Analysis of helicopter position determination methods

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1992-01-01

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), along with members of the helicopter industry, is continually searching for methods to reduce the cost and effort required for helicopter noise certification. In September 1992, the FAA adopted Appendix J of...

Implementation of the Veder contact method in daily nursing home care for people with dementia: a process analysis according to the RE-AIM framework.

PubMed

Boersma, Petra; van Weert, Julia C M; van Meijel, Berno; Dröes, Rose-Marie

2017-02-01

To perform a process analysis of the implementation of the Veder contact method for gaining insight into factors that influence successful implementation. Research showed that the original Veder method, which is a 'living-room theatre performance' provided by actors, positively influenced mood and quality of life of people with dementia. Training caregivers to execute such 'performances' and accomplish the same effects as actors proved difficult. However, key elements of the method were considered suitable for application in daily care, resulting in the development of a modified version of the method, named the Veder contact method. The Veder contact method combines elements from existing psychosocial interventions, e.g. reminiscence, validation and neuro-linguistic-programming with theatrical, poetic and musical communication, and applies this into daily care. For this process analysis a multiple case study design was used with the nursing home ward (n = 6) as the unit of analysis. Eight focus groups with caregivers (n = 42) and 12 interviews with stakeholders were held. Using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance framework, a thematic analysis was conducted. The reach of the intervention (43-86%) and aspects of implementation-effectiveness (e.g. increased experienced reciprocity in contact with residents) facilitated implementation. For adoption and implementation, both facilitators (e.g. development of competences, feasibility of the Veder contact method without requiring extra time investment) and barriers (e.g. insufficient support of management, resistance of caregivers against the Veder contact method, organisational problems) were identified. Little effort was put into maintenance: only one nursing home developed a long-term implementation strategy. The Veder contact method can be applied in daily care without additional time investments. Although adopted by many caregivers, some were reluctant using the Veder contact method. Organisational factors (e.g. staffing and management changes, budget cuts) impeded long-term implementation. The findings from this study can be used for the development of successful implementation strategies for the Veder contact method and other person-centred care methods. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cross-generational transmission from drug abuse in parents to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children

PubMed Central

Kendler, K. S.; Ohlsson, H.; Sundquist, K.; Sundquist, J.

2016-01-01

Background Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) predisposes to drug abuse (DA) and twin studies suggest shared genetic effects. We here seek to determine, using adoption and adoption-like samples, the magnitude of the cross-generational transmission from DA in parents to ADHD in their children and clarify the degree to which this arises from genetic v. rearing effects. Method We ascertained ADHD and DA from multiple Swedish registries. Statistical analysis was performed by Cox and path models. Results Risk for ADHD was significantly and similarly increased in the offspring of biological mothers and fathers with DA who did v. did not rear their offspring. Risk for ADHD was not elevated in the offspring of adoptive or step-parents with DA. Conclusions Cross-generational transmission was observed from DA in parents to ADHD in their children. An analysis of adoptive and adoptive-like parent–offspring relationships suggested that this transmission results from genetic and not from rearing effects. PMID:26928631

[Problem-based learning, a strategy to employ it].

PubMed

Guillamet Lloveras, Ana; Celma Vicente, Matilde; González Carrión, Pilar; Cano-Caballero Gálvez, Ma Dolores; Pérez Ramírez, Francisca

2009-02-01

The Virgen de las Nieves University School of Nursing has adopted the methodology of Problem-Based Learning (ABP in Spanish acronym) as a supplementary method to gain specific transversal competencies. In so doing, all basic required/obligatory subjects necessary for a degree have been partially affected. With the objective of identifying and administering all the structural and cultural barriers which could impede the success or effectiveness of its adoption, a strategic analysis at the School was carried out. This technique was based on a) knowing the strong and weak points the School has for adopting the Problem-Based Learning methodology; b) describing the structural problems and necessities to carry out this teaching innovation; c) to discover the needs professors have regarding knowledge and skills related to Problem-Based Learning; d) to prepare students by informing them about the characteristics of Problem-Based Learning; e) to evaluate the results obtained by means of professor and student opinions, f) to adopt the improvements identified. The stages followed were: strategic analysis, preparation, pilot program, adoption and evaluation.

From birth mothers to first mothers: toward a compassionate understanding of the life-long act of adoption placement.

PubMed

Coleman, Priscilla K; Garratt, Debbie

2016-01-01

Women who place a child for adoption have historically been far less actively researched than the other individuals in the adoption triad (adoptees and adoptive parents). They often have unmet psychological needs related to the decision to place for adoption, the placement experience, and as they endeavor to move forward post-adoption. In this review an effort is made to provide a description and analysis of the professional literature on women's placement experiences, with attention to methodological challenges inherent in deriving valid results. Next an overview of the results of a mixed method pilot study on birth mothers' decision-making and adjustment is shared. Finally, the most pressing future research needs on the topic of adoption placement from the birth mother's perspective are outlined. Data sources and extraction: Employing the following search terms: adoption, open-adoption, closed adoption, birth-mother, biological mother, relinquishment, and adoption placement, an exhaustive search for empirical journal articles, reviews, and edited book chapters was conducted yielding over 80 publications. Sources spanning a 50 year period (1974-2014) were identified via MEDLINE, PUBMED, and PsycINFO. Based on an in-depth analysis of the best available evidence on the psychological lives of women who choose adoption, an argument is made for more focused research attention and enhanced sensitivity to the unmet needs of birth mothers in our communities. As the experiences of birth mothers are more fully understood, more substantive and compassionate counseling before, during, and after adoption will become more feasible.

A Formal Semantics for the WS-BPEL Recovery Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dragoni, Nicola; Mazzara, Manuel

While current studies on Web services composition are mostly focused - from the technical viewpoint - on standards and protocols, this work investigates the adoption of formal methods for dependable composition. The Web Services Business Process Execution Language (WS-BPEL) - an OASIS standard widely adopted both in academic and industrial environments - is considered as a touchstone for concrete composition languages and an analysis of its ambiguous Recovery Framework specification is offered. In order to show the use of formal methods, a precise and unambiguous description of its (simplified) mechanisms is provided by means of a conservative extension of the π-calculus. This has to be intended as a well known case study providing methodological arguments for the adoption of formal methods in software specification. The aspect of verification is not the main topic of the paper but some hints are given.

Design of A Cyclone Separator Using Approximation Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sin, Bong-Su; Choi, Ji-Won; Lee, Kwon-Hee

2017-12-01

A Separator is a device installed in industrial applications to separate mixed objects. The separator of interest in this research is a cyclone type, which is used to separate a steam-brine mixture in a geothermal plant. The most important performance of the cyclone separator is the collection efficiency. The collection efficiency in this study is predicted by performing the CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) analysis. This research defines six shape design variables to maximize the collection efficiency. Thus, the collection efficiency is set up as the objective function in optimization process. Since the CFD analysis requires a lot of calculation time, it is impossible to obtain the optimal solution by linking the gradient-based optimization algorithm. Thus, two approximation methods are introduced to obtain an optimum design. In this process, an L18 orthogonal array is adopted as a DOE method, and kriging interpolation method is adopted to generate the metamodel for the collection efficiency. Based on the 18 analysis results, the relative importance of each variable to the collection efficiency is obtained through the ANOVA (analysis of variance). The final design is suggested considering the results obtained from two optimization methods. The fluid flow analysis of the cyclone separator is conducted by using the commercial CFD software, ANSYS-CFX.

Cost-volume-profit and net present value analysis of health information systems.

PubMed

McLean, R A

1998-08-01

The adoption of any information system should be justified by an economic analysis demonstrating that its projected benefits outweigh its projected costs. Analysis differ, however, on which methods to employ for such a justification. Accountants prefer cost-volume-profit analysis, and economists prefer net present value analysis. The article explains the strengths and weaknesses of each method and shows how they can be used together so that well-informed investments in information systems can be made.

Adoption of Preventive Measures and Attitudes toward the H1N1 Influenza Pandemic in Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pérez, Anna; Rodríguez, Tània; López, Maria José; Continente, Xavier; Nebot, Manel

2016-01-01

Background: This study describes the perceived impact of H1N1 influenza and the adoption of the recommended measures to address the pandemic in schools. Methods: A cross-sectional self-reported survey was conducted in 433 schools in Barcelona addressed to the school principal or the H1N1 influenza designated person. A descriptive analysis was…

Matrix Analysis of the Digital Divide in eHealth Services Using Awareness, Want, and Adoption Gap

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The digital divide usually refers to access or usage, but some studies have identified two other divides: awareness and demand (want). Given that the hierarchical stages of the innovation adoption process of a customer are interrelated, it is necessary and meaningful to analyze the digital divide in eHealth services through three main stages, namely, awareness, want, and adoption. Objective By following the three main integrated stages of the innovation diffusion theory, from the customer segment viewpoint, this study aimed to propose a new matrix analysis of the digital divide using the awareness, want, and adoption gap ratio (AWAG). I compared the digital divide among different groups. Furthermore, I conducted an empirical study on eHealth services to present the practicability of the proposed methodology. Methods Through a review and discussion of the literature, I proposed hypotheses and a new matrix analysis. To test the proposed method, 3074 Taiwanese respondents, aged 15 years and older, were surveyed by telephone. I used the stratified simple random sampling method, with sample size allocation proportioned by the population distribution of 23 cities and counties (strata). Results This study proposed the AWAG segment matrix to analyze the digital divide in eHealth services. First, awareness and want rates were divided into two levels at the middle point of 50%, and then the 2-dimensional cross of the awareness and want segment matrix was divided into four categories: opened group, desire-deficiency group, perception-deficiency group, and closed group. Second, according to the degrees of awareness and want, each category was further divided into four subcategories. I also defined four possible strategies, namely, hold, improve, evaluate, and leave, for different regions in the proposed matrix. An empirical test on two recently promoted eHealth services, the digital medical service (DMS) and the digital home care service (DHCS), was conducted. Results showed that for both eHealth services, the digital divides of awareness, want, and adoption existed across demographic variables, as well as between computer owners and nonowners, and between Internet users and nonusers. With respect to the analysis of the AWAG segment matrix for DMS, most of the segments, except for people with marriage status of Other or without computers, were positioned in the opened group. With respect to DHCS, segments were separately positioned in the opened, perception-deficiency, and closed groups. Conclusions Adoption does not closely follow people’s awareness or want, and a huge digital divide in adoption exists in DHS and DHCS. Thus, a strategy to promote adoption should be used for most demographic segments. PMID:22329958

Measuring farm sustainability using data envelope analysis with principal components: the case of Wisconsin cranberry.

PubMed

Dong, Fengxia; Mitchell, Paul D; Colquhoun, Jed

2015-01-01

Measuring farm sustainability performance is a crucial component for improving agricultural sustainability. While extensive assessments and indicators exist that reflect the different facets of agricultural sustainability, because of the relatively large number of measures and interactions among them, a composite indicator that integrates and aggregates over all variables is particularly useful. This paper describes and empirically evaluates a method for constructing a composite sustainability indicator that individually scores and ranks farm sustainability performance. The method first uses non-negative polychoric principal component analysis to reduce the number of variables, to remove correlation among variables and to transform categorical variables to continuous variables. Next the method applies common-weight data envelope analysis to these principal components to individually score each farm. The method solves weights endogenously and allows identifying important practices in sustainability evaluation. An empirical application to Wisconsin cranberry farms finds heterogeneity in sustainability practice adoption, implying that some farms could adopt relevant practices to improve the overall sustainability performance of the industry. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Technology-Aided Instruction and Intervention for Students with ASD: A Meta-Analysis Using Novel Methods of Estimating Effect Sizes for Single-Case Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barton, Erin E.; Pustejovsky, James E.; Maggin, Daniel M.; Reichow, Brian

2017-01-01

The adoption of methods and strategies validated through rigorous, experimentally oriented research is a core professional value of special education. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis examining the experimental literature on Technology-Aided Instruction and Intervention (TAII) using research identified as part of the National…

An operational modal analysis method in frequency and spatial domain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Tong; Zhang, Lingmi; Tamura, Yukio

2005-12-01

A frequency and spatial domain decomposition method (FSDD) for operational modal analysis (OMA) is presented in this paper, which is an extension of the complex mode indicator function (CMIF) method for experimental modal analysis (EMA). The theoretical background of the FSDD method is clarified. Singular value decomposition is adopted to separate the signal space from the noise space. Finally, an enhanced power spectrum density (PSD) is proposed to obtain more accurate modal parameters by curve fitting in the frequency domain. Moreover, a simulation case and an application case are used to validate this method.

Multi-level assessment protocol (MAP) for adoption in multi-site clinical trials

PubMed Central

Guydish, J.; Manser, S.T.; Jessup, M.; Tajima, B.; Sears, C.; Montini, T.

2010-01-01

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Clinical Trials Network (CTN) is intended to test promising drug abuse treatment models in multi-site clinical trials, and to support adoption of new interventions into clinical practice. Using qualitative research methods we asked: How might the technology of multi-site clinical trials be modified to better support adoption of tested interventions? A total of 42 participants, representing 8 organizational levels ranging from clinic staff to clinical trial leaders, were interviewed about their role in the clinical trial, its interactions with clinics, and intervention adoption. Among eight clinics participating in the clinical trial, we found adoption of the tested intervention in one clinic only. In analysis of interview data we identified four conceptual themes which are likely to affect adoption and may be informative in future multi-site clinical trials. We offer the conclusion that planning for adoption in the early stages of protocol development will better serve the aim of integrating new interventions into practice. PMID:20890376

Correlative multiple porosimetries for reservoir sandstones with adoption of a new reference-sample-guided computed-tomographic method.

PubMed

Jin, Jae Hwa; Kim, Junho; Lee, Jeong-Yil; Oh, Young Min

2016-07-22

One of the main interests in petroleum geology and reservoir engineering is to quantify the porosity of reservoir beds as accurately as possible. A variety of direct measurements, including methods of mercury intrusion, helium injection and petrographic image analysis, have been developed; however, their application frequently yields equivocal results because these methods are different in theoretical bases, means of measurement, and causes of measurement errors. Here, we present a set of porosities measured in Berea Sandstone samples by the multiple methods, in particular with adoption of a new method using computed tomography and reference samples. The multiple porosimetric data show a marked correlativeness among different methods, suggesting that these methods are compatible with each other. The new method of reference-sample-guided computed tomography is more effective than the previous methods when the accompanied merits such as experimental conveniences are taken into account.

Correlative multiple porosimetries for reservoir sandstones with adoption of a new reference-sample-guided computed-tomographic method

PubMed Central

Jin, Jae Hwa; Kim, Junho; Lee, Jeong-Yil; Oh, Young Min

2016-01-01

One of the main interests in petroleum geology and reservoir engineering is to quantify the porosity of reservoir beds as accurately as possible. A variety of direct measurements, including methods of mercury intrusion, helium injection and petrographic image analysis, have been developed; however, their application frequently yields equivocal results because these methods are different in theoretical bases, means of measurement, and causes of measurement errors. Here, we present a set of porosities measured in Berea Sandstone samples by the multiple methods, in particular with adoption of a new method using computed tomography and reference samples. The multiple porosimetric data show a marked correlativeness among different methods, suggesting that these methods are compatible with each other. The new method of reference-sample-guided computed tomography is more effective than the previous methods when the accompanied merits such as experimental conveniences are taken into account. PMID:27445105

Identifying reprioritization response shift in a stroke caregiver population: a comparison of missing data methods.

PubMed

Sajobi, Tolulope T; Lix, Lisa M; Singh, Gurbakhshash; Lowerison, Mark; Engbers, Jordan; Mayo, Nancy E

2015-03-01

Response shift (RS) is an important phenomenon that influences the assessment of longitudinal changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) studies. Given that RS effects are often small, missing data due to attrition or item non-response can contribute to failure to detect RS effects. Since missing data are often encountered in longitudinal HRQOL data, effective strategies to deal with missing data are important to consider. This study aims to compare different imputation methods on the detection of reprioritization RS in the HRQOL of caregivers of stroke survivors. Data were from a Canadian multi-center longitudinal study of caregivers of stroke survivors over a one-year period. The Stroke Impact Scale physical function score at baseline, with a cutoff of 75, was used to measure patient stroke severity for the reprioritization RS analysis. Mean imputation, likelihood-based expectation-maximization imputation, and multiple imputation methods were compared in test procedures based on changes in relative importance weights to detect RS in SF-36 domains over a 6-month period. Monte Carlo simulation methods were used to compare the statistical powers of relative importance test procedures for detecting RS in incomplete longitudinal data under different missing data mechanisms and imputation methods. Of the 409 caregivers, 15.9 and 31.3 % of them had missing data at baseline and 6 months, respectively. There were no statistically significant changes in relative importance weights on any of the domains when complete-case analysis was adopted. But statistical significant changes were detected on physical functioning and/or vitality domains when mean imputation or EM imputation was adopted. There were also statistically significant changes in relative importance weights for physical functioning, mental health, and vitality domains when multiple imputation method was adopted. Our simulations revealed that relative importance test procedures were least powerful under complete-case analysis method and most powerful when a mean imputation or multiple imputation method was adopted for missing data, regardless of the missing data mechanism and proportion of missing data. Test procedures based on relative importance measures are sensitive to the type and amount of missing data and imputation method. Relative importance test procedures based on mean imputation and multiple imputation are recommended for detecting RS in incomplete data.

A Historical Analysis of Primary Mathematics Curricula in Terms of Teaching Principles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozmantar, Mehmet Fatih

2017-01-01

This study carries out a comparative analysis of primary mathematics curricula put into practice during Turkish Republican period. The data for this study are composed of official curricula documents which are examined in terms of teaching principles. The study adopts a qualitative approach and employs document analysis method. The official…

Cultural Identity and Internationally Adopted Children: Qualitative Approach to Parental Representations

PubMed Central

Harf, Aurélie; Skandrani, Sara; Sibeoni, Jordan; Pontvert, Caroline; Revah-Levy, Anne; Moro, Marie Rose

2015-01-01

Approximately 30 000 children are adopted across national borders each year. A review of the literature on the cultural belonging of these internationally adopted children shows substantial differences between the literature from English-speaking countries and that from France and Europe in general. The objective of this study is to start from the discourse of French adoptive parents to explore their representations of their child's cultural belonging and their positions (their thoughts and representations) concerning connections with the child's country of birth and its culture. The study includes 51 French parents who adopted one or more children internationally. Each parent participated in a semi-structured interview, focused on the adoption procedure and their current associations with the child's birth country. The interviews were analyzed according to a qualitative phenomenological method, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The principal themes that emerged from our analysis of the interviews made it possible to classify the parents into three different groups. The first group maintained no association with the child's country of birth and refused any multiplicity of cultural identities. The second group actively maintained regular associations with the child's country of birth and culture and affirmed that their family was multicultural. Finally, the third group adapted their associations with the child's birth country and its culture according to the child's questions and interests. Exploring parental representations of the adopted child enables professionals involved in adoption to provide better support to these families and to do preventive work at the level of family interactions. PMID:25775255

Cultural identity and internationally adopted children: qualitative approach to parental representations.

PubMed

Harf, Aurélie; Skandrani, Sara; Sibeoni, Jordan; Pontvert, Caroline; Revah-Levy, Anne; Moro, Marie Rose

2015-01-01

Approximately 30 000 children are adopted across national borders each year. A review of the literature on the cultural belonging of these internationally adopted children shows substantial differences between the literature from English-speaking countries and that from France and Europe in general. The objective of this study is to start from the discourse of French adoptive parents to explore their representations of their child's cultural belonging and their positions (their thoughts and representations) concerning connections with the child's country of birth and its culture. The study includes 51 French parents who adopted one or more children internationally. Each parent participated in a semi-structured interview, focused on the adoption procedure and their current associations with the child's birth country. The interviews were analyzed according to a qualitative phenomenological method, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The principal themes that emerged from our analysis of the interviews made it possible to classify the parents into three different groups. The first group maintained no association with the child's country of birth and refused any multiplicity of cultural identities. The second group actively maintained regular associations with the child's country of birth and culture and affirmed that their family was multicultural. Finally, the third group adapted their associations with the child's birth country and its culture according to the child's questions and interests. Exploring parental representations of the adopted child enables professionals involved in adoption to provide better support to these families and to do preventive work at the level of family interactions.

Uniform Sampling Table Method and its Applications II--Evaluating the Uniform Sampling by Experiment.

PubMed

Chen, Yibin; Chen, Jiaxi; Chen, Xuan; Wang, Min; Wang, Wei

2015-01-01

A new method of uniform sampling is evaluated in this paper. The items and indexes were adopted to evaluate the rationality of the uniform sampling. The evaluation items included convenience of operation, uniformity of sampling site distribution, and accuracy and precision of measured results. The evaluation indexes included operational complexity, occupation rate of sampling site in a row and column, relative accuracy of pill weight, and relative deviation of pill weight. They were obtained from three kinds of drugs with different shape and size by four kinds of sampling methods. Gray correlation analysis was adopted to make the comprehensive evaluation by comparing it with the standard method. The experimental results showed that the convenience of uniform sampling method was 1 (100%), odds ratio of occupation rate in a row and column was infinity, relative accuracy was 99.50-99.89%, reproducibility RSD was 0.45-0.89%, and weighted incidence degree exceeded the standard method. Hence, the uniform sampling method was easy to operate, and the selected samples were distributed uniformly. The experimental results demonstrated that the uniform sampling method has good accuracy and reproducibility, which can be put into use in drugs analysis.

Higher education technological knowledge and patterns of technology adoptions in undergraduate STEM courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ali, Zarka Asghar

Identifying, examining, and understanding faculty members' technological knowledge development and the process of technology adoption in higher education is a multifaceted process. Past studies have used Rogers (1995, 2003) diffusion of innovation theoretical framework to delineate the technology adoption process. These studies, however, have frequently reported the influencing factors based on the statistical analysis such as regression analysis-based approach, and have not focused on the emerging process of technology adoptions or the developing process of technological knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. A mixed method study was designed to see how faculty members acquire different technologies and develop technological knowledge that might help them adopt technologies in their classrooms and online using different pedagogies. A sample of STEM teaching faculty members with different ranks, tenure, teaching experience, and varied degree of experience in the use of educational technologies participated in the study. A survey was designed to identify internal and external factors affecting technology adoption and its effective use in different teaching activities. To elaborate survey results, the study also included class observations as well as pre- and post-observation interviews. Online classrooms used by the faculty via Blackboard learning management system, online flipped classrooms, or other websites such as Piazza were also examined for data triangulation. The findings of the study indicate that faculty members are influenced by their own professional motivations and student learning to improve their teaching methods and to enhance student interactions and learning through the use of different educational technologies. The adoption process was identified as spreading over a period of time and it looked at how faculty members' developed their technological knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. With the recognition of the social, organizational, and professional motivational factors both expert faculty members, university administrators, and technologist could be made aware of the critical components necessary to construct and support a bottom-up or user-centric successful innovation adoption decision process. The bottom-up approach would use expert professors as change agents and educational designers that would encourage exchanges and meaningful dialogues about educational technology adoptions and effective uses of technology with pedagogy within each discipline and department.

Adoption of new drugs by physicians: a survival analysis

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background New drugs often substitute others cheaper and with a risk-benefit balance better established. Our aim was to analyse the diffusion of new drugs during the first months of use, examining the differences between family physicians and specialists. Methods Prescription data were obtained of cefditoren, duloxetine, etoricoxib, ezetimibe, levocetirizine, olmesartan, pregabalin and tiotropium 36 months after their launching. We obtained the monthly number of prescriptions per doctor and the number prescribers of each drug by specialty. After discarding those with less than 10 prescriptions during this period, physicians were defined as adopters if the number of prescriptions was over the 25th percentile for each drug and level (primary or secondary care). The diffusion of each drug was studied by determining the number of adopter family physicians throughout the study period. Among the group of adopters, we compared the month of the first prescription by family physicians to that of other specialists using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results The adoption of the drugs in primary care follows an exponential diffusion curve that reaches a plateau at month 6 to 23. Tiotropium was the most rapidly and widely adopted drug. Cefditoren spread at a slower rate and was the least adopted. The diffusion of etoricoxib was initially slowed down due to administrative requirements for its prescription. The median time of adoption in the case of family physicians was 4-6 months. For each of the drugs, physicians of a specialty other than family physicians adopted it first. Conclusions The number of adopters of a new drug increases quickly in the first months and reaches a plateau. The number of adopter family physicians varies considerably for different drugs. The adoption of new drugs is faster in specialists. The time of adoption should be considered to promote rational prescribing by providing timely information about new drugs and independent medical education. PMID:22401169

Study on fluorouracil-chitosan nanoparticle preparation and its antitumor effect.

PubMed

Chen, Gaimin; Gong, Rudong

2016-05-01

To successfully prepare fluorouracil-chitosan nanoparticles, and further analyze its anti-tumor activity mechanism, this paper makes a comprehensive study of existing preparation prescription and makes a detailed analysis of fluorouracil-chitosan in vitro release and pharmacodynamic behavior of animals. Two-step synthesis method is adopted to prepare 5-FU-CS-mPEG prodrugs, and infrared, (1)H NMR and differential thermal analysis are adopted to analyze characterization synthetic products of prepared drugs. To ensure clinical efficacy of prepared drugs, UV spectrophotometry is adopted for determination of drug loading capacity of prepared drugs, transmission electron microscopy is adopted to observe the appearance, dynamic dialysis method is used to observe in vitro drug release of prepared drugs and fitting of various release models is done. Anti-tumor effect is studied via level of animal pharmacodynamics. After the end of the experiment, tumor inhibition rate, spleen index and thymus index of drugs are calculated. Experimental results show that the prepared drugs are qualified in terms of regular shape, dispersion, drug content, etc. Animal pharmacodynamics experiments have shown that concentration level of drug loading capacity of prepared drugs has a direct impact on anti-tumor rate. The higher the concentration, the higher the anti-tumor rate. Results of pathological tissue sections of mice show that the prepared drugs cause varying degrees of damage to receptor cells, resulting in cell necrosis or apoptosis problem. It can thus be concluded that ion gel method is an effective method to prepare drug-loading nanoparticles, with prepared nanoparticles evenly distributed in regular shape which demonstrate good slow-release characteristics in receptor vitro and vivo. At the same time, after completion of drug preparation, relatively strong anti-tumor activity can be generated for the receptor, so this mode of preparation enjoys broad prospects for development.

Analyzing Association Mapping in Pedigree-Based GWAS Using a Penalized Multitrait Mixed Model

PubMed Central

Liu, Jin; Yang, Can; Shi, Xingjie; Li, Cong; Huang, Jian; Zhao, Hongyu; Ma, Shuangge

2017-01-01

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have led to the identification of many genetic variants associated with complex diseases in the past 10 years. Penalization methods, with significant numerical and statistical advantages, have been extensively adopted in analyzing GWAS. This study has been partly motivated by the analysis of Genetic Analysis Workshop (GAW) 18 data, which have two notable characteristics. First, the subjects are from a small number of pedigrees and hence related. Second, for each subject, multiple correlated traits have been measured. Most of the existing penalization methods assume independence between subjects and traits and can be suboptimal. There are a few methods in the literature based on mixed modeling that can accommodate correlations. However, they cannot fully accommodate the two types of correlations while conducting effective marker selection. In this study, we develop a penalized multitrait mixed modeling approach. It accommodates the two different types of correlations and includes several existing methods as special cases. Effective penalization is adopted for marker selection. Simulation demonstrates its satisfactory performance. The GAW 18 data are analyzed using the proposed method. PMID:27247027

Importance of triggers and veto-barriers for the implementation of sanitation in informal peri-urban settlements – The case of Cochabamba, Bolivia

PubMed Central

Rauch, Sebastien; Cossio, Claudia; Landaeta, Graciela; McConville, Jennifer

2018-01-01

An estimated 2.4 billion people lack access to improved sanitation which has devastating consequences for human health and the environment. Understanding what constitute sanitation demand is crucial for accelerating the spread of improved sanitation. This study aims to understand the adoption mechanisms for improved sanitation. An informal peri-urban settlement in Cochabamba, Bolivia was selected as a case study to understand adoption patterns. Various qualitative methods of data collection and analysis were employed. The findings showed that pour-flush toilets was the only preferred sanitation alternative at the study site. An adoption framework for waterborne toilets was developed based on diffusion of innovation theory. Factors that influence adoption were identified. Some functioned as triggers and initiated adoption, whereas some factors blocked adoption and constituted veto-barriers. Most factors were connected to the individual household situation and its members, but neighborhood development also affected pour-flush adoption. Based on adoption time the residents were divided into the following adoption groups: first adopters, early majority, late majority, laggards and non-adopters. Each adoption group followed its own adoption route with specific characteristics and respective triggers or veto-barriers. We argue that the strong demand for waterborne toilets in peri-urban areas need to be recognized and the developed framework could be used for customizing sanitation improvement programs for certain target groups. PMID:29617459

Importance of triggers and veto-barriers for the implementation of sanitation in informal peri-urban settlements - The case of Cochabamba, Bolivia.

PubMed

Helgegren, Ida; Rauch, Sebastien; Cossio, Claudia; Landaeta, Graciela; McConville, Jennifer

2018-01-01

An estimated 2.4 billion people lack access to improved sanitation which has devastating consequences for human health and the environment. Understanding what constitute sanitation demand is crucial for accelerating the spread of improved sanitation. This study aims to understand the adoption mechanisms for improved sanitation. An informal peri-urban settlement in Cochabamba, Bolivia was selected as a case study to understand adoption patterns. Various qualitative methods of data collection and analysis were employed. The findings showed that pour-flush toilets was the only preferred sanitation alternative at the study site. An adoption framework for waterborne toilets was developed based on diffusion of innovation theory. Factors that influence adoption were identified. Some functioned as triggers and initiated adoption, whereas some factors blocked adoption and constituted veto-barriers. Most factors were connected to the individual household situation and its members, but neighborhood development also affected pour-flush adoption. Based on adoption time the residents were divided into the following adoption groups: first adopters, early majority, late majority, laggards and non-adopters. Each adoption group followed its own adoption route with specific characteristics and respective triggers or veto-barriers. We argue that the strong demand for waterborne toilets in peri-urban areas need to be recognized and the developed framework could be used for customizing sanitation improvement programs for certain target groups.

Exploring the Driving Factors of Construction Industrialization Development in China.

PubMed

Xiahou, Xiaer; Yuan, Jingfeng; Liu, Yan; Tang, Yuchun; Li, Qiming

2018-03-03

Construction industrialization (CI) has been adopted worldwide because of its potential benefits. However, current research shows the incentives for adopting CI may differ in different regions. While the promotion of CI in China is still at the initial stage, a systematical analysis of the driving factors would help decision makers get a comprehensive understanding of CI development and select proper strategies to promote CI. This research combines qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the construction industrialization driving factors (CIDFs) in China. The grounded theory method (GTM) was employed to explore CI concepts among 182 CI-related articles published in 10 top-tier journals from 2000 to 2017. A total of 15 CIDFs were identified, including one suggested by professionals during a pre-test questionnaire survey. The analysis showed that the development of CI in China is pushed by macrodevelopment and pulled by the government and is also a self-driven process. The major driving factors for CI adoption in China are the transformation and upgrade of the conventional construction industry and the solution of development dilemmas. Our study also suggests that pilot programs are, currently, the most effective method to promote CI in China and to accumulate experience so to gain recognition by the society. This research is also of value for CI promotion in other developing countries.

Estimating net changes in life-cycle emissions from adoption of emerging civil infrastructure technologies.

PubMed

Amponsah, Isaac; Harrison, Kenneth W; Rizos, Dimitris C; Ziehl, Paul H

2008-01-01

There is a net emissions change when adopting new materials for use in civil infrastructure design. To evaluate the total net emissions change, one must consider changes in manufacture and associated life-cycle emissions, as well as changes in the quantity of material required. In addition, in principle one should also consider any differences in costs of the two designs because cost savings can be applied to other economic activities with associated environmental impacts. In this paper, a method is presented that combines these considerations to permit an evaluation of the net change in emissions when considering the adoption of emerging technologies/materials for civil infrastructure. The method factors in data on differences between a standard and new material for civil infrastructure, material requirements as specified in designs using both materials, and price information. The life-cycle assessment approach known as economic input-output life-cycle assessment (EIO-LCA) is utilized. A brief background on EIO-LCA is provided because its use is central to the method. The methodology is demonstrated with analysis of a switch from carbon steel to high-performance steel in military bridge design. The results are compared with a simplistic analysis that accounts for the weight reduction afforded by use of the high-performance steel but assuming no differences in manufacture.

Exploring the Driving Factors of Construction Industrialization Development in China

PubMed Central

Xiahou, Xiaer; Yuan, Jingfeng; Tang, Yuchun; Li, Qiming

2018-01-01

Construction industrialization (CI) has been adopted worldwide because of its potential benefits. However, current research shows the incentives for adopting CI may differ in different regions. While the promotion of CI in China is still at the initial stage, a systematical analysis of the driving factors would help decision makers get a comprehensive understanding of CI development and select proper strategies to promote CI. This research combines qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the construction industrialization driving factors (CIDFs) in China. The grounded theory method (GTM) was employed to explore CI concepts among 182 CI-related articles published in 10 top-tier journals from 2000 to 2017. A total of 15 CIDFs were identified, including one suggested by professionals during a pre-test questionnaire survey. The analysis showed that the development of CI in China is pushed by macrodevelopment and pulled by the government and is also a self-driven process. The major driving factors for CI adoption in China are the transformation and upgrade of the conventional construction industry and the solution of development dilemmas. Our study also suggests that pilot programs are, currently, the most effective method to promote CI in China and to accumulate experience so to gain recognition by the society. This research is also of value for CI promotion in other developing countries. PMID:29510507

PERFORMANCE AND SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS OF THE USEPA WINS FRACTIONATOR FOR THE PM 2.5 FEDERAL REFERENCE METHOD

EPA Science Inventory

In response to growing health concerns related to atmospheric fine particles, EPA promulgated in 1997 a new particulate matter standard accompanied by new sampling methodology. Based on a review of pertinent literature, a new metric (PM;,) was adopted and its measurement method...

Root Gravitropism: Quantification, Challenges, and Solutions.

PubMed

Muller, Lukas; Bennett, Malcolm J; French, Andy; Wells, Darren M; Swarup, Ranjan

2018-01-01

Better understanding of root traits such as root angle and root gravitropism will be crucial for development of crops with improved resource use efficiency. This chapter describes a high-throughput, automated image analysis method to trace Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seedling roots grown on agar plates. The method combines a "particle-filtering algorithm with a graph-based method" to trace the center line of a root and can be adopted for the analysis of several root parameters such as length, curvature, and stimulus from original root traces.

Development of Measurement Methods for Detection of Special Nuclear Materials using D-D Pulsed Neutron Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Misawa, Tsuyoshi; Takahashi, Yoshiyuki; Yagi, Takahiro; Pyeon, Cheol Ho; Kimura, Masaharu; Masuda, Kai; Ohgaki, Hideaki

2015-10-01

For detection of hidden special nuclear materials (SNMs), we have developed an active neutron-based interrogation system combined with a D-D fusion pulsed neutron source and a neutron detection system. In the detection scheme, we have adopted new measurement techniques simultaneously; neutron noise analysis and neutron energy spectrum analysis. The validity of neutron noise analysis method has been experimentally studied in the Kyoto University Critical Assembly (KUCA), and was applied to a cargo container inspection system by simulation.

Setting technical standards for visual assessment procedures

Treesearch

Kenneth H. Craik; Nickolaus R. Feimer

1979-01-01

Under the impetus of recent legislative and administrative mandates concerning analysis and management of the landscape, governmental agencies are being called upon to adopt or develop visual resource and impact assessment (VRIA) systems. A variety of techniques that combine methods of psychological assessment and landscape analysis to serve these purposes is being...

The Educational Governance of German School Social Science: The Example of Globalization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Szukala, Andrea

2016-01-01

Purpose: This article challenges the outsiders' views on European school social science adopting genuine cosmopolitan views, when globalisation is treated in social science classrooms. Method: The article is based on the theoretical framework of educational governance analysis and on qualitative corpus analysis of representative German Laenders'…

Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) Using Multi-Optimization Algorithm as Sampling Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Z.

2015-12-01

For decades, distributed and lumped hydrological models have furthered our understanding of hydrological system. The development of hydrological simulation in large scale and high precision elaborated the spatial descriptions and hydrological behaviors. Meanwhile, the new trend is also followed by the increment of model complexity and number of parameters, which brings new challenges of uncertainty quantification. Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE) has been widely used in uncertainty analysis for hydrological models referring to Monte Carlo method coupled with Bayesian estimation. However, the stochastic sampling method of prior parameters adopted by GLUE appears inefficient, especially in high dimensional parameter space. The heuristic optimization algorithms utilizing iterative evolution show better convergence speed and optimality-searching performance. In light of the features of heuristic optimization algorithms, this study adopted genetic algorithm, differential evolution, shuffled complex evolving algorithm to search the parameter space and obtain the parameter sets of large likelihoods. Based on the multi-algorithm sampling, hydrological model uncertainty analysis is conducted by the typical GLUE framework. To demonstrate the superiority of the new method, two hydrological models of different complexity are examined. The results shows the adaptive method tends to be efficient in sampling and effective in uncertainty analysis, providing an alternative path for uncertainty quantilization.

A case study of one school system's adoption and implementation of an elementary science program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelly, Michael Patrick

2000-10-01

The researcher's purpose in this study was to examine the process used by the Minot Public Schools to adopt and implement a new elementary science program from Silver Burdett Ginn called Discovery Works. Using case study methods within a naturalistic design, the researcher investigated teachers' concerns as they adopted and implemented Discovery Works in their classrooms. Data were gathered using the Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) instrument, interviews with adoption committee members, classroom teachers, grade level meetings, and document analysis of field notes related to each phase of the study. Content analysis methods were used to analyze the data. Emergent themes were presented and substantiated in the data, in terms of six research questions that guided this research. The data were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively to provide a rich, thick description that and enabled the researcher to confirm and triangulate the concerns of teachers in this study. The quantitative data revealed a general nonuser profile by teachers as they implemented Discovery Works. Three major themes of concerns emerged from a qualitative analysis of the data. The first theme was implementation, including issues related to teacher attitudes and inservice needs. The second theme, management issues, had five concerns subsumed within it. These included concerns related to time, materials, storage, reorder, and cooperative groups. The third theme, effects on students, included issues concerning hands-on methods of teaching science, vocabulary, especially at the upper elementary, and assessment issues. Possible solutions to resolve each of the concerns were presented. Major conclusions are that teacher concerns about Discovery Works were normal for any group experiencing a new innovation. Teachers and students enjoyed using the hands-on materials, and that Minot Public Schools has taken a small, but important step forward on the road to science education reform. Although there is still a strong emphasis on the language arts of science, as opposed to scientific inquiry, there has been increased learning of science content and the process skills necessary to do scientific inquiry. Recommendations were made for professional development activities that would assist teachers in the next phase of the implementation process.

Evaluation of UK Integrated Care Pilots: research protocol

PubMed Central

Ling, Tom; Bardsley, Martin; Adams, John; Lewis, Richard; Roland, Martin

2010-01-01

Background In response to concerns that the needs of the aging population for well-integrated care were increasing, the English National Health Service (NHS) appointed 16 Integrated Care Pilots following a national competition. The pilots have a range of aims including development of new organisational structures to support integration, changes in staff roles, reducing unscheduled emergency hospital admissions, reduced length of hospital stay, increasing patient satisfaction, and reducing cost. This paper describes the evaluation of the initiative which has been commissioned. Study design and data collection methods A mixed methods approach has been adopted including interviews with staff and patients, non-participant observation of meetings, structured written feedback from sites, questionnaires to patients and staff, and analysis of routinely collected hospital utilisation data for patients/service users. The qualitative analysis aims to identify the approaches taken to integration by the sites, the benefits which result, the context in which benefits have resulted, and the mechanisms by which they occur. Methods of analysis The quantitative analysis adopts a ‘difference in differences’ approach comparing health care utilisation before and after the intervention with risk-matched controls. The qualitative data analysis adopts a ‘theory of change’ approach in which we triangulate data from the quantitative analysis with qualitative data in order to describe causal effects (what happens when an independent variable changes) and causal mechanisms (what connects causes to their effects). An economic analysis will identify what incremental resources are required to make integration succeed and how they can be combined efficiently to produce better outcomes for patients. Conclusion This evaluation will produce a portfolio of evidence aimed at strengthening the evidence base for integrated care, and in particular identifying the context in which interventions are likely to be effective. These data will support a series of evaluation judgements aimed at reducing uncertainties about the role of integrated care in improving the efficient and effective delivery of healthcare. PMID:20922068

Factors influencing the intention of women in rural Ghana to adopt postpartum family planning

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Uptake of postpartum family planning (PPFP) remains low in sub-Saharan Africa and very little is known about how pregnant women arrive at their decisions to adopt PPFP. This information is needed to guide the development of interventions to promote PPFP. Methods We conducted a survey among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in a rural district in Ghana. We used univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis to explore how knowledge of various family planning (FP) methods, past experience with their use and the acceptability of PPFP to male partners and close relations influenced the intention of pregnant women to adopt PPFP. Results We interviewed 1914 pregnant women in four health facilities. About 84% considered PPFP acceptable, and 70% intended to adopt a method. The most preferred methods were injectables (31.5%), exclusive breastfeeding (16.7%), and oral contraceptive pills (14.8%). Women whose first choice of PPFP method were injectables were more likely to be women who had had past experience with its use (O.R = 2.07, 95% C.I. 1.50-2.87). Acceptability of PPFP by the pregnant woman (O.R. = 3.21, 1.64-6.26), perception of partner acceptability (O.R. = 3.20, 1.94-5.48), having had prior experience with the use of injectables (O.R. = 3.72, 2.61-5.30) were the strongest predictors of the intention to adopt PPFP. Conversely women who knew about the diaphragm (O.R. = 0.59, 0.38-0.93) and those who had past experience with IUD use (O.R. = 0.13, 0.05-0.38) were less likely to want to adopt PPFP. Conclusions Acceptability of PPFP to the pregnant woman, male partner approval, and past experience with the use of injectables are important factors in the PPFP decisions of women in this population. Antenatal and early postnatal care need to be adapted to take these factors into consideration. PMID:23870234

Transient loads analysis for space flight applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thampi, S. K.; Vidyasagar, N. S.; Ganesan, N.

1992-01-01

A significant part of the flight readiness verification process involves transient analysis of the coupled Shuttle-payload system to determine the low frequency transient loads. This paper describes a methodology for transient loads analysis and its implementation for the Spacelab Life Sciences Mission. The analysis is carried out using two major software tools - NASTRAN and an external FORTRAN code called EZTRAN. This approach is adopted to overcome some of the limitations of NASTRAN's standard transient analysis capabilities. The method uses Data Recovery Matrices (DRM) to improve computational efficiency. The mode acceleration method is fully implemented in the DRM formulation to recover accurate displacements, stresses, and forces. The advantages of the method are demonstrated through a numerical example.

Policy Analysis: A Tool for Setting District Computer Use Policy. Paper and Report Series No. 97.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gray, Peter J.

This report explores the use of policy analysis as a tool for setting computer use policy in a school district by discussing the steps in the policy formation and implementation processes and outlining how policy analysis methods can contribute to the creation of effective policy. Factors related to the adoption and implementation of innovations…

A Large-Scale Initiative Inviting Patients to Share Personal Fitness Tracker Data with Their Providers: Initial Results

PubMed Central

Pevnick, Joshua M.; Fuller, Garth; Duncan, Ray; Spiegel, Brennan M. R.

2016-01-01

Background Personal fitness trackers (PFT) have substantial potential to improve healthcare. Objective To quantify and characterize early adopters who shared their PFT data with providers. Methods We used bivariate statistics and logistic regression to compare patients who shared any PFT data vs. patients who did not. Results A patient portal was used to invite 79,953 registered portal users to share their data. Of 66,105 users included in our analysis, 499 (0.8%) uploaded data during an initial 37-day study period. Bivariate and regression analysis showed that early adopters were more likely than non-adopters to be younger, male, white, health system employees, and to have higher BMIs. Neither comorbidities nor utilization predicted adoption. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that patients had little intrinsic desire to share PFT data with their providers, and suggest that patients most at risk for poor health outcomes are least likely to share PFT data. Marketing, incentives, and/or cultural change may be needed to induce such data-sharing. PMID:27846287

Considerations for the Telehealth Systems of Tomorrow: An Analysis of Student Perceptions of Telehealth Technologies

PubMed Central

Bull, Tyler Preston; Malvey, Donna M; Szalma, James Leo

2016-01-01

Background While much is known about factors that facilitate telehealth adoption, less is known about why adoption does or does not occur in specific populations, such as students. Objective This study aims to examine the perceptions of telehealth systems within a large student sample. Methods Undergraduate students (N=315) participated in a survey of the perceived advantages and disadvantages of telehealth technologies. The responses to the survey were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results We found that students were likely to adopt telehealth systems for the following reasons: (1) the system worked efficiently, (2) the convenience of telehealth, and (3) to gain access to health services. Students also perceived several disadvantages to telehealth systems, such as issues of trust (ie, security, privacy), the impersonal nature of telehealth systems, and they were concerned about the potential for major system errors. Conclusion By understanding the current barriers to telehealth adoption in a cohort of students, we can not only better anticipate the future needs of this group, but also incorporate such needs into the design of future telehealth systems. PMID:27731865

The Use of a Corpus in Contrastive Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Filipovic, Rudolf

1973-01-01

Before beginning the Serbocroatian-English Contrastive Project, it was necessary to determine whether to base the analysis on a corpus or on native intuitions. It seemed that the best method would combine the theoretical and the empirical. A translation method based on a corpus of text was adopted. The Brown University "Standard Sample of…

Examining the Potential of Combining the Methods of Grounded Theory and Narrative Inquiry: A Comparative Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lal, Shalini; Suto, Melinda; Ungar, Michael

2012-01-01

Increasingly, qualitative researchers are combining methods, processes, and principles from two or more methodologies over the course of a research study. Critics charge that researchers adopting combined approaches place too little attention on the historical, epistemological, and theoretical aspects of the research design. Rather than…

Implementing the measurement interval midpoint method for change estimation

Treesearch

James A. Westfall; Thomas Frieswyk; Douglas M. Griffith

2009-01-01

The adoption of nationally consistent estimation procedures for the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program mandates changes in the methods used to develop resource trend information. Particularly, it is prescribed that changes in tree status occur at the midpoint of the measurement interval to minimize potential bias. The individual-tree characteristics requiring...

Reasons for adopting technological innovations reducing physical workload in bricklaying.

PubMed

de Jong, A M; Vink, P; de Kroon, J C A

2003-09-15

In this paper the adoption of technological innovations to improve the work of bricklayers and bricklayers' assistants is evaluated. Two studies were performed among 323 subjects to determine the adoption of the working methods, the perceived workload, experiences with the working methods, and the reasons for adopting the working methods. Furthermore, a comparison of the results of the studies was made with those of two similar studies in the literature. The results show that more than half of the sector adopted the innovations. The perceived workload was reduced. The employees and employers are satisfied with the working methods and important reasons for adoption were cost/benefit advantages, improvement of work and health, and increase in productivity. Problems preventing the adoption were the use of the working methods at specific sites, for instance in renovation work. The adoption of the new working methods could perhaps have been higher or faster if more attention had been paid to the active participation of bricklayers and bricklayers' assistants during the development of the new working methods and to the use of modern media techniques, such as the Internet and CD/DVD.

Considerations of multicultural science and curriculum reform: A content analysis of state-adopted biology textbooks in Florida

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delgato, Margaret H.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the extent to which multicultural science education, including indigenous knowledge representations, had been infused within the content of high school biology textbooks. The study evaluated the textbook as an instructional tool and framework for multicultural science education instruction by comparing the mainstream content to indigenous knowledge perspectives portrayed in the student and teacher editions of 34 textbooks adopted in Florida within the last four adoption cycles occurring from 1990 to 2006. The investigation involved a content analysis framed from a mixed methods approach. Emphasis was placed, in consideration of the research questions and practicality of interpreting text with the potential for multiple meanings, within qualitative methods. The investigation incorporated five strategies to assess the extent of multicultural content: (1) calculation of frequency of indigenous representations through the use of a tally; (2) assessment of content in the teacher editions by coding the degree of incorporation of multicultural content; (3) development of an archaeology of statements to determine the ways in which indigenous representations were incorporated into the content; (4) use of the Evaluation Coefficient Analysis (ECO) to determine extent of multicultural terminologies within content; and (5) analysis of visuals and illustrations to gauge percentages of depictions of minority groups. Results indicated no solid trend in an increase of inclusion of multicultural content over the last four adoption cycles. Efforts at most reduced the inclusion of indigenous representations and other multicultural content to the level of the teacher edition distributed among the teacher-interleafed pages or as annotations in the margins. Degree of support of multicultural content to the specific goals and objectives remained limited across all four of the adoption cycles represented in the study. Emphasis on standardized testing appeared in the six textbooks representing the most recent adoption cycle. Recommendations included increased efforts to identify quality of content by including input from scholars in the field of multicultural education as well as indigenous peoples in the creation of textbook content. Recommendations also included further clarification of the definition of science within multicultural science education frameworks, indigenous knowledge as compared to Western science and pseudoscienc e, and scientific literacy as a central focus to a multicultural science education meant to address the needs of an increasingly diverse student population and prime-age workforce.

The dynamics of de-adoption: a case study of policy change, de-adoption, and replacement of an evidence-based HIV intervention.

PubMed

McKay, Virginia R; Margaret Dolcini, M; Hoffer, Lee D

2017-12-01

Evidence-based intervention (EBI) de-adoption and its influence on public health organizations are largely unexplored within public health implementation research. However, a recent shift in support for HIV prevention EBIs by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides an opportunity to explore EBI de-adoption. The current mixed-method study examines EBI de-adoption and the subsequent impact on a community-based organization (CBO) dedicated to HIV prevention. We conducted a case study with a CBO implementing RESPECT, an HIV prevention EBI, over 5 years (2010-2014), but then de-adopted the intervention. We collected archival data documenting RESPECT implementation and conducted two semi-structured interviews with RESPECT staff (N = 5). Using Fixsen and colleagues' implementation framework, we developed a narrative of RESPECT implementation, delivery, and de-adoption and a thematic analysis to understand additional consequences of RESPECT de-adoption. Discontinuation of RESPECT activities unfolded in a process over time, requiring effort by RESPECT staff. RESPECT de-adoption had wide-reaching influences on individual staff, interactions between the staff and the community, the agency overall, and for implementation of future EBIs. We propose a revision of the implementation framework, incorporating EBI de-adoption as a phase of the implementation cycle. Furthermore, EBI de-adoption may have important, unintended consequences and can inform future HIV prevention strategies and guide research focusing on EBI de-adoption.

Crack propagation of brittle rock under high geostress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Ning; Chu, Weijiang; Chen, Pingzhi

2018-03-01

Based on fracture mechanics and numerical methods, the characteristics and failure criterions of wall rock cracks including initiation, propagation, and coalescence are analyzed systematically under different conditions. In order to consider the interaction among cracks, adopt the sliding model of multi-cracks to simulate the splitting failure of rock in axial compress. The reinforcement of bolts and shotcrete supporting to rock mass can control the cracks propagation well. Adopt both theory analysis and simulation method to study the mechanism of controlling the propagation. The best fixed angle of bolts is calculated. Then use ansys to simulate the crack arrest function of bolt to crack. Analyze the influence of different factors on stress intensity factor. The method offer more scientific and rational criterion to evaluate the splitting failure of underground engineering under high geostress.

Applying usability methods to identify health literacy issues: an example using a Personal Health Record.

PubMed

Monkman, Helen; Kushniruk, Andre

2013-01-01

The prevalence of consumer health information systems is increasing. However, usability and health literacy impact both the value and adoption of these systems. Health literacy and usability are closely related in that systems may not be used accurately if users cannot understand the information therein. Thus, it is imperative to focus on mitigating the demands on health literacy in consumer health information systems. This study modified two usability evaluation methods (heuristic evaluation and usability testing) to incorporate the identification of potential health literacy issues in a Personal Health Record (PHR). Heuristic evaluation is an analysis of a system performed by a usability specialist who evaluates how well the system abides by usability principles. In contrast, a usability test involves a post hoc analysis of a representative user interacting with the system. These two methods revealed several health literacy issues and suggestions to ameliorate them were made. Thus, it was demonstrated that usability methods could be successfully augmented for the purpose of investigating health literacy issues. To improve users' health knowledge, the adoption of consumer health information systems, and the accuracy of the information contained therein, it is encouraged that usability methods be applied with an added focus on health literacy.

Extracting information from S-curves of language change

PubMed Central

Ghanbarnejad, Fakhteh; Gerlach, Martin; Miotto, José M.; Altmann, Eduardo G.

2014-01-01

It is well accepted that adoption of innovations are described by S-curves (slow start, accelerating period and slow end). In this paper, we analyse how much information on the dynamics of innovation spreading can be obtained from a quantitative description of S-curves. We focus on the adoption of linguistic innovations for which detailed databases of written texts from the last 200 years allow for an unprecedented statistical precision. Combining data analysis with simulations of simple models (e.g. the Bass dynamics on complex networks), we identify signatures of endogenous and exogenous factors in the S-curves of adoption. We propose a measure to quantify the strength of these factors and three different methods to estimate it from S-curves. We obtain cases in which the exogenous factors are dominant (in the adoption of German orthographic reforms and of one irregular verb) and cases in which endogenous factors are dominant (in the adoption of conventions for romanization of Russian names and in the regularization of most studied verbs). These results show that the shape of S-curve is not universal and contains information on the adoption mechanism. PMID:25339692

The Kjeldahl method as a primary reference procedure for total protein in certified reference materials used in clinical chemistry. II. Selection of direct Kjeldahl analysis and its preliminary performance parameters.

PubMed

Vinklárková, Bára; Chromý, Vratislav; Šprongl, Luděk; Bittová, Miroslava; Rikanová, Milena; Ohnútková, Ivana; Žaludová, Lenka

2015-01-01

To select a Kjeldahl procedure suitable for the determination of total protein in reference materials used in laboratory medicine, we reviewed in our previous article Kjeldahl methods adopted by clinical chemistry and found an indirect two-step analysis by total Kjeldahl nitrogen corrected for its nonprotein nitrogen and a direct analysis made on isolated protein precipitates. In this article, we compare both procedures on various reference materials. An indirect Kjeldahl method gave falsely lower results than a direct analysis. Preliminary performance parameters qualify the direct Kjeldahl analysis as a suitable primary reference procedure for the certification of total protein in reference laboratories.

Sequential Pattern Analysis: Method and Application in Exploring How Students Develop Concept Maps

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chiu, Chiung-Hui; Lin, Chien-Liang

2012-01-01

Concept mapping is a technique that represents knowledge in graphs. It has been widely adopted in science education and cognitive psychology to aid learning and assessment. To realize the sequential manner in which students develop concept maps, most research relies upon human-dependent, qualitative approaches. This article proposes a method for…

Female adoptees' experiences balancing relationships with biological and adoptive mothers post-reunification.

PubMed

Richardson, Angelle; Davey, Maureen P; Swint, Phyllis A

2013-07-01

Using a feminist postmodern perspective and the sensitizing concept of split loyalties from Contextual Theory, the primary purpose of this qualitative study was to develop a better understanding of how adult female adoptees from closed adoptions negotiate relationships with their adoptive and biological mothers post-reunion. We conducted semi-structured individual interviews with nine adult female adoptees, ages 28-52, who were adopted prior to the age of two. Six were Caucasian, three were African American, and the average age at reunion was 29. Grounded theory techniques were used to code the qualitative data, in particular the constant comparative method of analysis. Four main categories emerged: (a) Negotiating Mother-Daughter Relationships, (b) Relating to Mothers Equitably, (c) Loyalty, and (d) Adoptees' Emotional Needs. Our findings suggest the adoptive mother-daughter relationship has a salient effect on adoptees' relationships with biological mothers post-reunion. Loyalty to the adoptive mother seems to influence the evolving relationship and closeness displayed toward the birth mother. Adult female adoptees from closed adoptions described struggling with managing their two mother-daughter relationships and need clinical help addressing their own emotional needs. © 2012 American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

Trialability, observability and risk reduction accelerating individual innovation adoption decisions.

PubMed

Hayes, Kathryn J; Eljiz, Kathy; Dadich, Ann; Fitzgerald, Janna-Anneke; Sloan, Terry

2015-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to provide a retrospective analysis of computer simulation's role in accelerating individual innovation adoption decisions. The process innovation examined is Lean Systems Thinking, and the organizational context is the imaging department of an Australian public hospital. Intrinsic case study methods including observation, interviews with radiology and emergency personnel about scheduling procedures, mapping patient appointment processes and document analysis were used over three years and then complemented with retrospective interviews with key hospital staff. The multiple data sources and methods were combined in a pragmatic and reflexive manner to explore an extreme case that provides potential to act as an instructive template for effective change. Computer simulation of process change ideas offered by staff to improve patient-flow accelerated the adoption of the process changes, largely because animated computer simulation permitted experimentation (trialability), provided observable predictions of change results (observability) and minimized perceived risk. The difficulty of making accurate comparisons between time periods in a health care setting is acknowledged. This work has implications for policy, practice and theory, particularly for inducing the rapid diffusion of process innovations to address challenges facing health service organizations and national health systems. Originality/value - The research demonstrates the value of animated computer simulation in presenting the need for change, identifying options, and predicting change outcomes and is the first work to indicate the importance of trialability, observability and risk reduction in individual adoption decisions in health services.

Heteroscedastic Tests Statistics for One-Way Analysis of Variance: The Trimmed Means and Hall's Transformation Conjunction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luh, Wei-Ming; Guo, Jiin-Huarng

2005-01-01

To deal with nonnormal and heterogeneous data for the one-way fixed effect analysis of variance model, the authors adopted a trimmed means method in conjunction with Hall's invertible transformation into a heteroscedastic test statistic (Alexander-Govern test or Welch test). The results of simulation experiments showed that the proposed technique…

A comparison of TSS and TRASYS in form factor calculation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golliher, Eric

1993-01-01

As the workstation and personal computer become more popular than a centralized mainframe to perform thermal analysis, the methods for space vehicle thermal analysis will change. Already, many thermal analysis codes are now available for workstations, which were not in existence just five years ago. As these changes occur, some organizations will adopt the new codes and analysis techniques, while others will not. This might lead to misunderstandings between thermal shops in different organizations. If thermal analysts make an effort to understand the major differences between the new and old methods, a smoother transition to a more efficient and more versatile thermal analysis environment will be realized.

Factors influencing the adoption of E-learning in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences.

PubMed

Abdekhoda, Mohammadhiwa; Dehnad, Afsaneh; Ghazi Mirsaeed, Sayd Javad; Zarea Gavgani, Vahideh

2016-01-01

Background: Electronic Learning (E-learning), is the use of electronic technology in education via computer and the internet. Despite its slow adoption by faculty members, e-learning provides several benefits to individuals and organizations. This study was conducted to determine the factors influencing the adoption of e-learning by faculty members in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This was a cross- sectional study, in which a sample of 190 faculty members of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences was randomly selected, using stratified sampling. A Conceptual Path Model of Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) was applied to assess the faculty members' attitude towards e-learning. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS16, using descriptive statistics and regression analysis. The model was tested by structural equation modeling (SEM) and was finally represented by Analysis of Moment Structures. Results: The results evidenced that UTAUT model explains about 56% of the variance for adoption of elearning. The findings also revealed that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influences and behavior indentation had direct and significant effects on faculty members' behavior towards the use of e-learning. However, facilitated condition had no significant effects on the use of e-learning. Conclusion: The authorized model provides considerable insight for perception and anticipation of faculty members' behaviors in adopting e-learning. The survey clearly identified significant and non-significant factors that may affect the adoption of e-learning. The results of this study could help the policy makers when successful adoption of e-learning is in their agenda.

