Unit-Level Mentored Program to Sustain a Culture of Inquiry for Evidence-Based Practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Breckenridge-Sproat, Sara T; Throop, Meryia D; Raju, Dheeraj; Murphy, Deborah A; Loan, Lori A; Patrician, Patricia A

2015-01-01

This study tested the effectiveness of a dynamic educational and mentoring program, facilitated by unit-level mentors, to introduce, promote, and sustain an evidence-based practice (EBP) culture among nurses in a military healthcare setting. The need to identify gaps in practice, apply principles of EBP, and advance scientific applications in the pursuit of quality nursing care is as important to military healthcare as it is in the civilian sector. The Advancing Research through Close Collaboration Model guided the intervention and study. Three instruments were used: the Organizational Readiness for System-wide Integration of Evidence-Based Practice, EBP Beliefs, and EBP Implementation scales. The study took place in 3 military hospitals simultaneously undergoing facility and staff integration. Data were collected from staff nurses in the inpatient nursing units before and after a facilitated education and mentoring intervention. Three hundred sixty nurses (38%) completed baseline, and 325 (31%) completed follow-up surveys. Scores improved on all 3 measures following implementation of the program; however, the differences were statistically significant only for the Organizational Readiness for System-wide Integration of Evidence-Based Practice scale (70.96 vs 77.63, t = -3.95, P culture may diffuse among individuals in an organization, even while experiencing significant change. It also demonstrates that a unit-level mentored EBP program is sustainable despite changes in organizational structure and workforce composition.

Strategy Guideline: Demonstration Home

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Savage, C.; Hunt, A.

2012-12-01

This guideline will provide a general overview of the different kinds of demonstration home projects, a basic understanding of the different roles and responsibilities involved in the successful completion of a demonstration home, and an introduction into some of the lessons learned from actual demonstration home projects. Also, this guideline will specifically look at the communication methods employed during demonstration home projects. And lastly, we will focus on how to best create a communication plan for including an energy efficient message in a demonstration home project and carry that message to successful completion.

Strategy Guideline. Demonstration Home

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hunt, A.; Savage, C.

2012-12-01

This guideline will provide a general overview of the different kinds of demonstration home projects, a basic understanding of the different roles and responsibilities involved in the successful completion of a demonstration home, and an introduction into some of the lessons learned from actual demonstration home projects. Also, this guideline will specifically look at the communication methods employed during demonstration home projects. And lastly, we will focus on how to best create a communication plan for including an energy efficient message in a demonstration home project and carry that message to successful completion.

Fuel Cell Demonstration Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gerald Brun

2006-09-15

In an effort to promote clean energy projects and aid in the commercialization of new fuel cell technologies the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) initiated a Fuel Cell Demonstration Program in 1999 with six month deployments of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) non-commercial Beta model systems at partnering sites throughout Long Island. These projects facilitated significant developments in the technology, providing operating experience that allowed the manufacturer to produce fuel cells that were half the size of the Beta units and suitable for outdoor installations. In 2001, LIPA embarked on a large-scale effort to identify and develop measures that could improve the reliability and performance of future fuel cell technologies for electric utility applications and the concept to establish a fuel cell farm (Farm) of 75 units was developed. By the end of October of 2001, 75 Lorax 2.0 fuel cells had been installed at the West Babylon substation on Long Island, making it the first fuel cell demonstration of its kind and size anywhere in the world at the time. Designed to help LIPA study the feasibility of using fuel cells to operate in parallel with LIPA's electric grid system, the Farm operated 120 fuel cells over its lifetime of over 3 years including 3 generations of Plug Power fuel cells (Lorax 2.0, Lorax 3.0, Lorax 4.5). Of these 120 fuel cells, 20 Lorax 3.0 units operated under this Award from June 2002 to September 2004. In parallel with the operation of the Farm, LIPA recruited government and commercial/industrial customers to demonstrate fuel cells as on-site distributed generation. From December 2002 to February 2005, 17 fuel cells were tested and monitored at various customer sites throughout Long Island. The 37 fuel cells operated under this Award produced a total of 712,635 kWh. As fuel cell technology became more mature, performance improvements included a 1% increase in system efficiency. Including equipment, design, fuel, maintenance

Feasibility and demonstration of a cloud-based RIID analysis system

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, Michael C.; Hertz, Kristin L.; Johnson, William C.; Sword, Eric D.; Younkin, James R.; Sadler, Lorraine E.

2015-06-01

A significant limitation in the operational utility of handheld and backpack radioisotope identifiers (RIIDs) is the inability of their onboard algorithms to accurately and reliably identify the isotopic sources of the measured gamma-ray energy spectrum. A possible solution is to move the spectral analysis computations to an external device, the cloud, where significantly greater capabilities are available. The implementation and demonstration of a prototype cloud-based RIID analysis system have shown this type of system to be feasible with currently available communication and computational technology. A system study has shown that the potential user community could derive significant benefits from an appropriately implemented cloud-based analysis system and has identified the design and operational characteristics required by the users and stakeholders for such a system. A general description of the hardware and software necessary to implement reliable cloud-based analysis, the value of the cloud expressed by the user community, and the aspects of the cloud implemented in the demonstrations are discussed.

Exploring the Use of Electroencephalography to Gather Objective Evidence of Cognitive Processing During Problem Solving

Science.gov (United States)

Delahunty, Thomas; Seery, Niall; Lynch, Raymond

2018-04-01

Currently, there is significant interest being directed towards the development of STEM education to meet economic and societal demands. While economic concerns can be a powerful driving force in advancing the STEM agenda, care must be taken that such economic imperative does not promote research approaches that overemphasize pragmatic application at the expense of augmenting the fundamental knowledge base of the discipline. This can be seen in the predominance of studies investigating problem solving approaches and procedures, while neglecting representational and conceptual processes, within the literature. Complementing concerns about STEM graduates' problem solving capabilities, raised within the pertinent literature, this paper discusses a novel methodological approach aimed at investigating the cognitive elements of problem conceptualization. The intention is to demonstrate a novel method of data collection that overcomes some of the limitations cited in classic problem solving research while balancing a search for fundamental understanding with the possibility of application. The methodology described in this study employs an electroencephalographic (EEG) headset, as part of a mixed methods approach, to gather objective evidence of students' cognitive processing during problem solving epochs. The method described provides rich evidence of students' cognitive representations of problems during episodes of applied reasoning. The reliability and validity of the EEG method is supported by the stability of the findings across the triangulated data sources. The paper presents a novel method in the context of research within STEM education and demonstrates an effective procedure for gathering rich evidence of cognitive processing during the early stages of problem conceptualization.

Evident?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Plant, Peter

2012-01-01

Quality assurance and evidence in career guidance in Europe are often seen as self-evident approaches, but particular interests lie behind......Quality assurance and evidence in career guidance in Europe are often seen as self-evident approaches, but particular interests lie behind...

Caterpillar MorElectric DOE Idle Reduction Demonstration Program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

John Bernardi

2007-09-30

This project titled 'Demonstration of the New MorElectric{trademark} Technology as an Idle Reduction Solution' is one of four demonstration projects awarded by the US Department of Energy in 2002. The goal of these demonstration and evaluation projects was to gather objective in-use information on the performance of available idle reduction technologies by characterizing the cost; fuel, maintenance, and engine life savings; payback; and user impressions of various systems and techniques. In brief, the Caterpillar Inc. project involved applying electrically driven accessories for cab comfort during engine-off stops and for reducing fuel consumption during on-highway operation. Caterpillar had equipped and operated five new trucks with the technology in conjunction with International Truck and Engine Corporation and COX Transfer. The most significant result of the project was a demonstrated average idle reduction of 13.8% for the 5 truck MEI fleet over the control fleet. It should be noted that the control fleet trucks were also equipped with an idle reduction device that would start and stop the main engine automatically in order to maintain cab temperature. The control fleet idle usage would have been reduced by 3858 hours over the 2 year period with the MEI system installed, or approximately 2315 gallons of fuel less (calculations assume a fuel consumption of 0.6 gallons per hour for the 13 liter engine at idle). The fuel saved will be significantly larger for higher displacement engines without idle reduction equipment such as the engine auto start/stop device used by COX Transfer. It is common for engines to consume 1.0 gallons per hour which would increase the fuel savings to approximately 1260 gallons per truck per year of typical idling (1800 hours idle/yr).

The role of forest trees and their mycorrhizal fungi in carbonate rock weathering and its significance for global carbon cycling.

Science.gov (United States)

Thorley, Rachel M S; Taylor, Lyla L; Banwart, Steve A; Leake, Jonathan R; Beerling, David J

2015-09-01

On million-year timescales, carbonate rock weathering exerts no net effect on atmospheric CO2 concentration. However, on timescales of decades-to-centuries, it can contribute to sequestration of anthropogenic CO2 and increase land-ocean alkalinity flux, counteracting ocean acidification. Historical evidence indicates this flux is sensitive to land use change, and recent experimental evidence suggests that trees and their associated soil microbial communities are major drivers of continental mineral weathering. Here, we review key physical and chemical mechanisms by which the symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi of forest tree roots potentially enhance carbonate rock weathering. Evidence from our ongoing field study at the UK's national pinetum confirms increased weathering of carbonate rocks by a wide range of gymnosperm and angiosperm tree species that form arbuscular (AM) or ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungal partnerships. We demonstrate that calcite-containing rock grains under EM tree species weather significantly faster than those under AM trees, an effect linked to greater soil acidification by EM trees. Weathering and corresponding alkalinity export are likely to increase with rising atmospheric CO2 and associated climate change. Our analyses suggest that strategic planting of fast-growing EM angiosperm taxa on calcite- and dolomite-rich terrain might accelerate the transient sink for atmospheric CO2 and slow rates of ocean acidification. © 2014 The Authors. Plant, Cell & Environment published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

CSR Disclosures in the Mining Industry: Empirical Evidence from Listed Mining Firms in Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rina Asmeri

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Companies that are involved in CSR strive to meet the expectations of stakeholders. Therefore, CSR and CSR reporting are tools of legitimacy to demonstrate its obedience (legitimacy theory. This study aims to look at empirical evidence on the effect of profitability and environmental performance on CSR disclosure. This study examined the target population of mining companies listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange that included the CSR reporting in the 2010-2014 annual report, obtained a sample of 18 companies. By using multiple regression analysis test, there is no significant influence between profitability to CSR disclosure, whilst environmental performance has effect on CSR disclosure.

Building stones can be of geoheritage significance

Science.gov (United States)

Brocx, Margaret; Semeniuk, Vic

2017-04-01

Building stones have generally been assigned values according to their cultural, aesthetic, and rarity significance, amongst other criteria, but they also may have geoheritage significance. This is akin to the geoheritage significance ascribed to minerals and fossils housed as ex situ specimens in museums. We proffer the notion that building stones can be of geoheritage value particularly where they comprise permanent buildings, they illustrate significant windows into the history of the Earth, and they can be visited as an ex situ museum locality (e.g., the "Blue Granite" of Iceland) for education as part of building-stone tours. For some rocks the quarries that supplied the building stone are no longer in existence and hence the building stones provide the only record of that type of material; for other rocks, the building stone may illustrate features in the lithology no longer present in the quarry itself (e.g., rare and large xenoliths). Building stones are particularly significant as they are often polished and manifest structures, fabrics, and textures not evident in outcrop. We illustrate here examples of building stone of geoheritage significance using Australian and International examples. Australian designated stones could include the "Sydney Sandstone" or "Victorian Bluestone". For international examples, there is the famous "Carrara Marble" in Italy and the widely known "Portland Limestone" from southern England, the latter having been utilized for St Pauls Cathedral in London and the UN building in New York City.

Evidence for Busines Intelligence in Health Care: A Literature Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Loewen, Liz; Roudsari, Abdul

2017-01-01

This paper outlines a systematic literature review undertaken to establish current evidence regarding the impact of Business Intelligence (BI) on health system decision making and organizational performance. The review also examined BI implementation factors contributing to these constructs. Following the systematic review, inductive content analysis was used to categorize themes within the eight articles identified. This study demonstrated there is little evidence based literature focused on BI impact on organizational decision making and performance within health care. There was evidence found that BI does improve decision making. Implementation success was found to be dependent on several factors, many of which relate to broader organizational culture and readiness.

The role of a technology demonstration program for future reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Viktorov, A.

2011-01-01

A comprehensive technology demonstration program is seen as an important component of the overall safety case, especially for a novel technology. The objective of such a program is defined as providing objective and auditable evidence that the technology will meet or exceed the relevant requirements. Various aspects of such a program are identified and then discussed in some details in this presentation. We will show how the need for such a program is anchored in fundamental safety principles. Attributes of the program, means of achieving its objective, roles of participants, as well as key steps are all elaborated. It will be argued that to prove a novel technology, the designer will have to combine several activities such as the use of operational experience, prototyping of the technology elements, conduct of experiments and tests under representative conditions, as well as modeling and analysis. Importance of availability of experimental facilities and qualified scientific and technical staff is emphasized. A solid technology demonstration program will facilitate and speed up regulatory evaluations of licensing applications. (author)

The role of a technology demonstration program for future reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Viktorov, A. [Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Ottawa, Ontario (Canada)

2011-07-01

A comprehensive technology demonstration program is seen as an important component of the overall safety case, especially for a novel technology. The objective of such a program is defined as providing objective and auditable evidence that the technology will meet or exceed the relevant requirements. Various aspects of such a program are identified and then discussed in some details in this presentation. We will show how the need for such a program is anchored in fundamental safety principles. Attributes of the program, means of achieving its objective, roles of participants, as well as key steps are all elaborated. It will be argued that to prove a novel technology, the designer will have to combine several activities such as the use of operational experience, prototyping of the technology elements, conduct of experiments and tests under representative conditions, as well as modeling and analysis. Importance of availability of experimental facilities and qualified scientific and technical staff is emphasized. A solid technology demonstration program will facilitate and speed up regulatory evaluations of licensing applications. (author)

Innovative technology demonstration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, D.B.; Luttrell, S.P.; Hartley, J.N.; Hinchee, R.

1992-04-01

The Innovative Technology Demonstration (ITD) program at Tinker Air Force Base (TAFB), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, will demonstrate the overall utility and effectiveness of innovative technologies for site characterization, monitoring, and remediation of selected contaminated test sites. The current demonstration test sites include a CERCLA site on the NPL list, located under a building (Building 3001) that houses a large active industrial complex used for rebuilding military aircraft, and a site beneath and surrounding an abandoned underground tank vault used for storage of jet fuels and solvents. The site under Building 3001 (the NW Test Site) is contaminated with TCE and Cr +6 ; the site with the fuel storage vault (the SW Tanks Site) is contaminated with fuels, BTEX and TCE. These sites and others have been identified for cleanup under the Air Force's Installation Restoration Program (IRP). This document describes the demonstrations that have been conducted or are planned for the TAFB

The Navigation Guide—Evidence-Based Medicine Meets Environmental Health: Integration of Animal and Human Evidence for PFOA Effects on Fetal Growth

Science.gov (United States)

Koustas, Erica; Sutton, Patrice; Johnson, Paula I.; Atchley, Dylan S.; Sen, Saunak; Robinson, Karen A.; Axelrad, Daniel A.; Woodruff, Tracey J.

2014-01-01

Background: The Navigation Guide is a novel systematic review method to synthesize scientific evidence and reach strength of evidence conclusions for environmental health decision making. Objective: Our aim was to integrate scientific findings from human and nonhuman studies to determine the overall strength of evidence for the question “Does developmental exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) affect fetal growth in humans?” Methods: We developed and applied prespecified criteria to systematically and transparently a) rate the quality of the scientific evidence as “high,” “moderate,” or “low”; b) rate the strength of the human and nonhuman evidence separately as “sufficient,” “limited,” “moderate,” or “evidence of lack of toxicity”; and c) integrate the strength of the human and nonhuman evidence ratings into a strength of the evidence conclusion. Results: We identified 18 epidemiology studies and 21 animal toxicology studies relevant to our study question. We rated both the human and nonhuman mammalian evidence as “moderate” quality and “sufficient” strength. Integration of these evidence ratings produced a final strength of evidence rating in which review authors concluded that PFOA is “known to be toxic” to human reproduction and development based on sufficient evidence of decreased fetal growth in both human and nonhuman mammalian species. Conclusion: We concluded that developmental exposure to PFOA adversely affects human health based on sufficient evidence of decreased fetal growth in both human and nonhuman mammalian species. The results of this case study demonstrate the application of a systematic and transparent methodology, via the Navigation Guide, for reaching strength of evidence conclusions in environmental health. Citation: Lam J, Koustas E, Sutton P, Johnson PI, Atchley DS, Sen S, Robinson KA, Axelrad DA, Woodruff TJ. 2014. The Navigation Guide—evidence-based medicine meets environmental health

Orthographic effects in spoken word recognition: Evidence from Chinese.

Science.gov (United States)

Qu, Qingqing; Damian, Markus F

2017-06-01

Extensive evidence from alphabetic languages demonstrates a role of orthography in the processing of spoken words. Because alphabetic systems explicitly code speech sounds, such effects are perhaps not surprising. However, it is less clear whether orthographic codes are involuntarily accessed from spoken words in languages with non-alphabetic systems, in which the sound-spelling correspondence is largely arbitrary. We investigated the role of orthography via a semantic relatedness judgment task: native Mandarin speakers judged whether or not spoken word pairs were related in meaning. Word pairs were either semantically related, orthographically related, or unrelated. Results showed that relatedness judgments were made faster for word pairs that were semantically related than for unrelated word pairs. Critically, orthographic overlap on semantically unrelated word pairs induced a significant increase in response latencies. These findings indicate that orthographic information is involuntarily accessed in spoken-word recognition, even in a non-alphabetic language such as Chinese.

Innovative technology demonstrations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, D.B.; Luttrell, S.P.; Hartley, J.N.

1992-08-01

Environmental Management Operations (EMO) is conducting an Innovative Technology Demonstration Program for Tinker Air Force Base (TAFB). Several innovative technologies are being demonstrated to address specific problems associated with remediating two contaminated test sites at the base. Cone penetrometer testing (CPT) is a form of testing that can rapidly characterize a site. This technology was selected to evaluate its applicability in the tight clay soils and consolidated sandstone sediments found at TAFB. Directionally drilled horizontal wells was selected as a method that may be effective in accessing contamination beneath Building 3001 without disrupting the mission of the building, and in enhancing the extraction of contamination both in ground water and in soil. A soil gas extraction (SGE) demonstration, also known as soil vapor extraction, will evaluate the effectiveness of SGE in remediating fuels and TCE contamination contained in the tight clay soil formations surrounding the abandoned underground fuel storage vault located at the SW Tanks Site. In situ sensors have recently received much acclaim as a technology that can be effective in remediating hazardous waste sites. Sensors can be useful for determining real-time, in situ contaminant concentrations during the remediation process for performance monitoring and in providing feedback for controlling the remediation process. Following the SGE demonstration, the SGE system and SW Tanks test site will be modified to demonstrate bioremediation as an effective means of degrading the remaining contaminants in situ. The bioremediation demonstration will evaluate a bioventing process in which the naturally occurring consortium of soil bacteria will be stimulated to aerobically degrade soil contaminants, including fuel and TCE, in situ

Engaging Nursing Students: Integrating Evidence-Based Inquiry, Informatics, and Clinical Practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Keiffer, Melanie R

2017-12-05

The nursing research class requires faculty to create a spirit of inquiry while integrating technology, flexibility, and responsiveness to student needs. This article discusses new pedagogies to actively engage students in the evidence-based nursing process and the achievement of course learning outcomes. Through course exemplar, the author demonstrates a creative method to engage traditional baccalaureate nursing students in a nursing project that links evidence to improved patient outcomes.

The Significance of Barriers to Entry in the Construction Industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gerard de Valence

2012-11-01

Full Text Available This research looks at the significance of barriers that firms considering entry into the construction industry might face. Drawing on the microeconomic characteristics of imperfectly competitive and oligopolistic markets the analysis finds that there are a dozen barriers to entry that affect the industry, but their significance depends on the product type. The discussion covers the question of product homogeneity in construction and evidence for the existence of barriers to entry in concentration levels. Barriers to entry specific to construction are then identified, which leads to an analysis of how they operate and their significance (high, medium or low in different market types, thus increasing our understanding of construction industry dynamics.

Are individuals with higher psychopathic traits better learners at lying? Behavioural and neural evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Shao, R; Lee, T M C

2017-07-25

High psychopathy is characterized by untruthfulness and manipulativeness. However, existing evidence on higher propensity or capacity to lie among non-incarcerated high-psychopathic individuals is equivocal. Of particular importance, no research has investigated whether greater psychopathic tendency is associated with better 'trainability' of lying. An understanding of whether the neurobehavioral processes of lying are modifiable through practice offers significant theoretical and practical implications. By employing a longitudinal design involving university students with varying degrees of psychopathic traits, we successfully demonstrate that the performance speed of lying about face familiarity significantly improved following two sessions of practice, which occurred only among those with higher, but not lower, levels of psychopathic traits. Furthermore, this behavioural improvement associated with higher psychopathic tendency was predicted by a reduction in lying-related neural signals and by functional connectivity changes in the frontoparietal and cerebellum networks. Our findings provide novel and pivotal evidence suggesting that psychopathic traits are the key modulating factors of the plasticity of both behavioural and neural processes underpinning lying. These findings broadly support conceptualization of high-functioning individuals with higher psychopathic traits as having preserved, or arguably superior, functioning in neural networks implicated in cognitive executive processing, but deficiencies in affective neural processes, from a neuroplasticity perspective.

Spent fuel pyroprocessing demonstration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McFarlane, L.F.; Lineberry, M.J.

1995-01-01

A major element of the shutdown of the US liquid metal reactor development program is managing the sodium-bonded spent metallic fuel from the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II to meet US environmental laws. Argonne National Laboratory has refurbished and equipped an existing hot cell facility for treating the spent fuel by a high-temperature electrochemical process commonly called pyroprocessing. Four products will be produced for storage and disposal. Two high-level waste forms will be produced and qualified for disposal of the fission and activation products. Uranium and transuranium alloys will be produced for storage pending a decision by the US Department of Energy on the fate of its plutonium and enriched uranium. Together these activities will demonstrate a unique electrochemical treatment technology for spent nuclear fuel. This technology potentially has significant economic and technical advantages over either conventional reprocessing or direct disposal as a high-level waste option

30 CFR 253.40 - What OSFR evidence must I submit to MMS?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What OSFR evidence must I submit to MMS? 253.40... § 253.40 What OSFR evidence must I submit to MMS? (a) You must submit to MMS: (1) A single demonstration... unaltered Form MMS-1016; (3) MMS forms that identify your COFs (Form MMS-1021, Form MMS-1022), and the...

The Fort McMurray Demonstration Project in Social Marketing: no demonstrable effect on already falling injury rates following intensive community and workplace intervention.

Science.gov (United States)

Guidotti, Tee L; Deb, Pooja; Bertera, Robert; Ford, Lynda

2009-10-01

The Fort McMurray Demonstration Project in Social Marketing attempted to achieve mutually reinforcing effects from thematically coordinated educational and awareness efforts in the community as a whole and in the workplace and the inclusion of occupational safety within the framework of a community health promotion project. The study community was Fort McMurray, a small, industrial city in northern Alberta. The Mistahiai Health Region, several hundred kilometers to the west and also dominated by one city, Grande Prairie, served as the reference community. The intervention was based on media and events staged at public events, with supporting educational activities in schools and the community. It relied heavily on community-based partners and volunteers. Data on healthcare utilization of selected preventable injuries were obtained from Alberta Health for the time period 1990-1996 for the Regional Health Authorities of Northern Lights, where the only large population centre is Fort McMurray, and Mistahia. Age-adjusted aggregate injury rates were analyzed for evidence of an effect of the intervention. Severity was measured by proxy, using the number of diagnostic claims submitted for reimbursement for medical services in a given year. The communities differed in age-specific injury rates, with Fort McMurray showing higher rates for residents aged less than 55. Young adults and older adolescents showed higher levels of severity. Injury rates fell substantially and at similar rates in both communities over the five-year period. However, in both communities injury rates were already falling before the intervention in Fort McMurray began and continued to fall at about the same rate, slowing toward the end of the period. No evidence was found for an effect of the Project or for acceleration of the reduction in injury frequency in the intervention area. Over the period, fewer medical services were delivered in office settings and more in emergency rooms, in both

Citrobacter rodentium is an unstable pathogen showing evidence of significant genomic flux.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicola K Petty

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Citrobacter rodentium is a natural mouse pathogen that causes attaching and effacing (A/E lesions. It shares a common virulence strategy with the clinically significant human A/E pathogens enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC and enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC and is widely used to model this route of pathogenesis. We previously reported the complete genome sequence of C. rodentium ICC168, where we found that the genome displayed many characteristics of a newly evolved pathogen. In this study, through PFGE, sequencing of isolates showing variation, whole genome transcriptome analysis and examination of the mobile genetic elements, we found that, consistent with our previous hypothesis, the genome of C. rodentium is unstable as a result of repeat-mediated, large-scale genome recombination and because of active transposition of mobile genetic elements such as the prophages. We sequenced an additional C. rodentium strain, EX-33, to reveal that the reference strain ICC168 is representative of the species and that most of the inactivating mutations were common to both isolates and likely to have occurred early on in the evolution of this pathogen. We draw parallels with the evolution of other bacterial pathogens and conclude that C. rodentium is a recently evolved pathogen that may have emerged alongside the development of inbred mice as a model for human disease.

Geochemical Evidence of the Seasonality, Affinity and Pigmenation of Solenopora jurassica.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Holly E Barden

Full Text Available Solenopora jurassica is a fossil calcareous alga that functioned as an important reef-building organism during the Palaeozoic. It is of significant palaeobiological interest due to its distinctive but poorly understood pink and white banding. Though widely accepted as an alga there is still debate over its taxonomic affinity, with recent work arguing that it should be reclassified as a chaetetid sponge. The banding is thought to be seasonal, but there is no conclusive evidence for this. Other recent work has, however demonstrated the presence of a unique organic boron-containing pink/red pigment in the pink bands of S. jurassica. We present new geochemical evidence concerning the seasonality and pigmentation of S. jurassica. Seasonal growth cycles are demonstrated by X-ray radiography, which shows differences in calcite density, and by varying δ13C composition of the bands. Temperature variation in the bands is difficult to constrain accurately due to conflicting patterns arising from Mg/Ca molar ratios and δ18O data. Fluctuating chlorine levels indicate increased salinity in the white bands, when combined with the isotope data this suggests more suggestive of marine conditions during formation of the white band and a greater freshwater component (lower chlorinity during pink band precipitation (δ18O. Increased photosynthesis is inferred within the pink bands in comparison to the white, based on δ13C. Pyrolysis Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (Py-GCMS and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR show the presence of tetramethyl pyrrole, protein moieties and carboxylic acid groups, suggestive of the presence of the red algal pigment phycoerythrin. This is consistent with the pink colour of S. jurassica. As phycoerythrin is only known to occur in algae and cyanobacteria, and no biomarker evidence of bacteria or sponges was detected we conclude S. jurassica is most likely an alga. Pigment analysis may be a reliable classification

Barnacle Geese Achieve Significant Energetic Savings by Changing Posture

OpenAIRE

Tickle, Peter G.; Nudds, Robert L.; Codd, Jonathan R.

2012-01-01

Here we report the resting metabolic rate in barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) and provide evidence for the significant energetic effect of posture. Under laboratory conditions flow-through respirometry together with synchronous recording of behaviour enabled a calculation of how metabolic rate varies with posture. Our principal finding is that standing bipedally incurs a 25% increase in metabolic rate compared to birds sitting on the ground. In addition to the expected decrease in energy con...

Innovative technology demonstrations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, D.B.; Hartley, J.N.; Luttrell, S.P.

1992-04-01

Currently, several innovative technologies are being demonstrated at Tinker Air Force Base (TAFB) to address specific problems associated with remediating two contaminated test sites at the base. Cone penetrometer testing (CPT) is a form of testing that can rapidly characterize a site. This technology was selected to evaluate its applicability in the tight clay soils and consolidated sandstone sediments found at TAFB. Directionally drilled horizontal wells have been successfully installed at the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Savannah River Site to test new methods of in situ remediation of soils and ground water. This emerging technology was selected as a method that may be effective in accessing contamination beneath Building 3001 without disrupting the mission of the building, and in enhancing the extraction of contamination both in ground water and in soil. A soil gas extraction (SGE) demonstration, also known as soil vapor extraction, will evaluate the effectiveness of SGE in remediating fuels and TCE contamination contained in the tight clay soil formations surrounding the abandoned underground fuel storage vault located at the SW Tanks Site. In situ sensors have recently received much acclaim as a technology that can be effective in remediating hazardous waste sites. Sensors can be useful for determining real-time, in situ contaminant concentrations during the remediation process for performance monitoring and in providing feedback for controlling the remediation process. A demonstration of two in situ sensor systems capable of providing real-time data on contamination levels will be conducted and evaluated concurrently with the SGE demonstration activities. Following the SGE demonstration, the SGE system and SW Tanks test site will be modified to demonstrate bioremediation as an effective means of degrading the remaining contaminants in situ

Sizewell 'B' power station public inquiry: CEGB proof of evidence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Healey, T.; Board, S.J.

1982-11-01

The issue of fuel clad ballooning during a postulated large loss of coolant accident is examined. A summary of the evidence which shows that such an event in the proposed Sizewell B nuclear power plant would not lead to violation of the fuel limits laid down in the United States NRC Code of Federal Regulations, 10 CFR 50, Appendix K. The present status of the computer codes BART and TAPSWEL and the validation evidence to demonstrate their adequacy is outlined. (U.K.)

Approaches to Demonstrating the Reliability and Validity of Core Diagnostic Criteria for Chronic Pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruehl, Stephen; Ohrbach, Richard; Sharma, Sonia; Widerstrom-Noga, Eva; Dworkin, Robert H; Fillingim, Roger B; Turk, Dennis C

2016-09-01

The Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks-American Pain Society Pain Taxonomy (AAPT) is designed to be an evidence-based multidimensional chronic pain classification system that will facilitate more comprehensive and consistent chronic pain diagnoses, and thereby enhance research, clinical communication, and ultimately patient care. Core diagnostic criteria (dimension 1) for individual chronic pain conditions included in the initial version of AAPT will be the focus of subsequent empirical research to evaluate and provide evidence for their reliability and validity. Challenges to validating diagnostic criteria in the absence of clear and identifiable pathophysiological mechanisms are described. Based in part on previous experience regarding the development of evidence-based diagnostic criteria for psychiatric disorders, headache, and specific chronic pain conditions (fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome, temporomandibular disorders, pain associated with spinal cord injuries), several potential approaches for documentation of the reliability and validity of the AAPT diagnostic criteria are summarized. The AAPT is designed to be an evidence-based multidimensional chronic pain classification system. Conceptual and methodological issues related to demonstrating the reliability and validity of the proposed AAPT chronic pain diagnostic criteria are discussed. Copyright © 2016 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Court presentation of bite mark evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Drinnan, A J; Melton, M J

1985-12-01

The uniqueness of an individual's bite mark is generally accepted. The use of bite mark analysis to identify or exclude those suspected of crimes is now a well established activity in forensic dentistry. Although the techniques for evaluating bite mark evidence are extremely sophisticated, it is important that the courtroom presentation of such evidence should be as simple as possible and be directed towards those who must judge it. Dentists likely to be involved in the courtroom presentation of bite mark evidence should: be certain that their local law enforcement personnel are frequently updated on the techniques to be used for producing the optimum evidence needed to evaluate bite marks; become acquainted with the current techniques of evaluating bite mark evidence and understand their difficulties and pitfalls; meet with the lawyers (prosecution or defence) before a courtroom appearance, briefing them on the significance of the particular findings; prepare clear and easily understandable visual aids to present to the court the techniques used in the analysis and the bases for the conclusion reached; and offer conclusions derived from the bite mark investigation.

Detecting significant changes in protein abundance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kai Kammers

2015-06-01

Full Text Available We review and demonstrate how an empirical Bayes method, shrinking a protein's sample variance towards a pooled estimate, leads to far more powerful and stable inference to detect significant changes in protein abundance compared to ordinary t-tests. Using examples from isobaric mass labelled proteomic experiments we show how to analyze data from multiple experiments simultaneously, and discuss the effects of missing data on the inference. We also present easy to use open source software for normalization of mass spectrometry data and inference based on moderated test statistics.

Critical evidence for the prediction error theory in associative learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Terao, Kanta; Matsumoto, Yukihisa; Mizunami, Makoto

2015-03-10

In associative learning in mammals, it is widely accepted that the discrepancy, or error, between actual and predicted reward determines whether learning occurs. Complete evidence for the prediction error theory, however, has not been obtained in any learning systems: Prediction error theory stems from the finding of a blocking phenomenon, but blocking can also be accounted for by other theories, such as the attentional theory. We demonstrated blocking in classical conditioning in crickets and obtained evidence to reject the attentional theory. To obtain further evidence supporting the prediction error theory and rejecting alternative theories, we constructed a neural model to match the prediction error theory, by modifying our previous model of learning in crickets, and we tested a prediction from the model: the model predicts that pharmacological intervention of octopaminergic transmission during appetitive conditioning impairs learning but not formation of reward prediction itself, and it thus predicts no learning in subsequent training. We observed such an "auto-blocking", which could be accounted for by the prediction error theory but not by other competitive theories to account for blocking. This study unambiguously demonstrates validity of the prediction error theory in associative learning.

Anicteric dilatation of the biliary tree demonstrated by ultrasound 131I rose bengal liver scan and PTC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kapoor, R.; Saha, M.M.; Gupta, A.K.

