Feasibility of Including Green Tea Products for an Analytically Verified Dietary Supplement Database

PubMed Central

Saldanha, Leila; Dwyer, Johanna; Andrews, Karen; Betz, Joseph; Harnely, James; Pehrsson, Pamela; Rimmer, Catherine; Savarala, Sushma

2015-01-01

The Dietary Supplement Ingredient Database (DSID) is a federally funded, publicly accessible dietary supplement database that currently contains analytically-derived information on micronutrients in selected adult and children’s multivitamin and mineral (MVM) supplements. Other constituents in dietary supplement products such as botanicals are also of interest and thus are being considered for inclusion in the DSID. Thirty-eight constituents, mainly botanicals were identified and prioritized by a federal interagency committee. Green tea was selected from this list as the botanical for expansion of the DSID. This paper describes the process for prioritizing dietary ingredients in the DSID. It also discusses the criteria for inclusion of these ingredients, and the approach for selecting and testing products for the green tea pilot study. PMID:25817236

[Explore method about post-marketing safety re-evaluation of Chinese patent medicines based on HIS database in real world].

PubMed

Yang, Wei; Xie, Yanming; Zhuang, Yan

2011-10-01

There are many kinds of Chinese traditional patent medicine used in clinical practice and many adverse events have been reported by clinical professionals. Chinese patent medicine's safety problems are the most concerned by patients and physicians. At present, many researchers have studied re-evaluation methods about post marketing Chinese medicine safety inside and outside China. However, it is rare that using data from hospital information system (HIS) to re-evaluating post marketing Chinese traditional patent medicine safety problems. HIS database in real world is a good resource with rich information to research medicine safety. This study planed to analyze HIS data selected from ten top general hospitals in Beijing, formed a large HIS database in real world with a capacity of 1 000 000 cases in total after a series of data cleaning and integrating procedures. This study could be a new project that using information to evaluate traditional Chinese medicine safety based on HIS database. A clear protocol has been completed as for the first step for the whole study. The protocol is as follows. First of all, separate each of the Chinese traditional patent medicines existing in the total HIS database as a single database. Secondly, select some related laboratory tests indexes as the safety evaluating outcomes, such as routine blood, routine urine, feces routine, conventional coagulation, liver function, kidney function and other tests. Thirdly, use the data mining method to analyze those selected safety outcomes which had abnormal change before and after using Chinese patent medicines. Finally, judge the relationship between those abnormal changing and Chinese patent medicine. We hope this method could imply useful information to Chinese medicine researchers interested in safety evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine.

Needs assessment for next generation computer-aided mammography reference image databases and evaluation studies.

PubMed

Horsch, Alexander; Hapfelmeier, Alexander; Elter, Matthias

2011-11-01

Breast cancer is globally a major threat for women's health. Screening and adequate follow-up can significantly reduce the mortality from breast cancer. Human second reading of screening mammograms can increase breast cancer detection rates, whereas this has not been proven for current computer-aided detection systems as "second reader". Critical factors include the detection accuracy of the systems and the screening experience and training of the radiologist with the system. When assessing the performance of systems and system components, the choice of evaluation methods is particularly critical. Core assets herein are reference image databases and statistical methods. We have analyzed characteristics and usage of the currently largest publicly available mammography database, the Digital Database for Screening Mammography (DDSM) from the University of South Florida, in literature indexed in Medline, IEEE Xplore, SpringerLink, and SPIE, with respect to type of computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) (detection, CADe, or diagnostics, CADx), selection of database subsets, choice of evaluation method, and quality of descriptions. 59 publications presenting 106 evaluation studies met our selection criteria. In 54 studies (50.9%), the selection of test items (cases, images, regions of interest) extracted from the DDSM was not reproducible. Only 2 CADx studies, not any CADe studies, used the entire DDSM. The number of test items varies from 100 to 6000. Different statistical evaluation methods are chosen. Most common are train/test (34.9% of the studies), leave-one-out (23.6%), and N-fold cross-validation (18.9%). Database-related terminology tends to be imprecise or ambiguous, especially regarding the term "case". Overall, both the use of the DDSM as data source for evaluation of mammography CAD systems, and the application of statistical evaluation methods were found highly diverse. Results reported from different studies are therefore hardly comparable. Drawbacks of the DDSM (e.g. varying quality of lesion annotations) may contribute to the reasons. But larger bias seems to be caused by authors' own decisions upon study design. RECOMMENDATIONS/CONCLUSION: For future evaluation studies, we derive a set of 13 recommendations concerning the construction and usage of a test database, as well as the application of statistical evaluation methods.

Self Organizing Map-Based Classification of Cathepsin k and S Inhibitors with Different Selectivity Profiles Using Different Structural Molecular Fingerprints: Design and Application for Discovery of Novel Hits.

PubMed

Ihmaid, Saleh K; Ahmed, Hany E A; Zayed, Mohamed F; Abadleh, Mohammed M

2016-01-30

The main step in a successful drug discovery pipeline is the identification of small potent compounds that selectively bind to the target of interest with high affinity. However, there is still a shortage of efficient and accurate computational methods with powerful capability to study and hence predict compound selectivity properties. In this work, we propose an affordable machine learning method to perform compound selectivity classification and prediction. For this purpose, we have collected compounds with reported activity and built a selectivity database formed of 153 cathepsin K and S inhibitors that are considered of medicinal interest. This database has three compound sets, two K/S and S/K selective ones and one non-selective KS one. We have subjected this database to the selectivity classification tool 'Emergent Self-Organizing Maps' for exploring its capability to differentiate selective cathepsin inhibitors for one target over the other. The method exhibited good clustering performance for selective ligands with high accuracy (up to 100 %). Among the possibilites, BAPs and MACCS molecular structural fingerprints were used for such a classification. The results exhibited the ability of the method for structure-selectivity relationship interpretation and selectivity markers were identified for the design of further novel inhibitors with high activity and target selectivity.

A procedure to select ground-motion time histories for deterministic seismic hazard analysis from the Next Generation Attenuation (NGA) database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Duruo; Du, Wenqi; Zhu, Hong

2017-10-01

In performance-based seismic design, ground-motion time histories are needed for analyzing dynamic responses of nonlinear structural systems. However, the number of ground-motion data at design level is often limited. In order to analyze seismic performance of structures, ground-motion time histories need to be either selected from recorded strong-motion database or numerically simulated using stochastic approaches. In this paper, a detailed procedure to select proper acceleration time histories from the Next Generation Attenuation (NGA) database for several cities in Taiwan is presented. Target response spectra are initially determined based on a local ground-motion prediction equation under representative deterministic seismic hazard analyses. Then several suites of ground motions are selected for these cities using the Design Ground Motion Library (DGML), a recently proposed interactive ground-motion selection tool. The selected time histories are representatives of the regional seismic hazard and should be beneficial to earthquake studies when comprehensive seismic hazard assessments and site investigations are unavailable. Note that this method is also applicable to site-specific motion selections with the target spectra near the ground surface considering the site effect.

Anti-proliferative and apoptosis induction activities of extracts from Thai medicinal plant recipes selected from MANOSROI II database.

PubMed

Manosroi, Jiradej; Sainakham, Mathukorn; Manosroi, Worapaka; Manosroi, Aranya

2012-05-07

ETHONOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCES: Traditional medicines have long been used by the Thai people. Several medicinal recipes prepared from a mixture of plants are often used by traditional medicinal practitioners for the treatment of many diseases including cancer. The recipes collected from the Thai medicinal text books were recorded in MANOSROI II database. Anticancer recipes were searched and selected by a computer program using the recipe indication keywords including Ma-reng and San which means cancer in Thai, from the database for anticancer activity investigation. To investigate anti-cancer activities of the Thai medicinal plant recipes selected from the "MANOSROI II" database. Anti-proliferative and apoptotic activities of extracts from 121 recipes selected from 56,137 recipes in the Thai medicinal plant recipe "MANOSROI II" database were investigated in two cancer cell lines including human mouth epidermal carcinoma (KB) and human colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29) cell lines using sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay and acridine orange (AO) and ethidium bromide (EB) staining technique, respectively. In the SRB assay, recipes NE028 and, S003 gave the highest anti-proliferation activity on KB and HT29 with the IC(50) values of 2.48±0.24 and 6.92±0.49μg/ml, respectively. In the AO/EB staining assay, recipes S016 and NE028 exhibited the highest apoptotic induction in KB and HT-29 cell lines, respectively. This study has demonstrated that the three Thai medicinal plant recipes selected from "MANOSROI II" database (NE028, S003 and S016) gave active anti-cancer activities according to the NCI classification which can be further developed for anti-cancer treatment. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A database of aerothermal measurements in hypersonic flow for CFD validation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holden, M. S.; Moselle, J. R.

1992-01-01

This paper presents an experimental database selected and compiled from aerothermal measurements obtained on basic model configurations on which fundamental flow phenomena could be most easily examined. The experimental studies were conducted in hypersonic flows in 48-inch, 96-inch, and 6-foot shock tunnels. A special computer program was constructed to provide easy access to the measurements in the database as well as the means to plot the measurements and compare them with imported data. The database contains tabulations of model configurations, freestream conditions, and measurements of heat transfer, pressure, and skin friction for each of the studies selected for inclusion. The first segment contains measurements in laminar flow emphasizing shock-wave boundary-layer interaction. In the second segment, measurements in transitional flows over flat plates and cones are given. The third segment comprises measurements in regions of shock-wave/turbulent-boundary-layer interactions. Studies of the effects of surface roughness of nosetips and conical afterbodies are presented in the fourth segment of the database. Detailed measurements in regions of shock/shock boundary layer interaction are contained in the fifth segment. Measurements in regions of wall jet and transpiration cooling are presented in the final two segments.

Exploration of ToxCast/Tox21 bioassays as candidate bioanalytical tools for measuring groups of chemicals in water.

PubMed

Louisse, Jochem; Dingemans, Milou M L; Baken, Kirsten A; van Wezel, Annemarie P; Schriks, Merijn

2018-06-14

The present study explores the ToxCast/Tox21 database to select candidate bioassays as bioanalytical tools for measuring groups of chemicals in water. To this aim, the ToxCast/Tox21 database was explored for bioassays that detect polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), aromatic amines (AAs), (chloro)phenols ((C)Ps) and halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbons (HAliHs), which are included in the European and/or Dutch Drinking Water Directives. Based on the analysis of the availability and performance of bioassays included in the database, we concluded that several bioassays are suitable as bioanalytical tools for assessing the presence of PAHs and (C)Ps in drinking water sources. No bioassays were identified for AAs and HAliHs, due to the limited activity of these chemicals and/or the limited amount of data on these chemicals in the database. A series of bioassays was selected that measure molecular or cellular effects that are covered by bioassays currently in use for chemical water quality monitoring. Interestingly, also bioassays were selected that represent molecular or cellular effects that are not covered by bioassays currently applied. The usefulness of these newly identified bioassays as bioanalytical tools should be further evaluated in follow-up studies. Altogether, this study shows how exploration of the ToxCast/Tox21 database provides a series of candidate bioassays as bioanalytical tools for measuring groups of chemicals in water. This assessment can be performed for any group of chemicals of interest (if represented in the database), and may provide candidate bioassays that can be used to complement the currently applied bioassays for chemical water quality assessment. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Host-associated bacterial taxa from Chlorobi, Chloroflexi, GN02, Synergistetes, SR1, TM7, and WPS-2 Phyla/candidate divisions

PubMed Central

Camanocha, Anuj; Dewhirst, Floyd E.

2014-01-01

Background and objective In addition to the well-known phyla Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Spirochaetes, Fusobacteria, Tenericutes, and Chylamydiae, the oral microbiomes of mammals contain species from the lesser-known phyla or candidate divisions, including Synergistetes, TM7, Chlorobi, Chloroflexi, GN02, SR1, and WPS-2. The objectives of this study were to create phyla-selective 16S rDNA PCR primer pairs, create selective 16S rDNA clone libraries, identify novel oral taxa, and update canine and human oral microbiome databases. Design 16S rRNA gene sequences for members of the lesser-known phyla were downloaded from GenBank and Greengenes databases and aligned with sequences in our RNA databases. Primers with potential phylum level selectivity were designed heuristically with the goal of producing nearly full-length 16S rDNA amplicons. The specificity of primer pairs was examined by making clone libraries from PCR amplicons and determining phyla identity by BLASTN analysis. Results Phylum-selective primer pairs were identified that allowed construction of clone libraries with 96–100% specificity for each of the lesser-known phyla. From these clone libraries, seven human and two canine novel oral taxa were identified and added to their respective taxonomic databases. For each phylum, genome sequences closest to human oral taxa were identified and added to the Human Oral Microbiome Database to facilitate metagenomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic studies that involve tiling sequences to the most closely related taxon. While examining ribosomal operons in lesser-known phyla from single-cell genomes and metagenomes, we identified a novel rRNA operon order (23S-5S-16S) in three SR1 genomes and the splitting of the 23S rRNA gene by an I-CeuI-like homing endonuclease in a WPS-2 genome. Conclusions This study developed useful primer pairs for making phylum-selective 16S rRNA clone libraries. Phylum-specific libraries were shown to be useful for identifying previously unrecognized taxa in lesser-known phyla and would be useful for future environmental and host-associated studies. PMID:25317252

Research information needs on terrestrial vertebrate species of the interior Columbia basin and northern portions of the Klamath and Great Basins: a research, development, and application database.

Treesearch

Bruce G. Marcot

1997-01-01

Research information needs on selected invertebrates and all vertebrates of the interior Columbia River basin and adjacent areas in the United States were collected into a research, development, and application database as part of the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project. The database includes 482 potential research study topics on 232 individual...

Sodium Content of Foods Contributing to Sodium Intake: Comparison between Selected Foods from the CDC Packaged Food Database and the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference

PubMed Central

Maalouf, Joyce; Cogswell, Mary E.; Yuan, Keming; Martin, Carrie; Gillespie, Cathleen; Ahuja, Jaspreet KC; Pehrsson, Pamela; Merritt, Robert

2015-01-01

The sodium concentration (mg/100g) for 23 of 125 Sentinel Foods (e.g. white bread) were identified in the 2009 CDC Packaged Food Database (PFD) and compared with data in the USDA’s 2013 National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference(SR 26). Sentinel Foods are foods identified by USDA to be monitored as primary indicators to assess the changes in the sodium content of commercially processed foods from stores and restaurants. Overall, 937 products were evaluated in the CDC PFD, and between 3 (one brand of ready-to-eat cereal) and 126 products (white bread) were evaluated per selected food. The mean sodium concentrations of 17 of the 23 (74%) selected foods in the CDC PFD were 90%–110% of the mean sodium concentrations in SR 26 and differences in sodium concentration were statistically significant for 6 Sentinel Foods. The sodium concentration of most of the Sentinel Foods, as selected in the PFD, appeared to represent the sodium concentrations of the corresponding food category. The results of our study help improve the understanding of how nutrition information compares between national analytic values and the label and whether the selected Sentinel Foods represent their corresponding food category as indicators for assessment of change of the sodium content in the food supply. PMID:26484010

NHEXAS PHASE I ARIZONA STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR CODING: FIELD FORMS (UA-D-37.0)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to define the coding strategy for selected field forms. Forms addressed here will be scanned into databases; databases are created because the forms contain critical values needed to calculate pollutant concentrations. Other forms not addressed by thi...

Cost and Search Result Comparisons of BRS After Dark and Knowledge Index.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cloud, Gayla Staples; Hambric, Jacqueline

This two-part study was designed (1) to determine differences in the costs of searching BRS After Dark (BRS AD) and Knowledge Index (KI) generally and across ten selected databases, and (2) to determine whether there is a difference in the citations retrieved when the same search is conducted on the same database in both systems. Study methodology…

Searching for religion and mental health studies required health, social science, and grey literature databases.

PubMed

Wright, Judy M; Cottrell, David J; Mir, Ghazala

2014-07-01

To determine the optimal databases to search for studies of faith-sensitive interventions for treating depression. We examined 23 health, social science, religious, and grey literature databases searched for an evidence synthesis. Databases were prioritized by yield of (1) search results, (2) potentially relevant references identified during screening, (3) included references contained in the synthesis, and (4) included references that were available in the database. We assessed the impact of databases beyond MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO by their ability to supply studies identifying new themes and issues. We identified pragmatic workload factors that influence database selection. PsycINFO was the best performing database within all priority lists. ArabPsyNet, CINAHL, Dissertations and Theses, EMBASE, Global Health, Health Management Information Consortium, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Sociological Abstracts were essential for our searches to retrieve the included references. Citation tracking activities and the personal library of one of the research teams made significant contributions of unique, relevant references. Religion studies databases (Am Theo Lib Assoc, FRANCIS) did not provide unique, relevant references. Literature searches for reviews and evidence syntheses of religion and health studies should include social science, grey literature, non-Western databases, personal libraries, and citation tracking activities. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Database Software Selection for the Egyptian National STI Network.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slamecka, Vladimir

The evaluation and selection of information/data management system software for the Egyptian National Scientific and Technical (STI) Network are described. An overview of the state-of-the-art of database technology elaborates on the differences between information retrieval and database management systems (DBMS). The desirable characteristics of…

Evaluating the Impact of Database Heterogeneity on Observational Study Results

PubMed Central

Madigan, David; Ryan, Patrick B.; Schuemie, Martijn; Stang, Paul E.; Overhage, J. Marc; Hartzema, Abraham G.; Suchard, Marc A.; DuMouchel, William; Berlin, Jesse A.

2013-01-01

Clinical studies that use observational databases to evaluate the effects of medical products have become commonplace. Such studies begin by selecting a particular database, a decision that published papers invariably report but do not discuss. Studies of the same issue in different databases, however, can and do generate different results, sometimes with strikingly different clinical implications. In this paper, we systematically study heterogeneity among databases, holding other study methods constant, by exploring relative risk estimates for 53 drug-outcome pairs and 2 widely used study designs (cohort studies and self-controlled case series) across 10 observational databases. When holding the study design constant, our analysis shows that estimated relative risks range from a statistically significant decreased risk to a statistically significant increased risk in 11 of 53 (21%) of drug-outcome pairs that use a cohort design and 19 of 53 (36%) of drug-outcome pairs that use a self-controlled case series design. This exceeds the proportion of pairs that were consistent across databases in both direction and statistical significance, which was 9 of 53 (17%) for cohort studies and 5 of 53 (9%) for self-controlled case series. Our findings show that clinical studies that use observational databases can be sensitive to the choice of database. More attention is needed to consider how the choice of data source may be affecting results. PMID:23648805

Does filler database size influence identification accuracy?

PubMed

Bergold, Amanda N; Heaton, Paul

2018-06-01

Police departments increasingly use large photo databases to select lineup fillers using facial recognition software, but this technological shift's implications have been largely unexplored in eyewitness research. Database use, particularly if coupled with facial matching software, could enable lineup constructors to increase filler-suspect similarity and thus enhance eyewitness accuracy (Fitzgerald, Oriet, Price, & Charman, 2013). However, with a large pool of potential fillers, such technologies might theoretically produce lineup fillers too similar to the suspect (Fitzgerald, Oriet, & Price, 2015; Luus & Wells, 1991; Wells, Rydell, & Seelau, 1993). This research proposes a new factor-filler database size-as a lineup feature affecting eyewitness accuracy. In a facial recognition experiment, we select lineup fillers in a legally realistic manner using facial matching software applied to filler databases of 5,000, 25,000, and 125,000 photos, and find that larger databases are associated with a higher objective similarity rating between suspects and fillers and lower overall identification accuracy. In target present lineups, witnesses viewing lineups created from the larger databases were less likely to make correct identifications and more likely to select known innocent fillers. When the target was absent, database size was associated with a lower rate of correct rejections and a higher rate of filler identifications. Higher algorithmic similarity ratings were also associated with decreases in eyewitness identification accuracy. The results suggest that using facial matching software to select fillers from large photograph databases may reduce identification accuracy, and provides support for filler database size as a meaningful system variable. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Development of a personalized training system using the Lung Image Database Consortium and Image Database resource Initiative Database.

PubMed

Lin, Hongli; Wang, Weisheng; Luo, Jiawei; Yang, Xuedong

2014-12-01

The aim of this study was to develop a personalized training system using the Lung Image Database Consortium (LIDC) and Image Database resource Initiative (IDRI) Database, because collecting, annotating, and marking a large number of appropriate computed tomography (CT) scans, and providing the capability of dynamically selecting suitable training cases based on the performance levels of trainees and the characteristics of cases are critical for developing a efficient training system. A novel approach is proposed to develop a personalized radiology training system for the interpretation of lung nodules in CT scans using the Lung Image Database Consortium (LIDC) and Image Database Resource Initiative (IDRI) database, which provides a Content-Boosted Collaborative Filtering (CBCF) algorithm for predicting the difficulty level of each case of each trainee when selecting suitable cases to meet individual needs, and a diagnostic simulation tool to enable trainees to analyze and diagnose lung nodules with the help of an image processing tool and a nodule retrieval tool. Preliminary evaluation of the system shows that developing a personalized training system for interpretation of lung nodules is needed and useful to enhance the professional skills of trainees. The approach of developing personalized training systems using the LIDC/IDRL database is a feasible solution to the challenges of constructing specific training program in terms of cost and training efficiency. Copyright © 2014 AUR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The National NeuroAIDS Tissue Consortium (NNTC) Database: an integrated database for HIV-related studies

PubMed Central

Cserhati, Matyas F.; Pandey, Sanjit; Beaudoin, James J.; Baccaglini, Lorena; Guda, Chittibabu; Fox, Howard S.

2015-01-01

We herein present the National NeuroAIDS Tissue Consortium-Data Coordinating Center (NNTC-DCC) database, which is the only available database for neuroAIDS studies that contains data in an integrated, standardized form. This database has been created in conjunction with the NNTC, which provides human tissue and biofluid samples to individual researchers to conduct studies focused on neuroAIDS. The database contains experimental datasets from 1206 subjects for the following categories (which are further broken down into subcategories): gene expression, genotype, proteins, endo-exo-chemicals, morphometrics and other (miscellaneous) data. The database also contains a wide variety of downloadable data and metadata for 95 HIV-related studies covering 170 assays from 61 principal investigators. The data represent 76 tissue types, 25 measurement types, and 38 technology types, and reaches a total of 33 017 407 data points. We used the ISA platform to create the database and develop a searchable web interface for querying the data. A gene search tool is also available, which searches for NCBI GEO datasets associated with selected genes. The database is manually curated with many user-friendly features, and is cross-linked to the NCBI, HUGO and PubMed databases. A free registration is required for qualified users to access the database. Database URL: http://nntc-dcc.unmc.edu PMID:26228431

Quasars Probing Quasars. X. The Quasar Pair Spectral Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Findlay, Joseph R.; Prochaska, J. Xavier; Hennawi, Joseph F.; Fumagalli, Michele; Myers, Adam D.; Bartle, Stephanie; Chehade, Ben; DiPompeo, Michael A.; Shanks, Tom; Lau, Marie Wingyee; Rubin, Kate H. R.

2018-06-01

The rare close projection of two quasars on the sky provides the opportunity to study the host galaxy environment of a foreground quasar in absorption against the continuum emission of a background quasar. For over a decade the “Quasars probing quasars” series has utilized this technique to further the understanding of galaxy formation and evolution in the presence of a quasar at z > 2, resolving scales as small as a galactic disk and from bound gas in the circumgalactic medium to the diffuse environs of intergalactic space. Presented here is the public release of the quasar pair spectral database utilized in these studies. In addition to projected pairs at z > 2, the database also includes quasar pair members at z < 2, gravitational lens candidates, and quasars closely separated in redshift that are useful for small-scale clustering studies. In total, the database catalogs 5627 distinct objects, with 4083 lying within 5‧ of at least one other source. A spectral library contains 3582 optical and near-infrared spectra for 3028 of the cataloged sources. As well as reporting on 54 newly discovered quasar pairs, we outline the key contributions made by this series over the last 10 years, summarize the imaging and spectroscopic data used for target selection, discuss the target selection methodologies, describe the database content, and explore some avenues for future work. Full documentation for the spectral database, including download instructions, is supplied at http://specdb.readthedocs.io/en/latest/.

Database Access Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dalrymple, Prudence W.; Roderer, Nancy K.

1994-01-01

Highlights the changes that have occurred from 1987-93 in database access systems. Topics addressed include types of databases, including CD-ROMs; enduser interface; database selection; database access management, including library instruction and use of primary literature; economic issues; database users; the search process; and improving…

Term Relevance Feedback and Mediated Database Searching: Implications for Information Retrieval Practice and Systems Design.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spink, Amanda

1995-01-01

This study uses the human approach to examine the sources and effectiveness of search terms selected during 40 mediated interactive database searches and focuses on determining the retrieval effectiveness of search terms identified by users and intermediaries from retrieved items during term relevance feedback. (Author/JKP)

Retrieving Online Information on Drugs: An Analysis of Four Databases.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lavengood, Kathryn A.

This study examines the indexing of drugs in the literature and compares actual drug indexing to stated indexing policies in selected databases. The goal is to aid health science information specialists, end-users, and/or non-subject experts to improve recall and comprehensiveness when searching for drug information by identifying the most useful…

QED's School Market Trends: Teacher Buying Behavior & Attitudes, 2001-2002. Research Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quality Education Data, Inc., Denver, CO.

This study examined teachers' classroom material buying behaviors and trends. Data came from Quality Education Data's National Education Database, which includes U.S. K-12 public, private, and Catholic schools and districts. Researchers surveyed K-8 teachers randomly selected from QED's National Education Database. Results show that teachers spend…

U.S.-MEXICO BORDER PROGRAM ARIZONA BORDER STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR CODING: FIELD FORMS (UA-D-37.0)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to define the coding strategy for selected field forms. Forms addressed here will be scanned into databases. Databases are created because the forms contain critical values needed to calculate pollutant concentrations. Other forms not addressed by th...

Integration of Web-based and PC-based clinical research databases.

PubMed

Brandt, C A; Sun, K; Charpentier, P; Nadkarni, P M

2004-01-01

We have created a Web-based repository or data library of information about measurement instruments used in studies of multi-factorial geriatric health conditions (the Geriatrics Research Instrument Library - GRIL) based upon existing features of two separate clinical study data management systems. GRIL allows browsing, searching, and selecting measurement instruments based upon criteria such as keywords and areas of applicability. Measurement instruments selected can be printed and/or included in an automatically generated standalone microcomputer database application, which can be downloaded by investigators for use in data collection and data management. Integration of database applications requires the creation of a common semantic model, and mapping from each system to this model. Various database schema conflicts at the table and attribute level must be identified and resolved prior to integration. Using a conflict taxonomy and a mapping schema facilitates this process. Critical conflicts at the table level that required resolution included name and relationship differences. A major benefit of integration efforts is the sharing of features and cross-fertilization of applications created for similar purposes in different operating environments. Integration of applications mandates some degree of metadata model unification.

A compilation of spatial digital databases for selected U.S. Geological Survey nonfuel mineral resource assessments for parts of Idaho and Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carlson, Mary H.; Zientek, Michael L.; Causey, J. Douglas; Kayser, Helen Z.; Spanski, Gregory T.; Wilson, Anna B.; Van Gosen, Bradley S.; Trautwein, Charles M.

2007-01-01

This report compiles selected results from 13 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) mineral resource assessment studies conducted in Idaho and Montana into consistent spatial databases that can be used in a geographic information system. The 183 spatial databases represent areas of mineral potential delineated in these studies and include attributes on mineral deposit type, level of mineral potential, certainty, and a reference. The assessments were conducted for five 1? x 2? quadrangles (Butte, Challis, Choteau, Dillon, and Wallace), several U.S. Forest Service (USFS) National Forests (including Challis, Custer, Gallatin, Helena, and Payette), and one Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Resource Area (Dillon). The data contained in the spatial databases are based on published information: no new interpretations are made. This digital compilation is part of an ongoing effort to provide mineral resource information formatted for use in spatial analysis. In particular, this is one of several reports prepared to address USFS needs for science information as forest management plans are revised in the Northern Rocky Mountains.

Design and implementation of an audit trail in compliance with US regulations.

PubMed

Jiang, Keyuan; Cao, Xiang

2011-10-01

Audit trails have been used widely to ensure quality of study data and have been implemented in computerized clinical trials data systems. Increasingly, there is a need to audit access to study participant identifiable information to provide assurance that study participant privacy is protected and confidentiality is maintained. In the United States, several federal regulations specify how the audit trail function should be implemented. To describe the development and implementation of a comprehensive audit trail system that meets the regulatory requirements of assuring data quality and integrity and protecting participant privacy and that is also easy to implement and maintain. The audit trail system was designed and developed after we examined regulatory requirements, data access methods, prevailing application architecture, and good security practices. Our comprehensive audit trail system was developed and implemented at the database level using a commercially available database management software product. It captures both data access and data changes with the correct user identifier. Documentation of access is initiated automatically in response to either data retrieval or data change at the database level. Currently, our system has been implemented only on one commercial database management system. Although our audit trail algorithm does not allow for logging aggregate operations, aggregation does not reveal sensitive private participant information. Careful consideration must be given to data items selected for monitoring because selection of all data items using our system can dramatically increase the requirements for computer disk space. Evaluating the criticality and sensitivity of individual data items selected can control the storage requirements for clinical trial audit trail records. Our audit trail system is capable of logging data access and data change operations to satisfy regulatory requirements. Our approach is applicable to virtually any data that can be stored in a relational database.

[Design of computerised database for clinical and basic management of uveal melanoma].

PubMed

Bande Rodríguez, M F; Santiago Varela, M; Blanco Teijeiro, M J; Mera Yañez, P; Pardo Perez, M; Capeans Tome, C; Piñeiro Ces, A

2012-09-01

The uveal melanoma is the most common primary intraocular tumour in adults. The objective of this work is to show how a computerised database has been formed with specific applications, for clinical and research use, to an extensive group of patients diagnosed with uveal melanoma. For the design of the database a selection of categories, attributes and values was created based on the classifications and parameters given by various authors of articles which have had great relevance in the field of uveal melanoma in recent years. The database has over 250 patient entries with specific information on their clinical history, diagnosis, treatment and progress. It enables us to search any parameter of the entry and make quick and simple statistical studies of them. The database models have been transformed into a basic tool for clinical practice, as they are an efficient way of storing, compiling and selective searching of information. When creating a database it is very important to define a common strategy and the use of a standard language. Copyright © 2011 Sociedad Española de Oftalmología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

The National NeuroAIDS Tissue Consortium (NNTC) Database: an integrated database for HIV-related studies.

PubMed

Cserhati, Matyas F; Pandey, Sanjit; Beaudoin, James J; Baccaglini, Lorena; Guda, Chittibabu; Fox, Howard S

2015-01-01

We herein present the National NeuroAIDS Tissue Consortium-Data Coordinating Center (NNTC-DCC) database, which is the only available database for neuroAIDS studies that contains data in an integrated, standardized form. This database has been created in conjunction with the NNTC, which provides human tissue and biofluid samples to individual researchers to conduct studies focused on neuroAIDS. The database contains experimental datasets from 1206 subjects for the following categories (which are further broken down into subcategories): gene expression, genotype, proteins, endo-exo-chemicals, morphometrics and other (miscellaneous) data. The database also contains a wide variety of downloadable data and metadata for 95 HIV-related studies covering 170 assays from 61 principal investigators. The data represent 76 tissue types, 25 measurement types, and 38 technology types, and reaches a total of 33,017,407 data points. We used the ISA platform to create the database and develop a searchable web interface for querying the data. A gene search tool is also available, which searches for NCBI GEO datasets associated with selected genes. The database is manually curated with many user-friendly features, and is cross-linked to the NCBI, HUGO and PubMed databases. A free registration is required for qualified users to access the database. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

Liver cirrhosis in selected autoimmune diseases: a nationwide cohort study in Taiwan.

PubMed

Tung, Chien-Hsueh; Lai, Ning-Seng; Lu, Ming-Chi; Lee, Ching-Chih

2016-02-01

The association between autoimmune diseases and liver cirrhosis has rarely been explored in Asian populations, an endemic area of viral hepatitis. The aim of this study was to investigate the comparative risk of liver cirrhosis among a group of selective autoimmune diseases in Taiwanese patients and to identify groups of high risk. This retrospective study was a nationwide, population-based study and used Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. A total of 29,856 patients with definite diagnosis of selected autoimmune diseases (Registry of Taiwan Catastrophic Illness Database, ACR classification) at the starting time point of January 1, 2005, were enrolled in this study. After tracked for a 5-year period, the endpoints were diagnosis of liver cirrhosis (in accordance with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification, ICD-9-CM codes 571). The control group was composed of other patients in the same database and consisted of randomly selected 753,495 sex- and age-matched non-autoimmune disease patients. The Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to calculate the risk of liver cirrhosis after adjusting for certain variables such as comorbidity, living area, and socioeconomic status. Among the patients with selected autoimmune diseases, 1987 liver cirrhosis were observed. Patients with psoriasis had a significantly increased risk of liver cirrhosis (HR 1.87, 95 % CI 1.25-2.81) than control group without psoriasis. The risk of liver cirrhosis was significantly lower in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (HR 0.29, 95 % CI 0.19-0.44). There is a gradient of risk of liver cirrhosis among the autoimmune diseases; the specific risks need to be investigated on the basis of hypotheses. Conventional immunosuppressive drug administration should be carefully implemented by regular monitoring of liver condition in order to avoid causing an adverse effect of chronic liver fibrosis.

Food composition database development for between country comparisons.

PubMed

Merchant, Anwar T; Dehghan, Mahshid

2006-01-19

Nutritional assessment by diet analysis is a two-stepped process consisting of evaluation of food consumption, and conversion of food into nutrient intake by using a food composition database, which lists the mean nutritional values for a given food portion. Most reports in the literature focus on minimizing errors in estimation of food consumption but the selection of a specific food composition table used in nutrient estimation is also a source of errors. We are conducting a large prospective study internationally and need to compare diet, assessed by food frequency questionnaires, in a comparable manner between different countries. We have prepared a multi-country food composition database for nutrient estimation in all the countries participating in our study. The nutrient database is primarily based on the USDA food composition database, modified appropriately with reference to local food composition tables, and supplemented with recipes of locally eaten mixed dishes. By doing so we have ensured that the units of measurement, method of selection of foods for testing, and assays used for nutrient estimation are consistent and as current as possible, and yet have taken into account some local variations. Using this common metric for nutrient assessment will reduce differential errors in nutrient estimation and improve the validity of between-country comparisons.

Economic evaluations in gastroenterology in Brazil: A systematic review.

PubMed

de Paiva Haddad, Luciana Bertocco; Decimoni, Tassia Cristina; Turri, Jose Antonio; Leandro, Roseli; de Soárez, Patrícia Coelho

2016-02-06

To systematically review economic evaluations in gastroenterology, relating to Brazil, published between 1980 and 2013. We selected full and partial economic evaluations from among those retrieved by searching the following databases: MEDLINE (PubMed); Excerpta Medica; the Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature database; the Scientific Electronic Library Online; the database of the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination; the National Health Service (NHS) Economic Evaluation Database; the NHS Health Technology Assessment database; the Health Economics database of the Brazilian Virtual Library of Health; Scopus; Web of Science; and the Brazilian Network for the Evaluation of Health Technologies. Two researchers, working independently, selected the studies and extracted the data. We identified 535 health economic evaluations relating to Brazil and published in the 1980-2013 period. Of those 535 articles, only 40 dealt with gastroenterology. Full and partial economic evaluations respectively accounted for 23 (57.5%) and 17 (42.5%) of the 40 studies included. Among the 23 full economic evaluations, there were 11 cost-utility analyses, seven cost-effectiveness analyses, four cost-consequence analyses, and one cost-minimization analysis. Of the 40 studies, 25 (62.5%) evaluated medications; 7 (17.5%) evaluated procedures; and 3 (7.5%) evaluated equipment. Most (55%) of the studies were related to viral hepatitis, and most (63.4%) were published after 2010. Other topics included gastrointestinal cancer, liver transplantation, digestive diseases and hernias. Over the 33-year period examined, the number of such economic evaluations relating to Brazil, especially of those evaluating medications for the treatment of hepatitis, increased considerably. Further studies are needed in order to ensure that expenditures on health care in Brazil are made as fairly and efficiently as possible.

Economic evaluations in gastroenterology in Brazil: A systematic review

PubMed Central

de Paiva Haddad, Luciana Bertocco; Decimoni, Tassia Cristina; Turri, Jose Antonio; Leandro, Roseli; de Soárez, Patrícia Coelho

2016-01-01

AIM: To systematically review economic evaluations in gastroenterology, relating to Brazil, published between 1980 and 2013. METHODS: We selected full and partial economic evaluations from among those retrieved by searching the following databases: MEDLINE (PubMed); Excerpta Medica; the Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature database; the Scientific Electronic Library Online; the database of the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination; the National Health Service (NHS) Economic Evaluation Database; the NHS Health Technology Assessment database; the Health Economics database of the Brazilian Virtual Library of Health; Scopus; Web of Science; and the Brazilian Network for the Evaluation of Health Technologies. Two researchers, working independently, selected the studies and extracted the data. RESULTS: We identified 535 health economic evaluations relating to Brazil and published in the 1980-2013 period. Of those 535 articles, only 40 dealt with gastroenterology. Full and partial economic evaluations respectively accounted for 23 (57.5%) and 17 (42.5%) of the 40 studies included. Among the 23 full economic evaluations, there were 11 cost-utility analyses, seven cost-effectiveness analyses, four cost-consequence analyses, and one cost-minimization analysis. Of the 40 studies, 25 (62.5%) evaluated medications; 7 (17.5%) evaluated procedures; and 3 (7.5%) evaluated equipment. Most (55%) of the studies were related to viral hepatitis, and most (63.4%) were published after 2010. Other topics included gastrointestinal cancer, liver transplantation, digestive diseases and hernias. Over the 33-year period examined, the number of such economic evaluations relating to Brazil, especially of those evaluating medications for the treatment of hepatitis, increased considerably. CONCLUSION: Further studies are needed in order to ensure that expenditures on health care in Brazil are made as fairly and efficiently as possible. PMID:26855823

New leads for selective GSK-3 inhibition: pharmacophore mapping and virtual screening studies.

PubMed

Patel, Dhilon S; Bharatam, Prasad V

2006-01-01

Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 is a regulatory serine/threonine kinase, which is being targeted for the treatment of a number of human diseases including type-2 diabetes mellitus, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer and chronic inflammation. Selective GSK-3 inhibition is an important requirement owing to the possibility of side effects arising from other kinases. A pharmacophore mapping strategy is employed in this work to identify new leads for selective GSK-3 inhibition. Ligands known to show selective GSK-3 inhibition were employed in generating a pharmacophore map using distance comparison method (DISCO). The derived pharmacophore map was validated using (i) important interactions involved in selective GSK-3 inhibitions, and (ii) an in-house database containing different classes of GSK-3 selective, non-selective and inactive molecules. New Lead identification was carried out by performing virtual screening using validated pharmacophoric query and three chemical databases namely NCI, Maybridge and Leadquest. Further data reduction was carried out by employing virtual filters based on (i) Lipinski's rule of 5 (ii) van der Waals bumps and (iii) restricting the number of rotatable bonds to seven. Final screening was carried out using FlexX based molecular docking study.

New leads for selective GSK-3 inhibition: pharmacophore mapping and virtual screening studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patel, Dhilon S.; Bharatam, Prasad V.

2006-01-01

Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 is a regulatory serine/threonine kinase, which is being targeted for the treatment of a number of human diseases including type-2 diabetes mellitus, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer and chronic inflammation. Selective GSK-3 inhibition is an important requirement owing to the possibility of side effects arising from other kinases. A pharmacophore mapping strategy is employed in this work to identify new leads for selective GSK-3 inhibition. Ligands known to show selective GSK-3 inhibition were employed in generating a pharmacophore map using distance comparison method (DISCO). The derived pharmacophore map was validated using (i) important interactions involved in selective GSK-3 inhibitions, and (ii) an in-house database containing different classes of GSK-3 selective, non-selective and inactive molecules. New Lead identification was carried out by performing virtual screening using validated pharmacophoric query and three chemical databases namely NCI, Maybridge and Leadquest. Further data reduction was carried out by employing virtual filters based on (i) Lipinski's rule of 5 (ii) van der Waals bumps and (iii) restricting the number of rotatable bonds to seven. Final screening was carried out using FlexX based molecular docking study.

The DREO Elint Browser Utility (DEBU) reference manual

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ford, Barbara; Jones, David

1992-04-01

An electronic intelligent database browsing tool called DEBU has been developed that allows databases such as ELP, Kilting, EWIR, and AFEWC to be reviewed and analyzed from a user-friendly environment on a personal computer. DEBU's basic function is to allow users to examine the contents of user-selected subfiles of user-selected emitters of user-selected databases. DEBU augments this functionality with support for selecting (filtering) and combining subsets of emitters by user-selected attributes such as name, parameter type, or parameter value. DEBU provides facilities for examining histograms and x-y plots of selected parameters, for doing ambiguity analysis and mode level analysis, and for generating and printing a variety of reports. A manual is provided for users of DEBU, including descriptions and illustrations of menus and windows.

Information sources for obesity prevention policy research: a review of systematic reviews.

PubMed

Hanneke, Rosie; Young, Sabrina K

2017-08-08

Systematic identification of evidence in health policy can be time-consuming and challenging. This study examines three questions pertaining to systematic reviews on obesity prevention policy, in order to identify the most efficient search methods: (1) What percentage of the primary studies selected for inclusion in the reviews originated in scholarly as opposed to gray literature? (2) How much of the primary scholarly literature in this topic area is indexed in PubMed/MEDLINE? (3) Which databases index the greatest number of primary studies not indexed in PubMed, and are these databases searched consistently across systematic reviews? We identified systematic reviews on obesity prevention policy and explored their search methods and citations. We determined the percentage of scholarly vs. gray literature cited, the most frequently cited journals, and whether each primary study was indexed in PubMed. We searched 21 databases for all primary study articles not indexed in PubMed to determine which database(s) indexed the highest number of these relevant articles. In total, 21 systematic reviews were identified. Ten of the 21 systematic reviews reported searching gray literature, and 12 reviews ultimately included gray literature in their analyses. Scholarly articles accounted for 577 of the 649 total primary study papers. Of these, 495 (76%) were indexed in PubMed. Google Scholar retrieved the highest number of the remaining 82 non-PubMed scholarly articles, followed by Scopus and EconLit. The Journal of the American Dietetic Association was the most-cited journal. Researchers can maximize search efficiency by searching a small yet targeted selection of both scholarly and gray literature resources. A highly sensitive search of PubMed and those databases that index the greatest number of relevant articles not indexed in PubMed, namely multidisciplinary and economics databases, could save considerable time and effort. When combined with a gray literature search and additional search methods, including cited reference searching and consulting with experts, this approach could help maintain broad retrieval of relevant studies while improving search efficiency. Findings also have implications for designing specialized databases for public health research.

Co-PylotDB - A Python-Based Single-Window User Interface for Transmitting Information to a Database

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

Barnette, Daniel W.

2012-01-05

Co-PylotDB, written completely in Python, provides a user interface (UI) with which to select user and data file(s), directories, and file content, and provide or capture various other information for sending data collected from running any computer program to a pre-formatted database table for persistent storage. The interface allows the user to select input, output, make, source, executable, and qsub files. It also provides fields for specifying the machine name on which the software was run, capturing compile and execution lines, and listing relevant user comments. Data automatically captured by Co-PylotDB and sent to the database are user, current directory,more » local hostname, current date, and time of send. The UI provides fields for logging into a local or remote database server, specifying a database and a table, and sending the information to the selected database table. If a server is not available, the UI provides for saving the command that would have saved the information to a database table for either later submission or for sending via email to a collaborator who has access to the desired database.« less

ELT Research in Turkey: A Content Analysis of Selected Features of Published Articles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yagiz, Oktay; Aydin, Burcu; Akdemir, Ahmet Selçuk

2016-01-01

This study reviews a selected sample of 274 research articles on ELT, published between 2005 and 2015 in Turkish contexts. In the study, 15 journals in ULAKBIM database and articles from national and international journals accessed according to convenience sampling method were surveyed and relevant articles were obtained. A content analysis was…

Using a capture–recapture method to assess the frequency of adverse drug reactions in a French university hospital

PubMed Central

Lugardon, Stephanie; Desboeuf, Karine; Fernet, Pierre; Montastruc, Jean-Louis; Lapeyre-Mestre, Maryse

2006-01-01

Aims There is evidence that different methods used to identify and quantify adverse drug reactions (ADR) in hospitals are not exhaustive (spontaneous reporting or computerized medical databases). The combination of these different sources of data could improve knowledge about ADR frequency in hospitals. The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of serious ADRs handled in medical wards of a French university hospital using data from the Programme de Medicalization des Systemes d’Information (PMSI) and spontaneous reports recorded in the French Pharmacovigilance Database. Methods The study period was the first semester of 2001. From PMSI, all hospitalization summaries including an ICD-10th code related to a potential ADR were selected. From the French Pharmacovigilance Database, all serious ADRs which occurred during the study period and were reported by physicians working in the University Hospital were collected. After identification of common cases, the capture–recapture method was applied in order to estimate the real number of ADRs occurring during the first semester of 2001. Results From PMSI, we identified 274 different hospital stays related to an ADR. Out of 241 reports selected from the French Pharmacovigilance Database, we retained 151 ADRs for analysis. Fifty-two ADRs were common in the two databases, giving an estimated number of serious ADRs of 796 [95% confidence interval (CI) 638, 954], corresponding to 2.9% of inpatients (95% CI 2.3, 3.5). Conclusions This study shows the lack of exhaustiveness of ADR reporting whatever the sources of data and underlines the interest of merging data from different databases to identify fully the real impact of ADR in hospitals. PMID:16842398

Cosmetics Europe compilation of historical serious eye damage/eye irritation in vivo data analysed by drivers of classification to support the selection of chemicals for development and evaluation of alternative methods/strategies: the Draize eye test Reference Database (DRD).

PubMed

Barroso, João; Pfannenbecker, Uwe; Adriaens, Els; Alépée, Nathalie; Cluzel, Magalie; De Smedt, Ann; Hibatallah, Jalila; Klaric, Martina; Mewes, Karsten R; Millet, Marion; Templier, Marie; McNamee, Pauline

2017-02-01

A thorough understanding of which of the effects assessed in the in vivo Draize eye test are responsible for driving UN GHS/EU CLP classification is critical for an adequate selection of chemicals to be used in the development and/or evaluation of alternative methods/strategies and for properly assessing their predictive capacity and limitations. For this reason, Cosmetics Europe has compiled a database of Draize data (Draize eye test Reference Database, DRD) from external lists that were created to support past validation activities. This database contains 681 independent in vivo studies on 634 individual chemicals representing a wide range of chemical classes. A description of all the ocular effects observed in vivo, i.e. degree of severity and persistence of corneal opacity (CO), iritis, and/or conjunctiva effects, was added for each individual study in the database, and the studies were categorised according to their UN GHS/EU CLP classification and the main effect driving the classification. An evaluation of the various in vivo drivers of classification compiled in the database was performed to establish which of these are most important from a regulatory point of view. These analyses established that the most important drivers for Cat 1 Classification are (1) CO mean ≥ 3 (days 1-3) (severity) and (2) CO persistence on day 21 in the absence of severity, and those for Cat 2 classification are (3) CO mean ≥ 1 and (4) conjunctival redness mean ≥ 2. Moreover, it is shown that all classifiable effects (including persistence and CO = 4) should be present in ≥60 % of the animals to drive a classification. As a consequence, our analyses suggest the need for a critical revision of the UN GHS/EU CLP decision criteria for the Cat 1 classification of chemicals. Finally, a number of key criteria are identified that should be taken into consideration when selecting reference chemicals for the development, evaluation and/or validation of alternative methods and/or strategies for serious eye damage/eye irritation testing. Most important, the DRD is an invaluable tool for any future activity involving the selection of reference chemicals.

Creating Your Own Database.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blair, John C., Jr.

1982-01-01

Outlines the important factors to be considered in selecting a database management system for use with a microcomputer and presents a series of guidelines for developing a database. General procedures, report generation, data manipulation, information storage, word processing, data entry, database indexes, and relational databases are among the…

Selective access and editing in a database

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maluf, David A. (Inventor); Gawdiak, Yuri O. (Inventor)

2010-01-01

Method and system for providing selective access to different portions of a database by different subgroups of database users. Where N users are involved, up to 2.sup.N-1 distinguishable access subgroups in a group space can be formed, where no two access subgroups have the same members. Two or more members of a given access subgroup can edit, substantially simultaneously, a document accessible to each member.

Trends in the Scholarship on Teachers of Color for Diverse Populations: Implications for Multicultural Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sheets, Rosa Hernandez

This paper reviews patterns in the literature on minority teachers and teacher preparation. The study involved an extensive literature search using the following database selections: Books in Print A-Z; ERIC Database 1966-2000; Education Abstracts FTX 6/83-12/99; PsycINFO 1984-2000/02; Sociological Abstracts 1963-1999/12; and Social Sciences Abst…

Automating the training development process for mission flight operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott, Carol J.

1994-01-01

Traditional methods of developing training do not effectively support the changing needs of operational users in a multimission environment. The Automated Training Development System (ATDS) provides advantages over conventional methods in quality, quantity, turnaround, database maintenance, and focus on individualized instruction. The Operations System Training Group at the JPL performed a six-month study to assess the potential of ATDS to automate curriculum development and to generate and maintain course materials. To begin the study, the group acquired readily available hardware and participated in a two-week training session to introduce the process. ATDS is a building activity that combines training's traditional information-gathering with a hierarchical method for interleaving the elements. The program can be described fairly simply. A comprehensive list of candidate tasks determines the content of the database; from that database, selected critical tasks dictate which competencies of skill and knowledge to include in course material for the target audience. The training developer adds pertinent planning information about each task to the database, then ATDS generates a tailored set of instructional material, based on the specific set of selection criteria. Course material consistently leads students to a prescribed level of competency.

Examining Student Research Choices and Processes in a Disintermediated Searching Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rempel, Hannah Gascho; Buck, Stefanie; Deitering, Anne-Marie

2013-01-01

Students today perform research in a disintermediated environment, which often allows them to struggle directly with the process of selecting research tools and choosing scholarly sources. The authors conducted a qualitative study with twenty students, using structured observations to ascertain the processes students use to select databases and…

Anti-proliferative activities on HeLa cancer cell line of Thai medicinal plant recipes selected from MANOSROI II database.

PubMed

Manosroi, Jiradej; Boonpisuttinant, Korawinwich; Manosroi, Worapaka; Manosroi, Aranya

2012-07-13

The Thai/Lanna medicinal plant recipe database "MANOSROI II" contained the medicinal plant recipes of all regions in Thailand for the treatment of various diseases including anti-cancer medicinal plant recipes. To investigate anti-proliferative activity on HeLa cell lines of medicinal plant recipes selected from the Thai/Lanna medicinal plant recipe database "MANOSROI II". The forty aqueous extracts of Thai/Lanna medicinal plant recipes selected from the Thai/Lanna medicinal plant recipe database "MANOSROI II" were investigated for anti-proliferative activity on HeLa cell line by SRB assay. The apoptosis induction by caspase-3 activity and MMP-2 inhibition activity by zymography on HeLa cell line of the three selected aqueous extracts, which gave the highest anti-proliferative activity were determined. Phytochemicals and anti-oxidative activities including free radical scavenging activity, inhibition of lipid peroxidation and metal chelating inhibition activities were also investigated. Sixty percentages of the medicinal plant recipes selected from "MANOSROI II" database showed anti-proliferative activity on HeLa cell line. The recipes of N031(Albizia chinensis (Osbeck) Merr, Cassia fistula L., and Dargea volubilis Benth.ex Hook. etc.), N039 (Nymphoides indica L., Peltophorum pterocarpum (DC.), and Polyalthia debilis Finet et Gagnep etc.) and N040 (Nymphoides indica L. Kuntze, Sida rhombifolia L., and Xylinbaria minutiflora Pierre. etc.) gave higher anti-proliferative activity than the standard anti-cancer drug, cisplatin of 1.25, 1.29 and 30.18 times, respectively. The positive relationship between the anti-proliferative activity and the MMP-2 inhibition activity and metal chelating inhibition activity was observed, but no relationship between the anti-proliferative activity and apoptosis induction, free radical scavenging activity and lipid peroxidation inhibition activity. Phytochemicals found in these extracts were alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins and xanthones, but not anthraquinones and carotenoids. The recipe N040 exhibited the highest anti-proliferative and MMP-2 inhibition on HeLa cancer cell line at 30 and threefolds of cisplatin, respectively (p<0.05), while recipe N031 gave the highest caspase-3 activity (1.29-folds over the control) (p<0.05). This study has demonstrated that recipe N040 selected from MANOSROI II database appeared to be a good candidate with high potential for the further development as an anti-cancer agent. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Object-Oriented Approach to Integrating Database Semantics. Volume 4.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-12-01

schemata for; 1. Object Classification Shema -- Entities 2. Object Structure and Relationship Schema -- Relations 3. Operation Classification and... relationships are represented in a database is non- intuitive for naive users. *It is difficult to access and combine information in multiple databases. In this...from the CURRENT-.CLASSES table. Choosing a selected item do-selects it. Choose 0 to exit. 1. STUDENTS 2. CUR~RENT-..CLASSES 3. MANAGMNT -.CLASS

Identification of critical chemical features for Aurora kinase-B inhibitors using Hip-Hop, virtual screening and molecular docking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakkiah, Sugunadevi; Thangapandian, Sundarapandian; John, Shalini; Lee, Keun Woo

2011-01-01

This study was performed to find the selective chemical features for Aurora kinase-B inhibitors using the potent methods like Hip-Hop, virtual screening, homology modeling, molecular dynamics and docking. The best hypothesis, Hypo1 was validated toward a wide range of test set containing the selective inhibitors of Aurora kinase-B. Homology modeling and molecular dynamics studies were carried out to perform the molecular docking studies. The best hypothesis Hypo1 was used as a 3D query to screen the chemical databases. The screened molecules from the databases were sorted based on ADME and drug like properties. The selective hit compounds were docked and the hydrogen bond interactions with the critical amino acids present in Aurora kinase-B were compared with the chemical features present in the Hypo1. Finally, we suggest that the chemical features present in the Hypo1 are vital for a molecule to inhibit the Aurora kinase-B activity.

Document creation, linking, and maintenance system

DOEpatents

Claghorn, Ronald [Pasco, WA

2011-02-15

A document creation and citation system designed to maintain a database of reference documents. The content of a selected document may be automatically scanned and indexed by the system. The selected documents may also be manually indexed by a user prior to the upload. The indexed documents may be uploaded and stored within a database for later use. The system allows a user to generate new documents by selecting content within the reference documents stored within the database and inserting the selected content into a new document. The system allows the user to customize and augment the content of the new document. The system also generates citations to the selected content retrieved from the reference documents. The citations may be inserted into the new document in the appropriate location and format, as directed by the user. The new document may be uploaded into the database and included with the other reference documents. The system also maintains the database of reference documents so that when changes are made to a reference document, the author of a document referencing the changed document will be alerted to make appropriate changes to his document. The system also allows visual comparison of documents so that the user may see differences in the text of the documents.

HRGFish: A database of hypoxia responsive genes in fishes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rashid, Iliyas; Nagpure, Naresh Sahebrao; Srivastava, Prachi; Kumar, Ravindra; Pathak, Ajey Kumar; Singh, Mahender; Kushwaha, Basdeo

2017-02-01

Several studies have highlighted the changes in the gene expression due to the hypoxia response in fishes, but the systematic organization of the information and the analytical platform for such genes are lacking. In the present study, an attempt was made to develop a database of hypoxia responsive genes in fishes (HRGFish), integrated with analytical tools, using LAMPP technology. Genes reported in hypoxia response for fishes were compiled through literature survey and the database presently covers 818 gene sequences and 35 gene types from 38 fishes. The upstream fragments (3,000 bp), covered in this database, enables to compute CG dinucleotides frequencies, motif finding of the hypoxia response element, identification of CpG island and mapping with the reference promoter of zebrafish. The database also includes functional annotation of genes and provides tools for analyzing sequences and designing primers for selected gene fragments. This may be the first database on the hypoxia response genes in fishes that provides a workbench to the scientific community involved in studying the evolution and ecological adaptation of the fish species in relation to hypoxia.

URS DataBase: universe of RNA structures and their motifs.

PubMed

Baulin, Eugene; Yacovlev, Victor; Khachko, Denis; Spirin, Sergei; Roytberg, Mikhail

2016-01-01

The Universe of RNA Structures DataBase (URSDB) stores information obtained from all RNA-containing PDB entries (2935 entries in October 2015). The content of the database is updated regularly. The database consists of 51 tables containing indexed data on various elements of the RNA structures. The database provides a web interface allowing user to select a subset of structures with desired features and to obtain various statistical data for a selected subset of structures or for all structures. In particular, one can easily obtain statistics on geometric parameters of base pairs, on structural motifs (stems, loops, etc.) or on different types of pseudoknots. The user can also view and get information on an individual structure or its selected parts, e.g. RNA-protein hydrogen bonds. URSDB employs a new original definition of loops in RNA structures. That definition fits both pseudoknot-free and pseudoknotted secondary structures and coincides with the classical definition in case of pseudoknot-free structures. To our knowledge, URSDB is the first database supporting searches based on topological classification of pseudoknots and on extended loop classification.Database URL: http://server3.lpm.org.ru/urs/. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

URS DataBase: universe of RNA structures and their motifs

PubMed Central

Baulin, Eugene; Yacovlev, Victor; Khachko, Denis; Spirin, Sergei; Roytberg, Mikhail

2016-01-01

The Universe of RNA Structures DataBase (URSDB) stores information obtained from all RNA-containing PDB entries (2935 entries in October 2015). The content of the database is updated regularly. The database consists of 51 tables containing indexed data on various elements of the RNA structures. The database provides a web interface allowing user to select a subset of structures with desired features and to obtain various statistical data for a selected subset of structures or for all structures. In particular, one can easily obtain statistics on geometric parameters of base pairs, on structural motifs (stems, loops, etc.) or on different types of pseudoknots. The user can also view and get information on an individual structure or its selected parts, e.g. RNA–protein hydrogen bonds. URSDB employs a new original definition of loops in RNA structures. That definition fits both pseudoknot-free and pseudoknotted secondary structures and coincides with the classical definition in case of pseudoknot-free structures. To our knowledge, URSDB is the first database supporting searches based on topological classification of pseudoknots and on extended loop classification. Database URL: http://server3.lpm.org.ru/urs/ PMID:27242032

Comparative study of minutiae selection algorithms for ISO fingerprint templates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vibert, B.; Charrier, C.; Le Bars, J.-M.; Rosenberger, C.

2015-03-01

We address the selection of fingerprint minutiae given a fingerprint ISO template. Minutiae selection plays a very important role when a secure element (i.e. a smart-card) is used. Because of the limited capability of computation and memory, the number of minutiae of a stored reference in the secure element is limited. We propose in this paper a comparative study of 6 minutiae selection methods including 2 methods from the literature and 1 like reference (No Selection). Experimental results on 3 fingerprint databases from the Fingerprint Verification Competition show their relative efficiency in terms of performance and computation time.

Kentucky geotechnical database.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-03-01

Development of a comprehensive dynamic, geotechnical database is described. Computer software selected to program the client/server application in windows environment, components and structure of the geotechnical database, and primary factors cons...

The use of grey literature in health sciences: a preliminary survey.

PubMed Central

Alberani, V; De Castro Pietrangeli, P; Mazza, A M

1990-01-01

The paper describes some initiatives in the field of grey literature (GL) and the activities, from 1985, of the Italian Library Association Study Group. The major categories of GL are defined; a survey that evaluates the use of GL by end users in the health sciences is described. References in selected periodicals and databases have been analyzed for the years 1987-1988 to determine the number of articles citing GL, the number of GL citations found in selected periodicals, the various types of GL found, and the number of technical reports cited and their country of origin and intergovernmental issuing organization. Selected databases were also searched to determine the presence of GL during those same years. The paper presents the first results obtained. Images PMID:2224298

A curated database of cyanobacterial strains relevant for modern taxonomy and phylogenetic studies.

PubMed

Ramos, Vitor; Morais, João; Vasconcelos, Vitor M

2017-04-25

The dataset herein described lays the groundwork for an online database of relevant cyanobacterial strains, named CyanoType (http://lege.ciimar.up.pt/cyanotype). It is a database that includes categorized cyanobacterial strains useful for taxonomic, phylogenetic or genomic purposes, with associated information obtained by means of a literature-based curation. The dataset lists 371 strains and represents the first version of the database (CyanoType v.1). Information for each strain includes strain synonymy and/or co-identity, strain categorization, habitat, accession numbers for molecular data, taxonomy and nomenclature notes according to three different classification schemes, hierarchical automatic classification, phylogenetic placement according to a selection of relevant studies (including this), and important bibliographic references. The database will be updated periodically, namely by adding new strains meeting the criteria for inclusion and by revising and adding up-to-date metadata for strains already listed. A global 16S rDNA-based phylogeny is provided in order to assist users when choosing the appropriate strains for their studies.

A curated database of cyanobacterial strains relevant for modern taxonomy and phylogenetic studies

PubMed Central

Ramos, Vitor; Morais, João; Vasconcelos, Vitor M.

2017-01-01

The dataset herein described lays the groundwork for an online database of relevant cyanobacterial strains, named CyanoType (http://lege.ciimar.up.pt/cyanotype). It is a database that includes categorized cyanobacterial strains useful for taxonomic, phylogenetic or genomic purposes, with associated information obtained by means of a literature-based curation. The dataset lists 371 strains and represents the first version of the database (CyanoType v.1). Information for each strain includes strain synonymy and/or co-identity, strain categorization, habitat, accession numbers for molecular data, taxonomy and nomenclature notes according to three different classification schemes, hierarchical automatic classification, phylogenetic placement according to a selection of relevant studies (including this), and important bibliographic references. The database will be updated periodically, namely by adding new strains meeting the criteria for inclusion and by revising and adding up-to-date metadata for strains already listed. A global 16S rDNA-based phylogeny is provided in order to assist users when choosing the appropriate strains for their studies. PMID:28440791

Acupuncture for treating sciatica: a systematic review protocol

PubMed Central

Qin, Zongshi; Liu, Xiaoxu; Yao, Qin; Zhai, Yanbing; Liu, Zhishun

2015-01-01

Introduction This systematic review aims to assess the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for treating sciatica. Methods The following nine databases will be searched from their inception to 30 October 2014: MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), the Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), the Chinese Medical Current Content (CMCC), the Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP database), the Wan-Fang Database, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Citation Information by National Institute of Informatics (CiNii). Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture for sciatica in English, Chinese or Japanese without restriction of publication status will be included. Two researchers will independently undertake study selection, extraction of data and assessment of study quality. Meta-analysis will be conducted after screening of studies. Data will be analysed using risk ratio for dichotomous data, and standardised mean difference or weighted mean difference for continuous data. Dissemination This systematic review will be disseminated electronically through a peer-reviewed publication or conference presentations. Trial registration number PROSPERO CRD42014015001. PMID:25922105

A Source-based Measurement Database for Occupational Exposure Assessment of Electromagnetic Fields in the INTEROCC Study: A Literature Review Approach

PubMed Central

Vila, Javier; Bowman, Joseph D.; Richardson, Lesley; Kincl, Laurel; Conover, Dave L.; McLean, Dave; Mann, Simon; Vecchia, Paolo; van Tongeren, Martie; Cardis, Elisabeth

2016-01-01

Introduction: To date, occupational exposure assessment of electromagnetic fields (EMF) has relied on occupation-based measurements and exposure estimates. However, misclassification due to between-worker variability remains an unsolved challenge. A source-based approach, supported by detailed subject data on determinants of exposure, may allow for a more individualized exposure assessment. Detailed information on the use of occupational sources of exposure to EMF was collected as part of the INTERPHONE-INTEROCC study. To support a source-based exposure assessment effort within this study, this work aimed to construct a measurement database for the occupational sources of EMF exposure identified, assembling available measurements from the scientific literature. Methods: First, a comprehensive literature search was performed for published and unpublished documents containing exposure measurements for the EMF sources identified, a priori as well as from answers of study subjects. Then, the measurements identified were assessed for quality and relevance to the study objectives. Finally, the measurements selected and complementary information were compiled into an Occupational Exposure Measurement Database (OEMD). Results: Currently, the OEMD contains 1624 sets of measurements (>3000 entries) for 285 sources of EMF exposure, organized by frequency band (0 Hz to 300 GHz) and dosimetry type. Ninety-five documents were selected from the literature (almost 35% of them are unpublished technical reports), containing measurements which were considered informative and valid for our purpose. Measurement data and complementary information collected from these documents came from 16 different countries and cover the time period between 1974 and 2013. Conclusion: We have constructed a database with measurements and complementary information for the most common sources of exposure to EMF in the workplace, based on the responses to the INTERPHONE-INTEROCC study questionnaire. This database covers the entire EMF frequency range and represents the most comprehensive resource of information on occupational EMF exposure. It is available at www.crealradiation.com/index.php/en/databases. PMID:26493616

Predictors of Start of Different Antidepressants in Patient Charts among Patients with Depression

PubMed Central

Kim, Hyungjin Myra; Zivin, Kara; Choe, Hae Mi; Stano, Clare M.; Ganoczy, Dara; Walters, Heather; Valenstein, Marcia

2016-01-01

Background In usual psychiatric care, antidepressant treatments are selected based on physician and patient preferences rather than being randomly allocated, resulting in spurious associations between these treatments and outcome studies. Objectives To identify factors recorded in electronic medical chart progress notes predictive of antidepressant selection among patients who had received a depression diagnosis. Methods This retrospective study sample consisted of 556 randomly selected Veterans Health Administration (VHA) patients diagnosed with depression from April 1, 1999 to September 30, 2004, stratified by the antidepressant agent, geographic region, gender, and year of depression cohort entry. Predictors were obtained from administrative data, and additional variables were abstracted from electronic medical chart notes in the year prior to the start of the antidepressant in five categories: clinical symptoms and diagnoses, substance use, life stressors, behavioral/ideation measures (e.g., suicide attempts), and treatments received. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to assess the predictors associated with different antidepressant prescribing, and adjusted relative risk ratios (RRR) are reported. Results Of the administrative data-based variables, gender, age, illicit drug abuse or dependence, and number of psychiatric medications in prior year were significantly associated with antidepressant selection. After adjusting for administrative data-based variables, sleep problems (RRR = 2.47) or marital issues (RRR = 2.64) identified in the charts were significantly associated with prescribing mirtazapine rather than sertraline; however, no other chart-based variables showed a significant association or an association with a large magnitude. Conclusion Some chart data-based variables were predictive of antidepressant selection, but we neither found many nor found them highly predictive of antidepressant selection in patients treated for depression. PMID:25943003

Price difference as a predictor of the selection between brand name and generic statins in Japan.