Factors influencing the adoption of E-learning in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences

PubMed Central

Abdekhoda, Mohammadhiwa; Dehnad, Afsaneh; Ghazi Mirsaeed, Sayd Javad; Zarea Gavgani, Vahideh

2016-01-01

Background: Electronic Learning (E-learning), is the use of electronic technology in education via computer and the internet. Despite its slow adoption by faculty members, e-learning provides several benefits to individuals and organizations. This study was conducted to determine the factors influencing the adoption of e-learning by faculty members in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This was a cross- sectional study, in which a sample of 190 faculty members of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences was randomly selected, using stratified sampling. A Conceptual Path Model of Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) was applied to assess the faculty members’ attitude towards e-learning. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS16, using descriptive statistics and regression analysis. The model was tested by structural equation modeling (SEM) and was finally represented by Analysis of Moment Structures. Results: The results evidenced that UTAUT model explains about 56% of the variance for adoption of elearning. The findings also revealed that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influences and behavior indentation had direct and significant effects on faculty members’ behavior towards the use of e-learning. However, facilitated condition had no significant effects on the use of e-learning. Conclusion: The authorized model provides considerable insight for perception and anticipation of faculty members’ behaviors in adopting e-learning. The survey clearly identified significant and non-significant factors that may affect the adoption of e-learning. The results of this study could help the policy makers when successful adoption of e-learning is in their agenda. PMID:28491832

Factors influencing the intention of women in rural Ghana to adopt postpartum family planning.

PubMed

Eliason, Sebastian; Baiden, Frank; Quansah-Asare, Gloria; Graham-Hayfron, Yvonne; Bonsu, Derek; Phillips, James; Awusabo-Asare, Kofi

2013-07-22

Uptake of postpartum family planning (PPFP) remains low in sub-Saharan Africa and very little is known about how pregnant women arrive at their decisions to adopt PPFP. This information is needed to guide the development of interventions to promote PPFP. We conducted a survey among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in a rural district in Ghana. We used univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis to explore how knowledge of various family planning (FP) methods, past experience with their use and the acceptability of PPFP to male partners and close relations influenced the intention of pregnant women to adopt PPFP. We interviewed 1914 pregnant women in four health facilities. About 84% considered PPFP acceptable, and 70% intended to adopt a method. The most preferred methods were injectables (31.5%), exclusive breastfeeding (16.7%), and oral contraceptive pills (14.8%). Women whose first choice of PPFP method were injectables were more likely to be women who had had past experience with its use (O.R = 2.07, 95% C.I. 1.50-2.87). Acceptability of PPFP by the pregnant woman (O.R. = 3.21, 1.64-6.26), perception of partner acceptability (O.R. = 3.20, 1.94-5.48), having had prior experience with the use of injectables (O.R. = 3.72, 2.61-5.30) were the strongest predictors of the intention to adopt PPFP. Conversely women who knew about the diaphragm (O.R. = 0.59, 0.38-0.93) and those who had past experience with IUD use (O.R. = 0.13, 0.05-0.38) were less likely to want to adopt PPFP. Acceptability of PPFP to the pregnant woman, male partner approval, and past experience with the use of injectables are important factors in the PPFP decisions of women in this population. Antenatal and early postnatal care need to be adapted to take these factors into consideration.

The effects of health information technology adoption and hospital-physician integration on hospital efficiency.

PubMed

Cho, Na-Eun; Chang, Jongwha; Atems, Bebonchu

2014-11-01

To determine the impact of health information technology (HIT) adoption and hospital-physician integration on hospital efficiency. Using 2010 data from the American Hospital Association's (AHA) annual survey, the AHA IT survey, supplemented by the CMS Case Mix Index, and the US Census Bureau's small area income and poverty estimates, we examined how the adoption of HIT and employment of physicians affected hospital efficiency and whether they were substitutes or complements. The sample included 2173 hospitals. We employed a 2-stage approach. In the first stage, data envelopment analysis was used to estimate technical efficiency of hospitals. In the second stage, we used instrumental variable approaches, notably 2-stage least squares and the generalized method of moments, to examine the effects of IT adoption and integration on hospital efficiency. We found that HIT adoption and hospital-physician integration, when considered separately, each have statistically significant positive impacts on hospital efficiency. Also, we found that hospitals that adopted HIT with employed physicians will achieve less efficiency compared with hospitals that adopted HIT without employed physicians. Although HIT adoption and hospital-physician integration both seem to be key parts of improving hospital efficiency when one or the other is utilized individually, they can hurt hospital efficiency when utilized together.

Adopting and implementing nutrition guidelines in recreational facilities: Public and private sector roles. A multiple case study

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Recreational facilities are an important community resource for health promotion because they provide access to affordable physical activities. However, despite their health mandate, many have unhealthy food environments that may paradoxically increase the risk of childhood obesity. The Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth (ANGCY) are government-initiated, voluntary guidelines intended to facilitate children’s access to healthy food and beverage choices in schools, childcare and recreational facilities, however few recreational facilities are using them. Methods We used mixed methods within an exploratory multiple case study to examine factors that influenced adoption and implementation of the ANGCY and the nature of the food environment within three cases: an adopter, a semi-adopter and a non-adopter of the ANGCY. Diffusion of Innovations theory provided the theoretical platform for the study. Qualitative data were generated through interviews, observations, and document reviews, and were analysed using directed content analysis. Set theoretic logic was used to identify factors that differentiated adopters from the non-adopter. Quantitative sales data were also collected, and the quality of the food environment was scored using four complementary tools. Results The keys to adoption and implementation of nutrition guidelines in recreational facilities related to the managers’ nutrition-related knowledge, beliefs and perceptions, as these shaped his decisions and actions. The manager, however, could not accomplish adoption and implementation alone. Intersectoral linkages with schools and formal, health promoting partnerships with industry were also important for adoption and implementation to occur. The food environment in facilities that had adopted the ANGCY did not appear to be superior to the food environment in facilities that had not adopted the ANGCY. Conclusions ANGCY uptake may continue to falter under the current voluntary approach, as the environmental supports for voluntary action are poor. Where ANGCY uptake does occur, changes to the food environment may be relatively minor. Stronger government measures may be needed to require recreational facilities to improve their food environments and to limit availability of unhealthy foods. PMID:22632384

Who Adopts Improved Fuels and Cookstoves? A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Lewis, Jessica J.

2012-01-01

Background: The global focus on improved cookstoves (ICSs) and clean fuels has increased because of their potential for delivering triple dividends: household health, local environmental quality, and regional climate benefits. However, ICS and clean fuel dissemination programs have met with low rates of adoption. Objectives: We reviewed empirical studies on ICSs and fuel choice to describe the literature, examine determinants of fuel and stove choice, and identify knowledge gaps. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the literature on the adoption of ICSs or cleaner fuels by households in developing countries. Results are synthesized through a simple vote-counting meta-analysis. Results: We identified 32 research studies that reported 146 separate regression analyses of ICS adoption (11 analyses) or fuel choice (135 analyses) from Asia (60%), Africa (27%), and Latin America (19%). Most studies apply multivariate regression methods to consider 7–13 determinants of choice. Income, education, and urban location were positively associated with adoption in most but not all studies. However, the influence of fuel availability and prices, household size and composition, and sex is unclear. Potentially important drivers such as credit, supply-chain strengthening, and social marketing have been ignored. Conclusions: Adoption studies of ICSs or clean energy are scarce, scattered, and of differential quality, even though global distribution programs are quickly expanding. Future research should examine an expanded set of contextual variables to improve implementation of stove programs that can realize the “win-win-win” of health, local environmental quality, and climate associated with these technologies. PMID:22296719

Analysis of Critical Mass in Threshold Model of Diffusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jeehong; Hur, Wonchang; Kang, Suk-Ho

2012-04-01

Why does diffusion sometimes show cascade phenomena but at other times is impeded? In addressing this question, we considered a threshold model of diffusion, focusing on the formation of a critical mass, which enables diffusion to be self-sustaining. Performing an agent-based simulation, we found that the diffusion model produces only two outcomes: Almost perfect adoption or relatively few adoptions. In order to explain the difference, we considered the various properties of network structures and found that the manner in which thresholds are arrayed over a network is the most critical factor determining the size of a cascade. On the basis of the results, we derived a threshold arrangement method effective for generation of a critical mass and calculated the size required for perfect adoption.

Adoption of Electronic Health Records: A Roadmap for India

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Objectives The objective of the study was to create a roadmap for the adoption of Electronic Health Record (EHR) in India based an analysis of the strategies of other countries and national scenarios of ICT use in India. Methods The strategies for adoption of EHR in other countries were analyzed to find the crucial steps taken. Apart from reports collected from stakeholders in the country, the study relied on the experience of the author in handling several e-health projects. Results It was found that there are four major areas where the countries considered have made substantial efforts: ICT infrastructure, Policy & regulations, Standards & interoperability, and Research, development & education. A set of crucial activities were identified in each area. Based on the analysis, a roadmap is suggested. It includes the creation of a secure health network; health information exchange; and the use of open-source software, a national health policy, privacy laws, an agency for health IT standards, R&D, human resource development, etc. Conclusions Although some steps have been initiated, several new steps need to be taken up for the successful adoption of EHR. It requires a coordinated effort from all the stakeholders. PMID:27895957

Mechanisms of change in the ARC organizational strategy: Increasing mental health clinicians’ EBP adoption through improved organizational culture and capacity

PubMed Central

Williams, Nathaniel J.; Glisson, Charles; Hemmelgarn, Anthony; Green, Philip

2016-01-01

Background The development of efficient and scalable implementation strategies in mental health is restricted by poor understanding of the change mechanisms that increase clinicians’ evidence-based practice (EBP) adoption. This study tests the cross-level change mechanisms that link an empirically-supported organizational strategy for supporting implementation (labeled ARC for Availability, Responsiveness, and Continuity) to mental health clinicians’ EBP adoption and use. Method Four hundred seventy five mental health clinicians in 14 children’s mental health agencies were randomly assigned to the ARC intervention or a control condition. Measures of organizational culture, clinicians’ intentions to adopt EBPs, and job-related EBP barriers were collected before, during, and upon completion of the three-year ARC intervention. EBP adoption and use were assessed at 12-month follow-up. Multilevel mediation analyses tested changes in organizational culture, clinicians’ intentions to adopt EBPs, and job-related EBP barriers as linking mechanisms explaining the effects of ARC on clinicians’ EBP adoption and use. Results ARC increased clinicians’ EBP adoption (OR = 3.19, p = .003) and use (81% vs. 56%, d = .79, p = .003) at 12-month follow-up. These effects were mediated by improvement in organizational proficiency culture leading to increased clinician intentions to adopt EBPs and by reduced job-related EBP barriers. A combined mediation analysis indicated the organizational culture-EBP intentions mechanism was the primary carrier of ARC’s effects on clinicians’ EBP adoption and use. Conclusions ARC increases clinicians’ EBP adoption and use by creating proficient organizational cultures that increase clinicians’ intentions to adopt EBPs. PMID:27236457

Spectral identification of melon seeds variety based on k-nearest neighbor and Fisher discriminant analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Cuiling; Jiang, Kai; Zhao, Xueguan; Fan, Pengfei; Wang, Xiu; Liu, Chuan

2017-10-01

Impurity of melon seeds variety will cause reductions of melon production and economic benefits of farmers, this research aimed to adopt spectral technology combined with chemometrics methods to identify melon seeds variety. Melon seeds whose varieties were "Yi Te Bai", "Yi Te Jin", "Jing Mi NO.7", "Jing Mi NO.11" and " Yi Li Sha Bai "were used as research samples. A simple spectral system was developed to collect reflective spectral data of melon seeds, including a light source unit, a spectral data acquisition unit and a data processing unit, the detection wavelength range of this system was 200-1100nm with spectral resolution of 0.14 7.7nm. The original reflective spectral data was pre-treated with de-trend (DT), multiple scattering correction (MSC), first derivative (FD), normalization (NOR) and Savitzky-Golay (SG) convolution smoothing methods. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method was adopted to reduce the dimensions of reflective spectral data and extract principal components. K-nearest neighbour (KNN) and Fisher discriminant analysis (FDA) methods were used to develop discriminant models of melon seeds variety based on PCA. Spectral data pretreatments improved the discriminant effects of KNN and FDA, FDA generated better discriminant results than KNN, both KNN and FDA methods produced discriminant accuracies reaching to 90.0% for validation set. Research results showed that using spectral technology in combination with KNN and FDA modelling methods to identify melon seeds variety was feasible.

Testing of technology readiness index model based on exploratory factor analysis approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ariani, AF; Napitupulu, D.; Jati, RK; Kadar, JA; Syafrullah, M.

2018-04-01

SMEs readiness in using ICT will determine the adoption of ICT in the future. This study aims to evaluate the model of technology readiness in order to apply the technology on SMEs. The model is tested to find if TRI model is relevant to measure ICT adoption, especially for SMEs in Indonesia. The research method used in this paper is survey to a group of SMEs in South Tangerang. The survey measures the readiness to adopt ICT based on four variables which is Optimism, Innovativeness, Discomfort, and Insecurity. Each variable contains several indicators to make sure the variable is measured thoroughly. The data collected through survey is analysed using factor analysis methodwith the help of SPSS software. The result of this study shows that TRI model gives more descendants on some indicators and variables. This result can be caused by SMEs owners’ knowledge is not homogeneous about either the technology that they are used, knowledge or the type of their business.

Uncovering a Hidden Professional Agenda for Teacher Educators: A Mixed Method Study on Flemish Teacher Educators and Their Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tack, Hanne; Valcke, Martin; Rots, Isabel; Struyven, Katrien; Vanderlinde, Ruben

2018-01-01

Taking into account the pressing need to understand more about what teacher educators' professional development characterises, this article adopts a mixed method approach to explore Flemish (Dutch-speaking part of Belgium) teacher educators' professional development needs and opportunities. Analysis results of a large-scale survey study with 611…

Principal component analysis on a torus: Theory and application to protein dynamics.

PubMed

Sittel, Florian; Filk, Thomas; Stock, Gerhard

2017-12-28

A dimensionality reduction method for high-dimensional circular data is developed, which is based on a principal component analysis (PCA) of data points on a torus. Adopting a geometrical view of PCA, various distance measures on a torus are introduced and the associated problem of projecting data onto the principal subspaces is discussed. The main idea is that the (periodicity-induced) projection error can be minimized by transforming the data such that the maximal gap of the sampling is shifted to the periodic boundary. In a second step, the covariance matrix and its eigendecomposition can be computed in a standard manner. Adopting molecular dynamics simulations of two well-established biomolecular systems (Aib 9 and villin headpiece), the potential of the method to analyze the dynamics of backbone dihedral angles is demonstrated. The new approach allows for a robust and well-defined construction of metastable states and provides low-dimensional reaction coordinates that accurately describe the free energy landscape. Moreover, it offers a direct interpretation of covariances and principal components in terms of the angular variables. Apart from its application to PCA, the method of maximal gap shifting is general and can be applied to any other dimensionality reduction method for circular data.

Principal component analysis on a torus: Theory and application to protein dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sittel, Florian; Filk, Thomas; Stock, Gerhard

2017-12-01

A dimensionality reduction method for high-dimensional circular data is developed, which is based on a principal component analysis (PCA) of data points on a torus. Adopting a geometrical view of PCA, various distance measures on a torus are introduced and the associated problem of projecting data onto the principal subspaces is discussed. The main idea is that the (periodicity-induced) projection error can be minimized by transforming the data such that the maximal gap of the sampling is shifted to the periodic boundary. In a second step, the covariance matrix and its eigendecomposition can be computed in a standard manner. Adopting molecular dynamics simulations of two well-established biomolecular systems (Aib9 and villin headpiece), the potential of the method to analyze the dynamics of backbone dihedral angles is demonstrated. The new approach allows for a robust and well-defined construction of metastable states and provides low-dimensional reaction coordinates that accurately describe the free energy landscape. Moreover, it offers a direct interpretation of covariances and principal components in terms of the angular variables. Apart from its application to PCA, the method of maximal gap shifting is general and can be applied to any other dimensionality reduction method for circular data.

Clinician Attitudes Toward Adoption of Pediatric Emergency Telemedicine in Rural Hospitals.

PubMed

Ray, Kristin N; Felmet, Kathryn A; Hamilton, Melinda F; Kuza, Courtney C; Saladino, Richard A; Schultz, Brian R; Watson, R Scott; Kahn, Jeremy M

2017-04-01

Although there is growing evidence regarding the utility of telemedicine in providing care for acutely ill children in underserved settings, adoption of pediatric emergency telemedicine remains limited, and little data exist to inform implementation efforts. Among clinician stakeholders, we examined attitudes regarding pediatric emergency telemedicine, including barriers to adoption in rural settings and potential strategies to overcome these barriers. Using a sequential mixed-methods approach, we first performed semistructured interviews with clinician stakeholders using thematic content analysis to generate a conceptual model for pediatric emergency telemedicine adoption. Based on this model, we then developed and fielded a survey to further examine attitudes regarding barriers to adoption and strategies to improve adoption. Factors influencing adoption of pediatric emergency telemedicine were identified and categorized into 3 domains: contextual factors (such as regional geography, hospital culture, and individual experience), perceived usefulness of pediatric emergency telemedicine, and perceived ease of use of pediatric emergency telemedicine. Within the domains of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, belief in the relative advantage of telemedicine was the most pronounced difference between telemedicine proponents and nonproponents. Strategies identified to improve adoption of telemedicine included patient-specific education, clinical protocols for use, decreasing response times, and simplifying the technology. More effective adoption of pediatric emergency telemedicine among clinicians will require addressing perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use in the context of local factors. Future studies should examine the impact of specific identified strategies on adoption of pediatric emergency telemedicine and patient outcomes in rural settings.

Multicultural Education vs. Implicit and Explicit Ethnocentric Education: Text Analysis of a Contemporary Israeli Value Education Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reingold, Roni; Zamir, Sara

2017-01-01

In the year 2000, Israel purportedly adopted a multicultural educational policy. It replaced the covert assimilation policy, which was referred to as "the integration policy." The aim of the present study was to analyse the contemporary Israeli program of value education. Using the method of content analysis, the present study sought to…

Development of Composite Indices to Measure the Adoption of Pro-Environmental Behaviours across Canadian Provinces

PubMed Central

Canuel, Magalie; Abdous, Belkacem; Bélanger, Diane; Gosselin, Pierre

2014-01-01

Objective The adoption of pro-environmental behaviours reduces anthropogenic environmental impacts and subsequent human health effects. This study developed composite indices measuring adoption of pro-environmental behaviours at the household level in Canada. Methods The 2007 Households and the Environment Survey conducted by Statistics Canada collected data on Canadian environmental behaviours at households' level. A subset of 55 retained questions from this survey was analyzed by Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) to develop the index. Weights attributed by MCA were used to compute scores for each Canadian province as well as for socio-demographic strata. Scores were classified into four categories reflecting different levels of adoption of pro-environmental behaviours. Results Two indices were finally created: one based on 23 questions related to behaviours done inside the dwelling and a second based on 16 questions measuring behaviours done outside of the dwelling. British Columbia, Quebec, Prince-Edward-Island and Nova-Scotia appeared in one of the two top categories of adoption of pro-environmental behaviours for both indices. Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Newfoundland-and-Labrador were classified in one of the two last categories of pro-environmental behaviours adoption for both indices. Households with a higher income, educational attainment, or greater number of persons adopted more indoor pro-environmental behaviours, while on the outdoor index, they adopted fewer such behaviours. Households with low-income fared better on the adoption of outdoors pro-environmental behaviours. Conclusion MCA was successfully applied in creating Indoor and Outdoor composite Indices of pro-environmental behaviours. The Indices cover a good range of environmental themes and the analysis could be applied to similar surveys worldwide (as baseline weights) enabling temporal trend comparison for recurring themes. Much more than voluntary measures, the study shows that existing regulations, dwelling type, households composition and income as well as climate are the major factors determining pro-environmental behaviours. PMID:25013929

Software Safety Progress in NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Radley, Charles F.

1995-01-01

NASA has developed guidelines for development and analysis of safety-critical software. These guidelines have been documented in a Guidebook for Safety Critical Software Development and Analysis. The guidelines represent a practical 'how to' approach, to assist software developers and safety analysts in cost effective methods for software safety. They provide guidance in the implementation of the recent NASA Software Safety Standard NSS-1740.13 which was released as 'Interim' version in June 1994, scheduled for formal adoption late 1995. This paper is a survey of the methods in general use, resulting in the NASA guidelines for safety critical software development and analysis.

Improving eye safety in citrus harvest crews through the acceptance of personal protective equipment, community-based participatory research, social marketing, and community health workers.

PubMed

Tovar-Aguilar, J Antonio; Monaghan, Paul F; Bryant, Carol A; Esposito, Andrew; Wade, Mark; Ruiz, Omar; McDermott, Robert J

2014-01-01

For the last 10 years, the Partnership for Citrus Workers Health (PCWH) has been an evidence-based intervention program that promotes the adoption of protective eye safety equipment among Spanish-speaking farmworkers of Florida. At the root of this program is the systematic use of community-based preventive marketing (CBPM) and the training of community health workers (CHWs) among citrus harvester using popular education. CBPM is a model that combines the organizational system of community-based participatory research (CBPR) and the strategies of social marketing. This particular program relied on formative research data using a mixed-methods approach and a multilevel stakeholder analysis that allowed for rapid dissemination, effective increase of personal protective equipment (PPE) usage, and a subsequent impact on adoptive workers and companies. Focus groups, face-to-face interviews, surveys, participant observation, Greco-Latin square, and quasi-experimental tests were implemented. A 20-hour popular education training produced CHWs that translated results of the formative research to potential adopters and also provided first aid skills for eye injuries. Reduction of injuries is not limited to the use of safety glasses, but also to the adoption of timely intervention and regular eye hygiene. Limitations include adoption in only large companies, rapid decline of eye safety glasses without consistent intervention, technological limitations of glasses, and thorough cost-benefit analysis.

Robust statistical methods for hit selection in RNA interference high-throughput screening experiments.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaohua Douglas; Yang, Xiting Cindy; Chung, Namjin; Gates, Adam; Stec, Erica; Kunapuli, Priya; Holder, Dan J; Ferrer, Marc; Espeseth, Amy S

2006-04-01

RNA interference (RNAi) high-throughput screening (HTS) experiments carried out using large (>5000 short interfering [si]RNA) libraries generate a huge amount of data. In order to use these data to identify the most effective siRNAs tested, it is critical to adopt and develop appropriate statistical methods. To address the questions in hit selection of RNAi HTS, we proposed a quartile-based method which is robust to outliers, true hits and nonsymmetrical data. We compared it with the more traditional tests, mean +/- k standard deviation (SD) and median +/- 3 median of absolute deviation (MAD). The results suggested that the quartile-based method selected more hits than mean +/- k SD under the same preset error rate. The number of hits selected by median +/- k MAD was close to that by the quartile-based method. Further analysis suggested that the quartile-based method had the greatest power in detecting true hits, especially weak or moderate true hits. Our investigation also suggested that platewise analysis (determining effective siRNAs on a plate-by-plate basis) can adjust for systematic errors in different plates, while an experimentwise analysis, in which effective siRNAs are identified in an analysis of the entire experiment, cannot. However, experimentwise analysis may detect a cluster of true positive hits placed together in one or several plates, while platewise analysis may not. To display hit selection results, we designed a specific figure called a plate-well series plot. We thus suggest the following strategy for hit selection in RNAi HTS experiments. First, choose the quartile-based method, or median +/- k MAD, for identifying effective siRNAs. Second, perform the chosen method experimentwise on transformed/normalized data, such as percentage inhibition, to check the possibility of hit clusters. If a cluster of selected hits are observed, repeat the analysis based on untransformed data to determine whether the cluster is due to an artifact in the data. If no clusters of hits are observed, select hits by performing platewise analysis on transformed data. Third, adopt the plate-well series plot to visualize both the data and the hit selection results, as well as to check for artifacts.

Control strategy of grid-connected photovoltaic generation system based on GMPPT method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhongfeng; Zhang, Xuyang; Hu, Bo; Liu, Jun; Li, Ligang; Gu, Yongqiang; Zhou, Bowen

2018-02-01

There are multiple local maximum power points when photovoltaic (PV) array runs under partial shading condition (PSC).However, the traditional maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm might be easily trapped in local maximum power points (MPPs) and cannot find the global maximum power point (GMPP). To solve such problem, a global maximum power point tracking method (GMPPT) is improved, combined with traditional MPPT method and particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. Under different operating conditions of PV cells, different tracking algorithms are used. When the environment changes, the improved PSO algorithm is adopted to realize the global optimal search, and the variable step incremental conductance (INC) method is adopted to achieve MPPT in optimal local location. Based on the simulation model of the PV grid system built in Matlab/Simulink, comparative analysis of the tracking effect of MPPT by the proposed control algorithm and the traditional MPPT method under the uniform solar condition and PSC, validate the correctness, feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.

Verification and Validation in a Rapid Software Development Process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Callahan, John R.; Easterbrook, Steve M.

1997-01-01

The high cost of software production is driving development organizations to adopt more automated design and analysis methods such as rapid prototyping, computer-aided software engineering (CASE) tools, and high-level code generators. Even developers of safety-critical software system have adopted many of these new methods while striving to achieve high levels Of quality and reliability. While these new methods may enhance productivity and quality in many cases, we examine some of the risks involved in the use of new methods in safety-critical contexts. We examine a case study involving the use of a CASE tool that automatically generates code from high-level system designs. We show that while high-level testing on the system structure is highly desirable, significant risks exist in the automatically generated code and in re-validating releases of the generated code after subsequent design changes. We identify these risks and suggest process improvements that retain the advantages of rapid, automated development methods within the quality and reliability contexts of safety-critical projects.

Improving Patient Experience and Primary Care Quality for Patients With Complex Chronic Disease Using the Electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes Tool: Adopting Qualitative Methods Into a User-Centered Design Approach.

PubMed

Steele Gray, Carolyn; Khan, Anum Irfan; Kuluski, Kerry; McKillop, Ian; Sharpe, Sarah; Bierman, Arlene S; Lyons, Renee F; Cott, Cheryl

2016-02-18

Many mHealth technologies do not meet the needs of patients with complex chronic disease and disabilities (CCDDs) who are among the highest users of health systems worldwide. Furthermore, many of the development methodologies used in the creation of mHealth and eHealth technologies lack the ability to embrace users with CCDD in the specification process. This paper describes how we adopted and modified development techniques to create the electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes (ePRO) tool, a patient-centered mHealth solution to help improve primary health care for patients experiencing CCDD. This paper describes the design and development approach, specifically the process of incorporating qualitative research methods into user-centered design approaches to create the ePRO tool. Key lessons learned are offered as a guide for other eHealth and mHealth research and technology developers working with complex patient populations and their primary health care providers. Guided by user-centered design principles, interpretive descriptive qualitative research methods were adopted to capture user experiences through interviews and working groups. Consistent with interpretive descriptive methods, an iterative analysis technique was used to generate findings, which were then organized in relation to the tool design and function to help systematically inform modifications to the tool. User feedback captured and analyzed through this method was used to challenge the design and inform the iterative development of the tool. Interviews with primary health care providers (n=7) and content experts (n=6), and four focus groups with patients and carers (n=14) along with a PICK analysis-Possible, Implementable, (to be) Challenged, (to be) Killed-guided development of the first prototype. The initial prototype was presented in three design working groups with patients/carers (n=5), providers (n=6), and experts (n=5). Working group findings were broken down into categories of what works and what does not work to inform modifications to the prototype. This latter phase led to a major shift in the purpose and design of the prototype, validating the importance of using iterative codesign processes. Interpretive descriptive methods allow for an understanding of user experiences of patients with CCDD, their carers, and primary care providers. Qualitative methods help to capture and interpret user needs, and identify contextual barriers and enablers to tool adoption, informing a redesign to better suit the needs of this diverse user group. This study illustrates the value of adopting interpretive descriptive methods into user-centered mHealth tool design and can also serve to inform the design of other eHealth technologies. Our approach is particularly useful in requirements determination when developing for a complex user group and their health care providers.

Formalizing Space Shuttle Software Requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crow, Judith; DiVito, Ben L.

1996-01-01

This paper describes two case studies in which requirements for new flight-software subsystems on NASA's Space Shuttle were analyzed, one using standard formal specification techniques, the other using state exploration. These applications serve to illustrate three main theses: (1) formal methods can complement conventional requirements analysis processes effectively, (2) formal methods confer benefits regardless of how extensively they are adopted and applied, and (3) formal methods are most effective when they are judiciously tailored to the application.

A Phenomenological Exploration of Adoption

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baltimore, Diana L.; Crase, Sedahlia Jasper

2009-01-01

This qualitative analysis explored children's and adults' experiences with adoption. We used phenomenological methodology and individually interviewed 25 participants and included adoptive mothers and fathers, and their children, each adopted before 18 months of age. Two research questions guided the data analysis: (a) What are children's and…

Effect of various pretreatment methods on anaerobic mixed microflora to enhance biohydrogen production utilizing dairy wastewater as substrate.

PubMed

Venkata Mohan, S; Lalit Babu, V; Sarma, P N

2008-01-01

Influence of different pretreatment methods applied on anaerobic mixed inoculum was evaluated for selectively enriching the hydrogen (H(2)) producing mixed culture using dairy wastewater as substrate. The experimental data showed the feasibility of molecular biohydrogen generation utilizing dairy wastewater as primary carbon source through metabolic participation. However, the efficiency of H(2) evolution and substrate removal efficiency were found to be dependent on the type of pretreatment procedure adopted on the parent inoculum. Among the studied pretreatment methods, chemical pretreatment (2-bromoethane sulphonic acid sodium salt (0.2 g/l); 24 h) procedure enabled higher H(2) yield along with concurrent substrate removal efficiency. On the contrary, heat-shock pretreatment (100 degrees C; 1 h) procedure resulted in relatively low H(2) yield. Compared to control experiments all the adopted pretreatment methods documented higher H(2) generation efficiency. In the case of combination experiments, integration of pH (pH 3; adjusted with ortho-phosphoric acid; 24 h) and chemical pretreatment evidenced higher H(2) production. Data envelopment analysis (DEA), a frontier analysis technique model was successfully applied to enumerate the relative efficiency of different pretreatment methods studied by considered pretreatment procedures as input and cumulative H(2) production rate and substrate degradation rate as corresponding two outputs.

Factors Influencing the Intention of Perinatal Nurses to Adopt the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative in Southeastern Quebec, Canada: Implications for Practice

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Nurses play a major role in promoting the baby-friendly hospital initiative (BFHI), yet the adoption of this initiative by nurses remains a challenge in many countries, despite evidences of its positive impacts on breastfeeding outcomes. The aim of this study was to identify the factors influencing perinatal nurses to adopt the BFHI in their practice. Methods. A sample of 159 perinatal nurses from six hospital-based maternity centers completed a survey based on the theory of planned behavior. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship between key independent variables and nurses' intention to adopt the BFHI in their practice. A discriminant analysis of nurses' beliefs helped identify the targets of actions to foster the adoption the BFHI among nurses. Results. The participants are mainly influenced by factors pertaining to their perceived capacity to overcome the strict criteria of the BFHI, the mothers' approval of a nursing practice based on the BFHI, and the antenatal preparation of the mothers. Conclusions. This study provides theory-based evidence for the development of effective interventions aimed at promoting the adoption of the BFHI in nurses' practice. PMID:25101173

Factors influencing the intention of perinatal nurses to adopt the baby-friendly hospital initiative in southeastern quebec, Canada: implications for practice.

PubMed

Chabot, Guylaine; Lacombe, Marie

2014-01-01

Nurses play a major role in promoting the baby-friendly hospital initiative (BFHI), yet the adoption of this initiative by nurses remains a challenge in many countries, despite evidences of its positive impacts on breastfeeding outcomes. The aim of this study was to identify the factors influencing perinatal nurses to adopt the BFHI in their practice. Methods. A sample of 159 perinatal nurses from six hospital-based maternity centers completed a survey based on the theory of planned behavior. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship between key independent variables and nurses' intention to adopt the BFHI in their practice. A discriminant analysis of nurses' beliefs helped identify the targets of actions to foster the adoption the BFHI among nurses. Results. The participants are mainly influenced by factors pertaining to their perceived capacity to overcome the strict criteria of the BFHI, the mothers' approval of a nursing practice based on the BFHI, and the antenatal preparation of the mothers. Conclusions. This study provides theory-based evidence for the development of effective interventions aimed at promoting the adoption of the BFHI in nurses' practice.

Extracting information from S-curves of language change.

PubMed

Ghanbarnejad, Fakhteh; Gerlach, Martin; Miotto, José M; Altmann, Eduardo G

2014-12-06

It is well accepted that adoption of innovations are described by S-curves (slow start, accelerating period and slow end). In this paper, we analyse how much information on the dynamics of innovation spreading can be obtained from a quantitative description of S-curves. We focus on the adoption of linguistic innovations for which detailed databases of written texts from the last 200 years allow for an unprecedented statistical precision. Combining data analysis with simulations of simple models (e.g. the Bass dynamics on complex networks), we identify signatures of endogenous and exogenous factors in the S-curves of adoption. We propose a measure to quantify the strength of these factors and three different methods to estimate it from S-curves. We obtain cases in which the exogenous factors are dominant (in the adoption of German orthographic reforms and of one irregular verb) and cases in which endogenous factors are dominant (in the adoption of conventions for romanization of Russian names and in the regularization of most studied verbs). These results show that the shape of S-curve is not universal and contains information on the adoption mechanism. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Investigation of the Bailey Method for the design and analysis of dense-graded MHAC using Oregon aggregates.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-09-01

Historically Oregon has specified gradations for dense-graded hot mix asphalt concrete (HMAC) using a combination of broadband limits and recommended ideal gradations. The recent adoption of SuperPave and Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA) technolog...

Comparison of two occurrence risk assessment methods for collapse gully erosion ——A case study in Guangdong province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, K.; Cheng, D. B.; He, J. J.; Zhao, Y. L.

2018-02-01

Collapse gully erosion is a specific type of soil erosion in the red soil region of southern China, and early warning and prevention of the occurrence of collapse gully erosion is very important. Based on the idea of risk assessment, this research, taking Guangdong province as an example, adopt the information acquisition analysis and the logistic regression analysis, to discuss the feasibility for collapse gully erosion risk assessment in regional scale, and compare the applicability of the different risk assessment methods. The results show that in the Guangdong province, the risk degree of collapse gully erosion occurrence is high in northeastern and western area, and relatively low in southwestern and central part. The comparing analysis of the different risk assessment methods on collapse gully also indicated that the risk distribution patterns from the different methods were basically consistent. However, the accuracy of risk map from the information acquisition analysis method was slightly better than that from the logistic regression analysis method.

Beliefs, intentions, and beyond: A qualitative study on the adoption of sustainable gastrointestinal nematode control practices in Flanders' dairy industry.

PubMed

Vande Velde, F; Charlier, J; Hudders, L; Cauberghe, V; Claerebout, E

2018-05-01

Emerging anthelmintic resistance emphasizes the need for sustainable control approaches against gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infections in cattle. The uptake of diagnostic methods for sustainable control could enable more informed treatments and reduce excessive anthelmintic use. Unfortunately, the adoption of such methods remains relatively poor. A better understanding of farmers' motivations and behaviour would help to develop applicable advises and communication strategies for sustainable worm control strategies. A previous study created a general model for adoption intention of GIN diagnostics on dairy farms and measured the most important factors driving this intention (Vande Velde et al., 2015). The current research aimed to dig deeper into this model for the beliefs underlying these factors, and to identify additional factors impelling this specific behaviour. Data were collected through 22 semi-structured interviews with dairy farmers. Using analytic induction analysis, data were moved between deduction and induction. Results show that the adoption process of diagnostic methods for GIN occurs through three different phases: adoption intention, actual adoption and maintenance. Low infection awareness and low priority ('top of mind') of the disease are important barriers for adopting sustainable GIN control. Secondly, farmer behaviour is guided by two important social norms: the opinion of their veterinarian and their fellow farmers. However, farmers hold an incongruent relationship with both norms throughout different stages of behaviour: they do not value other farmers' opinions as a positive reference (intention phase), but follow and mimic their behaviour as a group (action phase). The veterinarian is seen as the most important positive reference, but also the responsible actor for GIN control. As such, the farmers do not hold themselves responsible for implementing sustainable control strategies. Thirdly, different types of motivations influence different sorts of behaviours. Sustainable behaviour such as use of diagnostics will be influenced by moral motives, while management behaviour such as treatment is raised by more economic motives. Finally, not only performing, but also maintaining behaviour is important to fully address the adoption of sustainable control. As such, to maintain the adoption on farm, planning could be an important contribution. These insights can be used by animal health organizations and industry by exploiting motivations, social norms and planning to encourage the uptake of diagnostic approaches in GIN control. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pharmacists' views on the development of asthma pharmaceutical care model in Indonesia: A needs analysis study.

PubMed

Widayati, Aris; Virginia, Dita Maria; Setiawan, Christianus Heru; Fenty, Fenty; Donowati, Maria Wisnu; Christasani, Putu Dyana; Hartayu, Titien Siwi; Suhadi, Rita; Saini, Bandana; Armour, Carol

2018-01-30

Over recent years the pharmacy profession in Indonesia has adopted a stance of pharmaceutical care to expand their scope of practice. Asthma management presents a key opportunity for pharmacists to test expanded roles in health service provision. There is however no exploratory work on the willingness, experience or future practice needs of Indonesian pharmacists in the realm of specialised asthma service provision. The objectives of this study were to explore Indonesian pharmacists' experiences, perspectives, and needs regarding the provision of pharmaceutical care for asthma patients in Indonesia. The study utilised conventional qualitative content analyses with two stages, i.e.: deductive analyses and inductive concept development. Data were collected using Focus Group Discussion (FGD) Method. FGDs were conducted using a topic guide and by facilitators trained in FGD conduct. FGDs were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim prior to analysis. A maximum variation sampling methods targeted pharmacist across various settings of practice within Yogyakarta Indonesia. Nine focus groups with 103 pharmacist participants were conducted, with an average of 11 participants in each group. Inductively derived concepts that emerged included: willingness to adopt asthma service provision roles, pragmatism in recognising essential barriers/facilitators in adopting such roles, reflections regarding practice gaps and barriers to interprofessional collaboration mainly in relation to doctors. Inductive data analysis indicated clear differences in responses between hospital and non-hospital pharmacists. Key barriers to service provision included lack of training, lack of supportive professional frameworks, time and lack of reimbursement channels for services. Participants urged for a visionary leadership to facilitate pharmacists' role expansion into health services provision in Indonesia. Indonesian pharmacists were willing to adopt change and reported universally recognised barriers and facilitators to changing roles, especially in the provision of asthma care. Given this universality of pharmacists expressions, it may be suggested that the experience of researchers and academics who have expended time and effort in developing and implementing asthma care models in other countries should be, to some extent, transplanted to regions where pharmacy organisations are now considering adopting roles additional to medicines supply. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An Intelligent Optical Dissolved Oxygen Measurement Method Based on a Fluorescent Quenching Mechanism.

PubMed

Li, Fengmei; Wei, Yaoguang; Chen, Yingyi; Li, Daoliang; Zhang, Xu

2015-12-09

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is a key factor that influences the healthy growth of fishes in aquaculture. The DO content changes with the aquatic environment and should therefore be monitored online. However, traditional measurement methods, such as iodometry and other chemical analysis methods, are not suitable for online monitoring. The Clark method is not stable enough for extended periods of monitoring. To solve these problems, this paper proposes an intelligent DO measurement method based on the fluorescence quenching mechanism. The measurement system is composed of fluorescent quenching detection, signal conditioning, intelligent processing, and power supply modules. The optical probe adopts the fluorescent quenching mechanism to detect the DO content and solves the problem, whereas traditional chemical methods are easily influenced by the environment. The optical probe contains a thermistor and dual excitation sources to isolate visible parasitic light and execute a compensation strategy. The intelligent processing module adopts the IEEE 1451.2 standard and realizes intelligent compensation. Experimental results show that the optical measurement method is stable, accurate, and suitable for online DO monitoring in aquaculture applications.

An Intelligent Optical Dissolved Oxygen Measurement Method Based on a Fluorescent Quenching Mechanism

PubMed Central

Li, Fengmei; Wei, Yaoguang; Chen, Yingyi; Li, Daoliang; Zhang, Xu

2015-01-01

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is a key factor that influences the healthy growth of fishes in aquaculture. The DO content changes with the aquatic environment and should therefore be monitored online. However, traditional measurement methods, such as iodometry and other chemical analysis methods, are not suitable for online monitoring. The Clark method is not stable enough for extended periods of monitoring. To solve these problems, this paper proposes an intelligent DO measurement method based on the fluorescence quenching mechanism. The measurement system is composed of fluorescent quenching detection, signal conditioning, intelligent processing, and power supply modules. The optical probe adopts the fluorescent quenching mechanism to detect the DO content and solves the problem, whereas traditional chemical methods are easily influenced by the environment. The optical probe contains a thermistor and dual excitation sources to isolate visible parasitic light and execute a compensation strategy. The intelligent processing module adopts the IEEE 1451.2 standard and realizes intelligent compensation. Experimental results show that the optical measurement method is stable, accurate, and suitable for online DO monitoring in aquaculture applications. PMID:26690176

Analysis on the hot spot and trend of the foreign assembly building research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bi, Xiaoqing; Luo, Yanbing

2017-03-01

First of all, the paper analyzes the research on the front of the assembly building in the past 15 years. This article mainly adopts the method of CO word analysis, construct the co word matrix, correlation matrix, and then into a dissimilarity matrix, and on this basis, using factor analysis, cluster analysis and multi scale analysis method to study the structure of prefabricated construction field display. Finally, the results of the analysis are discussed, and summarized the current research focus of foreign prefabricated construction mainly concentrated in 7 aspects: embankment construction, wood construction, bridge construction, crane layout, PCM wall and glass system, based on neural network test, energy saving and recycling, and forecast the future trend of development study.

Advancement of Analysis Method for Electromagnetic Screening Effect of Mountain Tunnel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okutani, Tamio; Nakamura, Nobuyuki; Terada, Natsuki; Fukuda, Mitsuyoshi; Tate, Yutaka; Inada, Satoshi; Itoh, Hidenori; Wakao, Shinji

In this paper we report advancement of an analysis method for electromagnetic screening effect of mountain tunnel with a multiple conductor circuit model. On A.C. electrified railways it is a great issue to manage the influence of electromagnetic induction caused by feeding circuits. Tunnels are said to have a screening effect to reduce the electromagnetic induction because a large amount of steel is used in the tunnels. But recently the screening effect is less expected because New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM), in which the amount of steel used is less than in conventional methods, is adopted as the standard tunneling method for constructing mountain tunnels. So we measured and analyzed the actual screening effect of mountain tunnels constructed with NATM. In the process of the analysis we have advanced a method to analyze the screening effect more precisely. In this method we can adequately model tunnel structure as a part of multiple conductor circuit.

Diagnosis before treatment: Identifying dairy farmers' determinants for the adoption of sustainable practices in gastrointestinal nematode control.

PubMed

Vande Velde, F; Claerebout, E; Cauberghe, V; Hudders, L; Van Loo, H; Vercruysse, J; Charlier, J

2015-09-15

Anthelmintic resistance is emerging in dairy cattle and this can result in a lack of effective control and production losses. Therefore, sustainable control strategies, such as targeted treatments (TT) and targeted selected treatments (TST), should be adopted by the industry. TT and TST approaches require the use of diagnostic methods to take informed treatment decisions. To understand the factors affecting the farmers' intention to adopt diagnostic methods before implementing anthelmintic drugs ('adoption intention'), a cross-sectional survey was carried out in dairy farms in Belgium (Flanders). A framework was constructed to predict adoption intentions based on two fundamental theories in the field of behavioural psychology and health psychology: the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the Health Belief Model. In the tested model, adoption intentions were predicted based on attitudes towards anthelminthics, attitudes towards diagnostic methods, subjective norms, behavioural control and perceived risk. Structural equation modelling was used for analyses. The model fitted the data well and explained 46% of the variance in adoption intention of diagnostics. The factors 'attitude towards diagnostic methods' and 'subjective norm'; i.e. the influence of significant others, had the strongest, positive influence on adoption intention of diagnostic methods. 'Perceived behavioural control' had a weak, positive effect on intention. Further, 'attitude towards the use of anthelmintic drugs' had a negative effect on adoption intention of the diagnostic methods. This implicates an effect of current behaviour on future adoption, which should be considered in future research. Factors measuring risk perception of anthelmintic resistance; perceived severity and perceived susceptibility, had no effect on the adoption intention of diagnostic methods. The threat of anthelmintic resistance is perceived to be low for dairy herds. The study further did not find any differences in the effects of the predictors for young stock and adult dairy cows. The results of this study can be used to develop communication strategies to advertise sustainable nematode control on dairy farms. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optimal variable-grid finite-difference modeling for porous media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xinxin; Yin, Xingyao; Li, Haishan

2014-12-01

Numerical modeling of poroelastic waves by the finite-difference (FD) method is more expensive than that of acoustic or elastic waves. To improve the accuracy and computational efficiency of seismic modeling, variable-grid FD methods have been developed. In this paper, we derived optimal staggered-grid finite difference schemes with variable grid-spacing and time-step for seismic modeling in porous media. FD operators with small grid-spacing and time-step are adopted for low-velocity or small-scale geological bodies, while FD operators with big grid-spacing and time-step are adopted for high-velocity or large-scale regions. The dispersion relations of FD schemes were derived based on the plane wave theory, then the FD coefficients were obtained using the Taylor expansion. Dispersion analysis and modeling results demonstrated that the proposed method has higher accuracy with lower computational cost for poroelastic wave simulation in heterogeneous reservoirs.

Market Rhetoric and the Ebonics Debate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Longaker, Mark Garrett

2005-01-01

Using a method of topical rhetorical analysis, inspired by K. Burke, to discuss the Ebonics debate, this article demonstrates that conversations about education, particularly writing instruction, have adopted a market rhetoric that limits teachers' agency. However, reappropriation of this market rhetoric can help writing teachers to imagine and…

Investigation of the Bailey Method for the design and analysis of dense-graded HMAC using Oregon aggregates : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-09-01

Historically Oregon has specified gradations for dense-graded hot mix asphalt concrete (HMAC) using a combination of broadband limits and recommended ideal gradations. The recent adoption of SuperPave and Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA) technolog...

CZAEM USER'S GUIDE: MODELING CAPTURE ZONES OF GROUND-WATER WELLS USING ANALYTIC ELEMENTS

EPA Science Inventory

The computer program CZAEM is designed for elementary capture zone analysis, and is based on the analytic element method. CZAEM is applicable to confined and/or unconfined low in shallow aquifers; the Dupuit-Forchheimer assumption is adopted. CZAEM supports the following analyt...

Promoters and Barriers to Implementation of Tracheal Intubation Airway Safety Bundle: A Mixed-Method Analysis.

PubMed

Finn Davis, Katherine; Napolitano, Natalie; Li, Simon; Buffman, Hayley; Rehder, Kyle; Pinto, Matthew; Nett, Sholeen; Jarvis, J Dean; Kamat, Pradip; Sanders, Ronald C; Turner, David A; Sullivan, Janice E; Bysani, Kris; Lee, Anthony; Parker, Margaret; Adu-Darko, Michelle; Giuliano, John; Biagas, Katherine; Nadkarni, Vinay; Nishisaki, Akira

2017-10-01

To describe promoters and barriers to implementation of an airway safety quality improvement bundle from the perspective of interdisciplinary frontline clinicians and ICU quality improvement leaders. Mixed methods. Thirteen PICUs of the National Emergency Airway Registry for Children network. Remote or on-site focus groups with interdisciplinary ICU staff. Two semistructured interviews with ICU quality improvement leaders with quantitative and qualitative data-based feedbacks. Bundle implementation success (compliance) was defined as greater than or equal to 80% use for tracheal intubations for 3 consecutive months. ICUs were classified as early or late adopters. Focus group discussions concentrated on safety concerns and promoters and barriers to bundle implementation. Initial semistructured quality improvement leader interviews assessed implementation tactics and provided recommendations. Follow-up interviews assessed degree of acceptance and changes made after initial interview. Transcripts were thematically analyzed and contrasted by early versus late adopters. Median duration to achieve success was 502 days (interquartile range, 182-781). Five sites were early (median, 153 d; interquartile range, 146-267) and eight sites were late adopters (median, 783 d; interquartile range, 773-845). Focus groups identified common "promoter" themes-interdisciplinary approach, influential champions, and quality improvement bundle customization-and "barrier" themes-time constraints, competing paperwork and quality improvement activities, and poor engagement. Semistructured interviews with quality improvement leaders identified effective and ineffective tactics implemented by early and late adopters. Effective tactics included interdisciplinary quality improvement team involvement (early adopter: 5/5, 100% vs late adopter: 3/8, 38%; p = 0.08); ineffective tactics included physician-only rollouts, lack of interdisciplinary education, lack of data feedback to frontline clinicians, and misconception of bundle as research instead of quality improvement intervention. Implementation of an airway safety quality improvement bundle with high compliance takes a long time across diverse ICUs. Both early and late adopters identified similar promoter and barrier themes. Early adopter sites customized the quality improvement bundle and had an interdisciplinary quality improvement team approach.

Why farmers adopt best management practice in the United States: A meta-analysis of the adoption literature

USGS Publications Warehouse

Baumgart-Getz, Adam; Stalker Prokopy, Linda; Floress, Kristin

2012-01-01

This meta-analysis of both published and unpublished studies assesses factors believed to influence adoption of agricultural Best Management Practices in the United States. Using an established statistical technique to summarize the adoption literature in the United States, we identified the following variables as having the largest impact on adoption: access to and quality of information, financial capacity, and being connected to agency or local networks of farmers or watershed groups. This study shows that various approaches to data collection affect the results and comparability of adoption studies. In particular, environmental awareness and farmer attitudes have been inconsistently used and measured across the literature. This meta-analysis concludes with suggestions regarding the future direction of adoption studies, along with guidelines for how data should be presented to enhance the adoption of conservation practices and guide research.

Using Watershed Models and Human Behavioral Analyses to identify Management Options to Reduce Lake Erie's Harmful Algal Blooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, J.; Wilson, R. S.; Aloysius, N.; Kalcic, M. M.; Roe, B.; Howard, G.; Irwin, E.; Zhang, W.; Liu, H.

2017-12-01

In early 2016, the United States and Canada formally agreed to reduce phosphorus inputs to Lake Erie by 40% to reduce the severity of annual Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). These blooms have become more severe, with record events occurring in 2011 and 2015, and have compromised public safety, shut down drinking water supplies, and negatively impacted the economy of the western Lake Erie basin. Now, a key question is what management options should be pursued to reach the 40% reduction. This presentation will highlight interdisciplinary research to compare the amount and types of practices needed for this reduction to the current and projected levels of adoption. Multiple models of the Maumee watershed identified management plans and adoption rates needed to reach the reduction targets. For example, one successful scenario estimated necessary adoption rates of 50% for subsurface application of fertilizer on row crops, 58% for cover crops, and 78% for buffer strips. Current adoption is below these levels, but future projections based on farmer surveys shows these levels are possible. This information was then used to guide another round of watershed modeling analysis to evaluate scenarios that represented more realistic scenarios based on potential levels of management adoption. In general, these results show that accelerated adoption of management plans is needed compared to past adoption rates, and that some of these greater adoption levels are possible based on likely adoption rates. Increasing the perceived efficacy of the practices is one method that will support greater voluntary rates of adoption.

Understanding Electronic Medical Record Adoption in the United States: Communication and Sociocultural Perspectives

PubMed Central

Kreps, Gary L; Polit, Stan

2013-01-01

Background This paper adopts a communication and sociocultural perspective to analyze the factors behind the lag in electronic medical record (EMR) adoption in the United States. Much of the extant research on this topic has emphasized economic factors, particularly, lack of economic incentives, as the primary cause of the delay in EMR adoption. This prompted the Health Information Technology on Economic and Clinical Health Act that allow financial incentives through the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services for many health care organizations planning to adopt EMR. However, financial incentives alone have not solved the problem; many new innovations do not diffuse even when offered for free. Thus, this paper underlines the need to consider communication and sociocultural factors to develop a better understanding of the impediments of EMR adoption. Objective The objective of this paper was to develop a holistic understanding of EMR adoption by identifying and analyzing the impact of communication and sociocultural factors that operate at 3 levels: macro (environmental), meso (organizational), and micro (individual). Methods We use the systems approach to focus on the 3 levels (macro, meso, and micro) and developed propositions at each level drawing on the communication and sociocultural perspectives. Results Our analysis resulted in 10 propositions that connect communication and sociocultural aspects with EMR adoption. Conclusions This paper brings perspectives from the social sciences that have largely been missing in the extant literature of health information technology (HIT) adoption. In doing so, it implies how communication and sociocultural factors may complement (and in some instances, reinforce) the impact of economic factors on HIT adoption. PMID:23612390

Methods for Force Analysis of Overconstrained Parallel Mechanisms: A Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Wen-Lan; Xu, Yun-Dou; Yao, Jian-Tao; Zhao, Yong-Sheng

2017-11-01

The force analysis of overconstrained PMs is relatively complex and difficult, for which the methods have always been a research hotspot. However, few literatures analyze the characteristics and application scopes of the various methods, which is not convenient for researchers and engineers to master and adopt them properly. A review of the methods for force analysis of both passive and active overconstrained PMs is presented. The existing force analysis methods for these two kinds of overconstrained PMs are classified according to their main ideas. Each category is briefly demonstrated and evaluated from such aspects as the calculation amount, the comprehensiveness of considering limbs' deformation, and the existence of explicit expressions of the solutions, which provides an important reference for researchers and engineers to quickly find a suitable method. The similarities and differences between the statically indeterminate problem of passive overconstrained PMs and that of active overconstrained PMs are discussed, and a universal method for these two kinds of overconstrained PMs is pointed out. The existing deficiencies and development directions of the force analysis methods for overconstrained systems are indicated based on the overview.

Analysis of an ultrasonically rotating droplet by moving particle semi-implicit and distributed point source method in a rotational coordinate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wada, Yuji; Yuge, Kohei; Tanaka, Hiroki; Nakamura, Kentaro

2017-07-01

Numerical analysis on the rotation of an ultrasonically levitated droplet in centrifugal coordinate is discussed. A droplet levitated in an acoustic chamber is simulated using the distributed point source method and the moving particle semi-implicit method. Centrifugal coordinate is adopted to avoid the Laplacian differential error, which causes numerical divergence or inaccuracy in the global coordinate calculation. Consequently, the duration of calculation stability has increased 30 times longer than that in a the previous paper. Moreover, the droplet radius versus rotational acceleration characteristics show a similar trend to the theoretical and experimental values in the literature.

Decreasing the Risk of Adopting New Interactive Instructional Delivery Technologies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dennis, Verl E.

1993-01-01

Discusses new interactive training technologies; considers risks of adopting a new technology; and presents the conceptual framework of technology life cycle analysis that provides timing information for the adoption of a new technology that should be used in addition to cost-benefit analysis and technical analysis. (LRW)

Cross-correlation of point series using a new method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strothers, Richard B.

1994-01-01

Traditional methods of cross-correlation of two time series do not apply to point time series. Here, a new method, devised specifically for point series, utilizes a correlation measure that is based in the rms difference (or, alternatively, the median absolute difference) between nearest neightbors in overlapped segments of the two series. Error estimates for the observed locations of the points, as well as a systematic shift of one series with respect to the other to accommodate a constant, but unknown, lead or lag, are easily incorporated into the analysis using Monte Carlo techniques. A methodological restriction adopted here is that one series be treated as a template series against which the other, called the target series, is cross-correlated. To estimate a significance level for the correlation measure, the adopted alternative (null) hypothesis is that the target series arises from a homogeneous Poisson process. The new method is applied to cross-correlating the times of the greatest geomagnetic storms with the times of maximum in the undecennial solar activity cycle.

Theoretical and experimental research on diversity reception technology in NLOS UV communication system.

PubMed

Han, Dahai; Liu, Yile; Zhang, Kai; Luo, Pengfei; Zhang, Min

2012-07-02

Diversity reception technology is introduced into ultraviolet communication area in this article with theory analysis and practical experiment. The idea of diversity reception was known as a critical effective method in wireless communication area that improves the Gain significantly especially for the multi-scattering channel. A theoretical modeling and simulation method are proposed to depict the principle and feasibility of diversity reception adopted in UV communication. Besides, an experimental test-bed using ultraviolet LED and dual receiver of photomultiplier tube is setup to characterize the effects of diversity receiving in non-line-of-sight (NLOS) ultraviolet communication system. The experiment results are compared with the theoretical ones to verify the accuracy of theoretical modeling and the effect of diversity reception. Equal gain combining (EGC) method was adopted as the diversity mechanism in this paper. The research results of theory and experiment provide insight into the channel characteristics and achievable capabilities of ultraviolet communication system with diversity receiving method.

An implicit spatial and high-order temporal finite difference scheme for 2D acoustic modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Enjiang; Liu, Yang

2018-01-01

The finite difference (FD) method exhibits great superiority over other numerical methods due to its easy implementation and small computational requirement. We propose an effective FD method, characterised by implicit spatial and high-order temporal schemes, to reduce both the temporal and spatial dispersions simultaneously. For the temporal derivative, apart from the conventional second-order FD approximation, a special rhombus FD scheme is included to reach high-order accuracy in time. Compared with the Lax-Wendroff FD scheme, this scheme can achieve nearly the same temporal accuracy but requires less floating-point operation times and thus less computational cost when the same operator length is adopted. For the spatial derivatives, we adopt the implicit FD scheme to improve the spatial accuracy. Apart from the existing Taylor series expansion-based FD coefficients, we derive the least square optimisation based implicit spatial FD coefficients. Dispersion analysis and modelling examples demonstrate that, our proposed method can effectively decrease both the temporal and spatial dispersions, thus can provide more accurate wavefields.

Using the framework method for the analysis of qualitative data in multi-disciplinary health research.

PubMed

Gale, Nicola K; Heath, Gemma; Cameron, Elaine; Rashid, Sabina; Redwood, Sabi

2013-09-18

The Framework Method is becoming an increasingly popular approach to the management and analysis of qualitative data in health research. However, there is confusion about its potential application and limitations. The article discusses when it is appropriate to adopt the Framework Method and explains the procedure for using it in multi-disciplinary health research teams, or those that involve clinicians, patients and lay people. The stages of the method are illustrated using examples from a published study. Used effectively, with the leadership of an experienced qualitative researcher, the Framework Method is a systematic and flexible approach to analysing qualitative data and is appropriate for use in research teams even where not all members have previous experience of conducting qualitative research.

Adopting exergy analysis for use in aerospace

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayes, David; Lone, Mudassir; Whidborne, James F.; Camberos, José; Coetzee, Etienne

2017-08-01

Thermodynamic analysis methods, based on an exergy metric, have been developed to improve system efficiency of traditional heat driven systems such as ground based power plants and aircraft propulsion systems. However, in more recent years interest in the topic has broadened to include applying these second law methods to the field of aerodynamics and complete aerospace vehicles. Work to date is based on highly simplified structures, but such a method could be shown to have benefit to the highly conservative and risk averse commercial aerospace sector. This review justifies how thermodynamic exergy analysis has the potential to facilitate a breakthrough in the optimization of aerospace vehicles based on a system of energy systems, through studying the exergy-based multidisciplinary design of future flight vehicles.

Proposed key characteristics of male reproductive toxicants as a method for organizing and screening mechanistic evidence for non-cancer outcomes.

