Sample records for difference reached statistical
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Mudge, Joseph F; Penny, Faith M; Houlahan, Jeff E
2012-12-01
Setting optimal significance levels that minimize Type I and Type II errors allows for more transparent and well-considered statistical decision making compared to the traditional α = 0.05 significance level. We use the optimal α approach to re-assess conclusions reached by three recently published tests of the pace-of-life syndrome hypothesis, which attempts to unify occurrences of different physiological, behavioral, and life history characteristics under one theory, over different scales of biological organization. While some of the conclusions reached using optimal α were consistent to those previously reported using the traditional α = 0.05 threshold, opposing conclusions were also frequently reached. The optimal α approach reduced probabilities of Type I and Type II errors, and ensured statistical significance was associated with biological relevance. Biologists should seriously consider their choice of α when conducting null hypothesis significance tests, as there are serious disadvantages with consistent reliance on the traditional but arbitrary α = 0.05 significance level. Copyright © 2012 WILEY Periodicals, Inc.
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Bagian, James P.; Schafer, Lauren E.
1992-01-01
The Challenger accident prompted the creation of a crew escape system which replaced the former Launch Entry Helmet (LEH) ensemble with the current Launch Entry Suit (LES). However, questions were raised regarding the impact of this change on crew reach capability. This study addressed the question of reach capability and its effects on realistic ground-based training for Space Shuttle missions. Eleven subjects performed reach sweeps in both the LEH and LES suits during 1 and 3 Gx acceleration trials in the Brooks AFB centrifuge. These reach sweeps were recorded on videotape and subsequently analyzed using a 3D motion analysis system. The ANOVA procedure of the Statistical Analysis System program was used to evaluate differences in forward and overhead reach. The results showed that the LES provided less reach capability than its predecessor, the LEH. This study also demonstrated that, since there was no substantial difference between 1 and 3 Gx reach sweeps in the LES, realistic Shuttle launch training may be accomplished in ground based simulators.
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Mabe, Jeffrey A.; Moring, J. Bruce
2008-01-01
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Houston-Galveston Area Council and the Galveston Bay Estuary Program under the authority of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, did a study in 2007 to assess the variation in biotic assemblages (benthic macroinvertebrate and fish communities) and stream-habitat data with sampling strategy and method in tidal segments of Highland Bayou and Marchand Bayou in Galveston County. Data were collected once in spring and once in summer 2007 from four stream sites (reaches) (short names Hitchcock, Fairwood, Bayou Dr, and Texas City) of Highland Bayou and from one reach (short name Marchand) in Marchand Bayou. Only stream-habitat data from summer 2007 samples were used for this report. Additional samples were collected at the Hitchcock, Fairwood, and Bayou Dr reaches (multisample reaches) during summer 2007 to evaluate variation resulting from sampling intensity and location. Graphical analysis of benthic macroinvertebrate community data using a multidimensional scaling technique indicates there are taxonomic differences between the spring and summer samples. Seasonal differences in communities primarily were related to decreases in the abundance of chironomids and polychaetes in summer samples. Multivariate Analysis of Similarities tests of additional summer 2007 benthic macroinvertebrate samples from Hitchcock, Fairwood, and Bayou Dr indicated significant taxonomic differences between the sampling locations at all three reaches. In general, the deepwater samples had the smallest numbers for benthic macroinvertebrate taxa richness and abundance. Graphical analysis of species-level fish data indicates no consistent seasonal difference in fish taxa across reaches. Increased seining intensity at the multisample reaches did not result in a statistically significant difference in fish communities. Increased seining resulted in some changes in taxa richness and community diversity metrics. Diversity increases associated with increased electrofishing intensity were relatively consistent across the two multisample electrofishing reaches (Hitchcock and Fairwood). Differences in the physical characteristics of the Highland and Marchand Bayou reaches are largely the result of the differences in channel gradient and position in the drainage network or watershed of each reach. No trees were observed on the bank adjacent to the five transects at either the Bayou Dr or Texas City reaches. Riparian vegetation at the more downstream Fairwood, Bayou Dr, and Texas City reaches was dominated by less-woody and more-herbaceous shrubs, and grasses and forbs, than at the more upstream Hitchcock and Marchand reaches. The width of the vegetation buffer was variable among all reaches and appeared to be more related to the extent of anthropogenic development in the riparian zone rather than to natural changes in the riparian buffer. Four additional transects per reach were sampled for habitat variables at Hitchcock, Fairwood, and Bayou Dr. Medians of most stream-habitat variables changed with increased sampling intensity (addition of two and four transects to the standard five transects), although none of the differences in medians were statistically significant. All habitat quality index values for the five reaches scored in the intermediate category. Increasing sampling intensity did not change the habitat quality index score for any of the reaches.
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Reaching Asian Americans: sampling strategies and incentives.
Lee, Soo-Kyung; Cheng, Yu-Yao
2006-07-01
Reaching and recruiting representative samples of minority populations is often challenging. This study examined in Chinese and Korean Americans: 1) whether using two different sampling strategies (random sampling vs. convenience sampling) significantly affected characteristics of recruited participants and 2) whether providing different incentives in the mail survey produced different response rates. We found statistically significant, however mostly not remarkable, differences between random and convenience samples. Offering monetary incentives in the mail survey improved response rates among Chinese Americans, while offering a small gift did not improve response rates among either Chinese or Korean Americans. This information will be useful for researchers and practitioners working with Asian Americans.
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Statistical testing of baseline differences in sports medicine RCTs: a systematic evaluation.
Peterson, Ross L; Tran, Matthew; Koffel, Jonathan; Stovitz, Steven D
2017-01-01
The CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) statement discourages reporting statistical tests of baseline differences between groups in randomised controlled trials (RCTs). However, this practice is still common in many medical fields. Our aim was to determine the prevalence of this practice in leading sports medicine journals. We conducted a comprehensive search in Medline through PubMed to identify RCTs published in the years 2005 and 2015 from 10 high-impact sports medicine journals. Two reviewers independently confirmed the trial design and reached consensus on which articles contained statistical tests of baseline differences. Our search strategy identified a total of 324 RCTs, with 85 from the year 2005 and 239 from the year 2015. Overall, 64.8% of studies (95% CI (59.6, 70.0)) reported statistical tests of baseline differences; broken down by year, this percentage was 67.1% in 2005 (95% CI (57.1, 77.1)) and 64.0% in 2015 (95% CI (57.9, 70.1)). Although discouraged by the CONSORT statement, statistical testing of baseline differences remains highly prevalent in sports medicine RCTs. Statistical testing of baseline differences can mislead authors; for example, by failing to identify meaningful baseline differences in small studies. Journals that ask authors to follow the CONSORT statement guidelines should recognise that many manuscripts are ignoring the recommendation against statistical testing of baseline differences.
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Statistical modeling of urban air temperature distributions under different synoptic conditions
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Beck, Christoph; Breitner, Susanne; Cyrys, Josef; Hald, Cornelius; Hartz, Uwe; Jacobeit, Jucundus; Richter, Katja; Schneider, Alexandra; Wolf, Kathrin
2015-04-01
Within urban areas air temperature may vary distinctly between different locations. These intra-urban air temperature variations partly reach magnitudes that are relevant with respect to human thermal comfort. Therefore and furthermore taking into account potential interrelations with other health related environmental factors (e.g. air quality) it is important to estimate spatial patterns of intra-urban air temperature distributions that may be incorporated into urban planning processes. In this contribution we present an approach to estimate spatial temperature distributions in the urban area of Augsburg (Germany) by means of statistical modeling. At 36 locations in the urban area of Augsburg air temperatures are measured with high temporal resolution (4 min.) since December 2012. These 36 locations represent different typical urban land use characteristics in terms of varying percentage coverages of different land cover categories (e.g. impervious, built-up, vegetated). Percentage coverages of these land cover categories have been extracted from different sources (Open Street Map, European Urban Atlas, Urban Morphological Zones) for regular grids of varying size (50, 100, 200 meter horizonal resolution) for the urban area of Augsburg. It is well known from numerous studies that land use characteristics have a distinct influence on air temperature and as well other climatic variables at a certain location. Therefore air temperatures at the 36 locations are modeled utilizing land use characteristics (percentage coverages of land cover categories) as predictor variables in Stepwise Multiple Regression models and in Random Forest based model approaches. After model evaluation via cross-validation appropriate statistical models are applied to gridded land use data to derive spatial urban air temperature distributions. Varying models are tested and applied for different seasons and times of the day and also for different synoptic conditions (e.g. clear and calm situations, cloudy and windy situations). Based on hourly air temperature data from our measurements in the urban area of Augsburg distinct temperature differences between locations with different urban land use characteristics are revealed. Under clear and calm weather conditions differences between mean hourly air temperatures reach values around 8°C. Whereas during cloudy and windy weather maximum differences in mean hourly air temperatures do not exceed 5°C. Differences appear usually slightly more pronounced in summer than in winter. First results from the application of statistical modeling approaches reveal promising skill of the models in terms of explained variances reaching up to 60% in leave-one-out cross-validation experiments. The contribution depicts the methodology of our approach and presents and discusses first results.
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Cai, He; Guan, Jing; Shen, Huan; Han, Hongjing; Yu, Xiaoming
2017-08-01
To investigate whether laparoscopic excision of ovarian endometriomas pretreated with operation by gynecologists or reproductive surgeons exerts different effects on in vitro fertilization-intracytoplasmic sperm injection results. Retrospective case control study. Relevant information was collected from the electronic records of women who underwent IVF/ICSI from 01/01/2013 to 30/12/2015 in our unit. The study group consisted of 35 women who previously had laparoscopic endometrioma excision by reproductive surgeons in our unit; the control group included 36 patients who underwent surgery for endometriomas by gynecologists in our hospital. There were slightly higher numbers of AFC and higher pregnancy rate in the study group, although differences did not reach statistical significance. For patients over 35 years old, there were more oocyte retrieved, mature oocytes and two pronucei (2PN) in the study group than the control group although observed differences did not reach statistical significance. Electrocautery is more deleterious on ovarian reserve than hemostatic suture. In procedure of patients who wish to conceive, surgeons should use hemostatic suturing technique preferentially.
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Heimann, David C.
2017-10-24
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Conservation and Missouri Department of Natural Resources, completed a study to assess a mechanical redistribution technique used for the management of large woody debris (LWD) jams in Locust Creek within Pershing State Park and Fountain Grove Conservation Area, Linn County, Missouri. Extensive LWD jams were treated from 1996 to 2009 using a low-impact technique in which LWD from the jams was redistributed to reopen the channel and to mimic the natural geomorphic process of channel migration and adjustment to an obstruction. The scope of the study included the comparison of selected channel geometry characteristics and bed material particle-size distribution in seven LWD treatment reaches with that of adjacent untreated reaches (unaffected by LWD accumulations) of Locust Creek. A comparison of 1996 and 2015 survey cross sections in treated and untreated reaches and photograph documentation were used to assess channel geomorphic change and the stability of redistributed LWD. The physical characteristics of LWD within jams present in the study reach during 2015–16 also were documented.Based on the general lack of differences in channel metrics between treated and untreated reaches, it can be concluded that the mechanical redistribution technique has been an effective treatment of extensive LWD jams in Locust Creek. Channel alterations, including aggradation, streamflow piracy, and diversions, have resulted in temporal and spatial changes in the Locust Creek channel that may affect future applications of the redistribution technique in Pershing State Park. The redistribution technique was used to effectively manage LWD in Locust Creek at a potentially lower financial cost and reduced environmental disturbance than the complete removal of LWD.A comparison of four channel metrics (bankfull cross-sectional area, channel width, streamflow capacity, and width-depth ratio) for individual treatment reaches with adjacent untreated reaches indicated no statistically significant difference in most comparisons. Where statistically significant differences in channel metrics were determined between individual reaches, the channel metrics in treatment reaches were significantly less than adjacent untreated reaches in some comparisons, and significantly greater than adjacent untreated reaches in others. Without immediate posttreatment cross sections in treated and untreated reaches for comparison, it is impossible to say with certainty that a lack of significant differences in channel metrics is a result of posttreatment channel adjustment or, conversely, that any significant differences that remain are a result of the treatment of LWD.Characteristics of LWD in accumulations sampled within the study area in 2015 indicate that most sampled pieces were in the 1–2 foot diameter size class, the 5–16 foot length class, and the advanced decay class. Most of documented LWD pieces were loose and not buried, about 20 percent on average had a root wad attached, and about 6.5 percent on average were sawn logs. Most of sampled material was less than one-half of the bankfull channel width, indicating it was easily transportable, and the advanced decay class of material entering the study area indicated that it was likely sourced from outside of Pershing State Park.Redistributed LWD associated with treatment seems to be intact in the 1996 treated reaches from direct observation and from inference because there was net channel aggradation between 1996 and 2015 in comparison surveys. The change in channel area resulting from aggradation in time (1996 to 2015) in treated and untreated reaches exceeded the differences in channel characteristics between the treated and untreated channels in 2015 surveys.
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Gebler, J.B.
2004-01-01
The related topics of spatial variability of aquatic invertebrate community metrics, implications of spatial patterns of metric values to distributions of aquatic invertebrate communities, and ramifications of natural variability to the detection of human perturbations were investigated. Four metrics commonly used for stream assessment were computed for 9 stream reaches within a fairly homogeneous, minimally impaired stream segment of the San Pedro River, Arizona. Metric variability was assessed for differing sampling scenarios using simple permutation procedures. Spatial patterns of metric values suggest that aquatic invertebrate communities are patchily distributed on subsegment and segment scales, which causes metric variability. Wide ranges of metric values resulted in wide ranges of metric coefficients of variation (CVs) and minimum detectable differences (MDDs), and both CVs and MDDs often increased as sample size (number of reaches) increased, suggesting that any particular set of sampling reaches could yield misleading estimates of population parameters and effects that can be detected. Mean metric variabilities were substantial, with the result that only fairly large differences in metrics would be declared significant at ?? = 0.05 and ?? = 0.20. The number of reaches required to obtain MDDs of 10% and 20% varied with significance level and power, and differed for different metrics, but were generally large, ranging into tens and hundreds of reaches. Study results suggest that metric values from one or a small number of stream reach(es) may not be adequate to represent a stream segment, depending on effect sizes of interest, and that larger sample sizes are necessary to obtain reasonable estimates of metrics and sample statistics. For bioassessment to progress, spatial variability may need to be investigated in many systems and should be considered when designing studies and interpreting data.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Ford, Michael J.; Williamson, Kevin S.
We investigated differences in the statistical power to assign parentage between an artificially propagated and wild salmon population. The propagated fish were derived from the wild population, and are used to supplement its abundance. Levels of genetic variation were similar between the propagated and wild groups at 11 microsatellite loci, and exclusion probabilities were >0.999999 for both groups. The ability to unambiguously identify a pair of parents for each sampled progeny was much lower than expected, however. Simulations demonstrated that the proportion of cases the most likely pair of parents were the true parents was lower for propagated parents thanmore » for wild parents. There was a clear relationship between parentage assignment ability and the degree of linkage disequilibrium, the estimated effective number of breeders that produced the parents, and the size of the largest family within the potential parents. If a stringent threshold for parentage assignment was used, estimates of relative fitness were biased downward for the propagated fish. The bias appeared to be largely eliminated by either fractionally assigning progeny among parents in proportion to their likelihood of parentage, or by assigning progeny to the most likely set of parents without using a statistical threshold. We used a DNA-based parentage analysis to measure the relative reproductive success of hatchery- and natural-origin spring Chinook salmon in the natural environment. Both male and female hatchery-origin fish produced far fewer juvenile progeny per parent when spawning naturally than did natural origin fish. Differences in age structure, spawning location, weight and run timing were responsible for some of the difference in fitness. Male size and age had a large influence on fitness, with larger and older males producing more offspring than smaller or younger individuals. Female size had a significant effect on fitness, but the effect was much smaller than the effect of size on male fitness. For both sexes, run time had a smaller but still significant effect on fitness, with earlier returning fish favored. Spawning location within the river had a significant effect on fitness for both males and females, and for females explained most of the reduced fitness observed for hatchery fish in this population. While differences have been reported in the relative reproductive success of hatchery and naturally produced salmonids Oncorhynchus spp., factors explaining the differences are often confounded. We examined the spawning site habitat and redd structure variables of hatchery and naturally produced spring Chinook salmon O. tshawytscha of known size that spawned in two tributaries of the Wenatchee River. We controlled for variability in spawning habitat by limiting our analysis to redds found within four selected reaches. No difference in the instantaneous spawner density or location of the redd in the stream channel was detected between reaches. Within each reach, no difference in the fork length or weight of hatchery and naturally produced fish was detected. While most variables differed between reaches, we found no difference in redd characteristics within a reach between hatchery and naturally produced females. Correlation analysis of fish size and redd characteristics found several weak but significant relationships suggesting larger fish contract larger redds in deeper water. Spawner density was inversely related to several redd structure variables suggesting redd size may decrease as spawner density increases. Results should be considered preliminary until samples size and statistical power goals are reached in future years. Trends in relative reproductive success of hatchery and naturally produced spring Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in the Wenatchee Basins suggest females that spawn in the upper reaches of the tributaries produced a great number of offspring compared to females that spawn in the lower reaches of the tributaries. To better understand this trend, redd microhabitat data was collected from spring Chinook salmon that spawned in the Chiwawa River and Nason Creek, the primary spawning tributaries in the Wenatchee Basin. The objective of the study was to examine the influence of habitat and spawner density on spawning site and redd structure characteristics. We analyzed 27 variables of redd microhabitat data collected from the upper and lower most reaches of each study stream. In both streams, we found redds in the upper most reaches to be significantly larger (length and width) and deeper (bowl depth). Spawner density was significantly greater in the lower Chiwawa River compared to the upper reach. No difference in spawner density was detected between reaches in Nason Creek (P = 0.54). Data should be considered preliminary until sample size goals are achieved.« less
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[Effect of static magnetic field on deep wound healing of SD rats].
Shen, Jian-Guo; Chen, Wei-Shan; Wang, Chang-Xing; Jiang, Tao; Dong, Li-Qiang
2009-05-01
To investigate the effect of static magnetic field on deep wound healing of SD rats and VEGF during the wound healing and different strength static magnetic field on deep wound healing of SD rats. Divided forty-eight SD rats into three groups: 0.16 T magnetic disk treatment (0.16 T group), 0.32 T magnetic disk treatment (0.32 T group), control group. General wounds healing situation was observated on the 3, 6, 9, 12 day. The area of every wound was calculated. The tissue of granulation was dyeing by immune tissue chemical decoration method, in which VEGF protein content with its range in tissue was measured. The healing index of 0.16 T magnetic group wounds were larger than that of control group on 6th and 9th day, there were statistical difference. The healing index of 0.32 T magnetic group wounds were larger than that of control group on 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th day, there were statistical difference. The healing index of 0.32 T group wounds contrasted to that of 0.16 T group wounds had no statistical significance. Observation of VEGF at the course of wound healing:the expressing of VEGF in magnetic group wounds on 3rd and 6th was stronger than in control group wounds, there were statistical difference. While there were no obvious difference between them on 9th and 12th day (P>0.05). But the contrast between that in 0.32 T group and in 0.16 T group had no statistical difference. The expressing strength of VEGF in magnetic group reached the peak amplitude on the 6th day, and that in control group reached peak amplitude on 9th day. And the peak amplitude of magnetic group was stronger than that of control group. Static magnetic disc of 0.16T and 0.32 T can promote deep wound of SD rats heal. The mechanism of static magnetic field promoting wound heal may be relative to the expressing highly of VEGF during early and middle time.
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Núñez, Eutimio Gustavo Fernández; Faintuch, Bluma Linkowski; Teodoro, Rodrigo; Wiecek, Danielle Pereira; da Silva, Natanael Gomes; Papadopoulos, Minas; Pelecanou, Maria; Pirmettis, Ioannis; de Oliveira Filho, Renato Santos; Duatti, Adriano; Pasqualini, Roberto
2011-04-01
The objective of this study was the development of a statistical approach for radiolabeling optimization of cysteine-dextran conjugates with Tc-99m tricarbonyl core. This strategy has been applied to the labeling of 2-propylene-S-cysteine-dextran in the attempt to prepare a new class of tracers for sentinel lymph node detection, and can be extended to other radiopharmaceuticals for different targets. The statistical routine was based on three-level factorial design. Best labeling conditions were achieved. The specific activity reached was 5 MBq/μg. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Properties of different selection signature statistics and a new strategy for combining them.
Ma, Y; Ding, X; Qanbari, S; Weigend, S; Zhang, Q; Simianer, H
2015-11-01
Identifying signatures of recent or ongoing selection is of high relevance in livestock population genomics. From a statistical perspective, determining a proper testing procedure and combining various test statistics is challenging. On the basis of extensive simulations in this study, we discuss the statistical properties of eight different established selection signature statistics. In the considered scenario, we show that a reasonable power to detect selection signatures is achieved with high marker density (>1 SNP/kb) as obtained from sequencing, while rather small sample sizes (~15 diploid individuals) appear to be sufficient. Most selection signature statistics such as composite likelihood ratio and cross population extended haplotype homozogysity have the highest power when fixation of the selected allele is reached, while integrated haplotype score has the highest power when selection is ongoing. We suggest a novel strategy, called de-correlated composite of multiple signals (DCMS) to combine different statistics for detecting selection signatures while accounting for the correlation between the different selection signature statistics. When examined with simulated data, DCMS consistently has a higher power than most of the single statistics and shows a reliable positional resolution. We illustrate the new statistic to the established selective sweep around the lactase gene in human HapMap data providing further evidence of the reliability of this new statistic. Then, we apply it to scan selection signatures in two chicken samples with diverse skin color. Our analysis suggests that a set of well-known genes such as BCO2, MC1R, ASIP and TYR were involved in the divergent selection for this trait.
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Statistical mechanics of few-particle systems: exact results for two useful models
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Miranda, Enrique N.
2017-11-01
The statistical mechanics of small clusters (n ˜ 10-50 elements) of harmonic oscillators and two-level systems is studied exactly, following the microcanonical, canonical and grand canonical formalisms. For clusters with several hundred particles, the results from the three formalisms coincide with those found in the thermodynamic limit. However, for clusters formed by a few tens of elements, the three ensembles yield different results. For a cluster with a few tens of harmonic oscillators, when the heat capacity per oscillator is evaluated within the canonical formalism, it reaches a limit value equal to k B , as in the thermodynamic case, while within the microcanonical formalism the limit value is k B (1-1/n). This difference could be measured experimentally. For a cluster with a few tens of two-level systems, the heat capacity evaluated within the canonical and microcanonical ensembles also presents differences that could be detected experimentally. Both the microcanonical and grand canonical formalism show that the entropy is non-additive for systems this small, while the canonical ensemble reaches the opposite conclusion. These results suggest that the microcanonical ensemble is the most appropriate for dealing with systems with tens of particles.
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Ocular Biometrics of Myopic Eyes With Narrow Angles.
Chong, Gabriel T; Wen, Joanne C; Su, Daniel Hsien-Wen; Stinnett, Sandra; Asrani, Sanjay
2016-02-01
The purpose of this study was to compare the ocular biometrics between myopic patients with and without narrow angles. Patients with a stable myopic refraction (myopia worse than -1.00 D spherical equivalent) were prospectively recruited. Angle status was assessed using gonioscopy and biometric measurements were performed using an anterior segment optical coherence tomography and an IOLMaster. A total of 29 patients (58 eyes) were enrolled with 13 patients (26 eyes) classified as having narrow angles and 16 patients (32 eyes) classified as having open angles. Baseline demographics of age, sex, and ethnicity did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. The patients with narrow angles were on average older than those with open angles but the difference did not reach statistical significance (P=0.12). The central anterior chamber depth was significantly less in the eyes with narrow angles (P=0.05). However, the average lens thickness, although greater in the eyes with narrow angles, did not reach statistical significance (P=0.10). Refractive error, axial lengths, and iris thicknesses did not differ significantly between the 2 groups (P=0.32, 0.47, 0.15). Narrow angles can occur in myopic eyes. Routine gonioscopy is therefore recommended for all patients regardless of refractive error.
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Differences in dynamic balance scores in one sport versus multiple sport high school athletes.
Gorman, Paul P; Butler, Robert J; Rauh, Mitchell J; Kiesel, Kyle; Plisky, Phillip J
2012-04-01
Researchers have previously reported on the importance of dynamic balance in assessing an individual's risk for injury during sport. However, to date there is no research on whether multiple sport participation affects dynamic balance ability. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in dynamic balance scores in high school athletes that competed in one sport only as compared athletes who competed in multiple sports, as tested by the Lower Quarter Y Balance Test (YBT-LQ). Ninety-two high school athletes who participated in one sport were matched, by age, gender and sport played, to athletes who participated in the same sport as well as additional sports. All individuals were assessed using the YBT-LQ to examine differences in composite reach score and reach direction asymmetry between single sport and multiple sport athletes. The greatest reach distance of three trials in each reach direction for right and left lower-extremities was normalized by limb length and used for analysis. A two-way ANOVA (gender x number of sports played) was used to statistically analyze the variables in the study. No significant interactions or main effects related to number of sports played were observed for any YBT-LQ score (p>0.05). Male athletes exhibited significantly greater normalized reach values for the posteromedial, posterolateral, and composite reach while also exhibiting a larger anterior reach difference when compared to the females. Athletes who participated in multiple sports had similar performances on the YBT-LQ when compared to athletes who participated in a single sport. The findings of this study suggest that the number of sports played by a high school athlete does not need to be controlled for when evaluating dynamic balance with the YBT-LQ.
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Effect of Abdominoplasty in the Lipid Profile of Patients with Dyslipidemia
Ramos-Gallardo, Guillermo; Pérez Verdin, Ana; Fuentes, Miguel; Godínez Gutiérrez, Sergio; Ambriz-Plascencia, Ana Rosa; González-García, Ignacio; Gómez-Fonseca, Sonia Mericia; Madrigal, Rosalio; González-Reynoso, Luis Iván; Figueroa, Sandra; Toscano Igartua, Xavier; Jiménez Gutierrez, Déctor Francisco
2013-01-01
Introduction. Dyslipidemia like other chronic degenerative diseases is pandemic in Latin America and around the world. A lot of patients asking for body contouring surgery can be sick without knowing it. Objective. Observe the lipid profile of patients with dyslipidemia, before and three months after an abdominoplasty. Methods. Patients candidate to an abdominoplasty without morbid obesity were followed before and three months after the surgery. We compared the lipid profile, glucose, insulin, and HOMA (cardiovascular risk marker) before and three months after the surgery. We used Student's t test to compare the results. A P value less than 0.05 was considered as significant. Results. Twenty-six patients were observed before and after the surgery. At the third month, we found only statistical differences in LDL and triglyceride values (P 0.04 and P 0.03). The rest of metabolic values did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion. In this group of patients with dyslipidemia, at the third month, only LDL and triglyceride values reached statistical significances. There is no significant change in glucose, insulin, HOMA, cholesterol, VLDL, or HDL. PMID:23956856
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Comparison of Histograms for Use in Cloud Observation and Modeling
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Green, Lisa; Xu, Kuan-Man
2005-01-01
Cloud observation and cloud modeling data can be presented in histograms for each characteristic to be measured. Combining information from single-cloud histograms yields a summary histogram. Summary histograms can be compared to each other to reach conclusions about the behavior of an ensemble of clouds in different places at different times or about the accuracy of a particular cloud model. As in any scientific comparison, it is necessary to decide whether any apparent differences are statistically significant. The usual methods of deciding statistical significance when comparing histograms do not apply in this case because they assume independent data. Thus, a new method is necessary. The proposed method uses the Euclidean distance metric and bootstrapping to calculate the significance level.
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Regular aquatic exercise for chronic kidney disease patients: a 10-year follow-up study.
Pechter, Ülle; Raag, Mait; Ots-Rosenberg, Mai
2014-09-01
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients not yet in dialysis can benefit from increased physical activity; however, the safety and outcomes of aquatic exercise have not been investigated in observational studies. The aim of this study was to analyze association of 10 years of regularly performed aquatic exercise with the study endpoint--that is, all-cause death or start of dialysis. Consecutive CKD patients were included in the study in January 2002. The exercise group (n=7) exercised regularly under the supervision of physiotherapist for 10 years; the control group (n=9), matched in terms of age and clinical parameters, remained sedentary. Low-intensity aerobic aquatic exercise was performed regularly twice a week; 32 weeks or more of exercise therapy sessions were conducted annually. None of the members of the aquatic exercise group reached dialysis or died in 10 years. In the sedentary control group, 55% reached the study endpoint--renal replacement therapy (n=2) or all-cause death (n=3). Occurrence of the study endpoint, compared using the exact multinomial test with unconditional margins, was statistically significantly different (P-value: 0.037) between the study groups. Regular supervised aquatic exercise arrested CKD progression. There was a statistically significant difference between the sedentary group and the exercise group in reaching renal replacement therapy or all-cause death in a follow-up time of 10 years.
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Rossini, Roberto; Lisi, Giorgio; Pesci, Anna; Ceccaroni, Marcello; Zamboni, Giuseppe; Gentile, Irene; Rettore, Lorenzo; Ruffo, Giacomo
2018-02-01
Intestinal involvement in endometriosis was first described by Sampson in 1922. The reported incidence ranges between 3% and 37% in patients diagnosed with endometriosis. In literature, there are few studies that correlate the severity of endometriosis (in terms of intestinal infiltration) and its clinical presentation. The aim of this study was to review the correlation between the severity of symptoms, the depth of intestinal wall infiltration, and lymph node involvement in our tertiary referral center. We retrospectively analyzed 553 patients who had undergone intestinal resection for deep infiltrating endometriosis at our institution (Sacro Cuore Negrar Hospital) between 2004 and 2009. Based on intestinal wall infiltration, we divided patients into three groups (Group A: intestinal infiltration that reaches the muscle layer, Group B: infiltration to the submucosa, and Group C: endometriosis reaches the mucosa). Symptoms, intestinal stenosis, and positive lymph nodes were compared in the three groups with the chi-square test. No statistical correlation was found between symptoms and the intestinal wall infiltrations. The three groups were also compared on the basis of positive visceral lymph nodes and we did find a statistical difference (P = .05) in the lymph node count in the two main groups. There seems to be no statistically significant difference in symptoms between patients with different degrees of infiltration. Although visceral lymph node involvement has been occasionally described in literature, we found that it is related to submucosal infiltration.
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Counihan, Timothy D; Waite, Ian R; Nilsen, Elena B; Hardiman, Jill M; Elias, Edwin; Gelfenbaum, Guy; Zaugg, Steven D
2014-06-15
While previous studies have documented contaminants in fish, sediments, water, and wildlife, few specifics are known about the spatial distribution of contaminants in the Columbia River Estuary (CRE). Our study goal was to characterize sediment contaminant detections and concentrations in reaches of the CRE that were concurrently being sampled to assess contaminants in water, invertebrates, fish, and osprey (Pandion haliaetus) eggs. Our objectives were to develop a survey design based on sedimentation characteristics and then assess whether sediment grain size, total organic carbon (TOC), and contaminant concentrations and detections varied between areas with different sedimentation characteristics. We used a sediment transport model to predict sedimentation characteristics of three 16km river reaches in the CRE. We then compartmentalized the modeled change in bed mass after a two week simulation to define sampling strata with depositional, stable, or erosional conditions. We collected and analyzed bottom sediments to assess whether substrate composition, organic matter composition, and contaminant concentrations and detections varied among strata within and between the reaches. We observed differences in grain size fractions between strata within and between reaches. We found that the fine sediment fraction was positively correlated with TOC. Contaminant concentrations were statistically different between depositional vs. erosional strata for the industrial compounds, personal care products and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons class (Indus-PCP-PAH). We also observed significant differences between strata in the number of detections of Indus-PCP-PAH (depositional vs. erosional; stable vs. erosional) and for the flame retardants, polychlorinated biphenyls, and pesticides class (depositional vs. erosional, depositional vs. stable). When we estimated mean contaminant concentrations by reach, we observed higher contaminant concentrations in the furthest downstream reach with a decreasing trend in the two upstream reaches. Contaminant survey designs that account for sedimentation characteristics could increase the probability that sampling is allocated to areas likely to be contaminated. Published by Elsevier B.V.
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Leonard, Christina M.; Legleiter, Carl; Overstreet, Brandon T.
2017-01-01
This study examined the effects of natural and anthropogenic changes in confining margin width by applying remote sensing techniques – fusing LiDAR topography with image-derived bathymetry – over a large spatial extent: 58 km of the Snake River, Wyoming, USA. Fused digital elevation models from 2007 and 2012 were differenced to quantify changes in the volume of stored sediment, develop morphological sediment budgets, and infer spatial gradients in bed material transport. Our study spanned two similar reaches that were subject to different controls on confining margin width: natural terraces versus artificial levees. Channel planform in reaches with similar slope and confining margin width differed depending on whether the margins were natural or anthropogenic. The effects of tributaries also differed between the two reaches. Generally, the natural reach featured greater confining margin widths and was depositional, whereas artificial lateral constriction in the leveed reach produced a sediment budget that was closer to balanced. Although our remote sensing methods provided topographic data over a large area, net volumetric changes were not statistically significant due to the uncertainty associated with bed elevation estimates. We therefore focused on along-channel spatial differences in bed material transport rather than absolute volumes of sediment. To complement indirect estimates of sediment transport derived by morphological sediment budgeting, we collected field data on bed mobility through a tracer study. Surface and subsurface grain size measurements were combined with bed mobility observations to calculate armoring and dimensionless sediment transport ratios, which indicated that sediment supply exceeded transport capacity in the natural reach and vice versa in the leveed reach. We hypothesize that constriction by levees induced an initial phase of incision and bed armoring. Because levees prevented bank erosion, the channel excavated sediment by migrating rapidly across the restricted braidplain and eroding bars and islands.
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Counihan, Timothy D.; Waite, Ian R.; Nilsen, Elena B.; Hardiman, Jill M.; Elias, Edwin; Gelfenbaum, Guy; Zaugg, Steven D.
2014-01-01
While previous studies have documented contaminants in fish, sediments, water, and wildlife, few specifics are known about the spatial distribution of contaminants in the Columbia River Estuary (CRE). Our study goal was to characterize sediment contaminant detections and concentrations in reaches of the CRE that were concurrently being sampled to assess contaminants in water, invertebrates, fish, and osprey (Pandion haliaetus) eggs. Our objectives were to develop a survey design based on sedimentation characteristics and then assess whether sediment grain size, total organic carbon (TOC), and contaminant concentrations and detections varied between areas with different sedimentation characteristics. We used a sediment transport model to predict sedimentation characteristics of three 16 km river reaches in the CRE. We then compartmentalized the modeled change in bed mass after a two week simulation to define sampling strata with depositional, stable, or erosional conditions. We collected and analyzed bottom sediments to assess whether substrate composition, organic matter composition, and contaminant concentrations and detections varied among strata within and between the reaches. We observed differences in grain size fractions between strata within and between reaches. We found that the fine sediment fraction was positively correlated with TOC. Contaminant concentrations were statistically different between depositional vs. erosional strata for the industrial compounds, personal care products and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons class (Indus–PCP–PAH). We also observed significant differences between strata in the number of detections of Indus–PCP–PAH (depositional vs. erosional; stable vs. erosional) and for the flame retardants, polychlorinated biphenyls, and pesticides class (depositional vs. erosional, depositional vs. stable). When we estimated mean contaminant concentrations by reach, we observed higher contaminant concentrations in the furthest downstream reach with a decreasing trend in the two upstream reaches. Contaminant survey designs that account for sedimentation characteristics could increase the probability that sampling is allocated to areas likely to be contaminated.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rumbold, Darren G.; Lange, Ted R.; Richard, Doug; DelPizzo, Gina; Hass, Nicole
2018-01-01
To examine down-estuary effects and how differences in food webs along a salinity gradient might influence mercury (Hg) biomagnification, we conducted a study from 2010 to 2015 in an estuary with a known biological hotspot at its headwaters. Over 907 samples of biota, representing 92 different taxa of fish and invertebrates, seston and sediments were collected from the upper, middle and lower reach for Hg determination and for stable nitrogen and carbon isotope analyses. Trophic magnification slopes (TMS; log Hg versus δ15N), as a measure of biomagnification efficiency, ranged from 0.23 to 0.241 but did not differ statistically among reaches. Hg concentrations were consistently highest, ranging as high as 4.9 mg/kg in top predatory fish, in the upper-reach of the estuary where basal Hg entering the food web was also highest, as evidenced by methylmercury concentrations in suspension feeders. Top predatory fish at the mouth of the estuary contained relatively low [THg], likely due to lower basal Hg. This was nonetheless surprising given the potential for down-estuary biotransport.
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Tütün Yümin, Eylem; Şimşek, Tülay Tarsuslu; Sertel, Meral; Ankaralı, Handan; Yumin, Murat
2017-02-01
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of manual foot plantar massage (classic and friction massage) on functional mobility level, balance, and functional reach in patients with type II diabetes mellitus (T2 DM). A total of 38 subjects diagnosed with T2 DM were included in the study. A healthy control group could not be formed in this study. After the subjects' socio-demographic data were obtained, Timed Up & Go (TUG) Test, functional reach test (FRT), one-leg standing test with eyes open-closed, and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) to measure foot pain intensity were performed. The results were also divided and assessed in three groups according to the ages of the individuals (40-54, 55-64, and 65 and over). As a result of statistical analysis, a difference was found in the values obtained from TUG, FRT, and one-leg standing test with eyes open and closed (p < 0.05). Following the massage, TUG values significantly decreased comparison with those before the massage, whereas the values of FRT and one-leg standing test with eyes open and closed significantly increased compared with those before the massage (p > 0.05). According to age groups, there were statistical differences (p < 0.05) between the TUG, one-leg standing test with eyes open and closed test values of the individuals before and after the massage. The results of our study indicated that application of plantar massage to patients with T2 DM caused an improvement in balance, functional mobility, and functional reach values. An increase in body balance and functional mobility may explain the improvement in TUG. Foot massage to be added to rehabilitation exercise programs of DM patients will be important in improving balance and mobility of patients.
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Localized coherence in two interacting populations of social agents
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
González-Avella, J. C.; Cosenza, M. G.; San Miguel, M.
2014-04-01
We investigate the emergence of localized coherent behavior in systems consisting of two populations of social agents possessing a condition for non-interacting states, mutually coupled through global interaction fields. We employ two examples of such dynamics: (i) Axelrod’s model for social influence, and (ii) a discrete version of a bounded confidence model for opinion formation. In each case, the global interaction fields correspond to the statistical mode of the states of the agents in each population. In both systems we find localized coherent states for some values of parameters, consisting of one population in a homogeneous state and the other in a disordered state. This situation can be considered as a social analogue to a chimera state arising in two interacting populations of oscillators. In addition, other asymptotic collective behaviors appear in both systems depending on parameter values: a common homogeneous state, where both populations reach the same state; different homogeneous states, where both population reach homogeneous states different from each other; and a disordered state, where both populations reach inhomogeneous states.
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Intermediate quantum maps for quantum computation
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Giraud, O.; Georgeot, B.
2005-10-01
We study quantum maps displaying spectral statistics intermediate between Poisson and Wigner-Dyson. It is shown that they can be simulated on a quantum computer with a small number of gates, and efficiently yield information about fidelity decay or spectral statistics. We study their matrix elements and entanglement production and show that they converge with time to distributions which differ from random matrix predictions. A randomized version of these maps can be implemented even more economically and yields pseudorandom operators with original properties, enabling, for example, one to produce fractal random vectors. These algorithms are within reach of present-day quantum computers.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Weltman, Arthur; Katch, Victor
1976-01-01
No statistically meaningful differences in steady-state vo2 uptake for high and low max vo2 groups was indicated in this study, but a clear tendency was observed for the high max vo2 group to reach the steady-state at a faster rate. (MB)
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Mazón, P; Galve, E; Gómez, J; Gorostidi, M; Górriz, J L; Mediavilla, J D
The opinion of experts (different specialties) on the triple fixed-dose antihypertensive therapy in clinical practice may differ. Online questionnaire with controversial aspects of the triple therapy answered by panel of experts in hypertension (HT) using two-round modified Delphi method. The questionnaire was completed by 158 experts: Internal Medicine (49), Nephrology (26), Cardiology (83). Consensus was reached (agreement) on 27/45 items (60%); 7 items showed differences statistically significant. Consensus was reached regarding: Predictive factors in the need for combination therapy and its efficacy vs. increasing the dose of a pretreatment, and advantage of triple therapy (prescription/adherence/cost/pressure control) vs. free combination. This consensus provides an overview of the clinical use of triple therapy in moderate-severe and resistant/difficult to control HT. Copyright © 2016 SEH-LELHA. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.
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Edwards, Krystal L; Hadley, Ryan L; Baby, Nidhu; Yeary, Julianne C; Chastain, Lisa M; Brown, Crystal D
2017-08-01
To show that clinical pharmacy specialists (CPSs) can be utilized in remote facilities to provide appropriate diabetes outcomes along with potential cost savings. A retrospective cohort chart review conducted at the Veterans Affairs North Texas Healthcare System (VANTHCS) evaluated outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus referred to CPSs at Fort Worth Outpatient Clinic (FWOPC) or the endocrinologist-managed specialty clinic at the Dallas VA Medical Center (DVAMC). The primary outcome was percentage of patients reaching hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) goal of <8%. Secondary outcomes were percentage of patients reaching HbA1c <7%, time to reach HbA1c goals of <8% and <7%, and cost savings. There was no statistically significant difference in the number of patients reaching HbA1c goal <8% in the FWOPC (65.3%) compared to the DVAMC (55.8%). Secondary end points comparing FWOPC and DVAMC found no difference in patients reaching HbA1c <7% (20.8% vs 19.2%) and time to reach HbA1c goal of <8% (4.5 vs 6 months) and <7% (8.5 vs 7.5 months). Cost-saving analysis demonstrated a composite of US$350 292 could be saved by the VANTHCS facility if patients continued to be referred to CPS. CPSs can be utilized in diabetes management to provide similar health outcomes as the endocrinologist-managed clinic and to potentially allow for facility cost savings.
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Rushton, Paul R P; Grevitt, Michael P
2013-04-20
Review and statistical analysis of studies evaluating health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in adolescents with untreated adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) using Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) outcomes. To apply normative values and minimum clinical important differences for the SRS-22r to the literature. Identify whether the HRQOL of adolescents with untreated AIS differs from unaffected peers and whether any differences are clinically relevant. The effect of untreated AIS on adolescent HRQOL is uncertain. The lack of published normative values and minimum clinical important difference for the SRS-22r has so far hindered our interpretation of previous studies. The publication of this background data allows these studies to be re-examined. Using suitable inclusion criteria, a literature search identified studies examining HRQOL in untreated adolescents with AIS. Each cohort was analyzed individually. Statistically significant differences were identified by using 95% confidence intervals for the difference in SRS-22r domain mean scores between the cohorts with AIS and the published data for unaffected adolescents. If the lower bound of the confidence interval was greater than the minimum clinical important difference, the difference was considered clinically significant. Of the 21 included patient cohorts, 81% reported statistically worse pain than those unaffected. Yet in only 5% of cohorts was this difference clinically important. Of the 11 cohorts included examining patient self-image, 91% reported statistically worse scores than those unaffected. In 73% of cohorts this difference was clinically significant. Affected cohorts tended to score well in function/activity and mental health domains and differences from those unaffected rarely reached clinically significant values. Pain and self-image tend to be statistically lower among cohorts with AIS than those unaffected. The literature to date suggests that it is only self-image which consistently differs clinically. This should be considered when assessing the possible benefits of surgery.
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42 CFR 405.1064 - ALJ decisions involving statistical samples.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-10-01
... 42 Public Health 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false ALJ decisions involving statistical samples. 405... Medicare Coverage Policies § 405.1064 ALJ decisions involving statistical samples. When an appeal from the QIC involves an overpayment issue and the QIC used a statistical sample in reaching its...
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42 CFR 405.1064 - ALJ decisions involving statistical samples.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-10-01
... 42 Public Health 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false ALJ decisions involving statistical samples. 405... Medicare Coverage Policies § 405.1064 ALJ decisions involving statistical samples. When an appeal from the QIC involves an overpayment issue and the QIC used a statistical sample in reaching its...
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yang, Jing; Zammit, Christian; Dudley, Bruce
2017-04-01
The phenomenon of losing and gaining in rivers normally takes place in lowland where often there are various, sometimes conflicting uses for water resources, e.g., agriculture, industry, recreation, and maintenance of ecosystem function. To better support water allocation decisions, it is crucial to understand the location and seasonal dynamics of these losses and gains. We present a statistical methodology to predict losing and gaining river reaches in New Zealand based on 1) information surveys with surface water and groundwater experts from regional government, 2) A collection of river/watershed characteristics, including climate, soil and hydrogeologic information, and 3) the random forests technique. The surveys on losing and gaining reaches were conducted face-to-face at 16 New Zealand regional government authorities, and climate, soil, river geometry, and hydrogeologic data from various sources were collected and compiled to represent river/watershed characteristics. The random forests technique was used to build up the statistical relationship between river reach status (gain and loss) and river/watershed characteristics, and then to predict for river reaches at Strahler order one without prior losing and gaining information. Results show that the model has a classification error of around 10% for "gain" and "loss". The results will assist further research, and water allocation decisions in lowland New Zealand.
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Anderson, Joe; Bingham, Geoffrey P
2010-09-01
We provide a solution to a major problem in visually guided reaching. Research has shown that binocular vision plays an important role in the online visual guidance of reaching, but the visual information and strategy used to guide a reach remains unknown. We propose a new theory of visual guidance of reaching including a new information variable, tau(alpha) (relative disparity tau), and a novel control strategy that allows actors to guide their reach trajectories visually by maintaining a constant proportion between tau(alpha) and its rate of change. The dynamical model couples the information to the reaching movement to generate trajectories characteristic of human reaching. We tested the theory in two experiments in which participants reached under conditions of darkness to guide a visible point either on a sliding apparatus or on their finger to a point-light target in depth. Slider apparatus controlled for a simple mapping from visual to proprioceptive space. When reaching with their finger, participants were forced, by perturbation of visual information used for feedforward control, to use online control with only binocular disparity-based information for guidance. Statistical analyses of trajectories strongly supported the theory. Simulations of the model were compared statistically to actual reaching trajectories. The results supported the theory, showing that tau(alpha) provides a source of information for the control of visually guided reaching and that participants use this information in a proportional rate control strategy.
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Got power? A systematic review of sample size adequacy in health professions education research.
Cook, David A; Hatala, Rose
2015-03-01
Many education research studies employ small samples, which in turn lowers statistical power. We re-analyzed the results of a meta-analysis of simulation-based education to determine study power across a range of effect sizes, and the smallest effect that could be plausibly excluded. We systematically searched multiple databases through May 2011, and included all studies evaluating simulation-based education for health professionals in comparison with no intervention or another simulation intervention. Reviewers working in duplicate abstracted information to calculate standardized mean differences (SMD's). We included 897 original research studies. Among the 627 no-intervention-comparison studies the median sample size was 25. Only two studies (0.3%) had ≥80% power to detect a small difference (SMD > 0.2 standard deviations) and 136 (22%) had power to detect a large difference (SMD > 0.8). 110 no-intervention-comparison studies failed to find a statistically significant difference, but none excluded a small difference and only 47 (43%) excluded a large difference. Among 297 studies comparing alternate simulation approaches the median sample size was 30. Only one study (0.3%) had ≥80% power to detect a small difference and 79 (27%) had power to detect a large difference. Of the 128 studies that did not detect a statistically significant effect, 4 (3%) excluded a small difference and 91 (71%) excluded a large difference. In conclusion, most education research studies are powered only to detect effects of large magnitude. For most studies that do not reach statistical significance, the possibility of large and important differences still exists.
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Brands, H; Maassen, S R; Clercx, H J
1999-09-01
In this paper the applicability of a statistical-mechanical theory to freely decaying two-dimensional (2D) turbulence on a bounded domain is investigated. We consider an ensemble of direct numerical simulations in a square box with stress-free boundaries, with a Reynolds number that is of the same order as in experiments on 2D decaying Navier-Stokes turbulence. The results of these simulations are compared with the corresponding statistical equilibria, calculated from different stages of the evolution. It is shown that the statistical equilibria calculated from early times of the Navier-Stokes evolution do not correspond to the dynamical quasistationary states. At best, the global topological structure is correctly predicted from a relatively late time in the Navier-Stokes evolution, when the quasistationary state has almost been reached. This failure of the (basically inviscid) statistical-mechanical theory is related to viscous dissipation and net leakage of vorticity in the Navier-Stokes dynamics at moderate values of the Reynolds number.
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Evaluating Effects of Floodplain Constriction Along a High Energy Gravel-Bed River: Snake River, WY
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Leonard, Christina M.
This study examined approximately 66 km of the Snake River, WY, USA, spanning a natural reach within Grand Teton National Park and a reach immediately downstream that is confined by artificial levees. We linked the channel adjustments observed within these two reaches between 2007 and 2012 to sediment transport processes by developing a morphological sediment budget. A pair of digital elevation models (DEMs) was generated by fusing LiDAR topography with depth estimates derived from optical image data within wetted channels. Errors for both components of the DEMs (LiDAR and optical bathymetry) were propagated through the DEM of difference and sediment budget calculations. Our results indicated that even with the best available methods for acquiring high resolution topographic data over large areas, the uncertainty associated with bed elevation estimates implied that net volumetric changes were not statistically significant. In addition to the terrain analysis, we performed a tracer study to assess the mobility of different grain size classes in different morphological units. Grain sizes, hydraulic conditions, and flow resistance characteristics along cross-sections were used to calculate critical discharges for entrainment, but this bulk characterization of fluid driving forces failed to predict bed mobility. Our results indicated that over seasonal timescales specific grain classes were not preferentially entrained. Surface and subsurface grain size data were used to calculate armoring and dimensionless sediment transport ratios for both reaches; sediment supply exceeded transport capacity in the natural reach and vice versa in the confined reach. We used a conceptual model to describe channel adjustments to lateral constriction by levees. Initially we suggest levees focused flow energy and incised the bed, resulting in bed armoring. Bed armoring promoted channel widening, but levees prevented this and instead the channel migrated more rapidly within the constricted braidplain, eroding vegetated islands and bars and excavating sediment from the reach.
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Study populations and casemix: influence on analysis of postoperative outcomes.
Isbister, W H
2000-04-01
The importance of patient casemix as a determinant of surgical outcome is now being recognized. The present study was undertaken in order to compare the presentation and outcomes in colorectal patients managed surgically by the same surgeon, in the same way, in different settings. Colorectal outcome data from the University Department of Surgery in Wellington and the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh were analysed in order to determine casemix differences between the two hospitals. Data relating to the type of surgery, the surgeon, the patient's disease, the operation performed and the postoperative complications were compared. Specific colorectal clinical indicators were compared for two commonly performed operations for rectal cancer: anterior resection and abdomino-perineal resection of the rectum. Wellington patients were slightly older and there were more females. Emergency surgery was more frequent in Wellington. Left hemicolectomy, sigmoid colectomy, abscess drainage and pilonidal surgery were more common in Wellington whereas abdomino-perineal resection and anterior resection of the rectum, stoma closure, fistula surgery, seton insertion, restorative proctocolectomy and ileostomy were undertaken more frequently in Riyadh. More complex anal fistulas were managed in Riyadh. Condylomata accuminata, pilonidal abscess, anorectal abscess, rectal prolapse and diverticular disease were rarely seen in Riyadh. There were more postoperative pulmonary and cardiac complications in Wellington. Patients having anterior resection of the rectum were younger in Riyadh and there were proportionally more females. There were some obvious numerical outcome differences in postoperative atelectasis, wound infection, anastomotic leak and deep vein thrombosis rates but none of these reached statistical significance except atelectasis. In Riyadh the usual male-to-female ratio of patients undergoing abdomino-perineal resection was reversed but, again, none of the numerical outcome differences observed reached statistical significance except postoperative atelectasis and intraabdominal abscess. Although not statistically significant, the results of the present study suggest that when the same surgeon operates using the same technique in different communities, the outcomes may be different. Care should thus be taken when comparing different populations with different casemixes before definitive conclusions are made in comparative studies.
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Goal-directed or aimless? EEG differences during the preparation of a reach-and-touch task.
Pereira, Joana; Ofner, Patrick; Muller-Putz, Gernot R
2015-08-01
The natural control of neuroprostheses is currently a challenge in both rehabilitation engineering and brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) research. One of the recurrent problems is to know exactly when to activate such devices. For the execution of the most common activities of daily living, these devices only need to be active when in the presence of a goal. Therefore, we believe that the distinction between the planning of goal-directed and aimless movements, using non-invasive recordings, can be useful for the implementation of a simple and effective activation method for these devices. We investigated whether those differences are detectable during a reach-and-touch task, using electroencephalography (EEG). Event-related potentials and oscillatory activity changes were studied. Our results show that there are statistically significant differences between both types of movement. Combining this information with movement decoding would allow a natural control strategy for BCIs, exclusively relying on the cognitive processes behind movement preparation and execution.
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Engblom, Henrik; Heiberg, Einar; Erlinge, David; Jensen, Svend Eggert; Nordrehaug, Jan Erik; Dubois-Randé, Jean-Luc; Halvorsen, Sigrun; Hoffmann, Pavel; Koul, Sasha; Carlsson, Marcus; Atar, Dan; Arheden, Håkan
2016-03-09
Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) can quantify myocardial infarct (MI) size and myocardium at risk (MaR), enabling assessment of myocardial salvage index (MSI). We assessed how MSI impacts the number of patients needed to reach statistical power in relation to MI size alone and levels of biochemical markers in clinical cardioprotection trials and how scan day affect sample size. Controls (n=90) from the recent CHILL-MI and MITOCARE trials were included. MI size, MaR, and MSI were assessed from CMR. High-sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT) and creatine kinase isoenzyme MB (CKMB) levels were assessed in CHILL-MI patients (n=50). Utilizing distribution of these variables, 100 000 clinical trials were simulated for calculation of sample size required to reach sufficient power. For a treatment effect of 25% decrease in outcome variables, 50 patients were required in each arm using MSI compared to 93, 98, 120, 141, and 143 for MI size alone, hsTnT (area under the curve [AUC] and peak), and CKMB (AUC and peak) in order to reach a power of 90%. If average CMR scan day between treatment and control arms differed by 1 day, sample size needs to be increased by 54% (77 vs 50) to avoid scan day bias masking a treatment effect of 25%. Sample size in cardioprotection trials can be reduced 46% to 65% without compromising statistical power when using MSI by CMR as an outcome variable instead of MI size alone or biochemical markers. It is essential to ensure lack of bias in scan day between treatment and control arms to avoid compromising statistical power. © 2016 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley Blackwell.
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A critical review of the neuroimaging literature on synesthesia
Hupé, Jean-Michel; Dojat, Michel
2015-01-01
Synesthesia refers to additional sensations experienced by some people for specific stimulations, such as the systematic arbitrary association of colors to letters for the most studied type. Here, we review all the studies (based mostly on functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging) that have searched for the neural correlates of this subjective experience, as well as structural differences related to synesthesia. Most differences claimed for synesthetes are unsupported, due mainly to low statistical power, statistical errors, and methodological limitations. Our critical review therefore casts some doubts on whether any neural correlate of the synesthetic experience has been established yet. Rather than being a neurological condition (i.e., a structural or functional brain anomaly), synesthesia could be reconsidered as a special kind of childhood memory, whose signature in the brain may be out of reach with present brain imaging techniques. PMID:25873873
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Liu, Yonghe; Feng, Jinming; Liu, Xiu; Zhao, Yadi
2017-12-01
Statistical downscaling (SD) is a method that acquires the local information required for hydrological impact assessment from large-scale atmospheric variables. Very few statistical and deterministic downscaling models for daily precipitation have been conducted for local sites influenced by the East Asian monsoon. In this study, SD models were constructed by selecting the best predictors and using generalized linear models (GLMs) for Feixian, a site in the Yishu River Basin and Shandong Province. By calculating and mapping Spearman rank correlation coefficients between the gridded standardized values of five large-scale variables and daily observed precipitation, different cyclonic circulation patterns were found for monsoonal precipitation in summer (June-September) and winter (November-December and January-March); the values of the gridded boxes with the highest absolute correlations for observed precipitation were selected as predictors. Data for predictors and predictands covered the period 1979-2015, and different calibration and validation periods were divided when fitting and validating the models. Meanwhile, the bootstrap method was also used to fit the GLM. All the above thorough validations indicated that the models were robust and not sensitive to different samples or different periods. Pearson's correlations between downscaled and observed precipitation (logarithmically transformed) on a daily scale reached 0.54-0.57 in summer and 0.56-0.61 in winter, and the Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency between downscaled and observed precipitation reached 0.1 in summer and 0.41 in winter. The downscaled precipitation partially reflected exact variations in winter and main trends in summer for total interannual precipitation. For the number of wet days, both winter and summer models were able to reflect interannual variations. Other comparisons were also made in this study. These results demonstrated that when downscaling, it is appropriate to combine a correlation-based predictor selection across a spatial domain with GLM modeling.
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[Study of the effect of occupational exposure to glyphosate on hepatorenal function].
Zhang, F; Pan, L P; Ding, E M; Ge, Q J; Zhang, Z H; Xu, J N; Zhang, L; Zhu, B L
2017-07-06
Objective: To explore the effect of occupational exposure to glyphosate on hepatorenal function. Methods: 526 workers who were occupationally exposed to glyphosate from 5 glyphosate-producing factories were selected as cases; and another 442 administrative staffs who were not exposed to glyphosate were selected as controls from April to November, 2014. All the subjects accepted occupational health examination. The concentration level of glyphosate in the air of workshop was detected and the time weighted average concentration (TWA) was calculated. And analyze the difference of hepatorenal fuction between case group and control group. Result: The age of the subjects in the case and control groups were separately (35.6±10.3), (34.3±9.7) years old, with the length of working for (6.5±5.7), (7.7±6.8) years. The TWA of glyphosate in the case group was between <0.03-48.91 mg/m(3), with the geometric mean at 3.78 mg/m(3). The overall rates of abnormal hepatic and renal function in the case group were 14.4% (76 cases) and 16.2% (85 cases), respectively; while those were 5.0% (22 cases) and 4.8% (21 cases), respectively in control group, and the difference showed statistical significance ( P <0.05). When TWA reached <0.03-6.00 mg/m(3), the difference of hepatorenal fuction between case group and control group showed statistical significance, and the rates of abnormal hepatic and renal function was 8.0% (36/447) and 9.8% (44/447) respectively in case group. When cumulative exposure level reached <1.56-68.64 g, the difference of hepatorenal fuction between case group and control group showed statistical significance, and the rates increased to 9.2% (37/404) and 10.4% (42/404) respectively in group of cases. Conclusion: Glyphosate can affect the hepatic and renal function among occupational exposure population, and there was an association between the effect and the exposure dose.
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41 CFR 60-2.35 - Compliance status.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
... status will be judged alone by whether it reaches its goals. The composition of the contractor's... obligations will be determined by analysis of statistical data and other non-statistical information which...
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Walworth, Darcy DeLoach
2003-01-01
The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences of experimentally induced anxiety levels reached by subjects listening to no music (n = 30), subjects listening to music selected by the experimenter from the subject's preferred genre or artist listed as relaxing (n = 30), and subjects listening to a specific song they listed as relaxing (n = 30). Subjects consisted of 90 individuals, male and female, randomly assigned to one of the three groups mentioned above. Subjects in either music group filled out a questionnaire prior to participating in the study indicating their preference of music used for relaxation purposes. Subjects in Experimental Group 1 marked their preferred genres and/or artists, and Experimental Group 2 marked specific songs used for relaxation purposes. While the experimenter hypothesized subjects in Experimental Group 2 would show less anxiety than both the control group and Experimental Group 1, there were no significant differences found between the 2 music groups in anxiety levels reached. However, there was a statistically significant difference between the no music control group and both music groups in the anxiety level reached by subjects. Subjects listening to music, both songs chosen by the experimenter and subject selected songs, showed significantly less anxiety than subjects not listening to music.
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How to show that unicorn milk is a chronobiotic: the regression-to-the-mean statistical artifact.
Atkinson, G; Waterhouse, J; Reilly, T; Edwards, B
2001-11-01
Few chronobiologists may be aware of the regression-to-the-mean (RTM) statistical artifact, even though it may have far-reaching influences on chronobiological data. With the aid of simulated measurements of the circadian rhythm phase of body temperature and a completely bogus stimulus (unicorn milk), we explain what RTM is and provide examples relevant to chronobiology. We show how RTM may lead to erroneous conclusions regarding individual differences in phase responses to rhythm disturbances and how it may appear as though unicorn milk has phase-shifting effects and can successfully treat some circadian rhythm disorders. Guidelines are provided to ensure RTM effects are minimized in chronobiological investigations.
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Johnston, William; Dolan, Kara; Reid, Niamh; Coughlan, Garrett F; Caulfield, Brian
2018-01-01
The Y Balance Test is one of the most commonly used dynamic balance assessments, providing an insight into the integration of the sensorimotor subsystems. In recent times, there has been an increase in interest surrounding it's use in various clinical populations demonstrating alterations in motor function. Therefore, it is important to examine the effect physiological influences such as fatigue play in dynamic postural control, and establish a timeframe for its recovery. Descriptive laboratory study. Twenty male and female (age 23.75±4.79years, height 174.12±8.45cm, mass 69.32±8.76kg) partaking in competitive sport, completed the Y Balance Test protocol at 0, 10 and 20min, prior to a modified 60s Wingate fatiguing protocol. Post-fatigue assessments were then completed at 0, 10 and 20 min post-fatiguing intervention. Intraclass correlation coefficients demonstrated excellent intra-session reliability (0.976-0.982) across the three pre-fatigue YBT tests. Post-hoc paired sample t-tests demonstrated that all three reach directions demonstrated statistically significant differences between pre-fatigue and the first post-fatigue measurement (anterior; p=0.019, posteromedial; p=0.019 & posterolateral; p=0.003). The anterior reach direction returned to pre-fatigue levels within 10min (p=0.632). The posteromedial reach direction returned to pre-fatigue levels within 20min (p=0.236), while the posterolateral direction maintained a statistically significant difference at 20min (p=0.023). Maximal anaerobic fatigue has a negative effect on normalised Y balance test scores in all three directions. Following the fatiguing protocol, dynamic postural control returns to pre-fatigue levels for the anterior (<10min), posteromedial (<20min) and posterolateral (>20min). Copyright © 2017 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Parekh, Bharat S; Hanson, Debra L; Hargrove, John; Branson, Bernard; Green, Timothy; Dobbs, Trudy; Constantine, Niel; Overbaugh, Julie; McDougal, J Steven
2011-03-01
The IgG capture BED enzyme immunoassay (BED-CEIA) was developed to detect recent HIV-1 infection for the estimation of HIV-1 incidence from cross-sectional specimens. The mean time interval between seroconversion and reaching a specified assay cutoff value [referred to here as the mean recency period (ω)], an important parameter for incidence estimation, is determined for some HIV-1 subtypes, but testing in more cohorts and new statistical methods suggest the need for a revised estimation of ω in different subtypes. A total of 2927 longitudinal specimens from 756 persons with incident HIV infections who had been enrolled in 17 cohort studies was tested by the BED-CEIA. The ω was determined using two statistical approaches: (1) linear mixed effects regression (ω(1)) and (2) a nonparametric survival method (ω(2)). Recency periods varied among individuals and by population. At an OD-n cutoff of 0.8, ω(1) was 176 days (95% CL 164-188 days) whereas ω(2) was 162 days (95% CL 152-172 days) when using a comparable subset of specimens (13 cohorts). When method 2 was applied to all available data (17 cohorts), ω(2) ranged from 127 days (Thai AE) to 236 days (subtypes AG, AD) with an overall ω(2) of 197 days (95% CL 173-220). About 70% of individuals reached a threshold OD-n of 0.8 by 197 days (mean ω) and 95% of people reached 0.8 OD-n by 480 days. The determination of ω with more data and new methodology suggests that ω of the BED-CEIA varies between different subtypes and/or populations. These estimates for ω may affect incidence estimates in various studies.
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Benstoem, Frank; Nahrstedt, Andreas; Boehler, Marc; Knopp, Gregor; Montag, David; Siegrist, Hansruedi; Pinnekamp, Johannes
2017-10-01
For reducing organic micropollutants (MP) in municipal wastewater effluents, granular activated carbon (GAC) has been tested in various studies. We did systematic literature research and found 44 studies dealing with the adsorption of MPs (carbamazepine, diclofenac, sulfamethoxazole) from municipal wastewater on GAC in pilot- and large-scale plants. Within our meta-analysis we plot the bed volumes (BV [m 3 water /m 3 GAC ]) until the breakthrough criterion of MP-BV20% was reached, dependent on potential relevant parameters (empty bed contact time EBCT, influent DOC DOC 0 and manufacturing method). Moreover, we performed statistical tests (ANOVAs) to check the results for significance. Single adsorbers operating time differs i.e. by 2500% until breakthrough of diclofenac-BV20% was reached (800-20,000 BV). There was still elimination of the "very well/well" adsorbable MPs such as carbamazepine and diclofenac even when the equilibrium of DOC had already been reached. No strong statistical significance of EBCT and DOC 0 on MP-BV20% could be found due to lack of data and the high heterogeneity of the studies using GAC of different qualities. In further studies, adsorbers should be operated ≫20,000 BV for exact calculation of breakthrough curves, and the following parameters should be recorded: selected MPs; DOC 0; UVA 254 ; EBCT; product name, manufacturing method and raw material of GAC; suspended solids (TSS); backwash interval; backwash program and pressure drop within adsorber. Based on our investigations we generally recommend using reactivated GAC to reduce the environmental impact and to carry out tests on pilot scale to collect reliable data for process design. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Schneider, David; Schmidlin, Patrick R; Philipp, Alexander; Annen, Beat M; Ronay, Valerie; Hämmerle, Christoph H F; Attin, Thomas; Jung, Ronald E
2014-06-01
To volumetrically evaluate soft tissue changes of different ridge preservation techniques compared to spontaneous healing 6 months after tooth extraction. In each of 40 patients, one single-rooted tooth was extracted and four treatment modalities were randomly assigned to the following groups (n = 10 each): A) ß-tricalcium-phosphate-particles with a polylactid coating (ß-TCP), B) demineralized bovine bone mineral with 10% collagen covered with a collagen matrix (DBBM-C/CM), C) DBBM with 10% collagen covered with an autogenous soft tissue punch graft (DBBM-C/PG), D) spontaneous healing (control). Impressions were obtained before extraction and 6 months later, casts were digitized and volumetric changes at the buccal soft tissues were determined. One-way anova was performed and pair-wise Wilcoxon rank sum test with Bonferroni-Holm method was applied for comparison of differences between two groups. After 6 months, horizontal contour changes accounted for -1.7 ± 0.7 mm (A), -1.2 ± 0.5 mm (B), -1.2 ± 0.7 mm (C) and -1.8 ± 0.8 mm (D). None of the group comparisons reached statistical significance. Six months after tooth extraction all groups revealed a horizontal volume change in the buccal soft tissue contour. Application of DBBM-C/CM or DBBM-C/PG reduced the amount of volume resorption compared to ß-TCP or spontaneous healing without reaching statistically significant difference. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Gibelli, Daniele; De Angelis, Danilo; Pucciarelli, Valentina; Riboli, Francesco; Ferrario, Virgilio F; Dolci, Claudia; Sforza, Chiarella; Cattaneo, Cristina
2017-11-20
Palatal rugae are known in literature as individualizing anatomical structures with a strong potential for personal identification. However, a 3D assessment of their uniqueness has not yet been performed. The present study aims at verifying the uniqueness of 3D models of the palate. Twenty-six subjects were recruited among the orthodontic patients of a private dental office; from every patient, at least two dental casts were taken in different time periods, for a total of 62 casts. Dental casts were digitized by a 3D laser scanner (iSeries, Dental Wings©, Montreal, Canada). The palatal area was identified, and a series of 250 superimpositions was then performed automatically through VAM©software in order to reach the minimum point-to point distance between two models. In 36 matches the models belonged to the same individual, whereas in 214 mismatches they came from different subjects. The RMS (root mean square) of point-to-point distances was then calculated by 3D software. Possible statistically significant differences were assessed through Mann-Whitney test (p < 0.05). Results showed a statistically significant difference in RMS mean point-to-point distance between matches (mean 0.26 mm; SD 0.12) and mismatches (mean 1.30; SD 0.44) (p < 0.0001).All matches reached an RMS value below 0.50 mm. This study first provided an assessment of uniqueness of palatal rugae, based on their anatomical 3D conformations, with consequent applications to personal identification.
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40 CFR Appendix IV to Part 264 - Cochran's Approximation to the Behrens-Fisher Students' t-test
Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR
2011-07-01
... summary measures to calculate a t-statistic (t*) and a comparison t-statistic (tc). The t* value is compared to the tc value and a conclusion reached as to whether there has been a statistically significant... made in collecting the background data. The t-statistic (tc), against which t* will be compared...
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40 CFR Appendix IV to Part 264 - Cochran's Approximation to the Behrens-Fisher Students' t-test
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-07-01
... summary measures to calculate a t-statistic (t*) and a comparison t-statistic (tc). The t* value is compared to the tc value and a conclusion reached as to whether there has been a statistically significant... made in collecting the background data. The t-statistic (tc), against which t* will be compared...
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ma, Kai; Huang, Xiaorong; Guo, Biying; Wang, Yanqiu; Gao, Linyun
2018-06-01
Land use changes alter the hydrological characteristics of the land surface, and have significant impacts on hydrological cycle and water balance, the analysis of complex effects on natural systems has become one of the main concerns. In this study, we generated the land use conversion matrixes using ArcGIS and selected several landscape indexes (contagion index, CONTAG, Shannon's diversity index, SHDI, etc.) to evaluate the impact of land use/cover changes on hydrological process in the upper reaches of Minjiang River. We also used a statistical regression model which was established based on hydrology and precipitation data during the period of 1959-2008 to simulate the impacts of different land use conditions on rainfall and runoff in different periods. Our results showed that the simulated annual mean flow from 1985 to 1995 and 1995 to 2008 are 9.19 and 1.04 m3 s-1 lower than the measured values, respectively, which implied that the ecological protection measures should be strengthened in the study area. Our study could provide a scientific basis for water resource management and proper land use planning of upper reaches of Minjiang River.
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Cure of cancer for seven cancer sites in the Flemish Region.
Silversmit, Geert; Jegou, David; Vaes, Evelien; Van Hoof, Elke; Goetghebeur, Els; Van Eycken, Liesbet
2017-03-01
Cumulative relative survival curves for many cancers reach a plateau several years after diagnosis, indicating that the cancer survivor group has reached "statistical" cure. Parametric mixture cure model analysis on grouped relative survival curves provide an interesting way to determine the proportion of statistically cured cases and the mean survival time of the fatal cases in particular for population-based cancer registries. Based on the relative survival data from the Belgian Cancer Registry, parametric cure models were applied to seven cancer sites (cervix, colon, corpus uteri, skin melanoma, pancreas, stomach and oesophagus), at the Flemish Regional level for the incidence period 1999-2011. Statistical cure was observed for the examined cancer sites except for oesophageal cancer. The estimated cured proportion ranged from 5.9% [5.7, 6.1] for pancreatic cancer to 80.8% [80.5, 81.2] for skin melanoma. Cure results were further stratified by gender or age group. Stratified cured proportions were higher for females compared to males in colon cancer, stomach cancer, pancreas cancer and skin melanoma, which can mainly be attributed to differences in stage and age distribution between both sexes. This study demonstrates the applicability of cure rate models for the selected cancer sites after 14 years of follow-up and presents the first population-based results on the cure of cancer in Belgium. © 2016 UICC.
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Statistical Inferences from Formaldehyde Dna-Protein Cross-Link Data
Physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling has reached considerable sophistication in its application in the pharmacological and environmental health areas. Yet, mature methodologies for making statistical inferences have not been routinely incorporated in these applic...
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Nwachukwu, Benedict U; Anthony, Shawn G; Lin, Kenneth M; Wang, Tim; Altchek, David W; Allen, Answorth A
2017-09-01
To investigate return to play (RTP) and functional performance after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) in National Basketball Association (NBA) players and to perform a systematic review of the literature to understand RTP after ACLR in professional basketball. NBA players undergoing ACLR between 2008 and 2014 by two surgeons were identified. RTP and performance were assessed based on a review of publically available statistics. A systematic review of the literature was performed using the MEDLINE database. Inclusion criteria were: English language, ACL surgery outcome, professional basketball and RTP outcome. We reviewed studies for RTP rates and RTP performance. Our study included 12 professional basketball players with NBA level experience. Eleven of the 12 players returned to their prior level of play. Eight of the 9 (88.9%) players actively playing in the NBA returned to play in the NBA at a mean 9.8 months. Among players returning to NBA play, during RTP season 1, mean per game statistics decreased for the following: minutes, points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, turnovers and personal fouls - none of these changes reached statistical significance. Player efficiency ratings significantly declined from pre-injury (12.5) to the first RTP season (7.6) (p = 0.05). By RTP season 2, player performance metrics approximated pre-injury levels and were not significantly different. Six studies met inclusion criteria; reported RTP rates ranged from 78-86%. Identified studies similarly found a decline in functional performance after RTP. There is a high rate (89%) of return to NBA play for NBA players undergoing ACLR. After RTP, however, there is a quantitative decline in initial season 1 RTP statistics with a significant decrease in player efficiency rating. By RTP season 2, performance metrics demonstrated an improvement compared to RTP season 1 but did not reach pre-injury functional performance, though performance metrics are not significantly different between pre-injury and RTP season 2.
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Staley, Dennis M.; Wasklewicz, Thad A.; Coe, Jeffrey A.; Kean, Jason W.; McCoy, Scott W.; Tucker, Greg E.
2011-01-01
High resolution topographic data that quantify changes in channel form caused by sequential debris flows in natural channels are rare at the reach scale. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) techniques are utilized to capture morphological changes brought about by a high-frequency of debris-flow events at Chalk Cliffs, Colorado. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the topographic response of a natural channel to the documented debris-flow events. TLS survey data allowed for the generation of high-resolution (2-cm) digital terrain models (DTM) of the channel. A robust network of twelve permanent control points permitted repeat scanning sessions that provided multiple DTM to evaluate fine-scale topographic change associated with three debris-flow events. Difference surfaces from the DTM permit the interpretations of spatial variations in channel morphometry and net volume of material deposited and eroded within and between a series of channel reaches. Each channel reach experienced erosion, deposition, and both net volumetric gains and losses were measured. Analysis of potential relationships between erosion and deposition magnitudes yielded no strong correlations with measures of channel-reach morphometry, suggesting that channel reach-specific predictions of potential erosion or deposition locations or rates cannot be adequately derived from statistical analyses of pre-event channel-reach morphometry.
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Design of robust flow processing networks with time-programmed responses
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kaluza, P.; Mikhailov, A. S.
2012-04-01
Can artificially designed networks reach the levels of robustness against local damage which are comparable with those of the biochemical networks of a living cell? We consider a simple model where the flow applied to an input node propagates through the network and arrives at different times to the output nodes, thus generating a pattern of coordinated responses. By using evolutionary optimization algorithms, functional networks - with required time-programmed responses - were constructed. Then, continuing the evolution, such networks were additionally optimized for robustness against deletion of individual nodes or links. In this manner, large ensembles of functional networks with different kinds of robustness were obtained, making statistical investigations and comparison of their structural properties possible. We have found that, generally, different architectures are needed for various kinds of robustness. The differences are statistically revealed, for example, in the Laplacian spectra of the respective graphs. On the other hand, motif distributions of robust networks do not differ from those of the merely functional networks; they are found to belong to the first Alon superfamily, the same as that of the gene transcription networks of single-cell organisms.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Schroeder, C. B.; Fawley, W. M.; Esarey, E.
2003-07-01
We investigate the statistical properties (e.g., shot-to-shot power fluctuations) of the radiation from a high-gain free-electron laser (FEL) operating in the nonlinear regime. We consider the case of an FEL amplifier reaching saturation whose shot-to-shot fluctuations in input radiation power follow a gamma distribution. We analyze the corresponding output power fluctuations at and beyond saturation, including beam energy spread effects, and find that there are well-characterized values of undulator length for which the fluctuations reach a minimum.
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Entanglement complexity in quantum many-body dynamics, thermalization, and localization
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yang, Zhi-Cheng; Hamma, Alioscia; Giampaolo, Salvatore M.; Mucciolo, Eduardo R.; Chamon, Claudio
2017-07-01
Entanglement is usually quantified by von Neumann entropy, but its properties are much more complex than what can be expressed with a single number. We show that the three distinct dynamical phases known as thermalization, Anderson localization, and many-body localization are marked by different patterns of the spectrum of the reduced density matrix for a state evolved after a quantum quench. While the entanglement spectrum displays Poisson statistics for the case of Anderson localization, it displays universal Wigner-Dyson statistics for both the cases of many-body localization and thermalization, albeit the universal distribution is asymptotically reached within very different time scales in these two cases. We further show that the complexity of entanglement, revealed by the possibility of disentangling the state through a Metropolis-like algorithm, is signaled by whether the entanglement spectrum level spacing is Poisson or Wigner-Dyson distributed.
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Nodal portraits of quantum billiards: Domains, lines, and statistics
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jain, Sudhir Ranjan; Samajdar, Rhine
2017-10-01
This is a comprehensive review of the nodal domains and lines of quantum billiards, emphasizing a quantitative comparison of theoretical findings to experiments. The nodal statistics are shown to distinguish not only between regular and chaotic classical dynamics but also between different geometric shapes of the billiard system itself. How a random superposition of plane waves can model chaotic eigenfunctions is discussed and the connections of the complex morphology of the nodal lines thereof to percolation theory and Schramm-Loewner evolution are highlighted. Various approaches to counting the nodal domains—using trace formulas, graph theory, and difference equations—are also illustrated with examples. The nodal patterns addressed pertain to waves on vibrating plates and membranes, acoustic and electromagnetic modes, wave functions of a "particle in a box" as well as to percolating clusters, and domains in ferromagnets, thus underlining the diversity and far-reaching implications of the problem.
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A Study of relationship between frailty and physical performance in elderly women.
Jeoung, Bog Ja; Lee, Yang Chool
2015-08-01
Frailty is a disorder of multiple inter-related physiological systems. It is unclear whether the level of physical performance factors can serve as markers of frailty and a sign. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between frailty and physical performance in elderly women. One hundred fourteen elderly women participated in this study, their aged was from 65 to 80. We were measured 6-min walk test, grip-strength, 30-sec arm curl test, 30-sec chair stand test, 8 foot Up- and Go, Back scratch, chair sit and reach, unipedal stance, BMI, and the frailty with questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, frequencies, correlation analysis, ANOVA, and simple liner regression using the IBM 21. SPSS program. In results, statistic tests showed that there were significant differences between frailty and 6-min walk test, 30-sec arm curl test, 30-sec chair stand test, grip-strength, Back scratch, and BMI. However, we did not find significant differences between frailty and 8 foot Up- and Go, unipedal stance. When the subjects were divided into five groups according to physical performance level, subjects with high 6-min walk, 30-sec arm curl test, chair sit and reach test, and high grip strength had low score frailty. Physical performance factors were strongly associated with decreased frailty, suggesting that physical performance improvements play an important role in preventing or reducing the frailty.
