Stochastic Turing Patterns: Analysis of Compartment-Based Approaches

KAUST Repository

Cao, Yang

2014-11-25

© 2014, Society for Mathematical Biology. Turing patterns can be observed in reaction-diffusion systems where chemical species have different diffusion constants. In recent years, several studies investigated the effects of noise on Turing patterns and showed that the parameter regimes, for which stochastic Turing patterns are observed, can be larger than the parameter regimes predicted by deterministic models, which are written in terms of partial differential equations (PDEs) for species concentrations. A common stochastic reaction-diffusion approach is written in terms of compartment-based (lattice-based) models, where the domain of interest is divided into artificial compartments and the number of molecules in each compartment is simulated. In this paper, the dependence of stochastic Turing patterns on the compartment size is investigated. It has previously been shown (for relatively simpler systems) that a modeler should not choose compartment sizes which are too small or too large, and that the optimal compartment size depends on the diffusion constant. Taking these results into account, we propose and study a compartment-based model of Turing patterns where each chemical species is described using a different set of compartments. It is shown that the parameter regions where spatial patterns form are different from the regions obtained by classical deterministic PDE-based models, but they are also different from the results obtained for the stochastic reaction-diffusion models which use a single set of compartments for all chemical species. In particular, it is argued that some previously reported results on the effect of noise on Turing patterns in biological systems need to be reinterpreted.

A physical implementation of the Turing machine accessed through Web

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marijo Maracic

2008-11-01

Full Text Available A Turing machine has an important role in education in the field of computer science, as it is a milestone in courses related to automata theory, theory of computation and computer architecture. Its value is also recognized in the Computing Curricula proposed by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM and IEEE Computer Society. In this paper we present a physical implementation of the Turing machine accessed through Web. To enable remote access to the Turing machine, an implementation of the client-server architecture is built. The web interface is described in detail and illustrations of remote programming, initialization and the computation of the Turing machine are given. Advantages of such approach and expected benefits obtained by using remotely accessible physical implementation of the Turing machine as an educational tool in the teaching process are discussed.

Passing the Turing Test Does Not Mean the End of Humanity.

Science.gov (United States)

Warwick, Kevin; Shah, Huma

In this paper we look at the phenomenon that is the Turing test. We consider how Turing originally introduced his imitation game and discuss what this means in a practical scenario. Due to its popular appeal we also look into different representations of the test as indicated by numerous reviewers. The main emphasis here, however, is to consider what it actually means for a machine to pass the Turing test and what importance this has, if any. In particular does it mean that, as Turing put it, a machine can "think". Specifically we consider claims that passing the Turing test means that machines will have achieved human-like intelligence and as a consequence the singularity will be upon us in the blink of an eye.

On Tichý’s Attempt to Explicate Sense in Terms of Turing Machines

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Materna, Pavel

2018-01-01

Roč. 25, č. 1 (2018), s. 41-52 ISSN 1335-0668 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA17-15645S Institutional support: RVO:67985955 Keywords : Oracle * possible worlds * procedure * sense * Turing machine Subject RIV: AA - Philosophy ; Religion OBOR OECD: Philosophy, History and Philosophy of science and technology

Testing the Turing Test — do Men Pass It?

Science.gov (United States)

Adam, Ruth; Hershberg, Uri; Schul, Yaacov; Solomon, Sorin

We are fascinated by the idea of giving life to the inanimate. The fields of Artificial Life and Artificial Intelligence (AI) attempt to use a scientific approach to pursue this desire. The first steps on this approach hark back to Turing and his suggestion of an imitation game as an alternative answer to the question "can machines think?".1 To test his hypothesis, Turing formulated the Turing test1 to detect human behavior in computers. But how do humans pass such a test? What would you say if you would learn that they do not pass it well? What would it mean for our understanding of human behavior? What would it mean for our design of tests of the success of artificial life? We report below an experiment in which men consistently failed the Turing test.

The universal computer the road from Leibniz to Turing

CERN Document Server

Davis, Martin

2011-01-01

The breathtakingly rapid pace of change in computing makes it easy to overlook the pioneers who began it all. Written by Martin Davis, respected logician and researcher in the theory of computation, The Universal Computer: The Road from Leibniz to Turing explores the fascinating lives, ideas, and discoveries of seven remarkable mathematicians. It tells the stories of the unsung heroes of the computer age -- the logicians. The story begins with Leibniz in the 17th century and then focuses on Boole, Frege, Cantor, Hilbert, and Godel, before turning to Turing. Turing's analysis of algorithmic pro

Simulations of Quantum Turing Machines by Quantum Multi-Stack Machines

OpenAIRE

Qiu, Daowen

2005-01-01

As was well known, in classical computation, Turing machines, circuits, multi-stack machines, and multi-counter machines are equivalent, that is, they can simulate each other in polynomial time. In quantum computation, Yao [11] first proved that for any quantum Turing machines $M$, there exists quantum Boolean circuit $(n,t)$-simulating $M$, where $n$ denotes the length of input strings, and $t$ is the number of move steps before machine stopping. However, the simulations of quantum Turing ma...

Polyamide membranes with nanoscale Turing structures for water purification

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Zhe; Chen, Shengfu; Peng, Xinsheng; Zhang, Lin; Gao, Congjie

2018-05-01

The emergence of Turing structures is of fundamental importance, and designing these structures and developing their applications have practical effects in chemistry and biology. We use a facile route based on interfacial polymerization to generate Turing-type polyamide membranes for water purification. Manipulation of shapes by control of reaction conditions enabled the creation of membranes with bubble or tube structures. These membranes exhibit excellent water-salt separation performance that surpasses the upper-bound line of traditional desalination membranes. Furthermore, we show the existence of high water permeability sites in the Turing structures, where water transport through the membranes is enhanced.

Turing instability in reaction-diffusion systems with nonlinear diffusion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zemskov, E. P., E-mail: zemskov@ccas.ru [Russian Academy of Sciences, Dorodnicyn Computing Center (Russian Federation)

2013-10-15

The Turing instability is studied in two-component reaction-diffusion systems with nonlinear diffusion terms, and the regions in parametric space where Turing patterns can form are determined. The boundaries between super- and subcritical bifurcations are found. Calculations are performed for one-dimensional brusselator and oregonator models.

Theoretical Fundaments for a Turing-Type Test for Virtual Environments

OpenAIRE

Sonnenfeld, Nathan

2016-01-01

AbstractAlan Turing supposed the “imitation game” which has also been called the Turing Test. In the game an interrogator is tasked with telling two similar stimuli apart by asking questions then, based on their responses, correctly identifying both stimuli. Applying this concept to virtual reality to create a similar test will be important as virtual reality becomes more and more like reality. It is also important to explore the conceptual and theoretical issues with the Turing Test in order...

The Imitation Game: Alan Turings enigmatiske imitationsspil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bentzen, Martin Mose

2015-01-01

Alan Turing revolutionerede computervidenskaben og modtog først verdens anerkendelse længe efter sin død. Nu sætter filmen 'The Imitation Game', der har premiere i Danmark 29. januar 2015, fokus på det oversete geni.......Alan Turing revolutionerede computervidenskaben og modtog først verdens anerkendelse længe efter sin død. Nu sætter filmen 'The Imitation Game', der har premiere i Danmark 29. januar 2015, fokus på det oversete geni....

Feasibility of Turing-Style Tests for Autonomous Aerial Vehicle "Intelligence"

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Larry A.

2007-01-01

A new approach is suggested to define and evaluate key metrics as to autonomous aerial vehicle performance. This approach entails the conceptual definition of a "Turing Test" for UAVs. Such a "UAV Turing test" would be conducted by means of mission simulations and/or tailored flight demonstrations of vehicles under the guidance of their autonomous system software. These autonomous vehicle mission simulations and flight demonstrations would also have to be benchmarked against missions "flown" with pilots/human-operators in the loop. In turn, scoring criteria for such testing could be based upon both quantitative mission success metrics (unique to each mission) and by turning to analog "handling quality" metrics similar to the well-known Cooper-Harper pilot ratings used for manned aircraft. Autonomous aerial vehicles would be considered to have successfully passed this "UAV Turing Test" if the aggregate mission success metrics and handling qualities for the autonomous aerial vehicle matched or exceeded the equivalent metrics for missions conducted with pilots/human-operators in the loop. Alternatively, an independent, knowledgeable observer could provide the "UAV Turing Test" ratings of whether a vehicle is autonomous or "piloted." This observer ideally would, in the more sophisticated mission simulations, also have the enhanced capability of being able to override the scripted mission scenario and instigate failure modes and change of flight profile/plans. If a majority of mission tasks are rated as "piloted" by the observer, when in reality the vehicle/simulation is fully- or semi- autonomously controlled, then the vehicle/simulation "passes" the "UAV Turing Test." In this regards, this second "UAV Turing Test" approach is more consistent with Turing s original "imitation game" proposal. The overall feasibility, and important considerations and limitations, of such an approach for judging/evaluating autonomous aerial vehicle "intelligence" will be discussed from a

A Turing Machine Simulator.

Science.gov (United States)

Navarro, Aaron B.

1981-01-01

Presents a program in Level II BASIC for a TRS-80 computer that simulates a Turing machine and discusses the nature of the device. The program is run interactively and is designed to be used as an educational tool by computer science or mathematics students studying computational or automata theory. (MP)

On Tight Separation for Blum Measures Applied to Turing Machine Buffer Complexity

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Šíma, Jiří; Žák, Stanislav

2017-01-01

Roč. 152, č. 4 (2017), s. 397-409 ISSN 0169-2968 R&D Projects: GA ČR GBP202/12/G061; GA ČR GAP202/10/1333 Institutional support: RVO:67985807 Keywords : Turing machine * hierarchy * buffer complexity * diagonalization Subject RIV: IN - Informatics, Computer Science OBOR OECD: Computer sciences, information science, bioinformathics (hardware development to be 2.2, social aspect to be 5.8) Impact factor: 0.687, year: 2016

Practical Implementation of a Graphics Turing Test

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borg, Mathias; Johansen, Stine Schmieg; Thomsen, Dennis Lundgaard

2012-01-01

We present a practical implementation of a variation of the Turing Test for realistic computer graphics. The test determines whether virtual representations of objects appear as real as genuine objects. Two experiments were conducted wherein a real object and a similar virtual object is presented...... graphics. Based on the results from these experiments, future versions of the Graphics Turing Test could ease the restrictions currently necessary in order to test object telepresence under more general conditions. Furthermore, the test could be used to determine the minimum requirements to achieve object...

Kairic Rhythmicity in the Turing-Galaxy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Sisse Siggaard

2001-01-01

This paper explores problems of time and timing in different spaces with refer-ence to two case studies from the epoch of the Turing-Galaxy. Case study 1 is on networked learning communities and case study 2 is an e-learning project in a small multimedia firm in Denmark. Basic assumptions...... are that time has be-come one of our major problems, almost an obstacle rather than a rich source of life, in the epoch of the Turing-galaxy or in the network society, and it is ar-gued, that we have to deal with time in a new way different from during the industrial epoch. In order to discuss these assumptions...

Turing Machines with One-sided Advice and Acceptance of the co-RE Languages

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

van Leeuwen, J.; Wiedermann, Jiří

2017-01-01

Roč. 153, č. 4 (2017), s. 347-366 ISSN 0169-2968 Grant - others:GA ČR(CZ) GA15-04960S Institutional support: RVO:67985807 Keywords : advice functions * co-RE language s * machine models * Turing machines Subject RIV: IN - Informatics, Computer Science OBOR OECD: Computer sciences, information science, bioinformathics (hardware development to be 2.2, social aspect to be 5.8) Impact factor: 0.687, year: 2016

Nonlinear effects on Turing patterns: Time oscillations and chaos

KAUST Repository

Aragón, J. L.

2012-08-08

We show that a model reaction-diffusion system with two species in a monostable regime and over a large region of parameter space produces Turing patterns coexisting with a limit cycle which cannot be discerned from the linear analysis. As a consequence, the patterns oscillate in time. When varying a single parameter, a series of bifurcations leads to period doubling, quasiperiodic, and chaotic oscillations without modifying the underlying Turing pattern. A Ruelle-Takens-Newhouse route to chaos is identified. We also examine the Turing conditions for obtaining a diffusion-driven instability and show that the patterns obtained are not necessarily stationary for certain values of the diffusion coefficients. These results demonstrate the limitations of the linear analysis for reaction-diffusion systems. © 2012 American Physical Society.

Turing Test and After

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

was educated entirely in England and got his degree in mathematics from ... Reading) and designed a machine to do it. The last ... of intelligence' since his seminal work on the universal Turing ... woman. In the game the man will respond like a woman to fool .... him to leave the room while she conversed with the computer!

Glasgow physics conference (Preliminary report)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

1994-09-15

The third and heaviest pair of quarks, 'beauty' (b) and 'top' (t), were the stars of the International Conference on High Energy Physics, held in Glasgow from 20-27 July, the 27th in the series of traditional biennial 'Rochester' meetings which dominate the particle physics calendar. With all major new results in agreement, in recent years these meetings have also become a festival for the 'Standard Model' of particle physics, and Glasgow was no exception.

Turing mechanism underlying a branching model for lung morphogenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Hui; Sun, Mingzhu; Zhao, Xin

2017-01-01

The mammalian lung develops through branching morphogenesis. Two primary forms of branching, which occur in order, in the lung have been identified: tip bifurcation and side branching. However, the mechanisms of lung branching morphogenesis remain to be explored. In our previous study, a biological mechanism was presented for lung branching pattern formation through a branching model. Here, we provide a mathematical mechanism underlying the branching patterns. By decoupling the branching model, we demonstrated the existence of Turing instability. We performed Turing instability analysis to reveal the mathematical mechanism of the branching patterns. Our simulation results show that the Turing patterns underlying the branching patterns are spot patterns that exhibit high local morphogen concentration. The high local morphogen concentration induces the growth of branching. Furthermore, we found that the sparse spot patterns underlie the tip bifurcation patterns, while the dense spot patterns underlies the side branching patterns. The dispersion relation analysis shows that the Turing wavelength affects the branching structure. As the wavelength decreases, the spot patterns change from sparse to dense, the rate of tip bifurcation decreases and side branching eventually occurs instead. In the process of transformation, there may exists hybrid branching that mixes tip bifurcation and side branching. Since experimental studies have reported that branching mode switching from side branching to tip bifurcation in the lung is under genetic control, our simulation results suggest that genes control the switch of the branching mode by regulating the Turing wavelength. Our results provide a novel insight into and understanding of the formation of branching patterns in the lung and other biological systems.

A simple and efficient universal reversible Turing machine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Axelsen, Holger Bock; Glück, Robert

2011-01-01

We construct a universal reversible Turing machine (URTM) from first principles. We take a strict approach to the semantics of reversible Turing machines (RTMs), under which they can compute exactly all injective, computable functions, but not non-injective ones. The natural notion of universalit...... factor slowdown, with no other complexity-wise cost wrt time and space. The URTM is also able to function as an inverse interpreter for RTMs at no asymptotic cost, simply by reversing the string representing the interpreted machine....

Turing and Non-Turing patterns in diffusive plankton model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. K. Thakur

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we investigate a Rosenzweig-McAurthur model and its variant for phytoplankton, zooplankton and fish population dynamics with Holling type II and III functional responses. We present the theoretical analysis of processes of pattern formation that involves organism distribution and their interaction of spatially distributed population with local diffusion. The choice of parameter values is important to study the effect of diffusion, also it depends more on the nonlinearity of the system. With the help of numerical simulations, we observe the formation of spatiotemporal patterns both inside and outside the Turing space.

The mechanism of Turing pattern formation in a positive feedback system with cross diffusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Xiyan; Liu, Tuoqi; Zhang, Jiajun; Zhou, Tianshou

2014-01-01

In this paper, we analyze a reaction–diffusion (R–D) system with a double negative feedback loop and find cases where self diffusion alone cannot lead to Turing pattern formation but cross diffusion can. Specifically, we first derive a set of sufficient conditions for Turing instability by performing linear stability analysis, then plot two bifurcation diagrams that specifically identify Turing regions in the parameter phase plane, and finally numerically demonstrate representative Turing patterns according to the theoretical predictions. Our analysis combined with previous studies actually implies an interesting fact that Turing patterns can be generated not only in a class of monostable R–D systems where cross diffusion is not necessary but also in a class of bistable R–D systems where cross diffusion is necessary. In addition, our model would be a good candidate for experimentally testing Turing pattern formation from the viewpoint of synthetic biology. (paper)

Glasgow physics conference (Preliminary report)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1994-01-01

The third and heaviest pair of quarks, 'beauty' (b) and 'top' (t), were the stars of the International Conference on High Energy Physics, held in Glasgow from 20-27 July, the 27th in the series of traditional biennial 'Rochester' meetings which dominate the particle physics calendar. With all major new results in agreement, in recent years these meetings have also become a festival for the 'Standard Model' of particle physics, and Glasgow was no exception

The sensitivity of Turing self-organization to biological feedback delays: 2D models of fish pigmentation

KAUST Repository

Gaffney, E. A.

2013-10-01

© The authors 2013. Turing morphogen models have been extensively explored in the context of large-scale self-organization in multicellular biological systems. However, reconciling the detailed biology of morphogen dynamics, while accounting for time delays associated with gene expression, reveals aberrant behaviours that are not consistent with early developmental self-organization, especially the requirement for exquisite temporal control. Attempts to reconcile the interpretation of Turing\\'s ideas with an increasing understanding of the mechanisms driving zebrafish pigmentation suggests that one should reconsider Turing\\'s model in terms of pigment cells rather than morphogens (Nakamasu et al., 2009, PNAS, 106, 8429-8434; Yamaguchi et al., 2007, PNAS, 104, 4790-4793). Here the dynamics of pigment cells is subject to response delays implicit in the cell cycle and apoptosis. Hence we explore simulations of fish skin patterning, focussing on the dynamical influence of gene expression delays in morphogen-based Turing models and response delays for cell-based Turing models. We find that reconciling the mechanisms driving the behaviour of Turing systems with observations of fish skin patterning remains a fundamental challenge.

Computing Beyond the Church-Turing Limit

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Robert

2009-05-01

Dershowitz and Gurevich claim to have proven the Church-Turing theorem starting from a set of 4 reasonable postulates. (Bulletin of Symbolic Logic, vol. 14, num. 3, Sept. 2008, pg. 299) But their postulate II assumes fixed vocabulary. Humans, however, change their vocabulary words (and concepts) over time. My Asa H artificial intelligence also changes its vocabulary. (Trans. of the Kansas Acad. of Sci., vol. 109, no. 3/4, pg 159, 2006, www.bioone.org/archive/0022- 8443/109/3/pdf/i0022-8443-109-3-159.pdf) Their postulate I excludes nondeterministic transitions between states. I don't know how often humans flip a coin but my Asa H does employ random transitions under certain circumstances. Perhaps humans and Asa H go beyond the Church-Turing limit. (Trans. Kansas Acad. of Sci., 108, 3/4, pg. 169, 2005)

A new necessary condition for Turing instabilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Elragig, Aiman; Townley, Stuart

2012-09-01

Reactivity (a.k.a initial growth) is necessary for diffusion driven instability (Turing instability). Using a notion of common Lyapunov function we show that this necessary condition is a special case of a more powerful (i.e. tighter) necessary condition. Specifically, we show that if the linearised reaction matrix and the diffusion matrix share a common Lyapunov function, then Turing instability is not possible. The existence of common Lyapunov functions is readily checked using semi-definite programming. We apply this result to the Gierer-Meinhardt system modelling regenerative properties of Hydra, the Oregonator, to a host-parasite-hyperparasite system with diffusion and to a reaction-diffusion-chemotaxis model for a multi-species host-parasitoid community. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Globally Stable Microresonator Turing Pattern Formation for Coherent High-Power THz Radiation On-Chip

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Shu-Wei; Yang, Jinghui; Yang, Shang-Hua; Yu, Mingbin; Kwong, Dim-Lee; Zelevinsky, T.; Jarrahi, Mona; Wong, Chee Wei

2017-10-01

In nonlinear microresonators driven by continuous-wave (cw) lasers, Turing patterns have been studied in the formalism of the Lugiato-Lefever equation with emphasis on their high coherence and exceptional robustness against perturbations. Destabilization of Turing patterns and the transition to spatiotemporal chaos, however, limit the available energy carried in the Turing rolls and prevent further harvest of their high coherence and robustness to noise. Here, we report a novel scheme to circumvent such destabilization, by incorporating the effect of local mode hybridizations, and we attain globally stable Turing pattern formation in chip-scale nonlinear oscillators with significantly enlarged parameter space, achieving a record-high power-conversion efficiency of 45% and an elevated peak-to-valley contrast of 100. The stationary Turing pattern is discretely tunable across 430 GHz on a THz carrier, with a fractional frequency sideband nonuniformity measured at 7.3 ×10-14 . We demonstrate the simultaneous microwave and optical coherence of the Turing rolls at different evolution stages through ultrafast optical correlation techniques. The free-running Turing-roll coherence, 9 kHz in 200 ms and 160 kHz in 20 minutes, is transferred onto a plasmonic photomixer for one of the highest-power THz coherent generations at room temperature, with 1.1% optical-to-THz power conversion. Its long-term stability can be further improved by more than 2 orders of magnitude, reaching an Allan deviation of 6 ×10-10 at 100 s, with a simple computer-aided slow feedback control. The demonstrated on-chip coherent high-power Turing-THz system is promising to find applications in astrophysics, medical imaging, and wireless communications.

Competition of Spatial and Temporal Instabilities under Time Delay near Codimension-Two Turing-Hopf Bifurcations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Huijuan; Ren Zhi

2011-01-01

Competition of spatial and temporal instabilities under time delay near the codimension-two Turing-Hopf bifurcations is studied in a reaction-diffusion equation. The time delay changes remarkably the oscillation frequency, the intrinsic wave vector, and the intensities of both Turing and Hopf modes. The application of appropriate time delay can control the competition between the Turing and Hopf modes. Analysis shows that individual or both feedbacks can realize the control of the transformation between the Turing and Hopf patterns. Two-dimensional numerical simulations validate the analytical results. (electromagnetism, optics, acoustics, heat transfer, classical mechanics, and fluid dynamics)

Noise-induced temporal dynamics in Turing systems

KAUST Repository

Schumacher, Linus J.; Woolley, Thomas E.; Baker, Ruth E.

2013-01-01

We examine the ability of intrinsic noise to produce complex temporal dynamics in Turing pattern formation systems, with particular emphasis on the Schnakenberg kinetics. Using power spectral methods, we characterize the behavior of the system using

The super-Turing computational power of plastic recurrent neural networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Cabessa, Jérémie; Siegelmann, Hava T

2014-12-01

We study the computational capabilities of a biologically inspired neural model where the synaptic weights, the connectivity pattern, and the number of neurons can evolve over time rather than stay static. Our study focuses on the mere concept of plasticity of the model so that the nature of the updates is assumed to be not constrained. In this context, we show that the so-called plastic recurrent neural networks (RNNs) are capable of the precise super-Turing computational power--as the static analog neural networks--irrespective of whether their synaptic weights are modeled by rational or real numbers, and moreover, irrespective of whether their patterns of plasticity are restricted to bi-valued updates or expressed by any other more general form of updating. Consequently, the incorporation of only bi-valued plastic capabilities in a basic model of RNNs suffices to break the Turing barrier and achieve the super-Turing level of computation. The consideration of more general mechanisms of architectural plasticity or of real synaptic weights does not further increase the capabilities of the networks. These results support the claim that the general mechanism of plasticity is crucially involved in the computational and dynamical capabilities of biological neural networks. They further show that the super-Turing level of computation reflects in a suitable way the capabilities of brain-like models of computation.

Alan Turing and the origins of modern Gaussian elimination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dopico, Froilán M.

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The solution of a system of linear equations is by far the most important problem in Applied Mathematics. It is important both in itself and because it is an intermediate step in many other important problems. Gaussian elimination is nowadays the standard method for solving this problem numerically on a computer and it was the first numerical algorithm to be subjected to rounding error analysis. In 1948, Alan Turing published a remarkable paper on this topic: “Rounding-off errors in matrix processes” (Quart. J. Mech. Appl. Math. 1, pp. 287-308. In this paper, Turing formulated Gaussian elimination as the matrix LU factorization and introduced the “condition number of a matrix”, both of them fundamental notions of modern Numerical Analysis. In addition, Turing presented an error analysis of Gaussian elimination for general matrices that deeply influenced the spirit of the definitive analysis developed by James Wilkinson in 1961. Alan Turing’s work on Gaussian elimination appears in a fascinating period for modern Numerical Analysis. Other giants of Mathematics, as John von Neumann, Herman Goldstine, and Harold Hotelling were also working in the mid-1940s on Gaussian elimination. The goal of these researchers was to find an efficient and reliable method for solving systems of linear equations in modern “automatic computers”. At that time, it was not clear at all whether Gaussian elimination was a right choice or not. The purpose of this paper is to revise, at an introductory level, the contributions of Alan Turing and other authors to the error analysis of Gaussian elimination, the historical context of these contributions, and their influence on modern Numerical Analysis.La resolución de sistemas de ecuaciones lineales es sin duda el problema más importante en Matemática Aplicada. Es importante en sí mismo y también porque es un paso intermedio en la resolución de muchos otros problemas de gran relevancia. La eliminaci

Turing patterns and long-time behavior in a three-species food-chain model

KAUST Repository

Parshad, Rana D.

2014-08-01

We consider a spatially explicit three-species food chain model, describing generalist top predator-specialist middle predator-prey dynamics. We investigate the long-time dynamics of the model and show the existence of a finite dimensional global attractor in the product space, L2(Ω). We perform linear stability analysis and show that the model exhibits the phenomenon of Turing instability, as well as diffusion induced chaos. Various Turing patterns such as stripe patterns, mesh patterns, spot patterns, labyrinth patterns and weaving patterns are obtained, via numerical simulations in 1d as well as in 2d. The Turing and non-Turing space, in terms of model parameters, is also explored. Finally, we use methods from nonlinear time series analysis to reconstruct a low dimensional chaotic attractor of the model, and estimate its fractal dimension. This provides a lower bound, for the fractal dimension of the attractor, of the spatially explicit model. © 2014 Elsevier Inc.

Silica research in Glasgow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barr, B W; Cagnoli, G; Casey, M M; Clubley, D; Crooks, D R M; Danzmann, K; Elliffe, E J; Gossler, S; Grant, A; Grote, H; Heptonstall, A; Hough, J; Jennrich, O; Lueck, H; McIntosh, S A; Newton, G P; Palmer, D A; Plissi, M V; Robertson, D I; Robertson, N A; Rowan, S; Skeldon, K D; Sneddon, P; Strain, K A; Torrie, C I; Ward, H; Willems, P A; Willke, B; Winkler, W

2002-01-01

The Glasgow group is involved in the construction of the GEO600 interferometer as well as in R and D activity on technology for advanced gravitational wave detectors. GEO600 will be the first GW detector using quasi-monolithic silica suspensions in order to decrease thermal noise significantly with respect to steel wire suspensions. The results concerning GEO600 suspension mounting and performance will be shown in the first section. Section 2 is devoted to the present results from the direct measurement of thermal noise in mirrors mounted in the 10 m interferometer in Glasgow which has a sensitivity limit of 4 x 10 -19 m Hz -1/2 above 1 kHz. Section 3 presents results on the measurements of coating losses. R and D activity has been carried out to understand better how thermal noise in the suspensions affects the detector sensitivity, and in section 4 a discussion on the non-linear thermoelastic effect is presented

Silica research in Glasgow

CERN Document Server

Barr, B W; Casey, M M; Clubley, D; Crooks, D R M; Danzmann, K; Elliffe, E J; Gossler, S; Grant, A; Grote, H; Heptonstall, A; Hough, J; Jennrich, O; Lück, H B; McIntosh, S A; Newton, G P; Palmer, D A; Plissi, M V; Robertson, D I; Robertson, N A; Rowan, S; Skeldon, K D; Sneddon, P; Strain, K A; Torrie, C I; Ward, H; Willems, P A; Willke, B; Winkler, W

2002-01-01

The Glasgow group is involved in the construction of the GEO600 interferometer as well as in R and D activity on technology for advanced gravitational wave detectors. GEO600 will be the first GW detector using quasi-monolithic silica suspensions in order to decrease thermal noise significantly with respect to steel wire suspensions. The results concerning GEO600 suspension mounting and performance will be shown in the first section. Section 2 is devoted to the present results from the direct measurement of thermal noise in mirrors mounted in the 10 m interferometer in Glasgow which has a sensitivity limit of 4 x 10 sup - sup 1 sup 9 m Hz sup - sup 1 sup / sup 2 above 1 kHz. Section 3 presents results on the measurements of coating losses. R and D activity has been carried out to understand better how thermal noise in the suspensions affects the detector sensitivity, and in section 4 a discussion on the non-linear thermoelastic effect is presented.

Alan Turing the enigma

CERN Document Server

Hodges, Andrew

1983-01-01

It is only a slight exaggeration to say that the British mathematician Alan Turing (1912-1954) saved the Allies from the Nazis, invented the computer and artificial intelligence, and anticipated gay liberation by decades--all before his suicide at age forty-one. This classic biography of the founder of computer science, reissued on the centenary of his birth with a substantial new preface by the author, is the definitive account of an extraordinary mind and life. A gripping story of mathematics, computers, cryptography, and homosexual persecution, Andrew Hodges's acclaimed book captures bot

Control of Turing patterns and their usage as sensors, memory arrays, and logic gates

Science.gov (United States)

Muzika, František; Schreiber, Igor

2013-10-01

We study a model system of three diffusively coupled reaction cells arranged in a linear array that display Turing patterns with special focus on the case of equal coupling strength for all components. As a suitable model reaction we consider a two-variable core model of glycolysis. Using numerical continuation and bifurcation techniques we analyze the dependence of the system's steady states on varying rate coefficient of the recycling step while the coupling coefficients of the inhibitor and activator are fixed and set at the ratios 100:1, 1:1, and 4:5. We show that stable Turing patterns occur at all three ratios but, as expected, spontaneous transition from the spatially uniform steady state to the spatially nonuniform Turing patterns occurs only in the first case. The other two cases possess multiple Turing patterns, which are stabilized by secondary bifurcations and coexist with stable uniform periodic oscillations. For the 1:1 ratio we examine modular spatiotemporal perturbations, which allow for controllable switching between the uniform oscillations and various Turing patterns. Such modular perturbations are then used to construct chemical computing devices utilizing the multiple Turing patterns. By classifying various responses we propose: (a) a single-input resettable sensor capable of reading certain value of concentration, (b) two-input and three-input memory arrays capable of storing logic information, (c) three-input, three-output logic gates performing combinations of logical functions OR, XOR, AND, and NAND.

A novel modification of the Turing test for artificial intelligence and robotics in healthcare.

Science.gov (United States)

Ashrafian, Hutan; Darzi, Ara; Athanasiou, Thanos

2015-03-01

The increasing demands of delivering higher quality global healthcare has resulted in a corresponding expansion in the development of computer-based and robotic healthcare tools that rely on artificially intelligent technologies. The Turing test was designed to assess artificial intelligence (AI) in computer technology. It remains an important qualitative tool for testing the next generation of medical diagnostics and medical robotics. Development of quantifiable diagnostic accuracy meta-analytical evaluative techniques for the Turing test paradigm. Modification of the Turing test to offer quantifiable diagnostic precision and statistical effect-size robustness in the assessment of AI for computer-based and robotic healthcare technologies. Modification of the Turing test to offer robust diagnostic scores for AI can contribute to enhancing and refining the next generation of digital diagnostic technologies and healthcare robotics. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Investigating the Turing conditions for diffusion-driven instability in the presence of a binding immobile substrate

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Korvasová, K.; Gaffney, E. A.; Maini, P.K.; Ferreira, M.A.; Klika, Václav

2015-01-01

Roč. 367, February (2015), s. 286-295 ISSN 0022-5193 Institutional support: RVO:61388998 Keywords : turing instability * non-diffusive substrate * pattern formation Subject RIV: BJ - Thermodynamics Impact factor: 2.049, year: 2015 http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0022519314006766/1-s2.0-S0022519314006766-main.pdf?_tid=63ec0858-9ffa-11e5-969b-00000aacb35d&acdnat=1449833527_e470798087aa42f7ca3b2efcfffc48cf

Continual Learning through Evolvable Neural Turing Machines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lüders, Benno; Schläger, Mikkel; Risi, Sebastian

2016-01-01

Continual learning, i.e. the ability to sequentially learn tasks without catastrophic forgetting of previously learned ones, is an important open challenge in machine learning. In this paper we take a step in this direction by showing that the recently proposed Evolving Neural Turing Machine (ENTM...

The Lattice-Valued Turing Machines and the Lattice-Valued Type 0 Grammars

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Tang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The purpose of this paper is to study a class of the natural languages called the lattice-valued phrase structure languages, which can be generated by the lattice-valued type 0 grammars and recognized by the lattice-valued Turing machines. Design/Methodology/Approach. From the characteristic of natural language, this paper puts forward a new concept of the l-valued Turing machine. It can be used to characterize recognition, natural language processing, and dynamic characteristics. Findings. The mechanisms of both the generation of grammars for the lattice-valued type 0 grammar and the dynamic transformation of the lattice-valued Turing machines were given. Originality/Value. This paper gives a new approach to study a class of natural languages by using lattice-valued logic theory.

Turing patterns in parabolic systems of conservation laws and numerically observed stability of periodic waves

Science.gov (United States)

Barker, Blake; Jung, Soyeun; Zumbrun, Kevin

2018-03-01

Turing patterns on unbounded domains have been widely studied in systems of reaction-diffusion equations. However, up to now, they have not been studied for systems of conservation laws. Here, we (i) derive conditions for Turing instability in conservation laws and (ii) use these conditions to find families of periodic solutions bifurcating from uniform states, numerically continuing these families into the large-amplitude regime. For the examples studied, numerical stability analysis suggests that stable periodic waves can emerge either from supercritical Turing bifurcations or, via secondary bifurcation as amplitude is increased, from subcritical Turing bifurcations. This answers in the affirmative a question of Oh-Zumbrun whether stable periodic solutions of conservation laws can occur. Determination of a full small-amplitude stability diagram - specifically, determination of rigorous Eckhaus-type stability conditions - remains an interesting open problem.

Is pigment patterning in fish skin determined by the Turing mechanism?

Science.gov (United States)

Watanabe, Masakatsu; Kondo, Shigeru

2015-02-01

More than half a century ago, Alan Turing postulated that pigment patterns may arise from a mechanism that could be mathematically modeled based on the diffusion of two substances that interact with each other. Over the past 15 years, the molecular and genetic tools to verify this prediction have become available. Here, we review experimental studies aimed at identifying the mechanism underlying pigment pattern formation in zebrafish. Extensive molecular genetic studies in this model organism have revealed the interactions between the pigment cells that are responsible for the patterns. The mechanism discovered is substantially different from that predicted by the mathematical model, but it retains the property of 'local activation and long-range inhibition', a necessary condition for Turing pattern formation. Although some of the molecular details of pattern formation remain to be elucidated, current evidence confirms that the underlying mechanism is mathematically equivalent to the Turing mechanism. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Inter-dependent tissue growth and Turing patterning in a model for long bone development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Simon; Iber, Dagmar

2013-01-01

The development of long bones requires a sophisticated spatial organization of cellular signalling, proliferation, and differentiation programs. How such spatial organization emerges on the growing long bone domain is still unresolved. Based on the reported biochemical interactions we developed a regulatory model for the core signalling factors IHH, PTCH1, and PTHrP and included two cell types, proliferating/resting chondrocytes and (pre-)hypertrophic chondrocytes. We show that the reported IHH–PTCH1 interaction gives rise to a Schnakenberg-type Turing kinetics, and that inclusion of PTHrP is important to achieve robust patterning when coupling patterning and tissue dynamics. The model reproduces relevant spatiotemporal gene expression patterns, as well as a number of relevant mutant phenotypes. In summary, we propose that a ligand–receptor based Turing mechanism may control the emergence of patterns during long bone development, with PTHrP as an important mediator to confer patterning robustness when the sensitive Turing system is coupled to the dynamics of a growing and differentiating tissue. We have previously shown that ligand–receptor based Turing mechanisms can also result from BMP–receptor, SHH–receptor, and GDNF–receptor interactions, and that these reproduce the wildtype and mutant patterns during digit formation in limbs and branching morphogenesis in lung and kidneys. Receptor–ligand interactions may thus constitute a general mechanism to generate Turing patterns in nature. (paper)

Inter-dependent tissue growth and Turing patterning in a model for long bone development

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Simon; Iber, Dagmar

2013-10-01

The development of long bones requires a sophisticated spatial organization of cellular signalling, proliferation, and differentiation programs. How such spatial organization emerges on the growing long bone domain is still unresolved. Based on the reported biochemical interactions we developed a regulatory model for the core signalling factors IHH, PTCH1, and PTHrP and included two cell types, proliferating/resting chondrocytes and (pre-)hypertrophic chondrocytes. We show that the reported IHH-PTCH1 interaction gives rise to a Schnakenberg-type Turing kinetics, and that inclusion of PTHrP is important to achieve robust patterning when coupling patterning and tissue dynamics. The model reproduces relevant spatiotemporal gene expression patterns, as well as a number of relevant mutant phenotypes. In summary, we propose that a ligand-receptor based Turing mechanism may control the emergence of patterns during long bone development, with PTHrP as an important mediator to confer patterning robustness when the sensitive Turing system is coupled to the dynamics of a growing and differentiating tissue. We have previously shown that ligand-receptor based Turing mechanisms can also result from BMP-receptor, SHH-receptor, and GDNF-receptor interactions, and that these reproduce the wildtype and mutant patterns during digit formation in limbs and branching morphogenesis in lung and kidneys. Receptor-ligand interactions may thus constitute a general mechanism to generate Turing patterns in nature.

Competing Turing and Faraday Instabilities in Longitudinally Modulated Passive Resonators.

Science.gov (United States)

Copie, François; Conforti, Matteo; Kudlinski, Alexandre; Mussot, Arnaud; Trillo, Stefano

2016-04-08

We experimentally investigate the interplay of Turing (modulational) and Faraday (parametric) instabilities in a bistable passive nonlinear resonator. The Faraday branch is induced via parametric resonance owing to a periodic modulation of the resonator dispersion. We show that the bistable switching dynamics is dramatically affected by the competition between the two instability mechanisms, which dictates two completely novel scenarios. At low detunings from resonance, switching occurs between the stable stationary lower branch and the Faraday-unstable upper branch, whereas at high detunings we observe the crossover between the Turing and Faraday periodic structures. The results are well explained in terms of the universal Lugiato-Lefever model.

Faith in the algorithm, part 1: beyond the turing test

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rodriguez, Marko A [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Pepe, Alberto [UCLA

2009-01-01

Since the Turing test was first proposed by Alan Turing in 1950, the goal of artificial intelligence has been predicated on the ability for computers to imitate human intelligence. However, the majority of uses for the computer can be said to fall outside the domain of human abilities and it is exactly outside of this domain where computers have demonstrated their greatest contribution. Another definition for artificial intelligence is one that is not predicated on human mimicry, but instead, on human amplification, where the algorithms that are best at accomplishing this are deemed the most intelligent. This article surveys various systems that augment human and social intelligence.

Dr. Auzoux's botanical teaching models and medical education at the universities of Glasgow and Aberdeen.

Science.gov (United States)

Olszewski, Margaret Maria

2011-09-01

In the 1860s, Dr. Louis Thomas Jérôme Auzoux introduced a set of papier-mâché teaching models intended for use in the botanical classroom. These botanical models quickly made their way into the educational curricula of institutions around the world. Within these institutions, Auzoux's models were principally used to fulfil educational goals, but their incorporation into diverse curricula also suggests they were used to implement agendas beyond botanical instruction. This essay examines the various uses and meanings of Dr. Auzoux's botanical teaching models at the universities of Glasgow and Aberdeen in the nineteenth century. The two main conclusions of this analysis are: (1) investing in prestigious scientific collections was a way for these universities to attract fee-paying students so that better medical accommodation could be provided and (2) models were used to transmit different kinds of botanical knowledge at both universities. The style of botany at the University of Glasgow was offensive and the department there actively embraced and incorporated ideas of the emerging new botany. At Aberdeen, the style of botany was defensive and there was some hesitancy when confronting new botanical ideas. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Exploration of Smoking Behavior of African Male Immigrants Living in Glasgow

Science.gov (United States)

Ezika, Ejiofor Augustine

2014-01-01

INTRODUCTION The aim of this research study was to explore the smoking behavior of adult African male immigrant smokers living in Glasgow to inform and contribute to primary health promotion frameworks. METHODS 25 adult African male immigrant smokers living in Glasgow were recruited via consecutive sampling by soliciting for participation through the use of flyers, posters and word of mouth. Data collection occurred via semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The interviews were audio taped, after which verbatim transcription was carried out and the data analyzed thematically. RESULTS The participants’ smoking habits were influenced by cold weather environment as well as societal norms that appear to make the smoking habit more acceptable in Glasgow than Africa. It appears the more educated the participants were, the fewer cigarettes they smoked. However, there was only a slight difference in the number of cigarettes smoked between participants with a degree and those with a postgraduate degree. CONCLUSION The participants’ smoking habits in Glasgow appear to have increased because of environmental variables associated with living in Glasgow, specifically the cold weather environment and high acceptability of smoking habits in Glasgow. PMID:25741179

A 'Turing' Test for Landscape Evolution Models

Science.gov (United States)

Parsons, A. J.; Wise, S. M.; Wainwright, J.; Swift, D. A.

2008-12-01

Resolving the interactions among tectonics, climate and surface processes at long timescales has benefited from the development of computer models of landscape evolution. However, testing these Landscape Evolution Models (LEMs) has been piecemeal and partial. We argue that a more systematic approach is required. What is needed is a test that will establish how 'realistic' an LEM is and thus the extent to which its predictions may be trusted. We propose a test based upon the Turing Test of artificial intelligence as a way forward. In 1950 Alan Turing posed the question of whether a machine could think. Rather than attempt to address the question directly he proposed a test in which an interrogator asked questions of a person and a machine, with no means of telling which was which. If the machine's answer could not be distinguished from those of the human, the machine could be said to demonstrate artificial intelligence. By analogy, if an LEM cannot be distinguished from a real landscape it can be deemed to be realistic. The Turing test of intelligence is a test of the way in which a computer behaves. The analogy in the case of an LEM is that it should show realistic behaviour in terms of form and process, both at a given moment in time (punctual) and in the way both form and process evolve over time (dynamic). For some of these behaviours, tests already exist. For example there are numerous morphometric tests of punctual form and measurements of punctual process. The test discussed in this paper provides new ways of assessing dynamic behaviour of an LEM over realistically long timescales. However challenges remain in developing an appropriate suite of challenging tests, in applying these tests to current LEMs and in developing LEMs that pass them.

Turing patterns and biological explanation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Serban, Maria

2017-01-01

, promoting theory exploration, and acting as constitutive parts of empirically adequate explanations of naturally occurring phenomena, such as biological pattern formation. Focusing on the roles that minimal model explanations play in science motivates the adoption of a broader diachronic view of scientific......Turing patterns are a class of minimal mathematical models that have been used to discover and conceptualize certain abstract features of early biological development. This paper examines a range of these minimal models in order to articulate and elaborate a philosophical analysis...

Molecular computing: paths to chemical Turing machines.

Science.gov (United States)

Varghese, Shaji; Elemans, Johannes A A W; Rowan, Alan E; Nolte, Roeland J M

2015-11-13

To comply with the rapidly increasing demand of information storage and processing, new strategies for computing are needed. The idea of molecular computing, where basic computations occur through molecular, supramolecular, or biomolecular approaches, rather than electronically, has long captivated researchers. The prospects of using molecules and (bio)macromolecules for computing is not without precedent. Nature is replete with examples where the handling and storing of data occurs with high efficiencies, low energy costs, and high-density information encoding. The design and assembly of computers that function according to the universal approaches of computing, such as those in a Turing machine, might be realized in a chemical way in the future; this is both fascinating and extremely challenging. In this perspective, we highlight molecular and (bio)macromolecular systems that have been designed and synthesized so far with the objective of using them for computing purposes. We also present a blueprint of a molecular Turing machine, which is based on a catalytic device that glides along a polymer tape and, while moving, prints binary information on this tape in the form of oxygen atoms.

On reversible Turing machines and their function universality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Axelsen, Holger Bock; Glück, Robert

2016-01-01

We provide a treatment of the reversible Turing machines (RTMs) under a strict function semantics. Unlike many existing reversible computation models, we distinguish strictly between computing the function backslashlambda x.f(x) $ x . f ( x ) and computing the function backslashlambda x. (x, f(x)...

Not All the Bots Are Created Equal: The Ordering Turing Test for the Labeling of Bots in MMORPGs

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Stefano De Paoli

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This article contributes to the research on bots in Social Media. It takes as its starting point an emerging perspective which proposes that we should abandon the investigation of the Turing Test and the functional aspects of bots in favor of studying the authentic and cooperative relationship between humans and bots. Contrary to this view, this article argues that Turing Tests are one of the ways in which authentic relationships between humans and bots take place. To understand this, this article introduces the concept of Ordering Turing Tests: these are sort of Turing Tests proposed by social actors for purposes of achieving social order when bots produce deviant behavior. An Ordering Turing Test is method for labeling deviance, whereby social actors can use this test to tell apart rule-abiding humans and rule-breaking bots. Using examples from Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, this article illustrates how Ordering Turing Tests are proposed and justified by players and service providers. Data for the research comes from scientific literature on Machine Learning proposed for the identification of bots and from game forums and other player produced paratexts from the case study of the game Runescape.

Nonlinear effects on Turing patterns: Time oscillations and chaos

KAUST Repository

Aragó n, J. L.; Barrio, R. A.; Woolley, T. E.; Baker, R. E.; Maini, P. K.

2012-01-01

consequence, the patterns oscillate in time. When varying a single parameter, a series of bifurcations leads to period doubling, quasiperiodic, and chaotic oscillations without modifying the underlying Turing pattern. A Ruelle-Takens-Newhouse route to chaos

Structured Memory for Neural Turing Machines

OpenAIRE

Zhang, Wei; Yu, Yang; Zhou, Bowen

2015-01-01

Neural Turing Machines (NTM) contain memory component that simulates "working memory" in the brain to store and retrieve information to ease simple algorithms learning. So far, only linearly organized memory is proposed, and during experiments, we observed that the model does not always converge, and overfits easily when handling certain tasks. We think memory component is key to some faulty behaviors of NTM, and better organization of memory component could help fight those problems. In this...

Turing instability for a two-dimensional Logistic coupled map lattice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, L.; Zhang, G.; Han, B.; Zhang, L.; Li, M.F.; Han, Y.T.

2010-01-01

In this Letter, stability analysis is applied to a two-dimensional Logistic coupled map lattice with the periodic boundary conditions. The conditions of Turing instability are obtained, and various patterns can be exhibited by numerical simulations in the Turing instability region. For example, space-time periodic structures, periodic or quasiperiodic traveling wave solutions, stationary wave solutions, spiral waves, and spatiotemporal chaos, etc. have been observed. In particular, the different pattern structures have also been observed for same parameters and different initial values. That is, pattern structures also depend on the initial values. The similar patterns have also been seen in relevant references. However, the present Letter owes to pattern formation via diffusion-driven instabilities because the system is stable in the absence of diffusion.

Lead in Glasgow street dirt and soil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farmer, J G [Univ. of Glasgow; Lyon, T D.B.

1977-07-01

The levels of lead in city street dirt and in soil from various locations in Glasgow were investigated during spring 1976. Lead concentrations in street dirt ranged from 150 to 2300 ppM, mean 960 ppM, and were significantly elevated with respect to the observed ''natural'' level of 78 ppM. Lead derived from anti-knock compounds in petrol and introduced to the environment via automobile exhausts was clearly implicated as the main source of lead pollution in a series of soil lead measurements at the centre and periphery of eight Glasgow parks. Various chemical leaching techniques were employed and compared. Less than 5 percent of street dirt and soil lead was found to be associated with the organic phase.

ANÁLISIS DE LA INESTABILIDAD DE TURING EN MODELOS BIOLÓGICOS

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JUAN VANEGAS

2009-01-01

Full Text Available El análisis matemático de modelos biológicos descritos por ecuaciones de reacción difusión da lugar al concepto de inestabilidad de Turing. En este artículo se analiza este concepto y el espacio matemático en donde tiene lugar, conocido como espacio de Turing. El objetivo es establecer la relación entre el conjunto de parámetros que definen la presencia de patrones espacio-temporales en un sistema de reacción difusión. Estos parámetros son validados mediante la implementación numérica por el método de los elementos finitos en 1D y 2D de dos modelos conocidos: el modelo de Schnakenberg y el modelo de glucólisis. Los resultados demuestran que los parámetros obtenidos mediante el análisis matemático cumplen las restricciones de Turing y permiten la formación de patrones espacio-temporales. Se concluye que el análisis matemático de estabilidad es una herramienta útil para la obtención de parámetros desconocidos en modelos que usualmente requieren de ajustes mediante experimentación numérica.

Turing Incompleteness of Asynchronous P Systems with Active Membranes

OpenAIRE

Leporati, Alberto; Manzoni, Luca; Porreca, Antonio E.

2013-01-01

We prove that asynchronous P systems with active membranes without divi- sion rules can be simulated by place/transition Petri nets, and hence are computationally weaker than Turing machines. This result holds even if the synchronisation mechanisms provided by electrical charges and membrane dissolution are exploited.

The relationship between pneumonia and Glasgow coma scale assessment on acute stroke patients

Science.gov (United States)

Ritarwan, K.; Batubara, C. A.; Dhanu, R.

2018-03-01

Pneumonia is one of the most frequent medical complications of a stroke. Despite the well-documented association of a stroke associated infections with increased mortality and worse long-term outcome, on the other hand, the limited data available on independent predictors of pneumonia in acute stroke patients in an emergency unit. To determine the independentrelationship between pneumonia and Glasgow Coma Scale assessment on acute stroke patients. The cohort retrospective study observed 55 acute stroke patients who stayed in intensive care unit Adam Malik General Hospital from January until August 2017. Pneumonia was more frequent in patients with Ischemic stroke (OR 5.40; 95% CI: 1.28 – 6.40, p=0.003), higher National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) (p=0.014) and lower Glasgow Coma Scale (p=0.0001). Analysis multivariate logistic regression identified NIHSS as an independent of predictors of pneumonia (95% CI : 1.047 – 1.326, p=0.001). Pneumonia was associated with severity and type of stroke and length of hospital stay. The severity of the deficits evaluated by the NIHSS was shown to be the only independent risk factor for pneumonia in acute stroke patients.

Deciphering CAPTCHAs: what a Turing test reveals about human cognition.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Hannagan

Full Text Available Turning Turing's logic on its head, we used widespread letter-based Turing Tests found on the internet (CAPTCHAs to shed light on human cognition. We examined the basis of the human ability to solve CAPTCHAs, where machines fail. We asked whether this is due to our use of slow-acting inferential processes that would not be available to machines, or whether fast-acting automatic orthographic processing in humans has superior robustness to shape variations. A masked priming lexical decision experiment revealed efficient processing of CAPTCHA words in conditions that rule out the use of slow inferential processing. This shows that the human superiority in solving CAPTCHAs builds on a high degree of invariance to location and continuous transforms, which is achieved during the very early stages of visual word recognition in skilled readers.

Object-Oriented Programming in High Schools the Turing Way.

Science.gov (United States)

Holt, Richard C.

This paper proposes an approach to introducing object-oriented concepts to high school computer science students using the Object-Oriented Turing (OOT) language. Students can learn about basic object-oriented (OO) principles such as classes and inheritance by using and expanding a collection of classes that draw pictures like circles and happy…

Ideals of ITE students at Glasgow University

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Ruyter, D.J.; Conroy, J.C.; Lappin, M.; McKinney, S.M.

2003-01-01

Analysis of a questionnaire completed by initial teacher education (ITE) students at the University of Glasgow shows a clear divergence between their personal and professional ideals. The students define their own ideals predominantly in terms of situations, like being married, having children or

Does the extended Glasgow Outcome Scale add value to the conventional Glasgow Outcome Scale?

Science.gov (United States)

Weir, James; Steyerberg, Ewout W; Butcher, Isabella; Lu, Juan; Lingsma, Hester F; McHugh, Gillian S; Roozenbeek, Bob; Maas, Andrew I R; Murray, Gordon D

2012-01-01

The Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) is firmly established as the primary outcome measure for use in Phase III trials of interventions in traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, the GOS has been criticized for its lack of sensitivity to detect small but clinically relevant changes in outcome. The Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOSE) potentially addresses this criticism, and in this study we estimate the efficiency gain associated with using the GOSE in place of the GOS in ordinal analysis of 6-month outcome. The study uses both simulation and the reanalysis of existing data from two completed TBI studies, one an observational cohort study and the other a randomized controlled trial. As expected, the results show that using an ordinal technique to analyze the GOS gives a substantial gain in efficiency relative to the conventional analysis, which collapses the GOS onto a binary scale (favorable versus unfavorable outcome). We also found that using the GOSE gave a modest but consistent increase in efficiency relative to the GOS in both studies, corresponding to a reduction in the required sample size of the order of 3-5%. We recommend that the GOSE be used in place of the GOS as the primary outcome measure in trials of TBI, with an appropriate ordinal approach being taken to the statistical analysis.

Validation of the modified Ranson versus Glasgow score for pancreatitis in a Singaporean population.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Yong Hui Alvin; Rafi, Shumaila; Tyebally Fang, Mirriam; Hwang, Stephen; Lim, Ee Wen; Ngu, James; Tan, Su-Ming

2017-09-01

The characteristics of patients with acute pancreatitis in multi-ethnic Singapore differ from that of the populations used in formulating the modified Ranson and Glasgow scores. The use of these scoring systems has not previously been validated in the Singaporean setting. This study aims to validate and compare the prognostic use of the modified Ranson and Glasgow scores, and to determine the superiority of one score over the other in predicting the outcome for acute pancreatitis in the Singaporean population. This is a 3-year retrospective study of patients diagnosed with acute pancreatitis at our centre. Patients with chronic pancreatitis, acute on chronic pancreatitis, iatrogenic pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer as well as those with incomplete Ranson or Glasgow scores were excluded from the study. Case notes and computer records were reviewed for local complications of pancreatitis and organ failure. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves of the Ranson and Glasgow scores were plotted for the prediction of severity and mortality. Between January 2010 and December 2012, 230 cases were diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. A majority of the patients had mild pancreatitis (n = 194, 84.3%), and the overall 30-day mortality rate was 3.5% (n = 8). ROC of the Ranson and Glasgow scoring systems for mortality showed an area under curve (AUC) of 0.854 (P = 0.001) and 0.776 (P = 0.008), respectively. For severity, the AUC for the modified Ranson and Glasgow score was calculated to be 0.694 and 0.668, respectively. The ROC curves of Ranson and Glasgow scores for mortality are comparable with that published in earlier studies. In a Singaporean population, the Ranson score is more accurate in the prediction of mortality. However, both scoring systems are poor predictors for severity of acute pancreatitis. © 2015 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Parallel communicating grammar systems with context-free components are Turing complete for any communication model

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Wilkin Mary Sarah Ruth

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Parallel Communicating Grammar Systems (PCGS were introduced as a language-theoretic treatment of concurrent systems. A PCGS extends the concept of a grammar to a structure that consists of several grammars working in parallel, communicating with each other, and so contributing to the generation of strings. PCGS are usually more powerful than a single grammar of the same type; PCGS with context-free components (CF-PCGS in particular were shown to be Turing complete. However, this result only holds when a specific type of communication (which we call broadcast communication, as opposed to one-step communication is used. We expand the original construction that showed Turing completeness so that broadcast communication is eliminated at the expense of introducing a significant number of additional, helper component grammars. We thus show that CF-PCGS with one-step communication are also Turing complete. We introduce in the process several techniques that may be usable in other constructions and may be capable of removing broadcast communication in general.