EPA Science Inventory

The adoption of systematic review practices for risk assessment includes integration of evidence obtained from experimental, epidemiological, and mechanistic studies. Although mechanistic evidence plays an important role in mode of action analysis, the process of sorting and anal...

The Role of Principals in Professional Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buttram, Joan L.; Farley-Ripple, Elizabeth N.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this article is to identify how principals shape the adoption and implementation of professional learning communities. The study employed a sequential mixed-methods approach in which interviews, observations, and document analysis informed survey design. Teachers were surveyed in four elementary schools about the practices and…

Expansive Visibilization to Stimulate EFL Teacher Reflection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ito, Ryu

2012-01-01

Despite the growing popularity of action research, bridging the gap between data collection and reflective data analysis still lacks a well-developed methodology. As a supplement to the traditional action research procedure for language teaching, I adopted a method called expansive visibilization (EV), which has the potential to be a reflective…

Investigating the Structure of the Pediatric Symptoms Checklist in the Preschool Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiStefano, Christine; Liu, Jin; Burgess, Yin

2017-01-01

When using educational/psychological instruments, psychometric investigations should be conducted before adopting to new environments to ensure that an instrument measures the same constructs. Exploratory structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis methods were used to examine the utility of the short form of the Pediatric…

Language Policy and Language Planning in Cyprus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hadjioannou, Xenia; Tsiplakou, Stavroula; Kappler, Matthias

2011-01-01

The aim of this monograph is to provide a detailed account of language policy and language planning in Cyprus. Using both historical and synchronic data and adopting a mixed-methods approach (archival research, ethnographic tools and insights from sociolinguistics and Critical Discourse Analysis), this study attempts to trace the origins and the…

Investigations in Science Education. Volume 13, Number 3, 1987.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blosser, Patricia E., Ed.; Helgeson, Stanley L., Ed.

1987-01-01

Abstracts and abstractors' critiques of six research reports related to preservice teacher education and instruction are presented. Aspects addressed in the studies include: (1) teaching strategy analysis models in middle school science education courses; (2) concerns-based adoption model (CBAM): basis for an elementary science methods course; (3)…

Classification and Framing in the Case Method: Discussion Leaders' Questions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Badger, James

2010-01-01

Basil Bernstein's classification and framing was adopted as a theoretical model to analyse the instruction of two university professors who incorporated case studies into their graduate business and education courses. Classification and framing allows for a meaningful analysis of the discussion leader's questions that facilitate students'…

Predictors of language service availability in U.S. hospitals

PubMed Central

Schiaffino, Melody K.; Al-Amin, Mona; Schumacher, Jessica R.

2014-01-01

Background: Hispanics comprise 17% of the total U.S. population, surpassing African-Americans as the largest minority group. Linguistically, almost 60 million people speak a language other than English. This language diversity can create barriers and additional burden and risk when seeking health services. Patients with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) for example, have been shown to experience a disproportionate risk of poor health outcomes, making the provision of Language Services (LS) in healthcare facilities critical. Research on the determinants of LS adoption has focused more on overall cultural competence and internal managerial decision-making than on measuring LS adoption as a process outcome influenced by contextual or external factors. The current investigation examines the relationship between state policy, service area factors, and hospital characteristics on hospital LS adoption. Methods: We employ a cross-sectional analysis of survey data from a national sample of hospitals in the American Hospital Association (AHA) database for 2011 (N= 4876) to analyze hospital characteristics and outcomes, augmented with additional population data from the American Community Survey (ACS) to estimate language diversity in the hospital service area. Additional data from the National Health Law Program (NHeLP) facilitated the state level Medicaid reimbursement factor. Results: Only 64% of hospitals offered LS. Hospitals that adopted LS were more likely to be not-for-profit, in areas with higher than average language diversity, larger, and urban. Hospitals in above average language diverse counties had more than 2-fold greater odds of adopting LS than less language diverse areas [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR): 2.26, P< 0.01]. Further, hospitals with a strategic orientation toward diversity had nearly 2-fold greater odds of adopting LS (AOR: 1.90, P< 0.001). Conclusion: Our findings support the importance of structural and contextual factors as they relate to healthcare delivery. Healthcare organizations must address the needs of the population they serve and align their efforts internally. Current financial incentives do not appear to influence adoption of LS, nor do Medicaid reimbursement funds, thus suggesting that further alignment of incentives. Organizational and system level factors have a place in disparities research and warrant further analysis; additional spatial methods could enhance our understanding of population factors critical to system-level health services research. PMID:25337600

The effect of non traditional teaching methods in entrepreneurship education on students entrepreneurial interest and business startups: A data article.

PubMed

Olokundun, Maxwell; Moses, Chinonye Love; Iyiola, Oluwole; Ibidunni, Stephen; Ogbari, Mercy; Peter, Fred; Borishade, Taiye

2018-08-01

Traditional methods of teaching entrepreneurship in universities involves more theoretical approaches which are less effective in motivating considerations for an entrepreneurship career. This owes to the fact that such techniques essentially make students develop a dormant attitude rather than active participation. Expert views suggest that experiential entrepreneurship teaching methods in universities which involve practical activities and active participation can be considered salient to students' development of entrepreneurial interest an business startup potentials. This present study presents data on the extent to which experiential teaching methods in entrepreneurship adopted by Nigerian universities stimulate students' entrepreneurial interest and business startups. Data have been gathered following a descriptive cross-sectional quantitative survey conducted among university students ( N = 600) of four selected institutions in Nigeria offering a degree programme in entrepreneurship. Hierarchical Multiple Regression Analysis was used in confirming the hypothesis proposed in the study using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.The findings from the analysis showed that the adoption of experiential practical activities considered as best practices in entrepreneurship teaching in Nigerian universities can stimulate students' interest and drive for engaging in business start-up activities even as undergraduates. The field data set is made extensively available to allow for critical investigation.

Establishing an efficient way to utilize the drought resistance germplasm population in wheat.

PubMed

Wang, Jiancheng; Guan, Yajing; Wang, Yang; Zhu, Liwei; Wang, Qitian; Hu, Qijuan; Hu, Jin

2013-01-01

Drought resistance breeding provides a hopeful way to improve yield and quality of wheat in arid and semiarid regions. Constructing core collection is an efficient way to evaluate and utilize drought-resistant germplasm resources in wheat. In the present research, 1,683 wheat varieties were divided into five germplasm groups (high resistant, HR; resistant, R; moderate resistant, MR; susceptible, S; and high susceptible, HS). The least distance stepwise sampling (LDSS) method was adopted to select core accessions. Six commonly used genetic distances (Euclidean distance, Euclid; Standardized Euclidean distance, Seuclid; Mahalanobis distance, Mahal; Manhattan distance, Manhat; Cosine distance, Cosine; and Correlation distance, Correlation) were used to assess genetic distances among accessions. Unweighted pair-group average (UPGMA) method was used to perform hierarchical cluster analysis. Coincidence rate of range (CR) and variable rate of coefficient of variation (VR) were adopted to evaluate the representativeness of the core collection. A method for selecting the ideal constructing strategy was suggested in the present research. A wheat core collection for the drought resistance breeding programs was constructed by the strategy selected in the present research. The principal component analysis showed that the genetic diversity was well preserved in that core collection.

A New Reassigned Spectrogram Method in Interference Detection for GNSS Receivers.

PubMed

Sun, Kewen; Jin, Tian; Yang, Dongkai

2015-09-02

Interference detection is very important for Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers. Current work on interference detection in GNSS receivers has mainly focused on time-frequency (TF) analysis techniques, such as spectrogram and Wigner-Ville distribution (WVD), where the spectrogram approach presents the TF resolution trade-off problem, since the analysis window is used, and the WVD method suffers from the very serious cross-term problem, due to its quadratic TF distribution nature. In order to solve the cross-term problem and to preserve good TF resolution in the TF plane at the same time, in this paper, a new TF distribution by using a reassigned spectrogram has been proposed in interference detection for GNSS receivers. This proposed reassigned spectrogram method efficiently combines the elimination of the cross-term provided by the spectrogram itself according to its inherent nature and the improvement of the TF aggregation property achieved by the reassignment method. Moreover, a notch filter has been adopted in interference mitigation for GNSS receivers, where receiver operating characteristics (ROCs) are used as metrics for the characterization of interference mitigation performance. The proposed interference detection method by using a reassigned spectrogram is evaluated by experiments on GPS L1 signals in the disturbing scenarios in comparison to the state-of-the-art TF analysis approaches. The analysis results show that the proposed interference detection technique effectively overcomes the cross-term problem and also keeps good TF localization properties, which has been proven to be valid and effective to enhance the interference Sensors 2015, 15 22168 detection performance; in addition, the adoption of the notch filter in interference mitigation has shown a significant acquisition performance improvement in terms of ROC curves for GNSS receivers in jamming environments.

A New Reassigned Spectrogram Method in Interference Detection for GNSS Receivers

PubMed Central

Sun, Kewen; Jin, Tian; Yang, Dongkai

2015-01-01

Interference detection is very important for Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers. Current work on interference detection in GNSS receivers has mainly focused on time-frequency (TF) analysis techniques, such as spectrogram and Wigner–Ville distribution (WVD), where the spectrogram approach presents the TF resolution trade-off problem, since the analysis window is used, and the WVD method suffers from the very serious cross-term problem, due to its quadratic TF distribution nature. In order to solve the cross-term problem and to preserve good TF resolution in the TF plane at the same time, in this paper, a new TF distribution by using a reassigned spectrogram has been proposed in interference detection for GNSS receivers. This proposed reassigned spectrogram method efficiently combines the elimination of the cross-term provided by the spectrogram itself according to its inherent nature and the improvement of the TF aggregation property achieved by the reassignment method. Moreover, a notch filter has been adopted in interference mitigation for GNSS receivers, where receiver operating characteristics (ROCs) are used as metrics for the characterization of interference mitigation performance. The proposed interference detection method by using a reassigned spectrogram is evaluated by experiments on GPS L1 signals in the disturbing scenarios in comparison to the state-of-the-art TF analysis approaches. The analysis results show that the proposed interference detection technique effectively overcomes the cross-term problem and also keeps good TF localization properties, which has been proven to be valid and effective to enhance the interference detection performance; in addition, the adoption of the notch filter in interference mitigation has shown a significant acquisition performance improvement in terms of ROC curves for GNSS receivers in jamming environments. PMID:26364637

Failure Analysis of a Service Tube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Zhongdong; Cai, Weiguo; Li, Zhenxing; Guan, YiMing; Zhang, Baocheng; Yang, XiaoTong

2017-12-01

One tube was cracked used in the primary reformer furnace in a fertilizer plant for two and half years. In order to find out the causes of cracking, the methods for chemical composition analysis, macro- and microstructure analysis, penetrant testing, weld analysis, crack and surface damage analysis, mechanics property analysis, high temperature endurance performance analysis, stress and wall thickness calculation were adopted. The integrated assessment results showed that the carbon content of the tube was in the lower limit of the standard range; the tube effective wall thickness was too small; local overheating leads to tube cracking in use process.

Exploring the role of the nurse manager in supporting point-of-care nurses’ adoption of electronic health records: protocol for a qualitative research study

PubMed Central

Strudwick, Gillian; Booth, Richard G; Bjarnadottir, Ragnhildur I; Collins, Sarah; Srivastava, Rani

2017-01-01

Introduction An increasing number of electronic health record (EHR) systems have been implemented in clinical practice environments where nurses work. Findings from previous studies have found that a number of intended benefits of the technology have not yet been realised to date, partially due to poor system adoption among health professionals such as nurses. Previous studies have suggested that nurse managers can support the effective adoption and use of the technology by nurses. However, no known studies have identified what role nurse managers have in supporting technology adoption, nor the specific strategies that managers can employ to support their staff. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to better understand the role of the nurse manager in point-of-care nurses’ use of EHRs, and to identify strategies that may be effective in supporting clinical adoption. Methods and analysis This study will use a qualitative descriptive design. Interviews with both nurse managers and point-of-care nursing staff will be conducted in a Canadian mental health and addiction healthcare organisation where an EHR has been implemented. A semistructured interview guide will be used, and interviews will be audio recorded. Transcripts will be analysed using a directed content analysis technique. Strategies to ensure the trustworthiness of the data analysis procedure and findings will be employed. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval for this study has been obtained. Dissemination strategies may include a paper submission to a peer-reviewed journal, a conference submission and meetings to share findings with the study site leadership team. Findings from this research will be used to inform a future study which aims to assess levels of competencies and perform a psychometric analysis of the Nursing Informatics Competency Assessment for the Nurse Leader instrument in a Canadian context. PMID:29025847

Cigarette Graphic Warning Labels and Smoking Prevalence in Canada: A Critical Examination and Reformulation of the FDA Regulatory Impact Analysis

PubMed Central

Huang, Jidong; Chaloupka, Frank J.; Fong, Geoffrey T.

2014-01-01

Background The estimated effect of cigarette graphic warning labels (GWLs) on smoking rates is a key input to FDA's regulatory impact analysis (RIA), required by law as part of its rulemaking process. However, evidence on the impact of GWLs on smoking prevalence is scarce. Objective The goal of this paper is to critically analyze FDA's approach to estimating the impact of GWLs on smoking rates in its RIA, and to suggest a path forward to estimating the impact of the adoption of GWLs in Canada on Canadian national adult smoking prevalence. Methods A quasi-experimental methodology was employed to examine the impact of adoption of GWLs in Canada in 2000, using the U.S. as a control. Findings We found a statistically significant reduction in smoking rates after the adoption of GWLs in Canada in comparison to the U.S. Our analyses show that implementation of GWLs in Canada reduced smoking rates by 2.87 to 4.68 percentage points, a relative reduction of 12.1 to 19.6% — 33 to 53 times larger than FDA's estimates of a 0.088 percentage point reduction. We also demonstrated that FDA's estimate of the impact was flawed because it is highly sensitive to the changes in variable selection, model specification, and the time period analyzed. Conclusions Adopting GWLs on cigarette packages reduces smoking prevalence. Applying our analysis of the Canadian GWLs, we estimate that if the U.S. had adopted GWLs in 2012, the number of adult smokers in the U.S. would have decreased by 5.3 to 8.6 million in 2013. Our analysis demonstrates that FDA's approach to estimating the impact of GWLs on smoking rates is flawed. Rectifying these problems before this approach becomes the norm is critical for FDA's effective regulation of tobacco products. PMID:24218057

Gene Therapy for Fracture Repair

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-05-01

Methods: We have adopted the Agilent rat oligomer chip to analyze our fracture RNA in our microarray analysis. This chip has 20,046 unique gene...signal during fluorescent labeling of the cDNA. This approach is highly advantageous for reducing the RNA input into the system, minimizing the numbers...perform the analysis on these extremely limited samples without pooling the RNA from multiple individuals. We are therefore able to analyze the

The Temporal Effect of Training Utility Perceptions on Adopting a Trained Method: The Role of Perceived Organizational Support

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madera, Juan M.; Steele, Stacey T.; Beier, Margaret

2011-01-01

The current study examined the temporal effect of perceived training utility on adoption of a trained method and how perceived organizational support influences the relationship between perceived training utility perceptions and adoption of a trained method. With the use of a correlational-survey-based design, this longitudinal study required…

An empirical study of mHealth adoption in a developing country: the moderating effect of gender concern.

PubMed

Hoque, Md Rakibul

2016-05-03

mHealth has become a valuable tool for providing health care services in developing countries. Despite the potential benefits of mHealth, its adoption remains a very challenge in developing countries like Bangladesh. The aim of this study is to investigate the factors that affect the adoption of mHealth services in Bangladesh using Extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Data were collected from over 250 respondents in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The data were analyzed using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) method, a statistical analysis technique based on the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The study found that perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness and subjective norm (p < 0.05) had significant positive impact on the intention to adopt mHealth services. Surprisingly, the effects of personal innovativeness in IT (p > 0.05) on mHealth adoption were insignificant. This study also revealed that gender was strongly associated with the adoption and use of mHealth in developing countries. The findings of this study can be used by government, policy makers, and mobile phone Company to maximize the acceptance of mHealth services in Bangladesh. The paper concludes with a discussion of research results and draws several implications for future research.

Every document and picture tells a story: using internal corporate document reviews, semiotics, and content analysis to assess tobacco advertising.

PubMed

Anderson, S J; Dewhirst, T; Ling, P M

2006-06-01

In this article we present communication theory as a conceptual framework for conducting documents research on tobacco advertising strategies, and we discuss two methods for analysing advertisements: semiotics and content analysis. We provide concrete examples of how we have used tobacco industry documents archives and tobacco advertisement collections iteratively in our research to yield a synergistic analysis of these two complementary data sources. Tobacco promotion researchers should consider adopting these theoretical and methodological approaches.

Working with words: exploring textual analysis in medical education research.

PubMed

Park, Sophie; Griffin, Ann; Gill, Deborah

2012-04-01

  Text is familiar to us all. This paper offers an introduction to, and an exploration of, the range of methodological possibilities open to the education researcher who has chosen to use text as a research data source. It encourages a purposeful deliberation of the different textual sources available as data, the range of methodological approaches possible and the types of interpretation that can be adopted when embarking on an empirical study using textual data.   Approaches to interpreting text are varied and utilise a range of analytical and interpretative strategies. To illustrate the theoretical points raised within this paper, two contrasting methods were applied to the same text. Tag cloud analysis and performative narrative analysis (PNA) were employed to analyse Chapter 4 of the UK government's 2010 White Paper Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS.   The adoption of these contrasting methodologies, which are not currently used extensively in medical education research, revealed that some common issues were identified by both tag clouds and PNA, but, in addition, each approach was able to unveil something unique about the text.   These two methods highlight the range of affordances, or possibilities, that textual analysis will have on the results. We suggest that medical education researchers should be encouraged to move away from the current dominant and privileged methodologies that seek to provide answers and explore other methods and approaches to textual data that encourage us to question and reflect more deeply. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2012.

Integral Analysis of Seismic Refraction and Ambient Vibration Survey for Subsurface Profile Evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hazreek, Z. A. M.; Kamarudin, A. F.; Rosli, S.; Fauziah, A.; Akmal, M. A. K.; Aziman, M.; Azhar, A. T. S.; Ashraf, M. I. M.; Shaylinda, M. Z. N.; Rais, Y.; Ishak, M. F.; Alel, M. N. A.

2018-04-01

Geotechnical site investigation as known as subsurface profile evaluation is the process of subsurface layer characteristics determination which finally used for design and construction phase. Traditionally, site investigation was performed using drilling technique thus suffers from several limitation due to cost, time, data coverage and sustainability. In order to overcome those problems, this study adopted surface techniques using seismic refraction and ambient vibration method for subsurface profile depth evaluation. Seismic refraction data acquisition and processing was performed using ABEM Terraloc and OPTIM software respectively. Meanwhile ambient vibration data acquisition and processing was performed using CityShark II, Lennartz and GEOPSY software respectively. It was found that studied area consist of two layers representing overburden and bedrock geomaterials based on p-wave velocity value (vp = 300 – 2500 m/s and vp > 2500 m/s) and natural frequency value (Fo = 3.37 – 3.90 Hz) analyzed. Further analysis found that both methods show some good similarity in term of depth and thickness with percentage accuracy at 60 – 97%. Consequently, this study has demonstrated that the application of seismic refractin and ambient vibration method was applicable in subsurface profile depth and thickness estimation. Moreover, surface technique which consider as non-destructive method adopted in this study was able to compliment conventional drilling method in term of cost, time, data coverage and environmental sustainaibility.

Technologies and decision support systems to aid solid-waste management: a systematic review.

PubMed

Vitorino de Souza Melaré, Angelina; Montenegro González, Sahudy; Faceli, Katti; Casadei, Vitor

2017-01-01

Population growth associated with population migration to urban areas and industrial development have led to a consumption relation that results in environmental, social, and economic problems. With respect to the environment, a critical concern is the lack of control and the inadequate management of the solid waste generated in urban centers. Among the challenges are proper waste-collection management, treatment, and disposal, with an emphasis on sustainable management. This paper presents a systematic review on scientific publications concerning decision support systems applied to Solid Waste Management (SWM) using ICTs and OR in the period of 2010-2013. A statistical analysis of the eighty-seven most relevant publications is presented, encompassing the ICTs and OR methods adopted in SWM, the processes of solid-waste management where they were adopted, and which countries are investigating solutions for the management of solid waste. A detailed discussion on how the ICTs and OR methods have been combined in the solutions was also presented. The analysis and discussion provided aims to help researchers and managers to gather insights on technologies/methods suitable the SWM challenges they have at hand, and on gaps that can be explored regarding technologies/methods that could be useful as well as the processes in SWM that currently do not benefit from using ICTs and OR methods. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Online and unsupervised face recognition for continuous video stream

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huo, Hongwen; Feng, Jufu

2009-10-01

We present a novel online face recognition approach for video stream in this paper. Our method includes two stages: pre-training and online training. In the pre-training phase, our method observes interactions, collects batches of input data, and attempts to estimate their distributions (Box-Cox transformation is adopted here to normalize rough estimates). In the online training phase, our method incrementally improves classifiers' knowledge of the face space and updates it continuously with incremental eigenspace analysis. The performance achieved by our method shows its great potential in video stream processing.

Wilsonian methods of concept analysis: a critique.

PubMed

Hupcey, J E; Morse, J M; Lenz, E R; Tasón, M C

1996-01-01

Wilsonian methods of concept analysis--that is, the method proposed by Wilson and Wilson-derived methods in nursing (as described by Walker and Avant; Chinn and Kramer [Jacobs]; Schwartz-Barcott and Kim; and Rodgers)--are discussed and compared in this article. The evolution and modifications of Wilson's method in nursing are described and research that has used these methods, assessed. The transformation of Wilson's method is traced as each author has adopted his techniques and attempted to modify the method to correct for limitations. We suggest that these adaptations and modifications ultimately erode Wilson's method. Further, the Wilson-derived methods have been overly simplified and used by nurse researchers in a prescriptive manner, and the results often do not serve the purpose of expanding nursing knowledge. We conclude that, considering the significance of concept development for the nursing profession, the development of new methods and a means for evaluating conceptual inquiry must be given priority.

Adoption of new drugs by physicians: a survival analysis.

PubMed

Garjón, Francisco Javier; Azparren, Ana; Vergara, Iván; Azaola, Borja; Loayssa, Jose Ramón

2012-03-08

New drugs often substitute others cheaper and with a risk-benefit balance better established. Our aim was to analyse the diffusion of new drugs during the first months of use, examining the differences between family physicians and specialists. Prescription data were obtained of cefditoren, duloxetine, etoricoxib, ezetimibe, levocetirizine, olmesartan, pregabalin and tiotropium 36 months after their launching. We obtained the monthly number of prescriptions per doctor and the number prescribers of each drug by specialty. After discarding those with less than 10 prescriptions during this period, physicians were defined as adopters if the number of prescriptions was over the 25th percentile for each drug and level (primary or secondary care). The diffusion of each drug was studied by determining the number of adopter family physicians throughout the study period. Among the group of adopters, we compared the month of the first prescription by family physicians to that of other specialists using the Kaplan-Meier method. The adoption of the drugs in primary care follows an exponential diffusion curve that reaches a plateau at month 6 to 23. Tiotropium was the most rapidly and widely adopted drug. Cefditoren spread at a slower rate and was the least adopted. The diffusion of etoricoxib was initially slowed down due to administrative requirements for its prescription. The median time of adoption in the case of family physicians was 4-6 months. For each of the drugs, physicians of a specialty other than family physicians adopted it first. The number of adopters of a new drug increases quickly in the first months and reaches a plateau. The number of adopter family physicians varies considerably for different drugs. The adoption of new drugs is faster in specialists. The time of adoption should be considered to promote rational prescribing by providing timely information about new drugs and independent medical education.

Social networks and implementation of evidence-based practices in public youth-serving systems: a mixed-methods study

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The present study examines the structure and operation of social networks of information and advice and their role in making decisions as to whether to adopt new evidence-based practices (EBPs) among agency directors and other program professionals in 12 California counties participating in a large randomized controlled trial. Methods Interviews were conducted with 38 directors, assistant directors, and program managers of county probation, mental health, and child welfare departments. Grounded-theory analytic methods were used to identify themes related to EBP adoption and network influences. A web-based survey collected additional quantitative information on members of information and advice networks of study participants. A mixed-methods approach to data analysis was used to create a sociometric data set (n = 176) for examination of associations between advice seeking and network structure. Results Systems leaders develop and maintain networks of information and advice based on roles, responsibility, geography, and friendship ties. Networks expose leaders to information about EBPs and opportunities to adopt EBPs; they also influence decisions to adopt EBPs. Individuals in counties at the same stage of implementation accounted for 83% of all network ties. Networks in counties that decided not to implement a specific EBP had no extra-county ties. Implementation of EBPs at the two-year follow-up was associated with the size of county, urban versus rural counties, and in-degree centrality. Collaboration was viewed as critical to implementing EBPs, especially in small, rural counties where agencies have limited resources on their own. Conclusions Successful implementation of EBPs requires consideration and utilization of existing social networks of high-status systems leaders that often cut across service organizations and their geographic jurisdictions. Trial Registration NCT00880126 PMID:21958674

Nation-scale adoption of new medicines by doctors: an application of the Bass diffusion model

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The adoption of new medicines is influenced by a complex set of social processes that have been widely examined in terms of individual prescribers’ information-seeking and decision-making behaviour. However, quantitative, population-wide analyses of how long it takes for new healthcare practices to become part of mainstream practice are rare. Methods We applied a Bass diffusion model to monthly prescription volumes of 103 often-prescribed drugs in Australia (monthly time series data totalling 803 million prescriptions between 1992 and 2010), to determine the distribution of adoption rates. Our aim was to test the utility of applying the Bass diffusion model to national-scale prescribing volumes. Results The Bass diffusion model was fitted to the adoption of a broad cross-section of drugs using national monthly prescription volumes from Australia (median R2 = 0.97, interquartile range 0.95 to 0.99). The median time to adoption was 8.2 years (IQR 4.9 to 12.1). The model distinguished two classes of prescribing patterns – those where adoption appeared to be driven mostly by external forces (19 drugs) and those driven mostly by social contagion (84 drugs). Those driven more prominently by internal forces were found to have shorter adoption times (p = 0.02 in a non-parametric analysis of variance by ranks). Conclusion The Bass diffusion model may be used to retrospectively represent the patterns of adoption exhibited in prescription volumes in Australia, and distinguishes between adoption driven primarily by external forces such as regulation, or internal forces such as social contagion. The eight-year delay between the introduction of a new medicine and the adoption of the prescribing practice suggests the presence of system inertia in Australian prescribing practices. PMID:22876867

Why Map Issues? On Controversy Analysis as a Digital Method

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

This article takes stock of recent efforts to implement controversy analysis as a digital method in the study of science, technology, and society (STS) and beyond and outlines a distinctive approach to address the problem of digital bias. Digital media technologies exert significant influence on the enactment of controversy in online settings, and this risks undermining the substantive focus of controversy analysis conducted by digital means. To address this problem, I propose a shift in thematic focus from controversy analysis to issue mapping. The article begins by distinguishing between three broad frameworks that currently guide the development of controversy analysis as a digital method, namely, demarcationist, discursive, and empiricist. Each has been adopted in STS, but only the last one offers a digital “move beyond impartiality.” I demonstrate this approach by analyzing issues of Internet governance with the aid of the social media platform Twitter. PMID:26336325

A new rational-based optimal design strategy of ship structure based on multi-level analysis and super-element modeling method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Li; Wang, Deyu

2011-09-01

A new multi-level analysis method of introducing the super-element modeling method, derived from the multi-level analysis method first proposed by O. F. Hughes, has been proposed in this paper to solve the problem of high time cost in adopting a rational-based optimal design method for ship structural design. Furthermore, the method was verified by its effective application in optimization of the mid-ship section of a container ship. A full 3-D FEM model of a ship, suffering static and quasi-static loads, was used as the analyzing object for evaluating the structural performance of the mid-ship module, including static strength and buckling performance. Research results reveal that this new method could substantially reduce the computational cost of the rational-based optimization problem without decreasing its accuracy, which increases the feasibility and economic efficiency of using a rational-based optimal design method in ship structural design.

Development of method for evaluating estimated inundation area by using river flood analysis based on multiple flood scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ono, T.; Takahashi, T.

2017-12-01

Non-structural mitigation measures such as flood hazard map based on estimated inundation area have been more important because heavy rains exceeding the design rainfall frequently occur in recent years. However, conventional method may lead to an underestimation of the area because assumed locations of dike breach in river flood analysis are limited to the cases exceeding the high-water level. The objective of this study is to consider the uncertainty of estimated inundation area with difference of the location of dike breach in river flood analysis. This study proposed multiple flood scenarios which can set automatically multiple locations of dike breach in river flood analysis. The major premise of adopting this method is not to be able to predict the location of dike breach correctly. The proposed method utilized interval of dike breach which is distance of dike breaches placed next to each other. That is, multiple locations of dike breach were set every interval of dike breach. The 2D shallow water equations was adopted as the governing equation of river flood analysis, and the leap-frog scheme with staggered grid was used. The river flood analysis was verified by applying for the 2015 Kinugawa river flooding, and the proposed multiple flood scenarios was applied for the Akutagawa river in Takatsuki city. As the result of computation in the Akutagawa river, a comparison with each computed maximum inundation depth of dike breaches placed next to each other proved that the proposed method enabled to prevent underestimation of estimated inundation area. Further, the analyses on spatial distribution of inundation class and maximum inundation depth in each of the measurement points also proved that the optimum interval of dike breach which can evaluate the maximum inundation area using the minimum assumed locations of dike breach. In brief, this study found the optimum interval of dike breach in the Akutagawa river, which enabled estimated maximum inundation area to predict efficiently and accurately. The river flood analysis by using this proposed method will contribute to mitigate flood disaster by improving the accuracy of estimated inundation area.

[Risk assessment comparison of biomechanical overloading of the musculoskeletal system: 10 years' applied experience].

PubMed

Sala, Emma; Bonfiglioli, Roberta; Fostinellil, Jacopo; Tomasi, Cesare; Graziosi, Francesca; Violante, Francesco S; Apostoli, Pietro

2014-01-01

Risk assessment for upper extremity work related muscoloskeletal disorders by applying six methods of ergonomic: a ten years experience. The objective of this research was to verify and validate the multiple step method suggested by SIMLII guidelines and to compare results obtained by use of these methods: Washington State Standard, OCRA, HAL, RULA, OREGE and STRAIN INDEX. 598 workstations for a total of 1800 analysis by different methods were considered, by adopting the following multiple step procedure: prelinminary evaluation by Washington State method and OCRA checklist in all the working stations, RULA or HAL as first level evaluation, OREGE or SI as second level evaluation. The preliminary evaluation resulted negative (risk absent) in the 75% of examined work stations and by using checklist OCRA optimal-acceptable condition was found in 58% by HAL in 92% of analysis, by RULA in 100%, by OREGE in 64%; by SI in 70% of examined working positions. We observed similar evaluation of strain among methods and main differences have been observed in posture and frequency assessment. The preliminary evaluation by State of Washington method appears to be an adequate instrument for identify the working condition at risk. All the adopted methods were in a good agreement in two estreme situations: high risk or absent risk, expecially in absent risk conditions. Level of accordance varied on the basis of their rationale and of the role of their different components so SIML indications about the critical use of biouzechanical methods and about the possible use of more than one of them (considering working chlaracteristics) have been confirmed.

Continuous estimates on the earthquake early warning magnitude by use of the near-field acceleration records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jun; Jin, Xing; Wei, Yongxiang; Zhang, Hongcai

2013-10-01

In this article, the seismic records of Japan's Kik-net are selected to measure the acceleration, displacement, and effective peak acceleration of each seismic record within a certain time after P wave, then a continuous estimation is given on earthquake early warning magnitude through statistical analysis method, and Wenchuan earthquake record is utilized to check the method. The results show that the reliability of earthquake early warning magnitude continuously increases with the increase of the seismic information, the biggest residual happens if the acceleration is adopted to fit earthquake magnitude, which may be caused by rich high-frequency components and large dispersion of peak value in acceleration record, the influence caused by the high-frequency components can be effectively reduced if the effective peak acceleration and peak displacement is adopted, it is estimated that the dispersion of earthquake magnitude obviously reduces, but it is easy for peak displacement to be affected by long-period drifting. In various components, the residual enlargement phenomenon at vertical direction is almost unobvious, thus it is recommended in this article that the effective peak acceleration at vertical direction is preferred to estimate earthquake early warning magnitude. Through adopting Wenchuan strong earthquake record to check the method mentioned in this article, it is found that this method can be used to quickly, stably, and accurately estimate the early warning magnitude of this earthquake, which shows that this method is completely applicable for earthquake early warning.

ADOPT: A tool for automatic detection of tectonic plates at the surface of convection models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mallard, C.; Jacquet, B.; Coltice, N.

2017-08-01

Mantle convection models with plate-like behavior produce surface structures comparable to Earth's plate boundaries. However, analyzing those structures is a difficult task, since convection models produce, as on Earth, diffuse deformation and elusive plate boundaries. Therefore we present here and share a quantitative tool to identify plate boundaries and produce plate polygon layouts from results of numerical models of convection: Automatic Detection Of Plate Tectonics (ADOPT). This digital tool operates within the free open-source visualization software Paraview. It is based on image segmentation techniques to detect objects. The fundamental algorithm used in ADOPT is the watershed transform. We transform the output of convection models into a topographic map, the crest lines being the regions of deformation (plate boundaries) and the catchment basins being the plate interiors. We propose two generic protocols (the field and the distance methods) that we test against an independent visual detection of plate polygons. We show that ADOPT is effective to identify the smaller plates and to close plate polygons in areas where boundaries are diffuse or elusive. ADOPT allows the export of plate polygons in the standard OGR-GMT format for visualization, modification, and analysis under generic softwares like GMT or GPlates.

Remote sensing image denoising application by generalized morphological component analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Chong; Chen, Xiong

2014-12-01

In this paper, we introduced a remote sensing image denoising method based on generalized morphological component analysis (GMCA). This novel algorithm is the further extension of morphological component analysis (MCA) algorithm to the blind source separation framework. The iterative thresholding strategy adopted by GMCA algorithm firstly works on the most significant features in the image, and then progressively incorporates smaller features to finely tune the parameters of whole model. Mathematical analysis of the computational complexity of GMCA algorithm is provided. Several comparison experiments with state-of-the-art denoising algorithms are reported. In order to make quantitative assessment of algorithms in experiments, Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) index and Structural Similarity (SSIM) index are calculated to assess the denoising effect from the gray-level fidelity aspect and the structure-level fidelity aspect, respectively. Quantitative analysis on experiment results, which is consistent with the visual effect illustrated by denoised images, has proven that the introduced GMCA algorithm possesses a marvelous remote sensing image denoising effectiveness and ability. It is even hard to distinguish the original noiseless image from the recovered image by adopting GMCA algorithm through visual effect.

A method for topological analysis of high nuclearity coordination clusters and its application to Mn coordination compounds.

PubMed

Kostakis, George E; Blatov, Vladislav A; Proserpio, Davide M

2012-04-21

A novel method for the topological description of high nuclearity coordination clusters (CCs) was improved and applied to all compounds containing only manganese as a metal center, the data on which are collected in the CCDC (CCDC 5.33 Nov. 2011). Using the TOPOS program package that supports this method, we identified 539 CCs with five or more Mn centers adopting 159 topologically different graphs. In the present database all the Mn CCs are collected and illustrated in such a way that can be searched by cluster topological symbol and nuclearity, compound name and Refcode. The main principles for such an analysis are described herein as well as useful applications of this method.

Modular Analysis of Automobile Exhaust Thermoelectric Power Generation System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Y. D.; Zhang, Y.; Su, C. Q.

2015-06-01

In this paper, an automobile exhaust thermoelectric power generation system is packaged into a model with its own operating principles. The inputs are the engine speed and power, and the output is the power generated by the system. The model is divided into two submodels. One is the inlet temperature submodel, and the other is the power generation submodel. An experimental data modeling method is adopted to construct the inlet temperature submodel, and a theoretical modeling method is adopted to construct the power generation submodel. After modeling, simulation is conducted under various engine operating conditions to determine the variation of the power generated by the system. Finally, the model is embedded into a Honda Insight vehicle model to explore the energy-saving effect of the system on the vehicle under Economic Commission for Europe and cyc-constant_60 driving cycles.

A Biological Signal-Based Stress Monitoring Framework for Children Using Wearable Devices.

PubMed

Choi, Yerim; Jeon, Yu-Mi; Wang, Lin; Kim, Kwanho

2017-08-23

The safety of children has always been an important issue, and several studies have been conducted to determine the stress state of a child to ensure the safety. Audio signals and biological signals including heart rate are known to be effective for stress state detection. However, collecting those data requires specialized equipment, which is not appropriate for the constant monitoring of children, and advanced data analysis is required for accurate detection. In this regard, we propose a stress state detection framework which utilizes both audio signal and heart rate collected from wearable devices, and adopted machine learning methods for the detection. Experiments using real-world data were conducted to compare detection performances across various machine learning methods and noise levels of audio signal. Adopting the proposed framework in the real-world will contribute to the enhancement of child safety.

Psychosomatic medicine and cybernetics.

PubMed

Ishikawa, H

1979-01-01

In our daily psychosomatic medicine clinics, we have adopted four principles from Wiener's cybernetics and von Bertalanffy's general system theory. We use the polygraphic method for the diagnosis of psychosomatic disease (black box principle). For the control of psychosomatic symptoms, we use the biofeedback method (feedback principle). We use systematic desensitization to relieve social stresses which cause psychosomatic disease (open and closed system principle). And lastly, transactional analysis, which corresponds to the information and energy principle.

Developing and Implementing an Online Doctoral Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Combe, Colin

2005-01-01

Purpose: This article is a critical reflection of the development and implementation of one of the first online doctoral programs in the UK set up at the University of Northumbria, Newcastle in 2000. Design/methodology/approach: The method adopted for analysis takes the form of a case study. Findings: Effective market research has to be undertaken…

An Analysis of Performance-Based Funding Policies and Recommendations for the Florida College System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balog, Scott E.

2016-01-01

Nearly 30 states have adopted or are transitioning to performance-based funding programs for community colleges that allocate funding based on institutional performance according to defined metrics. While embraced by state lawmakers and promoted by outside advocacy groups as a method to improve student outcomes, enhance accountability and ensure…

Methods for Maximizing the Learning Process: A Theoretical and Experimental Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atkinson, Richard C.

This research deals with optimizing the instructional process. The approach adopted was to limit consideration to simple learning tasks for which adequate mathematical models could be developed. Optimal or suitable suboptimal instructional strategies were developed for the models. The basic idea was to solve for strategies that either maximize the…

Researching Employment Relations: A Self-Reflexive Analysis of a Multi-Method, School-Based Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDonald, Paula; Graham, Tina

2011-01-01

Drawing on primary data and adjunct material, this article adopts a critical self-reflexive approach to a three-year, Australian Research Council-funded project that explored themes around "employment citizenship" for high school students in Queensland. The article addresses three overlapping areas that reflect some of the central…

Evaluating How the Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning Community Fosters Critical Reflective Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ma, Ada W.W.

2013-01-01

In recent research, little attention has been paid to issues of methodology and analysis methods to evaluate the quality of the collaborative learning community. To address such issues, an attempt is made to adopt the Activity System Model as an analytical framework to examine the relationship between computer supported collaborative learning…

An Integrated Model for Effective Knowledge Management in Chinese Organizations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

An, Xiaomi; Deng, Hepu; Wang, Yiwen; Chao, Lemen

2013-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide organizations in the Chinese cultural context with a conceptual model for an integrated adoption of existing knowledge management (KM) methods and to improve the effectiveness of their KM activities. Design/methodology/approaches: A comparative analysis is conducted between China and the western…

Impact of E-Learning and Digitalization in Primary and Secondary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tunmibi, Sunday; Aregbesola, Ayooluwa; Adejobi, Pascal; Ibrahim, Olaniyi

2015-01-01

This study examines into the impact of e-learning and digitalization in primary and secondary schools, using Greensprings School in Lagos State, Nigeria as a case study. Questionnaire was used as a data collection instrument, and descriptive statistical method was adopted for analysis. Responses from students and teachers reveal that application…

Enactivism and the Study of Collectivity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Towers, Jo; Martin, Lyndon C.

2015-01-01

In this paper, we trace the development of our theorizing about students' mathematical understanding, showing how the adoption of an enactivist perspective has transformed our gaze in terms of the objects of our studies and occasioned for us new methods of data analysis. Drawing on elements of Pirie-Kieren (P-K) Theory for the Dynamical Growth of…

Conceptualizations of School Leadership among High School Principals in Jamaica

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newman, Mairette

2013-01-01

Drawing on evidence from research that adopted a qualitative case study design and used grounded theory methods of data analysis, this study examined how selected high school principals in Jamaica conceptualize school leadership. Data were sourced from semi-structured interviews, field observations as well as from school, principal and official…

Efficiency and design analysis of a solar thermal powered flat plate dryer (abstract)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Specialty crop fruit and vegetable pomaces are a common byproduct of the food processing and juicing industries. These pomaces can have high nutritional value, but are currently underutilized or treated as waste. Drum drying is one method that could be adopted to dry and stabilize fruit and vegetabl...

Investigating Visitor Profiles as a Valuable Addition to Museum Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewalter, Doris; Phelan, Siëlle; Geyer, Claudia; Specht, Inga; Grüninger, Rahel; Schnotz, Wolfgang

2015-01-01

There is a long tradition of museum research assessing visitors' personal background. In this article, we suggest an insightful way to enhance and intensify visitor analyses and adopt a more integrative approach. To this end, we draw attention to Latent Class Analysis (LCA), a classification method that allows us to investigate visitor profiles…

Methods for the Measurement of a Bacterial Enzyme Activity in Cell Lysates and Extracts

PubMed Central

Mendz, George; Hazell, Stuart

1998-01-01

The kinetic characteristics and regulation of aspartate carbamoyltransferase activity were studied in lysates and cell extracts of Helicobacter pylori by three diffirent methods. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, radioactive tracer analysis, and spectrophotometry were employed in conjunction to identify the properties of the enzyme activity and to validate the results obtained with each assay. NMR spectroscopy was the most direct method to provide proof of ACTase activity; radioactive tracer analysis was the most sensitive technique and a microtitre-based colorimetric assay was the most cost-and time-efficient for large scale analyses. Freeze-thawing was adopted as the preferred method for cell lysis in studying enzyme activity in situ. This study showed the benefits of employing several different complementary methods to investigate bacterial enzyme activity. PMID:12734591

Genetic algorithm to optimize the design of main combustor and gas generator in liquid rocket engines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Son, Min; Ko, Sangho; Koo, Jaye

2014-06-01

A genetic algorithm was used to develop optimal design methods for the regenerative cooled combustor and fuel-rich gas generator of a liquid rocket engine. For the combustor design, a chemical equilibrium analysis was applied, and the profile was calculated using Rao's method. One-dimensional heat transfer was assumed along the profile, and cooling channels were designed. For the gas-generator design, non-equilibrium properties were derived from a counterflow analysis, and a vaporization model for the fuel droplet was adopted to calculate residence time. Finally, a genetic algorithm was adopted to optimize the designs. The combustor and gas generator were optimally designed for 30-tonf, 75-tonf, and 150-tonf engines. The optimized combustors demonstrated superior design characteristics when compared with previous non-optimized results. Wall temperatures at the nozzle throat were optimized to satisfy the requirement of 800 K, and specific impulses were maximized. In addition, the target turbine power and a burned-gas temperature of 1000 K were obtained from the optimized gas-generator design.

In-vivo analysis of ankle joint movement for patient-specific kinematic characterization.

PubMed

Ferraresi, Carlo; De Benedictis, Carlo; Franco, Walter; Maffiodo, Daniela; Leardini, Alberto

2017-09-01

In this article, a method for the experimental in-vivo characterization of the ankle kinematics is proposed. The method is meant to improve personalization of various ankle joint treatments, such as surgical decision-making or design and application of an orthosis, possibly to increase their effectiveness. This characterization in fact would make the treatments more compatible with the specific patient's joint physiological conditions. This article describes the experimental procedure and the analytical method adopted, based on the instantaneous and mean helical axis theories. The results obtained in this experimental analysis reveal that more accurate techniques are necessary for a robust in-vivo assessment of the tibio-talar axis of rotation.

The awareness and want matrix with adoption gap ratio analysis for e-service diffusion effect.

PubMed

Liang, Te-Hsin

2011-03-01

Since the hierarchical stages of a customer purchasing decision or innovation adoption process are interrelated, an analysis of all their stages, including awareness, want, and adoption, in relation to product or service diffusion, is urgently needed. Therefore, this study proposes the use of an awareness and want matrix, together with an adoption gap ratio analysis, to assess the effectiveness of innovation and technology diffusion for e-services. This study also conducts an empirical test on the promotion performance evaluation of 12 e-services promoted by the Taiwanese government.

[Present status and trend of heart fluid mechanics research based on medical image analysis].

PubMed

Gan, Jianhong; Yin, Lixue; Xie, Shenghua; Li, Wenhua; Lu, Jing; Luo, Anguo

2014-06-01

With introduction of current main methods for heart fluid mechanics researches, we studied the characteristics and weakness for three primary analysis methods based on magnetic resonance imaging, color Doppler ultrasound and grayscale ultrasound image, respectively. It is pointed out that particle image velocity (PIV), speckle tracking and block match have the same nature, and three algorithms all adopt block correlation. The further analysis shows that, with the development of information technology and sensor, the research for cardiac function and fluid mechanics will focus on energy transfer process of heart fluid, characteristics of Chamber wall related to blood fluid and Fluid-structure interaction in the future heart fluid mechanics fields.

A fast and reliable readout method for quantitative analysis of surface-enhanced Raman scattering nanoprobes on chip surface

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chang, Hyejin; Jeong, Sinyoung; Ko, Eunbyeol

2015-05-15

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering techniques have been widely used for bioanalysis due to its high sensitivity and multiplex capacity. However, the point-scanning method using a micro-Raman system, which is the most common method in the literature, has a disadvantage of extremely long measurement time for on-chip immunoassay adopting a large chip area of approximately 1-mm scale and confocal beam point of ca. 1-μm size. Alternative methods such as sampled spot scan with high confocality and large-area scan method with enlarged field of view and low confocality have been utilized in order to minimize the measurement time practically. In this study, wemore » analyzed the two methods in respect of signal-to-noise ratio and sampling-led signal fluctuations to obtain insights into a fast and reliable readout strategy. On this basis, we proposed a methodology for fast and reliable quantitative measurement of the whole chip area. The proposed method adopted a raster scan covering a full area of 100 μm × 100 μm region as a proof-of-concept experiment while accumulating signals in the CCD detector for single spectrum per frame. One single scan with 10 s over 100 μm × 100 μm area yielded much higher sensitivity compared to sampled spot scanning measurements and no signal fluctuations attributed to sampled spot scan. This readout method is able to serve as one of key technologies that will bring quantitative multiplexed detection and analysis into practice.« less

First Parent-Child Meetings in International Adoptions: A Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

Harf, Aurélie; Skandrani, Sara; Radjack, Rahmeth; Sibeoni, Jordan

2013-01-01

International adoptions involve approximately 30000 children worldwide each year. Nearly all of the adoptive parents travel to the child's country of birth to meet them and bring them home. The objective of this study is to analyze the adoptive parents' account of their first meetings with their child. The study includes 46 parents who adopted one or more children internationally. Each parent participated in a semi-structured interview, focused on these first parent-child meetings. The interviews were analyzed according to a qualitative phenomenological method, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The principal themes that emerged from the analysis of the interviews were: the scene when the child is entrusted to the parents, the discovery of the child's body, and the first parent-child interaction. Within these three principal themes, several subthemes dealt with difficult experiences: moments of solitude and anxiety, shocking images of the children's living conditions, lack of preparation and of information about the child, poor health, parental reactions of rejection, worry about the child's body, aggressive reactions by the child, worry about the child's reactions, and contrast with the expected interaction. Thirty-two interviews included at least one of these subthemes. At the structural level of the discourse; the characteristics of 33 interviews are those described in the literature as significantly more frequent in traumatized than in non-traumatized subjects. These results raise questions about the consequences of difficult, possibly traumatic experiences, at the moment of meeting the child, and they underline the need for work on preparation and prevention before the parents leave on their journey. PMID:24086500

First parent-child meetings in international adoptions: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Harf, Aurélie; Skandrani, Sara; Radjack, Rahmeth; Sibeoni, Jordan; Moro, Marie Rose; Revah-Levy, Anne

2013-01-01

International adoptions involve approximately 30,000 children worldwide each year. Nearly all of the adoptive parents travel to the child's country of birth to meet them and bring them home. The objective of this study is to analyze the adoptive parents' account of their first meetings with their child. The study includes 46 parents who adopted one or more children internationally. Each parent participated in a semi-structured interview, focused on these first parent-child meetings. The interviews were analyzed according to a qualitative phenomenological method, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The principal themes that emerged from the analysis of the interviews were: the scene when the child is entrusted to the parents, the discovery of the child's body, and the first parent-child interaction. Within these three principal themes, several subthemes dealt with difficult experiences: moments of solitude and anxiety, shocking images of the children's living conditions, lack of preparation and of information about the child, poor health, parental reactions of rejection, worry about the child's body, aggressive reactions by the child, worry about the child's reactions, and contrast with the expected interaction. Thirty-two interviews included at least one of these subthemes. At the structural level of the discourse; the characteristics of 33 interviews are those described in the literature as significantly more frequent in traumatized than in non-traumatized subjects. These results raise questions about the consequences of difficult, possibly traumatic experiences, at the moment of meeting the child, and they underline the need for work on preparation and prevention before the parents leave on their journey.

Organizational factors affecting successful adoption of innovative eHealth services: a case study employing the FITT framework.

PubMed

Tsiknakis, Manolis; Kouroubali, Angelina

2009-01-01

The paper presents an application of the "Fit between Individuals, Task and Technology" (FITT) framework to analyze the socio-organizational-technical factors that influence IT adoption in the healthcare domain. The FITT framework was employed as the theoretical instrument for a retrospective analysis of a 15-year effort in implementing IT systems and eHealth services in the context of a Regional Health Information Network in Crete. Quantitative and qualitative research methods, interviews and participant observations were employed to gather data from a case study that involved the entire region of Crete. The detailed analysis of the case study based on the FITT framework, showed common features, but also differences of IT adoption within the various health organizations. The emerging picture is a complex nexus of factors contributing to IT adoption, and multi-level interventional strategies to promote IT use. The work presented in this paper shows the applicability of the FITT framework in explaining the complexity of aspects observed in the implementation of healthcare information systems. The reported experiences reveal that fit management can be viewed as a system with a feedback loop that is never really stable, but ever changing based on external factors or deliberate interventions. Management of fit, therefore, becomes a constant and complex task for the whole life cycle of IT systems.

The same analysis approach: Practical protection against the pitfalls of novel neuroimaging analysis methods.

PubMed

Görgen, Kai; Hebart, Martin N; Allefeld, Carsten; Haynes, John-Dylan

2017-12-27

Standard neuroimaging data analysis based on traditional principles of experimental design, modelling, and statistical inference is increasingly complemented by novel analysis methods, driven e.g. by machine learning methods. While these novel approaches provide new insights into neuroimaging data, they often have unexpected properties, generating a growing literature on possible pitfalls. We propose to meet this challenge by adopting a habit of systematic testing of experimental design, analysis procedures, and statistical inference. Specifically, we suggest to apply the analysis method used for experimental data also to aspects of the experimental design, simulated confounds, simulated null data, and control data. We stress the importance of keeping the analysis method the same in main and test analyses, because only this way possible confounds and unexpected properties can be reliably detected and avoided. We describe and discuss this Same Analysis Approach in detail, and demonstrate it in two worked examples using multivariate decoding. With these examples, we reveal two sources of error: A mismatch between counterbalancing (crossover designs) and cross-validation which leads to systematic below-chance accuracies, and linear decoding of a nonlinear effect, a difference in variance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Computerized Analysis of Digital Photographs for Evaluation of Tooth Movement.

PubMed

Toodehzaeim, Mohammad Hossein; Karandish, Maryam; Karandish, Mohammad Nabi

2015-03-01

Various methods have been introduced for evaluation of tooth movement in orthodontics. The challenge is to adopt the most accurate and most beneficial method for patients. This study was designed to introduce analysis of digital photographs with AutoCAD software as a method to evaluate tooth movement and assess the reliability of this method. Eighteen patients were evaluated in this study. Three intraoral digital images from the buccal view were captured from each patient in half an hour interval. All the photos were sent to AutoCAD software 2011, calibrated and the distance between canine and molar hooks were measured. The data was analyzed using intraclass correlation coefficient. Photographs were found to have high reliability coefficient (P > 0.05). The introduced method is an accurate, efficient and reliable method for evaluation of tooth movement.

The State and Trends of Barcode, RFID, Biometric and Pharmacy Automation Technologies in US Hospitals.

PubMed

Uy, Raymonde Charles Y; Kury, Fabricio P; Fontelo, Paul A

2015-01-01

The standard of safe medication practice requires strict observance of the five rights of medication administration: the right patient, drug, time, dose, and route. Despite adherence to these guidelines, medication errors remain a public health concern that has generated health policies and hospital processes that leverage automation and computerization to reduce these errors. Bar code, RFID, biometrics and pharmacy automation technologies have been demonstrated in literature to decrease the incidence of medication errors by minimizing human factors involved in the process. Despite evidence suggesting the effectivity of these technologies, adoption rates and trends vary across hospital systems. The objective of study is to examine the state and adoption trends of automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) methods and pharmacy automation technologies in U.S. hospitals. A retrospective descriptive analysis of survey data from the HIMSS Analytics® Database was done, demonstrating an optimistic growth in the adoption of these patient safety solutions.

Perendoscopic gastric pH determination. Simple method for increasing accuracy in diagnosing chronic atrophic gastritis.

PubMed

Farinati, F; Cardin, F; Di Mario, F; Sava, G A; Piccoli, A; Costa, F; Penon, G; Naccarato, R

1987-08-01

The endoscopic diagnosis of chronic atrophic gastritis is often underestimated, and most of the procedures adopted to increase diagnostic accuracy are time consuming and complex. In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of the determination of gastric juice pH by means of litmus paper. Values obtained by this method correlate well with gastric acid secretory capacity as measured by gastric acid analysis (r = -0.64, p less than 0.001) and are not affected by the presence of bile. Gastric juice pH determination increases sensitivity and other diagnostic parameters such as performance index (Youden J test), positive predictive value, and post-test probability difference by 50%. Furthermore, the negative predictive value is very high, the probability of missing a patient with chronic atrophic gastritis with this simple method being 2% for fundic and 15% for antral atrophic change. We conclude that gastric juice pH determination, which substantially increases diagnostic accuracy and is very simple to perform, should be routinely adopted.

Experimental (X-ray, FT-IR and UV-vis spectra) and theoretical methods (DFT study) of (E)-3-methoxy-2-[(p-tolylimino)methyl]phenol.

PubMed

Demircioğlu, Zeynep; Albayrak, Çiğdem; Büyükgüngör, Orhan

2014-07-15

A suitable single crystal of (E)-3-methoxy-2-[(p-tolylimino)methyl]phenol, formulated as C15H15N1O2, reveals that the structure is adopted to its E configuration about the azomethine C=N double bond. The compound adopts a enol-imine tautomeric form with a strong intramolecular O-H⋯N hydrogen bond. The single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis at 296K crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c with a = 13.4791(11) Å, b = 6.8251(3) Å, c = 18.3561(15) Å, α = 90°, β = 129.296(5)°, γ = 90° and Z = 4. Comprehensive theoretical and experimental structural studies on the molecule have been carried out by FT-IR and UV-vis spectrometry. Optimized molecular structure and harmonic vibrational frequencies have been investigated by DFT/B3LYP method with 6-31G(d,p) basis set. Stability of the molecule, hyperconjugative interactions, charge delocalization and intramolecular hydrogen bond has been analyzed by using natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis. Electronic structures were discussed by TD-DFT method and the relocation of the electron density were determined. The energetic behavior of the title compound has been examined in solvent media using polarizable continuum model (PCM). Molecular electrostatic potential (MEP), Mulliken population method and natural population analysis (NPA) have been studied. Nonlinear optical (NLO) properties were also investigated. In addition, frontier molecular orbitals analysis have been performed from the optimized geometry. An ionization potential (I), electron affinity (A), electrophilicity index (ω), chemical potential (μ), electronegativity (χ), hardness (η), and softness (S), have been investigated. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Post-Adoption Contact, Adoption Communicative Openness, and Satisfaction with Contact as Predictors of Externalizing Behavior in Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grotevant, Harold D.; Rueter, Martha; Von Korff, Lynn; Gonzalez, Christopher

2011-01-01

Background: This study examined the relation between three variables related to adoptive family relationships (post-adoption contact between adoptive and birth family members, adoption communicative openness, and satisfaction with contact) and adoptee externalizing behavior in adolescence and emerging adulthood. Method: The study included 190…

IT-adoption and the interaction of task, technology and individuals: a fit framework and a case study

PubMed Central

Ammenwerth, Elske; Iller, Carola; Mahler, Cornelia

2006-01-01

Background Factors of IT adoption have largely been discussed in the literature. However, existing frameworks (such as TAM or TTF) are failing to include one important aspect, the interaction between user and task. Method Based on a literature study and a case study, we developed the FITT framework to help analyse the socio-organisational-technical factors that influence IT adoption in a health care setting. Results Our FITT framework ("Fit between Individuals, Task and Technology") is based on the idea that IT adoption in a clinical environment depends on the fit between the attributes of the individual users (e.g. computer anxiety, motivation), attributes of the technology (e.g. usability, functionality, performance), and attributes of the clinical tasks and processes (e.g. organisation, task complexity). We used this framework in the retrospective analysis of a three-year case study, describing the adoption of a nursing documentation system in various departments in a German University Hospital. We will show how the FITT framework helped analyzing the process of IT adoption during an IT implementation: we were able to describe every found IT adoption problem with regard to the three fit dimensions, and any intervention on the fit can be described with regard to the three objects of the FITT framework (individual, task, technology). We also derive facilitators and barriers to IT adoption of clinical information systems. Conclusion This work should support a better understanding of the reasons for IT adoption failures and therefore enable better prepared and more successful IT introduction projects. We will discuss, however, that from a more epistemological point of view, it may be difficult or even impossible to analyse the complex and interacting factors that predict success or failure of IT projects in a socio-technical environment. PMID:16401336

Privacy Attitudes among Early Adopters of Emerging Health Technologies

PubMed Central

Cheung, Cynthia; Bietz, Matthew J.; Patrick, Kevin; Bloss, Cinnamon S.

2016-01-01

Introduction Advances in health technology such as genome sequencing and wearable sensors now allow for the collection of highly granular personal health data from individuals. It is unclear how people think about privacy in the context of these emerging health technologies. An open question is whether early adopters of these advances conceptualize privacy in different ways than non-early adopters. Purpose This study sought to understand privacy attitudes of early adopters of emerging health technologies. Methods Transcripts from in-depth, semi-structured interviews with early adopters of genome sequencing and health devices and apps were analyzed with a focus on participant attitudes and perceptions of privacy. Themes were extracted using inductive content analysis. Results Although interviewees were willing to share personal data to support scientific advancements, they still expressed concerns, as well as uncertainty about who has access to their data, and for what purpose. In short, they were not dismissive of privacy risks. Key privacy-related findings are organized into four themes as follows: first, personal data privacy; second, control over personal information; third, concerns about discrimination; and fourth, contributing personal data to science. Conclusion Early adopters of emerging health technologies appear to have more complex and nuanced conceptions of privacy than might be expected based on their adoption of personal health technologies and participation in open science. Early adopters also voiced uncertainty about the privacy implications of their decisions to use new technologies and share their data for research. Though not representative of the general public, studies of early adopters can provide important insights into evolving attitudes toward privacy in the context of emerging health technologies and personal health data research. PMID:27832194

Factors affecting RFID adoption in the agricultural product distribution industry: empirical evidence from China.