PubMed

Takizawa, Osamu; Urushihara, Hisashi; Tanaka, Shiro; Kawakami, Koji

2015-05-01

This study aimed to explore the predictors of the selection between brand name drug (BR) and generic drug (GE) and to clarify the quantitative relationship about selection. We identified "incident users" who dispensed statins between April 2008 and June 2011 in commercially databases consisted of dispensing claims databases (DCD) of out-of-hospital pharmacies and hospital claims databases (HCD) of in-house pharmacies in Japan. Predictors of the selection between BR and GE, including price difference (PD), the price of BR, their interaction and percent change of the price of GE relative to BR were explored by logistic regression using DCD and HCD separately. We extracted records of 670 patients who have opportunity for selection both BR and GE. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that PD, the price of BR, interaction between them, and prescriber affiliation were factors significantly associated with the selection in the DCD; logit (p)=9.735-0.251×PD-0.071×the price of BR+0.002×PD×the price of BR-1.816×affiliation+0.220×gender-0.008×age+0.038×monthly medical fee. PD was inversely proportional to BR choice in DCD and lead to the opposite result in HCD. Numerical simulation of selection revealed that the quantitative relationships heavily depend on situations. PD and the price of BR are predictors of the selection between BR and GE interactively in out-of-hospital pharmacies, but not in in-house pharmacies of medical facilities. Results may support policies which increase the power of out-of-hospital pharmacies for selection. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The ATLAS TAGS database distribution and management - Operational challenges of a multi-terabyte distributed database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viegas, F.; Malon, D.; Cranshaw, J.; Dimitrov, G.; Nowak, M.; Nairz, A.; Goossens, L.; Gallas, E.; Gamboa, C.; Wong, A.; Vinek, E.

2010-04-01

The TAG files store summary event quantities that allow a quick selection of interesting events. This data will be produced at a nominal rate of 200 Hz, and is uploaded into a relational database for access from websites and other tools. The estimated database volume is 6TB per year, making it the largest application running on the ATLAS relational databases, at CERN and at other voluntary sites. The sheer volume and high rate of production makes this application a challenge to data and resource management, in many aspects. This paper will focus on the operational challenges of this system. These include: uploading the data from files to the CERN's and remote sites' databases; distributing the TAG metadata that is essential to guide the user through event selection; controlling resource usage of the database, from the user query load to the strategy of cleaning and archiving of old TAG data.

The opportunities and obstacles in developing a vascular birthmark database for clinical and research use.

PubMed

Sharma, Vishal K; Fraulin, Frankie Og; Harrop, A Robertson; McPhalen, Donald F

2011-01-01

Databases are useful tools in clinical settings. The authors review the benefits and challenges associated with the development and implementation of an efficient electronic database for the multidisciplinary Vascular Birthmark Clinic at the Alberta Children's Hospital, Calgary, Alberta. The content and structure of the database were designed using the technical expertise of a data analyst from the Calgary Health Region. Relevant clinical and demographic data fields were included with the goal of documenting ongoing care of individual patients, and facilitating future epidemiological studies of this patient population. After completion of this database, 10 challenges encountered during development were retrospectively identified. Practical solutions for these challenges are presented. THE CHALLENGES IDENTIFIED DURING THE DATABASE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS INCLUDED: identification of relevant data fields; balancing simplicity and user-friendliness with complexity and comprehensive data storage; database expertise versus clinical expertise; software platform selection; linkage of data from the previous spreadsheet to a new data management system; ethics approval for the development of the database and its utilization for research studies; ensuring privacy and limited access to the database; integration of digital photographs into the database; adoption of the database by support staff in the clinic; and maintaining up-to-date entries in the database. There are several challenges involved in the development of a useful and efficient clinical database. Awareness of these potential obstacles, in advance, may simplify the development of clinical databases by others in various surgical settings.

75 FR 78995 - Agency Forms Undergoing Paperwork Reduction Act Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-17

... fellowship applicants and alumni in one integrated database. FMS provides an efficient and effective way for processing application data, selecting qualified candidates, maintaining a current alumni database...; submission of academic transcripts and letters of recommendation; a review by selected programmatic staff and...

Online Reference Service--How to Begin: A Selected Bibliography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shroder, Emelie J., Ed.

1982-01-01

Materials in this bibliography were selected and recommended by members of the Use of Machine-Assisted Reference in Public Libraries Committee, Reference and Adult Services Division, American Library Association. Topics include: financial aspects, equipment and communications considerations, comparing databases and database systems, advertising…

DETERMINATION OF LETHAL DISSOLVED OXYGEN LEVELS FOR SELECTED MARINE AND ESTUARINE FISHES, CRUSTACEANS AND A BIVALVE

EPA Science Inventory

The objective of this study was to provide a database of the incipient lethal concentrations for reduced dissolved oxygen (DO) for selected marine and estuarine species including 12 species of fish, 9 crustaceans, and 1 bivalve. All species occur in the Virginian Province, USA, w...

The EUVE Proposal Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christian, C. A.; Olson, E. C.

1993-01-01

The proposal database and scheduling system for the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer is described. The proposal database has been implemented to take input for approved observations selected by the EUVE Peer Review Panel and output target information suitable for the scheduling system to digest. The scheduling system is a hybrid of the SPIKE program and EUVE software which checks spacecraft constraints, produces a proposed schedule and selects spacecraft orientations with optimal configurations for acquiring star trackers, etc. This system is used to schedule the In Orbit Calibration activities that took place this summer, following the EUVE launch in early June 1992. The strategy we have implemented has implications for the selection of approved targets, which have impacted the Peer Review process. In addition, we will discuss how the proposal database, founded on Sybase, controls the processing of EUVE Guest Observer data.

Development of a database system for operational use in the selection of titanium alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Yuan-Fei; Zeng, Wei-Dong; Sun, Yu; Zhao, Yong-Qing

2011-08-01

The selection of titanium alloys has become a complex decision-making task due to the growing number of creation and utilization for titanium alloys, with each having its own characteristics, advantages, and limitations. In choosing the most appropriate titanium alloys, it is very essential to offer a reasonable and intelligent service for technical engineers. One possible solution of this problem is to develop a database system (DS) to help retrieve rational proposals from different databases and information sources and analyze them to provide useful and explicit information. For this purpose, a design strategy of the fuzzy set theory is proposed, and a distributed database system is developed. Through ranking of the candidate titanium alloys, the most suitable material is determined. It is found that the selection results are in good agreement with the practical situation.

Healthcare databases in Europe for studying medicine use and safety during pregnancy.

PubMed

Charlton, Rachel A; Neville, Amanda J; Jordan, Sue; Pierini, Anna; Damase-Michel, Christine; Klungsøyr, Kari; Andersen, Anne-Marie Nybo; Hansen, Anne Vinkel; Gini, Rosa; Bos, Jens H J; Puccini, Aurora; Hurault-Delarue, Caroline; Brooks, Caroline J; de Jong-van den Berg, Lolkje T W; de Vries, Corinne S

2014-06-01

The aim of this study was to describe a number of electronic healthcare databases in Europe in terms of the population covered, the source of the data captured and the availability of data on key variables required for evaluating medicine use and medicine safety during pregnancy. A sample of electronic healthcare databases that captured pregnancies and prescription data was selected on the basis of contacts within the EUROCAT network. For each participating database, a database inventory was completed. Eight databases were included, and the total population covered was 25 million. All databases recorded live births, seven captured stillbirths and five had full data available on spontaneous pregnancy losses and induced terminations. In six databases, data were usually available to determine the date of the woman's last menstrual period, whereas in the remainder, algorithms were needed to establish a best estimate for at least some pregnancies. In seven databases, it was possible to use data recorded in the databases to identify pregnancies where the offspring had a congenital anomaly. Information on confounding variables was more commonly available in databases capturing data recorded by primary-care practitioners. All databases captured maternal co-prescribing and a measure of socioeconomic status. This study suggests that within Europe, electronic healthcare databases may be valuable sources of data for evaluating medicine use and safety during pregnancy. The suitability of a particular database, however, will depend on the research question, the type of medicine to be evaluated, the prevalence of its use and any adverse outcomes of interest. © 2014 The Authors. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. © 2014 The Authors. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

National Rehabilitation Information Center

MedlinePlus

... search the NARIC website or one of our databases Select a database or search for a webpage A NARIC webpage ... Projects conducting research and/or development (NIDILRR Program Database). Organizations, agencies, and online resources that support people ...

A combined strategy involving Sanger and 454 pyrosequencing increases genomic resources to aid in the management of reproduction, disease control and genetic selection in the turbot (Scophthalmus maximus).

PubMed

Ribas, Laia; Pardo, Belén G; Fernández, Carlos; Alvarez-Diós, José Antonio; Gómez-Tato, Antonio; Quiroga, María Isabel; Planas, Josep V; Sitjà-Bobadilla, Ariadna; Martínez, Paulino; Piferrer, Francesc

2013-03-15

Genomic resources for plant and animal species that are under exploitation primarily for human consumption are increasingly important, among other things, for understanding physiological processes and for establishing adequate genetic selection programs. Current available techniques for high-throughput sequencing have been implemented in a number of species, including fish, to obtain a proper description of the transcriptome. The objective of this study was to generate a comprehensive transcriptomic database in turbot, a highly priced farmed fish species in Europe, with potential expansion to other areas of the world, for which there are unsolved production bottlenecks, to understand better reproductive- and immune-related functions. This information is essential to implement marker assisted selection programs useful for the turbot industry. Expressed sequence tags were generated by Sanger sequencing of cDNA libraries from different immune-related tissues after several parasitic challenges. The resulting database ("Turbot 2 database") was enlarged with sequences generated from a 454 sequencing run of brain-hypophysis-gonadal axis-derived RNA obtained from turbot at different development stages. The assembly of Sanger and 454 sequences generated 52,427 consensus sequences ("Turbot 3 database"), of which 23,661 were successfully annotated. A total of 1,410 sequences were confirmed to be related to reproduction and key genes involved in sex differentiation and maturation were identified for the first time in turbot (AR, AMH, SRY-related genes, CYP19A, ZPGs, STAR FSHR, etc.). Similarly, 2,241 sequences were related to the immune system and several novel key immune genes were identified (BCL, TRAF, NCK, CD28 and TOLLIP, among others). The number of genes of many relevant reproduction- and immune-related pathways present in the database was 50-90% of the total gene count of each pathway. In addition, 1,237 microsatellites and 7,362 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were also compiled. Further, 2,976 putative natural antisense transcripts (NATs) including microRNAs were also identified. The combined sequencing strategies employed here significantly increased the turbot genomic resources available, including 34,400 novel sequences. The generated database contains a larger number of genes relevant for reproduction- and immune-associated studies, with an excellent coverage of most genes present in many relevant physiological pathways. This database also allowed the identification of many microsatellites and SNP markers that will be very useful for population and genome screening and a valuable aid in marker assisted selection programs.

Nutrient, suspended-sediment, and total suspended-solids data for surface water in the Great Salt Lake basins study unit, Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming, 1980-95

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hadley, Heidi K.

2000-01-01

Selected nitrogen and phosphorus (nutrient), suspended-sediment and total suspended-solids surface-water data were compiled from January 1980 through December 1995 within the Great Salt Lake Basins National Water-Quality Assessment study unit, which extends from southeastern Idaho to west-central Utah and from Great Salt Lake to the Wasatch and western Uinta Mountains. The data were retrieved from the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System and the State of Utah, Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Water Quality database. The Division of Water Quality database includes data that are submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency STOrage and RETrieval system. Water-quality data included in this report were selected for surface-water sites (rivers, streams, and canals) that had three or more nutrient, suspended-sediment, or total suspended-solids analyses. Also, 33 percent or more of the measurements at a site had to include discharge, and, for non-U.S. Geological Survey sites, there had to be 2 or more years of data. Ancillary data for parameters such as water temperature, pH, specific conductance, streamflow (discharge), dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, alkalinity, and turbidity also were compiled, as available. The compiled nutrient database contains 13,511 samples from 191 selected sites. The compiled suspended-sediment and total suspended-solids database contains 11,642 samples from 142 selected sites. For the nutrient database, the median (50th percentile) sample period for individual sites is 6 years, and the 75th percentile is 14 years. The median number of samples per site is 52 and the 75th percentile is 110 samples. For the suspended-sediment and total suspended-solids database, the median sample period for individual sites is 9 years, and the 75th percentile is 14 years. The median number of samples per site is 76 and the 75th percentile is 120 samples. The compiled historical data are being used in the basinwide sampling strategy to characterize the broad-scale geographic and seasonal water-quality conditions in relation to major contaminant sources and background conditions. Data for this report are stored on a compact disc.

Histogram of gradient and binarized statistical image features of wavelet subband-based palmprint features extraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Attallah, Bilal; Serir, Amina; Chahir, Youssef; Boudjelal, Abdelwahhab

2017-11-01

Palmprint recognition systems are dependent on feature extraction. A method of feature extraction using higher discrimination information was developed to characterize palmprint images. In this method, two individual feature extraction techniques are applied to a discrete wavelet transform of a palmprint image, and their outputs are fused. The two techniques used in the fusion are the histogram of gradient and the binarized statistical image features. They are then evaluated using an extreme learning machine classifier before selecting a feature based on principal component analysis. Three palmprint databases, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) Multispectral Palmprint Database, Hong Kong PolyU Palmprint Database II, and the Delhi Touchless (IIDT) Palmprint Database, are used in this study. The study shows that our method effectively identifies and verifies palmprints and outperforms other methods based on feature extraction.

Analysis of User Need with CD-ROM Databases: A Case Study Based on Work Sampling at One University Library.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wells, Amy Tracy

Analysis of the needs of users of Compact Disk-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) was performed at the Tampa campus of the University of South Florida. A review of the literature indicated that problems associated with selecting the appropriate database, searching, and requiring technical assistance were the probable areas of user need. The library has 17…

Two Student Self-Management Techniques Applied to Data-Based Program Modification.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wesson, Caren

Two student self-management techniques, student charting and student selection of instructional activities, were applied to ongoing data-based program modification. Forty-two elementary school resource room students were assigned randomly (within teacher) to one of three treatment conditions: Teacher Chart-Teacher Select Instructional Activities…

S2RSLDB: a comprehensive manually curated, internet-accessible database of the sigma-2 receptor selective ligands.

PubMed

Nastasi, Giovanni; Miceli, Carla; Pittalà, Valeria; Modica, Maria N; Prezzavento, Orazio; Romeo, Giuseppe; Rescifina, Antonio; Marrazzo, Agostino; Amata, Emanuele

2017-01-01

Sigma (σ) receptors are accepted as a particular receptor class consisting of two subtypes: sigma-1 (σ 1 ) and sigma-2 (σ 2 ). The two receptor subtypes have specific drug actions, pharmacological profiles and molecular characteristics. The σ 2 receptor is overexpressed in several tumor cell lines, and its ligands are currently under investigation for their role in tumor diagnosis and treatment. The σ 2 receptor structure has not been disclosed, and researchers rely on σ 2 receptor radioligand binding assay to understand the receptor's pharmacological behavior and design new lead compounds. Here we present the sigma-2 Receptor Selective Ligands Database (S2RSLDB) a manually curated database of the σ 2 receptor selective ligands containing more than 650 compounds. The database is built with chemical structure information, radioligand binding affinity data, computed physicochemical properties, and experimental radioligand binding procedures. The S2RSLDB is freely available online without account login and having a powerful search engine the user may build complex queries, sort tabulated results, generate color coded 2D and 3D graphs and download the data for additional screening. The collection here reported is extremely useful for the development of new ligands endowed of σ 2 receptor affinity, selectivity, and appropriate physicochemical properties. The database will be updated yearly and in the near future, an online submission form will be available to help with keeping the database widely spread in the research community and continually updated. The database is available at http://www.researchdsf.unict.it/S2RSLDB.

Development and Operation of a Database Machine for Online Access and Update of a Large Database.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rush, James E.

1980-01-01

Reviews the development of a fault tolerant database processor system which replaced OCLC's conventional file system. A general introduction to database management systems and the operating environment is followed by a description of the hardware selection, software processes, and system characteristics. (SW)

A Comparison of Selected Bibliographic Database Subject Overlap for Agricultural Information

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ritchie, Stephanie M.; Young, Lauren M.; Sigman, Jessica

2018-01-01

Agricultural researchers and science librarians must understand which research literature databases provide the most comprehensive coverage of agricultural subjects to support their inquiries. Once the domain of a few specialized databases, agricultural research literature is now covered by broad, multidisciplinary databases. The purpose of this…

The use of database management systems and artificial intelligence in automating the planning of optical navigation pictures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, Robert P.; Underwood, Ian M.

1987-01-01

The use of database management systems (DBMS) and AI to minimize human involvement in the planning of optical navigation pictures for interplanetary space probes is discussed, with application to the Galileo mission. Parameters characterizing the desirability of candidate pictures, and the program generating them, are described. How these parameters automatically build picture records in a database, and the definition of the database structure, are then discussed. The various rules, priorities, and constraints used in selecting pictures are also described. An example is provided of an expert system, written in Prolog, for automatically performing the selection process.

StarView: The object oriented design of the ST DADS user interface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, J. D.; Pollizzi, J. A.

1992-01-01

StarView is the user interface being developed for the Hubble Space Telescope Data Archive and Distribution Service (ST DADS). ST DADS is the data archive for HST observations and a relational database catalog describing the archived data. Users will use StarView to query the catalog and select appropriate datasets for study. StarView sends requests for archived datasets to ST DADS which processes the requests and returns the database to the user. StarView is designed to be a powerful and extensible user interface. Unique features include an internal relational database to navigate query results, a form definition language that will work with both CRT and X interfaces, a data definition language that will allow StarView to work with any relational database, and the ability to generate adhoc queries without requiring the user to understand the structure of the ST DADS catalog. Ultimately, StarView will allow the user to refine queries in the local database for improved performance and merge in data from external sources for correlation with other query results. The user will be able to create a query from single or multiple forms, merging the selected attributes into a single query. Arbitrary selection of attributes for querying is supported. The user will be able to select how query results are viewed. A standard form or table-row format may be used. Navigation capabilities are provided to aid the user in viewing query results. Object oriented analysis and design techniques were used in the design of StarView to support the mechanisms and concepts required to implement these features. One such mechanism is the Model-View-Controller (MVC) paradigm. The MVC allows the user to have multiple views of the underlying database, while providing a consistent mechanism for interaction regardless of the view. This approach supports both CRT and X interfaces while providing a common mode of user interaction. Another powerful abstraction is the concept of a Query Model. This concept allows a single query to be built form a single or multiple forms before it is submitted to ST DADS. Supporting this concept is the adhoc query generator which allows the user to select and qualify an indeterminate number attributes from the database. The user does not need any knowledge of how the joins across various tables are to be resolved. The adhoc generator calculates the joins automatically and generates the correct SQL query.

An Approach for Selecting a Theoretical Framework for the Evaluation of Training Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tasca, Jorge Eduardo; Ensslin, Leonardo; Ensslin, Sandra Rolim; Alves, Maria Bernardete Martins

2010-01-01

Purpose: This research paper proposes a method for selecting references related to a research topic, and seeks to exemplify it for the case of a study evaluating training programs. The method is designed to identify references with high academic relevance in databases accessed via the internet, using a bibliometric analysis to sift the selected…

Qualitative Comparison of IGRA and ESRL Radiosonde Archived Databases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, John R.

2014-01-01

Multiple databases of atmospheric profile information are freely available to individuals and groups such as the Natural Environments group. Two of the primary database archives provided by NOAA that are most frequently used are those from the Earth Science Research Laboratory (ESRL) and the Integrated Global Radiosonde Archive (IGRA). Inquiries have been made as to why one database is used as opposed to the other, yet to the best of knowledge, no formal comparison has been performed. The goal of this study is to provide a qualitative comparison of the ESRL and IGRA radiosonde databases. For part of this analyses, 14 upper air observation sites were selected. These sites all have the common attribute of having been used or are planned for use in the development of Range Reference Atmospheres (RRAs) in support of NASA's and DOD's current and future goals.

Phynx: an open source software solution supporting data management and web-based patient-level data review for drug safety studies in the general practice research database and other health care databases.

PubMed

Egbring, Marco; Kullak-Ublick, Gerd A; Russmann, Stefan

2010-01-01

To develop a software solution that supports management and clinical review of patient data from electronic medical records databases or claims databases for pharmacoepidemiological drug safety studies. We used open source software to build a data management system and an internet application with a Flex client on a Java application server with a MySQL database backend. The application is hosted on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud. This solution named Phynx supports data management, Web-based display of electronic patient information, and interactive review of patient-level information in the individual clinical context. This system was applied to a dataset from the UK General Practice Research Database (GPRD). Our solution can be setup and customized with limited programming resources, and there is almost no extra cost for software. Access times are short, the displayed information is structured in chronological order and visually attractive, and selected information such as drug exposure can be blinded. External experts can review patient profiles and save evaluations and comments via a common Web browser. Phynx provides a flexible and economical solution for patient-level review of electronic medical information from databases considering the individual clinical context. It can therefore make an important contribution to an efficient validation of outcome assessment in drug safety database studies.

The Emotional Movie Database (EMDB): a self-report and psychophysiological study.

PubMed

Carvalho, Sandra; Leite, Jorge; Galdo-Álvarez, Santiago; Gonçalves, Oscar F

2012-12-01

Film clips are an important tool for evoking emotional responses in the laboratory. When compared with other emotionally potent visual stimuli (e.g., pictures), film clips seem to be more effective in eliciting emotions for longer periods of time at both the subjective and physiological levels. The main objective of the present study was to develop a new database of affective film clips without auditory content, based on a dimensional approach to emotional stimuli (valence, arousal and dominance). The study had three different phases: (1) the pre-selection and editing of 52 film clips (2) the self-report rating of these film clips by a sample of 113 participants and (3) psychophysiological assessment [skin conductance level (SCL) and the heart rate (HR)] on 32 volunteers. Film clips from different categories were selected to elicit emotional states from different quadrants of affective space. The results also showed that sustained exposure to the affective film clips resulted in a pattern of a SCL increase and HR deceleration in high arousal conditions (i.e., horror and erotic conditions). The resulting emotional movie database can reliably be used in research requiring the presentation of non-auditory film clips with different ratings of valence, arousal and dominance.

Value of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in assessing radiotherapy and chemotherapy success in cervical cancer.

PubMed

Fu, Zhan-Zhao; Peng, Yong; Cao, Li-Yan; Chen, Yan-Sheng; Li, Kun; Fu, Bao-Hong

2015-06-01

We investigated the clinical significance of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) in monitoring the efficacy of radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy (CT) treatments in cervical cancer. In order to identify relevant high quality clinical cohort studies reporting the use of DWI in cervical cancers, the following electronic databases in English and Chinese languages were comprehensively searched: MEDLINE, Science Citation Index database, Cochrane Library Database, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and Current Contents Index; Chinese Biomedical Database, Chinese Journal Full-Text Database. All selected studies were published prior to March 2014, and data extracted from these studies were analyzed using STATA 12.0 statistical software. We initially retrieved 196 articles (79 Chinese articles and 117 English articles) through database searches and finally selected sixteen cohort studies for this meta-analysis. The 16 studies contained a combined total of 517 subjects, and all selected studies reported the mean ADC value (10(-3) mm(2)/s) in DWI in cervical cancer patients treated with RT and CT. Combined standardized mean difference (SMD) suggested that the mean post-RT and mean post-CT ADC values were significantly higher than the mean pre-RT and mean pre-CT ADC values, respectively, in cervical cancer patients (SMD=2.95, 95% CI=2.19-3.72, P<0.001). Ethnicity-stratified analysis revealed that increased ADC values were observed post-RT and post-CT in both Caucasian (SMD=1.44, 95% CI=0.93-1.95, P<0.001) and Asian populations (SMD=3.32, 95% CI=2.42-4.22, P<0.001), compared with the mean ADC values before RT and CT, respectively, in the two subgroups. Further, subgroup analysis based on b-value revealed that higher ADC values were found in cervical cancer patients after RT and CT, compared to before RT and CT treatment, with both b value≤900 (SMD=3.71, 95% CI=2.35-5.07, P<0.001) and >900 (SMD=2.55, 95% CI=1.78-3.32, P<0.001). The mean ADC value in patients without residual tumor post-RT and post-CT treatment was significantly higher than seen in patients with residual tumors (SMD=0.80, 95% CI=0.49-1.12, P<0.001). Our meta-analysis revealed a significant correlation between mean ADC values and the clinical response to RT and CT treatment. Thus, ADC values in DWI may be effective in evaluating the clinical outcome of treatments in cervical cancer patients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

SVM-RFE based feature selection and Taguchi parameters optimization for multiclass SVM classifier.

PubMed

Huang, Mei-Ling; Hung, Yung-Hsiang; Lee, W M; Li, R K; Jiang, Bo-Ru

2014-01-01

Recently, support vector machine (SVM) has excellent performance on classification and prediction and is widely used on disease diagnosis or medical assistance. However, SVM only functions well on two-group classification problems. This study combines feature selection and SVM recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) to investigate the classification accuracy of multiclass problems for Dermatology and Zoo databases. Dermatology dataset contains 33 feature variables, 1 class variable, and 366 testing instances; and the Zoo dataset contains 16 feature variables, 1 class variable, and 101 testing instances. The feature variables in the two datasets were sorted in descending order by explanatory power, and different feature sets were selected by SVM-RFE to explore classification accuracy. Meanwhile, Taguchi method was jointly combined with SVM classifier in order to optimize parameters C and γ to increase classification accuracy for multiclass classification. The experimental results show that the classification accuracy can be more than 95% after SVM-RFE feature selection and Taguchi parameter optimization for Dermatology and Zoo databases.

SVM-RFE Based Feature Selection and Taguchi Parameters Optimization for Multiclass SVM Classifier

PubMed Central

Huang, Mei-Ling; Hung, Yung-Hsiang; Lee, W. M.; Li, R. K.; Jiang, Bo-Ru

2014-01-01

Recently, support vector machine (SVM) has excellent performance on classification and prediction and is widely used on disease diagnosis or medical assistance. However, SVM only functions well on two-group classification problems. This study combines feature selection and SVM recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) to investigate the classification accuracy of multiclass problems for Dermatology and Zoo databases. Dermatology dataset contains 33 feature variables, 1 class variable, and 366 testing instances; and the Zoo dataset contains 16 feature variables, 1 class variable, and 101 testing instances. The feature variables in the two datasets were sorted in descending order by explanatory power, and different feature sets were selected by SVM-RFE to explore classification accuracy. Meanwhile, Taguchi method was jointly combined with SVM classifier in order to optimize parameters C and γ to increase classification accuracy for multiclass classification. The experimental results show that the classification accuracy can be more than 95% after SVM-RFE feature selection and Taguchi parameter optimization for Dermatology and Zoo databases. PMID:25295306

On-the-fly selection of cell-specific enhancers, genes, miRNAs and proteins across the human body using SlideBase

PubMed Central

Ienasescu, Hans; Li, Kang; Andersson, Robin; Vitezic, Morana; Rennie, Sarah; Chen, Yun; Vitting-Seerup, Kristoffer; Lagoni, Emil; Boyd, Mette; Bornholdt, Jette; de Hoon, Michiel J. L.; Kawaji, Hideya; Lassmann, Timo; Hayashizaki, Yoshihide; Forrest, Alistair R. R.; Carninci, Piero; Sandelin, Albin

2016-01-01

Genomics consortia have produced large datasets profiling the expression of genes, micro-RNAs, enhancers and more across human tissues or cells. There is a need for intuitive tools to select subsets of such data that is the most relevant for specific studies. To this end, we present SlideBase, a web tool which offers a new way of selecting genes, promoters, enhancers and microRNAs that are preferentially expressed/used in a specified set of cells/tissues, based on the use of interactive sliders. With the help of sliders, SlideBase enables users to define custom expression thresholds for individual cell types/tissues, producing sets of genes, enhancers etc. which satisfy these constraints. Changes in slider settings result in simultaneous changes in the selected sets, updated in real time. SlideBase is linked to major databases from genomics consortia, including FANTOM, GTEx, The Human Protein Atlas and BioGPS. Database URL: http://slidebase.binf.ku.dk PMID:28025337

Development of a pseudo/anonymised primary care research database: Proof-of-concept study.

PubMed

MacRury, Sandra; Finlayson, Jim; Hussey-Wilson, Susan; Holden, Samantha

2016-06-01

General practice records present a comprehensive source of data that could form a variety of anonymised or pseudonymised research databases to aid identification of potential research participants regardless of location. A proof-of-concept study was undertaken to extract data from general practice systems in 15 practices across the region to form pseudo and anonymised research data sets. Two feasibility studies and a disease surveillance study compared numbers of potential study participants and accuracy of disease prevalence, respectively. There was a marked reduction in screening time and increase in numbers of potential study participants identified with the research repository compared with conventional methods. Accurate disease prevalence was established and enhanced with the addition of selective text mining. This study confirms the potential for development of national anonymised research database from general practice records in addition to improving data collection for local or national audits and epidemiological projects. © The Author(s) 2014.

Collection Fusion Using Bayesian Estimation of a Linear Regression Model in Image Databases on the Web.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Deok-Hwan; Chung, Chin-Wan

2003-01-01

Discusses the collection fusion problem of image databases, concerned with retrieving relevant images by content based retrieval from image databases distributed on the Web. Focuses on a metaserver which selects image databases supporting similarity measures and proposes a new algorithm which exploits a probabilistic technique using Bayesian…

National Online Meeting Proceedings (15th, New York, New York, May 10-12, 1994).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

1994

This proceedings contains 58 papers that were reviewed and selected for presentation at the 1994 National Online Meeting. The introduction, "Highlights of the Online/CD-ROM Database Industry: Implications of the Internet for Database Producers" by Martha E. Williams, provides statistics regarding databases, database records, database…

A User's Applications of Imaging Techniques: The University of Maryland Historic Textile Database.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Clarita S.

1991-01-01

Describes the incorporation of textile images into the University of Maryland Historic Textile Database by a computer user rather than a computer expert. Selection of a database management system is discussed, and PICTUREPOWER, a system that integrates photographic quality images with text and numeric information in databases, is described. (three…

An Examination of Selected Software Testing Tools: 1992

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-12-01

Report ....................................................... 27-19 Figure 27-17. Metrics Manager Database Full Report...historical test database , the test management and problem reporting tools were examined using the sample test database provided by each supplier. 4-4...track the impact of new methods, organi- zational structures, and technologies. Metrics Manager is supported by an industry database that allows

Communication Intervention in Rett Syndrome: A Systematic Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sigafoos, Jeff; Green, Vanessa A.; Schlosser, Ralf; O'eilly, Mark F.; Lancioni, Giulio E.; Rispoli, Mandy; Lang, Russell

2009-01-01

We reviewed communication intervention studies involving people with Rett syndrome. Systematic searches of five electronic databases, selected journals, and reference lists identified nine studies meeting the inclusion criteria. These studies were evaluated in terms of: (a) participant characteristics, (b) target skills, (c) procedures, (d) main…

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

Jung, Haeryong; Lee, Eunyong; Jeong, YiYeong

Korea Radioactive-waste Management Corporation (KRMC) established in 2009 has started a new project to collect information on long-term stability of deep geological environments on the Korean Peninsula. The information has been built up in the integrated natural barrier database system available on web (www.deepgeodisposal.kr). The database system also includes socially and economically important information, such as land use, mining area, natural conservation area, population density, and industrial complex, because some of this information is used as exclusionary criteria during the site selection process for a deep geological repository for safe and secure containment and isolation of spent nuclear fuel andmore » other long-lived radioactive waste in Korea. Although the official site selection process has not been started yet in Korea, current integrated natural barrier database system and socio-economic database is believed that the database system will be effectively utilized to narrow down the number of sites where future investigation is most promising in the site selection process for a deep geological repository and to enhance public acceptance by providing readily-available relevant scientific information on deep geological environments in Korea. (authors)« less

Maize databases

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This chapter is a succinct overview of maize data held in the species-specific database MaizeGDB (the Maize Genomics and Genetics Database), and selected multi-species data repositories, such as Gramene/Ensembl Plants, Phytozome, UniProt and the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), ...

USGS cold-water coral geographic database-Gulf of Mexico and western North Atlantic Ocean, version 1.0

USGS Publications Warehouse

Scanlon, Kathryn M.; Waller, Rhian G.; Sirotek, Alexander R.; Knisel, Julia M.; O'Malley, John; Alesandrini, Stian

2010-01-01

The USGS Cold-Water Coral Geographic Database (CoWCoG) provides a tool for researchers and managers interested in studying, protecting, and/or utilizing cold-water coral habitats in the Gulf of Mexico and western North Atlantic Ocean.  The database makes information about the locations and taxonomy of cold-water corals available to the public in an easy-to-access form while preserving the scientific integrity of the data.  The database includes over 1700 entries, mostly from published scientific literature, museum collections, and other databases.  The CoWCoG database is easy to search in a variety of ways, and data can be quickly displayed in table form and on a map by using only the software included with this publication.  Subsets of the database can be selected on the basis of geographic location, taxonomy, or other criteria and exported to one of several available file formats.  Future versions of the database are being planned to cover a larger geographic area and additional taxa.

HLLV avionics requirements study and electronic filing system database development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

This final report provides a summary of achievements and activities performed under Contract NAS8-39215. The contract's objective was to explore a new way of delivering, storing, accessing, and archiving study products and information and to define top level system requirements for Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLLV) avionics that incorporate Vehicle Health Management (VHM). This report includes technical objectives, methods, assumptions, recommendations, sample data, and issues as specified by DPD No. 772, DR-3. The report is organized into two major subsections, one specific to each of the two tasks defined in the Statement of Work: the Index Database Task and the HLLV Avionics Requirements Task. The Index Database Task resulted in the selection and modification of a commercial database software tool to contain the data developed during the HLLV Avionics Requirements Task. All summary information is addressed within each task's section.

A review of accessibility of administrative healthcare databases in the Asia-Pacific region.

PubMed

Milea, Dominique; Azmi, Soraya; Reginald, Praveen; Verpillat, Patrice; Francois, Clement

2015-01-01

We describe and compare the availability and accessibility of administrative healthcare databases (AHDB) in several Asia-Pacific countries: Australia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, China, Thailand, and Malaysia. The study included hospital records, reimbursement databases, prescription databases, and data linkages. Databases were first identified through PubMed, Google Scholar, and the ISPOR database register. Database custodians were contacted. Six criteria were used to assess the databases and provided the basis for a tool to categorise databases into seven levels ranging from least accessible (Level 1) to most accessible (Level 7). We also categorised overall data accessibility for each country as high, medium, or low based on accessibility of databases as well as the number of academic articles published using the databases. Fifty-four administrative databases were identified. Only a limited number of databases allowed access to raw data and were at Level 7 [Medical Data Vision EBM Provider, Japan Medical Data Centre (JMDC) Claims database and Nihon-Chouzai Pharmacy Claims database in Japan, and Medicare, Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), Centre for Health Record Linkage (CHeReL), HealthLinQ, Victorian Data Linkages (VDL), SA-NT DataLink in Australia]. At Levels 3-6 were several databases from Japan [Hamamatsu Medical University Database, Medi-Trend, Nihon University School of Medicine Clinical Data Warehouse (NUSM)], Australia [Western Australia Data Linkage (WADL)], Taiwan [National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD)], South Korea [Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA)], and Malaysia [United Nations University (UNU)-Casemix]. Countries were categorised as having a high level of data accessibility (Australia, Taiwan, and Japan), medium level of accessibility (South Korea), or a low level of accessibility (Thailand, China, Malaysia, and Singapore). In some countries, data may be available but accessibility was restricted based on requirements by data custodians. Compared with previous research, this study describes the landscape of databases in the selected countries with more granularity using an assessment tool developed for this purpose. A high number of databases were identified but most had restricted access, preventing their potential use to support research. We hope that this study helps to improve the understanding of the AHDB landscape, increase data sharing and database research in Asia-Pacific countries.

Systematic review of health literacy in Cochrane database studies on paediatric asthma educational interventions: searching beyond rigorous design.

PubMed

Zeni, Mary Beth

2012-03-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate if paediatric asthma educational intervention studies included in the Cochrane Collaboration database incorporated concepts of health literacy. Inclusion criteria were established to identify review categories in the Cochrane Collaboration database specific to paediatric asthma educational interventions. Articles that met the inclusion criteria were selected from the Cochrane Collaboration database in 2010. The health literacy definition from Healthy People 2010 was used to develop a 4-point a priori rating scale to determine the extent a study reported aspects of health literacy in the development of an educational intervention for parents and/or children. Five Cochrane review categories met the inclusion criteria; 75 studies were rated for health literacy content regarding educational interventions with families and children living with asthma. A priori criteria were used for the rating process. While 52 (69%) studies had no information pertaining to health literacy, 23 (31%) reported an aspect of health literacy. Although all studies maintained the rigorous standards of randomized clinical trials, a model of health literacy was not reported regarding the design and implementation of interventions. While a more comprehensive health literacy model for the development of educational interventions with families and children may have been available after the reviewed studies were conducted, general literacy levels still could have been addressed. The findings indicate a need to incorporate health literacy in the design of client-centred educational interventions and in the selection criteria of relevant Cochrane reviews. Inclusion assures that health literacy is as important as randomization and statistical analyses in the research design of educational interventions and may even assure participation of people with literacy challenges. © 2012 The Author. International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare © 2012 The Joanna Briggs Institute.

MGIS: managing banana (Musa spp.) genetic resources information and high-throughput genotyping data

PubMed Central

Guignon, V.; Sempere, G.; Sardos, J.; Hueber, Y.; Duvergey, H.; Andrieu, A.; Chase, R.; Jenny, C.; Hazekamp, T.; Irish, B.; Jelali, K.; Adeka, J.; Ayala-Silva, T.; Chao, C.P.; Daniells, J.; Dowiya, B.; Effa effa, B.; Gueco, L.; Herradura, L.; Ibobondji, L.; Kempenaers, E.; Kilangi, J.; Muhangi, S.; Ngo Xuan, P.; Paofa, J.; Pavis, C.; Thiemele, D.; Tossou, C.; Sandoval, J.; Sutanto, A.; Vangu Paka, G.; Yi, G.; Van den houwe, I.; Roux, N.

2017-01-01

Abstract Unraveling the genetic diversity held in genebanks on a large scale is underway, due to advances in Next-generation sequence (NGS) based technologies that produce high-density genetic markers for a large number of samples at low cost. Genebank users should be in a position to identify and select germplasm from the global genepool based on a combination of passport, genotypic and phenotypic data. To facilitate this, a new generation of information systems is being designed to efficiently handle data and link it with other external resources such as genome or breeding databases. The Musa Germplasm Information System (MGIS), the database for global ex situ-held banana genetic resources, has been developed to address those needs in a user-friendly way. In developing MGIS, we selected a generic database schema (Chado), the robust content management system Drupal for the user interface, and Tripal, a set of Drupal modules which links the Chado schema to Drupal. MGIS allows germplasm collection examination, accession browsing, advanced search functions, and germplasm orders. Additionally, we developed unique graphical interfaces to compare accessions and to explore them based on their taxonomic information. Accession-based data has been enriched with publications, genotyping studies and associated genotyping datasets reporting on germplasm use. Finally, an interoperability layer has been implemented to facilitate the link with complementary databases like the Banana Genome Hub and the MusaBase breeding database. Database URL: https://www.crop-diversity.org/mgis/ PMID:29220435

Decoys Selection in Benchmarking Datasets: Overview and Perspectives

PubMed Central

Réau, Manon; Langenfeld, Florent; Zagury, Jean-François; Lagarde, Nathalie; Montes, Matthieu

2018-01-01

Virtual Screening (VS) is designed to prospectively help identifying potential hits, i.e., compounds capable of interacting with a given target and potentially modulate its activity, out of large compound collections. Among the variety of methodologies, it is crucial to select the protocol that is the most adapted to the query/target system under study and that yields the most reliable output. To this aim, the performance of VS methods is commonly evaluated and compared by computing their ability to retrieve active compounds in benchmarking datasets. The benchmarking datasets contain a subset of known active compounds together with a subset of decoys, i.e., assumed non-active molecules. The composition of both the active and the decoy compounds subsets is critical to limit the biases in the evaluation of the VS methods. In this review, we focus on the selection of decoy compounds that has considerably changed over the years, from randomly selected compounds to highly customized or experimentally validated negative compounds. We first outline the evolution of decoys selection in benchmarking databases as well as current benchmarking databases that tend to minimize the introduction of biases, and secondly, we propose recommendations for the selection and the design of benchmarking datasets. PMID:29416509

CmMDb: a versatile database for Cucumis melo microsatellite markers and other horticulture crop research.

PubMed

Bhawna; Chaduvula, Pavan K; Bonthala, Venkata S; Manjusha, Verma; Siddiq, Ebrahimali A; Polumetla, Ananda K; Prasad, Gajula M N V

2015-01-01

Cucumis melo L. that belongs to Cucurbitaceae family ranks among one of the highest valued horticulture crops being cultivated across the globe. Besides its economical and medicinal importance, Cucumis melo L. is a valuable resource and model system for the evolutionary studies of cucurbit family. However, very limited numbers of molecular markers were reported for Cucumis melo L. so far that limits the pace of functional genomic research in melon and other similar horticulture crops. We developed the first whole genome based microsatellite DNA marker database of Cucumis melo L. and comprehensive web resource that aids in variety identification and physical mapping of Cucurbitaceae family. The Cucumis melo L. microsatellite database (CmMDb: http://65.181.125.102/cmmdb2/index.html) encompasses 39,072 SSR markers along with its motif repeat, motif length, motif sequence, marker ID, motif type and chromosomal locations. The database is featured with novel automated primer designing facility to meet the needs of wet lab researchers. CmMDb is a freely available web resource that facilitates the researchers to select the most appropriate markers for marker-assisted selection in melons and to improve breeding strategies.

Promise and Limitations of Big Data Research in Plastic Surgery.

PubMed

Zhu, Victor Zhang; Tuggle, Charles Thompson; Au, Alexander Francis

2016-04-01

The use of "Big Data" in plastic surgery outcomes research has increased dramatically in the last 5 years. This article addresses some of the benefits and limitations of such research. This is a narrative review of large database studies in plastic surgery. There are several benefits to database research as compared with traditional forms of research, such as randomized controlled studies and cohort studies. These include the ease in patient recruitment, reduction in selection bias, and increased generalizability. As such, the types of outcomes research that are particularly suited for database studies include determination of geographic variations in practice, volume outcome analysis, evaluation of how sociodemographic factors affect access to health care, and trend analyses over time. The limitations of database research include data which are limited only to what was captured in the database, high power which can cause clinically insignificant differences to achieve statistical significance, and fishing which can lead to increased type I errors. The National Surgical Quality Improvement Project is an important general surgery database that may be useful for plastic surgeons because it is validated and has a large number of patients after over a decade of collecting data. The Tracking Operations and Outcomes for Plastic Surgeons Program is a newer database specific to plastic surgery. Databases are a powerful tool for plastic surgery outcomes research. It is critically important to understand their benefits and limitations when designing research projects or interpreting studies whose data have been drawn from them. For plastic surgeons, National Surgical Quality Improvement Project has a greater number of publications, but Tracking Operations and Outcomes for Plastic Surgeons Program is the most applicable database for plastic surgery research.

Assessment of the reliability of data collected for the Department of Veterans Affairs national surgical quality improvement program.

PubMed

Davis, Chester L; Pierce, John R; Henderson, William; Spencer, C David; Tyler, Christine; Langberg, Robert; Swafford, Jennan; Felan, Gladys S; Kearns, Martha A; Booker, Brigitte

2007-04-01

The Office of the Medical Inspector of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) studied the reliability of data collected by the VA's National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP). The study focused on case selection bias, accuracy of reports on patients who died, and interrater reliability measurements of patient risk variables and outcomes. Surgical data from a sample of 15 VA medical centers were analyzed. For case selection bias, reviewers applied NSQIP criteria to include or exclude 2,460 patients from the database, comparing their results with those of NSQIP staff. For accurate reporting of patients who died, reviewers compared Social Security numbers of 10,444 NSQIP records with those found in the VA Beneficiary Identification and Records Locator Subsystem, VA Patient Treatment Files, and Social Security Administration death files. For measurement of interrater reliability, reviewers reabstracted 59 variables in each of 550 patient medical records that also were recorded in the NSQIP database. On case selection bias, the reviewers agreed with NSQIP decisions on 2,418 (98%) of the 2,460 cases. Computer record matching identified 4 more deaths than the NSQIP total of 198, a difference of about 2%. For 52 of the categorical variables, agreement, uncorrected for chance, was 96%. For 48 of 52 categorical variables, kappas ranged from 0.61 to 1.0 (substantial to almost perfect agreement); none of the variables had kappas of less than 0.20 (slight to poor agreement). This sample of medical centers shows adherence to criteria in selecting cases for the NSQIP database, for reporting deaths, and for collecting patient risk variables.

Adoption of Information Technology by Advertising Agencies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herling, Thomas J.; Merskin, Debra

Since little empirical research has been conducted on adoption of currently available information technology by the advertising industry, a study explored the extent of advertising agencies' adoption of selected information technologies such as online database services and electronic mail. The study discussed data from earlier studies and analyzed…

IRIS Toxicological Review of Hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5 ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

In August 2013, EPA released the draft literature searches and associated search strategies, evidence tables, and exposure response arrays for RDX to obtain input from stakeholders and the public prior to developing the draft IRIS assessment. Specifically, EPA was interested in comments on the following: Draft literature search strategies The approach for identifying studies The screening process for selecting pertinent studies The resulting list of pertinent studies Preliminary evidence tables The process for selecting studies to include in evidence tables The quality of the studies in the evidence tables The literature search strategy, which describes the processes for identifying scientific literature, contains the studies that EPA considered and selected to include in the evidence tables. The preliminary evidence tables and exposure-response arrays present the key study data in a standardized format. The evidence tables summarize the available critical scientific literature. The exposure-response figures provide a graphical representation of the responses at different levels of exposure for each study in the evidence table. The U.S. EPA is conducting a new health assessment of RDX that will appear on the Agency's online database, the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). IRIS is an EPA database containing Agency scientific positions on potential adverse human health effects that may result

Eukaryotic and prokaryotic promoter databases as valuable tools in exploring the regulation of gene transcription: a comprehensive overview.

PubMed

Majewska, Małgorzata; Wysokińska, Halina; Kuźma, Łukasz; Szymczyk, Piotr

2018-02-20

The complete exploration of the regulation of gene expression remains one of the top-priority goals for researchers. As the regulation is mainly controlled at the level of transcription by promoters, study on promoters and findings are of great importance. This review summarizes forty selected databases that centralize experimental and theoretical knowledge regarding the organization of promoters, interacting transcription factors (TFs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) in many eukaryotic and prokaryotic species. The presented databases offer researchers valuable support in elucidating the regulation of gene transcription. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Coverage and overlaps in bibliographic databases relevant to forensic medicine: a comparative analysis of MEDLINE.

PubMed Central

Yonker, V A; Young, K P; Beecham, S K; Horwitz, S; Cousin, K

1990-01-01

This study was designed to make a comparative evaluation of the performance of MEDLINE in covering serial literature. Forensic medicine was chosen because it is an interdisciplinary subject area that would test MEDLARS at the periphery of the system. The evaluation of database coverage was based upon articles included in the bibliographies of scholars in the field of forensic medicine. This method was considered appropriate for characterizing work used by researchers in this field. The results of comparing MEDLINE to other databases evoked some concerns about the selective indexing policy of MEDLINE in serving the interests of those working in forensic medicine. PMID:2403829

New Dimensions for the Online Catalog: The Dartmouth College Library Experience [and] TOC/DOC at Caltech: Evolution of Citation Access Online [and] Locally Loaded Databases in Arizona State University's Online Catalog Using the CARL System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klemperer, Katharina; And Others

1989-01-01

Each of three articles describes an academic library's online catalog that includes locally created databases. Topics covered include database and software selection; systems design and development; database producer negotiations; problems encountered during implementation; database loading; training and documentation; and future plans. (CLB)

Electron Effective-Attenuation-Length Database

National Institute of Standards and Technology Data Gateway

SRD 82 NIST Electron Effective-Attenuation-Length Database (PC database, no charge)   This database provides values of electron effective attenuation lengths (EALs) in solid elements and compounds at selected electron energies between 50 eV and 2,000 eV. The database was designed mainly to provide EALs (to account for effects of elastic-eletron scattering) for applications in surface analysis by Auger-electron spectroscopy (AES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

Variation in choice of study design: findings from the Epidemiology Design Decision Inventory and Evaluation (EDDIE) survey.

PubMed

Stang, Paul E; Ryan, Patrick B; Overhage, J Marc; Schuemie, Martijn J; Hartzema, Abraham G; Welebob, Emily

2013-10-01

Researchers using observational data to understand drug effects must make a number of analytic design choices that suit the characteristics of the data and the subject of the study. Review of the published literature suggests that there is a lack of consistency even when addressing the same research question in the same database. To characterize the degree of similarity or difference in the method and analysis choices made by observational database research experts when presented with research study scenarios. On-line survey using research scenarios on drug-effect studies to capture method selection and analysis choices that follow a dependency branching based on response to key questions. Voluntary participants experienced in epidemiological study design solicited for participation through registration on the Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership website, membership in particular professional organizations, or links in relevant newsletters. Description (proportion) of respondents selecting particular methods and making specific analysis choices based on individual drug-outcome scenario pairs. The number of questions/decisions differed based on stem questions of study design, time-at-risk, outcome definition, and comparator. There is little consistency across scenarios, by drug or by outcome of interest, in the decisions made for design and analyses in scenarios using large healthcare databases. The most consistent choice was the cohort study design but variability in the other critical decisions was common. There is great variation among epidemiologists in the design and analytical choices that they make when implementing analyses in observational healthcare databases. These findings confirm that it will be important to generate empiric evidence to inform these decisions and to promote a better understanding of the impact of standardization on research implementation.

Information-theoretic CAD system in mammography: Entropy-based indexing for computational efficiency and robust performance

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

Tourassi, Georgia D.; Harrawood, Brian; Singh, Swatee

2007-08-15

We have previously presented a knowledge-based computer-assisted detection (KB-CADe) system for the detection of mammographic masses. The system is designed to compare a query mammographic region with mammographic templates of known ground truth. The templates are stored in an adaptive knowledge database. Image similarity is assessed with information theoretic measures (e.g., mutual information) derived directly from the image histograms. A previous study suggested that the diagnostic performance of the system steadily improves as the knowledge database is initially enriched with more templates. However, as the database increases in size, an exhaustive comparison of the query case with each stored templatemore » becomes computationally burdensome. Furthermore, blind storing of new templates may result in redundancies that do not necessarily improve diagnostic performance. To address these concerns we investigated an entropy-based indexing scheme for improving the speed of analysis and for satisfying database storage restrictions without compromising the overall diagnostic performance of our KB-CADe system. The indexing scheme was evaluated on two different datasets as (i) a search mechanism to sort through the knowledge database, and (ii) a selection mechanism to build a smaller, concise knowledge database that is easier to maintain but still effective. There were two important findings in the study. First, entropy-based indexing is an effective strategy to identify fast a subset of templates that are most relevant to a given query. Only this subset could be analyzed in more detail using mutual information for optimized decision making regarding the query. Second, a selective entropy-based deposit strategy may be preferable where only high entropy cases are maintained in the knowledge database. Overall, the proposed entropy-based indexing scheme was shown to reduce the computational cost of our KB-CADe system by 55% to 80% while maintaining the system's diagnostic performance.« less

The Quality Control Algorithms Used in the Creation of NASA Kennedy Space Center Lightning Protection System Towers Meteorological Database

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Orcutt, John M.; Brenton, James C.

2016-01-01

An accurate database of meteorological data is essential for designing any aerospace vehicle and for preparing launch commit criteria. Meteorological instrumentation were recently placed on the three Lightning Protection System (LPS) towers at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) launch complex 39B (LC-39B), which provide a unique meteorological dataset existing at the launch complex over an extensive altitude range. Data records of temperature, dew point, relative humidity, wind speed, and wind direction are produced at 40, 78, 116, and 139 m at each tower. The Marshall Space Flight Center Natural Environments Branch (EV44) received an archive that consists of one-minute averaged measurements for the period of record of January 2011 - April 2015. However, before the received database could be used EV44 needed to remove any erroneous data from within the database through a comprehensive quality control (QC) process. The QC process applied to the LPS towers' meteorological data is similar to other QC processes developed by EV44, which were used in the creation of meteorological databases for other towers at KSC. The QC process utilized in this study has been modified specifically for use with the LPS tower database. The QC process first includes a check of each individual sensor. This check includes removing any unrealistic data and checking the temporal consistency of each variable. Next, data from all three sensors at each height are checked against each other, checked against climatology, and checked for sensors that erroneously report a constant value. Then, a vertical consistency check of each variable at each tower is completed. Last, the upwind sensor at each level is selected to minimize the influence of the towers and other structures at LC-39B on the measurements. The selection process for the upwind sensor implemented a study of tower-induced turbulence. This paper describes in detail the QC process, QC results, and the attributes of the LPS towers meteorological database.

Mapping the literature of maternal-child/gynecologic nursing.

PubMed

Jacobs, Susan Kaplan

2006-04-01

As part of a project to map the literature of nursing, sponsored by the Nursing and Allied Health Resources Section of the Medical Library Association, this study identifies core journals cited in maternal-child/gynecologic nursing and the indexing services that access the cited journals. Three source journals were selected and subjected to a citation analysis of articles from 1996 to 1998. Journals were the most frequently cited format (74.1%), followed by books (19.7%), miscellaneous (4.2%), and government documents (1.9%). Bradford's Law of Scattering was applied to the results, ranking cited journal references in descending order. One-third of the citations were found in a core of 14 journal titles; one-third were dispersed among a middle zone of 100 titles; and the remaining third were scattered in a larger zone of 1,194 titles. Indexing coverage for the core titles was most comprehensive in PubMed/MEDLINE, followed by Science Citation Index and CINAHL. The core of journals cited in this nursing specialty revealed a large number of medical titles, thus, the biomedical databases provide the best access. The interdisciplinary nature of maternal-child/ gynecologic nursing topics dictates that social sciences databases are an important adjunct. The study results will assist librarians in collection development, provide end users with guidelines for selecting databases, and influence database producers to consider extending coverage to identified titles.

Mapping the literature of maternal-child/gynecologic nursing

PubMed Central

Jacobs, Susan Kaplan

2006-01-01

Objectives: As part of a project to map the literature of nursing, sponsored by the Nursing and Allied Health Resources Section of the Medical Library Association, this study identifies core journals cited in maternal-child/gynecologic nursing and the indexing services that access the cited journals. Methods: Three source journals were selected and subjected to a citation analysis of articles from 1996 to 1998. Results: Journals were the most frequently cited format (74.1%), followed by books (19.7%), miscellaneous (4.2%), and government documents (1.9%). Bradford's Law of Scattering was applied to the results, ranking cited journal references in descending order. One-third of the citations were found in a core of 14 journal titles; one-third were dispersed among a middle zone of 100 titles; and the remaining third were scattered in a larger zone of 1,194 titles. Indexing coverage for the core titles was most comprehensive in PubMed/MEDLINE, followed by Science Citation Index and CINAHL. Conclusion: The core of journals cited in this nursing specialty revealed a large number of medical titles, thus, the biomedical databases provide the best access. The interdisciplinary nature of maternal-child/ gynecologic nursing topics dictates that social sciences databases are an important adjunct. The study results will assist librarians in collection development, provide end users with guidelines for selecting databases, and influence database producers to consider extending coverage to identified titles. PMID:16710464

Molecular Quantum Similarity, Chemical Reactivity and Database Screening of 3D Pharmacophores of the Protein Kinases A, B and G from Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

PubMed

Morales-Bayuelo, Alejandro

2017-06-21

Mycobacterium tuberculosis remains one of the world's most devastating pathogens. For this reason, we developed a study involving 3D pharmacophore searching, selectivity analysis and database screening for a series of anti-tuberculosis compounds, associated with the protein kinases A, B, and G. This theoretical study is expected to shed some light onto some molecular aspects that could contribute to the knowledge of the molecular mechanics behind interactions of these compounds, with anti-tuberculosis activity. Using the Molecular Quantum Similarity field and reactivity descriptors supported in the Density Functional Theory, it was possible to measure the quantification of the steric and electrostatic effects through the Overlap and Coulomb quantitative convergence (alpha and beta) scales. In addition, an analysis of reactivity indices using global and local descriptors was developed, identifying the binding sites and selectivity on these anti-tuberculosis compounds in the active sites. Finally, the reported pharmacophores to PKn A, B and G, were used to carry out database screening, using a database with anti-tuberculosis drugs from the Kelly Chibale research group (http://www.kellychibaleresearch.uct.ac.za/), to find the compounds with affinity for the specific protein targets associated with PKn A, B and G. In this regard, this hybrid methodology (Molecular Mechanic/Quantum Chemistry) shows new insights into drug design that may be useful in the tuberculosis treatment today.

Feasibility of including green tea products for an analytically verified dietary supplement database

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Dietary Supplement Ingredient Database (DSID) is a federally-funded, publically-accessible dietary supplement database that currently contains analytically derived information on micronutrients in selected adult and children’s multivitamin and mineral (MVM) supplements. Other constituents in di...

Online Database Coverage of Pharmaceutical Journals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snow, Bonnie

1984-01-01

Describes compilation of data concerning pharmaceutical journal coverage in online databases which aid information providers in collection development and database selection. Methodology, results (a core collection, overlap, timeliness, geographic scope), and implications are discussed. Eight references and a list of 337 journals indexed online in…

Selecting Data-Base Management Software for Microcomputers in Libraries and Information Units.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pieska, K. A. O.

1986-01-01

Presents a model for the evaluation of database management systems software from the viewpoint of librarians and information specialists. The properties of data management systems, database management systems, and text retrieval systems are outlined and compared. (10 references) (CLB)

Selecting CD-ROM databases for nursing students: a comparison of MEDLINE and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL).

PubMed

Okuma, E

1994-01-01

With the introduction of the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) on CD-ROM, research was initiated to compare coverage of nursing journals by CINAHL and MEDLINE in this format, expanding on previous comparison of these databases in print and online. The study assessed search results for eight topics in 1989 and 1990 citations in both databases, each produced by SilverPlatter. Results were tallied and analyzed for number of records retrieved, unique and overlapping records, relevance, and appropriateness. An overall precision score was developed. The goal of the research was to develop quantifiable tools to help determine which database to purchase for an academic library serving an undergraduate nursing program.

Selecting CD-ROM databases for nursing students: a comparison of MEDLINE and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL).

PubMed Central

Okuma, E

1994-01-01

With the introduction of the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) on CD-ROM, research was initiated to compare coverage of nursing journals by CINAHL and MEDLINE in this format, expanding on previous comparison of these databases in print and online. The study assessed search results for eight topics in 1989 and 1990 citations in both databases, each produced by SilverPlatter. Results were tallied and analyzed for number of records retrieved, unique and overlapping records, relevance, and appropriateness. An overall precision score was developed. The goal of the research was to develop quantifiable tools to help determine which database to purchase for an academic library serving an undergraduate nursing program. PMID:8136757

The Nencki Affective Picture System (NAPS): introduction to a novel, standardized, wide-range, high-quality, realistic picture database.

PubMed

Marchewka, Artur; Zurawski, Łukasz; Jednoróg, Katarzyna; Grabowska, Anna

2014-06-01

Selecting appropriate stimuli to induce emotional states is essential in affective research. Only a few standardized affective stimulus databases have been created for auditory, language, and visual materials. Numerous studies have extensively employed these databases using both behavioral and neuroimaging methods. However, some limitations of the existing databases have recently been reported, including limited numbers of stimuli in specific categories or poor picture quality of the visual stimuli. In the present article, we introduce the Nencki Affective Picture System (NAPS), which consists of 1,356 realistic, high-quality photographs that are divided into five categories (people, faces, animals, objects, and landscapes). Affective ratings were collected from 204 mostly European participants. The pictures were rated according to the valence, arousal, and approach-avoidance dimensions using computerized bipolar semantic slider scales. Normative ratings for the categories are presented for each dimension. Validation of the ratings was obtained by comparing them to ratings generated using the Self-Assessment Manikin and the International Affective Picture System. In addition, the physical properties of the photographs are reported, including luminance, contrast, and entropy. The new database, with accompanying ratings and image parameters, allows researchers to select a variety of visual stimulus materials specific to their experimental questions of interest. The NAPS system is freely accessible to the scientific community for noncommercial use by request at http://naps.nencki.gov.pl .

Current uses of ground penetrating radar in groundwater-dependent ecosystems research.

PubMed

Paz, Catarina; Alcalá, Francisco J; Carvalho, Jorge M; Ribeiro, Luís

2017-10-01

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is a high-resolution technique widely used in shallow groundwater prospecting. This makes GPR ideal to characterize the hydrogeological functioning of groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDE). This paper reviews current uses of GPR in GDE research through the construction of a database comprising 91 worldwide GPR case studies selected from the literature and classified according to (1) geological environments favouring GDE; (2) hydrogeological research interests; and (3) field technical and (4) hydrogeological conditions of the survey. The database analysis showed that inland alluvial, colluvial, and glacial formations were the most widely covered geological environments. Water-table depth was the most repeated research interest. By contrast, weathered-marl and crystalline-rock environments as well as the delineation of salinity interfaces in coastal and inland areas were less studied. Despite that shallow groundwater propitiated GDE in almost all the GPR case studies compiled, only one case expressly addressed GDE research. Common ranges of prospecting depth, water-table depth, and volumetric water content deduced by GPR and other techniques were identified. Antenna frequency of 100MHz and the common offset acquisition technique predominated in the database. Most of GPR case studies were in 30-50° N temperate latitudes, mainly in Europe and North America. Eight original radargrams were selected from several GPR profiles performed in 2014 and 2015 to document database classes and identified gaps, as well as to define experimental ranges of operability in GDE environments. The results contribute to the design of proper GPR surveys in GDE research. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Using cancer case identification algorithms in medico-administrative databases: Literature review and first results from the REDSIAM Tumors group based on breast, colon, and lung cancer].

PubMed

Bousquet, P-J; Caillet, P; Coeuret-Pellicer, M; Goulard, H; Kudjawu, Y C; Le Bihan, C; Lecuyer, A I; Séguret, F

2017-10-01

The development and use of healthcare databases accentuates the need for dedicated tools, including validated selection algorithms of cancer diseased patients. As part of the development of the French National Health Insurance System data network REDSIAM, the tumor taskforce established an inventory of national and internal published algorithms in the field of cancer. This work aims to facilitate the choice of a best-suited algorithm. A non-systematic literature search was conducted for various cancers. Results are presented for lung, breast, colon, and rectum. Medline, Scopus, the French Database in Public Health, Google Scholar, and the summaries of the main French journals in oncology and public health were searched for publications until August 2016. An extraction grid adapted to oncology was constructed and used for the extraction process. A total of 18 publications were selected for lung cancer, 18 for breast cancer, and 12 for colorectal cancer. Validation studies of algorithms are scarce. When information is available, the performance and choice of an algorithm are dependent on the context, purpose, and location of the planned study. Accounting for cancer disease specificity, the proposed extraction chart is more detailed than the generic chart developed for other REDSIAM taskforces, but remains easily usable in practice. This study illustrates the complexity of cancer detection through sole reliance on healthcare databases and the lack of validated algorithms specifically designed for this purpose. Studies that standardize and facilitate validation of these algorithms should be developed and promoted. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Theory-based interventions in physical activity: a systematic review of literature in Iran.