TURING MACHINE AS UNIVERSAL ALGORITHM EXECUTOR AND ITS APPLICATION IN THE PROCESS OF HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS` ADVANCED STUDY OF ALGORITHMIZATION AND PROGRAMMING FUNDAMENTALS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oleksandr B. Yashchyk

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The article discusses the importance of studying the notion of algorithm and its formal specification using Turing machines. In the article it was identified the basic hypothesis of the theory of algorithms for Turing as well as reviewed scientific research of modern scientists devoted to this issue and found the main principles of the Turing machine as an abstract mathematical model. The process of forming information competencies components, information culture and students` logical thinking development with the inclusion of the topic “Study and Application of Turing machine as Universal Algorithm Executor” in the course of Informatics was analyzed.

Alan Turing's Automatic Computing Engine The Master Codebreaker's Struggle to build the Modern Computer

CERN Document Server

Copeland, B Jack

2005-01-01

The mathematical genius Alan Turing (1912-1954) was one of the greatest scientists and thinkers of the 20th century. Now well known for his crucial wartime role in breaking the ENIGMA code, he was the first to conceive of the fundamental principle of the modern computer-the idea of controlling a computing machine's operations by means of a program of coded instructions, stored in the machine's 'memory'. In 1945 Turing drew up his revolutionary design for an electronic computingmachine-his Automatic Computing Engine ('ACE'). A pilot model of the ACE ran its first program in 1950 and the product

Perceptions of smoking cessation among Glasgow's Chinese community

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William Spence

2017-10-01

Smoking-cessation services should consider the culture of this ethnic minority population to improve cessation uptake. Further investigation of this community’s needs and expectations is needed to tailor smoking-cessation interventions for Chinese immigrants in Glasgow.

Hardware Development and Locomotion Control Strategy for an Over-Ground Gait Trainer: NaTUre-Gaits.

Science.gov (United States)

Luu, Trieu Phat; Low, Kin Huat; Qu, Xingda; Lim, Hup Boon; Hoon, Kay Hiang

2014-01-01

Therapist-assisted body weight supported (TABWS) gait rehabilitation was introduced two decades ago. The benefit of TABWS in functional recovery of walking in spinal cord injury and stroke patients has been demonstrated and reported. However, shortage of therapists, labor-intensiveness, and short duration of training are some limitations of this approach. To overcome these deficiencies, robotic-assisted gait rehabilitation systems have been suggested. These systems have gained attentions from researchers and clinical practitioner in recent years. To achieve the same objective, an over-ground gait rehabilitation system, NaTUre-gaits, was developed at the Nanyang Technological University. The design was based on a clinical approach to provide four main features, which are pelvic motion, body weight support, over-ground walking experience, and lower limb assistance. These features can be achieved by three main modules of NaTUre-gaits: 1) pelvic assistance mechanism, mobile platform, and robotic orthosis. Predefined gait patterns are required for a robotic assisted system to follow. In this paper, the gait pattern planning for NaTUre-gaits was accomplished by an individual-specific gait pattern prediction model. The model generates gait patterns that resemble natural gait patterns of the targeted subjects. The features of NaTUre-gaits have been demonstrated by walking trials with several subjects. The trials have been evaluated by therapists and doctors. The results show that 10-m walking trial with a reduction in manpower. The task-specific repetitive training approach and natural walking gait patterns were also successfully achieved.

Kidney branching morphogenesis under the control of a ligand–receptor-based Turing mechanism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Menshykau, Denis; Iber, Dagmar

2013-01-01

The main signalling proteins that control early kidney branching have been defined. Yet the underlying mechanism is still elusive. We have previously shown that a Schnakenberg-type Turing mechanism can recapitulate the branching and protein expression patterns in wild-type and mutant lungs, but it is unclear whether this mechanism would extend to other branched organs that are regulated by other proteins. Here, we show that the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor–RET regulatory interaction gives rise to a Schnakenberg-type Turing model that reproduces the observed budding of the ureteric bud from the Wolffian duct, its invasion into the mesenchyme and the observed branching pattern. The model also recapitulates all relevant protein expression patterns in wild-type and mutant mice. The lung and kidney models are both based on a particular receptor–ligand interaction and require (1) cooperative binding of ligand and receptor, (2) a lower diffusion coefficient for the receptor than for the ligand and (3) an increase in the receptor concentration in response to receptor–ligand binding (by enhanced transcription, more recycling or similar). These conditions are met also by other receptor–ligand systems. We propose that ligand–receptor-based Turing patterns represent a general mechanism to control branching morphogenesis and other developmental processes. (paper)

Galveston Orientation and Amnesia Test: applicability and relation with the Glasgow Coma Scale Galveston Orientation and Amnesia Test: aplicabilidad y relación con la Escala de Coma de Glasgow Galveston Orientation and Amnesia Test: aplicabilidade e relação com a Escala de Coma de Glasgow

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvia Cristina Fürbringer e Silva

2007-08-01

Full Text Available Restrictions in the application of the Galveston Orientation and Amnesia Test and questionings about the relationship between conscience and post-traumatic amnesia motivated this study, which aims to identify, through the Glasgow Coma Scale scores, when to initiate the application of this amnesia test, as well to verify the relationship between the results of these two indicators. The longitudinal prospective study was carried at a referral center for trauma care in São Paulo - Brazil. The sample consisted of 73 victims of blunt traumatic brain injury, admitted at this institution between January 03rd and May 03rd 2001. Regarding the applicability, the test could be applied in patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale score > 12; however, the end of post traumatic amnesia was verified in patients who scored > 14 on the scale. A significant relationship (r s = 0.65 was verified between these measures, although different kinds of relationship between the end of the amnesia and changes in consciousness were observed.Restricciones en la aplicación del Galveston Orientation and Amnesia Test y los cuestionamientos sobre la relación entre conciencia y amnesia post-traumática motivaron este estudio que visa identificar, a través de la puntuación de la Escala de Coma de Glasgow, el periodo más adecuado para la aplicación de la prueba de amnesia, y observar la relación entre los resultados de esos dos indicadores. El estudio prospectivo y longitudinal fue realizado en un centro de referencia para traumas en São Paulo - Brasil. El número fue de 73 victimas de trauma craneoencefálico contuso, internadas en esta institución en el periodo de 03/01 a 03/05/2001. Con relación a la aplicabilidad, la prueba puede ser aplicada en los pacientes con la Escala de Coma de Glasgow > 12, pero el término de la amnesia post-traumática fue observado en los pacientes con puntuación > 14 en la escala. Correlación significativa (rs = 0,65 fue observada entre esas

Approaching Artificial Intelligence for Games – the Turing Test revisited

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jenny Eriksson Lundström

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Today's powerful computers have increasingly more resources available, which can be used for incorporating more sophisticated AI into home applications like computer games. The perhaps obvious way of using AI to enhance the experience of a game is to make the player perceive the computer-controlled entities as intelligent. The traditional idea of how to determine whether a machine can pass as intelligent is the Turing Test. In this paper we show that it is possible and useful to conduct a test adhering to the intention of the original Turing test. We present an empirical study exploring human discrimination of artificial intelligence from the behaviour of a computer-controlled entity used in its specific context and how the behaviour responds to the user's expectations. In our empirical study the context is a real-time strategy computer game and the purpose of the AI is merely to pass as an acceptable opponent. We discuss the results of the empirical study and its implications for AI in computer applications.

Self-organization in the limb: a Turing mechanism for digit development.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Kimberly L

2015-06-01

The statistician George E. P. Box stated, 'Essentially all models are wrong, but some are useful.' (Box GEP, Draper NR: Empirical Model-Building and Response Surfaces. Wiley; 1987). Modeling biological processes is challenging for many of the reasons classically trained developmental biologists often resist the idea that black and white equations can explain the grayscale subtleties of living things. Although a simplified mathematical model of development will undoubtedly fall short of precision, a good model is exceedingly useful if it raises at least as many testable questions as it answers. Self-organizing Turing models that simulate the pattern of digits in the hand replicate events that have not yet been explained by classical approaches. The union of theory and experimentation has recently identified and validated the minimal components of a Turing network for digit pattern and triggered a cascade of questions that will undoubtedly be well-served by the continued merging of disciplines. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The medical collections at the University of Glasgow.

Science.gov (United States)

Reilly, Maggie; McDonald, Stuart W

2009-01-01

The medical and other collections in the University of Glasgow have at their core the generous bequest of Dr William Hunter (1718 - 1783), a local man who rose to become an internationally renowned anatomist and obstetrician. The University does not have a Medical Museum as such but an Anatomy Museum, a Zoology Museum, a Pathology Collection, medical displays in the main halls of the Hunterian Museum in the Gilbert Scott Building and a rich collection of antiquarian medical books and archives as well as contemporary libraries. The Hunterian Collection, since its inauguration at the University of Glasgow in 1807, has engendered a spirit of diversity and scholarship that embraces many disciplines across the campus. The Hunterian Museum was the first public museum in Scotland and service to the local, national and international communities and response to their academic needs is very much at heart of its function today.

A case report on near manual strangulation and glasgow coma scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Meel Banwari, L

2015-09-01

Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is considered as a gold standard in estimating the prognosis of the comatose patient. The management of the patient relies heavily on this scale. The mechanism of injury must also be included in scoring of the GCS. Survival from strangulation is uncommon, and if it occurs, it is often associated with various complications such as neurological consequences. To highlight a poor correlation with low GCS and ultimate outcome in cases of manual strangulation. This is a case report of young female adult who was raped and manually strangulated by a colleague during a training course for traditional healers. She was admitted with very low (3/15) Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and presumed to have a poor prognosis. She was rigorously ventilated in Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and was discharged from hospital after a week without any complications. The neck and genital injuries are described. This report discusses. A low Glasgow Coma Scale is not a predictive of poor prognosis in cases of manual strangulation.

Euthyroid sick syndrome in head injury patients compared with Glasgow Coma and Outcome Scales

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palugniok, R.; Kochanska-Dziurowicz, A.A.

2000-01-01

Background: Evaluation of the role of euthyroid sick syndrome and pituitary gland hormonal changes and the prognosis of patient mortality after severe brain injury. METHODS: The research was conducted on 65 patients with isolated severe brain injury. Blood samples were obtained as soon as possible after the injury and on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 7th day after the injury. Blood concentrations of T3, rT3, T4, FT4, TSH, and PRL were estimated. The patients' state of health was evaluated in the sixth hour after the injury, using Glasgow Coma Scale, and after 180 days, using the Glasgow Outcome Scale. Multidirectional correlation was sought between the concentrations of the estimated hormones and the score obtained in the Glasgow Coma Scale and Glasgow Outcome Scale. RESULTS: Cluster analysis showed that concentrations of the hormones in the patients who died are grouped in different clusters from those in the patients who survived. This proves that hormonal patterns are different in these groups. Statistically significant lower T3 concentrations were observed on the 3rd day in comparison with the 0 day. Cumulative proportion surviving was lower for the OP group in comparison with the NOP group and amounted to 0.57. CONCLUSIONS: In all patients covered by the research euthyroid sick syndrome was diagnosed. T3 concentration on the 3rd day after the injury together with the evaluation in Glasgow Coma Scale allows for more precise prognosis. (author)

Assessment of physicians' knowledge of Glasgow Coma Score ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is the most commonly used tool in assessing comatose patients. It is simple, easily communicable, and useful in prognostication and determination of the treatment modality in head injury. Unfortunately, a high percentage of clinicians who are not in the emergency or neurological ...

Promoting breast screening in Glasgow.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, L; Dobson, H; McGuire, F

2000-03-01

To establish whether there is a role for advertising in the promotion of the Breast Screening Programme and what the role of advertising might be. Four hundred and sixty questionnaires were completed by women attending their breast screening appointment. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from the static unit at Calder Street and the mobile unit in Govan. The advertising (budget 30,000 Pounds) campaign ran over an eight week period in the Govan, Paisley Road West and Cardonald areas of Glasgow. Media used included press advertising, The Glasgow Underground, adshells, bus advertising (interiors) and poster distribution via local outlets. Forty-two per cent of the sample were aware of the campaign. Ninety-seven per cent liked the campaign images. Eighty eight per cent felt that breast screening should be advertised more. Screening uptake increased in the areas covered by the advertising campaign. Govan -58%-71% and Ibrox (Paisley Road West and Cardonald) -59%-61%. Women were very supportive of the role of advertising for the Breast Screening Programme. In particular they found the campaign images and messages reassuring, supportive and credible. Their views suggest that the role of advertising should be: To raise awareness of the service To make women more conscious of the benefits of screening To change public perceptions of the screening process However, it is recognised that a fully integrated approach is required for the promotion of the service to account for the improvement in uptake, as advertising cannot be expected to work in isolation.

Helical Turing patterns in the Lengyel-Epstein model in thin cylindrical layers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bánsági, T.; Taylor, A. F., E-mail: A.F.Taylor@sheffield.ac.uk [Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Sheffield, Mappin Street, Sheffield, S1 3JD (United Kingdom)

2015-06-15

The formation of Turing patterns was investigated in thin cylindrical layers using the Lengyel-Epstein model of the chlorine dioxide-iodine-malonic acid reaction. The influence of the width of the layer W and the diameter D of the inner cylinder on the pattern with intrinsic wavelength l were determined in simulations with initial random noise perturbations to the uniform state for W < l/2 and D ∼ l or lower. We show that the geometric constraints of the reaction domain may result in the formation of helical Turing patterns with parameters that give stripes (b = 0.2) or spots (b = 0.37) in two dimensions. For b = 0.2, the helices were composed of lamellae and defects were likely as the diameter of the cylinder increased. With b = 0.37, the helices consisted of semi-cylinders and the orientation of stripes on the outer surface (and hence winding number) increased with increasing diameter until a new stripe appeared.

Helical Turing patterns in the Lengyel-Epstein model in thin cylindrical layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bánsági, T.; Taylor, A. F.

2015-01-01

The formation of Turing patterns was investigated in thin cylindrical layers using the Lengyel-Epstein model of the chlorine dioxide-iodine-malonic acid reaction. The influence of the width of the layer W and the diameter D of the inner cylinder on the pattern with intrinsic wavelength l were determined in simulations with initial random noise perturbations to the uniform state for W < l/2 and D ∼ l or lower. We show that the geometric constraints of the reaction domain may result in the formation of helical Turing patterns with parameters that give stripes (b = 0.2) or spots (b = 0.37) in two dimensions. For b = 0.2, the helices were composed of lamellae and defects were likely as the diameter of the cylinder increased. With b = 0.37, the helices consisted of semi-cylinders and the orientation of stripes on the outer surface (and hence winding number) increased with increasing diameter until a new stripe appeared

Assessment of physicians' knowledge of Glasgow coma score.

Science.gov (United States)

Emejulu, Jkc; Nkwerem, Spu; Ekweogwu, O C

2014-01-01

Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is the most commonly used tool in assessing comatose patients. It is simple, easily communicable, and useful in prognostication and determination of the treatment modality in head injury. Unfortunately, a high percentage of clinicians who are not in the emergency or neurological services are not conversant with this life-saving tool. The objective of this study was to assess the level of knowledge of GCS among physicians practicing in a tertiary institution in South-East Nigeria, and to evaluate the call for a new and simpler scoring system. This study was carried out using the instrument of a structured-questionnaire in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital Nnewi, a federal government tertiary health institution in South-East Zone of Nigeria, which is a 350-bed facility employing about 550 medical doctors of different cadres. A total of 139 questionnaires were distributed to the doctors practicing in the institution who consented to participating in the study. The questionnaires were completed at the point of their administration and completed questionnaires were retrieved on the spot, and data were collated, and analyzed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, SPSS version 17.0. Statistical significance was calculated with the chi square, P ≤ 0.5. The modal age group was 20-30 years 66 (48%), and most were resident doctors 99 (66.2%). One week prior to the questionnaire distribution, 56 (42.1%) had been actively involved in emergency care of patients, and 41 (30%) could not recall what GCS stood for. Medical and house officers showed a better knowledge of GCS. There was a poor knowledge of GCS among a good number of physicians practicing in our setting and hence, continuing medical education on GCS is strongly advocated.

Selection of flow-distributed oscillation and Turing patterns by boundary forcing in a linearly growing, oscillating medium.

Science.gov (United States)

Míguez, David G; McGraw, Patrick; Muñuzuri, Alberto P; Menzinger, Michael

2009-08-01

We studied the response of a linearly growing domain of the oscillatory chemical chlorine dioxide-iodide-malonic acid (CDIMA) medium to periodic forcing at its growth boundary. The medium is Hopf-, as well as Turing-unstable and the system is convectively unstable. The results confirm numerical predictions that two distinct modes of pattern can be excited by controlling the driving frequency at the boundary, a flow-distributed-oscillation (FDO) mode of traveling waves at low values of the forcing frequency f , and a mode of stationary Turing patterns at high values of f . The wavelengths and phase velocities of the experimental patterns were compared quantitatively with results from dynamical simulations and with predictions from linear dispersion relations. The results for the FDO waves agreed well with these predictions, and obeyed the kinematic relations expected for phase waves with frequencies selected by the boundary driving frequency. Turing patterns were also generated within the predicted range of forcing frequencies, but these developed into two-dimensional structures which are not fully accounted for by the one-dimensional numerical and analytical models. The Turing patterns excited by boundary forcing persist when the forcing is removed, demonstrating the bistability of the unforced, constant size medium. Dynamical simulations at perturbation frequencies other than those of the experiments showed that in certain ranges of forcing frequency, FDO waves become unstable, breaking up into harmonic waves of different frequency and wavelength and phase velocity.

Network topology and Turing instabilities in small arrays of diffusively coupled reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horsthemke, Werner; Lam, Kwan; Moore, Peter K.

2004-01-01

We study the effect of the network structure on the diffusion-induced instability to nonuniform steady states in arrays of diffusively coupled reactors. The kinetics is given by the Lengyel-Epstein model, and we derive the conditions for Turing instabilities in all arrays of two, three, and four reactors

Computer simulation of Turing structures in the chlorite-iodide-malonic acid system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, O.; Mosekilde, Erik; Borckmans, P.

1996-01-01

that develop from the noise infected homogeneous steady state is examined. In the region where they are both stable, the competition between Hopf oscillations and Turing stripes is studied by following the propagation of a front connecting the two modes. Examples are presented of the types of structures...

Forging patterns and making waves from biology to geology: a commentary on Turing (1952) 'The chemical basis of morphogenesis'.

Science.gov (United States)

Ball, Philip

2015-04-19

Alan Turing was neither a biologist nor a chemist, and yet the paper he published in 1952, 'The chemical basis of morphogenesis', on the spontaneous formation of patterns in systems undergoing reaction and diffusion of their ingredients has had a substantial impact on both fields, as well as in other areas as disparate as geomorphology and criminology. Motivated by the question of how a spherical embryo becomes a decidedly non-spherical organism such as a human being, Turing devised a mathematical model that explained how random fluctuations can drive the emergence of pattern and structure from initial uniformity. The spontaneous appearance of pattern and form in a system far away from its equilibrium state occurs in many types of natural process, and in some artificial ones too. It is often driven by very general mechanisms, of which Turing's model supplies one of the most versatile. For that reason, these patterns show striking similarities in systems that seem superficially to share nothing in common, such as the stripes of sand ripples and of pigmentation on a zebra skin. New examples of 'Turing patterns' in biology and beyond are still being discovered today. This commentary was written to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.

Spiderman enlisted to help with glasgow child abuse problems.

Science.gov (United States)

1987-11-14

When Spiderman admitted in a comic that he had been abused as a boy, then children realised they could share their own painful experiences, said a speaker at a conference on Incest and Rape, staged by the Royal College of Nursing Greater Glasgow branch.

Environmental engineering at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Clarke, J.A.; Hensen, J.L.M.; Johnstone, C.M.; McLean, R.C.

1994-01-01

This paper describes the recently revised curriculum for the Environmental Engineering course at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. This is done in relation to course content and scope, design and research projects, the role of experimentation and the deployment of advanced computing in terms

Perspectives on differing health outcomes by city: accounting for Glasgow's excess mortality.

Science.gov (United States)

Fraser, Simon Ds; George, Steve

2015-01-01

Several health outcomes (including mortality) and health-related behaviors are known to be worse in Scotland than in comparable areas of Europe and the United Kingdom. Within Scotland, Greater Glasgow (in West Central Scotland) experiences disproportionately poorer outcomes independent of measurable variation in socioeconomic status and other important determinants. Many reasons for this have been proposed, particularly related to deprivation, inequalities, and variation in health behaviors. The use of models (such as the application of Bradford Hill's viewpoints on causality to the different hypotheses) has provided useful insights on potentially causal mechanisms, with health behaviors and inequalities likely to represent the strongest individual candidates. This review describes the evolution of our understanding of Glasgow's excess mortality, summarizes some of the key work in this area, and provides some suggestions for future areas of exploration. In the context of demographic change, the experience in Glasgow is an important example of the complexity that frequently lies behind observed variations in health outcomes within and between populations. A comprehensive explanation of Glasgow's excess mortality may continue to remain elusive, but is likely to lie in a complex and difficult-to-measure interplay of health determinants acting at different levels in society throughout the life course. Lessons learned from the detailed examination of different potentially causative determinants in Scotland may provide useful methodological insights that may be applied in other settings. Ongoing efforts to unravel the causal mechanisms are needed to inform public health efforts to reduce health inequalities and improve outcomes in Scotland.

Niépce–Bell or Turing: how to test odour reproduction

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-01

Decades before the existence of anything resembling an artificial intelligence system, Alan Turing raised the question of how to test whether machines can think, or, in modern terminology, whether a computer claimed to exhibit intelligence indeed does so. This paper raises the analogous issue for olfaction: how to test the validity of a system claimed to reproduce arbitrary odours artificially, in a way recognizable to humans. Although odour reproduction systems are still far from being viable, the question of how to test candidates thereof is claimed to be interesting and non-trivial, and a novel method is proposed. Despite the similarity between the two questions and their surfacing long before the tested systems exist, the present question cannot be answered adequately by a Turing-like method. Instead, our test is very different: it is conditional, requiring from the artificial no more than is required from the original, and it employs a novel method of immersion that takes advantage of the availability of easily recognizable reproduction methods for sight and sound, a la Nicéphore Niépce and Alexander Graham Bell. PMID:28003527

Niépce-Bell or Turing: how to test odour reproduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Harel, David

2016-12-01

Decades before the existence of anything resembling an artificial intelligence system, Alan Turing raised the question of how to test whether machines can think, or, in modern terminology, whether a computer claimed to exhibit intelligence indeed does so. This paper raises the analogous issue for olfaction: how to test the validity of a system claimed to reproduce arbitrary odours artificially, in a way recognizable to humans. Although odour reproduction systems are still far from being viable, the question of how to test candidates thereof is claimed to be interesting and non-trivial, and a novel method is proposed. Despite the similarity between the two questions and their surfacing long before the tested systems exist, the present question cannot be answered adequately by a Turing-like method. Instead, our test is very different: it is conditional, requiring from the artificial no more than is required from the original, and it employs a novel method of immersion that takes advantage of the availability of easily recognizable reproduction methods for sight and sound, a la Nicéphore Niépce and Alexander Graham Bell. © 2016 The Authors.

Turing mechanism for homeostatic control of synaptic density during C. elegans growth

Science.gov (United States)

Brooks, Heather A.; Bressloff, Paul C.

2017-07-01

We propose a mechanism for the homeostatic control of synapses along the ventral cord of Caenorhabditis elegans during development, based on a form of Turing pattern formation on a growing domain. C. elegans is an important animal model for understanding cellular mechanisms underlying learning and memory. Our mathematical model consists of two interacting chemical species, where one is passively diffusing and the other is actively trafficked by molecular motors, which switch between forward and backward moving states (bidirectional transport). This differs significantly from the standard mechanism for Turing pattern formation based on the interaction between fast and slow diffusing species. We derive evolution equations for the chemical concentrations on a slowly growing one-dimensional domain, and use numerical simulations to demonstrate the insertion of new concentration peaks as the length increases. Taking the passive component to be the protein kinase CaMKII and the active component to be the glutamate receptor GLR-1, we interpret the concentration peaks as sites of new synapses along the length of C. elegans, and thus show how the density of synaptic sites can be maintained.

Noise-induced temporal dynamics in Turing systems

KAUST Repository

Schumacher, Linus J.

2013-04-25

We examine the ability of intrinsic noise to produce complex temporal dynamics in Turing pattern formation systems, with particular emphasis on the Schnakenberg kinetics. Using power spectral methods, we characterize the behavior of the system using stochastic simulations at a wide range of points in parameter space and compare with analytical approximations. Specifically, we investigate whether polarity switching of stochastic patterns occurs at a defined frequency. We find that it can do so in individual realizations of a stochastic simulation, but that the frequency is not defined consistently across realizations in our samples of parameter space. Further, we examine the effect of noise on deterministically predicted traveling waves and find them increased in amplitude and decreased in speed. © 2013 American Physical Society.

Learning from history: The Glasgow Airport terrorist attack.

Science.gov (United States)

Crichton, Gillies

Glasgow Airport was the target of a terrorist attack on 30th June, 2007. Many people within Scotland had come to believe that Scotland was immune from terrorism. This perception was in large part informed by Scotland's experience during the protracted Troubles in Northern Ireland, during which the Provisional Irish Republican Army's mainland bombing campaign focused on targets in England, sparing both Scotland and Wales. While Glasgow Airport did not expect such an attack to take place, meticulous planning, organising and testing of plans had taken place to mitigate the unlikely event of such an attack. The attack stands up as a shining example of robust business continuity management, where the airport reopened for business as usual in less than 24 hours from the time of the attack. Little is known about how the airport handled the situation in conjunction with other responding agencies as people tend to want to focus on high-profile disasters only. Yet countless such incidents are happening worldwide on a daily basis, in which there are excellent learning opportunities, and, taken in the spirit of converting hindsight into foresight, the likelihood of similar incidents could potentially be reduced in the future.

The "Spirit of New Orleans": translating a model of intervention with maltreated children and their families for the Glasgow context.

Science.gov (United States)

Minnis, Helen; Bryce, Graham; Phin, Louise; Wilson, Phil

2010-10-01

Children in care have higher rates of mental health problems than the general population and placement instability contributes to this. Children are both most vulnerable to the effects of poor quality care and most responsive to treatment in the early weeks and months of life yet, in the UK, permanency decisions are generally not in place until around the age of four. We aimed to understand the components of an innovative system for assessing and intervening with maltreated children and their families developed in New Orleans and to consider how it might be implemented in Glasgow, UK. During and after a visit to New Orleans by a team of Glasgow practitioners, eight key interviews and meetings with New Orleans and Glasgow staff were audio-recorded. Qualitative analysis of verbatim transcripts identified key themes. Themes highlighted shared aspects of the context and attitudes of the two teams, identified gaps in the Glasgow service and steps that would be needed to implement a version of the New Orleans model in Glasgow. Our discussions with the New Orleans team have highlighted concrete steps we can take, in Glasgow, to make better decision-making for vulnerable children a reality.

Wittgensteinian Perspectives on the Turing Test

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ondřej Beran

2014-04-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses some difficulties in understanding the Turing test. It emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between conceptual and empirical perspectives and highlights the former as introducing more serious problems for the TT. Some objections against the Turingian framework stemming from the later Wittgenstein’s philosophy are exposed. The following serious problems are examined: 1 It considers a unique and exclusive criterion for thinking which amounts to their identification; 2 it misidentifies the relationship of speaking to thinking as that of a criterion; 3 it neglects the “natural” course of the development in semantics. However, these considerations suggest only that it is problematic to label a successful chatbot as a “thinking entity” without further qualifications, but not necessarily and once and for all incorrect. Philosophy has only little to say about the technical possibility of creating such an effective program.

The food retail environment and area deprivation in Glasgow City, UK.

Science.gov (United States)

Macdonald, Laura; Ellaway, Anne; Macintyre, Sally

2009-08-06

It has previously been suggested that deprived neighbourhoods within modern cities have poor access to general amenities, for example, fewer food retail outlets. Here we examine the distribution of food retailers by deprivation in the City of Glasgow, UK.We obtained a list of 934 food retailers in Glasgow, UK, in 2007, and mapped these at address level. We categorised small areas (data zones) into quintiles of area deprivation using the 2006 Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation Income sub-domain score. We computed mean number of retailers per 1000 residents per data zone, and mean network distance to nearest outlet from data zone centroid, for all retailers combined and for each of seven categories of retailer separately (i.e. bakers, butchers, fruit and vegetable sellers, fishmongers, convenience stores, supermarkets and delicatessens).The most deprived quintile (of areas) had the greatest mean number of total food retailers per 1000 residents while quintile 1 (least deprived) had the least, and this difference was statistically significant (Chi-square p retailer was within quintile 3 while the furthest distance was within quintile 1, and this was also statistically significant (Chi-square p types of food retailers, and access to amenities depended upon the type of food retailer studied and whether proximity or density was measured. Overall the findings suggested that deprived neighbourhoods within the City of Glasgow did not necessarily have fewer food retail outlets.

Spiral patterns near Turing instability in a discrete reaction diffusion system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Meifeng; Han, Bo; Xu, Li; Zhang, Guang

2013-01-01

In this paper, linear stability analysis is applied to an exponential discrete Lotka–Volterra system, which describes the competition between two identical species. Conditions for the Turing instability are obtained and the emergence of spiral patterns is demonstrated by means of numerical simulations in the vicinity of the bifurcation point. Moreover, the impact of crucial system parameters on the stability and coherence of spiral patterns is illustrated on several examples

Is the "Glasgow effect" of cigarette smoking explained by socio-economic status?: A multilevel analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leyland Alastair H

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The Glasgow area has elevated levels of deprivation and is known for its poor health and associated negative health-related behaviours, which are socially patterned. Of interest is whether high smoking rates are explained by the area's socio-economic profile. Methods Data on age, sex, current/previous smoking status, area deprivation, social class, education, economic activity, postcode sector, and health board region were available from Scottish Health Surveys conducted in 1995, 1998 and 2003. Multilevel logistic regression models were applied by sex, unadjusted and adjusted for age, survey year, and socio-economic factors, accounting for geographical hierarchy and missing data. Results Compared with the rest of Scotland, men living in Greater Glasgow were 30% and women 43% more likely to smoke [odds ratio (OR = 1.30, (95% CI = 1.08–1.56 and (OR = 1.43, CI = 1.22–1.68, respectively] before adjustment. In adjusted results, the association between living in Greater Glasgow and current smoking was attenuated [OR = 0.92, CI = 0.78–1.09 for men, and OR = 1.08, CI = 0.94–1.23 for women; results based on multiply imputed data to account for missing values remained borderline significant for women]. Accounting for individuals who had been told to give up smoking by a medical person/excluding ex-smokers did not alter results. Conclusion High levels of smoking in Greater Glasgow were attributable to its poorer socio-economic position and the strong social patterning of smoking. Tackling Glasgow's, and indeed Scotland's, poor health must involve policies to alleviate problems associated with poverty.

The Glasgow Benefit Inventory: a systematic review of the use and value of an otorhinolaryngological generic patient-recorded outcome measure

Science.gov (United States)

Hendry, J.; Chin, A.; Swan, I.R.C.; Akeroyd, M.A.; Browning, G.G.

2018-01-01

Background The Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI) is a validated, generic patient-recorded outcome measure widely used in otolaryngology to report change in quality of life post-intervention. Objectives of review To date, no systematic review has made (i) a quality assessment of reporting of Glasgow Benefit Inventory outcomes; (ii) a comparison between Glasgow Benefit Inventory outcomes for different interventions and objectives; (iii) an evaluation of subscales in describing the area of benefit; (iv) commented on its value in clinical practice and research. Type of review Systematic review. Search strategy ‘Glasgow Benefit Inventory’ and ‘GBI’ were used as keywords to search for published, unpublished and ongoing trials in PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL and Google in addition to an ISI citation search for the original validating Glasgow Benefit Inventory paper between 1996 and January 2015. Evaluation method Papers were assessed for study type and quality graded by a predesigned scale, by two authors independently. Papers with sufficient quality Glasgow Benefit Inventory data were identified for statistical comparisons. Papers with 50% and gave sufficient Glasgow Benefit Inventory total and subscales for meta-analysis. For five of the 11 operation categories (vestibular schwannoma, tonsillectomy, cochlear implant, middle ear implant and stapes surgery) that were most likely to have a single clear clinical objective, score data had low-to-moderate heterogeneity. The value in the Glasgow Benefit Inventory having both positive and negative scores was shown by an overall negative score for the management of vestibular schwannoma. The other six operations gave considerable heterogeneity with rhinoplasty and septoplasty giving the greatest percentages (98% and 99%) most likely because of the considerable variations in patient selection. The data from these operations should not be used for comparative purposes. Five papers also reported the number of patients that had no

Alan Turing: person of the XXth century?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sánchez Ron, José M.

2013-12-01

Full Text Available “Time” magazine chose Albert Einstein as “Person of the Century.” This was undoubtedly a reasonable choice, but as I will argue in this article, there are also good reasons for contending that Turing might have received this honor. One such reason I consider here is his purely scientific work, which stems from the greatest mathematical tradition, and how it affected the development of mathematics itself and was finally instrumental in shaping a new technological world. This is true both as regards the computation and treatment of information as well as the establishment of new forms of social relations. In relation to the foregoing, we have Turing’s contributions to the deciphering of secret codes during the Second World War, which in a somewhat metaphorical sense may be regarded as a new tool for undermining personal privacy, that civil right whose denial finally ruined his lifeEn diciembre de 1999, la revista Time eligió a Albert Einstein “The Person of the Century”. Fue, no cabe duda, una elección razonable, pero, como se argumenta en este artículo, existen también buenos argumentos para sostener que Turing podría haber recibido tal honor. En apoyo de semejante tesis están sus trabajos puramente científicos, que se esbozan aquí, trabajos que entroncan con la mejor tradición matemática, y cómo afectaron al desarrollo matemático, siendo finalmente instrumentales en la configuración de un nuevo mundo tecnológico, tanto en lo que al cálculo y manejo de información se refiere, como en lo relativo al establecimiento de nuevas formas de relaciones sociales. Relacionadas con lo anterior, se encuentran las aportaciones que hizo durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial al desciframiento de códigos secretos, que, en cierto sentido, metafórico, se pueden considerar como una nueva herramienta para socavar la privacidad, ese derecho civil cuya negación arruinó su propia vida.

78 FR 67024 - Establishment of Class E Airspace; Glasgow, MT

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-08

... aid, Glasgow, MT. A favorable comment from the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) was.... SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: History The FAA published a final rule in the Federal Register establishing Class E..., pursuant to the authority delegated to me, the description under the History heading, as published in the...

Reverse engineering Turing Machines and insights into the Collatz conjecture

OpenAIRE

John Nixon

2017-01-01

In this paper I have extended my earlier work \\cite{jn} on small Turing Machines (TMs) by developing a method for obtaining recursive definitions of the irreducible regular rules (IRR) for a TM when explicit formulae for them cannot be obtained. This has been illustrated by two examples. The first example was randomly chosen and the second example was designed to simulate the Collatz conjecture. Analysis of this TM based on the its IRR suggested new approaches that might be the basis for a pr...

11th February 2011 - Member of the Parliament for Glasgow North and Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland A. McKechin MP signing the geust book with Adviser J. Ellis, University of Glasgow Principal A. Muscatelli and Engineering Department Head R. Saban.

CERN Document Server

Jean-Claude Gadmer

2011-01-01

11th February 2011 - Member of the Parliament for Glasgow North and Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland A. McKechin MP signing the geust book with Adviser J. Ellis, University of Glasgow Principal A. Muscatelli and Engineering Department Head R. Saban.

The sensitivity of Turing self-organization to biological feedback delays: 2D models of fish pigmentation

KAUST Repository

Gaffney, E. A.; Lee, S. S.

2013-01-01

© The authors 2013. Turing morphogen models have been extensively explored in the context of large-scale self-organization in multicellular biological systems. However, reconciling the detailed biology of morphogen dynamics, while accounting

Dietary manganese in the Glasgow area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cross, J.D.; Dale, I.M.; Raie, R.M.

1979-01-01

The manganese content of the diet and human tissue (adult and infant) in the Glasgow area is established. The total manganese intake by a breast fed infant (6 μg/day) is very much lower than that of an adult (5 mg/day). This does not appear to cause any upset in the infant's metabolism and the tissue levels of both groups are similar. This indicates that the human system can obtain its required manganese from both levels of intake. Tea is the major source of manganese in the diet: tobacco, which is rich in manganese, does not contribute a significant amount when smoked. (author)

Calculating Kolmogorov Complexity from the Output Frequency Distributions of Small Turing Machines

Science.gov (United States)

Delahaye, Jean-Paul; Gauvrit, Nicolas

2014-01-01

Drawing on various notions from theoretical computer science, we present a novel numerical approach, motivated by the notion of algorithmic probability, to the problem of approximating the Kolmogorov-Chaitin complexity of short strings. The method is an alternative to the traditional lossless compression algorithms, which it may complement, the two being serviceable for different string lengths. We provide a thorough analysis for all binary strings of length and for most strings of length by running all Turing machines with 5 states and 2 symbols ( with reduction techniques) using the most standard formalism of Turing machines, used in for example the Busy Beaver problem. We address the question of stability and error estimation, the sensitivity of the continued application of the method for wider coverage and better accuracy, and provide statistical evidence suggesting robustness. As with compression algorithms, this work promises to deliver a range of applications, and to provide insight into the question of complexity calculation of finite (and short) strings. Additional material can be found at the Algorithmic Nature Group website at http://www.algorithmicnature.org. An Online Algorithmic Complexity Calculator implementing this technique and making the data available to the research community is accessible at http://www.complexitycalculator.com. PMID:24809449

The comparison of modified early warning score and Glasgow coma ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to assess and compare the discriminatory ability of the Glasgow coma scale (GCS)‑age‑systolic blood pressure (GAP) score and modified early warning scoring system (mEWS) score for 4‑week mortality, for the patients being in the triage category 1 and 2 who refer to Emergency ...

One Dimensional Turing-Like Handshake Test for Motor Intelligence

Science.gov (United States)

Karniel, Amir; Avraham, Guy; Peles, Bat-Chen; Levy-Tzedek, Shelly; Nisky, Ilana

2010-01-01

In the Turing test, a computer model is deemed to "think intelligently" if it can generate answers that are not distinguishable from those of a human. However, this test is limited to the linguistic aspects of machine intelligence. A salient function of the brain is the control of movement, and the movement of the human hand is a sophisticated demonstration of this function. Therefore, we propose a Turing-like handshake test, for machine motor intelligence. We administer the test through a telerobotic system in which the interrogator is engaged in a task of holding a robotic stylus and interacting with another party (human or artificial). Instead of asking the interrogator whether the other party is a person or a computer program, we employ a two-alternative forced choice method and ask which of two systems is more human-like. We extract a quantitative grade for each model according to its resemblance to the human handshake motion and name it "Model Human-Likeness Grade" (MHLG). We present three methods to estimate the MHLG. (i) By calculating the proportion of subjects' answers that the model is more human-like than the human; (ii) By comparing two weighted sums of human and model handshakes we fit a psychometric curve and extract the point of subjective equality (PSE); (iii) By comparing a given model with a weighted sum of human and random signal, we fit a psychometric curve to the answers of the interrogator and extract the PSE for the weight of the human in the weighted sum. Altogether, we provide a protocol to test computational models of the human handshake. We believe that building a model is a necessary step in understanding any phenomenon and, in this case, in understanding the neural mechanisms responsible for the generation of the human handshake. PMID:21206462

Comparison of the Full Outline of UnResponsiveness score and the Glasgow Coma Scale in predicting mortality in critically ill patients*.

Science.gov (United States)

Wijdicks, Eelco F M; Kramer, Andrew A; Rohs, Thomas; Hanna, Susan; Sadaka, Farid; O'Brien, Jacklyn; Bible, Shonna; Dickess, Stacy M; Foss, Michelle

2015-02-01

Impaired consciousness has been incorporated in prediction models that are used in the ICU. The Glasgow Coma Scale has value but is incomplete and cannot be assessed in intubated patients accurately. The Full Outline of UnResponsiveness score may be a better predictor of mortality in critically ill patients. Thirteen ICUs at five U.S. hospitals. One thousand six hundred ninety-five consecutive unselected ICU admissions during a six-month period in 2012. Glasgow Coma Scale and Full Outline of UnResponsiveness score were recorded within 1 hour of admission. Baseline characteristics and physiologic components of the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation system, as well as mortality were linked to Glasgow Coma Scale/Full Outline of UnResponsiveness score information. None. We recruited 1,695 critically ill patients, of which 1,645 with complete data could be linked to data in the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation system. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of predicting ICU mortality using the Glasgow Coma Scale was 0.715 (95% CI, 0.663-0.768) and using the Full Outline of UnResponsiveness score was 0.742 (95% CI, 0.694-0.790), statistically different (p = 0.001). A similar but nonsignificant difference was found for predicting hospital mortality (p = 0.078). The respiratory and brainstem reflex components of the Full Outline of UnResponsiveness score showed a much wider range of mortality than the verbal component of Glasgow Coma Scale. In multivariable models, the Full Outline of UnResponsiveness score was more useful than the Glasgow Coma Scale for predicting mortality. The Full Outline of UnResponsiveness score might be a better prognostic tool of ICU mortality than the Glasgow Coma Scale in critically ill patients, most likely a result of incorporating brainstem reflexes and respiration into the Full Outline of UnResponsiveness score.

Combination of Glasgow Coma Scale, Age, and Systolic Blood Pressure in Assessing Patients’ Outcomes with Decreased Consciousness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amir S Madjid

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS is commonly used to assess outcomes of patients with loss of consciousness, but it is insufficient in predicting the outcome of some cases. This study aimed to assess the combination of GCS, systolic blood pressure and age to predict the outcome of patients with decreased consciousness. This was a retrospective cohort observational study of 76 loss of consciousness patients that comes into the Emergency Department of Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in June-August 2014. Data was obtained from the medical records . GCS, systolic blood pressure and age were recorded when patients were admitted to the triage. Outcome was assessed two weeks after admission in the emergency department. Bivariate analysis on the GCS and age showed significant different between patients with poor outcome group with good outcome group (p<0.05 and no significant different of the systolic blood pressure between both groups (p>0.05. Multivariate analysis on the GCS and age showed good probability equation based on the calibration test and discrimination. The combination of Glasgow Coma Scale and age was accurate in assessing the outcomes of patients with loss of consciousness. Keywords. Glasgow Coma Scale, systolic, age, outcomes     Gabungan Glasgow Coma Scale, Umur, dan Tekanan Darah Sistolik Sebagai Penilai Luaran Pasien Penurunan Kesadaran   Abstrak Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS telah menjadi salah satu penilaian yang digunakan untuk menilai luaran pasien penurunan kesadaran, tetapi dinilai masih belum mampu memprediksi luaran yang terjadi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menilai gabungan GCS, tekanan darah sistolik dan umur untuk memprediksi luaran pasien dengan penurunan kesadaran. Penelitian ini merupakan studi observasional kohort retrospektif yang melibatkan 76 pasien dengan penurunan kesadaran yang datang ke IGD RSUPN Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo selama bulan Juni-Agustus 2014. Data diambil dari rekam medik. GCS, tekanan darah sistolik dan

Street connectivity and obesity in Glasgow, Scotland: impact of age, sex and socioeconomic position.

Science.gov (United States)

Ball, Kylie; Lamb, Karen; Travaglini, Noemi; Ellaway, Anne

2012-11-01

This study investigated associations of street connectivity with body mass index (BMI), and whether these associations varied by sex, age and socioeconomic position, amongst adults in Glasgow, Scotland. Data on socio-demographic variables, height and weight were collected from 1062 participants in the Greater Glasgow Health and Well-being Study, and linked with neighbourhood-level census and geo-referenced data on area level deprivation and street connectivity. Results of multilevel models showed that, after adjustment for individual level covariates, street connectivity was not significantly associated with either BMI or BMI category; nor were there any significant interactions between age, sex or socioeconomic position and street connectivity. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Calculating Kolmogorov complexity from the output frequency distributions of small Turing machines.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando Soler-Toscano

Full Text Available Drawing on various notions from theoretical computer science, we present a novel numerical approach, motivated by the notion of algorithmic probability, to the problem of approximating the Kolmogorov-Chaitin complexity of short strings. The method is an alternative to the traditional lossless compression algorithms, which it may complement, the two being serviceable for different string lengths. We provide a thorough analysis for all Σ(n=1(11 2(n binary strings of length n<12 and for most strings of length 12≤n≤16 by running all ~2.5 x 10(13 Turing machines with 5 states and 2 symbols (8 x 22(9 with reduction techniques using the most standard formalism of Turing machines, used in for example the Busy Beaver problem. We address the question of stability and error estimation, the sensitivity of the continued application of the method for wider coverage and better accuracy, and provide statistical evidence suggesting robustness. As with compression algorithms, this work promises to deliver a range of applications, and to provide insight into the question of complexity calculation of finite (and short strings. Additional material can be found at the Algorithmic Nature Group website at http://www.algorithmicnature.org. An Online Algorithmic Complexity Calculator implementing this technique and making the data available to the research community is accessible at http://www.complexitycalculator.com.

A case report on near manual strangulation and glasgow coma scale.

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Abstract. Background: Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is considered as a gold standard in estimating the prognosis of the comatose patient. The management of the patient relies heavily on this scale. The mechanism of injury must also be included in scor- ing of the GCS. Survival from strangulation is uncommon, and if it ...

Data analysis and review of radiology services at Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bethapudi, Sarath; Ritchie, David; Bongale, Santosh; Gordon, Jonny; MacLean, John; Mendl, Liz

2015-01-01

Medical services at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games (CWG) were provided though a purpose-built medical polyclinic, which had a fully equipped radiology department along with other services, set up within the main Games Village. Data analysis of radiology services offered at CWG has not been published before. Imaging services within the polyclinic, Athletes Village, Glasgow 2014 CWG. The aim of the paper is to analyse data on radiological investigations and assess the demand and distribution of workload on imaging services at CWG 2014. Data on radiology investigations at the CWG 2014 was retrieved from the Carestream picture archiving and communication system (PACS) and Pharmasys (CWG official centralised electronic database system) and analysed. Six hundred ninety-seven diagnostic and interventional procedures were performed. Of these 37.9 % were magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, 22 % were diagnostic ultrasound (US) examinations, 33.1 % were radiographs, 4.3 % were computed tomography (CT) scans and 2.7 % were imaging-guided interventional procedures. 88 % of imaging was performed on athletes and the remainder were performed on team officials and workforce. Demand on radiology services gradually picked up through the pre-competition period and peaked half way through the CWG. Radiology played a vital role in the successful provision of medical services at the Glasgow 2014 CWG. High demand on imaging services can be expected at major international sporting events and therefore pre-event planning is vital. Having back-up facilities in case of technical failure should be given due importance when planning radiology services at future CWG events. (orig.)

Data analysis and review of radiology services at Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Science.gov (United States)

Bethapudi, Sarath; Ritchie, David; Bongale, Santosh; Gordon, Jonny; MacLean, John; Mendl, Liz

2015-10-01

Medical services at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games (CWG) were provided though a purpose-built medical polyclinic, which had a fully equipped radiology department along with other services, set up within the main Games Village. Data analysis of radiology services offered at CWG has not been published before. Imaging services within the polyclinic, Athletes Village, Glasgow 2014 CWG. The aim of the paper is to analyse data on radiological investigations and assess the demand and distribution of workload on imaging services at CWG 2014. Data on radiology investigations at the CWG 2014 was retrieved from the Carestream picture archiving and communication system (PACS) and Pharmasys (CWG official centralised electronic database system) and analysed. Six hundred ninety-seven diagnostic and interventional procedures were performed. Of these 37.9% were magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, 22% were diagnostic ultrasound (US) examinations, 33.1% were radiographs, 4.3% were computed tomography (CT) scans and 2.7% were imaging-guided interventional procedures. 88% of imaging was performed on athletes and the remainder were performed on team officials and workforce. Demand on radiology services gradually picked up through the pre-competition period and peaked half way through the CWG. Radiology played a vital role in the successful provision of medical services at the Glasgow 2014 CWG. High demand on imaging services can be expected at major international sporting events and therefore pre-event planning is vital. Having back-up facilities in case of technical failure should be given due importance when planning radiology services at future CWG events.

Data analysis and review of radiology services at Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bethapudi, Sarath [County Durham Darlington Foundation NHS Trust, Durham (United Kingdom); Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, Glasgow (United Kingdom); Ritchie, David [Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, Glasgow (United Kingdom); Greater Glasgow and Clyde Hospitals NHS Trust, Western Infirmary, Glasgow (United Kingdom); Bongale, Santosh [Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, Immediate Care Department, Glasgow (United Kingdom); NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley (United Kingdom); Gordon, Jonny [Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, Glasgow (United Kingdom); NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Glasgow (United Kingdom); MacLean, John [Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, Glasgow (United Kingdom); National Stadium Sports Medicine Centre, Glasgow (United Kingdom); Mendl, Liz [Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, Glasgow (United Kingdom)

2015-10-15

Medical services at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games (CWG) were provided though a purpose-built medical polyclinic, which had a fully equipped radiology department along with other services, set up within the main Games Village. Data analysis of radiology services offered at CWG has not been published before. Imaging services within the polyclinic, Athletes Village, Glasgow 2014 CWG. The aim of the paper is to analyse data on radiological investigations and assess the demand and distribution of workload on imaging services at CWG 2014. Data on radiology investigations at the CWG 2014 was retrieved from the Carestream picture archiving and communication system (PACS) and Pharmasys (CWG official centralised electronic database system) and analysed. Six hundred ninety-seven diagnostic and interventional procedures were performed. Of these 37.9 % were magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, 22 % were diagnostic ultrasound (US) examinations, 33.1 % were radiographs, 4.3 % were computed tomography (CT) scans and 2.7 % were imaging-guided interventional procedures. 88 % of imaging was performed on athletes and the remainder were performed on team officials and workforce. Demand on radiology services gradually picked up through the pre-competition period and peaked half way through the CWG. Radiology played a vital role in the successful provision of medical services at the Glasgow 2014 CWG. High demand on imaging services can be expected at major international sporting events and therefore pre-event planning is vital. Having back-up facilities in case of technical failure should be given due importance when planning radiology services at future CWG events. (orig.)

The ATLAS Glasgow Overview Week

CERN Multimedia

Richard Hawkings

2007-01-01

The ATLAS Overview Weeks always provide a good opportunity to see the status and progress throughout the experiment, and the July week at Glasgow University was no exception. The setting, amidst the traditional buildings of one of the UK's oldest universities, provided a nice counterpoint to all the cutting-edge research and technology being discussed. And despite predictions to the contrary, the weather at these northern latitudes was actually a great improvement on the previous few weeks in Geneva. The meeting sessions comprehensively covered the whole ATLAS project, from the subdetector and TDAQ systems and their commissioning, through to offline computing, analysis and physics. As a long-time ATLAS member who remembers plenary meetings in 1991 with 30 people drawing detector layouts on a whiteboard, the hardware and installation sessions were particularly impressive - to see how these dreams have been translated into 7000 tons of reality (and with attendant cabling, supports and services, which certainly...

The food retail environment and area deprivation in Glasgow City, UK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Macintyre Sally

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract It has previously been suggested that deprived neighbourhoods within modern cities have poor access to general amenities, for example, fewer food retail outlets. Here we examine the distribution of food retailers by deprivation in the City of Glasgow, UK. We obtained a list of 934 food retailers in Glasgow, UK, in 2007, and mapped these at address level. We categorised small areas (data zones into quintiles of area deprivation using the 2006 Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation Income sub-domain score. We computed mean number of retailers per 1000 residents per data zone, and mean network distance to nearest outlet from data zone centroid, for all retailers combined and for each of seven categories of retailer separately (i.e. bakers, butchers, fruit and vegetable sellers, fishmongers, convenience stores, supermarkets and delicatessens. The most deprived quintile (of areas had the greatest mean number of total food retailers per 1000 residents while quintile 1 (least deprived had the least, and this difference was statistically significant (Chi-square p

Gait and Glasgow Coma Scale scores can predict functional recovery in patients with traumatic brain injury☆

Science.gov (United States)

Bilgin, Sevil; Guclu-Gunduz, Arzu; Oruckaptan, Hakan; Kose, Nezire; Celik, Bülent

2012-01-01

Fifty-one patients with mild (n = 14), moderate (n = 10) and severe traumatic brain injury (n = 27) received early rehabilitation. Level of consciousness was evaluated using the Glasgow Coma Score. Functional level was determined using the Glasgow Outcome Score, whilst mobility was evaluated using the Mobility Scale for Acute Stroke. Activities of daily living were assessed using the Barthel Index. Following Bobath neurodevelopmental therapy, the level of consciousness was significantly improved in patients with moderate and severe traumatic brain injury, but was not greatly influenced in patients with mild traumatic brain injury. Mobility and functional level were significantly improved in patients with mild, moderate and severe traumatic brain injury. Gait recovery was more obvious in patients with mild traumatic brain injury than in patients with moderate and severe traumatic brain injury. Activities of daily living showed an improvement but this was insignificant except for patients with severe traumatic brain injury. Nevertheless, complete recovery was not acquired at discharge. Multiple regression analysis showed that gait and Glasgow Coma Scale scores can be considered predictors of functional outcomes following traumatic brain injury. PMID:25624828

The Society of Brains: How Alan Turing and Marvin Minsky Were Both Right

Science.gov (United States)

Struzik, Zbigniew R.

2015-04-01

In his well-known prediction, Alan Turing stated that computer intelligence would surpass human intelligence by the year 2000. Although the Turing Test, as it became known, was devised to be played by one human against one computer, this is not a fair setup. Every human is a part of a social network, and a fairer comparison would be a contest between one human at the console and a network of computers behind the console. Around the year 2000, the number of web pages on the WWW overtook the number of neurons in the human brain. But these websites would be of little use without the ability to search for knowledge. By the year 2000 Google Inc. had become the search engine of choice, and the WWW became an intelligent entity. This was not without good reason. The basis for the search engine was the analysis of the ’network of knowledge’. The PageRank algorithm, linking information on the web according to the hierarchy of ‘link popularity’, continues to provide the basis for all of Google's web search tools. While PageRank was developed by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1996 as part of a research project about a new kind of search engine, PageRank is in its essence the key to representing and using static knowledge in an emergent intelligent system. Here I argue that Alan Turing was right, as hybrid human-computer internet machines have already surpassed our individual intelligence - this was done around the year 2000 by the Internet - the socially-minded, human-computer hybrid Homo computabilis-socialis. Ironically, the Internet's intelligence also emerged to a large extent from ‘exploiting’ humans - the key to the emergence of machine intelligence has been discussed by Marvin Minsky in his work on the foundations of intelligence through interacting agents’ knowledge. As a consequence, a decade and a half decade into the 21st century, we appear to be much better equipped to tackle the problem of the social origins of humanity - in particular thanks to the

An experimental design method leading to chemical Turing patterns.

Science.gov (United States)

Horváth, Judit; Szalai, István; De Kepper, Patrick

2009-05-08

Chemical reaction-diffusion patterns often serve as prototypes for pattern formation in living systems, but only two isothermal single-phase reaction systems have produced sustained stationary reaction-diffusion patterns so far. We designed an experimental method to search for additional systems on the basis of three steps: (i) generate spatial bistability by operating autoactivated reactions in open spatial reactors; (ii) use an independent negative-feedback species to produce spatiotemporal oscillations; and (iii) induce a space-scale separation of the activatory and inhibitory processes with a low-mobility complexing agent. We successfully applied this method to a hydrogen-ion autoactivated reaction, the thiourea-iodate-sulfite (TuIS) reaction, and noticeably produced stationary hexagonal arrays of spots and parallel stripes of pH patterns attributed to a Turing bifurcation. This method could be extended to biochemical reactions.