PubMed

Shi, Ping; Yan, Bo

2016-01-01

We conducted an exploratory investigation of factors influencing the adoption of radio frequency identification (RFID) methods in the agricultural product distribution industry. Through a literature review and field research, and based on the technology-organization-environment (TOE) theoretical framework, this paper analyzes factors influencing RFID adoption in the agricultural product distribution industry in reference to three contexts: technological, organizational, and environmental contexts. An empirical analysis of the TOE framework was conducted by applying structural equation modeling based on actual data from a questionnaire survey on the agricultural product distribution industry in China. The results show that employee resistance and uncertainty are not supported by the model. Technological compatibility, perceived effectiveness, organizational size, upper management support, trust between enterprises, technical knowledge, competitive pressure and support from the Chinese government, which are supported by the model, have significantly positive effects on RFID adoption. Meanwhile, organizational size has the strongest positive effect, while competitive pressure levels have the smallest effect. Technological complexities and costs have significantly negative effects on RFID adoption, with cost being the most significantly negative influencing factor. These research findings will afford enterprises in the agricultural products supply chain with a stronger understanding of the factors that influence RFID adoption in the agricultural product distribution industry. In addition, these findings will help enterprises remain aware of how these factors affect RFID adoption and will thus help enterprises make more accurate and rational decisions by promoting RFID application in the agricultural product distribution industry.

Successes and Challenges in the Implementation and Application of Telemedicine in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

PubMed Central

El-Mahalli, Azza Ali; El-khafif, Sahar Hafez; Al-Qahtani, Mona Faisal

2012-01-01

Telemedicine is the practice of healthcare using audio, video, and data communications. The aim of this study was to determine the perceptions of health professionals at hospitals adopting and not adopting telemedicine on its benefits and challenges, and their willingness to use it. The study was conducted at one hospital not adopting telemedicine and three hospitals adopting telemedicine. It was a cross-sectional descriptive study, and the target population was health professionals. Data collection methods included two paper-based questionnaires. Nonparametric statistical analysis and descriptive statistics were used. The study concluded that although telemedicine is promising and the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia has allocated a huge budget for e-health, the telemedicine modalities used were very limited. The percentage of adoption of telemedicine by health professionals was low in comparison to the high interest of nonadopters. Nonadopters’ perception of benefits was higher than that of adopters. The most frequently cited benefits among adopters were improving the quality of care, enhancing access to healthcare, and providing patient care and management. However, adopters’ perceptions were low for other benefits such as easy use of the network, the use of store-and-forward telemedicine, and the ability to follow up after face-to-face contacts. The greatest barrier as perceived by health providers was the lack of knowledge about telemedicine. Dissemination of information about telemedicine and proper training of health professionals on its use are recommended. PMID:23209455

[Hospital costs estimation by micro and gross-costing approaches].

PubMed

Guerre, P; Hayes, N; Bertaux, A-C

2018-03-01

Cost analysis has become increasingly commonplace in healthcare facilities in recent years. Regardless of the aim, the first consideration for a hospital costing process is to determine the point of view, or perspective, to adopt. Should the cost figures reflect the healthcare facility's point of view or enlighten perspectives for the public health insurance system? Another consideration is in regard to the method to adopt, as there are several. The two most widely used methods to determine the costs of hospital treatments in France are the micro-costing method and the gross-costing method. The aims of this work are: (1) to describe each of these methods (e.g. data collection, assignment of monetary value to resource consumption) with their advantages and shortcomings as they relate to the difficulties encountered with their implementation in hospitals; (2) to present a review of the literature comparing the two methods and their possible combination; and (3) to propose ways to address the questions that need to be asked before compiling resource consumption data and assigning monetary value to hospital costs. A final diagram summarizes methodologies to be preferred according to the evaluation strategy and the impact on patient care. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Kernel-aligned multi-view canonical correlation analysis for image recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Shuzhi; Ge, Hongwei; Yuan, Yun-Hao

2016-09-01

Existing kernel-based correlation analysis methods mainly adopt a single kernel in each view. However, only a single kernel is usually insufficient to characterize nonlinear distribution information of a view. To solve the problem, we transform each original feature vector into a 2-dimensional feature matrix by means of kernel alignment, and then propose a novel kernel-aligned multi-view canonical correlation analysis (KAMCCA) method on the basis of the feature matrices. Our proposed method can simultaneously employ multiple kernels to better capture the nonlinear distribution information of each view, so that correlation features learned by KAMCCA can have well discriminating power in real-world image recognition. Extensive experiments are designed on five real-world image datasets, including NIR face images, thermal face images, visible face images, handwritten digit images, and object images. Promising experimental results on the datasets have manifested the effectiveness of our proposed method.

The Delicate Analysis of Short-Term Load Forecasting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Changwei; Zheng, Yuan

2017-05-01

This paper proposes a new method for short-term load forecasting based on the similar day method, correlation coefficient and Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to achieve the precision analysis of load variation from three aspects (typical day, correlation coefficient, spectral analysis) and three dimensions (time dimension, industry dimensions, the main factors influencing the load characteristic such as national policies, regional economic, holidays, electricity and so on). First, the branch algorithm one-class-SVM is adopted to selection the typical day. Second, correlation coefficient method is used to obtain the direction and strength of the linear relationship between two random variables, which can reflect the influence caused by the customer macro policy and the scale of production to the electricity price. Third, Fourier transform residual error correction model is proposed to reflect the nature of load extracting from the residual error. Finally, simulation result indicates the validity and engineering practicability of the proposed method.

Efficacy of adoptive cellular therapy in patients with gastric cancer: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Shen, Dong; Liu, Zhi-Hao; Xu, Jia-Ning; Xu, Fang; Lin, Qin-Feng; Lin, Feng; Mao, Wei-Dong

2016-07-01

To systemically evaluate the efficacy and safety of adoptive cellular therapy for the treatment of gastric cancer (GC). We performed a systemic review and meta-analysis of nine eligible trials with GC and evaluated the effect of adoptive cellular therapy on the overall survival (OS) rate, T-cell subsets and adverse events. Overall, 829 patients were involved in the analysis. Adoptive cellular therapy significantly improved the OS rate compared with the control group. Meanwhile, we observed greatly increased percentages of CD3(+), CD4(+) and CD4(+)/CD8(+) in cellular therapy groups. Adoptive cellular therapy combined with adjuvant therapy resulted in significantly better OS rates, progression-free survival and T-lymphocyte responses in patients with GC.

AEGIS and Ship Self-Defense System (SSDS) Platforms: Using KVA Analysis, Risk Simulation and Strategic Real Options to Assess Operational Effectiveness

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-04-30

numerous reengineering projects and developed a new objective method for objectively measuring the value-added by reengineering. His last assignment...in the corporate world was as the Chief of Consumer Market Research for Telecom Italia in Venice, Italy, where he developed new methods for ...predicting the adoption rates for new interactive multimedia broadband applications. He is Managing Partner for Business Process Auditors, a firm that

Passing the Baton: Mentoring for Adoption of Active-Learning Pedagogies by Research-Active Junior Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grimes, Catherine Leimkuhler; White, Harold B., III

2015-01-01

There are barriers to adoption of research-based teaching methods. Professional development workshops may inform faculty of these methods, but effective adoption often does not follow. In addition, newly-minted research-active faculty are often overwhelmed by the many new responsibilities (grant writing, group management, laboratory setup,…

Intercountry versus Transracial Adoption: Analysis of Adoptive Parents' Motivations and Preferences in Adoption

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Yuanting; Lee, Gary R.

2011-01-01

The United States is one of the major baby-receiving countries in the world. Relatively little research has focused on why there is such a high demand for intercountry adoption. Using in-depth qualitative interviews with adoptive parents, the authors explored the reasons why Americans prefer to adopt foreign-born children instead of adopting…

Computerized Analysis of Digital Photographs for Evaluation of Tooth Movement

PubMed Central

Toodehzaeim, Mohammad Hossein; Karandish, Maryam; Karandish, Mohammad Nabi

2015-01-01

Objectives: Various methods have been introduced for evaluation of tooth movement in orthodontics. The challenge is to adopt the most accurate and most beneficial method for patients. This study was designed to introduce analysis of digital photographs with AutoCAD software as a method to evaluate tooth movement and assess the reliability of this method. Materials and Methods: Eighteen patients were evaluated in this study. Three intraoral digital images from the buccal view were captured from each patient in half an hour interval. All the photos were sent to AutoCAD software 2011, calibrated and the distance between canine and molar hooks were measured. The data was analyzed using intraclass correlation coefficient. Results: Photographs were found to have high reliability coefficient (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The introduced method is an accurate, efficient and reliable method for evaluation of tooth movement. PMID:26622272

Probabilistic durability assessment of concrete structures in marine environments: Reliability and sensitivity analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Bo; Ning, Chao-lie; Li, Bing

2017-03-01

A probabilistic framework for durability assessment of concrete structures in marine environments was proposed in terms of reliability and sensitivity analysis, which takes into account the uncertainties under the environmental, material, structural and executional conditions. A time-dependent probabilistic model of chloride ingress was established first to consider the variations in various governing parameters, such as the chloride concentration, chloride diffusion coefficient, and age factor. Then the Nataf transformation was adopted to transform the non-normal random variables from the original physical space into the independent standard Normal space. After that the durability limit state function and its gradient vector with respect to the original physical parameters were derived analytically, based on which the first-order reliability method was adopted to analyze the time-dependent reliability and parametric sensitivity of concrete structures in marine environments. The accuracy of the proposed method was verified by comparing with the second-order reliability method and the Monte Carlo simulation. Finally, the influences of environmental conditions, material properties, structural parameters and execution conditions on the time-dependent reliability of concrete structures in marine environments were also investigated. The proposed probabilistic framework can be implemented in the decision-making algorithm for the maintenance and repair of deteriorating concrete structures in marine environments.

Orthogonal Procrustes Analysis for Dictionary Learning in Sparse Linear Representation.

PubMed

Grossi, Giuliano; Lanzarotti, Raffaella; Lin, Jianyi

2017-01-01

In the sparse representation model, the design of overcomplete dictionaries plays a key role for the effectiveness and applicability in different domains. Recent research has produced several dictionary learning approaches, being proven that dictionaries learnt by data examples significantly outperform structured ones, e.g. wavelet transforms. In this context, learning consists in adapting the dictionary atoms to a set of training signals in order to promote a sparse representation that minimizes the reconstruction error. Finding the best fitting dictionary remains a very difficult task, leaving the question still open. A well-established heuristic method for tackling this problem is an iterative alternating scheme, adopted for instance in the well-known K-SVD algorithm. Essentially, it consists in repeating two stages; the former promotes sparse coding of the training set and the latter adapts the dictionary to reduce the error. In this paper we present R-SVD, a new method that, while maintaining the alternating scheme, adopts the Orthogonal Procrustes analysis to update the dictionary atoms suitably arranged into groups. Comparative experiments on synthetic data prove the effectiveness of R-SVD with respect to well known dictionary learning algorithms such as K-SVD, ILS-DLA and the online method OSDL. Moreover, experiments on natural data such as ECG compression, EEG sparse representation, and image modeling confirm R-SVD's robustness and wide applicability.

Microrheology with optical tweezers: measuring the relative viscosity of solutions 'at a glance'.

PubMed

Tassieri, Manlio; Del Giudice, Francesco; Robertson, Emma J; Jain, Neena; Fries, Bettina; Wilson, Rab; Glidle, Andrew; Greco, Francesco; Netti, Paolo Antonio; Maffettone, Pier Luca; Bicanic, Tihana; Cooper, Jonathan M

2015-03-06

We present a straightforward method for measuring the relative viscosity of fluids via a simple graphical analysis of the normalised position autocorrelation function of an optically trapped bead, without the need of embarking on laborious calculations. The advantages of the proposed microrheology method are evident when it is adopted for measurements of materials whose availability is limited, such as those involved in biological studies. The method has been validated by direct comparison with conventional bulk rheology methods, and has been applied both to characterise synthetic linear polyelectrolytes solutions and to study biomedical samples.

Microrheology with Optical Tweezers: Measuring the relative viscosity of solutions ‘at a glance'

PubMed Central

Tassieri, Manlio; Giudice, Francesco Del; Robertson, Emma J.; Jain, Neena; Fries, Bettina; Wilson, Rab; Glidle, Andrew; Greco, Francesco; Netti, Paolo Antonio; Maffettone, Pier Luca; Bicanic, Tihana; Cooper, Jonathan M.

2015-01-01

We present a straightforward method for measuring the relative viscosity of fluids via a simple graphical analysis of the normalised position autocorrelation function of an optically trapped bead, without the need of embarking on laborious calculations. The advantages of the proposed microrheology method are evident when it is adopted for measurements of materials whose availability is limited, such as those involved in biological studies. The method has been validated by direct comparison with conventional bulk rheology methods, and has been applied both to characterise synthetic linear polyelectrolytes solutions and to study biomedical samples. PMID:25743468

A mixed methods contribution to the study of health public policies: complementarities and difficulties

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

The use of mixed methods (combining quantitative and qualitative data) is developing in a variety of forms, especially in the health field. Our own research has adopted this perspective from the outset. We have sought all along to innovate in various ways and especially to develop an equal partnership, in the sense of not allowing any single approach to dominate. After briefly describing mixed methods, in this article we explain and illustrate how we have exploited both qualitative and quantitative methods to answer our research questions, ending with a reflective analysis of our experiment. PMID:26559730

Mobile Technology in Second Language Classrooms: Insights into Its Uses, Pedagogical Implications, and Teacher Beliefs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Praag, Benjamin; Sanchez, Hugo Santiago

2015-01-01

Adopting a multiple-case, multiple-method design, this study investigates mobile technology use in the practices of three experienced second language teachers. The findings, based on an analysis of the teachers' rationales, stated beliefs and classroom actions, show that the teachers tend to prohibit or reluctantly tolerate mobile device usage,…

Current Situation and Analysis of Geography Teachers' Active Learning Knowledge and Usage in Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tuna, Fikret

2012-01-01

In parallel to the developments in the approach to education, the secondary education geography curriculum in Turkey was renewed in 2005. This new programme encourages the use of active learning methods and techniques in the classroom by adopting the idea that students should construct and interpret knowledge by actively participating in the…

Investigating Relationship between Discourse Behavioral Patterns and Academic Achievements of Students in SPOC Discussion Forum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Zhi; Zhang, Wenjing; Cheng, Hercy N. H.; Sun, Jianwen; Liu, Sannyuya

2018-01-01

As an overt expression of internal mental processes, discourses have become one main data source for the research of interactive learning. To deeply explore behavioral regularities among interactions, this article firstly adopts the content analysis method to summarize students' engagement patterns within a course forum in a small private online…

Meaningful Messages: Adults in the Lower Mississippi Delta Provide Cultural Insight into Strategies for Promoting the MyPyramid

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zoellner, Jamie; Bounds, Wendy; Connell, Carol; Yadrick, Kathy; Crook, LaShaundrea

2010-01-01

Objective: To explore cultural perceptions of the MyPyramid key messages and identify factors that may impact adoption of these recommendations. Methods: Systematic content analysis of transcripts from in-depth, structured interviews with 23 adults, primarily African American females, residing in the Lower Mississippi Delta. Results: When asked to…

The Peter Effect in Early Experimental Education Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Little, Joseph

2003-01-01

One of the signatures of scientific writing is its ability to present the claims of science as if they were "untouched by human hands." In the early years of experimental education, researchers achieved this by adopting a citational practice that led to the sedimentation of their cardinal method, the analysis of variance, and their standard for…

Influence of solvents on the habit modification of alpha lactose monohydrate single crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parimaladevi, P.; Srinivasan, K.

2013-02-01

Restricted evaporation of solvent method was adopted for the growth of alpha lactose monohydrate single crystals from different solvents. The crystal habits of grown crystals were analysed. The form of crystallization was confirmed by powder x-ray diffraction analysis. Thermal behaviour of the grown crystals was studied by using differential scanning calorimetry.

Personalization of Student in Course Management Systems on the Basis Using Method of Data Mining

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magdin, Martin; Turcáni, Milan

2015-01-01

Individualization of learning through ICT [Information and Communication Technology] allows to students not only the possibility choose the time and place to study, but especially pace adoption of new knowledge on the basis of preferred learning styles. Analysis of learning processes should give the answer to difficult questions from pedagogical…

Female Arab Students' Perceptions of Social Networks as an English Language Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellili-Cherif, Maha

2017-01-01

The purpose of this research was to investigate female Arab college students' use of and perceptions about social networking sites (SNSs) as an English language learning environment. A mixed methods approach was adopted for data collection and analysis. First, a questionnaire was used to explore the extent to which participants (n = 182) were…

Every document and picture tells a story: using internal corporate document reviews, semiotics, and content analysis to assess tobacco advertising

PubMed Central

Anderson, S J; Dewhirst, T; Ling, P M

2006-01-01

In this article we present communication theory as a conceptual framework for conducting documents research on tobacco advertising strategies, and we discuss two methods for analysing advertisements: semiotics and content analysis. We provide concrete examples of how we have used tobacco industry documents archives and tobacco advertisement collections iteratively in our research to yield a synergistic analysis of these two complementary data sources. Tobacco promotion researchers should consider adopting these theoretical and methodological approaches. PMID:16728758

Formal Analysis of Extended Well-Clear Boundaries for Unmanned Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Munoz, Cesar; Narkawicz, Anthony

2016-01-01

This paper concerns the application of formal methods to the definition of a detect and avoid concept for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). In particular, it illustrates how formal analysis was used to explain and correct unexpected behaviors of the logic that issues alerts when two aircraft are predicted not to be well clear from one another. As a result of this analysis, a recommendation was proposed to, and subsequently adopted by, the US standards organization that defines the minimum operational requirements for the UAS detect and avoid concept.

Container-Based Clinical Solutions for Portable and Reproducible Image Analysis.

PubMed

Matelsky, Jordan; Kiar, Gregory; Johnson, Erik; Rivera, Corban; Toma, Michael; Gray-Roncal, William

2018-05-08

Medical imaging analysis depends on the reproducibility of complex computation. Linux containers enable the abstraction, installation, and configuration of environments so that software can be both distributed in self-contained images and used repeatably by tool consumers. While several initiatives in neuroimaging have adopted approaches for creating and sharing more reliable scientific methods and findings, Linux containers are not yet mainstream in clinical settings. We explore related technologies and their efficacy in this setting, highlight important shortcomings, demonstrate a simple use-case, and endorse the use of Linux containers for medical image analysis.

Factors influencing health information system adoption in American hospitals.

PubMed

Wang, Bill B; Wan, Thomas T H; Burke, Darrell E; Bazzoli, Gloria J; Lin, Blossom Y J

2005-01-01

To study the number of health information systems (HISs), applicable to administrative, clinical, and executive decision support functionalities, adopted by acute care hospitals and to examine how hospital market, organizational, and financial factors influence HIS adoption. A cross-sectional analysis was performed with 1441 hospitals selected from metropolitan statistical areas in the United States. Multiple data sources were merged. Six hypotheses were empirically tested by multiple regression analysis. HIS adoption was influenced by the hospital market, organizational, and financial factors. Larger, system-affiliated, and for-profit hospitals with more preferred provider organization contracts are more likely to adopt managerial information systems than their counterparts. Operating revenue is positively associated with HIS adoption. The study concludes that hospital organizational and financial factors influence on hospitals' strategic adoption of clinical, administrative, and managerial information systems.

Selection of climate change scenario data for impact modelling.

PubMed

Sloth Madsen, M; Maule, C Fox; MacKellar, N; Olesen, J E; Christensen, J Hesselbjerg

2012-01-01

Impact models investigating climate change effects on food safety often need detailed climate data. The aim of this study was to select climate change projection data for selected crop phenology and mycotoxin impact models. Using the ENSEMBLES database of climate model output, this study illustrates how the projected climate change signal of important variables as temperature, precipitation and relative humidity depends on the choice of the climate model. Using climate change projections from at least two different climate models is recommended to account for model uncertainty. To make the climate projections suitable for impact analysis at the local scale a weather generator approach was adopted. As the weather generator did not treat all the necessary variables, an ad-hoc statistical method was developed to synthesise realistic values of missing variables. The method is presented in this paper, applied to relative humidity, but it could be adopted to other variables if needed.

Gender and Acceptance of E-Learning: A Multi-Group Analysis Based on a Structural Equation Model among College Students in Chile and Spain.

PubMed

Ramírez-Correa, Patricio E; Arenas-Gaitán, Jorge; Rondán-Cataluña, F Javier

2015-01-01

The scope of this study was to evaluate whether the adoption of e-learning in two universities, and in particular, the relationship between the perception of external control and perceived ease of use, is different because of gender differences. The study was carried out with participating students in two different universities, one in Chile and one in Spain. The Technology Acceptance Model was used as a theoretical framework for the study. A multi-group analysis method in partial least squares was employed to relate differences between groups. The four main conclusions of the study are: (1) a version of the Technology Acceptance Model has been successfully used to explain the process of adoption of e-learning at an undergraduate level of study; (2) the finding of a strong and significant relationship between perception of external control and perception of ease of use of the e-learning platform; (3) a significant relationship between perceived enjoyment and perceived ease of use and between results demonstrability and perceived usefulness is found; (4) the study indicates a few statistically significant differences between males and females when adopting an e-learning platform, according to the tested model.

Scoping review of response shift methods: current reporting practices and recommendations.

PubMed

Sajobi, Tolulope T; Brahmbatt, Ronak; Lix, Lisa M; Zumbo, Bruno D; Sawatzky, Richard

2018-05-01

Response shift (RS) has been defined as a change in the meaning of an individual's self-evaluation of his/her health status and quality of life. Several statistical model- and design-based methods have been developed to test for RS in longitudinal data. We reviewed the uptake of these methods in patient-reported outcomes (PRO) literature. CINHAHL, EMBASE, Medline, ProQuest, PsycINFO, and Web of Science were searched to identify English-language articles about RS published until 2016. Data on year and country of publication, PRO measure adopted, RS detection method, type of RS detected, and testing of underlying model assumptions were extracted from the included articles. Of the 1032 articles identified, 101 (9.8%) articles were included in the study. While 54.5 of the articles reported on the Then-test, 30.7% of the articles reported on Oort's or Schmitt's structural equation modeling (SEM) procedure. Newer RS detection methods, such as relative importance analysis and random forest regression, have been used less frequently. Less than 25% reported on testing the assumptions underlying the adopted RS detection method(s). Despite rapid methodological advancements in RS research, this review highlights the need for further research about RS detection methods for complex longitudinal data and standardized reporting guidelines.

Improved method for HPLC analysis of polyamines, agmatine and aromatic monoamines in plant tissue

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Slocum, R. D.; Flores, H. E.; Galston, A. W.; Weinstein, L. H.

1989-01-01

The high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method of Flores and Galston (1982 Plant Physiol 69: 701) for the separation and quantitation of benzoylated polyamines in plant tissues has been widely adopted by other workers. However, due to previously unrecognized problems associated with the derivatization of agmatine, this important intermediate in plant polyamine metabolism cannot be quantitated using this method. Also, two polyamines, putrescine and diaminopropane, also are not well resolved using this method. A simple modification of the original HPLC procedure greatly improves the separation and quantitation of these amines, and further allows the simulation analysis of phenethylamine and tyramine, which are major monoamine constituents of tobacco and other plant tissues. We have used this modified HPLC method to characterize amine titers in suspension cultured carrot (Daucas carota L.) cells and tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) leaf tissues.

Factors affecting sustainable adoption of e-health technology in developing countries: an exploratory survey of Nigerian hospitals from the perspective of healthcare professionals

PubMed Central

Toycan, Mehmet

2018-01-01

Background E-health technology applications are essential tools of modern information technology that improve quality of healthcare delivery in hospitals of both developed and developing countries. However, despite its positive benefits, studies indicate that the rate of the e-health adoption in some developing countries is either low or underutilized. This is due in part, to barriers such as resistance from healthcare professionals, poor infrastructure, and low technical expertise among others. Objective The aim of this study is to investigate, identify and analyze the underlying factors that affect healthcare professionals decision to adopt and use e-health technology applications in developing countries, with particular reference to hospitals in Nigeria. Methods The study used a cross sectional approach in the form of a close-ended questionnaire to collect quantitative data from a sample of 465 healthcare professionals randomly selected from 15 hospitals in Nigeria. We used the modified Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as the dependent variable and external factors as independent variables. The collected data was then analyzed using SPSS statistical analysis such as frequency test, reliability analysis, and correlation coefficient analysis. Results The results obtained, which correspond with findings from other researches published, indicate that perceived usefulness, belief, willingness, as well as attitude of healthcare professionals have significant influence on their intention to adopt and use the e-health technology applications. Other strategic factors identified include low literacy level and experience in using the e-health technology applications, lack of motivation, poor organizational and management policies. Conclusion The study contributes to the literature by pinpointing significant areas where findings can positively affect, or be found useful by, healthcare policy decision makers in Nigeria and other developing countries. This can help them understand their areas of priorities and weaknesses when planning for e-health technology adoption and implementation. PMID:29507830

Deciphering the details of RNA aminoglycoside interactions: from atomistic models to biotechnological applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ilgu, Muslum

A detailed study was done of the neomycin-B RNA aptamer for determining its selectivity and binding ability to both neomycin– and kanamycin-class aminoglycosides. A novel method to increase drug concentrations in cells for more efficiently killing is described. To test the method, a bacterial model system was adopted and several small RNA molecules interacting with aminoglycosides were cloned downstream of T7 RNA polymerase promoter in an expression vector. Then, the growth analysis of E. coli expressing aptamers was observed for 12-hour period. Our analysis indicated that aptamers helped to increase the intracellular concentration of aminoglycosides thereby increasing their efficacy.

Benefits and Financial Impacts of Adopting Technology in Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grenman, Katri; Isomursu, Minna; Federley, Maija; Seisto, Anu

2013-01-01

This paper summarizes the results of an analysis of the impacts of adopting information and communication technology (ICT) solutions in a learning context. The analysis is based on a literature survey of articles reporting research cases studying the impact of adopting ICT based solutions in various learning contexts. The subject has been reviewed…

Sensory Processing in Internationally Adopted, Post-Institutionalized Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilbarger, Julia; Gunnar, Megan; Schneider, Mary; Pollak, Seth

2010-01-01

Background/Methods: Sensory processing capacities of 8-12-year-old internationally adopted (IA) children who experienced prolonged institutional care (greater than 12 months with 75% of pre-adoption lives in institutional care) prior to adoption into family environments (PI) were compared to a group of IA children who were adopted early (less than…

29 CFR 4211.31 - Allocation of unfunded vested benefits following the merger of plans.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) through (d) of this section, when two or more multiemployer plans merge, the merged plan shall adopt one... allocation methods prescribed in §§ 4211.32 through 4211.35, and the method adopted shall apply to all employer withdrawals occurring after the initial plan year. Alternatively, a merged plan may adopt its own...

Stress and Stress Management in Families with Adopted Children Who Have Severe Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Todis, Bonnie; Singer, George

Qualitative research methods were used to investigate the sources and methods of dealing with stress in eight families with adopted children who have severe developmental or multiple disabilities. The families, who had each adopted from two to 30 children, included "birth children" and, in some cases, foster children as well. The research methods…

Making sense of evidence in management decisions: the role of research-based knowledge on innovation adoption and implementation in healthcare. study protocol

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background We know that patient care can be improved by implementing evidence-based innovations and applying research findings linked to good practice. Successfully implementing innovations in complex organisations, such as the UK's National Health Service (NHS), is often challenging as multiple contextual dynamics mediate the process. Research studies have explored the challenges of introducing innovations into healthcare settings and have contributed to a better understanding of why potentially useful innovations are not always implemented in practice, even if backed by strong evidence. Mediating factors include health policy and health system influences, organisational factors, and individual and professional attitudes, including decision makers' perceptions of innovation evidence. There has been limited research on how different forms of evidence are accessed and utilised by organisational decision makers during innovation adoption. We also know little about how diverse healthcare professionals (clinicians, administrators) make sense of evidence and how this collective sensemaking mediates the uptake of innovations. Methods The study will involve nine comparative case study sites of acute care organisations grouped into three regional clusters across England. Each of the purposefully selected sites represents a variety of trust types and organisational contexts. We will use qualitative methods, in-depth interviews, observation of key meetings, and systematic analysis of relevant secondary data to understand the rationale and challenges involved in sourcing and utilising innovation evidence in the empirical setting of infection prevention and control. We will use theories of innovation adoption and sensemaking in organisations to interpret the data. The research will provide lessons for the uptake and continuous use of innovations in the English and international health systems. Discussion Unlike most innovation studies, which involve single-level analysis, our study will explore the innovation-adoption process at multiple embedded levels: micro (individual), meso (organisational), and macro (interorganisational). By comparing and contrasting across the nine sites, each with different organisational contexts, local networks, leadership styles, and different innovations considered for adoption, the findings of the study will have wide relevance. The research will produce actionable findings responding to the political and economic need for healthcare organisations to be innovation-ready. PMID:22436094

Qualitative Comparative Analysis: A Hybrid Method for Identifying Factors Associated with Program Effectiveness.

PubMed

Cragun, Deborah; Pal, Tuya; Vadaparampil, Susan T; Baldwin, Julie; Hampel, Heather; DeBate, Rita D

2016-07-01

Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) was developed over 25 years ago to bridge the qualitative and quantitative research gap. Upon searching PubMed and the Journal of Mixed Methods Research , this review identified 30 original research studies that utilized QCA. Perceptions that QCA is complex and provides few relative advantages over other methods may be limiting QCA adoption. Thus, to overcome these perceptions, this article demonstrates how to perform QCA using data from fifteen institutions that implemented universal tumor screening (UTS) programs to identify patients at high risk for hereditary colorectal cancer. In this example, QCA revealed a combination of conditions unique to effective UTS programs. Results informed additional research and provided a model for improving patient follow-through after a positive screen.

An Image Analysis Method for the Precise Selection and Quantitation of Fluorescently Labeled Cellular Constituents

PubMed Central

Agley, Chibeza C.; Velloso, Cristiana P.; Lazarus, Norman R.

2012-01-01

The accurate measurement of the morphological characteristics of cells with nonuniform conformations presents difficulties. We report here a straightforward method using immunofluorescent staining and the commercially available imaging program Adobe Photoshop, which allows objective and precise information to be gathered on irregularly shaped cells. We have applied this measurement technique to the analysis of human muscle cells and their immunologically marked intracellular constituents, as these cells are prone to adopting a highly branched phenotype in culture. Use of this method can be used to overcome many of the long-standing limitations of conventional approaches for quantifying muscle cell size in vitro. In addition, wider applications of Photoshop as a quantitative and semiquantitative tool in immunocytochemistry are explored. PMID:22511600

Patient Portals as a Tool for Health Care Engagement: A Mixed-Method Study of Older Adults With Varying Levels of Health Literacy and Prior Patient Portal Use

PubMed Central

Shoemake, Jocelyn; Nilsen, Marci Lee; Czaja, Sara; Beach, Scott; DeVito Dabbs, Annette

2017-01-01

Background Growing evidence that patient engagement improves health outcomes and reduces health care costs has fueled health providers’ focus on patient portals as the primary access point for personal health information and patient-provider communication. Whereas much attention has been given to identifying characteristics of older adults who do and do not adopt patient portals and necessary adaptions to portal design, little is known about their attitudes and perceptions regarding patient portal use as a tool for engagement in their health care within the context of health literacy, experience navigating Web-based health information, and previous patient portal use. Objective The specific aims of this study were to explore attitudes toward portal adoption and its perceived usefulness as a tool for health care engagement among adults (65 years and older) who have varying levels of health literacy and degrees of prior patient portal use. Methods A phone survey of 100 community dwelling adults gathered sociodemographic, health, and technology related information. Older adults were purposefully selected for 4 follow-up focus groups based on survey responses to health literacy and previous patient portal use. A mixed-method approach was used to integrate phone survey data with thematic analysis of 4 focus groups. Due to variability in attitudes between focus group participants, an individual case analysis was performed and thematic patterns were used as the basis for subgroup formation. Results Differences in health literacy, comfort navigating health information on the Web, and previous portal experience explained some but not all differences related to the 7 themes that emerged in the focus groups analysis. Individual cases who shared attitudes were arranged into 5 subgroups from least to most able and willing to engage in health care via a patient portal. The subgroups’ overall portal adoption attitudes were: (1) Don’t want to feel pushed into anything, (2) Will only adopt if required, (3) Somebody needs to help me, (4) See general convenience of the portal for simple tasks and medical history, but prefer human contact for questions, and (5) Appreciates current features and excited about new possibilities . Conclusions Most of the older adults are interested in using a patient portal regardless of health literacy level, previous patient portal adoption, or experience navigating health information on the Web. Research targeting informal caregivers of older adults who are unable or unwilling to engage with information technology in health care on their own is warranted. Health care organizations should consider tailored strategies to meet the needs of older adults (and their informal caregivers) and explore alternative workflows that integrate patient portal information into phone conversations and face-to-face contact with health care providers. PMID:28360022

26 CFR 1.446-1 - General rule for methods of accounting.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... books. For requirement respecting the adoption or change of accounting method, see section 446(e) and... taxpayer to adopt or change to a method of accounting permitted by this chapter although the method is not..., which require the prior approval of the Commissioner in the case of changes in accounting method. (iii...

In Search of a Pony: Sources, Methods, Outcomes, and Motivated Reasoning.

PubMed

Stone, Marc B

2018-05-01

It is highly desirable to be able to evaluate the effect of policy interventions. Such evaluations should have expected outcomes based upon sound theory and be carefully planned, objectively evaluated and prospectively executed. In many cases, however, assessments originate with investigators' poorly substantiated beliefs about the effects of a policy. Instead of designing studies that test falsifiable hypotheses, these investigators adopt methods and data sources that serve as little more than descriptions of these beliefs in the guise of analysis. Interrupted time series analysis is one of the most popular forms of analysis used to present these beliefs. It is intuitively appealing but, in most cases, it is based upon false analogies, fallacious assumptions and analytical errors.

Empirical Study of Nova Scotia Nurses’ Adoption of Healthcare Information Systems: Implications for Management and Policy-Making

PubMed Central

Ifinedo, Princely

2018-01-01

Background: This paper used the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), which was extended, to investigate nurses’ adoption of healthcare information systems (HIS) in Nova Scotia, Canada. Methods: Data was collected from 197 nurses in a survey and data analysis was carried out using the partial least squares (PLS) technique. Results: In contrast to findings in prior studies that used TPB to investigate clinicians’ adoption of technologies in Canada and elsewhere, this study found no statistical significance for the relationships between attitude and subjective norm in relation to nurses’ intention to use HIS. Rather, facilitating organizational conditions was the only TPB variable that explained sampled nurses’ intention to use HIS at work. In particular, effects of computer habit and computer anxiety among older nurses were signified. Conclusion: To encourage nurses’ adoption of HIS, healthcare administrators need to pay attention to facilitating organization conditions at work. Enhancing computer knowledge or competence is important for acceptance. Information presented in the study can be used by administrators of healthcare facilities in the research location and comparable parts of the world to further improve HIS adoption among nurses. The management of nursing professionals, especially in certain contexts (eg, prevalence of older nursing professionals), can make use of this study’s insights. PMID:29626399

An efficient spectrofluorimetric method adopts doxazosin, terazosin and alfuzosin coupling with orthophthalaldehyde: Application in human plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Omar, Mahmoud A.; Mohamed, Abdel-Maaboud I.; Derayea, Sayed M.; Hammad, Mohamed A.; Mohamed, Abobakr A.

2018-04-01

A new, selective and sensitive spectrofluorimetric method was designed for the quantitation of doxazosin (DOX), terazosin (TER) and alfuzosin (ALF) in their dosage forms and human plasma. The method adopts efficient derivatization of the studied drugs with ortho-phthalaldehyde (OPA), in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol in borate buffer (pH 9.7) to generate a highly fluorescent isoindole derivatives, which can strongly enhance the fluorescence intensities of the studied drugs, allowing their sensitive determination at 430 nm after excitation at 337 nm. The fluorescence-concentration plots were rectilinear over the ranges (10.0-400.0) ng/mL. Detection and quantification limits were found to be (0.52-3.88) and (1.59-11.76) ng/mL, respectively. The proposed method was validated according to ICH guidelines, and successfully applied for the determination of pharmaceutical preparations of the studied drugs. Moreover, the high sensitivity of the proposed method permits its successful application to the analysis of the studied drugs in spiked human plasma with % recovery (96.12 ± 1.34-100.66 ± 0.57, n = 3). A proposal for the reaction mechanism was presented.

A study of best practices in promoting sustainable urbanization in China.

PubMed

Tan, Yongtao; Xu, Hui; Jiao, Liudan; Ochoa, J Jorge; Shen, Liyin

2017-05-15

In the past twenty years, various sustainable urban development policies and methods had been implemented within China, such that sustainable urbanization is now more widely accepted. Some of these policies and methods have been found to be successful in improving the sustainability of cities in China. Those practices can be defined as the best practices of sustainable urbanization, which can provide useful references for future urban developments. However, few existing studies examine how to learn from these best practices. Combining the methods of content analysis and social network analysis, this paper conducts a comprehensive study on 150 best practices of sustainable urbanization in China. The methods and outcomes of the 150 best practices are identified. The research findings demonstrate the statistics of categories, methods and outcomes of the 150 best practices and the main adopted methods. The achieved outcomes in different regions of China are also presented. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identification of material constants for piezoelectric transformers by three-dimensional, finite-element method and a design-sensitivity method.

PubMed

Joo, Hyun-Woo; Lee, Chang-Hwan; Rho, Jong-Seok; Jung, Hyun-Kyo

2003-08-01

In this paper, an inversion scheme for piezoelectric constants of piezoelectric transformers is proposed. The impedance of piezoelectric transducers is calculated using a three-dimensional finite element method. The validity of this is confirmed experimentally. The effects of material coefficients on piezoelectric transformers are investigated numerically. Six material coefficient variables for piezoelectric transformers were selected, and a design sensitivity method was adopted as an inversion scheme. The validity of the proposed method was confirmed by step-up ratio calculations. The proposed method is applied to the analysis of a sample piezoelectric transformer, and its resonance characteristics are obtained by numerically combined equivalent circuit method.

A New Green Method for the Quantitative Analysis of Enrofloxacin by Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy.

PubMed

Rebouças, Camila Tavares; Kogawa, Ana Carolina; Salgado, Hérida Regina Nunes

2018-05-18

Background: A green analytical chemistry method was developed for quantification of enrofloxacin in tablets. The drug, a second-generation fluoroquinolone, was first introduced in veterinary medicine for the treatment of various bacterial species. Objective: This study proposed to develop, validate, and apply a reliable, low-cost, fast, and simple IR spectroscopy method for quantitative routine determination of enrofloxacin in tablets. Methods: The method was completely validated according to the International Conference on Harmonisation guidelines, showing accuracy, precision, selectivity, robustness, and linearity. Results: It was linear over the concentration range of 1.0-3.0 mg with correlation coefficients >0.9999 and LOD and LOQ of 0.12 and 0.36 mg, respectively. Conclusions: Now that this IR method has met performance qualifications, it can be adopted and applied for the analysis of enrofloxacin tablets for production process control. The validated method can also be utilized to quantify enrofloxacin in tablets and thus is an environmentally friendly alternative for the routine analysis of enrofloxacin in quality control. Highlights: A new green method for the quantitative analysis of enrofloxacin by Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy was validated. It is a fast, clean and low-cost alternative for the evaluation of enrofloxacin tablets.

Understanding Adoptive Families: An Integrative Review of Empirical Research and Future Directions for Counseling Psychology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Brien, Karen M.; Zamostny, Kathy P.

2003-01-01

Contrary to societal stereotypes about adoption, this integrative review of published empirical research on adoptive families noted several positive and few negative out-comes with regard to satisfaction with the adoption, familial functioning, and parent-child communication. The critical analysis of 38 studies on adoptive families revealed a…

A computer-aided movement analysis system.

PubMed

Fioretti, S; Leo, T; Pisani, E; Corradini, M L

1990-08-01

Interaction with biomechanical data concerning human movement analysis implies the adoption of various experimental equipments and the choice of suitable models, data processing, and graphical data restitution techniques. The integration of measurement setups with the associated experimental protocols and the relative software procedures constitutes a computer-aided movement analysis (CAMA) system. In the present paper such integration is mapped onto the causes that limit the clinical acceptance of movement analysis methods. The structure of the system is presented. A specific CAMA system devoted to posture analysis is described in order to show the attainable features. Scientific results obtained with the support of the described system are also reported.

Thermal Adaptation Methods of Urban Plaza Users in Asia's Hot-Humid Regions: A Taiwan Case Study.

PubMed

Wu, Chen-Fa; Hsieh, Yen-Fen; Ou, Sheng-Jung

2015-10-27

Thermal adaptation studies provide researchers great insight to help understand how people respond to thermal discomfort. This research aims to assess outdoor urban plaza conditions in hot and humid regions of Asia by conducting an evaluation of thermal adaptation. We also propose that questionnaire items are appropriate for determining thermal adaptation strategies adopted by urban plaza users. A literature review was conducted and first hand data collected by field observations and interviews used to collect information on thermal adaptation strategies. Item analysis--Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA)--were applied to refine the questionnaire items and determine the reliability of the questionnaire evaluation procedure. The reliability and validity of items and constructing process were also analyzed. Then, researchers facilitated an evaluation procedure for assessing the thermal adaptation strategies of urban plaza users in hot and humid regions of Asia and formulated a questionnaire survey that was distributed in Taichung's Municipal Plaza in Taiwan. Results showed that most users responded with behavioral adaptation when experiencing thermal discomfort. However, if the thermal discomfort could not be alleviated, they then adopted psychological strategies. In conclusion, the evaluation procedure for assessing thermal adaptation strategies and the questionnaire developed in this study can be applied to future research on thermal adaptation strategies adopted by urban plaza users in hot and humid regions of Asia.

Human resources for health strategies adopted by providers in resource-limited settings to sustain long-term delivery of ART: a mixed-methods study from Uganda.

PubMed

Zakumumpa, Henry; Taiwo, Modupe Oladunni; Muganzi, Alex; Ssengooba, Freddie

2016-10-19

Human resources for health (HRH) constraints are a major barrier to the sustainability of antiretroviral therapy (ART) scale-up programs in Sub-Saharan Africa. Many prior approaches to HRH constraints have taken a top-down trend of generalized global strategies and policy guidelines. The objective of the study was to examine the human resources for health strategies adopted by front-line providers in Uganda to sustain ART delivery beyond the initial ART scale-up phase between 2004 and 2009. A two-phase mixed-methods approach was adopted. In the first phase, a survey of a nationally representative sample of health facilities (n = 195) across Uganda was conducted. The second phase involved in-depth interviews (n = 36) with ART clinic managers and staff of 6 of the 195 health facilities purposively selected from the first study phase. Quantitative data was analysed based on descriptive statistics, and qualitative data was analysed by coding and thematic analysis. The identified strategies were categorized into five themes: (1) providing monetary and non-monetary incentives to health workers on busy ART clinic days; (2) workload reduction through spacing ART clinic appointments; (3) adopting training workshops in ART management as a motivation strategy for health workers; (4) adopting non-physician-centred staffing models; and (5) devising ART program leadership styles that enhanced health worker commitment. Facility-level strategies for responding to HRH constraints are feasible and can contribute to efforts to increase country ownership of HIV programs in resource-limited settings. Consideration of the human resources for health strategies identified in the study by ART program planners and managers could enhance the long-term sustainment of ART programs by providers in resource-limited settings.

OpenCyto: An Open Source Infrastructure for Scalable, Robust, Reproducible, and Automated, End-to-End Flow Cytometry Data Analysis

PubMed Central

Finak, Greg; Frelinger, Jacob; Jiang, Wenxin; Newell, Evan W.; Ramey, John; Davis, Mark M.; Kalams, Spyros A.; De Rosa, Stephen C.; Gottardo, Raphael

2014-01-01

Flow cytometry is used increasingly in clinical research for cancer, immunology and vaccines. Technological advances in cytometry instrumentation are increasing the size and dimensionality of data sets, posing a challenge for traditional data management and analysis. Automated analysis methods, despite a general consensus of their importance to the future of the field, have been slow to gain widespread adoption. Here we present OpenCyto, a new BioConductor infrastructure and data analysis framework designed to lower the barrier of entry to automated flow data analysis algorithms by addressing key areas that we believe have held back wider adoption of automated approaches. OpenCyto supports end-to-end data analysis that is robust and reproducible while generating results that are easy to interpret. We have improved the existing, widely used core BioConductor flow cytometry infrastructure by allowing analysis to scale in a memory efficient manner to the large flow data sets that arise in clinical trials, and integrating domain-specific knowledge as part of the pipeline through the hierarchical relationships among cell populations. Pipelines are defined through a text-based csv file, limiting the need to write data-specific code, and are data agnostic to simplify repetitive analysis for core facilities. We demonstrate how to analyze two large cytometry data sets: an intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) data set from a published HIV vaccine trial focused on detecting rare, antigen-specific T-cell populations, where we identify a new subset of CD8 T-cells with a vaccine-regimen specific response that could not be identified through manual analysis, and a CyTOF T-cell phenotyping data set where a large staining panel and many cell populations are a challenge for traditional analysis. The substantial improvements to the core BioConductor flow cytometry packages give OpenCyto the potential for wide adoption. It can rapidly leverage new developments in computational cytometry and facilitate reproducible analysis in a unified environment. PMID:25167361

OpenCyto: an open source infrastructure for scalable, robust, reproducible, and automated, end-to-end flow cytometry data analysis.

PubMed

Finak, Greg; Frelinger, Jacob; Jiang, Wenxin; Newell, Evan W; Ramey, John; Davis, Mark M; Kalams, Spyros A; De Rosa, Stephen C; Gottardo, Raphael

2014-08-01

Flow cytometry is used increasingly in clinical research for cancer, immunology and vaccines. Technological advances in cytometry instrumentation are increasing the size and dimensionality of data sets, posing a challenge for traditional data management and analysis. Automated analysis methods, despite a general consensus of their importance to the future of the field, have been slow to gain widespread adoption. Here we present OpenCyto, a new BioConductor infrastructure and data analysis framework designed to lower the barrier of entry to automated flow data analysis algorithms by addressing key areas that we believe have held back wider adoption of automated approaches. OpenCyto supports end-to-end data analysis that is robust and reproducible while generating results that are easy to interpret. We have improved the existing, widely used core BioConductor flow cytometry infrastructure by allowing analysis to scale in a memory efficient manner to the large flow data sets that arise in clinical trials, and integrating domain-specific knowledge as part of the pipeline through the hierarchical relationships among cell populations. Pipelines are defined through a text-based csv file, limiting the need to write data-specific code, and are data agnostic to simplify repetitive analysis for core facilities. We demonstrate how to analyze two large cytometry data sets: an intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) data set from a published HIV vaccine trial focused on detecting rare, antigen-specific T-cell populations, where we identify a new subset of CD8 T-cells with a vaccine-regimen specific response that could not be identified through manual analysis, and a CyTOF T-cell phenotyping data set where a large staining panel and many cell populations are a challenge for traditional analysis. The substantial improvements to the core BioConductor flow cytometry packages give OpenCyto the potential for wide adoption. It can rapidly leverage new developments in computational cytometry and facilitate reproducible analysis in a unified environment.

Mining concepts of health responsibility using text mining and exploratory graph analysis.

PubMed

Kjellström, Sofia; Golino, Hudson

2018-05-24

Occupational therapists need to know about people's beliefs about personal responsibility for health to help them pursue everyday activities. The study aims to employ state-of-the-art quantitative approaches to understand people's views of health and responsibility at different ages. A mixed method approach was adopted, using text mining to extract information from 233 interviews with participants aged 5 to 96 years, and then exploratory graph analysis to estimate the number of latent variables. The fit of the structure estimated via the exploratory graph analysis was verified using confirmatory factor analysis. Exploratory graph analysis estimated three dimensions of health responsibility: (1) creating good health habits and feeling good; (2) thinking about one's own health and wanting to improve it; and 3) adopting explicitly normative attitudes to take care of one's health. The comparison between the three dimensions among age groups showed, in general, that children and adolescents, as well as the old elderly (>73 years old) expressed ideas about personal responsibility for health less than young adults, adults and young elderly. Occupational therapists' knowledge of the concepts of health responsibility is of value when working with a patient's health, but an identified challenge is how to engage children and older persons.

Methods for studying medical device technology and practitioner cognition: the case of user-interface issues with infusion pumps.

PubMed

Schraagen, Jan Maarten; Verhoeven, Fenne

2013-02-01

The aims of this study were to investigate how a variety of research methods is commonly employed to study technology and practitioner cognition. User-interface issues with infusion pumps were selected as a case because of its relevance to patient safety. Starting from a Cognitive Systems Engineering perspective, we developed an Impact Flow Diagram showing the relationship of computer technology, cognition, practitioner behavior, and system failure in the area of medical infusion devices. We subsequently conducted a systematic literature review on user-interface issues with infusion pumps, categorized the studies in terms of methods employed, and noted the usability problems found with particular methods. Next, we assigned usability problems and related methods to the levels in the Impact Flow Diagram. Most study methods used to find user interface issues with infusion pumps focused on observable behavior rather than on how artifacts shape cognition and collaboration. A concerted and theory-driven application of these methods when testing infusion pumps is lacking in the literature. Detailed analysis of one case study provided an illustration of how to apply the Impact Flow Diagram, as well as how the scope of analysis may be broadened to include organizational and regulatory factors. Research methods to uncover use problems with technology may be used in many ways, with many different foci. We advocate the adoption of an Impact Flow Diagram perspective rather than merely focusing on usability issues in isolation. Truly advancing patient safety requires the systematic adoption of a systems perspective viewing people and technology as an ensemble, also in the design of medical device technology. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

SPAR improved structure/fluid dynamic analysis capability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oden, J. T.; Pearson, M. L.

1983-01-01

The capability of analyzing a coupled dynamic system of flowing fluid and elastic structure was added to the SPAR computer code. A method, developed and adopted for use in SPAR utilizes the existing assumed stress hybrid plan element in SPAR. An operational mode was incorporated in SPAR which provides the capability for analyzing the flaw of a two dimensional, incompressible, viscous fluid within rigid boundaries. Equations were developed to provide for the eventual analysis of the interaction of such fluids with an elastic solid.

U.S. Families' Adoption of Chinese Daughters: A Narrative Analysis of Family Themes in Children's Books

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fitzpatrick, Jacki; Kostina-Ritchey, Erin

2013-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the ways in which family formation processes were presented in international children's adoption books. Guided by Pinderhughes' (1996) adoptive family development model, we conducted a content analysis for the representation of two developmental phases (anticipation and accommodation). A total…

Analysis and development of adjoint-based h-adaptive direct discontinuous Galerkin method for the compressible Navier-Stokes equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Jian; Yue, Huiqiang; Yu, Shengjiao; Liu, Tiegang

2018-06-01

In this paper, an adjoint-based high-order h-adaptive direct discontinuous Galerkin method is developed and analyzed for the two dimensional steady state compressible Navier-Stokes equations. Particular emphasis is devoted to the analysis of the adjoint consistency for three different direct discontinuous Galerkin discretizations: including the original direct discontinuous Galerkin method (DDG), the direct discontinuous Galerkin method with interface correction (DDG(IC)) and the symmetric direct discontinuous Galerkin method (SDDG). Theoretical analysis shows the extra interface correction term adopted in the DDG(IC) method and the SDDG method plays a key role in preserving the adjoint consistency. To be specific, for the model problem considered in this work, we prove that the original DDG method is not adjoint consistent, while the DDG(IC) method and the SDDG method can be adjoint consistent with appropriate treatment of boundary conditions and correct modifications towards the underlying output functionals. The performance of those three DDG methods is carefully investigated and evaluated through typical test cases. Based on the theoretical analysis, an adjoint-based h-adaptive DDG(IC) method is further developed and evaluated, numerical experiment shows its potential in the applications of adjoint-based adaptation for simulating compressible flows.

Contextualizing Obesity and Diabetes Policy: Exploring a Nested Statistical and Constructivist Approach at the Cross-National and Subnational Government Level in the United States and Brazil

PubMed Central

Gómez, Eduardo J.

2017-01-01

Background: This article conducts a comparative national and subnational government analysis of the political, economic, and ideational constructivist contextual factors facilitating the adoption of obesity and diabetes policy. Methods: We adopt a nested analytical approach to policy analysis, which combines cross-national statistical analysis with subnational case study comparisons to examine theoretical prepositions and discover alternative contextual factors; this was combined with an ideational constructivist approach to policy-making. Results: Contrary to the existing literature, we found that with the exception of cross-national statistical differences in access to healthcare infrastructural resources, the growing burden of obesity and diabetes, rising healthcare costs and increased citizens’ knowledge had no predictive affect on the adoption of obesity and diabetes policy. We then turned to a subnational comparative analysis of the states of Mississippi in the United States and Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil to further assess the importance of infrastructural resources, at two units of analysis: the state governments versus rural municipal governments. Qualitative evidence suggests that differences in subnational healthcare infrastructural resources were insufficient for explaining policy reform processes, highlighting instead other potentially important factors, such as state-civil societal relationships and policy diffusion in Mississippi, federal policy intervention in Rio Grande do Norte, and politicians’ social construction of obesity and the resulting differences in policy roles assigned to the central government. Conclusion: We conclude by underscoring the complexity of subnational policy responses to obesity and diabetes, the importance of combining resource and constructivist analysis for better understanding the context of policy reform, while underscoring the potential lessons that the United States can learn from Brazil. PMID:29179290

Post-adoption Depression: Parental Classes of Depressive Symptoms Across Time

PubMed Central

Foli, Karen J.; South, Susan C.; Lim, Eunjung; Jarnecke, Amber

2016-01-01

Background Approximately 10%-15% of birth mothers and fathers experience postpartum depression, but reports of depressive symptoms in adoptive parents are more variable. Findings from investigators range from 10%-32%, which may mask the experiences of distinct groups of adoptive parents from pre-to post-placement of a child. Methods We performed latent class growth analysis using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scores of 129 primarily heterosexual, adoptive parents (50% females) for three time points: 4-6 weeks pre-placement of the child, 4-6 weeks post-placement, and 5-6 months post-placement. Mixed effects models by parent depressive trajectories were also conducted for three types of variables: interpersonal, psychological symptoms, and life orientation. Results Five classes of depressive symptom trajectories were found. The majority of parents (71%) belonged to a class with low levels of depressive symptoms across time. However, two classes of parents were above the threshold for depressive symptoms at placement, and three classes of parents were above the threshold at 6 months post-placement. The majority of interpersonal, psychological symptom, and life orientation variables were significant across classes and by time. Limitations The homogeneity of the sample calls for replication of study findings. Conclusions An explanation for inconsistencies in the range of adoptive parent depressive symptoms may be explained by different subgroups of parents who vary by their trajectory of depressive symptoms before and after placement of the child. Adoption and mental health professionals should be aware that select adoptive parents may struggle pre-and post-placement of a child. PMID:27155072

Longitudinal Course of Risk for Parental Post-Adoption Depression

PubMed Central

Foli, Karen J.; South, Susan C.; Lim, Eunjung; Hebdon, Megan

2016-01-01

Objective To determine whether the Postpartum Depression Predictors Inventory-Revised (PDPI-R) could be used to reveal distinct classes of adoptive parents across time. Design Longitudinal data were collected via online surveys at 4-6 weeks pre-placement, 4-6 weeks post-placement, and 5-6 months post-placement. Setting Participants were primarily clients of the largest adoption agency in the United States. Participants Participants included 127 adoptive parents (68 mothers and 59 fathers). Methods We applied a latent class growth analysis to the PDPI-R and conducted mixed effects modeling of class, time, and class×time interaction for the following categories of explanatory variables: parental expectations; interpersonal variables; psychological symptoms; and life orientation. Results Four latent trajectory classes were found. Class 1 (55% of sample) showed a stably low level of PDPI-R scores over time. Class 2 (32%) reported mean scores below the cut-off points at all three time points. Class 3 (8%) started at an intermediate level and increased after post-placement, but decreased at 5-6 months post-placement. Class 4 (5%) had high mean scores at all three time points. Significant main effects were found for almost all explanatory variables for class and for several variables for time. Significant interactions between class and time were found for expectations about the child and amount of love and ambivalence in parent's intimate relationship. Conclusion Findings may assist nurses to be alert to trajectories of risk for post-adoption depression. Additional factors, not included in the PDPI-R, to determine risk for post-adoption depression may be needed for adoptive parents. PMID:26874267

Perceptions of the characteristics of the Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth by child care providers may influence early adoption of nutrition guidelines in child care centres.

PubMed

Nikolopoulos, Hara; Farmer, Anna; Berry, Tanya R; McCargar, Linda J; Mager, Diana R

2015-04-01

In 2008, the Alberta government released the Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth (ANGCY) as a resource for child care facilities to translate nutrition recommendations into practical food choices. Using a multiple case study method, early adoption of the guidelines was examined in two child care centres in Alberta, Canada. Key constructs from the Diffusion of Innovations framework were used to develop an interview protocol based on the perceived characteristics of the guidelines (relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability and observability) by child care providers. Analysis of the ANGCY was conducted by a trained qualitative researcher and validated by an external qualitative researcher. This entailed reviewing guideline content, layout, organisation, presentation, format, comprehensiveness and dissemination to understand whether characteristics of the guidelines affect the adoption process. Data were collected through direct observation, key informant interviews and documentation of field notes. Qualitative data were analysed using content analysis. Overall, the guidelines were perceived positively by child care providers. Child care providers found the guidelines to have a high relative advantage, be compatible with current practice, have a low level of complexity, easy to try and easy to observe changes. It is valuable to understand how child care providers perceive characteristics of guidelines as this is the first step in identifying the needs of child care providers with respect to early adoption and identifying potential educational strategies important for dissemination. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Leadership Aspects of Hidden Curriculum Students Practice in Nigerian Universities: A Preview of Students' Union Government Contributions in University Governance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Emesini, Nnenna Orieoma

2016-01-01

The paper examined the leadership aspect of Hidden Curriculum that students practice in Nigerian Universities and their contributions to university governance. Four research questions guided the study and Ex-Post-Facto Method was adopted as the design. Unstructured interviews with staff/students officials cum critical analysis of Students' Union…

Learning Online: A Case Study Exploring Student Perceptions and Experience of a Course in Economic Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skordis-Worrall, Jolene; Haghparast-Bidgoli, Hassan; Batura, Neha; Hughes, Jane

2015-01-01

This study explored the perceptions and experiences of a group of students enrolled in an online course in Economic Evaluation. A mixed methods approach was adopted for the data collection, and thematic analysis was used to synthesize the data collected and highlight key findings. The participants identified several positive and negative perceived…

The Development of Relational Competences in High School Students by Means of Sociometric Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Macuch, Regiane da Silva; Vaz, Henrique Malheiro

2015-01-01

This article reports results of an analysis of the relationship of young people in school, and their individual and group attitudes based on sociometric theory. This study adopted a mixed methodological approach with an intervention conducted with 60 youths over 3 years in Portugal and was based on the question "Is sociometry capable of…

Modelling the Perceived Value of Compulsory English Language Education in Undergraduate Non-Language Majors of Japanese Nationality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rivers, Damian J.