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Aksoy, Senai; Yakin, Kayhan; Seyhan, Ayse; Oktem, Ozgur; Alatas, Cengiz; Ata, Baris; Urman, Bulent
2016-06-01
Poor ovarian response to controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) is one of the most critical factors that substantially limits the success of assisted reproduction techniques (ARTs). Natural and modified natural cycle IVF are two options that could be considered as a last resort. Blocking gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) actions in the endometrium via GnRH receptor antagonism may have a negative impact on endometrial receptivity. We analysed IVF outcomes in 142 natural (n = 30) or modified natural (n = 112) IVF cycles performed in 82 women retrospectively. A significantly lower proportion of natural cycles reached follicular aspiration compared to modified natural cycles (56.7% vs. 85.7%, p < 0.001). However, the difference between the numbers of IVF cycles ending in embryo transfer (26.7% vs. 44.6%) was not statistically significant between natural cycle and modified natural IVF cycles. Clinical pregnancy (6.7% vs. 7.1%) and live birth rates per initiated cycle (6.7% vs. 5.4%) were similar between the two groups. Notably, the implantation rate was slightly lower in modified natural cycles (16% vs. 25%, p > 0.05). There was a trend towards higher clinical pregnancy (25% vs. 16%) and live birth (25% vs. 12%) rates per embryo transfer in natural cycles compared to modified natural cycles, but the differences did not reach statistical significance.
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Bastos, Francisco I; Bastos, Leonardo Soares; Coutinho, Carolina; Toledo, Lidiane; Mota, Jurema Corrêa; Velasco-de-Castro, Carlos Augusto; Sperandei, Sandro; Brignol, Sandra; Travassos, Tamiris Severino; Dos Santos, Camila Mattos; Malta, Monica Siqueira
2018-05-01
Different sampling strategies, analytic alternatives, and estimators have been proposed to better assess the characteristics of different hard-to-reach populations and their respective infection rates (as well as their sociodemographic characteristics, associated harms, and needs) in the context of studies based on respondent-driven sampling (RDS). Despite several methodological advances and hundreds of empirical studies implemented worldwide, some inchoate findings and methodological challenges remain. The in-depth assessment of the local structure of networks and the performance of the available estimators are particularly relevant when the target populations are sparse and highly stigmatized. In such populations, bottlenecks as well as other sources of biases (for instance, due to homophily and/or too sparse or fragmented groups of individuals) may be frequent, affecting the estimates.In the present study, data were derived from a cross-sectional, multicity RDS study, carried out in 12 Brazilian cities with transgender women (TGW). Overall, infection rates for HIV and syphilis were very high, with some variation between different cities. Notwithstanding, findings are of great concern, considering the fact that female TGW are not only very hard-to-reach but also face deeply-entrenched prejudice and have been out of the reach of most therapeutic and preventive programs and projects.We cross-compared findings adjusted using 2 estimators (the classic estimator usually known as estimator II, originally proposed by Volz and Heckathorn) and a brand new strategy to adjust data generated by RDS, partially based on Bayesian statistics, called for the sake of this paper, the RDS-B estimator. Adjusted prevalence was cross-compared with estimates generated by non-weighted analyses, using what has been called by us a naïve estimator or rough estimates.
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Time density curve analysis for C-arm FDCT PBV imaging.
Kamran, Mudassar; Byrne, James V
2016-04-01
Parenchymal blood volume (PBV) estimation using C-arm flat detector computed tomography (FDCT) assumes a steady-state contrast concentration in cerebral vasculature for the scan duration. Using time density curve (TDC) analysis, we explored if the steady-state assumption is met for C-arm CT PBV scans, and how consistent the contrast-material dynamics in cerebral vasculature are across patients. Thirty C-arm FDCT datasets of 26 patients with aneurysmal-SAH, acquired as part of a prospective study comparing C-arm CT PBV with MR-PWI, were analysed. TDCs were extracted from the 2D rotational projections. Goodness-of-fit of TDCs to a steady-state horizontal-line-model and the statistical similarity among the individual TDCs were tested. Influence of the differences in TDC characteristics on the agreement of resulting PBV measurements with MR-CBV was calculated. Despite identical scan parameters and contrast-injection-protocol, the individual TDCs were statistically non-identical (p < 0.01). Using Dunn's multiple comparisons test, of the total 435 individual comparisons among the 30 TDCs, 330 comparisons (62%) reached statistical significance for difference. All TDCs deviated significantly (p < 0.01) from the steady-state horizontal-line-model. PBV values of those datasets for which the TDCs showed largest deviations from the steady-state model demonstrated poor agreement and correlation with MR-CBV, compared with the PBV values of those datasets for which the TDCs were closer to steady-state. For clinical C-arm CT PBV examinations, the administered contrast material does not reach the assumed 'ideal steady-state' for the duration of scan. Using a prolonged injection protocol, the degree to which the TDCs approximate the ideal steady-state influences the agreement of resulting PBV measurements with MR-CBV. © The Author(s) 2016.
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Time density curve analysis for C-arm FDCT PBV imaging
Byrne, James V
2016-01-01
Introduction Parenchymal blood volume (PBV) estimation using C-arm flat detector computed tomography (FDCT) assumes a steady-state contrast concentration in cerebral vasculature for the scan duration. Using time density curve (TDC) analysis, we explored if the steady-state assumption is met for C-arm CT PBV scans, and how consistent the contrast-material dynamics in cerebral vasculature are across patients. Methods Thirty C-arm FDCT datasets of 26 patients with aneurysmal-SAH, acquired as part of a prospective study comparing C-arm CT PBV with MR-PWI, were analysed. TDCs were extracted from the 2D rotational projections. Goodness-of-fit of TDCs to a steady-state horizontal-line-model and the statistical similarity among the individual TDCs were tested. Influence of the differences in TDC characteristics on the agreement of resulting PBV measurements with MR-CBV was calculated. Results Despite identical scan parameters and contrast-injection-protocol, the individual TDCs were statistically non-identical (p < 0.01). Using Dunn's multiple comparisons test, of the total 435 individual comparisons among the 30 TDCs, 330 comparisons (62%) reached statistical significance for difference. All TDCs deviated significantly (p < 0.01) from the steady-state horizontal-line-model. PBV values of those datasets for which the TDCs showed largest deviations from the steady-state model demonstrated poor agreement and correlation with MR-CBV, compared with the PBV values of those datasets for which the TDCs were closer to steady-state. Conclusion For clinical C-arm CT PBV examinations, the administered contrast material does not reach the assumed ‘ideal steady-state’ for the duration of scan. Using a prolonged injection protocol, the degree to which the TDCs approximate the ideal steady-state influences the agreement of resulting PBV measurements with MR-CBV. PMID:26769736
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Jessop, Alan
2010-01-01
Showing simply how statistical thinking can help in weighing evidence and reaching decisions can be useful both as an introduction to an extended presentation of statistical theory and as an introduction to a looser discussion of the nature and value of data.
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Hersche, Sepp; Sifakakis, Iosif; Zinelis, Spiros; Eliades, Theodore
2017-02-01
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the elemental composition, the microstructure, and the selected mechanical properties of high gold orthodontic brackets after intraoral aging. Thirty Incognito™ (3M Unitek, Bad Essen, Germany) lingual brackets were studied, 15 brackets as received (control group) and 15 brackets retrieved from different patients after orthodontic treatment. The surface of the wing area was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Backscattered electron imaging (BEI) was performed, and the elemental composition was determined by X-ray EDS analysis (EDX). After appropriate metallographic preparation, the mechanical properties tested were Martens hardness (HM), indentation modulus (EIT), elastic index (ηIT), and Vickers hardness (HV). These properties were determined employing instrumented indentation testing (IIT) with a Vickers indenter. The results were statistically analyzed by unpaired t-test (α=0.05). There were no statistically significant differences evidenced in surface morphology and elemental content between the control and the experimental group. These two groups of brackets showed no statistically significant difference in surface morphology. Moreover, the mean values of HM, EIT, ηIT, and HV did not reach statistical significance between the groups (p>0.05). Under the limitations of this study, it may be concluded that the surface elemental content and microstructure as well as the evaluated mechanical properties of the Incognito™ lingual brackets remain unaffected by intraoral aging.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lininger, K. B.; Wohl, E.; Rose, J. R.
2018-03-01
Floodplains accumulate and store organic carbon (OC) and release OC to rivers, but studies of floodplain soil OC come from small rivers or small spatial extents on larger rivers in temperate latitudes. Warming climate is causing substantial change in geomorphic process and OC fluxes in high latitude rivers. We investigate geomorphic controls on floodplain soil OC concentrations in active-layer mineral sediment in the Yukon Flats, interior Alaska. We characterize OC along the Yukon River and four tributaries in relation to geomorphic controls at the river basin, segment, and reach scales. Average OC concentration within floodplain soil is 2.8% (median = 2.2%). Statistical analyses indicate that OC varies among river basins, among planform types along a river depending on the geomorphic unit, and among geomorphic units. OC decreases with sample depth, suggesting that most OC accumulates via autochthonous inputs from floodplain vegetation. Floodplain and river characteristics, such as grain size, soil moisture, planform, migration rate, and riverine DOC concentrations, likely influence differences among rivers. Grain size, soil moisture, and age of surface likely influence differences among geomorphic units. Mean OC concentrations vary more among geomorphic units (wetlands = 5.1% versus bars = 2.0%) than among study rivers (Dall River = 3.8% versus Teedrinjik River = 2.3%), suggesting that reach-scale geomorphic processes more strongly control the spatial distribution of OC than basin-scale processes. Investigating differences at the basin and reach scale is necessary to accurately assess the amount and distribution of floodplain soil OC, as well as the geomorphic controls on OC.
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Park, Yoonah; Yong, Yuen Geng; Yun, Seong Hyeon; Jung, Kyung Uk; Huh, Jung Wook; Cho, Yong Beom; Kim, Hee Cheol; Lee, Woo Yong; Chun, Ho-Kyung
2015-05-01
This study aimed to compare the learning curves and early postoperative outcomes for conventional laparoscopic (CL) and single incision laparoscopic (SIL) right hemicolectomy (RHC). This retrospective study included the initial 35 cases in each group. Learning curves were evaluated by the moving average of operative time, mean operative time of every five consecutive cases, and cumulative sum (CUSUM) analysis. The learning phase was considered overcome when the moving average of operative times reached a plateau, and when the mean operative time of every five consecutive cases reached a low point and subsequently did not vary by more than 30 minutes. Six patients with missing data in the CL RHC group were excluded from the analyses. According to the mean operative time of every five consecutive cases, learning phase of SIL and CL RHC was completed between 26 and 30 cases, and 16 and 20 cases, respectively. Moving average analysis revealed that approximately 31 (SIL) and 25 (CL) cases were needed to complete the learning phase, respectively. CUSUM analysis demonstrated that 10 (SIL) and two (CL) cases were required to reach a steady state of complication-free performance, respectively. Postoperative complications rate was higher in SIL than in CL group, but the difference was not statistically significant (17.1% vs. 3.4%). The learning phase of SIL RHC is longer than that of CL RHC. Early oncological outcomes of both techniques were comparable. However, SIL RHC had a statistically insignificant higher complication rate than CL RHC during the learning phase.
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Phenomena and characteristics of barrier river reaches in the middle and lower Yangtze River, China
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
You, Xingying; Tang, Jinwu
2017-06-01
Alluvial river self-adjustment describes the mechanism whereby a river that was originally in an equilibrium state of sediment transport encounters some disturbance that destroys the balance and results in responses such as riverbed deformation. A systematic study of historical and recent aerial photographs and topographic maps in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River (MLYR) shows that river self-adjustment has the distinguishing feature of transferring from upstream to downstream, which may affect flood safety, waterway morphology, bank stability, and aquatic environmental safety over relatively long reaches downstream. As a result, it is necessary to take measures to control or block this transfer. Using the relationship of the occurrence time of channel adjustments between the upstream and downstream, 34 single-thread river reaches in the MLYR were classified into four types: corresponding, basically corresponding, basically not corresponding, not corresponding. The latter two types, because of their ability to prevent upstream channel adjustment from transferring downstream, are called barrier river reaches in this study. Statistics indicate that barrier river reaches are generally single thread and slightly curved, with a narrow and deep cross-sectional morphology, and without flow deflecting nodes in the upper and middle parts of reaches. Moreover, in the MLYR, barrier river reaches have a hydrogeometric coefficient of {<}{4}, a gradient {>}1.2‱, a silty clay content of the concave bank {>}{9.5}%, and a median diameter of the bed sediment {>}{0.158} mm. The barrier river reach mechanism lies in that can effectively centralise the planimetric position of the main stream from different upstream directions, meaning that no matter how the upper channel adjusts, the main stream shows little change, providing relatively stable inflow conditions for the lower reaches. Regarding river regulation, it is necessary to optimise the benefits of barrier river reaches; long river reaches without barrier properties should be systematically planned and regulated; drastic bank collapse and sandbar shrinking should be urgently controlled to prevent the loss of barrier effects.
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[Hydrologic variability and sensitivity based on Hurst coefficient and Bartels statistic].
Lei, Xu; Xie, Ping; Wu, Zi Yi; Sang, Yan Fang; Zhao, Jiang Yan; Li, Bin Bin
2018-04-01
Due to the global climate change and frequent human activities in recent years, the pure stochastic components of hydrological sequence is mixed with one or several of the variation ingredients, including jump, trend, period and dependency. It is urgently needed to clarify which indices should be used to quantify the degree of their variability. In this study, we defined the hydrological variability based on Hurst coefficient and Bartels statistic, and used Monte Carlo statistical tests to test and analyze their sensitivity to different variants. When the hydrological sequence had jump or trend variation, both Hurst coefficient and Bartels statistic could reflect the variation, with the Hurst coefficient being more sensitive to weak jump or trend variation. When the sequence had period, only the Bartels statistic could detect the mutation of the sequence. When the sequence had a dependency, both the Hurst coefficient and the Bartels statistics could reflect the variation, with the latter could detect weaker dependent variations. For the four variations, both the Hurst variability and Bartels variability increased with the increases of variation range. Thus, they could be used to measure the variation intensity of the hydrological sequence. We analyzed the temperature series of different weather stations in the Lancang River basin. Results showed that the temperature of all stations showed the upward trend or jump, indicating that the entire basin had experienced warming in recent years and the temperature variability in the upper and lower reaches was much higher. This case study showed the practicability of the proposed method.
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Assessment of Heat Hazard during the Polymerization of Selected Light-Sensitive Dental Materials.
Janeczek, Maciej; Herman, Katarzyna; Fita, Katarzyna; Dudek, Krzysztof; Kowalczyk-Zając, Małgorzata; Czajczyńska-Waszkiewicz, Agnieszka; Piesiak-Pańczyszyn, Dagmara; Kosior, Piotr; Dobrzyński, Maciej
2016-01-01
Introduction. Polymerization of light-cured dental materials used for restoration of hard tooth tissue may lead to an increase in temperature that may have negative consequence for pulp vitality. Aim. The aim of this study was to determine maximum temperatures reached during the polymerization of selected dental materials, as well as the time that is needed for samples of sizes similar to those used in clinical practice to reach these temperatures. Materials and Methods. The study involved four composite restorative materials, one lining material and a dentine bonding agent. The polymerization was conducted with the use of a diode light-curing unit. The measurements of the external surface temperature of the samples were carried out using the Thermovision®550 thermal camera. Results. The examined materials significantly differed in terms of the maximum temperatures values they reached, as well as the time required for reaching the temperatures. A statistically significant positive correlation of the maximum temperature and the sample weight was observed. Conclusions. In clinical practice, it is crucial to bear in mind the risk of thermal damage involved in the application of light-cured materials. It can be reduced by using thin increments of composite materials.
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Fonseca-Toledo, Cláudio; Roquetti, Paula; Fernandes-Filho, José
2010-12-01
This study was aimed at investigating the anthropometrics characteristics of male Brazilian junior volleyball players, organised into 3 sports requirement groups: high qualification (HQ) formed by the national team, middle qualification (MQ) formed by athletes playing in the Brazilian national championships and low qualification (LQ) formed by players at school level. 101 athletes were observed, HQ (n=16), MQ (n=68) and LQ (n=17), aged 16.7 ± 0.5; 16.6 ± 0.5 and 16.2 ± 0.7 years, respectively. There following were evaluated: body mass, height, standing reach height, % body fat and Heath & Carter somatotype. The statistical analysis was descriptive and inferential, the Kruskal Wallis test being used for detecting differences between groups (p<0.05 significance) and Spearman correlation coefficient for establishing association between anthropometric characteristics and requirement levels, considering p<0,05 e p<0.01 to be significant and highly significant, respectively. Significant differences (p<0.05) were detected between athlete groups for body mass, height, standing reach height and ectomorphy. A "strong" correlation for height and "regular" correlation for standing reach height, body mass and ectomorphy were observed, according to players' height or classification. The results gave normative data for athletes which will allow coaches and physical instructors to use such information during training as a sports' selection instrument for young talented volleyball players.
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Signaling on the continuous spectrum of nonlinear optical fiber.
Tavakkolnia, Iman; Safari, Majid
2017-08-07
This paper studies different signaling techniques on the continuous spectrum (CS) of nonlinear optical fiber defined by nonlinear Fourier transform. Three different signaling techniques are proposed and analyzed based on the statistics of the noise added to CS after propagation along the nonlinear optical fiber. The proposed methods are compared in terms of error performance, distance reach, and complexity. Furthermore, the effect of chromatic dispersion on the data rate and noise in nonlinear spectral domain is investigated. It is demonstrated that, for a given sequence of CS symbols, an optimal bandwidth (or symbol rate) can be determined so that the temporal duration of the propagated signal at the end of the fiber is minimized. In effect, the required guard interval between the subsequently transmitted data packets in time is minimized and the effective data rate is significantly enhanced. Moreover, by selecting the proper signaling method and design criteria a distance reach of 7100 km is reported by only singling on CS at a rate of 9.6 Gbps.
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How to estimate the signs' configuration in the directed signed social networks?
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Guo, Long; Gao, Fujuan; Jiang, Jian
2017-02-01
Inspired by the ensemble theory in statistical mechanics, we introduce a reshuffling approach to empirical analyze signs' configuration in the directed signed social networks of Epinions and Slashdots. In our reshuffling approach, each negative link has the reshuffling probability prs to exchange its sign with another positive link chosen randomly. Many reshuffled networks with different signs' configuration are built under different prss. For each reshuffled network, the entropies of the self social status are calculated and the opinion formation of the majority-rule model is analyzed. We find that Souts reach their own minimum values and the order parameter |m* | reaches its maximum value in the networks of Epinions and Slashdots without the reshuffling operation. Namely, individuals share the homogeneous properties of self social status and dynamic status in the real directed signed social networks. Our present work provides some interesting tools and perspective to understand the signs' configuration in signed social networks, especially in the online affiliation networks.
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Al-Herrawy, Ahmad Z; Gad, Mahmoud A
2017-01-01
The aim of this study was to compare between slow and rapid sand filters for the removal of free-living amoebae during drinking water treatment production. Overall, 48 water samples were collected from two drinking water treatment plants having two different filtration systems (slow and rapid sand filters) and from inlet and outlet of each plant. Water samples were collected from Fayoum Drinking Water and Wastewater Holding Company, Egypt, during the year 2015. They were processed for detection of FLAs using non-nutrient agar (NNA). The isolates of FLAs were microscopically identified to the genus level based on the morphologic criteria and molecularly confirmed by the aid of PCR using genus-specific primers. The percentage of removal for FLAs through different treatment processes reached its highest rate in the station using slow sand filters (83%), while the removal by rapid sand filter system was 71.4%. Statistically, there was no significant difference ( P =0.55) for the removal of FLAs between the two different drinking water treatment systems. Statistically, seasons had no significant effect on the prevalence of FLAs in the two different drinking water treatment plants. Morphological identification of the isolated FLAs showed the presence of 3 genera namely Acanthamoeba , Naegleria , and Vermamoeba ( Hartmannella ) confirmed by PCR. The appearance of FLAs especially pathogenic amoebae in completely treated drinking water may cause potential health threat although there is no statistical difference between the two examined drinking water filtration systems.
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Jarebinski, M; Adanja, B; Vlajinac, H
1989-01-01
This investigation of some biosocial factors such as level of education, profession, tobacco smoking, alcohol and coffee consumption, and previous illnesses, reports on 98 patients with histologically confirmed rectal cancer, and 196 hospitalized and neighborhood-matched controls. Past history of hemorrhoids, polyposis, colitis, diverticulosis and appendectomy, as well as the use of laxatives were significantly more frequent among rectal cancer patients than in their controls. None of the case-control differences related to the other parameters reached statistical significance.
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[Sexual aggression against girls and adult women --definitions and epidemiology].
Bitzer, J
2005-04-01
Various definitions of sexual aggression lead to different rates of incidence and prevalence. Crime statistics indicate the rate of declared judiciable acts (Hellfeld). Research definitions are broader with respect to behavior of the perpetrator, damage to the victim etc. (Dunkelfeld). Taking various data sources into account it emerges that 12-20% of women become victims of sexual aggression, which means that sexual aggression is ubiquitous in society reaching all ages and social classes, women being by far more often exposed than men.
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2013-07-01
as a statistical graphic, and Pearson product moment correlation coefficients as measures of the strength of linear association; 4) performing SNP ...determine if there are differences in single nucleotide polymorphisms ( SNPs ) in selected candidate genes implicated in metabolic syndrome, obesity, chronic...samples for the serum and SNP analyses. We have reached a target of 500 patients at the end of year 2; however, some of the patients turned out to be
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Effect of reverse shoulder design philosophy on muscle moment arms.
Hamilton, Matthew A; Diep, Phong; Roche, Chris; Flurin, Pierre Henri; Wright, Thomas W; Zuckerman, Joseph D; Routman, Howard
2015-04-01
This study analyzes the muscle moment arms of three different reverse shoulder design philosophies using a previously published method. Digital bone models of the shoulder were imported into a 3D modeling software and markers placed for the origin and insertion of relevant muscles. The anatomic model was used as a baseline for moment arm calculations. Subsequently, three different reverse shoulder designs were virtually implanted and moment arms were analyzed in abduction and external rotation. The results indicate that the lateral offset between the joint center and the axis of the humerus specific to one reverse shoulder design increased the external rotation moment arms of the posterior deltoid relative to the other reverse shoulder designs. The other muscles analyzed demonstrated differences in the moment arms, but none of the differences reached statistical significance. This study demonstrated how the combination of variables making up different reverse shoulder designs can affect the moment arms of the muscles in different and statistically significant ways. The role of humeral offset in reverse shoulder design has not been previously reported and could have an impact on external rotation and stability achieved post-operatively. © 2015 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Efecto de la difusión y la velocidad en la ionización del átomo de Carbono
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rovira, M. G.; Fontenla, J. M.
The equations of statistical equilibrium for all ionization states of the atom are solved. The effects of diffusion and center of mass velocity are included. In order to estimate the modifications of the ionization curves, they were applied to the Carbon atom. To solve these equations, solar prominences' models obtained in a previous paper were adopted. They were extended to reach a temperature of 1.5 × 106 K and the complete model of the prominence was calculated. Ionization curves for different values of velocity, diffusion and medium models were obtained. The different models represent structures with different densities. Considerable modifications due to these effects are found.
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Shukla, Mohan K; Singh, Neeru; Sharma, Ravendra K; Barde, Pradip V
2017-07-01
The objective of this study was to demonstrate the utility of dengue virus (DENV) non structural protein 1 (NS1) based rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for use in tribal and difficult to reach areas for early dengue (DEN) diagnosis in acute phase patients and evaluate its sensitivity and specificity against DENV NS1 enzyme linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA) and real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The DENV NS1 RDT was used for preliminary diagnosis during outbreaks in difficult to reach rural and tribal areas. The diagnosis was confirmed by DENV NS1 ELISA in the laboratory. The samples were also tested and serotyped by qRT-PCR. The results were evaluated using statistical tests. The DENV NS1 RDT showed 99.2% sensitivity and 96.0% specificity when analyzed using DENV NS1 ELISA as standard. The specificity and sensitivity of the RDT when compared with qRT-PCR was 93.6% and 91.1%, respectively. The serotype specific evaluation showed more than 90% sensitivity and specificity for DENV-1, 2, and 3. The RDT proved a good diagnostic tool in difficult to reach rural and tribal areas. Further evaluation studies with different commercially available RDTs in different field conditions are essential, that will help clinicians and patients for treatment and programme managers for timely intervention. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Wee, Seng Kwee; Hughes, Ann-Marie; Warner, Martin; Burridge, Jane H
2014-09-01
Many stroke patients exhibit excessive compensatory trunk movements during reaching. Compensatory movement behaviors may improve upper extremity function in the short-term but be detrimental to long-term recovery. To evaluate the evidence that trunk restraint limits compensatory trunk movement and/or promotes better upper extremity recovery in stroke patients. A search was conducted through electronic databases from January 1980 to June 2013. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing upper extremity training with and without trunk restraint were selected for review. Three review authors independently assessed the methodological quality and extracted data from the studies. Meta-analysis was conducted when there was sufficient homogenous data. Six RCTs involving 187 chronic stroke patients were identified. Meta-analysis of key outcome measures showed that trunk restraint has a moderate statistically significant effect on improving Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) score, active shoulder flexion, and reduction in trunk displacement during reaching. There was a small, nonsignificant effect of trunk restraint on upper extremity function. Trunk restraint has a moderate effect on reduction of upper extremity impairment in chronic stroke patients, in terms of FMA-UE score, increased shoulder flexion, and reduction in excessive trunk movement during reaching. There is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that trunk restraint improves upper extremity function and reaching trajectory smoothness and straightness in chronic stroke patients. Future research on stroke patients at different phases of recovery and with different levels of upper extremity impairment is recommended. © The Author(s) 2014.
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Inal, Mehmet Turan; Memiş, Dilek; Yıldırım, Ilker; Uğur, Hüseyin; Erkaymaz, Aysegul; Turan, F Nesrin
Despite new improvements on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), brain damage is very often after resuscitation. To assess the prognostic value of cerebral oxygen saturation measurement (rSO 2 ) for assessing prognosis on patients after cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Retrospective analysis. We analyzed 25 post-CPR patients (12 female and 13 male). All the patients were cooled to a target temperature of 33-34°C. The Glascow Coma Scale (GCS), Corneal Reflexes (CR), Pupillary Reflexes (PR), arterial Base Excess (BE) and rSO 2 measurements were taken on admission. The rewarming GCS, CR, PR, BE and rSO 2 measurements were made after the patient's temperature reached 36°C. In survivors, the baseline rSO 2 value was 67.5 (46-70) and the percent difference between baseline and rewarming rSO 2 value was 0.03 (0.014-0.435). In non-survivors, the baseline rSO 2 value was 30 (25-65) and the percent difference between baseline and rewarming rSO 2 value was 0.031 (-0.08 to -20). No statistical difference was detected on percent changes between baseline and rewarming values of rSO 2. Statistically significant difference was detected between baseline and rewarming GCS groups (p=0.004). No statistical difference was detected between GCS, CR, PR, BE and rSO 2 to determine the prognosis. Despite higher values of rSO 2 on survivors than non-survivors, we found no statistically considerable difference between groups on baseline and the rewarming rSO 2 values. Since the measurement is simple, and not affected by hypotension and hypothermia, the rSO 2 may be a useful predictor for determining the prognosis after CPR. Copyright © 2016 Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.
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Growns, Ivor; Astles, Karen; Gehrke, Peter
2006-03-01
We studied the multiscale (sites, river reaches and rivers) and short-term temporal (monthly) variability in a freshwater fish assemblage. We found that small-scale spatial variation and short-term temporal variability significantly influenced fish community structure in the Macquarie and Namoi Rivers. However, larger scale spatial differences between rivers were the largest source of variation in the data. The interaction between temporal change and spatial variation in fish community structure, whilst statistically significant, was smaller than the variation between rivers. This suggests that although the fish communities within each river changed between sampling occasions, the underlying differences between rivers were maintained. In contrast, the strongest interaction between temporal and spatial effects occurred at the smallest spatial scale, at the level of individual sites. This means whilst the composition of the fish assemblage at a given site may fluctuate, the magnitude of these changes is unlikely to affect larger scale differences between reaches within rivers or between rivers. These results suggest that sampling at any time within a single season will be sufficient to show spatial differences that occur over large spatial scales, such as comparisons between rivers or between biogeographical regions.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mulyadi, Agah Muhammad
2017-11-01
Performance of signalized intersection has declined due to a large number of motorcycles. The number of motorcycles reached 98.2 million units and the composition of motorcycles has reached around 81.7% of the total composition of vehicles in Indonesia (AISI, 2017). To solve that problem, the red box for motorcycles are provided at the signalized intersection. Red box for the motorcycle at signalized intersections was developed from the concept of Advance Stop Line (ASL) for bicycles. The Red Box was developed to split the queue between motorcycles and other vehicles when waiting at red light. This paper aims to evaluate the influence of the red box dimension and red time operation differences. The survey was conducted as many as 30 cycles of traffic signals per day. The data were analyzed using software IBM SPSS Statistics 20 by using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to obtain p-value (significant). The analysis shows that there are insignificant influences between the occupancy rates to the dimension of Red Box. Furthermore, that there is a significant difference that shows the dependency of only motorcycles in the Red Box Area towards red time operation.
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Statistics of Visual Responses to Image Object Stimuli from Primate AIT Neurons to DNN Neurons.
Dong, Qiulei; Wang, Hong; Hu, Zhanyi
2018-02-01
Under the goal-driven paradigm, Yamins et al. ( 2014 ; Yamins & DiCarlo, 2016 ) have shown that by optimizing only the final eight-way categorization performance of a four-layer hierarchical network, not only can its top output layer quantitatively predict IT neuron responses but its penultimate layer can also automatically predict V4 neuron responses. Currently, deep neural networks (DNNs) in the field of computer vision have reached image object categorization performance comparable to that of human beings on ImageNet, a data set that contains 1.3 million training images of 1000 categories. We explore whether the DNN neurons (units in DNNs) possess image object representational statistics similar to monkey IT neurons, particularly when the network becomes deeper and the number of image categories becomes larger, using VGG19, a typical and widely used deep network of 19 layers in the computer vision field. Following Lehky, Kiani, Esteky, and Tanaka ( 2011 , 2014 ), where the response statistics of 674 IT neurons to 806 image stimuli are analyzed using three measures (kurtosis, Pareto tail index, and intrinsic dimensionality), we investigate the three issues in this letter using the same three measures: (1) the similarities and differences of the neural response statistics between VGG19 and primate IT cortex, (2) the variation trends of the response statistics of VGG19 neurons at different layers from low to high, and (3) the variation trends of the response statistics of VGG19 neurons when the numbers of stimuli and neurons increase. We find that the response statistics on both single-neuron selectivity and population sparseness of VGG19 neurons are fundamentally different from those of IT neurons in most cases; by increasing the number of neurons in different layers and the number of stimuli, the response statistics of neurons at different layers from low to high do not substantially change; and the estimated intrinsic dimensionality values at the low convolutional layers of VGG19 are considerably larger than the value of approximately 100 reported for IT neurons in Lehky et al. ( 2014 ), whereas those at the high fully connected layers are close to or lower than 100. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first attempt to analyze the response statistics of DNN neurons with respect to primate IT neurons in image object representation.
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Statistical Symbolic Execution with Informed Sampling
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Filieri, Antonio; Pasareanu, Corina S.; Visser, Willem; Geldenhuys, Jaco
2014-01-01
Symbolic execution techniques have been proposed recently for the probabilistic analysis of programs. These techniques seek to quantify the likelihood of reaching program events of interest, e.g., assert violations. They have many promising applications but have scalability issues due to high computational demand. To address this challenge, we propose a statistical symbolic execution technique that performs Monte Carlo sampling of the symbolic program paths and uses the obtained information for Bayesian estimation and hypothesis testing with respect to the probability of reaching the target events. To speed up the convergence of the statistical analysis, we propose Informed Sampling, an iterative symbolic execution that first explores the paths that have high statistical significance, prunes them from the state space and guides the execution towards less likely paths. The technique combines Bayesian estimation with a partial exact analysis for the pruned paths leading to provably improved convergence of the statistical analysis. We have implemented statistical symbolic execution with in- formed sampling in the Symbolic PathFinder tool. We show experimentally that the informed sampling obtains more precise results and converges faster than a purely statistical analysis and may also be more efficient than an exact symbolic analysis. When the latter does not terminate symbolic execution with informed sampling can give meaningful results under the same time and memory limits.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Karamuz, Emilia; Kochanek, Krzysztof; Romanowicz, Renata
2014-05-01
Flood frequency analysis (FFA) is customarily performed using annual maximum flows. However, there is a number of different flood descriptors that could be used. Among them are water levels, peaks over the threshold, flood-wave duration, flood volume, etc. In this study we compare different approaches to FFA for their suitability for flood risk assessment. The main goal is to obtain the FFA curve with the smallest possible uncertainty limits, in particular for the distribution tail. The extrapolation of FFA curves is crucial in future flood risk assessment in a changing climate. We compare the FFA curves together with their uncertainty limits obtained using flows, water levels, flood inundation area and volumes for the Warsaw reach of the river Vistula. Moreover, we derive the FFA curves obtained using simulated flows. The results are used to derive the error distribution for the maximum simulated and observed values under different modelling techniques and assess its influence on flood risk predictions for ungauged catchments. MIKE11, HEC-RAS and transfer function model are applied in average and extreme conditions to model flow propagation in the Warsaw Vistula reach. The additional questions we want to answer are what is the range of application of different modelling tools under various flow conditions and how can the uncertainty of flood risk assessment be decreased. This work was partly supported by the projects "Stochastic flood forecasting system (The River Vistula reach from Zawichost to Warsaw)" and "Modern statistical models for analysis of flood frequency and features of flood waves", carried by the Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences on the order of the National Science Centre (contracts Nos. 2011/01/B/ST10/06866 and 2012/05/B/ST10/00482, respectively). The water level and flow data were provided by the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW), Poland.
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Loading and dilution: arsenic, sodium and nutrients in a section of the River Tisza, Hungary
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Türk, Gábor; Prokisch, József; Simon, Edina; Szabó, Szilárd
2015-11-01
We aimed to reveal the risk of arsenic in a Hungarian river (the Tisza) at the mouth of a polluted canal. Four sampling sites were involved in this work and samples were collected on a weekly basis for arsenic and sodium, and on a monthly basis for nutrients. Significant differences were found concerning each studied component between the sampling locations of the River Tisza. Statistical analysis also revealed that the values of the upper and lower river tracts did not differ significantly. Thus, water carried by the canal is being diluted before it reaches the farthest sampling location.
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A Study of relationship between frailty and physical performance in elderly women
Jeoung, Bog Ja; Lee, Yang Chool
2015-01-01
Frailty is a disorder of multiple inter-related physiological systems. It is unclear whether the level of physical performance factors can serve as markers of frailty and a sign. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between frailty and physical performance in elderly women. One hundred fourteen elderly women participated in this study, their aged was from 65 to 80. We were measured 6-min walk test, grip-strength, 30-sec arm curl test, 30-sec chair stand test, 8 foot Up- and Go, Back scratch, chair sit and reach, unipedal stance, BMI, and the frailty with questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, frequencies, correlation analysis, ANOVA, and simple liner regression using the IBM 21. SPSS program. In results, statistic tests showed that there were significant differences between frailty and 6-min walk test, 30-sec arm curl test, 30-sec chair stand test, grip-strength, Back scratch, and BMI. However, we did not find significant differences between frailty and 8 foot Up- and Go, unipedal stance. When the subjects were divided into five groups according to physical performance level, subjects with high 6-min walk, 30-sec arm curl test, chair sit and reach test, and high grip strength had low score frailty. Physical performance factors were strongly associated with decreased frailty, suggesting that physical performance improvements play an important role in preventing or reducing the frailty. PMID:26331137
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Nardetto, Lucia; Dario, Claudio; Tonello, Simone; Brunelli, Marta Carla; Lisiero, Manola; Carraro, Maria Grazia; Saccavini, Claudio; Scannapieco, Gianluigi; Giometto, Bruno
2016-05-01
Over 10 years after European approval, thrombolysis is still limited by a restricted time window and non-optimal territorial coverage. Implementation of telestroke can give a growing number of patients access to treatment. We hereby present the first Italian telemedicine study applied to both the acute and the monitoring phase of stroke care. From January 2011 to December 2013, we tested a web-based, drip, and treat interaction model, connecting the cerebrovascular specialist of one hub center to the Emergency Department of a Spoke center. We then compared thrombolysis delivered using the telestroke model with thrombolysis provided at the Hub Stroke Unit at the time when the telemedicine program was activated. Telethrombolysis data were then compared with data from the two main international telestroke projects (TEMPiS and REACH), and other European telestroke studies performed at the time of writing. We collected a total of 131 thrombolysis procedures (25 telethrombolysis and 106 thrombolysis patients at the Stroke Unit). Statistical analysis with the t test yielded no statistically significant differences between the two populations in door-to-scan, door-to-needle (DTN), and onset-to-treatment times (OTT). Our OTT and DTN pathway times were longer than the TEMPiS and REACH studies but comparable with other European telemedicine trials, despite different models of interaction and number of centers. Our study in a northeastern province of Italy confirms the potential of applying telemedicine to a cerebrovascular pathology.
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An analysis of the cognitive deficit of schizophrenia based on the Piaget developmental theory.
Torres, Alejandro; Olivares, Jose M; Rodriguez, Angel; Vaamonde, Antonio; Berrios, German E
2007-01-01
The objective of the study was to evaluate from the perspective of the Piaget developmental model the cognitive functioning of a sample of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Fifty patients with schizophrenia (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition) and 40 healthy matched controls were evaluated by means of the Longeot Logical Thought Evaluation Scale. Only 6% of the subjects with schizophrenia reached the "formal period," and 70% remained at the "concrete operations" stage. The corresponding figures for the control sample were 25% and 15%, respectively. These differences were statistically significant. The samples were specifically differentiable on the permutation, probabilities, and pendulum tests of the scale. The Longeot Logical Thought Evaluation Scale can discriminate between subjects with schizophrenia and healthy controls.
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A guide to missing data for the pediatric nephrologist.
Larkins, Nicholas G; Craig, Jonathan C; Teixeira-Pinto, Armando
2018-03-13
Missing data is an important and common source of bias in clinical research. Readers should be alert to and consider the impact of missing data when reading studies. Beyond preventing missing data in the first place, through good study design and conduct, there are different strategies available to handle data containing missing observations. Complete case analysis is often biased unless data are missing completely at random. Better methods of handling missing data include multiple imputation and models using likelihood-based estimation. With advancing computing power and modern statistical software, these methods are within the reach of clinician-researchers under guidance of a biostatistician. As clinicians reading papers, we need to continue to update our understanding of statistical methods, so that we understand the limitations of these techniques and can critically interpret literature.
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If You Build (and Moderate) It, They Will Come: The Smokefree Women Facebook Page
2013-01-01
This analysis explores the impact of modifying the Smokefree Women Facebook social media strategy, from primarily promoting resources to encouraging participation in communications about smoking cessation by posting user-generated content. Analyses were performed using data from the Smokefree Women Facebook page to assess the impact of the revised strategy on reach and engagement. Fan engagement increased 430%, and a strong and statistically significant correlation (P < .05) between the frequency of moderator posts and community engagement was observed. The reach of the page also increased by 420%. Our findings indicate that the strategy shift had a statistically significant and positive effect on the frequency of interactions on the Facebook page, providing an example of an approach that may prove useful for reaching and engaging users in online communities. Additional research is needed to assess the association between engagement in virtual communities and health behavior outcomes. PMID:24395993
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If you build (and moderate) it, they will come: the Smokefree Women Facebook page.
Post, Samantha D; Taylor, Shani C; Sanders, Amy E; Goldfarb, Jeffrey M; Hunt, Yvonne M; Augustson, Erik M
2013-12-01
This analysis explores the impact of modifying the Smokefree Women Facebook social media strategy, from primarily promoting resources to encouraging participation in communications about smoking cessation by posting user-generated content. Analyses were performed using data from the Smokefree Women Facebook page to assess the impact of the revised strategy on reach and engagement. Fan engagement increased 430%, and a strong and statistically significant correlation (P < .05) between the frequency of moderator posts and community engagement was observed. The reach of the page also increased by 420%. Our findings indicate that the strategy shift had a statistically significant and positive effect on the frequency of interactions on the Facebook page, providing an example of an approach that may prove useful for reaching and engaging users in online communities. Additional research is needed to assess the association between engagement in virtual communities and health behavior outcomes.
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Intensive Reading Remediation in Grade 2 or 3: Are There Effects a Decade Later?
Blachman, Benita A.; Schatschneider, Christopher; Fletcher, Jack M.; Murray, Maria S.; Munger, Kristen A.; Vaughn, Michael G.
2014-01-01
Despite data supporting the benefits of early reading interventions, there has been little evaluation of the long-term educational impact of these interventions, with most follow-up studies lasting less than two years (Suggate, 2010). This study evaluated reading outcomes more than a decade after the completion of an 8-month reading intervention using a randomized design with second and third graders selected on the basis of poor word-level skills (Blachman et al., 2004). Fifty-eight (84%) of the original 69 participants took part in the study. The treatment group demonstrated a moderate to small effect size advantage on reading and spelling measures over the comparison group. There were statistically significant differences with moderate effect sizes between treatment and comparison groups on standardized measures of word recognition (i.e., Woodcock Basic Skills Cluster, d = 0.53; Woodcock Word Identification, d = 0.62), the primary, but not exclusive, focus of the intervention. Statistical tests on other reading and spelling measures did not reach thresholds for statistical significance. Patterns in the data related to other educational outcomes, such as high school completion, favored the treatment participants, although differences were not significant. PMID:24578581
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Principal curvatures and area ratio of propagating surfaces in isotropic turbulence
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zheng, Tianhang; You, Jiaping; Yang, Yue
2017-10-01
We study the statistics of principal curvatures and the surface area ratio of propagating surfaces with a constant or nonconstant propagating velocity in isotropic turbulence using direct numerical simulation. Propagating surface elements initially constitute a plane to model a planar premixed flame front. When the statistics of evolving propagating surfaces reach the stationary stage, the statistical profiles of principal curvatures scaled by the Kolmogorov length scale versus the constant displacement speed scaled by the Kolmogorov velocity scale collapse at different Reynolds numbers. The magnitude of averaged principal curvatures and the number of surviving surface elements without cusp formation decrease with increasing displacement speed. In addition, the effect of surface stretch on the nonconstant displacement speed inhibits the cusp formation on surface elements at negative Markstein numbers. In order to characterize the wrinkling process of the global propagating surface, we develop a model to demonstrate that the increase of the surface area ratio is primarily due to positive Lagrangian time integrations of the area-weighted averaged tangential strain-rate term and propagation-curvature term. The difference between the negative averaged mean curvature and the positive area-weighted averaged mean curvature characterizes the cellular geometry of the global propagating surface.
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Baldigo, Barry P.; Warren, D.R.
2008-01-01
Increased trout production within limited stream reaches is a popular goal for restoration projects, yet investigators seldom monitor, assess, or publish the associated effects on fish assemblages. Fish community data from a total of 40 surveys at restored and reference reaches in three streams of the Catskill Mountains, New York, were analyzed a posteriori to determine how the ability to detect significant changes in biomass of brown trout Salmo trutta, all salmonids, or the entire fish community differs with effect size, number of streams assessed, process used to quantify the index response, and number of replicates collected before and after restoration. Analyses of statistical power (probability of detecting a meaningful difference or effect) and integrated power (average power over all possible ??-values) were combined with before-after, control-impact analyses to assess the effectiveness of alternate sampling and analysis designs. In general, the more robust analyses indicated that biomass of brown trout and salmonid populations increased significantly in restored reaches but that the net increases (relative to the reference reach) were significant only at two of four restored reaches. Restoration alone could not account for the net increases in total biomass of fish communities. Power analyses generally showed that integrated power was greater than 0.95 when (1) biomass increases were larger than 5.0 g/m2, (2) the total number of replicates ranged from 4 to 8, and (3) coefficients of variation (CVs) for responses were less than 40%. Integrated power was often greater than 0.95 for responses as low as 1.0 g/m2 if the response CVs were less than 30%. Considering that brown trout, salmonid, and community biomass increased by 2.99 g/m2 on average (SD= 1.17 g/m2) in the four restored reaches, use of two to three replicates both before and after restoration would have an integrated power of about 0.95 and would help detect significant changes in fish biomass under similar situations. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2008.
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Fisher, Moria E; Huang, Felix C; Wright, Zachary A; Patton, James L
2014-01-01
Manipulation of error feedback has been of great interest to recent studies in motor control and rehabilitation. Typically, motor adaptation is shown as a change in performance with a single scalar metric for each trial, yet such an approach might overlook details about how error evolves through the movement. We believe that statistical distributions of movement error through the extent of the trajectory can reveal unique patterns of adaption and possibly reveal clues to how the motor system processes information about error. This paper describes different possible ordinate domains, focusing on representations in time and state-space, used to quantify reaching errors. We hypothesized that the domain with the lowest amount of variability would lead to a predictive model of reaching error with the highest accuracy. Here we showed that errors represented in a time domain demonstrate the least variance and allow for the highest predictive model of reaching errors. These predictive models will give rise to more specialized methods of robotic feedback and improve previous techniques of error augmentation.
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Impact of Different Surgeons on Dental Implant Failure.
Chrcanovic, Bruno Ramos; Kisch, Jenö; Albrektsson, Tomas; Wennerberg, Ann
To assess the influence of several factors on the prevalence of dental implant failure, with special consideration of the placement of implants by different dental surgeons. This retrospective study is based on 2,670 patients who received 10,096 implants at one specialist clinic. Only the data of patients and implants treated by surgeons who had inserted a minimum of 200 implants at the clinic were included. Kaplan-Meier curves were stratified with respect to the individual surgeon. A generalized estimating equation (GEE) method was used to account for the fact that repeated observations (several implants) were placed in a single patient. The factors bone quantity, bone quality, implant location, implant surface, and implant system were analyzed with descriptive statistics separately for each individual surgeon. A total of 10 surgeons were eligible. The differences between the survival curves of each individual were statistically significant. The multivariate GEE model showed the following variables to be statistically significant: surgeon, bruxism, intake of antidepressants, location, implant length, and implant system. The surgeon with the highest absolute number of failures was also the one who inserted the most implants in sites of poor bone and used turned implants in most cases, whereas the surgeon with the lowest absolute number of failures used mainly modern implants. Separate survival analyses of turned and modern implants stratified for the individual surgeon showed statistically significant differences in cumulative survival. Different levels of failure incidence could be observed between the surgeons, occasionally reaching significant levels. Although a direct causal relationship could not be ascertained, the results of the present study suggest that the surgeons' technique, skills, and/or judgment may negatively influence implant survival rates.
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A study of the relationship between depression symptom and physical performance in elderly women.
Lee, Yang Chool
2015-12-01
Depression is a general public health problem; there is an association between regular exercise or vigorous physical activity and depression. Physical activity has positive physical, mental, and emotional effects. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between depression symptom and physical performance in elderly women. A total of 173 elderly women aged 65 to 80 participated in this study. We evaluated elderly women using the 6-min walk, grip-strength, 30-sec arm curl, 30-sec chair stand, 8-foot up and go, back scratch, and chair sit and reach, and unipedal stance, measured the body mass index (BMI), and depression symptom assessed using Korean version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-K). The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, paired t-tests, and simple linear regression using IBM SPSS Statistics ver. 21.0. There were significant correlations between GDS-K and the 6-min walk, 30-sec chair stand, 30-sec arm curl, chair sit and reach, 8-foot up and go, and grip strength tests (P<0.05), but not BMI, back strength, and unipedal stance. When divided into two groups (GDS-K score≥14 and GDS-K score<14), there was a difference between the two groups in the 6-min walk, 30-sec chair stand, 30-sec arm curl test, chair sit and reach, 8-foot up and go test, and grip strength test performances. Physical performance factors were strongly associated with depression symptom, suggesting that physical performance improvements may play an important role in preventing depression.
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A study of the relationship between depression symptom and physical performance in elderly women
Lee, Yang Chool
2015-01-01
Depression is a general public health problem; there is an association between regular exercise or vigorous physical activity and depression. Physical activity has positive physical, mental, and emotional effects. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between depression symptom and physical performance in elderly women. A total of 173 elderly women aged 65 to 80 participated in this study. We evaluated elderly women using the 6-min walk, grip-strength, 30-sec arm curl, 30-sec chair stand, 8-foot up and go, back scratch, and chair sit and reach, and unipedal stance, measured the body mass index (BMI), and depression symptom assessed using Korean version of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-K). The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, paired t-tests, and simple linear regression using IBM SPSS Statistics ver. 21.0. There were significant correlations between GDS-K and the 6-min walk, 30-sec chair stand, 30-sec arm curl, chair sit and reach, 8-foot up and go, and grip strength tests (P<0.05), but not BMI, back strength, and unipedal stance. When divided into two groups (GDS-K score≥14 and GDS-K score<14), there was a difference between the two groups in the 6-min walk, 30-sec chair stand, 30-sec arm curl test, chair sit and reach, 8-foot up and go test, and grip strength test performances. Physical performance factors were strongly associated with depression symptom, suggesting that physical performance improvements may play an important role in preventing depression. PMID:26730389
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THE MINIMUM OF SOLAR CYCLE 23: AS DEEP AS IT COULD BE?
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Muñoz-Jaramillo, Andrés; Longcope, Dana W.; Senkpeil, Ryan R.
2015-05-01
In this work we introduce a new way of binning sunspot group data with the purpose of better understanding the impact of the solar cycle on sunspot properties and how this defined the characteristics of the extended minimum of cycle 23. Our approach assumes that the statistical properties of sunspots are completely determined by the strength of the underlying large-scale field and have no additional time dependencies. We use the amplitude of the cycle at any given moment (something we refer to as activity level) as a proxy for the strength of this deep-seated magnetic field. We find that themore » sunspot size distribution is composed of two populations: one population of groups and active regions and a second population of pores and ephemeral regions. When fits are performed at periods of different activity level, only the statistical properties of the former population, the active regions, are found to vary. Finally, we study the relative contribution of each component (small-scale versus large-scale) to solar magnetism. We find that when hemispheres are treated separately, almost every one of the past 12 solar minima reaches a point where the main contribution to magnetism comes from the small-scale component. However, due to asymmetries in cycle phase, this state is very rarely reached by both hemispheres at the same time. From this we infer that even though each hemisphere did reach the magnetic baseline, from a heliospheric point of view the minimum of cycle 23 was not as deep as it could have been.« less
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Park, Yoonah; Yong, Yuen Geng; Jung, Kyung Uk; Huh, Jung Wook; Cho, Yong Beom; Kim, Hee Cheol; Lee, Woo Yong; Chun, Ho-Kyung
2015-01-01
Purpose This study aimed to compare the learning curves and early postoperative outcomes for conventional laparoscopic (CL) and single incision laparoscopic (SIL) right hemicolectomy (RHC). Methods This retrospective study included the initial 35 cases in each group. Learning curves were evaluated by the moving average of operative time, mean operative time of every five consecutive cases, and cumulative sum (CUSUM) analysis. The learning phase was considered overcome when the moving average of operative times reached a plateau, and when the mean operative time of every five consecutive cases reached a low point and subsequently did not vary by more than 30 minutes. Results Six patients with missing data in the CL RHC group were excluded from the analyses. According to the mean operative time of every five consecutive cases, learning phase of SIL and CL RHC was completed between 26 and 30 cases, and 16 and 20 cases, respectively. Moving average analysis revealed that approximately 31 (SIL) and 25 (CL) cases were needed to complete the learning phase, respectively. CUSUM analysis demonstrated that 10 (SIL) and two (CL) cases were required to reach a steady state of complication-free performance, respectively. Postoperative complications rate was higher in SIL than in CL group, but the difference was not statistically significant (17.1% vs. 3.4%). Conclusion The learning phase of SIL RHC is longer than that of CL RHC. Early oncological outcomes of both techniques were comparable. However, SIL RHC had a statistically insignificant higher complication rate than CL RHC during the learning phase. PMID:25960990
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Schwaberger, Bernhard; Pichler, Gerhard; Binder-Heschl, Corinna; Baik-Schneditz, Nariae; Avian, Alexander; Urlesberger, Berndt
2018-01-01
Background: Recently, we demonstrated that in healthy newborn infants cerebral blood volume (CBV) was decreasing continuously after birth. We hypothesized that this was due to the increase in oxygen delivery to the brain during neonatal transition. Thus delayed cerebral oxygen delivery in infants in need for respiratory support (RS) during postnatal stabilization might influence changes in CBV. Objective: Aim of the study was to evaluate transitional changes in CBV immediately after birth in term and preterm infants with and without need of RS. Methods: We performed a post-hoc analysis of data collected as primary and secondary outcome parameters in prospective observational studies and randomized controlled trials at the Medical University of Graz (Austria). NIRS measurements by using "NIRO 200-NX" (Hamamatsu, Japan) were carried out over the first 15 min after birth in term and preterm infants delivered by cesarean section with and without requirement for RS. Results: In 204 neonates, we observed a significant decrease in CBV within the first 15 min after birth ( p < 0.001) with a trend toward smaller ΔCBV in neonates receiving RS ( p = 0.097) compared to neonates without RS. Differences of ΔCBV between groups reached statistically significance ( p < 0.05) at minutes 2, 6, and 7, and showed a trend ( p < 0.1) at minutes 3, 4, and 5. After adjusting for gestational age, these differences became smaller and failed to reach significance. Conclusions: We observed a significant decrease of CBV in term and preterm infants with and without RS. Interestingly, ΔCBV was smaller in the first 7 min in neonates with RS reaching statistically significance ( p < 0.05) at minutes 2, 6, and 7. This study cannot differentiate, whether RS itself or the condition leading to requirement for RS is responsible for the observed CBV behavior.
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Brakebill, J.W.; Preston, S.D.
2003-01-01
The U.S. Geological Survey has developed a methodology for statistically relating nutrient sources and land-surface characteristics to nutrient loads of streams. The methodology is referred to as SPAtially Referenced Regressions On Watershed attributes (SPARROW), and relates measured stream nutrient loads to nutrient sources using nonlinear statistical regression models. A spatially detailed digital hydrologic network of stream reaches, stream-reach characteristics such as mean streamflow, water velocity, reach length, and travel time, and their associated watersheds supports the regression models. This network serves as the primary framework for spatially referencing potential nutrient source information such as atmospheric deposition, septic systems, point-sources, land use, land cover, and agricultural sources and land-surface characteristics such as land use, land cover, average-annual precipitation and temperature, slope, and soil permeability. In the Chesapeake Bay watershed that covers parts of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington D.C., SPARROW was used to generate models estimating loads of total nitrogen and total phosphorus representing 1987 and 1992 land-surface conditions. The 1987 models used a hydrologic network derived from an enhanced version of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's digital River Reach File, and course resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEMs). A new hydrologic network was created to support the 1992 models by generating stream reaches representing surface-water pathways defined by flow direction and flow accumulation algorithms from higher resolution DEMs. On a reach-by-reach basis, stream reach characteristics essential to the modeling were transferred to the newly generated pathways or reaches from the enhanced River Reach File used to support the 1987 models. To complete the new network, watersheds for each reach were generated using the direction of surface-water flow derived from the DEMs. This network improves upon existing digital stream data by increasing the level of spatial detail and providing consistency between the reach locations and topography. The hydrologic network also aids in illustrating the spatial patterns of predicted nutrient loads and sources contributed locally to each stream, and the percentages of nutrient load that reach Chesapeake Bay.
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Determination of nursing students' attitudes towards the use of technology.
Terkes, Nurten; Celik, Ferya; Bektas, Hicran
2018-03-11
The use of technology is increasingly important in nursing education and practice. For this reason, it is necessary to determine the attitudes of nursing students towards technology. This study was conducted with 508 nursing students. A personal information form that was prepared by the researchers and the Attitudes Toward Technology Scale were used as the data collection tools. The mean score that was obtained by the nursing students from the Attitudes Toward Technology Scale was 61.53 ± 1.13. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was found to be 0.90. There was a statistically significant difference between the sexes, using a computer, tablet, or laptop, using technology to reach health-related information, and for professional development, using mobile applications related to drug information. There was also a statistical difference between using the Periscope and Scorpio accounts from social media and using Excel and PowerPoint from Microsoft programs. Nursing students are capable of technology-based teaching, which can be expanded as a result. © 2018 Japan Academy of Nursing Science.
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Garaguso, Ivana; Nardini, Mirella
2015-07-15
Wine exerts beneficial effects on human health when it is drunk with moderation. Nevertheless, wine may also contain components negatively affecting human health. Among these, sulfites may induce adverse effects after ingestion. We examined total polyphenols and flavonoids content, phenolics profile and antioxidant activity of eight organic red wines produced without sulfur dioxide/sulfites addition in comparison to those of eight conventional red wines. Polyphenols and flavonoids content were slightly higher in organic wines in respect to conventional wines, however differences did not reach statistical significance. The phenolic acids profile was quite similar in both groups of wines. Antioxidant activity was higher in organic wines compared to conventional wines, although differences were not statistically significant. Our results indicate that organic red wines produced without sulfur dioxide/sulfites addition are comparable to conventional red wines with regard to the total polyphenols and flavonoids content, the phenolics profile and the antioxidant activity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Atzori, F; Sabatini, L; Deledda, D; Schirò, M; Lo Baido, R; Baido, R L; Massè, A
2015-04-01
Total knee arthroplasty gives excellent objective results. Nevertheless, the subjective findings do not match the normal knee perception: Often, it depends on patellar pain onset. In this study, we analyzed clinical and radiological items that can affect resurfaced patellar tracking, and role of a patella-friendly femoral component and patellar size on patellar pain onset. Thirty consecutive patients were implanted using the same-cemented posterior-stabilized TKA associated with patella resurfacing. Fifteen patients were implanted using a classical femoral component, while another 15 patients were implanted using a patella-friendly femoral component. The statistical analysis was set to detect a significant difference (p < 0.05) in clinical and radiological outcomes related to several surgical parameters. Clinical and functional outcomes were recorded using the Knee Society Scoring System (KSS) and patellar pain with the Burnett questionnaire. Mean follow-up was 25 months. KSS results were excellent in both groups. Group 2 (patella-friendly femoral model) reached a higher percentage of 100 points in the clinical and functional KSS, but there was no statistical difference. Also, no statistical differences for Burnett Questionnaire results were recorded. We had one case of patellar clunk syndrome in the standard femoral component group and one poor result in the second group. Postoperative radiographic measurements evidenced no statistical differences in both groups. In group 1 (classical femoral component), better significant result (p < 0.05) war recorded at clinical evaluation according to the Knee Society Scoring System (KSS) in case of wider patellar component resurfaced. The present study reveals no statistically significant difference in the incidence of anterior knee pain between classical and "patella-friendly" femoral components. With the particular type of implant design utilized in this study, when the classical femoral component is used, bigger patellar implant sizes (38 and 41 mm) showed superior clinical outcome.
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Some General Goals in Teaching Statistics.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Blalock, H. M.
1987-01-01
States that regardless of the content or level of a statistics course, five goals to reach are: (1) overcoming fears, resistances, and tendencies to memorize; (2) the importance of intellectual honesty and integrity; (3) understanding relationship between deductive and inductive inferences; (4) learning to play role of reasonable critic; and (5)…
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Bullock, Garrett S; Brookreson, Nate; Knab, Amy M; Butler, Robert J
2017-06-01
Abnormal fundamental movement patterns and upper-quarter dynamic balance are proposed mechanisms affecting athletic performance and injury risk. There are few studies investigating functional movement and closed-chain upper-extremity dynamic stability in swimmers. The purpose of this study was to determine differences in fundamental movement competency and closed-chain upper-extremity dynamic balance, using the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) and Upper-Quarter Y Balance Test (YBT-UQ), of high school (HS; n = 70) and collegiate (COL; n = 70) swimmers. Variables included the individual movement tests on the FMS and the average normalized reach (percent limb length [%LL]) for each direction, with the YBT-UQ. Statistical analysis was completed using a chi square for the independent test scores on the FMS while independent samples t-test to examine performance on the YBT-UQ (p ≤ 0.05). HS swimmers exhibited a statistically significant greater percentage of below average performance (score of 0 or 1) on the following FMS tests: lunge (HS: 22.9%, COL: 4.3%), hurdle step (HS: 31.4%, COL: 7.1%), and push-up (HS: 61.4%, COL: 31.4%). Furthermore, COL males performed worse in the lunge (male: 9%, female: 0%), whereas COL females had poorer efficiency in the push-up (male: 17.6%, female: 44%). Significant effects of competition level and sex were observed in YBT-UQ medial reach (HS: female 92.06, male 101.63; COL: female 101.3, male 101.5% LL). Individual fundamental movement patterns that involved lumbopelvic neuromuscular control differed between HS and COL swimmers. General upper-extremity dynamic balance differed between competition levels. These data may be helpful in understanding injury and performance-based normative data for participation and return to swimming.
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Pearce, Daniel D; Mitsouras, Katherine; Irizarry, Kristopher J
2014-10-01
To evaluate the opinions of medical cannabis (MC) users on the effects of Cannabis indica vs. those of Cannabis sativa on conditions and symptoms through an online survey. Survey of 95 non-randomly assigned MC users. A two-sided chi-square test followed by Bonferroni post hoc multiple comparison and Fisher exact test were used to determine correlations. The Cronbach α was used to determine internal consistency. Announcements on 13 MC websites with links to SurveyMonkey.com. Self-identified MC users. Web survey. Species effects were compared regarding health symptoms, conditions, purpose, route, and trust in product label. Trust in the purity, the route of administration, or the purpose (recreational vs. medicinal) did not differ between the two species. A preference for C. indica was statistically significant for pain management (p=0.001), helping with sedation (p=0.015), and sleep (p<0.001). C. sativa was preferred for euphoria (p<0.001) and enhancing energy (p=0.022). The conditions reaching statistical significance for C. indica preference were: nonmigraine headaches (p=0.042), glaucoma (p=0.036), neuropathy (p=0.024), spasticity (p=0.048), seizures (p=0.031), insomnia (p<0.001), and joint pain (p=0.048). For C. sativa, no conditions reached significance. The MC websites' descriptions of effects that agreed with the survey results are listed. Some conditions had very few respondents. The internal consistency/reliability (Cronbach α) was adequate for the condition scale but not for the symptom survey. In this anonymous Web survey, which had limitations, the two species had different effect associations on symptoms and conditions, possibly because of ingredient differences. Future surveys and subsequent prospective definitive trials are needed to confirm the findings.
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Staudacher, Jonas J; Yazici, Cemal; Bul, Vadim; Zeidan, Joseph; Khalid, Ahmer; Xia, Yinglin; Krett, Nancy; Jung, Barbara
2017-10-19
The basis for over-representation of colorectal cancer (CRC) in African-American (AA) populations compared with Caucasians are multifactorial and complex. Understanding the mechanisms for this racial disparity is critical for delivery of better care. Several studies have investigated sporadic CRC for differences in somatic mutations between AAs and Caucasians, but owing to small study sizes and conflicting results to date, no definitive conclusions have been reached. Here, we present the first systematic literature review and meta-analysis investigating the mutational differences in sporadic CRC between AAs and Caucasians focused on frequent driver mutations (APC,TP53, KRAS,PI3CA, FBXW7,SMAD4, and BRAF). Publication inclusion criteria comprised sporadic CRC, human subjects, English language, information on ethnicity (AA, Caucasian, or both), total subject number >20, and information on mutation frequencies. We identified 6,234 publications. Meta-analysis for APC, TP54, FBXW7, or SMAD4 was not possible owing to paucity of data. KRAS mutations were statistically less frequent in non-Hispanic Whites when compared with AAs (odds ratio, 0.640; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.5342-0.7666; P=0.0001), while the mutational differences observed in BRAF and PI3CA did not reach statistical significance. Here, we report the mutational patterns for KRAS, BRAF, and PI3CA in sporadic CRC of AAs and Caucasians in a systematic meta-analysis of previously published data. We identified an increase in KRAS mutations in sporadic CRC in AAs, which may contribute to worse prognosis and increased mortality of CRC in AAs. Future studies investigating health-care disparities in CRC in AAs should control for KRAS mutational frequency.
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Adult outcomes of preterm children.
Hack, Maureen
2009-10-01
The survivors of the initial years of neonatal intensive care of preterm infants reached adulthood during the last decade. Reports of their adult outcomes examined have included neurodevelopmental, behavioral and health outcomes as well as social functioning and reproduction. Despite statistically significant differences between preterm young adults and controls in most outcomes studied, the majority of preterm survivors do well and live fairly normal lives. The two major predictors of adult outcomes are lower gestational age that reflect perinatal injury and family sociodemographic status which reflects both genetic and environmental effects.
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Statistical description of tectonic motions
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Agnew, Duncan Carr
1991-01-01
The behavior of stochastic processes was studied whose power spectra are described by power-law behavior. The details of the analysis and the conclusions that were reached are presented. This analysis was extended to compare detection capabilities of different measurement techniques (e.g., gravimetry and GPS for the vertical, and seismometers and GPS for horizontal), both in general and for the specific case of the deformations produced by a dislocation in a half-space (which applies to seismic of preseismic sources). The time-domain behavior of power-law noises is also investigated.
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Vucovich, Lee A; Gordon, Valerie S; Mitchell, Nicole; Ennis, Lisa A
2013-01-01
Librarians are using social networking sites as one means of sharing information and connecting with users from diverse groups. Usage statistics and other metrics compiled in 2011 for the library's Facebook page, representative library blogs, and the library YouTube channel were analyzed in an effort to understand how patrons use the library's social networking sites. Librarians also hoped to get a sense of these tools' effectiveness in reaching users at the point of need and engaging them in different ways.
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Analyzing Activity Behavior and Movement in a Naturalistic Environment using Smart Home Techniques
Cook, Diane J.; Schmitter-Edgecombe, Maureen; Dawadi, Prafulla
2015-01-01
One of the many services that intelligent systems can provide is the ability to analyze the impact of different medical conditions on daily behavior. In this study we use smart home and wearable sensors to collect data while (n=84) older adults perform complex activities of daily living. We analyze the data using machine learning techniques and reveal that differences between healthy older adults and adults with Parkinson disease not only exist in their activity patterns, but that these differences can be automatically recognized. Our machine learning classifiers reach an accuracy of 0.97 with an AUC value of 0.97 in distinguishing these groups. Our permutation-based testing confirms that the sensor-based differences between these groups are statistically significant. PMID:26259225
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Analyzing Activity Behavior and Movement in a Naturalistic Environment Using Smart Home Techniques.
Cook, Diane J; Schmitter-Edgecombe, Maureen; Dawadi, Prafulla
2015-11-01
One of the many services that intelligent systems can provide is the ability to analyze the impact of different medical conditions on daily behavior. In this study, we use smart home and wearable sensors to collect data, while ( n = 84) older adults perform complex activities of daily living. We analyze the data using machine learning techniques and reveal that differences between healthy older adults and adults with Parkinson disease not only exist in their activity patterns, but that these differences can be automatically recognized. Our machine learning classifiers reach an accuracy of 0.97 with an area under the ROC curve value of 0.97 in distinguishing these groups. Our permutation-based testing confirms that the sensor-based differences between these groups are statistically significant.
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College Women Still Face Many Obstacles in Reaching Their Full Potential
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sax, Linda J.
2007-01-01
We have reached a critical juncture in the history of women and men in higher education. Today--decades after the women's movement started what became monumental gains for female students in terms of access, equity, and opportunity--the popular notion is that gender equity has been achieved. Some higher-education statistics do paint a rosy picture…
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Auma, Khairunnisa; Hamid, Aidil Abdul; Yusoff, Wan Mohtar Wan
2018-04-01
A local isolate, Aurantiochytrium sp. SW1 has been verified to have high content of docosahexanoic acid (DHA). However, the effect of different nitrogen sources on biomass, lipid concentration and DHA content in Aurantiochytrium sp. SW1 is still unknown. Hence, this study is focused in using six different organic and inorganic nitrogen sources to grow Aurantiochytrium sp. SW1 in optimized Burja medium. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) gave the highest biomass concentration of 15.97 g/L followed by ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) with 13.37 g/L at 96 hr. These two nitrogen sources had significant effect on the biomass concentration (p<0.05). The highest lipid accumulated was obtained using MSG that reached 79.6% in biomass concentration. DHA content in lipid showed cultivation using MSG reached 47.9% (4.95 g/L). Statistical analysis using least significant difference (LSD) showed significant lipid production (p<0.05) when cultivated in MSG compared to other five nitrogen sources. The highest DHA productivity (0.052 g/L hr-1) was obtained in medium containing MSG. This study proves that nitrogen component in the medium significantly affects the biomass concentration, lipid and DHA content.
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Historical Shoreline Changes at Rincon, Puerto Rico, 1936-2006
Thieler, E. Robert; Rodriguez, Rafael W.; Himmelstoss, Emily A.
2007-01-01
The coast from Punta Higuero to Punta Cadena in Rincon, Puerto Rico is experiencing long-term erosion. This study documents historical shoreline changes at Rincon for the period 1936-2006 and constitutes a significant expansion and revision of previous work. The study area extends approximately 8 km from Punta Higuero to Punta Cadena. Fourteen historical shoreline positions were compiled from existing data, new orthophotography, and Global Positioning System (GPS) field surveys. The study area can be divided into four distinct reaches on the basis of observed erosion rates, consistent with previous work. The coast of Reach A, from Punta Higuero to the north end of the Balneario de Rincon, is fairly stable and has a long-term (70 years) average erosion rate of -0.2 ? 0.1 m/yr. The coast of Reach B, from the Balneario de Rincon to 500 m south of the mouth of Quebrada los Ramos, has an average long-term erosion rate of -1.1 ? 0.3 m/yr. The coast of Reach C, from 500 m south of the mouth of Quebrada los Ramos to Corcega, has an average long-term erosion rate of -0.4 ? 0.2 m/yr. The coast of Reach D, from Corcega to Punta Cadena, has an average long-term change rate of -0.2 ? 0.2 m/yr. Previous work (Thieler and others, 1995) identified an apparent increase in erosion rate in Reach B that probably began between 1977 and 1987. New data and statistical analysis suggest that long-term and short-term rates of shoreline change are statistically similar. Nevertheless, the coast in Reach B is eroding at a rapid and statistically significant rate that is 2 to 10 times greater than in the other three reaches. Comparison of the 1994 and 2006 GPS shoreline positions indicates the following erosion rates occurred over the past 12 years: Reach A, -0.3 ? 0.4 m/yr; Reach B, -1.0 ? 0.4 m/yr; Reach C, -0.7 ? 0.4 m/yr; and Reach D, -0.3 ? 0.4 m/yr. Thieler and others (1995) speculated that the increased erosion rate in Reach B could be attributed to the effects of marina construction in 1983 on the local sediment budget. New data and analysis suggest, however, that other factors may be equally or perhaps more important. For example, high-resolution lidar bathymetric data collected in 2001 show a complex nearshore bathymetry that may substantially affect wave refraction, diffraction, and reflection in Reach B where erosion rates are the highest. In addition, several historical photographs dating from 1951 to 2006 show a wide array of complex wave patterns that suggest the bathymetric influence on nearshore processes to be a long-term, rather than recent, phenomenon. In addition, removal of sand from the beach system may be contributing further to the elevated erosion rates in Reach B. Development of potential options for addressing coastal erosion in Rincon was beyond the scope of this study, but the data and interpretations presented here provide a sound scientific foundation for further work to identify the causes of the increased erosion and to develop strategies to mitigate its effect.
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Holmes, Nicholas P; Dakwar, Azar R
2015-12-01
Movements aimed towards objects occasionally have to be adjusted when the object moves. These online adjustments can be very rapid, occurring in as little as 100ms. More is known about the latency and neural basis of online control of movements to visual than to auditory target objects. We examined the latency of online corrections in reaching-to-point movements to visual and auditory targets that could change side and/or modality at movement onset. Visual or auditory targets were presented on the left or right sides, and participants were instructed to reach and point to them as quickly and as accurately as possible. On half of the trials, the targets changed side at movement onset, and participants had to correct their movements to point to the new target location as quickly as possible. Given different published approaches to measuring the latency for initiating movement corrections, we examined several different methods systematically. What we describe here as the optimal methods involved fitting a straight-line model to the velocity of the correction movement, rather than using a statistical criterion to determine correction onset. In the multimodal experiment, these model-fitting methods produced significantly lower latencies for correcting movements away from the auditory targets than away from the visual targets. Our results confirm that rapid online correction is possible for auditory targets, but further work is required to determine whether the underlying control system for reaching and pointing movements is the same for auditory and visual targets. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Computational Approaches to Chemical Hazard Assessment
Luechtefeld, Thomas; Hartung, Thomas
2018-01-01
Summary Computational prediction of toxicity has reached new heights as a result of decades of growth in the magnitude and diversity of biological data. Public packages for statistics and machine learning make model creation faster. New theory in machine learning and cheminformatics enables integration of chemical structure, toxicogenomics, simulated and physical data in the prediction of chemical health hazards, and other toxicological information. Our earlier publications have characterized a toxicological dataset of unprecedented scale resulting from the European REACH legislation (Registration Evaluation Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals). These publications dove into potential use cases for regulatory data and some models for exploiting this data. This article analyzes the options for the identification and categorization of chemicals, moves on to the derivation of descriptive features for chemicals, discusses different kinds of targets modeled in computational toxicology, and ends with a high-level perspective of the algorithms used to create computational toxicology models. PMID:29101769
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kawamura, Y.; Kanegae, R.
2017-09-01
Recently, there have been various attempts to dampen the vibration amplitude of the Brownian motion of a microresonator below the thermal vibration amplitude, with the goal of reaching the quantum ground vibration level. To further develop the approach of reaching the quantum ground state, it is essential to clarify whether or not coupling exists between the different vibration modes of the resonator. In this paper, the mode-selective control of thermal Brownian vibration is shown. The first and the second vibration modes of a micro-cantilever moved by a random Brownian motion are cooled selectively and independently below the thermal vibration amplitude, as determined by the statistical thermodynamic theory, using a mechanical feedback control method. This experimental result shows that the thermal no-equilibrium condition was generated by mechanical feedback control.
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Nurse managers' preferred and perceived leadership styles: a study at an Italian hospital.
Zampieron, Alessandra; Spanio, Daniele; Bernardi, Paola; Milan, Rosalia; Buja, Alessandra
2013-04-01
The aim of this cross-sectional descriptive study was to compare the different leadership styles based on perceptions of nurse managers and their staff. Nurse managers' styles are fundamental to improving subordinates' performance and achieving goals at health-care institutions. This was a cross-sectional study. A questionnaire developed by Ekvall & Arvonen, considering three leadership domains (Change, Production and Employee relations), was administered to all nurse managers and to their subordinates at a city hospital in north-east Italy. The comparison between the leadership styles actually adopted and those preferred by the nurse managers showed that the preferred style always scored higher than the style adopted, the difference reaching statistical significance for Change and Production. The leadership styles preferred by subordinates always scored higher than the styles their nurse managers actually adopted; in the subordinates' opinion, the differences being statistically significant in all three leadership domains. The study showed that nurse managers' expectations in relation to their leadership differ from those of their subordinates. These findings should be borne in mind when selecting and training nurse managers and other personnel, and they should influence the hospital's strategic management of nurses. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
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[Effect of a multidisciplinar protocol on the clinical results obtained after bariatric surgery].
Cánovas Gaillemin, B; Sastre Martos, J; Moreno Segura, G; Llamazares Iglesias, O; Familiar Casado, C; Abad de Castro, S; López Pardo, R; Sánchez-Cabezudo Muñoz, M A
2011-01-01
Bariatric surgery has been shown to be an effective therapy for weight loss in patients with severe obesity, and the implementation of a multidisciplinar management protocol is recommended. To assess the usefulness of the implementation of a management protocol in obesity surgery based on the Spanish Consensus Document of the SEEDO. Retrospective comparative study of the outcomes in patients previously operated (51 patients) and after the implementation of the protocol (66 patients). The following data were gathered: anthropometry, pre-and post-surgery comorbidities, post-surgical nutritional and surgical complications, validated Quality of Life questionnaire, and dietary habits. Withdrawals (l7.6%) and alcoholism (5.8%) were higher in patients pre- versus post-implementation of the protocol (4.5% vs. 3%, respectively), the differences being statistically significant. The mortality rate was 2% in the pre-protocol group and 0% in the postprotocol group. The dietary habits were better in the post-protocol group, the pre-protocol group presenting a higher percentage of feeding-behavior disorders (5.1%) although not reaching a statistical significance. The improvement in quality of life was higher in the post-protocol group for all items, but only reaching statistical significance in sexual activity (p = 0.004). In the pre-protocol group, 70.5% of the patients had more than one nutritional complication vs. 32.8% in the post-protocol group (p < 0.05). There were no differences regarding the percentage of weight in excess lost at two years (> 50% in 81.3% in the pre-protocol group vs. 74.8% in the pos-protocol group) or the comorbidities. Bariatric surgery achieves excellent outcomes in weight loss, comorbidities, and quality of life, but presents nutritional, surgical, and psychiatric complications that require a protocol-based and multidisciplinary approach. Our protocol improves the outcomes regarding the withdrawal rates, feeding-behavior disorders, dietary habits, nutritional complications, and quality of life.
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A cellular automata model for social-learning processes in a classroom context
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bordogna, C. M.; Albano, E. V.
2002-02-01
A model for teaching-learning processes that take place in the classroom is proposed and simulated numerically. Recent ideas taken from the fields of sociology, educational psychology, statistical physics and computational science are key ingredients of the model. Results of simulations are consistent with well-established empirical results obtained in classrooms by means of different evaluation tools. It is shown that students engaged in collaborative groupwork reach higher achievements than those attending traditional lectures only. However, in many cases, this difference is subtle and consequently very difficult to be detected using tests. The influence of the number of students forming the collaborative groups on the average knowledge achieved is also studied and discussed.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
von Oertzen, Timo; Ghisletta, Paolo; Lindenberger, Ulman
Variability across and within individuals is a fundamental property of adult age changes in behavior [20, 21, 24]. Some people seem young for their age, others seem old; shining examples of older individuals who maintained high levels of intellectual functioning well into very old age, such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe or Sophocles, stand in contrast to individuals whose cognitive resources are depleted by the time they reach later adulthood. A similar contrast exists between different intellectual abilities. For example, if one looks at the speed needed to identify and discriminate between different percepts, one is likely to find monotonic decline after late adolescence and early adulthood.
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Model for neural signaling leap statistics
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chevrollier, Martine; Oriá, Marcos
2011-03-01
We present a simple model for neural signaling leaps in the brain considering only the thermodynamic (Nernst) potential in neuron cells and brain temperature. We numerically simulated connections between arbitrarily localized neurons and analyzed the frequency distribution of the distances reached. We observed qualitative change between Normal statistics (with T = 37.5°C, awaken regime) and Lévy statistics (T = 35.5°C, sleeping period), characterized by rare events of long range connections.
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Singh, Kulshrest; Naik, Rajaram; Hegde, Srinidhi; Damda, Aftab
2015-01-01
This in vitro study is intended to compare the shear bond strength of recent self-etching primers to superficial, intermediate, and deep dentin levels. All teeth were sectioned at various levels and grouped randomly into two experimental groups and two control groups having three subgroups. The experimental groups consisted of two different dentin bonding system. The positive control group consisted of All Bond 2 and the negative control group was without the bonding agent. Finally, the specimens were subjected to shear bond strength study under Instron machine. The maximum shear bond strengths were noted at the time of fracture. The results were statistically analyzed. Comparing the shear bond strength values, All Bond 2 (Group III) demonstrated fairly higher bond strength values at different levels of dentin. Generally comparing All Bond 2 with the other two experimental groups revealed highly significant statistical results. In the present investigation with the fourth generation, higher mean shear bond strength values were recorded compared with the self-etching primers. When intermediate dentin shear bond strength was compared with deep dentin shear bond strength statistically significant results were found with Clearfil Liner Bond 2V, All Bond 2 and the negative control. There was a statistically significant difference in shear bond strength values both with self-etching primers and control groups (fourth generation bonding system and without bonding system) at superficial, intermediate, and deep dentin. There was a significant fall in bond strength values as one reaches deeper levels of dentin from superficial to intermediate to deep.