How My Program Passed the Turing Test

Science.gov (United States)

Humphrys, Mark

In 1989, the author put an ELIZA-like chatbot on the Internet. The conversations this program had can be seen - depending on how one defines the rules (and how seriously one takes the idea of the test itself) - as a passing of the Turing Test. This is the first time this event has been properly written. This chatbot succeeded due to profanity, relentless aggression, prurient queries about the user, and implying that they were a liar when they responded. The element of surprise was also crucial. Most chatbots exist in an environment where people expectto find some bots among the humans. Not this one. What was also novel was the onlineelement. This was certainly one of the first AI programs online. It seems to have been the first (a) AI real-time chat program, which (b) had the element of surprise, and (c) was on the Internet. We conclude with some speculation that the future of all of AI is on the Internet, and a description of the "World- Wide-Mind" project that aims to bring this about.

The semaphore codes attached to a Turing machine via resets and their various limits

OpenAIRE

Rhodes, John; Schilling, Anne; Silva, Pedro V.

2016-01-01

We introduce semaphore codes associated to a Turing machine via resets. Semaphore codes provide an approximation theory for resets. In this paper we generalize the set-up of our previous paper "Random walks on semaphore codes and delay de Bruijn semigroups" to the infinite case by taking the profinite limit of $k$-resets to obtain $(-\\omega)$-resets. We mention how this opens new avenues to attack the P versus NP problem.

NATO Advanced Study Institute on Improved Methods for Examining the Submicron World

CERN Document Server

McGowan, J; Shinozaki, Douglas

1986-01-01

An Institute like ours cannot help but lend credence to the notion of the late Derek J. de Solla Price of Yale University that "the scientific revolution was largely the improvement, invention and use of a series of instruments . . . . that expanded the reach of science in innumerable directions". Most of science today and in years gone by depends on the experimental observation of struc­ ture on the small scale with microscopes, and on the large scale with telescopes. The first instruments to expand the observational range of the human eye were simple optical systems, designed in the case of microscopes and telescopes to magnify the image. The big breakthrough in the 17th century was not when Galileo first turned his telescope to the heavens, but when improvements in lens-grinding techniques allowed eyeglass makers to make the first telescope. Early microscopy revealed new and previously unsuspected microstruc­ tures in biological and non-biological materials and thus helped to enlarge on the understanding...

A Method for Reducing Misclassification in the Extended Glasgow Outcome Score

OpenAIRE

Lu, Juan; Marmarou, Anthony; Lapane, Kate; Turf, Elizabeth; Wilson, Lindsay

2010-01-01

The eight-point extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOSE) is commonly used as the primary outcome measure in traumatic brain injury (TBI) clinical trials. The outcome is conventionally collected through a structured interview with the patient alone or together with a caretaker. Despite the fact that using the structured interview questionnaires helps reach agreement in GOSE assessment between raters, significant variation remains among different raters. We introduce an alternate GOSE rating syste...

Dietary selenium in the Glasgow area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cross, J.D.; Raie, R.M.; Smith, H.

1978-01-01

A typical diet for people in the Glasgow area is analysed and an estimate is made of the daily intake of selenium for the average person (234 μg). Meat, poultry and bread products contribute 65% of the total selenium consumed. There is a significant loss of selenium on cooking but the concentration in the diet is high compared with the estimated requirement. Selenium levels in prepared infant foods, artificial milk and natural milk are reported. Those infants on artificial milk feeds have a selenium intake equivalent to that of adults (3 μg/kg) while those on natural milk or prepared infant foods have an intake of 6 μg/kg. Adult and infant tissue selenium levels are established and are shown to be in equilibrium with the diet. There is no concentration in man as a result of his position at the top of the food chain. Sudden infant death cannot be related to selenium levels in human tissue or diet. (author)

Turing patterns induced by cross-diffusion in a predator-prey system in presence of habitat complexity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghorai, Santu; Poria, Swarup

2016-01-01

In this paper, we have investigated the phenomena of Turing pattern formation in a predator-prey model with habitat complexity in presence of cross diffusion. Using the linear stability analysis, the conditions for the existence of stationary pattern and the existence of Hopf bifurcation are obtained. It is shown analytically that the presence of cross diffusion in the system supports the formation of Turing pattern. Two parameter bifurcation analysis are done analytically and corresponding bifurcation diagrams are presented numerically. A series of simulation results are plotted for different biologically meaningful parameter values. Effects of variation of habitat complexity and the predator mortality rate and birth rate of prey on pattern formation are also reported. It is shown that cross-diffusion can lead to a wide variety of spatial and spatiotemporal pattern formation. It is found that the model exhibits spot and stripe pattern, and coexistence of both spot and strip patterns under the zero flux boundary condition. It is observed that cross-diffusion, habitat complexity, birth rate of prey and predator’s mortality rate play a significant role in the pattern formation of a distributed population system of predator-prey type.

Validity of a Pediatric Version of the Glasgow Outcome Scale–Extended

OpenAIRE

Beers, Sue R.; Wisniewski, Stephen R.; Garcia-Filion, Pamela; Tian, Ye; Hahner, Thomas; Berger, Rachel P.; Bell, Michael J.; Adelson, P. David

2012-01-01

The Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) and its most recent revision, the GOS–Extended (GOS-E), provide the gold standard for measuring traumatic brain injury (TBI) outcome. The GOS-E exhibits validity when used with adults and some adolescents, but validity with younger children is not established. Because the GOS-E lacks the developmental specificity necessary to evaluate children, toddlers, and infants, we modified the original version to create the GOS-E Pediatric Revision (GOS-E Peds), a develop...

Turing instability and bifurcation analysis in a diffusive bimolecular system with delayed feedback

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Xin; Wei, Junjie

2017-09-01

A diffusive autocatalytic bimolecular model with delayed feedback subject to Neumann boundary conditions is considered. We mainly study the stability of the unique positive equilibrium and the existence of periodic solutions. Our study shows that diffusion can give rise to Turing instability, and the time delay can affect the stability of the positive equilibrium and result in the occurrence of Hopf bifurcations. By applying the normal form theory and center manifold reduction for partial functional differential equations, we investigate the stability and direction of the bifurcations. Finally, we give some simulations to illustrate our theoretical results.

Cognitive evaluation for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease based on Turing Test and Virtual Environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez Montenegro, Juan Manuel; Argyriou, Vasileios

2017-05-01

Alzheimer's screening tests are commonly used by doctors to diagnose the patient's condition and stage as early as possible. Most of these tests are based on pen-paper interaction and do not embrace the advantages provided by new technologies. This paper proposes novel Alzheimer's screening tests based on virtual environments and game principles using new immersive technologies combined with advanced Human Computer Interaction (HCI) systems. These new tests are focused on the immersion of the patient in a virtual room, in order to mislead and deceive the patient's mind. In addition, we propose two novel variations of Turing Test proposed by Alan Turing as a method to detect dementia. As a result, four tests are introduced demonstrating the wide range of screening mechanisms that could be designed using virtual environments and game concepts. The proposed tests are focused on the evaluation of memory loss related to common objects, recent conversations and events; the diagnosis of problems in expressing and understanding language; the ability to recognize abnormalities; and to differentiate between virtual worlds and reality, or humans and machines. The proposed screening tests were evaluated and tested using both patients and healthy adults in a comparative study with state-of-the-art Alzheimer's screening tests. The results show the capacity of the new tests to distinguish healthy people from Alzheimer's patients. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Nueva terminal del aeropuerto de Glasgow (Abbotsinch, Inglaterra

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Spence, Basil

1968-12-01

Full Text Available This airport substitutes the one at Renfrew, which had become inadequate for the modern volume of traffic. The new airport will handle the intense passenger traffic on the Glasgow London route, which by 1970 it is estimated will reach 970 passengers per hour. Arrangements have been made for a possible enlargement to double the present air traffic capacity of the airport, namely, a maximum of 32 aircraft per hour. The airport building houses everything related to the passengers and offices in the top part, and it has highly modern installations of all types, of which the following are outstanding: the electronic information desks, the bar which is fully air conditioned, and the hall. The general structure is of reinforced concrete, with precast flooring frameworks. The baggage hall has metallic loading tables. The building has a highly impressive external appearance, and is faced with slabs of concrete, whose fine texture has been the result of using carefully chosen formwork of specially grained timber. White slabs and dark brick have also been utilised.Se hizo en sustitución del de Renfrew, que había quedado inadecuado, y dirigirá el intenso movimiento de viajeros y transporte de la ruta Glasgow-Londres, que se calcula, para 1970, en 970 pasajeros a la hora. Por ello, se ha previsto una posible ampliación al doble, con capacidad para un máximo de 33 aviones. El edificio alberga todo lo relacionado con los pasajeros y las oficinas en la parte superior, disponiendo de modernísimas instalaciones de todo tipo, entre las que destacan: los tableros electrónicos y puestos de información, bar y restaurante con climatización total, etc. La estructura general es de hormigón armado con forjados prefabricados; en los muelles es metálica. El aspecto exterior, de una gran elegancia, está conseguido a base de placas de hormigón visto —con bella textura lograda con encofrados muy cuidados de madera rayada—, plaquetas prefabricadas blancas y

A Cross-Cultural Perspective:An Integration of Traditional Chinese Cul-ture into College English Textbooks

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

ZHANG Ni

2014-01-01

Teaching language is teaching culture. English is an international language with local and global significance.In“New Horizon College English”, Chinese culture elements are deficient, which is not conducive to our country ’s higher education and cross-cultural communication skills and to achieve the goal of innovation of Chinese culture. As an important part of world cul⁃ture, Chinese culture should be integrated into college English education. College English teaching materials should include not only western cultural elements but also fully present Chinese culture elements.

Spongiosa Primary Development: A Biochemical Hypothesis by Turing Patterns Formations

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Oscar Rodrigo López-Vaca

2012-01-01

Full Text Available We propose a biochemical model describing the formation of primary spongiosa architecture through a bioregulatory model by metalloproteinase 13 (MMP13 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF. It is assumed that MMP13 regulates cartilage degradation and the VEGF allows vascularization and advances in the ossification front through the presence of osteoblasts. The coupling of this set of molecules is represented by reaction-diffusion equations with parameters in the Turing space, creating a stable spatiotemporal pattern that leads to the formation of the trabeculae present in the spongy tissue. Experimental evidence has shown that the MMP13 regulates VEGF formation, and it is assumed that VEGF negatively regulates MMP13 formation. Thus, the patterns obtained by ossification may represent the primary spongiosa formation during endochondral ossification. Moreover, for the numerical solution, we used the finite element method with the Newton-Raphson method to approximate partial differential nonlinear equations. Ossification patterns obtained may represent the primary spongiosa formation during endochondral ossification.

Numerical approaches to model perturbation fire in turing pattern formations

Science.gov (United States)

Campagna, R.; Brancaccio, M.; Cuomo, S.; Mazzoleni, S.; Russo, L.; Siettos, K.; Giannino, F.

2017-11-01

Turing patterns were observed in chemical, physical and biological systems described by coupled reaction-diffusion equations. Several models have been formulated proposing the water as the causal mechanism of vegetation pattern formation, but this isn't an exhaustive hypothesis in some natural environments. An alternative explanation has been related to the plant-soil negative feedback. In Marasco et al. [1] the authors explored the hypothesis that both mechanisms contribute in the formation of regular and irregular vegetation patterns. The mathematical model consists in three partial differential equations (PDEs) that take into account for a dynamic balance between biomass, water and toxic compounds. A numerical approach is mandatory also to investigate on the predictions of this kind of models. In this paper we start from the mathematical model described in [1], set the model parameters such that the biomass reaches a stable spatial pattern (spots) and present preliminary studies about the occurrence of perturbing events, such as wildfire, that can affect the regularity of the biomass configuration.

Scenario Testing of the Energy and Environmental Performance of “The Glasgow House”

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Tim Sharpe

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This paper describes the results from a 12-month study of two prototype low energy dwellings built for Glasgow Housing Association (GHA. The houses are intended for mainstream and social tenure within Glasgow and contain a range of energy reducing features including one house with a thermally heavy clay block wall and one house using a conventional timber frame and both houses have sunspaces, Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR, solar thermal system and low energy lighting. The dwellings have been subject to an innovative monitoring strategy by MEARU, whereby test occupants (students recruited from the School of Architecture have been asked to inhabit the buildings for six two-week periods using occupancy ‘scripts’ that determine their internal behaviour. The scenarios thus simulate varying patterns of occupancy in both houses simultaneously and the performance of the houses can then been compared. Indications are that although the clay block house had a poorer thermal performance, it did have other qualitative advantages, and consumption differences could be eliminated by exploiting the thermal mass. The performance of the active systems, including the MVHR system, was found to be problematic, and specific scenarios were undertaken to explore the implications of this.

Using a Graphics Turing Test to Evaluate the Effect of Frame Rate and Motion Blur on Telepresence of Animated Objects

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borg, Mathias; Johansen, Stine Schmieg; Krog, Kim Srirat

2013-01-01

A limited Graphics Turing Test is used to determine the frame rate that is required to achieve telepresence of an animated object. For low object velocities of 2.25 and 4.5 degrees of visual angle per second at 60 frames per second a rotating object with no added motion blur is able to pass the t...

The furniture of the library of the Glasgow School of Art by Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) [dissertation

OpenAIRE

Bell, John; Bell, Simon

1991-01-01

This dissertation, which encompasses the set of furniture and light fittings designed for use in Glasgow School of Art library has been produced in response to the desire for the complete recording and analysis of that space.

[Validation of the Glasgow-Blatchford Scoring System to predict mortality in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding in a hospital of Lima, Peru (June 2012-December 2013)].

Science.gov (United States)

Cassana, Alessandra; Scialom, Silvia; Segura, Eddy R; Chacaltana, Alfonso

2015-07-01

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding is a major cause of hospitalization and the most prevalent emergency worldwide, with a mortality rate of up to 14%. In Peru, there have not been any studies on the use of the Glasgow-Blatchford Scoring System to predict mortality in upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The aim of this study is to perform an external validation of the Glasgow-Blatchford Scoring System and to establish the best cutoff for predicting mortality in upper gastrointestinal bleeding in a hospital of Lima, Peru. This was a longitudinal, retrospective, analytical validation study, with data from patients with a clinical and endoscopic diagnosis of upper gastrointestinal bleeding treated at the Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage Unit of the Hospital Nacional Edgardo Rebagliati Martins between June 2012 and December 2013. We calculated the area under the curve for the receiver operating characteristic of the Glasgow-Blatchford Scoring System to predict mortality with a 95% confidence interval. A total of 339 records were analyzed. 57.5% were male and the mean age (standard deviation) was 67.0 (15.7) years. The median of the Glasgow-Blatchford Scoring System obtained in the population was 12. The ROC analysis for death gave an area under the curve of 0.59 (95% CI 0.5-0.7). Stratifying by type of upper gastrointestinal bleeding resulted in an area under the curve of 0.66 (95% CI 0.53-0.78) for non-variceal type. In this population, the Glasgow-Blatchford Scoring System has no diagnostic validity for predicting mortality.

Validation of the Glasgow-Blatchford Scoring System to predict mortality in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding in a hospital of Lima, Peru (June 2012-December 2013

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alessandra Cassana

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Background and aim: Upper gastrointestinal bleeding is a major cause of hospitalization and the most prevalent emergency worldwide, with a mortality rate of up to 14%. In Peru, there have not been any studies on the use of the Glasgow-Blatchford Scoring System to predict mortality in upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The aim of this study is to perform an external validation of the Glasgow-Blatchford Scoring System and to establish the best cutoff for predicting mortality in upper gastrointestinal bleeding in a hospital of Lima, Peru. Methods: This was a longitudinal, retrospective, analytical validation study, with data from patients with a clinical and endoscopic diagnosis of upper gastrointestinal bleeding treated at the Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage Unit of the Hospital Nacional Edgardo Rebagliati Martins between June 2012 and December 2013. We calculated the area under the curve for the receiver operating characteristic of the Glasgow-Blatchford Scoring System to predict mortality with a 95% confidence interval. Results: A total of 339 records were analyzed. 57.5% were male and the mean age (standard deviation was 67.0 (15.7 years. The median of the Glasgow-Blatchford Scoring System obtained in the population was 12. The ROC analysis for death gave an area under the curve of 0.59 (95% CI 0.5-0.7. Stratifying by type of upper gastrointestinal bleeding resulted in an area under the curve of 0.66 (95% CI 0.53-0.78 for non-variceal type. Conclusions: In this population, the Glasgow-Blatchford Scoring System has no diagnostic validity for predicting mortality.

Understanding the co-production of public services: the case of asylum seekers in Glasgow

OpenAIRE

Strokosch, Kirsty

2013-01-01

This thesis explores the co-production of public services in the case of asylum seekers in Glasgow. It makes contributions on the theoretical and empirical levels. First, it integrates two theoretical standpoints on co-production from the public administration/management and services management literatures. This integration forms the basis for the development of an original conceptual framework which differentiates three modes of co-production at the level of the individual ser...

Using the braden and glasgow scales to predict pressure ulcer risk in patients hospitalized at intensive care units Uso de la escala de braden y de glasgow para identificar el riesgo de úlceras de presión en pacientes internados en un centro de terapia intensiva Uso da escala de braden e de glasgow para identificação do risco para úlceras de pressão em pacientes internados em centro de terapia intensiva

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Luciana Magnani Fernandes

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Pressure ulcers remain a major health issue for critical patients. The purpose of this descriptive and exploratory study was to analyze the risk factors for the development of pressure ulcers in patients hospitalized at an intensive care unit of a university hospital. Patients were assessed through the Braden scale to determine the risk for the development of pressure ulcers and to identify individual risks, and the Glasgow scale was used to assess their consciousness. It was found that the risks associated with pressure ulcer development were: low scores on the Braden Scale on the first hospitalization day and low scores on the Glasgow scale. The results showed that these tools can help nurses to identify patients at risk, with a view to nursing care planning.Las ulceras de presión todavía representan un gran problema de salud en pacientes críticos. Este estudio, descriptivo y exploratorio, tuvo como objetivo evaluar los factores de riesgo para el desarrollo de la úlcera de presión presentes en pacientes internados en un centro de terapia intensiva de un hospital universitario. Los pacientes fueron evaluados utilizando la escala de Braden para determinar el riesgo de desarrollo de úlceras de presión e identificación de factores de riesgo individuales y con la escala de Glasgow para evaluar el nivel de conciencia. Se encontró que los factores de riesgo asociados al desarrollo de úlcera de presión fueron: las bajas puntuaciones de la Escala de Braden en el primer día de internación y las bajas puntuaciones de la escala de Glasgow. Los resultados confirmaron que estos instrumentos pueden ayudar al enfermero a identificar pacientes en riesgo y a planificar la asistencia.Úlceras de pressão ainda representam grande problema de saúde em pacientes críticos. Este estudo, descritivo e exploratório, objetivou avaliar os fatores de risco para o desenvolvimento de úlcera de pressão presentes em pacientes internados em um centro de

Reverse engineering Turing Machines and insights into the Collatz conjecture

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John Nixon

2017-02-01

Full Text Available In this paper I have extended my earlier work \\cite{jn} on small Turing Machines (TMs by developing a method for obtaining recursive definitions of the irreducible regular rules (IRR for a TM when explicit formulae for them cannot be obtained. This has been illustrated by two examples. The first example was randomly chosen and the second example was designed to simulate the Collatz conjecture. Analysis of this TM based on the its IRR suggested new approaches that might be the basis for a proof of this conjecture. The method involves running the TM backwards from a configuration set (CS. This in general produces a tree of CSs at each step. The aim is to find CS's $\\mathtt{y}$ that are reachable from a CS $x$ that simply specifies the symbol about to be read and the machine state. This means that following the computation forward from $x$ by adding some symbols when needed at the pointer, the CS $y$ can be reached. These CS's form the basis of the LHS's of the IRR.

Space-Bounded Church-Turing Thesis and Computational Tractability of Closed Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Braverman, Mark; Schneider, Jonathan; Rojas, Cristóbal

2015-08-28

We report a new limitation on the ability of physical systems to perform computation-one that is based on generalizing the notion of memory, or storage space, available to the system to perform the computation. Roughly, we define memory as the maximal amount of information that the evolving system can carry from one instant to the next. We show that memory is a limiting factor in computation even in lieu of any time limitations on the evolving system-such as when considering its equilibrium regime. We call this limitation the space-bounded Church-Turing thesis (SBCT). The SBCT is supported by a simulation assertion (SA), which states that predicting the long-term behavior of bounded-memory systems is computationally tractable. In particular, one corollary of SA is an explicit bound on the computational hardness of the long-term behavior of a discrete-time finite-dimensional dynamical system that is affected by noise. We prove such a bound explicitly.

[French version of structured interviews for the Glasgow Outcome Scale: guidelines and first studies of validation].

Science.gov (United States)

Fayol, P; Carrière, H; Habonimana, D; Preux, P-M; Dumond, J-J

2004-05-01

The Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) is the most widely used outcome measure after traumatic brain injury. The GOS's reliability is improved by a structured interview. The two aims of this paper were to present a French version of the structured interview for the five-point Glasgow Outcome Scale and the extended eight-point GOS (GOSE) and to study their validity. The French version was developed using back-translation. Concurrent validity was studied by comparison with GOS/GOSE without structured interview. Inter-rater reliability was studied by comparison between assignments made by untrained head injury observers and trained head injury observers. Strength of agreement between ratings was assessed using the Kappa statistic. The French version and the guidelines for their use are given in the Appendix. Ratings were made for 25 brain injured patients and 25 relatives. Concurrent validity was good and inter-rater reliability was excellent. Using the structured interview for the GOS will give a more reliable assessment of the outcome of brain injured patients by French-speaking rehabilitation teams and a more precise assessment with the extended GOS.

Assessment of daytime outdoor comfort levels in and outside the urban area of Glasgow, UK.

Science.gov (United States)

Krüger, Eduardo; Drach, Patricia; Emmanuel, Rohinton; Corbella, Oscar

2013-07-01

To understand thermal preferences and to define a preliminary outdoor comfort range for the local population of Glasgow, UK, an extensive series of measurements and surveys was carried out during 19 monitoring campaigns from winter through summer 2011 at six different monitoring points in pedestrian areas of downtown Glasgow. For data collection, a Davis Vantage Pro2 weather station equipped with temperature and humidity sensors, cup anemometer with wind vane, silicon pyranometer and globe thermometer was employed. Predictions of the outdoor thermal index PET (physiologically equivalent temperature) correlated closely to the actual thermal votes of respondents. Using concurrent measurements from a second Davis Vantage Pro2 weather station placed in a rural setting approximately 15 km from the urban area, comparisons were drawn with regard to daytime thermal comfort levels and urban-rural temperature differences (∆T(u-r)) for the various sites. The urban sites exhibited a consistent lower level of thermal discomfort during daytime. No discernible effect of urban form attributes in terms of the sky-view factor were observed on ∆Tu-r or on the relative difference of the adjusted predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD*).

MyCity: Glasgow – how can a mobile app based game increase physical activity in the context of a mass spectator sporting event?

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Cindy Gray

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Background: There are many mobile applications being developed to promote healthy lifestyles. Some use gamification as well as psychological behaviour change techniques (BCTs to increase engagement and potential impact on health behaviours. Despite growing research in this area, there is little evidence of game-based apps being rigorously evaluated ‘in the wild’ to explore the mechanisms through which they can achieve widespread user-engagement and health behaviour change. MyCity: Glasgow is a mobile app-based game that aims to use BCTs (self-monitoring of physical activity with daily goal setting and feedback, gamification principles (self-expression, achievement (e.g., quizzes, status and competition and GPS-based features (e.g., challenge trails to encourage users to physically visit locations around Glasgow to increase physical activity (PA and engagement with Glasgow during the period of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Aim: To use an ‘in the wild’ evaluation to explore the potential and mechanisms of action of a mobile app-based game to increase users’ PA and engagement with their local area. Methods: MyCity: Glasgow was released on Google Play and Apple App Stores in early summer 2014, and real-time usage data logged for 3 months. A mixed-methods approach used quantitative android phone-logged data, an online user experience survey (N=56 and qualitative user interviews (n=11 to investigate uptake, use of behaviour change and gamification features, and impact on physical activity. Results: The app was downloaded 1096 times (android N=673; iOS N=423. Most users were aged 12-25 years (43.1% or 26-40 years (32.6%, with uptake declining with age; over half (51.5% described themselves as physically inactive at baseline. Almost a quarter (24.3% of daily activity goals were achieved; 3,907 quiz questions were attempted, over 72% of which were answered correctly. Survey respondents and interview participants endorsed the self-monitoring and

Self-Organized Patterns Induced by Neimark-Sacker, Flip and Turing Bifurcations in a Discrete Predator-Prey Model with Lesie-Gower Functional Response

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Feifan Zhang

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The formation of self-organized patterns in predator-prey models has been a very hot topic recently. The dynamics of these models, bifurcations and pattern formations are so complex that studies are urgently needed. In this research, we transformed a continuous predator-prey model with Lesie-Gower functional response into a discrete model. Fixed points and stability analyses were studied. Around the stable fixed point, bifurcation analyses including: flip, Neimark-Sacker and Turing bifurcation were done and bifurcation conditions were obtained. Based on these bifurcation conditions, parameters values were selected to carry out numerical simulations on pattern formation. The simulation results showed that Neimark-Sacker bifurcation induced spots, spirals and transitional patterns from spots to spirals. Turing bifurcation induced labyrinth patterns and spirals coupled with mosaic patterns, while flip bifurcation induced many irregular complex patterns. Compared with former studies on continuous predator-prey model with Lesie-Gower functional response, our research on the discrete model demonstrated more complex dynamics and varieties of self-organized patterns.

The NATO Advanced Study Institute on New Vistas in Electro-Nuclear Physics

CERN Document Server

Caplan, H S; Dressler, E T; The NATO Advanced Study Institute on New Vistas in Electro-Nuclear Physics

1986-01-01

The NATO Advanced Study Institute "New Vistas in Electro-Nuclear Physics" was held in Banff, Alberta, Canada from August 22 to September 4, 1985. This volume con­ tains the lecture notes from that Institute. The idea to organize this Institute coincided with the award of funding for a pulse stretcher ring at the University of Saskatchewan's Linear Accelerator Laboratory. This together with the high level of interest in electron accelerators worldwide convinced us that it was an appropriate time to discuss the physics to be learned with such machines. In particular that physics which requires high energy and/or high duty cycle accelerators for its extraction was intended to be the focus of the Institute. Thus the scope of the lec­ tures was wide, with topics ranging from the structure of the trinucleons to quark models of nucleons, QCD, and QHD. The theme however was that we are just trying to under­ stand the nucleus and that the electromagnetic probe can serve as a powerful tool in such a quest.

Validation of the Glasgow-Blatchford Scoring System to predict mortality in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding in a hospital of Lima, Peru (June 2012-December 2013)

OpenAIRE

Cassana, Alessandra; Scialom, Silvia; Segura, Eddy R.; Chacaltana, Alfonso

2015-01-01

Background and aim: Upper gastrointestinal bleeding is a major cause of hospitalization and the most prevalent emergency worldwide, with a mortality rate of up to 14%. In Peru, there have not been any studies on the use of the Glasgow-Blatchford Scoring System to predict mortality in upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The aim of this study is to perform an external validation of the Glasgow-Blatchford Scoring System and to establish the best cutoff for predicting mortality in upper gastrointest...

Variations of the entrepreneurial city: Goals, roles visions in Rotterdam’s Kop van Zuid and the Glasgow Harbour megaprojects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Doucet, B.M.

2013-01-01

Both Rotterdam’s Kop van Zuid and the Glasgow Harbour waterfront developments are examples of different forms of European urban entrepreneurial megaprojects. They are both situated on formerly vacant land in older industrial cities. In Rotterdam, the municipality has taken the initiative in

Turing-like structures in a functional model of cortical spreading depression

Science.gov (United States)

Verisokin, A. Yu.; Verveyko, D. V.; Postnov, D. E.

2017-12-01

Cortical spreading depression (CSD) along with migraine waves and spreading depolarization events with stroke or injures are the front-line examples of extreme physiological behaviors of the brain cortex which manifest themselves via the onset and spreading of localized areas of neuronal hyperactivity followed by their depression. While much is known about the physiological pathways involved, the dynamical mechanisms of the formation and evolution of complex spatiotemporal patterns during CSD are still poorly understood, in spite of the number of modeling studies that have been already performed. Recently we have proposed a relatively simple mathematical model of cortical spreading depression which counts the effects of neurovascular coupling and cerebral blood flow redistribution during CSD. In the present study, we address the main dynamical consequences of newly included pathways, namely, the changes in the formation and propagation speed of the CSD front and the pattern formation features in two dimensions. Our most notable finding is that the combination of vascular-mediated spatial coupling with local regulatory mechanisms results in the formation of stationary Turing-like patterns during a CSD event.

Geology and climatic indicators in the Westphalian A New Glasgow formation, Nova Scotia, Canada: implications for the genesis of coal and of sandstone-hosted lead deposits

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chandler, F.W. [Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, ON (Canada)

1998-03-01

Disagreement exists on whether the early Pennsylvanian climate of the Euramerican coal province was everwet or seasonal. Abundant paleopedological evidence, including calcrete-bearing vertisols, shows that during formation of Westphalian C to Stephanian coals in Nova Scotia, the climate was tropical and seasonal with a pronounced by dry season; but interpretation of Westphalian A-B coal-bearing sequences lacks this form of evidence. Development of calcrete-bearing vertisols in alluvial fan deposits of the Westphalian A New Glasgow formation indicate that a tropical climate with a pronounced dry season was already in force by early Westphalian time. During the dry season, the coal swamps of the early Westphalian Joggins and Springhill Mines formations were fed by groundwater from coeval alluvial fan deposits of the Polly Brook Formation at the basin margin. Sedimentological evidence indicates that, similarly, groundwater flowed northward from the toe of the New Glasgow alluvial fan, but correlative palustrine sediments have not been found on land in the New Glasgow area. The possibility remains of an early Westphalian coalfield associated with the New Glasgow formation to the north under the Northumberland Strait and Gulf of St. Lawrence. Formation of the Yava sandstone-hosted lead deposit in the fluvial Silver Mine Formation of Cape Breton Island, a stratigraphic equivalent of the Cumberland Basin coal swamps, indicates that such deposits can form in fluvial strata deposited under a tropical seasonal climate with a pronounced dry season.

Delay-induced Turing-like waves for one-species reaction-diffusion model on a network

Science.gov (United States)

Petit, Julien; Carletti, Timoteo; Asllani, Malbor; Fanelli, Duccio

2015-09-01

A one-species time-delay reaction-diffusion system defined on a complex network is studied. Traveling waves are predicted to occur following a symmetry-breaking instability of a homogeneous stationary stable solution, subject to an external nonhomogeneous perturbation. These are generalized Turing-like waves that materialize in a single-species populations dynamics model, as the unexpected byproduct of the imposed delay in the diffusion part. Sufficient conditions for the onset of the instability are mathematically provided by performing a linear stability analysis adapted to time-delayed differential equations. The method here developed exploits the properties of the Lambert W-function. The prediction of the theory are confirmed by direct numerical simulation carried out for a modified version of the classical Fisher model, defined on a Watts-Strogatz network and with the inclusion of the delay.

Neither Shoreditch nor Manhattan: Post-politics, 'soft austerity urbanism' and real abstraction in Glasgow North

OpenAIRE

Gray, Neil

2018-01-01

Speirs Locks is being re-constructed as a new cultural quarter in Glasgow North, with urban boosters envisioning the unlikely, rundown and de-populated light industrial estate as a key site in the city's ongoing cultural regeneration strategy. Yet this creative place-making initiative, I argue, masks a post-political conjuncture based on urban speculation, displacement and the foreclosure of dissent. Post-politics at Speirs Locks is characterised by what I term ‘soft austerity urbanism’: seem...

Turing instability for a competitor-competitor-mutualist model with nonlinear cross-diffusion effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wen, Zijuan; Fu, Shengmao

2016-01-01

This paper deals with a strongly coupled reaction-diffusion system modeling a competitor-competitor-mutualist three-species model with diffusion, self-diffusion and nonlinear cross-diffusion and subject to Neumann boundary conditions. First, we establish the persistence of a corresponding reaction-diffusion system without self- and cross-diffusion. Second, the global asymptotic stability of the unique positive equilibrium for weakly coupled PDE system is established by using a comparison method. Moreover, under certain conditions about the intra- and inter-species effects, we prove that the uniform positive steady state is linearly unstable for the cross-diffusion system when one of the cross-diffusions is large enough. The results indicate that Turing instability can be driven solely from strong diffusion effect of the first species (or the second species or the third species) due to the pressure of the second species (or the first species).

Is proximity to a food retail store associated with diet and BMI in Glasgow, Scotland?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ball Kylie

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Access to healthy food is often seen as a potentially important contributor to diet. Policy documents in many countries suggest that variations in access contribute to inequalities in diet and in health. Some studies, mostly in the USA, have found that proximity to food stores is associated with dietary patterns, body weight and socio-economic differences in diet and obesity, whilst others have found no such relationships. We aim to investigate whether proximity to food retail stores is associated with dietary patterns or Body Mass Index in Glasgow, a large city in the UK. Methods We mapped data from a 'Health and Well-Being Survey' (n = 991, and a list of food stores (n = 741 in Glasgow City, using ArcGIS, and undertook network analysis to find the distance from respondents' home addresses to the nearest fruit and vegetable store, small general store, and supermarket. Results We found few statistically significant associations between proximity to food retail outlets and diet or obesity, for unadjusted or adjusted models, or when stratifying by gender, car ownership or employment. Conclusions The findings suggest that in urban settings in the UK the distribution of retail food stores may not be a major influence on diet and weight, possibly because most urban residents have reasonable access to food stores.

Archaeology in the Átures Rapids of the Middle Orinoco, Venezuela

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Natalia Lozada Mendieta

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper briefly reports on the initial results of a new Leverhulme-sponsored four-year archaeological project (RPG 234- 2014 centred on the Átures Rapids area of the Middle Orinoco River, Amazonas State, Venezuela (Fig. 1. The Cotúa Island Reflexive Archaeology Project seeks to establish the longue durée historical processes that by early colonial times culminated in the region’s reputation for being a key crossroads – where diverse ethno-linguistic groups from far-flung regions converged to trade (Oliver et al. 2014. Harnessing new evi- dence, it aims to elucidate how interaction between such diverse indigenous groups unfolded and the role it played in forg- ing ethnogenesis. Through archaeological research, it seeks to gain new insights into its history and elucidate regional patterns of exchange through the study of technical andstylisticdimensionsofmaterialculture. It also aims to investigate the abundant pre-colonial rock art and its relationships to the landscape and aboriginal oral tradi- tions. Finally, it seeks to understand how Western and Non-western archaeological knowledge is produced by engaging with the current indigenous groups as partners in (reconstructing history.

The essential Turing Seminal writings in computing, logic, philosophy, artificial intelligence, and artificial life plus the secrets of enigma

CERN Document Server

2004-01-01

The ideas that gave birth to the computer age. Alan Turing, pioneer of computing and WWII codebreaker, was one of the most important and influential thinkers of the twentieth century. In this volume for the first time his key writings are made available to a broad, non-specialist readership. They make fascinating reading both in their own right and for their historic significance: contemporary computational theory, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and artificial life all spring from this ground-breaking work, which is also rich. in philosophical and logical insight. An introduction

Interconnected synchronicities: the production of Bombay and Glasgow as modern global ports c.1850–1880

OpenAIRE

Hazareesingh, Sandip

2009-01-01

Cain and Hopkins' influential theory of British imperialism opted for a metropolitan-based model of explanation, rooted in the interests of a City-of-London-based class of ‘gentlemanly capitalists’, and discounting in the process events and experiences in the colonies and the significance of industrialization. By focusing on the simultaneous emergence of Bombay and Glasgow as modern, global ports in the second half of the nineteenth century, this article argues, in diametrical opposition, for...

Lithostratigraphy does not always equal lithology: lessons learned in communicating uncertainty from stochastic modelling glacial and post glacial deposits in Glasgow U.K.

Science.gov (United States)

Kearsey, Tim; Williams, John; Finlayson, Andrew; Williamson, Paul; Dobbs, Marcus; Kingdon, Andrew; Campbell, Diarmad

2014-05-01

Geological maps and 3D models usually depict lithostragraphic units which can comprise of many different types of sediment (lithologies). The lithostratigraphic units shown on maps and 3D models of glacial and post glacial deposits in Glasgow are substantially defined by the method of the formation and age of the unit rather than its lithological composition. Therefore, a simple assumption that the dominant lithology is the most common constituent of any stratigraphic unit is erroneous and is only 58% predictive of the actual sediment types seen in a borehole. This is problematic for non-geologist such as planners, regulators and engineers attempting to use these models to inform their decisions and can lead to such users viewing maps and models as of limited use in such decision making. We explore the extent to which stochastic modelling can help to make geological models more predictive of lithology in heterolithic units. Stochastic modelling techniques are commonly used to model facies variations in oil field models. The techniques have been applied to an area containing >4000 coded boreholes to investigate the glacial and fluvial deposits in the centre of the city of Glasgow. We test the predictions from this method by deleting percentages of the control data and re-running the simulations to determine how predictability varies with data density. We also explore the best way of displaying such stochastic models to and suggest that displaying the data as probability maps rather than a single definitive answer better illustrates the uncertainties inherent in the input data. Finally we address whether is it possible truly to be able to predict lithology in such geological facies. The innovative Accessing Subsurface Knowledge (ASK) network was recently established in the Glasgow are by the British Geological Survey and Glasgow City Council to deliver and exchange subsurface data and knowledge. This provides an idea opportunity to communicate and test a range of

AN OBSERVATIONAL CLINICAL STUDY OF ASSESSING THE UTILITY OF PSS (POISON SEVERITY SCORE AND GCS (GLASGOW COMA SCALE SCORING SYSTEMS IN PREDICTING SEVERITY AND CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN OP POISONING

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S. Chandrasekhar

2017-05-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND Organophosphorus compound poisoning is the most common poisonings in India because of easy availability often requiring ICU care and ventilator support. Clinical research has indicated that respiratory failure is the most important cause of death due to organophosphorus poisoning. It results in respiratory muscle weakness, pulmonary oedema, respiratory depression, increased secretions and bronchospasm. These complications and death can be prevented with timely institution of ventilator support. MATERIALS AND METHODS Hundred consecutive patients admitted with a history of organophosphorus poisoning at Kurnool Medical College, Kurnool, were taken for study after considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Detailed history, confirmation of poisoning, examination and other than routine investigations, serum pseudocholinesterase and arterial blood gas analysis was done. The severity and clinical outcomes in OP poisoning is graded by PSS (poison severity score and GCS (Glasgow coma scale scoring systems. RESULTS This study was conducted in 100 patients with male preponderance. Majority of poisoning occurred in 21-30 age group (n=5. Most common compound consumed in our study was methyl parathion and least common was phosphoran. Slightly more than half of the patients consumed less than 50 mL of poison. 21 patients consumed between 50 to 100 mL. Distribution of poison severity score of patients studied showed 45 cases of grade 1 poisoning. 26 cases of grade 2 poisoning, 23 cases of grade 3 poisoning and 6 cases of grade 4 poisoning (death within first 24 hours. Distribution of GCS score of patients studied GCS scores were <10 in 25 patients at admission and 24 patients after 24 hours. GCS scores were ≥10 in 75 patients at admission and 76 patients after 24 hours. Poison severity score is not prognostic, but merely defines severity of OP poisoning at a given time. CONCLUSION Both Glasgow coma scale and poison severity scoring systems

Bicycle and Car Share Schemes as Inclusive Modes of Travel? A Socio-Spatial Analysis in Glasgow, UK

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Julie Clark

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Public bicycle and car sharing schemes have proliferated in recent years and are increasingly part of the urban transport landscape. Shared transport options have the potential to support social inclusion by improving accessibility: these initiatives could remove some of the barriers to car ownership or bicycle usage such as upfront costs, maintenance and storage. However, the existing evidence base indicates that, in reality, users are most likely to be white, male and middle class. This paper argues that there is a need to consider the social inclusivity of sharing schemes and to develop appropriate evaluation frameworks accordingly. We therefore open by considering ways in which shared transport schemes might be inclusive or not, using a framework developed from accessibility planning. In the second part of the paper, we use the case study of Glasgow in Scotland to undertake a spatial equity analysis of such schemes. We examine how well they serve different population groups across the city, using the locations of bicycle stations and car club parking spaces in Glasgow, comparing and contrasting bike and car. An apparent failure to deliver benefits across the demographic spectrum raises important questions about the socially inclusive nature of public investment in similar schemes.

Out-of-home food outlets and area deprivation: case study in Glasgow, UK

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Cummins Steven

2005-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There is a popular belief that out-of-home eating outlets, which typically serve energy dense food, may be more commonly found in more deprived areas and that this may contribute to higher rates of obesity and related diseases in such areas. Methods We obtained a list of all 1301 out-of-home eating outlets in Glasgow, UK, in 2003 and mapped these at unit postcode level. We categorised them into quintiles of area deprivation using the 2004 Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation and computed mean density of types of outlet (restaurants, fast food restaurants, cafes and takeaways, and all types combined, per 1000 population. We also estimated odds ratios for the presence of any outlets in small areas within the quintiles. Results The density of outlets, and the likelihood of having any outlets, was highest in the second most affluent quintile (Q2 and lowest in the second most deprived quintile (Q4. Mean outlets per 1,000 were 4.02 in Q2, 1.20 in Q4 and 2.03 in Q5. With Q2 as the reference, Odds Ratios for having any outlets were 0.52 (CI 0.32–0.84 in Q1, 0.50 (CI 0.31 – 0.80 in Q4 and 0.61 (CI 0.38 – 0.98 in Q5. Outlets were located in the City Centre, West End, and along arterial roads. Conclusion In Glasgow those living in poorer areas are not more likely to be exposed to out-of-home eating outlets in their neighbourhoods. Health improvement policies need to be based on empirical evidence about the location of fast food outlets in specific national and local contexts, rather than on popular 'factoids'.

The state of radiological protection; views of the radiation protection profession: IRPA13, Glasgow, May 2012

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lazo, Edward; Smith, Rachel; Coates, Roger; Andersen, Ralph; Asano, Yoshihiro; Chapple, Claire-Louise; Faulkner, Keith; Hefner, Alfred; Hill, Marion; Jones, Rick; Larsson, Carl-Magnus; Liebenberg, Gert; Visage, Abrie; Liland, Astrid; McKinlay, Alastair; Menzel, Hans-Georg; Perks, Christopher; Rodriguez, Manuel; Schieber, Caroline; Shaw, Peter

2012-01-01

The IRPA13 Congress took place from 14–18 May 2012 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK, and was attended by almost 1500 radiological protection professionals. The scientific programme of the Congress was designed to capture a snapshot of the profession’s views of the current state of knowledge, and of the challenges seen for the coming years. This paper provides a summary of these results of the Congress in twelve key scientific areas that served as the structural backbone of IRPA13. (memorandum)

Quantum Kolmogorov complexity and the quantum Turing machine

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mueller, M.

2007-08-31

The purpose of this thesis is to give a formal definition of quantum Kolmogorov complexity and rigorous mathematical proofs of its basic properties. Classical Kolmogorov complexity is a well-known and useful measure of randomness for binary strings. In recent years, several different quantum generalizations of Kolmogorov complexity have been proposed. The most natural generalization is due to A. Berthiaume et al. (2001), defining the complexity of a quantum bit (qubit) string as the length of the shortest quantum input for a universal quantum computer that outputs the desired string. Except for slight modifications, it is this definition of quantum Kolmogorov complexity that we study in this thesis. We start by analyzing certain aspects of the underlying quantum Turing machine (QTM) model in a more detailed formal rigour than was done previously. Afterwards, we apply these results to quantum Kolmogorov complexity. Our first result is a proof of the existence of a universal QTM which simulates every other QTM for an arbitrary number of time steps and than halts with probability one. In addition, we show that every input that makes a QTM almost halt can be modified to make the universal QTM halt entirely, by adding at most a constant number of qubits. It follows that quantum Kolmogorov complexity has the invariance property, i.e. it depends on the choice of the universal QTM only up to an additive constant. Moreover, the quantum complexity of classical strings agrees with classical complexity, again up to an additive constant. The proofs are based on several analytic estimates. Furthermore, we prove several incompressibility theorems for quantum Kolmogorov complexity. Finally, we show that for ergodic quantum information sources, complexity rate and entropy rate coincide with probability one. The thesis is finished with an outlook on a possible application of quantum Kolmogorov complexity in statistical mechanics. (orig.)

The Glasgow Prognostic Score. An useful tool to predict survival in patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Henry, Maria Aparecida Coelho de Arruda; Lerco, Mauro Masson; de Oliveira, Walmar Kerche; Guerra, Anderson Roberto; Rodrigues, Maria Aparecida Marchesan

2015-08-01

To evaluate the usefulness of the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) in patients with esophageal carcinoma (EC). A total of 50 patients with EC were analyzed for GPS, nutritional and clinicopathologic parameters. Patients with CRP ≤ 1.0mg/L and albumin ≥ 3.5mg/L were considered as GPS = 0. Patients with only CRP increased or albumin decreased were classified as GPS = 1 and patients with CRP > 1.0mg/L and albumin L were considered as GPS = 2. GPS of 0, 1 and 2 were observed in seven, 23 and 20 patients, respectively. A significant inverse relationship was observed between GPS scores and the survival rate. The survival rate was greatest in patients with GPS = 0 and significantly higher than those from patients with GPS = 1 and GPS = 2. Minimum 12-month survival was observed in 71% patients with GPS = 0 and in 30% patients with GPS = 1. None of the patients with GPS = 2 survived for 12 months. A significant relationship between CRP or albumin individually and the survival rate was observed. No significant relationship among nutritional, clinic pathological parameters and survival was found. Glasgow Prognostic Score is an useful tool to predict survival in patients with esophageal carcinoma.

The Glasgow Prognostic Score Predicts Response to Chemotherapy in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Dexing; Duan, Li; Tu, Zhiquan; Yan, Fei; Zhang, Cuicui; Li, Xu; Cao, Yuzhu; Wen, Hongsheng

2016-01-01

Breast cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer death in women worldwide. The Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), a cumulative prognostic score based on C-reactive protein and albumin, indicates the presence of a systemic inflammatory response. The GPS has been adopted as a powerful prognostic tool for patients with various types of malignant tumors, including breast cancer. The aim of this study was to assess the value of the GPS in predicting the response and toxicity in breast cancer patients treated with chemotherapy. Patients with metastatic breast cancers in a progressive stage for consideration of chemotherapy were eligible. The clinical characteristics and demographics were recorded. The GPS was calculated before the onset of chemotherapy. Data on the response to chemotherapy and progression-free survival (PFS) were also collected. Objective tumor responses were evaluated according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST). Toxicities were graded according to National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI-CTC) version 3.0 throughout therapy. In total, 106 breast cancer patients were recruited. The GPS was associated with the response rate (p = 0.05), the clinical benefit rate (p = 0.03), and PFS (p = 0.005). The GPS was the only independent predictor of PFS (p = 0.005). The GPS was significantly associated with neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, anorexia, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, and mucositis (p = 0.05-0.001). Our data demonstrate that GPS assessment is associated with poor clinical outcomes and severe chemotherapy-related toxicities in patients with metastatic breast cancer who have undergone chemotherapy, without any specific indication regarding the type of chemotherapy applied. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Performance of New Thresholds of the Glasgow Blatchford Score in Managing Patients With Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laursen, Stig B; Dalton, Harry R; Murray, Iain A

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage (UGIH) is a common cause of hospital admission. The Glasgow Blatchford score (GBS) is an accurate determinant of patients' risk for hospital-based intervention or death. Patients with a GBS of 0 are at low risk for poor outcome and could....... METHODS: We performed an observational study of 2305 consecutive patients presenting with UGIH at 4 centers (Scotland, England, Denmark, and New Zealand). The performance of each threshold and modification was evaluated based on sensitivity and specificity analyses, the proportion of low-risk patients...

Do children with Glasgow 13/14 could be identified as mild traumatic brain injury? Pacientes pediátricos com Glasgow 13 ou 14 podem ser identificados como traumatismo craniano leve?

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José Roberto Tude Melo

2010-06-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To identify in mild head injured children the major differences between those with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS 15 and GCS 13/14. METHOD: Cross-sectional study accomplished through information derived from medical records of mild head injured children presented in the emergency room of a Pediatric Trauma Centre level I, between May 2007 and May 2008. RESULTS: 1888 patients were included. The mean age was 7.6±5.4 years; 93.7% had GCS 15; among children with GCS 13/14, 46.2% (pOBJETIVO: Identificar as principais diferenças entre os pacientes com Escala de Coma de Glasgow (GCS 15 e aqueles com escore 13/14. MÉTODO: Estudo realizado por meio da revisão de prontuários médicos de crianças vítimas de traumatismo craniencefálico leve, admitidas em Centro de Urgências Pediátricas nível I, durante um ano. RESULTADOS: Incluídas 1888 vítimas; idade média de 7,6±5,4 anos; 93,7% apresentaram pontuação 15 na GCS. Naqueles com pontuação 13/14, 46,2% (p<0,001 sofreram traumas múltiplos e 52,1% (p<0,001 apresentaram alterações na tomografia de crânio. Tratamento neurocirúrgico foi necessário em 6,7% dos pacientes com GCS 13/14 e 9,2% (p=0,001 apresentaram seqüelas neurológicas no momento da alta hospitalar. CONCLUSÃO: Crianças com escore 13/14 apresentam maior prevalência de traumas múltiplos, alterações na tomografia de crânio, necessidade de tratamento neurocirúrgico e internação em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva. Devemos ser cautelosos ao classificar crianças com pontuação 13/14 na GCS como vítimas de traumatismo craniano leve.

Item-Level Psychometrics of the Glasgow Outcome Scale: Extended Structured Interviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Ickpyo; Li, Chih-Ying; Velozo, Craig A

2016-04-01

The Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOSE) structured interview captures critical components of activities and participation, including home, shopping, work, leisure, and family/friend relationships. Eighty-nine community dwelling adults with mild-moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI) were recruited (average = 2.7 year post injury). Nine items of the 19 items were used for the psychometrics analysis purpose. Factor analysis and item-level psychometrics were investigated using the Rasch partial-credit model. Although the principal components analysis of residuals suggests that a single measurement factor dominates the measure, the instrument did not meet the factor analysis criteria. Five items met the rating scale criteria. Eight items fit the Rasch model. The instrument demonstrated low person reliability (0.63), low person strata (2.07), and a slight ceiling effect. The GOSE demonstrated limitations in precisely measuring activities/participation for individuals after TBI. Future studies should examine the impact of the low precision of the GOSE on effect size. © The Author(s) 2016.

A Comparative Study of Glasgow Coma Scale and Full Outline of Unresponsiveness Scores for Predicting Long-Term Outcome After Brain Injury.

Science.gov (United States)

McNett, Molly M; Amato, Shelly; Philippbar, Sue Ann

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to compare predictive ability of hospital Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores and scores obtained using a novel coma scoring tool (the Full Outline of Unresponsiveness [FOUR] scale) on long-term outcomes among patients with traumatic brain injury. Preliminary research of the FOUR scale suggests that it is comparable with GCS for predicting mortality and functional outcome at hospital discharge. No research has investigated relationships between coma scores and outcome 12 months postinjury. This is a prospective cohort study. Data were gathered on adult patients with traumatic brain injury admitted to urban level I trauma center. GCS and FOUR scores were assigned at 24 and 72 hours and at hospital discharge. Glasgow Outcome Scale scores were assigned at 6 and 12 months. The sample size was n = 107. Mean age was 53.5 (SD = ±21, range = 18-91) years. Spearman correlations were comparable and strongest among discharge GCS and FOUR scores and 12-month outcome (r = .73, p coma scores performed best for both tools, with GCS discharge scores predictive in multivariate models.

Assessment of nurse's knowledge about Glasgow coma scale at a university hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Santos, Wesley Cajaíba; Vancini-Campanharo, Cássia Regina; Lopes, Maria Carolina Barbosa Teixeira; Okuno, Meiry Fernanda Pinto; Batista, Ruth Ester Assayag

2016-01-01

To assess knowledge of nurses of emergency services and intensive care units about Glasgow Coma Scale. This cross-sectional analytical study included 127 nurses of critical units of an university hospital. We used structured interview with 12 questions to evaluate their knowledge about the scale. Association of Knowledge with professionals' sociodemographic variables were verified by the Fisher-test, χ2 and likelihood ratio. Most of participants were women mean aged 31.1 years, they had graduated more than 5 years previously, and had 1 to 3 years of work experience. In the assessment of best score possible for Glasgow scale (question 3) nurses who had graduate more than 5 years ago presented a lower percentage success rate (p=0.0476). However, in the question 7, which evaluated what interval of the scale indicated moderate severity of brain trauma injury, those with more years of experience had higher percentage of correct answers (p=0.0251). In addition, nurses from emergency service had more correct answers than nurses from intensive care unit (p=0.0143) in the same question. Nurses graduated for more than 5 years ago had a lower percentage of correct answers in question 7 (p=0.0161). Nurses with more work experience had a better score (p=0.0119) to identify how assessment of motor response should be started. Number of year since graduation, experience, and work at critical care units interfered in nurses' knowledge about the scale, which indicates the need of training. Avaliar o conhecimento de enfermeiros de unidades críticas, serviços de emergência e unidades de terapia intensiva em relação à escala de coma de Glasgow. Estudo transversal e analítico com 127 enfermeiros de unidades críticas de um hospital universitário. Utilizou-se entrevista estruturada com 12 questões que avaliaram conhecimento sobre a escala. Associação do conhecimento com variáveis sociodemográficas dos profissionais foi verificada pelo teste de Fisher, teste χ2 e razão de

Estratégias de ensino-aprendizagem na enfermagem: análise pela Escala de Coma de Glasgow Estrategias de enseñanza y aprendizaje en enfermería: análisis por la Escala de coma de Glasgow Teaching-learning strategies in nursing: analysis using the Glasgow Coma Scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Beatriz Pinto da Silva Morita

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Usando como tema a Escala de Coma de Glasgow (ECGl, este estudo objetivou analisar e verificar a retenção do conhecimento frente às estratégias de ensino-aprendizagem e autoaprendizado oferecidas, e verificar o grau de conhecimento adquirido neste processo e a possível associação entre ser ou não aluno que trabalha na enfermagem. Estudo descritivo de abordagem quantitativa. Participaram 62 alunos regularmente matriculados no primeiro semestre do 4º ano de enfermagem. As estratégias de ensino-aprendizagem utilizadas foram: aula expositiva com diapositivos e videoteipe e texto-base. Dos participantes, 41,9% eram trabalhadores na enfermagem; 61,3% informaram ter cuidado de pacientes com alteração do nível de consciência, com predomínio no grupo em que trabalha. Houve incremento estatisticamente significante no percentual de acerto após a aula expositiva e o videoteipe, não havendo alteração no resultado após o autoaprendizado. Não houve diferença no grau de conhecimento adquirido entre os grupos.Usando como tema la Escala de Coma de Glasgow (ECGl, este estudio objetivó analizar y verificar la retención del conocimiento frente a las estrategias de enseñanza aprendizaje y auto aprendizaje ofrecidas; y, verificar el grado de conocimiento adquirido en ese proceso y la posible asociación entre ser o no alumno que trabaja en enfermería. Estudio descriptivo de abordaje cuantitativo. Participaron 62 alumnos regularmente matriculados en el primer semestre del 4ºaño de enfermería. Las estrategias de enseñanza aprendizaje utilizadas fueron: clase expositiva con diapositivas y videotape y texto base. De los participantes, 41,9% eran trabajadores de enfermería; 61,3% informaron haber cuidado de pacientes con alteración del nivel de conciencia, con predominio en el grupo que trabaja. Hubo un incremento estadísticamente significativo en el porcentaje de aciertos después de la clase expositiva e videotape, no hubo alteración en

Integrating Appreciative Inquiry (AI into architectural pedagogy: An assessment experiment of three retrofitted buildings in the city of Glasgow

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Ashraf M. Salama

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Recently there has been a growing trend to encourage learning outside the classrooms, so-called ‘universities without walls.’ To this end, mechanisms for learning beyond the boundaries of classroom settings can provide enhanced and challenging learning opportunities. This paper introduces Appreciative Inquiry (AI as a mechanism that integrates various forms of inquiry into learning. AI is operationalized as a Walking Tour assessment project which was introduced as part of the class Cultural and Behavioural Factors in Architecture and Urbanism delivered at the Department of Architecture, University of Strathclyde – Glasgow where thirty-two Master of Architecture students were enrolled. The Walking Tour assessment involved the exploration of 6 factors that delineate key design characteristics in three retrofitted buildings in Glasgow: Theatre Royal, Reid Building, and The Lighthouse. Working in groups, students assessed factors that included context, massing, interface, wayfinding, socio-spatial, and comfort. Findings reveal that students were able to focus on critical issues that go beyond those adopted in traditional teaching practices while accentuating the value of introducing AI and utilizing the built environment as an educational medium. Conclusions are drawn to emphasize the need for structured learning experiences that enable making judgments about building qualities while effectively interrogating various characteristics.