PubMed

Abdi, Jalal; Eftekhar, Hassan; Estebsari, Fatemeh; Sadeghi, Roya

2014-11-30

Lack of physical activity is ranked fourth among the causes of human death and chronic diseases. Using models and theories to design, implement, and evaluate the health education and health promotion interventions has many advantages. Using models and theories of physical activity, we decided to systematically study the educational and promotional interventions carried out in Iran from 2003 to 2013.Three information databases were used to systematically select papers using key words including Iranian Magazine Database (MAGIRAN), Iran Medical Library (MEDLIB), and Scientific Information Database (SID). Twenty papers were selected and studied .Having been applied in 9 studies, The Trans Theoretical Model (TTM) was the most widespread model in Iran (PENDER in 3 studies, BASNEF in 2, and the Theory of Planned Behavior in 2 studies). With regards to the educational methods, almost all studies used a combination of methods. The most widely used Integrative educational method was group discussion. Only one integrated study was done. Behavior maintenance was not addressed in 75% of the studies. Almost all studies used self-reporting instruments. The effectiveness of educational methods was assessed in none of the studies. Most of the included studies had several methodological weaknesses, which hinder the validity and applicability of their results. According to the findings, the necessity of need assessment in using models, epidemiology and methodology consultation, addressing maintenance of physical activity, using other theories and models such as social marketing and social-cognitive theory, and other educational methods like empirical and complementary are suggested.

A Web-based Tool for SDSS and 2MASS Database Searches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendrickson, M. A.; Uomoto, A.; Golimowski, D. A.

We have developed a web site using HTML, Php, Python, and MySQL that extracts, processes, and displays data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) and the Two-Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS). The goal is to locate brown dwarf candidates in the SDSS database by looking at color cuts; however, this site could also be useful for targeted searches of other databases as well. MySQL databases are created from broad searches of SDSS and 2MASS data. Broad queries on the SDSS and 2MASS database servers are run weekly so that observers have the most up-to-date information from which to select candidates for observation. Observers can look at detailed information about specific objects including finding charts, images, and available spectra. In addition, updates from previous observations can be added by any collaborators; this format makes observational collaboration simple. Observers can also restrict the database search, just before or during an observing run, to select objects of special interest.

Arrhythmia Evaluation in Wearable ECG Devices

PubMed Central

Sadrawi, Muammar; Lin, Chien-Hung; Hsieh, Yita; Kuo, Chia-Chun; Chien, Jen Chien; Haraikawa, Koichi; Abbod, Maysam F.; Shieh, Jiann-Shing

2017-01-01

This study evaluates four databases from PhysioNet: The American Heart Association database (AHADB), Creighton University Ventricular Tachyarrhythmia database (CUDB), MIT-BIH Arrhythmia database (MITDB), and MIT-BIH Noise Stress Test database (NSTDB). The ANSI/AAMI EC57:2012 is used for the evaluation of the algorithms for the supraventricular ectopic beat (SVEB), ventricular ectopic beat (VEB), atrial fibrillation (AF), and ventricular fibrillation (VF) via the evaluation of the sensitivity, positive predictivity and false positive rate. Sample entropy, fast Fourier transform (FFT), and multilayer perceptron neural network with backpropagation training algorithm are selected for the integrated detection algorithms. For this study, the result for SVEB has some improvements compared to a previous study that also utilized ANSI/AAMI EC57. In further, VEB sensitivity and positive predictivity gross evaluations have greater than 80%, except for the positive predictivity of the NSTDB database. For AF gross evaluation of MITDB database, the results show very good classification, excluding the episode sensitivity. In advanced, for VF gross evaluation, the episode sensitivity and positive predictivity for the AHADB, MITDB, and CUDB, have greater than 80%, except for MITDB episode positive predictivity, which is 75%. The achieved results show that the proposed integrated SVEB, VEB, AF, and VF detection algorithm has an accurate classification according to ANSI/AAMI EC57:2012. In conclusion, the proposed integrated detection algorithm can achieve good accuracy in comparison with other previous studies. Furthermore, more advanced algorithms and hardware devices should be performed in future for arrhythmia detection and evaluation. PMID:29068369

Systematic review of scope and quality of electronic patient record data in primary care

PubMed Central

Thiru, Krish; Hassey, Alan; Sullivan, Frank

2003-01-01

Objective To systematically review measures of data quality in electronic patient records (EPRs) in primary care. Design Systematic review of English language publications, 1980-2001. Data sources Bibliographic searches of medical databases, specialist medical informatics databases, conference proceedings, and institutional contacts. Study selection Studies selected according to a predefined framework for categorising review papers. Data extraction Reference standards and measurements used to judge quality. Results Bibliographic searches identified 4589 publications. After primary exclusions 174 articles were classified, 52 of which met the inclusion criteria for review. Selected studies were primarily descriptive surveys. Variability in methods prevented meta-analysis of results. Forty eight publications were concerned with diagnostic data, 37 studies measured data quality, and 15 scoped EPR quality. Reliability of data was assessed with rate comparison. Measures of sensitivity were highly dependent on the element of EPR data being investigated, while the positive predictive value was consistently high, indicating good validity. Prescribing data were generally of better quality than diagnostic or lifestyle data. Conclusion The lack of standardised methods for assessment of quality of data in electronic patient records makes it difficult to compare results between studies. Studies should present data quality measures with clear numerators, denominators, and confidence intervals. Ambiguous terms such as “accuracy” should be avoided unless precisely defined. PMID:12750210

Influence of the operatory field isolation technique on tooth-colored direct dental restorations.

PubMed

Cajazeira, Marlus Roberto Rodrigues; De Sabóia, Ticiana Medeiros; Maia, Lucianne Cople

2014-06-01

To evaluate, through a systematic review, the influence of the operatory field isolation technique on the longevity of dental restorations performed with tooth-colored materials. An electronic search of the scientific databases (MEDLINE, SCIRUS, VHL and SIGLE) and reference lists of the selected articles was conducted to identify randomized controlled clinical trials with a follow-up period of at least 12 months. The selected articles evaluated the effects of the operatory field isolation techniques (rubber dam or cotton rolls/saliva ejector) on the longevity of direct restorations performed with tooth-colored materials (e.g. resin composites, compomers and glass-ionomer cements) in primary or permanent posterior teeth. The selected studies were analyzed and categorized using a checklist proposed by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence of the United Kingdom. 484 studies were identified on the scientific databases. After applying the exclusion criteria and removal of duplicates, a total of nine studies were considered as potentially eligible. From these, five studies were included in the final analysis by two evaluators. In four studies analyzed, the use of rubber dam did not influence the longevity of restorations in comparison to cotton rolls/saliva ejector. Only two studies were considered as low risk of bias.

Greedy Sampling and Incremental Surrogate Model-Based Tailoring of Aeroservoelastic Model Database for Flexible Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Yi; Pant, Kapil; Brenner, Martin J.; Ouellette, Jeffrey A.

2018-01-01

This paper presents a data analysis and modeling framework to tailor and develop linear parameter-varying (LPV) aeroservoelastic (ASE) model database for flexible aircrafts in broad 2D flight parameter space. The Kriging surrogate model is constructed using ASE models at a fraction of grid points within the original model database, and then the ASE model at any flight condition can be obtained simply through surrogate model interpolation. The greedy sampling algorithm is developed to select the next sample point that carries the worst relative error between the surrogate model prediction and the benchmark model in the frequency domain among all input-output channels. The process is iterated to incrementally improve surrogate model accuracy till a pre-determined tolerance or iteration budget is met. The methodology is applied to the ASE model database of a flexible aircraft currently being tested at NASA/AFRC for flutter suppression and gust load alleviation. Our studies indicate that the proposed method can reduce the number of models in the original database by 67%. Even so the ASE models obtained through Kriging interpolation match the model in the original database constructed directly from the physics-based tool with the worst relative error far below 1%. The interpolated ASE model exhibits continuously-varying gains along a set of prescribed flight conditions. More importantly, the selected grid points are distributed non-uniformly in the parameter space, a) capturing the distinctly different dynamic behavior and its dependence on flight parameters, and b) reiterating the need and utility for adaptive space sampling techniques for ASE model database compaction. The present framework is directly extendible to high-dimensional flight parameter space, and can be used to guide the ASE model development, model order reduction, robust control synthesis and novel vehicle design of flexible aircraft.

SNaX: A Database of Supernova X-Ray Light Curves

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

Ross, Mathias; Dwarkadas, Vikram V., E-mail: Mathias_Ross@msn.com, E-mail: vikram@oddjob.uchicago.edu

We present the Supernova X-ray Database (SNaX), a compilation of the X-ray data from young supernovae (SNe). The database includes the X-ray fluxes and luminosities of young SNe, from days to years after outburst. The original goal and intent of this study was to present a database of Type IIn SNe (SNe IIn), which we have accomplished. Our ongoing goal is to expand the database to include all SNe for which published data are available. The database interface allows one to search for SNe using various criteria, plot all or selected data points, and download both the data and themore » plot. The plotting facility allows for significant customization. There is also a facility for the user to submit data that can be directly incorporated into the database. We include an option to fit the decay of any given SN light curve with a power-law. The database includes a conversion of most data points to a common 0.3–8 keV band so that SN light curves may be directly compared with each other. A mailing list has been set up to disseminate information about the database. We outline the structure and function of the database, describe its various features, and outline the plans for future expansion.« less

Federated Search Tools in Fusion Centers: Bridging Databases in the Information Sharing Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-09-01

considerable variation in how fusion centers plan for, gather requirements, select and acquire federated search tools to bridge disparate databases...centers, when considering integrating federated search tools; by evaluating the importance of the planning, requirements gathering, selection and...acquisition processes for integrating federated search tools; by acknowledging the challenges faced by some fusion centers during these integration processes

Experimental Database with Baseline CFD Solutions: 2-D and Axisymmetric Hypersonic Shock-Wave/Turbulent-Boundary-Layer Interactions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marvin, Joseph G.; Brown, James L.; Gnoffo, Peter A.

2013-01-01

A database compilation of hypersonic shock-wave/turbulent boundary layer experiments is provided. The experiments selected for the database are either 2D or axisymmetric, and include both compression corner and impinging type SWTBL interactions. The strength of the interactions range from attached to incipient separation to fully separated flows. The experiments were chosen based on criterion to ensure quality of the datasets, to be relevant to NASA's missions and to be useful for validation and uncertainty assessment of CFD Navier-Stokes predictive methods, both now and in the future. An emphasis on datasets selected was on surface pressures and surface heating throughout the interaction, but include some wall shear stress distributions and flowfield profiles. Included, for selected cases, are example CFD grids and setup information, along with surface pressure and wall heating results from simulations using current NASA real-gas Navier-Stokes codes by which future CFD investigators can compare and evaluate physics modeling improvements and validation and uncertainty assessments of future CFD code developments. The experimental database is presented tabulated in the Appendices describing each experiment. The database is also provided in computer-readable ASCII files located on a companion DVD.

Windshear database for forward-looking systems certification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Switzer, G. F.; Proctor, F. H.; Hinton, D. A.; Aanstoos, J. V.

1993-01-01

This document contains a description of a comprehensive database that is to be used for certification testing of airborne forward-look windshear detection systems. The database was developed by NASA Langley Research Center, at the request of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to support the industry initiative to certify and produce forward-look windshear detection equipment. The database contains high resolution, three dimensional fields for meteorological variables that may be sensed by forward-looking systems. The database is made up of seven case studies which have been generated by the Terminal Area Simulation System, a state-of-the-art numerical system for the realistic modeling of windshear phenomena. The selected cases represent a wide spectrum of windshear events. General descriptions and figures from each of the case studies are included, as well as equations for F-factor, radar-reflectivity factor, and rainfall rate. The document also describes scenarios and paths through the data sets, jointly developed by NASA and the FAA, to meet FAA certification testing objectives. Instructions for reading and verifying the data from tape are included.

A Comprehensive Strategy to Construct In-house Database for Accurate and Batch Identification of Small Molecular Metabolites.

PubMed

Zhao, Xinjie; Zeng, Zhongda; Chen, Aiming; Lu, Xin; Zhao, Chunxia; Hu, Chunxiu; Zhou, Lina; Liu, Xinyu; Wang, Xiaolin; Hou, Xiaoli; Ye, Yaorui; Xu, Guowang

2018-05-29

Identification of the metabolites is an essential step in metabolomics study to interpret regulatory mechanism of pathological and physiological processes. However, it is still a big headache in LC-MSn-based studies because of the complexity of mass spectrometry, chemical diversity of metabolites, and deficiency of standards database. In this work, a comprehensive strategy is developed for accurate and batch metabolite identification in non-targeted metabolomics studies. First, a well defined procedure was applied to generate reliable and standard LC-MS2 data including tR, MS1 and MS2 information at a standard operational procedure (SOP). An in-house database including about 2000 metabolites was constructed and used to identify the metabolites in non-targeted metabolic profiling by retention time calibration using internal standards, precursor ion alignment and ion fusion, auto-MS2 information extraction and selection, and database batch searching and scoring. As an application example, a pooled serum sample was analyzed to deliver the strategy, 202 metabolites were identified in the positive ion mode. It shows our strategy is useful for LC-MSn-based non-targeted metabolomics study.

Possibility of Database Research as a Means of Pharmacovigilance in Japan Based on a Comparison with Sertraline Postmarketing Surveillance.

PubMed

Hirano, Yoko; Asami, Yuko; Kuribayashi, Kazuhiko; Kitazaki, Shigeru; Yamamoto, Yuji; Fujimoto, Yoko

2018-05-01

Many pharmacoepidemiologic studies using large-scale databases have recently been utilized to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of drugs in Western countries. In Japan, however, conventional methodology has been applied to postmarketing surveillance (PMS) to collect safety and effectiveness information on new drugs to meet regulatory requirements. Conventional PMS entails enormous costs and resources despite being an uncontrolled observational study method. This study is aimed at examining the possibility of database research as a more efficient pharmacovigilance approach by comparing a health care claims database and PMS with regard to the characteristics and safety profiles of sertraline-prescribed patients. The characteristics of sertraline-prescribed patients recorded in a large-scale Japanese health insurance claims database developed by MinaCare Co. Ltd. were scanned and compared with the PMS results. We also explored the possibility of detecting signals indicative of adverse reactions based on the claims database by using sequence symmetry analysis. Diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and hyperthyroidism served as exploratory events, and their detection criteria for the claims database were reported by the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency in Japan. Most of the characteristics of sertraline-prescribed patients in the claims database did not differ markedly from those in the PMS. There was no tendency for higher risks of the exploratory events after exposure to sertraline, and this was consistent with sertraline's known safety profile. Our results support the concept of using database research as a cost-effective pharmacovigilance tool that is free of selection bias . Further investigation using database research is required to confirm our preliminary observations. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The CIS Database: Occupational Health and Safety Information Online.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siegel, Herbert; Scurr, Erica

1985-01-01

Describes document acquisition, selection, indexing, and abstracting and discusses online searching of the CIS database, an online system produced by the International Occupational Safety and Health Information Centre. This database comprehensively covers information in the field of occupational health and safety. Sample searches and search…

Quantitative evaluation of Iranian radiology papers and its comparison with selected countries.

PubMed

Ghafoori, Mahyar; Emami, Hasan; Sedaghat, Abdolrasoul; Ghiasi, Mohammad; Shakiba, Madjid; Alavi, Manijeh

2014-01-01

Recent technological developments in medicine, including modern radiology have promoted the impact of scientific researches on social life. The scientific outputs such as article and patents are products that show the scientists' attempt to access these achievements. In the current study, we evaluate the current situation of Iranian scientists in the field of radiology and compare it with the selected countries in terms of scientific papers. For this purpose, we used scientometric tools to quantitatively assess the scientific papers in the field of radiology. Radiology papers were evaluated in the context of medical field audit using retrospective model. We used the related databases of biomedical sciences for extraction of articles related to radiology. In the next step, the situation of radiology scientific products of the country were determined with respect to the under study regional countries. Results of the current study showed a ratio of 0.19% for Iranian papers in PubMed database published in 2009. In addition, in 2009, Iranian papers constituted 0.29% of the Scopus scientific database. The proportion of Iranian papers in the understudy region was 7.6%. To diminish the gap between Iranian scientific radiology papers and other competitor countries in the region and achievement of document 2025 goals, multifold effort of the society of radiology is necessary.

An Automated System Combining Safety Signal Detection and Prioritization from Healthcare Databases: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Arnaud, Mickael; Bégaud, Bernard; Thiessard, Frantz; Jarrion, Quentin; Bezin, Julien; Pariente, Antoine; Salvo, Francesco

2018-04-01

Signal detection from healthcare databases is possible, but is not yet used for routine surveillance of drug safety. One challenge is to develop methods for selecting signals that should be assessed with priority. The aim of this study was to develop an automated system combining safety signal detection and prioritization from healthcare databases and applicable to drugs used in chronic diseases. Patients present in the French EGB healthcare database for at least 1 year between 2005 and 2015 were considered. Noninsulin glucose-lowering drugs (NIGLDs) were selected as a case study, and hospitalization data were used to select important medical events (IME). Signal detection was performed quarterly from 2008 to 2015 using sequence symmetry analysis. NIGLD/IME associations were screened if one or more exposed case was identified in the quarter, and three or more exposed cases were identified in the population at the date of screening. Detected signals were prioritized using the Longitudinal-SNIP (L-SNIP) algorithm based on strength (S), novelty (N), and potential impact of signal (I), and pattern of drug use (P). Signals scored in the top 10% were identified as of high priority. A reference set was built based on NIGLD summaries of product characteristics (SPCs) to compute the performance of the developed system. A total of 815 associations were screened and 241 (29.6%) were detected as signals; among these, 58 (24.1%) were prioritized. The performance for signal detection was sensitivity = 47%; specificity = 80%; positive predictive value (PPV) 33%; negative predictive value = 82%. The use of the L-SNIP algorithm increased the early identification of positive controls, restricted to those mentioned in the SPCs after 2008: PPV = 100% versus PPV = 14% with its non-use. The system revealed a strong new signal with dipeptidylpeptidase-4 inhibitors and venous thromboembolism. The developed system seems promising for the routine use of healthcare data for safety surveillance of drugs used in chronic diseases.

A Step-by-Step Framework on Discrete Events Simulation in Emergency Department; A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Dehghani, Mahsa; Moftian, Nazila; Rezaei-Hachesu, Peyman; Samad-Soltani, Taha

2017-04-01

To systematically review the current literature of simulation in healthcare including the structured steps in the emergency healthcare sector by proposing a framework for simulation in the emergency department. For the purpose of collecting the data, PubMed and ACM databases were used between the years 2003 and 2013. The inclusion criteria were to select English-written articles available in full text with the closest objectives from among a total of 54 articles retrieved from the databases. Subsequently, 11 articles were selected for further analysis. The studies focused on the reduction of waiting time and patient stay, optimization of resources allocation, creation of crisis and maximum demand scenarios, identification of overcrowding bottlenecks, investigation of the impact of other systems on the existing system, and improvement of the system operations and functions. Subsequently, 10 simulation steps were derived from the relevant studies after an expert's evaluation. The 10-steps approach proposed on the basis of the selected studies provides simulation and planning specialists with a structured method for both analyzing problems and choosing best-case scenarios. Moreover, following this framework systematically enables the development of design processes as well as software implementation of simulation problems.

[The methods within the evaluation of disease management programmes in control-group designs using the example of diabetes mellitus - a systematic literature review].

PubMed

Drabik, A; Sawicki, P T; Müller, D; Passon, A; Stock, S

2012-08-01

Disease management programmes (DMPs) were implemented in Germany in 2002. Their evaluation is required by law. Beyond the mandatory evaluation, a growing number of published studies evaluate the DMP for diabetes mellitus type 2 in a control-group design. As patients opt into the programme on a voluntary basis it is necessary to adjust the inherent selection bias between groups. The aim of this study is to review published studies which evaluate the diabetes DMP using a control-group design with respect to the methods used. A systematic literature review of electronic databases (PUBMED, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDPILOT) and a hand search of reference lists of the relevant publications was conducted to identify studies evaluating the DMP diabetes mellitus in a control-group design. 8 studies were included in the systematic literature review. 4 studies gathered retrospective claims data from sickness funds, one from physician's records, one study used prospective data from ambulatory care, and 2 studies were based on one patient survey. Methods used for adjustment of selection bias included exact matching, matching using propensity score methods, age-adjusted and sex-separated analysis, and adjustment in a regression model/analysis of covariance. One study did not apply adjustment methods. The intervention period ranged from 1 day to 4 years. Considered outcomes of studies (surrogate parameter, diabetes complications, mortality, quality of life, and claim data) depended on the database. In the evaluation of the DMP diabetes mellitus based on a control-group design neither the database nor the methods used for selection bias adjustment were consistent in the available studies. Effectiveness of DMPs cannot be judged based on this review due to heterogeneity of study designs. To allow for a comprehensive programme evaluation standardised minimum requirements for the evaluation of DMPs in the control group design are required. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

High-temperature experimental and thermodynamic modelling research on the pyrometallurgical processing of copper

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hidayat, Taufiq; Shishin, Denis; Decterov, Sergei A.; Hayes, Peter C.; Jak, Evgueni

2017-01-01

Uncertainty in the metal price and competition between producers mean that the daily operation of a smelter needs to target high recovery of valuable elements at low operating cost. Options for the improvement of the plant operation can be examined and decision making can be informed based on accurate information from laboratory experimentation coupled with predictions using advanced thermodynamic models. Integrated high-temperature experimental and thermodynamic modelling research on phase equilibria and thermodynamics of copper-containing systems have been undertaken at the Pyrometallurgy Innovation Centre (PYROSEARCH). The experimental phase equilibria studies involve high-temperature equilibration, rapid quenching and direct measurement of phase compositions using electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA). The thermodynamic modelling deals with the development of accurate thermodynamic database built through critical evaluation of experimental data, selection of solution models, and optimization of models parameters. The database covers the Al-Ca-Cu-Fe-Mg-O-S-Si chemical system. The gas, slag, matte, liquid and solid metal phases, spinel solid solution as well as numerous solid oxide and sulphide phases are included. The database works within the FactSage software environment. Examples of phase equilibria data and thermodynamic models of selected systems, as well as possible implementation of the research outcomes to selected copper making processes are presented.

A review of accessibility of administrative healthcare databases in the Asia-Pacific region

PubMed Central

Milea, Dominique; Azmi, Soraya; Reginald, Praveen; Verpillat, Patrice; Francois, Clement

2015-01-01

Objective We describe and compare the availability and accessibility of administrative healthcare databases (AHDB) in several Asia-Pacific countries: Australia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, China, Thailand, and Malaysia. Methods The study included hospital records, reimbursement databases, prescription databases, and data linkages. Databases were first identified through PubMed, Google Scholar, and the ISPOR database register. Database custodians were contacted. Six criteria were used to assess the databases and provided the basis for a tool to categorise databases into seven levels ranging from least accessible (Level 1) to most accessible (Level 7). We also categorised overall data accessibility for each country as high, medium, or low based on accessibility of databases as well as the number of academic articles published using the databases. Results Fifty-four administrative databases were identified. Only a limited number of databases allowed access to raw data and were at Level 7 [Medical Data Vision EBM Provider, Japan Medical Data Centre (JMDC) Claims database and Nihon-Chouzai Pharmacy Claims database in Japan, and Medicare, Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), Centre for Health Record Linkage (CHeReL), HealthLinQ, Victorian Data Linkages (VDL), SA-NT DataLink in Australia]. At Levels 3–6 were several databases from Japan [Hamamatsu Medical University Database, Medi-Trend, Nihon University School of Medicine Clinical Data Warehouse (NUSM)], Australia [Western Australia Data Linkage (WADL)], Taiwan [National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD)], South Korea [Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA)], and Malaysia [United Nations University (UNU)-Casemix]. Countries were categorised as having a high level of data accessibility (Australia, Taiwan, and Japan), medium level of accessibility (South Korea), or a low level of accessibility (Thailand, China, Malaysia, and Singapore). In some countries, data may be available but accessibility was restricted based on requirements by data custodians. Conclusions Compared with previous research, this study describes the landscape of databases in the selected countries with more granularity using an assessment tool developed for this purpose. A high number of databases were identified but most had restricted access, preventing their potential use to support research. We hope that this study helps to improve the understanding of the AHDB landscape, increase data sharing and database research in Asia-Pacific countries. PMID:27123180

XML Reconstruction View Selection in XML Databases: Complexity Analysis and Approximation Scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chebotko, Artem; Fu, Bin

Query evaluation in an XML database requires reconstructing XML subtrees rooted at nodes found by an XML query. Since XML subtree reconstruction can be expensive, one approach to improve query response time is to use reconstruction views - materialized XML subtrees of an XML document, whose nodes are frequently accessed by XML queries. For this approach to be efficient, the principal requirement is a framework for view selection. In this work, we are the first to formalize and study the problem of XML reconstruction view selection. The input is a tree T, in which every node i has a size c i and profit p i , and the size limitation C. The target is to find a subset of subtrees rooted at nodes i 1, ⋯ , i k respectively such that c_{i_1}+\\cdots +c_{i_k}le C, and p_{i_1}+\\cdots +p_{i_k} is maximal. Furthermore, there is no overlap between any two subtrees selected in the solution. We prove that this problem is NP-hard and present a fully polynomial-time approximation scheme (FPTAS) as a solution.

Search and selection methodology of systematic reviews in orthodontics (2000-2004).

PubMed

Flores-Mir, Carlos; Major, Michael P; Major, Paul W

2006-08-01

More systematic reviews related to orthodontic topics are published each year, although little has been done to evaluate their search and selection methodologies. Systematic reviews related to orthodontics published between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2004, were searched for their use of multiple electronic databases and secondary searches. The search and selection methods of identified systematic reviews were evaluated against the Cochrane Handbook's guidelines. Sixteen orthodontic systematic reviews were identified in this period. The percentage of reviews documenting and using each criterion of article searching has changed over the last 5 years, with no recognizable directional trend. On average, most systematic reviews documented their electronic search terms (88%) and inclusion-exclusion criteria (100%), and used secondary searching (75%). Many still failed to search more than MEDLINE (56%), failed to document the database names and search dates (37%), failed to document the search strategy (62%), did not use several reviewers for selecting studies (75%), and did not include all languages (81%). The methodology of systematic reviews in orthodontics is still limited, with key methodological components frequently absent or not appropriately described.

Wind turbine reliability database update.

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

Peters, Valerie A.; Hill, Roger Ray; Stinebaugh, Jennifer A.

2009-03-01

This report documents the status of the Sandia National Laboratories' Wind Plant Reliability Database. Included in this report are updates on the form and contents of the Database, which stems from a fivestep process of data partnerships, data definition and transfer, data formatting and normalization, analysis, and reporting. Selected observations are also reported.

An Introduction to Database Management Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warden, William H., III; Warden, Bette M.

1984-01-01

Description of database management systems for microcomputers highlights system features and factors to consider in microcomputer system selection. A method for ranking database management systems is explained and applied to a defined need, i.e., software support for indexing a weekly newspaper. A glossary of terms and 32-item bibliography are…

Academic Journal Embargoes and Full Text Databases.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brooks, Sam

2003-01-01

Documents the reasons for embargoes of academic journals in full text databases (i.e., publisher-imposed delays on the availability of full text content) and provides insight regarding common misconceptions. Tables present data on selected journals covering a cross-section of subjects and publishers and comparing two full text business databases.…

Sociocultural Perspective of Science in Online Learning Environments. Communities of Practice in Online Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erdogan, Niyazi

2016-01-01

Present study reviews empirical research studies related to learning science in online learning environments as a community. Studies published between 1995 and 2015 were searched by using ERIC and EBSCOhost databases. As a result, fifteen studies were selected for review. Identified studies were analyzed with a qualitative content analysis method…

Methods for the guideline-based development of quality indicators--a systematic review

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Quality indicators (QIs) are used in many healthcare settings to measure, compare, and improve quality of care. For the efficient development of high-quality QIs, rigorous, approved, and evidence-based development methods are needed. Clinical practice guidelines are a suitable source to derive QIs from, but no gold standard for guideline-based QI development exists. This review aims to identify, describe, and compare methodological approaches to guideline-based QI development. Methods We systematically searched medical literature databases (Medline, EMBASE, and CINAHL) and grey literature. Two researchers selected publications reporting methodological approaches to guideline-based QI development. In order to describe and compare methodological approaches used in these publications, we extracted detailed information on common steps of guideline-based QI development (topic selection, guideline selection, extraction of recommendations, QI selection, practice test, and implementation) to predesigned extraction tables. Results From 8,697 hits in the database search and several grey literature documents, we selected 48 relevant references. The studies were of heterogeneous type and quality. We found no randomized controlled trial or other studies comparing the ability of different methodological approaches to guideline-based development to generate high-quality QIs. The relevant publications featured a wide variety of methodological approaches to guideline-based QI development, especially regarding guideline selection and extraction of recommendations. Only a few studies reported patient involvement. Conclusions Further research is needed to determine which elements of the methodological approaches identified, described, and compared in this review are best suited to constitute a gold standard for guideline-based QI development. For this research, we provide a comprehensive groundwork. PMID:22436067

Overlap and diversity in antimicrobial peptide databases: compiling a non-redundant set of sequences.

PubMed

Aguilera-Mendoza, Longendri; Marrero-Ponce, Yovani; Tellez-Ibarra, Roberto; Llorente-Quesada, Monica T; Salgado, Jesús; Barigye, Stephen J; Liu, Jun

2015-08-01

The large variety of antimicrobial peptide (AMP) databases developed to date are characterized by a substantial overlap of data and similarity of sequences. Our goals are to analyze the levels of redundancy for all available AMP databases and use this information to build a new non-redundant sequence database. For this purpose, a new software tool is introduced. A comparative study of 25 AMP databases reveals the overlap and diversity among them and the internal diversity within each database. The overlap analysis shows that only one database (Peptaibol) contains exclusive data, not present in any other, whereas all sequences in the LAMP_Patent database are included in CAMP_Patent. However, the majority of databases have their own set of unique sequences, as well as some overlap with other databases. The complete set of non-duplicate sequences comprises 16 990 cases, which is almost half of the total number of reported peptides. On the other hand, the diversity analysis identifies the most and least diverse databases and proves that all databases exhibit some level of redundancy. Finally, we present a new parallel-free software, named Dover Analyzer, developed to compute the overlap and diversity between any number of databases and compile a set of non-redundant sequences. These results are useful for selecting or building a suitable representative set of AMPs, according to specific needs. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

An ab initio electronic transport database for inorganic materials.

PubMed

Ricci, Francesco; Chen, Wei; Aydemir, Umut; Snyder, G Jeffrey; Rignanese, Gian-Marco; Jain, Anubhav; Hautier, Geoffroy

2017-07-04

Electronic transport in materials is governed by a series of tensorial properties such as conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and effective mass. These quantities are paramount to the understanding of materials in many fields from thermoelectrics to electronics and photovoltaics. Transport properties can be calculated from a material's band structure using the Boltzmann transport theory framework. We present here the largest computational database of electronic transport properties based on a large set of 48,000 materials originating from the Materials Project database. Our results were obtained through the interpolation approach developed in the BoltzTraP software, assuming a constant relaxation time. We present the workflow to generate the data, the data validation procedure, and the database structure. Our aim is to target the large community of scientists developing materials selection strategies and performing studies involving transport properties.

Pragmatic Inference Abilities in Individuals with Asperger Syndrome or High-Functioning Autism. A Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loukusa, Soile; Moilanen, Irma

2009-01-01

This review summarizes studies involving pragmatic language comprehension and inference abilities in individuals with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism. Systematic searches of three electronic databases, selected journals, and reference lists identified 20 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. These studies were evaluated in terms of:…

Trends in Turkish Education Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Varisoglu, Behice; Sahin, Abdullah; Goktas, Yuksel

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine trends in the subject areas, methods, data collection tools, data analysis methods, and sample types used in recent studies on Turkish education, published in journals from 2000-2011. A total of 558 articles from 44 journals were selected from databases by the purposive sampling method and examined using…

The European Radiobiology Archives (ERA)--content, structure and use illustrated by an example.

PubMed

Gerber, G B; Wick, R R; Kellerer, A M; Hopewell, J W; Di Majo, V; Dudoignon, N; Gössner, W; Stather, J

2006-01-01

The European Radiobiology Archives (ERA), supported by the European Commission and the European Late Effect Project Group (EULEP), together with the US National Radiobiology Archives (NRA) and the Japanese Radiobiology Archives (JRA) have collected all information still available on long-term animal experiments, including some selected human studies. The archives consist of a database in Microsoft Access, a website, databases of references and information on the use of the database. At present, the archives contain a description of the exposure conditions, animal strains, etc. from approximately 350,000 individuals; data on survival and pathology are available from approximately 200,000 individuals. Care has been taken to render pathological diagnoses compatible among different studies and to allow the lumping of pathological diagnoses into more general classes. 'Forms' in Access with an underlying computer code facilitate the use of the database. This paper describes the structure and content of the archives and illustrates an example for a possible analysis of such data.

Computerized database management system for breast cancer patients.

PubMed

Sim, Kok Swee; Chong, Sze Siang; Tso, Chih Ping; Nia, Mohsen Esmaeili; Chong, Aun Kee; Abbas, Siti Fathimah

2014-01-01

Data analysis based on breast cancer risk factors such as age, race, breastfeeding, hormone replacement therapy, family history, and obesity was conducted on breast cancer patients using a new enhanced computerized database management system. My Structural Query Language (MySQL) is selected as the application for database management system to store the patient data collected from hospitals in Malaysia. An automatic calculation tool is embedded in this system to assist the data analysis. The results are plotted automatically and a user-friendly graphical user interface is developed that can control the MySQL database. Case studies show breast cancer incidence rate is highest among Malay women, followed by Chinese and Indian. The peak age for breast cancer incidence is from 50 to 59 years old. Results suggest that the chance of developing breast cancer is increased in older women, and reduced with breastfeeding practice. The weight status might affect the breast cancer risk differently. Additional studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Rapid production of optimal-quality reduced-resolution representations of very large databases

DOEpatents

Sigeti, David E.; Duchaineau, Mark; Miller, Mark C.; Wolinsky, Murray; Aldrich, Charles; Mineev-Weinstein, Mark B.

2001-01-01

View space representation data is produced in real time from a world space database representing terrain features. The world space database is first preprocessed. A database is formed having one element for each spatial region corresponding to a finest selected level of detail. A multiresolution database is then formed by merging elements and a strict error metric is computed for each element at each level of detail that is independent of parameters defining the view space. The multiresolution database and associated strict error metrics are then processed in real time for real time frame representations. View parameters for a view volume comprising a view location and field of view are selected. The error metric with the view parameters is converted to a view-dependent error metric. Elements with the coarsest resolution are chosen for an initial representation. Data set first elements from the initial representation data set are selected that are at least partially within the view volume. The first elements are placed in a split queue ordered by the value of the view-dependent error metric. If the number of first elements in the queue meets or exceeds a predetermined number of elements or whether the largest error metric is less than or equal to a selected upper error metric bound, the element at the head of the queue is force split and the resulting elements are inserted into the queue. Force splitting is continued until the determination is positive to form a first multiresolution set of elements. The first multiresolution set of elements is then outputted as reduced resolution view space data representing the terrain features.

Curation accuracy of model organism databases

PubMed Central

Keseler, Ingrid M.; Skrzypek, Marek; Weerasinghe, Deepika; Chen, Albert Y.; Fulcher, Carol; Li, Gene-Wei; Lemmer, Kimberly C.; Mladinich, Katherine M.; Chow, Edmond D.; Sherlock, Gavin; Karp, Peter D.

2014-01-01

Manual extraction of information from the biomedical literature—or biocuration—is the central methodology used to construct many biological databases. For example, the UniProt protein database, the EcoCyc Escherichia coli database and the Candida Genome Database (CGD) are all based on biocuration. Biological databases are used extensively by life science researchers, as online encyclopedias, as aids in the interpretation of new experimental data and as golden standards for the development of new bioinformatics algorithms. Although manual curation has been assumed to be highly accurate, we are aware of only one previous study of biocuration accuracy. We assessed the accuracy of EcoCyc and CGD by manually selecting curated assertions within randomly chosen EcoCyc and CGD gene pages and by then validating that the data found in the referenced publications supported those assertions. A database assertion is considered to be in error if that assertion could not be found in the publication cited for that assertion. We identified 10 errors in the 633 facts that we validated across the two databases, for an overall error rate of 1.58%, and individual error rates of 1.82% for CGD and 1.40% for EcoCyc. These data suggest that manual curation of the experimental literature by Ph.D-level scientists is highly accurate. Database URL: http://ecocyc.org/, http://www.candidagenome.org// PMID:24923819

Exploration of the SHRP2 naturalistic driving study data to identify factors related to the selection of freeway ramp design speed.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-03-01

This research explored the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP2) Naturalistic Driving Study (NDS) database for the potential to identify freeway entrance and exit ramps and teen drivers behavior while traveling those ramps. This is in ...

Acute sensitivity of freshwater mollusks and commonly tested invertebrates to select chemicals with different toxic models of action

EPA Science Inventory

Previous studies indicate that freshwater mollusks are more sensitive than commonly tested organisms to some chemicals, such as copper and ammonia. Nevertheless, mollusks are generally under-represented in toxicity databases. Studies are needed to generate data with which to comp...

Availability of brands of six essential medicines in 124 pharmacies in Maharashtra.

PubMed

Millard, Colin; Kadam, Abhay B; Mahajan, Rushikesh; Pollock, Allyson M; Brhlikova, Petra

2018-06-01

The aim of this study is to assess the availability and rational use of six essential medicines in private retail outlets in Maharashtra state. The study focuses on the range of brands for each medicine, and the availability of these brands in the pharmacies. The medicines were chosen because they are included in the World Health Organization's (WHO) essential medicines list (EML), the Indian national and Maharashtra state medicines list, and are all included in existing Indian public health initiatives and national disease control programmes. Data was gathered on the availability of the medicines and the range and frequency of brands in 124 private retail pharmacies between January and May 2012. As there is currently no centralised database in India of available pharmaceutical brands, we collected data on the range of products of the 6 essential medicines available in the Indian market by consulting three open access Indian pharmaceutical databases, CIMS India, Medindia, and Medguide, and the commercial database, Pharmatrac; we compared this data with the results of the survey. The six essential medicines used in this study are: artemisinin (malaria), lamivudine (HIV/AIDS), rifampicin (tuberculosis control), oxytocin (reproductive health), fluoxetine (mental health) and metformin (diabetes). The study found that for each of the selected medicines there were multiple approved products listed in Indian databases, 2186 in total. The Pharmatrac database lists only 1359 brands of the selected medicines; 978 (72%) of these had zero sales in 2011-2012. Our survey found very low availability of the brands: 17% Pharmatrac marketed brands (163/978) and 12% of all Pharmatrac brands (163/1359) were available. Metformin was the only medicine with high availability in the study pharmacies at 91%, Rifampacin was the second highest at 64.5%; the other four medicines were available in less than half the pharmacies. A small number of brands were dominating the market. the survey shows that market competition has generated a large number of brands of the six study medicines but this has not translated into sufficient availability of these medicines in the study pharmacies. The data calls for a review of available brands, taking into consideration levels of sale and grounds for approval, and the setting up of a centralised database of registered pharmaceutical products.

Availability of brands of six essential medicines in 124 pharmacies in Maharashtra

PubMed Central

Millard, Colin; Kadam, Abhay B; Mahajan, Rushikesh; Pollock, Allyson M; Brhlikova, Petra

2018-01-01

Background The aim of this study is to assess the availability and rational use of six essential medicines in private retail outlets in Maharashtra state. The study focuses on the range of brands for each medicine, and the availability of these brands in the pharmacies. The medicines were chosen because they are included in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) essential medicines list (EML), the Indian national and Maharashtra state medicines list, and are all included in existing Indian public health initiatives and national disease control programmes. Methods Data was gathered on the availability of the medicines and the range and frequency of brands in 124 private retail pharmacies between January and May 2012. As there is currently no centralised database in India of available pharmaceutical brands, we collected data on the range of products of the 6 essential medicines available in the Indian market by consulting three open access Indian pharmaceutical databases, CIMS India, Medindia, and Medguide, and the commercial database, Pharmatrac; we compared this data with the results of the survey. The six essential medicines used in this study are: artemisinin (malaria), lamivudine (HIV/AIDS), rifampicin (tuberculosis control), oxytocin (reproductive health), fluoxetine (mental health) and metformin (diabetes). Results The study found that for each of the selected medicines there were multiple approved products listed in Indian databases, 2186 in total. The Pharmatrac database lists only 1359 brands of the selected medicines; 978 (72%) of these had zero sales in 2011-2012. Our survey found very low availability of the brands: 17% Pharmatrac marketed brands (163/978) and 12% of all Pharmatrac brands (163/1359) were available. Metformin was the only medicine with high availability in the study pharmacies at 91%, Rifampacin was the second highest at 64.5%; the other four medicines were available in less than half the pharmacies. A small number of brands were dominating the market. Conclusion the survey shows that market competition has generated a large number of brands of the six study medicines but this has not translated into sufficient availability of these medicines in the study pharmacies. The data calls for a review of available brands, taking into consideration levels of sale and grounds for approval, and the setting up of a centralised database of registered pharmaceutical products. PMID:29423188

Aptamer Database

PubMed Central

Lee, Jennifer F.; Hesselberth, Jay R.; Meyers, Lauren Ancel; Ellington, Andrew D.

2004-01-01

The aptamer database is designed to contain comprehensive sequence information on aptamers and unnatural ribozymes that have been generated by in vitro selection methods. Such data are not normally collected in ‘natural’ sequence databases, such as GenBank. Besides serving as a storehouse of sequences that may have diagnostic or therapeutic utility, the database serves as a valuable resource for theoretical biologists who describe and explore fitness landscapes. The database is updated monthly and is publicly available at http://aptamer.icmb.utexas.edu/. PMID:14681367

Toxicity tests aiming to protect Brazilian aquatic systems: current status and implications for management.

PubMed

Martins, Samantha Eslava; Bianchini, Adalto

2011-07-01

The current status of toxicological tests performed with Brazilian native species was evaluated through a survey of the scientific data available in the literature. The information gathered was processed and an electronic toxicology database (http://www.inct-ta.furg.br/bd_toxicologico.php) was generated. This database provides valuable information for researchers to select sensitive and tolerant aquatic species to a large variety of aquatic pollutants. Furthermore, the toxicology database allows researchers to select species representative of an ecosystem of interest. Analysis of the toxicology database showed that ecotoxicological assays have significantly improved in Brazil over the last decade, in spite of the still relatively low number of tests performed and the restricted number of native species tested. This is because most of the research is developed in a few laboratories concentrated in certain regions of Brazil, especially in Southern and Southeast regions. Considering the extremely rich biodiversity and the large variety of aquatic ecosystems in Brazil, this finding points to the urgent need for the development of ecotoxicological studies with other groups of aquatic animals, such as insects, foraminifera, cnidarians, worms, amphibians, among others. This would help to derive more realistic water quality criteria (WQC) values, which would better protect the different aquatic ecosystems in Brazil. Finally, the toxicology database generated presents solid and science based information, which can encourage and drive the Environmental Regulatory Agencies in Brazil to derive WQC based on native species. In this context, the present paper discusses the historical evolution of ecotoxicological studies in Brazil, and how they have contributed to the improvement of the Brazilian Federal and Regional regulations for environment.

Groundwater levels for selected wells in Upper Kittitas County, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fasser, E.T.; Julich, R.J.

2011-01-01

Groundwater levels for selected wells in Upper Kittitas County, Washington, are presented on an interactive, web-based map to document the spatial distribution of groundwater levels in the study area measured during spring 2011. Groundwater-level data and well information were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey using standard techniques and are stored in the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System, Groundwater Site-Inventory database.

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency: Key Factors Drive Transition of Technologies, but Better Training and Data Dissemination Can Increase Success

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-01

more detail. Table 1: Overview of DARPA Programs Selected for GAO Case Study Analyses Program name Program description Advanced Wireless Networks ...Selected DARPA Programs Program name According to DARPA portfolio-level database According to GAO analysis Advanced Wireless Networks for the Soldier...with potential transition partners Achievement of clearly defined technical goals Successful transition Advanced Wireless Networks for Soldier

Computer-aided identification of potential TYK2 inhibitors from drug database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wei; Li, Jianzong; Huang, Zhixin; Wang, Haiyang; Luo, Hao; Wang, Xin; Zhou, Nan; Wu, Chuanfang; Bao, Jinku

2016-10-01

TYK2 is a member of JAKs family protein tyrosine kinase activated in response to various cytokines. It plays a crucial role in transducing signals downstream of various cytokine receptors, which are involved in proinflammatory responses associated with immunological diseases. Thus, the study of selective TYK2 inhibitors is one of the most popular fields in anti-inflammation drug development. Herein, we adopted molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulation and MM-PBSA binding free energy calculation to screen potential TYK2-selective inhibitors from ZINC Drug Database. Finally, three small molecule drugs ZINC12503271 (Gemifloxacin), ZINC05844792 (Nebivolol) and ZINC00537805 (Glyburide) were selected as potential TYK2-selective inhibitors. Compared to known inhibitor 2,6-dichloro-N-{2-[(cyclopropylcarbonyl)amino]pyridin-4-yl}benzamide, these three candidates had better Grid score and Amber score from molecular docking and preferable results from binding free energy calculation as well. What's more, the ATP-binding site and A-loop motif had been identified to play key roles in TYK2-targeted inhibitor discovery. It is expected that our study will pave the way for the design of potent TYK2 inhibitors of new drugs to treat a wide variety of immunological diseases such as inflammatory diseases, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and so on.

Nucleotide Sequence Database Comparison for Routine Dermatophyte Identification by Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 Genetic Region DNA Barcoding.

PubMed

Normand, A C; Packeu, A; Cassagne, C; Hendrickx, M; Ranque, S; Piarroux, R

2018-05-01

Conventional dermatophyte identification is based on morphological features. However, recent studies have proposed to use the nucleotide sequences of the rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region as an identification barcode of all fungi, including dermatophytes. Several nucleotide databases are available to compare sequences and thus identify isolates; however, these databases often contain mislabeled sequences that impair sequence-based identification. We evaluated five of these databases on a clinical isolate panel. We selected 292 clinical dermatophyte strains that were prospectively subjected to an ITS2 nucleotide sequence analysis. Sequences were analyzed against the databases, and the results were compared to clusters obtained via DNA alignment of sequence segments. The DNA tree served as the identification standard throughout the study. According to the ITS2 sequence identification, the majority of strains (255/292) belonged to the genus Trichophyton , mainly T. rubrum complex ( n = 184), T. interdigitale ( n = 40), T. tonsurans ( n = 26), and T. benhamiae ( n = 5). Other genera included Microsporum (e.g., M. canis [ n = 21], M. audouinii [ n = 10], Nannizzia gypsea [ n = 3], and Epidermophyton [ n = 3]). Species-level identification of T. rubrum complex isolates was an issue. Overall, ITS DNA sequencing is a reliable tool to identify dermatophyte species given that a comprehensive and correctly labeled database is consulted. Since many inaccurate identification results exist in the DNA databases used for this study, reference databases must be verified frequently and amended in line with the current revisions of fungal taxonomy. Before describing a new species or adding a new DNA reference to the available databases, its position in the phylogenetic tree must be verified. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

Annual Bibliography, 2011

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Jo. B., Comp.

2012-01-01

This classified, comprehensive bibliography for Appalachian studies includes books, journal articles, government documents, and selected newspaper articles published in 2010, plus relevant titles indexed in ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Database. Also, a number of earlier citations not included in the previous bibliography are listed here.…

47 CFR 15.703 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... database or spectrum sensing. (b) Client device. A TVBD operating in client mode. (c) Client mode. An... TVBD is able to select a channel itself based on a list provided by the database and initiate a network... does not require use of a geo-location capability or access to the TV bands database and requires...

The use of DRG for identifying clinical trials centers with high recruitment potential: a feasability study.

PubMed

Aegerter, Philippe; Bendersky, Noelle; Tran, Thi-Chien; Ropers, Jacques; Taright, Namik; Chatellier, Gilles

2014-01-01

Recruitment of large samples of patients is crucial for evidence level and efficacy of clinical trials (CT). Clinical Trial Recruitment Support Systems (CTRSS) used to estimate patient recruitment are generally specific to Hospital Information Systems and few were evaluated on a large number of trials. Our aim was to assess, on a large number of CT, the usefulness of commonly available data as Diagnosis Related Groups (DRG) databases in order to estimate potential recruitment. We used the DRG database of a large French multicenter medical institution (1.2 million inpatient stays and 400 new trials each year). Eligibility criteria of protocols were broken down into in atomic entities (diagnosis, procedures, treatments...) then translated into codes and operators recorded in a standardized form. A program parsed the forms and generated requests on the DRG database. A large majority of selection criteria could be coded and final estimations of number of eligible patients were close to observed ones (median difference = 25). Such a system could be part of the feasability evaluation and center selection process before the start of the clinical trial.

Quantitative instruments used to assess children's sense of smell: a review article.

PubMed

Moura, Raissa Gomes Fonseca; Cunha, Daniele Andrade; Gomes, Ana Carolina de Lima Gusmão; Silva, Hilton Justino da

2014-01-01

To systematically gather from the literature available the quantitative instruments used to assess the sense of smell in studies carried out with children. The present study included a survey in the Pubmed and Bireme platforms and in the databases of MedLine, Lilacs, regional SciELO and Web of Science, followed by selection and critical analysis of the articles found and chosen. We selected original articles related to the topic in question, conducted only with children in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. We excluded studies addressing other phases of human development, exclusively or concurrently with the pediatric population; studies on animals; literature review articles; dissertations; book chapters; case study articles; and editorials. A book report protocol was created for this study, including the following information: author, department, year, location, population/sample, age, purpose of the study, methods, and main results. We found 8,451 articles by typing keywords and identifiers. Out of this total, 5,928 were excluded by the title, 2,366 by the abstract, and 123 after we read the full text. Thus, 34 articles were selected, of which 28 were repeated in the databases, totalizing 6 articles analyzed in this review. We observed a lack of standardization of the quantitative instruments used to assess children's sense of smell, with great variability in the methodology of the tests, which reduces the effectiveness and reliability of the results.

Discrepancies among Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed coverage of funding information in medical journal articles.

PubMed

Kokol, Peter; Vošner, Helena Blažun

2018-01-01

The overall aim of the present study was to compare the coverage of existing research funding information for articles indexed in Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed databases. The numbers of articles with funding information published in 2015 were identified in the three selected databases and compared using bibliometric analysis of a sample of twenty-eight prestigious medical journals. Frequency analysis of the number of articles with funding information showed statistically significant differences between Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed databases. The largest proportion of articles with funding information was found in Web of Science (29.0%), followed by PubMed (14.6%) and Scopus (7.7%). The results show that coverage of funding information differs significantly among Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed databases in a sample of the same medical journals. Moreover, we found that, currently, funding data in PubMed is more difficult to obtain and analyze compared with that in the other two databases.

The Basel Face Database: A validated set of photographs reflecting systematic differences in Big Two and Big Five personality dimensions

PubMed Central

Schönborn, Sandro; Greifeneder, Rainer; Vetter, Thomas

2018-01-01

Upon a first encounter, individuals spontaneously associate faces with certain personality dimensions. Such first impressions can strongly impact judgments and decisions and may prove highly consequential. Researchers investigating the impact of facial information often rely on (a) real photographs that have been selected to vary on the dimension of interest, (b) morphed photographs, or (c) computer-generated faces (avatars). All three approaches have distinct advantages. Here we present the Basel Face Database, which combines these advantages. In particular, the Basel Face Database consists of real photographs that are subtly, but systematically manipulated to show variations in the perception of the Big Two and the Big Five personality dimensions. To this end, the information specific to each psychological dimension is isolated and modeled in new photographs. Two studies serve as systematic validation of the Basel Face Database. The Basel Face Database opens a new pathway for researchers across psychological disciplines to investigate effects of perceived personality. PMID:29590124

The Basel Face Database: A validated set of photographs reflecting systematic differences in Big Two and Big Five personality dimensions.

PubMed

Walker, Mirella; Schönborn, Sandro; Greifeneder, Rainer; Vetter, Thomas

2018-01-01

Upon a first encounter, individuals spontaneously associate faces with certain personality dimensions. Such first impressions can strongly impact judgments and decisions and may prove highly consequential. Researchers investigating the impact of facial information often rely on (a) real photographs that have been selected to vary on the dimension of interest, (b) morphed photographs, or (c) computer-generated faces (avatars). All three approaches have distinct advantages. Here we present the Basel Face Database, which combines these advantages. In particular, the Basel Face Database consists of real photographs that are subtly, but systematically manipulated to show variations in the perception of the Big Two and the Big Five personality dimensions. To this end, the information specific to each psychological dimension is isolated and modeled in new photographs. Two studies serve as systematic validation of the Basel Face Database. The Basel Face Database opens a new pathway for researchers across psychological disciplines to investigate effects of perceived personality.

International Data on Radiological Sources

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

Martha Finck; Margaret Goldberg

2010-07-01

ABSTRACT The mission of radiological dispersal device (RDD) nuclear forensics is to identify the provenance of nuclear and radiological materials used in RDDs and to aid law enforcement in tracking nuclear materials and routes. The application of databases to radiological forensics is to match RDD source material to a source model in the database, provide guidance regarding a possible second device, and aid the FBI by providing a short list of manufacturers and distributors, and ultimately to the last legal owner of the source. The Argonne/Idaho National Laboratory RDD attribution database is a powerful technical tool in radiological forensics. Themore » database (1267 unique vendors) includes all sealed sources and a device registered in the U.S., is complemented by data from the IAEA Catalogue, and is supported by rigorous in-lab characterization of selected sealed sources regarding physical form, radiochemical composition, and age-dating profiles. Close working relationships with global partners in the commercial sealed sources industry provide invaluable technical information and expertise in the development of signature profiles. These profiles are critical to the down-selection of potential candidates in either pre- or post- event RDD attribution. The down-selection process includes a match between an interdicted (or detonated) source and a model in the database linked to one or more manufacturers and distributors.« less

[Effects of Aromatherapy on Menopausal Symptoms, Perceived Stress and Depression in Middle-aged Women: A Systematic Review].

PubMed

Kim, Shinmi; Song, Ji Ah; Kim, Mi Eun; Hur, Myung Haeng

2016-10-01

This study was a systematic review to evaluate the effects of aromatherapy on menopausal symptoms, perceived stress and depression in middle aged-women. Eight databases were searched from their inception September 8, 2015. Two reviewers independently performed the selection of the studies, data abstraction and validations. The risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane criteria. For analysis of the data, a meta-analysis of the studies was performed. From the electronic databases, 73 articles were selected, and 19 removed due to duplication. After two reviewers read the abstracts of 54 studies, 34 studies were selected. Complete papers for 34 original articles were read and, 12 studies which met selection criteria were reviewed and the effects of aromatherapy on menopausal symptoms, stress and depression analyzed using meta-analysis with RevMan. In the 2 studies which included Randomized Controlled Trials testing of aromatherapy on menopausal symptoms and comparison of control and placebo groups were done. Aromatherapy massage was favorably effective in reducing the menopausal symptoms compared to the control group (n=118, MD=-6.33; 95% CI -11.51 to -1.15), and compared to the placebo group (n=117, MD=-4.14; 95% CI -7.63 to -0.64). Also aromatherapy was effective in reducing stress (n=72, SMD=-0.64; 95% CI -1.12 to -0.17) and depression (n=158, MD=-5.63; 95% CI -10.04 to -1.22). There is limited evidence suggesting that aromatherapy for middle-aged women may be effective in controlling menopausal symptoms, perceived stress and depression.

LactMed: Drugs and Lactation Database

MedlinePlus

... App LactMed Record Format Database Creation & Peer Review Process Help Fact Sheet Sample Record TOXNET FAQ Glossary Selected References About Dietary Supplements Breastfeeding Links Get LactMed Widget Contact Us Email: tehip@ ...

Bluetooth wireless database for scoliosis clinics.

PubMed

Lou, E; Fedorak, M V; Hill, D L; Raso, J V; Moreau, M J; Mahood, J K

2003-05-01

A database system with Bluetooth wireless connectivity has been developed so that scoliosis clinics can be run more efficiently and data can be mined for research studies without significant increases in equipment cost. The wireless database system consists of a Bluetooth-enabled laptop or PC and a Bluetooth-enabled handheld personal data assistant (PDA). Each patient has a profile in the database, which has all of his or her clinical history. Immediately prior to the examination, the orthopaedic surgeon selects a patient's profile from the database and uploads that data to the PDA over a Bluetooth wireless connection. The surgeon can view the entire clinical history of the patient while in the examination room and, at the same time, enter in any new measurements and comments from the current examination. After seeing the patient, the surgeon synchronises the newly entered information with the database wirelessly and prints a record for the chart. This combination of the database and the PDA both improves efficiency and accuracy and can save significant time, as there is less duplication of work, and no dictation is required. The equipment required to implement this solution is a Bluetooth-enabled PDA and a Bluetooth wireless transceiver for the PC or laptop.

Correlation between Self-Citation and Impact Factor in Iranian English Medical Journals in WoS and ISC: A Comparative Approach.

PubMed

Ghazi Mirsaeid, Seyed Javad; Motamedi, Nadia; Ramezan Ghorbani, Nahid

2015-09-01

In this study, the impact of self-citation (Journal and Author) on impact factor of Iranian English Medical journals in two international citation databases, Web of Science (WoS) and Islamic world science citation center (ISC), were compared by citation analysis. Twelve journals in WoS and 26 journals in ISC databases indexed between the years (2006-2009) were selected and compared. For comparison of self-citation rate in two databases, we used Wilcoxon and Mann-whitney tests. We used Pearson test for correlation of self-citation and IF in WoS, and the Spearman's correlation coefficient for the ISC database. Covariance analysis was used for comparison of two correlation tests. P. value was 0.05 in all of tests. There was no significant difference between self-citation rates in two databases (P>0.05). Findings also showed no significant difference between the correlation of Journal self-citation and impact factor in two databases (P=0.526) however, there was significant difference between the author's self-citation and impact factor in these databases (P<0.001). The impact of Author's self-citation in the Impact Factor of WoS was higher than the ISC.

Physical Activity and Sarcopenia in the Geriatric Population: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Lee, Szu-Ying; Tung, Heng-Hsin; Liu, Chieh-Yu; Chen, Liang-Kung

2018-05-01

Sarcopenia is an aging-related health problem in the geriatric population. Sarcopenia reduces muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance. Although physical activity is protective against sarcopenia for older adults, there are limited studies in this area. The purpose of this study was to integrate and analyze research on physical activity and sarcopenia in the geriatric population. Studies that assess sarcopenia were searched across electronic databases that included Medline, PubMed, CINAHL, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Studies that implemented physical activity-related intervention or research were included. A critical appraisal skills program was used for quality assessment of the selected articles. Study selection and data extraction were counted by 2 independent reviewers. Of the 149 references identified through the database search, 10 studies were included in this systematic review. Seven studies were randomized controlled trials, and 3 were cross-sectional or longitudinal. The results of 8 studies indicated significant improvement in muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance through exercise intervention, as determined by long-term observation. Physical activity is an effective protective strategy for sarcopenia. Most studies of older adults exercise intervention indicated that the participants achieved positive results, but maintenance of muscle strength appeared to depend on continuous implementation of certain types of physical activities. A limitation of these 10 reviewed studies was that there was no consistency in the measurement of sarcopenia. Therefore, sarcopenia measurement needs further investigation. Copyright © 2018 AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Antidepressants for depressive disorder in children and adolescents: a database of randomised controlled trials.

PubMed

Zhang, Yuqing; Zhou, Xinyu; Pu, Juncai; Zhang, Hanping; Yang, Lining; Liu, Lanxiang; Zhou, Chanjuan; Yuan, Shuai; Jiang, Xiaofeng; Xie, Peng

2018-05-31

In recent years, whether, when and how to use antidepressants to treat depressive disorder in children and adolescents has been hotly debated. Relevant evidence on this topic has increased rapidly. In this paper, we present the construction and content of a database of randomised controlled trials of antidepressants to treat depressive disorder in children and adolescents. This database can be freely accessed via our website and will be regularly updated. Major bibliographic databases (PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO and LiLACS), international trial registers and regulatory agencies' websites were systematically searched for published and unpublished studies up to April 30, 2017. We included randomised controlled trials in which the efficacy or tolerability of any oral antidepressant was compared with that of a control group or any other treatment. In total, 7377 citations from bibliographical databases and 3289 from international trial registers and regulatory agencies' websites were identified. Of these, 53 trials were eligible for inclusion in the final database. Selected data were extracted from each study, including characteristics of the participants (the study population, setting, diagnostic criteria, type of depression, age, sex, and comorbidity), characteristics of the treatment conditions (the treatment conditions, general information, and detail of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy) and study characteristics (the sponsor, country, number of sites, blinding method, sample size, treatment duration, depression scales, other scales, and primary outcome measure used, and side-effect monitoring method). Moreover, the risk of bias for each trial were assessed. This database provides information on nearly all randomised controlled trials of antidepressants in children and adolescents. By using this database, researchers can improve research efficiency, avoid inadvertent errors and easily focus on the targeted subgroups in which they are interested. For authors of subsequent reviews, they could only use this database to insure that they have completed a comprehensive review, rather than relied solely on the data from this database. We expect this database could help to promote research on evidence-based practice in the treatment of depressive disorder in children and adolescents. The database could be freely accessed in our website: http://xiepengteam.cn/research/evidence-based-medicine .

Cost considerations in database selection - A comparison of DIALOG and ESA/IRS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jack, R. F.

1984-01-01

It is pointed out that there are many factors which affect the decision-making process in determining which databases should be selected for conducting the online search on a given topic. In many cases, however, the major consideration will be related to cost. The present investigation is concerned with a comparison of the costs involved in making use of DIALOG and the European Space Agency's Information Retrieval Service (ESA/IRS). The two services are very comparable in many respects. Attention is given to pricing structure, telecommunications, the number of databases, prints, time requirements, a table listing online costs for DIALOG and ESA/IRS, and differences in mounting databases. It is found that ESA/IRS is competitively priced when compared to DIALOG, and, despite occasionally higher telecommunications costs, may be even more economical to use in some cases.

Sodium content of foods contributing to sodium intake: A comparison between selected foods from the CDC Packaged Food Database and the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The sodium concentration (mg/100g) for 23 of 125 Sentinel Foods were identified in the 2009 CDC Packaged Food Database (PFD) and compared with data in the USDA’s 2013 Standard Reference 26 (SR 26) database. Sentinel Foods are foods and beverages identified by USDA to be monitored as primary indicat...

Recruitment of participants through community pharmacies for a pharmacogenetic study of antihypertensive drug treatment.

PubMed

van Wieren-de Wijer, Diane B M A; Maitland-van der Zee, Anke-Hilse; de Boer, Anthonius; Stricker, Bruno H Ch; Kroon, Abraham A; de Leeuw, Peter W; Bozkurt, O; Klungel, Olaf H

2009-04-01

To describe the design, recruitment and baseline characteristics of participants in a community pharmacy based pharmacogenetic study of antihypertensive drug treatment. Participants enrolled from the population-based Pharmaco-Morbidity Record Linkage System. We designed a nested case-control study in which we will assess whether specific genetic polymorphisms modify the effect of antihypertensive drugs on the risk of myocardial infarction. In this study, cases (myocardial infarction) and controls were recruited through community pharmacies that participate in PHARMO. The PHARMO database comprises drug dispensing histories of about 2,000,000 subjects from a representative sample of Dutch community pharmacies linked to the national registrations of hospital discharges. In total we selected 31010 patients (2777 cases and 28233 controls) from the PHARMO database, of whom 15973 (1871 cases, 14102 controls) were approached through their community pharmacy. Overall response rate was 36.3% (n = 5791, 794 cases, 4997 controls), whereas 32.1% (n = 5126, 701 cases, 4425 controls) gave informed consent to genotype their DNA. As expected, several cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, body mass index, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes mellitus were more common in cases than in controls. Furthermore, cases more often used beta-blockers and calcium-antagonists, whereas controls more often used thiazide diuretics, ACE-inhibitors, and angiotensin-II receptor blockers. We have demonstrated that it is feasible to select patients from a coded database for a pharmacogenetic study and to approach them through community pharmacies, achieving reasonable response rates and without violating privacy rules.

A comparative study of six European databases of medically oriented Web resources.

PubMed

Abad García, Francisca; González Teruel, Aurora; Bayo Calduch, Patricia; de Ramón Frias, Rosa; Castillo Blasco, Lourdes

2005-10-01

The paper describes six European medically oriented databases of Web resources, pertaining to five quality-controlled subject gateways, and compares their performance. The characteristics, coverage, procedure for selecting Web resources, record structure, searching possibilities, and existence of user assistance were described for each database. Performance indicators for each database were obtained by means of searches carried out using the key words, "myocardial infarction." Most of the databases originated in the 1990s in an academic or library context and include all types of Web resources of an international nature. Five databases use Medical Subject Headings. The number of fields per record varies between three and nineteen. The language of the search interfaces is mostly English, and some of them allow searches in other languages. In some databases, the search can be extended to Pubmed. Organizing Medical Networked Information, Catalogue et Index des Sites Médicaux Francophones, and Diseases, Disorders and Related Topics produced the best results. The usefulness of these databases as quick reference resources is clear. In addition, their lack of content overlap means that, for the user, they complement each other. Their continued survival faces three challenges: the instability of the Internet, maintenance costs, and lack of use in spite of their potential usefulness.