1991-01-01

An uncommon case of gross dilatation of biliary tract, without clinical or biochemical evidence of jaundice, is presented. Dilatation of bile ducts was initially demonstrated on ultrasound and it was subsequently confirmed by 131 I rose bengal liver can, PTC and at surgery. (author). 6 refs., 3 figs

Understanding juror perceptions of forensic evidence: investigating the impact of case context on perceptions of forensic evidence strength.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Lisa L; Bull, Ray; Holliday, Robyn

2011-03-01

The most widely accepted model of juror decision making acknowledges the importance of both the case-specific information presented in the courtroom, as well as the prior general knowledge and beliefs held by each juror. The studies presented in this paper investigated whether mock jurors could differentiate between evidence of varying strengths in the absence of case information and then followed on to determine the influence that case context (and therefore the story model) has on judgments made about the strength of forensic DNA evidence. The results illustrated that mock jurors correctly identified various strengths of evidence when it was not presented with case information; however, the perceived strength of evidence was significantly inflated when presented in the context of a criminal case, particularly when the evidence was of a weak or ambiguous standard. These findings are discussed in relation to the story model, and the potential implications for real juries. © 2011 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Demonstration of Eastman Christensen horizontal drilling system -- Integrated Demonstration Site, Savannah River Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-12-01

An innovative horizontal drilling system was used to install two horizontal wells as part of an integrated demonstration project at the Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, South Carolina. The SRS is located in south-central South Carolina in the upper Coastal Plain physiographic province. The demonstration site is located near the A/M Area, and is currently known as the Integated Demonstration Site. The Department of Energy's Office of Technology Development initiated an integrated demonstration of innovative technologies for cleanup of volatile organic compounds (VOCS) in soils and groundwater at the SRS in 1989. The overall goal of the program is to demonstrate, at a single location, multiple technologies in the fields of drilling, characterization, monitoring, and remediation. Innovative technologies are compared to one another and to baseline technologies in terms of technical performance and cost effectiveness. Transfer of successfully demonstrated technologies and systems to DOE environmental restoration organizations, to other government agencies, and to industry is a critical part of the program

Evidence-based toxicology for the 21st century: opportunities and challenges.

Science.gov (United States)

Stephens, Martin L; Andersen, Melvin; Becker, Richard A; Betts, Kellyn; Boekelheide, Kim; Carney, Ed; Chapin, Robert; Devlin, Dennis; Fitzpatrick, Suzanne; Fowle, John R; Harlow, Patricia; Hartung, Thomas; Hoffmann, Sebastian; Holsapple, Michael; Jacobs, Abigail; Judson, Richard; Naidenko, Olga; Pastoor, Tim; Patlewicz, Grace; Rowan, Andrew; Scherer, Roberta; Shaikh, Rashid; Simon, Ted; Wolf, Douglas; Zurlo, Joanne

2013-01-01

The Evidence-based Toxicology Collaboration (EBTC) was established recently to translate evidence-based approaches from medicine and health care to toxicology in an organized and sustained effort. The EBTC held a workshop on "Evidence-based Toxicology for the 21st Century: Opportunities and Challenges" in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA on January 24-25, 2012. The presentations largely reflected two EBTC priorities: to apply evidence-based methods to assessing the performance of emerging pathway-based testing methods consistent with the 2007 National Research Council report on "Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century" as well as to adopt a governance structure and work processes to move that effort forward. The workshop served to clarify evidence-based approaches and to provide food for thought on substantive and administrative activities for the EBTC. Priority activities include conducting pilot studies to demonstrate the value of evidence-based approaches to toxicology, as well as conducting educational outreach on these approaches.

Electric vehicle demonstration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ouellet, M. [National Centre for Advanced Transportation, Saint-Jerome, PQ (Canada)

2010-07-01

The desirable characteristics of Canadian projects that demonstrate vehicle use in real-world operation and the appropriate mechanism to collect and disseminate the monitoring data were discussed in this presentation. The scope of the project was on passenger cars and light duty trucks operating in plug-in electric vehicle (PHEV) or battery electric vehicle modes. The presentation also discussed the funding, stakeholders involved, Canadian travel pattern analysis, regulatory framework, current and recent electric vehicle demonstration projects, and project guidelines. It was concluded that some demonstration project activities may have been duplicated as communication between the proponents was insufficient. It was recommended that data monitoring using automatic data logging with minimum reliance on logbooks and other user entry should be emphasized. figs.

Identification and paleoclimatic significance of magnetite nanoparticles in soils

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Imad A. M.; Maher, Barbara A.

2018-02-01

In the world-famous sediments of the Chinese Loess Plateau, fossil soils alternate with windblown dust layers to record monsoonal variations over the last ˜3 My. The less-weathered, weakly magnetic dust layers reflect drier, colder glaciations. The fossil soils (paleosols) contain variable concentrations of nanoscale, strongly magnetic iron oxides, formed in situ during the wetter, warmer interglaciations. Mineralogical identification of the magnetic soil oxides is essential for deciphering these key paleoclimatic records. Formation of magnetite, a mixed Fe2+/Fe3+ ferrimagnet, has been linked to soil redox oscillations, and thence to paleorainfall. An opposite hypothesis states that magnetite can only form if the soil is water saturated for significant periods in order for Fe3+ to be reduced to Fe2+, and suggests instead the temperature-dependent formation of maghemite, an Fe3+-oxide, much of which ages subsequently into hematite, typically aluminum substituted. This latter, oxidizing pathway would have been temperature, but not rainfall dependent. Here, through structural fingerprinting and scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy analysis, we prove that magnetite is the dominant soil-formed ferrite. Maghemite is present in lower concentrations, and shows no evidence of aluminum substitution, negating its proposed precursor role for the aluminum-substituted hematite prevalent in the paleosols. Magnetite dominance demonstrates that magnetite formation occurs in well-drained, generally oxidizing soils, and that soil wetting/drying oscillations drive the degree of soil magnetic enhancement. The magnetic variations of the Chinese Loess Plateau paleosols thus record changes in monsoonal rainfall, over timescales of millions of years.

Novel anti-Sialyl-Tn monoclonal antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates demonstrate tumor specificity and anti-tumor activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Prendergast, Jillian M; Galvao da Silva, Ana Paula; Eavarone, David A; Ghaderi, Darius; Zhang, Mai; Brady, Dane; Wicks, Joan; DeSander, Julie; Behrens, Jeff; Rueda, Bo R

Targeted therapeutics that can differentiate between normal and malignant tumor cells represent the ideal standard for the development of a successful anti-cancer strategy. The Sialyl-Thomsen-nouveau antigen (STn or Sialyl-Tn, also known as CD175s) is rarely seen in normal adult tissues, but it is abundantly expressed in many types of human epithelial cancers. We have identified novel antibodies that specifically target with high affinity the STn glycan independent of its carrier protein, affording the potential to recognize a wider array of cancer-specific sialylated proteins. A panel of murine monoclonal anti-STn therapeutic antibodies were generated and their binding specificity and efficacy were characterized in vitro and in in vivo murine cancer models. A subset of these antibodies were conjugated to monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) to generate antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). These ADCs demonstrated in vitro efficacy in STn-expressing cell lines and significant tumor growth inhibition in STn-expressing tumor xenograft cancer models with no evidence of overt toxicity.

The evidence for clinically significant bias in plasma glucose between liquid and lyophilized citrate buffer additive.

Science.gov (United States)

Juricic, Gordana; Saracevic, Andrea; Kopcinovic, Lara Milevoj; Bakliza, Ana; Simundic, Ana-Maria

2016-12-01

Citrate buffer additive has been suggested to be of supreme performance in inhibiting glycolysis. However, there is little evidence in the literature regarding the comparability of glucose concentrations in liquid and lyophilized citrate buffer containing tubes. The aim of this study was to compare glucose concentrations in tubes containing liquid (Glucomedics) and lyophilized citrate buffer (Terumo VENOSAFE™ Glycemia) additive, measured immediately after centrifugation. Blood was collected from forty volunteers into both Glucomedics and Venosafe Glycemia tubes. Blood was centrifuged within 15min from venipuncture and glucose concentration was measured immediately after centrifugation, on the Abbott Architect analyzer. Differences between glucose concentrations in Glucomedics and Terumo tubes were tested using the paired t-test. Mean bias was calculated and compared to recommended quality specification for glucose (i.e. 2.2%). Glucose concentration in Terumo tubes was 3.4% lower than in Glucomedics tubes (Pglucose concentrations in liquid and lyophilized citrate buffer additive tubes (Glucomedics vs. Terumo tubes) measured immediately after centrifugation. This difference may affect the patient outcome due to the misclassification of diabetes. Copyright © 2016 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

RESOLVING THE QUESTION OF DOUBT: GEOMETRICAL DEMONSTRATION IN THE MEDITATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steven BURGESS

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The question of what Descartes did and did not doubt in the Meditations has received a significant amount of scholarly attention in recent years. The process of doubt in Meditation I gives one the impression of a rather extreme form of skepticism, while the responses Descartes offers in the Objections and Replies make it clear that there is in fact a whole background of presuppositions that are never doubted, including many that are never even entertained as possible candidates of doubt. This paper resolves the question of this undoubted background of rationality by taking seriously Descartes’ claim that he is carrying out demonstrations modeled after the great geometers. The rational order of geometrical demonstration demands that we first clear away previous demonstrations not proven with the certainty necessary for genuine science. This is accomplished by the method of doubt, which is only applied to the results of possible demonstrations. What cannot be doubted are the very concepts and principles employed in carrying out geometrical demonstration, which enable it to take place. It would be senseless to ask whether we can doubt the essential components of the structure through which questioning, doubting, and demonstration are made possible.

Phospholipids in Milk Fat: Composition, Biological and Technological Significance, and Analytical Strategies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giovanna Contarini

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids are quantitatively the most important phospholipids (PLs in milk. They are located on the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM and in other membranous material of the skim milk phase. They include principally phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylserine, while sphingomyelin is the dominant species of sphingolipids There is considerable evidence that PLs have beneficial health effects, such as regulation of the inflammatory reactions, chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic activity on some types of cancer, and inhibition of the cholesterol absorption. PLs show good emulsifying properties and can be used as a delivery system for liposoluble constituents. Due to the amphiphilic characteristics of these molecules, their extraction, separation and detection are critical points in the analytical approach. The extraction by using chloroform and methanol, followed by the determination by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC, coupled with evaporative light scattering (ELSD or mass detector (MS, are the most applied procedures for the PL evaluation. More recently, nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry (NMR was also used, but despite it demonstrating high sensitivity, it requires more studies to obtain accurate results. This review is focused on milk fat phospholipids; their composition, biological activity, technological properties, and significance in the structure of milk fat. Different analytical methodologies are also discussed.

Ritual Significance in Mycenaean Hairstyles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hsu, Florence Sheng-chieh

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Although the frescoes excavated from Bronze Age sites on the Greek mainland provide evidence for female figures in the Mycenaean society, the hairstyles of these figures have not been studied in detail. As in many other ancient cultures, hairstyles were not only an exhibition of beauty and fashion, but they also represented certain age groups or a person’s social status. The Mycenaeans inherited many of their hairstyles from their Minoan predecessors, although differences existed as well. It is also possible there may have been a shift in meaning for seemingly similar looking hairstyles from the Minoan to the Mycenaean periods. Female figures, which compose most of the Mycenaean figures in frescoes known to date, are fine examples for discussing the artistic representation and potential significance of Mycenaean hairstyles. By comparing with Minoan hairstyles, discussions of Mycenaean examples lead to conclusions in the relationship between hairstyles and ritual activities in the Mycenaean society.

FIA: An Open Forensic Integration Architecture for Composing Digital Evidence

Science.gov (United States)

Raghavan, Sriram; Clark, Andrew; Mohay, George

The analysis and value of digital evidence in an investigation has been the domain of discourse in the digital forensic community for several years. While many works have considered different approaches to model digital evidence, a comprehensive understanding of the process of merging different evidence items recovered during a forensic analysis is still a distant dream. With the advent of modern technologies, pro-active measures are integral to keeping abreast of all forms of cyber crimes and attacks. This paper motivates the need to formalize the process of analyzing digital evidence from multiple sources simultaneously. In this paper, we present the forensic integration architecture (FIA) which provides a framework for abstracting the evidence source and storage format information from digital evidence and explores the concept of integrating evidence information from multiple sources. The FIA architecture identifies evidence information from multiple sources that enables an investigator to build theories to reconstruct the past. FIA is hierarchically composed of multiple layers and adopts a technology independent approach. FIA is also open and extensible making it simple to adapt to technological changes. We present a case study using a hypothetical car theft case to demonstrate the concepts and illustrate the value it brings into the field.

POLITICAL REGIME, COMPETITIVENESS, AND FOREIGN INVESTMENT: AN EVIDENCE OF THE EURO AREAS’ FDI POLICIES TO SOUTHEAST ASIAN COUNTRIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ari Warokka

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Theory and previous evidences provide conflicting predictions concerning the growth effects of foreign direct investment (FDI. The mainstream ideas support FDI as an engine of employment, technological progress, productivity improvements, and ultimately economic growth. Because of these significant benefits, attracting FDI has become one of the integral parts of economic development strategies in many countries. There are two schools of thought that hypothesize the FDI determinants: economic factors and political factors. For the latter school of thought, the central questions are directed to determine whether political regime affect country’s trade policy or not. In the advanced industrial countries where labour tends to be scarce, are left political regimes more protectionist than right ones, which represent capital owners? Prior evidence had demonstrated an association between the type of political regimes and trade policies (FDI policies.

Evidence-Based School Behavior Assessment of Externalizing Behavior in Young Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Bagner, Daniel M; Boggs, Stephen R; Eyberg, Sheila M

2010-02-01

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Revised Edition of the School Observation Coding System (REDSOCS). Participants were 68 children ages 3 to 6 who completed parent-child interaction therapy for Oppositional Defiant Disorder as part of a larger efficacy trial. Interobserver reliability on REDSOCS categories was moderate to high, with percent agreement ranging from 47% to 90% (M = 67%) and Cohen's kappa coefficients ranging from .69 to .95 (M = .82). Convergent validity of the REDSOCS categories was supported by significant correlations with the Intensity Scale of the Sutter-Eyberg Student Behavior Inventory-Revised and related subscales of the Conners' Teacher Rating Scale-Revised: Long Version (CTRS-R: L). Divergent validity was indicated by nonsignificant correlations between REDSOCS categories and scales on the CTRS-R: L expected not to relate to disruptive classroom behavior. Treatment sensitivity was demonstrated for two of the three primary REDSOCS categories by significant pre to posttreatment changes. This study provides psychometric support for the designation of REDSOCS as an evidence-based assessment procedure for young children.

Women with provoked vestibulodynia experience clinically significant reductions in pain regardless of treatment: results from a 2-year follow-up study.

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Seth N P; Bergeron, Sophie; Binik, Yitzchak M; Lambert, Bernard

2013-12-01

Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a prevalent genital pain syndrome that has been assumed to be chronic, with little spontaneous remission. Despite this assumption, there is a dearth of empirical evidence regarding the progression of PVD in a natural setting. Although many treatments are available, there is no single treatment that has demonstrated efficacy above others. The aims of this secondary analysis of a prospective study were to (i) assess changes over a 2-year period in pain, depressive symptoms, and sexual outcomes in women with PVD; and (ii) examine changes based on treatment(s) type. Participants completed questionnaire packages at Time 1 and a follow-up package 2 years later. Visual analog scale of genital pain, Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction, Female Sexual Function Index, Beck Depression Inventory, Dyadic Adjustment Scale, and sexual intercourse attempts over the past month. Two hundred thirty-nine women with PVD completed both time one and two questionnaires. For the sample as a whole, there was significant improvement over 2 years on pain ratings, sexual satisfaction, sexual function, and depressive symptoms. The most commonly received treatments were physical therapy, sex/psychotherapy, and medical treatment, although 41.0% did not undergo any treatment. Women receiving no treatment also improved significantly on pain ratings. No single treatment type predicted better outcome for any variable except depressive symptoms, in which women who underwent surgery were more likely to improve. These results suggest that PVD may significantly reduce in severity over time. Participants demonstrated clinically significant pain improvement, even when they did not receive treatment. Furthermore, the only single treatment type predicting better outcomes was surgery, and only for depressive symptoms, accounting for only 2.3% of the variance. These data do not demonstrate the superiority of any one treatment and underscore the need to have control groups in

A systematic review of the individual determinants of research evidence use in allied health

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lizarondo L

2011-07-01

Full Text Available L Lizarondo, K Grimmer-Somers, S KumarInternational Centre for Allied Health Evidence, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, AustraliaBackground: The use of evidence-based practice (EBP is often not reflected in allied health (AH practitioners’ day-to-day practice (the research-practice gap. Research suggests that considerable differences between and within AH disciplines exist, which require different approaches in order to influence practice behavior. It is therefore important to develop a better understanding of what influences individual AH practitioners’ adoption of evidence into daily practice.Objective: This systematic review aims to examine the individual characteristics of AH practitioners which determine their uptake of evidence into practice.Methods: Studies which examined individual factors or variables that influence research evidence use by any AH practitioner were included in the review. The methodological quality of the included papers was assessed using the Quality Assessment and Validity Tool for Cross-sectional Studies. A narrative summary of the findings was presented.Results: Six studies were included and the methodological quality scores indicated that two were weak and the remainder had moderate–weak quality. The review demonstrated that factors such as educational degree or academic qualification, involvement in research or EBP-related activities, and practitioners’ perceptions, attitudes and beliefs about research and EBP are significant predictors of self-reported research evidence use in AH. The effect of other factors such as professional characteristics, clinical setting/work environment, information-seeking behavior and sociodemographic variables are less clear. Whether there is an interaction effect between evidence-uptake factors has not been tested.Conclusion: Improving the research knowledge of clinicians and overcoming negative attitudes toward EBP have the potential to move AH

Evidence-based policy: implications for nursing and policy involvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Hewison, Alistair

2008-11-01

Evidence-based policy making is espoused as a central feature of government in the United Kingdom. However, an expectation that this will improve the quality of policy produced and provide a path to increased involvement of nurses in the policy process is misplaced. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that the emphasis on evidence-based policy is problematic and cannot be regarded as a "new model" of policy making. Also, it could deflect attention from more practical approaches to policy involvement on the part of nurses. Policy development activities, acquisition of skills in policy analysis, and other forms of involvement are needed if nurses are to move along the continuum from policy literacy, through policy acumen, to policy competence. This involves taking a critical stance on the notion of evidence-based policy.

Self-Management for Primary School Students Demonstrating Problem Behavior in Regular Classrooms: Evidence Review of Single-Case Design Research

Science.gov (United States)

Busacca, Margherita L.; Anderson, Angelika; Moore, Dennis W.

2015-01-01

This review evaluates self-management literature targeting problem behaviors of primary school students in general education settings. Thirty-one single-case design studies met inclusion criteria, of which 16 demonstrated adequate methodological rigor, according to What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) design standards. Visual analysis and WWC…

Transfer prices and the excess cost of Canadian oil imports: New evidence on Bertrand versus Rugman

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernard, J.-T.; Weiner, R.J.

1992-01-01

Transfer pricing can be a source for contention between governments and multinational corporations, with suspicion that transfer prices are set so as to report higher income in countries where corporations are taxed more lightly. The first systematic empirical evidence on transfer pricing in multinational corporations is presented, through examination of the Canadian petroleum industry, which is dominated by foreign multinationals. The data cover the period 1974-84 and allow analysis of the allegation of excess cost paid by Canada for crude oil imports. After taking into account crude oil quality indicators, transaction characteristics, and countries of export, the merging of a comparable set of U.S. and Canadian data demonstrates evidence of transfer-price setting at levels significantly different from arm's-length prices for crude oil imports to Canada from 1974-84. However, the evidence runs contrary to Bertrand's assessment: the crude oil prices for affiliate transactions were found to be, in general, lower than comparable prices for third-party transactions. As to transport costs, the converse was found to be the case, however, the effect is much less important than transfer pricing. The overall result is that transfer prices have worked in Canada's favour. 15 refs., 7 tabs

Learning From Demonstration?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koch, Christian; Bertelsen, Niels Haldor

2014-01-01

Demonstration projects are often used in the building sector to provide a basis for using new processes and/or products. The climate change agenda implies that construction is not only required to deliver value for the customer, cost reductions and efficiency but also sustainable buildings....... This paper reports on an early demonstration project, the Building of a passive house dormitory in the Central Region of Denmark in 2006-2009. The project was supposed to deliver value, lean design, prefabrication, quality in sustainability, certification according to German standards for passive houses......, and micro combined heat and power using hydrogen. Using sociological and business economic theories of innovation, the paper discusses how early movers of innovation tend to obtain only partial success when demonstrating their products and often feel obstructed by minor details. The empirical work...

Effects of Expanded Coverage for Chiropractic Services on Medicare Costs in a CMS Demonstration.

Science.gov (United States)

Stason, William B; Ritter, Grant A; Martin, Timothy; Prottas, Jeffrey; Tompkins, Christopher; Shepard, Donald S

2016-01-01

Moderately convincing evidence supports the benefits of chiropractic manipulations for low back pain. Its effectiveness in other applications is less well documented, and its cost-effectiveness is not known. These questions led the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) to conduct a two-year demonstration of expanded Medicare coverage for chiropractic services in the treatment of beneficiaries with neuromusculoskeletal (NMS) conditions affecting the back, limbs, neck, or head. The demonstration was conducted in 2005-2007 in selected counties of Illinois, Iowa, and Virginia and the entire states of Maine and New Mexico. Medicare claims were compiled for the preceding year and two demonstration years for the demonstration areas and matched comparison areas. The impact of the demonstration was analyzed through multivariate regression analysis with a difference-in-difference framework. Expanded coverage increased Medicare expenditures by $50 million or 28.5% in users of chiropractic services and by $114 million or 10.4% in all patients treated for NMS conditions in demonstration areas during the two-year period. Results varied widely among demonstration areas ranging from increased costs per user of $485 in Northern Illinois and Chicago counties to decreases in costs per user of $59 in New Mexico and $178 in Scott County, Iowa. The demonstration did not assess possible decreases in costs to other insurers, out-of-pocket payments by patients, the need for and costs of pain medications, or longer term clinical benefits such as avoidance of orthopedic surgical procedures beyond the two-year period of the demonstration. It is possible that other payers or beneficiaries saved money during the demonstration while costs to Medicare were increased.

Effects of Expanded Coverage for Chiropractic Services on Medicare Costs in a CMS Demonstration.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

William B Stason

Full Text Available Moderately convincing evidence supports the benefits of chiropractic manipulations for low back pain. Its effectiveness in other applications is less well documented, and its cost-effectiveness is not known. These questions led the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS to conduct a two-year demonstration of expanded Medicare coverage for chiropractic services in the treatment of beneficiaries with neuromusculoskeletal (NMS conditions affecting the back, limbs, neck, or head.The demonstration was conducted in 2005-2007 in selected counties of Illinois, Iowa, and Virginia and the entire states of Maine and New Mexico. Medicare claims were compiled for the preceding year and two demonstration years for the demonstration areas and matched comparison areas. The impact of the demonstration was analyzed through multivariate regression analysis with a difference-in-difference framework.Expanded coverage increased Medicare expenditures by $50 million or 28.5% in users of chiropractic services and by $114 million or 10.4% in all patients treated for NMS conditions in demonstration areas during the two-year period. Results varied widely among demonstration areas ranging from increased costs per user of $485 in Northern Illinois and Chicago counties to decreases in costs per user of $59 in New Mexico and $178 in Scott County, Iowa.The demonstration did not assess possible decreases in costs to other insurers, out-of-pocket payments by patients, the need for and costs of pain medications, or longer term clinical benefits such as avoidance of orthopedic surgical procedures beyond the two-year period of the demonstration. It is possible that other payers or beneficiaries saved money during the demonstration while costs to Medicare were increased.

Effects of Expanded Coverage for Chiropractic Services on Medicare Costs in a CMS Demonstration

Science.gov (United States)

Stason, William B.; Ritter, Grant A; Prottas, Jeffrey; Tompkins, Christopher; Shepard, Donald S.

2016-01-01

Background Moderately convincing evidence supports the benefits of chiropractic manipulations for low back pain. Its effectiveness in other applications is less well documented, and its cost-effectiveness is not known. These questions led the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) to conduct a two-year demonstration of expanded Medicare coverage for chiropractic services in the treatment of beneficiaries with neuromusculoskeletal (NMS) conditions affecting the back, limbs, neck, or head. Methods The demonstration was conducted in 2005–2007 in selected counties of Illinois, Iowa, and Virginia and the entire states of Maine and New Mexico. Medicare claims were compiled for the preceding year and two demonstration years for the demonstration areas and matched comparison areas. The impact of the demonstration was analyzed through multivariate regression analysis with a difference-in-difference framework. Results Expanded coverage increased Medicare expenditures by $50 million or 28.5% in users of chiropractic services and by $114 million or 10.4% in all patients treated for NMS conditions in demonstration areas during the two-year period. Results varied widely among demonstration areas ranging from increased costs per user of $485 in Northern Illinois and Chicago counties to decreases in costs per user of $59 in New Mexico and $178 in Scott County, Iowa. Conclusion The demonstration did not assess possible decreases in costs to other insurers, out-of-pocket payments by patients, the need for and costs of pain medications, or longer term clinical benefits such as avoidance of orthopedic surgical procedures beyond the two-year period of the demonstration. It is possible that other payers or beneficiaries saved money during the demonstration while costs to Medicare were increased. PMID:26928221

Agenda Setting and Evidence in Maternal Health: Connecting Research and Policy in Timor-Leste.

Science.gov (United States)

Wild, Kayli; Kelly, Paul; Barclay, Lesley; Martins, Nelson

2015-01-01

The evidence-based policy (EBP) movement has received significant attention in the scientific literature; however, there is still very little empirical research to provide insight into how policy decisions are made and how evidence is used. The lack of research on this topic in low- and middle-income countries is of particular note. We examine the maternity waiting home policy in Timor-Leste to understand the role of context, policy characteristics, individual actors, and how evidence is used to influence the policy agenda. The research tracked the maternity waiting home policy from 2005 to 2009 and is based on in-depth interviews with 31 senior policy-makers, department managers, non-government organization representatives, and United Nations advisors. It is also informed by direct observation, attendance at meetings and workshops, and analysis of policy documents. The findings from this ethnographic case study demonstrate that although the post-conflict context opened up space for new policy ideas senior Ministry of Health officials rather than donors had the most power in setting the policy agenda. Maternity waiting homes were appealing because they were a visible, non-controversial, and logical solution to the problem of accessing maternal health services. Evidence was used in a variety of ways, from supporting pre-determined agendas to informing new policy directions. In the pursuit of EBP, we conclude that the power of research to inform policy lies in its timeliness and relevance, and is facilitated by the connection between researchers and policy-makers.

The use of evidence in maternal health: Connecting research and policy in Timor-Leste

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kayli Janine Wild

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The evidence-based policy (EBP movement has received significant attention in the scientific literature, however, there is still very little empirical research to provide insight into how policy decisions are made and how evidence is used. The lack of research on this topic in low and middle-income countries is of particular note. We examine the maternity waiting home policy in Timor-Leste to understand the role of context, policy characteristics, individual actors and how evidence is used to influence the policy agenda. The research tracked the maternity waiting home policy from 2005 to 2009 and is based on in-depth interviews with 31 senior policy-makers, department managers, non-government organisation (NGO representatives and United Nations (UN advisors. It is also informed by direct observation, attendance at meetings and workshops and analysis of policy documents. The findings from this case study demonstrate the importance of political context, policy characteristics and the power of senior Ministry of Health officials rather than donors in setting the policy agenda. Maternity waiting homes were appealing because they were a visible, non-controversial and logical solution to the problem of accessing maternal health services. Evidence was used in a variety of ways, from supporting pre-determined agendas to informing new policy directions. In the pursuit of EBP, we conclude that the power of research to inform policy lies in its timeliness and relevance, and is facilitated by the connection between researchers and policy-makers.

Commentary: evidence to guide gun violence prevention in America.

Science.gov (United States)

Webster, Daniel W

2015-03-18

Gun violence is a major threat to the public's health and safety in the United States. The articles in this volume's symposium on gun violence reveal the scope of the problem and new trends in mortality rates from gunfire. Leading scholars synthesize research evidence that demonstrates the ability of numerous policies and programs-each consistent with lessons learned from successful efforts to combat public health problems-to prevent gun violence. Each approach presents challenges to successful implementation. Future research should inform efforts to assess which approaches are most effective and how to implement evidence-based interventions most effectively.

A Quantitative Analysis of Evidence-Based Testing Practices in Nursing Education

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Wendy

2017-01-01

The focus of this dissertation is evidence-based testing practices in nursing education. Specifically, this research study explored the implementation of evidence-based testing practices between nursing faculty of various experience levels. While the significance of evidence-based testing in nursing education is well documented, little is known…

Instruments and demonstrations in the astrological curriculum: evidence from the University of Vienna, 1500-1530.

Science.gov (United States)

Hayton, Darin

2010-06-01

Historians have used university statutes and acts to reconstruct the official astrology curriculum for students in both the arts and medical faculties, including the books studied, their order, and their relation to other texts. Statutes and acts, however, cannot offer insight into what actually happened during lectures and in the classroom: in other words, how and why astrology was taught and learned in the medieval university. This paper assumes that the astrology curriculum is better understood as the set of practices that constituted it and gave it meaning for both masters and students. It begins to reconstruct what occurred in the classroom by drawing on published and unpublished lecture notes. These offer insight into how masters presented the material as they did, and why. The paper argues three points: first, the teaching of astrology centered on demonstrations involving astrological instruments: specifically, various kinds of paper astrolabes. Second, the astrological instruction focused on conveying the pragmatics of astrology rather than esoteric, theoretical issues. Finally, astrology as it was taught in the arts curriculum was explicitly intended to provide a foundation for students who would advance to study medicine at the university.

Increasing the statistical significance of entanglement detection in experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jungnitsch, Bastian; Niekamp, Soenke; Kleinmann, Matthias; Guehne, Otfried [Institut fuer Quantenoptik und Quanteninformation, Innsbruck (Austria); Lu, He; Gao, Wei-Bo; Chen, Zeng-Bing [Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale and Department of Modern Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei (China); Chen, Yu-Ao; Pan, Jian-Wei [Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale and Department of Modern Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei (China); Physikalisches Institut, Universitaet Heidelberg (Germany)

2010-07-01

Entanglement is often verified by a violation of an inequality like a Bell inequality or an entanglement witness. Considerable effort has been devoted to the optimization of such inequalities in order to obtain a high violation. We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally that such an optimization does not necessarily lead to a better entanglement test, if the statistical error is taken into account. Theoretically, we show for different error models that reducing the violation of an inequality can improve the significance. We show this to be the case for an error model in which the variance of an observable is interpreted as its error and for the standard error model in photonic experiments. Specifically, we demonstrate that the Mermin inequality yields a Bell test which is statistically more significant than the Ardehali inequality in the case of a photonic four-qubit state that is close to a GHZ state. Experimentally, we observe this phenomenon in a four-photon experiment, testing the above inequalities for different levels of noise.

Levels of Evidence in the Clinical Sports Medicine Literature: Are We Getting Better Over Time?

Science.gov (United States)

Grant, Heather M; Tjoumakaris, Fotios P; Maltenfort, Mitchell G; Freedman, Kevin B

2014-07-01

There has been an increased emphasis on improving the level of evidence used as the basis for clinical treatment decisions. Several journals now require a statement of the level of evidence as a basic gauge of the study's strength. To review the levels of evidence in published articles in the clinical sports medicine literature and to determine if there has been an improvement in the levels of evidence published over the past 15 years. Systematic review. All articles from the years 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010 in The American Journal of Sports Medicine (AJSM), Arthroscopy, and sports medicine-related articles from The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery-American (JBJS-A) were analyzed. Articles were categorized by type and ranked for level of evidence according to guidelines from the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. Excluded were animal, cadaveric, and basic science articles; editorials; surveys; special topics; letters to the editor; and correspondence. Statistical analysis was performed with chi-square. A total of 1580 articles over the 4 periods met the inclusion criteria. The percentage of level 1 and 2 studies increased from 6.8% to 12.6%, 22.9%, and 23.5%, respectively (P studies decreased from 78.9% to 72.4%, 63.9%, and 53.0% (P studies (4.1%, 5.1%, 28.2%, 27.8%; P studies all showed significant increases in level 1 and 2 studies over time (P studies published in the sports medicine literature over the past 15 years, particularly in JBJS-A and AJSM. The largest increase was seen in diagnostic studies, while therapeutic and prognostic studies demonstrated modest improvement. The emphasis on increasing levels of evidence to guide treatment decisions for sports medicine patients may be taking effect. © 2014 The Author(s).

Evaluation of potential blanket concepts for a Demonstration Tokamak Hybrid Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapin, D.L.; Chi, J.W.H.; Kelly, J.L.

1978-01-01

An evaluation has been made of several different blanket concepts for use in a near-term Demonstration Tokamak Hybrid Reactor (DTHR), whose main objective would be to produce a significant amount of fissile fuel while demonstrating the feasibility of the tokamak hybrid reactor concept. The desirability of a simple design using proven technology plus a proliferation resistant fuel cycle led to the selection of a low temperature and pressure water-cooled, zircaloy clad ThO 2 blanket concept to breed 233 U. The nuclear performance and thermal-hydraulics characteristics of the blanket were evaluated to arrive at a consistent design. The blanket was found to be feasible for producing a significant amount of fissile fuel even with the limited operating conditions and blanket coverage in the DTHR

Understanding evidence: a statewide survey to explore evidence-informed public health decision-making in a local government setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Armstrong, Rebecca; Waters, Elizabeth; Moore, Laurence; Dobbins, Maureen; Pettman, Tahna; Burns, Cate; Swinburn, Boyd; Anderson, Laurie; Petticrew, Mark

2014-12-14

The value placed on types of evidence within decision-making contexts is highly dependent on individuals, the organizations in which the work and the systems and sectors they operate in. Decision-making processes too are highly contextual. Understanding the values placed on evidence and processes guiding decision-making is crucial to designing strategies to support evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM). This paper describes how evidence is used to inform local government (LG) public health decisions. The study used mixed methods including a cross-sectional survey and interviews. The Evidence-Informed Decision-Making Tool (EvIDenT) survey was designed to assess three key domains likely to impact on EIDM: access, confidence, and organizational culture. Other elements included the usefulness and influence of sources of evidence (people/groups and resources), skills and barriers, and facilitators to EIDM. Forty-five LGs from Victoria, Australia agreed to participate in the survey and up to four people from each organization were invited to complete the survey (n = 175). To further explore definitions of evidence and generate experiential data on EIDM practice, key informant interviews were conducted with a range of LG employees working in areas relevant to public health. In total, 135 responses were received (75% response rate) and 13 interviews were conducted. Analysis revealed varying levels of access, confidence and organizational culture to support EIDM. Significant relationships were found between domains: confidence, culture and access to research evidence. Some forms of evidence (e.g. community views) appeared to be used more commonly and at the expense of others (e.g. research evidence). Overall, a mixture of evidence (but more internal than external evidence) was influential in public health decision-making in councils. By comparison, a mixture of evidence (but more external than internal evidence) was deemed to be useful in public health decision

The Kwajalein bioremediation demonstration: Final technical report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, J.R. Jr.; Walker, A.B.