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Controls on debris flow bulking in proglacial gully networks on Mount Rainier, WA
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Legg, N. T.; Meigs, A.; Grant, G. E.; Kennard, P.
2012-12-01
Conversion of floodwaters to debris flows due to sediment bulking continues to be a poorly understood phenomenon. This study examines the initiation zone of a series of six debris flows that originated in proglacial areas of catchments on the flank of Mount Rainier during one storm in 2006. One-meter spatial resolution aerial photographs and LiDAR DEMs acquired before and after the storm reveal the lack of a single mass failure to explain the debris flow deposits. Rather, the imagery show appreciable gully widening along reaches up to approximately 1.5 km in length. Based on gully discharges estimated from rainfall rates and estimates of sediment contribution from gully wall width change, we find that the sediment volumes contributed from gully walls are sufficient to bulk floodwaters up to debris flow concentrations. Points in gullies where width change began (upstream limit) in 2006 have a power law trend (R2 = 0.58) in terms of slope-drainage area. Reaches with noticeable width change, which we refer to as bulking reaches (BR), plot along a similar trend with greater drainage areas and gentler slopes. We then extracted slope and drainage area of all proglacial drainage networks to examine differences in morphology between debris flow basins (DFB) and non-debris flow basins (NDFB), hypothesizing that DFB would have a greater portion of their drainage networks with similar morphology to BR than NDFB. A comparison of total network length with greater slope and area than BR reveals that the two basins types are not statistically different. Lengths of the longest reaches with greater slope and drainage area than the BR trend, however, are statistically longer in DFB than in the NDFBs (p<0.05). These results suggest that debris flow initiation by sediment bulking does not operate as a simple threshold phenomenon in slope-area space. Instead debris flow initiation via bulking depends upon slope, drainage area, and gully length. We suspect the dependence on length relates to the poorly understood bulking process where feedback mechanisms working to progressively increase sediment concentrations likely operate. The apparent length dependence revealed in this study requires a shift in thought about the conditions leading to debris flow generation in catchments dominated by unconsolidated and transportable material.
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Scarano, Antonio
The immediate placement of single postextractive implants is increasing in the everyday clinical practice. Due to insufficient bone tissue volume, proper primary stability, essential for subsequent osseointegration, is sometimes not reached. The aim of this work was to compare two different approaches: implant bed preparation before and after root extraction. Twenty-two patients of both sexes were selected who needed an implant-prosthetic rehabilitation of the fractured first mandibular molar or presented an untreatable endodontic pathology. The sites were randomly assigned to the test group (treated with implant bed preparation before molar extractions) or control group (treated with implant bed preparation after molar extractions) by a computer-generated table. All implants were placed by the same operator, who was experienced in both traditional and ultrasonic techniques. The implant stability quotient (ISQ) and the position of the implant were evaluated. Statistical analysis was carried out. In the control group, three implants were placed in the central portion of the bone septum, while eight implants were placed with a tilted axis in relation to the septum; in the test group, all implants were placed in ideal positions within the root extraction sockets. The different position of the implants between the two procedures was statistically significant. This work presented an innovative approach for implant placement at the time of mandibular molar extraction. Preparing the implant bed with an ultrasonic device before root extraction is a simple technique and also allows greater stability to be reached in a selective case.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Stock, Eduardo Velasco; da Silva, Roberto; Fernandes, H. A.
2017-07-01
In this paper, we propose a stochastic model which describes two species of particles moving in counterflow. The model generalizes the theoretical framework that describes the transport in random systems by taking into account two different scenarios: particles can work as mobile obstacles, whereas particles of one species move in the opposite direction to the particles of the other species, or particles of a given species work as fixed obstacles remaining in their places during the time evolution. We conduct a detailed study about the statistics concerning the crossing time of particles, as well as the effects of the lateral transitions on the time required to the system reaches a state of complete geographic separation of species. The spatial effects of jamming are also studied by looking into the deformation of the concentration of particles in the two-dimensional corridor. Finally, we observe in our study the formation of patterns of lanes which reach the steady state regardless of the initial conditions used for the evolution. A similar result is also observed in real experiments involving charged colloids motion and simulations of pedestrian dynamics based on Langevin equations, when periodic boundary conditions are considered (particles counterflow in a ring symmetry). The results obtained through Monte Carlo simulations and numerical integrations are in good agreement with each other. However, differently from previous studies, the dynamics considered in this work is not Newton-based, and therefore, even artificial situations of self-propelled objects should be studied in this first-principles modeling.
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Can a public health package on glaucoma reach its target population?
Baker, H; Murdoch, I E
2004-05-01
A pilot study to assess how successful a newspaper advertisement and a radio interview about glaucoma are at reaching their target population. The health intervention comprised two components: an interview on local radio and an advertisement in the local paper. Our target population were residents aged 45 years and above in either Southall (West London) or the Isle of Wight (IOW). A questionnaire was developed to be carried out pre- and post-intervention. The data from both locations pre and post were coded and cleaned. Tests of significance were carried out to assess statistical significance for differences in proportion, with tests for trend used where appropriate. All statistical analyses were carried out using Stata7. Overall, the proportion who had heard of glaucoma increased from 54% before the intervention to 60% after (chi(2) = 3.7, P = 0.055). The proportion who had heard of the disease increased by 13% (chi(2) = 8.76, P = 0.003) in Southall and by 8% (chi(2) = 5.02, P = 0.025) on the IOW. The proportion reporting seeing the advert increased significantly in both areas with greater effect in Southall. Those reporting hearing the radio interview only increased in Southall. On the IOW, females were more knowledgeable and responded more positively to the intervention. This differed in Southall where males tended to be the positive responders. Conclusion In both areas a significant effect on those having heard of glaucoma was found. This could be attributed to both the advert and interview in Southall but would appear to be attributable to the newspaper advertisement alone on the IOW.
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Papageorgiou, Spyridon N; Kloukos, Dimitrios; Petridis, Haralampos; Pandis, Nikolaos
2015-10-01
To assess the hypothesis that there is excessive reporting of statistically significant studies published in prosthodontic and implantology journals, which could indicate selective publication. The last 30 issues of 9 journals in prosthodontics and implant dentistry were hand-searched for articles with statistical analyses. The percentages of significant and non-significant results were tabulated by parameter of interest. Univariable/multivariable logistic regression analyses were applied to identify possible predictors of reporting statistically significance findings. The results of this study were compared with similar studies in dentistry with random-effects meta-analyses. From the 2323 included studies 71% of them reported statistically significant results, with the significant results ranging from 47% to 86%. Multivariable modeling identified that geographical area and involvement of statistician were predictors of statistically significant results. Compared to interventional studies, the odds that in vitro and observational studies would report statistically significant results was increased by 1.20 times (OR: 2.20, 95% CI: 1.66-2.92) and 0.35 times (OR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.05-1.73), respectively. The probability of statistically significant results from randomized controlled trials was significantly lower compared to various study designs (difference: 30%, 95% CI: 11-49%). Likewise the probability of statistically significant results in prosthodontics and implant dentistry was lower compared to other dental specialties, but this result did not reach statistical significant (P>0.05). The majority of studies identified in the fields of prosthodontics and implant dentistry presented statistically significant results. The same trend existed in publications of other specialties in dentistry. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Keil, Nina M; Pommereau, Marc; Patt, Antonia; Wechsler, Beat; Gygax, Lorenz
2017-02-01
Confined goats spend a substantial part of the day feeding. A poorly designed feeding place increases the risk of feeding in nonphysiological body postures, and even injury. Scientifically validated information on suitable dimensions of feeding places for loose-housed goats is almost absent from the literature. The aim of the present study was, therefore, to determine feeding place dimensions that would allow goats to feed in a species-appropriate, relaxed body posture. A total of 27 goats with a height at the withers of 62 to 80 cm were included in the study. Goats were tested individually in an experimental feeding stall that allowed the height difference between the feed table, the standing area of the forelegs, and a feeding area step (difference in height between forelegs and hind legs) to be varied. The goats accessed the feed table via a palisade feeding barrier. The feed table was equipped with recesses at varying distances to the feeding barrier (5-55 cm in 5-cm steps) at angles of 30°, 60°, 90°, 120°, or 150° (feeding angle), which were filled with the goats' preferred food. In 18 trials, balanced for order across animals, each animal underwent all possible combinations of feeding area step (3 levels: 0, 10, and 20 cm) and of difference in height between feed table and standing area of forelegs (6 levels: 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 cm). The minimum and maximum reach at which the animals could reach feed on the table with a relaxed body posture was determined for each combination. Statistical analysis was performed using mixed-effects models. The animals were able to feed with a relaxed posture when the feed table was at least 10 cm higher than the standing height of the goats' forelegs. Larger goats achieved smaller minimum reaches and minimum reach increased if the goats' head and neck were angled. Maximum reach increased with increasing height at withers and height of the feed table. The presence of a feeding area step had no influence on minimum and maximum reach. Based on these results, the goats' feeding place can be designed to ensure that the animals are able to reach all of the feed in the manger or on the feed table with a relaxed posture, thus avoiding injuries and nonphysiological stress on joints and hooves. A feeding area step up to a maximum of 20 cm need not be taken into account in terms of feeding reach. However, the feed table must be raised at least 10 cm above the standing area to allow the goats to feed in a species-appropriate, relaxed posture. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bruña, Ricardo; Poza, Jesús; Gómez, Carlos; García, María; Fernández, Alberto; Hornero, Roberto
2012-06-01
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia. Over the last few years, a considerable effort has been devoted to exploring new biomarkers. Nevertheless, a better understanding of brain dynamics is still required to optimize therapeutic strategies. In this regard, the characterization of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is crucial, due to the high conversion rate from MCI to AD. However, only a few studies have focused on the analysis of magnetoencephalographic (MEG) rhythms to characterize AD and MCI. In this study, we assess the ability of several parameters derived from information theory to describe spontaneous MEG activity from 36 AD patients, 18 MCI subjects and 26 controls. Three entropies (Shannon, Tsallis and Rényi entropies), one disequilibrium measure (based on Euclidean distance ED) and three statistical complexities (based on Lopez Ruiz-Mancini-Calbet complexity LMC) were used to estimate the irregularity and statistical complexity of MEG activity. Statistically significant differences between AD patients and controls were obtained with all parameters (p < 0.01). In addition, statistically significant differences between MCI subjects and controls were achieved by ED and LMC (p < 0.05). In order to assess the diagnostic ability of the parameters, a linear discriminant analysis with a leave-one-out cross-validation procedure was applied. The accuracies reached 83.9% and 65.9% to discriminate AD and MCI subjects from controls, respectively. Our findings suggest that MCI subjects exhibit an intermediate pattern of abnormalities between normal aging and AD. Furthermore, the proposed parameters provide a new description of brain dynamics in AD and MCI.
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Seasonal prediction of hurricane activity reaching the coast of the United States.
Saunders, Mark A; Lea, Adam S
2005-04-21
Much of the property damage from natural hazards in the United States is caused by landfalling hurricanes--strong tropical cyclones that reach the coast. For the southeastern Atlantic coast of the US, a statistical method for forecasting the occurrence of landfalling hurricanes for the season ahead has been reported, but the physical mechanisms linking the predictor variables to the frequency of hurricanes remain unclear. Here we present a statistical model that uses July wind anomalies between 1950 and 2003 to predict with significant and useful skill the wind energy of US landfalling hurricanes for the following main hurricane season (August to October). We have identified six regions over North America and over the east Pacific and North Atlantic oceans where July wind anomalies, averaged between heights of 925 and 400 mbar, exhibit a stationary and significant link to the energy of landfalling hurricanes during the subsequent hurricane season. The wind anomalies in these regions are indicative of atmospheric circulation patterns that either favour or hinder evolving hurricanes from reaching US shores.
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Gender differences in successful National Institutes of Health funding in ophthalmology.
Svider, Peter F; D'Aguillo, Christine M; White, Priscilla E; Pashkova, Anna A; Bhagat, Neelakshi; Langer, Paul D; Eloy, Jean Anderson
2014-01-01
To determine whether gender differences in individual National Institutes of Health (NIH) awards and in funding totals exist in ophthalmology, and to further characterize whether factors such as experience, academic rank, and terminal degree play a role. A retrospective review of awards granted to primary investigators (PIs) in ophthalmology departments from 2011 through the present was conducted. PIs were classified by gender, degree, experience, and academic position. The NIH funding database was used to gather award data. Academic medical center. Men had higher mean NIH awards ($418,605) than their female colleagues ($353,170; p = 0.005) and had higher total funding per PI (p = 0.004). Men had statistically higher awards at the level of assistant professor than their female counterparts (p < 0.05). A gender difference was statistically significant and most marked among researchers holding an MD (or equivalent) degree. When controlled for publication experience, men had higher NIH awards throughout their careers, although this difference only reached statistical significance on comparison of faculty with 10 or fewer years of experience. Male PIs receiving grants since 2011 had higher awards than their female colleagues did, most markedly among PIs in the earlier portions of their career. Differences in gender representation among senior faculty and in positions of leadership in academic ophthalmology may be partially a result of disparities in research output, as scholarly productivity is an important component of the academic advancement process in ophthalmology. Copyright © 2014 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Inferring Master Painters' Esthetic Biases from the Statistics of Portraits
Aleem, Hassan; Correa-Herran, Ivan; Grzywacz, Norberto M.
2017-01-01
The Processing Fluency Theory posits that the ease of sensory information processing in the brain facilitates esthetic pleasure. Accordingly, the theory would predict that master painters should display biases toward visual properties such as symmetry, balance, and moderate complexity. Have these biases been occurring and if so, have painters been optimizing these properties (fluency variables)? Here, we address these questions with statistics of portrait paintings from the Early Renaissance period. To do this, we first developed different computational measures for each of the aforementioned fluency variables. Then, we measured their statistics in 153 portraits from 26 master painters, in 27 photographs of people in three controlled poses, and in 38 quickly snapped photographs of individual persons. A statistical comparison between Early Renaissance portraits and quickly snapped photographs revealed that painters showed a bias toward balance, symmetry, and moderate complexity. However, a comparison between portraits and controlled-pose photographs showed that painters did not optimize each of these properties. Instead, different painters presented biases toward different, narrow ranges of fluency variables. Further analysis suggested that the painters' individuality stemmed in part from having to resolve the tension between complexity vs. symmetry and balance. We additionally found that constraints on the use of different painting materials by distinct painters modulated these fluency variables systematically. In conclusion, the Processing Fluency Theory of Esthetic Pleasure would need expansion if we were to apply it to the history of visual art since it cannot explain the lack of optimization of each fluency variables. To expand the theory, we propose the existence of a Neuroesthetic Space, which encompasses the possible values that each of the fluency variables can reach in any given art period. We discuss the neural mechanisms of this Space and propose that it has a distributed representation in the human brain. We further propose that different artists reside in different, small sub-regions of the Space. This Neuroesthetic-Space hypothesis raises the question of how painters and their paintings evolve across art periods. PMID:28337133
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Rogala, James T.; Gray, Brian R.
2006-01-01
The Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) uses a stratified random sampling design to obtain water quality statistics within selected study reaches of the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS). LTRMP sampling strata are based on aquatic area types generally found in large rivers (e.g., main channel, side channel, backwater, and impounded areas). For hydrologically well-mixed strata (i.e., main channel), variance associated with spatial scales smaller than the strata scale is a relatively minor issue for many water quality parameters. However, analysis of LTRMP water quality data has shown that within-strata variability at the strata scale is high in off-channel areas (i.e., backwaters). A portion of that variability may be associated with differences among individual backwater lakes (i.e., small and large backwater regions separated by channels) that cumulatively make up the backwater stratum. The objective of the statistical modeling presented here is to determine if differences among backwater lakes account for a large portion of the variance observed in the backwater stratum for selected parameters. If variance associated with backwater lakes is high, then inclusion of backwater lake effects within statistical models is warranted. Further, lakes themselves may represent natural experimental units where associations of interest to management may be estimated.
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Double Scaling in the Relaxation Time in the β -Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou Model
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lvov, Yuri V.; Onorato, Miguel
2018-04-01
We consider the original β -Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou system; numerical simulations and theoretical arguments suggest that, for a finite number of masses, a statistical equilibrium state is reached independently of the initial energy of the system. Using ensemble averages over initial conditions characterized by different Fourier random phases, we numerically estimate the time scale of equipartition and we find that for very small nonlinearity it matches the prediction based on exact wave-wave resonant interaction theory. We derive a simple formula for the nonlinear frequency broadening and show that when the phenomenon of overlap of frequencies takes place, a different scaling for the thermalization time scale is observed. Our result supports the idea that the Chirikov overlap criterion identifies a transition region between two different relaxation time scalings.
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Nelson, Ian R; Chen, Jason; Love, Rebecca; Davis, Brent R; Maletis, Gregory B; Funahashi, Tadashi T
2016-03-01
Anterior cruciate ligament reconstructions (ACLRs) in skeletally immature patients are increasing. The purpose of this study is to describe the demographics, graft usage, revision, and re-operation rates in skeletally immature ACLRs in the Kaiser Permanente healthcare system. Skeletally immature patients (<17.0 years old with open physes) were identified using the Kaiser Permanente ACLR registry. Multi-ligament reconstructions and physeal-sparing ACLRs were excluded. Aseptic revision and same-knee re-operation were the outcomes of interest. Exposure of interest was graft type; bone-patellar-tendon-bone (BPTB) autograft, hamstring autograft, and any type of allograft. Age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and race were evaluated as confounders. Cox proportional hazard models stratified by surgeon were used to analyse the risk of revision and re-operation. A total of 534 primary ACLR cases were evaluated with a mean follow-up of 2.9 years. The majority were hamstring autografts (n = 388, 72.7%), male (n = 339, 63.9%), and White (n = 232, 43.4%). Median age was 14.9 years, and median BMI was 21.9 kg/m(2). There were 44 (8.2%) aseptic revisions and 48 (9.0%) same-knee re-operations. The incidence rate for revision was BPTB autograft 5.5%, hamstring autograft 7.5%, and allograft 13.2%. After adjusting for confounders and surgeon clustering effect, the risk of aseptic revision and revision between allograft and hamstring autograft did not reach statistical significance. Graft selection differs in skeletally immature patients with a preponderance of surgeries being performed with hamstring tendon autografts. High revision rates were identified for all graft types used, though differences in revision rates across different graft types did not reach statistical significance. Surgeons should be aware of high rates of revision in this skeletally immature young population, although type of graft used did not appear to make a difference. III.
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An impact of environmental changes on flows in the reach scale under a range of climatic conditions
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Karamuz, Emilia; Romanowicz, Renata J.
2016-04-01
The present paper combines detection and adequate identification of causes of changes in flow regime at cross-sections along the Middle River Vistula reach using different methods. Two main experimental set ups (designs) have been applied to study the changes, a moving three-year window and low- and high-flow event based approach. In the first experiment, a Stochastic Transfer Function (STF) model and a quantile-based statistical analysis of flow patterns were compared. These two methods are based on the analysis of changes of the STF model parameters and standardised differences of flow quantile values. In the second experiment, in addition to the STF-based also a 1-D distributed model, MIKE11 was applied. The first step of the procedure used in the study is to define the river reaches that have recorded information on land use and water management changes. The second task is to perform the moving window analysis of standardised differences of flow quantiles and moving window optimisation of the STF model for flow routing. The third step consists of an optimisation of the STF and MIKE11 models for high- and low-flow events. The final step is to analyse the results and relate the standardised quantile changes and model parameter changes to historical land use changes and water management practices. Results indicate that both models give consistent assessment of changes in the channel for medium and high flows. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research was supported by the Institute of Geophysics Polish Academy of Sciences through the Young Scientist Grant no. 3b/IGF PAN/2015.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Forcén, Patricia; Oriol, Luis; Sánchez, Carlos; Alcalá, Rafael; Jankova, Katja; Hvilsted, Søren
2008-06-01
Recording of anisotropy and holographic polarization gratings using 532nm, 4ns light pulses has been carried out in thin films of polymers with the same azobenzene content (20wt%) and different molecular architectures. Random and block copolymers comprising azobenzene and methylmethacrylate (MMA) moieties as well as statistical terpolymers with azobenzene, biphenyl, and MMA units have been compared in terms of recording sensitivity and stability upon pulsed excitation. Photoinduced anisotropy just after the pulse was significantly higher in the case of the block copolymers than in the two statistical copolymers. The stability of the recorded anisotropy has also been studied. While a stationary value of the photoinduced anisotropy (approximately 50% of the initial photoinduced value) is reached for the block copolymer, photoinduced anisotropy almost vanished after a few hours in the statistical copolymers. Polarization holographic gratings have been registered using two orthogonally circularly polarized light beams. The results are qualitatively similar to those of photoinduced anisotropy, that is, stability of the registered grating and larger values of diffraction efficiency for the block copolymer as compared with the random copolymers. The recording of holographic gratings with submicron period in films several microns thick, showing both polarization and angular selectivity, has also been demonstrated. Block copolymers showed a lamellar block nanosegregated morphology. The interaction among azo chromophores within the nanosegregated azo blocks seems to be the reason for the stability and the photoresponse enhancement in the block copolymer as compared with the statistical ones.
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Leonel, Edson D; Galia, Marcus Vinícius Camillo; Barreiro, Luiz Antonio; Oliveira, Diego F M
2016-12-01
We study some statistical properties for the behavior of the average squared velocity-hence the temperature-for an ensemble of classical particles moving in a billiard whose boundary is time dependent. We assume the collisions of the particles with the boundary of the billiard are inelastic, leading the average squared velocity to reach a steady-state dynamics for large enough time. The description of the stationary state is made by using two different approaches: (i) heat transfer motivated by the Fourier law and (ii) billiard dynamics using either numerical simulations and theoretical description.
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Analysis of surface sputtering on a quantum statistical basis
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Wilhelm, H. E.
1975-01-01
Surface sputtering is explained theoretically by means of a 3-body sputtering mechanism involving the ion and two surface atoms of the solid. By means of quantum-statistical mechanics, a formula for the sputtering ratio S(E) is derived from first principles. The theoretical sputtering rate S(E) was found experimentally to be proportional to the square of the difference between incident ion energy and the threshold energy for sputtering of surface atoms at low ion energies. Extrapolation of the theoretical sputtering formula to larger ion energies indicates that S(E) reaches a saturation value and finally decreases at high ion energies. The theoretical sputtering ratios S(E) for wolfram, tantalum, and molybdenum are compared with the corresponding experimental sputtering curves in the low energy region from threshold sputtering energy to 120 eV above the respective threshold energy. Theory and experiment are shown to be in good agreement.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Özdal, Murat; Özdal, Özlem Gür; Gürkök, Sümeyra
2017-04-01
β-carotene is a commercially important natural pigment and has been widely applied in the medicine, pharmaceutical, food, feed and cosmetic industries. The current study aimed to investigate the usability of molasses for β-carotene production by Arthrobacter agilis A17 (KP318146) and to optimize the production process. Box-Behnken Design of Response Surface Methodology was used to determine the optimum levels and the interactions of three independent variables namely molasses, yeast extract and KH2PO4 at three different levels. β-carotene yield in optimized medium containing 70 g/l molasses, 25 g/l yeast extract and 0.96 g/l KH2PO4, reached up to 100 mg/l, which is approximately 2.5-fold higher than the yield, obtained from control cultivation. A remarkable β-carotene production on inexpensive carbon source was achieved with the use of statistical optimization.
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Thermodynamics of Biological Processes
Garcia, Hernan G.; Kondev, Jane; Orme, Nigel; Theriot, Julie A.; Phillips, Rob
2012-01-01
There is a long and rich tradition of using ideas from both equilibrium thermodynamics and its microscopic partner theory of equilibrium statistical mechanics. In this chapter, we provide some background on the origins of the seemingly unreasonable effectiveness of ideas from both thermodynamics and statistical mechanics in biology. After making a description of these foundational issues, we turn to a series of case studies primarily focused on binding that are intended to illustrate the broad biological reach of equilibrium thinking in biology. These case studies include ligand-gated ion channels, thermodynamic models of transcription, and recent applications to the problem of bacterial chemotaxis. As part of the description of these case studies, we explore a number of different uses of the famed Monod–Wyman–Changeux (MWC) model as a generic tool for providing a mathematical characterization of two-state systems. These case studies should provide a template for tailoring equilibrium ideas to other problems of biological interest. PMID:21333788
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Effects of Solar Particle Event Proton Radiation on Parameters Related to Ferret Emesis
Sanzari, J. K.; Wan, X. S.; Krigsfeld, G. S.; King, G. L.; Miller, A.; Mick, R.; Gridley, D. S.; Wroe, A. J.; Rightnar, S.; Dolney, D.; Kennedy, A. R.
2013-01-01
The effectiveness of simulated solar particle event (SPE) proton radiation to induce retching and vomiting was evaluated in the ferret experimental animal model. The endpoints measured in the study included: (1) the fraction of animals that retched or vomited, (2) the number of retches or vomits observed, (3) the latency period before the first retch or vomit and (4) the duration between the first and last retching or vomiting events. The results demonstrated that γ ray and proton irradiation delivered at a high dose rate of 0.5 Gy/min induced dose-dependent changes in the endpoints related to retching and vomiting. The minimum radiation doses required to induce statistically significant changes in retching- and vomiting-related endpoints were 0.75 and 1.0 Gy, respectively, and the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of proton radiation at the high dose rate did not significantly differ from 1. Similar but less consistent and smaller changes in the retching- and vomiting-related endpoints were observed for groups irradiated with γ rays and protons delivered at a low dose rate of 0.5 Gy/h. Since this low dose rate is similar to a radiation dose rate expected during a SPE, these results suggest that the risk of SPE radiation-induced vomiting is low and may reach statistical significance only when the radiation dose reaches 1 Gy or higher. PMID:23883319
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Reliability demonstration test for load-sharing systems with exponential and Weibull components
Hu, Qingpei; Yu, Dan; Xie, Min
2017-01-01
Conducting a Reliability Demonstration Test (RDT) is a crucial step in production. Products are tested under certain schemes to demonstrate whether their reliability indices reach pre-specified thresholds. Test schemes for RDT have been studied in different situations, e.g., lifetime testing, degradation testing and accelerated testing. Systems designed with several structures are also investigated in many RDT plans. Despite the availability of a range of test plans for different systems, RDT planning for load-sharing systems hasn’t yet received the attention it deserves. In this paper, we propose a demonstration method for two specific types of load-sharing systems with components subject to two distributions: exponential and Weibull. Based on the assumptions and interpretations made in several previous works on such load-sharing systems, we set the mean time to failure (MTTF) of the total system as the demonstration target. We represent the MTTF as a summation of mean time between successive component failures. Next, we introduce generalized test statistics for both the underlying distributions. Finally, RDT plans for the two types of systems are established on the basis of these test statistics. PMID:29284030
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Reliability demonstration test for load-sharing systems with exponential and Weibull components.
Xu, Jianyu; Hu, Qingpei; Yu, Dan; Xie, Min
2017-01-01
Conducting a Reliability Demonstration Test (RDT) is a crucial step in production. Products are tested under certain schemes to demonstrate whether their reliability indices reach pre-specified thresholds. Test schemes for RDT have been studied in different situations, e.g., lifetime testing, degradation testing and accelerated testing. Systems designed with several structures are also investigated in many RDT plans. Despite the availability of a range of test plans for different systems, RDT planning for load-sharing systems hasn't yet received the attention it deserves. In this paper, we propose a demonstration method for two specific types of load-sharing systems with components subject to two distributions: exponential and Weibull. Based on the assumptions and interpretations made in several previous works on such load-sharing systems, we set the mean time to failure (MTTF) of the total system as the demonstration target. We represent the MTTF as a summation of mean time between successive component failures. Next, we introduce generalized test statistics for both the underlying distributions. Finally, RDT plans for the two types of systems are established on the basis of these test statistics.
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Blanchard, Pierre; Pugh, Thomas J; Swanson, David A; Mahmood, Usama; Chen, Hsiang-Chun; Wang, Xuemei; Graber, William J; Kudchadker, Rajat J; Bruno, Teresa; Feeley, Thomas; Frank, Steven J
To compare quality of life (QoL) after brachytherapy with one of the three approved radioactive isotopes. Patients with mostly favorable intermediate-risk prostate cancer were treated on this prospective phase II trial with brachytherapy as monotherapy, without hormonal therapy. QoL was recorded at baseline and each follow-up by using the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite instrument. The minimal clinically important difference was defined as half the standard deviation of the baseline score for each domain. Mixed effect models were used to compare the different isotopes, and time-driven activity-based costing was used to compute costs. From 2006 to 2013, 300 patients were treated with iodine-125 (I-125, n = 98, prescribed dose [PD] = 145 Gy), palladium-103 (Pd-103, n = 102, PD = 125 Gy), or cesium-131 (Cs-131, n = 100, PD = 115 Gy). Median age was 64.9 years. Median follow-up time was 5.1 years for the entire cohort, and 7.1, 4.8 and 3.3 years for I-125, Pd-103, and Cs-131 groups, respectively. All three isotope groups showed an initial drop in QoL at first follow-up, which gradually improved over the first 2 years for urinary and bowel domains. QoL profiles were similar between I-125 and Pd-103, whereas Cs-131 showed a statistically significant decrease in QoL regarding bowel and sexual function at 12 months compared with Pd-103. However, these differences did not reach the minimal clinically important difference. Compared with I-125, the use of Pd-103 or Cs-131 resulted in cost increases of 18% and 34% respectively. The three different isotopes produced a similar QoL profile. Statistically significant differences favored Pd-103/I-125 over Cs-131 for bowel and sexual QoL, but this did not reach clinical significance. Copyright © 2017 American Brachytherapy Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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de Oliveira, Ana Luísa Botta Martins; Botta, Ana Carolina; Campos, Juliana Álvares Duarte Bonini; Garcia, Patrícia Petromilli Nordi Sasso
2014-08-01
This study evaluated the influence of fluoride mouth rinses and repolishing on the superficial morphology and color stability of nanofilled resin. About 150 specimens were prepared and polished using aluminum oxide discs for 15 s with a pressure of 2 kg. The experimental groups were divided according to the immersion medium (artificial saliva, 0.5% sodium fluoride, Fluordent Reach, Oral B, Fluorgard) and repolishing procedure (without and with). The specimens were continuously immersed for 1 week. Thereafter, half of each sample was repolished. A color reading was performed after 24 h of immersion in the artificial saliva baseline, after continuous immersion, and after repolishing. The superficial morphology was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in a qualitative way. Color change (∆E) data were submitted to a mixed analysis of variance using a Shapiro-Wilk test (p>0.05 for the different immersion media) and Sidak's test (p<0.05 for the differences between groups). In the interaction between the repolishing and the immersion media, Fluorgard showed a statistical difference between the ∆E values with and without repolishing (p<0.0001). On the SEM observations, both Fluordent Reach and Fluorgard caused degradation of the superficial resinous matrix of the composite after continuous immersion. This matrix was removed after repolishing.
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Design of a potential colonic drug delivery system of mesalamine.
Gohel, Mukesh C; Parikh, Rajesh K; Nagori, Stavan A; Dabhi, Mahesh R
2008-01-01
The aim of the present investigation was to develop a site-specific colonic drug delivery system, built on the principles of the combination of pH and time sensitivity. Press-coated mesalamine tablets with a coat of HPMC E-15 were over-coated with Eudragit S100. The in vitro drug release study was conducted using sequential dissolution technique at pH 1.2, 6.0, 7.2 and 6.4 mimicking different regions of gastrointestinal tract. The optimized batch (F2) showed less than 6% of drug release before reaching colonic pH 6.4 and complete drug release was obtained thereafter within 2 hr. A short-term dissolution stability study demonstrated statistical insignificant difference in drug release.
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Acute stress disorder in hospitalised victims of 26/11-terror attack on Mumbai, India.
Balasinorwala, Vanshree Patil; Shah, Nilesh
2010-11-01
The 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai have been internationally denounced. Acute stress disorder is common in victims of terror. To find out the prevalence and to correlate acute stress disorder, 70 hospitalised victims of terror were assessed for presence of the same using DSM-IV TR criteria. Demographic data and clinical variables were also collected. Acute stress disorder was found in 30% patients. On demographic profile and severity of injury, there were some interesting observations and differences between the victims who developed acute stress disorder and those who did not; though none of the differences reached the level of statistical significance. This study documents the occurrence of acute stress disorder in the victims of 26/11 terror attack.
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Accuracy of Person-Fit Statistics: A Monte Carlo Study of the Influence of Aberrance Rates
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
St-Onge, Christina; Valois, Pierre; Abdous, Belkacem; Germain, Stephane
2011-01-01
Using a Monte Carlo experimental design, this research examined the relationship between answer patterns' aberrance rates and person-fit statistics (PFS) accuracy. It was observed that as the aberrance rate increased, the detection rates of PFS also increased until, in some situations, a peak was reached and then the detection rates of PFS…
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chen, Xianglei; Lauff, Erich; Arbeit, Caren A.; Henke, Robin; Skomsvold, Paul; Hufford, Justine
2017-01-01
This Statistical Analysis Report tracks a cohort of 2002 high school sophomores over 10 years, examining the extent to which cohort members had reached such life course milestones as finishing school, starting a job, leaving home, getting married, and having children. The analyses in this report are based on data from the Education Longitudinal…
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Jnaneswar, Avinash; Subramaniya, Goutham Bala; Pathi, Jayashree; Jha, Kunal; Suresan, Vinay; Kumar, Gunjan
2017-01-01
Over 5% of the world's population has disabling hearing loss. The oral health of the disabled may be disused for the reason of the disabling condition, a challenging disease or the limited access to oral health care. The objectives of the study were to assess the prevalence of dental caries and periodontal status of institutionalized hearing impaired (HI) children in Khordha district of Odisha. A descriptive cross-sectional study on the HI children was conducted in Khordha district, Odisha. Type III examination procedure was conducted to assess the oral health status of the children. Statistical analysis was performed by Chi-square test and Student's t-test, and the significance level was fixed at P < 0.05. The final population consisted of 540 HI children out of which 262 (48.5%) were male and 278 (51.5%) were female, 285 (52.8%) children had severe hearing loss and 227 (42.0%) had profound hearing loss. Bleeding on probing was found in 72 (13.3%) female children as compared to 57 (10.6%) male children. While 131 (24.3%) female children had calculus, 124 (23.0%) male children had the same condition. Total caries prevalence was 19.3%. Statistically highly significant difference was found for mean decayed teeth (DT), missing teeth decayed, missing filled teeth (FT) (P < 0.001), while for mean FT there was no statistically significant difference according to age groups. Statistically highly significant difference was found for mean DT, extracted teeth and decayed, extracted, filled teeth (P < 0.001). An improved accessibility to dental services as well as dental health education is necessary to ensure the optimum dental health within the reach of these less fortunate children.
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Automated Detection of Knickpoints and Knickzones Across Transient Landscapes
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gailleton, B.; Mudd, S. M.; Clubb, F. J.
2017-12-01
Mountainous regions are ubiquitously dissected by river channels, which transmit climate and tectonic signals to the rest of the landscape by adjusting their long profiles. Fluvial response to allogenic forcing is often expressed through the upstream propagation of steepened reaches, referred to as knickpoints or knickzones. The identification and analysis of these steepened reaches has numerous applications in geomorphology, such as modelling long-term landscape evolution, understanding controls on fluvial incision, and constraining tectonic uplift histories. Traditionally, the identification of knickpoints or knickzones from fluvial profiles requires manual selection or calibration. This process is both time-consuming and subjective, as different workers may select different steepened reaches within the profile. We propose an objective, statistically-based method to systematically pick knickpoints/knickzones on a landscape scale using an outlier-detection algorithm. Our method integrates river profiles normalised by drainage area (Chi, using the approach of Perron and Royden, 2013), then separates the chi-elevation plots into a series of transient segments using the method of Mudd et al. (2014). This method allows the systematic detection of knickpoints across a DEM, regardless of size, using a high-performance algorithm implemented in the open-source Edinburgh Land Surface Dynamics Topographic Tools (LSDTopoTools) software package. After initial knickpoint identification, outliers are selected using several sorting and binning methods based on the Median Absolute Deviation, to avoid the influence sample size. We test our method on a series of DEMs and grid resolutions, and show that our method consistently identifies accurate knickpoint locations across each landscape tested.
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Enrolling Underserved Women in mHealth Programs: Results From Text4baby Outreach Campaigns.
Bushar, Jessica A; Fishman, Jodie; Garfinkel, Danielle; Pirretti, Amy
2018-03-01
Public health practitioners have increasingly leveraged technology-based communication to get health information into the hands of hard-to-reach populations; however, best practices for outreach and enrollment into mobile health (mHealth) programs are lacking. This article describes enrollment results from campaigns focused on enrolling underserved pregnant women and mothers in Text4baby-a free, mHealth service-to inform outreach strategies for mHealth programs. Text4baby participants receive health and safety information, interactive surveys, alerts, and appointment reminders through at least three weekly texts and a free app-timed to users' due date or babies' birth date. Text4baby worked with partners to implement national, state, and community-based enrollment campaigns. Descriptive statistics were used to compare baseline enrollment prior to a campaign with enrollment during a campaign to generate enrollment estimates. Enrollment rates were calculated for campaigns for which the number targeted/reached was available. National television campaigns resulted in more than 10,000 estimated enrollments. Campaigns that were integrated with an existing program and text-based recruitment had the highest enrollment rates, ranging from 7% to 24%. Facebook advertisements and traditional media targeting providers and consumers were least effective. mHealth programs should consider text-based recruitment and outreach via existing programs; additional research is needed on return on investment for different outreach strategies and on the effectiveness of different outreach strategies at reaching and enrolling specific target populations.
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[Characteristics of Dupuytren's disease in women. A study of 67 cases].
Ferry, N; Lasserre, G; Pauchot, J; Lepage, D; Tropet, Y
2013-12-01
The aim of this study was to identify the clinical differences of the Dupuytren's disease in gender. Testosterone induces an increase of the Dupuytren's fibroblast proliferation via androgen's receptors. Testosterone rate increases during pregnancy and menopausis. We also reached a link between this factors and the clinical aspects of Dupuytren' disease in the women of our study. This retrospective, comparative study was about all women and a randomized number of men, who underwent surgery for Dupuytren' disease between 1980 and 2010. We analysed all the epidemiologic and clinical data, the surgery procedures and the complications. Pre- and postoperative measurements of the extension lack of all the joints were performed with a manual goniometer. Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire was used to evaluate the patients function. This specific data of women were reached. Sixty-seven women and 69 men were compared. The complex regional pain syndrome was significantly more common in women and the correction of the proximal interphalangeal joint was significantly lower in women. Recurrence rate and mean follow up were not statistically different. Mean DASH score was higher in women. We have not found any association between menopausis, pregnancy and the average age at presentation of the disease, the recurrence rate or the extension rate. The prognosis of the Dupuytren's disease is worse in women than in men. Other studies are necessary to reach the link between the testosterone and the clinical history of the disease in women. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
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Randomized controlled trial of a positive affect intervention for people newly diagnosed with HIV
Moskowitz, Judith T.; Carrico, Adam W.; Duncan, Larissa G.; Cohn, Michael A.; Cheung, Elaine O.; Batchelder, Abigail; Martinez, Lizet; Segawa, Eisuke; Acree, Michael; Folkman, Susan
2017-01-01
Objective We conducted a randomized controlled trial to determine whether IRISS (Intervention for those Recently Informed of their Seropositive Status), a positive affect skills intervention, improved positive emotion, psychological health, physical health, and health behaviors in people newly diagnosed with HIV. Method 159 participants who had received an HIV diagnosis in the past 3 months were randomized to a 5-session, in-person, individually-delivered positive affect skills intervention or an attention-matched control condition. Results For the primary outcome of positive affect, the group difference in change from baseline over time did not reach statistical significance (p = .12; d = .30). Planned secondary analyses within assessment point showed that the intervention led to higher levels of past-day positive affect at 5, 10, and 15 months post diagnosis compared to an attention control. For antidepressant use, the between group difference in change from baseline was statistically significant (p = .006; d = −.78 baseline to 15 months) and the difference in change over time for intrusive and avoidant thoughts related to HIV was also statistically significant (p = .048; d = .29). Contrary to findings for most health behavior interventions in which effects wane over the follow up period, effect sizes in IRISS seemed to increase over time for most outcomes. Conclusions This comparatively brief positive affect skills intervention achieved modest improvements in psychological health, and may have the potential to support adjustment to a new HIV diagnosis. PMID:28333512
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Gyarmathy, V Anna; Johnston, Lisa G; Caplinskiene, Irma; Caplinskas, Saulius; Latkin, Carl A
2014-02-01
Respondent driven sampling (RDS) and incentivized snowball sampling (ISS) are two sampling methods that are commonly used to reach people who inject drugs (PWID). We generated a set of simulated RDS samples on an actual sociometric ISS sample of PWID in Vilnius, Lithuania ("original sample") to assess if the simulated RDS estimates were statistically significantly different from the original ISS sample prevalences for HIV (9.8%), Hepatitis A (43.6%), Hepatitis B (Anti-HBc 43.9% and HBsAg 3.4%), Hepatitis C (87.5%), syphilis (6.8%) and Chlamydia (8.8%) infections and for selected behavioral risk characteristics. The original sample consisted of a large component of 249 people (83% of the sample) and 13 smaller components with 1-12 individuals. Generally, as long as all seeds were recruited from the large component of the original sample, the simulation samples simply recreated the large component. There were no significant differences between the large component and the entire original sample for the characteristics of interest. Altogether 99.2% of 360 simulation sample point estimates were within the confidence interval of the original prevalence values for the characteristics of interest. When population characteristics are reflected in large network components that dominate the population, RDS and ISS may produce samples that have statistically non-different prevalence values, even though some isolated network components may be under-sampled and/or statistically significantly different from the main groups. This so-called "strudel effect" is discussed in the paper. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Gyarmathy, V. Anna; Johnston, Lisa G.; Caplinskiene, Irma; Caplinskas, Saulius; Latkin, Carl A.
2014-01-01
Background Respondent driven sampling (RDS) and Incentivized Snowball Sampling (ISS) are two sampling methods that are commonly used to reach people who inject drugs (PWID). Methods We generated a set of simulated RDS samples on an actual sociometric ISS sample of PWID in Vilnius, Lithuania (“original sample”) to assess if the simulated RDS estimates were statistically significantly different from the original ISS sample prevalences for HIV (9.8%), Hepatitis A (43.6%), Hepatitis B (Anti-HBc 43.9% and HBsAg 3.4%), Hepatitis C (87.5%), syphilis (6.8%) and Chlamydia (8.8%) infections and for selected behavioral risk characteristics. Results The original sample consisted of a large component of 249 people (83% of the sample) and 13 smaller components with 1 to 12 individuals. Generally, as long as all seeds were recruited from the large component of the original sample, the simulation samples simply recreated the large component. There were no significant differences between the large component and the entire original sample for the characteristics of interest. Altogether 99.2% of 360 simulation sample point estimates were within the confidence interval of the original prevalence values for the characteristics of interest. Conclusions When population characteristics are reflected in large network components that dominate the population, RDS and ISS may produce samples that have statistically non-different prevalence values, even though some isolated network components may be under-sampled and/or statistically significantly different from the main groups. This so-called “strudel effect” is discussed in the paper. PMID:24360650
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Volcanic ash and daily mortality in Sweden after the Icelandic volcano eruption of May 2011.
Oudin, Anna; Carlsen, Hanne K; Forsberg, Bertil; Johansson, Christer
2013-12-10
In the aftermath of the Icelandic volcano Grimsvötn's eruption on 21 May 2011, volcanic ash reached Northern Europe. Elevated levels of ambient particles (PM) were registered in mid Sweden. The aim of the present study was to investigate if the Grimsvötn eruption had an effect on mortality in Sweden. Based on PM measurements at 16 sites across Sweden, data were classified into an ash exposed data set (Ash area) and an unexposed data set (No ash area). Data on daily all-cause mortality were obtained from Statistics Sweden for the time period 1 April through 31 July 2011. Mortality ratios were calculated as the ratio between the daily number of deaths in the Ash area and the No ash area. The exposure period was defined as the week following the days with elevated particle concentrations, namely 24 May through 31 May. The control period was defined as 1 April through 23 May and 1 June through 31 July. There was no absolute increase in mortality during the exposure period. However, during the exposure period the mean mortality ratio was 2.42 compared with 2.17 during the control period, implying a relatively higher number of deaths in the Ash area than in the No ash area. The differences in ratios were mostly due to a single day, 31 May, and were not statistically significant when tested with a Mann-Whitney non-parametric test (p > 0.3). The statistical power was low with only 8 days in the exposure period (24 May through 31 May). Assuming that the observed relative differences were not due to chance, the results would imply an increase of 128 deaths during the exposure period 24-31 May. If 31 May was excluded, the number of extra deaths was reduced to 20. The results of the present study are contradicting and inconclusive, but may indicate that all-cause mortality was increased by the ash-fall from the Grimsvötn eruption. Meta-analysis or pooled analysis of data from neighboring countries might make it possible to reach sufficient statistical power to study effects of the Grimsvötn ash on morbidity and mortality. Such studies would be of particular importance for European societies preparing for future large scale volcanic eruptions in Iceland.
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Volcanic Ash and Daily Mortality in Sweden after the Icelandic Volcano Eruption of May 2011
Oudin, Anna; Carlsen, Hanne K.; Forsberg, Bertil; Johansson, Christer
2013-01-01
In the aftermath of the Icelandic volcano Grimsvötn’s eruption on 21 May 2011, volcanic ash reached Northern Europe. Elevated levels of ambient particles (PM) were registered in mid Sweden. The aim of the present study was to investigate if the Grimsvötn eruption had an effect on mortality in Sweden. Based on PM measurements at 16 sites across Sweden, data were classified into an ash exposed data set (Ash area) and an unexposed data set (No ash area). Data on daily all-cause mortality were obtained from Statistics Sweden for the time period 1 April through 31 July 2011. Mortality ratios were calculated as the ratio between the daily number of deaths in the Ash area and the No ash area. The exposure period was defined as the week following the days with elevated particle concentrations, namely 24 May through 31 May. The control period was defined as 1 April through 23 May and 1 June through 31 July. There was no absolute increase in mortality during the exposure period. However, during the exposure period the mean mortality ratio was 2.42 compared with 2.17 during the control period, implying a relatively higher number of deaths in the Ash area than in the No ash area. The differences in ratios were mostly due to a single day, 31 May, and were not statistically significant when tested with a Mann-Whitney non-parametric test (p > 0.3). The statistical power was low with only 8 days in the exposure period (24 May through 31 May). Assuming that the observed relative differences were not due to chance, the results would imply an increase of 128 deaths during the exposure period 24–31 May. If 31 May was excluded, the number of extra deaths was reduced to 20. The results of the present study are contradicting and inconclusive, but may indicate that all-cause mortality was increased by the ash-fall from the Grimsvötn eruption. Meta-analysis or pooled analysis of data from neighboring countries might make it possible to reach sufficient statistical power to study effects of the Grimsvötn ash on morbidity and mortality. Such studies would be of particular importance for European societies preparing for future large scale volcanic eruptions in Iceland. PMID:24336019
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Cınar, Yasin; Cingü, Abdullah Kürşat; Türkcü, Fatih Mehmet; Çınar, Tuba; Yüksel, Harun; Özkurt, Zeynep Gürsel; Çaça, Ihsan
2014-09-01
To compare outcomes of accelerated and conventional corneal cross-linking (CXL) for progressive keratoconus (KC). Patients were divided into two groups as the accelerated CXL group and the conventional CXL group. The uncorrected distant visual acuity (UDVA), corrected distant visual acuity (CDVA), refraction and keratometric values were measured preoperatively and postoperatively. The data of the two groups were compared statistically. The mean UDVA and CDVA were better at the six month postoperative when compared with preoperative values in two groups. While change in UDVA and CDVA was statistically significant in the accelerated CXL group (p = 0.035 and p = 0.047, respectively), it did not reach statistical significance in the conventional CXL group (p = 0.184 and p = 0.113, respectively). The decrease in the mean corneal power (Km) and maximum keratometric value (Kmax) were statistically significant in both groups (p = 0.012 and 0.046, respectively in the accelerated CXL group, p = 0.012 and 0.041, respectively, in the conventional CXL group). There was no statistically significant difference in visual and refractive results between the two groups (p > 0.05). Refractive and visual results of the accelerated CXL method and the conventional CXL method for the treatment of KC in short time period were similar. The accelerated CXL method faster and provide high throughput of the patients.
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McGinnigle, Samantha; Eperjesi, Frank; Naroo, Shehzad A
2014-04-01
To study the effects of ocular lubricants on higher order aberrations in normal and self-diagnosed dry eyes. Unpreserved hypromellose drops, Tears Again™ liposome spray and a combination of both were administered to the right eye of 24 normal and 24 dry eye subjects following classification according to a 5 point questionnaire. Total ocular higher order aberrations, coma, spherical aberration and Strehl ratios for higher order aberrations were measured using the Nidek OPD-Scan III (Nidek Technologies, Gamagori, Japan) at baseline, immediately after application and after 60 min. The aberration data were analyzed over a 5mm natural pupil using Zernike polynomials. Each intervention was assessed on a separate day and comfort levels were recorded before and after application. Corneal staining was assessed and product preference recorded after the final measurement for each intervention. Hypromellose drops caused an increase in total higher order aberrations (p=<0.01 in normal and dry eyes) and a reduction in Strehl ratio (normal eyes: p=<0.01, dry eyes p=0.01) immediately after instillation. There were no significant differences between normal and self-diagnosed dry eyes for response to intervention and no improvement in visual quality or reduction in higher order aberrations after 60 min. Differences in comfort levels failed to reach statistical significance. Combining treatments does not offer any benefit over individual treatments in self-diagnosed dry eyes and no individual intervention reached statistical significance. Symptomatic subjects with dry eye and no corneal staining reported an improvement in comfort after using lubricants. Copyright © 2013 British Contact Lens Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Monitoring fluidized bed drying of pharmaceutical granules.
Briens, Lauren; Bojarra, Megan
2010-12-01
Placebo granules consisting of lactose monohydrate, corn starch, and polyvinylpyrrolidone were prepared using de-ionized water in a high-shear mixer and dried in a conical fluidized bed dryer at various superficial gas velocities. Acoustic, vibration, and pressure data obtained over the course of drying was analyzed using various statistical, frequency, fractal, and chaos techniques. Traditional monitoring methods were also used for reference. Analysis of the vibration data showed that the acceleration levels decreased during drying and reached a plateau once the granules had reached a final moisture content of 1–2 wt.%; this plateau did not differ significantly between superficial gas velocities, indicating a potential criterion to support drying endpoint identification. Acoustic emissions could not reliably identify the drying endpoint. However, high kurtosis values of acoustic emissions measured in the filtered air exhaust corresponded to high entrainment rates. This could be used for process control to adjust the fluidization gas velocity to allow drying to continue rapidly while minimizing entrainment and possible product losses.
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Evaluation of the quality of the teaching-learning process in undergraduate courses in Nursing.
González-Chordá, Víctor Manuel; Maciá-Soler, María Loreto
2015-01-01
to identify aspects of improvement of the quality of the teaching-learning process through the analysis of tools that evaluated the acquisition of skills by undergraduate students of Nursing. prospective longitudinal study conducted in a population of 60 secondyear Nursing students based on registration data, from which quality indicators that evaluate the acquisition of skills were obtained, with descriptive and inferential analysis. nine items were identified and nine learning activities included in the assessment tools that did not reach the established quality indicators (p<0.05). There are statistically significant differences depending on the hospital and clinical practices unit (p<0.05). the analysis of the evaluation tools used in the article "Nursing Care in Welfare Processes" of the analyzed university undergraduate course enabled the detection of the areas for improvement in the teachinglearning process. The challenge of education in nursing is to reach the best clinical research and educational results, in order to provide improvements to the quality of education and health care.
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Johnson, J R; Miller, A J
1994-01-01
Twenty-six patients with painful, bony metastases were recruited into a randomized, double-blind, single dose, two-treatment, three-part crossover study of choline magnesium trisalicylate (CMT) and placebo. Assessments were made prior to and at one, two, three and four hours after dosing. Bone pain caused by metastatic cancer was significantly relieved one hour after the administration of 1500 mg CMT (p = 0.04). At all four time points the pain was less than baseline with CMT and at three time points greater than baseline with placebo but these results did not reach statistical significance. The summed pain intensity difference for patients was greater with CMT than with placebo, but this also did not reach significance. The incidence of volunteered side-effects was similar for both treatments. The results suggest that a nonacetylating, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug may have a role complementary to that of an opioid in the management of metastatic bone pain.
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Fotso, Jean Christophe; Madise, Nyovani; Baschieri, Angela; Cleland, John; Zulu, Eliya; Kavao Mutua, Martin; Essendi, Hildah
2012-01-01
This paper uses longitudinal data from two informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya to examine patterns of child growth and how these are affected by four different dimensions of poverty at the household level namely, expenditures poverty, assets poverty, food poverty, and subjective poverty. The descriptive results show a grim picture, with the prevalence of overall stunting reaching nearly 60% in the age group 15–17 months and remaining almost constant thereafter. There is a strong association between food poverty and stunting among children aged 6–11 months (p<0.01), while assets poverty and subjective poverty have stronger relationships (p<0.01) with undernutrition at older age (24 months or older for assets poverty, and 12 months or older for subjective poverty). The effect of expenditures poverty does not reach statistical significant in any age group. These findings shed light on the degree of vulnerability of urban poor infants and children and on the influences of various aspects of poverty measures. PMID:22221652
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Villavicencio, Judy; Villegas, Lina Maria; Arango, Maria Cristina; Arias, Susana; Triana, Francia
2018-05-14
Probiotics have provided benefits to general health, but they are still insufficient to dental health. This study aimed to evaluate milk supplemented with probiotic bacteria and standard milk, measured by levels of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and Lactobacillus spp., in 3-4-year-old children after 9 months of intervention. The study was a triple-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. The sample was composed of 363 preschoolers attending five child development centers in Cali, Colombia. They were randomized to two groups: children in the intervention group drank 200 mL of milk with Lactobacillus rhamnosus 5x106 and Bifidobacteruim longum 3x106, and children in the control group drank 200 mL of standard milk. Interventions occurred on weekdays and information was gathered through scheduled clinical examination. The primary result was the number of colony forming units (CFU) of S. mutans and Lactobacillus spp. in the saliva. Secondary results were dental caries, rated by the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS), dental plaque, pH, and salivary buffer capacity. The proportion of S. mutans was lower in the intervention group compared with the control group after 9 months; however, the differences did not reach statistical significance (p=0.173); on the other hand, statistically significant differences between groups were found in the CFU/mL of Lactobacillus spp. (p=0.002). There was not statistically significant difference in the prevalence of dental caries for both groups (p=0.767). Differences between groups were found in the salivary buffering capacity (p=0.000); neither salivary pH nor dental plaque were significantly different. Regular consumption of milk containing probiotics bacteria reduced CFU/mL of Lactobacillus spp. and increased salivary buffering capacity at 9 months of consumption.
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Fractal analysis of the short time series in a visibility graph method
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Li, Ruixue; Wang, Jiang; Yu, Haitao; Deng, Bin; Wei, Xile; Chen, Yingyuan
2016-05-01
The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance of the visibility graph (VG) method on short fractal time series. In this paper, the time series of Fractional Brownian motions (fBm), characterized by different Hurst exponent H, are simulated and then mapped into a scale-free visibility graph, of which the degree distributions show the power-law form. The maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) is applied to estimate power-law indexes of degree distribution, and in this progress, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) statistic is used to test the performance of estimation of power-law index, aiming to avoid the influence of droop head and heavy tail in degree distribution. As a result, we find that the MLE gives an optimal estimation of power-law index when KS statistic reaches its first local minimum. Based on the results from KS statistic, the relationship between the power-law index and the Hurst exponent is reexamined and then amended to meet short time series. Thus, a method combining VG, MLE and KS statistics is proposed to estimate Hurst exponents from short time series. Lastly, this paper also offers an exemplification to verify the effectiveness of the combined method. In addition, the corresponding results show that the VG can provide a reliable estimation of Hurst exponents.
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Liver segmentation from CT images using a sparse priori statistical shape model (SP-SSM).
Wang, Xuehu; Zheng, Yongchang; Gan, Lan; Wang, Xuan; Sang, Xinting; Kong, Xiangfeng; Zhao, Jie
2017-01-01
This study proposes a new liver segmentation method based on a sparse a priori statistical shape model (SP-SSM). First, mark points are selected in the liver a priori model and the original image. Then, the a priori shape and its mark points are used to obtain a dictionary for the liver boundary information. Second, the sparse coefficient is calculated based on the correspondence between mark points in the original image and those in the a priori model, and then the sparse statistical model is established by combining the sparse coefficients and the dictionary. Finally, the intensity energy and boundary energy models are built based on the intensity information and the specific boundary information of the original image. Then, the sparse matching constraint model is established based on the sparse coding theory. These models jointly drive the iterative deformation of the sparse statistical model to approximate and accurately extract the liver boundaries. This method can solve the problems of deformation model initialization and a priori method accuracy using the sparse dictionary. The SP-SSM can achieve a mean overlap error of 4.8% and a mean volume difference of 1.8%, whereas the average symmetric surface distance and the root mean square symmetric surface distance can reach 0.8 mm and 1.4 mm, respectively.
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Huerta, M; Urzúa, Z; Trujillo, X; González-Sánchez, R; Trujillo-Hernández, B
2010-01-01
This single-blind study compared the efficacy of oral forskolin versus inhaled beclomethasone for mild or moderately persistent adult asthma. Patients were randomly assigned to receive forskolin (one 10-mg capsule orally per day; n = 30) or beclomethasone (two 50 microg inhalations every 12 h; n = 30) for 2 months. No statistically significant improvement occurred in any lung function parameter in the forskolin-treated patients. Subjects in the beclomethasone-treated group presented a slight but statistically significant improvement in percentage forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)), percentage forced expiratory flow in the middle (25 - 75%) expiratory phase (FEF(25 - 75%)) and percentage forced vital capacity (FVC) after 2 months of treatment, though the improvement in absolute values for FEV(1), FEF(25 - 75%), FVC and FEV(1):FVC did not reach statistical significance. There was no statistically significant difference between the forskolin and beclomethasone treatment groups for any lung function parameter at baseline or after treatment. None of the beclomethasone-treated patients had an asthma attack and one forskolin-treated patient had a mild asthma attack during the 2-month study period. More studies are needed in adult asthma patients to confirm whether forskolin may be a useful preventive treatment for mild or moderately persistent adult asthma.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bagchi, Debarshee; Tsallis, Constantino
2017-04-01
The relaxation to equilibrium of two long-range-interacting Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-like models (β type) in thermal contact is numerically studied. These systems, with different sizes and energy densities, are coupled to each other by a few thermal contacts which are short-range harmonic springs. By using the kinetic definition of temperature, we compute the time evolution of temperature and energy density of the two systems. Eventually, for some time t >teq, the temperature and energy density of the coupled system equilibrate to values consistent with standard Boltzmann-Gibbs thermostatistics. The equilibration time teq depends on the system size N as teq ∼Nγ where γ ≃ 1.8. We compute the velocity distribution P (v) of the oscillators of the two systems during the relaxation process. We find that P (v) is non-Gaussian and is remarkably close to a q-Gaussian distribution for all times before thermal equilibrium is reached. During the relaxation process we observe q > 1 while close to t =teq the value of q converges to unity and P (v) approaches a Gaussian. Thus the relaxation phenomenon in long-ranged systems connected by a thermal contact can be generically described as a crossover from q-statistics to Boltzmann-Gibbs statistics.
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Schick, Robert S; Greenwood, Jeremy J D; Buckland, Stephen T
2017-01-01
We assess the analysis of the data resulting from a field experiment conducted by Pilling et al. (PLoS ONE. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0077193, 5) on the potential effects of thiamethoxam on honeybees. The experiment had low levels of replication, so Pilling et al. concluded that formal statistical analysis would be misleading. This would be true if such an analysis merely comprised tests of statistical significance and if the investigators concluded that lack of significance meant little or no effect. However, an analysis that includes estimation of the size of any effects-with confidence limits-allows one to reach conclusions that are not misleading and that produce useful insights. For the data of Pilling et al., we use straightforward statistical analysis to show that the confidence limits are generally so wide that any effects of thiamethoxam could have been large without being statistically significant. Instead of formal analysis, Pilling et al. simply inspected the data and concluded that they provided no evidence of detrimental effects and from this that thiamethoxam poses a "low risk" to bees. Conclusions derived from the inspection of the data were not just misleading in this case but also are unacceptable in principle, for if data are inadequate for a formal analysis (or only good enough to provide estimates with wide confidence intervals), then they are bound to be inadequate as a basis for reaching any sound conclusions. Given that the data in this case are largely uninformative with respect to the treatment effect, any conclusions reached from such informal approaches can do little more than reflect the prior beliefs of those involved.
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J-School Enrollments Reach Record 71,594.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Peterson, Paul V.
1980-01-01
Discusses trends in journalism program enrollments. Compares the 1979 figures from an annual survey of journalism schools with statistics from previous years. Lists journalism program enrollments at 188 campuses. (RL)
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Megaridis, Crystal S.
Work request statistics have been tracked at the Praxair Information Resource Center (IRC) for nearly a decade. After a gradual and steady increase of work requests over the years, the work requested of the IRC reached a plateau in 1999 that lasted approximately 1 year. Work request statistics during the winter of 2000, however, indicated a shift…
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Bak-Sosnowska, Monika; Zahorska-Markiewicz, Barbara; Trzcieniecka-Green, Anna
2005-01-01
In common beliefs the care of obese people for their health and appearance is not sufficient, which is both the cause and the result of their obesity. The aim of the present study was to check whether obese and normal weight persons are different in selected behaviours connected with eating and self-care, and also whether providing them with knowledge about the desired behaviour changes would improve the effects of weight loss. Authors used structured interview of 20 limited questions. The participants were 32 obese women taking part in group weight loss programme organized in "Waga" treatment center in Katowice. The measures were taken before and after the programme. The comparing group constituted women of normal body weight. Obese women before the treatment comparing to normal weight women, presented more disadvantageous behaviours in the range of: fast eating and reaching for the food in time of strain (p < 0.01). As a results of the weight loss programme they achieved a significant weight loss (p < 0.01) and also the frequency of their unprofitable behaviours decreased except for putting other's needs in front of their own, skipping breakfast and eating daily no more than two meals. Statistically significant improvements were observed in: greater physical activity, greater care for appearance and meals aesthetics (p < 0.01) as well as better ability to relax and profitable lengthen of meal time (p < 0.05). After the treatment patients declared more beneficial behaviours than the normal weight group. There were statistically significant differences in: ability to relax and avoiding to combine wrong meal ingredients (p < 0.01). Obese reached for the food in time of strain still more often, but less often than at the beginning of the treatment. The results did not show significant difference between obese and normal weight participants concerning eating habits and self-care behaviour. The exception was that obese women reached for food more often in the situations of strain and stress. The weight loss of the participants cannot be attributed solely to the change in their behaviour, but could be influenced also by group support and/or by emotional, cognitive and social changes. It might serve as a starting point for further investigations. Researching the long term effects of the treatment (how permanent is the alteration in the participants' weight and self-care behaviour) seems to be essential to answer those questions.
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Agas, Jessica Marie; Lee, Melissa; Pan, Julia Lily; Buttenheim, Alison Meredith
2018-01-01
Background Recruiting hard-to-reach populations for health research is challenging. Web-based platforms offer one way to recruit specific samples for research purposes, but little is known about the feasibility of online recruitment and the representativeness and comparability of samples recruited through different Web-based platforms. Objective The objectives of this study were to determine the feasibility of recruiting a hard-to-reach population (pregnant smokers) using 4 different Web-based platforms and to compare participants recruited through each platform. Methods A screener and survey were distributed online through Qualtrics Panel, Soapbox Sample, Reddit, and Amazon Mechanical Turk (mTurk). Descriptive statistics were used to summarize results of each recruitment platform, including eligibility yield, quality yield, income, race, age, and gestational age. Results Of the 3847 participants screened for eligibility across all 4 Web-based platforms, 535 were eligible and 308 completed the survey. Amazon mTurk yielded the fewest completed responses (n=9), 100% (9/9) of which passed several quality metrics verifying pregnancy and smoking status. Qualtrics Panel yielded 14 completed responses, 86% (12/14) of which passed the quality screening. Soapbox Sample produced 107 completed surveys, 67% (72/107) of which were found to be quality responses. Advertising through Reddit produced the highest completion rate (n=178), but only 29.2% (52/178) of those surveys passed the quality metrics. We found significant differences in eligibility yield, quality yield, age, number of previous pregnancies, age of smoking initiation, current smokers, race, education, and income (P<.001). Conclusions Although each platform successfully recruited pregnant smokers, results varied in quality, cost, and percentage of complete responses. Moving forward, investigators should pay careful attention to the percentage yield and cost of online recruitment platforms to maximize internal and external validity. PMID:29661751
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Calhoun, Patrick S; Datta, Santanu; Olsen, Maren; Smith, Valerie A; Moore, Scott D; Hair, Lauren P; Dedert, Eric A; Kirby, Angela; Dennis, Michelle; Beckham, Jean C; Bastian, Lori A
2016-10-01
The primary objective of this project was to examine the effectiveness of an Internet-based smoking cessation intervention combined with a tele-health medication clinic for nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) compared to referral to clinic-based smoking cessation care. A total of 413 patients were proactively recruited from the Durham VA Medical Center and followed for 12 months. Patients were randomized to receive either a referral to VA specialty smoking cessation care (control) or to the Internet intervention and tele-health medication clinic. Primary outcomes included (1) intervention reach, (2) self-reported 7-day point prevalence abstinence rates at 3 months and 12 months, and 3) relative cost-effectiveness. Reach of the Internet intervention and use of smoking cessation aids were significantly greater compared to the control. At 3 months-post randomization, however, there were no significant differences in quit rates: 17% (95% CI: 12%–23%) in the Internet-based intervention compared to 12% (95% CI: 8%–17%) in the control arm. Similarly, there were no differences in quit rates at 12 months (13% vs. 16%). While costs associated with the Internet arm were higher due to increased penetration and intensity of NRT use, there were no statistically significant differences in the relative cost effectiveness (e.g., life years gained, quality adjusted life years) between the two arms. Current results suggest that using an electronic medical record to identify smokers and proactively offering smoking cessation services that are consistent with US Public Health Guidelines can significantly reduce smoking in veterans. Novel interventions that increase the reach of intensive treatment are needed to maximize quit rates in this population.
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HIV, HCV, HBV, and syphilis among transgender women from Brazil
Bastos, Francisco I.; Bastos, Leonardo Soares; Coutinho, Carolina; Toledo, Lidiane; Mota, Jurema Corrêa; Velasco-de-Castro, Carlos Augusto; Sperandei, Sandro; Brignol, Sandra; Travassos, Tamiris Severino; dos Santos, Camila Mattos; Malta, Monica Siqueira
2018-01-01
Abstract Different sampling strategies, analytic alternatives, and estimators have been proposed to better assess the characteristics of different hard-to-reach populations and their respective infection rates (as well as their sociodemographic characteristics, associated harms, and needs) in the context of studies based on respondent-driven sampling (RDS). Despite several methodological advances and hundreds of empirical studies implemented worldwide, some inchoate findings and methodological challenges remain. The in-depth assessment of the local structure of networks and the performance of the available estimators are particularly relevant when the target populations are sparse and highly stigmatized. In such populations, bottlenecks as well as other sources of biases (for instance, due to homophily and/or too sparse or fragmented groups of individuals) may be frequent, affecting the estimates. In the present study, data were derived from a cross-sectional, multicity RDS study, carried out in 12 Brazilian cities with transgender women (TGW). Overall, infection rates for HIV and syphilis were very high, with some variation between different cities. Notwithstanding, findings are of great concern, considering the fact that female TGW are not only very hard-to-reach but also face deeply-entrenched prejudice and have been out of the reach of most therapeutic and preventive programs and projects. We cross-compared findings adjusted using 2 estimators (the classic estimator usually known as estimator II, originally proposed by Volz and Heckathorn) and a brand new strategy to adjust data generated by RDS, partially based on Bayesian statistics, called for the sake of this paper, the RDS-B estimator. Adjusted prevalence was cross-compared with estimates generated by non-weighted analyses, using what has been called by us a naïve estimator or rough estimates. PMID:29794601
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Calhoun, Patrick S.; Datta, Santanu; Olsen, Maren; Smith, Valerie A.; Moore, Scott D.; Hair, Lauren P.; Dedert, Eric A.; Kirby, Angela; Dennis, Michelle; Beckham, Jean C.; Bastian, Lori A
2016-01-01
Introduction The primary objective of this project was to examine the effectiveness of an internet-based smoking cessation intervention combined with a tele-health medication clinic for nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) compared to referral to clinic-based smoking cessation care. Methods A total of 413 patients were proactively recruited from the Durham VA Medical Center and followed for 12 months. Patients were randomized to receive either a referral to VA specialty smoking cessation care (control) or to the internet intervention and tele-health medication clinic. Primary outcomes included (1) intervention reach, (2) self-reported 7-day point prevalence abstinence rates at 3 months and 12 months, and 3) relative cost-effectiveness. Results Reach of the internet intervention and use of smoking cessation aids were significantly greater compared to the control. At 3 months-post randomization, however, there were no significant differences in quit rates: 17% (95% CI: 12%–23%) in the internet-based intervention compared to 12% (95% CI: 8%–17%) in the control arm. Similarly, there were no differences in quit rates at 12 months (13% vs. 16%). While costs associated with the internet arm were higher due to increased penetration and intensity of NRT use, there were no statistically significant differences in the relative cost effectiveness (e.g., life years gained, quality adjusted life years) between the two arms. Conclusions Current results suggest that using an electronic medical record to identify smokers and proactively offering smoking cessation services that are consistent with US Public Health Guidelines can significantly reduce smoking in veterans. Novel interventions that increase the reach of intensive treatment are needed to maximize quit rates in this population. PMID:27568506
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Saxena, Payal; Ji-Shin, Eun; Haito-Chavez, Yamile; Valeshabad, Ali K.; Akshintala, Venkata; Aguila, Gerard; Kumbhari, Vivek; Ruben, Dawn S.; Lennon, Anne-Marie; Singh, Vikesh; Canto, Marcia; Kalloo, Anthony; Khashab, Mouen A.
2014-01-01
Background/Aim: There are currently no data on the relative retention rates of the Instinct clip, Resolution clip, and QuickClip2Long. Also, it is unknown whether retention rate differs when clips are applied to ulcerated rather than normal mucosa. The aim of this study is to compare the retention rates of three commonly used endoscopic clips. Materials and Methods: Six pigs underwent upper endoscopy with placement of one of each of the three types of clips on normal mucosa in the gastric body. Three mucosal resections were also performed to create “ulcers”. Each ulcer was closed with placement of one of the three different clips. Repeat endoscopy was performed weekly for up to 4 weeks. Results: Only the Instinct and Resolution clips remained attached for the duration of the study (4 weeks). At each time point, a greater proportion of Instinct clips were retained on normal mucosa, followed by Resolution clips. QuickClip2Long had the lowest retention rate on normal mucosa. Similar retention rates of Instinct clips and Resolution clips were seen on simulated ulcers, although both were superior to QuickClip2Long. However, the difference did not reach statistical significance. All QuickClip2Long clips were dislodged at 4 weeks in both the groups. Conclusions: The Resolution and Instinct clips have comparable retention rates and both appeared to be better than the QuickClip2Long on normal mucosa-simulated ulcers; however this did not reach statistical significance. Both the Resolution clip and the Instinct clip may be preferred in clinical situations when long-term clip attachment is required, including marking of tumors for radiotherapy and anchoring feeding tubes or stents. Either of the currently available clips may be suitable for closure of iatrogenic mucosal defects without features of chronicity. PMID:25434317
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Toptaş, Tayfun; Peştereli, Elif; Bozkurt, Selen; Erdoğan, Gülgün; Şimşek, Tayup
2018-03-01
To examine correlations among nuclear, architectural, and International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) grading systems, and their relationships with lymph node (LN) involvement in endometrioid endometrial cancer. Histopathology slides of 135 consecutive patients were reviewed with respect to tumor grade and LN metastasis. Notable nuclear atypia was defined as grade 3 nuclei. FIGO grade was established by raising the architectural grade (AG) by one grade when the tumor was composed of cells with nuclear grade (NG) 3. Correlations between the grading systems were analyzed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients, and relationships of grading systems with LN involvement were assessed using logistic regression analysis. Correlation analysis revealed a significant and strongly positive relationship between FIGO and architectural grading systems (r=0.885, p=0.001); however, correlations of nuclear grading with the architectural (r=0.535, p=0.165) and FIGO grading systems (r=0.589, p=0.082) were moderate and statistically non-significant. Twenty-five (18.5%) patients had LN metastasis. LN involvement rates differed significantly between tumors with AG 1 and those with AG 2, and tumors with FIGO grade 1 and those with FIGO grade 2. In contrast, although the difference in LN involvement rates failed to reach statistical significance between tumors with NG 1 and those with NG 2, it was significant between NG 2 and NG 3 (p=0.042). Although all three grading systems were associated with LN involvement in univariate analyses, an independent relationship could not be established after adjustment for other confounders in multivariate analysis. Nuclear grading is significantly correlated with neither architectural nor FIGO grading systems. The differences in LN involvement rates in the nuclear grading system reach significance only in the setting of tumor cells with NG 3; however, none of the grading systems was an independent predictor of LN involvement.
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2013-01-01
Background Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the most common heart disease in Doberman Pinschers. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs playing important roles in gene regulation. Different miRNA expression patterns have been described for DCM in humans and might represent potential diagnostic markers. There are no studies investigating miRNA expression profiles in canine DCM. The aims of this study were to screen the miRNA expression profile of canine serum using miRNA microarray and to compare expression patterns of a group of Doberman Pinschers with DCM and healthy controls. Results Eight Doberman Pinschers were examined by echocardiography and 24-hour-ECG and classified as healthy (n = 4) or suffering from DCM (n = 4). Total RNA was extracted from serum and hybridized on a custom-designed 8x60k miRNA microarray (Agilent) containing probes for 1368 individual miRNAs. Although total RNA concentrations were very low in serum samples, 404 different miRNAs were detectable with sufficient signal intensity on miRNA microarray. 22 miRNAs were differentially expressed in the two groups (p < 0.05 and fold change (FC) > 1.5), but did not reach statistical significance after multiple testing correction (false discovery rate adjusted p > 0.05). Five miRNAs were selected for further analysis using quantitative Real-Time RT-PCR (qPCR) assays. No significant differences were found using specific miRNA qPCR assays (p > 0.05). Conclusions Numerous miRNAs can be detected in canine serum. Between healthy and DCM dogs, miRNA expression changes could be detected, but the results did not reach statistical significance most probably due to the small group size. miRNAs are potential new circulating biomarkers in veterinary medicine and should be investigated in larger patient groups and additional canine diseases. PMID:23327631
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Steudemann, Carola; Bauersachs, Stefan; Weber, Karin; Wess, Gerhard
2013-01-17
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the most common heart disease in Doberman Pinschers. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs playing important roles in gene regulation. Different miRNA expression patterns have been described for DCM in humans and might represent potential diagnostic markers. There are no studies investigating miRNA expression profiles in canine DCM. The aims of this study were to screen the miRNA expression profile of canine serum using miRNA microarray and to compare expression patterns of a group of Doberman Pinschers with DCM and healthy controls. Eight Doberman Pinschers were examined by echocardiography and 24-hour-ECG and classified as healthy (n=4) or suffering from DCM (n=4). Total RNA was extracted from serum and hybridized on a custom-designed 8x60k miRNA microarray (Agilent) containing probes for 1368 individual miRNAs. Although total RNA concentrations were very low in serum samples, 404 different miRNAs were detectable with sufficient signal intensity on miRNA microarray. 22 miRNAs were differentially expressed in the two groups (p<0.05 and fold change (FC)>1.5), but did not reach statistical significance after multiple testing correction (false discovery rate adjusted p>0.05). Five miRNAs were selected for further analysis using quantitative Real-Time RT-PCR (qPCR) assays. No significant differences were found using specific miRNA qPCR assays (p>0.05). Numerous miRNAs can be detected in canine serum. Between healthy and DCM dogs, miRNA expression changes could be detected, but the results did not reach statistical significance most probably due to the small group size. miRNAs are potential new circulating biomarkers in veterinary medicine and should be investigated in larger patient groups and additional canine diseases.
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Bayesian inference for the spatio-temporal invasion of alien species.
Cook, Alex; Marion, Glenn; Butler, Adam; Gibson, Gavin
2007-08-01
In this paper we develop a Bayesian approach to parameter estimation in a stochastic spatio-temporal model of the spread of invasive species across a landscape. To date, statistical techniques, such as logistic and autologistic regression, have outstripped stochastic spatio-temporal models in their ability to handle large numbers of covariates. Here we seek to address this problem by making use of a range of covariates describing the bio-geographical features of the landscape. Relative to regression techniques, stochastic spatio-temporal models are more transparent in their representation of biological processes. They also explicitly model temporal change, and therefore do not require the assumption that the species' distribution (or other spatial pattern) has already reached equilibrium as is often the case with standard statistical approaches. In order to illustrate the use of such techniques we apply them to the analysis of data detailing the spread of an invasive plant, Heracleum mantegazzianum, across Britain in the 20th Century using geo-referenced covariate information describing local temperature, elevation and habitat type. The use of Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling within a Bayesian framework facilitates statistical assessments of differences in the suitability of different habitat classes for H. mantegazzianum, and enables predictions of future spread to account for parametric uncertainty and system variability. Our results show that ignoring such covariate information may lead to biased estimates of key processes and implausible predictions of future distributions.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Naganna, Sujay Raghavendra; Deka, Paresh Chandra
2018-07-01
The hydro-geological properties of streambed together with the hydraulic gradients determine the fluxes of water, energy and solutes between the stream and underlying aquifer system. Dam induced sedimentation affects hyporheic processes and alters substrate pore space geometries in the course of progressive stabilization of the sediment layers. Uncertainty in stream-aquifer interactions arises from the inherent complex-nested flow paths and spatio-temporal variability of streambed hydraulic properties. A detailed field investigation of streambed hydraulic conductivity (Ks) using Guelph Permeameter was carried out in an intermittent stream reach of the Pavanje river basin located in the mountainous, forested tract of western ghats of India. The present study reports the spatial and temporal variability of streambed hydraulic conductivity along the stream reach obstructed by two Vented Dams in sequence. Statistical tests such as Levene's and Welch's t-tests were employed to check for various variability measures. The strength of spatial dependence and the presence of spatial autocorrelation among the streambed Ks samples were tested by using Moran's I statistic. The measures of central tendency and dispersion pointed out reasonable spatial variability in Ks distribution throughout the study reach during two consecutive years 2016 and 2017. The streambed was heterogeneous with regard to hydraulic conductivity distribution with high-Ks zones near the backwater areas of the vented dam and low-Ks zones particularly at the tail water section of vented dams. Dam operational strategies were responsible for seasonal fluctuations in sedimentation and modifications to streambed substrate characteristics (such as porosity, grain size, packing etc.), resulting in heterogeneous streambed Ks profiles. The channel downstream of vented dams contained significantly more cohesive deposits of fine sediment due to the overflow of surplus suspended sediment-laden water at low velocity and pressure head. The statistical test results accept the hypothesis of significant spatial variability of streambed Ks but refuse to accept the temporal variations. The deterministic and geo-statistical approaches of spatial interpolation provided virtuous surface maps of streambed Ks distribution.