2012-01-01

Adopting mixed methods of data collection and analysis, the current study models the "perceived value of compulsory English language education" in a sample of 138 undergraduate non-language majors of Japanese nationality at a national university in Japan. During the orientation period of a compulsory 15-week English language programme,…

Integrative Analysis of Prognosis Data on Multiple Cancer Subtypes

PubMed Central

Liu, Jin; Huang, Jian; Zhang, Yawei; Lan, Qing; Rothman, Nathaniel; Zheng, Tongzhang; Ma, Shuangge

2014-01-01

Summary In cancer research, profiling studies have been extensively conducted, searching for genes/SNPs associated with prognosis. Cancer is diverse. Examining the similarity and difference in the genetic basis of multiple subtypes of the same cancer can lead to a better understanding of their connections and distinctions. Classic meta-analysis methods analyze each subtype separately and then compare analysis results across subtypes. Integrative analysis methods, in contrast, analyze the raw data on multiple subtypes simultaneously and can outperform meta-analysis methods. In this study, prognosis data on multiple subtypes of the same cancer are analyzed. An AFT (accelerated failure time) model is adopted to describe survival. The genetic basis of multiple subtypes is described using the heterogeneity model, which allows a gene/SNP to be associated with prognosis of some subtypes but not others. A compound penalization method is developed to identify genes that contain important SNPs associated with prognosis. The proposed method has an intuitive formulation and is realized using an iterative algorithm. Asymptotic properties are rigorously established. Simulation shows that the proposed method has satisfactory performance and outperforms a penalization-based meta-analysis method and a regularized thresholding method. An NHL (non-Hodgkin lymphoma) prognosis study with SNP measurements is analyzed. Genes associated with the three major subtypes, namely DLBCL, FL, and CLL/SLL, are identified. The proposed method identifies genes that are different from alternatives and have important implications and satisfactory prediction performance. PMID:24766212

Understanding factors influencing the adoption of mHealth by the elderly: An extension of the UTAUT model.

PubMed

Hoque, Rakibul; Sorwar, Golam

2017-05-01

mHealth (mobile health) services are becoming an increasingly important form of information and communication technology (ICT) enabled delivery for healthcare, especially in low-resource environments such as developing countries like Bangladesh. Despite widespread adoption of mobile phones and the acknowledged potential of using them to improve healthcare services, the adoption and acceptance of this technology among the elderly is significantly low. However, little research has been done to draw any systematic study of the elderly's intention to adopt mHealth services. The aim of this study was to develop a theoretical model based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and then empirically test it for determining the key factors influencing elderly users' intention to adopt and use the mHealth services. A face-to-face structured questionnaire survey method was used to collect data from nearly 300 participants of age 60 years and above from the capital city of Bangladesh. The data were analyzed using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) method, a statistical analysis technique based upon Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The study determined that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, technology anxiety, and resistance to change (p<0.05) had a significant impact on the users' behavioral intention to adopt mHealth services. The study, however, revealed no significant relation between the facilitating condition and the users' behavioral intention to use the mHealth services (p>0.05). This study confirms the applicability of UTAUT model in the context of mHealth services among the elderly in developing countries like Bangladesh. It provides valuable information for mHealth service providers and policy makers in understanding the adoption challenges and the issues and also provides practical guidance for the successful implementation of mHealth services. Additionally the empirical findings identify implications related to the design and development of mHealth services that influence potential users. Furthermore, due to a generic approach, the findings of this study could be easily modified to assist other developing countries in the planning and up-take of mHealth services. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Adoption of the National CLAS Standards by State Mental Health Agencies: A Nationwide Policy Analysis.

PubMed

Aggarwal, Neil Krishan; Cedeno, Kryst; John, Dolly; Lewis-Fernandez, Roberto

2017-08-01

This study reports the extent to which states have adopted the national culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) standards. Officials from public mental health agencies in the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico were contacted between January and June 2016 to obtain information about adoption of CLAS standards in current policies. Each policy was coded through thematic analysis to determine its correspondence with any of the 14 national CLAS standards, which are grouped into three domains. Officials from 47 states and territories (90%) responded. Eight states (17%) reported adopting all national CLAS standards. Ten (23%) had adopted no CLAS policies, five (12%) had adopted policies under one domain, three (7%) under two domains, and 25 (58%) under all three domains. Most states do not have policies that meet all CLAS standards, raising questions about how CLAS standards should be adopted.

Natural frequency identification of smart washer by using adaptive observer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ito, Hitoshi; Okugawa, Masayuki

2014-04-01

Bolted joints are used in many machines/structures and some of them have been loosened during long time use, and unluckily these bolt loosening may cause a great accident of machines/structures system. These bolted joint, especially in important places, are main object of maintenance inspection. Maintenance inspection with human- involvement is desired to be improved owing to time-consuming, labor-intensive and high-cost. By remote and full automation monitoring of the bolt loosening, constantly monitoring of bolted joint is achieved. In order to detect loosening of bolted joints without human-involvement, applying a structural health monitoring technique and smart structures/materials concept is the key objective. In this study, a new method of bolt loosening detection by adopting a smart washer has been proposed, and the basic detection principle was discussed with numerical analysis about frequency equation of the system, was confirmed experimentally. The smart washer used in this study is in cantilever type with piezoelectric material, which adds the washer the self-sensing and actuation function. The principle used to detect the loosening of the bolts is a method of a bolt loosening detection noted that the natural frequency of a smart washer system is decreasing by the change of the bolt tightening axial tension. The feature of this proposed method is achieving to identify the natural frequency at current condition on demand by adopting the self-sensing and actuation function and system identification algorithm for varying the natural frequency depending the bolt tightening axial tension. A novel bolt loosening detection method by adopting adaptive observer is proposed in this paper. The numerical simulations are performed to verify the possibility of the adaptive observer-based loosening detection. Improvement of the detection accuracy for a bolt loosening is confirmed by adopting initial parameter and variable adaptive gain by numerical simulation.

A dual estimate method for aeromagnetic compensation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Ming; Zhou, Zhijian; Cheng, Defu

2017-11-01

Scalar aeromagnetic surveys have played a vital role in prospecting. However, before analysis of the surveys’ aeromagnetic data is possible, the aircraft’s magnetic interference should be removed. The extensively adopted linear model for aeromagnetic compensation is computationally efficient but faces an underfitting problem. On the other hand, the neural model proposed by Williams is more powerful at fitting but always suffers from an overfitting problem. This paper starts off with an analysis of these two models and then proposes a dual estimate method to combine them together to improve accuracy. This method is based on an unscented Kalman filter, but a gradient descent method is implemented over the iteration so that the parameters of the linear model are adjustable during flight. The noise caused by the neural model’s overfitting problem is suppressed by introducing an observation noise.

How High is that Dune? A Comparison of Methods Used to Constrain the Morphometry of Aeolian Bedforms on Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bourke, M.; Balme, M.; Beyer, R. A.; Williams, K. K.

2004-01-01

Methods traditionally used to estimate the relative height of surface features on Mars include: photoclinometry, shadow length and stereography. The MOLA data set enables a more accurate assessment of the surface topography of Mars. However, many small-scale aeolian bedforms remain below the sample resolution of the MOLA data set. In response to this a number of research teams have adopted and refined existing methods and applied them to high resolution (2-6 m/pixel) narrow angle MOC satellite images. Collectively, the methods provide data on a range of morphometric parameters (many not previously available for dunes on Mars). These include dune height, width, length, surface area, volume, longitudinal and cross profiles). This data will facilitate a more accurate analysis of aeolian bedforms on Mars. In this paper we undertake a comparative analysis of methods used to determine the height of aeolian dunes and ripples.

New analysis of nuclear interaction observed by Mt. Kanbara emulsion chamber experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nanjo, H.

1985-01-01

To date the analysis of the air cascade family has been performed using a full Monte Carlo simulation. It is difficult to draw a definite conclusion about the interaction mechanism by using only this kind of simulation. On the other hand, attempts to reproduce the original gamma ray at the interaction point, for example decascading, have also been made. This method makes it possible to observe the interaction directly and to analyze the data from various angles. All of these methods, however, assume a constant ER in the cascade shower, where E is energy and R is the distance from the center of the cascade shower. It is impossible to reproduce the exact interaction height and energy by these methods. A relative method in separating one cascade shower from others is adopted. This method makes it possible to estimate the interaction height and energy by using information about the lateral spread of the cascade shower.

Exploiting salient semantic analysis for information retrieval

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Jing; Meng, Bo; Quan, Changqin; Tu, Xinhui

2016-11-01

Recently, many Wikipedia-based methods have been proposed to improve the performance of different natural language processing (NLP) tasks, such as semantic relatedness computation, text classification and information retrieval. Among these methods, salient semantic analysis (SSA) has been proven to be an effective way to generate conceptual representation for words or documents. However, its feasibility and effectiveness in information retrieval is mostly unknown. In this paper, we study how to efficiently use SSA to improve the information retrieval performance, and propose a SSA-based retrieval method under the language model framework. First, SSA model is adopted to build conceptual representations for documents and queries. Then, these conceptual representations and the bag-of-words (BOW) representations can be used in combination to estimate the language models of queries and documents. The proposed method is evaluated on several standard text retrieval conference (TREC) collections. Experiment results on standard TREC collections show the proposed models consistently outperform the existing Wikipedia-based retrieval methods.

Analysis of decay chains of superheavy nuclei produced in the 249Bk+48Ca and 243Am+48Ca reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zlokazov, V. B.; Utyonkov, V. K.

2017-07-01

The analysis of decay chains starting at superheavy nuclei 293Ts and 289Mc is presented. The spectroscopic properties of nuclei identified during the experiments using the 249Bk+48Ca and 243Am+48Ca reactions studied at the gas-filled separators DGFRS, TASCA and BGS are considered. We present the analysis of decay data using widely adopted statistical methods and applying them to the short decay chains of parent odd-Z nuclei. We find out that the recently suggested method of analyzing decay chains by Forsberg et al may lead to questionable conclusions when applied for the analysis of radioactive decays. Our discussion demonstrates reasonable congruence of α-particle energies and decay times of nuclei assigned to isotopes 289Mc, 285Nh and 281Rg observed in both reactions.

Analysis of temperature rise for piezoelectric transformer using finite-element method.

PubMed

Joo, Hyun-Woo; Lee, Chang-Hwan; Rho, Jong-Seok; Jung, Hyun-Kyo

2006-08-01

Analysis of heat problem and temperature field of a piezoelectric transformer, operated at steady-state conditions, is described. The resonance frequency of the transformer is calculated from impedance and electrical gain analysis using a finite-element method. Mechanical displacement and electric potential of the transformer at the calculated resonance frequency are used to calculate the loss distribution of the transformer. Temperature distribution using discretized heat transfer equation is calculated from the obtained losses of the transformer. Properties of the piezoelectric material, dependent on the temperature field, are measured to recalculate the losses, temperature distribution, and new resonance characteristics of the transformer. Iterative method is adopted to recalculate the losses and resonance frequency due to the changes of the material constants from temperature increase. Computed temperature distributions and new resonance characteristics of the transformer at steady-state temperature are verified by comparison with experimental results.

A numerical formulation and algorithm for limit and shakedown analysis of large-scale elastoplastic structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Heng; Liu, Yinghua; Chen, Haofeng

2018-05-01

In this paper, a novel direct method called the stress compensation method (SCM) is proposed for limit and shakedown analysis of large-scale elastoplastic structures. Without needing to solve the specific mathematical programming problem, the SCM is a two-level iterative procedure based on a sequence of linear elastic finite element solutions where the global stiffness matrix is decomposed only once. In the inner loop, the static admissible residual stress field for shakedown analysis is constructed. In the outer loop, a series of decreasing load multipliers are updated to approach to the shakedown limit multiplier by using an efficient and robust iteration control technique, where the static shakedown theorem is adopted. Three numerical examples up to about 140,000 finite element nodes confirm the applicability and efficiency of this method for two-dimensional and three-dimensional elastoplastic structures, with detailed discussions on the convergence and the accuracy of the proposed algorithm.

Evolutionary game theory for physical and biological scientists. I. Training and validating population dynamics equations.

PubMed

Liao, David; Tlsty, Thea D

2014-08-06

Failure to understand evolutionary dynamics has been hypothesized as limiting our ability to control biological systems. An increasing awareness of similarities between macroscopic ecosystems and cellular tissues has inspired optimism that game theory will provide insights into the progression and control of cancer. To realize this potential, the ability to compare game theoretic models and experimental measurements of population dynamics should be broadly disseminated. In this tutorial, we present an analysis method that can be used to train parameters in game theoretic dynamics equations, used to validate the resulting equations, and used to make predictions to challenge these equations and to design treatment strategies. The data analysis techniques in this tutorial are adapted from the analysis of reaction kinetics using the method of initial rates taught in undergraduate general chemistry courses. Reliance on computer programming is avoided to encourage the adoption of these methods as routine bench activities.

Evaluation and statistical judgement of neural responses to sinusoidal stimulation in cases with superimposed drift and noise.

PubMed

Jastreboff, P W

1979-06-01

Time histograms of neural responses evoked by sinuosidal stimulation often contain a slow drifting and an irregular noise which disturb Fourier analysis of these responses. Section 2 of this paper evaluates the extent to which a linear drift influences the Fourier analysis, and develops a combined Fourier and linear regression analysis for detecting and correcting for such a linear drift. Usefulness of this correcting method is demonstrated for the time histograms of actual eye movements and Purkinje cell discharges evoked by sinusoidal rotation of rabbits in the horizontal plane. In Sect. 3, the analysis of variance is adopted for estimating the probability of the random occurrence of the response curve extracted by Fourier analysis from noise. This method proved to be useful for avoiding false judgements as to whether the response curve was meaningful, particularly when the response was small relative to the contaminating noise.

26 CFR 1.175-6 - Adoption or change of method.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... project or farm as to which the method or change of method is to apply; (4) Set forth the amount of all... farm. The authorization with respect to the special project or single farm will not affect the method... 26 Internal Revenue 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Adoption or change of method. 1.175-6 Section 1...

[Fractal research of neurite growth in immunofluorescent images].

PubMed

Tang, Min; Wang, Huinan

2008-12-01

Fractal dimension has been widely used in medical images processing and analysis. The neurite growth of cultured dorsal root ganglion (DRG) was detected by fluorescent immunocytochemistry treated with nerve regeneration factor (0.1, 0.5, 2.0 mg/L). A novel method based on triangular prism surface area (TPSA) was introduced and adopted to calculate the fractal dimension of the two-dimensional immunofluorescent images. Experimental results demonstrate that this method is easy to understand and convenient to operate, and the quantititve results are concordant with the observational findings under microscope. This method can be guidelines for analyzing and deciding experimental results.

The Purpose of State Level Textbook Adoption: What Does the Legislation Reveal?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tulley, Michael A.; Farr, Roger

1985-01-01

A content analysis of textbook adoption statutes of 22 states was undertaken to gain insight into the reasons behind state textbook adoption. Findings indicate the intent of state-level textbook adoption may be to control marketing practices of the publishing industry. (DF)

Adoption and Cognitive Development: A Meta-Analytic Comparison of Adopted and Nonadopted Children's IQ and School Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Ijzendoorn, Marinus H.; Juffer, Femmie; Poelhuis, Caroline W. Klein

2005-01-01

This meta-analysis of 62 studies (N=17,767 adopted children) examined whether the cognitive development of adopted children differed from that of (a) children who remained in institutional care or in the birth family and (b) their current (environmental) nonadopted siblings or peers. Adopted children scored higher on IQ tests than their nonadopted…

Second-First Language Acquisition: Analysis of Expressive Language Skills in a Sample of Girls Adopted from China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tan, Tony Xing; Loker, Troy; Dedrick, Robert F.; Marfo, Kofi

2012-01-01

In this study we investigated adopted Chinese girls' expressive English language outcomes in relation to their age at adoption, chronological age, length of exposure to English and developmental risk status at the time of adoption. Vocabulary and phrase utterance data on 318 girls were collected from the adoptive mothers using the Language…

A Framework for Estimating Causal Effects in Latent Class Analysis: Is There a Causal Link Between Early Sex and Subsequent Profiles of Delinquency?

PubMed Central

Lanza, Stephanie T.; Coffman, Donna L.

2013-01-01

Prevention scientists use latent class analysis (LCA) with increasing frequency to characterize complex behavior patterns and profiles of risk. Often, the most important research questions in these studies involve establishing characteristics that predict membership in the latent classes, thus describing the composition of the subgroups and suggesting possible points of intervention. More recently, prevention scientists have begun to adopt modern methods for drawing causal inference from observational data because of the bias that can be introduced by confounders. This same issue of confounding exists in any analysis of observational data, including prediction of latent class membership. This study demonstrates a straightforward approach to causal inference in LCA that builds on propensity score methods. We demonstrate this approach by examining the causal effect of early sex on subsequent delinquency latent classes using data from 1,890 adolescents in 11th and 12th grade from wave I of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Prior to the statistical adjustment for potential confounders, early sex was significantly associated with delinquency latent class membership for both genders (p=0.02). However, the propensity score adjusted analysis indicated no evidence for a causal effect of early sex on delinquency class membership (p=0.76) for either gender. Sample R and SAS code is included in an Appendix in the ESM so that prevention scientists may adopt this approach to causal inference in LCA in their own work. PMID:23839479

A framework for estimating causal effects in latent class analysis: is there a causal link between early sex and subsequent profiles of delinquency?

PubMed

Butera, Nicole M; Lanza, Stephanie T; Coffman, Donna L

2014-06-01

Prevention scientists use latent class analysis (LCA) with increasing frequency to characterize complex behavior patterns and profiles of risk. Often, the most important research questions in these studies involve establishing characteristics that predict membership in the latent classes, thus describing the composition of the subgroups and suggesting possible points of intervention. More recently, prevention scientists have begun to adopt modern methods for drawing causal inference from observational data because of the bias that can be introduced by confounders. This same issue of confounding exists in any analysis of observational data, including prediction of latent class membership. This study demonstrates a straightforward approach to causal inference in LCA that builds on propensity score methods. We demonstrate this approach by examining the causal effect of early sex on subsequent delinquency latent classes using data from 1,890 adolescents in 11th and 12th grade from wave I of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Prior to the statistical adjustment for potential confounders, early sex was significantly associated with delinquency latent class membership for both genders (p = 0.02). However, the propensity score adjusted analysis indicated no evidence for a causal effect of early sex on delinquency class membership (p = 0.76) for either gender. Sample R and SAS code is included in an Appendix in the ESM so that prevention scientists may adopt this approach to causal inference in LCA in their own work.

Thermal protection system gap analysis using a loosely coupled fluid-structural thermal numerical method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Jie; Li, Piao; Yao, Weixing

2018-05-01

A loosely coupled fluid-structural thermal numerical method is introduced for the thermal protection system (TPS) gap thermal control analysis in this paper. The aerodynamic heating and structural thermal are analyzed by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and numerical heat transfer (NHT) methods respectively. An interpolation algorithm based on the control surface is adopted for the data exchanges on the coupled surface. In order to verify the analysis precision of the loosely coupled method, a circular tube example was analyzed, and the wall temperature agrees well with the test result. TPS gap thermal control performance was studied by the loosely coupled method successfully. The gap heat flux is mainly distributed in the small region at the top of the gap which is the high temperature region. Besides, TPS gap temperature and the power of the active cooling system (CCS) calculated by the traditional uncoupled method are higher than that calculated by the coupled method obviously. The reason is that the uncoupled method doesn't consider the coupled effect between the aerodynamic heating and structural thermal, however the coupled method considers it, so TPS gap thermal control performance can be analyzed more accurately by the coupled method.

The State and Trends of Barcode, RFID, Biometric and Pharmacy Automation Technologies in US Hospitals

PubMed Central

Uy, Raymonde Charles Y.; Kury, Fabricio P.; Fontelo, Paul A.

2015-01-01

The standard of safe medication practice requires strict observance of the five rights of medication administration: the right patient, drug, time, dose, and route. Despite adherence to these guidelines, medication errors remain a public health concern that has generated health policies and hospital processes that leverage automation and computerization to reduce these errors. Bar code, RFID, biometrics and pharmacy automation technologies have been demonstrated in literature to decrease the incidence of medication errors by minimizing human factors involved in the process. Despite evidence suggesting the effectivity of these technologies, adoption rates and trends vary across hospital systems. The objective of study is to examine the state and adoption trends of automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) methods and pharmacy automation technologies in U.S. hospitals. A retrospective descriptive analysis of survey data from the HIMSS Analytics® Database was done, demonstrating an optimistic growth in the adoption of these patient safety solutions. PMID:26958264

Cost Savings Associated with the Adoption of a Cloud Computing Data Transfer System for Trauma Patients.

PubMed

Feeney, James M; Montgomery, Stephanie C; Wolf, Laura; Jayaraman, Vijay; Twohig, Michael

2016-09-01

Among transferred trauma patients, challenges with the transfer of radiographic studies include problems loading or viewing the studies at the receiving hospitals, and problems manipulating, reconstructing, or evalu- ating the transferred images. Cloud-based image transfer systems may address some ofthese problems. We reviewed the charts of patients trans- ferred during one year surrounding the adoption of a cloud computing data transfer system. We compared the rates of repeat imaging before (precloud) and af- ter (postcloud) the adoption of the cloud-based data transfer system. During the precloud period, 28 out of 100 patients required 90 repeat studies. With the cloud computing transfer system in place, three out of 134 patients required seven repeat films. There was a statistically significant decrease in the proportion of patients requiring repeat films (28% to 2.2%, P < .0001). Based on an annualized volume of 200 trauma patient transfers, the cost savings estimated using three methods of cost analysis, is between $30,272 and $192,453.

A hybrid data compression approach for online backup service

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Hua; Zhou, Ke; Qin, MingKang

2009-08-01

With the popularity of Saas (Software as a service), backup service has becoming a hot topic of storage application. Due to the numerous backup users, how to reduce the massive data load is a key problem for system designer. Data compression provides a good solution. Traditional data compression application used to adopt a single method, which has limitations in some respects. For example data stream compression can only realize intra-file compression, de-duplication is used to eliminate inter-file redundant data, compression efficiency cannot meet the need of backup service software. This paper proposes a novel hybrid compression approach, which includes two levels: global compression and block compression. The former can eliminate redundant inter-file copies across different users, the latter adopts data stream compression technology to realize intra-file de-duplication. Several compressing algorithms were adopted to measure the compression ratio and CPU time. Adaptability using different algorithm in certain situation is also analyzed. The performance analysis shows that great improvement is made through the hybrid compression policy.

Getting the big picture in community science: methods that capture context.

PubMed

Luke, Douglas A

2005-06-01

Community science has a rich tradition of using theories and research designs that are consistent with its core value of contextualism. However, a survey of empirical articles published in the American Journal of Community Psychology shows that community scientists utilize a narrow range of statistical tools that are not well suited to assess contextual data. Multilevel modeling, geographic information systems (GIS), social network analysis, and cluster analysis are recommended as useful tools to address contextual questions in community science. An argument for increased methodological consilience is presented, where community scientists are encouraged to adopt statistical methodology that is capable of modeling a greater proportion of the data than is typical with traditional methods.

Study on the Influence of Elevation of Tailing Dam on Stability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wan, Shuai; Wang, Kun; Kong, Songtao; Zhao, Runan; Lan, Ying; Zhang, Run

2017-12-01

This paper takes Yunnan as the object of a tailing, by theoretical analysis and numerical calculation method of the effect of seismic load effect of elevation on the stability of the tailing, to analyse the stability of two point driven safety factor and liquefaction area. The Bishop method is adopted to simplify the calculation of dynamic safety factor and liquefaction area analysis using comparison method of shear stress to analyse liquefaction, so we obtained the influence of elevation on the stability of the tailing. Under the earthquake, with the elevation increased, the safety coefficient of dam body decreases, shallow tailing are susceptible to liquefy. Liquefaction area mainly concentrated in the bank below the water surface, to improve the scientific basis for the design and safety management of the tailing.

Efficient three-dimensional resist profile-driven source mask optimization optical proximity correction based on Abbe-principal component analysis and Sylvester equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Pei-Chun; Yu, Chun-Chang; Chen, Charlie Chung-Ping

2015-01-01

As one of the critical stages of a very large scale integration fabrication process, postexposure bake (PEB) plays a crucial role in determining the final three-dimensional (3-D) profiles and lessening the standing wave effects. However, the full 3-D chemically amplified resist simulation is not widely adopted during the postlayout optimization due to the long run-time and huge memory usage. An efficient simulation method is proposed to simulate the PEB while considering standing wave effects and resolution enhancement techniques, such as source mask optimization and subresolution assist features based on the Sylvester equation and Abbe-principal component analysis method. Simulation results show that our algorithm is 20× faster than the conventional Gaussian convolution method.

Qualitative Comparative Analysis: A Hybrid Method for Identifying Factors Associated with Program Effectiveness

PubMed Central

Cragun, Deborah; Pal, Tuya; Vadaparampil, Susan T.; Baldwin, Julie; Hampel, Heather; DeBate, Rita D.

2015-01-01

Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) was developed over 25 years ago to bridge the qualitative and quantitative research gap. Upon searching PubMed and the Journal of Mixed Methods Research, this review identified 30 original research studies that utilized QCA. Perceptions that QCA is complex and provides few relative advantages over other methods may be limiting QCA adoption. Thus, to overcome these perceptions, this article demonstrates how to perform QCA using data from fifteen institutions that implemented universal tumor screening (UTS) programs to identify patients at high risk for hereditary colorectal cancer. In this example, QCA revealed a combination of conditions unique to effective UTS programs. Results informed additional research and provided a model for improving patient follow-through after a positive screen. PMID:27429602

26 CFR 1.985-4 - Method of accounting.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 26 Internal Revenue 10 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Method of accounting. 1.985-4 Section 1.985-4...) INCOME TAXES Export Trade Corporations § 1.985-4 Method of accounting. (a) Adoption of election. The adoption of, or the election to use, a functional currency shall be treated as a method of accounting. The...

Evaluation of performance of footwear and flooring systems in combination with personnel using voltage probability analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smallwood, Jeremy; Swenson, David E.

2011-06-01

Evaluation of electrostatic performance of footwear and flooring in combination is necessary in applications such as electrostatic discharge (ESD) control in electronics manufacture, evaluation of equipment for avoidance of factory process electrostatic ignition risks and avoidance of electrostatic shocks to personnel in working environments. Typical standards use a walking test in which the voltage produced on a subject is evaluated by identification and measurement of the magnitude of the 5 highest "peaks" and "valleys" of the recorded voltage waveform. This method does not lend itself to effective analysis of the risk that the voltage will exceed a hazard threshold. This paper shows the advantages of voltage probability analysis and recommends that the method is adopted for use in future standards.

Use of Intermediate Endpoints in the Economic Evaluation of New Treatments for Advanced Cancer and Methods Adopted When Suitable Overall Survival Data are Not Available.

PubMed

Beauchemin, Catherine; Lapierre, Marie-Ève; Letarte, Nathalie; Yelle, Louise; Lachaine, Jean

2016-09-01

This study assessed the use of intermediate endpoints in the economic evaluation of new treatments for advanced cancer and the methodological approaches adopted when overall survival (OS) data are unavailable or of limited use. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify economic evaluations of treatments for advanced cancer published between 2003 and 2013. Cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses expressed in cost per life-year gained and cost per quality-adjusted life-year using an intermediate endpoint as an outcome measure were eligible. Characteristics of selected studies were extracted and comprised population, treatment of interest, comparator, line of treatment, study perspective, and time horizon. Use of intermediate endpoints and methods adopted when OS data were lacking were analyzed. In total, 7219 studies were identified and 100 fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Intermediate endpoints mostly used were progression-free survival and time to progression, accounting for 92 % of included studies. OS data were unavailable for analysis in nearly 25 % of economic evaluations. In the absence of OS data, studies most commonly assumed an equal risk of death for all treatment groups. Other methods included use of indirect comparison based on numerous assumptions, use of a proxy for OS, consultation with clinical experts, and use of published external information from different treatment settings. Intermediate endpoints are widely used in the economic evaluation of new treatments for advanced cancer in order to estimate OS. Currently, different methods are used in the absence of suitable OS data and the choice of an appropriate method depends on many factors including the data availability.

Different applications of isosbestic points, normalized spectra and dual wavelength as powerful tools for resolution of multicomponent mixtures with severely overlapping spectra.

PubMed

Mohamed, Ekram H; Lotfy, Hayam M; Hegazy, Maha A; Mowaka, Shereen

2017-05-25

Analysis of complex mixture containing three or more components represented a challenge for analysts. New smart spectrophotometric methods have been recently evolved with no limitation. A study of different novel and smart spectrophotometric techniques for resolution of severely overlapping spectra were presented in this work utilizing isosbestic points present in different absorption spectra, normalized spectra as a divisor and dual wavelengths. A quaternary mixture of drotaverine (DRO), caffeine (CAF), paracetamol (PCT) and para-aminophenol (PAP) was taken as an example for application of the proposed techniques without any separation steps. The adopted techniques adopted of successive and progressive steps manipulating zero /or ratio /or derivative spectra. The proposed techniques includes eight novel and simple methods namely direct spectrophotometry after applying derivative transformation (DT) via multiplying by a decoding spectrum, spectrum subtraction (SS), advanced absorbance subtraction (AAS), advanced amplitude modulation (AAM), simultaneous derivative ratio (S 1 DD), advanced ratio difference (ARD), induced ratio difference (IRD) and finally double divisor-ratio difference-dual wavelength (DD-RD-DW) methods. The proposed methods were assessed by analyzing synthetic mixtures of the studied drugs. They were also successfully applied to commercial pharmaceutical formulations without interference from other dosage form additives. The methods were validated according to the ICH guidelines, accuracy, precision, repeatability, were found to be within the acceptable limits. The proposed procedures are accurate, simple and reproducible and yet economic. They are also sensitive and selective and could be used for routine analysis of complex most of the binary, ternary and quaternary mixtures and even more complex mixtures.

Semi-supervised clustering for parcellating brain regions based on resting state fMRI data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Hewei; Fan, Yong

2014-03-01

Many unsupervised clustering techniques have been adopted for parcellating brain regions of interest into functionally homogeneous subregions based on resting state fMRI data. However, the unsupervised clustering techniques are not able to take advantage of exiting knowledge of the functional neuroanatomy readily available from studies of cytoarchitectonic parcellation or meta-analysis of the literature. In this study, we propose a semi-supervised clustering method for parcellating amygdala into functionally homogeneous subregions based on resting state fMRI data. Particularly, the semi-supervised clustering is implemented under the framework of graph partitioning, and adopts prior information and spatial consistent constraints to obtain a spatially contiguous parcellation result. The graph partitioning problem is solved using an efficient algorithm similar to the well-known weighted kernel k-means algorithm. Our method has been validated for parcellating amygdala into 3 subregions based on resting state fMRI data of 28 subjects. The experiment results have demonstrated that the proposed method is more robust than unsupervised clustering and able to parcellate amygdala into centromedial, laterobasal, and superficial parts with improved functionally homogeneity compared with the cytoarchitectonic parcellation result. The validity of the parcellation results is also supported by distinctive functional and structural connectivity patterns of the subregions and high consistency between coactivation patterns derived from a meta-analysis and functional connectivity patterns of corresponding subregions.

Orthogonal Procrustes Analysis for Dictionary Learning in Sparse Linear Representation

PubMed Central

Grossi, Giuliano; Lin, Jianyi

2017-01-01

In the sparse representation model, the design of overcomplete dictionaries plays a key role for the effectiveness and applicability in different domains. Recent research has produced several dictionary learning approaches, being proven that dictionaries learnt by data examples significantly outperform structured ones, e.g. wavelet transforms. In this context, learning consists in adapting the dictionary atoms to a set of training signals in order to promote a sparse representation that minimizes the reconstruction error. Finding the best fitting dictionary remains a very difficult task, leaving the question still open. A well-established heuristic method for tackling this problem is an iterative alternating scheme, adopted for instance in the well-known K-SVD algorithm. Essentially, it consists in repeating two stages; the former promotes sparse coding of the training set and the latter adapts the dictionary to reduce the error. In this paper we present R-SVD, a new method that, while maintaining the alternating scheme, adopts the Orthogonal Procrustes analysis to update the dictionary atoms suitably arranged into groups. Comparative experiments on synthetic data prove the effectiveness of R-SVD with respect to well known dictionary learning algorithms such as K-SVD, ILS-DLA and the online method OSDL. Moreover, experiments on natural data such as ECG compression, EEG sparse representation, and image modeling confirm R-SVD’s robustness and wide applicability. PMID:28103283

Representations of Adoption in Contemporary Realistic Fiction for Young Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parsons, Sue Christian; Fuxa, Robin; Kander, Faryl; Hardy, Dana

2017-01-01

In this critical content analysis of thirty-seven contemporary realistic fiction books about adoption, the authors examine how adoption and adoptive families are depicted in young adult (YA) literature. The critical literacy theoretical frame brings into focus significant social implications of these depictions as the researchers illuminate and…

[Research on fast implementation method of image Gaussian RBF interpolation based on CUDA].

PubMed

Chen, Hao; Yu, Haizhong

2014-04-01

Image interpolation is often required during medical image processing and analysis. Although interpolation method based on Gaussian radial basis function (GRBF) has high precision, the long calculation time still limits its application in field of image interpolation. To overcome this problem, a method of two-dimensional and three-dimensional medical image GRBF interpolation based on computing unified device architecture (CUDA) is proposed in this paper. According to single instruction multiple threads (SIMT) executive model of CUDA, various optimizing measures such as coalesced access and shared memory are adopted in this study. To eliminate the edge distortion of image interpolation, natural suture algorithm is utilized in overlapping regions while adopting data space strategy of separating 2D images into blocks or dividing 3D images into sub-volumes. Keeping a high interpolation precision, the 2D and 3D medical image GRBF interpolation achieved great acceleration in each basic computing step. The experiments showed that the operative efficiency of image GRBF interpolation based on CUDA platform was obviously improved compared with CPU calculation. The present method is of a considerable reference value in the application field of image interpolation.

Verification of Decision-Analytic Models for Health Economic Evaluations: An Overview.

PubMed

Dasbach, Erik J; Elbasha, Elamin H

2017-07-01

Decision-analytic models for cost-effectiveness analysis are developed in a variety of software packages where the accuracy of the computer code is seldom verified. Although modeling guidelines recommend using state-of-the-art quality assurance and control methods for software engineering to verify models, the fields of pharmacoeconomics and health technology assessment (HTA) have yet to establish and adopt guidance on how to verify health and economic models. The objective of this paper is to introduce to our field the variety of methods the software engineering field uses to verify that software performs as expected. We identify how many of these methods can be incorporated in the development process of decision-analytic models in order to reduce errors and increase transparency. Given the breadth of methods used in software engineering, we recommend a more in-depth initiative to be undertaken (e.g., by an ISPOR-SMDM Task Force) to define the best practices for model verification in our field and to accelerate adoption. Establishing a general guidance for verifying models will benefit the pharmacoeconomics and HTA communities by increasing accuracy of computer programming, transparency, accessibility, sharing, understandability, and trust of models.

Facial expression recognition under partial occlusion based on fusion of global and local features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiaohua; Xia, Chen; Hu, Min; Ren, Fuji

2018-04-01

Facial expression recognition under partial occlusion is a challenging research. This paper proposes a novel framework for facial expression recognition under occlusion by fusing the global and local features. In global aspect, first, information entropy are employed to locate the occluded region. Second, principal Component Analysis (PCA) method is adopted to reconstruct the occlusion region of image. After that, a replace strategy is applied to reconstruct image by replacing the occluded region with the corresponding region of the best matched image in training set, Pyramid Weber Local Descriptor (PWLD) feature is then extracted. At last, the outputs of SVM are fitted to the probabilities of the target class by using sigmoid function. For the local aspect, an overlapping block-based method is adopted to extract WLD features, and each block is weighted adaptively by information entropy, Chi-square distance and similar block summation methods are then applied to obtain the probabilities which emotion belongs to. Finally, fusion at the decision level is employed for the data fusion of the global and local features based on Dempster-Shafer theory of evidence. Experimental results on the Cohn-Kanade and JAFFE databases demonstrate the effectiveness and fault tolerance of this method.

Analysis for maladjustment properties of passive confocal unstable resonator by using Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiang; Xiang, Anping

2007-12-01

The effect of intracavity aberration perturbation on output mode structure properties of passive confocal unstable resonator is been experimentally researched by adopting Hartmann-Shack method on the basis of numerical simulation. The results show that intracavity tilt aberration affects the outcoupled intensity distribution, but only a small intracavity tilt perturbation will not obviously augment the high-order aberrations of beam phase properties. The tilt aberration, coma aberration and astigmatism will all be brought, and also tilt aberration is the main component when intracavity mirrors have a vertical movement along the direction of optic axis. When adaptive optical elements such as deformable mirrors are adopted for intracavity aberration correction, the correction for tilt aberration should be considered at first.

Evaluation of Energy Policy Instruments for the Adoption of Renewable Energy: Case of Wind Energy in the Pacific Northwest U.S

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abotah, Remal

The wide use of renewable energy technologies for generating electricity can be seen as one way of meeting environmental and climate change challenges along with a progression to a low-carbon economy. A large number of policy instruments have been formed and employed to support the adoption of renewable energy technologies in the power generation sector. However, the success of these policies in achieving their goals relies on how effective they are in satisfying their targets and thus increasing renewable energy adoption. One measurement for effectiveness of policy instruments can be their contribution to the input of the process of renewable energy adoption and their effect on satisfying regional goal. The objective of this research is evaluate the effectiveness of energy policy instruments on increasing the adoption of renewable energy by developing a comprehensive evaluation model. Criteria used in this assessment depend on five perspectives that are perceived by decision makers as important for adoption process. The decision model linked the perspectives to policy targets and various energy policy instruments. These perspectives are: economic, social, political, environmental and technical. The research implemented the hierarchical decision model (HDM) to construct a generalized policy assessment framework. Data for wind energy adoption in the Pacific Northwest region were collected as a case study and application for the model. Experts' qualitative judgments were collected and quantified using the pair-wise comparison method and the final rankings and effectiveness of policy alternatives with respect to the mission were identified. Results of this research identified economic feasibility improvement of renewable energy projects as the most influential perspective and that renewable portfolio standards and tax credits are the two most effective criteria to accomplish that. The research also applied sensitivity analysis and scenario analysis to identify the effect of regional perspectives future priority changes on determining the most effective policy for this perspective. Results showed that renewable portfolio standards and tax credits were found to be the two most effective policies among the alternatives assessed. The research model and outcome can serve as policy check tool in policy making for renewable energy development in any region. Based on the overall research findings, policymakers can apply specific policy instruments to support adoption efforts for any given scenario and regional emphasis.

The Co-simulation of Humanoid Robot Based on Solidworks, ADAMS and Simulink

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Dalei; Zheng, Lidan; Wang, Li; Qi, Weiwei; Li, Yanli

A simulation method of adaptive controller is proposed for the humanoid robot system based on co-simulation of Solidworks, ADAMS and Simulink. A complex mathematical modeling process is avoided by this method, and the real time dynamic simulating function of Simulink would be exerted adequately. This method could be generalized to other complicated control system. This method is adopted to build and analyse the model of humanoid robot. The trajectory tracking and adaptive controller design also proceed based on it. The effect of trajectory tracking is evaluated by fitting-curve theory of least squares method. The anti-interference capability of the robot is improved a lot through comparative analysis.

Study on Edge Thickening Flow Forming Using the Finite Elements Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Young Jin; Park, Jin Sung; Cho, Chongdu

2011-08-01

This study is to examine the forming features of flow stress property and the incremental forming method with increasing the thickness of material. Recently, the optimized forming method is widely studied through the finite element analysis to optimize forming process conditions in many different forming fields. The optimal forming method should be adopted to meet geometric requirements as the reduction in volume per unit length of material such as forging, rolling, spinning etc. However conventional studies have not dealt with issue regarding volume per unit length. For the study we use the finite element method and model a gear part of an automotive engine flywheel as the study model, which is a weld assembly of a plate and a gear with respective different thickness. In simulation of the present study, a optimized forming condition for gear machining, considering the thickness of the outer edge of flywheel is studied using the finite elements analysis for the increasing thickness of the forming method. It is concluded from the study that forming method to increase the thickness per unit length for gear machining is reasonable using the finite elements analysis and forming test.

Determination of Baylisascaris schroederi Infection in Wild Giant Pandas by an Accurate and Sensitive PCR/CE-SSCP Method

PubMed Central

Zhang, Wenping; Yie, Shangmian; Yue, Bisong; Zhou, Jielong; An, Renxiong; Yang, Jiangdong; Chen, Wangli; Wang, Chengdong; Zhang, Liang; Shen, Fujun; Yang, Guangyou; Hou, Rong; Zhang, Zhihe

2012-01-01

It has been recognized that other than habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation, the infection of the roundworm Baylisascaris schroederi (B. schroederi) is one of the major causes of death in wild giant pandas. However, the prevalence and intensity of the parasite infection has been inconsistently reported through a method that uses sedimentation-floatation followed by a microscope examination. This method fails to accurately determine infection because there are many bamboo residues and/or few B. schroederi eggs in the examined fecal samples. In the present study, we adopted a method that uses PCR and capillary electrophoresis combined with a single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis (PCR/CE-SSCP) to detect B. schroederi infection in wild giant pandas at a nature reserve, and compared it to the traditional microscope approach. The PCR specifically amplified a single band of 279-bp from both fecal samples and positive controls, which was confirmed by sequence analysis to correspond to the mitochondrial COII gene of B. schroederi. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the amount of genomic DNA was linearly correlated with the peak area of the CE-SSCP analysis. Thus, our adopted method can reliably detect the infectious prevalence and intensity of B. schroederi in wild giant pandas. The prevalence of B. schroederi was found to be 54% in the 91 fecal samples examined, and 48% in the fecal samples of 31 identified individual giant pandas. Infectious intensities of the 91 fecal samples were detected to range from 2.8 to 959.2 units/gram, and from 4.8 to 959.2 units/gram in the fecal samples of the 31 identified giant pandas. For comparison, by using the traditional microscope method, the prevalence of B. schroederi was found to be only 33% in the 91 fecal samples, 32% in the fecal samples of the 31 identified giant pandas, and no reliable infectious intensity was observed. PMID:22911871

Determination of Baylisascaris schroederi infection in wild giant pandas by an accurate and sensitive PCR/CE-SSCP method.

PubMed

Zhang, Wenping; Yie, Shangmian; Yue, Bisong; Zhou, Jielong; An, Renxiong; Yang, Jiangdong; Chen, Wangli; Wang, Chengdong; Zhang, Liang; Shen, Fujun; Yang, Guangyou; Hou, Rong; Zhang, Zhihe

2012-01-01

It has been recognized that other than habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation, the infection of the roundworm Baylisascaris schroederi (B. schroederi) is one of the major causes of death in wild giant pandas. However, the prevalence and intensity of the parasite infection has been inconsistently reported through a method that uses sedimentation-floatation followed by a microscope examination. This method fails to accurately determine infection because there are many bamboo residues and/or few B. schroederi eggs in the examined fecal samples. In the present study, we adopted a method that uses PCR and capillary electrophoresis combined with a single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis (PCR/CE-SSCP) to detect B. schroederi infection in wild giant pandas at a nature reserve, and compared it to the traditional microscope approach. The PCR specifically amplified a single band of 279-bp from both fecal samples and positive controls, which was confirmed by sequence analysis to correspond to the mitochondrial COII gene of B. schroederi. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the amount of genomic DNA was linearly correlated with the peak area of the CE-SSCP analysis. Thus, our adopted method can reliably detect the infectious prevalence and intensity of B. schroederi in wild giant pandas. The prevalence of B. schroederi was found to be 54% in the 91 fecal samples examined, and 48% in the fecal samples of 31 identified individual giant pandas. Infectious intensities of the 91 fecal samples were detected to range from 2.8 to 959.2 units/gram, and from 4.8 to 959.2 units/gram in the fecal samples of the 31 identified giant pandas. For comparison, by using the traditional microscope method, the prevalence of B. schroederi was found to be only 33% in the 91 fecal samples, 32% in the fecal samples of the 31 identified giant pandas, and no reliable infectious intensity was observed.

Analysing attitude data through ridit schemes.

PubMed

El-rouby, M G

1994-12-02

The attitudes of individuals and populations on various issues are usually assessed through sample surveys. Responses to survey questions are then scaled and combined into a meaningful whole which defines the measured attitude. The applied scales may be of nominal, ordinal, interval, or ratio nature depending upon the degree of sophistication the researcher wants to introduce into the measurement. This paper discusses methods of analysis for categorical variables of the type used in attitude and human behavior research, and recommends adoption of ridit analysis, a technique which has been successfully applied to epidemiological, clinical investigation, laboratory, and microbiological data. The ridit methodology is described after reviewing some general attitude scaling methods and problems of analysis related to them. The ridit method is then applied to a recent study conducted to assess health care service quality in North Carolina. This technique is conceptually and computationally more simple than other conventional statistical methods, and is also distribution-free. Basic requirements and limitations on its use are indicated.

An Improved Time-Frequency Analysis Method in Interference Detection for GNSS Receivers

PubMed Central

Sun, Kewen; Jin, Tian; Yang, Dongkai

2015-01-01

In this paper, an improved joint time-frequency (TF) analysis method based on a reassigned smoothed pseudo Wigner–Ville distribution (RSPWVD) has been proposed in interference detection for Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers. In the RSPWVD, the two-dimensional low-pass filtering smoothing function is introduced to eliminate the cross-terms present in the quadratic TF distribution, and at the same time, the reassignment method is adopted to improve the TF concentration properties of the auto-terms of the signal components. This proposed interference detection method is evaluated by experiments on GPS L1 signals in the disturbing scenarios compared to the state-of-the-art interference detection approaches. The analysis results show that the proposed interference detection technique effectively overcomes the cross-terms problem and also preserves good TF localization properties, which has been proven to be effective and valid to enhance the interference detection performance of the GNSS receivers, particularly in the jamming environments. PMID:25905704

Comparison of beam position calculation methods for application in digital acquisition systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reiter, A.; Singh, R.

2018-05-01

Different approaches to the data analysis of beam position monitors in hadron accelerators are compared adopting the perspective of an analog-to-digital converter in a sampling acquisition system. Special emphasis is given to position uncertainty and robustness against bias and interference that may be encountered in an accelerator environment. In a time-domain analysis of data in the presence of statistical noise, the position calculation based on the difference-over-sum method with algorithms like signal integral or power can be interpreted as a least-squares analysis of a corresponding fit function. This link to the least-squares method is exploited in the evaluation of analysis properties and in the calculation of position uncertainty. In an analytical model and experimental evaluations the positions derived from a straight line fit or equivalently the standard deviation are found to be the most robust and to offer the least variance. The measured position uncertainty is consistent with the model prediction in our experiment, and the results of tune measurements improve significantly.

A new technique for spectrophotometric determination of pseudoephedrine and guaifenesin in syrup and synthetic mixture.

PubMed

Riahi, Siavash; Hadiloo, Farshad; Milani, Seyed Mohammad R; Davarkhah, Nazila; Ganjali, Mohammad R; Norouzi, Parviz; Seyfi, Payam

2011-05-01

The accuracy in predicting different chemometric methods was compared when applied on ordinary UV spectra and first order derivative spectra. Principal component regression (PCR) and partial least squares with one dependent variable (PLS1) and two dependent variables (PLS2) were applied on spectral data of pharmaceutical formula containing pseudoephedrine (PDP) and guaifenesin (GFN). The ability to derivative in resolved overlapping spectra chloropheniramine maleate was evaluated when multivariate methods are adopted for analysis of two component mixtures without using any chemical pretreatment. The chemometrics models were tested on an external validation dataset and finally applied to the analysis of pharmaceuticals. Significant advantages were found in analysis of the real samples when the calibration models from derivative spectra were used. It should also be mentioned that the proposed method is a simple and rapid way requiring no preliminary separation steps and can be used easily for the analysis of these compounds, especially in quality control laboratories. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Documenting Instructional Practices in Large Introductory STEM Lecture Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vu, Viet Quoc

STEM education reform in higher education is framed around the need to improve student learning outcomes, increase student retention, and increase the number of underrepresented minorities and female students in STEM fields, all of which would ultimately contribute to America's competitiveness and prosperity. To achieve these goals, education reformers call for an increase in the adoption of research-based "promising practices" in classrooms. Despite efforts to increase the adoption of more promising practices in classrooms, postsecondary instructors are still likely to lecture and use traditional teaching approaches. To shed light on this adoption dilemma, a mix-methods study was conducted. First, instructional practices in large introductory STEM courses were identified, followed by an analysis of factors that inhibit or contribute to the use of promising practices. Data were obtained from classroom observations (N = 259) of large gateway courses across STEM departments and from instructor interviews (N = 67). Results show that instructors are already aware of promising practices and that change strategies could move from focusing on the development and dissemination of promising practices to focusing on improving adoption rates. Teaching-track instructors such as lecturers with potential for security of employment (LPSOE) and lecturers with security of employment (LSOE) have adopted promising practices more than other instructors. Interview data show that LPSOEs are also effective at disseminating promising practices to their peers, but opinion leaders (influential faculty in a department) are necessary to promote adoption of promising practices by higher ranking instructors. However, hiring more LPSOEs or opinion leaders will not be enough to shift instructional practices. Variations in the adoption of promising practices by instructors and across departments show that any reform strategy needs to be systematic and take into consideration how information is shared through communication channels, the adoption decision-making process by potential adopters, and the contextual barriers and drivers of adoption. Additionally, the strategy should be designed with multiple stages, with each stage given time for changes to have an effect. Taking a one-size fits all approach to STEM education reform will not work and may only perpetuate the cycle of non-adoption and continued use of teacher-centered instructional practices.

Gender and Acceptance of E-Learning: A Multi-Group Analysis Based on a Structural Equation Model among College Students in Chile and Spain

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

The scope of this study was to evaluate whether the adoption of e-learning in two universities, and in particular, the relationship between the perception of external control and perceived ease of use, is different because of gender differences. The study was carried out with participating students in two different universities, one in Chile and one in Spain. The Technology Acceptance Model was used as a theoretical framework for the study. A multi-group analysis method in partial least squares was employed to relate differences between groups. The four main conclusions of the study are: (1) a version of the Technology Acceptance Model has been successfully used to explain the process of adoption of e-learning at an undergraduate level of study; (2) the finding of a strong and significant relationship between perception of external control and perception of ease of use of the e-learning platform; (3) a significant relationship between perceived enjoyment and perceived ease of use and between results demonstrability and perceived usefulness is found; (4) the study indicates a few statistically significant differences between males and females when adopting an e-learning platform, according to the tested model. PMID:26465895

The geography of solar energy in the United States: Market definition, industry structure, and choice in solar PV adoption

DOE PAGES

O’Shaughnessy, Eric; Nemet, Gregory F.; Darghouth, Naïm

2018-01-30

The solar photovoltaic (PV) installation industry comprises thousands of firms around the world who collectively installed nearly 200 million panels in 2015. Spatial analysis of the emerging industry has received considerable attention from the literature, especially on the demand side concerning peer effects and adopter clustering. However this research area does not include similarly sophisticated spatial analysis on the supply side of the installation industry. The lack of understanding of the spatial structure of the PV installation industry leaves PV market research to rely on jurisdictional lines, such as counties, to define geographic PV markets. We develop an approach thatmore » uses the spatial distribution of installers' activity to define geographic boundaries for PV markets. Our method is useful for PV market research and applicable in the contexts of other industries. We use our approach to demonstrate that the PV industry in the United States is spatially heterogeneous. Despite the emergence of some national-scale PV installers, installers are largely local and installer communities are unique from one region to the next. The social implications of the spatial heterogeneity of the emerging PV industry involve improving understanding of issues such as market power, industry consolidation, and how much choice potential adopters have.« less

The geography of solar energy in the United States: Market definition, industry structure, and choice in solar PV adoption

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

O’Shaughnessy, Eric; Nemet, Gregory F.; Darghouth, Naïm

The solar photovoltaic (PV) installation industry comprises thousands of firms around the world who collectively installed nearly 200 million panels in 2015. Spatial analysis of the emerging industry has received considerable attention from the literature, especially on the demand side concerning peer effects and adopter clustering. However this research area does not include similarly sophisticated spatial analysis on the supply side of the installation industry. The lack of understanding of the spatial structure of the PV installation industry leaves PV market research to rely on jurisdictional lines, such as counties, to define geographic PV markets. We develop an approach thatmore » uses the spatial distribution of installers' activity to define geographic boundaries for PV markets. Our method is useful for PV market research and applicable in the contexts of other industries. We use our approach to demonstrate that the PV industry in the United States is spatially heterogeneous. Despite the emergence of some national-scale PV installers, installers are largely local and installer communities are unique from one region to the next. The social implications of the spatial heterogeneity of the emerging PV industry involve improving understanding of issues such as market power, industry consolidation, and how much choice potential adopters have.« less

To adopt is to adapt: the process of implementing the ICF with an acute stroke multidisciplinary team in England

PubMed Central

Tempest, Stephanie; Harries, Priscilla; Kilbride, Cherry; De Souza, Lorraine

2012-01-01

Purpose: The success of the International Classifcation of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) depends on its uptake in clinical practice. This project aimed to explore ways the ICF could be used with an acute stroke multidisciplinary team and identify key learning from the implementation process. Method: Using an action research approach, iterative cycles of observe, plan, act and evaluate were used within three phases: exploratory; innovatory and refective. Thematic analysis was undertaken, using a model of immersion and crystallisation, on data collected via interview and focus groups, e-mail communications, minutes from relevant meetings, feld notes and a refective diary. Results: Two overall themes were determined from the data analysis which enabled implementation. There is a need to: (1) adopt the ICF in ways that meet local service needs; and (2) adapt the ICF language and format. Conclusions: The empirical fndings demonstrate how to make the ICF classifcation a clinical reality. First, we need to adopt the ICF as a vehicle to implement local service priorities e.g. to structure a multidisciplinary team report, thus enabling ownership of the implementation process. Second, we need to adapt the ICF terminology and format to make it acceptable for use by clinicians. PMID:22372376

26 CFR 1.472-5 - Revocation of election.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...) INCOME TAXES Inventories § 1.472-5 Revocation of election. An election made to adopt and use the LIFO inventory method is irrevocable, and the method once adopted shall be used in all subsequent taxable years...

Patient Navigation from the Paired Perspectives of Cancer Patients and Navigators: A Qualitative Analysis

PubMed Central

Yosha, Amanat M.; Carroll, Jennifer K.; Hendren, Samantha; Salamone, Charcy M.; Sanders, Mechelle; Fiscella, Kevin; Epstein, Ronald M.

2011-01-01

Objective Patient navigation for cancer care assesses and alleviates barriers to health care services. We examined paired perspectives of cancer patients and their navigators to examine the process of patient navigation. We explored the strengths, limitations, and our own lessons learned about adopting the novel methodology of multiperspective analysis. Methods As part of a larger RCT, patients and navigators were interviewed separately. We reviewed interviews with 18 patient-navigator dyads. Dyad summaries were created that explicitly incorporated both patient and navigator perspectives. Emerging themes and verbatim quotations were reflected in the summaries. Results Paired perspectives were valuable in identifying struggles that arose during navigation. These were represented as imbalanced investment and relational amelioration. Patients and navigators had general consensus about important patient needs for cancer care, but characterized these needs differently. Conclusion Our experience with multiperspective analysis revealed a methodology that delivers novel relational findings, but is best conducted de novo rather than as part of a larger study. Practice Implications Multiperspective analysis should be more widely adopted with clear aims and analytic strategy that strengthen the ability to reveal relational dynamics. Navigation training programs should anticipate navigator struggles and provide navigators with tools to manage them. PMID:21255958

Obstacles to integrated pest management adoption in developing countries

PubMed Central

Parsa, Soroush; Morse, Stephen; Bonifacio, Alejandro; Chancellor, Timothy C. B.; Condori, Bruno; Crespo-Pérez, Verónica; Hobbs, Shaun L. A.; Kroschel, Jürgen; Ba, Malick N.; Rebaudo, François; Sherwood, Stephen G.; Vanek, Steven J.; Faye, Emile; Herrera, Mario A.; Dangles, Olivier

2014-01-01

Despite its theoretical prominence and sound principles, integrated pest management (IPM) continues to suffer from anemic adoption rates in developing countries. To shed light on the reasons, we surveyed the opinions of a large and diverse pool of IPM professionals and practitioners from 96 countries by using structured concept mapping. The first phase of this method elicited 413 open-ended responses on perceived obstacles to IPM. Analysis of responses revealed 51 unique statements on obstacles, the most frequent of which was “insufficient training and technical support to farmers.” Cluster analyses, based on participant opinions, grouped these unique statements into six themes: research weaknesses, outreach weaknesses, IPM weaknesses, farmer weaknesses, pesticide industry interference, and weak adoption incentives. Subsequently, 163 participants rated the obstacles expressed in the 51 unique statements according to importance and remediation difficulty. Respondents from developing countries and high-income countries rated the obstacles differently. As a group, developing-country respondents rated “IPM requires collective action within a farming community” as their top obstacle to IPM adoption. Respondents from high-income countries prioritized instead the “shortage of well-qualified IPM experts and extensionists.” Differential prioritization was also evident among developing-country regions, and when obstacle statements were grouped into themes. Results highlighted the need to improve the participation of stakeholders from developing countries in the IPM adoption debate, and also to situate the debate within specific regional contexts. PMID:24567400

Factors influencing the implementation, adoption, use, sustainability and scalability of eLearning for family medicine specialty training: a systematic review protocol.

PubMed

Cotič, Živa; Rees, Rebecca; Wark, Petra A; Car, Josip

2016-10-19

In 2013, there was a shortage of approximately 7.2 million health workers worldwide, which is larger among family physicians than among specialists. eLearning could provide a potential solution to some of these global workforce challenges. However, there is little evidence on factors facilitating or hindering implementation, adoption, use, scalability and sustainability of eLearning. This review aims to synthesise results from qualitative and mixed methods studies to provide insight on factors influencing implementation of eLearning for family medicine specialty education and training. Additionally, this review aims to identify the actions needed to increase effectiveness of eLearning and identify the strategies required to improve eLearning implementation, adoption, use, sustainability and scalability for family medicine speciality education and training. A systematic search will be conducted across a range of databases for qualitative studies focusing on experiences, barriers, facilitators, and other factors related to the implementation, adoption, use, sustainability and scalability of eLearning for family medicine specialty education and training. Studies will be synthesised by using the framework analysis approach. This study will contribute to the evaluation of eLearning implementation, adoption, use, sustainability and scalability for family medicine specialty training and education and the development of eLearning guidelines for postgraduate medical education. PROSPERO http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.asp?ID=CRD42016036449.

Development and Validation of the Chinese Making Sense of Adversity Scale: Acculturative Stressors as an Example

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pan, Jia-Yan; Wong, Daniel Fu Keung; Chan, Kin Sun; Chan, Cecilia Lai Wan

2008-01-01

Objective: The objective of this study is to develop and validate the Chinese Making Sense of Adversity Scale (CMSAS) to measure the cognitive coping strategies that Chinese people adopt to make sense of adversity. Method: A 12-item CMSAS was developed by in-depth interview and item analysis. The scale was validated with a sample of 627 Chinese…

Response to the Questions Posed by the Food Safety and Inspection Service Regarding Determination of the Most Appropriate Technologies to Adopt for FSIS Routine and Baseline Microbiological Analysis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) should provide guidance to assist with the United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA/FSIS) Agency’s goal of moving into the next generation of microbiological testing methods. To do...