An ab initio electronic transport database for inorganic materials

DOE PAGES

Ricci, Francesco; Chen, Wei; Aydemir, Umut; ...

2017-07-04

Electronic transport in materials is governed by a series of tensorial properties such as conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and effective mass. These quantities are paramount to the understanding of materials in many fields from thermoelectrics to electronics and photovoltaics. Transport properties can be calculated from a material’s band structure using the Boltzmann transport theory framework. We present here the largest computational database of electronic transport properties based on a large set of 48,000 materials originating from the Materials Project database. Our results were obtained through the interpolation approach developed in the BoltzTraP software, assuming a constant relaxation time. We present themore » workflow to generate the data, the data validation procedure, and the database structure. In conclusion, our aim is to target the large community of scientists developing materials selection strategies and performing studies involving transport properties.« less

An ab initio electronic transport database for inorganic materials

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

Ricci, Francesco; Chen, Wei; Aydemir, Umut

Electronic transport in materials is governed by a series of tensorial properties such as conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and effective mass. These quantities are paramount to the understanding of materials in many fields from thermoelectrics to electronics and photovoltaics. Transport properties can be calculated from a material’s band structure using the Boltzmann transport theory framework. We present here the largest computational database of electronic transport properties based on a large set of 48,000 materials originating from the Materials Project database. Our results were obtained through the interpolation approach developed in the BoltzTraP software, assuming a constant relaxation time. We present themore » workflow to generate the data, the data validation procedure, and the database structure. In conclusion, our aim is to target the large community of scientists developing materials selection strategies and performing studies involving transport properties.« less

Ascertainment of acute liver injury in two European primary care databases.

PubMed

Ruigómez, A; Brauer, R; Rodríguez, L A García; Huerta, C; Requena, G; Gil, M; de Abajo, Francisco; Downey, G; Bate, A; Tepie, M Feudjo; de Groot, M; Schlienger, R; Reynolds, R; Klungel, O

2014-10-01

The purpose of this study was to ascertain acute liver injury (ALI) in primary care databases using different computer algorithms. The aim of this investigation was to study and compare the incidence of ALI in different primary care databases and using different definitions of ALI. The Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) in UK and the Spanish "Base de datos para la Investigación Farmacoepidemiológica en Atención Primaria" (BIFAP) were used. Both are primary care databases from which we selected individuals of all ages registered between January 2004 and December 2009. We developed two case definitions of idiopathic ALI using computer algorithms: (i) restrictive definition (definite cases) and (ii) broad definition (definite and probable cases). Patients presenting prior liver conditions were excluded. Manual review of potential cases was performed to confirm diagnosis, in a sample in CPRD (21%) and all potential cases in BIFAP. Incidence rates of ALI by age, sex and calendar year were calculated. In BIFAP, all cases considered definite after manual review had been detected with the computer algorithm as potential cases, and none came from the non-cases group. The restrictive definition of ALI had a low sensitivity but a very high specificity (95% in BIFAP) and showed higher rates of agreement between computer search and manual review compared to the broad definition. Higher incidence rates of definite ALI in 2008 were observed in BIFAP (3.01 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.13-4.25) per 100,000 person-years than CPRD (1.35 (95% CI 1.03-1.78)). This study shows that it is feasible to identify ALI cases if restrictive selection criteria are used and the possibility to review additional information to rule out differential diagnoses. Our results confirm that idiopathic ALI is a very rare disease in the general population. Finally, the construction of a standard definition with predefined criteria facilitates the timely comparison across databases.

Staff Training Reduces the Use of Physical Restraint in Mental Health Service, Evidence-based Reflection for China.

PubMed

Ye, Junrong; Xiao, Aixiang; Yu, Lin; Guo, Jianxiong; Lei, Huawei; Wei, Hongmei; Luo, Wei

2018-06-01

The purpose of this article was to synthesize the evidence regarding the reduction of physical restraint, and to seek some practical recommendations based on the current situation in China. Nine databases were retrieved; these were PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Trip Database, PsysINFO, Cochrane Library, CNKI (Chinese database), Wanfang (Chinese database) and CBM (Chinese database) respectively. The selected articles were screened manually, and the identified researches were appraised through Review manager 5.3. Eight studies (four randomized controlled trials and four quasi-experimental studies) published between June 2013 and May 2017 were selected. Risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used as the effect index for dichotomous variables. The standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% CIs were calculated as the pooled continuous effect. The outcome of meta-analysis suggested staff training reduced the duration (IV=-0.88; 95% CIs=-1.65 to -0.10; Z=2.22; p=0.03) and adverse effect (RR, 0.16; 95% CIs=0.09 to 0.30; Z=5.96; p<0.00001) of physical restraint, but there were no statistical change in the frequency of physical restraint (RR, 0.74; 95% CIs=0.43 to 1.28; Z=1.07; p=0.28). Noticeably, the result of pooled estimates from 3 RCTs suggested staff training had no effects on the incidence of physical restraint. (RR, 1.01; 95% CIs=0.45 to 2.24; Z=0.02; p=0.99) CONCLUSION: Staff training was an effective measure to minimize the duration and adverse effects of physical restraint. More studies are needed to examine the effectiveness of staff training in relation to reduce the prevalence of physical restraint. Furthermore, considering the nurse's education background in China, it is recommended to conduct a compulsory training program to reduce the unnecessary restraint. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effectiveness of Occupational Health and Safety Training: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ricci, Federico; Chiesi, Andrea; Bisio, Carlo; Panari, Chiara; Pelosi, Annalisa

2016-01-01

Purpose: This meta-analysis aims to verify the efficacy of occupational health and safety (OHS) training in terms of knowledge, attitude and beliefs, behavior and health. Design/methodology/approach: The authors included studies published in English (2007-2014) selected from ten databases. Eligibility criteria were studies concerned with the…

Transtheoretical Model-Based Dietary Interventions in Primary Care: A Review of the Evidence in Diabetes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salmela, Sanna; Poskiparta, Marita; Kasila, Kirsti; Vahasarja, Kati; Vanhala, Mauno

2009-01-01

The objective of this study was to review the evidence concerning stage-based dietary interventions in primary care among persons with diabetes or an elevated diabetes risk. Search strategies were electronic databases and manual search. Selection criteria were randomized controlled studies with stage-based dietary intervention, conducted in…

Virtual screening applications: a study of ligand-based methods and different structure representations in four different scenarios.

PubMed

Hristozov, Dimitar P; Oprea, Tudor I; Gasteiger, Johann

2007-01-01

Four different ligand-based virtual screening scenarios are studied: (1) prioritizing compounds for subsequent high-throughput screening (HTS); (2) selecting a predefined (small) number of potentially active compounds from a large chemical database; (3) assessing the probability that a given structure will exhibit a given activity; (4) selecting the most active structure(s) for a biological assay. Each of the four scenarios is exemplified by performing retrospective ligand-based virtual screening for eight different biological targets using two large databases--MDDR and WOMBAT. A comparison between the chemical spaces covered by these two databases is presented. The performance of two techniques for ligand--based virtual screening--similarity search with subsequent data fusion (SSDF) and novelty detection with Self-Organizing Maps (ndSOM) is investigated. Three different structure representations--2,048-dimensional Daylight fingerprints, topological autocorrelation weighted by atomic physicochemical properties (sigma electronegativity, polarizability, partial charge, and identity) and radial distribution functions weighted by the same atomic physicochemical properties--are compared. Both methods were found applicable in scenario one. The similarity search was found to perform slightly better in scenario two while the SOM novelty detection is preferred in scenario three. No method/descriptor combination achieved significant success in scenario four.

Improving database enrichment through ensemble docking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, Shashidhar; Sanschagrin, Paul C.; Greenwood, Jeremy R.; Repasky, Matthew P.; Sherman, Woody; Farid, Ramy

2008-09-01

While it may seem intuitive that using an ensemble of multiple conformations of a receptor in structure-based virtual screening experiments would necessarily yield improved enrichment of actives relative to using just a single receptor, it turns out that at least in the p38 MAP kinase model system studied here, a very large majority of all possible ensembles do not yield improved enrichment of actives. However, there are combinations of receptor structures that do lead to improved enrichment results. We present here a method to select the ensembles that produce the best enrichments that does not rely on knowledge of active compounds or sophisticated analyses of the 3D receptor structures. In the system studied here, the small fraction of ensembles of up to 3 receptors that do yield good enrichments of actives were identified by selecting ensembles that have the best mean GlideScore for the top 1% of the docked ligands in a database screen of actives and drug-like "decoy" ligands. Ensembles of two receptors identified using this mean GlideScore metric generally outperform single receptors, while ensembles of three receptors identified using this metric consistently give optimal enrichment factors in which, for example, 40% of the known actives outrank all the other ligands in the database.

AccuNet/AP (Associated Press) Multimedia Archive

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Terrence E., Jr.

2004-01-01

The AccuNet/AP Multimedia Archive is an electronic library containing the AP's current photos and a selection of pictures from their enormous print and negative library, as well as text and graphic material. It is composed of two photo databases as well as graphics, text, and audio databases. The features of this database are briefly described in…

Distributed Episodic Exploratory Planning (DEEP)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

API). For DEEP, Hibernate offered the following advantages: • Abstracts SQL by utilizing HQL so any database with a Java Database Connectivity... Hibernate SQL ICCRTS International Command and Control Research and Technology Symposium JDB Java Distributed Blackboard JDBC Java Database Connectivity...selected because of its opportunistic reasoning capabilities and implemented in Java for platform independence. Java was chosen for ease of

TEDS-M 2008 User Guide for the International Database. Supplement 4: TEDS-M Released Mathematics and Mathematics Pedagogy Knowledge Assessment Items

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brese, Falk, Ed.

2012-01-01

The goal for selecting the released set of test items was to have approximately 25% of each of the full item sets for mathematics content knowledge (MCK) and mathematics pedagogical content knowledge (MPCK) that would represent the full range of difficulty, content, and item format used in the TEDS-M study. The initial step in the selection was to…

Comprehensive analysis of a multidimensional liquid chromatography mass spectrometry dataset acquired on a quadrupole selecting, quadrupole collision cell, time-of-flight mass spectrometer: I. How much of the data is theoretically interpretable by search engines?

PubMed

Chalkley, Robert J; Baker, Peter R; Hansen, Kirk C; Medzihradszky, Katalin F; Allen, Nadia P; Rexach, Michael; Burlingame, Alma L

2005-08-01

An in-depth analysis of a multidimensional chromatography-mass spectrometry dataset acquired on a quadrupole selecting, quadrupole collision cell, time-of-flight (QqTOF) geometry instrument was carried out. A total of 3269 CID spectra were acquired. Through manual verification of database search results and de novo interpretation of spectra 2368 spectra could be confidently determined as predicted tryptic peptides. A detailed analysis of the non-matching spectra was also carried out, highlighting what the non-matching spectra in a database search typically are composed of. The results of this comprehensive dataset study demonstrate that QqTOF instruments produce information-rich data of which a high percentage of the data is readily interpretable.

Instructional Suggestions Supporting Science Learning in Digital Environments Based on a Review of Eye-Tracking Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Fang-Ying; Tsai, Meng-Jung; Chiou, Guo-Li; Lee, Silvia Wen-Yu; Chang, Cheng-Chieh; Chen, Li-Ling

2018-01-01

The main purpose of this study was to provide instructional suggestions for supporting science learning in digital environments based on a review of eye tracking studies in e-learning related areas. Thirty-three eye-tracking studies from 2005 to 2014 were selected from the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) database for review. Through a…

Systematic review for geo-authentic Lonicerae Japonicae Flos.

PubMed

Yang, Xingyue; Liu, Yali; Hou, Aijuan; Yang, Yang; Tian, Xin; He, Liyun

2017-06-01

In traditional Chinese medicine, Lonicerae Japonicae Flos is commonly used as anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antipyretic herbal medicine, and geo-authentic herbs are believed to present the highest quality among all samples from different regions. To discuss the current situation and trend of geo-authentic Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, we searched Chinese Biomedicine Literature Database, Chinese Journal Full-text Database, Chinese Scientific Journal Full-text Database, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Wanfang, and PubMed. We investigated all studies up to November 2015 pertaining to quality assessment, discrimination, pharmacological effects, planting or processing, or ecological system of geo-authentic Lonicerae Japonicae Flos. Sixty-five studies mainly discussing about chemical fingerprint, component analysis, planting and processing, discrimination between varieties, ecological system, pharmacological effects, and safety were systematically reviewed. By analyzing these studies, we found that the key points of geo-authentic Lonicerae Japonicae Flos research were quality and application. Further studies should focus on improving the quality by selecting the more superior of all varieties and evaluating clinical effectiveness.

DNA algorithms of implementing biomolecular databases on a biological computer.

PubMed

Chang, Weng-Long; Vasilakos, Athanasios V

2015-01-01

In this paper, DNA algorithms are proposed to perform eight operations of relational algebra (calculus), which include Cartesian product, union, set difference, selection, projection, intersection, join, and division, on biomolecular relational databases.

Genome-wide identification and evolution of the PIN-FORMED (PIN) gene family in Glycine max.

PubMed

Liu, Yuan; Wei, Haichao

2017-07-01

Soybean (Glycine max) is one of the most important crop plants. Wild and cultivated soybean varieties have significant differences worth further investigation, such as plant morphology, seed size, and seed coat development; these characters may be related to auxin biology. The PIN gene family encodes essential transport proteins in cell-to-cell auxin transport, but little research on soybean PIN genes (GmPIN genes) has been done, especially with respect to the evolution and differences between wild and cultivated soybean. In this study, we retrieved 23 GmPIN genes from the latest updated G. max genome database; six GmPIN protein sequences were changed compared with the previous database. Based on the Plant Genome Duplication Database, 18 GmPIN genes have been involved in segment duplication. Three pairs of GmPIN genes arose after the second soybean genome duplication, and six occurred after the first genome duplication. The duplicated GmPIN genes retained similar expression patterns. All the duplicated GmPIN genes experienced purifying selection (K a /K s < 1) to prevent accumulation of non-synonymous mutations and thus remained more similar. In addition, we also focused on the artificial selection of the soybean PIN genes. Five artificially selected GmPIN genes were identified by comparing the genome sequence of 17 wild and 14 cultivated soybean varieties. Our research provides useful and comprehensive basic information for understanding GmPIN genes.

Searching CINAHL did not add value to clinical questions posed in NICE guidelines.

PubMed

Beckles, Zosia; Glover, Sarah; Ashe, Joanna; Stockton, Sarah; Boynton, Janette; Lai, Rosalind; Alderson, Philip

2013-09-01

This study aims to quantify the unique useful yield from the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) database to National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines. A secondary objective is to investigate the relationship between this yield and different clinical question types. It is hypothesized that the unique useful yield from CINAHL is low, and this database can therefore be relegated to selective rather than routine searching. A retrospective sample of 15 NICE guidelines published between 2005 and 2009 was taken. Information on clinical review question type, number of references, and reference source was extracted. Only 0.33% (95% confidence interval: 0.01-0.64%) of references per guideline were unique to CINAHL. Nursing- or allied health (AH)-related questions were nearly three times as likely to have references unique to CINAHL as non-nursing- or AH-related questions (14.89% vs. 5.11%), and this relationship was found to be significant (P<0.05). No significant relationship was found between question type and unique CINAHL yield for drug-related questions. The very low proportion of references unique to CINAHL strongly suggests that this database can be safely relegated to selective rather than routine searching. Nursing- and AH-related questions would benefit from selective searching of CINAHL. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Improving accuracy and power with transfer learning using a meta-analytic database.

PubMed

Schwartz, Yannick; Varoquaux, Gaël; Pallier, Christophe; Pinel, Philippe; Poline, Jean-Baptiste; Thirion, Bertrand

2012-01-01

Typical cohorts in brain imaging studies are not large enough for systematic testing of all the information contained in the images. To build testable working hypotheses, investigators thus rely on analysis of previous work, sometimes formalized in a so-called meta-analysis. In brain imaging, this approach underlies the specification of regions of interest (ROIs) that are usually selected on the basis of the coordinates of previously detected effects. In this paper, we propose to use a database of images, rather than coordinates, and frame the problem as transfer learning: learning a discriminant model on a reference task to apply it to a different but related new task. To facilitate statistical analysis of small cohorts, we use a sparse discriminant model that selects predictive voxels on the reference task and thus provides a principled procedure to define ROIs. The benefits of our approach are twofold. First it uses the reference database for prediction, i.e., to provide potential biomarkers in a clinical setting. Second it increases statistical power on the new task. We demonstrate on a set of 18 pairs of functional MRI experimental conditions that our approach gives good prediction. In addition, on a specific transfer situation involving different scanners at different locations, we show that voxel selection based on transfer learning leads to higher detection power on small cohorts.

A Step-by-Step Framework on Discrete Events Simulation in Emergency Department; A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Dehghani, Mahsa; Moftian, Nazila; Rezaei-Hachesu, Peyman; Samad-Soltani, Taha

2017-01-01

Objective: To systematically review the current literature of simulation in healthcare including the structured steps in the emergency healthcare sector by proposing a framework for simulation in the emergency department. Methods: For the purpose of collecting the data, PubMed and ACM databases were used between the years 2003 and 2013. The inclusion criteria were to select English-written articles available in full text with the closest objectives from among a total of 54 articles retrieved from the databases. Subsequently, 11 articles were selected for further analysis. Results: The studies focused on the reduction of waiting time and patient stay, optimization of resources allocation, creation of crisis and maximum demand scenarios, identification of overcrowding bottlenecks, investigation of the impact of other systems on the existing system, and improvement of the system operations and functions. Subsequently, 10 simulation steps were derived from the relevant studies after an expert’s evaluation. Conclusion: The 10-steps approach proposed on the basis of the selected studies provides simulation and planning specialists with a structured method for both analyzing problems and choosing best-case scenarios. Moreover, following this framework systematically enables the development of design processes as well as software implementation of simulation problems. PMID:28507994

School Counselors and Child Abuse Reporting: A National Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bryant, Jill K.

2009-01-01

A study was done to investigate school counselors' child abuse reporting behaviors and perceptions regarding the child abuse reporting process. Participants were randomly selected from the American School Counselor Association membership database with 193 school counselors returning questionnaires. Overall, school counselors indicated that they…

[A brief review of research on chronic disease management based on collaborative care model in China].

PubMed

Li, Huayan; Fuller, Jeffrey; Sun, Mei; Wang, Yong; Xu, Shuang; Feng, Hui

2014-11-01

To evaluate the situation for chronic disease management in China, and to seek the method for improving the collaborative management for chronic diseases in community. We searched literature between January 2008 and November 2013 from the Database, such as China Academic Journal Full-Text Database, and PubMed. The screening was strictly in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria and a summary was made among the selected literature based on a collaboration model. We got 698 articles after rough screen and finally selected 33. All studies were involved in patient's self-management support, but only 9 studies mentioned the communication within the team, and 11 showed a clear team division of labor. Chronic disease community management in China displays some disadvantages. It really needs a general service team with clear roles and responsibilities for team members to improve the service ability of team members and provide patients with various forms of self management services.

Identifying potential selective fluorescent probes for cancer-associated protein carbonic anhydrase IX using a computational approach.

PubMed

Kamstra, Rhiannon L; Floriano, Wely B

2014-11-01

Carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) is a biomarker for tumor hypoxia. Fluorescent inhibitors of CAIX have been used to study hypoxic tumor cell lines. However, these inhibitor-based fluorescent probes may have a therapeutic effect that is not appropriate for monitoring treatment efficacy. In the search for novel fluorescent probes that are not based on known inhibitors, a database of 20,860 fluorescent compounds was virtually screened against CAIX using hierarchical virtual ligand screening (HierVLS). The screening database contained 14,862 compounds tagged with the ATTO680 fluorophore plus an additional 5998 intrinsically fluorescent compounds. Overall ranking of compounds to identify hit molecular probe candidates utilized a principal component analysis (PCA) approach. Four potential binding sites, including the catalytic site, were identified within the structure of the protein and targeted for virtual screening. Available sequence information for 23 carbonic anhydrase isoforms was used to prioritize the four sites based on the estimated "uniqueness" of each site in CAIX relative to the other isoforms. A database of 32 known inhibitors and 478 decoy compounds was used to validate the methodology. A receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis using the first principal component (PC1) as predictive score for the validation database yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.92. AUC is interpreted as the probability that a binder will have a better score than a non-binder. The use of first component analysis of binding energies for multiple sites is a novel approach for hit selection. The very high prediction power for this approach increases confidence in the outcome from the fluorescent library screening. Ten of the top scoring candidates for isoform-selective putative binding sites are suggested for future testing as fluorescent molecular probe candidates. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

HuMiChip: Development of a Functional Gene Array for the Study of Human Microbiomes

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

Tu, Q.; Deng, Ye; Lin, Lu

Microbiomes play very important roles in terms of nutrition, health and disease by interacting with their hosts. Based on sequence data currently available in public domains, we have developed a functional gene array to monitor both organismal and functional gene profiles of normal microbiota in human and mouse hosts, and such an array is called human and mouse microbiota array, HMM-Chip. First, seed sequences were identified from KEGG databases, and used to construct a seed database (seedDB) containing 136 gene families in 19 metabolic pathways closely related to human and mouse microbiomes. Second, a mother database (motherDB) was constructed withmore » 81 genomes of bacterial strains with 54 from gut and 27 from oral environments, and 16 metagenomes, and used for selection of genes and probe design. Gene prediction was performed by Glimmer3 for bacterial genomes, and by the Metagene program for metagenomes. In total, 228,240 and 801,599 genes were identified for bacterial genomes and metagenomes, respectively. Then the motherDB was searched against the seedDB using the HMMer program, and gene sequences in the motherDB that were highly homologous with seed sequences in the seedDB were used for probe design by the CommOligo software. Different degrees of specific probes, including gene-specific, inclusive and exclusive group-specific probes were selected. All candidate probes were checked against the motherDB and NCBI databases for specificity. Finally, 7,763 probes covering 91.2percent (12,601 out of 13,814) HMMer confirmed sequences from 75 bacterial genomes and 16 metagenomes were selected. This developed HMM-Chip is able to detect the diversity and abundance of functional genes, the gene expression of microbial communities, and potentially, the interactions of microorganisms and their hosts.« less

A combined strategy involving Sanger and 454 pyrosequencing increases genomic resources to aid in the management of reproduction, disease control and genetic selection in the turbot (Scophthalmus maximus)

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Genomic resources for plant and animal species that are under exploitation primarily for human consumption are increasingly important, among other things, for understanding physiological processes and for establishing adequate genetic selection programs. Current available techniques for high-throughput sequencing have been implemented in a number of species, including fish, to obtain a proper description of the transcriptome. The objective of this study was to generate a comprehensive transcriptomic database in turbot, a highly priced farmed fish species in Europe, with potential expansion to other areas of the world, for which there are unsolved production bottlenecks, to understand better reproductive- and immune-related functions. This information is essential to implement marker assisted selection programs useful for the turbot industry. Results Expressed sequence tags were generated by Sanger sequencing of cDNA libraries from different immune-related tissues after several parasitic challenges. The resulting database (“Turbot 2 database”) was enlarged with sequences generated from a 454 sequencing run of brain-hypophysis-gonadal axis-derived RNA obtained from turbot at different development stages. The assembly of Sanger and 454 sequences generated 52,427 consensus sequences (“Turbot 3 database”), of which 23,661 were successfully annotated. A total of 1,410 sequences were confirmed to be related to reproduction and key genes involved in sex differentiation and maturation were identified for the first time in turbot (AR, AMH, SRY-related genes, CYP19A, ZPGs, STAR FSHR, etc.). Similarly, 2,241 sequences were related to the immune system and several novel key immune genes were identified (BCL, TRAF, NCK, CD28 and TOLLIP, among others). The number of genes of many relevant reproduction- and immune-related pathways present in the database was 50–90% of the total gene count of each pathway. In addition, 1,237 microsatellites and 7,362 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were also compiled. Further, 2,976 putative natural antisense transcripts (NATs) including microRNAs were also identified. Conclusions The combined sequencing strategies employed here significantly increased the turbot genomic resources available, including 34,400 novel sequences. The generated database contains a larger number of genes relevant for reproduction- and immune-associated studies, with an excellent coverage of most genes present in many relevant physiological pathways. This database also allowed the identification of many microsatellites and SNP markers that will be very useful for population and genome screening and a valuable aid in marker assisted selection programs. PMID:23497389

An Investigation of Multidimensional Voice Program Parameters in Three Different Databases for Voice Pathology Detection and Classification.

PubMed

Al-Nasheri, Ahmed; Muhammad, Ghulam; Alsulaiman, Mansour; Ali, Zulfiqar; Mesallam, Tamer A; Farahat, Mohamed; Malki, Khalid H; Bencherif, Mohamed A

2017-01-01

Automatic voice-pathology detection and classification systems may help clinicians to detect the existence of any voice pathologies and the type of pathology from which patients suffer in the early stages. The main aim of this paper is to investigate Multidimensional Voice Program (MDVP) parameters to automatically detect and classify the voice pathologies in multiple databases, and then to find out which parameters performed well in these two processes. Samples of the sustained vowel /a/ of normal and pathological voices were extracted from three different databases, which have three voice pathologies in common. The selected databases in this study represent three distinct languages: (1) the Arabic voice pathology database; (2) the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary database (English database); and (3) the Saarbruecken Voice Database (German database). A computerized speech lab program was used to extract MDVP parameters as features, and an acoustical analysis was performed. The Fisher discrimination ratio was applied to rank the parameters. A t test was performed to highlight any significant differences in the means of the normal and pathological samples. The experimental results demonstrate a clear difference in the performance of the MDVP parameters using these databases. The highly ranked parameters also differed from one database to another. The best accuracies were obtained by using the three highest ranked MDVP parameters arranged according to the Fisher discrimination ratio: these accuracies were 99.68%, 88.21%, and 72.53% for the Saarbruecken Voice Database, the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary database, and the Arabic voice pathology database, respectively. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Population groups: indexing, coverage, and retrieval effectiveness of ethnically related health care issues in health sciences databases.

PubMed Central

Efthimiadis, E N; Afifi, M

1996-01-01

OBJECTIVES: This study examined methods of accessing (for indexing and retrieval purposes) medical research on population groups in the major abstracting and indexing services of the health sciences literature. DESIGN: The study of diseases in specific population groups is facilitated by the indexing of both diseases and populations in a database. The MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Embase databases were selected for the study. The published thesauri for these databases were examined to establish the vocabulary in use. Indexing terms were identified and examined as to their representation in the current literature. Terms were clustered further into groups thought to reflect an end user's perspective and to facilitate subsequent analysis. The medical literature contained in the three online databases was searched with both controlled vocabulary and natural language terms. RESULTS: The three thesauri revealed shallow pre-coordinated hierarchical structures, rather difficult-to-use terms for post-coordination, and a blurring of cultural, genetic, and racial facets of populations. Post-coordination is difficult because of the system-oriented terminology, which is intended mostly for information professionals. The terminology unintentionally restricts access by the end users who lack the knowledge needed to use the thesauri effectively for information retrieval. CONCLUSIONS: Population groups are not represented adequately in the index languages of health sciences databases. Users of these databases need to be alerted to the difficulties that may be encountered in searching for information on population groups. Information and health professionals may not be able to access the literature if they are not familiar with the indexing policies on population groups. Consequently, the study points to a problem that needs to be addressed, through either the redesign of existing systems or the design of new ones to meet the goals of Healthy People 2000 and beyond. PMID:8883987

FRS EZ Query

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This page is the starting point for EZ Query. This page describes how to select key data elements from EPA's Facility Information Database and Geospatial Reference Database to build a tabular report or a Comma Separated Value (CSV) files for downloading.

The worldwide collapse caldera database (CCDB): A tool for studying and understanding caldera processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geyer, Adelina; Marti, Joan

2015-04-01

Collapse calderas are one of the most important volcanic structures not only because of their hazard implications, but also because of their high geothermal energy potential and their association with mineral deposits of economic interest. In 2008 we presented a new general worldwide Collapse Caldera DataBase (CCDB), in order to provide a useful and accessible tool for studying and understanding caldera collapse processes. The principal aim of the CCDB is to update the current field based knowledge on calderas, merging together the existing databases and complementing them with new examples found in the bibliography, and leaving it open for the incorporation of new data from future studies. Currently, the database includes over 450 documented calderas around the world, trying to be representative enough to promote further studies and analyses. We have performed a comprehensive compilation of published field studies of collapse calderas including more than 500 references, and their information has been summarized in a database linked to a Geographical Information System (GIS) application. Thus, it is possible to visualize the selected calderas on a world map and to filter them according to different features recorded in the database (e.g. age, structure). The information recorded in the CCDB can be grouped in seven main information classes: caldera features, properties of the caldera-forming deposits, magmatic system, geodynamic setting, pre-caldera volcanism,caldera-forming eruption sequence and post-caldera activity. Additionally, we have added two extra classes. The first records the references consulted for each caldera. The second allows users to introduce comments on the caldera sample such as possible controversies concerning the caldera origin. During the last seven years, the database has been available on-line at http://www.gvb-csic.es/CCDB.htm previous registration. This year, the CCDB webpage will be updated and improved so the database content can be queried on-line. This research was partially funded by the research fellowship RYC-2012-11024.

Comparison of flavonoid intake assessment methods.

PubMed

Ivey, Kerry L; Croft, Kevin; Prince, Richard L; Hodgson, Jonathan M

2016-09-14

Flavonoids are a diverse group of polyphenolic compounds found in high concentrations in many plant foods and beverages. High flavonoid intake has been associated with reduced risk of chronic disease. To date, population based studies have used the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) food content database to determine habitual flavonoid intake. More recently, a new flavonoid food content database, Phenol-Explorer (PE), has been developed. However, the level of agreement between the two databases is yet to be explored. To compare the methods used to create each database, and to explore the level of agreement between the flavonoid intake estimates derived from USDA and PE data. The study population included 1063 randomly selected women aged over 75 years. Two separate intake estimates were determined using food composition data from the USDA and the PE databases. There were many similarities in methods used to create each database; however, there are several methodological differences that manifest themselves in differences in flavonoid intake estimates between the 2 databases. Despite differences in net estimates, there was a strong level of agreement between total-flavonoid, flavanol, flavanone and anthocyanidin intake estimates derived from each database. Intake estimates for flavanol monomers showed greater agreement than flavanol polymers. The level of agreement between the two databases was the weakest for the flavonol and flavone intake estimates. In this population, the application of USDA and PE source data yielded highly correlated intake estimates for total-flavonoids, flavanols, flavanones and anthocyanidins. For these sub-classes, the USDA and PE databases may be used interchangeably in epidemiological investigations. There was poorer correlation between intake estimates for flavonols and flavones due to differences in USDA and PE methodologies. Individual flavonoid compound groups that comprise flavonoid sub-classes had varying levels of agreement. As such, when determining the appropriate database to calculate flavonoid intake variables, it is important to consider methodologies underpinning database creation and which foods are important contributors to dietary intake in the population of interest.

Efficiency of different storage media for avulsed teeth in animal models: a systematic review.

PubMed

Longo, Daniele L; Fumes, Ana C; Küchler, Erika C; Paula-Silva, Francisco W G; Nelson-Filho, Paulo; Silva, Léa A B

2018-02-01

Tooth avulsion consists of the complete displacement of a tooth from the alveolar socket. When immediate replantation is not possible, the avulsed tooth should be kept in a storage medium capable of maintaining the viability of periodontal ligament (PDL) cells on the root surface. However, there is no consensus on the best storage medium able to prevent sequels such as ankylosis and tooth resorption. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review to evaluate the in vivo effectiveness of different storage media for avulsed teeth. Two reviewers performed a database search for studies published between January 1950 and December 2015 which were indexed in the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Bireme databases. An additional manual search was performed. Studies with animal models that evaluated tooth avulsion, storage media, and replantation were included. After full-text analysis of the potentially relevant studies, the selected studies were included in the systematic review. The database search found 157 distinct studies evaluating avulsed teeth storage media. However, only six studies met the selection criteria and were included in the review. There was a high variability in the study estimates for the parameters analyzed. When assessing the quality and level of evidence of each study, one study was rated as having a very low level of evidence, four studies had low levels of evidence, and one had a moderate level of evidence. As a result of data heterogeneity and limitations of the studies, there was insufficient evidence to determine the most effective storage medium for avulsed teeth. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

An infrared spectral database for detection of gases emitted by biomass burning

Treesearch

Timothy J. Johnson; Luisa T. M. Profeta; Robert L. Sams; David W. T. Griffith; Robert L. Yokelson

2010-01-01

We report the construction of a database of infrared spectra aimed at detecting the gases emitted by biomass burning. The project uses many of the methods of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) infrared database, but the selection of the species and special experimental considerations are optimized. Each spectrum is a weighted average derived from 10 or...

How to select equivalent and complimentary reversed phase liquid chromatography columns from column characterization databases.

PubMed

Borges, Endler M

2014-01-07

Three RP-LC column characterization protocols [Tanaka et al. (1989), Snyder et al. (PQRI, 2002), and NIST SRM 870 (2000)] were evaluated using both Euclidian distance and Principal Components Analysis to evaluate effectiveness at identifying equivalent columns. These databases utilize specific chromatographic properties such as hydrophobicity, hydrogen bonding, shape/steric selectivity, and ion exchange capacity of stationary phases. The chromatographic parameters of each test were shown to be uncorrelated. Despite this, the three protocols were equally successful in identifying similar and/or dissimilar stationary phases. The veracity of the results has been supported by some real life pharmaceutical separations. The use of Principal Component Analysis to identify similar/dissimilar phases appears to have some limitations in terms of loss of information. In contrast, the use of Euclidian distances is a much more convenient and reliable approach. The use of auto scaled data is favoured over the use of weighted factors as the former data transformation is less affected by the addition or removal of columns from the database. The use of these free databases and their corresponding software tools shown to be valid for identifying similar columns with equivalent chromatographic selectivity and retention as a "backup column". In addition, dissimilar columns with complimentary chromatographic selectivity can be identified for method development screening strategies. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An incremental database access method for autonomous interoperable databases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roussopoulos, Nicholas; Sellis, Timos

1994-01-01

We investigated a number of design and performance issues of interoperable database management systems (DBMS's). The major results of our investigation were obtained in the areas of client-server database architectures for heterogeneous DBMS's, incremental computation models, buffer management techniques, and query optimization. We finished a prototype of an advanced client-server workstation-based DBMS which allows access to multiple heterogeneous commercial DBMS's. Experiments and simulations were then run to compare its performance with the standard client-server architectures. The focus of this research was on adaptive optimization methods of heterogeneous database systems. Adaptive buffer management accounts for the random and object-oriented access methods for which no known characterization of the access patterns exists. Adaptive query optimization means that value distributions and selectives, which play the most significant role in query plan evaluation, are continuously refined to reflect the actual values as opposed to static ones that are computed off-line. Query feedback is a concept that was first introduced to the literature by our group. We employed query feedback for both adaptive buffer management and for computing value distributions and selectivities. For adaptive buffer management, we use the page faults of prior executions to achieve more 'informed' management decisions. For the estimation of the distributions of the selectivities, we use curve-fitting techniques, such as least squares and splines, for regressing on these values.

Elucidation of metabolic pathways from enzyme classification data.

PubMed

McDonald, Andrew G; Tipton, Keith F

2014-01-01

The IUBMB Enzyme List is widely used by other databases as a source for avoiding ambiguity in the recognition of enzymes as catalytic entities. However, it was not designed for metabolic pathway tracing, which has become increasingly important in systems biology. A Reactions Database has been created from the material in the Enzyme List to allow reactions to be searched by substrate/product, and pathways to be traced from any selected starting/seed substrate. An extensive synonym glossary allows searches by many of the alternative names, including accepted abbreviations, by which a chemical compound may be known. This database was necessary for the development of the application Reaction Explorer ( http://www.reaction-explorer.org ), which was written in Real Studio ( http://www.realsoftware.com/realstudio/ ) to search the Reactions Database and draw metabolic pathways from reactions selected by the user. Having input the name of the starting compound (the "seed"), the user is presented with a list of all reactions containing that compound and then selects the product of interest as the next point on the ensuing graph. The pathway diagram is then generated as the process iterates. A contextual menu is provided, which allows the user: (1) to remove a compound from the graph, along with all associated links; (2) to search the reactions database again for additional reactions involving the compound; (3) to search for the compound within the Enzyme List.

[Active surveillance of adverse drug reaction in the era of big data: challenge and opportunity for control selection].

PubMed

Wang, S F; Zhan, S Y

2016-07-01

Electronic healthcare databases have become an important source for active surveillance of drug safety in the era of big data. The traditional epidemiology research designs are needed to confirm the association between drug use and adverse events based on these datasets, and the selection of the comparative control is essential to each design. This article aims to explain the principle and application of each type of control selection, introduce the methods and parameters for method comparison, and describe the latest achievements in the batch processing of control selection, which would provide important methodological reference for the use of electronic healthcare databases to conduct post-marketing drug safety surveillance in China.

Performance Evaluation of a Database System in a Multiple Backend Configurations,

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-10-01

leaving a systemn process , the * internal performance measuremnents of MMSD have been carried out. Mathodo lo.- gies for constructing test databases...access d i rectory data via the AT, EDIT, and CDT. In designing the test database, one of the key concepts is the choice of the directory attributes in...internal timing. These requests are selected since they retrieve the seIaI lest portion of the test database and the processing time for each request is

Electron-Impact Ionization Cross Section Database

National Institute of Standards and Technology Data Gateway

SRD 107 Electron-Impact Ionization Cross Section Database (Web, free access)   This is a database primarily of total ionization cross sections of molecules by electron impact. The database also includes cross sections for a small number of atoms and energy distributions of ejected electrons for H, He, and H2. The cross sections were calculated using the Binary-Encounter-Bethe (BEB) model, which combines the Mott cross section with the high-incident energy behavior of the Bethe cross section. Selected experimental data are included.

NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

A comprehensive study of near midair collisions in terminal airspace, derived from the ASRS database is presented. A selection of controller and pilot reports on airport perimeter security, unauthorized takeoffs and landings, and on winter operations is presented. A sampling of typical Alert Bulletins and their responses is presented.

Network meta-analyses could be improved by searching more sources and by involving a librarian.

PubMed

Li, Lun; Tian, Jinhui; Tian, Hongliang; Moher, David; Liang, Fuxiang; Jiang, Tongxiao; Yao, Liang; Yang, Kehu

2014-09-01

Network meta-analyses (NMAs) aim to rank the benefits (or harms) of interventions, based on all available randomized controlled trials. Thus, the identification of relevant data is critical. We assessed the conduct of the literature searches in NMAs. Published NMAs were retrieved by searching electronic bibliographic databases and other sources. Two independent reviewers selected studies and five trained reviewers abstracted data regarding literature searches, in duplicate. Search method details were examined using descriptive statistics. Two hundred forty-nine NMAs were included. Eight used previous systematic reviews to identify primary studies without further searching, and five did not report any literature searches. In the 236 studies that used electronic databases to identify primary studies, the median number of databases was 3 (interquartile range: 3-5). MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were the most commonly used databases. The most common supplemental search methods included reference lists of included studies (48%), reference lists of previous systematic reviews (40%), and clinical trial registries (32%). None of these supplemental methods was conducted in more than 50% of the NMAs. Literature searches in NMAs could be improved by searching more sources, and by involving a librarian or information specialist. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

NHEXAS PHASE I ARIZONA STUDY--STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR ELECTRONIC DATA QA CHECK (HAND ENTRY AND SCANNED) (UA-D-26.0)

EPA Science Inventory

The purpose of this SOP is to define the procedure for conducting a data accuracy check on a randomly selected 10% sample of all electronic data. This procedure applies to the cleaned, working databases generated during the Arizona NHEXAS project and the "Border" study. Keyword...

Integration of environmental simulation models with satellite remote sensing and geographic information systems technologies: case studies

USGS Publications Warehouse

Steyaert, Louis T.; Loveland, Thomas R.; Brown, Jesslyn F.; Reed, Bradley C.

1993-01-01

Environmental modelers are testing and evaluating a prototype land cover characteristics database for the conterminous United States developed by the EROS Data Center of the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Nebraska Center for Advanced Land Management Information Technologies. This database was developed from multi temporal, 1-kilometer advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) data for 1990 and various ancillary data sets such as elevation, ecological regions, and selected climatic normals. Several case studies using this database were analyzed to illustrate the integration of satellite remote sensing and geographic information systems technologies with land-atmosphere interactions models at a variety of spatial and temporal scales. The case studies are representative of contemporary environmental simulation modeling at local to regional levels in global change research, land and water resource management, and environmental simulation modeling at local to regional levels in global change research, land and water resource management and environmental risk assessment. The case studies feature land surface parameterizations for atmospheric mesoscale and global climate models; biogenic-hydrocarbons emissions models; distributed parameter watershed and other hydrological models; and various ecological models such as ecosystem, dynamics, biogeochemical cycles, ecotone variability, and equilibrium vegetation models. The case studies demonstrate the important of multi temporal AVHRR data to develop to develop and maintain a flexible, near-realtime land cover characteristics database. Moreover, such a flexible database is needed to derive various vegetation classification schemes, to aggregate data for nested models, to develop remote sensing algorithms, and to provide data on dynamic landscape characteristics. The case studies illustrate how such a database supports research on spatial heterogeneity, land use, sensitivity analysis, and scaling issues involving regional extrapolations and parameterizations of dynamic land processes within simulation models.

Integrative medicine for managing the symptoms of lupus nephritis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Choi, Tae-Young; Jun, Ji Hee; Lee, Myeong Soo

2018-03-01

Integrative medicine is claimed to improve symptoms of lupus nephritis. No systematic reviews have been performed for the application of integrative medicine for lupus nephritis on patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Thus, this review will aim to evaluate the current evidence on the efficacy of integrative medicine for the management of lupus nephritis in patients with SLE. The following electronic databases will be searched for studies published from their dates of inception February 2018: Medline, EMBASE and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), as well as 6 Korean medical databases (Korea Med, the Oriental Medicine Advanced Search Integrated System [OASIS], DBpia, the Korean Medical Database [KM base], the Research Information Service System [RISS], and the Korean Studies Information Services System [KISS]), and 1 Chinese medical database (the China National Knowledge Infrastructure [CNKI]). Study selection, data extraction, and assessment will be performed independently by 2 researchers. The risk of bias (ROB) will be assessed using the Cochrane ROB tool. This systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and disseminated both electronically and in print. The review will be updated to inform and guide healthcare practice and policy. PROSPERO 2018 CRD42018085205.

A Look at Research on Mobile Learning in K-12 Education from 2007 to the Present

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Min; Scordino, Robert; Geurtz, Renata; Navarrete, Cesar; Ko, Yujung; Lim, Mihyun

2014-01-01

The purpose of this literature review is to examine data-based studies published on mobile learning in K-12 from 2007 to the present. In total, 63 studies from 15 refereed journals were selected for analysis. The findings are organized in four themes: (a) comparison studies, (b) no comparison studies, (c) mobilized learning, and (d) academic…

Planning for CD-ROM in the Reference Department.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graves, Gail T.; And Others

1987-01-01

Outlines the evaluation criteria used by the reference department at the Williams Library at the University of Mississippi in selecting databases and hardware used in CD-ROM workstations. The factors discussed include database coverage, costs, and security. (CLB)

P21, COX-2, and E-cadherin are potential prognostic factors for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

PubMed

Lin, Yao; Shen, Lu-Yan; Fu, Hao; Dong, Bin; Yang, He-Li; Yan, Wan-Pu; Kang, Xiao-Zheng; Dai, Liang; Zhou, Hai-Tao; Yang, Yong-Bo; Liang, Zhen; Chen, Ke-Neng

2017-02-01

Much research effort has been devoted to identifying prognostic factors for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) by immunohistochemistry; however, no conclusive findings have been reached thus far. We hypothesized that certain molecules identified in previous studies might serve as useful prognostic markers for ESCC. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to validate the most relevant markers showing potential for ESCC prognosis in our prospective esophageal cancer database. A literature search was performed using the PubMed database for papers published between 1980 and 2015 using the following key words: 'esophageal cancer,' 'prognosis,' and 'immunohistochemistry.' Literature selection criteria were established to identify the most widely studied markers, and we further validated the selected markers in a cohort from our single-surgeon team, including 153 esophageal cancer patients treated from 2000 to 2010. A total of 1799 articles were identified, 82 of which met the selection criteria. Twelve markers were found to be the most widely studied, and the validation results indicated that only P21, COX-2, and E-cadherin were independent prognostic factors for ESCC patients in this series. The systemic review and cohort validation suggest that P21, COX-2, and E-cadherin are potential prognostic factors for ESCC, paving the way for more targeted prospective validation in the future. © 2016 International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus.

Random drift versus selection in academic vocabulary: an evolutionary analysis of published keywords.

PubMed

Bentley, R Alexander

2008-08-27

The evolution of vocabulary in academic publishing is characterized via keyword frequencies recorded in the ISI Web of Science citations database. In four distinct case-studies, evolutionary analysis of keyword frequency change through time is compared to a model of random copying used as the null hypothesis, such that selection may be identified against it. The case studies from the physical sciences indicate greater selection in keyword choice than in the social sciences. Similar evolutionary analyses can be applied to a wide range of phenomena; wherever the popularity of multiple items through time has been recorded, as with web searches, or sales of popular music and books, for example.

Random Drift versus Selection in Academic Vocabulary: An Evolutionary Analysis of Published Keywords

PubMed Central

Bentley, R. Alexander

2008-01-01

The evolution of vocabulary in academic publishing is characterized via keyword frequencies recorded in the ISI Web of Science citations database. In four distinct case-studies, evolutionary analysis of keyword frequency change through time is compared to a model of random copying used as the null hypothesis, such that selection may be identified against it. The case studies from the physical sciences indicate greater selection in keyword choice than in the social sciences. Similar evolutionary analyses can be applied to a wide range of phenomena; wherever the popularity of multiple items through time has been recorded, as with web searches, or sales of popular music and books, for example. PMID:18728786

Supervised Learning for Detection of Duplicates in Genomic Sequence Databases.

PubMed

Chen, Qingyu; Zobel, Justin; Zhang, Xiuzhen; Verspoor, Karin

2016-01-01

First identified as an issue in 1996, duplication in biological databases introduces redundancy and even leads to inconsistency when contradictory information appears. The amount of data makes purely manual de-duplication impractical, and existing automatic systems cannot detect duplicates as precisely as can experts. Supervised learning has the potential to address such problems by building automatic systems that learn from expert curation to detect duplicates precisely and efficiently. While machine learning is a mature approach in other duplicate detection contexts, it has seen only preliminary application in genomic sequence databases. We developed and evaluated a supervised duplicate detection method based on an expert curated dataset of duplicates, containing over one million pairs across five organisms derived from genomic sequence databases. We selected 22 features to represent distinct attributes of the database records, and developed a binary model and a multi-class model. Both models achieve promising performance; under cross-validation, the binary model had over 90% accuracy in each of the five organisms, while the multi-class model maintains high accuracy and is more robust in generalisation. We performed an ablation study to quantify the impact of different sequence record features, finding that features derived from meta-data, sequence identity, and alignment quality impact performance most strongly. The study demonstrates machine learning can be an effective additional tool for de-duplication of genomic sequence databases. All Data are available as described in the supplementary material.

Correlation between Self-Citation and Impact Factor in Iranian English Medical Journals in WoS and ISC: A Comparative Approach

PubMed Central

GHAZI MIRSAEID, Seyed Javad; MOTAMEDI, Nadia; RAMEZAN GHORBANI, Nahid

2015-01-01

Background: In this study, the impact of self-citation (Journal and Author) on impact factor of Iranian English Medical journals in two international citation databases, Web of Science (WoS) and Islamic world science citation center (ISC), were compared by citation analysis. Methods: Twelve journals in WoS and 26 journals in ISC databases indexed between the years (2006–2009) were selected and compared. For comparison of self-citation rate in two databases, we used Wilcoxon and Mann-whitney tests. We used Pearson test for correlation of self-citation and IF in WoS, and the Spearman’s correlation coefficient for the ISC database. Covariance analysis was used for comparison of two correlation tests. P. value was 0.05 in all of tests. Results: There was no significant difference between self-citation rates in two databases (P>0.05). Findings also showed no significant difference between the correlation of Journal self-citation and impact factor in two databases (P=0.526) however, there was significant difference between the author’s self-citation and impact factor in these databases (P<0.001). Conclusion: The impact of Author’s self-citation in the Impact Factor of WoS was higher than the ISC. PMID:26587498

The BDNYC database of low-mass stars, brown dwarfs, and planetary mass companions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cruz, Kelle; Rodriguez, David; Filippazzo, Joseph; Gonzales, Eileen; Faherty, Jacqueline K.; Rice, Emily; BDNYC

2018-01-01

We present a web-interface to a database of low-mass stars, brown dwarfs, and planetary mass companions. Users can send SELECT SQL queries to the database, perform searches by coordinates or name, check the database inventory on specified objects, and even plot spectra interactively. The initial version of this database contains information for 198 objects and version 2 will contain over 1000 objects. The database currently includes photometric data from 2MASS, WISE, and Spitzer and version 2 will include a significant portion of the publicly available optical and NIR spectra for brown dwarfs. The database is maintained and curated by the BDNYC research group and we welcome contributions from other researchers via GitHub.

A Systematic Review of Scope and Quality of Health Economic Evaluation Studies in Vietnam

PubMed Central

Maher, Rachel Marie; Nguyen, Phuong Khanh; Luu, Hoat Ngoc

2014-01-01

Introduction The application of health economic evaluation (HEE) evidence can play an important role in strategic planning and policy making. This study aimed to assess the scope and quality of existing research, with the goal of elucidating implications for improving the use of HEE evidence in Vietnam. Methods A comprehensive search strategy was developed to search medical online databases (Medline, Google Scholar, and Vietnam Medical Databases) to select all types of HEE studies except cost-only analyses. Two researchers assessed the quality of selected studies using the Quality of Health Economic Studies (QHES) instrument. Results We selected 26 studies, including 6 published in Vietnam. The majority of these studies focused on infectious diseases (14 studies), with HIV being the most common topic (5 studies). Most papers were cost-effectiveness studies that measured health outcomes using DALY units. Using QHES, we found that the overall quality of HEE studies published internationally was much higher (mean score 88.7+13.3) than that of those published in Vietnam (mean score 67.3+22.9). Lack of costing perspectives, reliable data sources and sensitivity analysis were the main shortcomings of the reviewed studies. Conclusion This review indicates that HEE studies published in Vietnam are limited in scope and number, as well as by several important technical errors or omissions. It is necessary to formalize the process of health economic research in Vietnam and to institutionalize the links between researchers and policy-makers. Additionally, the quality of HEE should be enhanced through education about research techniques, and the implementation of standard HEE guidelines. PMID:25122180

A BRDF-BPDF database for the analysis of Earth target reflectances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breon, Francois-Marie; Maignan, Fabienne

2017-01-01

Land surface reflectance is not isotropic. It varies with the observation geometry that is defined by the sun, view zenith angles, and the relative azimuth. In addition, the reflectance is linearly polarized. The reflectance anisotropy is quantified by the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF), while its polarization properties are defined by the bidirectional polarization distribution function (BPDF). The POLDER radiometer that flew onboard the PARASOL microsatellite remains the only space instrument that measured numerous samples of the BRDF and BPDF of Earth targets. Here, we describe a database of representative BRDFs and BPDFs derived from the POLDER measurements. From the huge number of data acquired by the spaceborne instrument over a period of 7 years, we selected a set of targets with high-quality observations. The selection aimed for a large number of observations, free of significant cloud or aerosol contamination, acquired in diverse observation geometries with a focus on the backscatter direction that shows the specific hot spot signature. The targets are sorted according to the 16-class International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) land cover classification system, and the target selection aims at a spatial representativeness within the class. The database thus provides a set of high-quality BRDF and BPDF samples that can be used to assess the typical variability of natural surface reflectances or to evaluate models. It is available freely from the PANGAEA website (doi:10.1594/PANGAEA.864090). In addition to the database, we provide a visualization and analysis tool based on the Interactive Data Language (IDL). It allows an interactive analysis of the measurements and a comparison against various BRDF and BPDF analytical models. The present paper describes the input data, the selection principles, the database format, and the analysis tool

A phenome database (NEAUHLFPD) designed and constructed for broiler lines divergently selected for abdominal fat content.

PubMed

Li, Min; Dong, Xiang-yu; Liang, Hao; Leng, Li; Zhang, Hui; Wang, Shou-zhi; Li, Hui; Du, Zhi-Qiang

2017-05-20

Effective management and analysis of precisely recorded phenotypic traits are important components of the selection and breeding of superior livestocks. Over two decades, we divergently selected chicken lines for abdominal fat content at Northeast Agricultural University (Northeast Agricultural University High and Low Fat, NEAUHLF), and collected large volume of phenotypic data related to the investigation on molecular genetic basis of adipose tissue deposition in broilers. To effectively and systematically store, manage and analyze phenotypic data, we built the NEAUHLF Phenome Database (NEAUHLFPD). NEAUHLFPD included the following phenotypic records: pedigree (generations 1-19) and 29 phenotypes, such as body sizes and weights, carcass traits and their corresponding rates. The design and construction strategy of NEAUHLFPD were executed as follows: (1) Framework design. We used Apache as our web server, MySQL and Navicat as database management tools, and PHP as the HTML-embedded language to create dynamic interactive website. (2) Structural components. On the main interface, detailed introduction on the composition, function, and the index buttons of the basic structure of the database could be found. The functional modules of NEAUHLFPD had two main components: the first module referred to the physical storage space for phenotypic data, in which functional manipulation on data can be realized, such as data indexing, filtering, range-setting, searching, etc.; the second module related to the calculation of basic descriptive statistics, where data filtered from the database can be used for the computation of basic statistical parameters and the simultaneous conditional sorting. NEAUHLFPD could be used to effectively store and manage not only phenotypic, but also genotypic and genomics data, which can facilitate further investigation on the molecular genetic basis of chicken adipose tissue growth and development, and expedite the selection and breeding of broilers with low fat content.

ANTI-VIRAL EFFECTS OF MEDICINAL PLANTS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF DENGUE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW.

PubMed

Frederico, Éric Heleno Freira Ferreira; Cardoso, André Luiz Bandeira Dionísio; Moreira-Marconi, Eloá; de Sá-Caputo, Danúbia da Cunha; Guimarães, Carlos Alberto Sampaio; Dionello, Carla da Fontoura; Morel, Danielle Soares; Paineiras-Domingos, Laisa Liane; de Souza, Patricia Lopes; Brandão-Sobrinho-Neto, Samuel; Carvalho-Lima, Rafaelle Pacheco; Guedes-Aguiar, Eliane de Oliveira; Costa-Cavalcanti, Rebeca Graça; Kutter, Cristiane Ribeiro; Bernardo-Filho, Mario

2017-01-01

Dengue is considered as an important arboviral disease. Safe, low-cost, and effective drugs that possess inhibitory activity against dengue virus (DENV) are mostly needed to try to combat the dengue infection worldwide. Medicinal plants have been considered as an important alternative to manage several diseases, such as dengue. As authors have demonstrated the antiviral effect of medicinal plants against DENV, the aim of this study was to review systematically the published research concerning the use of medicinal plants in the management of dengue using the PubMed database. Search and selection of publications were made using the PubMed database following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA statement). Six publications met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final selection after thorough analysis. It is suggested that medicinal plants' products could be used as potential anti-DENV agents.

Interactive bibliographical database on color

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caivano, Jose L.

2002-06-01

The paper describes the methodology and results of a project under development, aimed at the elaboration of an interactive bibliographical database on color in all fields of application: philosophy, psychology, semiotics, education, anthropology, physical and natural sciences, biology, medicine, technology, industry, architecture and design, arts, linguistics, geography, history. The project is initially based upon an already developed bibliography, published in different journals, updated in various opportunities, and now available at the Internet, with more than 2,000 entries. The interactive database will amplify that bibliography, incorporating hyperlinks and contents (indexes, abstracts, keywords, introductions, or eventually the complete document), and devising mechanisms for information retrieval. The sources to be included are: books, doctoral dissertations, multimedia publications, reference works. The main arrangement will be chronological, but the design of the database will allow rearrangements or selections by different fields: subject, Decimal Classification System, author, language, country, publisher, etc. A further project is to develop another database, including color-specialized journals or newsletters, and articles on color published in international journals, arranged in this case by journal name and date of publication, but allowing also rearrangements or selections by author, subject and keywords.

mESAdb: microRNA Expression and Sequence Analysis Database

PubMed Central

Kaya, Koray D.; Karakülah, Gökhan; Yakıcıer, Cengiz M.; Acar, Aybar C.; Konu, Özlen

2011-01-01

microRNA expression and sequence analysis database (http://konulab.fen.bilkent.edu.tr/mirna/) (mESAdb) is a regularly updated database for the multivariate analysis of sequences and expression of microRNAs from multiple taxa. mESAdb is modular and has a user interface implemented in PHP and JavaScript and coupled with statistical analysis and visualization packages written for the R language. The database primarily comprises mature microRNA sequences and their target data, along with selected human, mouse and zebrafish expression data sets. mESAdb analysis modules allow (i) mining of microRNA expression data sets for subsets of microRNAs selected manually or by motif; (ii) pair-wise multivariate analysis of expression data sets within and between taxa; and (iii) association of microRNA subsets with annotation databases, HUGE Navigator, KEGG and GO. The use of existing and customized R packages facilitates future addition of data sets and analysis tools. Furthermore, the ability to upload and analyze user-specified data sets makes mESAdb an interactive and expandable analysis tool for microRNA sequence and expression data. PMID:21177657

Age estimation using cortical surface pattern combining thickness with curvatures

PubMed Central

Wang, Jieqiong; Li, Wenjing; Miao, Wen; Dai, Dai; Hua, Jing; He, Huiguang

2014-01-01

Brain development and healthy aging have been proved to follow a specific pattern, which, in turn, can be applied to help doctors diagnose mental diseases. In this paper, we design a cortical surface pattern (CSP) combining the cortical thickness with curvatures, which constructs an accurate human age estimation model with relevance vector regression. We test our model with two public databases. One is the IXI database (360 healthy subjects aging from 20 to 82 years old were selected), and the other is the INDI database (303 subjects aging from 7 to 22 years old were selected). The results show that our model can achieve as small as 4.57 years deviation in the IXI database and 1.38 years deviation in the INDI database. Furthermore, we employ this surface pattern to age groups classification, and get a remarkably high accuracy (97.77%) and a significantly high sensitivity/specificity (97.30%/98.10%). These results suggest that our designed CSP combining thickness with curvatures is stable and sensitive to brain development, and it is much more powerful than voxel-based morphometry used in previous methods for age estimation. PMID:24395657

mESAdb: microRNA expression and sequence analysis database.

PubMed

Kaya, Koray D; Karakülah, Gökhan; Yakicier, Cengiz M; Acar, Aybar C; Konu, Ozlen

2011-01-01

microRNA expression and sequence analysis database (http://konulab.fen.bilkent.edu.tr/mirna/) (mESAdb) is a regularly updated database for the multivariate analysis of sequences and expression of microRNAs from multiple taxa. mESAdb is modular and has a user interface implemented in PHP and JavaScript and coupled with statistical analysis and visualization packages written for the R language. The database primarily comprises mature microRNA sequences and their target data, along with selected human, mouse and zebrafish expression data sets. mESAdb analysis modules allow (i) mining of microRNA expression data sets for subsets of microRNAs selected manually or by motif; (ii) pair-wise multivariate analysis of expression data sets within and between taxa; and (iii) association of microRNA subsets with annotation databases, HUGE Navigator, KEGG and GO. The use of existing and customized R packages facilitates future addition of data sets and analysis tools. Furthermore, the ability to upload and analyze user-specified data sets makes mESAdb an interactive and expandable analysis tool for microRNA sequence and expression data.

[Nursing workloads and working conditions: integrative review].

PubMed

Schmoeller, Roseli; Trindade, Letícia de Lima; Neis, Márcia Binder; Gelbcke, Francine Lima; de Pires, Denise Elvira Pires

2011-06-01

This study reviews theoretical production concerning workloads and working conditions for nurses. For that, an integrative review was carried out using scientific articles, theses and dissertations indexed in two Brazilian databases, Virtual Health Care Library (Biblioteca Virtual de Saúde) and Digital Database of Dissertations (Banco Digital de Teses), over the last ten years. From 132 identified studies, 27 were selected. Results indicate workloads as responsible for professional weariness, affecting the occurrence of work accidents and health problems. In order to adequate workloads studies indicate some strategies, such as having an adequate numbers of employees, continuing education, and better working conditions. The challenge is to continue research that reveal more precisely the relationships between workloads, working conditions, and health of the nursing team.

Rating the Relevance of QUORUM-Selected ASRS Incident Narratives to a "Controlled Flight into Terrain" Accident

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McGreevy, Michael W.; Statler, Irving C.

1998-01-01

An exploratory study was conducted to identify commercial aviation incidents that are relevant to a "controlled flight into terrain" (CFIT) accident using a NASA-developed text processing method. The QUORUM method was used to rate 67820 incident narratives, virtually all of the narratives in the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) database, according to their relevance to two official reports on the crash of American Airlines Flight 965 near Cali, Colombia in December 1995. For comparison with QUORUM's ratings, three experienced ASRS analysts read the reports of the crash and independently rated the relevance of the 100 narratives that were most highly rated by QUORUM, as well as 100 narratives randomly selected from the database. Eighty-four of 100 QUORUM-selected narratives were rated as relevant to the Cali accident by one or more of the analysts. The relevant incidents involved a variety of factors, including, over-reliance on automation, confusion and changes during descent/approach, terrain avoidance, and operations in foreign airspace. In addition, the QUORUM collection of incidents was found to be significantly more relevant than the random collection.

New milk protein-derived peptides with potential antimicrobial activity: an approach based on bioinformatic studies.

PubMed

Dziuba, Bartłomiej; Dziuba, Marta

2014-08-20

New peptides with potential antimicrobial activity, encrypted in milk protein sequences, were searched for with the use of bioinformatic tools. The major milk proteins were hydrolyzed in silico by 28 enzymes. The obtained peptides were characterized by the following parameters: molecular weight, isoelectric point, composition and number of amino acid residues, net charge at pH 7.0, aliphatic index, instability index, Boman index, and GRAVY index, and compared with those calculated for known 416 antimicrobial peptides including 59 antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from milk proteins listed in the BIOPEP database. A simple analysis of physico-chemical properties and the values of biological activity indicators were insufficient to select potentially antimicrobial peptides released in silico from milk proteins by proteolytic enzymes. The final selection was made based on the results of multidimensional statistical analysis such as support vector machines (SVM), random forest (RF), artificial neural networks (ANN) and discriminant analysis (DA) available in the Collection of Anti-Microbial Peptides (CAMP database). Eleven new peptides with potential antimicrobial activity were selected from all peptides released during in silico proteolysis of milk proteins.

New Milk Protein-Derived Peptides with Potential Antimicrobial Activity: An Approach Based on Bioinformatic Studies

PubMed Central

Dziuba, Bartłomiej; Dziuba, Marta

2014-01-01

New peptides with potential antimicrobial activity, encrypted in milk protein sequences, were searched for with the use of bioinformatic tools. The major milk proteins were hydrolyzed in silico by 28 enzymes. The obtained peptides were characterized by the following parameters: molecular weight, isoelectric point, composition and number of amino acid residues, net charge at pH 7.0, aliphatic index, instability index, Boman index, and GRAVY index, and compared with those calculated for known 416 antimicrobial peptides including 59 antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from milk proteins listed in the BIOPEP database. A simple analysis of physico-chemical properties and the values of biological activity indicators were insufficient to select potentially antimicrobial peptides released in silico from milk proteins by proteolytic enzymes. The final selection was made based on the results of multidimensional statistical analysis such as support vector machines (SVM), random forest (RF), artificial neural networks (ANN) and discriminant analysis (DA) available in the Collection of Anti-Microbial Peptides (CAMP database). Eleven new peptides with potential antimicrobial activity were selected from all peptides released during in silico proteolysis of milk proteins. PMID:25141106

Tympanometry in infants: a study of the sensitivity and specificity of 226-Hz and 1,000-Hz probe tones.

PubMed

Carmo, Michele Picanço; Costa, Nayara Thais de Oliveira; Momensohn-Santos, Teresa Maria

2013-10-01

Introduction For infants under 6 months, the literature recommends 1,000-Hz tympanometry, which has a greater sensitivity for the correct identification of middle ear disorders in this population. Objective To systematically analyze national and international publications found in electronic databases that used tympanometry with 226-Hz and 1,000-Hz probe tones. Data Synthesis Initially, we identified 36 articles in the SciELO database, 11 in the Latin American and Caribbean Literature on the Health Sciences (LILACS) database, 199 in MEDLINE, 0 in the Cochrane database, 16 in ISI Web of Knowledge, and 185 in the Scopus database. We excluded 433 articles because they did not fit the selection criteria, leaving 14 publications that were analyzed in their entirety. Conclusions The 1,000-Hz tone test has greater sensitivity and specificity for the correct identification of tympanometric curve changes. However, it is necessary to clarify the doubts that still exist regarding the use of this test frequency. Improved methods for rating curves, standardization of normality criteria, and the types of curves found in infants should be addressed.