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Kim, Min Ju; Lee, Seung Soo; Byeon, Jeong-Sik; Choi, Eugene K.; Kim, Jung Hoon; Kim, Yeoung Nam; Kim, Ah Young; Ha, Hyun Kwon
2009-01-01
Objective This preliminarily study was designed to determine and to compare the efficacy of two commercially available barium-based fecal tagging agents for CT colonography (CTC) (high-density [40% w/v] and low-density [4.6% w/v] barium suspensions) in a population in Korea. Materials and Methods In a population with an identified with an average-risk for colorectal cancer, 15 adults were administered three doses of 20 ml 40% w/v barium for fecal tagging (group I) and 15 adults were administered three doses of 200 ml 4.6% w/v barium (group II) for fecal tagging. Excluding five patients in group I and one patient in group II that left the study, ten patients in group I and 14 patients in group II were finally included in the analysis. Two experienced readers evaluated the CTC images in consensus regarding the degree of tagging of stool pieces 6 mm or larger. Stool pieces were confirmed with the use of standardized CTC criteria or the absence of matched lesions as seen on colonoscopy. The rates of complete fecal tagging were analyzed on a per-lesion and a per-segment basis and were compared between the patients in the two groups. Results Per-lesion rates of complete fecal tagging were 52% (22 of 42; 95% CI, 37.7-66.6%) in group I and 78% (28 of 36; 95% CI, 61.7-88.5%) in group II. The difference between the two groups did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.285). The per-segment rates of complete tagging were 33% (6 of 18; 95% CI, 16.1%-56.4%) in group I and 60% (9 of 15; 95% CI, 35.7%-80.3%) in group II; again, the difference between the two groups did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.171). Conclusion Barium-based fecal tagging using both the 40% w/v and the 4.6% w/v barium suspensions showed moderate tagging efficacy. The preliminary comparison did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference in the tagging efficacy between the use of the two tagging agents, despite the tendency toward better tagging with the use of the 4.6% w/v barium suspension. PMID:19182500
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Forward and backward inference in spatial cognition.
Penny, Will D; Zeidman, Peter; Burgess, Neil
2013-01-01
This paper shows that the various computations underlying spatial cognition can be implemented using statistical inference in a single probabilistic model. Inference is implemented using a common set of 'lower-level' computations involving forward and backward inference over time. For example, to estimate where you are in a known environment, forward inference is used to optimally combine location estimates from path integration with those from sensory input. To decide which way to turn to reach a goal, forward inference is used to compute the likelihood of reaching that goal under each option. To work out which environment you are in, forward inference is used to compute the likelihood of sensory observations under the different hypotheses. For reaching sensory goals that require a chaining together of decisions, forward inference can be used to compute a state trajectory that will lead to that goal, and backward inference to refine the route and estimate control signals that produce the required trajectory. We propose that these computations are reflected in recent findings of pattern replay in the mammalian brain. Specifically, that theta sequences reflect decision making, theta flickering reflects model selection, and remote replay reflects route and motor planning. We also propose a mapping of the above computational processes onto lateral and medial entorhinal cortex and hippocampus.
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Falagario, Maddalena; Trerotoli, Paolo; Chincoli, Annarosa; Cobuzzi, Isabella; Vacca, Margherita P; Falagario, Doriana; Nardelli, Claudia; Depalo, Raffaella
2017-02-01
To evaluate, in patients stimulated with recombinant FSH and GnRH antagonists, whether triggering the final maturation of oocytes affects IVF outcomes. Five hundred and six IVF procedures were divided into three groups according to the timing of hCG administration: when at least 2 follicles reached the diameter of 17 mm, at least 2 follicles reached 18 mm and at least 2 follicles reached 20 mm. The main outcome was the number of mature oocyte that was the dependent variable of a multivariate model whose independents were, age, AFC, hCG timing, E2 levels at hCG day, number of follicles in different categories of dimension. Secondary endpoints were to compare fertilization, implantation and pregnancy rates in a multilevel multivariate model whose covariates were age, BMI, AFC, embryo quality and cause of infertility. Timing did not result a statistically significant factor influencing the number of oocytes collected, which was influenced by age, AFC, number of follicles between 12.1 and 15.9 mm and E2 levels. Implantation rate and pregnancy rate appear to be affected only by embryo quality. The number of oocytes collected and the probability of pregnancy are not associated with the time of hCG administration.
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Nierkens, Vera; Kunst, Anton E; De Vries, Hein; Voorham, Toon A J; Stronks, Karien
2013-01-01
Community interventions have been considered promising strategies to reduce smoking prevalence among ethnic minority populations. We assessed the reach and effectiveness of a community program targeted at the Turkish population in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The study had a quasi-experimental design, with 1 pretest and 1 posttest among 18- to 60-year-old Turkish residents in a district in Rotterdam (n = 388 at pretest) and in a comparison area in the city of Utrecht (n = 389 at pretest). The surveys included measures of reach and measures of effectiveness. Logistic regression analysis assessed changes in the outcome measures over time, adjusting for sex, age, and educational level. At posttest, more smokers (62.5%) perceived pros of quitting, and 8.2% had quit. Compared with the comparison group, in the intervention group the changes tended to be greater, but differences were not statistically significant. Of all respondents, 61.2% recognized at least 1 program component, and 23.1% participated in at least 1. Based on the greater changes in the intervention group (particularly regarding quit rates and pros of smoking), this community intervention can become a promising strategy. To increase potential effectiveness, participation rates need to increase and interventions should last longer and include smoking-cessation support.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Leng, Bi-Bin; Zhang, Qi-zhen; Lai, Wen-wei; Tang, Xin-Fan
2018-06-01
The central region of China boasts a long history, abundant resources, convenient transportation, advanced economy, a strong industrial and agricultural foundation and a rapid development of modern service industry, with about 10.7% of the country's total land area, 26.5% of the country's population and a GDP of about 21.4% of the country's total . As the population center, transportation hub, economic hinterland and important market, it is the second echelon of China's economic development; the central region of China plays an important role in the division of labor in China. The middle reaches of the Yangtze River water network includes four neighboring provinces- Hubei, Hunan, Anhui and Jiangxi. Although all four provinces are located in the middle of the Yangtze River Basin, there are still quite some differences. Based on the 2017 Statistical Yearbook data, this paper studies the economic supportive index of pig breeding in four provinces located in the water network area of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River in Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan and Anhui. The evaluation results show that among the four provinces, the socio-economic conditions of Hubei Province can most support the large-scale cultivation of live pigs, and the support of Jiangxi Province is the weakest.
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Forward and Backward Inference in Spatial Cognition
Penny, Will D.; Zeidman, Peter; Burgess, Neil
2013-01-01
This paper shows that the various computations underlying spatial cognition can be implemented using statistical inference in a single probabilistic model. Inference is implemented using a common set of ‘lower-level’ computations involving forward and backward inference over time. For example, to estimate where you are in a known environment, forward inference is used to optimally combine location estimates from path integration with those from sensory input. To decide which way to turn to reach a goal, forward inference is used to compute the likelihood of reaching that goal under each option. To work out which environment you are in, forward inference is used to compute the likelihood of sensory observations under the different hypotheses. For reaching sensory goals that require a chaining together of decisions, forward inference can be used to compute a state trajectory that will lead to that goal, and backward inference to refine the route and estimate control signals that produce the required trajectory. We propose that these computations are reflected in recent findings of pattern replay in the mammalian brain. Specifically, that theta sequences reflect decision making, theta flickering reflects model selection, and remote replay reflects route and motor planning. We also propose a mapping of the above computational processes onto lateral and medial entorhinal cortex and hippocampus. PMID:24348230
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Saylam, Güleser; Bayır, Ömer; Pınarlı, Ferda Alparslan; Han, Ünsal; Korkmaz, Mehmet Hakan; Sancaktar, Mehmet Eser; Tatar, İlkan; Sargon, Mustafa Fevzi; Tatar, Emel Çadallı
2017-01-01
Abstract Background To analyze protective/regenerative effects of adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSC) on 131I-Radioiodine (RAI)-induced salivary gland damage in rats. Materials and Methods Study population consisted of controls (n:6) and study groups (n:54): RAI (Group 1), ADMSC (Group 2), amifostine (Group 3), RAI+amifostine (Group 4), concomitant RAI+ADMSC (Group 5) and RAI+ADMSC after 48 h (Group 6). We used light microscopy (LM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and salivary gland scintigraphy (SGS), and analyzed data statistically. Results We observed the homing of ADMSC in salivary glands at 1st month on LM. RAI exposure affected necrosis, periductal fibrosis, periductal sclerosis, vascular sclerosis and the total sum score were in a statistically significant manner (P < 0.05). Intragroup comparisons with LM at 1st and 6th months revealed statistically significant improvements in Group 6 (P < 0.05) but not in Groups 4 and 5. Intergroup comparisons of the total score showed that Groups 4 and 5 in 1st month and Group 6 in 6th month had the lowest values. TEM showed vacuolization, edema, and fibrosis at 1st month, and an improvement in damage in 6th month in Groups 5 and 6. SGSs revealed significant differences for the maximum secretion ratio (Smax) (P = 0.01) and the gland-to-background ratio at a maximum count (G/BGmax) (P = 0. 01) at 1st month, for G/BGmax (P = 0.01), Smax (P = 0.01) and the time to reach the maximum count ratio over the time to reach the minimum count (Tmax/Tmin) (P = 0.03) at 6th month. 1st and 6th month scans showed differences for Smax and G/BGmax (P = 0.04), but not for Tmax/Tmin (p > 0.05). We observed a significant deterioration in gland function in group 1, whereas, mild to moderate deteriorations were seen in protective treatment groups. Conclusions Our results indicated that ADMSC might play a promising role as a protective/regenerative agent against RAI-induced salivary gland dysfunction. PMID:28959167
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Liao, H-T; Tan, P; Huang, J-W; Yuan, K-F
2017-10-01
Studies focusing on the efficacy and safety of ledipasvir (LDV) + sofosbuvir (SOF) therapy in liver transplant (LT) recipients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) recurrence are still limited. Therefore, the aim of our work was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate outcome data of LDV + SOF therapy in LT recipients. Multiple databases were systematically searched for eligible studies. We included studies reporting sustained virological response 12 weeks after treatment (SVR12) and treatment-related adverse events (AEs) in LT recipients treated with LDV + SOF ± ribavirin (RBV) for HCV recurrence. All statistical analyses were conducted by using R version 3.3.1 (The R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria). Twelve studies with a total of 994 LT recipients were included, most of which were diagnosed with HCV genotype 1 infection. The overall SVR12 reached 96.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 94.9%-97.5%) and no significant heterogeneity was observed (Q statistic = 10.63, P = .47; I 2 = 0%). No difference was found in SVR12 between treatments for 12 weeks and 24 weeks (P = .18). Patients treated with LDV + SOF + RBV (n = 525) exhibited an SVR12 rate of 95.1% (95% CI 92.8%-96.6%), which showed no difference from the findings in the LDV + SOF treatment group (n = 314) with an SVR12 reaching 94.9% (95% CI 91.5%-97.0%; P = .92). There was a tendency for a higher SVR12 in patients without cirrhosis than those with cirrhosis (P < .05). The most common AEs were listed as following: anemia 41.9% (n = 203 of 484), fatigue 39.1% (n = 207 of 530), headache 24.2% (n = 128 of 530), nausea 21.9% (n = 106 of 484), and diarrhea 19.0% (n = 92 of 484). LDV + SOF-based treatment is highly effective and well tolerated in LT recipients with HCV reinfection. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Osychenko, A A; Zalesskii, A D; Krivokharchenko, A S
Using the method of femtosecond laser surgery we study the fusion of two-cell mouse embryos under the action of tightly focused femtosecond laser radiation with the fusion efficiency reaching 60%. The detailed statistical analysis of the efficiency of blastomere fusion and development of the embryo up to the blastocyst stage after exposure of the embryos from different mice to a femtosecond pulse is presented. It is shown that the efficiency of blastocyst formation essentially depends on the biological characteristics of the embryo, namely, the strain and age of the donor mouse. The possibility of obtaining hexaploid embryonal cells using themore » methods of femtosecond laser surgery is demonstrated. (extreme light fields and their applications)« less
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Roccia, S.; Gaulard, C.; Étilé, A.; Chakma, R.
2017-07-01
In the context of nuclear orientation, we propose a new method to correct the multipole mixing ratios for asymmetries in the geometry of the setup but also in the detection system. This method is also robust against temperature fluctuations, beam intensity fluctuations and uncertainties in the nuclear structure of the nuclei. Additionally, this method provides a natural way to combine data from different detectors and make good use of all available statistics. We could use this method to demonstrate the accuracy that can be reached with the PolarEx setup now installed at the ALTO facility.
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2017-05-05
The death rate for brain cancer, the most common cancer cause of death for children and teens aged 1-19 years, was 24% higher in males (0.73 per 100,000) than females (0.59) aged 1-19 years during 2013-2015. Death rates were higher for males than females for all age groups, but the difference did not reach statistical significance for the age group 5-9 years. Death rates caused by brain cancer were highest at ages 5-9 years (0.98 for males and 0.85 for females).
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Transition to chaos of a vertical collapsible tube conveying air flow
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Castillo Flores, F.; Cros, A.
2009-05-01
"Sky dancers", the large collapsible tubes used as advertising, are studied in this work through a simple experimental device. Our study is devoted to the nonlinear dynamics of this system and to its transition to chaos. Firstly, we have shown that after a collapse occurs, the air fills the tube at a different speed rate from the flow velocity. Secondly, the temporal intermittency is studied as the flow rate is increased. A statistical analysis shows that the chaotic times maintain roughly the same value by increasing air speed. On the other hand, laminar times become shorter, until the system reaches a completely chaotic state.
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Impact of a Respiratory Therapy Assess-and-Treat Protocol on Adult Cardiothoracic ICU Readmissions.
Dailey, Robert T; Malinowski, Thomas; Baugher, Mitchel; Rowley, Daniel D
2017-05-01
The purpose of this retrospective medical record review was to report on recidivism to the ICU among adult postoperative cardiac and thoracic patients managed with a respiratory therapy assess-and-treat (RTAT) protocol. Our primary null hypothesis was that there would be no difference in all-cause unexpected readmissions and escalations between the RTAT group and the physician-ordered respiratory care group. Our secondary null hypothesis was that there would be no difference in primary respiratory-related readmissions, ICU length of stay, or hospital length of stay. We reviewed 1,400 medical records of cardiac and thoracic postoperative subjects between January 2015 and October 2016. The RTAT is driven by a standardized patient assessment tool, which is completed by a registered respiratory therapist. The tool develops a respiratory severity score for each patient and directs interventions for bronchial hygiene, aerosol therapy, and lung inflation therapy based on an algorithm. The protocol period commenced on December 1, 2015, and continued through October 2016. Data relative to unplanned admissions to the ICU for all causes as well as respiratory-related causes were evaluated. There was a statistically significant difference in the all-cause unplanned ICU admission rate between the RTAT (5.8% [95% CI 4.3-7.9]) and the physician-ordered respiratory care (8.8% [95% CI 6.9-11.1]) groups ( P = .034). There was no statistically significant difference in respiratory-related unplanned ICU admissions with RTAT (36% [95% CI 22.7-51.6]) compared with the physician-ordered respiratory care (53% [95% CI 41.1-64.8]) group ( P = .09). The RTAT protocol group spent 1 d less in the ICU ( P < .001) and in the hospital ( P < .001). RTAT protocol implementation demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in all-cause ICU readmissions. The reduction in respiratory-related ICU readmissions did not reach statistical significance. Copyright © 2017 by Daedalus Enterprises.
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Tshilolo, Léon; Santos, Brigida; Tomlinson, George A.; Stuber, Susan; Latham, Teresa; Aygun, Banu; Obaro, Stephen K.; Olupot‐Olupot, Peter; Williams, Thomas N.; Odame, Isaac; Ware, Russell E.
2015-01-01
Background Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is an inherited hematological disorder that causes a large but neglected global health burden, particularly in Africa. Hydroxyurea represents the only available disease‐modifying therapy for SCA, and has proven safety and efficacy in high‐resource countries. In sub‐Saharan Africa, there is minimal use of hydroxyurea, due to lack of data, absence of evidence‐based guidelines, and inexperience among healthcare providers. Procedure A partnership was established between investigators in North America and sub‐Saharan Africa, to develop a prospective multicenter research protocol designed to provide data on the safety, feasibility, and benefits of hydroxyurea for children with SCA. Results The Realizing Effectiveness Across Continents with Hydroxyurea (REACH, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01966731) trial is a prospective, phase I/II open‐label dose escalation study of hydroxyurea that will treat a total of 600 children age 1–10 years with SCA: 150 at each of four different clinical sites within sub‐Saharan Africa (Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, and Uganda). The primary study endpoint will be severe hematological toxicities that occur during the fixed‐dose treatment phase. REACH has an adaptive statistical design that allows for careful assessment of toxicities to accurately identify a safe hydroxyurea dose. Conclusions REACH will provide data that address critical gaps in knowledge for the treatment of SCA in sub‐Saharan Africa. By developing local expertise with the use of hydroxyurea and helping to establish treatment guidelines, the REACH trial results will have the potential to transform care for children with SCA in Africa. Pediatr Blood Cancer © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:26275071
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McGann, Patrick T; Tshilolo, Léon; Santos, Brigida; Tomlinson, George A; Stuber, Susan; Latham, Teresa; Aygun, Banu; Obaro, Stephen K; Olupot-Olupot, Peter; Williams, Thomas N; Odame, Isaac; Ware, Russell E
2016-01-01
Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is an inherited hematological disorder that causes a large but neglected global health burden, particularly in Africa. Hydroxyurea represents the only available disease-modifying therapy for SCA, and has proven safety and efficacy in high-resource countries. In sub-Saharan Africa, there is minimal use of hydroxyurea, due to lack of data, absence of evidence-based guidelines, and inexperience among healthcare providers. A partnership was established between investigators in North America and sub-Saharan Africa, to develop a prospective multicenter research protocol designed to provide data on the safety, feasibility, and benefits of hydroxyurea for children with SCA. The Realizing Effectiveness Across Continents with Hydroxyurea (REACH, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01966731) trial is a prospective, phase I/II open-label dose escalation study of hydroxyurea that will treat a total of 600 children age 1-10 years with SCA: 150 at each of four different clinical sites within sub-Saharan Africa (Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, and Uganda). The primary study endpoint will be severe hematological toxicities that occur during the fixed-dose treatment phase. REACH has an adaptive statistical design that allows for careful assessment of toxicities to accurately identify a safe hydroxyurea dose. REACH will provide data that address critical gaps in knowledge for the treatment of SCA in sub-Saharan Africa. By developing local expertise with the use of hydroxyurea and helping to establish treatment guidelines, the REACH trial results will have the potential to transform care for children with SCA in Africa. © 2015 The Authors. Pediatric Blood & Cancer Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Sando, Steven K.; Vecchia, Aldo V.
2016-07-20
During the extended history of mining in the upper Clark Fork Basin in Montana, large amounts of waste materials enriched with metallic contaminants (cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc) and the metalloid trace element arsenic were generated from mining operations near Butte and milling and smelting operations near Anaconda. Extensive deposition of mining wastes in the Silver Bow Creek and Clark Fork channels and flood plains had substantial effects on water quality. Federal Superfund remediation activities in the upper Clark Fork Basin began in 1983 and have included substantial remediation near Butte and removal of the former Milltown Dam near Missoula. To aid in evaluating the effects of remediation activities on water quality, the U.S. Geological Survey began collecting streamflow and water-quality data in the upper Clark Fork Basin in the 1980s.Trend analysis was done on specific conductance, selected trace elements (arsenic, copper, and zinc), and suspended sediment for seven sampling sites in the Milltown Reservoir/Clark Fork River Superfund Site for water years 1996–2015. The most upstream site included in trend analysis is Silver Bow Creek at Warm Springs, Montana (sampling site 8), and the most downstream site is Clark Fork above Missoula, Montana (sampling site 22), which is just downstream from the former Milltown Dam. Water year is the 12-month period from October 1 through September 30 and is designated by the year in which it ends. Trend analysis was done by using a joint time-series model for concentration and streamflow. To provide temporal resolution of changes in water quality, trend analysis was conducted for four sequential 5-year periods: period 1 (water years 1996–2000), period 2 (water years 2001–5), period 3 (water years 2006–10), and period 4 (water years 2011–15). Because of the substantial effect of the intentional breach of Milltown Dam on March 28, 2008, period 3 was subdivided into period 3A (October 1, 2005–March 27, 2008) and period 3B (March 28, 2008–September 30, 2010) for the Clark Fork above Missoula (sampling site 22). Trend results were considered statistically significant when the statistical probability level was less than 0.01.In conjunction with the trend analysis, estimated normalized constituent loads (hereinafter referred to as “loads”) were calculated and presented within the framework of a constituent-transport analysis to assess the temporal trends in flow-adjusted concentrations (FACs) in the context of sources and transport. The transport analysis allows assessment of temporal changes in relative contributions from upstream source areas to loads transported past each reach outflow.Trend results indicate that FACs of unfiltered-recoverable copper decreased at the sampling sites from the start of period 1 through the end of period 4; the decreases ranged from large for one sampling site (Silver Bow Creek at Warm Springs [sampling site 8]) to moderate for two sampling sites (Clark Fork near Galen, Montana [sampling site 11] and Clark Fork above Missoula [sampling site 22]) to small for four sampling sites (Clark Fork at Deer Lodge, Montana [sampling site 14], Clark Fork at Goldcreek, Montana [sampling site 16], Clark Fork near Drummond, Montana [sampling site 18], and Clark Fork at Turah Bridge near Bonner, Montana [sampling site 20]). For period 4 (water years 2011–15), the most notable changes indicated for the Milltown Reservoir/Clark Fork River Superfund Site were statistically significant decreases in FACs and loads of unfiltered-recoverable copper for sampling sites 8 and 22. The period 4 changes in FACs of unfiltered-recoverable copper for all other sampling sites were not statistically significant.Trend results indicate that FACs of unfiltered-recoverable arsenic decreased at the sampling sites from period 1 through period 4 (water years 1996–2015); the decreases ranged from minor (sampling sites 8–20) to small (sampling site 22). For period 4 (water years 2011–15), the most notable changes indicated for the Milltown Reservoir/Clark Fork River Superfund Site were statistically significant decreases in FACs and loads of unfiltered-recoverable arsenic for sampling site 8 and near statistically significant decreases for sampling site 22. The period 4 changes in FACs of unfiltered-recoverable arsenic for all other sampling sites were not statistically significant.Trend results indicate that FACs of suspended sediment decreased at the sampling sites from period 1 through period 4 (water years 1996–2015); the decreases ranged from moderate (sampling site 8) to small (sampling sites 11–22). For period 4 (water years 2011–15), the changes in FACs of suspended sediment were not statistically significant for any sampling sites.The reach of the Clark Fork from Galen to Deer Lodge is a large source of metallic contaminants and suspended sediment, which strongly affects downstream transport of those constituents. Mobilization of copper and suspended sediment from flood-plain tailings and the streambed of the Clark Fork and its tributaries within the reach results in a contribution of those constituents that is proportionally much larger than the contribution of streamflow from within the reach. Within the reach from Galen to Deer Lodge, unfiltered-recoverable copper loads increased by a factor of about 4 and suspended-sediment loads increased by a factor of about 5, whereas streamflow increased by a factor of slightly less than 2. For period 4 (water years 2011–15), unfiltered-recoverable copper and suspended-sediment loads sourced from within the reach accounted for about 41 and 14 percent, respectively, of the loads at Clark Fork above Missoula (sampling site 22), whereas streamflow sourced from within the reach accounted for about 4 percent of the streamflow at sampling site 22. During water years 1996–2015, decreases in FACs and loads of unfiltered-recoverable copper and suspended sediment for the reach generally were proportionally smaller than for most other reaches.Unfiltered-recoverable copper loads sourced within the reaches of the Clark Fork between Deer Lodge and Turah Bridge near Bonner (just upstream from the former Milltown Dam) were proportionally smaller than contributions of streamflow sourced from within the reaches; these reaches contributed proportionally much less to copper loading in the Clark Fork than the reach between Galen and Deer Lodge. Although substantial decreases in FACs and loads of unfiltered-recoverable copper and suspended sediment were indicated for Silver Bow Creek at Warm Springs (sampling site 8), those substantial decreases were not translated to downstream reaches between Deer Lodge and Turah Bridge near Bonner. The effect of the reach of the Clark Fork from Galen to Deer Lodge as a large source of copper and suspended sediment, in combination with little temporal change in those constituents for the reach, contributes to this pattern.With the removal of the former Milltown Dam in 2008, substantial amounts of contaminated sediments that remained in the Clark Fork channel and flood plain in reach 9 (downstream from Turah Bridge near Bonner) became more available for mobilization and transport than before the dam removal. After the removal of the former Milltown Dam, the Clark Fork above Missoula (sampling site 22) had statistically significant decreases in FACs of unfiltered-recoverable copper in period 3B (March 28, 2008, through water year 2010) that continued in period 4 (water years 2011–15). Also, decreases in FACs of unfiltered-recoverable arsenic and suspended sediment were indicated for period 4 at this site. The decrease in FACs of unfiltered-recoverable copper for sampling site 22 during period 4 was proportionally much larger than the decrease for the Clark Fork at Turah Bridge near Bonner (sampling site 20). Net mobilization of unfiltered-recoverable copper and arsenic from sources within reach 9 are smaller for period 4 than for period 1 when the former Milltown Dam was in place, providing evidence that contaminant source materials have been substantially reduced in reach 9.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Nickles, C.; Zhao, Y.; Beighley, E.; Durand, M. T.; David, C. H.; Lee, H.
2017-12-01
The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission is jointly developed by NASA, the French space agency (CNES), with participation from the Canadian and UK space agencies to serve both the hydrology and oceanography communities. The SWOT mission will sample global surface water extents and elevations (lakes/reservoirs, rivers, estuaries, oceans, sea and land ice) at a finer spatial resolution than is currently possible enabling hydrologic discovery, model advancements and new applications that are not currently possible or likely even conceivable. Although the mission will provide global cover, analysis and interpolation of the data generated from the irregular space/time sampling represents a significant challenge. In this study, we explore the applicability of the unique space/time sampling for understanding river discharge dynamics throughout the Ohio River Basin. River network topology, SWOT sampling (i.e., orbit and identified SWOT river reaches) and spatial interpolation concepts are used to quantify the fraction of effective sampling of river reaches each day of the three-year mission. Streamflow statistics for SWOT generated river discharge time series are compared to continuous daily river discharge series. Relationships are presented to transform SWOT generated streamflow statistics to equivalent continuous daily discharge time series statistics intended to support hydrologic applications using low-flow and annual flow duration statistics.
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Simulating flaring events in complex active regions driven by observed magnetograms
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dimitropoulou, M.; Isliker, H.; Vlahos, L.; Georgoulis, M. K.
2011-05-01
Context. We interpret solar flares as events originating in active regions that have reached the self organized critical state, by using a refined cellular automaton model with initial conditions derived from observations. Aims: We investigate whether the system, with its imposed physical elements, reaches a self organized critical state and whether well-known statistical properties of flares, such as scaling laws observed in the distribution functions of characteristic parameters, are reproduced after this state has been reached. Methods: To investigate whether the distribution functions of total energy, peak energy and event duration follow the expected scaling laws, we first applied a nonlinear force-free extrapolation that reconstructs the three-dimensional magnetic fields from two-dimensional vector magnetograms. We then locate magnetic discontinuities exceeding a threshold in the Laplacian of the magnetic field. These discontinuities are relaxed in local diffusion events, implemented in the form of cellular automaton evolution rules. Subsequent loading and relaxation steps lead the system to self organized criticality, after which the statistical properties of the simulated events are examined. Physical requirements, such as the divergence-free condition for the magnetic field vector, are approximately imposed on all elements of the model. Results: Our results show that self organized criticality is indeed reached when applying specific loading and relaxation rules. Power-law indices obtained from the distribution functions of the modeled flaring events are in good agreement with observations. Single power laws (peak and total flare energy) are obtained, as are power laws with exponential cutoff and double power laws (flare duration). The results are also compared with observational X-ray data from the GOES satellite for our active-region sample. Conclusions: We conclude that well-known statistical properties of flares are reproduced after the system has reached self organized criticality. A significant enhancement of our refined cellular automaton model is that it commences the simulation from observed vector magnetograms, thus facilitating energy calculation in physical units. The model described in this study remains consistent with fundamental physical requirements, and imposes physically meaningful driving and redistribution rules.
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XU, Chen; CHEN, Shiwen; YUAN, Lutao; JING, Yao
2016-01-01
There is controversy among neurosurgeons regarding whether irrigation or drainage is necessary for achieving a lower revision rate for the treatment of chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) using burr-hole craniostomy (BHC). Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis of all available published reports. Multiple electronic health databases were searched to identify all studies published between 1989 and June 2012 that compared irrigation and drainage. Data were processed by using Review Manager 5.1.6. Effect sizes are expressed as pooled odds ratio (OR) estimates. Due to heterogeneity between studies, we used the random effect of the inverse variance weighted method to perform the meta-analysis. Thirteen published reports were selected for this meta-analysis. The comprehensive results indicated that there were no statistically significant differences in mortality or complication rates between drainage and no drainage (P > 0.05). Additionally, there were no differences in recurrence between irrigation and no irrigation (P > 0.05). However, the difference between drainage and no drainage in recurrence rate reached statistical significance (P < 0.01). The results from this meta-analysis suggest that burr-hole surgery with closed-system drainage can reduce the recurrence of CSDH; however, irrigation is not necessary for every patient. PMID:26377830
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Dark chocolate supplementation reduces the oxygen cost of moderate intensity cycling.
Patel, Rishikesh Kankesh; Brouner, James; Spendiff, Owen
2015-01-01
Dark chocolate (DC) is abundant in flavanols which have been reported to increase the bioavailability and bioactivity of nitric oxide (NO). Increasing NO bioavailability has often demonstrated reduced oxygen cost and performance enhancement during submaximal exercise. Nine moderately-trained male participants volunteered to undertake baseline (BL) measurements that comprised a cycle V̇O(2max) test followed by cycling at 80% of their established gas exchange threshold (GET) for 20-min and then immediately followed by a two-minute time-trial (TT). Using a randomised crossover design participants performed two further trials, two weeks apart, with either 40 g of DC or white chocolate (WC) being consumed daily. Oxygen consumption, RER, heart rate and blood lactate (BLa) were measured during each trial. DC consumption increased GET and TT performance compared to both BL and WC (P < 0.05). DC consumption increased V̇O(2max) by 6% compared to BL (P < 0.05), but did not reach statistical significance compared to WC. There were no differences in the moderate-intensity cycling for V̇O₂, RER, BLa and heart rate between conditions, although, V̇O₂ and RER exhibited consistently lower trends following DC consumption compared to BL and WC, these did not reach statistical significance. Chronic supplementation with DC resulted in a higher GET and enhanced TT performance. Consequently, ingestion of DC reduced the oxygen cost of moderate intensity exercise and may be an effective ergogenic aid for short-duration moderate intensity exercise.
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Tomei, Krystal L; Nahass, Meghan M; Husain, Qasim; Agarwal, Nitin; Patel, Smruti K; Svider, Peter F; Eloy, Jean Anderson; Liu, James K
2014-07-01
The number of women pursuing training opportunities in neurological surgery has increased, although they are still underrepresented at senior positions relative to junior academic ranks. Research productivity is an important component of the academic advancement process. We sought to use the h-index, a bibliometric previously analyzed among neurological surgeons, to evaluate whether there are gender differences in academic rank and research productivity among academic neurological surgeons. The h-index was calculated for 1052 academic neurological surgeons from 84 institutions, and organized by gender and academic rank. Overall men had statistically higher research productivity (mean 13.3) than their female colleagues (mean 9.5), as measured by the h-index, in the overall sample (p<0.0007). When separating by academic rank, there were no statistical differences (p>0.05) in h-index at the assistant professor (mean 7.2 male, 6.3 female), associate professor (11.2 male, 10.8 female), and professor (20.0 male, 18.0 female) levels based on gender. There was insufficient data to determine significance at the chairperson rank, as there was only one female chairperson. Although overall gender differences in scholarly productivity were detected, these differences did not reach statistical significance upon controlling for academic rank. Women were grossly underrepresented at the level of chairpersons in this sample of 1052 academic neurological surgeons, likely a result of the low proportion of females in this specialty. Future studies may be needed to investigate gender-specific research trends for neurosurgical residents, a cohort that in recent years has seen increased representation by women. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Gallego Herrero, C; Navarro Cutillas, V
Analyze statistically the success, number of sessions required and complete duration of treatment of agents used in pediatric percutaneous sclerotherapy of lymphatic malformations, to determine the most suitable. Retrospective study based on outcomes from percutaneous sclerotherapy performed on lymphatic malformations of 56 patients conducted by pediatric interventional radiologist for 14 years. As first approach, the procedure consists of ultrasound-guided introduction of sclerosing agent. Sessions were repeated until clinical resolution. Success, number of sessions and the duration of treatment were recorded and statistical treatment of the data was performed to obtain further conclusions. Lost patients in follow up and other minority agents used were excluded from the data. Eventually, 52 patients treated with OK432 (n=29), Ethibloc (n=5) and combination therapy (n=18) were included. The average number of sessions and duration in months of treatment was respectively 2.38 and 8.6 for OK432, 1.4 and 5.6 for Ethibloc, and 1.83 and 2.30 for dual therapy. The results were statistically significant for the difference in duration between OK432 and dual therapy. Also, 60-80% of patients reached proper results related to success, but the difference was no significant among the agents. Other demographic and anatomical variables were analyzed, not showing any difference, which supports the homogeneity of the sample. Despite of no significant difference in success and number of sessions among agents, longer duration of treatment with OK432 than dual therapy could mean greater health costs and probably greater disturb for patient and family. Copyright © 2017 SERAM. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.
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Jorrakate, Chaiyong; Kongsuk, Jutaluk; Pongduang, Chiraprapa; Sadsee, Boontiwa; Chanthorn, Phatchari
2015-01-01
[Purpose] The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of yoga training on static and dynamic standing balance in obese individuals with poor standing balance. [Subjects and Methods] Sixteen obese volunteers were randomly assigned into yoga and control groups. The yoga training program was performed for 45 minutes per day, 3 times per week, for 4 weeks. Static and dynamic balance were assessed in volunteers with one leg standing and functional reach tests. Outcome measures were tested before training and after a single week of training. Two-way repeated measure analysis of variance with Tukey’s honestly significant difference post hoc statistics was used to analyze the data. [Results] Obese individuals showed significantly increased static standing balance in the yoga training group, but there was no significant improvement of static or dynamic standing balance in the control group after 4 weeks. In the yoga group, significant increases in static standing balance was found after the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th weeks. Compared with the control group, static standing balance in the yoga group was significantly different after the 2nd week, and dynamic standing balance was significantly different after the 4th week. [Conclusion] Yoga training would be beneficial for improving standing balance in obese individuals with poor standing balance. PMID:25642038
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RELATIONSHIP OF PSYCHOTICISM WITH CERTAIN SOCIO-ECONOMIC VARIABLES1
Arora, Manju Mehta (nee); Varma, V.K.
1982-01-01
SUMMARY A psychoticism questionnaire developed by the authors (Arora & Varma, 1980 a, b) was administered to 100 psychotics, 100 neurotics, 100 relatives of psychotics, and 100 normals. Relationship of P-score with six socioeconomic variables, i.e., age, sex, education, occupation, religion and urban, rural background was studied. P-score was found to be higher in younger age group (15-24 years) in each of the four clinical groups but was significantly low in psychoitics and their relatives. No sex differences were observed regarding P-score. Significant inverse relationship between P-score and education and occupational status was found only for the normal groups. No significant difference was seen in psychoticism score between the two religious groups—Hindus and Sikhs. Those from rural background had higher P-score as compared to those from urban background, but the differences did not reach statistical significance. PMID:21965906
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Accuracy and Landmark Error Calculation Using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography–Generated Cephalograms
Grauer, Dan; Cevidanes, Lucia S. H.; Styner, Martin A.; Heulfe, Inam; Harmon, Eric T.; Zhu, Hongtu; Proffit, William R.
2010-01-01
Objective To evaluate systematic differences in landmark position between cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT)–generated cephalograms and conventional digital cephalograms and to estimate how much variability should be taken into account when both modalities are used within the same longitudinal study. Materials and Methods Landmarks on homologous cone-beam computed tomographic–generated cephalograms and conventional digital cephalograms of 46 patients were digitized, registered, and compared via the Hotelling T2 test. Results There were no systematic differences between modalities in the position of most landmarks. Three landmarks showed statistically significant differences but did not reach clinical significance. A method for error calculation while combining both modalities in the same individual is presented. Conclusion In a longitudinal follow-up for assessment of treatment outcomes and growth of one individual, the error due to the combination of the two modalities might be larger than previously estimated. PMID:19905853
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Tube Visualization and Properties from Isoconfigurational Averaging
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Qin, Jian; Bisbee, Windsor; Milner, Scott
2012-02-01
We introduce a simulation method to visualize the confining tube in polymer melts and measure its properties. We studied bead-spring ring polymers, which conveniently suppresses constraint release and contour length fluctuations. We allow molecules to cross and reach topologically equilibrated states by invoking various molecular rebridging moves in Monte Carlo simulations. To reveal the confining tube, we start with a well equilibrated configuration, turn off rebridging moves, and run molecular dynamics simulation multiple times, each with different initial velocities. The resulting set of ``movies'' of molecular trajectories defines an isoconfigurational ensemble, with the bead positions at different times and in different ``movies'' giving rise to a cloud. The cloud shows the shape, range and strength of the tube confinement, which enables us to study the statistical properties of tube. Using this approach, we studied the effects of free surface, and found that the tube diameter near the surface is greater than the bulk value by about 25%.
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Effects of Acute Fatigue of the Hip Flexor Muscles on Hamstring Muscle Extensibility.
Muyor, José M; Arrabal-Campos, Francisco M
2016-12-01
The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the influence of acute fatigue of the hip flexor muscles on scores attained in tests frequently used in literature to measure hamstring muscle extensibility, namely the passive straight leg raise (PSLR), active straight leg raise (ASLR), passive knee extension (PKE), active knee extension (AKE), sit-and-reach (SR) and toe-touch (TT) tests. A total of seventy-five healthy and recreationally active adults voluntarily participated in this study. To reach fatigue, the participants actively lifted their legs alternately as many times as possible. In the passive tests, the results were 7.10 ± 5.21° and 5.68 ± 4.54° higher (p < 0.01) for PSLR and PKE tests, respectively, after acute fatigue. However, in the ASLR test, the results were lower post-fatigue than pre-fatigue (mean difference = -5.30° ± 9.51°; p < 0.01). The AKE, SR and TT tests did not show significant differences between pre- and post-fatigue (p > 0.05). Moderate (r = 0.40) to high (r = 0.97) correlation coefficients were found, which were statistically significant among all the measured flexibility tests both pre- and post-fatigue. In conclusion, the active implication of the hip flexor muscles until reaching fatigue had acute influences on the results of the PSLR, PKE and ASLR tests, but not on the results of the AKE, SR and TT tests. It is recommended to use the AKE test to assess hamstring muscle extensibility in situations where athletes show fatigue in their hip flexor muscles.
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Maignan, A; Ouaïssi, M; Turrini, O; Regenet, N; Loundou, A; Louis, G; Moutardier, V; Dahan, L; Pirrò, N; Sastre, B; Delpero, J-R; Sielezneff, I
2018-01-26
Management of functional consequences after pancreatic resection has become a new therapeutic challenge. The goal of our study is to evaluate the risk factors for exocrine (ExoPI) and endocrine (EndoPI) pancreatic insufficiency after pancreatic surgery and to establish a predictive model for their onset. Between January 1, 2014 and June 19, 2015, 91 consecutive patients undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) or left pancreatectomy (LP) (72% and 28%, respectively) were followed prospectively. ExoPI was defined as fecal elastase content<200μg per gram of feces while EndoPI was defined as fasting glucose>126mg/dL or aggravation of preexisting diabetes. The volume of residual pancreas was measured according to the same principles as liver volumetry. The ExoPI and EndoPI rates at 6 months were 75.9% and 30.8%, respectively. The rate of ExoPI after PD was statistically significantly higher than after LP (98% vs. 21%; P<0.001), while the rate of EndoPI was lower after PD vs. LP, but this difference did not reach statistical significance (28% vs. 38.5%; P=0.412). There was no statistically significant difference in ExoPI found between pancreatico-gastrostomy (PG) and pancreatico-jejunostomy (PJ) (100% vs. 98%; P=1.000). Remnant pancreatic volume less than 39.5% was predictive of ExoPI. ExoPI occurs quasi-systematically after PD irrespective of the reconstruction scheme. The rate of EndoPI did not differ between PD and LP. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.
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Tennant, M; Kruger, E
2014-01-01
In Australia, over the past 30 years, the prevalence of dental decay in children has reduced significantly, where today 60-70% of all 12-year-olds are caries free, and only 10% of children have more than two decayed teeth. However, many studies continue to report a small but significant subset of children suffering severe levels of decay. The present study applies Monte Carlo simulation to examine, at the national level, 12-year-old decayed, missing or filled teeth and shed light on both the statistical limitation of Australia's reporting to date as well as the problem of targeting high-risk children. A simulation for 273 000 Australian 12-year-old children found that moving from different levels of geographic clustering produced different statistical influences that drive different conclusions. At the high scale (ie state level) the gross averaging of the non-normally distributed disease burden masks the small subset of disease bearing children. At the much higher acuity of analysis (ie local government area) the risk of low numbers in the sample becomes a significant issue. The results clearly highlight the importance of care when examining the existing data, and, second, opportunities for far greater levels of targeting of services to children in need. The sustainability (and fairness) of universal coverage systems needs to be examined to ensure they remain highly targeted at disease burden, and not just focused on the children that are easy to reach (and suffer the least disease).
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Ultrasound biomicroscopy and iris pigment dispersion: a case--control study.
Mora, P; Sangermani, C; Ghirardini, S; Carta, A; Ungaro, N; Gandolfi, Sa
2010-04-01
The study involved eyes affected by pigment dispersion syndrome (PDS) or pigmentary glaucoma (PG) investigated by ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM). Different irido-corneal parameters were assessed and compared with those from healthy controls. The aim was to investigate the capacity of the UBM in differentiating the cases and, potentially, in confirming the pathogenic mechanisms. Patients with a first diagnosis of PDS or PG were included. A cohort of healthy volunteers matched for sex, age and refractive errors was recruited. All underwent UBM examination: the following parameters were assessed in relaxed and stimulated accommodative state in one eye: iris-lens contact (ILC), irido-corneal angle (ICA) and iris concavity (IC). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis assessed the ability of UBM to discriminate between subjects with and without PDS/PG. There were 24 eyes in the case group: four diagnosed as PG and the remaining 20 as PDS. There were 25 eyes in the control group. The two groups were statistically superimposable except for baseline intraocular pressure, which was higher in the case group (p=0.0001). All UBM parameters were statistically different between the two groups. ICA in near vision was the best-performing parameter, reaching a sensitivity (=specificity) of 0.875 with a cut-off at 53.0 degrees . The second most sensitive parameter was IC, still in near vision. All UBM parameters examined were statistically different between the two groups. ROC analysis showed ICA and IC in near vision to be the most discriminatory parameters. This evidence confirms the importance of iris movements in inducing the particular features of PDS/PG.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Eliseev, S.; Blaum, K.; Block, M.; Chenmarev, S.; Dorrer, H.; Düllmann, Ch. E.; Enss, C.; Filianin, P. E.; Gastaldo, L.; Goncharov, M.; Köster, U.; Lautenschläger, F.; Novikov, Yu. N.; Rischka, A.; Schüssler, R. X.; Schweikhard, L.; Türler, A.
2015-08-01
The atomic mass difference of 163 and 163Dy has been directly measured with the Penning-trap mass spectrometer SHIPTRAP applying the novel phase-imaging ion-cyclotron-resonance technique. Our measurement has solved the long-standing problem of large discrepancies in the Q value of the electron capture in 163Ho determined by different techniques. Our measured mass difference shifts the current Q value of 2555(16) eV evaluated in the Atomic Mass Evaluation 2012 [G. Audi et al., Chin. Phys. C 36, 1157 (2012)] by more than 7 σ to 2833 (30stat)(15sys) eV /c2 . With the new mass difference it will be possible, e.g., to reach in the first phase of the ECHo experiment a statistical sensitivity to the neutrino mass below 10 eV, which will reduce its present upper limit by more than an order of magnitude.
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Blood absorption during 970 and 1470 nm laser radiation in vitro.
Shaydakov, E; Ilyukhin, E; Rosukhovskiy, D
2015-10-01
Soon after introduction of water lasers in medical practice for EVLA, less power and energy line density have been used. However, there are no experimental grounds for different energy modes and there is no clear evidence for a difference in the effect of the two wavelengths dealt with in this study. The goal of this study was to evaluate the temperature profile of various laser action modes with testing devices. Three experimental testing devices consisted of cylinders filled with whole donor blood and a set of temperature sensors installed in different positions. We have determined the range of temperatures around the fiber tip of 970 and 1470 nm lasers. The average temperature of 970 nm laser at 1 mm distance along the axis from the fiber tip substantially differed from that of 1470 nm laser, power being equal. Statistically substantial differences were found in endovenous laser ablation simulation in vitro for the 970 nm and 1470 nm laser radiation. Similar temperatures can be reached with 970 nm lasers if power is increased.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Stergiopoulos, Ch.; Stavrakas, I.; Triantis, D.; Vallianatos, F.; Stonham, J.
2015-02-01
Weak electric signals termed as 'Pressure Stimulated Currents, PSC' are generated and detected while cement based materials are found under mechanical load, related to the creation of cracks and the consequent evolution of cracks' network in the bulk of the specimen. During the experiment a set of cement mortar beams of rectangular cross-section were subjected to Three-Point Bending (3PB). For each one of the specimens an abrupt mechanical load step was applied, increased from the low load level (Lo) to a high final value (Lh) , where Lh was different for each specimen and it was maintained constant for long time. The temporal behavior of the recorded PSC show that during the load increase a spike-like PSC emission was recorded and consequently a relaxation of the PSC, after reaching its final value, follows. The relaxation process of the PSC was studied using non-extensive statistical physics (NESP) based on Tsallis entropy equation. The behavior of the Tsallis q parameter was studied in relaxation PSCs in order to investigate its potential use as an index for monitoring the crack evolution process with a potential use in non-destructive laboratory testing of cement-based specimens of unknown internal damage level. The dependence of the q-parameter on the Lh (when Lh <0.8Lf), where Lf represents the 3PB strength of the specimen, shows an increase on the q value when the specimens are subjected to gradually higher bending loadings and reaches a maximum value close to 1.4 when the applied Lh becomes higher than 0.8Lf. While the applied Lh becomes higher than 0.9Lf the value of the q-parameter gradually decreases. This analysis of the experimental data manifests that the value of the entropic index q obtains a characteristic decrease while reaching the ultimate strength of the specimen, and thus could be used as a forerunner of the expected failure.
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Kitamura, Kei; Cho, Kwang Ho; Jang, Hyung Suk; Murakami, Gen; Yamamoto, Masahito; Abe, Shin-Ichi
2017-01-01
Extraocular muscles are quite different from skeletal muscles in muscle fiber type and nerve supply; the small motor unit may be the most well known. As the first step to understanding the nerve-artery relationship, in this study we measured the distance from the arteriole (25-50 μm in thickness) to the nerve terminal twigs in extraocular muscles. With the aid of immunohistochemistry for nerves and arteries, we examined the arteriole-nerve distance at 10-15 sites in each of 68 extraocular muscles obtained from ten elderly cadavers. The oblique sections were nearly tangential to the muscle plate and included both global and orbital aspects of the muscle. In all muscles, the nerve twigs usually took a course parallel to muscle fibers, in contrast to most arterioles that crossed muscles. Possibly due to polyinnervation, an intramuscular nerve plexus was evident in four rectus and two oblique muscles. The arteriole-nerve distance usually ranged from 300 to 400 μm. However, individual differences were more than two times greater in each of seven muscles. Moreover, in each muscle the difference between sites sometimes reached 1 mm or more. The distance was generally shorter in the rectus and oblique muscles than in the levator palpebrae muscle, which reached statistical significance (p < 0.05). The differences in arteriole-nerve distances between sites within each muscle, between muscles, and between individuals might lead to an individual biological rhythm of fatigue in oculomotor performance.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Luo, Yuan; Wang, Bo-yu; Zhang, Yi; Zhao, Li-ming
2018-03-01
In this paper, under different illuminations and random noises, focusing on the local texture feature's defects of a face image that cannot be completely described because the threshold of local ternary pattern (LTP) cannot be calculated adaptively, a local three-value model of improved adaptive local ternary pattern (IALTP) is proposed. Firstly, the difference function between the center pixel and the neighborhood pixel weight is established to obtain the statistical characteristics of the central pixel and the neighborhood pixel. Secondly, the adaptively gradient descent iterative function is established to calculate the difference coefficient which is defined to be the threshold of the IALTP operator. Finally, the mean and standard deviation of the pixel weight of the local region are used as the coding mode of IALTP. In order to reflect the overall properties of the face and reduce the dimension of features, the two-directional two-dimensional PCA ((2D)2PCA) is adopted. The IALTP is used to extract local texture features of eyes and mouth area. After combining the global features and local features, the fusion features (IALTP+) are obtained. The experimental results on the Extended Yale B and AR standard face databases indicate that under different illuminations and random noises, the algorithm proposed in this paper is more robust than others, and the feature's dimension is smaller. The shortest running time reaches 0.329 6 s, and the highest recognition rate reaches 97.39%.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Zheng, Xiaogang; Biesiada, Marek; Cao, Shuo
A new compilation of 012 angular-size/redshift data for compact radio quasars from very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) surveys motivates us to revisit the interaction between dark energy and dark matter with these probes reaching high redshifts z ∼ 3.0. In this paper, we investigate observational constraints on different phenomenological interacting dark energy (IDE) models with the intermediate-luminosity radio quasars acting as individual standard rulers, combined with the newest BAO and CMB observation from Planck results acting as statistical rulers. The results obtained from the MCMC method and other statistical methods including figure of Merit and Information Criteria show that: (1) Compared withmore » the current standard candle data and standard clock data, the intermediate-luminosity radio quasar standard rulers , probing much higher redshifts, could provide comparable constraints on different IDE scenarios. (2) The strong degeneracies between the interaction term and Hubble constant may contribute to alleviate the tension of H {sub 0} between the recent Planck and HST measurements. (3) Concerning the ranking of competing dark energy models, IDE with more free parameters are substantially penalized by the BIC criterion, which agrees very well with the previous results derived from other cosmological probes.« less
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Sorensen, Glorian; Pednekar, Mangesh; Cordeira, Laura Shulman; Pawar, Pratibha; Nagler, Eve; Stoddard, Anne M.; Kim, Hae-Young; Gupta, Prakash C.
2016-01-01
Objectives We assessed a worksite intervention designed to promote tobacco control among manufacturing workers in Greater Mumbai, India. Methods We used a cluster-randomized design to test an integrated health promotion/health protection intervention, which addressed changes at the management and worker levels. Between July 2012 and July 2013, we recruited 20 worksites on a rolling basis and randomly assigned them to intervention or delayed-intervention control conditions. The follow-up survey was conducted between December 2013 and November 2014. Results The difference in 30-day quit rates between intervention and control conditions was statistically significant for production workers (OR=2.25, P=0.03), although not for the overall sample (OR=1.70; P=0.12). The intervention resulted in a doubling of the 6-month cessation rates among workers in the intervention worksites compared to those in the control, for production workers (OR=2.29; P=0.07) and for the overall sample (OR=1.81; P=0.13), but the difference did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions These findings demonstrate the potential impact of a tobacco control intervention that combined tobacco control and health protection programming within Indian manufacturing worksites. PMID:26883793
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Using genetic data to estimate diffusion rates in heterogeneous landscapes.
Roques, L; Walker, E; Franck, P; Soubeyrand, S; Klein, E K
2016-08-01
Having a precise knowledge of the dispersal ability of a population in a heterogeneous environment is of critical importance in agroecology and conservation biology as it can provide management tools to limit the effects of pests or to increase the survival of endangered species. In this paper, we propose a mechanistic-statistical method to estimate space-dependent diffusion parameters of spatially-explicit models based on stochastic differential equations, using genetic data. Dividing the total population into subpopulations corresponding to different habitat patches with known allele frequencies, the expected proportions of individuals from each subpopulation at each position is computed by solving a system of reaction-diffusion equations. Modelling the capture and genotyping of the individuals with a statistical approach, we derive a numerically tractable formula for the likelihood function associated with the diffusion parameters. In a simulated environment made of three types of regions, each associated with a different diffusion coefficient, we successfully estimate the diffusion parameters with a maximum-likelihood approach. Although higher genetic differentiation among subpopulations leads to more accurate estimations, once a certain level of differentiation has been reached, the finite size of the genotyped population becomes the limiting factor for accurate estimation.
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Simulation of ground-water flow in glaciofluvial aquifers in the Grand Rapids area, Minnesota
Jones, Perry M.
2004-01-01
A calibrated steady-state, finite-difference, ground-waterflow model was constructed to simulate ground-water flow in three glaciofluvial aquifers, defined in this report as the upper, middle, and lower aquifers, in an area of about 114 mi2 surrounding the city of Grand Rapids in north-central Minnesota. The calibrated model will be used by Minnesota Department of Health and communities in the Grand Rapids area in the development of wellhead protection plans for their water supplies. The model was calibrated through comparison of simulated ground-water levels to measured static water levels in 351 wells, and comparison of simulated base-flow rates to estimated base-flow rates for reaches of the Mississippi and Prairie Rivers. Model statistics indicate that the model tends to overestimate ground-water levels. The root mean square errors ranged from +12.83 ft in wells completed in the upper aquifer to +19.10 ft in wells completed in the middle aquifer. Mean absolute differences between simulated and measured water levels ranged from +4.43 ft for wells completed in the upper aquifer to +9.25 ft for wells completed in the middle aquifer. Mean algebraic differences ranged from +9.35 ft for wells completed in the upper aquifer to +14.44 ft for wells completed in the middle aquifer, with the positive differences indicating that the simulated water levels were higher than the measured water levels. Percentage errors between simulated and estimated base-flow rates for the three monitored reaches all were less than 10 percent, indicating good agreement. Simulated ground-water levels were most sensitive to changes in general-head boundary conductance, indicating that this characteristic is the predominant model input variable controlling steady-state water-level conditions. Simulated groundwater flow to stream reaches was most sensitive to changes in horizontal hydraulic conductivity, indicating that this characteristic is the predominant model input variable controlling steady-state flow conditions.
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Guo, Daoyan; Chen, Hong; Long, Ruyin
2016-01-01
In the increasingly competitive environment, top managers' background characteristics are undoubtedly vital factors for company performance. This study examines whether the performance of Chinese listed companies in the energy industry differs with respect to top managers' background characteristics and explores the exact distribution interval of top managers' background characteristics when company performance reaches the highest level. The initial sample was collected from the CSMAR database (2005-2014) for listed companies in the energy industry. After removing the outlier and missing data, the final number of observations was determined as 780. Descriptive statistics were used to investigate the present distribution of top managers' background characteristics, factor analysis was used to determine the dimensions of company performance, and one-way ANOVA was used to analyze the differences in company performance and its dimensions with respect to top managers' background characteristics. The findings show that both the age and length of service of top managers present an increasing trend over the years of the study period, whereas the educational level shows no significant changes. The performance of listed companies has three dimensions: profit performance, growth performance, and operating performance. Companies behave differently with regard to their top managers' background characteristics; when the top manager is 40-45 years old, with a doctoral degree and above, and in the 2nd-3rd year of his service period, his company will achieve a higher level of performance. This study contributes to the growing literature on company performance in the Chinese energy industry by demonstrating the differences in the performance of Chinese listed companies in the energy industry with regard to top managers' background characteristics, and reaching conclusions on the optimum distribution interval of top managers' background characteristics when company performance reaches the highest level. This study also provides a valuable reference for organizational reform and performance enhancement, which are urgent problems for the Chinese energy industry.
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Chambers, Georgina M; Randall, Sean; Hoang, Van Phuong; Sullivan, Elizabeth A; Highet, Nicole; Croft, Maxine; Mihalopoulos, Cathrine; Morgan, Vera A; Reilly, Nicole; Austin, Marie-Paule
2016-03-01
To evaluate the impact of the National Perinatal Depression Initiative on access to Medicare services for women at risk of perinatal mental illness. Retrospective cohort study using difference-in-difference analytical methods to quantify the impact of the National Perinatal Depression Initiative policies on Medicare Benefits Schedule mental health usage by Australian women giving birth between 2006 and 2010. A random sample of women of reproductive age enrolled in Medicare who had not given birth where used as controls. The main outcome measures were the proportions of women giving birth each month who accessed a Medicare Benefits Schedule mental health items during the perinatal period (pregnancy through to the end of the first postnatal year) before and after the introduction of the National Perinatal Depression Initiative. The proportion of women giving birth who accessed at least one mental health item during the perinatal period increased from 88 to 141 per 1000 between 2007 and 2010. The difference-in-difference analysis showed that while there was an overall increase in Medicare Benefits Schedule mental health item access as a result of the National Perinatal Depression Initiative, this did not reach statistical significance. However, the National Perinatal Depression Initiative was found to significantly increase access in subpopulations of women, particularly those aged under 25 and over 34 years living in major cities. In the 2 years following its introduction, the National Perinatal Depression Initiative was found to have increased access to Medicare funded mental health services in particular groups of women. However, an overall increase across all groups did not reach statistical significance. Further studies are needed to assess the impact of the National Perinatal Depression Initiative on women during childbearing years, including access to tertiary care, the cost-effectiveness of the initiative, and mental health outcomes. It is recommended that new mental health policy initiatives incorporate a planned strategic approach to evaluation, which includes sufficient follow-up to assess the impact of public health strategies. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2015.
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Improving clinical interventions through successful outreach using Six Sigma quality improvement.
Beard, Gary
2008-01-01
Interventions involving outreach to members via telephone are dependent on the success of reaching the member and engaging him or her in a discussion about treatment. This article describes a successful process improvement at a managed behavioral health organization aimed at increasing the percentage of times staff was able to reach a member by telephone. Using Six Sigma methodology, the project team was able to achieve statistically significant improvement in the rate of successful outreach for the organization.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Sil’chenko, Olga K., E-mail: olga@sai.msu.su; Isaac Newton Institute, Chile, Moscow Branch
I analyze statistics of the stellar population properties for stellar nuclei and bulges of nearby lenticular galaxies in different environments by using panoramic spectral data of the integral-field spectrograph SAURON retrieved from the open archive of the Isaac Newton Group. I also estimate the fraction of nearby lenticular galaxies having inner polar gaseous disks by exploring the volume-limited sample of early-type galaxies of the ATLAS-3D survey. By inspecting the two-dimensional velocity fields of the stellar and gaseous components with the running tilted-ring technique, I have found seven new cases of inner polar disks. Together with those, the frequency of inner polar disks in nearby S0 galaxiesmore » reaches 10%, which is much higher than the frequency of large-scale polar rings. Interestingly, the properties of the nuclear stellar populations in the inner polar ring hosts are statistically the same as those in the whole S0 sample, implying similar histories of multiple gas-accretion events from various directions.« less
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Statics and Dynamics of Selfish Interactions in Distributed Service Systems
Altarelli, Fabrizio; Braunstein, Alfredo; Dall’Asta, Luca
2015-01-01
We study a class of games which models the competition among agents to access some service provided by distributed service units and which exhibits congestion and frustration phenomena when service units have limited capacity. We propose a technique, based on the cavity method of statistical physics, to characterize the full spectrum of Nash equilibria of the game. The analysis reveals a large variety of equilibria, with very different statistical properties. Natural selfish dynamics, such as best-response, usually tend to large-utility equilibria, even though those of smaller utility are exponentially more numerous. Interestingly, the latter actually can be reached by selecting the initial conditions of the best-response dynamics close to the saturation limit of the service unit capacities. We also study a more realistic stochastic variant of the game by means of a simple and effective approximation of the average over the random parameters, showing that the properties of the average-case Nash equilibria are qualitatively similar to the deterministic ones. PMID:26177449
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Peterson, David A.; Hargett, Eric G.; Feldman, David L.
2011-01-01
Ongoing development of coalbed natural gas in the Powder River structural basin in Wyoming and Montana led to formation of an interagency aquatic task group to address concerns about the effects of the resulting production water on biological communities in streams of the area. Ecological assessments, made from 2005–08 under the direction of the task group, indicated biological condition of the macroinvertebrate and algal communities in the middle reaches of the Powder was lower than in the upper or lower reaches. On the basis of the 2005–08 results, sampling of the macroinvertebrate and algae communities was conducted at 18 sites on the mainstem Powder River and 6 sites on the mainstem Tongue River in 2010. Sampling-site locations were selected on a paired approach, with sites located upstream and downstream of discharge points and tributaries associated with coalbed natural gas development. Differences in biological condition among site pairs were evaluated graphically and statistically using multiple lines of evidence that included macroinvertebrate and algal community metrics (such as taxa richness, relative abundance, functional feeding groups, and tolerance) and output from observed/expected (O/E) macroinvertebrate models from Wyoming and Montana. Multiple lines of evidence indicated a decline in biological condition in the middle reaches of the Powder River, potentially indicating cumulative effects from coalbed natural gas discharges within one or more reaches between Flying E Creek and Wild Horse Creek in Wyoming. The maximum concentrations of alkalinity in the Powder River also occurred in the middle reaches. Biological condition in the upper and lower reaches of the Powder River was variable, with declines between some site pairs, such as upstream and downstream of Dry Fork and Willow Creek, and increases at others, such as upstream and downstream of Beaver Creek. Biological condition at site pairs on the Tongue River showed an increase in one case, near the Wyoming-Montana border, and a decrease in another case, upstream of Tongue River Reservoir. Few significant differences were noted from upstream to downstream of Prairie Dog Creek, a major tributary to the Tongue River. Further study would be needed to confirm the observed patterns and choose areas to examine in greater detail.
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1992-01-09
Crystal Polymers Tracy Reed Geophysics Laboratory (GEO) 9 Analysis of Model Output Statistics Thunderstorm Prediction Model Frank Lasley 10...four hours to twenty-four hours. It was predicted that the dogbones would turn brown once they reached the approximate annealing temperature. This was...LYS Hanscom AFB Frank A. Lasley Abstracft. Model Output Statistics (MOS) Thunderstorm prediction information and Service A weather observations
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Dou, Ming; Zhang, Yan; Zuo, Qiting; Mi, Qingbin
2015-08-01
The construction of sluices creates a strong disturbance in water environmental factors within a river. The change in water pollutant concentrations of sluice-controlled river reaches (SCRRs) is more complex than that of natural river segments. To determine the key factors affecting water pollutant concentration changes in SCRRs, river reaches near the Huaidian Sluice in the Shaying River of China were selected as a case study, and water quality monitoring experiments based on different regulating modes were implemented in 2009 and 2010. To identify the key factors affecting the change rates for the chemical oxygen demand of permanganate (CODMn) and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) concentrations in the SCRRs of the Huaidian Sluice, partial correlation analysis, principal component analysis and principal factor analysis were used. The results indicate four factors, i.e., the inflow quantity from upper reaches, opening size of sluice gates, water pollutant concentration from upper reaches, and turbidity before the sluice, which are the common key factors for the CODMn and NH3-N concentration change rates. Moreover, the dissolved oxygen before a sluice is a key factor for the permanganate concentration from CODMn change rate, and the water depth before a sluice is a key factor for the NH3-N concentration change rate. Multiple linear regressions between the water pollutant concentration change rate and key factors were established via multiple linear regression analyses, and the quantitative relationship between the CODMn and NH3-N concentration change rates and key affecting factors was analyzed. Finally, the mechanism of action for the key factors affecting the water pollutant concentration changes was analyzed. The results reveal that the inflow quantity from upper reaches, opening size of sluice gates, permanganate concentration from CODMn from upper reaches and dissolved oxygen before the sluice have a negative influence and the turbidity before the sluice has a positive influence on the permanganate concentration from CODMn change rates and that the opening size of sluice gates, NH3-N concentration from upper reaches, and water depth before the sluice have a negative influence and the inflow quantity from upper reaches and turbidity before the sluice have a positive influence on the NH3-N concentration change rates, which provides a scientific grounding for pollution control and sluice operations in SCRRs.
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Probabilistic assessment of beach and dune changes
Sallenger, A.H.; Stockdon, H.; Haines, J.; Krabill, W.; Swift, R.; Brock, J.
2004-01-01
The recent availability of spatially-dense airborne lidar data makes assessment of the vulnerability of beaches and dunes to storm impacts practical over long reaches of coast. As an initial test, elevations of the tops (D high) and bases (Dlow) of foredune ridges along a 55-km reach on the northern Outer Banks, NC were found to have considerable spatial variability suggesting that different parts of the barrier island would respond differently to storms. Comparing statistics of storm wave runup to D high and Dlow, we found that net erosion due to overwash and dune retreat should be greatest at the northern and southern ends of the study area and least in the central section. This predicted spatial pattern of storm-induced erosion is similar to the spatial pattern of long-term erosion of the shoreline which may be controlled by additional processes (such as gradients in longshore transport) as well as the cross-shore processes considered here. However, consider feedback where at erosional hot spots there is a deficit of sand (caused by gradients in longshore transport) which lead to lower dunes and enhanced erosional cross-shore processes, such as overwash. Hence, the erosional hot spots would be exacerbated, further increasing the vulnerability of the beach and dunes to net erosion.
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Changes in Benthic Biota between Mountain and Urban Streams
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sato, H.; Iijima, A.
2016-12-01
It is well known that the benthic biota in the river ecosystem changes drastically between the mountain and urban streams. However, there are few studies demonstrating the changes in biota by using quantitative techniques. In this study, field research on benthic species (mainly aquatic insects) was carried out at 6 different sites in the Kanna River in Japan. After that, we compared the biota quantitatively by using an EPT (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera) index and a pollution index (Pantle-Buck Method). Moreover, we applied a cluster analysis to determine the statistical difference in the benthic biota among the sites. The monitoring stations (St.1-St.6 in order from the upper stream) were placed in the reaches of the Kanna River that is one of the headstreams flowing into the Tone River (fig.1-a). In those monitoring stations, St.1-3 are located in the mountain area, and St.4-6 are in the urban area. Field research was carried out every other month during February 2012 to January 2013 by a Beck-Tsuda β method. In total, we identified 7879 benthos of 153 species (fig.1-b). The EPT index tended to decrease toward the lower reaches (fig.1-c). Moreover, there were significant changes in the composition of EPT species between the mountain (St.1-3) and urban (St.4-6) area. In particular, Plecoptera species which has no pollution tolerance decreased drastically in the urban stream. The values of pollution index tended to increase toward the lower reaches (fig.1-d). In fact, the lower reaches of the Kanna River has a large population who has insufficient sewage treatment system. This is consistent with the changes in the EPT species. Cluster analysis demonstrated that the benthic biota in the Kanna River has been divided between St.3 and 4. Consequently, the water contamination in the urban stream is supposed to be the main cause of significant changes in benthic biota in the Kanna River's ecosystem.
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GilPavas, Edison; Molina-Tirado, Kevin; Gómez-García, Miguel Angel
2009-01-01
An electrocoagulation process was used for the treatment of oily wastewater generated from an automotive industry in Medellín (Colombia). An electrochemical cell consisting of four parallel electrodes (Fe and Al) in bipolar configuration was implemented. A multifactorial experimental design was used for evaluating the influence of several parameters including: type and arrangement of electrodes, pH, and current density. Oil and grease removal was defined as the response variable for the statistical analysis. Additionally, the BOD(5), COD, and TOC were monitored during the treatment process. According to the results, at the optimum parameter values (current density = 4.3 mA/cm(2), distance between electrodes = 1.5 cm, Fe as anode, and pH = 12) it was possible to reach a c.a. 95% oils removal, COD and mineralization of 87.4% and 70.6%, respectively. A final biodegradability (BOD(5)/COD) of 0.54 was reached.
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There’s plenty of light at the bottom: statistics of photon penetration depth in random media
Martelli, Fabrizio; Binzoni, Tiziano; Pifferi, Antonio; Spinelli, Lorenzo; Farina, Andrea; Torricelli, Alessandro
2016-01-01
We propose a comprehensive statistical approach describing the penetration depth of light in random media. The presented theory exploits the concept of probability density function f(z|ρ, t) for the maximum depth reached by the photons that are eventually re-emitted from the surface of the medium at distance ρ and time t. Analytical formulas for f, for the mean maximum depth 〈zmax〉 and for the mean average depth reached by the detected photons at the surface of a diffusive slab are derived within the framework of the diffusion approximation to the radiative transfer equation, both in the time domain and the continuous wave domain. Validation of the theory by means of comparisons with Monte Carlo simulations is also presented. The results are of interest for many research fields such as biomedical optics, advanced microscopy and disordered photonics. PMID:27256988
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Yu, Yinhui; Chen, Xinyi; Hua, Huixia; Wu, Menghan; Lai, Kairan; Yao, Ke
2016-08-01
To explore efficacy and safety outcomes in patients undergoing femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) versus manual phacoemulsification cataract surgery (PCS). Prospective consecutive nonrandomized comparative cohort study. A total of 124 eyes from 106 patients (70 in FLACS and 54 in PCS). Comparison of FLACS with PCS over 6 months. Macular central subfield thickness (CST), cube volume (CV), cube average thickness (CAT), endothelial cell density (ECD), central corneal thickness (CCT) and photon count value (PCV). CST, CV and CAT increased postoperatively, which did not return to preoperative levels by 6 months. The values were similar between groups throughout the follow-up, and comparison of changes from baseline also showed no significant difference. Preoperative ECD showed significant difference, which decreased postoperatively and remained stable during follow-up, being lowest at 1 month. FLACS had greater endothelial cell loss than PCS, which was not significant. CCT in both groups increased, reaching maximum on day one and tended to decrease thereafter. No significant differences were found regarding postoperative values and the mean increase. In both groups, mean PCV increased from preoperatively to day one, week one and month one. Flare values in FLACS were lower than PCS, reaching statistical significance at 6 months (P = 0.001). However, the differences in changes of PCV were not significantly different at any visit. Both FLACS and PCS achieved similar safety and efficacy outcomes for performing cataract surgery. Flare values in eyes with FLACS were lower than those with PCS at 6 months postoperatively. © 2015 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.
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Feinn, Richard; Chui, Kevin; Cheng, M. Samuel
2015-01-01
Purpose To assess the effects of virtual reality using the NintendoTM Wii Fit on balance, gait, and quality of life in ambulatory individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI). Relevance There is a need for continued research to support effective treatment techniques in individuals with iSCI to maximize each individual's potential functional performance. Subjects Five males with a mean age of 58.6 years who had an iSCI and were greater than one-year post injury. Methods An interrupted time series design with three pre-tests over three weeks, a post-test within one week of the intervention, and a four-week follow up. Outcome measures: gait speed, timed up and go (TUG), forward functional reach test (FFRT) and lateral functional reach test (LFRT), RAND SF-36. Intervention consisted of one-hour sessions with varied games using the Nintendo Wii Fit twice per week for seven weeks. Survey data was also collected at post-test. Results There were statistically significant changes found in gait speed and functional reach. The changes were also maintained at the four-week follow up post-test. Survey reports suggested improvements in balance, endurance, and mobility with daily tasks at home. Conclusion All subjects who participated in training with the NintendoTM Wii Fit demonstrated statistically significant improvements in gait speed and functional reach after seven weeks of training. Given the potential positive impact that the NintendoTM Wii Fit has on functional reach and gait speed in patients with iSCI, physical therapists may want to incorporate these activities as part of a rehabilitation program. PMID:25613853
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Coday, Mace; Richey, Phyllis; Thomas, Fridtjof; Tran, Quynh T; Terrell, Sarah B; Tylavsky, Fran; Miro, Danielle; Caufield, Margaret; Johnson, Karen C
2016-04-15
Multiple recruitment strategies are often needed to recruit an adequate number of participants, especially hard to reach groups. Technology-based recruitment methods hold promise as a more robust form of reaching and enrolling historically hard to reach young adults. The TARGIT study is a randomized two-arm clinical trial in young adults using interactive technology testing an efficacious proactive telephone Quitline versus the Quitline plus a behavioral weight management intervention focusing on smoking cessation and weight change. All randomized participants in the TARGIT study were required to be a young adult smoker (18-35 years), who reported smoking at least 10 cigarettes per day, had a BMI < 40 kg/m 2, and were willing to stop smoking and not gain weight. Traditional recruitment methods were compared to technology-based strategies using standard descriptive statistics based on counts and proportions to describe the recruitment process from initial pre-screening (PS) to randomization into TARGIT. Participants at PS were majority Black (59.80%), female (52.66%), normal or over weight (combined 62.42%), 29.5 years old, and smoked 18.4 cigarettes per day. There were differences in men and women with respect to reasons for ineligibility during PS (p < 0.001; ignoring gender specific pregnancy-related ineligibility). TARGIT experienced a disproportionate loss of minorities during recruitment as well as a prolonged recruitment period due to either study ineligibility or not completing screening activities. Recruitment into longer term behavioral change intervention trials can be challenging and multiple methods are often required to recruit hard to reach groups.
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Wang, Yunlong; Ji, Jun; Jiang, Changsong; Huang, Zengyue
2015-04-01
This study was aimed to use the method of modulation transfer function (MTF) to compare image quality among three different Olympus medical rigid cystoscopes in an in vitro model. During the experimental processes, we firstly used three different types of cystoscopes (i. e. OLYMPUS cystourethroscopy with FOV of 12 degrees, OLYMPUS Germany A22003A and OLYMPUS A2013A) to collect raster images at different brightness with industrial camera and computer from the resolution target which is with different spatial frequency, and then we processed the collected images using MALAB software with the optical transfer function MTF to obtain the values of MTF at different brightness and different spatial frequency. We then did data mathematical statistics and compared imaging quality. The statistical data showed that all three MTF values were smaller than 1. MTF values with the spatial frequency gradually increasing would decrease approaching 0 at the same brightness. When the brightness enhanced in the same process at the same spatial frequency, MTF values showed a slowly increasing trend. The three endoscopes' MTF values were completely different. In some cases the MTF values had a large difference, and the maximum difference could reach 0.7. Conclusion can be derived from analysis of experimental data that three Olympus medical rigid cystoscopes have completely different imaging quality abilities. The No. 3 endoscope OLYMPUS A2013A has low resolution but high contrast. The No. 1 endoscope OLYMPUS cystourethroscopy with FOV of 12 degrees, on the contrary, had high resolution and lower contrast. The No. 2 endoscope OLYMPUS Germany A22003A had high contrast and high resolution, and its image quality was the best.
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Outcomes of Lisfranc Injuries in the National Football League.
McHale, Kevin J; Rozell, Joshua C; Milby, Andrew H; Carey, James L; Sennett, Brian J
2016-07-01
Tarsometatarsal (Lisfranc) joint injuries commonly occur in National Football League (NFL) competition; however, the career effect of these injuries is unknown. To define the time to return to competition for NFL players who sustained Lisfranc injuries and to quantify the effect on athletic performance. Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Data on NFL players who sustained a Lisfranc injury between 2000 and 2010 were collected for analysis. Outcomes data included time to return to competition, total games played after season of injury, yearly total yards and touchdowns for offensive players, and yearly total tackles, sacks, and interceptions for defensive players. Offensive power ratings (OPR = [total yards/10] + [total touchdowns × 6]) and defensive power ratings (DPR = total tackles + [total sacks × 2] + [total interceptions × 2]) were calculated for the injury season and for 3 seasons before and after the injury season. Offensive and defensive control groups consisted of all players without an identified Lisfranc injury who competed in the 2005 season. The study group was composed of 28 NFL athletes who sustained Lisfranc injuries during the study period, including 11 offensive and 17 defensive players. While 2 of 28 (7.1%) players never returned to the NFL, 26 (92.9%) athletes returned to competition at a median of 11.1 (interquartile range [IQR], 10.3-12.5) months from time of injury and missed a median of 8.5 (IQR, 6.3-13.0) regular-season games. Analysis of pre- and postinjury athletic performance revealed no statistically significant changes after return to sport after Lisfranc injury. The magnitude of change in median OPR and DPR observed in offensive and defensive Lisfranc-injured study groups, -34.8 (IQR, -64.4 to 1.4) and -13.5 (-30.9 to 4.3), respectively, was greater than that observed in offensive and defensive control groups, -18.8 (-52.9 to 31.5) and -5.0 (-22.0 to 14.0), respectively; however, these differences did not reach statistical significance (P = .33 and .21, respectively). Evaluation of the durability of injured players after the season of injury revealed no statistically significant difference in career length compared with controls. More than 90% of NFL athletes who sustained Lisfranc injuries returned to play in the NFL at a median of 11.1 months from time of injury. Offensive and defensive players experienced a decrease in performance after return from injury that did not reach statistical significance compared with their respective control groups over a similar time period. © 2016 The Author(s).
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Mota, Natalie P; Medved, Maria; Whitney, Debbie; Hiebert-Murphy, Diane; Sareen, Jitender
2013-10-01
Although military interest in promoting psychological resilience is growing, resources protective against psychopathology have been understudied in female service members. Using a representative sample of Canadian Forces personnel, we investigated whether religious attendance, spirituality, coping, and social support were related to mental disorders and psychological distress in female service members, and whether sex differences occurred in these associations. Religious attendance and spirituality were self-reported. Coping items were taken from 3 scales and produced 3 factors (active, avoidance, and self-medication). Social support was assessed with the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey. Past-year mental disorders were diagnosed with the World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale assessed distress. Multivariate regression models investigated links between correlates and psychological outcomes within each sex. For associations that were statistically significant in only one sex, sex by correlate interactions were computed. In female service members, inverse relations were found between social support and MDD, any MDD or anxiety disorder, suicidal ideation, and distress. No associations were found between religious attendance and outcomes, and spirituality was associated with an increased likelihood of some outcomes. Active coping was related to less psychological distress, while avoidance coping and self-medication were linked to a higher likelihood of most outcomes. Although several statistically significant associations were found in only one sex, only one sex by correlate interaction was statistically significant. Social support was found to be inversely related to several negative mental health outcomes in female service members. Few differences between men and women reached statistical significance. Future research should identify additional helpful resources for female service members.
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Akbarzade, Marzieh; Ghaemmaghami, Mehrnoush; Yazdanpanahi, Zahra; Zare, Najaf; Mohagheghzadeh, Abdolali; Azizi, Amir
2016-01-01
Perineal pain is a major morbidity in the first few days after delivery. This study aimed to investigate the effect of dry cupping therapy and acupressure at BL23 point on the intensity of postpartum perineal pain based on the short-form of McGill pain questionnaire (SMPQ). The present clinical trial was conducted on 150 subjects in 3 groups of 50 cases. After at least 4-8 hr of delivery, cupping therapy was performed for 15-20 min up to 3 times a week (once a day) and acupressure was performed for 15-20 min based on clockwise model. The short-form of McGill pain questionnaire was completed both before and after the intervention. The SPSS statistical software was used to analyze the data using repeated measures ANOVA. Besides, p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. In the cupping therapy group, mean of the perineal pain intensity reduced from 37.5±6.8 before the intervention to 11.1±6.1, 6.9±4.7, and 3.8±3.6 immediately, 24 hr, and 2 weeks after the intervention, respectively. The results of study showed that the differences between the intervention and control groups were statistically significant (p<0.01). Mean difference of the perineal pain intensity in the acupressure group reached from 35.6±8.1 before the intervention to 10.4±5.5 two weeks after the intervention, so the variation between intervention and control groups was statistically significant. The study findings showed that cupping therapy and acupressure reduced perineal pain. Therefore, they may be considered as effective treatments for reducing pain intensity of allowing delivery.