1994-12-01

The US Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Base, located in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) in the east-central Pacific Ocean, has significant petroleum hydrocarbon contamination resulting from years of military activities. Because of its remoteness, the lack of on-site sophisticated remediation or waste disposal facilities, the amenability of petroleum hydrocarbons to biodegradation, and the year-round temperature favorable for microbial activity, USAKA requested, through the Hazardous Waste Remedial Actions Program (HAZWRAP), that a project be conducted to evaluate the feasibility of using bioremediation for environmental restoration of contaminated sites within the atoll. The project was conducted in four distinct phases: (1) initial site characterization and on-site biotreatability studies, (2) selection of the demonstration area and collection of soil columns, (3) laboratory column biotreatability studies, and (4) an on-site bioremediation demonstration. The results of phases (1) and (3) have been detailed in previous reports. This report summarizes the results of phases (1) and (3) and presents phases (2) and (4) in detail

Demonstrating sustainable energy: A review-based model of sustainable energy demonstration projects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bossink, Bart

2017-01-01

This article develops a model of sustainable energy demonstration projects, based on a review of 229 scientific publications on demonstrations in renewable and sustainable energy. The model addresses the basic organizational characteristics (aim, cooperative form, and physical location) and learning

Evidence of Cognitive Bias in Decision Making Around Implantable-Cardioverter Defibrillators: A Qualitative Framework Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Matlock, Daniel D; Jones, Jacqueline; Nowels, Carolyn T; Jenkins, Amy; Allen, Larry A; Kutner, Jean S

2017-11-01

Studies have demonstrated that patients with primary prevention implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) often misunderstand the ICD. Advances in behavioral economics demonstrate that some misunderstandings may be due to cognitive biases. We aimed to explore the influence of cognitive bias on ICD decision making. We used a qualitative framework analysis including 9 cognitive biases: affect heuristic, affective forecasting, anchoring, availability, default effects, halo effects, optimism bias, framing effects, and state dependence. We interviewed 48 patients from 4 settings in Denver. The majority were male (n = 32). Overall median age was 61 years. We found frequent evidence for framing, default, and halo effects; some evidence of optimism bias, affect heuristic, state dependence, anchoring and availability bias; and little or no evidence of affective forecasting. Framing effects were apparent in overestimation of benefits and downplaying or omitting potential harms. We found evidence of cognitive bias in decision making for ICD implantation. The majority of these biases appeared to encourage ICD treatment. Published by Elsevier Inc.

A Comprehensive Review of the Evidence of the Impact of Surface Water Quality on Property Values

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah Nicholls

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The desirability of living on or close to water is reflected in sometimes substantial property price premiums. Water quality has an important influence on property prices, since it impacts a water body’s appearance, capacity to support wildlife, and recreational potential. As water quality continues to be altered by human use and activity, and in light of new threats posed by projected climate and associated environmental change, understanding the impact of changing quality on property prices, and the associated property tax base, is paramount. This paper reviews the body of evidence on this topic to date. Of the 43 distinct studies represented in the 48 publications reviewed, the expected, statistically significant relationship between water quality and property price was demonstrated in at least one of the models developed in all but two studies. As a whole, they provide convincing evidence that clean water has a positive effect on property values.

Report of experiments and evidence for ASC L2 milestone 4467 : demonstration of a legacy application's path to exascale.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Curry, Matthew L.; Ferreira, Kurt Brian; Pedretti, Kevin Thomas Tauke; Leung, Vitus Joseph; Moreland, Kenneth D.; Lofstead, Gerald Fredrick, II; Gentile, Ann C. (Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA); Klundt, Ruth Ann; Ward, H. Lee; Laros, James H., III; Hemmert, Karl Scott; Fabian, Nathan D.; Levenhagen, Michael J.; Barrett, Brian W.; Brightwell, Ronald Brian; Barrett, Richard; Wheeler, Kyle Bruce; Kelly, Suzanne Marie; Rodrigues, Arun F.; Brandt, James M. (Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA); Thompson, David (Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA); VanDyke, John P.; Oldfield, Ron A.; Tucker, Thomas (Open Grid Computing, Inc., Austin, TX); Vaughan, Courtenay Thomas

2012-03-01

This report documents thirteen of Sandia's contributions to the Computational Systems and Software Environment (CSSE) within the Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC) program between fiscal years 2009 and 2012. It describes their impact on ASC applications. Most contributions are implemented in lower software levels allowing for application improvement without source code changes. Improvements are identified in such areas as reduced run time, characterizing power usage, and Input/Output (I/O). Other experiments are more forward looking, demonstrating potential bottlenecks using mini-application versions of the legacy codes and simulating their network activity on Exascale-class hardware. The purpose of this report is to prove that the team has completed milestone 4467-Demonstration of a Legacy Application's Path to Exascale. Cielo is expected to be the last capability system on which existing ASC codes can run without significant modifications. This assertion will be tested to determine where the breaking point is for an existing highly scalable application. The goal is to stretch the performance boundaries of the application by applying recent CSSE RD in areas such as resilience, power, I/O, visualization services, SMARTMAP, lightweight LWKs, virtualization, simulation, and feedback loops. Dedicated system time reservations and/or CCC allocations will be used to quantify the impact of system-level changes to extend the life and performance of the ASC code base. Finally, a simulation of anticipated exascale-class hardware will be performed using SST to supplement the calculations. Determine where the breaking point is for an existing highly scalable application: Chapter 15 presented the CSSE work that sought to identify the breaking point in two ASC legacy applications-Charon and CTH. Their mini-app versions were also employed to complete the task. There is no single breaking point as more than one issue was found with the two codes. The results were

Photovoltaic demonstration projects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gillett, W B; Hacker, R J; Kaut, W [eds.

1991-01-01

This book, the proceedings of the fourth PV-Contractors' Meeting organized by the Commission of the European Communities, Directorate-General for Energy, held at Brussels on 21 and 22 November 1989, provides an overview of the photovoltaic demonstration projects which have been supported in the framework of the Energy Demonstration Program since 1983. It includes reports by each of the contractors who submitted proposals in 1983, 1984, 1985 and 1986, describing progress with their projects. Summaries of the discussions held at the meeting, which included contractors whose projects were submitted in 1987, are also presented. The different technologies which are being demonstrated concern the modules, the cabling of the array, structure design, storage strategy and power conditioning. The various applications include desalination, communications, dairy farms, water pumping, and warning systems. Papers have been processed separately for inclusion on the data base.

Environmental change and enteric zoonoses in New Zealand: a systematic review of the evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Lal, Aparna; Lill, Adrian W T; Mcintyre, Mary; Hales, Simon; Baker, Michael G; French, Nigel P

2015-02-01

To review the available evidence that examines the association between climatic and agricultural land use factors and the risks of enteric zoonoses in humans and consider information needs and possible pathways of intervention. The electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science and Embase and government websites were searched systematically for published literature that investigated the association of climatic and/or agricultural exposures with the incidence of the four most common enteric zoonotic diseases in New Zealand (campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis, cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis). Results The 16 studies in the review demonstrated significant associations between climate, agricultural land use and enteric disease occurrence. The evidence suggests that enteric disease risk from environmental reservoirs is pathogen specific. In some rural regions, environmental pathogen load is considerable, with multiple opportunities for zoonotic transmission. Enteric disease occurrence in NZ is associated with climate variability and agricultural land use. However, these relationships interact with demographic factors to influence disease patterns. Improved understanding of how environmental and social factors interact can inform effective public health interventions under scenarios of projected environmental change. © 2014 Public Health Association of Australia.

Epicardial fat and atrial fibrillation: current evidence, potential mechanisms, clinical implications, and future directions.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Christopher X; Ganesan, Anand N; Selvanayagam, Joseph B

2017-05-01

Obesity is increasingly recognized as a major modifiable determinant of atrial fibrillation (AF). Although body mass index and other clinical measures are useful indications of general adiposity, much recent interest has focused on epicardial fat, a distinct adipose tissue depot that can be readily assessed using non-invasive imaging techniques. A growing body of data from epidemiological and clinical studies has demonstrated that epicardial fat is consistently associated with the presence, severity, and recurrence of AF across a range of clinical settings. Evidence from basic science and translational studies has also suggested that arrhythmogenic mechanisms may involve adipocyte infiltration, pro-fibrotic, and pro-inflammatory paracrine effects, oxidative stress, and other pathways. Despite these advances, however, significant uncertainty exists and many questions remain unanswered. In this article, we review our present understanding of epicardial fat, including its classification and quantification, existing evidence implicating its role in AF, potential mechanisms, implications for clinicians, and future directions for research. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2016. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Barnacle geese achieve significant energetic savings by changing posture.

Science.gov (United States)

Tickle, Peter G; Nudds, Robert L; Codd, Jonathan R

2012-01-01

Here we report the resting metabolic rate in barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis) and provide evidence for the significant energetic effect of posture. Under laboratory conditions flow-through respirometry together with synchronous recording of behaviour enabled a calculation of how metabolic rate varies with posture. Our principal finding is that standing bipedally incurs a 25% increase in metabolic rate compared to birds sitting on the ground. In addition to the expected decrease in energy consumption of hindlimb postural muscles when sitting, we hypothesise that a change in breathing mechanics represents one potential mechanism for at least part of the observed difference in energetic cost. Due to the significant effect of posture, future studies of resting metabolic rates need to take into account and/or report differences in posture.

Evidence logics with relational evidence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baltag, Alexandru; Occhipinti, Andrés

2017-01-01

We introduce a family of logics for reasoning about relational evidence: evidence that involves an ordering of states in terms of their relative plausibility. We provide sound and complete axiomatizations for the logics. We also present several evidential actions and prove soundness...

NDE performance demonstration in the US nuclear power industry - applications, costs, lessons learned, and connection to NDE reliability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ammirato, F.

1997-01-01

Periodic inservice inspection (ISI) of nuclear power plant components is performed in the United States to satisfy legal commitments and to provide plant owners with reliable information for managing degradation. Performance demonstration provides credible evidence that ISI will fulfill its objectives. This paper examines the technical requirements for inspection and discusses how these technical needs are used to develop effective performance demonstration applications. NDE reliability is discussed with particular reference to its role in structural integrity assessments and its connection with performance demonstration. It is shown that the role of NDE reliability can range from very small to critical depending on the particular application and must be considered carefully in design of inspection techniques and performance demonstration programs used to qualify the inspection. Finally, the costs, benefits, and problems associated with performance demonstration are reviewed along with lessons learned from more than 15 years of performance demonstration experience in the US. (orig.)

Normal development of the muscular region of the interventricular septum--I. The significance of the ventricular trabeculations.

Science.gov (United States)

Contreras-Ramos, A; Sánchez-Gómez, C; García-Romero, H L; Cimarosti, L O

2008-10-01

The structures that participate in normal ventricular septation, and to what extent they do so, are questions not yet clarified. Even less is known about how much each of the embryonic structures contributes to the topography of the mature interventricular septum (IVS). The aim of the present paper is to investigate the significance of ventricular trabeculations in the normal development of the muscular region (the middle and apical thirds) of the IVS and to determine the direction in which it grows during cardiac septation. Anatomical studies and in vivo labelling were carried out in chicken embryo hearts at stage 18HH, tracing the labels up to stage 36HH. We analysed the results by measuring the distance between the labelled structures at the beginning and end of the experiments. We demonstrate that the muscular region of the septum originates by the fusion of the ventricular trabeculations with evidence that during cardiac development, the IVS as well as the ventricular cavities grow in opposite direction to the atria.

Action potential influences spatial perception: Evidence for genuine top-down effects on perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Witt, Jessica K

2017-08-01

The action-specific account of spatial perception asserts that a perceiver's ability to perform an action, such as hitting a softball or walking up a hill, impacts the visual perception of the target object. Although much evidence is consistent with this claim, the evidence has been challenged as to whether perception is truly impacted, as opposed to the responses themselves. These challenges have recently been organized as six pitfalls that provide a framework with which to evaluate the empirical evidence. Four case studies of action-specific effects are offered as evidence that meets the framework's high bar, and thus that demonstrates genuine perceptual effects. That action influences spatial perception is evidence that perceptual and action-related processes are intricately and bidirectionally linked.

Integration of evidence-based practice in bedside teaching paediatrics supported by e-learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Potomkova, Jarmila; Mihal, Vladimir; Zapletalova, Jirina; Subova, Dana

2010-03-01

Bedside teaching with evidence-based practice elements, supported by e-learning activities, can play an important role in modern medical education. Teachers have to incorporate evidence from the medical literature to increase student motivation and interactivity. An integral part of the medical curricula at Palacky University Olomouc (Czech Republic) are real paediatric scenarios supplemented with a review of current literature to enhance evidence-based bedside teaching & learning. Searching for evidence is taught through librarian-guided interactive hands-on sessions and/or web-based tutorials followed by clinical case presentations and feedback. Innovated EBM paediatric clerkship demonstrated students' preferences towards web-based interactive bedside teaching & learning. In two academic years (2007/2008, 2008/2009), learning-focused feedback from 106 and 131 students, resp. was obtained about their attitudes towards evidence-based bedside teaching. The assessment included among others the overall level of instruction, quality of practical evidence-based training, teacher willingness and impact of instruction on increased interest in the specialty. There was some criticism about excessive workload. A parallel survey was carried out on the perceived values of different forms of information skills training (i.e. demonstration, online tutorials, and librarian-guided interactive search sessions) and post-training self-reported level of search skills. The new teaching/learning paediatric portfolio is a challenge for further activities, including effective knowledge translation, continuing medical & professional development of teachers, and didactic, clinically integrated teaching approaches.

Primary immune system responders to nucleus pulposus cells: evidence for immune response in disc herniation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K Murai

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Although intervertebral disc herniation and associated sciatica is a common disease, its molecular pathogenesis is not well understood. Immune responses are thought to be involved. This study provides direct evidence that even non-degenerated nucleus pulposus (NP cells elicit immune responses. An in vitro colony forming inhibition assay demonstrated the suppressive effects of autologous spleen cells on NP cells and an in vitro cytotoxicity assay showed the positive cytotoxic effects of natural killer (NK cells and macrophages on NP cells. Non-degenerated rat NP tissues transplanted into wild type rats and immune-deficient mice demonstrated a significantly higher NP cell survival rate in immune-deficient mice. Immunohistochemical staining showed the presence of macrophages and NK cells in the transplanted NP tissues. These results suggest that even non-degenerated autologous NP cells are recognized by macrophages and NK cells, which may have an immunological function in the early phase of disc herniation. These findings contribute to understanding resorption and the inflammatory reaction to disc herniation.

Bedtime Blood Pressure Chronotherapy Significantly Improves Hypertension Management.

Science.gov (United States)

Hermida, Ramón C; Ayala, Diana E; Fernández, José R; Mojón, Artemio; Crespo, Juan J; Ríos, María T; Smolensky, Michael H

2017-10-01

Consistent evidence of numerous studies substantiates the asleep blood pressure (BP) mean derived from ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) is both an independent and a stronger predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk than are daytime clinic BP measurements or the ABPM-determined awake or 24-hour BP means. Hence, cost-effective adequate control of sleep-time BP is of marked clinical relevance. Ingestion time, according to circadian rhythms, of hypertension medications of 6 different classes and their combinations significantly improves BP control, particularly sleep-time BP, and reduces adverse effects. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Evidence and Evidence Gaps - an Introduction].

Science.gov (United States)

Dreier, G; Löhler, J

2016-04-01

Treating patients requires the inclusion of existing evidence in any health care decision, to be able to choose the best diagnosis or treatment measure or to make valid prognosis statements for a particular patient in consideration of the physician's own expertise.The basis are clinical trials, the results of which are ideally gathered in systematic reviews, rated, summarized and published. In addition to the GCP (Good Clinical Practice)-compliant planning, conducting and analysis of clinical studies it is essential, that all study results are made publicly available, in order to avoid publication bias. This includes the public registration of planned and discontinued trials. In the last 25 years, the evidence-based medicine (EbM) has increasingly found its way into clinical practice and research. Here EbM is closely associated with the names Archibald Cochrane and David Sackett. In Germany, both the German Cochrane Centre (DCZ) and the network of evidence-based medicine (DNEbM) were established approximately 15 years ago. In the international Cochrane Collaboration clinicians and other scientists like statisticians interdisciplinary work side by side to develop the methods of evidence-based medicine and to address the topics of evidence generation and processing as well as the transfer of knowledge. Challenge: Existing evidence primarily serves doctors to support their decision-making, but is also the basis for providing scientific proof for a health care intervention's benefit to patients and ultimately payers/health insurances. The closure of existing evidence gaps requires substantial human and financial resources, a complex organizational structure and can only succeed with the involvement of clinical and methodological expertise and specific knowledge in the field of clinical research. In addition, the knowledge must be transferred into practice, using journals, guidelines, conferences, databases, information portals with processed evidence and not least the

Limited Evidence for Robot-assisted Surgery

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Broholm, Malene; Onsberg Hansen, Iben; Rosenberg, Jacob

2016-01-01

-assisted surgery. Open versus robot-assisted surgery was investigated in 3 studies. A lower blood loss and a longer operative time were found after robot-assisted surgery. No other difference was detected. CONCLUSIONS: At this point there is not enough evidence to support the significantly higher costs......PURPOSE: To evaluate available evidence on robot-assisted surgery compared with open and laparoscopic surgery. METHOD: The databases Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library were systematically searched for randomized controlled trials comparing robot-assisted surgery with open and laparoscopic...... surgery regardless of surgical procedure. Meta-analyses were performed on each outcome with appropriate data material available. Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias was used to evaluate risk of bias on a study level. The GRADE approach was used to evaluate the quality of evidence...

Laser fluorosensor demonstration flights over Newfoundland coastal waters. Volume 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, C.E.; Marois, R.

2007-01-01

The development and application of advanced oil spill remote sensing equipment was discussed with particular reference to 9 laser fluorosensor demonstration flights undertaken in March 2007 in the coastal waters of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Scanning Laser Environmental Airborne Fluorosensor (SLEAF) provides a fluorescent spectrum of oil to accurately identify even small amounts of fresh crudes equally well during full daylight conditions as at night. They allow for airborne detection, classification, surveillance monitoring of oil spills, as well as the exploration of marine petroleum resources. With the advent of powerful processors in modern computers, the classification capabilities of laser fluorosensors have significantly improved. Fluorescence information can be quickly transferred to response personnel on the ground or at sea to help plan effective oil spill countermeasures and to mitigate the effects of an oil spill in marine and coastal environments. Laser fluorosensors can successfully discriminate between oiled and un-oiled weeds and detect oil in water, snow, ice and beaches. The SLEAF flights were the third series undertaken over a period of 4 years in later winter weather conditions. The flights were focused over shipping lanes south of Newfoundland and Labrador around the local petroleum handling facilities. In addition to laser data, they provided georeferenced infrared, ultraviolet, colour video and digital still imagery. During the flights, SLEAF did not indicate much evidence of petroleum oil on the surface of the marine environment. None of the flights over 17 marine tankers, container vessels, supply vessels and tugs indicated any signs of oily discharge. 10 refs., 1 tab., 7 figs

Core public health functions for BC : evidence review : air quality-indoor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Copes, R.; Ouellette, V.; Lee, K.S.; Brauer, M. [British Columbia Ministry of Health, Victoria, BC (Canada)

2006-04-15

Indoor sources of pollutants can have a major impact on the health of Canadians, as pollutant concentrations are often higher indoors than outdoors. This paper assessed data compiled by public health indoor air interventions. The aim of the study was to identify the current state of evidence on the impacts of indoor pollution in order to develop performance improvement plans for public health programs in British Columbia (BC). The literature review used several databases to review interventions involving humidity control; ventilation; particulate matter; indoor allergens; and environmental tobacco smoke. Results of the review showed that improving inadequate ventilation can significantly decrease the prevalence of sick building syndrome as well as other self-reported symptoms attributed to indoor air pollution. A review of the literature also demonstrated that many building ventilation systems are not functioning to design specifications. The poor quality of studies on the health impacts of particulate matter or dust made it difficult to fully assess the benefits of particle filtration on human health. Studies investigating the impacts of controlling indoor allergens suggested that the avoidance of dust mites may benefit people with allergies. Evidence gained from studies on environmental tobacco smoke showed that banning or restricting smoking will reduce the burden of illness from pollutants in indoor air. 20 refs., 3 tabs.

Core public health functions for BC : evidence review : air quality-indoor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Copes, R.; Ouellette, V.; Lee, K.S.; Brauer, M.

2006-04-01

Indoor sources of pollutants can have a major impact on the health of Canadians, as pollutant concentrations are often higher indoors than outdoors. This paper assessed data compiled by public health indoor air interventions. The aim of the study was to identify the current state of evidence on the impacts of indoor pollution in order to develop performance improvement plans for public health programs in British Columbia (BC). The literature review used several databases to review interventions involving humidity control; ventilation; particulate matter; indoor allergens; and environmental tobacco smoke. Results of the review showed that improving inadequate ventilation can significantly decrease the prevalence of sick building syndrome as well as other self-reported symptoms attributed to indoor air pollution. A review of the literature also demonstrated that many building ventilation systems are not functioning to design specifications. The poor quality of studies on the health impacts of particulate matter or dust made it difficult to fully assess the benefits of particle filtration on human health. Studies investigating the impacts of controlling indoor allergens suggested that the avoidance of dust mites may benefit people with allergies. Evidence gained from studies on environmental tobacco smoke showed that banning or restricting smoking will reduce the burden of illness from pollutants in indoor air. 20 refs., 3 tabs

The IDEA Assessment Tool: Assessing the Reporting, Diagnostic Reasoning, and Decision-Making Skills Demonstrated in Medical Students' Hospital Admission Notes.

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, Elizabeth A; Ledford, Cynthia H; Fogg, Louis; Way, David P; Park, Yoon Soo

2015-01-01

Construct: Clinical skills are used in the care of patients, including reporting, diagnostic reasoning, and decision-making skills. Written comprehensive new patient admission notes (H&Ps) are a ubiquitous part of student education but are underutilized in the assessment of clinical skills. The interpretive summary, differential diagnosis, explanation of reasoning, and alternatives (IDEA) assessment tool was developed to assess students' clinical skills using written comprehensive new patient admission notes. The validity evidence for assessment of clinical skills using clinical documentation following authentic patient encounters has not been well documented. Diagnostic justification tools and postencounter notes are described in the literature (1,2) but are based on standardized patient encounters. To our knowledge, the IDEA assessment tool is the first published tool that uses medical students' H&Ps to rate students' clinical skills. The IDEA assessment tool is a 15-item instrument that asks evaluators to rate students' reporting, diagnostic reasoning, and decision-making skills based on medical students' new patient admission notes. This study presents validity evidence in support of the IDEA assessment tool using Messick's unified framework, including content (theoretical framework), response process (interrater reliability), internal structure (factor analysis and internal-consistency reliability), and relationship to other variables. Validity evidence is based on results from four studies conducted between 2010 and 2013. First, the factor analysis (2010, n = 216) yielded a three-factor solution, measuring patient story, IDEA, and completeness, with reliabilities of .79, .88, and .79, respectively. Second, an initial interrater reliability study (2010) involving two raters demonstrated fair to moderate consensus (κ = .21-.56, ρ =.42-.79). Third, a second interrater reliability study (2011) with 22 trained raters also demonstrated fair to moderate agreement

Groundwater Monitoring and Engineered Geothermal Systems: The Newberry EGS Demonstration

Science.gov (United States)

Grasso, K.; Cladouhos, T. T.; Garrison, G.

2013-12-01

Engineered Geothermal Systems (EGS) represent the next generation of geothermal energy development. Stimulation of multiple zones within a single geothermal reservoir could significantly reduce the cost of geothermal energy production. Newberry Volcano in central Oregon represents an ideal location for EGS research and development. As such, the goals of the Newberry EGS Demonstration, operated by AltaRock Energy, Inc., include stimulation of a multiple-zone EGS reservoir, testing of single-well tracers and a demonstration of EGS reservoir viability through flow-back and circulation tests. A shallow, local aquifer supplied the approximately 41,630 m3 (11 million gals) of water used during stimulation of NWG 55-29, a deep geothermal well on the western flank of Newberry Volcano. Protection of the local aquifer is of primary importance to both the Newberry EGS Demonstration and the public. As part of the Demonstration, AltaRock Energy, Inc. has developed and implemented a groundwater monitoring plan to characterize the geochemistry of the local aquifer before, during and after stimulation. Background geochemical conditions were established prior to stimulation of NWG 55-29, which was completed in 2012. Nine sites were chosen for groundwater monitoring. These include the water supply well used during stimulation of NWG 55-29, three monitoring wells, three domestic water wells and two hot seeps located in the Newberry Caldera. Together, these nine monitoring sites represent up-, down- and cross-gradient locations. Groundwater samples are analyzed for 25 chemical constituents, stable isotopes, and geothermal tracers used during stimulation. In addition, water level data is collected at three monitoring sites in order to better characterize the effects of stimulation on the shallow aquifer. To date, no significant geochemical changes and no geothermal tracers have been detected in groundwater samples from these monitoring sites. The Newberry EGS Demonstration groundwater

Shaping accountabilities for erroneously enacted environmental evidence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lippert, Ingmar

of accountability: first, the company was performing itself as a socially and environmentally accountable and responsible "corporate citizen"; second, the company was inhabiting a discourse of evidence-based decision-making, requiring the evidence to be produced accountably. I analyse a limited set of ethnographic......Drawing on fieldwork in and around a transnational Fortune 50 company's "corporate social responsibility" unit, this paper opens up a range of situations that took part in enacting the company's evidence of its impact on global warming. This evidence was implicated in at least two significant modes...... vignettes of situated work practice that (con)figured the company's accounting for their carbon emissions. Common to all these situations was that the environmental realities enacted have been categorised by some members as erroneous or as not good enough. In this paper I am interested, thence...

Drilling for improvement : Statoil and Halliburton report significant cost savings and more accurate well placement at the Leismer demonstration project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jaremko, D.

2010-07-15

This article discussed new improvements in steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) made by Statoil and Halliburton at the Leismer demonstration project. The Leismer project is Statoil's inaugural project in oil sands development, and will have a capacity to produce 10,000 barrels per day through 4 separate well pads with 23 well pairs. Challenges to the project included the long lateral sections required for the well pairs to remain parallel to each other while remaining within the target formation. An azimuthal deep resistivity (ADR) tool was used to detect the proximity of the wellbore to shale and water zones. Use of the tool allowed operators to modify the planned well trajectory in order to optimize placements within the reservoir. A rotary steerable system (RSS) was used increase injection times. The project was completed 6 to 8 weeks ahead of schedule. Applications have now been filed for a further 10 phases that will produce 240,000 barrels per day. 1 fig.

Evidence from dynamic integrated proctography to redefine anismus.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, J P; Womack, N R; Hallan, R I; Thorpe, A C; Williams, N S

1992-11-01

The role of anismus in the aetiology of defective rectal evacuation was investigated by dynamic integrated proctography in 20 controls and 71 constipated patients. Normal parameters were defined and compared between 21 constipated patients with poor evacuation during proctography ( 90 per cent of contrast evacuated; group 2). Nine patients in group 1 failed to evacuate. Radiological abnormalities of the rectum were recorded in all groups but obstructed evacuation was not observed. Anismus (defined as a recruitment of puborectalis electromyogram (EMG) activity of > 50 per cent) was significantly more common in group 1 than group 2 patients (14 of 21 versus 12 of 50, P 50 cmH2O compared with two in group 2 (P anismus and inability to raise intrarectal pressure, which may combine to cause defective evacuation. EMG recruitment alone is insufficient to diagnose anismus. Definition should be based on three criteria: demonstration of puborectalis EMG recruitment of > 50 per cent; evidence of an adequate level of intrarectal pressure (> 50 cmH2O) on straining; and presence of defective evacuation.

Chaos in oil prices? Evidence from futures markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adrangi, B.; Chatrath, A.; Dhanda, K.K.; Raffiee, K.

2001-01-01

We test for the presence of low-dimensional chaotic structure in crude oil, heating oil, and unleaded gasoline futures prices from the early 1980s. Evidence on chaos will have important implications for regulators and short-term trading strategies. While we find strong evidence of non-linear dependencies, the evidence is not consistent with chaos. Our test results indicate that ARCH-type processes, with controls for seasonal variation in prices, generally explain the non-linearities in the data. We also demonstrate that employing seasonally adjusted price series contributes to obtaining robust results via the existing tests for chaotic structure. Maximum likelihood methodologies, that are robust to the non-linear dynamics, lend support for Samuelson's hypothesis on contract-maturity effects in futures price-changes. However, the tests for chaos are not found to be sensitive to the maturity effects in the futures contracts. The results are robust to controls for the oil shocks of 1986 and 1991

The quest for significance model of radicalization: implications for the management of terrorist detainees.

Science.gov (United States)

Dugas, Michelle; Kruglanski, Arie W

2014-01-01

Radicalization and its culmination in terrorism represent a grave threat to the security and stability of the world. A related challenge is effective management of extremists who are detained in prison facilities. The major aim of this article is to review the significance quest model of radicalization and its implications for management of terrorist detainees. First, we review the significance quest model, which elaborates on the roles of motivation, ideology, and social processes in radicalization. Secondly, we explore the implications of the model in relation to the risks of prison radicalization. Finally, we analyze the model's implications for deradicalization strategies and review preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of a rehabilitation program targeting components of the significance quest. Based on this evidence, we argue that the psychology of radicalization provides compelling reason for the inclusion of deradicalization efforts as an essential component of the management of terrorist detainees. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Integrated monitoring and surveillance system demonstration project: Phase I accomplishments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aumeier, S.E.; Walters, B.G.; Crawford, D.C.

1997-01-01

The authors present the results of the Integrated Monitoring and Surveillance System (IMSS) demonstration project Phase I efforts. The rationale behind IMSS development is reviewed and progress in each of the 5 basic tasks is detailed. Significant results include decisions to use Echelon LonWorks networking protocol and Microsoft Access for the data system needs, a preliminary design for the plutonium canning system glovebox, identification of facilities and materials available for the demonstration, determination of possibly affected facility documentation, and a preliminary list of available sensor technologies. Recently imposed changes in the overall project schedule and scope are also discussed and budgetary requirements for competition of Phase II presented. The results show that the IMSS demonstration project team has met and in many cases exceeded the commitments made for Phase I deliverables

Pupils' evaluation and generation of evidence and explanation in argumentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Glassner, Amnon; Weinstock, Michael; Neuman, Yair

2005-03-01

Studies on argument have found that participants tend to prefer explanations to evidence. This apparent bias toward explanation has been qualified recently by research that has found it to diminish with the availability of evidence. This study examines the use of explanation versus evidence in the context of argumentation with reference to the goals of particular argument situations. Seventy-nine eighth-grade pupils at a regular, urban middle school. The pupils read argumentation scenarios, each having the stated goal of either explaining or proving a claim. The pupils rated the degree to which each of two provided assertions (one a theoretical explanation, and the other evidence-based) helped achieve the goal of the argument. On a second task, the pupils chose which of the two assertions should be more effective in achieving the argument goal. On the third task, the pupils generated either an explanation or evidence for each of the argumentation scenarios. Pupils demonstrated sensitivity to the relative epistemic strength of explanation and evidence. They rated explanations as more advantageous in achieving the explanation goal, and evidence as more advantageous in achieving the proof goal. Conversely, however, when asked to generate or recall an explanation or evidence, pupils produced more explanations than evidence independent of the argumentation goal. The study refines the definition of argumentation context to include specific goals. Pupils were sensitive to the context of the argumentation situation (e.g.goals, availability of evidence). However, they appeared to have a disposition toward explanation when asked to produce an explanation or evidence-based justification.

Astronomy LITE Demonstrations

Science.gov (United States)

Brecher, Kenneth

2006-12-01

Project LITE (Light Inquiry Through Experiments) is a materials, software, and curriculum development project. It focuses on light, optics, color and visual perception. According to two recent surveys of college astronomy faculty members, these are among the topics most often included in the large introductory astronomy courses. The project has aimed largely at the design and implementation of hands-on experiences for students. However, it has also included the development of lecture demonstrations that employ novel light sources and materials. In this presentation, we will show some of our new lecture demonstrations concerning geometrical and physical optics, fluorescence, phosphorescence and polarization. We have developed over 200 Flash and Java applets that can be used either by teachers in lecture settings or by students at home. They are all posted on the web at http://lite.bu.edu. For either purpose they can be downloaded directly to the user's computer or run off line. In lecture demonstrations, some of these applets can be used to control the light emitted by video projectors to produce physical effects in materials (e.g. fluorescence). Other applets can be used, for example, to demonstrate that the human percept of color does not have a simple relationship with the physical frequency of the stimulating source of light. Project LITE is supported by Grant #DUE-0125992 from the NSF Division of Undergraduate Education.

Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-03-01

The Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration (BWID) supports the applied research, development, demonstration, and evaluation of a suite of advanced technologies that offer promising solutions to the problems associated with the remediation of buried waste. BWID addresses the difficult remediation problems associated with DOE complex-wide buried waste, particularly transuranic (TRU) contaminated buried waste. BWID has implemented a systems approach to the development and demonstration of technologies that will characterize, retrieve, treat, and dispose of DOE buried wastes. This approach encompasses the entire remediation process from characterization to post-monitoring. The development and demonstration of the technology is predicated on how a technology fits into the total remediation process. To address all of these technological issues, BWID has enlisted scientific expertise of individuals and groups from within the DOE Complex, as well as experts from universities and private industry. The BWID mission is to support development and demonstration of a suite of technologies that, when integrated with commercially-available technologies, forms a comprehensive, remediation system for the effective and efficient remediation of buried waste throughout the DOE Complex. BWID will evaluate and validate demonstrated technologies and transfer this information and equipment to private industry to support the Office of Environmental Restoration (ER), Office of Waste Management (WM), and Office of Facility Transition (FT) remediation planning and implementation activities

Quantifying thresholds for significant dune erosion along the Sefton Coast, Northwest England

Science.gov (United States)

Esteves, Luciana S.; Brown, Jennifer M.; Williams, Jon J.; Lymbery, Graham

2012-03-01

Field and model hindcast data are used to establish a critical dune erosion threshold for the Sefton Coast (NW England). Events are classified as causing significant erosion if they result in: (a) a mean dune retreat along the entire study area of > 2 m; (b) a dune retreat of ≥ 5 m along a coastal segment ≥ 2 km in length; and (c) an eroded area ≥ 20,000 m2. For the period 1996 to 2008, individual storms were characterised using hindcast results from a POLCOMS-WAM model and measured data from the Liverpool Bay Coastal Observatory. Results show that combined extreme surge levels (> 1.5 m) and wave heights (> 4 m), or tidal water levels above 9.0 m Chart Datum (CD), do not always result in significant dune erosion. Evidence suggests that erosion is more likely to occur when wave heights are > 2.6 m, peak water level is > 10.2 m CD at Liverpool and when consecutive tidal cycles provide 10 h or more of water levels above 9.4 m CD. However, lower water levels and wave heights, and shorter events of sustained water levels, can cause significant erosion in the summer. While the return period for events giving rise to the most severe erosion in the winter is > 50 years, significant erosion in the summer can be caused by events with return periods dune toe elevation c. 30 cm. Although the study shows it might be possible to characterise objectively storm events based on oceanographic conditions, the resultant morphological change at the coast is demonstrated to depend on the time and duration of events, and on other variables which are not so easy to quantify. Further investigation is needed to understand the influence of alongshore and seasonal variability in beach/dune morphology in determining the response to the hydrodynamic and meteorological conditions causing significant erosion. Improved monitoring pre- and post-storm of changes in beach/dune morphology is required to develop reliable proxies that can be used to establish early warning systems to mitigate the

Differential action of glycoprotein hormones: significance in cancer progression.

Science.gov (United States)

Govindaraj, Vijayakumar; Arya, Swathy V; Rao, A J

2014-02-01

Growth of multicellular organisms depends on maintenance of proper balance between proliferation and differentiation. Any disturbance in this balance in animal cells can lead to cancer. Experimental evidence is provided to conclude with special reference to the action of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) on Sertoli cells, and luteinizing hormone (LH) on Leydig cells that these hormones exert a differential action on their target cells, i.e., stimulate proliferation when the cells are in an undifferentiated state which is the situation with cancer cells and promote only functional parameters when the cell are fully differentiated. Hormones and growth factors play a key role in cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. There is a growing body of evidence that various tumors express some hormones at high levels as well as their cognate receptors indicating the possibility of a role in progression of cancer. Hormones such as LH, FSH, and thyroid-stimulating hormone have been reported to stimulate cell proliferation and act as tumor promoter in a variety of hormone-dependent cancers including gonads, lung, thyroid, uterus, breast, prostate, etc. This review summarizes evidence to conclude that these hormones are produced by some cancer tissues to promote their own growth. Also an attempt is made to explain the significance of the differential action of hormones in progression of cancer with special reference to prostate cancer.

Finding the Cause: Verbal Framing Helps Children Extract Causal Evidence Embedded in a Complex Scene

Science.gov (United States)

Butler, Lucas P.; Markman, Ellen M.

2012-01-01

In making causal inferences, children must both identify a causal problem and selectively attend to meaningful evidence. Four experiments demonstrate that verbally framing an event ("Which animals make Lion laugh?") helps 4-year-olds extract evidence from a complex scene to make accurate causal inferences. Whereas framing was unnecessary when…

Education & Collection Facility GSHP Demonstration Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joplin, Jeff [Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver, CO (United States)

2015-03-28

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS) designed and implemented an innovative ground source heat pump (GSHP) system for heating and cooling its new Education and Collection Facility (ECF) building addition. The project goal was to successfully design and install an open-loop GSHP system that utilized water circulating within an underground municipal recycled (non-potable) water system as the heat sink/source as a demonstration project. The expected results were to significantly reduce traditional GSHP installation costs while increasing system efficiency, reduce building energy consumption, require significantly less area and capital to install, and be economically implemented wherever access to a recycled water system is available. The project added to the understanding of GSHP technology by implementing the first GSHP system in the United States utilizing a municipal recycled water system as a heat sink/source. The use of this fluid through a GSHP system has not been previously documented. This use application presents a new opportunity for local municipalities to develop and expand the use of underground municipal recycled (non-potable) water systems. The installation costs for this type of technology in the building structure would be a cost savings over traditional GSHP costs, provided the local municipal infrastructure was developed. Additionally, the GSHP system functions as a viable method of heat sink/source as the thermal characteristics of the fluid are generally consistent throughout the year and are efficiently exchanged through the GSHP system and its components. The use of the recycled water system reduces the area required for bore or loop fields; therefore, presenting an application for building structures that have little to no available land use or access. This GSHP application demonstrates the viability of underground municipal recycled (non-potable) water systems as technically achievable, environmentally supportive, and an efficient

CDK4/6 dual inhibitor abemaciclib demonstrates compelling preclinical activity against esophageal adenocarcinoma: a novel therapeutic option for a deadly disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Kosovec, Juliann E; Zaidi, Ali H; Omstead, Ashten N; Matsui, Daisuke; Biedka, Mark J; Cox, Erin J; Campbell, Patrick T; Biederman, Robert W W; Kelly, Ronan J; Jobe, Blair A

2017-11-21

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is a deadly disease with limited therapeutic options. In the present study, we determined the preclinical efficacy of CDK4/6 inhibitor abemaciclib for treatment of EAC. In vitro , apoptosis, proliferation, and pathway regulation were evaluated in OE19, OE33, and FLO1 EAC cell lines. In vivo , esophagojejunostomy was performed on rats to induce EAC. At 36 weeks post-surgery, MRI and endoscopic biopsy established baseline tumor volume and molecular correlates, respectively. Next, the study animals were randomized to 26mg/kg intraperitoneal abemaciclib treatment or vehicle control for 28 days. Pre and post treatment MRIs, histopathology, and qRT-PCR were utilized to determine response. Our results demonstrated treatment with abemaciclib lead to increased apoptosis, and decreased proliferation in OE19 (p=0.185), OE33 (p=0.048), and FLO1 (p=0.043) with anticipated downstream molecular inhibition. In vivo , 78.9% of treatment animals demonstrated >20% tumor volume decrease (placebo 0%). Mean tumor volume changed in the treatment arm by -65.5% (placebo +133.5%) (p<0.01), and prevalence changed by -37.5% (placebo +16.7%) (p<0.01). Pre vs post treatment qRT-PCR demonstrated significant inhibition of all downstream molecular correlates. Overall our findings suggest potent antitumor efficacy of abemaciclib against EAC with evident molecular pathway inhibition and reasonable safety, establishing the rationale for future clinical development.

No evidence for bulk velocity from type Ia supernovae

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huterer, Dragan; Shafer, Daniel L. [Department of Physics, University of Michigan, 450 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Schmidt, Fabian, E-mail: huterer@umich.edu, E-mail: dlshafer@umich.edu, E-mail: fabians@mpa-garching.mpg.de [Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 1, 85748 Garching (Germany)

2015-12-01

We revisit the effect of peculiar velocities on low-redshift type Ia supernovae. Velocities introduce an additional guaranteed source of correlations between supernova magnitudes that should be considered in all analyses of nearby supernova samples but has largely been neglected in the past. Applying a likelihood analysis to the latest compilation of nearby supernovae, we find no evidence for the presence of these correlations, although, given the significant noise, the data is also consistent with the correlations predicted for the standard ΛCDM model. We then consider the dipolar component of the velocity correlations—the frequently studied ''bulk velocity''—and explicitly demonstrate that including the velocity correlations in the data covariance matrix is crucial for drawing correct and unambiguous conclusions about the bulk flow. In particular, current supernova data is consistent with no excess bulk flow on top of what is expected in ΛCDM and effectively captured by the covariance. We further clarify the nature of the apparent bulk flow that is inferred when the velocity covariance is ignored. We show that a significant fraction of this quantity is expected to be noise bias due to uncertainties in supernova magnitudes and not any physical peculiar motion.

No evidence for bulk velocity from type Ia supernovae

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huterer, Dragan; Shafer, Daniel L.; Schmidt, Fabian

2015-01-01

We revisit the effect of peculiar velocities on low-redshift type Ia supernovae. Velocities introduce an additional guaranteed source of correlations between supernova magnitudes that should be considered in all analyses of nearby supernova samples but has largely been neglected in the past. Applying a likelihood analysis to the latest compilation of nearby supernovae, we find no evidence for the presence of these correlations, although, given the significant noise, the data is also consistent with the correlations predicted for the standard ΛCDM model. We then consider the dipolar component of the velocity correlations—the frequently studied ''bulk velocity''—and explicitly demonstrate that including the velocity correlations in the data covariance matrix is crucial for drawing correct and unambiguous conclusions about the bulk flow. In particular, current supernova data is consistent with no excess bulk flow on top of what is expected in ΛCDM and effectively captured by the covariance. We further clarify the nature of the apparent bulk flow that is inferred when the velocity covariance is ignored. We show that a significant fraction of this quantity is expected to be noise bias due to uncertainties in supernova magnitudes and not any physical peculiar motion

Multi-Physics Demonstration Problem with the SHARP Reactor Simulation Toolkit

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Merzari, E. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Shemon, E. R. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Yu, Y. Q. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Thomas, J. W. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Obabko, A. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Jain, Rajeev [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Mahadevan, Vijay [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Tautges, Timothy [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Solberg, Jerome [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Ferencz, Robert Mark [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Whitesides, R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2015-12-21

This report describes to employ SHARP to perform a first-of-a-kind analysis of the core radial expansion phenomenon in an SFR. This effort required significant advances in the framework Multi-Physics Demonstration Problem with the SHARP Reactor Simulation Toolkit used to drive the coupled simulations, manipulate the mesh in response to the deformation of the geometry, and generate the necessary modified mesh files. Furthermore, the model geometry is fairly complex, and consistent mesh generation for the three physics modules required significant effort. Fully-integrated simulations of a 7-assembly mini-core test problem have been performed, and the results are presented here. Physics models of a full-core model of the Advanced Burner Test Reactor have also been developed for each of the three physics modules. Standalone results of each of the three physics modules for the ABTR are presented here, which provides a demonstration of the feasibility of the fully-integrated simulation.

Evidence and evidence gaps in tinnitus therapy

Science.gov (United States)

Hesse, Gerhard

2016-01-01

A nearly endless number of procedures has been tried and in particular sold for the treatment of tinnitus, unfortunately they have not been evaluated appropriately in an evidence-based way. A causal therapy, omitting the tinnitus still does not exist, actually it cannot exist because of the various mechanisms of its origin. However or perhaps because of that, medical interventions appear and reappear like fashion trends that can never be proven by stable and reliable treatment success. This contribution will discuss and acknowledge all current therapeutic procedures and the existing or non-existing evidence will be assessed. Beside external evidence, the term of evidence also encompasses the internal evidence, i.e. the experience of the treating physician and the patient’s needs shall be included. While there is no evidence for nearly all direct procedures that intend modulating or stimulating either the cochlea or specific cervical regions such as the auditory cortex, there are therapeutic procedures that are acknowledged in clinical practice and have achieved at least a certain degree of evidence and generate measurable effect sizes. Those are in particular habituation therapy and psychotherapeutic measures, especially if they are combined with concrete measures for improved audio perception (hearing aids, CI, hearing therapies). PMID:28025604

Evidence-Based Practice Knowledge, Attitude, Access and Confidence: A comparison of dental hygiene and dental students.

Science.gov (United States)

Santiago, Victoria; Cardenas, Melissa; Charles, Anne Laure; Hernandez, Estefany; Oyoyo, Udochukwu; Kwon, So Ran

2018-04-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether current educational strategies at a dental institution in the United States made a difference in dental hygiene (DNHY) and dental students' (D3) learning outcomes in the four domains of evidence-based practice (EBP), knowledge, attitude, accessing evidence, and confidence (KACE), following a 12-week research design course. Methods: All participants DNHY (n=19) and D3 (n=96) enrolled in the research design course at Loma Linda University completed a paper KACE survey distributed on the first day of class. Students completed the KACE survey once more at the end of the 12-week course. Pre- and post-survey results were compared both within and between the DNHY and D3 student groups to identify the learning outcomes in the four domains of EBP; knowledge, attitude, accessing evidence, and confidence in EBP. Descriptive statistics were conducted to profile all variables in the study; the level of significance was set at α=0.05. Results: All DNHY students (n=19) completed the pre and post KACE surveys; of the D3 (n=96) students enrolled in the course 82% (n=79) competed the post-survey. Comparison of the survey results showed that both DNHY and D3 students demonstrated statistically significant increases in their level of knowledge and attitude (p 0.05). Conclusion: DNHY and D3 students increased their knowledge and developed more positive attitudes towards EBP following a 12-week research design course. Study results identify improvement areas for EBP knowledge acquisition including determining levels of evidence, analysis of study results, and evaluating the appropriateness of research study designs through the use of validated EBP survey instrument. Copyright © 2018 The American Dental Hygienists’ Association.

Biodiesel Mass Transit Demonstration

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

The Biodiesel Mass Transit Demonstration report is intended for mass transit decision makers and fleet managers considering biodiesel use. This is the final report for the demonstration project implemented by the National Biodiesel Board under a gran...

Polarized Light Corridor Demonstrations.

Science.gov (United States)

Davies, G. R.

1990-01-01

Eleven demonstrations of light polarization are presented. Each includes a brief description of the apparatus and the effect demonstrated. Illustrated are strain patterns, reflection, scattering, the Faraday Effect, interference, double refraction, the polarizing microscope, and optical activity. (CW)

Interaction and representational integration: Evidence from speech errors

OpenAIRE

Goldrick, Matthew; Baker, H. Ross; Murphy, Amanda; Baese-Berk, Melissa

2011-01-01

We examine the mechanisms that support interaction between lexical, phonological and phonetic processes during language production. Studies of the phonetics of speech errors have provided evidence that partially activated lexical and phonological representations influence phonetic processing. We examine how these interactive effects are modulated by lexical frequency. Previous research has demonstrated that during lexical access, the processing of high frequency words is facilitated; in contr...

Barnacle geese achieve significant energetic savings by changing posture.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter G Tickle

Full Text Available Here we report the resting metabolic rate in barnacle geese (Branta leucopsis and provide evidence for the significant energetic effect of posture. Under laboratory conditions flow-through respirometry together with synchronous recording of behaviour enabled a calculation of how metabolic rate varies with posture. Our principal finding is that standing bipedally incurs a 25% increase in metabolic rate compared to birds sitting on the ground. In addition to the expected decrease in energy consumption of hindlimb postural muscles when sitting, we hypothesise that a change in breathing mechanics represents one potential mechanism for at least part of the observed difference in energetic cost. Due to the significant effect of posture, future studies of resting metabolic rates need to take into account and/or report differences in posture.

Vasopressin as a target for antidepressant development: an assessment of the available evidence.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Scott, Lucinda V

2012-02-03

Hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is one of the key biological abnormalities described in major depressive disorder, occurring in 30-50% of depressed subjects. Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and vasopressin (AVP) are the main regulators of this stress system, with the two neuropeptides acting synergistically in bringing about adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) release from the anterior pituitary and cortisol from the adrenal gland. Based on the demonstration of elevated cerebrospinal fluid levels of CRH in depressives, and other evidence, it has been postulated that excess CRH and the resultant increased HPA forward drive form the basis of neuroendocrine dysregulation in depression. However, there is an accumulating body of evidence to support a significant role for AVP in the regulation of pituitary-adrenal activity in health and also in depressive disorder. This review, based on a Medline search from 1980 to 2001, focuses on the functional neuroanatomy, receptor pharmacology, VP synergism with CRH, and the data from clinical and pre-clinical studies that support an important role for AVP in the pathophysiology of major depression. We suggest that future antidepressants may target the vasopressinergic system.

Comparing Demonstratives in Kwa

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper is a comparative study of demonstrative forms in three K wa languages, ... relative distance from the deictic centre, such as English this and that, here and there. ... Mostly, the referents of demonstratives are 'activated' or at least.

An evidence-based update on vitamins.

Science.gov (United States)

Orr, K Kelly; Hume, Anne L

2010-04-01

American adults take many types of vitamin supplements, despite limited evidence of their efficacy, especially in preventing chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. Supplements contain significant amounts of vitamins when consumed from multiple sources. Excess consumption of some vitamins may have detrimental health effects. Use of MMVM products appears to be safe; however, clinical outcomes have not been established. Although vitamin D and preconception folic acid may be appropriate for self care, a health care provider should monitor other vitamin supplements for disease prevention, such as niacin. Beyond supplementation as treatment for vitamin deficiencies, evidence is lacking.

Argonne-West facility requirements for a radioactive waste treatment demonstration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dwight, C.C.; Felicione, F.S.; Black, D.B.; Kelso, R.B.; McClellan, G.C.

1995-01-01

At Argonne National Laboratory-West (ANL-W), near Idaho Falls, Idaho, facilities that were originally constructed to support the development of liquid-metal reactor technology are being used and/or modified to meet the environmental and waste management research needs of DOE. One example is the use of an Argonne-West facility to conduct a radioactive waste treatment demonstration through a cooperative project with Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and Lockheed Idaho Technologies Company. The Plasma Hearth Process (PBP) project will utilize commercially-adapted plasma arc technology to demonstrate treatment of actual mixed waste. The demonstration on radioactive waste will be conducted at Argonne's Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT). Utilization of an existing facility for a new and different application presents a unique set of issues in meeting applicable federal state, and local requirements as well as the additional constraints imposed by DOE Orders and ANL-W site requirements. This paper briefly describes the PHP radioactive demonstrations relevant to the interfaces with the TREAT facility. Safety, environmental design, and operational considerations pertinent to the PHP radioactive demonstration are specifically addressed herein. The personnel equipment, and facility interfaces associated with a radioactive waste treatment demonstration are an important aspect of the demonstration effort. Areas requiring significant effort in preparation for the PBP Project being conducted at the TREAT facility include confinement design, waste handling features, and sampling and analysis considerations. Information about the facility in which a radioactive demonstration will be conducted, specifically Argonne's TREAT facility in the case of PHP, may be of interest to other organizations involved in developing and demonstrating technologies for mixed waste treatment

Collateral and the limits of debt capacity: theory and evidence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Giambona, E.; Mello, A.S.; Riddiough, T.

2012-01-01

This paper considers how collateral is used to finance a going concern, and demonstrates with theory and evidence that there are effective limits to debt capacity and the kinds of claims that are issued to deploy that debt capacity. The theory shows that firms with (unobservably) better quality

A method for the statistical interpretation of friction ridge skin impression evidence: Method development and validation.

Science.gov (United States)

Swofford, H J; Koertner, A J; Zemp, F; Ausdemore, M; Liu, A; Salyards, M J

2018-04-03

The forensic fingerprint community has faced increasing amounts of criticism by scientific and legal commentators, challenging the validity and reliability of fingerprint evidence due to the lack of an empirically demonstrable basis to evaluate and report the strength of the evidence in a given case. This paper presents a method, developed as a stand-alone software application, FRStat, which provides a statistical assessment of the strength of fingerprint evidence. The performance was evaluated using a variety of mated and non-mated datasets. The results show strong performance characteristics, often with values supporting specificity rates greater than 99%. This method provides fingerprint experts the capability to demonstrate the validity and reliability of fingerprint evidence in a given case and report the findings in a more transparent and standardized fashion with clearly defined criteria for conclusions and known error rate information thereby responding to concerns raised by the scientific and legal communities. Published by Elsevier B.V.

When general practitioners meet new evidence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Ole

2017-01-01

out the local information leaflet about home birth were prepared to do so. The time lag between presentation of the evidence and the GPs’ decision to hand out the leaflets was up to one and a half year. Conclusions: A significant number of GPs were prepared to change their information practices......Objective: To explore how general practitioners (GPs) think and act when presented with new evidence in relation to planned home birth and a proposal to change information practices. Design: Exploratory ethnographic study of GPs. The GPs were encountered one or more times during a two-year period......, 2011–2013, while the author tried to set up formal focus group interviews. Dialogues about the evidence, personal experiences, values and other issues unavoidably occurred. Field notes were written concomitantly. Setting: Danish GPs, primarily in Copenhagen. Subjects: Fifty Danish GPs. Results: The GPs...

pancreatic steatosis: diagnosis and clinical significance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Murat Daðdeviren

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Pancreatic steatosis (PS, with increased use of abdominal imaging in recent years generally appears as incidental. But it is a condition that is often overlooked. The reason for this is not yet fully demonstrated the clinical significance of PS while. However, in recent years, there are some studies conducted on the relationship with ps and other disease such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, acute and chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. In this review, the etiology, diagnosis, treatment and clinical characteristics of ps were evaluated in the light of recent literature and current approaches. [J Contemp Med 2017; 7(1.000: 107-112

Timescales for detecting a significant acceleration in sea level rise.

Science.gov (United States)

Haigh, Ivan D; Wahl, Thomas; Rohling, Eelco J; Price, René M; Pattiaratchi, Charitha B; Calafat, Francisco M; Dangendorf, Sönke

2014-04-14

There is observational evidence that global sea level is rising and there is concern that the rate of rise will increase, significantly threatening coastal communities. However, considerable debate remains as to whether the rate of sea level rise is currently increasing and, if so, by how much. Here we provide new insights into sea level accelerations by applying the main methods that have been used previously to search for accelerations in historical data, to identify the timings (with uncertainties) at which accelerations might first be recognized in a statistically significant manner (if not apparent already) in sea level records that we have artificially extended to 2100. We find that the most important approach to earliest possible detection of a significant sea level acceleration lies in improved understanding (and subsequent removal) of interannual to multidecadal variability in sea level records.

Tested Demonstrations.

Science.gov (United States)

Gilbert, George L., Ed.

1987-01-01

Describes two demonstrations to illustrate characteristics of substances. Outlines a method to detect the changes in pH levels during the electrolysis of water. Uses water pistols, one filled with methane gas and the other filled with water, to illustrate the differences in these two substances. (TW)

NASA Technology Demonstrations Missions Program Overview

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Susan

2011-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Fiscal Year 2010 (FY10) budget introduced a new strategic plan that placed renewed emphasis on advanced missions beyond Earth orbit. This supports NASA s 2011 strategic goal to create innovative new space technologies for our exploration, science, and economic future. As a result of this focus on undertaking many and more complex missions, NASA placed its attention on a greater investment in technology development, and this shift resulted in the establishment of the Technology Demonstrations Missions (TDM) Program. The TDM Program, within the newly formed NASA Office of the Chief Technologist, supports NASA s grand challenges by providing a steady cadence of advanced space technology demonstrations (Figure 1), allowing the infusion of flexible path capabilities for future exploration. The TDM Program's goal is to mature crosscutting capabilities to flight readiness in support of multiple future space missions, including flight test projects where demonstration is needed before the capability can transition to direct mission The TDM Program has several unique criteria that set it apart from other NASA program offices. For instance, the TDM Office matures a small number of technologies that are of benefit to multiple customers to flight technology readiness level (TRL) 6 through relevant environment testing on a 3-year development schedule. These technologies must be crosscutting, which is defined as technology with potential to benefit multiple mission directorates, other government agencies, or the aerospace industry, and they must capture significant public interest and awareness. These projects will rely heavily on industry partner collaboration, and funding is capped for all elements of the flight test demonstration including planning, hardware development, software development, launch costs, ground operations, and post-test assessments. In order to inspire collaboration across government and industry

Significant biases affecting abundance determinations

Science.gov (United States)

Wesson, Roger

2015-08-01

I have developed two highly efficient codes to automate analyses of emission line nebulae. The tools place particular emphasis on the propagation of uncertainties. The first tool, ALFA, uses a genetic algorithm to rapidly optimise the parameters of gaussian fits to line profiles. It can fit emission line spectra of arbitrary resolution, wavelength range and depth, with no user input at all. It is well suited to highly multiplexed spectroscopy such as that now being carried out with instruments such as MUSE at the VLT. The second tool, NEAT, carries out a full analysis of emission line fluxes, robustly propagating uncertainties using a Monte Carlo technique.Using these tools, I have found that considerable biases can be introduced into abundance determinations if the uncertainty distribution of emission lines is not well characterised. For weak lines, normally distributed uncertainties are generally assumed, though it is incorrect to do so, and significant biases can result. I discuss observational evidence of these biases. The two new codes contain routines to correctly characterise the probability distributions, giving more reliable results in analyses of emission line nebulae.

Deep Brain Stimulation Target Selection in an Advanced Parkinson's Disease Patient with Significant Tremor and Comorbid Depression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amar S. Patel

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Clinical Vignette: A 67-year-old female with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD, medically refractory tremor, and a history of significant depression presents for evaluation of deep brain stimulation (DBS candidacy.  Clinical Dilemma: Traditionally, stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN has been the preferred target for patients with significant PD tremor. However, STN stimulation is avoided in patients with a significant pre-surgical history of mood disorder.  Clinical Solution: Bilateral DBS of the globus pallidus interna led to significant short term improvement in PD motor symptoms, including significant tremor reduction.  Gap in Knowledge: There is insufficient evidence to support or refute clinicians' traditional preference for STN stimulation in treating refractory PD tremor. Similarly, the available evidence for risk of worsening depression and/or suicidality after STN DBS is mixed. Both questions require further clarification to guide patient and clinician decision-making.

How Often Is the Misfit of Item Response Theory Models Practically Significant?

Science.gov (United States)

Sinharay, Sandip; Haberman, Shelby J.

2014-01-01

Standard 3.9 of the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing ([, 1999]) demands evidence of model fit when item response theory (IRT) models are employed to data from tests. Hambleton and Han ([Hambleton, R. K., 2005]) and Sinharay ([Sinharay, S., 2005]) recommended the assessment of practical significance of misfit of IRT models, but…

Chimpanzees demonstrate individual differences in social information use.

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Stuart K; Vale, Gillian L; Hopper, Lydia M; Dean, Lewis G; Kendal, Rachel L; Price, Elizabeth E; Wood, Lara A; Davis, Sarah J; Schapiro, Steven J; Lambeth, Susan P; Whiten, Andrew

2018-06-19

Studies of transmission biases in social learning have greatly informed our understanding of how behaviour patterns may diffuse through animal populations, yet within-species inter-individual variation in social information use has received little attention and remains poorly understood. We have addressed this question by examining individual performances across multiple experiments with the same population of primates. We compiled a dataset spanning 16 social learning studies (26 experimental conditions) carried out at the same study site over a 12-year period, incorporating a total of 167 chimpanzees. We applied a binary scoring system to code each participant's performance in each study according to whether they demonstrated evidence of using social information from conspecifics to solve the experimental task or not (Social Information Score-'SIS'). Bayesian binomial mixed effects models were then used to estimate the extent to which individual differences influenced SIS, together with any effects of sex, rearing history, age, prior involvement in research and task type on SIS. An estimate of repeatability found that approximately half of the variance in SIS was accounted for by individual identity, indicating that individual differences play a critical role in the social learning behaviour of chimpanzees. According to the model that best fit the data, females were, depending on their rearing history, 15-24% more likely to use social information to solve experimental tasks than males. However, there was no strong evidence of an effect of age or research experience, and pedigree records indicated that SIS was not a strongly heritable trait. Our study offers a novel, transferable method for the study of individual differences in social learning.

An overview of the West Valley demonstration project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hannum, W.H.; Boswell, M.B.; De Boer, T.K.; Duckworth, J.P.

1984-01-01

This session is titled ''DOE Special Waste Management Projects.'' West Valley and TMI are indeed special projects, in that they represent today's problems. They may well have been the two most visible symbols as to how nuclear wastes can poison the entire civilian nuclear power program. Each in its own way has been perceived as a major threat to the environment and to public health and safety; in both cases this threat has been perceived to be grossly more severe than it has been in fact. It is the Department of Energy' intent that both of these problems be made to disappear. This paper serves to introduce a series of paper describing the status of the West Valley Project. In the West Valley case substantial progress is being made and we believe we are well on the way toward transforming what has been a skeleton along the road to progress into positive and unmistakable evidence that high-level nuclear wastes such as those resulting from reprocessing can be managed, understood, and prepared for disposal by a straightforward adaptation and application of existing technologies. Further, we now have evidence that the costs of doing this are not exorbitant. Subsequent papers will describe waste characterization; the plans and designs for solidification; and the ancillary and supporting programs for handling effluents and wastes, for D and D to utilize existing facilities, and environmental support. In this paper we describe the history of this plant and the wastes being used in the demonstration; the legislation and intent of the Project; the accomplishments to date; and the projected schedule and costs

Clinical significance of peritoneal and retroperitoneal edema in patients with de-compensated cirrhosis as demonstrated by CT scan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xue Yanshan; Wang Jun; Wang Xinwen

2002-01-01

Objective: To investigate the clinical significance of peritoneal and retroperitoneal edema in patients with de-compensated cirrhosis (DCC). Methods: Forty-four patients, were identified with DCC on the basis of clinic and laboratory examinations, except the cases with mesenteric, omental and retroperitoneal edema caused by inflammatory and malignant diseases. The diagnosis of edema depended upon hyper-density in peritoneal and retroperitoneal. The degree of edema was divided into minor, middle, and sever types based on the extent of edema. Ascites, varices, serum albumin (ALB) levels, and hyaluronic acid (HA) levels were also documented. Correlations between the laboratory and CT findings were analyzed. Results: The severity of peritoneal edema was correlated with decreasing serum ALB (r s = 0.7088, P s = 0.5294, P s = 0.5440, P s = 0.1335, P > 0.05). Conclusion: CT findings of the edema in peritoneal and retroperitoneal may indicate the severity of the liver cirrhosis

Open access of evidence-based publications: the case of the orthopedic and musculoskeletal literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Yammine, Kaissar

2015-11-01

The open access model, where researchers can publish their work and make it freely available to the whole medical community, is gaining ground over the traditional type of publication. However, fees are to be paid by either the authors or their institutions. The purpose of this paper is to assess the proportion and type of open access evidence-based articles in the form of systematic reviews and meta-analyses in the field of musculoskeletal disorders and orthopedic surgery. PubMed database was searched and the results showed a maximal number of hits for low back pain and total hip arthroplasty. We demonstrated that despite a 10-fold increase in the number of evidence-based publications in the past 10 years, the rate of free systematic reviews in the general biomedical literature did not change for the last two decades. In addition, the average percentage of free open access systematic reviews and meta-analyses for the commonest painful musculoskeletal conditions and orthopedic procedures was 20% and 18%, respectively. Those results were significantly lower than those of the systematic reviews and meta-analyses in the remaining biomedical research. Such findings could indicate a divergence between the efforts engaged at promoting evidence-based principles and those at disseminating evidence-based findings in the field of musculoskeletal disease and trauma. The high processing fee is thought to be a major limitation when considering open access model for publication. © 2015 Chinese Cochrane Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Context-dependent control of attention capture: Evidence from proportion congruent effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Crump, Matthew J C; Milliken, Bruce; Leboe-McGowan, Jason; Leboe-McGowan, Launa; Gao, Xiaoqing

2018-06-01

There are several independent demonstrations that attentional phenomena can be controlled in a context-dependent manner by cues associated with differing attentional control demands. The present set of experiments provide converging evidence that attention-capture phenomena can be modulated in a context-dependent fashion. We determined whether methods from the proportion congruent literature (listwide and item- and context-specific proportion congruent designs) that are known to modulate distractor interference effects in Stroop and flanker tasks are capable of modulating attention capture by salient feature singletons. Across experiments we found evidence that attention capture can be modulated by listwide, item-specific, and context-specific manipulations of proportion congruent. We discuss challenges associated with interpreting results from proportion congruent studies but propose that our findings converge with existing work that has demonstrated context-dependent control of attention capture. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Reprocessing yields and material throughput: HTGR recycle demonstration facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holder, N.; Abraham, L.

1977-08-01

Recovery and reuse of residual U-235 and bred U-233 from the HTGR thorium-uranium fuel cycle will contribute significantly to HTGR fuel cycle economics and to uranium resource conservation. The Thorium Utilization National Program Plan for HTGR Fuel Recycle Development includes the demonstration, on a production scale, of reprocessing and refabrication processes in an HTGR Recycle Demonstration Facility (HRDF). This report addresses process yields and material throughput that may be typically expected in the reprocessing of highly enriched uranium fuels in the HRDF. Material flows will serve as guidance in conceptual design of the reprocessing portion of the HRDF. In addition, uranium loss projections, particle breakage limits, and decontamination factor requirements are identified to serve as guidance to the HTGR fuel reprocessing development program

Low Level Evidence Suggests That Librarian-Led Instruction in Evidence Based Practice is Effective Regardless of Instructional Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lindsay J. Alcock

2017-06-01

studies which included descriptive statistics and many also included inferential statistics intended to show significance. Differences between groups were assessed with parametric measures in 9 studies and non-parametric measures in 15 studies. Good to high statistical significance on at least 1 measurement was achieved in 23 studies. Given the absence of effect sizes, the level of differences between study groups could not be determined. Conclusion – Numerous pedagogical methods are used in librarian-led instruction in evidence based practice. However, there is a paucity of high level evidence and the literature suggests that no instructional method is demonstrated to be more effective than another.

Clinical significance of adiponectin expression in colon cancer patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mustafa Canhoroz

2014-01-01

Conclusion: Adiponectin, which is secreted by adipose tissue, may have a role in the development and progression of cancer via its pro-apoptotic and/or anti-proliferative effects. Adiponectin expression in tumor tissues is likely to have a negative effect on disease - free survival in patients with stage II/III colon cancer; however, no statistically significant effect was demonstrated.

Demonstration of Functional Similarity of Proposed Biosimilar ABP 501 to Adalimumab.