Tympanometry in Infants: A Study of the Sensitivity and Specificity of 226-Hz and 1,000-Hz Probe Tones

PubMed Central

Carmo, Michele Picanço; Costa, Nayara Thais de Oliveira; Momensohn-Santos, Teresa Maria

2013-01-01

Introduction For infants under 6 months, the literature recommends 1,000-Hz tympanometry, which has a greater sensitivity for the correct identification of middle ear disorders in this population. Objective To systematically analyze national and international publications found in electronic databases that used tympanometry with 226-Hz and 1,000-Hz probe tones. Data Synthesis Initially, we identified 36 articles in the SciELO database, 11 in the Latin American and Caribbean Literature on the Health Sciences (LILACS) database, 199 in MEDLINE, 0 in the Cochrane database, 16 in ISI Web of Knowledge, and 185 in the Scopus database. We excluded 433 articles because they did not fit the selection criteria, leaving 14 publications that were analyzed in their entirety. Conclusions The 1,000-Hz tone test has greater sensitivity and specificity for the correct identification of tympanometric curve changes. However, it is necessary to clarify the doubts that still exist regarding the use of this test frequency. Improved methods for rating curves, standardization of normality criteria, and the types of curves found in infants should be addressed. PMID:25992044

In silico analysis of fragile histidine triad involved in regression of carcinoma.

PubMed

Rasheed, Muhammad Asif; Tariq, Fatima; Afzal, Sara; Mannanv, Shazia

2017-04-01

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCCa) is a primary malignancy of the liver. Many different proteins are involved in HCCa including insulin growth factor (IGF) II , signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) 3, STAT4, mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 4 (SMAD 4), fragile histidine triad (FHIT) and selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) etc. The present study is based on the bioinformatics analysis of FHIT protein in order to understand the proteomics aspect and improvement of the diagnosis of the disease based on the protein. Different information related to protein were gathered from different databases, including National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Gene, Protein and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) databases, Uniprot database, String database and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database. Moreover, the structure of the protein and evaluation of the quality of the structure were included from Easy modeler programme. Hence, this analysis not only helped to gather information related to the protein at one place, but also analysed the structure and quality of the protein to conclude that the protein has a role in carcinoma.

[Presence of the biomedical periodicals of Hungarian editions in international databases].

PubMed

Vasas, Lívia; Hercsel, Imréné

2006-01-15

Presence of the biomedical periodicals of Hungarian editions in international databases. The majority of Hungarian scientific results in medical and related sciences are published in scientific periodicals of foreign edition with high impact factor (IF) values, and they appear in international scientific literature in foreign languages. In this study the authors dealt with the presence and registered citation in international databases of those periodicals only, which had been published in Hungary and/or in cooperation with foreign publishing companies. The examination went back to year 1980 and covered a 25-year long period. 110 periodicals were selected for more detailed examination. The authors analyzed the situation of the current periodicals in the three most often visited databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science), and discovered, that the biomedical scientific periodicals of Hungarian interests were not represented with reasonable emphasis in the relevant international bibliographic databases. Because of the great number of data the scientific literature of medicine and related sciences could not be represented in its entirety, this publication, however, might give useful information for the inquirers, and call the attention of the competent people.

Evaluation of NoSQL databases for DIRAC monitoring and beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mathe, Z.; Casajus Ramo, A.; Stagni, F.; Tomassetti, L.

2015-12-01

Nowadays, many database systems are available but they may not be optimized for storing time series data. Monitoring DIRAC jobs would be better done using a database optimised for storing time series data. So far it was done using a MySQL database, which is not well suited for such an application. Therefore alternatives have been investigated. Choosing an appropriate database for storing huge amounts of time series data is not trivial as one must take into account different aspects such as manageability, scalability and extensibility. We compared the performance of Elasticsearch, OpenTSDB (based on HBase) and InfluxDB NoSQL databases, using the same set of machines and the same data. We also evaluated the effort required for maintaining them. Using the LHCb Workload Management System (WMS), based on DIRAC as a use case we set up a new monitoring system, in parallel with the current MySQL system, and we stored the same data into the databases under test. We evaluated Grafana (for OpenTSDB) and Kibana (for ElasticSearch) metrics and graph editors for creating dashboards, in order to have a clear picture on the usability of each candidate. In this paper we present the results of this study and the performance of the selected technology. We also give an outlook of other potential applications of NoSQL databases within the DIRAC project.

Significant Metalliferous and Selected Non-Metalliferous Lode Deposits, and Selected Placer Districts of Northeast Asia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ariunbileg, Sodov; Biryul'kin, Gennandiy V.; Byamba, Jamba; Davydov, Yury V.; Dejidmaa, Gunchin; Distanov, Elimir G.; Dorjgotov, Dangindorjiin; Gamyanin, Gennadiy N.; Gerel, Ochir; Fridovskiy, Valeriy Y.; Gotovsuren, Ayurzana; Hwang, Duk-Hwan; Kochnev, Anatoliy P.; Kostin, Alexei V.; Kuzmin, Mikhail I.; Letunov, Sergey A.; Jiliang, Li; Xujun, Li; Malceva, Galina D.; Melnikov, V.D.; Nikitin, Valeriy; Obolenskiy, Alexander A.; Ogasawara, Masatsugu; Orolmaa, Demberel; Parfenov, Leonid M.; Popov, Nikolay V.; Prokopiev, Andrei V.; Ratkin, Vladimir; Rodionov, Sergey M.; Seminskiy, Zhan V.; Shpikerman, Vladimir I.; Smelov, Alexander P.; Sotnikov, Vitaly I.; Spiridonov, Alexander V.; Stogniy, Valeriy V.; Sudo, Sadahisa; Fengyue, Sun; Jiapeng, Sun; Weizhi, Sun; Supletsov, Valeriy M.; Timofeev, Vladimir F.; Tyan, Oleg A.; Vetluzhskikh, Valeriy G.; Aihua, Xi; Yakovlev, Yakov V.; Hongquan, Yan; Zhizhin, Vladimir I.; Zinchuk, Nikolay N.; Zorina, Lydia M.

2003-01-01

Introduction This report contains a digtial database on lode deposits and placer districts of Northeast Asia. This region includes Eastern Siberia, Russian Far East, Mongolia, Northeast China, South Korea, and Japan. In folders on this site are a detailed database, a bibliography of cited references, descriptions of mineral deposit models, and a mineral deposit location map. Data are provided for 1,674 significant lode deposits and 91 significant placer districts of the region.

Online drug databases: a new method to assess and compare inclusion of clinically relevant information.

PubMed

Silva, Cristina; Fresco, Paula; Monteiro, Joaquim; Rama, Ana Cristina Ribeiro

2013-08-01

Evidence-Based Practice requires health care decisions to be based on the best available evidence. The model "Information Mastery" proposes that clinicians should use sources of information that have previously evaluated relevance and validity, provided at the point of care. Drug databases (DB) allow easy and fast access to information and have the benefit of more frequent content updates. Relevant information, in the context of drug therapy, is that which supports safe and effective use of medicines. Accordingly, the European Guideline on the Summary of Product Characteristics (EG-SmPC) was used as a standard to evaluate the inclusion of relevant information contents in DB. To develop and test a method to evaluate relevancy of DB contents, by assessing the inclusion of information items deemed relevant for effective and safe drug use. Hierarchical organisation and selection of the principles defined in the EGSmPC; definition of criteria to assess inclusion of selected information items; creation of a categorisation and quantification system that allows score calculation; calculation of relative differences (RD) of scores for comparison with an "ideal" database, defined as the one that achieves the best quantification possible for each of the information items; pilot test on a sample of 9 drug databases, using 10 drugs frequently associated in literature with morbidity-mortality and also being widely consumed in Portugal. Main outcome measure Calculate individual and global scores for clinically relevant information items of drug monographs in databases, using the categorisation and quantification system created. A--Method development: selection of sections, subsections, relevant information items and corresponding requisites; system to categorise and quantify their inclusion; score and RD calculation procedure. B--Pilot test: calculated scores for the 9 databases; globally, all databases evaluated significantly differed from the "ideal" database; some DB performed better but performance was inconsistent at subsections level, within the same DB. The method developed allows quantification of the inclusion of relevant information items in DB and comparison with an "ideal database". It is necessary to consult diverse DB in order to find all the relevant information needed to support clinical drug use.

Dietary intake and main sources of plant lignans in five European countries

PubMed Central

Tetens, Inge; Turrini, Aida; Tapanainen, Heli; Christensen, Tue; Lampe, Johanna W.; Fagt, Sisse; Håkansson, Niclas; Lundquist, Annamari; Hallund, Jesper; Valsta, Liisa M.

2013-01-01

Background Dietary intakes of plant lignans have been hypothesized to be inversely associated with the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and cancer. Earlier studies were based on a Finnish lignan database (Fineli®) with two lignan precursors, secoisolariciresinol (SECO) and matairesinol (MAT). More recently, a Dutch database, including SECO and MAT and the newly recognized lignan precursors lariciresinol (LARI) and pinoresinol (PINO), was compiled. The objective was to re-estimate and re-evaluate plant lignan intakes and to identify the main sources of plant lignans in five European countries using the Finnish and Dutch lignan databases, respectively. Methods Forty-two food groups known to contribute to the total lignan intake were selected and attributed a value for SECO and MAT from the Finnish lignan database (Fineli®) or for SECO, MAT, LARI, and PINO from the Dutch database. Total intake of lignans was estimated from food consumption data for adult men and women (19–79 years) from Denmark, Finland, Italy, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the contribution of aggregated food groups calculated using the Dutch lignin database. Results Mean dietary lignan intakes estimated using the Dutch database ranged from 1 to 2 mg/day, which was approximately four-fold higher than the intakes estimated from the Fineli® database. When LARI and PINO were included in the estimation of the total lignan intakes, cereals, grain products, vegetables, fruit and berries were the most important dietary sources of lignans. Conclusion Total lignin intake was approximately four-fold higher in the Dutch lignin database, which includes the lignin precursors LARI and PINO, compared to estimates based on the Finnish database based only on SECO and MAT. The main sources of lignans according to the Dutch database in the five countries studied were cereals and grain products, vegetables, fruit, berries, and beverages. PMID:23766759

Ectopic Pregnancy and Emergency Contraceptive Pills: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Cleland, Kelly; Raymond, Elizabeth; Trussell, James; Cheng, Linan; Zhu, Haoping

2014-01-01

Objective To evaluate the existing data to estimate the rate of ectopic pregnancy among emergency contraceptive pill treatment failures. Data Sources Our initial reference list was generated from a 2008 Cochrane review of emergency contraception. In August 2009, we searched Biosys Previews, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Medline, Global Health Database, Health Source: Popline, and Wanfang Data (a Chinese database). Methods of Study Selection This study included data from 136 studies which followed a defined population of women treated one time with emergency contraceptive pills (either mifepristone or levonorgestrel), and in which the number and location of pregnancies were ascertained. Results Data from each article were abstracted independently by two reviewers. In the studies of mifepristone, 3 out of 494 (0.6%) pregnancies were ectopic; in the levonorgestrel studies, 3 out of 307 (1%) were ectopic. Conclusion The rate of ectopic pregnancy when treatment with emergency contraceptive pills fails does not exceed the rate observed in the general population. Since emergency contraceptive pills are effective in lowering the risk of pregnancy, their use should reduce the chance that an act of intercourse will result in ectopic pregnancy. PMID:20502299

Creating databases for biological information: an introduction.

PubMed

Stein, Lincoln

2013-06-01

The essence of bioinformatics is dealing with large quantities of information. Whether it be sequencing data, microarray data files, mass spectrometric data (e.g., fingerprints), the catalog of strains arising from an insertional mutagenesis project, or even large numbers of PDF files, there inevitably comes a time when the information can simply no longer be managed with files and directories. This is where databases come into play. This unit briefly reviews the characteristics of several database management systems, including flat file, indexed file, relational databases, and NoSQL databases. It compares their strengths and weaknesses and offers some general guidelines for selecting an appropriate database management system. Copyright 2013 by JohnWiley & Sons, Inc.

Assessment and application of national environmental databases and mapping tools at the local level to two community case studies.

PubMed

Hammond, Davyda; Conlon, Kathryn; Barzyk, Timothy; Chahine, Teresa; Zartarian, Valerie; Schultz, Brad

2011-03-01

Communities are concerned over pollution levels and seek methods to systematically identify and prioritize the environmental stressors in their communities. Geographic information system (GIS) maps of environmental information can be useful tools for communities in their assessment of environmental-pollution-related risks. Databases and mapping tools that supply community-level estimates of ambient concentrations of hazardous pollutants, risk, and potential health impacts can provide relevant information for communities to understand, identify, and prioritize potential exposures and risk from multiple sources. An assessment of existing databases and mapping tools was conducted as part of this study to explore the utility of publicly available databases, and three of these databases were selected for use in a community-level GIS mapping application. Queried data from the U.S. EPA's National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment, Air Quality System, and National Emissions Inventory were mapped at the appropriate spatial and temporal resolutions for identifying risks of exposure to air pollutants in two communities. The maps combine monitored and model-simulated pollutant and health risk estimates, along with local survey results, to assist communities with the identification of potential exposure sources and pollution hot spots. Findings from this case study analysis will provide information to advance the development of new tools to assist communities with environmental risk assessments and hazard prioritization. © 2010 Society for Risk Analysis.

Sexual Harassment among Students with Educational Disabilities: Perspectives of Special Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Ellie L.; Heath, Melissa Allen; Ashbaker, Betty Y.; Smith, Barbara

2008-01-01

This study investigated the perceptions of special education teachers about the prevalence and characteristics of sexual harassment among students identified with educational disabilities. Utah special education teachers (250) were randomly selected from the state's database. Fifty-two percent (n = 129) of the surveys were returned. Approximately…

A Survey of Factors Influencing High School Start Times

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolfson, Amy R.; Carskadon, Mary A.

2005-01-01

The present study surveyed high school personnel regarding high school start times, factors influencing school start times, and decision making around school schedules. Surveys were analyzed from 345 secondary schools selected at random from the National Center for Educational Statistics database. Factors affecting reported start times included…

Intersubjectivity in Primary and Secondary Education: A Review Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beraldo, Rossana Mary Fujarra; Ligorio, M. Beatrice; Barbato, Silviane

2018-01-01

In this literature review on the dynamics of intersubjectivity in primary and secondary education, we summarise and examine articles published in the last 10 years. This concept is considered relevant in education, in particular to enhance different types of collaborative learning situations. The articles were selected from several databases, all…

EFFECT OF SAMPLING LOCATION ON CONCENTRATION IN LARGE CHAMBER INVESTIGATION OF EMISSIONS FROM MARKERS

EPA Science Inventory

Markers were selected for evaluation in this study because (1) they are widely used in schools, offices, and homes; (2) they are a known source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in nonoccupational indoor environments; and (3) according to the Source Ranking Database developed ...

Psychosocial Adjustment of Adolescents and Young Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mueller, Christian E.; Prout, H. Thompson

2009-01-01

Issues with adolescents with intellectual disabilities have received little attention in the research literature. This study compared adolescents with and without intellectual disabilities on several indices of psychosocial adjustment. The participants were selected from a large longitudinal database and comparisons were made at three points in…

KIDFamMap: a database of kinase-inhibitor-disease family maps for kinase inhibitor selectivity and binding mechanisms

PubMed Central

Chiu, Yi-Yuan; Lin, Chih-Ta; Huang, Jhang-Wei; Hsu, Kai-Cheng; Tseng, Jen-Hu; You, Syuan-Ren; Yang, Jinn-Moon

2013-01-01

Kinases play central roles in signaling pathways and are promising therapeutic targets for many diseases. Designing selective kinase inhibitors is an emergent and challenging task, because kinases share an evolutionary conserved ATP-binding site. KIDFamMap (http://gemdock.life.nctu.edu.tw/KIDFamMap/) is the first database to explore kinase-inhibitor families (KIFs) and kinase-inhibitor-disease (KID) relationships for kinase inhibitor selectivity and mechanisms. This database includes 1208 KIFs, 962 KIDs, 55 603 kinase-inhibitor interactions (KIIs), 35 788 kinase inhibitors, 399 human protein kinases, 339 diseases and 638 disease allelic variants. Here, a KIF can be defined as follows: (i) the kinases in the KIF with significant sequence similarity, (ii) the inhibitors in the KIF with significant topology similarity and (iii) the KIIs in the KIF with significant interaction similarity. The KIIs within a KIF are often conserved on some consensus KIDFamMap anchors, which represent conserved interactions between the kinase subsites and consensus moieties of their inhibitors. Our experimental results reveal that the members of a KIF often possess similar inhibition profiles. The KIDFamMap anchors can reflect kinase conformations types, kinase functions and kinase inhibitor selectivity. We believe that KIDFamMap provides biological insights into kinase inhibitor selectivity and binding mechanisms. PMID:23193279

Challenges in developing medicinal plant databases for sharing ethnopharmacological knowledge.

PubMed

Ningthoujam, Sanjoy Singh; Talukdar, Anupam Das; Potsangbam, Kumar Singh; Choudhury, Manabendra Dutta

2012-05-07

Major research contributions in ethnopharmacology have generated vast amount of data associated with medicinal plants. Computerized databases facilitate data management and analysis making coherent information available to researchers, planners and other users. Web-based databases also facilitate knowledge transmission and feed the circle of information exchange between the ethnopharmacological studies and public audience. However, despite the development of many medicinal plant databases, a lack of uniformity is still discernible. Therefore, it calls for defining a common standard to achieve the common objectives of ethnopharmacology. The aim of the study is to review the diversity of approaches in storing ethnopharmacological information in databases and to provide some minimal standards for these databases. Survey for articles on medicinal plant databases was done on the Internet by using selective keywords. Grey literatures and printed materials were also searched for information. Listed resources were critically analyzed for their approaches in content type, focus area and software technology. Necessity for rapid incorporation of traditional knowledge by compiling primary data has been felt. While citation collection is common approach for information compilation, it could not fully assimilate local literatures which reflect traditional knowledge. Need for defining standards for systematic evaluation, checking quality and authenticity of the data is felt. Databases focussing on thematic areas, viz., traditional medicine system, regional aspect, disease and phytochemical information are analyzed. Issues pertaining to data standard, data linking and unique identification need to be addressed in addition to general issues like lack of update and sustainability. In the background of the present study, suggestions have been made on some minimum standards for development of medicinal plant database. In spite of variations in approaches, existence of many overlapping features indicates redundancy of resources and efforts. As the development of global data in a single database may not be possible in view of the culture-specific differences, efforts can be given to specific regional areas. Existing scenario calls for collaborative approach for defining a common standard in medicinal plant database for knowledge sharing and scientific advancement. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Standardization of the Food Composition Database Used in the Latin American Nutrition and Health Study (ELANS).

PubMed

Kovalskys, Irina; Fisberg, Mauro; Gómez, Georgina; Rigotti, Attilio; Cortés, Lilia Yadira; Yépez, Martha Cecilia; Pareja, Rossina G; Herrera-Cuenca, Marianella; Zimberg, Ioná Z; Tucker, Katherine L; Koletzko, Berthold; Pratt, Michael

2015-09-16

Between-country comparisons of estimated dietary intake are particularly prone to error when different food composition tables are used. The objective of this study was to describe our procedures and rationale for the selection and adaptation of available food composition to a single database to enable cross-country nutritional intake comparisons. Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health (ELANS) is a multicenter cross-sectional study of representative samples from eight Latin American countries. A standard study protocol was designed to investigate dietary intake of 9000 participants enrolled. Two 24-h recalls using the Multiple Pass Method were applied among the individuals of all countries. Data from 24-h dietary recalls were entered into the Nutrition Data System for Research (NDS-R) program after a harmonization process between countries to include local foods and appropriately adapt the NDS-R database. A food matching standardized procedure involving nutritional equivalency of local food reported by the study participants with foods available in the NDS-R database was strictly conducted by each country. Standardization of food and nutrient assessments has the potential to minimize systematic and random errors in nutrient intake estimations in the ELANS project. This study is expected to result in a unique dataset for Latin America, enabling cross-country comparisons of energy, macro- and micro-nutrient intake within this region.

Standardization of the Food Composition Database Used in the Latin American Nutrition and Health Study (ELANS)

PubMed Central

Kovalskys, Irina; Fisberg, Mauro; Gómez, Georgina; Rigotti, Attilio; Cortés, Lilia Yadira; Yépez, Martha Cecilia; Pareja, Rossina G.; Herrera-Cuenca, Marianella; Zimberg, Ioná Z.; Tucker, Katherine L.; Koletzko, Berthold; Pratt, Michael

2015-01-01

Between-country comparisons of estimated dietary intake are particularly prone to error when different food composition tables are used. The objective of this study was to describe our procedures and rationale for the selection and adaptation of available food composition to a single database to enable cross-country nutritional intake comparisons. Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health (ELANS) is a multicenter cross-sectional study of representative samples from eight Latin American countries. A standard study protocol was designed to investigate dietary intake of 9000 participants enrolled. Two 24-h recalls using the Multiple Pass Method were applied among the individuals of all countries. Data from 24-h dietary recalls were entered into the Nutrition Data System for Research (NDS-R) program after a harmonization process between countries to include local foods and appropriately adapt the NDS-R database. A food matching standardized procedure involving nutritional equivalency of local food reported by the study participants with foods available in the NDS-R database was strictly conducted by each country. Standardization of food and nutrient assessments has the potential to minimize systematic and random errors in nutrient intake estimations in the ELANS project. This study is expected to result in a unique dataset for Latin America, enabling cross-country comparisons of energy, macro- and micro-nutrient intake within this region. PMID:26389952

WEB-BASED DATABASE ON RENEWAL TECHNOLOGIES ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

As U.S. utilities continue to shore up their aging infrastructure, renewal needs now represent over 43% of annual expenditures compared to new construction for drinking water distribution and wastewater collection systems (Underground Construction [UC], 2016). An increased understanding of renewal options will ultimately assist drinking water utilities in reducing water loss and help wastewater utilities to address infiltration and inflow issues in a cost-effective manner. It will also help to extend the service lives of both drinking water and wastewater mains. This research effort involved collecting case studies on the use of various trenchless pipeline renewal methods and providing the information in an online searchable database. The overall objective was to further support technology transfer and information sharing regarding emerging and innovative renewal technologies for water and wastewater mains. The result of this research is a Web-based, searchable database that utility personnel can use to obtain technology performance and cost data, as well as case study references. The renewal case studies include: technologies used; the conditions under which the technology was implemented; costs; lessons learned; and utility contact information. The online database also features a data mining tool for automated review of the technologies selected and cost data. Based on a review of the case study results and industry data, several findings are presented on tren

Chinese manipulation for mechanical neck pain: a systematic review.

PubMed

Lin, Jian Hua; Chiu, Thomas Tai Wing; Hu, Jia

2012-11-01

To assess whether Chinese manipulation improves pain, function/disability and global perceived effect in adults with acute/subacute/chronic neck pain. CAJ Full-text Database (Chinese), Wanfang Database (Chinese), Cochrane Database (English) and Medline (English). Literature searching was performed with the following keywords and their combination: 'manual therapy/bone setting/Chinese manipulation', 'neck/cervical pain', 'cervical vertebrae', 'cervical spondylosis/radiculopathy' and 'randomized controlled trial/review.' Two independent reviewers selected studies, extracted data and assessed risk of bias for each included study. Randomized controlled trials or quasi-randomized controlled trials on the effect of Chinese manipulation in treating adult patients with neck pain were selected. Mean differences with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Quality of the evidence was assessed by the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Four studies (610 participants) were included in this review. There was very low-quality evidence suggesting that, compared to cervical traction in sitting, Chinese manipulation produced more immediate post-intervention pain relief (mean difference: -1.06; 95% CI: -1.37~ -0.75; P < 0.001) and improvement of global signs and symptoms (mean difference: -3.81; 95% CI: -4.71 ~ -2.91; P < 0.001). Very low-quality evidence showed that Chinese manipulation alone was superior to Chinese traditional massage in immediate post-intervention pain relief (mean difference: -2.02; 95% CI: -2.78~ -1.26; P < 0.001). There was limited evidence showing Chinese manipulation could produce short-term improvement for neck pain.

Does Eccentric Exercise Reduce Pain and Improve Strength in Physically Active Adults With Symptomatic Lower Extremity Tendinosis? A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Wasielewski, Noah J; Kotsko, Kevin M

2007-01-01

Objective: To critically review evidence for the effectiveness of eccentric exercise to treat lower extremity tendinoses. Data Sources: Databases used to locate randomized controlled trials (RCTs) included PubMed (1980–2006), CINAHL (1982–2006), Web of Science (1995–2006), SPORT Discus (1980–2006), Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), and the Cochrane Collaboration Database. Key words included tendon, tendonitis, tendinosis, tendinopathy, exercise, eccentric, rehabilitation, and therapy. Study Selection: The criteria for trial selection were (1) the literature was written in English, (2) the research design was an RCT, (3) the study participants were adults with a clinical diagnosis of tendinosis, (4) the outcome measures included pain or strength, and (5) eccentric exercise was used to treat lower extremity tendinosis. Data Extraction: Specific data were abstracted from the RCTs, including eccentric exercise protocol, adjunctive treatments, concurrent physical activity, and treatment outcome. Data Synthesis: The calculated post hoc statistical power of the selected studies (n = 11) was low, and the average methodologic score was 5.3/10 based on PEDro criteria. Eccentric exercise was compared with no treatment (n = 1), concentric exercise (n = 5), an alternative eccentric exercise protocol (n = 1), stretching (n = 2), night splinting (n = 1), and physical agents (n = 1). In most trials, tendinosis-related pain was reduced with eccentric exercise over time, but only in 3 studies did eccentric exercise decrease pain relative to the control treatment. Similarly, the RCTs demonstrated that strength-related measures improved over time, but none revealed significant differences relative to the control treatment. Based on the best evidence available, it appears that eccentric exercise may reduce pain and improve strength in lower extremity tendinoses, but whether eccentric exercise is more effective than other forms of therapeutic exercise for the resolution of tendinosis symptoms remains questionable. PMID:18059998

Uses and limitations of registry and academic databases.

PubMed

Williams, William G

2010-01-01

A database is simply a structured collection of information. A clinical database may be a Registry (a limited amount of data for every patient undergoing heart surgery) or Academic (an organized and extensive dataset of an inception cohort of carefully selected subset of patients). A registry and an academic database have different purposes and cost. The data to be collected for a database is defined by its purpose and the output reports required for achieving that purpose. A Registry's purpose is to ensure quality care, an Academic Database, to discover new knowledge through research. A database is only as good as the data it contains. Database personnel must be exceptionally committed and supported by clinical faculty. A system to routinely validate and verify data integrity is essential to ensure database utility. Frequent use of the database improves its accuracy. For congenital heart surgeons, routine use of a Registry Database is an essential component of clinical practice. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Front-End/Gateway Software: Availability and Usefulness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kesselman, Martin

1985-01-01

Reviews features of front-end software packages (interface between user and online system)--database selection, search strategy development, saving and downloading, hardware and software requirements, training and documentation, online systems and database accession, and costs--and discusses gateway services (user searches through intermediary…

Four Current Awareness Databases: Coverage and Currency Compared.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaguszewski, Janice M.; Kempf, Jody L.

1995-01-01

Discusses the usability and content of the following table of contents (TOC) databases selected by science and engineering librarians at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities: Current Contents on Diskette (CCoD), CARL Uncover2, Inside Information, and Contents1st. (AEF)

Implementing a Microcomputer Database Management System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manock, John J.; Crater, K. Lynne

1985-01-01

Current issues in selecting, structuring, and implementing microcomputer database management systems in research administration offices are discussed, and their capabilities are illustrated with the system used by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Trends in microcomputer technology and their likely impact on research administration…

Integration of a clinical trial database with a PACS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Herk, M.

2014-03-01

Many clinical trials use Electronic Case Report Forms (ECRF), e.g., from OpenClinica. Trial data is augmented if DICOM scans, dose cubes, etc. from the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) are included for data mining. Unfortunately, there is as yet no structured way to collect DICOM objects in trial databases. In this paper, we obtain a tight integration of ECRF and PACS using open source software. Methods: DICOM identifiers for selected images/series/studies are stored in associated ECRF events (e.g., baseline) as follows: 1) JavaScript added to OpenClinica communicates using HTML with a gateway server inside the hospitals firewall; 2) On this gateway, an open source DICOM server runs scripts to query and select the data, returning anonymized identifiers; 3) The scripts then collects, anonymizes, zips and transmits selected data to a central trial server; 4) Here data is stored in a DICOM archive which allows authorized ECRF users to view and download the anonymous images associated with each event. Results: All integration scripts are open source. The PACS administrator configures the anonymization script and decides to use the gateway in passive (receiving) mode or in an active mode going out to the PACS to gather data. Our ECRF centric approach supports automatic data mining by iterating over the cases in the ECRF database, providing the identifiers to load images and the clinical data to correlate with image analysis results. Conclusions: Using open source software and web technology, a tight integration has been achieved between PACS and ECRF.

Differentiating signals to make biological sense - A guide through databases for MS-based non-targeted metabolomics.

PubMed

Gil de la Fuente, Alberto; Grace Armitage, Emily; Otero, Abraham; Barbas, Coral; Godzien, Joanna

2017-09-01

Metabolite identification is one of the most challenging steps in metabolomics studies and reflects one of the greatest bottlenecks in the entire workflow. The success of this step determines the success of the entire research, therefore the quality at which annotations are given requires special attention. A variety of tools and resources are available to aid metabolite identification or annotation, offering different and often complementary functionalities. In preparation for this article, almost 50 databases were reviewed, from which 17 were selected for discussion, chosen for their online ESI-MS functionality. The general characteristics and functions of each database is discussed in turn, considering the advantages and limitations of each along with recommendations for optimal use of each tool, as derived from experiences encountered at the Centre for Metabolomics and Bioanalysis (CEMBIO) in Madrid. These databases were evaluated considering their utility in non-targeted metabolomics, including aspects such as identifier assignment, structural assignment and interpretation of results. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Evaluation of data obtained from military disability medical administrative databases for service members with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Millikan, Amy M; Weber, Natalya S; Niebuhr, David W; Torrey, E Fuller; Cowan, David N; Li, Yuanzhang; Kaminski, Brenda

2007-10-01

We are studying associations between selected biomarkers and schizophrenia or bipolar disorder among military personnel. To assess potential diagnostic misclassification and to estimate the date of illness onset, we reviewed medical records for a subset of cases. Two psychiatrists independently reviewed 182 service medical records retrieved from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Data were evaluated for diagnostic concordance between database diagnoses and reviewers. Interreviewer variability was measured by using proportion of agreement and the kappa statistic. Data were abstracted to estimate date of onset. High levels of agreement existed between database diagnoses and reviewers (proportion, 94.7%; kappa = 0.88) and between reviewers (proportion, 92.3%; kappa = 0.87). The median time between illness onset and initiation of medical discharge was 1.6 and 1.1 years for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, respectively. High levels of agreement between investigators and database diagnoses indicate that diagnostic misclassification is unlikely. Discharge procedure initiation date provides a suitable surrogate for disease onset.

Analysis of production responses to changing crude protein levels in lactating dairy cow diets when evaluated in continuous or change-over experimental designs

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The objective of this study was to evaluate by meta-analysis the effect of experimental design on the production response functions obtained when changing crude protein levels in lactating dairy cow diets. The final database of studies that met the selection criteria contained 55 publications with 2...

A Study of West Virginia Elementary Special Education Teachers' Roles, Responsibilities, and Practices within a Multi-Tiered Instructional System: Implications for Policy and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palenchar, Linda M.

2012-01-01

The purpose of the study was to provide a data-based description of West Virginia special education teachers' roles, responsibilities, and practices relevant to their participation in selected components of the Response to Intervention (RTI) process. Special educators' practices related to assessment, tiered instruction, decision making, and…

What Does Research Tell Us about Trends in Dissertations on PBL?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erdogan, Tolga

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the research trends in dissertations on PBL from 2002 to 2015 in Turkey. For this purpose, the master's and doctorate dissertations in the National Thesis Database of Council of Higher Education (CoHE) were selected for rigorous content analysis. The analysis was utilized to classify the type of study, the…

The History and Philosophy of Science in Physics Teaching: A Research Synthesis of Didactic Interventions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Teixeira, Elder Sales; Greca, Ileana Maria; Freire, Olival, Jr.

2012-01-01

This work is a systematic review of studies that investigate teaching experiences applying History and Philosophy of Science (HPS) in physics classrooms, with the aim of obtaining critical and reliable information on this subject. After a careful process of selection and exclusion of studies compiled from a variety of databases, an in-depth review…

Computational Chemistry Comparison and Benchmark Database

National Institute of Standards and Technology Data Gateway

SRD 101 NIST Computational Chemistry Comparison and Benchmark Database (Web, free access)   The NIST Computational Chemistry Comparison and Benchmark Database is a collection of experimental and ab initio thermochemical properties for a selected set of molecules. The goals are to provide a benchmark set of molecules for the evaluation of ab initio computational methods and allow the comparison between different ab initio computational methods for the prediction of thermochemical properties.

Creating databases for biological information: an introduction.

PubMed

Stein, Lincoln

2002-08-01

The essence of bioinformatics is dealing with large quantities of information. Whether it be sequencing data, microarray data files, mass spectrometric data (e.g., fingerprints), the catalog of strains arising from an insertional mutagenesis project, or even large numbers of PDF files, there inevitably comes a time when the information can simply no longer be managed with files and directories. This is where databases come into play. This unit briefly reviews the characteristics of several database management systems, including flat file, indexed file, and relational databases, as well as ACeDB. It compares their strengths and weaknesses and offers some general guidelines for selecting an appropriate database management system.

Multiatlas whole heart segmentation of CT data using conditional entropy for atlas ranking and selection.

PubMed

Zhuang, Xiahai; Bai, Wenjia; Song, Jingjing; Zhan, Songhua; Qian, Xiaohua; Shi, Wenzhe; Lian, Yanyun; Rueckert, Daniel

2015-07-01

Cardiac computed tomography (CT) is widely used in clinical diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. Whole heart segmentation (WHS) plays a vital role in developing new clinical applications of cardiac CT. However, the shape and appearance of the heart can vary greatly across different scans, making the automatic segmentation particularly challenging. The objective of this work is to develop and evaluate a multiatlas segmentation (MAS) scheme using a new atlas ranking and selection algorithm for automatic WHS of CT data. Research on different MAS strategies and their influence on WHS performance are limited. This work provides a detailed comparison study evaluating the impacts of label fusion, atlas ranking, and sizes of the atlas database on the segmentation performance. Atlases in a database were registered to the target image using a hierarchical registration scheme specifically designed for cardiac images. A subset of the atlases were selected for label fusion, according to the authors' proposed atlas ranking criterion which evaluated the performance of each atlas by computing the conditional entropy of the target image given the propagated atlas labeling. Joint label fusion was used to combine multiple label estimates to obtain the final segmentation. The authors used 30 clinical cardiac CT angiography (CTA) images to evaluate the proposed MAS scheme and to investigate different segmentation strategies. The mean WHS Dice score of the proposed MAS method was 0.918 ± 0.021, and the mean runtime for one case was 13.2 min on a workstation. This MAS scheme using joint label fusion generated significantly better Dice scores than the other label fusion strategies, including majority voting (0.901 ± 0.276, p < 0.01), locally weighted voting (0.905 ± 0.0247, p < 0.01), and probabilistic patch-based fusion (0.909 ± 0.0249, p < 0.01). In the atlas ranking study, the proposed criterion based on conditional entropy yielded a performance curve with higher WHS Dice scores compared to the conventional schemes (p < 0.03). In the atlas database study, the authors showed that the MAS using larger atlas databases generated better performance curves than the MAS using smaller ones, indicating larger atlas databases could produce more accurate segmentation. The authors have developed a new MAS framework for automatic WHS of CTA and investigated alternative implementations of MAS. With the proposed atlas ranking algorithm and joint label fusion, the MAS scheme is able to generate accurate segmentation within practically acceptable computation time. This method can be useful for the development of new clinical applications of cardiac CT.

Identification of Bacterial Species in Kuwaiti Waters Through DNA Sequencing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, K.

2017-01-01

With an objective of identifying the bacterial diversity associated with ecosystem of various Kuwaiti Seas, bacteria were cultured and isolated from 3 water samples. Due to the difficulties for cultured and isolated fecal coliforms on the selective agar plates, bacterial isolates from marine agar plates were selected for molecular identification. 16S rRNA genes were successfully amplified from the genome of the selected isolates using Universal Eubacterial 16S rRNA primers. The resulted amplification products were subjected to automated DNA sequencing. Partial 16S rDNA sequences obtained were compared directly with sequences in the NCBI database using BLAST as well as with the sequences available with Ribosomal Database Project (RDP).

Study on Big Database Construction and its Application of Sample Data Collected in CHINA'S First National Geographic Conditions Census Based on Remote Sensing Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, T.; Zhou, X.; Jia, Y.; Yang, G.; Bai, J.

2018-04-01

In the project of China's First National Geographic Conditions Census, millions of sample data have been collected all over the country for interpreting land cover based on remote sensing images, the quantity of data files reaches more than 12,000,000 and has grown in the following project of National Geographic Conditions Monitoring. By now, using database such as Oracle for storing the big data is the most effective method. However, applicable method is more significant for sample data's management and application. This paper studies a database construction method which is based on relational database with distributed file system. The vector data and file data are saved in different physical location. The key issues and solution method are discussed. Based on this, it studies the application method of sample data and analyzes some kinds of using cases, which could lay the foundation for sample data's application. Particularly, sample data locating in Shaanxi province are selected for verifying the method. At the same time, it takes 10 first-level classes which defined in the land cover classification system for example, and analyzes the spatial distribution and density characteristics of all kinds of sample data. The results verify that the method of database construction which is based on relational database with distributed file system is very useful and applicative for sample data's searching, analyzing and promoted application. Furthermore, sample data collected in the project of China's First National Geographic Conditions Census could be useful in the earth observation and land cover's quality assessment.

Iodine in food- and dietary supplement–composition databases123

PubMed Central

Pehrsson, Pamela R; Patterson, Kristine Y; Spungen, Judith H; Wirtz, Mark S; Andrews, Karen W; Dwyer, Johanna T; Swanson, Christine A

2016-01-01

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Nutrient Data Laboratory (NDL) of the USDA Agricultural Research Service have worked independently on determining the iodine content of foods and dietary supplements and are now harmonizing their efforts. The objective of the current article is to describe the harmonization plan and the results of initial iodine analyses accomplished under that plan. For many years, the FDA’s Total Diet Study (TDS) has measured iodine concentrations in selected foods collected in 4 regions of the country each year. For more than a decade, the NDL has collected and analyzed foods as part of the National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program; iodine analysis is now being added to the program. The NDL recently qualified a commercial laboratory to conduct iodine analysis of foods by an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method. Co-analysis of a set of samples by the commercial laboratory using the ICP-MS method and by the FDA laboratory using its standard colorimetric method yielded comparable results. The FDA recently reviewed historical TDS data for trends in the iodine content of selected foods, and the NDL analyzed samples of a limited subset of those foods for iodine. The FDA and the NDL are working to combine their data on iodine in foods and to produce an online database that can be used for estimating iodine intake from foods in the US population. In addition, the NDL continues to analyze dietary supplements for iodine and, in collaboration with the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, to publish the data online in the Dietary Supplement Ingredient Database. The goal is to provide, through these 2 harmonized databases and the continuing TDS focus on iodine, improved tools for estimating iodine intake in population studies. PMID:27534627

Systematic review of the literature on the effectiveness of product reformulation measures to reduce the sugar content of food and drink on the population's sugar consumption and health: a study protocol

PubMed Central

Hashem, Kawther M; He, Feng J; MacGregor, Graham A

2016-01-01

Introduction Obesity, type 2 diabetes and dental caries are all major public health problems in the UK, with significant costs to the healthcare service. We aim to conduct a systematic review to summarise the evidence on the effectiveness of product reformulation measures to reduce the sugar content of food and drink on the population's sugar consumption and health. Methods and analysis Electronic database will be systematically searched using a combination of terms, tailored to optimise sensitivity, specificity, and the syntax and functionality of each database. The databases searched will include the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE (Ovid) and Scopus. The bibliographies of those papers that match inclusion criteria will be searched by hand to identify any further, relevant references, which will be subject to the same screening and selection process. The database search results will be supplemented by hand searches. In addition to the peer-reviewed literature, a number of grey literature searches will be undertaken using the broad search terms ‘sugar’ and ‘food’ or ‘drink’ and ‘reduction’, these searches will include key government and organisation websites as well as general searches in Google. The selection of the studies, data collection and quality appraisal will be performed independently by 2 reviewers. Data will be initially analysed through a narrative synthesis method. If a subset of data we analyse appears comparable, we will investigate the possibility of performing a meta-analysis. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval will not be required as this is a protocol for a systematic review. The findings will be disseminated widely through conference presentations and published in a peer-reviewed journal. PROSPERO registration number CRD42016034022. PMID:27288379

Chemical Space: Big Data Challenge for Molecular Diversity.

PubMed

Awale, Mahendra; Visini, Ricardo; Probst, Daniel; Arús-Pous, Josep; Reymond, Jean-Louis

2017-10-25

Chemical space describes all possible molecules as well as multi-dimensional conceptual spaces representing the structural diversity of these molecules. Part of this chemical space is available in public databases ranging from thousands to billions of compounds. Exploiting these databases for drug discovery represents a typical big data problem limited by computational power, data storage and data access capacity. Here we review recent developments of our laboratory, including progress in the chemical universe databases (GDB) and the fragment subset FDB-17, tools for ligand-based virtual screening by nearest neighbor searches, such as our multi-fingerprint browser for the ZINC database to select purchasable screening compounds, and their application to discover potent and selective inhibitors for calcium channel TRPV6 and Aurora A kinase, the polypharmacology browser (PPB) for predicting off-target effects, and finally interactive 3D-chemical space visualization using our online tools WebDrugCS and WebMolCS. All resources described in this paper are available for public use at www.gdb.unibe.ch.

EDULISS: a small-molecule database with data-mining and pharmacophore searching capabilities

PubMed Central

Hsin, Kun-Yi; Morgan, Hugh P.; Shave, Steven R.; Hinton, Andrew C.; Taylor, Paul; Walkinshaw, Malcolm D.

2011-01-01

We present the relational database EDULISS (EDinburgh University Ligand Selection System), which stores structural, physicochemical and pharmacophoric properties of small molecules. The database comprises a collection of over 4 million commercially available compounds from 28 different suppliers. A user-friendly web-based interface for EDULISS (available at http://eduliss.bch.ed.ac.uk/) has been established providing a number of data-mining possibilities. For each compound a single 3D conformer is stored along with over 1600 calculated descriptor values (molecular properties). A very efficient method for unique compound recognition, especially for a large scale database, is demonstrated by making use of small subgroups of the descriptors. Many of the shape and distance descriptors are held as pre-calculated bit strings permitting fast and efficient similarity and pharmacophore searches which can be used to identify families of related compounds for biological testing. Two ligand searching applications are given to demonstrate how EDULISS can be used to extract families of molecules with selected structural and biophysical features. PMID:21051336

Harnessing the Big Data Paradigm for ICME: Shifting from Materials Selection to Materials Enabled Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broderick, Scott R.; Santhanam, Ganesh Ram; Rajan, Krishna

2016-08-01

As the size of databases has significantly increased, whether through high throughput computation or through informatics-based modeling, the challenge of selecting the optimal material for specific design requirements has also arisen. Given the multiple, and often conflicting, design requirements, this selection process is not as trivial as sorting the database for a given property value. We suggest that the materials selection process should minimize selector bias, as well as take data uncertainty into account. For this reason, we discuss and apply decision theory for identifying chemical additions to Ni-base alloys. We demonstrate and compare results for both a computational array of chemistries and standard commercial superalloys. We demonstrate how we can use decision theory to select the best chemical additions for enhancing both property and processing, which would not otherwise be easily identifiable. This work is one of the first examples of introducing the mathematical framework of set theory and decision analysis into the domain of the materials selection process.

Flight Deck Interval Management Display. [Elements, Information and Annunciations Database User Guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lancaster, Jeff; Dillard, Michael; Alves, Erin; Olofinboba, Olu

2014-01-01

The User Guide details the Access Database provided with the Flight Deck Interval Management (FIM) Display Elements, Information, & Annunciations program. The goal of this User Guide is to support ease of use and the ability to quickly retrieve and select items of interest from the Database. The Database includes FIM Concepts identified in a literature review preceding the publication of this document. Only items that are directly related to FIM (e.g., spacing indicators), which change or enable FIM (e.g., menu with control buttons), or which are affected by FIM (e.g., altitude reading) are included in the database. The guide has been expanded from previous versions to cover database structure, content, and search features with voiced explanations.

Mining the Galaxy Zoo Database: Machine Learning Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borne, Kirk D.; Wallin, J.; Vedachalam, A.; Baehr, S.; Lintott, C.; Darg, D.; Smith, A.; Fortson, L.

2010-01-01

The new Zooniverse initiative is addressing the data flood in the sciences through a transformative partnership between professional scientists, volunteer citizen scientists, and machines. As part of this project, we are exploring the application of machine learning techniques to data mining problems associated with the large and growing database of volunteer science results gathered by the Galaxy Zoo citizen science project. We will describe the basic challenge, some machine learning approaches, and early results. One of the motivators for this study is the acquisition (through the Galaxy Zoo results database) of approximately 100 million classification labels for roughly one million galaxies, yielding a tremendously large and rich set of training examples for improving automated galaxy morphological classification algorithms. In our first case study, the goal is to learn which morphological and photometric features in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) database correlate most strongly with user-selected galaxy morphological class. As a corollary to this study, we are also aiming to identify which galaxy parameters in the SDSS database correspond to galaxies that have been the most difficult to classify (based upon large dispersion in their volunter-provided classifications). Our second case study will focus on similar data mining analyses and machine leaning algorithms applied to the Galaxy Zoo catalog of merging and interacting galaxies. The outcomes of this project will have applications in future large sky surveys, such as the LSST (Large Synoptic Survey Telescope) project, which will generate a catalog of 20 billion galaxies and will produce an additional astronomical alert database of approximately 100 thousand events each night for 10 years -- the capabilities and algorithms that we are exploring will assist in the rapid characterization and classification of such massive data streams. This research has been supported in part through NSF award #0941610.

A probabilistic approach to information retrieval in heterogeneous databases

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

Chatterjee, A.; Segev, A.

During the post decade, organizations have increased their scope and operations beyond their traditional geographic boundaries. At the same time, they have adopted heterogeneous and incompatible information systems independent of each other without a careful consideration that one day they may need to be integrated. As a result of this diversity, many important business applications today require access to data stored in multiple autonomous databases. This paper examines a problem of inter-database information retrieval in a heterogeneous environment, where conventional techniques are no longer efficient. To solve the problem, broader definitions for join, union, intersection and selection operators are proposed.more » Also, a probabilistic method to specify the selectivity of these operators is discussed. An algorithm to compute these probabilities is provided in pseudocode.« less

Digital release of the Alaska Quaternary fault and fold database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koehler, R. D.; Farrell, R.; Burns, P.; Combellick, R. A.; Weakland, J. R.

2011-12-01

The Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) has designed a Quaternary fault and fold database for Alaska in conformance with standards defined by the U.S. Geological Survey for the National Quaternary fault and fold database. Alaska is the most seismically active region of the United States, however little information exists on the location, style of deformation, and slip rates of Quaternary faults. Thus, to provide an accurate, user-friendly, reference-based fault inventory to the public, we are producing a digital GIS shapefile of Quaternary fault traces and compiling summary information on each fault. Here, we present relevant information pertaining to the digital GIS shape file and online access and availability of the Alaska database. This database will be useful for engineering geologic studies, geologic, geodetic, and seismic research, and policy planning. The data will also contribute to the fault source database being constructed by the Global Earthquake Model (GEM), Faulted Earth project, which is developing tools to better assess earthquake risk. We derived the initial list of Quaternary active structures from The Neotectonic Map of Alaska (Plafker et al., 1994) and supplemented it with more recent data where available. Due to the limited level of knowledge on Quaternary faults in Alaska, pre-Quaternary fault traces from the Plafker map are shown as a layer in our digital database so users may view a more accurate distribution of mapped faults and to suggest the possibility that some older traces may be active yet un-studied. The database will be updated as new information is developed. We selected each fault by reviewing the literature and georegistered the faults from 1:250,000-scale paper maps contained in 1970's vintage and earlier bedrock maps. However, paper map scales range from 1:20,000 to 1:500,000. Fault parameters in our GIS fault attribute tables include fault name, age, slip rate, slip sense, dip direction, fault line type (i.e., well constrained, moderately constrained, or inferred), and mapped scale. Each fault is assigned a three-integer CODE, based upon age, slip rate, and how well the fault is located. This CODE dictates the line-type for the GIS files. To host the database, we are developing an interactive web-map application with ArcGIS for Server and the ArcGIS API for JavaScript from Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (Esri). The web-map application will present the database through a visible scale range with each fault displayed at the resolution of the original map. Application functionality includes: search by name or location, identification of fault by manual selection, and choice of base map. Base map options include topographic, satellite imagery, and digital elevation maps available from ArcGIS on-line. We anticipate that the database will be publically accessible from a portal embedded on the DGGS website by the end of 2011.

The ChArMEx database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferré, Hélène; Belmahfoud, Nizar; Boichard, Jean-Luc; Brissebrat, Guillaume; Cloché, Sophie; Descloitres, Jacques; Fleury, Laurence; Focsa, Loredana; Henriot, Nicolas; Mière, Arnaud; Ramage, Karim; Vermeulen, Anne; Boulanger, Damien

2015-04-01

The Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment (ChArMEx, http://charmex.lsce.ipsl.fr/) aims at a scientific assessment of the present and future state of the atmospheric environment in the Mediterranean Basin, and of its impacts on the regional climate, air quality, and marine biogeochemistry. The project includes long term monitoring of environmental parameters , intensive field campaigns, use of satellite data and modelling studies. Therefore ChARMEx scientists produce and need to access a wide diversity of data. In this context, the objective of the database task is to organize data management, distribution system and services, such as facilitating the exchange of information and stimulating the collaboration between researchers within the ChArMEx community, and beyond. The database relies on a strong collaboration between ICARE, IPSL and OMP data centers and has been set up in the framework of the Mediterranean Integrated Studies at Regional And Locals Scales (MISTRALS) program data portal. ChArMEx data, either produced or used by the project, are documented and accessible through the database website: http://mistrals.sedoo.fr/ChArMEx. The website offers the usual but user-friendly functionalities: data catalog, user registration procedure, search tool to select and access data... The metadata (data description) are standardized, and comply with international standards (ISO 19115-19139; INSPIRE European Directive; Global Change Master Directory Thesaurus). A Digital Object Identifier (DOI) assignement procedure allows to automatically register the datasets, in order to make them easier to access, cite, reuse and verify. At present, the ChArMEx database contains about 120 datasets, including more than 80 in situ datasets (2012, 2013 and 2014 summer campaigns, background monitoring station of Ersa...), 25 model output sets (dust model intercomparison, MEDCORDEX scenarios...), a high resolution emission inventory over the Mediterranean... Many in situ datasets have been inserted in a relational database, in order to enable more accurate selection and download of different datasets in a shared format. Many dedicated satellite products (SEVIRI, TRIMM, PARASOL...) are processed and will soon be accessible through the database website. In order to meet the operational needs of the airborne and ground based observational teams during the ChArMEx campaigns, a day-to-day chart display website has been developed and operated: http://choc.sedoo.org. It offers a convenient way to browse weather conditions and chemical composition during the campaign periods. Every scientist is invited to visit the ChArMEx websites, to register and to request data. Feel free to contact charmex-database@sedoo.fr for any question.

Accredited Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship Websites: An Updated Assessment of Accessibility and Content.

PubMed

Yayac, Michael; Javandal, Mitra; Mulcahey, Mary K

2017-01-01

A substantial number of orthopaedic surgeons apply for sports medicine fellowships after residency completion. The Internet is one of the most important resources applicants use to obtain information about fellowship programs, with the program website serving as one of the most influential sources. The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), San Francisco Match (SFM), and Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) maintain databases of orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship programs. A 2013 study evaluated the content and accessibility of the websites for accredited orthopaedic sports medicine fellowships. To reassess these websites based on the same parameters and compare the results with those of the study published in 2013 to determine whether any improvement has been made in fellowship website content or accessibility. Cross-sectional study. We reviewed all existing websites for the 95 accredited orthopaedic sports medicine fellowships included in the AOSSM, SFM, and AANA databases. Accessibility of the websites was determined by performing a Google search for each program. A total of 89 sports fellowship websites were evaluated for overall content. Websites for the remaining 6 programs could not be identified, so they were not included in content assessment. Of the 95 accredited sports medicine fellowships, 49 (52%) provided links in the AOSSM database, 89 (94%) in the SFM database, and 24 (25%) in the AANA database. Of the 89 websites, 89 (100%) provided a description of the program, 62 (70%) provided selection process information, and 40 (45%) provided a link to the SFM website. Two searches through Google were able to identify links to 88% and 92% of all accredited programs. The majority of accredited orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship programs fail to utilize the Internet to its full potential as a resource to provide applicants with detailed information about the program, which could help residents in the selection and ranking process. Orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship websites that are easily accessible through the AOSSM, SFM, AANA, or Google and that provide all relevant information for applicants would simplify the process of deciding where to apply, interview, and ultimately how to rank orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship programs for the Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship Match.

The contribution of nurses to incident disclosure: a narrative review.

PubMed

Harrison, Reema; Birks, Yvonne; Hall, Jill; Bosanquet, Kate; Harden, Melissa; Iedema, Rick

2014-02-01

To explore (a) how nurses feel about disclosing patient safety incidents to patients, (b) the current contribution that nurses make to the process of disclosing patient safety incidents to patients and (c) the barriers that nurses report as inhibiting their involvement in disclosure. A systematic search process was used to identify and select all relevant material. Heterogeneity in study design of the included articles prohibited a meta-analysis and findings were therefore synthesised in a narrative review. A range of text words, synonyms and subject headings were developed in conjunction with the York Centre for Reviews and Dissemination and used to undertake a systematic search of electronic databases (MEDLINE; EMBASE; CENTRAL; PsycINFO; Health Management and Information Consortium; CINAHL; ASSIA; Science Citation Index; Social Science Citation Index; Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews; Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects; Health Technology Assessment Database; Health Systems Evidence; PASCAL; LILACS). Retrieval of studies was restricted to those published after 1980. Further data sources were: websites, grey literature, research in progress databases, hand-searching of relevant journals and author contact. The title and abstract of each citation was independently screened by two reviewers and disagreements resolved by consensus or consultation with a third person. Full text articles retrieved were further screened against the inclusion and exclusion criteria then checked by a second reviewer (YB). Relevant data were extracted and findings were synthesised in a narrative empirical synthesis. The systematic search and selection process identified 15 publications which included 11 unique studies that emerged from a range of locations. Findings suggest that nurses currently support both physicians and patients through incident disclosure, but may be ill-prepared to disclose incidents independently. Barriers to nurse involvement included a lack of opportunities for education and training, and the multiple and sometimes conflicting roles within nursing. Numerous potential benefits were identified that may result from nurses having a greater contribution to the disclosure process, but the provision of support and training is essential to overcome the reported barriers faced by nurses internationally. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Teaching Students with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities to Write: A Review of the Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joseph, Laurice M.; Konrad, Moira

2009-01-01

The purpose of this review was to identify effective methods for teaching writing to students with intellectual disabilities. After criteria were established, database searches and hand searches of selected peer-reviewed journals were conducted. Findings revealed a relatively small number of studies that met the criteria for inclusion.…

Review of Mobile Learning Trends 2010-2015: A Meta-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chee, Ken Nee; Yahaya, Noraffandy; Ibrahim, Nor Hasniza; Hasan, Mohamed Noor

2017-01-01

This study examined the longitudinal trends of mobile learning (M-Learning) research using text mining techniques in a more comprehensive manner. One hundred and forty four (144) refereed journal articles were retrieved and analyzed from the Social Science Citation Index database selected from top six major educational technology-based learning…

Is the Party Over? Cannabis and Juvenile Psychiatric Disorder: The Past 10 Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rey, Joseph M.; Martin, Andres; Krabman, Peter

2004-01-01

Objective: To critically review cannabis research during the past 10 years in relation to rates of use, behavioral problems, and mental disorders in young people. Method: Studies published in English between 1994 and 2004 were identified through systematic searches of literature databases. The material was selectively reviewed focusing on child…

Perceptual Speech and Paralinguistic Skills of Adolescents with Williams Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hargrove, Patricia M.; Pittelko, Stephen; Fillingane, Evan; Rustman, Emily; Lund, Bonnie

2013-01-01

The purpose of this research was to compare selected speech and paralinguistic skills of speakers with Williams syndrome (WS) and typically developing peers and to demonstrate the feasibility of providing preexisting databases to students to facilitate graduate research. In a series of three studies, conversational samples of 12 adolescents with…

The Space Systems Environmental Test Facility Database (SSETFD), Website Development Status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snyder, James M.

2008-01-01

The Aerospace Corporation has been developing a database of U.S. environmental test laboratory capabilities utilized by the space systems hardware development community. To date, 19 sites have been visited by The Aerospace Corporation and verbal agreements reached to include their capability descriptions in the database. A website is being developed to make this database accessible by all interested government, civil, university and industry personnel. The website will be accessible by all interested in learning more about the extensive collective capability that the US based space industry has to offer. The Environments, Test & Assessment Department within The Aerospace Corporation will be responsible for overall coordination and maintenance of the database. Several US government agencies are interested in utilizing this database to assist in the source selection process for future spacecraft programs. This paper introduces the website by providing an overview of its development, location and search capabilities. It will show how the aerospace community can apply this new tool as a way to increase the utilization of existing lab facilities, and as a starting point for capital expenditure/upgrade trade studies. The long term result is expected to be increased utilization of existing laboratory capability and reduced overall development cost of space systems hardware. Finally, the paper will present the process for adding new participants, and how the database will be maintained.

Columba: an integrated database of proteins, structures, and annotations.

PubMed

Trissl, Silke; Rother, Kristian; Müller, Heiko; Steinke, Thomas; Koch, Ina; Preissner, Robert; Frömmel, Cornelius; Leser, Ulf

2005-03-31

Structural and functional research often requires the computation of sets of protein structures based on certain properties of the proteins, such as sequence features, fold classification, or functional annotation. Compiling such sets using current web resources is tedious because the necessary data are spread over many different databases. To facilitate this task, we have created COLUMBA, an integrated database of annotations of protein structures. COLUMBA currently integrates twelve different databases, including PDB, KEGG, Swiss-Prot, CATH, SCOP, the Gene Ontology, and ENZYME. The database can be searched using either keyword search or data source-specific web forms. Users can thus quickly select and download PDB entries that, for instance, participate in a particular pathway, are classified as containing a certain CATH architecture, are annotated as having a certain molecular function in the Gene Ontology, and whose structures have a resolution under a defined threshold. The results of queries are provided in both machine-readable extensible markup language and human-readable format. The structures themselves can be viewed interactively on the web. The COLUMBA database facilitates the creation of protein structure data sets for many structure-based studies. It allows to combine queries on a number of structure-related databases not covered by other projects at present. Thus, information on both many and few protein structures can be used efficiently. The web interface for COLUMBA is available at http://www.columba-db.de.

Burning mouth syndrome

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Introduction Burning mouth syndrome mainly affects women, particularly after the menopause, when its prevalence may be 18% to 33%. Methods and outcomes We conducted a systematic overview, aiming to answer the following clinical question: What are the effects of selected treatments for burning mouth syndrome? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to January 2015 (BMJ Clinical Evidence overviews are updated periodically; please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this overview). Results At this update, searching of electronic databases retrieved 70 studies. After deduplication and removal of conference abstracts, 45 records were screened for inclusion in the overview. Appraisal of titles and abstracts led to the exclusion of 25 studies and the further review of 20 full publications. Of the 20 full articles evaluated, one systematic review and nine RCTs were added at this update. We performed a GRADE evaluation for five PICO combinations. Conclusions In this systematic overview, we categorised the efficacy for six interventions based on information about the effectiveness and safety of alphalipoic acid, benzodiazepines, benzydamine hydrochloride, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and tricyclic antidepressants. PMID:26745781

Pharmacotherapy of anxiety disorders: a critical review

PubMed Central

Koen, Nastassja; Stein, Dan J.

2011-01-01

Given the enormous contribution of anxiety disorders to the burden of disease, it is key to optimize their prevention and treatment. In this critical review we assess advances in the pharmacotherapy of anxiety disorders, as well as remaining challenges, in recent decades, the field has seen rigorous clinical trial methods to quantify the efficacy and safety of serendipitously discovered agents, more focused development of medications with selective mechanisms of action, and the gradual translation of insights from laboratory research into proof-of-principle clinical trials. On the positive side, a considerable database of studies shows efficacy and relative tolerability of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the major anxiety disorders, and secondary analyses of such datasets have informed questions such as optimal definition of response and remission, optimal dose and duration, and comparative efficacy of different agents. Significant challenges in the field include barriers to appropriate diagnosis and treatment of anxiety disorders, failure of a significant proportion of patients to respond to first-line pharmacotherapy agents, and a limited database of efficacy or effectiveness studies to guide treatment in such cases. PMID:22275848

Working covariance model selection for generalized estimating equations.

PubMed

Carey, Vincent J; Wang, You-Gan

2011-11-20

We investigate methods for data-based selection of working covariance models in the analysis of correlated data with generalized estimating equations. We study two selection criteria: Gaussian pseudolikelihood and a geodesic distance based on discrepancy between model-sensitive and model-robust regression parameter covariance estimators. The Gaussian pseudolikelihood is found in simulation to be reasonably sensitive for several response distributions and noncanonical mean-variance relations for longitudinal data. Application is also made to a clinical dataset. Assessment of adequacy of both correlation and variance models for longitudinal data should be routine in applications, and we describe open-source software supporting this practice. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Quality Assessment of Published Articles in Iranian Journals Related to Economic Evaluation in Health Care Programs Based on Drummond's Checklist: A Narrative Review.

PubMed

Rezapour, Aziz; Jafari, Abdosaleh; Mirmasoudi, Kosha; Talebianpour, Hamid

2017-09-01

Health economic evaluation research plays an important role in selecting cost-effective interventions. The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of published articles in Iranian journals related to economic evaluation in health care programs based on Drummond's checklist in terms of numbers, features, and quality. In the present review study, published articles (Persian and English) in Iranian journals related to economic evaluation in health care programs were searched using electronic databases. In addition, the methodological quality of articles' structure was analyzed by Drummond's standard checklist. Based on the inclusion criteria, the search of databases resulted in 27 articles that fully covered economic evaluation in health care programs. A review of articles in accordance with Drummond's criteria showed that the majority of studies had flaws. The most common methodological weakness in the articles was in terms of cost calculation and valuation. Considering such methodological faults in these studies, it is anticipated that these studies would not provide an appropriate feedback to policy makers to allocate health care resources correctly and select suitable cost-effective interventions. Therefore, researchers are required to comply with the standard guidelines in order to better execute and report on economic evaluation studies.

Quality Assessment of Published Articles in Iranian Journals Related to Economic Evaluation in Health Care Programs Based on Drummond’s Checklist: A Narrative Review

PubMed Central

Rezapour, Aziz; Jafari, Abdosaleh; Mirmasoudi, Kosha; Talebianpour, Hamid

2017-01-01

Health economic evaluation research plays an important role in selecting cost-effective interventions. The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of published articles in Iranian journals related to economic evaluation in health care programs based on Drummond’s checklist in terms of numbers, features, and quality. In the present review study, published articles (Persian and English) in Iranian journals related to economic evaluation in health care programs were searched using electronic databases. In addition, the methodological quality of articles’ structure was analyzed by Drummond’s standard checklist. Based on the inclusion criteria, the search of databases resulted in 27 articles that fully covered economic evaluation in health care programs. A review of articles in accordance with Drummond’s criteria showed that the majority of studies had flaws. The most common methodological weakness in the articles was in terms of cost calculation and valuation. Considering such methodological faults in these studies, it is anticipated that these studies would not provide an appropriate feedback to policy makers to allocate health care resources correctly and select suitable cost-effective interventions. Therefore, researchers are required to comply with the standard guidelines in order to better execute and report on economic evaluation studies. PMID:29234174

Novel Hybrid Virtual Screening Protocol Based on Molecular Docking and Structure-Based Pharmacophore for Discovery of Methionyl-tRNA Synthetase Inhibitors as Antibacterial Agents

PubMed Central

Liu, Chi; He, Gu; Jiang, Qinglin; Han, Bo; Peng, Cheng

2013-01-01

Methione tRNA synthetase (MetRS) is an essential enzyme involved in protein biosynthesis in all living organisms and is a potential antibacterial target. In the current study, the structure-based pharmacophore (SBP)-guided method has been suggested to generate a comprehensive pharmacophore of MetRS based on fourteen crystal structures of MetRS-inhibitor complexes. In this investigation, a hybrid protocol of a virtual screening method, comprised of pharmacophore model-based virtual screening (PBVS), rigid and flexible docking-based virtual screenings (DBVS), is used for retrieving new MetRS inhibitors from commercially available chemical databases. This hybrid virtual screening approach was then applied to screen the Specs (202,408 compounds) database, a structurally diverse chemical database. Fifteen hit compounds were selected from the final hits and shifted to experimental studies. These results may provide important information for further research of novel MetRS inhibitors as antibacterial agents. PMID:23839093

The prevalence of co-morbid depression among employees with type 2 diabetes in a Japanese corporation: a descriptive study using an integrated health database.