Comparison between Modified Neuroendoscopy and Craniotomy Evacuation of Spontaneous Intra-Cerebral Hemorrhages: Study of Clinical Outcome and Glasgow Outcome Score

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Arie Ibrahim

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Background and Purposes: Stroke is still one of a leading health-care problem in industrial country and in the developing country. Spontaneous Intra-cerebral Hemorrhage accounts for 30–60% of all stroke admissions into a hospital. Presence of intra-cerebral hemorrhage is considered a poor prognostic factor due to the resultant obstruction to the mass effect following the presence of blood resulting in raised intracranial pressure. While the craniotomy procedure failed to show more benefits over functional outcome, a less invasive and quicker surgical decompression might improve the outcome. Neuroendoscopy is one of promising optional  on minimal invasive  treatment  for spontaneous intra-cerebral hemorrhage. Material and Methods: We evaluated Glasgow Outcome Score and clinical outcome of patients with Spontaneous Intra-cerebral Hemorrhage who underwent modified neuroendoscopic surgery and craniotomy. Randomized control trial was performed during 27 months in 43 patients. Twenty-five patients treated with neuroendoscopy surgery and 18 patients with craniotomy. The removal of intra-cerebral hemorrhage was done by a modified neuroendoscopic transparent sheath made of silastic material, derived from pieces of thoracic tube No. 21F as a conduit working channel. Results: We analyzed statistically, clinical outcome assessment and Glasgow Outcome Scale 6 months post operative follow-up period. The mortality rate was significantly higher by Pearson chi-square methods, in craniotomy group n=12 (63.2% compared with neuroendoscopy group, n=7 (36.8% (p<.005. Patients with Glasgow Outcome Scale score 3–5 was higher in neuroendoscopy group, n=18 (75% compared with craniotomy group n=6 (25%. The survival rate analyzed by Kaplan Meier methods, found that patients in the neuroendoscopy group were a significantly longer survival rate compare with the craniotomy group during 6 months post operative follow-up period. Conclusions: Treatment of spontaneous

The Landauer resistance and band spectra for the counting quantum Turing machine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benioff, P.

1996-01-01

In other work, the generalized counting quantum Turing machine (GCQTM) was studied. For any N this machine enumerates the first 2 N integers in succession as binary strings. The generalization consists of associating a potential with read 1 steps only. The Landauer Resistance (LR) and band spectra were determined for the tight binding Hamiltonians associated with the GCQTM for energies below the potential height. Here these calculations are extended to energies both above and below the barrier height. For parameters and potentials in the electron region, the LR fluctuates rapidly between very high and very low values as a function of momentum. The rapidity and extent of the fluctuations increases rapidly with increasing N. For N = 18, the largest value considered, the LR shows good transmission probability as a function of momentum with numerous holes of very high LR values present. This is true for energies both above and below the potential height. It is suggested that the main features of the LR can be explained by coherent superposition of the component waves reflected from or transmitted through or across the 2 N-1 potentials present in the distribution. If this explanation is correct, it provides a dramatic illustration of the effects of quantum nonlocality

Establishing consciousness in non-communicative patients: a modern-day version of the Turing test.

Science.gov (United States)

Stins, John F

2009-03-01

In a recent study of a patient in a persistent vegetative state, [Owen, A. M., Coleman, M. R., Boly, M., Davis, M. H., Laureys, S., & Pickard, J. D. (2006). Detecting awareness in the vegetative state. Science, 313, 1402] claimed that they had demonstrated the presence of consciousness in this patient. This bold conclusion was based on the isomorphy between brain activity in this patient and a set of conscious control subjects, obtained in various imagery tasks. However, establishing consciousness in unresponsive patients is fraught with methodological and conceptual difficulties. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that the current debate surrounding consciousness in VS patients has parallels in the artificial intelligence (AI) debate as to whether machines can think. Basically, (Owen et al., 2006) used a method analogous to the Turing test to reveal the presence of consciousness, whereas their adversaries adopted a line of reasoning akin to Searle's Chinese room argument. Highlighting the correspondence between these two debates can help to clarify the issues surrounding consciousness in non-communicative agents.

Wireless Mobile Computing and its Links to Descriptive Complexity

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Wiedermann, Jiří; Pardubská, D.

2008-01-01

Roč. 19, č. 4 (2008), s. 887-913 ISSN 0129-0541 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR 1ET100300517 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Keywords : alternating Turing machine * simulation * simultaneous time-space complexity * wireless parallel Turing machine Subject RIV: IN - Informatics, Computer Science Impact factor: 0.554, year: 2008

‘At-risk’ places: inequities in the distribution of environmental stressors and prescription rates of mental health medications in Glasgow, Scotland

Science.gov (United States)

Maantay, Juliana; Maroko, Andrew

2015-11-01

Using geospatial analytical methods, this study examines the association between one aspect of the built environment, namely, the concentration of vacant and derelict land (VDL), and the prevalence of mental health disorders (using the proxy variable of mental health medication prescription rates) in Glasgow, Scotland. This study builds on our previous research, which demonstrated the spatial correspondence between the locations of VDL in Glasgow and several physical health outcomes. Numerous studies of other locales have found similar correspondence between different elements of the built environment and various health outcomes. This is the first study of its kind to look at the spatial concentration of vacant and derelict land in relation to mental health, socio-economic indicators, environmental justice, and health inequities. The findings of this study demonstrate an inequity with respect to the distribution of vacant and derelict land, as confirmed by Pearson correlations between VDL density and deprivation (r = .521, p depression, or psychosis and the density of vacant and derelict land while adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics. This indicates that areas with higher VDL densities tend to exhibit higher rates of mental health issues. Based on these findings, strategies for constructive re-use of VDL are proposed.

Cost comparison of orthopaedic fracture pathways using discrete event simulation in a Glasgow hospital

Science.gov (United States)

Jenkins, Paul J; McDonald, David A; Van Der Meer, Robert; Morton, Alec; Nugent, Margaret; Rymaszewski, Lech A

2017-01-01

Objective Healthcare faces the continual challenge of improving outcome while aiming to reduce cost. The aim of this study was to determine the micro cost differences of the Glasgow non-operative trauma virtual pathway in comparison to a traditional pathway. Design Discrete event simulation was used to model and analyse cost and resource utilisation with an activity-based costing approach. Data for a full comparison before the process change was unavailable so we used a modelling approach, comparing a virtual fracture clinic (VFC) with a simulated traditional fracture clinic (TFC). Setting The orthopaedic unit VFC pathway pioneered at Glasgow Royal Infirmary has attracted significant attention and interest and is the focus of this cost study. Outcome measures Our study focused exclusively on patients with non-operative trauma attending emergency department or the minor injuries unit and the subsequent step in the patient pathway. Retrospective studies of patient outcomes as a result of the protocol introductions for specific injuries are presented in association with activity costs from the models. Results Patients are satisfied with the new pathway, the information provided and the outcome of their injuries (Evidence Level IV). There was a 65% reduction in the number of first outpatient face-to-face (f2f) attendances in orthopaedics. In the VFC pathway, the resources required per day were significantly lower for all staff groups (p≤0.001). The overall cost per patient of the VFC pathway was £22.84 (95% CI 21.74 to 23.92) per patient compared with £36.81 (95% CI 35.65 to 37.97) for the TFC pathway. Conclusions Our results give a clearer picture of the cost comparison of the virtual pathway over a wholly traditional f2f clinic system. The use of simulation-based stochastic costings in healthcare economic analysis has been limited to date, but this study provides evidence for adoption of this method as a basis for its application in other healthcare settings

Libraries as 'everyday' settings: the Glasgow MCISS project.

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Whitelaw, Sandy; Coburn, Jonathan; Lacey, Marion; McKee, Martin J; Hill, Carol

2017-10-01

A settings-based approach is now well-established in health promotion, initially undertaken in conventional places like schools and workplaces, but more recently being expressed in a wider range of what Torp et al. call 'everyday' settings. In this context, libraries have emerged as another potential setting whose ubiquity and accessibility suggests that they may be particularly effective in addressing health inequalities. Drawing on a case study-the Glasgow Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Services Library project-this paper reports on the potential for seeing 'libraries as settings' and in the context of a set of associated theoretical resources, specifically scrutinizes the nature of initiative implementation. Data were drawn from multiple sources: semi-structured interviews and focus groups with strategic partners and stakeholders, operational staff, project volunteers, service users and members of the general public. Qualitative data were complemented by quantitative insights from surveys with members of the partnership, libraries staff and volunteers. Despite some concerns associated with potentially hostile cultural and financial contexts that might threaten longer term sustainability, insights suggested that in pragmatic terms, the project was attracting sizable 'footfall' and successfully addressing a range of needs. Additionally, the formal implementation processes associated with project implementation were considered to have been highly successful in embedding the model into the library culture. In summary, there is evidence that libraries have the potential to be considered as supportive settings and could act as a model for an emergent vision of what libraries do. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Who's keeping the code? Compliance with the international code for the marketing of breast-milk substitutes in Greater Glasgow.

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McInnes, Rhona J; Wright, Charlotte; Haq, Shogufta; McGranachan, Margaret

2007-07-01

To evaluate compliance with the World Health Organization's International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes in primary care, after the introduction of strict local infant feeding guidelines. An audit form was sent to all community-based health professionals with an infant feeding remit. Walking tours were conducted in a random sample of community care facilities. Greater Glasgow Primary Care Division. (1) Primary-care staff with an infant feeding remit; (2) community health-care facilities. Contact with manufacturers of breast-milk substitutes (BMS) and BMS company personnel, free samples or incentives, and advertising of BMS. Contact with company personnel was minimal, usually unsolicited and was mainly to provide product information. Free samples of BMS or feeding equipment were rare but childcare or parenting literature was more prevalent. Staff voiced concerns about the lack of relevant information for bottle-feeding mothers and the need to support the mother's feeding choice. One-third of facilities were still displaying materials non-compliant with the Code, with the most common materials being weight conversion charts and posters. Contact between personnel from primary care and BMS companies was minimal and generally unsolicited. The presence of materials from BMS companies in health-care premises was more common. Due to the high level of bottle-feeding in Glasgow, primary-care staff stated a need for information about BMS.

Some studies of maternal and infant lead exposure in Glasgow

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moore, M.R.; Goldberg, A.; Pocock, S.J.; Meredith, A.; Stewart, I.M.; MacAnespie, H.; Lees, R.; Low, A.

1982-04-01

In two studies in the city of Glasgow, 236 mothers and their newly born infants and 117 mothers and their 6-weeks old children's environmental lead exposure were examined. In both studies blood lead concentrations were found to correlate significantly with the cube root of the domestic water lead concentrations. In the first study, multiple regression analyses of maternal blood lead and cord blood lead concentrations on other variables showed a significant negative correlation with gestational age. It was also noted that there was an annual fluctuation in maternal blood lead concentration with highest values in the autumn. In the second study, similar relationships were found. Although there was no association between blood lead and sex, age, place of birth or feeding method, as in the previous study, a significant association between social class and blood lead was found. This could be explained on the basis of the significant correlation between water lead and social class. In those mothers who breast fed, breast milk lead concentrations were found to correlate significantly with blood lead concentrations where breast milk lead was around one tenth of blood lead concentration. These studies emphasise the importance of water lead in the economy of environmental lead exposure to mothers and their unborn and newly born infants.

"And afterwards your body to be given for public dissection": a history of the murderers dissected in Glasgow and the west of Scotland.

Science.gov (United States)

Kennedy, S S; McLeod, K J; McDonald, S W

2001-02-01

Between 1752 and 1832, the bodies of hanged murderers were dissected or gibbeted. During this period, 38 murderers were executed in the West of Scotland. The bodies of at least 23 were dissected in Glasgow. The stories of these murders are recounted. Insight is also given into the attitudes of the public and the anatomists to dissection of executed murderers.

Effects of new motorway infrastructure on active travel in the local population: a retrospective repeat cross-sectional study in Glasgow, Scotland.

Science.gov (United States)

Olsen, Jonathan R; Mitchell, Richard; Ogilvie, David

2016-07-07

Promoting active travel is an important part of increasing population physical activity, which has both physical and mental health benefits. A key benefit described by the then Scottish Government of the five-mile M74 motorway extension, which opened during June 2011 in the south of Glasgow, was that the forecast reduction in motor traffic on local streets would make these streets safer for walking and cycling, thus increasing active travel by the local population. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of new motorway infrastructure on the proportion of journey stages made actively (cycling or on foot) by individuals travelling in and out of the local area. Data for the periods 2009-10 and 2012-13 were extracted from the Scottish Household Survey (SHS) travel diaries, which record each journey stage made during the previous day by a representative sample of the Scottish population aged 16 and over. Each individual journey stage was assigned to one of the following study areas surrounding existing and new transport infrastructure: (1) an area surrounding the new M74 motorway extension (n = 435 (2009-10), 543 (2012-13)), (2) a comparator area surrounding an existing motorway (n = 477 (2009-10), 560 (2012-13)), and (3) a control area containing no comparable motorway infrastructure (n = 541 (2009-10), 593 (2012-13)). Multivariable, multi-level regression analysis was performed to determine any between-area differences in change in active travel over time, which might indicate an intervention effect. Reference populations were defined using two alternative definitions, (1) Glasgow City and (2) Glasgow and surrounding local authorities. The results showed an increase in the proportion of journey stages using active travel in all study areas compared to both reference populations. However, there were no significant between-area differences to suggest an effect attributable the M74 motorway extension. There was no clear evidence that the M74 motorway

NATO Advanced Study Institute on Atoms in Strong Fields

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Clark, Charles; Nayfeh, Munir

1990-01-01

This book collects the lectures given at the NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Atoms in Strong Fields", which took place on the island of Kos, Greece, during the two weeks of October 9-21,1988. The designation "strong field" applies here to an external electromagnetic field that is sufficiently strong to cause highly nonlinear alterations in atomic or molecular struc­ ture and dynamics. The specific topics treated in this volume fall into two general cater­ gories, which are those for which strong field effects can be studied in detail in terrestrial laboratories: the dynamics of excited states in static or quasi-static electric and magnetic fields; and the interaction of atoms and molecules with intense laser radiation. In both areas there exist promising opportunities for research of a fundamental nature. An electric field of even a few volts per centimeter can be very strong on the atom­ ic scale, if it acts upon a weakly bound state. The study of Rydberg states with high reso­ lution laser spectroscop...

Mortality in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde employees: 2007-2009.

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Freer, K; Waclawski, E

2013-09-01

Just over a fifth of all deaths in Scotland occur in those under the age of 65. This study examined deaths in service in employees of the National Health Service Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GG&C) Health Board over a 3-year period. To assess crude death rates by occupational group, the main causes of death and evidence of causes that could have been prevented or modified by lifestyle changes. Demographic details, occupational grouping and death certificate data were obtained for all NHS GG&C employees who died in service between 2007 and 2009. A total of 138 employees died in this period. The occupational groups in which most deaths occurred were support services (porters, domestic and catering staff; 35%) and nurses (34%). The commonest causes of death were lung cancer (15%), ischaemic heart disease (9%) and suicide (9%). The overall crude death rate was 1.2/1000 persons/year (females 1.0 and males 1.7) and was highest among support services employees (2.4) and lowest among medical staff (0.5). The relative risk of death in support services was significantly greater than the majority of occupational groups. These findings suggest health inequality within this workforce. The main causes of death identified in the support services group could potentially be modified through workplace risk factor screening and health promotion.

Cost comparison of orthopaedic fracture pathways using discrete event simulation in a Glasgow hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Gillian H; Jenkins, Paul J; McDonald, David A; Van Der Meer, Robert; Morton, Alec; Nugent, Margaret; Rymaszewski, Lech A

2017-09-07

Healthcare faces the continual challenge of improving outcome while aiming to reduce cost. The aim of this study was to determine the micro cost differences of the Glasgow non-operative trauma virtual pathway in comparison to a traditional pathway. Discrete event simulation was used to model and analyse cost and resource utilisation with an activity-based costing approach. Data for a full comparison before the process change was unavailable so we used a modelling approach, comparing a virtual fracture clinic (VFC) with a simulated traditional fracture clinic (TFC). The orthopaedic unit VFC pathway pioneered at Glasgow Royal Infirmary has attracted significant attention and interest and is the focus of this cost study. Our study focused exclusively on patients with non-operative trauma attending emergency department or the minor injuries unit and the subsequent step in the patient pathway. Retrospective studies of patient outcomes as a result of the protocol introductions for specific injuries are presented in association with activity costs from the models. Patients are satisfied with the new pathway, the information provided and the outcome of their injuries (Evidence Level IV). There was a 65% reduction in the number of first outpatient face-to-face (f2f) attendances in orthopaedics. In the VFC pathway, the resources required per day were significantly lower for all staff groups (p≤0.001). The overall cost per patient of the VFC pathway was £22.84 (95% CI 21.74 to 23.92) per patient compared with £36.81 (95% CI 35.65 to 37.97) for the TFC pathway. Our results give a clearer picture of the cost comparison of the virtual pathway over a wholly traditional f2f clinic system. The use of simulation-based stochastic costings in healthcare economic analysis has been limited to date, but this study provides evidence for adoption of this method as a basis for its application in other healthcare settings. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise

Performance of new thresholds of the Glasgow Blatchford score in managing patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

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Laursen, Stig B; Dalton, Harry R; Murray, Iain A; Michell, Nick; Johnston, Matt R; Schultz, Michael; Hansen, Jane M; Schaffalitzky de Muckadell, Ove B; Blatchford, Oliver; Stanley, Adrian J

2015-01-01

Upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage (UGIH) is a common cause of hospital admission. The Glasgow Blatchford score (GBS) is an accurate determinant of patients' risk for hospital-based intervention or death. Patients with a GBS of 0 are at low risk for poor outcome and could be managed as outpatients. Some investigators therefore have proposed extending the definition of low-risk patients by using a higher GBS cut-off value, possibly with an age adjustment. We compared 3 thresholds of the GBS and 2 age-adjusted modifications to identify the optimal cut-off value or modification. We performed an observational study of 2305 consecutive patients presenting with UGIH at 4 centers (Scotland, England, Denmark, and New Zealand). The performance of each threshold and modification was evaluated based on sensitivity and specificity analyses, the proportion of low-risk patients identified, and outcomes of patients classified as low risk. There were differences in age (P = .0001), need for intervention (P 97%). The GBS at cut-off values of ≤1 and ≤2, and both modifications, identified low-risk patients with higher levels of specificity (40%-49%) than the GBS with a cut-off value of 0 (22% specificity; P < .001). The GBS at a cut-off value of ≤2 had the highest specificity, but 3% of patients classified as low-risk patients had adverse outcomes. All GBS cut-off values, and score modifications, had low levels of specificity when tested in New Zealand (2.5%-11%). A GBS cut-off value of ≤1 and both GBS modifications identify almost twice as many low-risk patients with UGIH as a GBS at a cut-off value of 0. Implementing a protocol for outpatient management, based on one of these scores, could reduce hospital admissions by 15% to 20%. Copyright © 2015 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: Prediction of Mortality From Clinical Presentation and Glasgow Aneurysm Score.

Science.gov (United States)

Weingarten, Toby N; Thompson, Lauren T; Licatino, Lauren K; Bailey, Christopher H; Schroeder, Darrell R; Sprung, Juraj

2016-04-01

To examine association of presenting clinical acuity and Glasgow Aneurysm Score (GAS) with perioperative and 1-year mortality. Retrospective chart review. Major tertiary care facility. Patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) from 2003 through 2013. Emergency repair of rAAA. The authors reviewed outcomes after stable versus unstable presentation and by GAS. Unstable presentation included hypotension, cardiac arrest, loss of consciousness, and preoperative tracheal intubation. In total, 125 patients (40 stable) underwent repair. Perioperative mortality rates were 41% and 12% in unstable and stable patients, respectively (pClinical presentation and GAS identified patients with rAAA who were likely to have a poor surgical outcome. GAS≥96 was associated with poor long-term survival, but>20% of these patients survived 1 year. Thus, neither clinical presentation nor GAS provided reliable guidance for decisions regarding futility of surgery. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Estudio de validación diagnóstica de la escala de Glasgow-Blatchford para la predicción de mortalidad en pacientes con hemorragia digestiva alta en un hospital de Lima, Perú (junio 2012-diciembre 2013)

OpenAIRE

Cassana Abad, Carla Alessandra; Scialom, Silvia; Segura, Eddy R.; Chacaltana, Alfonso

2015-01-01

Antecedentes y propósito del estudio: la hemorragia digestiva alta es una causa importante de ingreso hospitalario y constituye la principal emergencia gastroenterológica, con una tasa de mortalidad de hasta el 14%. En el Perú no existen estudios sobre el uso de la escala de Glasgow-Blatchford para predecir mortalidad por hemorragia digestiva alta. El objetivo de este estudio es realizar la validación externa de la escala de Glasgow-Blatchford y establecer su mejor punto de corte para predeci...

Escala de Coma de Glasgow: subestimação em pacientes com respostas verbais impedidas Escala de Coma de Glasgow: subestimación en pacientes con respuestas verbales impedidas Glasgow Coma Scale: underestimation in patients with verbal responses impeded

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Sumie Koizumi

2005-06-01

Full Text Available Questão freqüente no uso da Escala de Coma de Glasgow (ECGl, na fase aguda, em pacientes internados devido ao trauma crânio-encefálico (TCE é a subestimação decorrente de situações impeditivas como intubação endotraqueal/traqueostomia, sedação e edema palpebral. O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar e determinar a subestimação na pontuação total da ECGl quando se utiliza a pontuação 1 nas situações de impedimento para a sua avaliação. A amostra estudada foi de 76 pacientes internados com TCE no Hospital das Clínicas da FMUSP. Em 42 (55,3% pacientes, não havia impedimentos e foram realizadas 136 avaliações. Em 34 (44,7%, havia impedimentos caracterizados por intubação ou traqueostomia, podendo estar ou não associados com edema palpebral e sedação, e o total de avaliações foi de 310. A pontuação nesses pacientes total variou de 3 a 11, com os escores mais freqüentes de 3 e 6. Pelos valores estimados pela regressão linear, a partir das pontuações obtidas em AO e MRM foram obtidas as seguintes subestimações: média=1,03 ±1,36, mediana=0,54 (intubação ou traqueostomia; média=0,40 ±0,79, mediana=0,00 (intubação ou traqueostomia + sedação; média=0,57 ±0,96, mediana=0,27 (intubação ou traqueostomia + sedação + edema palpebral. Conclui-se que, no TCE grave, a pontuação total da ECGl fixando a MRV em 1, embora subestimada, encontra-se próxima da real.Cuestionamiento frecuente en el uso de la Escala de Coma de Glasgow (ECG, en la fase aguda, en pacientes internados debido al trauma craneoencefalico es la subestimación decorrient de situaciones impeditivas como intubación endotraqueal/traqueostomía, sedación y edema palpebral. El objetivo de ese estudio fue identificar y determinar la subestimación en la puntuación total de la ECG cuando es utilizada la puntuación 1 en las situaciones de impedimiento para su avaliación. La muestra estudiada fue de 76 pacientes internados por TEC en el

Correlations of particle number concentrations and metals with nitrogen oxides and other traffic-related air pollutants in Glasgow and London

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez Jiménez, Araceli; Heal, Mathew R.; Beverland, Iain J.

2012-07-01

Particle number concentration (PNC) and transition metal content are implicated in the health effects of airborne particulate matter (PM) but they are difficult to measure so consequently their temporal and spatial variations are not well characterized. Daily concentrations of PNC and particle-bound water-soluble metals (V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, As, Cd and Pb) were measured at background and kerbside sites in Glasgow and London to examine if other metrics of air pollution such as optical darkness (absorbance) of collected filter samples of PM, gravimetric PM, and NO, NO2 and CO gas concentrations, can be used as surrogates for the temporal and spatial variations of the former. NO2 and NOx exhibited a high degree of within-site correlation and with PNC and water-soluble metals (Fe, Cu, As, Cd, Pb) at background sites in both cities. There is therefore potential to use NO2 and NOx as surrogates for PNC and water-soluble metal at background sites. However, correlation was weaker in complex street canyon environments where pollutant concentrations are strongly affected by local sources and the small-scale variations in pollutant dispersion induced by the wind regimes within street canyons. The corollary of the high correlation between NO2 and PNC and water-soluble metals at the background sites is that the latter pollutants may act as confounders for health effects attributed to NO2 from such sites. Concentrations of CO cannot be used as a surrogate for PNC. Increments in daily NOx and NO2 concentrations between trafficked and background sites were shown to be a simple and novel surrogate for daily spatial variation of PNC; for example, increments in NOx explained 78-79% of the variance in PNC at the paired sites in both Glasgow and London, but relationships were city specific. The increments in NOx also explained 70% of the spatial variation in Cu and Ni in Glasgow but not in London. Weekly NO2 measurements derived from passive diffusion tubes were also shown to

Interacting Turing-Hopf Instabilities Drive Symmetry-Breaking Transitions in a Mean-Field Model of the Cortex: A Mechanism for the Slow Oscillation

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Steyn-Ross, Moira L.; Steyn-Ross, D. A.; Sleigh, J. W.

2013-04-01

Electrical recordings of brain activity during the transition from wake to anesthetic coma show temporal and spectral alterations that are correlated with gross changes in the underlying brain state. Entry into anesthetic unconsciousness is signposted by the emergence of large, slow oscillations of electrical activity (≲1Hz) similar to the slow waves observed in natural sleep. Here we present a two-dimensional mean-field model of the cortex in which slow spatiotemporal oscillations arise spontaneously through a Turing (spatial) symmetry-breaking bifurcation that is modulated by a Hopf (temporal) instability. In our model, populations of neurons are densely interlinked by chemical synapses, and by interneuronal gap junctions represented as an inhibitory diffusive coupling. To demonstrate cortical behavior over a wide range of distinct brain states, we explore model dynamics in the vicinity of a general-anesthetic-induced transition from “wake” to “coma.” In this region, the system is poised at a codimension-2 point where competing Turing and Hopf instabilities coexist. We model anesthesia as a moderate reduction in inhibitory diffusion, paired with an increase in inhibitory postsynaptic response, producing a coma state that is characterized by emergent low-frequency oscillations whose dynamics is chaotic in time and space. The effect of long-range axonal white-matter connectivity is probed with the inclusion of a single idealized point-to-point connection. We find that the additional excitation from the long-range connection can provoke seizurelike bursts of cortical activity when inhibitory diffusion is weak, but has little impact on an active cortex. Our proposed dynamic mechanism for the origin of anesthetic slow waves complements—and contrasts with—conventional explanations that require cyclic modulation of ion-channel conductances. We postulate that a similar bifurcation mechanism might underpin the slow waves of natural sleep and comment on the

Association between pretreatment Glasgow prognostic score and gastric cancer survival and clinicopathological features: a meta-analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang CX

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Chun-Xiao Zhang,* Shu-Yi Wang,* Shuang-Qian Chen, Shuai-Long Yang, Lu Wan, Bin Xiong Department of Oncology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Biological Behaviors and Hubei Cancer Clinical Study Center, Wuhan, Hubei, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Glasgow prognostic score (GPS is widely known as a systemic inflammatory-based marker. The relationship between pretreatment GPS and gastric cancer (GC survival and clinicopathological features remains controversial. The aim of the study was to conduct a meta-analysis of published studies to evaluate the association between pretreatment GPS and survival and clinicopathological features in GC patients. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, and BioMed databases for relevant studies. Combined analyses were used to assess the association between pretreatment GPS and overall survival, disease-free survival, and clinicopathological parameters by Stata Version 12.0. Results: A total of 14 studies were included in this meta-analysis, including 5,579 GC patients. The results indicated that pretreatment high GPS (HGPS predicted poor overall survival (hazard ratio =1.51, 95% CI: 1.37–1.66, P<0.01 and disease-free survival (hazard ratio =1.45, 95% CI: 1.26–1.68, P<0.01 in GC patients. Pretreatment HGPS was also significantly associated with advanced tumor–node–metastasis stage (odds ratio [OR] =3.09, 95% CI: 2.11–4.53, P<0.01, lymph node metastasis (OR =4.60, 95% CI: 3.23–6.56, P<0.01, lymphatic invasion (OR =3.04, 95% CI: 2.00–4.62, P<0.01, and venous invasion (OR =3.56, 95% CI: 1.81–6.99, P<0.01. Conclusion: Our meta-analysis indicated that pretreatment HGPS could be a predicative factor of poor survival outcome and clinicopathological features for GC patients. Keywords: Glasgow prognostic score, gastric cancer, survival, clinicopathological feature

Audit of the Forensic Psychiatry Liaison Service to Glasgow Sheriff Court 1994 to 1998.

Science.gov (United States)

White, T; Ramsay, L; Morrison, R

2002-01-01

This study seeks to describe the demographic, offence, and diagnostic details of subjects referred by the Procurator Fiscal at Glasgow Sheriff Court to the Forensic Psychiatry Liaison between 1994 and 1997. The initial outcome of the assessment and an assessment of medical time involved is presented. This study is a retrospective review of audit forms completed between 1993 and 1994 and once more in 1997. The referral criteria, age structure and offence pattern was broadly similar to that reported in court diversion schemes in England. A primary diagnosis of alcohol and/or drug dependence was seen in one third of referrals during both years of the audit. A marked increase (250%) in referrals between 1994 and 1997 resulted in a marked reduction of those admitted to hospital, and an increase in the percentage who had 'no psychiatric diagnosis'. The need for ongoing liaison between the Procurators Fiscal and the Forensic Psychiatrists involved would appear important in modifying referral criteria.

Locking of Turing patterns in the chlorine dioxide-iodine-malonic acid reaction with one-dimensional spatial periodic forcing.

Science.gov (United States)

Dolnik, Milos; Bánsági, Tamás; Ansari, Sama; Valent, Ivan; Epstein, Irving R

2011-07-21

We use the photosensitive chlorine dioxide-iodine-malonic acid reaction-diffusion system to study wavenumber locking of Turing patterns with spatial periodic forcing. Wavenumber-locked stripe patterns are the typical resonant structures that labyrinthine patterns exhibit in response to one-dimensional forcing by illumination when images of stripes are projected on a working medium. Our experimental results reveal that segmented oblique, hexagonal and rectangular patterns can also be obtained. However, these two-dimensional resonant structures only develop in a relatively narrow range of forcing parameters, where the unforced stripe pattern is in close proximity to the domain of hexagonal patterns. Numerical simulations based on a model that incorporates the forcing by illumination using an additive term reproduce well the experimental observations. These findings confirm that additive one-dimensional forcing can generate a two-dimensional resonant response. However, such a response is considerably less robust than the effect of multiplicative forcing. This journal is © the Owner Societies 2011

Glasgow Prognostic Score as a Prognostic Clinical Marker in T4 Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohira, Masaichi; Kubo, Naoshi; Masuda, Go; Yamashita, Yoshito; Sakurai, Katsunobu; Toyokawa, Takahiro; Tanaka, Hiroaki; Muguruma, Kazuya; Hirakawa, Kosei

2015-09-01

Patients with clinical T4 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) have an unfavorable prognosis, mainly indicated by the response to chemoradiotherapy (CRT), crucial to estimating long-term survival. Other prognostic measures include systemic inflammatory or immunonutritional indices such as the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) and Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) that have not been sufficiently documented. This study retrospectively evaluated 91 patients with T4 ESCC treated at our Hospital between 2000 and 2013. All patients initially received CRT, including 5-fluorouracil (5FU) and cisplatin or nedaplatin with concurrent 2-Gy/fraction radiation (total dose, 40-60 Gy). Curative tumor resection was undertaken in suitable patients on completing CRT. Patients were classified as GPS0, GPS1, or GPS2 based on C-reactive protein (CRP) ≤ 10 mg/l and albumin ≥ 35 g/l, CRP >10 mg/l or albumin l, or CRP >10 mg/l and albumin l, respectively. PNI was calculated as 10-times the serum albumin (g/dl)+0.005 × total lymphocyte count (/mm(3)). The impact of the pre-treatment GPS and PNI on the prognosis of patients with T4 ESCC was investigated in univariate and multivariate analyses. Sixty (67%) patients responded to CRT (9 complete responses and 51 partial responses). Forty-one (45%) patients also underwent surgical resection of the residual tumor. The overall 5-year survival rate and median survival time were 27.0% and 11.8 months, respectively. In the cohort of CRT-plus-surgical resection, the 5-year survival rate was significantly higher than in the groups treated with CRT-alone (51.1% vs. 6.5%; p GPS1/2 (HR=2.151, p=0.015), and surgical resection (HR=0.282, pGPS is a useful, simple survival marker for patients with T4 ESCC undergoing multimodal therapy. Copyright© 2015 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

High-sensitivity modified Glasgow prognostic score (HS-mGPS) Is superior to the mGPS in esophageal cancer patients treated with chemoradiotherapy

OpenAIRE

Chen, Peng; Fang, Min; Wan, Qiuyan; Zhang, Xuebang; Song, Tao; Wu, Shixiu

2017-01-01

The present study compared the prognostic value of the modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) and high-sensitivity mGPS (HS-mGPS) in unresectable locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcimona (LAESCC) patients treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). The baseline data of 163 eligible patients were retrospectively collected. Patients with a C-reactive protein (CRP) ≤ 10 mg/l and albumin ≥ 35 g/l were allocated to mGPS-0 group. Patients with only elevated CRP (> 10 mg/l) were a...

Relating quality of life to Glasgow outcome scale health states.

Science.gov (United States)

Kosty, Jennifer; Macyszyn, Luke; Lai, Kevin; McCroskery, James; Park, Hae-Ran; Stein, Sherman C

2012-05-01

There has recently been a call for the adoption of comparative effectiveness research (CER) and related research approaches for studying traumatic brain injury (TBI). These methods allow researchers to compare the effectiveness of different therapies in producing patient-oriented outcomes of interest. Heretofore, the only measures by which to compare such therapies have been mortality and rate of poor outcome. Better comparisons can be made if parametric, preference-based quality-of-life (QOL) values are available for intermediate outcomes, such as those described by the Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended (GOSE). Our objective was therefore to determine QOL for the health states described by the GOSE. We interviewed community members at least 18 years of age using the standard gamble method to assess QOL for descriptions of GOSE scores of 2-7 derived from the structured interview. Linear regression analysis was also performed to assess the effect of age, gender, and years of education on QOL. One hundred and one participants between the ages of 18 and 83 were interviewed (mean age 40 ± 19 years), including 55 men and 46 women. Functional impairment and QOL showed a strong inverse relationship, as assessed by both linear regression and the Spearman rank order coefficient. No consistent effect or age, gender, or years of education was seen. As expected, QOL decreased with functional outcome as described by the GOSE. The results of this study will provide the groundwork for future groups seeking to apply CER methods to clinical studies of TBI.

The reliability of the Glasgow Coma Scale: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Reith, Florence C M; Van den Brande, Ruben; Synnot, Anneliese; Gruen, Russell; Maas, Andrew I R

2016-01-01

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) provides a structured method for assessment of the level of consciousness. Its derived sum score is applied in research and adopted in intensive care unit scoring systems. Controversy exists on the reliability of the GCS. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize evidence on the reliability of the GCS. A literature search was undertaken in MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL. Observational studies that assessed the reliability of the GCS, expressed by a statistical measure, were included. Methodological quality was evaluated with the consensus-based standards for the selection of health measurement instruments checklist and its influence on results considered. Reliability estimates were synthesized narratively. We identified 52 relevant studies that showed significant heterogeneity in the type of reliability estimates used, patients studied, setting and characteristics of observers. Methodological quality was good (n = 7), fair (n = 18) or poor (n = 27). In good quality studies, kappa values were ≥0.6 in 85%, and all intraclass correlation coefficients indicated excellent reliability. Poor quality studies showed lower reliability estimates. Reliability for the GCS components was higher than for the sum score. Factors that may influence reliability include education and training, the level of consciousness and type of stimuli used. Only 13% of studies were of good quality and inconsistency in reported reliability estimates was found. Although the reliability was adequate in good quality studies, further improvement is desirable. From a methodological perspective, the quality of reliability studies needs to be improved. From a clinical perspective, a renewed focus on training/education and standardization of assessment is required.

Proceedings of the international photovoltaic solar energy conference held in Glasgow 1-5 May 2000

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2001-02-01

The European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conferences are dedicated to accelerating the impetus towards sustainable development of global PV markets. The 16th in the series, held in Glasgow UK, brought together more than 1500 delegates from 72 countries, and provided an important and vital forum for information exchange in the field. The Conference Proceedings place on record a new phase of market development and scientific endeavour in the PV industry, representing current and innovative thinking in all aspects of the science, technology, markets and business of photovoltaics. In three volumes, the Proceedings present some 790 papers selected for presentation by the scientific review committee of the 16th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference. The Comprehensive range of topics covered comprises: Fundamentals, Novel Devices and New Materials. Thin Film Cells and Technologies. Space Cells and Systems. Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells and Technologies. PV Integration in Buildings. PV Modules and Components of PV Systems. Implementation, Strategies, National Programs and Financing Schemes. Market Deployment in Developing Countries. (author)

Interacting Turing-Hopf Instabilities Drive Symmetry-Breaking Transitions in a Mean-Field Model of the Cortex: A Mechanism for the Slow Oscillation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moira L. Steyn-Ross

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Electrical recordings of brain activity during the transition from wake to anesthetic coma show temporal and spectral alterations that are correlated with gross changes in the underlying brain state. Entry into anesthetic unconsciousness is signposted by the emergence of large, slow oscillations of electrical activity (≲1  Hz similar to the slow waves observed in natural sleep. Here we present a two-dimensional mean-field model of the cortex in which slow spatiotemporal oscillations arise spontaneously through a Turing (spatial symmetry-breaking bifurcation that is modulated by a Hopf (temporal instability. In our model, populations of neurons are densely interlinked by chemical synapses, and by interneuronal gap junctions represented as an inhibitory diffusive coupling. To demonstrate cortical behavior over a wide range of distinct brain states, we explore model dynamics in the vicinity of a general-anesthetic-induced transition from “wake” to “coma.” In this region, the system is poised at a codimension-2 point where competing Turing and Hopf instabilities coexist. We model anesthesia as a moderate reduction in inhibitory diffusion, paired with an increase in inhibitory postsynaptic response, producing a coma state that is characterized by emergent low-frequency oscillations whose dynamics is chaotic in time and space. The effect of long-range axonal white-matter connectivity is probed with the inclusion of a single idealized point-to-point connection. We find that the additional excitation from the long-range connection can provoke seizurelike bursts of cortical activity when inhibitory diffusion is weak, but has little impact on an active cortex. Our proposed dynamic mechanism for the origin of anesthetic slow waves complements—and contrasts with—conventional explanations that require cyclic modulation of ion-channel conductances. We postulate that a similar bifurcation mechanism might underpin the slow waves of natural

Estudo de conforto em espaços abertos em região de clima temperado: o caso de Glasgow, Reino Unido

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eduardo Leite Krüger

Full Text Available O estudo da sensação de conforto térmico em espaços abertos deve ser entendido como primordial para o planejamento climaticamente adequado de áreas urbanas. Através do aumento da atratividade das àreas abertas e do incentivo às atividades ao ar livre, o planejamento urbano norteado do pelas preferências térmicas da população torna-se um agente facilitador do uso desses espaços. O presente trabalho analisa a sensação térmica de moradores de Glasgow, Reino Unido, localizada em região temperada, comparando respostas obtidas por meio de entrevistas estruturadas a índices utilizados pela meteorologia (Wind Chill e THSW e em estudos de conforto (PET e PMV. Os dados foram coletados em 19 campanhas de monitoramento, no período do inverno ao verão de 2011. Para a coleta de dados, foi utilizada uma estação Davis Vantage Pro2, contendo sensores de temperatura e umidade relativa, anemômetro e piranômetro. Foi confeccionado um termômetro de globo, utilizado para obtenção da temperatura radiante média (TRM, equipado com um data logger (Tinytag-TGP-4500. Os resultados indicam que os índices THSW e PET foram os que mais se aproximaram da resposta térmica dos entrevistados, podendo ser aplicados no entendimento das condições do clima na cidade e entorno de Glasgow.

Evaluation of a pilot peer observation of teaching scheme for chair-side tutors at Glasgow University Dental School.

Science.gov (United States)

Cairns, A M; Bissell, V; Bovill, C

2013-06-01

To introduce and examine a pilot peer observation of teaching (POT) scheme within the Department of Paediatric Dentistry at Glasgow Dental School and its associated outreach centres. All tutors teaching paediatric dentistry were invited to be involved in evaluation of the POT scheme. Participants were randomly paired with a peer, who then observed their teaching and provided constructive feedback. For those consenting to be involved in the evaluation of the scheme, semi-structured, one-to-one interviews were carried out by the principal investigator. POT was found by all participants to be a beneficial process, reassuring those of their teaching styles and giving them ideas to adapt their teaching. POT is an effective method for engaging chair-side tutors in the reflection and development of their teaching practice via observations and scholarly discussion.

Comparison of Glasgow-Blatchford score and full Rockall score systems to predict clinical outcomes in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mokhtare M

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Marjan Mokhtare, Vida Bozorgi, Shahram Agah, Mehdi Nikkhah, Amirhossein Faghihi, Amirhossein Boghratian, Neda Shalbaf, Abbas Khanlari, Hamidreza Seifmanesh Colorectal Research Center, Rasoul Akram Hospital, Tehran, Iran Background: Various risk scoring systems have been recently developed to predict clinical outcomes in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB. The two commonly used scoring systems include full Rockall score (RS and the Glasgow-Blatchford score (GBS. Bleeding scores were assessed in terms of prediction of clinical outcomes in patients with UGIB. Patients and methods: Two hundred patients (age >18 years with obvious symptoms of UGIB in the emergency department of Rasoul Akram Hospital were enrolled. Full RS and GBS were calculated. We followed the patients for records of rebleeding and 1-month mortality. A receiver operating characteristic curve by using areas under the curve (AUCs was used to statistically identify the best cutoff point. Results: Eighteen patients were excluded from the study due to failure to follow-up. Rebleeding and mortality rate were 9.34% (n=17 and 11.53% (n=21, respectively. Regarding 1-month mortality, full RS was better than GBS (AUC, 0.648 versus 0.582; P=0.021. GBS was more accurate in terms of detecting transfusion need (AUC, 0.757 versus 0.528; P=0.001, rebleeding rate (AUC, 0.722 versus 0.520; P=0.002, intensive care unit admission rate (AUC, 0.648 versus 0.582; P=0.021, and endoscopic intervention rate (AUC, 0.771 versus 0.650; P<0.001. Conclusion: We found the full RS system is better for 1-month mortality prediction while GBS system is better for prediction of other outcomes. Keywords: full Rockall score, Glasgow-Blatchford score, gastrointestinal bleeding, mortality, prognosis

The inflammation-based Glasgow Prognostic Score predicts survival in patients with cervical cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Polterauer, Stephan; Grimm, Christoph; Seebacher, Veronika; Rahhal, Jasmin; Tempfer, Clemens; Reinthaller, Alexander; Hefler, Lukas

2010-08-01

The Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) is known to reflect the degree of tumor-associated cachexia and inflammation and is associated with survival in various malignancies. We investigated the value of the GPS in patients with cervical cancer. We included 244 consecutive patients with cervical cancer in our study. The pretherapeutic GPS was calculated as follows: patients with elevated C-reactive protein serum levels (>10 mg/L) and hypoalbuminemia (L) were allocated a score of 2, and patients with 1 or no abnormal value were allocated a score of 1 or 0, respectively. The association between GPS and survival was evaluated by univariate log-rank tests and multivariate Cox regression models. The GPS was correlated with clinicopathologic parameters as shown by performing chi2 tests. In univariate analyses, GPS (P GPS (P = 0.03, P = 0.04), FIGO stage (P = 0.006, P = 0.006), and lymph node involvement (P = 0.003, P = 0.002), but not patients' age (P = 0.5, P = 0.5), histological grade (P = 0.7, P = 0.6), and histological type (P = 0.4, P = 0.6) were associated with disease-free and overall survival, respectively. The GPS was associated with FIGO stage (P GPS can be used as an inflammation-based predictor for survival in patients with cervical cancer.

Relationship between nutritional status and the Glasgow Prognostic Score in patients with colorectal cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Maurício, Sílvia Fernandes; da Silva, Jacqueline Braga; Bering, Tatiana; Correia, Maria Isabel Toulson Davisson

2013-04-01

The association between nutritional status and inflammation was assessed in patients with colorectal cancer and to verify their association with complications during anticancer treatment. The agreement between the Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) and different nutritional assessment methods was also evaluated. A cross-sectional, prospective, and descriptive study was performed. The nutritional status was defined by the SGA and the severity of inflammation was defined by the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS). The complications were classified using the Common Toxicity Criteria, version 3. Anthropometric measurements such as body mass index, triceps skinfold, midarm circumference, midarm muscle area, and adductor pollicis muscle thickness were also performed, as were handgrip strength and phase angle. The chi-square test, Fisher exact test, Spearman correlation coefficient, independent t test, analysis of variance, Gabriel test, and κ index were used for the statistical analysis. P cancer (60.4 ± 14.3 y old) were included. The nutritional status according to the SGA was associated with the GPS (P nutritional assessment methods with the SGA, there were statistically significant differences. Malnutrition is highly prevalent in patients with colorectal cancer. The nutritional status was associated with the GPS. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Handbook for the Institutional and Financial Implementation of Water Utilities.

Science.gov (United States)

1984-05-01

course. As industrialization occurred, the riparia " concept was expanded to allow use of adequate quantities of water for manufac- turing. Each riparian...laws including those concerned with zoning regulations, health and sanitation standards, I.... and the control of water pollution. 4. Financial...water flows by gravity. Groundwater - Subsurface water occupying the saturation zone , from which wells and springs are fed. Hardness - A characteristic

Which clinical variable influences health-related quality of life the most after spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage? Hunt and Hess scale, Fisher score, World Federation of Neurosurgeons score, Brussels coma score, and Glasgow coma score compared.

Science.gov (United States)

Kapapa, Thomas; Tjahjadi, Martin; König, Ralph; Wirtz, Christian Rainer; Woischneck, Dieter

2013-12-01

To determine the strength of the correlation between the Hunt and Hess scale, Fisher score, Brussels coma score, World Federation of Neurosurgeons score, and Glasgow coma score and health-related quality of life. Evaluable questionnaires from 236 patients (5.6 years [± standard deviation, 2.854 years] on average after hemorrhage) were included in the analysis. Quality of life was documented using the MOS-36 item short form health survey. Because of the ordinal nature of the variables, Kendall tau was used for calculation. Significance was established as P ≤ 0.05. Weak and very weak correlations were found in general (r ≤ 0.28). The strongest correlations were found between the Glasgow coma score and quality of life (r = 0.236, P = 0.0001). In particular, the "best verbal response" achieved the strongest correlations in the comparison, at r = 0.28/P = 0.0001. The Fisher score showed very weak correlations (r = -0.148/P = 0.012). The Brussels coma score (r = -0.216/P = 0.0001), Hunt and Hess scale (r = -0.197/P = 0.0001), and the World Federation of Neurosurgeons score (r = -0.185/P = 0.0001) revealed stronger correlations, especially in terms of the physical aspects of quality of life. The Glasgow coma scale revealed the strongest, and the Fisher score showed the weakest correlations. Thus the Fisher score, as an indicator of the severity of a hemorrhage, has little significance in terms of health-related quality of life. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hematoma Shape, Hematoma Size, Glasgow Coma Scale Score and ICH Score: Which Predicts the 30-Day Mortality Better for Intracerebral Hematoma?

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chih-Wei; Liu, Yi-Jui; Lee, Yi-Hsiung; Hueng, Dueng-Yuan; Fan, Hueng-Chuen; Yang, Fu-Chi; Hsueh, Chun-Jen; Kao, Hung-Wen; Juan, Chun-Jung; Hsu, Hsian-He

2014-01-01

Purpose To investigate the performance of hematoma shape, hematoma size, Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score, and intracerebral hematoma (ICH) score in predicting the 30-day mortality for ICH patients. To examine the influence of the estimation error of hematoma size on the prediction of 30-day mortality. Materials and Methods This retrospective study, approved by a local institutional review board with written informed consent waived, recruited 106 patients diagnosed as ICH by non-enhanced computed tomography study. The hemorrhagic shape, hematoma size measured by computer-assisted volumetric analysis (CAVA) and estimated by ABC/2 formula, ICH score and GCS score was examined. The predicting performance of 30-day mortality of the aforementioned variables was evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed using Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests, paired t test, nonparametric test, linear regression analysis, and binary logistic regression. The receiver operating characteristics curves were plotted and areas under curve (AUC) were calculated for 30-day mortality. A P value less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results The overall 30-day mortality rate was 15.1% of ICH patients. The hematoma shape, hematoma size, ICH score, and GCS score all significantly predict the 30-day mortality for ICH patients, with an AUC of 0.692 (P = 0.0018), 0.715 (P = 0.0008) (by ABC/2) to 0.738 (P = 0.0002) (by CAVA), 0.877 (Phematoma shape, hematoma size, ICH scores and GCS score all significantly predict the 30-day mortality in an increasing order of AUC. The effect of overestimation of hematoma size by ABC/2 formula in predicting the 30-day mortality could be remedied by using ICH score. PMID:25029592

An improved nonparametric lower bound of species richness via a modified good-turing frequency formula.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Chun-Huo; Wang, Yi-Ting; Walther, Bruno A; Chao, Anne

2014-09-01

It is difficult to accurately estimate species richness if there are many almost undetectable species in a hyper-diverse community. Practically, an accurate lower bound for species richness is preferable to an inaccurate point estimator. The traditional nonparametric lower bound developed by Chao (1984, Scandinavian Journal of Statistics 11, 265-270) for individual-based abundance data uses only the information on the rarest species (the numbers of singletons and doubletons) to estimate the number of undetected species in samples. Applying a modified Good-Turing frequency formula, we derive an approximate formula for the first-order bias of this traditional lower bound. The approximate bias is estimated by using additional information (namely, the numbers of tripletons and quadrupletons). This approximate bias can be corrected, and an improved lower bound is thus obtained. The proposed lower bound is nonparametric in the sense that it is universally valid for any species abundance distribution. A similar type of improved lower bound can be derived for incidence data. We test our proposed lower bounds on simulated data sets generated from various species abundance models. Simulation results show that the proposed lower bounds always reduce bias over the traditional lower bounds and improve accuracy (as measured by mean squared error) when the heterogeneity of species abundances is relatively high. We also apply the proposed new lower bounds to real data for illustration and for comparisons with previously developed estimators. © 2014, The International Biometric Society.

Formación de patrones de turing para sistemas de reacción-convección-difusión en dominios fijos sometidos a campos de velocidad toroidal

OpenAIRE

Carlos Humberto Galeano; Diego Alexander Garzón; Juan Miguel Mantilla

2010-01-01

El presente artículo estudia el efecto de la incorporación del término de transporte en las ecuaciones de reacción-difusión de dominio fijo, a través de campos de velocidad toroidal. Se estudia específicamente la formación de patrones de Turing en problemas de difusión-advección-reacción, considerando los modelos de cinética de reacción de Schnackenberg y de glucólisis. Se analizan tres casos, los cuales se solucionan numéricamente empleando elementos finitos. Se encuentra que, para los model...

Systemic inflammation predicts all-cause mortality: a glasgow inflammation outcome study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael J Proctor

Full Text Available Markers of the systemic inflammatory response, including C-reactive protein and albumin (combined to form the modified Glasgow Prognostic Score, as well as neutrophil, lymphocyte and platelet counts have been shown to be prognostic of survival in patients with cancer. The aim of the present study was to examine the prognostic relationship between these markers of the systemic inflammatory response and all-cause, cancer, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular mortality in a large incidentally sampled cohort.Patients (n = 160 481 who had an incidental blood sample taken between 2000 and 2008 were studied for the prognostic value of C-reactive protein (>10mg/l, albumin (>35mg/l, neutrophil (>7.5×109/l lymphocyte and platelet counts. Also, patients (n = 52 091 sampled following the introduction of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (>3mg/l measurements were studied. A combination of these markers, to make cumulative inflammation-based scores, were investigated.In all patients (n = 160 481 C-reactive protein (>10mg/l (HR 2.71, p35mg/l (HR 3.68, p3mg/l (n = 52 091. A combination of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (>3mg/l, albumin and neutrophil count predicted all-cause (HR 7.37, p<0.001, AUC 0.723, cancer (HR 9.32, p<0.001, AUC 0.731, cardiovascular (HR 4.03, p<0.001, AUC 0.650 and cerebrovascular (HR 3.10, p<0.001, AUC 0.623 mortality.The results of the present study showed that an inflammation-based prognostic score, combining high sensitivity C-reactive protein, albumin and neutrophil count is prognostic of all-cause mortality.

The Glasgow Parallel Reduction Machine: Programming Shared-memory Many-core Systems using Parallel Task Composition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashkan Tousimojarad

2013-12-01

Full Text Available We present the Glasgow Parallel Reduction Machine (GPRM, a novel, flexible framework for parallel task-composition based many-core programming. We allow the programmer to structure programs into task code, written as C++ classes, and communication code, written in a restricted subset of C++ with functional semantics and parallel evaluation. In this paper we discuss the GPRM, the virtual machine framework that enables the parallel task composition approach. We focus the discussion on GPIR, the functional language used as the intermediate representation of the bytecode running on the GPRM. Using examples in this language we show the flexibility and power of our task composition framework. We demonstrate the potential using an implementation of a merge sort algorithm on a 64-core Tilera processor, as well as on a conventional Intel quad-core processor and an AMD 48-core processor system. We also compare our framework with OpenMP tasks in a parallel pointer chasing algorithm running on the Tilera processor. Our results show that the GPRM programs outperform the corresponding OpenMP codes on all test platforms, and can greatly facilitate writing of parallel programs, in particular non-data parallel algorithms such as reductions.

The State and Development in Africa

African Journals Online (AJOL)

sulaiman.adebowale

2008-04-09

Apr 9, 2008 ... primarily account for the continent's poor social and economic ... social institutions were utilised to lend stability to the political struc- ture, they exceeded .... The link between political instability and colonialism is derived partly.