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Brief report: a preliminary study of fetal head circumference growth in autism spectrum disorder.
Whitehouse, Andrew J O; Hickey, Martha; Stanley, Fiona J; Newnham, John P; Pennell, Craig E
2011-01-01
Fetal head circumference (HC) growth was examined prospectively in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD participants (N = 14) were each matched with four control participants (N = 56) on a range of parameters known to influence fetal growth. HC was measured using ultrasonography at approximately 18 weeks gestation and again at birth using a paper tape-measure. Overall body size was indexed by fetal femur-length and birth length. There was no between-groups difference in head circumference at either time-point. While a small number of children with ASD had disproportionately large head circumference relative to body size at both time-points, the between-groups difference did not reach statistical significance in this small sample. These preliminary findings suggest that further investigation of fetal growth in ASD is warranted.
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Does the type of lithotripter affect outcomes in children with upper tract urolithiasis?
Raza, Syed Johar; Ather, M Hammad
2009-02-01
To compare the treatment outcome and short-term safety of electrohydraulic and electromagnetic lithotripters in children. Comparative analysis of children undergoing shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) with a Dornier MPL 9000 electrohydraulic lithotripter (EHL) and a Siemens Modularis electromagnetic lithotripter (EML) was performed. All SWL treatments were performed by a single operator under the supervision of an admitting urologist. The demographic features, stone, and treatment-related parameters, including complications, were analyzed for both groups. Stone-free (SF) rates, re-treatment rate, and efficiency quotient (EQ) were calculated and compared for the two groups. Ninety-eight children had SWL for renal and proximal ureteral stones. There were 58 children in the EHL group and 40 in the EML group. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of age, sex, type of anesthesia, diagnostic modality, site, side, and size of the stones. Number of shockwaves used with EML was greater than with EHL (P < 0.00). SF rate was 95% and 77% for EHL and EML, respectively, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.00). The re-treatment rate was equal in either group. The complication rate was higher with the EHL compared with the EML, although it did not reach statistical significance. Steinstrasse was the most common complication noted. EQ was 66% for the EHL, in comparison with 53% for the EML. The EHL has a better SF and EQ than the EML; however, short-term safety is marginally better with the EML.
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Merello, Paloma; García-Diego, Fernando-Juan; Zarzo, Manuel
2014-08-01
Chemometrics has been applied successfully since the 1990s for the multivariate statistical control of industrial processes. A new area of interest for these tools is the microclimatic monitoring of cultural heritage. Sensors record climatic parameters over time and statistical data analysis is performed to obtain valuable information for preventive conservation. A case study of an open-air archaeological site is presented here. A set of 26 temperature and relative humidity data-loggers was installed in four rooms of Ariadne's house (Pompeii). If climatic values are recorded versus time at different positions, the resulting data structure is equivalent to records of physical parameters registered at several points of a continuous chemical process. However, there is an important difference in this case: continuous processes are controlled to reach a steady state, whilst open-air sites undergo tremendous fluctuations. Although data from continuous processes are usually column-centred prior to applying principal components analysis, it turned out that another pre-treatment (row-centred data) was more convenient for the interpretation of components and to identify abnormal patterns. The detection of typical trajectories was more straightforward by dividing the whole monitored period into several sub-periods, because the marked climatic fluctuations throughout the year affect the correlation structures. The proposed statistical methodology is of interest for the microclimatic monitoring of cultural heritage, particularly in the case of open-air or semi-confined archaeological sites. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Digalakis, Michail; Papamichail, Michail; Glava, Chryssoula; Grammatoglou, Xanthippi; Sergentanis, Theodoros N; Papalois, Apostolos; Bramis, John
2011-12-01
Interposition of a reversed intestinal segment as a factor facilitating intestinal adaptation has been experimentally investigated. Controversy exists about its efficacy in terms of body weight improvement, direction of luminal changes, and underlying mechanisms. This study aims to provide a comprehensive approach. The pigs were randomly allocated to two groups: (1) short bowel (SB) group (n=8) and (2) short bowel reverse jejunal segment (SB-RS) group (n=8). On postoperative d 3, 30, and 60, intestinal transit time was measured; body weight and serum albumin were measured on baseline, as well as on postoperative d 30 and 60. After sacrifice, histopathologic and immunohistochemical (PCNA, activated caspase-3) evaluation followed. Transit time was numerically longer in SB-RS group at all time points; the difference reached statistical significance on d 60. No statistically significant differences were observed concerning body weight or serum albumin. In the SB-RS group, a statistically significant increase in muscle thickness, crypt depth, villus height, and PCNA immunostaining, and a decrease in caspase-3 positive (+) cell count were documented both at the jejunal and ileal level. The reversed jejunal segment seemed able to enhance intestinal adaptation at a histopathologic level, as well as to favorably modify transit time. These putatively beneficial actions were not reflected upon body weight. The decrease in apoptosis was caspase-3-dependent. Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Effect of balance training in older adults using Wii fit plus.
Afridi, Ayesha; Malik, Arshad Nawaz; Ali, Shaukat; Amjad, Imran
2018-03-01
The Nintendo Wii-fit plus is a type of Virtual Reality exer-gaming with graphical and auditory response system. A case series was conducted at Shifa Tamer-e-Millat University Islamabad from January-July 2016. Sixteen adults more than 60 years age (07 males and 09 females) were recruited through convenient sampling. The specified Wii fit plus training was provided to all patients and the games included the Soccer heading, Ski slalom, table tilt and yoga. Berg balance test, time up and go and functional reach test were used before and after 06 weeks of treatment (4 days / week). Data was analysed by SPSS V-20. The mean age of the sample was 67.56±7.29 years, with 56% female and 44% males were in sample. There was a statistically significant difference in pre and post Berg Balance Score, time up and go test and functional reach. In this case series Wii-fit plus training was effective in improving dynamic balance and mobility in older adults. This should be explored further in large trials.
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Evaluation of the quality of the teaching-learning process in undergraduate courses in Nursing 1
González-Chordá, Víctor Manuel; Maciá-Soler, María Loreto
2015-01-01
Abstract Objective: to identify aspects of improvement of the quality of the teaching-learning process through the analysis of tools that evaluated the acquisition of skills by undergraduate students of Nursing. Method: prospective longitudinal study conducted in a population of 60 secondyear Nursing students based on registration data, from which quality indicators that evaluate the acquisition of skills were obtained, with descriptive and inferential analysis. Results: nine items were identified and nine learning activities included in the assessment tools that did not reach the established quality indicators (p<0.05). There are statistically significant differences depending on the hospital and clinical practices unit (p<0.05). Conclusion: the analysis of the evaluation tools used in the article "Nursing Care in Welfare Processes" of the analyzed university undergraduate course enabled the detection of the areas for improvement in the teachinglearning process. The challenge of education in nursing is to reach the best clinical research and educational results, in order to provide improvements to the quality of education and health care. PMID:26444173
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Fotso, Jean Christophe; Madise, Nyovani; Baschieri, Angela; Cleland, John; Zulu, Eliya; Mutua, Martin Kavao; Essendi, Hildah
2012-03-01
This paper uses longitudinal data from two informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya to examine patterns of child growth and how these are affected by four different dimensions of poverty at the household level namely, expenditures poverty, assets poverty, food poverty, and subjective poverty. The descriptive results show a grim picture, with the prevalence of overall stunting reaching nearly 60% in the age group 15-17 months and remaining almost constant thereafter. There is a strong association between food poverty and stunting among children aged 6-11 months (p<0.01), while assets poverty and subjective poverty have stronger relationships (p<0.01) with undernutrition at older age (24 months or older for assets poverty, and 12 months or older for subjective poverty). The effect of expenditures poverty does not reach statistical significant in any age group. These findings shed light on the degree of vulnerability of urban poor infants and children and on the influences of various aspects of poverty measures. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Vámos, Tibor
The gist of the paper is the fundamental uncertain nature of all kinds of uncertainties and consequently a critical epistemic review of historical and recent approaches, computational methods, algorithms. The review follows the development of the notion from the beginnings of thinking, via the Aristotelian and Skeptic view, the medieval nominalism and the influential pioneering metaphors of ancient India and Persia to the birth of modern mathematical disciplinary reasoning. Discussing the models of uncertainty, e.g. the statistical, other physical and psychological background we reach a pragmatic model related estimation perspective, a balanced application orientation for different problem areas. Data mining, game theories and recent advances in approximation algorithms are discussed in this spirit of modest reasoning.
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Salazar, Ricardo; Dwivedi, Alok Kumar; Royall, Donald R
2017-01-01
In this cross-sectional study, we examined the neuropsychiatric profile of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q). Data were available on 875 controls, 339 MCI cases, and 975 AD participants. Surprisingly, differences in neuropsychiatric symptom (NPS) severity by ethnicity in subjects with AD, but not with MCI, were found. More so, in Hispanics with AD, a higher frequency in most of the individual NPI-Q symptom items of the scale was observed, except for apathy. After adjustment for clinical features, some individual NPI-Q symptoms also showed an association with Hispanic ethnicity in the control group that nearly reached statistical significance. There may be cross-ethnic differences in the neuropsychiatric presentation of AD in Hispanics versus non-Hispanic whites. Future studies are needed to clarify the etiology of these differences, and to assess the need for ethnicity-specific treatment and care-giving interventions.
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Gender differences in mental health: evidence from three organisations.
Emslie, Carol; Fuhrer, Rebecca; Hunt, Kate; Macintyre, Sally; Shipley, Martin; Stansfeld, Stephen
2002-02-01
It is commonly observed that women report higher levels of minor psychiatric morbidity than men. However, most research fails to control for the gendered distribution of social roles (e.g. paid work and domestic work) and so does not compare men and women in similar positions. In this short report, we examine the distribution of minor psychiatric morbidity (measured by the 12 item General Health Questionnaire) amongst men and women working in similar jobs within three white-collar organisations in Britain, after controlling for domestic and socioeconomic circumstances. Data from self-completion questionnaires were collected in a Bank (n = 2,176), a University (n = 1,641) and the Civil Service (n = 6,171). In all three organisations women had higher levels of minor psychiatric morbidity than men, but the differences were not great; in only the Civil Service sample did this reach statistical significance. We conclude that generalisations about gender differences in minor psychiatric morbidity can be unhelpful, as these differences may vary depending on the context of the study.
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Peer Support for the Hardly Reached: A Systematic Review.
Sokol, Rebeccah; Fisher, Edwin
2016-07-01
Health disparities are aggravated when prevention and care initiatives fail to reach those they are intended to help. Groups can be classified as hardly reached according to a variety of circumstances that fall into 3 domains: individual (e.g., psychological factors), demographic (e.g., socioeconomic status), and cultural-environmental (e.g., social network). Several reports have indicated that peer support is an effective means of reaching hardly reached individuals. However, no review has explored peer support effectiveness in relation to the circumstances associated with being hardly reached or across diverse health problems. To conduct a systematic review assessing the reach and effectiveness of peer support among hardly reached individuals, as well as peer support strategies used. Three systematic searches conducted in PubMed identified studies that evaluated peer support programs among hardly reached individuals. In aggregate, the searches covered articles published from 2000 to 2015. Eligible interventions provided ongoing support for complex health behaviors, including prioritization of hardly reached populations, assistance in applying behavior change plans, and social-emotional support directed toward disease management or quality of life. Studies were excluded if they addressed temporally isolated behaviors, were limited to protocol group classes, included peer support as the dependent variable, did not include statistical tests of significance, or incorporated comparison conditions that provided appreciable social support. We abstracted data regarding the primary health topic, categorizations of hardly reached groups, program reach, outcomes, and strategies employed. We conducted a 2-sample t test to determine whether reported strategies were related to reach. Forty-seven studies met our inclusion criteria, and these studies represented each of the 3 domains of circumstances assessed (individual, demographic, and cultural-environmental). Interventions addressed 8 health areas, most commonly maternal and child health (25.5%), diabetes (17.0%), and other chronic diseases (14.9%). Thirty-six studies (76.6%) assessed program reach, which ranged from 24% to 79% of the study population. Forty-four studies (94%) reported significant changes favoring peer support. Eleven strategies emerged for engaging and retaining hardly reached individuals. Among them, programs that reported a strategy of trust and respect had higher participant retention (82.8%) than did programs not reporting such a strategy (48.1%; P = .003). In 5 of the 6 studies examining moderators of the effects of peer support, peer support benefits were greater among individuals characterized by disadvantage (e.g., low health literacy). Peer support is a broad and robust strategy for reaching groups that health services too often fail to engage. The wide range of audiences and health concerns among which peer support is successful suggests that a basis for its success may be its flexible response to different contexts, including the intended audience, health problems, and setting. The general benefits of peer support and findings suggesting that it may be more effective among those at heightened disadvantage indicate that peer support should be considered in programs intended to reach and benefit those too often hardly reached. Because engendering trust and respect was significantly associated with participant retention, programs should emphasize this strategy.
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A statistical-based scheduling algorithm in automated data path synthesis
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Jeon, Byung Wook; Lursinsap, Chidchanok
1992-01-01
In this paper, we propose a new heuristic scheduling algorithm based on the statistical analysis of the cumulative frequency distribution of operations among control steps. It has a tendency of escaping from local minima and therefore reaching a globally optimal solution. The presented algorithm considers the real world constraints such as chained operations, multicycle operations, and pipelined data paths. The result of the experiment shows that it gives optimal solutions, even though it is greedy in nature.
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Usher, Kim; Park, Tanya; Foster, Kim; Buettner, Petra
2013-07-01
To test the effect of a nurse-led intervention on weight gain in people with serious mental illness prescribed and taking second generation antipsychotic medication. Weight gain and obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the general population with the prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome reaching 20-25% of the global population. People with serious mental illness are at even higher risk, particularly those taking second generation antipsychotic medication. An experimental randomized controlled trial was undertaken. The control group received a 12-week healthy lifestyle booklet. In addition to the booklet, the intervention group received weekly nutrition and exercise education, exercise sessions, and nurse support. Participants (n = 101) were assessed at baseline and 12 weeks. Data were collected between March 2008-December 2010. Seven outcome measures were used: body measurements included girth (cm), weight (kg), height (cm), and body mass index (kg/m(2) ); questionnaires included the medication compliance questionnaire, the Drug Attitude Inventory, the Liverpool University Neuroleptic Side Effect Rating Scale, and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36. Differences in primary outcome measures between baseline and 12 weeks follow-up were compared between intervention and control groups using standard bi-variate statistical tests. The study was conducted between 2008-2010. The analysis of outcome measures for the control group (n = 50) and intervention group (n = 51) was not statistically significant. There was a mean weight change of -0·74 kg at 12 weeks for the intervention group (n = 51), while the control group (n = 50) had a mean weight change of -0·17 kg at 12 weeks. The results were not statistically significant. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
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Martin, Kevin D; Amendola, Annunziato; Phisitkul, Phinit
2016-01-01
Abstract Purpose Orthopedic education continues to move towards evidence-based curriculum in order to comply with new residency accreditation mandates. There are currently three high fidelity arthroscopic virtual reality (VR) simulators available, each with multiple instructional modules and simulated arthroscopic procedures. The aim of the current study is to assess face validity, defined as the degree to which a procedure appears effective in terms of its stated aims, of three available VR simulators. Methods Thirty subjects were recruited from a single orthopedic residency training program. Each subject completed one training session on each of the three leading VR arthroscopic simulators (ARTHRO mentor-Symbionix, ArthroS-Virtamed, and ArthroSim-Toltech). Each arthroscopic session involved simulator-specific modules. After training sessions, subjects completed a previously validated simulator questionnaire for face validity. Results The median external appearances for the ARTHRO Mentor (9.3, range 6.7-10.0; p=0.0036) and ArthroS (9.3, range 7.3-10.0; p=0.0003) were statistically higher than for Arthro- Sim (6.7, range 3.3-9.7). There was no statistical difference in intraarticular appearance, instrument appearance, or user friendliness between the three groups. Most simulators reached an appropriate level of proportion of sufficient scores for each categor y (≥70%), except for ARTHRO Mentor (intraarticular appearance-50%; instrument appearance- 61.1%) and ArthroSim (external appearance- 50%; user friendliness-68.8%). Conclusion These results demonstrate that ArthroS has the highest overall face validity of the three current arthroscopic VR simulators. However, only external appearance for ArthroS reached statistical significance when compared to the other simulators. Additionally, each simulator had satisfactory intraarticular quality. This study helps further the understanding of VR simulation and necessary features for accurate arthroscopic representation. This data also provides objective data for educators when selecting equipment that will best facilitate residency training. PMID:27528830
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Baudot, Pierre; Levy, Manuel; Marre, Olivier; Monier, Cyril; Pananceau, Marc; Frégnac, Yves
2013-01-01
Synaptic noise is thought to be a limiting factor for computational efficiency in the brain. In visual cortex (V1), ongoing activity is present in vivo, and spiking responses to simple stimuli are highly unreliable across trials. Stimulus statistics used to plot receptive fields, however, are quite different from those experienced during natural visuomotor exploration. We recorded V1 neurons intracellularly in the anaesthetized and paralyzed cat and compared their spiking and synaptic responses to full field natural images animated by simulated eye-movements to those evoked by simpler (grating) or higher dimensionality statistics (dense noise). In most cells, natural scene animation was the only condition where high temporal precision (in the 10–20 ms range) was maintained during sparse and reliable activity. At the subthreshold level, irregular but highly reproducible membrane potential dynamics were observed, even during long (several 100 ms) “spike-less” periods. We showed that both the spatial structure of natural scenes and the temporal dynamics of eye-movements increase the signal-to-noise ratio by a non-linear amplification of the signal combined with a reduction of the subthreshold contextual noise. These data support the view that the sparsening and the time precision of the neural code in V1 may depend primarily on three factors: (1) broadband input spectrum: the bandwidth must be rich enough for recruiting optimally the diversity of spatial and time constants during recurrent processing; (2) tight temporal interplay of excitation and inhibition: conductance measurements demonstrate that natural scene statistics narrow selectively the duration of the spiking opportunity window during which the balance between excitation and inhibition changes transiently and reversibly; (3) signal energy in the lower frequency band: a minimal level of power is needed below 10 Hz to reach consistently the spiking threshold, a situation rarely reached with visual dense noise. PMID:24409121
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Baudot, Pierre; Levy, Manuel; Marre, Olivier; Monier, Cyril; Pananceau, Marc; Frégnac, Yves
2013-01-01
Synaptic noise is thought to be a limiting factor for computational efficiency in the brain. In visual cortex (V1), ongoing activity is present in vivo, and spiking responses to simple stimuli are highly unreliable across trials. Stimulus statistics used to plot receptive fields, however, are quite different from those experienced during natural visuomotor exploration. We recorded V1 neurons intracellularly in the anaesthetized and paralyzed cat and compared their spiking and synaptic responses to full field natural images animated by simulated eye-movements to those evoked by simpler (grating) or higher dimensionality statistics (dense noise). In most cells, natural scene animation was the only condition where high temporal precision (in the 10-20 ms range) was maintained during sparse and reliable activity. At the subthreshold level, irregular but highly reproducible membrane potential dynamics were observed, even during long (several 100 ms) "spike-less" periods. We showed that both the spatial structure of natural scenes and the temporal dynamics of eye-movements increase the signal-to-noise ratio by a non-linear amplification of the signal combined with a reduction of the subthreshold contextual noise. These data support the view that the sparsening and the time precision of the neural code in V1 may depend primarily on three factors: (1) broadband input spectrum: the bandwidth must be rich enough for recruiting optimally the diversity of spatial and time constants during recurrent processing; (2) tight temporal interplay of excitation and inhibition: conductance measurements demonstrate that natural scene statistics narrow selectively the duration of the spiking opportunity window during which the balance between excitation and inhibition changes transiently and reversibly; (3) signal energy in the lower frequency band: a minimal level of power is needed below 10 Hz to reach consistently the spiking threshold, a situation rarely reached with visual dense noise.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hu, Yijia; Zhong, Zhong; Zhu, Yimin; Ha, Yao
2018-04-01
In this paper, a statistical forecast model using the time-scale decomposition method is established to do the seasonal prediction of the rainfall during flood period (FPR) over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Valley (MLYRV). This method decomposites the rainfall over the MLYRV into three time-scale components, namely, the interannual component with the period less than 8 years, the interdecadal component with the period from 8 to 30 years, and the interdecadal component with the period larger than 30 years. Then, the predictors are selected for the three time-scale components of FPR through the correlation analysis. At last, a statistical forecast model is established using the multiple linear regression technique to predict the three time-scale components of the FPR, respectively. The results show that this forecast model can capture the interannual and interdecadal variation of FPR. The hindcast of FPR during 14 years from 2001 to 2014 shows that the FPR can be predicted successfully in 11 out of the 14 years. This forecast model performs better than the model using traditional scheme without time-scale decomposition. Therefore, the statistical forecast model using the time-scale decomposition technique has good skills and application value in the operational prediction of FPR over the MLYRV.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Black, Susan
1995-01-01
Recent statistics concerning teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases are compelling reasons for reaching kids before they become sexually active. Comprehensive K-12 programs are essential, despite conflicts over abstinence, "abstinence-but," and safer sex approaches. Adverse program criticism can be diffused if administrators…
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Bağci Bosi, A Tülay; Camur, Derya; Güler, Cağatay
2007-11-01
This study has been carried out to "identify highly sensitive behavior on healthy nutrition (orthorexia nervosa-ON)" in residence medical doctors (MD) in the Faculty of Medicine. Diagnoses of ON was based on the presence of a disorder with obsessive-compulsive personality. The study is a cross-sectional research, which reached out to the entire 318 MD. The ORTO-15 test was used to propose a diagnostic proceeding and to try verify the prevalence of ON. Those subjects who were classified below 40 from the ORTO-15 test are accepted to have ON. Chi-square test, ANOVA (univariate) analysis and logistic regression were used for analyses of the data. Mean score of the participants from the ORTO-15 test is 39.8+/-0.22, and there is no statistical difference between women and men. A total of 45.5% of the residence MD involved in the research scored below 40 in the ORTO-15 test. Those who do their food shopping themselves, skip a meal with a salad/fruit, care about the quality of the things they eat, think that eating outside is healthy, look at the content of what they eat and the content of food is important in selection of a product score lower in their average marks in ORTO-15 and the difference among the groups is statistically significant. Food selection of 20.1% of the male participants and 38.9% of the female participants among the residence MD is influenced by the programs on nutrition/health in mass-media. The difference between the groups is statistically significant (p<0.05). Female medical doctors are more careful than men of their physical appearance and weight control and consume less caloric food, which is statistically significant. Since those who exhibit "healthy fanatic" eating habits may have a risk of ON in the future, it would be useful to conduct studies that identify the prevalence of ON in the public.
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Cumulative sum analysis score and phacoemulsification competency learning curve.
Vedana, Gustavo; Cardoso, Filipe G; Marcon, Alexandre S; Araújo, Licio E K; Zanon, Matheus; Birriel, Daniella C; Watte, Guilherme; Jun, Albert S
2017-01-01
To use the cumulative sum analysis score (CUSUM) to construct objectively the learning curve of phacoemulsification competency. Three second-year residents and an experienced consultant were monitored for a series of 70 phacoemulsification cases each and had their series analysed by CUSUM regarding posterior capsule rupture (PCR) and best-corrected visual acuity. The acceptable rate for PCR was <5% (lower limit h) and the unacceptable rate was >10% (upper limit h). The acceptable rate for best-corrected visual acuity worse than 20/40 was <10% (lower limit h) and the unacceptable rate was >20% (upper limit h). The area between lower limit h and upper limit h is called the decision interval. There was no statistically significant difference in the mean age, sex or cataract grades between groups. The first trainee achieved PCR CUSUM competency at his 22 nd case. His best-corrected visual acuity CUSUM was in the decision interval from his third case and stayed there until the end, never reaching competency. The second trainee achieved PCR CUSUM competency at his 39 th case. He could reach best-corrected visual acuity CUSUM competency at his 22 nd case. The third trainee achieved PCR CUSUM competency at his 41 st case. He reached best-corrected visual acuity CUSUM competency at his 14 th case. The learning curve of competency in phacoemulsification is constructed by CUSUM and in average took 38 cases for each trainee to achieve it.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Guse, B.; Sulc, D.; Schmalz, B.; Fohrer, N.
2012-04-01
The European Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires a catchment-based approach, which is assessed in the IMPACT project by combining abiotic and biotic models. The core point of IMPACT is a model chain (catchment model -> 1-D-hydraulic model -> 3-D-hydro-morphodynamic model -> biotic habitat model) with the aim to estimate the occurrence of the target species of the WFD. Firstly, the model chain is developed for the current land use and climate conditions. Secondly, land use and climate change scenarios are developed at the catchment scale. The outputs of the catchment model for the scenarios are used as input for the next models within the model chain to estimate the effect of these changes on the target species. The eco-hydrological catchment model SWAT is applied for the Treene catchment in Northern Germany and delivers discharge and water quality parameters as a spatial explicit output for each subbasin. There is no water level information given by SWAT. However, water level values are needed as lower boundary condition for the hydro-dynamic and habitat models which are applied for the 300 m candidate reference reach. In order to fill the gap between the catchment and the hydro-morphodynamic model, the 1-D hydraulic model HEC-RAS is applied for a 3 km long reach transect from the next upstream hydrological station until the upper bound of the candidate study reach. The channel geometry for HEC-RAS was estimated based on 96 cross-sections which were measured in the IMPACT project. By using available discharge and water level measurements from the hydrological station and own flow velocity measurements, the channel resistence was estimated. HEC-RAS was run with different statistical indices (mean annual drought, mean discharge, …) for steady flow conditions. The rating curve was then constructed for the target cross-section, i.e. the lower bound of the candidate study reach, to fulfill the combining with the hydro- and morphodynamic models. These statistical indices can also be calculated for the discharge series provided by land use and climate scenarios. In this way, the effect of land use and climate change on the catchment and the hydraulic processes can be assessed.
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Young, Tony; Dowsey, Michelle M.; Pandy, Marcus; Choong, Peter F.
2018-01-01
Background Medial stabilized total knee joint replacement (TKJR) construct is designed to closely replicate the kinematics of the knee. Little is known regarding comparison of clinical functional outcomes of patients utilising validated patient reported outcome measures (PROM) after medial stabilized TKJR and other construct designs. Purpose To perform a systematic review of the available literature related to the assessment of clinical functional outcomes following a TKJR employing a medial stabilized construct design. Methods The review was performed with a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) algorithm. The literature search was performed using variouscombinations of keywords. The statistical analysis was completed using Review Manager (RevMan), Version 5.3. Results In the nineteen unique studies identified, there were 2,448 medial stabilized TKJRs implanted in 2,195 participants, there were 1,777 TKJRs with non-medial stabilized design constructs implanted in 1,734 subjects. The final mean Knee Society Score (KSS) value in the medial stabilized group was 89.92 compared to 90.76 in the non-medial stabilized group, with the final KSS mean value difference between the two groups was statistically significant and favored the non-medial stabilized group (SMD 0.21; 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.41; p = 004). The mean difference in the final WOMAC values between the two groups was also statistically significant and favored the medial stabilized group (SMD: −0.27; 95% CI: −0.47 to −0.07; p = 0.009). Moderate to high values (I2) of heterogeneity were observed during the statistical comparison of these functional outcomes. Conclusion Based on the small number of studies with appropriate statistical analysis, we are unable to reach a clear conclusion in the clinical performance of medial stabilized knee replacement construct. Level of Evidence Level II PMID:29696144
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Young, Tony; Dowsey, Michelle M; Pandy, Marcus; Choong, Peter F
2018-01-01
Medial stabilized total knee joint replacement (TKJR) construct is designed to closely replicate the kinematics of the knee. Little is known regarding comparison of clinical functional outcomes of patients utilising validated patient reported outcome measures (PROM) after medial stabilized TKJR and other construct designs. To perform a systematic review of the available literature related to the assessment of clinical functional outcomes following a TKJR employing a medial stabilized construct design. The review was performed with a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) algorithm. The literature search was performed using variouscombinations of keywords. The statistical analysis was completed using Review Manager (RevMan), Version 5.3. In the nineteen unique studies identified, there were 2,448 medial stabilized TKJRs implanted in 2,195 participants, there were 1,777 TKJRs with non-medial stabilized design constructs implanted in 1,734 subjects. The final mean Knee Society Score (KSS) value in the medial stabilized group was 89.92 compared to 90.76 in the non-medial stabilized group, with the final KSS mean value difference between the two groups was statistically significant and favored the non-medial stabilized group (SMD 0.21; 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.41; p = 004). The mean difference in the final WOMAC values between the two groups was also statistically significant and favored the medial stabilized group (SMD: -0.27; 95% CI: -0.47 to -0.07; p = 0.009). Moderate to high values ( I 2 ) of heterogeneity were observed during the statistical comparison of these functional outcomes. Based on the small number of studies with appropriate statistical analysis, we are unable to reach a clear conclusion in the clinical performance of medial stabilized knee replacement construct. Level II.
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Dimova, Violeta; Oertel, Bruno G; Lötsch, Jörn
2017-01-01
Skin sensitivity to sensory stimuli varies among different body areas. A standardized clinical quantitative sensory testing (QST) battery, established for the diagnosis of neuropathic pain, was used to assess whether the magnitude of differences between test sites reaches clinical significance. Ten different sensory QST measures derived from thermal and mechanical stimuli were obtained from 21 healthy volunteers (10 men) and used to create somatosensory profiles bilateral from the dorsum of the hands (the standard area for the assessment of normative values for the upper extremities as proposed by the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain) and bilateral at volar forearms as a neighboring nonstandard area. The parameters obtained were statistically compared between test sites. Three of the 10 QST parameters differed significantly with respect to the "body area," that is, warmth detection, thermal sensory limen, and mechanical pain thresholds. After z-transformation and interpretation according to the QST battery's standard instructions, 22 abnormal values were obtained at the hand. Applying the same procedure to parameters assessed at the nonstandard site forearm, that is, z-transforming them to the reference values for the hand, 24 measurements values emerged as abnormal, which was not significantly different compared with the hand (P=0.4185). Sensory differences between neighboring body areas are statistically significant, reproducing prior knowledge. This has to be considered in scientific assessments where a small variation of the tested body areas may not be an option. However, the magnitude of these differences was below the difference in sensory parameters that is judged as abnormal, indicating a robustness of the QST instrument against protocol deviations with respect to the test area when using the method of comparison with a 95 % confidence interval of a reference dataset.
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Statistical analysis of global horizontal solar irradiation GHI in Fez city, Morocco
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bounoua, Z.; Mechaqrane, A.
2018-05-01
An accurate knowledge of the solar energy reaching the ground is necessary for sizing and optimizing the performances of solar installations. This paper describes a statistical analysis of the global horizontal solar irradiation (GHI) at Fez city, Morocco. For better reliability, we have first applied a set of check procedures to test the quality of hourly GHI measurements. We then eliminate the erroneous values which are generally due to measurement or the cosine effect errors. Statistical analysis show that the annual mean daily values of GHI is of approximately 5 kWh/m²/day. Daily monthly mean values and other parameter are also calculated.
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The beta distribution: A statistical model for world cloud cover
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Falls, L. W.
1973-01-01
Much work has been performed in developing empirical global cloud cover models. This investigation was made to determine an underlying theoretical statistical distribution to represent worldwide cloud cover. The beta distribution with probability density function is given to represent the variability of this random variable. It is shown that the beta distribution possesses the versatile statistical characteristics necessary to assume the wide variety of shapes exhibited by cloud cover. A total of 160 representative empirical cloud cover distributions were investigated and the conclusion was reached that this study provides sufficient statical evidence to accept the beta probability distribution as the underlying model for world cloud cover.
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Folic Acid Education for Hispanic Women: The Promotora de Salud Model.
Flores, Alina L; Isenburg, Jennifer; Hillard, Christina L; deRosset, Leslie; Colen, Lisa; Bush, Troy; Mai, Cara T
2017-02-01
Although rates of neural tube defects (NTDs) have declined in the United States since fortification, disparities still exist with Hispanic women having the highest risk of giving birth to a baby with a NTD. The Promotora de Salud model using community lay health workers has been shown to be an effective tool for reaching Hispanics for a variety of health topics; however, literature on its effectiveness in folic acid interventions is limited. An intervention using the Promotora de Salud model was implemented in four U.S. counties with large populations of Hispanic women. The study comprised the following: (1) a written pretest survey to establish baseline levels of folic acid awareness, knowledge, and consumption; (2) a small group education intervention along with a 90-day supply of multivitamins; and (3) a postintervention (posttest) assessment conducted 4 months following the intervention. Statistically significant differences in pre- and posttests were observed for general awareness about folic acid and vitamins and specific knowledge about the benefits of folic acid. Statistically significant changes were also seen in vitamin consumption and multivitamin consumption. Folic acid supplement consumption increased dramatically by the end of the study. The Promotora de Salud model relies on interpersonal connections forged between promotoras and the communities they serve to help drive positive health behaviors. The findings underscore the positive impact that these interpersonal connections can have on increasing awareness, knowledge, and consumption of folic acid. Utilizing the Promotora de Salud model to reach targeted populations might help organizations successfully implement their programs in a culturally appropriate manner.
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Ramezani Tehrani, Fahimeh; Mansournia, Mohammad Ali; Solaymani-Dodaran, Masoud; Steyerberg, Ewout; Azizi, Fereidoun
2016-06-01
This study aimed to improve existing prediction models for age at menopause. We identified all reproductive aged women with regular menstrual cycles who met our eligibility criteria (n = 1,015) in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study-an ongoing population-based cohort study initiated in 1998. Participants were examined every 3 years and their reproductive histories were recorded. Blood levels of antimüllerian hormone (AMH) were measured at the time of recruitment. Age at menopause was estimated based on serum concentrations of AMH using flexible parametric survival models. The optimum model was selected according to Akaike Information Criteria and the realness of the range of predicted median menopause age. We followed study participants for a median of 9.8 years during which 277 women reached menopause and found that a spline-based proportional odds model including age-specific AMH percentiles as the covariate performed well in terms of statistical criteria and provided the most clinically relevant and realistic predictions. The range of predicted median age at menopause for this model was 47.1 to 55.9 years. For those who reached menopause, the median of the absolute mean difference between actual and predicted age at menopause was 1.9 years (interquartile range 2.9). The model including the age-specific AMH percentiles as the covariate and using proportional odds as its covariate metrics meets all the statistical criteria for the best model and provides the most clinically relevant and realistic predictions for age at menopause for reproductive-aged women.
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Montagu, Dominic; Sudhinaraset, May; Lwin, Thandar; Onozaki, Ikushi; Win, Zaw; Aung, Tin
2013-01-10
Since 2004, the Sun Quality Health (SQH) franchise network has provided TB care in Myanmar through a network of established private medical clinics. This study compares the wealth distribution of the TB patients to non-TB patients to determine if TB is most common among the poor, and compares the wealth of all TB patients to SQH TB patients to assess whether the franchise achieves its goal of serving the poor. The study uses data from two sources: 1) Myanmar's first nationally representative TB prevalence study conducted in 2009, and 2) client exit interviews from TB patients from SQH clinics. In total, 1,114 TB-positive individuals were included in the study, including 739 from the national sample and 375 from the SQH sample. TB patients at SQH clinics were poorer than TB-positive individuals in the overall population, though not at a statistically significant level (p > 0.05). After stratification we found that in urban areas, TB patients at SQH clinics were more likely to be in the poorest quartile compared to general TB positive population (16.8% vs. 8.6%, respectively; p < 0.05). In rural areas, there was no statistically significant difference between the wealth distribution of SQH clinic patients and general TB positive individuals (p > 0.05). Franchised clinics in Myanmar are reaching poor populations of TB patients in urban areas; more efforts are needed in order to reach the most vulnerable in rural areas.
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2013-01-01
Introduction Since 2004, the Sun Quality Health (SQH) franchise network has provided TB care in Myanmar through a network of established private medical clinics. This study compares the wealth distribution of the TB patients to non-TB patients to determine if TB is most common among the poor, and compares the wealth of all TB patients to SQH TB patients to assess whether the franchise achieves its goal of serving the poor. Methods The study uses data from two sources: 1) Myanmar’s first nationally representative TB prevalence study conducted in 2009, and 2) client exit interviews from TB patients from SQH clinics. In total, 1,114 TB-positive individuals were included in the study, including 739 from the national sample and 375 from the SQH sample. Results TB patients at SQH clinics were poorer than TB-positive individuals in the overall population, though not at a statistically significant level (p > 0.05). After stratification we found that in urban areas, TB patients at SQH clinics were more likely to be in the poorest quartile compared to general TB positive population (16.8% vs. 8.6%, respectively; p < 0.05). In rural areas, there was no statistically significant difference between the wealth distribution of SQH clinic patients and general TB positive individuals (p > 0.05). Conclusion Franchised clinics in Myanmar are reaching poor populations of TB patients in urban areas; more efforts are needed in order to reach the most vulnerable in rural areas. PMID:23305063
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Folic Acid Education for Hispanic Women: The Promotora de Salud Model
Flores, Alina L.; Isenburg, Jennifer; Hillard, Christina L.; deRosset, Leslie; Colen, Lisa; Bush, Troy; Mai, Cara T.
2017-01-01
Background Although rates of neural tube defects (NTDs) have declined in the United States since fortification, disparities still exist with Hispanic women having the highest risk of giving birth to a baby with a NTD. The Promotora de Salud model has been shown to be an effective tool for reaching Hispanics for a variety of health topics; however, literature on its effectiveness in folic acid interventions is limited. Methods An intervention using the Promotora de Salud model was implemented in four U.S. counties with large populations of Hispanic women. The study comprised: 1) a written pre-test survey to establish baseline levels of folic acid awareness, knowledge, and consumption; 2) a small group education intervention along with a 90-day supply of multivitamins; and 3) a post-intervention (post-test) assessment conducted four months following the intervention. Results Statistically significant differences in pre- and post-tests were observed for general awareness about folic acid and vitamins, and specific knowledge about the benefits of folic acid. Statistically significant changes were also seen in vitamin consumption and multivitamin consumption. Folic acid supplement consumption increased dramatically by the end of the study. Conclusions The Promotora de Salud model relies on interpersonal connections forged between promotoras and the communities they serve to help drive positive health behaviors. The findings underscore the positive impact that these interpersonal connections can have on increasing awareness, knowledge, and consumption of folic acid. Utilizing the Promotora de Salud model to reach targeted populations might help organizations successfully implement their programs in a culturally appropriate manner. PMID:28067585
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Lesions Responsible for Delayed Oral Transit Time in Post-stroke Dysphagia.
Moon, Hyun Im; Yoon, Seo Yeon; Yi, Tae Im; Jeong, Yoon Jeong; Cho, Tae Hwan
2018-06-01
Some stroke patients show oral phase dysphagia, characterized by a markedly prolonged oral transit time that hinders oral feeding. The aim of this study was to clarify the clinical characteristics and lesions responsible for delayed swallowing. We reviewed 90 patients with stroke. The oral processing time plus the postfaucial aggregation time required to swallow semisolid food was assessed. The patients were divided into two groups according to oral transit time, and we analyzed the differences in characteristics such as demographic factors, lesion factors, and cognitive function. Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the predictors of delayed oral transit time. Lesion location and volume were measured on brain magnetic resonance images. We generated statistic maps of lesions related to delayed oral phase in swallowing using voxel-based lesion symptom mapping (VLSM). The group of patients who showed delayed oral transit time had significantly low cognitive function. Also, in a regression model, delayed oral phase was predicted with low K-MMSE (Korean version of the Mini Mental Status Exam). Using VLSM, we found the lesion location to be associated with delayed oral phase after adjusting for K-MMSE score. Although these results did not reach statistical significance, they showed the lesion pattern with predominant distribution in the left frontal lobe. Delayed oral phase in post-stroke patients was not negligible clinically. Patients' cognitive impairments affect the oral transit time. When adjusting it, we found a trend that the lesion responsible for delayed oral phase was located in the left frontal lobe, though the association did not reach significance. The delay might be related to praxis function.
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Ozkul, Yilmaz; Songu, Murat; Basoglu, Mehmet Sinan; Ozturkcan, Sedat; Katilmis, Huseyin
2014-07-01
The aim of our study was to determine the effectiveness of intratympanic α-lipoic acid injection as an otoprotective agent against cisplatin-induced ototoxicity in guinea pigs. Twenty-four adult male albino guinea pigs with normal hearing were divided into 4 groups. The guinea pigs received intraperitoneal cisplatin in group 1, intraperitoneal cisplatin and intratympanic α-lipoic acid in group 2, intratympanic α-lipoic acid in group 3, as well as intraperitoneal cisplatin and intratympanic saline in group 4. Distortion-product otoacoustic emission measurements were obtained for both ears at the following time points: before administration (baseline recording) and on day 3 (72 h later). In group 1 (cisplatin), significant deterioration was observed at all frequencies on day 3 (P < 0.05). In group 2 (cisplatin + α-lipoic acid), deterioration was observed at all frequencies on day 3; however, this deterioration did not reach a statistical significance (P > 0.05). In group 3 (α-lipoic acid), no significant difference was observed between baseline and day 3 (P > 0.05). In group 4 (cisplatin + saline), deterioration was observed at all frequencies on day 3; however, this deterioration did not reach a statistical significance (P > 0.05). Cisplatin-induced hearing loss in the guinea pigs may be limited to some extent by the concomitant use of α-lipoic acid. Dose-dependent changes in the possible effects of α-lipoic acid need further investigation. Future morphologic studies may contribute to expose clearly the protective effect of α-lipoic acid.
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Natural gas odor level testing: Instruments and applications
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Roberson, E.H.
1995-12-01
An odor in natural and LP gases is necessary. The statistics are overwhelming; when gas customers can smell a leak before the percentage of gas in air reaches a combustible mixture, the chances of an accident are greatly reduced. How do gas companies determine if there is sufficient odor reaching every gas customers home? Injection equipment is important. The rate and quality of odorant is important. Nevertheless, precision odorization alone does not guarantee that customers` homes always have gas with a readily detectable odor. To secure that goal, odor monitoring instruments are necessary.
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Mercier, Frédéric; Bakrin, Naoual; Bartlett, David L; Goere, Diane; Quenet, François; Dumont, Frédéric; Heyd, Bruno; Abboud, Karine; Marolho, Christelle; Villeneuve, Laurent; Glehen, Olivier
2018-06-01
Ovarian cancer is the most common deadly cancer of gynecologic origin. Patients often are diagnosed at advanced stage with peritoneal metastasis. There are many rare histologies of ovarian cancer; some have outcomes worse than serous ovarian cancer. Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) can be considered for patients with recurrence. This study was designed to assess the impact of CRS and HIPEC on survival of patient with peritoneal metastasis from rare ovarian malignancy. A prospective, multicentric, international database was retrospectively searched to identify all patients with rare ovarian tumor (mucinous, clear cells, endometrioid, small cell hypercalcemic, and other) and peritoneal metastasis who underwent CRS and HIPEC through the Peritoneal Surface Oncology Group International (PSOGI) and BIG-RENAPE working group. The postoperative complications, long-term results, and principal prognostic factors were analyzed. The analysis included 210 patients with a median follow-up of 43.5 months. Median overall survival (OS) was 69.3 months, and the 5-year OS was 57.7%. For mucinous tumors, median OS and DFS were not reached at 5 years. For granulosa tumors, median overall survival was not reached at 5 years, and median DFS was 34.6 months. Teratoma or germinal tumor showed median overall survival and DFS that were not reached at 5 years. Differences in OS were not statistically significant between histologies (p = 0.383), whereas differences in DFS were (p < 0.001). CRS and HIPEC may increases long-term survival in selected patients with peritoneal metastasis from rare ovarian tumors especially in mucinous, granulosa, or teratoma histological subtypes.
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Maynard, Juliana; Sykes, Angela; Powell, Helen; Healing, Guy; Scott, Marietta; Holmes, Andrew; Ricketts, Sally-Ann; Stewart, Jane; Davis, Stewart
2014-12-01
The lens is formed in utero with new secondary lens fibres added as outer layers throughout life in a growth pattern characteristic of the species. This study examined the time course of beagle lens growth to better understand the optimal starting age of dogs for safety studies to support adult versus paediatric indications, and to assess the feasibility of non-invasively monitoring lens growth with high frequency ultrasound. Ultrasound scanning was performed in six female beagle dogs using the Vevo770. All dogs were imaged in B-mode using local anaesthetic but without sedation. Imaging was carried out every 2 weeks from 8 to 22 weeks of age and then monthly until 62 weeks of age. The dogs tolerated the procedure well. The lens was visible in all dogs and measuring the lens thickness with high frequency ultrasound demonstrated good analytical reproducibility [Root Mean Square (RMS) = 3.13%]. No differences between the left and right eye existed and lens thickness correlated with body weight. The highest weekly growth rate was before 12 weeks of age. A statistically significant difference between monthly thickness was detected until 42 weeks of age at which point growth reached a plateau. During the experiment, lenses grew by 29.7% reaching an average thickness of 6.4 mm ± 0.03. By 10 months of age (the typical age used for routine toxicological evaluation), beagles have reached a plateau in lens growth that is analogous to human adults. Where lens is a target organ of concern it is suggested that beagles under 6 months old may be a better model for determining paediatric safety. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Tatachar, Amulya; Kominski, Carol
2017-07-01
To compare the impact of a traditional case-based application exercise with a student question creation exercise on a) student exam performance, b) student perceptions of enjoyment, competence, understanding, effort, interest in continuing participation, and interest in the subject. Subjects were 84 second-year pharmacy students in a pharmacotherapy course. The research focus was active learning involving the topic of chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorder. Student teams were randomly assigned to either case-based or student question creation exercises using PeerWise. Student performance was assessed by a pre- and posttest and on block and final exams. After completion, an online survey assessed student perceptions of both exercises. Statistically significant differences were revealed in favor of the student question creation group on enjoyment and interest in the subject matter. No statistically differences were found between the traditional case-based group and the student question creation group on gain score from pre-test to posttest. The student question creation group performed slightly better than the case-based application group on two of the five questions on the block exam but none of these differences reached statistical significance. Students randomly assigned to groups that created and reviewed questions exhibited slightly improved summative exam performance and reported significantly more positive perceptions than students engaging in a more traditional case-based learning activity. Student question creation has demonstrated potential as a useful learning activity. Despite inherent difficulties in designing studies involving educational research in a controlled environment, students who have submitted, created, rated, and answered peers' questions have overall performed well. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Effect of storage in artificial saliva and thermal cycling on Knoop hardness of resin denture teeth.
Assunção, Wirley Gonçalves; Gomes, Erica Alves; Barão, Valentim Adelino Ricardo; Barbosa, Débora Barros; Delben, Juliana Aparecida; Tabata, Lucas Fernando
2010-07-01
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of different storage periods in artificial saliva and thermal cycling on Knoop hardness of 8 commercial brands of resin denture teeth. Eigth different brands of resin denture teeth were evaluated (Artplus group, Biolux group, Biotone IPN group, Myerson group, SR Orthosit group, Trilux group, Trubyte Biotone group, and Vipi Dent Plus group). Twenty-four teeth of each brand had their occlusal surfaces ground flat and were embedded in autopolymerized acrylic resin. After polishing, the teeth were submitted to different conditions: (1) immersion in distilled water at 37+/-2 degrees C for 48+/-2h (control); (2) storage in artificial saliva at 37+/-2 degrees C for 15, 30 and 60 days, and (3) thermal cycling between 5 and 55 degrees C with 30-s dwell times for 5000 cycles. Knoop hardness test was performed after each condition. Data were analyzed with two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (alpha=.05). In general, SR Orthosit group presented the highest statistically significant Knoop hardness value while Myerson group exhibited the smallest statistically significant mean (P<.05) in the control period, after thermal cycling, and after all storage periods. The Knoop hardness means obtained before thermal cycling procedure (20.34+/-4.45 KHN) were statistically higher than those reached after thermal cycling (19.77+/-4.13 KHN). All brands of resin denture teeth were significantly softened after storage period in artificial saliva. Storage in saliva and thermal cycling significantly reduced the Knoop hardness of the resin denture teeth. SR Orthosit denture teeth showed the highest Knoop hardness values regardless the condition tested. Copyright 2010 Japan Prosthodontic Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Kustarci, Alper; Akdemir, Neslihan; Siso, Seyda Herguner; Altunbas, Demet
2008-01-01
Objectives The purpose of this study was to compare in-vitro the amount of debris extruded apically from extracted teeth, using K3, Protaper rotary instruments and manual step-back technique. Methods Forty five human single-rooted mandibular premolar teeth were randomly divided into 3 groups. The teeth in 3 groups were instrumented until reaching the working length with K3, Protaper rotary instruments and K-type stainless steel instruments with manual step-back technique, respectively. Debris extruded from the apical foramen was collected into centrifuge tubes and the amount was determined. The data obtained were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance and Mann-Whitney U tests, with P=.05 as the level for statistical significance. Results Statistically significant difference was observed between K3, Protaper and step-back groups in terms of debris extrusion (P<.05). Step-back group had the highest mean debris weight, which was significantly different from the K3 and Protaper groups (P<.05). The lowest mean debris weight was related to K3 group, which was significantly different from the Protaper group (P<.05). Conclusions: Based on the results, all instrumentation techniques produced debris extrusion. The engine-driven Ni-Ti systems extruded significantly less apical debris than step-back technique. However, Protaper rotary instruments extruded significantly more debris than K3 rotary instruments. PMID:19212528
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Kustarci, Alper; Akdemir, Neslihan; Siso, Seyda Herguner; Altunbas, Demet
2008-10-01
The purpose of this study was to compare in-vitro the amount of debris extruded apically from extracted teeth, using K3, Protaper rotary instruments and manual step-back technique. Forty five human single-rooted mandibular premolar teeth were randomly divided into 3 groups. The teeth in 3 groups were instrumented until reaching the working length with K3, Protaper rotary instruments and K-type stainless steel instruments with manual step-back technique, respectively. Debris extruded from the apical foramen was collected into centrifuge tubes and the amount was determined. The data obtained were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance and Mann-Whitney U tests, with P=.05 as the level for statistical significance. Statistically significant difference was observed between K3, Protaper and step-back groups in terms of debris extrusion (P<.05). Step-back group had the highest mean debris weight, which was significantly different from the K3 and Protaper groups (P<.05). The lowest mean debris weight was related to K3 group, which was significantly different from the Protaper group (P<.05). Based on the results, all instrumentation techniques produced debris extrusion. The engine-driven Ni-Ti systems extruded significantly less apical debris than step-back technique. However, Protaper rotary instruments extruded significantly more debris than K3 rotary instruments.
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Fuentes, Ramón; Engelke, Wilfried; Flores, Tania; Navarro, Pablo; Borie, Eduardo; Curiqueo, Aldo; Salamanca, Carlos
2015-01-01
Under normal conditions, the oral cavity presents a perfect system of equilibrium between teeth, soft tissues and tongue. The equilibrium of soft tissues forms a closed capsular matrix, generating differences with the atmospheric environment. This difference is known as intraoral pressure. Negative intraoral pressure is fundamental to the stabilization of the soft palate and tongue, reducing neuromuscular activity for the permeability of the respiratory tract. Thus, the aim of this study was to describe the variations of intraoral pressure of the sub-palatal space (SPS) under different physiological conditions and biofunctional phases. A case series was conducted with 20 individuals aged between 18 and 25. The intraoral pressures were measured through a system of cannulae connected to a digital pressure meter in the SPS during seven biofunctional phases. Descriptive statistics were used based on the mean and standard deviation. The data recorded pressure variations under physiological conditions, reaching 65 mbar as the intraoral peak in forced inspiration. In the swallowing phase, peaks reached -91.9 mbar. No pressure variations were recorded in terms of atmospheric changes with the mouth open and semi-open. The data obtained during the swallowing and forced inspiration phases indicated forced lingual activity. In the swallowing phase, the adequate position of the tongue creates negative intraoral pressure, which represents a fundamental mechanism for the physical stabilization of the soft palate. This information could contribute to subsequent research into the treatment of primary roncopathies.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Piovesan, Mônica; Specht, Alexandre; Carneiro, Eduardo; Paula-Moraes, Silvana Vieira; Casagrande, Mirna Martins
2018-03-01
The identification of factors responsible for the population dynamics is fundamental for pest management, since losses can reach 18% of annual production. Besides regular seasonal environmental factors and crop managements, additional supra-annual meteorological phenomena can also affect population dynamics, although its relevance has been rarely investigated. Among crop pests, Spodoptera stands out due to its worldwide distribution, high degree of polyphagy, thus causing damages in several crops in the world. Aiming to distinguish the relevance of different factors shaping population dynamics of Spodoptera in an ecosystem constituted of dry and rainy seasons, the current study used circular statistics to identify phenological patterns and test if its population fluctuation is driven by El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) effect, seasonal meteorological parameters, and/or host plant availability. Samplings were done in an intercropping system, in the Brazilian Savanna, during the new moon cycles between July/2013 and June/2016. Species were recorded all year round, but demonstrated differently non-uniform distribution, being concentrated in different seasons of the year. Population fluctuations were mostly affected by the ENSO intensity, despite the contrasting seasonal meteorological variation or host plant availability in a 400-m radius. Studies involving the observation of supra-annual phenomena, although rare, reach similar conclusions in relation to Neotropical insect fauna. Therefore, it is paramount to have long-term sampling studies to obtain a more precise response of the pest populations towards the agroecosystem conditions.
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Dave, Gaurav; Ritchwood, Tiarney; Young, Tiffany L; Isler, Malika Roman; Black, Adina; Akers, Aletha Y; Gizlice, Ziya; Blumenthal, Connie; Atley, Leslie; Wynn, Mysha; Stith, Doris; Cene, Crystal; Ellis, Danny; Corbie-Smith, Giselle
2017-11-01
Parents and caregivers play an important role in sexual socialization of youth, often serving as the primary source of information about sex. For African American rural youth who experience disparate rates of HIV/sexually transmitted infection, improving caregiver-youth communication about sexual topics may help to reduce risky behaviors. This study assessed the impact of an intervention to improve sexual topic communication. A Preintervention-postintervention, quasi-experimental, controlled, and community-based trial. Intervention was in 2 rural North Carolina counties with comparison group in 3 adjacent counties. Participants (n = 249) were parents, caregivers, or parental figures for African American youth aged 10 to 14. Twelve-session curriculum for participating dyads. Audio computer-assisted self-interview to assess changes at 9 months from baseline in communication about general and sensitive sex topics and overall communication about sex. Multivariable models were used to examine the differences between the changes in mean of scores for intervention and comparison groups. Statistically significant differences in changes in mean scores for communication about general sex topics ( P < .0001), communication about sensitive sex topics ( P < .0001), and overall communication about sex ( P < .0001) existed. Differences in change in mean scores remained significant after adjusting baseline scores and other variables in the multivariate models. In Teach One Reach One intervention, adult participants reported improved communication about sex, an important element to support risk reduction among youth in high-prevalence areas.
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Yousuf, Tariq; Brinton, Taylor; Murtaza, Ghulam; Wozniczka, Daniel; Ahmad, Khansa; Iskandar, Joy; Mehta, Raju; Keshmiri, Hesam; Hanif, Tabassum
2017-02-01
End-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO 2 ) monitoring is useful in many situations. However, ETCO 2 monitoring is unreliable in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to widespread lung inflammation. In our study, we attempt to establish the gradient between the arterial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO 2 ) and ETCO 2 in patients with ARDS, which we defined as the PaETCO 2 gradient. The main objective of the study was to establish a PaETCO 2 gradient in each severity of ARDS. We analyzed 35 patients with ARDS and a total of 88 arterial blood gases were included. PaCO 2 , PaO 2 /FiO 2 and ETCO 2 were measured. Patients were stratified into mild, moderate and severe ARDS as classified by the Berlin ARDS criteria. PaCO 2 and ETCO 2 were compared at each severity stratification. The mean PaCO 2 was 50.0, the mean ETCO 2 was 26.6 and the gradient among all samples was 23.24 (±12.02). The mean gradient for each severity is as follows: mild: 19.3 (±9.9), moderate: 27.9 (±13.2) and severe: 23.9 (±7.8). The difference between the PaETCO 2 gradient of the mild to moderate (p=0.001) and mild to severe groups (p=0.01) reached statistical significance. However, the difference between the moderate to severe groups did not reach statistical significance (p=0.48). We found the gradient between PaCO 2 and ETCO 2 in patients with ARDS is vast and tends to worsen with increasing severity of ARDS. This indicates that the gradient between the 2 may be used as an indicator of increasing severity of ARDS. Copyright © 2016 American Federation for Medical Research.
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Influences for Gender Disparity in Academic Psychiatry in the United States.
Sheikh, Muhammad H; Chaudhary, Amna Mohyud Din; Khan, Anum S; Tahir, Muhammad A; Yahya, Hafiz A; Naveed, Sadiq; Khosa, Faisal
2018-04-22
Introduction Academic undertakings, including research, lead to career progression. However, the career paths of female psychiatrists appear to diverge significantly from that of their male counterparts. This article reviews the pervasiveness of the trend of women being less likely to pursue active research in psychiatry. In addition, we examine the correlation between academic rank and research productivity. Methods We searched the American Medical Association's (AMA) Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database (FREIDA) to identify training programs for psychiatry. A total of 5234 psychiatrists met our inclusion criteria. The gender, academic rank, research work, and h-index of faculty members were compared. The ratio of women reaching senior ranks as compared to men was also calculated. The Scopus database was used to determine the h-index of the individuals included in this study. Data analysis was done with SPSS 22.0 Release 2013 (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, IBM, Armonk, NY, USA). Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests were used where required, with the P-value set at less than 0.05. Results In our study sample, 2181 (42%) of the psychiatrists were women. However, according to the information obtained from the websites of 23 programs, few women reached higher ranks, full professorship, or positions such as the chairperson of a program, and only 9% of women achieved the designation of chairperson of the psychiatry department, with men representing the other 91%. Higher academic rank correlated with higher h-index. A statistically-significant difference between the genders in terms of h-index was found for the assistant professor rank as well. However, this difference was not observed at the level of an associate professor. Conclusions Despite adequate representation of women in the academic workforce in psychiatry, there appears to be a discrepancy in the research productivity of the two genders. This study highlights the need for targeted interventions to address gender disparities in academic psychiatry.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
McLennan, Gordon, E-mail: gmclenna@me.com; Bennett, Stacy L.; Ju, Shenghong
2012-06-15
Purpose: Benzamide riboside (BR) induces tumor apoptosis in multiple cell lines and animals. This pilot study compares apoptosis and tumor response in rat hepatomas treated with hepatic arterial BR (IA) or intravenous (IV) BR. Methods: A total of 10{sup 6} N1-S1 cells were placed in the left hepatic lobes of 15 Sprague-Dawley rats. After 2 weeks, BR (20 mg/kg) was infused IA (n = 5) or IV (n = 5). One animal in each group was excluded for technical factors, which prevented a full dose administration (1 IA and 1 IV). Five rats received saline (3 IA and 2 IV).more » Animals were killed after 3 weeks. Tumor volumes after IA and IV treatments were analyzed by Wilcoxon rank sum test. The percentage of tumor and normal liver apoptosis was counted by using 10 fields of TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling)-stained slides at 40 Multiplication-Sign magnification. The percentage of apoptosis was compared between IV and IA administrations and with saline sham-treated rats by the Wilcoxon rank sum test. Results: Tumors were smaller after IA treatment, but this did not reach statistical significance (0.14 IA vs. 0.57 IV; P = 0.138). There was much variability in percentage of apoptosis and no significant difference between IA and IV BR (44.49 vs. 1.52%; P = 0.18); IA BR and saline (44.49 vs. 33.83%; P = 0.66); or IV BR and saline (1.52 vs. 193%; P = 0.18). Conclusions: Although differences in tumor volumes did not reach statistical significance, there was a trend toward smaller tumors after IA BR than IV BR in this small pilot study. Comparisons of these treatment methods will require a larger sample size and repeat experimentation.« less
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Gutreuter, Steve; Burkhardt, Randy W.; Stopyro, Mark; Bartels, Andrew; Kramer, Eric; Bowler, Melvin C.; Cronin, Frederick A.; Soergel, Dirk W.; Petersen, Michael D.; Herzog, David P.; Raibley, Paul T.; Irons, Kevin S.; O'Hara, Timothy M.
1997-01-01
The Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) completed 1,994 collections of fishes from stratified random and permanently fixed sampling locations in six study reaches of the Upper Mississippi River System during 1993. Collection methods included day and night electrofishing, hoop netting, fyke netting (two net sizes), gill netting, seining, and trawling in select aquatic area classes. The six LTRMP study reaches are Pools 4 (excluding Lake Pepin), 8, 13, and 26 of the Upper Mississippi River, an unimpounded reach of the Mississippi River near Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and the La Grange Pool of the Illinois River. A total of 62-78 fish species were detected in each study reach. For each of the six LTRMP study reaches, this report contains summaries of: (1) sampling efforts in each combination of gear type and aquatic area class, (2) total catches of each species from each gear type, (3) mean catch-per-unit of gear effort statistics and standard errors for common species from each combination of aquatic area class and selected gear type, and (4) length distributions of common species from selected gear types.
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Pupil size in Jewish theological seminary students.
Shemesh, G; Kesler, A; Lazar, M; Rothkoff, L
2004-01-01
To investigate the authors' clinical impression that pupil size among myopic Jewish theological seminary students is different from pupil size of similar secular subjects. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 28 male Jewish theological seminary students and 28 secular students or workers who were matched for age and refraction. All participants were consecutively enrolled. Scotopic and photopic pupil size was measured by means of a Colvard pupillometer. Comparisons of various parameters between the groups were performed using the two-sample t-test, Fisher exact test, a paired-sample t-test, a two-way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation coefficients as appropriate. The two groups were statistically matched for age, refraction, and visual acuity. The seminary students were undercorrected by an average of 2.35 diopters (D), while the secular subjects were undercorrected by only 0.65 D (p<0.01). The average pupil size was larger in the religious group under both scotopic and photopic luminance. This difference was maintained when the two groups were compared according to iris color under both conditions, reaching a level of statistical significance (p<0.0001). There was a significant difference in photopic pupil size between dark and light irises (p=0.049), but this difference was not maintained under scotopic conditions. The average pupil size of young ultraorthodox seminary students was significantly larger than that of matched secular subjects. Whether this is the result of intensive close-up work or of apparently characteristic undercorrection of the myopia is undetermined.
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Musical Tasks and Energetic Arousal.
Lim, Hayoung A; Watson, Angela L
2018-03-08
Music is widely recognized as a motivating stimulus. Investigators have examined the use of music to improve a variety of motivation-related outcomes; however, these studies have focused primarily on passive music listening rather than active participation in musical activities. To examine the influence of participation in musical tasks and unique participant characteristics on energetic arousal. We used a one-way Welch's ANOVA to examine the influence of musical participation (i.e., a non-musical control and four different musical task conditions) upon energetic arousal. In addition, ancillary analyses of participant characteristics including personality, age, gender, sleep, musical training, caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol revealed their possible influence upon pretest and posttest energetic arousal scores. Musical participation yielded a significant relationship with energetic arousal, F(4, 55.62) = 44.38, p = .000, estimated ω2 = 0.60. Games-Howell post hoc pairwise comparisons revealed statistically significant differences between five conditions. Descriptive statistics revealed expected differences between introverts' and extraverts' energetic arousal scores at the pretest, F(1, 115) = 6.80, p = .010, partial η2= .06; however, mean differences failed to reach significance at the posttest following musical task participation. No other measured participant characteristics yielded meaningful results. Passive tasks (i.e., listening to a story or song) were related to decreased energetic arousal, while active musical tasks (i.e., singing, rhythm tapping, and keyboard playing) were related to increased energetic arousal. Musical task participation appeared to have a differential effect for individuals with certain personality traits (i.e., extroverts and introverts).
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Čorović, Selma; Mahnič-Kalamiza, Samo; Miklavčič, Damijan
2016-04-07
Electroporation-based applications require multidisciplinary expertise and collaboration of experts with different professional backgrounds in engineering and science. Beginning in 2003, an international scientific workshop and postgraduate course electroporation based technologies and treatments (EBTT) has been organized at the University of Ljubljana to facilitate transfer of knowledge from leading experts to researches, students and newcomers in the field of electroporation. In this paper we present one of the integral parts of EBTT: an e-learning practical work we developed to complement delivery of knowledge via lectures and laboratory work, thus providing a blended learning approach on electrical phenomena involved in electroporation-based therapies and treatments. The learning effect was assessed via a pre- and post e-learning examination test composed of 10 multiple choice questions (i.e. items). The e-learning practical work session and both of the e-learning examination tests were carried out after the live EBTT lectures and other laboratory work. Statistical analysis was performed to compare and evaluate the learning effect measured in two groups of students: (1) electrical engineers and (2) natural scientists (i.e. medical doctors, biologists and chemists) undergoing the e-learning practical work in 2011-2014 academic years. Item analysis was performed to assess the difficulty of each item of the examination test. The results of our study show that the total score on the post examination test significantly improved and the item difficulty in both experimental groups decreased. The natural scientists reached the same level of knowledge (no statistical difference in total post-examination test score) on the post-course test take, as do electrical engineers, although the engineers started with statistically higher total pre-test examination score, as expected. The main objective of this study was to investigate whether the educational content the e-learning practical work presented to the students with different professional backgrounds enhanced their knowledge acquired via lectures during EBTT. We compared the learning effect assessed in two experimental groups undergoing the e-learning practical work: electrical engineers and natural scientists. The same level of knowledge on the post-course examination was reached in both groups. The results indicate that our e-learning platform supported by blended learning approach provides an effective learning tool for populations with mixed professional backgrounds and thus plays an important role in bridging the gap between scientific domains involved in electroporation-based technologies and treatments.
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Cundell, A M; Bean, R; Massimore, L; Maier, C
1998-01-01
To determine the relationship between the sampling time of the environmental monitoring, i.e., viable counts, in aseptic filling areas and the microbial count and frequency of alerts for air, surface and personnel microbial monitoring, statistical analyses were conducted on 1) the frequency of alerts versus the time of day for routine environmental sampling conducted in calendar year 1994, and 2) environmental monitoring data collected at 30-minute intervals during routine aseptic filling operations over two separate days in four different clean rooms with multiple shifts and equipment set-ups at a parenteral manufacturing facility. Statistical analyses showed, except for one floor location that had significantly higher number of counts but no alert or action level samplings in the first two hours of operation, there was no relationship between the number of counts and the time of sampling. Further studies over a 30-day period at the floor location showed no relationship between time of sampling and microbial counts. The conclusion reached in the study was that there is no worst case time for environmental monitoring at that facility and that sampling any time during the aseptic filling operation will give a satisfactory measure of the microbial cleanliness in the clean room during the set-up and aseptic filling operation.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Farmer, W. H.; Archfield, S. A.; Over, T. M.; Kiang, J. E.
2015-12-01
In the United States and across the globe, the majority of stream reaches and rivers are substantially impacted by water use or remain ungaged. The result is large gaps in the availability of natural streamflow records from which to infer hydrologic understanding and inform water resources management. From basin-specific to continent-wide scales, many efforts have been undertaken to develop methods to estimate ungaged streamflow. This work applies and contrasts several statistical models of daily streamflow to more than 1,700 reference-quality streamgages across the conterminous United States using a cross-validation methodology. The variability of streamflow simulation performance across the country exhibits a pattern familiar to other continental scale modeling efforts performed for the United States. For portions of the West Coast and the dense, relatively homogeneous and humid regions of the eastern United States models produce reliable estimates of daily streamflow using many different prediction methods. Model performance for the middle portion of the United States, marked by more heterogeneous and arid conditions, and with larger contributing areas and sparser networks of streamgages, is consistently poor. A discussion of the difficulty of statistical interpolation and regionalization in these regions raises additional questions of data availability and quality, hydrologic process representation and dominance, and intrinsic variability.
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From local uncertainty to global predictions: Making predictions on fractal basins
2018-01-01
In nonlinear systems long term dynamics is governed by the attractors present in phase space. The presence of a chaotic saddle gives rise to basins of attraction with fractal boundaries and sometimes even to Wada boundaries. These two phenomena involve extreme difficulties in the prediction of the future state of the system. However, we show here that it is possible to make statistical predictions even if we do not have any previous knowledge of the initial conditions or the time series of the system until it reaches its final state. In this work, we develop a general method to make statistical predictions in systems with fractal basins. In particular, we have applied this new method to the Duffing oscillator for a choice of parameters where the system possesses the Wada property. We have computed the statistical properties of the Duffing oscillator for different phase space resolutions, to obtain information about the global dynamics of the system. The key idea is that the fraction of initial conditions that evolve towards each attractor is scale free—which we illustrate numerically. We have also shown numerically how having partial information about the initial conditions of the system does not improve in general the predictions in the Wada regions. PMID:29668687
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Anuar Mohd Salleh, Khairul; Lee, Hyoung Koo; Al-Dahhan, Muthanna H.
2014-01-01
This work describes the development of a new technique to measure local liquid velocity (VLL) for multiphase flows in trickle bed reactors (TBRs) (gas-liquid-solid system). In the studied TBR, the liquid phase is represented by water, gas by air and 3 mm expanded polystyrene beads as the solid packing. Three different superficial liquid velocities (VSL) and a constant superficial gas velocity (VSG) were used in the packed bed with an internal diameter of 4.25 cm. While the liquid is moving into the packed bed, tracking particles of 106-125 μm diameter (16.45% difference) are injected. The movement of the tracking particles is monitored and digitally recorded by a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor detector. In this experiment, x-rays were used as the radiation source. Four replications were made with fresh packing. Comparable observations can be found from other published techniques (i.e. magnetic resonance imaging). Results from this study indicate that, at VSL = 0.13 cm s-1, the measured VLL can reach up to 51 times that of its VSL, while for VSL = 0.27 cm s-1, the measured VLL reached up to 35 times higher than the VSL and for VSL = 0.39 cm s-1, the VLL reached up to 39.8 times higher than its VSL. Through statistical analysis, the implementation of such a method is found to be reproducible throughout the experiments. The mean per cent difference in the measured VLL was 10% and 5% for lower implemented VSL of 0.13 and 0.27 cm s-1, respectively. At higher VSL (0.39 cm s-1), the particle tracer was greatly distributed and carried away by the high liquid flow rate. The variance or the range of the measured VLL does not vary for all replications in every VSL, which confirms the reproducibility of the experimental measurements, regardless of the VSL.
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Ibarra, Jose Luis; Agas, Jessica Marie; Lee, Melissa; Pan, Julia Lily; Buttenheim, Alison Meredith
2018-04-16
Recruiting hard-to-reach populations for health research is challenging. Web-based platforms offer one way to recruit specific samples for research purposes, but little is known about the feasibility of online recruitment and the representativeness and comparability of samples recruited through different Web-based platforms. The objectives of this study were to determine the feasibility of recruiting a hard-to-reach population (pregnant smokers) using 4 different Web-based platforms and to compare participants recruited through each platform. A screener and survey were distributed online through Qualtrics Panel, Soapbox Sample, Reddit, and Amazon Mechanical Turk (mTurk). Descriptive statistics were used to summarize results of each recruitment platform, including eligibility yield, quality yield, income, race, age, and gestational age. Of the 3847 participants screened for eligibility across all 4 Web-based platforms, 535 were eligible and 308 completed the survey. Amazon mTurk yielded the fewest completed responses (n=9), 100% (9/9) of which passed several quality metrics verifying pregnancy and smoking status. Qualtrics Panel yielded 14 completed responses, 86% (12/14) of which passed the quality screening. Soapbox Sample produced 107 completed surveys, 67% (72/107) of which were found to be quality responses. Advertising through Reddit produced the highest completion rate (n=178), but only 29.2% (52/178) of those surveys passed the quality metrics. We found significant differences in eligibility yield, quality yield, age, number of previous pregnancies, age of smoking initiation, current smokers, race, education, and income (P<.001). Although each platform successfully recruited pregnant smokers, results varied in quality, cost, and percentage of complete responses. Moving forward, investigators should pay careful attention to the percentage yield and cost of online recruitment platforms to maximize internal and external validity. ©Jose Luis Ibarra, Jessica Marie Agas, Melissa Lee, Julia Lily Pan, Alison Meredith Buttenheim. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 16.04.2018.
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Optic nerve regeneration in the mouse is a complex trait modulated by genetic background
Wang, Jiaxing; Li, Ying; King, Rebecca; Struebing, Felix L.
2018-01-01
Purpose The present study is designed to identify the influences of genetic background on optic nerve regeneration using the two parental strains (C57BL/6J and DBA/2J) and seven BXD recombinant inbred mouse strains. Methods To study regeneration in the optic nerve, Pten was knocked down in the retinal ganglion cells using adenoassociated virus (AAV) delivery of shRNA, and a mild inflammatory response was induced with an intravitreal injection of zymosan with CPT-cAMP. The axons of the retinal ganglion cells were damaged by optic nerve crush (ONC). Following a 12-day survival period, regenerating axons were labeled by cholera toxin B, and 2 days later, the regenerating axons within the optic nerve were examined. The number of axons at 0.5 mm and 1 mm from the crush site were counted. In addition, we measured the distance that five axons had grown down the nerve and the longest distance a single axon reached. Results The analysis revealed a considerable amount of differential axonal regeneration across the seven BXD strains and the parental strains. There was a statistically significant difference (p=0.014 Mann–Whitney U test) in the regenerative capacity in the number of axons reaching 0.5 mm from a low of 236.1±24.4 axons in the BXD102 mice to a high of 759.8±79.2 axons in the BXD29 mice. There were also statistically significant differences (p=0.014 Mann–Whitney U test) in the distance axons traveled. Looking at a minimum of five axons, the shortest distance was 787.2±46.5 µm in the BXD102 mice, and the maximum distance was 2025.5±223.3 µm in the BXD29 mice. Conclusions Differences in genetic background can have a profound effect on axonal regeneration causing a threefold increase in the number of regenerating axons at 0.5 mm from the crush site and a 2.5-fold increase in the distance traveled by at least five axons in the damaged optic nerve. PMID:29463955
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Black, Susan
1995-01-01
Recent statistics concerning teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases are compelling reasons for reaching kids before they become sexually active. Comprehensive K-12 programs are essential, despite conflicts over abstinence, abstinence-but, and safer-sex approaches. Adverse program criticism can be diffused if administrators examine…
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Statistical Representations of Track Geometry : Volume II, Appendices.
DOT National Transportation Integrated Search
1980-03-31
This volume contains some of the more detailed data and analyses to support the results and conclusions reached in Volume I of this report. It is divided into appendixes lettered A through J. Appendix A defines a procedure for evaluating the statisti...
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Particle Sorting and Motility Out of Equilibrium
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sandford, Cato
The theory of equilibrium statistical physics, formulated over a century ago, provides an excellent description of physical systems which have reached a static, relaxed state. Such systems can be loosely thought of as maximally disordered, in keeping with the Second Law of Thermodynamics which states that a thermal system in equilibrium has reached a state of highest entropy. However, many entities in the world around us maintain themselves in an remarkably ordered and dynamic state, and must pay for this by producing entropy in their surroundings. Organisms, for example, convert chemical energy (food) into heat, which is then dumped into the environment, raising its entropy. Systems which produce entropy through any mechanism must be described by theories of non-equilibrium statistical physics, for which there currently exists no unified framework or ontology. Here we examine two specific cases of non-equilibrium phenomena from a theoretical perspective. First, we explore the behaviour of microscopic particles which continually dissipate energy to propel themselves through their environment. Second, we consider how devices which distinguish between different types of particles can exploit non-equilibrium processes to enhance their performance. For the case of self-propelled particles, we consider a theoretical model where the particle's propulsion force has "memory"--it is a random process whose instantaneous value depends on its past evolution. This introduces a persistence in the particle's motion, and requires the dissipation of energy into its surroundings. These particles are found to exhibit a variety of behaviours forbidden in equilibrium systems: for instance they may cluster around barriers, exert unbalanced forces, and sustain steady flows through space. We develop the understanding of these particles' dynamics through a combination of explicit calculations, approximations and numerical simulation which characterise and quantify their non-equilibrium behaviour. The second situation investigated concerns the physics of particle-sorting, which is fundamental to biological systems. We introduce a number of model devices designed to distinguish between and segregate two species of particles, and analyse how the quality and speed of their operation may be influenced by providing them with an energy source which pushes them out of equilibrium. We identify different physical regimes, where our devices may consume energy to deliver better results or deliver them faster or both; and we furthermore connect the broader theory of particle sorting to the fundamental theoretical framework of statistical physics.
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Massie, Crystal L; Malcolm, Matthew P; Greene, David P; Browning, Raymond C
2014-01-01
Stroke rehabilitation interventions and assessments incorporate discrete and/or cyclic reaching tasks, yet no biomechanical comparison exists between these 2 movements in survivors of stroke. To characterize the differences between discrete (movements bounded by stationary periods) and cyclic (continuous repetitive movements) reaching in survivors of stroke. Seventeen survivors of stroke underwent kinematic motion analysis of discrete and cyclic reaching movements. Outcomes collected for each side included shoulder, elbow, and trunk range of motion (ROM); peak velocity; movement time; and spatial variability at target contact. Participants used significantly less shoulder and elbow ROM and significantly more trunk flexion ROM when reaching with the stroke-affected side compared with the less-affected side (P < .001). Participants used significantly more trunk rotation during cyclic reaching than discrete reaching with the stroke-affected side (P = .01). No post hoc differences were observed between tasks within the stroke-affected side for elbow, shoulder, and trunk flexion ROM. Peak velocity, movement time, and spatial variability were not different between discrete and cyclic reaching in the stroke-affected side. Survivors of stroke reached with altered kinematics when the stroke-affected side was compared with the less-affected side, yet there were few differences between discrete and cyclic reaching within the stroke-affected side. The greater trunk rotation during cyclic reaching represents a unique segmental strategy when using the stroke-affected side without consequences to end-point kinematics. These findings suggest that clinicians should consider the type of reaching required in therapeutic activities because of the continuous movement demands required with cyclic reaching.
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Dahl, Marianne; Kamper, Jens
2006-09-01
To describe physical outcome and school performance in a cohort of very-low-birthweight infants treated with early nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP)/minimal handling regimen with permissive hypercapnia, in comparison to siblings of normal birthweight. Neonatal and follow-up data from 213 very-low-birthweight infants from 1983-1988 were registered and a questionnaire concerning school achievements was sent to the families of survivors and siblings attending school. Mortality was 22%. Of the survivors, 4% had moderate-severe and 9% mild sequelae. Eighty-seven per cent of VLBW children and 95% of their siblings attended regular school. Average or above-average achievement was accomplished by 33 (65%) of the VLBW children and 34 (74%) of the siblings in mathematics, and 35 (69%) and 32 (68%), respectively, in reading/spelling. None of these differences reached statistical significance. However, the performance ratings correlated significantly with socio-economic conditions. In this study of infants treated with a regimen of early NCPAP/minimal handling, we found a relatively low incidence of handicaps and impairments. Nearly 90% attended ordinary schools, with near-average performances in mathematics and reading/spelling, which were not statistically different to their siblings. The overall results indicate that these infants fare at least as well as survivors after conventional treatment.