Science.gov (United States)

Velayudhan, Jyoti; Chen, Yuh-Feng; Rohrbach, Amanda; Pastula, Christina; Maher, Gwen; Thomas, Heather; Brown, Ryan; Born, Teresa L

2016-08-01

Due to the complex molecular structure and proprietary manufacturing processes of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), differences in structure and function may be expected during development of biosimilar mAbs. Important regulatory requirements for approval of biosimilar products involve comprehensive assessments of any potential differences between proposed biosimilars and reference mAbs, including differences in all known mechanisms of action, using sensitive and relevant methods. Any identified structural differences should not result in differences in biofunctional or clinical activity. A comprehensive assessment comparing the Amgen biosimilar candidate ABP 501 with FDA-licensed adalimumab (adalimumab [US]) and EU-authorized adalimumab (adalimumab [EU]) was conducted to demonstrate similarity in biofunctional activity. The functional similarity assessment included testing of binding kinetics to soluble tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) and relative binding to transmembrane TNFα. The neutralization of TNFα-induced caspase activation, TNFα- and lymphotoxin-α (LTα)-induced chemokine production, and cytotoxicity was also tested. Binding to Fc-gamma receptors FcγRIa, FcγRIIa (131H), FcγRIIIa (158V and 158F), and neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) was compared with the reference mAbs, as was antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity and complement-dependent cytotoxicity. The data demonstrate that ABP 501 is similar to both adalimumab (US) and adalimumab (EU) with respect to evaluated biofunctional activities. Similarity in biofunctional activity is a critical component of the totality of evidence required for demonstration of biosimilarity. The functional similarity demonstrated for ABP 501 comprehensively assesses the known mechanisms of action of adalimumab, supporting the conclusion that ABP 501, adalimumab (US), and adalimumab (EU) are likely to be clinically similar.

The production and use of evidence in health care service innovation: a qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Vasileiou, Konstantina; Barnett, Julie; Young, Terry

2013-03-01

The focus of this article is on a range of concepts of evidence employed by health care innovators in pursuing service innovations and in demonstrating their success. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 key informants in the United Kingdom who had won Health Service Journal awards for successfully implementing 15 service innovations. Four concepts of evidence were identified: (a) evidence of effectiveness-both direct and indirect, (b) evidence of efficiency, (c) evidence of innovation acceptance, and (d) evidence of relevance. The results suggest that the innovators articulated evidential concepts from the main approaches prevailing in the British National Health Service, namely clinical trials and improvement cycles. Most aspired to "better" evidence than they were able to obtain, while the approach to evidence gathering was very pragmatic and was more aligned with the improvement-cycle framework. Developing supporting mechanisms for assisting innovation evaluation is an important challenge if service innovation is to be routinely attempted and achieved in health care.

Significant rising antibody titres to influenza A are associated with an acute reduction in milk yield in cattle.

Science.gov (United States)

Crawshaw, Timothy R; Brown, Ian H; Essen, Steve C; Young, Stuart C L

2008-10-01

Sporadic cases of an acute fall in milk production, "milk drop", were investigated in a Holstein Friesian dairy herd in Devon. The investigation was a case control study with two controls per case. Paired blood samples demonstrated that rising antibody titres to human influenza A/England/333/80 (H1N1) and human influenza A/Eng/427/88 (H3N2) were associated with an acute fall in milk production. Rising titres to bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV), bovine virus diarrhoea virus (BVD), infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) and parainfluenza virus 3 (PI3) were not associated with an acute fall in milk production. Cases with rises in antibody to influenza A had significantly higher respiratory scores and rectal temperatures than their controls. The mean loss of milk production for the cases with rises in antibody to influenza A compared to their controls was 159.9L. This study provides further evidence that influenza A persists in cattle and causes clinical disease.

The Paravascular Pathway for Brain Waste Clearance: Current Understanding, Significance and Controversy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew Bacyinski

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The paravascular pathway, also known as the “glymphatic” pathway, is a recently described system for waste clearance in the brain. According to this model, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF enters the paravascular spaces surrounding penetrating arteries of the brain, mixes with interstitial fluid (ISF and solutes in the parenchyma, and exits along paravascular spaces of draining veins. Studies have shown that metabolic waste products and solutes, including proteins involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as amyloid-beta, may be cleared by this pathway. Consequently, a growing body of research has begun to explore the association between glymphatic dysfunction and various disease states. However, significant controversy exists in the literature regarding both the direction of waste clearance as well as the anatomical space in which the waste-fluid mixture is contained. Some studies have found no evidence of interstitial solute clearance along the paravascular space of veins. Rather, they demonstrate a perivascular pathway in which waste is cleared from the brain along an anatomically distinct perivascular space in a direction opposite to that of paravascular flow. Although possible explanations have been offered, none have been able to fully reconcile the discrepancies in the literature, and many questions remain. Given the therapeutic potential that a comprehensive understanding of brain waste clearance pathways might offer, further research and clarification is highly warranted.

The Paravascular Pathway for Brain Waste Clearance: Current Understanding, Significance and Controversy.

Science.gov (United States)

Bacyinski, Andrew; Xu, Maosheng; Wang, Wei; Hu, Jiani

2017-01-01

The paravascular pathway, also known as the "glymphatic" pathway, is a recently described system for waste clearance in the brain. According to this model, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) enters the paravascular spaces surrounding penetrating arteries of the brain, mixes with interstitial fluid (ISF) and solutes in the parenchyma, and exits along paravascular spaces of draining veins. Studies have shown that metabolic waste products and solutes, including proteins involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as amyloid-beta, may be cleared by this pathway. Consequently, a growing body of research has begun to explore the association between glymphatic dysfunction and various disease states. However, significant controversy exists in the literature regarding both the direction of waste clearance as well as the anatomical space in which the waste-fluid mixture is contained. Some studies have found no evidence of interstitial solute clearance along the paravascular space of veins. Rather, they demonstrate a perivascular pathway in which waste is cleared from the brain along an anatomically distinct perivascular space in a direction opposite to that of paravascular flow. Although possible explanations have been offered, none have been able to fully reconcile the discrepancies in the literature, and many questions remain. Given the therapeutic potential that a comprehensive understanding of brain waste clearance pathways might offer, further research and clarification is highly warranted.

Notional Airspace Operations Demonstration Plan

Science.gov (United States)

Trongale, Nicholas A.

2006-01-01

The airspace operations demonstration (AOD) is intended to show that the Access 5 Step 1 functional requirements can be met. The demonstration will occur in two phases. The initial on-range phase will be carried out in restricted airspace to demonstrate the cooperative collision avoidance (CCA) functional requirements and to provide risk-reduction for the AOD by allowing the test team to rehearse some elements of the demonstration mission. The CCA system to be used in these flights is based on Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) which is a commercially-available system by which airplanes constantly broadcast their current position and altitude to other aircraft and ground resources over a dedicated radio datalink. The final phase will occur in the national airspace (NAS) and will be the formal demonstration of the remainder of the proposed functional requirements. The general objectives of the AOD are as follows: (1) Demonstrate that the UAS can aviate in the NAS (2) Demonstrate that the UAS can navigate in the NAS (3) Demonstrate that the UAS can communicate with the NAS (4) Demonstrate that the UAS can perform selected collision avoidance functions in the NAS (5) Demonstrate that the UAS can evaluate and avoid weather conflicts in the NAS (6) Demonstrate that the UAS can provide adequate command and control in the NAS In addition to the stated objectives, there are a number of goals for the flight demonstration. The demo can be accomplished successfully without achieving these goals, but these goals are to be used as a guideline for preparing for the mission. The goals are: (1) Mission duration of at least 24 hours (2) Loiter over heavy traffic to evaluate the data block issue identified during the Access 5 Airspace Operations Simulations (3) Document the contingency management process and lessons learned (4) Document the coordination process for Ground Control Stations (GCS) handoff (5) Document lessons learned regarding the process of flying in

Demonstration of innovative monitoring technologies at the Savannah River Integrated Demonstration Site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rossabi, J. [Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States); Jenkins, R.A.; Wise, M.B. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)] [and others

1993-12-31

The Department of Energy`s Office of Technology Development initiated an Integrated Demonstration Program at the Savannah River Site in 1989. The objective of this program is to develop, demonstrate, and evaluate innovative technologies that can improve present-day environmental restoration methods. The Integrated Demonstration Program at SRS is entitled ``Cleanup of Organics in Soils and Groundwater at Non-Arid Sites.`` New technologies in the areas of drilling, characterization, monitoring, and remediation are being demonstrated and evaluated for their technical performance and cost effectiveness in comparison with baseline technologies. Present site characterization and monitoring methods are costly, time-consuming, overly invasive, and often imprecise. Better technologies are required to accurately describe the subsurface geophysical and geochemical features of a site and the nature and extent of contamination. More efficient, nonintrusive characterization and monitoring techniques are necessary for understanding and predicting subsurface transport. More reliable procedures are also needed for interpreting monitoring and characterization data. Site characterization and monitoring are key elements in preventing, identifying, and restoring contaminated sites. The remediation of a site cannot be determined without characterization data, and monitoring may be required for 30 years after site closure.

Demonstration of innovative monitoring technologies at the Savannah River Integrated Demonstration Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rossabi, J.; Jenkins, R.A.; Wise, M.B.

1993-01-01

The Department of Energy's Office of Technology Development initiated an Integrated Demonstration Program at the Savannah River Site in 1989. The objective of this program is to develop, demonstrate, and evaluate innovative technologies that can improve present-day environmental restoration methods. The Integrated Demonstration Program at SRS is entitled ''Cleanup of Organics in Soils and Groundwater at Non-Arid Sites.'' New technologies in the areas of drilling, characterization, monitoring, and remediation are being demonstrated and evaluated for their technical performance and cost effectiveness in comparison with baseline technologies. Present site characterization and monitoring methods are costly, time-consuming, overly invasive, and often imprecise. Better technologies are required to accurately describe the subsurface geophysical and geochemical features of a site and the nature and extent of contamination. More efficient, nonintrusive characterization and monitoring techniques are necessary for understanding and predicting subsurface transport. More reliable procedures are also needed for interpreting monitoring and characterization data. Site characterization and monitoring are key elements in preventing, identifying, and restoring contaminated sites. The remediation of a site cannot be determined without characterization data, and monitoring may be required for 30 years after site closure

Milliken Station Demonstration Project FDG retrofit update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alder, R.C.; Jackson, C.E.; O`Dea, D.T. [and others

1994-12-31

The Milliken Clean Coal Demonstration Project is one of the nine Clean Coal Projects selected for funding in Round 4 of the U.S. DOE`s Clean Coal Demonstration Program. The project`s sponsor is New York State Electric and Gas Corporation (NYSEG). Project team members include CONSOL Inc., Saarberg-Holter-Umwelttechnik (SHU), NALCO/FuelTech, Stebbins Engineering and Manufacturing Co., DHR Technologies, and CE Air Preheater. Gilbert/Commonwealth is the Architect/Engineer and Construction Manager for the flue gas desulfurization (FGD) retrofit. The project will provide full-scale demonstration of a combination of innovative emission-reducing technologies and plant upgraded for the control of sulfur dioxide (SO{sub 2}) and nitrogen oxides (NO{sub x}) emissions from a coal-fired steam generator without a significant loss of station efficiency. The overall project goals are the following: 98% SO{sub 2} removal efficiency using limestone while burning high sulfur coal; up to 70% NO{sub x} reduction using the NOXOUT selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) technology in conjunction with combustion modifications; minimization of solid waste by producing marketable by-products including commercial grade gypsum, calcium chloride, and fly ash; zero wastewater discharge; maintenance of station efficiency by using a high efficiency heat-pipe air heater system and a low-power-consuming scrubber system. The demonstration project is being conducted at NYSEG`s Milliken Station, located in Lansing, New York. Milliken Station has two 150-MWe pulverized coal-fired units built in the 1950s by Combustion Engineering. The SHU FGD process and the combustion modifications are being installed on both units, but the NOXOUT process, Plant Economic Optimization Advisor (PEOA), and the high-efficiency air heater system will be installed on only one unit.

E/Z MAS demonstration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boor, M.G.; Hurford, J.M.; Landry, R.P.; Martinez, B.J.; Solem, A.M.; Whiteson, R.; Zardecki, A.

1998-01-01

Los Alamos National Laboratory has developed E/Z MAS, a new generation nuclear material accountability application based on the latest technology and designed for facilities required to track nuclear materials with a simple-to-use interface. E/Z MAS is based on years of experience spent developing nuclear material accounting systems. E/Z MAS uses a modern relational database with a web server and enables users on a classified local area network to interact with the database with web browsers. The E/Z MAS Demonstration poster session demonstrates the E/Z MAS functions required by an operational nuclear facility to track material as it enters and leaves a facility and to account for the material as it moves through a process. The generation of internal facility reports and external reports for the Russian Federal system will be demonstrated. Bar-code readers will be used to demonstrate the ability of EZ MAS to automate certain functions, such as physical inventories at facilities

Decontamination demonstration facility (D.D.F) modularization/mobility study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

FitzPatrick, V.F.; Butts, H.L.; Moles, R.G.; Lundgren, R.A.

1980-11-01

The component decontamination technology, developed under the DOE sponsored TRU Waste Decontamination Program, has potential benefits to nuclear utility owners in four strategic areas: (1) Meeting ALARA Criteria for Maintenance/Operations; (2) Management of wastes and waste forms; (3) Accident Response; (4) Decommissioning. The most significant step in transferring this technology directly to the nuclear industry is embodied in the TMI Decontamination Demonstration Facility

Korean Nursing Students' Acquisition of Evidence-Based Practice and Critical Thinking Skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sang Suk; Kim, Eun Joo; Lim, Ji Young; Kim, Geun Myun; Baek, Hee Chong

2018-01-01

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is essential for enhancing nurses' quality of care. We identified Korean nursing students' practices, attitudes, and knowledge concerning EBP, as well as their critical thinking disposition (CTD). The EBP Questionnaire (EBPQ) was administered to a convenience sample of 266 nursing students recruited from four nursing schools in Seoul and its metropolitan area. Average EBPQ and CTD total scores were 4.69 ± 0.64 and 3.56 ± 0.32, respectively. Students who were ages ⩾23 years, male, and satisfied with their major demonstrated higher EBPQ and CTD scores. EBPQ scores were significantly correlated with CTD scores (r = .459, p students improve their CTD and information utilization skills, as well as integrate EBP in undergraduate programs to enhance nurses' EBP abilities. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(1):21-27.]. Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.

Analysis of evidence within the AUA's clinical practice guidelines.

Science.gov (United States)

Antoine, Samuel G; Small, Alexander C; McKiernan, James M; Shah, Ojas

2018-02-01

Surgical subspecialty societies release clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) to provide topic-specific recommendations to healthcare providers. We hypothesize that there may be significant differences in statement strength and evidence quality both within the American Urological Association (AUA) guidelines and compared to those published by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) and American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS). CPGs issued through 2017 were extracted from the AUAnet.org. Statements were characterized by evidence basis, strength, and evidence quality. CPGs were compared among urologic subspecialties and to those from the AAOS and AAO-HNS. Analysis used Fisher's exact tests and Student's t-tests with significance p < 0.05. A total of 25 AUA CPGs (672 statements) were reviewed and 34.6% were non-evidence based with the highest proportions in pediatrics (47.5%) and sexual medicine (46.5%). The AUA has published over twice as many statements as the AAOS and quadruple that of the AAO-HNS. A smaller proportion of the AUA statements were evidence-based (65.4%) compared to the AAOS (80.5%, p < 0.001) and AAO-HNS (99.8%, p < 0.001), and fewer used "high" quality evidence (AUA 7.2% versus AAOS 21.2%, p < 0.001; versus AAO-HNS 16.1%, p < 0.001). The AUA has published broad CPGs that far exceed those from the AAOS and AAO-HNS. The AUA has utilized extensive resources to provide guidance to help standardize care among urologists. The AAOS and AAO-HNS may not provide guidelines when evidence is limited. With the continued increase of high quality clinical trials, the AUA will be able to continue improving its robust set of evidence-based CPGs.

Examination of motor skill competency in students: evidence-based physical education curriculum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weiyun Chen

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Researchers found that children with a competent level of motor skill performance are more likely to be physically active. This study examined how well K-1 students demonstrated motor skill competency in relation to Physical Education Content Standard 1. Methods Participants were K-1 grade students (N = 1,223-1,588; boys = 568–857; girls = 526–695; Mean age = 5.5 yrs old who were enrolled in nine elementary schools. The K-1 students’ motor skill competency in running, weight transferring, hand dribbling, and underhand catching skills was assessed using four PE Metrics skill assessment rubrics in the intervention year 1 and year 2, respectively. Data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics and independent sample t-tests. Results The students in the intervention year 1 and year 2 cohorts performed at the Competent Level or higher in the four skill assessments. The prevalence of the students’ demonstration of skill competency across the four skills was high in the two intervention years. The intervention year 2 cohort scored significantly higher than the intervention year 1 cohort in the four skill assessments. The boys significantly outperformed than the girls in the two manipulative skills in the intervention year 1 and in the two manipulative skills and the weight transferring skill in the intervention year 2. No gender differences in the running skill in either year were found. Conclusions The evidence-based CATCH PE play a critical role in developing and building K-1 students’ ability to demonstrate motor skill competency in four fundamental skills. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03015337 , registered date: 1/09/2017, as "retrospectively registered".

Helicopter detection and classification demonstrator

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koersel, A.C. van

2000-01-01

A technology demonstrator that detects and classifies different helicopter types automatically, was developed at TNO-FEL. The demonstrator is based on a PC, which receives its acoustic input from an all-weather microphone. The demonstrator uses commercial off-the-shelf hardware to digitize the

Barely Started and Already Left behind: A Descriptive Analysis of the Mathematics Ability Demonstrated by Young Deaf Children

Science.gov (United States)

Kritzer, Karen L.

2009-01-01

This study examined young deaf children's early informal/formal mathematical knowledge as measured by the Test of Early Mathematics Ability (TEMA-3). Findings from this study suggest that prior to the onset of formal schooling, young deaf children might already demonstrate evidence of academic delays. Of these 28 participants (4-6 years of age),…

Tested Demonstrations.

Science.gov (United States)

Gilbert, George L.

1983-01-01

An apparatus is described in which effects of pressure, volume, and temperature changes on a gas can be observed simultaneously. Includes use of the apparatus in demonstrating Boyle's, Gay-Lussac's, and Charles' Laws, attractive forces, Dalton's Law of Partial pressures, and in illustrating measurable vapor pressures of liquids and some solids.…

Teleoperation for learning by demonstration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kukliński, Kamil; Fischer, Kerstin; Marhenke, Ilka

2014-01-01

Learning by demonstration is a useful technique to augment a robot's behavioral inventory, and teleoperation allows lay users to demonstrate novel behaviors intuitively to the robot. In this paper, we compare two modes of teleoperation of an industrial robot, the demonstration by means of a data...... glove and by means of a control object (peg). Experiments with 16 lay users, performing assembly task on the Cranfield benchmark objects, show that the control peg leads to more success, more efficient demonstration and fewer errors....

Pharmacists performing quality spirometry testing: an evidence based review.

Science.gov (United States)

Cawley, Michael J; Warning, William J

2015-10-01

The scope of pharmacist services for patients with pulmonary disease has primarily focused on drug related outcomes; however pharmacists have the ability to broaden the scope of clinical services by performing diagnostic testing including quality spirometry testing. Studies have demonstrated that pharmacists can perform quality spirometry testing based upon international guidelines. The primary aim of this review was to assess the published evidence of pharmacists performing quality spirometry testing based upon American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society (ATS/ERS) guidelines. In order to accomplish this, the description of evidence and type of outcome from these services were reviewed. A literature search was conducted using five databases [PubMed (1946-January 2015), International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970 to January 2015), Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews] with search terms including pharmacy, spirometry, pulmonary function, asthma or COPD was conducted. Searches were limited to publications in English and reported in humans. In addition, Uniform Resource Locators and Google Scholar searches were implemented to include any additional supplemental information. Eight studies (six prospective multi-center trials, two retrospective single center studies) were included. Pharmacists in all studies received specialized training in performing spirometry testing. Of the eight studies meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria, 8 (100%) demonstrated acceptable repeatability of spirometry testing based upon standards set by the ATS/ERS guidelines. Acceptable repeatability of seven studies ranged from 70 to 99% consistent with published data. Available evidence suggests that quality spirometry testing can be performed by pharmacists. More prospective studies are needed to add to the current evidence of quality spirometry testing performed by

Modular Orbital Demonstration of an Evolvable Space Telescope (MODEST)

Science.gov (United States)

Baldauf, Brian; Conti, Alberto

2016-01-01

The "Search for Life" via imaging of exoplanets is a mission that requires extremely stable telescopes with apertures in the 10 m to 20 m range. The High Definition Space Telescope (HDST) envisioned for this mission would have an aperture >10 m, which is a larger payload than what can be delivered to space using a single launch vehicle. Building and assembling the mirror segments enabling large telescopes will likely require multiple launches and assembly in space. Space-based telescopes with large apertures will require major changes to system architectures.The Optical Telescope Assembly (OTA) for HDST is a primary mission cost driver. Enabling and affordable solutions for this next generation of large aperture space-based telescope are needed.This paper reports on the concept for the Modular Orbital Demonstration of an Evolvable Space Telescope (MODEST), which demonstrates on-orbit robotic and/or astronaut assembly of a precision optical telescope in space. It will also facilitate demonstration of active correction of phase and mirror shape. MODEST is proposed to be delivered to the ISS using standard Express Logistics Carriers (ELCs) and can mounted to one of a variety of ISS pallets. Post-assembly value includes space, ground, and environmental studies, and a testbed for new instruments. This demonstration program for next generation mirror technology provides significant risk reduction and demonstrates the technology in a six-mirror phased telescope. Other key features of the demonstration include the use of an active primary optical surface with wavefront feedback control that allows on-orbit optimization and demonstration of precise surface control to meet optical system wavefront and stability requirements.MODEST will also be used to evaluate advances in lightweight mirror and metering structure materials such as SiC or Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer that have excellent mechanical and thermal properties, e.g. high stiffness, high modulus, high thermal

Psiquiatria baseada em evidências Evidence-based psychiatry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maurício S de Lima

2000-09-01

Full Text Available Em psiquiatria, observa-se grande variabilidade de práticas clínicas, muitas vezes desnecessária. Essas variações podem estar relacionadas à ausência de evidência científica confiável ou ao desconhecimento das evidências de boa qualidade disponíveis. A medicina baseada em evidências (MBE é uma combinação de estratégias que busca assegurar que o cuidado individual do paciente seja baseado na melhor informação disponível, a qual deve ser incorporada à prática clínica. Neste artigo, conceitos de MBE são discutidos com relação a aspectos e desafios no tratamento de pacientes com distimia, bulimia nervosa e esquizofrenia. A partir de resultados de três revisões sistemáticas recentemente publicadas, conclui-se que a prática de psiquiatria baseada em evidências acrescenta qualidade à prática psiquiátrica tradicional.The unnecessary variability often seen in the clinical practice can be related to both the absence of reliable evidence and unawareness of the existence of good quality evidence. Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM is a set of linked strategies designed to assist clinicians in keeping themselves up-to-date with the best available evidence. Such evidence must be incorporated into the clinical practice. EBM concepts are discussed here through common aspects and challenges doctors face when treating patients with dysthymia, bulimia nervosa, and schizophrenia. In the light of some results from three systematic reviews it is concluded that Evidence-Based Psychiatry strategies, rather than replacing the traditional ones, may be a valuable tool to improving quality in a good clinical practice.

Emphasizing the process of science using demonstrations in conceptual chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Lutz, Courtney A.

The purpose of this project was to teach students a method for employing the process of science in a conceptual chemistry classroom when observing a demonstration of a discrepant event. Students observed six demonstrations throughout a trimester study of chemistry and responded to each demonstration by asking as many questions as they could think of, choosing one testable question to answer by making as many hypotheses as possible, and choosing one hypothesis to make predictions about observed results of this hypothesis when tested. Students were evaluated on their curiosity, confidence, knowledge of the process of science, and knowledge of the nature of science before and after the six demonstrations. Many students showed improvement in using or mastery of the process of science within the context of conceptual chemistry after six intensive experiences with it. Results of the study also showed students gained confidence in their scientific abilities after completing one trimester of conceptual chemistry. Curiosity and knowledge of the nature of science did not show statistically significant improvement according to the assessment tool. This may have been due to the scope of the demonstration and response activities, which focused on the process of science methodology instead of knowledge of the nature of science or the constraints of the assessment tool.

Quantification of margins and mixed uncertainties using evidence theory and stochastic expansions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, Harsheel; Hosder, Serhat; Winter, Tyler

2015-01-01

The objective of this paper is to implement Dempster–Shafer Theory of Evidence (DSTE) in the presence of mixed (aleatory and multiple sources of epistemic) uncertainty to the reliability and performance assessment of complex engineering systems through the use of quantification of margins and uncertainties (QMU) methodology. This study focuses on quantifying the simulation uncertainties, both in the design condition and the performance boundaries along with the determination of margins. To address the possibility of multiple sources and intervals for epistemic uncertainty characterization, DSTE is used for uncertainty quantification. An approach to incorporate aleatory uncertainty in Dempster–Shafer structures is presented by discretizing the aleatory variable distributions into sets of intervals. In view of excessive computational costs for large scale applications and repetitive simulations needed for DSTE analysis, a stochastic response surface based on point-collocation non-intrusive polynomial chaos (NIPC) has been implemented as the surrogate for the model response. The technique is demonstrated on a model problem with non-linear analytical functions representing the outputs and performance boundaries of two coupled systems. Finally, the QMU approach is demonstrated on a multi-disciplinary analysis of a high speed civil transport (HSCT). - Highlights: • Quantification of margins and uncertainties (QMU) methodology with evidence theory. • Treatment of both inherent and epistemic uncertainties within evidence theory. • Stochastic expansions for representation of performance metrics and boundaries. • Demonstration of QMU on an analytical problem. • QMU analysis applied to an aerospace system (high speed civil transport)

Serological evidence for transmission of multiple dengue virus serotypes in Papua New Guinea and West Papua prior to 1963.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dagwin Luang-Suarkia

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Little is known about the natural history of dengue in Papua New Guinea (PNG. We assessed dengue virus (DENV-specific neutralizing antibody profiles in serum samples collected from northern and southern coastal areas and the highland region of New Guinea between 1959 and 1963. Neutralizing antibodies were demonstrated in sera from the northern coast of New Guinea: from Sabron in Dutch New Guinea (now known as West Papua and from four villages in East Sepik in what is now PNG. Previous monotypic infection with DENV-1, DENV-2, and DENV-4 was identified, with a predominance of anti-DENV-2 neutralizing antibody. The majority of positive sera demonstrated evidence of multiple previous DENV infections and neutralizing activity against all four serotypes was detected, with anti-DENV-2 responses being most frequent and of greatest magnitude. No evidence of previous DENV infection was identified in the Asmat villages of the southern coast and a single anti-DENV-positive sample was identified in the Eastern Highlands of PNG. These findings indicate that multiple DENV serotypes circulated along the northern coast of New Guinea at different times in the decades prior to 1963 and support the notion that dengue has been a significant yet neglected tropical infection in PNG for many decades.

Oak Ridge greater confinement disposal demonstrations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Hoesen, S.D.; Clapp, R.B.

1987-01-01

Demonstrations are being conducted in association with the disposal of a high activity low-level waste (LLW) stream. The waste stream in question will result from the cement solidification of decanted liquids from the Melton Valley Storage Tanks (MVST). The solid waste will be produced beginning in mid summer 1988. It is anticipated to have significant concentrations of Cs-137 and Sr-90, with smaller amounts of other radionuclides and <100 nCi/gm of TRU. The solid waste forms are expected to have surface dose rates in the 1 to 2 r/hr range. The solid waste will also contain several chemical species at concentrations which are below those of concern, but which may present enhanced corrosion potential for the disposal units. 2 refs., 5 figs

Evidence-based librarianship: searching for the needed EBL evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Eldredge, J D

2000-01-01

This paper discusses the challenges of finding evidence needed to implement Evidence-Based Librarianship (EBL). Focusing first on database coverage for three health sciences librarianship journals, the article examines the information contents of different databases. Strategies are needed to search for relevant evidence in the library literature via these databases, and the problems associated with searching the grey literature of librarianship. Database coverage, plausible search strategies, and the grey literature of library science all pose challenges to finding the needed research evidence for practicing EBL. Health sciences librarians need to ensure that systems are designed that can track and provide access to needed research evidence to support Evidence-Based Librarianship (EBL).

Proof of evidence [BNFL 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Avery, D.G.

1982-01-01

It is shown that the fuel cycle requirements of the proposed Sizewell B nuclear power station could be supplied by British Nuclear Fuels Limited. It is demonstrated that any facilities which may be required in the future could be provided from established technology. Evidence is presented in support of the responses which the Company has made to requests from the CEGB for guidance on the charges it should assume for some fuel cycle services in a variety of circumstances. Reference is made throughout to the fuel cycle needs of other possible future nuclear power stations as postulated by CEGB in its Statement of Case. (U.K.)

'That doesn't translate': the role of evidence-based practice in disempowering speech pathologists in acute aphasia management.

Science.gov (United States)

Foster, Abby; Worrall, Linda; Rose, Miranda; O'Halloran, Robyn

2015-07-01

An evidence-practice gap has been identified in current acute aphasia management practice, with the provision of services to people with aphasia in the acute hospital widely considered in the literature to be inconsistent with best-practice recommendations. The reasons for this evidence-practice gap are unclear; however, speech pathologists practising in this setting have articulated a sense of dissonance regarding their limited service provision to this population. A clearer understanding of why this evidence-practice gap exists is essential in order to support and promote evidence-based approaches to the care of people with aphasia in acute care settings. To provide an understanding of speech pathologists' conceptualization of evidence-based practice for acute post-stroke aphasia, and its implementation. This study adopted a phenomenological approach, underpinned by a social constructivist paradigm. In-depth interviews were conducted with 14 Australian speech pathologists, recruited using a purposive sampling technique. An inductive thematic analysis of the data was undertaken. A single, overarching theme emerged from the data. Speech pathologists demonstrated a sense of disempowerment as a result of their relationship with evidence-based practice for acute aphasia management. Three subthemes contributed to this theme. The first described a restricted conceptualization of evidence-based practice. The second revealed speech pathologists' strained relationships with the research literature. The third elucidated a sense of professional unease over their perceived inability to enact evidence-based clinical recommendations, despite their desire to do so. Speech pathologists identified a current knowledge-practice gap in their management of aphasia in acute hospital settings. Speech pathologists place significant emphasis on the research evidence; however, their engagement with the research is limited, in part because it is perceived to lack clinical utility. A sense

Evidence-informed decision making for nutrition: African experiences and way forward.

Science.gov (United States)

Aryeetey, Richmond; Holdsworth, Michelle; Taljaard, Christine; Hounkpatin, Waliou Amoussa; Colecraft, Esi; Lachat, Carl; Nago, Eunice; Hailu, Tesfaye; Kolsteren, Patrick; Verstraeten, Roos

2017-11-01

Although substantial amount of nutrition research is conducted in Africa, the research agenda is mainly donor-driven. There is a clear need for a revised research agenda in Africa which is both driven by and responding to local priorities. The present paper summarises proceedings of a symposium on how evidence can guide decision makers towards context-appropriate priorities and decisions in nutrition. The paper focuses on lessons learnt from case studies by the Evidence Informed Decision Making in Nutrition and Health Network implemented between 2015 and 2016 in Benin, Ghana and South Africa. Activities within these countries were organised around problem-oriented evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM), capacity strengthening and leadership and horizontal collaboration. Using a combination of desk-reviews, stakeholder influence-mapping, semi-structured interviews and convening platforms, these country-level studies demonstrated strong interest for partnership between researchers and decision makers, and use of research evidence for prioritisation and decision making in nutrition. Identified capacity gaps were addressed through training workshops on EIDM, systematic reviews, cost-benefit evaluations and evidence contextualisation. Investing in knowledge partnerships and development of capacity and leadership are key to drive appropriate use of evidence in nutrition policy and programming in Africa.

Evidence of a global magma ocean in Io's interior.

Science.gov (United States)

Khurana, Krishan K; Jia, Xianzhe; Kivelson, Margaret G; Nimmo, Francis; Schubert, Gerald; Russell, Christopher T

2011-06-03

Extensive volcanism and high-temperature lavas hint at a global magma reservoir in Io, but no direct evidence has been available. We exploited Jupiter's rotating magnetic field as a sounding signal and show that the magnetometer data collected by the Galileo spacecraft near Io provide evidence of electromagnetic induction from a global conducting layer. We demonstrate that a completely solid mantle provides insufficient response to explain the magnetometer observations, but a global subsurface magma layer with a thickness of over 50 kilometers and a rock melt fraction of 20% or more is fully consistent with the observations. We also place a stronger upper limit of about 110 nanoteslas (surface equatorial field) on the dynamo dipolar field generated inside Io.

BILLIARDS: A Demonstration Mission for Hundred-Meter Class Near Earth Asteroid Disruption

Science.gov (United States)

Marcus, Matthew; Sloane, Joshua; Ortiz, Oliver; Barbee, Brent W.

2015-01-01

Currently, no planetary defense demonstration mission has ever been flown. While Nuclear Explosive Devices (NEDs) have significantly more energy than a kinetic impactor launched directly from Earth, they present safety and political complications, and therefore may only be used when absolutely necessary. The Baseline Instrumented Lithology Lander, Inspector, and Asteroid Redirection Demonstration System (BILLIARDS) is a demonstration mission for planetary defense, which is capable of delivering comparable energy to the lower range of NED capabilities in the form of a safer kinetic impactor. A small asteroid (disrupt the larger asteroid. To reduce the cost and complexity, an asteroid pair which has a natural close approach is selected.

Differentiated Evaluation of Extract-Specific Evidence on Cimicifuga racemosa's Efficacy and Safety for Climacteric Complaints.

Science.gov (United States)

Beer, A-M; Neff, A

2013-01-01

Past reviews on Cimicifuga racemosa (CR) without differentiation between extracts, quality, and indication altogether led to inconsistent data. Therefore, for the first time, we meet the requirements of the system's logic of evidence-based phytotherapy by taking into consideration extracts, pharmaceutical quality (reflected in a regulatory status as medicinal product), and indication. A literature search for clinical studies examining CR's efficacy and safety for menopausal complaints was conducted. The results were sorted by type of extract, regulatory status, and indication. Accordingly, Oxford Levels of Evidence (LOE) and Grades of Recommendation (GR) were determined. CR extracts demonstrated a good to very good safety in general, on estrogen-sensitive organs and the liver. However, only registered CR medicinal products were able to prove their efficacy. Best evidence was provided by the isopropanolic CR extract (iCR): the multitude of studies including more than 11,000 patients demonstrated consistent confirmatory evidence of LOE 1b (LOE 1a for safety) leading to GR A. The studies on the ethanolic extract BNO 1055 including more than 500 patients showed exploratory evidence of LOE 2b resulting in GR B. A positive benefit-risk profile is stated and limited to Cimicifuga racemosa products holding a marketing authorisation for treating climacteric complaints.