Uranium hydrogeochemical and stream-sediment reconnaissance of the Glasgow NTMS quadrangle, Montana

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-06-01

This report presents results of a Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance (HSSR) of the Glasgow NTMS quadrangle, Montana. In addition to this abbreviated data release, more complete data are available to the public in machine-readable form. These machine-readable data, as well as quarterly or semiannual program progress reports containing further information on the HSSR program in general, or on the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) portion of the program in particular, are available from DOE's Technical Library at its Grand Junction Area Office. Presented in this data release are location data, field analyses, and laboratory analyses of several different sample media. For the sake of brevity, many field site observations have not been included in this volume; these data are, however, available on the magnetic tape. Appendices A through C describe the sample media and summarize the analytical results for each medium. The data have been subdivided by one of the Los Alamos National Laboratory sorting programs of Zinkl and others (1981a) into groups of stream-sediment, stream-water, and ground-water samples. For each group which contains a sufficient number of observations, statistical tables, tables of raw data, and 1:1,000,000 scale maps of pertinent elements have been included in this report. Also included are maps showing results of multivariate statistical analyses. Information on the field and analytical procedures used by the Los Alamos National Laboratory during sample collection and analysis may be found in any HSSR data release prepared by the Laboratory and will not be included in this report

Hematoma shape, hematoma size, Glasgow coma scale score and ICH score: which predicts the 30-day mortality better for intracerebral hematoma?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chih-Wei Wang

Full Text Available To investigate the performance of hematoma shape, hematoma size, Glasgow coma scale (GCS score, and intracerebral hematoma (ICH score in predicting the 30-day mortality for ICH patients. To examine the influence of the estimation error of hematoma size on the prediction of 30-day mortality.This retrospective study, approved by a local institutional review board with written informed consent waived, recruited 106 patients diagnosed as ICH by non-enhanced computed tomography study. The hemorrhagic shape, hematoma size measured by computer-assisted volumetric analysis (CAVA and estimated by ABC/2 formula, ICH score and GCS score was examined. The predicting performance of 30-day mortality of the aforementioned variables was evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed using Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests, paired t test, nonparametric test, linear regression analysis, and binary logistic regression. The receiver operating characteristics curves were plotted and areas under curve (AUC were calculated for 30-day mortality. A P value less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.The overall 30-day mortality rate was 15.1% of ICH patients. The hematoma shape, hematoma size, ICH score, and GCS score all significantly predict the 30-day mortality for ICH patients, with an AUC of 0.692 (P = 0.0018, 0.715 (P = 0.0008 (by ABC/2 to 0.738 (P = 0.0002 (by CAVA, 0.877 (P<0.0001 (by ABC/2 to 0.882 (P<0.0001 (by CAVA, and 0.912 (P<0.0001, respectively.Our study shows that hematoma shape, hematoma size, ICH scores and GCS score all significantly predict the 30-day mortality in an increasing order of AUC. The effect of overestimation of hematoma size by ABC/2 formula in predicting the 30-day mortality could be remedied by using ICH score.

Effectiveness of Self Instructional Module on Knowledge and Skills Regarding Use of Glasgow Coma Scale in Neurological Assessment of Patients among Nurses Working in Critical Care Units of KLE Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Belgaum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milka Madhale

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background: The brain is the central unit that controls all the functions of our body. The brain cannot function all by its self without the neurons. The proper functioning of the brain and its relationship with the world is known as consciousness. The level of consciousness is the sensitive and reliable indicator of the patient’s neurological status. The alteration in the consciousness helps to determine if there is any damage in the nervous system that can occur even without visible damage to the head. There are numerous tools used to determine level of consciousness. The most common tool used to determine level of consciousness is the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS. It was used with ease and helped to standardize clinical observations of the patients with impaired consciousness. A proper neurological assessment using the Glasgow Coma Scale is the essential part of nursing care. It is very essential for the nurse to have knowledge and skills about neurological assessment and the Glasgow Coma Scale.Hence the present study to evaluate the effectiveness of Self Instructional Module (SIM on knowledge and skill regarding Glasgow Coma Scale was undertaken. Aim and Objectives: 1]To assess the knowledge and skills regarding the use of Glasgow Coma Scale in neurological assessment of patients among the staff nurses. 2] To determine the effectiveness of the Self Instructional Module on knowledge and skills regarding the GCS in neurological assessment of patients. 3] To find association between the pre test knowledge and skills scores and demographic variables. 4] To find the correlation between the knowledge score sand the skills scores regarding the GCS in neurological assessment of patients. Material and Methods: The study was evaluative in nature. A purposive sampling technique was used for the study. A total of 55 staff nurses working in Critical Care Units of KLES Hospital and MRC,Belgaum were selected for the study. A structured questionnaire and an

Growth of anisotropic gold nanostructures on conducting glass ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

WINTEC

Analytical Instrument Facility, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600 036 e-mail: .... ables the control of size and shape of the nanostruc- tures on ITO by ... process and allowed to stand undisturbed for 12 h. ... 2.6 Instrumentation.

A new approach to age-period-cohort analysis using partial least squares regression: the trend in blood pressure in the Glasgow Alumni cohort.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-Kang Tu

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Due to a problem of identification, how to estimate the distinct effects of age, time period and cohort has been a controversial issue in the analysis of trends in health outcomes in epidemiology. In this study, we propose a novel approach, partial least squares (PLS analysis, to separate the effects of age, period, and cohort. Our example for illustration is taken from the Glasgow Alumni cohort. A total of 15,322 students (11,755 men and 3,567 women received medical screening at the Glasgow University between 1948 and 1968. The aim is to investigate the secular trends in blood pressure over 1925 and 1950 while taking into account the year of examination and age at examination. We excluded students born before 1925 or aged over 25 years at examination and those with missing values in confounders from the analyses, resulting in 12,546 and 12,516 students for analysis of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respectively. PLS analysis shows that both systolic and diastolic blood pressure increased with students' age, and students born later had on average lower blood pressure (SBP: -0.17 mmHg/per year [95% confidence intervals: -0.19 to -0.15] for men and -0.25 [-0.28 to -0.22] for women; DBP: -0.14 [-0.15 to -0.13] for men; -0.09 [-0.11 to -0.07] for women. PLS also shows a decreasing trend in blood pressure over the examination period. As identification is not a problem for PLS, it provides a flexible modelling strategy for age-period-cohort analysis. More emphasis is then required to clarify the substantive and conceptual issues surrounding the definitions and interpretations of age, period and cohort effects.

Prognostic significance of Glasgow prognostic score in patients undergoing esophagectomy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Ji-Feng; Zhao, Qiang; Chen, Qi-Xun

2014-01-01

Recent studies have revealed that Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), an inflammation-based prognostic score, is inversely related to prognosis in a variety of cancers; high levels of GPS is associated with poor prognosis. However, few studies regarding GPS in esophageal cancer (EC) are available. The aim of this study was to determine whether the GPS is useful for predicting cancer-specific survival (CSS) of patients for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The GPS was calculated on the basis of admission data as follows: Patients with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) level (>10 mg/L) and hypoalbuminemia (L) were assigned to GPS2. Patients with one or no abnormal value were assigned to GPS1 or GPS0, respectively. Our study showed that GPS was associated with tumor size, depth of invasion, and nodal metastasis (PGPS0, GPS1, and GPS2 were 60.8%, 34.7% and 10.7%, respectively (PGPS was a significant predictor of CSS. GPS1-2 had a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.399 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.805-3.190] for 1-year CSS (PGPS is associated with tumor progression. GPS can be considered as an independent prognostic factor in patients who underwent esophagectomy for ESCC.

LT^2C^2: A language of thought with Turing-computable Kolmogorov complexity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Santiago Figueira

2013-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we present a theoretical effort to connect the theory of program size to psychology by implementing a concrete language of thought with Turing-computable Kolmogorov complexity (LT^2C^2 satisfying the following requirements: 1 to be simple enough so that the complexity of any given finite binary sequence can be computed, 2 to be based on tangible operations of human reasoning (printing, repeating,. . . , 3 to be sufficiently powerful to generate all possible sequences but not too powerful as to identify regularities which would be invisible to humans. We first formalize LT^2C^2, giving its syntax and semantics, and defining an adequate notion of program size. Our setting leads to a Kolmogorov complexity function relative to LT^2C^2 which is computable in polynomial time, and it also induces a prediction algorithm in the spirit of Solomonoff’s inductive inference theory. We then prove the efficacy of this language by investigating regularities in strings produced by participants attempting to generate random strings. Participants had a profound understanding of randomness and hence avoided typical misconceptions such as exaggerating the number of alternations. We reasoned that remaining regularities would express the algorithmic nature of human thoughts, revealed in the form of specific patterns. Kolmogorov complexity relative to LT^2C^2 passed three expected tests examined here: 1 human sequences were less complex than control PRNG sequences, 2 human sequences were not stationary showing decreasing values of complexity resulting from fatigue 3 each individual showed traces of algorithmic stability since fitting of partial data was more effective to predict subsequent data than average fits. This work extends on previous efforts to combine notions of Kolmogorov complexity theory and algorithmic information theory to psychology, by explicitly proposing a language which may describe the patterns of human thoughts.Received: 12

Improving school governance through participative democracy and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

educational and political theory) perspective, with particular reference to undemocratic trends apparent in ... research democracy at the meso level of public school education. .... in decision-making processes within institutions, organisations, societal and government struc- tures. ..... of employment equity into consideration.

Editorial

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Yet another type of homogeneity is increasing in elite engineer- ing institutions like the ... Robert W Floyd, the computer scientist and Turing Award winner, featured in ... tial equations, but has the ideas of calculus in it. Finally, continuing our ...

Factors Influencing the Reliability of the Glasgow Coma Scale: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Reith, Florence Cm; Synnot, Anneliese; van den Brande, Ruben; Gruen, Russell L; Maas, Andrew Ir

2017-06-01

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) characterizes patients with diminished consciousness. In a recent systematic review, we found overall adequate reliability across different clinical settings, but reliability estimates varied considerably between studies, and methodological quality of studies was overall poor. Identifying and understanding factors that can affect its reliability is important, in order to promote high standards for clinical use of the GCS. The aim of this systematic review was to identify factors that influence reliability and to provide an evidence base for promoting consistent and reliable application of the GCS. A comprehensive literature search was undertaken in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL from 1974 to July 2016. Studies assessing the reliability of the GCS in adults or describing any factor that influences reliability were included. Two reviewers independently screened citations, selected full texts, and undertook data extraction and critical appraisal. Methodological quality of studies was evaluated with the consensus-based standards for the selection of health measurement instruments checklist. Data were synthesized narratively and presented in tables. Forty-one studies were included for analysis. Factors identified that may influence reliability are education and training, the level of consciousness, and type of stimuli used. Conflicting results were found for experience of the observer, the pathology causing the reduced consciousness, and intubation/sedation. No clear influence was found for the professional background of observers. Reliability of the GCS is influenced by multiple factors and as such is context dependent. This review points to the potential for improvement from training and education and standardization of assessment methods, for which recommendations are presented. Copyright © 2017 by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

Assessment of physicians' knowledge of glasgow coma score

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2014-05-20

May 20, 2014 ... Key words: Head injury, inter-rater reliability, prognostication, trauma. Date of ..... the true picture of its knowledge in other institutions around our zone since our ... training and recall of GCS rather, a higher percentage of the.

Mapping area variability in social and behavioural difficulties among Glasgow pre-schoolers: linkage of a survey of pre-school staff with routine monitoring data.

Science.gov (United States)

Barry, S J E; Marryat, L; Thompson, L; Ellaway, A; White, J; McClung, M; Wilson, P

2015-11-01

Social, emotional and behavioural development in early to middle childhood impact upon many outcomes in future life and are influenced by home, neighbourhood and school environments. We used linked data to investigate differences between areas in Glasgow City in level of difficulties in pre-school age children, after consideration of demographics, including area-level deprivation. Pre-school education staff completed Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires (SDQ) on all children progressing to school from a local authority or partnership (local authority-funded private) pre-school in Glasgow City between 2010 and 2012. These data were linked to individual (age, gender) and area-level (deprivation) demographics from the City Council Education Services Department. Statistical models were fitted to the SDQ scores, adjusting for age, gender, area deprivation, year of school entry, pre-school establishment attended and electoral ward of residence. Correlation between neighbouring wards was incorporated to allow for clustering of scores. Boys and those living in more deprived areas had higher levels of difficulties. Children aged 5.0-5.5 years had fewest difficulties, while the oldest and youngest children had similar levels of difficulties. There were no significant secular trends by year of school entry. There remained differences among areas after adjusting for these variables, with children living in some areas having fewer difficulties than would be expected based on their socio-demographic characteristics. There remained differences in children's levels of difficulties between areas after adjusting for age, gender, area deprivation and year of school entry. Children in some very deprived areas had fewer difficulties than might be expected, while those in relatively affluent areas had more difficulties than expected based on their deprivation level. There may be other, unmeasured, individual- and area-level reasons for children's level of difficulties, and these

The University of Goettingen joins ATLAS - first impressions

CERN Multimedia

Arnulf Quadt

This year the ATLAS Overview Week was being held in Glasgow from 9th to 13th July. The event was being organized by the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Glasgow University. For me this was a very special and important week. In October 2006, I took a position at the University of Goettingen (Germany) with the task to start-up a new particle physics institute. Goettingen is an old and distinguished university with a strong history in quantum mechanics (Max Born, Werner Heisenberg, ...) and subatomic physics (James Franck, ...). Such opportunities are rather rare and I was thrilled to take it. First of all, a new institute needs a project to work on. Having worked at HERA, LEP and the Tevatron before, it was now time to get involved in the LHC and so we submitted an expression of interest to ATLAS. This proposal was presented to ATLAS at the previous Overview Week in February and this time the Collaboration was called to decide about our admission. When I arrived in Glasgow I received a warm welcome in t...

A method for reducing misclassification in the extended Glasgow Outcome Score.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Juan; Marmarou, Anthony; Lapane, Kate; Turf, Elizabeth; Wilson, Lindsay

2010-05-01

The eight-point extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOSE) is commonly used as the primary outcome measure in traumatic brain injury (TBI) clinical trials. The outcome is conventionally collected through a structured interview with the patient alone or together with a caretaker. Despite the fact that using the structured interview questionnaires helps reach agreement in GOSE assessment between raters, significant variation remains among different raters. We introduce an alternate GOSE rating system as an aid in determining GOSE scores, with the objective of reducing inter-rater variation in the primary outcome assessment in TBI trials. Forty-five trauma centers were randomly assigned to three groups to assess GOSE scores on sample cases, using the alternative GOSE rating system coupled with central quality control (Group 1), the alternative system alone (Group 2), or conventional structured interviews (Group 3). The inter-rater variation between an expert and untrained raters was assessed for each group and reported through raw agreement and with weighted kappa (kappa) statistics. Groups 2 and 3 without central review yielded inter-rater agreements of 83% (weighted kappa = 0.81; 95% CI 0.69, 0.92) and 83% (weighted kappa = 0.76, 95% CI 0.63, 0.89), respectively, in GOS scores. In GOSE, the groups had an agreement of 76% (weighted kappa = 0.79; 95% CI 0.69, 0.89), and 63% (weighted kappa = 0.70; 95% CI 0.60, 0.81), respectively. The group using the alternative rating system coupled with central monitoring yielded the highest inter-rater agreement among the three groups in rating GOS (97%; weighted kappa = 0.95; 95% CI 0.89, 1.00), and GOSE (97%; weighted kappa = 0.97; 95% CI 0.91, 1.00). The alternate system is an improved GOSE rating method that reduces inter-rater variations and provides for the first time, source documentation and structured narratives that allow a thorough central review of information. The data suggest that a collective effort can be made to

Open Code - Open Content - Open Law. Building a Digital Commons

Science.gov (United States)

1999-06-21

PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER IATAC Information Assurance Technology Analysis Center 3190 Fairview Park Drive Falls Church VA 22042 9... Internet live up to its possibilities. Need institutions to facilitate participation. -Nolan Bowie: Need to assure that information gets into the...particular markets . -Tamar Frankel: Loss of some of commons as a result of technological change. Need to create a new institutional struc- ture to restore

Predictive Utility of the Total Glasgow Coma Scale Versus the Motor Component of the Glasgow Coma Scale for Identification of Patients With Serious Traumatic Injuries.

Science.gov (United States)

Chou, Roger; Totten, Annette M; Carney, Nancy; Dandy, Spencer; Fu, Rongwei; Grusing, Sara; Pappas, Miranda; Wasson, Ngoc; Newgard, Craig D

2017-08-01

The motor component of the Glasgow Coma Scale (mGCS) has been proposed as an easier-to-use alternative to the total GCS (tGCS) for field assessment of trauma patients by emergency medical services. We perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare the predictive utility of the tGCS versus the mGCS or Simplified Motor Scale in field triage of trauma for identifying patients with adverse outcomes (inhospital mortality or severe brain injury) or who underwent procedures (neurosurgical intervention or emergency intubation) indicating need for high-level trauma care. Ovid MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycINFO, Health and Psychosocial Instruments, and the Cochrane databases were searched through June 2016 for English-language cohort studies. We included studies that compared the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of the tGCS versus the mGCS or Simplified Motor Scale assessed in the field or shortly after arrival in the emergency department for predicting the outcomes described above. Meta-analyses were performed with a random-effects model, and subgroup and sensitivity analyses were conducted. We included 18 head-to-head studies of predictive utility (n=1,703,388). For inhospital mortality, the tGCS was associated with slightly greater discrimination than the mGCS (pooled mean difference in [AUROC] 0.015; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.009 to 0.022; I 2 =85%; 12 studies) or the Simplified Motor Scale (pooled mean difference in AUROC 0.030; 95% CI 0.024 to 0.036; I 2 =0%; 5 studies). The tGCS was also associated with greater discrimination than the mGCS or Simplified Motor Scale for nonmortality outcomes (differences in AUROC from 0.03 to 0.05). Findings were robust in subgroup and sensitivity analyses. The tGCS is associated with slightly greater discrimination than the mGCS or Simplified Motor Scale for identifying severe trauma. The small differences in discrimination are likely to be

Degree, instability and bifurcation of reaction-diffusion systems with obstacles near certain hyperbolas

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Eisner, J.; Väth, Martin

2016-01-01

Roč. 135, April (2016), s. 158-193 ISSN 0362-546X Institutional support: RVO:67985840 Keywords : reaction-diffusion system * turing instability * global bifurcation Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 1.192, year: 2016 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0362546X16000146

Digital curation and online resources: digital scanning of surgical tools at the royal college of physicians and surgeons of Glasgow for an open university learning resource.

Science.gov (United States)

Earley, Kirsty; Livingstone, Daniel; Rea, Paul M

2017-01-01

Collection preservation is essential for the cultural status of any city. However, presenting a collection publicly risks damage. Recently this drawback has been overcome by digital curation. Described here is a method of digitisation using photogrammetry and virtual reality software. Items were selected from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow archives, and implemented into an online learning module for the Open University. Images were processed via Agisoft Photoscan, Autodesk Memento, and Garden Gnome Object 2VR. Although problems arose due to specularity, 2VR digital models were developed for online viewing. Future research must minimise the difficulty of digitising specular objects.

Resonance April Cover Pg TP

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Admin

Algorithms as Machines. Kamal Lodaya. The Institute of Mathematical. Sciences , C.I.T Campus. Chennai 600 113, India. Email:kamal@imsc.res.in. Keywords. Algorithm, computing machine, computation model, Turing ma- chine, Mealy machine, Ptime. To solve problem s occurring in the real w orld, com puting scientists ...

Resonance – Journal of Science Education | Indian Academy of ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 2; Issue 8. Alan Turing – The Enigma of Intelligence. Priti Shankar. Book Review Volume 2 Issue 8 August 1997 ... Author Affiliations. Priti Shankar1. Department of Computer Science and Automation, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560 012, India.

The Glasgow-Maastricht foot model, evaluation of a 26 segment kinematic model of the foot.

Science.gov (United States)

Oosterwaal, Michiel; Carbes, Sylvain; Telfer, Scott; Woodburn, James; Tørholm, Søren; Al-Munajjed, Amir A; van Rhijn, Lodewijk; Meijer, Kenneth

2016-01-01

Accurately measuring of intrinsic foot kinematics using skin mounted markers is difficult, limited in part by the physical dimensions of the foot. Existing kinematic foot models solve this problem by combining multiple bones into idealized rigid segments. This study presents a novel foot model that allows the motion of the 26 bones to be individually estimated via a combination of partial joint constraints and coupling the motion of separate joints using kinematic rhythms. Segmented CT data from one healthy subject was used to create a template Glasgow-Maastricht foot model (GM-model). Following this, the template was scaled to produce subject-specific models for five additional healthy participants using a surface scan of the foot and ankle. Forty-three skin mounted markers, mainly positioned around the foot and ankle, were used to capture the stance phase of the right foot of the six healthy participants during walking. The GM-model was then applied to calculate the intrinsic foot kinematics. Distinct motion patterns where found for all joints. The variability in outcome depended on the location of the joint, with reasonable results for sagittal plane motions and poor results for transverse plane motions. The results of the GM-model were comparable with existing literature, including bone pin studies, with respect to the range of motion, motion pattern and timing of the motion in the studied joints. This novel model is the most complete kinematic model to date. Further evaluation of the model is warranted.

Modelling lead bioaccessibility in urban topsoils based on data from Glasgow, London, Northampton and Swansea, UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Appleton, J.D.; Cave, M.R.; Wragg, J.

2012-01-01

Predictive linear regression (LR) modelling between bioaccessible Pb and a range of total elemental compositions and soil properties was executed for the Glasgow, London, Northampton and Swansea urban areas in order to assess the potential for developing a national urban bioaccessible Pb dataset for the UK. LR indicates that total Pb is the only highly significant independent variable for estimating the bioaccessibility of Pb. Bootstrap resampling shows that the relationship between total Pb and bioaccessible Pb is broadly the same in the four urban areas. The median bioaccessible fraction ranges from 38% in Northampton to 68% in London and Swansea. Results of this study can be used as part of a lines of evidence approach to localised risk assessment but should not be used to replace bioaccessibility testing at individual sites where local conditions may vary considerably from the broad overview presented in this study. - Highlights: ► Total Pb is the only significant predictor for bioaccessible Pb in UK urban topsoils. ► Bootstrap resampling confirms relationship similar in four urban areas. ► Median bioaccessible fraction ranges from 38 to 68%. ► Results can be used for initial risk assessment in UK urban areas. - Total Pb is the only significant predictor for bioaccessible Pb in topsoils from four urban areas in the UK.

A study of issues in administering library services to nursing studies students at Glasgow Caledonian University.

Science.gov (United States)

Crawford, John

2002-06-01

Glasgow Caledonian University has had a Scottish Office pre-registration nursing and midwifery contract since 1996. Nursing studies students seemed dissatisfied with the library service and there were frequent complaints. A major study was undertaken during 2000 consisting of: an initial lis-link enquiry, separate analysis of returns from nursing studies students of the Library's annual general satisfaction survey (conducted every February), separate analysis of returns from nursing studies students of the Library's opening hours planning survey, and four focus groups held in October 2000. These studies showed the concerns of nursing studies students to be similar to other students but more strongly felt. The four main issues were textbook availability, journal availability, opening hours and staff helpfulness. Working conditions, placement requirements, study requirements and domestic circumstances were all found to be important factors. IT skill levels tended to be low but there is a growing appreciation of the need for training in this area. Concluded that: Library's services to nursing studies students have become enmeshed with the problems of delivery and assessment of education for nurses. Greatly extended opening hours are essential including evening opening during vacations. The problem of access to textbooks is so severe that conventional solutions are not going to work. Programmes of core text digitization and the promotion of e-books are needed. Reciprocal access programmes with local hospital libraries is essential.

Determinants of Glasgow outcome scale in patients with severe traumatic brain injury for better quality of life

Science.gov (United States)

Dharmajaya, R.; Sari, D. K.; Ganie, R. A.

2018-03-01

Primary and secondary brain injury may occur with severe traumatic brain injury. Secondary traumatic brain injury results in a more severe effect compared to primary traumatic brain injury. Therefore, prevention of secondary traumatic brain injury is necessary to obtain maximum therapeutic results and accurate determination of prognosis and better quality of life. This study aimed to determine accurate and noninvasive prognostic factors in patients with severe traumatic brain injury. It was a cohort study on 16 subjects. Intracranial pressure was monitored within the first 24 hours after traumatic brain injury. Examination of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and S100B protein were conducted four times. The severity of outcome was evaluated using Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) three months after traumatic brain injury. Intracranial pressure measurement performed 24 hours after traumatic brain injury, low S100B protein (6.16pg/ml) 48 hours after injury indicate good prognosis and were shown to be significant predictors (p<0.05) for determining the quality of GOS. The conclusion is patient with a moderate increase in intracranial pressure Intracranial pressure S100B protein, being inexpensive and non-invasive, can substitute BDNF and intracranial pressure measurements as a tool for determining prognosis 120 hours following traumatic brain injury.

Procalcitonin Improves the Glasgow Prognostic Score for Outcome Prediction in Emergency Patients with Cancer: A Cohort Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Christina Rast

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS is useful for predicting long-term mortality in cancer patients. Our aim was to validate the GPS in ED patients with different cancer-related urgency and investigate whether biomarkers would improve its accuracy. We followed consecutive medical patients presenting with a cancer-related medical urgency to a tertiary care hospital in Switzerland. Upon admission, we measured procalcitonin (PCT, white blood cell count, urea, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, corrected calcium, C-reactive protein, and albumin and calculated the GPS. Of 341 included patients (median age 68 years, 61% males, 81 (23.8% died within 30 days after admission. The GPS showed moderate prognostic accuracy (AUC 0.67 for mortality. Among the different biomarkers, PCT provided the highest prognostic accuracy (odds ratio 1.6 (95% confidence interval 1.3 to 1.9, P<0.001, AUC 0.69 and significantly improved the GPS to a combined AUC of 0.74 (P=0.007. Considering all investigated biomarkers, the AUC increased to 0.76 (P<0.001. The GPS performance was significantly improved by the addition of PCT and other biomarkers for risk stratification in ED cancer patients. The benefit of early risk stratification by the GPS in combination with biomarkers from different pathways should be investigated in further interventional trials.

Turing Instability-Driven Biofabrication of Branching Tissue Structures: A Dynamic Simulation and Analysis Based on the Reaction–Diffusion Mechanism †

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaolu Zhu

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Four-dimensional (4D biofabrication techniques aim to dynamically produce and control three-dimensional (3D biological structures that would transform their shapes or functionalities with time, when a stimulus is imposed or cell post-printing self-assembly occurs. The evolution of 3D branching patterns via self-assembly of cells is critical for the 4D biofabrication of artificial organs or tissues with branched geometry. However, it is still unclear how the formation and evolution of these branching patterns are biologically encoded. Here, we study the biofabrication of lung branching structures utilizing a simulation model based on Turing instability that raises a dynamic reaction–diffusion (RD process of the biomolecules and cells. The simulation model incorporates partial differential equations of four variables, describing the tempo-spatial distribution of the variables in 3D over time. The simulation results present the formation and evolution process of 3D branching patterns over time and also interpret both the behaviors of side-branching and tip-splitting as the stalk grows and the fabrication style under an external concentration gradient of morphogen, through 3D visualization. This provides a theoretical framework for rationally guiding the 4D biofabrication of lung airway grafts via cellular self-organization, which would potentially reduce the complexity of future experimental research and number of trials.

RAZLIKE SOCIOLOŠKIH INDIKATORA UČENICA I UČENIKA GIMNAZIJA

OpenAIRE

Danijela Bonacin; Stipe Blažević; Franjo Lovrić

2009-01-01

Problem of this research was determination of differences in sociological struc- ture indicators of male and female pupils connected with their institutional, residential, sanction and management status. An idea was to investigate and offer adequate conclu- sions needed for several educational and other institutions for easier approach to such population. In this research we surround two samples of entities: 647 female and 400 male students of grammar school described with 52 indicators. Data...

The influence of structural and institutional change on teaching and culture in clinical settings: an exploratory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldie, J; Dowie, A; Goldie, Anne; Cotton, Phil; Morrison, Jill

2015-02-01

Learning in clinical settings is a function of activity, context and culture. Glasgow University's Medical School has undergone significant curricular change in recent years. This has coincided with change to National Health Service consultants' contracts, the introduction of the European Working Time Directive and the Modernising Medical Careers training initiative. We wished to explore teachers' and students' perspectives on the effects of change on our clinical teachers' capacity for teaching and on medical culture. A qualitative approach using individual interviews with educational supervisors and focus groups with senior clinical students was used. Data were analysed using a "framework" technique. Curricular change has led to shorter clinical attachments in the senior clinical rotation, which combined with more centralised teaching have had adverse effects on both formal and informal teaching during attachments. Consultants' NHS contract changes the implementation of the European Working Time Directive and changes to postgraduate training have adversely affected consultants' teaching capacity, which has had a detrimental effect on their relationships with students. Medical culture has also changed as a result of these and other societal influences. The apprenticeship model was still felt to be relevant in clinical settings. This has to be balanced against the need for systematic teaching. Structural and institutional change affects learning. Faculty needs to be aware of the socio-historical context of their institutions.

A Computability Argument Against Superintelligence

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Wiedermann, Jiří

2012-01-01

Roč. 4, č. 3 (2012), s. 236-245 ISSN 1866-9956 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP202/10/1333 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Keywords : cognitive systems * intelligence * extended Turing machine thesis * singularity * superintelligence Subject RIV: IN - Informatics, Computer Science Impact factor: 0.867, year: 2012

The Influence of Receptor-Mediated Interactions on Reaction-Diffusion Mechanisms of Cellular Self-organisation

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Klika, Václav; Baker, R. E.; Headon, D.; Gaffney, E. A.

2012-01-01

Roč. 74, č. 4 (2012), s. 935-957 ISSN 0092-8240 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20760514 Keywords : reaction-diffusion * receptor-mediated patterning * turing models Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 2.023, year: 2012 http://www.springerlink.com/content/9713544x6871w4n6/?MUD=MP

Zehirlenme Olgularında Hayatı Tehlike Kararı İçin Glasgow Koma Skalasının Kullanımı

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rabiş Keskin

2001-04-01

Full Text Available Zehirlenme nedeniyle gönderilen olgularda, hayati tehlike kavramının değerlendirilmesinde; kişinin yoğun bakım tedavisi görüp görmediği, yoğun bakımda kaldığı süre, antidot tedavisi uygulanıp uygulanmadığı ve varsa ölçülmüş olan madde dozu kriter olarak kullanılmaktadır. Glasgow Koma Skalası (GKS, beyin fonksiyonlarını ölçen, genellikle kranyoserebral yaralanmak hastalarda koma derecesini güvenilir bir şekilde değerlendirmeye yarayan bir indekstir. GKS’nın mortalité ile korelasyonu bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışmada GKS bulguları tanımlanan ve bu tanımlar ışığında GKS hesaplanan olgularda skalanın hayati tehlike kararı açısından kullanılabilirliğinin tartışılması amaçlandı. 1999-2000 yılları arasında Adli Tıp Kurumu 5. İhtisas Kurulu’na zehirlenme nedeni ile gönderilen olgular, klasik hayati tehlike kriterleri ve göz hareketleri, konuşma,sözel cevap, motor cevap olmak üzere, GKS kriterleri açısından ret-rospektif olarak değerlendirildi. Çalışmamızda toplam 647 zehirlenme olgusu içerisinden hayati tehlike bulunup bulunmadığı sorulan 359 olgu arasından GKS belirtilmiş olan ve/veya mevcut verilerle GKS’sı saptanabilen 30 olgu irdelenmiştir. Diğer olgularda ise klinik bilgiler ve hasta öyküsü yeterince kaydedilmediğinden skala değerlendirilememiştir. Bu çalışma sonucunda, zehirlenme olguları için oluşturulacak modifiye bir GKS formunun her sağlık biriminde kullanılmasının yakın bir hedef olması gerektiği düşünülmüştür. Anahtar kelimeler: Glasgow koma skalası, hayati tehlike, zehirlenme

Validation of the Hindi version of National Institute of Health Stroke Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Prasad, Kameshwar; Dash, Deepa; Kumar, Amit

2012-01-01

To determine the reliability and validity of the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) with the Hindi and Indian adaptation of items 9 and 10. NIHSS items 9 and 10 were modified and culturally adapted at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the resulting version was termed as Hindi version (HV-NIHSS). HV-NIHSS was applied by two independent investigators on 107 patients with stroke. Inter-observer agreement and intra-class correlation coefficients were calculated. The predictive validity of the HV-NIHSS was calculated using functional outcome after three months in the form of modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and Barthel Index (BI). The study included 107 patients of stroke recruited from a tertiary referral hospital at Delhi between November 1, 2009, and October 1, 2010; the mean age of these patients was 56.26±13.84 years and 65.4% of them had suffered ischemic stroke. Inter-rater reliability was high between the two examiners, with Pearson's r ranging from 0.72 to 0.99 for the 15 items on the Scale. Intra-class correlation coefficient for the total score was 0.995 (95% CI-0.993-0.997). Concurrent construct validity was established between HV-NIHSS and baseline Glasgow Coma Scale, with a high correlation (Spearman coefficient = -0.863, P<.001). Predictive validity was also established with BI at three months (Spearman's rho: -0.829, P<.001) and with mRS at three months (Spearman's rho: 0.851, P<0.001). This study shows that a Hindi language version of the NIHSS developed at AIIMS appears reliable and valid when applied to a Hindi-speaking population.

Tracheostomy decannulation at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow: Predictors of success and failure.

Science.gov (United States)

Beaton, Fiona; Baird, Tracy-Anne; Clement, W Andrew; Kubba, Haytham

2016-11-01

Tracheostomy techniques, indications and care are extensively covered in the literature. However, little is written about the process of removing the tracheostomy tube. At the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow we use a stepwise ward-based protocol for safe tracheostomy decannulation. Our aim therefore was to review all the paediatric tracheostomy decannulations that we attempted over the last 3 years to evaluate our protocol, to determine our success rate and to see whether any modifications to the protocol are required. We reviewed all patients who had undergone ward decannulation between January 2012 and May 2015. We extracted data from clinical records including patient characteristics, indications for tracheostomy, timing of decannulation and success or failure of the process. The 45 children in the study underwent 57 attempts at decannulation during the study period. 25 were male (56%) and 20 were female (44%), and they were aged between 1 day and 16 years 6 months at the time of the original tracheostomy operation. 33 attempts were successful (58%). 10 children had more than one attempt at decannulation. Children were found to fail at every stage of the protocol, with the commonest point of failure being day 2 when the tracheostomy tube was capped. We have demonstrated that our current protocol for ward decannulation is effective and safe, and that all five days of the protocol are required. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Long-term outcomes after immediate aortic repair for acute type A aortic dissection complicated by coma.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsukube, Takuro; Haraguchi, Tomonori; Okada, Yasushi; Matsukawa, Ritsu; Kozawa, Shuichi; Ogawa, Kyoichi; Okita, Yutaka

2014-09-01

The management of acute type A aortic dissection complicated by coma remains controversial. We previously reported an excellent rate of recovery of consciousness provided aortic repair was performed within 5 hours of the onset of symptoms. This study evaluates the early and long-term outcomes using this approach. Between August 2003 and July 2013, of the 241 patients with acute type A aortic dissection brought to the Japanese Red Cross Kobe Hospital and Hyogo Emergency Medical Center, 30 (12.4%) presented with coma; Glasgow Coma Scale was less than 11 on arrival. Surgery was performed in 186 patients, including 27 (14.5%) who were comatose. Twenty-four comatose patients underwent successful aortic repair immediately (immediate group). Their mean age was 71.0 ± 11.1 years, Glasgow Coma Scale was 6.5 ± 2.4, and prevalence of carotid dissection was 79%. For brain protection, deep hypothermia with antegrade cerebral perfusion was used, and postoperative induced hypothermia was performed. Neurologic evaluations were performed using the Glasgow Coma Scale, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, and modified Rankin Scale. In the immediate group, the time from the onset of symptoms to arrival in the operating theater was 222 ± 86 minutes. Hospital mortality was 12.5%. Full recovery of consciousness was achieved in 79% of patients in up to 30 days. Postoperative Glasgow Coma Scale and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale improved significantly when compared with the preoperative score (P coma were satisfactory. Copyright © 2014 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Autopoietic Automata: Complexity Issues in Offspring-Producing Evolving Processes

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Wiedermann, Jiří

2007-01-01

Roč. 383, č. 2-3 (2007), s. 260-269 ISSN 0304-3975 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR 1ET100300517 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10300504 Keywords : autopoietic automata * self-reproducing automata * interactive Turing machine * simulation * computational complexity Subject RIV: IN - Informatics, Computer Science Impact factor: 0.735, year: 2007

Test and Evaluation Report of the IMED Volumetric Infusion Pump Model 960A

Science.gov (United States)

1992-02-01

tested Ambient tempera- ture was out of test lim- its. Windshield anti-ice X Pitot heat X Vent blower X Windshield wiper X Heater X APU X Generator #1 X...Patterson John A. Dellinger, Air Force Base, OH 45433 Southwest Research Institute P. 0. Box 28510 Henry L. Taylor San Antonio, TX 78284 Director

Investigation of the non-photochemical processes in photosynthetic bacteria and higher plants using interference of coherent radiation - a new approach

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Roháček, Karel; Kloz, M.; Bína, David; Batysta, F.; Vácha, František

2007-01-01

Roč. 91, 2-3 (2007), s. 301 ISSN 0166-8595. [International Congress of Photosynthesis/14./. 22.07.2007-27.07.2007, Glasgow] Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50510513 Keywords : photosynthetic bacteria Subject RIV: CE - Biochemistry

Aberrant Behaviours of Reaction Diffusion Self-organisation Models on Growing Domains in the Presence of Gene Expression Time Delays

KAUST Repository

Seirin Lee, S.

2010-03-23

Turing\\'s pattern formation mechanism exhibits sensitivity to the details of the initial conditions suggesting that, in isolation, it cannot robustly generate pattern within noisy biological environments. Nonetheless, secondary aspects of developmental self-organisation, such as a growing domain, have been shown to ameliorate this aberrant model behaviour. Furthermore, while in-situ hybridisation reveals the presence of gene expression in developmental processes, the influence of such dynamics on Turing\\'s model has received limited attention. Here, we novelly focus on the Gierer-Meinhardt reaction diffusion system considering delays due the time taken for gene expression, while incorporating a number of different domain growth profiles to further explore the influence and interplay of domain growth and gene expression on Turing\\'s mechanism. We find extensive pathological model behaviour, exhibiting one or more of the following: temporal oscillations with no spatial structure, a failure of the Turing instability and an extreme sensitivity to the initial conditions, the growth profile and the duration of gene expression. This deviant behaviour is even more severe than observed in previous studies of Schnakenberg kinetics on exponentially growing domains in the presence of gene expression (Gaffney and Monk in Bull. Math. Biol. 68:99-130, 2006). Our results emphasise that gene expression dynamics induce unrealistic behaviour in Turing\\'s model for multiple choices of kinetics and thus such aberrant modelling predictions are likely to be generic. They also highlight that domain growth can no longer ameliorate the excessive sensitivity of Turing\\'s mechanism in the presence of gene expression time delays. The above, extensive, pathologies suggest that, in the presence of gene expression, Turing\\'s mechanism would generally require a novel and extensive secondary mechanism to control reaction diffusion patterning. © 2010 Society for Mathematical Biology.

A Universal Reactive Machine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Henrik Reif; Mørk, Simon; Sørensen, Morten U.

1997-01-01

Turing showed the existence of a model universal for the set of Turing machines in the sense that given an encoding of any Turing machine asinput the universal Turing machine simulates it. We introduce the concept of universality for reactive systems and construct a CCS processuniversal...

Continuous-Time Symmetric Hopfield Nets are Computationally Universal

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Šíma, Jiří; Orponen, P.

2003-01-01

Roč. 15, č. 3 (2003), s. 693-733 ISSN 0899-7667 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAB2030007; GA ČR GA201/02/1456 Institutional research plan: AV0Z1030915 Keywords : continuous-time Hopfield network * Liapunov function * analog computation * computational power * Turing universality Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 2.747, year: 2003

Thirty Years of Collaboration with Jan van Leeuwen: In Search of Understanding Computation

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Wiedermann, Jiří

-, č. 108 (2012), s. 148-160 ISSN 0252-9742 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP202/10/1333 Institutional support: RVO:67985807 Keywords : complexity * machine models * array processing machine * interactive computing * Turing machine paradigm * hypercomputing Subject RIV: IN - Informatics, Computer Science http://albcom.lsi.upc.edu/ojs/index.php/beatcs/article/viewFile/146/161

Investigation of the non-photochemical processes in photosynthetic bacteria and higher plants using interference of coherent radiation - a new approach

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Roháček, Karel; Kloz, M.; Bína, David; Batysta, F.; Vácha, František

2007-01-01

Roč. 91, 2-3 (2007), s. 301 ISSN 0166-8595. [International Congress of Photosynthesis/14./. 22.07.2007-27.07.2007, Glasgow] Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50510513 Keywords : Photosynthesis * higher plants Subject RIV: CE - Biochemistry

Gap junctions mediate large-scale Turing structures in a mean-field cortex driven by subcortical noise

Science.gov (United States)

Steyn-Ross, Moira L.; Steyn-Ross, D. A.; Wilson, M. T.; Sleigh, J. W.

2007-07-01

One of the grand puzzles in neuroscience is establishing the link between cognition and the disparate patterns of spontaneous and task-induced brain activity that can be measured clinically using a wide range of detection modalities such as scalp electrodes and imaging tomography. High-level brain function is not a single-neuron property, yet emerges as a cooperative phenomenon of multiply-interacting populations of neurons. Therefore a fruitful modeling approach is to picture the cerebral cortex as a continuum characterized by parameters that have been averaged over a small volume of cortical tissue. Such mean-field cortical models have been used to investigate gross patterns of brain behavior such as anesthesia, the cycles of natural sleep, memory and erasure in slow-wave sleep, and epilepsy. There is persuasive and accumulating evidence that direct gap-junction connections between inhibitory neurons promote synchronous oscillatory behavior both locally and across distances of some centimeters, but, to date, continuum models have ignored gap-junction connectivity. In this paper we employ simple mean-field arguments to derive an expression for D2 , the diffusive coupling strength arising from gap-junction connections between inhibitory neurons. Using recent neurophysiological measurements reported by Fukuda [J. Neurosci. 26, 3434 (2006)], we estimate an upper limit of D2≈0.6cm2 . We apply a linear stability analysis to a standard mean-field cortical model, augmented with gap-junction diffusion, and find this value for the diffusive coupling strength to be close to the critical value required to destabilize the homogeneous steady state. Computer simulations demonstrate that larger values of D2 cause the noise-driven model cortex to spontaneously crystalize into random mazelike Turing structures: centimeter-scale spatial patterns in which regions of high-firing activity are intermixed with regions of low-firing activity. These structures are consistent with the

The tradeoff between both basic aspects of a perceived space

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Šikl, Radovan; Šimeček, M.

Supplement, č. 31 (2002), s. 30 ISSN 0301-0066. [European Conference on Visual Perception. 25.08.2002-29.08.2002, Glasgow] Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z7025918 Keywords : Perception of space * stimulus parameter * length intervals Subject RIV: AN - Psychology

Patron-driven acquisition at Glasgow School of Art Library

OpenAIRE

Buri, David

2014-01-01

Reports on a five-month pilot of staff-mediated patron-driven acquisition (PDA) of e-books in a small specialist arts institution. Examines the background to the trial; the selection of platforms and vendors; and the import of e-book records into the catalogue. Presents the results of the pilot; a brief analysis of usage; and an outline of future plans for the further development of the service.

Prognostic value of the Glasgow Prognostic Score for glioblastoma multiforme patients treated with radiotherapy and temozolomide.

Science.gov (United States)

Topkan, Erkan; Selek, Ugur; Ozdemir, Yurday; Yildirim, Berna A; Guler, Ozan C; Ciner, Fuat; Mertsoylu, Huseyin; Tufan, Kadir

2018-04-25

To evaluate the prognostic value of the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS), the combination of C-reactive protein (CRP) and albumin, in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients treated with radiotherapy (RT) and concurrent plus adjuvant temozolomide (GPS). Data of newly diagnosed GBM patients treated with partial brain RT and concurrent and adjuvant TMZ were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were grouped into three according to the GPS criteria: GPS-0: CRP L and albumin > 35 g/L; GPS-1: CRP L and albumin L or CRP > 10 mg/L and albumin > 35 g/L; and GPS-2: CRP > 10 mg/L and albumin L. Primary end-point was the association between the GPS groups and the overall survival (OS) outcomes. A total of 142 patients were analyzed (median age: 58 years, 66.2% male). There were 64 (45.1%), 40 (28.2%), and 38 (26.7%) patients in GPS-0, GPS-1, and GPS-2 groups, respectively. At median 15.7 months follow-up, the respective median and 5-year OS rates for the whole cohort were 16.2 months (95% CI 12.7-19.7) and 9.5%. In multivariate analyses GPS grouping emerged independently associated with the median OS (P GPS grouping and the RTOG RPA classification were found to be strongly correlated in prognostic stratification of GBM patients (correlation coefficient: 0.42; P GPS appeared to be useful in prognostic stratification of GBM patients into three groups with significantly different survival durations resembling the RTOG RPA classification.

The Glasgow antipsychotic side-effects scale for clozapine in inpatients and outpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Ignjatović Ristić, Dragana; Cohen, Dan; Obradović, Andrea; Nikić-Đuričić, Katarina; Drašković, Marija; Hinić, Darko

2018-02-01

The inconsistency in clinician and patient ratings of clozapine-induced side effects underscore the need to supplement clinician-based estimates of side effects with patient-reported ones. The main aims of the study are validation of the Glasgow antipsychotic side-effects scale for clozapine (GASS-C) in Serbian inpatients/outpatients with schizophrenia or schizo-affective disorder and recommendations for its future use, based on common and rare clozapine-associated side-effects. The GASS-C was administered to 95 outpatients/inpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizoaffective, or chronic psychotic disorder. The scale showed good overall reliability, with an internal consistency coefficient of α = 0.84, an average retest coefficient of rho = 0.76, and a Spearman-Brown coefficient of validity of 0.81. Side effects were absent or mild in 64.2% of the patients, moderate in 31.6%, severe in 4.2%; 14% of the subjects considered their symptoms distressing. The most commonly reported side-effects were drowsiness, thirst, frequent urination, and dry mouth. Women reported more side effects than men, and patients not in a relationship reported significantly fewer side effects than patients in a relationship. Results indicate a weak positive correlation (rho = 0.231; p = .025) between severity of side effects and clozapine dose. The GASS-C showed good psychometric characteristics in clinical population of patients on clozapine. In future studies, clozapine serum concentrations should be measured when using the GASS-C to monitor side effects.

The Glasgow Prognostic Score as a significant predictor of diffuse large B cell lymphoma treated with R-CHOP in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiaoyang; Zhang, Yunxiang; Zhao, Weili; Liu, Zhao; Shen, Yang; Li, Junmin; Shen, Zhixiang

2015-01-01

The Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) incorporates C-reactive protein and albumin as clinically useful markers of tumor behavior and shows significant prognostic value in several types of solid tumors. The accuracy of the GPS in predicting outcomes in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remains unknown. We performed this study to evaluate the prognostic significance of the GPS in DLBCL in China. We retrospectively analyzed 160 patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL at the Shanghai Ruijin Hospital (China). The prognostic value of the GPS was evaluated and compared with that of the International Prognostic Index (IPI) and immunohistochemical subtyping. The GPS was defined as follows: GPS-0, C-reactive protein (CRP) ≤10 mg/L and albumin ≥35 g/L; GPS-1, CRP >10 mg/L or albumin L; and GPS-2, CRP >10 mg/L and albumin L. Patients with lower GPS tended to have better outcomes including progression-free survival (PFS, P GPS and high IPI score were independent adverse predictors of OS. Similar to several other tumors, GPS is a reliable predictor of survival outcomes in DLBCL patients treated with R-CHOP therapy. Inflammatory responses are implicated in the progression and survival of patients with DLBCL.

Comparison of Glasgow prognostic score and prognostic index in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Ai-Gui; Chen, Hong-Lin; Lu, Hui-Yu

2015-03-01

Previous studies have shown that Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) and prognostic index (PI) are also powerful prognostic tool for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study was to compare the prognostic value between GPS and PI. We enrolled consecutive patients with advanced NSCLC in this prospective cohort. GPS and PI were calculated before the onset of chemotherapy. The prognosis outcomes included 1-, 3-, and 5-year progression-free survival and overall survival (OS). The performance of two scores in predicting prognosis was analyzed regarding discrimination and calibration. 138 patients were included in the study. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for GPS predicting 1-year DFS was 0.62 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.56-0.68, P statistic showed good fit of the predicted 1-year DFS to the actual 1-year DFS by GPS (χ(2) = 4.326, P = 0.462), while no fit was found between the predicted 1-year DFS and the actual 1-year DFS by PI (χ(2) = 15.234, P = 0.091). Similar results of calibration power were found for predicting 3-year DFS, 5-year DFS, 1-year OS, 3-year OS, and 5-year OS by GPS and PI. GPS is more accurate than PI in predicting prognosis for patients with advanced NSCLC. GPS can be used as a useful and simple tool for predicting prognosis in patients with NSCLC. However, GPS only can be used for preliminary assessment because of low predicting accuracy.

Present status of severe head injured patients with an admission glasgow coma scale score of 3 based on the Japan neurotrauma data bank

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uzura, Masahiko

2011-01-01

Severe head injured patients presenting with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 3 have been hesitated to treat aggressively. We analyzed present status of patients with GCS score of 3 from the Project 2004 in the Japan Neurotrauma Data Bank. Among 1,101 cases registered, 805 cases with GCS score of 8 or less on admission. Of those, 215 cases with GCS score of 3 were classified the survival group (51 cases) and the dead group (164 cases) and compared each group. These results showed that the characteristics associated with favorable outcome including absence of cardiopulmonary arrest, no abnormality of pupil findings, stable condition of respiration and circulation, serum glucose level (less than 184 mg/dl), absence of initial CT findings including skull base fracture, pneumocephalus and subarachnoid hemorrhage, no serious extracranial injures including Injury Severity Scale score of less than 25, critic al care including intracranial pressure monitoring and temperature management. We suggest that it is important to treat brain and systemic problems aggressively in severe head injured patients with GCS score of 3. (author)

Value of Glasgow-Blatchford score in predicting early prognosis of cirrhotic patients with esophagogastric variceal bleeding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CUI Shu

2017-10-01

Full Text Available ObjectiveTo investigate the value of Glasgow-Blatchford score (GBS, Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP score, and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD score in predicting the 1- and 6-week prognosis of cirrhotic patients with esophagogastric variceal bleeding via a comparative analysis. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 202 cirrhotic patients with esophagogastric variceal bleeding who were hospitalized in Tianjin Third Central Hospital from January 1 to December 31, 2014. According to the endpoint of death at 6 weeks after admission, the patients were divided into 1-week death group (10 patients, 6-week death group (23 patients, and survival group (179 patients. The Glasgow-Blatchford score, MELD score, CTP score, and CTP score and classification were calculated on admission, and these scores were compared between the three groups. The two-independent-samples t test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups, and the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between groups. The chi-square test or the Fisher′s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. The Z test was used for comparison of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC of these three scoring systems. ResultsThere were significant differences between the 1-week death group and the survival group in the incidence rates of liver cancer with vascular invasion or metastasis (χ2=4.559, P=0.033, hepatic encephalopathy (χ2=25.568, P＜0.01, melena (χ2=0.842, P=0.04, and heart failure (P=0.003, pulse rate (Z=-2.943, P=0.003, CTP classification (χ2=12.22, P=0.002, CTP score (Z=-2.505, P=0.012, MELD score (t=-2.395, P=0.018, and GBS score (Z=-2545, P=0.011. There were significant differences between the 6-week death group and the survival group in the incidence rates of liver cancer (χ2=9.374, P=0.002, liver

siRNAs targeting PB2 and NP genes potentially inhibit replication of ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

2015-04-20

Apr 20, 2015 ... 1ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal 462 022, India. 2Department of .... tained in Glasgow Minimum Essential Media (GMEM;. Sigma, USA) supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated fetal ... Viral RNA was isolated from infected cell culture superna- tant using ... The thermal.

Separating the Classes of Recursively Enumerable Languages Based on Machine Size

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

van Leeuwen, J.; Wiedermann, Jiří

2015-01-01

Roč. 26, č. 6 (2015), s. 677-695 ISSN 0129-0541 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP202/10/1333 Grant - others:GA ČR(CZ) GA15-04960S Institutional support: RVO:67985807 Keywords : recursively enumerable languages * RE hierarchy * finite languages * machine size * descriptional complexity * Turing machines with advice Subject RIV: IN - Informatics, Computer Science Impact factor: 0.467, year: 2015

Successful School Leadership

Science.gov (United States)

Day, Christopher; Sammons, Pamela

2016-01-01

Working with partners including the Department of Education at Oxford University, the Centre for Equity in Education at the University of Manchester, the University of Glasgow, the University of Nottingham and the Hong Kong Institute of Education, "Education Development Trust" has commissioned a series of reviews of international…

Rabies Across Borders

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2017-12-04

Dr. Roman Biek, with the Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, discusses rabies outbreaks in Canada from the U.S.  Created: 12/4/2017 by National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID).   Date Released: 12/4/2017.

Cook-Levin Theorem Algorithmic-Reducibility/Completeness = Wilson Renormalization-(Semi)-Group Fixed-Points; ``Noise''-Induced Phase-Transitions (NITs) to Accelerate Algorithmics (``NIT-Picking'') REPLACING CRUTCHES!!!: Models: Turing-machine, finite-state-models, finite-automata

Science.gov (United States)

Young, Frederic; Siegel, Edward

Cook-Levin theorem theorem algorithmic computational-complexity(C-C) algorithmic-equivalence reducibility/completeness equivalence to renormalization-(semi)-group phase-transitions critical-phenomena statistical-physics universality-classes fixed-points, is exploited via Siegel FUZZYICS =CATEGORYICS = ANALOGYICS =PRAGMATYICS/CATEGORY-SEMANTICS ONTOLOGY COGNITION ANALYTICS-Aristotle ``square-of-opposition'' tabular list-format truth-table matrix analytics predicts and implements ''noise''-induced phase-transitions (NITs) to accelerate versus to decelerate Harel [Algorithmics (1987)]-Sipser[Intro.Thy. Computation(`97)] algorithmic C-C: ''NIT-picking''(!!!), to optimize optimization-problems optimally(OOPO). Versus iso-''noise'' power-spectrum quantitative-only amplitude/magnitude-only variation stochastic-resonance, ''NIT-picking'' is ''noise'' power-spectrum QUALitative-type variation via quantitative critical-exponents variation. Computer-''science''/SEANCE algorithmic C-C models: Turing-machine, finite-state-models, finite-automata,..., discrete-maths graph-theory equivalence to physics Feynman-diagrams are identified as early-days once-workable valid but limiting IMPEDING CRUTCHES(!!!), ONLY IMPEDE latter-days new-insights!!!

Pretreatment Modified Glasgow Prognostic Score Predicts Clinical Outcomes After Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kishi, Takahiro; Matsuo, Yukinori, E-mail: ymatsuo@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp; Ueki, Nami; Iizuka, Yusuke; Nakamura, Akira; Sakanaka, Katsuyuki; Mizowaki, Takashi; Hiraoka, Masahiro

2015-07-01

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of the modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). Methods and Materials: Data from 165 patients who underwent SBRT for stage I NSCLC with histologic confirmation from January 1999 to September 2010 were collected retrospectively. Factors, including age, performance status, histology, Charlson comorbidity index, mGPS, and recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) class based on sex and T stage, were evaluated with regard to overall survival (OS) using the Cox proportional hazards model. The impact of the mGPS on cause of death and failure patterns was also analyzed. Results: The 3-year OS was 57.9%, with a median follow-up time of 3.5 years. A higher mGPS correlated significantly with poor OS (P<.001). The 3-year OS of lower mGPS patients was 66.4%, whereas that of higher mGPS patients was 44.5%. On multivariate analysis, mGPS and RPA class were significant factors for OS. A higher mGPS correlated significantly with lung cancer death (P=.019) and distant metastasis (P=.013). Conclusions: The mGPS was a significant predictor of clinical outcomes for SBRT in NSCLC patients.