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Ekins, Sean; Olechno, Joe; Williams, Antony J.
2013-01-01
Dispensing and dilution processes may profoundly influence estimates of biological activity of compounds. Published data show Ephrin type-B receptor 4 IC50 values obtained via tip-based serial dilution and dispensing versus acoustic dispensing with direct dilution differ by orders of magnitude with no correlation or ranking of datasets. We generated computational 3D pharmacophores based on data derived by both acoustic and tip-based transfer. The computed pharmacophores differ significantly depending upon dispensing and dilution methods. The acoustic dispensing-derived pharmacophore correctly identified active compounds in a subsequent test set where the tip-based method failed. Data from acoustic dispensing generates a pharmacophore containing two hydrophobic features, one hydrogen bond donor and one hydrogen bond acceptor. This is consistent with X-ray crystallography studies of ligand-protein interactions and automatically generated pharmacophores derived from this structural data. In contrast, the tip-based data suggest a pharmacophore with two hydrogen bond acceptors, one hydrogen bond donor and no hydrophobic features. This pharmacophore is inconsistent with the X-ray crystallographic studies and automatically generated pharmacophores. In short, traditional dispensing processes are another important source of error in high-throughput screening that impacts computational and statistical analyses. These findings have far-reaching implications in biological research. PMID:23658723
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Titapant, Vitaya; Cherdchoogieat, Panida
2012-11-01
There are only few studies concerning the usage of antibiotics in preventing endometritis after uterine curettage for spontaneous first trimester incomplete abortion and no conclusion can be demonstrated To investigate the effectiveness of prophylactic cefoxitin in preventing endometritis after uterine curettage for spontaneous first trimester incomplete abortion. Eighty-four women with spontaneous first trimester incomplete abortion were randomly allocated into two groups using a computer-generated random number list and the allocation concealment was maintained using a sealed opaque envelope. The patients in the study group were given 1 g of cefoxitin while the patients in the control group were given 0.1 ml of vitamin B complex intravenously 20 minutes prior to curettage. Uterine curettage was performed after intravenous sedation and analgesic drugs were administered. The patients were evaluated on the first, third and seventh day after uterine curettage. Seventy-nine cases had completed the study protocol. There were no statistically significant differences in demographic data and details of uterine curettage between both groups. Two cases of endometritis were found in the control group but none in the study group. However the difference did not reach the statistical significance (p = 0.241). Prophylactic cefoxitin is not effective in preventing endometritis after uterine curettage for spontaneous first trimester incomplete abortion.
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Alsadat, Reem; Al-Bardan, Hussam; Mazloum, Mona N; Shamah, Asem A; Eltayeb, Mohamed F E; Marie, Ali; Dakkak, Abdulrahman; Naes, Ola; Esber, Faten; Betelmal, Ibrahim; Kherallah, Mazen
2012-10-01
Implementation of ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) bundle as a performance improvement project in the critical care units for all mechanically ventilated patients aiming to decrease the VAP rates. VAP bundle was implemented in 4 teaching hospitals after educational sessions and compliance rates along with VAP rates were monitored using statistical process control charts. VAP bundle compliance rates were steadily increasing from 33 to 80% in hospital 1, from 33 to 86% in hospital 2 and from 83 to 100% in hospital 3 during the study period. The VAP bundle was not applied in hospital 4 therefore no data was available. A target level of 95% was reached only in hospital 3. This correlated with a decrease in VAP rates from 30 to 6.4 per 1000 ventilator days in hospital 1, from 12 to 4.9 per 1000 ventilator days in hospital 3, whereas VAP rate failed to decrease in hospital 2 (despite better compliance) and it remained high around 33 per 1000 ventilator days in hospital 4 where VAP bundle was not implemented. VAP bundle has performed differently in different hospitals in our study. Prevention of VAP requires a multidimensional strategy that includes strict infection control interventions, VAP bundle implementation, process and outcome surveillance and education.
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Evaluating the best time to intervene acute liver failure in rat models induced by d-galactosamine.
Éboli, Lígia Patrícia de Carvalho Batista; Netto, Alcides Augusto Salzedas; Azevedo, Ramiro Antero de; Lanzoni, Valéria Pereira; Paula, Tatiana Sugayama de; Goldenberg, Alberto; Gonzalez, Adriano Miziara
2016-12-01
To describe an animal model for acute liver failure by intraperitoneal d-galactosamine injections in rats and to define when is the best time to intervene through King's College and Clichy´s criteria evaluation. Sixty-one Wistar female rats were distributed into three groups: group 1 (11 rats received 1.4 g/kg of d-galactosamine intraperitoneally and were observed until they died); group 2 (44 rats received a dose of 1.4 g/kg of d-galactosamine and blood and histological samples were collected for analysis at 12 , 24, 48 , 72 and 120 hours after the injection); and the control group as well (6 rats) . Twelve hours after applying d-galactosamine, AST/ALT, bilirubin, factor V, PT and INR were already altered. The peak was reached at 48 hours. INR > 6.5 was found 12 hours after the injection and factor V < 30% after 24 hours. All the laboratory variables presented statistical differences, except urea (p = 0.758). There were statistical differences among all the histological variables analyzed. King's College and Clichy´s criteria were fulfilled 12 hours after the d-galactosamine injection and this time may represent the best time to intervene in this acute liver failure animal model.
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The importance of socioeconomic factors in symptoms of heartburn.
Navarro-Rodríguez, F; Chaves, R C M; Dib, R A; Navarro-Rodríguez, T
2011-01-01
Patients' socioeconomic status is rarely assessed during medical consultations. To correlate patients' socioeconomic conditions with symptoms of heartburn. 1184 patients who answered a questionnaire in three cities on the coast of the State of Sä Paulo, Brazil, were evaluated prospectively. Socioeconomic status was assessed using several criteria: number of bathrooms, consumer goods present at home, health conditions at home, comfort (cars and/or home helps), monthly family income and head of household's educational level. 583 patients (49.2%) reported occurrences of heartburn over the 30 days preceding the consultation, with frequencies ranging from five to thirty episodes over this period. Among patients from the city of Guarujá (low socioeconomic condition), 9.7% had never felt heartburn, while 65.7% reported occurrences, reaching statistical significance in relation to patients of medium socioeconomic condition (city of Sä Vicente) (p = 0.012). There was no difference between patients from medium socioeconomic condition and patients from Santos (high socioeconomic condition) (p = 0.997). There was a statistically significant difference in occurrence of heartburn between the patients with high socioeconomic condition and those of low socioeconomic condition (p = 0.002). The least favored socioeconomic status patients, as confirmed according to a variety of socioeconomic factors, presented greater incidence of heartburn than did the most favored social class.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Saint-Michel, B.; Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, Centrale Marseille, IRPHE UMR 7342, 13384 Marseille; Herbert, E.
2014-12-15
We report measurements of the dissipation in the Superfluid helium high REynold number von Kármán flow experiment for different forcing conditions. Statistically steady flows are reached; they display a hysteretic behavior similar to what has been observed in a 1:4 scale water experiment. Our macroscopical measurements indicate no noticeable difference between classical and superfluid flows, thereby providing evidence of the same dissipation scaling laws in the two phases. A detailed study of the evolution of the hysteresis cycle with the Reynolds number supports the idea that the stability of the steady states of classical turbulence in this closed flow ismore » partly governed by the dissipative scales. It also supports the idea that the normal and the superfluid components at these temperatures (1.6 K) are locked down to the dissipative length scale.« less
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Wise, M Norton
2016-12-01
In support of Frans van Lunteren’s project for big-picture history organized around “mediating machines,” these comments stress “mediation” as active agency in the world rather than as mere metaphor, on the view that this active agency underlies the potency of technologies as mediators, both between different domains of knowledge and between theories and things. Similarly important for this power is the diversity of the particular constructions that constitute mediators like “balances” or “engines.” Diversity of meaning and action gives them their cultural reach, from mechanical contrivance to natural process to political ideology. An interesting question remains about how many mediating machines will suffice for the big picture of modernity over four centuries. Statistics, for example, might be a crucial addition. Another question concerns how to characterize the knowledge regime of a mediating machine. Van Lunteren chooses “information” for the computer. He might also have chosen “complexity,” with different import for the character of postmodernity.
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Decomposition Rate and Pattern in Hanging Pigs.
Lynch-Aird, Jeanne; Moffatt, Colin; Simmons, Tal
2015-09-01
Accurate prediction of the postmortem interval requires an understanding of the decomposition process and the factors acting upon it. A controlled experiment, over 60 days at an outdoor site in the northwest of England, used 20 freshly killed pigs (Sus scrofa) as human analogues to study decomposition rate and pattern. Ten pigs were hung off the ground and ten placed on the surface. Observed differences in the decomposition pattern required a new decomposition scoring scale to be produced for the hanging pigs to enable comparisons with the surface pigs. The difference in the rate of decomposition between hanging and surface pigs was statistically significant (p=0.001). Hanging pigs reached advanced decomposition stages sooner, but lagged behind during the early stages. This delay is believed to result from lower variety and quantity of insects, due to restricted beetle access to the aerial carcass, and/or writhing maggots falling from the carcass. © 2015 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
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Caçola, Priscila M; Pant, Mohan D
2014-10-01
The purpose was to use a multi-level statistical technique to analyze how children's age, motor proficiency, and cognitive styles interact to affect accuracy on reach estimation tasks via Motor Imagery and Visual Imagery. Results from the Generalized Linear Mixed Model analysis (GLMM) indicated that only the 7-year-old age group had significant random intercepts for both tasks. Motor proficiency predicted accuracy in reach tasks, and cognitive styles (object scale) predicted accuracy in the motor imagery task. GLMM analysis is suitable to explore age and other parameters of development. In this case, it allowed an assessment of motor proficiency interacting with age to shape how children represent, plan, and act on the environment.
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Interactivity fosters Bayesian reasoning without instruction.
Vallée-Tourangeau, Gaëlle; Abadie, Marlène; Vallée-Tourangeau, Frédéric
2015-06-01
Successful statistical reasoning emerges from a dynamic system including: a cognitive agent, material artifacts with their actions possibilities, and the thoughts and actions that are realized while reasoning takes place. Five experiments provide evidence that enabling the physical manipulation of the problem information (through the use of playing cards) substantially improves statistical reasoning, without training or instruction, not only with natural frequency statements (Experiment 1) but also with single-event probability statements (Experiment 2). Improved statistical reasoning was not simply a matter of making all sets and subsets explicit in the pack of cards (Experiment 3), it was not merely due to the discrete and countable layout resulting from the cards manipulation, and it was not mediated by participants' level of engagement with the task (Experiment 5). The positive effect of an increased manipulability of the problem information on participants' reasoning performance was generalizable both over problems whose numeric properties did not map perfectly onto the cards and over different types of cards (Experiment 4). A systematic analysis of participants' behaviors revealed that manipulating cards improved performance when reasoners spent more time actively changing the presentation layout "in the world" as opposed to when they spent more time passively pointing at cards, seemingly attempting to solve the problem "in their head." Although they often go unnoticed, the action possibilities of the material artifacts available and the actions that are realized on those artifacts are constitutive of successful statistical reasoning, even in adults who have ostensibly reached cognitive maturity. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).
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pROC: an open-source package for R and S+ to analyze and compare ROC curves.
Robin, Xavier; Turck, Natacha; Hainard, Alexandre; Tiberti, Natalia; Lisacek, Frédérique; Sanchez, Jean-Charles; Müller, Markus
2011-03-17
Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves are useful tools to evaluate classifiers in biomedical and bioinformatics applications. However, conclusions are often reached through inconsistent use or insufficient statistical analysis. To support researchers in their ROC curves analysis we developed pROC, a package for R and S+ that contains a set of tools displaying, analyzing, smoothing and comparing ROC curves in a user-friendly, object-oriented and flexible interface. With data previously imported into the R or S+ environment, the pROC package builds ROC curves and includes functions for computing confidence intervals, statistical tests for comparing total or partial area under the curve or the operating points of different classifiers, and methods for smoothing ROC curves. Intermediary and final results are visualised in user-friendly interfaces. A case study based on published clinical and biomarker data shows how to perform a typical ROC analysis with pROC. pROC is a package for R and S+ specifically dedicated to ROC analysis. It proposes multiple statistical tests to compare ROC curves, and in particular partial areas under the curve, allowing proper ROC interpretation. pROC is available in two versions: in the R programming language or with a graphical user interface in the S+ statistical software. It is accessible at http://expasy.org/tools/pROC/ under the GNU General Public License. It is also distributed through the CRAN and CSAN public repositories, facilitating its installation.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chien, Yu-Ta; Chang, Chun-Yen
2012-02-01
This study developed three forms of computer-based multimedia, including Static Graphics (SG), Simple Learner-Pacing Animation (SLPA), and Full Learner-Pacing Animation (FLPA), to assist students in learning topographic measuring. The interactive design of FLPA allowed students to physically manipulate the virtual measuring mechanism, rather than passively observe dynamic or static images. The students were randomly assigned to different multimedia groups. The results of a one-way ANOVA analysis indicated that (1) there was a significant difference with a large effect size ( f = .69) in mental effort ratings among three groups, and the post-hoc test indicated that FLPA imposed less cognitive load on students than did SG ( p = .007); (2) the differences of practical performance scores among groups reached the statistic significant level with a large effect size ( f = .76), and the post-hoc test indicated that FLPA fostered better learning outcomes than both SLPA and SG ( p = .004 and p = .05, respectively); (3) the difference in instructional efficiency that was computed by the z-score combination of students' mental effort ratings and practical performance scores among the three groups obtained the statistic significant level with a large effect size ( f = .79), and the post-hoc test indicated that FLPA brought students higher instructional efficiency than those of both SLPA and SG ( p = .01 and .005, respectively); (4) no significant effect was found in instructional time-spans between groups ( p = .637). Overall, FLPA was recommended as the best multimedia form to facilitate topographic measurement learning. The implications of instructional multimedia design were discussed from the perspective of cognitive load theory.
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Probing the reaching-grasping network in humans through multivoxel pattern decoding.
Di Bono, Maria Grazia; Begliomini, Chiara; Castiello, Umberto; Zorzi, Marco
2015-11-01
The quest for a putative human homolog of the reaching-grasping network identified in monkeys has been the focus of many neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies in recent years. These studies have shown that the network underlying reaching-only and reach-to-grasp movements includes the superior parieto-occipital cortex (SPOC), the anterior part of the human intraparietal sulcus (hAIP), the ventral and the dorsal portion of the premotor cortex, and the primary motor cortex (M1). Recent evidence for a wider frontoparietal network coding for different aspects of reaching-only and reach-to-grasp actions calls for a more fine-grained assessment of the reaching-grasping network in humans by exploiting pattern decoding methods (multivoxel pattern analysis--MVPA). Here, we used MPVA on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data to assess whether regions of the frontoparietal network discriminate between reaching-only and reach-to-grasp actions, natural and constrained grasping, different grasp types, and object sizes. Participants were required to perform either reaching-only movements or two reach-to-grasp types (precision or whole hand grasp) upon spherical objects of different sizes. Multivoxel pattern analysis highlighted that, independently from the object size, all the selected regions of both hemispheres contribute in coding for grasp type, with the exception of SPOC and the right hAIP. Consistent with recent neurophysiological findings on monkeys, there was no evidence for a clear-cut distinction between a dorsomedial and a dorsolateral pathway that would be specialized for reaching-only and reach-to-grasp actions, respectively. Nevertheless, the comparison of decoding accuracy across brain areas highlighted their different contributions to reaching-only and grasping actions. Altogether, our findings enrich the current knowledge regarding the functional role of key brain areas involved in the cortical control of reaching-only and reach-to-grasp actions in humans, by revealing novel fine-grained distinctions among action types within a wide frontoparietal network.
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Galactic evolution of copper in the light of NLTE computations
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Andrievsky, S.; Bonifacio, P.; Caffau, E.; Korotin, S.; Spite, M.; Spite, F.; Sbordone, L.; Zhukova, A. V.
2018-01-01
We have developed a model atom for Cu with which we perform statistical equilibrium computations that allow us to compute the line formation of Cu I lines in stellar atmospheres without assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). We validate this model atom by reproducing the observed line profiles of the Sun, Procyon and 11 metal-poor stars. Our sample of stars includes both dwarfs and giants. Over a wide range of stellar parameters, we obtain excellent agreement among different Cu I lines. The 11 metal-poor stars have iron abundances in the range - 4.2 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ -1.4, the weighted mean of the [Cu/Fe] ratios is -0.22 dex, with a scatter of -0.15 dex. This is very different from the results from LTE analysis (the difference between NLTE and LTE abundances reaches 1 dex) and in spite of the small size of our sample, it prompts for a revision of the Galactic evolution of Cu.
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Knapp, B; Frantal, S; Cibena, M; Schreiner, W; Bauer, P
2011-08-01
Molecular dynamics is a commonly used technique in computational biology. One key issue of each molecular dynamics simulation is: When does this simulation reach equilibrium state? A widely used way to determine this is the visual and intuitive inspection of root mean square deviation (RMSD) plots of the simulation. Although this technique has been criticized several times, it is still often used. Therefore, we present a study proving that this method is not reliable at all. We conducted a survey with participants from the field in which we illustrated different RMSD plots to scientists in the field of molecular dynamics. These plots were randomized and repeated, using a statistical model and different variants of the plots. We show that there is no mutual consent about the point of equilibrium. The decisions are severely biased by different parameters. Therefore, we conclude that scientists should not discuss the equilibration of a molecular dynamics simulation on the basis of a RMSD plot.
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Western Saudi adolescent age estimation utilising third molar development.
Alshihri, Amin M; Kruger, Estie; Tennant, Marc
2014-07-01
The aim of this study was to establish reference data on third molar morphology/development for age estimation in Western Saudi adolescents, between ages 14 and 23 years of old. The orthopantomograms of 130 individuals (males and females), were examined, and the stage of third molar development were evaluated. Mean ages, standard deviations, and percentile distributions are presented for each stage of development. The mean estimated age for all participants (n = 130) was 219.7 months, and this differed significantly (P < 0.05) from the mean chronological age (226.5 months). Deviations of predicted age from real age showed 28.5% of all participants had their age estimated within 1 year (±12 months) of their chronological age. Most (43%) had their age underestimated by more than 12 months and the remaining 28.5% had their age overestimated by more than 12 months of their chronological age. Differences in left-right symmetry information of third molars were detected and were higher in the maxilla (92%) than in the mandible (82%). For all molars reaching stage "H" most individuals (males and females) were over the age 18 years of old. Males reach the developmental stages earlier than females. Third molar tooth development can be reliably used to generate mean age and the estimated age range for an individual of unknown chronological age. Further studies with large populations are needed for better statistical results.
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Wun, Ted; McCavit, Timothy L.; De Castro, Laura M.; Krishnamurti, Lakshmanan; Lanzkron, Sophie; Hsu, Lewis L.; Smith, Wally R.; Rhee, Seungshin; Magnani, John L.; Thackray, Helen
2015-01-01
Treatment of vaso-occlusive crises (VOC) or events in sickle cell disease (SCD) remains limited to symptom relief with opioids. Animal models support the effectiveness of the pan-selectin inhibitor GMI-1070 in reducing selectin-mediated cell adhesion and abrogating VOC. We studied GMI-1070 in a prospective multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, phase 2 study of 76 SCD patients with VOC. Study drug (GMI-1070 or placebo) was given every 12 hours for up to 15 doses. Other treatment was per institutional standard of care. All subjects reached the composite primary end point of resolution of VOC. Although time to reach the composite primary end point was not statistically different between the groups, clinically meaningful reductions in mean and median times to VOC resolution of 41 and 63 hours (28% and 48%, P = .19 for both) were observed in the active treatment group vs the placebo group. As a secondary end point, GMI-1070 appeared safe in acute vaso-occlusion, and adverse events were not different in the two arms. Also in secondary analyses, mean cumulative IV opioid analgesic use was reduced by 83% with GMI-1070 vs placebo (P = .010). These results support a phase 3 study of GMI-1070 (now rivipansel) for SCD VOC. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01119833. PMID:25733584
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Effects of an extreme flood on river morphology (case study: Karoon River, Iran)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yousefi, Saleh; Mirzaee, Somayeh; Keesstra, Saskia; Surian, Nicola; Pourghasemi, Hamid Reza; Zakizadeh, Hamid Reza; Tabibian, Sahar
2018-03-01
An extreme flood occurred on 14 April 2016 in the Karoon River, Iran. The occurred flood discharge was the highest discharge recorded over the last 60 years in the Karoon River. Using the OLI Landsat images taken on 8 April 2016 (before the flood) and 24 April 2016 (after the flood) the geomorphic effects were detected in different land cover types within the 155-km-long study reach. The results show that the flood significantly affected the channel width and the main effect was high mobilization of channel sediments and severe bank erosion in the meandering reaches. According to field surveys, the flood occupied the channel corridor and even the floodplain parts. However, the channel pattern was not significantly altered, although the results show that the average channel width increased from 192 to 256 m. Statistical results indicate a significant change for active channel width and sinuosity index at 99% confidence level for both indexes. The flood-induced morphological changes varied significantly for different land cover types along the Karoon River. Specifically, the channel has widened less in residential areas than in other land cover types because of the occurrence of bank protection structures. However, the value of bank retreat in residential and protected sides of the Karoon River is more than what we expected during the study of extreme flood.
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Liu, Hua; Weng, Qihao; Gaines, David
2008-12-18
This study developed a multi-temporal analysis on the relationship between West Nile Virus (WNV) dissemination and environmental variables by using an integrated approach of remote sensing, GIS, and statistical techniques. WNV mosquito cases in seven months (April-October) of the six years (2002-2007) were collected in Indianapolis, USA. Epidemic curves were plotted to identify the temporal outbreaks of WNV. Spatial-temporal analysis and k-mean cluster analysis were further applied to determine the high-risk areas. Finally, the relationship between environmental variables and WNV outbreaks were examined by using Discriminant Analysis. The results show that the WNV epidemic curve reached its peak in August for all years in the study area except in 2007, where the peak was reached in July. WNV dissemination started from the central longitudinal corridor of the city and spread out to the east and west. Different years and seasons had different high-risk areas, but the southwest and southeast corners show the highest risk for WNV infection due to their high percentages of agriculture and water sources. Major environmental factors contributing to the outbreak of WNV in Indianapolis were the percentages of agriculture and water, total length of streams, and total size of wetlands. This study provides important information for urban public health prevention and management. It also contributes to the optimization of mosquito control and arrangement of future sampling efforts.
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Annotated Bibliography of Relative Sea Level Change
1991-09-01
Millennial Basis, Morner and Kui-len, eds., D. Reidel. Publishing Company, pp 571-604. Over the last few years, considerable attention has been given to...historic erosion rates. Curiously , the ability to model statistically the historic shore erosion rate is best on those reaches already substantially
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A simple and fast representation space for classifying complex time series
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zunino, Luciano; Olivares, Felipe; Bariviera, Aurelio F.; Rosso, Osvaldo A.
2017-03-01
In the context of time series analysis considerable effort has been directed towards the implementation of efficient discriminating statistical quantifiers. Very recently, a simple and fast representation space has been introduced, namely the number of turning points versus the Abbe value. It is able to separate time series from stationary and non-stationary processes with long-range dependences. In this work we show that this bidimensional approach is useful for distinguishing complex time series: different sets of financial and physiological data are efficiently discriminated. Additionally, a multiscale generalization that takes into account the multiple time scales often involved in complex systems has been also proposed. This multiscale analysis is essential to reach a higher discriminative power between physiological time series in health and disease.
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Precision searches in dijets at the HL-LHC and HE-LHC
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Chekanov, S. V.; Childers, J. T.; Proudfoot, J.; Wang, R.; Frizzell, D.
2018-05-01
This paper explores the physics reach of the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) for searches of new particles decaying to two jets. We discuss inclusive searches in dijets and b-jets, as well as searches in semi-inclusive events by requiring an additional lepton that increases sensitivity to different aspects of the underlying processes. We discuss the expected exclusion limits for generic models predicting new massive particles that result in resonant structures in the dijet mass. Prospects of the Higher-Energy LHC (HE-LHC) collider are also discussed. The study is based on the Pythia8 Monte Carlo generator using representative event statistics for the HL-LHC and HE-LHC running conditions. The event samples were created using supercomputers at NERSC.
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Dhillon, S; Oxley, J; Richens, A
1982-01-01
1 The absorption of single doses of diazepam in six adult epileptic subjects following intravenous, oral and rectal administration were studied in order to evaluate the usefulness of the latter in emergency situations in the adult. 2 Diazepam tablets (Valium, Roche) and rectal solution (Valium solution for intravenous administration) produced similar peak serum concentrations after delays of 15-90 min. 3 Two suppository formulations showed statistically significant differences in absorption characteristics. 4 Serum diazepam levels above 400 ng ml-1 (suggested to be necessary for a satisfactory anticonvulsant effect) were reached in only a few subjects after rectal doses of 10-20 mg of solution, and then usually after a delay of over 2 h. PMID:7059446
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Shinitzky, Meir; Elitzur, Avshalom C
2006-09-01
The two hydrogen atoms attached to the carbon in the methylene group are of two different spin configurations, similar to those in the case of water: ortho, where the two proton spins are parallel to each other, and para, where they are antiparallel. The ortho configuration has three degenerate states, while the para configuration is singular, leading to a statistical ratio of these isomers 3:1 ortho/para. Such spin isomers are present in glycine and most chiral amino acids where they may induce broadening of structural zones, a possibility which remains to be assessed. The implications of this neglected possibility could be far-reaching, in particular with respect to protein structure and the origins of biochirality.
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[Application of statistics on chronic-diseases-relating observational research papers].
Hong, Zhi-heng; Wang, Ping; Cao, Wei-hua
2012-09-01
To study the application of statistics on Chronic-diseases-relating observational research papers which were recently published in the Chinese Medical Association Magazines, with influential index above 0.5. Using a self-developed criterion, two investigators individually participated in assessing the application of statistics on Chinese Medical Association Magazines, with influential index above 0.5. Different opinions reached an agreement through discussion. A total number of 352 papers from 6 magazines, including the Chinese Journal of Epidemiology, Chinese Journal of Oncology, Chinese Journal of Preventive Medicine, Chinese Journal of Cardiology, Chinese Journal of Internal Medicine and Chinese Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, were reviewed. The rate of clear statement on the following contents as: research objectives, t target audience, sample issues, objective inclusion criteria and variable definitions were 99.43%, 98.57%, 95.43%, 92.86% and 96.87%. The correct rates of description on quantitative and qualitative data were 90.94% and 91.46%, respectively. The rates on correctly expressing the results, on statistical inference methods related to quantitative, qualitative data and modeling were 100%, 95.32% and 87.19%, respectively. 89.49% of the conclusions could directly response to the research objectives. However, 69.60% of the papers did not mention the exact names of the study design, statistically, that the papers were using. 11.14% of the papers were in lack of further statement on the exclusion criteria. Percentage of the papers that could clearly explain the sample size estimation only taking up as 5.16%. Only 24.21% of the papers clearly described the variable value assignment. Regarding the introduction on statistical conduction and on database methods, the rate was only 24.15%. 18.75% of the papers did not express the statistical inference methods sufficiently. A quarter of the papers did not use 'standardization' appropriately. As for the aspect of statistical inference, the rate of description on statistical testing prerequisite was only 24.12% while 9.94% papers did not even employ the statistical inferential method that should be used. The main deficiencies on the application of Statistics used in papers related to Chronic-diseases-related observational research were as follows: lack of sample-size determination, variable value assignment description not sufficient, methods on statistics were not introduced clearly or properly, lack of consideration for pre-requisition regarding the use of statistical inferences.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Leviandier, Thierry; Alber, A.; Le Ber, F.; Piégay, H.
2012-02-01
Seven methods designed to delineate homogeneous river segments, belonging to four families, namely — tests of homogeneity, contrast enhancing, spatially constrained classification, and hidden Markov models — are compared, firstly on their principles, then on a case study, and on theoretical templates. These templates contain patterns found in the case study but not considered in the standard assumptions of statistical methods, such as gradients and curvilinear structures. The influence of data resolution, noise and weak satisfaction of the assumptions underlying the methods is investigated. The control of the number of reaches obtained in order to achieve meaningful comparisons is discussed. No method is found that outperforms all the others on all trials. However, the methods with sequential algorithms (keeping at order n + 1 all breakpoints found at order n) fail more often than those running complete optimisation at any order. The Hubert-Kehagias method and Hidden Markov Models are the most successful at identifying subpatterns encapsulated within the templates. Ergodic Hidden Markov Models are, moreover, liable to exhibit transition areas.
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Variables in psychology: a critique of quantitative psychology.
Toomela, Aaro
2008-09-01
Mind is hidden from direct observation; it can be studied only by observing behavior. Variables encode information about behaviors. There is no one-to-one correspondence between behaviors and mental events underlying the behaviors, however. In order to understand mind it would be necessary to understand exactly what information is represented in variables. This aim cannot be reached after variables are already encoded. Therefore, statistical data analysis can be very misleading in studies aimed at understanding mind that underlies behavior. In this article different kinds of information that can be represented in variables are described. It is shown how informational ambiguity of variables leads to problems of theoretically meaningful interpretation of the results of statistical data analysis procedures in terms of hidden mental processes. Reasons are provided why presence of dependence between variables does not imply causal relationship between events represented by variables and absence of dependence between variables cannot rule out the causal dependence of events represented by variables. It is concluded that variable-psychology has a very limited range of application for the development of a theory of mind-psychology.
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Evaluating a linearized Euler equations model for strong turbulence effects on sound propagation.
Ehrhardt, Loïc; Cheinet, Sylvain; Juvé, Daniel; Blanc-Benon, Philippe
2013-04-01
Sound propagation outdoors is strongly affected by atmospheric turbulence. Under strongly perturbed conditions or long propagation paths, the sound fluctuations reach their asymptotic behavior, e.g., the intensity variance progressively saturates. The present study evaluates the ability of a numerical propagation model based on the finite-difference time-domain solving of the linearized Euler equations in quantitatively reproducing the wave statistics under strong and saturated intensity fluctuations. It is the continuation of a previous study where weak intensity fluctuations were considered. The numerical propagation model is presented and tested with two-dimensional harmonic sound propagation over long paths and strong atmospheric perturbations. The results are compared to quantitative theoretical or numerical predictions available on the wave statistics, including the log-amplitude variance and the probability density functions of the complex acoustic pressure. The match is excellent for the evaluated source frequencies and all sound fluctuations strengths. Hence, this model captures these many aspects of strong atmospheric turbulence effects on sound propagation. Finally, the model results for the intensity probability density function are compared with a standard fit by a generalized gamma function.
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Knee osteoarthritis, dyslipidemia syndrome and exercise.
Păstrăiguş, Carmen; Ancuţa, Codrina; Miu, Smaranda; Ancuţa, E; Chirieac, Rodica
2012-01-01
The aim of our study was to evaluate the influence of aerobic training on the dyslipedemia in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Prospective observational six-month study performed on 40 patients with KOA, fulfilling the inclusion criteria, classified according to their participation in specific aerobic training program (30 minutes/day, 5 days/ week) in two subgroups. A standard evaluation protocol was followed assessing lipid parameters (total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol levels) at baseline, three and six months. Statistical analysis was performed in SPSS 16.0, p < 0.05. Subgroup analysis has demonstrated a statistical significant improvement in plasma lipids levels in all patients performing regular aerobic training (cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol) (p < 0.05). Although the difference reported for total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol after six months between subgroups was not significant (p > 0.05), the mean level of HDL-cholesterol was significantly higher in patients performing aerobic training, reaching the cardio-vascular protective levels. Regular aerobic exercise has a positive effect on plasma lipoprotein concentrations; further research is needed for the assessment of long-term effects of physical exercises for both KOA and lipid pattern.
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The forgotten survey: social services in the Oxford district: 1935-40.
Peretz, Elizabeth
2011-01-01
This article describes one of the lesser known social surveys of the first half of the twentieth century in Britain and looks at its origins and its outcomes. Funded by the Rockefeller grant to Oxford University to enhance social studies there, the Oxford Survey published in two volumes in 1938 and 1940 engaged Oxford academics from agricultural economics, economics, statistics, and government, as well as Barnett House members involved in voluntary organizations, adult education, settlements, citizenship, and social work. It was a far-reaching study that aimed to analyse all aspects of public services, in the context of a thorough-going description of the geography, industry, and population statistics of the local area. It was also designed to have national relevance, because of the development of the motor industry in Cowley. The Oxford Survey differed from Booth and Rowntree's exploration of the habits and circumstances of the urban poor. Instead, it had more affinity to surveys of industrial and regional planning and work coming from the Le Play school, in which the act of surveying communities was perceived as a way of enhancing citizenship.
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A model for patient participation in quality of life measurement to improve rehabilitation outcomes.
Callahan, M B; LeSage, L; Johnstone, S
1999-01-01
Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measurement is being used to assess end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients' functional status and well-being from the patient's perspective. Research shows that HRQOL can screen for patients at high risk for death, hospitalization, treatment adherence, and depression. This study investigated whether patient goal setting and interdisciplinary collaboration and support could increase HRQOL scores in ESRD patients on chronic maintenance hemodialysis. Differences were found to be statistically significant in two of the MOS Short Form 36 (SF-36) categories (role physical and role emotional) following the intervention at the 95% confidence interval using a t-test statistic. This indicates that the intervention had a positive impact on patient perceptions of their health status. Eighty-seven percent indicated that there had been at least some progress made in reaching the goal. The results of this study support the utilization of HRQOL data at the facility level to improve patient's perceptions of their health status. A further study is needed to examine the long-term impact on HRQOL and other patient outcome measures through consistent use of this intervention.
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Surgical Treatment of Combined Posterior Root Tears of the Lateral Meniscus and ACL Tears
Pan, Fengyu; Hua, Shan; Ma, Zhuang
2015-01-01
Background The treatment of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture complicated with posterior lateral meniscus root (PLMR) tears remains controversial. The goal of this study was to evaluate clinical outcomes of PLMR tear refixation versus left untreated at the time of reconstruction. Material/Methods From August 2001 to January 2012, 31 patients who undergone repair of PLMR tears were evaluated and compared with a matched control group with untreated PLMR tears. Clinical evaluation consisted of the Lysholm scale, subjective International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) questionnaires, and radiographic evaluation with MRI. Results Regarding to the Lysholm score and the subjective questionnaire score, there were no statistical difference between the 2 groups. However, patients after operative treatment reach higher functional scores and lower rates of osteoarthritis (normal: group A, 80%, and group B, 48%, respectively) with statistical significance (P<0.05) compared to the matched control group. Conclusions Surgical and conservative treatment of the PLMR can both effectively improve knee function. However, a tendency towards higher functional scores and lower rates of osteoarthritis for patients with operative treatment was observed. PMID:25959903
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Abella, F; Patel, S; Durán-Sindreu, F; Mercadé, M; Bueno, R; Roig, M
2014-04-01
To evaluate the presence or absence of periapical (PA) radiolucencies on individual roots of teeth with necrotic pulps, as assessed with digital PA radiographs and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Digital PA radiographs and CBCT scans were taken from 161 endodontically untreated teeth (from 155 patients) diagnosed with non-vital pulps (pulp necrosis with normal PA tissue, symptomatic apical periodontitis, asymptomatic apical periodontitis, acute apical abscess and chronic apical abscess). Images were assessed by two calibrated endodontists to analyse the radiographic PA status of the teeth. A consensus was reached in the event of any disagreement. The data were analysed using a McNemar's test, and significance was set at P ≤ 0.05. Three hundred and forty paired images of roots were assessed with both digital PA radiographs and CBCT images. Fifteen additional roots were identified with CBCT. PA radiolucencies were present in 132 (38.8%) roots when assessed with PA radiographs, and in 196 (57.6%) roots when assessed with CBCT. This difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). In teeth diagnosed with pulp necrosis, symptomatic apical periodontitis or acute apical abscess, CBCT images revealed a statistically larger number of PA radiolucencies than did PA radiographs (P < 0.05). No statistical differences were observed between PA radiographs and CBCT in teeth classified with asymptomatic apical periodontitis (P = 0.31) or chronic apical abscess (P = 1). Unlike PA radiographs, CBCT revealed a higher prevalence of PA radiolucencies when endodontically untreated teeth with non-vital pulps were examined. © 2013 International Endodontic Journal. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Mixed memory, (non) Hurst effect, and maximum entropy of rainfall in the tropical Andes
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Poveda, Germán
2011-02-01
Diverse linear and nonlinear statistical parameters of rainfall under aggregation in time and the kind of temporal memory are investigated. Data sets from the Andes of Colombia at different resolutions (15 min and 1-h), and record lengths (21 months and 8-40 years) are used. A mixture of two timescales is found in the autocorrelation and autoinformation functions, with short-term memory holding for time lags less than 15-30 min, and long-term memory onwards. Consistently, rainfall variance exhibits different temporal scaling regimes separated at 15-30 min and 24 h. Tests for the Hurst effect evidence the frailty of the R/ S approach in discerning the kind of memory in high resolution rainfall, whereas rigorous statistical tests for short-memory processes do reject the existence of the Hurst effect. Rainfall information entropy grows as a power law of aggregation time, S( T) ˜ Tβ with < β> = 0.51, up to a timescale, TMaxEnt (70-202 h), at which entropy saturates, with β = 0 onwards. Maximum entropy is reached through a dynamic Generalized Pareto distribution, consistently with the maximum information-entropy principle for heavy-tailed random variables, and with its asymptotically infinitely divisible property. The dynamics towards the limit distribution is quantified. Tsallis q-entropies also exhibit power laws with T, such that Sq( T) ˜ Tβ( q) , with β( q) ⩽ 0 for q ⩽ 0, and β( q) ≃ 0.5 for q ⩾ 1. No clear patterns are found in the geographic distribution within and among the statistical parameters studied, confirming the strong variability of tropical Andean rainfall.
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Assessment of nickel release from various dental appliances used routinely in pediatric dentistry.
Kulkarni, Parimala; Agrawal, Suchi; Bansal, Arpana; Jain, Ankur; Tiwari, Utkarsh; Anand, Ayushi
2016-01-01
The use of nickel-containing alloys in dentistry has been questioned because of the biological liabilities of nickel and the release of nickel ions from dental appliances into the oral cavity. The potential health hazards of nickel and chromium and their compounds have been the focus of attention for more than 100 years. It has established that these metals could cause hypersensitivity. To assess the nickel release from various dental appliances used in pediatric dentistry. It is a in vitro study. The study was undertaken to analyze in vitro biodegradation of space maintainers and stainless steel crowns made out of stainless steel materials from different manufacturers. The leaching effect simulating the use of clinical practice was studied by keeping the respective number of Stainless Steel Crowns and space maintainers in the artificial saliva incubating at 37°C and analyzing for nickel release after 1,7,14,21 and 28 days using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The results were statistically analyzed by using One way ANOVA and repeated measures of ANOVA was applied at different time intervals i.e. 1,7,14,21,28 days. The critical value for statistical significance was set at P = 0.05. Results showed that there was measurable release of nickel which reached maximum level at the end of 7 days which was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The release of nickel and chromium very much below when compared with the average dietary intake of nickel (200-300 ppm/day) which were not capable of causing any toxic effects.
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Neural coordination during reach-to-grasp
Vaidya, Mukta; Kording, Konrad; Saleh, Maryam; Takahashi, Kazutaka
2015-01-01
When reaching to grasp, we coordinate how we preshape the hand with how we move it. To ask how motor cortical neurons participate in this coordination, we examined the interactions between reach- and grasp-related neuronal ensembles while monkeys reached to grasp a variety of different objects in different locations. By describing the dynamics of these two ensembles as trajectories in a low-dimensional state space, we examined their coupling in time. We found evidence for temporal compensation across many different reach-to-grasp conditions such that if one neural trajectory led in time the other tended to catch up, reducing the asynchrony between the trajectories. Granger causality revealed bidirectional interactions between reach and grasp neural trajectories beyond that which could be attributed to the joint kinematics that were consistently stronger in the grasp-to-reach direction. Characterizing cortical coordination dynamics provides a new framework for understanding the functional interactions between neural populations. PMID:26224773
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Very Slow Search and Reach: Failure to Maximize Expected Gain in an Eye-Hand Coordination Task
Zhang, Hang; Morvan, Camille; Etezad-Heydari, Louis-Alexandre; Maloney, Laurence T.
2012-01-01
We examined an eye-hand coordination task where optimal visual search and hand movement strategies were inter-related. Observers were asked to find and touch a target among five distractors on a touch screen. Their reward for touching the target was reduced by an amount proportional to how long they took to locate and reach to it. Coordinating the eye and the hand appropriately would markedly reduce the search-reach time. Using statistical decision theory we derived the sequence of interrelated eye and hand movements that would maximize expected gain and we predicted how hand movements should change as the eye gathered further information about target location. We recorded human observers' eye movements and hand movements and compared them with the optimal strategy that would have maximized expected gain. We found that most observers failed to adopt the optimal search-reach strategy. We analyze and describe the strategies they did adopt. PMID:23071430
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Trial Sequential Analysis in systematic reviews with meta-analysis.
Wetterslev, Jørn; Jakobsen, Janus Christian; Gluud, Christian
2017-03-06
Most meta-analyses in systematic reviews, including Cochrane ones, do not have sufficient statistical power to detect or refute even large intervention effects. This is why a meta-analysis ought to be regarded as an interim analysis on its way towards a required information size. The results of the meta-analyses should relate the total number of randomised participants to the estimated required meta-analytic information size accounting for statistical diversity. When the number of participants and the corresponding number of trials in a meta-analysis are insufficient, the use of the traditional 95% confidence interval or the 5% statistical significance threshold will lead to too many false positive conclusions (type I errors) and too many false negative conclusions (type II errors). We developed a methodology for interpreting meta-analysis results, using generally accepted, valid evidence on how to adjust thresholds for significance in randomised clinical trials when the required sample size has not been reached. The Lan-DeMets trial sequential monitoring boundaries in Trial Sequential Analysis offer adjusted confidence intervals and restricted thresholds for statistical significance when the diversity-adjusted required information size and the corresponding number of required trials for the meta-analysis have not been reached. Trial Sequential Analysis provides a frequentistic approach to control both type I and type II errors. We define the required information size and the corresponding number of required trials in a meta-analysis and the diversity (D 2 ) measure of heterogeneity. We explain the reasons for using Trial Sequential Analysis of meta-analysis when the actual information size fails to reach the required information size. We present examples drawn from traditional meta-analyses using unadjusted naïve 95% confidence intervals and 5% thresholds for statistical significance. Spurious conclusions in systematic reviews with traditional meta-analyses can be reduced using Trial Sequential Analysis. Several empirical studies have demonstrated that the Trial Sequential Analysis provides better control of type I errors and of type II errors than the traditional naïve meta-analysis. Trial Sequential Analysis represents analysis of meta-analytic data, with transparent assumptions, and better control of type I and type II errors than the traditional meta-analysis using naïve unadjusted confidence intervals.
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Guiné, R P F; Duarte, J; Ferreira, M; Correia, P; Leal, M; Rumbak, I; Barić, I C; Komes, D; Satalić, Z; Sarić, M M; Tarcea, M; Fazakas, Z; Jovanoska, D; Vanevski, D; Vittadini, E; Pellegrini, N; Szűcs, V; Harangozó, J; El-Kenawy, A; El-Shenawy, O; Yalçın, E; Kösemeci, C; Klava, D; Straumite, E
2016-12-01
Dietary fibre (DF) is one of the components of diet that strongly contributes to health improvements, particularly on the gastrointestinal system. Hence, this work intended to evaluate the relations between some sociodemographic variables such as age, gender, level of education, living environment or country on the levels of knowledge about dietary fibre (KADF), its sources and its effects on human health, using a validated scale. The present study was a cross-sectional study. A methodological study was conducted with 6010 participants, residing in 10 countries from different continents (Europe, America, Africa). The instrument was a questionnaire of self-response, aimed at collecting information on knowledge about food fibres. The instrument was used to validate a scale (KADF) which model was used in the present work to identify the best predictors of knowledge. The statistical tools used were as follows: basic descriptive statistics, decision trees, inferential analysis (t-test for independent samples with Levene test and one-way ANOVA with multiple comparisons post hoc tests). The results showed that the best predictor for the three types of knowledge evaluated (about DF, about its sources and about its effects on human health) was always the country, meaning that the social, cultural and/or political conditions greatly determine the level of knowledge. On the other hand, the tests also showed that statistically significant differences were encountered regarding the three types of knowledge for all sociodemographic variables evaluated: age, gender, level of education, living environment and country. The results showed that to improve the level of knowledge the actions planned should not be delineated in general as to reach all sectors of the populations, and that in addressing different people, different methodologies must be designed so as to provide an effective health education. Copyright © 2016 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Biggs, Holly M.; Galloway, Renee L.; Bui, Duy M.; Morrissey, Annie B.; Maro, Venance P.
2013-01-01
Abstract Background Leptospirosis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are prevalent in many areas, including northern Tanzania, yet little is known about their interaction. Methods We enrolled febrile inpatients at two hospitals in Moshi, Tanzania, over 1 year and performed HIV antibody testing and the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) for leptospirosis. Confirmed leptospirosis was defined as ≥four-fold rise in MAT titer between acute and convalescent serum samples, and probable leptospirosis was defined as any reciprocal MAT titer ≥800. Results Confirmed or probable leptospirosis was found in 70 (8.4%) of 831 participants with at least one serum sample tested. At total of 823 (99.0%) of 831 participants had HIV testing performed, and 203 (24.7%) were HIV infected. Among HIV-infected participants, 9 (4.4%) of 203 had confirmed or probable leptospirosis, whereas among HIV-uninfected participants 61 (9.8%) of 620 had leptospirosis. Leptospirosis was less prevalent among HIV-infected as compared to HIV-uninfected participants [odds ratio (OR) 0.43, p=0.019]. Among those with leptospirosis, HIV-infected patients more commonly presented with features of severe sepsis syndrome than HIV-uninfected patients, but differences were not statistically significant. Among HIV-infected patients, severe immunosuppression was not significantly different between those with and without leptospirosis (p=0.476). Among HIV-infected adolescents and adults, median CD4 percent and median CD4 count were higher among those with leptospirosis as compared to those with other etiologies of febrile illness, but differences in CD4 count did not reach statistical significance (p=0.015 and p=0.089, respectively). Conclusions Among febrile inpatients in northern Tanzania, leptospirosis was not more prevalent among HIV-infected patients. Although some indicators of leptospirosis severity were more common among HIV-infected patients, a statistically significant difference was not demonstrated. Among HIV-infected patients, those with leptospirosis were not more immunosuppressed relative to those with other etiologies of febrile illness. PMID:23663165
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Nault, Marie-Lyne; Mac-Thiong, Jean-Marc; Roy-Beaudry, Marjolaine; Turgeon, Isabelle; deGuise, Jacques; Labelle, Hubert
2014-01-01
Study Design. This is a prospective case-control study. Objective. The objective of this study was to compare 3-dimensional (3D) morphological parameters of the spine at the first visit between a nonprogressive (NP) and a progressive (P) group of immature adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Summary of Background Data. Prediction of curve progression remains challenging in AIS at the first visit. Prediction of progression is based on curve type, curve magnitude, and skeletal or chronological age. Methods. A prospective cohort of 133 AIS was followed from skeletal immaturity to maturity (mean, 37 mo). The first group was made up of patients with AIS with a minimum 6-degree progression of the major curve between the first and last follow-up (P) (n = 53) and the second group was composed of patients with NP who reached maturity with less than 6-degree progression (n = 81). Computerized measurements were taken on reconstructed 3-dimensional (3D) spine radiographs of the first visit. There were 6 categories of measurements: angle of plane of maximum curvature, Cobb angles (kyphosis, lordosis), 3D wedging (apical vertebra, apical disks), rotation (upper and lower junctional vertebra, apical vertebra, and thoracolumbar junction), torsion, and slenderness (height/width ratio). t tests were also conducted. Results. There was no statistical difference between the 2 groups for age and initial Cobb angle. P presented significant hypokyphosis, and parameters related to rotation presented significant statistical differences between NP and P (plane of maximal curvature, torsion, and apical axial rotation). Depth slenderness also presented statistical differences. Conclusion. This study confirms that even at the initial visit, 3D morphological differences exist between P and NP AIS. It supports the use of 3D reconstructions of the spine in the initial evaluation of AIS to help predict outcome. Level of Evidence: 3 PMID:24776699
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Travier, Noémie; Velthuis, Miranda J; Steins Bisschop, Charlotte N; van den Buijs, Bram; Monninkhof, Evelyn M; Backx, Frank; Los, Maartje; Erdkamp, Frans; Bloemendal, Haiko J; Rodenhuis, Carla; de Roos, Marnix A J; Verhaar, Marlies; ten Bokkel Huinink, Daan; van der Wall, Elsken; Peeters, Petra H M; May, Anne M
2015-06-08
Exercise started shortly after breast cancer diagnosis might prevent or diminish fatigue complaints. The Physical Activity during Cancer Treatment (PACT) study was designed to primarily examine the effects of an 18-week exercise intervention, offered in the daily clinical practice setting and starting within 6 weeks after diagnosis, on preventing an increase in fatigue. This multi-centre controlled trial randomly assigned 204 breast cancer patients to usual care (n = 102) or supervised aerobic and resistance exercise (n = 102). By design, all patients received chemotherapy between baseline and 18 weeks. Fatigue (i.e., primary outcome at 18 weeks), quality of life, anxiety, depression, and physical fitness were measured at 18 and 36 weeks. Intention-to-treat mixed linear model analyses showed that physical fatigue increased significantly less during cancer treatment in the intervention group compared to control (mean between-group differences at 18 weeks: -1.3; 95 % CI -2.5 to -0.1; effect size -0.30). Results for general fatigue were comparable but did not reach statistical significance (-1.0, 95%CI -2.1; 0.1; effect size -0.23). At 18 weeks, submaximal cardiorespiratory fitness and several muscle strength tests (leg extension and flexion) were significantly higher in the intervention group compared to control, whereas peak oxygen uptake did not differ between groups. At 36 weeks these differences were no longer statistically significant. Quality of life outcomes favoured the exercise group but were not significantly different between groups. A supervised 18-week exercise programme offered early in routine care during adjuvant breast cancer treatment showed positive effects on physical fatigue, submaximal cardiorespiratory fitness, and muscle strength. Exercise early during treatment of breast cancer can be recommended. At 36 weeks, these effects were no longer statistically significant. This might have been caused by the control participants' high physical activity levels during follow-up. Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN43801571, Dutch Trial Register NTR2138. Trial registered on December 9th, 2009.
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A pilot study of chest tube versus pigtail catheter drainage of acute hemothorax in swine.
Russo, Rachel M; Zakaluzny, Scott A; Neff, Lucas P; Grayson, J Kevin; Hight, Rachel A; Galante, Joseph M; Shatz, David V
2015-12-01
Evacuation of traumatic hemothorax (HTx) is typically accomplished with large-bore (28-40 Fr) chest tubes, often resulting in patient discomfort. Management of HTx with smaller (14 Fr) pigtail catheters has not been widely adopted because of concerns about tube occlusion and blood evacuation rates. We compared pigtail catheters with chest tubes for the drainage of acute HTx in a swine model. Six Yorkshire cross-bred swine (44-54 kg) were anesthetized, instrumented, and mechanically ventilated. A 32 Fr chest tube was placed in one randomly assigned hemithorax; a 14 Fr pigtail catheter was placed in the other. Each was connected to a chest drainage system at -20 cm H2O suction and clamped. Over 15 minutes, 1,500 mL of arterial blood was withdrawn via femoral artery catheters. Seven hundred fifty milliliters of the withdrawn blood was instilled into each pleural space, and fluid resuscitation with colloid was initiated. The chest drains were then unclamped. Output from each drain was measured every minute for 5 minutes and then every 5 minutes for 40 minutes. The swine were euthanized, and thoracotomies were performed to quantify the volume of blood remaining in each pleural space and to examine the position of each tube. Blood drainage was more rapid from the chest tube during the first 3 minutes compared with the pigtail catheter (348 ± 109 mL/min vs. 176 ± 53 mL/min), but this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.19). Thereafter, the rates of drainage between the two tubes were not substantially different. The chest tube drained a higher total percentage of the blood from the chest (87.3% vs. 70.3%), but this difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.21). We found no statistically significant difference in the volume of blood drained by a 14 Fr pigtail catheter compared with a 32 Fr chest tube.
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Piroxicam in acute musculoskeletal disorders and sports injuries.
Heere, L P
1988-05-20
Approximately 20 percent of athletes have an acute or chronic injury related to their sport. In acute musculoskeletal disorders, inflammation is an important component of the symptomatology. Recent clinical studies are showing that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can significantly reduce inflammation and help speed return to full function. In an international study, the efficacy and toleration of piroxicam were compared with that of indomethacin, naproxen, and aspirin in three multicenter, double-blind, parallel studies involving a total of 1,290 patients with acute sprains and tendinitis. The centers compared piroxicam 40 mg once daily for the first two days followed by 20 mg once daily for the remainder of the studies. This regimen was compared with either indomethacin, 50 mg three times per day for two days and 25 mg three times per day for the remainder of the treatment period; naproxen 500 mg twice daily for two days followed by 250 mg in the morning and 500 mg in the evening thereafter; or aspirin 4 g per day for the duration of the study. Treatment normally lasted 14 days; the minimal duration was seven days, with a maximum of 28 days. Overall assessment of efficacy was excellent or good in more than 80 percent of patients. Statistical differences were seen favoring piroxicam over aspirin (p less than 0.05) regarding reduction in tenderness and resumption of daily activities within 16 days (p less than 0.02). The study comparing piroxicam and naproxen showed a statistically significant difference in favor of piroxicam (p less than 0.025). There was no difference between piroxicam and indomethacin in the number of patients who were able to accomplish normal daily activity within 16 days. Furthermore, although efficacy was comparable among the NSAIDs, piroxicam was significantly better-tolerated than either naproxen or indomethacin. Piroxicam was also better-tolerated than aspirin, but a statistical difference was not reached.
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α -induced reactions on 115In: Cross section measurements and statistical model analysis
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kiss, G. G.; Szücs, T.; Mohr, P.; Török, Zs.; Huszánk, R.; Gyürky, Gy.; Fülöp, Zs.
2018-05-01
Background: α -nucleus optical potentials are basic ingredients of statistical model calculations used in nucleosynthesis simulations. While the nucleon+nucleus optical potential is fairly well known, for the α +nucleus optical potential several different parameter sets exist and large deviations, reaching sometimes even an order of magnitude, are found between the cross section predictions calculated using different parameter sets. Purpose: A measurement of the radiative α -capture and the α -induced reaction cross sections on the nucleus 115In at low energies allows a stringent test of statistical model predictions. Since experimental data are scarce in this mass region, this measurement can be an important input to test the global applicability of α +nucleus optical model potentials and further ingredients of the statistical model. Methods: The reaction cross sections were measured by means of the activation method. The produced activities were determined by off-line detection of the γ rays and characteristic x rays emitted during the electron capture decay of the produced Sb isotopes. The 115In(α ,γ )119Sb and 115In(α ,n )Sb118m reaction cross sections were measured between Ec .m .=8.83 and 15.58 MeV, and the 115In(α ,n )Sb118g reaction was studied between Ec .m .=11.10 and 15.58 MeV. The theoretical analysis was performed within the statistical model. Results: The simultaneous measurement of the (α ,γ ) and (α ,n ) cross sections allowed us to determine a best-fit combination of all parameters for the statistical model. The α +nucleus optical potential is identified as the most important input for the statistical model. The best fit is obtained for the new Atomki-V1 potential, and good reproduction of the experimental data is also achieved for the first version of the Demetriou potentials and the simple McFadden-Satchler potential. The nucleon optical potential, the γ -ray strength function, and the level density parametrization are also constrained by the data although there is no unique best-fit combination. Conclusions: The best-fit calculations allow us to extrapolate the low-energy (α ,γ ) cross section of 115In to the astrophysical Gamow window with reasonable uncertainties. However, still further improvements of the α -nucleus potential are required for a global description of elastic (α ,α ) scattering and α -induced reactions in a wide range of masses and energies.
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Midwifery empowerment: National surveys of midwives from Australia, New Zealand and Sweden.
Hildingsson, Ingegerd; Gamble, Jenny; Sidebotham, Mary; Creedy, Debra K; Guilliland, Karen; Dixon, Lesley; Pallant, Julie; Fenwick, Jennifer
2016-09-01
the predicted midwifery workforce shortages in several countries have serious implications for the care of women during pregnancy, birth and post partum. There are a number of factors known to contribute to midwifery shortages and work attrition. However, midwives assessment of their own professional identity and role (sense of empowerment) are perhaps among the most important. There are few international workforce comparisons. to compare midwives' sense of empowerment across Australia, New Zealand and Sweden using the Perceptions of Empowerment in Midwifery Scale-R (PEMS-Revised). a self-administered survey package was distributed to midwives through professional colleges and networks in each country. The surveys asked about personal, professional and employment details and included the Perceptions of Empowerment in Midwifery Scale-R (PEMS-Revised). Descriptive statistics for the sample and PEMS were generated separately for the three countries. A series of analysis of variance with posthoc tests (Tukey's HSD) were conducted to compare scale scores across countries. Effect size statistics (partial eta squared) were also calculated. completed surveys were received from 2585 midwives (Australia 1037; New Zealand 1073 and Sweden 475). Respondents were predominantly female (98%), aged 50-59 years and had significant work experience as a midwife (+20 years). Statistically significant differences were recorded comparing scores on all four PEMS subscales across countries. Moderate effects were found on Professional Recognition, Skills and Resources and Autonomy/Empowerment comparisons. All pairwise comparisons between countries reached statistical significance (p<.001) except between Australia and New Zealand on the Manager Support subscale. Sweden recorded the highest score on three subscales except Skills and Resources which was the lowest score of the three countries. New Zealand midwives scored significantly better than both their Swedish and Australian counterparts in terms of these essential criteria. midwives in New Zealand and Sweden had a strong professional identity or sense of empowerment compared to their Australian counterparts. This is likely the result of working in more autonomous ways within a health system that is primary health care focused and a culture that constructs childbirth as a normal but significant life event. If midwifery is to reach its full potential globally then developing midwives sense of autonomy and subsequently their empowerment must be seen as a critical element to recruitment and retention that requires attention and strengthening. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pu, X.; An, R.; Li, R.; Huang, W.; Li, J.
2017-12-01
The objectives of the current study are to investigate the spatial, temperal variation of phisphorus (P) fraction in middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River of China. Samples were collected in April (dry season), August (wet season), and Octber (normal season) along with the middle reaches from Lazi site to Nuxia sitewhich which is about 1000km long. Sequential extraction were applied to determine the forms of phosphorus in suspended particles and to assess the potential bioavailability of particulate P. The results indicated that the distribution of suspended particle size inflenced not only the total phosphorus concentration, but also the proportions of different forms of phosphorus. The exchangeable phosphorus (Ex-P), Fe-bound-P, Ca-bound-P were the most aboundant forms and the highest proportions of total P. The total P concentrations were closely relative to the concentration of suspended particles. According to the characteristics of suspended particles in the Yarlung Zangbo River, the relationship between the suspended particles size and species of phosphorus was established though statistical analysis. The Ex-P increased with the decreasing of suspended particulate size. The content of bioavailable particulate phosphorus varied greatly with the proportions of particulate size. In genral, the higher the proportion of smaller particle size, the higher the content of bioavailable phosphorus. The main factors which affect the phosphorus transportation in Yarlung Zangbo River had also been discussed.
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Alverine citrate plus simethicone reduces cecal intubation time in colonoscopy - a randomized study.
Altintaş, Engin; Uçbilek, Enver; Sezgin, Orhan; Sayici, Yasin
2008-09-01
Successful colonoscopy depends on the insertion of the instrument to the cecum, a detailed examination, and minimal discomfort to the patient during the procedure. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of alverine citrate plus simethicone on the cecal intubation time, colonic spasm and bowel cleanliness. A prospective, randomized, controlled trial in a consecutive series of patients was conducted to compare alverine citrate as an antispasmodic agent for relaxation of spasm with elective colonoscopy. The drug used consisted of 60 mg alverine citrate plus 300 mg simethicone. Sodium phosphate soda and enema were recommended for bowel cleansing. During colonoscopy, spasticity, difficulty of the procedure, pain, and cleanliness of the colon were scored between 0-4. The time required to reach the cecum was recorded as minutes. Of 165 total patients, 83 and 82 patients were randomized as the drug group (mean age: 51.85+/-13.47 years) and control group (mean age: 51.68+/-16.28 years), respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between the groups in the mean time to reach the cecum in favor of the drug group (7.48+/-3.45 minutes vs. 6.20+/-3.24 minutes; p=0.02). The time to reach the cecum prolonged with an increase in pain score and difficulty score (p=0.0001 and p=0.001, respectively). Alverine citrate plus simethicone reduced the intubation time significantly by 19%, from 7.48 minutes to 6.20 minutes.
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Stoll, Stefan; Kail, Jochem; Lorenz, Armin W.; Sundermann, Andrea; Haase, Peter
2014-01-01
It is commonly assumed that the colonization of restored river reaches by fish depends on the regional species pools; however, quantifications of the relationship between the composition of the regional species pool and restoration outcome are lacking. We analyzed data from 18 German river restoration projects and adjacent river reaches constituting the regional species pools of the restored reaches. We found that the ability of statistical models to describe the fish assemblages established in the restored reaches was greater when these models were based on ‘biotic’ variables relating to the regional species pool and the ecological traits of species rather than on ‘abiotic’ variables relating to the hydromorphological habitat structure of the restored habitats and descriptors of the restoration projects. For species presence in restored reaches, ‘biotic’ variables explained 34% of variability, with the occurrence rate of a species in the regional species pool being the most important variable, while ’abiotic’ variables explained only the negligible amount of 2% of variability. For fish density in restored reaches, about twice the amount of variability was explained by ‘biotic’ (38%) compared to ‘abiotic’ (21%) variables, with species density in the regional species pool being most important. These results indicate that the colonization of restored river reaches by fish is largely determined by the assemblages in the surrounding species pool. Knowledge of species presence and abundance in the regional species pool can be used to estimate the likelihood of fish species becoming established in restored reaches. PMID:24404187
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Munoz, Hugo Roberto; Camacho-Cuadra, Karla
2012-04-01
Many in vitro studies have debated over the ability of different irrigant delivery and/or agitation systems to reach the apical third of curved root canals; however, little is known about irrigant penetration in vivo. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of the conventional endodontic irrigation needle, passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI), and a negative pressure system for irrigant delivery to working length (WL) of mesial canals of mandibular molars. Thirty mesial canals of 30 vital mandibular first or second molars were randomly assigned into 3 groups (n = 10): (1) Monoject syringe with 27-gauge needle; (2) PUI with IrriSafe tip; and (3) EndoVac system. All canals were treated following the same preparation protocol to size 35/0.04 by using 5.25% NaOCl as irrigant during preparation procedure. Before obturation, canals were irrigated with 1 mL of a radiopaque solution by using the assigned irrigation system, and a digital radiograph was taken by using a parallel technique. With the aid of image editing software the distance between WL and maximum irrigant penetration was measured. Mean distances for Monoject, PUI, and EndoVac groups were 1.51 mm, 0.21 mm, and 0.42 mm, respectively. Analysis of variance test showed statistically significant differences between groups (P < .001). Tukey honestly significant difference test showed statistically significant differences between the Monoject group and the other 2 groups (P < .001) but no significant differences between PUI and EndoVac groups (P = .06). PUI and EndoVac are more effective than the conventional endodontic needle in delivering irrigant to WL of root canals. Copyright © 2012 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Mitov, Mario; Bardarov, Ivo; Mandjukov, Petko; Hubenova, Yolina
2015-12-01
The electrical parameters of nine freshwater sediment microbial fuel cells (SMFCs) were monitored for a period of over 20 months. The developed SMFCs, divided into three groups, were started up and continuously operated under different constant loads (100, 510 and 1100 Ω) for 2.5 months. At this stage of the experiment, the highest power density values, reaching 1.2 ± 0.2 mW/m(2), were achieved by the SMFCs loaded with 510 Ω. The maximum power obtained at periodical polarization during the rest period, however, ranged between 26.2 ± 2.8 and 35.3 ± 2.8 mW/m(2), strongly depending on the internal cell resistance. The statistical evaluation of data derived from the polarization curves shows that after 300 days of operation all examined SMFCs reached a steady-state and the system might be assumed as homoscedastic. The estimated values of standard and expanded uncertainties of the electric parameters indicate a high repeatability and reproducibility of the SMFCs' performance. Results obtained in subsequent discharge-recovery cycles reveal the opportunity for practical application of studied SMFCs as autonomous power sources.
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Sexual pain in women: exploring the manifestations of vaginismus versus vulvodynia.
Ghizzani, Anna; Sestini, Piersante
2017-02-01
Sexual pain is frequently seen in gynecological practice as a consequence of lower tract pathology. When organic causes are ruled out, we must think of a functional pain syndrome such as the genital pelvic pain/penetration disorder (GPPD). Vaginismus and vulvodynia require different treatments. Even if gynecologists do not usually manage functional sexual pain, they can easily reach the differential diagnosis through the sexual pain anamnesis, because some symptoms are specific of one or the other condition. To verify our hypothesis we retrospectively evaluated the clinical records of 44 women affected by functional sexual pain. The words patients, used to describe their pain, were categorized in the following symptoms: dyspareunia, burning pain, stabbing pain, dryness, itching, and obstacle to penetration, each coded as present or absent. The unsupervised cluster analysis of the reported symptoms identified two groups: 19 out of 20 women were clinically diagnosed as having vaginismus, while the second group included all the 24 women clinically diagnosed with vulvodynia, plus one vaginismic patient. The high adherence between clinical and statistical findings supports that the differential diagnosis between vaginismus and vulvodynia can be reached on the basis of the elements collected during intake, including pain history.
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Progression of major depression during pregnancy and postpartum: a preliminary study.
Shivakumar, Geetha; Johnson, Neysa L; McIntire, Donald D; Leveno, Kenneth
2014-04-01
The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate major depressive symptoms among a high-risk group of pregnant women managed at a tertiary care setting. The study prospectively evaluated pregnant women who met DSM-IV criteria for a major depressive episode (MDE). Psychiatric measures for depression, anxiety and social impairment were administered at monthly intervals during pregnancy and immediate postpartum period. Twenty-four women provided longitudinal data from mid pregnancy to 2 months of postpartum period. 86% of women were clinically symptomatic at the beginning of study during pregnancy and only 32% remained clinically symptomatic at 2 months following delivery reaching. This difference reached a statistical significance level p < 0.001. Pregnant women with prior histories of major depression, comorbid anxiety disorder, histories of domestic violence, and those with uninvolved spouse or partners were more at-risk to be clinically symptomatic in the immediate postpartum period. In a group consisting of largely Latina women at a tertiary care setting, progression of major depression when treated with antidepressant medication(s) is that of an improvement from pregnancy to immediate postpartum period. Further longitudinal studies are needed to assess impact of clinical characteristics and treatment on major depression in larger diverse obstetric group.
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Ecoregions and stream morphology in eastern Oklahoma
Splinter, D.K.; Dauwalter, D.C.; Marston, R.A.; Fisher, W.L.
2010-01-01
Broad-scale variables (i.e., geology, topography, climate, land use, vegetation, and soils) influence channel morphology. How and to what extent the longitudinal pattern of channel morphology is influenced by broad-scale variables is important to fluvial geomorphologists and stream ecologists. In the last couple of decades, there has been an increase in the amount of interdisciplinary research between fluvial geomorphologists and stream ecologists. In a historical context, fluvial geomorphologists are more apt to use physiographic regions to distinguish broad-scale variables, while stream ecologists are more apt to use the concept of an ecosystem to address the broad-scale variables that influence stream habitat. For this reason, we designed a study using ecoregions, which uses physical and biological variables to understand how landscapes influence channel processes. Ecoregions are delineated by similarities in geology, climate, soils, land use, and potential natural vegetation. In the fluvial system, stream form and function are dictated by processes observed throughout the fluvial hierarchy. Recognizing that stream form and function should differ by ecoregion, a study was designed to evaluate how the characteristics of stream channels differed longitudinally among three ecoregions in eastern Oklahoma, USA: Boston Mountains, Ozark Highlands, and Ouachita Mountains. Channel morphology of 149 stream reaches was surveyed in 1st- through 4th-order streams, and effects of drainage area and ecoregion on channel morphology was evaluated using multiple regressions. Differences existed (?????0.05) among ecoregions for particle size, bankfull width, and width/depth ratio. No differences existed among ecoregions for gradient or sinuosity. Particle size was smallest in the Ozark Highlands and largest in the Ouachita Mountains. Bankfull width was larger in the Ozark Highlands than in the Boston Mountains and Ouachita Mountains in larger streams. Width/depth ratios of the Boston Mountains and Ozark Highlands were not statistically different. Significant differences existed, however, between the Boston Mountains and Ozark Highlands when compared individually to the Ouachita Mountains. We found that ecoregions afforded a good spatial structure that can help in understanding longitudinal trends in stream reach morphology surveyed at the reach scale. The hierarchy of the fluvial system begins within a broad, relatively homogenous setting that imparts control on processes that affect stream function. Ecoregions provide an adequate regional division to begin a large-scale geomorphic study of processes in stream channels. ?? 2010 Elsevier B.V.
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van Kan, Peter L E; McCurdy, Martha L
2002-01-01
Reaching to grasp is of fundamental importance to primate motor behavior. One descending motor pathway that contributes to the control of this behavior is the rubrospinal tract. An important source of origin of the rubrospinal tract is the magnocellular red nucleus (RNm). Forelimb RNm neurons discharge vigorously during reach-to-grasp movements. RNm discharge is important for hand use, as coordinated whole-limb movements without hand use are not associated with strong discharge. Because RNm is functionally linked to muscles of the entire forelimb, RNm discharge may also contribute to use of the proximal limb that accompanies hand use. If RNm contributes to proximal limb use, we predict discharge to differ for reaches that differ in proximal limb involvement but require the same grasp. We tested this prediction by measuring discharge of individual RNm neurons while monkeys reached to grasp objects in four spatial locations in front of them. The animals reached from the waist to locations to the left, right, above, and below the shoulder of the "reaching" limb. RNm neurons of our sample were activated strongly during reach-to-grasp, and discharge of a third of the neurons tested depended on the spatial location of the object grasped. Discharge of RNm neurons and EMG activity of many of the distal and proximal forelimb muscles we tested were larger for reaching to grasp in the upper and/or right than lower and left target locations. Based on comparisons of each individual neuron's discharge patterns during reaches with and without preshaping the hand, we conclude that target location-dependent modulations in discharge rate of the majority of RNm neurons whose discharge differed for reaching to grasp in the four target locations contributed to aspects of hand preshaping that covaried with reach direction.
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Effect size and statistical power in the rodent fear conditioning literature - A systematic review.
Carneiro, Clarissa F D; Moulin, Thiago C; Macleod, Malcolm R; Amaral, Olavo B
2018-01-01
Proposals to increase research reproducibility frequently call for focusing on effect sizes instead of p values, as well as for increasing the statistical power of experiments. However, it is unclear to what extent these two concepts are indeed taken into account in basic biomedical science. To study this in a real-case scenario, we performed a systematic review of effect sizes and statistical power in studies on learning of rodent fear conditioning, a widely used behavioral task to evaluate memory. Our search criteria yielded 410 experiments comparing control and treated groups in 122 articles. Interventions had a mean effect size of 29.5%, and amnesia caused by memory-impairing interventions was nearly always partial. Mean statistical power to detect the average effect size observed in well-powered experiments with significant differences (37.2%) was 65%, and was lower among studies with non-significant results. Only one article reported a sample size calculation, and our estimated sample size to achieve 80% power considering typical effect sizes and variances (15 animals per group) was reached in only 12.2% of experiments. Actual effect sizes correlated with effect size inferences made by readers on the basis of textual descriptions of results only when findings were non-significant, and neither effect size nor power correlated with study quality indicators, number of citations or impact factor of the publishing journal. In summary, effect sizes and statistical power have a wide distribution in the rodent fear conditioning literature, but do not seem to have a large influence on how results are described or cited. Failure to take these concepts into consideration might limit attempts to improve reproducibility in this field of science.
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Effect size and statistical power in the rodent fear conditioning literature – A systematic review
Macleod, Malcolm R.
2018-01-01
Proposals to increase research reproducibility frequently call for focusing on effect sizes instead of p values, as well as for increasing the statistical power of experiments. However, it is unclear to what extent these two concepts are indeed taken into account in basic biomedical science. To study this in a real-case scenario, we performed a systematic review of effect sizes and statistical power in studies on learning of rodent fear conditioning, a widely used behavioral task to evaluate memory. Our search criteria yielded 410 experiments comparing control and treated groups in 122 articles. Interventions had a mean effect size of 29.5%, and amnesia caused by memory-impairing interventions was nearly always partial. Mean statistical power to detect the average effect size observed in well-powered experiments with significant differences (37.2%) was 65%, and was lower among studies with non-significant results. Only one article reported a sample size calculation, and our estimated sample size to achieve 80% power considering typical effect sizes and variances (15 animals per group) was reached in only 12.2% of experiments. Actual effect sizes correlated with effect size inferences made by readers on the basis of textual descriptions of results only when findings were non-significant, and neither effect size nor power correlated with study quality indicators, number of citations or impact factor of the publishing journal. In summary, effect sizes and statistical power have a wide distribution in the rodent fear conditioning literature, but do not seem to have a large influence on how results are described or cited. Failure to take these concepts into consideration might limit attempts to improve reproducibility in this field of science. PMID:29698451
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sun, Longchang; Xu, Jiyao; Wang, Wenbin; Yuan, Wei; Li, Qinzeng; Jiang, Chaowei
2016-11-01
This paper investigates the statistical features of equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) using airglow images from 2012 to 2014 from a ground-based network of four imagers in the equatorial region of China. It is found that (1) EPBs mainly occur during 21:00-00:00 local time (LT) in equinoxes. There is an asymmetry in occurrence rates between March (June) and September equinoxes (December solstices). (2) Most EPBs occur in groups of two to six depletions. The distance between adjacent EPB depletions is 100-700 km, and the average is 200-300 km. The zonal extension of an EPB group is usually less than 1500 km but can reach 3000 km. (3) EPBs usually have a maximum drift velocity near 100 m/s at 21:00-22:00 LT in 9.5° ± 1.5° geomagnetic latitude and then decrease to 50-70 m/s toward sunrise. (4) The averaged westward tilt angle of most EPBs (with respect to the geographic north-south) increased from 5°-10° to 23°-30° with LT between 20:00 and 03:00 LT, then decreasing to 10°-20° toward sunrise. (5) When 90 < F10.7 < 140, the maximum magnetic latitudinal extension (PMLE) is usually lower than 15.0° (apex height 725 km), but it can reach 23.0° (apex height 1330 km) when F10.7 > 140. The maximum PMLE increases by 3.4°-5.5° when F10.7 changes from 90 to 190. (6) The EPB occurrence patterns and zonal drift velocities are significantly different from those at Kolhapur, India, which locates west to our stations by 20.0°-32.0° in longitude.
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Kessler, Lynn; Palla, Jyothsna; Baru, Joshua S; Onyenwenyi, Chioma; George, Amrutha M; Lucas, Brian P
2014-07-01
Radioactive iodine (RAI) is commonly used in the treatment of hyperthyroidism but is not uniformly successful. Lithium increases thyroidal iodine retention without reducing iodide uptake, increasing the radiation dose to the thyroid when administered with RAI. Although these actions suggest that adjuvant lithium may increase the efficacy of RAI, its role as an adjunct to RAI remains contentious. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of adding lithium to RAI to treat hyperthyroidism. Relevant studies were identified by a search of Medline and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. To be included, a study had to be a controlled trial comparing the effect of RAI alone to RAI with lithium in the treatment of hyperthyroidism. Relevant data were extracted and meta-analyses were performed. Of the 75 identified studies, 6 met the inclusion criteria; 4 of these studies were interventional and 2 were observational trials. Meta-analysis of the observational trials (N = 851), both of which were retrospective cohort studies, showed significant improvement in the primary outcome (i.e., cure rate) with adjunctive lithium (odds ratio [OR], 1.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.24 to 2.96). The combined interventional trials (N = 485) also showed an improvement in cure rate, but the difference did not reach statistical significance (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 0.85 to 1.91). Adjunctive lithium reduced time to cure and blunted thyroid hormone excursions after RAI. Lithium-related side effects were infrequent and usually mild. The observational trials demonstrated significant improvement in the cure rate of hyperthyroidism when lithium is added to RAI. The improvements shown in the interventional trials did not reach statistical significance due to the effect of a single, large negative trial.
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Surgical Outcomes in Vedolizumab-Treated Patients with Ulcerative Colitis.
Lightner, Amy L; McKenna, Nicholas P; Moncrief, Sara; Pemberton, John H; Raffals, Laura E; Mathis, Kellie L
2017-12-01
Surgical outcomes and pouch outcomes in the setting of vedolizumab remains poorly understood. We sought to determine the rate of 30-day postoperative surgical infectious complications and pouch-specific complications among patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) who received vedolizumab within 12 weeks of surgery. A retrospective chart review between 5/1/2014 and 12/31/2016 of all adult patients with UC who underwent an abdominal operation was performed. Patients with UC who received vedolizumab within 12 weeks of their abdominal operation were compared with patients with UC on anti-TNFα treatment. Eighty-eight patients received vedolizumab and 62 received anti-TNFα within 12 weeks of surgery. More vedolizumab-treated patients had superficial surgical site infections (P = 0.047) and mucocutaneous separation at the ileostomy (P = 0.047), but there was no difference in the overall surgical infectious complication rate, deep space SSI, 30-day hospital readmission or return to the operating room. On univariate analysis of SSI among patients with UC, exposure to vedolizumab was not a significant predictor of SSI (P = 0.27), but steroids were predictive of SSI on univariate (P = 0.02) and multivariable analysis (P = 0.02). After ileal pouch anal anastomosis, there was a higher rate of intra-abdominal abscesses (31.3% versus 5.9%) and mucocutaneous separation (18.8% versus 0%) in the vedolizumab group compared with the anti-TNFα group, but statistical significance was not reached. Vedolizumab patients had significantly increased rates of superficial SSI, but not overall infectious complications. Among ileal pouch anal anastomosis patients, peripouch abscess rates were increased among vedolizumab-treated patients, but this did not reach statistical significance. Vedolizumab seems safe in the perioperative period for patients with UC.
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Ren, Ainong; Ren, Siqing; Jian, Xiangdong; Zhang, Qing
2015-09-01
To observe the prevention effects of patients with lung exudation and pulmonary fibrosis induced by paraquat poisoning in sodium bicarbonate (SB) with gastric lavage, atomization inhalation and intravenous injection. To collect 38 patients with paraquat poisoning in hospital, after poison immediately with gastric lavage of 1.5% SB, and atomization inhalation of 5% SB 10~15 ml twice daily and intravenous injection of 5% SB twice a day, continuous application of 5~7 days. and the HRCT score and liver and kidney function was performed on patients with lung after treatment. And the extraction of 38 SB patients with previously untreated with SB for comparison. Lung HRCT average score in 72 h, 7 d, 30 d on patients with paraquat poisoning untreated with SB reached 2.87, 3.12, 2.13, HRCT display shows that the appearance of the wear glass shadow, grid shadow, honeycomb shadow, and other signs of fibrosis. Average HRCT reached 1.95, 2.20, 1.67 on patients treated with SB,signs of lung exudation and fibrosis was significantly reduced,compare two groups,there was statistically significance (P<0.01). And compared to the control group, activity of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartic acid transaminase (AST) decreased significantly in group of paraquat poisoning with triple application of SB, the level of serum urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr) significantly decreased, the difference is statistically significant (P<0.01). The triple application of SB can reduced the pulmonary fibrosis and effusion induced by paraquat poisoning,and protective effect on the function of liver and kidney is obvious, suggesting that the method for treatment of paraquat poisoning, prevention of paraquat lung and improve survival rate has the exact effect.