The Effect of Logical Thinking and Two Cognitive Styles on Understanding the Structure of Matter: An Analysis with the Random Walk Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stamovlasis, Dimitrios; Tsitsipis, Georgios; Papageorgiou, George

2010-01-01

This work uses the concepts and tools of complexity theory to examine the effect of logical thinking and two cognitive styles, such as, the degree of field dependence/independence and the convergent/divergent thinking on students' understanding of the structure of matter. Students were categorized according to the model they adopted for the…

Risk Factors for Drug Abuse among Nepalese Samples Selected from a Town of Eastern Nepal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niraula, Surya Raj; Chhetry, Devendra Bahadur; Singh, Girish Kumar; Nagesh, S.; Shyangwa, Pramod Mohan

2009-01-01

The study focuses on the serious issue related to the adolescents' and adults' behavior and health. It aims to identify the risk factors for drug abuse from samples taken from a town of Eastern Nepal. This is a matched case-control study. The conditional logistic regression method was adopted for data analysis. The diagnosis cut off was determined…

An Empirical Study on Washback Effects of the Internet-Based College English Test Band 4 in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Chao; Yan, Jiaolan; Liu, Bao

2014-01-01

Based on Bailey's washback model, in respect of participants, process and products, the present empirical study was conducted to find the actual washback effects of the internet-based College English Test Band 4 (IB CET-4). The methods adopted are questionnaires, class observation, interview and the analysis of both the CET-4 teaching and testing…

Factors Associated with the Competencies of Public Health Workers in Township Hospitals: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Chongqing Municipality, China

PubMed Central

He, Zhifei; Cheng, Zhaohui; Fu, Hang; Tang, Shangfeng; Fu, Qian; Fang, Haiqing; Xian, Yue; Ming, Hui; Feng, Zhanchun

2015-01-01

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the competencies of public health workers (PHWs) of township hospitals in Chongqing Municipality (China), and determine the related impact factors of the competencies of PHWs; Methods: A cross-sectional research was conducted on 314 PHWs from 27 township hospitals in three districts in Chongqing Municipality (China), from June to August 2014. A self-assessment questionnaire was established on the basis of literature reviews and a competency dictionary. The differences in competencies among the three districts were determined by adopting the chi-square test, t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA) method, and the impact factors of the competencies of PHWs were determined by adopting stepwise regression analysis. Results: (1) Results of the demographic characteristics of PHWs in three sample districts of Chongqing Municipality showed that a significant difference in age of PHWs (p = 0.021 < 0.05) and the majors of PHWs (p = 0.045 < 0.05); (2) In terms of the self-evaluation competency results of PHWs in township hospitals, seven among the 11 aspects were found to have significant differences in the three districts by the ANOVA test; (3) By adopting the t-test and ANOVA method, results of the relationship between the characteristics of PHWs and their competency scores showed that significant differences were found in the economic level (p = 0.000 < 0.05), age (p = 0.000 < 0.05), years of working (p = 0.000 < 0.05) and title of PHWs (p = 0.000 < 0.05); (4) Stepwise regression analysis was used to determine the impact factors of the competencies of PHWs in township hospitals, including the economic level (p = 0.000 < 0.001), years of working (p = 0.000 < 0.001), title (p = 0.001 < 0.005), and public health major (p = 0.007 < 0.01). Conclusions: The competencies of the township hospital staff in Chongqing Municipality (China), are generally insufficient, therefore, regulating the medical education and training skills of PHWs is crucial to improve the competencies of PHWs in the township hospitals of Chongqing Municipality. The results of this study can be mirrored in other areas of China. PMID:26569273

Importance of Economic Evaluation in Health Care: An Indian Perspective.

PubMed

Dang, Amit; Likhar, Nishkarsh; Alok, Utkarsh

2016-05-01

Health economic studies provide information to decision makers for efficient use of available resources for maximizing health benefits. Economic evaluation is one part of health economics, and it is a tool for comparing costs and consequences of different interventions. Health technology assessment is a technique for economic evaluation that is well adapted by developed countries. The traditional classification of economic evaluation includes cost-minimization, cost-effectiveness analysis, cost-utility analysis, and cost-benefit analysis. There has been uncertainty in the conduct of such economic evaluations in India, due to some hesitancy with respect to the adoption of their guidelines. The biggest challenge in this evolutionary method is lack of understanding of methods in current use by all those involved in the provision and purchasing of health care. In some countries, different methods of economic evaluation have been adopted for decision making, most commonly to address the question of public subsidies for the purchase of medicines. There is limited evidence on the impact of health insurance on the health and economic well-being of beneficiaries in developing countries. India is currently pursuing several strategies to improve health services for its population, including investing in government-provided services as well as purchasing services from public and private providers through various schemes. Prospects for future growth and development in this field are required in India because rapid health care inflation, increasing rates of chronic conditions, aging population, and increasing technology diffusion will require greater economic efficiency into health care systems. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Guidelines for the Reporting of Treatment Trials for Alcohol Use Disorders

PubMed Central

Witkiewitz, Katie; Finney, John W.; Harris, Alex H.S; Kivlahan, Daniel R.; Kranzler, Henry R.

2015-01-01

Background The primary goals in conducting clinical trials of treatments for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) is to identify efficacious treatments and determine which treatments are most efficacious for which patients. Accurate reporting of study design features and results is imperative to enable readers of research reports to evaluate to what extent a study has achieved these goals. Guidance on quality of clinical trial reporting has evolved substantially over the past two decades, primarily through the publication and widespread adoption of the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement. However, there is room to improve the adoption of those standards in reporting the design and findings of treatment trials for AUD. Methods Narrative review of guidance on reporting quality in AUD treatment trials. Results Despite improvements in the reporting of results of treatment trials for AUD over the past two decades, many published reports provide insufficient information on design or methods. Conclusions The reporting of alcohol treatment trial design, analysis, and results requires improvement in four primary areas: (1) trial registration, (2) procedures for recruitment and retention, (3) procedures for randomization and intervention design considerations, and (4) statistical methods used to assess treatment efficacy. Improvements in these areas and the adoption of reporting standards by authors, reviewers, and editors are critical to an accurate assessment of the reliability and validity of treatment effects. Continued developments in this area are needed to move AUD treatment research forward via systematic reviews and meta-analyses that maximize the utility of completed studies. PMID:26259958

Barriers and enablers to adoption of intrauterine device as a contraceptive method: A multi-stakeholder perspective.

PubMed

Mishra, Namita; Panda, Meely; Pyne, Souvik; Srinivas, Nallala; Pati, Sandipana; Pati, Sanghamitra

2017-01-01

Promoting family planning practices aid considerably in attaining Millennium Development Goals by various mechanisms. Despite concerted health system efforts, adoption of especially reversible contraceptive methods such as intrauterine devices (IUDs) has remained negatively skewed in India, which is the pioneer country to implement Family Planning programme way back in 1952. Although few studies in India have looked into the reasons for its nonacceptance, literature from Odisha was scant and hence the study was undertaken. A cross-sectional study using qualitative methods was done in the Mahanga Tehsil of Cuttack district. In-depth interviews were conducted with women of reproductive age (WRA) and focused group discussions (FGDs) among health workers and health professionals were held separately. Data analysis was done using thematic framework approach supported by Atlas Ti software. There were 31 in-depth interviews with WRA, two FGDs with health workers, and one FGD with health professionals. Availability of IUD services was low and wherever available, being located far away affected its physical accessibility. Most women were reluctant to ask health workers about services owing to their shyness while many women felt using IUDs breached their autonomy and privacy. The existence of fear and misconceptions regarding its use rooting from lack of knowledge and poor service quality also impeded its adoption by women. There is a pressing need to enhance the demand of IUDs by dispelling the myths among women through effective information, education, and communication and also to improve the availability of IUDs.

Barriers and enablers of kangaroo mother care implementation from a health systems perspective: a systematic review

PubMed Central

Chan, Grace; Bergelson, Ilana; Smith, Emily R; Skotnes, Tobi; Wall, Stephen

2017-01-01

Abstract Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is an evidence-based intervention that reduces neonatal morbidity and mortality. However, adoption among health systems has varied. Understanding the interaction between health system functions—leadership, financing, healthcare workers (HCWs), technologies, information and research, and service delivery—and KMC is essential to understanding KMC adoption. We present a systematic review of the barriers and enablers of KMC implementation from the perspective of health systems, with a focus on HCWs and health facilities. Using the search terms ‘kangaroo mother care’, ‘skin to skin (STS) care’ and ‘kangaroo care’, we searched Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, Pubmed, and World Health Organization Regional Databases. Reports and hand searched references from publications were also included. Screening and data abstraction were conducted by two independent reviewers using standardized forms. A conceptual model to assess KMC adoption themes was developed using NVivo software. Our search strategy yielded 2875 studies. We included 86 studies with qualitative data on KMC implementation from the perspective of HCWs and/or facilities. Six themes emerged on barriers and enablers to KMC adoption: buy-in and bonding; social support; time; medical concerns; training; and cultural norms. Analysis of interactions between HCWs and facilities yielded further barriers and enablers in the areas of training, communication, and support. HCWs and health facilities serve as two important adopters of Kangaroo Mother Care within a health system. The complex components of KMC lead to multifaceted barriers and enablers to integration, which inform facility, regional, and country-level recommendations for increasing adoption. Further research of methods to promote context-specific adoption of KMC at the health systems level is needed. PMID:28973515

Barriers and enablers of kangaroo mother care implementation from a health systems perspective: a systematic review.

PubMed

Chan, Grace; Bergelson, Ilana; Smith, Emily R; Skotnes, Tobi; Wall, Stephen

2017-12-01

Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is an evidence-based intervention that reduces neonatal morbidity and mortality. However, adoption among health systems has varied. Understanding the interaction between health system functions-leadership, financing, healthcare workers (HCWs), technologies, information and research, and service delivery-and KMC is essential to understanding KMC adoption. We present a systematic review of the barriers and enablers of KMC implementation from the perspective of health systems, with a focus on HCWs and health facilities. Using the search terms 'kangaroo mother care', 'skin to skin (STS) care' and 'kangaroo care', we searched Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, Pubmed, and World Health Organization Regional Databases. Reports and hand searched references from publications were also included. Screening and data abstraction were conducted by two independent reviewers using standardized forms. A conceptual model to assess KMC adoption themes was developed using NVivo software. Our search strategy yielded 2875 studies. We included 86 studies with qualitative data on KMC implementation from the perspective of HCWs and/or facilities. Six themes emerged on barriers and enablers to KMC adoption: buy-in and bonding; social support; time; medical concerns; training; and cultural norms. Analysis of interactions between HCWs and facilities yielded further barriers and enablers in the areas of training, communication, and support. HCWs and health facilities serve as two important adopters of Kangaroo Mother Care within a health system. The complex components of KMC lead to multifaceted barriers and enablers to integration, which inform facility, regional, and country-level recommendations for increasing adoption. Further research of methods to promote context-specific adoption of KMC at the health systems level is needed. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Economic evaluation of prostate cancer screening test as a national cancer screening program in South Korea.

PubMed

Shin, Sangjin; Kim, Youn Hee; Hwang, Jin Sub; Lee, Yoon Jae; Lee, Sang Moo; Ahn, Jeonghoon

2014-01-01

Prostate cancer is rapidly increasing in Korea and professional societies have requested adding prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing to the National Cancer Screening Program (NCSP), but this started a controversy in Korea and neutral evidence on this issue is required more than ever. The purpose of this study was to provide economic evidence to the decision makers of the NCSP. A cost-utility analysis was performed on the adoption of PSA screening program among men aged 50-74-years in Korea from the healthcare system perspective. Several data sources were used for the cost-utility analysis, including general health screening data, the Korea Central Cancer Registry, national insurance claims data, and cause of mortality from the National Statistical Office. To solicit the utility index of prostate cancer, a face-to-face interview for typical men aged 40 to 69 was conducted using a Time-Trade Off method. As a result, the increase of effectiveness was estimated to be very low, when adopting PSA screening, and the incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) was analyzed as about 94 million KRW. Sensitivity analyses were performed on the incidence rate, screening rate, cancer stage distribution, utility index, and treatment costs but the results were consistent with the base analysis. Under Korean circumstances with a relatively low incidence rate of prostate cancer, PSA screening is not cost-effective. Therefore, we conclude that adopting national prostate cancer screening would not be beneficial until further evidence is provided in the future.

An ICT Adoption Framework for Education: A Case Study in Public Secondary School of Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurjanah, S.; Santoso, H. B.; Hasibuan, Z. A.

2017-01-01

This paper presents preliminary research findings on the ICT adoption framework for education. Despite many studies have been conducted on ICT adoption framework in education at various countries, they are lack of analysis on the degree of component contribution to the success to the framework. In this paper a set of components that link to ICT adoption in education is observed based on literatures and explorative analysis. The components are Infrastructure, Application, User Skills, Utilization, Finance, and Policy. The components are used as a basis to develop a questionnaire to capture the current ICT adoption condition in schools. The data from questionnaire are processed using Structured Equation Model (SEM). The results show that each component contributes differently to the ICT adoption framework. Finance provides the strongest affect to Infrastructure readiness, whilst User Skills provides the strongest affect to Utilization. The study concludes that development of ICT adoption framework should consider components contribution weights among the components that can be used to guide the implementation of ICT adoption in education.

Multi-fault clustering and diagnosis of gear system mined by spectrum entropy clustering based on higher order cumulants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Renping; Li, Jing; Hu, Wentao; Dong, Feifei

2013-02-01

Higher order cumulants (HOC) is a new kind of modern signal analysis of theory and technology. Spectrum entropy clustering (SEC) is a data mining method of statistics, extracting useful characteristics from a mass of nonlinear and non-stationary data. Following a discussion on the characteristics of HOC theory and SEC method in this paper, the study of signal processing techniques and the unique merits of nonlinear coupling characteristic analysis in processing random and non-stationary signals are introduced. Also, a new clustering analysis and diagnosis method is proposed for detecting multi-damage on gear by introducing the combination of HOC and SEC into the damage-detection and diagnosis of the gear system. The noise is restrained by HOC and by extracting coupling features and separating the characteristic signal at different speeds and frequency bands. Under such circumstances, the weak signal characteristics in the system are emphasized and the characteristic of multi-fault is extracted. Adopting a data-mining method of SEC conducts an analysis and diagnosis at various running states, such as the speed of 300 r/min, 900 r/min, 1200 r/min, and 1500 r/min of the following six signals: no-fault, short crack-fault in tooth root, long crack-fault in tooth root, short crack-fault in pitch circle, long crack-fault in pitch circle, and wear-fault on tooth. Research shows that this combined method of detection and diagnosis can also identify the degree of damage of some faults. On this basis, the virtual instrument of the gear system which detects damage and diagnoses faults is developed by combining with advantages of MATLAB and VC++, employing component object module technology, adopting mixed programming methods, and calling the program transformed from an *.m file under VC++. This software system possesses functions of collecting and introducing vibration signals of gear, analyzing and processing signals, extracting features, visualizing graphics, detecting and diagnosing faults, detecting and monitoring, etc. Finally, the results of testing and verifying show that the developed system can effectively be used to detect and diagnose faults in an actual operating gear transmission system.

Multi-fault clustering and diagnosis of gear system mined by spectrum entropy clustering based on higher order cumulants.

PubMed

Shao, Renping; Li, Jing; Hu, Wentao; Dong, Feifei

2013-02-01

Higher order cumulants (HOC) is a new kind of modern signal analysis of theory and technology. Spectrum entropy clustering (SEC) is a data mining method of statistics, extracting useful characteristics from a mass of nonlinear and non-stationary data. Following a discussion on the characteristics of HOC theory and SEC method in this paper, the study of signal processing techniques and the unique merits of nonlinear coupling characteristic analysis in processing random and non-stationary signals are introduced. Also, a new clustering analysis and diagnosis method is proposed for detecting multi-damage on gear by introducing the combination of HOC and SEC into the damage-detection and diagnosis of the gear system. The noise is restrained by HOC and by extracting coupling features and separating the characteristic signal at different speeds and frequency bands. Under such circumstances, the weak signal characteristics in the system are emphasized and the characteristic of multi-fault is extracted. Adopting a data-mining method of SEC conducts an analysis and diagnosis at various running states, such as the speed of 300 r/min, 900 r/min, 1200 r/min, and 1500 r/min of the following six signals: no-fault, short crack-fault in tooth root, long crack-fault in tooth root, short crack-fault in pitch circle, long crack-fault in pitch circle, and wear-fault on tooth. Research shows that this combined method of detection and diagnosis can also identify the degree of damage of some faults. On this basis, the virtual instrument of the gear system which detects damage and diagnoses faults is developed by combining with advantages of MATLAB and VC++, employing component object module technology, adopting mixed programming methods, and calling the program transformed from an *.m file under VC++. This software system possesses functions of collecting and introducing vibration signals of gear, analyzing and processing signals, extracting features, visualizing graphics, detecting and diagnosing faults, detecting and monitoring, etc. Finally, the results of testing and verifying show that the developed system can effectively be used to detect and diagnose faults in an actual operating gear transmission system.

Evolution of consumer information preferences with market maturity in solar PV adoption

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reeves, D. Cale; Rai, Varun; Margolis, Robert

Residential adoption of solar photovoltaics (PV) is spreading rapidly, supported by policy initiatives at the federal, state, and local levels. Potential adopters navigate increasingly complex decision-making landscapes in their path to adoption. Much is known about the individual-level drivers of solar PV diffusion that steer adopters through this process, but relatively little is known about the evolution of these drivers as solar PV markets mature. By understanding the evolution of emerging solar PV markets over time, stakeholders in the diffusion of solar PV can increase policy effectiveness and reduce costs. This analysis uses survey data to compare two adjacent marketsmore » across a range of relevant characteristics, then models changes in the importance of local vs cosmopolitan information sources by combining theory relating market maturity to adopter behavior with event-history techniques. In younger markets, earlier, innovative adoptions that are tied to a preference for cosmopolitan information sources are more prevalent than expected, suggesting a frustrated demand for solar PV that segues into adoptions fueled by local information preferences contemporary with similar adoptions in older markets. Furthermore, the analysis concludes with policy recommendations to leverage changing consumer information preferences as markets mature.« less

Evolution of consumer information preferences with market maturity in solar PV adoption

DOE PAGES

Reeves, D. Cale; Rai, Varun; Margolis, Robert

2017-07-04

Residential adoption of solar photovoltaics (PV) is spreading rapidly, supported by policy initiatives at the federal, state, and local levels. Potential adopters navigate increasingly complex decision-making landscapes in their path to adoption. Much is known about the individual-level drivers of solar PV diffusion that steer adopters through this process, but relatively little is known about the evolution of these drivers as solar PV markets mature. By understanding the evolution of emerging solar PV markets over time, stakeholders in the diffusion of solar PV can increase policy effectiveness and reduce costs. This analysis uses survey data to compare two adjacent marketsmore » across a range of relevant characteristics, then models changes in the importance of local vs cosmopolitan information sources by combining theory relating market maturity to adopter behavior with event-history techniques. In younger markets, earlier, innovative adoptions that are tied to a preference for cosmopolitan information sources are more prevalent than expected, suggesting a frustrated demand for solar PV that segues into adoptions fueled by local information preferences contemporary with similar adoptions in older markets. Furthermore, the analysis concludes with policy recommendations to leverage changing consumer information preferences as markets mature.« less

Evolution of consumer information preferences with market maturity in solar PV adoption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cale Reeves, D.; Rai, Varun; Margolis, Robert

2017-07-01

Residential adoption of solar photovoltaics (PV) is spreading rapidly, supported by policy initiatives at the federal, state, and local levels. Potential adopters navigate increasingly complex decision-making landscapes in their path to adoption. Much is known about the individual-level drivers of solar PV diffusion that steer adopters through this process, but relatively little is known about the evolution of these drivers as solar PV markets mature. By understanding the evolution of emerging solar PV markets over time, stakeholders in the diffusion of solar PV can increase policy effectiveness and reduce costs. This analysis uses survey data to compare two adjacent markets across a range of relevant characteristics, then models changes in the importance of local vs cosmopolitan information sources by combining theory relating market maturity to adopter behavior with event-history techniques. In younger markets, earlier, innovative adoptions that are tied to a preference for cosmopolitan information sources are more prevalent than expected, suggesting a frustrated demand for solar PV that segues into adoptions fueled by local information preferences contemporary with similar adoptions in older markets. The analysis concludes with policy recommendations to leverage changing consumer information preferences as markets mature.

How adoption speed affects the abandonment of cultural tastes

PubMed Central

Berger, Jonah; Le Mens, Gaël

2009-01-01

Products, styles, and social movements often catch on and become popular, but little is known about why such identity-relevant cultural tastes and practices die out. We demonstrate that the velocity of adoption may affect abandonment: Analysis of over 100 years of data on first-name adoption in both France and the United States illustrates that cultural tastes that have been adopted quickly die faster (i.e., are less likely to persist). Mirroring this aggregate pattern, at the individual level, expecting parents are more hesitant to adopt names that recently experienced sharper increases in adoption. Further analysis indicate that these effects are driven by concerns about symbolic value: Fads are perceived negatively, so people avoid identity-relevant items with sharply increasing popularity because they believe that they will be short lived. Ancillary analyses also indicate that, in contrast to conventional wisdom, identity-relevant cultural products that are adopted quickly tend to be less successful overall (i.e., reduced cumulative adoption). These results suggest a potential alternate way to explain diffusion patterns that are traditionally seen as driven by saturation of a pool of potential adopters. They also shed light on one factor that may lead cultural tastes to die out. PMID:19416813

Factors Affecting the Adoption of Telemedicine: A Three-Country Empirical Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mansouri-Rad, Parand

2012-01-01

Telemedicine improves access to information and healthcare services. Not only more cost effective and more efficient method of providing health care than the traditional methods, telemedicine is the most convenient method of delivering healthcare. However, the adoption of telemedicine has been challenging. The purpose of this dissertation is to…

78 FR 20299 - National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research; Long-Range Plan for Fiscal Years...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-04

... well-designed research and development activities using a range of appropriate methods. Adopt stages-of... research and development activities using a range of appropriate methods. Objective 2.1--Adopt a stages-of... range of well-designed research methods using a stages-of-research framework. When inviting applications...

Adoption and Usage of mHealth Technology on Quality and Experience of Care Provided by Frontline Workers: Observations From Rural India

PubMed Central

Chaturvedi, Sharad; Chaudhuri, Indrajit; Krishnan, Ram; Lesh, Neal

2015-01-01

Background mHealth apps are deployed with the aim of improving access, quality, and experience of health care. It is possible that any mHealth intervention can yield differential impacts for different types of users. Mediating and determining factors, including personal and socioeconomic factors, affect technology adoption, the way health workers leverage and use the technology, and subsequently the quality and experience of care they provide. Objective To develop a framework to assess whether mHealth platforms affect the quality and experience of care provided by frontline workers, and whether these effects on quality and experience are different depending on the level of technology adoption and individual characteristics of the health worker. Literacy, education, age, and previous mobile experience are identified as individual factors that affect technology adoption and use, as well as factors that affect the quality and experience of care directly and via the technology. Methods Formative research was conducted with 15 community health workers (CHWs) using CommCare, an mHealth app for maternal and newborn care, in Bihar, India. CHWs were first classified on the level of CommCare adoption using data from CommCareHQ and were then shadowed on home visits to evaluate their levels of technology proficiency, and the quality and experience of care provided. Regression techniques were employed to test the relationships. Out of all the CHWs, 2 of them refused to participate in the home visits, however, we did have information on their levels of technology adoption and background characteristics, which were included in the analysis as relevant. Results Level of technology adoption was important for both quality and experience of care. The quality score for high users of CommCare was higher by 33.4% (P=.04), on average, compared to low users of CommCare. Those who scored higher on CommCare proficiency also provided significantly higher quality and experience of care, where an additional point in CommCare proficiency score increased the quality score by around half a point (0.541, P=.07), and experience score by around a third of a point (0.308, P=.03). Age affected CommCare user type negatively, with an increase in age increasing the likelihood of belonging to a lower category of CommCare adoption (-0.105, P=.08). Other individual characteristics did not affect adoption or the predicted values estimating the relationship between adoption and quality and experience of care, although illiteracy was able to affect the relationship negatively. Conclusions mHealth technology adoption by frontline workers can positively impact the quality and experience of care they provide. Individual characteristics, especially literacy and age, can be important elements affecting technology adoption and the way users leverage the technology for their work. Our formative study provides informed hypotheses and methods for further research. PMID:26023001

Aerothermoelastic response analysis for C/SiC panel of ceramic matrix composite shingle thermal protection system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huo, Lin; Cheng, Xing-Hua; Yang, Tao

2015-05-01

This paper presents a study of aerothermoelastic response of a C/SiC panel, which is a primary structure for ceramic matrix composite shingle thermal protection system for hypersonic vehicles. It is based on a three dimensional thermal protection shingle panel on a quasi-waverider vehicle model. Firstly, the Thin Shock Layer and piston theory are adopted to compute the aerodynamic pressure of rigid body and deformable body, and a series of engineering methods are used to compute the aerodynamic heating. Then an aerothermoelastic loosely-coupled time marching strategy and self-adapting aerodynamic heating time step are developed to analyze the aerothermoelastic response of the panel, with an aerodynamic heating and temperature field coupling parameter selection method being adopted to increase the efficiency. Finally, a few revealing conclusions are reached by analyzing how coupling at different degrees influences the quasi-static aerothermoelastic response of the panel and how aerodynamic pressure of rigid body time step influences the quasi-static aerothermoelastic response on a glide trajectory.

Computer Image Analysis of Histochemically-Labeled Acetylcholinesterase.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-11-30

image analysis on conjunction with histochemical techniques to describe the distribution of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in nervous and muscular tissue in rats treated with organophosphates (OPs). The objective of the first year of work on this remaining 2 years. We began by adopting a version of the AChE staining method as modified by Hanker, which consistent with the optical properties of our video system. We wrote computer programs for provide a numeric quantity which represents the degree of staining in a tissue section. The staining was calibrated by

Applying Failure Modes, Effects, And Criticality Analysis And Human Reliability Analysis Techniques To Improve Safety Design Of Work Process In Singapore Armed Forces

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

an instituted safety program that utilizes a generic risk assessment method involving the 5-M (Mission, Man, Machine , Medium and Management) factor...the Safety core value is hinged upon three key principles—(1) each soldier has a crucial part to play, by adopting safety as a core value and making...it a way of life in his unit; (2) safety is an integral part of training, operations and mission success, and (3) safety is an individual, team and

"Situatedness" and Variations in Student Adoption of Technology Practices: Towards a Critical Techno-Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neufeld, Philip G.; Delcore, Henry D.

2018-01-01

Aim/Purpose: The effective adoption of an ICT across every segment of the student population may occur where the design, implementation and supports recognize and adjust for variations in adoption practices across the student population and the situatedness of the promoted ICT adoption. The goal of this study was to demonstrate methods to…

Assessment of Intralaminar Progressive Damage and Failure Analysis Using an Efficient Evaluation Framework

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hyder, Imran; Schaefer, Joseph; Justusson, Brian; Wanthal, Steve; Leone, Frank; Rose, Cheryl

2017-01-01

Reducing the timeline for development and certification for composite structures has been a long standing objective of the aerospace industry. This timeline can be further exacerbated when attempting to integrate new fiber-reinforced composite materials due to the large number of testing required at every level of design. computational progressive damage and failure analysis (PDFA) attempts to mitigate this effect; however, new PDFA methods have been slow to be adopted in industry since material model evaluation techniques have not been fully defined. This study presents an efficient evaluation framework which uses a piecewise verification and validation (V&V) approach for PDFA methods. Specifically, the framework is applied to evaluate PDFA research codes within the context of intralaminar damage. Methods are incrementally taken through various V&V exercises specifically tailored to study PDFA intralaminar damage modeling capability. Finally, methods are evaluated against a defined set of success criteria to highlight successes and limitations.

Revision of the ICH guideline on detection of toxicity to reproduction for medicinal products: SWOT analysis.

PubMed

Barrow, Paul

2016-09-01

SWOT analysis was used to gain insights and perspectives into the revision of the ICH S5(R2) guideline on detection of toxicity to reproduction for medicinal products. The current ICH guideline was rapidly adopted worldwide and has an excellent safety record for more than 20 years. The revised guideline should aim to further improve reproductive and developmental (DART) safety testing for new drugs. Alternative methods to animal experiments should be used whenever possible. Modern technology should be used to obtain high quality data from fewer animals. Additions to the guideline should include considerations on the following: limit dose setting, maternal toxicity, biopharmaceuticals, vaccines, testing strategies by indication, developmental immunotoxicity, and male-mediated developmental toxicity. Emerging issues, such as epigenetics and the microbiome, will most likely pose challenges to DART testing in the future. It is hoped that the new guideline will be adopted even outside the ICH regions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Styles of conflict management among nurses. Instrument validation].

PubMed

Francisco, M T; Clos, A C; dos Santos, I; Larrubia, E de O

1997-01-01

The present study has as an object the modalities of conflict administration adopted by nurses in professional praxis. Considering the Management Grid Theory (BLAKE & MOUNTON, 1978), the conflict can be solved in different levels of quality or even, not solved, influenced by the manager behavior model. It is intended to identify nurses managing styles in conflict administration, analyzing their interactions. A questionnaire composed with 25 items, in its majority of popular adagios which express the five basic models of the Management Grid, has been tested. The research was run at the Rio de Janeiro State University Pedro Ernesto University Hospital from June, 1996 to August, 1997, and descriptive method and check-list schedule type functional analysis technique have been used. The factorial analysis of items has showed an occurrence of eight interdependent factors which designing the following styles that have been adopted by nurses: confrontation, negotiation, facing, conciliation, manipulation, acceptance, submission and withdrawing. The authors recommend data collect instrument revalidation.

Digital holographic microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barkley, Solomon; Dimiduk, Thomas; Manoharan, Vinothan

Digital holographic microscopy is a 3D optical imaging technique with high temporal ( ms) and spatial ( 10 nm) precision. However, its adoption as a characterization technique has been limited due to the inherent difficulty of recovering 3D data from the holograms. Successful analysis has traditionally required substantial knowledge about the sample being imaged (for example, the approximate positions of particles in the field of view), as well as expertise in scattering theory. To overcome the obstacles to widespread adoption of holographic microscopy, we developed HoloPy - an open source python package for analysis of holograms and scattering data. HoloPy uses Bayesian statistical methods to determine the geometry and properties of discrete scatterers from raw holograms. We demonstrate the use of HoloPy to measure the dynamics of colloidal particles at interfaces, to ascertain the structures of self-assembled colloidal particles, and to track freely swimming bacteria. The HoloPy codebase is thoroughly tested and well-documented to facilitate use by the broader experimental community. This research is supported by NSF Grant DMR-1306410 and NSERC.

Diamond tool wear detection method using cutting force and its power spectrum analysis in ultra-precision fly cutting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, G. Q.; To, S.

2014-08-01

Cutting force and its power spectrum analysis was thought to be an effective method monitoring tool wear in many cutting processes and a significant body of research has been conducted on this research area. However, relative little similar research was found in ultra-precision fly cutting. In this paper, a group of experiments were carried out to investigate the cutting forces and its power spectrum characteristics under different tool wear stages. Result reveals that the cutting force increases with the progress of tool wear. The cutting force signals under different tool wear stages were analyzed using power spectrum analysis. The analysis indicates that a characteristic frequency does exist in the power spectrum of the cutting force, whose power spectral density increases with the increasing of tool wear level, this characteristic frequency could be adopted to monitor diamond tool wear in ultra-precision fly cutting.

Adoption of health information technologies by physicians for clinical practice: The Andalusian case.

PubMed

Villalba-Mora, Elena; Casas, Isabel; Lupiañez-Villanueva, Francisco; Maghiros, Ioannis

2015-07-01

We investigated the level of adoption of Health Information Technologies (HIT) services, and the factors that influence this, amongst specialised and primary care physicians; in Andalusia, Spain. We analysed the physicians' responses to an online survey. First, we performed a statistical descriptive analysis of the data; thereafter, a principal component analysis; and finally an order logit model to explain the effect of the use in the adoption and to analyse which are the existing barriers. The principal component analysis revealed three main uses of Health Information Technologies: Electronic Health Records (EHR), ePrescription and patient management and telemedicine services. Results from an ordered logit model showed that the frequency of use of HIT is associated with the physicians' perceived usefulness. Lack of financing appeared as a common barrier to the adoption of the three types of services. For ePrescription and patient management, the physician's lack of skills is still a barrier. In the case of telemedicine services, lack of security and lack of interest amongst professionals are the existing barriers. EHR functionalities are fully adopted, in terms of perceived usefulness. EPrescription and patient management are almost fully adopted, while telemedicine is in an early stage of adoption. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A simple method for plasma total vitamin C analysis suitable for routine clinical laboratory use.

PubMed

Robitaille, Line; Hoffer, L John

2016-04-21

In-hospital hypovitaminosis C is highly prevalent but almost completely unrecognized. Medical awareness of this potentially important disorder is hindered by the inability of most hospital laboratories to determine plasma vitamin C concentrations. The availability of a simple, reliable method for analyzing plasma vitamin C could increase opportunities for routine plasma vitamin C analysis in clinical medicine. Plasma vitamin C can be analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical (EC) or ultraviolet (UV) light detection. We modified existing UV-HPLC methods for plasma total vitamin C analysis (the sum of ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acid) to develop a simple, constant-low-pH sample reduction procedure followed by isocratic reverse-phase HPLC separation using a purely aqueous low-pH non-buffered mobile phase. Although EC-HPLC is widely recommended over UV-HPLC for plasma total vitamin C analysis, the two methods have never been directly compared. We formally compared the simplified UV-HPLC method with EC-HPLC in 80 consecutive clinical samples. The simplified UV-HPLC method was less expensive, easier to set up, required fewer reagents and no pH adjustments, and demonstrated greater sample stability than many existing methods for plasma vitamin C analysis. When compared with the gold-standard EC-HPLC method in 80 consecutive clinical samples exhibiting a wide range of plasma vitamin C concentrations, it performed equivalently. The easy set up, simplicity and sensitivity of the plasma vitamin C analysis method described here could make it practical in a normally equipped hospital laboratory. Unlike any prior UV-HPLC method for plasma total vitamin C analysis, it was rigorously compared with the gold-standard EC-HPLC method and performed equivalently. Adoption of this method could increase the availability of plasma vitamin C analysis in clinical medicine.

Missing RRI interpolation for HRV analysis using locally-weighted partial least squares regression.

PubMed

Kamata, Keisuke; Fujiwara, Koichi; Yamakawa, Toshiki; Kano, Manabu

2016-08-01

The R-R interval (RRI) fluctuation in electrocardiogram (ECG) is called heart rate variability (HRV). Since HRV reflects autonomic nervous function, HRV-based health monitoring services, such as stress estimation, drowsy driving detection, and epileptic seizure prediction, have been proposed. In these HRV-based health monitoring services, precise R wave detection from ECG is required; however, R waves cannot always be detected due to ECG artifacts. Missing RRI data should be interpolated appropriately for HRV analysis. The present work proposes a missing RRI interpolation method by utilizing using just-in-time (JIT) modeling. The proposed method adopts locally weighted partial least squares (LW-PLS) for RRI interpolation, which is a well-known JIT modeling method used in the filed of process control. The usefulness of the proposed method was demonstrated through a case study of real RRI data collected from healthy persons. The proposed JIT-based interpolation method could improve the interpolation accuracy in comparison with a static interpolation method.

New Insights into Signed Path Coefficient Granger Causality Analysis.

PubMed

Zhang, Jian; Li, Chong; Jiang, Tianzi

2016-01-01

Granger causality analysis, as a time series analysis technique derived from econometrics, has been applied in an ever-increasing number of publications in the field of neuroscience, including fMRI, EEG/MEG, and fNIRS. The present study mainly focuses on the validity of "signed path coefficient Granger causality," a Granger-causality-derived analysis method that has been adopted by many fMRI researches in the last few years. This method generally estimates the causality effect among the time series by an order-1 autoregression, and defines a positive or negative coefficient as an "excitatory" or "inhibitory" influence. In the current work we conducted a series of computations from resting-state fMRI data and simulation experiments to illustrate the signed path coefficient method was flawed and untenable, due to the fact that the autoregressive coefficients were not always consistent with the real causal relationships and this would inevitablely lead to erroneous conclusions. Overall our findings suggested that the applicability of this kind of causality analysis was rather limited, hence researchers should be more cautious in applying the signed path coefficient Granger causality to fMRI data to avoid misinterpretation.

Activity analysis: contributions to the innovation of projects for aircrafts cabins.

PubMed

Rossi, N T; Greghi, F M; Menegon, L N; Souza, G B J

2012-01-01

This article presents results obtained from some ergonomics intervention in the project for the conception of aircraft's cabins. The study's aim is to analyze the contribution of the method adopted in the passengers' activities analysis in reference situations, real-use situations in aircraft's cabins, applied to analyze typical activities performed by people in their own environment. Within this perspective, the study shows two analyses which highlight the use of electronic device. The first analysis has been registered through a shooting filming in a real commercial flight. In the second one, the use is developed within the domestic environment. The same method has been applied in both contexts and it is based on activity analysis. Starting with the filming activity, postures and actions analysis, self-confrontation interviews, action course reconstruction and elaboration of postures envelopes. The results point out that the developed method might be applied to different contexts, evincing different ways of space occupation to meet human personal needs while performing an activity, which can help us with the anticipation of the users' needs, as well as indicate some innovation possibilities.

Determination of Shear Wave Velocity in Offshore Terengganu for Ground Response Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazlina, M.; Liew, M. S.; Adnan, A.; Harahap, I. S. H.; Hamid, N. A.

2018-04-01

Amount of vibration received in any location can be analysed by conducting ground response analysis. Even though there are three different methods available in this analysis, One Dimensional ground response analysis method has been widely used. Shear wave velocity is one of the key parameters in this analysis. A lot of correlations have been formulated to determine shear wave velocity with cone penetration test. In this study, correlations developed for Quaternary geological age have been selected. Six equations have been adopted comprise of all soil and soil type dependent correlations. Two platforms sites consist of clay and combination of clay and sand have been analysed. Shear velocity to be used in ground response analysis has been obtained. Results have been illustrated in graphs where shear velocity for each case has been plotted. In avoiding under or over predicting of shear wave velocity, the average of all soil and soil type dependent results will be used as final Vs value.

A Thematic Analysis of Health Care Workers' Adoption of Mindfulness Practices.

PubMed

Valley, Morgan; Stallones, Lorann

2018-05-01

Mindfulness training, which teaches individuals to bring awareness and acceptance to the present moment, has been effective in improving the well-being of health care workers. Limited research examines the adoption of mindfulness practices using health behavior theories. The current study sought to conceptualize hospital health care workers' experiences in adopting mindfulness practices using the Health Belief Model (HBM), a theoretical framework used by health promotion practitioners to design and implement health behavior change interventions. Hospital health care workers in Colorado participated in an 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course. Participants ( n = 19) answered open-ended questions about their experiences adopting mindfulness practices. A theory-driven thematic analysis approach was used to analyze data with key constructs of the HBM acting as the framework for the analysis. Results showed that HBM constructs, including internal cues to action, perceived benefits and barriers, and self-efficacy, helped portray the participants' experiences and challenges in adopting and adhering to the mindfulness practices taught in the MBSR course.

Simulation-based sensitivity analysis for non-ignorably missing data.

PubMed

Yin, Peng; Shi, Jian Q

2017-01-01

Sensitivity analysis is popular in dealing with missing data problems particularly for non-ignorable missingness, where full-likelihood method cannot be adopted. It analyses how sensitively the conclusions (output) may depend on assumptions or parameters (input) about missing data, i.e. missing data mechanism. We call models with the problem of uncertainty sensitivity models. To make conventional sensitivity analysis more useful in practice we need to define some simple and interpretable statistical quantities to assess the sensitivity models and make evidence based analysis. We propose a novel approach in this paper on attempting to investigate the possibility of each missing data mechanism model assumption, by comparing the simulated datasets from various MNAR models with the observed data non-parametrically, using the K-nearest-neighbour distances. Some asymptotic theory has also been provided. A key step of this method is to plug in a plausibility evaluation system towards each sensitivity parameter, to select plausible values and reject unlikely values, instead of considering all proposed values of sensitivity parameters as in the conventional sensitivity analysis method. The method is generic and has been applied successfully to several specific models in this paper including meta-analysis model with publication bias, analysis of incomplete longitudinal data and mean estimation with non-ignorable missing data.

Using shared goal setting to improve access and equity: a mixed methods study of the Good Goals intervention in children's occupational therapy.

PubMed

Kolehmainen, Niina; MacLennan, Graeme; Ternent, Laura; Duncan, Edward A S; Duncan, Eilidh M; Ryan, Stephen B; McKee, Lorna; Francis, Jill J

2012-08-16

Access and equity in children's therapy services may be improved by directing clinicians' use of resources toward specific goals that are important to patients. A practice-change intervention (titled 'Good Goals') was designed to achieve this. This study investigated uptake, adoption, and possible effects of that intervention in children's occupational therapy services. Mixed methods case studies (n = 3 services, including 46 therapists and 558 children) were conducted. The intervention was delivered over 25 weeks through face-to-face training, team workbooks, and 'tools for change'. Data were collected before, during, and after the intervention on a range of factors using interviews, a focus group, case note analysis, routine data, document analysis, and researchers' observations. Factors related to uptake and adoptions were: mode of intervention delivery, competing demands on therapists' time, and leadership by service manager. Service managers and therapists reported that the intervention: helped therapists establish a shared rationale for clinical decisions; increased clarity in service provision; and improved interactions with families and schools. During the study period, therapists' behaviours changed: identifying goals, odds ratio 2.4 (95% CI 1.5 to 3.8); agreeing goals, 3.5 (2.4 to 5.1); evaluating progress, 2.0 (1.1 to 3.5). Children's LoT decreased by two months [95% CI -8 to +4 months] across the services. Cost per therapist trained ranged from £1,003 to £1,277, depending upon service size and therapists' salary bands. Good Goals is a promising quality improvement intervention that can be delivered and adopted in practice and may have benefits. Further research is required to evaluate its: (i) impact on patient outcomes, effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and (ii) transferability to other clinical contexts.

Factors influencing the adoption of self-management solutions: an interpretive synthesis of the literature on stakeholder experiences.

PubMed

Harvey, J; Dopson, S; McManus, R J; Powell, J

2015-11-13

In a research context, self-management solutions, which may range from simple book diaries to complex telehealth packages, designed to facilitate patients in managing their long-term conditions, have often shown cost-effectiveness, but their implementation in practice has frequently been challenging. We conducted an interpretive qualitative synthesis of relevant articles identified through systematic searches of bibliographic databases in July 2014. We searched PubMed (Medline/NLM), Web of Science, LISTA (EBSCO), CINAHL, Embase and PsycINFO. Coding and analysis was inductive, using the framework method to code and to categorise themes. We took a sensemaking approach to the interpretation of findings. Fifty-eight articles were selected for synthesis. Results showed that during adoption, factors identified as facilitators by some were experienced as barriers by others, and facilitators could change to barriers for the same adopter, depending on how adopters rationalise the solutions within their context when making decisions about (retaining) adoption. Sometimes, when adopters saw and experienced benefits of a solution, they continued using the solution but changed their minds when they could no longer see the benefits. Thus, adopters placed a positive value on the solution if they could constructively rationalise it (which increased adoption) and attached a negative rationale (decreasing adoption) if the solution did not meet their expectations. Key factors that influenced the way adopters rationalised the solutions consisted of costs and the added value of the solution to them and moral, social, motivational and cultural factors. Considering 'barriers' and 'facilitators' for implementation may be too simplistic. Implementers could instead iteratively re-evaluate how potential facilitators and barriers are being experienced by adopters throughout the implementation process, to help adopters to retain constructive evaluations of the solution. Implementers need to pay attention to factors including (a) cost: how much resource will the intervention cost the patient or professional; (b) moral: to what extent will people adhere because they want to be 'good' patients and professionals; (c) social: the expectations of patients and professionals regarding the interactive support they will receive; (d) motivational: motivations to engage with the intervention and (e) cultural: how patients and professionals learn and integrate new skills into their daily routines, practices and cultures.

The application of time series models to cloud field morphology analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chin, Roland T.; Jau, Jack Y. C.; Weinman, James A.

1987-01-01

A modeling method for the quantitative description of remotely sensed cloud field images is presented. A two-dimensional texture modeling scheme based on one-dimensional time series procedures is adopted for this purpose. The time series procedure used is the seasonal autoregressive, moving average (ARMA) process in Box and Jenkins. Cloud field properties such as directionality, clustering and cloud coverage can be retrieved by this method. It has been demonstrated that a cloud field image can be quantitatively defined by a small set of parameters and synthesized surrogates can be reconstructed from these model parameters. This method enables cloud climatology to be studied quantitatively.

Analysis of Coherent Phonon Signals by Sparsity-promoting Dynamic Mode Decomposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murata, Shin; Aihara, Shingo; Tokuda, Satoru; Iwamitsu, Kazunori; Mizoguchi, Kohji; Akai, Ichiro; Okada, Masato

2018-05-01

We propose a method to decompose normal modes in a coherent phonon (CP) signal by sparsity-promoting dynamic mode decomposition. While the CP signals can be modeled as the sum of finite number of damped oscillators, the conventional method such as Fourier transform adopts continuous bases in a frequency domain. Thus, the uncertainty of frequency appears and it is difficult to estimate the initial phase. Moreover, measurement artifacts are imposed on the CP signal and deforms the Fourier spectrum. In contrast, the proposed method can separate the signal from the artifact precisely and can successfully estimate physical properties of the normal modes.

Cancer survival analysis using semi-supervised learning method based on Cox and AFT models with L1/2 regularization.

PubMed

Liang, Yong; Chai, Hua; Liu, Xiao-Ying; Xu, Zong-Ben; Zhang, Hai; Leung, Kwong-Sak

2016-03-01

One of the most important objectives of the clinical cancer research is to diagnose cancer more accurately based on the patients' gene expression profiles. Both Cox proportional hazards model (Cox) and accelerated failure time model (AFT) have been widely adopted to the high risk and low risk classification or survival time prediction for the patients' clinical treatment. Nevertheless, two main dilemmas limit the accuracy of these prediction methods. One is that the small sample size and censored data remain a bottleneck for training robust and accurate Cox classification model. In addition to that, similar phenotype tumours and prognoses are actually completely different diseases at the genotype and molecular level. Thus, the utility of the AFT model for the survival time prediction is limited when such biological differences of the diseases have not been previously identified. To try to overcome these two main dilemmas, we proposed a novel semi-supervised learning method based on the Cox and AFT models to accurately predict the treatment risk and the survival time of the patients. Moreover, we adopted the efficient L1/2 regularization approach in the semi-supervised learning method to select the relevant genes, which are significantly associated with the disease. The results of the simulation experiments show that the semi-supervised learning model can significant improve the predictive performance of Cox and AFT models in survival analysis. The proposed procedures have been successfully applied to four real microarray gene expression and artificial evaluation datasets. The advantages of our proposed semi-supervised learning method include: 1) significantly increase the available training samples from censored data; 2) high capability for identifying the survival risk classes of patient in Cox model; 3) high predictive accuracy for patients' survival time in AFT model; 4) strong capability of the relevant biomarker selection. Consequently, our proposed semi-supervised learning model is one more appropriate tool for survival analysis in clinical cancer research.

Improving Patient Experience and Primary Care Quality for Patients With Complex Chronic Disease Using the Electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes Tool: Adopting Qualitative Methods Into a User-Centered Design Approach

PubMed Central

Khan, Anum Irfan; Kuluski, Kerry; McKillop, Ian; Sharpe, Sarah; Bierman, Arlene S; Lyons, Renee F; Cott, Cheryl

2016-01-01

Background Many mHealth technologies do not meet the needs of patients with complex chronic disease and disabilities (CCDDs) who are among the highest users of health systems worldwide. Furthermore, many of the development methodologies used in the creation of mHealth and eHealth technologies lack the ability to embrace users with CCDD in the specification process. This paper describes how we adopted and modified development techniques to create the electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes (ePRO) tool, a patient-centered mHealth solution to help improve primary health care for patients experiencing CCDD. Objective This paper describes the design and development approach, specifically the process of incorporating qualitative research methods into user-centered design approaches to create the ePRO tool. Key lessons learned are offered as a guide for other eHealth and mHealth research and technology developers working with complex patient populations and their primary health care providers. Methods Guided by user-centered design principles, interpretive descriptive qualitative research methods were adopted to capture user experiences through interviews and working groups. Consistent with interpretive descriptive methods, an iterative analysis technique was used to generate findings, which were then organized in relation to the tool design and function to help systematically inform modifications to the tool. User feedback captured and analyzed through this method was used to challenge the design and inform the iterative development of the tool. Results Interviews with primary health care providers (n=7) and content experts (n=6), and four focus groups with patients and carers (n=14) along with a PICK analysis—Possible, Implementable, (to be) Challenged, (to be) Killed—guided development of the first prototype. The initial prototype was presented in three design working groups with patients/carers (n=5), providers (n=6), and experts (n=5). Working group findings were broken down into categories of what works and what does not work to inform modifications to the prototype. This latter phase led to a major shift in the purpose and design of the prototype, validating the importance of using iterative codesign processes. Conclusions Interpretive descriptive methods allow for an understanding of user experiences of patients with CCDD, their carers, and primary care providers. Qualitative methods help to capture and interpret user needs, and identify contextual barriers and enablers to tool adoption, informing a redesign to better suit the needs of this diverse user group. This study illustrates the value of adopting interpretive descriptive methods into user-centered mHealth tool design and can also serve to inform the design of other eHealth technologies. Our approach is particularly useful in requirements determination when developing for a complex user group and their health care providers. PMID:26892952

Statistical Considerations of Food Allergy Prevention Studies.

PubMed

Bahnson, Henry T; du Toit, George; Lack, Gideon

Clinical studies to prevent the development of food allergy have recently helped reshape public policy recommendations on the early introduction of allergenic foods. These trials are also prompting new research, and it is therefore important to address the unique design and analysis challenges of prevention trials. We highlight statistical concepts and give recommendations that clinical researchers may wish to adopt when designing future study protocols and analysis plans for prevention studies. Topics include selecting a study sample, addressing internal and external validity, improving statistical power, choosing alpha and beta, analysis innovations to address dilution effects, and analysis methods to deal with poor compliance, dropout, and missing data. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Identifying Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) Research in Selected Journals Published from 2003 to 2012: A Content Analysis of Research Topics and Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zheng, Lanqin; Huang, Ronghuai; Yu, Junhui

2014-01-01

This study aims to identity the emerging research trends in the field of computed-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) so as to provide insights for researchers and educators into research topics and issues for further exploration. This paper analyzed the research topics, methods and technology adoption of CSCL from 2003 to 2012. A total of 706…

Resurrecting the Past, Constructing the Future: A Historical Investigation on the Formation of a Greek National Identity in Schools, 1834-1913

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zervas, Theodore George

2010-01-01

This dissertation research combines archival data and historical methods and analyzes how schooling and education in Greece between 1834 and 1913 sought to shape a Greek national identity. The goal of this project is to present a historical analysis, that has thus far been absent from scholarship on the subject, and to convey how the adoption of a…

A User's Guide for the Differential Reduced Ejector/Mixer Analysis "DREA" Program. 1.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeChant, Lawrence J.; Nadell, Shari-Beth

1999-01-01

A system of analytical and numerical two-dimensional mixer/ejector nozzle models that require minimal empirical input has been developed and programmed for use in conceptual and preliminary design. This report contains a user's guide describing the operation of the computer code, DREA (Differential Reduced Ejector/mixer Analysis), that contains these mathematical models. This program is currently being adopted by the Propulsion Systems Analysis Office at the NASA Glenn Research Center. A brief summary of the DREA method is provided, followed by detailed descriptions of the program input and output files. Sample cases demonstrating the application of the program are presented.

[Position of Betula ermanii population ecotone in Changbai Mountains].

PubMed

Zou, Chunjing; Wang, Xiaochun; Han, Shijie

2004-12-01

The vegetation on the northern slope of Changbai Mountains forms a vertical zone due to the vertical differentiation of moisture and heat conditions. Ecotones are obviously existed between different vegetation zones, but it is difficult to decide their positions. In the area from 1400 m to 2200 m elevation, we adopted the methods of gradient sampling, fractal analysis, population pattern analysis, and interspecific competition index analysis to describe Betula ermanii population ecotone. The results showed that there was a forest ecotone between Betula ermanii and Picea-Abies forest near elevation 1650 m, and there was a forest line ecotone between Betula ermanii and alpine tundra near elevation 2080 m.

The course of early disinhibited social engagement among post-institutionalized adopted children

PubMed Central

Lawler, Jamie M.; Koss, Kalsea J.; Doyle, Colleen M.; Gunnar, Megan R.

2016-01-01

Background Approximately 20% of post-institutionalized (PI) children exhibit disinhibited social engagement (DSE) or the propensity to approach and engage strangers. There is little longitudinal research examining changes in DSE after adoption, or methods of identifying children with persistent behaviors. Methods DSE was assessed observationally four times during the first two years post-adoption in PI children 16-36 months at adoption (n=68) relative to same-age non-adopted children (n=52). At age 5, a validated interview determined which PI children met criteria for Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder (DSED). Results DSE trajectories initially increased and then stabilized. PIs had higher DSE levels initially and a steeper increase rate than NAs. When separated into physical and non-physical DSE components, group differences arose in initial physical DSE and the rate of change of non-physical DSE. DSE rate of increase predicted DSED diagnosis, as did longer institutional duration and poorer institutional care. Conclusions The rate of increase in DSE post-adoption, rather than the level observed at adoption, is predictive of disordered social engagement by age 5 years. PMID:27460336

Key Spatial Relations-based Focused Crawling (KSRs-FC) for Borderlands Situation Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, D. Y.; Wu, H.; Chen, J.; Li, R.

2013-11-01

Place names play an important role in Borderlands Situation topics, while current focused crawling methods treat them in the same way as other common keywords, which may lead to the omission of many useful web pages. In the paper, place names in web pages and their spatial relations were firstly discussed. Then, a focused crawling method named KSRs-FC was proposed to deal with the collection of situation information about borderlands. In this method, place names and common keywords were represented separately, and some of the spatial relations related to web pages crawling were used in the relevance calculation between the given topic and web pages. Furthermore, an information collection system for borderlands situation analysis was developed based on KSRs-FC. Finally, F-Score method was adopted to quantitatively evaluate this method by comparing with traditional method. Experimental results showed that the F-Score value of the proposed method increased by 11% compared to traditional method with the same sample data. Obviously, KSRs-FC method can effectively reduce the misjudgement of relevant webpages.

Design and analysis of new fault-tolerant permanent magnet motors for four-wheel-driving electric vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Guohai; Gong, Wensheng; Chen, Qian; Jian, Linni; Shen, Yue; Zhao, Wenxiang

2012-04-01

In this paper, a novel in-wheel permanent-magnet (PM) motor for four-wheel-driving electrical vehicles is proposed. It adopts an outer-rotor topology, which can help generate a large drive torque, in order to achieve prominent dynamic performance of the vehicle. Moreover, by adopting single-layer concentrated-windings, fault-tolerant teeth, and the optimal combination of slot and pole numbers, the proposed motor inherently offers negligible electromagnetic coupling between different phase windings, hence, it possesses a fault-tolerant characteristic. Meanwhile, the phase back electromotive force waveforms can be designed to be sinusoidal by employing PMs with a trapezoidal shape, eccentric armature teeth, and unequal tooth widths. The electromagnetic performance is comprehensively investigated and the optimal design is conducted by using the finite-element method.

Adolescent Experiences with the Vaginal Ring

PubMed Central

Epstein, Laura B.; Sokal-Gutierrez, Karen; Ivey, Susan L.; Raine, Tina; Auerswald, Colette

2011-01-01

Purpose To understand racial/ethnic minority adolescent females’ experiences with the vaginal ring. Methods We conducted in-depth interviews with a clinic-based sample of 32 young women aged 15–24 years who had used the vaginal ring. Results Qualitative analysis using grounded theory revealed that adolescents undergo a multi-stage process when trying the ring and adopting ring use. These stages include hearing about the ring, initial reactions, first experiences with insertion and removal, and first sexual experiences. Adolescents subsequently enter an assessment and adjustment stage in which they decide whether to adopt or discontinue ring use. Ultimately they share their experiences with friends. Conclusions The model developed provides a context within which providers may advise adolescents as they begin use of the ring. Some specific recommendations are offered. PMID:18565439

Genetic Influences Can Protect Against Unresponsive Parenting in the Prediction of Child Social Competence

PubMed Central

Van Ryzin, Mark J.; Leve, Leslie D.; Neiderhiser, Jenae M.; Shaw, Daniel S.; Natsuaki, Misaki N.; Reiss, David

2014-01-01

Although social competence in children has been linked to the quality of parenting, prior research has typically not accounted for genetic similarities between parents and children, or for interactions between environmental (i.e., parental) and genetic influences. In this paper, we evaluate the possibility of a gene-by-environment (GxE) interaction in the prediction of social competence in school-age children. Using a longitudinal, multi-method dataset from a sample of children adopted at birth (N = 361), we found a significant interaction between birth parent sociability and sensitive, responsive adoptive parenting when predicting child social competence at school entry (age 6), even when controlling for potential confounds. An analysis of the interaction revealed that genetic strengths can buffer the effects of unresponsive parenting. PMID:25581124

New method of noncontact temperature measurement in on-line textile production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Xianping; Song, Xing-Li; Deng, Xing-Zhong

1993-09-01

Based on the condition of textile production the method of infrared non-contact temperature measurement is adcpted in the heat-setting and drying heat-treatment process . This method is used to monitor the moving cloth. The temperature of the cloth is displayed rapidly and exactly. The principle of the temperature measurement is analysed theoretically in this paper. Mathematical analysis and calculation are used for introducing signal transmitting method. Adopted method of combining software with hardware the temperature is corrected and compensated with the aid of a single-chip microcomputer. The results of test indicate that the application of temperature measurement instrument provides reliable parameters in the quality control. And it is an important measure on improving the quality of products.

Reducing the Digital Divide through ICT Adoption: Factors, Barriers, and How ICT in Schools Can Help

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tengtrakul, Pitikorn

2013-01-01

Through econometric analysis of data from multiple surveys, this study explores factors that affect ICT adoption and evaluates the extent to which ICT in schools affect the ICT adoption of surrounding communities, in order to provide a perspective that can help narrow the gap of digital divide. Understanding factors affecting ICT adoption may…

Multivariate causal attribution and cost-effectiveness of a national mass media campaign in the Philippines.

PubMed

Kincaid, D Lawrence; Do, Mai Phuong

2006-01-01

Cost-effectiveness analysis is based on a simple formula. A dollar estimate of the total cost to conduct a program is divided by the number of people estimated to have been affected by it in terms of some intended outcome. The direct, total costs of most communication campaigns are usually available. Estimating the amount of effect that can be attributed to the communication alone, however is problematical in full-coverage, mass media campaigns where the randomized control group design is not feasible. Single-equation, multiple regression analysis controls for confounding variables but does not adequately address the issue of causal attribution. In this article, multivariate causal attribution (MCA) methods are applied to data from a sample survey of 1,516 married women in the Philippines to obtain a valid measure of the number of new adopters of modern contraceptives that can be causally attributed to a national mass media campaign and to calculate its cost-effectiveness. The MCA analysis uses structural equation modeling to test the causal pathways and to test for endogeneity, biprobit analysis to test for direct effects of the campaign and endogeneity, and propensity score matching to create a statistically equivalent, matched control group that approximates the results that would have been obtained from a randomized control group design. The MCA results support the conclusion that the observed, 6.4 percentage point increase in modern contraceptive use can be attributed to the national mass media campaign and to its indirect effects on attitudes toward contraceptives. This net increase represented 348,695 new adopters in the population of married women at a cost of U.S. $1.57 per new adopter.