PubMed

Arima, Hideaki; Miwa, Makiko; Kawahara, Kazuo

2007-03-01

To determine the prevalence of comorbid depression among people with type 2 diabetes using the integrated health database. A total of 6543 people aged 18-65 years were selected from the employees of a Japanese corporation. Using the corporation's integrated health database, which consisted of medical claims data and a self-reported questionnaire from the fiscal year 2000, this study was undertaken to identify the prevalence, the odds ratio and some related factors. The prevalence of co-morbid depression among people with type 2 diabetes was 2.6%. The crude odds ratio of co-morbid depression among those with type 2 diabetes was 2.20 (95% CI 0.88-5.50). After adjustment for covariates (gender, age, alcohol drinking, smoking, exercise, and dietary restriction), the odds ratio of co-morbid depression among those with type 2 diabetes was 2.33 (0.86-6.33). Using the integrated health database, it was suggested that patients with type 2 diabetes were more likely to suffer from depression and there was a relationship between depression and dietary restriction of portion control.

Searching mixed DNA profiles directly against profile databases.

PubMed

Bright, Jo-Anne; Taylor, Duncan; Curran, James; Buckleton, John

2014-03-01

DNA databases have revolutionised forensic science. They are a powerful investigative tool as they have the potential to identify persons of interest in criminal investigations. Routinely, a DNA profile generated from a crime sample could only be searched for in a database of individuals if the stain was from single contributor (single source) or if a contributor could unambiguously be determined from a mixed DNA profile. This meant that a significant number of samples were unsuitable for database searching. The advent of continuous methods for the interpretation of DNA profiles offers an advanced way to draw inferential power from the considerable investment made in DNA databases. Using these methods, each profile on the database may be considered a possible contributor to a mixture and a likelihood ratio (LR) can be formed. Those profiles which produce a sufficiently large LR can serve as an investigative lead. In this paper empirical studies are described to determine what constitutes a large LR. We investigate the effect on a database search of complex mixed DNA profiles with contributors in equal proportions with dropout as a consideration, and also the effect of an incorrect assignment of the number of contributors to a profile. In addition, we give, as a demonstration of the method, the results using two crime samples that were previously unsuitable for database comparison. We show that effective management of the selection of samples for searching and the interpretation of the output can be highly informative. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Physicians utilisation of internet medical databases at the tertiary health institutions in Osun State, south west, Nigeria.

PubMed

Shabi, Iwok N; Shabi, Olabode M; Akewukereke, Modupe A; Udofia, Emem P

2011-12-01

To determine the extent, purpose, determinants and the impact of the utilization of Internet medical databases among the respondents. A descriptive cross sectional survey of 540 randomly selected physicians at the two tertiary health institutions in Osun State, south west, Nigeria. A total of 444 (82.2%) physicians completed the questionnaires. All the respondents have used the internet medical databases within the last 4 weeks of the study. Majority, (53.8%) used the internet resources at least once in 2 weeks, while 12.2% used the resources every day. The online resources are mainly sought for Routine patient care and for Research purposes. pubmed (70.3%), hinari (69.0%), and Free medical journals (60.1%) are the frequently used online databases/digital archives. The internet resources has positively impacted the Clinical practice (40.0%) and Research output (65.5%) of the physicians. There had been considerable increase in the extent and quality of utilization of online medical databases which has positively impacted on the Clinical practice and Research output of the physicians. Ease of finding the needed information and the availability of evidence based resources are the major determinants of the databases utilized. © 2011 The authors. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2011 Health Libraries Group.

Development of a standardized Intranet database of formulation records for nonsterile compounding, Part 2.

PubMed

Haile, Michael; Anderson, Kim; Evans, Alex; Crawford, Angela

2012-01-01

In part 1 of this series, we outlined the rationale behind the development of a centralized electronic database used to maintain nonsterile compounding formulation records in the Mission Health System, which is a union of several independent hospitals and satellite and regional pharmacies that form the cornerstone of advanced medical care in several areas of western North Carolina. Hospital providers in many healthcare systems require compounded formulations to meet the needs of their patients (in particular, pediatric patients). Before a centralized electronic compounding database was implemented in the Mission Health System, each satellite or regional pharmacy affiliated with that system had a specific set of formulation records, but no standardized format for those records existed. In this article, we describe the quality control, database platform selection, description, implementation, and execution of our intranet database system, which is designed to maintain, manage, and disseminate nonsterile compounding formulation records in the hospitals and affiliated pharmacies of the Mission Health System. The objectives of that project were to standardize nonsterile compounding formulation records, create a centralized computerized database that would increase healthcare staff members' access to formulation records, establish beyond-use dates based on published stability studies, improve quality control, reduce the potential for medication errors related to compounding medications, and (ultimately) improve patient safety.

The Role of Data Archives in Synoptic Solar Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reardon, Kevin

The detailed study of solar cycle variations requires analysis of recorded datasets spanning many years of observations, that is, a data archive. The use of digital data, combined with powerful database server software, gives such archives new capabilities to provide, quickly and flexibly, selected pieces of information to scientists. Use of standardized protocols will allow multiple databases, independently maintained, to be seamlessly joined, allowing complex searches spanning multiple archives. These data archives also benefit from being developed in parallel with the telescope itself, which helps to assure data integrity and to provide close integration between the telescope and archive. Development of archives that can guarantee long-term data availability and strong compatibility with other projects makes solar-cycle studies easier to plan and realize.

Comparison of Stopping Power and Range Databases for Radiation Transport Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tai, H.; Bichsel, Hans; Wilson, John W.; Shinn, Judy L.; Cucinotta, Francis A.; Badavi, Francis F.

1997-01-01

The codes used to calculate stopping power and range for the space radiation shielding program at the Langley Research Center are based on the work of Ziegler but with modifications. As more experience is gained from experiments at heavy ion accelerators, prudence dictates a reevaluation of the current databases. Numerical values of stopping power and range calculated from four different codes currently in use are presented for selected ions and materials in the energy domain suitable for space radiation transport. This study of radiation transport has found that for most collision systems and for intermediate particle energies, agreement is less than 1 percent, in general, among all the codes. However, greater discrepancies are seen for heavy systems, especially at low particle energies.

Database for CO2 Separation Performances of MOFs Based on Computational Materials Screening.

PubMed

Altintas, Cigdem; Avci, Gokay; Daglar, Hilal; Nemati Vesali Azar, Ayda; Velioglu, Sadiye; Erucar, Ilknur; Keskin, Seda

2018-05-23

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are potential adsorbents for CO 2 capture. Because thousands of MOFs exist, computational studies become very useful in identifying the top performing materials for target applications in a time-effective manner. In this study, molecular simulations were performed to screen the MOF database to identify the best materials for CO 2 separation from flue gas (CO 2 /N 2 ) and landfill gas (CO 2 /CH 4 ) under realistic operating conditions. We validated the accuracy of our computational approach by comparing the simulation results for the CO 2 uptakes, CO 2 /N 2 and CO 2 /CH 4 selectivities of various types of MOFs with the available experimental data. Binary CO 2 /N 2 and CO 2 /CH 4 mixture adsorption data were then calculated for the entire MOF database. These data were then used to predict selectivity, working capacity, regenerability, and separation potential of MOFs. The top performing MOF adsorbents that can separate CO 2 /N 2 and CO 2 /CH 4 with high performance were identified. Molecular simulations for the adsorption of a ternary CO 2 /N 2 /CH 4 mixture were performed for these top materials to provide a more realistic performance assessment of MOF adsorbents. The structure-performance analysis showed that MOFs with Δ Q st 0 > 30 kJ/mol, 3.8 Å < pore-limiting diameter < 5 Å, 5 Å < largest cavity diameter < 7.5 Å, 0.5 < ϕ < 0.75, surface area < 1000 m 2 /g, and ρ > 1 g/cm 3 are the best candidates for selective separation of CO 2 from flue gas and landfill gas. This information will be very useful to design novel MOFs exhibiting high CO 2 separation potentials. Finally, an online, freely accessible database https://cosmoserc.ku.edu.tr was established, for the first time in the literature, which reports all of the computed adsorbent metrics of 3816 MOFs for CO 2 /N 2 , CO 2 /CH 4 , and CO 2 /N 2 /CH 4 separations in addition to various structural properties of MOFs.

Efficiency of molar distalization associated with second and third molar eruption stage.

PubMed

Flores-Mir, Carlos; McGrath, Lisa; Heo, Giseon; Major, Paul W

2013-07-01

To evaluate the efficiency of molar distalization associated with the second and third molar eruption stage. A systematic computerized database search was conducted using several databases. Adaptations of the terms molar distalization and distalizing appliances were used. The reference lists of all the selected articles were also searched for any potential articles that might have been missed in the electronic search. The data provided in the selected publications were grouped and analyzed in terms of molar distalization with respect to various eruption stages of maxillary second and third molars. Out of the 13 initially identified articles only four fulfilled the final selection criteria. Three of the four studies showed no statistical significance in linear molar distalization based on the eruptive stage of the second and/or third molars, while one study found that the amount of distal movement of the first molars was significantly greater in the group with unerupted second molars. Only one study found that the amount of molar tipping that occurred as a result of distalization was related to the eruption stage of the maxillary molars. Similarly, three of the four studies found that molar distalization time was not significantly affected by eruption of the second or third molars. The effect of maxillary second and third molar eruption stage on molar distalization-both linear and angular distalization-appears to be minimal. This conclusion is only based on low-level of evidence clinical trials. The large variability in the outcomes should be considered clinically.

Integrative medicine for managing the symptoms of lupus nephritis

PubMed Central

Choi, Tae-Young; Jun, Ji Hee; Lee, Myeong Soo

2018-01-01

Abstract Background: Integrative medicine is claimed to improve symptoms of lupus nephritis. No systematic reviews have been performed for the application of integrative medicine for lupus nephritis on patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Thus, this review will aim to evaluate the current evidence on the efficacy of integrative medicine for the management of lupus nephritis in patients with SLE. Methods and analyses: The following electronic databases will be searched for studies published from their dates of inception February 2018: Medline, EMBASE and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), as well as 6 Korean medical databases (Korea Med, the Oriental Medicine Advanced Search Integrated System [OASIS], DBpia, the Korean Medical Database [KM base], the Research Information Service System [RISS], and the Korean Studies Information Services System [KISS]), and 1 Chinese medical database (the China National Knowledge Infrastructure [CNKI]). Study selection, data extraction, and assessment will be performed independently by 2 researchers. The risk of bias (ROB) will be assessed using the Cochrane ROB tool. Dissemination: This systematic review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and disseminated both electronically and in print. The review will be updated to inform and guide healthcare practice and policy. Trial registration number: PROSPERO 2018 CRD42018085205 PMID:29595669

The database search problem: a question of rational decision making.

PubMed

Gittelson, S; Biedermann, A; Bozza, S; Taroni, F

2012-10-10

This paper applies probability and decision theory in the graphical interface of an influence diagram to study the formal requirements of rationality which justify the individualization of a person found through a database search. The decision-theoretic part of the analysis studies the parameters that a rational decision maker would use to individualize the selected person. The modeling part (in the form of an influence diagram) clarifies the relationships between this decision and the ingredients that make up the database search problem, i.e., the results of the database search and the different pairs of propositions describing whether an individual is at the source of the crime stain. These analyses evaluate the desirability associated with the decision of 'individualizing' (and 'not individualizing'). They point out that this decision is a function of (i) the probability that the individual in question is, in fact, at the source of the crime stain (i.e., the state of nature), and (ii) the decision maker's preferences among the possible consequences of the decision (i.e., the decision maker's loss function). We discuss the relevance and argumentative implications of these insights with respect to recent comments in specialized literature, which suggest points of view that are opposed to the results of our study. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The NSO FTS database program and archive (FTSDBM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lytle, D. M.

1992-01-01

Data from the NSO Fourier transform spectrometer is being re-archived from half inch tape onto write-once compact disk. In the process, information about each spectrum and a low resolution copy of each spectrum is being saved into an on-line database. FTSDBM is a simple database management program in the NSO external package for IRAF. A command language allows the FTSDBM user to add entries to the database, delete entries, select subsets from the database based on keyword values including ranges of values, create new database files based on these subsets, make keyword lists, examine low resolution spectra graphically, and make disk number/file number lists. Once the archive is complete, FTSDBM will allow the database to be efficiently searched for data of interest to the user and the compact disk format will allow random access to that data.

Identifying public water facilities with low spatial variability of disinfection by-products for epidemiological investigations

PubMed Central

Hinckley, A; Bachand, A; Nuckols, J; Reif, J

2005-01-01

Background and Aims: Epidemiological studies of disinfection by-products (DBPs) and reproductive outcomes have been hampered by misclassification of exposure. In most epidemiological studies conducted to date, all persons living within the boundaries of a water distribution system have been assigned a common exposure value based on facility-wide averages of trihalomethane (THM) concentrations. Since THMs do not develop uniformly throughout a distribution system, assignment of facility-wide averages may be inappropriate. One approach to mitigate this potential for misclassification is to select communities for epidemiological investigations that are served by distribution systems with consistently low spatial variability of THMs. Methods and Results: A feasibility study was conducted to develop methods for community selection using the Information Collection Rule (ICR) database, assembled by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The ICR database contains quarterly DBP concentrations collected between 1997 and 1998 from the distribution systems of 198 public water facilities with minimum service populations of 100 000 persons. Facilities with low spatial variation of THMs were identified using two methods; 33 facilities were found with low spatial variability based on one or both methods. Because brominated THMs may be important predictors of risk for adverse reproductive outcomes, sites were categorised into three exposure profiles according to proportion of brominated THM species and average TTHM concentration. The correlation between THMs and haloacetic acids (HAAs) in these facilities was evaluated to see whether selection by total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) corresponds to low spatial variability for HAAs. TTHMs were only moderately correlated with HAAs (r = 0.623). Conclusions: Results provide a simple method for a priori selection of sites with low spatial variability from state or national public water facility datasets as a means to reduce exposure misclassification in epidemiological studies of DBPs. PMID:15961627

What Makes a Difference during the Last Two Years of High School: An Overview of Studies Based on High School and Beyond Data.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marsh, Herbert W.

Variables that influence growth and change in educational outcomes in the last 2 years of high school were studied using data from the High School and Beyond (HSB) study. The HSB study provided a database of thousands of variables for about 30 students from each of 1,000 randomly selected high schools in the United States in their sophomore and…

The STEP (Safety and Toxicity of Excipients for Paediatrics) database: part 2 - the pilot version.

PubMed

Salunke, Smita; Brandys, Barbara; Giacoia, George; Tuleu, Catherine

2013-11-30

The screening and careful selection of excipients is a critical step in paediatric formulation development as certain excipients acceptable in adult formulations, may not be appropriate for paediatric use. While there is extensive toxicity data that could help in better understanding and highlighting the gaps in toxicity studies, the data are often scattered around the information sources and saddled with incompatible data types and formats. This paper is the second in a series that presents the update on the Safety and Toxicity of Excipients for Paediatrics ("STEP") database being developed by Eu-US PFIs, and describes the architecture data fields and functions of the database. The STEP database is a user designed resource that compiles the safety and toxicity data of excipients that is scattered over various sources and presents it in one freely accessible source. Currently, in the pilot database data from over 2000 references/10 excipients presenting preclinical, clinical, regulatory information and toxicological reviews, with references and source links. The STEP database allows searching "FOR" excipients and "BY" excipients. This dual nature of the STEP database, in which toxicity and safety information can be searched in both directions, makes it unique from existing sources. If the pilot is successful, the aim is to increase the number of excipients in the existing database so that a database large enough to be of practical research use will be available. It is anticipated that this source will prove to be a useful platform for data management and data exchange of excipient safety information. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Did They Sell Their Soul to the Devil? Some Comparative Case-Studies on Academic Entrepreneurs in the Life Sciences in Europe

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Provasi, Giancarlo; Squazzoni, Flaminio; Tosio, Beatrice

2012-01-01

This paper looks at eight comparative case-studies on academic entrepreneurs in life sciences conducted in Europe in 2008. The interviewees were selected from the KEINS database that lists all academic inventors from Italy, France, Sweden and the Netherlands who have one or more patent applications registered at the European Patent Office,…

Snake River Sockeye Salmon Habitat and Limnological Research; 1995 Annual Report.

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

Teuscher, David; Taki, Doug

1996-05-01

This report contains studies which are part of the Bonneville Power Administration`s program to protect, mitigate, and enhance fish and wildlife affected by the development and operation of hydroelectric facilities on the Columbia River and its tributaries. Attention is focused on population monitoring studies in the Sawtooth Valley Lakes. Selected papers are indexed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology Database.

Reliability of diagnostic coding in intensive care patients

PubMed Central

Misset, Benoît; Nakache, Didier; Vesin, Aurélien; Darmon, Mickael; Garrouste-Orgeas, Maïté; Mourvillier, Bruno; Adrie, Christophe; Pease, Sébastian; de Beauregard, Marie-Aliette Costa; Goldgran-Toledano, Dany; Métais, Elisabeth; Timsit, Jean-François

2008-01-01

Introduction Administrative coding of medical diagnoses in intensive care unit (ICU) patients is mandatory in order to create databases for use in epidemiological and economic studies. We assessed the reliability of coding between different ICU physicians. Method One hundred medical records selected randomly from 29,393 cases collected between 1998 and 2004 in the French multicenter Outcomerea ICU database were studied. Each record was sent to two senior physicians from independent ICUs who recoded the diagnoses using the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems: Tenth Revision (ICD-10) after being trained according to guidelines developed by two French national intensive care medicine societies: the French Society of Intensive Care Medicine (SRLF) and the French Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine (SFAR). These codes were then compared with the original codes, which had been selected by the physician treating the patient. A specific comparison was done for the diagnoses of septicemia and shock (codes derived from A41 and R57, respectively). Results The ICU physicians coded an average of 4.6 ± 3.0 (range 1 to 32) diagnoses per patient, with little agreement between the three coders. The primary diagnosis was matched by both external coders in 34% (95% confidence interval (CI) 25% to 43%) of cases, by only one in 35% (95% CI 26% to 44%) of cases, and by neither in 31% (95% CI 22% to 40%) of cases. Only 18% (95% CI 16% to 20%) of all codes were selected by all three coders. Similar results were obtained for the diagnoses of septicemia and/or shock. Conclusion In a multicenter database designed primarily for epidemiological and cohort studies in ICU patients, the coding of medical diagnoses varied between different observers. This could limit the interpretation and validity of research and epidemiological programs using diagnoses as inclusion criteria. PMID:18664267

The ChArMEx database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferré, Helene; Belmahfoud, Nizar; Boichard, Jean-Luc; Brissebrat, Guillaume; Descloitres, Jacques; Fleury, Laurence; Focsa, Loredana; Henriot, Nicolas; Mastrorillo, Laurence; Mière, Arnaud; Vermeulen, Anne

2014-05-01

The Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment (ChArMEx, http://charmex.lsce.ipsl.fr/) aims at a scientific assessment of the present and future state of the atmospheric environment in the Mediterranean Basin, and of its impacts on the regional climate, air quality, and marine biogeochemistry. The project includes long term monitoring of environmental parameters, intensive field campaigns, use of satellite data and modelling studies. Therefore ChARMEx scientists produce and need to access a wide diversity of data. In this context, the objective of the database task is to organize data management, distribution system and services, such as facilitating the exchange of information and stimulating the collaboration between researchers within the ChArMEx community, and beyond. The database relies on a strong collaboration between OMP and ICARE data centres and has been set up in the framework of the Mediterranean Integrated Studies at Regional And Locals Scales (MISTRALS) program data portal. All the data produced by or of interest for the ChArMEx community will be documented in the data catalogue and accessible through the database website: http://mistrals.sedoo.fr/ChArMEx. At present, the ChArMEx database contains about 75 datasets, including 50 in situ datasets (2012 and 2013 campaigns, Ersa background monitoring station), 25 model outputs (dust model intercomparison, MEDCORDEX scenarios), and a high resolution emission inventory over the Mediterranean. Many in situ datasets have been inserted in a relational database, in order to enable more accurate data selection and download of different datasets in a shared format. The database website offers different tools: - A registration procedure which enables any scientist to accept the data policy and apply for a user database account. - A data catalogue that complies with metadata international standards (ISO 19115-19139; INSPIRE European Directive; Global Change Master Directory Thesaurus). - Metadata forms to document observations or products that will be provided to the database. - A search tool to browse the catalogue using thematic, geographic and/or temporal criteria. - A shopping-cart web interface to order in situ data files. - A web interface to select and access to homogenized datasets. Interoperability between the two data centres is being set up using the OPEnDAP protocol. The data portal will soon propose a user-friendly access to satellite products managed by the ICARE data centre (SEVIRI, TRIMM, PARASOL...). In order to meet the operational needs of the airborne and ground based observational teams during the ChArMEx 2012 and 2013 campaigns, a day-to-day chart and report display website has been developed too: http://choc.sedoo.org. It offers a convenient way to browse weather conditions and chemical composition during the campaign periods.

Tilted seat position for non-ambulant individuals with neurological and neuromuscular impairment: a systematic review.

PubMed

Michael, S M; Porter, D; Pountney, T E

2007-12-01

To determine the effects of tilt-in-space seating on outcomes for people with neurological or neuromuscular impairment who cannot walk. Search through electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, AMED). Discussions with researchers who are active in field. Selection criteria included interventional studies that investigated the effects of seat tilt on outcome or observational studies that identified outcomes for those who had used tilt-in-space seating in populations with neurological or neuromuscular impairments. Two reviewers independently selected trials for inclusion, assessed quality and extracted data. Nineteen studies were identified which fulfilled the selection criteria. Seventeen of these were essentially before-after studies investigating the immediate effects of tilting the seating. All studies looked at populations with neurological impairment, and most were on children with cerebral palsy (n=8) or adults with spinal cord injury (n=8). REVIEWER'S CONCLUSION: Posterior tilt can reduce pressures at the interface under the pelvis.

Mental health epidemiological research in South America: recent findings

PubMed Central

Silva de Lima, Maurício; Garcia de Oliveira Soares, Bernardo; de Jesus Mari, Jair

2004-01-01

This paper aims to review the recent mental health epidemiological research conducted in South America. The Latin American and the Caribbean (LILACS) database was searched from 1999 to 2003 using a specific strategy for identification of cohort, case-control and cross-sectional population-based studies in South America. The authors screened references and identified relevant studies. Further studies were obtained contacting local experts in epidemiology. 140 references were identified, and 12 studies were selected. Most selected studies explored the prevalence and risk factors for common mental disorders, and several of them used sophisticated methods of sample selection and analysis. There is a need for improving the quality of psychiatric journals in Latin America, and for increasing the distribution and access to research data. Regionally relevant problems such as violence and substance abuse should be considered in designing future investigations in this area. PMID:16633474

Prevalence of dyslipidemia in Iranian children and adolescents: A systematic review.

PubMed

Hovsepian, Silva; Kelishadi, Roya; Djalalinia, Shirin; Farzadfar, Farshad; Naderimagham, Shohreh; Qorbani, Mostafa

2015-05-01

Dyslipidemia is considered as an important modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The link between childhood dyslipidemia and occurrence of atherosclerosis and its sequels in adulthood are well-documented. This study aimed to systematically review the prevalence of dyslipidemia among Iranian children and adolescents. An electronic search was conducted on studies published from January 1990 to January 2014. The main international electronic data sources were PubMed and the NLM Gateway (for MEDLINE), Institute of Scientific Information (ISI), and SCOPUS. For Persian databases, we used domestic databases with systematic search capability including IranMedex, Irandoc, and Scientific Information Database (SID). We included all available population-based studies and national surveys conducted in the pediatric age group (aged <21 years). In this review, 1772 articles were identified (PubMed: 1464; Scopus: 11; ISI: 58; SID: 90; IranMedex: 149; Irandoc: 57). During three refine steps and after removing of duplicates, 182 articles related to the study domain were selected. After quality assessment, 46 studies were selected for text appraisal, of which 26 qualified articles were evaluated at the final step. The prevalence range of hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were 3-48%, 3-50%, 5-20% and 5-88%, respectively. Low HDL-C and hypertriglyceridemia were the most prevalent lipid disorders in this group of population. Dyslipidemia is a common health problem among Iranian children and adolescents. Few data were available in preschool children. This finding provides useful information for health policy makers to implement action-oriented interventions for prevention and early control of this important CVD risk factor.

Ottawa Panel Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines for Structured Physical Activity in the Management of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.

PubMed

Cavallo, Sabrina; Brosseau, Lucie; Toupin-April, Karine; Wells, George A; Smith, Christine A; Pugh, Arlanna G; Stinson, Jennifer; Thomas, Roanne; Ahmed, Sara; Duffy, Ciarán M; Rahman, Prinon; Àlvarez-Gallardo, Inmaculada C; Loew, Laurianne; De Angelis, Gino; Feldman, Debbie Ehrmann; Majnemer, Annette; Gagnon, Isabelle J; Maltais, Désirée; Mathieu, Marie-Ève; Kenny, Glen P; Tupper, Susan; Whitney-Mahoney, Kristi; Bigford, Sarah

2017-05-01

To create guidelines focused on the use of structured physical activity (PA) in the management of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). A systematic literature search was conducted using the electronic databases Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), and Physiotherapy Evidence Database for all studies related to PA programs for JIA from January 1966 until December 2014, and was updated in May 2015. Study selection was completed independently by 2 reviewers. Studies were included if they involved individuals aged ≤21 years diagnosed with JIA who were taking part in therapeutic exercise or other PA interventions for which effects of various disease-related outcomes were compared with a control group (eg, no PA program or activity of lower intensity). Two reviewers independently extracted information on interventions, comparators, outcomes, time period, and study design. The statistical analysis was reported using the Cochrane Collaboration methods. The quality of the included studies was assessed according to the Physiotherapy Evidence Database Scale. Five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) fit the selection criteria; of these, 4 were high-quality RCTs. The following recommendations were developed: (1) Pilates for improving quality of life, pain, functional ability, and range of motion (ROM) (grade A); (2) home exercise program for improving quality of life and functional ability (grade A); (3) aquatic aerobic fitness for decreasing the number of active joints (grade A); and (4) and cardio-karate aerobic exercise for improving ROM and number of active joints (grade C+). The Ottawa Panel recommends the following structured exercises and physical activities for the management of JIA: Pilates, cardio-karate, home and aquatic exercises. Pilates showed improvement in a higher number of outcomes. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Integrated database for identifying candidate genes for Aspergillus flavus resistance in maize

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Aspergillus flavus Link:Fr, an opportunistic fungus that produces aflatoxin, is pathogenic to maize and other oilseed crops. Aflatoxin is a potent carcinogen, and its presence markedly reduces the value of grain. Understanding and enhancing host resistance to A. flavus infection and/or subsequent aflatoxin accumulation is generally considered an efficient means of reducing grain losses to aflatoxin. Different proteomic, genomic and genetic studies of maize (Zea mays L.) have generated large data sets with the goal of identifying genes responsible for conferring resistance to A. flavus, or aflatoxin. Results In order to maximize the usage of different data sets in new studies, including association mapping, we have constructed a relational database with web interface integrating the results of gene expression, proteomic (both gel-based and shotgun), Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) genetic mapping studies, and sequence data from the literature to facilitate selection of candidate genes for continued investigation. The Corn Fungal Resistance Associated Sequences Database (CFRAS-DB) (http://agbase.msstate.edu/) was created with the main goal of identifying genes important to aflatoxin resistance. CFRAS-DB is implemented using MySQL as the relational database management system running on a Linux server, using an Apache web server, and Perl CGI scripts as the web interface. The database and the associated web-based interface allow researchers to examine many lines of evidence (e.g. microarray, proteomics, QTL studies, SNP data) to assess the potential role of a gene or group of genes in the response of different maize lines to A. flavus infection and subsequent production of aflatoxin by the fungus. Conclusions CFRAS-DB provides the first opportunity to integrate data pertaining to the problem of A. flavus and aflatoxin resistance in maize in one resource and to support queries across different datasets. The web-based interface gives researchers different query options for mining the database across different types of experiments. The database is publically available at http://agbase.msstate.edu. PMID:20946609

Comparison of Conflicts of Interest among Published Hernia Researchers Self-Reported with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payments Database.

PubMed

Olavarria, Oscar A; Holihan, Julie L; Cherla, Deepa; Perez, Cristina A; Kao, Lillian S; Ko, Tien C; Liang, Mike K

2017-05-01

Many healthcare providers have financial interests and relationships with healthcare companies. To maintain transparency, investigators are expected to disclose their conflicts of interest (COIs). Recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services developed the Open Payment database of COIs reported by industry. We hypothesize that there is discordance between industry-reported and physician self-reported COIs in ventral hernia publications. PubMed was searched for ventral hernia studies accepted for publication between June 2013 and October 2015 and published by authors from the US. Conflicts of interest were defined as payments received as honoraria, consulting fees, compensation for serving as faculty or as a speaker at a venue, research funding payments, or having ownerships/partnerships in companies. Conflicts of interest disclosed on the published articles were compared with the financial relationships in the Open Payments database. A total of 100 studies were selected with 497 participating authors. Information was available from the Open Payments database for 245 (49.2%) authors, of which 134 (26.9%) met the definition for COI. When comparing COIs disclosed by authors and data in the Open Payments database, 81 (16.3%) authors had at least 1 COI but did not declare any, 35 (7.0%) authors had COIs other than what they declared, and 20 (4.0%) declared a COI not listed in the Open Payments database, for a combined discordance rate of 27.3%. There is substantial discordance between self-reported COI in published articles compared with those in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payments database. Additional studies are needed to determine the reasons for these differences, as COI can influence the validity of the design, conduct, and results of a study. Copyright © 2017 American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Identifying Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Patients in Retrospective Databases When Diagnosis Codes Are Not Available: A Validation Study Comparing Medication/Prescriber Visit-Based Algorithms with Diagnosis Codes.

PubMed

Dobson-Belaire, Wendy; Goodfield, Jason; Borrelli, Richard; Liu, Fei Fei; Khan, Zeba M

2018-01-01

Using diagnosis code-based algorithms is the primary method of identifying patient cohorts for retrospective studies; nevertheless, many databases lack reliable diagnosis code information. To develop precise algorithms based on medication claims/prescriber visits (MCs/PVs) to identify psoriasis (PsO) patients and psoriatic patients with arthritic conditions (PsO-AC), a proxy for psoriatic arthritis, in Canadian databases lacking diagnosis codes. Algorithms were developed using medications with narrow indication profiles in combination with prescriber specialty to define PsO and PsO-AC. For a 3-year study period from July 1, 2009, algorithms were validated using the PharMetrics Plus database, which contains both adjudicated medication claims and diagnosis codes. Positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), sensitivity, and specificity of the developed algorithms were assessed using diagnosis code as the reference standard. Chosen algorithms were then applied to Canadian drug databases to profile the algorithm-identified PsO and PsO-AC cohorts. In the selected database, 183,328 patients were identified for validation. The highest PPVs for PsO (85%) and PsO-AC (65%) occurred when a predictive algorithm of two or more MCs/PVs was compared with the reference standard of one or more diagnosis codes. NPV and specificity were high (99%-100%), whereas sensitivity was low (≤30%). Reducing the number of MCs/PVs or increasing diagnosis claims decreased the algorithms' PPVs. We have developed an MC/PV-based algorithm to identify PsO patients with a high degree of accuracy, but accuracy for PsO-AC requires further investigation. Such methods allow researchers to conduct retrospective studies in databases in which diagnosis codes are absent. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Integrated database for identifying candidate genes for Aspergillus flavus resistance in maize.

PubMed

Kelley, Rowena Y; Gresham, Cathy; Harper, Jonathan; Bridges, Susan M; Warburton, Marilyn L; Hawkins, Leigh K; Pechanova, Olga; Peethambaran, Bela; Pechan, Tibor; Luthe, Dawn S; Mylroie, J E; Ankala, Arunkanth; Ozkan, Seval; Henry, W B; Williams, W P

2010-10-07

Aspergillus flavus Link:Fr, an opportunistic fungus that produces aflatoxin, is pathogenic to maize and other oilseed crops. Aflatoxin is a potent carcinogen, and its presence markedly reduces the value of grain. Understanding and enhancing host resistance to A. flavus infection and/or subsequent aflatoxin accumulation is generally considered an efficient means of reducing grain losses to aflatoxin. Different proteomic, genomic and genetic studies of maize (Zea mays L.) have generated large data sets with the goal of identifying genes responsible for conferring resistance to A. flavus, or aflatoxin. In order to maximize the usage of different data sets in new studies, including association mapping, we have constructed a relational database with web interface integrating the results of gene expression, proteomic (both gel-based and shotgun), Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) genetic mapping studies, and sequence data from the literature to facilitate selection of candidate genes for continued investigation. The Corn Fungal Resistance Associated Sequences Database (CFRAS-DB) (http://agbase.msstate.edu/) was created with the main goal of identifying genes important to aflatoxin resistance. CFRAS-DB is implemented using MySQL as the relational database management system running on a Linux server, using an Apache web server, and Perl CGI scripts as the web interface. The database and the associated web-based interface allow researchers to examine many lines of evidence (e.g. microarray, proteomics, QTL studies, SNP data) to assess the potential role of a gene or group of genes in the response of different maize lines to A. flavus infection and subsequent production of aflatoxin by the fungus. CFRAS-DB provides the first opportunity to integrate data pertaining to the problem of A. flavus and aflatoxin resistance in maize in one resource and to support queries across different datasets. The web-based interface gives researchers different query options for mining the database across different types of experiments. The database is publically available at http://agbase.msstate.edu.

Machine learning techniques for breast cancer computer aided diagnosis using different image modalities: A systematic review.

PubMed

Yassin, Nisreen I R; Omran, Shaimaa; El Houby, Enas M F; Allam, Hemat

2018-03-01

The high incidence of breast cancer in women has increased significantly in the recent years. Physician experience of diagnosing and detecting breast cancer can be assisted by using some computerized features extraction and classification algorithms. This paper presents the conduction and results of a systematic review (SR) that aims to investigate the state of the art regarding the computer aided diagnosis/detection (CAD) systems for breast cancer. The SR was conducted using a comprehensive selection of scientific databases as reference sources, allowing access to diverse publications in the field. The scientific databases used are Springer Link (SL), Science Direct (SD), IEEE Xplore Digital Library, and PubMed. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined and applied to each retrieved work to select those of interest. From 320 studies retrieved, 154 studies were included. However, the scope of this research is limited to scientific and academic works and excludes commercial interests. This survey provides a general analysis of the current status of CAD systems according to the used image modalities and the machine learning based classifiers. Potential research studies have been discussed to create a more objective and efficient CAD systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improving retrospective characterization of the food environment for a large region in the United States during a historic time period.

PubMed

Auchincloss, Amy H; Moore, Kari A B; Moore, Latetia V; Diez Roux, Ana V

2012-11-01

Access to healthy foods has received increasing attention due to growing prevalence of obesity and diet-related health conditions yet there are major obstacles in characterizing the local food environment. This study developed a method to retrospectively characterize supermarkets for a single historic year, 2005, in 19 counties in 6 states in the USA using a supermarket chain-name list and two business databases. Data preparation, merging, overlaps, added-value amongst various approaches and differences by census tract area-level socio-demographic characteristics are described. Agreement between two food store databases was modest: 63%. Only 55% of the final list of supermarkets were identified by a single business database and selection criteria that included industry classification codes and sales revenue ≥$2 million. The added-value of using a supermarket chain-name list and second business database was identification of an additional 14% and 30% of supermarkets, respectively. These methods are particularly useful to retrospectively characterize access to supermarkets during a historic period and when field observations are not feasible and business databases are used. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

USER'S GUIDE FOR GLOED VERSION 1.0 - THE GLOBAL EMISSIONS DATABASE

EPA Science Inventory

The document is a user's guide for the EPA-developed, powerful software package, Global Emissions Database (GloED). GloED is a user-friendly, menu-driven tool for storing and retrieving emissions factors and activity data on a country-specific basis. Data can be selected from dat...

Do Librarians Really Do That? Or Providing Custom, Fee-Based Services.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitmore, Susan; Heekin, Janet

This paper describes some of the fee-based, custom services provided by National Institutes of Health (NIH) Library to NIH staff, including knowledge management, clinical liaisons, specialized database searching, bibliographic database development, Web resource guide development, and journal management. The first section discusses selecting the…

Giving you the business - Competitive pricing of selected Predicasts' databases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jack, Robert F.

1987-01-01

The pricing policies of different data-base services offering Predicast data bases are examined from a user perspective. The services carrying these data bases are listed; the problems introduced by varying exchange rates and seemingly idiosyncratic price structures are discussed; and numerous specific examples are given.

Work and Family Functioning: An Annotated Bibliography Selected from Family Database.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Mari, Comp.

This annotated bibliography lists works published in Australia on issues regarding work obligations and family responsibilities. All works cited are included in Australia's FAMILY database. The following topics are covered: (1) adolescents and attitudes to employment (14 citations); (2) the aged and employment (20 citations); (3) career…

NIST Libraries of Peptide Fragmentation Mass Spectra Databass

National Institute of Standards and Technology Data Gateway

SRD 4 NIST Libraries of Peptide Fragmentation Mass Spectra Databass (PC database for purchase)   Interactive computer program for predicting thermodynamic and transport properties of pure fluids and fluid mixtures containing up to 20 components. The components are selected from a database of 196 components, mostly hydrocarbons.

A Reference Viral Database (RVDB) To Enhance Bioinformatics Analysis of High-Throughput Sequencing for Novel Virus Detection

PubMed Central

Goodacre, Norman; Aljanahi, Aisha; Nandakumar, Subhiksha; Mikailov, Mike

2018-01-01

ABSTRACT Detection of distantly related viruses by high-throughput sequencing (HTS) is bioinformatically challenging because of the lack of a public database containing all viral sequences, without abundant nonviral sequences, which can extend runtime and obscure viral hits. Our reference viral database (RVDB) includes all viral, virus-related, and virus-like nucleotide sequences (excluding bacterial viruses), regardless of length, and with overall reduced cellular sequences. Semantic selection criteria (SEM-I) were used to select viral sequences from GenBank, resulting in a first-generation viral database (VDB). This database was manually and computationally reviewed, resulting in refined, semantic selection criteria (SEM-R), which were applied to a new download of updated GenBank sequences to create a second-generation VDB. Viral entries in the latter were clustered at 98% by CD-HIT-EST to reduce redundancy while retaining high viral sequence diversity. The viral identity of the clustered representative sequences (creps) was confirmed by BLAST searches in NCBI databases and HMMER searches in PFAM and DFAM databases. The resulting RVDB contained a broad representation of viral families, sequence diversity, and a reduced cellular content; it includes full-length and partial sequences and endogenous nonretroviral elements, endogenous retroviruses, and retrotransposons. Testing of RVDBv10.2, with an in-house HTS transcriptomic data set indicated a significantly faster run for virus detection than interrogating the entirety of the NCBI nonredundant nucleotide database, which contains all viral sequences but also nonviral sequences. RVDB is publically available for facilitating HTS analysis, particularly for novel virus detection. It is meant to be updated on a regular basis to include new viral sequences added to GenBank. IMPORTANCE To facilitate bioinformatics analysis of high-throughput sequencing (HTS) data for the detection of both known and novel viruses, we have developed a new reference viral database (RVDB) that provides a broad representation of different virus species from eukaryotes by including all viral, virus-like, and virus-related sequences (excluding bacteriophages), regardless of their size. In particular, RVDB contains endogenous nonretroviral elements, endogenous retroviruses, and retrotransposons. Sequences were clustered to reduce redundancy while retaining high viral sequence diversity. A particularly useful feature of RVDB is the reduction of cellular sequences, which can enhance the run efficiency of large transcriptomic and genomic data analysis and increase the specificity of virus detection. PMID:29564396

A Reference Viral Database (RVDB) To Enhance Bioinformatics Analysis of High-Throughput Sequencing for Novel Virus Detection.

PubMed

Goodacre, Norman; Aljanahi, Aisha; Nandakumar, Subhiksha; Mikailov, Mike; Khan, Arifa S

2018-01-01

Detection of distantly related viruses by high-throughput sequencing (HTS) is bioinformatically challenging because of the lack of a public database containing all viral sequences, without abundant nonviral sequences, which can extend runtime and obscure viral hits. Our reference viral database (RVDB) includes all viral, virus-related, and virus-like nucleotide sequences (excluding bacterial viruses), regardless of length, and with overall reduced cellular sequences. Semantic selection criteria (SEM-I) were used to select viral sequences from GenBank, resulting in a first-generation viral database (VDB). This database was manually and computationally reviewed, resulting in refined, semantic selection criteria (SEM-R), which were applied to a new download of updated GenBank sequences to create a second-generation VDB. Viral entries in the latter were clustered at 98% by CD-HIT-EST to reduce redundancy while retaining high viral sequence diversity. The viral identity of the clustered representative sequences (creps) was confirmed by BLAST searches in NCBI databases and HMMER searches in PFAM and DFAM databases. The resulting RVDB contained a broad representation of viral families, sequence diversity, and a reduced cellular content; it includes full-length and partial sequences and endogenous nonretroviral elements, endogenous retroviruses, and retrotransposons. Testing of RVDBv10.2, with an in-house HTS transcriptomic data set indicated a significantly faster run for virus detection than interrogating the entirety of the NCBI nonredundant nucleotide database, which contains all viral sequences but also nonviral sequences. RVDB is publically available for facilitating HTS analysis, particularly for novel virus detection. It is meant to be updated on a regular basis to include new viral sequences added to GenBank. IMPORTANCE To facilitate bioinformatics analysis of high-throughput sequencing (HTS) data for the detection of both known and novel viruses, we have developed a new reference viral database (RVDB) that provides a broad representation of different virus species from eukaryotes by including all viral, virus-like, and virus-related sequences (excluding bacteriophages), regardless of their size. In particular, RVDB contains endogenous nonretroviral elements, endogenous retroviruses, and retrotransposons. Sequences were clustered to reduce redundancy while retaining high viral sequence diversity. A particularly useful feature of RVDB is the reduction of cellular sequences, which can enhance the run efficiency of large transcriptomic and genomic data analysis and increase the specificity of virus detection.

Selection. ERIC Processing Manual, Section III.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brandhorst, Ted, Ed.

Rules and guidelines are provided governing the selection of documents and journal articles to be included in the ERIC database. Selection criteria are described under the five headings: (1) Appropriateness of content/subject matter; (2) Suitability of format, medium, document type; (3) Quality of content; (4) Legibility and reproducibility; (5)…

Breviscapine Injection Improves the Therapeutic Effect of Western Medicine on Angina Pectoris Patients.

PubMed

Wang, Chuan; Li, Yafeng; Gao, Shoucui; Cheng, Daxin; Zhao, Sihai; Liu, Enqi

2015-01-01

To evaluate the beneficial and adverse effects of breviscapine injection in combination with Western medicine on the treatment of patients with angina pectoris. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Medline, Science Citation Index, EMBASE, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Wanfang Database, the Chongqing VIP Information Database and the China Biomedical Database were searched to identify randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that evaluated the effects of Western medicine compared to breviscapine injection plus Western medicine on angina pectoris patients. The included studies were analyzed using RevMan 5.1.0 software. The literature search yielded 460 studies, wherein 16 studies matched the selection criteria. The results showed that combined therapy using Breviscapine plus Western medicine was superior to Western medicine alone for improving angina pectoris symptoms (OR=3.77, 95% Cl: 2.76~5.15) and also resulted in increased electrocardiogram (ECG) improvement (OR=2.77, 95% Cl: 2.16~3.53). The current evidence suggests that Breviscapine plus Western medicine achieved a superior therapeutic effect compared to Western medicine alone.

Breviscapine Injection Improves the Therapeutic Effect of Western Medicine on Angina Pectoris Patients

PubMed Central

Wang, Chuan; Li, Yafeng; Gao, Shoucui; Cheng, Daxin; Zhao, Sihai; Liu, Enqi

2015-01-01

To evaluate the beneficial and adverse effects of breviscapine injection in combination with Western medicine on the treatment of patients with angina pectoris. The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Medline, Science Citation Index, EMBASE, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Wanfang Database, the Chongqing VIP Information Database and the China Biomedical Database were searched to identify randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that evaluated the effects of Western medicine compared to breviscapine injection plus Western medicine on angina pectoris patients. The included studies were analyzed using RevMan 5.1.0 software. The literature search yielded 460 studies, wherein 16 studies matched the selection criteria. The results showed that combined therapy using Breviscapine plus Western medicine was superior to Western medicine alone for improving angina pectoris symptoms (OR =3.77, 95% Cl: 2.76~5.15) and also resulted in increased electrocardiogram (ECG) improvement (OR=2.77, 95% Cl: 2.16~3.53). The current evidence suggests that Breviscapine plus Western medicine achieved a superior therapeutic effect compared to Western medicine alone. PMID:26052709

Incorporating Virtual Reactions into a Logic-based Ligand-based Virtual Screening Method to Discover New Leads

PubMed Central

Reynolds, Christopher R; Muggleton, Stephen H; Sternberg, Michael J E

2015-01-01

The use of virtual screening has become increasingly central to the drug development pipeline, with ligand-based virtual screening used to screen databases of compounds to predict their bioactivity against a target. These databases can only represent a small fraction of chemical space, and this paper describes a method of exploring synthetic space by applying virtual reactions to promising compounds within a database, and generating focussed libraries of predicted derivatives. A ligand-based virtual screening tool Investigational Novel Drug Discovery by Example (INDDEx) is used as the basis for a system of virtual reactions. The use of virtual reactions is estimated to open up a potential space of 1.21×1012 potential molecules. A de novo design algorithm known as Partial Logical-Rule Reactant Selection (PLoRRS) is introduced and incorporated into the INDDEx methodology. PLoRRS uses logical rules from the INDDEx model to select reactants for the de novo generation of potentially active products. The PLoRRS method is found to increase significantly the likelihood of retrieving molecules similar to known actives with a p-value of 0.016. Case studies demonstrate that the virtual reactions produce molecules highly similar to known actives, including known blockbuster drugs. PMID:26583052

Word-addressable holographic memory using symbolic substitution and SLRs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McAulay, Alastair D.; Wang, Junqing

1990-12-01

A heteroassociative memory is proposed that allows a key word in a dictionary of key words to be used to recall an associated holographic image in a database of images. Symbolic substitution search finds the word sought in a dictionary of key words and generates a beam that selects the corresponding holographic image from a directory of images. In this case, symbolic substitution is used to orthogonalize the key words. Spatial light rebroadcasters are proposed for the key word database. Experimental results demonstrate that symbolic substitution will enable a holographic image to be selected and reconstructed. In the case considered, a holographic image having over 40,000-bits is selected out of eight by using a key word from a dictionary of eight words.

US EPA record of decision review for landfills: Sanitary landfill (740-G), Savannah River Site

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

Not Available

1993-06-01

This report presents the results of a review of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Record of Decision System (RODS) database search conducted to identify Superfund landfill sites where a Record of Decision (ROD) has been prepared by EPA, the States or the US Army Corps of Engineers describing the selected remedy at the site. ROD abstracts from the database were reviewed to identify site information including site type, contaminants of concern, components of the selected remedy, and cleanup goals. Only RODs from landfill sites were evaluated so that the results of the analysis can be used to support themore » remedy selection process for the Sanitary Landfill at the Savannah River Site (SRS).« less

A systematic review of trends and patterns of congenital heart disease in children in Nigeria from 1964-2015.

PubMed

Abdulkadir, Mohammed; Abdulkadir, Zainab

2016-06-01

Congenital heart diseases cause significant childhood morbidity and mortality. Several restricted studies have been conducted on the epidemiology in Nigeria. No truly nationwide data on patterns of congenital heart disease exists. To determine the patterns of congenital heart disease in children in Nigeria and examine trends in the occurrence of individual defects across 5 decades. We searched PubMed database, Google scholar, TRIP database, World Health Organisation libraries and reference lists of selected articles for studies on patterns of congenital heart disease among children in Nigeria between 1964 and 2015. Two researchers reviewed the papers independently and extracted the data. Seventeen studies were selected that included 2,953 children with congenital heart disease. The commonest congenital heart diseases in Nigeria are ventricular septal defect (40.6%), patent ductus arteriosus (18.4%), atrial septal defect (11.3%) and tetralogy of Fallot (11.8%). There has been a 6% increase in the burden of VSD in every decade for the 5 decades studied and a decline in the occurrence of pulmonary stenosis. Studies conducted in Northern Nigeria demonstrated higher proportions of atrial septal defects than patent ductus arteriosus. Ventricular septal defects are the commonest congenital heart diseases in Nigeria with a rising burden.

Validity of International Classification of Diseases (ICD) coding for dengue infections in hospital discharge records in Malaysia.

PubMed

Woon, Yuan-Liang; Lee, Keng-Yee; Mohd Anuar, Siti Fatimah Zahra; Goh, Pik-Pin; Lim, Teck-Onn

2018-04-20

Hospitalization due to dengue illness is an important measure of dengue morbidity. However, limited studies are based on administrative database because the validity of the diagnosis codes is unknown. We validated the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD) diagnosis coding for dengue infections in the Malaysian Ministry of Health's (MOH) hospital discharge database. This validation study involves retrospective review of available hospital discharge records and hand-search medical records for years 2010 and 2013. We randomly selected 3219 hospital discharge records coded with dengue and non-dengue infections as their discharge diagnoses from the national hospital discharge database. We then randomly sampled 216 and 144 records for patients with and without codes for dengue respectively, in keeping with their relative frequency in the MOH database, for chart review. The ICD codes for dengue were validated against lab-based diagnostic standard (NS1 or IgM). The ICD-10-CM codes for dengue had a sensitivity of 94%, modest specificity of 83%, positive predictive value of 87% and negative predictive value 92%. These results were stable between 2010 and 2013. However, its specificity decreased substantially when patients manifested with bleeding or low platelet count. The diagnostic performance of the ICD codes for dengue in the MOH's hospital discharge database is adequate for use in health services research on dengue.

Prevalence of Vitamin D Insufficiency in Patients With Parkinson Disease and Alzheimer Disease

PubMed Central

Evatt, Marian L.; DeLong, Mahlon R.; Khazai, Natasha; Rosen, Ami; Triche, Shirley; Tangpricha, Vin

2009-01-01

Background A role for vitamin D deficiency in Parkinson disease (PD) has recently been proposed. Objective To compare the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in a research database cohort of patients with PD with the prevalence in age-matched healthy controls and patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). Design Survey study and blinded comparison of plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations of stored samples in a clinical research database at Emory University School of Medicine. Setting Referral center (PD and AD patients), primary care clinics, and community setting (controls). Participants Participants were recruited into the study between May 1992 and March 2007. Every fifth consecutively enrolled PD patient was selected from the clinical research database. Unrelated AD (n=97) and control (n=99) participants were randomly selected from the database after matching for age, sex, race, APOE genotype, and geographic location. Main Outcome Measures Prevalence of suboptimal vitamin D and mean 25(OH)D concentrations. Results Significantly more patients with PD (55%) had insufficient vitamin D than did controls (36%) or patients with AD (41%; P=.02, χ2 test). The mean (SD) 25(OH)D concentration in the PD cohort was significantly lower than in the AD and control cohorts (31.9 [13.6] ng/mL vs 34.8 [15.4] ng/mL and 37.0 [14.5] ng/mL, respectively; P=.03). Conclusions This report of 25(OH)D concentrations in a predominantly white PD cohort demonstrates a significantly higher prevalence of hypovitaminosis in PD vs both healthy controls and patients with AD. These data support a possible role of vitamin D insufficiency in PD. Further studies are needed to determine the factors contributing to these differences and elucidate the potential role of vitamin D in pathogenesis and clinical course of PD. PMID:18852350

Automatic pattern localization across layout database and photolithography mask

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morey, Philippe; Brault, Frederic; Beisser, Eric; Ache, Oliver; Röth, Klaus-Dieter

2016-03-01

Advanced process photolithography masks require more and more controls for registration versus design and critical dimension uniformity (CDU). The distribution of the measurement points should be distributed all over the whole mask and may be denser in areas critical to wafer overlay requirements. This means that some, if not many, of theses controls should be made inside the customer die and may use non-dedicated patterns. It is then mandatory to access the original layout database to select patterns for the metrology process. Finding hundreds of relevant patterns in a database containing billions of polygons may be possible, but in addition, it is mandatory to create the complete metrology job fast and reliable. Combining, on one hand, a software expertise in mask databases processing and, on the other hand, advanced skills in control and registration equipment, we have developed a Mask Dataprep Station able to select an appropriate number of measurement targets and their positions in a huge database and automatically create measurement jobs on the corresponding area on the mask for the registration metrology system. In addition, the required design clips are generated from the database in order to perform the rendering procedure on the metrology system. This new methodology has been validated on real production line for the most advanced process. This paper presents the main challenges that we have faced, as well as some results on the global performances.

How to prepare a systematic review of economic evaluations for clinical practice guidelines: database selection and search strategy development (part 2/3).

PubMed

Thielen, F W; Van Mastrigt, Gapg; Burgers, L T; Bramer, W M; Majoie, Hjm; Evers, Smaa; Kleijnen, J

2016-12-01

This article is part of the series "How to prepare a systematic review of economic evaluations (EES) for informing evidence-based healthcare decisions", in which a five-step approach is proposed. Areas covered: This paper focuses on the selection of relevant databases and developing a search strategy for detecting EEs, as well as on how to perform the search and how to extract relevant data from retrieved records. Expert commentary: Thus far, little has been published on how to conduct systematic review EEs. Moreover, reliable sources of information, such as the Health Economic Evaluation Database, have ceased to publish updates. Researchers are thus left without authoritative guidance on how to conduct SR-EEs. Together with van Mastrigt et al. we seek to fill this gap.

Texture-based approach to palmprint retrieval for personal identification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Wenxin; Zhang, David; Xu, Z.; You, J.

2000-12-01

This paper presents a new approach to palmprint retrieval for personal identification. Three key issues in image retrieval are considered - feature selection, similarity measures and dynamic search for the best matching of the sample in the image database. We propose a texture-based method for palmprint feature representation. The concept of texture energy is introduced to define a palm print's global and local features, which are characterized with high convergence of inner-palm similarities and good dispersion of inter-palm discrimination. The search is carried out in a layered fashion: first global features are used to guide the fast selection of a small set of similar candidates from the database from the database and then local features are used to decide the final output within the candidate set. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method.

Texture-based approach to palmprint retrieval for personal identification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Wenxin; Zhang, David; Xu, Z.; You, J.

2001-01-01

This paper presents a new approach to palmprint retrieval for personal identification. Three key issues in image retrieval are considered - feature selection, similarity measures and dynamic search for the best matching of the sample in the image database. We propose a texture-based method for palmprint feature representation. The concept of texture energy is introduced to define a palm print's global and local features, which are characterized with high convergence of inner-palm similarities and good dispersion of inter-palm discrimination. The search is carried out in a layered fashion: first global features are used to guide the fast selection of a small set of similar candidates from the database from the database and then local features are used to decide the final output within the candidate set. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method.

Radiative transfer and spectroscopic databases: A line-sampling Monte Carlo approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galtier, Mathieu; Blanco, Stéphane; Dauchet, Jérémi; El Hafi, Mouna; Eymet, Vincent; Fournier, Richard; Roger, Maxime; Spiesser, Christophe; Terrée, Guillaume

2016-03-01

Dealing with molecular-state transitions for radiative transfer purposes involves two successive steps that both reach the complexity level at which physicists start thinking about statistical approaches: (1) constructing line-shaped absorption spectra as the result of very numerous state-transitions, (2) integrating over optical-path domains. For the first time, we show here how these steps can be addressed simultaneously using the null-collision concept. This opens the door to the design of Monte Carlo codes directly estimating radiative transfer observables from spectroscopic databases. The intermediate step of producing accurate high-resolution absorption spectra is no longer required. A Monte Carlo algorithm is proposed and applied to six one-dimensional test cases. It allows the computation of spectrally integrated intensities (over 25 cm-1 bands or the full IR range) in a few seconds, regardless of the retained database and line model. But free parameters need to be selected and they impact the convergence. A first possible selection is provided in full detail. We observe that this selection is highly satisfactory for quite distinct atmospheric and combustion configurations, but a more systematic exploration is still in progress.

NeuroTransDB: highly curated and structured transcriptomic metadata for neurodegenerative diseases.

PubMed

Bagewadi, Shweta; Adhikari, Subash; Dhrangadhariya, Anjani; Irin, Afroza Khanam; Ebeling, Christian; Namasivayam, Aishwarya Alex; Page, Matthew; Hofmann-Apitius, Martin; Senger, Philipp

2015-01-01

Neurodegenerative diseases are chronic debilitating conditions, characterized by progressive loss of neurons that represent a significant health care burden as the global elderly population continues to grow. Over the past decade, high-throughput technologies such as the Affymetrix GeneChip microarrays have provided new perspectives into the pathomechanisms underlying neurodegeneration. Public transcriptomic data repositories, namely Gene Expression Omnibus and curated ArrayExpress, enable researchers to conduct integrative meta-analysis; increasing the power to detect differentially regulated genes in disease and explore patterns of gene dysregulation across biologically related studies. The reliability of retrospective, large-scale integrative analyses depends on an appropriate combination of related datasets, in turn requiring detailed meta-annotations capturing the experimental setup. In most cases, we observe huge variation in compliance to defined standards for submitted metadata in public databases. Much of the information to complete, or refine meta-annotations are distributed in the associated publications. For example, tissue preparation or comorbidity information is frequently described in an article's supplementary tables. Several value-added databases have employed additional manual efforts to overcome this limitation. However, none of these databases explicate annotations that distinguish human and animal models in neurodegeneration context. Therefore, adopting a more specific disease focus, in combination with dedicated disease ontologies, will better empower the selection of comparable studies with refined annotations to address the research question at hand. In this article, we describe the detailed development of NeuroTransDB, a manually curated database containing metadata annotations for neurodegenerative studies. The database contains more than 20 dimensions of metadata annotations within 31 mouse, 5 rat and 45 human studies, defined in collaboration with domain disease experts. We elucidate the step-by-step guidelines used to critically prioritize studies from public archives and their metadata curation and discuss the key challenges encountered. Curated metadata for Alzheimer's disease gene expression studies are available for download. Database URL: www.scai.fraunhofer.de/NeuroTransDB.html. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

NeuroTransDB: highly curated and structured transcriptomic metadata for neurodegenerative diseases

PubMed Central

Bagewadi, Shweta; Adhikari, Subash; Dhrangadhariya, Anjani; Irin, Afroza Khanam; Ebeling, Christian; Namasivayam, Aishwarya Alex; Page, Matthew; Hofmann-Apitius, Martin

2015-01-01

Neurodegenerative diseases are chronic debilitating conditions, characterized by progressive loss of neurons that represent a significant health care burden as the global elderly population continues to grow. Over the past decade, high-throughput technologies such as the Affymetrix GeneChip microarrays have provided new perspectives into the pathomechanisms underlying neurodegeneration. Public transcriptomic data repositories, namely Gene Expression Omnibus and curated ArrayExpress, enable researchers to conduct integrative meta-analysis; increasing the power to detect differentially regulated genes in disease and explore patterns of gene dysregulation across biologically related studies. The reliability of retrospective, large-scale integrative analyses depends on an appropriate combination of related datasets, in turn requiring detailed meta-annotations capturing the experimental setup. In most cases, we observe huge variation in compliance to defined standards for submitted metadata in public databases. Much of the information to complete, or refine meta-annotations are distributed in the associated publications. For example, tissue preparation or comorbidity information is frequently described in an article’s supplementary tables. Several value-added databases have employed additional manual efforts to overcome this limitation. However, none of these databases explicate annotations that distinguish human and animal models in neurodegeneration context. Therefore, adopting a more specific disease focus, in combination with dedicated disease ontologies, will better empower the selection of comparable studies with refined annotations to address the research question at hand. In this article, we describe the detailed development of NeuroTransDB, a manually curated database containing metadata annotations for neurodegenerative studies. The database contains more than 20 dimensions of metadata annotations within 31 mouse, 5 rat and 45 human studies, defined in collaboration with domain disease experts. We elucidate the step-by-step guidelines used to critically prioritize studies from public archives and their metadata curation and discuss the key challenges encountered. Curated metadata for Alzheimer’s disease gene expression studies are available for download. Database URL: www.scai.fraunhofer.de/NeuroTransDB.html PMID:26475471

Pre-Hospital Emergency in Iran: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Bahadori, Mohammadkarim; Ghardashi, Fatemeh; Izadi, Ahmad Reza; Ravangard, Ramin; Mirhashemi, Sedigheh; Hosseini, Seyed Mojtaba

2016-05-01

Pre-hospital care plays a vital role in saving trauma patients. This study aims to review studies conducted on the pre-hospital emergency status in Iran. Data were sourced from Iranian electronic databases, including SID, IranMedex, IranDoc, Magiran, and non-Iranian electronic databases, such as Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Google Scholar. In addition, available data and statistics for the country were used. All Persian-language articles published in Iranian scientific journals and related English-language articles published in Iranian and non-Iranian journals indexed on valid sites for September 2005 - 2014 were systematically reviewed. To review the selected articles, a data extraction form developed by the researchers as per the study's objective was adopted. The articles were examined under two categories: structure and function of pre-hospital emergency. A total of 19 articles were selected, including six descriptive studies (42%), four descriptive-analytical studies (21%), five review articles (16%), two qualitative studies (10.5%), and two interventional (experimental) studies (10.5%). In addition, of these, 14 articles (73.5%) had been published in the English language. The focus of these selected articles were experts (31.5%), bases of emergency medical services (26%), injured (16%), data reviews (16%), and employees (10.5%). A majority of the studies (68%) investigated pre-hospital emergency functions and 32% reviewed the pre-hospital emergency structure. The number of studies conducted on pre-hospital emergency services in Iran is limited. To promote public health, consideration of prevention areas, processes to provide pre-hospital emergency services, policymaking, foresight, systemic view, comprehensive research programs and roadmaps, and assessments of research needs in pre-hospital emergency seem necessary.

Potent Phosphodiesterase Inhibition and Nitric Oxide Release Stimulation of Anti-Impotence Thai Medicinal Plants from “MANOSROI III” Database

PubMed Central

Manosroi, Aranya; Tangjai, Theeraphong; Chankhampan, Charinya; Manosroi, Worapaka; Najarut, Yaravee; Kitdamrongtham, Worapong

2017-01-01

Seven plants in the top rank were selected from the “MANOSROI III” database using the two Thai keywords which meant impotence and sexual tonic. Boesenbergia rotunda (L.) Mansf. extract [EDP1-001(1)] gave the highest PDE inhibition activity of 4.36-fold sildenafil, a standard anti-impotence drug. Plumbago indica Linn. extract [EDP2-001(1)] exhibited the highest NO release stimulation activity of 666.85% which was 1.50-fold acetylcholine, a standard drug. Most selected plant extracts were nontoxic to EA.hy926 cells at 1.0 mg/mL. EDP1-001(1) exhibited the LD50 value of acute oral toxicity in male ICR mice of over 5,000 mg/kg body weight. EDP1-001(1) also indicated the improvement of sexual behaviors in the paroxetine-induced sexual dysfunction male mice with the evaluation of number of courtships (NC), mount frequency (MF), intromission frequency (IF), and ejaculatory frequency (EF) at 87.67 ± 6.17, 121.00 ± 23.50, 36.00 ± 3.21, and 13.67 ± 2.96 which were 2.63-, 1.27-, 0.53-, and 0.62-fold sildenafil-treated mice at day 14 of the treatments, respectively. The present study has not only confirmed the traditional use of Thai plants for the treatment of ED but also indicated the potential and application of the “MANOSROI III” database for Thai plant selection to be developed as ED food supplements. PMID:28811831

Space transfer vehicle concepts and requirements study, phase 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cannon, Jeffrey H.; Vinopal, Tim; Andrews, Dana; Richards, Bill; Weber, Gary; Paddock, Greg; Maricich, Peter; Bouton, Bruce; Hagen, Jim; Kolesar, Richard

1992-01-01

This final report is a compilation of the Phase 1 and Phase 2 study findings and is intended as a Space Transfer Vehicle (STV) 'users guide' rather than an exhaustive explanation of STV design details. It provides a database for design choices in the general areas of basing, reusability, propulsion, and staging; with selection criteria based on cost, performance, available infrastructure, risk, and technology. The report is organized into the following three parts: (1) design guide; (2) STV Phase 1 Concepts and Requirements Study Summary; and (3) STV Phase 2 Concepts and Requirements Study Summary. The overall objectives of the STV study were to: (1) define preferred STV concepts capable of accommodating future exploration missions in a cost-effective manner; (2) determine the level of technology development required to perform these missions in the most cost effective manner; and (3) develop a decision database of programmatic approaches for the development of an STV concept.

CADASTER QSPR Models for Predictions of Melting and Boiling Points of Perfluorinated Chemicals.