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A non-perturbative exploration of the high energy regime in Nf=3 QCD. ALPHA Collaboration
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dalla Brida, Mattia; Fritzsch, Patrick; Korzec, Tomasz; Ramos, Alberto; Sint, Stefan; Sommer, Rainer
2018-05-01
Using continuum extrapolated lattice data we trace a family of running couplings in three-flavour QCD over a large range of scales from about 4 to 128 GeV. The scale is set by the finite space time volume so that recursive finite size techniques can be applied, and Schrödinger functional (SF) boundary conditions enable direct simulations in the chiral limit. Compared to earlier studies we have improved on both statistical and systematic errors. Using the SF coupling to implicitly define a reference scale 1/L_0≈ 4 GeV through \\bar{g}^2(L_0) =2.012, we quote L_0 Λ ^{N_f=3}_{{\\overline{MS}}} =0.0791(21). This error is dominated by statistics; in particular, the remnant perturbative uncertainty is negligible and very well controlled, by connecting to infinite renormalization scale from different scales 2^n/L_0 for n=0,1,\\ldots ,5. An intermediate step in this connection may involve any member of a one-parameter family of SF couplings. This provides an excellent opportunity for tests of perturbation theory some of which have been published in a letter (ALPHA collaboration, M. Dalla Brida et al. in Phys Rev Lett 117(18):182001, 2016). The results indicate that for our target precision of 3 per cent in L_0 Λ ^{N_f=3}_{{\\overline{MS}}}, a reliable estimate of the truncation error requires non-perturbative data for a sufficiently large range of values of α _s=\\bar{g}^2/(4π ). In the present work we reach this precision by studying scales that vary by a factor 2^5= 32, reaching down to α _s≈ 0.1. We here provide the details of our analysis and an extended discussion.
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Klein, Melissa D; Alcamo, Alicia M; Beck, Andrew F; O'Toole, Jennifer K; McLinden, Daniel; Henize, Adrienne; Kahn, Robert S
2014-01-01
Screening and management of the social determinants of health (SDH) are critical for child health promotion. We sought to evaluate the impact of a facilitated video curriculum on resident SDH screening competence, parental perceptions of resident practice, resident-initiated referrals to a medical-legal partnership (MLP), and formula distribution to food-insecure families. This was a pre-post study with concurrent control performed at a large pediatric residency program. Second- and third-year residents were assigned to control and intervention groups on the basis of their continuity clinic day. The curriculum included videotaped vignettes of screening for SDH and a "day in the life" series of families describing the impact of intervention on their lives. Residents completed self-assessments on screening competence and resource knowledge. After a well-child encounter, families (3 per resident) assessed their level of trust and respect for the resident and the number of SDHs screened for. MLP referral rates and formula distribution were compared. The intervention group's self-assessed competence in screening for housing, benefits, and educational concerns was significantly higher compared to controls (each P ≤ .05). Parents' rating of trust and respect was high and did not differ between groups. Screening for each SDH was higher in the intervention group with domestic violence (odds ratio 2.16, 95% confidence interval 1.01-4.63) and depression (odds ratio 2.63, 95% confidence interval 1.15-5.99), reaching statistical significance. MLP referral rates increased (P = .06), and formula distribution (P = .02) reached statistical significance in the intervention group. This SDH video curriculum improved resident self-assessed screening competence, parental perception of screening, and both MLP referrals and formula distribution. Copyright © 2014 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Curcumin inhibits amygdaloid kindled seizures in rats.
DU, Peng; Li, Xin; Lin, Hao-Jie; Peng, Wei-Feng; Liu, Jian-Ying; Ma, Yu; Fan, Wei; Wang, Xin
2009-06-20
Curcumin can reduce the severity of seizures induced by kainate acid (KA), but the role of curcumin in amygdaloid kindled models is still unknown. This study aimed to explore the effect of curcumin on the development of kindling in amygdaloid kindled rats. With an amygdaloid kindled Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat model and an electrophysiological method, different doses of curcumin (10 mgxkg(-1)xd(-1) and 30 mgxkg(-1)xd(-1) as low dose groups, 100 mgxkg(-1)xd(-1) and 300 mgxkg(-1)xd(-1) as high dose groups) were administrated intraperitoneally during the whole kindling days, by comparison with the course of kindling, afterdischarge (AD) thresholds and the number of ADs to reach the stages of class I to V seizures in the rats between control and experimental groups. One-way or two-way ANOVA and Fisher's least significant difference post hoc test were used for statistical analyses. Curcumin (both 100 mgxkg(-1)xd(-1) and 300 mgxkg(-1)xd(-1)) significantly inhibited the behavioral seizure development in the (19.80 +/- 2.25) and (21.70 +/- 2.21) stimulations respectively required to reach the kindled state. Rats treated with 100 mgxkg(-1)xd(-1) curcumin 30 minutes before kindling stimulation showed an obvious increase in the stimulation current intensity required to evoke AD from (703.3 +/- 85.9) microA to (960.0 +/- 116.5) microA during the progression to class V seizures. Rats treated with 300 mgxkg(-1)xd(-1) curcumin showed a significant increase in the stimulation current intensity required to evoke AD from (735.0 +/- 65.2) microA to (867.0 +/- 93.4) microA during the progression to class V seizures. Rats treated with 300 mgxkg(-1)xd(-1) curcumin required much more evoked ADs to reach the stage of class both IV (as (199.83 +/- 12.47) seconds) and V seizures (as (210.66 +/- 10.68) seconds). Rats treated with 100 mgxkg(-1)xd(-1) curcumin required much more evoked ADs to reach the stage of class V seizures (as (219.56 +/- 18.24) seconds). Our study suggests that curcumin has a potential antiepileptogenic effect on kindling-induced epileptogenesis.
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Kinzel, Paul J.; Nelson, Jonathan M.; Heckman, Ashley K.
2006-01-01
Riparian areas along a reach of Platte River passing through Nebraska Public Power District's Cottonwood Ranch Property were modified during 2002 to 2004 to enhance in-channel habitats for endangered and threatened avian species. A component of this alteration involved the removal of riparian vegetation from riverbanks and islands to provide roosting habitat for the endangered whooping crane and to provide nesting and foraging habitat for the endangered least tern and threatened piping plover. It was hypothesized that the removal of riparian vegetation could have the effect of stimulating channel widening in this reach by increasing the potential of these surfaces to erode under natural fluvial action. It also was hypothesized that as a direct or indirect consequence of the alterations, a local increase in sediment supply also might occur, potentially resulting in geomorphic change downstream and possibly initiating negative third-party effects. The cumulative effects of the management activities on the channel morphology and sediment transport in this reach were monitored during water years 2001-2004 by measuring transect elevation profiles and bed-sediment-size gradations upstream, within, and downstream from the managed area before and after the development activities. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine if the geomorphic variables measured before and after the development activities were significantly different. Although statistically significant differences were detected in some of the variables, increases in mean bed elevation did not occur in a greater percentage of the monitoring sections measured downstream compared to upstream from the management activities. This result suggests that the management activities did not have a substantial effect on the downstream river channel morphology and sediment transport. However, it is important to place these short-term and site-specific results in the context that river flows following the management activities were at historical low rates, and therefore the potential to affect and the opportunity to detect possible geomorphic change within and downstream from the managed reach were limited.
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Defining the formative discharge for alternate bars in alluvial rivers
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Redolfi, M.; Carlin, M.; Tubino, M.; Adami, L.; Zolezzi, G.
2017-12-01
We investigate the properties of alternate bars in long straight reaches of channelized streams subject to an unsteady, irregular flow regime. To this aim we propose a novel integration of a statistical approach with the analytical perturbation model of Tubino (1991) which predicts the evolution of bar properties (namely amplitude and wavelength) as consequence of a flood. The outcomes of our integrated modelling approach are probability distribution of the bar properties, which depend essentially on two ingredients: (i) the statistical properties of the flow regime (duration, frequency and magnitude of the flood events, and (ii) the reach-averaged hydro-geomorphic characteristics of the channel (bed material, channel gradient and width). This allows to define a "bar-forming" discharge value as the flow value which would reproduce the most likely bar properties in a river reach under unsteady flow. Alternate bars are often migrating downstream and growing or declining during flood events. The timescale of bar growth and migration is often comparable with the duration of the floods: consequently, bar properties such as height and wavelength do not respond instantaneously to discharge variations (i.e. quasi-equilibrium response) but may depend on previous flood events. Theoretical results are compared with observations in three Alpine, channelized gravel bed rivers with encouraging outcomes.
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Bennie, Jason A.; Kolbe-Alexander, Tracy; Meester, Femke De
2018-01-01
Prolonged sitting has been linked to adverse health outcomes; therefore, we developed and examined a web-based, computer-tailored workplace sitting intervention. As we had previously shown good effectiveness, the next stage was to conduct a dissemination study. This study reports on the dissemination efforts of a health promotion organisation, associated costs, reach achieved, and attributes of the website users. The organisation systematically registered all the time and resources invested to promote the intervention. Website usage statistics (reach) and descriptive statistics (website users’ attributes) were also assessed. Online strategies (promotion on their homepage; sending e-mails, newsletters, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn posts to professional partners) were the main dissemination methods. The total time investment was 25.6 h, which cost approximately 845 EUR in salaries. After sixteen months, 1599 adults had visited the website and 1500 (93.8%) completed the survey to receive personalized sitting advice. This sample was 38.3 ± 11.0 years, mainly female (76.9%), college/university educated (89.0%), highly sedentary (88.5% sat >8 h/day) and intending to change (93.0%) their sitting. Given the small time and money investment, these outcomes are positive and indicate the potential for wide-scale dissemination. However, more efforts are needed to reach men, non-college/university educated employees, and those not intending behavioural change. PMID:29789491
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Cocker, Katrien De; Cardon, Greet; Bennie, Jason A; Kolbe-Alexander, Tracy; Meester, Femke De; Vandelanotte, Corneel
2018-05-22
Prolonged sitting has been linked to adverse health outcomes; therefore, we developed and examined a web-based, computer-tailored workplace sitting intervention. As we had previously shown good effectiveness, the next stage was to conduct a dissemination study. This study reports on the dissemination efforts of a health promotion organisation, associated costs, reach achieved, and attributes of the website users. The organisation systematically registered all the time and resources invested to promote the intervention. Website usage statistics (reach) and descriptive statistics (website users' attributes) were also assessed. Online strategies (promotion on their homepage; sending e-mails, newsletters, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn posts to professional partners) were the main dissemination methods. The total time investment was 25.6 h, which cost approximately 845 EUR in salaries. After sixteen months, 1599 adults had visited the website and 1500 (93.8%) completed the survey to receive personalized sitting advice. This sample was 38.3 ± 11.0 years, mainly female (76.9%), college/university educated (89.0%), highly sedentary (88.5% sat >8 h/day) and intending to change (93.0%) their sitting. Given the small time and money investment, these outcomes are positive and indicate the potential for wide-scale dissemination. However, more efforts are needed to reach men, non-college/university educated employees, and those not intending behavioural change.
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SPD Hockley County: Results of 1971 Agricultural Demonstrations.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Taylor, Bill; Nugent, Gene
This report presents the statistical results of agricultural demonstrations for two crops--cotton and sorghum--in Hockley County, Texas. Demonstration results are geared to increase the knowledge and understanding of possible solutions to the many problems that are impediments in reaching long-range goals established by the County's Program…
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A Fast Turn-Around Facility for Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI)
1982-06-01
statistics determination, the first test mask set will use the MATRIX chip design which was recently developed here at Stanford. This chip provides...reached when the basewidth is reduced to zero. Such devices, variably known as depleted- base transistors or bipolar static-induction transitors , have been
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Let's Keep Our Quality School Principals on the Job
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Norton, M. Scott
2003-01-01
Research studies strongly support the fact that the leadership of the school principal impacts directly on the climate of the school and, in turn, on student achievement. National statistics relating to principal turnover and dwindling supplies of qualified replacements show clearly that principal turnover has reached crisis proportions.…
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Basinwide Estimation of Habitat and Fish Populations in Streams
C. Andrew Dolloff; David G. Hankin; Gordon H. Reeves
1993-01-01
Basinwide visual estimation techniques (BVET) are statistically reliable and cost effective for estimating habitat and fish populations across entire watersheds. Survey teams visit habitats in every reach of the study area to record visual observations. At preselected intervals, teams also record actual measurements. These observations and measurements are used to...
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46 CFR 535.704 - Filing of minutes.
Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR
2010-10-01
... agreement is reached among any number of the parties to an agreement relating to the business of the... than three) relating to the business of the agreement. This includes, but is not limited to, meetings... participated in the discussion or the votes taken; and (4) Any report, circular, notice, statistical...
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Sustainable rangeland-based livestock production: A perspective on USA and global emerging trends
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
A recent review of statistics published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization showed that global livestock numbers have increased steadily over the past 30 years. By 2030, livestock numbers in the developing world are expected to reach record highs that will surpass livestock popul...
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Sustainable livestock production on rangelands: Emerging trends in the USA
USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database
A recent review of statistics published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization showed that global livestock numbers have increased steadily over the past 30 years. By 2030, livestock numbers in the developing world are expected to reach record highs that will surpass livestock popu...
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Is There a Right Ear Advantage in Congenital Aural Atresia?
Reed, Robert; Hubbard, Matthew; Kesser, Bradley W
2016-12-01
To compare speech/language development and academic progress between children with right versus left congenital aural atresia (CAA). Case control survey and review of audiometric data. Tertiary care academic practice. Children with unilateral CAA. Demographic and audiometric data; rates of grade retention, use of any hearing or learning resource, and behavioral problems. No significant differences in grade retention rate, utilization of amplification, speech language therapy, use of an individualized education program, or frequency modulated system were found between children with right versus left CAA. Children with left CAA were significantly more likely to be enrolled in special education programs (p = 0.026). Differences in reported communication problems approached significance with more difficulty noted in the right ear group (p = 0.059). Left CAA patients were also more likely to have reported behavioral problems (p = 0.0039). Contrary to the hypothesis that a normal hearing right ear confers a language advantage in patients with unilateral hearing loss, children with left CAA (normal right ear) were statistically more likely to be enrolled in a special education program and have behavioral problems. Reported communication problems were more common in right CAA patients, but this did not reach statistical significance. No differences were found in use of amplification, frequency modulated system, individualized education program, or grade retention. Further investigation of both the clinical implications and underlying psychoacoustics of unilateral hearing loss and the identification and habilitation of "at risk" unilateral hearing loss children is warranted.
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2004-08-01
To discover if the provision of additional inpatient physiotherapy after stroke speeds the recovery of mobility. A multisite single-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing the effects of augmented physiotherapy input with normal input on the recovery of mobility after stroke. Three rehabilitation hospitals in North Glasgow, Scotland. Patients admitted to hospital with a clinical diagnosis of stroke, who were able to tolerate and benefit from mobility rehabilitation. We aimed to provide double the amount of physiotherapy to the augmented group. Primary outcomes were mobility milestones (ability to stand, step and walk), Rivermead Mobility Index (RMI) and walking speed. Seventy patients were recruited. The augmented therapy group received more direct contact with a physiotherapist (62 versus 35 minutes per weekday) and were more active (8.0% versus 4.8% time standing or walking) than normal therapy controls. The augmented group tended to achieve independent walking earlier (hazard ratio 1.48, 95% confidence interval 0.90-2.43; p=0.12) and had higher Rivermead Mobility Index scores at three months (mean difference 1.6; -0.1 to 3.3; p=0.068) but these differences did not reach statistical significance. There was no significant difference in any other outcome. A modest augmented physiotherapy programme resulted in patients having more direct physiotherapy time and being more active. The inability to show statistically significant changes in outcome measures could indicate either that this intervention is ineffective or that our study could not detect modest changes.
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Jiang, Jun-jie; Zhang, Wen; Xie, Yan-ming; Wang, Jian-nong; He, Fu-yuan; Xiong, Xin
2016-02-01
Although many population pharmacokinetics (PPK) researches have been conducted on chemical drugs, few have been in the field of Chinese medicine (CM). Each ingredient in CMs possesses different pharmacokinetic characteristics, therefore, it is important to develop methods of PPK studies on them to identify the differences in CM drug safety and efficacy among the population subgroups and to conduct quantitative studies on the determinants of CM drug concentrations. To develop an expert consensus on study design and implementation for PPK of CM, in August 2013, 6 experts in the field of PPK, CMs pharmacology, and statistics discussed problems on the PPK research protocol of CMs, and a consensus was reached. The medicines with toxicity and narrow therapeutic windows and with wide range of target population or with frequent adverse reactions were selected. The compositions with definite therapeutic effects were selected as indices, and specific time points and sample sizes were designed according to standard PPK design methods. Target components were tested through various chromatography methods. Total quantity statistical moment analysis was used to estimate PPK parameters of each component and PPK models reflecting the trend of CMs (which assists in reasonable adjustments on clinical dosage). This consensus specifies the study design and implementation process of PPK. It provides guidance for the following: post-marketing clinical studies, in vivo investigations related to the metabolism in different populations, and development and clinical adjustment of dosages of CMs.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wang, Gang-Jin; Xie, Chi; Chen, Shou; Yang, Jiao-Jiao; Yang, Ming-Yan
2013-09-01
In this study, we first build two empirical cross-correlation matrices in the US stock market by two different methods, namely the Pearson’s correlation coefficient and the detrended cross-correlation coefficient (DCCA coefficient). Then, combining the two matrices with the method of random matrix theory (RMT), we mainly investigate the statistical properties of cross-correlations in the US stock market. We choose the daily closing prices of 462 constituent stocks of S&P 500 index as the research objects and select the sample data from January 3, 2005 to August 31, 2012. In the empirical analysis, we examine the statistical properties of cross-correlation coefficients, the distribution of eigenvalues, the distribution of eigenvector components, and the inverse participation ratio. From the two methods, we find some new results of the cross-correlations in the US stock market in our study, which are different from the conclusions reached by previous studies. The empirical cross-correlation matrices constructed by the DCCA coefficient show several interesting properties at different time scales in the US stock market, which are useful to the risk management and optimal portfolio selection, especially to the diversity of the asset portfolio. It will be an interesting and meaningful work to find the theoretical eigenvalue distribution of a completely random matrix R for the DCCA coefficient because it does not obey the Marčenko-Pastur distribution.
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Chuche, Julien; Sauvion, Nicolas; Thiéry, Denis
2017-10-01
In phytophagous piercing-sucking insects, salivary sheath-feeding species are often described as xylem- or phloem-sap feeding specialists. Because these two food sources have very different characteristics, two feeding tactics are often associated with this supposed specialization. Studying the feeding behavior of insects provides substantial information on their biology, ecology, and evolution. Furthermore, study of feeding behavior is of primary importance to elucidate the transmission ability of insects that act as vectors of plant pathogens. In this study, we compared the durations of ingestion performed in xylem versus phloem by a leafhopper species, Scaphoideus titanus Ball, 1932. This was done by characterizing and statistically analyzing electrical signals recorded using the electropenetrography technique, derived from the feeding behaviors of males and females. We identified three groups of S. titanus based on their feeding behavior: 1) a group that reached the phloem quickly and probed for a longer time in phloem tissue than the other groups, 2) a group that reached the xylem quickly and probed for a longer time in xylem tissue than the other groups, and 3) a group where individuals did not ingest much sap. In addition, the numbers and durations of waveforms representing ingestion of xylem and phloem saps differed significantly depending on the sex of the leafhopper, indicating that the two sexes exhibit different feeding behaviors. Males had longer phloem ingestion events than did females, which indicates that males are greater phloem feeders than females. These differences are discussed, specifically in relation to hypotheses about evolution of sap feeding and phytoplasma transmission from plant to plant. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Does the radiologically isolated syndrome exist? A dual-task cost pilot study.
Dattola, Vincenzo; Logiudice, Anna Lisa; Bonanno, Lilla; Famà, Fausto; Milardi, Demetrio; Chillemi, Gaetana; D'Aleo, Giangaetano; Marino, Silvia; Calabrò, Rocco Salvatore; Russo, Margherita
2017-11-01
Simultaneous performance of motor and cognitive tasks may compete for common brain network resources in aging or patients with some neurological diseases, suggesting the occurrence of a cognitive-motor interference. While this phenomenon has been well described for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, it never has been tested on asymptomatic subject with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings suggestive of demyelinating disease (i.e., radiologically isolated syndrome: RIS). In this pilot study, 10 RIS subjects and 10 sex/age-matched healthy controls were tested by means of static posturography under eyes opened (single-task trial) and while performing two different cognitive tasks (semantic modified word list generation for first dual-task trial and phonemic semantic modified word list generation for second dual-task trial), to estimate the dual-task cost (DTC) of standing balance. In our sample, under cognitive interference (without any substantial differences between semantic and phonemic modified word list generation), the RIS group showed significance differences in CoP (center of pressure) total sway area, ellipse eccentricity, CoP sway path length, CoP median sway velocity along the AP (anteroposterior) axis and along the ML (mediolateral) axis, reflecting a higher negative DTC respect to healthy subjects (which have simply shown a statistical trend, failing to reach a significance, in some trials). The phenomenon of cognitive-motor interference might be unmasked by a dual-task posturography in RIS subjects, too. We hypothesize that this approach could be useful to early reveal the presence of a demyelinating disease and to reach a MS diagnosis in subjects otherwise classified as RIS.
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Preston, Nick; Weightman, Andrew; Gallagher, Justin; Levesley, Martin; Mon-Williams, Mark; Clarke, Mike; O'Connor, Rory J
2016-10-01
To evaluate the potential benefits of computer-assisted arm rehabilitation gaming technology on arm function of children with spastic cerebral palsy. A single-blind randomized controlled trial design. Power calculations indicated that 58 children would be required to demonstrate a clinically important difference. Intervention was home-based; recruitment took place in regional spasticity clinics. A total of 15 children with cerebral palsy aged five to 12 years were recruited; eight to the device group. Both study groups received 'usual follow-up treatment' following spasticity treatment with botulinum toxin; the intervention group also received a rehabilitation gaming device. ABILHAND-kids and Canadian Occupational Performance Measure were performed by blinded assessors at baseline, six and 12 weeks. An analysis of covariance showed no group differences in mean ABILHAND-kids scores between time points. A non-parametric analysis of variance on Canadian Occupational Performance Measure scores showed a statistically significant improvement across time points (χ 2 (2,15) = 6.778, p = 0.031), but this improvement did not reach minimal clinically important difference. Mean daily device use was seven minutes. Recruitment did not reach target owing to unanticipated staff shortages in clinical services. Feedback from children and their families indicated that the games were not sufficiently engaging to promote sufficient use that was likely to result in functional benefits. This study suggests that computer-assisted arm rehabilitation gaming does not benefit arm function, but a Type II error cannot be ruled out. © The Author(s) 2015.
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The development of upper limb movements: from fetal to post-natal life.
Zoia, Stefania; Blason, Laura; D'Ottavio, Giuseppina; Biancotto, Marina; Bulgheroni, Maria; Castiello, Umberto
2013-01-01
The aim of this longitudinal study was to investigate how the kinematic organization of upper limb movements changes from fetal to post-natal life. By means of off-line kinematical techniques we compared the kinematics of hand-to-mouth and hand-to-eye movements, in the same individuals, during prenatal life and early postnatal life, as well as the kinematics of hand-to-mouth and reaching-toward-object movements in the later age periods. Movements recorded at the 14(th), 18(th) and 22(nd) week of gestation were compared with similar movements recorded in an ecological context at 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, and 12 months after birth. The results indicate a similar kinematic organization depending on movement type (i.e., eye, mouth) for the infants at one month and for the fetuses at 22 weeks of gestation. At two and three months such differential motor planning depending on target is lost and no statistical differences emerge. Hand to eye movements were no longer observed after the fourth month of life, therefore we compared kinematics for hand to mouth with hand to object movements. Results of these analyses revealed differences in the performance of hand to mouth and reaching to object movements in the length of the deceleration phase of the movement, depending on target. Data are discussed in terms of how the passage from intrauterine to extra-uterine environments modifies motor planning. These results provide novel evidence of how different types of upper extremity movements, those directed towards one's own face and those directed to external objects, develop.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Soomere, Tarmo; Berezovski, Mihhail; Quak, Ewald; Viikmäe, Bert
2011-10-01
We address possibilities of minimising environmental risks using statistical features of current-driven propagation of adverse impacts to the coast. The recently introduced method for finding the optimum locations of potentially dangerous activities (Soomere et al. in Proc Estonian Acad Sci 59:156-165, 2010) is expanded towards accounting for the spatial distributions of probabilities and times for reaching the coast for passively advecting particles released in different sea areas. These distributions are calculated using large sets of Lagrangian trajectories found from Eulerian velocity fields provided by the Rossby Centre Ocean Model with a horizontal resolution of 2 nautical miles for 1987-1991. The test area is the Gulf of Finland in the northeastern Baltic Sea. The potential gain using the optimum fairways from the Baltic Proper to the eastern part of the gulf is an up to 44% decrease in the probability of coastal pollution and a similar increase in the average time for reaching the coast. The optimum fairways are mostly located to the north of the gulf axis (by 2-8 km on average) and meander substantially in some sections. The robustness of this approach is quantified as the typical root mean square deviation (6-16 km) between the optimum fairways specified from different criteria. Drastic variations in the width of the `corridors' for almost optimal fairways (2-30 km for the average width of 15 km) signifies that the sensitivity of the results with respect to small changes in the environmental criteria largely varies in different parts of the gulf.
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Vásquez, Fabián; Cerda Rioseco, Ricardo; Andrade, Margarita; Morales, Gladys; Gálvez, Patricia; Orellana, Yasna; Leyton, Bárbara
2013-01-01
Further discussions are needed regarding the magnitude of nutritional problems diagnosed using CDC or WHO, against the existence of new biological or statistical definitions of obesity. To compare the evolution of the prevalence of nutritional status among schoolchildren in first grade, from 2005 to 2008, according to CDC and WHO. Retrospective cohort study, of 140.265 students of both sexes of first grade, evaluated from 2005- 2008, whose anthropometric data (weight and height), were obtained from annual registration system of school nutrition. To classify the nutritional status of children, CDC and WHO patterns were used. The mean BMI was slightly different and lower in girls than in boys, in 2005 and 2006. During 2007 and 2008 the average BMI in girls reached the observed in males. There was a higher prevalence of underweight according to WHO (p=0,03), with a tendency to decrease in the subsequent years. The prevalence of normality was greater according to the CDC criteria, with a reduction between 2005 and 2007 and an increase in 2008 (P < 0,001). There was a lower prevalence of overweight according to CDC criteria (P < 0,001), with an increase between 2005 and 2007, both CDC and WHO. The prevalence of obesity was lower according to the WHO criteria, and there were not statistically significant differences when comparing the CDC pattern. By comparing both patterns, CDC tends to overestimate the normal and underestimate the overweight, while obesity was not significant differences. Copyright © AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2013. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.
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Relationship between glycaemic levels and arterial stiffness in non-diabetic adults.
Cavero-Redondo, Iván; Martínez-Vizcaíno, Vicente; Álvarez-Bueno, Celia; Recio-Rodríguez, José Ignacio; Gómez-Marcos, Manuel Ángel; García-Ortiz, Luis
2018-01-23
To examine, in a non-diabetic population, whether the association between arterial stiffness and glycaemic levels depends on the test used as a glycaemic indicator, fasting plasma glucose (FPG) or glycated haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). A cross-sectional analysis of a 220 non-diabetic subsample from the EVIDENT II study in which FPG, HbA1c and arterial stiffness-related parameters (pulse wave velocity, radial and central augmentation index, and central pulse pressure) were determined. Mean differences in arterial stiffness-related parameters by HbA1c and FPG tertiles were tested using analysis of covariance. All means of arterial stiffness-related parameters increased by HbA1c tertiles, although mean differences were only statistically significant in pulse wave velocity (p ≤.001), even after controlling for potential confounders (HbA1c <5.30% = 6.88 m/s; HbA1c 5.30%-5.59% = 7.06 m/s; and HbA1c ≥5.60% = 8.16 m/s, p =.004). Conversely, mean differences in pulse wave velocity by FPG tertiles did not reach statistically significant differences after controlling for potential confounders (FPG 4.44 mmol/l = 7.18 m/s; FPG 4.44 mmol/l-4.87 mmol/l = 7.26 m/s; and FPG ≥4.88 mmol/l = 7.93 m/s, p =.066). Glucose levels in a non-diabetic population were associated with arterial stiffness but better when levels were determined using HbA1c. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.
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Analysis of Muscle Contraction on Pottery Manufacturing Process Using Electromyography (EMG)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Soewardi, Hartomo; Azka Rahmayani, Amalia
2016-01-01
One of the most common problems in pottery manufacturing process is musculoskeletal disorders on workers. This disorder was caused by uncomfortable posture where the workers sit on the floor with one leg was folded and another was twisted for long duration. Back, waist, buttock, and right knee frequently experience the disorders. The objective of this research is to investigate the muscle contraction at such body part of workers in manufacturing process of pottery. Electromyography is used to investigate the muscle contraction based on the median frequency signal. Focus measurements is conducted on four muscles types. They are lower interscapular muscle on the right and left side, dorsal lumbar muscle, and lateral hamstring muscle. Statistical analysis is conducted to test differences of muscle contraction between female and male. The result of this research showed that the muscle which reached the highest contraction is dorsal lumbar muscle with the average of median frequency is 51,84 Hz. Then followed by lower interscapular muscle on the left side with the average of median frequency is 31,30 hz, lower interscapular muscle on the right side average of median frequency is 31,24 Hz, and lateral hamstring muscle average of median frequency is 21,77 Hz. Based on the statistic analysis result, there were no differences between male and female on left and right lower interscapular muscle and dorsal lumbar muscle but there were differences on lateral hamstring muscle with the significance level is 5%. Besides that, there were differences for all combination muscle types with the level of significance is 5%.
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Lundgren, Robert F.; Rowland, Kathleen M.; Lindsay, Matthew J.
2012-01-01
In 2010, data on physical habitat, water quality, and riverine biological assemblages were collected at selected reaches in four locations (Kleven, Sheyenne, Cooperstown, and West Fargo) on the Sheyenne River in east-central North Dakota. Three of the locations (Kleven, Sheyenne, and Cooperstown) are above Baldhill Dam and one location (West Fargo) is below Baldhill Dam on the Sheyenne River. The 2010 data provide information to establish a better understanding of the water-quality and ecological conditions of the Sheyenne River. Concerns were raised about the water-quality and ecological conditions of the Sheyenne River because of the interbasin transfer of water from nearby Devils Lake. The transfer of water from Devils Lake to the Sheyenne River occurs through the Devils Lake State Outlet near Peterson Coulee or, if lake elevations exceed 1,459 feet above National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29), through a natural outlet, Tolna Coulee. The field measurements of water-quality characteristics and results of chemical analyses generally are comparable to summary statistics calculated for Sheyenne River for 1980 through 2006. Overall, water-quality results show differences between the Kleven, Sheyenne, Cooperstown, and West Fargo reaches. Sulfate concentrations were less than the State of North Dakota criterion of 750 milligrams per liter for the upper Sheyenne River above Baldhill Dam and less than the criterion of 450 milligrams per liter for the lower Sheyenne River below Baldhill Dam. Arsenic concentrations at most reaches exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking-water standard of 10 micrograms per liter. Nutrient concentrations (nitrogen, phosphorus) were higher in the upper Sheyenne River above Baldhill Dam than below Baldhill Dam where concentrations decreased by about half. In 2010, 35 families and 44 genera of benthic macroinvertebrates were collected and identified. On the basis of the index of biotic intergrity scores for benthic macroinvertebrate communities present in the Sheyenne River, all the reaches were determined to have condition classes of moderately disturbed to most disturbed. The benthic macroinvertebrate communities at the Cooperstown reaches were classed as moderately disturbed, whereas benthic macroinvertebrate communities at the Kleven, Sheyenne, West and Fargo reaches were most disturbed. During data collection, 37 genera and 165 species of periphyton (diatoms and soft-bodied algae) were collected and identified. In periphyton communities, similar taxa species were dominant in the Kleven, Sheyenne, and Cooperstown reaches, and different taxa species were dominant in the West Fargo reaches. For diatoms, the Kleven 3 reach had the lowest species richness value of 33.0, whereas the Cooperstown 8 reach had the highest species richness value of 57.0. For soft-bodied algae, the species richness values ranged from 8.0 at the Sheyenne 4 reach to 20.0 at the West Fargo 10 reach. During the fish collection, 32 species, representing 10 families, were collected in the Sheyenne River. All but two species are native to the Sheyenne River system. Common carp and white crappie are the two introduced species. Of the 32 species, 29 are tolerant to moderately tolerant to changes in water quality and habitat degradation, 16 species are tolerant to moderately tolerant to turbidity, and 16 species are tolerant to moderately tolerant to sensitivity to total dissolved solids, sulfate, and chloride. All fish species were categorized into four trophic groups. The largest group of 19 species was the insectivores (both benthic and general). The predator group consisted of seven species, and the omnivores consisted of six species. More fish were found in the lower Sheyenne River below Baldhill Dam than in the upper Sheyenne River above Baldhill Dam.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhao, Guixiang
2017-04-01
Based on the hourly TBB and cloud images of FY-2E, meteorological observation data, and NCEP reanalysis data with 1°×1° spatial resolution from May to October during 2005-2014, the climatic characteristics of mesoscale convective systems (MCS) over the middle reaches area of the Yellow River were analyzed, including mesoscale convective complex (MCC), persistent elongated convective systems (PECS), meso-βscale MCC (MβCCS) and Meso-βscale PECS (MβECS). The results are as follows: (1) MCS tended to occur over the middle and south of Gansu, the middle and south of Shanxi, the middle and north of Shaanxi, and the border of Shanxi, Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia. MCS over the middle reaches area of the Yellow River formed in May to October, and was easy to develop the mature in summer. MCC and MβECS were main MCS causing precipitation in summer. (2) The daily variation of MCS was obvious, and usually formed and matured in the afternoon and the evening to early morning of the next day. Most MCS generated fast and dissipated slowly, and were mainly move to the easterly and southeasterly, but the moving of round shape MCS was less than the elongated shape's. (3) The average TBB for the round shape MCS was lower than the elongated shape MCS. The development of MCC was most vigorous and strong, and it was the strongest in August, while that of MβECS wasn't obviously influenced by the seasonal change. The average eccentricity of the mature MCC and PECS over the middle reaches area of the Yellow River was greater than that in USA, and the former was greater than in the lower reaches area of the Yellow River, while the latter was smaller. (4) The characteristics of rainfall caused by MCS were complex over the middle reaches area of the Yellow River, and there were obvious regional difference. There was wider, stronger and longer precipitation when the multiple MCS merged. The rainfall in the center of cloud area was obviously greater than in other region of cloud area. The heavy rain mainly occurred in the left and backward quadrant of MCS. The most precipitation intensity of MCS was generally greater than 50 mm•h-1. The ratios of rain areas and cloud areas for the different types and regions MCS were significantly different. (5) There were obvious inter-annual variation characteristics of MCS. The number of MCS was more in 2011 and less in 2009 than the normal year, and the circulation situation in 2011 was nearly opposite to 2009, which were related not only to the subtropical high, geopotential height anomaly on 500 hPa in the middle latitude and transportation and gather of warm and moisture airflow in lower layer but also to the cold vortex systems on 500 hPa.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
de Abreu, Daniela Cristina Carvalho; Takara, Kelly; Metring, Nathalia Lopes; Reis, Julia Guimaraes; Cliquet, Alberto, Jr.
2012-01-01
We aimed to evaluate the influence of different types of wheelchair seats on paraplegic individuals' postural control using a maximum anterior reaching test. Balance evaluations during 50, 75, and 90% of each individual's maximum reach in the forward direction using two different cushions on seat (one foam and one gel) and a no-cushion condition…
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Samadzadeh, Gholam Reza; Rigi, Tahereh; Ganjali, Ali Reza
2013-01-01
Surveying valuable and most recent information from internet, has become vital for researchers and scholars, because every day, thousands and perhaps millions of scientific works are brought out as digital resources which represented by internet and researchers can't ignore this great resource to find related documents for their literature search, which may not be found in any library. With regard to variety of documents presented on the internet, search engines are one of the most effective search tools for finding information. The aim of this study is to evaluate the three criteria, recall, preciseness and importance of the four search engines which are PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar and federated search of Iranian National Medical Digital Library in addiction (prevention and treatment) to select the most effective search engine for offering the best literature research. This research was a cross-sectional study by which four popular search engines in medical sciences were evaluated. To select keywords, medical subject heading (Mesh) was used. We entered given keywords in the search engines and after searching, 10 first entries were evaluated. Direct observation was used as a mean for data collection and they were analyzed by descriptive statistics (number, percent number and mean) and inferential statistics, One way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc Tukey in Spss. 15 statistical software. P Value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results have shown that the search engines had different operations with regard to the evaluated criteria. Since P Value was 0.004 < 0.05 for preciseness and was 0.002 < 0.05 for importance, it shows significant difference among search engines. PubMed, Science Direct and Google Scholar were the best in recall, preciseness and importance respectively. As literature research is one of the most important stages of research, it's better for researchers, especially Substance-Related Disorders scholars to use different search engines with the best recall, preciseness and importance in that subject field to reach desirable results while searching and they don't depend on just one search engine.
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Samadzadeh, Gholam Reza; Rigi, Tahereh; Ganjali, Ali Reza
2013-01-01
Background Surveying valuable and most recent information from internet, has become vital for researchers and scholars, because every day, thousands and perhaps millions of scientific works are brought out as digital resources which represented by internet and researchers can’t ignore this great resource to find related documents for their literature search, which may not be found in any library. With regard to variety of documents presented on the internet, search engines are one of the most effective search tools for finding information. Objectives The aim of this study is to evaluate the three criteria, recall, preciseness and importance of the four search engines which are PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar and federated search of Iranian National Medical Digital Library in addiction (prevention and treatment) to select the most effective search engine for offering the best literature research. Materials and Methods This research was a cross-sectional study by which four popular search engines in medical sciences were evaluated. To select keywords, medical subject heading (Mesh) was used. We entered given keywords in the search engines and after searching, 10 first entries were evaluated. Direct observation was used as a mean for data collection and they were analyzed by descriptive statistics (number, percent number and mean) and inferential statistics, One way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc Tukey in Spss. 15 statistical software. P Value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Results have shown that the search engines had different operations with regard to the evaluated criteria. Since P Value was 0.004 < 0.05 for preciseness and was 0.002 < 0.05 for importance, it shows significant difference among search engines. PubMed, Science Direct and Google Scholar were the best in recall, preciseness and importance respectively. Conclusions As literature research is one of the most important stages of research, it's better for researchers, especially Substance-Related Disorders scholars to use different search engines with the best recall, preciseness and importance in that subject field to reach desirable results while searching and they don’t depend on just one search engine. PMID:24971257
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The impact of varicocelectomy on sperm parameters: a meta-analysis.
Schauer, Ingrid; Madersbacher, Stephan; Jost, Romy; Hübner, Wilhelm Alexander; Imhof, Martin
2012-05-01
We determined the impact of 3 surgical techniques (high ligation, inguinal varicocelectomy and the subinguinal approach) for varicocelectomy on sperm parameters (count and motility) and pregnancy rates. By searching the literature using MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library with the last search performed in February 2011, focusing on the last 20 years, a total of 94 articles published between 1975 and 2011 reporting on sperm parameters before and after varicocelectomy were identified. Inclusion criteria for this meta-analysis were at least 2 semen analyses (before and 3 or more months after the procedure), patient age older than 19 years, clinical subfertility and/or abnormal semen parameters, and a clinically palpable varicocele. To rule out skewing factors a bias analysis was performed, and statistical analysis was done with RevMan5(®) and SPSS 15.0(®). A total of 14 articles were included in the statistical analysis. All 3 surgical approaches led to significant or highly significant postoperative improvement of both parameters with only slight numeric differences among the techniques. This difference did not reach statistical significance for sperm count (p = 0.973) or sperm motility (p = 0.372). After high ligation surgery sperm count increased by 10.85 million per ml (p = 0.006) and motility by 6.80% (p <0.00001) on the average. Inguinal varicocelectomy led to an improvement in sperm count of 7.17 million per ml (p <0.0001) while motility changed by 9.44% (p = 0.001). Subinguinal varicocelectomy provided an increase in sperm count of 9.75 million per ml (p = 0.002) and sperm motility by 12.25% (p = 0.001). Inguinal varicocelectomy showed the highest pregnancy rate of 41.48% compared to 26.90% and 26.56% after high ligation and subinguinal varicocelectomy, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (p = 0.035). This meta-analysis suggests that varicocelectomy leads to significant improvements in sperm count and motility regardless of surgical technique, with the inguinal approach offering the highest pregnancy rate. Copyright © 2012 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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La Sala, Giovanni Battista; Villani, Maria Teresa; Nicoli, Alessia; Valli, Barbara; Iannotti, Francesca; Blickstein, Isaac
2008-04-01
To evaluate the effect of the 2004 Italian regulations (insemination of
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Schippinger, W; Hartinger, G; Hierzer, A; Osprian, I; Bohnstingl, M; Pilgram, E H
2012-12-01
Hospital admissions are frequent among long-term residents of nursing homes and can result in detrimental complications affecting the patients' somatic, psychological, and cognitive status. In this prospective controlled study, we investigated the effects of a mobile geriatric consultant service (GECO) offered by specialists in internal medicine on frequency of hospitalizations in nursing home residents. During a 10-month observation period, residents in a control nursing home received medical attendance by general practitioners as is common in Austrian nursing homes. Residents in the intervention nursing home also received the medical service of GECO. Within the group of rest home residents receiving GECO support, a statistically significant lower frequency of acute transports to hospitals was observed in comparison to residents of the control nursing home (mean number of acute transports to hospitals/100 residents/month: 6.1 versus 11.7; p < 0.01). The number of planned non-acute hospital and specialist office presentations was also lower in the intervention nursing home (mean number of hospital and specialist office presentations/100 residents/month: 14.4 versus 18.0); however, this difference did not reach statistical significance. This study shows that a mobile medical geriatric consultant service based on specialists in internal medicine can improve medical care in nursing homes resulting in a statistically significant reduction of acute transports to hospitals.
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Boone, Brian A; Zenati, Mazen; Hogg, Melissa E; Steve, Jennifer; Moser, Arthur James; Bartlett, David L; Zeh, Herbert J; Zureikat, Amer H
2015-05-01
Quality assessment is an important instrument to ensure optimal surgical outcomes, particularly during the adoption of new surgical technology. The use of the robotic platform for complex pancreatic resections, such as the pancreaticoduodenectomy, requires close monitoring of outcomes during its implementation phase to ensure patient safety is maintained and the learning curve identified. To report the results of a quality analysis and learning curve during the implementation of robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy (RPD). A retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database of 200 consecutive patients who underwent RPD in a large academic center from October 3, 2008, through March 1, 2014, was evaluated for important metrics of quality. Patients were analyzed in groups of 20 to minimize demographic differences and optimize the ability to detect statistically meaningful changes in performance. Robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy. Optimization of perioperative outcome parameters. No statistical differences in mortality rates or major morbidity were noted during the study. Statistical improvements in estimated blood loss and conversions to open surgery occurred after 20 cases (600 mL vs 250 mL [P = .002] and 35.0% vs 3.3% [P < .001], respectively), incidence of pancreatic fistula after 40 cases (27.5% vs 14.4%; P = .04), and operative time after 80 cases (581 minutes vs 417 minutes [P < .001]). Complication rates, lengths of stay, and readmission rates showed continuous improvement that did not reach statistical significance. Outcomes for the last 120 cases (representing optimized metrics beyond the learning curve) included a mean operative time of 417 minutes, median estimated blood loss of 250 mL, a conversion rate of 3.3%, 90-day mortality of 3.3%, a clinically significant (grade B/C) pancreatic fistula rate of 6.9%, and a median length of stay of 9 days. Continuous assessment of quality metrics allows for safe implementation of RPD. We identified several inflexion points corresponding to optimization of performance metrics for RPD that can be used as benchmarks for surgeons who are adopting this technology.
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Akbarzade, Marzieh; Ghaemmaghami, Mehrnoush; Yazdanpanahi, Zahra; Zare, Najaf; Mohagheghzadeh, Abdolali; Azizi, Amir
2016-01-01
Background: Perineal pain is a major morbidity in the first few days after delivery. This study aimed to investigate the effect of dry cupping therapy and acupressure at BL23 point on the intensity of postpartum perineal pain based on the short-form of McGill pain questionnaire (SMPQ). Methods: The present clinical trial was conducted on 150 subjects in 3 groups of 50 cases. After at least 4–8 hr of delivery, cupping therapy was performed for 15–20 min up to 3 times a week (once a day) and acupressure was performed for 15–20 min based on clockwise model. The short-form of McGill pain questionnaire was completed both before and after the intervention. The SPSS statistical software was used to analyze the data using repeated measures ANOVA. Besides, p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: In the cupping therapy group, mean of the perineal pain intensity reduced from 37.5±6.8 before the intervention to 11.1±6.1, 6.9±4.7, and 3.8±3.6 immediately, 24 hr, and 2 weeks after the intervention, respectively. The results of study showed that the differences between the intervention and control groups were statistically significant (p<0.01). Mean difference of the perineal pain intensity in the acupressure group reached from 35.6±8.1 before the intervention to 10.4±5.5 two weeks after the intervention, so the variation between intervention and control groups was statistically significant. Conclusion: The study findings showed that cupping therapy and acupressure reduced perineal pain. Therefore, they may be considered as effective treatments for reducing pain intensity of allowing delivery. PMID:26962482
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Association between pathology and texture features of multi parametric MRI of the prostate
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kuess, Peter; Andrzejewski, Piotr; Nilsson, David; Georg, Petra; Knoth, Johannes; Susani, Martin; Trygg, Johan; Helbich, Thomas H.; Polanec, Stephan H.; Georg, Dietmar; Nyholm, Tufve
2017-10-01
The role of multi-parametric (mp)MRI in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer has increased considerably. An alternative to visual inspection of mpMRI is the evaluation using histogram-based (first order statistics) parameters and textural features (second order statistics). The aims of the present work were to investigate the relationship between benign and malignant sub-volumes of the prostate and textures obtained from mpMR images. The performance of tumor prediction was investigated based on the combination of histogram-based and textural parameters. Subsequently, the relative importance of mpMR images was assessed and the benefit of additional imaging analyzed. Finally, sub-structures based on the PI-RADS classification were investigated as potential regions to automatically detect maligned lesions. Twenty-five patients who received mpMRI prior to radical prostatectomy were included in the study. The imaging protocol included T2, DWI, and DCE. Delineation of tumor regions was performed based on pathological information. First and second order statistics were derived from each structure and for all image modalities. The resulting data were processed with multivariate analysis, using PCA (principal component analysis) and OPLS-DA (orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis) for separation of malignant and healthy tissue. PCA showed a clear difference between tumor and healthy regions in the peripheral zone for all investigated images. The predictive ability of the OPLS-DA models increased for all image modalities when first and second order statistics were combined. The predictive value reached a plateau after adding ADC and T2, and did not increase further with the addition of other image information. The present study indicates a distinct difference in the signatures between malign and benign prostate tissue. This is an absolute prerequisite for automatic tumor segmentation, but only the first step in that direction. For the specific identified signature, DCE did not add complementary information to T2 and ADC maps.
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Chu, Rong; Walter, Stephen D.; Guyatt, Gordon; Devereaux, P. J.; Walsh, Michael; Thorlund, Kristian; Thabane, Lehana
2012-01-01
Background Chance imbalance in baseline prognosis of a randomized controlled trial can lead to over or underestimation of treatment effects, particularly in trials with small sample sizes. Our study aimed to (1) evaluate the probability of imbalance in a binary prognostic factor (PF) between two treatment arms, (2) investigate the impact of prognostic imbalance on the estimation of a treatment effect, and (3) examine the effect of sample size (n) in relation to the first two objectives. Methods We simulated data from parallel-group trials evaluating a binary outcome by varying the risk of the outcome, effect of the treatment, power and prevalence of the PF, and n. Logistic regression models with and without adjustment for the PF were compared in terms of bias, standard error, coverage of confidence interval and statistical power. Results For a PF with a prevalence of 0.5, the probability of a difference in the frequency of the PF≥5% reaches 0.42 with 125/arm. Ignoring a strong PF (relative risk = 5) leads to underestimating the strength of a moderate treatment effect, and the underestimate is independent of n when n is >50/arm. Adjusting for such PF increases statistical power. If the PF is weak (RR = 2), adjustment makes little difference in statistical inference. Conditional on a 5% imbalance of a powerful PF, adjustment reduces the likelihood of large bias. If an absolute measure of imbalance ≥5% is deemed important, including 1000 patients/arm provides sufficient protection against such an imbalance. Two thousand patients/arm may provide an adequate control against large random deviations in treatment effect estimation in the presence of a powerful PF. Conclusions The probability of prognostic imbalance in small trials can be substantial. Covariate adjustment improves estimation accuracy and statistical power, and hence should be performed when strong PFs are observed. PMID:22629322
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Task-Specific and General Cognitive Effects in Chiari Malformation Type I
Allen, Philip A.; Houston, James R.; Pollock, Joshua W.; Buzzelli, Christopher; Li, Xuan; Harrington, A. Katherine; Martin, Bryn A.; Loth, Francis; Lien, Mei-Ching; Maleki, Jahangir; Luciano, Mark G.
2014-01-01
Objective Our objective was to use episodic memory and executive function tests to determine whether or not Chiari Malformation Type I (CM) patients experience cognitive dysfunction. Background CM is a neurological syndrome in which the cerebellum descends into the cervical spine causing neural compression, severe headaches, neck pain, and number of other physical symptoms. While primarily a disorder of the cervico-medullary junction, both clinicians and researchers have suspected deficits in higher-level cognitive function. Design and Methods We tested 24 CM patients who had undergone decompression neurosurgery and 24 age- and education-matched controls on measures of immediate and delayed episodic memory, as well as three measures of executive function. Results The CM group showed performance decrements relative to the controls in response inhibition (Stroop interference), working memory computational speed (Ospan), and processing speed (automated digit symbol substitution task), but group differences in recall did not reach statistical significance. After statistical control for depression and anxiety scores, the group effects for working memory and processing speed were eliminated, but not for response inhibition. This response inhibition difference was not due to overall general slowing for the CM group, either, because when controls' data were transformed using the linear function fit to all of the reaction time tasks, the interaction with group remained statistically significant. Furthermore, there was a multivariate group effect for all of the response time measures and immediate and delayed recall after statistical control of depression and anxiety scores. Conclusion These results suggest that CM patients with decompression surgery exhibit cognitive dysfunction compared to age- and education-matched controls. While some of these results may be related to anxiety and depression (likely proxies for chronic pain), response inhibition effects, in particular, as well as a general cognitive deficit persisted even after control for anxiety and decompression. PMID:24736676
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Provost, Karine; Leblond, Antoine; Gauthier-Lemire, Annie; Filion, Édith; Bahig, Houda; Lord, Martin
2017-09-01
Planar perfusion scintigraphy with 99m Tc-labeled macroaggregated albumin is often used for pretherapy quantification of regional lung perfusion in lung cancer patients, particularly those with poor respiratory function. However, subdividing lung parenchyma into rectangular regions of interest, as done on planar images, is a poor reflection of true lobar anatomy. New tridimensional methods using SPECT and SPECT/CT have been introduced, including semiautomatic lung segmentation software. The present study evaluated inter- and intraobserver agreement on quantification using SPECT/CT software and compared the results for regional lung contribution obtained with SPECT/CT and planar scintigraphy. Methods: Thirty lung cancer patients underwent ventilation-perfusion scintigraphy with 99m Tc-macroaggregated albumin and 99m Tc-Technegas. The regional lung contribution to perfusion and ventilation was measured on both planar scintigraphy and SPECT/CT using semiautomatic lung segmentation software by 2 observers. Interobserver and intraobserver agreement for the SPECT/CT software was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient, Bland-Altman plots, and absolute differences in measurements. Measurements from planar and tridimensional methods were compared using the paired-sample t test and mean absolute differences. Results: Intraclass correlation coefficients were in the excellent range (above 0.9) for both interobserver and intraobserver agreement using the SPECT/CT software. Bland-Altman analyses showed very narrow limits of agreement. Absolute differences were below 2.0% in 96% of both interobserver and intraobserver measurements. There was a statistically significant difference between planar and SPECT/CT methods ( P < 0.001) for quantification of perfusion and ventilation for all right lung lobes, with a maximal mean absolute difference of 20.7% for the right middle lobe. There was no statistically significant difference in quantification of perfusion and ventilation for the left lung lobes using either method; however, absolute differences reached 12.0%. The total right and left lung contributions were similar for the two methods, with a mean difference of 1.2% for perfusion and 2.0% for ventilation. Conclusion: Quantification of regional lung perfusion and ventilation using SPECT/CT-based lung segmentation software is highly reproducible. This tridimensional method yields statistically significant differences in measurements for right lung lobes when compared with planar scintigraphy. We recommend that SPECT/CT-based quantification be used for all lung cancer patients undergoing pretherapy evaluation of regional lung function. © 2017 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.
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O'Neill, Edward F; Radmacher, Paula G; Sparks, Blake; Adamkin, David H
2013-05-01
Human milk (HM) is the preferred feeding for human infants but may be inadequate to support the rapid growth of the very-low-birth-weight infant. The creamatocrit (CMCT) has been widely used to guide health care professionals as they analyze HM fortification; however, the CMCT method is based on an equation using assumptions for protein and carbohydrate with fat as the only measured variable. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that a human milk analyzer (HMA) would provide more accurate data for fat and energy content than analysis by CMCT. Fifty-one well-mixed samples of previously frozen expressed HM were obtained after thawing. Previously assayed "control" milk samples were thawed and also run with unknowns. All milk samples were prewarmed at 40°C and then analyzed by both CMCT and HMA. CMCT fat results were substituted in the CMCT equation to reach a value for energy (kcal/oz). Fat results from HMA were entered into a computer model to reach a value for energy (kcal/oz). Fat and energy results were compared by paired t test with statistical significance set at P < 0.05. An additional 10 samples were analyzed locally by both methods and then sent to a certified laboratory for quantitative analysis. Results for fat and energy were analyzed by 1-way analysis of variance with statistical significance set at P < 0.05. Mean fat content by CMCT (5.8 ± 1.9 g/dL) was significantly higher than by HMA (3.2 ± 1.1 g/dL, P < 0.001). Mean energy by CMCT (21.8 ± 3.4 kcal/oz) was also significantly higher than by HMA (17.1 ± 2.9, P < 0.001). Comparison of biochemical analysis with HMA of the subset of milk samples showed no statistical difference for fat and energy, whereas CMCT was significantly higher than for both fat (P < 0.001) and energy (P = 0.002). The CMCT method appears to overestimate fat and energy content of HM samples when compared with HMA and biochemical methods.
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Pierri, Michele Danilo; Crescenzi, Giuseppe; Zingaro, Carlo; D'Alfonso, Alessandro; Capestro, Filippo; Scocco, Vitangelo; Brugia, Marina; Torracca, Lucia
2016-07-01
This randomized controlled trial aimed to evaluate the effects of seven-day preoperative treatment with two different dosages of atorvastatin on the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) and release of inflammatory markers such as high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and interleukin-6 in patients undergoing elective first-time on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The cohort study comprised 212 consecutive patients, already taking statins, who underwent elective first-time CABG with cardiopulmonary bypass without history of atrial fibrillation (AF). Patients were randomly divided into two groups: those who received atorvastatin 40 mg (TOR40 group, 111 patients) and those who received 80 mg (TOR80 group, 101 patients) once a day for 7 days before the planned operation. The primary endpoint was the incidence of AF. The secondary endpoints were the postoperative variations of inflammatory markers, hospital length of stay, and the incidence of major adverse cardiac and clinical events. A total of 26 patients (23.6 %) pretreated with atorvastatin 40 mg and 16 (15.8 %) patients pretreated with atorvastatin 80 mg had postoperative AF but the difference did not reach the statistical significance (p = 0.157). Median values of interleukin-6 and hsCRP at 12 and 24 h did not have differences between the two groups. No statistically significant differences in the other secondary endpoints were detected. According to our result, 7-day preoperative treatment with a high dose of atorvastatin is associated with a trend to a decrease in the incidence of POAF compared with treatment at a lower dose, although it does not impact on the level of inflammatory markers. European Clinical Trials Database (EudraCT: 2006-005757-30).
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Fate of thiamethoxam in mesocosms and response of the zooplankton community.
Lobson, C; Luong, K; Seburn, D; White, M; Hann, B; Prosser, R S; Wong, C S; Hanson, M L
2018-05-14
Thiamethoxam is a neonicotinoid insecticide that can reach wetlands in agro-ecosystems through runoff. The fate and effects of thiamethoxam on non-target organisms in shallow wetland ecosystems have not been well characterized. To this end, a mesocosm study was conducted with a focus on characterizing zooplankton community responses. A single pulse application of thiamethoxam (0, 25, 50, 100, 250, and 500 μg/L; n = 3) was applied to experimental systems and monitored for 8 weeks. The mean half-life of thiamethoxam among the different treatments was 3.7 days in the water column with concentrations of <0.8 μg/L in the majority of mesocosms by 56 days. Principal response curve analysis did not show any significant concentration-dependent differences in the zooplankton community among treatments over the course of the study. The minimum detectable difference (MDD%) values for abundance of potentially sensitive arthropod taxa (nauplius larvae, cyclopoid copepods) allowed the detections from controls as low as 42 and 59% effect, respectively. The MDD% values for total abundance of zooplankton (including the potentially less sensitive taxonomic group of Rotifera) allowed the detection from controls as low as 41% effect. There were no statistically significant differences in zooplankton abundance or diversity between control and treated mesocosms at the end of the study. There were also no statistically significant differences for individual taxa that were sustained between sampling points, or manifested as a concentration-response. We conclude that acute exposure to thiamethoxam at environmentally relevant concentrations (typically ng/L) likely does not represent a significant adverse ecological risk to wetland zooplankton community abundance and structure. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Alexander, Donee A; Northcross, Amanda; Karrison, Theodore; Morhasson-Bello, Oludare; Wilson, Nathaniel; Atalabi, Omolola M; Dutta, Anindita; Adu, Damilola; Ibigbami, Tope; Olamijulo, John; Adepoju, Dayo; Ojengbede, Oladosu; Olopade, Christopher O
2018-02-01
Household air pollution (HAP) exposure has been linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes. A randomized controlled trial was undertaken in Ibadan, Nigeria to determine the impact of cooking with ethanol on pregnancy outcomes. Three-hundred-twenty-four pregnant women were randomized to either the control (continued cooking using kerosene/firewood stove, n=162) or intervention group (received ethanol stove, n=162). Primary outcome variables were birthweight, preterm delivery, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), and occurrence of miscarriage/stillbirth. Mean birthweights for ethanol and controls were 3076 and 2988g, respectively; the difference, 88g, (95% confidence interval: -18g to 194g), was not statistically significant (p=0.10). After adjusting for covariates, the difference reached significance (p=0.020). Rates of preterm delivery were 6.7% (ethanol) and 11.0% (control), (p=0.22). Number of miscarriages was 1(ethanol) vs. 4 (control) and stillbirths was 3 (ethanol) vs. 7 (control) (both non-significant). Average gestational age at delivery was significantly (p=0.015) higher in ethanol-users (39.2weeks) compared to controls (38.2weeks). Perinatal mortality (stillbirths and neonatal deaths) was twice as high in controls compared to ethanol-users (7.9% vs. 3.9%; p=0.045, after adjustment for covariates). We did not detect significant differences in exposure levels between the two treatment arms, perhaps due to large seasonal effects and high ambient air pollution levels. Transition from traditional biomass/kerosene fuel to ethanol reduced adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, the difference in birthweight was statistically significant only after covariate adjustment and the other significant differences were in tertiary endpoints. Our results are suggestive of a beneficial effect of ethanol use. Larger trials are required to validate these findings. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
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Language, culture and international exchange of virtual patients.
Muntean, Valentin; Calinici, Tudor; Tigan, Stefan; Fors, Uno G H
2013-02-11
Language and cultural differences could be a limiting factor for the international exchange of Virtual Patients (VPs), especially for small countries and languages of limited circulation. Our research evaluated whether it would be feasible to develop a VP based educational program in our Romanian institution, with cases in English and developed in a non-Romanian setting. The participants in the research comprised 4th year Romanian medical students from the Faculty of Medicine in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, with previous training exclusively in Romanian, good English proficiency and no experience with VPs. The students worked on eight VPs in two identical versions, Romanian and English. The first group (2010) of 136 students worked with four VPs developed in Cluj and the second group (2011) of 144 students with four VPs originally developed at an US University. Every student was randomly assigned two different VPs, one in Romanian and another in English. Student activity throughout the case, the diagnosis, therapeutic plan and diagnosis justification were recorded. We also compared student performance on the two VPs versions, Romanian and English and the student performance on the two sets of cases, originally developed in Romania, respectively USA. We found no significant differences between the students' performance on the Romanian vs. English version of VPs. Regarding the students' performance on the two sets of cases, in those originally developed in Romania, respectively in the USA, we found a number of statistically significant differences in the students' activity through the cases. There were no statistically significant differences in the students' ability to reach the correct diagnosis and therapeutic plan. The development of our program with VPs in English would be feasible, cost-effective and in accordance with the globalization of medical education.
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Sheikhbahaei, Sara; Mahdaviani, Behnaz; Abdollahi, Alireza; Nayeri, Fatemeh
2014-01-01
Context: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH), the most common etiology of preventable mental retardation in children, is estimated to be more prevalent among Asian population. Aims: Since thyroid function tests (TFTs) varied among different ages and geographical regions, in this study, the neonatal thyroid reference intervals in a healthy neonatal population is determined for the first time in Iran. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study performed on 246 healthy term newborns aged between 2 days and 1 month. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were obtained by venipuncture from all subjects. The median, 2.5th, 5th, 95th, and 97.5th percentile of serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), as well as the total and free T4 were assessed among different age groups. Statistical Analysis Used: Predictive Analytics Software (PASW Statistics 18) was used for the analysis. Results: Serum TSH, total and free T4 concentration peaked in 5th to 7th days of life, continued over 2 weeks, then decreased and started reaching to adult reference range. A significant negative correlation between age and serum concentration of TSH (P = 0.02), total T4 (P = 0.01) and free T4 (P = 0.01) was found. Conclusion: This study yielded fairly different values for TFTs compared compared values found in other countries and also different from values reported for laboratory kits we used. These differences were assumed to be due to variations in ethnicity, age, and laboratory methods used. Due to the lack of international standardization, conducting multicenter studies helps in making a more precise evaluation of thyroid status in neonates. PMID:24701428
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Qian, R Y; Wu, X; Sheng, J; Zheng, P; Zhou, Q; Duan, A H; Zhang, J P; Zhang, Y L; Lu, D
2017-04-25
Objective: To explore the application of endometriosis fertility index (EFI) in guidance after laparoscopic surgery of endometriosis patients combined with infertility and to explore methods to improve pregnancy rate in different EFI groups. Methods: A prospective research was done in endometriosis patients combined with infertility in Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital from January 2010 to June 2011, after laparoscopic surgery, these 146 patients were divided into 3 groups by EFI score. Using different pregnancy guidance, these patients had 5 years follow-up. Results: (1) The 5 years overall pregnancy rate was 89.0% (130/146). The pregnancy rate was 95.7% (45/47) in EFI≥9 group, 92.8% (77/83) in EFI 5-8 group and 8/16 in EFI≤4 group, three groups were all reach satisfactory pregnancy rate; the rate of the first two groups had no statistically significance ( P= 0.498), but had significant difference with the last group ( P< 0.01). (2) In EFI≥5 patients, pregnancy rate was the highest in 6 months after operation; in EFI≥9 group, the pregnancy rate was 66.7% (30/45), and EFI 5-8 group was 50.6% (39/77). (3) EFI≥9 group had the highest natural pregnancy rate [83.6% (46/55)], natural pregnancy rate was significant statistical different in different EFI groups ( P= 0.001). Conclusions: EFI score is a useful evaluation in predicting and guiding pregnancy in endometriosis patients combined with infertility after laparoscopic surgery. EFI score guidance, strict post-operation management and positive pregnancy scheme could significantly improve the pregnancy rate of endometriosis patients with infertility.
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A critical evaluation and a search for the ideal colonoscopic preparation.
Arora, Manish; Senadhi, Viplove; Arora, Deepika; Weinstock, Joyce; Dubin, Ethan; Okolo, Patrick I; Dutta, Sudhir K
2013-04-01
The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of various bowel preparations in accomplishing colonic cleansing for optimal mucosal visualization during colonoscopy. The study included a cohort of 980 patients who underwent colonoscopy at our endoscopy center within the last 3 years. All of the study patients were subdivided into four groups. Each group included 245 patients, all receiving a different type of bowel preparation. The bowel preparations used in this study included: magnesium citrate (Group I), a combination of oral sodium phosphate (fleets) and powder PEG-3350 (Group II), powder polyethylene glycol-3350 (PEG-3350 powder for Group III), and oral sodium phosphate (fleets for Group IV). A Colon Prep Score (CPS) was devised to compare the quality of the different bowel preparations used. The colonoscopy results from all of these patients were tabulated and analyzed statistically and expressed as mean ± 1 standard deviation. Statistical analysis was performed using a one way ANOVA with Holm-Sidak method for intergroup analysis. Group I patients received magnesium citrate and had a mean CPS ± 1 SD of 3.11 ± 0.91. Group II patients (fleets and powder PEG-3350 combination) achieved a CPS of 3.37 ± 1.16. The patients in Group III (powder PEG-3350) actually showed the highest mean CPS of 3.44 ± 1.12. Group IV patients who used oral sodium phosphate alone reached a mean CPS of 3.23 ± 1.01. Group III patients (powder PEG-3350 only) demonstrated a statistically higher CPS (P<0.0006) in colon cleansing as compared to Group I patients (magnesium citrate). Similarly, Group II patients (oral sodium phosphate and powder PEG-3350 combination) also showed improved colon cleansing statistically (P<0.006) as compared to Group I patients (magnesium citrate). Overall, all four colon preparations achieved an average CPS greater than 3.0 indicating clinically adequate colonic cleansing. However, powder PEG-3350 alone and in combination with oral sodium phosphate was observed to be statistically superior to magnesium citrate, when used for colon preparation for colonoscopy. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
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Selimović-Dragaš, Mediha; Hasić-Branković, Lajla; Korać, Fehim; Đapo, Nermin; Huseinbegović, Amina; Kobašlija, Sedin; Lekić, Meliha; Hatibović-Kofman, Šahza
2013-08-01
Fluoride release is important characteristic of glass-ionomer cements. Quantity of fluoride ions released from the glass-ionomer cements has major importance in definition of their biological activity. The objectives of this study were to define the quantity of fluoride ions released from the experimental glass-ionomer cements and to define the effect of fluoride ions released from the experimental glass-ionomer cements on their cytotoxicity. Concentrations of the fluoride ions released in the evaluated glass-ionomer cements were measured indirectly, by the fluoride-selective WTW, F500 electrode potential, combined with reference R503/D electrode. Statistical analyses of F-ion concentrations released by all glass-ionomers evaluated at two time points, after 8 and after 24 hours, show statistically higher fluoride releases from RMGICs: Vitrebond, Fuji II LC and Fuji Plus, when compared to conventional glass-ionomer cements: Fuji Triage, Fuji IX GP Fast and Ketac Silver, both after 8 and after 24 hours. Correlation coefficient between concentrations of fluoride ion released by evaluated glass-ionomer cements and cytotoxic response of UMR-106 osteoblast cell-line are relatively high, but do not reach levels of biological significance. Correlation between concentrations of fluoride ion released and cytotoxic response of NIH3T3 mouse fibroblast cell line after 8 hours is high, positive and statistically significant for conventional GICs, Fuji Triage and Fuji IX GP Fast, and RMGIC, Fuji II LC. Statistically significant Correlation coefficient between concentrations of fluoride ion released and cytotoxic response of NIH3T3 cell line after 24 hours is defined for RMGIC Fuji II LC only.
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Ocular manifestations of Type 1 diabetes mellitus in pediatric population.
Akil, Handan; Buluş, Ayse Derya; Andiran, Nesibe; Alp, Mehmet Numan
2016-09-01
To evaluate the necessity of ocular screening in Type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM). This study aims to investigate the diabetes-related ocular changes according to the glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level and duration of diabetes in children and compare the results with nondiabetic healthy children. Observational cross-sectional study designed by ophthalmology and pediatric endocrinology clinics. Forty-two children with Type 1 DM, 42 healthy gender- and age-matched children as controls were enrolled. All patients underwent ophthalmic and physical examination, with a review of medical history and current medication. HbA1c level, best corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure (IOP), central corneal thickness (CCT), tear break-up time (BUT), Schirmer test, dilated fundus examination findings, central retinal thickness (CRT), and total macular volume (TMV) measurements were noted. Descriptive statistics, Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test, Chi-square test for comparison of the group parameters and correlation analyses (Spearman analysis) were performed with SPSS statistical software 17.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Type 1 DM group exhibited significantly reduced Schirmer test, increased IOP and decreased retinal thickness relative to the age-matched control group (P < 0.05) but no statistically significant difference was found for the BUT (P = 0.182) and for the CCT (P = 0.495). The correlations between the age, duration, HbA1c and IOP, BUT, Schirmer test, TMV, CRT measurements did not reach statistical significance. More frequent screening may be needed for complications, including neuropathy-related dry eye syndrome, IOP changes, and diabetic retinopathy in children with Type 1 DM.
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Fixed forced detection for fast SPECT Monte-Carlo simulation
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cajgfinger, T.; Rit, S.; Létang, J. M.; Halty, A.; Sarrut, D.
2018-03-01
Monte-Carlo simulations of SPECT images are notoriously slow to converge due to the large ratio between the number of photons emitted and detected in the collimator. This work proposes a method to accelerate the simulations based on fixed forced detection (FFD) combined with an analytical response of the detector. FFD is based on a Monte-Carlo simulation but forces the detection of a photon in each detector pixel weighted by the probability of emission (or scattering) and transmission to this pixel. The method was evaluated with numerical phantoms and on patient images. We obtained differences with analog Monte Carlo lower than the statistical uncertainty. The overall computing time gain can reach up to five orders of magnitude. Source code and examples are available in the Gate V8.0 release.
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Fixed forced detection for fast SPECT Monte-Carlo simulation.
Cajgfinger, T; Rit, S; Létang, J M; Halty, A; Sarrut, D
2018-03-02
Monte-Carlo simulations of SPECT images are notoriously slow to converge due to the large ratio between the number of photons emitted and detected in the collimator. This work proposes a method to accelerate the simulations based on fixed forced detection (FFD) combined with an analytical response of the detector. FFD is based on a Monte-Carlo simulation but forces the detection of a photon in each detector pixel weighted by the probability of emission (or scattering) and transmission to this pixel. The method was evaluated with numerical phantoms and on patient images. We obtained differences with analog Monte Carlo lower than the statistical uncertainty. The overall computing time gain can reach up to five orders of magnitude. Source code and examples are available in the Gate V8.0 release.
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Perturbative expansion for the maximum of fractional Brownian motion.
Delorme, Mathieu; Wiese, Kay Jörg
2016-07-01
Brownian motion is the only random process which is Gaussian, scale invariant, and Markovian. Dropping the Markovian property, i.e., allowing for memory, one obtains a class of processes called fractional Brownian motion, indexed by the Hurst exponent H. For H=1/2, Brownian motion is recovered. We develop a perturbative approach to treat the nonlocality in time in an expansion in ɛ=H-1/2. This allows us to derive analytic results beyond scaling exponents for various observables related to extreme value statistics: the maximum m of the process and the time t_{max} at which this maximum is reached, as well as their joint distribution. We test our analytical predictions with extensive numerical simulations for different values of H. They show excellent agreement, even for H far from 1/2.
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Campione, Giovanna Cristina; Piazza, Caterina; Villa, Laura; Molteni, Massimo
2016-06-01
The study was aimed at better clarifying whether action execution impairment in autism depends mainly on disruptions either in feedforward mechanisms or in feedback-based control processes supporting motor execution. To this purpose, we analyzed prehension movement kinematics in 4- and 5-year-old children with autism and in peers with typical development. Statistical analysis showed that the kinematics of the grasp component was spared in autism, whereas early kinematics of the reach component was atypical. We discussed this evidence as suggesting impairment in the feedforward processes involved in action execution, whereas impairment in feedback-based control processes remained unclear. We proposed that certain motor abilities are available in autism, and children may use them differently as a function of motor context complexity.
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Estimation of reach in peripersonal and extrapersonal space: a developmental view.
Gabbard, Carl; Cordova, Alberto; Ammar, Diala
2007-01-01
This study explored the developmental nature of action processing via estimation of reach in peripersonal and extrapersonal space. Children 5 to 11 years of age and adults were tested for estimates of reach to targets presented randomly at seven midline locations. Target distances were scaled to the individual based on absolute maximum reach. While there was no difference between age groups for total error, a significant distinction emerged in reference to space. With children, significantly more error was exhibited in extrapersonal space; no difference was found with adults. The groups did not differ in peripersonal space; however, adults were substantially more accurate with extrapersonal targets. Furthermore, children displayed a greater tendency to overestimate. In essence, these data reveal a body-scaling problem in children in estimating reach in extrapersonal space. Future work should focus on possible developmental differences in use of visual information and state of confidence.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yeh, C. H.; Chow, C. W.; Shih, F. Y.; Pan, C. L.
2012-08-01
The wavelength division multiplexing-time division multiplexing (WDM-TDM) passive optical network (PON) using reflective semiconductor optical amplifier (RSOA)-based colorless optical networking units (ONUs) is considered as a promising candidate for the realization of fiber-to-the-home (FTTH). And this architecture is actively considered by Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) for the realization of FTTH in Taiwan. However, different fiber distances and optical components would introduce different power budgets to different ONUs in the PON. Besides, due to the aging of optical transmitter (Tx), the power decay of the distributed optical carrier from the central office (CO) could also reduce the injection power into each ONU. The situation will be more severe in the long-reach (LR) PON, which is considered as an option for the future access. In this work, we investigate a WDM-TDM PON using RSOA-based ONU for upstream data rate adjustment depending on different continuous wave (CW) injection powers. Both standard-reach (25 km) and LR (100 km) transmissions are evaluated. Moreover, a detail analysis of the upstream signal bit-error rate (BER) performances at different injection powers, upstream data rates, PON split-ratios under stand-reach and long-reach is presented.
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Fürbass, F; Ossenblok, P; Hartmann, M; Perko, H; Skupch, A M; Lindinger, G; Elezi, L; Pataraia, E; Colon, A J; Baumgartner, C; Kluge, T
2015-06-01
A method for automatic detection of epileptic seizures in long-term scalp-EEG recordings called EpiScan will be presented. EpiScan is used as alarm device to notify medical staff of epilepsy monitoring units (EMUs) in case of a seizure. A prospective multi-center study was performed in three EMUs including 205 patients. A comparison between EpiScan and the Persyst seizure detector on the prospective data will be presented. In addition, the detection results of EpiScan on retrospective EEG data of 310 patients and the public available CHB-MIT dataset will be shown. A detection sensitivity of 81% was reached for unequivocal electrographic seizures with false alarm rate of only 7 per day. No statistical significant differences in the detection sensitivities could be found between the centers. The comparison to the Persyst seizure detector showed a lower false alarm rate of EpiScan but the difference was not of statistical significance. The automatic seizure detection method EpiScan showed high sensitivity and low false alarm rate in a prospective multi-center study on a large number of patients. The application as seizure alarm device in EMUs becomes feasible and will raise the efficiency of video-EEG monitoring and the safety levels of patients. Copyright © 2014 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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No association between month of birth and biliary atresia in a country with tropical climate.
Tanpowpong, Pornthep; Lertudomphonwanit, Chatmanee; Phuapradit, Pornpimol; Treepongkaruna, Suporn
2018-06-04
Children with biliary atresia (BA) born in countries with temperate climate showed month-of-birth (MoB) predilection during cooler months. To date, no study on the MoB-BA association has been performed in a tropical country. Our aim was to define MoB variation in children with BA in a tropical country. We studied 150 children diagnosed with BA between January 1996 and April 2015 at a teaching hospital. MoB was defined by two categories based on the precipitation: rain and dry, and three categories based on the air temperature: high, average and low. We applied the country's population data on the number of births in each period as the expected proportions of birth. A slightly higher proportion of BA children was born in the rainy months (52.7%); however, the difference was not significant compared to the general population's birth (P = 0.87). For the MoB based on the air temperature, no statistically significant difference was noted. Males with BA seemed to have a greater MoB variation compared to females, but this did not reach statistical significance. We could not find an association between MoB and BA in a tropical country. Multinational studies may aid in understanding the MoB-BA association in the tropical countries. © 2018 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (The Royal Australasian College of Physicians).
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Sorensen, Glorian; Pednekar, Mangesh; Cordeira, Laura Shulman; Pawar, Pratibha; Nagler, Eve M; Stoddard, Anne M; Kim, Hae-Young; Gupta, Prakash C
2017-03-01
We assessed a worksite intervention designed to promote tobacco control among workers in the manufacturing sector in Greater Mumbai, India. We used a cluster-randomised design to test an integrated health promotion/health protection intervention, the Healthy, Safe, and Tobacco-free Worksites programme. Between July 2012 and July 2013, we recruited 20 worksites on a rolling basis and randomly assigned them to intervention or delayed-intervention control conditions. The follow-up survey was conducted between December 2013 and November 2014. The difference in 30-day quit rates between intervention and control conditions was statistically significant for production workers (OR=2.25, p=0.03), although not for the overall sample (OR=1.70; p=0.12). The intervention resulted in a doubling of the 6-month cessation rates among workers in the intervention worksites compared to those in the control, for production workers (OR=2.29; p=0.07) and for the overall sample (OR=1.81; p=0.13), but the difference did not reach statistical significance. These findings demonstrate the potential impact of a tobacco control intervention that combined tobacco control and health protection programming within Indian manufacturing worksites. NCT01841879. 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/.
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Landi, Francesco; Cesari, Matteo; Onder, Graziano; Russo, Andrea; Torre, Sergio; Bernabei, Roberto
2003-01-01
Recently, greater attention has been paid to the role of inflammatory processes in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer disease (AD). However, the mechanism by which anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) might slow the progression of AD is not completely known. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between NSAIDs use and AD in a large sample of community-dwelling elderly people. In a cross-sectional retrospective study, the authors analyzed data on patients admitted to home care programs. A total of 12 home health agencies participated in the project, with a total of 2,708 patients enrolled in the present study. The main outcome measures were the prevalence of AD and use of NSAIDs treatment. Compared with all non-users, NSAID users had a nearly 50% lower risk of being affected by AD. Separate multivariate analyses of subjects receiving different types of NSAIDs found a significantly decreased risk of cognitive impairment associated with non-aspirin NSAID use, whereas, among subjects taking aspirin, the difference in estimated risk did not reach statistical significance. The results of this population-based cross-sectional study are consistent with the notion that long-term NSAIDs use has a protective effect against AD. However, after possible confounding effects of age and several other variables potentially associated with cognitive impairment were controlled, this association was statistically significant only for non-aspirin NSAIDs use.