What is the evidence for harm minimisation measures in gambling venues?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angela Rintoul

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The use of electronic gambling machines (EGMs in Australia and New Zealand constitutes the largest sector of the gambling industry. The costs arising from the harms of gambling detract significantly from its benefits, and in all Australian jurisdictions various policy measures have been implemented to reduce these harms. If successful, these would maximise the net benefits associated with EGM gambling. This article reviews the available evidence for a range of these practices, particularly those implemented within EGM venues via ‘codes of practice’. These codes of practice are intended to give effect to the principles of ‘responsible gambling’ within EGM venues. These measures are: self-exclusion, signage, messages, interaction with gamblers, the removal of ATMs from gambling venues, and ‘responsible gambling’ assessed overall in a venue context. In addition, we review the evidence in support of two major recommendations of the Productivity Commission’s 2010 report into gambling, pre-commitment and one-dollar maximum wagers. We conclude that there is a modest level of evidence supporting some measures, notably self-exclusion and, to a greater extent, the removal of ATMs. There is also some evidence that ‘responsible gambling’ measures have, collectively, reduced the harms associated with gambling. However, there is limited evidence to confirm the effectiveness of most individual ‘responsible gambling’ measures actually implemented in venues. Further, policy measures implemented outside the control of venues (such as ATM removal, reduction in bet limits, and the prohibition of smoking appear to be associated with more significant effects, based on analysis of EGM revenue data in Victoria. The evidence for prospective measures is necessarily limited since the ultimate test is post-implementation efficacy, but there is growing evidence to suggest that pre-commitment, one-dollar maximum bets or other machine design changes may

Job Embeddedness Demonstrates Incremental Validity When Predicting Turnover Intentions for Australian University Employees

Science.gov (United States)

Heritage, Brody; Gilbert, Jessica M.; Roberts, Lynne D.

2016-01-01

Job embeddedness is a construct that describes the manner in which employees can be enmeshed in their jobs, reducing their turnover intentions. Recent questions regarding the properties of quantitative job embeddedness measures, and their predictive utility, have been raised. Our study compared two competing reflective measures of job embeddedness, examining their convergent, criterion, and incremental validity, as a means of addressing these questions. Cross-sectional quantitative data from 246 Australian university employees (146 academic; 100 professional) was gathered. Our findings indicated that the two compared measures of job embeddedness were convergent when total scale scores were examined. Additionally, job embeddedness was capable of demonstrating criterion and incremental validity, predicting unique variance in turnover intention. However, this finding was not readily apparent with one of the compared job embeddedness measures, which demonstrated comparatively weaker evidence of validity. We discuss the theoretical and applied implications of these findings, noting that job embeddedness has a complementary place among established determinants of turnover intention. PMID:27199817

Plasticity resembling spike-timing dependent synaptic plasticity: the evidence in human cortex

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Florian Müller-Dahlhaus

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP has been studied extensively in a variety of animal models during the past decade but whether it can be studied at the systems level of the human cortex has been a matter of debate. Only recently newly developed non-invasive brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS have made it possible to induce and assess timing dependent plasticity in conscious human subjects. This review will present a critical synopsis of these experiments, which suggest that several of the principal characteristics and molecular mechanisms of TMS-induced plasticity correspond to those of STDP as studied at a cellular level. TMS combined with a second phasic stimulation modality can induce bidirectional long-lasting changes in the excitability of the stimulated cortex, whose polarity depends on the order of the associated stimulus-evoked events within a critical time window of tens of milliseconds. Pharmacological evidence suggests an NMDA receptor mediated form of synaptic plasticity. Studies in human motor cortex demonstrated that motor learning significantly modulates TMS-induced timing dependent plasticity, and, conversely, may be modulated bidirectionally by prior TMS-induced plasticity, providing circumstantial evidence that long-term potentiation-like mechanisms may be involved in motor learning. In summary, convergent evidence is being accumulated for the contention that it is now possible to induce STDP-like changes in the intact human central nervous system by means of TMS to study and interfere with synaptic plasticity in neural circuits in the context of behaviour such as learning and memory.

Supranormal differential renal function in an obstructed kidney demonstrated on 99MTc-mercaptoacetyltriglycine (MAG3) diuresis renography - is it real or an artifact?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wegner, E.A.; Eagle, B.; Mitchell, G.; Rossleigh, M.A.

2003-01-01

Full text: Diuresis renography has been used extensively as a noninvasive method of estimating differential renal function (DRF), which may determine patient management. There has been controversy as to whether the phenomenon of supranormal DRF (>55%) in an obstructed kidney exists and the significance of this finding. A case study of a child with supranormal renal function is presented and the impact of different background regions on DRF calculations is demonstrated. Serial MAG3 studies were performed at ages 3 weeks, 2 and 10 months on a male with an antenatal diagnosis of right hydronephrosis. A weight adjusted dose of MAG3 was given simultaneously with frusemide (1mg/kg). DRF was calculated at 1.5-2.5 minutes following tracer administration. Background correction regions were drawn at the lower pole of each kidney. Supranormal DRF (61%) of the hydronephrotic kidney was demonstrated on the baseline study. There was deterioration in scan appearances and persistent supranormal DRF (64%) on the follow up study and the patient proceeded to pyeloplasty. The post-operative study demonstrated an improvement in scan findings and DRF returned to normal (55%). When suprarenal and perirenal background regions were used, supranormal DFR values were not obtained. Suprarenal background - 47%, 50%, 55% and perirenal background - 55%, 57% and 54% DRF on sequential studies. Review of the literature provides conflicting evidence as to the significance and even existence of this phenomenon. The location of background correction regions appears to influence DRF results. This occurs particularly when MAG3 is used, because of physiological uptake in the liver. Copyright (2003) The Australian and New Zealand Society of Nuclear Medicine Inc

Recovery Act - Demonstration of Sodium Ion Battery for Grid Level Applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiley, Ted [Aquion Energy, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Whitacre, Jay [Aquion Energy, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Weber, Eric [Aquion Energy, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Eshoo, Michael [Aquion Energy, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Noland, James [Aquion Energy, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Blackwood, David [Aquion Energy, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Campbell, Williams [Aquion Energy, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Sheen, Eric [Aquion Energy, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Spears, Christopher [Aquion Energy, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (United States); Smith, Christopher [Aquion Energy, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA (United States)

2012-08-31

Aquion Energy received a $5.179 million cooperative research agreement under the Department of Energy's Smart Grid Demonstration Program Demonstration of Promising Energy Storage Technologies (Program Area 2.5) of FOA DE-FOE-0000036. The main objective of this project was to demonstrate Aquion's low cost, grid-scale, ambient temperature sodium ion energy storage device. The centerpiece of the technology is a novel hybrid energy storage chemistry that has been proven in a laboratory environment. The objective was to translate these groundbreaking results from the small-batch, small-cell test environment to the pilot scale to enable significant numbers of multiple ampere-hour cells to be manufactured and assembled into test batteries. Aquion developed a proof of concept demonstration unit that showed similar performance and major cost improvement over existing technologies. Beyond minimizing cell and system cost, Aquion built a technology that is safe, environmentally benign and durable over many thousands of cycles as used in a variety of grid support roles.

Comparison of Traditional Versus Evidence-Based Journal Club Formats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kathleen Packard, PharmD, MS, BCPS

2011-01-01

Full Text Available AbstractPurpose: The objective of the study was to compare a traditionally structured journal club with an evidence based structured journal club during an advanced clinical pharmacy rotation and to determine the best utilization that aligns with recent changes to the pharmacy school accreditation standards.Methods: The study included 21 students who completed journal club utilizing the traditional journal club format and 24 students who utilized an evidence based journal club format. Background characteristics, student reported beliefs, and mean critical evaluation skills scores were evaluated and compared in each group.Results: There were no statistically significant differences between the two cohorts in mean overall percentage grade for the activity. Students in the traditional cohort received significantly higher grades for the Study Analysis and Critique section (90.97 + 12.18 versus 81.25 + 11.18, P=0.01 as well as for the Preparedness section (96.11 + 8.03 versus 85.0 + 17.13, P=0.002. Students in the evidence based cohort received statistically superior grades for the Presentation Skills section (96.43 + 6.39 versus 82.47 + 14.12, P=0.0004.Conclusion: An evidence based journal club is a reasonable and effective alternative to the traditionally structured journal club when the primary objective is to assist students in understanding evidence based concepts and to apply current literature to clinical practice.

Synthesizing Quantitative Evidence for Evidence-based Nursing: Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Oh, Eui Geum

2016-06-01

As evidence-based practice has become an important issue in healthcare settings, the educational needs for knowledge and skills for the generation and utilization of healthcare evidence are increasing. Systematic review (SR), a way of evidence generation, is a synthesis of primary scientific evidence, which summarizes the best evidence on a specific clinical question using a transparent, a priori protocol driven approach. SR methodology requires a critical appraisal of primary studies, data extraction in a reliable and repeatable way, and examination for validity of the results. SRs are considered hierarchically as the highest form of evidence as they are a systematic search, identification, and summarization of the available evidence to answer a focused clinical question with particular attention to the methodological quality of studies or the credibility of opinion and text. The purpose of this paper is to introduce an overview of the fundamental knowledge, principals and processes in SR. The focus of this paper is on SR especially for the synthesis of quantitative data from primary research studies that examines the effectiveness of healthcare interventions. To activate evidence-based nursing care in various healthcare settings, the best and available scientific evidence are essential components. This paper will include some examples to promote understandings. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Synthesizing Quantitative Evidence for Evidence-based Nursing: Systematic Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eui Geum Oh, PhD, RN

2016-06-01

Full Text Available As evidence-based practice has become an important issue in healthcare settings, the educational needs for knowledge and skills for the generation and utilization of healthcare evidence are increasing. Systematic review (SR, a way of evidence generation, is a synthesis of primary scientific evidence, which summarizes the best evidence on a specific clinical question using a transparent, a priori protocol driven approach. SR methodology requires a critical appraisal of primary studies, data extraction in a reliable and repeatable way, and examination for validity of the results. SRs are considered hierarchically as the highest form of evidence as they are a systematic search, identification, and summarization of the available evidence to answer a focused clinical question with particular attention to the methodological quality of studies or the credibility of opinion and text. The purpose of this paper is to introduce an overview of the fundamental knowledge, principals and processes in SR. The focus of this paper is on SR especially for the synthesis of quantitative data from primary research studies that examines the effectiveness of healthcare interventions. To activate evidence-based nursing care in various healthcare settings, the best and available scientific evidence are essential components. This paper will include some examples to promote understandings.

Safety significance of component ageing, exemplary for MOV, based on French and German operating experience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morlent, O. [CEA Fontenay-aux-Roses, 92 (France). Inst. de Protection et de Surete Nucleaire; Michel, F. [Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) mbH, Garching (Germany)

2001-07-01

An outline is given of how IPSN and GRS assess the effects of physical ageing on the safety of French and German Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) on the basis of the available knowledge and how investigations are carried out. The presentation is focused exemplary on a preliminary study illustrating approaches for the evaluation of the ageing behaviour of active components, the motor-operated valves (MOV). The results so far seems to demonstrate that the developed methodological approaches are suitable to obtain qualitative evidence with regard to the ageing behaviour of technical facilities such as MOV. The evaluation of the operating experience with French 900 MWe plants seems to reveal, for MOV of one system, a trend similar to some international findings about ageing-related events with increasing operating time; this trend will have to be confirmed. For the German NPPs so far, there appears to be no significant increase of ageing-related events concerning MOV as the plants get older. Future work on ageing scheduled at IPSN and GRS includes further cooperation on this issue, too; a deep analysis is necessary to explain the reasons of such apparent differences before any conclusion. (authors)

Safety significance of component ageing, exemplary for MOV, based on French and German operating experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morlent, O.

2001-01-01

An outline is given of how IPSN and GRS assess the effects of physical ageing on the safety of French and German Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) on the basis of the available knowledge and how investigations are carried out. The presentation is focused exemplary on a preliminary study illustrating approaches for the evaluation of the ageing behaviour of active components, the motor-operated valves (MOV). The results so far seems to demonstrate that the developed methodological approaches are suitable to obtain qualitative evidence with regard to the ageing behaviour of technical facilities such as MOV. The evaluation of the operating experience with French 900 MWe plants seems to reveal, for MOV of one system, a trend similar to some international findings about ageing-related events with increasing operating time; this trend will have to be confirmed. For the German NPPs so far, there appears to be no significant increase of ageing-related events concerning MOV as the plants get older. Future work on ageing scheduled at IPSN and GRS includes further cooperation on this issue, too; a deep analysis is necessary to explain the reasons of such apparent differences before any conclusion. (authors)

FINDING SOLUTIONS AT THE WEST VALLEY DEMONSTRATION PROJECT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drake, John L.; Gramling, James M.; Houston, Helene M.

2003-01-01

-c ell viewing, and various types of handling, retrieval, and dismantlement tasks. The primary focus of the LSDDP of Hot Cells is on demonstrating technologies capable of reducing cost and schedule baselines for work scopes involving in-situ characterization (including nondestructive examination to access in-cell areas), size-reducing equipment and piping, contamination control, and decontaminating surfaces (including equipment surfaces). Demonstrations of technologies that can streamline these tasks are scheduled for the WVDP site. Demonstrations scheduled for the Hanford RCP site focus on work scope activities involving remote-inspection and viewing. Each demonstration conducted will be assessed using evaluation criteria established by the participating sites to determine if selected technologies represent a significant improvement over current baseline technologies being used to perform work. If proven to be effective, each of the commercially available technologies demonstrated has th e potential to be quickly deployed at other sites, resulting in improved worker safety, reduced cleanup costs, and accelerated schedule completion for many of the most challenging cleanup efforts now underway throughout the DOE Complex

The role of massage in sports performance and rehabilitation: current evidence and future direction.

Science.gov (United States)

Brummitt, Jason

2008-02-01

Massage is a popular treatment choice of athletes, coaches, and sports physical therapists. Despite its purported benefits and frequent use, evidence demonstrating its efficacy is scarce. To identify current literature relating to sports massage and its role in effecting an athlete's psychological readiness, in enhancing sports performance, in recovery from exercise and competition, and in the treatment of sports related musculoskeletal injuries. Electronic databases were used to identify papers relevant to this review. The following keywords were searched: massage, sports injuries, athletic injuries, physical therapy, rehabilitation, delayed onset muscle soreness, sports psychology, sports performance, sports massage, sports recovery, soft tissue mobilization, deep transverse friction massage, pre-event, and post exercise. RESEARCH STUDIES PERTAINING TO THE FOLLOWING GENERAL CATEGORIES WERE IDENTIFIED AND REVIEWED: pre-event (physiological and psychological variables), sports performance, recovery, and rehabilitation. Despite the fact clinical research has been performed, a poor appreciation exists for the appropriate clinical use of sports massage. Additional studies examining the physiological and psychological effects of sports massage are necessary in order to assist the sports physical therapist in developing and implementing clinically significant evidence based programs or treatments.

Evidence for side-chain π-delocalization in a planar substituted benzene: an experimental and theoretical charge density study on 2,5-dimethoxybenzaldehyde thiosemicarbazone.

Science.gov (United States)

Farrugia, Louis J; Khalaji, Aliakbar Dehno

2011-11-17

The charge density in 2,5-dimethoxybenzaldehyde thiosemicarbazone (1) has been studied experimentally using Mo-K(α) X-ray diffraction at 100 K, and by theory using DFT calculations at the B3LYP/6-311++G(2d,2p) level. The quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) was used to investigate the extent of π-delocalization in the thioamide side-chain, which is virtually coplanar with the benzene ring. The experimental and theoretical ellipticity profiles along the bond paths were in excellent agreement, and showed that some of the formal single bonds in the side-chain have significant π-bond character. This view was supported by the magnitudes of the topological bond orders and by the delocalization indices δ(Ω(A), Ω(B)). An orbital decomposition of δ(Ω(A), Ω(B)) demonstrated that there was significant π-character in all the interchain non-H chemical bonds. On the other hand, the source function referenced at the interchain bond critical points could not provide any evidence for π-delocalization, showing instead only limited σ-delocalization between nearest neighbors. Overall, the topological evidence and the atomic graphs of the oxygen atoms did not provide convincing evidence for π-delocalization involving the methoxy substituents.

North Village Ground Source Heat Pump Demonstration Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Redderson, Jeff

2015-08-03

This project demonstrated the feasibility of converting from a traditional direct exchange system to a ground source heat pump system on a large scale, multiple building apartment complex on a university campus. A total of ten apartment buildings were converted using vertical well fields and a ground source loop that connected the 24 apartments in each building into a common system. The system has yielded significant operational savings in both energy and maintenance and transformed the living environments of these residential buildings for our students.

Joint optimization of phase diversity and adaptive optics : Demonstration of potential

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Korkiakoski, V.; Keller, C.U.; Doelman, N.; Fraanje, P.R.; Verhaegen, M.H.G.

2011-01-01

We study different possibilities to use adaptive optics (AO) and phase diversity (PD) together in a jointly optimized system. The potential of the joint system is demonstrated through numerical simulations. We find that the most significant benefits are obtained from the improved deconvolution of

Residential Energy Efficiency Demonstration: Hawaii and Guam Energy Improvement Technology Demonstration Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Earle, L. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Sparn, B. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Rutter, A. [Sustainability Solutions LLC (Guam); Briggs, D. [Naval Base Guam, Santa Rita (Guam)

2014-03-01

In order to meet its energy goals, the Department of Defense (DOD) has partnered with the Department of Energy (DOE) to rapidly demonstrate and deploy cost-effective renewable energy and energy-efficiency technologies. The scope of this project was to demonstrate tools and technologies to reduce energy use in military housing, with particular emphasis on measuring and reducing loads related to consumer electronics (commonly referred to as 'plug loads'), hot water, and whole-house cooling.

Practice and application of problem-based learning in evidence-based medicine teaching

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tian-Ao Li

2014-10-01

Full Text Available AIM:To investigate the effect of problem-based learning(PBLused in the teaching of medical students' evidence-based medicine(EBM.METHODS: Five classes(total 147 studentswere randomly selected as experimental(PBLgroup, at the same time, another 5 classes(total 149 studentswere also randomly selected as control group, using traditional teaching method(lecture-based learning, LBLin 2010 grade. The final examination scores of the experimental group were compared with control at the end of term. In addition, all students were interviewed using self-administered questionnaire to obtain their evaluation for PBL practice. SPSS13.0 software was used for statistical analysis.RESULTS: The homogeneity test in baseline survey showed that the basic characteristics between the two groups of students were no significant differences, and were comparable(P>0.05. Final exam results showed that in addition to the scores of the EBM basic knowledge indicated no significant difference between two groups of students(P>0.05, for the 5 steps of EBM procedure, namely, asking questions, finding the best evidence, evaluating the evidence, using and practicing the evidence, re-evaluating the evidence, and the total scores between the two groups, there were significant statistically differences(PP>0.05in aspects of better understanding classroom knowledge, improving language expression ability, and writing skill exercises. And other residual items had a significant difference(PPCONCLUSION:PBL teaching mode can effectively improve teaching effectiveness and the quality of EBM teaching, so the this teaching mode is worth further popularizing.

Dancers with achilles tendinopathy demonstrate altered lower extremity takeoff kinematics.

Science.gov (United States)

Kulig, Kornelia; Loudon, Janice K; Popovich, John M; Pollard, Christine D; Winder, Brooke R

2011-08-01

Controlled laboratory study using a cross-sectional design. To analyze lower extremity kinematics during takeoff of a "saut de chat" (leap) in dancers with and without a history of Achilles tendinopathy (AT). We hypothesized that dancers with AT would demonstrate different kinematic strategies compared to dancers without pathology, and that these differences would be prominent in the transverse and frontal planes. AT is a common injury experienced by dancers. Dance leaps such as the saut de chat place a large demand on the Achilles tendon. Sixteen female dancers with and without a history of AT (mean ± SD age, 18.8 ± 1.2 years) participated. Three-dimensional kinematics at the hip, knee, and ankle were quantified for the takeoff of the saut de chat, using a motion analysis system. A force platform was used to determine braking and push-off phases of takeoff. Peak sagittal, frontal, and transverse plane joint positions during the braking and push-off phases of the takeoff were examined statistically. Independent samples t tests were used to evaluate group differences (α = .05). The dancers in the tendinopathy group demonstrated significantly higher peak hip adduction during the braking phase of takeoff (mean ± SD, 13.5° ± 6.1° versus 7.7° ± 4.2°; P = .046). During the push-off phase, dancers with AT demonstrated significantly more internal rotation at the knee (13.2° ± 5.2° versus 6.9° ± 4.9°; P = .024). Dancers with AT demonstrate increased peak transverse and frontal plane kinematics when performing the takeoff of a saut de chat. These larger displacements may be either causative or compensatory factors in the development of AT.

Evidence-informed massage therapy - an Australian practitioner perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Ooi, Soo Liang; Smith, Lauren; Pak, Sok Cheon

2018-05-01

Massage therapy (MT) is the most popular complementary and alternative medicine therapy used by the Australian public. With the growing emphasis by the Australian health authority on evidence-informed healthcare decision-making, there is an increasing demand for massage therapists to move towards the evidence-informed practice (EIP). With MT research gaining significant attention over the last 30 years, clinical evidence exists to support the efficacies of MT on many health conditions, including chronic low back pain. This growing body of research supports MT to become an evidence-informed therapeutic modality. The evidence utilization process of asking clinical questions, searching for available research evidence, and appraising the evidence critically can be incorporated into the clinical practice of MT. Moreover, integrating practitioners' skills and experience with research evidence enables the best treatment plan to address the clients' needs and stated goals. No dichotomy exists between scientific research and the humanistic client care of MT. A massage therapist can gain greater confidence in practice, improve critical thinking and decision-making skills, and increase career satisfaction through EIP. Despite its high public utilization, massage therapists in Australia remain a low-paying profession dominated by part-time workers who rarely utilize research evidence in practice. Professional associations of massage therapists in Australia need to play a key role in promoting EIP through continuing professional education, providing the access to research information and resources, as well as fostering a culture of EIP. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Offsite demonstrations for MWLID technologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, C.; Gruebel, R.

1995-01-01

The goal of the Offsite Demonstration Project for Mixed Waste Landfill Integrated Demonstration (MWLID)-developed environmental site characterization and remediation technologies is to facilitate the transfer, use, and commercialization of these technologies to the public and private sector. The meet this goal, the project identified environmental restoration needs of mixed waste and/or hazardous waste landfill owners (Native American, municipal, DOE, and DoD); documenting potential demonstration sites and the contaminants present at each site; assessing the environmental regulations that would effect demonstration activities; and evaluating site suitability for demonstrating MWLID technologies at the tribal and municipal sites identified. Eighteen landfill sites within a 40.2-km radius of Sandia National Laboratories are listed on the CERCLIS Site/Event Listing for the state of New Mexico. Seventeen are not located within DOE or DoD facilities and are potential offsite MWLID technology demonstration sites. Two of the seventeen CERCLIS sites, one on Native American land and one on municipal land, were evaluated and identified as potential candidates for off-site demonstrations of MWLID-developed technologies. Contaminants potentially present on site include chromium waste, household/commercial hazardous waste, volatile organic compounds, and petroleum products. MWLID characterization technologies applicable to these sites include Magnetometer Towed Array, Cross-borehole Electromagnetic Imaging, SitePlanner trademark/PLUME, Hybrid Directional Drilling, Seamist trademark/Vadose Zone Monitoring, Stripping Analyses, and x-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy for Heavy Metals

Evidence-based medicine - an appropriate tool for evidence-based health policy? A case study from Norway.

Science.gov (United States)

Malterud, Kirsti; Bjelland, Anne Karen; Elvbakken, Kari Tove

2016-03-05

Evidence-based policy (EBP), a concept modelled on the principles of evidence-based medicine (EBM), is widely used in different areas of policymaking. Systematic reviews (SRs) with meta-analyses gradually became the methods of choice for synthesizing research evidence about interventions and judgements about quality of evidence and strength of recommendations. Critics have argued that the relation between research evidence and service policies is weak, and that the notion of EBP rests on a misunderstanding of policy processes. Having explored EBM standards and knowledge requirements for health policy decision-making, we present an empirical point of departure for discussing the relationship between EBM and EBP. In a case study exploring the Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services (NOKC), an independent government unit, we first searched for information about the background and development of the NOKC to establish a research context. We then identified, selected and organized official NOKC publications as an empirical sample of typical top-of-the-line knowledge delivery adhering to EBM standards. Finally, we explored conclusions in this type of publication, specifically addressing their potential as policy decision tools. From a total sample of 151 SRs published by the NOKC in the period 2004-2013, a purposive subsample from 2012 (14 publications) advised major caution about their conclusions because of the quality or relevance of the underlying documentation. Although the case study did not include a systematic investigation of uptake and policy consequences, SRs were found to be inappropriate as universal tools for health policy decision-making. The case study demonstrates that EBM is not necessarily suited to knowledge provision for every kind of policy decision-making. Our analysis raises the question of whether the evidence-based movement, represented here by an independent government organization, undertakes too broad a range of commissions using

Alternative-fueled truck demonstration natural gas program: Caterpillar G3406LE development and demonstration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-06-01

In 1990, the California Energy Commission, the South Coast Air Quality Management District, and the Southern California Gas Company joined together to sponsor the development and demonstration of compressed natural gas engines for Class 8 heavy-duty line-haul trucking applications. This program became part of an overall Alternative-Fueled Truck Demonstration Program, with the goal of advancing the technological development of alternative-fueled engines. The demonstration showed natural gas to be a technically viable fuel for Class 8 truck engines.

Metacognition and evidence analysis instruction: an educational framework and practical experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Parrott, J Scott; Rubinstein, Matthew L

2015-08-21

The role of metacognitive skills in the evidence analysis process has received little attention in the research literature. While the steps of the evidence analysis process are well defined, the role of higher-level cognitive operations (metacognitive strategies) in integrating the steps of the process is not well understood. In part, this is because it is not clear where and how metacognition is implicated in the evidence analysis process nor how these skills might be taught. The purposes of this paper are to (a) suggest a model for identifying critical thinking and metacognitive skills in evidence analysis instruction grounded in current educational theory and research and (b) demonstrate how freely available systematic review/meta-analysis tools can be used to focus on higher-order metacognitive skills, while providing a framework for addressing common student weaknesses. The final goal of this paper is to provide an instructional framework that can generate critique and elaboration while providing the conceptual basis and rationale for future research agendas on this topic.

Solar renovation demonstration projects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bruun Joergensen, O [ed.

1998-10-01

In the framework of the IEA SHC Programme, a Task on building renovation was initiated, `Task 20, Solar Energy in Building Renovation`. In a part of the task, Subtask C `Design of Solar Renovation Projects`, different solar renovation demonstration projects were developed. The objective of Subtask C was to demonstrate the application of advanced solar renovation concepts on real buildings. This report documents 16 different solar renovation demonstration projects including the design processes of the projects. The projects include the renovation of houses, schools, laboratories, and factories. Several solar techniques were used: building integrated solar collectors, glazed balconies, ventilated solar walls, transparent insulation, second skin facades, daylight elements and photovoltaic systems. These techniques are used in several simple as well as more complex system designs. (au)

Commercial incineration demonstration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borduin, L.C.; Neuls, A.S.

1981-01-01

Low-level radioactive wastes (LLW) generated by nuclear utilities presently are shipped to commercial burial grounds for disposal. Substantially increasing shipping and disposal charges have sparked renewed industry interest in incineration and other advanced volume reduction techniques as potential cost-saving measures. Repeated inquiries from industry sources regarding LLW applicability of the Los Alamos controlled-air incineration (CAI) design led DOE to initiate this commercial demonstration program in FY-1980. The selected program approach to achieving CAI demonstration at a utility site is a DOE sponsored joint effort involving Los Alamos, a nuclear utility, and a liaison subcontractor. Required development tasks and responsibilities of the particpants are described. Target date for project completion is the end of FY-1985

Novel ventilation design of combining spacer and mesh structure in sports T-shirt significantly improves thermal comfort.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Chao; Au, Joe Sau-chuen; Fan, Jintu; Zheng, Rong

2015-05-01

This paper reports on novel ventilation design in sports T-shirt, which combines spacer and mesh structure, and experimental evidence on the advantages of design in improving thermal comfort. Evaporative resistance (Re) and thermal insulation (Rc) of T-shirts were measured using a sweating thermal manikin under three different air velocities. Moisture permeability index (i(m)) was calculated to compare the different designed T-shirts. The T-shirts of new and conventional designs were also compared by wearer trials, which were comprised of 30 min treadmill running followed by 10 min rest. Skin temperature, skin relative humidity, heart rate, oxygen inhalation and energy expenditure were monitored, and subjective sensations were asked. Results demonstrated that novel T-shirt has 11.1% significant lower im than control sample under windy condition. The novel T-shirt contributes to reduce the variation of skin temperature and relative humidity up to 37% and 32%, as well as decrease 3.3% energy consumption during exercise. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

The influence of mitigation evidence, ethnicity, and SES on death penalty decisions by European American and Latino venire persons.

Science.gov (United States)

Espinoza, Russ K E; Willis-Esqueda, Cynthia

2015-04-01

The purpose of the research was to determine whether European American and Latino mock jurors would demonstrate bias in death penalty decision making when mitigation evidence and defendant ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) were varied. A total of 561 actual venire persons acted as mock jurors and read a trial transcript that varied a defendant's case information (mitigating circumstances: strong/weak, defendant ethnicity: European American/Latino, and defendant SES: low/high). European American jurors recommended the death penalty significantly more often for the low SES Latino defendant when strength of mitigation evidence was weak. In addition, they also assigned this defendant higher culpability ratings and lower ratings on positive personality trait measures compared with all other conditions. Strong mitigation evidence contributed to lower guilt ratings by European American jurors for the high SES European American defendant. Latino jurors did not differ in their death penalty sentencing across defendant mitigation, ethnicity, or SES conditions. Discussion of in-group favoritism and out-group derogation, as well as suggestions for procedures to diminish juror bias in death penalty cases, is provided. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Rehabilitation targeted at everyday communication: can we change the talk of people with aphasia and their significant others within conversation?

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkinson, Ray; Wielaert, Sandra

2012-01-01

To investigate whether aphasia therapy can change the talk of speakers with aphasia and/or their significant others within conversation. Small number of intervention studies targeting conversations involving speakers with aphasia are reviewed. All are single case studies. Key assessment in the studies was an audio or video recording of 1 or more conversations between the dyad, usually made in the home setting. Intervention in these studies took place in the participants' home or another setting, such as a therapy room. In all of the studies reviewed, the participants consisted of a person with aphasia (PWA) and a significant other, usually the PWA's spouse. In all studies, therapy took the form of a behavioral intervention involving the provision of feedback to the significant other and/or PWA on their conversational behaviors uncovered by a conversation analysis assessment. Handouts, transcripts, discussion, and video feedback were used. Suggestions to permit participants to cope better with the effects of aphasia within conversation were given, and opportunities for practicing these strategies within conversation were provided. Postintervention, 1 or more conversations involving the PWA and significant other were recorded in the same manner as the preintervention. Conversations were analyzed in relation to changes in the behaviors targeted in intervention, such as those involved in topic initiation or repair of linguistic errors. Each of the studies reviewed presented evidence that the talk of people with aphasia and/or their significant others can be changed in conversation. In some studies the evidence is primarily qualitative, in the form of observed changes to conversational behaviors postintervention. Some studies produce stronger evidence by combining qualitative and quantitative analyses of change. There is evidence that intervention targeting conversations involving an aphasic speaker can achieve change. Future studies should move beyond single case

Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer Technology Demonstration For Long Duration In-Space Missions

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, Michael L.; Motil, Susan M.; Kortes, Trudy F.; Taylor, William J.; McRight, Patrick S.

2012-01-01

The high specific impulse of cryogenic propellants can provide a significant performance advantage for in-space transfer vehicles. The upper stages of the Saturn V and various commercial expendable launch vehicles have used liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen propellants; however, the application of cryogenic propellants has been limited to relatively short duration missions due to the propensity of cryogens to absorb environmental heat resulting in fluid losses. Utilizing advanced cryogenic propellant technologies can enable the efficient use of high performance propellants for long duration missions. Crewed mission architectures for beyond low Earth orbit exploration can significantly benefit from this capability by developing realistic launch spacing for multiple launch missions, by prepositioning stages and by staging propellants at an in-space depot. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration through the Office of the Chief Technologist is formulating a Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer Technology Demonstration Mission to mitigate the technical and programmatic risks of infusing these advanced technologies into the development of future cryogenic propellant stages or in-space propellant depots. NASA is seeking an innovative path for human space exploration, which strengthens the capability to extend human and robotic presence throughout the solar system. This mission will test and validate key cryogenic technological capabilities and has the objectives of demonstrating advanced thermal control technologies to minimize propellant loss during loiter, demonstrating robust operation in a microgravity environment, and demonstrating efficient propellant transfer on orbit. The status of the demonstration mission concept development, technology demonstration planning and technology maturation activities in preparation for flight system development are described.

Demonstration of Cosmic Microwave Background Delensing Using the Cosmic Infrared Background.

Science.gov (United States)

Larsen, Patricia; Challinor, Anthony; Sherwin, Blake D; Mak, Daisy

2016-10-07

Delensing is an increasingly important technique to reverse the gravitational lensing of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and thus reveal primordial signals the lensing may obscure. We present a first demonstration of delensing on Planck temperature maps using the cosmic infrared background (CIB). Reversing the lensing deflections in Planck CMB temperature maps using a linear combination of the 545 and 857 GHz maps as a lensing tracer, we find that the lensing effects in the temperature power spectrum are reduced in a manner consistent with theoretical expectations. In particular, the characteristic sharpening of the acoustic peaks of the temperature power spectrum resulting from successful delensing is detected at a significance of 16σ, with an amplitude of A_{delens}=1.12±0.07 relative to the expected value of unity. This first demonstration on data of CIB delensing, and of delensing techniques in general, is significant because lensing removal will soon be essential for achieving high-precision constraints on inflationary B-mode polarization.

Minimally Invasive versus Open Spine Surgery: What Does the Best Evidence Tell Us?