PubMed

Bhhatarai, Barun; Teetz, Wolfram; Liu, Tao; Öberg, Tomas; Jeliazkova, Nina; Kochev, Nikolay; Pukalov, Ognyan; Tetko, Igor V; Kovarich, Simona; Papa, Ester; Gramatica, Paola

2011-03-14

Quantitative structure property relationship (QSPR) studies on per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) on melting point (MP) and boiling point (BP) are presented. The training and prediction chemicals used for developing and validating the models were selected from Syracuse PhysProp database and literatures. The available experimental data sets were split in two different ways: a) random selection on response value, and b) structural similarity verified by self-organizing-map (SOM), in order to propose reliable predictive models, developed only on the training sets and externally verified on the prediction sets. Individual linear and non-linear approaches based models developed by different CADASTER partners on 0D-2D Dragon descriptors, E-state descriptors and fragment based descriptors as well as consensus model and their predictions are presented. In addition, the predictive performance of the developed models was verified on a blind external validation set (EV-set) prepared using PERFORCE database on 15 MP and 25 BP data respectively. This database contains only long chain perfluoro-alkylated chemicals, particularly monitored by regulatory agencies like US-EPA and EU-REACH. QSPR models with internal and external validation on two different external prediction/validation sets and study of applicability-domain highlighting the robustness and high accuracy of the models are discussed. Finally, MPs for additional 303 PFCs and BPs for 271 PFCs were predicted for which experimental measurements are unknown. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Does design matter? Systematic evaluation of the impact of analytical choices on effect estimates in observational studies

PubMed Central

Ryan, Patrick B.; Schuemie, Martijn

2013-01-01

Background: Clinical studies that use observational databases, such as administrative claims and electronic health records, to evaluate the effects of medical products have become commonplace. These studies begin by selecting a particular study design, such as a case control, cohort, or self-controlled design, and different authors can and do choose different designs for the same clinical question. Furthermore, published papers invariably report the study design but do not discuss the rationale for the specific choice. Studies of the same clinical question with different designs, however, can generate different results, sometimes with strikingly different implications. Even within a specific study design, authors make many different analytic choices and these too can profoundly impact results. In this paper, we systematically study heterogeneity due to the type of study design and due to analytic choices within study design. Methods and findings: We conducted our analysis in 10 observational healthcare databases but mostly present our results in the context of the GE Centricity EMR database, an electronic health record database containing data for 11.2 million lives. We considered the impact of three different study design choices on estimates of associations between bisphosphonates and four particular health outcomes for which there is no evidence of an association. We show that applying alternative study designs can yield discrepant results, in terms of direction and significance of association. We also highlight that while traditional univariate sensitivity analysis may not show substantial variation, systematic assessment of all analytical choices within a study design can yield inconsistent results ranging from statistically significant decreased risk to statistically significant increased risk. Our findings show that clinical studies using observational databases can be sensitive both to study design choices and to specific analytic choices within study design. Conclusion: More attention is needed to consider how design choices may be impacting results and, when possible, investigators should examine a wide array of possible choices to confirm that significant findings are consistently identified. PMID:25083251

Alaska digital aeromagnetic database description

USGS Publications Warehouse

Connard, G.G.; Saltus, R.W.; Hill, P.L.; Carlson, L.; Milicevic, B.

1999-01-01

Northwest Geophysical Associates, Inc. (NGA) was contracted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to construct a database containing original aeromagnotic data (in digital form) from surveys, maps and grids for the State of Alaska from existing public-domain magnetic data. This database facilitates thedetailed study and interpretation of aeromagnetic data along flightline profiles and allows construction of custom grids for selected regions of Alaska. The database is linked to and reflect? the work from the statewide gridded compilation completed under a prior contract. The statewide gridded compilation is also described in Saltus and Simmons (1997) and in Saltus and others (1999). The database area generally covers the on-shore portion of the State of Alaska and the northern Gulf of Alaska excluding the Aleutian Islands. The area extends from 54'N to 72'N latitude and 129'W to 169'W longitude. The database includes the 85 surveys that were included in the previous statewide gridded compilation. Figure (1) shows the extents of the 85 individual data sets included in the statewide grids. NGA subcontracted a significant portion of the work described in this report to Paterson, Grant, and Watson Limited (PGW). Prior work by PGW (described in Meyer and Saltus, 1995 and Meyer and others, 1998) for the interior portion of Alrska (INTAK) is included in this present study. The previous PGW project compiled 25 of the 85 surveys included in the statewide grids. PGW also contributed 10 additional data sets that were not included in either of the prior contracts or the statewide grids. These additional data sets are included in the current project in the interest of making the database as complete as possible. Figure (2) shows the location of the additional data sets.

Instrumental variables analysis using multiple databases: an example of antidepressant use and risk of hip fracture.

PubMed

Uddin, Md Jamal; Groenwold, Rolf H H; de Boer, Anthonius; Gardarsdottir, Helga; Martin, Elisa; Candore, Gianmario; Belitser, Svetlana V; Hoes, Arno W; Roes, Kit C B; Klungel, Olaf H

2016-03-01

Instrumental variable (IV) analysis can control for unmeasured confounding, yet it has not been widely used in pharmacoepidemiology. We aimed to assess the performance of IV analysis using different IVs in multiple databases in a study of antidepressant use and hip fracture. Information on adults with at least one prescription of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) during 2001-2009 was extracted from the THIN (UK), BIFAP (Spain), and Mondriaan (Netherlands) databases. IVs were created using the proportion of SSRI prescriptions per practice or using the one, five, or ten previous prescriptions by a physician. Data were analysed using conventional Cox regression and two-stage IV models. In the conventional analysis, SSRI (vs. TCA) was associated with an increased risk of hip fracture, which was consistently found across databases: the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) was approximately 1.35 for time-fixed and 1.50 to 2.49 for time-varying SSRI use, while the IV analysis based on the IVs that appeared to satisfy the IV assumptions showed conflicting results, e.g. the adjusted HRs ranged from 0.55 to 2.75 for time-fixed exposure. IVs for time-varying exposure violated at least one IV assumption and were therefore invalid. This multiple database study shows that the performance of IV analysis varied across the databases for time-fixed and time-varying exposures and strongly depends on the definition of IVs. It remains challenging to obtain valid IVs in pharmacoepidemiological studies, particularly for time-varying exposure, and IV analysis should therefore be interpreted cautiously. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Analysis and comparison of NoSQL databases with an introduction to consistent references in big data storage systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dziedzic, Adam; Mulawka, Jan

2014-11-01

NoSQL is a new approach to data storage and manipulation. The aim of this paper is to gain more insight into NoSQL databases, as we are still in the early stages of understanding when to use them and how to use them in an appropriate way. In this submission descriptions of selected NoSQL databases are presented. Each of the databases is analysed with primary focus on its data model, data access, architecture and practical usage in real applications. Furthemore, the NoSQL databases are compared in fields of data references. The relational databases offer foreign keys, whereas NoSQL databases provide us with limited references. An intermediate model between graph theory and relational algebra which can address the problem should be created. Finally, the proposal of a new approach to the problem of inconsistent references in Big Data storage systems is introduced.

ANTI-VIRAL EFFECTS OF MEDICINAL PLANTS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF DENGUE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

PubMed Central

Frederico, Éric Heleno Freira Ferreira; Cardoso, André Luiz Bandeira Dionísio; Moreira-Marconi, Eloá; de Sá-Caputo, Danúbia da Cunha; Guimarães, Carlos Alberto Sampaio; Dionello, Carla da Fontoura; Morel, Danielle Soares; Paineiras-Domingos, Laisa Liane; de Souza, Patricia Lopes; Brandão-Sobrinho-Neto, Samuel; Carvalho-Lima, Rafaelle Pacheco; Guedes-Aguiar, Eliane de Oliveira; Costa-Cavalcanti, Rebeca Graça; Kutter, Cristiane Ribeiro; Bernardo-Filho, Mario

2017-01-01

Background: Dengue is considered as an important arboviral disease. Safe, low-cost, and effective drugs that possess inhibitory activity against dengue virus (DENV) are mostly needed to try to combat the dengue infection worldwide. Medicinal plants have been considered as an important alternative to manage several diseases, such as dengue. As authors have demonstrated the antiviral effect of medicinal plants against DENV, the aim of this study was to review systematically the published research concerning the use of medicinal plants in the management of dengue using the PubMed database. Materials and Methods: Search and selection of publications were made using the PubMed database following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA statement). Results: Six publications met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final selection after thorough analysis. Conclusion: It is suggested that medicinal plants’ products could be used as potential anti-DENV agents. PMID:28740942

HEDD: Human Enhancer Disease Database

PubMed Central

Wang, Zhen; Zhang, Quanwei; Zhang, Wen; Lin, Jhih-Rong; Cai, Ying; Mitra, Joydeep

2018-01-01

Abstract Enhancers, as specialized genomic cis-regulatory elements, activate transcription of their target genes and play an important role in pathogenesis of many human complex diseases. Despite recent systematic identification of them in the human genome, currently there is an urgent need for comprehensive annotation databases of human enhancers with a focus on their disease connections. In response, we built the Human Enhancer Disease Database (HEDD) to facilitate studies of enhancers and their potential roles in human complex diseases. HEDD currently provides comprehensive genomic information for ∼2.8 million human enhancers identified by ENCODE, FANTOM5 and RoadMap with disease association scores based on enhancer–gene and gene–disease connections. It also provides Web-based analytical tools to visualize enhancer networks and score enhancers given a set of selected genes in a specific gene network. HEDD is freely accessible at http://zdzlab.einstein.yu.edu/1/hedd.php. PMID:29077884

Computer-Aided Clinical Trial Recruitment Based on Domain-Specific Language Translation: A Case Study of Retinopathy of Prematurity

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Reusing the data from healthcare information systems can effectively facilitate clinical trials (CTs). How to select candidate patients eligible for CT recruitment criteria is a central task. Related work either depends on DBA (database administrator) to convert the recruitment criteria to native SQL queries or involves the data mapping between a standard ontology/information model and individual data source schema. This paper proposes an alternative computer-aided CT recruitment paradigm, based on syntax translation between different DSLs (domain-specific languages). In this paradigm, the CT recruitment criteria are first formally represented as production rules. The referenced rule variables are all from the underlying database schema. Then the production rule is translated to an intermediate query-oriented DSL (e.g., LINQ). Finally, the intermediate DSL is directly mapped to native database queries (e.g., SQL) automated by ORM (object-relational mapping). PMID:29065644

Computer-Aided Clinical Trial Recruitment Based on Domain-Specific Language Translation: A Case Study of Retinopathy of Prematurity.

PubMed

Zhang, Yinsheng; Zhang, Guoming; Shang, Qian

2017-01-01

Reusing the data from healthcare information systems can effectively facilitate clinical trials (CTs). How to select candidate patients eligible for CT recruitment criteria is a central task. Related work either depends on DBA (database administrator) to convert the recruitment criteria to native SQL queries or involves the data mapping between a standard ontology/information model and individual data source schema. This paper proposes an alternative computer-aided CT recruitment paradigm, based on syntax translation between different DSLs (domain-specific languages). In this paradigm, the CT recruitment criteria are first formally represented as production rules. The referenced rule variables are all from the underlying database schema. Then the production rule is translated to an intermediate query-oriented DSL (e.g., LINQ). Finally, the intermediate DSL is directly mapped to native database queries (e.g., SQL) automated by ORM (object-relational mapping).

Design and Development of a Technology Platform for DNA-Encoded Library Production and Affinity Selection.

PubMed

Castañón, Jesús; Román, José Pablo; Jessop, Theodore C; de Blas, Jesús; Haro, Rubén

2018-06-01

DNA-encoded libraries (DELs) have emerged as an efficient and cost-effective drug discovery tool for the exploration and screening of very large chemical space using small-molecule collections of unprecedented size. Herein, we report an integrated automation and informatics system designed to enhance the quality, efficiency, and throughput of the production and affinity selection of these libraries. The platform is governed by software developed according to a database-centric architecture to ensure data consistency, integrity, and availability. Through its versatile protocol management functionalities, this application captures the wide diversity of experimental processes involved with DEL technology, keeps track of working protocols in the database, and uses them to command robotic liquid handlers for the synthesis of libraries. This approach provides full traceability of building-blocks and DNA tags in each split-and-pool cycle. Affinity selection experiments and high-throughput sequencing reads are also captured in the database, and the results are automatically deconvoluted and visualized in customizable representations. Researchers can compare results of different experiments and use machine learning methods to discover patterns in data. As of this writing, the platform has been validated through the generation and affinity selection of various libraries, and it has become the cornerstone of the DEL production effort at Lilly.

"Hyperstat": an educational and working tool in epidemiology.

PubMed

Nicolosi, A

1995-01-01

The work of a researcher in epidemiology is based on studying literature, planning studies, gathering data, analyzing data and writing results. Therefore he has need for performing, more or less, simple calculations, the need for consulting or quoting literature, the need for consulting textbooks about certain issues or procedures, and the need for looking at a specific formula. There are no programs conceived as a workstation to assist the different aspects of researcher work in an integrated fashion. A hypertextual system was developed which supports different stages of the epidemiologist's work. It combines database management, statistical analysis or planning, and literature searches. The software was developed on Apple Macintosh by using Hypercard 2.1 as a database and HyperTalk as a programming language. The program is structured in 7 "stacks" or files: Procedures; Statistical Tables; Graphs; References; Text; Formulas; Help. Each stack has its own management system with an automated Table of Contents. Stacks contain "cards" which make up the databases and carry executable programs. The programs are of four kinds: association; statistical procedure; formatting (input/output); database management. The system performs general statistical procedures, procedures applicable to epidemiological studies only (follow-up and case-control), and procedures for clinical trials. All commands are given by clicking the mouse on self-explanatory "buttons". In order to perform calculations, the user only needs to enter the data into the appropriate cells and then click on the selected procedure's button. The system has a hypertextual structure. The user can go from a procedure to other cards following the preferred order of succession and according to built-in associations. The user can access different levels of knowledge or information from any stack he is consulting or operating. From every card, the user can go to a selected procedure to perform statistical calculations, to the reference database management system, to the textbook in which all procedures and issues are discussed in detail, to the database of statistical formulas with automated table of contents, to statistical tables with automated table of contents, or to the help module. he program has a very user-friendly interface and leaves the user free to use the same format he would use on paper. The interface does not require special skills. It reflects the Macintosh philosophy of using windows, buttons and mouse. This allows the user to perform complicated calculations without losing the "feel" of data, weight alternatives, and simulations. This program shares many features in common with hypertexts. It has an underlying network database where the nodes consist of text, graphics, executable procedures, and combinations of these; the nodes in the database correspond to windows on the screen; the links between the nodes in the database are visible as "active" text or icons in the windows; the text is read by following links and opening new windows. The program is especially useful as an educational tool, directed to medical and epidemiology students. The combination of computing capabilities with a textbook and databases of formulas and literature references, makes the program versatile and attractive as a learning tool. The program is also helpful in the work done at the desk, where the researcher examines results, consults literature, explores different analytic approaches, plans new studies, or writes grant proposals or scientific articles.

Systematic narrative review of decision frameworks to select the appropriate modelling approaches for health economic evaluations.

PubMed

Tsoi, B; O'Reilly, D; Jegathisawaran, J; Tarride, J-E; Blackhouse, G; Goeree, R

2015-06-17

In constructing or appraising a health economic model, an early consideration is whether the modelling approach selected is appropriate for the given decision problem. Frameworks and taxonomies that distinguish between modelling approaches can help make this decision more systematic and this study aims to identify and compare the decision frameworks proposed to date on this topic area. A systematic review was conducted to identify frameworks from peer-reviewed and grey literature sources. The following databases were searched: OVID Medline and EMBASE; Wiley's Cochrane Library and Health Economic Evaluation Database; PubMed; and ProQuest. Eight decision frameworks were identified, each focused on a different set of modelling approaches and employing a different collection of selection criterion. The selection criteria can be categorized as either: (i) structural features (i.e. technical elements that are factual in nature) or (ii) practical considerations (i.e. context-dependent attributes). The most commonly mentioned structural features were population resolution (i.e. aggregate vs. individual) and interactivity (i.e. static vs. dynamic). Furthermore, understanding the needs of the end-users and stakeholders was frequently incorporated as a criterion within these frameworks. There is presently no universally-accepted framework for selecting an economic modelling approach. Rather, each highlights different criteria that may be of importance when determining whether a modelling approach is appropriate. Further discussion is thus necessary as the modelling approach selected will impact the validity of the underlying economic model and have downstream implications on its efficiency, transparency and relevance to decision-makers.

Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility Model-Based Programmes in Physical Education: A Systematic Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pozo, Pablo; Grao-Cruces, Alberto; Pérez-Ordás, Raquel

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to conduct a review of research on the Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility model-based programme within physical education. Papers selected for analysis were found through searches of Web of Science, SportDiscus (EBSCO), SCOPUS, and ERIC (ProQuest) databases. The keywords "responsibility model" and…

The Relationship between Sugar-Containing Methadone and Dental Caries: A Systematic Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tripathee, Sheela; Akbar, Tahira; Richards, Derek; Themessl-Huber, Markus; Freeman, Ruth

2013-01-01

Objectives: To review the evidence of a relationship between sugar-containing methadone and dental caries. Data sources: A systematic search of Cochrane Library, PubMed, PsychINFO, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Current Controlled Trials, WHO, OHRN, SIGLE and ERIC databases was conducted from January 1978 up to June 2010. Study selection: Articles were assessed…

Changes in fire weather distributions: effects on predicted fire behavior

Treesearch

Lucy A. Salazar; Larry S. Bradshaw

1984-01-01

Data that represent average worst fire weather for a particular area are used to index daily fire danger; however, they do not account for different locations or diurnal weather changes that significantly affect fire behavior potential. To study the effects that selected changes in weather databases have on computed fire behavior parameters, weather data for the...

Developmental Growth in Students' Concept of Energy: Analysis of Selected Items from the TIMSS Database

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Xiufeng; McKeough, Anne

2005-01-01

The aim of this study was to develop a model of students' energy concept development. Applying Case's (1985, 1992) structural theory of cognitive development, we hypothesized that students' concept of energy undergoes a series of transitions, corresponding to systematic increases in working memory capacity. The US national sample from the Third…

Quasi-experimental study designs series-paper 8: identifying quasi-experimental studies to inform systematic reviews.

PubMed

Glanville, Julie; Eyers, John; Jones, Andrew M; Shemilt, Ian; Wang, Grace; Johansen, Marit; Fiander, Michelle; Rothstein, Hannah

2017-09-01

This article reviews the available evidence and guidance on methods to identify reports of quasi-experimental (QE) studies to inform systematic reviews of health care, public health, international development, education, crime and justice, and social welfare. Research, guidance, and examples of search strategies were identified by searching a range of databases, key guidance documents, selected reviews, conference proceedings, and personal communication. Current practice and research evidence were summarized. Four thousand nine hundred twenty-four records were retrieved by database searches, and additional documents were obtained by other searches. QE studies are challenging to identify efficiently because they have no standardized nomenclature and may be indexed in various ways. Reliable search filters are not available. There is a lack of specific resources devoted to collecting QE studies and little evidence on where best to search. Searches to identify QE studies should search a range of resources and, until indexing improves, use strategies that focus on the topic rather than the study design. Better definitions, better indexing in databases, prospective registers, and reporting guidance are required to improve the retrieval of QE studies and promote systematic reviews of what works based on the evidence from such studies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analysis and prediction of presynaptic and postsynaptic neurotoxins by Chou's general pseudo amino acid composition and motif features.

PubMed

Mei, Juan; Zhao, Ji

2018-06-14

Presynaptic neurotoxins and postsynaptic neurotoxins are two important neurotoxins isolated from venoms of venomous animals and have been proven to be potential effective in neurosciences and pharmacology. With the number of toxin sequences appeared in the public databases, there was a need for developing a computational method for fast and accurate identification and classification of the novel presynaptic neurotoxins and postsynaptic neurotoxins in the large databases. In this study, the Multinomial Naive Bayes Classifier (MNBC) had been developed to discriminate the presynaptic neurotoxins and postsynaptic neurotoxins based on the different kinds of features. The Minimum Redundancy Maximum Relevance (MRMR) feature selection method was used for ranking 400 pseudo amino acid (PseAA) compositions and 50 top ranked PseAA compositions were selected for improving the prediction results. The motif features, 400 PseAA compositions and 50 PseAA compositions were combined together, and selected as the input parameters of MNBC. The best correlation coefficient (CC) value of 0.8213 was obtained when the prediction quality was evaluated by the jackknife test. It was anticipated that the algorithm presented in this study may become a useful tool for identification of presynaptic neurotoxin and postsynaptic neurotoxin sequences and may provide some useful help for in-depth investigation into the biological mechanism of presynaptic neurotoxins and postsynaptic neurotoxins. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Compilation of historical water-quality data for selected springs in Texas, by ecoregion

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heitmuller, Franklin T.; Williams, Iona P.

2006-01-01

Springs are important hydrologic features in Texas. A database of about 2,000 historically documented springs and available spring-flow measurements previously has been compiled and published, but water-quality data remain scattered in published sources. This report by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, documents the compilation of data for 232 springs in Texas on the basis of a set of criteria and the development of a water-quality database for the selected springs. The selection of springs for compilation of historical water-quality data in Texas was made using existing digital and hard-copy data, responses to mailed surveys, selection criteria established by various stakeholders, geographic information systems, and digital database queries. Most springs were selected by computing the highest mean spring flows for each Texas level III ecoregion. A brief assessment of the water-quality data for springs in Texas shows that few data are available in the Arizona/New Mexico Mountains, High Plains, East Central Texas Plains, Western Gulf Coastal Plain, and South Central Plains ecoregions. Water-quality data are more abundant for the Chihuahuan Deserts, Edwards Plateau, and Texas Blackland Prairies ecoregions. Selected constituent concentrations in Texas springs, including silica, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, strontium, sulfate, chloride, fluoride, nitrate (nitrogen), dissolved solids, and hardness (as calcium carbonate) are comparatively high in the Chihuahuan Deserts, Southwestern Tablelands, Central Great Plains, and Cross Timbers ecoregions, mostly as a result of subsurface geology. Comparatively low concentrations of selected constituents in Texas springs are associated with the Arizona/New Mexico Mountains, Southern Texas Plains, East Central Texas Plains, and South Central Plains ecoregions.

Literature searching for clinical and cost-effectiveness studies used in health technology assessment reports carried out for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence appraisal system.

PubMed

Royle, P; Waugh, N

2003-01-01

To contribute to making searching for Technology Assessment Reports (TARs) more cost-effective by suggesting an optimum literature retrieval strategy. A sample of 20 recent TARs. All sources used to search for clinical and cost-effectiveness studies were recorded. In addition, all studies that were included in the clinical and cost-effectiveness sections of the TARs were identified, and their characteristics recorded, including author, journal, year, study design, study size and quality score. Each was also classified by publication type, and then checked to see whether it was indexed in the following databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and then either the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (CCTR) for clinical effectiveness studies or the NHS Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED) for the cost-effectiveness studies. Any study not found in at least one of these databases was checked to see whether it was indexed in the Science Citation Index (SCI) and BIOSIS, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Online if a cancer review. Any studies still not found were checked to see whether they were in a number of additional databases. The median number of sources searched per TAR was 20, and the range was from 13 to 33 sources. Six sources (CCTR, DARE, EMBASE, MEDLINE, NHS EED and sponsor/industry submissions to National Institute for Clinical Excellence) were used in all reviews. After searching the MEDLINE, EMBASE and NHS EED databases, 87.3% of the clinical effectiveness studies and 94.8% of the cost-effectiveness studies were found, rising to 98.2% when SCI, BIOSIS and ASCO Online and 97.9% when SCI and ASCO Online, respectively, were added. The median number of sources searched for the 14 TARs that included an economic model was 9.0 per TAR. A sensitive search filter for identifying non-randomised controlled trials (RCT), constructed for MEDLINE and using the search terms from the bibliographic records in the included studies, retrieved only 85% of the known sample. Therefore, it is recommended that when searching for non-RCT studies a search is done for the intervention alone, and records are then scanned manually for those that look relevant. Searching additional databases beyond the Cochrane Library (which includes CCTR, NHS EED and the HTA database), MEDLINE, EMBASE and SCI, plus BIOSIS limited to meeting abstracts only, was seldom found to be effective in retrieving additional studies for inclusion in the clinical and cost-effectiveness sections of TARs (apart from reviews of cancer therapies, where a search of the ASCO database is recommended). A more selective approach to database searching would suffice in most cases and would save resources, thereby making the TAR process more efficient. However, searching non-database sources (including submissions from manufacturers, recent meeting abstracts, contact with experts and checking reference lists) does appear to be a productive way of identifying further studies.

Framework for Optimizing Selection of Interspecies Correlation Estimation Models to Address Species Diversity and Toxicity Gaps in an Aquatic Database

EPA Science Inventory

The Chemical Aquatic Fate and Effects (CAFE) database is a tool that facilitates assessments of accidental chemical releases into aquatic environments. CAFE contains aquatic toxicity data used in the development of species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) and the estimation of ha...

Selection and Management of DNA Markers for Use in Genomic Evaluation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A database was constructed to store genotypes for 50,972 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) from the Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip for over 30,000 animals. The database allows storage of multiple samples per animal and stores all SNP genotypes for a sample in a single row. An indicator specifies ...

Selecting a Relational Database Management System for Library Automation Systems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shekhel, Alex; O'Brien, Mike

1989-01-01

Describes the evaluation of four relational database management systems (RDBMSs) (Informix Turbo, Oracle 6.0 TPS, Unify 2000 and Relational Technology's Ingres 5.0) to determine which is best suited for library automation. The evaluation criteria used to develop a benchmark specifically designed to test RDBMSs for libraries are discussed. (CLB)

Developing Social Skills: Issues for Adolescents with Chronic Illnesses and Disabilities. CYDLINE Reviews.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis. National Center for Youth with Disabilities.

This collection of annotated bibliographies focuses on the social skills of adolescents, and is drawn from a national database of current programs and literature regarding adolescents with chronic illnesses and other disabilities. Bibliographic materials listed include documents and articles selected from the database of the National Center for…

Acupuncture for neurogenesis in experimental ischemic stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Lu, Lin; Zhang, Xiao-guang; Zhong, Linda L D; Chen, Zi-xian; Li, Yan; Zheng, Guo-qing; Bian, Zhao-xiang

2016-01-20

Acupuncture has been used for patients with stroke and post-stroke rehabilitation for thousands of years. Previous studies reported that acupuncture enhanced stroke recovery through neurogenesis. Hence, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis for preclinical studies to assess the current evidence for acupuncture effect on neurogenesis in treating ischaemic stroke. Studies were obtained from six databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP information database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Ultimately, 34 studies containing 1617 animals were identified. Neurogenesis markers of Brdu, Nestin, PSA-NCAM, NeuN and GFAP were selected as major outcomes. The pooled results of 15 studies marked with Brdu showed significant effects of acupuncture for improving proliferation when compared with control groups (P < 0.01); 13 studies marked with Nestin showed significant effects of acupuncture for increasing proliferation when compared with control groups (P < 0.01); 4 studies marked with PSA-NCAM showed significant effects of acupuncture for enhancing migration when compared with control groups (P < 0.01); 4 studies marked with NeuN showed significant effects of acupuncture for stimulating differentiation when compared with control groups (P < 0.01). The findings suggest that acupuncture is a prospective therapy targeting neurogenesis for ischemic stroke.

Quantitative EEG findings associated with chronic stimulant and cannabis abuse and ADHD in an adult male substance use disorder population.

PubMed

Trudeau, D L; Thuras, P; Stockley, H

1999-10-01

QEEG was studied in a population of chronic male PSUD/ADHD (psychoactive substance use disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) subjects vs. a matched sample of non-ADHD subjects with PSUD. Our first interest in conducting this study was to determine if the Thatcher University of Maryland database and complex demodulation method could replicate the specific QEEG findings reported for cocaine and cannabis using the John-NYU database and Fourier Transform method. The effects of cannabis and stimulants were also studied both separately and together to see if there were interactions and to see if the QEEG changes associated with chronic stimulant dependence were predicted by childhood ADHD status. Eyes-closed QEEGs were obtained and two independent artifacted 60 second samples were compared for reliability. The Thatcher database was used to analyze QEEG data from 56 subjects with mixed substance use disorder. Results showed that the Thatcher database replicates the John database for chronic stimulant dependence findings. Because of confounding variables of alcohol and polysubstance abuse, the findings related to cannabis and stimulant interaction were difficult to assess. Cannabis and stimulant dependence together produced more QEEG changes than either alone. More right temporal abnormalities were observed with stimulant dependence. In the absence of stimulant use, the QEEG effects of cannabis were relatively small; however, sample selection and methods used precluded comparison to previous studies. The persistent QEEG abnormalities associated with chronic stimulant dependence were independent of ADHD status in this sample using the methods of this study. Further research is needed to clarify the relationship of stimulant dependence with QEEG changes and ADHD status, and to clarify the interactions of chronic stimulant and cannabis abuse on QEEG.

Predicting Schedule Duration for Defense Acquisition Programs: Program Initiation to Initial Operational Capability

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-24

Corporation found that increases in schedule effort tend to be the reason for increases in the cost of acquiring a new weapons system due to, at a minimum...in-depth finance and schedule data for selected programs (Brown et al., 2015). We also give extra focus on Research Development Test & Evaluation...we create and employ an entirely new database. The database we utilize for our research is a database originally built by the RAND Corporation for

Application of furniture images selection based on neural network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yong; Gao, Wenwen; Wang, Ying

2018-05-01

In the construction of 2 million furniture image databases, aiming at the problem of low quality of database, a combination of CNN and Metric learning algorithm is proposed, which makes it possible to quickly and accurately remove duplicate and irrelevant samples in the furniture image database. Solve problems that images screening method is complex, the accuracy is not high, time-consuming is long. Deep learning algorithm achieve excellent image matching ability in actual furniture retrieval applications after improving data quality.

Selection and implementation of a distributed phased archive for a multivendor incremental approach to PACS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Edward M.; Wandtke, John; Robinson, Arvin E.

1999-07-01

The selection criteria for the archive were based on the objectives of the Medical Information, Communication and Archive System (MICAS), a multi-vendor incremental approach to PACS. These objectives include interoperability between all components, seamless integration of the Radiology Information System (RIS) with MICAS and eventually other hospital databases, all components must demonstrate DICOM compliance prior to acceptance and automated workflow that can be programmed to meet changes in the healthcare environment. The long-term multi-modality archive is being implemented in 3 or more phases with the first phase designed to provide a 12 to 18 month storage solution. This decision was made because the cost per GB of storage is rapidly decreasing and the speed at which data can be retrieved is increasing with time. The open-solution selected allows incorporation of leading edge, 'best of breed' hardware and software and provides maximum jukeboxes, provides maximum flexibility of workflow both within and outside of radiology. The selected solution is media independent, supports multiple jukeboxes, provides expandable storage capacity and will provide redundancy and fault tolerance at minimal cost. Some of the required attributes of the archive include scalable archive strategy, virtual image database with global query and object-oriented database. The selection process took approximately 10 months with Cemax-Icon being the vendor selected. Prior to signing a purchase order, Cemax-Icon performed a site survey, agreed upon the acceptance test protocol and provided a written guarantee of connectivity between their archive and the imaging modalities and other MICAS components.

The Cambridge Structural Database

PubMed Central

Groom, Colin R.; Bruno, Ian J.; Lightfoot, Matthew P.; Ward, Suzanna C.

2016-01-01

The Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) contains a complete record of all published organic and metal–organic small-molecule crystal structures. The database has been in operation for over 50 years and continues to be the primary means of sharing structural chemistry data and knowledge across disciplines. As well as structures that are made public to support scientific articles, it includes many structures published directly as CSD Communications. All structures are processed both computationally and by expert structural chemistry editors prior to entering the database. A key component of this processing is the reliable association of the chemical identity of the structure studied with the experimental data. This important step helps ensure that data is widely discoverable and readily reusable. Content is further enriched through selective inclusion of additional experimental data. Entries are available to anyone through free CSD community web services. Linking services developed and maintained by the CCDC, combined with the use of standard identifiers, facilitate discovery from other resources. Data can also be accessed through CCDC and third party software applications and through an application programming interface. PMID:27048719

The Cambridge Structural Database.

PubMed

Groom, Colin R; Bruno, Ian J; Lightfoot, Matthew P; Ward, Suzanna C

2016-04-01

The Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) contains a complete record of all published organic and metal-organic small-molecule crystal structures. The database has been in operation for over 50 years and continues to be the primary means of sharing structural chemistry data and knowledge across disciplines. As well as structures that are made public to support scientific articles, it includes many structures published directly as CSD Communications. All structures are processed both computationally and by expert structural chemistry editors prior to entering the database. A key component of this processing is the reliable association of the chemical identity of the structure studied with the experimental data. This important step helps ensure that data is widely discoverable and readily reusable. Content is further enriched through selective inclusion of additional experimental data. Entries are available to anyone through free CSD community web services. Linking services developed and maintained by the CCDC, combined with the use of standard identifiers, facilitate discovery from other resources. Data can also be accessed through CCDC and third party software applications and through an application programming interface.

NSWC Crane Aerospace Cell Test History Database

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Harry; Moore, Bruce

1994-01-01

The Aerospace Cell Test History Database was developed to provide project engineers and scientists ready access to the data obtained from testing of aerospace cell designs at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division. The database is intended for use by all aerospace engineers and scientists involved in the design of power systems for satellites. Specifically, the database will provide a tool for project engineers to review the progress of their test at Crane and to have ready access to data for evaluation. Additionally, the database will provide a history of test results that designers can draw upon to answer questions about cell performance under certain test conditions and aid in selection of a cell for a satellite battery. Viewgraphs are included.

Rapid identification of anonymous subjects in large criminal databases: problems and solutions in IAFIS III/FBI subject searches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kutzleb, C. D.

1997-02-01

The high incidence of recidivism (repeat offenders) in the criminal population makes the use of the IAFIS III/FBI criminal database an important tool in law enforcement. The problems and solutions employed by IAFIS III/FBI criminal subject searches are discussed for the following topics: (1) subject search selectivity and reliability; (2) the difficulty and limitations of identifying subjects whose anonymity may be a prime objective; (3) database size, search workload, and search response time; (4) techniques and advantages of normalizing the variability in an individual's name and identifying features into identifiable and discrete categories; and (5) the use of database demographics to estimate the likelihood of a match between a search subject and database subjects.

PDB_TM: selection and membrane localization of transmembrane proteins in the protein data bank.

PubMed

Tusnády, Gábor E; Dosztányi, Zsuzsanna; Simon, István

2005-01-01

PDB_TM is a database for transmembrane proteins with known structures. It aims to collect all transmembrane proteins that are deposited in the protein structure database (PDB) and to determine their membrane-spanning regions. These assignments are based on the TMDET algorithm, which uses only structural information to locate the most likely position of the lipid bilayer and to distinguish between transmembrane and globular proteins. This algorithm was applied to all PDB entries and the results were collected in the PDB_TM database. By using TMDET algorithm, the PDB_TM database can be automatically updated every week, keeping it synchronized with the latest PDB updates. The PDB_TM database is available at http://www.enzim.hu/PDB_TM.

A genotypic and phenotypic information source for marker-assisted selection of cereals: the CEREALAB database

PubMed Central

Milc, Justyna; Sala, Antonio; Bergamaschi, Sonia; Pecchioni, Nicola

2011-01-01

The CEREALAB database aims to store genotypic and phenotypic data obtained by the CEREALAB project and to integrate them with already existing data sources in order to create a tool for plant breeders and geneticists. The database can help them in unravelling the genetics of economically important phenotypic traits; in identifying and choosing molecular markers associated to key traits; and in choosing the desired parentals for breeding programs. The database is divided into three sub-schemas corresponding to the species of interest: wheat, barley and rice; each sub-schema is then divided into two sub-ontologies, regarding genotypic and phenotypic data, respectively. Database URL: http://www.cerealab.unimore.it/jws/cerealab.jnlp PMID:21247929

Measuring use patterns of online journals and databases

PubMed Central

De Groote, Sandra L.; Dorsch, Josephine L.

2003-01-01

Purpose: This research sought to determine use of online biomedical journals and databases and to assess current user characteristics associated with the use of online resources in an academic health sciences center. Setting: The Library of the Health Sciences–Peoria is a regional site of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Library with 350 print journals, more than 4,000 online journals, and multiple online databases. Methodology: A survey was designed to assess online journal use, print journal use, database use, computer literacy levels, and other library user characteristics. A survey was sent through campus mail to all (471) UIC Peoria faculty, residents, and students. Results: Forty-one percent (188) of the surveys were returned. Ninety-eight percent of the students, faculty, and residents reported having convenient access to a computer connected to the Internet. While 53% of the users indicated they searched MEDLINE at least once a week, other databases showed much lower usage. Overall, 71% of respondents indicated a preference for online over print journals when possible. Conclusions: Users prefer online resources to print, and many choose to access these online resources remotely. Convenience and full-text availability appear to play roles in selecting online resources. The findings of this study suggest that databases without links to full text and online journal collections without links from bibliographic databases will have lower use. These findings have implications for collection development, promotion of library resources, and end-user training. PMID:12883574

Pharmacophore modeling, docking, and principal component analysis based clustering: combined computer-assisted approaches to identify new inhibitors of the human rhinovirus coat protein.

PubMed

Steindl, Theodora M; Crump, Carolyn E; Hayden, Frederick G; Langer, Thierry

2005-10-06

The development and application of a sophisticated virtual screening and selection protocol to identify potential, novel inhibitors of the human rhinovirus coat protein employing various computer-assisted strategies are described. A large commercially available database of compounds was screened using a highly selective, structure-based pharmacophore model generated with the program Catalyst. A docking study and a principal component analysis were carried out within the software package Cerius and served to validate and further refine the obtained results. These combined efforts led to the selection of six candidate structures, for which in vitro anti-rhinoviral activity could be shown in a biological assay.

Selectivity assessment of DB-200 and DB-VRX open-tubular capillary columns.

PubMed

Kiridena, W; Koziola, W W; Poole, C F

2001-10-12

The solvation parameter model is used to study the influence of composition and temperature on the selectivity of two poly(siloxane) stationary phases used for open-tubular capillary column gas chromatography. The poly(methyltrifluoropropyldimethylsiloxane) stationary phase, DB-200, has low cohesion, intermediate dipolarity/polarizability, low hydrogen-bond basicity, no hydrogen-bond acidity, and repulsive electron lone pair interactions. The DB-VRX stationary phase has low cohesion, low dipolarity/polarizability, low hydrogen-bond basicity and no hydrogen-bond acidity and no capacity for electron lone pair interactions. The selectivity of the two stationary phases is complementary to those in a database of 11 stationary phase chemistries determined under the same experimental conditions.

MRNIDX - Marine Data Index: Database Description, Operation, Retrieval, and Display

USGS Publications Warehouse

Paskevich, Valerie F.

1982-01-01

A database referencing the location and content of data stored on magnetic medium was designed to assist in the indexing of time-series and spatially dependent marine geophysical data collected or processed by the U. S. Geological Survey. The database was designed and created for input to the Geologic Retrieval and Synopsis Program (GRASP) to allow selective retrievals of information pertaining to location of data, data format, cruise, geographical bounds and collection dates of data. This information is then used to locate the stored data for administrative purposes or further processing. Database utilization is divided into three distinct operations. The first is the inventorying of the data and the updating of the database, the second is the retrieval of information from the database, and the third is the graphic display of the geographical boundaries to which the retrieved information pertains.

Understanding the Influence of Environment on Adults' Walking Experiences: A Meta-Synthesis Study.

PubMed

Dadpour, Sara; Pakzad, Jahanshah; Khankeh, Hamidreza

2016-07-20

The environment has an important impact on physical activity, especially walking. The relationship between the environment and walking is not the same as for other types of physical activity. This study seeks to comprehensively identify the environmental factors influencing walking and to show how those environmental factors impact on walking using the experiences of adults between the ages of 18 and 65. The current study is a meta-synthesis based on a systematic review. Seven databases of related disciplines were searched, including health, transportation, physical activity, architecture, and interdisciplinary databases. In addition to the databases, two journals were searched. Of the 11,777 papers identified, 10 met the eligibility criteria and quality for selection. Qualitative content analysis was used for analysis of the results. The four themes identified as influencing walking were "safety and security", "environmental aesthetics", "social relations", and "convenience and efficiency". "Convenience and efficiency" and "environmental aesthetics" could enhance the impact of "social relations" on walking in some aspects. In addition, "environmental aesthetics" and "social relations" could hinder the influence of "convenience and efficiency" on walking in some aspects. Given the results of the study, strategies are proposed to enhance the walking experience.

An assessment of the efficacy of searching in biomedical databases beyond MEDLINE in identifying studies for a systematic review on ward closures as an infection control intervention to control outbreaks.

PubMed

Kwon, Yoojin; Powelson, Susan E; Wong, Holly; Ghali, William A; Conly, John M

2014-11-11

The purpose of our study is to determine the value and efficacy of searching biomedical databases beyond MEDLINE for systematic reviews. We analyzed the results from a systematic review conducted by the authors and others on ward closure as an infection control practice. Ovid MEDLINE including In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid Embase, CINAHL Plus, LILACS, and IndMED were systematically searched for articles of any study type discussing ward closure, as were bibliographies of selected articles and recent infection control conference abstracts. Search results were tracked, recorded, and analyzed using a relative recall method. The sensitivity of searching in each database was calculated. Two thousand ninety-five unique citations were identified and screened for inclusion in the systematic review: 2,060 from database searching and 35 from hand searching and other sources. Ninety-seven citations were included in the final review. MEDLINE and Embase searches each retrieved 80 of the 97 articles included, only 4 articles from each database were unique. The CINAHL search retrieved 35 included articles, and 4 were unique. The IndMED and LILACS searches did not retrieve any included articles, although 75 of the included articles were indexed in LILACS. The true value of using regional databases, particularly LILACS, may lie with the ability to search in the language spoken in the region. Eight articles were found only through hand searching. Identifying studies for a systematic review where the research is observational is complex. The value each individual study contributes to the review cannot be accurately measured. Consequently, we could not determine the value of results found from searching beyond MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL with accuracy. However, hand searching for serendipitous retrieval remains an important aspect due to indexing and keyword challenges inherent in this literature.

Preliminary Study of Bioinformatics Patents and Their Classifications Registered in the KIPRIS Database.

PubMed

Park, Hyun-Seok

2012-12-01

Whereas a vast amount of new information on bioinformatics is made available to the public through patents, only a small set of patents are cited in academic papers. A detailed analysis of registered bioinformatics patents, using the existing patent search system, can provide valuable information links between science and technology. However, it is extremely difficult to select keywords to capture bioinformatics patents, reflecting the convergence of several underlying technologies. No single word or even several words are sufficient to identify such patents. The analysis of patent subclasses can provide valuable information. In this paper, I did a preliminary study of the current status of bioinformatics patents and their International Patent Classification (IPC) groups registered in the Korea Intellectual Property Rights Information Service (KIPRIS) database.

Building a Lego wall: Sequential action selection.

PubMed

Arnold, Amy; Wing, Alan M; Rotshtein, Pia

2017-05-01

The present study draws together two distinct lines of enquiry into the selection and control of sequential action: motor sequence production and action selection in everyday tasks. Participants were asked to build 2 different Lego walls. The walls were designed to have hierarchical structures with shared and dissociated colors and spatial components. Participants built 1 wall at a time, under low and high load cognitive states. Selection times for correctly completed trials were measured using 3-dimensional motion tracking. The paradigm enabled precise measurement of the timing of actions, while using real objects to create an end product. The experiment demonstrated that action selection was slowed at decision boundary points, relative to boundaries where no between-wall decision was required. Decision points also affected selection time prior to the actual selection window. Dual-task conditions increased selection errors. Errors mostly occurred at boundaries between chunks and especially when these required decisions. The data support hierarchical control of sequenced behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Constructing a Database from Multiple 2D Images for Camera Pose Estimation and Robot Localization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolf, Michael; Ansar, Adnan I.; Brennan, Shane; Clouse, Daniel S.; Padgett, Curtis W.

2012-01-01

The LMDB (Landmark Database) Builder software identifies persistent image features (landmarks) in a scene viewed multiple times and precisely estimates the landmarks 3D world positions. The software receives as input multiple 2D images of approximately the same scene, along with an initial guess of the camera poses for each image, and a table of features matched pair-wise in each frame. LMDB Builder aggregates landmarks across an arbitrarily large collection of frames with matched features. Range data from stereo vision processing can also be passed to improve the initial guess of the 3D point estimates. The LMDB Builder aggregates feature lists across all frames, manages the process to promote selected features to landmarks, and iteratively calculates the 3D landmark positions using the current camera pose estimations (via an optimal ray projection method), and then improves the camera pose estimates using the 3D landmark positions. Finally, it extracts image patches for each landmark from auto-selected key frames and constructs the landmark database. The landmark database can then be used to estimate future camera poses (and therefore localize a robotic vehicle that may be carrying the cameras) by matching current imagery to landmark database image patches and using the known 3D landmark positions to estimate the current pose.

In vitro anti-proliferative activity on colon cancer cell line (HT-29) of Thai medicinal plants selected from Thai/Lanna medicinal plant recipe database "MANOSROI III".

PubMed

Manosroi, Aranya; Akazawa, Hiroyuki; Akihisa, Toshihiro; Jantrawut, Pensak; Kitdamrongtham, Worapong; Manosroi, Worapaka; Manosroi, Jiradej

2015-02-23

Thai/Lanna region has its own folklore wisdoms including the traditional medicinal plant recipes. Thai/Lanna medicinal plant recipe database "MANOSROI III" has been developed by Prof. Dr. Jiradej Manosroi. It consists of over 200,000 recipes for all diseases including cancer. To investigate the anti-proliferative and apoptotic activities on human colon cancer cell line (HT-29) as well as the cancer cell selectivity of the methanolic extracts (MEs) and fractions of the 23 selected plants from the "MANOSROI III" database. The 23 selected plants were extracted with methanol under reflux and evaluated for their anti-proliferative activity by sulforhodamine B assay. The 5 plants (Gloriosa superba, Caesalpinia sappan, Fibraurea tinctoria, Ventilago denticulata and Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) with potent anti-proliferative activity were fractionated by liquid-liquid partition to give 4 fractions including each hexane (HF), methanol-water (MF), n-butanol (BF) and water (WF) fractions. They were tested for anti-proliferative activity and cancer cell selectivity. The ME and fractions of G. superba which showed potent anti-proliferative activity were further examined for morphological changes and apoptotic activities by acridine orange (AO)/ethidium bromide (EB) staining. The ME of G. superba root showed active with the highest anti-proliferative activity at 9.17 and 1.58 folds of cisplatin and doxorubicin, respectively. After liquid-liquid partition, HF of V. denticulata, MFs of F. tinctoria, V. denticulata and BF of P. tetragonolobus showed higher anti-proliferative activities than their MEs. The MF of G. superba indicated the highest anti-proliferative activity at 7.73 and 1.34 folds of cisplatin and doxorubicin, respectively, but only 0.86 fold of its ME. The ME and HF, MF and BF of G. superba and MF of F. tinctoria demonstrated high cancer cell selectivity. At 50 µg/ml, ME, HF, MF and BF of G. superba demonstrated higher apoptotic activities than the two standard drugs. This present study has not only confirmed the traditional use of the Thai/Lanna medicinal plant recipes for cancer treatments, but also the potential of the selected plant, G. superba for the further development as a modern anti-cancer drug. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A traits-based approach for prioritizing species for monitoring and surrogacy selection

DOE PAGES

Pracheil, Brenda M.; McManamay, Ryan A.; Bevelhimer, Mark S.; ...

2016-11-28

The bar for justifying the use of vertebrate animals for study is being increasingly raised, thus requiring increased rigor for species selection and study design. Although we have power analyses to provide quantitative backing for the numbers of organisms used, quantitative backing for selection of study species is not frequently employed. This can be especially important when measuring the impacts of ecosystem alteration, when study species must be chosen that are both sensitive to the alteration and of sufficient abundance for study. Just as important is providing justification for designation of surrogate species for study, especially when the species ofmore » interest is rare or of conservation concern and selection of an appropriate surrogate can have legal implications. In this study, we use a combination of GIS, a fish traits database and multivariate statistical analyses to quantitatively prioritize species for study and to determine potential study surrogate species. We provide two case studies to illustrate our quantitative, traits-based approach for designating study species and surrogate species. In the first case study, we select broadly representative fish species to understand the effects of turbine passage on adult fishes based on traits that suggest sensitivity to turbine passage. In our second case study, we present a framework for selecting a surrogate species for an endangered species. Lastly, we suggest that our traits-based framework can provide quantitative backing and added justification to selection of study species while expanding the inference space of study results.« less

A traits-based approach for prioritizing species for monitoring and surrogacy selection

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

Pracheil, Brenda M.; McManamay, Ryan A.; Bevelhimer, Mark S.

The bar for justifying the use of vertebrate animals for study is being increasingly raised, thus requiring increased rigor for species selection and study design. Although we have power analyses to provide quantitative backing for the numbers of organisms used, quantitative backing for selection of study species is not frequently employed. This can be especially important when measuring the impacts of ecosystem alteration, when study species must be chosen that are both sensitive to the alteration and of sufficient abundance for study. Just as important is providing justification for designation of surrogate species for study, especially when the species ofmore » interest is rare or of conservation concern and selection of an appropriate surrogate can have legal implications. In this study, we use a combination of GIS, a fish traits database and multivariate statistical analyses to quantitatively prioritize species for study and to determine potential study surrogate species. We provide two case studies to illustrate our quantitative, traits-based approach for designating study species and surrogate species. In the first case study, we select broadly representative fish species to understand the effects of turbine passage on adult fishes based on traits that suggest sensitivity to turbine passage. In our second case study, we present a framework for selecting a surrogate species for an endangered species. Lastly, we suggest that our traits-based framework can provide quantitative backing and added justification to selection of study species while expanding the inference space of study results.« less

The Listeria monocytogenes strain 10403S BioCyc database

PubMed Central

Orsi, Renato H.; Bergholz, Teresa M.; Wiedmann, Martin; Boor, Kathryn J.

2015-01-01

Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne pathogen of humans and other animals. The striking ability to survive several stresses usually used for food preservation makes L. monocytogenes one of the biggest concerns to the food industry, while the high mortality of listeriosis in specific groups of humans makes it a great concern for public health. Previous studies have shown that a regulatory network involving alternative sigma (σ) factors and transcription factors is pivotal to stress survival. However, few studies have evaluated at the metabolic networks controlled by these regulatory mechanisms. The L. monocytogenes BioCyc database uses the strain 10403S as a model. Computer-generated initial annotation for all genes also allowed for identification, annotation and display of predicted reactions and pathways carried out by a single cell. Further ongoing manual curation based on published data as well as database mining for selected genes allowed the more refined annotation of functions, which, in turn, allowed for annotation of new pathways and fine-tuning of previously defined pathways to more L. monocytogenes-specific pathways. Using RNA-Seq data, several transcription start sites and promoter regions were mapped to the 10403S genome and annotated within the database. Additionally, the identification of promoter regions and a comprehensive review of available literature allowed the annotation of several regulatory interactions involving σ factors and transcription factors. The L. monocytogenes 10403S BioCyc database is a new resource for researchers studying Listeria and related organisms. It allows users to (i) have a comprehensive view of all reactions and pathways predicted to take place within the cell in the cellular overview, as well as to (ii) upload their own data, such as differential expression data, to visualize the data in the scope of predicted pathways and regulatory networks and to carry on enrichment analyses using several different annotations available within the database. Database URL: http://biocyc.org/organism-summary?object=10403S_RAST PMID:25819074

Bibliometric trend and patent analysis in nano-alloys research for period 2000-2013.

PubMed

Živković, Dragana; Niculović, Milica; Manasijević, Dragan; Minić, Duško; Ćosović, Vladan; Sibinović, Maja

2015-05-04

This paper presents an overview of current situation in nano-alloys investigations based on bibliometric and patent analysis. Bibliometric analysis data, for period from 2000 to September 2013, were obtained using Scopus database as selected index database, whereas analyzed parameters were: number of scientific papers per years, authors, countries, affiliations, subject areas and document types. Analysis of nano-alloys patents was done with specific database, using the International Patent Classification and Patent Scope for the period from 2003 to 2013 year. Information found in this database was the number of patents, patent classification by country, patent applicators, main inventors and pub date.

Bibliometric trend and patent analysis in nano-alloys research for period 2000-2013.

PubMed

Živković, Dragana; Niculović, Milica; Manasijević, Dragan; Minić, Duško; Ćosović, Vladan; Sibinović, Maja

2015-01-01

This paper presents an overview of current situation in nano-alloys investigations based on bibliometric and patent analysis. Bibliometric analysis data, for the period 2000 to 2013, were obtained using Scopus database as selected index database, whereas analyzed parameters were: number of scientific papers per year, authors, countries, affiliations, subject areas and document types. Analysis of nano-alloys patents was done with specific database, using the International Patent Classification and Patent Scope for the period 2003 to 2013. Information found in this database was the number of patents, patent classification by country, patent applicators, main inventors and publication date.

LSE-Sign: A lexical database for Spanish Sign Language.

PubMed

Gutierrez-Sigut, Eva; Costello, Brendan; Baus, Cristina; Carreiras, Manuel

2016-03-01

The LSE-Sign database is a free online tool for selecting Spanish Sign Language stimulus materials to be used in experiments. It contains 2,400 individual signs taken from a recent standardized LSE dictionary, and a further 2,700 related nonsigns. Each entry is coded for a wide range of grammatical, phonological, and articulatory information, including handshape, location, movement, and non-manual elements. The database is accessible via a graphically based search facility which is highly flexible both in terms of the search options available and the way the results are displayed. LSE-Sign is available at the following website: http://www.bcbl.eu/databases/lse/.

PylotDB - A Database Management, Graphing, and Analysis Tool Written in Python

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

Barnette, Daniel W.

2012-01-04

PylotDB, written completely in Python, provides a user interface (UI) with which to interact with, analyze, graph data from, and manage open source databases such as MySQL. The UI mitigates the user having to know in-depth knowledge of the database application programming interface (API). PylotDB allows the user to generate various kinds of plots from user-selected data; generate statistical information on text as well as numerical fields; backup and restore databases; compare database tables across different databases as well as across different servers; extract information from any field to create new fields; generate, edit, and delete databases, tables, and fields;more » generate or read into a table CSV data; and similar operations. Since much of the database information is brought under control of the Python computer language, PylotDB is not intended for huge databases for which MySQL and Oracle, for example, are better suited. PylotDB is better suited for smaller databases that might be typically needed in a small research group situation. PylotDB can also be used as a learning tool for database applications in general.« less

A comprehensive aligned nifH gene database: a multipurpose tool for studies of nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

PubMed

Gaby, John Christian; Buckley, Daniel H

2014-01-01

We describe a nitrogenase gene sequence database that facilitates analysis of the evolution and ecology of nitrogen-fixing organisms. The database contains 32 954 aligned nitrogenase nifH sequences linked to phylogenetic trees and associated sequence metadata. The database includes 185 linked multigene entries including full-length nifH, nifD, nifK and 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequences. Evolutionary analyses enabled by the multigene entries support an ancient horizontal transfer of nitrogenase genes between Archaea and Bacteria and provide evidence that nifH has a different history of horizontal gene transfer from the nifDK enzyme core. Further analyses show that lineages in nitrogenase cluster I and cluster III have different rates of substitution within nifD, suggesting that nifD is under different selection pressure in these two lineages. Finally, we find that that the genetic divergence of nifH and 16S rRNA genes does not correlate well at sequence dissimilarity values used commonly to define microbial species, as stains having <3% sequence dissimilarity in their 16S rRNA genes can have up to 23% dissimilarity in nifH. The nifH database has a number of uses including phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses, the design and assessment of primers/probes and the evaluation of nitrogenase sequence diversity. Database URL: http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/buckley/nifh.htm.

An effective model for store and retrieve big health data in cloud computing.

PubMed

Goli-Malekabadi, Zohreh; Sargolzaei-Javan, Morteza; Akbari, Mohammad Kazem

2016-08-01

The volume of healthcare data including different and variable text types, sounds, and images is increasing day to day. Therefore, the storage and processing of these data is a necessary and challenging issue. Generally, relational databases are used for storing health data which are not able to handle the massive and diverse nature of them. This study aimed at presenting the model based on NoSQL databases for the storage of healthcare data. Despite different types of NoSQL databases, document-based DBs were selected by a survey on the nature of health data. The presented model was implemented in the Cloud environment for accessing to the distribution properties. Then, the data were distributed on the database by applying the Shard property. The efficiency of the model was evaluated in comparison with the previous data model, Relational Database, considering query time, data preparation, flexibility, and extensibility parameters. The results showed that the presented model approximately performed the same as SQL Server for "read" query while it acted more efficiently than SQL Server for "write" query. Also, the performance of the presented model was better than SQL Server in the case of flexibility, data preparation and extensibility. Based on these observations, the proposed model was more effective than Relational Databases for handling health data. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A comprehensive aligned nifH gene database: a multipurpose tool for studies of nitrogen-fixing bacteria

PubMed Central

Gaby, John Christian; Buckley, Daniel H.

2014-01-01

We describe a nitrogenase gene sequence database that facilitates analysis of the evolution and ecology of nitrogen-fixing organisms. The database contains 32 954 aligned nitrogenase nifH sequences linked to phylogenetic trees and associated sequence metadata. The database includes 185 linked multigene entries including full-length nifH, nifD, nifK and 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequences. Evolutionary analyses enabled by the multigene entries support an ancient horizontal transfer of nitrogenase genes between Archaea and Bacteria and provide evidence that nifH has a different history of horizontal gene transfer from the nifDK enzyme core. Further analyses show that lineages in nitrogenase cluster I and cluster III have different rates of substitution within nifD, suggesting that nifD is under different selection pressure in these two lineages. Finally, we find that that the genetic divergence of nifH and 16S rRNA genes does not correlate well at sequence dissimilarity values used commonly to define microbial species, as stains having <3% sequence dissimilarity in their 16S rRNA genes can have up to 23% dissimilarity in nifH. The nifH database has a number of uses including phylogenetic and evolutionary analyses, the design and assessment of primers/probes and the evaluation of nitrogenase sequence diversity. Database URL: http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/buckley/nifh.htm PMID:24501396

Multi atlas based segmentation: Should we prefer the best atlas group over the group of best atlases?

PubMed

Zaffino, Paolo; Ciardo, Delia; Raudaschl, Patrik; Fritscher, Karl; Ricotti, Rosalinda; Alterio, Daniela; Marvaso, Giulia; Fodor, Cristiana; Baroni, Guido; Amato, Francesco; Orecchia, Roberto; Jereczek-Fossa, Barbara Alicja; Sharp, Gregory C; Spadea, Maria Francesca

2018-05-22

Multi Atlas Based Segmentation (MABS) uses a database of atlas images, and an atlas selection process is used to choose an atlas subset for registration and voting. In the current state of the art, atlases are chosen according to a similarity criterion between the target subject and each atlas in the database. In this paper, we propose a new concept for atlas selection that relies on selecting the best performing group of atlases rather than the group of highest scoring individual atlases. Experiments were performed using CT images of 50 patients, with contours of brainstem and parotid glands. The dataset was randomly split in 2 groups: 20 volumes were used as an atlas database and 30 served as target subjects for testing. Classic oracle group selection, where atlases are chosen by the highest Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) with the target, was performed. This was compared to oracle Group selection, where all the combinations of atlas subgroups were considered and scored by computing DSC with the target subject. Subsequently, Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) were designed to predict the best group of atlases. The results were compared also with the selection strategy based on Normalized Mutual Information (NMI). Oracle group was proved to be significantly better that classic oracle selection (p<10-5). Atlas group selection led to a median±interquartile DSC of 0.740±0.084, 0.718±0.086 and 0.670±0.097 for brainstem and left/right parotid glands respectively, outperforming NMI selection 0.676±0.113, 0.632±0.104 and 0.606±0.118 (p<0.001) as well as classic oracle selection. The implemented methodology is a proof of principle that selecting the atlases by considering the performance of the entire group of atlases instead of each single atlas leads to higher segmentation accuracy, being even better then current oracle strategy. This finding opens a new discussion about the most appropriate atlas selection criterion for MABS. © 2018 Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine.

Knowledge based identification of MAO-B selective inhibitors using pharmacophore and structure based virtual screening models.

PubMed

Boppana, Kiran; Dubey, P K; Jagarlapudi, Sarma A R P; Vadivelan, S; Rambabu, G

2009-09-01

Monoamine Oxidase B interaction with known ligands was investigated using combined pharmacophore and structure based modeling approach. The docking results suggested that the pharmacophore and docking models are in good agreement and are used to identify the selective MAO-B inhibitors. The best model, Hypo2 consists of three pharmacophore features, i.e., one hydrogen bond acceptor, one hydrogen bond donor and one ring aromatic. The Hypo2 model was used to screen an in-house database of 80,000 molecules and have resulted in 5500 compounds. Docking studies were performed, subsequently, on the cluster representatives of 530 hits from 5500 compounds. Based on the structural novelty and selectivity index, we have suggested 15 selective MAO-B inhibitors for further synthesis and pharmacological screening.

Multiatlas whole heart segmentation of CT data using conditional entropy for atlas ranking and selection

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

Zhuang, Xiahai, E-mail: zhuangxiahai@sjtu.edu.cn; Qian, Xiaohua; Bai, Wenjia

Purpose: Cardiac computed tomography (CT) is widely used in clinical diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. Whole heart segmentation (WHS) plays a vital role in developing new clinical applications of cardiac CT. However, the shape and appearance of the heart can vary greatly across different scans, making the automatic segmentation particularly challenging. The objective of this work is to develop and evaluate a multiatlas segmentation (MAS) scheme using a new atlas ranking and selection algorithm for automatic WHS of CT data. Research on different MAS strategies and their influence on WHS performance are limited. This work provides a detailed comparison study evaluatingmore » the impacts of label fusion, atlas ranking, and sizes of the atlas database on the segmentation performance. Methods: Atlases in a database were registered to the target image using a hierarchical registration scheme specifically designed for cardiac images. A subset of the atlases were selected for label fusion, according to the authors’ proposed atlas ranking criterion which evaluated the performance of each atlas by computing the conditional entropy of the target image given the propagated atlas labeling. Joint label fusion was used to combine multiple label estimates to obtain the final segmentation. The authors used 30 clinical cardiac CT angiography (CTA) images to evaluate the proposed MAS scheme and to investigate different segmentation strategies. Results: The mean WHS Dice score of the proposed MAS method was 0.918 ± 0.021, and the mean runtime for one case was 13.2 min on a workstation. This MAS scheme using joint label fusion generated significantly better Dice scores than the other label fusion strategies, including majority voting (0.901 ± 0.276, p < 0.01), locally weighted voting (0.905 ± 0.0247, p < 0.01), and probabilistic patch-based fusion (0.909 ± 0.0249, p < 0.01). In the atlas ranking study, the proposed criterion based on conditional entropy yielded a performance curve with higher WHS Dice scores compared to the conventional schemes (p < 0.03). In the atlas database study, the authors showed that the MAS using larger atlas databases generated better performance curves than the MAS using smaller ones, indicating larger atlas databases could produce more accurate segmentation. Conclusions: The authors have developed a new MAS framework for automatic WHS of CTA and investigated alternative implementations of MAS. With the proposed atlas ranking algorithm and joint label fusion, the MAS scheme is able to generate accurate segmentation within practically acceptable computation time. This method can be useful for the development of new clinical applications of cardiac CT.« less

Association of physical activity with cognition, metacognition and academic performance in children and adolescents: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Álvarez-Bueno, Celia; Pesce, Caterina; Cavero-Redondo, Iván; Sánchez-López, Mairena; Pardo-Guijarro, María Jesús; Martínez-Vizcaíno, Vicente

2016-06-28

Schools provide a relevant context for improving children's and adolescents' physical and mental health by increasing physical activity during school hours and/or beyond. The interest in the relationship between physical activity programmes and cognition during development has recently increased, with evidence suggesting a positive association. We present a protocol of systematic reviews and meta-analysis of intervention studies that, by determining the effects of chronic physical exercise on children's and adolescents' cognitive and metacognitive functions, cognitive life skills, academic behaviours and achievement, aims to ensure procedural objectivity and transparency, and maximise the extraction of relevant information to inform policy development. This protocol is guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) and by the Cochrane Collaboration Handbook. Databases to be utilised for a thorough selection of the pertinent literature are MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Web of Science, PsycINFO and ERIC. Selection is proposed to encompass an international and a national publication level, with inclusion of experimental studies written in English or in Spanish, respectively. Also, relevant references included in the selected studies will be considered suitable for review as supplemental sources.We present an integrated approach to the methodological quality assessment of the selected studies, including the Jadad Scale for the assessment of the quality of randomised controlled trials and the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies for pre-post studies and non-randomised controlled trials. The pre-post interventions mean differences will be the primary indicator of the intervention outcome. A subgroup analysis is proposed based on cognitive functions and their neural correlates, metacognitive functions and cognitive life skills, academic achievement areas and academic behaviours. PROSPERO CRD42015029913. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Vacuum status-display and sector-conditioning programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skelly, J.; Yen, S.