"Adopting self-sacrifice": how Iranian women cope with the sexual problems during the menopausal transition? An exploratory qualitative study.

PubMed

Bahri, Narjes; Latifnejad Roudsari, Robab; Azimi Hashemi, Mozhgan

2017-09-01

In the menopausal transition sexual problems are an important issue and one of the most frequently presented health concerns of women attending menopause clinics. This study aimed to explore the ways of managing sexual dysfunctions during the menopausal transition among Iranian women. This exploratory qualitative study was conducted in Iran, from May 2013 to April 2015. Twenty-one women in three stages of menopausal transition, aged 42-55 years old, were purposively selected from urban health centers in Mashhad and Gonabad, Iran. Semi-structured in depth interviews were conducted for data collection until data saturation was achieved. All interviews were recorded electronically and transcribed verbatim. Conventional content analysis was used for data analysis using Granehiem and Lundman (2004) recommended method. MAXQDA 2007 software was used for organizing data and managing the process of analysis. Data analysis demonstrated one overarching theme entitled "Adopting self-sacrifice" consisting of three categories and seven sub-categories. Major categories included: (1) Confronting decline of libido with two subcategories of women's libido decline and inability to fulfill husbands' sexual needs, (2) Seeking strategies for coping with two subcategories of looking for experiences of peer menopausal women and choosing how to interact with the husband and (3) Achieving problem solving strategies with three sub-categories of obedience in sexual relationships (Tamkin), employing affection based on religious advice, and giving up own right to reach mutual understanding. The major finding of this study was "Adopting self-sacrifice" in the process of managing sexual dysfunctions during the menopausal transition. The reason for choosing this passive approach by the majority of women has deep roots in their cultural and traditional beliefs.

Using Geospatial Techniques to Address Institutional Objectives: St. Petersburg College Geo-Demographic Analysis. IR Applications, Volume 27

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morris, Phillip; Thrall, Grant

2010-01-01

Geographic analysis has been adopted by businesses, especially the retail sector, since the early 1990s (Thrall, 2002). Institutional research can receive the same benefits businesses have by adopting geographic analysis and technology. The commonalities between businesses and higher education institutions include the existence of trade areas, the…

Learning to Disclose: A Postcolonial Autoethnography of Transracial Adoption

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwartz, Joni; Schwartz, Rebecca

2018-01-01

This autoethnographic research project examines the transformational learning of a transracial adoptive adult mother and daughter through the lens of postcolonialism. As collaborative researchers, adult adoptee and adoptive mother, examine this lifelong learning experience through critical self-reflection, qualitative meta-analysis, and…

Analysis of light emitting diode array lighting system based on human vision: normal and abnormal uniformity condition.

PubMed

Qin, Zong; Ji, Chuangang; Wang, Kai; Liu, Sheng

2012-10-08

In this paper, condition for uniform lighting generated by light emitting diode (LED) array was systematically studied. To take human vision effect into consideration, contrast sensitivity function (CSF) was novelly adopted as critical criterion for uniform lighting instead of conventionally used Sparrow's Criterion (SC). Through CSF method, design parameters including system thickness, LED pitch, LED's spatial radiation distribution and viewing condition can be analytically combined. In a specific LED array lighting system (LALS) with foursquare LED arrangement, different types of LEDs (Lambertian and Batwing type) and given viewing condition, optimum system thicknesses and LED pitches were calculated and compared with those got through SC method. Results show that CSF method can achieve more appropriate optimum parameters than SC method. Additionally, an abnormal phenomenon that uniformity varies with structural parameters non-monotonically in LALS with non-Lambertian LEDs was found and analyzed. Based on the analysis, a design method of LALS that can bring about better practicability, lower cost and more attractive appearance was summarized.

Development of a new lattice physics code robin for PWR application

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, S.; Chen, G.

2013-07-01

This paper presents a description of methodologies and preliminary verification results of a new lattice physics code ROBIN, being developed for PWR application at Shanghai NuStar Nuclear Power Technology Co., Ltd. The methods used in ROBIN to fulfill various tasks of lattice physics analysis are an integration of historical methods and new methods that came into being very recently. Not only these methods like equivalence theory for resonance treatment and method of characteristics for neutron transport calculation are adopted, as they are applied in many of today's production-level LWR lattice codes, but also very useful new methods like the enhancedmore » neutron current method for Dancoff correction in large and complicated geometry and the log linear rate constant power depletion method for Gd-bearing fuel are implemented in the code. A small sample of verification results are provided to illustrate the type of accuracy achievable using ROBIN. It is demonstrated that ROBIN is capable of satisfying most of the needs for PWR lattice analysis and has the potential to become a production quality code in the future. (authors)« less

Combined heat and power systems: economic and policy barriers to growth

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems can provide a range of benefits to users with regards to efficiency, reliability, costs and environmental impact. Furthermore, increasing the amount of electricity generated by CHP systems in the United States has been identified as having significant potential for impressive economic and environmental outcomes on a national scale. Given the benefits from increasing the adoption of CHP technologies, there is value in improving our understanding of how desired increases in CHP adoption can be best achieved. These obstacles are currently understood to stem from regulatory as well as economic and technological barriers. In our research, we answer the following questions: Given the current policy and economic environment facing the CHP industry, what changes need to take place in this space in order for CHP systems to be competitive in the energy market? Methods We focus our analysis primarily on Combined Heat and Power Systems that use natural gas turbines. Our analysis takes a two-pronged approach. We first conduct a statistical analysis of the impact of state policies on increases in electricity generated from CHP system. Second, we conduct a Cost-Benefit analysis to determine in which circumstances funding incentives are necessary to make CHP technologies cost-competitive. Results Our policy analysis shows that regulatory improvements do not explain the growth in adoption of CHP technologies but hold the potential to encourage increases in electricity generated from CHP system in small-scale applications. Our Cost-Benefit analysis shows that CHP systems are only cost competitive in large-scale applications and that funding incentives would be necessary to make CHP technology cost-competitive in small-scale applications. Conclusion From the synthesis of these analyses we conclude that because large-scale applications of natural gas turbines are already cost-competitive, policy initiatives aimed at a CHP market dominated primarily by large-scale (and therefore already cost-competitive) systems have not been effectively directed. Our recommendation is that for CHP technologies using natural gas turbines, policy focuses should be on increasing CHP growth in small-scale systems. This result can be best achieved through redirection of state and federal incentives, research and development, adoption of smart grid technology, and outreach and education. PMID:22540988

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

PubMed

Chavez, Juan D; Eng, Jimmy K; Schweppe, Devin K; Cilia, Michelle; Rivera, Keith; Zhong, Xuefei; Wu, Xia; Allen, Terrence; Khurgel, Moshe; Kumar, Akhilesh; Lampropoulos, Athanasios; Larsson, Mårten; Maity, Shuvadeep; Morozov, Yaroslav; Pathmasiri, Wimal; Perez-Neut, Mathew; Pineyro-Ruiz, Coriness; Polina, Elizabeth; Post, Stephanie; Rider, Mark; Tokmina-Roszyk, Dorota; Tyson, Katherine; Vieira Parrine Sant'Ana, Debora; Bruce, James E

2016-01-01

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

Determinant Factors in Applying Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) in Healthcare

PubMed Central

Abdekhoda, Mohammadhiwa; Salih, Kawa Mirza

2017-01-01

Objectives Meaningful use of picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) can change the workflow for accessing digital images, lead to faster turnaround time, reduce tests and examinations, and increase patient throughput. This study was carried out to identify determinant factors that affect the adoption of PACS by physicians. Methods This was a cross-sectional study in which 190 physicians working in a teaching hospital affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences were randomly selected. Physicians’ perceptions concerning the adoption of PACS were assessed by the conceptual path model of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Collected data were analyzed with regression analysis. Structural equation modeling was applied to test the final model that was developed. Results The results show that the UTAUT model can explain about 61 percent of the variance on in the adoption of PACS (R2 = 0.61). The findings also showed that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influences, and behavior intention have a direct and significant effect on the adoption of PACS. However, facility condition showed to have no significant effect on physicians’ behavior intentions. Conclusions Implementation of new technology such as PACS in the healthcare sector is unavoidable. Our study clearly identified significant and nonsignificant factors that may affect the adoption of PACS. Also, this study acknowledged that physicians’ perception is a key factor to manage the implementation of PACS optimally, and this fact should be considered by healthcare managers and policy makers. PMID:28855856

Passing the baton: Mentoring for adoption of active-learning pedagogies by research-active junior faculty.

PubMed

Grimes, Catherine Leimkuhler; White, Harold B

2015-01-01

There are barriers to adoption of research-based teaching methods. Professional development workshops may inform faculty of these methods, but effective adoption often does not follow. In addition, newly-minted research-active faculty are often overwhelmed by the many new responsibilities (grant writing, group management, laboratory setup, teaching) that accompany the position and normally do not have the time to consider novel teaching approaches. This case study documents how over a three-year period, the responsibility for teaching a nontraditional "Introduction to Biochemistry" course in a problem-based learning format was successfully transferred from a senior faculty member nearing retirement (HBW) to a newly-hired research-active assistant professor (CLG). We describe our apprenticeship project involving modeling, scaffolding, fading, and coaching. We suggest that involving faculty in active-learning pedagogy early in their career with mentoring by senior faculty overcomes barriers to adopting these methods. This case describes a specific example from which potentially useful elements can be adopted and adapted wherever biochemistry is taught. © 2015 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Integrative analysis of transcriptomic and metabolomic data via sparse canonical correlation analysis with incorporation of biological information.

PubMed

Safo, Sandra E; Li, Shuzhao; Long, Qi

2018-03-01

Integrative analysis of high dimensional omics data is becoming increasingly popular. At the same time, incorporating known functional relationships among variables in analysis of omics data has been shown to help elucidate underlying mechanisms for complex diseases. In this article, our goal is to assess association between transcriptomic and metabolomic data from a Predictive Health Institute (PHI) study that includes healthy adults at a high risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Adopting a strategy that is both data-driven and knowledge-based, we develop statistical methods for sparse canonical correlation analysis (CCA) with incorporation of known biological information. Our proposed methods use prior network structural information among genes and among metabolites to guide selection of relevant genes and metabolites in sparse CCA, providing insight on the molecular underpinning of cardiovascular disease. Our simulations demonstrate that the structured sparse CCA methods outperform several existing sparse CCA methods in selecting relevant genes and metabolites when structural information is informative and are robust to mis-specified structural information. Our analysis of the PHI study reveals that a number of gene and metabolic pathways including some known to be associated with cardiovascular diseases are enriched in the set of genes and metabolites selected by our proposed approach. © 2017, The International Biometric Society.

Quantification of integrated HIV DNA by repetitive-sampling Alu-HIV PCR on the basis of poisson statistics.

PubMed

De Spiegelaere, Ward; Malatinkova, Eva; Lynch, Lindsay; Van Nieuwerburgh, Filip; Messiaen, Peter; O'Doherty, Una; Vandekerckhove, Linos

2014-06-01

Quantification of integrated proviral HIV DNA by repetitive-sampling Alu-HIV PCR is a candidate virological tool to monitor the HIV reservoir in patients. However, the experimental procedures and data analysis of the assay are complex and hinder its widespread use. Here, we provide an improved and simplified data analysis method by adopting binomial and Poisson statistics. A modified analysis method on the basis of Poisson statistics was used to analyze the binomial data of positive and negative reactions from a 42-replicate Alu-HIV PCR by use of dilutions of an integration standard and on samples of 57 HIV-infected patients. Results were compared with the quantitative output of the previously described Alu-HIV PCR method. Poisson-based quantification of the Alu-HIV PCR was linearly correlated with the standard dilution series, indicating that absolute quantification with the Poisson method is a valid alternative for data analysis of repetitive-sampling Alu-HIV PCR data. Quantitative outputs of patient samples assessed by the Poisson method correlated with the previously described Alu-HIV PCR analysis, indicating that this method is a valid alternative for quantifying integrated HIV DNA. Poisson-based analysis of the Alu-HIV PCR data enables absolute quantification without the need of a standard dilution curve. Implementation of the CI estimation permits improved qualitative analysis of the data and provides a statistical basis for the required minimal number of technical replicates. © 2014 The American Association for Clinical Chemistry.

Evaluation of UK Integrated Care Pilots: research protocol.

PubMed

Ling, Tom; Bardsley, Martin; Adams, John; Lewis, Richard; Roland, Martin

2010-09-27

In response to concerns that the needs of the aging population for well-integrated care were increasing, the English National Health Service (NHS) appointed 16 Integrated Care Pilots following a national competition. The pilots have a range of aims including development of new organisational structures to support integration, changes in staff roles, reducing unscheduled emergency hospital admissions, reduced length of hospital stay, increasing patient satisfaction, and reducing cost. This paper describes the evaluation of the initiative which has been commissioned. A mixed methods approach has been adopted including interviews with staff and patients, non-participant observation of meetings, structured written feedback from sites, questionnaires to patients and staff, and analysis of routinely collected hospital utilisation data for patients/service users. The qualitative analysis aims to identify the approaches taken to integration by the sites, the benefits which result, the context in which benefits have resulted, and the mechanisms by which they occur. The quantitative analysis adopts a 'difference in differences' approach comparing health care utilisation before and after the intervention with risk-matched controls. The qualitative data analysis adopts a 'theory of change' approach in which we triangulate data from the quantitative analysis with qualitative data in order to describe causal effects (what happens when an independent variable changes) and causal mechanisms (what connects causes to their effects). An economic analysis will identify what incremental resources are required to make integration succeed and how they can be combined efficiently to produce better outcomes for patients. This evaluation will produce a portfolio of evidence aimed at strengthening the evidence base for integrated care, and in particular identifying the context in which interventions are likely to be effective. These data will support a series of evaluation judgements aimed at reducing uncertainties about the role of integrated care in improving the efficient and effective delivery of healthcare.

Quantitative imaging assay for NF-κB nuclear translocation in primary human macrophages

PubMed Central

Noursadeghi, Mahdad; Tsang, Jhen; Haustein, Thomas; Miller, Robert F.; Chain, Benjamin M.; Katz, David R.

2008-01-01

Quantitative measurement of NF-κB nuclear translocation is an important research tool in cellular immunology. Established methodologies have a number of limitations, such as poor sensitivity, high cost or dependence on cell lines. Novel imaging methods to measure nuclear translocation of transcriptionally active components of NF-κB are being used but are also partly limited by the need for specialist imaging equipment or image analysis software. Herein we present a method for quantitative detection of NF-κB rel A nuclear translocation, using immunofluorescence microscopy and the public domain image analysis software ImageJ that can be easily adopted for cellular immunology research without the need for specialist image analysis expertise and at low cost. The method presented here is validated by demonstrating the time course and dose response of NF-κB nuclear translocation in primary human macrophages stimulated with LPS, and by comparison with a commercial NF-κB activation reporter cell line. PMID:18036607

Granger causality--statistical analysis under a configural perspective.

PubMed

von Eye, Alexander; Wiedermann, Wolfgang; Mun, Eun-Young

2014-03-01

The concept of Granger causality can be used to examine putative causal relations between two series of scores. Based on regression models, it is asked whether one series can be considered the cause for the second series. In this article, we propose extending the pool of methods available for testing hypotheses that are compatible with Granger causation by adopting a configural perspective. This perspective allows researchers to assume that effects exist for specific categories only or for specific sectors of the data space, but not for other categories or sectors. Configural Frequency Analysis (CFA) is proposed as the method of analysis from a configural perspective. CFA base models are derived for the exploratory analysis of Granger causation. These models are specified so that they parallel the regression models used for variable-oriented analysis of hypotheses of Granger causation. An example from the development of aggression in adolescence is used. The example shows that only one pattern of change in aggressive impulses over time Granger-causes change in physical aggression against peers.

Reliability Analysis of Retaining Walls Subjected to Blast Loading by Finite Element Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

GuhaRay, Anasua; Mondal, Stuti; Mohiuddin, Hisham Hasan

2018-02-01

Conventional design methods adopt factor of safety as per practice and experience, which are deterministic in nature. The limit state method, though not completely deterministic, does not take into account effect of design parameters, which are inherently variable such as cohesion, angle of internal friction, etc. for soil. Reliability analysis provides a measure to consider these variations into analysis and hence results in a more realistic design. Several studies have been carried out on reliability of reinforced concrete walls and masonry walls under explosions. Also, reliability analysis of retaining structures against various kinds of failure has been done. However, very few research works are available on reliability analysis of retaining walls subjected to blast loading. Thus, the present paper considers the effect of variation of geotechnical parameters when a retaining wall is subjected to blast loading. However, it is found that the variation of geotechnical random variables does not have a significant effect on the stability of retaining walls subjected to blast loading.

Addressing adoption and research design decisions simultaneously: the role of value of sample information analysis.

PubMed

McKenna, Claire; Claxton, Karl

2011-01-01

to estimate the cost-effectiveness of technologies are well developed with increasing experience of their application to inform adoption decisions in a timely way. However, the experience of using similarly explicit methods to inform the associated research decisions is less well developed despite appropriate methods being available with an increasing number of applications in health. The authors demonstrate that evaluation of both adoption and research decisions is feasible within typical time and resource constraints relevant to policy decisions, even in situations in which data are sparse and formal elicitation is required. In addition to demonstrating the application of expected value of sample information (EVSI) in these circumstances, the authors examine and carefully distinguish the impact that the research decision is expected to have on patients while enrolled in the trial, those not enrolled, and once the trial reports. In doing so, the authors are able to account for the range of opportunity cost associated with research and evaluate a number of s including length of follow-up and sample size. The authors also explore the implications for research design of conducting research while the technology is approved for widespread use and whether approval should be withheld until research reports. In doing so, the authors highlight the impact of irrecoverable opportunity costs when the initial costs of a technology are compensated only by later gains in health outcome.

System of indexes and indicators for the quality evaluation of HACCP plans based on the results of the official controls conducted by the Servizio di Igiene degli Alimenti della Nutrizione (Food and Nutrition Health Service) of the Local Health Authority of Foggia, Italy.

PubMed

Panunzio, Michele F; Antoniciello, Antonietta; Pisano, Alessandra

2007-03-01

Within the realm of evaluating self-monitoring plans, developed based on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) method and adopted by food companies, little research has been done concerning the quality of the plans. The Servizio di Igiene degli Alimenti e della Nutrizione (Food and Nutrition Health Service) of the Local Health Authority of Foggia, Italy, has conducted research with the aim to adopt a system of indexes and indicators for the qualitative evaluation of HACCP plans. The critical areas considered were the following: simplicity, specificity, feasibility and adherence. During the period from January 2004 to June 2005, the evaluation grid was used in examining 250 HACCP self-monitoring plans of food companies. For the analysis of the determining factor four groups were considered, with reference to HACCP self-monitoring plans designed: group 1 - with the aid of a qualified team; group 2 - with the aid of an unqualified team; group 3 - with the aid of an unqualified expert; group 4 - without the aid of an expert. The mean values of the measures elaborated decrease towards insufficiency moving from group 1 to group 4. In particular, collaboration by teams of unqualified experts brought about drafting unacceptable HACCP plans on the levels of specificity and adherence, with respect to the HACCP method. The method proposed of the analysis of the indexes and indicators beginning with an evaluation sheet can also help the individual company to better adjust contribution by internal or external professionals to the company.

Randomized subspace-based robust principal component analysis for hyperspectral anomaly detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Weiwei; Yang, Gang; Li, Jialin; Zhang, Dianfa

2018-01-01

A randomized subspace-based robust principal component analysis (RSRPCA) method for anomaly detection in hyperspectral imagery (HSI) is proposed. The RSRPCA combines advantages of randomized column subspace and robust principal component analysis (RPCA). It assumes that the background has low-rank properties, and the anomalies are sparse and do not lie in the column subspace of the background. First, RSRPCA implements random sampling to sketch the original HSI dataset from columns and to construct a randomized column subspace of the background. Structured random projections are also adopted to sketch the HSI dataset from rows. Sketching from columns and rows could greatly reduce the computational requirements of RSRPCA. Second, the RSRPCA adopts the columnwise RPCA (CWRPCA) to eliminate negative effects of sampled anomaly pixels and that purifies the previous randomized column subspace by removing sampled anomaly columns. The CWRPCA decomposes the submatrix of the HSI data into a low-rank matrix (i.e., background component), a noisy matrix (i.e., noise component), and a sparse anomaly matrix (i.e., anomaly component) with only a small proportion of nonzero columns. The algorithm of inexact augmented Lagrange multiplier is utilized to optimize the CWRPCA problem and estimate the sparse matrix. Nonzero columns of the sparse anomaly matrix point to sampled anomaly columns in the submatrix. Third, all the pixels are projected onto the complemental subspace of the purified randomized column subspace of the background and the anomaly pixels in the original HSI data are finally exactly located. Several experiments on three real hyperspectral images are carefully designed to investigate the detection performance of RSRPCA, and the results are compared with four state-of-the-art methods. Experimental results show that the proposed RSRPCA outperforms four comparison methods both in detection performance and in computational time.

Analysis of evolutionary conservation patterns and their influence on identifying protein functional sites.

PubMed

Fang, Chun; Noguchi, Tamotsu; Yamana, Hayato

2014-10-01

Evolutionary conservation information included in position-specific scoring matrix (PSSM) has been widely adopted by sequence-based methods for identifying protein functional sites, because all functional sites, whether in ordered or disordered proteins, are found to be conserved at some extent. However, different functional sites have different conservation patterns, some of them are linear contextual, some of them are mingled with highly variable residues, and some others seem to be conserved independently. Every value in PSSMs is calculated independently of each other, without carrying the contextual information of residues in the sequence. Therefore, adopting the direct output of PSSM for prediction fails to consider the relationship between conservation patterns of residues and the distribution of conservation scores in PSSMs. In order to demonstrate the importance of combining PSSMs with the specific conservation patterns of functional sites for prediction, three different PSSM-based methods for identifying three kinds of functional sites have been analyzed. Results suggest that, different PSSM-based methods differ in their capability to identify different patterns of functional sites, and better combining PSSMs with the specific conservation patterns of residues would largely facilitate the prediction.

Detection of Matrix Crack Density of CFRP using an Electrical Potential Change Method with Multiple Probes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Todoroki, Akira; Omagari, Kazuomi

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) laminates are adopted for fuel tank structures of next generation space rockets or automobiles. Matrix cracks may cause fuel leak or trigger fatigue damage. A monitoring system of the matrix crack density is required. The authors have developed an electrical resistance change method for the monitoring of delamination cracks in CFRP laminates. Reinforcement fibers are used as a self-sensing system. In the present study, the electric potential method is adopted for matrix crack density monitoring. Finite element analysis (FEA) was performed to investigate the possibility of monitoring matrix crack density using multiple electrodes mounted on a single surface of a specimen. The FEA reveals the matrix crack density increases electrical resistance for a target segment between electrodes. Experimental confirmation was also performed using cross-ply laminates. Eight electrodes were mounted on a single surface of a specimen using silver paste after polishing of the specimen surface with sandpaper. The two outermost electrodes applied electrical current, and the inner electrodes measured electric voltage changes. The slope of electrical resistance during reloading is revealed to be an appropriate index for the detection of matrix crack density.

Assessing the convergence of LHS Monte Carlo simulations of wastewater treatment models.

PubMed

Benedetti, Lorenzo; Claeys, Filip; Nopens, Ingmar; Vanrolleghem, Peter A

2011-01-01

Monte Carlo (MC) simulation appears to be the only currently adopted tool to estimate global sensitivities and uncertainties in wastewater treatment modelling. Such models are highly complex, dynamic and non-linear, requiring long computation times, especially in the scope of MC simulation, due to the large number of simulations usually required. However, no stopping rule to decide on the number of simulations required to achieve a given confidence in the MC simulation results has been adopted so far in the field. In this work, a pragmatic method is proposed to minimize the computation time by using a combination of several criteria. It makes no use of prior knowledge about the model, is very simple, intuitive and can be automated: all convenient features in engineering applications. A case study is used to show an application of the method, and the results indicate that the required number of simulations strongly depends on the model output(s) selected, and on the type and desired accuracy of the analysis conducted. Hence, no prior indication is available regarding the necessary number of MC simulations, but the proposed method is capable of dealing with these variations and stopping the calculations after convergence is reached.

The reality of the women who make our lives easier: experience in a company that assemblies electric motors in Venezuela.

PubMed

Yanes Escalona, L; Sandia Venot, R; Escalona, E; Yanes, L

2012-01-01

intervene a workline throughout ergonomic approach to diminish incidence of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). an ergonomic intervention study was developed in workstations with highest index of musculoskeletal disorder (MED) associated to cumulative trauma. The Deparis method, Reba and Ocra check list methods were used, also morbility reviewes. National and international ethics criteria were carried out. workers identified 3 fundamental issues using the Deparis method: repetitive activities, postures adopted and uncomfortable furniture. The analysis of the workstation with Reba and Ocra methods before the changes, evidenciated that 56% of postures adopted were high risk postures, the 44% remaining were medium and low-risk. Following the active pause program (APP), furniture changes and work rhythm decrease, was noted that the risk of suffering MED decreased. The morbility review, drop in consults of musculoskeletal system (MES) related to CTS observed. The APP was well accepted by women, but not initially men. the research show that when the work rhythm decreases, the symptom of MES related to CTS have a remarkable decrease, also that changes in the furniture, generate great ergonomic differences and changes in the work environment are not possible if workers don't empower the tools to make-it.

Quick detection of QRS complexes and R-waves using a wavelet transform and K-means clustering.

PubMed

Xia, Yong; Han, Junze; Wang, Kuanquan

2015-01-01

Based on the idea of telemedicine, 24-hour uninterrupted monitoring on electrocardiograms (ECG) has started to be implemented. To create an intelligent ECG monitoring system, an efficient and quick detection algorithm for the characteristic waveforms is needed. This paper aims to give a quick and effective method for detecting QRS-complexes and R-waves in ECGs. The real ECG signal from the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database is used for the performance evaluation. The method proposed combined a wavelet transform and the K-means clustering algorithm. A wavelet transform is adopted in the data analysis and preprocessing. Then, based on the slope information of the filtered data, a segmented K-means clustering method is adopted to detect the QRS region. Detection of the R-peak is based on comparing the local amplitudes in each QRS region, which is different from other approaches, and the time cost of R-wave detection is reduced. Of the tested 8 records (total 18201 beats) from the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database, an average R-peak detection sensitivity of 99.72 and a positive predictive value of 99.80% are gained; the average time consumed detecting a 30-min original signal is 5.78s, which is competitive with other methods.

Parameter setting for peak fitting method in XPS analysis of nitrogen in sewage sludge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Z. J.; Fang, P.; Huang, J. H.; Zhong, P. Y.

2017-12-01

Thermal decomposition method is regarded as an important route to treat increasing sewage sludge, while the high content of N causes serious nitrogen related problems, then figuring out the existing form and content of nitrogen of sewage sludge become essential. In this study, XPSpeak 4.1 was used to investigate the functional forms of nitrogen in sewage sludge, peak fitting method was adopted and the best-optimized parameters were determined. According to the result, the N1s spectra curve can be resolved into 5 peaks: pyridine-N (398.7±0.4eV), pyrrole-N(400.5±0.3eV), protein-N(400.4eV), ammonium-N(401.1±0.3eV) and nitrogen oxide-N(403.5±0.5eV). Based on the the experimental data obtained from elemental analysis and spectrophotometry method, the optimum parameters of curve fitting method were decided: background type: Tougaard, FWHM 1.2, 50% Lorentzian-Gaussian. XPS methods can be used as a practical tool to analysis the nitrogen functional groups of sewage sludge, which can reflect the real content of nitrogen of different forms.

[A study of biomechanical method for urine test based on color difference estimation].

PubMed

Wang, Chunhong; Zhou, Yue; Zhao, Hongxia; Zhou, Fengkun

2008-02-01

The biochemical analysis of urine is an important inspection and diagnosis method in hospitals. The conventional method of urine analysis covers mainly colorimetric visual appraisement and automation detection, in which the colorimetric visual appraisement technique has been superseded basically, and the automation detection method is adopted in hospital; moreover, the price of urine biochemical analyzer on market is around twenty thousand RMB yuan (Y), which is hard to enter into ordinary families. It is known that computer vision system is not subject to the physiological and psychological influence of person, its appraisement standard is objective and steady. Therefore, according to the color theory, we have established a computer vision system, which can carry through collection, management, display, and appraisement of color difference between the color of standard threshold value and the color of urine test paper after reaction with urine liquid, and then the level of an illness can be judged accurately. In this paper, we introduce the Urine Test Biochemical Analysis method, which is new and can be popularized in families. Experimental result shows that this test method is easy-to-use and cost-effective. It can realize the monitoring of a whole course and can find extensive applications.

Determination of vitamin C in foods: current state of method validation.

PubMed

Spínola, Vítor; Llorent-Martínez, Eulogio J; Castilho, Paula C

2014-11-21

Vitamin C is one of the most important vitamins, so reliable information about its content in foodstuffs is a concern to both consumers and quality control agencies. However, the heterogeneity of food matrixes and the potential degradation of this vitamin during its analysis create enormous challenges. This review addresses the development and validation of high-performance liquid chromatography methods for vitamin C analysis in food commodities, during the period 2000-2014. The main characteristics of vitamin C are mentioned, along with the strategies adopted by most authors during sample preparation (freezing and acidification) to avoid vitamin oxidation. After that, the advantages and handicaps of different analytical methods are discussed. Finally, the main aspects concerning method validation for vitamin C analysis are critically discussed. Parameters such as selectivity, linearity, limit of quantification, and accuracy were studied by most authors. Recovery experiments during accuracy evaluation were in general satisfactory, with usual values between 81 and 109%. However, few methods considered vitamin C stability during the analytical process, and the study of the precision was not always clear or complete. Potential future improvements regarding proper method validation are indicated to conclude this review. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Applying process mapping and analysis as a quality improvement strategy to increase the adoption of fruit, vegetable, and water breaks in Australian primary schools.

PubMed

Biggs, Janice S; Farrell, Louise; Lawrence, Glenda; Johnson, Julie K

2014-03-01

Over the past decade, public health policy in Australia has prioritized the prevention and control of obesity and invested in programs that promote healthy eating-related behaviors, which includes increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in children. This article reports on a study that used process mapping and analysis as a quality improvement strategy to improve the delivery of a nutrition primary prevention program delivered in primary schools in New South Wales, Australia. Crunch&Sip® has been delivered since 2008. To date, adoption is low with only 25% of schools implementing the program. We investigated the cause of low adoption and propose actions to increase school participation. We conducted semistructured interviews with key stakeholders and analyzed the process of delivering Crunch&Sip to schools. Interviews and process mapping and analysis identified a number of barriers to schools adopting the program. The analyses identified the need to simplify and streamline the process of delivering the program to schools and introduce monitoring and feedback loops to track ongoing participation. The combination of stakeholder interviews and process mapping and analysis provided important practical solutions to improving program delivery and also contributed to building an understanding of factors that help and hinder program adoption. The insight provided by this analysis helped identify usable routine measures of adoption, which were an improvement over those used in the existing program plan. This study contributed toward improving the quality and efficiency of delivering a health promoting program to work toward achieving healthy eating behaviors in children.

Development and Adoption of a Watershed Approach to Compensatory Mitigation: Experiences in Colorado and California

EPA Science Inventory

In this article, we examine the adoption of the watershed approach and its technical methods into regulatory programs in Colorado and California. Specific steps and motives for the adoption are explained. Through close collaboration, regulators have systematically been made aware...

Thermal Adaptation Methods of Urban Plaza Users in Asia’s Hot-Humid Regions: A Taiwan Case Study

PubMed Central

Wu, Chen-Fa; Hsieh, Yen-Fen; Ou, Sheng-Jung

2015-01-01

Thermal adaptation studies provide researchers great insight to help understand how people respond to thermal discomfort. This research aims to assess outdoor urban plaza conditions in hot and humid regions of Asia by conducting an evaluation of thermal adaptation. We also propose that questionnaire items are appropriate for determining thermal adaptation strategies adopted by urban plaza users. A literature review was conducted and first hand data collected by field observations and interviews used to collect information on thermal adaptation strategies. Item analysis—Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA)—were applied to refine the questionnaire items and determine the reliability of the questionnaire evaluation procedure. The reliability and validity of items and constructing process were also analyzed. Then, researchers facilitated an evaluation procedure for assessing the thermal adaptation strategies of urban plaza users in hot and humid regions of Asia and formulated a questionnaire survey that was distributed in Taichung’s Municipal Plaza in Taiwan. Results showed that most users responded with behavioral adaptation when experiencing thermal discomfort. However, if the thermal discomfort could not be alleviated, they then adopted psychological strategies. In conclusion, the evaluation procedure for assessing thermal adaptation strategies and the questionnaire developed in this study can be applied to future research on thermal adaptation strategies adopted by urban plaza users in hot and humid regions of Asia. PMID:26516881

Image fusion based on millimeter-wave for concealed weapon detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Weiwen; Zhao, Yuejin; Deng, Chao; Zhang, Cunlin; Zhang, Yalin; Zhang, Jingshui

2010-11-01

This paper describes a novel multi sensors image fusion technology which is presented for concealed weapon detection (CWD). It is known to all, because of the good transparency of the clothes at millimeter wave band, a millimeter wave radiometer can be used to image and distinguish concealed contraband beneath clothes, for example guns, knives, detonator and so on. As a result, we adopt the passive millimeter wave (PMMW) imaging technology for airport security. However, in consideration of the wavelength of millimeter wave and the single channel mechanical scanning, the millimeter wave image has law optical resolution, which can't meet the need of practical application. Therefore, visible image (VI), which has higher resolution, is proposed for the image fusion with the millimeter wave image to enhance the readability. Before the image fusion, a novel image pre-processing which specifics to the fusion of millimeter wave imaging and visible image is adopted. And in the process of image fusion, multi resolution analysis (MRA) based on Wavelet Transform (WT) is adopted. In this way, the experiment result shows that this method has advantages in concealed weapon detection and has practical significance.

Exploring Health Information Exchange Implementation Using Qualitative Assessments of Nursing Home Leaders

PubMed Central

Alexander, Gregory L.; Popejoy, Lori; Lyons, Vanessa; Shumate, Sue; Mueller, Jessica; Galambos, Colleen; Vogelsmeier, Amy; Rantz, Marilyn; Flesner, Marcia

2016-01-01

Objectives Limited research exists on nursing home information technologies, such as health information exchange (HIE) systems. Capturing the experiences of early HIE adopters provides vital information about how these systems are used. In this study, we conduct a secondary analysis of qualitative data captured during interviews with 15 nursing home leaders representing 14 nursing homes in the midwestern United States that are part of the Missouri Quality Improvement Initiative (MOQI) national demonstration project. Methods The interviews were conducted as part of an external evaluation of the HIE vendor contracting with the MOQI initiative with the purpose of understanding the challenges and successes of HIE implementation, with a particular focus on Direct HIE services. Results Emerging themes included (1) incorporating HIE into existing work processes, (2) participation inside and outside the facility, (3) appropriate training and retraining, (4) getting others to use the HIE, (5) getting the HIE operational, and 6) putting policies for technology into place. Discussion Three essential areas should be considered for nursing homes considering HIE adoption: readiness to adopt technology, availability of technology resources, and matching of new clinical workflows. PMID:27843423

Improving adoption and acceptability of digital health interventions for HIV disease management: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Claborn, Kasey R; Meier, Ellen; Miller, Mary Beth; Leavens, Eleanor L; Brett, Emma I; Leffingwell, Thad

2018-03-01

Disease management remains a challenge for many people living with HIV (PLWH). Digital health interventions (DHIs) may assist with overcoming these challenges and reducing burdens on clinical staff; however, there is limited data regarding methods to improve uptake and acceptability of DHIs among PLWH. This qualitative study aimed to assess patient and provider perspectives on the use of DHIs and strategies to promote uptake among PLWH. Eight focus groups with patients (k = 5 groups; n = 24) and providers (k = 3 groups; n = 12) were conducted May through October of 2014. Focus groups (~90 min) followed a semi-structured interview guide. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis on three main themes: (a) perspectives towards the adoption and use of DHIs for HIV management; (b) perceptions of barriers and facilitators to patient usage; and (c) preferences regarding content, structure, and delivery. Analyses highlighted barriers and facilitators to DHI adoption. Patients and providers agreed that DHIs feel "impersonal" and "lack empathy," may be more effective for certain subpopulations, should be administered in the clinic setting, and should use multimodal delivery methods. Emergent themes among the providers included development of DHIs for providers as the target market and the need for culturally adapted DHIs for patient subpopulations. DHIs have potential to improve HIV management and health outcomes. DHIs should be developed in conjunction with anticipated consumers, including patients, providers, and other key stakeholders. DHIs tailored for specific HIV subpopulations are needed. Future studies should evaluate dissemination methods and marketing strategies to promote uptake.

Numerical Analysis of Prefabricated Steel-Concrete Composite Floor in Typical Lipsk Building

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lacki, Piotr; Kasza, Przemysław; Derlatka, Anna

2017-12-01

The aim of the work was to perform numerical analysis of a steel-concrete composite floor located in a LIPSK type building. A numerical model of the analytically designed floor was performed. The floor was in a six-storey, retail and service building. The thickness of a prefabricated slab was 100 mm. The two-row, crisscrossed reinforcement of the slab was made from φ16 mm rods with a spacing of 150 x 200 mm. The span of the beams made of steel IPE 160 profiles was 6.00 m and they were spaced every 1.20 m. The steelconcrete composite was obtained using 80×16 Nelson fasteners. The numerical analysis was carried out using the ADINA System based on the Finite Element Method. The stresses and strains in the steel and concrete elements, the distribution of the forces in the reinforcement bars and cracking in concrete were evaluated. The FEM model was made from 3D-solid finite elements (IPE profile and concrete slab) and truss elements (reinforcement bars). The adopted steel material model takes into consideration the plastic state, while the adopted concrete material model takes into account material cracks.

A Survey on Chinese Scholars' Adoption of Mixed Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhou, Yuchun

2018-01-01

Since the 1980s when mixed methods emerged as "the third research methodology", it was widely adopted in Western countries. However, inadequate literature revealed how this methodology was accepted by scholars in Asian countries, such as China. Therefore, this paper used a quantitative survey to investigate Chinese scholars' perceptions…

26 CFR 1.175-6 - Adoption or change of method.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... the method of treating expenditures for soil or water conservation as expenses for the first taxable... or water conservation expenditures described in section 175(a) are paid or incurred. Such adoption... soil and water conservation expenditures as provided by section 175 for any taxable year to which the...

26 CFR 1.175-6 - Adoption or change of method.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... the method of treating expenditures for soil or water conservation as expenses for the first taxable... or water conservation expenditures described in section 175(a) are paid or incurred. Such adoption... soil and water conservation expenditures as provided by section 175 for any taxable year to which the...

26 CFR 1.175-6 - Adoption or change of method.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... the method of treating expenditures for soil or water conservation as expenses for the first taxable... or water conservation expenditures described in section 175(a) are paid or incurred. Such adoption... soil and water conservation expenditures as provided by section 175 for any taxable year to which the...

26 CFR 1.175-6 - Adoption or change of method.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... the method of treating expenditures for soil or water conservation as expenses for the first taxable... or water conservation expenditures described in section 175(a) are paid or incurred. Such adoption... soil and water conservation expenditures as provided by section 175 for any taxable year to which the...

Apprehensions and Expectations of the Adoption of Systematically Planned, Outcome-Oriented Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savaya, Riki; Altschuler, Dorit; Melamed, Sharon

2013-01-01

Objectives: The study examined social workers' apprehensions and expectations of the impending adoption of systematically planned, empirically based, outcome-oriented practice (SEOP). Method: Employing a mixed methods longitudinal design, the study used concept mapping to identify and map workers' apprehensions and expectations and a self-reported…

Understanding why adult participants at the World Senior Games choose a healthy diet

PubMed Central

Merrill, Ray M; Shields, Eric C

2003-01-01

Background Identifying those seniors most likely to adopt a healthy diet, the relative importance they place on certain perceived benefits associated with a healthy diet, and whether these perceived benefits are associated with selected demographic, lifestyle, and health history variables is important for directing effective dietary health promotion programs. Methods Analyses are based on a cross-sectional convenience sample of 670 seniors aged 50 years and older at the 2002 World Senior Games in St. George, Utah. Data are assessed using frequencies, bivariate analysis, analysis of variance, and multiple logistic regression analysis. Results Fruit and vegetable consumption was significantly higher in individuals aged 70–79, in women, in those not overweight or obese, and in those with excellent overall health. Dietary fiber consumption was significantly higher in former or never smokers, current and previous alcohol drinkers, in those not overweight or obese, and in those with excellent health. The strongest motivating factors identified for adopting a healthy diet were to improve the quality of life, to increase longevity, and to prevent disease. Of intermediate importance were the need to feel a sense of control and to satisfy likes or dislikes. Least important were the desire to experience a higher level of spirituality, social reasons, and peer acceptance. Conclusion Seniors who have adopted a healthy diet are more likely to have chosen that behavior because of perceived health benefits than for personal and social benefits. Overweight or obese individuals and those in poor health were less likely to be engaged in healthy eating behavior and require special attention by dieticians and public health professionals. PMID:14633282

40 CFR Appendix A to Part 55 - Listing of State and Local Requirements Incorporated by Reference Into Part 55, by State

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

.... Significant Impact Levels (SILs) 18 AAC 50.220. Enforceable Test Methods (effective 10/01/2004) 18 AAC 50.225... (Adopted 01/9/76) Rule 104 Reporting of Source Test Data and Analyses (Adopted 01/9/76) Rule 108....2Asbestos Removal Fees (Adopted 08/04/92) Rule 47Source Test, Emission Monitor, and Call-Back Fees (Adopted...

Water quality assessment with hierarchical cluster analysis based on Mahalanobis distance.

PubMed

Du, Xiangjun; Shao, Fengjing; Wu, Shunyao; Zhang, Hanlin; Xu, Si

2017-07-01

Water quality assessment is crucial for assessment of marine eutrophication, prediction of harmful algal blooms, and environment protection. Previous studies have developed many numeric modeling methods and data driven approaches for water quality assessment. The cluster analysis, an approach widely used for grouping data, has also been employed. However, there are complex correlations between water quality variables, which play important roles in water quality assessment but have always been overlooked. In this paper, we analyze correlations between water quality variables and propose an alternative method for water quality assessment with hierarchical cluster analysis based on Mahalanobis distance. Further, we cluster water quality data collected form coastal water of Bohai Sea and North Yellow Sea of China, and apply clustering results to evaluate its water quality. To evaluate the validity, we also cluster the water quality data with cluster analysis based on Euclidean distance, which are widely adopted by previous studies. The results show that our method is more suitable for water quality assessment with many correlated water quality variables. To our knowledge, it is the first attempt to apply Mahalanobis distance for coastal water quality assessment.

Placing the power of real options analysis into the hands of natural resource managers - taking the next step.

PubMed

Nelson, Rohan; Howden, Mark; Hayman, Peter

2013-07-30

This paper explores heuristic methods with potential to place the analytical power of real options analysis into the hands of natural resource managers. The complexity of real options analysis has led to patchy or ephemeral adoption even by corporate managers familiar with the financial-market origins of valuation methods. Intuitively accessible methods for estimating the value of real options have begun to evolve, but their evaluation has mostly been limited to researcher-driven applications. In this paper we work closely with Bush Heritage Australia to evaluate the potential of real options analysis to support the intuitive judgement of conservation estate managers in covenanting land with uncertain future conservation value due to climate change. The results show that modified decision trees have potential to estimate the option value of covenanting individual properties while time and ongoing research resolves their future conservation value. Complementing this, Luehrman's option space has potential to assist managers with limited budgets to increase the portfolio value of multiple properties with different conservation attributes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Life Cycle Evaluation Model of External Diseconomy of Open-loop Supply Chain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Qian; Hu, Tianjun

2017-08-01

In recent years, with the continuous deterioration of pollution, resource space is gradually narrowed, the number of waste items increased, people began to use the method of recycling on waste products to ease the pressure on the environment. This paper adopted the external diseconomy of open-loop supply chain as the research object and constructed the model by the life cycle evaluation method, comparative analysis through the case. This paper also concludes that the key to solving the problem is to realize the closed-loop supply chain and building reverse logistics system is of great significance.

Analysis and prediction of meal motion by EMG signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horihata, S.; Iwahara, H.; Yano, K.

2007-12-01

The lack of carers for senior citizens and physically handicapped persons in our country has now become a huge issue and has created a great need for carer robots. The usual carer robots (many of which have switches or joysticks for their interfaces), however, are neither easy to use it nor very popular. Therefore, haptic devices have been adopted for a human-machine interface that will enable an intuitive operation. At this point, a method is being tested that seeks to prevent a wrong operation from occurring from the user's signals. This method matches motions with EMG signals.

The innovative characteristics and obstruction of technology adoption for management of integrated plants (PTT) of corn in Gowa Regency Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jamil, M. H.; Musa, Y.; Tenriawaru, A. N.; Rahayu, N. E.

2018-05-01

The research aimed to analyze the effects of the farmer’s characteristic, innovation characteristics, and the obstruction faced in the technology adoption for the management of integrated plants corn in Gowa Regency. The method used was explanative in character. Respondents comprised 80 corn farmers chosen randomly. Data were collected using the interviews method which were then quantified using likers scale. The data was analyzed by logistic binary regression. The research results indicated that the farmer’s characteristics which consisted of the age, education, experience, and the land area had no significant effect on the technology adoption of maize integrated crops management (PTT). The obstruction of the adoption, which consisted of the limited capital, availability of inputs, and intensity of counseling had a significant effect on the adoption of maize integrated crops management. While the farmer’s knowledge had no significant effect on the adoption of maize integrated crops management. The variable of the limited capital had a positive coefficient, the more available the farmer’s capital the higher was the chance of farmers to adopt technology integrated crops management. The higher of the extension intensity, the higher of farmer’s chance to adopt the technology of the maize integrated corps management.

Decoupling the use and meaning of strategic plans in public healthcare

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The culture of New Public Management has promoted the diffusion of strategic management tools throughout Public Healthcare Organisations (PHOs). There is consensus that better strategic planning tools are required to achieve higher levels of organisational performance. This paper provides evidence and understanding of the emergent uses and scope of strategic planning in PHOs, in order to answer three research questions: (i) has the New Public Management approach changed the organisational culture of PHOs in terms of how they adopt, diffuse, and use strategic planning documents? (ii) how coherent are strategic planning documents in PHOs? and (iii) what are the main purposes of strategic documents in PHOs? Methods An analysis was carried out in three Italian Local Health Authorities. We analysed the number and types of formal strategic documents adopted between 2004 and 2012, evaluating their degree of coherence and coordination, their hierarchy, their degree of disclosure, and the consistency of their strategic goals. A content analysis was performed to investigate overlap in terms of content and focus, and a qualitative analysis was carried out to study and represent the relationships between documents. Results The analysis showed that a rich set of strategic documents were adopted by each PHO. However, these are often uncoordinated and overlap in terms of content. They adopt different language and formats for various stakeholders. The presence of diverse external drivers may explain the divergent focus, priorities and inconsistent goals in the strategic documents. This planning complexity makes it difficult to determine how the overall goals and mission of an organisation are defined and made visible. Conclusions The evidence suggests that PHOs use a considerable number of strategic documents. However, they employ no clear or explicit overarching strategy currently, and strategic planning appears to be externally oriented. All the documents communicate similar topics to different stakeholders, although they use different language to answer to the different expectations of each stakeholder. Therefore, strategic planning and plans seem to be driven by neo-institutional approaches, as they are means to build consensus and negotiate ground for strategic actions, rather than means to identify strategic choices and priorities. PMID:23289527

Implementing Data Definition Consistency for Emergency Department Operations Benchmarking and Research.

PubMed

Yiadom, Maame Yaa A B; Scheulen, James; McWade, Conor M; Augustine, James J

2016-07-01

The objective was to obtain a commitment to adopt a common set of definitions for emergency department (ED) demographic, clinical process, and performance metrics among the ED Benchmarking Alliance (EDBA), ED Operations Study Group (EDOSG), and Academy of Academic Administrators of Emergency Medicine (AAAEM) by 2017. A retrospective cross-sectional analysis of available data from three ED operations benchmarking organizations supported a negotiation to use a set of common metrics with identical definitions. During a 1.5-day meeting-structured according to social change theories of information exchange, self-interest, and interdependence-common definitions were identified and negotiated using the EDBA's published definitions as a start for discussion. Methods of process analysis theory were used in the 8 weeks following the meeting to achieve official consensus on definitions. These two lists were submitted to the organizations' leadership for implementation approval. A total of 374 unique measures were identified, of which 57 (15%) were shared by at least two organizations. Fourteen (4%) were common to all three organizations. In addition to agreement on definitions for the 14 measures used by all three organizations, agreement was reached on universal definitions for 17 of the 57 measures shared by at least two organizations. The negotiation outcome was a list of 31 measures with universal definitions to be adopted by each organization by 2017. The use of negotiation, social change, and process analysis theories achieved the adoption of universal definitions among the EDBA, EDOSG, and AAAEM. This will impact performance benchmarking for nearly half of US EDs. It initiates a formal commitment to utilize standardized metrics, and it transitions consistency in reporting ED operations metrics from consensus to implementation. This work advances our ability to more accurately characterize variation in ED care delivery models, resource utilization, and performance. In addition, it permits future aggregation of these three data sets, thus facilitating the creation of more robust ED operations research data sets unified by a universal language. Negotiation, social change, and process analysis principles can be used to advance the adoption of additional definitions. © 2016 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

Influences of Contrasting Types of Training on Practitioners' and Parents' Use of Assistive Technology and Adaptations with Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers with Disabilities. Practical Evaluation Reports, Volume 3, Number 1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunst, Carl J.; Trivette, Carol M.; Meter, Diana; Hamby, Deborah W.

2011-01-01

The effectiveness of different types of practices for promoting practitioner and parent adoption of different kinds of assistive technology and adaptations with young children birth to 105 months of age was the focus of a meta-analysis. Six operationally defined adult learning method characteristics and between 2 and 5 practices for each…

A uniform technique for flood frequency analysis.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thomas, W.O.

1985-01-01

This uniform technique consisted of fitting the logarithms of annual peak discharges to a Pearson Type III distribution using the method of moments. The objective was to adopt a consistent approach for the estimation of floodflow frequencies that could be used in computing average annual flood losses for project evaluation. In addition, a consistent approach was needed for defining equitable flood-hazard zones as part of the National Flood Insurance Program. -from ASCE Publications Information

Considerations for Integrating Women into Closed Occupations in the U.S. Special Operations Forces

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-01

effectiveness of integration. Ideally, studies adopting an experimental design (using both test and control groups ) would be preferred, but sample sizes may...data -- a survey of SOF personnel and a series of focus group discussions -- collected by the research team regarding the potential challenges to... controlled positions. This report summarizes our research , analysis, and conclusions. We used a mixed-methods approach. We reviewed the current state of

A determination of the fragmentation functions of u-quarks into charged pions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aubert, J. J.; Bassompierre, G.; Becks, K. H.; Benchouk, C.; Best, C.; Böhm, E.; De Bouard, X.; Brasse, F. W.; Broll, C.; Brown, S.; Carr, J.; Clifft, R.; Cobb, J. H.; Coignet, G.; Combley, F.; Court, G. R.; D'Agostini, G.; Dau, W. D.; Davies, J. K.; Déclais, Y.; Dosselli, U.; Drees, J.; Edwards, A.; Edwards, M.; Favier, J.; Ferrero, M. I.; Flauger, W.; Forsbach, H.; Gabathuler, E.; Gamet, R.; Gayler, J.; Gerhardt, V.; Gössling, C.; Haas, J.; Hamacher, K.; Hayman, P.; Henckes, M.; Korbel, V.; Korzen, B.; Landgraf, U.; Leenen, M.; Maire, M.; Mohr, W.; Montgomery, H. E.; Moser, K.; Mount, R. P.; Nagy, E.; Nassalski, J.; Norton, P. R.; McNicholas, J.; Osborne, A. M.; Payre, P.; Peroni, C.; Peschel, H.; Pessard, H.; Pietrzyk, U.; Rith, K.; Schneegans, M.; Schneider, A.; Sloan, T.; Stier, H. E.; Stockhausen, W.; Thénard, J. M.; Thompson, J. C.; Urban, L.; Villers, M.; Wahlen, H.; Whalley, M.; Williams, D.; Williams, W. S. C.; Williamson, J.; Wimpenny, S. J.; European Muon Collaboration (EMC)

1985-10-01

The fragmentation functions of u-quarks into positive and negative pions are determined from an analysis of identified pions produced in deep inelastic muon-deuterium scattering. The method adopted is not sensitive to the knowledge of the primary quark distribution functions. The fragmentation of u quarks to positive pions is found to fall less steeply in z than that to negative pions as expected in the quark parton model.

Constructing service-oriented architecture adoption maturity matrix using Kano model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamzah, Mohd Hamdi Irwan; Baharom, Fauziah; Mohd, Haslina

2017-10-01

Commonly, organizations adopted Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) because it can provide a flexible reconfiguration and can reduce the development time and cost. In order to guide the SOA adoption, previous industry and academia have constructed SOA maturity model. However, there is a limited number of works on how to construct the matrix in the previous SOA maturity model. Therefore, this study is going to provide a method that can be used in order to construct the matrix in the SOA maturity model. This study adapts Kano Model to construct the cross evaluation matrix focused on SOA adoption IT and business benefits. This study found that Kano Model can provide a suitable and appropriate method for constructing the cross evaluation matrix in SOA maturity model. Kano model also can be used to plot, organize and better represent the evaluation dimension for evaluating the SOA adoption.

26 CFR 1.6655-5 - Short taxable year.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 3. Initial short year with three required installments. Corporation C began business on February 12... business on February 12, 2009, and adopted a calendar year as its taxable year. X adopts an accrual method... short year with four required installments. Corporation B began business on January 9, 2009, and adopted...

Project FAST: [Functional Analysis Systems Training]: Adopter/Facilitator Information.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Essexville-Hampton Public Schools, MI.

Presented is adopter/facilitator information of Project FAST (Functional Analysis Systems Training) to provide educational and support services to learning disordered children and their regular elementary teachers. Briefly described are the three schools in the Essexville-Hampton (Michigan) school district; objectives of the program; program…

The ADOPT-LC score: a novel predictive index of in-hospital mortality of cirrhotic patients following surgical procedures, based on a national survey.

PubMed

Sato, Masaya; Tateishi, Ryosuke; Yasunaga, Hideo; Horiguchi, Hiromasa; Matsui, Hiroki; Yoshida, Haruhiko; Fushimi, Kiyohide; Koike, Kazuhiko

2017-03-01

We aimed to develop a model for predicting in-hospital mortality of cirrhotic patients following major surgical procedures using a large sample of patients derived from a Japanese nationwide administrative database. We enrolled 2197 cirrhotic patients who underwent elective (n = 1973) or emergency (n = 224) surgery. We analyzed the risk factors for postoperative mortality and established a scoring system for predicting postoperative mortality in cirrhotic patients using a split-sample method. In-hospital mortality rates following elective or emergency surgery were 4.7% and 20.5%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, patient age, Child-Pugh (CP) class, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), and duration of anesthesia in elective surgery were significantly associated with in-hospital mortality. In emergency surgery, CP class and duration of anesthesia were significant factors. Based on multivariate analysis in the training set (n = 987), the Adequate Operative Treatment for Liver Cirrhosis (ADOPT-LC) score that used patient age, CP class, CCI, and duration of anesthesia to predict in-hospital mortality following elective surgery was developed. This scoring system was validated in the testing set (n = 986) and produced an area under the curve of 0.881. We also developed iOS/Android apps to calculate ADOPT-LC scores to allow easy access to the current evidence in daily clinical practice. Patient age, CP class, CCI, and duration of anesthesia were identified as important risk factors for predicting postoperative mortality in cirrhotic patients. The ADOPT-LC score effectively predicts in-hospital mortality following elective surgery and may assist decisions regarding surgical procedures in cirrhotic patients based on a quantitative risk assessment. © 2016 The Authors Hepatology Research published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japan Society of Hepatology.

The Impact of Utility Tariff Evolution on Behind-the-Meter PV Adoption

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cole, Wesley J; Gagnon, Pieter J; Frew, Bethany A

This analysis uses a new method to link the NREL Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) capacity expansion model with the NREL distributed generation market demand model (dGen) to explore the impact that the evolution of retail electricity tariffs can have on the adoption of distributed photovoltaics (DPV). The evolution most notably takes the form of decreased mid-day electricity costs, as low-cost PV reduces the marginal cost of electricity during those hours and the changes are subsequently communicated to electricity consumers through tariffs. We find that even under the low PV prices of the new SunShot targets the financial performance ofmore » DPV under evolved tariffs still motivates behind-the-meter adoption, despite significant reduction in the costs of electricity during afternoon periods driven by deployment of cheap utility-scale PV. The amount of DPV in 2050 in these low-cost futures ranged from 206 GW to 263 GW, a 13-fold and 16-fold increase over 2016 adoption levels respectively. From a utility planner's perspective, the representation of tariff evolution has noteworthy impacts on forecasted DPV adoption in scenarios with widespread time-of-use tariffs. Scenarios that projected adoption under a portfolio of time-of-use tariffs, but did not represent the evolution of those tariffs, predicted up to 36 percent more DPV in 2050, compared to scenarios that did not represent that evolution. Lastly, we find that a reduction in DPV deployment resulting from evolved tariffs had a negligible impact on the total generation from PV - both utility-scale and distributed - in the scenarios we examined. Any reduction in DPV generation was replaced with utility-scale PV generation, to arrive at the quantity that makes up the least-cost portfolio.« less

[Study on the dissemination of human immunodeficiency virus risk behaviors in a floating workers coming from the countryside in China].

PubMed

Yang, Ting-zhong

2006-03-01

To explore the pattern of transmission of human immunodeficiency virus through risky sexual behaviors (RSB) in floating workers coming from the countryside to the cities. Data were collected anonymously through a structured questionnaire survey in 1595 men from Hangzhou and Guangzhou cities, using a multi-stage sampling method. Data from both preliminary analyses and multivariate regression analysis would show the cumulative adoption of RSB over time and the identification of factors associated with the adoption in this population from the two areas. 57.9% - 88.1% of the study samples with the pre-stage RSB (receiving shampoo, massage or leisure-seeking activities from "sexual workers") and 79.9% of those with commercial RSB were initiated during the period when they were working away from their home-towns. The highest adoption rate (15.2% - 26.8%) was happened in the third month after moving to the urban areas for pre-stage RSB, while the highest rate (14.4%) was noticed in the sixth month for the commercial ones. The transition interval between the two behaviors was around 3 months. The cumulative rate was peaked from 57.3% to 70.4% for pre-stage RSB and 48.9% for commercial RSB. The cumulative adoption curves showed that the robust increment was more pronounced in the pre-stage than in the commercial RSB. Most of the early adopters were married and holding higher hedonistic beliefs for the commercial RSB. Communication of sex information and behavioral adoption of RSB was associated with the perceived stress and hedonistic beliefs. RSB epidemics seemed to be social and group phenomena, suggesting that related social strategies should be developed in order to control the RSB in this population.

Hot forming of composite prepreg: Numerical analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guzman-Maldonado, Eduardo; Hamila, Nahiène; Boisse, Philippe; El Azzouzi, Khalid; Tardif, Xavier; Moro, Tanguy; Chatel, Sylvain; Fideu, Paulin

2017-10-01

The work presented here is part of the "FORBANS" project about the Hot Drape Forming (HDF) process consisting of unidirectional prepregs laminates. To ensure a fine comprehension of this process a combination strategy between experiment and numerical analysis is adopted. This paper is focused on the numerical analysis using the finite element method (FEM) with a hyperelastic constitutive law. Each prepreg layer is modelled by shell elements. These elements consider the tension, in-plane shear and bending behaviour of the ply at different temperatures. The contact/friction during the forming process is taken into account using forward increment Lagrange multipliers.