[Can Glasgow-Blatchford Score and Pre-endoscopic Rockall Score Predict the Occurrence of Hypotension in Initially Normotensive Patients with Non-variceal Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding?].

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, June Sung; Ko, Byuk Sung; Son, Chang Hwan; Ahn, Shin; Seo, Dong Woo; Lee, Yoon Seon; Lee, Jae Ho; Oh, Bum Jin; Lim, Kyoung Soo; Kim, Won Young

2016-01-25

The aim of this study was to identify the ability of Glasgow-Blatchford score (GBS) and pre-endoscopic Rockall score (pre-E RS) to predict the occurrence of hypotension in patients with non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding who are initially normotensive at emergency department. Retrospective observational study was conducted at Asan Medical Center emergency department (ED) in patients who presented with non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2013. Study population was divided according to the development of hypotension, and demographics, comorbidities, and laboratory findings were compared. GBS and pre-E RS were estimated to predict the occurrence of hypotension. A total of 747 patients with non-variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding were included during the study period, and 120 (16.1%) patients developed hypotension within 24 hours after ED admission. The median values GBS and pre-E RS were statistically different according to the occurrence of hypotension (8.0 vs. 10.0, 2.0 vs. 3.0, respectively; pupper gastrointestinal bleeding. Development of other scoring systems are needed.

Spatial Resolution of the Medipix-2 as Neutron Pixel Detector

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Jakůbek, J.; Holý, T.; Lehmann, E.; Pospíšil, S.; Uher, J.; Vacík, J.; Vavřík, Daniel

2005-01-01

Roč. 546, - (2005), s. 164-169 ISSN 0168-9002. [International Workshop on Radiation Imaging Detectors /6./. Glasgow, Scotland, 25.07.2004-29.07.2004] Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20710524 Keywords : neutron detection * neutronography * X-ray Subject RIV: JB - Sensors, Measurment, Regulation Impact factor: 1.224, year: 2005

Predictive Value of Glasgow Coma Score and Full Outline of Unresponsiveness Score on the Outcome of Multiple Trauma Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Baratloo, Alireza; Shokravi, Masumeh; Safari, Saeed; Aziz, Awat Kamal

2016-03-01

The Full Outline of Unresponsiveness (FOUR) score was developed to compensate for the limitations of Glasgow coma score (GCS) in recent years. This study aimed to assess the predictive value of GCS and FOUR score on the outcome of multiple trauma patients admitted to the emergency department. The present prospective cross-sectional study was conducted on multiple trauma patients admitted to the emergency department. GCS and FOUR scores were evaluated at the time of admission and at the sixth and twelfth hours after admission. Then the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, sensitivity, specificity, as well as positive and negative predictive value of GCS and FOUR score were evaluated to predict patients' outcome. Patients' outcome was divided into discharge with and without a medical injury (motor deficit, coma or death). Finally, 89 patients were studied. Sensitivity and specificity of GCS in predicting adverse outcome (motor deficit, coma or death) were 84.2% and 88.6% at the time of admission, 89.5% and 95.4% at the sixth hour and 89.5% and 91.5% at the twelfth hour, respectively. These values for the FOUR score were 86.9% and 88.4% at the time of admission, 89.5% and 100% at the sixth hour and 89.5% and 94.4% at the twelfth hour, respectively. Findings of this study indicate that the predictive value of FOUR score and GCS on the outcome of multiple trauma patients admitted to the emergency department is similar.

Data of evolutionary structure change: 1JDZA-1Z33A [Confc[Archive

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available pdbChain>A 1JDZA LLSTL-LQNPK ture>HGGGG- ...n> LIAETYLENPK ture>HHHHHH ucture> EELAM-LGANV ture>HHHHH- E> A 1Z33A EELYSTYKVKT >HHHH E...ucture> ATOM 189 CA LEU A 28 62.985 171.142 26.990 1.00 24.

Fuzzy Neuroidal Nets and Recurrent Fuzzy Computations

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Wiedermann, Jiří

2001-01-01

Roč. 11, č. 6 (2001), s. 675-686 ISSN 1210-0552. [SOFSEM 2001 Workshop on Soft Computing. Piešťany, 29.11.2001-30.11.2001] R&D Projects: GA ČR GA201/00/1489; GA AV ČR KSK1019101 Institutional research plan: AV0Z1030915 Keywords : fuzzy computing * fuzzy neural nets * fuzzy Turing machines * non-uniform computational complexity Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics

Fulltext PDF

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The Turing Test. Alan Mathison Turing (1912-1954), logician and coding theorist, is also regarded as the founder of artificial intelligence by many computer scientists. In a landmark paper, Computing. Machinery and Intelligence Mind, October. 1950,59: 433-460, Turing turned to the question. Can machines think? Rather ...

Modified Glasgow Prognostic Score is Associated With Risk of Recurrence in Bladder Cancer Patients After Radical Cystectomy

Science.gov (United States)

Ferro, Matteo; De Cobelli, Ottavio; Buonerba, Carlo; Di Lorenzo, Giuseppe; Capece, Marco; Bruzzese, Dario; Autorino, Riccardo; Bottero, Danilo; Cioffi, Antonio; Matei, Deliu Victor; Caraglia, Michele; Borghesi, Marco; De Berardinis, Ettore; Busetto, Gian Maria; Giovannone, Riccardo; Lucarelli, Giuseppe; Ditonno, Pasquale; Perdonà, Sisto; Bove, Pierluigi; Castaldo, Luigi; Hurle, Rodolfo; Musi, Gennaro; Brescia, Antonio; Olivieri, Michele; Cimmino, Amelia; Altieri, Vincenzo; Damiano, Rocco; Cantiello, Francesco; Serretta, Vincenzo; De Placido, Sabino; Mirone, Vincenzo; Sonpavde, Guru; Terracciano, Daniela

2015-01-01

Abstract Recently, many studies explored the role of inflammation parameters in the prognosis of urinary cancers, but the results were not consistent. The modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS), a systemic inflammation marker, is a prognostic marker in various types of cancers. The aim of the present study was to investigate the usefulness of the preoperative mGPS as predictor of recurrence-free (RFS), overall (OS), and cancer-specific (CSS) survivals in a large cohort of urothelial bladder cancer (UBC) patients. A total of 1037 patients with UBC were included in this study with a median follow-up of 22 months (range 3–60 months). An mGPS = 0 was observed in 646 patients (62.3%), mGPS = 1 in 297 patients (28.6 %), and mGPS = 2 in 94 patients (9.1%). In our study cohort, subjects with an mGPS equal to 2 had a significantly shorter median RFS compared with subjects with mGPS equal to 1 (16 vs 19 months, hazard ratio [HR] 1.54, 95% CI 1.31–1.81, P < 0.001) or with subjects with mGPS equal to 0 (16 vs 29 months, HR 2.38, 95% CI 1.86–3.05, P < 0.001). The association between mGPS and RFS was confirmed by weighted multivariate Cox model. Although in univariate analysis higher mGPS was associated with lower OS and CSS, this association disappeared in multivariate analysis where only the presence of lymph node-positive bladder cancer and T4 stage were predictors of worse prognosis for OS and CSS. In conclusion, the mGPS is an easily measured and inexpensive prognostic marker that was significantly associated with RFS in UBC patients. PMID:26496339

Making the Most of What We Have Got: Enhancing the RADAR Repository to Support Research Planning

Science.gov (United States)

Pike, Dawn; Siminson, Nicola Jane

2017-01-01

This article discusses how RADAR, the institutional repository (IR) at the Glasgow School of Art (GSA), has been modified to house an Annual Research Planning (ARP) template. A case study on the implementation of this research planning tool will outline the role that a repository and its staff can play in supporting individuals, enhancing…

Demonstration of Inexact Computing Implemented in the JPEG Compression Algorithm using Probabilistic Boolean Logic applied to CMOS Components

Science.gov (United States)

2015-12-24

manufacturing today (namely, the 14nm FinFET silicon CMOS technology). The JPEG algorithm is selected as a motivational example since it is widely...TIFF images of a U.S. Air Force F-16 aircraft provided by the University of Southern California Signal and Image Processing Institute (SIPI) image...silicon CMOS technology currently in high volume manufac- turing today (the 14 nm FinFET silicon CMOS technology). The main contribution of this

In Vivo Multimodal Imaging of NF-kappaB (pB) Spatial and Temporal Activation Following Light Injury in the Mouse Retina

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-15

breathing artifacts in retinal images. The cSLO fea- tures one argon wavelength (488 nm) and two infrared diode lasers (790/820 nm) which were used to...Engineering Heuy-Ching H Wang United States Army of Institutes of Surgical Research January 15, 2014 Interim Report for January 2010 to January...transgenic mouse model were used to perform in vivo experiments of laser - induced thermal damage to the retina. A Heidelberg Spectralis HRA confocal

Comparison of Glasgow-Blatchford score and full Rockall score systems to predict clinical outcomes in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

Science.gov (United States)

Mokhtare, Marjan; Bozorgi, Vida; Agah, Shahram; Nikkhah, Mehdi; Faghihi, Amirhossein; Boghratian, Amirhossein; Shalbaf, Neda; Khanlari, Abbas; Seifmanesh, Hamidreza

2016-01-01

Various risk scoring systems have been recently developed to predict clinical outcomes in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB). The two commonly used scoring systems include full Rockall score (RS) and the Glasgow-Blatchford score (GBS). Bleeding scores were assessed in terms of prediction of clinical outcomes in patients with UGIB. Two hundred patients (age >18 years) with obvious symptoms of UGIB in the emergency department of Rasoul Akram Hospital were enrolled. Full RS and GBS were calculated. We followed the patients for records of rebleeding and 1-month mortality. A receiver operating characteristic curve by using areas under the curve (AUCs) was used to statistically identify the best cutoff point. Eighteen patients were excluded from the study due to failure to follow-up. Rebleeding and mortality rate were 9.34% (n=17) and 11.53% (n=21), respectively. Regarding 1-month mortality, full RS was better than GBS (AUC, 0.648 versus 0.582; P =0.021). GBS was more accurate in terms of detecting transfusion need (AUC, 0.757 versus 0.528; P =0.001), rebleeding rate (AUC, 0.722 versus 0.520; P =0.002), intensive care unit admission rate (AUC, 0.648 versus 0.582; P =0.021), and endoscopic intervention rate (AUC, 0.771 versus 0.650; P <0.001). We found the full RS system is better for 1-month mortality prediction while GBS system is better for prediction of other outcomes.

Glasgow Prognostic Score is a predictor of perioperative and long-term outcome in patients with only surgically treated esophageal cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Vashist, Yogesh K; Loos, Julian; Dedow, Josephine; Tachezy, Michael; Uzunoglu, Guentac; Kutup, Asad; Yekebas, Emre F; Izbicki, Jakob R

2011-04-01

Systemic inflammation (SI) plays a pivotal role in cancer. C-reactive protein (CRP) and albumin as parameters of SI form the Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS). The purpose of the study was to evaluate the potential prognostic role of GPS in a homogeneous population of esophageal cancer (EC) patients undergoing only resection. GPS was evaluated on the basis of admission blood sample taken before surgery. Patients with a CRP L and albumin > 35 g/L were allocated to GPS0 group. If only CRP was increased or albumin decreased patients were allocated to the GPS1 and patients in whom CRP was ≥10 mg/L and albumin level ≤35 g/L were classified as GPS2. GPS was correlated to clinicopathological parameters and clinical outcome. Increasing GPS significantly correlated with more aggressive tumor biology in terms of tumor size (P GPS was identified as an independent prognosticator of perioperative morbidity (odds ratio 1.9; P = 0.03). In addition, a gradual decrease in disease-free and overall survival was evident between the three GPS subgroups. Survival differences between the GPS groups remained apparent even after stratification of the study population to underlying tumor type and nodal status. GPS was identified as a strong prognosticator of tumor recurrence (hazard ratio 2.5; P GPS represents a strong prognosticator of perioperative morbidity and long-term outcome in resected EC patients without neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatment.

Glasgow Prognostic Score is superior to ECOG PS as a prognostic factor in patients with gastric cancer with peritoneal seeding.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Shu-Qiang; Nie, Run-Cong; Chen, Yong-Ming; Qiu, Hai-Bo; Li, Xiao-Ping; Chen, Xiao-Jiang; Xu, Li-Pu; Yang, Li-Fang; Sun, Xiao-Wei; Li, Yuan-Fang; Zhou, Zhi-Wei; Chen, Shi; Chen, Ying-Bo

2018-04-01

The Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) has been shown to be associated with survival rates in patients with advanced cancer. The present study aimed to compare the GPS with the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG PS) in patients with gastric cancer with peritoneal seeding. For the investigation, a total of 384 gastric patients with peritoneal metastasis were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP; >10 mg/l) and hypoalbuminemia (l) were assigned a score of 2. Patients were assigned a score of 1 if presenting with only one of these abnormalities, and a score of 0 if neither of these abnormalities were present. The clinicopathologic characteristics and clinical outcomes of patients with peritoneal seeding were analyzed. The results showed that the median overall survival (OS) of patients in the GPS 0 group was longer, compared with that in the GPS 1 and GPS 2 groups (15.50, vs. 10.07 and 7.97 months, respectively; PGPS 0 group was significantly longer, compared with that in the GPS 1 and GPS 2 groups, for the patients receiving palliative chemotherapy and patients without palliative chemotherapy. Multivariate survival analysis demonstrated that CA19-9, palliative gastrectomy, first-line chemotherapy and GPS were the prognostic factors predicting OS. In conclusion, the GPS was superior to the subjective assessment of ECOG PS as a prognostic factor in predicting the outcome of gastric cancer with peritoneal seeding.

Tailoring the Glasgow University diagnostic aid for the product storage facilities at TRP

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Howell, J.; Miller, E

2001-02-01

This report concludes the work carried out under Task D2(d)/UK D00912: Development of Anomaly Diagnosis Algorithms for a Plutonium Tank Monitoring System, which was the companion to Task D2(c)/UK D00913: Analysis and Diagnosis of Anomalies at Bulk-Handling Nuclear Materials Facilities: Benchmarking and Optimisation. Between them these tasks produced a computer software package that could diagnose anomalies in plant data pertaining to solutions of nuclear materials stored and transported around reprocessing plants. The final goal of Task UK D00912 was to demonstrate to the Agency that the software could be applied to the product storage area at the Tokai Reprocessing Plant in Japan. The University of Glasgow does not produce software to any recognisable standard, so this was not an acceptance trial, but a demonstration. It was recognised that further software development would be required before the package could be accepted as a safeguards tool. Being the final report, the report focuses on the issues that are still outstanding so those who choose to continue with this work have a clear understanding of the status of the software. It is taken for granted that the reader appreciates that the package should be able to explain relatively small anomalies (> 0.1 SQ) and has numerous features to estimate evaporation rates, pipe hold-up and so on. Here the focus is on the minor gremlins that are still to be resolved. The report first explains how the software package would be tailored so that it could be implemented at TRP. Of key importance is the fact that the plant uses scanivalves, which multiplex pressure lines from various dip-tubes onto the same pressure transducer. Although suitable for the measurement of a number of signals that are always steady, these devices are less suited to situations where tanks are frequently sparged and where the anomalies of interest inherently relate to changes in data and hence to non-steady operation. This affects the way the data

Approaches to Identification of Institutions in Institutional Economics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Igor M. Shiriaev

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with the methodology for identification of institutions from institutional economics perspective. The differences between the perspectives provided by old and new institutional economics are highlighted. These differences are interpreted in the context of compared pragmatist and postpositivist methodologies. This paper applies to the post-positivist approach to the identification of institutions. One example of institution is provided by power-property institution. Identification of this institution in the historical and economic research is based on several theoretical generalizations and supported by array of historical facts. Another example is provided by identification of institution and institutional change in higher education based on discourse analysis and interviews with the main actors. In this paper, the regulatory institutions of higher education are analyzed as well. The concept of power-property institution is extended to the higher education by proposing hypotheses on the functioning of state governing-regulating institution in this sphere. This institution prescribes the actors to behave in accordance with the objectives of public policy, which can only be implemented in the form of bureaucratization of higher education. The paper describes the behavioral regularity generated by an identified institution. Functioning of the governing-regulating institution in higher education is illustrated by examples of behavioral regularities emerging from activities in accordance with this institution. The paper also shows the possibility of falsification of proposed hypothesis.

Glasgow conference

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fraser, Gordon

1994-10-15

The biennial 'Rochester' International Conferences on High Energy Physics which tick the rhythm of high energy physics progress reflect the dominance of the 'Standard Model' - the picture of electroweak and quark/gluon interactions in a simple framework of six weaklyinteracting particles (leptons) and six quarks. Despite its limited intellectual appeal, after a decade of intense probing the Standard Model still refuses to budge.

Glasgow conference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fraser, Gordon

1994-01-01

The biennial 'Rochester' International Conferences on High Energy Physics which tick the rhythm of high energy physics progress reflect the dominance of the 'Standard Model' - the picture of electroweak and quark/gluon interactions in a simple framework of six weaklyinteracting particles (leptons) and six quarks. Despite its limited intellectual appeal, after a decade of intense probing the Standard Model still refuses to budge

Zpráva z 8. mezinárodní konference Evropské sociologické asociace

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Vohlídalová, Marta

2007-01-01

Roč. 8, č. 2 (2007), s. 101-104 ISSN 1213-0028. [ESA Conference Conflict , Citizenship and Civil Society/ 8. Glasgow, 03.09.2007-06.09.2007] R&D Projects: GA MPS 1J034/05-DP2 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z70280505 Keywords : citizenship * family Subject RIV: AO - Sociology, Demography www.genderonline.cz

The Cadmium Isotope Record of the Great Oxidation Event from the Turee Creek Group, Hamersley Basin, Australia

Science.gov (United States)

Abouchami, W.; Busigny, V.; Philippot, P.; Galer, S. J. G.; Cheng, C.; Pecoits, E.

2016-12-01

The evolution of the ocean, atmosphere and biosphere throughout Earth's history has impacted on the biogeochemistry of some key trace metals that are of particular importance in regulating the exchange between Earth's reservoirs. Several geochemical proxies exhibit isotopic shifts that have been linked to major changes in the oxygenation levels of the ancient oceans during the Great Oxygenation Event (GOE) between 2.45 and 2.2 Ga and the Neoproterozoic Oxygenation Event at ca. 0.6 Ga. Studies of the modern marine biogeochemical cycle of the transition metal Cadmium have shown that stable Cd isotope fractionation is mainly driven by biological uptake of light Cd into marine phytoplankton in surface waters leaving behind the seawater enriched in the heavy Cd isotopes. Here we use of the potential of this novel proxy to trace ancient biological productivity which remains an enigma, particularly during the early stages of Earth history. The Turee Creek Group in the Hamersley Basin, Australia, provides a continuous stratigraphic sedimentary section covering the GOE and at least two glacial events, offering a unique opportunity to examine the changes that took place during these periods and possibly constrain the evolution, timing and onset of oxygenic photosynthesis. Stable Cd isotope data were obtained on samples from the Boolgeeda Iron Fm. (BIFs), the siliciclastic and carbonate successions of Kungara (including the Meteorite Bore Member) and the Kazputt Fm., using a double spike technique by TIMS (ThermoFisher Triton) and Cd concentrations were determined by isotope dilution. The Boolgeeda BIFs have generally low Cd concentrations varying between 8 and 50ppb, with two major excursions marked by an increase in Cd content, reaching similar levels to those in the overlying Kungarra Fm. (≥150 ppb). These variations are associated with a large range in ɛ112/110Cd values (-2 to +2), with the most negative values typically found in the organic and Cd-rich shales and

How institutions matter for international business : Institutional distance effects vs institutional profile effects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Hoorn, Andre; Maseland, Robbert

Extant institutional research has failed to make a distinction between the effects of institutional profile and institutional distance on MNEs. The problem stems from the fact that, due to the use of a single reference country, variation in institutional distance between the reference country and

Innovative taught MSc in Medical Visualisation and Human Anatomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Clunie, Lauren; Livingstone, Daniel; Rea, Paul M

2015-06-01

A relatively new, fully accredited MSc in Medical Visualisation and Human Anatomy, is now offered through a joint collaboration with the Laboratory of Human Anatomy, University of Glasgow and the Digital Design Studio, Glasgow School of Art. This degree combines training in digital technologies and intensive human anatomy training as a result of a long-standing successful partnership between these two esteemed institutes. The student also has to complete a research dissertation which encompasses both the digital perspective and a related medical, dental, surgical, veterinary (comparative anatomy) or life science specialty to enhance development in the digital field for a variety of specialties. This article discusses the background in development of this degree, the course structure and the career prospects and destinations for graduates of this unique degree programme.

Combined evaluation of the Glasgow prognostic score and carcinoembryonic antigen concentration prior to hepatectomy predicts postoperative outcomes in patients with liver metastasis from colorectal cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Kobayashi, Takashi; Kawakamil, Masayo; Hara, Yoshiaki; Shioiri, Sadaaki; Yasuno, Masamichi; Teruya, Masanori; Kaminishi, Michio

2014-01-01

Little is known about the ability of the inflammation-based Glasgow prognostic score (GPS). 106 patients who underwent curative resection for colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) were analyzed. Patients with an elevated Creactive protein concentration (>10 mg/L) and hypoalbuminemia (L) at admission were assigned a GPS 2, those with only 1 of these biochemical abnormalities were assigned a GPS 1, and those without either abnormality were assigned a GPS 0. Multivariate analysis showed that 2 variables, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) concentration > 30 ng/mL and a GPS 1 or 2, were independently prognostic of survival. Patients were classified into 3 groups on the basis of these 2 variables. Patients with GPS 1 or 2 and CEA concentration > 30 ng/mL were assigned a new score of 2, those with either 1 factor were assigned a new score of 1, and those with neither factors were assigned a new score of 0. The 5-year overall survival rates of new scores of 0, 1, 2 were 71.5%, 31.6%, and 0%, respectively (P < 0.0001). This simple staging system may be able to identify a subgroup of patients who are eligible for curative resection but show poor prognosis.

A lead isotopic study of the human bioaccessibility of lead in urban soils from Glasgow, Scotland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farmer, John G.; Broadway, Andrew; Cave, Mark R.; Wragg, Joanna; Fordyce, Fiona M.; Graham, Margaret C.; Ngwenya, Bryne T.; Bewley, Richard J.F.

2011-01-01

The human bioaccessibility of lead (Pb) in Pb-contaminated soils from the Glasgow area was determined by the Unified Bioaccessibility Research Group of Europe (BARGE) Method (UBM), an in vitro physiologically based extraction scheme that mimics the chemical environment of the human gastrointestinal system and contains both stomach and intestine compartments. For 27 soils ranging in total Pb concentration from 126 to 2160 mg kg -1 (median 539 mg kg -1 ), bioaccessibility as determined by the 'stomach' simulation (pH ∼ 1.5) was 46-1580 mg kg -1 , equivalent to 23-77% (mean 52%) of soil total Pb concentration. The corresponding bioaccessibility data for the 'stomach + intestine' simulation (pH ∼ 6.3) were 6-623 mg kg -1 and 2-42% (mean 22%) of soil Pb concentration. The soil 206 Pb/ 207 Pb ratios ranged from 1.057 to 1.175. Three-isotope plots of 208 Pb/ 206 Pb against 206 Pb/ 207 Pb demonstrated that 206 Pb/ 207 Pb ratios were intermediate between values for source end-member extremes of imported Australian Pb ore (1.04) - used in the manufacture of alkyl Pb compounds (1.06-1.10) formerly added to petrol - and indigenous Pb ores/coal (1.17-1.19). The 206 Pb/ 207 Pb ratios of the UBM 'stomach' extracts were similar ( 206 Pb/ 207 Pb ratio was discernible in the UBM. However, the source of Pb appeared to be less important in determining the extent of UBM-bioaccessible Pb than the overall soil total Pb concentration and the soil phases with which the Pb was associated. The significant phases identified in a subset of samples were carbonates, manganese oxides, iron-aluminium oxyhydroxides and clays. - Highlights: → We determined the human bioaccessibility of Pb in urban soils by in vitro extraction. → We determined the isotopic composition of Pb in soils and simulated stomach extracts. → Soil stable Pb isotope ratios (e.g. 206 Pb/ 207 Pb) indicated a range of sources of Pb. → 206 Pb/ 207 Pb ratios in soils and their simulated stomach extracts were very similar

Exploring project selection behavior of academic scientists in India

OpenAIRE

Anju Chawla

2007-01-01

This study is based on retrospective accounts of a stratified sample of about 1,100 academic scien-tists in India on the criteria actually used by them in the choice of research projects. A basic objective is to examine the effects of contextual factors such as academic rank, institutional and disciplinary setting, and sources of research funds on the choice of research projects. A struc-tured questionnaire was used to tap the criteria for project selection. The items were factor-analyzed and...

Evolutionary institutionalism.

Science.gov (United States)

Fürstenberg, Dr Kai

Institutions are hard to define and hard to study. Long prominent in political science have been two theories: Rational Choice Institutionalism (RCI) and Historical Institutionalism (HI). Arising from the life sciences is now a third: Evolutionary Institutionalism (EI). Comparative strengths and weaknesses of these three theories warrant review, and the value-to-be-added by expanding the third beyond Darwinian evolutionary theory deserves consideration. Should evolutionary institutionalism expand to accommodate new understanding in ecology, such as might apply to the emergence of stability, and in genetics, such as might apply to political behavior? Core arguments are reviewed for each theory with more detailed exposition of the third, EI. Particular attention is paid to EI's gene-institution analogy; to variation, selection, and retention of institutional traits; to endogeneity and exogeneity; to agency and structure; and to ecosystem effects, institutional stability, and empirical limitations in behavioral genetics. RCI, HI, and EI are distinct but complementary. Institutional change, while amenable to rational-choice analysis and, retrospectively, to criticaljuncture and path-dependency analysis, is also, and importantly, ecological. Stability, like change, is an emergent property of institutions, which tend to stabilize after change in a manner analogous to allopatric speciation. EI is more than metaphorically biological in that institutional behaviors are driven by human behaviors whose evolution long preceded the appearance of institutions themselves.

Institutional entrepreneurship:

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gretzinger, Susanne

2018-01-01

Institutional entrepreneurship pays specific attention to the process and outcomes of agents who are willing and capable of changing institutions. It has some common ground with the political entrepreneur, a concept that proposes change in norms and institutions because of commitment and activities...... of agents or organisations in the policy arena. The present chapter understands institutional entrepreneurship as the process of changing institutionalised practices. Based on a literature review, it describes the triggers, activities and potential effects of institutional entrepreneurs. The chapter...... concludes by tentatively arguing that political entrepreneurs can be institutional entrepreneurs, but institutional entrepreneurship can be considered as the broader concept that incorporates strategies and visions as well as interpretative-discursive power into the conceptual framework....

Engineering Institute

Science.gov (United States)

Projects Past Projects Publications NSEC » Engineering Institute Engineering Institute Multidisciplinary engineering research that integrates advanced modeling and simulations, novel sensing systems and new home of Engineering Institute Contact Institute Director Charles Farrar (505) 665-0860 Email UCSD EI

K nízké sňatečnosti v České republice

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Hašková, Hana; Rabušic, L.

2008-01-01

Roč. 5, č. 2 (2008), s. 9-33 ISSN 1214-813X. [European Sociological Association Conference. Glasgow, 03.09.2007-06.09.2007] R&D Projects: GA MPS 1J034/05-DP2 Grant - others:GA ČR(CZ) GA403/05/0800 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z70280505 Keywords : marriage rate * cohabitation * family planning Subject RIV: AO - Sociology, Demography

Dynamical "in situ" observation of biological samples using variable pressure scanning electron microscope

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Neděla, Vilém

2008-01-01

Roč. 126, - (2008), 012046:1-4 ISSN 1742-6588. [Electron Microscopy and Analysis Group Conference 2007 (EMAG 2007). Glasgow, 03.09.2007-07.09.2007] R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA102/05/0886; GA AV ČR KJB200650602 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20650511 Keywords : biological sample * VP-SEM * dynamical experiments Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering

International Security Institutions, Domestic Politics, and Institutional Legitimacy

Science.gov (United States)

Chapman, Terrence L.

2007-01-01

Scholars have devoted considerable attention to the informational role of international institutions. However, several questions about the informational aspects of institutional behavior remain underexplored: What determines how audiences respond to institutional decisions? Through what channels does information provision affect foreign policy? To…

E-learning and the Educational Organizations Structure Reengineering (EOSR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Osama Alshara

2007-06-01

Full Text Available There are many calls for innovative learning methods that utilize advanced technologies. However, we will raise fundamental questions that look deep into the future of the educational organization. Can the educational institute survive without adapting learning technologies? Would the educational institute succeed in adapting new learning technologies without changing its organizational structure and processes? We claim that the answer to both questions is no. Our research will present the need for edu-cational institutes to incorporate learning technologies and focuses on the demand for the educational organization structure reengineering as a basic requirement for the suc-cess of incorporating learning technologies. Our study ex-plores the faculty requirements and policies and procedures of educational institutes in the UAE.The paper concludes with some discussions on findings from a case study of the need of educational organization struc-ture reengineering as a basic requirement for incorporating learning technologies.

Financial institutions as an example of institutions of public trust

OpenAIRE

Agata Jakubowska

2013-01-01

Financial institutions are commonly known as institutions of public trust and they are fundamental for activities of other economic entities. The level of trust determines the competitive position of financial institutions. That is why care about the best standards is the most important task for these institutions. Financial institutions are called institutions of public trust and thus high professionalism and more responsibility is demanded from them. This article presents basic problems con...

Informal institutions and radical ideologies under institutional transformation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irina Starodubrovskaya

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This article questions one of the central postulates of institutional economic theory, i.e., that of the sustainability and purely evolutionary changes of informal institutions. To study the phenomenon of the destruction of informal institutions and its consequences, we use the tools of sociological theory, which acknowledge that a period of intensive urbanization is characterized by anomie, i.e., a lack of norms, in which traditional institutions are destroyed, while new urban institutions have not yet taken shape. We reviewed the possible reactions of communities and individuals to the conditions of anomie, including the compensatory mechanisms of ideologies. In the case of the Dagestan Republic, we show how the proliferation of fundamentalist Islamic ideology is associated with the state of anomie and the consequences to which it could lead from an institutional point of view. The analysis of the situation in Dagestan is based on long-term field research conducted in the region.

How much of the difference in life expectancy between Scottish cities does deprivation explain?

Science.gov (United States)

Seaman, R; Mitchell, R; Dundas, R; Leyland, A H; Popham, F

2015-10-16

Glasgow's low life expectancy and high levels of deprivation are well documented. Studies comparing Glasgow to similarly deprived cities in England suggest an excess of deaths in Glasgow that cannot be accounted for by deprivation. Within Scotland comparisons are more equivocal suggesting deprivation could explain Glasgow's excess mortality. Few studies have used life expectancy, an intuitive measure that quantifies the between-city difference in years. This study aimed to use the most up-to-date data to compare Glasgow to other Scottish cities and to (i) evaluate whether deprivation could account for lower life expectancy in Glasgow and (ii) explore whether the age distribution of mortality in Glasgow could explain its lower life expectancy. Sex specific life expectancy was calculated for 2007-2011 for the population in Glasgow and the combined population of Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh. Life expectancy was calculated for deciles of income deprivation, based on the national ranking of datazones, using the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. Life expectancy in Glasgow overall, and by deprivation decile, was compared to that in Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh combined, and the life expectancy difference decomposed by age using Arriaga's discrete method. Life expectancy for the whole Glasgow population was lower than the population of Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh combined. When life expectancy was compared by national income deprivation decile, Glasgow's life expectancy was not systematically lower, and deprivation accounted for over 90 % of the difference. This was reduced to 70 % of the difference when carrying out sensitivity analysis using city-specific income deprivation deciles. In both analyses life expectancy was not systematically lower in Glasgow when stratified by deprivation. Decomposing the differences in life expectancy also showed that the age distribution of mortality was not systematically different in Glasgow after accounting for deprivation

Modified Glasgow Prognostic Score is Associated With Risk of Recurrence in Bladder Cancer Patients After Radical Cystectomy: A Multicenter Experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferro, Matteo; De Cobelli, Ottavio; Buonerba, Carlo; Di Lorenzo, Giuseppe; Capece, Marco; Bruzzese, Dario; Autorino, Riccardo; Bottero, Danilo; Cioffi, Antonio; Matei, Deliu Victor; Caraglia, Michele; Borghesi, Marco; De Berardinis, Ettore; Busetto, Gian Maria; Giovannone, Riccardo; Lucarelli, Giuseppe; Ditonno, Pasquale; Perdonà, Sisto; Bove, Pierluigi; Castaldo, Luigi; Hurle, Rodolfo; Musi, Gennaro; Brescia, Antonio; Olivieri, Michele; Cimmino, Amelia; Altieri, Vincenzo; Damiano, Rocco; Cantiello, Francesco; Serretta, Vincenzo; De Placido, Sabino; Mirone, Vincenzo; Sonpavde, Guru; Terracciano, Daniela

2015-10-01

Recently, many studies explored the role of inflammation parameters in the prognosis of urinary cancers, but the results were not consistent. The modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS), a systemic inflammation marker, is a prognostic marker in various types of cancers. The aim of the present study was to investigate the usefulness of the preoperative mGPS as predictor of recurrence-free (RFS), overall (OS), and cancer-specific (CSS) survivals in a large cohort of urothelial bladder cancer (UBC) patients.A total of 1037 patients with UBC were included in this study with a median follow-up of 22 months (range 3-60 months). An mGPS = 0 was observed in 646 patients (62.3%), mGPS = 1 in 297 patients (28.6 %), and mGPS = 2 in 94 patients (9.1%).In our study cohort, subjects with an mGPS equal to 2 had a significantly shorter median RFS compared with subjects with mGPS equal to 1 (16 vs 19 months, hazard ratio [HR] 1.54, 95% CI 1.31-1.81, P < 0.001) or with subjects with mGPS equal to 0 (16 vs 29 months, HR 2.38, 95% CI 1.86-3.05, P < 0.001). The association between mGPS and RFS was confirmed by weighted multivariate Cox model. Although in univariate analysis higher mGPS was associated with lower OS and CSS, this association disappeared in multivariate analysis where only the presence of lymph node-positive bladder cancer and T4 stage were predictors of worse prognosis for OS and CSS.In conclusion, the mGPS is an easily measured and inexpensive prognostic marker that was significantly associated with RFS in UBC patients.

The predictive capacity of the Glasgow-Blatchford score for the risk stratification of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in an emergency department

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Manuel Recio-Ramírez

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Objectives: To assess the ability of the Glasgow Blatchford Score (GBS system to identify the need for urgent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGIE in patients with upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB. Methods: An observational, retrospective study was carried out in all patients attended at the ER for suspected UGIB in one year. Patients were split into two categories -high-risk (>2 and low-risk (≤2- by means of the GBS system. Results: A total of 60 patients were included. Of these, 46 were classified as "high-risk" (> 2 and 14 as "low-risk" (≤ 2 subjects. The characteristics of patients in the low-risk group included: Mean age: 46.6 ± 13.7 (18-88 years. Males/females: 7/7. Urgent endoscopy revealed: normal (50%; n = 7; esophagitis (21.4%; n = 3; gastritis (14.2%; n = 2; Mallory-Weiss syndrome (7.1%; n = 1; non-bleeding varices (7.1%; n = 1. The characteristics of patients in the high-risk group included: Mean age: 68.7 ± 19.8 (31-91 years. Males/females: 30/16. Digestive endoscopy revealed: Gastric/duodenal ulcer (56.52%; n = 26; normal (17.39%; n = 8; esophagitis (8.69%; n = 4; gastritis (8.69%; n = 4; angioectasia (4.34%; n = 2; bleeding varices (4.34%; n = 2. Low-risk patients exhibited no lesions requiring urgent management during endoscopy, and the sensitivity of the GBS scale for high-risk UGIB detection was found to be 100% (95% CI: 86.27%, 99.71%, with a specificity of 48.28% (95% CI: 29.89, 67.1%. Conclusions: The GBS scale seems to accurately identify patients with low-risk UGIB, who may be managed on an outpatient basis and undergo delayed upper GI endoscopy at the outpatient clinic.

Anti-epidermal or anti-vascular endothelial growth factor as first-line metastatic colorectal cancer in modified Glasgow prognostic score 2' patients

Science.gov (United States)

Dréanic, Johann; Dhooge, Marion; Barret, Maximilien; Brezault, Catherine; Mir, Olivier; Chaussade, Stanislas; Coriat, Romain

2015-01-01

Background In metastatic colorectal cancer, the modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) has been approved as an independent prognostic indicator of survival. No data existed on poor prognosis patients treated with molecular-targeted agents. Methods From January 2007 to February 2012, patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and poor predictive survival score (mGPS = 2), treated with 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy in addition to an anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) or anti-vascular epidermal growth factor (VEGF) therapy, were included to assess the interest of targeted therapy within mGPS = 2' patients. Results A total of 27 mGPS = 2' patients were included and received a 5-fluorouracil-based systemic chemotherapy in addition to an anti-EGFR treatment (cetuximab; n = 18) or an anti-VEGF treatment (bevacizumab; n = 9). Median follow-up was 12.1 months (interquartile range 4.9–22). Patients were Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) Performance Status 1, 2, and 3 in 66% (n = 18), 26% (n = 7), and 8% (n = 2), respectively. Comparing anti-EGFR and anti-VEGF groups, median progression-free survival was 3.9 and 15.4 months, respectively, and was significantly different (P = 0.046). Conversely, the median overall survival was not significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.15). Conclusion Our study confirmed the poor survival of patients with mGPS = 2 despite the use of targeted therapy and identified the superiority of an anti-VEGF treatment in progression-free survival, without a significant benefit in the overall survival compared with the anti-EGFR therapy. Our results deserved confirmation by a prospective clinical trial. PMID:26401469

Patterns induced by super cross-diffusion in a predator-prey system with Michaelis-Menten type harvesting.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Biao; Wu, Ranchao; Chen, Liping

2018-04-01

Turing instability and pattern formation in a super cross-diffusion predator-prey system with Michaelis-Menten type predator harvesting are investigated. Stability of equilibrium points is first explored with or without super cross-diffusion. It is found that cross-diffusion could induce instability of equilibria. To further derive the conditions of Turing instability, the linear stability analysis is carried out. From theoretical analysis, note that cross-diffusion is the key mechanism for the formation of spatial patterns. By taking cross-diffusion rate as bifurcation parameter, we derive amplitude equations near the Turing bifurcation point for the excited modes by means of weakly nonlinear theory. Dynamical analysis of the amplitude equations interprets the structural transitions and stability of various forms of Turing patterns. Furthermore, the theoretical results are illustrated via numerical simulations. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Institutional advantage

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Martin, Xavier

Is there such a thing as institutional advantage—and what does it mean for the study of corporate competitive advantage? In this article, I develop the concept of institutional competitive advantage, as distinct from plain competitive advantage and from comparative institutional advantage. I first

California Institute for Water Resources - California Institute for Water

Science.gov (United States)

Resources Skip to Content Menu California Institute for Water Resources Share Print Site Map Resources Publications Keep in Touch QUICK LINKS Our Blog: The Confluence Drought & Water Information University of California California Institute for Water Resources California Institute for Water Resources

Laser spot detection based on reaction diffusion

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Vázquez-Otero, Alejandro; Khikhlukha, Danila; Solano-Altamirano, J. M.; Dormido, R.; Duro, N.

2016-01-01

Roč. 16, č. 3 (2016), s. 1-11, č. článku 315. ISSN 1424-8220 R&D Projects: GA MŠk EF15_008/0000162 Grant - others:ELI Beamlines(XE) CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/15_008/0000162 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : laser spot detection * laser beam detection * reaction diffusion models * Fitzhugh-Nagumo model * reaction diffusion computation * Turing patterns Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics OBOR OECD: Fluids and plasma physics (including surface physics) Impact factor: 2.677, year: 2016

Prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors and metabolic syndrome in obese Kuwaiti adolescents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boodai SA

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Shurooq A Boodai,1 Lynne M Cherry,2 Naveed A Sattar,2 John J Reilly3 1University of Glasgow School of Medicine, Yorkhill Hospitals, Glasgow, Scotland; 2Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, British Heart Foundation Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland; 3University of Strathclyde Physical Activity for Health Group, School of Psychological Sciences and Health, Glasgow, Scotland Background: Childhood and adolescent obesity is associated with insulin resistance, abnormal glucose metabolism, hypertension, dyslipidemia, inflammation, liver disease, and compromised vascular function. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factor abnormalities and metabolic syndrome (MetS in a sample of obese Kuwaiti adolescents, as prevalence data might be helpful in improving engagement with obesity treatment in future. Methods: Eighty obese Kuwaiti adolescents (40 males with a mean (standard deviation age of 12.3 years (1.1 years participated in the present study. All participants had a detailed clinical examination and anthropometry, blood pressure taken, and assessment of fasting levels of C-reactive protein, intracellular adhesion molecule, interleukin-6, fasting blood glucose, insulin, liver function tests (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, gamma glutamyltransferase, lipid profile (cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin resistance by homeostasis model assessment, and adiponectin. MetS was assessed using two recognized criteria modified for use in younger individuals. Results: The cardiometabolic risk factors with highest prevalence of abnormal values included aspartate aminotransferase (88.7% of the sample and insulin resistance by homeostasis model assessment (67.5%, intracellular adhesion molecule (66.5%, fasting insulin (43.5%, C-reactive protein (42.5%, low

Institutional Repositories: The Experience of Master's and Baccalaureate Institutions

Science.gov (United States)

Markey, Karen; St. Jean, Beth; Soo, Young Rieh; Yakel, Elizabeth; Kim, Jihyun

2008-01-01

In 2006, MIRACLE Project investigators censused library directors at all U.S. academic institutions about their activities planning, pilot testing, and implementing the institutional repositories on their campuses. Out of 446 respondents, 289 (64.8 percent) were from master's and baccalaureate institutions (M&BIs) where few operational…

Inclusion of Highest Glasgow Coma Scale Motor Component Score in Mortality Risk Adjustment for Benchmarking of Trauma Center Performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Gomez, David; Byrne, James P; Alali, Aziz S; Xiong, Wei; Hoeft, Chris; Neal, Melanie; Subacius, Harris; Nathens, Avery B

2017-12-01

The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) is the most widely used measure of traumatic brain injury (TBI) severity. Currently, the arrival GCS motor component (mGCS) score is used in risk-adjustment models for external benchmarking of mortality. However, there is evidence that the highest mGCS score in the first 24 hours after injury might be a better predictor of death. Our objective was to evaluate the impact of including the highest mGCS score on the performance of risk-adjustment models and subsequent external benchmarking results. Data were derived from the Trauma Quality Improvement Program analytic dataset (January 2014 through March 2015) and were limited to the severe TBI cohort (16 years or older, isolated head injury, GCS ≤8). Risk-adjustment models were created that varied in the mGCS covariates only (initial score, highest score, or both initial and highest mGCS scores). Model performance and fit, as well as external benchmarking results, were compared. There were 6,553 patients with severe TBI across 231 trauma centers included. Initial and highest mGCS scores were different in 47% of patients (n = 3,097). Model performance and fit improved when both initial and highest mGCS scores were included, as evidenced by improved C-statistic, Akaike Information Criterion, and adjusted R-squared values. Three-quarters of centers changed their adjusted odds ratio decile, 2.6% of centers changed outlier status, and 45% of centers exhibited a ≥0.5-SD change in the odds ratio of death after including highest mGCS score in the model. This study supports the concept that additional clinical information has the potential to not only improve the performance of current risk-adjustment models, but can also have a meaningful impact on external benchmarking strategies. Highest mGCS score is a good potential candidate for inclusion in additional models. Copyright © 2017 American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The relationship between Glasgow Prognostic Score and serum tumor markers in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Ai-Gui; Chen, Hong-Lin; Lu, Hui-Yu

2015-05-10

Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) has been reported as a powerful prognostic tool for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between GPS and prognosis related tumor markers in patients with advanced NSCLC. We included 138 advanced NSCLC patients and twenty healthy controls in the study. GPS was calculated by combined serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and albumin. Three serum tumor markers, which included cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21-1 (CYFRA21-1), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and tissue polypeptide specific antigen (TPS), were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). GPS and tumor markers were all assessed before chemotherapy. All patients received at least 2 courses of cisplatin-based chemotherapy. After that, 2 to 5 years follow-up was conducted. Median levels of CYFRA21-1 were 1.5 ng/ml (0.1-3.1 ng/ml) in healthy controls, and 4.6 ng/ml (0.7-35.2 ng/ml) in GPS 0 advanced NSCLC, 11.2 ng/ml (0.4-89.2) ng/ml in GPS 1 advanced NSCLC, and 15.7 ng/ml (2.9-134.6 ng/ml) in GPS 2 advanced NSCLC, respectively. Median levels of CYFRA21-1 were higher in NSCLC patients than in healthy controls, and CYFRA21-1 increased gradually according to GPS category in NSCLC patients (PGPS, CEA and GPS, TPS and GPS. The Spearman's rank correlation coefficient were 0.67 (P GPS was an independent prognostic factor for advanced NSCLC. CYFRA21-1(>3.3 ng/ml) and TPS (>80 U/l) were related with the prognosis of advanced NSCLC by univariate analyses, but multivariate analyses showed CYFRA21-1, TPS and CEA were not the independent prognostic factors for advanced NSCLC. Our results showed GPS were positive correlated with CYFRA21-1, CEA and TPS in patients with advanced NSCLC. However, GPS was more efficient in predicting prognosis of advanced NSCLC than these three single prognosis related tumor markers.

Institutional upbringing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gulløv, Eva

2008-01-01

In the chapter, I discuss the role day care institutions play in the construction of the idea of proper childhood in Denmark. Drawing on findings from research on ethnic minority children in two Danish day care institutions, I begin with a discussion of how childcare institutions act as civilising...... agents, empowered with the legitimate right to define and control normality and proper ways of behaving oneself. I aim to show how institutions come to define the normal child and proper childhood in accordance with current efforts toward reinventing national culture, exemplified by legislation requiring...... current testing of Danish language fluency levels among pre-school minority children. Testing language skills marks and defines distinctions that reinforce images of deviance that, in turn, legitimize initiatives to enrol children, specifically minority children, in child care institutions....

Korte ture i bil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Linda; Jensen, Thomas Christian

%. The figures might be a bit lower when taking into account the error from leaving out public trans-port from the model. This extensive cycling friendly policy will have greater effects in cities, up to 8 % re-duction of the car traffic in the Municipality of Copenhagen and 5-6 % in the rest of the Danish...... a considerable amount of trips may be transferred if the necessary political ef-fort is made. The paper analyzes the determining factors for mode choice by using a logit model on round tours shorter than 22 km. The potential for mode shift as a result of political means is further assessed. The analyses...... choice turn out to be car ownership, gender, travel time, topography and outdoor temperatures. But also travel purposes are impor-tant – especially escorting and shopping tends to increase the share of car driving. It is often claimed that the extensive bicycling in The Netherlands and Denmark is due...

Turing promise into performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dove, L.

1991-01-01

This paper reports on the genesis and realization of the PT Kaltim Prima Coal Company's project to develop coal resources in East Kalimantan. It also presents ideas on the major challenges confronting KPC and the Indonesian coal industry. KPC has already begun commissioning the coal project at Sangatta, and on September 1, the Tangung Bora Coal Terminal will begin operating on a commercial basis

Furthering critical institutionalism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frances Dalton Cleaver

2015-03-01

Full Text Available This special issue furthers the study of natural resource management from a critical institutional perspective. Critical institutionalism (CI is a contemporary body of thought that explores how institutions dynamically mediate relationships between people, natural resources and society. It focuses on the complexity of institutions entwined in everyday social life, their historical formation, the interplay between formal and informal, traditional and modern arrangements, and the power relations that animate them. In such perspectives a social justice lens is often used to scrutinise the outcomes of institutional processes. We argue here that critical institutional approaches have potentially much to offer commons scholarship, particularly through the explanatory power of the concept of bricolage for better understanding institutional change.  Critical institutional approaches, gathering momentum over the past 15 years or so, have excited considerable interest but the insights generated from different disciplinary perspectives remain insufficiently synthesised. Analyses emphasising complexity can be relatively illegible to policy-makers, a fact which lessens their reach. This special issue therefore aims to synthesise critical institutional ideas and so to lay the foundation for moving beyond the emergent stage to make meaningful academic and policy impact. In bringing together papers here we define and synthesise key themes of critical institutionalism, outline the concept of institutional bricolage and identity some key challenges facing this school of thought.

Risk models for mortality following elective open and endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: a single institution experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Choke, E; Lee, K; McCarthy, M; Nasim, A; Naylor, A R; Bown, M; Sayers, R

2012-12-01

To develop and validate an "in house" risk model for predicting perioperative mortality following elective AAA repair and to compare this with other models. Multivariate logistics regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for perioperative-day mortality from one tertiary institution's prospectively maintained database. Consecutive elective open (564) and endovascular (589) AAA repairs (2000-2010) were split randomly into development (810) and validation (343) data sets. The resultant model was compared to Glasgow Aneurysm Score (GAS), Modified Customised Probability Index (m-CPI), CPI, the Vascular Governance North West (VGNW) model and the Medicare model. Variables associated with perioperative mortality included: increasing age (P = 0.034), myocardial infarct within last 10 years (P = 0.0008), raised serum creatinine (P = 0.005) and open surgery (P = 0.0001). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for predicted probability of 30-day mortality in development and validation data sets were 0.79 and 0.82 respectively. AUCs for GAS, m-CPI and CPI were poor (0.63, 0.58 and 0.58 respectively), whilst VGNW and Medicare model were fair (0.73 and 0.79 respectively). In this study, an "in-house" developed and validated risk model has the most accurate discriminative value in predicting perioperative mortality after elective AAA repair. For purposes of comparative audit with case mix adjustments, national models such as the VGNW or Medicare models should be used. Copyright © 2012 European Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fostering Institutional Creativity at Multiple Levels: Towards Facilitated Institutional Bricolage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Douglas J. Merrey

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Problems occur when institutional arrangements for collective management of food and water systems fail to meet demands. Many of the problems characterising river basins and other collectively managed water resource systems can be ascribed largely to the failure of institutions to enable problems beyond the individual to be managed collectively. The nature of these demands, and the institutional responses to them, vary widely and are not amenable to simple definitions and prescriptions. We begin with a brief review of conventional approaches to analysing institutions and organisations, focused largely, but not exclusively, on river basins. We observe that attempts to reduce the institutional landscape of river basins to over-simplistic formulas introduces more problems than solutions, because the reality is that institutions evolve through complex creative processes that adopt and adapt diverse ingredients – rather like making a stew. Despite such intricacies, institutions are clearly non-random, so we continue a search for a means of describing them. We adopt the concept of bricolage, as proposed by Cleaver and others, and use it to show the value of promoting and facilitating an organic creative approach to building and strengthening river basin and other water management institutions.

Glasgow Coma Scale in acute poisonings before and after use of antidote in patients with history of use of psychotropic agents.

Science.gov (United States)

Poplas-Susić, Tonka; Klemenc-Ketis, Zalika; Komericki-Grzinić, Marija; Kersnik, Janko

2010-01-01

Data on emergency interventions in poisonings are scarce. Objective To determine the effectiveness of antidote therapy in acute poisoning-related emergency medical services (EMS) interventions. A prospective observational study included all poisoning-related intervention cases over 3 years (1999-2001) in the Celje region, Slovenia, covering 125,000 inhabitants. Data were recorded on an EMS form. Psychoactive agents were present in 56.5% out of 244 poisoning-related EMS interventions. Prescription drugs were a cause of intoxication in 93 (39.2%) cases alone or in combination with alcohol or illegal drugs. More than one fifth of poisonings were due to the use of illegal drugs in 52 (21.9%) cases, 43 (18.1%) out of them heroin related. At the time of EMS arrival, more patients who ingested illegal drugs were in coma or comatose than the rest. 24 (45.3%) vs. 32 (17.3%) of poisoned patients were in coma (p < 0.001). Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) at the first contact was lower in patients who ingested illegal drugs than in the remaining patients (9.0 vs. 11.6, p = 0.001). In 23.2% of the cases, an antidote was administered. In 29 (12.2%) naloxone and in 16 (6.7%) flumazenil was administered. Mean GCS after intervention was higher in all cases but significantly higher in illegal drug cases, 13.4 vs. 12.2 (p = 0.001), with a mean positive change in GCS of 4.5 vs. 0.6 (p < 0.001). In illegal drug users, mean change after antidote administration was 8.2 vs. 0.5 without antidote administration (p < 0.001). High rate of successful antidote use during the intervention indicated the importance of good EMS protocols and the presence of a skilled doctor in the EMS team.

Glasgow coma scale in acute poisonings before and after use of antidote in patients with history of use of psychotropic agents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Poplas-Sušić Tonka

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Data on emergency interventions in poisonings are scarce. Objective. To determine the effectiveness of antidote therapy in acute poisoning-related emergency medical services (EMS interventions. Methods. A prospective observational study included all poisoning-related intervention cases over 3 years (1999-2001 in the Celje region, Slovenia, covering 125,000 inhabitants. Data were recorded on an EMS form. Results. Psychoactive agents were present in 56.5% out of 244 poisoning-related EMS interventions. Prescription drugs were a cause of intoxication in 93 (39.2% cases alone or in combination with alcohol or illegal drugs. More than one fifth of poisonings were due to the use of illegal drugs in 52 (21.9% cases, 43 (18.1% out of them heroin related. At the time of EMS arrival, more patients who ingested illegal drugs were in coma or comatose than the rest. 24 (45.3% vs. 32 (17.3% of poisoned patients were in coma (p<0.001. Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS at the first contact was lower in patients who ingested illegal drugs than in the remaining patients (9.0 vs. 11.6, p=0.001. In 23.2% of the cases, an antidote was administered. In 29 (12.2% naloxone and in 16 (6.7% flumazenil was administered. Mean GCS after intervention was higher in all cases but significantly higher in illegal drug cases, 13.4 vs. 12.2 (p=0.001, with a mean positive change in GCS of 4.5 vs. 0.6 (p<0.001. In illegal drug users, mean change after antidote administration was 8.2 vs. 0.5 without antidote administration (p<0.001. Conclusion. High rate of successful antidote use during the intervention indicated the importance of good EMS protocols and the presence of a skilled doctor in the EMS team.

Institutional plan -- Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The US nuclear electric utility industry established the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) in 1979 to promote the highest levels of safety and reliability -- to promote excellence -- in the operation of its nuclear plants. After its formation, the Institute grew from a handful of on-loan personnel in late 1979 to an established work force of more than 400 permanent and on-loan personnel. INPO's early years were marked by growth and evolution of its programs and organization. The Institute now focuses primarily on the effectiveness and enhancement of established programs and activities. For INPO to carry out its role, it must have the support of its members and participants and a cooperative but independent relationship with the NRC. A basis for that support and cooperation is an understanding of INPO's role. This Institutional Plan is intended to provide that understanding by defining the Institute's role and its major programs. This plan considers the existing and projected needs of the industry and the overall environment in which INPO and its members and participants operate

Factors influencing pediatric Injury Severity Score and Glasgow Coma Scale in pediatric automobile crashes: results from the Crash Injury Research Engineering Network.