Science.gov (United States)

McClelland, Shearwood; Goldstein, Jeffrey A

2017-01-01

Spine surgery has been transformed significantly by the growth of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) procedures. Easily marketable to patients as less invasive with smaller incisions, MIS is often perceived as superior to traditional open spine surgery. The highest quality evidence comparing MIS with open spine surgery was examined. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving MIS versus open spine surgery was performed using the Entrez gateway of the PubMed database for articles published in English up to December 28, 2015. RCTs and systematic reviews of RCTs of MIS versus open spine surgery were evaluated for three particular entities: Cervical disc herniation, lumbar disc herniation, and posterior lumbar fusion. A total of 17 RCTs were identified, along with six systematic reviews. For cervical disc herniation, MIS provided no difference in overall function, arm pain relief, or long-term neck pain. In lumbar disc herniation, MIS was inferior in providing leg/low back pain relief, rehospitalization rates, quality of life improvement, and exposed the surgeon to >10 times more radiation in return for shorter hospital stay and less surgical site infection. In posterior lumbar fusion, MIS transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) had significantly reduced 2-year societal cost, fewer medical complications, reduced time to return to work, and improved short-term Oswestry Disability Index scores at the cost of higher revision rates, higher readmission rates, and more than twice the amount of intraoperative fluoroscopy. The highest levels of evidence do not support MIS over open surgery for cervical or lumbar disc herniation. However, MIS TLIF demonstrates advantages along with higher revision/readmission rates. Regardless of patient indication, MIS exposes the surgeon to significantly more radiation; it is unclear how this impacts patients. These results should optimize informed decision-making regarding MIS versus open spine surgery

Evidências de validade das Matrizes Progressivas Avançadas de Raven em universitários Validity Evidence of Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices in university students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milena Oliveira Rosseti

2009-08-01

Full Text Available O objetivo do estudo foi encontrar evidências de validade das Matrizes Progressivas Avançadas de Raven em universitários. Participaram 369 universitários de duas universidades privadas do estado de São Paulo, sendo 104 (28,2% do sexo masculino e 265 (71,8% do feminino. Em relação aos cursos, 167 (45,3% são de Psicologia, 111 (30,1% de Administração de Empresas, 54 (14,6% de Gestão de Recursos Humanos e 37 (10% de Pedagogia. Os resultados demonstraram que houve diferença significativa com relação ao gênero, com um melhor desempenho do sexo masculino (t=4,21 e pThe aim of the study was to find validity evidence of Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices in university students. The sample consisted of 369 university students from two private universities in the state of Sao Paulo, being a 104 (28,2% of the masculine and 265 (71,8% of the feminine. Regarding the courses, 167 (45,3% is of Psychology, 111 (30,1% is of Business Administration, 54 (14,6 % is of Management of Human Resources and 37 (10% is of Pedagogy. The results showed statistically significant difference of sex, with males having better performance in the instrument (t=4.21; p<0.01. The analysis of variance (ANOVA showed significant difference between averages of the courses (F=13,8; p<0,00, and the courses that are differentiated in accordance with the test ad-hoc of Tukey were Administration and Psychology that obtained scores bigger than the others courses. The results demonstrated what the used instrument showed precisely to value aspects of the general intelligence at university students.

Education Payload Operation - Demonstrations

Science.gov (United States)

Keil, Matthew

2009-01-01

Education Payload Operation - Demonstrations (EPO-Demos) are recorded video education demonstrations performed on the International Space Station (ISS) by crewmembers using hardware already onboard the ISS. EPO-Demos are videotaped, edited, and used to enhance existing NASA education resources and programs for educators and students in grades K-12. EPO-Demos are designed to support the NASA mission to inspire the next generation of explorers.

An evidence-based virtual reality training program for novice laparoscopic surgeons.

Science.gov (United States)

Aggarwal, Rajesh; Grantcharov, Teodor P; Eriksen, Jens R; Blirup, Dorthe; Kristiansen, Viggo B; Funch-Jensen, Peter; Darzi, Ara

2006-08-01

To develop an evidence-based virtual reality laparoscopic training curriculum for novice laparoscopic surgeons to achieve a proficient level of skill prior to participating in live cases. Technical skills for laparoscopic surgery must be acquired within a competency-based curriculum that begins in the surgical skills laboratory. Implementation of this program necessitates the definition of the validity, learning curves and proficiency criteria on the training tool. The study recruited 40 surgeons, classified into experienced (performed >100 laparoscopic cholecystectomies) or novice groups (<10 laparoscopic cholecystectomies). Ten novices and 10 experienced surgeons were tested on basic tasks, and 11 novices and 9 experienced surgeons on a procedural module for dissection of Calot triangle. Performance of the 2 groups was assessed using time, error, and economy of movement parameters. All basic tasks demonstrated construct validity (Mann-Whitney U test, P < 0.05), and learning curves for novices plateaued at a median of 7 repetitions (Friedman's test, P < 0.05). Expert surgeons demonstrated a learning rate at a median of 2 repetitions (P < 0.05). Performance on the dissection module demonstrated significant differences between experts and novices (P < 0.002); learning curves for novice subjects plateaued at the fourth repetition (P < 0.05). Expert benchmark criteria were defined for validated parameters on each task. A competency-based training curriculum for novice laparoscopic surgeons has been defined. This can serve to ensure that junior trainees have acquired prerequisite levels of skill prior to entering the operating room, and put them directly into practice.

Polynomial regression analysis and significance test of the regression function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Zhengming; Zhao Juan; He Shengping

2012-01-01

In order to analyze the decay heating power of a certain radioactive isotope per kilogram with polynomial regression method, the paper firstly demonstrated the broad usage of polynomial function and deduced its parameters with ordinary least squares estimate. Then significance test method of polynomial regression function is derived considering the similarity between the polynomial regression model and the multivariable linear regression model. Finally, polynomial regression analysis and significance test of the polynomial function are done to the decay heating power of the iso tope per kilogram in accord with the authors' real work. (authors)

Distributed picture compilation demonstration

Science.gov (United States)

Alexander, Richard; Anderson, John; Leal, Jeff; Mullin, David; Nicholson, David; Watson, Graham

2004-08-01

A physical demonstration of distributed surveillance and tracking is described. The demonstration environment is an outdoor car park overlooked by a system of four rooftop cameras. The cameras extract moving objects from the scene, and these objects are tracked in a decentralized way, over a real communication network, using the information form of the standard Kalman filter. Each node therefore has timely access to the complete global picture and because there is no single point of failure in the system, it is robust. The demonstration system and its main components are described here, with an emphasis on some of the lessons we have learned as a result of applying a corpus of distributed data fusion theory and algorithms in practice. Initial results are presented and future plans to scale up the network are also outlined.

Indoor Air Contamination from Hazardous Waste Sites: Improving the Evidence Base for Decision-Making.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnston, Jill; MacDonald Gibson, Jacqueline

2015-11-27

At hazardous waste sites, volatile chemicals can migrate through groundwater and soil into buildings, a process known as vapor intrusion. Due to increasing recognition of vapor intrusion as a potential indoor air pollution source, in 2015 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a new vapor intrusion guidance document. The guidance specifies two conditions for demonstrating that remediation is needed: (1) proof of a vapor intrusion pathway; and (2) evidence that human health risks exceed established thresholds (for example, one excess cancer among 10,000 exposed people). However, the guidance lacks details on methods for demonstrating these conditions. We review current evidence suggesting that monitoring and modeling approaches commonly employed at vapor intrusion sites do not adequately characterize long-term exposure and in many cases may underestimate risks. On the basis of this evidence, we recommend specific approaches to monitoring and modeling to account for these uncertainties. We propose a value of information approach to integrate the lines of evidence at a site and determine if more information is needed before deciding whether the two conditions specified in the vapor intrusion guidance are satisfied. To facilitate data collection and decision-making, we recommend a multi-directional community engagement strategy and consideration of environment justice concerns.

Evidence Based Cataloguing: Moving Beyond the Rules

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kathy Carter

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Cataloguing is sometimes regarded as a rule-bound, production-based activity that offers little scope for professional judgement and decision-making. In reality, cataloguing involves challenging decisions that can have significant service and financial impacts. The current environment for cataloguing is a maelstrom of changing demands and competing visions for the future. With information-seekers turning en masse to Google and their behaviour receiving greater attention, library vendors are offering “discovery layer” products to replace traditional OPACs, and cataloguers are examining and debating a transformed version of their descriptive cataloguing rules (Resource Description and Access or RDA. In his “Perceptions of the future of cataloging: Is the sky really falling?” (2009, Ivey provides a good summary of this environment. At the same time, myriad new metadata formats and schema are being developed and applied for digital collections in libraries and other institutions. In today’s libraries, cataloguing is no longer limited to management of traditional AACR and MARC-based metadata for traditional library collections. And like their parent institutions, libraries cannot ignore growing pressures to demonstrate accountability and tangible value provided by their services. More than ever, research and an evidence based approach can help guide cataloguing decision-making.

Evidence for gravitational lensing of the cosmic microwave background polarization from cross-correlation with the cosmic infrared background.

Science.gov (United States)

Ade, P A R; Akiba, Y; Anthony, A E; Arnold, K; Atlas, M; Barron, D; Boettger, D; Borrill, J; Borys, C; Chapman, S; Chinone, Y; Dobbs, M; Elleflot, T; Errard, J; Fabbian, G; Feng, C; Flanigan, D; Gilbert, A; Grainger, W; Halverson, N W; Hasegawa, M; Hattori, K; Hazumi, M; Holzapfel, W L; Hori, Y; Howard, J; Hyland, P; Inoue, Y; Jaehnig, G C; Jaffe, A; Keating, B; Kermish, Z; Keskitalo, R; Kisner, T; Le Jeune, M; Lee, A T; Leitch, E M; Linder, E; Lungu, M; Matsuda, F; Matsumura, T; Meng, X; Miller, N J; Morii, H; Moyerman, S; Myers, M J; Navaroli, M; Nishino, H; Paar, H; Peloton, J; Poletti, D; Quealy, E; Rebeiz, G; Reichardt, C L; Richards, P L; Ross, C; Rotermund, K; Schanning, I; Schenck, D E; Sherwin, B D; Shimizu, A; Shimmin, C; Shimon, M; Siritanasak, P; Smecher, G; Spieler, H; Stebor, N; Steinbach, B; Stompor, R; Suzuki, A; Takakura, S; Tikhomirov, A; Tomaru, T; Wilson, B; Yadav, A; Zahn, O

2014-04-04

We reconstruct the gravitational lensing convergence signal from cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization data taken by the Polarbear experiment and cross-correlate it with cosmic infrared background maps from the Herschel satellite. From the cross spectra, we obtain evidence for gravitational lensing of the CMB polarization at a statistical significance of 4.0σ and indication of the presence of a lensing B-mode signal at a significance of 2.3σ. We demonstrate that our results are not biased by instrumental and astrophysical systematic errors by performing null tests, checks with simulated and real data, and analytical calculations. This measurement of polarization lensing, made via the robust cross-correlation channel, not only reinforces POLARBEAR auto-correlation measurements, but also represents one of the early steps towards establishing CMB polarization lensing as a powerful new probe of cosmology and astrophysics.

Loading of the knee during 3.0 T MRI is associated with significantly increased medial meniscus extrusion in mild and moderate osteoarthritis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stehling, Christoph, E-mail: christoph.stehling@radiology.ucsf.edu [Musculoskeletal and Quantitative Imaging Group (MQIR), Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA (United States); Department of Clinical Radiology, University of Muenster, Muenster (Germany); Souza, Richard B. [Musculoskeletal and Quantitative Imaging Group (MQIR), Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA (United States); Graverand, Marie-Pierre Hellio Le; Wyman, Bradley T. [Pfizer Inc. New London, CT (United States); Li, Xiaojuan; Majumdar, Sharmila; Link, Thomas M. [Musculoskeletal and Quantitative Imaging Group (MQIR), Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA (United States)

2012-08-15

Purpose: Standard knee MRI is performed under unloading (ULC) conditions and not much is known about changes of the meniscus, ligaments or cartilage under loading conditions (LC). The aim is to study the influence of loading of different knee structures at 3 Tesla (T) in subjects with osteoarthritis (OA) and normal controls. Materials and methods: 30 subjects, 10 healthy and 20 with radiographic evidence of OA (10 mild and 10 moderate) underwent 3 T MRI under ULC and LC at 50% body weight. All images were analyzed by two musculoskeletal radiologists identifying and grading cartilage, meniscal, ligamentous abnormalities. The changes between ULC and LC were assessed. For meniscus, cartilage and ligaments the changes of lesions, signal and shape were evaluated. In addition, for the meniscus changes in extrusion were examined. A multivariate regression model was used for correlations to correct the data for the impact of age, gender, BMI. A paired T-Test was performed to calculate the differences in meniscus extrusion. Results: Subjects with degenerative knee abnormalities demonstrated significantly increased meniscus extrusion under LC when compared to normal subjects (p = 0.0008-0.0027). Subjects with knee abnormalities and higher KL scores showed significantly more changes in lesion, signal and shape of the meniscus (80% (16/20) vs. 20% (2/10); p = 0.0025), ligaments and cartilage during LC. Conclusion: The study demonstrates that axial loading has an effect on articular cartilage, ligament, and meniscus morphology, which is more significant in subjects with degenerative disease and may serve as an additional diagnostic tool for disease diagnosis and assessing progression in subjects with knee OA.

Loading of the knee during 3.0 T MRI is associated with significantly increased medial meniscus extrusion in mild and moderate osteoarthritis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stehling, Christoph; Souza, Richard B.; Graverand, Marie-Pierre Hellio Le; Wyman, Bradley T.; Li, Xiaojuan; Majumdar, Sharmila; Link, Thomas M.

2012-01-01

Purpose: Standard knee MRI is performed under unloading (ULC) conditions and not much is known about changes of the meniscus, ligaments or cartilage under loading conditions (LC). The aim is to study the influence of loading of different knee structures at 3 Tesla (T) in subjects with osteoarthritis (OA) and normal controls. Materials and methods: 30 subjects, 10 healthy and 20 with radiographic evidence of OA (10 mild and 10 moderate) underwent 3 T MRI under ULC and LC at 50% body weight. All images were analyzed by two musculoskeletal radiologists identifying and grading cartilage, meniscal, ligamentous abnormalities. The changes between ULC and LC were assessed. For meniscus, cartilage and ligaments the changes of lesions, signal and shape were evaluated. In addition, for the meniscus changes in extrusion were examined. A multivariate regression model was used for correlations to correct the data for the impact of age, gender, BMI. A paired T-Test was performed to calculate the differences in meniscus extrusion. Results: Subjects with degenerative knee abnormalities demonstrated significantly increased meniscus extrusion under LC when compared to normal subjects (p = 0.0008–0.0027). Subjects with knee abnormalities and higher KL scores showed significantly more changes in lesion, signal and shape of the meniscus (80% (16/20) vs. 20% (2/10); p = 0.0025), ligaments and cartilage during LC. Conclusion: The study demonstrates that axial loading has an effect on articular cartilage, ligament, and meniscus morphology, which is more significant in subjects with degenerative disease and may serve as an additional diagnostic tool for disease diagnosis and assessing progression in subjects with knee OA.

Epidemiological evidence for the risk of cancer from diagnostic X-rays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berrington, A.

2001-01-01

The magnitude of the risk of cancer following exposure to a single moderate or high dose of ionising radiation has been studied extensively and is quite well understood. The size of the risk of cancer from diagnostic X-rays, which are low dose, fractionated exposures and constitute the largest man-made source of radiation exposure, is much more uncertain. The aim of this thesis is to evaluate the risk of cancer to radiologists and to the population from exposure to diagnostic X-rays using various epidemiological methods. The effect of fractionated radiation exposure was investigated in a cohort of 2698 British radiologists who first registered with a radiological society after 1921. There was no evidence of an overall excess risk of cancer mortality. However, there was evidence of an increasing trend in cancer mortality with time since registration with the society (p=0.0002), such that those who had first registered more than 40 years previously had a 41% (95% Cl: 3% to 90%) excess risk compared to cancer mortality rates for all medical practitioners. Indirect estimates of the risk of cancer from diagnostic X-rays to the population were calculated with lifetable methods. Using data on the current annual frequency of diagnostic X-ray exposures to the population, estimated organ doses from these X-rays and models for the risk of cancer from the Japanese atomic bomb survivors, it was estimated that 1.5% of the lifetime risk of cancer in the U.K. population could be attributable to diagnostic X-ray exposures. In fourteen other developed countries estimates ranged from 1.6% in Finland to 8.6% in Japan. Several published case-control studies of leukaemia, brain and parotid gland tumours and thyroid cancer demonstrated significant excess risks with self-reported exposures to diagnostic X-rays. Analysis of original data from a case-control study of thyroid cancer in Kuwait also found a significant trend in risk with estimated thyroid dose from self-reported upper-body X

Information Integration Technology Demonstration (IITD)

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Loe, Richard

2001-01-01

The objectives of the Information Integration Technology Demonstration (IITD) were to investigate, design a software architecture and demonstrate a capability to display intelligence data from multiple disciplines...

Evidence for weak genetic recombination at the PTP2 locus of Nosema ceranae.

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez-Moracho, Tamara; Bartolomé, Carolina; Martín-Hernández, Raquel; Higes, Mariano; Maside, Xulio

2015-04-01

The microsporidian Nosema ceranae is an emergent pathogen that threatens the health of honeybees and other pollinators all over the world. Its recent rapid spread across a wide variety of host species and environments demonstrated an enhanced ability of adaptation, which seems to contradict the lack of evidence for genetic recombination and the absence of a sexual stage in its life cycle. Here we retrieved fresh data of the patterns of genetic variation at the PTP2 locus in naturally infected Apis mellifera colonies, by means of single genome amplification. This technique, designed to prevent the formation of chimeric haplotypes during polymerase chain reaction (PCR), provides more reliable estimates of the diversity levels and haplotype structure than standard PCR-cloning methods. Our results are consistent with low but significant rates of recombination in the history of the haplotypes detected: estimates of the population recombination rate are of the order of 30 and support recent evidence for unexpectedly high levels of variation of the parasites within honeybee colonies. These observations suggest the existence of a diploid stage at some point in the life cycle of this parasite and are relevant for our understanding of the dynamics of its expanding population. © 2014 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Significance of {sup 99m}Tc-tin Colloid Scan in Rejection of Transplanted Kidney

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oh, Ha Young; Kim, Seung Taik; Park, Seon Yang; Kim, Sung Yang; Lee, Myung Chul; Cho, Bo Youn; Lee, Jung Sang; Koh, Chang Soon [Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

1982-09-15

Renal transplant uptake of {sup 99m}Tc-tin colloid was evaluated in 26 patients. Seventy-seven examinations were performed comparing transplant with bone marrow activity, clinical and/or pathological diagnosis. There were 13 instances of acute rejection; 7 of these exhibited slight uptake of radiocolloid in the renal transplant, 1 had marked uptake, and 5 had no evidence of uptake. There were 7 instances of chronic rejection; 5 of which demonstrated marked transplant uptake of radiocolloid, 1 had slight uptake, and 1 had no evidence of uptake. There were 2 instances of acute tubular necrosis and 55 instances of normal transplant function, but none of these exhibited transplant uptake of radiocolloid. From the result, the uptake of {sup 99m}Tc-tin colloid by renal transplant appears to signal rejection as long as the vascular supply is not severely compromised. Acute rejection may be represented by slight radiocolloid uptake, and chronic rejection by marked uptake when compared to bone marrow activity.

Math Interventions for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Best-Evidence Synthesis

Science.gov (United States)

King, Seth A.; Lemons, Christopher J.; Davidson, Kimberly A.

2016-01-01

Educators need evidence-based practices to assist students with disabilities in meeting increasingly rigorous standards in mathematics. Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are increasingly expected to demonstrate learning of basic and advanced mathematical concepts. This review identifies math intervention studies involving children and…

Rosebud SynCoal Partnership, SynCoal{reg_sign} demonstration technology update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sheldon, R.W. [Rosebud SynCoal Partnership, Billings, MT (United States)

1997-12-31

An Advanced Coal Conversion Process (ACCP) technology being demonstrated in eastern Montana (USA) at the heart of one of the world`s largest coal deposits is providing evidence that the molecular structure of low-rank coals can be altered successfully to produce a unique product for a variety of utility and industrial applications. The product is called SynCoal{reg_sign} and the process has been developed by the Rosebud SynCoal Partnership (RSCP) through the US Department of Energy`s multi-million dollar Clean Coal Technology Program. The ACCP demonstration process uses low-pressure, superheated gases to process coal in vibrating fluidized beds. Two vibratory fluidized processing stages are used to heat and convert the coal. This is followed by a water spray quench and a vibratory fluidized stage to cool the coal. Pneumatic separators remove the solid impurities from the dried coal. There are three major steps to the SynCoal{reg_sign} process: (1) thermal treatment of the coal in an inert atmosphere, (2) inert gas cooling of the hot coal, and (3) removal of ash minerals. When operated continuously, the demonstration plant produces over 1,000 tons per day (up to 300,000 tons per year) of SynCoal{reg_sign} with a 2% moisture content, approximately 11,800b Btu/lb and less than 1.0 pound of SO{sub 2} per million Btu. This product is obtained from Rosebud Mine sub-bituminous coal which starts with 25% moisture, 8,600 Btu/lb and approximately 1.6 pounds of SO{sub 2} per million Btu.

Invasive orbital aspergillosis in an apparently immunocompetent host without evidence of sinusitis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer Primeggia

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Invasive aspergillosis is uncommon in healthy individuals. We report a case of Aspergillus fumigatus orbital cellulitiswith intracranial extension in an apparently immunocompetent patient with a history of benign lymphoid hyperplasiaof the lacrimal gland. A 68 year-old man with no significant past medical history underwent orbitotomy and biopsy of alacrimal gland mass. Pathology showed benign lymphoid hyperplasia of the lacrimal gland and he completed radiationtherapy. Three months after orbitotomy and one month after completion of radiation therapy, he presented with orbitalcellulitis. Brain magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated invasion into the frontal lobe. Clinical and radiographicfindings failed to improve with prolonged antibiotic therapy; transcranial orbitotomy with right frontal craniotomy forabscess drainage and orbit washout was performed. Intraoperative cultures grew Aspergillus fumigatus. The patientcompleted a six month course of therapy with oral voriconazole and has remained free from relapse with long-termfollow-up. Efficacy of voriconazole was guided by serial imaging and voriconazole trough levels. Aspergillus may causeinvasive disease in immunocompetent hosts, even without evidence of sinusitis, and should be considered in the differentialdiagnosis when patients do not demonstrate clinical improvement with antibiotic therapy. J Microbiol Infect Dis2012; 2(3: 113-116Key words: Aspergillosis, orbital cellulitis, brain abscess

Finding and applying evidence during clinical rounds: the "evidence cart".

Science.gov (United States)

Sackett, D L; Straus, S E

1998-10-21

Physicians need easy access to evidence for clinical decisions while they care for patients but, to our knowledge, no investigators have assessed use of evidence during rounds with house staff. To determine if it was feasible to find and apply evidence during clinical rounds, using an "evidence cart" that contains multiple sources of evidence and the means for projecting and printing them. Descriptive feasibility study of use of evidence during 1 month (April 1997) and anonymous questionnaire (May 1997). General medicine inpatient service. Medical students, house staff, fellows, and attending consultant. Evidence cart that included 2 secondary sources developed by the department (critically appraised topics [CATs] and Redbook), Best Evidence, JAMA Rational Clinical Examination series, the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, a physical examination textbook, a radiology anatomy textbook, and a Simulscope, which allows several people to listen simultaneously to the same signs on physical examination. Number of times sources were used, type of sources searched and success of searches, time needed to search, and whether the search affected patient care. The evidence cart was used 98 times, but could not be taken on bedside rounds because of its bulk; hard copies of several sources were taken instead. When the evidence cart was used during team rounds and student rounds, some sources could be accessed quickly enough (10.2-25.4 seconds) to be practical on our service. Of 98 searches, 79 (81%) sought evidence that could affect diagnostic and/or treatment decisions. Seventy-one (90%) of 79 searches regarding patient management were successful, and when assessed from the perspective of the most junior team members responsible for each patient's evaluation and management, 37 (52%) of the 71 successful searches confirmed their current or tentative diagnostic or treatment plans, 18 (25%) led to a new diagnostic skill, an additional test, or a new management decision, and 16 (23

Plug-In Hybrid Urban Delivery Truck Technology Demonstration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miyasato, Matt [South Coast Air Quality Management District Building Corporation, Diamond Bar, CA (United States); Impllitti, Joseph [South Coast Air Quality Management District Building Corporation, Diamond Bar, CA (United States); Pascal, Amar [South Coast Air Quality Management District Building Corporation, Diamond Bar, CA (United States)

2015-07-31

The I-710 and CA-60 highways are key transportation corridors in the Southern California region that are heavily used on a daily basis by heavy duty drayage trucks that transport the cargo from the ports to the inland transportation terminals. These terminals, which include store/warehouses, inland-railways, are anywhere from 5 to 50 miles in distance from the ports. The concentrated operation of these drayage vehicles in these corridors has had and will continue to have a significant impact on the air quality in this region whereby significantly impacting the quality of life in the communities surrounding these corridors. To reduce these negative impacts it is critical that zero and near-zero emission technologies be developed and deployed in the region. A potential local market size of up to 46,000 trucks exists in the South Coast Air Basin, based on near- dock drayage trucks and trucks operating on the I-710 freeway. The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), California Air Resources Board (CARB) and Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) — the agencies responsible for preparing the State Implementation Plan required under the federal Clean Air Act — have stated that to attain federal air quality standards the region will need to transition to broad use of zero and near zero emission energy sources in cars, trucks and other equipment (Southern California Association of Governments et al, 2011). SCAQMD partnered with Volvo Trucks to develop, build and demonstrate a prototype Class 8 heavy-duty plug-in hybrid drayage truck with significantly reduced emissions and fuel use. Volvo’s approach leveraged the group’s global knowledge and experience in designing and deploying electromobility products. The proprietary hybrid driveline selected for this proof of concept was integrated with multiple enhancements to the complete vehicle in order to maximize the emission and energy impact of electrification. A detailed review of all

Diversity effect in category-based inductive reasoning of young children: evidence from two methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Luojin; Lee, Myung Sook; Huang, Yulan; Mo, Lei

2014-02-01

Previous studies have shown that diverse pieces of evidence, rather than similar pieces of evidence, are considered to have greater strength in adults' inductive reasoning. However, this diversity effect is inconsistently recognized by children. Three experiments using the same materials but different tasks examined whether young children consider the diversity principle in their reasoning. Although Experiment 1 applied a data selection task showed five-year-old children in both China and Korea were not sensitive to the diversity of evidence, Experiments 2 and 3 employed an identification task and demonstrated that children as young as five years were sensitive to diverse evidence. These findings indicated that young children, less than nine years of age, may have diversity effect. Methodological and cultural differences were discussed.

Integrated Ground Operations Demonstration Units

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The overall goal of the AES Integrated Ground Operations Demonstration Units (IGODU) project is to demonstrate cost efficient cryogenic operations on a relevant...

The significance of the amorphous potential energy landscape for dictating glassy dynamics and driving solid-state crystallisation.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruggiero, Michael T; Krynski, Marcin; Kissi, Eric Ofosu; Sibik, Juraj; Markl, Daniel; Tan, Nicholas Y; Arslanov, Denis; van der Zande, Wim; Redlich, Britta; Korter, Timothy M; Grohganz, Holger; Löbmann, Korbinian; Rades, Thomas; Elliott, Stephen R; Zeitler, J Axel

2017-11-15

The fundamental origins surrounding the dynamics of disordered solids near their characteristic glass transitions continue to be fiercely debated, even though a vast number of materials can form amorphous solids, including small-molecule organic, inorganic, covalent, metallic, and even large biological systems. The glass-transition temperature, T g , can be readily detected by a diverse set of techniques, but given that these measurement modalities probe vastly different processes, there has been significant debate regarding the question of why T g can be detected across all of them. Here we show clear experimental and computational evidence in support of a theory that proposes that the shape and structure of the potential-energy surface (PES) is the fundamental factor underlying the glass-transition processes, regardless of the frequency that experimental methods probe. Whilst this has been proposed previously, we demonstrate, using ab initio molecular-dynamics (AIMD) simulations, that it is of critical importance to carefully consider the complete PES - both the intra-molecular and inter-molecular features - in order to fully understand the entire range of atomic-dynamical processes in disordered solids. Finally, we show that it is possible to utilise this dependence to directly manipulate and harness amorphous dynamics in order to control the behaviour of such solids by using high-powered terahertz pulses to induce crystallisation and preferential crystal-polymorph growth in glasses. Combined, these findings provide compelling evidence that the PES landscape, and the corresponding energy barriers, are the ultimate controlling feature behind the atomic and molecular dynamics of disordered solids, regardless of the frequency at which they occur.

Evidence-Based Healthcare: The Importance of Effective Interprofessional Working for High Quality Veterinary Services, a UK Example

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tierney Kinnison

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Objective: To highlight the importance of evidence-based research, not only for the consideration of clinical diseases and individual patient treatment, but also for investigating complex healthcare systems, as demonstrated through a focus on veterinary interprofessional working.Background:Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine (EBVM was developed due to concerns over inconsistent approaches to therapy being delivered by individuals. However, a focus purely on diagnosis and treatment will miss other potential causes of substandard care including the holistic system. Veterinary services are provided by interprofessional teams; research on these teams is growing.Evidentiary value:This paper outlines results from four articles, written by the current authors, which are unique in their focus on interprofessional practice teams in the UK. Through mixed methods, the articles demonstrate an evidence base of the effects of interprofessional working on the quality of service delivery.Results:The articles explored demonstrate facilitators and challenges of the practice system on interprofessional working and the outcomes, including errors. The results encourage consideration of interprofessional relationships and activities in veterinary organisations. Interprofessional working is an example of one area which can affect the quality of veterinary services.Conclusion: The papers presented on veterinary interprofessional working are an example of the opportunities for future research on various topics within evidence-based healthcare.Application:The results are pertinent to members of veterinary teams seeking to improve their service delivery, to educators looking to enhance their students’ understanding of interprofessional working, and to researchers, who will hopefully be encouraged to consider evidence-based healthcare more holistically. 

Early Recovery of Aphasia through Thrombolysis: The Significance of Spontaneous Speech.

Science.gov (United States)

Furlanis, Giovanni; Ridolfi, Mariana; Polverino, Paola; Menichelli, Alina; Caruso, Paola; Naccarato, Marcello; Sartori, Arianna; Torelli, Lucio; Pesavento, Valentina; Manganotti, Paolo

2018-07-01

Aphasia is one of the most devastating stroke-related consequences for social interaction and daily activities. Aphasia recovery in acute stroke depends on the degree of reperfusion after thrombolysis or thrombectomy. As aphasia assessment tests are often time-consuming for patients with acute stroke, physicians have been developing rapid and simple tests. The aim of our study is to evaluate the improvement of language functions in the earliest stage in patients treated with thrombolysis and in nontreated patients using our rapid screening test. Our study is a single-center prospective observational study conducted at the Stroke Unit of the University Medical Hospital of Trieste (January-December 2016). Patients treated with thrombolysis and nontreated patients underwent 3 aphasia assessments through our rapid screening test (at baseline, 24 hours, and 72 hours). The screening test assesses spontaneous speech, oral comprehension of words, reading aloud and comprehension of written words, oral comprehension of sentences, naming, repetition of words and a sentence, and writing words. The study included 40 patients: 18 patients treated with thrombolysis and 22 nontreated patients. Both groups improved over time. Among all language parameters, spontaneous speech was statistically significant between 24 and 72 hours (P value = .012), and between baseline and 72 hours (P value = .017). Our study demonstrates that patients treated with thrombolysis experience greater improvement in language than the nontreated patients. The difference between the 2 groups is increasingly evident over time. Moreover, spontaneous speech is the parameter marked by the greatest improvement. Copyright © 2018 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Weighing evidence: quantitative measures of the importance of bitemark evidence.

Science.gov (United States)

Kittelson, J M; Kieser, J A; Buckingham, D M; Herbison, G P

2002-12-01

Quantitative measures of the importance of evidence such as the "likelihood ratio" have become increasingly popular in the courtroom. These measures have been used by expert witnesses formally to describe their certainty about a piece of evidence. These measures are commonly interpreted as the amount by which the evidence should revise the opinion of guilt, and thereby summarize the importance of a particular piece of evidence. Unlike DNA evidence, quantitative measures have not been widely used by forensic dentists to describe their certainty when testifying about bitemark evidence. There is, however, no inherent reason why they should not be used to evaluate bitemarks. The purpose of this paper is to describe the likelihood ratio as it might be applied to bitemark evidence. We use a simple bitemark example to define the likelihood ratio, its application, and interpretation. In particular we describe how the jury interprets the likelihood ratio from a Bayesian perspective when evaluating the impact of the evidence on the odds that the accused is guilty. We describe how the dentist would calculate the likelihood ratio based on frequentist interpretations. We also illustrate some of the limitations of the likelihood ratio, and show how those limitations apply to bitemark evidence. We conclude that the quality of bitemark evidence cannot be adequately summarized by the likelihood ratio, and argue that its application in this setting may be more misleading than helpful.

Biodenitrification demonstration test report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benear, A.K.; Murray, S.J.; Lahoda, E.J.; Leslie, J.W.; Patton, J.B.; Menako, C.R.

1987-08-01

A two-column biodenitrification (BDN) facility was constructed at the Feed Materials Production Center (FMPC) in 1985 and 1986 to test the feasibility of biological treatment for industrial nitrate-bearing waste water generated at FMPC. This demonstration facility comprises one-half of the proposed four-column production facility. A demonstration test was conducted over a four month period in 1987. The results indicate the proposed BDN production facility can process FMPC industrial wastewater in a continuous manner while maintaining an effluent that will consistently meet the proposed NPDES limits for combined nitrate nitrogen (NO 3 -N) and nitrite nitrogen (NO 2 -N). The proposed NPDES limits are 62 kg/day average and 124 kg/day maximum. These limits were proportioned to determine that the two-column demonstration facility should meet the limits of 31 kg/day average and 62 kg/day maximum

Reconsidering "evidence" for fast-and-frugal heuristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Hilbig, Benjamin E

2010-12-01

In several recent reviews, authors have argued for the pervasive use of fast-and-frugal heuristics in human judgment. They have provided an overview of heuristics and have reiterated findings corroborating that such heuristics can be very valid strategies leading to high accuracy. They also have reviewed previous work that implies that simple heuristics are actually used by decision makers. Unfortunately, concerning the latter point, these reviews appear to be somewhat incomplete. More important, previous conclusions have been derived from investigations that bear some noteworthy methodological limitations. I demonstrate these by proposing a new heuristic and provide some novel critical findings. Also, I review some of the relevant literature often not-or only partially-considered. Overall, although some fast-and-frugal heuristics indeed seem to predict behavior at times, there is little to no evidence for others. More generally, the empirical evidence available does not warrant the conclusion that heuristics are pervasively used.