An adhered-particle analysis system based on concave points

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wencheng; Guan, Fengnian; Feng, Lin

2018-04-01

Particles adhered together will influence the image analysis in computer vision system. In this paper, a method based on concave point is designed. First, corner detection algorithm is adopted to obtain a rough estimation of potential concave points after image segmentation. Then, it computes the area ratio of the candidates to accurately localize the final separation points. Finally, it uses the separation points of each particle and the neighboring pixels to estimate the original particles before adhesion and provides estimated profile images. The experimental results have shown that this approach can provide good results that match the human visual cognitive mechanism.

Adoptive Parents' Attitudes Toward Open Birth Records.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geissinger, Shirley

1984-01-01

Investigated adoptive parents' (N=42) attitudes toward the open birth record issues using a mail survey. Analysis indicated that parental fear was the most important variable. Most supported a measure allowing adult adoptees access to birth records, provided such access was agreeable to birth and adoptive parents. (JAC)

Themes of Hope and Healing: Infertile Couples' Experiences of Adoption.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniluk, Judith C.; Hurtig-Mitchell, Joss

2003-01-01

Using qualitative approach, authors explored the experiences of becoming parents through adoption after unsuccessful infertility treatments. Analysis of data revealed three overarching themes. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for counselors who work with infertile couples considering adoption, clients engaged in adoption…

Income Trends of Residential PV Adopters: An analysis of household-level income estimates [PowerPoint presentation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barbose, Galen L.; Darghouth, Naim R.; Hoen, Ben

The residential photovoltaic (PV) market has expanded rapidly over the past decade, but questions exist about how equitably that growth has occurred across income groups. Prior studies have investigated this question but are often limited by narrow geographic study regions, now-dated analysis timeframes, or coarse estimates of PV-adopter incomes. At the same time, a spate of new programs and initiatives, as well as innovations in business models and product design, have emerged in recent years with the aim of making solar more accessible and affordable to broader segments of the population. Yet, many of those efforts are proceeding without robustmore » underlying information about the income characteristics of recent residential PV adopters. This work aims to establish basic factual information about income trends among U.S. residential solar adopters, with some emphasis on low- and moderate-income (LMI) households. The analysis is unique in its relatively extensive coverage of the U.S. solar market, relying on Berkeley Lab’s Tracking the Sun dataset, which contains project-level data for the vast majority of all residential PV systems in the country (a subset of which are ultimately included in the analysis sample). This analysis is also unique in its use of household-level income estimates that provide a more-precise characterization of PV-adopter incomes than in most prior studies.« less

Describing the Process of Adopting Nutrition and Fitness Apps: Behavior Stage Model Approach

PubMed Central

Sproesser, Gudrun; Schupp, Harald T; Renner, Britta

2018-01-01

Background Although mobile technologies such as smartphone apps are promising means for motivating people to adopt a healthier lifestyle (mHealth apps), previous studies have shown low adoption and continued use rates. Developing the means to address this issue requires further understanding of mHealth app nonusers and adoption processes. This study utilized a stage model approach based on the Precaution Adoption Process Model (PAPM), which proposes that people pass through qualitatively different motivational stages when adopting a behavior. Objective To establish a better understanding of between-stage transitions during app adoption, this study aimed to investigate the adoption process of nutrition and fitness app usage, and the sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics and decision-making style preferences of people at different adoption stages. Methods Participants (N=1236) were recruited onsite within the cohort study Konstanz Life Study. Use of mobile devices and nutrition and fitness apps, 5 behavior adoption stages of using nutrition and fitness apps, preference for intuition and deliberation in eating decision-making (E-PID), healthy eating style, sociodemographic variables, and body mass index (BMI) were assessed. Results Analysis of the 5 behavior adoption stages showed that stage 1 (“unengaged”) was the most prevalent motivational stage for both nutrition and fitness app use, with half of the participants stating that they had never thought about using a nutrition app (52.41%, 533/1017), whereas less than one-third stated they had never thought about using a fitness app (29.25%, 301/1029). “Unengaged” nonusers (stage 1) showed a higher preference for an intuitive decision-making style when making eating decisions, whereas those who were already “acting” (stage 4) showed a greater preference for a deliberative decision-making style (F4,1012=21.83, P<.001). Furthermore, participants differed widely in their readiness to adopt nutrition and fitness apps, ranging from having “decided to” but not yet begun to act (stage 2; nutrition: 6.88%, 70/1017; fitness: 9.23%, 95/1029) to being “disengaged” following previous adoption (stage 5; nutrition: 13.77%, 140/1017; fitness: 15.06%, 155/1029). Conclusions Using a behavior stage model approach to describe the process of adopting nutrition and fitness apps revealed motivational stage differences between nonusers (being “unengaged,” having “decided not to act,” having “decided to act,” and being “disengaged”), which might contribute to a better understanding of the process of adopting mHealth apps and thus inform the future development of digital interventions. This study highlights that new user groups might be better reached by apps designed to address a more intuitive decision-making style. PMID:29535078

Study on the application of MRF and the D-S theory to image segmentation of the human brain and quantitative analysis of the brain tissue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, Yihong; Luo, Yatao; Yang, Tao; Qiu, Lei; Li, Junchang

2012-01-01

The features of the spatial information of Markov random field image was used in image segmentation. It can effectively remove the noise, and get a more accurate segmentation results. Based on the fuzziness and clustering of pixel grayscale information, we find clustering center of the medical image different organizations and background through Fuzzy cmeans clustering method. Then we find each threshold point of multi-threshold segmentation through two dimensional histogram method, and segment it. The features of fusing multivariate information based on the Dempster-Shafer evidence theory, getting image fusion and segmentation. This paper will adopt the above three theories to propose a new human brain image segmentation method. Experimental result shows that the segmentation result is more in line with human vision, and is of vital significance to accurate analysis and application of tissues.

A novel murmur-based heart sound feature extraction technique using envelope-morphological analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Hao-Dong; Ma, Jia-Li; Fu, Bin-Bin; Wang, Hai-Yang; Dong, Ming-Chui

2015-07-01

Auscultation of heart sound (HS) signals serves as an important primary approach to diagnose cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) for centuries. Confronting the intrinsic drawbacks of traditional HS auscultation, computer-aided automatic HS auscultation based on feature extraction technique has witnessed explosive development. Yet, most existing HS feature extraction methods adopt acoustic or time-frequency features which exhibit poor relationship with diagnostic information, thus restricting the performance of further interpretation and analysis. Tackling such a bottleneck problem, this paper innovatively proposes a novel murmur-based HS feature extraction method since murmurs contain massive pathological information and are regarded as the first indications of pathological occurrences of heart valves. Adapting discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and Shannon envelope, the envelope-morphological characteristics of murmurs are obtained and three features are extracted accordingly. Validated by discriminating normal HS and 5 various abnormal HS signals with extracted features, the proposed method provides an attractive candidate in automatic HS auscultation.

Comparison Through Image Analysis Between Al Foams Produced Using Two Different Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boschetto, A.; Campana, F.; Pilone, D.

2014-02-01

Several methods are available for making metal foams. They allow to tailor their mechanical, thermal, acoustic, and electrical properties for specific applications by varying the relative density as well as the cell size and morphology. Foams have a very heterogeneous structure so that their properties may show a large scatter. In this paper, an aluminum foam produced by means of foaming of powder compacts and another one prepared via the infiltration process were analyzed and compared. Image analysis has been used as a useful tool to determine size, morphology, and distribution of cells in both foams and to correlate cell morphology with the considered manufacturing process. The results highlighted that cell size and morphology are strictly dependent upon the manufacturing method. This paper shows how some standard 2D morphological indicators may be usefully adopted to characterize foams whose structure derives from the specific manufacturing process.

Methods for the analysis of azo dyes employed in food industry--A review.

PubMed

Yamjala, Karthik; Nainar, Meyyanathan Subramania; Ramisetti, Nageswara Rao

2016-02-01

A wide variety of azo dyes are generally added for coloring food products not only to make them visually aesthetic but also to reinstate the original appearance lost during the production process. However, many countries in the world have banned the use of most of the azo dyes in food and their usage is highly regulated by domestic and export food supplies. The regulatory authorities and food analysts adopt highly sensitive and selective analytical methods for monitoring as well as assuring the quality and safety of food products. The present manuscript presents a comprehensive review of various analytical techniques used in the analysis of azo dyes employed in food industries of different parts of the world. A brief description on the use of different extraction methods such as liquid-liquid, solid phase and membrane extraction has also been presented. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multiple Statistical Models Based Analysis of Causative Factors and Loess Landslides in Tianshui City, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Xing; Meng, Xingmin; Ye, Weilin; Wu, Weijiang; Liu, Xingrong; Wei, Wanhong

2018-03-01

Tianshui City is one of the mountainous cities that are threatened by severe geo-hazards in Gansu Province, China. Statistical probability models have been widely used in analyzing and evaluating geo-hazards such as landslide. In this research, three approaches (Certainty Factor Method, Weight of Evidence Method and Information Quantity Method) were adopted to quantitively analyze the relationship between the causative factors and the landslides, respectively. The source data used in this study are including the SRTM DEM and local geological maps in the scale of 1:200,000. 12 causative factors (i.e., altitude, slope, aspect, curvature, plan curvature, profile curvature, roughness, relief amplitude, and distance to rivers, distance to faults, distance to roads, and the stratum lithology) were selected to do correlation analysis after thorough investigation of geological conditions and historical landslides. The results indicate that the outcomes of the three models are fairly consistent.

Analysis methods and recent advances in nonlinear pharmacokinetics from in vitro through in loci to in vivo.

PubMed

Yamaoka, Kiyoshi; Takakura, Yoshinobu

2004-12-01

An attempt has been made to review the nonlinearities in the disposition in vitro, in situ, in loci and in vivo mainly from a theoretical point of view. Parallel Michaelis-Menten and linear (first-order) eliminations are often observed in the cellular uptake, metabolism and efflux of drugs. The well-stirred and parallel-tube models are mainly adopted under steady-state conditions in perfusion experiments, whereas distribution, tank-in-series and dispersion models are often used under nonsteady-state conditions with a pulse input. The analysis of the nonlinear local disposition in loci is reviewed from two points of view, namely an indirect method involving physiologically based pharmacokinetics (PBPK) and a direct (two or three samplings) method using live animals. The nonlinear global pharmacokinetics in vivo is reviewed with regard to absorption, elimination (metabolism and excretion) and distribution.

Green's functions for analysis of dynamic response of wheel/rail to vertical excitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazilu, Traian

2007-09-01

An analytical model to simulate wheel/rail interaction using the Green's functions method is proposed in this paper. The model consists of a moving wheel on a discretely supported rail. Particularly for this model of rail, the bending and the longitudinal displacement are coupled due to the rail pad and a complex model of the rail pad is adopted. An efficient method for solving a time-domain analysis for wheel/rail interaction is presented. The method is based on the properties of the rail's Green functions and starting to these functions, a track's Green matrix is assembled for the numerical simulations of wheel/rail response due to three kinds of vertical excitations: the steady-state interaction, the rail corrugation and the wheel flat. The study points to influence of the worn rail—rigid contact—on variation in the wheel/rail contact force. The concept of pinned-pinned inhibitive rail pad is also presented.

Adopted daughters and adopted daughters-in-law in Taiwan: a mortality analysis

PubMed Central

Seabright, Edmond; Reynolds, Adam Z.; Cao, Jingzhe (Bill); Brown, Melissa J.

2018-01-01

Adoption is sometimes considered paradoxical from an evolutionary perspective because the costs spent supporting an adopted child would be better spent on rearing one's own. Kin selection theory is commonly used to solve this paradox, because the adoption of closely related kin contributes to the inclusive fitness of the adoptive parent. In this paper, we perform a novel test of kin selection theory in the context of adoption by asking whether adopted daughters-in-law, who contribute directly (i.e. genealogically) to the perpetuation of their adoptive families' lineages, experience lower mortality than daughters adopted for other purposes in historical Taiwan. We show that both classes of adopted daughter suffer lower mortality than biological daughters, but that the protective effect of adoption is stronger among daughters who were not adopted with the intention of perpetuating the family lineage. We speculate as to the possible benefits of such a pattern and emphasize the need to move beyond typological definitions of adoption to understand the specific costs and benefits involved in different forms of caring for others' children. PMID:29657778

Adopted daughters and adopted daughters-in-law in Taiwan: a mortality analysis.

PubMed

Mattison, Siobhán M; Seabright, Edmond; Reynolds, Adam Z; Cao, Jingzhe Bill; Brown, Melissa J; Feldman, Marcus W

2018-03-01

Adoption is sometimes considered paradoxical from an evolutionary perspective because the costs spent supporting an adopted child would be better spent on rearing one's own. Kin selection theory is commonly used to solve this paradox, because the adoption of closely related kin contributes to the inclusive fitness of the adoptive parent. In this paper, we perform a novel test of kin selection theory in the context of adoption by asking whether adopted daughters-in-law, who contribute directly (i.e. genealogically) to the perpetuation of their adoptive families' lineages, experience lower mortality than daughters adopted for other purposes in historical Taiwan. We show that both classes of adopted daughter suffer lower mortality than biological daughters, but that the protective effect of adoption is stronger among daughters who were not adopted with the intention of perpetuating the family lineage. We speculate as to the possible benefits of such a pattern and emphasize the need to move beyond typological definitions of adoption to understand the specific costs and benefits involved in different forms of caring for others' children.

Overview of psychiatric ethics IV: the method of casuistry.

PubMed

Robertson, Michael; Ryan, Christopher; Walter, Garry

2007-08-01

The aim of this paper is to describe the method of ethical analysis known as casuistry and consider its merits as a basis of ethical deliberation in psychiatry. Casuistry approximates the legal arguments of common law. It examines ethical dilemmas by adopting a taxonomic approach to 'paradigm' cases, using a technique akin to that of normative analogical reasoning. Casuistry offers a useful method in ethical reasoning through providing a practical means of evaluating the merits of a particular course of action in a particular clinical situation. As a method ethical moral reasoning in psychiatry, casuistry suffers from a paucity of paradigm cases and its failure to fully contextualize ethical dilemmas by relying on common morality theory as its basis.

Parametric geometric model and hydrodynamic shape optimization of a flying-wing structure underwater glider

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhen-yu; Yu, Jian-cheng; Zhang, Ai-qun; Wang, Ya-xing; Zhao, Wen-tao

2017-12-01

Combining high precision numerical analysis methods with optimization algorithms to make a systematic exploration of a design space has become an important topic in the modern design methods. During the design process of an underwater glider's flying-wing structure, a surrogate model is introduced to decrease the computation time for a high precision analysis. By these means, the contradiction between precision and efficiency is solved effectively. Based on the parametric geometry modeling, mesh generation and computational fluid dynamics analysis, a surrogate model is constructed by adopting the design of experiment (DOE) theory to solve the multi-objects design optimization problem of the underwater glider. The procedure of a surrogate model construction is presented, and the Gaussian kernel function is specifically discussed. The Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is applied to hydrodynamic design optimization. The hydrodynamic performance of the optimized flying-wing structure underwater glider increases by 9.1%.

Thermo-mechanically coupled fracture analysis of shape memory alloys using the extended finite element method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatefi Ardakani, S.; Ahmadian, H.; Mohammadi, S.

2015-04-01

In this paper, the extended finite element method is used for fracture analysis of shape memory alloys for both cases of super elastic and shape memory effects. Heat generation during the forward and reverse phase transformations can lead to temperature variation in the material because of strong thermo-mechanical coupling, which significantly influences the SMA mechanical behavior. First, the stationary crack mode is studied and the effects of loading rate on material behavior in the crack tip are examined. Then, the crack propagation analysis is performed in the presence of an initial crack by adopting a weighted averaging criterion, where the direction of crack propagation is determined by weighted averaging of effective stresses at all the integration points in the vicinity of the crack tip. Finally, several numerical examples are analyzed and the obtained results are compared with the available reference results.

Why hospitals adopt patient engagement functionalities at different speeds? A moderated trend analysis.

PubMed

Asagbra, O Elijah; Burke, Darrell; Liang, Huigang

2018-03-01

To investigate acute care hospitals' adoption speed of patient engagement health information technology (HIT) functionalities from 2008 to 2013 and how this speed is contingent on environmental factors and hospital characteristics. Data on non-government acute care hospitals located in the United States was obtained from merging three databases: the American Hospital Association's (AHA) annual survey information technology supplement, AHA annual survey, and the Area Health Resource File (AHRF). The variables obtained from these datasets were the amount of annually adopted patient engagement HIT functionalities and environmental and organizational characteristics. Environmental factors included were uncertainty, munificence, and complexity. Hospital characteristics included size, system membership, ownership, and teaching status. A regression analysis of 4176 hospital-year observations revealed a positive trend in the adoption of HIT functionalities for patient engagement (β= 1.109, p < 0.05). Moreover, the study showed that large, system-affiliated, not-for-profit, teaching hospitals adopt patient engagement HIT functionalities at a faster speed than their counterparts. Environmental munificence and uncertainty were also associated with an accelerating speed of adoption. Environmental complexity however did not show a significant impact on the speed of adoption. From 2008 to 2013, there was a significant acceleration in the speed of adopting patient engagement HIT functionalities. Further efforts should be made to ensure proper adoption and consistent use by patients in order to reap the benefits of these IT investments. Hospitals adopted at least one HIT functionality for patient engagement per year. The adoption speed varied across hospitals, depending on both environmental and organizational factors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modelling Diffusion of a Personalized Learning Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karmeshu; Raman, Raghu; Nedungadi, Prema

2012-01-01

A new modelling approach for diffusion of personalized learning as an educational process innovation in social group comprising adopter-teachers is proposed. An empirical analysis regarding the perception of 261 adopter-teachers from 18 schools in India about a particular personalized learning framework has been made. Based on this analysis,…

Marketing and clinical trials: a case study

PubMed Central

Francis, David; Roberts, Ian; Elbourne, Diana R; Shakur, Haleema; Knight, Rosemary C; Garcia, Jo; Snowdon, Claire; Entwistle, Vikki A; McDonald, Alison M; Grant, Adrian M; Campbell, Marion K

2007-01-01

Background Publicly funded clinical trials require a substantial commitment of time and money. To ensure that sufficient numbers of patients are recruited it is essential that they address important questions in a rigorous manner and are managed well, adopting effective marketing strategies. Methods Using methods of analysis drawn from management studies, this paper presents a structured assessment framework or reference model, derived from a case analysis of the MRC's CRASH trial, of 12 factors that may affect the success of the marketing and sales activities associated with clinical trials. Results The case study demonstrates that trials need various categories of people to buy in – hence, to be successful, trialists must embrace marketing strategies to some extent. Conclusion The performance of future clinical trials could be enhanced if trialists routinely considered these factors. PMID:18028537

The structure of state health agencies: a strategic analysis.

PubMed

Ford, Eric W; Duncan, W Jack; Ginter, Peter M

2003-03-01

Leaders in public organizations are adopting many private sector management practices to control costs and increase efficiency. Nowhere is this more evident than among state health agencies. State health agencies were encouraged to change the way they operate by the 1988 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on The Future of Public Health. This report portrayed public health as being in disarray. To address major deficiencies identified by the IOM study, some public health leaders have reevaluated their environments, reconfigured their organizations, and adopted a strategic mindset. The purpose of this research is to explore the various organizational configurations of state health agencies. Replicating methods used in studies of private sector organizations, five distinct strategic configurations or archetypes were identified. This comprehensive public health agency taxonomy will assist future researchers in analyzing public health organizations' environments, structures, and strategies.

40 CFR Appendix A to Part 55 - Listing of State and Local Requirements Incorporated by Reference Into Part 55, by State

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

.... Significant Impact Levels (SILs) 18 AAC 50.220. Enforceable Test Methods (effective 10/01/2004) 18 AAC 50.225... Geographical Areas (Adopted 01/9/76) Rule 104 Reporting of Source Test Data and Analyses (Adopted 01/9/76) Rule... Content of Fossil Fuels (Adopted 05/7/76) Rule 441 Research Operations (Adopted 05/7/76) Rule 442 Usage of...

Meta-analysis of Odds Ratios: Current Good Practices

PubMed Central

Chang, Bei-Hung; Hoaglin, David C.

2016-01-01

Background Many systematic reviews of randomized clinical trials lead to meta-analyses of odds ratios. The customary methods of estimating an overall odds ratio involve weighted averages of the individual trials’ estimates of the logarithm of the odds ratio. That approach, however, has several shortcomings, arising from assumptions and approximations, that render the results unreliable. Although the problems have been documented in the literature for many years, the conventional methods persist in software and applications. A well-developed alternative approach avoids the approximations by working directly with the numbers of subjects and events in the arms of the individual trials. Objective We aim to raise awareness of methods that avoid the conventional approximations, can be applied with widely available software, and produce more-reliable results. Methods We summarize the fixed-effect and random-effects approaches to meta-analysis; describe conventional, approximate methods and alternative methods; apply the methods in a meta-analysis of 19 randomized trials of endoscopic sclerotherapy in patients with cirrhosis and esophagogastric varices; and compare the results. We demonstrate the use of SAS, Stata, and R software for the analysis. Results In the example, point estimates and confidence intervals for the overall log-odds-ratio differ between the conventional and alternative methods, in ways that can affect inferences. Programming is straightforward in the three software packages; an appendix gives the details. Conclusions The modest additional programming required should not be an obstacle to adoption of the alternative methods. Because their results are unreliable, use of the conventional methods for meta-analysis of odds ratios should be discontinued. PMID:28169977

Technology Adoption in Secondary Mathematics Teaching in Kenya: An Explanatory Mixed Methods Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamau, Leonard Mwathi

2014-01-01

This study examined the factors related to technology adoption by secondary mathematics teachers in Nyandarua and Nairobi counties in the Republic of Kenya. Using a sequential explanatory mixed methods approach, I collected qualitative data from interviews and classroom observations of six teachers to better understand statistical results from the…

City Governments and Aging in Place: Community Design, Transportation and Housing Innovation Adoption

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lehning, Amanda J.

2012-01-01

Purpose of the study: To examine the characteristics associated with city government adoption of community design, housing, and transportation innovations that could benefit older adults. Design and methods: A mixed-methods study with quantitative data collected via online surveys from 62 city planners combined with qualitative data collected via…

Mass- and energy-analyses of ions from plasma by means of a miniature Thomson spectrometer.

PubMed

Sadowski, M J; Czaus, K; Malinowski, K; Skladnik-Sadowska, E; Zebrowski, J

2009-05-01

The paper presents an improved version of a miniature mass-spectrometer of the Thomson-type, which has been adopted for ion analysis near the dense plasma region inside a vacuum chamber. Problems connected with the separation of ions from plasma streams are considered. Input diaphragms and pumping systems, needed to ensure good vacuum inside the analyzing region, are described. The application of the miniature Thomson-type analyzer is illustrated by ion parabolas recorded in plasma-focus facility and rod plasma injector experiment. A quantitative analysis of the recorded ion parabolas is presented. Factors influencing accuracy of the ion analysis are discussed and methods of the spectrometer calibration are described.

Dynamic analysis of the deployment for mesh reflector deployable antennas with the cable-net structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yiqun; Li, Na; Yang, Guigeng; Ru, Wenrui

2017-02-01

This paper presents a dynamic analysis approach for the composite structure of a deployable truss and cable-net system. An Elastic Catenary Element is adopted to model the slack/tensioned cables. Then, from the energy standpoint, the kinetic energy, elasticity-potential energy and geopotential energy of the cable-net structure and deployable truss are derived. Thus, the flexible multi-body dynamic model of the deployable antenna is built based on the Lagrange equation. The effect of the cable-net tension on the antenna truss is discussed and compared with previous publications and a dynamic deployment analysis is performed. Both the simulation and experimental results verify the validity of the method presented.

Postadoption and Guardianship: An Evaluation of the Adoption Preservation, Assessment, and Linkage Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liao, Minli; Testa, Mark

2016-01-01

Objectives: This study evaluated the effects of the Adoption Preservation, Assessment, and Linkage (APAL) postpermanency program. Method: A quasi-experimental, posttest-only design was used to estimate the program's effects on youth discharged from foster care to adoption or legal guardianship. A random sample was surveyed (female = 44.7%; African…

Basic Trust: An Attachment-Oriented Intervention Based on Mind-Mindedness in Adoptive Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colonnesi, Cristina; Wissink, Inge B.; Noom, Marc J.; Asscher, Jessica J.; Hoeve, Machteld; Stams, Geert Jan J. M.; Polderman, Nelleke; Kellaert-Knol, Marijke G.

2013-01-01

Objectives: We evaluated a new attachment-oriented intervention aimed at improving parental mind-mindedness, promoting positive parent-child relationships, and reducing child psychopathology in families with adopted children. Method: The sample consisted of 20 families with adopted children (2-5 years of age). After the pretest, the intervention…

Social Media Adoption and Use among Information Technology Professionals and Implications for Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lundahl Philpot, Eva

2013-01-01

This sequential, mixed methods research addressed emerging social media use practices among IT professionals and explored lived experiences of senior IT leaders relative to successful organizational social media adoption and use. The study was informed by structuration theory and elements from the universal technology adoption and use (UTAUT)…

Overrepresentation of Adopted Adolescents at a Hospital-Based Gender Dysphoria Clinic

PubMed Central

Shumer, Daniel E.; Abrha, Aser; Feldman, Henry A.; Carswell, Jeremi

2017-01-01

Abstract Purpose: We have noted a greater than expected prevalence of adopted children presenting to our multidisciplinary gender program for evaluation of gender dysphoria. Methods: A retrospective review of 184 patient charts was conducted to assess the prevalence of adopted children presenting to gender clinic. Results: Fifteen of 184 patients seen were living with adoptive families (8.2%). This is significantly higher than expected based on U.S. census data. Conclusion: Adopted children are referred to our gender program more than would be expected based on the percentage of adopted children in our state and the United States at large. This may be due to a true increased risk of gender dysphoria in adopted children, or could represent presentation bias. Gender programs should be prepared to provide assessments for adopted children. Further work is needed to understand the relationship between adopted status and gender development. PMID:28861549

Facilitators & Barriers to the Adoption of Ergonomic Solutions in Construction

PubMed Central

Dale, Ann Marie; Jaegers, Lisa; Welch, Laura; Barnidge, Ellen; Weaver, Nancy; Evanoff, Bradley A.

2017-01-01

Background Rates of musculoskeletal disorders in construction remain high. Few studies have described barriers and facilitators to the use of available ergonomic solutions. This paper describes these barriers and facilitators and their relationship to the level of adoption. Methods Three analysts rated 16 proposed ergonomic solutions from a participatory ergonomics study and assessed the level of adoption, six adoption characteristics, and identified the category of adoption from a theoretical model. Results Twelve solutions were always or intermittently used and were rated positively for characteristics of relative advantage, compatibility with existing work processes, and trialability. Locus of control (worker vs. contractor) was not related to adoption. Simple solutions faced fewer barriers to adoption than those rated as complex. Conclusions Specific adoption characteristics can help predict the use of new ergonomic solutions in construction. Adoption of complex solutions must involve multiple stakeholders, more time, and shifts in culture or work systems. PMID:28195660

Fertility and contraceptive adoption and discontinuation in rural Kenya.

PubMed

Ferguson, A G

1992-01-01

After a long period of slow progress, the recent uptake of contraceptive use in Kenya has been dramatic. This report describes adoption of a method and method switching and discontinuation among a cohort of married women aged 25-34 in two contrasting rural areas. A retrospective "fertility diary" completed by each woman provided information on spousal separation, reproductive status, and contraceptive use over a period of 46-48 months. Contraceptive prevalence rose rapidly over the period in both areas, with significant net adoption of injectables in both areas and of IUDs in one only. Method discontinuation was concentrated among users of pills, barrier methods, and "natural" methods, and only one-third of all discontinuations were voluntary. The wide differences between the two rural areas in contraceptive prevalence were not totally reflected in recent fertility levels, and the contribution of other proximate determinants of fertility, particularly postpartum amenorrhea and spousal separation, are discussed.

Interorganizational Systems Adoption: A Socio-Technical Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bunker, Deborah; Kautz, Karlheinz; Pyne, Clayton

This paper discusses a case study of an electronic data interchange (EDI) interorganizational system (IOS) adoption project between two organizations (ProvideCo and BuildCo) highlighting that IOS adoption is not only technological in nature and orientation but that organizational factors also play their part. As a result of the case analysis and key findings, an interorganizational collaboration model (Barratt 2004) is amended to explain and highlight the effect of organizational factors on IOS adoption. The amended model includes the relationship of technology (IOS) adoption to cross-functional collaborative activities and risk, power, opportunism, and trust.

Validation of different spectrophotometric methods for determination of vildagliptin and metformin in binary mixture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdel-Ghany, Maha F.; Abdel-Aziz, Omar; Ayad, Miriam F.; Tadros, Mariam M.

New, simple, specific, accurate, precise and reproducible spectrophotometric methods have been developed and subsequently validated for determination of vildagliptin (VLG) and metformin (MET) in binary mixture. Zero order spectrophotometric method was the first method used for determination of MET in the range of 2-12 μg mL-1 by measuring the absorbance at 237.6 nm. The second method was derivative spectrophotometric technique; utilized for determination of MET at 247.4 nm, in the range of 1-12 μg mL-1. Derivative ratio spectrophotometric method was the third technique; used for determination of VLG in the range of 4-24 μg mL-1 at 265.8 nm. Fourth and fifth methods adopted for determination of VLG in the range of 4-24 μg mL-1; were ratio subtraction and mean centering spectrophotometric methods, respectively. All the results were statistically compared with the reported methods, using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The developed methods were satisfactorily applied to analysis of the investigated drugs and proved to be specific and accurate for quality control of them in pharmaceutical dosage forms.

Research on the fault diagnosis of bearing based on wavelet and demodulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jiapeng; Yuan, Yu

2017-05-01

As a most commonly-used machine part, antifriction bearing is extensively used in mechanical equipment. Vibration signal analysis is one of the methods to monitor and diagnose the running status of antifriction bearings. Therefore, using wavelet analysis for demising is of great importance in the engineering practice. This paper firstly presented the basic theory of wavelet analysis to study the transformation, decomposition and reconstruction of wavelet. In addition, edition software LabVIEW was adopted to conduct wavelet and demodulation upon the vibration signal of antifriction bearing collected. With the combination of Hilbert envelop demodulation analysis, the fault character frequencies of the demised signal were extracted to conduct fault diagnosis analysis, which serves as a reference for the wavelet and demodulation of the vibration signal in engineering practice.

Factors influencing consumer adoption of USB-based Personal Health Records in Taiwan

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Usually patients receive healthcare services from multiple hospitals, and consequently their healthcare data are dispersed over many facilities’ paper and electronic-based record systems. Therefore, many countries have encouraged the research on data interoperability, access, and patient authorization. This study is an important part of a national project to build an information exchange environment for cross-hospital digital medical records carried out by the Department of Health (DOH) of Taiwan in May 2008. The key objective of the core project is to set up a portable data exchange environment in order to enable people to maintain and own their essential health information. This study is aimed at exploring the factors influencing behavior and adoption of USB-based Personal Health Records (PHR) in Taiwan. Methods Quota sampling was used, and structured questionnaires were distributed to the outpatient department at ten medical centers which participated in the DOH project to establish the information exchange environment across hospitals. A total of 3000 questionnaires were distributed and 1549 responses were collected, out of those 1465 were valid, accumulating the response rate to 48.83%. Results 1025 out of 1465 respondents had expressed their willingness to apply for the USB-PHR. Detailed analysis of the data reflected that there was a remarkable difference in the “usage intention” between the PHR adopters and non-adopters (χ2 =182.4, p < 0.001). From the result of multivariate logistic regression analyses, we found the key factors affecting patients’ adoption pattern were Usage Intention (OR, 9.43, 95%C.I., 5.87-15.16), Perceived Usefulness (OR, 1.60; 95%C.I., 1.11-2.29) and Subjective Norm (OR, 1.47; 95%C.I., 1.21-1.78). Conclusions Higher Usage Intentions, Perceived Usefulness and Subjective Norm of patients were found to be the key factors influencing PHR adoption. Thus, we suggest that government and hospitals should promote the potential usefulness of PHR, and physicians should encourage patients' to adopt the PHR. PMID:22925029

Improving social connection through a communities-of-practice-inspired cognitive work analysis approach.

PubMed

Euerby, Adam; Burns, Catherine M

2014-03-01

Increasingly, people work in socially networked environments. With growing adoption of enterprise social network technologies, supporting effective social community is becoming an important factor in organizational success. Relatively few human factors methods have been applied to social connection in communities. Although team methods provide a contribution, they do not suit design for communities. Wenger's community of practice concept, combined with cognitive work analysis, provided one way of designing for community. We used a cognitive work analysis approach modified with principles for supporting communities of practice to generate a new website design. Over several months, the community using the site was studied to examine their degree of social connectedness and communication levels. Social network analysis and communications analysis, conducted at three different intervals, showed increases in connections between people and between people and organizations, as well as increased communication following the launch of the new design. In this work, we suggest that human factors approaches can be effective in social environments, when applied considering social community principles. This work has implications for the development of new human factors methods as well as the design of interfaces for sociotechnical systems that have community building requirements.

Spatial eigensolution analysis of energy-stable flux reconstruction schemes and influence of the numerical flux on accuracy and robustness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mengaldo, Gianmarco; De Grazia, Daniele; Moura, Rodrigo C.; Sherwin, Spencer J.

2018-04-01

This study focuses on the dispersion and diffusion characteristics of high-order energy-stable flux reconstruction (ESFR) schemes via the spatial eigensolution analysis framework proposed in [1]. The analysis is performed for five ESFR schemes, where the parameter 'c' dictating the properties of the specific scheme recovered is chosen such that it spans the entire class of ESFR methods, also referred to as VCJH schemes, proposed in [2]. In particular, we used five values of 'c', two that correspond to its lower and upper bounds and the others that identify three schemes that are linked to common high-order methods, namely the ESFR recovering two versions of discontinuous Galerkin methods and one recovering the spectral difference scheme. The performance of each scheme is assessed when using different numerical intercell fluxes (e.g. different levels of upwinding), ranging from "under-" to "over-upwinding". In contrast to the more common temporal analysis, the spatial eigensolution analysis framework adopted here allows one to grasp crucial insights into the diffusion and dispersion properties of FR schemes for problems involving non-periodic boundary conditions, typically found in open-flow problems, including turbulence, unsteady aerodynamics and aeroacoustics.

New Insights into Signed Path Coefficient Granger Causality Analysis

PubMed Central

Zhang, Jian; Li, Chong; Jiang, Tianzi

2016-01-01

Granger causality analysis, as a time series analysis technique derived from econometrics, has been applied in an ever-increasing number of publications in the field of neuroscience, including fMRI, EEG/MEG, and fNIRS. The present study mainly focuses on the validity of “signed path coefficient Granger causality,” a Granger-causality-derived analysis method that has been adopted by many fMRI researches in the last few years. This method generally estimates the causality effect among the time series by an order-1 autoregression, and defines a positive or negative coefficient as an “excitatory” or “inhibitory” influence. In the current work we conducted a series of computations from resting-state fMRI data and simulation experiments to illustrate the signed path coefficient method was flawed and untenable, due to the fact that the autoregressive coefficients were not always consistent with the real causal relationships and this would inevitablely lead to erroneous conclusions. Overall our findings suggested that the applicability of this kind of causality analysis was rather limited, hence researchers should be more cautious in applying the signed path coefficient Granger causality to fMRI data to avoid misinterpretation. PMID:27833547

Harvesting Intelligence in Multimedia Social Tagging Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giannakidou, Eirini; Kaklidou, Foteini; Chatzilari, Elisavet; Kompatsiaris, Ioannis; Vakali, Athena

As more people adopt tagging practices, social tagging systems tend to form rich knowledge repositories that enable the extraction of patterns reflecting the way content semantics is perceived by the web users. This is of particular importance, especially in the case of multimedia content, since the availability of such content in the web is very high and its efficient retrieval using textual annotations or content-based automatically extracted metadata still remains a challenge. It is argued that complementing multimedia analysis techniques with knowledge drawn from web social annotations may facilitate multimedia content management. This chapter focuses on analyzing tagging patterns and combining them with content feature extraction methods, generating, thus, intelligence from multimedia social tagging systems. Emphasis is placed on using all available "tracks" of knowledge, that is tag co-occurrence together with semantic relations among tags and low-level features of the content. Towards this direction, a survey on the theoretical background and the adopted practices for analysis of multimedia social content are presented. A case study from Flickr illustrates the efficiency of the proposed approach.

Healthcare students' experiences when integrating e-learning and flipped classroom instructional approaches.

PubMed

Telford, Mark; Senior, Emma

2017-06-08

This article describes the experiences of undergraduate healthcare students taking a module adopting a 'flipped classroom' approach. Evidence suggests that flipped classroom as a pedagogical tool has the potential to enhance student learning and to improve healthcare practice. This innovative approach was implemented within a healthcare curriculum and in a module looking at public health delivered at the beginning of year two of a 3-year programme. The focus of the evaluation study was on the e-learning resources used in the module and the student experiences of these; with a specific aim to evaluate this element of the flipped classroom approach. A mixed-methods approach was adopted and data collected using questionnaires, which were distributed across a whole cohort, and a focus group involving ten participants. Statistical analysis of the data showed the positive student experience of engaging with e-learning. The thematic analysis identified two key themes; factors influencing a positive learning experience and the challenges when developing e-learning within a flipped classroom approach. The study provides guidance for further developments and improvements when developing e-learning as part of the flipped classroom approach.

Application of GIS in public health in India: A literature-based review, analysis, and recommendations.

PubMed

Ruiz, Marilyn O'Hara; Sharma, Arun Kumar

2016-01-01

The implementation of geospatial technologies and methods for improving health has become widespread in many nations, but India's adoption of these approaches has been fairly slow. With a large population, ongoing public health challenges, and a growing economy with an emphasis on innovative technologies, the adoption of spatial approaches to disease surveillance, spatial epidemiology, and implementation of health policies in India has great potential for both success and efficacy. Through our evaluation of scientific papers selected through a structured key phrase review of the National Center for Biotechnology Information on the database PubMed, we found that current spatial approaches to health research in India are fairly descriptive in nature, but the use of more complex models and statistics is increasing. The institutional home of the authors is skewed regionally, with Delhi and South India more likely to show evidence of use. The need for scientists engaged in spatial health analysis to first digitize basic data, such as maps of road networks, hydrological features, and land use, is a strong impediment to efficiency, and their work would certainly advance more quickly without this requirement.

Mobile health solutions for the aging population: A systematic narrative analysis.

PubMed

Kruse, Clemens Scott; Mileski, Michael; Moreno, Joshua

2017-05-01

Introduction The ubiquitous nature of mobile technology coupled with the acceptance of mobile health (mHealth) among the elderly offers an opportunity to augment the existing medical workforce in long-term care. The objective of this review and narrative analysis is to identify and analyse facilitators and barriers to adoption of mHealth for the elderly. Methods Studies over the last year were identified in multiple database indices, and three reviewers examined abstracts ( k = 0.82) and analysed articles for themes which were tallied in affinity diagrams to identify frequency of occurrence in the literature (n = 36). Results The three facilitators mentioned most often were independence (18%), understanding (13%), and visibility (13%). The three barriers mentioned most often were complexity (21%), limited by users (12%) and ineffective (12%). Discussion and conclusions The reviewers concluded that the work done so far illustrates that mHealth enables a perception of independence. Future research should focus on the barriers of complexity of technology and improving existing medical literacy in order to facilitate further adoption.

Understanding Design Tradeoffs for Health Technologies: A Mixed-Methods Approach

PubMed Central

O’Leary, Katie; Eschler, Jordan; Kendall, Logan; Vizer, Lisa M.; Ralston, James D.; Pratt, Wanda

2017-01-01

We introduce a mixed-methods approach for determining how people weigh tradeoffs in values related to health and technologies for health self-management. Our approach combines interviews with Q-methodology, a method from psychology uniquely suited to quantifying opinions. We derive the framework for structured data collection and analysis for the Q-methodology from theories of self-management of chronic illness and technology adoption. To illustrate the power of this new approach, we used it in a field study of nine older adults with type 2 diabetes, and nine mothers of children with asthma. Our mixed-methods approach provides three key advantages for health design science in HCI: (1) it provides a structured health sciences theoretical framework to guide data collection and analysis; (2) it enhances the coding of unstructured data with statistical patterns of polarizing and consensus views; and (3) it empowers participants to actively weigh competing values that are most personally significant to them. PMID:28804794

Changes in contraceptive use and method mix in Pakistan: 1990-91 to 2006-07.

PubMed

Carton, Thomas W; Agha, Sohail

2012-03-01

To determine (a) whether the influence of the determinants of family planning use in Pakistan changed between 1990-91 and 2006-07, and (b) if these changes were associated with changes in the method mix. Data from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Surveys (PDHS) of 1990-91 and 2006-07 were used in the analyses. Data on 5184 married, non-pregnant, fecund women in 1990-91 and 8041 married, non-pregnant, fecund women in 2006-07 were used. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with the use of any contraceptive method and whether the influence of these factors changed between the survey years. Changes in the method mix were examined. The effects of urban/rural residence, wealth and education on contraceptive use changed between 1990-91 and 2006-07. Differentials in contraceptive use by residence, wealth and education declined and were accompanied by changes in the method mix. In rural areas and among less-educated women, the contribution of traditional methods to the method mix increased. Among the poorest women, the method mix shifted towards traditional methods and condoms. Less-educated, rural, Pakistani women increased the use of family planning at a faster rate than more-educated, urban, women by adopting the use of traditional family planning methods. Poor women also increased family planning use more quickly than non-poor women, by adopting condoms and traditional methods. The more rapid increase in the demand for family planning among poorer, less-educated, rural women is a positive trend. In order to convert this demand into the use of longer-term modern methods, however, access to high quality services must be improved in rural and low-income urban areas.

An exploratory study to examine intentions to adopt an evidence-based HIV linkage-to-care intervention among state health department AIDS directors in the United States

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Widespread dissemination and implementation of evidence-based human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) linkage-to-care (LTC) interventions is essential for improving HIV-positive patients' health outcomes and reducing transmission to uninfected others. To date, however, little work has focused on identifying factors associated with intentions to adopt LTC interventions among policy makers, including city, state, and territory health department AIDS directors who play a critical role in deciding whether an intervention is endorsed, distributed, and/or funded throughout their region. Methods Between December 2010 and February 2011, we administered an online questionnaire with state, territory, and city health department AIDS directors throughout the United States to identify factors associated with intentions to adopt an LTC intervention. Guided by pertinent theoretical frameworks, including the Diffusion of Innovations and the "push-pull" capacity model, we assessed participants' attitudes towards the intervention, perceived organizational and contextual demand and support for the intervention, likelihood of adoption given endorsement from stakeholder groups (e.g., academic researchers, federal agencies, activist organizations), and likelihood of enabling future dissemination efforts by recommending the intervention to other health departments and community-based organizations. Results Forty-four participants (67% of the eligible sample) completed the online questionnaire. Approximately one-third (34.9%) reported that they intended to adopt the LTC intervention for use in their city, state, or territory in the future. Consistent with prior, related work, these participants were classified as LTC intervention "adopters" and were compared to "nonadopters" for data analysis. Overall, adopters reported more positive attitudes and greater perceived demand and support for the intervention than did nonadopters. Further, participants varied with their intention to adopt the LTC intervention in the future depending on endorsement from different key stakeholder groups. Most participants indicated that they would support the dissemination of the intervention by recommending it to other health departments and community-based organizations. Conclusions Findings from this exploratory study provide initial insight into factors associated with public health policy makers' intentions to adopt an LTC intervention. Implications for future research in this area, as well as potential policy-related strategies for enhancing the adoption of LTC interventions, are discussed. PMID:22471965

Adoption and diffusion of zoning bylaws banning fast food drive-through services across Canadian municipalities.

PubMed

Nykiforuk, Candace I J; Campbell, Elizabeth J; Macridis, Soultana; McKennitt, Daniel; Atkey, Kayla; Raine, Kim D

2018-01-15

Healthy public policy is an important tool for creating environments that support human health and wellbeing. At the local level, municipal policies, such as zoning bylaws, provide an opportunity for governments to regulate building location and the type of services offered. Across North America, there has been a recent proliferation of municipal bylaws banning fast food drive-through services. Research on the utilization of this policy strategy, including bylaw adopters and adopter characteristics, is limited within the Canadian context. The aim of this study was to identify and characterize Canadian municipalities based on level of policy innovation and nature of their adopted bylaw banning fast food drive-through services. A multiple case history methodology was utilized to identify and analyse eligible municipal bylaws, and included development of a chronological timeline and map of adopter municipalities within Canada. Grey literature and policy databases were searched for potential adopters of municipal fast food drive-through service bylaws. Adopters were confirmed through evidence of current municipal bylaws. Geographic diffusion and diffusion of innovations theories provided a contextual framework for analysis of bylaw documents. Analysis included assignment of adopter-types, extent and purpose of bans, and policy learning activities of each adopter municipality. From 2002 to 2016, 27 municipalities were identified as adopters: six innovators and twenty-one early adopters. Mapping revealed parallel geographic diffusion patterns in western and eastern Canada. Twenty-two municipalities adopted a partial ban and five adopted a full ban. Rationales for the drive-through bans included health promotion, environmental concerns from idling, community character and aesthetics, traffic concerns, and walkability. Policy learning, including research and consultation with other municipalities, was performed by nine early adopters. This study detailed the adoption of fast food drive-through bylaws across Canada. Understanding the adopter-type characteristics of municipalities and the nature of their bylaws can assist other jurisdictions in similar policy efforts. While the implications for research and practice are evolving and dynamic, fast food drive-through service bans may play a role in promoting healthier food environments. Further research is required to determine the viability of this strategy for health promotion and chronic disease prevention.

Postplacement relationships between birth mothers and their romantic partners.

PubMed

Henney, Susan M; French, Cynthia A; Ayers-Lopez, Susan; McRoy, Ruth G; Grotevant, Harold D

2011-08-01

Using a mixed-methods approach, the understudied population of birth mothers who placed their infants for adoption 12-20 years ago was explored in the context of their romantic relationships. In a semistructured interview, 104 birth mothers answered detailed questions about their romantic relationships and adoption-related experiences. All birth mothers had disclosed the adoption placement to their romantic partners, and most had done so early because they wanted to be truthful about their past. On average, the birth mothers were satisfied with their romantic relationships and almost half did not believe that the adoption had affected it. Regarding contact in the adoption, a majority of the birth mothers' romantic partners (63.5%) were not directly involved in contact with the adoptive family or adopted youth. Implications about how adoption is perceived and processed within intimate relationships are discussed.

Innovative physical therapy practice: a qualitative verification of factors that support diffusion of innovation in outpatient physical therapy practice

PubMed Central

Sabus, Carla; Spake, Ellen

2016-01-01

Background and purpose New ideas, methods, and technologies spread through cultures through typical patterns described by diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory. Professional cultures, including the physical therapy profession, have distinctive features and traditions that determine the adoption of practice innovation. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) proposes a framework of innovation implementation specific to health care services. While the CFIR has been applied to medical and nursing practice, it has not been extended to rehabilitation professions. The purpose of this qualitative study was to verify the CFIR factors in outpatient physical therapy practice. Design Through a nomination process of area rehabilitation managers and area directors of clinical education, 2 exemplar, outpatient, privately owned physical therapy clinics were identified as innovation practices. A total of 18 physical therapists (PTs), including 3 owners and a manager, participated in the study. Methods The 2 clinics served as case studies within a qualitative approach of directed content analysis. Data were collected through observation, spontaneous, unstructured questioning, workflow analysis, structured focus group sessions, and artifact analysis including clinical documents. Focus group data were transcribed. All the data were analyzed and coded among 4 investigators. Results Through data analysis and alignment with literature in DOI theory in health care practice, the factors that determine innovation adoption were verified. The phenomena of implementation in PT practice are largely consistent with models of implementation in health care service. Within the outpatient practices studied, patient-centered care and collaborative learning were foundational elements to diffusion of an innovation. Conclusion Innovation in outpatient physical therapy practice can be understood as a social process situated within the culture of the physical therapy professional that follows predictable patterns that strongly align with DOI theory and the CFIR. PMID:29355199

Risk assessment of vector-borne diseases for public health governance.

PubMed

Sedda, L; Morley, D W; Braks, M A H; De Simone, L; Benz, D; Rogers, D J

2014-12-01

In the context of public health, risk governance (or risk analysis) is a framework for the assessment and subsequent management and/or control of the danger posed by an identified disease threat. Generic frameworks in which to carry out risk assessment have been developed by various agencies. These include monitoring, data collection, statistical analysis and dissemination. Due to the inherent complexity of disease systems, however, the generic approach must be modified for individual, disease-specific risk assessment frameworks. The analysis was based on the review of the current risk assessments of vector-borne diseases adopted by the main Public Health organisations (OIE, WHO, ECDC, FAO, CDC etc…). Literature, legislation and statistical assessment of the risk analysis frameworks. This review outlines the need for the development of a general public health risk assessment method for vector-borne diseases, in order to guarantee that sufficient information is gathered to apply robust models of risk assessment. Stochastic (especially spatial) methods, often in Bayesian frameworks are now gaining prominence in standard risk assessment procedures because of their ability to assess accurately model uncertainties. Risk assessment needs to be addressed quantitatively wherever possible, and submitted with its quality assessment in order to enable successful public health measures to be adopted. In terms of current practice, often a series of different models and analyses are applied to the same problem, with results and outcomes that are difficult to compare because of the unknown model and data uncertainties. Therefore, the risk assessment areas in need of further research are identified in this article. Copyright © 2014 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multi-Fault Diagnosis of Rolling Bearings via Adaptive Projection Intrinsically Transformed Multivariate Empirical Mode Decomposition and High Order Singular Value Decomposition

PubMed Central

Lv, Yong; Song, Gangbing

2018-01-01

Rolling bearings are important components in rotary machinery systems. In the field of multi-fault diagnosis of rolling bearings, the vibration signal collected from single channels tends to miss some fault characteristic information. Using multiple sensors to collect signals at different locations on the machine to obtain multivariate signal can remedy this problem. The adverse effect of a power imbalance between the various channels is inevitable, and unfavorable for multivariate signal processing. As a useful, multivariate signal processing method, Adaptive-projection has intrinsically transformed multivariate empirical mode decomposition (APIT-MEMD), and exhibits better performance than MEMD by adopting adaptive projection strategy in order to alleviate power imbalances. The filter bank properties of APIT-MEMD are also adopted to enable more accurate and stable intrinsic mode functions (IMFs), and to ease mode mixing problems in multi-fault frequency extractions. By aligning IMF sets into a third order tensor, high order singular value decomposition (HOSVD) can be employed to estimate the fault number. The fault correlation factor (FCF) analysis is used to conduct correlation analysis, in order to determine effective IMFs; the characteristic frequencies of multi-faults can then be extracted. Numerical simulations and the application of multi-fault situation can demonstrate that the proposed method is promising in multi-fault diagnoses of multivariate rolling bearing signal. PMID:29659510

Multi-Fault Diagnosis of Rolling Bearings via Adaptive Projection Intrinsically Transformed Multivariate Empirical Mode Decomposition and High Order Singular Value Decomposition.

PubMed

Yuan, Rui; Lv, Yong; Song, Gangbing

2018-04-16

Rolling bearings are important components in rotary machinery systems. In the field of multi-fault diagnosis of rolling bearings, the vibration signal collected from single channels tends to miss some fault characteristic information. Using multiple sensors to collect signals at different locations on the machine to obtain multivariate signal can remedy this problem. The adverse effect of a power imbalance between the various channels is inevitable, and unfavorable for multivariate signal processing. As a useful, multivariate signal processing method, Adaptive-projection has intrinsically transformed multivariate empirical mode decomposition (APIT-MEMD), and exhibits better performance than MEMD by adopting adaptive projection strategy in order to alleviate power imbalances. The filter bank properties of APIT-MEMD are also adopted to enable more accurate and stable intrinsic mode functions (IMFs), and to ease mode mixing problems in multi-fault frequency extractions. By aligning IMF sets into a third order tensor, high order singular value decomposition (HOSVD) can be employed to estimate the fault number. The fault correlation factor (FCF) analysis is used to conduct correlation analysis, in order to determine effective IMFs; the characteristic frequencies of multi-faults can then be extracted. Numerical simulations and the application of multi-fault situation can demonstrate that the proposed method is promising in multi-fault diagnoses of multivariate rolling bearing signal.

77 FR 39287 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-02

... Change To Adopt Changes That Would Affect Its Standard Portfolio Analysis of Risk Methodology for Certain... Rule Change CME proposes to adopt certain changes that would affect its Standard Portfolio Analysis of... calibrates the risk of portfolios, consisting of positions in highly similar and correlated futures and...

Power Distribution and Adoption of Agricultural Innovations: A Structural Analysis of Villages in Pakistan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeman, David M.; And Others

1982-01-01

Data collected from a sample of farmers representing 15 Pakistani villages show that greater equality in village power distribution is positively related to greater adoption of agricultural technology as analyzed at the village level. When effects of water control are parceled out, the power-adoption relationship is strengthened. (LC)

Agroforestry adoption in the Calakmul biosphere reserve, Campeche, Mexico

Treesearch

D. Evan Mercer; Jeremy Haggar; Ann Snook; Mauricio Sosa

2005-01-01

Since farmers engage in a complex, dynamic process of learning-by-doing, evaluating economic incentives, and assessing risks in deciding whether to adopt agroforestry systems, a multi-pronged research approach is required for a complete analysis of adoption potential and to develop effective technological and institutional interventions. A case study is presented for...

Transactional Patterns of Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Mother–Child Mutual Negativity in an Adoption Sample

PubMed Central

Roben, Caroline K. P.; Moore, Ginger A.; Cole, Pamela M.; Molenaar, Peter; Leve, Leslie D.; Shaw, Daniel S.; Reiss, David; Neiderhiser, Jenae M.

2015-01-01

Transactional models of analysis can examine both moment-to-moment interactions within a dyad and dyadic patterns of influence across time. This study used data from a prospective adoption study to test a transactional model of parental depressive symptoms and mutual negativity between mother and child over time, utilizing contingency analysis of second-by-second behavioral data. To consider both genetic and environmental influences on mutual negativity, depressive symptoms were examined in both adoptive and birth mothers. Adoptive mother depressive symptoms at 9 months increased the likelihood that, at 18 months, children reacted negatively to their mothers' negative behavior, which in turn predicted higher levels of adoptive mother depressive symptoms at 27 months, suggesting that over time, mothers' depressive symptoms influence and are influenced by moment-to-moment mutual negativity with their toddlers. Birth mother depressive symptoms moderated the association between mutual negativity at 18 months and adoptive mother depressive symptoms at 27 months, suggesting a child-driven contribution to maternal depressive symptoms that can be measured by a genetic sensitivity. PMID:26170764

A Kalman Filter for SINS Self-Alignment Based on Vector Observation.

PubMed

Xu, Xiang; Xu, Xiaosu; Zhang, Tao; Li, Yao; Tong, Jinwu

2017-01-29

In this paper, a self-alignment method for strapdown inertial navigation systems based on the q -method is studied. In addition, an improved method based on integrating gravitational apparent motion to form apparent velocity is designed, which can reduce the random noises of the observation vectors. For further analysis, a novel self-alignment method using a Kalman filter based on adaptive filter technology is proposed, which transforms the self-alignment procedure into an attitude estimation using the observation vectors. In the proposed method, a linear psuedo-measurement equation is adopted by employing the transfer method between the quaternion and the observation vectors. Analysis and simulation indicate that the accuracy of the self-alignment is improved. Meanwhile, to improve the convergence rate of the proposed method, a new method based on parameter recognition and a reconstruction algorithm for apparent gravitation is devised, which can reduce the influence of the random noises of the observation vectors. Simulations and turntable tests are carried out, and the results indicate that the proposed method can acquire sound alignment results with lower standard variances, and can obtain higher alignment accuracy and a faster convergence rate.

A Kalman Filter for SINS Self-Alignment Based on Vector Observation

PubMed Central

Xu, Xiang; Xu, Xiaosu; Zhang, Tao; Li, Yao; Tong, Jinwu

2017-01-01

In this paper, a self-alignment method for strapdown inertial navigation systems based on the q-method is studied. In addition, an improved method based on integrating gravitational apparent motion to form apparent velocity is designed, which can reduce the random noises of the observation vectors. For further analysis, a novel self-alignment method using a Kalman filter based on adaptive filter technology is proposed, which transforms the self-alignment procedure into an attitude estimation using the observation vectors. In the proposed method, a linear psuedo-measurement equation is adopted by employing the transfer method between the quaternion and the observation vectors. Analysis and simulation indicate that the accuracy of the self-alignment is improved. Meanwhile, to improve the convergence rate of the proposed method, a new method based on parameter recognition and a reconstruction algorithm for apparent gravitation is devised, which can reduce the influence of the random noises of the observation vectors. Simulations and turntable tests are carried out, and the results indicate that the proposed method can acquire sound alignment results with lower standard variances, and can obtain higher alignment accuracy and a faster convergence rate. PMID:28146059

Opening up the Agile Innovation Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conboy, Kieran; Donnellan, Brian; Morgan, Lorraine; Wang, Xiaofeng

The objective of this panel is to discuss how firms can operate both an open and agile innovation process. In an era of unprecedented changes, companies need to be open and agile in order to adapt rapidly and maximize their innovation processes. Proponents of agile methods claim that one of the main distinctions between agile methods and their traditional bureaucratic counterparts is their drive toward creativity and innovation. However, agile methods are rarely adopted in their textbook, "vanilla" format, and are usually adopted in part or are tailored or modified to suit the organization. While we are aware that this happens, there is still limited understanding of what is actually happening in practice. Using innovation adoption theory, this panel will discuss the issues and challenges surrounding the successful adoption of agile practices. In addition, this panel will report on the obstacles and benefits reported by over 20 industrial partners engaged in a pan-European research project into agile practices between 2006 and 2009.

Can Carbon Nanomaterials Improve CZTS Photovoltaic Devices? Evaluation of Performance and Impacts Using Integrated Life-Cycle Assessment and Decision Analysis.

PubMed

Scott, Ryan P; Cullen, Alison C; Fox-Lent, Cate; Linkov, Igor

2016-10-01

In emergent photovoltaics, nanoscale materials hold promise for optimizing device characteristics; however, the related impacts remain uncertain, resulting in challenges to decisions on strategic investment in technology innovation. We integrate multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) and life-cycle assessment (LCA) results (LCA-MCDA) as a method of incorporating values of a hypothetical federal acquisition manager into the assessment of risks and benefits of emerging photovoltaic materials. Specifically, we compare adoption of copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS) devices with molybdenum back contacts to alternative devices employing graphite or graphene instead of molybdenum. LCA impact results are interpreted alongside benefits of substitution including cost reductions and performance improvements through application of multi-attribute utility theory. To assess the role of uncertainty we apply Monte Carlo simulation and sensitivity analysis. We find that graphene or graphite back contacts outperform molybdenum under most scenarios and assumptions. The use of decision analysis clarifies potential advantages of adopting graphite as a back contact while emphasizing the importance of mitigating conventional impacts of graphene production processes if graphene is used in emerging CZTS devices. Our research further demonstrates that a combination of LCA and MCDA increases the usability of LCA in assessing product sustainability. In particular, this approach identifies the most influential assumptions and data gaps in the analysis and the areas in which either engineering controls or further data collection may be necessary. © 2016 Society for Risk Analysis.