Science.gov (United States)

Ehrlich, Peter F; Brown, J Kristine; Sochor, Mark R; Wang, Stewart C; Eichelberger, Martin E

2006-11-01

Motor vehicle crashes account for more than 50% of pediatric injuries. Triage of pediatric patients to appropriate centers can be based on the crash/injury characteristics. Pediatric motor vehicle crash/injury characteristics can be determined from an in vitro laboratory using child crash dummies. However, to date, no detailed data with respect to outcomes and crash mechanism have been presented with a pediatric in vivo model. The Crash Injury Research Engineering Network is comprised of 10 level 1 trauma centers. Crashes were examined with regard to age, crash severity (DeltaV), crash direction, restraint use, and airbag deployment. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed with Injury Severity Score (ISS) and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) as outcomes. Standard age groupings (0-4, 5-9, 10-14, and 15-18) were used. The database is biases toward a survivor population with few fatalities. Four hundred sixty-one motor vehicle crashes with 2500 injuries were analyzed (242 boys, 219 girls). Irrespective of age, DeltaV > 30 mph resulted in increased ISS and decreased GCS (eg, for 0-4 years, DeltaV 30: ISS = 19.5, GCS = 10.6; P 15) injuries than did backseat passengers (odds ratio, 1.7; 95% confidence interval, 0.7-3.4). A trend was noted for children younger than 12 years sitting in the front seat to have increased ISS and decreased GCS with airbag deployment but was limited by case number. A reproducible pattern of increased ISS and lower GCS characterized by high severity, lateral crashes in children was noted. Further analysis of the specific injuries as a function and the crash characteristic can help guide management and prevention strategies.

Modeling and analyzing stripe patterns in fish skin

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Yibo; Zhang, Lei; Wang, Yuan; Liang, Ping; Kang, Junjian

2009-11-01

The formation mechanism of stripe patterns in the skin of tropical fishes has been investigated by a coupled two variable reaction diffusion model. Two types of spatial inhomogeneities have been introduced into a homogenous system. Several Turing modes pumped by the Turing instability give rise to a simple stripe pattern. It is found that the Turing mechanism can only determine the wavelength of stripe pattern. The orientation of stripe pattern is determined by the spatial inhomogeneity. Our numerical results suggest that it may be the most possible mechanism for the forming process of fish skin patterns.

TTI Phase 2 Institutional Support: The Institute of Economic Affairs ...

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

TTI Phase 2 Institutional Support: The Institute of Economic Affairs, Ghana ... the Institute of Economic Affairs' (IEA-Ghana) role as a credible public policy ... public policy, facilitate private sector-led economic growth, and strengthen democracy.

Institutional Churn: Institutional Change in United Kingdom Higher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Tight, Malcolm

2013-01-01

This article considers how higher education institutions change over time, using the United Kingdom system as an exemplar, and focusing on the 15-year period between 1994/95 and 2009/10. While there are many aspects of institutional change worthy of study, the focus here is on how institutions appear to others. Thus, the article examines the…

From Institutional Change to Experimentalist Institutions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hull Kristensen, Peer; Morgan, Glenn

2012-01-01

Institutionalist theory has shown how work and employment relations are shaped by national contexts. Recent developments in these theories have been increasingly concerned with the issue of institutional change. This reflects a shift in the nature of the competitive environment of firms from...... and institutions. In this paper, we emphasize that in the current context of globalization, firms and actors within firms are continuously developing the way in which they organize work and employment to produce goods and services that are competitive in global markets. The paper argues that new market conditions...... lead firms to constant experimentation in work organization as they seek to position themselves within systems of production and innovation that are global in nature. This creates a pressure for institutional change to facilitate the process of firm-level experimentation; it also tends to create...

Analysis of long-term (median 10.5 years) outcomes in children presenting with traumatic brain injury and an initial Glasgow Coma Scale score of 3 or 4.

Science.gov (United States)

Fulkerson, Daniel H; White, Ian K; Rees, Jacqueline M; Baumanis, Maraya M; Smith, Jodi L; Ackerman, Laurie L; Boaz, Joel C; Luerssen, Thomas G

2015-10-01

Patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) with low presenting Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores have very high morbidity and mortality rates. Neurosurgeons may be faced with difficult decisions in managing the most severely injured (GCS scores of 3 or 4) patients. The situation may be considered hopeless, with little chance of a functional recovery. Long-term data are limited regarding the clinical outcome of children with severe head injury. The authors evaluate predictor variables and the clinical outcomes at discharge, 1 year, and long term (median 10.5 years) in a cohort of children with TBI presenting with postresuscitation GCS scores of 3 and 4. A review of a prospectively collected trauma database was performed. Patients treated at Riley Hospital for Children (Indianapolis, Indiana) from 1988 to 2004 were reviewed. All children with initial GCS (modified for pediatric patients) scores of 3 or 4 were identified. Patients with a GCS score of 3 were compared with those with a GCS score of 4. The outcomes of all patients at the time of death or discharge and at 1-year and long-term follow-up were measured with a modified Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) that included a "normal" outcome. Long-term outcomes were evaluated by contacting surviving patients. Statistical "classification trees" were formed for survival and outcome, based on predictor variables. Sixty-seven patients with a GCS score of 3 or 4 were identified in a database of 1636 patients (4.1%). Three of the presenting factors differed between the GCS 3 patients (n = 44) and the GCS 4 patients (n = 23): presence of hypoxia, single seizure, and open basilar cisterns on CT scan. The clinical outcomes were statistically similar between the 2 groups. In total, 48 (71.6%) of 67 patients died, remained vegetative, or were severely disabled by 1 year. Eight patients (11.9%) were normal at 1 year. Ten of the 22 patients with long-term follow-up were either normal or had a GOS score of 5. Multiple clinical

Pattern formation in the bistable Gray-Scott model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mazin, W.; Rasmussen, K.E.; Mosekilde, Erik

1996-01-01

The paper presents a computer simulation study of a variety of far-from-equilibrium phenomena that can arise in a bistable chemical reaction-diffusion system which also displays Turing and Hopf instabilities. The Turing bifurcation curve and the wave number for the patterns of maximum linear grow...

High-temperature thermoelectric properties of AgxYyCa2⋅8Co4O9 ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Administrator

and thermal conductivity were measured from 303 to 973 K. It was found that the samples contain nanostruc- tured Ag phase ... to that of Lu-doped Ca3Co4O9 + δ (Nong et al 2011). ... ture, large particle sizes, limited degree of chemical homo-.

The deleuzian abstract machines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Werner Petersen, Erik

2005-01-01

To most people the concept of abstract machines is connected to the name of Alan Turing and the development of the modern computer. The Turing machine is universal, axiomatic and symbolic (E.g. operating on symbols). Inspired by Foucault, Deleuze and Guattari extended the concept of abstract...

A lead isotopic study of the human bioaccessibility of lead in urban soils from Glasgow, Scotland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Farmer, John G., E-mail: J.G.Farmer@ed.ac.uk [School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3JN, Scotland (United Kingdom); Broadway, Andrew [School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3JN, Scotland (United Kingdom); Cave, Mark R.; Wragg, Joanna [British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottingham NG12 5GG, England (United Kingdom); Fordyce, Fiona M. [British Geological Survey, Edinburgh, EH9 3LA, Scotland (United Kingdom); Graham, Margaret C.; Ngwenya, Bryne T. [School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3JN, Scotland (United Kingdom); Bewley, Richard J.F. [URS Corporation Ltd, Manchester, M1 6HS, England (United Kingdom)

2011-11-01

The human bioaccessibility of lead (Pb) in Pb-contaminated soils from the Glasgow area was determined by the Unified Bioaccessibility Research Group of Europe (BARGE) Method (UBM), an in vitro physiologically based extraction scheme that mimics the chemical environment of the human gastrointestinal system and contains both stomach and intestine compartments. For 27 soils ranging in total Pb concentration from 126 to 2160 mg kg{sup -1} (median 539 mg kg{sup -1}), bioaccessibility as determined by the 'stomach' simulation (pH {approx} 1.5) was 46-1580 mg kg{sup -1}, equivalent to 23-77% (mean 52%) of soil total Pb concentration. The corresponding bioaccessibility data for the 'stomach + intestine' simulation (pH {approx} 6.3) were 6-623 mg kg{sup -1} and 2-42% (mean 22%) of soil Pb concentration. The soil {sup 206}Pb/{sup 207}Pb ratios ranged from 1.057 to 1.175. Three-isotope plots of {sup 208}Pb/{sup 206}Pb against {sup 206}Pb/{sup 207}Pb demonstrated that {sup 206}Pb/{sup 207}Pb ratios were intermediate between values for source end-member extremes of imported Australian Pb ore (1.04) - used in the manufacture of alkyl Pb compounds (1.06-1.10) formerly added to petrol - and indigenous Pb ores/coal (1.17-1.19). The {sup 206}Pb/{sup 207}Pb ratios of the UBM 'stomach' extracts were similar (< 0.01 difference) to those of the soil for 26 of the 27 samples (r = 0.993, p < 0.001) and lower in 24 of them. A slight preference for lower {sup 206}Pb/{sup 207}Pb ratio was discernible in the UBM. However, the source of Pb appeared to be less important in determining the extent of UBM-bioaccessible Pb than the overall soil total Pb concentration and the soil phases with which the Pb was associated. The significant phases identified in a subset of samples were carbonates, manganese oxides, iron-aluminium oxyhydroxides and clays. - Highlights: {yields} We determined the human bioaccessibility of Pb in urban soils by in vitro extraction. {yields} We

On the Universality and Non-Universality of Spiking Neural P Systems With Rules on Synapses.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Tao; Xu, Jinbang; Pan, Linqiang

2015-12-01

Spiking neural P systems with rules on synapses are a new variant of spiking neural P systems. In the systems, the neuron contains only spikes, while the spiking/forgetting rules are moved on the synapses. It was obtained that such system with 30 neurons (using extended spiking rules) or with 39 neurons (using standard spiking rules) is Turing universal. In this work, this number is improved to 6. Specifically, we construct a Turing universal spiking neural P system with rules on synapses having 6 neurons, which can generate any set of Turing computable natural numbers. As well, it is obtained that spiking neural P system with rules on synapses having less than two neurons are not Turing universal: i) such systems having one neuron can characterize the family of finite sets of natural numbers; ii) the family of sets of numbers generated by the systems having two neurons is included in the family of semi-linear sets of natural numbers.

Executable Behaviour and the π-Calculus (extended abstract

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bas Luttik

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Reactive Turing machines extend classical Turing machines with a facility to model observable interactive behaviour. We call a behaviour executable if, and only if, it is behaviourally equivalent to the behaviour of a reactive Turing machine. In this paper, we study the relationship between executable behaviour and behaviour that can be specified in the pi-calculus. We establish that all executable behaviour can be specified in the pi-calculus up to divergence-preserving branching bisimilarity. The converse, however, is not true due to (intended limitations of the model of reactive Turing machines. That is, the pi-calculus allows the specification of behaviour that is not executable up to divergence-preserving branching bisimilarity. Motivated by an intuitive understanding of executability, we then consider a restriction on the operational semantics of the pi-calculus that does associate with every pi-term executable behaviour, at least up to the version of branching bisimilarity that does not require the preservation of divergence.

Institutional failures and transaction costs of Bulgarian private research institutes

OpenAIRE

Nozharov, Shteryo

2016-01-01

The paper analyses the reasons for poor performance of private research institutes in Bulgaria. In this regard the Institutional Economics methods are used. A connection between smart growth policy goals and Bulgarian membership in EU is made. The gaps in the institutional environment are identified as well as measures for their elimination are proposed. The main accent of the study is put on the identification of transaction costs, arisen as a result of the failures of the institutional envi...

Navigating Institutions and Institutional Leadership to Address Sexual Violence

Science.gov (United States)

Sisneros, Kathy; Rivera, Monica

2018-01-01

Using an institutional example, this chapter offers strategies to effectively navigate institutional culture, processes, and structures to engage the entire campus community in addressing sexual violence.

Institutional Investors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Birkmose, Hanne Søndergaard; Strand, Therese

Research Question/Issue: Institutional investors are facing increased pressure and threats of legislation from the European Union to abandon passive ownership strategies. This study investigates the prerequisites for – and potential dissimilarities in the practice of, active ownership among...... institutional investors in two Scandinavian countries with diminutive legal and cultural distance in general. Research Findings/Insights: Using data on shareholder proposals from Danish and Swedish annual general meetings from 2006 throughout 2010, we find that institutional investors are approximately....../Policy Implications: Regulators should be aware of the impact by local governance mechanisms, and how shareholders react under different legal and practical prerequisites. The paper also highlights legal elements that differ between Denmark and Sweden, and which might affect institutional activism....

Institutional Repositories in Indian Universities and Research Institutes: A Study

Science.gov (United States)

Krishnamurthy, M.; Kemparaju, T. D.

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to report on a study of the institutional repositories (IRs) in use in Indian universities and research institutes. Design/methodology/approach: Repositories in various institutions in India were accessed and described in a standardised way. Findings: The 20 repositories studied covered collections of diverse…

What are Institutional Logics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berg Johansen, Christina; Waldorff, Susanne Boch

This study presents new insights into the explanatory power of the institutional logics perspective. With outset in a discussion of seminal theory texts, we identify two fundamental topics that frame institutional logics: overarching institutional orders guides by institutional logics, as well...... as change and agency generated by friction between logics. We use these topics as basis for an analysis of selected empirical papers, with the aim of understanding how institutional logics contribute to institutional theory at large, and which social matters institutional logics can and cannot explore...

Spatiotemporal chaos involving wave instability.

Science.gov (United States)

Berenstein, Igal; Carballido-Landeira, Jorge

2017-01-01

In this paper, we investigate pattern formation in a model of a reaction confined in a microemulsion, in a regime where both Turing and wave instability occur. In one-dimensional systems, the pattern corresponds to spatiotemporal intermittency where the behavior of the systems alternates in both time and space between stationary Turing patterns and traveling waves. In two-dimensional systems, the behavior initially may correspond to Turing patterns, which then turn into wave patterns. The resulting pattern also corresponds to a chaotic state, where the system alternates in both space and time between standing wave patterns and traveling waves, and the local dynamics may show vanishing amplitude of the variables.

Institutional Repositories at Small Institutions in America: Some Current Trends

Science.gov (United States)

Nykanen, Melissa

2011-01-01

The research reported in this article was undertaken to determine the level of implementation of institutional repositories (IRs) at small institutions enrolling fewer than 10,000 students. The study analyzed quantitative and qualitative data from IRs at a number of small institutions with the aim of observing relevant patterns and trends that may…

TTI Phase 2 Institutional Support: Indian Institute of Dalit Studies ...

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

This funding will enhance the Indian Institute of Dalit Studies' (IIDS) role as a credible public policy institution in India by strengthening its ability to provide high-quality, influential, and policy-relevant research. About the Indian Institute of Dalit Studies IIDS is a social sciences research centre with a focus on development ...

Institutional actorhood

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Christian Uhrenholdt

In this paper I describe the changing role of intra-organizational experts in the face of institutional complexity of their field. I do this through a qualitative investigation of the institutional and organizational roles of actors in Danish organizations who are responsible for the efforts...... to comply with the Danish work environment regulation. And by doing so I also describe how institutional complexity and organizational responses to this complexity are particular important for the changing modes of governance that characterizes contemporary welfare states....

Fulltext PDF

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

computer science. The award is named after Alan Turing, inventor of the. Turing machine, articulator of the limits of computing, and a key player in the. Allied breaking of the German Enigma cipher in World War II. The award ... Cocke in 1971, she provided a systematic categorization of code improvement transformations.

Designing a culture of resilience: Embedding innovation in health and social care integration in Scotland

OpenAIRE

Raman, Sneha; French, Tara

2017-01-01

As part of the work within the Digital Health and Care Institute Innovation Centre, which the Glasgow School of Art is a founding partner, our research has involved a number of collaborative sessions engaging with decision-makers, strategy teams and stakeholders in government, NHS, social care and third sector. The focus of this work has explored a participatory design approach to strategy and policy design, in line with the strategic health and social care agenda in Scotland, developing pers...

Bringing ideas back in to historical institutionalism to explain endogenous institutional change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carstensen, Martin B.; Schmidt, Vivien

The problem of how to theorize endogenous institutional change remains the ‘holy grail’ of historical institutionalism. Particularly important advances have been made within scholarship on gradual institutional transformation th at has deployed concepts like institutional ambiguity and interpreta...... in relation to two key issues: Interpretive battles over compliance and enforcement; and the role of ideas in forming, maintaining and changing the coalitions of actors that support a specific institutional setup....

The Glasgow Prognostic Score at the Time of Palliative Esophageal Stent Insertion is a Predictive Factor of 30-Day Mortality and Overall Survival.

Science.gov (United States)

Driver, Robert J; Handforth, Catherine; Radhakrishna, Ganesh; Bennett, Michael I; Ford, Alexander C; Everett, Simon M

2018-03-01

Optimizing the timing of esophageal stent insertion is a challenge, partly due to difficulty predicting survival in advanced malignancy. The Glasgow prognostic score (GPS) is a validated tool for predicting survival in a number of cancers. To assess the utility of the GPS in predicting 30-day mortality and overall survival postesophageal stent insertion. Patients at a tertiary referral center who had received an esophageal stent for palliation of dysphagia were included if they had a measurement of albumin and C-reactive protein (CRP) in the week preceding the procedure (n=209). Patients with both an elevated CRP (>10 mg/L) and hypoalbuminemia (L) were given a GPS score of 2 (GPS2). Patients with only one of these abnormalities were assigned as GPS1 and those with normal CRP and albumin were assigned as GPS0. Clinical and pathologic parameters were also collected to assess for potential confounding factors in the survival analysis. Increasing GPS was associated with 30-day mortality; for patients with GPS0, 30-day mortality was 5% (2/43), for GPS1 it was 23% (26/114), and for GPS2 it was 33% (17/52). The adjusted hazard ratio for overall poststent mortality was 1.6 (95% confidence interval, 1.1-2.4; P=0.02) for GPS1 and 2.4 (95% confidence interval, 1.5-3.8; PGPS2 patients compared with GPS0. GPS is an independent prognostic factor of 30-day mortality and overall survival after esophageal stent insertion. It is a potential adjunct to clinical assessment in identifying those patients at high-risk of short-term mortality poststent.

Effect of Memantine on Serum Levels of Neuron-Specific Enolase and on the Glasgow Coma Scale in Patients With Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Mokhtari, Majid; Nayeb-Aghaei, Hossein; Kouchek, Mehran; Miri, Mir Mohammad; Goharani, Reza; Amoozandeh, Arash; Akhavan Salamat, Sina; Sistanizad, Mohammad

2018-01-01

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of disability and death globally. Despite significant progress in neuromonitoring and neuroprotection, pharmacological interventions have failed to generate favorable results. We examined the effect of memantine on serum levels of neuron-specific enolase (NSE), a marker of neuronal damage, and the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) in patients with moderate TBI. Patients were randomly assigned to the control group (who received standard TBI management) and the treatment group (who, alongside their standard management, received enteral memantine 30 mg twice daily for 7 days). Patients' clinical data, GCS, findings of head computed tomography, and serum NSE levels were collected during the study. Forty-one patients were randomized into the control and treatment groups, 19 and 22 patients respectively. Baseline characteristics and serum NSE levels were not significantly different between the 2 groups. The mean serum NSE levels for the memantine and the control groups on day 3 were 7.95 ± 2.86 and 12.33 ± 7.09 ng/mL, respectively (P = .05), and on day 7 were 5.03 ± 3.25 and 10.04 ± 5.72 ng/mL, respectively (P = .003). The mean GCS on day 3 was 12.3 ± 2.0 and 10.9 ± 1.9 in the memantine and control groups, respectively (P = .03). Serum NSE levels and GCS changes were negatively correlated (r = -0.368, P = .02). Patients with moderate TBI who received memantine had significantly reduced serum NSE levels by day 7 and marked improvement in their GCS scores on day 3 of the study. © 2017, The American College of Clinical Pharmacology.

Prospective multicenter validation of the Glasgow Blatchford bleeding score in the management of patients with upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage presenting at an emergency department.

Science.gov (United States)

Aquarius, Michel; Smeets, Fabiënne G M; Konijn, Helena W; Stassen, Patricia M; Keulen, Eric T; Van Deursen, Cees T; Masclee, Ad A M; Keulemans, Yolande C

2015-09-01

The Glasgow Blatchford Bleeding Score (GBS) has been developed to assess the need for treatment in patients with acute upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage (UGIH) presenting at emergency departments (EDs). We aimed (a) to determine the validity of the GBS and Rockall scoring systems for prediction of need for treatment and (b) to identify the optimal cut-off value of the GBS. We carried out a population-based, prospective multicenter study of 520 consecutive patients presenting with acute UGIH at EDs of three hospitals. The accuracy of GBS and Rockall scores in predicting the need for treatment (i.e. endoscopic, surgical, or radiological intervention and blood transfusion) was analyzed using receiver operating characteristic curves. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the GBS had a good discriminative ability to determine the need for treatment in patients with acute UGIH (area under the curve: 0.88; 95% confidence interval: 0.85-0.91). The GBS was superior to both the clinical Rockall and the full Rockall score in predicting the need for treatment (area under the curve: 0.86 vs. 0.70 vs. 0.77). At a cut-off value of up to 2, the GBS had the optimal combination of sensitivity (99.4%) and specificity (42.4%). The GBS is superior compared with both Rockall scores in predicting the need for treatment in patients with suspected acute UGIH presenting at EDs in the Netherlands. Patients with a GBS of 2 or less form a subgroup of low-risk patients. These low-risk patients are eligible for outpatient management, which might reduce hospital admissions and healthcare costs.

North-South Institute Institutional Grant 2011-2012 | IDRC ...

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

The North-South Institute (NSI) is an established independent thinktank in Canada whose work focuses on international development, poverty reduction and global inequalities. Building on a long history of collaboration between NSI and IDRC, this grant will provide the Institute with core support for 2011-2012. NSI activities ...

Institutional Support : African Institute for Applied Economics (AIAE ...

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

The African Institute for Applied Economics (AIAE), Nigeria, is an independent policy research organization created in 2000. The Institute's mission is to promote evidence-based decision-making in the area of economic and social development. AIAE's strength is research and advocacy in the area of business environment, ...

Effects of intrinsic stochasticity on delayed reaction-diffusion patterning systems

KAUST Repository

Woolley, Thomas E.; Baker, Ruth E.; Gaffney, Eamonn A.; Maini, Philip K.; Seirin-Lee, Sungrim

2012-01-01

Cellular gene expression is a complex process involving many steps, including the transcription of DNA and translation of mRNA; hence the synthesis of proteins requires a considerable amount of time, from ten minutes to several hours. Since diffusion-driven instability has been observed to be sensitive to perturbations in kinetic delays, the application of Turing patterning mechanisms to the problem of producing spatially heterogeneous differential gene expression has been questioned. In deterministic systems a small delay in the reactions can cause a large increase in the time it takes a system to pattern. Recently, it has been observed that in undelayed systems intrinsic stochasticity can cause pattern initiation to occur earlier than in the analogous deterministic simulations. Here we are interested in adding both stochasticity and delays to Turing systems in order to assess whether stochasticity can reduce the patterning time scale in delayed Turing systems. As analytical insights to this problem are difficult to attain and often limited in their use, we focus on stochastically simulating delayed systems. We consider four different Turing systems and two different forms of delay. Our results are mixed and lead to the conclusion that, although the sensitivity to delays in the Turing mechanism is not completely removed by the addition of intrinsic noise, the effects of the delays are clearly ameliorated in certain specific cases. © 2012 American Physical Society.

Effects of intrinsic stochasticity on delayed reaction-diffusion patterning systems

KAUST Repository

Woolley, Thomas E.

2012-05-22

Cellular gene expression is a complex process involving many steps, including the transcription of DNA and translation of mRNA; hence the synthesis of proteins requires a considerable amount of time, from ten minutes to several hours. Since diffusion-driven instability has been observed to be sensitive to perturbations in kinetic delays, the application of Turing patterning mechanisms to the problem of producing spatially heterogeneous differential gene expression has been questioned. In deterministic systems a small delay in the reactions can cause a large increase in the time it takes a system to pattern. Recently, it has been observed that in undelayed systems intrinsic stochasticity can cause pattern initiation to occur earlier than in the analogous deterministic simulations. Here we are interested in adding both stochasticity and delays to Turing systems in order to assess whether stochasticity can reduce the patterning time scale in delayed Turing systems. As analytical insights to this problem are difficult to attain and often limited in their use, we focus on stochastically simulating delayed systems. We consider four different Turing systems and two different forms of delay. Our results are mixed and lead to the conclusion that, although the sensitivity to delays in the Turing mechanism is not completely removed by the addition of intrinsic noise, the effects of the delays are clearly ameliorated in certain specific cases. © 2012 American Physical Society.

THERMODYNAMIC STUDY OF CHROMITE CAUSTICFUSION PROCESS

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

S.L. Zheng; Y. Zhang

2001-01-01

A new method for chromate cleaning production named chromite caustic fusion pro-cess, is advanced by Institute of Chemical Metallurgy, the Chinese Academy of Sci-ences. With sodium hydroxide as reaction medium, the new process is composed ofthree procedures: liquid phase oxidation of chromite - metastable phase separation -carbonation ammonium transition. Generally illustrating the new process and its fea-tures, this paper mainly studies the thermodynamics of chromite oxidation. The newprocess has much better practical results than the conventional chromate productionprocess in which sodium carbonate is used as reaction medium. The superiority is alsoshown through thermodynamic studies.``

INFLUENCE OF RELATIONS WITH INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS ON INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATIONS OF ECONOMY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Galyna POCHENCHUK

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the problem of the impact of transitional countries cooperation with international financial institutions on institutional changes which take place in emerging market economies, on the base of Ukraine. Research is carried out from the standpoint of institutional theory. The main reforms that took place in emerging market economy countries were based on the Washington Consensus strategy recommended by international financial institutions. The results of implementing this strategy are varied in different countries. In Ukraine strict adherence to requirements in the early stages of reforms without internal institutional conditions and characteristics led to a deep and protracted crisis of forming a "transformational stability." The general formal institutions of the market economy have been created according to the neoliberal concept which is provided by IFIs. However, experience of transitive economies including Ukraine, confirms the ineffectiveness of many established formal institutions borrowed from the developed countries. The author reviews the basic theory of institutional changes, argues that the terms of cooperation circulated by international financial institutions not only affect economic development strategy, but also determine the role of the national government in relations with markets. Under present conditions prevailing in Ukraine, it is impossible to manage without assistance of international financial institutions. But we need to pay more attention to technical and advisory cooperation in realization of institutional reforms, and credits – to take as a required time for receiving the results of reforms.

Institutional Logics in Action

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lounsbury, Michael; Boxenbaum, Eva

2013-01-01

This double volume presents state-of-the-art research and thinking on the dynamics of actors and institutional logics. In the introduction, we briefly sketch the roots and branches of institutional logics scholarship before turning to the new buds of research on the topic of how actors engage...... institutional logics in the course of their organizational practice. We introduce an exciting line of new works on the meta-theoretical foundations of logics, institutional logic processes, and institutional complexity and organizational responses. Collectively, the papers in this volume advance the very...... prolific stream of research on institutional logics by deepening our insight into the active use of institutional logics in organizational action and interaction, including the institutional effects of such (inter)actions....

Fulltext PDF

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

As we had promised last month, we continue in this issue our coverage of the life, work and seminal ideas of Alan Turing. V Rajaraman describes in some detail Turing's work on thinking machines, expanding on Vijay Chandru's account last time; while Priti Shankar presents a sensitive review of Alan Hodges' sensitive ...

Labeo capensis (Smith)

African Journals Online (AJOL)

ture effects have used animals acclimated to constant tempera- tures in the ... in pools isolated during the dry, hot season (Jubb 1967). More than 80070 of the fish .... was such that the fish could actively swim around during their specific oxygen ..... Oxygen consumption and mode of energy production in the intertidal worm ...

Institutions as Knowledge Capital

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Foss, Nicolai Juul; Garzarelli, Giampaolo

The paper revisits the socioeconomic theory of the Austrian School economist Ludwig M. Lachmann. By showing that the common claim that Lachmann's idiosyncratic (read: eclectic and multidisciplinary) approach to economics entails nihilism is unfounded, it reaches the following conclusions. (1......) Lachmann held a sophisticated institutional position to economics that anticipated developments in contemporary new institutional economics. (2) Lachmann's sociological and economic reading of institutions offers insights for the problem of coordination. (3) Lachmann extends contemporary new institutional...... theory without simultaneously denying the policy approach of comparative institutional analysis. (90 words.)KeywordsComparative institutional analysis, coordination, expectations, institutionalevolution, interpretative institutionalism.JEL CodesB31, B52, B53, D80....

Unravelling Bessel beams: Presentation

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Mhlanga, T

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Mhlanga1,3, Angela Dudley1, Martin Lavery2, Miles Padgett2 and Andrew Forbes1,3 1CSIR National Laser Centre, PO Box 395, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa 2Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK 3College of Agriculture...,* Thandeka Mhlanga,1Martin Lavery,2 Andre McDonald,1 Filippus S. Roux,1 Miles Padgett,2 and Andrew Forbes1 1CSIR National Laser Centre, PO Box 395, Pretoria 0001, South Africa 2 Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK *adudley...

Entrepreneurship as institutional change

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjerregaard, Toke; Lauring, Jakob

2012-01-01

This paper responds to calls to make more explicit linkages between institutional theory and entrepreneurship research through studies on how entrepreneurs navigate and work with institutions. The research examines the micro-strategies and activities through which small-scale entrepreneurs maneuver...... between and exploit the multiple, potentially contradictory institutional logics of the different spheres in which they operate. While much research has elucidated how institutional entrepreneurs effect change, this study illustrates how effective entrepreneurs managing and exploiting institutional...... contradictions engage simultaneously in practices of maintaining and changing institutions to establish a balance between the poles on which their ventures depend. We illustrate this by two cases of small-scale entrepreneurship bridging institutional contradictions from an ethnographic study conducted under...

Derandomizing from random strings

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Buhrman, H.; Fortnow, L.; Koucký, M.; Loff, B.

2010-01-01

In this paper we show that BPP is truth-table reducible to the set of Kolmogorov random strings R(K). It was previously known that PSPACE, and hence BPP is Turing-reducible to R(K). The earlier proof relied on the adaptivity of the Turing-reduction to find a Kolmogorov-random string of polynomial

Fulltext PDF

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

from the intuitive understanding of what an algorithm is. At this stage, Alan Turing in a paper entitled 'On computable numbers with an application to the Enlscheidungs problem publised in The london Malh. Soc. in 1936 formulated a model now called a Turing machine. He proposed that a function is computable if and only ...

Computations and interaction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baeten, J.C.M.; Luttik, S.P.; Tilburg, van P.J.A.; Natarajan, R.; Ojo, A.

2011-01-01

We enhance the notion of a computation of the classical theory of computing with the notion of interaction. In this way, we enhance a Turing machine as a model of computation to a Reactive Turing Machine that is an abstract model of a computer as it is used nowadays, always interacting with the user

Nonlinear analysis of a reaction-diffusion system: Amplitude equations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zemskov, E. P., E-mail: zemskov@ccas.ru [Russian Academy of Sciences, Dorodnicyn Computing Center (Russian Federation)

2012-10-15

A reaction-diffusion system with a nonlinear diffusion term is considered. Based on nonlinear analysis, the amplitude equations are obtained in the cases of the Hopf and Turing instabilities in the system. Turing pattern-forming regions in the parameter space are determined for supercritical and subcritical instabilities in a two-component reaction-diffusion system.

On the Nature of Intelligence

Science.gov (United States)

Churchland, Paul M.

Alan Turing is the consensus patron saint of the classical research program in Artificial Intelligence (AI), and his behavioral test for the possession of conscious intelligence has become his principal legacy in the mind of the academic public. Both takes are mistakes. That test is a dialectical throwaway line even for Turing himself, a tertiary gesture aimed at softening the intellectual resistance to a research program which, in his hands, possessed real substance, both mathematical and theoretical. The wrangling over his celebrated test has deflected attention away from those more substantial achievements, and away from the enduring obligation to construct a substantive theory of what conscious intelligence really is, as opposed to an epistemological account of how to tell when you are confronting an instance of it. This essay explores Turing's substantive research program on the nature of intelligence, and argues that the classical AI program is not its best expression, nor even the expression intended by Turing. It then attempts to put the famous Test into its proper, and much reduced, perspective.

Colonial Institutions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

McAtackney, Laura; Palmer, Russell

2016-01-01

and the USA which reveal that the study of colonial institutions should not be limited to the functional life of these institutions—or solely those that take the form of monumental architecture—but should include the long shadow of “imperial debris” (Stoler 2008) and immaterial institutions....

Adam Smith and the Moral Economy of the Classroom System.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamilton, D.

1980-01-01

Traces the development of mass schooling to its origins in 19th-century Glasgow. Its importance as an intellectual and economic center enabled Glasgow to invent a solution to the problem of urban schooling, while the association of scholars like Adam Smith with Glasgow University made Scottish educational theories acceptable around the world. (DB)

What are Institutional Logics

OpenAIRE

Berg Johansen, Christina; Bock Waldorff, Susanne

2015-01-01

This study presents new insights into the explanatory power of the institutional logics perspective. With outset in a discussion of seminal theory texts, we identify two fundamental topics that frame institutional logics: overarching institutional orders guided by institutional logics, as well as change and agency generated by friction between logics. We use these topics as basis for an analysis of selected empirical papers, with the aim of understanding how institutional logics contribute to...

The use of brain CT Scan in craniocerebral trauma with Glasgow coma scale scores of 13 – 15 in Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital 1999-2001

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jofizal Jannis

2004-09-01

Full Text Available There is still a controversy among the neurologists whether brain CT scan must be performed on the mild head trauma patients. This study was executed to find out the correlation between the brain CT scan image findings and its clinical impairment among the mild head trauma patients with Glasgow coma scale (GCS score of 13 to 15. The study was a retrospective study by analyzing the uniform medical records of the head trauma patients hospitalized at the Neurology ward of Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital within the period of 1999 to 2001. During that period 1,663 patients were hospitalized due to head trauma, and 1,166 of them (70.1 % were suffered from mild head trauma patients with GCS score of 13-15. Among those with brain CT scan examinations (N: 271, the neurological abnormalities were found on 144 (53.1% of patients, consisted of cerebral edema (11,4%, intracerebral hemorrhage (5.5%, epidural hemorrhage (16.2%, subdural hemorrhage (18.1%, subarachnoid hemorrhage (5.5%, and combination (13.8%. The further analysis showed that cranial nerves disturbance, amnesia, loss of conciousness for more than 10 minutes, and vomiting are significantly correlated to the brain CT scan abnormality. Combination of the above four clinical signs and symptoms have sensitivity of 90 % in predicting brain insults. This findings may be used as a simple set of clinical criteria for identifying mild head trauma patients who need undergo CT scan examination. (Med J Indones 2004; 13: 156-60 Keywords: mild head injury, brain CT scan

Institutional Logics in Inter-institutional Temporary Organizations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pemsel, Sofia; Söderlund, Jonas

-cognitive, normative, and regulative – are unfolding and evolving in such contexts. The case study addresses the integration and disintegration of logics and normative orders in an ongoing process characterized by the co-mingling, co-existence, creation and resolutions of hybrid logics and creation of institutional...... exceptions throughout the life of the studied temporary organization. In that respect, this paper contributes with a more nuanced view on the evolution, dynamics, and co-existence of pressures from multiple institutional demands at the organizational level....

Treatment of tracheomalacia with aortopexy in children in Glasgow.

Science.gov (United States)

Montgomery, Jenny; Sau, Chung; Clement, William; Danton, Mark; Davis, Carl; Haddock, Graham; McLean, Andrew; Kubba, Haytham

2014-10-01

The aim of this study was to assess outcomes of infants and children undergoing aortopexy and to try and establish which children would derive the greatest benefit from this complex intervention. Materials and This is a retrospective case series in a pediatric tertiary referral hospital between 1993 and 2012. A case sheet review was performed to collect demographic data and identify outcomes for each child. The effects of the subtype of tracheomalacia, weight at surgery, symptoms at presentation, surgical approach, and preoperative ventilation were considered. There were 30 children who underwent aortopexy during the study period. Of the 30 children in the study, 21 children (70%) were male. The gestational age at birth ranged between 25 and 41 weeks (9 children [30%] were preterm). Age at surgery was between 2 and 140 weeks (mean; 31.5 weeks, median; 26 weeks). The onset of symptoms was between birth and 18 months (mean; 3.8 months, median; 3.5 months). The presenting symptoms were stridor (n = 9; 30%), failed extubation (n = 4; 13%), death attacks (n = 8; 27%), and cyanosis (n = 9; 30%). The underlying pathology was primary in 10 children (33%) and secondary in 18 children. The diagnosis was made by bronchoscopy in 26 children (93%). Imaging was performed in 25 children (83%). Aortopexy in our institution is performed by general pediatric surgeons (n = 8; 27%) and cardiothoracic surgeons (n = 22; 73%). In the immediately postoperative period, 25 children (83%) were thriving. Of the children that required another procedure; 1 child was reintubated (3%), 2 children had a tracheostomy (6%), 1 child had a stent (3%), and 2 children died (6%). Clinical follow-up of these children was between 1 month and 12 years. Long term, in 22 children (73%) were asymptomatic. There were no clinical predictors of outcome identified, but aortopexy is a safe effective procedure for children with severe tracheomalacia. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New

The man behind the machine

Science.gov (United States)

Cerf, Vint

2018-01-01

As a practising computer scientist, I thought I had a fairly good grasp of Alan Turing’s many contributions to the field. But The Turing Guide by Jack Copeland, Jonathan Bowen, Mark Sprevak and Robin Wilson has opened up a universe of Turing's other pursuits I knew nothing about, inflating my admiration for him and his work.

Microstructure and oxidation performance of a γ–γ ′ Pt-aluminide ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Administrator

examined and its cyclic oxidation performance at 1100 °C in air is ... mechanical properties of the alloy (Alam et al 2010a). In ... enhances the adherence of the alumina scale and, thereby, .... ture of coatings in as-coated condition: (a) γ–γ ′ coating and (b) ..... ture corrosion (eds) D R Holmes and A Rahmel (London:.

Institutional transformation: An analysis of change initiatives at NSF ADVANCE institutions

Science.gov (United States)

Plummer, Ellen W.

The purpose of this study was to examine how institutional culture promoted or impeded the implementation of round one and two NSF ADVANCE initiatives designed to improve academic climates for women in science and engineering. This study was conducted in two phases. In phase one, 35 participants from 18 institutions were interviewed to answer three research questions. Participants identified a policy, process, or program designed to improve academic cultures for women in science and engineering fields. Participants also identified strategies that promoted the implementation of these efforts, and discussed factors that impeded these efforts. In phase two, site visits were conducted at two institutions to answer a fourth research question. How did institutional culture shape the design and implementation of faculty search processes? Policies, processes, and programs were implemented by participants at the institutional, departmental, and individual levels and included family friendly and dual career policies at the institutional level, improved departmental faculty search and climate improvement processes, and mentoring programs and training for department heads at the individual level. Communication and leadership strategies were key to the successful implementation of policies, processes, and programs designed to achieve institutional transformation. Communication strategies involved shaping change messages to reach varied audiences often with the argument that change efforts would improve the climate for everyone not just women faculty members. Administrative and faculty leaders from multiple levels proved important to change efforts. Institutional Transformation Institutional culture shaped initiatives to improve faculty search processes. Faculty leaders in both settings used data to persuade faculty members of the need for change. At one site, data that included national availability information was critical to advancing the change agenda. At the other site

North-South Institute Institutional Grant 2011-2012 | CRDI - Centre ...

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

The North-South Institute (NSI) is an established independent thinktank in Canada whose work focuses on international development, poverty reduction and global inequalities. Building on a long history of collaboration between NSI and IDRC, this grant will provide the Institute with core support for 2011-2012. NSI activities ...

Coevolution of economic behaviour and institutions: towards a theory of institutional change

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van den Bergh, J.C.J.M.

2003-01-01

Traditionally, economics has regarded institutions, notably norms and regulations, as fixed or exogenous. Surprisingly few insights on institutional evolution from natural and social sciences have made their way into economics. This article gives an overview of evolutionary theories of institutions

Strengthening Institutions to Legitimise Business Continuity in Weak Institutional Environments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Taarup Esbensen, Jacob

This paper investigates how weak institutional environments influence MNE decision making to be involved in creating public good facilities with the aim of reducing community risk, and to what extend these can be traced back to the MNE choose of a Head Quarter (HQ) or local embeddedness driven...... in their dealings with local communities. One strategy is based on rules provide by the HQ, which focuses on providing guidelines in compliance with normative global institutions, while another strategy focuses on embedding the subsidiary in the local institutional environment. Both of these strategies aim...... public good facilities in the absence or at best weak institutional environment. Secondly, serving as an effective risk mitigation tool that keeps aggressive actors from partnering with local communities against the company thereby presenting a risk to its continued operations....

Institutional Support : Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and ...

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

In 2006 the Government of Kenya passed an Act of Parliament making the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) the government's lead socioeconomic research institute. The Act exerts enormous demands on KIPPRA at a time when it is trying to recover from the senior staff turnover suffered in ...

Institutional And Non-Institutional Credit Supply Services To Fisher ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Women in the study area prefer the informal, non institutional credit sources than the formal, institutional source as the poor fisher-folk require collateral for this which in most cases was not available. From the study, adequate finance with more relax conditions will go a long way in alleviating poverty and improving ...

Doing Justice to the Imitation Game

Science.gov (United States)

Lassègue, Jean

My claim in this article is that the 1950 paper in which Turing describes the world-famous set-up of the Imitation Game is much richer and intriguing than the formalist ersatz coined in the early 1970s under the name "Turing Test". Therefore, doing justice to the Imitation Game implies showing first, that the formalist interpretation misses some crucial points in Turing's line of thought and second, that the 1950 paper should not be understood as the Magna Chartaof strong Artificial Intelligence (AI) but as a work in progressfocused on the notion of Form. This has unexpected consequences about the status of Mind, and from a more general point of view, about the way we interpret the notions of Science and Language.

Institutions, Anomie, and Violent Crime: Clarifying and Elaborating Institutional-Anomie Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard Rosenfeld

2008-11-01

Full Text Available A limited but accumulating body of research and theoretical commentary offers support for core claims of the “institutional-anomie theory” of crime (IAT and points to areas needing further development. In this paper, which focuses on violent crime, we clarify the concept of social institutions, elaborate the cultural component of IAT, derive implications for individual behavior, summarize empirical applications, and propose directions for future research. Drawing on Talcott Parsons, we distinguish the “subjective” and “objective” dimensions of institutional dynamics and discuss their interrelationship. We elaborate on the theory’s cultural component with reference to Durkheim’s distinction between “moral” and “egoistic” individualism and propose that a version of the egoistic type characterizes societies in which the economy dominates the institutional structure, anomie is rampant, and levels of violent crime are high. We also offer a heuristic model of IAT that integrates macro- and individual levels of analysis. Finally, we discuss briefly issues for the further theoretical elaboration of this macro-social perspective on violent crime. Specifically, we call attention to the important tasks of explaining the emergence of economic dominance in the institutional balance of power and of formulating an institutional account for distinctive punishment practices, such as the advent of mass incarceration in the United States.

Institution Morphisms

Science.gov (United States)

Goguen, Joseph; Rosu, Grigore; Norvig, Peter (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Institutions formalize the intuitive notion of logical system, including both syntax and semantics. A surprising number of different notions of morphisim have been suggested for forming categories with institutions as objects, and a surprising variety of names have been proposed for them. One goal of this paper is to suggest a terminology that is both uniform and informative to replace the current rather chaotic nomenclature. Another goal is to investigate the properties and interrelations of these notions. Following brief expositions of indexed categories, twisted relations, and Kan extensions, we demonstrate and then exploit the duality between institution morphisms in the original sense of Goguen and Burstall, and the 'plain maps' of Meseguer, obtaining simple uniform proofs of completeness and cocompleteness for both resulting categories; because of this duality, we prefer the name 'comorphism' over 'plain map.' We next consider 'theoroidal' morphisms and comorphisims, which generalize signatures to theories, finding that the 'maps' of Meseguer are theoroidal comorphisms, while theoroidal morphisms are a new concept. We then introduce 'forward' and 'semi-natural' morphisms, and appendices discuss institutions for hidden algebra, universal algebra, partial equational logic, and a variant of order sorted algebra supporting partiality.

John Searle on Institutional Facts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

m Abdullahi

2010-09-01

Here we argue that the essence of institutional facts is status functions. Humans recognize these functions which contain a set of deontic powers through collective intentionality. Therefore, institutional facts are ontologically subjective and epistemologically objective. Nevertheless, objectivity of institutional facts totally depends on language which itself is a fundamental institution for other institutions.

The “Destabilizing” Effect of Cannibalism in a Spatially Explicit Three-Species Age Structured Predator-Prey Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aladeen Al Basheer

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Cannibalism, the act of killing and consumption of conspecifics, is generally considered to be a stabilising process in ODE models of predator-prey systems. On the other hand, Sun et al. were the first to show that cannibalism can cause Turing instability, in the classical Rosenzweig-McArthur two-species PDE model, which is an impossibility without cannibalism. Magnússon’s classic work is the first to show that cannibalism in a structured three-species predator-prey ODE model can actually be destabilising. In the current manuscript we consider the PDE form of the three-species model proposed in Magnússon’s classic work. We prove that, in the absence of cannibalism, Turing instability is an impossibility in this model, for any range of parameters. However, the inclusion of cannibalism can cause Turing instability. Thus, to the best of our knowledge, we report the first cannibalism induced Turing instability result, in spatially explicit three-species age structured predator-prey systems. We also show that, in the classical ODE model proposed by Magnússon, cannibalism can act as a life boat mechanism, for the prey.

Relationships Between Culture and Institutions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schultz, Majken

2012-01-01

This article suggests four different relationships between institutionalism and organizational culture seen as two different levels of analysis. The relationships represent a continuum from a significant influence of the institutional level on organizational culture to a significant cultural...... influence on the formation and construction of institutions. The four relationships are defined as 1) cultural filtering of institutional pressure from isomorphism, 2) organizational culture as a source of new institutional elements, 3) organizational culture as a source of positioning towards institutions...... the relationships between culture and institutions and how they are connected. Finally, the article points at the influence of globalization challenging the national origin of many institutions when relating to a world of organizations, which increasingly are becoming global. For some companies, organizational...

The relationship between glasgow prognostic score and serum tumor markers in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Ai-Gui; Chen, Hong-Lin; Lu, Hui-Yu

2015-01-01

Glasgow Prognostic Score (GPS) has been reported as a powerful prognostic tool for patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between GPS and prognosis related tumor markers in patients with advanced NSCLC. We included 138 advanced NSCLC patients and twenty healthy controls in the study. GPS was calculated by combined serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and albumin. Three serum tumor markers, which included cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21-1 (CYFRA21–1), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and tissue polypeptide specific antigen (TPS), were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). GPS and tumor markers were all assessed before chemotherapy. All patients received at least 2 courses of cisplatin-based chemotherapy. After that, 2 to 5 years follow-up was conducted. Median levels of CYFRA21–1 were 1.5 ng/ml (0.1–3.1 ng/ml) in healthy controls, and 4.6 ng/ml (0.7–35.2 ng/ml) in GPS 0 advanced NSCLC, 11.2 ng/ml (0.4–89.2) ng/ml in GPS 1 advanced NSCLC, and 15.7 ng/ml (2.9–134.6 ng/ml) in GPS 2 advanced NSCLC, respectively. Median levels of CYFRA21-1 were higher in NSCLC patients than in healthy controls, and CYFRA21-1 increased gradually according to GPS category in NSCLC patients (P < 0.05). Similar results were found for median levels of CEA and TPS in healthy controls and NSCLC patients (P < 0.05). In NSCLC patients, positive correlations were found between CYFRA21-1 and GPS, CEA and GPS, TPS and GPS. The Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient were 0.67 (P < 0.05), 0.61 (P < 0.05) and 0.55 (P < 0.05), respectively. Survival analyses showed GPS was an independent prognostic factor for advanced NSCLC. CYFRA21-1(>3.3 ng/ml) and TPS (>80 U/l) were related with the prognosis of advanced NSCLC by univariate analyses, but multivariate analyses showed CYFRA21-1, TPS and CEA were not the independent prognostic factors for advanced NSCLC. Our results showed GPS were positive correlated

Computing nature turing centenary perspective

CERN Document Server

Giovagnoli, Raffaela

2013-01-01

This book is about nature considered as the totality of physical existence, the universe, and our present day attempts to understand it. If we see the universe as a network of networks of computational processes at many different levels of organization, what can we learn about physics, biology, cognition, social systems, and ecology expressed through interacting networks of elementary particles, atoms, molecules, cells, (and especially neurons when it comes to understanding of cognition and intelligence), organs, organisms and their ecologies? Regarding our computational models of natural phenomena Feynman famously wondered: “Why should it take an infinite amount of logic to figure out what one tiny piece of space/time is going to do?” Phenomena themselves occur so quickly and automatically in nature. Can we learn how to harness nature’s computational power as we harness its energy and materials? This volume includes a selection of contributions from the Symposium on Natural Computing/Unconventional Com...

NUCOR Institute for Life Sciences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1984-01-01

The article discusses the Nucor Institute for Life Sciences. The institute was previously part of Nucor, but is now an autonomous institute of the University of Pretoria. The task of the institute is to promote the application of radioisotopes and radiation techniques in medicine and biology. Research projects of the institute are shortly discussed

Canadian institute honours Hawking

Science.gov (United States)

Durrani, Matin

2009-11-01

The Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Canada, has announced that a major new extension to its campus will be known as the Stephen Hawking Centre. The extension, which is currently being built, is due to open in 2011 and will double the size of the institute. It will also provide a home for the institute's Masters students, the first of whom joined the Perimeter Institute this autumn as part of its Perimeter Scholars international programme.

Do poorer people have poorer access to local resources and facilities? The distribution of local resources by area deprivation in Glasgow, Scotland☆

Science.gov (United States)

Macintyre, Sally; Macdonald, Laura; Ellaway, Anne

2008-01-01

It has commonly been suggested that in modern cities individual or household deprivation (for example, low income or education) is amplified by area level deprivation (for example, lack of jobs or good schools), in ways which damage the health of the poorest and increase health inequalities. The aim of this study was to determine the location of a range of resources and exposures by deprivation in a UK city. We examined the location of 42 resources in Glasgow City, Scotland, in 2005–2006, by quintile of small area deprivation. Measures included number per 1000 population, network distance to nearest resource, and percentage of data zones containing at least one of each type of resource. Twelve resources had higher density in, and/or were closer to or more common in, more deprived neighbourhoods: public nurseries, public primary schools, police stations, pharmacies, credit unions, post offices, bus stops, bingo halls, public swimming pools, public sports centres, outdoor play areas, and vacant and derelict land/buildings. Sixteen had higher density in, and/or were closer to, or more common in, more affluent neighbourhoods: public secondary schools, private schools, banks, building societies, museums/art galleries, railway stations, subway stations, tennis courts, bowling greens, private health clubs, private swimming pools, colleges, A & E hospitals, parks, waste disposal sites, and tourist attractions. Private nurseries, Universities, fire stations, general, dental and ophthalmic practices, pawn brokers, ATMs, supermarkets, fast food chains, cafes, public libraries, golf courses, and cinemas showed no clear pattern by deprivation. Thus it appears that in the early 21st century access to resources does not always disadvantage poorer neighbourhoods in the UK. We conclude that we need to ensure that theories and policies are based on up-to-date and context-specific empirical evidence on the distribution of neighbourhood resources, and to engage in further research

Do poorer people have poorer access to local resources and facilities? The distribution of local resources by area deprivation in Glasgow, Scotland.

Science.gov (United States)

Macintyre, Sally; Macdonald, Laura; Ellaway, Anne

2008-09-01

It has commonly been suggested that in modern cities individual or household deprivation (for example, low income or education) is amplified by area level deprivation (for example, lack of jobs or good schools), in ways which damage the health of the poorest and increase health inequalities. The aim of this study was to determine the location of a range of resources and exposures by deprivation in a UK city. We examined the location of 42 resources in Glasgow City, Scotland, in 2005-2006, by quintile of small area deprivation. Measures included number per 1000 population, network distance to nearest resource, and percentage of data zones containing at least one of each type of resource. Twelve resources had higher density in, and/or were closer to or more common in, more deprived neighbourhoods: public nurseries, public primary schools, police stations, pharmacies, credit unions, post offices, bus stops, bingo halls, public swimming pools, public sports centres, outdoor play areas, and vacant and derelict land/buildings. Sixteen had higher density in, and/or were closer to, or more common in, more affluent neighbourhoods: public secondary schools, private schools, banks, building societies, museums/art galleries, railway stations, subway stations, tennis courts, bowling greens, private health clubs, private swimming pools, colleges, A & E hospitals, parks, waste disposal sites, and tourist attractions. Private nurseries, Universities, fire stations, general, dental and ophthalmic practices, pawn brokers, ATMs, supermarkets, fast food chains, cafes, public libraries, golf courses, and cinemas showed no clear pattern by deprivation. Thus it appears that in the early 21st century access to resources does not always disadvantage poorer neighbourhoods in the UK. We conclude that we need to ensure that theories and policies are based on up-to-date and context-specific empirical evidence on the distribution of neighbourhood resources, and to engage in further research on

Does the choice of neighbourhood supermarket access measure influence associations with individual-level fruit and vegetable consumption? A case study from Glasgow.

Science.gov (United States)

Thornton, Lukar E; Pearce, Jamie R; Macdonald, Laura; Lamb, Karen E; Ellaway, Anne

2012-07-27

Previous studies have provided mixed evidence with regards to associations between food store access and dietary outcomes. This study examines the most commonly applied measures of locational access to assess whether associations between supermarket access and fruit and vegetable consumption are affected by the choice of access measure and scale. Supermarket location data from Glasgow, UK (n = 119), and fruit and vegetable intake data from the 'Health and Well-Being' Survey (n = 1041) were used to compare various measures of locational access. These exposure variables included proximity estimates (with different points-of-origin used to vary levels of aggregation) and density measures using three approaches (Euclidean and road network buffers and Kernel density estimation) at distances ranging from 0.4 km to 5 km. Further analysis was conducted to assess the impact of using smaller buffer sizes for individuals who did not own a car. Associations between these multiple access measures and fruit and vegetable consumption were estimated using linear regression models. Levels of spatial aggregation did not impact on the proximity estimates. Counts of supermarkets within Euclidean buffers were associated with fruit and vegetable consumption at 1 km, 2 km and 3 km, and for our road network buffers at 2 km, 3 km, and 4 km. Kernel density estimates provided the strongest associations and were significant at a distance of 2 km, 3 km, 4 km and 5 km. Presence of a supermarket within 0.4 km of road network distance from where people lived was positively associated with fruit consumption amongst those without a car (coef. 0.657; s.e. 0.247; p0.008). The associations between locational access to supermarkets and individual-level dietary behaviour are sensitive to the method by which the food environment variable is captured. Care needs to be taken to ensure robust and conceptually appropriate measures of access are used and these should be

Institution, Financial Sector, and Economic Growth: Use The Institutions As An Instrument Variable

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Albertus Girik Allo

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Institution has been investigated having indirect role on economic growth. This paper aims to evaluate whether the quality of institution matters for economic growth. By applying institution as instrumental variable at Foreign Direct Investment (FDI, quality of institution significantly influence economic growth. This study applies two set of data period, namely 1985-2013 and 2000-2013, available online in the World Bank (WB. The first data set, 1985-2013 is used to estimate the role of financial sector on economic growth, focuses on 67 countries. The second data set, 2000-2013 determine the role of institution on financial sector and economic growth by applying 2SLS estimation method. We define institutional variables as set of indicators: Control of Corruption, Political Stability and Absence of Violence, and Voice and Accountability provide declining impact of FDI to economic growth.