1990-08-01

Two programs have been developed for observation and control of the AGS vacuum system, which include the following notable features: (1) they incorporate a graphical user interface and (2) they are driven by a relational database which describes the vacuum system. The vacuum system comprises some 440 devices organized into 28 vacuum sectors. The status-display program invites menu selection of a sector, interrogates the relational database for relevant vacuum devices, acquires live readbacks and posts a graphical display of their status. The sector-conditioning program likewise invites sector selection, produces the same status display and also implements process control logic on the sector devices to pump the sector down from atmospheric pressure to high vacuum over a period extending several hours. As additional devices are installed in the vacuum system, the devices are added to the relational database; these programs then automatically include the new devices.

Selective decontamination of the digestive tract in gastrointestinal surgery: useful in infection prevention? A systematic review.

PubMed

Abis, Gabor S A; Stockmann, Hein B A C; van Egmond, Marjolein; Bonjer, Hendrik J; Vandenbroucke-Grauls, Christina M J E; Oosterling, Steven J

2013-12-01

Gastrointestinal surgery is associated with a high incidence of infectious complications. Selective decontamination of the digestive tract is an antimicrobial prophylaxis regimen that aims to eradicate gastrointestinal carriage of potentially pathogenic microorganisms and represents an adjunct to regular prophylaxis in surgery. Relevant studies were identified using bibliographic searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane database (period from 1970 to November 1, 2012). Only studies investigating selective decontamination of the digestive tract in gastrointestinal surgery were included. Two randomized clinical trials and one retrospective case-control trial showed significant benefit in terms of infectious complications and anastomotic leakage in colorectal surgery. Two randomized controlled trials in esophageal surgery and two randomized clinical trials in gastric surgery reported lower levels of infectious complications. Selective decontamination of the digestive tract reduces infections following esophageal, gastric, and colorectal surgeries and also appears to have beneficial effects on anastomotic leakage in colorectal surgery. We believe these results provide the basis for a large multicenter prospective study to investigate the role of selective decontamination of the digestive tract in colorectal surgery.

Quantitative assessment of the expanding complementarity between public and commercial databases of bioactive compounds.

PubMed

Southan, Christopher; Várkonyi, Péter; Muresan, Sorel

2009-07-06

Since 2004 public cheminformatic databases and their collective functionality for exploring relationships between compounds, protein sequences, literature and assay data have advanced dramatically. In parallel, commercial sources that extract and curate such relationships from journals and patents have also been expanding. This work updates a previous comparative study of databases chosen because of their bioactive content, availability of downloads and facility to select informative subsets. Where they could be calculated, extracted compounds-per-journal article were in the range of 12 to 19 but compound-per-protein counts increased with document numbers. Chemical structure filtration to facilitate standardised comparisons typically reduced source counts by between 5% and 30%. The pair-wise overlaps between 23 databases and subsets were determined, as well as changes between 2006 and 2008. While all compound sets have increased, PubChem has doubled to 14.2 million. The 2008 comparison matrix shows not only overlap but also unique content across all sources. Many of the detailed differences could be attributed to individual strategies for data selection and extraction. While there was a big increase in patent-derived structures entering PubChem since 2006, GVKBIO contains over 0.8 million unique structures from this source. Venn diagrams showed extensive overlap between compounds extracted by independent expert curation from journals by GVKBIO, WOMBAT (both commercial) and BindingDB (public) but each included unique content. In contrast, the approved drug collections from GVKBIO, MDDR (commercial) and DrugBank (public) showed surprisingly low overlap. Aggregating all commercial sources established that while 1 million compounds overlapped with PubChem 1.2 million did not. On the basis of chemical structure content per se public sources have covered an increasing proportion of commercial databases over the last two years. However, commercial products included in this study provide links between compounds and information from patents and journals at a larger scale than current public efforts. They also continue to capture a significant proportion of unique content. Our results thus demonstrate not only an encouraging overall expansion of data-supported bioactive chemical space but also that both commercial and public sources are complementary for its exploration.

If we build it, will they come? Curation and use of the ESO telescope bibliography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grothkopf, Uta; Meakins, Silvia; Bordelon, Dominic

2015-12-01

The ESO Telescope Bibliography (telbib) is a database of refereed papers published by the ESO users community. It links data in the ESO Science Archive with the published literature, and vice versa. Developed and maintained by the ESO library, telbib also provides insights into the organization's research output and impact as measured through bibliometric studies. Curating telbib is a multi-step process that involves extensive tagging of the database records. Based on selected use cases, this talk will explain how the rich metadata provide parameters for reports and statistics in order to investigate the performance of ESO's facilities and to understand trends and developments in the publishing behaviour of the user community.

Prediction of mutagenic toxicity by combination of Recursive Partitioning and Support Vector Machines.

PubMed

Liao, Quan; Yao, Jianhua; Yuan, Shengang

2007-05-01

The study of prediction of toxicity is very important and necessary because measurement of toxicity is typically time-consuming and expensive. In this paper, Recursive Partitioning (RP) method was used to select descriptors. RP and Support Vector Machines (SVM) were used to construct structure-toxicity relationship models, RP model and SVM model, respectively. The performances of the two models are different. The prediction accuracies of the RP model are 80.2% for mutagenic compounds in MDL's toxicity database, 83.4% for compounds in CMC and 84.9% for agrochemicals in in-house database respectively. Those of SVM model are 81.4%, 87.0% and 87.3% respectively.

Binary Lenses in OGLE-III EWS Database. Seasons 2002-2003

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaroszynski, M.; Udalski, A.; Kubiak, M.; Szymanski, M.; Pietrzynski, G.; Soszynski, I.; Zebrun, K.; Szewczyk, O.; Wyrzykowski, L.

2004-06-01

We present 15 binary lens candidates from OGLE-III Early Warning System database for seasons 2002-2003. We also found 15 events interpreted as single mass lensing of double sources. The candidates were selected by visual light curves inspection. Examining the models of binary lenses of this and our previous study (10 caustic crossing events of OGLE-II seasons 1997--1999) we find one case of extreme mass ratio binary (q approx 0.005) and the rest in the range 0.1

PGG.Population: a database for understanding the genomic diversity and genetic ancestry of human populations

PubMed Central

Zhang, Chao; Gao, Yang; Liu, Jiaojiao; Xue, Zhe; Lu, Yan; Deng, Lian; Tian, Lei; Feng, Qidi

2018-01-01

Abstract There are a growing number of studies focusing on delineating genetic variations that are associated with complex human traits and diseases due to recent advances in next-generation sequencing technologies. However, identifying and prioritizing disease-associated causal variants relies on understanding the distribution of genetic variations within and among populations. The PGG.Population database documents 7122 genomes representing 356 global populations from 107 countries and provides essential information for researchers to understand human genomic diversity and genetic ancestry. These data and information can facilitate the design of research studies and the interpretation of results of both evolutionary and medical studies involving human populations. The database is carefully maintained and constantly updated when new data are available. We included miscellaneous functions and a user-friendly graphical interface for visualization of genomic diversity, population relationships (genetic affinity), ancestral makeup, footprints of natural selection, and population history etc. Moreover, PGG.Population provides a useful feature for users to analyze data and visualize results in a dynamic style via online illustration. The long-term ambition of the PGG.Population, together with the joint efforts from other researchers who contribute their data to our database, is to create a comprehensive depository of geographic and ethnic variation of human genome, as well as a platform bringing influence on future practitioners of medicine and clinical investigators. PGG.Population is available at https://www.pggpopulation.org. PMID:29112749

A novel approach for medical research on lymphomas

PubMed Central

Conte, Cécile; Palmaro, Aurore; Grosclaude, Pascale; Daubisse-Marliac, Laetitia; Despas, Fabien; Lapeyre-Mestre, Maryse

2018-01-01

Abstract The use of claims database to study lymphomas in real-life conditions is a crucial issue in the future. In this way, it is essential to develop validated algorithms for the identification of lymphomas in these databases. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of diagnosis codes in the French health insurance database to identify incident cases of lymphomas according to results of a regional cancer registry, as the gold standard. Between 2010 and 2013, incident lymphomas were identified in hospital data through 2 algorithms of selection. The results of the identification process and characteristics of incident lymphomas cases were compared with data from the Tarn Cancer Registry. Each algorithm's performance was assessed by estimating sensitivity, predictive positive value, specificity (SPE), and negative predictive value. During the period, the registry recorded 476 incident cases of lymphomas, of which 52 were Hodgkin lymphomas and 424 non-Hodgkin lymphomas. For corresponding area and period, algorithm 1 provides a number of incident cases close to the Registry, whereas algorithm 2 overestimated the number of incident cases by approximately 30%. Both algorithms were highly specific (SPE = 99.9%) but moderately sensitive. The comparative analysis illustrates that similar distribution and characteristics are observed in both sources. Given these findings, the use of claims database can be consider as a pertinent and powerful tool to conduct medico-economic or pharmacoepidemiological studies in lymphomas. PMID:29480830

A brief overview of the Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment (ChArMEx) database and campaign operation centre (ChOC)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferré, Hélène; Dulac, François; Belmahfoud, Nizar; Brissebrat, Guillaume; Cloché, Sophie; Descloitres, Jacques; Fleury, Laurence; Focsa, Loredana; Henriot, Nicolas; Ramage, Karim; Vermeulen, Anne

2016-04-01

Initiated in 2010 in the framework of the multidisciplinary research programme MISTRALS (Mediterranean Integrated Studies at Regional and Local Scales; http:www.mistrals-home.org), the Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment (ChArMEx, http://charmex.lsce.ipsl.fr/) aims at federating the scientific community for an updated assessment of the present and future state of the atmospheric environment in the Mediterranean Basin, and of its impacts on the regional climate, air quality, and marine biogeochemistry. The project combines mid- and long-term monitoring, intensive field campaigns, use of satellite data, and modelling studies. In this presentation we provide an overview of the campaign operation centre (http://choc.sedoo.fr/) and project database (http://mistrals.sedoo.fr/ChArMEx), at the end of the first experimental phase of the project that included a series of large campaigns based on airborne means (including balloons and various aircraft) and a network of surface stations. Those campaigns were performed mainly in the western Mediterranean basin in the summer of 2012, 2013 and 2014 with the help of the ChArMEx Operation Centre (ChOC), an open web site that has the objective to gather and display daily quick-looks from model forecasts and near-real time in situ and remote sensing observations of physical and chemical weather conditions relevant for the everyday campaign operation decisions. The ChOC is also useful for post campaign analyses and can be completed with a number of quick-looks of campaign results obtained later in order to offer an easy access to, and comprehensive view of all available data during the campaign period. The items included are selected according to the objectives and location of the given campaigns. The second experimental phase of ChArMEx from 2015 on is more focused on the eastern basin. In addition, the project operation centre is planned to be adapted for a joint MERMEX-ChArMEx oceanographic cruise (PEACETIME) for a study at the air-sea interface focused on the biogeochemical impact of atmospheric deposition. The database includes a wide diversity of data and parameters relevant to atmospheric chemistry. The objective of the database task team is to organize data management, distribution system and services, such as facilitating the exchange of information and stimulating the collaboration between researchers within the ChArMEx community, and beyond. The database relies on a strong collaboration between ICARE, IPSL and OMP data centers and has been set up in the framework of the MISTRALS programme data portal. ChArMEx data, either produced or used by the project, are documented and made easily accessible through the database website, which offers expected user-friendly functionalities: data catalog, user registration procedure, search tool to select and access data based on parameters, instruments, countries, platform or project, information of dataset PIs about downloadings... The metadata (data description) are standardized, and comply with international standards (ISO 19115-19139; INSPIRE European Directive; Global Change Master Directory Thesaurus). A Digital Object Identifier (DOI) assignement procedure allows to automatically register the datasets, in order to make them easier to access, cite, reuse and verify. At present, the ChArMEx database contains about 160 datasets, including more than 120 in situ datasets (from a total of 7 campaigns and various monitoring stations including the background atmospheric station of Ersa (June 2012-July 2014), 30 model output sets (dust model intercomparison, MEDCORDEX scenarios...), a high resolution emission inventory over the Mediterranean made available as part of the ECCAD database (http://eccad.sedoo.fr/eccad_extract_interface/JSF/page_charmex.jsf), etc. Some in situ datasets have been inserted in a relational database in order to enable more accurate selection and download of different datasets in a shared format. Many dedicated satellite products (SEVIRI, TRIMM, PARASOL...) are processed and will soon be accessible through the database website. Every scientist is welcome to visit the ChArMEx websites, to register and request data, and to contact charmex-database@sedoo.fr for any question.

Toxicity of ionic liquids: database and prediction via quantitative structure-activity relationship method.

PubMed

Zhao, Yongsheng; Zhao, Jihong; Huang, Ying; Zhou, Qing; Zhang, Xiangping; Zhang, Suojiang

2014-08-15

A comprehensive database on toxicity of ionic liquids (ILs) is established. The database includes over 4000 pieces of data. Based on the database, the relationship between IL's structure and its toxicity has been analyzed qualitatively. Furthermore, Quantitative Structure-Activity relationships (QSAR) model is conducted to predict the toxicities (EC50 values) of various ILs toward the Leukemia rat cell line IPC-81. Four parameters selected by the heuristic method (HM) are used to perform the studies of multiple linear regression (MLR) and support vector machine (SVM). The squared correlation coefficient (R(2)) and the root mean square error (RMSE) of training sets by two QSAR models are 0.918 and 0.959, 0.258 and 0.179, respectively. The prediction R(2) and RMSE of QSAR test sets by MLR model are 0.892 and 0.329, by SVM model are 0.958 and 0.234, respectively. The nonlinear model developed by SVM algorithm is much outperformed MLR, which indicates that SVM model is more reliable in the prediction of toxicity of ILs. This study shows that increasing the relative number of O atoms of molecules leads to decrease in the toxicity of ILs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of a speaker identification system with and without fusion using three databases in the presence of noise and handset effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

S. Al-Kaltakchi, Musab T.; Woo, Wai L.; Dlay, Satnam; Chambers, Jonathon A.

2017-12-01

In this study, a speaker identification system is considered consisting of a feature extraction stage which utilizes both power normalized cepstral coefficients (PNCCs) and Mel frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC). Normalization is applied by employing cepstral mean and variance normalization (CMVN) and feature warping (FW), together with acoustic modeling using a Gaussian mixture model-universal background model (GMM-UBM). The main contributions are comprehensive evaluations of the effect of both additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and non-stationary noise (NSN) (with and without a G.712 type handset) upon identification performance. In particular, three NSN types with varying signal to noise ratios (SNRs) were tested corresponding to street traffic, a bus interior, and a crowded talking environment. The performance evaluation also considered the effect of late fusion techniques based on score fusion, namely, mean, maximum, and linear weighted sum fusion. The databases employed were TIMIT, SITW, and NIST 2008; and 120 speakers were selected from each database to yield 3600 speech utterances. As recommendations from the study, mean fusion is found to yield overall best performance in terms of speaker identification accuracy (SIA) with noisy speech, whereas linear weighted sum fusion is overall best for original database recordings.

Open Geoscience Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bashev, A.

2012-04-01

Currently there is an enormous amount of various geoscience databases. Unfortunately the only users of the majority of the databases are their elaborators. There are several reasons for that: incompaitability, specificity of tasks and objects and so on. However the main obstacles for wide usage of geoscience databases are complexity for elaborators and complication for users. The complexity of architecture leads to high costs that block the public access. The complication prevents users from understanding when and how to use the database. Only databases, associated with GoogleMaps don't have these drawbacks, but they could be hardly named "geoscience" Nevertheless, open and simple geoscience database is necessary at least for educational purposes (see our abstract for ESSI20/EOS12). We developed a database and web interface to work with them and now it is accessible at maps.sch192.ru. In this database a result is a value of a parameter (no matter which) in a station with a certain position, associated with metadata: the date when the result was obtained; the type of a station (lake, soil etc); the contributor that sent the result. Each contributor has its own profile, that allows to estimate the reliability of the data. The results can be represented on GoogleMaps space image as a point in a certain position, coloured according to the value of the parameter. There are default colour scales and each registered user can create the own scale. The results can be also extracted in *.csv file. For both types of representation one could select the data by date, object type, parameter type, area and contributor. The data are uploaded in *.csv format: Name of the station; Lattitude(dd.dddddd); Longitude(ddd.dddddd); Station type; Parameter type; Parameter value; Date(yyyy-mm-dd). The contributor is recognised while entering. This is the minimal set of features that is required to connect a value of a parameter with a position and see the results. All the complicated data treatment could be conducted in other programs after extraction the filtered data into *.csv file. It makes the database understandable for non-experts. The database employs open data format (*.csv) and wide spread tools: PHP as the program language, MySQL as database management system, JavaScript for interaction with GoogleMaps and JQueryUI for create user interface. The database is multilingual: there are association tables, which connect with elements of the database. In total the development required about 150 hours. The database still has several problems. The main problem is the reliability of the data. Actually it needs an expert system for estimation the reliability, but the elaboration of such a system would take more resources than the database itself. The second problem is the problem of stream selection - how to select the stations that are connected with each other (for example, belong to one water stream) and indicate their sequence. Currently the interface is English and Russian. However it can be easily translated to your language. But some problems we decided. For example problem "the problem of the same station" (sometimes the distance between stations is smaller, than the error of position): when you adding new station to the database our application automatically find station near this place. Also we decided problem of object and parameter type (how to regard "EC" and "electrical conductivity" as the same parameter). This problem has been solved using "associative tables". If you would like to see the interface on your language, just contact us. We should send you the list of terms and phrases for translation on your language. The main advantage of the database is that it is totally open: everybody can see, extract the data from the database and use them for non-commercial purposes with no charge. Registered users can contribute to the database without getting paid. We hope, that it will be widely used first of all for education purposes, but professional scientists could use it also.

Barriers related to prenatal care utilization among women

PubMed Central

Roozbeh, Nasibeh; Nahidi, Fatemeh; Hajiyan, Sepideh

2016-01-01

Objectives To investigate barriers related to prenatal care utilization among women. Methods Data was collected in both English and Persian databases. English databases included: the International Medical Sciences, Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar. The Persian databases included: the Iranmedex, the State Inpatient Databases (SID) with the use of related keywords, and on the basis of inclusion-exclusion criteria. The keywords included are barrier, prenatal care, women, access, and preventive factors. OR and AND were Boolean operators. After the study, articles were summarized, unrelated articles were rejected, and related articles were identified. Inclusion criteria were all published articles from 1990 to 2015, written in English and Persian languages. The titles and abstracts are related, and addressed all subjects about barriers related to prenatal care utilization. At the end, all duplicated articles were excluded. There were no restrictions for exclusion or inclusion of articles. Exclusion criteria were failure in reporting in studies, case studies, and lack of access to the full text. Results After searching various databases, 112 related articles were included. After reviewing articles’ titles, 67 unrelated articles and abstracts were rejected, 45 articles were evaluated, 20 of them were duplicated. Then, the qualities of 25 articles were analyzed. Therefore, 5 articles were excluded due to not mentioning the sample size, mismatches between method and data, or results. Total of 20 articles were selected for final analysis. Prenatal care utilization barrier can be divided into various domains such as individual barriers, financial barriers, organizational barriers, social, and cultural barriers. Conclusion To increase prenatal care coverage, it is necessary to pay attention to all domains, especially individual and financial barriers.

Extending the temporal context of ethnobotanical databases: the case study of the Campania region (southern Italy)

PubMed Central

De Natale, Antonino; Pezzatti, Gianni Boris; Pollio, Antonino

2009-01-01

Background Ethnobotanical studies generally describe the traditional knowledge of a territory according to a "hic et nunc" principle. The need of approaching this field also embedding historical data has been frequently acknowledged. With their long history of civilization some regions of the Mediterranean basin seem to be particularly suited for an historical approach to be adopted. Campania, a region of southern Italy, has been selected for a database implementation containing present and past information on plant uses. Methods A relational database has been built on the basis of information gathered from different historical sources, including diaries, travel accounts, and treatises on medicinal plants, written by explorers, botanists, physicians, who travelled in Campania during the last three centuries. Moreover, ethnobotanical uses described in historical herbal collections and in Ancient and Medieval texts from the Mediterranean Region have been included in the database. Results 1672 different uses, ranging from medicinal, to alimentary, ceremonial, veterinary, have been recorded for 474 species listed in the data base. Information is not uniformly spread over the Campanian territory; Sannio being the most studied geographical area and Cilento the least one. About 50 plants have been continuously used in the last three centuries in the cure of the same affections. A comparison with the uses reported for the same species in Ancient treatises shows that the origin of present ethnomedicine from old learned medical doctrines needs a case-by-case confirmation. Conclusion The database is flexible enough to represent a useful tool for researchers who need to store and compare present and previous ethnobotanical uses from Mediterranean Countries. PMID:19228384

A Multi-Purpose Data Dissemination Infrastructure for the Marine-Earth Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanafusa, Y.; Saito, H.; Kayo, M.; Suzuki, H.

2015-12-01

To open the data from a variety of observations, the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) has developed a multi-purpose data dissemination infrastructure. Although many observations have been made in the earth science, all the data are not opened completely. We think data centers may provide researchers with a universal data dissemination service which can handle various kinds of observation data with little effort. For this purpose JAMSTEC Data Management Office has developed the "Information Catalog Infrastructure System (Catalog System)". This is a kind of catalog management system which can create, renew and delete catalogs (= databases) and has following features, - The Catalog System does not depend on data types or granularity of data records. - By registering a new metadata schema to the system, a new database can be created on the same system without sytem modification. - As web pages are defined by the cascading style sheets, databases have different look and feel, and operability. - The Catalog System provides databases with basic search tools; search by text, selection from a category tree, and selection from a time line chart. - For domestic users it creates the Japanese and English pages at the same time and has dictionary to control terminology and proper noun. As of August 2015 JAMSTEC operates 7 databases on the Catalog System. We expect to transfer existing databases to this system, or create new databases on it. In comparison with a dedicated database developed for the specific dataset, the Catalog System is suitable for the dissemination of small datasets, with minimum cost. Metadata held in the catalogs may be transfered to other metadata schema to exchange global databases or portals. Examples: JAMSTEC Data Catalog: http://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/catalog/data_catalog/metadataList?lang=enJAMSTEC Document Catalog: http://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/catalog/doc_catalog/metadataList?lang=en&tab=categoryResearch Information and Data Access Site of TEAMS: http://www.i-teams.jp/catalog/rias/metadataList?lang=en&tab=list

Selection for Surgical Training: An Evidence-Based Review.

PubMed

Schaverien, Mark V

2016-01-01

The predictive relationship between candidate selection criteria for surgical training programs and future performance during and at the completion of training has been investigated for several surgical specialties, however there is no interspecialty agreement regarding which selection criteria should be used. Better understanding the predictive reliability between factors at selection and future performance may help to optimize the process and lead to greater standardization of the surgical selection process. PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE databases were searched. Over 560 potentially relevant publications were identified using the search strategy and screened using the Cochrane Collaboration Data Extraction and Assessment Template. 57 studies met the inclusion criteria. Several selection criteria used in the traditional selection demonstrated inconsistent correlation with subsequent performance during and at the end of surgical training. The following selection criteria, however, demonstrated good predictive relationships with subsequent resident performance: USMLE examination scores, Letters of Recommendation (LOR) including the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE), academic performance during clinical clerkships, the interview process, displaying excellence in extracurricular activities, and the use of unadjusted rank lists. This systematic review supports that the current selection process needs to be further evaluated and improved. Multicenter studies using standardized outcome measures of success are now required to improve the reliability of the selection process to select the best trainees. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Directory of On-Line Networks, Databases and Bulletin Boards on Assistive Technology. Second Edition. RESNA Technical Assistance Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

RESNA: Association for the Advancement of Rehabilitation Technology, Washington, DC.

This resource directory provides a selective listing of electronic networks, online databases, and bulletin boards that highlight technology-related services and products. For each resource, the following information is provided: name, address, and telephone number; description; target audience; hardware/software needs to access the system;…

Guide on Data Models in the Selection and Use of Database Management Systems. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gallagher, Leonard J.; Draper, Jesse M.

A tutorial introduction to data models in general is provided, with particular emphasis on the relational and network models defined by the two proposed ANSI (American National Standards Institute) database language standards. Examples based on the network and relational models include specific syntax and semantics, while examples from the other…

Social Gerontology--Integrative and Territorial Aspects: A Citation Analysis of Subject Scatter and Database Coverage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lasda Bergman, Elaine M.

2011-01-01

To determine the mix of resources used in social gerontology research, a citation analysis was conducted. A representative sample of citations was selected from three prominent gerontology journals and information was added to determine subject scatter and database coverage for the cited materials. Results indicate that a significant portion of…

SERS internship fall 1995 abstracts and research papers

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

Davis, Beverly

1996-05-01

This report is a compilation of twenty abstracts and their corresponding full papers of research projects done under the US Department of Energy Science and Engineering Research Semester (SERS) program. Papers cover a broad range of topics, for example, environmental transport, supercomputers, databases, biology. Selected papers were indexed separately for inclusion the the Energy Science and Technology Database.

Changes in Badminton Game Play across Developmental Skill Levels among High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Jianyu; Liu, Wenhao

2012-01-01

The study examined changes in badminton game play across developmental skill levels among high school students in a physical education setting. Videotapes of badminton game play of 80 students (40 boys and 40 girls) in the four developmental skill levels (each skill level had 10 boys and 10 girls) were randomly selected from a database associated…

A Review of Research on Environmental Education in Non-Traditional Settings in Turkey, 2000 and 2011

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erdogan, Mehmet; Usak, Muhammet; Bahar, Mehmet

2013-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to collect and analyze the research on environmental education in non-traditional settings in Turkey undertaken with various subjects (e.g. students, graduates and teachers) and published over the years of 2000-2011. For systematic analysis, selected data-bases and journals were scrutinized across five…

The Use of Online Current Awareness Services by Natural Sciences and Engineering Faculty at Western Michigan University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leatherman, Carrie C.; Eckel, Edward J.

2012-01-01

Nearly every commercial database that covers natural sciences and engineering offers some type of current awareness (CA) service that provides regular updates to users on current literature in a selected field of interest. Current awareness services include e-mail alerts, tables of contents, and RSS feeds. This study was designed to find out what…

Left Brain/Right Brain: Research and Learning. Focused Access to Selected Topics (FAST) Bibliography No. 12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eppele, Ruth

This 27-item bibliography represents the variety of articles added to the ERIC database from 1983 through 1988 on left-brain/right-brain research, theory, and application as it relates to classroom incorporation. Included are conflicting opinions as to the usefulness of left-brain/right-brain studies and their application in the learning…

The Impact of Elementary Gifted Mathematics Programming: Moving into Middle School Research Using the ECLS-K Database

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zayac, Joanne M.

2013-01-01

With tightened school budgets, school administrators need to know the short term and long range effects of providing gifted programs at the elementary level. Programming opportunities in elementary school have direct impact on middle school and this, in turn impacts high school and college course selection. This study used the Early Childhood…

Volume-based response evaluation with consensual lesion selection: a pilot study by using cloud solutions and comparison to RECIST 1.1.

PubMed

Oubel, Estanislao; Bonnard, Eric; Sueoka-Aragane, Naoko; Kobayashi, Naomi; Charbonnier, Colette; Yamamichi, Junta; Mizobe, Hideaki; Kimura, Shinya

2015-02-01

Lesion volume is considered as a promising alternative to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) to make tumor measurements more accurate and consistent, which would enable an earlier detection of temporal changes. In this article, we report the results of a pilot study aiming at evaluating the effects of a consensual lesion selection on volume-based response (VBR) assessments. Eleven patients with lung computed tomography scans acquired at three time points were selected from Reference Image Database to Evaluate Response to therapy in lung cancer (RIDER) and proprietary databases. Images were analyzed according to RECIST 1.1 and VBR criteria by three readers working in different geographic locations. Cloud solutions were used to connect readers and carry out a consensus process on the selection of lesions used for computing response. Because there are not currently accepted thresholds for computing VBR, we have applied a set of thresholds based on measurement variability (-35% and +55%). The benefit of this consensus was measured in terms of multiobserver agreement by using Fleiss kappa (κfleiss) and corresponding standard errors (SE). VBR after consensual selection of target lesions allowed to obtain κfleiss = 0.85 (SE = 0.091), which increases up to 0.95 (SE = 0.092), if an extra consensus on new lesions is added. As a reference, the agreement when applying RECIST without consensus was κfleiss = 0.72 (SE = 0.088). These differences were found to be statistically significant according to a z-test. An agreement on the selection of lesions allows reducing the inter-reader variability when computing VBR. Cloud solutions showed to be an interesting and feasible strategy for standardizing response evaluations, reducing variability, and increasing consistency of results in multicenter clinical trials. Copyright © 2015 AUR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A scattering database of marine particles and its application in optical analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, G.; Yang, P.; Kattawar, G.; Zhang, X.

2016-12-01

In modeling the scattering properties of marine particles (e.g. phytoplankton), the laboratory studies imply a need to properly account for the influence of particle morphology, in addition to size and composition. In this study, a marine particle scattering database is constructed using a collection of distorted hexahedral shapes. Specifically, the scattering properties of each size bin and refractive index are obtained by the ensemble average associated with distorted hexahedra with randomly tilted facets and selected aspect ratios (from elongated to flattened). The randomness degree in shape-generation process defines the geometric irregularity of the particles in the group. The geometric irregularity and particle aspect ratios constitute a set of "shape factors" to be accounted for (e.g. in best-fit analysis). To cover most of the marine particle size range, we combine the Invariant Imbedding T-matrix (II-TM) method and the Physical-Geometric Optics Hybrid (PGOH) method in the calculations. The simulated optical properties are shown and compared with those obtained from Lorenz-Mie Theory. Using the scattering database, we present a preliminary optical analysis of laboratory-measured optical properties of marine particles.

Quality of life in maltreated children and adult survivors of child maltreatment: a systematic review.

PubMed

Weber, S; Jud, A; Landolt, M A

2016-02-01

To review data on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in individuals with childhood trauma, including psychological maltreatment, physical maltreatment, sexual abuse, and neglect. The literature search was conducted with pre-defined keywords using the following electronic bibliographic databases: EMBASE, PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsyINFO, PSYNDEX, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Further databases were searched for relevant dissertations. Study selection and data extraction were completed by two independent reviewers. The literature search yielded 1568 entries. Nineteen articles met all inclusion criteria and were retained for further analysis. Findings quite consistently showed significant negative associations between child maltreatment and both self- and proxy-rated HRQoL. Effect sizes range from small to large. Number of types of maltreatment and HRQoL were found to be negatively related. Data on HRQoL for maltreated children are still rare. Studies often investigate adult survivors of child maltreatment. Considering HRQoL in children and adolescents who suffered maltreatment would allow the planning of effective interventions and the evaluation of treatments to improve HRQoL of these children.

Selecting a database for literature searches in nursing: MEDLINE or CINAHL?

PubMed

Brazier, H; Begley, C M

1996-10-01

This study compares the usefulness of the MEDLINE and CINAHL databases for students on post-registration nursing courses. We searched for nine topics, using title words only. Identical searches of the two databases retrieved 1162 references, of which 88% were in MEDLINE, 33% in CINAHL and 20% in both sources. The relevance of the references was assessed by student reviewers. The positive predictive value of CINAHL (70%) was higher than that of MEDLINE (54%), but MEDLINE produced more than twice as many relevant references as CINAHL. The sensitivity of MEDLINE was 85% (95% CI 82-88%), and that of CINAHL was 41% (95% CI 37-45%). To assess the ease of obtaining the references, we developed an index of accessibility, based on the holdings of a number of Irish and British libraries. Overall, 47% of relevant references were available in the students' own library, and 64% could be obtained within 48 hours. There was no difference between the two databases overall, but when two topics relating specifically to the organization of nursing were excluded, references found in MEDLINE were significantly more accessible. We recommend that MEDLINE should be regarded as the first choice of bibliographic database for any subject other than one related strictly to the organization of nursing.

Tiered Human Integrated Sequence Search Databases for Shotgun Proteomics.

PubMed

Deutsch, Eric W; Sun, Zhi; Campbell, David S; Binz, Pierre-Alain; Farrah, Terry; Shteynberg, David; Mendoza, Luis; Omenn, Gilbert S; Moritz, Robert L

2016-11-04

The results of analysis of shotgun proteomics mass spectrometry data can be greatly affected by the selection of the reference protein sequence database against which the spectra are matched. For many species there are multiple sources from which somewhat different sequence sets can be obtained. This can lead to confusion about which database is best in which circumstances-a problem especially acute in human sample analysis. All sequence databases are genome-based, with sequences for the predicted gene and their protein translation products compiled. Our goal is to create a set of primary sequence databases that comprise the union of sequences from many of the different available sources and make the result easily available to the community. We have compiled a set of four sequence databases of varying sizes, from a small database consisting of only the ∼20,000 primary isoforms plus contaminants to a very large database that includes almost all nonredundant protein sequences from several sources. This set of tiered, increasingly complete human protein sequence databases suitable for mass spectrometry proteomics sequence database searching is called the Tiered Human Integrated Search Proteome set. In order to evaluate the utility of these databases, we have analyzed two different data sets, one from the HeLa cell line and the other from normal human liver tissue, with each of the four tiers of database complexity. The result is that approximately 0.8%, 1.1%, and 1.5% additional peptides can be identified for Tiers 2, 3, and 4, respectively, as compared with the Tier 1 database, at substantially increasing computational cost. This increase in computational cost may be worth bearing if the identification of sequence variants or the discovery of sequences that are not present in the reviewed knowledge base entries is an important goal of the study. We find that it is useful to search a data set against a simpler database, and then check the uniqueness of the discovered peptides against a more complex database. We have set up an automated system that downloads all the source databases on the first of each month and automatically generates a new set of search databases and makes them available for download at http://www.peptideatlas.org/thisp/ .

Tiered Human Integrated Sequence Search Databases for Shotgun Proteomics

PubMed Central

Deutsch, Eric W.; Sun, Zhi; Campbell, David S.; Binz, Pierre-Alain; Farrah, Terry; Shteynberg, David; Mendoza, Luis; Omenn, Gilbert S.; Moritz, Robert L.

2016-01-01

The results of analysis of shotgun proteomics mass spectrometry data can be greatly affected by the selection of the reference protein sequence database against which the spectra are matched. For many species there are multiple sources from which somewhat different sequence sets can be obtained. This can lead to confusion about which database is best in which circumstances – a problem especially acute in human sample analysis. All sequence databases are genome-based, with sequences for the predicted gene and their protein translation products compiled. Our goal is to create a set of primary sequence databases that comprise the union of sequences from many of the different available sources and make the result easily available to the community. We have compiled a set of four sequence databases of varying sizes, from a small database consisting of only the ~20,000 primary isoforms plus contaminants to a very large database that includes almost all non-redundant protein sequences from several sources. This set of tiered, increasingly complete human protein sequence databases suitable for mass spectrometry proteomics sequence database searching is called the Tiered Human Integrated Search Proteome set. In order to evaluate the utility of these databases, we have analyzed two different data sets, one from the HeLa cell line and the other from normal human liver tissue, with each of the four tiers of database complexity. The result is that approximately 0.8%, 1.1%, and 1.5% additional peptides can be identified for Tiers 2, 3, and 4, respectively, as compared with the Tier 1 database, at substantially increasing computational cost. This increase in computational cost may be worth bearing if the identification of sequence variants or the discovery of sequences that are not present in the reviewed knowledge base entries is an important goal of the study. We find that it is useful to search a data set against a simpler database, and then check the uniqueness of the discovered peptides against a more complex database. We have set up an automated system that downloads all the source databases on the first of each month and automatically generates a new set of search databases and makes them available for download at http://www.peptideatlas.org/thisp/. PMID:27577934

Only limited evidence available for the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of dental auxiliaries.

PubMed

Richards, Derek

2013-01-01

Medline, Embase, CINAHL, LILACS, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, OpenGrey (System for Information on Grey Literature in Europe [SIGLE]-based), Scirus, Science.gov, Cost-Effective Analysis (CEA) Registry, European Network of Health Economics Evaluation Databases (EURON-HEED), ClinicalTrials.gov and Health Services Research Projects in Progress (HSRProj) databases. They also contacted 20 separate organisations. All study designs were considered with no limits on dates, age of study, language or country. Government reports, peer-reviewed publications, dissertations and theses were included. Editorials, opinion pieces, educational pieces, narrative reviews, abstracts without full-text availability and raw data such as those from national oral health surveys were excluded. Study quality and risk of bias was assessed. Data extraction was conducted independently, and meta-analysis was planned for the data, but only a qualitative synthesis could be conducted. Eighteen observational studies were included, 13 were considered to be at high risk of bias, five at moderate risk and one at low risk. They were conducted in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the United States. All the studies were related to dental caries with only studies involving dental nurses and therapists meeting the inclusion criteria. No studies regarding cost effectiveness, irreversible diagnostic procedures or diseases other than caries were in included. The authors concluded that the quality of the evidence was poor. They found that in select groups in which participants received irreversible dental treatment from teams that included midlevel providers, caries increment, caries severity or both decreased across time; however, there was no difference in caries increment, caries severity or both compared with those in populations in which dentists provided all irreversible treatment. In select groups in which participants had received irreversible dental treatment from teams that included midlevel providers, there was a decrease in untreated caries across time and a decrease in untreated caries compared with that in populations in which dentists provided all treatment.

Using glycome databases for drug discovery.

PubMed

Aoki-Kinoshita, Kiyoko F

2008-08-01

The glycomics field has made great advancements in the last decade due to technologies for their synthesis and analysis including carbohydrate microarrays. Accordingly, databases for glycomics research have also emerged and been made publicly available by many major institutions worldwide. This review introduces these and other useful databases on which new methods for drug discovery can be developed. The scope of this review covers current documented and accessible databases and resources pertaining to glycomics. These were selected with the expectation that they may be useful for drug discovery research. There is a plethora of glycomics databases that have much potential for drug discovery. This may seem daunting at first but this review helps to put some of these resources into perspective. Additionally, some thoughts on how to integrate these resources to allow more efficient research are presented.

Personal domains assessed in multiple mini interviews (MMIs) for healthcare student selection: A narrative synthesis systematic review.

PubMed

Callwood, Alison; Jeevaratnam, Kamalan; Kotronoulas, Grigorios; Schneider, Annegret; Lewis, Liane; Nadarajah, Vishna Devi

2018-05-01

To examine the personal domains multiple mini interviews (MMIs) are being designed to assess, explore how they were determined and contextualise such domains in current and future healthcare student selection processes DESIGN: A systematic review of empirical research reporting on MMI model design was conducted from database inception to November 2017. Twelve electronic bibliographic databases. Evidence was extracted from original studies, and integrated in a narrative synthesis guided by the PRISMA statement for reporting systematic reviews. Personal domains were clustered into themes using a modified Delphi technique. A total of 584 articles were screened. 65 unique studies (80 articles) matched our inclusion criteria of which seven were conducted within nursing/midwifery faculties. Six in 10 studies featured applicants to medical school. Across selection processes, we identified 32 personal domains assessed by MMIs, the most frequent being: communication skills (84%), teamwork/collaboration (70%), and ethical/moral judgement (65%). Domains capturing ability to cope with stressful situations (14%), make decisions (14%), and resolve conflict in the workplace (13%) featured in fewer than ten studies overall. Intra- and inter-disciplinary inconsistencies in domain profiles were noted, as well as differences by entry level. MMIs deployed in nursing and midwifery assessed compassion and decision-making more frequently than in all other disciplines. Own programme philosophy and professional body guidance were most frequently cited (~50%) as sources for personal domains; a blueprinting process was reported in only 8% of studies. Nursing, midwifery and allied healthcare professionals should develop their theoretical frameworks for MMIs to ensure they are evidence-based and fit-for-purpose. We suggest a re-evaluation of domain priorities to ensure that students who are selected, not only have the capacity to offer the highest standards of care provision, but are able to maintain these standards when facing clinical practice and organisational pressures. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterising droughts in Central America with uncertain hydro-meteorological data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quesada Montano, B.; Westerberg, I.; Wetterhall, F.; Hidalgo, H. G.; Halldin, S.

2015-12-01

Droughts studies are scarce in Central America, a region frequently affected by droughts that cause significant socio-economic and environmental problems. Drought characterisation is important for water management and planning and can be done with the help of drought indices. Many indices have been developed in the last decades but their ability to suitably characterise droughts depends on the region of application. In Central America, comprehensive and high-quality observational networks of meteorological and hydrological data are not available. This limits the choice of drought indices and denotes the need to evaluate the quality of the data used in their calculation. This paper aimed to find which combination(s) of drought index and meteorological database are most suitable for characterising droughts in Central America. The drought indices evaluated were the standardised precipitation index (SPI), deciles (DI), the standardised precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) and the effective drought index (EDI). These were calculated using precipitation data from the Climate Hazards Group Infra-Red Precipitation with station (CHIRPS), CRN073, the Climate Research Unit (CRU), ERA-Interim and station databases, and temperature data from the CRU database. All the indices were calculated at 1-, 3-, 6-, 9- and 12-month accumulation times. As a first step, the large-scale meteorological precipitation datasets were compared to have an overview of the level of agreement between them and find possible quality problems. Then, the performance of all the combinations of drought indices and meteorological datasets were evaluated against independent river discharge data, in form of the standardised streamflow index (SSI). Results revealed the large disagreement between the precipitation datasets; we found the selection of database to be more important than the selection of drought index. We found that the best combinations of meteorological drought index and database were obtained using the SPI and DI, calculated with CHIRPS and station data.

[Study of algorithms to identify schizophrenia in the SNIIRAM database conducted by the REDSIAM network].

PubMed

Quantin, C; Collin, C; Frérot, M; Besson, J; Cottenet, J; Corneloup, M; Soudry-Faure, A; Mariet, A-S; Roussot, A

2017-10-01

The aim of the REDSIAM network is to foster communication between users of French medico-administrative databases and to validate and promote analysis methods suitable for the data. Within this network, the working group "Mental and behavioral disorders" took an interest in algorithms to identify adult schizophrenia in the SNIIRAM database and inventoried identification criteria for patients with schizophrenia in these databases. The methodology was based on interviews with nine experts in schizophrenia concerning the procedures they use to identify patients with schizophrenia disorders in databases. The interviews were based on a questionnaire and conducted by telephone. The synthesis of the interviews showed that the SNIIRAM contains various tables which allow coders to identify patients suffering from schizophrenia: chronic disease status, drugs and hospitalizations. Taken separately, these criteria were not sufficient to recognize patients with schizophrenia, an algorithm should be based on all of them. Apparently, only one-third of people living with schizophrenia benefit from the longstanding disease status. Not all patients are hospitalized, and coding for diagnoses at the hospitalization, notably for short stays in medicine, surgery or obstetrics departments, is not exhaustive. As for treatment with antipsychotics, it is not specific enough as such treatments are also prescribed to patients with bipolar disorders, or even other disorders. It seems appropriate to combine these complementary criteria, while keeping in mind out-patient care (every year 80,000 patients are seen exclusively in an outpatient setting), even if these data are difficult to link with other information. Finally, the experts made three propositions for selection algorithms of patients with schizophrenia. Patients with schizophrenia can be relatively accurately identified using SNIIRAM data. Different combinations of the selected criteria must be used depending on the objectives and they must be related to an appropriate length of time. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Enhancing the Discrimination Ability of a Gas Sensor Array Based on a Novel Feature Selection and Fusion Framework.

PubMed

Deng, Changjian; Lv, Kun; Shi, Debo; Yang, Bo; Yu, Song; He, Zhiyi; Yan, Jia

2018-06-12

In this paper, a novel feature selection and fusion framework is proposed to enhance the discrimination ability of gas sensor arrays for odor identification. Firstly, we put forward an efficient feature selection method based on the separability and the dissimilarity to determine the feature selection order for each type of feature when increasing the dimension of selected feature subsets. Secondly, the K-nearest neighbor (KNN) classifier is applied to determine the dimensions of the optimal feature subsets for different types of features. Finally, in the process of establishing features fusion, we come up with a classification dominance feature fusion strategy which conducts an effective basic feature. Experimental results on two datasets show that the recognition rates of Database I and Database II achieve 97.5% and 80.11%, respectively, when k = 1 for KNN classifier and the distance metric is correlation distance (COR), which demonstrates the superiority of the proposed feature selection and fusion framework in representing signal features. The novel feature selection method proposed in this paper can effectively select feature subsets that are conducive to the classification, while the feature fusion framework can fuse various features which describe the different characteristics of sensor signals, for enhancing the discrimination ability of gas sensors and, to a certain extent, suppressing drift effect.

Detection of co-eluted peptides using database search methods

PubMed Central

Alves, Gelio; Ogurtsov, Aleksey Y; Kwok, Siwei; Wu, Wells W; Wang, Guanghui; Shen, Rong-Fong; Yu, Yi-Kuo

2008-01-01

Background Current experimental techniques, especially those applying liquid chromatography mass spectrometry, have made high-throughput proteomic studies possible. The increase in throughput however also raises concerns on the accuracy of identification or quantification. Most experimental procedures select in a given MS scan only a few relatively most intense parent ions, each to be fragmented (MS2) separately, and most other minor co-eluted peptides that have similar chromatographic retention times are ignored and their information lost. Results We have computationally investigated the possibility of enhancing the information retrieval during a given LC/MS experiment by selecting the two or three most intense parent ions for simultaneous fragmentation. A set of spectra is created via superimposing a number of MS2 spectra, each can be identified by all search methods tested with high confidence, to mimick the spectra of co-eluted peptides. The generated convoluted spectra were used to evaluate the capability of several database search methods – SEQUEST, Mascot, X!Tandem, OMSSA, and RAId_DbS – in identifying true peptides from superimposed spectra of co-eluted peptides. We show that using these simulated spectra, all the database search methods will gain eventually in the number of true peptides identified by using the compound spectra of co-eluted peptides. Open peer review Reviewed by Vlad Petyuk (nominated by Arcady Mushegian), King Jordan and Shamil Sunyaev. For the full reviews, please go to the Reviewers' comments section. PMID:18597684

Transcriptome Sequencing and Positive Selected Genes Analysis of Bombyx mandarina

PubMed Central

Wu, Yuqian; Long, Renwen; Liu, Chun; Xia, Qingyou

2015-01-01

The wild silkworm Bombyx mandarina is widely believed to be an ancestor of the domesticated silkworm, Bombyx mori. Silkworms are often used as a model for studying the mechanism of species domestication. Here, we performed transcriptome sequencing of the wild silkworm using an Illumina HiSeq2000 platform. We produced 100,004,078 high-quality reads and assembled them into 50,773 contigs with an N50 length of 1764 bp and a mean length of 941.62 bp. A total of 33,759 unigenes were identified, with 12,805 annotated in the Nr database, 8273 in the Pfam database, and 9093 in the Swiss-Prot database. Expression profile analysis found significant differential expression of 1308 unigenes between the middle silk gland (MSG) and posterior silk gland (PSG). Three sericin genes (sericin 1, sericin 2, and sericin 3) were expressed specifically in the MSG and three fibroin genes (fibroin-H, fibroin-L, and fibroin/P25) were expressed specifically in the PSG. In addition, 32,297 Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 361 insertion-deletions (INDELs) were detected. Comparison with the domesticated silkworm p50/Dazao identified 5,295 orthologous genes, among which 400 might have experienced or to be experiencing positive selection by Ka/Ks analysis. These data and analyses presented here provide insights into silkworm domestication and an invaluable resource for wild silkworm genomics research. PMID:25806526

Intra-articular and soft tissue injections, a systematic review of relative efficacy of various corticosteroids.

PubMed

Garg, Neha; Perry, Lisa; Deodhar, Atul

2014-12-01

The comparative efficacy of various Corticosteroid (CS) injections commonly used to treat musculoskeletal conditions has not been systematically studied. Our objective is to synthesize data about comparative efficacy of various CS used for intra-articular and periarticular soft tissue injections. Online databases were searched including MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness, and bibliographies of studies till November 2013. We included all randomized controlled trials comparing two CS for intra-articular and periarticular injections, selected according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses methodology. Seven good quality trials were selected for qualitative data synthesis. Two trials comparing triamcinolone hexacetonide (TH) and methylprednisolone (MP) for knee arthritis suggested faster pain relief with TH for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at day 7 (p < 0.05) and osteoarthritis (OA) at week 3 (visual analogue scale, 33 mm vs 14 mm, p < 0.01) but a similar long-term efficacy. One trial suggested faster pain relief with MP compared to triamcinolone acetonide (TA) for rotator cuff tendonitis at 2 weeks (percentage of patients improving 92 % vs. 50 %; p = 0.02) but similar long-term efficacy, while another trial suggested no difference between TA and MP for knee OA. Two trials for knee arthritis suggested a substantially better efficacy for TH than TA (response rate at 24 months 77 % vs 39 %; p = 0.001) and betamethasone (BM) at day 42 (p < 0.01). There is paucity of data regarding comparative efficacy of various CS injections. Limited number of studies favored TH over other CS (TA, MP, BM).

Clinical trial resources on the internet must be designed to reach underrepresented minorities.

PubMed

Wilson, John J; Mick, Rosemarie; Wei, S Jack; Rustgi, Anil K; Markowitz, Sanford D; Hampshire, Maggie; Metz, James M

2006-01-01

Internet-based clinical trial information services are being developed to increase recruitment to studies. However, there are limited data that evaluate their ability to reach elderly and underrepresented minority populations. This study was designed to evaluate the ability of an established clinical trials registry to reach these populations based on expected Internet use. This study compares general Internet users to participants who enrolled in an Internet based colorectal cancer clinical trials registry established by OncoLink (www.oncolink.org) and the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance. Observed rates of demographic groupings were compared to those established for general Internet users. Two thousand, four hundred and thirty-seven participants from the continental United States used the Internet to register for the database. New England, the Mid-Atlantic region, and the Southeast had the highest relative frequency of participation in the database, whereas the Upper Midwest, California, and the South had the lowest rates. Compared to general Internet users, there was an overrepresentation of women (73% vs. 50%) and participants over 55 years old (27% vs. 14%). However, there was an underrepresentation of minorities (10.3% vs. 22%), particularly African Americans (3.1% vs. 8%) and Hispanics (2.8% vs. 9%). The Internet is a growing medium for registry into clinical trials databases. However, even taking into account the selection bias of Internet accessibility, there are still widely disparate demographics between general Internet users and those registering for clinical trials, particularly the underrepresentation of minorities. Internet-based educational and recruitment services for clinical trials must be designed to reach these underrepresented minorities to avoid selection biases in future clinical trials.

Identification of Transthyretin Fibril Formation Inhibitors Using Structure-Based Virtual Screening.

PubMed

Ortore, Gabriella; Martinelli, Adriano

2017-08-22

Transthyretin (TTR) is the primary carrier for thyroxine (T 4 ) in cerebrospinal fluid and a secondary carrier in blood. TTR is a stable homotetramer, but certain factors, genetic or environmental, could promote its degradation to form amyloid fibrils. A docking study using crystal structures of wild-type TTR was planned; our aim was to design new ligands that are able to inhibit TTR fibril formation. The computational protocol was thought to overcome the multiple binding modes of the ligands induced by the peculiarity of the TTR binding site and by the pseudosymmetry of the site pockets, which generally weaken such structure-based studies. Two docking steps, one that is very fast and a subsequent step that is more accurate, were used to screen the Aldrich Market Select database. Five compounds were selected, and their activity toward inhibiting TTR fibril formation was assessed. Three compounds were observed to be actives, two of which have the same potency as the positive control, and the other was found to be a promising lead compound. These results validate a computational protocol that is able to archive information on the key interactions between database compounds and TTR, which is valuable for supporting further studies. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Genetic polymorphisms of pharmacogenomic VIP variants in the Kyrgyz population from northwest China.

PubMed

Yunus, Zulfiya; Liu, Lijun; Wang, Hong; Zhang, Le; Li, Xiaolan; Geng, Tingting; Kang, Longli; Jin, Tianbo; Chen, Chao

2013-10-15

Pharmacogenomic variant information is well known for major human populations; however, this information is less commonly studied in minorities. In the present study, we genotyped 85 very important pharmacogenetic (VIP) variants (selected from the PharmGKB database) in the Kyrgyz population and compared our data with other four major human populations including Han Chinese in Beijing, China (CHB), the Japanese in Tokyo, Japan (JPT), a northern and western Europe population (CEU), and the Yoruba in Ibadan, Nigeria (YRI). There were 13, 12 and 16 of the selected VIP variant genotype frequencies in the Kyrgyz which differed from those of the CHB, JPT and CEU, respectively (p<0.005). In the YRI, there were 32 different variants, compared to the Kyrgyz (p<0.005). Genotype frequencies of ADH1B, AHR, CYP3A5, PTGS2, VDR, and VKORC1 in the Kyrgyz differed widely from those in the four populations. Haplotype analyses also showed differences among the Kyrgyz and the other four populations. Our results complement the information provided by the database of pharmacogenomics on Kyrgyz. We provide a theoretical basis for safer drug administration and individualized treatment plans for the Kyrgyz. We also provide a template for the study of pharmacogenomics in various ethnic minority groups in China. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Attenuation relation for strong motion in Eastern Java based on appropriate database and method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahendra, Rian; Rohadi, Supriyanto; Rudyanto, Ariska

2017-07-01

The selection and determination of attenuation relation has become important for seismic hazard assessment in active seismic region. This research initially constructs the appropriate strong motion database, including site condition and type of the earthquake. The data set consisted of large number earthquakes of 5 ≤ Mw ≤ 9 and distance less than 500 km that occurred around Java from 2009 until 2016. The location and depth of earthquake are being relocated using double difference method to improve the quality of database. Strong motion data from twelve BMKG's accelerographs which are located in east Java is used. The site condition is known by using dominant period and Vs30. The type of earthquake is classified into crustal earthquake, interface, and intraslab based on slab geometry analysis. A total of 10 Ground Motion Prediction Equations (GMPEs) are tested using Likelihood (Scherbaum et al., 2004) and Euclidean Distance Ranking method (Kale and Akkar, 2012) with the associated database. The evaluation of these methods lead to a set of GMPEs that can be applied for seismic hazard in East Java where the strong motion data is collected. The result of these methods found that there is still high deviation of GMPEs, so the writer modified some GMPEs using inversion method. Validation was performed by analysing the attenuation curve of the selected GMPE and observation data in period 2015 up to 2016. The results show that the selected GMPE is suitable for estimated PGA value in East Java.

The VIMS Data Explorer: A tool for locating and visualizing hyperspectral data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasek, V. D.; Lytle, D. M.; Brown, R. H.

2016-12-01

Since successfully entering Saturn's orbit during Summer 2004 there have been over 300,000 hyperspectral data cubes returned from the visible and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIMS) instrument onboard the Cassini spacecraft. The VIMS Science Investigation is a multidisciplinary effort that uses these hyperspectral data to study a variety of scientific problems, including surface characterizations of the icy satellites and atmospheric analyses of Titan and Saturn. Such investigations may need to identify thousands of exemplary data cubes for analysis and can span many years in scope. Here we describe the VIMS data explorer (VDE) application, currently employed by the VIMS Investigation to search for and visualize data. The VDE application facilitates real-time inspection of the entire VIMS hyperspectral dataset, the construction of in situ maps, and markers to save and recall work. The application relies on two databases to provide comprehensive search capabilities. The first database contains metadata for every cube. These metadata searches are used to identify records based on parameters such as target, observation name, or date taken; they fall short in utility for some investigations. The cube metadata contains no target geometry information. Through the introduction of a post-calibration pixel database, the VDE tool enables users to greatly expand their searching capabilities. Users can select favorable cubes for further processing into 2-D and 3-D interactive maps, aiding in the data interpretation and selection process. The VDE application enables efficient search, visualization, and access to VIMS hyperspectral data. It is simple to use, requiring nothing more than a browser for access. Hyperspectral bands can be individually selected or combined to create real-time color images, a technique commonly employed by hyperspectral researchers to highlight compositional differences.

A machine learning approach to multi-level ECG signal quality classification.

PubMed

Li, Qiao; Rajagopalan, Cadathur; Clifford, Gari D

2014-12-01

Current electrocardiogram (ECG) signal quality assessment studies have aimed to provide a two-level classification: clean or noisy. However, clinical usage demands more specific noise level classification for varying applications. This work outlines a five-level ECG signal quality classification algorithm. A total of 13 signal quality metrics were derived from segments of ECG waveforms, which were labeled by experts. A support vector machine (SVM) was trained to perform the classification and tested on a simulated dataset and was validated using data from the MIT-BIH arrhythmia database (MITDB). The simulated training and test datasets were created by selecting clean segments of the ECG in the 2011 PhysioNet/Computing in Cardiology Challenge database, and adding three types of real ECG noise at different signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) levels from the MIT-BIH Noise Stress Test Database (NSTDB). The MITDB was re-annotated for five levels of signal quality. Different combinations of the 13 metrics were trained and tested on the simulated datasets and the best combination that produced the highest classification accuracy was selected and validated on the MITDB. Performance was assessed using classification accuracy (Ac), and a single class overlap accuracy (OAc), which assumes that an individual type classified into an adjacent class is acceptable. An Ac of 80.26% and an OAc of 98.60% on the test set were obtained by selecting 10 metrics while 57.26% (Ac) and 94.23% (OAc) were the numbers for the unseen MITDB validation data without retraining. By performing the fivefold cross validation, an Ac of 88.07±0.32% and OAc of 99.34±0.07% were gained on the validation fold of MITDB. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Speech-Language Pathology production regarding voice in popular singing.

PubMed

Drumond, Lorena Badaró; Vieira, Naymme Barbosa; Oliveira, Domingos Sávio Ferreira de

2011-12-01

To present a literature review about the Brazilian scientific production in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology regarding voice in popular singing in the last decade, as for number of publications, musical styles studied, focus of the researches, and instruments used for data collection. Cross-sectional descriptive study carried out in two stages: search in databases and publications encompassing the last decade of researches in this area in Brazil, and reading of the material obtained for posterior categorization. The databases LILACS and SciELO, the Databasis of Dissertations and Theses organized by CAPES, the online version of Acta ORL, and the online version of OPUS were searched, using the following uniterms: voice, professional voice, singing voice, dysphonia, voice disorders, voice training, music, dysodia. Articles published between the years 2000 and 2010 were selected. The researches found were classified and categorized after reading their abstracts and, when necessary, the whole study. Twenty researches within the proposed theme were selected, all of which were descriptive, involving several musical styles. Twelve studies focused on the evaluation of the popular singer's voice, and the most frequently used data collection instrument was the auditory-perceptual evaluation. The results of the publications found corroborate the objectives proposed by the authors and the different methodologies. The number of studies published is still restricted when compared to the diversity of musical genres and the uniqueness of popular singer.

Comorbidity in Dupuytren disease.

PubMed

Degreef, I

2016-09-01

In this report, a possible association between Dupuytren's disease (DD) and other health problems was investigated. The health problems included in this study are : cardiac ischemia, hypertension, hyper-lipidemia, diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, malignancy, asthma and COPD. The data of 725 patients with DD were collected from -Intego, a database including all morbidity presented to the General Practitioners (GPs) in Flanders. The control group of 2900 age and sex matched non-DD patients was selected from the same database. A possible influence of severity of DD was evaluated by comparing the data of 333 patients operated for DD with the group of Integopatients with DD. This study showed a significant association of every single studied health condition with DD. Comparison of the -operated group with the group from Intego with DD, demonstrated only some significant associations, a difference which may be explained by the difference in data collection.

Indicators for the automated analysis of drug prescribing quality.

PubMed

Coste, J; Séné, B; Milstein, C; Bouée, S; Venot, A

1998-01-01

Irrational and inconsistent drug prescription has considerable impact on morbidity, mortality, health service utilization, and community burden. However, few studies have addressed the methodology of processing the information contained in these drug orders used to study the quality of drug prescriptions and prescriber behavior. We present a comprehensive set of quantitative indicators for the quality of drug prescriptions which can be derived from a drug order. These indicators were constructed using explicit a priori criteria which were previously validated on the basis of scientific data. Automatic computation is straightforward, using a relational database system, such that large sets of prescriptions can be processed with minimal human effort. We illustrate the feasibility and value of this approach by using a large set of 23,000 prescriptions for several diseases, selected from a nationally representative prescriptions database. Our study may result in direct and wide applications in the epidemiology of medical practice and in quality control procedures.

A review on mode-I interlaminar fracture toughness of fibre reinforced composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nasuha, N.; Azmi, A. I.; Tan, C. L.

2017-10-01

Composite material has been growing rapidly throughout the year for its unique properties in comparisons with metal. Recently, there has been a growth on studying the way to reduce the delamination failure, which is the primary challenge on laminated fibre composite. This failure can degrade the strength of composite materials, hence loses its function. In this review, database search was performed using the keywords search on “interlaminar fracture toughness”, “double cantilever beam”, “delamination resistance” and “Mode-I GIC”. The searches were performed on Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science with further cross-referencing with other databases. Most relevant studies were selected for review and referencing by the author. This review paper gives a brief explanation on Mode-I interlaminar fracture toughness of composite material. This fracture mode is the most common modes on studying the delamination failure.

A knowledge-based approach for identification of drugs against vivapain-2 protein of Plasmodium vivax through pharmacophore-based virtual screening with comparative modelling.

PubMed

Yadav, Manoj Kumar; Singh, Amisha; Swati, D

2014-08-01

Malaria is one of the most infectious diseases in the world. Plasmodium vivax, the pathogen causing endemic malaria in humans worldwide, is responsible for extensive disease morbidity. Due to the emergence of resistance to common anti-malarial drugs, there is a continuous need to develop a new class of drugs for this pathogen. P. vivax cysteine protease, also known as vivapain-2, plays an important role in haemoglobin hydrolysis and is considered essential for the survival of the parasite. The three-dimensional (3D) structure of vivapain-2 is not predicted experimentally, so its structure is modelled by using comparative modelling approach and further validated by Qualitative Model Energy Analysis (QMEAN) and RAMPAGE tools. The potential binding site of selected vivapain-2 structure has been detected by grid-based function prediction method. Drug targets and their respective drugs similar to vivapain-2 have been identified using three publicly available databases: STITCH 3.1, DrugBank and Therapeutic Target Database (TTD). The second approach of this work focuses on docking study of selected drug E-64 against vivapain-2 protein. Docking reveals crucial information about key residues (Asn281, Cys283, Val396 and Asp398) that are responsible for holding the ligand in the active site. The similarity-search criterion is used for the preparation of our in-house database of drugs, obtained from filtering the drugs from the DrugBank database. A five-point 3D pharmacophore model is generated for the docked complex of vivapain-2 with E-64. This study of 3D pharmacophore-based virtual screening results in identifying three new drugs, amongst which one is approved and the other two are experimentally proved. The ADMET properties of these drugs are found to be in the desired range. These drugs with novel scaffolds may act as potent drugs for treating malaria caused by P. vivax.

Systematic review of the literature on the effectiveness of product reformulation measures to reduce the sugar content of food and drink on the population's sugar consumption and health: a study protocol.

PubMed

Hashem, Kawther M; He, Feng J; MacGregor, Graham A

2016-06-09

Obesity, type 2 diabetes and dental caries are all major public health problems in the UK, with significant costs to the healthcare service. We aim to conduct a systematic review to summarise the evidence on the effectiveness of product reformulation measures to reduce the sugar content of food and drink on the population's sugar consumption and health. Electronic database will be systematically searched using a combination of terms, tailored to optimise sensitivity, specificity, and the syntax and functionality of each database. The databases searched will include the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE (Ovid) and Scopus. The bibliographies of those papers that match inclusion criteria will be searched by hand to identify any further, relevant references, which will be subject to the same screening and selection process. The database search results will be supplemented by hand searches. In addition to the peer-reviewed literature, a number of grey literature searches will be undertaken using the broad search terms 'sugar' and 'food' or 'drink' and 'reduction', these searches will include key government and organisation websites as well as general searches in Google. The selection of the studies, data collection and quality appraisal will be performed independently by 2 reviewers. Data will be initially analysed through a narrative synthesis method. If a subset of data we analyse appears comparable, we will investigate the possibility of performing a meta-analysis. Ethics approval will not be required as this is a protocol for a systematic review. The findings will be disseminated widely through conference presentations and published in a peer-reviewed journal. CRD42016034022. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Anthropometry of Brazilian Air Force pilots.

PubMed

da Silva, Gilvan V; Halpern, Manny; Gordon, Claire C

2017-10-01

Anthropometric data are essential for the design of military equipment including sizing of aircraft cockpits and personal gear. Currently, there are no anthropometric databases specific to Brazilian military personnel. The aim of this study was to create a Brazilian anthropometric database of Air Force pilots. The methods, protocols, descriptions, definitions, landmarks, tools and measurements procedures followed the instructions outlined in Measurer's Handbook: US Army and Marine Corps Anthropometric Surveys, 2010-2011 - NATICK/TR-11/017. The participants were measured countrywide, in all five Brazilian Geographical Regions. Thirty-nine anthropometric measurements related to cockpit design were selected. The results of 2133 males and 206 females aged 16-52 years constitute a set of basic data for cockpit design, space arrangement issues and adjustments, protective gear and equipment design, as well as for digital human modelling. Another important implication is that this study can be considered a starting point for reducing gender bias in women's career as pilots. Practitioner Summary: This paper describes the first large-scale anthropometric survey of the Brazilian Air Force pilots and the development of the related database. This study provides critical data for improving aircraft cockpit design for ergonomics and comprehensive pilot accommodation, protective gear and uniform design, as well as digital human modelling.