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Healthcare teams as complex adaptive systems: Focus on interpersonal interaction.
Pype, Peter; Krystallidou, Demi; Deveugele, Myriam; Mertens, Fien; Rubinelli, Sara; Devisch, Ignaas
2017-11-01
The aim of this study is to test the feasibility of a tool to objectify the functioning of healthcare teams operating in the complexity zone, and to evaluate its usefulness in identifying areas for team quality improvement. We distributed The Complex Adaptive Leadership (CAL™) Organisational Capability Questionnaire (OCQ) to all members of one palliative care team (n=15) and to palliative care physicians in Flanders, Belgium (n=15). Group discussions were held on feasibility aspects and on the low scoring topics. Data was analysed calculating descriptive statistics (sum score, mean and standard deviation). The one sample T-Test was used to detect differences within each group. Both groups of participants reached mean scores ranging from good to excellent. The one sample T test showed statistically significant differences between participants' sum scores within each group (p<0,001). Group discussion led to suggestions for quality improvement e.g. enhanced feedback strategies between team members. The questionnaire used in our study shows to be a feasible and useful instrument for the evaluation of the palliative care teams' day-to-day operations and to identify areas for quality improvement. The CAL™OCQ is a promising instrument to evaluate any healthcare team functioning. A group discussion on the questionnaire scores can serve as a starting point to identify targets for quality improvement initiatives. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Genome-Wide Specific Selection in Three Domestic Sheep Breeds.
Wang, Huihua; Zhang, Li; Cao, Jiaxve; Wu, Mingming; Ma, Xiaomeng; Liu, Zhen; Liu, Ruizao; Zhao, Fuping; Wei, Caihong; Du, Lixin
2015-01-01
Commercial sheep raised for mutton grow faster than traditional Chinese sheep breeds. Here, we aimed to evaluate genetic selection among three different types of sheep breed: two well-known commercial mutton breeds and one indigenous Chinese breed. We first combined locus-specific branch lengths and di statistical methods to detect candidate regions targeted by selection in the three different populations. The results showed that the genetic distances reached at least medium divergence for each pairwise combination. We found these two methods were highly correlated, and identified many growth-related candidate genes undergoing artificial selection. For production traits, APOBR and FTO are associated with body mass index. For meat traits, ALDOA, STK32B and FAM190A are related to marbling. For reproduction traits, CCNB2 and SLC8A3 affect oocyte development. We also found two well-known genes, GHR (which affects meat production and quality) and EDAR (associated with hair thickness) were associated with German mutton merino sheep. Furthermore, four genes (POL, RPL7, MSL1 and SHISA9) were associated with pre-weaning gain in our previous genome-wide association study. Our results indicated that combine locus-specific branch lengths and di statistical approaches can reduce the searching ranges for specific selection. And we got many credible candidate genes which not only confirm the results of previous reports, but also provide a suite of novel candidate genes in defined breeds to guide hybridization breeding.
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Reach-scale effects of riparian forest cover on urban stream ecosystems
Roy, A.H.; Faust, C.L.; Freeman, Mary C.; Meyer, J.L.
2005-01-01
We compared habitat and biota between paired open and forested reaches within five small streams (basin area 10?20 km2) in suburban catchments (9%?49% urban land cover) in the Piedmont of Georgia, USA. Stream reaches with open canopies were narrower than forested reaches (4.1 versus 5.0 m, respectively). There were no differences in habitat diversity (variation in velocity, depth, or bed particle size) between open and forested reaches. However, absence of local forest cover corresponded to decreased large wood and increased algal chlorophyll a standing crop biomass. These differences in basal food resources translated into higher densities of fishes in open (9.0 individuals?m?2) versus forested (4.9 individuals?m?2) reaches, primarily attributed to higher densities of the herbivore Campostoma oligolepis. Densities of terrestrial invertebrate inputs were higher in open reaches; however, trends suggested higher biomass of terrestrial inputs in forested reaches and a corresponding higher density of terrestrial prey consumed by water column feeding fishes. Reach-scale biotic integrity (macroinvertebrates, salamanders, and fishes) was largely unaffected by differences in canopy cover. In urbanizing areas where catchment land cover drives habitat and biotic quality, management practices that rely exclusively on forested riparian areas for stream protection are unlikely to be effective at maintaining ecosystem integrity.
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Kim, Wondae; Buchanan, John; Gabbard, Carl
2011-01-01
With an interest in identifying the variables that constrain arm choice when reaching, the authors had 11 right-handed participants perform free-choice and assigned-limb reaches at 9 object positions. The right arm was freely selected 100% of the time when reaching to positions at 30° and 40° into right hemispace. However, the left arm was freely selected to reach to positions at -30° and -40° in left hemispace 85% of the time. A comparison between free- and assigned-limb reaching kinematics revealed that free limb selection when reaching to the farthest positions was constrained by joint amplitude requirements and the time devoted to limb deceleration. Differences between free- and assigned-arm reaches were not evident when reaching to the midline and positions of ±10°, even though the right arm was freely selected most often for these positions. Different factors contribute to limb selection as a function of distance into a specific hemispace.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Solc, J.
The reclamation effort typically deals with consequences of mining activity instead of being planned well before the mining. Detailed assessment of principal hydro- and geochemical processes participating in pore and groundwater chemistry evolution was carried out at three surface mine localities in North Dakota-the Fritz mine, the Indian Head mine, and the Velva mine. The geochemical model MINTEQUA2 and advanced statistical analysis coupled with traditional interpretive techniques were used to determine site-specific environmental characteristics and to compare the differences between study sites. Multivariate statistical analysis indicates that sulfate, magnesium, calcium, the gypsum saturation index, and sodium contribute the most tomore » overall differences in groundwater chemistry between study sites. Soil paste extract pH and EC measurements performed on over 3700 samples document extremely acidic soils at the Fritz mine. The number of samples with pH <5.5 reaches 80%-90% of total samples from discrete depth near the top of the soil profile at the Fritz mine. Soil samples from Indian Head and Velva do not indicate the acidity below the pH of 5.5 limit. The percentage of samples with EC > 3 mS cm{sup -1} is between 20% and 40% at the Fritz mine and below 20% for samples from Indian Head and Velva. The results of geochemical modeling indicate an increased tendency for gypsum saturation within the vadose zone, particularly within the lands disturbed by mining activity. This trend is directly associated with increased concentrations of sulfate anions as a result of mineral oxidation. Geochemical modeling, statistical analysis, and soil extract pH and EC measurements proved to be reliable, fast, and relatively cost-effective tools for the assessment of soil acidity, the extent of the oxidation zone, and the potential for negative impact on pore and groundwater chemistry.« less
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bursztyn, N.; Walker, A.; Shelton, B.; Pederson, J. L.
2015-12-01
Geoscience educators have long considered field trips to be the most effective way of attracting students into the discipline. A solution for bringing student-driven, engaging, kinesthetic field experiences to a broader audience lies in ongoing advances in mobile-communication technology. This NSF-TUES funded project developed three virtual field trip experiences for smartphones and tablets (on geologic time, geologic structures, and hydrologic processes), and then tested their performance in terms of student interest in geoscience as well as gains in learning. The virtual field trips utilize the GPS capabilities of smartphones and tablets, requiring the students to navigate outdoors in the real world while following a map on their smart device. This research, involving 873 students at five different college campuses, used analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and multiple regression for statistical methods. Gains in learning across all participants are minor, and not statistically different between intervention and control groups. Predictors of gains in content comprehension for all three modules are the students' initial interest in the subject and their base level knowledge. For the Geologic Time and Structures modules, being a STEM major is an important predictor of student success. Most pertinent for this research, for Geologic Time and Hydrologic Processes, gains in student learning can be predicted by having completed those particular virtual field trips. Gender and race had no statistical impact, indicating that the virtual field trip modules have broad reach across student demographics. In related research, these modules have been shown to increase student interest in the geosciences more definitively than the learning gains here. Thus, future work should focus on improving the educational impact of mobile-device field trips, as their eventual incorporation into curricula is inevitable.
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Induced beliefs about a fictive energy drink influences 200-m sprint performance.
de la Vega, Ricardo; Alberti, Sara; Ruíz-Barquín, Roberto; Soós, István; Szabo, Attila
2017-09-01
Placebo and nocebo effects occur in response to subjective expectations and their subsequent neural actions. Research shows that information shapes expectations that, consequently, influence people's behaviour. In this study, we examined the effects of a fictive and inert green colour energy drink provided for three groups (n = 20/group) with different information. The first group was led to expect that the drink augments running performance (positive information), the second group was led to expect that the drink may or may not improve performance (partial-positive information), while the third group was told that earlier research could not demonstrate that the drink improves performance (neutral/control). At baseline, the three groups did not differ in their 200-m sprint performance (p > .05). One week later, 20-min immediately after ingesting the drink, all participants again ran 200 m. The positive information group increased its performance by 2.41 s, which was statistically significant (p < .001) and also perceived its sprint-time shorter (p < .05) than the other two groups. A better performance (0.97 s) that approached but did not reach statistical significance was also noted in the partial-positive information group, and a lesser change (0.72 s) that was statistically not significant was noted in the neutral information control group. These results reveal that drinking an inert liquid, primed with positive information, changes both the actual and the self-perceived time on a 200-m sprint. The current findings also suggest that the level of certainty of the information might be linked to the magnitude of change in performance.
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Skin hydration, microrelief and greasiness of normal skin in Antarctica.
Tsankov, N; Mateev, D; Darlenski, R
2018-03-01
The skin is the primary defence of the human body against external factors from physical, chemical, mechanical and biologic origin. Climatic factors together with low temperature and sun radiation affect the skin. The effect of climatic conditions in Antarctica on healthy skin has not been previously addressed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in the skin hydration, greasiness and microrelief due to the extreme climatic environmental factors during the stay of the members of the Bulgarian Antarctic expedition. Fifty-nine Caucasian healthy subjects, 42 men and 17 women with mean age 50.9 years (27-68), were enrolled. The study was performed in five consecutive years from 2011 to 2016 at the Bulgarian Antarctic base camp at Livingston Island. The study protocol consisted of two parts: study A: duration of 15 days with measurement of skin physiology parameters on a daily basis, and study B: five measurements at baseline and at days 14, 30, 45 and 50 upon arrival in Antarctica. We measured three biophysical parameters related to skin physiology at cheek skin by an impedance measuring device. No statistically significant difference between parameters at the different measurement points. There is a variation in skin hydration reaching its lower point at day 11 and then returning to values similar to baseline. Initially, an increase in skin greasiness was witnessed with a sharp depression at day 11 and final values at day 15 resembling the ones at baseline. An increase, although not statistically significant, in skin roughness was observed in the first 15 days of the study. Study B showed no statistically significant variances between values of the three parameters. Our studies show the pioneer results of the effect of Antarctic climate on human skin physiology. © 2017 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.
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Lans, Charlotta; Cider, Åsa; Nylander, Eva; Brudin, Lars
2018-04-01
This study aimed to describe a method of peripheral muscle training with resistance bands in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and to evaluate its effects on the 6 min walk test and quality of life up to 12 months using a home-based programme. Twenty-two patients with stable CHF (19 men and 3 women), mean age 63.2 years (SD 8.1), New York Heart Association class II-III were randomized to individual home-based training (HT group), or home-based training with a group-based start-up in a hospital setting (GT group). A 6 min walk test, the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ), and Short Form with 36 items (SF-36) were administered at baseline and after 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Exercise training resulted in statistically significant increased walking distance in both groups. The HT group increased on average 107 (80) m from baseline to 12 months, and the GT group by 100 (96) m. Health-related quality of life, measured with MLHFQ and SF-36, reached statistically significant improvements in both groups but at different time points. There were no statistically significant differences between groups on any parameters or follow-ups. Long-term home-based peripheral muscle training in patients with CHF, with or without an introductory period in a hospital setting, can be used for initial improvement and retention of walking distance and health-related quality of life. © 2017 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.
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Steventon, Adam; Bardsley, Martin; Billings, John; Dixon, Jennifer; Doll, Helen; Beynon, Michelle; Hirani, Shashi; Cartwright, Martin; Rixon, Lorna; Knapp, Martin; Henderson, Catherine; Rogers, Anne; Hendy, Jane; Fitzpatrick, Ray; Newman, Stanton
2013-01-01
Objective: to assess the impact of telecare on the use of social and health care. Part of the evaluation of the Whole Systems Demonstrator trial. Participants and setting: a total of 2,600 people with social care needs were recruited from 217 general practices in three areas in England. Design: a cluster randomised trial comparing telecare with usual care, general practice being the unit of randomisation. Participants were followed up for 12 months and analyses were conducted as intention-to-treat. Data sources: trial data were linked at the person level to administrative data sets on care funded at least in part by local authorities or the National Health Service. Main outcome measures: the proportion of people admitted to hospital within 12 months. Secondary endpoints included mortality, rates of secondary care use (seven different metrics), contacts with general practitioners and practice nurses, proportion of people admitted to permanent residential or nursing care, weeks in domiciliary social care and notional costs. Results: 46.8% of intervention participants were admitted to hospital, compared with 49.2% of controls. Unadjusted differences were not statistically significant (odds ratio: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.75–1.07, P = 0.211). They reached statistical significance after adjusting for baseline covariates, but this was not replicated when adjusting for the predictive risk score. Secondary metrics including impacts on social care use were not statistically significant. Conclusions: telecare as implemented in the Whole Systems Demonstrator trial did not lead to significant reductions in service use, at least in terms of results assessed over 12 months. International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number Register ISRCTN43002091. PMID:23443509
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Serpell, M; Ratcliffe, S; Hovorka, J; Schofield, M; Taylor, L; Lauder, H; Ehler, E
2014-08-01
Peripheral neuropathic pain (PNP) associated with allodynia poses a significant clinical challenge. The efficacy of Δ(9) -tetrahydrocannabinol/cannabidiol (THC/CBD) oromucosal spray, a novel cannabinoid formulation, was investigated in this 15-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel group study. In total, 303 patients with PNP associated with allodynia were screened; 128 were randomized to THC/CBD spray and 118 to placebo, in addition to their current analgesic therapy. The co-primary efficacy endpoints were the 30% responder rate in PNP 0-10 numerical rating scale (NRS) score and the mean change from baseline to the end of treatment in this score. Various key secondary measures of pain and functioning were also investigated. At the 30% responder level, there were statistically significant treatment differences in favour of THC/CBD spray in the full analysis (intention-to-treat) dataset [p = 0.034; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05-3.70]. There was also a reduction in mean PNP 0-10 NRS scores in both treatment groups that was numerically higher in the THC/CBD spray group, but which failed to reach statistical significance. Secondary measures of sleep quality 0-10 NRS score (p = 0.0072) and Subject Global Impression of Change (SGIC) (p = 0.023) also demonstrated statistically significant treatment differences in favour of THC/CBD spray treatment. These findings demonstrate that, in a meaningful proportion of otherwise treatment-resistant patients, clinically important improvements in pain, sleep quality and SGIC of the severity of their condition are obtained with THC/CBD spray. THC/CBD spray was well tolerated and no new safety concerns were identified. © 2014 European Pain Federation - EFIC®
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Risk Factors for Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG) Progression: A Study Ruled in Torino
Actis, A.G.; Versino, E.; Brogliatti, B.; Rolle, T.
2016-01-01
Purpose: Aim of this retrospective, observational study is to describe features of a population sample, affected by primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) in order to evaluate damage progression on the basis of the emerged individual risk factors. Methods: We included 190 caucasian patients (377 eyes), evaluating relationship between individual risk factors (explicative variables) and MD (Mean Deviation) of standard automated perimetry. We also considered the dependent variable NFI (Neural Fiber Index) of GDx scanning laser polarimetry. Progression has been evaluated through a statistic General Linear Model on four follow up steps (mean follow up 79 months). Results: Factors reaching statistical significance, determining a worsening of the MD variable, are: age (P<0.0001), intraocular pressure (IOP) at follow up (P < 0.0001), female gender (P<0.0001), hypertension (P< 0.0001) and familiarity (P = 0.0006). Factors reaching statistical significance, determining a worsening of the NFI variable, are only IOP at follow up (P = 0.0159) and depression (P = 0.0104). Conclusion: Results of this study confirm and enforce data coming from most recent studies: IOP remains the main risk factor for glaucoma assess and progression; age and familiarity are great risk factors as underlined in the last decades; female sex can be an important risk factors as emerged only in the last years; arterial hypertension should always be evaluated in timing of our clinic follow up. PMID:27347249
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From human behavior to the spread of mobile phone viruses
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wang, Pu
Percolation theory was initiated some 50 years ago as a mathematical framework for the study of random physical processes such as the flow of a fluid through a disordered porous medium. It has been proved to be a remarkably rich theory, with applications from thermodynamic phase transitions to complex networks. In this dissertation percolation theory is used to study the diffusion process of mobile phone viruses. Some methodologies widely used in statistical physics are also applied to uncover the underlying statistical laws of human behavior and simulate the spread of mobile phone viruses in a large population. I find that while Bluetooth viruses can reach all susceptible handsets with time, they spread slowly due to human mobility, offering ample opportunities to deploy antiviral software. In contrast, viruses utilizing multimedia messaging services (MMS) could infect all users in hours, but currently a phase transition on the underlying call graph limits them to only a small fraction of the susceptible users. These results explain the lack of a major mobile virus breakout so far and predict that once a mobile operating system's market share reaches the phase transition point, viruses will pose a serious threat to mobile communications. These studies show how the large datasets and tools of statistical physics can be used to study some specific and important problems, such as the spread of mobile phone viruses.
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The profile of attention differs between locations orthogonal to and in line with reach direction.
Stewart, Emma E M; Ma-Wyatt, Anna
2017-11-01
People make movements in a variety of directions when interacting with the world around them. It has been well documented that attention shifts to the goal of an upcoming movement, whether the movement is a saccade or a reach. However, recent evidence suggests that the direction of a movement may influence the spatial spread of attention (Stewart & Ma-Wyatt, 2015, Journal of Vision, 15(5), 10). We investigated whether the spatiotemporal profile of attention differs depending on where that location is situated relative to the direction of movement, and if this pattern is consistent across different movement effectors. We compared attentional facilitation at locations in line with or orthogonal to the movement, for reach-only, reach-plus-saccade, and saccade-only conditions. Results show that the spatiotemporal profile of attention differs across different movement combinations, and is also different at target locations orthogonal to and in line with the movement direction. Specifically, when a reach alone was made, there was a general decrease in attention at all locations during the movement and a general increase in attention at all locations with a saccade only. However, the concurrent reach and saccade condition showed a premovement attentional facilitation at locations orthogonal to movement direction, but not those in line with the movement direction. These results suggest attentional guidance may be more important at differing time points, depending on the type of movement.
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Summary of U.S. Geological Survey reports documenting flood profiles of streams in Iowa, 1963-2012
Eash, David A.
2014-01-01
This report is part of an ongoing program that is publishing flood profiles of streams in Iowa. The program is managed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Transportation and the Iowa Highway Research Board (Project HR-140). Information from flood profiles is used by engineers to analyze and design bridges, culverts, and roadways. This report summarizes 47 U.S. Geological Survey flood-profile reports that were published for streams in Iowa during a 50-year period from 1963 to 2012. Flood events profiled in the reports range from 1903 to 2010. Streams in Iowa that have been selected for the preparation of flood-profile reports typically have drainage areas of 100 square miles or greater, and the documented flood events have annual exceedance probabilities of less than 2 to 4 percent. This report summarizes flood-profile measurements, changes in flood-profile report content throughout the years, streams that were profiled in the reports, the occurrence of flood events profiled, and annual exceedance-probability estimates of observed flood events. To develop flood profiles for selected flood events for selected stream reaches, the U.S. Geological Survey measured high-water marks and river miles at selected locations. A total of 94 stream reaches have been profiled in U.S. Geological Survey flood-profile reports. Three rivers in Iowa have been profiled along the same stream reach for five different flood events and six rivers in Iowa have been profiled along the same stream reach for four different flood events. Floods were profiled for June flood events for 18 different years, followed by July flood events for 13 years, May flood events for 11 years, and April flood events for 9 years. Most of the flood-profile reports include estimates of annual exceedance probabilities of observed flood events at streamgages located along profiled stream reaches. Comparisons of 179 historic and updated annual exceedance-probability estimates indicate few differences that are considered substantial between the historic and updated estimates for the observed flood events. Overall, precise comparisons for 114 observed flood events indicate that updated annual exceedance probabilities have increased for most of the observed flood events compared to the historic annual exceedance probabilities. Multiple large flood events exceeding the 2-percent annual exceedance-probability discharge estimate occurred at 37 of 98 selected streamgages during 1960–2012. Five large flood events were recorded at two streamgages in Ames during 1990–2010 and four large flood events were recorded at four other streamgages during 1973–2010. Results of Kendall’s tau trend-analysis tests for 35 of 37 selected streamgages indicate that a statistically significant trend is not evident for the 1963–2012 period of record; nor is an overall clear positive or negative trend evident for the 37 streamgages.
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An evolution-based strategy for engineering allosteric regulation
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pincus, David; Resnekov, Orna; Reynolds, Kimberly A.
2017-04-01
Allosteric regulation provides a way to control protein activity at the time scale of milliseconds to seconds inside the cell. An ability to engineer synthetic allosteric systems would be of practical utility for the development of novel biosensors, creation of synthetic cell signaling pathways, and design of small molecule pharmaceuticals with regulatory impact. To this end, we outline a general approach—termed rational engineering of allostery at conserved hotspots (REACH)—to introduce novel regulation into a protein of interest by exploiting latent allostery that has been hard-wired by evolution into its structure. REACH entails the use of statistical coupling analysis (SCA) to identify ‘allosteric hotspots’ on protein surfaces, the development and implementation of experimental assays to test hotspots for functionality, and a toolkit of allosteric modulators to impinge on endogenous cellular circuitry. REACH can be broadly applied to rewire cellular processes to respond to novel inputs.
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Flame detector operable in presence of proton radiation
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Walker, D. J.; Turnage, J. E.; Linford, R. M. F.; Cornish, S. D. (Inventor)
1974-01-01
A detector of ultraviolet radiation for operation in a space vehicle which orbits through high intensity radiation areas is described. Two identical ultraviolet sensor tubes are mounted within a shield which limits to acceptable levels the amount of proton radiation reaching the sensor tubes. The shield has an opening which permits ultraviolet radiation to reach one of the sensing tubes. The shield keeps ultraviolet radiation from reaching the other sensor tube, designated the reference tube. The circuitry of the detector subtracts the output of the reference tube from the output of the sensing tube, and any portion of the output of the sensing tube which is due to proton radiation is offset by the output of the reference tube. A delay circuit in the detector prevents false alarms by keeping statistical variations in the proton radiation sensed by the two sensor tubes from developing an output signal.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Moore, Kristin Anderson, Comp.; Manlove, Jennifer, Comp.; Terry-Humen, Elizabeth, Comp.; Williams, Stephanie, Comp.; Papillo, Angela Romano, Comp.; Scarpa, Juliet, Comp.
This publication reports trends in teen childbearing in the Nation, in each state, and in large cities using data from the 2000 National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Rates of teenage childbearing steadily declined during the 1990s, reaching a record low in 2000. Rates declined for both younger and older teens and for blacks, whites, and…
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Unintentional Gun Deaths among Children. Firearm Facts.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Duker, Laurie, Ed.
Children are at risk of being killed or injured by a gun if their parents own a gun because many guns obtained for self-defense are kept loaded and within reach of children. This brief fact sheet presents statistical information relating to accidental deaths involving young people and firearms. Safety measures are suggested for preventing…
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Richard. D. Wood-Smith; John M. Buffington
1996-01-01
Multivariate statistical analyses of geomorphic variables from 23 forest stream reaches in southeast Alaska result in successful discrimination between pristine streams and those disturbed by land management, specifically timber harvesting and associated road building. Results of discriminant function analysis indicate that a three-variable model discriminates 10...
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Migrant Health Program, 1969 Annual Report.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
New Jersey State Dept. of Health, Trenton.
The New Jersey State Department of Health has placed increasing emphasis on high-quality health care since the first hospital-based Migrant Family Clinic replaced field clinics in 1965. Statistics show that medical services provided by the program reached 38% of all migrant workers in New Jersey at the peak of the 1969 crop season; however,…
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Zhao, Weihua; Li, Qingyun; Guo, Weijie; Wang, Zhenhua
2017-05-01
This study take Nahan River as a case to research the impacts of small hydropower stations on macroinvertebrates community. Results showed that a total of 13 macroinvertebrate samples was collected and contained 56 taxa belonging to 18 families and 35 genera. The influence of runoff regulation was more seriously than hydrological period. There were obvious zoning phenomenon of macroinvertebrates between reservoir, downdam reaches and natural reaches. From reservoir, downdam reaches to natural reaches, species abundance increased in turn. There are the least species in reservoir, the most in natural rivers. The reservoirs had the highest biomass and were quite different from those in downdam and natural reaches. However, there was no significant difference between different periods of hydropower station.
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Mahabeer, S; Naidoo, C; Joubert, S M
1990-06-01
Plasma glucose, immunoreactive insulin (IRI) and C-peptide responses during oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT) were evaluated in 10 non obese women with polycystic ovarian disease (NOB-PCOD) and 10 obese women with polycystic ovarian disease (OB-PCOD). Mean plasma glucose response at 120 minutes in OB-PCOD showed impaired glucose tolerance. Also in this group, 1 patient had frank diabetes mellitus, whilst 3 other patients had impaired glucose tolerance 1 NOB-PCOD patient had impaired glucose tolerance. Mean plasma glucose levels and mean incremental glucose areas were higher in the OB-PCOD at all time intervals and reached statistical significance at 60 and 90 minutes. Mean plasma IRI levels were also higher in OB-PCOD at all time intervals, and reached statistically significant higher levels at 0, 60 and 90 minutes. Mean serum C-peptide valves were also higher at all time intervals in OB-PCOD. The relationship between acanthosis nigricans, obesity and PCOD was also analysed. It is evident from this study that obesity has a significant negative impact on the overall carbohydrate status in women with PCOD.
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The Peroxidation of Leukocytes Index Ratio Reveals the Prooxidant Effect of Green Tea Extract
Manafikhi, Husseen; Raguzzini, Anna; Longhitano, Yaroslava; Reggi, Raffaella; Zanza, Christian
2016-01-01
Despite tea increased plasma nonenzymatic antioxidant capacity, the European Food Safety Administration (EFSA) denied claims related to tea and its protection from oxidative damage. Furthermore, the Supplement Information Expert Committee (DSI EC) expressed some doubts on the safety of green tea extract (GTE). We performed a pilot study in order to evaluate the effect of a single dose of two capsules of a GTE supplement (200 mg × 2) on the peroxidation of leukocytes index ratio (PLIR) in relation to uric acid (UA) and ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP), as well as the sample size to reach statistical significance. GTE induced a prooxidant effect on leukocytes, whereas FRAP did not change, in agreement with the EFSA and the DSI EC conclusions. Besides, our results confirm the primary role of UA in the antioxidant defences. The ratio based calculation of the PLIR reduced the sample size to reach statistical significance, compared to the resistance to an exogenous oxidative stress and to the functional capacity of oxidative burst. Therefore, PLIR could be a sensitive marker of redox status. PMID:28101300
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von Arx, Thomas; Jensen, Simon Storgård; Hänni, Stefan
2007-02-01
This clinical study prospectively evaluated the influence of various predictors on healing outcome 1 year after periapical surgery. The study cohort included 194 teeth in an equal number of patients. Three teeth were lost for the follow-up (1.5% drop-out rate). Clinical and radiographic measures were used to determine the healing outcome. For statistical analysis, results were dichotomized (healed versus nonhealed). The overall success rate was 83.8% (healed cases). The only individual predictors to prove significant for the outcome were pain at initial examination (p=0.030) and other clinical signs or symptoms at initial examination (p=0.042), meaning that such teeth had lower healing rates 1 year after periapical surgery compared with teeth without such signs or symptoms. Logistic regression revealed that pain at initial examination (odds ratio=2.59, confidence interval=1.2-5.6, p=0.04) was the only predictor reaching significance. Several predictors almost reached statistical significance: lesion size (p=0.06), retrofilling material (p=0.06), and postoperative healing course (p=0.06).
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The Peroxidation of Leukocytes Index Ratio Reveals the Prooxidant Effect of Green Tea Extract.
Peluso, Ilaria; Manafikhi, Husseen; Raguzzini, Anna; Longhitano, Yaroslava; Reggi, Raffaella; Zanza, Christian; Palmery, Maura
2016-01-01
Despite tea increased plasma nonenzymatic antioxidant capacity, the European Food Safety Administration (EFSA) denied claims related to tea and its protection from oxidative damage. Furthermore, the Supplement Information Expert Committee (DSI EC) expressed some doubts on the safety of green tea extract (GTE). We performed a pilot study in order to evaluate the effect of a single dose of two capsules of a GTE supplement (200 mg × 2) on the peroxidation of leukocytes index ratio (PLIR) in relation to uric acid (UA) and ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP), as well as the sample size to reach statistical significance. GTE induced a prooxidant effect on leukocytes, whereas FRAP did not change, in agreement with the EFSA and the DSI EC conclusions. Besides, our results confirm the primary role of UA in the antioxidant defences. The ratio based calculation of the PLIR reduced the sample size to reach statistical significance, compared to the resistance to an exogenous oxidative stress and to the functional capacity of oxidative burst. Therefore, PLIR could be a sensitive marker of redox status.
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Effect of age and breeding season on sperm acrosin activity in the arctic fox (Alopex lagopus L.).
Stasiak, K; Janicki, B
2014-01-01
The objective of this study was to determine the effect of age and reproductive season on selected properties of semen from the arctic fox, Aloper lagopus L. The experiment used 40 ejaculates collected manually from 6 animals (3 foxes aged one year and 3 foxes older than three years). Statistically less semen (0.39 cm3) was collected from the young compared to the older animals, and the ejaculates obtained were characterized by higher concentration of spermatozoa (195.04 x 106/cm3). In turn, sperm acrosomal extracts from the older animals contained statistically more acrosin (6,4 mU/106 spermatozoa). In the sperm acrosomal extracts prepared during the first semen sampling, the mean acrosin activity did not exceed 2.3 mU/million spermatozoa. At subsequent semen sampling dates, the activity of the analysed enzyme increased to reach 7.72 mU/million spermatozoa. In the extracts obtained from the semen collected at the end of the breeding season of arctic foxes, the acrosin activity again reached a value obtained at the beginning of the season.
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Larson, S.P.; Mann, W.B.; Steele, T.D.; Susag, R.H.
1976-01-01
Historical records were analyzed to determine effects of population, pollution-control strategy, and other factors on water quality of the Mississippi River. Isopleths of DO (dissolved oxygen) concentrations and lines of equal stream temperature indicated periodic data could be used to guide sampling of certain critical conditions in time and space. Long-term records revealed generally mixed changes in quality in the Mississippi River. Several mean-time series were used to show seasonal variation in water quality and effects of initiation of wastewater treatment in 1938. Kendall 's tau statistical test indicated a significant increase in DO in the upper reach of the river during the period of record. If only the post-1938 period is considered, DO conditions remained fairly constant below the metropolitan plant and biochemical oxygen demand increased throughout the main-stem reach. Significant trends in stream temperature were indicated for winter periods using Kendall 's tau procedure. The Mann-Whitney statistical test gave estimates of a 98-percent confidence interval of the magnitudes of change. (Woodard-USGS)
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Western Saudi adolescent age estimation utilising third molar development
Alshihri, Amin M.; Kruger, Estie; Tennant, Marc
2014-01-01
Objective: The aim of this study was to establish reference data on third molar morphology/development for age estimation in Western Saudi adolescents, between ages 14 and 23 years of old. Materials and Methods: The orthopantomograms of 130 individuals (males and females), were examined, and the stage of third molar development were evaluated. Results: Mean ages, standard deviations, and percentile distributions are presented for each stage of development. The mean estimated age for all participants (n = 130) was 219.7 months, and this differed significantly (P < 0.05) from the mean chronological age (226.5 months). Deviations of predicted age from real age showed 28.5% of all participants had their age estimated within 1 year (±12 months) of their chronological age. Most (43%) had their age underestimated by more than 12 months and the remaining 28.5% had their age overestimated by more than 12 months of their chronological age. Differences in left-right symmetry information of third molars were detected and were higher in the maxilla (92%) than in the mandible (82%). For all molars reaching stage “H” most individuals (males and females) were over the age 18 years of old. Males reach the developmental stages earlier than females. Conclusion: Third molar tooth development can be reliably used to generate mean age and the estimated age range for an individual of unknown chronological age. Further studies with large populations are needed for better statistical results. PMID:25202206
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A New Approach to Reach Latino Populations in Rural and Urban Settings
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Morris, P.; Garcia, A.; Galindo, C.; Obot, V.; Allen, J.; Reiff, P.; Sumners, C.; Garcia, J.; Garza, O.
2004-12-01
Current statistics indicate that Latino populations have lower high school and college graduation rates than Anglos or African Americans. If Latinos do not pursue baccalaureate and higher degrees, then this group will be left behind as technological advances increasingly drive our society. The drop out rate affects not only the individuals, families, communities, and society from many different aspects, including financial independence, but also loss of potential contributing members of society in science, engineering, etc. Houston, an urban area, with a Latino population of 39% and Brownsville, a rural area represented by 84% Latinos, are two Texas areas where universities, schools, museums, and NASA are reaching out to increase science skills and graduation rates. Many Houston families have the opportunity to be introduced to different options, but Brownsville families do not have the same opportunities as the area lacks a strong industrial and technological base. We have developed programs to improve the space and Earth science knowledge base by providing summer science enrichment programs for K-12 students, family events, exposing high school students to college opportunities, and training high school and college students to serve as mentors to their peers. The peer mentors lead many of the outreach venues, interacting with the public with demonstrations and interactive science activities. In addition, we have developed a series of teacher workshops and modules on integrated science and mathematics. The teacher workshops are designed to provide the teachers with a wealth of integrated examples for classroom use.
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Fricke, Jonathan; Navsaria, Dipesh; Mahony, Karin
2016-12-01
Reach Out and Read (ROR) improves children's development and kindergarten readiness by encouraging parents to routinely share books with their children. Primary care providers give age-appropriate books and anticipatory guidance on reading at each well-child visit. This study evaluated parent attitudes and behaviors of early literacy related to ROR participation in Wisconsin clinics. A survey of early literacy attitudes and behaviors was administered to parents of children ages 6 months to 5 years in 36 Wisconsin clinics. Ten clinics were established ROR sites (intervention group) and 26 clinics had applied to become ROR programs but had not yet initiated the program (control group). Parents at clinics with ROR programs were more likely to read with a child under the age of 6 months (OR=1.58, 95% CI, 1.05-2.38). Other literacy metrics trended toward improvement but none reached statistical significance. Paradoxically, the odds of parents reporting reading as a bedtime habit were decreased among those who participated in ROR. Our study finds mixed support of the effectiveness of ROR outside of academic settings. The apparent discrepancy between these results and those from national studies on ROR may be related to differences in respondent demographics and educational attainment or differences in program implementation and fidelity. We believe that the results will become clearer with future study as clinics are prospectively evaluated over time rather than being compared to non-ROR clinics in a cross-sectional snapshot.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Feng, Yang; Fennel, Katja; Jackson, George A.; DiMarco, Steven F.; Hetland, Robert D.
2014-03-01
The hypoxic region in the northern Gulf of Mexico, one of the largest man-made hypoxic zones in the world, has received extensive scientific study and management interest. A previous statistical study has concluded that in addition to anthropogenic nitrogen loading, the observed hypoxic extent is correlated to the duration of upwelling favorable (westerly) wind without elucidating the underlying mechanism. In this study, we use a three-dimensional, coupled hydrological-biogeochemical model to mechanistically examine how variations of the hypoxic area are related to the duration of upwelling-favorable wind. We performed scenario experiments with different durations of upwelling-favorable wind using realistic winds from summer 2002 (when upwelling-favorable winds were present only for about 1 month) and summer 2009 (when upwelling-favorable conditions started early and persisted for about 2 months). While the maximum simulated hypoxic area is approximately 15,000 km2 in both cases, the evolutions of the hypoxic area and the dates when its maximum extent are reached are different. With an early start of persistently upwelling-favorable wind in 2009, the hypoxic area reached its maximum in early summer and decreased afterwards. By contrast, the hypoxic area was small in early summer of 2002 and peaked during the short period of upwelling-favorable wind in late summer. The model revealed that the wind influences the evolution of the hypoxic area by changing the vertical and horizontal distributions of the low salinity, high chlorophyll water on the shelf.
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Comparison of the US and Russian Cycle Ergometers
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Norcross, Jason; Bentley, Jason R.; Moore, Alan D.; Hagan, R. Donald
2007-01-01
The purpose of this study was to compare the U.S. and Russian cycle ergometers focusing on the mechanical differences of the devices and the physiological differences observed while using the devices. Methods: First, the mechanical loads provided by the U.S. Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation System (CEVIS) and the Russian Veloergometer were measured using a calibration dynamometer. Results were compared and conversion equations were modeled to determine the actual load provided by each device. Second, ten male subjects (32.9 +/- 6.5 yrs, 180.6 +/- 4.4 cm; 81.9 +/- 6.9 kg) experienced with both cycling and exercise testing completed a standardized submaximal exercise test protocol on CEVIS and Veloergometer. The exercise protocol involved 8 sub-maximal workloads each lasting 3 minutes for a total of 24 minutes per session, or until the end of the stage when the subject reached 85% of peak oxygen consumption or age-predicted maximum heart rate (220 - age). The workload started at 50 Watts (W), increased to 100 W, and then increased 25 W every 3 minutes until reaching a peak workload of 250 W. Physiological variables were then compared at each workload by repeated measures ANOVA or paired t-tests (p<0.05). Results: While both CEVIS and Veloergometer produced significantly lower workloads than the displayed workload, CEVIS produced even lower loads than Veloergometer (p<0.05) at each indicated workload. Despite this fact, the only physiological variables that showed a significant difference between the ergometers were VE (125 - 250W), VO2 (175 and 250 W), and VCO2 (175 W). All other physiological data were not statistically different between CEVIS and Veloergometer. Conclusion: Although workloads were different between ergometers, relatively few physiological differences were observed. Therefore, CEVIS workloads of 87.5 - 262.5 W can be rounded to the nearest 25 W increment and performed on the Veloergometer.
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Duff, Margaret; Chen, Yinpeng; Cheng, Long; Liu, Sheng-Min; Blake, Paul; Wolf, Steven L; Rikakis, Thanassis
2013-05-01
Adaptive mixed reality rehabilitation (AMRR) is a novel integration of motion capture technology and high-level media computing that provides precise kinematic measurements and engaging multimodal feedback for self-assessment during a therapeutic task. We describe the first proof-of-concept study to compare outcomes of AMRR and traditional upper-extremity physical therapy. Two groups of participants with chronic stroke received either a month of AMRR therapy (n = 11) or matched dosing of traditional repetitive task therapy (n = 10). Participants were right handed, between 35 and 85 years old, and could independently reach to and at least partially grasp an object in front of them. Upper-extremity clinical scale scores and kinematic performances were measured before and after treatment. Both groups showed increased function after therapy, demonstrated by statistically significant improvements in Wolf Motor Function Test and upper-extremity Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) scores, with the traditional therapy group improving significantly more on the FMA. However, only participants who received AMRR therapy showed a consistent improvement in kinematic measurements, both for the trained task of reaching to grasp a cone and the untrained task of reaching to push a lighted button. AMRR may be useful in improving both functionality and the kinematics of reaching. Further study is needed to determine if AMRR therapy induces long-term changes in movement quality that foster better functional recovery.
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AAS Statistics and the 60% Cohort
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Marvel, K. B.
2004-05-01
I will present the latest statistics available describing the gender of the AAS membership including an update on the so-called 60% cohort (that group of AAS members from the ages of 18 to 25 who are 60% women and 40% men). The AAS membership has changed significantly in the past 30 years from an overall female membership percentage of about 10% to a level around 30% today. This trend is accelerating and indicates the ongoing inclusion of women in the physical sciences, especially astronomy. By the year 2030, the AAS membership should reach gender parity if the present trend continues.
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Acute effects of whole-body cryotherapy on sit-and-reach amplitude in women and men.
De Nardi, Massimo; La Torre, Antonio; Benis, Roberto; Sarabon, Nejc; Fonda, Borut
2015-12-01
Flexibility is an intrinsic property of body tissues, which among other factors determines the range of motion (ROM). A decrease in neural activation of the muscle has been linked with greater ROM. Cryotherapy is an effective technique to reduces neural activation. Hence, the aim of the present study was to evaluate if a single session of whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) affects ROM. 60 women and 60 men were divided into two groups (control and experimental). After the initial sit-and-reach test, experimental group performed a 150 s session of WBC, whereas the control group stayed in thermo-neutral environment. Immediately after, both groups performed another sit-and-reach test. A 3-way analysis of variance revealed statistically significant time×group and time × gender interaction. Experimental groups improved sit-and-reach amplitude to a greater extend than the control group. Our results support the hypothesis that ROM is increased immediately after a single session of WBC. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Khan, Firdos; Pilz, Jürgen
2016-04-01
South Asia is under the severe impacts of changing climate and global warming. The last two decades showed that climate change or global warming is happening and the first decade of 21st century is considered as the warmest decade over Pakistan ever in history where temperature reached 53 0C in 2010. Consequently, the spatio-temporal distribution and intensity of precipitation is badly effected and causes floods, cyclones and hurricanes in the region which further have impacts on agriculture, water, health etc. To cope with the situation, it is important to conduct impact assessment studies and take adaptation and mitigation remedies. For impact assessment studies, we need climate variables at higher resolution. Downscaling techniques are used to produce climate variables at higher resolution; these techniques are broadly divided into two types, statistical downscaling and dynamical downscaling. The target location of this study is the monsoon dominated region of Pakistan. One reason for choosing this area is because the contribution of monsoon rains in this area is more than 80 % of the total rainfall. This study evaluates a statistical downscaling technique which can be then used for downscaling climatic variables. Two statistical techniques i.e. quantile regression and copula modeling are combined in order to produce realistic results for climate variables in the area under-study. To reduce the dimension of input data and deal with multicollinearity problems, empirical orthogonal functions will be used. Advantages of this new method are: (1) it is more robust to outliers as compared to ordinary least squares estimates and other estimation methods based on central tendency and dispersion measures; (2) it preserves the dependence among variables and among sites and (3) it can be used to combine different types of distributions. This is important in our case because we are dealing with climatic variables having different distributions over different meteorological stations. The proposed model will be validated by using the (National Centers for Environmental Prediction / National Center for Atmospheric Research) NCEP/NCAR predictors for the period of 1960-1990 and validated for 1990-2000. To investigate the efficiency of the proposed model, it will be compared with the multivariate multiple regression model and with dynamical downscaling climate models by using different climate indices that describe the frequency, intensity and duration of the variables of interest. KEY WORDS: Climate change, Copula, Monsoon, Quantile regression, Spatio-temporal distribution.
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Li, Jia; Xu, Yu; Chen, Yu-qing; Ge, Yang; Zhang, Long-hui; Xu, Xiao-ling; Wu, Tong-sheng; Chen, Yu-sheng; Wang, Jing; Liu, Jian-nan; Wei, Li-ping; Qiu, Chen; Zhong, Xiao-ning; Huang, Mei-xing; Xin, Jian-bao; Luo, Ru-ping; Zhao, Ming-shun; Li, Zai-qing; Hu, Cheng-ping; Zhao, Wei; Wang, Hong; Zhang, Wei; Guo, Lu-sheng; Wang, Qiu-yue; Zhou, Long-nü; Liang, Zong-an; Ma, Jun-qing; Liu, Yue-jian; Jiang, Yuan-ming; Xie, Wan-sheng; Sheng, Ji-fang; Gao, Zhan-cheng
2009-05-01
To investigate the relationship between clinical features of patients with A/H5N1 infection and their prognosis in mainland China. This study included 28 human cases with A/H5N1 infection in mainland China from October 2005 to May 2008. Data were collected and reviewed from hospital medical records and publishied papers. A database was built by EPIDATA 3.02 and statistical analyses were performed with SPSS 13.0. The median age of the 28 cases was 29 years (range 6-62), and 15 were females. Ten patients survived, and 18 died. The typically clinical manifestations of human influenza A/H5N1 infection included fever and lower respiratory infection. The numbers of peripheral white blood cells, lymphocytes and platelets in the survival and non-survival groups were (4.01 +/- 1.86) x 10(9)/L vs (5.1 +/- 2.9) x 10(9)/L, (1.09 +/- 0.49) x 10(9)/L vs (0.98 +/- 0.44) x 10(9)/L, and (116 +/- 39) x 10(9)/L vs (101 +/- 40) x 10(9)/L, respectively; the differences were not statistically significant between the 2 groups (P>0.05). There was also no statistically significant difference in the increased serum enzymes, such as aspartate aminotransferase [(173 +/- 246) U/L vs (272 +/- 263) U/L], lactate dehydrogenase [(1016 +/- 568) U/L vs (1512 +/- 1052) U/L], creatine kinase [(1099 +/- 1590) U/L vs (2534 +/- 4281) U/L] and MB isoenzyme of creatine kinase [(28 +/- 30) U/L vs (125 +/- 197) U/L] (P>0.05) between the survival and the non-survival groups. However, there was a statistically significant difference in the number of patients with an initial LDH level more than 8 fold of the normal value between the survival and the non-survival groups (none vs 6, P<0.05). All of the 28 cases developed bilateral multiple infiltrates and consolidation in chest radiographs. Acute respiratory distress syndrome occurred in 22 cases, 17 of them died. All the 9 patients with acute kidney injury died. Ten patients received antiviral treatment with oseltamivir, and 6 of them survived. There was a statistical difference in the time of initiating oseltamivir treatment between the survival and the non-survival cases [(6.5 +/- 3.0) d vs (11.8 +/- 3.3) d, Z = 3.70, P<0.05]. Broad spectrum antibiotics and corticosteroids were administered in all of the 28 cases. There was no statistical difference between the survival and the non-survival groups regarding to the corticosteroid treatment (P>0.05). Initial LDH level reaching more than 8 fold of the normal value suggests a poor prognosis for human H5N1 infection. Patients complicated with either ARDS or acute kidney injury had a higher risk of death. Early administration of effective antiviral agents might improve the prognosis and decrease case fatality.
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A new universal simplified adhesive: 36-Month randomized double-blind clinical trial.
Loguercio, Alessandro D; de Paula, Eloisa Andrade; Hass, Viviane; Luque-Martinez, Issis; Reis, Alessandra; Perdigão, Jorge
2015-09-01
It is still debatable which technique should be used with universal adhesives, either etch-and-rinse (wet or dry) or self-etch strategy (with or without selective enamel etching). To evaluate the 36-month clinical performance of Scotchbond Universal Adhesive (SU, 3M ESPE) in non-carious cervical lesions (NCCLs) using two evaluation criteria. Thirty-nine patients participated in this study. Two-hundred restorations were assigned to four groups: ERm: etch-and-rinse+moist dentin; ERd: etch-and-rinse+dry dentin; Set: selective enamel etching; and SE: self-etch. The same composite resin was inserted for all restorations in up to 3 increments. The restorations were evaluated at baseline and at 6-, 18-, and 36-months using both the FDI and the USPHS criteria. Statistical analyses were performed with Friedman repeated measures ANOVA by rank and McNemar test for significance in each pair (α=0.05). Eight restorations (ERm: 1; ERd: 1; Set: 1 and SE: 5) were lost after 36 months, but only significant for SE when compared with baseline (p=0.02 for either criteria). Marginal staining occurred in 6.8% of the restorations (groups ERm, ERd, and Set) and 17.5% of the restorations (group SE), with significant difference for each group when compared with baseline using the FDI criteria (p<0.04), while statistical significance was reached only for SE when compared with baseline using the USPHS criteria (p<0.03). Twenty-eight and 49 restorations were scored as bravo for marginal adaptation using the USPHS and FDI criteria, respectively, with significant difference for each group when compared with baseline (p<0.05). While there was no statistical difference among bonding strategies when a universal adhesive was used, there were signs of degradation when the universal adhesive was applied in SE mode. The FDI criteria remain more sensitive than the USPHS criteria, especially for the criteria marginal staining and marginal adaptation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Lee, Cheng-Chia; Chen, Ching-Jen; Ball, Benjamin; Schlesinger, David; Xu, Zhiyuan; Yen, Chun-Po; Sheehan, Jason
2015-07-01
Onyx, an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer mixed in a dimethyl sulfoxide solvent, is currently one of the most widely used liquid materials for embolization of intracranial arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). The goal of this study was to define the risks and benefits of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for patients who have previously undergone partial AVM embolization with Onyx. Among a consecutive series of 199 patients who underwent SRS between January 2007 and December 2012 at the University of Virginia, 25 patients had Onyx embolization prior to SRS (the embolization group). To analyze the obliteration rates and complications, 50 patients who underwent SRS without prior embolization (the no-embolization group) were matched by propensity score method. The matched variables included age, sex, nidus volume before SRS, margin dose, Spetzler-Martin grade, Virginia Radiosurgery AVM Scale score, and median imaging follow-up period. After Onyx embolization, 18 AVMs were reduced in size. Total obliteration was achieved in 6 cases (24%) at a median of 27.5 months after SRS. In the no-embolization group, total obliteration was achieved in 20 patients (40%) at a median of 22.4 months after SRS. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated obliteration rates of 17.7% and 34.1% in the embolization group at 2 and 4 years, respectively. In the no-embolization group, the corresponding obliteration rates were 27.0% and 55.9%. The between-groups difference in obliteration rates after SRS did not achieve statistical significance. The difference in complications, including adverse radiation effects, hemorrhage episodes, seizure control, and patient mortality also did not reach statistical significance. Onyx embolization can effectively reduce the size of many AVMs. This case-control study did not show any statistically significant difference in the rates of embolization or complications after SRS in patients who had previously undergone Onyx embolization and those who had not.
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Harrison, Annie; Robinson, Christine; Williams, Greg; Clough, Gary; Owusu, Melvina Woode; Verma, Arpana
2017-05-01
This article describes the Hard-to-Reach (HtR) Project that was developed to capture health and lifestyle data from groups who are HtR by postal surveys within the larger EURO-URHIS 2 project. By collaborating with partner organizations, data were collected using standard survey tools, allowing for comparison with the wider population. Following a scoping exercise to determine which groups were HtR in Greater Manchester, black and minority ethnic (BME) groups and students were selected. BME groups were surveyed through partnership with Community and Voluntary Sector Organizations (CVSOs). Language barriers were addressed through the recruitment of volunteer interpreters. Students were surveyed by accessing university premises. Fifteen survey visits took place at nine CVSOs and five visits to University facilities. In total, 144 eligible surveys were collected. There were significant differences for both HtR groups, compared with Greater Manchester and the EURO-URHIS 2 mean. Both HtR groups had worse outcomes than both Greater Manchester and EURO-URHIS 2 for psychological problems. In addition, students had worse outcomes for passive smoking, binge drinking, use of cannabis, lack of access to green spaces, less sense of belonging and social cohesion and damp or mildewed homes, and better outcomes for self-perceived health and overweight and obesity. BME had in addition worse outcomes than both Greater Manchester and EURO-URHIS 2 for long-standing restrictive illness. Despite the limitations of this study, the development of this methodology allowed for the collection of comparable data, showing up statistically significant differences between the HtR populations and the wider population which merits further investigation. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.
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O'Connor, B.L.; Hondzo, Miki; Dobraca, D.; LaPara, T.M.; Finlay, J.A.; Brezonik, P.L.
2006-01-01
The spatial variability of subreach denitrification rates in streams was evaluated with respect to controlling environmental conditions, molecular examination of denitrifying bacteria, and dimensional analysis. Denitrification activities ranged from 0 and 800 ng-N gsed-1 d-1 with large variations observed within short distances (<50 m) along stream reaches. A log-normal probability distribution described the range in denitrification activities and was used to define low (16% of the probability distributibn), medium (68%), and high (16%) denitrification potential groups. Denitrifying bacteria were quantified using a competitive polymerase chain reaction (cPCR) technique that amplified the nirK gene that encodes for nitrite reductase. Results showed a range of nirK quantities from 103 to 107 gene-copy-number gsed.-1 A nonparametric statistical test showed no significant difference in nirK quantifies among stream reaches, but revealed that samples with a high denitrification potential had significantly higher nirK quantities. Denitrification activity was positively correlated with nirK quantities with scatter in the data that can be attributed to varying environmental conditions along stream reaches. Dimensional analysis was used to evaluate denitrification activities according to environmental variables that describe fluid-flow properties, nitrate and organic material quantities, and dissolved oxygen flux. Buckingham's pi theorem was used to generate dimensionless groupings and field data were used to determine scaling parameters. The resulting expressions between dimensionless NO3- flux and dimensionless groupings of environmental variables showed consistent scaling, which indicates that the subreach variability in denitrification rates can be predicted by the controlling physical, chemical, and microbiological conditions. Copyright 2006 by the American Geophysical Union.
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Comparison of Spinal Anaesthesia and Paravertebral Block in Unilateral Inguinal Hernia Repair.
Işıl, Canan Tülay; Çınar, Ayşe Surhan Özer; Oba, Sibel; Işıl, Rıza Gürhan
2014-10-01
We aimed to compare the efficacy of spinal anaesthesia (SA) and paravertebral block (PVB) in unilateral inguinal hernia repair. Sixty American Society of Anesthesia physical status (ASA) I-III patients aged between 18-64 years with unilateral inguinal hernia were enrolled in this study. Two patients in Group SA and 4 patients in Group PVB were excluded, and statistical analyses were done on 54 patients. In regard to anaesthetic choice, patients were divided into two groups, with 30 patients in each: Group SA, spinal anaesthesia and Group PVB, paravertebral block. Standard monitoring was done, and mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded during the surgical procedure. Demographic variables, surgical data, patient satisfaction, the onset times to reach T10 dermatome and to reach peak sensory level, and onset time to reach modified Bromage 3 motor block were recorded. Postoperative nausea and vomiting and pain at postoperative hours 0-24 with the visual analog scale (VAS) were also measured. Compared to pre-anaesthesia measurements, the decrease in HR and MAP during the 10(th)-90(th) minute period was significant in Group SA (p<0.01). In Group PVB, sensory block duration time was higher, whereas paralysis rate was higher in Group SA (p<0.01). Bromage scores were significantly different between the groups (p<0.01). In Group SA, VAS score at the 24(th) postoperative hour, nausea, and vomiting were significantly higher compared to Group PVB (p<0.01). In conclusion, paravertebral block provides acceptable surgical anaesthesia, maintaining good quality and long duration on postoperative analgesia in unilateral hernia repair.
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Long-term effects of early parental loss due to divorce on the HPA axis.
Bloch, Miki; Peleg, Ido; Koren, Danny; Aner, Hamotal; Klein, Ehud
2007-04-01
We investigated the long-term effects of divorce and early separation from one parent on HPA axis reactivity, in young adults without psychopathology. Participants were 44 young subjects, 22 whose parents divorced before they reached age 10, and 22 controls. Psychiatric symptomatology was measured with the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), family perceived stress by the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), and bonding by the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). Assessment of HPA axis function included baseline morning cortisol and ACTH and cortisol response to a CRH stimulation test. No baseline or stimulated group differences were observed for ACTH. Cortisol levels were consistently but insignificantly lower in the divorce group throughout the CRH stimulation reaching statistical significance only at 5 min (p<0.03). Group by time effect reached a trend level (p<0.06). A correlation was found between psychiatric symptomatology and PBI scores; however, both parameters did not correlate with HPA axis activity. A significant correlation was found between DAS scores and ACTH. A regression model revealed a contributing effect for both family stress and child-parent bonding to stimulated ACTH levels. These preliminary findings suggest that even in the absence of adult psychopathology, a history of childhood separation from one parent due to divorce may lead to detectable, albeit mild, long-term alterations in HPA axis activity. Furthermore, they suggest that level of stress at home and parental bonding are important determinants of this effect. It is likely that divorce has significant and sustained effects on children's HPA axis only in the context of a traumatic separation.
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Zhu, Zhizhong; Cui, Liling; Yin, Miaomiao; Yu, Yang; Zhou, Xiaona; Wang, Hongtu; Yan, Hua
2016-06-01
To investigate the effects of hydrotherapy on walking ability and balance in patients with chronic stroke. Single-blind, randomized controlled pilot trial. Outpatient rehabilitation clinic at a tertiary neurological hospital in China. A total of 28 participants with impairments in walking and controlling balance more than six months post-stroke. After baseline evaluations, participants were randomly assigned to a land-based therapy (control group, n = 14) or hydrotherapy (study group, n = 14). Participants underwent individual sessions for four weeks, five days a week, for 45 minutes per session. After four weeks of rehabilitation, all participants were evaluated by a blinded assessor. Functional assessments included the Functional Reach Test, Berg Balance Scale, 2-minute walk test, and Timed Up and Go Test. After four weeks of treatment, the Berg Balance Scale, functional reach test, 2-minute walk test, and the Timed Up and Go Test scores had improved significantly in each group (P < 0.05). The mean improvement of the functional reach test and 2-minute walk test were significantly higher in the aquatic group than in the control group (P < 0.01). The differences in the mean values of the improvements in the Berg Balance Scale and the Timed Up and Go Test were not statistically significant. The results of this study suggest that a relatively short programme (four weeks) of hydrotherapy exercise resulted in a large improvement in a small group (n = 14) of individuals with relatively high balance and walking function following a stroke. © The Author(s) 2015.
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ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Vishton, P.M.; Ware, E.A.; Badger, A.N.
2005-01-01
Six experiments compared the Gestalt processing that mediates infant reaching and looking behaviors. Experiment 1 demonstrated that the positioning and timing of 8- and 9-month-olds' reaching was influenced by remembered relative motion. Experiment 2 suggested that a visible gap, without this relative motion, was not sufficient to produce these…
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Searching for Hysteresis in Models of Mantle Convection with Grain-Damage
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lamichhane, R.; Foley, B. J.
2017-12-01
The mode of surface tectonics on terrestrial planets is determined by whether mantle convective forces are capable of forming weak zones of localized deformation in the lithosphere, which act as plate boundaries. If plate boundaries can form then a plate tectonic mode develops, and if not convection will be in the stagnant lid regime. Episodic subduction or sluggish lid convection are also possible in between the nominal plate tectonic and stagnant lid regimes. Plate boundary formation is largely a function of the state of the mantle, e.g. mantle temperature or surface temperature, and how these conditions influence both mantle convection and the mantle rheology's propensity for forming weak, localized plate boundaries. However, a planet's tectonic mode also influences whether plate boundaries can form, as the driving forces for plate boundary formation (e.g. stress and viscous dissipation) are different in a plate tectonic versus stagnant lid regime. As a result, tectonic mode can display hysteresis, where convection under otherwise identical conditions can reach different final states as a result of the initial regime of convection. Previous work has explored this effect in pseudoplastic models, finding that it is more difficult to initiate plate tectonics starting from a stagnant lid state than it is to sustain plate tectonics when already in a mobile lid regime, because convective stresses in the lithosphere are lower in a stagnant lid regime than in a plate tectonic regime. However, whether and to what extent such hysteresis is displayed when alternative rheological models for lithospheric shear localization are used is unknown. In particular, grainsize reduction is commonly hypothesized to be a primary cause of shear localization and plate boundary formation. We use new models of mantle convection with grain-size evolution to determine how the initial mode of surface tectonics influences the final convective regime reached when convection reaches statistical steady-state. Scaling analysis is performed to quantify how subduction initiation from a stagnant lid differs from sustaining subduction in a mobile lid. The implications of our results for the evolution of the mode of surface tectonics on terrestrial planets will also be discussed.
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Hylan G-F 20 Versus Low Molecular Weight Hyaluronic Acids for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Meta-Analysis.
Zhao, Hongmou; Liu, Hongliang; Liang, Xiaojun; Li, Yi; Wang, Junhu; Liu, Cheng
2016-10-01
Hyaluronic acid injection has been reported to decrease pain compared with baseline levels in knee joint osteoarthritis. Hylan G-F 20 is distinguished from the other products by its chemical structure and relatively higher molecular weight. Many trials have compared hylan G-F 20 and low molecular weight hyaluronic acids (LMWHAs); however, their relative efficacy and safety are still debated. The aim was to compare the effectiveness and safety of intra-articular injection of hylan G-F 20 and LMWHA in the treatment of knee joint osteoarthritis. A comprehensive search of the literature up to February 2016 was performed; multiple databases were searched with 'Synvisc' or 'hylan' or 'hyaluronan' as free word terms. The pain-related outcomes and treatment-related adverse events from intent-to-treat analyzed studies were pooled for meta-analysis; other functional outcomes were included in the qualitative analysis. Twenty trials with a total of 3034 patients and 3153 knees were included, with a pooled dropout rate of 7.2 %. The pooled pain-related outcomes at 2 to 3 months reached a statistically significant difference in favor of hylan G-F 20 (I 2 = 88 %; random effects; P = 0.02), and the significance still existed with exclusion (in order to eliminate heterogeneity) of the three studies that most favored hylan G-F 20 (I 2 = 51 %; fixed effect; P = 0.03). No significant difference was reached for other group and subgroup analyses. No significant difference was reached in comparing the patients with treatment-related adverse events (seven trials; 2025 patients; P = 0.13) or the treatment-related adverse events (six trials; 1633 patients; P = 0.14). According to the current results, limited evidence showed a superior effect favoring hylan G-F 20 over LMWHA in the period from 2 to 3 months post-injection for pain-related outcomes. There was no evidence of increased risk of treatment-related adverse events for hylan G-F 20 injections.
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Jagodzinski, Andrzej M.; Ziółkowski, Jędrzej; Warnkowska, Aleksandra; Prais, Hubert
2016-01-01
There are few data on fine root biomass and morphology change in relation to stand age. Based on chronosequences for beech (9–140 years old), oak (11–140 years) and alder (4–76 years old) we aimed to examine how stand age affects fine root biomass and morphology. Soil cores from depths of 0–15 cm and 16–30 cm were used for the study. In contrast to previously published studies that suggested that maximum fine root biomass is reached at the canopy closure stage of stand development, we found almost linear increases of fine root biomass over stand age within the chronosequences. We did not observe any fine root biomass peak in the canopy closure stage. However, we found statistically significant increases of mean fine root biomass for the average individual tree in each chronosequence. Mean fine root biomass (0–30 cm) differed significantly among tree species chronosequences studied and was 4.32 Mg ha-1, 3.71 Mg ha-1 and 1.53 Mg ha-1, for beech, oak and alder stands, respectively. The highest fine root length, surface area, volume and number of fine root tips (0–30 cm soil depth), expressed on a stand area basis, occurred in beech stands, with medium values for oak stands and the lowest for alder stands. In the alder chronosequence all these values increased with stand age, in the beech chronosequence they decreased and in the oak chronosequence they increased until ca. 50 year old stands and then reached steady-state. Our study has proved statistically significant negative relationships between stand age and specific root length (SRL) in 0–30 cm soil depth for beech and oak chronosequences. Mean SRLs for each chronosequence were not significantly different among species for either soil depth studied. The results of this study indicate high fine root plasticity. Although only limited datasets are currently available, these data have provided valuable insight into fine root biomass and morphology of beech, oak and alder stands. PMID:26859755
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Traver, G A
1988-11-01
Thirty subjects with severe chronic obstructive airways disease participated in a study to identify differences in symptoms and life quality between those with high and low emergent use of institutional health care resources. Emergent use was defined as care obtained through unscheduled, nonroutine methods of access to health care providers. There were 15 subjects in each group; the groups had similar sex distribution and were not significantly different for percent predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second (mean 29.8%), use of home oxygen (15 of 30 subjects), or prevalence of CO2 retention (nine of 30). Symptoms and life quality were measured by using three paper and pencil tests, the Bronchitis-Emphysema Symptom Checklist, the Sickness-Impact Profile, and the Katz Adjustment Scale for relatives. Findings demonstrated consistently more symptoms and impairment of life quality in the "high emergent" group. The differences reached statistical significance for irritability, anxiety, helplessness, nervousness, peripheral sensory complaints, alienation, social interaction, and emotional behavior. Discriminant analysis provided a prediction formula that yielded 80% correct prediction for the two groups.
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Basch, Charles E; Zybert, Patricia; Wolf, Randi L; Basch, Corey H; Ullman, Ralph; Shmukler, Celia; King, Fionnuala; Neugut, Alfred I; Shea, Steven
2015-10-01
This randomized controlled trial assessed different educational approaches for increasing colorectal cancer screening uptake in a sample of primarily non-US born urban minority individuals, over aged 50, with health insurance, and out of compliance with screening guidelines. In one group, participants were mailed printed educational material (n = 180); in a second, participants' primary care physicians received academic detailing to improve screening referral and follow-up practices (n = 185); in a third, physicians received academic detailing and participants received tailored telephone education (n = 199). Overall, 21.5% of participants (n = 121) received appropriate screening within one year of randomization. There were no statistically significant pairwise differences between groups in screening rate. Among those 60 years of age or older, however, the detailing plus telephone education group had a higher screening rate than the print group (27.3 vs. 7.7%, p = .02). Different kinds of interventions will be required to increase colorectal cancer screening among the increasingly small population segment that remains unscreened. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02392143.
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Physicochemical, melissopalynological and antioxidant properties of artisanal honeys from Lebanon.
Jaafar, Katherine; Haidar, Janay; Kuraydiyyah, Sawsan; Ghaddar, Tarek; Knio, Khouzama; Ismail, Baraem; Toufeili, Imad
2017-07-01
Sixteen honeydew and 15 floral honeys from Lebanon were analyzed for pollen spectra and physicochemical parameters. A total of 37 families and 67 taxa were recorded with the honeybees producing honeydew honey exhibiting a more diverse foraging behavior than those making floral honeys. The honeydew and floral honeys exhibited differences in moisture content, pH, electrical conductivity, color, protein and Maillard reaction products. The honeydew honeys contained more total phenols, had higher antioxidant contents, and displayed higher antioxidant capacities than the floral samples in the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, oxygen radical absorbance capacity, inhibition of superoxide dismutase activity and protection of red blood cells against hemolysis assays. The honey samples exhibited higher antioxidant capacities, in the aforementioned assays, than their corresponding methanol-extractable phenol fractions although the differences did not reach statistical significance in the floral samples. The relative antioxidant capacity indices which integrate measures of antioxidant capacity from the different assays of the honey samples and their corresponding extracts exhibited similar patterns ( r = 0.9774, 0.9937) thereby indicating that the antioxidative behavior of the entire honeys is mirrored by their methanol-extractable phenolic fractions.
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Chiral effects in adrenocorticolytic action of o,p'-DDD (mitotane) in human adrenal cells.
Asp, V; Cantillana, T; Bergman, A; Brandt, I
2010-03-01
Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignant disease with poor prognosis. The main pharmacological choice, o,p'-DDD (mitotane), produces severe adverse effects. Since o,p'-DDD is a chiral molecule and stereoisomers frequently possess different pharmacokinetic and/or pharmacodynamic properties, we isolated the two o,p'-DDD enantiomers, (R)-(+)-o,p'-DDD and (S)-(-)-o,p'-DDD, and determined their absolute structures. The effects of each enantiomer on cell viability and on cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) secretion in the human adrenocortical cell line H295R were assessed. We also assayed the o,p'-DDD racemate and the m,p'- and p,p'-isomers. The results show small but statistically significant differences in activity of the o,p'-DDD enantiomers for all parameters tested. The three DDD isomers were equally potent in decreasing cell viability, but p,p'-DDD affected hormone secretion slightly less than the o,p'- and m,p'-isomers. The small chiral differences in direct effects on target cells alone do not warrant single enantiomer administration, but might reach importance in conjunction with possible stereochemical effects on pharmacokinetic processes in vivo.
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Fingerprints selection for topological localization
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Popov, Vladimir
2017-07-01
Problems of visual navigation are extensively studied in contemporary robotics. In particular, we can mention different problems of visual landmarks selection, the problem of selection of a minimal set of visual landmarks, selection of partially distinguishable guards, the problem of placement of visual landmarks. In this paper, we consider one-dimensional color panoramas. Such panoramas can be used for creating fingerprints. Fingerprints give us unique identifiers for visually distinct locations by recovering statistically significant features. Fingerprints can be used as visual landmarks for the solution of various problems of mobile robot navigation. In this paper, we consider a method for automatic generation of fingerprints. In particular, we consider the bounded Post correspondence problem and applications of the problem to consensus fingerprints and topological localization. We propose an efficient approach to solve the bounded Post correspondence problem. In particular, we use an explicit reduction from the decision version of the problem to the satisfiability problem. We present the results of computational experiments for different satisfiability algorithms. In robotic experiments, we consider the average accuracy of reaching of the target point for different lengths of routes and types of fingerprints.
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Cognitive rehabilitation in schizophrenia: a quantitative analysis of controlled studies.
Krabbendam, Lydia; Aleman, André
2003-09-01
Cognitive rehabilitation is now recognized as an important tool in the treatment of schizophrenia, and findings in this area are emerging rapidly. There is a need for a systematic review of the effects of the different training programs. To review quantitatively the controlled studies on cognitive rehabilitation in schizophrenia for the effect of training on performance on tasks other than those practiced in the training procedure. A meta-analysis was conducted on 12 controlled studies of cognitive rehabilitation in schizophrenia taking into account the effects of type of rehabilitation approach (rehearsal or strategy learning) and duration of training. The mean weighted effect size was 0.45, with a 95% confidence interval from 0.26 to 0.64. Effect sizes differed slightly, depending on rehabilitation approach, in favor of strategy learning, but this difference did not reach statistical significance. Duration of training did not influence effect size. Cognitive rehabilitation can improve task performance in patients with schizophrenia and this effect is apparent on tasks outside those practiced during the training procedure. Future studies should include more real-world outcomes and perform longitudinal evaluations.
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Encoding of Both Reaching and Grasping Kinematics in Dorsal and Ventral Premotor Cortices
Best, Matthew D.
2017-01-01
Classically, it has been hypothesized that reach-to-grasp movements arise from two discrete parietofrontal cortical networks. As part of these networks, the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) has been implicated in the control of reaching movements of the arm, whereas the ventral premotor cortex (PMv) has been associated with the control of grasping movements of the hand. Recent studies have shown that such a strict delineation of function along anatomical boundaries is unlikely, partly because reaching to different locations can alter distal hand kinematics and grasping different objects can affect kinematics of the proximal arm. Here, we used chronically implanted multielectrode arrays to record unit-spiking activity in both PMd and PMv simultaneously while rhesus macaques engaged in a reach-to-grasp task. Generalized linear models were used to predict the spiking activity of cells in both areas as a function of different kinematic parameters, as well as spike history. To account for the influence of reaching on hand kinematics and vice versa, we applied demixed principal components analysis to define kinematics synergies that maximized variance across either different object locations or grip types. We found that single cells in both PMd and PMv encode the kinematics of both reaching and grasping synergies, suggesting that this classical division of reach and grasp in PMd and PMv, respectively, does not accurately reflect the encoding preferences of cells in those areas. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT For reach-to-grasp movements, the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) has been implicated in the control of reaching movements of the arm, whereas the ventral premotor cortex (PMv) has been associated with the control of grasping movements of the hand. We recorded unit-spiking activity in PMd and PMv simultaneously while macaques performed a reach-to-grasp task. We modeled the spiking activity of neurons as a function of kinematic parameters and spike history. We applied demixed principal components analysis to define kinematics synergies. We found that single units in both PMd and PMv encode the kinematics of both reaching and grasping synergies, suggesting that the division of reach and grasp in PMd and PMv, respectively, cannot be made based on their encoding properties. PMID:28077725
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Thompson, Chris; Croke, Jacky
2013-09-01
Flooding is a persistent natural hazard, and even modest changes in future climate are believed to lead to large increases in flood magnitude. Previous studies of extreme floods have reported a range of geomorphic responses from negligible change to catastrophic channel change. This paper provides an assessment of the geomorphic effects of a rare, high magnitude event that occurred in the Lockyer valley, southeast Queensland in January 2011. The average return interval of the resulting flood was ~ 2000 years in the upper catchment and decreased to ~ 30 years downstream. A multitemporal LiDAR-derived DEM of Difference (DoD) is used to quantify morphological change in two study reaches with contrasting valley settings (confined and unconfined). Differences in geomorphic response between reaches are examined in the context of changes in flood power, channel competence and degree of valley confinement using a combination of one-dimensional (1-D) and two-dimensional (2-D) hydraulic modelling. Flood power peaked at 9800 W m- 2 along the confined reach and was 2-3 times lower along the unconfined reach. Results from the DoD confirm that the confined reach was net erosional, exporting ~ 287,000 m3 of sediment whilst the unconfined reach was net depositional gaining ~ 209,000 m3 of sediment, 70% of the amount exported from the upstream, confined reach. The major sources of eroded sediment in the confined reach were within channel benches and macrochannel banks resulting in a significant increase of channel width. In the unconfined reach, the benches and floodplains were the major loci for deposition, whilst the inner channel exhibited minor width increases. The presence of high stream power values, and resultant high erosion rates, within the confined reach is a function of the higher energy gradient of the steeper channel that is associated with knickpoint development. Dramatic differences in geomorphic responses were observed between the two adjacent reaches of contrasting valley configuration. The confined reach experienced large-scale erosion and reorganisation of the channel morphology that resulted in significantly different areal representations of the five geomorphic features classified in this study.
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Wind Generated Rogue Waves in an Annular Wave Flume.
Toffoli, A; Proment, D; Salman, H; Monbaliu, J; Frascoli, F; Dafilis, M; Stramignoni, E; Forza, R; Manfrin, M; Onorato, M
2017-04-07
We investigate experimentally the statistical properties of a wind-generated wave field and the spontaneous formation of rogue waves in an annular flume. Unlike many experiments on rogue waves where waves are mechanically generated, here the wave field is forced naturally by wind as it is in the ocean. What is unique about the present experiment is that the annular geometry of the tank makes waves propagating circularly in an unlimited-fetch condition. Within this peculiar framework, we discuss the temporal evolution of the statistical properties of the surface elevation. We show that rogue waves and heavy-tail statistics may develop naturally during the growth of the waves just before the wave height reaches a stationary condition. Our results shed new light on the formation of rogue waves in a natural environment.
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Mars: Noachian hydrology by its statistics and topology
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Cabrol, N. A.; Grin, E. A.
1993-01-01
Discrimination between fluvial features generated by surface drainage and subsurface aquifer discharges will provide clues to the understanding of early Mars' climatic history. Our approach is to define the process of formation of the oldest fluvial valleys by statistical and topological analyses. Formation of fluvial valley systems reached its highest statistical concentration during the Noachian Period. Nevertheless, they are a scarce phenomenom in Martian history, localized on the craterized upland, and subject to latitudinal distribution. They occur sparsely on Noachian geological units with a weak distribution density, and appear in reduced isolated surface (around 5 x 10(exp 3)(sq km)), filled by short streams (100-300 km length). Topological analysis of the internal organization of 71 surveyed Noachian fluvial valley networks also provides information on the mechanisms of formation.
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[Atropine use for progressive myopia in children and adolescents].
Verzhanskaya, T Yu
The worldwide prevalence of myopia varies within the range of 20-50% among the adult population of Europe and the United States reaching 60-90% in Asian countries. Reduction of pediatric myopia rates is an important task of medicine. From many reported conservative methods for stabilization of myopia, those that involve pharmaceutical measures are worth paying attention to. This review covers publications dated 1964 or later that contain the results of atropine use at different concentrations in children and adolescents with a minimum follow-up period of 5 years. Atropine mechanisms of action and side effects at different concentrations of the drug are also analyzed. The authors point out potential health hazards for patients on atropine therapy. The principal conclusion: low-dose atropine (0.01%) makes a good compromise between potential negative effects and statistically significant slowing of myopia progression proved in numerous studies. It is recommended that children at the age of 8-13 years undergo at least a 2-year course of atropine therapy.
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Kennedy, Laura; Xyrichis, Andreas
2017-02-01
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is recommended as a psychological intervention for those diagnosed with schizophrenia. The prevalence of auditory hallucinations is high among this group, many of whom are cared for by community mental health teams that may not have easy access to qualified CBT practitioners. This systematic review examined the evidence for the superiority of CBT compared to non-specialized therapy in alleviating auditory hallucinations in community patients with schizophrenia. Two RCTs met the inclusion criteria totaling 105 participants. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS)-Positive Scale was the outcome measure examined. A meta-analysis revealed a pooled mean difference of -0.86 [95 % CI -2.38, 0.65] in favor of CBT, although this did not reach statistical significance. This systematic review concluded there is no clinically significant difference in the reduction of positive symptoms of schizophrenia when treated by CBT compared to a non-specialized therapy for adults experiencing auditory hallucinations.
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Surveying immigrants without sampling frames - evaluating the success of alternative field methods.
Reichel, David; Morales, Laura
2017-01-01
This paper evaluates the sampling methods of an international survey, the Immigrant Citizens Survey, which aimed at surveying immigrants from outside the European Union (EU) in 15 cities in seven EU countries. In five countries, no sample frame was available for the target population. Consequently, alternative ways to obtain a representative sample had to be found. In three countries 'location sampling' was employed, while in two countries traditional methods were used with adaptations to reach the target population. The paper assesses the main methodological challenges of carrying out a survey among a group of immigrants for whom no sampling frame exists. The samples of the survey in these five countries are compared to results of official statistics in order to assess the accuracy of the samples obtained through the different sampling methods. It can be shown that alternative sampling methods can provide meaningful results in terms of core demographic characteristics although some estimates differ to some extent from the census results.
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Exercise training improves autonomic profiles in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.
El Mhandi, Lhassan; Pichot, Vincent; Calmels, Paul; Gautheron, Vincent; Roche, Frédéric; Féasson, Léonard
2011-11-01
The effect of an interval exercise training (ITE) program on heart rate variability (HRV) was studied in 8 patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease and 8 healthy controls. At baseline, all subjects underwent ambulatory 24-hour Holter electrocardiographic (ECG) monitoring to evaluate HRV. HRV analysis was repeated on CMT patients after they completed a 24-week ITE program on a cycle ergometer. Before exercise, all HRV indices were lower in patients compared with controls, and the difference reached statistical significance for pNN50 (percent of differences between adjacent R-R intervals exceeding 50 ms). After ITE, time- and frequency-domain indices were significantly improved, particularly at night (+8% mean R-R interval, +95% pNN50, 52% reduction in low/high-frequency ratio). We observed significant increases in some of the time and frequency parameters, and values sometimes exceeded those of controls at baseline. Our results suggest that ITE improves HRV modulation in CMT patients by enhancing parasympathetic activity. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Blahut, Jan; Klimes, Jan; Balek, Jan; Taborik, Petr; Juras, Roman; Pavlasek, Jiri
2015-04-01
Run-out modelling of snow avalanches is being widely applied in high mountain areas worldwide. This study presents application of snow avalanche run-out calculation applied to mid-mountain ranges - the Krkonose, Jeseniky and Kralicky Sneznik Mountains. All mentioned mountain ranges lie in the northern part of Czechia, close to the border with Poland. Its highest peak reaches only 1602 m a.s.l. However, climatic conditions and regular snowpack presence are the reason why these mountain ranges experience considerable snow avalanche activity every year, sometimes resulting in injuries or even fatalities. Within the aim of an applied project dealing with snow avalanche hazard prediction a re-assessment of permanent snow avalanche paths has been performed based on extensive statistics covering period from 1961/62 till present. On each avalanche path different avalanches with different return periods were modelled using the RAMMS code. As a result, an up-to-date snow avalanche hazard map was prepared.