Sustainability Logistics Basing - Science and Technology Objective - Demonstration; Industry Assessment and Demonstration Final Report

Science.gov (United States)

2017-08-14

TECHNICAL REPORT AD ________________ NATICK/TR-17/019 SUSTAINABILITY ...LOGISTICS BASING – SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY OBJECTIVE – DEMONSTRATION; INDUSTRY ASSESSMENT AND DEMONSTRATION FINAL REPORT by Elizabeth D. Swisher and...Benjamin J. Campbell August 2017 Final Report December 2014 – February 2016 Approved for public release; distribution is

Barriers to Research and Evidence (Editorial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alison Brettle

2013-06-01

research or evidence, is that of accessing the literature. Our strap line says "EBLIP is an Open Access, peer reviewed journal which provides a forum for librarians and other information professionals to discover research that may contribute to 2decision making in professional practice. This is an ethos of which we are proud because we aim to overcome the barriers to making research accessible. For EBLIP, as a journal that strives to make LIS research accessible to the practitioner, open access is the only way forward.I'm pleased to say that this issue is full of both research and evidence, and I hope it will answer some of the questions that arise from your practice, or at least go some way towards doing so. I'm particularly pleased that we have a Feature section on Assessment that comprises articles from the 2010 Library Assessment conference which took place in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. The articles have been peer reviewed at abstract level for acceptance to the conference but appear here as “conference papers”. We are happy to provide an open access forum to this conference material, and welcome the addition of the assessment agenda to the EBLIP journal.Assessment in libraries is an area which isn't always labeled research or evidence based practice but nevertheless provides a wealth of evidence and helps answer questions and demonstrate the impact and value of our library services. These are areas that are crucial to and synonymous with evidence based practice. At our HEALER day, demonstrating value and impact were discussed as areas of research interest that may not always be seen as research by librarians. Demonstrating value and impact is a recurring theme within this issue as we also have a conventional article that was presented at the 2012 Assessment conference (Griffin et al, 2013 as well as Carol Tenopir’s’ commentary on measuring value based on a Keynote address at the DREaM conference that was held in the UK in July 2012.From this issue onwards there

The significance of Alfred Adler for the concept of narcissism.

Science.gov (United States)

Ansbacher, H L

1985-02-01

Alfred Adler's significance for the concept of narcissism is presented with reference to four aspects: 1) Adler's theory of masculine protest was evidently a factor influencing Freud to turn toward the phenomenon of narcissism. 2) Present-day understanding of narcissism shows remarkable similarity to Adler's views on psychodynamics and neurotic egocentricity. 3) Some contemporary criticisms of Freud's theory of narcissism are very similar to Adler's criticism. 4) Adler's theory of social interest permits subsumption of narcissism under lack of social interest rather than acceptance of it as an expression of innate socially negative tendencies.

Evidence for the effectiveness of Alexander Technique lessons in medical and health-related conditions: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Woodman, J P; Moore, N R

2012-01-01

Complementary medicine and alternative approaches to chronic and intractable health conditions are increasingly being used, and require critical evaluation. The aim of this review was to systematically evaluate available evidence for the effectiveness and safety of instruction in the Alexander Technique in health-related conditions. PUBMED, EMBASE, PSYCHINFO, ISI Web-of-Knowledge, AMED, CINHAL-plus, Cochrane library and Evidence-based Medicine Reviews were searched to July 2011. Inclusion criteria were prospective studies evaluating Alexander Technique instruction (individual lessons or group delivery) as an intervention for any medical indication/health-related condition. Studies were categorised and data extracted on study population, randomisation method, nature of intervention and control, practitioner characteristics, validity and reliability of outcome measures, completeness of follow-up and statistical analyses.   Of 271 publications identified, 18 were selected: three randomised, controlled trials (RCTs), two controlled non-randomised studies, eight non-controlled studies, four qualitative analyses and one health economic analysis. One well-designed, well-conducted RCT demonstrated that, compared with usual GP care, Alexander Technique lessons led to significant long-term reductions in back pain and incapacity caused by chronic back pain. The results were broadly supported by a smaller, earlier RCT in chronic back pain. The third RCT, a small, well-designed, well-conducted study in individuals with Parkinson's disease, showed a sustained increased ability to carry out everyday activities following Alexander lessons, compared with usual care. The 15 non-RCT studies are also reviewed. Strong evidence exists for the effectiveness of Alexander Technique lessons for chronic back pain and moderate evidence in Parkinson's-associated disability. Preliminary evidence suggests that Alexander Technique lessons may lead to improvements in balance skills in the

Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kostelnik, K.M.

1991-12-01

This document presents the plan of activities for the Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration (BWID) program which supports the environmental restoration (ER) objectives of the Department of Energy (DOE) Complex. Discussed in this plan are the objectives, organization, roles and responsibilities, and the process for implementing and managing BWID. BWID is hosted at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL), but involves participants from throughout the DOE Complex, private industry, universities, and the international community. These participants will support, demonstrate, and evaluate a suite of advanced technologies representing a comprehensive remediation system for the effective and efficient remediation of buried waste. The processes for identifying technological needs, screening candidate technologies for applicability and maturity, selecting appropriate technologies for demonstration, field demonstrating, evaluation of results and transferring technologies to environmental restoration programs are also presented. This document further describes the elements of project planning and control that apply to BWID. It addresses the management processes, operating procedures, programmatic and technical objectives, and schedules. Key functions in support of each demonstration such as regulatory coordination, safety analyses, risk evaluations, facility requirements, and data management are presented

Integrated Monitoring and Surveillance System demonstration project. Phase 2 accomplishments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aumeier, S.E.; Walters, B.G.; Singleterry, R.C.

1997-01-01

The paper presents the results of the Integrated Monitoring and Surveillance System (IMSS) demonstration project Phase 2 efforts. the rationale behind IMSS development is reviewed and progress in each of the 5 basic tasks is detailed. Significant results include further development of the data acquisition system and procurement of necessary hardware/software, options and associated costs for plutonium canning systems and gloveboxes, initiation of facility modifications, determination of possibly affected facility documentation, results from sensor system trade study, and preliminary storage configuration designs. Resources invested during Phase 1 and Phase 2 are summarized and budgetary requirements for completion of Phase 3 presented. The results show that the IMSS demonstration project team has met and in many cases exceeded the commitments made for Phase 2 deliverables

Changes in White-Matter Connectivity in Late Second Language Learners: Evidence from Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eleonora Rossi

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Morphological brain changes as a consequence of new learning have been widely established. Learning a second language (L2 is one such experience that can lead to rapid structural neural changes. However, still relatively little is known about how levels of proficiency in the L2 and the age at which the L2 is learned influence brain neuroplasticity. The goal of this study is to provide novel evidence for the effect of bilingualism on white matter structure in relatively proficient but late L2 learners who acquired the second language after early childhood. Overall, the results demonstrate a significant effect on white matter fractional anisotropy (FA as a function of L2 learning. Higher FA values were found in a broad white matter network including the anterior thalamic radiation (ATR, the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF, the Uncinate Fasciculus (UF, and the inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF. Moreover, FA values were correlated with age of L2 acquisition, suggesting that learning an L2, even past childhood, induces neural changes. Finally, these results provide some initial evidence that variability in the age of L2 acquisition has important consequences for neural plasticity.

Habituation in non-neural organisms: evidence from slime moulds

OpenAIRE

Boisseau, Romain P.; Vogel, David; Dussutour, Audrey

2016-01-01

Learning, defined as a change in behaviour evoked by experience, has hitherto been investigated almost exclusively in multicellular neural organisms. Evidence for learning in non-neural multicellular organisms is scant, and only a few unequivocal reports of learning have been described in single-celled organisms. Here we demonstrate habituation, an unmistakable form of learning, in the non-neural organism Physarum polycephalum. In our experiment, using chemotaxis as the behavioural output and...

The significance of the amorphous potential energy landscape for dictating glassy dynamics and driving solid-state crystallisation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ruggiero, Michael T; Krynski, Marcin; Kissi, Eric Ofosu

2017-01-01

clear experimental and computational evidence in support of a theory that proposes that the shape and structure of the potential-energy surface (PES) is the fundamental factor underlying the glass-transition processes, regardless of the frequency that experimental methods probe. Whilst this has been....... Combined, these findings provide compelling evidence that the PES landscape, and the corresponding energy barriers, are the ultimate controlling feature behind the atomic and molecular dynamics of disordered solids, regardless of the frequency at which they occur....... proposed previously, we demonstrate, using ab initio molecular-dynamics (AIMD) simulations, that it is of critical importance to carefully consider the complete PES - both the intra-molecular and inter-molecular features - in order to fully understand the entire range of atomic-dynamical processes...

An organisational analysis of the implementation of telecare and telehealth: the whole systems demonstrator.

Science.gov (United States)

Hendy, Jane; Chrysanthaki, Theopisti; Barlow, James; Knapp, Martin; Rogers, Anne; Sanders, Caroline; Bower, Peter; Bowen, Robert; Fitzpatrick, Ray; Bardsley, Martin; Newman, Stanton

2012-11-15

To investigate organisational factors influencing the implementation challenges of redesigning services for people with long term conditions in three locations in England, using remote care (telehealth and telecare). Case-studies of three sites forming the UK Department of Health's Whole Systems Demonstrator (WSD) Programme. Qualitative research techniques were used to obtain data from various sources, including semi-structured interviews, observation of meetings over the course programme and prior to its launch, and document review. Participants were managers and practitioners involved in the implementation of remote care services. The implementation of remote care was nested within a large pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT), which formed a core element of the WSD programme. To produce robust benefits evidence, many aspect of the trial design could not be easily adapted to local circumstances. While remote care was successfully rolled-out, wider implementation lessons and levels of organisational learning across the sites were hindered by the requirements of the RCT. The implementation of a complex innovation such as remote care requires it to organically evolve, be responsive and adaptable to the local health and social care system, driven by support from front-line staff and management. This need for evolution was not always aligned with the imperative to gather robust benefits evidence. This tension needs to be resolved if government ambitions for the evidence-based scaling-up of remote care are to be realised.

How to demonstrate adequacy of protection against a core melt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hock, R.

1996-01-01

After the Chernobyl accident the public - and consequently the politicians - in Western countries requested improvements in safety for future reactors even in those designs where the type of accident which had destroyed the Chernobyl plant is excluded by fundamental physics. When the major German and French suppliers of nuclear power stations, Siemens and Framatome, decided to develop jointly a next generation reactor type, this political 'request' had to be taken into account. It was decided to include safety features to mitigate the consequences of a core melt - the severest type of accident in a western light water reactor - should it occur despite the many other safety features which are included in this design in order to reduce the probability of occurrence of this type of event to extremely low values. The question arose: How to demonstrate the adequacy of his additional protection? It was evident that the methodology proposed by ICRP namely to demonstrate that the risk of individual members of the public caused by 'probabilistic events' is sufficiently low, could not be used: Due to the low probability of occurrence the contribution of this kind of accident to the risk of any average member of a critical group would already be sufficiently low even if there were no additional countermeasures. In addition, this approach would not cover severe societal effects potentially caused by such an accident. We therefore introduced a different methodology in order to demonstrate the adequacy of additional design features which are only required 'just in case': The consequences of such an unlikely but nevertheless very severe event shall be restricted to the plant itself. Severe consequences outside the immediate vicinity of the plant shall be excluded by the design. (author)

PLACE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF LATINISMS IN THE SLOVAK VOCABULARY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katarína Karabová

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Vocabulary of any language undergoes a natural evolution. In many cases this centuries-long process is related to several factors, including the penetration of new words into the language lexis. Similarly, the historical development of the Slovak language and its enhancement can be observed by examining the adoption of words from other languages. At a time when Latin was the only official language as well as the language of scholars and religious institutions in the Hungarian Kingdom, the penetration of Latinisms into the lexis of the old Slovak was significant. This trend was still evident in the 18th and 19th centuries marked by the beginning revivalist efforts. Domestication of adopted words - that initially stood at the edge of the language standard - was significantly influenced by innovative trends and technologies. The study does not primarily examine penetration of foreign words from modern languages, but it aims to analyse the process of naturalisation of Latinisms in Slovak and their use at different language levels.

Impact of evidence-based interventions on wound complications after cesarean delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Temming, Lorene A; Raghuraman, Nandini; Carter, Ebony B; Stout, Molly J; Rampersad, Roxane M; Macones, George A; Cahill, Alison G; Tuuli, Methodius G

2017-10-01

A number of evidence-based interventions have been proposed to reduce post-cesarean delivery wound complications. Examples of such interventions include appropriate timing of preoperative antibiotics, appropriate choice of skin antisepsis, closure of the subcutaneous layer if subcutaneous depth is ≥2 cm, and subcuticular skin closure with suture rather than staples. However, the collective impact of these measures is unclear. We sought to estimate the impact of a group of evidence-based surgical measures (prophylactic antibiotics administered before skin incision, chlorhexidine-alcohol for skin antisepsis, closure of subcutaneous layer, and subcuticular skin closure with suture) on wound complications after cesarean delivery and to estimate residual risk factors for wound complications. We conducted a secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial of chlorhexidine-alcohol vs iodine-alcohol for skin antisepsis at cesarean delivery from 2011-2015. The primary outcome for this analysis was a composite of wound complications that included surgical site infection, cellulitis, seroma, hematoma, and separation within 30 days. Risk of wound complications in women who received all 4 evidence-based measures (prophylactic antibiotics within 60 minutes of cesarean delivery and before skin incision, chlorhexidine-alcohol for skin antisepsis with 3 minutes of drying time before incision, closure of subcutaneous layer if ≥2 cm of depth, and subcuticular skin closure with suture) were compared with those women who did not. We performed logistic regression analysis limited to patients who received all the evidence-based measures to estimate residual risk factors for wound complications and surgical site infection. Of 1082 patients with follow-up data, 349 (32.3%) received all the evidence-based measures, and 733 (67.7%) did not. The risk of wound complications was significantly lower in patients who received all the evidence-based measures compared with those who

Increasing the statistical significance of entanglement detection in experiments.

Science.gov (United States)

Jungnitsch, Bastian; Niekamp, Sönke; Kleinmann, Matthias; Gühne, Otfried; Lu, He; Gao, Wei-Bo; Chen, Yu-Ao; Chen, Zeng-Bing; Pan, Jian-Wei

2010-05-28

Entanglement is often verified by a violation of an inequality like a Bell inequality or an entanglement witness. Considerable effort has been devoted to the optimization of such inequalities in order to obtain a high violation. We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally that such an optimization does not necessarily lead to a better entanglement test, if the statistical error is taken into account. Theoretically, we show for different error models that reducing the violation of an inequality can improve the significance. Experimentally, we observe this phenomenon in a four-photon experiment, testing the Mermin and Ardehali inequality for different levels of noise. Furthermore, we provide a way to develop entanglement tests with high statistical significance.

Irvine Smart Grid Demonstration, a Regional Smart Grid Demonstration Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yinger, Robert [Southern California Edison Company, Rosemead, CA (United States); Irwin, Mark [Southern California Edison Company, Rosemead, CA (United States)

2015-12-29

ISGD was a comprehensive demonstration that spanned the electricity delivery system and extended into customer homes. The project used phasor measurement technology to enable substation-level situational awareness, and demonstrated SCE’s next-generation substation automation system. It extended beyond the substation to evaluate the latest generation of distribution automation technologies, including looped 12-kV distribution circuit topology using URCIs. The project team used DVVC capabilities to demonstrate CVR. In customer homes, the project evaluated HAN devices such as smart appliances, programmable communicating thermostats, and home energy management components. The homes were also equipped with energy storage, solar PV systems, and a number of energy efficiency measures (EEMs). The team used one block of homes to evaluate strategies and technologies for achieving ZNE. A home achieves ZNE when it produces at least as much renewable energy as the amount of energy it consumes annually. The project also assessed the impact of device-specific demand response (DR), as well as load management capabilities involving energy storage devices and plug-in electric vehicle charging equipment. In addition, the ISGD project sought to better understand the impact of ZNE homes on the electric grid. ISGD’s SENet enabled end-to-end interoperability between multiple vendors’ systems and devices, while also providing a level of cybersecurity that is essential to smart grid development and adoption across the nation. The ISGD project includes a series of sub-projects grouped into four logical technology domains: Smart Energy Customer Solutions, Next-Generation Distribution System, Interoperability and Cybersecurity, and Workforce of the Future. Section 2.3 provides a more detailed overview of these domains.

Significance of demonstrating areae gastricae at hypotonic double contrast examination of the stomach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rienmueller, R. (Muenchen Univ. (Germany, F.R.). Klinik und Poliklinik fuer Radiologie)

1980-05-01

150 patients were examined by the double contrast-technique in drug-induced hypotonia of the stomach. They were examined gastroscopically and at the same time biopsies were taken. Comparison of histological and radiological results was performed. There was found an agreement of 82% in the performance of areae gastricae and the histological diagnosis of chronic gastritis.

Command and Control of Space Assets Through Internet-Based Technologies Demonstrated

Science.gov (United States)

Foltz, David A.

2002-01-01

The NASA Glenn Research Center successfully demonstrated a transmission-control-protocol/ Internet-protocol- (TCP/IP) based approach to the command and control of onorbit assets over a secure network. This is a significant accomplishment because future NASA missions will benefit by using Internet-standards-based protocols. Benefits of this Internet-based space command and control system architecture include reduced mission costs and increased mission efficiency. The demonstration proved that this communications architecture is viable for future NASA missions. This demonstration was a significant feat involving multiple NASA organizations and industry. Phillip Paulsen, from Glenn's Project Development and Integration Office, served as the overall project lead, and David Foltz, from Glenn's Satellite Networks and Architectures Branch, provided the hybrid networking support for the required Internet connections. The goal was to build a network that would emulate a connection between a space experiment on the International Space Station and a researcher accessing the experiment from anywhere on the Internet, as shown. The experiment was interfaced to a wireless 802.11 network inside the demonstration area. The wireless link provided connectivity to the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) Internet Link Terminal (TILT) satellite uplink terminal located 300 ft away in a parking lot on top of a panel van. TILT provided a crucial link in this demonstration. Leslie Ambrose, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, provided the TILT/TDRSS support. The TILT unit transmitted the signal to TDRS 6 and was received at the White Sands Second TDRSS Ground Station. This station provided the gateway to the Internet. Coordination also took place at the White Sands station to install a Veridian Firewall and automated security incident measurement (ASIM) system to the Second TDRSS Ground Station Internet gateway. The firewall provides a trusted network for the simulated space

Demonstration of movement in the sacroiliac joint using ultrasound

Science.gov (United States)

Krupinski, Elizabeth A.; Brooks, William J.; Lund, Pamela J.

1995-05-01

The goal of this study was to demonstrate quantitatively, using ultrasound (US) recording techniques, the extent of motion of the sacroiliac joint achieved using manual medicine techniques. Initial judgements of perceived (i.e., felt) SI mobility during manual examination were made on 22 subjects. Baseline no movement ultrasound images (static) were obtained of the left and right SI joints at two levels-- posterior-superior-iliac-spine and inferior (PSIS, INF)--and two projections (AP and LAT). Manual medicine spring testing of the SI joint was then performed while ultrasound recordings (on video) were made. The differences between baseline separation of the SI joint and displacement distance during spring testing were measured by six radiologists who typically read US images. Significant movement of at least one SI joint was demonstrated in 91% of the subjects using ultrasound recordings. The extent of movement appeared to corroborate the experience of manual medicine practitioners.

Demonstrating Heisenberg-limited unambiguous phase estimation without adaptive measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Higgins, B L; Wiseman, H M; Pryde, G J; Berry, D W; Bartlett, S D; Mitchell, M W

2009-01-01

We derive, and experimentally demonstrate, an interferometric scheme for unambiguous phase estimation with precision scaling at the Heisenberg limit that does not require adaptive measurements. That is, with no prior knowledge of the phase, we can obtain an estimate of the phase with a standard deviation that is only a small constant factor larger than the minimum physically allowed value. Our scheme resolves the phase ambiguity that exists when multiple passes through a phase shift, or NOON states, are used to obtain improved phase resolution. Like a recently introduced adaptive technique (Higgins et al 2007 Nature 450 393), our experiment uses multiple applications of the phase shift on single photons. By not requiring adaptive measurements, but rather using a predetermined measurement sequence, the present scheme is both conceptually simpler and significantly easier to implement. Additionally, we demonstrate a simplified adaptive scheme that also surpasses the standard quantum limit for single passes.

Field demonstration of foam injection to confine a chlorinated solvent source zone.

Science.gov (United States)

Portois, Clément; Essouayed, Elyess; Annable, Michael D; Guiserix, Nathalie; Joubert, Antoine; Atteia, Olivier

2018-05-01

A novel approach using foam to manage hazardous waste was successfully demonstrated under active site conditions. The purpose of the foam was to divert groundwater flow, that would normally enter the source zone area, to reduce dissolved contaminant release to the aquifer. During the demonstration, foam was pre generated and directly injected surrounding the chlorinated solvent source zone. Despite the constraints related to the industrial activities and non-optimal position of the injection points, the applicability and effectiveness of the approach have been highlighted using multiple metrics. A combination of measurements and modelling allowed definition of the foam extent surrounding each injection point, and this appears to be the critical metric to define the success of the foam injection approach. Information on the transport of chlorinated solvents in groundwater showed a decrease of contaminant flux by a factor of 4.4 downstream of the confined area. The effective permeability reduction was maintained over a period of three months. The successful containment provides evidence for consideration of the use of foam to improve traditional flushing techniques, by increasing the targeting of contaminants by remedial agents. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

NoGOA: predicting noisy GO annotations using evidences and sparse representation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Guoxian; Lu, Chang; Wang, Jun

2017-07-21

Gene Ontology (GO) is a community effort to represent functional features of gene products. GO annotations (GOA) provide functional associations between GO terms and gene products. Due to resources limitation, only a small portion of annotations are manually checked by curators, and the others are electronically inferred. Although quality control techniques have been applied to ensure the quality of annotations, the community consistently report that there are still considerable noisy (or incorrect) annotations. Given the wide application of annotations, however, how to identify noisy annotations is an important but yet seldom studied open problem. We introduce a novel approach called NoGOA to predict noisy annotations. NoGOA applies sparse representation on the gene-term association matrix to reduce the impact of noisy annotations, and takes advantage of sparse representation coefficients to measure the semantic similarity between genes. Secondly, it preliminarily predicts noisy annotations of a gene based on aggregated votes from semantic neighborhood genes of that gene. Next, NoGOA estimates the ratio of noisy annotations for each evidence code based on direct annotations in GOA files archived on different periods, and then weights entries of the association matrix via estimated ratios and propagates weights to ancestors of direct annotations using GO hierarchy. Finally, it integrates evidence-weighted association matrix and aggregated votes to predict noisy annotations. Experiments on archived GOA files of six model species (H. sapiens, A. thaliana, S. cerevisiae, G. gallus, B. Taurus and M. musculus) demonstrate that NoGOA achieves significantly better results than other related methods and removing noisy annotations improves the performance of gene function prediction. The comparative study justifies the effectiveness of integrating evidence codes with sparse representation for predicting noisy GO annotations. Codes and datasets are available at http://mlda.swu.edu.cn/codes.php?name=NoGOA .

Evidence based medicine in physical medicine and rehabilitation (German version

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helmut Kern

2013-12-01

Full Text Available In the last twenty years the term “Evidence Based Medicine (EBM” has been increasingly applied in all areas of medicine and is often used for decision-making in the medical and public health sector. It is also used to verify the significance and/or the effectiveness of different therapies. The original definition of EBM rests on the following three pillars: the physician’s individual expertise, the patient’s needs and the best external evidence. Today, however, the term EBM is often wrongly used as a synonym for best external evidence, without taking into consideration the other two pillars of the model which was created by Gordon Guyatt, David Sackett and Archibald Cochrane. This problem becomes even greater the more social insurance institutions and politicians use external evidence alone as the main guideline for financing therapies and therapy guidelines in physical medicine and general rehabilitation without taking into account the physician’s expertise and the patient’s needs.The wrong interpretation of EBM can lead to the following problems: well established clinical therapies are either questioned or not granted and are therefore withheld from patients (for example physical pain management. An absence of evidence for individual therapy methods does not prove their ineffectiveness! In this short statement the significance of EBM in Physical Medicine and general rehabilitation will be analysed and discussed.

Assessing clinical significance of treatment outcomes using the DASS-21.

Science.gov (United States)

Ronk, Fiona R; Korman, James R; Hooke, Geoffrey R; Page, Andrew C

2013-12-01

Standard clinical significance classifications are based on movement between the "dysfunctional" and "functional" distributions; however, this dichotomy ignores heterogeneity within the "dysfunctional" population. Based on the methodology described by Tingey, Lambert, Burlingame, and Hansen (1996), the present study sought to present a 3-distribution clinical significance model for the 21-item version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21; P. F. Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995) using data from a normative sample (n = 2,914), an outpatient sample (n = 1,000), and an inpatient sample (n = 3,964). DASS-21 scores were collected at pre- and post-treatment for both clinical samples, and patients were classified into 1 of 5 categories based on whether they had made a reliable change and whether they had moved into a different functional range. Evidence supported the validity of the 3-distribution model for the DASS-21, since inpatients who were classified as making a clinically significant change showed lower symptom severity, higher perceived quality of life, and higher clinician-rated functioning than those who did not make a clinically significant change. Importantly, results suggest that the new category of recovering is an intermediate point between recovered and making no clinically significant change. Inpatients and outpatients have different treatment goals and therefore use of the concept of clinical significance needs to acknowledge differences in what constitutes a meaningful change. (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

Energy Therapies in Advanced Practice Oncology: An Evidence-Informed Practice Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Potter, Pamela J.

2013-01-01

Advanced practitioners in oncology want patients to receive state-of-the-art care and support for their healing process. Evidence-informed practice (EIP), an approach to evaluating evidence for clinical practice, considers the varieties of evidence in the context of patient preference and condition as well as practitioner knowledge and experience. This article offers an EIP approach to energy therapies, namely, Therapeutic Touch (TT), Healing Touch (HT), and Reiki, as supportive interventions in cancer care; a description of the author’s professional experience with TT, HT, and Reiki in practice and research; an overview of the three energy healing modalities; a review of nine clinical studies related to oncology; and recommendations for EIP. These studies demonstrate a response to previous research design critiques. Findings indicate a positive benefit for oncology patients in the realms of pain, quality of life, fatigue, health function, and mood. Directionality of healing in immune response and cell line studies affirms the usual explanation that these therapies bring harmony and balance to the system in the direction of health. Foremost, the research literature demonstrates the safety of these therapies. In order to consider the varieties of evidence for TT, HT, and Reiki, EIP requires a qualitative examination of patient experiences with these modalities, exploration of where these modalities have been integrated into cancer care and how the practice works in the oncology setting, and discovery of the impact of implementation on provider practice and self-care. Next steps toward EIP require fleshing out the experience of these modalities by patients and health-care providers in the oncology care setting. PMID:25031994

ERP evidence for the control of emotional memories during strategic retrieval.

Science.gov (United States)

Herron, Jane E

2017-08-01

Neural evidence for the strategic retrieval of task-relevant 'target' memories at the expense of less relevant 'nontarget' memories has been demonstrated across a wide variety of studies. In ERP studies, this evidence consists of the ERP correlate of recollection (i.e. the 'left parietal old/new effect') being evident for targets and attenuated for nontargets. It is not yet known, however, whether this degree of strategic control can be extended to emotionally valenced words, or whether these items instead reactivate associated memories. The present study used a paradigm previously employed to demonstrate the strategic retrieval of neutral words (Herron & Rugg, Psychonomic Bulletin and & Review, 10(3), 703--710, 2003b) to assess the effects of stimulus valence on behavioural and event-related potential (ERP) measures of strategic retrieval. While response accuracy and reaction times associated with targets were unaffected by valence, negative nontargets and new items were both associated with an elevated false alarm rate and longer RTs than their neutral equivalents. Both neutral and negative targets and nontargets elicited early old/new effects between 300 and 500 ms. Critically, whereas neutral and negative targets elicited robust and statistically equivalent left parietal old/new effects between 500 and 800 ms, these were absent for neutral and negative nontargets. A right frontal positivity associated with postretrieval monitoring was evident for neutral targets versus nontargets, for negative versus neutral nontargets, and for targets versus new items. It can therefore be concluded that the recollection of negatively valenced words is subject to strategic control during retrieval, and that postretrieval monitoring processes are influenced by emotional valence.

When general practitioners meet new evidence: an exploratory ethnographic study.

Science.gov (United States)

Olsen, Ole

2017-12-01

To explore how general practitioners (GPs) think and act when presented with new evidence in relation to planned home birth and a proposal to change information practices. Exploratory ethnographic study of GPs. The GPs were encountered one or more times during a two-year period, 2011-2013, while the author tried to set up formal focus group interviews. Dialogues about the evidence, personal experiences, values and other issues unavoidably occurred. Field notes were written concomitantly. Danish GPs, primarily in Copenhagen. Fifty Danish GPs. The GPs reacted very differently, both spontaneously and later. Spontaneous reactions were often emotional involving private and professional experiences whereas later reactions were more influenced by rational deliberations. Approximately half the GPs (n = 18) who were asked whether they would personally hand out the local information leaflet about home birth were prepared to do so. The time lag between presentation of the evidence and the GPs' decision to hand out the leaflets was up to one and a half year. A significant number of GPs were prepared to change their information practices. However, for many GPs, the new evidence challenged previous perceptions, and ample time and resources for dialogue, deliberations and adaptation to local circumstances were required to accommodate change. Changing information practices on a larger scale will require a systematic approach involving key stakeholders. Key Points Current awareness•Patients and pregnant women should receive evidence-based information about possible choices of care - also in relation to place of birth. Most important results•Doctors often find the new evidence supporting planned home birth counterintuitive and spontaneously react emotionally rather than rationally to the evidence.•The new evidence challenging previous views elicits fast, emotional reactions, later deliberate reflections, perhaps cognitive dissonance and, finally, for some, change in

Demonstration of quantum advantage in machine learning

Science.gov (United States)

Ristè, Diego; da Silva, Marcus P.; Ryan, Colm A.; Cross, Andrew W.; Córcoles, Antonio D.; Smolin, John A.; Gambetta, Jay M.; Chow, Jerry M.; Johnson, Blake R.

2017-04-01

The main promise of quantum computing is to efficiently solve certain problems that are prohibitively expensive for a classical computer. Most problems with a proven quantum advantage involve the repeated use of a black box, or oracle, whose structure encodes the solution. One measure of the algorithmic performance is the query complexity, i.e., the scaling of the number of oracle calls needed to find the solution with a given probability. Few-qubit demonstrations of quantum algorithms, such as Deutsch-Jozsa and Grover, have been implemented across diverse physical systems such as nuclear magnetic resonance, trapped ions, optical systems, and superconducting circuits. However, at the small scale, these problems can already be solved classically with a few oracle queries, limiting the obtained advantage. Here we solve an oracle-based problem, known as learning parity with noise, on a five-qubit superconducting processor. Executing classical and quantum algorithms using the same oracle, we observe a large gap in query count in favor of quantum processing. We find that this gap grows by orders of magnitude as a function of the error rates and the problem size. This result demonstrates that, while complex fault-tolerant architectures will be required for universal quantum computing, a significant quantum advantage already emerges in existing noisy systems.

Clinical significance of isometric bite force versus electrical activity in temporal and masseter muscles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bakke, Merete; Michler, L; Han, K

1989-01-01

significant with respect to unilateral, but not to bilateral force measurements. Only in the masseter muscle was strength of dynamic contractions during chewing significantly correlated to bite force. With the present method it was demonstrated that unilateral bite force is a simple clinical indicator...

Homeopathy--between tradition and modern science: remedies as carriers of significance.

Science.gov (United States)

Almirantis, Yannis

2013-04-01

The healing potential and description of homeopathic remedies, as determined in homeopathic pathogenic trials (HPTs) and verified by medical experience, are often found to be meaningfully connected with the symbolic content attributed to the original materials (tinctures, metals etc) through tradition or modern semantics. Such a connection is incompatible with a biomolecular mechanistic explanation of the healing action of remedies. The physiological effects of crude substances are often similar to the symptoms of illnesses cured by the corresponding homeopathic remedy. This is considered a manifestation of the similia principle. Evidence is brought here that in several cases the inverse situation occurs, with the healing properties of the crude substance and those of its homeopathic preparation partially coinciding, the remedy usually having broader healing properties. The existence of these two possibilities in the relationship of medicinal actions of remedy and the crude substance, offers evidence in favor of a direct involvement of the level of significances in the mechanism underlying the homeopathic phenomenon. Finally, an experimental methodology is proposed, which may bring the result of double-blind randomized studies for homeopathic remedies closer to the reported performance of homeopathy in real life medical practice. If successful, this method would be a further indication of a non-local, significance-related interpretation of homeopathy. Copyright © 2013 The Faculty of Homeopathy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Robust Spectrum Sensing Demonstration Using a Low-Cost Front-End Receiver

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniele Borio

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Spectrum Sensing (SS is an important function in Cognitive Radio (CR to detect primary users. The design of SS algorithms is one of the most challenging tasks in CR and requires innovative hardware and software solutions to enhance detection probability and minimize low false alarm probability. Although several SS algorithms have been developed in the specialized literature, limited work has been done to practically demonstrate the feasibility of this function on platforms with significant computational and hardware constraints. In this paper, SS is demonstrated using a low cost TV tuner as agile front-end for sensing a large portion of the Ultra-High Frequency (UHF spectrum. The problems encountered and the limitations imposed by the front-end are analysed along with the solutions adopted. Finally, the spectrum sensor developed is implemented on an Android device and SS implementation is demonstrated using a smartphone.

Particulate matter and heart disease: Evidence from epidemiological studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peters, Annette

2005-01-01