Institution, Financial Sector, and Economic Growth: Use The Institutions As An Instrument Variable

OpenAIRE

Albertus Girik Allo

2016-01-01

Institution has been investigated having indirect role on economic growth. This paper aims to evaluate whether the quality of institution matters for economic growth. By applying institution as instrumental variable at Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), quality of institution significantly influence economic growth. This study applies two set of data period, namely 1985-2013 and 2000-2013, available online in the World Bank (WB). The first data set, 1985-2013 is used to estimate the role of fin...

Multinationals and Institutional Competitiveness

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hull Kristensen, Peer; Morgan, Glenn

This article discusses how institutional competitiveness and multinationals are mutually enriching concepts. Seen from the perspective of Multinationals, institutional competitiveness becomes expressed at two levels. At the level of corporate HQs institutional competitiveness proves itself...... competitiveness of Liberal Market Economies and Coordinated Markets Economies under the current competitive regime....

Multiple Institutional Logics in Inter-Institutional Temporary Organizations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pemsel, Sofia; Söderlund, Jonas

for the planning and construction of a new super hospital in the capital of Sweden. Our empirical data demonstrates the important role institutional logics contribute with in understanding logics behind actions as well as emerging conflicts in practice throughout the project process. The paper identifies four......The idea of multiple institutional logics currently draws more and more attention as many organizational actors are forced to operate in ever more complex, temporary and vivid collaborations. We draw on findings from a unique case study of a temporary organization that carried the responsibility...

Formal Institutions and Subjective Wellbeing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjørnskov, Christian; Dreher, Axel; Fischer, Justina A.V.

2010-01-01

A long tradition in economics explores the association between the quality of formal institutions and economic performance. The literature on the relationship between such institutions and happiness is, however, rather limited, and inconclusive. In this paper, we revisit the findings from recent...... cross-country studies on the institution-happiness association. Our findings suggest that their conclusions are qualitatively rather insensitive to the specific measure of 'happiness' used, while the associations between formal institutions and subjective well-being differ among poor and rich countries....... Separating different types of institutional quality, we find that in low-income countries the effects of economic-judicial institutions on happiness dominate those of political institutions, while analyses restricted to middle- and high-income countries show strong support for an additional beneficial effect...

Performance Assessment Institute-NV

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lombardo, Joesph [Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV (United States)

2012-12-31

The National Supercomputing Center for Energy and the Environment’s intention is to purchase a multi-purpose computer cluster in support of the Performance Assessment Institute (PA Institute). The PA Institute will serve as a research consortium located in Las Vegas Nevada with membership that includes: national laboratories, universities, industry partners, and domestic and international governments. This center will provide a one-of-a-kind centralized facility for the accumulation of information for use by Institutions of Higher Learning, the U.S. Government, and Regulatory Agencies and approved users. This initiative will enhance and extend High Performance Computing (HPC) resources in Nevada to support critical national and international needs in "scientific confirmation". The PA Institute will be promoted as the leading Modeling, Learning and Research Center worldwide. The program proposes to utilize the existing supercomputing capabilities and alliances of the University of Nevada Las Vegas as a base, and to extend these resource and capabilities through a collaborative relationship with its membership. The PA Institute will provide an academic setting for interactive sharing, learning, mentoring and monitoring of multi-disciplinary performance assessment and performance confirmation information. The role of the PA Institute is to facilitate research, knowledge-increase, and knowledge-sharing among users.

INSTITUTIONAL REPOSITORY: EMPLOYMENT IN EDUCATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vasyl P. Oleksyuk

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The article investigated the concept of «institutional repository» and determined the aspects of institutional repositories in higher education. Institutional Repositories are information systems that allow preserving, storing and disseminating scientific knowledge produced in higher education and scientific research institutions. This study presented the main aspects using institutional repositories in educational process (such as storage of scientific and educational information, means of organization activity of students, object of studying. This article produced the structure of communities and collections of the institutional. It is described the experience of implementing of DSpace in the learning process.

The Emergence of a Proto-institution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boxenbaum, Eva

2004-01-01

of inter-organizational networks, and actors embedded in multiple fields. The making of the proto-institution is intentional, yet the institutional building blocks and the apparent interests of actors are institutionally embedded. The results from this micro-dynamic analysis suggest revisions to current...... conceptualizations of institutional change processes. Keywords: Institutional change, proto-institution, cognition, institutional entrepreneurship, innovation, collaborative networks....

Institutional Inertia and Institutional Change in an Expanding Normal-Form Game

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Torsten Heinrich

2013-08-01

Full Text Available We investigate aspects of institutional change in an evolutionary game-theoretic framework, in principle focusing on problems of coordination in groups when new solutions to a problem become available. In an evolutionary game with an underlying dilemma structure, we let a number of new strategies become gradually available to the agents. The dilemma structure of the situation is not changed by these. Older strategies offer a lesser payoff than newly available ones. The problem that agents have to solve for realizing improved results is, therefore, to coordinate on newly available strategies. Strategies are taken to represent institutions; the coordination on a new strategy by agents, hence, represents a change in the institutional framework of a group. The simulations we run show a stable pattern regarding such institutional changes. A number of institutions are found to coexist, with the specific number depending on the relation of payoffs achievable through the coordination of different strategies. Usually, the strategies leading to the highest possible payoff are not among these. This can be taken to reflect the heterogeneity of rules in larger groups, with different subgroups showing different behavior patterns.

Changing institutions of knowing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koch, Christian; Bertelsen, Niels Haldor

2014-01-01

paper is to analyze enablers and barriers for this institutional change. The vocational education system in Denmark is strongly institutionalised with unions, employerÕs associations and the schools in central roles. Drawing on institutional theory contributions on labour market -, educational......In order to reach the EU 2020 goals for the climate, Danish vocational training units are currently in a process of institutional change triggered by the need of providing energy, and new process competences for the skilled and semiskilled workforce active in construction. The aim of the present...... - and professional institutions, the paper presents a study of institutional work inside and across schools and craft disciplines working in SMEs involved in new building and renovation with an energy aspect. Collaboration between four education committees for carpenters, masons, electricians and plumbers...

Institutional complexity: a bibliometric on recent publication in institutional theory [doi: 10.21529/RECADM.2016009

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernanda Reis da Silva

2016-08-01

Full Text Available In this bibliometric study we discuss the institutional complexity in eleven journals in business administration and organization studies. We try to identify the main features of the present Institutional Theory discussion in organization theory. The main research techniques we used were citation, co-citation, factorial bibliometric analysis and multidimensional scaling to identify the most influential studies and the main themes that are interwoven in institutional complexity (institutional logics, conflicts, changes and identity. The sample consisted of 43 articles and more than 3000 references cited. The most cited works were grouped into three factors that represent the emergent topics in institutional complexity. The results show the emergence of a new set of important concepts in the context of the institutional theory, such as institutional logics, conflict, change, identity, strategy. That set of concepts is diverse from that one typical of the institutionalism in organizations, in the 90´s. Complementarily, we identify authors and papers that can be considered central in organizational institutionalism, according to the journals that we take as part of our sample.

Using a Theoretical Framework of Institutional Culture to Analyse an Institutional Strategy Document

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobs, Anthea Hydi Maxine

2016-01-01

This paper builds on a conceptual analysis of institutional culture in higher education. A theoretical framework was proposed to analyse institutional documents of two higher education institutions in the Western Cape, for the period 2002 to 2012 (Jacobs 2012). The elements of this theoretical framework are "shared values and beliefs",…

Studying institutional work in organizations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjerregaard, Toke

2011-01-01

Purpose – In order to provide new and other directions to institutional studies in organization theory, Lawrence and Suddaby forward the notion of institutional work of actors aimed at maintaining, changing and disrupting institutions. The purpose of this paper is to further theory and method...... in studying the institutional work of people in organizations. Design/methodology/approach – Methodological insights from the ways in which theories of human agency in institutional contexts have co-evolved with field study methodologies are analyzed in related fields of research, particularly in sociology...... and anthropology. Findings – The ways have been analyzed in which social theories of human agency in institutional contexts and field methodology have co-evolved in an inter-disciplinary perspective. The analysis shows how field methodologies may provide inspirations to theory and method in studying institutional...

Imitation Modeling and Institutional Studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maksim Y. Barbashin

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This article discusses the use of imitation modeling in the conduct of institutional research. The institutional approach is based on the observation of social behavior. To understand a social process means to determine the key rules that individuals use, undertaking social actions associated with this process or phenomenon. This does not mean that institutions determine behavioral reactions, although there are a number of social situations where the majority of individuals follow the dominant rules. If the main laws of development of the institutional patterns are known, one can describe most of the social processes accurately. The author believes that the main difficulty with the analysis of institutional processes is their recursive nature: from the standards of behavior one may find the proposed actions of social agents who follow, obey or violate institutions, but the possibility of reconstructive analysis is not obvious. The author demonstrates how the institutional approach is applied to the analysis of social behavior. The article describes the basic principles and methodology of imitation modeling. Imitation modeling reveals the importance of institutions in structuring social transactions. The article concludes that in the long term institutional processes are not determined by initial conditions.

Taking Stock on Institutional Entrepreneurship

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leca, Bernard; Battilana, Julie; Boxenbaum, Eva

2006-01-01

This paper analyzes the literature that has been published on institutional entrepreneurship since Paul DiMaggio introduced this notion in 1988. Based on a systematic selection and analysis of articles, the paper outlines an emerging consensus on the definition and process of institutional entrep...... may use this paper to build targeted and sophisticated research designs that add value to the emerging body of literature on institutional entrepreneurship.Keywords: Institutional Entrepreneur, Institutional Change, Paradox of Embedded Agency...

Dynamics of a Diffusive Predator-Prey Model with Allee Effect on Predator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoqin Wang

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The reaction-diffusion Holling-Tanner prey-predator model considering the Allee effect on predator, under zero-flux boundary conditions, is discussed. Some properties of the solutions, such as dissipation and persistence, are obtained. Local and global stability of the positive equilibrium and Turing instability are studied. With the help of the numerical simulations, the rich Turing patterns, including holes, stripes, and spots patterns, are obtained.

Quantum information, cognition, and music

Science.gov (United States)

Dalla Chiara, Maria L.; Giuntini, Roberto; Leporini, Roberto; Negri, Eleonora; Sergioli, Giuseppe

2015-01-01

Parallelism represents an essential aspect of human mind/brain activities. One can recognize some common features between psychological parallelism and the characteristic parallel structures that arise in quantum theory and in quantum computation. The article is devoted to a discussion of the following questions: a comparison between classical probabilistic Turing machines and quantum Turing machines.possible applications of the quantum computational semantics to cognitive problems.parallelism in music. PMID:26539139

Recursion theory computational aspects of definability

CERN Document Server

Chong, Chi Tat

2015-01-01

This monograph presents recursion theory from a generalized and largely global point of view. A major theme is the study of the structures of degrees arising from two key notions of reducibility, the Turing degrees and the hyperdegrees, using ideas and techniques beyond those of classical recursion theory. These include structure theory, hyperarithmetic determinacy and rigidity, basis theorems, independence results on Turing degrees, as well as applications to higher randomness.

Institutional Awareness

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ahlvik, Carina; Boxenbaum, Eva

Drawing on dual-process theory and mindfulness research this article sets out to shed light on the conditions that need to be met to create “a reflexive shift in consciousness” argued to be a key foundational mechanism for agency in institutional theory. Although past research has identified...... in consciousness to emerge and argue for how the varying levels of mindfulness in the form of internal and external awareness may manifest as distinct responses to the institutional environment the actor is embedded in....

Endogenous and costly institutional deterrence

Science.gov (United States)

David C. Kingsley; Thomas C. Brown

2014-01-01

Modern economies rely on central-authority institutions to regulate individual behaviour. Despite the importance of such institutions little is known about their formation within groups. In a public good experiment, groups selected the level of deterrence implemented by the institution, knowing that the administrative costs of the institution rose with the level of...

Institutional analysis for energy policy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morris, F.A.; Cole, R.J.

1980-07-01

This report summarizes principles, techniques, and other information for doing institutional analyses in the area of energy policy. The report was prepared to support DOE's Regional Issues Identification and Assessment (RIIA) program. RIIA identifies environmental, health, safety, socioeconomic, and institutional issues that could accompany hypothetical future scenarios for energy consumption and production on a regional basis. Chapter 1 provides some theoretical grounding in institutional analysis. Chapter 2 provides information on constructing institutional maps of the processes for bringing on line energy technologies and facilities contemplated in RIIA scenarios. Chapter 3 assesses the institutional constraints, opportunities, and impacts that affect whether these technologies and facilities would in fact be developed. Chapters 4 and 5 show how institutional analysis can support use of exercises such as RIIA in planning institutional change and making energy policy choices.

Institutions and Modernity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Witold Morawski

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Purpose: Modernity consists of many confl icting aspects: It brings many empty promises, yet has resulted in new institutions that create bridges between the values and interests of millions of people who seek freedom, prosperity, quality of life, strengthened democracy and social justice. In this paper I attempt to a gain and loss account against modernity, because institutional rules are not only conducive to cooperative interactions, but to hostile interactions as well. People are not always guided by moral commitment, but rather more often driven by cold calculation or coercion.Methodology: Modernity has at least three defi nitions. The fi rst defi nition is based on ideas that took over the imagination of the era. The second defi nition is based on an analysis of the behavior of people who respond to reason as well as emotion and believe that they act more rationally than their ancestors or the traditional “others”. The third defi nition is the one closest to my heart, consisting of the use of institutional categories. Institutions offer practical ways of connecting ideas and people. The challenge for them is the result of deepening local and national interdependencies, but increasingly often also regional (e.g. European and global. Interdependencies are the result of the scientifi c and technological revolution, global markets, global governance mechanisms, the emergence of new social forces and cultural confl icts (against the background of reconciling identity and differences.Conclusions: The most important task is to identify the mechanisms of complex systems so that people know how to act under conditions of uncertainty, risk and crisis. Hence, the expectations toward institutions often exceed their abilities. Even though new institutions are being created and old ones are being fixed, we are witnessing and participating in, institutional paralysis and the decay (e.g. corruption. In this situation, it is imperative not only to

INSTITUTION vs. ORGANIZATION. CONCEPTUAL DELIMITATIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Sveda ANGEL

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Both organizations and institutions are social structures. On the basis of the institutions arethe formal rules and at the basis of the organizations are the interactions between peoples withcommon aims. The evolution of the institutions is explained by the institutionalism with its twoorientations: the new institutionalism and the old institutionalism. The last one was preoccupied bythe transformation of the economy and by the evolution of the technology and the newinstitutionalism explains the existence of the institutions from the individual’s point of view.Organizations were and are studied in present days from different point of views: organizationalstructure and culture, organizational change and development. The organization was classifiedaccording to several factors: aim, size, legal form, or their operational domain. Thecharacterization of the organization through metaphors such as machines, culture, brain, ororganism proves their complexity and diversity. Regarding to the relations between institution andorganization, the relationship could be characterised as interdependence because the organizationscan determine instituional changes, by offering a framework for the application of the rules.

Institutional Support : Ethiopian Development Research Institute ...

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

The Ethiopian Development Research Institute (EDRI) was established in 1999 and became operational in 2003 as a semi-autonomous organization accountable to ... International Water Resources Association, in close collaboration with IDRC, is holding a webinar titled “Climate change and adaptive water management: ...

Political Institutions and Their Historical Dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Sandberg, Mikael; Lundberg, Per

2012-01-01

Traditionally, political scientists define political institutions deductively. This approach may prevent from discovery of existing institutions beyond the definitions. Here, a principal component analysis was used for an inductive extraction of dimensions in Polity IV data on the political institutions of all nations in the world the last two centuries. Three dimensions of institutions were revealed: core institutions of democracy, oligarchy, and despotism. We show that, historically and on a world scale, the dominance of the core institutions of despotism has first been replaced by a dominance of the core institutions of oligarchy, which in turn is now being followed by an increasing dominance by the core institutions of democracy. Nations do not take steps from despotic, to oligarchic and then to democratic institutions, however. Rather, nations hosting the core democracy institutions have succeeded in historically avoiding both the core institutions of despotism and those of oligarchy. On the other hand, some nations have not been influenced by any of these dimensions, while new institutional combinations are increasingly influencing others. We show that the extracted institutional dimensions do not correspond to the Polity scores for autocracy, “anocracy” and democracy, suggesting that changes in regime types occur at one level, while institutional dynamics work on another. Political regime types in that sense seem “canalized”, i.e., underlying institutional architectures can and do vary, but to a considerable extent independently of regime types and their transitions. The inductive approach adds to the deductive regime type studies in that it produces results in line with modern studies of cultural evolution and memetic institutionalism in which institutions are the units of observation, not the nations that acts as host for them. PMID:23056219

Institutional Investors as Minority Shareholders

OpenAIRE

Assaf Hamdani; Yishay Yafeh

2013-01-01

We examine the link between minority shareholders' rights and corporate governance by studying institutional investors' voting patterns in a concentrated ownership environment. Institutions rarely vote against insider-sponsored proposals even when the law empowers the minority. Institutions vote against compensation-related proposals more often than against related party transactions even when minority shareholders cannot influence outcomes. Potentially conflicted institutions are more likely...

Emergent structures in reaction-advection-diffusion systems on a sphere

Science.gov (United States)

Krause, Andrew L.; Burton, Abigail M.; Fadai, Nabil T.; Van Gorder, Robert A.

2018-04-01

We demonstrate unusual effects due to the addition of advection into a two-species reaction-diffusion system on the sphere. We find that advection introduces emergent behavior due to an interplay of the traditional Turing patterning mechanisms with the compact geometry of the sphere. Unidirectional advection within the Turing space of the reaction-diffusion system causes patterns to be generated at one point of the sphere, and transported to the antipodal point where they are destroyed. We illustrate these effects numerically and deduce conditions for Turing instabilities on local projections to understand the mechanisms behind these behaviors. We compare this behavior to planar advection which is shown to only transport patterns across the domain. Analogous transport results seem to hold for the sphere under azimuthal transport or away from the antipodal points in unidirectional flow regimes.

[German research institute/Max-Planck Institute for psychiatry].

Science.gov (United States)

Ploog, D

1999-12-01

The Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Psychiatrie (DFA, German Institute for Psychiatric Research) in Munich was founded in 1917 bel Emil Kraepelin. For a long time it was the only institution in Germany entirely devoted to psychiatric research. Because of its strictly science-oriented and multidisciplinary approach it also became a model for institutions elsewhere. Kraepelin's ideas have certainly had a strong influence on psychiatry in the twentieth century. The fascinating and instructive history of the DFA reflects the central issues and determinants of psychiatric research. First, talented individuals are needed to conduct such research, and there was no lack in this regard. Second, the various topics chosen are dependent on the available methods and resources. And finally, the issues addressed and the ethical standards of the researchers are heavily dependent on the zeitgeist, as is evident in the three epochs of research at the DFA, from 1917 to 1933, from 1933 to 1945, and from the postwar period to the present. With the introduction of molecular biology and neuroimaging techniques into psychiatric research a change in paradigm took place and a new phase of the current epoch began.

The Growth Effects of Institutional Instability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berggren, Niclas; Bergh, Andreas; Bjørnskov, Christian

 Both institutional quality and institutional stability have been argued to stimulate economic growth. But to improve institutional quality, a country must endure a period of institutional change, which implies at least a little and possibly a lot of institutional instability. We investigate...... the growth effects of institutional quality and instability, using the political risk index from the ICRG in a cross-country study of 132 countries, measuring instability as the coefficient of variation. Using the aggregate index, we find evidence that institutional quality is positively linked to growth....... While institutional instability is negatively related to growth in the baseline case, there are indications that the effect can be positive in rich countries, suggesting that institutional reform is not necessarily costly even during a transition period. Sensitivity analysis, e.g., decomposing...

A Brief Examination of Institutional Advancement Activities at Hispanic Serving Institutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Mulnix, Michael William; Bowden, Randall G.; Lopez, Esther Elena

2002-01-01

Examined what level of importance university presidents of Hispanic serving institutions place on institutional advancement. Found that they believe strongly in the importance of such activities but most believe their efforts in areas such as fund raising, marketing, and public relations are not very satisfactory. Also found that many do not…

The Innovative Capacity of Institutional Entrepreneurs

OpenAIRE

Boxenbaum, Eva; Battilana, Julie

2006-01-01

The notion of institutional entrepreneur (DiMaggio, 1988) has given rise to a controversy in neo-institutional theory around the ability of actors to distance themselves from institutional pressures, envision alternative institutional patterns, and act strategically to change institutions in which they are embedded. This paper empirically examines the ability of embedded actors to envision alternative institutional patterns, that is, their innovative capacity. We analyze the role that an indi...

International Environmental Institute

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DiSibio, R.R.

1992-01-01

The International Environmental Institute is being established at the Hanford Site to provide training and education in environmental restoration and waste management technologies and to serve as an interface for exchange of information among government laboratories, regional and federal governments, universities, and US industries. Recognized as the flagship of the nation's environmental management effort, the Hanford Site provides a unique living environmental laboratory that represents the most extensive, complex, and diverse cleanup challenges anywhere. An Environmental Institute director has been selected, the organizational structure has been established, and initial phases of operation have begun. The combined resources of the Hanford Site and the Environmental Institute offer unprecedented technological capabilities for dealing with the nation's environmental issues

Quantum information, cognition and music.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Luisa eDalla Chiara

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Parallelism represents an essential aspect of human mind/brain activities. One can recognize some common features between psychological parallelism and the characteristic parallel structures that arise in quantum theory and in quantum computation. The article is devoted to a discussion of the following questions:1 a comparison between classical probabilistic Turing machines and quantum Turing machines;2 possible applications of the quantum computational semantics to cognitive problems;3 parallelism in music.

Maximizing Institutional Research Impact through Building Relationships and Collaborating within the Institution

Science.gov (United States)

Kirby, Yvonne Kochera; Floyd, Nancy D.

2015-01-01

Building and maintaining relationships within the institution with shared goals for preserving compliance and presenting an accurate portrait of the institution is critical for effective external reporting. It can also provide immeasurable internal benefit to information stakeholders.

Conflict and the Evolution of Institutions: Unbundling Institutions at the Local Level in Burundi

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Voors, M.J.; Bulte, E.H.

2014-01-01

The impact of armed conflict may persist long after the end of war, and may include a lasting institutional legacy. We use a novel dataset from rural Burundi to examine the impact of local exposure to conflict on institutional quality, and try to ‘unbundle’ institutions by distinguishing between

Conflict and the evolution of institutions: Unbundling institutions at the local level in Burundi

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Voors, Maarten J.; Bulte, Erwin

2014-01-01

The impact of armed conflict may persist long after the end of war, and may include a lasting institutional legacy. We use a novel dataset from rural Burundi to examine the impact of local exposure to conflict on institutional quality, and try to ‘unbundle’ institutions by distinguishing between

The Glasgow 'Deep End' Links Worker Study Protocol: a quasi-experimental evaluation of a social prescribing intervention for patients with complex needs in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation.

Science.gov (United States)

Mercer, Stewart W; Fitzpatrick, Bridie; Grant, Lesley; Chng, Nai Rui; O'Donnell, Catherine A; Mackenzie, Mhairi; McConnachie, Alex; Bakhshi, Andisheh; Wyke, Sally

2017-01-01

'Social prescribing' can be used to link patients with complex needs to local (non-medical) community resources. The 'Deep End' Links Worker Programme is being tested in general practices serving deprived populations in Glasgow, Scotland. To assess the implementation and impact of the intervention at patient and practice levels. Study design : Quasi-experimental outcome evaluation with embedded theory-driven process evaluation in 15 practices randomized to receive the intervention or not. Complex intervention : Comprising a practice development fund, a practice-based community links practitioner (CLP), and management support. It aims to link patients to local community organizations and enhance practices' social prescribing capacity. Study population : For intervention practices, staff and adult patients involved in referral to a CLP, and a sample of community organization staff. For comparison practices, all staff and a random sample of adult patients. Sample size : 286 intervention and 484 comparator patients. Outcomes : Primary patient outcome is health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L). Secondary patient outcomes include capacity, depression/anxiety, self-esteem, and healthcare utilization. Practice outcome measures include team climate, job satisfaction, morale, and burnout. Outcomes measured at baseline and 9 months. Processes : Barriers and facilitators to implementation of the programme and possible mechanisms through which outcomes are achieved. Analysis plan : For outcome, intention-to-treat analysis with differences between groups tested using mixed-effects regression models. For process, case-study approach with thematic analysis. This evaluation will provide new evidence about the implementation and impact of social prescribing by general practices serving patients with complex needs living in areas of high deprivation.

Impact of socioeconomic deprivation on rate and cause of death in severe mental illness.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Julie Langan; McLean, Gary; Park, John; Martin, Daniel J; Connolly, Moira; Mercer, Stewart W; Smith, Daniel J

2014-09-12

Socioeconomic status has important associations with disease-specific mortality in the general population. Although individuals with Severe Mental Illnesses (SMI) experience significant premature mortality, the relationship between socioeconomic status and mortality in this group remains under investigated. We aimed to assess the impact of socioeconomic status on rate and cause of death in individuals with SMI (schizophrenia and bipolar disorder) relative to the local (Glasgow) and wider (Scottish) populations. Cause and age of death during 2006-2010 inclusive for individuals with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder registered on the Glasgow Psychosis Clinical Information System (PsyCIS) were obtained by linkage to the Scottish General Register Office (GRO). Rate and cause of death by socioeconomic status, measured by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), were compared to the Glasgow and Scottish populations. Death rates were higher in people with SMI across all socioeconomic quintiles compared to the Glasgow and Scottish populations, and persisted when suicide was excluded. Differences were largest in the most deprived quintile (794.6 per 10,000 population vs. 274.7 and 252.4 for Glasgow and Scotland respectively). Cause of death varied by socioeconomic status. For those living in the most deprived quintile, higher drug-related deaths occurred in those with SMI compared to local Glasgow and wider Scottish population rates (12.3% vs. 5.9%, p = socioeconomic quintiles compared to the Glasgow and Scottish populations but was most marked in the most deprived quintiles when suicide was excluded as a cause of death. Further work assessing the impact of socioeconomic status on specific causes of premature mortality in SMI is needed.

Economic Modelling in Institutional Economic Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wadim Strielkowski

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Our paper is centered around the formation of theory of institutional modelling that includes principles and ideas reflecting the laws of societal development within the framework of institutional economic theory. We scrutinize and discuss the scientific principles of this institutional modelling that are increasingly postulated by the classics of institutional theory and find their way into the basics of the institutional economics. We propose scientific ideas concerning the new innovative approaches to institutional modelling. These ideas have been devised and developed on the basis of the results of our own original design, as well as on the formalisation and measurements of economic institutions, their functioning and evolution. Moreover, we consider the applied aspects of the institutional theory of modelling and employ them in our research for formalizing our results and maximising the practical outcome of our paper. Our results and findings might be useful for the researchers and stakeholders searching for the systematic and comprehensive description of institutional level modelling, the principles involved in this process and the main provisions of the institutional theory of economic modelling.

Legal Institutions and Economic Development

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beck, T.H.L.

2010-01-01

Legal institutions are critical for the development of market-based economies. This paper defines legal institutions and discusses different indicators to measure their quality and efficiency. It surveys a large historical and empirical literature showing the importance of legal institutions in

Astrophysical Institute, Potsdam

Science.gov (United States)

Murdin, P.

2000-11-01

Built upon a tradition of almost 300 years, the Astrophysical Institute Potsdam (AIP) is in an historical sense the successor of one of the oldest astronomical observatories in Germany. It is the first institute in the world which incorporated the term `astrophysical' in its name, and is connected with distinguished scientists such as Karl Schwarzschild and Albert Einstein. The AIP constitutes on...

Institutional solid waste management practices in developing countries. A case study of three academic institutions in Tanzania

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mbuligwe, Stephen E. [Faculty of Lands and Environmental Engineering, Department of Environmental Engineering, University College of Lands and Architectural Studies UCLAS, PO Box 35176, Dar es Salaam (Tanzania, United Republic of)

2002-05-01

This paper reports on institutional solid waste management in three Tanzanian institutions. It is noted that there are indeed advantages in managing solid waste at institutional level because of the institutions' unique characteristics that also influence their waste management needs. The paper outlines findings from a yearlong study on institutional solid waste management at three institutions: University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), University College of Lands and Architectural Studies (UCLAS) and Water Resources Institute (WRI). Surveys and field investigations, including on-site waste measurements and questionnaire surveys were done at UDSM, UCLAS and WRI. The study has revealed, among other things, that per capita waste generation rates, W{sub G} vary between staff and students within each institution as well as among the three institutions. The composition of the waste was found to be predominantly organic in nature, suggesting a strong resource recovery potential in terms of animal feed or production of biogas through anaerobic digestion. Additionally, the W{sub G} was found to vary in line with changes in institutional activities like normal studies, examinations and holidays. The study has shown that resource recovery could greatly enhance solid waste management at the case study institutions.

Institutional Bricolage in Times of Crisis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carstensen, Martin B.

2017-01-01

How may we understand the occurrence of gradual but significant change following economic crisis? Theories of gradual institutional transformation offer important insights to analyses of long-term institutional change, but have so far shied away from dealing with institutional change during...... and following crisis, leaving the issue to more traditional critical juncture models. Instead of seeing gradual institutional change originating only in the efforts of rule takers to circumvent existing institutions – potentially leading to gradual change over longer periods of time – the paper suggests...... create new institutional setups through the re-ordering of existing institutional elements. The empirical relevance of these arguments is demonstrated with a study of post-crisis special bank insolvency policies in Denmark and the United States, showing how in both polities new institutions were created...

Influence of prayer and prayer habits on outcome in patients with severe head injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Vannemreddy, Prasad; Bryan, Kris; Nanda, Anil

2009-01-01

The objective of the study is to evaluate the effect of prayers on the recovery of the unconscious patients admitted after traumatic brain injury. A retrospective study of patients with severe head injury was conducted. The Glasgow Coma Scale and Glasgow Outcome Scale scores were examined along with age, gender, smoking, and alcohol intake. There were 13 patients who received prayer and 13 who did not receive prayer during the hospital stay with almost identical mean Glasgow Coma Scale score. The prayer group stayed in the hospital for more days (P = .03). On multivariate analysis, patients' age (P = .01), admission Glasgow Coma Scale score (P = .009), and prayer habits (P = .007) were significant factors. Patients with prayers habits recovered better following severe head injury. The role of intercessory prayer needs further studies in larger groups.

Narrative and Institutional Economics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vyacheslav V. Volchik

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This article addresses a range of questions associated with the occurrence of a new field of study – narrative economics, which is considered in the context of modern institutionalism. Pioneering works of R. Shiller, G. Akerlof and D. Snower spotlighted the importance of analyzing narratives and narrative influence when studying economic processes. In this paper, a qualitative study of narratives is seen through the prism of an answer to the question: «How do prescribed narratives influence institutions and change them? ». Narratives have much in common with institutions since very often, explicitly or implicitly, they contain value judgements about social interactions or normative aspects shaping behavioral patterns. The identification of dominating narratives enables us to understand better how institutions influence economic (social action. Repeated interactions among social actors are structured through understanding and learning the rules. Understanding of social rules comes from the language – we articulate and perceive the rules drawing on common narratives. Narratives and institutions are helpful when actors gain knowledge about various forms of social communication. Digital technologies, mass media and social networking sites facilitate the spread of narratives, values and beliefs; this process is characterized by increasing returns. Studying narratives and institutions is crucial for modern economic theory because it helps to improve qualitative and quantitative methods of analyzing empirical evidence and enables researchers to understand complex economic processes.

Organizational resilience: Sustained institutional effectiveness among smaller, private, non-profit US higher education institutions experiencing organizational decline.

Science.gov (United States)

Moran, Kenneth A

2016-06-04

Recent changes in the United States (US) economy have radically disrupted revenue generation among many institutions within higher education within the US. Chief among these disruptions has been fallout associated with the financial crisis of 2008-2009, which triggered a change in the US higher education environment from a period of relative munificence to a prolonged period of scarcity. The hardest hit by this disruption have been smaller, less wealthy institutions which tend to lack the necessary reserves to financially weather the economic storm. Interestingly, a review of institutional effectiveness among these institutions revealed that while many are struggling, some institutions have found ways to not only successfully cope with the impact of declining revenue, but have been able to capitalize on the disruption and thrive. Organizational response is an important factor in successfully coping with conditions of organizational decline. The study examined the impacts of organizational response on institutional effectiveness among higher education institutions experiencing organizational decline. The study's research question asked why some US higher educational institutions are more resilient at coping with organizational decline than other institutions operating within the same segment of the higher education sector. More specifically, what role does organizational resilience have in helping smaller, private non-profit institutions cope and remain effective during organizational decline? A total of 141 US smaller, private non-profit higher educational institutions participated in the study; specifically, the study included responses from participant institutions' key administrators. 60-item survey evaluated administrator responses corresponding to organizational response and institutional effectiveness. Factor analysis was used to specify the underlying structures of rigidity response, resilience response, and institutional effectiveness. Multiple regression

Correlation of Lactate Concentration in Peripheral Plasma and Cerebrospinal Fluid with Glasgow Outcome Scale for Patients with Tuberculous Meningitis Complicated by Acute Hydrocephalus Treated with Fluid Diversions.

Science.gov (United States)

Faried, Ahmad; Arief, Gusman; Arifin, Muhammad Z; Nataprawira, Heda M

2018-03-01

Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is an endemic infectious disease in developing countries, and it can become a serious illness in children. Treatment of TBM is more difficult and prone to failure than treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis. TBM causes hydrocephalus, cerebral edema, increased intracranial pressure, global ischemia, and neurologic deficits, which disturb cellular metabolism and increase lactate levels. A reliable, widely available clinical indicator of TBM severity is needed. Successful treatment of TBM is assessed using the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). This prospective cohort study included 34 patients with TBM and acute hydrocephalus who had undergone fluid diversions and were admitted to Dr. Hasan Sadikin Hospital in Bandung from 2014 to 2015. A portable machine for blood glucose measurement was used to measure lactate concentrations. Statistical significance was defined as P ≤ 0.05. Average levels of plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) lactate were 1.99 ± 0.70 mmol/L and 3.04 ± 1.05 mmol/L, respectively. A significantly higher level of lactate was observed in CSF compared with plasma. Preoperative plasma lactate was negatively correlated to GOS (r = -0.539; P = 0.013), and CSF lactate was negatively correlated to GOS (r = -0.412; P = 0.027). Average lactate levels in CSF (central) were higher than plasma (peripheral) levels. GOS scale of patients decreased with increased plasma and CSF lactate levels. Examination of plasma and CSF lactate levels should be included in routine examinations to determine extent of cellular damage and GOS score in patients with TBM and acute hydrocephalus who have undergone fluid diversions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ISSN 2073-9990 East Cent. Afr. J. surg

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Hp 630 Dual Core

data sheet was used to record age, cause of injury,Glasgow coma score, injury severity ..... participants constituted a bigger percentage compared to the favourable group.16, 17, .... Does the Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale Add Value.

Inclusive Institutions for Sustainable Economic Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jakšić Miomir

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In recent two decades, due to contributions of political macroeconomics, the focus of macroeconomics turned away from a narrow perspective based on market and privatisation (market fundamentalism towards a broader perspective based on institutions and values (institutionalism. Within the institutional paradigm, the emphasis nowadays is put on inclusive institutions. The main thesis of one of leading proponents of political macroeconomics, D. Acemoglu, is: “growth is much more likely under inclusive (economic and political institutions than extractive institutions.” Good institutions are characterized by three attributes: 1 they establish and protect property rights; 2 they restrict social elites which strive to expropriate income and property of others members of society; 3 they provide equal chances for employment, social security and civil rights to all individuals. Good institutions contribute to political stability, successful macroeconomic policy, and enhance initiatives. The key role of institutions is to secure stability and continuity. Extractive institutions can negatively affect entrepreneurship and entire economic development in two ways: a by increasing the opportunity cost, resulting in upward movement of the opportunity cost curve; and b by affecting return to entrepreneurship resulting in leftward movement of the return to entrepreneurship curve. Apart from independence and accountability of institutions what is needed is sufficient level of inclusion. Inclusion should encompass three dimensions: personal, financial, and political. The introduction of principles of independence, accountability, and inclusion is essential for emergence and performance of all institutions.

Southern Universities Nuclear Institute

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1977-01-01

The Southern Universities Nuclear Institute was created in 1961 to provide postgraduate research and teaching facilities for the universities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch. The main research tool is the 6,0 MV Van de Graaff accelerator installed in 1964. Developments and improvements over the years have maintained the Institute's research effectiveness. The work of local research groups has led to a large number of M Sc and doctorate degrees and numerous publications in international journals. Research at the Institute includes front-line studies of basic nuclear and atomic physics, the development and application of nuclear analytical techniques and the application of radioisotope tracers to problems in science, industry and medicine. The Institute receives financial support from the two southern universities, the Department of National Education, the CSIR and the Atomic Energy Board

Leadership in Islamic Education Institution

OpenAIRE

Supriadi Supriadi

2014-01-01

Education institution may not be separated by social system. It can be formal and informal education. A formal education institution such as school, Islamic school or Islamic boarding school is in social environment and bringing a basic value and law from its institution. Meanwhile, Islamic education institution is believed as tool to reach the aim of education. The aim of education is hard to reach if there is no leadership in it. Copyright © 2014 by Al-Ta'lim All right reserved

Arguments for the Study of Institutionalism and Institutional Reform in Romania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ion Pohoata

2006-07-01

Full Text Available The study and comprehension of institutions – viewed as written and unwritten constraints (rules initiated by people to create and improve human interaction – represents the key to understand the success (and failure of contemporary economies and societies. The framework inspired by institutions to which people dedicated maximum energy and talent also explains the different levels of efficiency in modern times. The founders of institutionalism – in its old and new versions – explain, for example, that human endeavour for social improvement led to the appearance of Law, private ownership, contract and market. For Romania, such explanations are inspirational and of utmost necessity in presenting the real context and in finding the necessary measures and directions towards desired progress.

Arguments for the Study of Institutionalism and Institutional Reform in Romania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ion Pohoata

2006-09-01

Full Text Available The study and comprehension of institutions – viewed as written and unwritten constraints (rules initiated by people to create and improve human interaction – represents the key to understand the success (and failure of contemporary economies and societies. The framework inspired by institutions to which people dedicated maximum energy and talent also explains the different levels of efficiency in modern times. The founders of institutionalism – in its old and new versions – explain, for example, that human endeavour for social improvement led to the appearance of Law, private ownership, contract and market. For Romania, such explanations are inspirational and of utmost necessity in presenting the real context and in finding the necessary measures and directions towards desired progress.

Prediction of Backscatter and Emissivity of Snow at Millimeter Wavelengths.

Science.gov (United States)

1980-01-01

AD-AI16 9A MASSACHUISETTS IMST OF TECH CAMBRIDGE RESEARCH LAB OF-ETC F/6 17/9 PREDICTION OF BACKSCATTER AND EMISSIVITY OF SNOW AT MILLETER --ETC(U...emitting media such as snow. The emissivity in the Ray- leigh- Jeans approximation is then the microwave brightness tempera- ture T divided by an effective...resistivity, and thermal tempera- ture. Jean et al. (Reference 125) compared a theoretical expression for the total apparent temperature of a smooth surface

Consequences of nonclassical measurement for the algorithmic description of continuous dynamical systems

Science.gov (United States)

Fields, Chris

1989-01-01

Continuous dynamical systems intuitively seem capable of more complex behavior than discrete systems. If analyzed in the framework of the traditional theory of computation, a continuous dynamical system with countablely many quasistable states has at least the computational power of a universal Turing machine. Such an analyses assumes, however, the classical notion of measurement. If measurement is viewed nonclassically, a continuous dynamical system cannot, even in principle, exhibit behavior that cannot be simulated by a universal Turing machine.

On The Subject of Thinking Machines

OpenAIRE

Olafenwa , John ,; Olafenwa , Moses

2018-01-01

An investigation of the concepts of thoughts, imagination and consciousness in learning machines.; 68 years ago, Alan Turing proposed the question "Can Machines Think" in his seminal paper [1] titled "Computing Machinery and Intelligence" and he formulated the "Imitation Game" also known as the Turing test as a way to answer this question without referring to a rather ambiguous dictionary definition of the word "Think" We have come a long way to building intelligent machines, in fact, the rat...

Reversible flowchart languages and the structured reversible program theorem

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yokoyama, Tetsuo; Axelsen, Holger Bock; Glück, Robert

2008-01-01

Many irreversible computation models have reversible counterparts, but these are poorly understood at present. We introduce reversible flowcharts with an assertion operator and show that any reversible flowchart can be simulated by a structured reversible flowchart using only three control flow...... operators. Reversible flowcharts are r- Turing-complete, meaning that they can simuluate reversible Turing machines without garbage data. We also demonstrate the injectivization of classical flowcharts into reversible flowcharts. The reversible flowchart computation model provides a theoretical...

Can the Concept of Integrative and Segregative Institutions Contribute to the Framing of Institutions of Sustainability?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Konrad Hagedorn

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper begins with the question “What is special about those institutions that bring about sustainability”? In an attempt to answer this, I use the Institutions of Sustainability (IoS framework, which structures sustainability analytically according to four main categories, namely: transactions, actors, institutions and governance structures. I then argue that sustainability has to do with balancing two sorts of costs an actor may face while being constrained by institutions. One is the costs from the integrative effects of institutions on his individual decision making. The other is the costs from the segregative effect of institutions. In this way, sustainability can be understood as societies’ compromise between institutions that integrate individual actors’ decisions in a wider system, holding them fully responsible for more or less all of the effects of their choices and those institutions that partly free individual decision makers from parts of such responsibilities. If a governance problem is characterized by a high degree of “decomposability”, segregative rules may be sufficient. The more a governance problem is characterized by complexity due to low modularity and high functional interdependencies, the more accurate integrative rules may be. The paper concludes by identifying “sustainability area of institutional embedding” as a regulative idea in understanding sustainability.

Leadership in Islamic Education Institution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Supriadi Supriadi

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Education institution may not be separated by social system. It can be formal and informal education. A formal education institution such as school, Islamic school or Islamic boarding school is in social environment and bringing a basic value and law from its institution. Meanwhile, Islamic education institution is believed as tool to reach the aim of education. The aim of education is hard to reach if there is no leadership in it. Copyright © 2014 by Al-Ta'lim All right reserved

Experimental Spaces and Institutional Innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cartel, Melodie; Boxenbaum, Eva

and procedures that connect the prototype to the organizational field, hence increasing the likelihood of institutional innovation. We develop a process model of institutional institutionalization that, through temporal interactions between distancing work and anchoring work, enables the generation......This paper examines processes involved in designing experimental spaces for institutional innovation. Through a qualitative, process-oriented analysis of an experimental space related to the institutional innovation of carbon markets in Europe, we show how key actors in the European electricity...... sector deliberately designed an experimental space and engaged a range of stakeholders in experimenting incognito with a carbon market model. A mirror image of their prototype later appeared as European policy. Our findings show that the key actors engaged in two forms of institutional work, distancing...

SMEs, Institutions and Performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Camilla; Low, Mei Peng

2013-01-01

for combining the resource-based theory with an institutions-based approach towards constructing a more practical and empirical oriented analytical framework. After the preliminary discussion and introduction to the different theories used, the authors then take a focus on the analytical framework used to study......This chapter addresses at the outset the topic of SMEs and economic development from an institutions perspective. The authors argue that the transaction cost theory is not helpful towards understanding the role that institutions play for SME performance for several reasons. Instead, they argue...

Rationality, institutions and environmental policy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vatn, Arild [Department of Economics and Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Aas (Norway)

2005-11-01

This paper is about how institutions determine choices and the importance of this for environmental policy. The model of individual rational choice from neoclassical economics is compared with the model of socially determined behavior. While in the first case, institutions are either exempted from or understood as mere economizing constraints on behavior, the latter perspective views institutions as basic structures necessary also to enable people to act. The paper develops a way to integrate the individualistic model into the wider perspective of social constructivism by viewing it as a special form of such construction. On the basis of this synthesis three issues with relevance for environmental economics are discussed. First, the role of institutional factors in the process of preference formation is emphasized. Next, the role of institutions for the choice of desired states of the environment is analyzed. Finally, the effect of various policy instruments to motivate people to produce these states is discussed. It is concluded that the core policy issue is to determine which institutional frameworks are most reasonable to apply to which kind of problem. Issues, which from the perspective of neoclassical economics are pure technical, become serious value questions if understood from an institutional perspective.

Oncolytic herpes viruses, chemotherapeutics, and other cancer drugs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Braidwood L

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Lynne Braidwood,1 Sheila V Graham,2 Alex Graham,1 Joe Conner11Virttu Biologics Ltd, Department of Neurology, Southern General Hospital, Glasgow, UK; 2MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, Jarrett Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UKAbstract: Oncolytic viruses are emerging as a potential new way of treating cancers. They are selectively replication-competent viruses that propagate only in actively dividing tumor cells but not in normal cells and, as a result, destroy the tumor cells by consequence of lytic infection. At least six different oncolytic herpes simplex viruses (oHSVs have undergone clinical trials worldwide to date, and they have demonstrated an excellent safety profile and intimations of efficacy. The first pivotal Phase III trial with an oHSV, talimogene laherparepvec (T-Vec [OncoVexGM-CSF], is almost complete, with extremely positive early results reported. Intuitively, therapeutically beneficial interactions between oHSV and chemotherapeutic and targeted therapeutic drugs would be limited as the virus requires actively dividing cells for maximum replication efficiency and most anticancer agents are cytotoxic or cytostatic. However, combinations of such agents display a range of responses, with antagonistic, additive, or, perhaps most surprisingly, synergistic enhancement of antitumor activity. When synergistic interactions in cancer cell killing are observed, chemotherapy dose reductions that achieve the same overall efficacy may be possible, resulting in a valuable reduction of adverse side effects. Therefore, the combination of an oHSV with “standard-of-care” drugs makes a logical and reasonable approach to improved therapy, and the addition of a targeted oncolytic therapy with “standard-of-care” drugs merits further investigation, both preclinically and in the clinic. Numerous publications report

Demystifying the institutional repository for success

CERN Document Server

Buehler, Marianne

2013-01-01

Institutional repositories remain key to data storage on campus, fulfilling the academic needs of various stakeholders. Demystifying the Institutional Repository for Success is a practical guide to creating and sustaining an institutional repository through marketing, partnering, and understanding the academic needs of all stakeholders on campus. This title is divided into seven chapters, covering: traditional scholarly communication and open access publishing; the academic shift towards open access; what the successful institutional repository looks like; institutional repository collaboratio

Spatio-temporal patterns in simple models of marine systems

Science.gov (United States)

Feudel, U.; Baurmann, M.; Gross, T.

2009-04-01

Spatio-temporal patterns in marine systems are a result of the interaction of population dynamics with physical transport processes. These physical transport processes can be either diffusion processes in marine sediments or in the water column. We study the dynamics of one population of bacteria and its nutrient in in a simplified model of a marine sediments, taking into account that the considered bacteria possess an active as well as an inactive state, where activation is processed by signal molecules. Furthermore the nutrients are transported actively by bioirrigation and passively by diffusion. It is shown that under certain conditions Turing patterns can occur which yield heterogeneous spatial patterns of the species. The influence of bioirrigation on Turing patterns leads to the emergence of ''hot spots``, i.e. localized regions of enhanced bacterial activity. All obtained patterns fit quite well to observed patterns in laboratory experiments. Spatio-temporal patterns appear in a predator-prey model, used to describe plankton dynamics. These patterns appear due to the simultaneous emergence of Turing patterns and oscillations in the species abundance in the neighborhood of a Turing-Hopf bifurcation. We observe a large variety of different patterns where i) stationary heterogeneous patterns (e.g. hot and cold spots) compete with spatio-temporal patterns ii) slowly moving patterns are embedded in an oscillatory background iii) moving fronts and spiral waves appear.

INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT OF SECURITY BUDGET OF UKRAINE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Onishchenko

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The institutional framework from positions of different conceptual approaches was examined in the article. The attention was paid the problems of institutional support budget security in Ukraine. The institutionalization of budgetary relations and especially the formation system of institutional support was investigated. The author's approach to the nature of institutional support budget security was suggested. Institutional and legal, institutional and organizational, and staffing budget security were characterized. It is concluded that the process of institutional development budget security characterized by unacceptable levels of institutional strain.

12 CFR 561.19 - Financial institution.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Financial institution. 561.19 Section 561.19... AFFECTING ALL SAVINGS ASSOCIATIONS § 561.19 Financial institution. The term financial institution has the same meaning as the term depository institution set forth in 12 U.S.C. 1813(c)(1). ...

‘e-Protocol’ and IC&T:Consequences for Public Ad-Ministration’s Staff Training

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oana IUCU

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The current research aims at providing the academic world with a new integrated and cross-disciplinary approach to Protocol and IT&ICT – consequences for administrative staff training. The need to upgrade and update the training programs for public administration’s staff according to IC&T requirements matches the prospective expert / professional’s framework of competences. A key observation is that the litera-ture in the feld of staff training for social and insti-tutional protocol within notorious training centers focuses more on the status-quo of the desirable competences and less on technology. By means of a rather refexive set of tools, we have tried to offer some support so as to digitize the social and institutional protocol, thus promoting some software packages designed by experts in both felds. Moreover, this software is likely to sustain both training and professional development pro-grams as well as effcient specialized procedures for promotion and simulation.

A INSTITUIÇÃO ESCOLAR COMO AMBIENTE DE RELAÇÕES ÉTNICAS: O CASO DAS "ESCOLAS ALEMÃS" NO SUL DO BRASIL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ademir Valdir dos Santos

2009-01-01

Full Text Available This article presents the research on school organization of elementary schools in a colony founded in 1897 in Santa Catarina. We analyzed documents of the Hamburg Colonization Company. Results shows particularities as German teaching and a curriculum focused on Calculus and learning of the German Language and cul ture through subjects as Reading, Writing, Poetry, Singing, Religion and Latin. In despite of this, there were subjects as Portuguese and History that treated Brazilian aspects. At the beginning that institutions kept pedagogical aspects that characterize them as typical expressions of ethnic schools phenomenon: German schools. They answer to school needing based on ethnic educative practices sharing foreign and Brazilian aspects. The use of German language constituted an essential ethnic indicator. The comprehension of these institutions in the Brazilian history of education is given by parameters between curriculum and culture, considering the ethnicity as a central aspect of the social relations.

Fundamentals and Optimal Institutions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gonzalez-Eiras, Martin; Harmon, Nikolaj Arpe; Rossi, Martín

2016-01-01

of regulatory institutions such as revenue sharing, salary caps or luxury taxes. We show, theoretically and empirically, that these large differences in adopted institutions can be rationalized as optimal responses to differences in the fundamental characteristics of the sports being played. This provides...

Discipline as Institutional Maintenance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasche, Andreas; Hommel, Ulrich; Cornuel, Eric

Drawing on the case of business school rankings, we study how institutions are maintained and remain persistent despite their contested nature. We argue that rankings as institutions can be maintained through subtle disciplinary practices that freeze power relations in recipient organizations. Ou...

Political institutions since 1820

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Foldvari, Peter; Buzasi, Katalin

2014-01-01

Political institutions determine the degree of freedom people enjoy and their capacity to influence their social and political environment. This chapter provides historical evidence on the evolution of political institutions drawing upon two major research projects: the PolityIV dataset and the

Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The Harish-Chandra Research Institute (known as the Mehta Research Institute of Math- ematics and Mathematical Physics until October 2000) came into existence in 1975, with a donation of some land and Rs. 40 lakhs from the B S Mehta Trust in Calcutta. With the aim of converting it into a top-class research Institute in ...

Tatar Virtual Institute of Kayum Nasyri

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liliia Shaiakhmetova

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to the study of structure and activity of the network of centers of Tatar virtual Institute of Kayum Nasyri, created on the basis of Institute of Philology and Intercultural Communication after Leo Tolstoy of Kazan Federal University. The aim of the Institute of Kayum Nasyri is the desire to become a world brand in its field. In this context, the Institute relies on the experience of such world-known educational centers as the British Council, the Institute named after Goethe, Cervantes Institute, Confucius Institute and Institute by Yunus Emre. The Institute's activities are associated with the development of collaboration in the field of education, support, promotion and development of the Tatar language and culture in the regions of the Russian Federation, countries of near and far abroad. There are 7 educational-cultural centers in the Institute at this moment. Each center is supplied with educational, informative literature and fiction, as well as the video-conferencing system for training, conferences and events online. The Institute of Kayum Nasyri is named after the famous Tatar educator. As a fervent supporter of friendship between Russian and Tatar people, he was the first of the educators to acquaintance the Tatars with the Russian history and culture in their native language, translated into the Tatar language many textbooks on geography, physics, mathematics, etc. Kayum Nasyri at the time, made the Russian-Tatar dictionary, was the author of a textbook of Russian grammar for the Tatars, as well as of the significant works in the field of the Tatar linguistics.

Institutional investor activism : Introduction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mc Cahery, Joseph; Bratton, William; Bratton, William; McCahery, Joseph A.

2015-01-01

The increase in institutional ownership of recent decades has been accompanied by an enhanced role played by institutions in monitoring companies’ corporate governance behaviour. Activist hedge funds and private equity firms have achieved a degree of success in actively shaping the business plans of

7th February 2011 - Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning M. Russell MSP signing the guest book with Beams Department Head P. Collier and Adviser J. Ellis

CERN Multimedia

Maximilien Brice

2011-01-01

01-17:Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning M. Russell MSP signing the guest book with Beams Department Head P. Collier and Adviser J. Ellis 18-22: Teachers and Pupils signing the guest book 23-27: visiting the CERN control centre with P. Collier 28-32: visiting the LHCb underground area 33-74: visitng the ATLAS underground area Other members of the delegation: Chief Scientific Adviser to the Scottish Government and Chair in Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Aberdeen A. Glover; Assistant Private Secretary M. Gallagher; Associate Director Institute for Gravitational Research, University of Glasgow J.Hough.

Knowledge management in Portuguese healthcare institutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Cruz, Sofia Gaspar; Ferreira, Maria Manuela Frederico

2016-06-01

Knowledge management imposes itself as a pressing need for the organizations of several sectors of the economy, including healthcare. to evaluate the perception of healthcare institution collaborators in relation to knowledge management in the institution where they operate and analyze the existence of differences in this perception, based on the institution's management model. a study conducted in a sample consisting of 671 collaborators from 10 Portuguese healthcare institutions with different models of management. In order to assess the knowledge management perception, we used a score designed from and based on items from the scores available in the literature. the perception of moderate knowledge management on the healthcare institutions and the statistically significant differences in knowledge management perception were evidenced in each management model. management knowledge takes place in healthcare institutions, and the current management model determines the way staff at these institutions manage their knowledge.

The competitive advantage of sanctioning institutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Gürerk, Ozgür; Irlenbusch, Bernd; Rockenbach, Bettina

2006-04-07

Understanding the fundamental patterns and determinants of human cooperation and the maintenance of social order in human societies is a challenge across disciplines. The existing empirical evidence for the higher levels of cooperation when altruistic punishment is present versus when it is absent systematically ignores the institutional competition inherent in human societies. Whether punishment would be deliberately adopted and would similarly enhance cooperation when directly competing with nonpunishment institutions is highly controversial in light of recent findings on the detrimental effects of punishment. We show experimentally that a sanctioning institution is the undisputed winner in a competition with a sanction-free institution. Despite initial aversion, the entire population migrates successively to the sanctioning institution and strongly cooperates, whereas the sanction-free society becomes fully depopulated. The findings demonstrate the competitive advantage of sanctioning institutions and exemplify the emergence and manifestation of social order driven by institutional selection.

Understanding Institutional Endurance: The Role of Dynamic Form, Harmony and Rhythm in Institutions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Weik, Elke

2018-01-01

is the unexplained source of autonomy and externality in the definition of institutions. I propose to solve these problems by introducing an aisthetic perspective on institutional endurance. This perspective should not replace but supplement existing models and theories. The aisthetic perspective conceptualises...